《Changing Only For Her》 Chapter 1 Chapter 1 Chapter 1 Do Not Move It was annoyingly hot in Horington by the time June arrived. After the self-study session ended at night, Sophie Tanner waited till the other students filed out before she got on her bicycle. She took the road to a quiet alley to head home. It might be deserted, but she could shorten her journey by over ten minutes. Before she could cycle out of the alley, she caught a whiff of blood with her keen nose. Sophie was pretty familiar with the scent of blood. Other girls would¡¯ve fled the scene if they were in her shoes. However, Sophie was no ordinary young woman. She continued riding on her bicycle as though nothing had happened. Indeed, five minutester, she saw a fight happening in this deste alley. One of Sophie¡¯s feet was on the ground, and the other was on the pedal. She stuck one hand into her pocket and held her bicycle with the other as she whistled loudly to catch the others¡¯ attention. There were over a dozen tall men beating a man up. As there were no lights in the alley, she peered at the man who was surrounded by the rest under the moonlight. Looks like he¡¯s the one who got hurt. Hearing Sophie¡¯s whistle, everyone present turned to look at her. ¡°Scram!¡± As she was tall, skinny, and d in her school uniform, the leader of the attackers barked at her furiously. Sophie¡¯s brow knitted together impatiently. ¡°You¡¯re blocking my way.¡± ¡°You have a death wish!¡± the leader snarled testily. They had gone to great lengths before getting the opportunity to take action against Tristan Lombard. Anyone who stopped them from doing that would have to die. It only took one look from him to get two men to march toward Sophie. ncing at her watch, Sophie realized it was already half past ten at night. Before they couldy a hand on her, Sophie ced her other foot on the pedal and cycled toward the men in ck swiftly. In the blink of an eye, she managed to hit one man with her bicycle, who stumbled to the ground in a miserable heap. cing both palms on her seat, Sophie whipped around and kicked another man forcefully. The leader btedly realized he had overestimated Sophie¡¯s capability. At once, he ordered, ¡°Kill them both.¡± They didn¡¯t have much time left. If Tristan¡¯s men arrived, they wouldn¡¯t be able to take him out any longer. Tristan was barely alive when he heard the leader¡¯s order. He immediately pulled himself together. I can¡¯t die here. Sophie initially nned to leave after teaching the men a lesson. She happened to walk past Tristan and caught a glimpse of him. Suddenly, her bicycle halted to a stop even though she had sessfully escaped from the men. ¡°D*mn it.¡± Sophie changed her mind. I¡¯m going to do a kind act today. Just for today. The next moment, she turned her bicycle around and pedaled toward the men. As Sophie didn¡¯t have any weapons, she grabbed two knives from the men. Using her bicycle as leverage, she started attacking the men. The men¡¯s expressions grew grim when they realized how vicious and swift Sophie could be. ¡°Kill them!¡± the leadermanded. Sophie darted to Tristan deftly. ¡°You¡¯re still alive?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not going to die.¡± They didn¡¯t have a chance to continue their conversation, for the men began charging toward them. Sophie was capable enough to defeat them all easily. Her actions were cool yet sassy. After all the men had been beaten to a pulp, Sophie kicked the person who was blocking her path away. ¡°Goodbye. You¡¯re wee.¡± She didn¡¯t want to continue poking her nose into his business. She got onto her bicycle nimbly. It was almost eleven, so she needed to get home as soon as possible. s, her bicycle remained rooted to the spot even after she started pedaling. She turned at her shoulder and realized Tristan had grabbed the rear seat of her bicycle. Her eyes were shing with fury, for it waste at night. ¡°What else do you want?¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± With that said, he fainted and lost consciousness. ¡°What the f*ck?¡± Sophie cursed under her breath as she red at the man on the ground. Despite losing consciousness, he still looked as dignified as ever. In the end, she helped him up and used up all her might to ce him on the rear seat of her bicycle. After doing that, she gritted her teeth and rode out of the alley. Content property of N?velDra/ma.Org. As Tristan was shot, Sophie dared not bring him to the hospital. A gunshot wound was too sensitive. She was pretty satisfied with her current life and didn¡¯t want to return to her past life. If his gunshot wound wasn¡¯t dealt with, he would meet his doom before the sun rose tomorrow morning. Sophie brought him to a medicalboratory at Horington University. She walked in freely as though she owned the ce. After switching on the lights, she ced Tristan on the dissection table that the medical students used for their experiments. Opening one of the cabs, she pulled out a surgical gown and put it on. There were no anesthetics around. He had fainted, so she assumed he could bear the pain. After putting on the surgical gloves, Sophie grabbed a pair of scissors and cut Tristan¡¯s bloodied shirt into half. The bullet was pretty near to his heart, so if she didn¡¯t pay enough attention, his heart might suffer from a rupture. She disinfected the scalpel and began to remove the bullet. Tristan prided himself as a tough man, but the pain jolted him awake when the scalpel sank into his chest. He red at the youngdy beside him who was holding the scalpel. ¡°Who are you? Do you have a death wish?¡± Sophie had no idea Tristan would regain consciousness at this moment. It was understandable, though. There was an incision on his chest, so he was no less than a dead body if he were to remain motionless. ¡°If you want to survive, don¡¯t move,¡± she snapped impatiently. Not wanting to waste more time, Sophie continued the surgery without hesitation. ¡°Mm!¡± Tristan moaned in anguish as she cut into his skin. However, that was the only moan he made throughout the entire surgery. Tristan waited until the surgery ended before he allowed himself to faint. ¡°He has a strong willpower, huh?¡± Sophie remarked. After all, Tristan had remained awake the entire surgery and watched as she operated on him without taking any anesthetics. Hence, he deserved the praise. Pulling his phone out, she typed out a text and sent it to a random name that was to her liking. Sophie cleared theboratory and left with her backpack. She didn¡¯t even bother sparing the man another look. After receiving Tristan¡¯s text, Felix Northley rushed all the way to the medicalboratory at Horington University. He was stunned to see Tristan lying on the dissection table. I wonder who had the guts to do this? Doesn¡¯t he or she know who Tristan Lombard is? He¡¯s one of the Lombards from Jipsdale! Tristan woke up and saw Felix standing before him. ¡°Mr. Tristan, who did this to you?¡± he asked curiously. The person must have a death wish! No one dares to do this to Mr. Tristan in Jipsdale. Tristan shot the talkative Felix a look. ¡°Mr. Tristan, who brought you here?¡± Felix was sweating profusely after he learned of Tristan¡¯s disappearance. If he meets his doom, many people in Jipsdale will have to die alongside him! I wonder who is the person who did this to him. Felix¡¯s curiosity was piqued. ¡°The enemy hired mercenaries to take my life. Find out who saved me tonight.¡± Chapter 2 Chapter 2 Chapter 2 Men Are All Shallow ¡°No problem!¡± Felix arranged for Tristan to be sent to Horington General Hospital without hesitation. The bullet might¡¯ve been removed, but it was necessary for Tristan to undergo a checkup at the hospital. The doctor at Horington General Hospital gaped in disbelief after he saw Tristan¡¯s wound. This doctor was the top surgeon at Horington General Hospital. If he was tasked to operate on patients like Tristan, he would have to carry out the surgery carefully. After all, the bullet was too close to Tristan¡¯s heart. The patient¡¯s heart would rupture if the surgeon wasn¡¯t careful enough. However, the person who saved Tristan managed to operate on him and remove the bullet sessfully. Tristan¡¯s heart remained healthy. Only a selected few in Chanaea couldplete this feat. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Is there something wrong with his wound?¡± Felix panicked as the doctor stayed silent for way too long. ¡°Mr. Tristan, may I know who removed the bullet for you?¡± the doctor asked earnestly. He was a famous surgeon in Horington, but this person was clearly more skillful than him. ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± Tristan wanted nothing more than to know who was the person who saved him. ¡°The surgery was sessful. You¡¯ll only have to recuperate for a few months.¡± The doctor was sorely disappointed to learn that Tristan didn¡¯t know the person¡¯s identity. He was the top surgeon in all of Horington and only became the director of his department after working for over thirty years. Thus, he didn¡¯t expect to run into someone who was better than him. After the doctor left, Tristan shot Felix a look. Thetter immediately left to investigate the matter. The next morning, Felix arrived at Tristan¡¯s ward to see thetter walking around. ¡°Mr. Tristan, do you have a death wish?¡± He couldn¡¯t believe that Tristan was paying no heed to his health. If the person back in Jipsdale finds out about this, he¡¯ll rush here at once. Is he trying to get me in trouble? ¡°Stop talking nonsense,¡± Tristan snapped. ¡°I found out who saved you. Here you go.¡± Felix handed a file to Tristan. Tristan opened the file and pulled out the documents. His brows snapped together as he read the information inside. ¡°An eighteen-year-old student in her senior year?¡± How could a student in her senior year remove the bullet in my chest? ¡±Felix, how dare you pull such a stunt?¡± Felix hurriedly waved his hands. ¡°I knew you wouldn¡¯t believe it. I was shocked when I read the file, too. But I¡¯ve confirmed it myself. It¡¯s her.¡± Felix showed him a photo. Tristan took the photo from him. The young woman depicted in the photo had an unforgettable face. She was young, lively, and gorgeous. Her eyes were especially attractive. ¡°An eighteen-year-old student who is capable of defeating mercenaries and performing surgeries? Interesting.¡± ¡°Mr. Tristan, are we returning to Jipsdale?¡± Tristannded in trouble the moment he arrived at Horington. Obviously, someone was intimidated by their presence here. ¡°We haven¡¯t solved anything yet. Why would we return? Are you scared? If you are, you¡¯re wee to leave without me.¡± Felix¡¯s lips twitched helplessly. ¡°Don¡¯t tell him about this.¡± The ¡°him¡± Tristan was referring to was his father, William Lombard. ¡°What if Old Mr. Lombard asks about you? Do I have to keep it a secret?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t tell him anything.¡± Tristan was certain he could handle the matter himself. ¡°Let¡¯s go find her.¡± When Felix found Sophie, thetter was surrounded by a few thugs. ¡°You¡¯re Sophie Tanner, right?¡± Sophie was wearing Horington High School¡¯s uniform. Her sleeves were rolled up to expose her fair wrist. Ignoring them, she strode forward. ¡°F*ck it, Boss. She just ignored you!¡± ackey yelled. Everyone in Horington High School dared not go against their leader. The leader of the thugs, Jack Keyes, bristled and rushed toward Sophie. ¡°I was talking to you. Are you f*cking deaf?¡± Jack demanded as he reached out to grab Sophie¡¯s hand. Sophie halted in her tracks and spat out the gum she had been chewing a while earlier. ¡°Scram,¡± came her icy reply. ¡°Ha! You¡¯re quite hot-tempered, huh? You¡¯ve offended someone whom you shouldn¡¯t have offended!¡± Jack dered. Having said that, he reached out to attack Sophie. Before he couldy a hand on Sophie, she threw him over her shoulders. Jack fell to the ground with a thump, and he could no longer move. ¡°Do you know who I am? My dad is¡ª¡± His yell was cut short by Sophie, who stepped on his cheek forcefully. ¡°Shut up!¡± she snapped irritably. The other thugs trembled in fear, for they had no idea Sophie was this good at fighting. ¡°Call my dad!¡± Jack screamed. ¡°I want Sophie Tanner to leave Horington!¡± Everyone was pointing fingers at Sophie after seeing what she did to Jack. There was a rumor saying that Sophie used to be a delinquent. She had an abortion in middle school after getting pregnant with a thug¡¯s child. Finding her embarrassing, her family ended up abandoning her in Horington. Thus, she had no choice but to fend for herself. Sophie ignored their horrible insults and strode away. A whileter, a ck car rolled to a stop beside her. The door was pushed open to reveal a tall and handsome man. Coming to her, the man greeted, ¡°Hello, Ms. Tanner. I am Felix Northley. My employer, Mr. Tristan, would like to talk to you.¡± Sophie fished out a piece of gum from her pocket and started chewing on it. Felix opened the door to the backseat, so Sophie hopped into the car. The man inside was the very one she savedst night. ¡°You bled a lot but still survived. You¡¯re quite lucky, huh?¡± Sophie remarked nonchntly. Her face was devoid of emotions. She sounds really aggressive. The corner of Felix¡¯s lips twitched after hearing her words. Back in Jipsdale, only a handful dare to talk to Mr. Tristan this way. N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content. ¡°I am Tristan Lombard. Thank you for saving my lifest night.¡± Tristan gave her his name card. Without looking at it, Sophie stuffed it into her backpack. ¡°Have you studied medicine before?¡± Felix blurted out. He couldn¡¯t tamp his curiosity, for Sophie was just eighteen years old. She was capable of removing a bullet from a gunshot wound and was thus no ordinary being. Sophie shook her head. ¡°Nope. My neighbor is a vet, so I helped him a couple of times previously,¡± came her answer. Hearing that, Felix turned to look at Tristan. Hear that? You¡¯re nothing but an animal to her. ¡°Do vets know how to remove bullets?¡± ¡°Nope. He was almost dead, so there was no harm trying,¡± Sophie exined. She then told the driver, ¡°Drop me off at the end of this street.¡± The driver nced at Tristan, who gave him a nod. As requested, the driver stopped at the end of the street, and Sophie got out of the car. ¡°Ms. Tanner, don¡¯t you need our help?¡± After all, she seemed to have offended someone influential. ¡°No need.¡± Sophie gave a dismissive wave. She was confident that she could handle the matter herself. Before Tristan¡¯s car could leave, she hailed a taxi and left. ¡°Wow, that was sassy of her.¡± Felix had never seen any woman as cool and pretty as Sophie. ¡°Mr. Tristan, do you think she can be trusted?¡± he asked. ¡°What do you think?¡± Tristan didn¡¯t even bother sparing him a look. ¡°Interesting.¡± Felix was befuddled. Did Mr. Tristan justment that she¡¯s interesting? ¡°Mr. Tristan, have you taken a liking to her? Yes, I¡¯ll admit that she¡¯s pretty. In fact, she¡¯s prettier than those well-known beauties in Jipsdale. But she¡¯s too young!¡± he eximed. Tristan shot him a look. ¡°How shallow of you.¡± Felix fell silent. Yes, I¡¯m shallow. Men are all shallow beings! Chapter 3 Chapter 3 Chapter 3 Does She Even Have A Family The next morning, Sophie arrived at her ssroom to be told that the discipline teacher hade to look for her three times in a row. ¡°Soph, did you do something wrong?¡± Everyone knew Sophie was a delinquent who loved getting involved in physical fights. However, no one had ever seen her fighting after she transferred to this high school. Sophie often slept in ss, but almost everyone in Horington High School did the same. Horington High School was the worst high school in all of Horington, so the teachers didn¡¯t even bother to yell at the students for sleeping in ss. ¡°Never mind. I¡¯ll go to his office.¡± Sophie tossed her backpack onto her desk and went to the administration office. In the administration office of Horington High School, the principal, Vincent Zeller, could barely tamp down his anger. ¡°Sophie Tanner, how could you? I don¡¯t mind if you have a bad reputation, but why did you beat Jack Keyes up? Do you know who he is? He¡¯s the son of Percy Keyes, the deputy director! I can¡¯t believe you¡¯re bold enough to beat a government official¡¯s son up. He has been admitted to the hospital. What are you going to do now?¡± Vincent was already regretting epting Sophie in the first ce. ¡°I¡¯ve called your mother. You¡¯re too good for us, so we dare not keep you here. You are free to go to any school that dares to take you in!¡± he concluded furiously. Sophie didn¡¯t utter a word at all. Soon, Sophie¡¯s mother, Charmaine Laird, arrived at Horington High School. ¡°Mr. Zeller, what happened? Did Sophie do anything wrong again?¡± The moment Charmaine arrived, she didn¡¯t ask about the details and assumed it was Sophie¡¯s fault. ¡°We¡¯re no longer capable of teaching your daughter. Please take her with you today. She has offended Mr. Percy Keyes, a deputy director in a government agency. I¡¯m in trouble no thanks to her. I shouldn¡¯t have taken her in in the first ce!¡± Vincent expelled Sophie immediately without giving Charmaine any opportunity to speak. Hearing that, Sophie spun on her heels and strode out of the administration office. ¡°Mr. Zeller, Sophie is still young. Please give her another chance. If she gets expelled from Horington High School, no other high school will take her in!¡± Charmaine pleaded, utterly flustered. ¡°Mrs. Tanner, I can¡¯t help you. You should worry about Mr. Keyes.¡± Vincent¡¯s stance remained firm. Left with no choice, Charmaine left the office reluctantly. Her frustration kicked in at the sight of Sophie outside. She raised her arm with the intention of giving Sophie a p. However, Sophie grabbed her arm and red at her icily. ¡°Mrs. Tanner, what are you doing? You and the Tanner family should stay out of my business. You discarded me back then, right? Stop poking your nose into my business.¡± They made their choice five years ago, right? They chose Willow, and I was their unwanted daughter. ¡°Sophie, what was that? How could you be that rude? What else are we supposed to do after your humiliating incident? You were the reason our family became theughingstock of Jipsdale. Haven¡¯t you learned from your mistake?¡± Charmaine demanded. Sophie was disappointed after hearing her words. Despite being her mother, Charmaine had never trusted her. ¡°I¡¯ve humiliated you, so I¡¯ve cut all ties with the Tanner family. Whether I die or live on is none of your business. Stoping to me or butt into my business,¡± Sophie told her calmly. Going to her ssroom, she grabbed her backpack and marched out of school. Charmaine¡¯s disappointment increased when she saw how stubborn Sophie was. I can¡¯t ignore her. No matter what, she¡¯s still my daughter. Besides, if Dades home and finds out we abandoned Sophie in Horington, there¡¯s no telling what he¡¯ll do. After all, Dad adores Sophie the most. ¡°Mr. Tristan, Sophie has been expelled from her school,¡± Felix promptly updated Tristan. ¡°She¡¯s the youngest daughter of the Jipsdale Tanners who was abandoned in Horington.¡± ¡°She¡¯s Caleb Tanner¡¯s younger sister?¡± The Tanner family wasn¡¯t that influential in Jipsdale, but Tristan knew who Caleb was. ¡°Yep, she¡¯s Caleb Tanner¡¯s younger sister. Apparently, Sophie caused an uproar in Jipsdale for living together with a thug when she was in eighth grade. She even got an abortion.¡± Property ? of N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Apparently? How could you believe a baseless rumor?¡± Sophie isn¡¯t one who would live together with a thug and abort her child in middle school. That sounds ridiculous. Felix scratched his nose awkwardly. ¡°It was her elder sister, Willow Tanner, who spilled the truth.¡± ¡°Willow Tanner?¡± Tristan had no recollection of the name. ¡°Mr. Tristan, this is the Tanner family¡¯s personal matter. Are you going to interfere?¡± ¡°I find Sophie extremely interesting. If we bring her back, she might be of use to us one day,¡± came Tristan¡¯s answer. ¡°What? Mr. Tristan, are you nning on letting her work in Lombard Group?¡± Felix was dumbfounded. ¡°Why? You¡¯ve got a problem with that?¡± Felix shook his head profusely. ¡°Of course not. I don¡¯t have any problem with that. You call the shots,¡± he responded in an attempt to butter up to his employer. Night soon fell, but Charmaine couldn¡¯t figure out any solution. She didn¡¯t even get to meet Percy in person. When she was about to leave without taking Sophie with her, Josiah Tanner¡¯s call arrived. ¡°Bring Sophie back no matter what. If you fail to do that, you don¡¯t have toe home,¡± Josiah ordered loudly once the call was connected. ¡°Bring Sophie back? Dad, five years ago, she¡­¡± Before she could exin, Josiah had already hung up. Frustration crept up Charmaine¡¯s heart at the thought of the people in Jipsdale waiting to see her make a joke out of herself. If she were to bring Sophie back, everyone would definitely gossip about them. To her utter surprise, Caleb showed up before her. ¡°Aren¡¯t you in Anndur? Why are you even here?¡± she blurted out in shock. ¡°Mom, I¡¯m here to bring Sophie home.¡± Caleb¡¯s answer was curt. ¡°Caleb, you know about Sophie¡¯s reputation in Jipsdale. We can¡¯t afford to humiliate ourselves,¡± Charmaine insisted. ¡°We don¡¯t know exactly what happened five years ago. Thus, we can¡¯t just listen to one side of the story. I don¡¯t think Sophie did anything to humiliate our family. Back then, I allowed her to leave Jipsdale as she was suffering there. It is now time for her to return to Jipsdale to take the university entrance exam.¡± As Caleb had made up his mind, Charmaine said nothing else despite her dislike for Sophie. ¡°I¡¯m afraid she won¡¯te back home with you. Don¡¯t you know her? She¡¯s stubborn and insistent.¡± ¡°Stay out of this. You can leave now. I¡¯ll bring Sophie back home.¡± Without further ado, Caleb went to Sophie. Sophie didn¡¯t know she¡¯d run into Caleb here. Why is he here? I have nothing to do with the Tanners anymore. After all, they picked Willow over me, didn¡¯t they? Sophie was about to walk past Caleb, so he reached out to stop her from leaving. ¡°It¡¯s me, Soph. I¡¯m here to bring you home,¡± Caleb said gently. Sophie¡¯s brows scrunched up. Does he want to bring me home? He wasn¡¯t even here during my most helpless and darkest moment. I don¡¯t need him now. Chapter 4 Chapter 4 Chapter 4 Ask For Help ¡°Sir, you¡¯ve gotten the wrong person.¡± Sophie pulled her hand out of his grip. Caleb frowned. Looks like she hasn¡¯t forgiven us yet. ¡°Sophie, I know you hate us. We didn¡¯t have another choice back then.¡± He tried hard to persuade her to change her mind. ¡°You didn¡¯t have another choice? Ha! You did make your choice back then,¡± Sophie mocked. ¡°Sophie, Grandpa¡¯s back. He wants to see you. Even if we were at fault, Grandpa is innocent. He isn¡¯t doing well recently.¡± Caleb knew Josiah was the only one in the Tanner family that Sophie cared about. ¡°Got it. I¡¯ll pay him a visit.¡± As expected, Sophie caved in after he mentioned Josiah. He told her, ¡°Grandpa told me to give you a ride back home.¡± ¡°I can head there myself.¡± Sophie refused to waste more time with him. Back in her house in Horington, Sophie switched on herptop and typed a series of codes. After getting what she wanted, she sent them to the Public Integrity Section. Percy Keyes, huh? This information is enough to send him to jail! He¡¯s nothing but trash judging from his son¡¯s actions. She then began packing up her stuff. After stepping out of the airport, Sophie took a taxi to the hotel she reserved earlier. She might¡¯ve agreed toe back, but there was no way she would live in the Tanner residence. At the hotel, she checked in and went to her room to take a shower. All freshened up, she hailed a taxi to the Tanner residence. ¡°Mom, did you say Sophie¡¯sing back?¡± Willow¡¯s expression grew grim after she learned about Sophie¡¯s return. ¡°Your grandpa told Caleb to bring her home.¡± Charmaine was seething, too. ¡°What does Grandpa want? After what Sophie did, people are still gossiping behind my back! Now that she¡¯s back, people will start saying that the Tanner family¡¯s daughters are¡­¡± Sophie stepped into the house before Willow could finish her sentence. Clearly, Sophie had heard everything. Willow wasn¡¯t afraid of being heard, anyway. ¡°Sophie, how could you be this shameless? If I were you, I would immediately end my life in shame!¡± Willow scorned. ¡°If you feel sorry, you can end your life now.¡± ¡°Where¡¯s Grandpa?¡± Sophie ignored her tantly. After all, she was back to see her grandfather as he wished to see her. A wave of fury crashed through Willow. ¡°Mom, just look at her!¡± she huffed. ¡°Shut up!¡± Right then, Josiah descended from the stairs. ¡°Sophie¡¯s my granddaughter, and she has the right to stay in the Tanner residence. If you both have any objection, you can scram now.¡± ¡°Grandpa, you can¡¯t do this to me. Sophie¡ª¡± Josiah cut in, ¡°Willow, don¡¯t you understand my words?¡± There was a hint of warning in his tone. ¡°Sophie,e here. I haven¡¯t seen you for five whole years.¡± Sophie¡¯s heart ached when she saw her grandfather¡¯s white hair. Obediently, she went to him. ¡°Grandpa, I¡¯m here to pay you a visit.¡± Oh, she¡¯s so skinny. They left her to her own devices in Horington when she was a kid, and there was no one who could take care of her. Josiah squeezed her hands. ¡°Sophie, I wasn¡¯t here five years ago and had no idea what happened. Now that I¡¯m back, no one will dare to bully you,¡± he promised. ¡°Thanks, Grandpa.¡± He was the only one who trusted her wholeheartedly in the family. ¡°There¡¯s no need to thank me. Morgan, go clean Ms. Sophie¡¯s room now.¡± Josiah was in a jovial mood after seeing Sophie. ¡°Charmaine, you¡¯ll have to enroll Sophie into a school tomorrow,¡± he ordered. ¡°Dad, Sophie was expelled by her school five years ago. I¡¯m afraid no school would take her in now,¡± Charmaine exined. They weren¡¯t in Horington and couldn¡¯t pay a school to take Sophie in. ¡°Sophie can attend Jipsdale Premier High together with Willow,¡± Josiah added as though he hadn¡¯t heard her exnation. ¡°Dad, not everyone can get into Jipsdale Premier High. It¡¯s the hardest high school to get into in Jipsdale! Not even rich and influential people can send their children there. Wi got into Jipsdale Premier High through her own abilities.¡± ¡°Grandpa, you don¡¯t have to do this.¡± Sophie only came here to pay him a visit. She added, ¡°Besides, I¡¯m staying somewhere else. I¡¯m not moving back.¡± Josiah¡¯s face turned dark at her words. ¡°Sophie, I promise no one can bully you here. The Tanner family needs you,¡± he reiterated. ¡°Grandpa, Sophie knows nothing! All she does is fight and spend her time with delinquents.¡± Bang! Josiah mmed his teacup onto the table so loudly that the tea sshed out. ¡°Willow, you are to leave right this instance if you dare to utter one more word!¡± Josiah fumed. ¡°Are my orders ineffective now as I wasn¡¯t home for five years?¡± He turned to Sophie. ¡°Sophie, are you going to disobey me, too?¡± This is property ? N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Grandpa, I¡­¡± Sophie trailed off hesitantly. She would definitely ignore those words if they came from someone else¡¯s lips. However, Josiah was the one who said those words, and he was the only one who cared for her. ¡°Okay, then.¡± I¡¯ll go to Jipsdale Premier High if that¡¯s Grandpa¡¯sst wish. ¡±I won¡¯t stay here, though,¡± she said. If she were to stay under one roof with people she hated, she couldn¡¯t promise she wouldn¡¯t do anything to them. ¡°Fine. I won¡¯t force you to stay. But you¡¯ve only returned tonight, so I want you to spend one night with me.¡± Sophie nodded in response. ¡°Grandpa, it¡¯ste. You should go to bed. I¡¯ll stay home for the next few days to keep youpany,¡± Sophie assured him. She didn¡¯t want to disappoint him. ¡°Good. I¡¯m no longer young, so I want our family to get along with each other,¡± Josiah said pointedly. He then got up and went upstairs with Morgan¡¯s help. Charmaine went to clean Sophie¡¯s room with Morgan, so only Sophie and Willow were left in the living room. It seemed to Willow that Sophie wasn¡¯t the same person she used to be. No matter what, I¡¯m the only daughter of the Tanner family. ¡°I can¡¯t believe you had the guts toe back home,¡± Willow sneered. There was a hint of malice on her face that was unbefitting of her age. Sophie fished out a piece of gum from her pocket. She unwrapped the gum and stuffed it into her mouth. ¡°Willow, I¡¯ll definitely kick you out of the Tanner family!¡± Having said that, Sophie spun on her heels and entered the room that she used to upy. Boiling with anger, Willow flopped back into the couch. D*mn it. How dare Sophie say that to me? The next morning, Josiah brought Sophie to Jipsdale Premier High personally. The principal of the school, Andy Langston, was also the head of the Jipsdale Department of Education. Busy with his duties, he would only make time to meet important people. Josiah was a well-known figure in Jipsdale, so he was allowed to wait outside the principal¡¯s office with Sophie. Andy only showed up at his office a little after eleven. He immediately told his assistant to unlock the door and ushered them in. After learning about Sophie¡¯s condition, Andy was stumped. Sophie¡¯s results wouldn¡¯t get her into any vocational schools, let alone the prestigious Jipsdale Premier High. ¡°Mr. Langston, I¡¯ve never asked for anyone¡¯s help, but please do me a favor this time,¡± Josiah pleaded. ¡°Old Mr. Tanner, I¡¯m not refusing to help you. I believe you know that Jipsdale Premier High is the top high school in Jipsdale. Most of our students are capable of entering Ivy League schools. I can¡¯t do anything with Sophie¡¯s results. I think you should try applying to vocational schools instead. I don¡¯t think other high schools would take her in with her results.¡± Sophie had never wanted Josiah to ask someone else for help, so she got up to leave. Josiah knew how proud she was, so he rose to his feet and went after her hastily. Right then, Andy received a call from Felix. Chapter 5 Chapter 5 Chapter 5 Tell Me Who She Is After hanging up on his call, Andy rushed out of the office and cried, ¡°Please wait, Old Mr. Tanner. I¡¯ll take Ms. Sophie Tanner as a student.¡± His attitude had taken a one-eighty from before. Even Josiah had no idea why the principal had suddenly changed his mind. ¡°Are you sure, Mr. Langston?¡± Josiah asked. ¡°That¡¯s right, Old Mr. Tanner. I¡¯ll have her ced in a ss right away.¡± Then, Andy immediately called the high school¡¯s academic head and informed her about Sophie¡¯s immediate enrolment. Sophie went along with the enrolment, but even she knew things were hardly as simple as they seemed. The academic head promptly assigned Sophie to the worst-performing ss in the school. After receiving her school uniform, Sophie was handed over to the homeroom teacher of Senior ss 8, Derrick Hayes. Property ? of N?velDrama.Org. Before Josiah left, he said to Derrick, ¡°I¡¯ll have to trouble you to keep an eye on Sophie, Mr. Hayes.¡± ¡°It¡¯s no trouble at all, Sir! You should head back. I¡¯ll lead Sophie to her ss soon,¡± came Derrick¡¯s courteous reply. That was the only answer he could give, seeing as every student at Jipsdale Premier High had a wealthy or influential parent that the teachers could not afford to offend. Derrick happened to be in charge of the third lesson of the day for Senior ss 8, so he personally escorted Sophie to her new ssroom. When he arrived at the ssroom, he announced, ¡°Hi, everyone, we have a new student in our ss. She¡¯ll introduce herself. Please give her a warm wee.¡± Sophie walked onto the podium at the front of the room and wrote her full name on the board. Then, she dered, ¡°Hi, everyone, my name is Sophie Tanner.¡± Sophie Tanner? Her new ssmates immediately whispered furiously among themselves. ¡°Isn¡¯t she the Sophie Tanner who was expelled five years ago?¡± ¡°I think so! She used to be in my ss.¡± ¡°I heard she had an abortion around tenth grade. Do you know if it¡¯s true?¡± ¡°It was! Back then¡­¡± Derrick piped up, ¡°All right, everyone, settle down. There¡¯s a seat at the end of the ssroom, Sophie. You can take that.¡± Sophie obediently went to thest row and ignored the spiteful res directed her way. The students in Senior ss 8 did not produce spectacr grades. Naturally, most of them came from elite circles. Their upbringing meant they were the farthest thing from cowards. Once Derrick ended his lesson, Queenie Lane sauntered to Sophie and taunted, ¡°It really is you, Sophie! I can¡¯t believe you¡¯re thick- skinned enough to return to Jipsdale. If I were you¡ª¡± ¡°Shut your trap, Queenie,¡± Sophie cut in abruptly. Queenie had always been a member of Willow¡¯s clique and had had her fair share of picking on Sophie in the past. Sophie was nursing a headache after a sleepless night in an unfamiliar house, and she was in no mood to entertain Queenie¡¯s prissy attitude. s, Queenie did not fear Sophie at all. She grabbed Sophie¡¯s hand and continued, ¡°We¡¯re not in Horington anymore, Sophie. Did you think you were something in Jipsdale?¡± She still believed Willow¡¯s sister was as meek as before. Sophie¡¯s beautiful eyes narrowed dangerously. In the blink of an eye, she twisted her hand and grabbed Queenie¡¯s wrist, swiftly bending it backward. ¡°Ahh!¡± Queenie yelped in pain. Their ssmates noticed the threat in Sophie¡¯s eyes, and no one dared to step forward to break up the fight. Sophie dered, ¡°I don¡¯t want to cause trouble, but I¡¯m not a target for you to pick on, either. Remember this, Queenie. I¡¯m not the same Sophie from five years ago. Not just anyone can trample over my dignity. Oh right! I¡¯m sure you remember what you all did to me five years ago. I¡¯ll make sure you all have a taste of your own medicine soon.¡± She suddenly felt as thoughing back had been the right decision. After that, she shoved Queenie roughly, causing thetter to fall to the ground. Queenie was dumbstruck. Sophie was utterly fearsome. I can¡¯t allow Sophie to remain in Jipsdale. We have to get rid of her! Sophie spent thest two lessons of the ss sprawled across her desk, asleep. After school ended, she grabbed her bag and left. She had just set foot outside the school gates when she spied Felix waiting outside. Mr. Langston must¡¯ve changed his mind because of them! Before Felix had said a thing, Sophie decisively got into the car beside him. Felix did not utter a single word of the speech he had prepared. With impatience brimming in her gaze, Sophie announced, ¡°Tristan Lombard, right? I saved youst time, and you helped me today, so we¡¯re even. Don¡¯t look for me again.¡± She believed Felix and Tristan wereplex characters, and she did not wish to be involved with them further. Meanwhile, Tristan replied, ¡°My life is worth a fortune.¡± He merely asked Felix to make a call, and it was nothingpared to what she did for him. He continued, ¡°I¡¯m Tristan Lombard of Lombard Group, and I need your help.¡± His words flustered Felix, who wondered, We can have anyone we want in the world. Why must Mr. Tristan insist on this Sophie Tanner? Sophie stared at Tristan and said drily, ¡°I have poor grades and poor morals. What exactly do you want from me?¡± People rarely stared Tristan straight in the eyes, and he knew in that instant that he was staring at an extraordinary young woman. ¡°Your medical skills,¡± came Tristan¡¯s reply. ¡°Medical skills? Are you pulling my leg? I¡¯m an eighteen-year-old high school student. What would I know about medicine? I¡¯ve said this many times; I managed to remove the bullet from your body out of sheer luck. You would be dead now if luck hadn¡¯t been on my side.¡± Tristan merely insisted, ¡°I¡¯m dead serious, Sophie. Please consider my offer carefully.¡± Lombard Group was rumored to be the corporation every elite in Jipsdale wanted to consort with, yet this young woman appeared to scoff at the golden opportunity. Sophie was too tired to argue with them. It was clear that they would not give up regardless of what she said. She left the car. Felix whined, ¡°Just be honest if you¡¯re trying to woo her, Mr. Tristan! She¡¯s obviously not falling for your odd excuses.¡± Tristan stared after her, utterly taken by the young woman. After leaving Tristan¡¯s car, Sophie¡¯s phone rang. She unlocked her phone and immediately hung up when she saw the phone number. The caller did not seem to understand the meaning of giving up and called Sophie more than ten times. With a shrug of resignation, Sophie eventually answered the call and fumed, ¡°You better have some important news. I¡¯m in a foul mood today.¡± ¡°Phantom, your persistently ill temper never ceases to amaze me. When are youing back?¡± Butterfly was unperturbed by Sophie¡¯s outburst. ¡°Out with it!¡± ¡°All right! Jeez. There¡¯s an assignment. Do you want to take it?¡± Phantom was notorious for epting assignments depending on her mood, but she had a perfect track record. Her status as the youngest member of Wings of Light hardly mattered when she was the best. Sophie replied curtly, ¡°Nope.¡± Butterfly urged, ¡°Phantom, this assignment is rted to Chanaea¡¯s Inte security. I hope you¡¯ll seriously consider it before rejecting it.¡± If Phantom had rejected any other assignment, Butterfly would have left her alone. ¡°Inte security?¡± Sophie¡¯s interest was piqued. ¡°Fine. Send the information over.¡± She hung up right after that. Butterfly had more to say but dropped the conversation after hearing Sophie¡¯s instructions. She quickly prepared the information for Sophie¡¯s perusal. Meanwhile, Tristan had hurried back to Lombard Group¡¯s offices after receiving a call from Charles Quigley. ¡°Phantom has appeared, Mr. Tristan,¡± Charles dered in excitement. No one would be surprised if he fainted after discovering his idol¡¯s appearance. Tristan ordered, ¡°Gather everyone in thepany. I must figure out who Phantom is.¡± Phantom was the most skilled hacker in existence, and no one knew its gender or identity. It was revered as a legend, and every international corporation wanted to hire Phantom¡¯s services. With Phantom at the helm, inte insecurity would be a thing of the past. Chapter 6 Chapter 6 Chapter 6 Who Did I Offend This Time Sophie looked through the information Butterfly sent and learned that hackers from Anndur were trying to break through Chanaea¡¯s firewall. If the hackers seeded, they could steal government information from Chanaea and plunge the country into a huge crisis. Sophie promptly deleted the information and took a taxi back to the Tanner residence. The moment she arrived, she heard Charmaine say, ¡°I hope you don¡¯t cause any trouble now that you¡¯re in Jipsdale Premier High, Sophie. Since you¡¯re in the same school as your sister now, you can ask her for help.¡± Regardless of how much Charmaine despised Sophie, she was her daughter at the end of the day, and that was a fact she could not change. To that end, Charmaine could only hope that Sophie would not make things difficult for Willow. Willow piped up, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Mom. I¡¯ll take care of Soph and keep her from repeating her old mistakes.¡± She ruined Sophie¡¯s reputation five years ago, and she was confident that her younger sister was still not her match today. Irritated by their pretentious acts, Sophie drawled, ¡°Are you done with your little act? It¡¯s disgusting. Keep your hands out of my matters; they have nothing to do with you. If you love acting so much, why not be an actress?¡± Sophie headed upstairs without sparing the two onest look. Charmaine was infuriated. ¡°Look at her attitude! Who does she think she is? She¡¯s still not remorseful after what she did years ago!¡± Willow secretly scoffed to herself before coaxing, ¡°Don¡¯t be angry, Mom. You still have me. I won¡¯t disappoint you.¡± ¡°Yes! Thank goodness! You¡¯ve never disappointed your mother. Wi, you know the Tanner family¡¯s situation now. It¡¯s even more imperative that you seed.¡± As long as Willow married into a wealthy family, the Tanner family would have hope of reviving their fortunes. Sophie ignored the duo downstairs and whipped out herptop once she was back in her room. She switched on the nondescriptptop, which started up faster than an Appleputer. It was booted up and ready to use in under three seconds. The interface did not look different from an averageputer, either. Sophie sat on her bed and ced theptop on herp. She rapidly tapped out a string of code. ¡°Aha!¡± She immediately had a measure of the Annduran hackers¡¯ skills after a minute of work. ¡°Idiots.¡± I can¡¯t believe they¡¯re messing with the Chanaean government. I need to teach them a harsh lesson before they think they can continue picking on us. This is property ? N?velDrama.Org. Her fingers flew across the keyboard. Lines of code materialized on herptop screen. An Annduran hacker had been hired to steal Chanaea¡¯s confidential information on military defense. His employer asked, ¡°How is it going? Did you get it?¡± ¡°F*ck!¡± The hacker was about to ess the information when someone blocked his hack and added an imprable firewall to the program. ¡°What happened?¡± ¡°We¡¯re doomed.¡± Before the Annduran hacker could do a thing, his adversary had hacked into Anndur¡¯s firewall. Hisputer froze for ten whole seconds while he tried desperately to encrypt the firewall. Within that brief time frame, Anndur¡¯s confidential information had been stolen. ¡°What on earth happened?¡± ¡°The other party stole our confidential documents.¡± ¡°What? Who did this? Didn¡¯t you say you were unbeatable?¡± ¡°It must be Phantom from Wings of Light. No one but that hacker canpete with me.¡± ¡°I cannot stress how important those confidential documents are. You¡¯d better think about how to exin this to the President!¡± The Annduran hacker swore, ¡°Just you wait, Phantom!¡± Back at the Tanner residence, Sophie sent the information she stole to Butterfly. Then, she entered a few lines of code and removed all traces of her past activity before shutting down herptop. Butterfly called her right after she switched off herptop. ¡°I knew you could do it! I just didn¡¯t think you could even steal their confidential documents in such a short time. You¡¯re really a legend; no one can achieve your heights or defeat you.¡± Sophie was already numb to suchpliments, and she replied, ¡°If there¡¯s nothing else, I¡¯m hanging up.¡± ¡°All right. Payment goes to your usual card, right?¡± ¡°Yup.¡± As usual, Sophie hung up without waiting for Butterfly¡¯s reply. Her hack had dragged another unfortunate victim along with it. Charles stared at the ck screen on hisputer in shock as he muttered, ¡°Damn it! Myptop was hacked too.¡± I wanted to catch Phantom in the act! Why did I get hacked instead? Felix failed to suppress hisughter as he teased, ¡°Are you sure you¡¯ve got the chops, Charles?¡± ¡°This must be Phantom¡¯s doing. No one else can perform such a hack.¡± There was truly no one else who could achieve that feat in such a short time and not leave a single trace behind. Tristan, who had been silent all the while, suddenly asked, ¡°Do you have any leads?¡± ¡°A little. I can confirm that Phantom is in Jipsdale.¡± That was the only useful piece of information he had gleaned. ¡°What? Phantom is in Jipsdale?¡± Tristan added, ¡°Find a way to get in touch with Wings of Light.¡± Wings of Light was a mysterious hacker organization. No one knew where the organization was based. They only knew that the hackers in the group were better than the next, and Phantom was the best of them all. He returned to the CEO¡¯s office, determined to get through the pile of work he had not dealt with since arriving in Horington several days ago. Afterpleting her assignment, Sophie yed some phone games on her bed. Someone knocked on her door, and she got up to see who it was. ¡°It¡¯s your grandpa, Sophie.¡± She quickly opened the door and asked, ¡°What¡¯s up, Grandpa?¡± At the same time, she helped Josiah to walk into her room. He said, ¡°Tell me what happened five years ago. You¡¯re my granddaughter, and I want the people who harmed you to receive their deserved punishment.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine, Grandpa. You don¡¯t need to deal with this.¡± Josiah was old, and Sophie did not want him to worry over her. She added, ¡°Just take care of your health. That¡¯s enough for me.¡± Josiah replied, ¡°I know you suffered a great deal when I wasn¡¯t around five years ago. I¡¯m sorry I couldn¡¯t protect you. Now that I¡¯m back, no one will bully you again. Focus on your studies and leave the rest to me. I have a debit card for you. Buy anything you need. Let me know if you need more money. Don¡¯t mistreat yourself, all right?¡± Girls at Sophie¡¯s age were busy prettifying themselves, yet Josiah was dismayed to discover the Tanners¡¯ former princess with such a different personality than before. Despite her tough demeanor, Sophie¡¯s throat choked up with emotion. It had been a long time since anyone had looked out for her. ¡°Thank you, Grandpa.¡± She could not bring herself to reject her grandfather¡¯s kindness. Sophie only arrived at school in the afternoon, and Butterfly called her incessantly again. She found a quiet corner and answered the call. Butterfly asked, ¡°Did you offend anyely, Phantom?¡± ¡°Who did I offend this time?¡± Others would find a way to ruffle her feathers even if she minded her own business. There was little she could do about it. ¡°Do you know Lombard Group? They¡¯re investigating your identity.¡± Nothing could evade the knowledge of Wings of Light. ¡°Lombard Group? Yeah, I know who they are.¡± Sophie sounded utterly unconcerned. Butterfly warned, ¡°Be careful. You don¡¯t want to make enemies of them.¡± No other corporation was a worthy match for Lombard Group in the whole of Jipsdale. Chapter 7 Chapter 7 Chapter 7 Cannot Stand The Sight Of Her ¡°Got it.¡± Still, Sophie wasn¡¯t bothered about it. Instead, she ordered, ¡°Don¡¯t contact me these few days.¡± ¡°Why? Are you really in trouble?¡± But then, she¡¯s the only one who can handle some of the assignments! ¡°No, I¡¯m just tired and would like to change my style of living.¡± ¡°What? Why are you suddenly tired? Don¡¯t tell me you want to quit Wings of Light? No way! I¡¯m not going to agree to that.¡± At that, Sophie couldn¡¯t help chuckling. ¡°I¡¯m not nning to quit Wings of Light, Butterfly. It¡¯s just that I¡¯m busy with something else recently, so I don¡¯t want to take on any assignments. No matter who it is and how much money they offer, simply decline them all.¡± ¡°What exactly happened? If you can¡¯t handle it, you can tell me. Every member of Wings of Light can help you figure out a solution.¡± Wings of Light had plenty of talents, so they could resolve the issue no matter who she offended. ¡°It¡¯s nothing.¡± Sophie didn¡¯t want to continue talking about that, so she hung up right away. Butterfly was familiar with Phantom¡¯s character. If thetter didn¡¯t want to speak about something, it would do her no good regardless of how hard she pressed for an answer. Besides, she believed that Phantom could resolve all problems. Anyway, she could never understand the world of geniuses. When Sophie returned to her ss, she noticed that the look in other people¡¯s eyes as they stared at her had turned even stranger. Nheless, she didn¡¯t pay it any mind. Casting a look at her, Queenie couldn¡¯t help sneering. Regardless of whether it was five years ago or the present, she¡¯s still as annoying as ever! After the first period, Sophie got to her feet to visit the washroom. A girl in front of her stood up as well. ¡°Nice to meet you, Sophie. I¡¯m Ysabelle Lombard.¡± The girl who spoke had a bob cut and a pair of big, beautiful eyes. Sophie merely grunted in acknowledgment, obviously not in the mood to entertain her. ¡°Wait a moment, Sophie!¡± Ysabelle wasn¡¯t as tall as Sophie and hadn¡¯t had thetter¡¯s long legs either, so she struggled to match her pace. ¡°Is something else the matter?¡± Sophie could tell that she didn¡¯t mean any harm. ¡°Sophie, they uploaded the pictures of you fighting to the school¡¯s forum. You were so cool when you fought!¡± Admiration was written all over Ysabelle¡¯s face. ¡°What pictures?¡± Ysabelle then handed her phone to Sophie. ¡°Can I gang up with you henceforth?¡± Ysabelle asked with a sheepish smile. ¡°I don¡¯t form gangs.¡± Sophie nced at the pictures and saw that the discussion on the forum centered on her past. Caustic remarks about her amorality and shamelessness abounded. ¡°Don¡¯t be angry, Sophie. Such is their attitude, always spouting nonsense. Don¡¯t take it to heart.¡± ¡°Go back. Don¡¯t mix with me.¡± ¡°Why? I like you a lot!¡± Ysabelle wasn¡¯t bothered about Sophie¡¯s indifference. Sophie couldn¡¯t do anything about someone like her, and she didn¡¯t have any malicious intentions, so the former allowed her to tag along. ¡°Would you please teach me how to fight?¡± Ysabelle inquired earnestly. This is property ? N?velDrama.Org. ¡°No.¡± Oh well, I really can¡¯t bring myself to hate her. ¡°Why not?¡± Ysabelle bit her lip before murmuring, ¡°Do you not like me?¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°But why? Am I not cute?¡± Ysabelle acted cute with Sophie. Although Sophie remained impassive, she still didn¡¯t give up. ¡°It¡¯s okay. You still don¡¯t know me well at the moment. When you know me better in the future, you¡¯ll definitely like me!¡± Ysabelle rambled despite Sophie¡¯s silence. ¡°Look at Ysabelle, Queenie. She actually went to the washroom with Sophie!¡± ¡°Hmph! Teach her a lesson so that she knows who exactly is the boss of Senior ss 8!¡± Queenie snarled. She wanted the entire ss to ostracize and pick on Sophie. Above all else, she wanted thetter to get out of Jipsdale. ¡°Okay! She¡¯s undoubtedly a rotten apple since she¡¯s siding with Sophie!¡± All the girls in the ss didn¡¯t like Ysabelle. She was beautiful, and her grades were passable, but her family background was, unfortunately,cking. When the school bell rang, Ysabelle followed Sophie back to the ssroom. Sophie¡¯s seat was in thest row. Meanwhile, Ysabelle sat in the third row as she was pretty short. But when she walked in, someone stretched out a leg and tripped her. As a result, Ysabelle stumbled forward. Hearing the movement, Sophie whirled around and swiftly caught Ysabelle. Following that, Ysabelle fell right into her arms. ¡°Who did that?¡± She swept a gaze over everyone, upon which the ssroom instantly plunged into dead silence. Verily, Ysabelle suffered a fright. She knew that many in the ss loathed Sophie, but she liked her from the depths of her heart at first sight. Nevertheless, she hadn¡¯t expected them to make a move against her so quickly. ¡°I¡¯m fine, Sophie.¡± Afraid that a fight would break out, Ysabelle immediately mollified Sophie. The girl who stretched out her leg earlier was a touch fearful at Sophie¡¯s gaze. But still, she stood up. ¡°She was the one who was careless and tripped! What has it got to do with me? Why, do you want to fight?¡± Sophie helped to steady Ysabelle on her feet. Then, she stalked toward that girl. ¡°Apologize.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± The girl apologized without a hint of sincerity. At that, Sophie saw red. She stepped right on the girl¡¯s foot. At that trod, such excruciating pain swamped the girl that her foot went numb. ¡°How could you?¡± The girl burst into tears. ¡°Sorry, I didn¡¯t see your foot.¡± After saying that, Sophie spun on her heel and returned to her seat. Seeing that, Ysabelle liked her all the more. Never had she seen such a cool girl. When the other girls saw Sophie¡¯s brutality, they didn¡¯t dare utter a single word. Queenie balled her hands into fists. Sophie¡¯s behavior was different in the past, so she was a tad petrified by the present Sophie. ¡°Yvonne, go and tell the teacher about this after ss. It¡¯s Jipsdale Premier High here, so he¡¯ll unquestionably hope that Sophie will get out of here as well!¡± Therefore, Yvonne Zales went crying to Derrick after ss. On top of that, she even called her parents. ¡°Look at my daughter¡¯s foot, Mr. Hayes! It¡¯s all red. Evie has always been a diligent and obedient child. We sent her to school in perfect condition, but she can¡¯t even walk now. You must give me an exnation today!¡± The Zales family has some influence in Jipsdale, so they couldn¡¯t possibly allow their child to suffer such bullying without seeking justice. Derrick¡¯s brows furrowed. ¡°Calm down, Mrs. Zales. There must be some misunderstanding here since they¡¯re all kids in their teenage years.¡± ¡°How could I possibly remain calm? Evie, tell your teacher who did this to you.¡± Selena Ardern was utterly dissatisfied with Derrick¡¯s attitude. ¡°It was the new transfer student, Sophie Tanner. Mom, I heard that she used to fight and brawl a lot in the past. That aside, she even cohabitated with a ruffian and had an abortion. I don¡¯t want to be in the same ss as such a student.¡± Yvonne wailed even louder. As Derrick listened, his expression turned increasingly darker. ¡°Where did you hear all this, Yvonne? It¡¯s not good to say such things about your ssmate. All that are unfounded rumors.¡± No matter what, Sophie was his student, and such rumors were devastating to a girl. ¡°Are you biased toward Sophie, Mr. Hayes? If you don¡¯t give me an exnation today, I¡¯m going to seek Mr. Langston out personally!¡± Selena threatened furiously. Just then, Sophie arrived at the office. When she caught sight of Yvonne, she knew what it was all about. ¡°I have a question for you, Sophie. Were you the one who stepped on Yvonne¡¯s foot?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Sophie answered frankly. Derrick couldn¡¯t help but frown at her answer. ¡°Then, is there a conflict between the two of you? It¡¯s normal for girls to have some conflicts.¡± ¡°There¡¯s no conflict. I simply can¡¯t stand the sight of her.¡± Such a paltry lesson is nothing when she dared to y tricks right under my nose! Chapter 8 Chapter 8 Chapter 8 I Am Here For You ¡°Did you hear that, Mr. Hayes? How could there be such a student at Jipsdale Premier High? She¡¯s too arrogant! She¡¯s simply overbearing!¡± Selena was so livid that she leaped up from the couch. ¡°Do you not know the kind of creature your daughter is?¡± Sophie was exceedingly annoyed at her aggressive attitude. ¡°How dare you? Mr. Hayes, if you can¡¯t handle this, have the discipline teachere over.¡± Selena knew that Andy was very busy and had no time to handle such a matter. By then, she was already so infuriated that she couldn¡¯t wait anymore. ¡°Mrs. Zales, this matter¡ª¡± ¡°What about this matter? It¡¯s already clear as day that she picked on my daughter! Are you still determined to defend her now? What exactly is your rtionship with her, Mr. Hayes?¡± Left with no other choice, Derrick could only have the discipline teachere over. As soon as Selena saw the discipline teacher, Rhett Quillen, she instantly demanded, ¡°You must give me an exnation today, Mr. Quillen! Look at my daughter¡¯s foot. If you can¡¯t handle this problem well today, I¡¯ll have no choice but to hand the matter over to the police. This is intentional assault!¡± Rhett alternated his gaze between the fuming woman and Sophie, who said nothing at all. ¡°What exactly happened here, Mr. Hayes? Isn¡¯t she a new transfer student? It¡¯s only her first day here, and she has created such a huge mess?¡± ¡°Mr. Quillen, it¡¯s normal to have conflicts between girls. I think there¡¯s no need for us to make a mountain out of a molehill.¡± ¡°I¡¯m making a mountain out of a molehill? How could you say that, Mr. Hayes?¡± ¡°Since Sophie is at fault, have her parentse and take her away.¡± Rhett made that decision after glimpsing Yvonne¡¯s foot. Meanwhile, Ysabelle called Tristan at once when she saw someone summoning Sophie away. ¡°Come over quickly, Uncle Tristan! Someone at school picked on me!¡± Tristan was in a meeting when he received her call. ¡°Go to your father instead.¡± ¡°Uncle Tristan, my father will kill me if he learns about this. Hurry up ande over!¡± Ysabelle was on the verge of tears. After all, Sophie only trod on Yvonne¡¯s leg because of her. Knowing how much William loved that granddaughter of his, Tristan left his work upleted in the end and went to Jipsdale Premier High with Felix. At the school, Rhett had Sophie call her parents and have theme over. Ysabelle knocked on the door. After obtaining permission to enter, she immediately went in. ¡°Mr. Quillen, this matter has nothing to do with Sophie. It was Yvonne who picked on me.¡± At the sight of her, Rhett¡¯s brows inexorably creased. ¡°What do you know, girl? Yvonne has always been a good student with impable character and grades, while Sophie has always been notorious. Do you think Mr. Quillen will believe that?¡± ¡°All I said was true! Mr. Hayes, it was really Yvonne¡¯s fault!¡± Ysabelle was frantic to the point of tears when she saw that they didn¡¯t believe her. ¡°You¡¯re not needed here, Ysabelle. Go back.¡± Sophie hadn¡¯t expected her toe over. However, Ysabelle walked right up to her. ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid, Sophie. I¡¯m here for you!¡± Truly, Sophie never thought that she would hear such words from another girl. ¡°Look, Mr. Quillen! They¡¯re in cahoots. Expel them both! Allowing such students to stay will only affect the reputation of Jipsdale Premier High!¡± Selena continued kicking up a fuss unreasonably. Rhett couldn¡¯t quite figure out Ysabelle¡¯s background, so he didn¡¯t dare make a decision then. ¡°Mrs. Zales, this matter¡ª¡± This is property ? N?velDrama.Org. ¡°If you can¡¯t handle this matter today, Mr. Quillen, then I¡¯ll have no choice but to call Mr. Langston.¡± Selena put pressure on him. Rhett knew the status of the Zales family in Jipsdale. As an inconsequential character, he didn¡¯t dare offend them. ¡°In that case, we shall expel them both,¡± Rhett murmured helplessly. ¡°Mr. Quillen, neither of themmitted any major mistakes. How could you expel them just like this?¡± Derrick felt that it was too hasty a decision. He held himself responsible for every single student in the ss, so he didn¡¯t harbor any prejudice against Sophie despite knowing that her grades were atrocious. ¡°This matter is decided, Mr. Hayes. Mrs. Zales, I heard that yourpany are recently¡ª¡± ¡°Mr. Quillen is really unreasonable!¡± Even Ysabelle, who was as timid as a mouse, couldn¡¯t help getting mad by then. She then continued, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Sophie. I¡¯ve already given my uncle a call. He¡¯s very powerful!¡± At that, Sophie arched a brow. Did I say that I¡¯m afraid? It¡¯s merely Jipsdale Premier High. A single phone call from me determines who¡¯s expelled or dismissed. ¡°Who do you want to expel? Mr. Quillen, I think there¡¯s no need for you to be at this school anymore.¡± When Felix heard at the door that Rhett wanted to expel Ysabelle, his temper spiked. Right after saying that, he pushed open the door and allowed Tristan to enter before him. Tristan didn¡¯t expect to see Sophie there though he knew that she was also a student at Jipsdale Premier High and was nning to go and visit herter. ¡°Who are you both?¡± Rhett had never met Tristan and Felix. But from their auras, he knew that they weren¡¯t easy prey. ¡°What a coincidence!¡± Felix was likewise surprised to see Sophie there. Seeing the two of them, Sophie couldn¡¯t help frowning. Why am I bumping into them everywhere? ¡°That isn¡¯t important. The important thing is, you have no right to expel them both.¡± ¡°How arrogant! Do you think this is your house? It¡¯s the school here! What can you do when Mr. Quillen is determined to expel them?¡± Selena hadn¡¯t had any opportunity to have contact with people from Tristan¡¯s circle, so she didn¡¯t recognize the man before her. ¡°Just expel them both, Mr. Quillen! Zales Corporation will handle it if there¡¯s any problem!¡± ¡°Zales Corporation?¡± Tristan spoke at longst. ¡°Is Zales Corporation very powerful, Felix?¡± ¡°No idea. What kind of business is Zales Corporation involved in?¡± Felix really couldn¡¯t recall any company known as Zales Corporation right then. ¡°Did you see that, Mr. Quillen? They don¡¯t even know of Zales Corporation, yet they¡¯re putting on airs here!¡± Selena threw a contemptuous look at them. ¡°Why, is Zales Corporation all that mighty?¡± Felix countered. ¡°Do you believe I can make it so that you two are dead meat with a single phone call?¡± Selena grew all the smugger. They¡¯re afraid now, huh? ¡°Honestly speaking, I¡¯m really a touch scared now. I¡¯ve still got my entire family to support, so what am I to do if I don¡¯t have a job?¡± Felix fretted sarcastically. Selena was too confident in Zales Corporation, and her sense of triumph soared after she heard that. ¡°So, what¡¯s your choice? If the two of you are willing to drop to your knees and apologize to me now, I can still spare you both.¡± ¡°What?¡± Hah! She¡¯s walking all over us! Just because I gave her an inch, she¡¯s taking a mile! Tristan was already at the end of his patience. Why bother yakking with such a person here? ¡°I¡¯m giving you three hours to have the Zales Corporation she mentioned vanish from Jipsdale, Felix. Also, ensure that the Zales family do not appear anywhere I might go henceforth!¡± When it came to being arrogant and domineering, no one couldpare to him. ¡°What are you saying? Are you dreaming? Make Zales Corporation vanish? Do you think you¡¯re Tristan Lombard?¡± In Jipsdale, only that man dares to say such a thing! ¡°Mr. Quillen, I don¡¯t want anyone to know about the incident today.¡± After saying that, Tristan turned around and headed out. Ysabelle promptly followed, tugging Sophie along. I just knew that Uncle Tristan could resolve the matter as soon as he intervenes! Chapter 9 Chapter 9 Chapter 9 Do Not Doubt His Words Seeing that they had all left, Felix instantly made a call. ¡°Hey, have Zales Corporation vanish from Jipsdale in three hours.¡± Only then did Selena realize the gravity of the matter. ¡°Who exactly are you both?¡± Her knees went weak, and she couldn¡¯t quite remain steady on her feet anymore. ¡°Well, he¡¯s Tristan Lombard, whom you mentioned earlier! You wanted his niece to apologize to you? How audacious of you!¡± ¡°Tristan Lombard? He¡¯s really Tristan Lombard?¡± Selena copsed onto the couch. Gah! Why on earth did I say such things just now? ¡°Mr. Quillen, the Lombard family doesn¡¯t want Ysabelle¡¯s identity to leak out. As such, you¡¯re not allowed to breathe a single word about the incident today.¡± The Lombard family merely wanted to give Ysabelle a simple life. ¡°Sure, sure!¡± Rhett no longer dared to say anything contrary by then. After all, it was Tristan Lombard. A single flick of his finger could have the whole of Jipsdale quaking in fear. ¡°As for you, Mrs. Zales, it¡¯s best that you leave Jipsdale quickly. Don¡¯t doubt Mr. Tristan¡¯s words.¡± Having said that, Felix strode off. Despite my remark, Sophie was the main reason Mr. Tristan came personally today. In the past, even if Ysabelle encountered some sort of problem, he only sent us over. Does he really fancy her that much? Meanwhile, Ysabelle was over the moon that Tristan came to school personally to help her. ¡°Thank you, Uncle Tristan! Don¡¯t tell my father about this. Otherwise, he¡¯ll kill me.¡± ¡°Yeah, I got it.¡± ¡°Uncle Tristan, this is my ssmate and best friend, Sophie. She only got into trouble with Yvonne today because she avenged me.¡± Ysabelle adored Sophie. ¡°Have you eaten?¡± It¡¯s noon now, and they probably hadn¡¯t had lunch. ¡°Nope. Are you nning to treat me to lunch, Uncle Tristan? Okay, then! I want to eat the cuisine at Pegasus Pavilion!¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Tristan nodded in agreement. ¡°Really? You¡¯re too nice to me, Uncle Tristan!¡± Ysabelle hugged his arm in tion. However, at the man¡¯s icy gaze, she immediately dropped her hold on him. Oh God, how could I have forgotten that he detests others touching him? ¡°I¡¯ve still got something to do, Ysabelle.¡± Sophie didn¡¯t n on eating with them. Upon hearing that, Ysabelle grabbed her hand at once, clutching it tightly. ¡°I must thank you for this incident today, Sophie. Thus, I insist on treating you to this meal. If you don¡¯t go, it means that you don¡¯t regard me as your friend.¡± Her tone was firm, but the expression on her face was incredibly coy. ¡°Please? Pretty please? It¡¯s just lunch. My uncle isn¡¯t going to eat you,¡± she continued coaxing. Cough! Cough! Cough! Felix couldn¡¯t help coughing. Perhaps Mr. Tristan really wants to eat her up! ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you, Mr. Northley? Go to the hospital and get yourself checked up if you¡¯re not feeling well.¡± ¡°No, no, I¡¯m fine.¡± Felix swiftly waved a dismissive hand before saying, ¡°I¡¯ll make a reservation at Pegasus Pavilion right now.¡± Sophie was most afraid of girls like Ysabelle, who was cute and kittenish, for she couldn¡¯t bring herself to turn thetter down. ¡°Okay.¡± She nodded since it was just a meal anyway. ¡°I¡¯ll go and drive the car over. You guys can wait for me here.¡± Felix promptly trotted off to get the car. When the car arrived, Tristan personally opened the car door for Ysabelle. ¡°Go in.¡± ¡°Uncle Tristan, I can sit in the back with Sophie!¡± In truth, Ysabelle still wanted to cling to Sophie longer. s, a look from the man had her slipping into the passenger seat at lightning speed. After closing the car door, Tristan opened the car door to the back seat for Sophie. ¡°After you.¡± It was clear as day that his attitude toward her was far better than his own niece. Sophie got into the car and moved inward. Tristan climbed in as well. The two of them sat side by side. When Felix saw that, the urge tough seized him. He¡¯s being too obvious, isn¡¯t he? But is he really serious about a girl who¡¯s only eighteen years old? Why did I never realize that he¡¯s such a beast, liking them young? ¡°What do you like to eat, Sophie?¡± Ysabelle turned and gazed at Sophie earnestly. ¡°I¡¯m not picky.¡± In the face of her smiling countenance, Sophie truly couldn¡¯t bring herself to be harsh and unrelenting. Verily, she resembled a friend of hers very closely. Throughout the drive, Ysabelle asked her questions every so often. In fact, she was the one doing all the speaking. Surprisingly, Sophie, who always wore a chilly expression with others, answered all her questions, albeit briefly. By the time they arrived at Pegasus Pavilion, the manager was already waiting outside. The instant he spotted Felix¡¯s car, he instantly stepped forward and weed them. ¡°Mr. Tristan, Mr. Northley, Ms. Ysabelle. Everything is ready.¡± Tristan alighted from the car first. He waited until Sophie had also gotten out before closing the car door. The manager had already helped Ysabelle open the car door. After getting out, she quickly went over to Sophie. ¡°Let¡¯s go in, Sophie! We¡¯re going to the washroom first, Uncle Tristan!¡± After saying that, she strode in, dragging Sophie with her. Felix then alighted from the car and went over to Tristan. ¡°Sophie is remarkably patient with Ysabelle! From the look of things, she¡¯s very fond of her.¡± After all, she has never given us any quarter! ¡°Yeah.¡± Naturally, Tristan discerned that as well. ¡°Judging from the situation, you¡¯ve got to depend on Ysabelle if you want to draw close to her.¡± Ignoring him, Tristan headed straight to the private room. A few minutes passed before Ysabelle brought Sophie into the private room. ¡°Let me do the introductions, Sophie! This is my uncle, Tristan Lombard. In the future, you can follow me and address him as Uncle Tristan.¡± Hearing that, Felix, who was drinking water, almost choked. ¡°Mr. Lombard.¡± Sophie didn¡¯t address Tristan as Uncle Tristan. She had no blood ties with him, so she didn¡¯t want to profess something false. ¡°You really don¡¯t have to stand on formality, Soph. Whatever¡¯s mine is yours, so my uncle is also your uncle.¡± ¡°Ysabelle.¡± Tristan didn¡¯t give her the opportunity to continue spouting nonsense when that address carried a generational gap. Following his re, Ysabelle could only zip her mouth. The manager came over to take their orders personally, giving them a menu each. In no time, Ysabelle named several dishes. Then, she turned and asked Sophie, ¡°What would you like to eat, Soph? You don¡¯t have to be shy with my uncle.¡± Hence, Sophie ordered two dishes at random. ¡°I¡¯m not being shy.¡± Seeing that they had ordered enough food to go around, Tristan and Felix handed their menus back to the manager without ordering anything. ¡°Please wait for a while, Mr. Tristan.¡± ¡°What¡¯s your phone number, Soph? I¡¯ll add you to my contacts on WhatsApp.¡± Ysabelle wanted Soph¡¯s phone number right after they had finished ordering. N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content. Sophie didn¡¯t decline, taking out her phone and tapping open WhatsApp, allowing her to scan her QR code. ¡°Where are you staying right now, Soph? Can I go and visit you?¡± ¡°I¡¯m staying in a hotel right now and will look for a ce in a few days.¡± Sophie didn¡¯t n to continue staying at the Tanner residence. ¡°Look for a ce? I can help! What kind of ce are you nning to look for?¡± Felix queried earnestly. He could tell Tristan¡¯s thoughts with a single nce without thetter having to voice them out. ¡°That¡¯s right! Let Mr. Northley find a ce for you, Soph!¡± It¡¯ll be very troublesome for her to do it by herself. ¡°You don¡¯t have to go to the trouble. I can manage by myself.¡± ¡°It¡¯s no trouble at all. It¡¯s my honor to help a beauty!¡± Felix didn¡¯t allow her any chance to decline. Soon, the manager came in with some servers and served the food. Sophie sat between Tristan and Ysabelle. Once the food was served, both of them took food for her. It was Ysabelle¡¯s first time seeing her uncle taking food for someone else. Even she had never had such a privilege. As such, she eyed him strangely. Chapter 10 Chapter 10 Chapter 10 An Unpleasant Encounter ¡°Eat your food. Are you going to be full just by staring at me?¡± At that, Ysabelle promptly buried her head in the food. While Uncle Tristan is devastatingly handsome, I still can¡¯t get full from staring at him. Sophie didn¡¯t turn to rebuff their kind intentions, and she ate everything the both of them presented before her. Her appetite wasn¡¯t ginormous in the first ce, so she only ate half a bowl of pasta at most. Pegasus Pavilion¡¯s dishes were indeed pretty good, but she didn¡¯t eat much. ¡°Is the food not to your liking?¡± She¡¯s too thin. She¡¯s almost one point seven meters, but she probably weighs only ny pounds. ¡°No, it¡¯s good. I just don¡¯t eat much usually.¡± ¡°You eat even lesser than I do, Soph. We are still in the process of growing now, so you¡¯ve got to eat more.¡± Ysabelle, who had been quiet for a while, started chattering nonstop once more. ¡°Okay.¡± Sophie didn¡¯t refute that. It was ratherte after they finished lunch. Tristan personally sent them both to their nightly self-study session. When the car was five minutes away from school, Felix pulled over. ¡°Study hard,¡± Tristan said to Ysabelle. ¡°Got it, Uncle Tristan! Do you still not know that I¡¯m always a good girl?¡± Ysabelle was still all smiles. When Sophie and Ysabelle returned to ss, all the students in the ss were talking about Yvonne transferring schools. ¡°Queenie, aren¡¯t you good friends with Yvonne? Why did she suddenly transfer schools? Is it because of the incident this morning?¡± ¡°Exactly! Didn¡¯t you say that Sophie will definitely be expelled? What exactly is going on here?¡± ¡°How would I know? I can¡¯t even get in touch with her now.¡± As soon as Queenie saw Sophie walking in, she immediately zipped her mouth. Could it really be because of her? But the Zales family is quite reputable in Jipsdale, and the average person can¡¯t possibly affect them. Ysabelle went back to her seat. Shortly after, she rushed over in search of Sophie. ¡°This is for you, Sophie! She¡¯s my favorite amateur singer. Although she¡¯s an amateur singer, her music is really great. I love her a lot!¡± She handed Sophie a music yer. ¡°We should start studying.¡± ¡°Ah, then I¡¯ll be returning to my seat.¡± Because of Yvonne¡¯s incident, the self-study session that night appeared unusually quiet. No one dared to pick trouble with Sophie and Ysabelle. After the self-study session, Ysabelle waited for Sophie at the side. ¡°Why are you still here?¡± Her family has probablye to pick her up. ¡°I¡¯ve been waiting for you! Let¡¯s go! Everyone has left.¡± Ysabelle took her bag out from the drawer and carried it before she went out with Sophie. They had only walked for a little while when the car they rode in that afternoon came into sight. ¡°Your uncle is here to pick you up, so go home first.¡± However, Ysabelle grabbed her hand and refused to let go. ¡°I¡¯ll have him drop you off first.¡± While saying that, she resolutely dragged Sophie into the car. This time, Tristan drove personally without Felix there. Finally, Ysabelle¡¯s wish to sit with Sophie in the back seat came true. Throughout the drive, she was still the one to chatter endlessly. Sophie, on the other hand, gave brief answers asionally. Tristan drove Ysabelle home first. ¡°You must help me send Sophie back, Uncle Tristan. You¡¯re not allowed to bully her, okay? If you do so, I¡¯ll¡­ I¡¯ll¡­ Never mind. You probably won¡¯t do that.¡± Ysabelle truly didn¡¯t have the guts to threaten her uncle. Only after watching her enter the Lombard manor did Tristan turn the car around. ¡°What exactly do you want from me, Mr. Tristan?¡± He¡¯s the top dog in Jipsdale, but he has been circling me the whole of today. Therefore, he can¡¯t possibly have no ulterior motives. ¡°Do you still remember saving me in Horington? The mastermind knows that you were the one who saved me, so you¡¯re now in great danger.¡± Property ? of N?velDrama.Org. ¡°In danger? Oh, I see.¡± Sophie didn¡¯t react much to that piece of news. Instead, she asked, ¡°So?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll protect you before the danger is neutralized.¡± ¡°Oh¡­¡± Hmm, I¡¯m merely a normal high school student now, so I should react like a high schooler. ¡°Jipsdale Hotel, please.¡± Sophie didn¡¯t want to continue talking about that subject. Tristan didn¡¯t speak further either. When the car arrived at Jipsdale Hotel, he didn¡¯t leave. Instead, he got out of the car. ¡°Is something else the matter?¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to check out your living situation.¡± Sophie was promptly rendered speechless. What exactly is he trying to do? She was staying in a single room in Jipsdale Hotel. Everything she had was still in her suitcase, which remained unpacked. Initially, she hadn¡¯t nned on staying long in Jipsdale. But judging from her grandfather¡¯s condition, she couldn¡¯t leave for the time being. ¡°This is everything there is to see. It¡¯s very safe here.¡± It couldn¡¯t be clearer that she was giving the man the boot. ¡°Pack your things and move into Wisteria Apartments before the danger is neutralized.¡± Tristan had a unit in Wisteria Apartments, so she could stay there temporarily. ¡°Is Lombard Group that desperate to hire new employees, Mr. Tristan? I haven¡¯t even graduated high school.¡± Sophie didn¡¯t believe that the top dog in Jipsdale would care about a high schooler. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, for I won¡¯t coerce you into anything you¡¯re unwilling to do.¡± It must be some mysterious organization seeking to assassinate him. After all, someone who can afford to hire mercenaries can¡¯t be a simple character. Sophie decided not to stand on formality with him. Since he¡¯s so eager to take responsibility for my safety, I¡¯ll just give him that opportunity. I can deal with those assassins, but I¡¯ve got something else to do on my trip to Jipsdale this time. Hence, there¡¯s no need for me to waste my time on that. Everything of hers was basically still in her suitcase, so she didn¡¯t have much to pack. Wheeling the suitcase along, she left with Tristan. The car went straight to Wisteria Apartments. It was the most high-end and expensive residential area in Jipsdale. On top of that, it was even within the area of Jipsdale Premier High. Thus, one could only imagine its price. ¡°You probably don¡¯t live here, yes?¡± ¡°I do asionally.¡± Tristan had Sophie register her fingerprint. ¡°Stay here with peace of mind. I¡¯m not going to stay here during your stay.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Tristan opened the door to a room. The d¨¦cor inside was exceedingly simple, in line with the impression he gave others. Sophie didn¡¯t unpack her suitcase. Not only was she uncertain about how long she was going to stay there, but she didn¡¯t have much luggage, so she was in no hurry to unpack. ¡°Let¡¯s go! There¡¯s a supermarket downstairs. I¡¯ll bring you down to buy some necessities.¡± ¡°It¡¯s veryte. I¡¯m tired and would like to rest.¡± Sophie didn¡¯t feel like going out to shop. ¡°There aren¡¯t even any toothbrush or towels here. It¡¯ll only take about ten minutes.¡± ¡°Okay, then.¡± The two of them proceeded to the supermarket downstairs. Sophie was a speedy shopper, so it only took her ten minutes to choose some daily necessities. After an exhausting day, all she wanted to do was go back and rest. She looked back, but she didn¡¯t see any signs of Tristan. Not in the mood to look for him everywhere, she waited at the cashier. Before Tristan showed up, however, she caught sight of Queenie. Queenie hadn¡¯t expected to see her there either. ¡°I was just wondering who it was, and it turned out to be you, Ms. Sophie! You hooked up with a ruffian back then, so who else did you seduce this time?¡± Her voice was shrill and loud, making it so that everyone around could hear that. ¡°Who is she, Queenie?¡± Queenie¡¯s boyfriend was with her. The instant he glimpsed Sophie, he couldn¡¯t take his eyes off her anymore. Queenie was considered quite a beauty, but the girl before her stood at a height of about one point seven meters,plete with long and slender legs. Her skin was extremely fair, and one couldn¡¯t forget her countenance just after a single look. Her eyes, especially, were bewitching. Clocking the look in her boyfriend¡¯s eyes as he stared at Sophie, a sense of utter chagrin rose within Queenie. She¡¯s still as shameless as before, seducing men all the time! Chapter 11 Chapter 11 Chapter 11 She Will Not Get Away With This ¡°Cyro, what is the meaning of this? Why does it matter to you who she is?¡± Queenie was extremely jealous. Cyro¡¯s line of sight was still firmly fixed on Sophie. Queenie quickly pulled Cyro away. She was worried that Sophie might seduce her boyfriend. ¡°Cyro, I¡¯m ready.¡± Queenie really liked Cyro. That night, she nned to let him have her. That way, she could let him realize how pure she was and how dirty Sophie was. After hearing Queenie, Cyro immediately wrapped his arms around her delicate waist. ¡°I love you, Queenie.¡± Since she had served herself up on a silver tter, it would be a sin for him to deny such an opportunity. However, even after checking out and leaving, Cyro still turned his head to nce at Sophie. She was cool, elegant, and exceptionally gorgeous. Her waist was the slimmest waist he had ever seen, and her slender legs only made his imagination go wild. Tristan walked out only to see Cyro¡¯s deviant gaze. Is he looking at Sophie? If he is, I¡¯ll have his eyes gouged out. ¡°Do you know him?¡± ¡°He¡¯s a ssmate.¡± Sophie understood who he meant. Tristan tossed the items into the trolley and pushed it to the checkout counter. Sophie took out her wallet but Tristan did not give her the chance to pay. It was already past midnight when they finally returned to the condominium. ¡°Take a shower and rest early.¡± Tristan never nned to stay the night. He only brought her here because the security of Wisteria Apartments was good, and it could keep her out of trouble. ¡°Okay.¡± Sophie got up to send him off. As they arrived at the door, Tristan suddenly stopped. ¡°Stay away from the ssmate you saw today.¡± To Tristan, Cyro didn¡¯t seem like a decent guy at first nce. Sophie nodded nonchntly as she had never paid attention to people like them. ¡°Hand me your phone.¡± Sophie handed over her phone to Tristan, and he quickly entered a series of numbers on her phone and saved it into her contact list. ¡°Call me if anything happens and remember to lock the door.¡± ¡°Tristan, you don¡¯t have to treat me this way.¡± She wasn¡¯t some delicate and helpless little princess. In fact, she wasn¡¯t as weak as he thought. However, she wasn¡¯t annoyed at Tristan¡¯s kind gesture. On the contrary, when Tristan turned around, the two were so close together that Sophie could smell the scent of male hormones wafting through her nostrils. Despite always being an indifferent person, she couldn¡¯t help but feel a little warm at her ears. Tristan was an unusually handsome man. His every action could make anydy in Jipsdale blush with elevated heart rate. Although Sophie was adept in many sorts of aspects, she waspletely inexperienced when it came to rtionships between men and women. At that moment, the two were so close that she immediately took a step back. Tristan rested both hands on the door frame like he was pinning her against a wall. N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content. ¡°Don¡¯t overthink. I don¡¯t have any ulterior motives.¡± Tristan was indeed a little interested in Sophie. However, Sophie was still a young girl, and he didn¡¯t want to frighten her. ¡°I¡¯m not overthinking anything.¡± Sophie was very unfamiliar with her strange physical and psychological reaction. Hence, she turned around into the house and closed the door in front of him. When Tristan thought of her angry expression at the very end, he couldn¡¯t help but chuckle. Ever since he met Sophie, she had always been indifferent and nonchnt. That was the first time he saw the kind of expression usually found in young girls on her and it moved him. Sophie took a bath andy down. She had nned to y video games for a while but fell asleep not long after lying down. Sophie woke up the next day at seven o¡¯clock and freshened herself up for more than ten minutes before walking to school. On the other hand, Cyro had sent Queenie to the school entrance. It was Queenie¡¯s first time the night before, and she was pretty shy. However, men liked inexperienced girls. ¡°Cyro, tonight¡ª¡± Queenie liked Cyro a lot and wanted to keep him using this method. Cyro casually patted Queenie¡¯s face and said, ¡°Be good now. I¡¯ll be busy tonight. I¡¯ll meet you after I¡¯m done.¡± ¡°Cyro, are you disappointed with me?¡± ¡°Of course not! You made me feel so good.¡± ¡°Really? Then you must remember toe and meet me after you¡¯re done.¡± Queenie couldn¡¯t care about being reserved as long as she could continue to attract Cyro with her body. Cyro didn¡¯t leave even after Queenie had walked into the school. He continued to wait at the entrance of Jipsdale Premier High until the beautiful figure he had been having on his mind appeared at the school entrance. Cyro quickly walked toward Sophie. ¡°Hello, Sophie. I¡¯m Cyro from the national team.¡± Sophie ignored him and walked right past him. That was the first time Cyro was ignored when hitting on someone. However, Cyro smiled and immediately followed behind. ¡°Come on, Sophie. There¡¯s nothing wrong with making friends.¡± After he spoke, he took out a business card and handed it to Sophie. Sophie received the business card and took a nce. ¡°Cyro Gaucher? National Basketball Team?¡± Failing to discern the contemptuous smirk on Sophie¡¯s face, Cyro nodded proudly. ¡°Let¡¯s be friends!¡± Sophie threw the business card into the trash can next to her. ¡°You¡ª¡± That was also the first time Cyro hit a wall. Usually, the girls woulde to him willingly. ¡°Interesting. I like girls with a little bit of challenge. Sophie, just you wait. One day, I will expose your true nature.¡± To Cyro, all women were the same. They couldn¡¯t be bothered before he dominated them. However, once he got his hands on them, they would beg him to bed them, just like Queenie. Willow, who had been in the car the whole time, witnessed the entire scenario and couldn¡¯t help but laugh. ¡°Oh, Sophie. Even if I don¡¯t do anything, you won¡¯t be able to survive in Jipsdale.¡± Queenie alone is enough to deal with you. Whether it was five years ago or the present, the only person who can be the heir to the Tanner family is me. Everything in the Tanner family will belong to me. After the morning self-study session, Queenie went to meet Willow. ¡°Willow, I did it with Cyro.¡± Although she had already done it, Queenie was still a little scared. ¡°Do you think I¡¯ll be pregnant?¡± ¡°No. There aren¡¯t many senior girls who are virgins nowadays. Queenie, congrattions! Your wish finally came true! It¡¯s just that¡ª¡± Willow¡¯s face froze as though she didn¡¯t know how she should bring up the subject. ¡°What is it? Willow, we¡¯ve been friends for so many years. If you have anything to say, just say it.¡± ¡°I might have misunderstood! You know, Sophie is my sister after all.¡± ¡°Willow, what¡¯s the matter? Tell me.¡± As a Physical Education student, Queenie wasn¡¯t as bright as Willow. ¡°When I came to school, I saw Sophie stopping Cyro. It looked like she was asking for his phone number! However, I think Sophie simply admired him! After all, Cyro is on the national team and is likely to join the NBA.¡± ¡°What? That filthy b*tch.¡± ¡°Queenie, I¡¯m only telling you this because you are my best friend. I know how much you love Cyro. Be careful out there.¡± ¡°I know. Cyro and I love each other. Who does Sophie think she is? How dare she seduce my boyfriend! She will not get away with this.¡± Chapter 12 Chapter 12 Chapter 12 Stay Away From My Boyfriend Physical Education was the final ss of the morning. Since Ysabelle had a history of poor health, she would therefore skip every Physical Education lesson as a result. Since Sophie was there, she apanied Sophie to the ss that day. ¡°Soph, we¡¯re not required to attend the senior year Physical Education ss. Let¡¯s go to the shop to buy something to eat! I¡¯m starving.¡± Ysabelle was hungry because she didn¡¯t eat much in the morning. ¡°Okay.¡± To Ysabelle, Sophie was very easygoing. Although they had only known each other for a few days, Sophie couldn¡¯t bring herself to hate Ysabelle. ¡°Sophie, stop right there.¡± Before they could even leave the basketball court, Queenie called out to Sophie. ¡°Get out of my way.¡± Sophie couldn¡¯t be bothered at all. To her, Queenie was still the same girl she used to be. Seeing Sophiepletely ignoring her, Queenie extended her arm in front of Sophie to stop her path. ¡°Did you ask my boyfriend for an autograph this morning? Sophie, why are you so shameless? How could you hit on someone else¡¯s boyfriend?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right! Cyro is Queenie¡¯s boyfriend and a reserve member of the national team. He will be joining the NBA in the future.¡± ¡°Cyro? Reserve member of the national team? So what?¡± Sophie raised her eyebrows with a carefree expression. ¡°Sophie, I¡¯m warning you. Stay away from my boyfriend. Otherwise, I will make you pay.¡± ¡°You should keep your boyfriend in check! Don¡¯t let him get raunchy whenever he likes.¡± Ysabelle couldn¡¯t stand her anymore. Cyro was like a precious gem to Queenie, but to Sophie, he was nothing. ¡°Sophie, this is my final warning. Don¡¯t get any ideas about my boyfriend!¡± ¡°You¡¯re crazy.¡± Sophie shoved her aside and turned to Ysabelle. ¡°Didn¡¯t you say you¡¯re hungry? Hurry up.¡± ¡°I¡¯m disgusted and have just lost my appetite.¡± Ysabelle snorted at Queenie. ¡°I¡¯ve seen things more repulsive than this. Don¡¯t let a piece of trash affect your mood.¡± ¡°Queenie, did she just call us trash?¡± ¡°D*mn, she¡¯s so arrogant. I¡¯ve never seen anyone this shameless.¡± ¡°Queenie, you must keep an eye on your boyfriend. Sophie really has the capability to seduce men.¡± Queenie lightly clenched her fists. No. I can¡¯t let Sophie stay in Jipsdale. It¡¯s too risky. ¡°Don¡¯t worry! She won¡¯t be smug for long. My boyfriend will never fall for such a sl*t!¡± ¡°Soph, let¡¯s go have some food! It¡¯s thest ss anyway.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± ¡°Soph, what would you like to eat?¡± ¡°Anything is fine for me.¡± Ysabelle brought Sophie to a pasta shop that she frequented. ¡°I really enjoy the pasta here, but my parents never allowed me to eat it.¡± Ysabelle¡¯s family constantly ced numerous restrictions on her because of her bad health, which dated back to her early years as a child. Property ? of N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Can your body handle it?¡± Sophie looked at Ysabelle. ¡°It¡¯s okay. It¡¯s just a bowl of pasta.¡± Ysabelle insisted. Nobody was following her that day. Naturally, she had to seize the chance to enjoy her favorite food. The two went in and found a table. Then, Ysabelle ordered two servings of pasta. After having their fill, they went for some milkshakes. When it was almost time, the two nned to take a taxi back to school. However, after walking for a while, Sophie realized something wasn¡¯t right. Her stomach was hurting badly. When Ysabelle saw Sophie¡¯s pale face and the sweats beaded on her forehead, the former was shocked. ¡°Soph, what¡¯s wrong? Are you feeling unwell?¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± Sophie immediately squatted down, trying to ease the pain in her stomach. Ysabelle squatted down as well. ¡°Soph, what should we do? What¡¯s wrong?¡± Ysabelle had always been well protected by the Lombard family and never had any of such experience. ¡°I¡¯m okay. Take me to the hospital.¡± In the past five years in Horington, Sophie was always alone and used to handling her problems by herself most of the time. Upon hearing that, Ysabelle took Sophie to the hospital immediately. ¡°Doctor, what¡¯s wrong with her? Is she going to die?¡± ¡°Miss, please wait outside. We¡¯ll examine your friend.¡± ¡°Soph¡ª¡± Looking at Ysabelle¡¯s frightened state, Sophie, lying on the stretcher, worried about her. ¡°I¡¯ll be fine. Go wait outside.¡± Even at that critical moment, Sophie was unusually calm. After the doctor¡¯s examination, the doctor got the nurse ready for surgery immediately. Ysabelle cried when she heard that Sophie was about to have surgery. She grabbed Sophie¡¯s hand and said, ¡°Soph, what are we going to do? Please don¡¯t die!¡± Why do you need surgery? Watching Ysabelle in a sobbing mess, Sophie couldn¡¯t help butugh. ¡°It¡¯s fine. It¡¯s just a minor surgery.¡± ¡°Should I inform your parents?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t have any parents.¡± In fact, her parents think she would be better off dead! The only person who cared about her was her grandfather, Josiah. However, Josiah was old, and she didn¡¯t want him to worry. ¡°Go to ss. I¡¯ll be all right.¡± The nurse took Sophie to the operating room, and Ysabelle followed. When the doors to the operating room closed in front of her, Ysabelle was shaking from anxiety. She immediately took out her phone and called Tristan. Tristan was in the middle of hosting a meeting when he received the call, and he hung up the phone when he saw Ysabelle¡¯s name on the caller ID. However, Ysabelle called again. Tristan frowned. What is going on? Why is she calling me so persistently? As soon as he answered the phone, he heard Ysabelle crying. ¡°Uncle Tristan, what should I do? Sophie is dying.¡± ¡°What?¡± Tristan stood up from his seat at once. The people who attended the meeting were the executives of thepany. When they saw Tristan¡¯s expression, none of them dared to make a sound. ¡°Where are you? I¡¯ll be right there.¡± Ysabelle was constantly sobbing on the phone, and he couldn¡¯t tell what was happening. Ysabelle calmed down a little after knowing that Tristan wasing over. ¡°Today¡¯s meeting ends here.¡± As he finished, Tristan left the executives looking at each other and immediately drove to the hospital. When Ysabelle saw Tristan¡¯s arrival at the hospital, she cried even louder. ¡°Uncle Tristan, what should we do? Soph isn¡¯t out of the operating room yet.¡± ¡°It will be fine. I¡¯ll get Felix to pick you up. Go home. I¡¯ll be here.¡± ¡°No. I want to wait for Sophie toe out.¡± Ysabelle refused. At that moment, the doctor came out of the operating room. ¡°Doctor, how is Sophie?¡± Tristan asked. ¡°She¡¯s doing fine. It was just a minor appendicitis surgery. She¡¯ll be hospitalized for two to three days, and then she will be free to go.¡± ¡°What? Appendicitis surgery?¡± Ysabelle was embarrassed. After all, it must be funny that she cried so terribly. After hearing the doctor¡¯s words, Tristan heaved a sigh of relief. Since receiving Ysabelle¡¯s phone call, Tristan¡¯s chest has been immensely taut, and he was finally relieved to hear that Sophie was all right. ¡°However, you should inform the patient¡¯s family members. Although it is a minor surgery, she requires close attention.¡± ¡°Okay. Thank you, doctor.¡± At this moment, the nurse pushed Sophie out of the operating room. Sophie was a little surprised to see Tristan there. Tristan? What is he doing here at this hour? His time could be worth tens of millions by the minutes! ¡°Soph, I¡¯m so d you¡¯re doing fine. You have no idea how frightened I was.¡± ¡°I¡¯m okay.¡± After the nurse pushed Sophie into the ward, she wanted to get on the hospital bed herself. ¡°Don¡¯t move.¡± Tristan spoke and carried her up. Sophie didn¡¯t expect him to carry her suddenly, and she immediately wrapped her arms around his neck to prevent herself from falling. Chapter 14 Chapter 14 Chapter 14 I Am In Love With Her ¡°Didn¡¯t you want to go to the restroom? Or are you hoping I¡¯d carry you there?¡± ¡°I can do it myself.¡± Sophie instantly tried to take the bag of IV solution. However, Tristan did not let her take it; he forcibly apanied her to the restroom. ¡°Mr. Tristan, can you please leave? With you around, I¡­¡± I¡¯m a young woman! How am I supposed to relieve myself with him around? It was only then Tristan finally gave her the bag of IV solution. If he continued teasing her, she might actually get mad. ¡°I¡¯m right outside, so call for me whenever you need any help.¡± Sophie nodded. Once she saw Tristan leave the ward, she let out a sigh of relief. Then, she entered the bathroom with the bag of IV solution. When she came back out, she had a relieved smile on her face. Sophie then hung the bag on the hook and got onto the bed. She nned to y a few games to kill time, but unexpectedly, someone knocked on the door. ¡°Who is it? Is it Tristan?¡± It¡¯s unlikely him. He¡¯d never knock. ¡°Come in.¡± Sophie could not guess who was outside, so she had no choice but to allow them entry. The moment the door opened, she was greeted with the sight of Cyro Gaucher entering with arge bouquet of fresh roses. Upon realizing that he was the one knocking on the door earlier, Sophie frowned. What is he doing here? Was my message not clear enough? ¡°Ms. Tanner, do you still remember me? I heard that you¡¯re sick, so I came right away to visit you! Are you okay?¡± When Cyro was on his way to send Queenie to school, he heard from Queenie that Sophie was sick. Hence, he immediately sent someone to find out which hospital Sophie was at. ¡°Who do you think you are?¡± Sophie scoffed. She did not even bother with being courteous to people like Cyro. ¡°I¡¯m Cyro Gaucher from the national team!¡± Cyro proudly replied. ¡°I heard that you¡¯re in the hospital alone, so I took leave toe and keep youpany.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t need it. You can leave now.¡± How can someone who¡¯s in Queenie¡¯s social circle be anyone good? ¡°Sophie, I¡¯ve fallen for you at first sight. Please give me a chance to prove my feelings.¡± Sophie furrowed her brows, feeling disgusted at the man. ¡°Aren¡¯t you Queenie¡¯s boyfriend? Don¡¯t you find it disgusting to say such things to me?¡± ¡°Queenie¡¯s the one who has been clinging on to me. You have no idea how cheap she is. Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll clear things up with her.¡± Woman like Queenie paled inparison to a beauty like Sophie. ¡°That¡¯s your problem. It has nothing to do with me.¡± ¡°Sophie, I¡¯ll prove it to you.¡± ¡°You should leave now,¡± Sophie impatiently responded. The more indifferent Sophie acted toward him, the more interested Cyro became of her. She¡¯s simply fascinating! Just as Cyro left, Tristan returned. When he saw the roses by the bedside table, he frowned. ¡°Was someone here?¡± I just went out to take a call, and someone has alreadye and given her roses? ¡°Just a piece of trash,¡± Sophie uttered. She was not at all interested in Cyro. ¡°Oh.¡± Hearing that, Tristan walked over to take the bouquet of roses and threw it into the trash can. Sophie did not mind at all. By noon, Sophie was done with her IV therapy. She then had a talk with the doctor, who told her that she may leave the hospital. When Tristan saw that she truly did not want to stay in the hospital, he talked to the doctor about the things she needed to be mindful of before settling the procedures for her discharge. Then, he sent her back to Wisteria Apartments. Meanwhile, once Ysabelle found out that Sophie had been discharged, she rushed to Wisteria Apartments. ¡°Soph, are you really all right now?¡± Ysabelle was still worried. What happened to Sophie the day before had genuinely frightened Ysabelle. As Sophiezily leaned back on the couch, she replied, ¡°I¡¯m really fine.¡± Ysabelle then served Sophie like she was the queen, for she felt that Sophie only ended up in that predicament because of her. In the afternoon, Tristan ordered lunch from The Crown, and lunch for Sophie was nd as usual. After all, the doctor had advised her to eat nder food for now. Ysabelle took out the dishes, set up the table, and served the food. Sophie did not have much appetite, so she only ate half a bowl of oatmeal. ¡°What¡¯s the matter? Do you not like it?¡± She ate so little. ¡°I¡¯m not hungry.¡± Sophie had always had a small appetite. ¡°You¡¯re too skinny. Eat more.¡± Tristan¡¯s heart ached. Despite Sophie¡¯s height, she felt extremely petite in his arms. Ysabelle bobbed her head in agreement. ¡°Yes, Uncle Tristan¡¯s right, Soph. You should eat more. Look at me. I¡¯m only a hundred and sixty centimeters tall, but I¡¯m chubbier than you. It¡¯s not great for a girl to be too skinny. It won¡¯t felt good to hug you.¡± Sophie was speechless at that. Why should I be good to hug? ¡°I¡¯ve hired a housekeeper for you. She¡¯lle and clean the ce up and make lunch and dinner.¡± ¡°Uncle Tristan, you¡¯re indeed meticulous!¡± Ysabelle felt like apuding Tristan. ¡°Okay. How much would that be? I¡¯ll pay for it myself.¡± Sophie did not like taking advantage of others. ¡°Sure.¡± Tristan did not insist otherwise. After Queenie received Cyro¡¯s call, she deliberately put on nude makeup and carefully selected a purple dress to go with it. Then, she went to the hotel they agreed to meet at. The moment she entered the building, she launched herself into Cyro¡¯s arms. ¡°Cyro, I missed you so much!¡± It was afternoon, and Queenie did not mind doing unspeakable things with him there. However, Cyro seemed disinterested. Instead, he pushed Queenie away from his arms. The look in his eyes rmed Queenie. She then inched closer to him and wrapped her arms around his neck before sending her red lips close to him. Again, Cyro avoided her by turning sideways. Queenie ended up kissing his cheek. ¡°Cyro, what¡¯s the matter? Are you upset?¡± ¡°Queenie, let¡¯s end things on good terms.¡± Cyro had always been a member of the basketball team. Moreover, he was tall and handsome, so he neverck pretty girls flocking after him. ¡°What are you talking about? Cyro, you¡¯re joking with me, aren¡¯t you?¡± Queenie tried to squeeze a smile onto her face, but the smile looked ugly. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°What do you mean why? I just don¡¯t like you anymore,¡± Cyro ruthlessly said to her. Queenie inched closer to him. ¡°Did I do anything wrong? Tell me, and I¡¯ll change.¡± ¡°There¡¯s no need for you to do that. You¡¯ll find someone better than me in the future.¡± Cyro was not giving her any chance, and he did not want to waste any more time on her. Queenie ran over to stop him from leaving. ¡°Cyro, I love you. I really do,¡± she said to him, for he was the first person she had fallen in love with. ¡°But I don¡¯t love you anymore.¡± Cyro¡¯s patiencepletely vanished at how she was making a scene and refusing to let go. ¡°Don¡¯te and look for me anymore.¡± ¡°Is it because of Sophie? She seduced you, didn¡¯t she?¡± Queenie spat out of her gritted teeth. This is property ? N?velDrama.Org. Cyro arched a brow at the sight of her resentful expression. She looks like a madwoman. ¡°That¡¯s right. I¡¯m in love with her,¡± he said. He did not think that it was something that should be kept a secret. ¡°Do you know what kind of person she is? She moved in with someone in eighth grade, and she even aborted a baby because of that man. She¡¯s nothing but a promiscuous woman!¡± Cyro pped Queenie. ¡°That¡¯s enough, Queenie. Why are you so vicious at such a young age?¡± With that said, he shoved Queenie aside. By then, Queenie¡¯s makeup was ruined from her continuous bawling, and she looked terrifying. As Queenie climbed to her feet, she angrily hissed, ¡°Just you wait, Sophie. I¡¯m going to make you regreting back to Jipsdale!¡± Chapter 15 Chapter 15 Chapter 15 Admitting Your Mistake In the afternoon, Sophie insisted on going to school with Ysabelle. When the two arrived at the school, they spotted Queenie with a few other girls around. The way Queenie was looking at Sophie was as if she was staring at her nemesis. ¡°Stop right there, Sophie!¡± Queenie snarled, fury burning bright in her eyes. Sophie ignored her and continued walking away. Her prideful demeanor infuriated Queenie even more. In the next instance, she threw the basketball in her hands at Sophie. ¡°Soph, watch out!¡± The moment Ysabelle turned around and saw Queenie¡¯s action, she lunged toward Sophie¡¯s back. The ball ended up hitting Ysabelle¡¯s back, and Ysabelle groaned in pain. This is property ? N?velDrama.Org. Sophie spun around and red at Queenie. ¡°Queenie Lane, are you crazy? Why are you barking at everyone you meet?¡± ¡°Sophie, I¡¯ve warned you not to seduce my boyfriend. You were the one who started this.¡± ¡°Sophie, how can you be such a shameless person? Queenie has already been with Cyro for a month. How can you steal her boyfriend?¡± ¡°Women like her would do practically anything. She just couldn¡¯t keep it in her pants.¡± ¡°Exactly. She only knows how to seduce others with her looks.¡± ¡°Queenie, you¡¯re on the school¡¯s basketball team, right?¡± Sophie asked, tilting her head to the side. ¡°That¡¯s right. Queenie¡¯s the team leader of the school¡¯s basketball team. I dare you toe and compete with her if you have the guts.¡± ¡°Dare she? All she knows is how to seduce men. How can she possibly know how to y basketball?¡± ¡°True. She only thinks about how to get men into her bed. We¡¯re really not on the same level.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll go against all five of you,¡± Sophie said as she picked up the basketball from the floor. She initially did not want to stoop to their level, but since they had hurt Ysabelle, Sophie was going to toy with them a little. ¡°How insolent of you!¡± Competing in basketball game with me? Sophie must have a death wish. ¡°Cut the nonsense.¡± Just start the game already. Why is she still spewing nonsense? Ysabelle grabbed Sophie. ¡°Soph, you¡¯ve just¡­¡± Ysabelle was panicking. After all, she was worried about Sophie¡¯s wellbeing, and that was why she shielded her from the basketball. ¡°Wait for me over there. I¡¯ll be done in a minute.¡± ¡°Did you hear her? Girls, since she asked for it, let¡¯s all go against her together,¡± Queenie growled, narrowing her eyes. By then, arge group of people had already gathered around the field. ¡°Sophie, I hope you¡¯re not going to end up in tears in a moment. Also, if you lose, I want you out of Jipsdale Premier High and the city of Jipsdale!¡± ¡°What if you lose?¡± ¡°Me? Losing? Ms. Tanner, are you trying to be funny?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a match. There are bound to be victory and defeat.¡± ¡°If I lose, I¡¯ll prostrate before you.¡± ¡°It seems like you¡¯re really confident in yourself.¡± ¡°Are you scared? If you¡¯re scared, crawl in between my legs, and I¡¯ll let you off.¡± At that, Sophie could not help but chuckle. Very well. She¡¯s confident. It seems like no one has ever taught them a lesson before. Sophie then took off her jacket and threw it at Ysabelle. ¡°Damn, Soph, you¡¯re so cool!¡± A pretty person really gets further in life. No matter what she does, it all looks so cool! Ysabelle then took out her phone, ready to record the scene. Queenie scoffed. If they werepeting in something else, perhaps she would be afraid. However, they were about to compete in a basketball match, and she knew that she was as skillful as the members of the boys¡¯ team. Therefore, Queenie vouched that she was going to teach Sophie a lesson that very day. Once the match started, Queenie took three steps and threw the ball right into the hoop. She then turned to look at Sophie gleefully. ¡°How is it? Are you scared now?¡± The other four girls were just standing at the side, knowing that Queenie would be able to defeat Sophie easily by herself. Therefore, they did not even need to do anything but watch the scene unfold. Despite Queenie¡¯s taunts and actions, Sophie remained expressionless. ¡°Hm? Scared is never in my vocab.¡± With that, Sophie stole the basketball from Queenie¡¯s hands before thetter even realized it. Then, she retreated beyond the three-point line and raised her arms. Before the others could get a clear look at what was happening, the basketball collided against Queenie¡¯s stomach. ¡°D*mn! I thought she was going to go for a three-pointer!¡± ¡°Hello? Do you think that everyone¡¯s a variation of Cyro?¡± Cyro used to be on Jipsdale Premier High¡¯s basketball team, and his skill in basketball was whatnded him a spot at Jipsdale University. ¡°Sophie, do you know how to y? If you don¡¯t, just give up. It¡¯s not embarrassing to lose to Queenie.¡± The others wereughing at Sophie about how she only had good looks and nothing else. ¡°Sorry, I haven¡¯t yed basketball for a long time,¡± Sophie nonchntly responded. Meanwhile, Queenie could not even straighten up from the blow. The others were allughing at Sophie, but Queenie did not dare to underestimate her opponent anymore. She knew well that Sophie was proficient in handling the ball. ¡°Let¡¯s continue,¡± Sophie then said to the referee. When the next round started, Queenie began trying her best to y defense. Unfortunately, Sophie still managed to intercept the ball at the tiniest window of opportunity. The moment Sophie got the ball, she retreated beyond the three-point line and hurl the ball at Queenie again. Unable to continue watching any longer, Queenie¡¯s four teammates hurried to Queenie¡¯s side. ¡°Sophie, you¡¯re doing this on purpose!¡± Sophie sneered. ¡°Did you just realize it now? Your eyes don¡¯t seem to be working that well.¡± ¡°You¡ª¡± They were on Jipsdale Premier High¡¯s basketball team; they could not let some random person defeat them so easily. ¡°All of you shoulde at once. I don¡¯t have that much time to spare,¡± Sophie uttered in a haughty tone. Once the whistle went off, the match resumed. Even when the five of them tried their best to intercept Sophie, Sophie still easily avoided them. At that, Queenie gave her teammates a look. In that case, you can¡¯t me us if you get injured. ¡°Aim at her leg. Break it,¡± whispered one of the teammates. When Sophie realized what they were trying to do, she narrowed her eyes dangerously. What Sophie had nned to do was to teach them a lesson, but they ended up ying dirty tricks. So, you want to resort to dirty tricks, huh? Fine. I¡¯ve never been scared of anyone. In the blink of an eye, Queenie swung her leg toward Sophie¡¯s calf. However, Sophie easily leaped up to dunk the ball. ¡°Wow!¡± The people around them were astounded by Sophie¡¯s remarkable jumping ability. The ball entered the hoop, and Sophie received a point. After that, Sophiended steadily on the ground. On the other hand, Queenie¡¯s expression was dark as the night. Dozens of minutes after that, it was as if Sophie had turned the match into her show. The five girls posed no threat to Sophie at all. In the end, the match ended with fifty points to zero. The school¡¯s basketball team ended up theughingstock of the day. The whistle sounded, signaling the end of the match, and the five on the school¡¯s basketball team had scowls on their faces. They had never suffered a defeat that horrendous before. Ysabelle rushed over to hug Sophie. ¡°Soph, how can you be that impressive? I¡¯m sure you can even enter the national team with your skills!¡± Sophie was still not used to being so physically close to another person, so she gently pushed Ysabelle away. ¡°Soph, you¡¯re brilliant! I love you so much!¡± ¡°You don¡¯t need to.¡± Meanwhile, Queenie was clenching her fists. When did Sophie be so talented? I¡¯ve really humiliated myself thoroughly today. ¡°Queenie, let¡¯s go.¡± Her other four teammates were feeling embarrassed as well, and all they wanted to do was hide away in some discreet spot to lick their wounds. ¡°Go? Where to? Queenie, have you forgotten about our bet?¡± ¡°Hey, Sophie, this is too much. We¡¯re all studying in the same school. Must you cross the line?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. Just let it go.¡± ¡°You were the one who said you¡¯d prostrate before me and admit to your mistakes. You should keep your words,¡± Sophie nomittally pointed out. It was as if nothing in the world could faze her. Chapter 16 Chapter 16 Chapter 16 One Against Five ¡°Haven¡¯t you heard about how one must honor one¡¯s bet? If Soph was the one who lost today, would you still say the same?¡± Ysabelle clicked her tongue, thinking, What double standards they have! Queenie bit her lip, having never felt so humiliated before. She really could not bring herself to prostrate before Sophie and apologize to her. ¡°What¡¯s the matter? Queenie, weren¡¯t you really confident earlier?¡± Sophie¡¯s tone was still as nonchnt as ever, but the expression on her face sent chills running down others¡¯ spines. In the end, Queenie steeled herself and kneeled down before Ysabelle. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I didn¡¯t mean it.¡± ¡°Louder. I can¡¯t hear you.¡± Every time Ysabelle thought about how Queenie had ambushed Sophie, she felt reluctant to forgive Queenie. ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± Right then, Willow appeared. She walked over to Queenie and helped thetter up. ¡°Sophie, you¡¯re going too far.¡± Upon seeing Willow, Queenie burst into tears. She truly had never experienced humiliation like that before. ¡°Don¡¯t cry anymore, Queenie. I¡¯ll bring you back to the ssroom first.¡± Sophie did not even want to bother herself with Willow. Who does she think she is to challenge me? In the meantime, Cyro, who hade to find Sophie, witnessed everything. With a slight turn, Queenie immediately spotted Cyro. Promptly, she ignored everything and everyone else and ran toward Cyro. ¡°Cyro, you saw what happened, right? Sophie, she¡ª¡± ¡°Queenie, didn¡¯t I already tell you that Sophie has nothing to do with this? I¡¯m the one who has fallen for her. Stop picking on her in the future. I won¡¯t forgive you the next time you do this.¡± Initially, Cyro had fallen for Sophie¡¯s attractive looks, but after watching her basketball performance, Cyro was starting to fall for her entirely. He had never seen a girl y basketball that well before. Back then, he was interested in Queenie because she was good in basketball and clicked with him. Yet, it seemed like Queenie¡¯s skill was nothingpared to Sophie¡¯s. Queenie burst into tears again. How can he do this to me? Queenie was aggrieved. ¡°Cyro, how can you do this to me?¡± ¡°Stay away from Sophie from now on. If I find out that you¡¯re trying to y dirty tricks on her again, I won¡¯t let you off.¡± With that said, Cyro left. He did not even spare Queenie onest look. ¡°Willow, why is he doing this to me? How can he do this to me? I¡¯ve given him my innocence, but what did he do? He abandoned me after learning about Sophie.¡± Queenie sobbed miserably, her eyes red from her bawling. Willow hugged her shoulders. ¡°Don¡¯t you know what kind of person Sophie is? She has always been like this. She always covet what was not hers. It doesn¡¯t even matter if she likes it.¡± ¡°You¡¯re right. This is all Sophie¡¯s fault. I won¡¯t let her off the hook so easily.¡± ¡°What can you do to her? Forget this, Queenie. You¡¯ll meet someone better in the future.¡± ¡°Forget this? How can I forget this? Willow, she¡¯s your little sister. You¡¯re not telling me that you¡¯re on her side, are you?¡± ¡°She has never thought of me as her sister. Queenie, you¡¯re my best friend; of course, I¡¯d be on your side. No matter what you do, you have my support.¡± ¡°Willow¡ª¡± Queenie was moved by Willow¡¯s words, but the smile on Willow¡¯s face when Queenie was not looking was a contemptuous one. What an idiot Queenie is. I can¡¯t believe I thought about having her deal with Sophie. Sophie ended up crushing her like an ant. Sophie¡¯s no longer the same as before. Nevertheless, no matter how much she changed, I¡¯ll still end her. ¡°Soph, you¡¯re amazing! If you¡¯re a guy, I would¡¯ve married you.¡± Ysabelle was still thrilled by the earlier event even after they returned to the ssroom. ¡°Don¡¯t do something foolish like that next time,¡± Sophie said. She was talking about how Ysabelle had shielded her from the basketball. ¡°You¡¯re my best friend! Of course I have to shield you from danger! Soph, I know you¡¯re incredible, but I¡¯m your friend, right? How can I just sit on my hands if you¡¯re in danger?¡± Sophie was touched by how stubborn Ysabelle was about that. Sophie had to rely on only herself during her five years at Horington. Life had been challenging up until she found out the things she could do. It was only then no one tried to bully her. However, Ysabelle was the first to dere that she wanted to protect Sophie regardless of everything. While Sophie was lost in her thoughts, Ysabelle edited the recording of Sophie defeating Queenie and posted it on her Instagram. Her caption was: My Soph is so cool! I really want to marry her! P.s. Do you all know which countries legalized gay marriage? After posting it, Ysabelle liked her own post and kept her phone, ready to focus on ss. The first ss was physics, and just as Carrie entered, she saw Sophie sleeping. Hence, she walked over to Sophie and knocked on her table. The moment Sophie raised her head, she saw her physics teacher staring at her angrily. ¡°Sophie, I know you don¡¯t want to enter the university, and it¡¯s not like I¡¯m hoping that you¡¯ll get into a good university with the kind of person you are. I just have one favor to ask of you, which is to not sleep in ss. If you keep sleeping in ss, and if the principal sees you through the window, I¡¯ll be embarrassed.¡± Content is ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org. Carrie was in a bad mood, and she even fought with another teacher at noon. Thus, no matter how trivial anything was, it would easily set her off. ¡°All right, Mrs. Fletcher.¡± Sophie straightened up, not about to engage in a fight with her physics teacher. However, Sophie always had a nonchnt demeanor, and at that moment, to Carrie, it seemed like Sophie was being rebellious. ¡°Get out right now!¡± Sophie arched a brow. Did Mrs. Fletcher get up on the wrong side of the bed today? ¡°Are you deaf? I told you to get out!¡± After a moment of silence, Sophie snorted, speechless at Carrie¡¯s action. She then rose to her feet and left the ssroom. When Queenie saw how much Carrie hated Sophie, she could not help butugh. It seems like I¡¯m not the only one who doesn¡¯t like her. I doubt it¡¯ll be easy for Sophie to stay at Jipsdale Premier High. ¡°Sophie¡ª¡± Ysabelle had wanted to leave with Sophie, but Sophie shook her head at her. ¡°I¡¯m fine. Focus in ss.¡± At that, Sophie left the room with her bag. Meanwhile, on the other side, Felix had just arrived at Lombard Group¡¯s office to discuss a coborative project with Tristan. As Tristan was still busy, Felix took out his phone to look at his Instagram. Then, he burst intoughter upon seeing Ysabelle¡¯s Instagram. Tristan only spared him a nce before returning to his work. ¡°Mr. Tristan, say, what is so good about Sophie that even your cute niece say she wants to marry her?¡± ¡°What?¡± Tristan¡¯s interest was only piqued when he heard Sophie¡¯s name. ¡°Look at your Instagram.¡± Tristan then took out his phone and clicked on his Instagram. Right away, he saw Ysabelle¡¯s video, and when he yed it, he realized that it was a recording of Sophie going up against five people. ¡°This girl¡¯s not bad to go up against five at once. She reminds me of myself when I was younger.¡± The ruthlessness on Sophie¡¯s face was simply too cool as she hurled the ball at the other girl. It was no wonder Ysabelle wanted to marry Sophie. On the other hand, Tristan was not admiring Sophie¡¯s performance. She just underwent surgery yesterday, but she¡¯s already undergoing such an intense activity? How careless can she be with her own health? With that thought in mind, Tristan stood up to leave immediately. ¡°I¡¯m going out for a while.¡± ¡°Hey¡­¡± Sh*t, is he going to just leave me hanging like this? What¡¯s he in a rush for? Chapter 17 Chapter 17 Chapter 17 Never Seen Him Before The moment Sophie went out of school, Butterfly called. ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± ¡°Are you at Jipsdale?¡± Butterfly asked. She had not seen Phantom in person ever since the establishment of Wings of Light. Now that she was at Jipsdale, naturally, she wanted to meet the young woman. ¡°Yes.¡± It was not as if Sophie was nning to hide from anyone. ¡°Let¡¯s meet, then!¡± Butterfly excitedly cried out. ¡°Why?¡± Is there a need for us to meet each other?¡± ¡°I want to meet you! I¡¯ve already seen the other members of Wings of Light. You¡¯re the only one left. I doubt you know about this, but everyone¡¯s curious about you.¡± ¡°I¡¯m just an ordinary person.¡± ¡°F*ck, Phantom. You¡¯re telling me that you¡¯re an ordinary person? Phantom who topped the first in the hackers¡¯ ranking is telling me that she¡¯s a normal person. Are you joking?¡± ¡°Butterfly, there¡¯s a reason for me to be at Jipsdale.¡± Once she was done settling those matters, she was going to leave. ¡°What is it? Do you need our help?¡± Butterfly promptly asked with concern. The other members of Wings of Light were all concerned about the youngest but the most impressive member of their organization¡ªPhantom¡ªand Sophie knew that. ¡°It¡¯s fine. I can deal with it myself.¡± ¡°Phantom, you have to remember that you¡¯re not alone. You have all of us backing you up.¡± This is property ? N?velDrama.Org. ¡°I¡¯m at Lumen Street. Are you going toe?¡± ¡°All right, I¡¯ll be right there. Send me your location.¡± I¡¯m about to finally meet Phantom. The others must be jealous! Sophie had been staying at a caf¨¦ on Lumen Street, which providedptops to their patrons, ever since she came out of school. She turned on theptop and logged into her email ount before reading her recent emails. One of the emails was from Arius Gullifer. He asked her about when she was going to the international medical association. Sophie replied to the email saying that she had not made up her mind yet. Just as she was done with the emails, Butterfly arrived. The moment she entered the caf¨¦, she spotted Sophie. Even though they had not met before, Butterfly instantly recognized her. ¡°Phantom, it¡¯s me, Butterfly.¡± Butterfly took a seat opposite Sophie. It was then Sophie raised her head to look at the speaker. ¡°Just call me Sophie.¡± After all, it was best to avoid calling her Phantom in reality. ¡°Sophie, how long are you nning to stay at Jipsdale? I have an assignment that I need your help with.¡± ¡°What is it? Can you all not deal with it?¡± Sophie was not nning to take on any assignments for a while. ¡°Here¡¯s the thing. Dr. Yarren¡¯s missing. Do you know Dr. Yarren?¡± ¡°Are you talking about the Dr. Yarren from the Academy of Sciences?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right; that¡¯s him. He has a crucial technology with him right now.¡± ¡°I see. I understand. I¡¯ll do it.¡± ¡°But the payment for this assignment isn¡¯t high.¡± Or, at least, thirty million was a small sum in comparison with the amount that the majorpanies offered to Sophie to get her to join them. ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± Hacking was a hobby. Earning money from that hobby was merely an added benefit. ¡°Is that all about work? Say, why have youe to Jipsdale? Do you really not need our help?¡± ¡°I really don¡¯t.¡± Right then, Sophie¡¯s phone rang. ¡°Where are you?¡± came Tristan¡¯s voice from the speakers the moment Sophie picked up the call. ¡°I¡¯m at Lumen Street. What¡¯s the matter? Did something happen?¡± Sophie was confused by the call. Does Tristan have that much time on his hands? ¡°It¡¯s nothing. I¡¯m going toe to you now. Don¡¯t go anywhere.¡± ¡°Who is that?¡± Butterfly curiously asked. ¡°A friend¡¯s uncle,¡± Sophie replied after a moment of thought. ¡°Uncle?¡± Her friend¡¯s uncle shouldn¡¯t be that young. With that thought in mind, she added, ¡°Phantom, you have to be careful. Some older men like young girls like you..¡± ¡°I know.¡± ¡°What do you know? Forget it. No one will dare to be mean to you with us around. As long as you¡¯re in Jipsdale, you can lord over anyone.¡± ¡°Butterfly, why didn¡¯t I realize that you¡¯re so humorous in the past?¡± Hearing that, Butterfly, who felt that she was too old to be called cute at the age of twenty-five, turned red in the face. ¡°All right, since you have a friend who¡¯sing over, I¡¯ll take my leave first. I¡¯ll send you the details of Dr. Yarren¡¯s matter. You can go right ahead to the state office to look for the police captain.¡± They had to work with the people from the state office as well. ¡°Okay.¡± Not long after Butterfly left, Tristan arrived and sat opposite her. ¡°How are you feeling? Do you want to go to the hospital?¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine. Mr. Tristan, are you really that free?¡± ¡°It appears that I am. What¡¯s wrong? Is someone bullying you?¡± ¡°I¡¯m the bully. Who would dare to tread on my toes?¡± Sophie said, unintentionally showing her true colors. ¡°The doctor has asked you to get proper rest for now, so it¡¯s best that you heed his advice.¡± Tristan had been in a rush toe to her, but the moment he saw her, the sense of urgency dissipated. He then ordered a cup of coffee. ¡°How are you in Jipsdale Premier High? Fitting in fine?¡± ¡°Not bad.¡± Sophie waspletely unperturbed by Queenie and her gang. Hearing that, Tristan turned on aptop, about to work from there. Both were attractive people¡ªone carried an air of elegance, while the other was a beautiful young woman. Their presence in the small caf¨¦ caught the attention of many. Tristan did not deliberately try to continue the conversation. Instead, he would chat with her a little once in a while, and somehow, his words enticed her. Sophie did not mind Tristan staying by her side. After a round of her game, her phone rang. ¡°What¡¯s the matter, Grandpa?¡± ¡°Soph! Can youe home for dinner tonight? Didn¡¯t you promise me that you¡¯lle back once a week?¡± Josiah was rather upset that, even though he had gotten her back from Horington, he still rarely saw her. ¡°Tonight?¡± ¡°What is it? Can¡¯t you even have a meal with your grandpa?¡± ¡°All right. I¡¯lle home tonight.¡± ¡°You¡¯d better.¡± Josiah then told her a few reminders before ending the call. ¡°Who was it?¡± Tristan was curious. It was his first time seeing her so meek. ¡°My grandpa,¡± was all she said. She did not wish to say anything else to him, for she did not want anyone to intervene in the Tanner family¡¯s affairs. Sophie then began packing her things. The Tanner residence in Jipsdale was a distance away from the caf¨¦, and the drive there would take over an hour. ¡°Let me send you there,¡± Tristan offered. Sophie did not reject him and left the caf¨¦ with him. That day, Tristan was driving a silver Lamborghini. The figure of the car was particrly smooth, and its mere presence was attracting the attention of many passersby. When those passersby realized that the owner of the car was an extremely handsome man, some women felt the urge to approach him. Unfortunately, the look on Tristan¡¯s face was extremely stern so no one dared to actuallye close to him. Tristan then opened the door to the front passenger seat for Sophie. Once she was inside, he closed the door for her. In other words, he was a perfect gentleman. That made the women around the car turned green with envy. ¡°If only I was that woman!¡± one said wistfully. ¡°Did you look at yourself in the mirror? She¡¯s young and pretty!¡± another retorted, thinking, There are few in Jipsdale who can be a match for her! Meanwhile, Willow, who was shopping with her friends, noticed themotion. Why haven¡¯t I seen this man before? Chapter 18 Chapter 18 Chapter 18 Transfer Of Shares Louisa threw a nce at Willow who was in a daze. ¡°Willow, isn¡¯t that your sister? She¡¯s more of a troublemaker than she was five years ago!¡± ¡°Yea.¡± Willow felt lousy. Since they were children, it had always been like that. People always praised Sophie for her beauty. As for her, she would only be Sophie¡¯s essory. Louisa became interested. ¡°Who is that man she¡¯s with? He¡¯s so handsome.¡± ¡°I have no idea.¡± Willow also wanted to know the identity of that man and how he was rted to Sophie. It was Willow¡¯s goal to marry into a wealthy family, but she did not want her younger sister to surpass her in that aspect. ¡°I¡¯ll go back home now. My driver is still waiting for me.¡± After bidding Louisa goodbye, Willow got into the Mercedes-Benz. However, with the thought of Sophie sitting in the Lamborghini that cost a few million, Willow felt depressed. Other than having a pretty face, there was nothing so great about Sophie! Willow was better than her younger sister in every aspect except for her looks, and she felt extremely inferior. Once they had arrived at their destination, Tristan asked Sophie, ¡°Will you be going back to Wisteria Apartments tonight?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± She disliked staying at the Tanner residence. The only reason she agreed toe for dinner was because of her grandpa. ¡°Once you are done, let me know. I¡¯lle and pick you up.¡± ¡°There¡¯s no need. I can go back on my own.¡± ¡°Enough. Go on in!¡± Tristan refused to hear any more of it. Sophie had no choice but to nod in agreement. She knew Tristan did it out of concern, and to be honest, she did not mind being near him. Tristan drove off in the silver Lamborghini. On the way to the Tanner residence, Willow saw the Lamborghini and quickly wound down her window to catch a glimpse of the man driving it. However, the car windows of the Lamborghini were tinted for privacy, so she failed to see anything. Once the ck Mercedes-Benz arrived at the Tanner residence, Willow got out of the car and saw Sophie outside the house too. ¡°Who was that man just now?¡± Sophie could not be bothered with Willow. The moment the housekeeper heard the voices, she opened the door. Sophie walked in immediately. Seeing that Sophie was giving her cold shoulders, Willow was furious. ¡°Sophie, what kind of attitude is that? I¡¯m your older sister, and I don¡¯t want you to get cheated on by others. Nowadays, there are many men who rent luxurious cars in an attempt to fool young girls. Don¡¯t fall for it.¡± ¡°Thank you for your concern, but I can take care of myself.¡± If that advice hade from someone else, Sophie might have believed them. Since it came from Willow, it meant nothing but a joke to her. Willow was the only person in the whole world who wished her ill. As the two sisters entered the house, they saw that Josiah was already downstairs. Their dad had also just returned home. ¡°Dad, you¡¯re back.¡± When Willow saw her father, she got emotional and rushed up to embrace him. ¡°Dad, I missed you so much.¡± Yale returned the hug. ¡°How is your study? You must work hard now that the university entrance exam ising soon.¡± ¡°Dad, don¡¯t worry! I¡¯m always one of the top five students in my level. I will certainly get into Jipsdale University.¡± Knowing that her father preferred intelligent children, Willow had always been very hardworking. Obviously, Yale noticed Sophie too, but she had been a disgrace to him five years ago. He was truly unhappy to see her. ¡°What are you doing back here? Haven¡¯t you humiliated yourself enough?¡± Yale was a doting and loving father to Willow. On the contrary, he was extremely harsh with Sophie and treated her with disdain. Josiah roared in anger, ¡°I¡¯m the one who allowed Soph toe here. What¡¯s wrong? Do I have no say in this family?¡± He could not believe the way they treated Sophie when he was still alive. Imagine when I am dead and gone! Sophie walked up to Josiah and rubbed his back to calm him down. ¡°Grandpa, don¡¯t be angry. It isn¡¯t good for your health.¡± ¡°Dad, I know you have spoiled her since she was young. But, this time, she has really made a mistake.¡± ¡°So what? Yale, have you never ever done anything wrong before in your life?¡± Yale was dumbfounded. ¡°Dad, don¡¯t be upset. Grandpa loves Soph very much. That¡¯s all,¡± said Willow thoughtfully. ¡°Fine. Let¡¯s eat.¡± There was nothing Yale could do when it came to his father. ¡°Soph,e and sit next to me.¡± With that, Josiah immediately pulled Sophie to the seat next to him. Yale, Willow, and Charmaine also sat down. The family began to have their dinner in silence. Everyone was unhappy about something. The atmosphere was nowhere cordial. Nearing the end of the dinner, Josiah spoke up. ¡°I have asked Soph toe here today, but it isn¡¯t only to have dinner.¡± The other three eyed Josiah with interest. Only Sophie was nonchnt. ¡°I still own twenty percent of the shares of Tanner Group. I intend to give it all to Soph so that she will be taken care of as well.¡± ¡°Dad, what are you talking about? How can you give your shares to Sophie?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right, Dad! Soph is still young. If she sells the shares that you give to her, that will be bad for Tanner Group.¡± Willow did not expect Josiah to give all of his shares to Sophie. ¡°Grandpa, please don¡¯t be impulsive.¡± I¡¯m also his granddaughter. Why doesn¡¯t he give me anything? Why does Grandpa always favor Sophie since we were young? Haven¡¯t I done enough over the years? I have worked so hard to be a socialite just to please him. But, the moment Sophie appears, everything is as just before. Nothing has changed. Why? Josiah was genuinely upset. ¡°The shares belong to me, and I can give them to whoever I want. It breaks my heart to see the way all of you treat Soph.¡± ¡°Dad, the shares of Tanner Group are important and shouldn¡¯t be treated like child¡¯s y.¡± Yale still disagreed with his father¡¯s decision. ¡°Soph, say something!¡± Charmaine turned her attention onto Sophie. As long as Sophie refused to ept the shares, there was nothing Josiah could do about it. ¡°What do you want me to say?¡± This is property ? N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Did you say something to your grandpa? Do you know how to run apany? What¡¯s the point of you owning any shares?¡± Charmaine was outraged that Sophie was fighting for power and money at such a young age. ¡°Sophie, back then, you were the one who shamed the Tanner family. How dare you still have the cheek to demand the shares of Tanner Group?¡± Yale could not bear to give those twenty percent of shares to his younger daughter. Sophie sneered. That was how scared they were of her owning those shares. Am I still part of the family as far as they are concerned? They guard me as if they are guarding against an enemy. ¡°Well, initially, I have no intention of taking any share of Tanner Group. But since all of you don¡¯t want me to have them, I will ept the shares. Grandpa, thank you.¡± Her words infuriated Yale and Charmaine to the extreme. However, Sophie did not even bother to look at them at all. ¡°I¡¯ll get thewyer to handle this next Monday. You shoulde by the house too. I¡¯ll get the driver to send you back now.¡± Knowing that Sophie did not like to be there, Josiah had no wish to force her to stay on. She must be very disappointed with this family! ¡°Grandpa, I can go back on my own. You have better take an early rest.¡± Sophie then got up. She refused to have any eye contact with the other three. Josiah also made his way upstairs. How did the family be like this? ¡°Dad, Grandpa meant what he said, didn¡¯t he?¡± Willow was in disbelief. ¡°Concentrate and do well in your studies. I have already paved the way for you. Once Mason from the Laird family is back, you have better put on a good show.¡± Yale could only rely on Willow right now. Sophie¡¯s reputation was beyond salvation. There was no way to help her. As for Willow, Yale must make sure that she got into high society so that the Tanner family could enjoy a more esteemed status. Chapter 19 Chapter 19 Tanner residence, she nned to call for a car to go back. Before she could reach the main gate, she saw the silver Lamborghini. Sophie stopped whatever she was doing and walked out. The moment Tristan saw her, he got out from the car and opened the door for her to get in. Willow had gone back to her room and nned to have a bath when she saw the Lamborghini that had sent Sophie there. She immediately rushed to the window in the hope to catch a glimpse of that mysterious man. In the end, she saw the man get out of the car, opened the door for Sophie, and even shielded her head for fear that she might hit herself when she was getting into the car. That made Willow really mad with anger and hatred. Hmph! Sophie can always get whatever she wants. No decent man will treat Sophie so well. In the entire Jipsdale, every one of the wealthy families knows about Sophie¡¯s reputation. With that thought in mind, Willow could not help but chuckle. ¡°Sophie, I want to see how long you are going to get away with it.¡± The thought of Josiah giving Sophie his portion of shares enraged Willow. She had to ensure those shares did notnd in Sophie¡¯s possession. After closing the door for Sophie, Tristan then walked back to the other side of the car. ¡°Didn¡¯t you go back?¡± If he had, he would not have shown up there without her having to phone him. ¡°I did go out for a while.¡± Sophie leaned back on the seat and shut her eyes. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Are you not feeling well?¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± Her grievances with the Tanner family had toe to an end eventually. ¡°If you¡¯re tired, take a nap. Once we have arrived, I¡¯ll wake you up.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Sophie had no idea why, but she always felt more rxed with Tristan by her side. At first, she only intended to close her eyes for a short while. She ended up falling into a deep sleep. The silver Lamborghini drove slowly into the residential area where Wisteria Apartments was located and went into the parking lot. Looking at Sophie who was deep in her sleep, Tristan did not wake her up. She looked so peaceful and lovely like an angel. It made him want to be by her side and protect her just so that she could have a good dream. By the time Sophie woke up, it was already eleven at night. She could not believe that she had been sleeping in the car for two hours. The moment she opened her eyes, she saw that gorgeous face of Tristan. It made her feel like she was still dreaming. ¡°Mr. Tristan, is this your way of wooing me?¡± The instant Tristan heard her question, he turned and looked at her. The way she looked after waking up was so tantalizing. Tristan reached out to pinch that baby face of hers lightly. It was such an innocent move, buting from Tristan, it was so alluring that it made her heart skip a beat. Content is ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org. ¡°That¡¯s right! I¡¯m pursuing you. Can you feel it?¡± After hearing the affirmative answer, Sophie eyed him in disbelief. ¡°Why?¡± Who is he? He¡¯s Tristan, the number one boss in the whole of Jipsdale. One word from him and anything will be done. That¡¯s how powerful and influential he is. ¡°I¡¯m following my heart.¡± Sophie was dumbfounded. She felt that she had fallen for Tristan¡¯s charms. One sweet sentence from him was sufficient to make thousands of girls fall to their knees. Furthermore, Tristan was particrly affectionate at that moment. There was no way Sophie could carry on with her questions. Instead, she opened the car door and got out. Tristan did the same and walked her back to Wisteria Apartments. After opening the door, Sophie stood there with no intention of inviting him in. ¡°Goodbye.¡± Later on, when Sophie was lying on the bed, she recalled Tristan saying that he was following his heart. Since the time when they first knew one another, Tristan had always been a gentleman and treated her very well. He was always by her side when she underwent minor appendix surgery. Sophie was no fool. She was aware of his feelings for her. However, she was nevertheless shaken to the core when she heard him confess earlier on. The next day, Sophie realized something was amiss when she arrived at school. Someone was up to no good. All of the students of Jipsdale Premier High were gossiping about her. Ysabelle had been waiting for her at the entrance of the school. The moment she saw Sophie, she ran up to her. ¡°Soph, Cyro is here again.¡± ¡°I thought he has already broken up with Queenie?¡± ¡°Cyro has overestimated himself. I can¡¯t believe he wants to pursue you. He should look into the mirror first before doing that.¡± As far as Ysabelle was concerned, thosemoners were no longer good enough for Sophie. The instant Sophie walked into the school, Cyro came over in a hurry. He took out the title deed of his house, bank cards, and bank books. ¡°Sophie, I¡¯m serious about you. If you agree, all these will belong to you.¡± ¡°Cyro, what on earth are you doing?¡± Ysabelle could not help butugh at him. He was being too dramatic. Queenie had alsoe over when she heard that Cyro was there. Unfortunately, that was what she witnessed. ¡°Sophie, what do you want me to do so that you will ept me?¡± Cyro was not interested in anyone else other than Sophie, and he kept his burning gaze on her. ¡°Move aside.¡± Sophie was not in the least bit interested in his act. Cyro reached out to grab hold of Sophie¡¯s wrist. Sophie had never liked to be touched. Right now, her eyes narrowed with a glint of danger. ¡°Do you still want to keep your hand?¡± Cyro still smiled at Sophie thinking that no one could resist his charms. He truly believed that it was only a matter of time that Sophie would fall for him. ¡°Sophie, be with me! I will give you everything you want.¡± Sophie had already lost her patience. With a twist of her hand, she heard an agonizing cry from Cyro and saw his hand dangling there. It appeared that his hand had been dislocated. ¡°I have warned you before not to touch me.¡± Without checking on Cyro who was about to pass out from the pain, Sophie stepped on his documents before walking away. Ysabelle was in awe. After seeing Sophie¡¯s move, she wanted so much to scream. Right there and then, she became Sophie¡¯s biggest fan. No matter what Sophie did, Ysabelle found it awe-inspiring. ¡°Queenie, let¡¯s go! Cyro is just a scumbag. He deserves what he gets.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right! Queenie, let¡¯s go! ss is about to start.¡± Queenie shook her head. She was both disappointed and heartbroken to see Cyro in that state. She still yearned to be with him and knew that he was only temporarily obsessed with Sophie. Queenie walked up to Cyro. ¡°Cyro, are you all right? Let me send you to the hospital.¡± Sophie has been so vicious. However, Cyro frowned when he saw that it was Queenie. ¡°Queenie, stay away from me. I don¡¯t want Sophie to have any misunderstanding about us.¡± ¡°Cyro¡­¡± Queenie could not believe what she had just heard. Sophie had treated Cyro so badly. Yet, he still refused to give up. ¡°Queenie, I¡¯m sorry. But, I think I have met my true love.¡± It did not matter to him what Sophie had done. All he wanted was to be with her. ¡°True love? If she¡¯s your true love, what am I to you?¡± ¡°It¡¯s only normal for people to meet the wrong ones before they meet their true loves.¡± ¡°I¡¯m just a mistake¡­¡± Queenieughed out loud in exasperation. ¡°Cyro, you will never get what you want. A sl*t like Sophie-¡± The moment she insulted Sophie, Cyro gave Queenie a tight p across her face. ¡°Don¡¯t let me hear you insult her ever again.¡± Queenie broke down in tears. She was utterly heartbroken. If Sophie hasn¡¯t returned and met Cyro, if she has just disappeared, won¡¯t everything be different? Chapter 20 Chapter 20 Chapter 20 Kidnapped Queenie had this strong urge to ruin Sophie¡¯s lifepletely; nothing could make that idea vanish from her head. She wanted Sophie to meet a fate worse than death, and she would make Cyro see thetter¡¯s true color. Queenie phoned her elder cousin, who was involved in the underworld. ¡°Hey, you¡¯ve always fancied Sophie, right? She¡¯s back.¡± When it was time for physics ss, Carrie, their teacher, mmed the pile of test papers on the table the moment she entered the ssroom. ¡°What is going on with this ss? The questions are so simple, yet your answers are absolutely absurd! Out of all thirty sses in this grade, this ss is at the very bottom!¡± ¡°Well, that¡¯s to be expected, Mrs. Fletcher, given somebody here got a zero,¡±mented Queenie coldly. At her words, Carrie red at Sophie. Her eyes became increasingly malicious. ¡°Sophie, you can be a failure all you want, but don¡¯t bring other people with you.¡± Raising her head, Sophie retorted, ¡°I¡¯ve never disturbed you while you¡¯re teaching, have I, Mrs. Fletcher?¡± ¡°What do you mean by that? Are you expecting a thank you from me?¡± ¡°Of course not.¡± ¡°People like you are useless to society. I don¡¯t even know why you exist in this world.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you think you¡¯re too much, Mrs. Fletcher?¡± uttered Ysabelle, as she could not stand it any longer. ¡°Do people with bad grades deserve to be insulted like this? As a teacher, you¡¯re supposed to have morals.¡± ¡°You aren¡¯t that good either, Ysabelle. Look at your grade. It¡¯s trash.¡± Carrie could not control her emotion. She had a fight with her husband at home, and she vented her anger out on her students. Hearing what she said, Ysabelle was enraged. ¡°You¡ª¡± ¡°If we manage to get good grades, would you apologize?¡± questioned Sophie icily. ¡°You? Good grades?¡± An outcast like you? ¡°I hope you¡¯ll apologize to the whole ss after the monthly test, Mrs. Fletcher.¡± ¡°Fine. I don¡¯t expect much. I¡¯ll apologize as long as you pass this subject, but if you don¡¯t, leave the school. Don¡¯t be a drag to everyone else.¡± Carrie had no faith that Sophie would pass at all. Even so, Sophie ignored her. I can¡¯t believe there¡¯s such a teacher in high school. After the ss, Ysabelle worriedly ran to Sophie and sat beside her. ¡°Soph, you were so impulsive. Physics is tough.¡± Although she was serious about her studies, physics was just too difficult a subject. Moreover, Sophie had never paid attention in ss before, so how could she pass? ¡°Don¡¯t worry about that.¡± After the incident, Sophie listened to the lectures mindlessly, but at least she never dozed off. ¡°Does Sophie think she¡¯s a genius or something? How would a failure like her be a top student?¡± ¡°She¡¯s overestimating herself. It¡¯s only a matter of time till it backfires on her.¡± ¡°Yeah, and she even provoked Carrie. She¡¯s doomed.¡± Everyone in the ss disliked Carrie, for she was too emotional¡ªshe was always in a bad mood with the ss for no reason at all. However, they also scorned Sophie, although she never did anything to them. It was just that she was too beautiful for their liking. When it was half-past six, Ysabelle returned to the school to self-study. Arriving at the school entrance, she spotted the pale Queenie crouching there. Initially, Ysabelle wanted to ignore her, but Queenie seemed to be in pain, so she retreated. ¡°Are you all right, Queenie?¡± ¡°My tummy hurts, Ysabelle. Please take me to the hospital.¡± Seeing the state Queenie was in, Ysabelle helped her. As she did not make an appearance in the ss until seven o¡¯clock, Sophie went out and dialed her number. ¡°Where are you, Ysabelle? Why aren¡¯t you here yet?¡± ¡°Hello, Sophie. It¡¯s me. If you want nothing to happen to Ysabelle,e over here immediately.¡± Upon hearing Queenie¡¯s voice, Sophie frowned. ¡°Queenie, I swear, if there¡¯s even a scratch found on Ysabelle, I will beat you to death.¡± Not replying to that, Queenie only sneered. Now that I have Ysabelle, she¡¯d better watch her attitude. ¡°Come alone. If you dare call the police, I¡¯ll ruin Ysabelle¡¯s face.¡± With that, Queenie hung up and sent an address to Sophie using Ysabelle¡¯s phone. ¡°Queenie, do you know who I am? How dare you kidnap me!¡± ¡°You can¡¯t me me for doing this, Ysabelle. me Sophie instead. If it weren¡¯t for her, you wouldn¡¯t have ended up like this.¡± ¡°You¡¯re f*cking ill, Queenie!¡± I seriously wish I could p this b*tch! Not wanting to hear Ysabelle¡¯s nonsense any longer, Queenie ordered, ¡°Tape her mouth.¡± Right after her words fell, a thug came forward from behind and taped Ysabelle¡¯s mouth with duct tape, which enraged thetter even more. D*mn it! I¡¯m going to teach these thugs a lesson! ¡°Queenie, will Sophie reallye here?¡± asked Harvey Lane, Queenie¡¯s cousin. He had fancied Sophie in the past. Even after years passed by, he still could not forget about Sophie. ¡°Yes, she¡¯ll definitelye.¡± Harvey¡¯s involved in the underworld. There¡¯s no way Sophie can escape tonight. Just then, Sophie arrived. They were at an abandoned factory. Once she opened the door, she immediately spotted Queenie and the others. Sweeping her gaze around the surrounding, she then noticed Ysabelle tied to a chair. With a tight frown, Sophie approached Queenie step by step. ¡°How dare you, Queenie!¡± Queenie merely scoffed, unaware of what was toe. ¡°Let her go.¡± ¡°Let her go? Are you kidding me?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you know what you¡¯re doing is against thew, Queenie?¡± ¡°Stop trying to scare me, Sophie. I¡¯m not frightened. Harvey, you¡¯ve liked her for a long time, so go tie her up. She¡¯s all yours tonight.¡± Harvey stared at Sophie. It¡¯s been five years, and she¡¯s even more attractive. I can¡¯t look away. Sophie was also staring at him. In awe, Harvey asked, ¡°Sophie, do you remember me?¡± ¡°Tie her up, Harvey,¡± uttered Queenie impatiently. No matter what, I have to teach this ignorant woman a lesson tonight. With the way Harvey was staring at her, Sophie could not help but smile. ¡°You like me?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± replied Harvey, not trying to hide his feelings at all. ¡°Then help me tie Queenie up.¡± ¡°What?¡± Harvey asked in uncertainty. Original from N?velDrama.Org. ¡°You said you like me, right? So help me tie Queenie up. What? You can¡¯t even do something as small as this for me? Are you sure you like me?¡± Sophie sounded nonchnt, but it was exactly this attitude, coupled with her godly appearance, that made people attracted to her. She was like a witch. Seeing Harvey remaining motionless, Queenie began to panic. ¡°What are you waiting for, Harvey? Don¡¯t you want her?¡± ¡°This is your so-called ¡®like¡¯? Forget it. Many people like me, anyway. What¡¯s the point of dwelling on this matter with you for this long?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t listen to her, Harvey.¡± Queenie was panicking by now. How can Sophie remain like this even at such a moment? There¡¯s not even a trace of worry on her face. I have to tear down her facade. Chapter 21 Chapter 21 Chapter 21 Addicted Taking the rope, Harvey approached Queenie. ¡°What are you doing, Harvey?¡± Queenie never thought Harvey would tie her up for real. ¡°Don¡¯t listen to Sophie. We¡¯re rted!¡± ¡°We¡¯re merely cousins,¡± responded Harvey coldly. ¡°Harvey.¡± I didn¡¯t expect he¡¯d listen to Sophie. Just like that, Queenie was tied to a chair. ¡°Let me go, Harvey! Hurry and let me go!¡± As her voice annoyed him, Harvey pped her. ¡°Shut up.¡± Queenie stared at her cousin in disbelief. Is he out of his mind? Turning around, Harvey stared at Sophie nervously. ¡°I really like you, Sophie. I¡¯ll listen to everything you say, as long as we can be together. If Queenie dares to hurt you, I¡¯ll beat her up for you.¡± Harvey immediately pledged his loyalty to Sophie. ¡°Release my friend,¡± demanded Sophie in an icy tone. ¡°What are you waiting for?¡± Harvey questioned his subordinate. Heeding his order, the subordinate instantly did as told. Ysabelle did not expect Sophie woulde to her rescue alone, and it moved her to tears. Why is Soph so charming? Once she was released, Ysabelle ran to Sophie. ¡°Soph!¡± Scanning Ysabelle all over, Sophie noticed the former¡¯s red cheek. ¡°Who did this?¡± Upon hearing her question, Harvey¡¯s subordinate shuddered. Even Boss listens to what she says. She¡¯s scary. Sophie need not see anything else to know he was the one who did that to Ysabelle. Slowly, she approached the tall man. ¡°Which hand?¡± Frightened by the eighteen-year-old girl, the thug took a step back. ¡°Not saying anything, huh? I¡¯ll break both hands, then.¡± Without saying anything else, Sophie immediately went into action, sessfully breaking the man¡¯s hands. Her movement was fast and precise. Having just had his hands crippled, the man rolled on the ground in pain. As the others witnessed the scene, they all went pale as a ghost. Even after what happened to his subordinate, Harvey was still smiling as if nothing had transpired. ¡°I came here to see you, Sophie. Now that you¡¯ve vented your anger, you¡¯re not mad anymore, right?¡± ¡°You¡¯re with them, aren¡¯t you?¡± Sophie disregarded him, unwilling to let the thugs go just like that. Harvey¡¯s expression changed at her words. ¡°I¡¯m being nice to you, Sophie. Don¡¯t waste it.¡± Ignoring Harvey¡¯s nonsense, Sophie kicked the man¡¯s stomach, making himnd on the floor. ¡°How does a weakling like you have the confidence to join the underworld? Don¡¯t you find it embarrassing?¡± ¡°Grab her! If I don¡¯t teach her a lesson today, she¡¯ll think¡ª¡± Before he could finish his sentence, Sophie delivered another kick to his face. The impact was so hard that Harvey vomited blood, and two of his teeth fell out. Seeing that, his subordinates immediately fled. That girl is not a human! She¡¯s a demon straight from hell! Meanwhile, Queenie had the shock of her life as she watched everything from the side. Since when did Sophie be this impressive? Queenie wanted to step back upon seeing Sophie walking toward her. However, she could not move even an inch, as she was tied to a chair. Patting Queenie¡¯s cheek, Sophie uttered, ¡°Haven¡¯t I warned you before, Queenie?¡± ¡°What are you trying to do, Sophie? Killing is a crime!¡± At her words, Sophie could not help but let out a chuckle. ¡°What are youughing for?¡± At this point, Queenie panicked even more. ¡°Killing? Why would I dirty my hands just for you?¡± Suddenly, Sophie punched Queenie¡¯s nose, breaking thetter¡¯s nasal bone. Queenie had spent so much to get her nose done. ¡°Sophie¡ª¡± ¡°If there¡¯s a next time, I¡¯ll not be this easy on you.¡± With that, Sophie turned and sauntered toward Ysabelle. ¡°Are you all right?¡± Ysabelle nodded. Seeing the two on their way to leave the factory, Queenie bellowed in panic, ¡°Sophie, let me go!¡± She was in the wilderness. There was no way she would want to be alone here. As if she did not hear Queenie, Sophie did not look back as she left the rundown factory. Scared, Queenie bawled her eyes. Who¡¯s going to save me? Ysabelle twisted her ankle on the way to the factory earlier, so she was limping now. Noticing that, Sophie held her. ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± reassured Ysabelle, not wanting her friend to worry. However, Sophie carried her up instead, which stunned Ysabelle. She¡¯s so strong! ¡°Can I marry you, Soph? I want to marry you.¡± ¡°Stop it. I¡¯ll take you to the hospital.¡± Noticing that Sophie was not in the mood to joke around, Ysabelle stuck her tongue out. ¡°I¡¯m fine, Soph. Really. I only just got pped and twisted my ankle.¡± Despite what she said, Sophie did not listen to her as they continued their journey to the hospital. Upon arriving at the hospital, Ysabelle gave Tristan a call. ¡°Uncle Tristan, I¡¯m noting home tonight. I¡¯m at the hospital. If Grandpa asks for me, can you tell him I¡¯m with you?¡± The hospital again¡­ Tristan was having a dinner appointment when he received Ysabelle¡¯s call. Immediately, he drove to the hospital. Once he saw Ysabelle¡¯s swollen cheek, Tristan¡¯s face darkened. ¡°What happened?¡± Who is daring enough to do this to a Lombard? Ysabelle then ryed everything that had happened to Tristan. ¡°You have no idea how charming Sophie is, Uncle Tristan,¡± praised Ysabelle. At that, Tristan¡¯s face dimmed even more. When they were alone, Tristan blocked Sophie and pinned her against the wall. Raising her head, Sophie met the man¡¯s angry eyes. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you call me?¡± ¡°Because I could handle it.¡± They¡¯re mere thugs, anyway. To me, they¡¯re nothing. Upon hearing that, Tristan felt helpless. Seriously, this girl will melt anyone¡¯s heart. Content is ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Are you hurt?¡± ¡°No.¡± Tristan pulled her into his embrace. Although he knew she was fine and that she was skilled in fighting, he was still worried. ¡°If you encounter anything like that again, tell me, okay?¡± Tristan¡¯s deep voice sounded sexy and enticing. The man tightened his hold around her. Sophie noticed how easy it was for him to put her in a daze, especially with that aura of his. ¡°Did you hear me? I want to be your backup.¡± ¡°Tristan¡­¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± ¡°Can you let go of me?¡± She felt suffocated, and his action also made her feel a bit embarrassed. Pleased with her expression, the man ced a kiss on her forehead before easing up his grip on her. He never nned to release her, though. Now that she was this close to him, Tristan realized how addicted he was to her¡ªhe could not bring himself to let go of her at all. ¡°You haven¡¯t answered me yet.¡± ¡°Tristan, I¡¯m not the kind of girl you think I am.¡± ¡°Which kind?¡± ¡°The kind that¡ª¡± ¡°You are you. I don¡¯tbel you with anything. You can do whatever you want, and I won¡¯t force you to join Lombard Group if you don¡¯t want to.¡± ¡°I¡ª¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll take it slow with you, but now, let me hold on to you for a little longer.¡± Having no reason to reject him, Sophie gently leaned into his embrace. He¡¯s so warm¡­ I¡¯m addicted. Chapter 22 Chapter 22 Chapter 22 Lodging A Report Given Ysabelle could not return home due to her condition, Tristan sent both the girls to Wisteria Apartments. As Ysabelle could spend more time with Sophie, she was immensely delighted. Even though she was drained, she happily rolled around in her bed until she finally fell asleep. ¡°Let me handle Queenie,¡± uttered Tristan. ¡°How?¡± He made it sound like he was dealing with the trash. ¡°You don¡¯t have to concern yourself with that.¡± I¡¯ll also deal with those thugs, lest they trouble her again in the future. ¡°You can handle the thugs, but let me deal with Queenie. I¡¯m the one she has a problem with.¡± ¡°But¡ª¡± ¡°Don¡¯t interfere in girls¡¯ problems, Mr. Tristan. Don¡¯t you have faith that I can handle it?¡± ¡°Of course I have.¡± ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll go to bed, then.¡± When Sophie was about to go to her bedroom, Tristan stopped her. Content is ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org. ¡°If things don¡¯t go well. Let me know. I don¡¯t want what happened today to repeat.¡± ¡°It will go well.¡± It was not until the next morning that someone from the nearby residential area noticed Queenie. Once she spotted a person, Queenie burst into tears. A woman in her fifties eximed, ¡°Goodness! Why are you tied up here?¡± The woman quickly untied Queenie. ¡°Let me take you to the hospital, youngdy.¡± ¡°No need. Take me to the police station instead. I want to lodge a report,¡± replied Queenie,pletely forgetting who kidnapped who first. In the meantime, Tristan did not allow Ysabelle to go to school because of her injury. ¡°I¡¯m fine, Uncle Tristan. With Sophie by my side, no one would dare bully me.¡± I¡¯ll be happy to have Sophie with me. ¡°Your leg¡¯s injured, Ysabelle. It¡¯s better for you to stay at home.¡± ¡°All right, then.¡± Her answer made Tristan frown. Since when is she this obedient? Also, why is she looking at Sophie like that? It isn¡¯t normal. ¡°Sophie is a girl, Ysabelle. Keep that in mind.¡± ¡°I know that!¡± Ysabelle stared at her uncle strangely. Just then, Sophie cleared her throat and took her bag, ready to go to school. ¡°Rest well. Someone will be here and make breakfast for you shortly,¡± said Tristan. ¡°Why am I home alone?¡± Ysabelleined grumpily, only to be ignored by her uncle. In no time, Tristan caught up with Sophie. ¡°I¡¯ll drive you to school.¡± ¡°No need. I¡¯ll just have breakfast outside and walk to school after that.¡± It¡¯s just a few minutes¡¯ journey. I don¡¯t need him to drive me. ¡°Then let¡¯s have breakfast together!¡± ¡°Are you sure?¡± I¡¯m going to a nearby simple outlet. Is he even used to such food? ¡°Yup.¡± Of course I¡¯m sure. I still have time. After they entered a clean breakfast outlet, Sophie told him she wanted a bagel and a cup of coffee. ¡°What about you?¡± ¡°Same as you.¡± Hence, Sophie ended up ordering two sets of her order. By the time she returned, Tristan had already used tissue papers to wipe the chair and table for her. Seeing that, Sophie could not help but smile. Huh, I didn¡¯t think he¡¯d do this for anyone. When their orders were served shortly after, Sophie dipped her bagel in the coffee. She liked to eat it this way. Tristan then mirrored her action. ¡°Try it. I like to eat like this.¡± Tristan gave it a try. It¡¯s quite good. ¡°It¡¯s yummy.¡± ¡°Good to hear that.¡± After breakfast, Tristan drove Sophie to the school before heading toward Lombard Group. Early in the morning, Felix was asked to go to thepany through a phone call. ¡°What¡¯s the matter, Mr. Tristan? It¡¯s only eight.¡± ¡°Have you ever heard of Sage Dragon Gang?¡± ¡°Sage Dragon Gang?¡± Felix thought hard about it, but the name did not ring a bell. ¡°No. Is it famous?¡± ¡°I want it destroyed.¡± ¡°Why? Did the members offend you?¡± What kind of idiots would dare to offend Mr. Tristan? All Tristan did was give Felix a look for thetter to nod in understanding. ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll handle them.¡± It¡¯s just a gang. Destroying it is but a mere game for me. Meanwhile, Harvey ran to the Sage Dragon Gang¡¯s ce early in the morning. That darned Sophie. How dare she beat me to this point? I¡¯ll never let her off the hook. Harvey nned to ask his master, who was a skilled fighter, to teach Sophie a lesson. I¡¯ll make sure she beg for mercy. As soon as he opened the door, the sight of the members kneeling on the ground greeted him, which stunned him. What the hell is going on? Who did they offend? He wanted to retreat in secret, but the main door had been closed. ¡°Are you Harvey?¡± Scared, Harvey replied, ¡°No.¡± ¡°He is,¡± intervened Harvey¡¯s master. Harvey was about to flee when somebody kicked him, resulting in him kneeling on the floor. ¡°You¡¯re bold, aren¡¯t you? How dare you kidnap ourdy?¡± ¡°I¡ª¡± He was not even given a chance to talk when he was immediately beaten to a pulp. ¡°From now on, Sage Dragon Gang is no more. If I hear of this gang involved in anything else, I¡¯ll blow your ce to pieces,¡± uttered Felix in a cold tone. Normally, there was no need for him to get entangled in such a trivial matter in person, but since he had been bored out of his mind recently, he did. With that, he left with his men. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± After they left, the gang leader of Sage Dragon Gang red at Harvey, obviously furious. ¡°Harvey, you scum! Beat him!¡± At his order, Harvey received another round of beating from the other members; his master was no exception. In the end, Harvey had to crawl back home. D*mn it! This must be Sophie¡¯s doing. Who the hell is backing her up? Why is she so powerful? On the other side, Queenie arrived at the police station. ¡°Officer, I want to lodge a report, and I want to have my injury checked.¡± I¡¯ll make sure Sophie is expel from school this time. Seeing her in that state, the officer immediately took her to the hospital to have her injury examined for forensic purposes. They came out with the result of her having a broken nose. ¡°You have to help me, officer. My life is in danger,¡± Queenie sobbed. ¡°Come with us to give your statement, Miss. Don¡¯t worry. We¡¯ll definitely help you.¡± Whoever did this to her must be held ountable. Back at the police station, Queenie turned on the waterworks and recounted Sophie¡¯s evil deeds in great detail while watching the officer jot the situation. ¡°I¡¯m so scared, officer. I don¡¯t want to go back to school.¡± ¡°Worry not, Ms. Lane. We¡¯ll bring Sophie here today. You¡¯ll hear from us in no time.¡± When the police officers arrived at the school, they were in the middle of physics ss. Upon seeing the officers, Carrie was momentarily stunned. ¡°Can I help you?¡± queried Carrie politely. ¡°Yes, can you call Sophie out here?¡± ¡°Sophie? See, I knew this school shouldn¡¯t have epted a student like her. Even the police are here now.¡± Since Carrie was loud, the whole ss heard her. The students in the ss started murmuring among themselves. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± ¡°No idea.¡± ¡°Sophie is truly so problematic!¡± ¡°Come out here, Sophie!¡± Carrie bellowed. It¡¯s so embarrassing to have a student like her. ¡°Seriously, what¡¯s going on with you, Sophie? Not only do you have a bad grade, but you always cause trouble,¡± Carrie scolded. Chapter 23 Chapter 23 Chapter 23 Evidence ¡°Ma¡¯am, we¡¯re just going to bring her in for questioning.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯s necessary. All she does is cause problems.¡± I really can¡¯t stand Sophie. ¡°You should go back to the ss, Mrs. Fletcher,¡± uttered Sophie coldly. She¡¯s not even qualified to be a teacher. As she followed the police officers downstairs, Willow was coincidentally ascending the stairs, but Sophie did not even bother to nce at her. However, Willow halted her steps, a frown on her face. ¡°Just what exactly did Sophie do that the police are here for her?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t know.¡± Willow could not bear to listen to the students¡¯ gossips. If the news of Sophie being arrested spread around, will Grandpa still give her the shares? Bearing that thought in mind, she quickly gave Charmaine a call. ¡°Mom, the police took Sophie in from the school. I don¡¯t know for what. Just wanted to inform you in case you and Grandpa want to check on her.¡± On the other side, Charmaine was enraged after she received the news. That darned Sophie! Why didn¡¯t she just die in Horington! Is it not enough for her to embarrass us five years ago? Why is she still causing trouble! Josiah seemed to take notice of her fury as he queried, ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°Dad, Sophie is arrested. I don¡¯t know what happened, but I¡¯ll go to the police station now.¡± No matter what, she¡¯s still a Tanner. I can¡¯t neglect her. ¡°What?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Dad. I¡¯ll go check on her.¡± ¡°Wait, I¡¯ll go with you.¡± On the flip side, Sophie could not help but sneer upon noticing Queenie at the police station. Hmm. How dare she continue with her act here? Seems like what I did to her is not enough. ¡°Do you know who she is?¡± asked an officer to Sophie. ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Have a look at this statement. Do you have anything to say regarding Ms. Queenie¡¯s charges?¡± Queenie smirked. Let¡¯s see how you¡¯ll remain smug this time, Sophie. ncing at Queenie, Sophie still seemed smug. ¡°Yes,¡± thetter responded nonchntly. ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°I am indeed the one who broke her nose.¡± Just as she said that, Charmaine walked in, and thetter was infuriated. ¡°Sophie, I shouldn¡¯t have let you return to Jipsdale!¡± she hollered. Why do I have a daughter like her? All she does is get into trouble! At this time, Queenie¡¯s mother also arrived. Since the Lane family had some sort of business in Jipsdale, Queenie¡¯s mother could not bear to see her daughter in this state. ¡°Why are you so evil at such a young age? What did my Queenie do to you that you did this to her?¡± Seeing her mother, Queenie ran into her embrace. ¡°Mom, I¡¯m scared. I don¡¯t want to go to school anymore.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be scared, Queenie. I believe the police will help us,¡± replied Cynthia Lane, Queenie¡¯s mother. ¡°We¡¯re at fault here, so if you need anything, we¡¯ll surely give it to you,¡± said Charmaine. This matter can¡¯t travel out. Otherwise, our family will be embarrassed once again. ¡°Really? Then break your daughter¡¯s nose. Our family doesn¡¯t need any more money.¡± ¡°We¡¯re really sorry, Mrs. Lane. Sophie¡¯s still young. Please let her off the hook this time. What are you waiting for, Sophie? Apologize!¡± Seeing Charmaine behaving like this, Josiah spoke up. ¡°Hold on.¡± Why is she ming Sophie when she doesn¡¯t know the full story yet? ¡°Dad, you don¡¯t have to get involved in this. I¡¯ll handle it.¡± Knowing Josiah¡¯s temper, Charmaine was afraid that he would make things worse. ¡°Get to the side, Charmaine.¡± Josiah did not wish to continue watching Charmaine ndering his granddaughter like this. Original from N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Dad¡ª¡± ¡°Grandpa, it¡¯s okay. Trust me. I¡¯ll get this dealt with.¡± How would a kid like her deal with this matter? ¡±Soph¡ª¡± ¡°Dad, let¡¯s just use money to resolve this issue.¡± ¡°Money? Do you think our familycks money? Officer, you¡¯ve seen so yourself how this family behaves. I¡¯ve had enough. I¡¯m not going to ept anything they offer. I want to press charges against her.¡± Hearing that, Charmaine panicked. ¡°You better shut the hell up, Sophie.¡± ¡°Mrs. Tanner, my problem has nothing to do with you. Please go home.¡± Why would someone who doesn¡¯t even listen to me help me, anyway? ¡°Queenie, I did hit you,¡± Sophie stated. Her words rendered everyone else speechless. Why does she look proud of it? ¡°But that¡¯s only because you deserved it. You told everyone I broke your nose. Why don¡¯t you tell them why I did it?¡± ¡°Are you trying to justify yourself? What kind of behavior is this? You¡¯re already eighteen. You have to bear the consequences of your own actions,¡± retorted Cynthia. ¡°Why did Sophie hit you?¡± questioned Josiah, siding with Sophie. ¡°How would I know why you hit me, Sophie? Didn¡¯t you get expelled from the school in Horington because of fighting? You, of all people, should know what kind of person you are.¡± I¡¯m sure she doesn¡¯t have any proof that I kidnapped Ysabelle. ¡°Hmm, seems you still refuse to give up.¡± With that, Sophie fished out her phone, giving a recording to the police officer. When the officer pressed y, the voice of Queenie threatening Sophie was heard. Instantly, Queenie¡¯s face went pale, as she did not expect Sophie would record the phone call. Simultaneously, Cynthia stared at her daughter in disbelief. ¡°I rescued my friend while Queenie kidnapped and hurt her. I suppose the police know who¡¯s right and who¡¯s wrong here.¡± ¡°Mom, I didn¡¯t.¡± After that, Sophie handed a sh drive to the police officer. ¡°The evidence is all there.¡± The officer did not imagine the matter to take such a drastic turn. ¡°Queenie, if you have anything to say, just tell the officer. I¡¯ll not be epting any offer from you as well.¡± When the officer confirmed the evidence, the way he treated Sophie changed. ¡°I apologize, Ms. Tanner.¡± ¡°It¡¯s all right. Queenie, if you have any questions, you can speak to mywyer,¡± said Sophie as she gave Queenie a name card. Turning to the officer, Sophie asked politely, ¡°If there¡¯s nothing else, may I take my leave?¡± ¡°Yes. Thank you for your cooperation, Ms. Tanner.¡± Approaching her grandfather, Sophie supported him. ¡°Let me send you home, Grandpa.¡± ¡°Thank you, officers,¡± uttered Josiah. Meanwhile, Queenie was on the verge of tears. ¡°What are we going to do, Mom?¡± Cynthia gave her daughter a p. ¡°Queenie, are you stupid! How could you act as if you were in the right when you were the one at fault!¡± There¡¯s even evidence! ¡°Isn¡¯t Uncle Jason awyer, Mom? I don¡¯t want to go to jail!¡± Uncle Jason is extremely famous in his field. It¡¯s still uncertain who¡¯ll end up in jail. Chapter 24 Chapter 24 Chapter 24 Are You Angry Cynthia brought Queenie to her younger brother, Jason¡¯sw firm. ¡°You must help me, Uncle Jason. I can¡¯t go to prison! I have ns to join the national team.¡± I would have even less of a chance with Cyro if I were in prison. Jason asked for a brief understanding of the situation. ¡°All right,¡± he said with brisk confidence when she was done, ¡°I think I got it. I¡¯m a pretty famouswyer, you know. You won¡¯t be going to prison.¡± Having founded hisw firm after graduating from university, Jason had been unbeatable ever since. He did not take an insignificant conflict between high school students seriously. ¡°You¡¯re the best, Uncle Jason.¡± Queenie hugged him coyly. ¡°I have work to do,¡± Jason announced, too busy to chat with them. ¡°It would be best if you go home first. Let me handle it.¡± When the women emerged from the office, Queenie threw the card given to her by Sophie into the trash. ¡°I don¡¯t care who Sophie hires,¡± she dered haughtily, ¡°nobody will do anything to me with my uncle here.¡± Who does Sophie think she is? Other than Josiah, none of the Tanners treat her as family. I have pull in Horington and can hire anywyer I want. Does she think that I am so easily intimidated? Sophie personally sent Josiah back to the Tanner residence. ¡°I want you to tell me no matter what happens to you, Soph,¡± Josiah said distressedly. ¡°Do you understand? I can¡¯t bear the thought of you facing it all alone.¡± How has my poor Soph suffered in my absence! ¡°I won¡¯t allow myself to be stepped on, Grandpa. I have been too foolish in the past, and I won¡¯t be allowing anybody to hurt me again.¡± Josiah felt another twinge of pain at her words and pulled her close to him. ¡°Let me find you somebody you can lean on, Soph.¡± I know I don¡¯t have much longer to live. What will happen to her when I die? ¡°Don¡¯t worry about me, Grandpa. I can take care of myself. Your well-being is more important to me.¡± Grandpa has grown so old. His hair is all white now. ¡°You shall have my shares, Soph. It¡¯s the only thing that I can give you.¡± He had initially nned to hand the Tanner family over to Soph as she was his only worthy heir. ¡°Hold on to them, Grandpa. I don¡¯t need them yet.¡± Her reason for those words was to deny Willow satisfaction. She had her own money; it was not something shecked. ¡°Come back often to see me, won¡¯t you?¡± He dared not allude to his mortality lest he upset her. ¡°I wille back often to spend time with you,¡± Sophie promised with a sweetness she reserved only for Josiah. ¡°How is yourwyer, by the way? Would you like me to find you a better one?¡± Her reassurances did not convince Josiah. He was worried as the Lane family was one of the most influential in Jipsdale. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Grandpa. I have faith in my representation. I won¡¯t embarrass you.¡± If this is how Queenie wants to pick a fight, I won¡¯t back down. I¡¯m not afraid of her. Sophie stayed behind at noon for lunch with Josiah and took a cab to school when he took his siesta. Ysabelle arrivedter that afternoon. She pulled Sophie aside when she saw thetter heading for the ssroom. ¡°I heard the police are here looking for you, Soph. This has nothing to do with you. I¡¯ll have Uncle Tristan deal with it.¡± Queenie is too much. Being the one at fault, how dare she turn it around? ¡°There¡¯s no need to tell your uncle. I can handle this.¡± By then, Queenie arrived at school as well. ¡°Do you know who my uncle is, Sophie?¡± Queenie was beside herself with glee. Sophie did not deign to spare her a nce. What does her uncle¡¯s identity have to do with me? ¡°Have you heard of Jason Chandler? He is the bestwyer in Jipsdale. Just wait and see.¡± ¡°Jason Chandler?¡± ¡°Now you¡¯re afraid, aren¡¯t you? Just wait. I will put you in prison this time.¡± ¡°Is this Jason Chandler a goodwyer?¡± Sophie turned to Ysabelle. Ysabelle shook her head. ¡°Never heard of him.¡± She was not lying. The name was new to her. Queenie chuckled coldly at their ignorance. ¡°Look at you two idiots. It¡¯s fine if you haven¡¯t heard of him. You will get to know him very well when the trial starts.¡± Jason Chandler was a neer to the legal industry and the most gifted member of his family. He was also Queenie¡¯s uncle. ¡°Have you never heard of Jason?¡± asked an acquaintance of Ysabelle¡¯s. ¡°My father says he¡¯s excellent and on a hot streak with some prickly cases recently.¡± They, too, heard that the police hade for Sophie. What¡¯s more, Queenie has gotten herself such a goodwyer. ¡°Is he really that good?¡± Ysabelle was considering hiring a betterwyer. ¡°Why don¡¯t you apologize to Queenie, Sophie?¡± the acquaintance suggested. ¡°We¡¯re all ssmates, after all. There¡¯s no need to make a scene.¡± Ysabelle bristled. ¡°Apologize to her? You must be joking.¡± I have been too nice that everybody now thinks I¡¯m a pushover. ¡±She kidnapped me. Why should Soph apologize?¡± Ysabelle was so angry she laughed in disbelief. ¡°Jason is not one you should pick a fight with!¡± ¡°Enough, girls. We should go in. ss is about to start.¡± Sophie was not in the least bothered about what Queenie said about Jason. She was interested to see how true it was for herself. It¡¯s such an obvious case. How is he going to fight us? Queenie ran into Willow after their lesson, who sneered at her swollen nose inwardly but put on a show of concern. ¡°Are you all right, Queenie? How are you so badly injured? What did the doctor say?¡± ¡°My nose is broken. I¡¯m not going to forgive Sophie for this.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± ¡°Why should you apologize, Wi? This has nothing to do with you. It¡¯s all the little b*tch¡¯s fault. I¡¯m not going to let her off the hook.¡± ¡°Sophie has always been a troublemaker.¡± ¡°She is! Stay away from her, Wi. Sophie is not the same as she was five years ago. She¡¯s much crueler now.¡± ¡°I know.¡± With a simpleton like Queenie acting on my behalf, I don¡¯t even need to lift a finger. Tristan was approached by his niece upon his return to Wisteria Apartments that night. ¡°Help me hire awyer, Uncle Tristan.¡± Ysabelle was incensed by the mere thought of Queenie¡¯s triumphant expression. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°That b*tch Queenie has hired a famous one. She intends to put Soph behind bars.¡± ¡°Haven¡¯t I told you before, Ysabelle?¡± Sophie interjected. ¡°I¡¯ve got this handled.¡± It¡¯s a simple task of hiring awyer. I think I can handle it.Property ? of N?velDrama.Org. ¡°This isn¡¯t just your battle, Soph. I was the one Queenie kidnapped.¡± ¡°I know. Rest assured, she is going to pay for it.¡± There is no need to get Tristan involved as it¡¯s a feud between us girls. Why should we bring out the big guns for something so trivial? ¡°I¡¯d mention before toe to me if you need help, Sophie. You never seem to remember that.¡± Tristan¡¯s gaze was a little frightening. Even Ysabelle did not dare speak. ¡°I¡¯ve got this handled,¡± Sophie repeated. It¡¯s not a big deal. ¡°Are you mad at me?¡± she added uncertainly. Chapter 25 Chapter 25 Chapter 25 Give Me A Wide Berth ¡°No.¡± Though Tristan¡¯s tone was light, he did not look at her. Sophie became even more certain of her hunch. Ysabelle retired to her room for a shower after dinner and left Sophie and Tristan in the living room. ¡°Why are you upset?¡± Sophie asked, still puzzled. ¡°I want to be the first person you think of whenever you run into trouble.¡± Being inexperienced in rtionships, Sophie might never have known if he did not bring it up. ¡°I know,¡± she remarked nomittedly. She was already used to solving her own problems. Tristan did not know what else to do. With a sudden movement, he reached forward and took her hands. Feeling her tiny hands nestled within his vast and warm ones, Sophie felt her heartbeat race. He made her feel very safe, as if he would be able to solve all her problems no matter what happened. As the witness, Ysabelle apanied Sophie to court on the day of the trial. Upon arriving outside the court, they saw Queenie and her uncle. The former scoffed at the sight of Sophie and Ysabelle. ¡°They¡¯re the ones who have assaulted me, Uncle Jason. You must avenge me.¡± Jason cast an eye on the two girls standing across him and found them both exceptional beauties. ¡°Rx. I¡¯ve never lost a case.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll see you inside, Uncle Jason.¡± Queenie sent her uncle in to prepare before walking over. ¡°I¡¯m sure you saw all of that. That¡¯s my uncle. You¡¯re screwed today, Sophie.¡± I will put Sophie behind bars no matter how long it takes. Sophie failed to suppress a snort. ¡°What¡¯s the matter? Scared silly?¡± Queenie did not like the smile on her nemesis¡¯ face. She found it nauseating. ¡°You¡¯ve hurt Ysabelle, Queenie. I¡¯m not letting you go for that. Enjoy being smug while you still can. I¡¯m going to oblige you by putting you behind bars today.¡± Some people seem to forget what pain feels like once the injury heals. She needs a scar that will never heal. ¡°Still in denial at this point.¡± Queenie strode briskly into the courtroom, leaving Sophie and Ysabelle to await theirwyer. Jeffrey Goode saw Sophie as soon as he exited his car and hurried over. ¡°Apologies for beingte.¡± ¡°Not at all. You¡¯re just in time.¡± The three of them entered together. Queenie turned to Jason the moment she saw Sophie entering with herwyer. ¡°Do you know Sophie¡¯swyer, Uncle Jason?¡± Jason looked up and saw Jeffrey by Sophie¡¯s side. ¡°It¡¯s him!¡± Jason¡¯s hands that were going through the briefs froze. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Is he any good?¡± Queenie asked anxiously. I do not want to go to prison. My future is still filled with possibilities! ¡°Good? You underestimate your uncle, Queenie. Don¡¯t worry. We¡¯re winning this suit today.¡± Original from N?velDrama.Org. Jeffrey was the opposing counsel on more than one of Jason¡¯s cases, and he had never won. Jeffrey caught sight of Jason as well. ¡°We¡¯re going up against Jason!¡± ¡°Do you know him?¡± Sophie seated herself, not sounding very interested. ¡°Let me find you a betterwyer, Sophie.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve gone up against Jason several times before and have never won.¡± Hisst remark was heard by Jason, who wasing over to greet them at that moment. ¡°You¡¯re pretty self-aware, Jeffrey. Haven¡¯t I told you before to stay down when you have a case against me? It wouldn¡¯t help your reputation to be losing all the time.¡± Jeffrey turned green and did not offer a refute. He is right. I am a loser. Losers have no right to any dignity. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Jeff. The case is crystal clear. They will lose.¡± Jason smirked. ¡°The world is not all ck and white, youngdy. Many things aren¡¯t as simple as you think.¡± I can turn anything into the truth. ¡°How can you call yourself awyer?¡± Sophie asked. ¡°It¡¯s not your ce to decide whether or not I¡¯m worthy. Remember when you¡¯re in there that everything that happens is caused by you hiring a second-rate attorney.¡± The judge¡¯s arrival signified that the court was in officially in session. Jason returned to his seat. ¡°What did you say to them, Uncle Jason?¡± ¡°Nothing.¡± Jeffrey, on the other hand, was deathly pale. ¡°You¡¯d better find someone else, Sophie.¡± I can¡¯t do this. Sometimes, I even wonder if I¡¯m suited to be a lawyer. ¡°I¡¯ve said it once before,¡± she reiterated firmly, ¡°you are mywyer.¡± What is he afraid of? I¡¯m the defendant, and I¡¯m not even that nervous. ¡°We¡¯ll find someone else if he can¡¯t manage, Soph.¡± Ysabelle did not want to see her friend behind bars. ¡°It¡¯ll be fine. There¡¯s still me.¡± Unable to refute those words, Jeffrey steeled himself and stepped forward for the opening statements. Jason went first. ¡°Your Honor, my client, Queenie Lane, has her nose broken by the defendant, Sophie Tanner. Here is the medical report. Furthermore, the defendant shows no remorse for her malicious assault. I believe the case is clear.¡± The judge turned to Sophie. ¡°Do you have anything to say about the intiff¡¯s version of events?¡± ¡°I didmit the assault,¡± Sophie admitted. ¡°Your Honor, the defendant has already exhibited such sadistic tendencies despite her tender age. I rmend teaching her a lesson lest she bes a menace to society when she¡¯s older.¡± Sophie chortled at Jason¡¯s words. The judge¡¯s eyes flicked to her at once. ¡°Is the defense holding the court in contempt?¡± ¡°Your Honor, I onlyughed because I find the intiff¡¯s im ridiculous. First and foremost, I do admit that I struck the intiff. However, the reason for my conduct has to be rified. I will not be held responsible for the intiff¡¯s damaging actions to society.¡± Sophie cleared her throat. ¡°At six-thirty on the twenty-third, I received a phone call from the intiff informing me that my friend, Ysabelle Lombard, was in her hands. If I did not make an appearance, she would hurt Ysabelle. Out of consideration for my ssmate¡¯s safety, I arrived at the designated location alone and saw that a dozen gangsters under Queenie¡¯s employ had tied Ysabelle to a stool. There were visible bruises on Ysabelle¡¯s face. To rescue the victim, I began to fight them. Though I did strike Queenie by ident, it was done entirely in self-defense.¡± ¡°The intiff, Queenie,¡± Sophie continued as she pointed, gathering steam, ¡°hasmitted kidnapping in exchange for ransom. ording to our statutes, kidnapping to extort or hold one hostage warrants a minimum of ten years to life imprisonment and a fine or the confiscation of their assets.¡± Sophie provided her own rebuttal before herwyer even opened his mouth. She then handed the surveince footage of Queenie taking Ysabelle, the screenshot of the message sent by Harvey, and the voice recording of Queenie ckmailing Sophie to the judge. Jason turned pale. How was I not informed of the kidnapping? ¡°What is this, Queenie?¡± If she had told me earlier, I would still be able to prepare for it. How am I going to argue my way out of this now? Chapter 26 Chapter 26 Chapter 26 Does It Hurt ¡°Aren¡¯t you the bestwyer in Jipsdale, Uncle Jason? You must help me. I don¡¯t want to go to prison.¡± Her faith in her uncle had never wavered. ¡°You-¡± Jason was too livid toplete his sentence. Jeffrey had regained hisposure by then. ¡°My client is only an eighteen-year-old student, Your Honor. The intiff had kidnapped my client¡¯s ssmate; she had only acted in self-defense. More importantly, the intiff had kidnapped her ssmate and issued threats. What else would she be capable of in the future if she is not taught a lesson today?¡± ¡°The youngdy can hold her own, Mr. Tristan.¡± The man who spoke was the bestwyer in Jipsdale, Sean Burton. ¡°It doesn¡¯t look like your services would be needed. You may go.¡± ¡°Right. You¡¯re the boss.¡± The case was very clear. ¡°The girl is suited for a career inw.¡± Tristan did not deign to respond. Sophie has many facets. Her performance in court was better than manywyers. Besides, she was only an eighteen-year-old senior in school. As the court adjourned, the jury went to the back to discuss the verdict. Jeffrey gazed at Sophie in awe. ¡°Where are you nning to attend university, Sophie?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know yet.¡± Her future ahead was bright with possibilities. ¡°Be awyer! You will be the bestwyer there ever was.¡± ¡°You have it in you, Jeff. You¡¯re just temporarily off your game. Don¡¯t forget why you started this.¡± Having understood Jeffrey¡¯s situation was the reason why she insisted that he be the one to represent her. ¡°I know. I won¡¯t give up.¡± He was initially considering quitting. Without a foothold or a reputation in Jipsdale, he would not survive in the city. Thewsuit today gave me a fresh perspective. ¡°Remember toe to me if you run into any trouble in the future.¡± The jurors returned with the verdict. Queenie was sentenced to prison for five years for kidnapping and extortion. Even after her wrists had been cuffed together, she remained in t denial. ¡°Help me, Uncle Jason! I don¡¯t want to go to prison.¡± Jason was frozen to the spot, unable to believe his defeat. How the hell did Jeffrey beat me? That¡¯s not true. I¡¯ve lost to a little girl who¡¯s not even out of high school. Queenie screamed in despair at the prospect of a prison sentence. The courtroom only regained its silence after the police took her away. ¡°Have you studiedw?¡± Jason could not repress his curiosity as he approached Sophie. His loss had hit him hard. ¡°I¡¯ve flipped through a couple of books. I wouldn¡¯t count it studying.¡± Jason was dumbstruck in disbelief. Is that really true? Sophie got to her feet and led Ysabelle out. It¡¯s over, isn¡¯t it? ¡°If you¡¯re not satisfied with the verdict, you could put in an appeal.¡± Ysabelle gazed in awe at Sophie once they were out of the courtroom. ¡°Are you sure you¡¯re a terrible student, Soph?¡± Impossible! This is the rhythm of a prodigy! ¡°No. I dabbled out of interest.¡± Sophie did not mention that she had a photographic memory. Jason had sabotaged himself this time. Being fond of publicity, he had preemptively tipped off the reporters. The reporters were waiting outside at that moment. They rushed forward to meet Sophie and herpanions. ¡°You have established a pattern of defeat against Jason, Jeffrey. Do you n to remain awyer?¡± Awyer who had never beaten Jason; even if he wanted to keep being awyer, nobody might want to hire him. The reporter¡¯s question was blunt. Before, Jeffrey would have turned and run. At that moment, however, he was already calm. ¡°I always believe that justice is in to all. I love my profession and will keep working hard to fight for those who have been wronged.¡± ¡°Are you Ms. Sophie Tanner, whose name has been dragged through the mud? Could you please-¡± Before the reporter finished his question, a dozen bodyguards d in identical suits blocked him. ¡°Get in, Ms. Tanner.¡± Sophie brought the two of them over and saw Tristan seated in the silver Lamborghini. ¡°You¡¯reing with us in this other car, Mr. Goode. We¡¯ll give you a ride home.¡± Jeffrey was taken away. Sophie and Ysabelle got in the car. Back there, Jason was swarmed by the reporters as soon as he emerged. ¡°We have heard that the intiff is your niece, Mr. Chandler. What is the oue of the trial?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. Against your old nemesis, Jeffrey, you must have won by andslide, haven¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Excuse me, noment.¡± Jason looked a little pale. He could not bring himself to tell the reporters that his niece had been sentenced to five years in prison, and it would be akin to shooting himself in the foot. ¡°You couldn¡¯t have lost, could you, Mr. Chandler?¡± ¡°How is that possible? Mr. Chandler could not lose.¡± The reporters were tormenting him. Jason shoved the reporters aside brusquely. How can I tell Cynthia that Queenie has been put behind bars? His mood worsened at the thought of that. Before the Lamborghini departed, Ysabelle nced back at Jason surrounded by reporters. ¡°Jason deserves it.¡± Despite being smug earlier, his cheeks must be smarting with embarrassment. Sophie merely cast an indifferent nce. Five years was the price Queenie was forced to pay for kidnapping and pping Ysabelle. As Ysabelle is part of my group now, toy a finger on her means to dere war against me. By the way, did Tristane to court? What is he doing here? Tristan departed after dropping them both at Wisteria Apartments. ¡°You must be exhausted, Soph,¡± Ysabelle said at once. ¡°Let me give you a back rub.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not tired.¡± ¡°You must be thirsty, then. I¡¯ll get you a ss of water.¡± Sophie found it amusing to watch her scramble all over the ce. Ysabelle¡¯s adorable demeanor is really growing on me. After an afternoon nap, Ysabelle awaited Sophie to head to school together. Sophie shook her head. Original from N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Why not? Are you unwell?¡± Ysabelle asked anxiously. ¡°Not at all. I have something to attend to this afternoon. Please exin my absence to Mr. Hayes.¡± ¡°What is it? Do you need me toe with you?¡± ¡°No need. I can go alone.¡± ¡°You¡¯re not going to start another fight, are you, Soph? Bring me along!¡± ¡°This is a serious errand.¡± My task from Butterfly isn¡¯tplete yet. It wouldn¡¯t do to drag it out. ¡°All right then.¡± Ysabelle headed to school while Sophie took a cab to the police station. ¡°Good day. I¡¯m looking for Captain Sheppard.¡± Sophie walked to the young man on duty after getting out of her taxi. ¡°What business do you have with Captain Sheppard, miss? He¡¯s a busy man.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine. I can wait.¡± ¡°Go on in, then. Captain Sheppard is out. I¡¯ll let him know once he returns.¡± The young man on duty did notplicate things for Sophie. Sophie entered the police station and seated herself. She had been kept waiting for over two hours before the legendary captain showed himself. ¡°Are you looking for me?¡± A handsome man in uniform arrived before Sophie. ¡°You are Eustace Sheppard?¡± Captain Sheppard is young! And very handsome too. Chapter 27 Chapter 27 Chapter 27 Kneel ¡°Yes, I am. Who are you?¡± This girl looks really pretty. There¡¯s no way I would forget her if I had seen her before¡­ ¡°My name is Sophie.¡± Not wanting to waste too much time here nor reveal her identity to him, she stood up and continued nonchntly, ¡°You guys are tracking down Dr. Yarren¡¯s whereabouts, right? I¡¯ll give it a try.¡± Eustace couldn¡¯t help but frown when he heard that. ¡°Missy, you should get back to ss if you¡¯re bored. I¡¯m really busy, so I don¡¯t have time for your silly games!¡± Belonging to N?velDrama.Org. He had been so stressed out over Dr. Yarren¡¯s case that he hadn¡¯t slept well in a month, so he really wasn¡¯t in the mood for games. ¡°I said, I can help you out, Captain Sheppard!¡± Sophie was starting to lose her patience. ¡°Missy¡ª¡± ¡°You desperately need to find Dr. Yarren, don¡¯t you? What harm is there in letting me have a shot?¡± Eustace had assumed she was just another troublemaker at first, but changed his mind when he saw the determined look in her eyes. ¡°All right, then. Come with me!¡± Eustace said as he led her to the technical department. The technicians had been working day and night for a month, but were still unable to track down Dr. Yarren. ¡°Captain Sheppard!¡± a few of them greeted Eustace upon seeing him before getting back to work. As Dr. Yarren¡¯s life could be in danger, it was of utmost importance that they find him as soon as possible. ¡°You there, get up,¡± Sophie told one of the technicians. ¡°Go y somewhere else, missy. I¡¯m busy over here,¡± the technician replied without even looking at her. ¡°Get up!¡± As it was Eustace ordering him this time, the technician had no choice but to do as told. ¡°Where did you find such a pretty girl, Captain Sheppard?¡± he asked when he finally looked at Sophie. Since when has Captain Sheppard be so irresponsible? I can¡¯t believe he¡¯d bring an outsider into the technical department! Sophie ignored him and began entering a bunch of codes after sitting down. The technician and a few other senior programmers were dumbfounded when they saw her go at it. What the¡­ She¡¯s wearing a high school uniform, and yet, she¡¯s greater than all of us in terms of her speed and skill! Who on Earth is this girl? Eustace, who was initially skeptical of her request, soon found himself feeling a little expectant after seeing her skill. Sophie continued chewing on a piece of gum while hacking her way through firewall after firewall, eventually narrowing the search down to a specific area. Hmm¡­ This is as detailed as I can get, huh? ¡°This is as far as I can get you, Captain Sheppard. The rest is up to you guys.¡± Sophie said with a frown as she got up and prepared to leave. ¡°Are you sure this is the ce?¡± The technicians were unable to find any leads before, so they were a little skeptical about the data on the screen. ¡°This is all I managed to find.¡± The technician, who mocked her earlier, asked respectfully, ¡°What¡¯s your name, missy?¡± ¡°My name is Sophie Tanner.¡± ¡°Thank you very much, Sophie. I¡¯ll treat you to a meal as a token of appreciation when I bring Dr. Yarren back!¡± Eustace said as he gathered his men. We¡¯ll head over to Anndur and bring Dr. Yarren back for sure! ¡°Hello, Ms. Tanner. I¡¯m Ian Dous. May I ask you some questions?¡± ¡°Sure.¡± Sophie was going to leave, but returned to her seat when she heard that. The senior programmers then bombarded her with a ton of difficult questions, all of which she answered with detailed exnations. As some of the answers were tooplicated for them to comprehend, Sophie even demonstrated her methods for them to see. ¡°Any other questions?¡± ¡°You¡¯re unbelievably amazing, Ms. Tanner!¡± Ian eximed in awe. ¡°It¡¯s nothing, really. I¡¯ll be on my way now if there are no further questions.¡± ¡°Where are you headed, Ms. Tanner? I¡¯ll give you a ride.¡± Ian had always assumed that he was the best in his field, but witnessing Sophie¡¯s skills made him realize how much of an amateur he really was. ¡°That won¡¯t be necessary. I can head back on my own.¡± Sophie turned his offer down as she preferred to keep a low profile. The senior programmers were so shocked by Sophie¡¯s skills that it took them a while to regain their composure after she left. ¡°I can¡¯t believe I got destroyed by a high school student!¡± They were able to be a part of Eustace¡¯s team because they were experts in their field, but Sophie had easily outperformed each and every one of them. ¡°There will always be someone better out there. This girl is truly something else.¡± ¡°It¡¯d be great if she could join our team!¡± Ian eximed hopefully. ¡°She hasn¡¯t even graduated from high school, man!¡± As there would be tons ofpanies out there that would kill to recruit her, it was unlikely that they would be able to do so. ¡°But we have Captain Sheppard! We could have him court her or something! I think that could work!¡± Ian suggested, genuinely believing that he hade up with a great idea. Everyone else, however, fell speechless after hearing that. ¡°She¡¯s way too young for him!¡± someone eximed after a brief pause. Captain Sheppard is really amazing for making it to this position at the age of twenty-eight, and we¡¯ve all witnessed his capabilities in the field. Even so, he¡¯s probably at least ten years older than Sophie! Ian must be crazy for suggesting something like that! ¡°It¡¯s not entirely impossible if Captain Sheppard likes her, though!¡± Sophie had showed up at the ssroom on time for the self-study session. As the students were all aware that Sophie had gotten Queenie in prison, they felt a little afraid of her. Ysabelle handed Sophie a bottle of water the moment she saw her. Worried that Sophie would get upset, she reassured her, ¡°Ignore them, Soph. They¡¯re just jealous of you.¡± Sophie had just taken a sip of the water when Cynthia showed up outside the ssroom. ¡°Hey, Sophie! Queenie¡¯s mother is here to see you!¡± shouted one of the students sitting near the window. Sophie got up and made her way out the door. Cynthia found herself feeling a little intimidated when she saw Sophie walking toward her. ¡°Yes? Is there something I can help you with?¡± Sophie asked coldly. It was as if the person standing before her had nothing to do with her at all. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for what Queenie did, Sophie. Will you please have mercy on her? She¡¯s still a young girl! Her life will be ruined if she gets sent to prison!¡± Cynthia pleaded with fear in her eyes. Whatever arrogance and pride she had before werepletely gone at that point. No one had expected for a nobody like Sophie to be capable of sending Queenie to prison. Even Jason couldn¡¯t do anything to save her. ¡°Queenie has broken thew, Mrs. Lane. It¡¯s not like I can just say a few words and get her released,¡± Sophie replied while rolling her eyes. What does she take the legal justice system for? Having been pushed to desperation, Cynthia knelt down in front of Sophie and continued pleading with her, ¡°Please spare Queenie! I¡¯m begging you! I can give you anything as long as you spare my daughter!¡± What the heck is she trying to pull now? ¡°I don¡¯t need anything, and this isn¡¯t up for me to decide,¡± Sophie replied with a frown. Feeling frustrated, Cynthia leapt to her feet and shouted, ¡°How could a young girl like you be so cruel and heartless? What has Queenie ever done to you, huh?¡± She then reached out to hit Sophie, but thetter was faster and caught her hand with ease. Chapter 28 Chapter 28 Chapter 28 Water Park Sophie narrowed her eyes as she said coldly, ¡°I¡¯ve been very patient standing here and listening to your nonsense, so don¡¯t push it too far. You may file an appeal if you are dissatisfied with the verdict issued. Stop wasting my time with such pointless arguments.¡± She was never a patient person, to begin with, so Cynthia¡¯s actions were really starting to anger her. Cynthia was about to try and hit her again, but someone pulled her back before she could do anything. ¡°You can talk to mywyer directly if you have any further concerns.¡± Tristan had dropped by Jipsdale Premier High after hearing that Sophie took the rest of the day off, only to witness such a scene upon arrival. ¡°Hey! Let go of me!¡± Cynthia was so desperate that she couldn¡¯t care less about her image anymore. Queenie being sent to prison had impacted the Lane family¡¯s reputation so greatly that most of their business partners stopped coborating with them. ¡°Do not show yourself in front of her ever again, or I will destroy the Lane familypletely!¡± Tristan said while shoving her away. The prison sentence that Queenie received for kidnapping Ysabelle was actually a lot better than what could¡¯ve happened to her if Tristan had taken matters into his own hands. ¡°This woman has been bullying Soph, Uncle Tristan!¡± Ysabelle eximed when she came out and saw her uncle.Content is ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org. Tristan was regarded as a very attractive man due to his devilishly handsome face and long, slender legs. The fact that he was six feet tall only made him all the more irresistible to the girls that were ogling him. Having witnessed how powerful Sophie was, they were all shocked when they heard what Ysabelle said. No one could possibly bully someone as powerful as Sophie! Being the teacher in charge of the self-study session, Carrie got mad when she arrived and saw the commotion outside the ssroom. She was about to start scolding them, but the words got stuck in her throat when she saw Tristan standing there. ¡°Hi, who are you?¡± Carrie had never seen such a handsome man in her entire life. He looked so good that standing before him made her feel ashamed of her unattractive appearance. ¡°I¡¯m a rtive of Sophie¡¯s,¡± Tristan replied. Ysabelle froze when she heard that. Wait¡­ Isn¡¯t he my rtive? Since when did he be Sophie¡¯s rtive? Carrie frowned when she heard him mention Sophie¡¯s name. ¡°Please look after our Sophie, miss,¡± Tristan said politely. ¡°Of course!¡± Although she didn¡¯t quite like Sophie, Carrie found herself unable to say no to Tristan. ¡°Ugh¡­ He could¡¯ve just told her to not bully Sophie!¡± Ysabelle muttered under her breath. Carrie then turned toward the students watching on and said, ¡°Settle down, students! It¡¯s time for ss!¡± Sophie was about to head on in as well, but stopped in her tracks when Tristan grabbed her arm from behind. ¡°Is there something else I can help you with, mister?¡± ¡°I¡¯d like to have a word with Sophie, if that¡¯s okay.¡± Although Carrie had wanted to admire Tristan¡¯s handsome face a little while longer, she had no choice but to reluctantly enter the ssroom. Since it was just the two of them on the field, Sophie didn¡¯t really mind hanging out with him. ¡°Come take a walk with me,¡± Tristan said, looking incredibly dazzling even though he was just standing there. Huh? Is he asking me to walk around the school with him? Oh, well¡­ I guess I could use some fresh air after dealing with that crazy woman earlier. With that in mind, Sophie casually walked alongside him as they strolled around the campus. Jipsdale Premier High had a garden with a river that ran through the entire school. As the students were all in ss, there was no one in the area. All they could hear was the sound of the river and the buzzing of the cicadas. ¡°Your school has a nice scenery.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve seen way better scenery than this in your life, Mr. Tristan. Jipsdale Premier High should be child¡¯s y inparison,¡± Sophie mumbled while kicking a pebble aside. I¡¯m not sure why he came to see me, but it¡¯s nice not having to sit through Carrie¡¯s ss. Sophie was so lost in her thoughts that she didn¡¯t notice the steps beneath her feet and lost her bnce. Fortunately, Tristan had his eye on her the whole time and quickly reached out to grab her arm. He then pulled her into his arms, only letting go of her after she had steadied herself. ¡°Are you all right?¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± Sophie, who had always been as cool as a cucumber, found herself blushing a little. D*mn it! Why am I so clumsy around him? The way she lowered her head in embarrassment made his heart flutter. ¡°Come on, I¡¯ll walk you back to your ss.¡± Tristan was no longer the hot-blooded teen he used to be, but being around eighteen-year-old Sophie never failed to make his heart race. Since she was already in high school, he didn¡¯t mind waiting a little for her to mature as an adult. The first self-study session had just ended by the time Sophie returned. Ysabelle pulled her aside the moment she stepped in through the door. ¡°What were you and my uncle talking about, Soph? You were out for an entire session! My uncle isn¡¯t exactly a very chatty person, but he seems to treat you very differently!¡± she asked curiously. Sophie started blushing again when she recalled that little embrace they had earlier. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Why is your face so red? Are you having a fever?¡± Ysabelle asked worriedly and reached out to touch her forehead. Not wanting to keep the conversation going, Sophie brushed her hand aside. ¡°I¡¯m fine. It¡¯s probably just the heat. Besides, I think he treats me differently because of you!¡± Since the senior year students would be having their university entrance exams, Jipsdale Premier High only let them have Sundays off. As Sophie didn¡¯t have any ns for that Sunday, she decided to sleep in and visit Josiahter in the afternoon. She was sleeping soundly in bed when the doorbell rang all of a sudden. After dragging herself out of bed, Sophie opened the door and saw Ysabelle standing outside all dressed up. ¡°Why are you still in bed, Soph? The weather is so great that it¡¯d be a sin to stay indoors!¡± ¡°Where are you going?¡± ¡°To the water park! Come on, let¡¯s go together!¡± Ysabelle really loved water parks and had been wanting to go there for quite a while. ¡°Okay.¡± Since Ysabelle was already at her doorstep, Sophie had no choice but to change her ns for the day. Her outfit consisted of a light blue shirt over a in white tee and a pair of skinny jeans, which looked rather simple whenpared to that of Ysabelle¡¯s. Even so, she still looked so stunningly beautiful that Ysabelle¡¯s jaw dropped when she saw her. ¡°My goodness¡­ You look so hot that you¡¯re making me drool, Soph!¡± she said while wiping the corner of her mouth. ¡°You look great too, Ysabelle! Come on, let¡¯s go!¡± Ysabelle took a picture with Sophie upon arriving at the entrance of the water park. As the two of them looked incredibly beautiful, the pictures they took were practically wallpaper material. Ysabelle then picked out nine of the pictures and uploaded them to Instagram with the caption: Isn¡¯t my hubby handsome? Determined to have an absolute st, she excitedly dragged Sophie into the water park with her. Meanwhile, Tristan was ying golf with Felix and the others at Newcove Hot Spring Resort. As Tristan was ridiculously good at golf, he easily beat them all at it without even trying. ¡°Are you having a lot of fun destroying us at this game, Mr. Tristan?¡± Frustrated at how pointless it was to y against Tristan, Felix decided to pull out his phone and scroll through his social media feed instead. After tapping on the Instagram icon, the first thing that he saw was Ysabelle¡¯s post. ¡°What the¡­ Did I just get cheated on?¡± Felix eximed in shock. Everyone in their social circle knew that he had a crush on Ysabelle. ¡°What do you mean by that?¡± Charles asked in confusion. ¡°Ysabelle has fallen for someone else! No, this won¡¯t do¡­ I need to go to the water park!¡± Felix mumbled anxiously as he leapt to his feet. ¡°What¡¯s all this about?¡± Tristan made his way over after hitting thest golf ball. Felix simply handed him the phone without saying anything. Tristan¡¯s eyes went wide when he saw the nine pictures, all of which looked like they belonged on posters and magazines. ¡°Are you going too, Mr. Tristan?¡± Charles asked in surprise. ¡°Yeah.¡± Chapter 29 Chapter 29 Chapter 29 Applying Sunscreen ¡°Isn¡¯t this a bit unusual, even for you?¡± Realizing that he had yet to introduce Sophie to his friends, Tristan said, ¡°You guys carry on. I¡¯ll bring a friend over tonight.¡± ¡°Is your friend male or female?¡± ¡°You¡¯ll find out when the timees.¡± Content is ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org. Sophie and Ysabelle were queuing up to buy tickets when Tristan and Felix arrived at the water park. The line was rather long due to it being a weekend, so Sophie was scrolling through her phone to kill time. ¡°Uncle Tristan? What are you doing here?¡± Ysabelle asked when she saw Tristaning over. If I recall, he hatesing to childish ces like this! ¡°I saw your Instagram post, so I decided to drop by.¡± Noticing that Sophie was sweating from the hot weather, Tristan continued, ¡°Come here, you two. Felix, go take their ce in the queue.¡± Felix then swapped ces with them while Tristan led them to a shady tree. ¡°You girls can just wait here until Felix gets the tickets.¡± Tristan¡¯s casual-looking outfit made him seem a few years younger. That,bined with his already handsome face, got a lot of girls looking his way. Someone selling straw hats happened to pass them by, so Tristan bought them one each and helped Sophie put it on. As Sophie had really fair skin, it was starting to turn red from exposure to the hot sun. ¡°Do you have sunscreen on?¡± ¡°Nope.¡± She didn¡¯t like applying sunscreen because of how ufortable it felt on her skin. Tristan then borrowed a bottle of sunscreen from Ysabelle and squeezed some of it onto his palm. He was about to apply it on Sophie when she grabbed his arm. ¡°What are you doing?¡± ¡°Hold still.¡± Tristan ignored her response and continued applying the sunscreen on her face. Sophie found herself burning bright red when he gently ran his fingers over her cheeks. Eek! This guy is really¡­ Even Ysabelle was stupefied by what she had just witnessed. Since when did Uncle Tristan be so caring and gentle? After applying sunscreen on her face, Tristan squeeze some of it directly onto her arm and gently rubbed it all over. Felix¡¯s jaw dropped when he returned with the entrance tickets. What has gotten into Tristan today? I¡¯ve never seen him give a girl such treatment before! I bet nobody would ever believe me if I told them Tristan personally applied sunscreen on someone! ¡°Here, I bought the tickets! Let¡¯s go!¡± Felix then grabbed Ysabelle¡¯s hand and started dragging her away. ¡°What¡¯s going on here? Has my uncle Tristan gone crazy from the heat or what?¡± she asked in confusion. ¡°Maybe!¡± Felix replied. He wasn¡¯t really sure about the rtionship between Tristan and Sophie, so he didn¡¯t want toment on it any further. ¡°Thanks¡­¡± Sophie felt as if her body was burning up from his touch. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± The two of them then made their way toward the entrance, which had a boat on a huge water slide. ¡°How about the four of us sit together for this ride?¡± Ysabelle suggested. ¡°No. You and I are going to take a separate row,¡± Felix said while dragging her away. The next thing he knew, Ysabelle had stomped on his foot with all of her might. ¡°Ow! What was that for?¡± Felix shouted in pain. ¡°For not minding your own d*mned business!¡± Has Uncle Tristan taken a liking to Sophie? Isn¡¯t he a little too old for her? I mustn¡¯t let Sophie fall for him! As Tristan and Sophie had already taken the row behind them, Ysabelle had no choice but to take the one in front with Felix. As she turned around after getting seated, Ysabelle saw Tristan gently fastening the seat belt around Sophie¡¯s waist. ¡°Yup, it¡¯s game over!¡± Ysabelle mumbled to herself when she saw how intimate the two looked. ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°My uncle Tristan is really going to rob the cradle!¡± D-Did Ysabelle just call Tristan old? Oh, well¡­ she is his niece, so I suppose she¡¯s the only one who can say that without getting in trouble! As the boat began to move, Ysabelle decided to set her concerns aside and lose herself in the moment. Being the more excited one of the four, she was the only person that screamed in excitement the whole time. The boat slowly climbed to a really high point before plunging rapidly into the water below. Tristan instinctively leaned over to shield Sophie from the huge ssh. Unbeknownst to him, his little protective act had caused her heart to race a little. ¡°Woohoo! This is so much fun!¡± Ysabelle was incredibly excited even though her clothes were all wet. All four of them had varying degrees of wetness on their clothes when they got off the boat ride. ¡°What do we do now?¡± Sophie asked as she found it ufortable walking around in wet clothes. ¡°We¡¯ll head over to Newcove Hot Spring Resort,¡± Tristan suggested as Charles and the others were still waiting for them over there. As Sophie was wearing light-colored clothes, her curves could clearly be seen with the fabric stuck to her skin. Tristan took his jacket off and draped it over her body, an act which Sophie did not refuse. ¡°Take care of my niece for me. Don¡¯t bully her, you hear?¡± Tristan told Felix when they got to the parking lot. ¡°You know how Ysabelle is, Mr. Tristan! I¡¯d thank my lucky stars if she doesn¡¯t bully me instead!¡± Felix eximed with a helpless smile. ¡°I should be telling you not to bully Sophie, Uncle Tristan!¡± Ysabelle protested. She had wanted to ride in the same car with them, but didn¡¯t dare do so when Tristan shot her a warning re. ¡°Now, now¡­ Sophie is an adult, so I¡¯m sure she knows what she¡¯s doing!¡± Felix then quickly shoved Ysabelle into his car before she could say anything further. Tristan opened the door to the passenger seat and helped Sophie into the car. He then grabbed a fresh towel from the trunk before climbing into the driver¡¯s seat. Noticing that Tristan was going to help dry her hair, she quickly grabbed his arm and said, ¡°I-I can do it myself, Mr. Tristan!¡± She was still a little ufortable with such intimate gestures. ¡°Okay,¡± Tristan replied with a nod and handed her the towel. ¡°Do you want to dry your hair as well?¡± Sophie asked after toweling her hair dry. ¡°I want you to do it for me,¡± Tristan replied. Noticing no response from her, he continued, ¡°I helped you earlier, didn¡¯t I?¡± Sophie fell silent after hearing that, but leaned over to help dry his hair anyway. As he had his head lowered while Sophie wiped his hair, his gaze naturally fell upon her exposed cleavage. Tristan quickly averted his gaze when he felt his blood surging toward his crotch. Sophie, on the other hand, was so focused on drying Tristan¡¯s hair that she didn¡¯t notice his struggle. ¡°There, all nice and dry,¡± she said while folding the towel. ¡°I¡¯ll get you introduced to a few of my friends. They might be of use to you in the future,¡± Tristan mumbled in a rather hoarse voice. ¡°What¡¯s the matter? Are you feeling unwell?¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± While it was perfectly normal for him to have some kind of physical reaction toward a girl he liked, he found it a little disgusting due to how young she was. After taking a moment to regain hisposure, Tristan was about to start the car when he heard someone talking about Sophie. Louisa and Willow were at the water park too. ¡°What? Sophie got Queenie in prison?¡± the former eximed in shock after hearing the news from thetter. ¡°They say she got sentenced to five years in prison. Do you think Sophie has returned to get revenge for that incident from five years ago?¡± Willow felt uneasy just thinking about it. ¡°What are you so afraid of, Willow? What could Sophie possibly do on her own? Not only does she have no evidence for that incident, but she will also be haunted by it for the rest of her life!¡± Louisa reassured her with a disdainful sneer. Chapter 30 Chapter 30 Chapter 30 Too Pretty Neither Tristan nor Sophie said anything as they sat there listening to their conversation. What? Did that girl just say Sophie is all on her own? Do they not realize that she has me now? Sophie red at them with her eyes narrowed. Oh? Do they really think I couldn¡¯t find any evidence? If they want to y with fire, then I¡¯ll make sure they get burned to ashes! ¡°We¡¯re going to the resort, right? Let¡¯s get going, then,¡± Sophie said. As Tristan drove the car out of there, he kept one hand on the steering wheel and held Sophie¡¯s in the other. What is he doing? She turned to look at him and asked, ¡°Aren¡¯t you getting a little too intimate, Mr. Tristan?¡± ¡°Did those two hurt you five years ago?¡± ¡°I can handle it myself.¡± Sophie didn¡¯t care what people said about her, but she would be sure to return the damage they did. ¡°Are you sure you don¡¯t need my help?¡± Tristan asked in hopes of her changing her mind and seeking his assistance. ¡°Yes, I¡¯m very sure,¡± Sophie replied, much to his disappointment. Tristan then brought her to a presidential suite at Newcove Hot Spring Resort and had someone deliver a fresh set of clothes. ¡°Take a shower and get changed. I¡¯lle pick you up for dinnerter.¡± Although her clothes were already dry, it still felt ufortable on her skin. Sophie waited for him to leave before entering the bathroom with the clothes he provided. After taking a quick shower, she came out with only a towel wrapped around her body. That was when her phone started ringing all of a sudden. Butterfly¡¯s voice came on the other line the moment she answered the call. ¡°Phantom, it¡¯s me.¡± ¡°Is something the matter?¡± ¡°Someone has been looking you uptely. Are you all right?¡± ¡°Looking me up? Okay, understood.¡± Sophie sat down on the couch and gently shook her head to let her hair down. ¡°Be careful. This person is probably up to no good.¡± ¡°Got it. By the way, I¡¯ve taken care of Dr. Yarren¡¯s case.¡± Original from N?velDrama.Org. ¡°As expected of Phantom. You always do a clean job!¡± ¡°Just wire the money into my ount. Is there anything else you¡¯d like to tell me? If not, I¡¯ll be hanging up now.¡± Sophie heard a knock on the door right after ending the call. She opened the door, only to see that Tristan hade to pick her up. It took him a few seconds to realize that Sophie only had on a bath towel. Her smooth shoulders, alluring corbones, and calves were all exposed. This young girl is only eighteen, but she has the ability to charm even a guy like me! Tristan swallowed hard at the thought of that. ¡°I¡¯m not done yet. Do you want to maybe¡ª¡± ¡°I¡¯ll wait here. Go on in and get dressed. We¡¯re in no rush, so take your time!¡± Sophie then grabbed the bag of clothes and went into the room to put them on. Upon inspecting the contents of the bag, she realized he had prepared everything for her, including underwear. Sophie was feeling fine when she put on the underwear which happened to be just the right size, but got ufortable when she saw the light green miniskirt. What the f*ck? Isn¡¯t this skirt a little too short? But¡­ I¡¯ve already washed my clothes while I was showering earlier, so I can¡¯t wear them now¡­ ¡°D*mn, I can¡¯t believe Tristan is into such outfits!¡± Sophie muttered under her breath as she put on the miniskirt and a short dress shirt which exposed her bellybutton. After getting dressed, Sophie gave her hair a quickbing before heading out the door. The first thing that Tristan noticed was her fair, smooth, and slender legs. It was the first time that he had seen her in such an outfit, and he found himself getting aroused by how sexy she looked. ¡°This kind of clothing doesn¡¯t really suit me, Mr. Tristan.¡± Sophie didn¡¯t like how much it restricted her movement. Tristan walked up to her and said in a seductive voice, ¡°I agree. While it does looks good on you, I don¡¯t think anyone else should see you in these clothes.¡± He then made another phone call, and the staff delivered a new set of clothes. ¡°Here, put this on instead.¡± Sophie went back into the room to get changed. This time, it was a red dress that still looked amazing even though it covered more skin. She saw Tristan talking on the phone when she stepped out of the room. Since she wasn¡¯t in a hurry, Sophie sat down on the couch and scrolled through her phone while waiting. After getting off the phone, Tristan walked up to her and took a good look at her new outfit. The red dress was a little more conservative whenpared to the previous outfit as it covered her legs more, but she still looked drop-dead gorgeous in it. ¡°You must be hungry, right? Let¡¯s go have dinner,¡± Tristan said while putting his phone away. ¡°Sure.¡± Sophie, too, figured it wasn¡¯t appropriate for the two of them to stay in the room any longer. It probably didn¡¯t help that he was looking at her like he wanted to eat her up. ¡°They¡¯re just getting a change of clothes, so why are they taking so long? That¡¯s it, I have to go check on them!¡± Worried about Sophie, Ysabelle wanted to go make sure she was okay. Felix grabbed her by the arm when she tried to leave. ¡°Are you crazy? Do you not know how scary Mr. Tristan can be?¡± So what if he really is nning on doing it with her? Ysabelle can¡¯t just barge in and interrupt him! ¡°You¡¯re such a f*cking coward, Felix! Why are you so scared of my uncle? Have you no b*lls, man?¡± Ysabelle was determined to ensure Sophie¡¯s safety as she was the one who brought her along. ¡°Oh, yeah? You¡¯d better watch your mouth, Ysabelle! Don¡¯t you ever attack me like that ever again!¡± ¡°What¡¯s going on, Ysabelle?¡± The door to the private room was opened all of a sudden, and Tristan came in with Sophie. He then led her to the table and even pulled up a chair for her. Charles and Sean both exchanged confused nces when they saw what he did. Since when did Mr. Tristan be such a gentleman? Tristan waited until Sophie was seated before sitting down next to her. ¡°Sorry to have kept you all waiting.¡± ¡°Oh, it wasn¡¯t that long of a wait. I mean, it¡¯s only been an hour!¡± Felix couldn¡¯t help but wonder if they had been doing it in the hotel room earlier. Ysabelle quickly moved to the other seat next to Sophie¡¯s and asked, ¡°Soph, did my uncle do anything to you?¡± As her voice was rather loud, everyone in the private room could hear her. Tristan shot her a re and asked, ¡°What the heck are you going on about, Ysabelle?¡± Intimidated by his response, Ysabelle was quick to change the topic. ¡°I can¡¯t help but worry about your safety, Soph! Your face is ridiculously pretty, after all! Anyway, allow me to make the introductions. Guys, this is my friend, Sophie Tanner. Sophie, that guy over there is Charles Quigley, the third son of the Quigley family. The guy sitting next to him is Sean Burton, the heir to the Burton family.¡± The people sitting at the table were from the four prominent families in Jipsdale. Even so, Sophie maintained a calm attitude as she said, ¡°Hello, everyone. It¡¯s a pleasure to meet you all.¡± The food was soon served up, and Tristan began discussing business with the guys. Sophie only had a few spoonfuls of food before she stopped eating. ¡°What¡¯s the matter? Is the food not to your liking?¡± Although Tristan had been chatting with the other guys, his eyes were on her the whole time. ¡°No, I¡¯m just not really hungry.¡± ¡°Here, you should eat more. At least finish the food on your te,¡± Tristan said while topping up her te. He found her to be far too skinny, and it pained his heart to see her like this. Chapter 31 Chapter 31 Chapter 31 Feisty Seeing how Tristan was taking care of Sophie, Ysabelle panicked even further. She got so worried that she lost her appetite. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? I thought you said you were hungry earlier?¡± Felix asked caringly. Ysabelle put down her fork. ¡°Are you full now, Soph? Let me take you out on a stroll,¡± she said. I should avoid letting Soph meet Uncle Tristan in the future. I really like her, and I don¡¯t want to lose a friend like her. ¡°Mm-hmm.¡± Sophie nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll be taking Soph out on a stroll now, Uncle Tristan!¡± Ysabelle informed before dragging Sophie outside. ¡°What¡¯s up with her?¡± Tristan asked Felix. ¡°She¡¯s afraid you¡¯ll snatch Sophie away.¡± Felix could tell Ysabelle really liked Sophie. Tristan didn¡¯t ask about it further. ¡°Oh yeah, the Lane family has been getting restless recently. Find something for them to do to keep them busy.¡± Tristan put his fork down, raised the winess next to him, and gently swirled the wine within. ¡°You mean the Lane family who kidnapped Ysabelle?¡± Felix¡¯s expression darkened when he heard that. ¡°Yes. Don¡¯t worry; leave it to me.¡± Sean didn¡¯t like to talk, but he was efficient and reliable when it came to work. ¡°Oh yeah, did you hear about Jason?¡± Charles suddenly asked. ¡°What about him?¡± ¡°None of you knew hisw firm is under investigation? I thought you two were the ones who did it.¡± ¡°I was going to!¡± Felix didn¡¯t expect that to happen. Who did it? Who else dislikes Jason? ¡°Someone anonymously reported Jason¡¯sw firm. That someone also sent evidence of his tax evasion to the relevant authorities.¡± Tristan raised his eyebrow. That¡¯s quite a direct and brutal tactic. Jason won¡¯t even have the chance to struggle. Who¡¯s the one behind this? ¡°Let¡¯s go swimming, Soph!¡± Ysabelle suggested. There were a lot of things in the resort, including an excellent outdoors pool. ¡°I didn¡¯t bring a swimsuit with me,¡± Sophie informed. ¡°You can find anything here! Follow me; I¡¯ll take you to buy one.¡± Ysabelle brought Sophie to the swimming pool by taking the shuttle bus. Before they went in, they headed to the shop to buy swimsuits. Ysabelle was very excited when she saw the skimpy swimsuits on disy. ¡°Wear this, Soph.¡± She grabbed one of the skimpy swimsuits and gave it to Sophie. ¡°You have a wonderful figure, so you¡¯ll definitely look good in this! Wear this one, okay, Soph?¡± As she spoke, she stared at Sophie¡¯s chest lewdly. ¡°You¡¯re a woman too, Ysabelle! Can you not be that indecent?¡± Sophie put the swimsuit back and picked a far more conservative one. ¡°You¡¯re too unadventurous, Soph! Those whoe to swim will use the opportunity to show off their bodies!¡± Ysabelle picked a two-piece swimsuit. She, too, didn¡¯t have the guts to wear a one-piece swimsuit. After Sophie handed the swimsuit to the owner of the shop, she pulled out a bank card. ¡°There¡¯s no need for that, Soph. This entire resort belongs to Uncle Tristan!¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine. I have money.¡± Sophie didn¡¯t have the habit of taking advantage of others. She paid for the swimsuit before both of them went to the swimming pool. The weather was still hot despite the fact that it was October already. Therefore, a lot of people were swimming in the pool. The two women changed into their swimsuits in the changing room before exiting with a towel around their shoulders. They both had slender legs and fair skin. Even though there were already plenty of sexy women in the swimming pool, they still stood out. The moment they showed up, a lot of people¡¯s attention shifted toward them. It was also then that Casey saw Sophie. He had been busy with hispetition, which was why he hadn¡¯t gone to find her recently. Little did he expect to see her at the pool. ¡°What are you looking at, Casey?¡± one of Casey¡¯s teammates asked. ¡°A friend I know. I¡¯ll go and greet her.¡± When Casey finished, he ambled toward Sophie. My body looks pretty good. I bet she¡¯ll like it! Girls like six-pack muscles, right? ¡°I¡¯m surprised to see that you¡¯re here too, Sophie! Are you here with a friend?¡± Casey smiled brightly. ¡°Who are you?¡± Sophie didn¡¯t want to interact with him. He didn¡¯t mind her attitude. ¡°Why aren¡¯t you both swimming? Do you not know how to swim? If you don¡¯t, I can teach you. My swimming skills are pretty good.¡± When he saw the two women sitting by the pool and kicking the water instead of swimming, he thought they didn¡¯t know how to swim. ¡°No need.¡± ¡°Sophie, since you¡¯re already here, why not swim and have fun?¡± Sophie stood and stared at Casey. ¡°Are we familiar with each other?¡± When Casey¡¯s friends saw the two beautiful women next to him, they approached as well. ¡°Hey, beautiful! How about we teach you how to swim, too?¡± one of Casey¡¯s friends offered. ¡°No need,¡± Sophie replied indifferently. ¡°Show me some respect, Sophie! A lot of my friends are here!¡± Casey uttered in a low volume with a darkened expression. Sophie is going overboard with her act, even though I¡¯m treating her nicely! ¡°Do you have any dignity?¡± Sophie spoke with slight disdain and pulled Ysabelle away with the intention of leaving. Seeing how Sophie was about to leave, Casey grabbed her shoulder. ¡°Stop messing around, Sophie.¡± His expression had darkenedpletely. Sophie really didn¡¯t like people touching her. ¡°Let go,¡± she warned for the final time. ¡°These are my friends, Sophie. Show me some respect here,¡± Casey muttered. In the next second, Sophie turned around, grabbed his arm, and threw him over her shoulder. ¡°Don¡¯t touch me.¡± She spoke with contempt. Who does he think he is, touching a woman after being warned not to? ¡°Woah¡­¡± ¡°Oh my gosh!¡± ¡°D*mn, she¡¯s so feisty. I like it.¡± Many people in the pool opened their mouths wide when they saw that. After being thrown to the ground by a woman, Casey crawled up awkwardly. ¡°Sophie.¡± There was a threatening tone in his voice. ¡°How dare you hit me!¡± He had always been admired and fawned over by women. That was the first time he was humiliated by one. ¡°So what if I hit you?¡± Sophie replied coldly. ¡°If you don¡¯t want it to happen again, you better stay far away from me when you see me.¡± Ysabelle wanted to scream out loud. It was only then she realized her potential to be a brainless fan. Casey¡¯s friends helped him up. One of them asked, ¡°Are you all right, Casey?¡± Casey¡¯s face remained dark. He didn¡¯t expect a small woman like Sophie to be capable of throwing a 1.8-meter-tall man like himself over her shoulder so easily. Property ? of N?velDrama.Org. It utterly embarrassed him. When Sophie and Ysabelle attempted to leave, Casey¡¯s friends blocked their path. ¡°Do you think you can leave after hitting our friend? We aren¡¯t dead, you know.¡± Sophie turned to face the man who spoke up. ¡°Then what do you want?¡± ¡°You all better stop causing trouble! If you refuse to listen, I¡¯ll have you all kicked out of here.¡± Casey¡¯s friends were all of a simr height to him. They were also very burly, which made Ysabelle worry about Sophie. ¡°Get us kicked out? Who do you think you are?¡± ¡°You¡ª¡± ¡°Kneel and apologize to Casey. I have to warn you, I have no qualms about hitting women,¡± one of Casey¡¯s friends threatened. Sophie pulled down her towel as malice entered her cold eyes. ¡°Well, then. If I don¡¯t teach you all a lesson on behalf of your parents today, you¡¯ll never understand that there are people better than you.¡± ¡°Hah! You talk big, missy. Just don¡¯t cryter.¡± Casey had fallen only because he had been caught off guard. However, they were now prepared. There was no way they were going to let a woman get the best of them. Additionally, the man who spoke to her knew how to fight very well, so he wasn¡¯t afraid. Chapter 32 Chapter 32 Chapter 32 Support ¡°Are you sure?¡± Sophie gave him onest chance. ¡°Come on, then! I¡¯ll teach you how to act properly today, missy. A woman shouldn¡¯t behave so wildly,¡± Casey¡¯s friend dared. Meanwhile, Tristan and Felix exited the building after they finished their meal. They then learned Sophie and Ysabelle had gone to the swimming pool from a receptionist. ¡°Do you want to head over there?¡± Felix was definitely going because he was worried about Ysabelle getting herself into trouble. ¡°Mr. Tristan, Ms. Ysabelle has started a fight with someone at the swimming pool.¡± A person approached the two men and reported. When Felix and Tristan heard that, they immediately rushed over to the swimming pool. Casey stopped his friend. ¡°Forget about it.¡± ¡°When did you be such a p*ssy, Casey?¡± his friend questioned. Casey shook his head. At that moment, Tristan and Felix arrived. Tristan could already see Sophie¡¯s alluring legs in the distance. He approached her and asked, ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± ¡°They want to beat Sophie up, Uncle Tristan,¡± Ysabelle immediately replied. When the manager was informed about Tristan¡¯s arrival, he immediately rushed over to their location and asked, ¡°Is everything all right, Mr. Tristan?¡± He quickly wiped the cold sweat on his forehead away. ¡°Get them out of here. From today onward, they are forbidden from stepping into any properties belonging to the Lombard family,¡± Tristan ordered. Those who mess with my people will pay the price. ¡°All of you, please leave!¡± the manager shouted as he summoned a few security guards. ¡°Do you know who I am?¡± Casey¡¯s friend, the one who knew how to fight, still wanted to duke it out. ¡°I don¡¯t know who you are, but the person standing in front of you is Mr. Tristan,¡± the manager informed. That information was enough to deter Casey¡¯s friend. After all, it didn¡¯t matter who he was when the entire ce was owned by Tristan. Those who could afford a vacation at the resort were rich people. No one had seen what Tristan looked like before, but they knew he owned the resort. Since the manager had vouched for Tristan¡¯s identity, then there was no mistaking him for someone else. When Casey¡¯s friend knew who he had messed with, his legs turned into jelly. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Mr. Tristan. I didn¡¯t know they were your people.¡± He immediately tried to beg for mercy. Tristan didn¡¯t even look at him. ¡°What¡¯s your rtionship with him, Sophie?¡± Casey didn¡¯t want to give up because he still liked Sophie. ¡°It¡¯s none of your business.¡± Sophie couldn¡¯t be bothered to deal with him. I¡¯m d Tristan¡¯s here. This swimsuit, while not at all skimpy, would make it difficult for me to fight. ¡°I really like you, Sophie.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I really don¡¯t like you.¡± After that incident, Sophie lost all interest in swimming. The security guards chased Casey and his friends away without mercy. ¡°Ysabelle.¡± Tristan turned his attention to Ysabelle. Ysabelle pretended to y with her fingers. ¡°We didn¡¯t go looking for trouble with them. They were the ones who wanted to bully Sophie.¡± The look in Tristan¡¯s eyes turned even colder. Seems like I didn¡¯t punish those punks hard enough. Sophie approached him, pulled his arm, and headed outside. His aura was so dominating that it was going to chase the other guests away from the pool. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I shouldn¡¯t have caused a scene in your territory.¡± Sophie wasn¡¯t sure if he was angry about that. ¡°Don¡¯t you want to swim? I¡¯ll ask the staff to clear the pool.¡± Tristan nced at her. She¡¯s wearing too little. I already couldn¡¯t take it when she wore that ultra-short skirt and high-waist shirt, yet now she¡¯s wearing a swimsuit. I really don¡¯t like other men looking at her. ¡°No, I¡¯m going to change back to my clothes.¡± She had lost the mood to swim. Tristan grabbed her hand and pulled her back. ¡°You¡¯re free to fight if you want to. Just make sure you don¡¯t get hurt.¡± Even if you injure or kill someone, with my support, there¡¯s nothing you need to worry about. While that was happening, Felix had already pulled Ysabelle out. ¡°Let go of me, Felix! Why are you pulling me out? It¡¯s too dangerous for Soph to be inside there alone!¡± she shouted. Felix was rendered speechless. ¡°Are you worried your uncle¡¯s going to eat her whole? I think you should just focus on taking care of yourself.¡± She pouted as she felt aggrieved. ¡°Aren¡¯t you sick of looking at me all day? Why do you keep clinging to me?¡± ¡°Who says that I¡¯m sick of looking at you?¡± ¡°I do.¡± Ysabelle rolled her eyes before entering the shuttle bus headed back to the hotel. Felix immediately followed her into the vehicle. Just what did I do this time to piss her off? A woman¡¯s thoughts are too hard for me to guess. When Sophie exited the changing room, she saw Tristan waiting for her. She approached him before both of them left together. Charles and Sean had other things to do, so they left first. When Tristan and Sophie returned to the hotel, they saw Felix standing outside of Ysabelle¡¯s room. It didn¡¯t matter what Felix said ¨C Ysabelle refused to open the door. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with her?¡± Sophie asked while shooting Felix a sharp look. ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± She knocked on the door. ¡°Ysabelle, are you in there? Can Ie in?¡± When Ysabelle heard Sophie¡¯s voice, she opened the door. Sophie saw her friend¡¯s red eyes and asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Did Felix bully you? Do you want me to teach him a lesson?¡± ¡°No. I don¡¯t know what¡¯s going on with me either,¡± Ysabelle answered. ¡°It¡¯s good that you¡¯re fine.¡± When Monday rolled around, it was time for the monthly exam. Sophie got up from her bed, put on her uniform, and went out. Property ? of N?velDrama.Org. She bought two buns on her way to school. Before Sophie could eat them, Willow got off a car and faced her. It would appear that Willow had been waiting for her. ¡°Why do you live in Wisteria Apartments?¡± Willow asked. Even though Wisteria Apartments wasn¡¯t a mansion district, the housing price was still ridiculously high due to its unique geographical location. Back when she wanted to attend Jipsdale Premier High, she had asked her father to buy her a house there. Her father had declined her request. Sophie¡¯s expression darkened too, as she didn¡¯t want to meet someone she disliked so early in the morning. ¡°Why does it matter to you where I¡¯m living?¡± ¡°You should know your ce, Sophie. I¡¯m here today to tell you that Dad doesn¡¯t want you to take Grandpa¡¯s shares.¡± ¡°Is it him or you who doesn¡¯t want that to happen? Are you feeling really scared now, Willow? Afraid that you won¡¯t have everything you want in the palm of your hands?¡± Sophie taunted. ¡°What do you mean?¡± While Willow was infuriated and upset, she still pretended to be fine on the surface. ¡°Then again, how can you lose something that was never yours to begin with?¡± Willow¡¯s expression changed in response to Sophie¡¯s words. Why does she look like she has everything in her control? I hate that look! She tightened her fists, looking as though she wanted to tear the disguise on her face down. ¡°Don¡¯t act so smugly, Sophie! You don¡¯t have the right to take the shares from me when your reputation is in shambles!¡± ¡°Oh! I almost forgot if you hadn¡¯t mentioned it. What happened five years ago isn¡¯t over yet!¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± Willow was sure she had not left any evidence behind five years ago. ¡°You¡¯ll know when the timees! Also, your current image is that of a top student, correct? If I do better than you, will your precious daddy still love you?¡± ¡°Do better than me? You¡¯re overestimating your abilities, Sophie. Ever since I entered high school, I¡¯ve always been one of the top three students in my year! What about you? All you know is to fight. Who cares about the truth regarding what happened five years ago anymore? Aren¡¯t you just a piece of trash now?¡± ¡°Is that so? I¡¯ll take back everything you hold dear, Willow!¡± Sophie didn¡¯t feel like talking to her anymore. As Willow watched her leave, she began to panic. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Ms. Tanner. There¡¯s no way she¡¯ll surpass you. You¡¯ll get whatever you want,¡± the Tanner family¡¯s driverforted. Chapter 33 Chapter 33 Chapter 33 Smug That¡¯s right; there¡¯s no way Sophie can win against me! I¡¯ve been studying hard for the past five years! All Sophie has done is either fight or skip sses. There¡¯s no way I¡¯ll lose! Willow gritted her teeth. Ysabelle had arrived before Sophie. Hence, when the former saw thetter, she called out to thetter immediately. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Sophie ate her buns as she approached her friend. ¡°Here,¡± Ysabelle said as she handed a piece of paper to Sophie. ¡°What is this?¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t you have a bet with Carrie? That you have to pass the physics exam?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Sophie nodded. I did do that. ¡°These are the questions I suspect will being out. You should take a look. We¡¯re having a Chanaean exam in the morning and a maths exam in the afternoon. The physics exam is tomorrow, so you¡¯ll still have time to study.¡± Sophie couldn¡¯t help but chuckle when she saw how cute her friend was acting. ¡°What¡¯s the matter? I¡¯m being serious right now, you know! What are youughing about?¡± Ysabelle pouted. ¡°My grades aren¡¯t bad, you know.¡± ¡°I know you¡¯re a prideful person, Soph, but we still need to face the reality of things.¡± ¡°Fine, fine, I get it.¡± Sophie didn¡¯t pay attention in ss because she already knew what the teachers were talking about. It was why she opted to spend her time in ss sleeping instead. Back when she was in Horington, the teachers there didn¡¯t like her that much. No one really paid attention to her grades. When she was sitting for her exams, she only nced at the questions. Because of that, people thought she wasn¡¯t a bright student. She didn¡¯t tell Ysabelle that she also needed to beat Willow because she was worried Ysabelle would steal the answers to the exam papers for her. When nine o¡¯clock rolled around, it was time for the exam tomence. Sophie nced at the essay question, took five minutes to n what she wanted to write, and began putting words down on the exam paper. It only took her half an hour to finish the essay. Then she flipped to the first page and spent ten minutes answering basic grammar questions. She spent twenty minutes on the readingprehension section and then another ten minutes writing all the answers down on the answer paper. Without even double-checking her work, she began sleeping. When the time was up, she was the first to hand in her paper. Ysabelle was worried when she saw her friend handing in the exam paper so quickly. Is she done already? The amount of time given for the Chanaean exam was just about right. Although, some who wrote much slower still hadn¡¯t finished their essay yet. It wasn¡¯t until there were ten minutes left on the clock that Willow finished her essay. Her red lips curved upward as she stared at her answers with satisfaction. There¡¯s no way I¡¯ll lose to Sophie! I¡¯m no longer the Willow from five years ago! The exam ended at eleven o¡¯clock. When Ysabelle walked out of the exam room, Sophie was already waiting for her outside. ¡°What do you think about the exam, Soph?¡± Ysabelle asked. ¡°It was okay,¡± Sophie replied. While the exam was difficult for many students, especially the ssical prose part, it wasn¡¯t at all hard for Sophie. ¡°How confident of you, Sophie.¡± Amanda Poole then turned to Willow. ¡°What about you, Willow? How hard do you think the Chanaean paper was?¡± They were in the top ss of their grade, and all of their ssmates were aiming to attend the best university in the country after they graduated. Even though all of them thought the exam was difficult, Sophie was there saying it was okay. ¡°I also think it was okay.¡± Willow smiled, still maintaining her elegant facade. ¡°Why are you asking Willow that question? She always sits in the top three each year! No matter how difficult the questions are, she¡¯ll always get more than one hundred and forty marks!¡± Amanda smiled. ¡°I suppose so. You know, since Sophie is Willow¡¯s sister, I guess it¡¯s only natural that she also finds the exam easy.¡± She was clearly trying to make fun of Sophie, who she thought was bluffing about the exam¡¯s difficulty. ¡°It¡¯s fine if you don¡¯t know how to answer the questions, Soph. I can tutor you after the exams end.¡± Willow smiled. What a pretentious woman! ¡°It¡¯s not certain who will be tutoring who at the end!¡± Sophie ignored them and left with Ysabelle. She could hear a few other girls still praising Willow. ¡°Even though Sophie handed her paper in in less than two hours, she still had the gall to say it was easy.¡± ¡°The questions this time around are pretty difficult. It¡¯s only natural that Sophie didn¡¯t know how to answer them since she spent her time at a school like that in Horington.¡± Jipsdale Premier High came up with its own exam papers, and it was a lot harder than university entrance exams. Ysabelle waved her fist. ¡°They¡¯re all so smug about it!¡± ¡°It¡¯s all right. Just let them have their moment,¡± Sophie replied. ¡°You don¡¯t need to care that much about grades, Soph. Everyone pays attention to it during school, but when we enter society, all people will see is a person¡¯s capability!¡± Ysabelle was worried Sophie would mind. At noon, Tristan ate lunch with the two of them. Tristan¡¯spany was half an hour¡¯s drive away from the school. However, he spent fifty minutes on the road because it was rush hour. ¡°How was the exam in the morning?¡± he asked. He knew their monthly exam was starting today. ¡°It was quite difficult. I don¡¯t even know if I can score over one hundred and twenty,¡± Ysabelle replied. Tristan didn¡¯t press on with his questioning. He didn¡¯t really care if her grades were good or not. ¡°Take a nap after you finish your meal.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± She always obeyed her uncle¡¯s words without hesitation. To be more precise, it wasn¡¯t because she was actually being obedient. She was just afraid of him because the consequences of her being disobedient would be awful. After Ysabelle went to take a nap, Sophie began cleaning up the table. The housekeeper had left after preparing their lunch and would only return to clean up during the afternoon after Sophie and Ysabelle had gone back to school. However, Sophie couldn¡¯t bear looking at the leftovers sitting on the table. After she cleaned the table up, Tristan gave her a notebook. ¡°What is this?¡± she asked. ¡°It¡¯s a notebook I prepared for you.¡± When she opened the book, she realized it was a physics notebook. The contents inside were tidy and easily understandable. The handwriting was also pleasant to look at. ¡°You made this for me?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Tristan intentionally wrote it slowly and neatly because he was afraid Sophie wouldn¡¯t understand his handwriting. While she wanted to say she didn¡¯t need it, she was touched by how much effort he put into the notebook. ¡°Is this how you chase after girls, Mr. Tristan?¡± ¡°Nope. You¡¯re the first andst person I¡¯ll ever chase after.¡± He might appear cold, but he was actually a passionate person. Sophie was speechless. At three in the afternoon, the math exam started. Sophie only took ten minutes to finish the twelve multiple-choice questions. It was even easier for her toplete the questions where she needed to fill in the nks. When she started on the subjective questions, she spent more than half an hour doing so because she needed to write down all the steps. There were still forty minutes left on the clock when she finished the paper. Due to the monthly exam, she wasn¡¯t going to attend the night self-study sessions for these two days. After Sophie walked out of the exam room, Josiah called. ¡°Can youe back tonight, Soph? I¡¯ve already asked thewyer to prepare everything.¡± He had promised to give her the shares, so he would. ¡°Can I refuse to take it, Grandpa?¡± ¡°Listen to me, Soph. I know you don¡¯t like dealing with this, but this is my way of protecting you,¡± he persuaded. With the shares in her hand, her husband¡¯s family won¡¯t dare to bully her after she gets married. This is the best I can do to help her face the harsh reality. ¡°Fine, I get it.¡± Before Sophie returned, another person called her. Original from N?velDrama.Org. It was Yale. ¡°I¡¯m waiting at the back of the school. Come now.¡± His authoritative tone made her ufortable. After she exited the school through the back entrance, she saw Yale¡¯s Mercedes-Benz sitting at the side of the road. When the driver saw her, he drove toward her and let her enter. Chapter 34 Chapter 34 Chapter 34 Picking You Up ¡°How were the exams?¡± Yale asked. Sophie raised her eyebrow. Does he really care about my grades? ¡°Don¡¯t you know I don¡¯t like studying? Are you asking me that question to make me feel awful?¡± She had no intention of showing him a good attitude. ¡°No matter what happens, I¡¯m still your father, Sophie. You look ill-mannered like this.¡± Yale frowned. ¡°Stop spending your time hanging outside of the school. You should follow your sister¡¯s example by learning how she studies and interacts with the world.¡± He couldn¡¯t understand why there was such a big difference between his two daughters. ¡°Learn from her? Is she even good enough for me to do that?¡± Sophie sneered. Her sneer would make people ufortable and terrified. ¡°Let¡¯s cut to the chase. You aren¡¯t allowed to take the twenty percent shares your grandfather is giving you.¡± That was the main reason Yale was there. ¡°Since Grandpa is giving it to me, I will take it.¡± Sophie was giddy when she saw her father¡¯s pissed-off expression. ¡°Sophie.¡± His voice began to sound like he was warning her. ¡°I¡¯m telling you not to take the shares. If you refuse to listen, don¡¯t me me for what I¡¯ll do.¡± It didn¡¯t matter who he was dealing with. As long as that person was a threat to him, he would show no mercy. The only person he loved the most in the world was himself. Sophie pushed the door open and exited the vehicle. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but the shares aren¡¯t the only thing I want. I want the wholepany.¡± The more desperately her family wanted to keep something to themselves, the more she wanted to take it away from them, even if she couldn¡¯t care less about having it. ¡°You talk big for an ipetent girl.¡± Yale didn¡¯t want to argue with her any further. After all, in his eyes, she was just a senior student without any notable skills or academic achievement. He didn¡¯t believe she would cause much trouble for him. When Sophie arrived back at the Tanner residence, everyone except for Caleb was already there. When Yale and Charmaine saw Sophie, their expressions darkened. They could scarcely believe she had the guts to take the shares that Josiah had the nerve to hand out. ¡°Come and talk with me, Sophie. Thewyer hasn¡¯t arrived yet,¡± Josiah said. ¡°Dad, this twenty percent is far too important to Tanner Group. Are you really going to give it to her that easily?¡± Yale refused to give up. Josiah ignored his son because he had the right to decide to who he wanted to give his assets. ¡°Dad, Soph is still young. If you give her such an incredibly valuable thing, you may end up hurting her instead of protecting her.¡± ¡°Why would I be hurting her? You know, it breaks my heart to see neither of you cares for her.¡± ¡°Tanner Group doesn¡¯t only just belong to our family now, Dad. There are other shareholders paying attention to what you¡¯re doing! If you give those shares to a girl like her, we won¡¯t be able to protect her if the other shareholderse after her!¡± Yale knew the struggle for power had always been like that. Josiah remained silent. Obviously, he knew about that as well after spending many years in the business world. ¡°Soph is your daughter. If you two dare to touch her, I won¡¯t let any of you get away with it.¡± He knew he didn¡¯t have long to live. Soph will only have herself to depend on once I pass. She has to get stronger. ¡°Are you scared, Soph?¡± he asked. Sophie held her grandfather¡¯s hand. ¡°I¡¯ve never been afraid, Grandpa.¡± If they were talking about facing the struggles of growing up, then she really was unafraid of facing them. Josiah was d. I can see my younger self in her. ¡°Think about it carefully, Sophie.¡± The look in Yale¡¯s eyes turned cold. It was then thewyer arrived. ¡°Are you sure about this, Old Mr. Tanner?¡± Terrence Baldwin, thewyer, was also worried about whether Sophie could keep the shares Josiah was giving her. ¡°No need to be afraid, Soph. Even if, in the end, you throw away the shares I give you, I still won¡¯t regret my decision. Consider it as me giving you your tuition fees.¡± ¡°Please put your signature here, Old Mr. Tanner.¡± Terrence didn¡¯t say anything else because he knew Josiah wouldn¡¯t change his mind. ¡°Please sign here, Ms. Tanner.¡± He pointed at a spot on the paper. Once Josiah and Sophie put their signatures down, thewyer dered, ¡°Okay. The shares now belong to Ms. Tanner.¡± Josiah then sent Terrence out. ¡°Now that Sophie has inherited my shares, she¡¯s considered one of Tanner Group¡¯s shareholders. Don¡¯t disappoint me, Sophie,¡± Josiah uttered before heading upstairs. He was getting old, which was why he left, as he didn¡¯t want to witness such a sullen atmosphere in his home. Sophie was about to leave after obtaining the shares. ¡°You¡¯re still young, Soph. We¡¯re just thinking about your well-being. Let your dad keep hold of your shares first. You¡¯re our daughter, so we won¡¯t hurt you,¡± Charmaine coaxed. ¡°Yeah! I¡¯ll help you manage your shares first. Once you get married, I¡¯ll return the shares to you untouched,¡± Yale added. Sophie couldn¡¯t help but chuckle. The world has always been like this. People¡¯s loyalties are where their interests lie. It¡¯s so sad to see my parents put up an act like this in order to obtain my power and fortune. From N?velDrama.Org. ¡°What are youughing at? Am I not looking after your best interest? Do you know how to take care of apany?¡± Yale¡¯s smile faded as he questioned like amanding father. ¡°Does it matter if I don¡¯t? I just need to take the dividends, isn¡¯t it?¡± Sophie retorted. ¡°You¡ª¡± Yale was so angry that he couldn¡¯t speak further. ¡°Think about it carefully, Soph. The other shareholders in Tanner Group are all vicious schemers. A girl like you isn¡¯t their opponent.¡± Charmaine acted as though she was a kind mother. ¡°I¡¯d rather die in their hands than in you two¡¯s!¡± ¡°You¡­¡± Charmaine was pissed off as well. ¡°Fine. Now that you¡¯re all grown up, I can¡¯t control you anymore. You better protect your shares well and don¡¯t let them slip out of your hands. Don¡¯te and beg us for help when you have nothing left.¡± ¡°Even if I have nothing left, I won¡¯te and find you both.¡± Sophie grabbed the document, turned, and left. ¡°How did I give birth to a piece of trash daughter like her?¡± Charmaine was so angry that she smashed the cup on the table. Willow had been staying silent at the side. It was then that she spoke politely. ¡°She won¡¯t be able to gloat for long, Mom.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. She won¡¯t be. That twenty percent share is nothing when you marry into the Laird family. When that timees, you can get whatever you want,¡± Charmaine assured. After all, Mrs. Laird likes Willow and has been nurturing her as a daughter-inw. ¡°Yeah.¡± When Willow thought about Mason, she felt a little giddy. So what if Sophie likes Mason? In the end, I¡¯m the one who¡¯s going to marry into the Laird family. Sophie grinned as she stared at the document in her hand outside of the Tanner residence. So this is all they have been pining for, eh? Instead of calling for a taxi, she wanted to go on a stroll. Every time she found herself in the Tanner residence, her worldview was shattered. ¡°Do you want me to stop, Mr. Tristan?¡± the driver asked. Isn¡¯t Mr. Tristan here to meet Ms. Tanner? ¡°No need. Just follow behind her slowly.¡± The driver silently drove the car slowly. He would asionally stop for a few seconds before proceeding just to keep the car a safe distance from Sophie. He wondered what she was thinking that prevented her from noticing the car had been following her for a long time. It wasn¡¯t until it started raining that Sophie stopped. ¡°Stop the car.¡± Tristan stepped out of the vehicle, strolled toward Sophie, and swept her into his arms. When she raised her head, she saw his handsome face. ¡°Why are you here?¡± she asked. ¡°To pick you up.¡± By the time Tristan carried her into the car, they were already soaked from the heavy rain. ¡°Head to Wisteria Apartments,¡± he ordered. Chapter 35 Chapter 35 Chapter 35 Addicted To Hugging You When they arrived at Wisteria Apartments, Tristan filled the bathtub with hot water and added a few drops of essential oil before carrying Sophie into the bathroom. ¡°Don¡¯t you think you¡¯ve been getting a little too familiar with carrying me, Mr. Tristan?¡± Even though Sophie said that, she still wrapped her arms around his neck. Tristan let her down once they were inside the bathroom. ¡°I¡¯m happy to serve you. If you don¡¯t feel like moving, I can even help you with¡ª¡± ¡°No need.¡± She immediately pushed him out and leaned against the door. It¡¯s a little worrying that the great Mr. Tristan is willing to do so much for me. ¡°Guess I¡¯ll stay inside longer.¡± The weather changed very fast. Even though it was just rain during fall, the weather was already quite cold. She took off her clothes and entered the bathtub. Upon immersing herself in the warm water, Sophie let out a satisfied moan. Tristan was someone who enjoyed the finer things in life, which was why he had bought a tub that would keep the temperature constant. The water would remain warm for as long as she wanted to stay inside. There was no need to worry about it going cold. Outside, he took a simple bath and changed into a casual outfit. When he got out, he heard Sophie¡¯s phone ringing. Since she hadn¡¯t left the bathroom yet, he picked up the phone. There was a string of numbers on the screen without a name. Tristan didn¡¯t answer the phone and simply knocked on the bathroom door. ¡°You got a call. There¡¯s no name listed on the screen.¡± ¡°Okay. I¡¯ll answer it after I get out in a moment,¡± Sophie answered. ¡°Don¡¯t spend too much time inside. Otherwise, you¡¯ll faint.¡± ¡°Mm-hmm.¡± Sophie only left the bathtub and changed into a casual outfit after she heard the door closing. Then she nced at the phone and saw it was from Butterfly. ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± ¡°You finally picked up the phone. I thought something had happened to you.¡± ¡°What can possibly happen to me? Oh yeah, Captain Sheppard brought Dr. Yarren back. He asked me for your number, saying he wants to thank you.¡± ¡°That¡¯s good to hear. There¡¯s no need to give him my number, though. You know, Captain Sheppard is quite a good talker at Jipsdale. It won¡¯t hurt you to know him better.¡± ¡°No need.¡± Sophie was used to being alone. It was just by coincidence that she formed Wings of Light. ¡°Gosh, what am I going to do with you? Fine, do what you want.¡± ¡°Is there anything else?¡± ¡°Can¡¯t I chat with you for fun?¡± Silence was the response Butterfly got. ¡°I still got things to do, so I¡¯m going to hang up now.¡± After Sophie dried her hair and exited the room, she saw the food that the staff from Pegasus Pavilion had delivered. ¡°You haven¡¯t eaten yet?¡± She wondered why Tristan hadn¡¯t eaten yet even though it was alreadyte. ¡°Nope. Come and eat with me!¡± In actuality, Tristan had already eaten. He knew she hadn¡¯t yet, which was why he ordered people to deliver food to them. Sophie sat across from him and ate. They remained silent as they enjoyed their meal. He only had a few bites before he kept putting food on her te. Not only that, he even poured her a bowl of mushroom soup. She ate a lot over the course of the meal. Original from N?velDrama.Org. Once it was over, she took on the task of cleaning up the table. Tristan didn¡¯t stay around for long as he left after the meal was over. It was as though he was only there to share a meal with her. While the physics exam the next day involved a lot of calctions, Sophie was still able to finish them easily. There was half an hour left when she handed her paper in. For her Ustranasion paper during the afternoon, she took her time writing her answers down on the answer paper. She really didn¡¯t understand why people were saying the exam was hard. Once the exam was over, everyone gathered around to discuss it. Ysabelle sat on the bench in front of Sophie and turned around to face her friend. ¡°How well did you do, Soph?¡± Ysabelle was really worried about her friend¡¯s grades. ¡°Fine.¡± ¡°Can you pass the physics paper?¡± ¡°I can.¡± Carrie just so happened to pass by both of them then. She snickered when she heard what Sophie said. ¡°If you can pass without ever paying attention in ss, what are us teachers for?¡± ¡°We¡¯ll know once the results are out. There¡¯s no need to rush, Mrs. Fletcher. I always keep my promises. If I don¡¯t pass this time, I¡¯ll quit school voluntarily.¡± Sophie smiled coldly. ¡°Soph¡­¡± Ysabelle was worried because the physics paper had been really hard. I¡¯m pretty sure half of the ss won¡¯t even pass! Why is she acting so confidently? ¡°Is that so? I look forward to your results, then. Hmph.¡± It was obvious Carrie didn¡¯t believe Sophie. When Sophie and Ysabelle went out for a meal, they encountered Willow and her posse. ¡°How well do you think you¡¯re going to do this time, Willow?¡± Willow¡¯s friend asked. ¡°Well enough,¡± Willow replied. ¡°You always say that, and you always get into the top three!¡± Another one of Willow¡¯s friends chimed in, ¡°That¡¯s right! Willow is just that awesome! She¡¯s good- looking and smart! Whoever she marries in the future is going to be very lucky.¡± ¡°Tsk.¡± Ysabelle couldn¡¯t help but click her tongue when she heard Willow¡¯s posse praising Willow. ¡°What do you mean by that, Ysabelle?¡± One of Willow¡¯s ssmates spoke up sullenly. Even though what Willow¡¯s ssmates said was true, they were actually really jealous of Willow. ¡°I don¡¯t mean anything else by that. This isn¡¯t your home, so why do you care what I¡¯m saying?¡± Ysabelle retorted. ¡°You!¡± ¡°Forget about it. There¡¯s no need to waste our time talking to a bunch of awful students like them! Any one of the students in our ss can crush them easily,¡± one of Willow¡¯s ssmates mocked. It was true that Senior ss 1 students would utterly stomp on Senior ss 8 students. ¡°You¡ª¡± While that was the truth, it still pissed Ysabelle off. ¡°So what if you¡¯re all good at studying? That¡¯s the only thing you nerds know how to do!¡± ¡°Who are you calling a nerd, huh?¡± A girl in sses pushed Ysabelle back. ¡°So what if I¡¯m calling you all nerds?¡± Ysabelle refused to back down. The girl in sses wanted to hit Ysabelle, but Sophie caught her arm. ¡°Keep your hands to yourself,¡± Sophie warned. ¡°You think you¡¯re untouchable just because you won against Queenie? So what if you¡¯re good at basketball when your grades suck? What¡¯s there to be proud of?¡± Sophie sneered, ¡°Is intelligence the only thing you¡¯re proud of? In that case, just you wait until the results for the monthly exames out.¡± Once she finished her sentence, she left with Ysabelle. ¡°How are her grades, Willow?¡± the girl in sses asked. Sophie sounded as though she was confident she¡¯ll be getting good grades for the exam! ¡°Nothing impressive,¡± Willow answered. ¡°Good. We¡¯ll see how long she can act so smugly.¡± Inside the offices of Jipsdale Premier High, the Chanaean teachers were already marking the papers. There were around thirty teachers using the inte to mark their papers. Suddenly, a teacher jumped up. ¡°Oh my god! This is the first time I¡¯ve seen an essay like this in all my years as a teacher!¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± The other teachers surrounded their colleague when they heard that. ¡°Read this.¡± A few teachers read the essay at the same time and quickly realized it was the most perfect essay they had everid their eyes on. It was wless in every aspect. ¡°Which ss does this student belong to? Why didn¡¯t we notice this student before?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. It doesn¡¯t seem like it¡¯s written by someone in our ss.¡± ¡°Is this a student from your ss, Ms. Reynolds?¡± Ripley Reynolds was the Chanaean teacher for Senior ss 1. Since that ss consisted of the best students in the grade, it was only natural for them to assume the essay was written by a student in that ss. Ripley nced at the essay and shook her head immediately. ¡°The handwriting is too neat. No one in my ss writes like this.¡± ¡°Then who is this ck horse?¡± The teachers around were all very curious about the author of the essay. Chapter 36 Chapter 36 Chapter 36 tter For the physics paper, most of the students of Jipsdale Premier High had no idea how to answer the last question, leaving that question nk in the end. ¡°The questions for the physics paper this time are just too difficult. I onlypleted the paper after an hour.¡± Not only were the questions difficult, but there were also a lot of calctions too. More than half of the students in Senior ss 1 had a breakdown from it. Carrie kept silent the whole time. She had also tried the paper but had no idea how to answer thest question either. Even Aaron Elswick, the physics teacher from Senior ss 1, took an hour toplete the paper. ¡°What do you think, Mrs. Fletcher? Were you able toplete the calctions for thest question?¡± Aaron asked. ¡°I did. I don¡¯t think it was that difficult,¡± she said, not wanting to embarrass herself for not being able to answer the question. ¡°Haha¡­¡± The man knew that she wasn¡¯t that skilled, so her words were just a joke to him. Carrie knew that he was making fun of her, but she dared not stand up against him head-on. She wasn¡¯t as good at physics as he was, after all. ¡°No way! One of the students actually managed to answer this question. Not only are the steps for the calctions correct, but their answer is too!¡± ¡°Really? Then, it must be a student from Senior ss 1.¡± Among all of the sses, Senior ss 1 was the most capable. ¡°Should be. When ites to physics, who could everpare to Bailey Dixon from your ss?¡± Bailey was the top student of Jipsdale Premier High and had been cing first ever since he started attending the school. Looking over, Aaron noticed that it wasn¡¯t Bailey¡¯s handwriting on the paper. ¡°The student¡¯s not from my ss.¡± Everyone froze upon hearing that. Who else could it be if it¡¯s not Bailey? Is there another schr like him here at Jipsdale Premier High? On Friday night, they made reservations at Sky Hotel to celebrate Josiah¡¯s eightieth birthday. Since he did not like crowds, only a handful of rtives came to have dinner with him, taking up only two tables. ¡°Did you let Soph know?¡± When Josiah saw that Sophie had not arrived even though it was almost six in the evening, he asked Charmaine, who was sitting next to him. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Dad. I¡¯ve already let her know. But you know how her temper can be. I don¡¯t know if she¡¯ll come.¡± The woman just couldn¡¯t bring herself to like Sophie. Even though they were both her daughters, Willow was obedient, while Sophie was always arrogant and would never listen to her. ¡°I don¡¯t think she will being, Grandpa. I saw her leaving with a delinquent when school ended.¡± ¡°Forget about her, Dad. It¡¯s your eightieth birthday today. There are so many rtives here. Why should we let others make a joke out of us if Sophiees?¡± Hearing that, Josiah mmed the ss he was holding on the table. ¡°A joke? Who would dare do that? Whoever here who doesn¡¯t want to eat with our Sophie can leave,¡± he retorted. No matter what he did, they still had such an attitude toward his granddaughter. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Yale came over instantly when he heard such a bigmotion. ¡°Notify Sophie. No one can start eating if she doesn¡¯te.¡± All he wanted was to have a happy family dinner. How could he start dinner if Sophie wasn¡¯t here? Yale¡¯s expression turned dark in an instant. ¡°How old are you, Dad? Sophie¡¯s being immature, but are you going to be the same as well? Everyone¡¯s waiting! Everyone here is of seniority, so what if a younger one doesn¡¯te? Why should we make everyone wait for her?¡± Right then, Sophie pushed open the door and entered. In truth, she had not received a call from Charmaine, but she knew that it was her grandfather¡¯s birthday that day. It had not been a difficult task for her to find out where they were having dinner to celebrate it. ¡°I¡¯m here, Grandpa.¡± Josiah finally looked at ease at the sight of his granddaughter. ¡°Soph! Come here.¡± Content is ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org. Sophie walked over and sat beside him. ¡°There¡¯s no need for you to get angry, Grandpa. It¡¯s your eightieth birthday, so how could I note?¡± Hearing that, Josiah couldn¡¯t stop himself from smiling. As expected from my Sophie. Patting her head, he said, ¡°Oh, Soph! What would you do if I wasn¡¯t here anymore?¡± ¡°You¡¯re still in great health! Don¡¯t worry too much.¡± ¡°All right. Since everyone is here now, bring the dishes over!¡± Yale had a grim expression on his face, but he said nothing else. After all, it was his father¡¯s birthday today. He couldn¡¯t make it an unhappy day for him. ¡°Wi, your monthly exam just ended, right? How was it?¡± Willow¡¯s maternal aunt, Yara, asked. ¡°It was all right, Aunt Yara.¡± ¡°I heard from our Taylor that the papers this time were really difficult. You¡¯re really lucky, Charmaine,¡± she continued to tter. Charmaine was delighted when everyone turned their attention to Willow. She had spent so much time and energy on her daughter, after all. ¡°Taylor is really well-behaved too. I¡¯m sure she did well in her exams.¡± ¡°I¡¯d probably do better than Sophie,¡± Taylor replied with a smile. ¡°Watch what you¡¯re saying, Taylor.¡± ¡°I was just telling the truth, Mom! No one here is a match for Wi.¡± A smile surfaced on Willow¡¯s face when she heard thepliment, but she stayed silent. Nheless, she really liked hearing praises like these. ¡°Don¡¯t mind her, Soph. Taylor is still young, so she doesn¡¯t know any better.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t mind!¡± Sophie had never cared about irrelevant people like her. ¡°Soph, now that you¡¯re back in Jipsdale, you have to study hard. Stop with the nonsense you did in the past.¡± ¡°What did I do in the past that was so nonsensical, Aunt Yara?¡± Hearing that, Sophie raised a brow. These two are here to stir up trouble on purpose, aren¡¯t they? ¡°Since when is it your turn to tell me what to do with my life?¡± ¡°Watch your words, Sophie! She¡¯s your aunt!¡± Charmaine scolded as she red at Sophie. ¡°This is how I¡¯ve always spoken. Don¡¯t you know that I have no manners and am a delinquent? Besides, I¡¯m holding back today since it¡¯s Grandpa¡¯s birthday. Don¡¯t me me for being too hard on you next time I hear you saying something like this again.¡± Sophie couldn¡¯t help but feel disgusted at how they were ttering her mother while trampling over her. ¡°That¡¯s enough. Are we still eating or not?¡± No one dared to utter another word when Josiah spoke up. ¡°Don¡¯t mind their words, Soph,¡± he said, his heart aching for Sophie. After their meal, everyone got up and gifted Josiah with the presents they brought. ¡°I¡¯ve also prepared something for you, Grandpa.¡± Willow stood up and took out a red velvet box. ¡°I bought this emerald ring from an auction for two million. I hope you will like it, Grandpa.¡± ¡°What a filial child you are, Wi. Two million!¡± Yara¡¯s eyes lit up. Two million was not a small number for an ordinary family. ¡°I used the money I¡¯ve saved up since I was young, and the gift is nothing too expensive. I just hope that you will like it, Grandpa,¡± Willow said gently. Would Grandpa still like Sophie as much now? ¡°Sophie, Old Mr. Tanner gave you his twenty percent of the shares. Did you not prepare anything for him on his birthday?¡± Yara asked, not wanting Sophie to have an easy time. ¡°What I gave Sophie is just a gift to her as her grandpa. I am almost dying soon. Why should I need any more gifts?¡± ¡°Please calm down, Grandpa. I¡¯ve also prepared something for you.¡± The only reason she waste was that she had gone to get her grandfather¡¯s gift. ¡°Oh? What is it?¡± Josiah¡¯s interest was piqued. At that, Willow¡¯s expression turned ugly. Why is Grandpa always favoring Sophie? He only took a nce at my present before he called for a housekeeper to take it away. Yet, here he is, being so interested in Sophie¡¯s gift. I have to see for myself just what kind of gift she prepared. Chapter 37 Chapter 37 Chapter 37 I Will Teach You ¡°I know that you really like Edward Hopper¡¯s paintings, Grandpa. That¡¯s why I searched for one of his paintings for you. I hope that you¡¯ll like it.¡± ¡°What? Edward Hopper¡¯s painting? Are you dreaming, Sophie? Do you know how expensive his paintings are? At leaste up with something more believable if you¡¯re going to lie.¡± Right then, the door to the private room opened. Then, a man in a suit walked in with a 1.5-meter wooden case in his hands. ¡°Is Ms. Tanner here?¡± ¡°Here.¡± Sophie stood up, and the man handed her the case. She opened up the case and pulled out the painting from inside. Then, she held it up so that Josiah could have a look at it. He was indeed very fond of Edward Hopper¡¯s paintings. It was to the point where he was obsessed with them. The man smiled in an instant. He quickly put on his reading sses to carefully study the painting before him. ¡°I really like this painting, Soph. But where did you get so much money?¡± Edward Hopper¡¯s paintings were extremely expensive, after all. ¡°How is it possible that an eighteen-year-old girl like her would be able to buy an authentic painting, Old Mr. Tanner? This must be a fake,¡± Yara ridiculed. ¡°There¡¯s not an ounce of sincerity in her.¡± ¡°Who said that it¡¯s fake? This is an original painting of Mr. Hopper. I even have the documents to prove it,¡± the man in a suit said as he took out the documents. ¡°Then, the documents must be fake too!¡± Yara said, still refusing to believe it. ¡°I wish you a long life with great prosperity, Grandpa.¡± Sophie had put in a lot of effort in order to get the painting. However, everything was worth it as long as Josiah liked it. ¡°Do you really believe that it¡¯s real, Grandpa?¡± Even though Willow knew nothing about art, she didn¡¯t believe that Sophie was capable enough to get one of Edward Hopper¡¯s paintings. ¡°It¡¯s real.¡± He had been analyzing the art for so many years. There was no way he wouldn¡¯t be able to tell if it was real or fake. Everyone was shocked at his words. How on earth did you get your hands on it, Sophie? Sophie only left the Tanner residence after she sent Josiah back. ¡°Stop right there, Sophie.¡± Hearing that, she halted her footsteps. Willow immediately made her way toward her. ¡°Where did you get the painting? It¡¯s fake, isn¡¯t it? How can you lie to Grandpa?¡± ¡°Everything I own is authentic. Anything that¡¯s fake is just worthless to me.¡± Is anything she can¡¯t get fake to her? ¡°The man who drove the Lamborghini gave it to you, didn¡¯t he? How shameless of you, Sophie. How dare you use your body in exchange for something! Nheless, he¡¯s only interested in you for now. Once he loses interest, do you think you¡¯d be able to marry into a wealthy family with that reputation of yours?¡± Willow did not want to admit that she was getting anxious. It¡¯s fine. It¡¯s just a painting. The Tanner family can buy it too, so this is nothing. ¡°Marry into a wealthy family?¡± ¡°I will definitely marry into the Laird family. Do you still remember Mason? The one you had a crush on for two years? He¡¯s going to return soon.¡± Sophie turned around at her words. ¡°Is that so? Then, let me congratte you in advance. Willow, you set me up back then all because of Mason, didn¡¯t you?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t know? I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll know what I¡¯m talking about soon.¡± Then, Sophie left, leaving Willow alone. Mason is going to return soon. I have to take advantage of this chance. Meanwhile, Charles invited everyone to have dinner at Azure Club to celebrate his sister, Winter, getting third ce in a perfumerypetition. Winter had always liked Tristan. She had been preparing to marry him ever since she was in middle school. Now, she was quite famous in the perfume industry and even had her own fragrancepany. I¡¯m worthy of being with Tristan now, right? ¡°Time passes so quickly. The snotty Winter from back then is now all grown up,¡± Felix teased. ¡°What are you talking about, Felix? When was I ever snotty?¡± From N?velDrama.Org. ¡°I¡¯m not spewing nonsense. I remember that you liked following the four of us around, and you¡¯d always cry your eyes out at the littlest things.¡± ¡°Felix¡ª¡± Winter was so embarrassed to be talked about like that in front of the person she liked. She nced at Tristan, who was sitting in front of her. How can he be so handsome? Right then, Ysabelle arrived with Sophie. Having found out that the rest of them would be hanging out here, the former insisted that theye, and she was adamant that thetter apany her. Felix instantly went to wee them when he found out that they were here. ¡°Why are you here and not sleeping, Ms. Lombard?¡± Even though he had asked the question, he was quite happy that she was here. ¡°Is there a problem with being bored?¡± Ysabelle was toozy to be bothered by him. She stepped in once the waiter opened the door. ¡°Congrattions, Winter. I heard that the perfume you concocted for thepetition was really special.¡± Upon seeing Sophie, Tristan stopped drinking and got up to pull out a chair for her. Then, he gestured for her to sit down. ¡°Have you eaten yet?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Then, have some juice.¡± At that, Tristan called for a waiter and ordered two sses of fruit juice for Sophie and Ysabelle. ¡°It was all right,¡± Winter replied to Ysabelle. Yet, she kept her gaze on Sophie. ¡°Let me introduce her, Winter. This is my ssmate, Sophie Tanner.¡± ¡°Hello, I¡¯m Winter Quigley,¡± she said with a smile. ¡°She¡¯s Charles¡¯ sister. You¡¯ll have a lot of opportunities to meet each other in the future,¡± Tristan whispered in Sophie¡¯s ear. ¡°Hi. Sophie Tanner.¡± She got up and shook Winter¡¯s hand. ¡°You guys should skip ss tomorrow. We¡¯ll go have some fun,¡± Felix suggested. ¡°Sure! It¡¯s been a long time since Ist went out to have fun,¡± Ysabelle answered, feeling excited. ¡°Where are we going?¡± Charles asked. ¡°We¡¯re at a club right now. What can¡¯t we do here?¡± Tristan was nning to send Ysabelle and Sophie home by eleven at nightter. ¡°That¡¯s true.¡± Then, the group headed to the game room next door. Winter grabbed onto Ysabelle, and the two of them walked at the back of the group. ¡°Ysabelle, your uncle¡¯s treating Sophie so differently. What¡¯s their rtionship?¡± As a woman, Sophie was being too big of a threat to her. ¡°What do you mean, Winter? Sophie is just a ssmate. Besides, there¡¯s a huge age gap between them. Sophie wouldn¡¯t see him that way.¡± ¡°You silly girl! Is there a woman on earth who wouldn¡¯t want your uncle?¡± Any woman would dream to be with a man like Tristan. Who would care about the age factor? ¡°Sophie is different.¡± Other women couldn¡¯t wait to have him for themselves the moment theyid eyes on him. However, Sophie was different from them. ¡°I hope so.¡± What am I thinking? She¡¯s just a high school student. Even though she is beautiful, I¡¯m sure her looks are all she has. ¡°Let¡¯s y pool,¡± Charles suggested. He knew that his sister liked Tristan, but the man did not see her that way. However, he still wanted to create opportunities for her since Winter was good at ying pool. ¡°Sure!¡± she replied instantly. Winter always wanted to show her best self when she was with Tristan. ¡°Do you know how to y, Sophie?¡± Ysabelle asked. She wasn¡¯t as interested in pool. ¡°Nope,¡± Sophie answered. She wasn¡¯t interested in the game either. ¡°It¡¯s fine. I can teach you,¡± Tristan said as he walked over to where she was. Once they entered the room, he said, ¡°You guys go ahead and y first. I¡¯ll teach Sophie and Ysabelle how to y.¡± Chapter 38 Chapter 38 Chapter 38 My Disciple Tristan arranged the balls on the pool table and exined the rules of the game to Sophie and Ysabelle. However, Ysabelle wasn¡¯t interested in it at all. ¡°Can I not learn, Uncle Tristan?¡± she asked as she didn¡¯t like the game. ¡°Sure. Why don¡¯t you find something else to y with?¡± After that, he guided Sophie on what to do, and thetter nodded as she listened to the rules. ¡°Do you remember everything?¡± Tristan asked. ¡°I¡¯ll try.¡± As she spoke, she picked up the pool cue to give it a go. Leaning over the table, Sophie aimed at the balls just as the man had instructed. Seeing that her posture wasn¡¯t correct, Tristan walked over and helped correct her. With the position they were in right now, their bodies would press against each other even if only one of them were to move slightly. Sophie wasn¡¯t used to being so intimate with a grown man, and she couldn¡¯t stop herself from getting distracted. ¡°Focus.¡± Tristan was just as distracted, but he quickly calmed himself down. I can¡¯t let my imagination run wild. She¡¯s only eighteen. I can¡¯t think about those things. I can wait for her to grow up. ¡°Okay.¡± Sophie tried her best not to let the man¡¯s breath affect her. ¡°Aim at the balls. Your left hand should be this way, and your right like this. Yes, that¡¯s right.¡± ¡°Tsk, tsk. I¡¯ve never seen Mr. Tristan so patient before.¡± Tristan could get a hang of things he was learning very quickly. However, not even Ysabelle, who was most loved by the Lombard family, had gotten such a hands-on ss from him before. Obviously, Winter also saw it, and she couldn¡¯t help but clutch tightly onto her pool cue. Charles patted her shoulder and said, ¡°Winter, you¡¯re my sister. There¡¯s no man out there that you can¡¯t get. Come on, let¡¯s not think about him anymore. I¡¯ll introduce someone good to you in the future.¡± He had been friends with Tristan for so many years. Naturally, he knew how the man¡¯s temper was. Winter smiled bitterly at that. ¡°I¡¯m fine, Charles.¡± She¡¯s just a little girl. Maybe Tristan is just taking care of her as if she¡¯s his little sister. After all, no matter how you see it, a girl like her isn¡¯t worthy of someone like Tristan. From N?velDrama.Org. However, Winter herself had never been so intimate with him before. Meanwhile, Sophie got the hang of the game with just a few tries. ¡°Let me try it on my own.¡± Just like Tristan, she could learn things really quickly. In just a short while, she felt that she had already gotten the hang of it. He let go of her hand, and the feel of her skin lingered on his palm. Tristan secretly heaved a sigh once he let go of her. The girl¡¯s impact on him was getting bigger. He didn¡¯t seem to want to let her go once he grabbed hold of her. Sophie gave it a try on her own. She knew the rules and also the postures, so it wasn¡¯t difficult for her. ¡°Do you know how the game works now?¡± Winter came over and asked. Turning to Tristan, she added, ¡°Why don¡¯t you let me teach her, Tristan? It¡¯d be better since I¡¯m a woman too.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine. I¡¯ll teach my own disciple. Why? Are you doubting me?¡± He didn¡¯t want to have Winter getting so intimate with Sophie. ¡°I don¡¯t mean anything else. It¡¯s just that Sophie is a girl, so she might feel ufortable if you stick so close to her.¡± ¡°Are you feeling ufortable?¡± he turned to ask Sophie. Sophie walked over to the other side of the pool table. She only looked up at him once she had scored one of the balls. ¡°I¡¯m all right.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine if she¡¯s okay with it. Go ahead and y with them, Winter. Didn¡¯t you want to y?¡± Winter bit her lip, but she kept a smile on her face. Damn it! Are you doing this on purpose, Sophie? How do you know how to seduce people when you¡¯re so young? Tristan stopped bothering with Winter when he saw that Sophie¡¯s posture was wrong again. He quickly walked over to correct her. Lowering his head, he saw that the top of her breasts was showing because she was leaning forward. Tristan¡¯s eyes darkened at the sight of this. This little vixen always manages to seduce me even without the knowledge of doing so. He quickly looked away and corrected her posture. ¡°Don¡¯t wear clothes like this from now on.¡± Sophie straightened up and looked down at her clothes. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with it?¡± This shirt is really normal! ¡°The cor¡¯s too low.¡± The two of them were acting as if there wasn¡¯t anyone next to them, and Winter¡¯s face paled. Charles instantly walked over to drag her back to their table. ¡°All right. Stop looking.¡± What can she do even if she continues? No one can control what Tristan thinks or does. Winter bit her lip. ¡°Charles, Mr. Tristan¡¯s treating her so well.¡± ¡°No one knows what¡¯s on his mind. Just mind your own business. Don¡¯t mess with her, understand?¡± It seems like Mr. Tristan has already taken the girl under his wing. That means he won¡¯t tolerate anyone who messes with her. ¡°I know.¡± How could she not know his temperament? Nheless, she liked him and, thus, couldn¡¯t stand seeing him treat other women so well. Sophie finally got the hang of it after practicing more. ¡°Not bad,¡± Tristan said, giving her a rarepliment. ¡°Our Soph is that great! She can do anything.¡± Ysabelle couldn¡¯t help but feel proud herself when she heard Tristanplimenting Sophie. ¡°Are you up for a game, Sophie?¡± Even though Winter had a smile on her face, what she felt toward the girl before her hadpletely changed. ¡°Winter,¡± Charles warned. He knew that she wanted to show off her skills, but Sophie had only just learned the basics. He could not believe that his sister was shameless enough to challenge a beginner. Yet, Winter ignored him. ¡°It¡¯s just a game. You won¡¯t lose anything! You wouldn¡¯t mind right, Mr. Tristan?¡± ¡°Are you okay with it?¡± Tristan asked Sophie. It¡¯ll be fine even if she doesn¡¯t want to y. ¡°Of course!¡± Sophie said as she slowly picked up the pool cue. Ysabelle got up from her seat in an instant. She knew that Winter was picking on Sophie on purpose. ¡°That¡¯s not cool, Winter.¡± As the youngest of the Lombard family, Ysabelle didn¡¯t hold back her words. She liked Sophie, so naturally, she wanted to protect thetter. ¡°It¡¯s just a game, Belle. Why are you making it sound like I¡¯m bullying her? I won¡¯t force you if you don¡¯t want to, Sophie.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine. It¡¯s just a game, so it doesn¡¯t matter who wins.¡± Rolling her wrist to stretch it, Sophie added, ¡°You can go first.¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay. You¡¯re new, so you go ahead,¡± Winter said. I¡¯m the best among the other women when ites to ying pool. As a beginner, how dare she tell me to go first? She¡¯s really overestimating herself. ¡°Are you sure?¡± ¡°Yes. Mr. Tristan, is your disciple as good as you are? Can she score all the balls in one go?¡± Tristan ignored her words. To him, Winter was just Charles¡¯ sister. Sophie started the game. Her moves were a little rusty, so she could not get the game off to a good start. Seeing this, Winter smirked inwardly. I¡¯ll have to show Tristan that there¡¯s nothing more to a little girl like her. I have to show him just how vulnerable she is. I¡¯m the only one worthy of being with Tristan. It doesn¡¯t matter in what aspect¡ªI¡¯m the best suited to be with him! Sophie looked up and smiled at her. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯m still a bit rusty.¡± Then, she continued. Leaning over the table, she aimed and hit, scoring three red balls in one go. ¡°What great luck,¡± Winter sneered. It¡¯s her first time. She just has beginner¡¯s luck. Chapter 39 Chapter 39 Chapter 39 Wait For You To Understand Me s, Sophie¡¯s following actions merely served to increase Winter¡¯s fury. The final ball soon rolled into the hole. Winter had lost the game without even getting a chance to y. Seeing that, Charles, Felix, and Sean could barely hide their shock. Is this her first time ying this game? She¡¯s too good! Ysabelle flung her arms around Sophie. ¡°Oh, that was amazing. Soph, you¡¯re my idol!¡± Tristan scoffed. ¡°She has a great teacher, that¡¯s why.¡± ¡°Mr. Tristan, you¡¯re indeed amazing. I can¡¯t believe you taught her this well in a short time!¡± What are they talking about? No wonder Mr. Tristan treats her differently. She¡¯s indeed different from what I expected. Winter¡¯s expression turned dark when she heard everyonevishing praises on Sophie. ¡°It¡¯s gettingte. I¡¯ll give them a ride home. You can continue with the game.¡± Tristan spoke up. Sophie and Ysabelle were both twelfth-grade students, so they couldn¡¯t stay upte. From N?velDrama.Org. ¡°I¡¯m taking my leave, too. Mr. Tristan, I didn¡¯t drive here. Can you give me a ride home?¡± Winter asked. Tristan was leaving, so there was no reason for her to stay behind. The new perfume was about to be released soon, so she was pretty busy with work. ¡°It¡¯s not convenient,¡± Tristan rejected her without hesitation. Winter nearly popped a vein in frustration. Isn¡¯t it obvious that I have a crush on him? Can¡¯t he see it? How could he be this heartless? ¡°Charles, she¡¯s your sister. You brought her here, so take her back home yourself.¡± ¡°Mm. I¡¯ll do that.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll give Ysabelle a ride home. Her house is right beside mine, anyway,¡± Felix offered. ¡°Sure. Uncle Tristan, make sure Sophie gets home safely, all right?¡± Ysabelle implored. ¡°Let¡¯s go. No one will be stupid enough to dare to harm her if she¡¯s with Mr. Tristan.¡± Felix dragged her out. Winter wasn¡¯t about to give up just yet, but Charles didn¡¯t give her any chance and pulled her away. ¡°Charles, why did you drag me out? I can walk myself!¡± she huffed angrily. Charles sighed. ¡°Winter, you¡¯re my sister. I know you¡¯re smart, and our family has always been proud of you. However, you have to remember you can¡¯t win someone else¡¯s love just because you¡¯re smart. Tristan doesn¡¯t love you. No matter how much you work hard, he won¡¯t notice you. In fact, if you weren¡¯t my sister, you wouldn¡¯t even get to be in the same room as him.¡± How does someone as smart as her be a fool when in love? ¡°Charles, I don¡¯t want to hear that. I want nothing more than to be with him. You¡¯ll help me, right?¡± Winter whined. I¡¯m the daughter of the Quigley family, and Charles is a good friend of Mr. Tristan. Everything is in my favor, so I can¡¯t give up just yet! ¡°Be good. I can help you elsewhere, but this is beyond my capabilities,¡± Charles said. He wanted Winter to listen to his advice and give up, for her crush was fated for a bad ending. ¡°Don¡¯t do something that you¡¯ll regret.¡± Winter hung her head low and insisted, ¡°But I worked hard. I can be his perfect partner!¡± Charles shook his head. ¡°Whether or not you are a suitable partner for Mr. Tristan depends on his preference. No one else can make up his mind for him.¡± Tristan was born into an influential family, so he didn¡¯t need a wife to elevate his status. All he wanted was a woman who he loved. Tristan drank that night, so he didn¡¯t drive. His driver was already waiting outside. After spotting them, the driver got out of the car and opened the door for them. Tristan gestured for Sophie to enter the car before him. The driver then closed the door and returned to the driver¡¯s seat. He didn¡¯t need any orders, for he already knew where they were headed. ¡°Mr. Tristan, are you all right?¡± Sophie asked. He seems pretty downcast today. ¡°I¡¯m fine. My head¡¯s throbbing a bit, that¡¯s all.¡± ¡°Then ask the driver to give you a ride home first.¡± She didn¡¯t mind going home a bitter. Tristan leaned on her shoulder and shut his eyes. ¡°I¡¯m fine. I think I drank too much tonight,¡± he responded. Sophie stiffened the moment his headnded on her shoulder. The man implored, ¡°Let me lean on you for a bit.¡± Can I say no? Obviously not, since he¡¯s already leaning on me. When the car rolled to a stop at the underground parking at Wisteria Apartments, the driver didn¡¯t wake them up. He left them alone and went out to smoke. As he didn¡¯t know whether Tristan wanted to stay here, he decided to wait till Tristan woke up. Sophie didn¡¯t wake Tristan up either. She remained in her seat and allowed him to rest. ¡°We¡¯ve arrived?¡± Tristan¡¯s eyes snapped open, and the first thing he noticed was her attractive eyes. Reaching out, he caressed her cheek. ¡°It¡¯ll be great if you can be this good at all times,¡± hemented with a chuckle. Tristan had always been indifferent to others. However, the sight of his warm smile caused Sophie¡¯s heart to soften. ¡°I¡¯ve always been good,¡± Sophie retorted. She would only attack those who provoked her. If someone had the guts to invoke her wrath, she would definitely teach that someone a lesson without holding back. ¡°Do you need help with Tanner Group?¡± As of now, Tanner Group was no longer a threat in Jipsdale. ¡°No need. I can handle it myself.¡± She had to do this herself to savor the joy of aplishment. ¡°Mm. Be careful. Don¡¯t hurt yourself.¡± He wouldn¡¯t allow anyone toy a hand on her. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m not that weak.¡± Tanner Group was about to hold its annual board meeting soon. As one of the directors, Sophie thought she should show her presence at the meeting. Otherwise, they would think she was no longer alive. ¡°Do whatever you like. Don¡¯t worry.¡± She can do anything she likes with Tanner Group. ¡°Mm.¡± Sophie nodded. Willow wants Tanner Group for herself, so I¡¯ll take it from her. Tristan sat up. ¡°You don¡¯t have to see me off. Wisteria Apartments is perfectly safe,¡± Sophie said. He was feeling unwell and should head back home to rest. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Tristan pretended not to understand her rejection. As he was already here, he would have to send her to the door of her house safely. Perhaps he wanted to spend a few more minutes with her. ¡°Why don¡¯t you spend the night here instead of going home?¡± she suggested. ¡°What?¡± Sophie exined, ¡°Don¡¯t take me wrongly. This is your home, and I¡¯m staying here temporarily. You have your own room here, too.¡± ¡°There¡¯s no need to exin anything.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t mean anything else,¡± she insisted. After all, she wasn¡¯t an easy woman. ¡°A youngdy¡¯s reputation is important. I don¡¯t want others to nder you,¡± Tristan told her. Sophie isn¡¯t afraid of me, but I¡¯m afraid I might do something to her. She can affect me greatly. If I spend the night with her, I might lose control over myself. I respect her too much to tarnish her reputation. Tristan apanied her to the door and watched as she entered the house before leaving. ¡°Mr. Tristan, thanks.¡± Tristan turned at his shoulder. Suddenly, he had the urge to stay behind. He gave her a gentle hug. ¡°Don¡¯t thank me. I don¡¯t need your gratitude.¡± ¡°What do you want?¡± Sophie lifted her head to look at him. She had nothing but gratitude to offer him. Tristan pressed a kiss to her forehead. ¡°I¡¯ll wait for you to grow up and understand me.¡± She was still too young, and her life was full of possibilities. He was willing to give her more time to get what she wanted before getting together with him. Chapter 40 Chapter 40 Chapter 40 Full Marks For Physics Monday arrived in the blink of an eye. The students arrived at their ssroom and immediately started chatting about the monthly exam. ¡°I¡¯m doomed. The parent-teacher conference will be held after the results are released.¡± ¡°Yes! My mom will kill me.¡± ¡°What should I do? The results should be out by now. I can¡¯t bring myself to find my results. When you find out yours, help me find mine, too.¡± Those who did badly in the test dared not find out their results. ¡°Soph, don¡¯t be nervous. Even if you failed your physics paper, you don¡¯t have to leave Jipsdale Premier High. If you leave, I¡¯ll leave with you!¡± Sophie had said nothing after arriving at school, so Ysabelle assumed she was worried about her results. ¡°There¡¯s no need for that.¡± ¡°What? Soph, I¡¯ll go wherever you go. I¡¯m your fan!¡± Ysabelle enthused. No matter what Sophie did, Ysabelle would side with her willingly. ¡°ss is going to start soon. Go back to your seat!¡± Sophie didn¡¯t feel like talking. She preferred silence, and her ssmates were too noisy. ¡°Mm. Don¡¯t worry! I¡¯m here, and I¡¯ll protect you,¡± Ysabelle promised. Right then, Carrie entered the ssroom with the answer sheets. She could barely believe her eyes when she saw the physics results of the students. m! She mmed the answer sheets onto the table loudly. ¡°I thought you were merely students with bad grades, but at least you had good characters. To my utter shock, something this serious happened in Jipsdale Premier High, in Senior ss 8! How embarrassing is this?¡± Carrie started yelling the moment she stepped into the ssroom. The students were confused by her action. Bobby finally stepped out to ask, ¡°Mrs. Fletcher, what happened? You¡¯ve been yelling at us for some time, but we still don¡¯t know what¡¯s going on.¡± He couldn¡¯t hold it in anymore. Carrie had never liked their ss, and it was unreasonable for her to yell at them for no reason. Carrie stopped her lecture. ¡°Before exining the matter, I shall announce everyone¡¯s physics exam marks.¡± Belonging to N?velDrama.Org. Carrie then proceeded to announce everyone¡¯s marks. There were thirty-six students in total, and only six managed to pass the test. The rest scored around forty to fifty marks. The students fell silent after hearing their results. Their physics weren¡¯t good to begin with. This time, the physics test was too difficult. Thus, they assumed it was natural for Carrie to yell at them. ¡°Did you forget my marks?¡± Sophie inquired. ¡°Sophie, shut up. Don¡¯t you know that you suck?¡± ¡°Yes! Our ss was the secondst in physics. Now that you¡¯re here, we¡¯ve fallen to thest ce!¡± ¡°Soph, calm down,¡± Ysabelle urged. She was worried that Carrie would fly into a fit of rage as thetter was ring at them angrily. ¡°Mrs. Fletcher, before Sophie came, our ss¡¯ physics results used to be secondst. You should be ming Sophie!¡± Lenora chimed in. ¡°Lenora, shut the f*ck up!¡± Ysabelle hissed. She wanted nothing more than to rip Lenora¡¯s lips apart. ¡°Your physics suck. Am I to me for that?¡± Lenora was one of the six who passed her physics test. Her results were always good, so she was pretty smug about herself. ¡°How much did I score?¡± Sophie asked calmly. ¡°Sophie Tanner, full marks.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Mrs. Fletcher, have you gotten it wrong?¡± It was practically impossible for a student to score full marks for the physics test this month. Even Bailey from Senior ss 1 couldn¡¯t achieve this feat. ¡°Really?¡± Ysabelle blurted excitedly. Indeed, Soph can do anything easily! ¡°Sophie, stand up,¡± Carrie ordered. ¡°Mrs. Fletcher, you wanted me to pass the test, and I scored full marks. Isn¡¯t that enough?¡± Sophie no longer wanted to show any respect for Carrie. ¡°Mrs. Fletcher, she must¡¯ve stolen the test paper prior to this. No one could possibly score full marks!¡± Lenora uttered. Ysabelle retorted, ¡°Shut the f*ck up, Lenora!¡± She would forever be supportive of Sophie. ¡°Be honest with me. How did you get the test before this?¡± Carrie was of the opinion that Sophie had cheated too. Hearing that, Sophie snorted icily. ¡°Is it that hard to acknowledge someone else¡¯s ability?¡± ¡°Sophie, I¡¯m being calm right now. If you refuse to say anything, I¡¯ll have to bring the matter to the principal,¡± Carrie warned. ¡°Whatever.¡± Sophie wasn¡¯t about to entertain Carrie when thetter was being unreasonable. Carrie dered, ¡°All right. Just you wait. Jipsdale Premier High can tolerate students with bad results, but we¡¯ll definitely expel those who cheat!¡± Jipsdale Premier High had this policy all along, so Sophie wouldn¡¯t be the exception. Furious, Carrie marched out of the ssroom and mmed the door shut in her wake. The students of Senior ss 8 fell silent for a few moments before bursting into an uproar. ¡°D*mn it. Mrs. Fletcher has always been mean to us. If we score badly in our physics test, she has to bear some sort of responsibility too, right?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right! She often answers calls and ys games on her phone during ss. Does she have a powerful background? Otherwise, why would she get to teach here?¡± The students of Senior ss 8 had been unsatisfied with Carrie for a long time. She had gone too far with her actions today. ¡°All right. Everyone, calm down,¡± Bobby announced. He went to Sophie and asked, ¡°Sophie, you didn¡¯t cheat, right?¡± ¡°Bobby!¡± Ysabelle huffed. ¡°No,¡± Sophie responded nonchntly. Lenora snorted. ¡°Sophie, even if you were to cheat, you shouldn¡¯t copy everything and get full marks. Be smart. Do you think anyone will believe you¡¯re capable of getting full marks?¡± ¡°Sophie, if you did cheat, be honest. We can talk to the principal together. Mrs. Fletcher was rude, so I believe the principal won¡¯t me you after he learns about her attitude.¡± ¡°I said, I didn¡¯t cheat!¡± Sophie¡¯s patience was at its limit. Right then, the principal¡¯s assistant showed up. ¡°Sophie Tanner, the principal wants to see you at his office.¡± Sophie got to her feet and zipped her uniform up. ¡°Soph, I¡¯ll apany you!¡± Ysabelle offered. She meant what she said. If Soph gets expelled, I¡¯ll leave the school with her! ¡°No need. I can handle this myself.¡± In the principal¡¯s office, Carrie was stillining about Sophie. ¡°Mr. Langston, Jipsdale Premier High has been an elite school for decades. We can¡¯t let one student ruin our reputation. It¡¯s uneptable that this has happened in Jipsdale Premier High!¡± Carrie raged. ¡°Sophie? Come, have a seat,¡± Andy said warmly. Sophie padded over and sat on the couch across from Carrie. Andy parted his lips to say, ¡°I heard you scored full marks for your physics test this time, Sophie.¡± Sophie inclined her head. ¡°But Mrs. Fletcher doesn¡¯t think you¡¯re capable of doing that, so she thinks you cheated. What is your exnation?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t cheat,¡± came Sophie¡¯s answer. Carrie sneered, ¡°You were expelled from Horington High School but scored full marks for your physics test. Don¡¯t you think your lie is too much of a stretch?¡± ¡°Mrs. Fletcher, please mind your words,¡± Andy reminded. ¡°Mr. Langston, I¡¯m merely stating my doubts.¡± Right then, Sophie asked, ¡°Mrs. Fletcher, do you have evidence to prove that I cheated during the test?¡± ¡°No. I refuse to believe that you can score full marks, though.¡± ¡°Mrs. Fletcher!¡± Andy said, and there was a finality to his tone that warned her to stop talking. Carrie is too rude to her students. Chapter 41 Chapter 41 Chapter 41 Proving Her Wrong ¡°Mr. Langston, I can no longer teach her,¡± Carrie insisted. Right then, Derrick showed up at the office, panting heavily. He had run all the way to the principal¡¯s office after learning about the matter. ¡°Mr. Langston, this must be a misunderstanding!¡± He huffed and panted. ¡°Mr. Hayes, I¡¯m d you¡¯re here. I can no longer teach your ss. Never mind if they rankedst in their batch; now someone even cheated in the test! Find someone else to take over my position!¡± Carrie announced. ¡°Mrs. Fletcher, we don¡¯t know what happened yet. How could you use my student of cheating?¡± Derrick argued. ¡°I don¡¯t think even I can score full marks for the test this time. How could she score full marks? Are you kidding me?¡± Carrie retorted. Derrick responded, ¡°You¡¯re not capable enough, that¡¯s why. I can¡¯t believe you have the face to say that out loud.¡± ¡°Hey!¡± Carrie fumed. ¡°Why don¡¯t we do this? I have a set of physicspetition questions with me. Sophie, please solve them.¡± Andy pulled out a set of physics quiz questions that were sealed. ¡°Mrs. Fletcher, you should solve them, too.¡± ¡°Mr. Langston, you want me to solve it together with her?¡± Carrie might not be as capable as Aaron from Senior ss 1, but she found it humiliating to be asked to solve the questions with her student. ¡°Just do it. You think you¡¯re capable of teaching the honors sses, right? It¡¯s time for you to show me your ability. If you¡¯re capable enough, I¡¯ll allow you to teach the honors sses,¡± Andy told her. Andy unsealed the file and gave them both the papers. ¡°Sophie, if you can score fifty marks this time, I¡¯ll admit that you didn¡¯t cheat. I¡¯ll also apologize to you,¡± Carrie said after taking a look at the papers. The questions were difficult, so she was pretty sure Sophie couldn¡¯t solve them. ¡°Mrs. Fletcher, stop talking. Go solve the questions there.¡± Sophie took the papers and returned to her spot on the couch. She grabbed a pencil and started scribbling the answers down without even using a draft paper. Carrie, on the other hand, started using the draft paper for the first multiple choice question. I need to perform well this time. They think I can¡¯t teach the honors sses, right? This is the time to prove myself. Afterpleting the multiple choice questions, Sophie moved on to the subjective questions. She was good at mental arithmetic, so she could write out the steps on paper and calcte the answer mentally without needing any draft papers. They were given two hours toplete the physics quiz, but Sophiepleted everything in one hour. She ced her pencil on the table and put on her earphones casually. ¡°Mr. Langston, see that? She gave up as she didn¡¯t know how to answer any of them! How dare she listen to music here? I¡¯ve never seen anyone as arrogant as her!¡± Carrieined. ¡°Mrs. Fletcher, you should hurry. There is only one hour left, but you have yet toplete many questions,¡± Derrick chimed in. He couldn¡¯t bring himself to stay quiet anymore. Since Sophie came to this school, Carrie had been making life difficult for her. Derrick had talked to Carrie a few times privately, but she still refused to change her attitude. Carrie shot Derrick a re before returning to her questions. The further she got, the more difficult the questions became. Carrie¡¯s expression turned dark. She couldn¡¯t solve two subjective questions. Her initial n was to perform well. s, her n had gone down the drain. However, this was a physicspetition paper. The reassuring thought made her rx immediately. The questions were too difficult to begin with, so it had nothing to do with her ability. Andy invited the physics teacher of Senior ss 1 and also the Head of Physics, Aaron, to mark their papers. Aaron marked Carrie¡¯s paper first. He quickly finished marking the multiple choice questions. She got them all correct. Carrie heaved a sigh of relief at the results. Aaron made the calctions as he marked the subjective questions. In the end, Carrie scored seventy-eight marks. ¡°Mrs. Fletcher, you¡¯re quite weak in physics,¡± Aaronmented. As the Head of Physics, he kept reminding the other physics teachers to solve physics questions during their free time. However, Carrie kept brushing him off. Carrie turned grouchy after getting reprimanded in public. Derrick handed Sophie¡¯s paper to Aaron. Sophie got all the multiple choice questions and the fill-in-the-nk questions correct. She also got all the subjective questions correct. Thus, she scored full marks on the quiz paper. Aaron could barely hide his shock, for he couldn¡¯t even score full marks if he were to do the quiz himself. ¡°How did she do?¡± Andy queried. ¡°Mr. Langston, she scored full marks!¡± Aaron reported happily. Did our school hit the jackpot? Is she a genius? ¡°What? Mr. Elswick, did you make a mistake?¡± Carrie refused to believe it. Sophiepleted the questions an hour ago, so it seemed impossible for her to score full marks. ¡°Mr. Langston, please allow me to tutor Sophie. I¡¯ll register her name for the physicspetition this year!¡± Aaron implored excitedly. He had always been an ambitious teacher but had nevere across any smart students in his teaching career until now. ¡°Mm. We¡¯ll talk about thatter.¡± Andy was surprised, too. He only took Sophie in as a favor to the Northley family, so he had no idea he would hit the jackpot. ¡°Sophie, you can leave now. We know that you didn¡¯t cheat.¡± Andy¡¯s voice grew increasingly gentle. ¡°I¡¯ll be off now.¡± After Sophie left, Andy returned to his seat. ¡°Mrs. Fletcher, I¡¯m afraid you can¡¯t be a physics teacher in our school with your ability,¡± he said. Carrie only scored seventy-eight marks, so it was pretty obvious she wasn¡¯t capable of teaching the students. ¡°Mr. Langston, I¡­¡± Carrie had no idea she would shoot herself in the feet today. ¡°You¡¯ll be in charge of managing the dorms from today onward. For now, work hard on your physics. You¡¯ll take the final examination with the students. If your level is still the same, then you¡¯ll keep managing the dorms. I can¡¯t allow an unqualified teacher to teach the students. Of course, if you aren¡¯t satisfied with my arrangement, you can resign now. I¡¯ll approve your resignation right away,¡± Andy stated firmly. Carrie was seething inwardly. D*mn it! I wouldn¡¯t be in this state if it wasn¡¯t for Sophie! ¡°Mr. Langston, let me continue teaching Senior ss 8,¡± she answered weakly. Andy asked, ¡°Mr. Hayes, as the homeroom teacher of Senior ss 8, do you think Mr. Elswick can teach them physics?¡± ¡°But Mr. Elswick is already teaching three sses! Won¡¯t it be too much for him to teach my ss too?¡± ¡°No, it isn¡¯t too much! I can do it. I can teach your ss,¡± Aaron interjected swiftly. After Sophie returned to Senior ss 8, everyone turned to look at her quietly. ¡°Soph, how did it go?¡± Belonging to N?velDrama.Org. As she said naught a word, Ysabelle began packing up her stuff. ¡°Soph, let¡¯s go. There¡¯s no point studying in such a school,¡± she huffed. Sophie grabbed her arm. ¡°Where are you going? I don¡¯t have to leave.¡± Having said that, Sophie returned to her seat calmly. ¡°Really? Didn¡¯t Carrie¡ª¡± ¡°Ysabelle, I¡¯m fine. I didn¡¯t cheat, so she can¡¯t expel me.¡± Derrick then entered with Aaron behind him. ¡°Everyone, quiet down. From today onward, Mrs. Fletcher will no longer be your physics teacher. Mr. Elswick will be your new physics teacher,¡± Derrick announced. The students gaped in disbelief. ¡°What happened?¡± ¡°I thought Mr. Elswick teaches the honors sses?¡± ¡°The results for the monthly test are out. You can find out your results on the bulletin board. Next Monday will be the day of the parent-teacher conference. It¡¯s very important, so one of your parents will have to show up.¡± After learning that the results had been released, the students of Senior ss 8 rushed out of the ssroom before Derrick could even finish his announcement. Chapter 42 Chapter 42 Chapter 42 Just Like That ¡°Willow, let¡¯s go. The results are out, so we should go take a look.¡± At the same time, Senior ss 1 received the news, too. ¡°Bailey wille first, and Willow will either be in the second or third ce. They won¡¯t be curious about their results.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go. We should take a look together. This time, the test was quite hard.¡± Willow got to her feet. Instead of her own results, she wanted to see Sophie¡¯s scores. She was certain that Sophie wasn¡¯t her match. When Willow and her friends arrived, the bulletin board was crowded. ¡°Scram! Your results are that way!¡± The students from Senior ss 1 started chasing the others away. The top hundred students were usually from the honors sses, so there was no reason for the students from the other sses to crowd this spot. ¡°It¡¯s fine. I can check out Sophie¡¯s results first. She¡¯s my sister, so I hope she did well.¡± Willow went to the end of the bulletin board, certain Sophie didn¡¯t do well in the test. She knew how bad Sophie¡¯s results were back in Horington, and it was impossible for one to improve that swiftly in such a short amount of time. ¡°Wi, how could you be this kind? You treat her nicely, but she might not appreciate your gesture. She has a bad reputation, so you should be careful not to let her drag you down.¡± The upper-ss society cared about their reputation a lot. ¡°I don¡¯t mind. No matter what, she¡¯s still my sister,¡± Willow insisted. ¡°Didn¡¯t she rankst?¡± Everyone assumed Sophie was going toest, for the students at Jipsdale Premier High were pretty smart. Willow¡¯s smile nearly slipped when she couldn¡¯t find Sophie¡¯s name among thest ten students. They moved up the list. ¡°Wi, how bad did your sister do? Her name isn¡¯t even on the list!¡± Hearing that, Willow sighed. Her name isn¡¯t even on the list? That means Sophie did really bad! Meanwhile, Ysabelle dragged Sophie out of the ssroom to check out their results. ¡°Oh my god! Soph, am I seeing things?¡± Ysabelle rubbed her eyes incredulously. She opened her eyes wide and stared at the list again. Sophie hade in second, only scoring ten marks lesser than Bailey. ¡°Soph, how did you score that high?¡± Ysabelle was shocked. Isn¡¯t Soph a terrible student and a delinquent? How did this happen? ¡°Just like that,¡± came Sophie¡¯s nonchnt answer. She hadn¡¯t wanted toe first and had done several questions wrong on purpose. Otherwise, Bailey wouldn¡¯t even be her match. Willow came over to them and sneered, ¡°Sophie, why isn¡¯t your name on the list? Did you do so badly that the teachers refuse to let others see your results?¡± ¡°Wi, just ignore her. She isn¡¯t worth your time.¡± ¡°I guess no one in Jipsdale Premier High had ever scored this low, so the teachers were too embarrassed to release her results to the public.¡± Willow¡¯s friends burst out giggling. Ysabelle was so furious she let out a snort. How dare they look down on Soph? ¡°Why are you snorting?¡± One of Willow¡¯s friends, a girl wearing sses, spoke out. ¡°If you suck, you should stay in your ssroom instead of embarrassing yourself in public.¡± ¡°I¡¯mughing at someone who¡¯s blind. Sophie¡¯s name is really obvious, but someone is too blind to see it.¡± ¡°Hey!¡± Willow went over to the top of the list. Bailey came first as he scored seven hundred and twenty-five marks. Sophie came second for scoring seven hundred and fifteen marks. Willow ranked third for scoring six hundred and eighty marks. ¡°How is this possible?¡± Willow couldn¡¯t believe her eyes. Did Sophie rank second? She scored thirty- five marks more than me! Everyone else came after seeing Willow¡¯s reaction. They were at a loss for words after seeing Sophie¡¯s results. ¡°Seriously?¡± ¡°Willow, isn¡¯t your sister a terrible student?¡± ¡°Yeah! I thought she loves to fight? What is going on?¡± ¡°Ha! Why? Are you jealous? Sophie can fight and study well! She¡¯s an all-rounder!¡± Ysabelle announced proudly. In fact, she was so delighted as though she was the one who came first. ¡°Impossible.¡± Willow shot Sophie a disbelieving look. ¡°You cheated during the test, right?¡± Sophieughed icily. ¡°Cheat? Do you think it¡¯s possible to cheat when the test is so hard? I don¡¯t think you can memorize the answer to thest question in the physics test even if you were given the answer beforehand!¡± she mocked. Willow scowled. How could this be? Sophie did poorly back in Horington! ¡°Ysabelle, let¡¯s go back to ss.¡± From N?velDrama.Org. Sophie led Ysabelle back to their ssroom. Willow stood rooted to her spot. Many things had changed since Sophie¡¯s return, and she was about to lose control of everything. ¡°Willow, are you all right?¡± her friend asked in concern. ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± It¡¯s just a monthly test. Never mind. I can work hard to defeat Sophie. She was dealt another blow when their Chanaean teacher read Sophie¡¯s essay out loud in ss. The teacher keptvishing praises on Sophie¡¯s writing. For the next few sses, Sophie¡¯s answers were used as a temte for the students to learn and improve. Willow couldn¡¯t help but feel jealous. That night, she went home to Charmaine, who asked her about her monthly test results. ¡°Wi, you haven¡¯t told me about your results.¡± Charmaine had hired many famous teachers for Willow as she wanted her daughter to get admitted into a top university. Nowadays, eligible bachelors from the upper-ss society would consider their future partners¡¯ education level and IQ as they wanted their next generation to inherit good genes. Thus, Charmaine had always paid attention to Willow¡¯s education. ¡°Not bad.¡± Willow dared not tell Charmaine that Sophie had done better, afraid that Charmaine would focus on Sophie¡¯s good results. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Did someone bully you in school?¡± Charmaine asked worriedly. Willow seemed to be in low spirits tonight. ¡°I¡¯m fine. I think I didn¡¯t get to rest well as I worked too hard for the test. I¡¯m a bit tired,¡± she exined. Charmaine told the housekeeper to heat a ss of milk for her. ¡°Wi, I know it¡¯s hard on you. You need to work hard as that¡¯s the only way you can get what you want. Think about Mason. You¡¯ve always liked him, right?¡± Doesn¡¯t she know what kind of wife the Laird family prefers? Charmaine added, ¡°Besides, you¡¯ve neglected painting recently. You need to paint more. I¡¯ll organize an art exhibition for you one day.¡± ¡°Mm. I know.¡± Willow perked up at the mention of that. Indeed, having good results wasn¡¯t enough. The upper-ss society wanted more than that from women. For example, Mason¡¯s mother, Constance, was a painter of some renown. With her painting skills, she was better than most women of her age. ¡°Mom, the parent-teacher conference will be held on Monday. Are you free to attend it? If you aren¡¯t, it¡¯s fine.¡± This time, Willow didn¡¯t want her mother to attend the conference. She didn¡¯t want Sophie to get to gloat. ¡°Monday? Sure, I¡¯ll be there,¡± Charmaine promised. ¡°If you attend it for me, what about Sophie? You should just stay home instead of showing up.¡± Charmaine assured her, ¡°Wi, you¡¯re my only hope. Sophie is no match for you!¡± Sophie has a bad reputation. She¡¯s hopeless. Hearing that, Willow leaned into Charmaine¡¯s arms. ¡°Mom, thanks. I won¡¯t disappoint you,¡± she vowed. ¡°Good. You must marry Mason. I¡¯ll figure out a way to get the twenty percent of shares from Sophie to be your dowry.¡± Chapter 43 Chapter 43 Chapter 43 Conference That Friday night, the Lombard family returned to the Lombard residence for dinner with William. William sat at the head of the table as a dozen of them took their seats. Although William was over seventy years old, the aura he had amassed over the years since he became an entrepreneur was still strong. ¡°Tristan, I¡¯ve heard that you¡¯re rather conspicuous recently.¡± Tristan put down his wine ss and replied, ¡°Dad, since you¡¯ve handed over Lombard Group to me, I¡¯ll handle everything. You can put your mind at ease and enjoy gardening at home.¡± ¡°Tristan, how can you talk to Dad like that?¡± William¡¯s eldest son, Lincoln, chided Tristan for disrespecting their aged father. ¡°That¡¯s right, Tristan. Dad wanted to remind you for your own good. Others won¡¯t let you off the hook once you harm their interests.¡± Soon, William¡¯s second oldest, Sarah, chimed in. ¡°Sarah, I know what I¡¯m doing. Don¡¯t worry about me.¡± Tristan was confident and had made the necessary preparations for the drastic action. ¡°Sarah, how are things going between you and that brat from the Quigley family? You¡¯re not getting any younger. If he¡¯s not okay, you¡ª¡± ¡°Dad, please don¡¯t bother yourself with this matter.¡± Sarah felt a little frustrated once William brought it up. ¡°Do you guys think I want to poke my nose into your business? I¡¯m worried about all of you!¡± ¡°Grandpa, I¡¯m well-behaved!¡± Ysabelle interrupted after she had been eating quietly for some time. William put on a smile when he saw his beloved granddaughter. ¡°You¡¯re right. You¡¯re such a good girl.¡± ¡°Grandpa, I have a friend in Jipsdale Premier High. I¡¯ll bring her here on my birthday. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll be fond of her.¡± ¡°Sure.¡± ¡°By the way, the parent-teacher conference will be held next Monday. Dad, will you be going?¡± ¡°Monday? I¡¯ll be in Mapleton that day. Let Uncle Tristan go on my behalf.¡± ¡°Uncle Tristan? Are you free to join the conference?¡± Ysabelle thought Tristan was busier. ¡°Okay.¡± Much to her surprise, Tristan agreed. After dinner, Tristan was chatting with Sarah in the greenhouse. ¡°Sarah, Juan isn¡¯t the right man for you.¡± Among the siblings, Tristan and Sarah were the closest to each other. Sarah put on a wry smile once Tristan finished. ¡°Tristan, sometimes you find yourself unable to do anything when you¡¯ve fallen for someone.¡± As if I don¡¯t know what kind of a person Juan is. Despite that, I can¡¯t control my heart. ¡°I don¡¯t want to see you get hurt.¡± Tristan could settle everything for Sarah except for this. ¡°All right. Don¡¯t be bothered by my business. People are saying that you¡¯ve been quite close with a youngdytely. Why didn¡¯t you tell me? Let me evaluate her for you!¡± ¡°Who said so?¡± ¡°So it¡¯s true? Bring her home someday. I¡¯m eager to meet her.¡± ¡°Sure, but don¡¯t let Dad know.¡± Since William was bad-tempered, Tristan didn¡¯t want Sophie to get hurt. ¡°I understand. Dad is indeed bad-tempered.¡± On Monday morning, Ysabelle came up to Sophie once Sophie arrived in ss. ¡°Soph, which of your family member wille to the parent-teacher conference this evening?¡± ¡°No one.¡± Since Josiah was getting on in the years, Sophie didn¡¯t want him to be troubled by the trivial matter. As for Yale and Charmaine, she hadn¡¯t told them about the event. ¡°I see. My uncle will beingter. I¡¯ll ask him to bring Felix along to help you.¡± ¡°No need for that.¡± ¡°No worries.¡± ¡°There¡¯s really no need for that.¡± ¡°Soph, you¡¯re my friend. My uncle is also your uncle.¡± Sophie was rendered speechless. At noon, Tristan and Felix came to Wisteria Apartments to have lunch with Sophie and Ysabelle. Sophie¡¯s and Ysabelle¡¯s lips twitched when they saw the dressed-up men. It¡¯s merely a parent-teacher conference. Do they have to dress up like this? ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Ysabelle, do you want to rate my outfit today?¡± Ysabelle sat on the couch and replied, ¡°My god. Others might think you¡¯re going to attend an award- giving ceremony!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t I look good?¡± Tristan had faith in his appearance, for he was known to be a handsome guy. Sophie didn¡¯t say a word. She knew that Tristan would remain handsome and eye-catching even if he wore some ordinary clothes from the thrift store. ¡°Mr. Northley, thank you for acting as my parent.¡± Felix rubbed the back of his head awkwardly. Didn¡¯t Mr. Tristan tell her I¡¯ll act as Ysabelle¡¯s parent? Her parent will be Mr. Tristan! After a while, it came to Felix¡¯s mind that Tristan would probably act as Sophie¡¯s future husband. Since Tristan didn¡¯t reveal it, Felix certainly wouldn¡¯t say a word about it. ¡°You¡¯re wee. I don¡¯t have much work to do today anyway.¡± ¡°Sophie, you don¡¯t have to thank him. I asked Uncle Tristan to bring him along.¡± ¡°Ysabelle, do you have a problem with me recently?¡± Ysabelle scoffed at that but didn¡¯t utter a word in response. ¡°All right. Come and have lunch already.¡± Just then, Tristan interrupted and stopped their nonsense. At two o¡¯clock in the afternoon, the driver drove Charmaine and Willow to Jipsdale Premier High. Since the parent-teacher conference was being held today, no cars were allowed to enter the building. Hence, the driver stopped at the entrance for Charmaine and Willow to get out of the car. Since the students of Jipsdale Premier High came from wealthy or prominent families, the entrance was packed with many luxury cars. Even the Tanner family¡¯s car wasn¡¯t the best one. ¡°Willow, you have to get close to the Laird family. It¡¯s the only way that the Tanner family can prosper.¡± Oftentimes, humans would not feel satisfied with what they already had. ¡°Mom, I understand.¡± Willow was a well-known student in Jipsdale Premier High, for she was always among the top three students in her grade. Content is ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org. As they headed toward the ssroom, many parents who knew Charmaine came andmended Willow for being beautiful and clever. At that moment, Charmaine thought she had made the right choice. Willow is the one who can bring me great honor. Meanwhile, Willow was also pleased at their praises. Yes, I should always be in the limelight. No matter how excellent Sophie is, no one will care about her because of her embarrassing past. Just then, a white Porsche Cayenne pulled over at the entrance of Jipsdale Premier High. The well-dressed Felix hopped out and quickly opened the door for Ysabelle. The next moment, a silver Lamborghini stopped right behind the Porsche Cayenne. After the driver opened the door, Tristan and Sophie got out of it. As both were good-looking, the people around began to stop and stare at them. Some young girls even screamed in excitement. My god! Are these movies stars here for filming? Hearing themotion, Charmaine and Willow also stopped walking and turned around. Charmaine¡¯s expression turned grim once she saw Sophie. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Charmaine grabbed Willow¡¯s wrist to continue walking. She couldn¡¯t tolerate the thought that people would ridicule her because of Sophie. After all, she always treated Sophie as a disgrace. In the meantime, Charmaine¡¯s reaction sparked joy in Willow¡¯s heart. Just as I thought, Sophie has be an embarrassment. No matter how hard she tries to prove herself, she will always be a nobody in the Tanner family! ¡°Soph, don¡¯t be sad. You still have me.¡± Noticing Willow and Charmaine¡¯s disdainful reaction, Ysabelle quickly held Sophie¡¯s arm. Chapter 44 Chapter 44 Chapter 44 Feel Sorry For Her After a while, the four people arrived at the ssroom of Senior ss 8. ¡°Ysabelle, where is your seat?¡± ¡°Here.¡± Felix sat in Ysabelle¡¯s chair upon hearing that. Not bad. This spot is just right for Ysabelle since she isn¡¯t a tall girl. ¡°And you?¡± When Sophie brought Tristan to thest row, he took the seat. Other students continued toe in with their parents, mostly in their thirties or forties. Unknowingly, they dared not breathe too loudly upon seeing Tristan. After a while, some parents who knew each other began discussing their children¡¯s results. ¡°Did you hear the news? Previously, Senior ss 8 was the secondst in physics. However, the ss¡¯ performance deteriorated since a student named Sophie came.¡± ¡°Yes, I¡¯ve heard about that. My daughter told me that Sophie is a delinquent. She has been living together with some random men since junior high.¡± ¡°How can such a studente to Senior ss 8? Since today is the parent-teacher conference, I n to discuss it with Mr. Hayes. Our children are now in their senior year, which is a crucial year. We can¡¯t let a rotten apple spoil the barrel! Our children¡¯s exam results mustn¡¯t be affected!¡± ¡°I agree. Let¡¯s raise our concern with Mr. Hayes together.¡± Since they talked loudly, other parents also heard their conversation. With a cold expression, Tristan kept tapping the table with his index finger. ¡°You two should leave the room for now.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± With that, Sophie and Ysabelle left the ssroom. ¡°Soph, don¡¯t be bothered by what they said. They will regret it upon seeing your results.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t mind. Let¡¯s buy some canned drinks at the canteen!¡± Sophie and Ysabelle headed toward the canteen. At two-thirty in the afternoon, the conference officially began. Derrick showed some slides to present pictures of the students since the school opened. Besides, he even thoughtfully added captions. After Derrick finished the presentation using dozens of slides, the parents had a rough idea about their children¡¯s performance at school. Derrick then walked upstage to wee the parents and exined some crucial aspects to which students in their senior year should pay attention. After some time, the long-awaited moment of announcing exam results finally arrived. ¡°Ladies and gentlemen, I will now distribute the students¡¯ report cards and analyze the monthly test results with all of you.¡± Before he could distribute the report cards, one of the parents stood up. ¡°Mr. Hayes, I heard our ss has enrolled a dropout from Horington High this semester. Since when has Jipsdale Premier High be a school that epts trash? How could the school enroll the student after even a substandard school like Horington High kicked her out? Moreover, our students are in their senior year, which is an important year. However, the arrival of the delinquent has severely affected our children¡¯s studies. Hence, we hope that the school can expel the student.¡± Derrick couldn¡¯t help but frown upon hearing the parent¡¯s overly offensive and impertinent remarks. ¡°You must be Lenora¡¯s mom. I understand that all of you are concerned about your children¡¯s studies. Indeed, their studies are more important than ever since it¡¯s their senior year¡ª¡± ¡°Mr. Hayes, you agree with me, right? In that case, why doesn¡¯t the school expel that Sophie girl? I can¡¯t let my daughter study in the same ss with a piece of trash.¡± ¡°Ma¡¯am, how can you make such an impudent remark? As far as I can see, you¡¯re worse than a piece of trash.¡± Felix couldn¡¯t stand it any longer. Is this what Sophie has had to endure since she started studying at Jipsdale Premier High? ¡°You¡ª¡± Lenora¡¯s mother, Matilda, was pissed off. Since Lenora always badmouthed Sophie, Matilda certainly believed her daughter. ¡°This is not just my personal opinion, right?¡± ¡°Indeed! Mr. Hayes, she¡¯s not wrong. What kind of a ce is Horington? How could the school ept a student rejected by Horington High and destroy our children¡¯s future?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. My kid is aiming to attend one of the best universities in the country! We spent so much to send our kids to Jipsdale Premier High not because we want to see a delinquent student.¡± ¡°Ladies and gentlemen, Sophie is a well-behaved student. No one can ascertain if the rumors are true. Nheless, the truth is Sophie has done well recently.¡± ¡°Mr. Hayes, we know you¡¯re a good teacher and wish to protect your students. However, the news about what Sophie went through in Jipsdale is true. Even her parents find her embarrassing because of that.¡± Meanwhile, Tristan couldn¡¯t help but sneer when he realized that the adults in their thirties and forties were so hostile to an eighteen-year-old girl. Moreover, he felt sorry for Sophie once he imagined how she had to endure the mental torment alone. If she had been beside him at that moment, he would have hugged her without hesitation. How old was Sophie when others used her of debauchery five years ago? A thirteen or fourteen-year-old kid was criticized and even abandoned by her family in Horington. As Tristan recalled the look of determination in her gaze and how she endured everything, he couldn¡¯t help but get emotional. ¡°Felix, check the backgrounds of those who insulted Sophie. Have thewyer sue them for nder!¡± Leaning back in the chair, Tristan still maintained hisposure. However, he was infuriated deep down. Under normal circumstances, Tristan wouldn¡¯t get angry, for he would ensure those who irritated him suffered hell on earth. Hence, it was his first time experiencing anger because of Sophie. ¡°You have some nerves! Are you Sophie¡¯s parent? Don¡¯t you feel ashamed of yourself for having such a kid? Moreover, since many of us share the same opinion, can you sue all of us?¡± Matilda mocked Tristan, still unaware of who he was. ¡°Ladies and gentlemen, please look at the monthly test results. Sophie ranks second in the whole grade. How could she affect your children¡¯s studies? It won¡¯t be an overstatement to say that she can help your kids instead!¡± Derrick finally regained his voice and quickly distributed the report cards. ¡°Mr. Hayes, is that true?¡± Matilda nced at the report card¡ª Sophie was ranked first in ss and second in the whole grade. Inparison, her daughter Lenora was ranked thirtieth in ss and over five-hundredth in the whole grade. Original from N?velDrama.Org. ¡°I understand that you want the best for your children. However, please be objective and speak based on the truth. Sophie isn¡¯t a delinquent student.¡± After Derrick finished, Matilda sat down. Her face was a deep red, and she had never felt so embarrassed before. At that moment, she was deeply ashamed of herself for using a student in second ce of affecting her daughter¡¯s studies. After Derrick told the parents about other aspects that required their cooperation, the parent-teacher conference finally ended. A few parents stayed in the ssroom to discuss their children¡¯s performance with Derrick. After Tristan and Felix walked out of the ssroom, Felix quickly stopped Matilda. ¡°You¡¯re Mrs. Wagner, right?¡± ¡°What is it? What do you want to do in broad daylight?¡± So focused was Matilda on ndering Sophie earlier that she hadn¡¯t noticed the strong aura they exuded. ¡°You were the first one who ndered Ms. Tanner. Well, here is herwyer¡¯s name card. He will contact you very soon.¡± It was a ck name card with a few golden words that read ¡°Burtons¡¯ Law Firm¡± with Sean¡¯s name below it. Even if Matilda lived under a rock, she had heard of Burtons¡¯ Law Firm before. Sean was the best lawyer in Jipsdale and had never lost any cases. Chapter 45 Chapter 45 Chapter 45 Drinks Her Milkshake ¡°Mister, you¡¯ve misunderstood me! I never intend to nder Ms. Tanner!¡± Matilda tried to speak up for herself, her hands trembling uncontrobly. Tristan snickered. ¡°I don¡¯t give a heck whether you intend to do so or not. I¡¯m here to enlighten all of you today. You shouldn¡¯t have gotten on my nerves by ndering Sophie.¡± ¡°Mister!¡± Matilda was about to grab Tristan¡¯s arm. However, she retracted her hand when Tristan shot her a frigid nce. Standing rooted to the ground, she could only fasten her gaze on Tristan and Felix¡¯s retreating figures. Right that instant, Lenora advanced toward her mother and was astounded by how thetter¡¯s face was as white as a sheet. ¡°Mom, what¡¯s wrong? Are you feeling unwell? How about I call the driver to send you to the hospital now?¡± In response, Matilda gave her daughter a tight p. Caught off guard, Lenora covered her cheek and stared at her mother in disbelief. ¡°Mom, what¡¯s the matter with you? Why did you p me?¡± she squealed. That was the first time her mother pped her. ¡°Plead with Sophie now so she won¡¯t sue me!¡± Matilda¡¯s voice was quivering. My goodness! Sean Burton¡¯s relentlessness is known to everyone. The Wagner family will be doomed if he helps Sophie Tanner to file awsuit against us! ¡°Mom, there¡¯s nothing to be scared of. Sophie is like the Tanner family¡¯s abandoned child, and they give no hoots about her. Even if she¡¯s still considered the third heiress of the Tanner family, their family is obviously iparable to ours!¡± Lenora refuted matter-of-factly. ¡°Kneel and apologize to her! Don¡¯t you know you¡¯ve put me in deep water by provoking her?¡± Matilda fumed. Never had she expected that she would indirectly step on the toes of such an omnipotent man. After Tristan and Felix stepped out of the ssroom, thetter gave Ysabelle a call. They headed straight to the milkshake bar after knowing that Ysabelle and Sophie were there. ¡°Mr. Tristan, I¡¯m impressed by your beloved Ms. Tanner¡¯s excellent result! Didn¡¯t the others im that her results are poor? Well, I¡¯ll be d*mned! She¡¯s in second ce in the whole grade!¡± Felix gasped admiringly. In an instant, Tristan¡¯s face lit up with a sense of pride. Yeah¡­ She¡¯s mine! Sooner orter, she will be mine! Shortly after, the two men reached the milkshake bar adjacent to Jipsdale Premier High. It looked different from the usual milkshake bar. Since the students of Jipsdale Premier High were from wealthy families, the ce wasvishly designed with booth seating. The moment Tristan and Felix stepped into it, they caught a glimpse of Sophie and Ysabelle sitting at the table next to the window. Thus, the duo walked toward them at once. Tristan took the seat next to Sophie, whereas Felix took the one next to Ysabelle. ¡°Thanks a lot for standing up for me just now. Let me buy you both milkshakes,¡± Sophie thanked Tristan sincerely. ¡°Sure.¡± The next second, he took a sip of Sophie¡¯s milkshake despite his dislike for sweetness. Astounded, the others gazed at him in bewilderment. ¡°Uncle Tristan, aren¡¯t you a germophobe? You never use anything touched by others, don¡¯t you? Aren¡¯t you aware that this is Sophie¡¯s milkshake?¡± Ysabelle asked quizzically. She could not fathom why Tristan had been acting weirdlytely. Felix, who was seated next to her, could not resistughing discreetly. Was Mr. Tristan trying to kiss Ms. Tanner indirectly? Ha! It never urred to me that the assertive Mr. Tristan could be so adorable! Meanwhile, Sophie was staring at Tristan doubtfully, too. Tristan responded nonchntly, ¡°Sorry for that. I¡¯ll order another ss for you.¡± ¡°Sophie, you¡¯re incredible to be in second ce in the whole grade!¡± Felixplimented, giving her a thumbs up. After all, it was no mere feat for her to have such achievement at Jipsdale Premier High. ¡°It¡¯s nothing,¡± Sophie responded humbly. Deep down, she really did not feel that it was something special. ¡°Yeah! Soph is amazing!¡± Ysabelle echoed proudly. At the same time, Tristan ordered another milkshake for Sophie. Shortly after, the waiter served them two sses of milkshakes. Felix had barely taken a few sips of it before putting it aside. He could not talk himself into savoring the young girls¡¯ favorite drink. On the other hand, Tristan had finished the milkshake that Sophie had drank earlier, while she was savoring the new one he had ordered for her. ¡°Oh yeah! Have you decided which university to enroll in?¡± Felix asked the two young girls curiously. ¡°No idea yet,¡± Ysabelle replied briefly. She did not feel like pouring out to them about how she felt like leaving Jipsdale and exploring the city in the southern region instead. Her parents hoped she could enter Jipsdale University, but she had other preferences. ¡°How could you not have any idea on that?¡± Felix chuckled. No doubt, he wished Ysabelle could enter the university in Jipsdale. Nevertheless, it did not matter which university she chose. He would be supportive of her and follow her wherever she went. ¡°I really don¡¯t have any idea! I don¡¯t know which university I should choose and what¡¯s the ideal upation for me. I can¡¯t seem to find my direction in life,¡± Ysabelle emphasized. Felix switched to question Sophie, ¡°Soph, how about you? I bet there won¡¯t be any problem for you to enter Jipsdale University with such excellent results.¡± ¡°I have no idea as well,¡± Sophie responded candidly. ¡°It¡¯s all right. There¡¯s plenty of time left before the university entrance exam. You can take your time to finalize your decision,¡± Tristan reassured her. He did not mind even if Sophie had no n to pursue her studies or look for a jobter. As long as she was willing, he was more than happy to support her financially. ¡°Come on. Let me take you guys for dinner. Aren¡¯t you attending the self-study session in a while?¡± Tristan suggested. Knowing that all the students in the senior year were striving hard for their exams, he was particr about Sophie¡¯s meal. After they left the milkshake bar, Sophie realized that she had left her phone in the ss. Hence, the others waited for her outside the school while she went back to her ss to retrieve it. Unexpectedly, she bumped into Charmaine and Willow going up from the ground floor. Charmaine was rtively displeased to see Sophie. She could not help feeling ashamed of thetter and did not wish to run into her elsewhere. Sophie continued to climb the stairs, turning a blind eye to them. Willow wailed, ¡°Mom, how could Sophie have such a bad temper now? She didn¡¯t even greet you! She¡¯s the one whomitted the grievous mistake five years ago, and yet, she has the audacity to be so haughty¡ª¡± ¡°Stop mentioning what happened five years ago, and don¡¯t bother about her too. I doubt she can continue to behave so insolently for long!¡± Charmaine cut her daughter off, reluctant to hear a single word about the incident five years ago. She continued, ¡°Willow, you¡¯re still in second ce in your ss this round. Keep it up! I¡¯m convinced you¡¯ll be able to enter Jipsdale University. When that happens, I¡¯ll hold an art exhibition for you. I¡¯m sure Mrs. Laird will like you even more then.¡± Momentster, Sophie headed toward Tristan and the others after retrieving her phone. Felix had left earlier with Ysabelle. Tristan got off his car and opened the door for her to get in. After she was seated properly, he hopped into his car again. Meanwhile, Charmaine and Willow went to look for the homeroom teacher of Senior ss 1. When they stepped out of the school again, they caught sight of Sophie hopping into a car with a man. ¡°Who¡¯s that?¡± Charmaine narrowed her eyes. The others had not forgotten about what happened five years ago and were still gossiping about it at times, causing her to feel embarrassed. D*mn it! How could she have the cheek to fool around with another man again? ¡°I don¡¯t know him. But she seems to be closely acquainted with him since I always see them together,¡± Willow exined. ¡°I see.¡± Charmaine responded cidly. Belonging to N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Mom, do you think Sophie has given up on herself? That man seems to be filthy rich. Do you think he¡¯s only toying with her?¡± Willow asked. ¡°I¡¯ll find a time to have a chat with her. No matter what, I can¡¯t let her affect your advancement,¡± Charmaine stated resolutely. At the same time, Felix and Ysabelle were now seated in a restaurant not far from Jipsdale Premier High. When Tristan and Sophie reached there, they came across Winter. Her face fell when she realized Tristan was taking Sophie there for a meal. ¡°Oh? Mr. Tristan, you¡¯re here for a meal too? What a coincidence!¡± she greeted him, stering a smile. Tristan simply nodded impatiently at her. ¡°How about we have a meal together?¡± Winter suggested boldly. ¡°No, thanks,¡± Tristan rejected right away and stepped into the private room with Sophie. Winter remained on the spot in sheer embarrassment. Since her friends had their eyes on them, she thought he would ept her invitation. However, things did not turn out as expected. ¡°Winter, isn¡¯t that Mr. Tristan? D*mn! The young girl beside him is a beauty! I bet she can have her debut in the entertainment industry at any moment!¡± one of her friends started babbling excitedly. Chapter 46 Chapter 46 Chapter 46 Who Do You Think You Are ¡°Is she really that pretty?¡± Winter asked gloomily as she felt a rush of jealousy surging from within her. ¡°Her good looks are beyond description. I never thought there¡¯d be such a beautiful young girl in Jipsdale!¡± another of her friend chimed in admiringly. ¡°You guys go ahead. I don¡¯t have any appetite.¡± Winter could not take it any longer. Don¡¯t they know that I like Tristan? Are theyplimenting that girl deliberately to irk me? One of her friends grabbed her hand. ¡°Don¡¯t be mad. Regardless of how beautiful she is, she¡¯s only a young girl. How¡¯s it possible for her to beparable to you, our fabled perfumer? All the products of your new perfume were sold out recently, right?¡± Hearing that, the sullen look on Winter¡¯s face softened. ¡°Come on! Fill up your stomach first, so that you would have the energy to pursue the man you like.¡± Her friend cheered her up and dragged her away. Winter fell silent. Still keeping her eyes glued to Tristan, she walked away with her friends reluctantly. Yeah¡­ She has a point! How can that young girl beparable to me? I¡¯m still the ideal woman for Tristan! When Tristan led Sophie into the private room, Felix and Ysabelle were ying games on the phone. Like the gentleman he always was, Tristan pulled out a chair for Sophie. Felix had ced an order for the food, so they only needed to wait for it to be served. ¡°I need to use the restroom.¡± After a while, Sophie stood up and walked out of the private room. The moment she stepped into the restroom, she saw Winter touching up her makeup. Out of courtesy, Sophie nodded at her slightly. Winter put away her lipstick, but she did not leave immediately. By the time Sophie stepped out of the toilet, she was still there. Cutting to the chase, she asked, ¡°You¡¯re Sophie Tanner, right?¡± Sophie looked up at her in response. ¡°Do you like Mr. Tristan?¡± Winter questioned directly. Sophie whipped out a piece of gum from the pocket of her school uniform and stuffed it into her mouth. After that, she crumpled the wrapping paper before throwing it into the dustbin and asking, ¡°Who are you?¡± It never came across Winter¡¯s mind that the young girl would act so arrogantly. ¡°Who am I? Sophie Tanner, are you pulling my leg? Don¡¯t you know who I am? Nobody in Jipsdale dares to get on the Quigley family¡¯s nerves!¡± Winter scoffed. ¡°The Quigley family? You mean one of the four major families?¡± Sophie pondered for a while before saying, ¡°So, what does that have to do with me?¡± ¡°Hmph! What a naive girl! Heed my words. Stay away from Tristan. If not, you only have yourself to me when I make you disappear without a trace,¡± Winter hissed. The only reason she had stayed in the restroom was to deliver that threat to Sophie. As the heiress of the prominent Quigley family, Winter had always had a sense of superiority since she was young. She looked down at young girls like Sophie. Sophie burst intoughter as she chewed her gum. ¡°What are youughing at? There¡¯s nothing the Quigley family can¡¯t do in Jipsdale!¡± Winter snapped at her. ¡°Is that so? Just give it a try then.¡± Sophie shrugged. Is she threatening me? What a ridiculous woman! ¡°You¡­¡± Boiling with rage, Winter was about tosh out at her. ¡°What¡¯s taking you so long? Our food is served. Let¡¯s go back to have our meal now.¡± Tristan¡¯s voice sounded abruptly outside the restroom. ¡°Okay.¡± Sophie stepped out and walked away with Tristan without sparing Winter another nce. Instead, it was Tristan who shot Winter a meaningful nce before leaving. ¡°What¡¯s the matter? Was she picking on you?¡± he asked on the way back to the private room. Sophie could not resist letting out augh. ¡°No. Do I look like someone others can easily pick on?¡± ¡°Of course not.¡± Tristan chuckled. Since Winter was Charles, his ymate¡¯s younger sister, he would more or less exercise restraint for his sake. Meanwhile, Winter clenched her fists in exasperation. It¡¯s only been a short while, but Mr. Tristan already stepped out to look for her! Is he serious about her? Back in the private room, all the dishes had been served. Felix and Ysabelle started scooping food onto Tristan and Sophie¡¯s tes. Seated facing a table of delicious dishes, Sophie did not have much appetite. She was low in spirits after taking a few mouthfuls. Even so, Tristan continued to scoop food for her. ¡°Mr. Tristan, you don¡¯t have to serve me. I¡¯ll scoop the food myself.¡± Sophie turned him down nicely. ¡°Why are you taking so little?¡± Tristan knitted his brows. To him, the amount that Sophie was eating was barely enough to feed a kitten. Sophie could not help but heave a sigh. She could only give in by swallowing some more of the food and finishing a half bowl of mushroom soup. ¡°Ysabelle, your birthday is around the corner. How do you n to celebrate it?¡± Felix asked enthusiastically. Her eighteenth birthday was the red-letter day she stepped into her adulthood. As such, he minded a lot about it. ¡°I¡¯ll celebrate it with Soph,¡± Ysabelle replied casually. Hearing that, Felix fell silent and he could feel his temples start to throb. That¡¯s one of the most momentous moments in her lifetime. Doesn¡¯t she know she should spend it with someone important to her? Whatever¡­ I could only say that she¡¯s one dumb girl. ¡°Soph, you must attend my birthday celebration, okay? Otherwise, I¡¯ll cut ties with you!¡± Ysabelle said. ¡°Sure. I¡¯ll be there on time,¡± Sophie replied. After the meal, the foursome stepped out of the private room and ran into Eustace Sheppard. Eustace had been wanting to meet Sophie ever since she helped him with Dr. Yarren¡¯s matter. However, no matter how hard he looked, he could not find any information about her. He never expected that he would bump into her while stepping out for a meal with his friends. ¡°Ms. Tanner, can I have a few words with you?¡± Eustace asked politely. There was even an unmissable hint of respect in his tone. Sophie, too, did not expect that she would bump into Eustace again. After all, Jipsdale was a huge ce, and the probability of bumping into someone by chance was fairly small. Nheless, she was not repulsed by him. ¡°You guys go ahead first. I¡¯ll go to school myselfter,¡± she told the others. Tristan only shed Eustace a look before descending the stairs without saying anything. Meanwhile, Ysabelle fastened her gaze on Eustace. Who is he? And how did he know Soph? He doesn¡¯t look like an average Joe¡­ Felix dragged her away, breaking her reverie. ¡°What are you looking at? Is he more good-looking than me?¡± ¡°Yeah. He¡¯s more good-looking than you. No, this won¡¯t do. I must turn back to find out why he¡¯s looking for Soph. Ahh¡­ it seems like my dear Sophie is too eye-catching. That being said, they do look like a perfect match for each other,¡± Ysabelle bbered. Rendered speechless, Felix shed a nce at the man walking ahead. Huh? A perfect match? He could hardly refrain from shouting at her. My goodness! She¡¯s indeed slow-witted. Can¡¯t she sense that her Uncle Tristan has feelings toward Soph? How could she have the audacity to say that? ¡°Felix, send Ysabelle back to school,¡± Tristan instructed. ¡°Sure. I¡¯ll definitely send her back safely,¡± Felix replied, heaving a sigh of relief after seeing that Tristan was not mad.ConTEent bel0ngs to N?v(e)lD/rama(.)Org . ¡°Uncle Tristan, I¡¯ll wait for Sophie,¡± Ysabelle protested. Tristan threw her a warning nce. Fine! Intimidated by his imposing aura, Ysabelle had no choice but to walk away sheepishly. ¡°Mr. Sheppard, do you have any more questions?¡± Sophie asked. ¡°I wish to request your help, but I don¡¯t have your phone number. Would you mind giving it to me?¡± Coincidentally, one of his friends stepped out for some fresh air. Overhearing Eustace¡¯s words, he could not resistughing heartily and teasing him, ¡°Captain Sheppard, you should speak up if you have feelings for her. My, my. What a beautiful young girl!¡± ¡°Get lost!¡± came Eustace¡¯s reply. ¡°All right, all right! I¡¯ll get lost right away! I won¡¯t want to be the third wheel now,¡± the man uttered ambiguously before walking away. Eustace was undoubtedly mature for his age. Even though he was only twenty-eight years old, he was already holding such a high position. In fact, hispetence was known to everyone. Surprisingly, he could not help blushing in front of the eighteen-year-old girl. ¡°Don¡¯t take it to heart. He¡¯s only joking. There¡¯s really something I need to ask you,¡± Eustace muttered. To that, Sophie replied, ¡°Give me your phone.¡± Eustace passed it to her as requested, and she keyed in her phone number right away. ¡°Sophie, are you interested in joining our SWAT team?¡± he asked eagerly. He needed apetent member like her. Sophie shook her head. ¡°I¡¯m not interested.¡± ¡°Well, I really hope you can think it through and join the SWAT team.¡± Chapter 47 Chapter 47 Chapter 47 Tanner Group Shareholders¡¯ Meeting ¡°By the way, where are you heading now? I¡¯ll take you there.¡± Eustace nned to go back to the private room to get his jacket before sending her wherever she wanted to go. ¡°No need for that. I¡¯m going back to school. Carry on with your work!¡± Sophie replied. Eustacepsed into a thoughtful silence as he watched her leave. This girl really is something else! After going downstairs and walking out of the restaurant, Sophie noticed that Tristan was still waiting for her outside. He was standing there with a cigarette between his fingertips, seemingly pondering over something. However, with such a good-looking and charming man standing there, even the sight of him smoking was pleasing to the eye, so he naturally attracted a lot of girls, who flocked around him. Despite that, no one dared to approach him due to his domineering aura. Sophie walked up to his side. ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you guys to leave first? Why are you still here?¡± ¡°Waiting for you,¡± he replied curtly. Tristan did not ask further since someone had already driven his car outside. The two went out, and he opened the door for her. ¡°I¡¯ll send you to school?¡± It was almost time for the night self-studying session. ¡°Okay,¡± said Sophie. He waited so long just to take me to school! On Friday, Sophie returned to the Tanner residence to have dinner with Josiah. ¡°Soph, do you want to attend the shareholders¡¯ meeting on Monday?¡± The annual shareholders¡¯ meeting was on Monday. Sophie held twenty percent of thepany¡¯s shares and had reached the age of adulthood at eighteen, so she could attend. ¡°She¡¯s too young to understand anything, Dad. I can exercise her rights by proxy. Thepany is not her personal yground.¡± The thought of his father skipping him to give Sophie the shares made Yale very upset. I¡¯m your only son. How could you be so distrusting of me? ¡°Indeed, Grandpa. Soph is still young. Those shareholders in the board meeting are all cruel and heartless. It¡¯s better not to let her participate!¡± Willow chimed in. I have nothing now. If Sophie went to the shareholders¡¯ meeting, wouldn¡¯t I look even more pitiful? I¡¯m clearly better than her in everything! ¡°Willow is right, Dad. For Soph¡¯s safety, I think she shouldn¡¯t participate!¡± Charmaine also disagreed with Sophie going. ¡°This is your own matter, Soph. Just decide for yourself.¡± Josiahpletely ignored their protests. ¡°Also, since I¡¯ve given you the shares, I won¡¯t interfere with whatever you do with them as long as you¡¯re happy.¡± ¡°Dad¡ª¡± That¡¯s thepany I¡¯ve worked so hard for all my life. How could Dad treat it so casually? ¡°Are you done eating? Apany me to the study for a chat when you¡¯ve finished your food.¡± Josiah brought Sophie to the study as he found the other three at the table too noisy. ¡°What should we do now?¡± Charmaine asked. Sophie has always been rebellious. What will we do if she doesn¡¯t listen to us on the day of the shareholders¡¯ meeting? ¡°Look at the daughter you bore! Look at what she has be. She¡¯s tantly disrespecting me, her father!¡± Yale remarked. Isn¡¯t it only natural for me to manage her shares? ¡°You speak as though I¡¯m to me for this matter. Do you think I conceived her on my own?¡± ¡°Enough of that. Just make sure Willow behaves. With the support of the Laird family, I don¡¯t think a young girl like her is capable of doing much.¡± Even without the Laird family, Yale still had forty percent of the shares in his hands and was still the largest shareholder of Tanner Group. ¡°Come. Write a few words. Let me see if your lettering has deteriorated,¡± said Josiah. Sophie obediently went to get the ink before spreading the writing paper on the table. She then took a calligraphy pen and dipped it into the ink. Josiah watched from the side and was satisfied with her performance. She wrote a few letters on the writing paper before cing the pen down. ¡°You¡¯re truly blessed!¡± Sophie¡¯s penmanship was elegant with clean lines, which greatly satisfied Josiah, and it was for this reason that he doted on her so much. This girl has been smart since childhood. She has always been able to be the best in anything she wanted to do. ¡°Your parents are short-sighted, Soph. Don¡¯t take it to heart. Tanner Group will be destroyed eventually in your father¡¯s hands. At present, thepany has already lost its former glory.¡± Due to his old age, there were many matters that he could no longer take into his own hands. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Grandpa. Tanner Group won¡¯t fall into ruin,¡± Sophie assured. Since it¡¯s something that Grandpa cherishes, how can I see it be destroyed? ¡°I hope that you can inherit thepany. Your brother Caleb is currently in a research institute abroad. He is talented in research, so I don¡¯t want to make things difficult for him. Your father¡¯s ability, however, is too average, and he is simply unsuitable to be the CEO of Tanner Group.¡± Hence, at present, Josiah could only ce his hope on Sophie. ¡°Okay¡­¡± She was aware of Yale¡¯s capabilities. ¡°I hope that you can be the CEO of Tanner Group in the future.¡± He believed that his granddaughter could do well. ¡°All right. Understood. You¡¯re not well, Grandpa, so don¡¯t think about these things all day,¡± Sophie replied. ¡°Will you me me for this, Soph? Girls your age should be living a happy and carefree life, yet I¡¯ve given you such a heavy burden.¡± Original from N?velDrama.Org. ¡°How can I ever do that? You¡¯re the one who loves me the most.¡± When Sophie left the study and went downstairs, Yale was still in the living room. Upon seeing hering downstairs, he stood up. ¡°Since your grandfather has given you twenty percent of the shares, just take the dividends, Sophie. I, as your father, will handle Tanner Group¡¯s affairs, so you shouldn¡¯t interfere.¡± He had waited so long for her down there for this very reason. ¡°It¡¯s better that you don¡¯t attend Monday¡¯s shareholders¡¯ meeting!¡± ¡°I can decide that myself. I don¡¯t need others telling me what to do.¡± ¡°I¡¯m your father, Sophie!¡± Yale was infuriated. She has always been like that, doing as she pleases without the slightest bit of good behavior and sensibility. Sophie snorted in response and walked off. All he cares about is his interests. When has he ever thought of me, his daughter? Angered by Sophie¡¯s behavior, Yale smashed everything he could in the living room. How could a mere brat dare to treat me like this? Where did she get the courage to do that? Josiah heard themotion in the living room and came downstairs. Upon seeing his father, Yale stopped smashing things around. ¡°You¡¯ve truly disappointed me, Yale,¡± Josiah remarked. How can he manage apany when he can¡¯t even control his own emotions? ¡°Hah! Indeed. I¡¯ve always been the one who made you disappointed. You¡¯ve never been pleased with me. That¡¯s why you gave your shares to Sophie.¡± ¡°She¡¯s your daughter.¡± ¡°So what? Does she listen to me? That girl is insanely ambitious. I¡¯m afraid she wants the entire Tanner Group!¡± ¡°If it¡¯s what she wants, give it to her. She¡¯ll certainly manage it better than you,¡± Josiah replied. So what if she¡¯s young? This society only recognizes one¡¯s abilities. ¡°No. Even if it results in great losses on both sides, I still won¡¯t let her have it. Tanner Group is mine.¡± Josiah shook his head. He was utterly disappointed in his son. ¡°I¡¯m warning you, Yale. Don¡¯t hurt Soph. She¡¯s your daughter.¡± The old man left only these words and went upstairs alone. Yale scoffed. ¡°If she hurts me, I won¡¯t care whose daughter she is.¡± Chapter 48 Chapter 48 Chapter 48 Delicate Skin A heavy downpour suddenly started while Sophie was on the way back. As she had not brought an umbre, nor had she gotten the Tanner family¡¯s driver to send her back, she ended up getting drenched by the rain. After she returned to Wisteria Apartments, she took a shower and felt a slight headache. Sophie settled onto the couch and watched TV. She did not know how much time had passed, but by the time she woke up the next day, it was already past nine o¡¯clock. She felt groggy and lethargic, so she nestled on the couch again after boiling a cup of hot water. Her phone rang, and she answered the call upon seeing that the caller was Ysabelle. ¡°Why didn¡¯t youe to school, Soph?¡± Ysabelle sounded very worried on the other end. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Did something happen?¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± As soon as Sophie spoke, she realized that her voice had changed and her throat was hurting badly. ¡°Did you catch a cold?¡± It took some effort for Sophie to reply, ¡°Yes. Please help excuse me from ss. I won¡¯t be going to school today.¡± Every time she had a cold, she did not like to take medicine. It doesn¡¯t matter if I do or not, it¡¯ll still take me one or two weeks to recover, so it¡¯s no use taking medicine at all. ¡°Okay. I¡¯ll do that. Why don¡¯t I take the day off and head over to keep youpany?¡± Ysabelle suggested. ¡°No need for that. Focus in ss. I just want to sleep, so it¡¯s pointless for you toe here.¡± ¡°All right, then. I¡¯ll hang up now. Remember to drink more warm water.¡± In actuality, Ysabelle wanted to say that apanying her for a nap was also fine! After all, warm water cures all diseases. After exining Sophie¡¯s absence to Derrick, she posted on her Instagram: My best friend is sick, and I¡¯m so bored alone. How I wish I was sick too! Felix was constantly keeping an eye on Ysabelle¡¯s Instagram, so as soon as she made that post, he immediately knew about it and called Tristan. ¡°Where are you, Mr. Tristan?¡± he asked the moment Tristan picked up the call. If I do Tristan a favor now, he¡¯ll also help me in the future! I still have a long way to go to win Ysabelle over! ¡°At the Lombard residence. What¡¯s the matter?¡± Tristan was having his breakfast at that moment and had an urgent meeting to attend not long after. ¡°Sophie is sick, and she should be alone in Wisteria Apartments right now!¡± ¡°Got it.¡± ¡°Girls are the easiest to win over when they are sick, Mr. Tristan. I¡¯ll await your good news. I¡¯m rooting for you!¡± Tristan could not be bothered to listen to Felix¡¯s nonsense and promptly hung up. William, who was doing yoga in the courtyard, could not help but frown when he saw Tristan walking out. ¡°It¡¯s the weekend, and you¡¯re still going out?¡± ¡°Mhm. Something came up.¡± After saying that, Tristan went to the underground garage and drove his silver Lamborghini to Wisteria Apartments. On the way, he also bought Sophie some chicken noodle soup from The Crown. Upon reaching Wisteria Apartments, Tristan rang the doorbell, but no one came to the door. In the end, he could only open the door himself. Once inside, he discovered Sophie lying on the couch, looking flushed. Tristan ced the bag down and crouched beside the couch. ¡°Wake up, Sophie. I¡¯ll take you to the hospital.¡± As soon as Sophie opened her eyes, she was met with a close-up view of Tristan¡¯s face. ¡°Has anyone told you that you¡¯re extremely handsome, Mr. Tristan?¡± Sophie seemed to be delirious as she reached out to touch Tristan¡¯s face. He froze for a moment. Am I, a mature man of twenty-eight, being teased by an eighteen-year-old girl? ¡°Such delicate skin.¡± Sophie¡¯s hand gently stroked his face. For a moment, Tristan wanted nothing more than to pounce on the daring girl. However, as soon as he touched her forehead, he immediately came to his senses. The girl is running a high fever right now! How can I have such an outrageous thought? ¡°I¡¯m taking you to the hospital.¡± Tristan picked her up, intending to get her to change into a new set of clothes, but she shook her head. ¡°I¡¯m fine. I don¡¯t need to go there. I never go to the hospital when I¡¯m sick.¡± ¡°All right. We won¡¯t if you don¡¯t want to.¡± After all, he could still get his private doctor toe over. After cing her on the bed, he immediately called the doctor. ¡°Have you had breakfast yet?¡± It¡¯s past ten o¡¯clock now. Judging from her condition, she probably hasn¡¯t had breakfast yet. Sophie shook her head. ¡°I have no appetite.¡± At that moment, she did not feel like eating anything and just wanted to sleep. ¡°Go back, Mr. Tristan. I¡¯ll be fine after a nap. It¡¯s like this every time.¡± It was the same when she was in Horington. She had never cared about colds and fevers. ¡°I¡¯m very angry now, Sophie. You¡¯d better behave yourself.¡± ¡°What¡¯s there to be angry about when I¡¯m sick? If you think it¡¯s troublesome, you can leave now. No one is keeping you here.¡± It¡¯s not as though I told him toe over. Who does he think he is? What right does he have to get mad at me? Hearing her response, Tristan¡¯s anger instantly vanished. ¡°Sorry for my poor behavior. Be good and have some chicken noodle soup.¡± Sophie harrumphed. ¡°Come on. Be a good girl and have some chicken noodle soup.¡± Seeing that Tristan had given in, Sophie also did not stay angry and allowed him to feed her some chicken noodle soup. Dr. Zimmerman came over and gave her some cold and fever medicine. He then left after giving some instructions. By then, Sophie had fallen asleep. Tristan brought a cup of warm water over and ced it on the bedside table. He then sat on the bed and helped her up to lean against his body. Sophie was jolted awake. ¡°What are you doing?¡± ¡°Take your medicine.¡± Tristan showed her the medicine in his hand. ¡°Open up.¡± Sophie could not help but frown upon seeing the pills. Those white pills scared her the most as she could tell from one look that they were bitter. ¡°Can I say no?¡± To be honest, she was not afraid of knives and guns. However, she did not like taking medicine. ¡°No. If you refuse, I¡¯ll feed you with my mouth.¡± If her high fever persists, she¡¯ll be even more delirious! Sophie red at him as though he was her mortal enemy. ¡°Seems like you¡¯re looking forward to my kiss.¡± With a snort, she promptly opened her mouth. Tristan gave her the pills and also fed her some water. ¡°That¡¯s my good girl.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not yours. I don¡¯t belong to anyone but myself.¡± ¡°No. You¡¯re mine. One day, you¡¯ll willingly be mine.¡± ¡°You¡¯re so confident in yourself.¡± Sophie was toozy to be bothered by him and closed her eyes. Tristan bent down and kissed her lips. Although it was merely a peck, it made her shudder. Opening her eyes, she red at him. He, on the other hand, gave her an unsatisfied smirk. ¡°All right. Get some sleep.¡± Sophie closed her eyes but opened them a whileter. ¡°How am I supposed to sleep when you¡¯re here?¡± ¡°Do I affect you that much? Why don¡¯t I get in and sleep with you? I don¡¯t have anything to do today anyway.¡± Looking at her speechless expression, Tristan could not help but smile. ¡°Sleep well. I¡¯ve no interest in a little hedgehog that¡¯s about tobust.¡± Only after he left her room did Sophie close her eyes. His taste still lingered on her lips. Tristan? He¡­ wants me? As she drowsily fell asleep again, Tristan instructed the housekeeper to make some light lunch for her before heading upstairs again. Original from N?velDrama.Org. He touched her head and found that her temperature had gone down. However, her sleepwear was drenched with sweat. Tristan opened her closet to look for another set of sleepwear. Seeing the undergarments, he was caught in a dilemma. Should I take them or not? Chapter 49 Chapter 49 Chapter 49 Change Your Clothes In the end, Tristan took everything with him. He crossed the room to wake Sophie up. Sophie woke up feeling much better. ¡°What are you doing?¡± she asked with a hoarse voice. Her throat felt sore every time she talked. ¡°Helping you change.¡± Sophie didn¡¯t respond to him. ConTEent bel0ngs to N?v(e)lD/rama(.)Org . ¡°Go on. Take off your wet pajama first.¡± Sophie didn¡¯t do as he demanded and merely stared at him coldly. ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± Tristan didn¡¯t think there was anything wrong with his request. ¡°Do you always flirt with girls like this, Mr. Tristan?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t have to do anything. I just stand there and women will flock to me. I never needed to flirt.¡± Sophie was speechless at his answer. ¡°Fine. Seeing as you¡¯re feeling much better, change into these yourself, thene down for lunch.¡± Tristan left the room after that. Sophie finally swung her gaze from Tristan to the clothing he brought her. It was her pajama and lingerie. She could feel the heat on her face, thinking about how he had touched her most intimate articles of clothing. The alwaysposed Sophie had lost her cool then. Feeling ufortable with the sweat on her body, Sophie took a quick shower and changed into a fresh set of clothing. After drying her hair, she finally went downstairs. ¡°Lunch is ready, Ms. Tanner. I¡¯ll be heading back now. You can leave the dirty dishes after you¡¯ve finished. I¡¯ll clean them in the evening when Ie over.¡± ¡°All right.¡± After the housekeeper left, Tristan was still in the study, so Sophie took a seat at the dining table. Tristan answered a call and told his assistant to reschedule all his meetings that day. He left for the kitchen after that. At the threshold, he saw Sophie already seated at the dining table. Tristan walked over and scooped some pasta for her. ¡°You didn¡¯t take more than a few bites this morning, so eat more now.¡± Sophie held a fork in her hand and looked at him. ¡°Don¡¯t you have something to do today?¡± He doesn¡¯t have to apany me. ¡°If you have something to do, you can leave after eating. I¡¯m feeling much better now.¡± It wasn¡¯t even a big deal. It was just a fever. ¡°I¡¯m free today.¡± Coboration worth billions can¡¯tpare to the girl sitting in front of me. ¡°Fine then.¡± Sophie didn¡¯t try to persuade him anymore since he said so. ¡°Have some too, Mr. Tristan. Don¡¯t just stare at me.¡± Only then did Tristan pick up his spoon, but he didn¡¯t start eating. Instead, he started scooping more food for her. After he was satisfied that she wouldn¡¯t go hungry, he finally dug into his food. The crease on Sophie¡¯s forehead deepened with every bite. The food tastes quite nd today. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Is the food not to your liking? Shall we change the housekeeper?¡± Sophie shook her head. ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± This housekeeper is quiet and professional. I feelfortable when I¡¯m with her. ¡°I¡¯ll just have her add some condiments next time.¡± ¡°You have the numbers for The Crown and Pegasus Pavilion, so just give them a call for food delivery if you don¡¯t like the housekeeper¡¯s food.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not that particr.¡± I¡¯m fine as long as it¡¯s filling. I¡¯m not picky with food. After finishing lunch, Sophie couldn¡¯t sleep anymore, so she settled onto the couch and watched the television. Tristan cleaned up the dining table, then took a seat beside her. He gently patted her head. ¡°I¡¯m fine now.¡± ¡°That¡¯s great to hear.¡± Even though it was just amon cold and fever, I was worried sick when I saw her lying unconscious on the couch. She didn¡¯t even know how worried I was. Tristan left in the evening after getting an urgent call. He even ordered her to rest at home before he left. After he drove away, Sophie changed her clothes straight away. Ysabelle¡¯s birthday is tomorrow, and I haven¡¯t even bought her a present yet. I was too busy the past few days. Since she had already taken leave that day, she decided to spend the remaining time buying Ysabelle¡¯s present. She got on her new bicycle and pedaled her way to Monarch Mall. After a period of observation, Sophie had a basic understanding of Ysabelle. A rich girl like her won¡¯t lack presents, so finding a suitable gift for her will be challenging. Sophie entered a jewelry store, thinking of picking something out for Ysabelle. Dressed in a in white t-shirt, ck cks, and canvas shoes didn¡¯t get Sophie any warm greeting from the sales assistant. The sales assistant merely nodded at Sophie when she entered, then pretended she didn¡¯t exist. Couldn¡¯t care less about the sales assistant¡¯s attitude, Sophie slowly studied each piece of jewelry on the shelf. Willow and a few of her friends were out shopping as well. She didn¡¯t have to take any sses on Saturday, because she had art lessons. Yet, one call from Louisa and she skipped her lesson. Louisa loved shopping for luxury goods. The Yarborough family was wealthier than the Tanner family. Moreover, Louisa was the only child of the Yarborough family, hence the excessive love and pampering they gave her. A few other girls were following behind Louisa and Willow. With Louisa¡¯s generosity in gifting the girls small presents, they would agree to her request for an outing every time she asked. They didn¡¯t mind carrying the shopping bags for Louisa. Louisa would gift them luxury goods if she was in a good mood. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with youtely, Willow?¡± ¡°It¡¯s all Sophie¡¯s fault,¡± Willowined. She never hid anything from Louisa. ¡°You knew she was back, right? Grandpa even gave her thepany¡¯s shares. It¡¯s pointless no matter how hard I try.¡± ¡°It¡¯s only twenty percent of thepany¡¯s shares. Just marry Mason when he gets back. Once you married him, the Tanner family will be nothing to you.¡± Louisa was Mason¡¯s cousin. That was why Willow was so close to her. ¡°Oh, cut it. Mason might not even like me.¡± Mrs. Laird dotes on me, but no one knows how Mason thinks of me. ¡°Willow, don¡¯t worry so much. Wasn¡¯t Mason quite concerned about you before he left the country? You also have me as your wing girl.¡± Louisa patted Willow¡¯s shoulder reassuringly. ¡°Isn¡¯t that the b**ch, Sophie?¡± Louisa¡¯s steps paused when she saw Sophie. Willow halted too. ¡°Come on, let¡¯s go in and have a look.¡± Louisa intended to cause trouble for Sophie. At that moment, a bracelet caught Sophie¡¯s eyes. ¡°Hi, can I have a closer look at that bracelet?¡± ¡°Miss, are you sure you¡¯re going to buy it? Our goods are pricey.¡± Sophie¡¯s brows furrowed. ¡°I said I want a closer look at that bracelet.¡± Sophie was feeling impatient with the sales assistant¡¯s attitude but still repeated her request. ¡°Do you know how much this bracelet costs?¡± The sales assistant still refused to take the bracelet out. Then, Louisa led Willow and the rest into the jewelry store. ¡°Show me that bracelet,¡± Louisa demanded arrogantly the minute she stepped into the store. The sales assistant knew Louisa was the only daughter of the Yarborough family and had made repeated purchases from the store. She knew Louisa would buy anything she liked no matter how costly it was. ¡°Yes, Ms. Yarborough. I¡¯ll take it out for you immediately.¡± Louisa would spend a lot every time she came. It looks like my sales performance will skyrocket again today. ¡°I saw this bracelet first,¡± Sophie said coolly. What¡¯s with my luck today? Why do I keep bumping into disgusting people no matter where I go? ¡°You saw it first? But have you paid for it? This bracelet costs eight million,¡± the sales assistant continued to mock Sophie. ¡°Miss, if you¡¯re nning to buy a bracelet, you can go to the gift shop outside and get one. Our items here don¡¯t suit you.¡± Chapter 50 Chapter 50 ¡°Show me that one.¡± ¡°I want that too.¡± Louisa was determined to mess with Sophie that day. She never liked Sophie. ¡°This one¡ª¡± ¡°I¡¯ll take that too.¡± Themotion had even gotten the sales manager¡¯s attention. ¡°Ms. Yarborough, are you sure you want everything? All these already add up to ten million.¡± I know the Yarborough family is wealthy, but I don¡¯t think she has that much allowance. ¡°What do you mean? Are you implying I can¡¯t afford them?¡± Louisa¡¯s temper spiked at the sales manager¡¯s words. ¡°Miss¡ª¡± The sales manager shot Sophie an apologetic nce. Ms. Yarborough is a tough nut to crack. A cold grin stretched across Sophie¡¯s lips. ¡°Louisa, are you sure you want all of it? Is your credit card limit enough?¡± ¡°That¡¯s none of your business!¡± Louisa instantly took out her card and set it on the desk. ¡°Wrap everything up for me.¡± The sales manager reached for the card and went to the register to settle the bill. However, she returned shortly after. ¡°Sorry, Ms. Yarborough, but your card limit isn¡¯t sufficient.¡± ¡°What? How is that possible?¡± Louisa¡¯s expression darkened. ¡°Louisa, why don¡¯t you just choose one from those?¡± ¡°I heard Ms. Yarborough would get her hands on everything that caught her eye. It¡¯s a mere ten million. I¡¯m sure she has enough with her other cards.¡± Louisa was caught between a rock and a hard ce. Without a choice, she took out her credit card. Her heart ached when the sales manager swiped the card. This costs me ten million! How long will it take for me to settle the debt? My monthly allowance is only around half a million. ¡°Does Ms. Yarborough still wants to make more purchases?¡± Sophie smirked. Louisa was infuriated at Sophie¡¯s taunt, yet she couldn¡¯t show it. Why am I seething here while victory is seemingly on my side? ¡°What are you smug about, Sophie?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not smug about anything. Oh, right. I forgot to tell you this store belongs to the Tanner family.¡± Sophie had decided to visit a few jewelry stores under the Tanner Group to check on their sales. She didn¡¯t expect to run into the idiotic Louisa. ¡°Thank you so much for contributing ten million to Tanner Group¡¯s sales today.¡± Louisa¡¯s expression darkened even further. ¡°Have a nice day.¡± Sophie was in an excellent mood. Louisa¡¯s dark expression efficiently lifted Sophie¡¯s mood. ¡°Also, about the ten million. Your father will probably want to have a chat with you about where that money went. If he knew about your actions, I figured you wouldn¡¯t be living your best life in the near future.¡± Sophie had a thorough understanding of Louisa¡¯s father. ¡°Louisa, I didn¡¯t know.¡± Willow was oblivious to the fact that the store was under the Tanner Group. Without another word, Sophie whirled around and stomped away. I got tricked by that b**ch, Sophie. Willow immediately chased after her. ¡°Louisa, don¡¯t be mad. We can ask for a refund.¡± ¡°Ask for a refund? Sophie is still inside right now. Won¡¯t I just be humiliating myself if I ask for a refund now?¡± ¡°What should we do then?¡± That¡¯s ten million. It¡¯s not a small amount. ¡°It¡¯s fine. At most, I¡¯d live a slightly difficult life for the next few months. Despite that, I can¡¯t humiliate myself.¡± ¡°Louisa, you wouldn¡¯t be in this state if it wasn¡¯t for me.¡± Louisa wrapped her arm around Willow¡¯s. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Sophie was nning to drive a wedge between us. I won¡¯t let it happen. Willow, tomorrow is the birthday of the young miss from the Lombard family. My dad had given me an invitation. I¡¯ll bring you with me tomorrow.¡± Many people wanted to be acquainted with the Lombard family. The Lombard family was nning a grand celebration for Ysabelle¡¯s birthday. However, they only gave out a hundred invitations. Her father had spent a lot of effort to get his hands on one. ¡°You can do that?¡± The Lombard family is the real big boss. I¡¯ll get to truly enter the upper society if I can get acquainted with them. ¡°Sure. The bracelet I bought today was a present for Ms. Ysabelle.¡± ¡°Okay, I should prepare a present for her too.¡± Maybe I can meet Tristan this time. If I can marry that legendary man, that¡¯ll be the peak of my life. After the girls had left the store, Sophie turned her gaze to the sales assistant. ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡± ¡°I¡¯m Nora Baum,¡± Nora answered. I have nothing to fear. She¡¯s just Sophie Tanner, the unwanted third daughter of the Tanner family. This store does belong to the Tanner Group, but Sophie can¡¯t do anything to me with her current status. ¡°You fail as a sales assistant.¡± ¡°Haha, Ms. Sophie. You¡¯re just a kid. It¡¯s not up to you whether I fail or pass.¡± Nora had someone backing her up, so she wasn¡¯t afraid of Sophie. ¡°Shut up, Nora!¡± The sales manager red at Nora. Ms. Sophie can get Ms. Yarborough to spend ten million here. How dare a sales assistant like Nora challenges her? Nora felt wronged. ¡°I didn¡¯t do anything wrong. I sold ten million worth of goods today and brought a huge profit to the company. Thepany should give me a bonus. How can they fire me?¡± ¡°Fire her. The Tanner Group doesn¡¯t need an employee like this.¡± ¡°What did you say? What right do you have to give that order? Do you truly think you¡¯re a daughter of the Tanner family?¡± Sophie didn¡¯t want to waste another breath with her and summoned the store manager. ¡°Your employees here aren¡¯t eligible to work here. I¡¯ll give you one month, and if they still behave this way, I won¡¯t keep anyone currently working here, including you.¡± ¡°Miss, you¡ª¡± The sales manager quickly whispered something to the store manager. ¡°I understand, Ms. Sophie.¡± The day after the next was the shareholders¡¯ meeting. No one was sure who would be the next CEO of the Tanner Group. The store manager didn¡¯t dare to offend Sophie. ¡°Have her fired immediately.¡± Sophie turned around to leave. Nora¡¯s face paled. ¡°Manager, she¡¯s just the unwanted third daughter of the Tanner family. You won¡¯t actually fire me, right?¡± ¡°Go back first. I¡¯ll see how it goes once the shareholders¡¯ meeting ends.¡± No one knows what changes will befall the organizational structure of the Tanner Group after the shareholders¡¯ meeting. The same goes for Ms. Sophie, so I won¡¯t make any decision before the meeting. Sophie continued her shopping at the Monarch Mall and finally spotted a unique rock in an antique store. That tiny rock was exquisite. It was clear and shiny on the surface, but inside was a picture of the beauty of nature. Sophie figured it suited Ysabelle a lot. ¡°You have good taste, Miss! This rock might look tiny, but it¡¯s priceless.¡± ¡°Can I have a look?¡± The sales assistant took out the rock and gave it to Sophie. Belonging to N?velDrama.Org. ¡°How much is it?¡± ¡°Fifteen million.¡± ¡°Ten million, and I¡¯ll take it. If you agree, then pack it up for me.¡± Chapter 51 Chapter 51 Chapter 51 Who Are You Really Sophie did not need to do self-studying sessions on Saturday night, so she went to Monarch Mall and bought a gift. Just as she was about to head home, she encountered Eustace and the others. Eustace looked like he was in the middle of an angry outburst, and the few technicians beside him barely dared to take a breath. ¡°Captain Sheppard, isn¡¯t that Ms. Tanner? Maybe we should ask her for help.¡± Although Danny was embarrassed about failing the pursuit despite being a professional technician, he knew that Sophie was rather brilliant. Maybe she¡¯ll be able to help us out. ¡°Ms. Tanner?¡± Eustace looked in the direction Danny was staring in and saw Sophie, who had her head lowered as she used her phone. The young woman was wearing a set of ordinary clothes that she bought off Amazon. Her hair hung loosely over her shoulders, and she looked in. Despite so, many people were still looking at her. After all, she was pretty, and pretty people would always catch the attention of others easily. ¡°Yes.¡± Eustace and Danny then walked over. Noticing a sudden shadow looming over her, Sophie raised her head only to see Eustace. ¡°Anything I can help you with?¡± ¡°Ms. Tanner, can you do us a favor?¡± It was quite an urgent matter, and if they messed it up, everyone in Monarch Mall would die. In response, Sophie took out a piece of chewing gum to put in her mouth before she asked, ¡°What is it?¡± Eustace pulled Sophie to the side. ¡°A desperado has run into Monarch Mall and is now hiding in here. It¡¯s Saturday today, and there are lots of people in Monarch Mall.¡± ¡°Can¡¯t you just go in and arrest him?¡± I¡¯m not a police officer. I can¡¯t help with that, can I? ¡°Well, the thing is, he has a bomb on him.¡± If not for the bomb, I wouldn¡¯t have called him a desperado. ¡°We¡¯ll only give him too much pressure if so many of us enter. And a cornered beast will definitely do something wild and unpredictable. That¡¯s why we need to pinpoint where he is. This man is an intelligent criminal. Our people can¡¯t figure out where he is exactly, and the longer this drags on, the more danger the people inside will be in.¡± They were in Jipsdale, and this was the Monarch Mall. If anything were to happen here, Chanaea would be theughingstock of the whole world. Most importantly, there were plenty of patrons in Monarch Mall, and they were all going to die. After Sophie heard what was going on, she bobbed her head. ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll help you out.¡± Hearing that, Eustace led Sophie to a ck car where a technician was still trying to trace the criminal¡¯s whereabouts. Sadly, he could not even find a single clue. He had never encountered someone as brilliant as the criminal. It was as if someone else was covering the criminal¡¯s tracks for him. Danny asked the technician before the machine to stand up and invited Sophie to sit down. Still chewing on the gum, Sophie¡¯s slender fingers danced elegantly across the keyboard. Eustace watched her work from behind her, hoping that she could speed up even more. ¡°Someone¡¯s helping him.¡± Sophie frowned. She knew then the criminal case was gettingplicated. ConTEent bel0ngs to N?v(e)lD/rama(.)Org . There¡¯s more than one man, and they had entered Monarch Mall with ulterior motives. ¡°Do you have any way to track him down?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Lines and lines of code appeared on the screen as Sophie fought against the hacker behind the criminals. Five minutester, the screen of the other party¡¯sputer turned ck, and he could not turn it on anymore. ¡°What the f*ck? What kind of person did Eustace find who can actually hack myputer?¡± Now that no one could help the criminal hide anymore, all Sophie needed was a minute before she found him. A red dot appeared on the screen. ¡°You¡¯re amazing, Ms. Tanner!¡± Danny could not help but cry out. ¡°You can go apprehend him now.¡± ¡°Thank you. I¡¯ll transfer you the mary reward for this.¡± ¡°Okay,¡± was all Sophie said. Eustace then hurried away to arrest the criminal. As the criminal had a bomb on him, he also brought men from the bomb squad. ¡°Ms. Tanner, you¡¯re fantastic! Can I ask you some questions?¡± ¡°Sorry, but I have some matters to attend to.¡± With that, Sophie stood up to leave. ¡°Danny, who is she? She looks young!¡± ¡°Yeah, she¡¯s only eighteen. Don¡¯t feel jealous, though. Some are just born a prodigy.¡± Some people were gifted individuals who could do anything with ease. On the other hand, some could never be geniuses no matter how hard they tried. Nevertheless, all one needed to do was to do their best. Just as Sophie stepped out of the ck car, Tristan called. ¡°Where are you? I¡¯ming to pick you up.¡± She doesn¡¯t listen to anyone at all. I told her to rest at home because she¡¯s sick, but she¡¯s running everywhere! ¡°I¡¯m at Monarch Mall,¡± Sophie replied. After the call ended, she stayed in her spot and waited for him. However, no one expected the criminal to jump off the building. Many people were entering and leaving Monarch Mall at that time, so when they saw a man falling to his death from the building, they screamed. Eustace immediately asked his men to seal off the ce. ¡°Hurry up! He still has a bomb on him that hasn¡¯t been defused!¡± The men from the bomb squad rushed over. However, it was their first time seeing such aplicated bomb design, and for a moment, they had no idea what to do. ¡°Evacuate the people,¡± Eustace promptly ordered. He then walked over to Sophie. ¡°Ms. Tanner, please leave quickly. The bomb will go off at any time.¡± They haven¡¯t dismantled the bomb even after such a long time? ¡°Captain Sheppard, seems like your men aren¡¯t efficient at all!¡± They can¡¯t track down the guy, and they don¡¯t even know how to defuse the bomb. The government¡¯s wasting their money on them by giving them such high pay! ¡°The other party¡¯s a Ph.D. student of the prestigious Athene University. He¡¯s very smart.¡± ¡°I never thought that the famous Captain Sheppard would be scrambling for excuses.¡± At that, Sophie handed him the bag in her hands. ¡°Hold this for me. This costs ten million, so don¡¯t lose it.¡± That was all she said before walking toward the bomb, about to defuse it. Eustace grabbed her. ¡°What are you doing? Don¡¯t you know how dangerous this is?¡± Sophie pulled her hand away from his. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I won¡¯t haunt you if I die.¡± At that, Eustace handed the bag to his subordinate before entering the scene with Sophie. ¡°Captain Sheppard, leave now! There¡¯s only a minute left!¡± The men from the bomb squad had decided to retreat from the scene. After all, the people had all been evacuated, and what they prioritized most was the safety of the people. ¡°Move aside.¡± ¡°Youngdy, this is too dangerous! You need to run, now!¡± Sophie did not want to waste any more breath on him, so she shoved him aside and crouched down to take a nce at the bomb. Then, she took the equipment from the side. ¡°Captain Sheppard, this is a real bomb!¡± This isn¡¯t a game! Is this girl not afraid of dying? ¡°Both of you should evacuate now,¡± Eustace said to the two bomb squad technicians. ¡°Captain Sheppard¡­¡± was all the two technicians could say before they realized that there was no time left. Thus, they began running away from the scene. ¡°Get down,¡± Sophie ordered. Eustace had always been the one to order others around, but a young woman was now the one giving orders. Nevertheless, he still did as she said. After Sophie cut the green line, she then cut the red one. Everyone on the special police force was sprawled on the floor. Even the men from the bomb squad could not defuse the bomb, so all of them were sure that it would go off. However, ten seconds passed. Then, twenty. Thirty. A minute. Sophie stood up and began walking away. When she saw Eustace still sprawled on the ground, her lips curled. Her smile was what greeted Eustace when he lifted his head. It was a blinding grin. ¡°Who are you really?¡± he asked, staring at the young woman in front of him in confoundment. Chapter 52 Chapter 52 Chapter 52 A Show To Watch ¡°Just someone ordinary.¡± Sophie was not afraid of Eustace looking into her. ¡°An ordinary person who knows how to defuse a bomb?¡± Clearly, Eustace did not believe her. ¡°I¡¯ve read a few books in relevance to the topic.¡± If it wasn¡¯t for the urgency of the matter, Sophie would not have defused the bomb herself. ¡°What¡¯s the matter? Are you going to arrest me?¡± ¡°No. I¡¯m just curious about you.¡± ¡°There¡¯s no need for that. I simply like reading books.¡± ¡°Regardless of everything, thank you. I¡¯ll buy you a meal another day.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine. Also, I don¡¯t want the reporters to find out what I¡¯ve done. It¡¯s annoying.¡± Sophie then took her bag from a police officer and quietly left the barricaded area. There were many reporters outside, and she did not want to speak to any of them. There¡¯s still blood on me. I should go back and clean myself up. I probably look quite frightening at the moment. When she took out her phone to look at the screen, she realized that Tristan had called her multiple times. She called him back. ¡°Where are you? I¡¯m out right now. Wait, I see your car. Don¡¯t move. I¡¯lle over now.¡± All Sophie wanted was to leave the area as quickly as she could while not catching anyone¡¯s attention. Meanwhile, after ending the call, Tristan alighted the car to wait for her. However, the first thing he noticed on her was the blood on her shirt. Instantly, he strode toward her. ¡°What happened?¡± I was only away from her for an afternoon. Why is she covered in blood now? ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± was the only thing she said to him. ¡°You¡¯re covered in blood, but you¡¯re telling me that you¡¯re fine?¡± Tristan growled, and the air around him turned cold. Who is it? Who¡¯s the one who daredy a finger on my woman? ¡°It¡¯s not my blood; I¡¯m not hurt. So don¡¯t worry.¡± After making sure that it really was not her blood, Tristan became at ease. He then opened the car door for her to enter the front passenger seat. ¡°Ms. Tanner, how did you end up covered in blood after your shopping trip?¡± ¡°Bad luck. I met a piece of trash.¡± Sophie hated criminals with high intellect the most. They¡¯re so smart, but instead of putting their intelligence to good use, they choose tomit crimes. Once Sophie returned to Wisteria Apartments, she took a shower and changed into a set of fresh clothes. She threw the bloodstained clothes into the trash can, but when she thought about how the housekeeper was going to notice it, she tied up the trash bag and nned to throw it outter. ¡°Let¡¯s go. Felix is going to have an early celebration for Ysabelle¡¯s birthday, and Ysabelle told me that I have to bring you there.¡± Ysabelle and the others were at Gold Sea Club. The ce was the most luxurious five-star club in Jipsdale. Just as Tristan and Sophie entered the car, Ysabelle called. ¡°Soph, hurry up. Everyone¡¯s waiting for you. What¡¯s the matter with my uncle? Why does he need to take so long to pick someone up?¡± ¡°Something happened, so you guys can start eating first if you¡¯re hungry.¡± ¡°We¡¯re not. You can take your time. There¡¯s no need to hurry.¡± With that, Ysabelle ended the call. ¡°She¡¯ll take a little while longer. Soph¡¯s a little busy right now.¡± ¡°What can a student be busy about? I¡¯d say it must be because she doesn¡¯t care about your birthday.¡± The one who spoke was Winter. ¡°Winter, I don¡¯t like the way you¡¯re talking about Soph. If she says that she¡¯s busy, then she must be busy. If you¡¯re in a rush, you can leave first.¡± Ysabelle was upset to hear Winter talk about Sophie in that way. ¡°Ysabelle, I don¡¯t mean anything by it. I just don¡¯t think tardiness is good. It¡¯ll make her seem uncultured.¡± The smile on Ysabelle¡¯s face dropped. ¡°Winter, I doubt talking behind someone¡¯s back is a cultured behavior.¡± ¡°Winter, you can leave first if you¡¯re busy,¡± Charles uttered unhappily. This woman keeps talking smack about Sophie. If Tristan were to hear her, even I wouldn¡¯t be able to protect her. Winter mped her mouth shut. If it wasn¡¯t for Tristan, I wouldn¡¯t have wanted toe to this ce! Besides, what kind of witch is Sophie to make Ysabelle so protective of her? ¡°All right. Don¡¯t be mad anymore. We¡¯re all friends here,¡± Felix said, trying to defuse the situation. ¡°Who¡¯s friends with you?¡± Ysabelle huffed, still angry. Felix patted her head. ¡°Ysabelle¡­¡± There¡¯s really nothing I can do about her. Ysabelle smacked his hand away. ¡°You¡¯re messing up my hairstyle.¡± Right then, a server opened the door to the room, and Tristan entered with Sophie. The moment Ysabelle saw Sophie, she beamed. ¡°Sit here, Soph!¡± Ysabelle pulled Sophie to a seat beside hers. To Sophie¡¯s left was Ysabelle, while Charles was already sitting on her right. In other words, there was no space left for Tristan to sit. ¡°Uncle Tristan, why are you still standing there? Take a seat!¡± When Charles saw Tristan looking at him, he stood up and offered his seat to thetter. ¡°Here you go, Mr. Tristan.¡± We¡¯re just having a meal. Does he really need to stick by her side? Tristan took Charles¡¯ seat without any hesitation. With that, Winter was sitting by Tristan¡¯s other side. She did not care why Tristan was sitting there as long as she was sitting beside him. Felix then asked the server to bring the dishes over. ¡°Ysabelle will be having her birthday tomorrow. Old Mr. Lombard will surely take up most of her time tomorrow, and there¡¯s nothing I can do about it, so I¡¯ll be celebrating her birthday here today. Thank you foring, guys!¡± Felix opened a bottle of 1982 Chateau Lafite-Rothschild. The server then filled the sses of the people by the table, but when she was about to fill Sophie¡¯s ss, Tristan stopped her. ¡°Just a hot ss of milk for her.¡± ¡°Of course, mister.¡± ¡°It¡¯s Ysabelle¡¯s birthday today, so all of us are drinking a little. Ms. Tanner, could it be that you¡¯re not of age yet?¡± Winter asked. Tristan ignored her. The others did the same, and Winter turned gloomy at once. It felt as if someone had pped her across the face. ¡°Happy birthday, Ysabelle!¡± Sophie took her ss of milk and stood up. ¡°I¡¯m d that I¡¯m friends with you, for you make me hate Jipsdale less.¡± Ysabelle lifted her ss of red wine as well. ¡°Soph, it¡¯s my pleasure to be friends with you too. We have to be good friends for the rest of our lives, okay? You have no idea how much I like you!¡± Belonging to N?velDrama.Org. The two toasted, and Ysabelle took a sip of her red wine while Sophie took a sip of her milk. ¡°Happy birthday, Ysabelle! You¡¯re all grown up before I even knew it.¡± Charles lifted his ss as well. ¡°Thank you.¡± Meanwhile, Sean only lifted his ss in Ysabelle¡¯s direction. He was a man of few words, after all. ¡°Thank you.¡± Felix then put a meatball on Ysabelle¡¯s te. ¡°Our Ysabelle¡¯s finally all grown up.¡± I¡¯ve been waiting so long for this day. Sophie was only inattentive for a split second, and when she came back to her senses, she realized that there was much more food on her te than before. At that, she could not help but nce at Tristan. Is he trying to feed a human or a pig? After a few mouthfuls, Sophie lost her appetite. Just a glimpse at her te, and she already felt full. Hence, she put all the meat onto Tristan¡¯s te. When the others noticed her actions, they stared at her. Winter sneered, thinking, Sophie must have a death wish! Everyone knows that Tristan is a germaphobe, but Sophie just gave him the food that she has bit into before. Guess it¡¯s time for me to just sit back and watch the show. ¡°What¡¯s the matter? Why are you all looking at me?¡± Then, Tristan ate the food that Sophie had bitten into in front of everyone. Charles gaped at the sight of it. Is this still the Mr. Tristan that I know? Even Sean was dumbfounded. I guess that¡¯s the end of Mr. Tristan, huh? Meanwhile, Felix did not have much of a reaction. What¡¯s wrong with that? I¡¯d be d to eat anything Ysabelle can¡¯t finish, but sadly, I don¡¯t have the chance to do that. At the same time, Winter was shocked to her core, Where did Mr. Tristan¡¯s principles go? Isn¡¯t he the one with the most principles? Could it be that he¡¯s no longer a germaphobe? With that thought in mind, she mustered up the courage to put a piece of barbecue ribs onto Tristan¡¯s te. Chapter 53 Chapter 53 Chapter 53 In His Arms Tristan instantly furrowed his brows, evidently upset. ¡°Excuse me.¡± ¡°Yes, mister? What can I do for you?¡± ¡°Bring a new te for me.¡± Everyone was rendered speechless. So, he¡¯s still a germaphobe; he¡¯s just fine with Sophie. Winter¡¯s face turned purple with rage. Does he hate me that much? Besides, I was using a new fork! ¡°Ms. Tanner, I heard that you have good grades. Did you rank second in grades?¡± Sean abruptly mentioned. ¡°It¡¯s just average.¡± ¡°Ha,¡± Winter sneered. That¡¯s nothing to be proud of. She¡¯s just a nerd. ¡°Ms. Tanner, you¡¯re quite good with your words. Maybe you can think about studyingw. If you actually do that, you cane and work at Burtons¡¯ Law Firm.¡± The bestwyer from the bestw firm in the country was offering her a ce in hispany. Winter frowned. When did Sean be such a bootlicker? Isn¡¯t Burtons¡¯ Law Firm the hardest ce to get into? It¡¯s a hundred times more challenging than the examination for civil servant job applications. ¡°Thank you for the offer, but I¡¯m not interested in bing awyer,¡± came Sophia¡¯s reply. ¡°It¡¯s still a while before the start of the university entrance exam. You can take your time to consider this.¡± It was the first time the others had heard so many words from Sean. ¡°Okay.¡± ¡°Ms. Tanner, there¡¯s a revolution going on in yourpany. I wonder what thoughts you have about that?¡± There were many women who looked pretty, but there were few who had a brain. Winter felt that she was thetter, for she handled her perfumery business well, and that was why she looked down on Sophie. ¡°Nothing much.¡± ¡°Ha,¡± Winter gleefully chuckled. I knew it. She¡¯s nothing but a bimbo! ¡°Winter, I¡¯m the main character of the day. Why are you so focused on Soph?¡± Ysabelle was well aware that Winter was targeting Sophie. If it wasn¡¯t for Charles, she would have flipped the table in fury. ¡°Sorry. I¡¯ll down a ss to right my wrong,¡± Winter said as she picked up a ss, feeling much better. With that ongoing mess in the Tanner family, I¡¯m sure Sophie isn¡¯t living her best life right now. As long as she¡¯s unhappy, I¡¯m happy. ¡°Finish your milk.¡± Tristan handed Sophie the ss of milk. Sophie sighed in exasperation, but she still took the ss from him. After all, he was doing that for her sake, and she figured she could not embarrass him like that. Winter scoffed in disdain at the sight of Sophie¡¯s meek demeanor. She¡¯s just Tristan¡¯s pet. He¡¯ll get sick of her eventually. If she¡¯s not cunning enough, she won¡¯t survive in our social circle. After the meal, they went to the most famous bar in Jipsdale called Nocturnal. Ysabelle was not of age back then, so they never brought her to ces like Nocturnal. However, now that she was finally of age, she insisted on going to the bar. Sean and Charles walked in the front while Felix and Ysabelle were behind them. After those four were Tristan and Sophie, with Winter walkingst. She could not help but clench her fists at the sight of the two in front of her. If it wasn¡¯t for Sophie, I would have been the one beside Tristan. Once they were inside Nocturnal, Felix and Ysabelle went and sit on a two-seater couch while Sean sat in an armchair. The couch Sophie and Tristan sat on was the middle three-seater couch. When Winter saw that there was space left on the couch, she tried to take a seat beside Tristan. However, Charles pulled her away to sit beside him. ¡°Charles, what are you doing?¡± I didn¡¯t even do anything yet! ¡°Don¡¯t make Mr. Tristan mad. You won¡¯t be able to bear the consequences.¡± In fact, I don¡¯t think anyone in Jipsdale is able to bear the consequences of angering him. Winter did not want to admit defeat, but she was afraid of actually infuriating Tristan. Naturally, Nocturnal¡¯s manager knew who these people were. Thus, he arranged the best seats for them. Then, he hired the best bartender to serve them. ¡°Mister, please make me the best cocktail.¡± This bartender is so handsome! ¡°Of course, mydy.¡± With that, the bartender began whipping up a cocktail for her. Indeed, he was the best bartender in Nocturnal. His moves were suave, and the ss was flying from one of his hands to the other. The very sight of his performance kept everyone on the edge of their seats, and the ending them them cheer as well. ¡°Here you go, miss.¡± The bartender handed a colorful cocktail to Ysabelle. After taking a sip of the cocktail, Ysabelle immediately gave the bartender a thumbs-up. The bartender then made a cocktail for everyone. ¡°Hurry up! Let¡¯s hurry over there before the seats run out!¡± ¡°I¡¯m so excited! I came here to see my favorite celebrity today!¡± ¡°Me too!¡± ¡°Mark¡¯s my favorite singer! I heard that he frequently sings in this bar!¡± ¡°Will he be singing today?¡± ¡°No, he¡¯s here as the DJ today.¡± ¡°It¡¯s Mark, my favorite singer! I can¡¯t believe I¡¯ll be able to see him here today.¡± Ysabelle was thrilled. ¡°Soph, why don¡¯t we go over there to take a look?¡± ¡°Sure.¡± Sophie got to her feet and went with Ysabelle to see her favorite singer. ¡°I¡¯ll head there too.¡± Tristan stood up. ¡°Me too.¡± What the hell? Isn¡¯t Ysabelle a little too happy to hear Mark¡¯s name? rm bells were ringing in Felix¡¯s head. ¡°Count me in,¡± Winter said as she stood up. She had decided to follow Tristan wherever he went. After all, if it wasn¡¯t for him, she would not be there at all. Mark was already on the stage, and he was dressed in an oversized ck T-shirt and a pair of ck distressed jeans. ConTEent bel0ngs to N?v(e)lD/rama(.)Org . His getup was simple, but the simplicity of his clothes made his ear stud even more eye-catching. As he remixed the song, he swayed his body to the beat. He was only moving his body to the rhythm, but his fans were screaming until their throats were sore below the stage. Ysabelle kept trying to squeeze her way to the front. Meanwhile, Felix, who was afraid that those crazed fans would hurt Ysabelle, kept his arms spread out to protect her. ¡°Soph,e over quickly!¡± Ysabelle cried out upon reaching the innermost of the crowd. Sophie had no choice but to squeeze her way into the crowd as Tristan shielded her in his arms. The further they went into the crowd, the less space there was. Hence, Tristan ended up wrapping his arms around Sophie so that no one could touch her. Finally, Sophie reached Ysabelle. Winter came with them, and she tried to follow them in. Sadly, she only managed to take a few steps into the crowd before she ended up getting pushed out of the crowd. ¡°You!¡± Winter was furious. What a bunch of uncivilized girls! She tried to enter the crowd again, but a plump young woman pushed her to the ground. Winternded on her bottom, and pain shot up her body from the fall. She jumped to her feet, ready to lose her temper at the other young woman, but her voice was drowned out by the screams of the girls around her. Everyone ignored her. In the meantime, Tristan was still holding onto Sophie. He was not interested in Mark, so his attention was on the people around them. He was not nning to let anyone, regardless of whether they were a man or a woman,e into contact with Sophie. ¡°Ah! I¡¯m so happy today! Mark, I love you!¡± Felix pursed his lips upon hearing Ysabelle¡¯s screams. ¡°I¡¯m going to ask for an autographter.¡± In the blink of an eye, Ysabelle had turned into a happy fan who was eager to meet her favorite celebrity. Not long after, the song ended. Mark turned around to whisper something to the host, and the host beamed upon hearing his words. ¡°Ladies and gentlemen, you¡¯re in luck tonight. Mark has said that he would like to sing a song to thank you all for your enthusiasm. However, he has asked to work with a lucky fan.¡± Chapter 54 Chapter 54 Chapter 54 So Cool ¡°Ah! Me! Pick me!¡± The fans cheered even louder and wilder. ¡°Now, I wonder who will that lucky fan be?¡± Darkness enveloped the bar, leaving only a beam of light shining down on Sophie. ¡°And there we have it! Our lucky fan today will be that stunning woman!¡± Sophie was speechless. ¡°Oh, my God, Soph, you¡¯re going to work with my idol! Ahhh! That is so amazing! You¡¯ve got to get me an autograph, okay?¡± Ysabelle was beyond excited. ¡°Do you not want to go? If you don¡¯t, we can leave now,¡± Tristan asked. ¡°It¡¯s fine. I¡¯ll do this for Ysabelle. It¡¯ll be her birthday present.¡± In the next moment, it was as though a miracle had happened because the fans parted ways and a clear path magically appeared in front of Sophie. ¡°Shall we?¡± Thedies screamed in delight when they saw Mark extending the invitation gracefully. ¡°Shh¡­¡± Mark signaled the others to calm down. The fans had always listened to him, so the ce turned silent a momentter. Mark led the way and brought Sophie up onto the stage. However, Sophie had no intention of singing at all. She walked toward the band and whispered something into the drummer¡¯s ears. The drummer stood up immediately after to let her have his seat. Mark grabbed the microphone, walked to Sophie, and greeted her. ¡°It¡¯s been a while since west saw each other.¡± Sophie ignored him. D*mn, this guy is still as immature as ever. Mark nodded to the other members of the band. ¡°I didn¡¯t realize that Sophie knows how to y the drums,¡±mented Felix, who was rather surprised. ¡°Neither did I.¡± The music yed, and Sophie turned to Mark. Their eyes locked before their performance began. Sophie spun her drumstick in a way that made her look cool. The lightsnded on both Mark and Sophie. When Sophie yed the drums, her style was so breathtaking that every move she made stirred Tristan¡¯s heart. Tristan rarely went to concerts, but the way Sophie yed the drums at that moment¡­ She was mesmerizing, and for a moment there, he felt as though that drum set was perfect for her. It was almost as if she was born to be a drummer. Many fans were unhappy at the beginning when they weren¡¯t chosen as the lucky fan and couldn¡¯t hang out with Mark. After seeing Sophie¡¯s performance, however, everyone was pacified. They thought that the lucky audience member was cool and worked perfectly in sync with Mark. The song was over soon. Sophie put the drumsticks away and nned on getting off that stage right away. ¡°Let¡¯s have dinner together,¡± invited Mark. ¡°I¡¯m busy.¡± ¡°You¡¯re still as cool as ever,¡±mented Mark. He couldn¡¯t help smiling at that. ¡°But I don¡¯t care. I¡¯ll be leaving Jipsdale in a few days for my tour, so you must have dinner with us.¡± ¡°Is that a threat?¡± ¡°No, I wouldn¡¯t have the guts to do so. The band can¡¯t afford to lose you.¡± ¡°Mark, I¡¯m sure you know this, but I only joined the band for fun. I never intended to make a career out of this.¡± ¡°I know. That is why I¡¯m asking you to have dinner with all of us sometime. For old time¡¯s sake,¡± said Mark. He never overstepped or pushed her. ¡°Fine.¡± Eventually, Sophie agreed to go to dinner with him. Back then, she joined Mark¡¯s band because she was bored. Their band happened to be looking for a drummer, so she auditioned for the role. ¡°Give me an autograph. My friend¡¯s a huge fan.¡± ¡°Not a problem.¡± As a prank, Mark signed his name on her coat. Sophie walked down the stage and made her way back to Tristan. ¡°Let¡¯s go home.¡± The concert was over, so the fans returned to their seats. Tristan narrowed his eyes when he saw the signature on Sophie¡¯s coat. A dangerous aura oozed out of him. I guess I¡¯ll have to get someone to break that superstar¡¯s hand. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± asked Sophie. Is it just me or is he angry again? ¡°It¡¯s nothing. You let him touch you, huh?¡± replied Tristan as he pointed at the signature on her coat. Original from N?velDrama.Org. Sophie was speechless. She took off her coat right away and handed it to Ysabelle. ¡°Here, the autograph you asked for.¡± In truth, Sophie didn¡¯t expect Mark to sign on her coat either. Ysabelle hugged Sophie tightly in her arms after getting the autograph she had been dreaming about. ¡°Ah, Soph! I love you so much,¡± she eximed. She never imagined that she would actually get her hands on Mark¡¯s autograph. Oh boy, did I just offend Uncle Tristan? Why is he looking at me as though he¡¯s going to kill me? Felix was surprised as well. He didn¡¯t think that Tristan would be jealous of his own niece. Isn¡¯t that a little too possessive? Winter didn¡¯t get to push her way in earlier, but she saw Sophie¡¯s performance from afar with the rest of the crowd. My guess is that Sophie knows that supposed superstar, Mark. How else could they work so perfectly in sync? Rtionships between band members have always been messy. Who knows? Maybe the two of them have aplicated past together. She was convinced that Sophie would be in hot waters if any incriminating evidence was exposed. I¡¯m certain that the powerful Tristan would be pickier with women. The group of five returned to their seats soon after. Ysabelle was still excited and kept staring at the autograph. ¡°It¡¯s just a signature, isn¡¯t it? I can sign a dozen for you in a minute. Is it really necessary to stare at it like that?¡± ¡°Pfft, I¡¯m not interested in your signature. Not all signatures are valuable, you know?¡± ¡°Ysabelle, that¡¯s a little harsh, isn¡¯t it? My signature is worth millions¡­ maybe even more. How is it worthless to you? D*mn, you¡¯re terrible at valuing things.¡± Ysabelle shouted a little too much earlier, so she was parched. She picked up the cocktail sitting right beside her and sipped some. ¡°Ms. Tanner, do you know Mark personally? The two of you worked rather well together, and he chose you out of all the fans here tonight. Did something happen between the two of you?¡± asked Winter while feigning curiosity. ¡°Is that true? Soph, do you really know Mark?¡± ¡°Nope. I was just lucky.¡± ¡°Oh, that makes sense, too. You have always been a lucky one.¡± Winter harrumphed. It was obvious she didn¡¯t believe a word Sophie had just said. Sophie didn¡¯t care, though. As far as she was concerned, what Winter thought had nothing to do with her. There was no need to care about a random woman at all. ¡°You must¡¯ve learned how to y drums in the past because your performance earlier was amazing.¡± Winter refused to change the topic. She kept pushing and asking about it. ¡°Ms. Quigley, you seem especially interested in my past. May I know what exactly it is you want to know?¡± Impatience shone in Sophie¡¯s eyes. ¡°That¡¯s not it at all. I just wanted to keep a casual conversation going. Isn¡¯t that why we sat down here together in the first ce?¡± ¡°That¡¯s enough, Winter!¡± growled Tristan as he red at her. She doesn¡¯t get to butt in on Sophie¡¯s past, regardless of what it was like. ¡°Yeah, he¡¯s right. Come on. Let¡¯s drink instead,¡± suggested Charles. He was truly annoyed with his sister. Why must Winter try to humiliate Sophie? It¡¯s not as though Mr. Tristan will fall in love with her if she does that. ¡°Soph, you were so cool earlier! Even a straight woman like myself was on the verge of falling for you!¡± complimented Ysabelle. She still hadn¡¯t recovered from her shock. ¡°Let¡¯s y darts,¡± suggested Winter. ¡°Sure. What are the stakes?¡± asked Ysabelle. She was especially high that night, so she was down to y anything. ¡°The loser must find a person they like in Nocturnal and kiss him or her.¡± ¡°Winter,¡± warned Charles sternly once again. ¡°Oh,e on, Charles. The whole point ofing out here is to y. Besides, it¡¯s just a kiss. It¡¯s not like I¡¯m asking for anything drastic.¡± Winter was setting up a trap. If Sophie were to lose, she would be forced to kiss a stranger. On the other hand, if Sophie were to win the game, Winter would point out that Sophie was an experienced yer in bar games despite her young age. That would make her seem like a rowdy girl. ¡°Since Winter is so adamant about ying the game, let¡¯s do it then.¡± Winter didn¡¯t expect Tristan to support her like that. She couldn¡¯t help feeling delighted and encouraged. Chapter 55 Chapter 55 Chapter 55 Anticipating The Kiss ¡°Are you okay with it, Soph? We don¡¯t have to y the game if you don¡¯t want to.¡± Ysabelle was certain that Sophie could do most things well, but throwing darts was a game that needed constant practice. I wonder if she ever yed it before. ¡°It¡¯s fine. We can y if that¡¯s what you want.¡± Sophie smiled warmly, and it was as though she was letting Ysabelle do whatever she wanted on her birthday. ¡°I love you so much, Soph,¡± said Ysabelle. In a way, Sophie was the perfect boyfriend material. ¡°Seriously, if you¡¯re a guy, I would marry you in a heartbeat.¡± Sophie smiled without saying anything else. ¡°Ms. Tanner, you truly are incredible. It seems like you can do everything with ease.¡± Winter was bidding her time and nning ahead. The higher the pedestal she put Sophie on, the more it would hurt when Sophie inevitably fell. Sophie, however, didn¡¯t think much of it. It¡¯s just a game of throwing darts, so how hard can it be? I¡¯ll just let her think that she¡¯s winning for a little longer. ¡°Do you need Mr. Tristan to give you some private lessons beforehand? He was the one who taught you how to y pools thest time, right?¡± ¡°There¡¯s no need for that. Since Ms. Quigley is that eager to lose, let¡¯s just y.¡± Sophie was truly irked by Winter¡¯s behavior. After all, it shouldn¡¯t matter what her rtionship with Tristan was like. Winter still had no right butting in on the matter. ¡°Hah,¡± replied Winter. She couldn¡¯t help scoffing. ¡°Before that, though, let¡¯s make things clear. This is just a game, so regardless of how things turn out to be, no one is allowed to hold a grudge, okay?¡± ¡°Winter, let¡¯s just y. Why are you talking so much? What¡¯s the point of saying all that, anyway?¡± How have I never noticed that Winter is so annoying before? ¡°I¡¯ll go first,¡± said Ysabelle. She stood up and tossed the dart right away. ¡°Ten points,¡± said Felix. He couldn¡¯t help chuckling a little. Ysabelle¡¯s skill is really¡­ something else. ¡°What are youughing at, Felix? Do you think you can do better? Fine, go on, then. You can go next.¡± ¡°Sure,¡± replied Felix. He stood behind the line, adjusted his stance, and threw the dart. ¡°Twenty-five points. See that? That is how you do it.¡± ¡°Hmph!¡± That good-for-nothing Felix is deliberately messing with me! ¡°Soph, it¡¯s your turn.¡± Sophie made her way over. She picked up a dart and tossed it mindlessly. Even so, it managed to hit the bull¡¯s eye. Everyone was instantly speechless. The same thought shed across their mind. My gosh, can she be any more nonchnt? ¡°Huh¡­ I didn¡¯t think my luck will be that good. Throwing darts is all about luck, right?¡± Winter was even more delighted. Although she was the one who suggested the game, she had never thought about winning it. In fact, she was determined to lose the game. Only then would she be able to kiss Tristan. After all, it was just a game. She figured that Tristan wouldn¡¯t be able toin even if she were to kiss him. ¡°Wow, you y so well, Ms. Tanner. You must frequent clubs often and y regrly, huh?¡± Winter asked. Sophie sneered. Ah, so that¡¯s what she has been nning. Charles and Sean were up next. Both had trained with the special forces before, so games like that were nothing to them. Hence, their results were virtually perfect. ¡°It¡¯s your turn, Mr. Tristan.¡± Winter was smiling brightly. Yes, I will surely lose now. ¡°You should go ahead. I¡¯ll be thest one,¡± said Tristan. Winter didn¡¯t have the guts to disobey since it was Tristan who told her to y first. There¡¯s no way Tristan is that bad at throwing darts, right? At worst, he will definitely get some points. Winter made her way to the right spot, grabbed a dart, and threw it as well as she could. In the end, however, she got the worst result with only one point. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry. It¡¯s been a while since Ist yed this game, so I under-performed,¡± said Winter sadly. She pretended to be disappointed, but she was actually brimming with happiness. She reckoned she finally had the chance to kiss the man she loved, who was right there in Nocturnal. ¡°It¡¯s your turn, Mr. Tristan.¡± Winter was getting a little eager. ¡°Soph, why does it seem as though Winter wants to lose the game? Is it just me, or is she that obvious?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not just you. She wants to lose so that she can kiss Tristan. Can you really not see that?¡± Sophie would have to be an idiot to not know what Winter was nning. ¡°Huh? What the hell? How shameless can that woman get? I can¡¯t believe she came up with a n like that. Does she really like Uncle Tristan that much? Ugh, this is so disgusting. She is not worthy of him.¡± Ysabelle would never have put two and two together if Sophie hadn¡¯t pointed it out. ¡°Well¡­ What do we do now? We can¡¯t let her kiss Uncle Tristan, can we?¡± ¡°What is there for us to do? This is about your Uncle Tristan, and no one can do anything if he¡¯s okay with her kissing him,¡± Sophie replied. ¡°No, that won¡¯t do. Anyone else can kiss him but her!¡± ¡°Why not? Aren¡¯t the two of you on good terms?¡± ¡°She and I are no longer friends, okay? I mean, did you see how she repeatedly goes after you today? I don¡¯t want to be friends with her anymore.¡± ConTEent bel0ngs to N?v(e)lD/rama(.)Org . As far as Ysabelle was concerned, anyone who dared to go after her best friend would be deemed an enemy. She didn¡¯t even care who that enemy might be. Tristan gracefully made his way over and picked up a dart. Winter¡¯s gaze moved with the dart. Her heart began thumping fast. The opportunity was so close that she began picturing what it would feel like to press her lips against his. She had been dreaming of that kiss for so long, but she never had the chance to realize it. In a way, she had to thank Ysabelle for it. If it hadn¡¯t been for her, Winter would never have had an opportunity like that. ¡°Oh my gosh, Uncle Tristan¡­¡± ¡°What the hell?¡± said Felix. He couldn¡¯t believe what he was seeing. ¡°Uh, Mr. Tristan¡­¡± Sophie didn¡¯t say anything. She simply blinked. Okay, he definitely did that on purpose! The dart fell out of the board, so Tristan was the one with the lowest point of zero points. Winter¡¯s smile faded right away. And here I was expecting that kiss eagerly. Yet, this is all I got for waiting patiently? The kiss she had been dreaming of, the opportunity she had been dying for¡­ Everything faded just like that. ¡°I bet Uncle Tristan saw through her schemes. How is he so smart? Man, he lost so perfectly.¡± Ysabelle was cheering inwardly. I¡¯m okay with Uncle Tristan kissing anyone so long as that person isn¡¯t that scheming b*tch, Winter. ¡°Mr. Tristan, you¡­¡± Winter lost her voice. T-That means he saw through my schemes. The other men present knew that Tristan lost on purpose because it was too obvious. I guess he just wants to kiss Sophie, huh? ¡°Excuse me, I have to go to the restroom,¡± said Sophie. Sh*t! Winter set this stupid trap, and I am not paying for her mistake! Hope began ring within Winter again after hearing Sophie excusing herself to go to the restroom. She figured that Tristan couldn¡¯t possibly kiss one of the other boys, and since Ysabelle was his niece, kissing her would be inappropriate. That meant that Winter was the only option avable. Obviously, she would be much happier to have Tristan kiss her instead of being the one who had to take the initiative to kiss him. Winter licked her lips a little, and her heart thumped faster. Sophie had just stood up when Tristan suddenly grabbed her wrist and pulled firmly. She fell onto his lap right away. She hadn¡¯t even registered what had happened before Tristan nted his lips on hers. Winter was speechless. So¡­ Tristan had been waiting for the opportunity to lose as well¡­ ¡°Mmm!¡± Sophie struggled to break free, but Tristan¡¯s hold on her was strong. He did not give her a shot at escaping. Chapter 56 Chapter 56 Chapter 56 Feeling Under The Weather Sophie was running out of breath. Will I be the first person to die from kissing due to suffocation? Will the media report my death tomorrow? Winter clenched her fists. D*mn it! How could this happen when I thought everything was within my control? ¡°You see that, Winter? No matter how hard you push, some things just won¡¯t go your way, so please stop testing Mr. Tristan¡¯s patience.¡± ¡°I want to go home now, Charles. I¡¯m feeling a little under the weather.¡± Winter could not take it anymore. She stood up and left without even bidding Ysabelle farewell. Ysabelle was just as stunned. Oh, my God. Uncle Tristan is taking advantage of Soph now. What should I do? If the person were someone else, Ysabelle would have walked up and fought him to the death. B-but it¡¯s Uncle Tristan! She did not have the courage to go against Tristan. She could only pinch Felix¡¯s arm with all her might to vent her frustration. Felix eximed in pain, ¡°Hey! What¡¯s wrong with you? Why did you pinch me?¡± Felix had no idea what he did to deserve that. I didn¡¯t even do anything! And that¡¯s what Mr. Tristan does best anyway. He has his way with women, and I¡¯ll never be half as good as him. ¡°It¡¯s all your fault. If you didn¡¯t insist on celebrating my birthday early, Uncle Tristan wouldn¡¯t have a chance to take advantage of Soph. Who else can I me?¡± Ysabelle vented her anger on Felix. Since she could not express her frustration in front of Tristan, she could only release her anger on Felix. ¡°Belle, think of it this way. You like Soph very much, right? Wouldn¡¯t it be great if she became your sister-inw? You two will be able to stay together forever!¡± Felix was proud of the idea. Meanwhile, Tristan finally released Sophie when she thought she was about to die from suffocation. She wanted to get up, but theck of oxygen in her brain due to the prolonged kiss caused her to stagger and fall back into a sitting position. However, this time, she fell on a particr part of a man¡¯s anatomy. Sophie, who had always been a calm person, could not remain so when she realized what she was sitting on. She snapped her head up and met Tristan¡¯s burning gaze. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I didn¡¯t do it on purpose.¡± ¡°It¡¯s all right.¡± Tristan tried to tame the raging monster in his lower torso. But no matter how hard he tried, he could not suppress the desire in his voice. His reaction made Sophie even more embarrassed. However, the more embarrassed she was, the calmer she would be. It¡¯s just a kiss, isn¡¯t it? It shouldn¡¯t bother me. It¡¯s a game anyway, and we all agreed not to get mad no matter what the oue was. Yet somehow, her heart was pounding furiously. It was as if her heart was about to leap out of her chest. Sophie began to wonder why she allowed Tristan to get to her. I¡¯ve never felt like this before! ¡°It¡¯s gettingte. I should go home now. How about you guys?¡± said Sean, who was a man who led a disciplined lifestyle. ¡°Well then. Let¡¯s call it a day. Felix, could you send Ysabelle home for me?¡± They could not drive because they had been drinking all night, but their drivers had arrived to send them home. ¡°Sure, don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll send her home safely,¡± Felix replied. I want to spend more time with her too. ¡°Let¡¯s go. I¡¯ll send you home,¡± Tristan said to Sophie in a gentle voice. Sophie still felt a little dizzy when they got into the car. She could not believe that was how she had lost her first kiss. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Do you think I took advantage of you? Why don¡¯t you kiss me back, and we¡¯ll call it quits?¡± Tristan¡¯s suggestion rendered the young woman speechless. ¡°No, thank you. I¡¯m all right.¡± Sophie gritted her teeth. There¡¯s nothing I can do. I can only suck it up and move on. Even when she woke up the next day, she could not resist touching her lips after recallingst night¡¯s incident. Oh,e on, Sophie! It¡¯s just a kiss! Grow up! When Sophie was about to go out for breakfast after freshening up, the doorbell rang. She opened the door and saw Tristan standing outside with breakfast in his hands. ¡°You could have opened the door yourself, couldn¡¯t you?¡± Sophie did not understand why he had to ring the doorbell since he was the house owner. ¡°I told you this is your private space now, and I can¡¯t simply trespass on your premises unless there¡¯s an emergency.¡± Tristan wanted to respect her privacy. ¡°Let¡¯s have breakfast. We¡¯ll get you an evening gown after this.¡± She has to wear an evening gown for Ysabelle¡¯s birthday party tonight. ¡°Don¡¯t get me wrong. I realized you didn¡¯t have an evening gown in your wardrobe the other day, so I decided to take you out and get you one.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have to exin further. I¡¯ll do as you say.¡± Sophie was not someone who would put on a hypocritical front. I¡¯ll get an evening gown if the party requires me to wear it. Sophie was still in her sleepwear as she had just woken up. Her sleepwear was a mauve pink short dress that exposed her slender and fair legs. She looked exceptionally seductive in that attire. The two of them had breakfast together. Today¡¯s breakfast suited Sophie¡¯s tastes, so she ate quite a lot. After that, Sophie went to change while Tristan waited for her in the living room. Sophie wore a simple long-sleeve white t-shirt with a pair of jeans and a cap. ¡°Come on. Let¡¯s go!¡± Tristan could not help but question himself after seeing Sophie¡¯s youthful look. Am I too old for her? While they were on the way to the store, Tristan asked, ¡°Sophie, does age matter to you in a rtionship?¡± Upon hearing that question, Sophie, who was enjoying the pleasant weather and the view of passersby on the road while resting her right arm on the windowsill, turned around to look at the man. Tristan cleared his throat to hide his awkwardness when he realized Sophie was staring at him. ¡°It¡¯s just a random question I had in mind,¡± Tristan said. While some young girls like boys their age, some prefer older men. I wonder what¡¯s her preference. ¡°Me? I like young men¡ªgood-looking ones,¡± Sophia answered and giggled. Tristan nched at her words. He then brought her to a store that specialized in custom-made evening gowns. Sophie wondered why he brought her here as she knew the evening gowns were all custom-made. The designers would have to take the customer¡¯s measurements and design a dress ording to the customer¡¯s demeanor. Tonight is the party, and we don¡¯t have time to make a new one! Meanwhile, the designer from the store came out to greet Tristan. ConTEent bel0ngs to N?v(e)lD/rama(.)Org . ¡°Bring me Ms. Tanner¡¯s evening gown.¡± ¡°The gown is ready, Mr. Tristan.¡± The designer instructed his subordinate to bring out the evening wear. ¡°You made a gown for me? But how? I don¡¯t think I¡¯vee here before!¡± Sophie wondered. The designer responded with a grin. ¡°Mr. Tristan gave me your photo a week ago and asked me to make an evening gown for you.¡± ¡°You looked amazing in the photo, but you look even more fabulous in person! You¡¯re what our brand is about. Would you like to be our model?¡± Chapter 57 Chapter 57 Chapter 57 Private Territory ¡°Thank you, but I¡¯m not interested in bing a model.¡± Sophie never liked others knowing about her private life. ¡°Oh, I see. That¡¯s such a shame because I think you¡¯re born for it. You don¡¯t have to reject me right away, though. Sleep on it, okay? If you happen to change your mind, call me anytime.¡± The designer passed Sophie her business card. Right then, the assistant brought over the dress Tristan had ordered them to custom make. ¡°Ms. Tanner, pleasee over with me to try the dress out. If needed, we can alter it on the spot.¡± The assistant then led Sophie to the changing room and helped her put on the ck dress. ¡°The dress fits you like a glove, Ms. Tanner! Mr. Lombard is going to be over the moon when he sees you in it.¡± The assistant was dumbstruck. Although the girls who had gone there to custom-make dresses were all pretty, Sophie was the prettiest of them all. ¡°Thank you.¡± Sophie had been praised for her looks ever since she was young. Hence, she was already numb to suchpliments. ¡°I¡¯ll help you tie your hair up!¡± The assistant tied Sophie¡¯s auburn hair up to reveal her beautiful neck. Although Sophie wasn¡¯t wearing any makeup, she was still stunningly beautiful. ¡°We¡¯re done!¡± The assistant opened the door, and Sophie headed out. When Sophie came out, Tristan was on the phone in front of the floor-to-ceiling window. Upon hearing the sound of footsteps, he turned around gracefully. Right then, he saw Sophie walking toward him in that ck dress. He was usually aposed and calm man. However, at that moment, he was stunned to the point he could not speak. I knew she was going to look good in ck. It seems like I have good eyes for such things, after all. Indeed, Sophie looked very alluring dressed in that ck sleeveless dress. He then hung up the phone and approached Sophie. ¡°How is it? Do you like it?¡± The sleeveless dress stopped just right above the knee. Its design was meant to showcase her beautiful legs and stunning arms. ¡°Isn¡¯t it a little too short?¡± Tristan wasn¡¯t pleased when he realized all the men at the party would stare at Sophie¡¯s legs. ¡°No, it isn¡¯t. The length is perfect for an evening gown! All that it¡¯s showing are the arms and legs.¡± The designer was thrilled with the dress. As a designer, her primary aim was to be able to get her customers to showcase her impable designs. The designer then approached Sophie to check out the dress. ¡°The area around your waist is still a little loose, though. Ms. Tanner, you have such a slender waist!¡± Sophie had a spectacr figure. Despite being slim, she had all the assets a woman would want on her body. ¡°It¡¯s all right.¡± Sophie wasn¡¯t bothered. Nheless, she was in love with the dress. ¡°Ms. Tanner, Mr. Lombard had personally picked this out for you.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± With that, Sophie went to the changing room to change into her own clothes. The designer wanted to alter Sophie¡¯s dress, so Sophie and Tristan sat on the couch and waited. ¡°Mr. Lombard, your suit is ready.¡± The assistant brought Tristan¡¯s suit out and asked, ¡°Do you need to try them on?¡± ¡°That won¡¯t be necessary. You can just leave them there.¡± His suits were always tailored there, so he was quite sure everything would fit nicely. ¡°It¡¯s gettingte. Shall we have lunch first?¡± Tristan asked. Sophie nodded in response. Since she had just had a hearty breakfast, she wasn¡¯t hungry. However, she was getting bored while waiting. After instructing the assistant to send the dress and the suit to a particr location, Tristan brought Sophie to a fancy restaurant. The moment Sophie sat down, she received a call from Ysabelle. ¡°Soph, where are you?¡± Ysabelle¡¯s schedule was packed that day, so she had only found the time to ring Sophie. ¡°I¡¯m at Dream Restaurant.¡± Sophie was talking to Ysabelle and flipping through the menu at the same time. ¡°What? You¡¯re only having lunch now? By the way, you muste over tonight, okay?¡± Ysabelle was worried that Sophie wouldn¡¯t show up. ¡°I know, Ms. Lombard. I¡¯ll be there. That¡¯s all, right? I still have matters to attend to, so I¡¯ll be hanging up now.¡± With that, Sophie hung up the call. Seeing that she had finally gotten off the phone, Tristan asked, ¡°What would you like to eat? They serve good steak here.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll have a sd to go with the steak, then.¡± Tristan ordered the dishes. When the steak was served, Tristan helped her cut the steak into small pieces. Being the handsome man that he was, he looked dashing even when he was cutting steak. This content ? N?v/elDr(a)m/a.Org. After he was done cutting, he served the te to Sophie. ¡°Mr. Tristan, thank you so much for today. You don¡¯t have to apany me to get the dress, actually. I can do it on my own.¡± Knowing how busy Tristan was, Sophie was surprised that he would spend so much time with her. After all, getting a dress is just a small matter. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. These are all things I want to do. As long as that¡¯s the case, I don¡¯t find them tedious at all.¡± Tristan continued cutting the steak. After lunch, he found out he had left something behind at Lombard Group. Hence, he brought her along to the legendary Lombard Group¡¯s headquarters. ¡°I¡¯ll just wait in the car.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine. Let¡¯s head up together so that I can show you my working environment.¡± Upon saying that, he went and opened the car door for Sophie. Sophie had no choice but to get out of the car. Lombard Group¡¯s headquarters was the most luxuriousmercial building in Jipsdale. It was a ny-story skyscraper. Tristan brought Sophie along to the nieth floor using the elevator meant for the CEO. The entire nieth floor was reserved for the CEO, and it had all the facilities one could ask for. It was divided into two sections. One was for work, and itprised the CEO¡¯s personal office and five offices for the secretaries. Apart from that, there was a luxurious conference room and a massive pantry. The other section was Tristan¡¯s private space, and it was designed like a presidential suite. ¡°Do you stay here?¡± Sophie asked, knowing that she was staying in his unit at Wisteria Apartments. ¡°I would stay here whenever I¡¯m caught up with work.¡± Lombard Group had all sorts of subsidiaries dealing in different industries. When he took over the company, there were a lot of things he needed to familiarize himself with. Furthermore, the power struggle within thepany was a thorny situation to deal with. When that happened, Tristan would just stay there and work endlessly. Hence, the ce was properly equipped, and he had everything he needed. After all, he wasn¡¯t one to mistreat himself. ¡°Have a look around, okay? I¡¯ll go to the office to get some things ironed out. I¡¯ll be back once I¡¯m done.¡± Tristan brought her to his private area. Once Tristan left, Butterfly¡¯s call came. ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± Sophie asked. ¡°Phantom, something bad has happened. Someone was attacking Wings of Light¡¯s firewall.¡± ¡°And?¡± ¡°Nothing happened in the end, of course. After all, you¡¯ve personally set up Wings of Light¡¯s firewall. No one¡¯s going to be able to break it. Still, there seems to be a loophole in our firewall. If you¡¯re free,e over and have a look, will you?¡± Despite her confidence in Sophie, Butterfly was still slightly worried. Chapter 58 Chapter 58 Chapter 58 Fake Invitation Since someone was trying to go against Wings of Light, they had to deal with the situation carefully. ¡°Okay. I¡¯ll go over once I have the time,¡± Sophie answered. Wings of Light was an organization Sophie had formed three years prior. When she first established it, she had written the program herself to strengthen the firewall. Ever since then, countless top hackers worldwide had tried to breach Wings of Light¡¯s firewall because they wanted to know the organization¡¯s secrets. However, no matter how many times they tried, no one had seeded in doing so yet. Therefore, Sophie was very confident in the programming sequence she had written. After being heavily involved for a while, Sophie found Butterfly to take over her ce as the leader of Wings of Light. After that, she would only involve herself asionally. ¡°By the way, have you been close with Tristan recently?¡± Upon hearing that Sophie would go over, Butterfly breathed a sigh of relief and went on to gossip. ¡°Phantom, I know you like the thrill, but Tristan isn¡¯t someone to mess with. I¡¯m worried about your safety.¡± Due to Sophie¡¯s tender age, the other members were quite protective of her. ¡°I know.¡± In fact, Sophie had heard all about Tristan. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I can take care of myself. I¡¯m not afraid of Tristan.¡± Throughout the eighteen years of her life, Sophie had never been scared of anyone. ¡°Oh, right! When Tristan was in Horington, a dozen mercenaries tried to kill him. I need you to help me find out who those people were,¡± Sophie uttered. ¡°But there are a lot of people who want Tristan dead, no?¡± Needless to say, a lot of people wanted Tristan dead because Lombard Group¡¯s existence posed a lot of problems for the others financially. ¡°Phantom¡­ Don¡¯t fall for Tristan¡¯s good looks, okay? He¡¯s not right for you,¡± Butterfly warned. Phantom can get whatever she wants in life. She doesn¡¯t need to get involved with Tristan. ¡°You¡¯re overthinking it,¡± Sophie answered. ¡°Am I? Am I really overthinking it? I do wish that¡¯s the case, then.¡± ¡°All right, that¡¯s enough. Find out about the mercenaries and get back to me.¡± ¡°Okay. I¡¯ll be as quick as possible.¡± Nothing in the world could hide from Wings of Light. ¡°If that¡¯s all, I¡¯m going to hang up now.¡± ¡°Remember toe over to the headquarters,¡± Butterfly reminded before hanging up. What a tough life I¡¯m living! Ever since I took over Wings of Light from Phantom, I¡¯ve been busting my chops to run it. Am I the most pitiful person on earth or what? After Sophie hung up the call, she started gaming on her phone. Tristan walked in and saw what she was doing. He then approached her and sat next to her to watch her y.Property ? of N?velDrama.Org. Sophie only exited the game after she was done. ¡°It¡¯s about time. Let¡¯s go,¡± Tristan said. ¡°Mr. Tristan, is it okay if I don¡¯t stick together with you?¡± The people who were attending the party were from the upper-ss social circle. If she were to show up with Tristan, they would garner too much attention, and she preferred to keep a low profile. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Do you not like being with me?¡± Tristan¡¯s mood suddenly dampened. ¡°Well, I don¡¯t like the attention, so¡ª¡± ¡°You¡¯re a star. You¡¯ll attract attention wherever you go.¡± Sophie was rendered speechless. ¡°Fine. Since you don¡¯t want to be with me, do as you please then,¡± Tristan added. Sophie didn¡¯t say anything in response. Is Mr. Tristan throwing a tantrum? Indeed, Tristan wasn¡¯t happy. He had already shown her so much, and yet, she didn¡¯t even want to be seen together with him in public. Sophie wasn¡¯t experienced in coaxing others. Hence, she kept silent as well when Tristan was giving her the cold shoulder. Ysabelle¡¯s birthday party was held on Diamond Cruise. By six-thirty in the evening, a lot of the guests were already seen boarding the cruise ship with their invitation cards in their hands. There were a bunch of reporters at the dock, and they were all trying to board the cruise ship because the public was very curious about the Lombard family. However, the security on the cruise ship was strict, and there was no way they could get on the ship. As for those who had boarded, their phones were all confiscated. In order to safeguard the Lombard family¡¯s privacy, they couldn¡¯t risk any photos getting leaked. Just then, a ck Mercedes-Benz arrived at the dock, and Willow was seen getting out of it. Dressed in a yellow gown, she had her hair tied up, and she was holding a silver color purse. She had heard about Diamond Cruise in the past, but that was the first time she saw the ship with her own eyes. Therefore, she was filled with excitement. Meanwhile, the cruise ship was packed with all the prominent families in Chanaea. Considering how iparable the Tanner family was with the other prominent families, she never had the chance to get into their social circle. Finally, I¡¯m going to get close to these people today! The driver opened the car door for Louisa, and she was seen wearing an exquisite pink gown and matching high heels. Her hair was also styled the same way as Willow¡¯s. She walked toward Willow excitedly because that was going to be her first time boarding Diamond Cruise as well. ¡°Let¡¯s go, Willow! I¡¯ll bring you in.¡± Louisa couldn¡¯t wait to get inside the cruise ship. Since the party is attended by youngsters, this is the perfect chance to find a date! In truth, the Yarborough family was nothingpared to the other families there. ¡°Louisa, I only have the chance to attend such a party because of you.¡± At the same time, she felt like a superstar because of the number of reporters there taking photos of her, and she was so caught up in the moment that she had forgotten who she was. ¡°Willow, you¡¯re my best friend. Considering how good of an opportunity this could be, it¡¯s only natural that I¡¯m bringing you with me.¡± Willow was the only person whom Louisa could get a sense of superiority from. Obviously, Willow was well aware of that. However, she could only get opportunities as such when she was with Louisa. Hence, she didn¡¯t mind Louisa finding a sense of superiority over her. Louisa gave the security guards her invitation card, and they scanned it on their system. The screen showed: ess denied. The security guards tried again, and the same result was shown. ¡°Miss, I¡¯m sorry, but you have a fake invitation card. You¡¯re not getting on the cruise ship.¡± ¡°What? You must¡¯ve gotten it wrong. How is it possible that my invitation card is fake?¡± Louisa was in disbelief. ¡°Miss, I¡¯m sorry. It¡¯s a fake invitation card.¡± ¡°That¡¯s impossible!¡± Louisa was enraged. ¡°Do you know who I am? There¡¯s no way my family has gotten a fake invitation card.¡± ¡°Well, I¡¯m sorry. I don¡¯t know who you are, and I don¡¯t care. The one thing I¡¯m certain of is that you¡¯re not getting on.¡± ¡°You¡­¡± Louisa was furious. ¡°I¡¯m not going to waste my breath on you. I¡¯m Ms. Lombard¡¯s best friend, and I¡¯m here to celebrate her birthday. No matter what, I¡¯m getting onto the cruise ship today.¡± When Louisa tried to drag Willow onto the cruise ship, the security guards stepped forward and stopped them. ¡°Please leave. Otherwise, don¡¯t me us for taking extreme measures.¡± Louisa thought they were just bluffing, so she tried to push her way through. However, the security guards held them up and brought them away from the cruise ship. ¡°Louisa, what¡¯s going on? Didn¡¯t Mr. Yarborough give you that invitation card?¡± Willow asked. This is so embarrassing. The reporters are taking photos of us. ¡°Wait. I¡¯m calling my dad to find out what¡¯s going on. I bet it¡¯s just a mistake on their end. It can¡¯t be fake!¡± Right then, a taxi arrived at the dock. Sophie pushed the door open and exited the car. The moment she got out of the car, the reporters started taking photos of her frantically and making comments. ¡°That young girl in the ck dress is stunning! Who is she?¡± ¡°Indeed! With her demeanor, she¡¯s surely an aristocrat.¡± ¡°She¡¯s even more graceful than the celebrities!¡± Chapter 59 Chapter 59 Chapter 59 Tear You Apart ¡°Oh? Which wealthy family is she from?¡± Upon hearing that, Louisa and Willow turned around and saw Sophie walking toward the cruise ship. ¡°Why is she here? How did the Tanner family get an invitation from the Lombard family?¡± Louisa was curious because even the Yarborough family didn¡¯t get invited. ¡°I have no idea.¡± Willow clenched her fists in anger. Since she didn¡¯t get on the cruise ship, she wasn¡¯t going to let Sophie get on it either. Willow and Louisa stopped Sophie in her tracks. ¡°What are you doing here, Sophie? Do you know where this is? You¡¯re not worthy of being here.¡± Louisa was so boastful she had forgotten her own invitation card was a fake. ¡°Indeed! Soph, you can¡¯t go aboard the Diamond Cruise without an invitation, you know? Since it¡¯s impossible for you to get on it, I would suggest you leave now before you embarrass yourself!¡± Willow taunted. ¡°Get out of my way.¡± Sophie wasn¡¯t in the mood to entertain their nonsense. ¡°Do you have an invitation card? Like this one. See?¡± Louisa asked while waving her invitation card in Sophie¡¯s face. She was sure Sophie wouldn¡¯t have been invited. ¡°I mean, look at that miserable face of yours! I¡¯m sure you weren¡¯t invited,¡± she added. ¡°Is that any of your concern?¡± Sophie ignored the two of them and walked toward the cruise ship. I wonder is Tristan here yet? That guy is so strange. Louisa suddenly grabbed Sophie¡¯s hand and said, ¡°I¡¯m just reminding you out of kindness. There¡¯s no way you¡¯re getting on that cruise ship without an invitation. So could you please just leave before you embarrass the whole Tanner family?¡± Sophie was pissed, so she grabbed Louisa¡¯s hand and pinched her. Louisa yelled out in pain. ¡°Ouch! What the hell are you doing, Sophie? You¡¯re hurting me. Let me go!¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t I warn both of you before? Didn¡¯t you understand when I told you guys not to pester me?¡± Sophie asked. ¡°What are you doing, Soph? Let go of Louisa!¡± While saying that, Willow was walking toward Sophie to stop her. Sophie instantly shot her a gaze. Willow got spooked and backed off. She was scared because she was well aware of what Sophie was capable of. ¡°You¡¯re such a b*tch, Sophie! Let go of me now! Otherwise, I¡¯ll make you pay!¡± Louisa was in so much pain by then that she started having cold sweat. ¡°What a foul mouth. Since your parents never bothered to teach you a thing or two about manners, I guess I would have to teach you some lessons myself.¡± With that, Sophie let go of her hand and gave Louisa two hard ps across her face. Louisa was stunned. Did that b*tch just p me? How dare she hit me? ¡°How dare you?¡± She was infuriated. Just when she was about to pounce at Sophie, she saw her contemptuous re. Louisa immediately froze. ¡°You¡¯d better hide the next time you see me. Otherwise, you¡¯ll be getting something more than two ps.¡± Sophie took out a napkin from her purse and wiped her hands before throwing it into the bin. The reporters were excitedly snapping photos of what happened. Noticing that, Sophie called Butterfly and told her to get rid of all the photos. Afterward, she walked toward the check-in booth with Louisa¡¯s and Willow¡¯s eyes glued to her. ¡°Miss, may I see your invitation card?¡± the security guard asked. Sophie frowned. It¡¯s just a party. Why is an invitation card needed? Ysabelle didn¡¯t even give me any card. ¡°I don¡¯t have one,¡± she told the security guard. ¡°Miss, I¡¯m sorry. But you can¡¯t go in without an invitation card.¡± The guests at the party were all rich and powerful. That was why the security was extremely strict. Just then, Sophie received a call from Ysabelle. ¡°Why aren¡¯t you here yet, Soph?¡± Ysabelle asked. ¡°I¡¯m here. But did you forget to give me an invitation card?¡± ¡°Invitation card? Oh! I¡¯m so sorry. I must¡¯ve forgotten. It¡¯s fine. Pass the phone to the security guard.¡± Sophie handed the phone to the security guard. Upon hearing Ysabelle¡¯s voice on the other end of the line, the guard panicked. ¡°Oh! I¡¯m so sorry. I didn¡¯t know you were Ms. Ysabelle¡¯s friend! Please go ahead!¡± Sophie walked right into the cruise ship after having her phone handed back to her. Louisa and Willow could only watch as Sophie walked into the party they wished so much to attend. ¡°How is that possible? How did Sophie get on the cruise ship without an invitation card? We were denied ess even when we had our invitation cards!¡± Louisa was baffled. Willow kept mum. Why does everything seem so easy for Sophie? Louisa once again went to the security guard and grumbled, ¡°She didn¡¯t have an invitation card, right? Why did you let her in when you¡¯ve denied us ess even though we have invitation cards?¡± ¡°Miss, if you insist on being a nuisance here, I would have no choice but to call the police.¡± The security guard was getting irritated. ¡°You¡ª¡± Willow pulled Louisa away when she saw an argument was about to take ce. ¡°Forget about it, Louisa. Let¡¯s just leave.¡± Willow was embarrassed. ¡°Forget about it? How could I? Sophie hit me just now,¡± Louisained. ¡°Louisa, haven¡¯t you humiliated yourself enough?¡± Louisa went quiet. Indeed, she had never been so humiliated before. ¡°I swear to make her pay! I must make her pay!¡± Louisa kept mumbling to herself all the way to the car. After getting on the cruise ship, Sophie didn¡¯t see Tristan around, although most of the guests had arrived. In the meantime, she wanted to find Ysabelle so that she could give her the present she brought along. However, someone purposefully bumped into her, causing her to drop the present. ¡°Oh, I¡¯m sorry. It was an ident.¡± The girl that knocked her over then bent down to pick up the present. ¡°Give it back.¡± Sophie red at the girl coldly. She definitely did it on purpose. ¡°I¡¯ve seen all kinds of things! Don¡¯t be so petty.¡± The girl opened the box and saw a rock inside. She couldn¡¯t help but chuckle. ¡°You¡¯re giving a rock to Ms. Ysabelle? Are you serious?¡± one of the other girls asked. ¡°You¡¯re giving Ms. Ysabelle a rock? That¡¯s so cheap!¡± another added. ¡°Don¡¯t push it, girls. Has anyone heard of the Tanner family before? This is the third eldest daughter of the Tanner family. Her family has already disowned her! I guess the best she could do is a rock!¡± The socialites on the cruise ship were all discriminating against Sophie. ¡°What are you girls doing?¡± Suddenly, Winter showed up and stood beside Sophie. ¡°This is Ms. Ysabelle¡¯s best friend. She will not be happy with how you girls are treating her best friend.¡± ¡°Winter, it¡¯s not that we¡¯re treating her poorly. But Ms. Sophie is being such a cheapskate by giving Ms. Ysabelle a rock as a present! We¡¯re just standing up for Ms. Ysabelle,¡± one of the socialites argued. From N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Give it to me.¡± Sophie was starting to get impatient. ¡°It¡¯s just a d*mn rock! Why are you so anxious about it? I have plenty in my backyard. If you want some, feel free toe over and pick them up yourself.¡± ¡°Hahaha!¡± The socialites were having the time of their lives making fun of Sophie. Sophie walked toward the girl who knocked her over and snatched the present. While she was at it, she stomped her heel into her foot. ¡°Oh, I¡¯m sorry. It was an ident,¡± Sophie apologized sarcastically. With a heel in her foot, the socialite instantly squatted down in pain while holding her foot. Chapter 60 Chapter 60 Chapter 60 Present ¡°Danielle, are you all right?¡± her friends asked before helping her up. ¡°F*ck you! Do you know how important my feet are to me? I¡¯m going to make you pay!¡± Since Danielle Judd was a ballet dancer, her feet were her invaluable assets. ¡°Oh, is it? Then, you shouldn¡¯t pester me anymore. Otherwise, I¡¯m going to make sure to incapacitate your feet. Treat this as a lesson.¡± With that, Sophie ignored them and went to look for Ysabelle. Winter walked toward Danielle and pretended to be considerate. ¡°Are you okay, Danielle? Didn¡¯t I tell you not to act impulsively?¡± ¡°Winter, you know I¡¯ve always been interested in Mr. Tristan, right? What¡¯s so good about that wild girl?¡± Danielle raged. She¡¯s nothingpared to me in terms of family background and looks! ¡°Well, you can¡¯t force your feelings upon others, you know? That¡¯s enough. Stop causing any trouble. Otherwise, Mr. Tristan isn¡¯t going to be happy about it,¡± Winter advised. ¡°I know.¡± Danielle was still incredibly frustrated. However, she was aware of how scary Tristan could be. Although she liked him a lot, she was scared of him more. ¡°That stupid, poor girl. How dare she get on Diamond Cruise and wrap up a rock as a present? I¡¯m sure Mr. Tristan is just fooling around with her,¡± Danielle grumbled. ¡°All right. Enough. You¡¯ll get in trouble if Mr. Tristan hears that,¡± Winter warned. At that moment, Tristan had arrived on the cruise ship. The cruise ship then set sail shortly after. Upon seeing Tristan, the socialites started posing seductively. ¡°You¡¯re here, Mr. Tristan!¡± Winter dashed toward him and asked, ¡°Would you be my partner tonight, Mr. Tristan?¡± There was going to be a danceter that evening. Hence, Winter wanted Tristan to be her dance partner. Since he didn¡¯te with Sophie, that means I have a chance to dance with him! ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I already have a dance partner.¡± Tristan turned her down. He then cast a nce around, but he couldn¡¯t find Sophie. She must¡¯ve gone to look for Ysabelle. ¡°But, Mr. Tristan¡ª¡± Winter was about to ask again. ¡°Winter, don¡¯t make me repeat myself.¡± Tristan had always been impatient with other women. As she watched him leave, Winter¡¯s face turned grim. Just then, Danielle walked up beside her and scoffed, ¡°Winter, don¡¯t you think Mr. Tristan is way out of your league? How could you be shameless enough to ask him to be your partner?¡± She was provoking Winter on purpose. She wasn¡¯t happy with the fact that Winter was acting all high and mighty. You had the audacity to offer yourself up? Jokes on you for getting rejected. ¡°What did you say?¡± Winter was enraged. ¡°You should mind your attitude, Danielle,¡± she added. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with my attitude? Since we both like Mr. Tristan, why should I treat you nicely?¡± Danielle argued. ¡°Oh? I wonder what would Mr. Tristan think when he finds out you were bullying Sophie!¡± ¡°You!¡± Danielle didn¡¯t expect Winter to use that against her. ¡°Know your ce, Danielle. Don¡¯t ever crave for something that isn¡¯t yours,¡± Winter taunted. You¡¯re not worthy to fight against me. Sophie saw Ysabelle lying on her bed upon walking into her room. Isn¡¯t she worried about messing up her hair? Ysabelle sat up immediately when she saw Sophie. ¡°Finally, you¡¯re here! I thought you bailed on me!¡± Sophie went over to sit on the bed as well. ¡°It¡¯s your birthday. How could I miss it? You look so pretty, Ysabelle,¡± Sophie said sincerely. Ysabelle leaned on Sophie¡¯s shoulder and said, ¡°I¡¯m not as pretty as you, Soph. You look mesmerizing in that little ck dress.¡± If Ysabelle hadn¡¯t seen Sophie fight with her own eyes, she wouldn¡¯t believe she could fight so well with that slender waist of hers. Ysabelle couldn¡¯t help but wrap her arms around Sophie¡¯s waist and asked, ¡°Why don¡¯t you just marry me, Soph?¡± Sophieughed upon hearing that. Does this girl not filter her words when she speaks? ¡°Why are youughing? I¡¯m serious. Honestly, I¡¯m capable of doing everything except for giving birth.¡± Ysabelle was promoting herself enthusiastically. ¡°Really?¡± Sophie asked. At that moment, the door to Ysabelle¡¯s room was pushed open, and a cold voice followed. ¡°Uncle Tristan, what are you doing here? This is my room!¡± Ysabelle was unhappy. Tristan¡¯s gaze fell upon Ysabelle¡¯s arms, where she was holding Sophie¡¯s waist. Truth be told, he wasn¡¯t happy with what he saw. ¡°Your dad asked for you. Go see him in his room,¡± Tristan said nonchntly. ¡°Oh? All right, then. Wait for me here, Soph. You can have a rest here if you¡¯re tired. I¡¯ll go see what my dad wants from me.¡± Ysabelle didn¡¯t dare to defy her father¡¯s instructions. ¡°Sure. Go on. Don¡¯t worry about me.¡± Sophie had quick adaptability. Ysabelle then left to find her father. ¡°Come here,¡± Tristan ordered. Since Tristan and Sophie were alone in the room, his voice turned alluring. Sophie remained still despite his order. Why should I go just because he asked me to? I have my pride. ¡°Fine. If you¡¯re noting here, I¡¯ll go to you,¡± Tristan added. Sophie instantly stood up and walked over after hearing that. ¡°What do you want?¡± she asked. Tristan took out a jewelry box and revealed a ne that looked exquisite and expensive. ¡°I forgot to give you this,¡± he said. Tristan bought it because he knew the ne suited her the moment heid eyes on it. ¡°Mr. Tristan, this is too expensive. I can¡¯t ept this.¡± ¡°I¡¯m just lending it to you.¡± Sophie was rendered speechless. Fine. What else can I say to that? Tristan then walked behind her and put it on for her. ¡°How much does it cost? What if I can¡¯t afford to pay you back if I lose it?¡± Sophie wasn¡¯t well-off at all. ¡°It¡¯s quite expensive, actually. If you lose it, I would have no choice but to sell you.¡± Sophie went speechless again. Why do I keep humiliating myself? ¡°It¡¯s almost time. Let¡¯s go,¡± Tristan said. Considering Tristan¡¯s posture, Sophie thought it was only natural if she coiled her arm around his. Although she didn¡¯t want to bring too much attention to herself, Tristan was leaving her with no choice. The two of them then strolled toward the grand hall on the cruise ship while holding each other¡¯s arms. By the time they arrived, most of the guests were already there. The socialites were all clenching their jaws in jealousy when they saw Sophie holding Tristan¡¯s arm. That d*mned vixen! What does she think she¡¯s doing? How dare she hold his arm? In truth, Tristan had never been a fan of such events. Although he had attended a few in the past, he had never brought along a female partner. However, not only did he bring a female partner this time around, but he also let her hold his arm. The socialites were so annoyed that they wanted nothing more than to rip Sophie¡¯s arm off of him. Tristan leaned toward Sophie and whispered, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m here with you.¡± He was so near to her she could feel his breath on her cheeks. Property ? of N?velDrama.Org. Sophie felt rather helpless when she saw the stares the socialites were giving her. Great, I think I just made myself a ton of enemies tonight¡­ ¡°Mr. Tristan, don¡¯t overdo it.¡± His actions were a little too affectionate to her liking. ¡°All right.¡± Despite his words, Tristan proceeded to wrap his arm around her waist. Chapter 61 Chapter 61 Chapter 61 All Eyes On Her Sophie froze briefly. The gown had already been designed to cling to her tightly, and with Tristan¡¯s hand on her waist now, she felt especially ufortable. ¡°Let¡¯s go. Everyone¡¯s looking this way.¡± And is that my fault? Sophie was certain that Tristan was doing this on purpose. ¡°What the f*ck?¡± Danielle desperately wanted to shove Tristan¡¯s hand away from that woman. How dare he touch another girl? He¡¯s mine! ¡°Calm down, Danielle. Don¡¯t look at them. Ysabelle¡¯s about to make her entrance.¡± Lincoln soon appeared on stage while holding Ysabelle by the arm. He walked to the microphone and began his speech. Meanwhile, Tristan led Sophie to the front. Winter¡¯s gaze remained on Tristan. He didn¡¯t want to be my date, but now he¡¯s got his hand around Sophie¡¯s waist! And now, all eyes are on her! Those looks of envy were supposed to be on her, but clearly, that wasn¡¯t happening now thanks to Sophie. Winter refused to ept this. Tristan¡¯s hand remained on Sophie¡¯s waist, making thetter feel uneasy. ¡°You can let go now, Mr. Tristan.¡± Tristan liked having his hand on her and didn¡¯t want to let go, but seeing the look on her face, he knew she would probably hit him if he didn¡¯t listen to her. His lips curled as he released his grip on her. ¡°Last but not least, I¡¯d like to thank everyone for all the love they¡¯ve shown Ysabelle. Thank you once again.¡± When Lincoln was done with his speech, he handed the microphone to Ysabelle as he had other guests to attend to. ¡°I¡¯m so happy today. Thank you foring to my birthday party. I hope you all have a good time.¡± Not wasting too much time, Ysabelle ended things quickly and passed the microphone to the host. She then left the stage and walked toward Sophie. ¡°Soph! I¡ª¡± She wanted to take Sophie to check out the cruise ship, but Felix cut her off. ¡°Come, Ysabelle. I want to show you your gift.¡± He had spent a great deal of time picking out the young woman¡¯s birthday gift. ¡°Go on,¡± Tristan chimed in. With that, Ysabelle was snatched away in a huff. Tristan had no intention of staying either. It was too lively there, and he preferred somewhere quieter. ¡°Let¡¯s go. I¡¯ll get you out of this hellhole.¡± Sophie felt the same way he did. She was sick of being stared at by the female socialites there. ¡°If you¡¯re tired, you can head back and get some rest. I¡¯ll find myself somewhere I can be alone,¡± she proposed. Yet, Tristan wasn¡¯t having any of that nonsense, and he left while tugging her by the arm. ¡°Are you always this disrespectful toward women, Mr. Tristan?¡± ¡°My head¡¯s throbbing. So let¡¯s go.¡± Sophie was rendered speechless. Tristan soon brought her to his room, which appearedrger than Ysabelle¡¯s and was located in an even better spot. One could simply take a seat on the rug and have the entire city¡¯s view in front of their very eyes. The blinding lights of various colors lit up the sky beautifully. Tristan opened up a bottle of red wine, walked over with two sses, and sat down. ¡°You should have a seat too. Your feet must hurt from wearing those heels.¡± To him, Sophie was tall enough and didn¡¯t need to wear high heels. Yet, Sophie believed that an evening gown always had to go with a pair of heels. It¡¯s either heels or nothing. Tristan handed her a cushion for her to sit on. Her dress was rather short, so sitting like this wasn¡¯t the most ideal situation. Tristan had never considered this. After all, he never really cared about the women around him. But upon seeing Sophie¡¯s slender thighs, he couldn¡¯t help but gulp. Then, he began to feel awkward as he realized what he had done. He got up and brought Sophie a woolen nket to cover her thighs with. Sophie didn¡¯t expect him to be this thoughtful. He¡¯s surprisingly quite a gentleman. Most men would rather have the opportunity to stare. ¡°You don¡¯t have to thank me. I¡¯m just worried I wouldn¡¯t be able to hold myself back.¡± She was struck speechless. Fine! But did he really have to say it out loud? Tristan poured them a ss of wine each. ¡°Have some. This wine¡¯s pretty good.¡± He didn¡¯t want her drinking in front of other men, but now that she was with him, it wasn¡¯t a problem. Sophie raised her ss and took a sip. The wine tasted exceptionally good. It¡¯s no surprise, though. Whatever Tristan eats or uses, he always has the best of everything. Tristan began to sip on his wine, too. The two savored their drinks while staring at the scenery outside the window. Despite not saying much, the two seemed to share an inexplicable mutual understanding. After finishing a ss, Sophie wanted seconds. ¡°Can I have some more?¡± She really liked the wine. Tristan took the bottle and poured her another ss. ¡°Do you feel ufortable being with me?¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°That¡¯s good, then.¡± He hoped she could slowly get used to his presence. I¡¯ll give her time. I have enough patience and confidence for this. This girl will eventually be mine. Time ticked by, and the two finished the entire bottle of wine without realizing it. ¡°Let¡¯s go grab some cake.¡± It was about time for Ysabelle¡¯s cake-cutting ceremony. ¡°Okay.¡± As soon as they stepped out of Tristan¡¯s room, the door across theirs opened, and Winter could be seen walking out. Seeing Sophie and Tristan leaving the room together only made Winter¡¯s expression sour further. ¡°Good evening, Mr. Tristan,¡± she greeted before leaving in a rush. She didn¡¯t want to look at them for a second longer, nor did she want to think about it. Tristan returned to the hall with Sophie. This time, he didn¡¯t have his arm around her, so she felt much more at ease. The workers had already wheeled an eighteen-tier cake into the room. This content ? N?v/elDr(a)m/a.Org. Ysabelle had been looking for Sophie the whole time, and upon seeing her, she immediately dashed over. Sophie stood next to her. As the eighteen candles were lit, everyone began to sing. Ysabelle made a wish before blowing out the candles and cutting the cake. She was especially delighted that day. ¡°I¡¯m so happy I got to see you today, Sophie. Oh, and I really like what you gave me.¡± As she spoke, she took out her favorite gift. Upon seeing that Ysabelle¡¯s most beloved gift was a rock, Danielle burst intoughter. ¡°Don¡¯t you think you¡¯re being way too nice to her, Ms. Ysabelle? It¡¯s just a rock! What is there to like about it? I can¡¯t believe this so-called friend of yours would do such a thing! What kind of a gift is that?¡± ¡°Right? Never in my life would I expect anyone to give a rock as a gift!¡± ¡°This is hrious. She¡¯s such a bumpkin.¡± Ysabelle grew livid. These women are in disgusting! ¡±You¡ª¡± ¡°Excuse me, Ms. Ysabelle, but may I have a look at that rock you¡¯re holding?¡± That came from a nobleman who had a passion for collectibles. ¡°Sure, but be sure not to damage it.¡± Ysabelle didn¡¯t want to waste her time on those nauseating women. As the nobleman picked up the rock carefully, astonishment filled his eyes. ¡°Will you sell me this rock, Ms. Ysabelle? I¡¯ll buy it for any price you name.¡± ¡°What? Are you insane? It¡¯s just a rock!¡± ¡°I know, right? What on earth has this world be?¡± Chapter 62 Chapter 62 Chapter 62 Amorous Atmosphere ¡°Like I¡¯d expect people like you to know what this rock actually is! It¡¯s worth at least ten million!¡± The man never liked women like them. All they had were looks but no substance. ¡°You!¡± Danielle wanted to retaliate, but her friend held her back. ¡°Stop talking. His family¡¯s the biggest antique trader in Jipsdale. If he says the rock is worth that much, it¡¯s definitely worth that much. You¡¯ll only look ignorant if you try to argue with him.¡± ¡°She¡¯s right. Just keep your mouth shut. You¡¯re embarrassing us!¡± With that, Danielle stopped talking. Never had she expected Sophie to be able to afford to buy Ysabelle a rock worth ten million. ¡°Sorry, but I can¡¯t sell this no matter how much it costs. It¡¯s my favorite gift. Thank you so much, Soph, but you really didn¡¯t have to go to such lengths for my birthday gift.¡± She couldn¡¯t imagine Sophie having forked out ten million on this rock. ¡°You¡¯re most wee. It¡¯s just ten million, anyway. Anything is worth it as long as you like it.¡± Sophie truly didn¡¯t care about the price. All that mattered was that Ysabelle liked the gift. ¡°I love it!¡± Felix felt a little sheepish now, for his gift no longer seemed as extravagantpared to what Sophie had prepared. Sophie didn¡¯t like being in crowded ces, so she turned and left after the cake-cutting ceremony, heading outside to enjoy the night view of the city. Yet, no matter how much she tried to avoid trouble, trouble always seemed to follow her. With her group of friends, Danielle walked toward Sophie. ¡°Mr. Tristan helped you get that rock, didn¡¯t he, Sophie? It¡¯s not like your family has that much money anyway.¡± Danielle refused to believe that Sophie could afford something this expensive. ¡°Yeah! Even if you don¡¯t admit it, that ne you¡¯re wearing is more than enough proof. I saw Mr. Tristan buy it at an auction with my own eyes.¡± ¡°There¡¯s no way a peasant like you can afford something worth ten million.¡± ¡°Well, if thinking that way makes you happy, I won¡¯t stop you,¡± Sophie replied calmly. ¡°Are you done? Can you buzz off now?¡± ¡°Buzz off? Who are you telling to buzz off? Just who do you think you are?¡± Danielle retorted in an attempt to establish dominance. ¡°You. I¡¯m talking to you.¡± ¡°You!¡± In a rage, Danielle charged forward to push Sophie, but thetter swiftly evaded her, causing her to fall to the ground instead. ¡°Danielle! Are you okay?¡± One of her friend helped her up. Property ? of N?velDrama.Org. ¡°You¡¯d better stay away from me,¡± Sophie warned them. Resentment swirled within Danielle. ¡°Godd*mmit! What are you getting all smug about?¡± ¡°Let it go, Danielle. I don¡¯t think we should mess with her. Besides, Mr. Tristan¡¯s got her back. He won¡¯t be happy if he finds out what you¡¯re doing to her.¡± ¡°Shut up! Whose side are you even on? There¡¯s no way Mr. Tristan would fall for a b*tch like her!¡± ¡°Danielle, we¡¯re saying this for your own good.¡± ¡°Then I suppose I¡¯ll have to thank you, huh?¡± I won¡¯t ept this. I¡¯ve prepared myself all this while and learned so many things just so I could marry Mr. Tristan one day. I¡¯m not going to let anyone else have him! Sophie headed back in to look for Ysabelle. The cruise ship was still out above the waters, so she had no way of getting off. Then, she thought of going to Ysabelle¡¯s room, only to find it locked. Left with no other choice, she could only head to Tristan¡¯s room. Sticking with him is still better than being around those stupid girls. Standing in front of the door, Sophie only had to knock thrice before it flew open. ¡°I don¡¯t have anywhere else to go, so I thought I¡¯d hang out here for a while. If it¡¯s not okay with you¡­¡± She trailed off upon noticing a gorgeous woman inside his room. ¡°It¡¯s no problem at all, but give me a second. I have some trash to take care of.¡± After responding, Tristan turned around. ¡°Get out of my room, or I¡¯ll feed you to the sharks.¡± He had returned to his room, only to find a woman waiting inside. Then, a knock came on the door before he could even take a close look at her. ¡°But Mr. Tristan¡­¡± the woman pled in a dainty voice. ¡°Get out.¡± Feeling humiliated, the woman ran out of the room in tears. Sophie felt awkward standing there. ¡°Sorry. I didn¡¯t mean to bother you.¡± Tristan didn¡¯t know how to respond to that. Sophia continued, ¡°But it looks like you really are adies¡¯ man, huh? There¡¯s always a woman waiting to throw herself in your arms wherever you go!¡± ¡°Shut your mouth, or I¡¯ll shut you up in my own ways.¡± It would probably be easier if he just plugged that infuriating little mouth of hers. ¡°Ooh, someone¡¯s mad.¡± Hearing that, Tristan immediately grabbed her by the waist and nted his lips against hers. Sophie¡¯s eyes widened in bewilderment. She didn¡¯t think he meant it, or that he would shut her up this way. Ugh¡­ Me and my big mouth! Why did I p*ss him off in the first ce? Sophie remained frustrated even after Tristan had let go of her. I was never such a pushover! The man gently brushed her swollen lip with his fingers. ¡°Does it hurt?¡± He had used a bit of force then. Sophie pushed his arm away. ¡°I¡¯m fine. It¡¯s bearable.¡± Tristan gazed at her silently. ¡°I don¡¯t mean anything by that! Don¡¯t get the wrong idea.¡± He continued to stare at her. ¡°Seriously, that¡¯s not what I meant! Argh! Forget it. You can think whatever you want!¡± He smiled. Sophie grew enraged at that. What¡¯s so funny? He keeps getting on my nerves! The air inside the room grew slightly amorous, making Sophie feel unsettled. She sat down at the same spot as before and gazed out the window. Maybe I shouldn¡¯t havee here in the first ce, but it¡¯s toote to think about all this now. Tristan handed her a woollen nket for her legs again. ¡°You can sleep on the bed if you¡¯re tired. I¡¯m going to go say hi to some people.¡± As soon as he left the room, Sophie heaved a sigh of relief. Feeling bored on her own, she took out her phone and began to create a mini-game. It was only when Ysabelle called her that she exited the program. ¡°Soph! Where are you? Come back! The waltz is about to begin.¡± The waltz was the main event of the night. ¡°Okay. I¡¯m on my way.¡± Sophie wasn¡¯t all that interested in dancing, but she didn¡¯t want to rain on the birthday girl¡¯s parade. After putting the nket back onto the couch, she left in search of Ysabelle. When she arrived, she saw Ysabelle dancing with Felix. They were the only two on the dance floor. It was Ysabelle¡¯s birthday, after all, so she naturally had the first dance. Anticipation rose within Winter when she noticed that Tristan wasn¡¯t with Sophie. Where did he go? Well, it¡¯s fine if I couldn¡¯t make him my date for tonight. I¡¯d be more than happy to have one dance with him. By now, Felix and Ysabelle had ended their first dance. More couples entered the dance floor as the music yed once again. At that very moment, a dashing-looking man stopped in front of Sophie. ¡°Good evening, Ms. Tanner. Would you care to dance with me?¡± Sophie frowned. ¡°Sorry. But I don¡¯t know how to dance.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine. I¡¯ll guide you.¡± The man had no intention of giving up. ¡°I¡¯ll pass.¡± ¡°Give me a chance, Ms. Tanner. Aren¡¯t you attending Tanner Group¡¯s shareholders¡¯ meeting this coming Monday? I might just lend you a hand on that day.¡± ¡°An outsider like you shouldn¡¯t interfere with the Tanner family¡¯s affairs.¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Suddenly, Tristan appeared behind her. ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you to wait inside my room? Why did youe out here on your own?¡± Chapter 63 Chapter 63 Chapter 63 A Goodnight Kiss ¡°Mr. Tristan.¡± The man was immediately petrified when he saw Tristan. F*ck! She¡¯s his woman, and she was even in his room. I¡¯m doomed. ¡°Get lost,¡± Tristan growled. ¡°Sure thing. I¡¯ll leave right away.¡± With that, the man disappeared without a trace. Everyone in Jipsdale knew their days would be numbered if they dared to cross Tristan, and the man had no wish to meet a sticky end. Under the crowd¡¯s envious gazes, Tristan extended his hand in a gentlemanly gesture of invitation. ¡°May I have this dance?¡± Sophie ced her hand in his, silently agreeing to dance with him. Tristan held her hand and led her onto the dance floor, then ced one hand on her slender waist while resting the other on her shoulder. As the otherdies watched Tristan hug Sophie¡¯s waist, a thought surfaced in their minds. They wished Sophie would disappear at once and that the person in Tristan¡¯s arms was them. ¡°D*mn it! Why is it Sophie again? How is she so lucky?¡± one of them whined. ¡°Yeah! How could she end up with the man of my dreams?¡± Another choked out through bitter sobs, ¡°This is going to make me cry myself to death.¡± ¡°I won¡¯t let that little minx get away with this!¡± Danielle hissed through clenched teeth, her fingers gripping the stem of her winess so tightly as if she was going to crush it. Winter was also still among the crowd. I thought I¡¯d get the opportunity to dance with Tristan, not expecting I¡¯d still lose to Sophie in the end. ¡°Forget it. There¡¯s nothing we can do about her,¡± she said. ¡°What are you talking about, Winter? What do you mean by there¡¯s nothing we can do about her? She¡¯s just a member of the Tanner family. What could she possibly be capable of doing?¡± ¡°You¡¯re no match for her.¡± Danielle was enraged. ¡°You¡­ Don¡¯t look down on me, Winter. Just you wait and see how I¡¯ll make her suffer.¡± Winter knew Danielle would not be able to stir up much trouble. Nheless, thetter was capable of causing Sophie some minor upsets, which wouldn¡¯t be such a bad thing. Meanwhile, Tristan and Sophie were twirling away on the dance floor in effortless harmony. It was their first time dancing together, yet they made for apletelypatible pairing. ¡°Mr. Tristan, I didn¡¯t think you had what it took to cause a national crisis,¡± Sophie remarked. ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°Sir, don¡¯t tell me you can¡¯t tell that all thedies here are thinking of sinking their teeth into me and ripping me to pieces,¡± Sophie replied, deliberately emphasizing the word ¡°sir.¡± ¡°They¡¯re just jealous that you¡¯re much more beautiful than them. You don¡¯t have to worry about a thing.¡± His response rendered Sophie speechless. Very well, then. Since you¡¯re so handsome, everything you say is correct. ¡°Mr. Tristan, this dance doesn¡¯t require us to be so close together, does it?¡± At that moment, their bodies were pressed so closely together in ufortable proximity, and Sophie was sure that Tristan had to be doing it on purpose. ¡°It does,¡± he answered simply. Sophie fell silent while thedies in the crowd started buzzing with whispers. ¡°What the heck? Just as I thought, Sophie is a minx! It¡¯s too shameful to witness!¡± someone eximed. ¡°You¡¯re right! Is she trying to seduce Mr. Tristan?¡± ¡°Let go of Mr. Tristan. Let me hold him instead,¡± anotherdy wailed. Unable to bear the sight of them dancing any longer, Winter turned and grabbed a ss of red wine before exiting the hall. Watching the man she had harbored feelings for since she was little being so close to another woman was too much for her. Danielle was also so angry that her face turned pale. When the music stopped, Tristan still did not want to let go of Sophie. ¡°Mr. Tristan, I think that¡¯s enough,¡± said Sophie. I¡¯ve already been in the limelight too much today, and it wouldn¡¯t be wise to go overboard. I certainly have no wish to make myself more enemies. Although I¡¯m not afraid of them, I already have enough trouble on my te. Finally, Tristan loosened his grip. She¡¯s right. It wouldn¡¯t be appropriate to take things too far. I mustn¡¯t act too hastily. Having also had her fill of dancing, Ysabelle walked over with Felix. ¡°Soph, this is your keycard.¡± Ysabelle handed a keycard to Sophie. Taking it from her, Sophie said, ¡°I¡¯m exhausted, Belle. I¡¯ll go to my room to rest first. Happy birthday again.¡± ¡°Sure. Felix, help me see Sophie to her room. There are many people here who¡¯ve been eyeing her.¡± Ysabelle did not think anyone present was worthy of Sophie. However, Felix made no answer and merely looked at Tristan. How could he possibly give me the chance to do such a thing? Tristan piped up, ¡°Felix can stay here with you. I¡¯ll send Sophie up to her room.¡± ¡°Goodnight,¡± Sophie murmured to Ysabelle and the others before leaving with Tristan. When Sophie reached her room and opened the door, she turned toward Tristan and said, ¡°Goodnight, Mr. Tristan.¡± He leaned forward and pressed a kiss to her forehead. ¡°A goodnight kiss. Go on in and get some rest.¡± Sophie found herself at a loss for words once again. How did I just get kissed by him again? This man is really¡­ Why does he keep kissing others so casually? ¡°What¡¯s the matter? Are you hesitating to go into the room because you want to invite me to sleep with you?¡± ¡°Get lost,¡± Sophie uttered curtly, then went into her room and shut the door behind her. That was the first time anyone had treated Tristan so brusquely, yet he did not appear to mind. Instead, a smile tugged at the corners of his lips. Sophie¡¯s room was next to Tristan¡¯s, and as Winter returned from drinking her ss of wine, she saw the smile on Tristan¡¯s lips. Winter was thoroughly agitated by the sight of that smile. She had never thought she would see him so besotted, and it left her devastated. ¡°Mr. Tristan¡­¡± She called out his name, hoping he would spare her a nce. However, the smile on his face faded the moment he saw her. ¡°Get some rest,¡± he responded. The icy manner in which he uttered those three words was worlds apart from how he had said them to Sophie. ¡°Why her?¡± Winter knew she should not have asked that question. After all, Tristan disliked others prying into his private affairs. I just can¡¯t help it. I really, really, really like him. It has nothing to do with his family background. My love for him is pure and simple! ¡°What does that have anything to do with you? For your brother¡¯s sake, I¡¯ll let it slide this time. Make sure it doesn¡¯t happen again.¡± With that, Tristan opened the door to his room and went in. Winter leaned against the door, and her body slowly slid downward. She did not even dare to make a sound as she cried. Sophie was fast asleep when she was rudely awakened by a knock on the door. She pulled the covers over her head, but it did nothing to block the sound. From N?velDrama.Org. Left with no other choice, she got out of bed and opened the door. Then she began berating the person outside the door without even looking to see who it was. ¡°Are you f*cking crazy?¡± ¡°It¡¯s me,¡± Tristan said, unable to resistughing when he saw her in that state. ¡°Mr. Tristan, why aren¡¯t you asleep at such ate hour? What on earth do you want?¡± she demanded. Sophie would mind her words when she was awake. But at that moment, she could not be bothered to do so at all. I¡¯m in a bad mood, so he¡¯d better have a good reason for showing up here. ¡°Come on. I¡¯m taking you to see the sunrise.¡± ¡°Can I not go?¡± ¡°No.¡± Many others were also awake at that time to catch the sunrise. Tristan led Sophie to the uppermost deck of the cruise ship. No one else was allowed there, and they had the ce to themselves. Because of the low temperature at sea during dawn and the fact that Sophie was still in her evening gown from the night before, she felt rather chilly. Tristan took out a shawl and draped it over her shoulders. The view from the topmost deck was breathtaking, and as the pair sat together in silence, the sea breeze swept away Sophie¡¯s drowsiness Soon, the sun slowly rose above the calm surface of the water. ¡°It¡¯s gorgeous!¡± Sophie gasped in awe. ¡°Indeed. Gorgeous,¡± Tristan echoed. However, he had his gaze fixed on her instead. It was not until the sun had fully risen into the sky that Sophie finally turned around. ¡°I should get back,¡± she said. She still had the shareholders¡¯ meeting to attend that day. ¡°Do you have something to do?¡± ¡°Yes. There¡¯s something I need to attend to.¡± ¡°Okay. I¡¯ll send you back,¡± Tristan replied. After all, it would probably be noon by the time the cruise ship made its way back. As Tristan led Sophie down from the deck, the otherdies watching the sunrise appeared upset to see them together. Chapter 64 Chapter 64 Chapter 64 The Fate Of Tanner Group Tristan took Sophie to the dining hall for a simple breakfast, and by the time they finished eating, the yacht that was supposed to pick them up had arrived. After bidding farewell to Ysabelle, Tristan led Sophie onto the waiting yacht. ¡°What¡¯s this? Mr. Tristan is leaving his niece here and heading back first?¡± ¡°Right? Now that Mr. Tristan has left, what¡¯s the point of staying here?¡± ¡°I wish I could leave with him. s, I dare not tell him that.¡± ¡°You? Even if Mr. Tristan wanted to take someone with him, it¡¯d be me. Why would he take you with him?¡± ¡°Why you¡ª¡± With Tristan gone, all that was left behind were thedies and their wild imaginations. Over at Tanner Group, Yale had arrived at the office bright and early that morning. The annual shareholders¡¯ meeting would be held that day, and he couldn¡¯t make a single mistake. Charmaine, who held five percent of Tanner Group¡¯s shares, had also gone to the office that day. Yale¡¯s secretary cautioned, ¡°Mr. Tanner, many shareholders have strong opinions over the strategy you employed thest quarter of the year. Today¡¯s meeting may not be favorable to you.¡± ¡°I know that. But as Tanner Group¡¯srgest shareholder, even if they¡¯re displeased with me, there¡¯s nothing they can do to me. Am I right?¡± To Yale, Tanner Group was meant to belong to the Tanner family. The secretary was well aware of Yale¡¯s character. He¡¯s too stubborn, and his abilities are mediocre. If it weren¡¯t for him, Tanner Group wouldn¡¯t have turned into what it was today. The secretary did not say anything more, thinking it was probably time to start searching for a new job. ¡°I¡¯ll go and prepare for the meeting, then.¡± With that, the secretary left the conference room immediately. ¡°Are you sure there won¡¯t be any problems?¡± Charmaine pressed. Although she did not know what had happened to thepany, she did know that the dividends she received had gradually decreased due to thepany¡¯s less-than-ster profits over the past few years. ¡°What problems could there be? Stop cursing me with bad luck,¡± Yale snapped irritably, in a foul mood. His eye had been twitching over the past week, and he was worried that it was an omen that something would go wrong. I¡¯d rather die than let Tanner Group slip through my hands! ¡°Why are you getting mad at me? Tanner Group¡¯s profits have only plummeted lower and lower in your hands. I honestly have no idea how you did that!¡± Charmaine¡¯s temper also red as she thought about how her life was getting increasingly difficult. ¡°If you can¡¯t say anything good, then shut up. Otherwise, get lost!¡± Yale yelled, infuriated. If it hadn¡¯t been for me, Tanner Group would be in a much worse state now! Meanwhile, Tristan had driven Sophie right up to the lobby of the office building of Tanner Group. ¡°Do you want me to go in with you?¡± The car hade to a stop, yet he was reluctant to let her go in and face the criticisms and judgments alone. ¡°That¡¯s okay. Are you busy? If not, stay here and apany me for a while.¡± I don¡¯t want to head up just yet. I¡¯ll go to the shareholders¡¯ meeting directlyter. If I go up now, I¡¯ll only have to listen to a bunch of nonsense. ¡°I¡¯m not busy,¡± he replied. As long as she needs me, I¡¯ll make time even if I¡¯m busy. Taking out his phone, he sent a text message to his assistant, asking thetter to dy his morning meeting by half an hour. ¡°Sophie, if you really need me to be there, I can attend the shareholders¡¯ meeting with you.¡± ¡°It¡¯s all right. I just don¡¯t want to go in so early and see the others, that¡¯s all.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Thus, they sat in the car for more than ten minutes. Seeing that it was almost time, Sophie got out of the car. ¡°Thank you so much for today,¡± she said before leaving. Tristan alighted from the car, grabbed her hand, and pulled her into his embrace. ¡°Remember this, Sophie. No matter what happens, call me first thing,¡± he reminded her. I believe she can handle these matters by herself. Since she doesn¡¯t want me to interfere, I¡¯ll respect her decision. It¡¯s just that she has to protect herself. Sophie beamed at him. ¡°It¡¯s only a shareholders¡¯ meeting, not a congregation of evil monsters. I¡¯ll be fine. Honestly!¡± she responded. Isn¡¯t he thinking too little of me now? Then, she continued, ¡°Okay. I should really get going now.¡± Tristan murmured an acknowledgment. I believe in her. Just before the meeting was about to start, all the shareholders took their seats. Yale had also arrived at the conference room five minutes earlier. Seeing no sign of Sophie as he settled into his seat, he visibly heaved a sigh of relief. He did not know why, but he was terribly afraid Sophie would attend the shareholders¡¯ meeting that day despite knowing she only held twenty percent of the shares. Charmaine let out a relieved sigh as well. As long as Sophie doesn¡¯t turn up, there won¡¯t be any hups at the shareholders¡¯ meeting today. After all, we have forty-five percent of the shares in our hands. Together, we¡¯re thepany¡¯srgest shareholders. ¡°Is everyone here?¡± asked the secretary behind Yale. ¡°Except for Ms. Sophie, the other shareholders have arrived.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s begin, then.¡± ¡°But Ms. Sophie isn¡¯t here yet. She has a twenty percent stake in thepany.¡± ¡°I¡¯m her father. I can represent her.¡± That had been Yale¡¯s n all along. As Sophie¡¯s father and guardian, naturally, he would be able to make a statement on her behalf if she did not show up. ¡°There¡¯s no need for that. I can represent myself.¡± At that moment, Sophie pushed open the door and strode into the conference room. She had changed her clothes and was dressed simply in blue jeans and a white sweater with her hair tied up. Yale¡¯s face fell slightly. She could¡¯ve arrived at any time, but she must¡¯ve deliberately chosen to show up at this very moment. After picking a seat at random and sitting down, Sophie said, ¡°Isn¡¯t there still one minute left? I¡¯m not late, so you don¡¯t have to look at me like that.¡± The other shareholders exchanged nces, wondering which camp Sophie belonged to. ¡°You may begin now.¡± The person presiding over the meeting that day was Lionel Jennings, the general manager of Tanner Group. He nced at Yale and waited until thetter nodded before making his opening remarks. Sophie did not pay the slightest attention to what he said. Instead, she pulled out her phone and started ying a game. A shareholders¡¯ meeting like this is so dull! The other shareholders could not refrain from frowning when they saw her ying a game on her phone at such a time and ce. As expected, she¡¯s just a child. If Old Mr. Tanner hadn¡¯t given her twenty percent of the shares out of pity, she¡¯d have nothing. Even though she¡¯s here for the shareholders¡¯ meeting today, her presence probably won¡¯t affect the oue of today¡¯s meeting. The shareholders kept shaking their heads, thinking that there was no hope left in the Tanner family. On the contrary, Yale was pleased with Sophie¡¯s behavior. It doesn¡¯t matter if she¡¯s present for today¡¯s shareholders¡¯ meeting. As long as she doesn¡¯t stir up any trouble, I can put up with her. Noticing that Sophie did not seem to be listening, Lionel calmed down at once. She¡¯s nothing but a silly little girl. Anyway, I¡¯ve done up all the reports for today wlessly. Even Yale Tanner didn¡¯t suspect a thing, let alone a foolish girl like her. The other shareholders listened carefully as Lionel continued with his report. ConTEent bel0ngs to N?v(e)lD/rama(.)Org . When it came to the portion of the profits, the expressions of several shareholders darkened. We didn¡¯t invest all that money into Tanner Group to get a pittance. If thepany goes on as it is, we¡¯ll definitely lose everything! It was then that Sophie finally set aside her phone and raised her head to nce at Lionel. ¡°Next, I¡¯d like to invite our CEO to say a few words.¡± Chapter 65 Chapter 65 Chapter 65 Turning The Tables Yale cleared his throat before turning on his microphone to address the investors. ¡°After Mr. Jennings¡¯ introduction just now, I believe we all now have a better understanding of the profit and loss in the previous phase. I also believe we¡¯re all well aware that there are ups and downs in the business world. That¡¯s why I hope we can take some time to remember why we started this in the first ce. Let us keep moving forward because I know that Tanner Group will rise again one day.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t appreciate those words, Mr. Tanner. The only reason I invested in Tanner Group is to make more money, and now you¡¯re telling me that I¡¯m losing money instead? I can¡¯t ept that.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right! Do you think our money grows on trees? Is that why you spent it like it¡¯s nothing?¡± ¡°If you can¡¯t do your job right, then I think it¡¯s time we rece you with someone else. That way, we can sleep easier at night,¡± suggested Victor White. The man owned twenty percent of Tanner Group¡¯s shares, making him a majority shareholder that was second only to the Tanners. Yale did not expect Victor to undermine him like that in front of all the other investors. ¡°Mr. White, I¡¯m the biggest shareholder of Tanner Group. Besides, it¡¯s Tanner Group, not White Group.¡± To that, Victor responded with a sneer. ¡°I see. So you¡¯re telling us that Tanner Group is a family business and that there¡¯s nothing we can do about your ipetence, then? Is that it?¡± ¡°Why you little¡­¡± Yale got so upset that he was lost for words. He never knew Victor could be so infuriating. Even though Victor had a devious smile on him, he had a point. ¡°I agree with Mr. White. If you don¡¯t have what it takes, Mr. Tanner, you should let someone more capable take your ce.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right! Why tire yourself when you can just sit back and let your dividends take care of you? In case you didn¡¯t notice, you¡¯re not doing a very good job.¡± Charmaine looked at Sophie and realized that the young woman was simply sitting there as though what was happening around her mattered not. ¡°We can keep doing this and waste everybody¡¯s time, or we can raise our hands and vote! Mr. Tanner may have forty percent of the shares, but together, we have sixty,¡± suggested Victor impatiently. ¡°Those who do not agree that Yale Tanner should continue to hold his position as CEO of Tanner Group, please raise your hands.¡± Victor decided to ignore Lionel and proceed with the voting himself. As soon as Victor finished his sentence, he was the first to raise his hand. The other shareholders thought for a while but eventually followed suit. This is the society we live in now, and family business just doesn¡¯t work anymore. Mr. Tanner should let someone more capable take his ce if he can¡¯t produce desirable results. In the end, Charmaine, Sophie, and Yale were the only ones who did not have their hands raised. Combined, those who agreed to rece Yale possessed thirty-five percent of thepany shares. ¡°Do you see now? You only have thirty-five percent, which means my family and I are still in charge. None of you have any rights to kick me out.¡± Yale could not help but gloat over the result. Disappointed, Victor stood up and was ready to leave the conference room. ¡°Wait.¡± Suddenly, Sophie raised her hand. ¡°I agree that Mr. Tanner should be stripped of his position as CEO of Tanner Group.¡± The room immediately fell dead silent when everyone heard Sophie. ¡°Sophie, I¡¯m your father!¡± eximed Yale furiously. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but we¡¯re in the office right now. Personal rtionships do not apply here.¡± ¡°How dare you!¡± Victor turned back around, utterly impressed by Sophie. N?velDrama.Org owns all content. ¡°In that case, the first decision of today¡¯s shareholders¡¯ meeting is to dismiss Yale Tanner as the CEO of the Tanner Group,¡± announced Victor, thrilled that Yale was finally knocked off the pedestal. ¡°Since we need to assign someone new as CEO now, I volunteer.¡± ¡°This is what it¡¯s all about, isn¡¯t it, Mr. White? You power-hungry b*stard!¡± cursed Yale with a popped vein. ¡°Not so fast. I¡¯ll be contending for the position as well.¡± Sophie¡¯s voice resounded throughout the room once again. Even though she did not turn on her microphone, her voice was loud enough to catch everyone¡¯s attention. ¡°What?¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t she just eighteen years old?¡± ¡°She is! What makes her think this is a good idea anyway?¡± ¡°Doesn¡¯t she know who Mr. White is? How dare she oppose the man like that!¡± ¡°You?¡± asked Victor after a moment of silence. Although he preferred not to embarrass the young woman, he did not think it was appropriate for her to treat thepany like her yground. Sophie nodded in response because she had promised her grandfather that she would ensure their family name stayed in thepany name. ¡°That¡¯s right. Me.¡± Victor snorted. He could not believe that a young woman like Sophie would dare topete with him. What the heck is this family¡¯s problem? I don¡¯t even know what¡¯s going on anymore. ¡°Is there a problem?¡± questioned Sophie as her nce swept across the shareholders. ¡°Ms. Tanner, this is a workce, not your personal yground.¡± ¡°Do you think we¡¯re fooling around here? A huge amount of money is at stake here!¡± ¡°I know. That¡¯s why I think Mr. White and I should each take charge of a loss-makingpany. Then, we¡¯llpare the profits we make after a month. The winner gets to be CEO. How does that sound?¡± Since the shareholders refused to take her seriously, Sophie decided to let her capability do the talking. ¡°Are you sure about that, Missy?¡± Victor was confident that he could beat Sophie. After all, he did not go from rags to riches because he was lucky. ¡°Are you?¡± The man could not help chuckling in amusement when Sophie riposted. ¡°You¡¯ve got guts, Missy; I¡¯ll give you that. Nobody has ever talked to me like that before. Fine! If that¡¯s what you want, I¡¯ll y along. See you in a month?¡± ¡°If that¡¯s the case, I¡¯d like to participate as well. I don¡¯t think either of you can do better than me.¡± Discontented that he was no longer CEO, Yale thought thepetition Sophie suggested would be his chance at redemption. ¡°Sure! I wouldn¡¯t stop you from embarrassing yourself.¡± Since Victor agreed to let the man join in, the other shareholders had nothing to say about it. ¡°That¡¯s it for today¡¯s shareholders¡¯ meeting, then! See you all in a month.¡± Victor was sure that he would be the CEO no matter what. ¡°Mr. Jennings, would you kindly sort out the threepanies with the highest loss and send the information to us?¡± Sophie asked the general manager. ¡°Sure, Ms. Tanner,¡± responded Lionel immediately. Sophie was ready to walk away after all the shareholders had left, but Yale stopped her. ¡°Is there anything else?¡± ¡°Is this how you treat your own father, Sophie? Do you have any idea how disappointed I was just now?¡± Yale was upset that his daughter undermined him. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with how I treated you? Since you can¡¯t do your job right, it¡¯s only normal that we get someone more capable to rece you.¡± ¡°Why you little¡­¡± Thoroughly infuriated by his daughter, Yale felt as if his head was about to explode. ¡°Do you see what you¡¯ve given birth to? She can¡¯t even do well in her studies yet thinks running a company is easy. It¡¯s nonsense!¡± ¡°We¡¯ll know for sure in a month.¡± Sophie did not want to listen to the ranting any longer, so she turned around and left. Chapter 66 Chapter 66 Chapter 66 Not Going To Do Anything After walking out of the office building, Sophie was nning to catch a ride back to Wisteria Apartments when a red Porsche Cayenne suddenly stopped in front of her. When the car window was rolled down, Sophie saw Victor with his shy sunsses on. ¡°Where are you heading, Missy? Let me give you a ride,¡± offered Victor after propping the eyewear on his head. ¡°No, thank you.¡± Sophie could immediately tell how showy the man was and would rather not be in his company. ¡°Come on. It¡¯s rush hour. You¡¯re not going to get a ride anytime soon. Don¡¯t worry. I won¡¯t do anything to you,¡± promised Victor with a big smile, showing his pearl-white teeth. Knowing that Victor was right, Sophie had no choice but to open the car door and get into the Porsche Cayenne. ¡°Where to?¡± ¡°Wisteria Apartments.¡± Even though it was already afternoon, Sophie still had to go to school. ¡°What do you say we go for lunch together? Come on. Don¡¯t look at me like that! It¡¯s not like I¡¯m nning to do anything to you; you¡¯re too young for me. I admire what you did just now, so I hope to get to know you better.¡± Many who knew Victor professionally regarded him as their big brother because he always looked out for others. ¡°No, thank you.¡± Victor talked a lot on the way, but Sophie simply nodded or gave the briefest response possible. ¡°You really want to be the CEO of Tanner Group, Missy?¡± ¡°We¡¯re here. Thanks for the ride.¡± Victor wanted to say something after he parked his car, but Sophie quickly got out and denied him the chance to do so. ¡°She¡¯s a pretty serious one if nothing else,¡±mented Victor while scratching his nose awkwardly. Meanwhile, Yale and Charmaine had just returned to the Tanner residence. As soon as Yale parked his car, he rushed toward Josiah, who was busy watering the nts. ¡°Dad, do you know what Sophie did today? She sided with outsiders to strip me of my position as CEO! Tanner Group is the result of your hard work, Dad. You can¡¯t just let her ruin it!¡± ¡°He¡¯s right. What Sophie did was cold and heartless,¡± Charmaine chimed in. ¡°Sophie should¡¯ve done that sooner after what you two did to thepany. You¡¯re not fit to be CEO, Yale. Even if Sophie doesn¡¯t get the position, you should let someone more capable than you take your ce.¡± ¡°Are you looking down on me too, Dad? You¡¯re just like the rest of them!¡± Yale got emotional since he did not expect his father to agree with Sophie. ¡°Because it¡¯s true that you don¡¯t have what it takes.¡± Josiah had already given Yale enough chances, yet all he got was nothing but disappointment. ¡°Just you wait, Dad! I¡¯m going to prove you wrong.¡± Willow clenched her fists when she overheard the conversation. Why did Sophie have to return? Why did she have to take everything away from me? When Yale entered the living room, Willow followed. ¡°I¡¯ll always support you, Dad. To me, you¡¯re the best there is.¡± Willow then hugged her father. ¡°You¡¯re the only one who trusts me unconditionally, Willow,¡± stated Yale as he gently touched his daughter¡¯s cheek. ¡°Don¡¯t be sad, Dad. Sophie won¡¯t get her way because Mason¡¯sing back from overseas soon. He can help you.¡± ¡°Good girl. You have to win Mason¡¯s heart. With the Lairds¡¯ help, there¡¯s no way Sophie can take Tanner Group from me.¡± ¡°Got it!¡± Willow was confident that she could handle Mason. At two-twenty, Sophie bumped into Willow just when she was about to leave Wisteria Apartments for school. Damn it! She doesn¡¯t know when to give up, does she? ¡°What were you thinking, Sophie? How can you treat Dad that way?¡± rebuked Willow the second she saw Sophie. ¡°Get out of my way.¡± Sophie would rather not waste her time talking to the woman. Property ? of N?velDrama.Org. ¡°I¡¯m your sister, Sophie.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t have a sister,¡± uttered Sophie before bumping Willow¡¯s shoulder to walk past the woman. ¡°One more thing. Stop stalking me because it¡¯s disgusting.¡± ¡°How dare you!¡± Willow immediately stepped forward to grab Sophie by the hair. ¡°D*mn it!¡± Sophie shut her eyes and tried to control her emotions but to no avail. With a swift turn, Sophie grasped and twisted Willow¡¯s wrist. The poor woman was in so much pain that she immediately ordered, ¡°Let go of me! What are you doing?¡± Her eyes were already red, ready to send tears rolling down her cheeks. ¡°Do you not understand what I just said to you?¡± When the driver saw what the two were doing, he hurriedly got out of the car. ¡°What are you doing? Let go of Ms. Willow now!¡± demanded the driver while grabbing Sophie¡¯s hand. In response to that, Sophie furrowed her eyebrows. ¡°This doesn¡¯t concern you. Get lost.¡± ¡°What do you think you¡¯re doing, Ms. Sophie? Ms. Willow¡¯s hands are precious! They cannot be injured!¡± The driver thought he could overpower Sophie just because he was bigger in size. However, he realized he could not move when the young woman grabbed him by the hand as well. ¡°Why? Just because she knows how to use a brush? What she painted was trash anyway, so I might as well save her trouble,¡± mocked Sophie. ¡°You little¡­¡± At that point, Willow wanted nothing more than to rip off Sophie¡¯s lips. How dare she say that about my paintings! I¡¯ve won awards for my talent! ¡°You¡¯re probably just jealous of me, aren¡¯t you, Sophie? You¡¯re jealous that I get to be with Mason while you¡ª¡± ¡°Jealous of you? You have absolutely nothing that I want.¡± Sophie applied more pressure on Willow¡¯s wrist, and immediately, the woman fell to the ground. ¡°You¡¯d better stay away from me, or I¡¯ll be more than d to break that hand of yours.¡± The driver hurried over to help Willow up. ¡°Are you okay, Ms. Willow?¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine, but you can tell my father what just happened.¡± ¡°I understand.¡± Sophie stepped into her ssroom just as the bell was still ringing. Ysabelle wanted to walk over to speak with Sophie, but unfortunately, their physics teacher had arrived. ¡°Students, we have a physicspetition next semester. Does anybody care to participate?¡± The students exchanged looks, but none raised their hands to volunteer. ¡°What about you, Sophie?¡± When Sophie regained her senses, Aaron was already staring intently at her. ¡°Mr. Elswick, I¡¯ll be sitting for the university entrance exam next June, so I¡¯d like to concentrate on preparing for that.¡± The entire ssroom fell dead silent after everyone heard Sophie¡¯s ridiculous excuse, for they all knew that she did anything but pay attention in ss every day. Her ssmates were convinced that the university entrance exam was nothing more than a joke to her. ¡°Sophie, I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll find thepetition this time around very interesting because Bailey will be participating too. You can learn a lot from each other.¡± ¡°But I¡ª¡± ¡°Before you turn me down, just hear me out, okay? Come to my office after ss, and we¡¯ll talk.¡± Seeing how excited Aaron was, Sophie had no idea how to reject her teacher. After ss, the young woman received information from Lionel informing her that she would be in charge of Transfix Cosmetics, a makeup brand under Tanner Group. The brand used to rake in the most profit, but after an unfortunate incident, it got boycotted by the public. The incident, where a university student got disfigured after using the foundation produced by Transfix Cosmetics, had yet to be resolved. Hence, people avoided the Transfix Cosmetics counters as though they were gued with diseases. Reviving the brand would not be an easy job. Thepany Victor was assigned had suffered heavy losses as well. When Sophie saw the one Yale was assigned, she could not help chuckling. Chapter 67 Chapter 67 Chapter 67 The Burn Thepany Yale got was Tanner Group¡¯s most profitable one. If everything went well for him, he would not even have to do anything, and thepany would still make the most profit. Did he seriously think no one would notice? Is it so hard for him to just admit his ipetence? Sophie was unsure how to feel about her father. ¡°What are you looking at, Soph? Come on. Let¡¯s go eat,¡± Ysabelle urged Sophie to go. ¡°You probably don¡¯t have much money left after you got me that gift. So from today onward, I¡¯ll pay for all your food.¡± Ysabelle really liked the rock Sophie got for her. She could not bear the thought of the young woman skipping meals. ¡°Sure!¡± Sophie was more than willing to let her friend take care of her meals. ¡°What do you want to eat?¡± Ysabelle had always had trouble deciding where to go for food. ¡°Let¡¯s have spaghetti! It¡¯s been a while.¡± ¡°Sure. Let¡¯s go.¡± There was a restaurant famous for its spaghetti just less than a mile east of Jipsdale Premier High. Many, including the students of the high school, patronized the establishment regrly. Naturally, the ce was almost full when Sophie and Ysabelle arrived there. ¡°Hurry, Soph! I just saw two empty seats!¡± Ysabelle pulled Sophie to an empty table, and the two ordered spaghetti after sitting down. ¡°Hi there. I¡¯m Bailey Dixon from Senior ss 1,¡± greeted the boy seated across from the youngdies as soon as they settled down. Because of how tall Bailey was, he did not seemfortable with his table and chair. This content ? N?v/elDr(a)m/a.Org. The young man had a pair of clear but cold eyes that made him seem somewhat distant. ¡°So you¡¯re Bailey! I¡¯m Ysabelle, and this is my best friend, Sophie,¡± Ysabelle dly introduced herself and Sophie to Bailey. Now I know why he¡¯s the campus hunk. What a handsome face! ¡°What the heck? I¡¯m only here because Bailey is!¡± ¡°Me too! We¡¯re in the same ss. I don¡¯t understand why he¡¯s talking to those two from Senior ss 8 instead of me.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t believe he just introduced himself to them.¡± The other female students in the restaurant were upset when they saw what had happened. They all had a crush on Bailey because not only did the young mane from a wealthy family, but he was also kind and smart. Most importantly, he was exceptionally good-looking. Bailey¡¯s admirers thought his appearance was as impressive as that of an angel. ¡°Your spaghetti is on the way.¡± A waiter was rushing toward Sophie and Ysabelle when somebody bumped into him. ¡°Soph, look out!¡± Ysabelle¡¯s heart almost skipped a beat when she saw the te of hot spaghetti flying toward Sophie. Fortunately, Bailey was strong and quick enough to pull Sophie out of the way. Some of the saucended on Bailey¡¯s arm, but most of it ended up on the floor. Had Bailey not rescued Sophie in time, the young woman would have been covered in spaghetti. ¡°Oh, my goodness! I¡¯m terribly sorry. It was an ident. Are you okay?¡± The waiter was so shocked that his face was drained of color. Since the spaghetti came just out of the kitchen, it was piping hot. ¡°Are you hurt?¡± Bailey wanted to ensure that Sophie was fine even though his arm was slightly burned. ¡°I¡¯m fine. We need to get you to the hospital!¡± Sophie could see a sizeable red patch on Bailey¡¯s fair arm since the young man got the sleeves of his school uniform rolled up. ¡°That¡¯s not necessary. I¡¯ll just apply some healing balm, and it¡¯ll be as good as new,¡± said Bailey nonchntly since he did not think his injury was anything a man like him could not handle. ¡°I still think you should go to the hospital.¡± Ysabelle insisted that the young man seek professional help after looking at his injury. ¡°I¡¯m good. Really.¡± ¡°Fine! If you won¡¯t go to the hospital, at least let me get you something from the pharmacy. You guys wait for me at the school gate.¡± ¡°Sophie¡­¡± Before Bailey could finish his sentence, Sophie had already left. The young woman went to a pharmacy to buy a bottle of burn relief spray and returned to the school gate, where her schoolmates waited. ¡°Take off your jacket.¡± ¡°Let me help you,¡± offered Ysabelle, but Bailey would not let her. ¡°It¡¯s fine. I can do it myself.¡± Bailey wrapped his jacket around his arm after taking it off. Then, Sophie approached the young man to lift his arm with one hand while holding the spray with the other. Even though the process could not be simpler, Sophie gave Bailey her full attention anyway. Suddenly, it was as if they were the only two people around. Bailey found himselfpletely captivated by the young woman treating his arm. After she was done spraying, Sophie handed the bottle to Bailey. ¡°Spray again before going to bed and make sure your arm stays dry.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°I¡¯m the one who should be grateful here, Bailey.¡± ¡°It¡¯s nothing. That¡¯s what schoolmates do. Hey, you guys haven¡¯t had dinner yet, right? What do you say we go get something to eat?¡± ¡°Sure. To show my appreciation, I¡¯ll buy,¡± offered Sophie generously. She was the kind of person who knew how to hold a grudge, but at the same time, she was also quick to repay kindness with kindness. The three then went to a pizza ce near Jipsdale Premier High. Sophie only returned to her seat after cing their orders. ¡°I heard Mr. Elswick wanted you to participate in the physicspetition, Sophie. Let¡¯s do it together!¡± ¡°I haven¡¯t decided yet.¡± Sophie knew she had to keep her promise to Josiah, so she could not afford to be distracted. ¡°Well, I hope you¡¯ll decide to participate.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll think about it.¡± Ysabelle could not believe there was no hot sauce on the pizza when it got served. ¡°Who eats pepperoni pizzas without hot sauce?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t mind,¡± responded Bailey before ncing at Sophie unconsciously. Sophie may look cold, but she¡¯s actually a very thoughtful person. ¡°Let¡¯s dig in!¡± During dinner, Ysabelle posted on her Instagram: What should I do? I think Soph is going to abandon me for someone else soon. Still, she was lucky the campus hunk was around to save her today. For Soph¡¯s sake, I¡¯ll keep my thoughts to myself for now. It had only been a minute since Ysabelle posted on Instagram when Tristan called her. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± questioned Tristan. ¡°What are you talking about, Uncle Tristan?¡± Ysabelle had no idea what the man was referring to. ¡°Where are you now?¡± ¡°At school, of course!¡± Ysabelle was about to say something else, but Tristan had already hung up. ¡°Hello?¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± inquired Sophie curiously when she saw how baffled her friend was. ¡°Nothing.¡± Ysabelle had not the faintest idea what had gotten into her uncle. Even though she did not say anything about it, Ysabelle thought there was something seriously wrong with Tristan then. When Tristan finally arrived at the pizza ce, he saw the three walk out. Even though he could not hear the conversation between Sophie and the young man beside her, he could see how attentive she was. The two were so absorbed in their conversation that they did not even notice Tristan when they passed by his car. ¡°What are you worried about, Mr. Tristan? It¡¯s just a harmless boy. He¡¯s got nothing on you.¡± ¡°Give me a cigarette.¡± As instructed, Felix lighted a cigarette before handing it to Tristan, who then took a long drag. ¡°Are you okay, Mr. Tristan?¡± Since Felix could not read Tristan¡¯s mind, he could not understand why the man would feel threatened by a boy. So what if he¡¯s the campus hunk? He¡¯s no match for Mr. Tristan when ites to good looks. After their self-study session, Sophie only returned to Wisteria Apartments after watching Ysabelle leave in a car. The young woman only walked for five minutes before she stopped and turned around to look at Tristan behind her. Chapter 68 Chapter 68 Chapter 68 She Has Come Of Age ¡°Mr. Tristan, what are you doing?¡± Sophie eximed. She had noticed Tristan tailing her a while back but decided to wait and see what he had up his sleeve. To her surprise, they had almost reached the apartment, yet he still hadn¡¯t taken the initiative to show himself. Knowing that he had been exposed, Tristan went to Sophie and walked with her. ¡°Are you okay? Is the Lombard Group going bankrupt?¡± thetter asked. s, Tristan said nothing. Sophie suddenly stopped in her tracks and added, ¡°Then, what¡¯s with that expression of yours? Are you feeling down?¡± ¡°It¡¯s nothing. Come on. I¡¯ll send you home. It¡¯s gettingte.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s grab a bite first! I didn¡¯t have a good dinner earlier,¡± Sophie suggested, remembering how she had only ordered non-spicy dishes because of Bailey. The food was not to her taste that she could feel her hunger pangs return. ¡°What do you want to eat?¡± Tristan asked as he took her bag. Women who walked past the couple, regardless of their ages, couldn¡¯t help but cast envious nces at them. What a lucky youngdy! Her boyfriend is such a good-looker and so considerate to help carry her bag! ¡°Oh, let¡¯s go get some barbecue! It¡¯s been so long since I had that,¡± Sophie chirped as she pulled Tristan along excitedly. If I remember correctly, there¡¯s a food truck just up ahead! Property ? of N?velDrama.Org. True enough, a barbecue food truck came into sight after about ten minutes of walking. Sophie pored over the menu and ordered several items that caught her attention. She turned around to look for Tristan, only to notice he was staring at her. Realizing Tristan would stick out like a sore thumb if they ate at the food truck, she quipped, ¡°We¡¯ll take these home to eat!¡± ¡°It¡¯s all right. Don¡¯t worry about me.¡± ¡°Hey, boss, we¡¯d like to do a take-out. A medium spice level will do,¡± Sophie instructed. As much as I love spicy food, I don¡¯t think it¡¯d be wise to overdo it thiste at night. ¡°Got it! Please take a seat first!¡± ¡°Oh, it¡¯s okay. That won¡¯t be necessary,¡± Sophie replied before sauntering toward Tristan to stand with him. After a while, she broke the silence. ¡°Why have youe today?¡± It hasn¡¯t been that long since we parted, has it? ¡°I don¡¯t know why, but I ended up walking here,¡± Tristan exined. ¡°And since it was almost time for your self-study session to end, I decided to drop by.¡± ¡°Oh, okay¡­¡± Sophie answered and said nothing more. She wasn¡¯t particrly curious, so she didn¡¯t see the need to probe further. Unfortunately, there were so many people at the food truck that the waiting time got rather long. ¡°Are you tired?¡± Tristan asked concernedly. Indeed, Sophie was starting to feel the exhaustion setting in. How could she not, when she had attended a shareholders¡¯ meeting in the morning, a ss in the afternoon, and a self-study session at night? ¡°I¡¯m all right.¡± ¡°Why don¡¯t you head home first? I¡¯ll bring the food back when it¡¯s ready,¡± Tristan urged. ¡°It¡¯s fine. We should be getting our orders soon anyway,¡± Sophie replied. I don¡¯t want to go home. I don¡¯t want to stay there alone. ¡°All right, miss, your food is ready! Oh, and I must say, your boyfriend¡¯s very handsome!¡± the food truck owner teased as he handed a bag of food to Sophie. Just as she was about to pay by scanning the QR code with her phone, Tristan handed a hundred in cash to the owner. ¡°That¡¯s right, miss. You guys are dating, so don¡¯t be shy to spend your boyfriend¡¯s money,¡± the owner said with a chuckle while looking for change. ¡°Keep the change,¡± Tristan uttered. Thanks to the owner¡¯s words, his gloomy mood had done aplete one-eighty. Sophie, too, could also sense the drastic change in him. Wow, he sure has cheered up a lot! Later, on their way home, Sophie bought a case of beer at the convenience store. ¡°Let me take that!¡± Tristan offered. Sophie didn¡¯t reject him either and handed the beers over without hesitation. Now that she didn¡¯t have to carry anything, there was a spring in her step as the couple made their way home. Once they were back in Wisteria Apartments, Sophie quicklyid the food on the coffee table and passed a can of beer to Tristan. ¡°Do you want to drink?¡± Tristan instantly epted it. Knowing that Sophie was in the mood to drink, he was only too happy to join her. With that, Sophie opened another beer for herself and took a long sip. ¡°Oh, the taste is pretty good.¡± After sitting on the carpet and leaning against the couch, she began tucking into her spread of barbecued meats. Tristan, too, picked up a fork and took a few mouthfuls of food. Worried that Sophie might overeat, he began to eat even faster. ¡°Don¡¯t eat so much. It¡¯s not good for your health,¡± he advised. ¡°It¡¯s okay. I only eat these asionally. Besides, many people in Chanaea are fond of barbecued meats, yet they¡¯re all fine, aren¡¯t they?¡± It didn¡¯t take long before Sophie finished her can of beer. After crushing the empty can and tossing it into the bin, she promptly took another. ¡°You can stop eating if you¡¯re not used to the food,¡± Sophie suddenly said. Tristan did as he was told and joined her on the carpet with his beer. ¡°Are you okay?¡± ¡°Yes, I¡¯m good!¡± Sophie answered. I merely had a craving for beer. That¡¯s all. Despite having a high alcohol tolerance, she still couldn¡¯t stop her face from getting warm and flushed after downing a few cans of beer at one go. Just as she was about to open another beer, Tristan grabbed her hand and pulled her into his arms. Sophie looked up at him in surprise. ¡°What do you want?¡± ¡°I think you¡¯ve had enough.¡± ¡°Oh. Well, this is thest can,¡± Sophie insisted as she cracked it open and took a few sips. Then, she set it down on the coffee table and added, ¡°Excuse me, I have to use the bathroom.¡± In all honesty, with Tristan sitting so near her, she couldn¡¯t help but feel a little ufortable. Seeing that she was about to leave, Tristan pulled her back into his embrace and nted a kiss on her lips. Even though Sophie wasn¡¯t drunk, her eyes had zed over from the alcohol, making her look even dreamier and more alluring. Breathless from the unexpected kiss and feeling somewhat parched, she hurriedly pushed Tristan away. ¡°I¡¯m thirsty.¡± Without further ado, Tristan fetched a ss of water and fed her. ¡°Time for bed,¡± he muttered. If I continue staring at her like this, who knows what else I might do to her? Sophie nodded obediently and headed back to her room. For the next few minutes, Tristan finished Sophie¡¯s remaining can of beer, tidied up the coffee table, and finally left Wisteria Apartments. The next day, Felix walked into the CEO¡¯s office at Lombard Group and was surprised to see Tristan in a cheery mood. ¡°Mr. Tristan, how didst night go?¡± he teased, curious to find out how far his boss had progressed. ¡°Are you tired of living? What filthy thoughts do you have in your mind?¡± ¡°Of course not! But didn¡¯t you go straight to her as soon as you heard about the campus hunk? You were jealous, weren¡¯t you?¡± Felix said with a chuckle. I can¡¯t believe I had the chance to see Mr. Tristan being green with envy. For that alone, everything¡¯s worth it! ¡°Mr. Tristan, if you like her, you got to tell her! How else would she know about your feelings?¡± Felix added. ¡°Also, there has to be some form of physical contact. Catch my drift?¡± ¡°She¡¯s still young,¡± Tristan replied. There¡¯s no need to rush things. ¡°She hase of age.¡± ¡°Felix, are you sure you want to carry on this discussion?¡± Tristan snapped as he signed the documents that the former had brought along. ¡°Fine. I won¡¯t say anymore.¡± Mr. Tristan has always been ruthless and decisive in everything he does. When it came to love and rtionships, he never seemed to harbor any desires either. But now that he has found someone he fancies, he¡¯s be so willing to dote on her! After finishing her second period of the day, Sophie instantly received the information from Butterfly. Unfortunately, before she could go through it all, she received a call from thetter. ¡°Are you sure you don¡¯t need our help?¡± ¡°It¡¯s just a small matter. I got this,¡± Sophie replied. If I can¡¯t even find the confidence to handle it, I wouldn¡¯t be Sophie Tanner! That evening at seven, Sophie skipped her self-study session and went to Nocturnal after changing her clothes. Since she was alone and a total knockout, her appearance soon caught everyone¡¯s attention. To her surprise, the youngdy she was looking for had three men around her and plying her with alcohol. ¡°I can¡¯t drink anymore.¡± ¡°How can that be? You haven¡¯t drunk a lot at all. Come on. I¡¯ll feed you,¡± one of the men urged before pouring whiskey into his mouth to feed her. Seeing how dazed the youngdy was, Sophie immediately strode toward her and pulled her up. ¡°Hey, who the hell are you? How dare you ruin my fun!¡± the man scolded. However, when he looked up and saw how pretty Sophie was, his eyes instantly lit up. ¡°Hey, missy, have you perhaps fallen for me? We¡¯re happy to oblige if you want to join in the fun. You know, I¡¯m a very skilled lover. I guarantee you¡¯ll be satisfied!¡± he said leeringly. Chapter 69 Chapter 69 Chapter 69 You Love A Crowd The next second, the man tried to make a move on Sophie, only to have her grab his hand. ¡°I told you to get lost. Did you not hear that?¡± Sophie snapped. She had never been a patient person, but unfortunately, her appearance always made her look meek and vulnerable. s, the man wasn¡¯t about to give up on his lewd advances. ¡°Come on, missy. I¡¯m really amazing in bed!¡± ¡°What are you doing?¡± Letitia suddenly shouted as she red at the nosy Sophie. ¡°I had my eyes on him first.¡± Thetter arched her brows. My goodness. This girl sure is an odd duck! ¡°Fine. In that case, sorry for bothering you,¡± Sophie muttered before letting go of the man¡¯s hand and returning to her seat. As luck would have it, Felix entered the bar at that moment. ¡°Wait a minute. Are my eyes deceiving me? That¡¯s Sophie, isn¡¯t it?¡± Upon hearing that, Tristan hurried over to take a look for himself. Ah, he¡¯s right. That is Sophie. She had worn a sleeveless sequin dress, and her long hair was draped sensually over her shoulders. As she sat on the swivel chair with her legs crossed, there was no doubt many men would have had the temptation to take her home. Naturally, Winter had also noticed Sophie. After all, Charles had arranged the party at Nocturnal for her so they could celebrate the sess of her new perfume. ¡°Well, well, well. Who¡¯d have thought that a high school student would take a shine to Nocturnal? Then again, who wouldn¡¯t be dazzled by the resplendence here? I suppose it¡¯s even more exciting for Ms. Tanner since she had spent time in a ce like Horington,¡± Winter scoffed. ¡°That said, don¡¯t you think she¡¯s dressed a little too provocatively?¡± In all honesty, Winter hated seeing Sophie near her. No matter where thetter showed up, she¡¯d immediately steal all the limelight, and Winter would no longer be the center of attention. ¡°Watch your words, Winter,¡± Charles warned. What¡¯s the use of making thesements anyway? The more she says, the more she¡¯ll seem rude. Winter shrugged. ¡°I¡¯m not suggesting anything. I just don¡¯t think it¡¯s safe for a youngdy toe to a ce like Noctural alone.¡± Felix was instantly rendered speechless. I can¡¯t believe she¡¯s shameless enough to say that! It¡¯s wild enough that she¡¯d be worried about something untoward happening to Sophie. ¡°You guys can go over first,¡± Tristan ordered, his expression cold and stoic. Deep down, however, he was fuming. Sophie¡¯s outfit was way too attractive, and several men in the bar were checking her out. That, without a doubt, made Tristan very ufortable. All he wanted was to gouge out the eyes of anyone who had the gall to look at her. ¡°Mr. Tristan¡­¡± Winter said before her voice trailed off. She was worried that Tristan might leave, but after seeing his expression, she decided to hold her tongue and walk to their private room. The next second, Tristan marched to Sophie and sat next to her. Like her, his long legs were just as alluring. Having detected movement behind her, Sophie turned around and immediately came face to face with Tristan. ¡°Mr. Tristan, have you installed a tracking device on me?¡± she mused with a raised eyebrow. ¡°Thanks for reminding me. I really should do that,¡± Tristan answered. It¡¯s her fault for always ying with danger and making people worry. Instead of answering him, Sophie decided to change the topic. ¡°Why are you here?¡± ¡°It¡¯s for Winter¡¯s celebration party. We¡¯re in the same private room asst time. Are you alone?¡± ¡°Yes, I am,¡± Sophie replied before ncing at Letitia. From the looks of it, I guess she has chosen to sink into the depths of depravity. I¡¯ll have to find some other time to negotiate with her. Letitia is the key to saving Transfix Cosmetics, but I know it won¡¯t be easy to get the truth from her. ¡°Join me then!¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay. I¡¯m leaving in a bit. Besides, I¡¯m not familiar with Ms. Quigley. I don¡¯t think it¡¯d be nice to crash the party,¡± Sophie exined. More importantly, I know Winter¡¯s not going to like me. ¡°It¡¯s fine. We¡¯ll only stay for a while, and I¡¯ll send you home.¡± ¡°All right, then!¡± As soon as Sophie got up, her long, slender legs stood out even more. s, the men with Letitia noticed that and quickly made their way toward her. After all, how could they let a perfect prey slip away? The lustful man from before whipped out a wad of cash from his bag and mmed it on the table. ¡°Well? Is this enough?¡± Sophie instinctively nced at Tristan, but before she could say anything else, the man shouted, ¡°Why are you looking at him? I have all the money in the world, and if you don¡¯t think this is enough, I¡¯ll give you more!¡± With that, he tossed another thick wad of cash onto the table. ¡°Hey, missy, I really like you. As long as you leave with me tonight, I¡¯ll give you any amount of money that you desire.¡± N?velDrama.Org owns all content. Winter, who had overheard the conversation, couldn¡¯t help snickering. Oh, my. I wonder how Mr. Tristan would feel after witnessing that. Sophie is such a fool! Doesn¡¯t she know she¡¯s digging her own grave? Once again, this proves I¡¯m the only one worthy of being with Tristan! Sophie suddenly burst outughing. What¡¯s wrong with this guy? Doesn¡¯t he know he¡¯s ying with fire? ¡°Is it still not enough? Fine. I have more!¡± the man thundered as he pped another hundred thousand in cold, hard cash on the table. ¡°Wait a minute. You are¡ª¡± ¡°Yes, I¡¯m Trevor Gardner! You might not have heard of me, but I¡¯m sure you know my father, Brayden Gardner!¡± ¡°Brayden Gardner? Oh, so you¡¯re his son,¡± Tristan said coldly with a glint in his eyes. ¡°That¡¯s right! Look, missy, even he knows who my father is! Why don¡¯t you be my girlfriend? I¡¯m serious about it!¡± Trevor eximed as he grinned from ear to ear. ¡°You want me to be your girlfriend?¡± ¡°Yes. What do you think? Leave with me tonight!¡± s, Trevor still had no idea who he had just offended. ¡°Wait a minute,¡± Sophie muttered before taking her phone out to make a call. As soon as the call got through, she immediately rattled off the address of Nocturnal. ¡°That¡¯s the bar I¡¯m in. Bring a few of your kind over here right now.¡± Then, she hung up the phone. ¡°Wow, so you love a crowd! That¡¯s no problem. I know many people who would be happy to join us!¡± Trevor said with a lewd smile. ¡°I see we¡¯re the same kind!¡± By then, Sophie could no longer be bothered to answer him. Tristan, though, couldn¡¯t help but chime in, ¡°You¡¯re courting disaster.¡± How dare he perv on my love! ¡°Why are you so angry? Calm down. If you like, we can rope you in too. You¡¯re quite a looker yourself,¡± Trevor uttered as he looked Tristan up and down. Honestly, I wouldn¡¯t mind trying it out with a man for once. Unable to hold it in any longer, Sophie burst outughing. ¡°Do you know who he is?¡± she asked amid guffaws. I got to hand it to him for even thinking about touching Mr. Tristan. ¡°Does it matter who he is? What¡¯s most important is who I am, isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°Mr. Tristan, he said you¡¯re not important.¡± ¡°M-Mr. Tristan? Hey, missy, cut it out. Y-Your joke is not funny¡­¡± Trevor stammered. His father had once warned him not to mess with anyone from the four major families of Jipsdale, especially not with the head of the families, Tristan Lombard. ¡°You¡¯ve got some guts,¡± Tristan said as he finally got up from his seat. ¡°So you want to y, huh?¡± ¡°You guys can¡¯t scare me! Why would the real Mr. Tristan show up in a ce like this? I¡¯m not dumb!¡± Trevor retorted, even though he could feel his legs turning into jelly. ¡°I¡¯m indeed Tristan Lombard. You can now think about how you should die to appease me.¡± Upon hearing that, Trevor immediately fell to his knees. ¡°I-Is that really you, Mr. Tristan? Oh, my goodness. I¡¯m such a fool. I didn¡¯t mean to put you down. I¡¯m so sorry!¡± ¡°Is that all?¡± Tristan snapped, his voice even louder now. ¡°Do you have a warped understanding of who I am? Is that why you think I¡¯m a kind person who¡¯d easily forgive those who insulted me?¡± Chapter 70 Chapter 70 Chapter 70 Keep Him Alive Terrified, Trevor started groveling at Tristan¡¯s feet. Thetter turned to look at Sophie. ¡°Well? What do you think we should do?¡± ¡°Miss, I was wrong. I¡¯ve made a big mistake. Please let me off!¡± Trevor begged, hoping Sophie would be soft-hearted enough to speak up for him. At that moment, five strapping men entered the bar and walked up to Sophie. ¡°Ms. Tanner, we¡¯re here.¡± ¡°Mr. Gardner loves having fun with men. You guys like that, don¡¯t you? Take him away! You can do whatever you like to him, but make sure to keep him alive.¡± ¡°Yes, Ms. Tanner!¡± ¡°N-No! Ms. Tanner, I was wrong! I won¡¯t do it again!¡± Trevor pleaded. A cold grin crept across Sophie¡¯s face. ¡°Didn¡¯t you say you were amazing in bed? Have you forgotten that you wanted to y with Mr. Tristan too?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t know he¡ª¡± ¡°Enough!¡± Sophie interrupted. ¡°You said you love having fun, so I got plenty of people to y with you. By the way, they don¡¯t need your money, so you can enjoy yourself without spending a dime! Take him away! What an eyesore.¡± With that, two of the burly men pulled Trevor to his feet. ¡°Let¡¯s go, Mr. Gardner! Stop resisting. Otherwise, don¡¯t me us if you get hurt.¡± Seeing the scene unfold in front of her, Letitia hurried over. ¡°What are you guys doing? Let go of Mr. Gardner this instance, or I¡¯ll call the police!¡± ¡°You¡¯d better mind your own business, Ms. Gatrell! Aren¡¯t you ashamed of yourself after all that you¡¯ve done? What gives you the right to stand here and lecture us?¡± one of the men said before dragging Trevor away. Now that Sophie had instructed them, they¡¯d make doubly sure not to kill Trevor from all the fun they were about to have with him. ¡°Well?¡± Sophie asked as she turned to Tristan. ¡°Are you pleased with that resolution?¡± ¡°Not really, but I can still ept it.¡± ¡°Y-You¡­ You guys have gone too far! Do you know who his father is? He¡¯s none other than¡ª¡± Before Letitia could finish her words, Sophie interrupted, ¡°So? Do you want to go with him? If that¡¯s what you desire, I can call my men back to take you along. You can all have a wild night together.¡± Urgh. Letitia is seriously testing my patience. Doesn¡¯t she know how tiring it is to teach people a lesson? Suddenly, Tristan removed his suit jacket and tied it around Sophie¡¯s waist. ¡°What are you doing?¡± Sophie asked in bewilderment. We¡¯re in a bar, for goodness¡¯ sake. I¡¯m already dressed very modestly for the asion. ¡°It¡¯s nothing. Let¡¯s go in!¡± Still seething with anger, Letitia ran off to inform Brayden. With Brayden around, Trevor will be fine, won¡¯t he? Tristan and Sophie are feeling pretty smug now, but I¡¯m sure the Gardners will never let them off! Just wait and see! As expected, Brayden immediately sent people to rescue Trevor when he got the call. However, upon learning who his son had offended, he was rendered speechless. ¡°That a*shole! Does he know what he has done?¡± Brayden was a famous director, so it was natural for him to rub shoulders with high society. He might have heard of Tristan¡¯s name, but he had never met thetter in person before. Despite that, he had always known that Tristan was someone he should never provoke, so why was his son dumb enough to poke the bear? ¡°What should we do, then? We can¡¯t possibly leave our only son in the lurch!¡± Brayden¡¯s wife, Valerie, muttered. Brayden flew into a rage. ¡°Why don¡¯t you tell me? We¡¯re up against Mr. Tristan, for goodness¡¯ sake! No one in Jipsdale or even Chanaea dares to aggravate him! It¡¯s all your fault. You¡¯re home every day, yet you¡¯ve failed to educate our child.¡± ¡°You can rely on your connections, can¡¯t you?¡± Valerie pleaded. ¡°After all, you¡¯re a famous director. I¡¯m sure Mr. Tristan would go easy on you.¡± Left with no other choice, Brayden continued calling up his friends in a bid to track down Tristan. Valerie is right. I¡¯m a famous director with legions of fans. The CEO of Lombard Group can¡¯t possibly make me his enemy and risk incurring the wrath of everyone, can he? Meanwhile, Tristan opened the door to the private room and ushered Sophie in, causing everyone inside to look up at them. After seeing the suit jacket around Sophie¡¯s waist, Felix roared withughter. ¡°Sophie, what a unique dress sense you have!¡± Winter had initially thought that Tristan would change his mind about Sophie after the earlier episode with Trevor. To her horror, not only had he brought Sophie to the party, but he had also shown just how much he cared about her. After all, if she meant nothing to him, why would he mind that others were looking at her legs? Sophie merely shrugged off Felix¡¯sment. Unique? So be it. What baffles me more is why Mr. Tristan doesn¡¯t seem too happy. ¡°Scoot over,¡± Tristan instructed Felix. Without hesitation, thetter got up to sit with Sean, leaving the two-seater couch for Tristan and Sophie. The couple had just taken their seats when Tristan¡¯s phone started ringing. After answering the call and listening for a few seconds, he scoffed, ¡°Well, what do you think? His son pissed me off, so why shouldn¡¯t I teach him a lesson to keep him in line? I won¡¯t kill him, but if he continues antagonizing me, don¡¯t me me for changing my mind.¡± As it turned out, Brayden had managed to find someone to intercede with Tristan on his behalf. ¡°Wow. Who knew Brayden Gardner had that much influence?¡± Sophie mused, surprised that the director could find people willing to help him. Tristan hung up the phone, a flicker of annoyance crossing his face. I don¡¯t care who tries to intercede for the Gardners today. No amount of pleading would work. ¡°Don¡¯t be angry, Mr. Tristan. It¡¯s not good for your health,¡± Winter said as she poured him a ss of red wine. Besides, is it worthwhile getting so worked up for Sophie? Instead of drinking the wine, Tristan opened one of the beers on the coffee table and took a gulp. Naturally, Winter was shocked. Everything around her was changing so rapidly that she had trouble grasping them. ¡°Mr. Tristan, didn¡¯t you use to dislike drinking beer?¡± she blurted out. ¡°Winter, there¡¯s no need to be so strict,¡± Tristan replied. Does she expect me to report my likes and dislikes? How ridiculous. Sophie, too, had grabbed a beer to drink. Winter¡¯s trying to show me up, isn¡¯t she? Why else would she keep implying how much she knows Tristan? Then again, so what if she knows him well? He doesn¡¯t fancy her at all. Winter tightened her grip around the ss. ¡°That¡¯s not what I meant, Mr. Tristan.¡± This content ? N?v/elDr(a)m/a.Org. ¡°All right, all right. We¡¯re here tonight to celebrate Winter¡¯s sess, so cut her some ck, Tristan,¡± Charles chimed in. He couldn¡¯t bear to see his sister being so infatuated with someone who didn¡¯t reciprocate her feelings. Thankfully, Tristan nced at Charles and said nothing more. Even though she felt aggrieved, Winter merely sat silently, not daring to say anything else. However, there was no doubt that she hated Sophie with a vengeance. I was supposed to have my celebration party tonight, yet Sophie has to show up and ruin everything for me. It hurts so much to hear Tristan criticizing me! ¡°It¡¯s gettingte. I should go home now,¡± Sophie muttered as she got up from the couch. Since Winter and I dislike each other, there¡¯s no point in staying here and wasting my time. We should go our separate ways. ¡°Okay. You guys continue with the party, then. I¡¯ll send her home,¡± Tristan said. Winter looked up in disbelief, but Tristan had already left the couch. ¡°Mr. Tristan, what¡¯s this about?¡± Felix asked in bafflement. We¡¯ve barely started drinking, and he¡¯s already on his way out? ¡°I¡¯m not in a good mood. You guys carry on without me!¡± Tristan answered before following Sophie out of the room. ¡°Got it!¡± Ha! So, Mr. Tristan¡¯s also the kind who favors his lover over friends! After leaving the room, Sophie turned to Tristan. ¡°Mr. Tristan, I can make my own way home. You don¡¯t have to give me a lift.¡± ¡°Even if I stayed, I¡¯d only be drinking with them. What¡¯s so fun about that?¡± With so many people jostling about in the bar, Tristan swiftly pulled Sophie into his arms when he saw someone about to bump into her. ¡°Are you all right?¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± Sophie replied. ¡°Are you sure you don¡¯t want to stay? I know Ms. Quigley would want you to.¡± ¡°Sophie, it doesn¡¯t matter what Winter thinks. I have nothing to do with her.¡± Indeed, Tristan wasn¡¯t a promiscuous person by any means, and he had never done anything to lead Winter on. Chapter 71 Chapter 71 Chapter 71 A Bridal Carry ¡°Okay, then. I apologize for saying that.¡± When Sophie and Tristan left Nocturnal, it was raining heavily outside. ¡°What awful weather!¡± It was pouring, so even if the valet were to drive the car over, they would still be drenched when they walked the short distance. Sophie rubbed her arms, for it was still rather chilly in Jipsdale in November. There was heating in the bar earlier, so she didn¡¯t feel it. Right then, however, she was really cold. Seeing that, Tristan removed the suit jacket from her waist and draped it over her shoulders. Thus, his jacket enveloped her, covering even her bottom. ¡°What should we do now?¡± ¡°How about going back into the bar first? If you don¡¯t like to hang out with them, we can get a private room for ourselves.¡± ¡°No, I don¡¯t have any issue hanging out with them.¡± Felix and the others aren¡¯t the hateful kind of people. ¡°Okay.¡± Tristan didn¡¯t ask further, for the person speaking was Sophie, and he respected her decision no matter the choice. ¡°Oh well, let¡¯s just take shelter here for a while.¡± There were quite a number of people taking shelter from the rain in front of Nocturnal then. Sophie hadn¡¯t experienced that in a long time, so she found it rather intriguing. ¡°Are you cold?¡± she asked Tristan. He¡¯s only wearing a shirt at the moment, so he¡¯s probably freezing! ¡°Nope.¡± Tristan, on the other hand, turned his gaze to her fair legs. I think she¡¯s cold instead. He then made a call and had the driver bring them an umbre. As the crowd grew, it became increasingly packed. Some couples were already hugging, and others were even kissing. To protect Sophie from being jostled, Tristan kept her in his embrace. His chin came to just above the top of her head. Such a posture was exceedingly intimate, with his warm breath tickling the top of her head. Suddenly, someone jostled Tristan. He inched forward a fraction, upon which both their bodies stered together. ¡°Uh¡­¡± Sophie abruptly felt that it wasn¡¯t a wise decision to take shelter with him under the eaves. At that precise moment, the driver came with the umbre. The car was parked there, but the rain wasing down in torrents, so the curb was already flooded. ¡°I¡¯ll carry you over.¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s okay. I can walk over by myself.¡± ¡°You¡¯ll ruin your shoes.¡± Sophie initially wanted to say that she didn¡¯t mind, but Tristan had already scooped her up. Meanwhile, the driver opened an umbre for her. ¡°I¡¯ll carry her instead, Mr. Tristan!¡± he offered. How could I have Mr. Tristan doing such a thing? ¡°What did you just say?¡± Glimpsing the look in Tristan¡¯s eyes, the driver immediately shook his head and pretended that he didn¡¯t say anything earlier. ¡°Oh my God, a bridal carry! Look, that¡¯s the ideal boyfriend! Inparison, you aren¡¯t even willing to carry me.¡± ¡°Look at his girlfriend first. She¡¯s as beautiful as a goddess!¡± ¡°What do you mean by that?¡± The girl pinched her boyfriend¡¯s ear. In response, the boy took her hand at once. ¡°No, no, you¡¯re my goddess instead!¡± When Tristan carried Sophie over, the driver promptly opened the car door.ConTEent bel0ngs to N?v(e)lD/rama(.)Org . After cing her in the car, Tristan took the umbre from him. He closed it before climbing into the car. It only took seconds, but his shirt was all drenched. ¡°How about I return your suit jacket to you?¡± However, Tristan stilled her hand that moved to doff the jacket. ¡°I¡¯m fine, so just continue wearing it.¡± The driver got into the car and turned on the air-conditioning in the car. ¡°Where are we going now, Mr. Tristan?¡± ¡°Drive Ms. Tanner home.¡± ¡°Your shirt is dripping water!¡± Sophie pointed at Tristan¡¯s shirt. At that, Tristan moved to the side slightly. ¡°Now, it won¡¯t drip on you.¡± ¡°That wasn¡¯t what I meant.¡± Honest to God, I didn¡¯t mean that! Just then, Tristan sneezed. ¡°Are you okay, Mr. Tristan?¡± the driver swiftly inquired in concern when he heard the man sneezing. ¡°I¡¯m fine. I¡¯m not that delicate.¡± s, no sooner had he finished saying that than he sneezed again. ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± This time, Tristan sounded incredibly solemn. ¡°I didn¡¯t say that you¡¯re sick. Sir, please step on it.¡± Sophie merely instructed the driver to speed up. There was heating in the car, so it was actually quite warm already. Nheless, she still felt that he should take a hot bath as soon as possible. Shortly after, the car drove into Wisteria Apartments¡¯ underground parking. ¡°You may go back,¡± Tristan ordered the driver after alighting from the car. ¡°I¡¯ll just wait for you here, Mr. Tristan.¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s okay. I¡¯ll go back by myself.¡± Since he had said as much, the driver had no rebuttal left and could only leave. Upon returning to the condominium, Sophie removed Tristan¡¯s suit jacket. ¡°Go and take a bath.¡± After all, it was easy to fall sick when one got drenched in the rain in such weather. ¡°Sure!¡± Anyway, Tristan felt very much ill at ease when he was all soaked. He went into the room and took out a change of clothes before taking a bath. Outside, Sophie quickly found a piece of ginger and scraped the skin off. Then, she surfed the inte for recipes for ginger tea. Following the steps stated in Google, she prepared ginger tea. Truthfully, she wasn¡¯t good at cooking. When she was alone in Horington back then, she basically had takeaway all the time. She couldn¡¯t quite fathom which wires in her brain got crossed that day either that she was making ginger tea for Tristan. Tristan soaked in the bathtub for twenty minutes before he came out. Slipping on a white bathrobe, he blow-dried his hair before exiting the bathroom. He opened the door and went downstairs, only to see Sophie reading on the couch. She had already changed into casual attire that was creamy white. As the dim yellow lights illuminated her, it gave off a sense of warmth. After going downstairs, Tristan took a seat on the single couch. When Sophie noticed that he was only wearing a bathrobe, she couldn¡¯t help averting her gaze. ¡°What are you brewing?¡± Tristan queried, breaking the silence in the room. ¡°Ginger tea. It¡¯s my first time brewing ginger tea, so I¡¯m not sure how it¡¯ll taste. It¡¯s about ready now. I¡¯ll go and take a look.¡± Getting to her feet, Sophie went to check on the ginger tea. Meanwhile, Tristan was at a loss for words. Ginger tea? I positively loathe the taste of ginger tea. I don¡¯t have a cold yet, no? Moreover, even when I was really suffering from a cold in the past, I never drank ginger tea. But then, she prepared it especially for me now. He likewise stood up and trailed after her. Sophie uncovered the lid of the earthen pot and watched as the color of the ginger tea darkened. ¡°It should be about ready.¡± Turning off the gas, she snagged a cloth, nning to pour the ginger tea in the earthen pot out. ¡°I¡¯ll do it instead.¡± Tristan took the cloth from her. Wrapping it around the earthen pot, he poured the ginger tea into a bowl. ¡°It looks pretty good.¡± Sophie seemed extremely satisfied with the fruits of her effort. ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s indeed pretty good.¡± While saying that, Tristan couldn¡¯t help gulping. Oh God, ginger tea really tastes strange! It¡¯s bitter, astringent, and spicy! ¡°Are you not drinking it? I prepared it especially for you!¡± Sophie gazed at him expectantly. At her hopeful look, Tristan simply couldn¡¯t bring himself to decline. Well, I reckon that as long as she gazes at me with such a look in her eyes, I¡¯ll drink it without hesitation even if it¡¯s poison! ¡°It¡¯s too hot, so I¡¯m leaving it to cool for a bit.¡± ¡°Phew! I thought youck confidence in my cooking skills, so you don¡¯t dare drink it.¡± The expression on the man¡¯s face was really interesting, causing the corners of Sophie¡¯s mouth to turn up inexorably. ¡°It¡¯s cool enough, Mr. Tristan. If it¡¯s too cold, we¡¯ll have to heat it up again. That¡¯d be troublesome.¡± I¡¯ve got to make it clear that I¡¯m only doing this for his own good. I¡¯m not at all pulling a trick on him! Chapter 72 Chapter 72 Chapter 72 Should I Follow The Car Tristan calmly picked up the bowl. Bringing the porcin bowl to his mouth, he took a huge gulp. It¡¯s astringent and spicy. Sure enough, it tastes strange. Sophie continued gazing at him expectantly, hoping that he would finish it all. Under her hopeful gaze, Tristan mustered his courage and downed the rest of the ginger tea. ¡°How was it?¡± Sophie even remembered to ask him for his opinion. ¡°It was good.¡± When Sophie said nothing to that, Tristan reiterated, ¡°Really, it was delicious!¡± ¡°All right, then! Since you like it, I¡¯ll make it for you again next time.¡± At that, Tristan went silent instead. ¡°Or do you not like it?¡± ¡°Of course not! I love it!¡± Sophie washed the porcin bowl and earthen pot before spinning on her heel and leaving the kitchen. ¡°Do you need my help with Letitia Gatrell?¡± Tristan had a thousand ways to have Letitia speak the truth. He was naturally aware that the woman deliberately framed Transfix Cosmetics, but even if he wanted to help Sophie, it still depended on whether she wanted to ept his help. ¡°No, it¡¯s okay. I can handle it by myself.¡± All at once, Tristan¡¯s expression darkened. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Hmm, why does the atmosphere feel as though it¡¯s somewhat chilly? ¡°Nothing¡¯s wrong.¡± Tristan hoped that Sophie would rely on him no matter the problems she encountered, but she wanted to resolve everything herself, the thought of asking for his help never once crossing her mind. That had him feeling very much defeated. ¡°I¡¯m not as weak as you think, Mr. Tristan.¡± Truly, I can settle it by myself! ¡°Okay.¡± Tristan was nomittal. Gah! This is not an issue of weak or otherwise! I merely want to help her. ¡°All right, sleep earlier. You¡¯ve still got ss tomorrow.¡± Not only does she have to attend sses, but she also has to handle the affairs of Tanner Group, so she must be exceedingly busy! ¡°Okay.¡± Sophie didn¡¯t think much about it, merely whirling around and returning to her room. Tristan, on the other hand, stayed in the living room for a while before leaving. At ten past seven in the morning, Sophie headed out after washing up, donning her school uniform, and snagging her schoolbag. No sooner had she exited the residential area than Eustace, who had been waiting for her there, blocked her path. ¡°Ms. Tanner, I need a favor from you.¡± Being a macho man, he was a tad embarrassed when he said that. ¡°I¡¯m busy, Captain Sheppard!¡± After all, she still had to go to school. ¡°I know it¡¯s really mortifying that I need your help all the time, Ms. Tanner. How about this? I¡¯ll treat you to breakfast, and you do me a favor in return.¡± In Jipsdale, Eustace had never lowered himself so much before anyone. He had always been invincible, both in conducting investigations and performing his duties. However, he had no choice but to admit to his inadequacy in front of Sophie. ¡°Never mind, forget about that. Let¡¯s go!¡± All of a sudden, regret swamped Sophie. I must have had some wires crossed back then that I actually went to the police station. If I hadn¡¯t gone in person at that time, I wouldn¡¯t have gotten myself stuck with such a troublesome man! ¡°Let¡¯s go. I¡¯ll bring you to have breakfast first. You probably haven¡¯t had breakfast, yes?¡± Eustace drove a SWAT car that day, so it was rather ostentatious. He went over and opened the passenger door for her. Meanwhile, Willow had just alighted from the car when she spotted Sophie getting into the SWAT car. Unbidden, her eyes narrowed a fraction. Whipping out her phone, she quickly snapped a photo of it. Who exactly is that man with Sophie? He appears to be a tough nut. Therefore, what exactly is so great about her? Why are there always such formidable figures around her? Conversely, I¡¯ve worked myself to the bone, but I¡¯ve only got Mason on my side. ¡°You¡¯d best pray that I don¡¯t find any dirt on you, Sophie. Otherwise, I¡¯ll crush you right away, allowing you no opportunity to ever make aeback!¡± ¡°Mr. Tristan¡­¡± The driver didn¡¯t dare utter a single word as he sat there like a statue. Mr. Tristan went to The Crown early in the morning and bought breakfast for Ms. Tanner, even bringing it over personally. Unexpectedly, he witnessed her getting into another man¡¯s car. ¡°Should I follow the car?¡± It was his first time encountering such a situation, so he didn¡¯t know what to do. ¡°Yeah.¡± Just when the driver was going to start the engine, Tristan changed his tune. ¡°Never mind. She has her own freedom.¡± Words eluded the driver. I¡¯ve been working for Mr. Tristan for a long time, but this is the first time I¡¯m seeing this side of him. It looks like he¡¯s really irrevocably in love with her. ¡°Give me a cigarette.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll go and buy some cigarettes for you, Mr. Tristan! Mine is too cheap.¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay. Just give me a stick.¡± Left with no other choice, the driver took out a stick of cigarette from the cigarette box and handed it to Tristan alongside the lighter. Only after Tristan had finished the cigarette than he ordered, ¡°Let¡¯s go! Head to Lombard Group.¡± The driver finally breathed a sigh of relief. The atmosphere in the car was too frigid, so he hadn¡¯t dared to speak at all. At the same time, Eustace had a hand on the steering wheel as he typed the location into his phone with the other. ¡°The breakfast fare at The Crown is pretty good. Let¡¯s go and eat there!¡± ConTEent bel0ngs to N?v(e)lD/rama(.)Org . ¡°There¡¯s no need to go to such trouble. We can just have something simple.¡± ¡°It¡¯s no trouble.¡± Eustace drove to The Crown. He then ordered plenty of food for the two of them. Sophie was very quiet when she ate. She didn¡¯t eat much, so she merely sat there and scrolled through her phone when she had finished eating. Seeing that she was already full, Eustace had the server pack some food for his team members. There were many people on his team, so he ordered a lot for takeaway. ¡°You¡¯re pretty nice to your subordinates.¡± Sophie voluntarily helped him carry some of the bags upon seeing that he couldn¡¯t carry everything. ¡°I suppose so. In our line of work, we risk our lives every day, and a single misstep would result in our demise. As such, our bond is forged in death and blood.¡± At that, Sophie stopped pursuing that subject. Ultimately, Eustace was not wrong at all. All cases that ended up assigned to the SWAT team were difficult cases. Soon, the car drove right into the police station. ¡°Captain Sheppard is back!¡± Danny knew that Eustace had gone to pick Sophie up, so he had been waiting outside. After the jeep came to a stop, Sophie came out of the vehicle. As soon as Danny spotted her, he immediately ran over. ¡°You¡¯re here, Ms. Tanner? I ran into a problem recently. Can you please take a look at it for me?¡± ¡°Sure.¡± Sophie went over and helped Eustace with the takeover. ¡°Whoa! Breakfast from The Crown! You¡¯re too nice to us, Captain Sheppard!¡± ¡°Ms. Tanner, Captain Sheppard is very nice to others!¡± ¡°Exactly! Captain Sheppard is definitely a great man, so you must cherish him!¡± Simr sentiments rang out, one after another. Sophie was rendered wholly speechless. So, what are they doing now? Are they promoting their captain? ¡°All right, that¡¯s enough. What nonsense are you all spouting? Go and eat!¡± The moment Eustace spoke, his team members took their breakfast to the side and started wolfing down the food. There was a cafeteria in the police station, and the food was pretty good as well. Compared to the food from The Crown, however, it was still not quite up to that level. Danny brought Sophie to the technical department. ¡°Are you not eating?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not hungry.¡± ¡°Ms. Tanner, Captain Sheppard is really nice although he¡¯s a bloody hero to the outside world.¡± ¡°Danny, is Captain Sheppard aware that you¡¯re promoting him in such a manner?¡± I just came over to do them a favor, so why are they all promoting Captain Sheppard? Whatever kind of person he is has nothing to do with me! ¡°I don¡¯t mean anything. I just want to tell you that Captain Sheppard is really an amazing man! If you want to find a boyfriend, you can consider him.¡± Danny didn¡¯t bother masking his intentions at all. If she bes Captain Sheppard¡¯s girlfriend, I¡¯ll be able to ask her questions frequently in the future! Just the mere thought of it is intoxicating! Chapter 73 Chapter 73 Chapter 73 Teach Them All A Lesson ¡°Shut up, Danny.¡± Naturally, Eustace, who followed behind Sophie, heard Danny¡¯s remark as well. Good Lord! Why are they saying all this to a little girl? ¡°Don¡¯t take their words to heart. Such is their nature, enthusiastic without any malicious intentions.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t take it to heart.¡± Danny proceeded to tell Sophie about the problem they encountered, and thetter managed to resolve it in less than five minutes. ¡°How about this, Danny? Add me to your contacts on WhatsApp. If there are any problems in the future, send them to me directly.¡± In truth, Sophie found it very much a hassle to go to the police station often. ¡°Sure!¡± Danny instantly took out his phone and added her to his contact on WhatsApp. ¡°You¡¯re really incredible, Ms. Tanner!¡± Herputer skills are indomitable! Perhaps only Phantom from Wings of Light is her match! Even then, Danny was blown away by her capabilities. Subsequently, Eustace and Danny saw Sophie out. Eustace opened the door to the jeep. ¡°I¡¯ll drive you back.¡± Without any token protest, Sophie climbed into the car. ¡°Bye!¡± Throughout it all, Danny and the other team members watched on the sidelines. Eustace shot them a re before driving off. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. You must have been ill at ease today, huh?¡± ¡°Not really. I¡¯m used to it.¡± At once, Eustace was dumbfounded. Huh? There¡¯s getting used to such a thing? ¡°Then, it seems that you¡¯re very popr, Ms. Tanner.¡± Sophie didn¡¯t reply to thatment of his. Upon seeing that she seemingly didn¡¯t want to talk to him, Eustace felt somewhat defeated. He drove her to Jipsdale Premier High. ¡°I¡¯ll go and exin things to your teacher.¡± By then, two periods had passed. ¡°No, it¡¯s okay. I can manage by myself.¡± ¡°Thank you very much for today, Ms. Tanner.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have to stand on formality with me, Captain Sheppard. All right, I¡¯ll be going in.¡± Eustace watched Sophie enter the schoolpound from the car until she disappeared from sight before he turned the car around and left. She¡¯s shrouded in mystery! By the time Sophie arrived at her ss, the third period had alreadymenced. ¡°I¡¯m here,¡± Sophie dered. When Derrick saw that it was her, his brows inexorably knitted together. ¡°Sophie, I know your grades are already excellent, but there¡¯s no end to the pursuit of knowledge. You must continue working hard.¡± ¡°I understand, Mr. Hayes.¡± Derrick was a decent person, so Sophie was extremely courteous to him. ¡°All right, go back to your seat.¡± After returning to her seat, Sophie didn¡¯t sleep out of respect for the man. When the third period had ended, Ysabelle asked Sophie to apany her to the washroom. ¡°Where did you go? Do you know how worried I was? You should¡¯ve brought me with you when you skipped ss!¡± ¡°Ms. Lombard, you seem eager to skip sses!¡± ¡°Of course! It¡¯ll be even better if I get to scale the wall!¡± After having been a good student for such a long time, Ysabelle wanted to do something out of character during her senior year. Only then would she be able to boast of having lived her youth. ¡°Sure! When I¡¯m free, I¡¯ll bring you to do that!¡± ¡°Really? I just knew that you love me most, Soph!¡± Ysabelle gazed at Sophie in adtion. Sophie didn¡¯t want to go to the washroom, so she plugged in her earphones while waiting for Ysabelle and listened to music as she stood in the corridor. Out of the blue, someone patted her on the shoulder. She nced over her shoulder, only to see that it was Bailey. Puzzlement inundated her, but still, she removed her earphones. ¡°Have you decided whether to join the physicspetition yet?¡± ¡°Yeah. I¡¯ll be joining.¡± Truth be told, Sophie couldn¡¯t stand Aaron¡¯s pestering anymore. If she didn¡¯t agree, he would hound her until she relented. It was her first time meeting such a teacher. While she was a touch exasperated, she also found him rather adorable. ¡°That¡¯s great!¡± Bailey took out a pack of chewing gum from his pocket and handed it to her. It was the vor she favored. Nevertheless, she didn¡¯t take it. However, Bailey stuffed it into her hand. ¡°I just bought it at the convenience store earlier. I¡¯ll be waiting for you in the physicsb after school.¡± Sophie was entirely floored. Eh? Did I say I was going to the physicsb? Coincidentally, Willow and a few girls from Senior ss 1 came out of the washroom. They witnessed that scene. The few girls were outraged. Bailey is the campus hunk of Jipsdale Premier High and the pride of Senior ss 1. What right does she have to taint him? ¡°Say, why are you so shameless, Sophie? Can you just stay away from Bailey?¡± ¡°Exactly! What¡¯s so great about cing second?¡± ¡°Bailey isn¡¯t someone you¡¯ll ever deserve in terms of both family background and character! You may be rotten yourself, but don¡¯t go around tarnishing others!¡± ¡°Have you all said enough?¡± Sophie grew utterly impatient. Ugh! Their mouths are really filthy! ¡°Look, Willow! Such is your sister! All she knows is to seduce others. How nauseating!¡± Standing at the side, Willow merely watched the show. She felt absolutely delighted at the sight of Sophie surrounded and insulted. ¡°From the look of things, the lot of you will really think that you can walk all over me if I don¡¯t teach you all a lesson today.¡± Sophie then pped them all. ¡°How dare you? You¡¯re such a brute! This is bullying! I¡¯m going to tell the teacher and expose you!¡± ¡°Hear, hear! No one had ever raised a hand against me!¡± ¡°Come, let¡¯s all go and look for the teacher together!¡± ¡°Oh, the lot of you want to go andin to the teacher? I think you¡¯ve forgotten how Queenie ended up in prison. There are surveince cameras along the corridor. Everything you said to me constitutes nder. Bullying, you said? You¡¯re huge in numbers while I¡¯m alone. Who do you think is the victim of bullying here?¡± ¡°You¡¯re simply unreasonable!¡± The few girls were so livid that words eluded them. Besides, they were also fearful at the mention of Queenie. When Ysabelle came out and saw such a crowd, she immediately shoved them away and went over to Sophie. ¡°What are the lot of you doing? Who wants to bully Soph? Over my dead body!¡± Sophie couldn¡¯t help giggling at herical look. How could there possibly be such a cute girl in this world? ¡°Ms. Lombard, do you know that it¡¯s against thew to be so adorable?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid, Soph. With me here, no one will dare pick on you!¡± After saying that, Ysabelle took her arm and left under the few girls¡¯ resentful gazes. ¡°Such is your sister, Willow.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t tell me we¡¯re to take the humiliation without being able to do anything?¡± N?velDrama.Org owns all content. ¡°What can we do? Have you forgotten what happened to Queenie?¡± Queenie went to prison, and the Lane family didn¡¯t have it easy either. ¡°Forget it! Don¡¯t provoke her anymore. She won¡¯t show any mercy even to me, her sister. No, that¡¯s not right. She has never regarded me as her sister in the first ce.¡± ¡°You¡¯re really unlucky to have such a sister, Willow. Your life at the Tanner residence must be torture.¡± ¡°There¡¯s nothing to be done about it. It doesn¡¯t matter to me that she¡¯s treating me in such a manner since it¡¯ll pass with some toleration. Regretfully, she treats my parents the same way.¡± ¡°She¡¯s really an awful person!¡± After school in the afternoon, Aaron coerced Bailey and Sophie to the physicsb to conduct an experiment. Sophie mastered the experiments in no time, so he was exceedingly satisfied. ¡°You¡¯re truly a rare physics genius, Sophie!¡± Aaron couldn¡¯t helpuding. Then, he asserted, ¡°Trust me in this¡ªunder my guidance, the champion and first runner-up for the physicspetition this time will definitely be ours!¡± Just when Sophie was conducting an experiment, her phone rang. ¡°Bailey, take the call for Sophie. She doesn¡¯t have the time to do so now.¡± ¡°May I?¡± Bailey asked Sophie. In response, Sophie nodded. ¡°Hello. May I know who¡¯s on the line?¡± Bailey pressed the answer call button. Chapter 74 Chapter 74 Chapter 74 Going Off The Deep End Thinking that he might have dialed the wrong number, Tristan put his phone down and nced at it. It¡¯s Sophie¡¯s phone number all right. Then, who¡¯s the man who answered the phone? Is it the man this morning? So, she¡¯s been with him all this while? Something astringent welled within him. Verily, he was very much unfamiliar with such emotion. ¡°Is Sophie there?¡± His voice was frightfully cial as though dripping ice. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but she¡¯s currently upied. I¡¯ll have her phone you back when she¡¯s free.¡± Bailey hung up right after saying that. Sophie was totally focused as she conducted the experiment, so she didn¡¯t bother asking who exactly phoned her. Meanwhile, Tristan¡¯s expression turned even darker. ¡°Are you okay, Mr. Tristan?¡± Felix inquired cautiously. Why is he wearing such an expression? He has been on the brink of blowing his top the whole of today, and he¡¯s even more terrifying now! Again, Tristan phoned Sophie. This time, it was Aaron who answered the call. ¡°You¡¯re already told that she¡¯s busy. Can¡¯t you understand that?¡± He loathed people calling when he was conducting experiments. This time, he turned the phone off right away. Tristan was dumbstruck. Noticing that the man was on the verge of going off the deep end, Felix didn¡¯t even dare to breathe. Tristan¡¯s expression was really intriguing since that was the first time someone dared to speak to him in such a manner. Property ? of N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Who was it, Mr. Tristan? I¡¯ll go and end him!¡± Felix was truly afraid, for it was petrifying when the man lost his temper. ¡°No, it¡¯s okay.¡± Tristan¡¯s voice was close to subzero temperature. Felix cast a nce at Sean, who sat across from him. On the contrary, Sean was calm and unruffled as though it had nothing to do with him. But then again, that made sense considering his upation. ¡°You guys enjoy yourselves. I¡¯m leaving first.¡± Getting to his feet, Tristan snagged his suit jacket from the couch and draped it over his wrist before leaving. ¡°Mr. Tristan¡­¡± Felix wanted to persuade him to stay, but he had already left. ¡°It must be because of Sophie again! Truly, I¡¯ve never seen him so affected because of anyone in the past. Say, does love really have so much power over someone?¡± Charles couldn¡¯t help remarking. Finally, Sean lifted his head. ¡°Who knows when love is subjective? All right, seeing that Mr. Tristan has left, I¡¯m leaving as well since I¡¯ve still got a case on my hands.¡± ¡°You¡¯re leaving as well?¡± It¡¯s been really difficult for the four of us to gather recently! After Tristan got into the car, the driver turned and queried, ¡°Where are we going now, Mr. Tristan?¡± He was exceedingly cautious when he asked that question, for the murderous aura emanating off the man was simply too intense. He¡¯s been like this since he saw Ms. Tanner getting into the SWAT car this morning, and now, it¡¯s even worse. ¡°Jipsdale Premier High.¡± When the driver drove over to Jipsdale Premier High, Tristan didn¡¯t alight from the car, merely sitting in there. He phoned Sophie again, but her phone was turned off. ¡°Please excuse me while I take a puff, Mr. Tristan.¡± Finding the atmosphere scary, the driver decided to make himself scarce. At that exact moment, Aaron stepped out of the gates of Jipsdale Premier High with Bailey and Sophie. ¡°Let¡¯s continue after dinner! There¡¯s still another experiment today.¡± ¡°Mr. Elswick, there¡¯s still a long time before the physicspetition. We really don¡¯t need to be in such a rush.¡± ¡°The physicspetition this time is a nationalpetition, Bailey! If your performance in the physics competition this time is outstanding, you can go to Jipsdale University directly. As such, we must work hard now!¡± ¡°I also think that there¡¯s still much time left. Mr. Elswick, I¡¯ve still got something else to do tonight, so I¡¯ll take a rain check on dinner.¡± As soon as Sophie came out, she caught sight of Tristan¡¯s car. ¡°You¡¯re supposed to have a self-study session today anyway. What else do you have to do?¡± ¡°Would you please give me some freedom, Mr. Elswick? Don¡¯t worry. I won¡¯t embarrass you during the physicspetition.¡± ¡°Fine, then. Go, go!¡± Thereafter, Sophie walked toward Tristan¡¯s car. ¡°Let¡¯s go! I¡¯ll bring you to dinner. Sophie has taken off, so you can¡¯t do the same.¡± Aaron dragged Bailey along. While being dragged away, Bailey peered over his shoulder, curious to know the identity of the person in the car. When Tristan saw Sophie heading over, he swung open the car door from the inside. Sophie got into the car. ¡°Why are you here?¡± ¡°No particr reason. What were you busy with today?¡± ¡°Nothing! I just went to school as usual!¡± Tristan said nothing. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you, Mr. Tristan?¡± Sophie sensed something amiss with the atmosphere. ¡°Nothing¡¯s wrong.¡± Disappointment flooded Tristan that she was keeping secrets from him. I thought we could at least be honest with one another! ¡°Where were you all nning to go originally?¡± he questioned. ¡°Dinner. Mr. Elswick wanted to take us out for dinner.¡± Us? Does that refer to her and the other guy? ¡°I¡¯ll bring you out to dinner instead!¡± Tristan wound the car window down and instructed the driver to get back into the car. Willow had a stomachache, so she nned to go home to rest. Unexpectedly, she spotted Tristan¡¯s car. She was all too familiar with that car, for she recognized it as the car that often dropped Sophie off at school. That was the first time she beheld the man¡¯s face clearly. He was incredibly handsome and striking. In fact, if he were to join the entertainment industry, he would definitely shoot to stardom. Wanting to take a photo, she took out her phone. s, Tristan swung his gaze at her. She promptly stilled, not daring to move a muscle. Sophie saw Willow as well, upon which a smirk tugged at her lips. What rotten luck to always bump into her! ¡°Step on it,¡± Tristan ordered the driver in the front. Willow stood there with the phone raised in her hand, but she didn¡¯t dare press the capture button. This morning, a SWAT car came to pick her up. Then, Bailey was all attentive to her at school. And now, it¡¯s a man with an unknown identity. She¡¯s really good at seducing people! ¡°I¡¯ll just wait and see how you ruin yourself, Sophie!¡± ¡°That sister of yours seems rather dismal.¡± That remark had Sophie stupefied. That doesn¡¯t seem to have anything to do with me! ¡°Why is your phone turned off?¡± Ultimately, Tristan couldn¡¯t resist voicing that question. Sophie took out her phone and turned it on straight away. ¡°I don¡¯t know. I didn¡¯t notice that.¡± Tristan had no response to that. The car drove to Blossom Garden. Sophie had heard of it in the past, but she hadn¡¯t had the opportunity to visit it. The owner of Blossom Garden was a lovely middle-aged woman. As soon as she saw that Tristan brought a guest, she came over to serve them personally. ¡°You haven¡¯t been here in a while, Mr. Tristan. Are you taking your usual room?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± The proprietress, Blossom, personally led Tristan and Sophie to a private room with a retro feel. From the window there, one could see the pavilions in the courtyard. It was a stunning sight. ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve seen you before, miss. May I be so bold as to ask for your name?¡± ¡°Sophie Tanner.¡± ¡°Go and make the preparations, Ms. Blossom. Just get us the usual dishes.¡± Tristan brought Sophie there so that he could be with her alone for a while. At that, Blossom shed him a charming smile. ¡°You¡¯re finding me the third wheel here, aren¡¯t you, Mr. Tristan? Fine, fine, I¡¯ll leave then.¡± With that, only Tristan and Sophie were left in the private room. Sophie took out her phone, for Danny sent her a WhatsApp message. Since we stepped into the private room, she¡¯s been on her phone. Am I not even as captivating as a phone? When Sophie lifted her head, she saw Tristan staring at her intensely. ¡°What¡¯s the matter? Do you have something to say to me, Mr. Tristan?¡± She couldn¡¯t shake off the feeling that he seemed a tad hesitant whenever he looked at her that day. Chapter 75 Chapter 75 Chapter 75 Too Brutal ¡°No.¡± Tristan said nothing at all. I¡¯m no one to her, so what right do I have to ask so much of her? Whoever she wants to be with is definitely her freedom! Truth be told, he actually understood all that. However, at the thought that Sophie might not belong to him, he would grow terribly frustrated, even if that possibility was negligible. ¡°Oh, okay.¡± In the courtyard outside, a group of teenage girls was dancing in ssical attire. Every single move exuded grace. They snagged Sophie¡¯s attention, so she didn¡¯t bother trying to specte what exactly was wrong with Tristan. Sigh! At that, Tristan couldn¡¯t help sighing. There¡¯s still a long way to go before I win her over. Never had I imagined that such a day woulde for me! When the dance ended, a young maiden in white and wearing a veil came out to y the harp. Right then, Blossom came with a few other servers and served the food. ¡°Enjoy the food, Mr. Tristan, Ms. Tanner. Just call me if you need anything else.¡± ¡°Sure!¡± Tristan picked up the bottle of sherry on the table. ¡°This bottle is really unique!¡± The bottle was simr to those in historical movies on television, but it was even more exquisite. ¡°Yeah.¡± Tristan opened the bottle of sherry and poured some for Sophie as well. ¡°Try some. The most famous item here in Blossom Garden is its sherry.¡± ¡°Are you trying to get me drunk, Mr. Tristan? What do you want to do?¡± Sophie arched an eyebrow, her eyes stunning beyond words. ¡°I want to do everything, but I can¡¯t do anything.¡± She was young, so he wouldn¡¯t do anything to her no matter how fevered he was. ¡°I was just joking.¡± Sophie liked that ce a lot. She picked up the crystal ss and took a sip. Sure enough, the taste was superb. It was incredibly mellow, a different tastepared to red wine. In a single gulp, she downed the sherry in the crystal ss. ¡°Can I have more?¡± Withoutmenting, Tristan poured her some more sherry. ¡°Sophie, it¡¯s not appropriate for a girl to drink in front of men. You must learn to protect yourself. In the future, don¡¯t drink with other men.¡± ¡°Okay. I¡¯ll drink with you in the future!¡± Sophie deliberately dered with a smile. Tristan didn¡¯t mind though he was aware that she was intentionally teasing him. ¡°Don¡¯t just drink. The food at Blossom Garden is also top-notch.¡± He took some vegetables for her. ¡°Go ahead and eat. You don¡¯t need to worry about me.¡± Actually, Sophie wasn¡¯t all that hungry. But she really liked the sherry. I wonder if Ms. Blossom will be willing to sell me a few bottles. ¡°Mr. Tristan, how¡¯s your rtionship with Ms. Blossom?¡± ¡°What rtionship?¡± Tristan frowned, for he didn¡¯t want her to misunderstand. However, it turned out that he was the one who misinterpreted her remark. ¡°It¡¯s just that I¡¯m pretty fond of the sherry here. Please have Ms. Blossom sell me a few bottles.¡± At once, Tristan was stumped. ¡°Blossom Garden doesn¡¯t sell its sherry. Whoever wants to drink it can onlye here.¡± Even if the president himself came, the same principle applied. ¡°Even you can¡¯t get it, huh?¡± Disappointment showed on Sophie¡¯s face. At the sight of her crestfallen expression, distress inundated Tristan. ¡°It¡¯s okay. I¡¯m in Jipsdale now anyway, so I cane whenever I like!¡± Subsequently, Sophie poured herself another ss of sherry. ¡°What an alcoholic!¡± Tristan didn¡¯t expect her alcohol tolerance to be so high that she seemed fine even after drinking a few sses. ¡°Don¡¯t drink so much. It kicks in very strongly. Once, Felix got drunk at Blossom Garden.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Having drunk quite a bit, Sophie went over to the window to watch the performance outside. Unexpectedly, she saw Juan with Letitia. This time, it was only the two of them. Well, he recovers pretty quickly. Juan went into the adjacent private room with Letitia. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°Everything¡¯s fine. I just spotted someone I know. Wait for me here for a while.¡± Sophie stood up. Back then, I didn¡¯t get to settle the score with Letitia because I bumped into him and the others. Meanwhile, Juan had just taken his seat when Letitia snuggled up to him. ¡°Mr. Quigley, didn¡¯t you say that I could act in Mr. Quelch¡¯s new movie? The filming is about to start. When are you going to make the arrangements?¡± As she spoke, her hands weren¡¯t idle either, roaming about his chest. ¡°If you serve me well, I¡¯ll have you take the female lead directly and give you the role.¡± Letitia had quite the looks. Otherwise, he would have gotten sick of her after fooling around with her for a month. However, after seeing Sophie at Nocturnal, he felt that she was too vulgar. When Sophie opened the door, she was greeted by the sight of them in a scandalous posture. ¡°Who the hell dares to disrupt me?¡± ConTEent bel0ngs to N?v(e)lD/rama(.)Org . The instant Juan lifted his head, he saw Sophie eyeing him with a half-smile. That expression of hers had Juan stiffening immediately. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Ms. Tanner. I didn¡¯t know that it was you.¡± He was so stricken that his face had gone pale. Letitia, on the other hand, quickly straightened her clothes when she saw Sophie entering the room. ¡°Please step out for a moment, Mr. Quigley.¡± Sophie was exceedingly courteous. ¡°Sure! I¡¯ll leave right away!¡± Juan was truly terrified, for her methods were too brutal. Wanting to leave as well, Letitia got to her feet. s, Sophie blocked her path. ¡°You¡¯re a media student, right, Ms. Gatrell?¡± ¡°What do you want?¡± Letitia tried her best to appear brave. This is a society governed byw, so she won¡¯t dare to do anything to me. ¡°Do you still remember the brand Transfix Cosmetics? I¡¯m sure you haven¡¯t forgotten about it.¡± Letitia went silent for a moment. So, she¡¯s someone from Tanner Group. ¡°Who are you? And what exactly do you want? Ms. Tanner, I don¡¯t care who you are, but it¡¯s a fact that I was almost disfigured because of Transfix Cosmetics¡¯ makeup!¡± Striding up to her, Sophie grasped her chin and turned her face this way and that. ¡°Your face looks perfectly fine to me! Ms. Gatrell, you¡¯re really gutsy to frame Tanner Group!¡± ¡°How dare¡ª¡± Letitia wanted to argue further, but she couldn¡¯t utter a single word under Sophie¡¯s gaze. ¡°I came to seek you out today to give you a final chance. You¡¯d best rify the matter personally. Otherwise, you¡¯ll know the consequences.¡± Fear struck Letitia. Sophie then spun around to leave. ¡°Don¡¯t try to y tricks with me. Otherwise, I¡¯ll make it so that you can never make a living in the entertainment industry!¡± Nowadays, all girls who had some beauty wanted to join the entertainment industry. ¡°Damn it!¡± Back then, it was because Letitia saw that Tanner Group was on a downhill decline that she dared to utilize Transfix Cosmetics. She yed the victim, but she also gained much poprity from that. Never had she imagined that present situation. If I admit that I framed Transfix Cosmetics, I won¡¯t be able to stay in the entertainment industry anymore! When Sophie returned to the private room where Tristan was, she was greeted by the sight of him smoking by the window. ¡°Give me a cigarette as well!¡± Hearing that, Tristan promptly tossed his cigarette into the trash can. Sophie was dumbfounded. ¡°I¡¯m not smoking anymore, so you shouldn¡¯t smoke either.¡± Tristan felt that he needed to lead by example in front of her. ¡°Do you think Letitia will listen to you?¡± She¡¯s pretty good at kicking up a fuss. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter if she doesn¡¯t.¡± Sophie smiled nonchntly. ¡°Whatever floats your boat.¡± Tristan didn¡¯t bother speaking further. Sure enough, Letitia sought out a journalist the next day and revealed the despicable act of a heinous capitalist threatening her, an inconsequential character with no one backing her up. As soon as that news came out, many verified ounts on Twitter started hyping it up. In the blink of an eye, Transfix Cosmetics and Tanner Group became the talk of the town. Chapter 76 Chapter 76 Chapter 76 Heartless The matter kept on brewing. The majority of the people had animosity toward the rich and empathized with the weak. Especially Letitia¡¯sst words. She hoped everyone would remember that if anything happened to her, it was for the cause of justice. Someone posted: How pitiful! Letitia thought she could make a career in the entertainment industry after enrolling at the University of Communication. I bet she never thought things would turn out this way. Aizen wrote: Yeah, how cruel of the Tanner Group! Transfix Cosmetics had nearly destroyed the face of a girl who depended on it to put food on her table. She was merely revealing the truth. How could they be so ruthless? Onement wrote: You don¡¯t know then. How can a girl survive in the entertainment industry without any backup? Anotherizen posted: I¡¯ll boycott Transfix Cosmetics and all the other brands under the Tanner Group. Someone else wrote: That¡¯s right. I agree to boycott. Anotherizenmented: Please release a statement, Tanner Group. Suddenly, a wave to boycott Tanner Group swept the inte. Willow was thrilled at the news. Didn¡¯t Sophie think highly of herself? Let¡¯s see how capable she is this time around. Sophie had juste out of ss when she saw Willow waiting for her. ¡°I don¡¯t want to waste my time on her, but why does she keep showing up in front of me?¡± ¡°That¡¯s because you¡¯re too pretty, Soph. That makes you a target of others¡¯ jealousy.¡± ¡°Is there something to be happy about, Sophie? With you causing so much damage to the Tanner Group, do you think Grandpa will still take your side?¡± ¡°Ignore her, Soph.¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Wasn¡¯t that the truth?¡± At that moment, Sophie¡¯s phone rang. ¡°What¡¯s the matter, Grandpa? All right, got it. I¡¯lle over in the afternoon.¡± Willow¡¯s heart leaped up in joy at Sophie¡¯s words. ¡°Let¡¯s see how long you can stay happy.¡± I¡¯m sure the reason Grandpa summoned her is rted to today¡¯s incident. He cares about the name and image of Tanner Group the most. Sophie is a goner this time. ¡°Why is she acting all arrogant, Soph? She¡¯s not as pretty, her body is not as curvy, and even her brain isn¡¯t as smart as you.¡± ¡°You¡ª¡± Willow was so furious that she couldn¡¯te up with a retort. ¡°Laugh on! We¡¯ll see how long you canugh.¡± Willow whirled around and left. I don¡¯t have to do anything but watch. Sophie has to leave Tanner Group no matter the cost. Tanner Group is mine! There¡¯s no way she can take anything from me. ¡°Soph, are you all right? Should I ask for Felix¡¯s help? He¡¯s close to the media.¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine. Let Letitia continue her act.¡± It¡¯s better if this matter esctes even further. ¡°All right, I trust you. No matter what our Sophie does, she¡¯ll do it well.¡± Meanwhile, Felix was in Tristan¡¯s office. ¡°Mr. Tristan, are you sure you don¡¯t need me to interfere?¡± I don¡¯t understand what Mr. Tristan is thinking. Doesn¡¯t he care about Sophie a lot? Why is he acting this way now? ¡°She can handle it.¡± ¡°Fine.¡± What else can I do when Mr. Tristan is as cool as a cucumber? After sses let out, Willow was waiting to go back with Sophie. Once Sophie came out and saw Willow talking to the driver, she didn¡¯t want to spare another nce at her and turned to leave in another direction. ¡°What are you doing, Sophie? Grandpa asked me to take you back. Why are you running away?¡± Now you¡¯re scared? Don¡¯t have the guts to face your family members? ¡°Can¡¯t I not go with you?¡± Sophie hailed a taxi, got in, and gave the driver the address without giving Willow any time to react. ¡°Dang!¡± Anger coursed through Willow. Why is she so arrogant? ¡°Let¡¯s go, Ms. Tanner. We¡¯ll miss the show if we¡¯rete,¡± the driver reminded Willow. ¡°That¡¯s right! There¡¯s a good show today for sure. How can I miss it?¡± Back at the Tanner residence, Yale wasining to Josiah about Sophie. ¡°Dad, look at this. Look at the mess Sophie has caused. The Tanner Group¡¯s share is still dropping.¡± Yale paced around the living room agitatedly. ¡°That¡¯s right. Sophie is still a child. We can¡¯t let her risk the Tanner Group like this.¡± ¡°Dad, I know I didn¡¯t manage Tanner Group well the past few years, but at least nothing as bad as this happened while I was in charge.¡± ¡°Are you done talking? The reason Sophie did what she did was for the Tanner Group. Silence, all of you!¡± ¡°Dad, I¡¯m your son!¡± Am I that untrustworthy? Sophie heard Yale badmouthing her the minute she stepped into the Tanner residence. ¡°I¡¯m back, Grandpa.¡± Sophie set her bag down on the couch. Yale could feel his anger grow the moment she appeared. ¡°What the heck are you doing, Sophie? I know you¡¯re still mad at us for abandoning you at Horington, but you can¡¯t destroy the Tanner Group like this!¡± Yale was shouting so loudly that Sophie could hear ringing in her ears. She picked at her ear, trying to relieve the ringing. ¡°You¡¯re too loud,¡± Sophie said nonchntly. ¡°You¡ª¡± Anger coursed through Yale at her impassiveness. ¡°Do you hate the Tanner family so much?¡± ¡°Shut up, Yale!¡± Ever since Sophie came in, he could only hear Yale¡¯s voice. This content ? N?v/elDr(a)m/a.Org. Yale sat down with a huff, the re he gave Sophie was enough to kill her a thousand times over. Willow hade back at that time too. When she felt the tense atmosphere in the room, she smiled inside. ¡°Grandpa, Dad, Mom, I¡¯m back.¡± ¡°Go upstairs. This matter doesn¡¯t concern you.¡± Charmaine didn¡¯t want Willow to hear anything about the matter and only wanted Willow to focus on her studies, so she could get into a good university and make a career out of art. ¡°Okay.¡± Willow obeyed obediently and went upstairs. However, the minute she was out of sight, she immediately hid in the back and stealthily eavesdropped on the conversation downstairs. How can I let such a good opportunity go? I¡¯m happy to listen to anyone criticizing Sophie. ¡°Sophie, no matter what you do, I believe you.¡± Since I¡¯ve already transferred the twenty percent of shares to her, she has the right to make all the decisions. ¡°Thank you, Grandpa.¡± Grandpa has always trusted me wholeheartedly. No matter how ridiculous the things I did are in other¡¯s eyes, Grandpa would still support me. Hisplete trust moved her. ¡°Dad, how can you still be like this at this point in time? The Tanner Group is your blood, sweat, and tears. Can you bear to watch it fall into ruins?¡± Yale was simmering with anger at Josiah¡¯s attitude. ¡°I see that you¡¯ve gone truly senile.¡± ¡°Are you done?¡± Sophie asked in a chilling tone. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Grandpa. I know what I¡¯m saying.¡± ¡°It¡¯s good as long as you understand what you¡¯re doing. Stay for lunch.¡± The reason he summoned her was so that he could have lunch with the whole family. He had always wanted to bridge the distance between the family members. However, no matter how much effort he put in, the others didn¡¯t take it to heart. He felt helpless at his failed attempts. ¡°It¡¯s okay, Grandpa. I still have other things to do.¡± ¡°Sophie, I¡¯m warning you. Don¡¯t do anything that¡¯ll harm Tanner Group¡¯s benefit. Otherwise, don¡¯t me me when I turn against you.¡± I don¡¯t care who is it. I will not show mercy to the person that brings me loss, even if that person is my daughter. I¡¯ll treat her all the same. Chapter 77 Chapter 77 Chapter 77 Ruthless Willow, who¡¯d been eavesdropping, was dissatisfied. Is Grandpa going to take her side no matter how big of a mess Sophie caused? It looks like age is getting to him, that¡¯s why he starts acting soft. ¡°Dad, are you going to watch Tanner Group fall into ruins?¡± Yale was still unwilling to ept the fact that Josiah was taking Sophie¡¯s side. ¡°I have no choice even if it does fall into ruins. Didn¡¯t I give you a chance too? Tanner Group turned out to be in its current state under your leadership. What do you have to say for yourself? Now, I¡¯ve given that chance to Sophie. No matter what decision she makes, I¡¯ll support her. No matter what the oue is, I¡¯ll ept it.¡± Josiah didn¡¯t want to say anything anymore, so he turned around and went upstairs. ¡°What should we do now? Thepany¡¯s stocks were down by tens of millions within several hours. On the bright side, I presume not even a single shareholder is on Sophie¡¯s side now.¡± ¡°Right, no one is going to want to take her side with the present situation. The final victory belongs to me. Dad wants her to inherit the Tanner Group, right? How is that even possible?¡± I will never let that happen. ¡°Yale, no matter what, she¡¯s your daughter. I hope you don¡¯t cross the line.¡± ¡°Humph, women have no rationale. You treated her like your daughter, but did she ever treat you as her mother? Has she even shown us any kindness ever since she returned?¡± ¡°I only hope you can let her live.¡± She¡¯s my flesh and blood, regardless. How can I not care for her? ¡°That depends on her performance. I won¡¯t be heartless if she doesn¡¯t get in my way.¡± Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org. Sophie didn¡¯t go to school in the evening. Instead, she went to Transfix Cosmetics¡¯ Development Department. Sophie asked the receptionist, ¡°Is the person in charge around?¡± ¡°May I know who you are? Why are you here instead of school at this hour?¡± the receptionist asked impassively. The receptionist merely wanted to send the young girl away when she saw it was just a normal high schooler. ¡°I request an audience with your general manager. Can you have here down to meet me?¡± ¡°Please don¡¯t cause trouble here. If you refuse toply, I¡¯ll have to ask the security to escort you out of the premise.¡± We don¡¯t even get our pay on time these days. Wasting our time here cking off feels terrible. ¡°Perhaps it¡¯s best I resign from my post. What do you think we¡¯re still doing here? Now that Transfix Cosmetics¡¯ sales are at an all-time low, no, scratch that, I should say zero sales. If this goes on, we¡¯d lose our job sooner orter, might as well we leave now and search for new jobs!¡± ¡°Yeah. I even heard that the Tanner Group had handed us over to a high schooler. Say, do you think a high schooler can manage thepany well? Aren¡¯t we going to end if this goes on?¡± ¡°I request an audience with your general manager. Are all of you deaf? Also, I¡¯m the high schooler you¡¯re talking about. If you¡¯re staying, do your job, otherwise, you can choose to leave now.¡± Oh my gosh! Did my boss actually hear me gossip about her? ¡°Ms. Tanner, right? I¡¯ll bring you up right away. The general manager is currently having a meeting.¡± Sophie followed one of the receptionists into the elevator and ignored the rest. ¡°Ms. Lineker, we really can¡¯te up with an idea. We didn¡¯t manage to sell even a piece of cosmetics since the incident. The entire nation is boycotting us due to Ms. Sophie. Yet, you¡¯re asking me to think of a solution for that? That¡¯s impossible.¡± ¡°Yeah. We all know now how crazyizens can get. The products they boycott won¡¯t be able to survive. If this goes on, we¡¯ll lose our job.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry we can¡¯t be colleagues anymore. I¡¯ve decided to switch jobs. I hope we¡¯ll meet again somewhere.¡± ¡°You¡ª¡± The general manager of Transfix Cosmetics, Wilma Lineker, didn¡¯t think her colleague would turn in their resignation. At that time, Sophie, who had been listening in by the door, gently knocked on the door and attracted the attention of everyone in the meeting room. ¡°Excuse me.¡± ¡°There¡¯s no hope for Transfix Cosmetics with the current management allowing just anyone to enter the conference room. If this goes on, you won¡¯t have any prospects. Does anyone else wants to leave with me?¡± The woman who resigned wanted to bring a team with her. ¡°Ms. Summers, I¡¯m leaving with you.¡± ¡°I¡¯m going with you too.¡± ¡°You¡¯re crossing the line here, Rachel! It¡¯s fine if you¡¯re leaving, but now you¡¯re nning to take my people with you? Do you have no regard for me?¡± Transfix Cosmetics was Wilma¡¯s blood, sweat, and tears. She had worked for Tanner Group since she was a fresh graduate. She was the one who set up Transfix Cosmetics. ¡°I guarantee your new sry will be twice your current one if youe with me. It¡¯s fine if you¡¯re unwilling, we¡¯ll still be friends.¡± Rachel got up and left. The few girls that piped up earlier also got up and left. ¡°Is there anyone else leaving? Anyone who doesn¡¯t feel anything for Transfix Cosmetics may leave now.¡± Sophie searched for a seat and sat down. The reason she was there that day was to make some reorganizations. She never thought she would see such an incident. ¡°You are¡­¡± Wilma had never seen Sophie before, so she didn¡¯t recognize her. ¡°I¡¯m Sophie Tanner. From today onwards, I¡¯ll be in charge of Transfix Cosmetics.¡± ¡°My words earlier still stand. Anyone who wants to leave may leave now. I won¡¯t force anyone to stay.¡± ¡°Ms. Sophie, you¡ª¡± Wilma knew once an employee has a change of heart, it would be pointless if they continued to stay. However, they couldn¡¯t afford to lose more manpower. ¡°Wilma, is it?¡± With one nce from Sophie, Wilma immediately stopped talking. ¡°Are you willing to stay?¡± Sophie asked. ¡°Of course, I¡¯m willing to stay. Transfix Cosmetics is my blood, sweat, and tears. I won¡¯t give up on it no matter what.¡± ¡°Yeah. We¡¯ll follow Ms. Lineker no matter what happens.¡± The ones that stayed were Wilma¡¯s trusted subordinates. ¡°Very well. I know all of you have doubts about me. The attack on Transfix Cosmetics is scary, but please believe me. I have full control of the situation.¡± ¡°Are you sure it¡¯s okay, Ms. Sophie? The rumors are getting worse. The whole inte is boycotting Transfix Cosmetics. Even if we have a new product, we can¡¯tunch it, and even if we dounch it, no one will buy it.¡± ¡°You have a new product now?¡± Sophie turned to Wilma. Wilma immediately handed over a proposal to Sophie. It doesn¡¯t matter whether I¡¯m agreeable to being under her management. Since Sophie is now the person in charge, I¡¯ll do what I¡¯m supposed to. Sophie quickly looked through the entire proposal. ¡°I have three conditions for your current proposal.¡± ¡°Firstly, the new product¡¯s quality has to pass the quality control. The details¡­¡± ¡°Secondly, we¡¯ll hold a press conference for theunch a weekter. It will be at¡­¡± ¡°Thirdly, I want to be in charge our brand ambassador.¡± Chapter 78 Chapter 78 Chapter 78 Blushing Wilma didn¡¯t harbor any hope for Sophie, but after the former heard thetter¡¯s analysis and requests regarding the case, the former got a tad excited. It had been a long time since Wilma felt that kind of intense excitement. Under Sophie¡¯s lead, Transfix Cosmetics will no doubt return to its former glory! In fact, it may even surpass its previous achievements and be better than before! ¡°All right, Ms. Sophie.¡± After a long pause, Wilma found her voice again because she was just that emotional. Everyone stared at Sophie in shock. They couldn¡¯t believe she was just a normal high-schooler because her thought processes were so many times more advanced than the students from prestigious universities like themselves. When Sophie finished, she was slouching on the chair, staring at them. Even though she was exuding anguid vibe, they were all blushing as they stared at her. ¡°Do you all have any other questions? If there aren¡¯t any other problems, I¡¯ll let Ms. Lineker handle the company matters. As for thements on the inte, I¡¯ll take care of it. There¡¯s no need for you all to worry about it.¡± Seeing how everyone was staring at her, Sophie reassured them. ¡°I don¡¯t have much issue with most of what you said except for your third point. With how Transfix Cosmetics is right now, there¡¯s basically no one who¡¯ll be willing to be the ambassador for the company, Ms. Sophie.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. We¡¯ve already contacted a few celebrities, but they¡¯d all rejected our requests.¡± ¡°In the past, they were the ones who came to us when they were desperate. Now that we ask them for help, they wouldn¡¯t let us in at all. It¡¯s outrageous.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right! The situation in Transfix Cosmetics is really tough right now, Ms. Sophie!¡± Sophie straightened her back and informed, ¡°I¡¯ll take care of it. I want all eyes on our new marketing campaign this round.¡± After she finished her sentence, she left. Wilma personally sent her out. ¡°You don¡¯t have a driver¡¯s license yet, right, Ms. Sophie? I¡¯ll drive you to your destination.¡± ¡°I know you¡¯ve been doing your best in Transfix Cosmetics, Ms. Lineker. Once you take care of the company¡¯s issue properly, I hope you¡¯ll be willing to help me manage it.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it, Ms. Sophie! I¡¯ve poured my blood and sweat into thepany, so I¡¯ll definitely make sure to take good care of it!¡± All those years, It wasn¡¯t that no one had tried to poach her. It was just that she didn¡¯t want to leave because that was where her dream started. She spent an enormous amount of time and effort to push Transfix Cosmetics to its current position. Therefore, there was no way she would give up and leave. ¡°Don¡¯t worry! I won¡¯t let you down! I have faith in you, Ms. Sophie. I trust that you can take thepany to even greater heights. Sophie slept until noon on Sunday. It wasn¡¯t until she epted Ysabelle¡¯s invitation for lunch that she got up and washed up. ¡°Are you all right, Soph? You really shouldn¡¯t pay any attention to those nastyments,¡± Ysabelle advised. Even though Soph isn¡¯t saying anything, it still makes me worry about her. ¡°I¡¯m fine! Rx. I¡¯ll let Letitia parade around for a few more days.¡± Sophie was going to give Letitia more chances to show off her acting skills. After she almost finished lunch, she suddenly felt her stomach cramping. ¡°I need to go to the restroom.¡± ¡°Do you need me to apany you?¡± Ysabelle asked. ¡°No need! You should just eat.¡± Sophie spent some time in the restroom before she felt better. Hmm, if I¡¯m not wrong, my menstruation period should be around the corner. I need to go get some padster¡­ When she opened the door, she saw Letitia smiling at her smugly. Sophie ignored her and washed her hands at the washbasin. ¡°If you apologize to me now, I¡¯ll consider letting Transfix Cosmetics go!¡± Letitia negotiated. Sophie didn¡¯t want to talk to her. She¡¯s so incredibly greedy. Even now, she¡¯s still trying to extort more money. When she went out, Letitia followed behind her and abruptly said, ¡°I¡¯m at my wit¡¯s end now, Ms. Tanner! I beg you, please show me mercy! Yes, I know I shouldn¡¯t have told the truth, but now, every night, I can¡¯t sleep! Please, let me go! I¡¯m just an ordinary civilian. I¡¯m no match for Tanner Group!¡± From the moment she started speaking, Sophie knew what she was doing. If my guess is correct, there¡¯s probably a recording device on her body. What a cheap tactic this is. ¡°Ah! Ms. Tanner! Why did you hit me?¡± Letitia uttered as she gave herself a p. Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org. Sophie stayed silent and watched her continue to put on a show. Despite being red at intently, Letitia stubbornly continued to act out her script. ¡°Have you had enough fun, Ms. Gatrell? I don¡¯t think it¡¯s possible for you to make it big in the entertainment industry with your poor acting,¡± Sophie dissed. ¡°You¡ª¡± Letitia pulled out her recording device and pressed stop. ¡°You need not worry about how I¡¯ll fare in the future, Ms. Tanner. Although, with your current reputation on the inte, what do you think will happen if theizens heard this recording?¡± ¡°Let me ask you something, Ms. Gatrell. Are the cosmetics sold by Transfix Cosmetics really defective? Or is it just something you made up to get attention?¡± When Letitia saw the confused look on Sophie¡¯s face, she grinned smugly. ¡°I bet you¡¯re really regretting taking over Transfix Cosmetics now, Ms. Tanner! Say, you¡¯re just a high- schooler. Why are you doing this instead of studying? I kind of pity you, so I¡¯ll tell you this. That¡¯s right, there¡¯s absolutely nothing wrong with Transfix Cosmetics¡¯ products at all! I tampered with them. But who¡¯s going to believe you? Even if you tell everyone what I said, still no one will believe you, because everyone only trusts me now. I¡¯m the victim here, you see. Nheless, if youpensate me right now, I¡¯ll consider letting thepany off. Say, how much are you all willing to pay this time?¡± Thest time she did that, she got five million aspensation. Although, she had already spent all of it. She wanted to be a famous actress, and she was convinced the reason she hadn¡¯t be a star yet, despite her outstanding acting skills, was because she didn¡¯t have any backup behind her. If only I have someone to back me up, nobody could be my match! ¡°So you¡¯re doing all of this for money? Do you think theizens who are on your sides are all idiots, Ms. Gatrell?¡± Sophie questioned further. ¡°That¡¯s right, they¡¯re all idiots. I just need to squeeze out a few drops of tears and they¡¯ll think I¡¯m the poor victim. Isn¡¯t what¡¯s happening now the best evidence for that? Tanner Group¡¯s stock is plummeting, isn¡¯t it? If you want this to stop, the only way you can do so is bypensating me. That¡¯s the sole solution to your problem. You have one day to think about it. If you give me thirty million, I¡¯ll pretend what happened today never urred and let this story slide from the public consciousness. Otherwise, I¡¯ll destroy Transfix Cosmetics and Tanner Grouppletely!¡± Letitia then left while waving the recording device in her hand. She was certain no one in Tanner Group would dare toy a finger on her, and that if anything happened to her, people would think Tanner Group was responsible. Sophie nced at the surveince cameras in the corridor. Well, this is certainly an unexpected gain when I¡¯m just here to have a meal. Chapter 79 ?Chapter 79 Apany Me Sophie returned to the restaurant and turned on theptop in the establishment. "What''s wrong? What are you doing?" Ysabelle asked curiously. "It''s nothing. I just received an urgent email that I need to reply to. Wait for me for a moment." Theptop was much slower than hers as it took almost a minute to boot. She swiftly typed a string of code on the keyboard before she found the surveince footage of the corridor. Seems like the footage captured was in HD vision. It even has audio recording, too. After downloading the footage, she sent it to her email and wiped off any trace of her using theptop. Once their meal was over, Sophie and Ysabelle went shopping in Monarch Mall. Ysabelle was trying out clothes inside when Wilma called. "Ms. Sophie, we arrived at the same time Rachel and the others did. However, they chose Rachel." Wilma sounded sad. "No need to worry, though. I''ll continue to work hard. I''ll definitely find a suitable ambassador!" "I know, don''t worry. I''ve already found a suitable candidate to be our brand ambassador," Sophie replied. "What? You already found one? Who is it?" It wasn''t that Wilma didn''t believe Sophie, it was just that no one else was willing to be their ambassador so far. "Cecelia Lance." "Who?" "Cecelia Lance." "I didn''t hear that wrong, right, Ms. Sophie? Cecelia is the newly crowned queen of movies! Her future is very promising! Will she really agree?" Wilma and her team had been looking for newbies to be their ambassador and even they had refused. It was why she doubted Cecelia would agree. "She''ll agree. Just take care of the matters I told you to handle," Sophie assured. "Okay." Even though Wilma was still doubtful, she knew Sophie''s temperament, so she didn''t dare to ask any more questions. Rachel still didn''t want to leave after exiting Lorelei''s house because she was waiting tough at Wilma. I''ve been overshadowed by her for a long time in Transfix Cosmetics. It''s finally my turn to shine. "No need to feel that bad, Wilma! It''s actually good that you didn''t manage to invite Lorelei to be your spokesperson. Nowadays, no one is using Transfix Cosmetics'' products. You can''t even pay your employees their wages, much less spend an enormous amount of money hiring someone as famous as Lorelei!" Rachel mocked. "That''s right! Transfix Cosmetics is over! I think you lot should quickly find a new job! If you can''t work in the same industry anymore, I suggest washing dishes at a hotel!" one of Rachel''spanions mocked. Wilma''s face darkened. D*mn you, Rachel! "Look at you, Rachel, acting all smug. You made your choice, and we''re fine with that. There''s no need to kick us when we''re down. Besides, it''s not over and the winner has yet to emerge!" she retorted. Rachel sneered, "You''re as stubborn as a mule, Wilma. Even at its best, Transfix Cosmetics couldn''t win against Dream. Now that yourpany has fallen to its current state, there''s no way it''ll even catch up to Dream now!" "That''s right! It''s all thanks to Ms. Summers that we have an opportunity to be part of Dream!" "Give up, Wilma! You''ll never make aeback!" "Thanks for your concern." Wilma opted to ignore them. I''ll never give up until the end! "Have any of you invited a director to shoot the advertisement?" Wilma asked as she left with her team. "Tomorrow''s the shooting day, but we don''t have an ambassador or a director! What do we do, Ms. Lineker?" "Yeah!" "Dream is deliberatelyunching a new product on the same day as us! Why do they have to do it on the same day... "They''re clearly bullying us!" "All right, that''s enough. It''s pointless talking about that. Right now, we just need to focus on our tasks. I believe Transfix Cosmetics will make aeback." Wilma attempted to boost their morale. No matter what happens, I need to keep their spirits up. "Yeah! With Ms. Lineker around, Transfix Cosmetics won''t fall!" That night, at Cecelia''s mansion. Cecelia actually returned to the country in secret. No one knew she was already back at that moment. When she saw thenguid young woman sitting on the couch ying games, she spoke resignedly. "You''re doing this on purpose, aren''t you, Sophie? I just returned to the country, you know? Can''t you at least spare me a nce?" Is this how you''re supposed to treat the youngest person crowned the queen of movies? Sophie finally raised her head and shifted her line of sight from her phone to Cecelia. "I''m here to ask you to cast in an advertisement for Transfix Cosmetics." "I don''t want to." Cecelia pouted. I refused to be ordered around! I''m not going to star in an advertisement just because you said so! "Be good, okay?" Sophie coaxed. "Hmph! You didn''t contact me for a long time, and the moment Ie back, you want me to star in an advertisement for your sake. Am I all that''s left to you?" "You should be d that you''re useful to me at all." Sophie didn''t mince her word. "You!" Cecelia pouted again. "Don''t tell anyone you''re going to be involved in Transfix Cosmetics'' advertisement yet." "What do you mean? Sophie, do you know how popr I am? I''m the queen of movies now, you know. All the advertisements I starred in will basically lead to the products selling out!" Cecelia was confident in herself. "Be good, okay?" Sophie furrowed her eyebrows. "Don''t you forget that I''m two years older than you, Sophie." Cecelia was displeased with Sophie''s attitude. Sometimes, the aura a person exuded had nothing to do with their age. "Keep mepany tonight, will you?" Cecelia stared at Sophie pitifully. "I have things to do," Sophie rejected. "I''m warning you, Sophie. If you don''t go to bed with me tonight, I won''t star in your advertisement." "Go to bed with you? Do you think you''re still in a movie, Ms. Lance?" Sophie narrowed her eyes slightly. Even if we are to go to bed together, I should be the one making that demand! Still, she originally had no intention of leaving, since they hadn''t met each other for a long time. "This Lorelei, she''s..." Cecelia was utterly speechless. "So what if she got to star in Dream''s advertisement? The reason she got it in the first ce is that I rejected it." She swiped open Twitter and saw the trending topic about Lorelei''s coboration with Dream. "Why do you care about her? You should go and sleep now. You have an advertisement to shoot tomorrow." "I want to apany you a little longer. It''s been a while since west met." Cecelia didn''t want to sleep yet. "Go to sleep so tomorrow''s advertisement won''t suck." *Fine! Then will you be apanying me to the shoot?" Even the location of the shoot for Transfix Cosmetics and Dream was held at the same venue. Since Cecelia promised Sophie she would keep the job a secret, she arrived at the venue in secret. When Wilma saw Cecelia in the dressing room, her jaw almost dropped. "She''s Ms. Lineker from Transfix Cosmetics," Cecelia''s assistant introduced.N?velDrama.Org owns all content. Cecelia stood and stretched her hand out. "Hello. I''m Cecelia Lance, Sophie''s best friend." "Do you understand Transfix Cosmetics'' current situation, Ms. Lance?" Even though Cecelia was very popr, she had been staying overseas for a long while. It was why Wilma was worried if Cecelia knew what was really going on in the country. "What do you mean? Do you think I''m not good enough to shoot for Transfix Cosmetics? Cecelia furrowed her eyebrows. Wilma shook her head immediately. "That''s not what I meant." "That''s all I need to hear. In any case, you may not trust Sophie enough, but I do." Chapter 80 Chapter 80 Chapter 80 Feels Like Elopement Cecelia was able to understand what she needed to do swiftly, as expected from the newly crowned queen of movies. It only took two hours in the morning and the advertisement was half done. ¡°Cecelia is really beautiful! I never thought our products are that ssy before, but when it¡¯s applied on Cecelia, I don¡¯t think it¡¯s inferior to the major brands from overseas at all!¡± ¡°That¡¯s right! Ms. Sophie is incredible! With so many famous directors in the country waiting to work with Cecelia, I couldn¡¯t believe Ms. Sophie could talk her into working with us!¡± ¡°Totally! Ms. Sophie is amazing!¡± Even Wilma couldn¡¯t help but praise Sophie. She had understood many things in the industry after working there for years. When you¡¯re at the top, people wille and butter you up. However, when you get unlucky and fell from grace, those same people will kick you when you¡¯re down. Even though ourpany¡¯s reputation has fallen off a cliff, Cecelia probably agreed to take on the job because of Ms. Sophie! ¡°How are things going?¡± Sophie asked. She arrived there by taxi after school ended at one in the afternoon. Upon hearing her voice, Wilma turned around and saw herzy eyes. ¡°You¡¯re here, Ms. Sophie! The filming is going smoothly. Ms. Lance is incredible!¡± ¡°That she is.¡± The edge of Sophie¡¯s lips curved upward a little. Otherwise, I wouldn¡¯t have asked her to help me out. ¡±She¡¯s worthy of Transfix Cosmetics.¡± ¡°Why are you only here now, Sophie?¡± When Cecelia saw Sophie, the former immediately rushed over to thetter¡¯s side. She didn¡¯t at all look like the queen of movies when she did that. ¡°You should be d I was able toe at all,¡± Sophie replied. Don¡¯t you know how busy I am? ¡°Stop being such a bully.¡± Even though Cecelia appeared cold and elegant in front of outsiders, she would pout like a child in front of Sophie. ¡°Do you think your fans will still love you if they see you like this?¡± ¡°My fans aren¡¯t this shallow! What they love is the beauty within me.¡± ¡°I bought some food you love. Go and eat them now! We need to wrap up the shooting as soon as possible.¡± Sophie handed the food she bought to her. ¡°Thanks!¡± Cecelia smiled. Sophie furrowed her eyebrows when she suddenly heard noises outside of the studio. When Wilma saw her furrowed eyebrows, she said, ¡°I¡¯ll take a look at what¡¯s happening outside.¡± Upon leaving the studio, she saw Rachel and a couple of other betrayers approaching her. ¡°We¡¯re filming an advertisement right now, Rachel. We don¡¯t wee you here. Please leave.¡± ¡°Filming an advertisement? Wilma, please. Are you going to tell me you still refuse to give up? How are you going to film one without an ambassador or director? Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re doing it yourself.¡± Rachel was doubtful because she didn¡¯t see any news about it on the inte. ¡°You¡ª We do have an ambassador!¡± One of Wilma¡¯s subordinates couldn¡¯t hold back anymore. ¡°Who is it?¡± Rachel, naturally, didn¡¯t believe it. ¡°It¡¯s Cecelia, Cecelia Lance.¡± ¡°Ha!¡± Rachel sneered, ¡°Why don¡¯t you say it¡¯s Jennifer Lawrence instead? Don¡¯t you know it¡¯s a bad idea to be overambitious, Wilma? Cecelia is a famous movie star. Even if she agrees to star in an advertisement, it¡¯s more likely she¡¯ll do it for the big, international brands! Even Lorelei is unwilling to film an advertisement for the current Transfix Cosmetics.¡± ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± When Sophie walked out and saw Rachel, her eyebrows furrowed. She had a photographic memory, and she met Rachel once before, so she had some impression of her. ¡°I¡¯ll ask the security guards toe right away, Ms. Sophie,¡± Wilma assured. ¡°Ah, so it¡¯s Ms. Sophie!¡± Rachel sneered. I can tell Tanner Group doesn¡¯t like her. Otherwise, Transfix Cosmetics wouldn¡¯t have been handed to her. ¡°You have a problem with me?¡± Sophie nced at her. Rachel wanted to say something, but when she met Sophie¡¯s cold look, a chill ran down her spine. The words got caught in Rachel¡¯s throat. No matter how hard she tried, she could not voice them out. ¡°It¡¯s nothing.¡± She squeezed the words out of her mouth. ¡°We¡¯re only here to take a look at how you all are doing! After all, we used to be colleagues. There¡¯s nothing wrong with that, right? Anyway, we should go! Ms. Crawford should be here at any second now!¡± The reason Rachel came to visit Wilma and tried to stir up trouble was to vent her anger. Lorelei only had her debut not too long ago! How dare she act all snobbish and arrogant! ¡°It¡¯s windy outside, Ms. Sophie. You should go in!¡± Wilma suggested. Jipsdale¡¯s temperature was currently sitting at a single-digit degree Celsius, and Sophie only wore a white hoodie with a pair of jeans. Sophie returned to the studio while Wilma followed behind. Even though Sophie was wearing an outfit of amon brand, her demeanor and aura wasn¡¯t something other people could copy. Upon entering the studio, Sophie saw Cecelia had finished eating the food and was drinking small sips of water. ¡°I still need to go to ss in the afternoon, so I won¡¯t be apanying you. Leave in secret once the filming is over.¡± She didn¡¯t want to announce the matter to the public yet. Cecelia was speechless. Only Sophie has the guts to speak to me like that. At almost half-past two in the afternoon, Sophie ambled out of Senior ss 8. The moment Ysabelle saw her, she immediately pulled her outside. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Sophie was confused. ¡°Let¡¯s skip sses today, Soph!¡± Ysabelle continued to pull Sophie down the stairs, as though she was being chased by ghosts. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Do you really need an excuse to skip ss?¡± Ysabelle raised her head and stared at the wall that was over two meters tall. Are we really going to climb over the wall? Will our bones break if we fall? Sophie stared at her friend nonchntly. She¡¯s been talking about climbing walls and escaping ss for a while now. She¡¯s the one who said we can¡¯t escape through the front gate. ¡°Don¡¯t you want to climb the wall? Do it!¡± she urged. Ysabelle shrunk slightly and gulped. ¡°How about¡ª¡± Before she could say she wanted to give up, Sophie ran backward, then forward, and used the momentum to leap onto the wall. It shocked Ysabellepletely. Her jumping ability is remarkable! ¡°What are you waiting for?¡± Sophie spoke as she sat carefreely on the wall. Ysabelle grabbed her hand. Wow, my heart is beating really fast. Why does this feel like we¡¯re eloping? Sophie pulled her friend up and helped Ysabelle sit on the wall. As they sat together, Ysabelle giggled. ¡°It¡¯s only until today that I feel like my high-school life is complete, Soph. It won¡¯t feel right if I don¡¯t skip sses at least once in high school.¡± Sophie rolled her eyes. Sometimes, I really have no idea what she¡¯s thinking. Well, I guess she got her wish. ¡°Let¡¯s go down!¡± she said. Only then did Ysabelle nce downward. ¡°I don¡¯t have the guts to.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you want to fulfill your high-school dreams? How can it beplete without you breaking at least a bone or two?¡± ¡°Hey, you two! What are you doing?¡± Suddenly, a security guard on patrol saw the two of them sitting on the wall. ¡°What are you doing, Ysabelle?¡± Tristan asked. Tristan and Felix saw Ysabelle sitting on the wall after they exited their parked car. N?velDrama.Org owns all content. Felix felt like his heart was about to jump out of his chest. ¡°Go down! He¡¯ll catch you.¡± Seeing how Felix was already standing below, Sophie directly pushed her friend down. ¡°Ah!¡± Ysabelle closed her eyes and screamed. Am I really going to break my bones? ¡°Eh? It doesn¡¯t hurt at all.¡± She only opened her eyes when she felt the warmth of a person¡¯s embrace. Though, perhaps it would be better if she didn¡¯t open her eyes because she had to see Felix¡¯s flustered and exasperated face. ¡°You¡¯re noting down?¡± Tristan opened his arms and spoke to Sophie. Chapter 81 Chapter 81 Chapter 81 Be Good Sophie was speechless. The wall¡¯s not even that high. I¡¯m not afraid at all, okay? ¡°Which ss do you belong to? Don¡¯t do anything stupid. We can talk this out.¡± The security thought Sophie wanted to end her life and was panicking already. Sophie jumped down from the wall without turning back. Tristan was stubborn and insisted on catching her. He knew how physically capable she was, but he still couldn¡¯t help but worry when he saw her performing such a dangerous act. Sophie coughed, reminding him to put herself down. However, it was as though he didn¡¯t hear her at all as he carried her to his silver Lamborghini. ¡°I can walk by myself, Mr. Tristan,¡± she uttered. It¡¯s not like I don¡¯t have legs. Tristan didn¡¯t let her go until she was inside the car. ¡°Don¡¯t do anything that dangerous again.¡± On the other side, Felix had finally found his voice again, though it was slightly trembling. ¡°You¡¯re getting bolder now, Ysabelle! You even know how to climb a wall now!¡± If I wasn¡¯t here, what would¡¯ve happened if she broke her arm or leg? Ysabelle dug into her ears. ¡°Why are you speaking so loudly, Felix? I feel like I¡¯m turning deaf! I was just climbing the wall so I can skip sses. Why are you panicking so hard?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think you should stay with Sophie in the future anymore, Ysabelle. You¡¯ve learned some bad habits. Look at you right now¡ª¡± ¡°I¡¯m warning you, Felix. Don¡¯t you dare speak ill of Soph. Otherwise, I¡¯ll stop talking to you.¡± She was very insistent on protecting Sophie. No one is allowed to badmouth her, not even Felix! Seeing how serious she appeared, Felix shut his mouth. Who do you think I¡¯m doing this for? ¡°Hmph!¡± She then jerked open the door to the passenger seat and went in. He had no choice but to be their driver resignedly. ¡°Why did you twoe here, Uncle Tristan? Is Lombard Group going bankrupt? You seem to be very freetely!¡± Ysabelle asked. Felix was speechless. Only she has the guts to say something like that. Who else will look forward to their family going bankrupt? ¡°Shut your mouth, Ysabelle,¡± Tristan ordered. ¡°Well, you see, Letitia is causing trouble again, and this time, she¡¯s gunning for Sophie. Mr. Tristan was worried about Sophie, so he came looking for her.¡± As Tristan¡¯s subordinate, Felix had to speak if his boss didn¡¯t want to. The moment he finished, he could feel an air of coldnessing from his back. That was Tristan threatening him. ¡°No need to care about what thosements are saying, Soph,¡± Ysabelleforted. It was because she saw Letitia¡¯s recording that she wanted to bring her friend with her and skip school. She didn¡¯t want her friend to feel down about what the inmmatoryments were saying, whether it came from Letitia¡¯s fans or just randomizens. Things got so bad that even their ssmates were cursing Sophie. It made her feel awful, but she alone couldn¡¯t control what other people say about Sophie, which was why she suggested skipping school. Sophie pulled out her phone, logged into Twitter, and saw Letitia¡¯s post that read: I¡¯m really afraid of dying! Below that sentence was the audio file of the ¡°conversation¡± they had at the restaurant. Even though Sophie only uttered a single sentence in the recording, and she didn¡¯t admit to anything, everyone believed Letitia was the victim. They were all convinced Sophie was really posing a threat to Letitia¡¯s life. Thements underneath the post even insulted all three generations of the Tanner family. Someizens were even calling for a witch-hunt against Sophie to avenge Letitia. ¡°This Letitia is going overboard. I really want to tear her to pieces right away!¡± Ysabelle spoke angrily. Sophie closed Twitter. ¡°How about I send people to tell Letitia to take down the post and control thements?¡± Felix also thought the things people were saying about Sophie were going a little overboard. ¡°No need.¡± Sophie grinned. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you, Soph? Are you all right? We believe you, you know?¡± Ysabelle was worried her friend was driven mad by anger. ¡°I¡¯m really fine. Transfix Cosmetics is about tounch its new product. Since Letitia is so eager to help me out, I¡¯ll just let her.¡± ¡°How is she helping you, Soph? She¡¯s clearly trying to hurt you!¡± ¡°I have a n. Letitia wants to be famous, right? Well, I¡¯ll help her out with that just this once. I¡¯ll make her famous in the whole world.¡± When Felix turned back, he saw Sophie¡¯s malicious smile. In the past, he thought Tristan was the only one he shouldn¡¯t piss off. However, at that moment, after seeing her expression, he knew he couldn¡¯t afford to cross Sophie either. When Letitia saw thements theizens were posting, her grin turned wider and wider. Ever since the start of the incident, she had received multiple invitations from a few directors. As expected, a person really can¡¯t go far without knowing how to make headlines about themselves in the entertainment industry. This is finally my time to shine. With this, no one can stop me. I will get famous! When she saw another call on her phone, her smile became brighter. In the past, I¡¯m the one who has to butter Juan up. Now he¡¯s taking the initiative to call me! ¡°Mr. Quigley.¡± Letitia still wanted to act prideful. ¡°Are you insane, Letitia? Didn¡¯t I tell you not to mess with Sophie? If you want to get destroyed, go ahead but don¡¯t drag me down with you. I¡¯m telling you, from here on out, I have nothing to do with you!¡± Juan yelled. She was utterly dumbfounded. ¡°Are you living in your own fantasy right now? What an ignorant woman.¡± He then hung up the phone. Letitia was struck dumb at his words. What the f*ck is going on? ¡°Coward! What can the Tanner family do to me?¡± She gritted her teeth. Still, even without him, the resources that I currently possess will make me famous! He may be afraid, but I¡¯m not! As the saying goes, no pain, no gain! Tristan brought Ysabelle and Sophie to Lombard Group¡¯s headquarters. He asked his assistant to prepare lots of desserts and fruits for them. Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org. Ysabelle smiled bitterly when she saw the desserts and fruits on the table. ¡°Do we look like we¡¯re very hungry, Soph?¡± She was so full from lunch that she didn¡¯t have the appetite to eat. ¡°Probably!¡± Sophie replied. ¡°You two stay here. I have a meetingter. Once my meeting is over, we¡¯ll have dinner and I¡¯ll take you two to a concert.¡± ¡°A concert!¡± Ysabelle wasn¡¯t very enthusiastic about it since she liked contemporary music better. ¡°Be good.¡± Tristan was worried Sophie would be in danger if she went out alone since theizens were emotional. Therefore, he didn¡¯t want her to go out alone. Sophie knew he was saying that to her. However, she wasn¡¯t exactly a good girl. After Tristan left for his meeting, Ysabelley on the couch. ¡°Do you think my uncle likes you, Soph? I¡¯ve never seen him treat other people so nicely before. He never even treated me, his own niece, that well!¡± She turned to Sophie. ¡°What about you, Soph? What do you think about my uncle?¡± It¡¯s not too bad if Soph ends up with Uncle Tristan. This way, we¡¯ll be together forever! Before she could get the answer she wanted, Sophie¡¯s phone rang. When Sophie saw it was from Yale, she immediately declined the call. The moment she did that, he called again and again. She got annoyed and answered it. ¡°What are you doing, Sophie? Do you know you made your grandpa so angry that he was sent to the hospital?¡± Yale¡¯s voice was heard on the other end. Chapter 82 Chapter 82 Chapter 82 Embrace ¡°What did you say?¡± Sophie¡¯s voice sounded exceptionally deep. ¡°I said you pissed off your grandpa so much that he almost died!¡± When Yale finished, he hung up the phone. I hope Dad finally realizes how big of a mistake he had made! Sophie jumped down from the couch with her phone in hand and headed outside. ¡°Where are you going, Soph?¡± Ysabelle asked while she was barely able to react to Sophie¡¯s quick movements. She immediately tried to follow her friend. ¡°Wait here, Ysabelle. Tell your uncle I have a matter I need to attend to, and that I have to leave now,¡± Sophie replied. Ysabelle grabbed her friend¡¯s hand. I¡¯ve never seen such an expression on her face before! It scared her. ¡°What¡¯s going on, Sophie? Tell me about it or I¡¯ll follow you.¡± ¡°It¡¯s nothing. My grandfather is sick, so now I¡¯m heading to the hospital to visit him. You don¡¯t need to follow me.¡± When Sophie finished, she swiftly left. Ysabelle stood dumbfounded, unsure of what to do. What do I do? Uncle Tristan is still in the meeting, and I don¡¯t know when it¡¯ll end! Sophie exited Lombard Group, hailed a taxi, entered the vehicle, and immediately called Butterfly. ¡°Help me find my grandfather¡¯s location.¡± Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org. When she finished, she sent Josiah¡¯s ID card and phone number to Butterfly. Butterfly could hear the panic in her voice, so she immediately turned around and typed on her keyboard. Upon finding out the information Sophie wanted, she sent it to her via a text message: Jipsdale Hospital, VIP Room No. 9. ¡±Are you all right, Phantom?¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine. I¡¯m hanging up the call now.¡± When Sophie arrived at the hospital, she went straight to her grandfather¡¯s ward. Willow, Charmaine, and Yale were standing outside of the ward. When Yale saw Sophie, he bolted toward her and attempted to p her. She grabbed his hand and stared at him coldly. ¡°Don¡¯t mess with me.¡± Her voice sounded really cold. ¡°Look at what you¡¯ve done, Sophie! You know what, I think you shouldn¡¯t have returned at all! You should¡¯ve just died in Horington.¡± Yale was brutal with his words. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter to you if I¡¯m dead or not. I¡¯m in a bad mood right now, so you¡¯d better not open your mouth again!¡± Sophie flung his hand away. ¡°He¡¯s your father, Sophie! How can you speak to him like that?¡± Charmaine approached her. ¡°This whole thing is your fault in the first ce. What right do you have for shouting here? Have you looked at what a mess you¡¯ve caused Tanner Group to be?¡± ¡°The Tanner family really doesn¡¯t wee you, Sophie,¡± Willow sneered. Sophie is a jinx. I want to see how long she can continue to act tough. It was then the doctor walked out. Sophie ignored the three of them and approached the doctor. ¡°How¡¯s my grandpa, doctor?¡± The doctor answered, ¡°There are no major issues with him. That¡¯s how people are when they are old. He¡¯s fine. In fact, he has already woken up and calling for you to go in!¡± Sophie nodded and entered the ward. Yale followed behind too. If anything happens to Dad, I mustn¡¯t let Sophie have Tanner Group! When Josiah saw how pale Sophie was, he smiled. ¡°No need to appear so serious, Soph! I¡¯m fine. It¡¯s just that my blood pressure was slightly on the high side.¡± She approached him and grabbed his hand. ¡°You¡¯re going to be fine, Grandpa.¡± ¡°Mhm, I¡¯m fine.¡± Ever since Sophie was a child, Josiah had doted on her. He knew she was aplicated person and that ordinary people wouldn¡¯t be able to worm their way into her heart. However, if someone did manage to secure a ce in her heart, she would give her all to him. ¡°Do you see now, Dad? Sophie isn¡¯t at all suitable to enter Tanner Group! I hope you¡¯ll hand her shares to me,¡± Yale suggested. ¡°You can leave now, Yale.¡± Sophie frowned. Even at this moment, all he sees is still power and money. A person like him doesn¡¯t deserve to stand here. ¡°No matter what happens, I¡¯m still your father, Sophie! How dare you speak to me like that!¡± Yale was so angry that he wanted to choke her to death. ¡°Get out of here, Yale! All of you should go home! I only need Soph to apany me. This ward isn¡¯t that big either. It can¡¯t have too many people inside,¡± Josiah ordered. ¡°Are you still trying to defend her, Dad? When are you going to stop protecting her?¡± Yale retorted. ¡°Yeah! You¡¯re sick, Grandpa. How can we go back in peace? I want to apany you, too,¡± Willow added. ¡°Dad, Sophie is still young. She doesn¡¯t know anything! How can she take care of you? I think it¡¯s better for me to stay and¡ª¡± ¡°Are you all ignoring me right now? I¡¯ve said so much, yet none of you seem to listen at all!¡± Josiah angrily sat up on his bed with much difficulty. ¡°Fine. Since you don¡¯t want to see us here, we¡¯ll leave.¡± Yale was disappointed and angry at Josiah, too. Seeing that Yale was about to leave, Charmaine didn¡¯t have the nerve to stay any longer. Hence she pulled Willow away with her. It wasn¡¯t until the three of them were outside that Willow said, ¡°What kind of spell did Sophie put Grandpa under, Mom? Even after what she did to Tanner Group, Grandpa still trusts her! Why?¡± ¡°All right, that¡¯s enough. Your dad¡¯s already not happy. It doesn¡¯t matter to you what will happen to the Tanner family. Once you get married to the Laird family, you¡¯ll have so much more than what you currently possess,¡± Charmaine dismissed. Willow¡¯s fist tightened. ¡°You know how impressive the Laird family is, Mom. If I join their family with nothing, do you think they will take me in with high regard? Don¡¯t you know how important dowry is nowadays?¡± ¡°I know, and your dowry won¡¯t be anything short of impressive.¡± Charmaine felt like she was getting a headache, but there was nothing she could do. Only Josiah and Sophie were left in the room. ¡°Come sit next to me, Soph,¡± Josiah requested. Sophie pulled a stool closer and sat on it next to the bed. ¡°You should take care of yourself, Grandpa! No need to think about anything else. There¡¯s still me!¡± He smiled. ¡°When you reach my age, you¡¯ll find many things bing unimportant. As you can see, I¡¯m getting really old now. I can let go of anything but you. I just hope you¡¯ll find happiness.¡± She was his favorite child. Sophie wasn¡¯t exactly a talkative person, so all she did was nod. However, her heart was turning cold. She knew how well he had been treating her. Seeing how heavy her expression was, Josiah joked, ¡°Actually, I don¡¯t want to die yet! Not until I see you getting married to a good man, at least.¡± ¡°You will, Grandpa. I want you to personally hand me over to the person I love.¡± When he thought about that day, his eyes turned red. God, there¡¯s nothing else I want more than a little more time for me to see her get married. ¡°What do you want to eat, Grandpa? I¡¯ll buy it for you.¡± Sophie couldn¡¯t bear seeing her grandfather like that, so she wanted to find an excuse to leave. ¡°There¡¯s no need for that, Sophie. The butler got that covered. You just need to apany me.¡± ¡°Mhm. You should sleep for a while, Grandpa! I¡¯ll stay right here with you. I won¡¯t leave.¡± Sophie¡¯s voice sounded soft. ¡°Okay.¡± Josiah fell asleep shortly as he was tired. It wasn¡¯t until someone knocked on the door that she turned to open the door. When she did, she saw an anguished Tristan. He immediately hugged her. Chapter 83 Chapter 83 Chapter 83 I Am Chasing After Her Being held inside Tristan¡¯s embrace and taking in his unique scent made Sophie feel safe. ¡°Is your Grandpa okay?¡± Tristan rushed over to her location when he heard what was going on with her. At that moment, he didn¡¯t want to think about anything else other than protecting her and staying by her side. ¡°Not too good.¡± Sophie knew her grandfather¡¯s condition must be serious to warrant a stay in the hospital. She also knew how stubborn he could get due to his past experience as a soldier. He would always think his body was still fine and unwilling to admit that age was catching up. Everything she said at that moment would be pointless. Tristan simply grabbed her hand andforted her. ¡°I¡¯ll stay here with you.¡± No one has any say in the circle of life and death. Along that way, we would go through sickness and hardships, and there was really nothing we could do about it other than endure and embrace it. ¡°Mr. Tristan, you don¡¯t¡ª¡± ¡°There¡¯s no need to act tough all the time, Ms. Tanner.¡± With him around, she could act more gently. Property ? of N?velDrama.Org. Sophie wanted to say something, but Josiah woke up at that moment. ¡°Is that your friend, Soph? Since he¡¯s here, why don¡¯t you introduce him to me?¡± he asked. Tristan stepped closer to Josiah with Sophie. ¡°Hello, Old Mr. Tanner. I¡¯m Tristan.¡± Before Sophie could introduce him, he introduced himself. Josiah studied the young man in front of him in detail. He¡¯s certainly good-looking, and it seems like he¡¯d served in the military before. ¡°Have you served in the army?¡± ¡°For a year,¡± Tristan replied. ¡°Good, that¡¯s good.¡± Josiah tended to feel more friendly toward people who served in the military before. ¡°You¡¯re Sophie¡¯s¡­¡± He raised his eyebrow slightly. Everything about him seems pretty good, though he definitely looks older than Soph. ¡°He¡¯s my ssmate¡¯s uncle.¡± Sophie spoke up. ¡°Ah, uncle!¡± Josiah clearly didn¡¯t believe that. ¡°I¡¯m chasing after her right now.¡± Tristan didn¡¯t at all hide his intention. She was speechless. This man is so blunt! ¡°How old are you this year?¡± Josiah was getting serious because he quite liked the young man. ¡°I¡¯m twenty-eight years old.¡± Tristan didn¡¯t realize he panicked a little when he said that. ¡°Twenty-eight years old! Our Soph is only eighteen.¡± Josiah was a little concerned about the age gap. ¡°However, as long as she likes you, I don¡¯t mind. Just take good care of her.¡± Sophie grabbed an apple and peeled it. Her hands were so agile that the fruit appeared as though it was dancing in her palms. Once she cut the apple into slices, she stabbed toothpicks into them and served them. Tristan continued to talk to Josiah. Both of them had a pretty good time talking with each other, which made the old man like the younger man even more. It wasn¡¯t until they were alone in the room that Josiah said, ¡°Even though you¡¯re a decade older than Soph, I quite like you, Tristan. Good luck!¡± While he liked Tristan, he could tell Sophie didn¡¯t seem ready yet. If Tristan wants to marry her, there¡¯s still a long way ahead for him. ¡°I¡¯ll do my best.¡± Tristan smiled. ¡°I only have one request. Soph is still young, so don¡¯t you dare bully her.¡± ¡°I understand.¡± Tristan knew what Josiah was implying and gave the old man his promise. ¡°I¡¯m a little tired now. You should take Soph out for a meal! I¡¯m not hungry, and I don¡¯t really have the appetite.¡± Josiah loved Sophie the most, and so he would always think for her. ¡°What do you want to eat, Grandpa? I¡¯ll buy some for you,¡± Sophie asked after she returned to the ward. Since she was already at the hospital, she wouldn¡¯t be able to eat in peace if she didn¡¯t see her grandfather eating well. ¡°Anything of what you can find will be good! I¡¯ll be sleeping now.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Tristan put the nket over Josiah¡¯s body. If my dad sees me in the act, I bet he¡¯ll be furious. When Sophie returned from fetching water, she saw him covering Josiah¡¯s body with a nket. At that moment, she felt touched. When Tristan turned back and saw her holding a kettle, he went over to her side and grabbed it. ¡°You should¡¯ve let me do this.¡± ¡°My grandpa likes you,¡± Sophie stated. ¡°I prefer if you like me instead.¡± She was speechless. Is this how he chases after women? ¡°I¡¯ve never chased after a woman before, Sophie. You¡¯re my first, and myst. I don¡¯t have any experience, but I want to give you the best I can offer.¡± ¡°Mr. Tristan¡ª¡± ¡°All right, it¡¯s fine. You¡¯re still young. I¡¯m not in a hurry. I can wait.¡± Both of them were experiencing the same kind of feeling, a feeling of longing for each other. ¡°Right now, I need to fulfill my promise to Old Mr. Tanner and take you out for a meal,¡± Tristan said. ¡°I¡¯m not hungry.¡± ¡°You should still eat even if you¡¯re not hungry. People don¡¯t eat just because they¡¯re hungry!¡± He knew Josiah wouldn¡¯t want her to suffer because of him. Tristan pushed Sophie out of the hospital and brought her to a nearby restaurant. The decor was very elegant. After the food they ordered arrived, he kept putting food on her te. As for Sophie, she ate quietly. After their meal was over, Tristan asked the chef to prepare three mild-vored dishes for Josiah. Upon returning to the hospital, they saw the old man had woken up. He was smiling at them as they entered the ward. Tristan proceeded toy out the three dishes he bought on the table. While the dishes were mild-vored, the chef spent a lot of effort making them look good. Tristandled a bowl of mushroom soup for Josiah before Sophie held the bowl and fed the soup to her grandfather with a spoon. Seeing how naturally the two of them were interacting with each other, Josiah began to feel like they were made for each other. ¡°Open your mouth, Grandpa.¡± Sophie was never good at serving other people or having great patience, but she was exceptionally patient when taking care of her grandfather. Josiah opened his mouth and drank a spoonful of soup. ¡°Mhm. The taste is pretty good. It reminds me of the food I eat in the military. You sure are thoughtful, Tanny.¡± Tanny? Sophie turned to nce at Tristan. Grandpa¡¯s probably the only person in Jipsdale who calls Tristan that! ¡°I¡¯m d you like it, Old Mr. Tanner. The chef of the restaurant we went to was a retired member of the toon you served with before,¡± Tristan replied. Josiah became even more satisfied with Tristan. If he¡¯s treating me this nicely, doesn¡¯t it mean he¡¯s very interested in Sophie? He was having a pretty good appetite and managed to finish half of the food on his te. Sophie didn¡¯t dare to tell him to finish the rest since eating too much at that time of day might lead to stomach problems. After the old man finished his meal, Tristan chatted with him further. ¡°I think you two should head back now! There are nurses and butlers around to take care of me,¡± Josiah urged. ¡°I want to stay with you, Grandpa,¡± Sophie retorted. ¡°Listen to me, okay? Don¡¯t you have sses tomorrow?¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine if I don¡¯t attend school for one day,¡± she said without a care. ¡°It¡¯s not convenient for a girl like you to stay here, Soph! You should go back.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll send you back first before returning here to apany Old Mr. Tanner,¡± Tristan offered. ¡°Mr. Tristan¡ª¡± Sophie felt it wasn¡¯t necessary for him to do that. ¡°You cane over during the day. It¡¯s more convenient for me to take care of him during the night.¡± She stayed silent. ¡°All right, that¡¯s enough. I¡¯m fine! I don¡¯t need people to take care of me. You should send her back home now!¡± Josiah said. Chapter 84 Chapter 84 Chapter 84 Stunned By His Handsomeness Since Sophie could not argue with Josiah, she had no choice but to go home. ¡°Grandpa, have a good rest. I wille here again tomorrow.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have toe here again. I¡¯m going home tomorrow.¡± Josiah did not wish to waste his time staying in the hospital. He believed his body was failing due to old age, and it was pointless to keep trying to save it. Sophie heard him and immediately paused her step. ¡°Grandpa, don¡¯t be stubborn. Since you are already in the hospital, you should stay here and get proper treatment. You are not allowed to leave without the doctor¡¯s permission.¡± ¡°All right, I will listen to you. My Soph knows best.¡± Josiah did not insist on leaving the hospital. To him, it did not matter where he lived. He just did not want to make them worry about him. After leaving the hospital, Sophie got into the car but did not say anything. Tristan started the car and sent her to Wisteria Apartments. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Are you worried about Old Mr. Tanner? He will be fine. I will assign a few specialists to give him a proper check-up tomorrow,¡± Tristan said. ¡°Thank you.¡± Sophie did not refuse him. It looks like I have to contact the international medical association. ¡°Don¡¯t mention it,¡± Tristan replied. ¡°Have a safe drive home.¡± Sophie was about to get out of the car. ¡°Would you like me to stay with you?¡± Tristan would like to stay with her if she needed him. ¡°No, you should go home.¡± Sophie refused his offer straight away. ¡°All right. Good night.¡± Tristan did not insist on staying out of respect for her choice. After Tristan left, Sophie headed straight to her room and gave Arius a call. However, Arius did not pick up even after she had called for a long time. Since Sophie was too impatient to wait, she turned on herputer and tracked Arius¡¯s location. He¡¯s in Anndur. It shouldn¡¯t take him too much time to return here. In actuality, Arius was taking a bath when Sophie called. He saw her missed call aftering out of the bathroom and returned the call immediately. ¡°What is the matter? Have you changed your mind? Didn¡¯t I say that you have natural talents in medicine? So, will you be joining our association?¡± If she joins us, she will be able to interact with the foremost specialists in the medical field. I believe she will be a legend in the medical field. ¡°Shut up.¡± Sophie could not stand his chattering. Arius was rendered speechless. He had a respectable standing in the world. Yet, he could not help but turn cowardly before Sophie. ¡°When will you be free to make a trip to Jipsdale?¡± Sophie asked. ¡°Why? Are you unwell?¡± She is as fit as a horse. I don¡¯t think she can get sick. ¡°Are youing or not?¡± Sophie replied impatiently. ¡°Yes. Since you asked me to go to Jipsdale, how can I say no? I will go there after I¡¯m done with the matters here,¡± Arius answered. ¡°Sure.¡± Arius asked, ¡°But seriously, are you not nning to join the medical association?¡± The medical association is such a wonderful ce! ¡°Let¡¯s talk about it another time.¡± Sophie still had a lot of things to deal with, so she could not leave Jipsdale yet. However, she was relieved that Arius would being to Jipsdale. Arius was an expert in all kinds of diseases, and there was no health condition that he could not cure. Furthermore, he had the backing of the whole medical association. Meanwhile, Tristan returned home and bathed before sending Sophie a message. Tristan texted: Rest early! Sophie saw the message and replied without thinking: You too. Then, she took a bath and went to bed. The following day, Sophie came to school and found some people whispering behind her back. Hearing how people criticized Sophie, Ysabelle felt a strong urge to fight with them. ¡°Soph, these people have nothing better to do.¡± What is wrong with people nowadays? They can¡¯t form an opinion but follow the crowd blindly and fall for Letitia¡¯s pathetic act. ¡°Just ignore them,¡± Sophie said. Seeing Sophie in a sullen mood, Ysabelle asked with concern, ¡°How is your grandpa?¡± ¡°Mmm,¡± Sophie responded. What does ¡®Mmm¡¯ mean? Ysabelle could not understand Sophie¡¯s response, but she did not question her further. Suddenly, Ysabelle pointed forward and said, ¡°Soph, Bailey is there.¡± Sophie nced in the direction Ysabelle pointed and saw Bailey dressed in a school uniform, waiting for someone quietly by the road. At that moment, Bailey noticed Sophie and ran to her. ¡°Sophie, are you all right? Why didn¡¯t you go to theb yesterday?¡± ¡°Something came up at home,¡± Sophie answered. ¡°Do you need my help?¡± Bailey hoped he could be of help to Sophie. ¡°It¡¯s all right, Bailey. I won¡¯t be going to the physicsb temporarily. Can you inform Mr. Elswick for me?¡± Sophie replied. ¡°That sounds serious!¡± Bailey appeared thoughtful. ¡°Sophie, I hope you won¡¯t give up on physics no matter what happens.¡± Bailey wished Sophie could continue to advance in doing physics research with him. However, Sophie did not answer his question but said, ¡°ss is about to start.¡± Then, she dragged Ysabelle and headed to the ssroom. Other students from Senior ss 1 were disappointed to see Bailey talking amicably to Sophie. ¡°Bailey, did you not check the Web?¡± ¡°Yeah! You should check the Web and read the articles properly. People like Sophie do not deserve to live in this world.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. Sophie thinks she has the right to bully others because she is rich. People like her should die.¡± ¡°Have you all said enough?¡± Bailey frowned. What has Sophie ever done to them? They have no right to say all such nonsense against her. ¡°Bailey, we are concerned about you.¡± His ssmates still refused to give up. ¡°I don¡¯t need that,¡± Bailey retorted. After school ended at noon, Sophie came out of the school and saw Tristan¡¯s car. Thus, she opened the door and got in. ¡°Why are you here?¡± Sophie asked. ¡°I¡¯m going with you to see Grandpa,¡± Tristan answered calmly. ¡°Mr. Tristan, he is my grandpa and not yours, so stop calling him that,¡± Sophie argued. However, Tristan was not bothered by her words and continued calmly, ¡°I have arranged a few specialists to give your grandpa a check-up. Let¡¯s go there together to learn more about his condition.¡± Once they arrived at the hospital, Tristan and Sophie went to the ward to see Josiah. When they came to the room, Willow and Charmaine were there too. Willow was feeding Josiah lunch. ¡°Tanny is here,¡± Josiah greeted warmly upon seeing Tristan. Willow turned around and nearly stopped breathing when she saw Tristan¡¯s handsome face. It was her first time seeing Tristan this close. Previously, she thought Mason was handsome, but now, his appearance paled to Tristan¡¯s. ¡°Grandpa, Sophie and I havee to see you,¡± Tristan said. ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you that I am healthy? There is nothing wrong with me,¡± Josiah protested. ¡°Who are¡­¡± Charmaine had never met Tristan before and looked at Sophie and Tristan puzzledly. Josiah was a little exasperated seeing Charmaine¡¯s behavior. ¡°Charmaine, I have people taking care of me here. Since Willow has to paint and sit for her university entrance exam soon, you don¡¯t have to bring her here every day. Let her focus on her work.¡± ¡°All right, Dad!¡± Since Josiah had told her to leave, Charmaine did not continue with her question about Tristan. Since Old Mr. Tanner calls him Tanny, it shows Tanny doesn¡¯t have an influential background. There is nothing special about him other than being handsome. Thus, he can¡¯tpare to Mason. ¡°Willow, since Grandpa doesn¡¯t need us here, we should go home!¡± Charmaine stood up to leave. ¡°Willow!¡± Charmaine could not help but frown. How can she stare at a man like that? How embarrassing! Willow returned to her senses with a flush on her cheeks. ¡°Mom, what is the matter?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Charmaine was disappointed with Willow¡¯s behavior. I spent so much effort training her, hoping she would be a socialite in the high society and marry into the Laird family. She has disappointed me today.Property ? of N?velDrama.Org. Chapter 85 Chapter 85 Chapter 85 The Product Launch ¡°Willow, I¡¯m very disappointed with you today,¡± Charmaine said the moment they left the hospital ward. ¡°I didn¡¯t even do anything!¡± Why¡¯s she angry at me? ¡±That man with Sophie is actually very good- looking, isn¡¯t he?¡± She was just an eighteen-year-old girl, after all. Wasn¡¯t itmon to enjoy seeing eye candy every now and then? ¡°What else do you have in that brain of yours? How embarrassing would it be if someone saw you ogling at him like that?¡± Willow fell silent. ¡°Your grandfather called him ¡®Tanny¡¯! What sort of man worth his weight in gold would ever allow someone else to call him that so casually? Looks are nothing in the end. Power and privilege are what really matters.¡± That man did look rather intimidating, but Charmaine didn¡¯t think of Sophie as someone who could be in thepany of anyone with power. ¡°Okay, I get it. I won¡¯t do it again.¡± She¡¯s right! This is the Laird family we¡¯re talking about, the family of everyone¡¯s dreams. If Mrs. Laird didn¡¯t assume I had saved Mason, I would never have gotten this chance! This content ? N?v/elDr(a)m/a.Org. ¡°Good. Mrs. Laird invited us to dinner tonight. Come back earlier, okay? I¡¯ll take you to get dolled up.¡± She would only be counted as a member of the upper ss society if she managed to get on good terms with the Laird family. ¨C Sophie poured a ss of water for Josiah, and he drank a big gulp. ¡°Soph, I¡¯m really okay. You should be spending your time in school studying, not in this hospital.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry as it¡¯s lunchtime now.¡± ¡°That¡¯s even more important. You should rest too.¡± ¡°Okay then. I¡¯ll be going now. You should rest too, okay?¡± Sophie didn¡¯t tell Josiah that she was going to talk to a doctor. Since he didn¡¯t want her to know, then she would pretend that she didn¡¯t know anything. ¡°We¡¯ll be heading off now, Mr. Tanner.¡± Tristan waved at Josiah. ¡°Go ahead! Don¡¯t worry, there are a lot of people taking care of me here.¡± Tristan and Sophie arrived at the specialist¡¯s office where more than ten specialists were already waiting. ¡°Hello, Mr. Tristan.¡± The director bowed respectfully when he saw Tristan. ¡°What exactly is wrong with Mr. Tanner?¡± Tristan asked directly. ¡°We¡¯ve already done a full scan for Mr. Tanner. The reason behind his fainting is because there were still bullet fragments in his brain.¡± It was probably a mistake on the doctor¡¯s part and had most likely been left behind during the surgery. Sophie closed her eyes. She was extremely interested in medicine and the director¡¯s rough exnation was already more than enough for her to imagine. ¡°What¡¯s your n?¡± Tristan hated seeing that expression on her face. ¡°The only solution is surgery, but due to the location of the fragments being extremely unique, it will be a highly risky surgery. The important thing is that there haven¡¯t been any doctors in the country who have been willing to do such a surgery.¡± The surgery was an extremely detailed one and highly depended on the chief surgeon. There were barely any doctors across the world who dared to do such a surgery, let alone in the country. ¡°So you¡¯re saying you guys don¡¯t have a n?¡± Tristan said, clearly agitated. The director fell silent, not daring to speak. Almost everything could be settled by hard work, but surgeries were something that no one dared to experiment on. ¡°Okay, I understand. Please leave us alone for now,¡± Sophie finally said. All the doctors sighed in relief. They were all terrified of facing Tristan¡¯s wrath. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll find another specialist.¡± ¡°There¡¯s no need for that.¡± ¡°Sophie¡­¡± Tristan never knew how tofort others. He felt as if anything he said would be useless in this situation. ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± She couldn¡¯t change the fact that there were no doctors in the country who could do it, but that didn¡¯t mean it was impossible after all. ¡°I¡¯ve already contacted Arius,¡± she continued. Arius was famous in Chanaea as the youngest doctor in the world who made groundbreaking contributions to the field of medical science. ¡°Arius Gullifer?¡± Tristan had heard that name once, but he never thought that Sophie would be able to get him. He was actually already thinking of contacting Arius, but it seemed like she had beaten him to it. The first time they met, she had already taken out a bullet for him. What exactly is the rtionship between her and Arius? However, it wasn¡¯t the time to say such things. He simply remained silent. Still, he couldn¡¯t help but think about what a unique girl he had set his sights on. She was practically surrounded by elite people. It seemed like he would have to keep a close eye on her. He might lose her to someone else if he didn¡¯t watch her closely. Time flew by and in the blink of an eye, it was time for Transfix Cosmetics¡¯ productunch. Wilma had been working overtime for the past few weeks and had even begun wishing for more hours in a day simply so that she could get more things done. She really felt like she had already done everything she could. ¡°We won¡¯t lose this time, Ms. Linker.¡± ¡°Yeah! We¡¯ve already done our best.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s keep working hard, everybody. I¡¯m confident in our new products this time.¡± Wilma continued to boost their morale. After having prepared those new products for thest three years, she was very confident. ¡°Oh, no. Letitia ising today for a press conference too, and she picked the spot right in front of us.¡± ¡°Crap! How much does she hate ourpany?¡± ¡°She just wants to push us into a corner at this point. Her press conference was scheduled to start half an hour before ours.¡± All the reporters they had invited would definitely have swarmed over to Letitia by then. ¡°What do we do, Ms. Linker?¡± Plenty of people weren¡¯t looking forward to theirtest products. They were beginning to wonder why they were even hyping themselves up. At that moment, Wilma was paler than a sheet of paper. ¡°Ms. Linker?¡± The others began to lose faith at the sight of her expression. Suddenly, Sophie appeared. It was almost as if Wilma had seen a savior. ¡°Ms. Tanner, I-¡± ¡°I understand.¡± She had already done her homework on the way there. ¡°I¡¯m really sorry, Ms. Tanner. I didn¡¯t expect this to happen,¡± Wilma said apologetically. She had really done her best. Why are things just not working out? ¡°Don¡¯t be sorry, Ms. Linker. You are not to me for this. Most importantly, you have to trust me. Our productunch will be very sessful.¡± Even though Sophie was just a fresh and young eighteen-year-old, Wilma felt a miraculous sense of relief at the sound of her reassurance. ¡°Okay! No matter what, I will always be right behind you, Ms, Tanner.¡± Wilma was finally confident again. No matter what, she would always stand with Sophie. ¡°Good. Buck up, everyone! We will dy the productunch by two hours.¡± ¡°Ms. Tanner, there are no reporters here right now.¡± It wouldn¡¯t matter even if the reporters came three, four or ten hourster. ¡°Do whatever Ms. Tanner tells you to,¡± Wilma said to her subordinates. ¡°Good. Everyone, be on your highest alert! Also, Cecelia will being to the event.¡± Transfix Cosmetics¡¯ new products would definitely make their name. Now, all that mattered was how popr it would be, and that depended on its quality. Letitia and Dream Cosmetics must be feeling really proud at that moment. The happier they were right now, the more they would regret it after the press conference. Chapter 86 Chapter 86 Chapter 86 Turn The Table ¡°Ms. Summers, Transfix Cosmetics has pushed back their productunch.¡± ¡°Luckily we left Transfix Cosmetics along with Ms. Summers back then. We would have already lost our jobs by now if we had stayed!¡± ¡°Wilma is insane! How could she put so much trust in an eighteen-year-old?¡± ¡°She¡¯spletely hopeless, isn¡¯t she?¡± Rachel couldn¡¯t help but feel overjoyed as the girls around her began discussing Wilma¡¯s dreadful situation. They were right, after all. Back then, she had always been outshined by everything Wilma did. Now was her chance to shine. ¡°Okay, everybody! Now the most important thing is to do our jobs well. We will make the new products a sess! Moreover, Lorelei is extremely popr now.¡± Rachel was determined to make Wilma and the others regret everything they had done. Letitia¡¯s press conference had already begun. ¡°I¡¯d like to thank everyone for attending this press conference today. Recently, the conflict between Transfix Cosmetics and I have taken up a lot of public resources. For that, I would like to apologize, and I also hope that this will be put to an end today.¡± Letitia stood up and bowed deeply. ¡°What a polite girl! I haven¡¯t seen a bow that deep in a long time.¡± ¡°Yeah! Transfix Cosmetics is a real jerk!¡± ¡°We should just boycott Transfix Cosmetics and Tanner Group altogether.¡± Someone in the crowd began to holler, and others began to follow suit. ¡°Yes! We have to protect our little fairy so that she doesn¡¯t get hurt!¡± Little fairy? Letitia¡¯s manager nced at her. Just how confident is this girl about her looks? How could she have the face to let others call her little fairy? ¡°Regardless of the truth, I hope my dear fans will stop stressing out over this topic. Today, I would like to announce some good news to everyone. I am about to start filming a new movie! I hope you guys will be able to direct your attention to that instead and support me in my new role.¡± ¡°Of course, we¡¯ll support our little fairy!¡± ` The crowd was still moring in her favor. Letitia stood up and bowed deeply once again. Based on how popr she was right now, her new movie would definitely take off. She had been dreaming of that day for the longest time. Sophie¡¯s name is probably getting dragged down the drain right now! She couldn¡¯t help but smile. Does that high school student really think she could do anything to me? Even if the sky copsed, her fans would be there holding it up for her. Letitia¡¯s manager took her to one side after her press conference had ended. ¡°Letitia, I have to warn you. You may be popr now, but it¡¯s never good to offend potential investors. Everything in this modern society is fueled by them.¡± ¡°We have the poprity now! We don¡¯t have to worry about not having the capital anymore.¡± After tasting a brief glimpse of sess, she was practically on cloud nine. As far as she was concerned, she was already an A-list actress. ¡°Letitia, Transfix Cosmetics has just started their press conference.¡± ¡°Who cares? Transfix Cosmetics is done for. No one will ever buy their new products.¡± ¡°T-that¡¯s not the thing. Someone just released a HD video online¡­¡± Letitia rolled her eyes in disdain. To her, nothing could stand in her way anymore. The assistant showed the video to her manager, whose expression waspletely stormy after watching it. ¡°Letitia, what is the meaning of this?¡± Letitia was starting to get annoyed. ¡°Are you tired of working for me? Just because you¡¯re my manager, that doesn¡¯t make you my boss.¡± ¡°Is that so? You¡¯re not even a C-list celebrity yet! How do you have the face to pull off such obnoxious acts? I don¡¯t want to have someone as big-headed as you working under me either.¡± Letitia finally started feeling that something was wrong and snatched the phone from the assistant. The security footage of everything that Letitia said and done to Sophie in the restaurant the other day was ying on the screen. Everything nasty that she had said was yed in the video for everyone to see. Xeno: Little fairy? More like little b*tch! Beast: I can¡¯t believe I spent so much time defending her! C#: I really pity Transfix Cosmetics for having to deal with a psycho like her. 10290: I¡¯ve never dared to say this before, but to be honest, Transfix Cosmetics is a really good brand! I would even regard it as one of the best local brands. Lilyxxx: Their foundation stays on your face the whole day and doesn¡¯t even smudge! I¡¯ve been wanting to say this for a while. I¡¯ve even tried a whole bunch of international products and none of them can compare to theirs! Golditis: Letitia is such a scheming b*tch! The wholement section was full of insults toward Letitia. Someone had even started a hashtag for #ILoveTransfixCosmetics that had begun trending. Almost instantly, everyone who had previously hated Transfix Cosmetics was beginning to use the hashtag. &Loveme&: I can¡¯t wait for Transfix Cosmetics to release their newest product! I¡¯ll definitely be the first one to buy it. !Ali22: Hey, what¡¯s the nearest branch to you? Let¡¯s go together. Letitia couldn¡¯t bear to scroll any further. She was already trembling with rage. Just a few seconds ago, she had been beaming with pride as she approached sess! Now, she had been thrown down into hell from the gates of heaven. Everything had happened so quickly that she hadn¡¯t even had the time to react. ¡°What do we do? What now?¡± Letitia asked, tugging at her manager¡¯s hand. ¡°Only you can help me now!¡± N?velDrama.Org owns all content. The manager pulled her hand out from Letitia¡¯s grip. ¡°Sorry, but I don¡¯t think I can help you now.¡± Suddenly, a few men dressed in police uniforms walked into the room, causing Letitia to turn even paler. ¡°Ms. Gatrell, you have been arrested for your involvement in cases of ckmail, cheating and three other crimes. You will now be taken in for further investigation.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t do anything!¡± Letitia tried to run, but the policemen didn¡¯t even give her a chance. She was brought away by them and the reporters who had rushed over only managed to get shots of the police cars¡¯ tail lights. Back at the Transfix Cosmetics¡¯ productunch, there were now a lot more reporters after the huge scandal. Even the hundreds of bodyguards stationed at the location weren¡¯t enough for the sheer number of reporters that hade by. Rachel had already prepared everything for their press conference, but there wasn¡¯t a single reporter at their event. ¡°What the hell is going on?¡± Rachel said with a frown on her face. ¡°Have all of you gone deaf? I just asked you what is going on! What the hell is a press conference without the press?¡± ¡°You might want to take a look at this, Ms. Summers.¡± One of her subordinates passed her a phone. After watching the video of Letitia, Rachel¡¯s face turned bright red. No wonder all the reporters are gone! ¡°What do we do now, Ms. Summers?¡± They had prepared so much stock on theirtest products for the press conference, but if that didn¡¯t happen, what should they do with all the extra stock? Thepany would lose so much money. Lorelei had finally reached the so-called press conference only to see nobody there. She took off the sunsses on the bridge of her nose. ¡°What¡¯s going on? I spent three hours on my makeup and no one is here to even get one picture of me?¡± Rachel was clearly not in the mood to entertain Lorelei. ¡°Go take a look.¡± She wanted to see exactly what Transfix Cosmetics was up to. Wilma had finally heaved a sigh of relief back at Transfix Cosmetics. She couldn¡¯t help but look at Sophie in awe. That girl is really something. It was barely two hours since the incident happened but she had managed to turn the table. Wilma couldn¡¯t believe how lucky she was. She had learned a lot from being around someone so talented. ¡°I¡¯ll leave the rest to you, Ms. Lineker. I know you can do it.¡± Sophie had always trusted Wilma. Wilma was all energized at the sound of Sophie¡¯s encouragement. ¡°I won¡¯t disappoint you, Ms. Tanner.¡± ¡°I won¡¯t disappoint you either!¡± Cecelia suddenly showed up and announced. She would not want to miss out on Transfix Cosmetics¡¯ new productunch. Chapter 87 Chapter 87 Chapter 87 Daring And Overbearing! ¡°Ms. Tanner, would you like to share a few wordster on?¡± She hadn¡¯t been sure whether Sophie would have made it, but now that she was there, it seemed like a good opportunity. ¡°No, that¡¯s alright.¡± She had never enjoyed the feeling of lights shing in her eyes. ¡­ In Lombard Group, Felix had already nned out how he was about to get back at Letitia. However, he did not expect Sophie to have already settled everything herself. ¡°Mr. Tristan, Ms. Sophie is truly amazing!¡± She had singlehandedly created an uproar. It was like he could already see Transfix Cosmetics¡¯ sess before his very eyes. Tristan was silently agreeing. I knew my Sophie would do just fine. She had probably never seen Letitia as a rival, and she was right for doing so. After all, Letitia could neverpete against someone like Sophie. ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to take a look?¡± Felix asked in confusion. If he were in Tristan¡¯s ce, he would have been there in a sh. ¡°I can just watch the live stream.¡± He knew she would do well, so all he had to do was sit back and watch. No matter what she wanted to do, he was going to stand firmly behind her. No matter what consequences she ended up facing, he would shoulder them for her. The productunch had already started. Wilma hosted the whole thing personally. First, she thanked the reporters for attending theunch before swiftly summarizing everything that Transfix Cosmetics had done recently. ¡°Basically, we have received tremendous support from everyone since we started this brand. The incident that happened with Letitia Gatrell made us even more confident in our brand. We will continue to work harder toe up with even more products that everyone can enjoy. Now, we¡¯ll present our latest products through this exclusive advertisement!¡± Transfix Cosmetics¡¯ newest advertisements began to y. Everyone inhaled in shock when Cecelia appeared onscreen. Most people had assumed that Transfix Cosmetics was already done for, but here they were having Cecelia as an ambassador. They couldn¡¯t believe that she would ept such an endorsement when Transfix Cosmetics was caught up in its¡¯ scandals. ¡°Wow! Cecelia Lance really is their ambassador!¡± ¡°They¡¯ll definitely make it this time!¡± ¡°Man, I still can¡¯t believe my eyes.¡± ¡°Hasn¡¯t Cecelia always been really cautious about the type of products she endorses? She has barely done any.¡± Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org. Rachel clenched her fists, not even caring about her nails digging into her palms. She really thought Wilma was done for this time. In the end, she was the one leaving Rachel behind in the dust. She suddenly began to feel lightheaded. ¡°Are you alright, Ms. Summers?¡± Rachel nodded. ¡°I-I¡¯m fine. I¡¯m perfectly fine.¡± They still had Dream Cosmetics, after all. They wouldn¡¯t lose to Transfix Cosmetics. The advertisement, whichmunicated passion and enthusiasm, finished ying. ¡°Do you all know that Cecelia isn¡¯t wearing any makeup in this advertisement?¡± ¡°I know! Her skin is so smooth.¡± ¡°After using Transfix Cosmetics, her image haspletely changed. It really is effective.¡± Wilma reappeared onstage. ¡°Next, we would like to invite the ambassador of Transfix Cosmetics, Cecelia Lance.¡± Cecelia walked onstage in a blinding flurry of lights. No one was able to look away from her. ¡°Good afternoon, everybody. I am Cecelia Lance and I am extremely honored to have been given this opportunity by Transfix Cosmetics.¡± ¡°Ms. Lance, Transfix Cosmetics has recently been caught up in a lot of scandals. What made you ept their invitation to be an ambassador?¡± One reporter asked the question that was on everybody¡¯s minds. Cecelia nced over at the reporter¡¯s direction. ¡°Many of you might have given up on Transfix Cosmetics due to their previous scandals with Ms. Gatrell, but I have never once doubted this brand. Once thepany contacted me, I agreed without a second thought.¡± The advertisement for Transfix Cosmetics¡¯test products had been released on the inte concurrently with theunch. There had already been so many people spreading positive hashtags for Transfix Cosmetics after the surveince footage of Letitia had been released. However, after seeing Cecelia in their advertisement, Transfix Cosmetics¡¯ supporters had increased tenfold. Rachel returned to Dream Cosmetics¡¯ conference area which was empty. There was not a single reporter in the space. ¡°What do we do, Ms. Summers? We prepared so much stock and if we don¡¯t sell it, thepany-¡± ¡°Shut up.¡± Rachel wasn¡¯t in the mood for stupid questions. She wanted to know what to do too, for God¡¯s sake. Who is going to answer my questions? She had nothing left up her sleeve. She kept making guarantees that the products would be a hit and that was why she order such a huge batch to be manufactured. At that point, she wouldn¡¯t be able to pay it all back even if she sold herself. ¡­ The productunch had already ended and Wilma and Cecelia had both returned to the break room. Sophie was scrolling on Twitter. The trending searches and hashtags were all about Transfix Cosmetics. Sophie was rather pleased with the results. ¡°What are you looking at?¡± Cecelia squeezed in next to Sophie. ¡°You are really amazing, Sophie! How did youe up with these ideas? I think your brain must be built differently.¡± Sophie simply ignored her. ¡°Anyway, I¡¯m d we¡¯re friends. I must say I pity your enemies, though.¡± Sophie waspletely ruthless toward her enemies, but she was just as kind and caring to those she considered her friends despite her aloof appearance. ¡°They deserve it. If they weren¡¯t so scheming, they wouldn¡¯t have ended up like this.¡± Wilma had be one of Sophie¡¯s biggest fans and knew she could do no wrong. ¡°That¡¯s true. Letitia really deserves it.¡± She should have stuck to acting. It was her fault for trying to use Transfix Cosmetics to get to her goal. ¡°Ms. Lineker, I¡¯ll pass the remaining jobs to you. Cecelia and I will be leaving now.¡± ¡°Okay! Our new products will definitely be a sess, Ms. Tanner,¡± Wilma said enthusiastically. Sophie nodded nonchntly. ¡°You guys have all worked hard. I don¡¯t really care about the results anymore.¡± Besides, nothing would truly bring them down with her there. ¡°Okay.¡± Sophie walked out with Cecelia. ¡°Sophie, do you know how cool you are? Honestly, you would totally kick me off the charts if you ever joined the entertainment industry. You have the looks and the charisma. You would definitely be sessful if you joined.¡± Sophie was attractive in many different faces and Cecelia knew she would be a hit among audiences of different age groups. ¡°I¡¯m not interested. I hate being followed around by reporters.¡± She hated the idea of the public knowing her private life like an open book. ¡°Wait, but there are a lot of reporters outside right now.¡± Cecelia was used to even the most ludicrously huge lens that those reporters could shove in her face. But Sophie hated them. Suddenly, Sophie¡¯s phone rang. She answered and heard Tristan¡¯s voice. ¡°Come up to the rooftop.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Sophie didn¡¯t ask any further and simply walked into the elevator with Cecelia before pressing the button for the highest floor. ¡°What¡¯s up? Where are we going?¡± Cecelia thought they were about to leave. ¡°Are you worried because of the reporters? I¡¯m right here! I can distract them.¡± ¡°There¡¯s no need for that,¡± Sophie replied. ¡°But you hate reporters getting in your face, right? I don¡¯t mind dealing with them for you.¡± After all, she was a famous actress. Hence, she didn¡¯t mind her photos being taken at all. Sophie simply continued walking to the rooftop with Cecelia. ¡°Come on, Sophie. It¡¯s not the end of the world!¡± Cecelia said jokingly. Suddenly, a helicopternded in front of them. Cecelia stared with her mouth wide open. What the hell is going on? The reporters that had been waiting outside the building were all staring dumbfoundedly as well. Who is that? How daring and overbearing! Chapter 88 Chapter 88 Chapter 88 The Grand Gesture The helicopter hovered above Sophie and Cecelia as a ropedder was dropped. Sophie looked at Cecelia. ¡°Can you manage?¡± she asked. ¡°Of course. I don¡¯t get to be an award-winning actress if can¡¯t even do my own stunts.¡± Cecelia had also been practicing Taekwondo for several years. Without saying another word, she grabbed hold of the ropedder and ascended with some difficulty. When she was nearing the top, somebody reached out for her hand and pulled her on board the helicopter. Gazing up in dumbstruck awe, Cecelia could not find the words to describe Tristan¡¯s overwhelming good looks. He would be an A-list celebrity if he joined the entertainment industry. However, Tristan did not even look at Cecelia. Cecelia could not stop herself from being intrigued by him. This guy is pretty good for not many men can resist my beauty. Below, Sophie climbed the ropedder with ease. Felix reached out with the intent of pulling Sophie on board. ¡°Step aside.¡± Startled, Felix touched his nose at the sound of Tristan¡¯s voice and stood aside. Mr. Tristan¡¯s possessiveness can be quite frightening! Taking Tristan¡¯s hand, Sophie hopped on board the helicopter easily. The reporters below watched the helicopter depart with their jaws dropped. The helicopter must be here for Cecelia! It is not unusual for an award-winning actress like her to have such vast resources at her disposal. After recovering from their initial shock, their excitement began to grow. With this scoop, our sry this month is going to swell several times over! After several moments of silence within the helicopter, Cecelia nced at Sophie and Tristan. ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to introduce us, Sophie?¡± ¡°This is Tristan Lombard, and that is Felix Northley.¡± ¡°Tristan Lombard? Mr. Tristan of Lombard Group?¡± Sophie nodded. Cecelia¡¯s coolness began to fall apart. It really is him! How is Sophie acquainted with these influential and powerful people? ¡°This is Cecelia Lance, a friend of mine.¡± Tristan nodded at Cecelia by way of greeting, who had by then regained herposure. Having met all kinds of women before, it¡¯s no wonder Mr. Tristan is hardly taken with my beauty. He only has eyes for Sophie. Cecelia noted to herself that Tristan was indeed fond of her friend. He has good looks, money, power, and loyalty. Wow, lucky Sophie. ¡°I¡¯m in awe of you, Sophie.¡± This content ? N?v/elDr(a)m/a.Org. This way of escaping from the press conference was beautifully done! Felix could not refrain from gushing his praise. ¡°That¡¯s enough, Felix.¡± Sophie red at him. Felix fell silent reluctantly. Being a prominent figure in Jipsdale, he could not believe how he was dissed. Cecelia could not help but giggle. Sophie has not changed over the years. Felix stared at Cecelia. Though he dared not talk back to Sophie, he did not have the same regard for an actress. ¡°He¡¯s looking at me threateningly, Sophie,¡± Ceceliained. ¡°You-¡± Felix was furious that Sophie caught him in the act. His gaze was indeed frightening. ¡°I did not, Mr. Tristan.¡± Felix was not about to back down. So what if Cecelia has her backer, and so do I! However, Tristan did not pay him any mind. ¡°My apologies,¡± Felix muttered, not expecting such a predicament to befall him. Seeing that, Cecelia became smug. This is how powerful my backer is. Josiah was pleased to see Cecelia when the group arrived at the hospital. As Sophie and Cecelia were old friends, thetter had been a frequent visitor to the Tanner residence. ¡°Is that you, Cecelia? It¡¯s been a long time since you paid me a visit. Have you forgotten all about me?¡± Cecelia grinned. She cut some fruits for Josiah and then poured him a ss of water. ¡°You¡¯re like my grandfather, Grandpa. How could I forget you? I haven¡¯t visited the Tanner residence because I was upset that Soph had been banished to Horington.¡± Well, I was still young five years ago and had no power to help Sophie. ¡°Forget it, it¡¯s all in the past now. Soph turned out just as well in Horington.¡± ¡°That is true. Sophie excels wherever she goes.¡± As Cecelia had a program to shoot that night, her agent came and picked her up. Sophie and Tristan were still in the ward. The former began a conversation with Josiah. Yale arrived at the hospitalter that night and frowned upon seeing Tristan who was standing next to Sophie. ¡°Who is he?¡± The sales of Transfix Cosmetics must be doing well, given its current state. He never believed Sophie was capable of something like that and could not help but wonder if the man had anything to do with Transfix Cosmetics¡¯ sess. What is he after? Does he have intentions toward Tanner Group? Josiah was displeased with Yale¡¯s attitude. ¡°Who he is is none of your business. What do you want to tell us this time? Sophie has taken concrete steps to disprove your im of her being incapable. What else do you have to say?¡± ¡°I¡¯m just concerned for her, Dad. I am her father. Why would I harm her?¡± Yale sensed that there was more to that man than met the eyes. ¡°Send Sophie home, will you, Tanny?¡± Josiah felt ashamed to have a son like him. ¡°We¡¯ll make a move, Grandpa. See you soon.¡± Tristan was displeased with the neer¡¯s disrespect for Josiah and attitude toward Sophie. As he is Sophie¡¯s father, it¡¯s not my ce to say anything. ¡°Who is the hell is he, Dad? Sophie is still young and na?ve. What are his intentions for being close to her?¡± ¡°Are you worried that he would threaten your position within Tanner Group, Yale? When have you ever cared about Sophie like that?¡± ¡°That¡¯s not fair, Dad. Isn¡¯t all that I do for the benefit of our family? Is the change in ownership of Tanner Group what you want?¡± Josiah grew tired of arguing with his son. With the conversation ending in a huff, Yale left the hospital and lit a cigarette as soon as he got in the car. ¡°I want you to find out about the man with Sophie today.¡± ¡°Yes, Mr. Tanner,¡± said Lionel respectfully, who had been waiting in the car the entire time. ¡°Do you think the man apanying Ms. Sophie today is the mastermind behind Transfix Cosmetics, Mr. Tanner?¡± he continued after a thoughtful pause. ¡°I can already foresee what a hit Transfix Cosmetics¡¯ new products will be. At this rate, there¡¯s a high possibility of Ms. Sophie stepping up as CEO.¡± Lionel refused to believe that an eighteen-year-old girl possessed such business acumen. ¡°That is why I¡¯m sending you to investigate! You are my trusted aid. How do you think you will fare if I¡¯m no longer CEO? I¡¯m telling you, this daughter of mine can really hold a grudge. She will not make it easy on you.¡± Yale became irritable at the mention of that problem. ¡°What if Ms. Sophie emerges victorious, Mr. Tanner? Are you really going to let her take over as CEO?¡± ¡°No way in hell.¡± ¡°At this point, I think you have to acknowledge the possibility of that happening, Mr. Tanner.¡± ¡°If this is where we stand, I¡¯m afraid more drastic measures have to be taken.¡± Lionel did not answer. He heaved a sigh of relief at his employer¡¯s words. Yale has always been ruthless. He would never allow others to touch his share of the pie. Sophie received a call from Wilma the following morning as soon as she woke up. ¡°We did it, Ms. Sophie! Our products had sold out the moment they came online.¡± Chapter 89 Chapter 89 Chapter 89 The Great Boss Sophie put her phone in speaker mode and stretched out before doing a split in the living room. ¡°Haven¡¯t we foreseen all of this, Ms. Lineker? You¡¯ll have a lot more to do in the uing days. Once we get past this stretch, you and the team will be sent to holiday abroad.¡± N?velDrama.Org owns all content. They have been highly strung ofte. It¡¯s about time they rxed. ¡°Please take me under your wing, Ms. Sophie.¡± At that moment, Wilma felt so content and spoiled. How generous of Ms. Sophie to give us a holiday abroad. ¡°Is there anywhere you would like to go? Tell me if there is, and I will make the arrangements for you.¡± ¡°Sure.¡± Wilma epted the gesture graciously. As her team had been fraught with worry over theunch, she naturally leaped at the opportunity to take them out for a break. ¡°Is there a budget?¡± she added as an afterthought. Transfix Cosmetics has been making a loss until yesterday, after all. Though we have had an explosive start, it wouldn¡¯t do to go overboard. ¡°There is no limit.¡± Since I have made them that offer, I¡¯m more than happy to pay for everything. On the other end, Wilma covered her phone to seek suggestions from the rest. ¡°Ms. Sophie wants to treat us to a trip abroad, girls. Is there any ce you have in mind?¡± ¡°What? All expenses covered?¡± ¡°I haven¡¯t misheard, have I? Is it a holiday oversea?¡± ¡°Excellent! Let¡¯s go to Jinrich Ind!¡± ¡°Jinrich Ind it is, then!¡± ¡°Would Jinrich Ind be too expensive, though? We aren¡¯t exactly raking in the profits yet.¡± Wilma felt the need to modte their excitement. ¡°You¡¯re right. Why don¡¯t we go to Jinrich Ind after Transfix Cosmetics makes big money?¡± ¡°Ms. Lineker.¡± Wilma removed her hand at Sophie¡¯s voice. ¡°I¡¯d heard your conversation. Just go to Jinrich Ind.¡± ¡°Ms. Sophie-¡± ¡°Hang on a couple more days. Leave the arrangements for the trip to me.¡± ¡°I can do it, Ms. Sophie. There is no need for you to do it personally.¡± Ms. Sophie is a busy woman with sses to attend. ¡°It¡¯s no problem. I can easily book the tickets and hotel rooms online. We¡¯ll talk soon as I have to head to school.¡± ¡°All right, Ms. Tanner. Talk to youter.¡± Wilma hung up and gazed at the faces alight with excitement. ¡°How did it go?¡± ¡°We¡¯re going to Jinrich Ind,¡± Wilma announced with a smile. I¡¯m grateful to have chosen the right employer. Though Ms. Sophie may look cold, she is kind to those loyal to her. ¡°We¡¯re going to Jinrich Ind!¡± ¡°We are! It¡¯s a pleasure to go on holiday with all of you.¡± Gazing at the group¡¯s excitement, Wilma felt that all their hard work was worth it. Cecelia heard the news of Transfix Cosmetics¡¯pany trip to Jinrich Ind and gazed at Sophie glumly. ¡°I yed a part in Transfix Cosmetics¡¯ sess too, Sophie! If your staff can go on holiday, what about me?¡± Sophie gazed at her. ¡°Haven¡¯t you been to Jinrich Ind many times before?¡± ¡°So what if I have? Are you that reluctant to part with your money?¡± ¡°Fine, you cane too.¡± Cecelia was satisfied. ¡°That¡¯s better.¡± Meanwhile, Ysabelle also caught wind of the trip to Jinrich Ind and gazed at Sophie withrge, expectant eyes. After being subjected to such intense scrutiny for half an hour, Sophie could not bear it any longer. ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°Are you nning a trip to Jinrich Ind, Soph?¡± Ysabelle asked as she twiddled her fingers. Sophie¡¯s gaze shifted from the anatomy chart on her book to her friend¡¯s face. ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°I would like to join you.¡± I want to join her on her vacation. Otherwise, it feels like she has abandoned me. ¡°You may.¡± Geez, she could have just told me. Why did she have to stare at me like that? Upon hearing from Ysabelle that she was going to Jinrich Ind, Felix immediately ryed the news to Tristan. ¡°How are you this calm, Mr. Tristan? Jinrich Ind is the perfect ce to develop a romantic rtionship. Are you really not going?¡± ¡°You are the one who wants to go, aren¡¯t you?¡± Tristan retorted. Since Felix found out that Ysabelle was going to Jinrich Ind, he had not stopped talking about it. ¡°You¡¯re right. I admit that I badly want to go. It¡¯s meaningless to be working all the time! What¡¯s the point of earning so much money if I don¡¯t enjoy myself? Going on a trip with someone you like is a good opportunity to develop a romance.¡± ¡°Usually,¡± he added sagely, ¡°a romantic spark is not found in familiar ces, and going somece new might just bring out the romance in a different light.¡± Being almost neen, Ysabelle is no longer a child. It is an impressionable age when girls fall in love easily. If Mr. Tristan did not take advantage of his niece¡¯spany when he still could, he would regret it when Ysabelle found someone she loved. ¡°We should join them, Mr. Tristan.¡± Ysabelle would not agree if I went alone. ¡°Mr. Tristan?¡± Felix was annoyed at how transparent his thoughts werepared to his employer¡¯s. I can never fathom Mr. Tristan¡¯s thoughts¡­ The sale of Transfix Cosmetics¡¯ new products had been skyrocketing. By that point, it was almost impossible to obtain any ready stock. Wilma had the factory work three extra shifts to produce the new stock. The new products of Transfix Cosmetics only took three days to be the most popr series out of thepany¡¯s entire catalog. As the date of their trip to Jinrich Ind drew closer, Wilma handed her tasks on hand to her trusted aide before heading to Jinrich Ind with the rest. Having agreed to meet at the airport, the girls were already there when Wilma arrived. ¡°Over here, Ms. Lineker.¡± One of them saw Wilma from a distance and waved at once. Wilma soon gathered with her team. ¡°Will Ms. Sophie being with us, Ms. Lineker?¡± ¡°Yes, she will.¡± ¡°Wonderful! Come, let¡¯s take a picture!¡± Photography was a popr activity for girls on an outing. The girls huddled together for a selfie which one of them posted on Instagram. The caption wrote: Throughout all the choices I have to make in life, I have never regretted choosing Transfix Cosmetics. Though I expressed doubts back then, I have be more certain about my choice to work for Ms. Sophie. She¡¯s taking us on a trip! It pays well to have an employer like Ms. Sophie. The other girls supported her view by liking that post. On the other side of town, the girls who had followed Rachel to found Dream Cosmetics were close to tears. The staff scheduled another press conference topensate for the pathetic end of the first one. Though they had extended the invitation to many reporters to y safe, the response was tepid at best. And now we¡¯re working overtime every single day. After finding the time to catch up on her social media, the first thing the girl saw was the post about her ex-colleagues going on a tour abroad. ¡°What are you looking at?¡± asked another one of the girls as she leaned over. She, too, became depressed after viewing that post. ¡°How nice it would be if we never left Transfix Cosmetics.¡± ¡°It¡¯s toote to regret that now.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. If it were not for Ms. Summers, we wouldn¡¯t have left Transfix Cosmetics.¡± Walking in at that exact moment, Rachel heard them. ¡°Ms. Summers,¡± one of them eximed upon catching sight of her employer. Dropping her gaze in terror, she dared not say another word. Rachel scowled. ¡°Do you think it is degrading to be working for me? Look at how jealous you are getting over a trip abroad!¡± ¡°That¡¯s not what we meant, Ms. Summers.¡± ¡°Then what exactly do you mean? You are free to leave if you think Dream Cosmetics is holding you back.¡± Chapter 90 Chapter 90 Chapter 90 Put Up With Him When Sophie and Ysabelle arrived at the airport, Wilma took their passports to obtain their tickets. The other girls followed her to get the tickets. ¡°What¡¯s going on? My ticket is first-ss.¡± ¡°Mine too.¡± ¡°Oh God.¡± The three tickets Wilma obtained were all first-ss seats. Even if they were sent on business trips at their old jobs, they always flew economy ss. ¡°Did the airline make a mistake?¡± ¡°Could their system be faulty?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think so; Ms. Sophie is that generous. It sure feels good to be pampered.¡± It was a sentiment the girls shared. Wilma led the girls back to Sophie and handed her and Ysabelle the tickets. ¡°Economy ss suits us fine, Ms. Sophie. There¡¯s no need for you to spend thisvishly.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not much.¡± Sophie honestly did not think it was a lot of money. It was not meant to be an ostentatious gesture. The girls under her employment gazed at her with gratitude. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Ms. Sophie. I will work hard after the trip.¡± ¡°Me too! I will make back what you spent on my first-ss seat.¡± It¡¯s rewarding being Ms. Sophie¡¯s employee. We will work hard and not let her down. ¡°Go on, then.¡± Though Sophie did not mean to buy them off, she did not object to the effect her gesture created. The girls were excited as it was their first time passing the VIP security check. ¡°Take me under your wing too, Sophie! There are so many of them, and all their seats are first-ss!¡± ¡°They¡¯re worth it.¡± I have witnessed how hard they work. ¡°How nice it must be working for you.¡± After the security check, the group had some time to spare before boarding and waited in the VIP lounge. Felix suddenly called Ysabelle. ¡°What?¡± she asked rather irritably upon picking up. ¡°You¡¯re rather mean to me ofte, Belle,¡± Felixined. ¡°So? What do you want? We¡¯re about to board.¡± ¡°Nothing. I just want to tell you to have a safe trip.¡± Ysabelle did not know what to say, so she hung up abruptly. ¡°Does Felix have nothing better to do?¡± she asked in annoyance. ¡°He¡¯s actually pretty busy, yet he finds time for you.¡± It is impossible for the heir of the Northley family to have that much free time to spare. The group of about a dozen girls got up and walked across when the notice to board sounded from the speakers. The pleasant sight of a dozen excited, pretty girls made quite an impression on the other travelers. Ysabelle was stunned when they ran into Tristan and Felix at the boarding gate. ¡°What are you doing here, Uncle Tristan?¡± she asked suspiciously. ¡°I have matters to attend to in Koandria.¡± ¡°What a coincidence!¡± Ysabelle gave a bitterugh. It¡¯s not often that I get to go on a holiday. Can¡¯t he cut me some ck? Having never met Tristan and Felix, Wilma nodded to them as a form of greeting. Felix seated himself next to Ysabelle upon boarding the ne, to her chagrin. ¡°What are you doing? I want to sit with Sophie.¡± ¡°Are you sure, Belle?¡± ¡°I¡¯m very sure.¡± ¡°Mr. Tristan, Ysabelle says she wants to-¡± Ysabelle pped a hand over Felix¡¯s mouth and red at him fiercely. Tristan looked over. ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°Nothing,¡± Ysabelle said hastily as she concealed her annoyance. How am I going to rebel against my uncle? ¡°Look. I don¡¯t want to sit with you, either. I¡¯m afraid of Mr. Tristan. You are no better, aren¡¯t you?¡± Ysabelle was struck dumb. Lamenting her fate, she was careful to keep her voice down as she did so. ¡°Have you had lunch?¡± Tristan asked Sophie. It¡¯s now one in the afternoon. I wonder if she has eaten. ¡°I have.¡± She and Ysabelle hade over after lunch. ¡°I¡¯m d you did.¡± Sophie took out her phone and put on her earphones. ¡°What are you listening to?¡± Sophie gave him the other earbud. Tristan took it and put it in his ear. It was a very catchy Ustranasion song. Tristan took out his own phone and searched for the song. After setting it as his ringtone, he closed his eyes for a nap. He spent the entire night dealing with the matters of Lombard Group for the next couple of days. After a meeting earlier that morning, he came with Felix to the airport after taking care of his work. Noticing how exhausted he looked, Sophie was careful not to bother him. Instead, she read a book on anatomy. Arius had expressed his desire for her to join the medical association. She agreed as she was genuinely interested in that field. Sophie¡¯s resolve to study medicine strengthened significantly after the incident with her grandfather. I will join the medical association after settling the issues within Tanner Group. Sophie was so engrossed in reading her book that she did not notice Tristan waking up. Surprised to find her with a book, Tristan gazed curiously for a while. When he saw that she was reading an original version of a textbook on anatomy, Tristan became even more convinced of Sophie¡¯s medical prowess. She wouldn¡¯t tell me anything if I asked her right now. However, it does not matter. I don¡¯t care how many secrets she has. I will unravel them one by time. Sophie turned around and saw Tristan¡¯s eyes fixed thoughtfully on the book in her hand. ¡°Would you like to take a look?¡± Sophie offered while handing it over. ¡°I can lend it to you if you find it interesting.¡± Tristan shook his head. ¡°It¡¯s a tall order for me to start learning medicine at my age. I¡¯m just curious about what you¡¯re reading, that¡¯s all.¡± ¡°It¡¯s never toote to start learning something as long as you have the passion.¡± Sophie did not continue her conversation with him. Instead, she turned her attention back to her book. It is rare for young people to sit quietly with a book in hand these days. Tristan¡¯s fondness for Sophie increased yet again. After over two hours of flying, the ne finallynded at Jinrich International Airport. The group descended the aircraft after the flight attendant¡¯s announcement. The cars sent by the hotel were already lining up in wait outside the airport. Even Wilma, who had witnessed high-profile travelers in her day, was stunned at the sight of the three extra-long Lincoln limousines parked by the road. What sort of a hotel has Ms. Sophie arranged for us? ¡°Come on, get in!¡± Sophie gestured. The girls seemed intimidated by the grandeur of their reception. ¡°We can all squeeze into one.¡± Sophie frowned. ¡°That would be too cramped.¡± ¡°Not at all, Ms. Sophie.¡± ¡°All right. They will take you to the hotel, and you can go wherever you please after checking in.¡± They do not appear at ease in my presence. ¡°All right, Ms. Sophie. Enjoy yourself.¡± Tristan and Felix were already waiting for them at the side of thest Lincoln when Sophie and Ysabelle went over. ¡°Aren¡¯t you here on business? What do you want now?¡± Felix opened the car door in response while Tristan stood aside for Sophie and Ysabelle to enter. ¡°Why do I get the feeling that they followed us here, Soph?¡± The rubbish about being in Koandria for business is obviously a lie. Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org. Sophie nced at her. ¡°Are you using your uncle of something?¡± Ysabelle was horrified. How did she know? I must be mad to do that! Her family was not aware that she had taken leave to travel abroad. If word slips from Uncle Tristan, I am finished. That is why I have to put up with him. Ysabelle hurriedly vacated the seat next to Sophie when Tristan entered the car. He sat next to Sophie as if it was the most natural thing to do. Chapter 91 Chapter 91 Chapter 91 If Only They Could Take Me Down The Lincoln they traveled in was taking them to the hotel. Throughout the journey, Sophie coughed several times. Tristan took out a sk, unscrewed the cap, and passed it to her. ¡°Here. Drink some warm water.¡± Sophie did not know how to react as she had never shared another person¡¯s cup before! ¡°Drink some warm water, Soph! You¡¯re not down with flu, are you?¡± ¡°Nope.¡± ¡°It¡¯s a new cup, don¡¯t worry,¡± Tristan assured her. Once again, Sophie was at a loss for words. It¡¯s not that I mind. It was just a matter of habit. ¡°Yeah! Don¡¯t worry, Soph. My uncle is not sick!¡± Upon hearing that, Tristan shot daggers at Ysabelle. Is she trying to step on my toes on purpose? Ysabelle immediately zipped her mouth. Under Tristan¡¯s watchful eyes, Sophie epted the cup and took a sip. The man continued staring at her, leaving her with no choice but to take another sip. When their Lincoln car arrived at the hotel, Felix got down the vehicle and opened the door. He reached out his hands to help Ysabelle get out of the car, but thetter ignored him and hopped down from her seat. Tristan also extended his hand to Sophie. Sophie did not turn down his offer. She held his hand and came out of the car. A handsome gentleman and a beauty getting out of the car was quite a sight to behold. The passersby standing by the road and observing their interaction were all fangirling and screaming internally. ¡°Thank you.¡± The moment they stepped into the hotel, the manager came out to greet them, ¡°Are you Mr. Tristan?¡± Tristan nodded and responded with a deep grunt. ¡°We¡¯ve prepared two presidential suites for you, and they¡¯re ready for check-in.¡± Meanwhile, Sophie went to the front-desk counter with Ysabelle to check in. ¡°I want to share a room with you, Soph.¡± ¡°Sure.¡± ¡°Oh, yeah. Isn¡¯t Cecelia joining us too? Why isn¡¯t she here?¡± Ysabelle liked Cecelia very much because they were about the same age. She also looked up to Cecelia because she was an award-winning actress. ¡°She can¡¯t make it because she¡¯s busy with filming.¡± The achievements Cecelia attained were not results of an overnight sess. She had always been a professional actress who worked hard in all her films. Throughout her career, she had never hired a stunt double. She would pour her heart and soul into a project as long as she found the script inspiring. Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org. That was why Cecelia was a breath of fresh air when the entertainment industry was full of snobbish and arrogant celebrities. ¡°Oh, that¡¯s such a pity! I thought of asking her for her autograph.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll get a chance to do so. She¡¯ll be releasing hertest film soon. I¡¯ll take you to the premiere.¡± Before this, Sophie had promised Cecelia she would attend her premiere but did not get a chance to do so. Now that they were in Jipsdale, she had no reason to turn down her invitation again. ¡°Mr. Tristan, what should we do since the girls have decided to share a room?¡± ¡°You have a problem with that? Do you want to share a room with Ysabelle? How dare you.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not what I had in mind, Mr. Tristan!¡± Felix immediately denied it. What did I do to make him think I¡¯m a pervert? ¡°Mr. Tristan, I¡¯m just a little curious. Ms. Tanner is such a gorgeousdy. Don¡¯t you have any thoughts about her?¡± Tristan shot a murderous re at Felix, forcing him to shut his mouth. After checking into the hotel rooms and changing into fresh clothes, Sophie heard a knock on their door. She opened the door and saw Tristan standing outside. ¡°Yes, Mr. Tristan? How can I help you?¡± Sophie was still wearing the hotel¡¯s bathrobe. She probably had juste out of the shower since her hair was still wet. Her rosy cheeks were exceptionally seductive. ¡°I just want to give you this.¡± Tristan then gave her a bag. Sophie looked into the bag and saw bottles of pills in it. ¡°I don¡¯t need this. I¡¯m not ill.¡± Why should I take these medicines? Can¡¯t he see I¡¯m not sick? ¡°Didn¡¯t you have a sore throat? These pills can relieve your difort. Well, they¡¯re not exactly medicines but lozenges.¡± Sophie eventually epted the bag. ¡°Is there anything else?¡± ¡°Nope. Let¡¯s have dinner togetherter!¡± ¡°Sure, but Ysabelle is still in the shower. I¡¯ll text you when she¡¯s ready.¡± Sophie did not allow Tristan to enter their room. She thought it was inappropriate for him toe in when Ysabelle was still in the bathroom. It¡¯s just not right for him to be around even though they were rted. Tristan could not help but chuckle at how hard-hearted she was when shutting him out. Soon, Ysabelle got out of the bathroom with a towel wrapped around her body. ¡°Who was it? Ms. Lineker? I¡¯ll be ready in a minute.¡± Ysabelle was thrilled as she had looked forward to this trip. ¡°Take your time, don¡¯t worry.¡± Ysabelle started putting on makeup. As a neen-year-old, she was particr about her looks. She could do anything she wanted to unt her beauty since she was away from school. While she went to the restroom to do her makeup, Sophie lolled on the couch in the hotel room, even though her hair was still wet. Her phone rang, and she answered the call. ¡°Phantom, are you in Koandria? Please do me a favor.¡± Butterfly sounded irritated. ¡°What is it?¡± Sophie was annoyed by the call. Lately, she had not been enthusiastic about anything. ¡°Wings of Light has recently epted a project, but we¡¯re at our wits¡¯ end. We¡¯re wondering if you could help us out.¡± ¡°You mean all of you can¡¯t settle the project?¡± As the founder of Wings of Light, Sophie was responsible for ensuring the sess of the projects they epted. ¡°All right.¡± Butterfly might be twenty-five years old, but when she was with Sophie, who was only in her teenage years, Butterfly behaved like an elementary school pupil. ¡°Got it. Email me the details, and I¡¯ll take it from there.¡± ¡°Phantom, I know you¡¯re confident in yourself, but you ought to be careful. They¡¯re not easy to deal with.¡± Wings of Light was a legendary organization, and many people had the utmost respect for it. But some people also wanted Wings of Light to fall from grace. Many hackers were eager to expose Phantom¡¯s identity. By doing so, they could be the world¡¯s number one. That was why whenever Phantom epted a project, countless hackers would try to get through her firewalls, hoping they could expose her identity. ¡°You worry too much.¡± I¡¯ve yet to identify a worthy opponent. ¡°Phantom, I know you¡¯ve great skills, and nobody can defeat you. But now, the hackers in Anndur have formed an alliance to find out who you are.¡± ¡°Well, I¡¯ll be more than willing to kneel before them and concede defeat if they could take me down,¡± Sophie uttered condescendingly. Butterfly sighed. Despite knowing Phantom was invincible, Butterfly was still worried about her. After all, hackers were not civic-minded andw-abiding citizens. Meanwhile, Ysabelle, who hadpleted her makeup, had changed into a beautiful purple skirt. When she saw Sophie was still wearing the bathrobe, she pulled her over. ¡°Excuse me, Ms. Tanner! Why are you still in your bathrobe? We¡¯re leaving soon! Quick, get changed. I¡¯ll help you with makeup.¡± It would have been a waste if Soph didn¡¯t doll herself up. She¡¯s such a beauty! ¡°That won¡¯t be necessary. I¡¯ll just change into something casual.¡± ¡°Nope. I bought this same dress for you. Since I¡¯m wearing it, you have to wear it too.¡± Sophie nced at Ysabelle¡¯s purple skirt and was not a big fan of it. It¡¯s so inconvenient to walk in that skirt! ¡°Please, Soph? We¡¯re besties, right?¡± ¡°All right. Fine!¡± Ysabelle gave Sophie a big hug. Yay! Soph¡¯s the best! Chapter 92 Chapter 92 Chapter 92 I Want To Have Meat Too The dress that Ysabelle bought Sophie was from the same brand as her own, but it gave off a different vibe. The dress Ysabelle wore made her look like a princess in a fairy tale, whereas Sophie¡¯s made her look like a celebrity. Sophie looked so great in the dress that even Ysabelle whistled when she saw her. ¡°Wow! You look really pretty!¡± Sophie simply shrugged and shed her a smile in response. This dress does indeed look nice and suits my style really well, but it¡¯s really inconvenient. I have to be careful when I sit down or I might expose myself without even realizing it! ¡°Come here, Soph! I¡¯ll help you with your makeup!¡± Ysabelle had recently gotten into makeup and even bought some from Transfix Cosmetics. ¡°No, thanks. I don¡¯t like that stuff on my face.¡± ¡°Ms. Tanner, have you forgotten that you are now selling cosmetics? How will the customers have faith in the product if you don¡¯t use it?¡± ¡°They can just not use it.¡± Applying makeup is a real hassle and takes way too much time. Don¡¯t even get me started on how troublesome the makeup removal process is¡­ ¡°Come on, Soph! Let me give it a shot! You know how I¡¯ve gotten into makeuptely!¡± Jeez¡­ I have got to choose my friends more carefully¡­ ¡°Ms. Lombard, is it possible for me to end our friendship?¡± ¡°Sorry, but it¡¯s toote for that now!¡± Realizing that she had given her consent, Ysabelle quickly sat her down at the dressing table and went to town on her face. Thanks to Sophie¡¯s naturally beautiful face and Ysabelle¡¯s amazing skills, Ysabelle got the makeup done in less than ten minutes. Using the same technique she saw in videos and tutorials, Ysabelle then braided Sophie¡¯s hair and said, ¡°See? You look even prettier than Cecelia!¡± She¡¯s clearly very proud of her handiwork¡­ ¡°Come on, let¡¯s go for dinner,¡± Sophie urged her as it was already six in the evening. ¡°Okay!¡± Ysabelle replied with a smile. Both Tristan¡¯s and Felix¡¯s eyes lit up when the two girls showed up in front of them. ¡°Well? What do you think? I might actually consider bing a stylist in the future,¡± Ysabelle asked with her head held high. Felix was still in awe as he looked at her from head to toe. ¡°You look beautiful, Belle!¡± Due to him being a blunt and dense guy, ¡°beautiful¡± was the onlypliment he knew. Ysabelle let out a proud snort and said, ¡°I know, right? I think I look amazing too!¡± ¡°Sophie looks better,¡± Tristanmented. It¡¯s no secret that Sophie looks extremely beautiful. She stunned me with her appearance once at Ysabelle¡¯s birthday party, but this evening gown gives her a different kind of charm! Ysabelle fell speechless when she heard what he said. ¡°I don¡¯t care what you say about Sophie. I think Ysabelle looks way better!¡± Felix said. ¡°We¡¯re going out for dinner, aren¡¯t we? Come on, let¡¯s get going! I¡¯m starving!¡± Sophie quickly ended the topic. Tristan nodded. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± The two of them then walked out the door together. ¡°You really want to be a stylist?¡± Felix asked while fiddling with Ysabelle¡¯s braid. He was well aware of her recent interest in makeup. ¡°Do you think I have the talent for it?¡± ¡°I think you do, but it¡¯s way too much work.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s continue this conversation some other time. I¡¯m not too sure about it myself just yet.¡± The four of them then made their way into a Koandrian barbecue restaurant and sat down at arge table. My goodness¡­ I never knew Tristan could make something as mundane as grilling meat look so good! Felix thought to himself in shock when he saw Tristan work the barbecue. Tristan added some vegetables to the meat when grilling it, which resulted in a really appetizing combination. When the meat was thoroughly cooked, Tristan ced it on a piece of lettuce and asked Sophie, ¡°Anything else you would like to add?¡± ¡°I can help myself to the food, so you don¡¯t have to worry about serving me,¡± Sophie replied while grabbing her own lettuce. Tristan simply kept quiet as he dipped it in some sauce and held it up to her mouth. Dozens of girls in the restaurant were looking at them at that time. Sophie shot Tristan an annoyed nce but opened her mouth anyway. Tristan fed her the perfectly grilled, bite-sized piece of meat that he had wrapped in the lettuce. ¡°Well? What do you think? Not too bad, huh?¡± ¡°It¡¯s really good.¡± A satisfied smile formed on Tristan¡¯s face when he heard that. The girls¡¯ eyes were filled with admiration and envy as they watched from their tables. ¡°That¡¯s Ms. Sophie¡¯s boyfriend, right? He¡¯s such a sweet guy!¡± N?velDrama.Org owns all content. ¡°I know, right? Not only does he look ridiculously good, but he also treats her so well!¡± ¡°D*mn¡­ I want him to be my boyfriend!¡± ¡°You? Forget it! Those two are a perfect match for each other!¡± Tristan and Sophie looked great together in terms of both their appearance and the aura they exuded. Ysabelle shifted her gaze between the meat that Tristan and Felix grilled. ¡°Hey, Felix! You¡¯ve been hanging out with Uncle Tristan for a really long time, so why haven¡¯t you learned anything from him?¡± Felix, too, wrapped a chunk of grilled meat in a piece of lettuce and held it up to her mouth. ¡°Here you go.¡± ¡°Forget it!¡± Ysabelle wrapped another chunk of meat and ate it herself instead. Tristan was so focused on feeding Sophie that he didn¡¯t really eat much himself. Is he not hungry? I¡¯m almost finished with my portion here! With that in mind, Sophie wrapped a chunk of meat in a piece of lettuce and held it up to his mouth. ¡°You should eat some too.¡± Tristan was not expecting her to feed him at all, so he got a little too excited and bit her finger by ident when she shoved it into his mouth. The two of them exchanged nces for the briefest of moments before Sophie pulled her hand back. Despite her maintaining a calm expression, she felt a strange sensation building up inside her chest. The finger that he identally bit felt numb as though it had been shocked by electricity. That was when Tristan realized he was more interested in having her instead of grilled meat. When they were almost done eating, Wilma poured herself a ss of wine and stood up as she said, ¡°I really want to thank you for what you did today, Ms. Sophie! Honestly, I would¡¯ve given up on Transfix Cosmetics if it weren¡¯t for you. Now, I know I will never think about giving up ever again! I¡¯ll be sure to work harder from now on!¡± Wilma then downed the entire ss in one go after that. Sophie, too, poured herself a ss of wine and replied, ¡°Don¡¯t mention it, Ms. Lineker. I should be the one thanking you instead. Cheers, everyone!¡± She stood up and chugged her drink down in one go as well. Felix couldn¡¯t help but wince at the sight of that. What has happened to girls nowadays? Are they all that hardcore? The dozens of girls stood up with their sses raised and filled to the brim. ¡°We¡¯re not good with words, but we promise to work just as hard! Thank you for everything, Ms. Sophie! With you on our side, I¡¯m sure we¡¯ll be able to afford to eat meat like this every day!¡± Felix fell speechless after hearing that. What the heck? Did Sophie be their CEO or something? Sophie smiled at how adorable their behavior was. ¡°Very well! I will do my best to help you all out!¡± It was already eight in the evening by the time they were done with dinner. Seeing as everyone was a little tired, Sophie decided to have them head back and get some rest. The barbecue ce wasn¡¯t far from the hotel, so they walked back instead of hailing taxis, as it would help with digesting the heavy meal. Tristan and Sophie were walking in the back of the group at that time. ¡°I¡¯d like to have some meat too, Ms. Sophie,¡± he said all of a sudden. Sophie paused in her tracks. Wait¡­ What did I just hear? ¡°I want to have meat too. Will you help me out with that?¡± Sophie found herself blushing when she heard that. Is this guy flirting with me right now? ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure you can afford to have meat anytime you want, Mr. Tristan,¡± Sophie replied and carried on walking forward. ¡°You know what I¡¯m talking about.¡± She¡¯s a smart girl, so there¡¯s no way she doesn¡¯t get what I mean! Chapter 93 Chapter 93 Chapter 93 I Look Amazing Without Clothes Later that night, Sophie waited till Ysabelle had fallen asleep before helping Butterfly and the others solve their problem. Since she had a phone call with Arius thatsted over an hour after that, she only managed to get four hours of sleep. As such, Sophie looked incredibly tired when the group had breakfast at the hotel dining hall the next morning. ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Sophie? Are you feeling unwell? Do you want to go back to your room and get some rest?¡± Ysabelle asked worriedly. ¡°I¡¯m fine. I just didn¡¯t sleep well, that¡¯s all,¡± Sophie replied. She grabbed some random food items and a ss of warm milk before returning to her seat. Tristan sat down in front of her with his breakfast and asked, ¡°Are you all right?¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± Why is everyone asking me the same thing? Worried that she could be starving, Tristan transferred a lot of his food onto her te. He had been doing stuff like that so often that Sophie had gotten used to it at that point. ¡°You should eat more.¡± Since she wasn¡¯t a model, he couldn¡¯t stand seeing her being skinnier than actual models out there. ¡°Do you have a problem with my figure, Mr. Tristan?¡± Sophie askedzily. ¡°Yeah. You¡¯re a little too skinny.¡± ¡°Oh, please! I only look skinny because of the clothes that I wear! I¡¯ll have you know that I look amazing without them!¡± Tristan kept quiet and stared at her chest before nodding in agreement. It wasn¡¯t until a few secondster that Sophie realized what she had said and blushed really hard. What the f*ck? I can¡¯t believe I actually said that to a guy! ¡°You can prove it to me when we have the time,¡± Tristan whispered suggestively. I would dly verify that statement of hers myself! Their little intimate moment was interrupted when Ysabelle came over and asked, ¡°What are you two talking about? Your face looks really red, Soph! Are you actually feeling unwell?¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine¡­¡± Sophie mumbled as she shoved a grape into her mouth. ¡°Oh, by the way, what were you doing on theputerst night?¡± Ysabelle asked. She had gotten up in the middle of the night and seen Sophie working on herputer. Thinking that she was probably busy with something, Ysabelle didn¡¯t want to disturb her and went back to sleep. ¡°I was gaming.¡± ¡°That sounds fun! I want to join you the next time you y!¡± ¡°Sure.¡± ¡°Phantom has struck against night, Mr. Tristan,¡± Felix whispered with a depressed look on his face. Being a huge fan of Phantom, he had always wanted to know who Phantom was but never had the chance to find out. ¡°Got it.¡± Tristan was equally curious about Phantom¡¯s identity. He wanted to recruit a talented individual like that. Sophie shot them a nce when she heard them talking about Phantom, but she carried on eating as if she didn¡¯t know anything about it. After finishing her food, Sophie was about to put the te away when Tristan stopped her. ¡°Leave it here. I¡¯ll take care of it along with my own teter.¡± As Sophie was having a stomachache at that time, she did as told and ran off to use the bathroom. The group had nned on having a fun day at the beachter, so Wilma and the others were going to get their stuff from their hotel rooms. That was when Wendy identally bumped into a woman dressed in fancy clothes, knocking her handbag to the floor in the process. ¡°Are you blind or what? Why don¡¯t you watch where you¡¯re going?¡± the woman yelled angrily while shoving Wendy off her. Upon noticing the branded stuff the woman had on, Wendy apologized as she knew she couldn¡¯t afford to mess with her. ¡°I¡¯m sorry! It was an ident!¡± ¡°Saying sorry isn¡¯t going to help! Do you have any idea how much this handbag costs? Someone like you couldn¡¯t possibly afford it!¡± ¡°I¡¯m really sorry!¡± The woman¡¯s temper red when she heard her apologize again. She pped Wendy so hard that blood came out of the corner of her lips. As Wilma was walking in the front of the group, she didn¡¯t realize the trouble Wendy had gotten herself into until she heard the p. ¡°Hey, Ma¡¯am! I don¡¯t know what happened, but you shouldn¡¯t have hit her like that!¡± Wilma got angry when she saw the woman bullying her subordinate. N?velDrama.Org owns all content. ¡°She should consider herself lucky that a p is all she got! Do you even know how much this handbag costs? It¡¯s a limited-edition item!¡± the woman snapped back at her. It pained Wilma to see Wendy¡¯s face all swollen up. ¡°Wendy, are you okay?¡± Despite how aggrieved she felt, Wendy didn¡¯t want to cause Wilma any trouble, as they were in Koandria. ¡°I¡¯m fine, Ms. Lineker¡­¡± she mumbled. ¡°Apologize to me properly andpensate me for my handbag! Until then, none of you are leaving Jinrich Ind!¡± Koandrians like her often looked down upon Chanaeans. I really want to tear this woman a new one, but we can¡¯t afford to cause trouble now that we¡¯re in a foreign country¡­ With that in mind, Wilma asked, ¡°How much do you want?¡± ¡°Ten million!¡± the woman replied shamelessly. ¡°I don¡¯t have that much money, Ms. Lineker!¡± Wendy was on the verge of crying. ¡°Ma¡¯am, your bag fell on the floor. How can that possibly cost ten million?¡± Wilma tried to reason with her. ¡°My bag is dirty now, so I don¡¯t want it anymore,¡± the woman replied arrogantly. Everyone in the hotel knew she was the wife of the local business conglomerate, so nobody dared intervene at all. ¡°You¡­¡± Sophie had just returned from the bathroom when she saw them being surrounded. ¡°What¡¯s going on here?¡± she asked as she made her way over. ¡°Ms. Sophie!¡± Wendy burst into tears the moment she saw her savior. Wilma gave her a brief summary of the situation, and Sophie narrowed her eyes after hearing her exnation. Those who were close to Sophie knew that look meant she was about to screw someone over, but the woman was still mouthing off at them. ¡°How about this? Since you¡¯re all so poor, I¡¯ll be kind enough to let you all off the hook if you all apologize to me sincerely.¡± ¡°You¡­¡± Wilma was on the verge of exploding with anger at that point. ¡°It¡¯s fine, Ms. Sophie!¡± Wendy said as she didn¡¯t want to get them all in trouble. ¡°How much did you say this handbag is worth?¡± Sophie asked. As no one had ever dared stand up to her, the woman waspletely fearless even when faced with someone like Sophie. ¡°Ten million.¡± ¡°All right. Fetch me a pair of scissors.¡± Fearing that she would offend the woman further, Wilma tried to talk her out of it. ¡°Ms. Sophie¡ª¡± ¡°I said, fetch me a pair of scissors,¡± Sophie repeated herself. Wilma had no choice but to do as told and returned with a pair of scissors in hand. Sophie then handed the scissors over to Wendy without saying a word, much to her confusion. ¡°What are you girls nning on doing, huh? You¡¯re in Koandria right now! Do you even know who I am?¡± ¡°Shut up!¡± Sophie shot her a cold re, causing the woman to go silent instantly. She turned toward Wendy as she continued, ¡°This handbag is worth a lot of money, right? Cut it.¡± This handbag is worth ten million, though! Are we seriously going to cut it? Wendy nced at Wilma with an uncertain look in her eyes. ¡°Just do it!¡± With trembling hands, Wendy knelt down and began cutting the handbag in front of everyone. The woman was livid with rage when she saw that. It was really hard for me to get my hands on that handbag! I had to pull so many strings just to get it, and these people are just cutting it to pieces? She got so mad that she wanted to kill them all on the spot. ¡°You b*tches¡ª¡± ¡°While we can afford to pay you ten million for destroying your handbag, it¡¯s clearly a fake worth only ten thousand. Wilma, pay her ten thousand,¡± Sophie said with her arms crossed. Wilma did as told and handed the woman ten thousand in cash. ¡°Bullsh*t! Don¡¯t give me that cr*p!¡± The woman refused to believe that she had spent ten million on a counterfeit handbag. Chapter 94 Chapter 94 Chapter 94 A Truly Swollen Face Sophie didn¡¯t want to waste any more of her time and energy on that woman. ¡°We¡¯ll know for sure by having someone appraise it. You may not know whether your handbag is authentic, but you did p my colleague across the face.¡± The woman fell silent instantly. ¡°Tell me, how much do you think you should pay us for the p?¡± Sophie pressed on. ¡°Heh¡­ I knew it! You lot are trying to con me of my money! Have you Chanaeans forgotten where you are right now? How dare you try to con me in my own country?¡± ¡°I think you should forget about it, Miss. She¡¯s the wife of a business conglomerate.¡± Unlike in other countries, business conglomerates were incredibly powerful in Koandria. ¡°I am not going to let this slide!¡± Sophie insisted. The woman pulled out a ten thousand note from her purse and threw it at Wendy. ¡°There, is that good enough for you? That¡¯s ten thousand for a p!¡± Sophie got so angry that she actually felt a little amused. This woman sure is something else! I can¡¯t believe she actually managed to anger me! ¡°Oh¡­ A p is only worth ten thousand to you, huh? Since you like hitting people so much, I¡¯ll y a little game with you!¡± She stepped forward and pped the woman repeatedly across the face. Those ps were so hard that they left the woman stunned with her ears ringing. It took her every ounce of strength she had just to remain on her feet. ¡°How many times did I hit her?¡± Sophie asked. ¡°Ten times,¡± Wilma replied. Sophie took the purse from Wilma and threw ny thousand at the woman¡¯s face. ¡°You want to make more money? I¡¯d be happy to keep oblige if you do, but my hands are a little tired, so I¡¯ll pay someone else to do it for me.¡± ¡°You¡­ Just you all wait and see!¡± the woman spat those words out before fleeing the scene. ¡°Are you sure it¡¯s okay to do that, Ms. Sophie? Business conglomerates hold a great amount of power here!¡± Although it was incredibly satisfying to put that woman in her ce, they were still worried about the potential repercussions of their actions. ¡°Don¡¯t worry! I¡¯m here with all of you!¡± Sophie reassured them. I wouldn¡¯t have done that if I were afraid of the consequences! Besides, a business conglomerate from Jinrich Ind is nothingpared to me! Tristan, Felix, and Ysabelle came running over when they noticed themotion. ¡°What happened?¡± Ysabelle asked. ¡°It¡¯s nothing. Some idiot just tried to bully us, that¡¯s all.¡± Sophie refused to let anyone make a fool of her. Fearing that Sophie would get into trouble because of her, Wendy said apologetically, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Ms. Sophie! I really didn¡¯t mean for this to happen!¡± Tristan nced at Wendy¡¯s face and said, ¡°Felix, get a doctor over here.¡± ¡°On it!¡± After hearing that Sophie had pped someone ten times, Tristan held her hand and examined it as he asked, ¡°Does your hand hurt?¡± ording to thew of action and reaction, it would make perfect sense for her hand to be hurting after hitting someone that many times. Honestly, she shouldn¡¯t even have to get her hands dirty like this. Sophie and everyone else fell silent upon seeing his behavior. ¡°Next time, let me do the hitting.¡± ¡°All right, I¡¯ll keep that in mind.¡± Everyone else then returned to their rooms while a doctor tended to Wendy¡¯s injury. After hearing the doctor dere that she was all right, they headed over to the beach as they had originally nned. The girls were quick to forget the unpleasant incident from earlier the moment they saw how beautiful the scenery was. However, it wasn¡¯t in Tristan¡¯s nature to forgive and forget like that. ¡°There is no longer any reason for that woman to exist now that she has offended me. Have Sean take care of this.¡± ¡°You sure are protective of Sophie, Mr. Tristan!¡± ¡°Of course. She¡¯s mine, and I¡¯m not about to let anyone bully her.¡± Felix fell speechless upon hearing that. Given how powerful Sophie is, I highly doubt anyone has what it takes to bully her! As Ysabelle found Wilma pleasant to hang out with, she decided to befriend her and said, ¡°Let¡¯s add each other on WhatsApp, Ms. Lineker! From now on, you may feel free to contact me if you ever need anything. I may not be as powerful as Soph, but I might just be able to help out!¡± Naturally, Wilma was well aware of Ysabelle¡¯s capabilities. Having taken a liking to her personality as well, Wilma agreed to her suggestion readily, ¡°Sure thing!¡± Since the weather was great that day, Sophie decided to get off the chair and go for a stroll. She took her shoes off and walked along the beach with her feet in the water. ¡°I believe I¡¯ve made myself clear enough, yes?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Mr. Tristan! Just leave it to me!¡± After all, making a mere business conglomerate go missing was a piece of cake for them. When Tristan shifted his gaze toward the sea, he found himself mesmerized by how beautiful Sophie looked ying in the water. While making his way toward her, he paused in his tracks and took a picture of her on his phone. A boundless blue ocean in the background, and a beautiful goddess with long hair that blows freely in the wind¡­ This picture is perfect! Satisfied with how great the picture turned out, Tristan put the phone away and continued making his way toward her. Instead of walking alongside her, Tristan simply followed behind her and admired the view. Sophie paused in her tracks and turned around to face him all of a sudden, but Tristan just kept walking toward her without breaking his stride. He didn¡¯t do or say anything strange in particr, but Sophie found her heart beating faster as he got closer to her. Tristan came to a halt when he was about a step away from her. Despite having so much power at his fingertips, he chose not to abuse it by forcing himself on her. Instead, he believed that she would someday take that step toward him of her own ord. ¡°Hey, Felix¡­ I think I might be homosexual¡­ I don¡¯t know why, but seeing Uncle Tristan together with Sophie makes me sad. Do you think I might¡¯ve fallen in love with her?¡± Ysabelle mumbled as she observed their interaction from afar. ¡°Ysabelle, are you serious right now?¡± Felix couldn¡¯t believe his ears. Don¡¯t tell me my rival in love is a woman¡­ ¡°But they look so good together!¡± Ysabelle protested. Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org. Felix nced in their direction and saw what she meant. It¡¯s true that those two look great together. In fact, it¡¯s such a beautiful sight that I feel like I¡¯m watching some romantic Koandrian drama. However, it wouldn¡¯t be as beautiful if one of them turned out to be my love rival! Unable to withstand her boredom any longer, Ysabelle ran up to them and grabbed Sophie by the arm. ¡°Let¡¯s have apetition!¡± ¡°What kind ofpetition?¡± Tristan asked. Since he was rarely open to such suggestions, Ysabelle wasn¡¯t about to let such an opportunity slip her by. ¡°Since we¡¯re at a beach, it only makes sense that we y a game of beach volleyball! What do you think?¡± ¡°I think that sounds great. Come here, Belle! You and I are on the same team!¡± Felix pulled Ysabelle aside. Naturally, Sophie and Tristan were teamed up with each other. Wilma and the girls gathered around after seeing what they were doing. ¡°You can do it, Ms. Sophie!¡± the girls chanted in unison to cheer her on. ¡°You sure have a lot of fans.¡± ¡°Eh, it¡¯s all right.¡± Hmm¡­ Looks like I still have a long way to go if I am to be the only one who matters to her. ¡°Since this is apetition, we should have a wager to keep things interesting! Wouldn¡¯t you agree, Mr. Tristan?¡± Felix suggested. Tristan arched an eyebrow at him in response. Does Felix think he can beat me? Isn¡¯t he overestimating himself a little too much here? With that in mind, he asked, ¡°Do you really think you can win?¡± ¡°Everypetition will have winners and losers. Besides, I don¡¯t think I¡¯m bound to lose!¡± Felix replied with a chuckle. ¡°That¡¯s where you¡¯re wrong. You¡¯re guaranteed to lose if youpete against me.¡± ¡°You¡­¡± Felix was irritated by Tristan¡¯s unbelievable arrogance, but there wasn¡¯t much he could do about it. ¡°How about this? If I win, I¡¯ll trade ces with Sophie!¡± He was truly going all out at that point. Chapter 95 Chapter 95 Chapter 95 Go To My Room Thinking she had misheard him, Ysabelle dug at her ear and asked calmly, ¡°What did you say? Can you repeat that?¡± ¡°I said, I want to share a room with you!¡± Felix was determined to spend more time with her at all costs. ¡°You hear that, Uncle Tristan? Your friend here wants to bed me!¡± Ysabelle said. Felix fell silent upon hearing that. Wait¡­ Did she get the wrong idea or something? I said I wanted to share a room with her, not share a bed with her! Noticing that Tristan had narrowed his eyes menacingly, Felix raised his arms in a surrendering motion and eximed, ¡°That¡¯s not true, Mr. Tristan! I¡¯ve never thought about that at all!¡± Sophie picked up the volleyball and stepped forward as she said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Ysabelle! He can¡¯t possibly win!¡± ¡°Hey, Mr. Tristan! Your girlfriend is bullying me!¡± Felix eximed. ¡°That¡¯s fine. I¡¯ll help her bully you in a bit!¡± Tristan replied with a smile. Just like that, what should¡¯ve been a fair volleyball match ended with the three of them ganging up on Felix. Unhappy with his loss, Felix grumbled when he was alone with Tristan, ¡°Hey, Mr. Tristan! Don¡¯t you want to be in the same room with Sophie? I actually thought you were going to help me out earlier!¡± ¡°I¡¯m warning you, Felix. Ysabelle is still very young!¡± What the f*ck? Does he really see me as a heartless pervert? ¡°I just wanted to spend more time with her, d*mn it! Why must you all bully me like this? You¡¯re such a meanie, Mr. Tristan!¡± Felixmented. ¡°I won¡¯t stop you once Ysabelle turns twenty, so stop your whining.¡± What? I have to wait till she¡¯s twenty? There are tons of kids out there who start dating as early as the age of ten! ¡°Twenty? A-Are you going to wait till Sophie turns twenty too?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Felix had never thought he would hear that reply from Tristan. What the¡­ Since when did Mr. Tristan be such a gentleman? Wilma had always assumed that Tristan was some kind of unreasonable thug that would abuse his powers. Being a huge fan of photography, she had taken a picture of him and Sophie with an instant camera when they were standing next to each other earlier. Noticing that Tristan was standing by himself, she walked up to him and handed him the photo she had taken. ¡°You must really like Ms. Sophie, huh? You two look so perfect together!¡± Tristan couldn¡¯t help but admire how great the photo looked. He and Sophie were looking at each other with the former lowering his head and thetter raising hers slightly. Her skirt was billowing in the wind, and the boundless blue sea made a perfect background for the two of them. ¡°Thanks. Feel free toe to me if you ever need anything,¡± Tristan said. Felix saw him staring at the photo when he came back. ¡°What is it?¡± he asked as he tried to get a peek, but Tristan put it away before he could see anything. Oh,e on! It¡¯s just a photo! Would it kill him to let me have a look? Sophie was feeling a little tired due to theck of sleep, but she didn¡¯t want to stop Wilma and the others from having a great time. After giving it some thought, she decided to just text them the location for dinner instead. As Ysabelle and Felix were nowhere to be found, she went back to the hotel with Tristan. Upon arriving outside her room door, Sophie realized she had forgotten her keycard. She was about to go back and get it when Tristan grabbed hold of her arm. ¡°Why don¡¯t you go to my room instead?¡± Sophie arched an eyebrow at him in response. ¡°I¡¯m not suggesting anything, okay? I just think it¡¯s too much of a hassle to go all the way back there for a keycard. Besides, you¡¯re tired, aren¡¯t you?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t say anything,¡± Sophie mumbled as she followed him to his presidential suite. ¡°Go ahead and take a nap. I¡¯ll wake you up when it¡¯s time for dinner.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± As she had only slept for four hours the night before, Sophie soon drifted off into a very deep sleep. Tristan decided to get some work done on hisputer outside to kill time. The general manager of Lombard Group started whining the moment Tristan answered his video call. ¡°When will you being back, Mr. Tristan? Pleasee back as soon as you can!¡± My goodness¡­ Our CEO sure is something else! How on earth does he get so much work done so effortlessly? I can barely get a few hours of sleep every day! Tristan frowned, as he had only been gone for a few days. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Just keep up the good work. I¡¯m sure you can handle it.¡± ¡°I¡­¡± The general manager was on the verge of crying at that point. D*mn¡­ I can¡¯t believe he¡¯s out there enjoying his vacation while I¡¯m working my a*s off here every single day! ¡°Is there anything else you wish to report? If not, I¡¯m going to hang up and go take a nap. I¡¯m a little tired after ying volleyball all morning.¡± The general manager could only sigh at his fate as he reluctantly got back to work. Tristan quietly returned to the room after ending the video call. Sophie was lying on the huge, white bed with the nket covering her from the waist down. Her long, brown hair was spread across the bed, and her skin looked even fairer in contrast to the dark bed sheet. Tristan sat down on the floor and rested his head on the bed as he stared at her. Sophie looked so pure and vulnerable when she was asleep that he felt like protecting her in his embrace forever. Due to her staying up sote, she was still asleep by the time Ysabelle and the others returned. Ysabelle went looking for Sophie in her room when it was time for dinner but found no one inside. ¡°Sophie isn¡¯t in her room, Felix.¡± ¡°Hmph! In that case, she must be in Mr. Tristan¡¯s room!¡± Unbelievable! He¡¯s such a jerk for practicing double standards! ¡°Are you serious? I can¡¯t believe Uncle Tristan would go for it so soon!¡± Although she liked Sophie a lot too, she found it a little more eptable if it was her uncle who dated Sophie. Felix headed over to Tristan¡¯s room with Ysabelle and knocked on the door. Tristan frowned when he opened the door and saw the two of them standing outside. ¡°It¡¯s time for dinner, Mr. Tristan!¡± ¡°You two go on ahead. Sophie is still asleep, so I¡¯ll stay here with her. Tell Wilma and the others that she won¡¯t be joining them and that they can eat whatever they want because it¡¯s on me.¡± Ysabelle gasped in shock. ¡°She¡¯s still sleeping? Uncle Tristan, Soph is still very young! How could you¡­¡± I knew it! Men are all sc*mbags! She was going to continue yelling at him, but Felix had dragged her away before she could do so. Tristan simply ignored her and shut the door after they left. ¡°Why did you stop me, Felix? Can¡¯t you see that my uncle has gone too far?¡± ¡°She¡¯s just sleeping¡­¡± ¡°Shut up! How could you say such a thing?¡± ¡°Hey, I¡¯m not the one who slept with her, Belle! Why are you taking it out on me?¡± What? Does he want to sleep with Sophie too? Ysabelle shot him a fierce re and asked, ¡°You want me to go tell my uncle about that?¡± Felix quickly grabbed her by the arm. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, okay? I didn¡¯t mean it like that! Are you trying to get me killed?¡± Mr. Tristan will have my head on a silver tter if he finds out about this! Meanwhile, Sophie had woken up ande out of the room to pour herself a ss of water. Noticing that she was walking barefooted, Tristan came over and scooped her into his arms. ¡°Mr. Tristan, I think you¡¯re getting a little too used to carrying metely,¡± Sophiemented with an eyebrow arched. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you put some slippers on?¡± Tristan asked as he set her down on the bed. Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org. I know that the presidential suite has a carpet on the floor, but it¡¯s still quite chilly! She should at least put some slippers on! ¡°I got thirsty.¡± Tristan got up and poured her a warm ss of water when he heard that. ¡°Ysabelle and the others must¡¯ve returned by now, right? It¡¯s about time we head out for dinner.¡± As Sophie had just woken up, she had azy vibe about her when she spoke. Chapter 96 Chapter 96 Chapter 96 I Cannot Wait ¡°They left after they came back and saw you sleeping,¡± Tristan uttered calmly. ¡°Oh.¡± Sophie made nothing out of it. Since they¡¯ve already left, I guess I¡¯ll just eat with him alone. ¡°Wait for me. I¡¯ll wash up, and we¡¯ll have dinner together.¡± Tristan was ted when he heard her say ¡°we.¡± Sophie went to the bathroom and washed up. After wiping her face dry, she tied her hair up into a ponytail before going out. Tristan got up from the couch right away when he saw hering out. The two then went out for dinner. By the time they were done with dinner, one hour had passed. The moment she got back into her room, Ysabelle dashed toward her. ¡°Soph, Uncle Tristan is a¡­¡± Ysabelle opened her mouth to speak, but she hesitated. Uncle Tristan is a monster! Do I even have words to describe him? ¡°What¡¯s up with your uncle?¡± Sophie didn¡¯t know what Ysabelle was trying to say. ¡°Soph, I¡¯m sorry. You wouldn¡¯t have known Uncle Tristan if it had not been for me.¡± Ysabelle was filled with guilt. ¡°Why are you apologizing to me?¡± Ultimately, Ysabelle asked, ¡°Soph, did Uncle Tristan take advantage of you?¡± Despite being a calm and collected person, Sophie couldn¡¯t help but feel surprised. As a result, she kept quiet for a while. ¡°See! I knew it! Since you guys were already sleeping together, there¡¯s no way Uncle Tristan could keep his hands off you. This is all Felix¡¯s fault. If I hadn¡¯t gone out with him, you wouldn¡¯t have¡­¡± Ysabelle was on the verge of crying. ¡°Ysabelle, your imagination has run wild, hasn¡¯t it? I forgot to bring my keycard out with me, so I slept in your uncle¡¯s room. That¡¯s all,¡± Sophie answered. Who would¡¯ve thought Ysabelle would have these dirty thoughts in her mind? She seems so innocent! ¡°Are you sure?¡± Ysabelle wasn¡¯t convinced. Sophie nodded, and she couldn¡¯t be bothered if Ysabelle believed her or not. ¡°That¡¯s good, then. I was so scared.¡± Sophie was rendered speechless. What¡¯s so scary? The trip to Koandriasted for three days and two nights. Since Sophie and Ysabelle were still students, they had only applied for three days¡¯ leave of absence. Although they were reluctant and wished to stay longer, they had to pack up and leave. While they were waiting at the airport, Wendy approached Sophie with a present in her hands. ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± Sophie asked. ¡°Thank you, Ms. Sophie.¡± Wendy gave her the present. Wendy was very grateful to Sophie because Sophie stood up for her. At that time, Wendy was utterly frightened. Hence, she felt touched when she saw Sophie defending her bravely. Sophie received the present with both hands. ¡°Thank you.¡± Upon hearing that, Wendy blushed. Ms. Sophie is awesome! She then cheerily went to sit with Wilma and the others. ¡°Mr. Tristan, it seems like you have anotherpetitor! Ms. Sophie is capable of charming both males and females!¡± ¡°Of course! Sophie is that appealing,¡± Ysabelle chimed in. Tristan was rendered speechless. Sophie proceeded to keep the present Wendy had given to her in her luggage. ¡°Wendy, what did you give Ms. Sophie? Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯ve fallen for her.¡± ¡°Stop speaking nonsense, you guys!¡± Wendy blushed. Wilma just shook her head upon hearing the conversation. Well, Ms. Sophie is very capable of making people fall for her. By the time they arrived at Jipsdale, it was already past eleven at night, and Tristan personally sent her back to Wisteria Apartments. ¡°Go to sleep early tonight,¡± he said. ¡°Okay.¡± In fact, Tristan was reluctant to leave. Although we¡¯ve spent the past three days together, I want more. If only I could have known her a few years earlier. ¡°Goodnight.¡± With that, Sophie was about to head inside. Tristan reached out and held her hand. When she turned around, he pulled her into his embrace. ¡°Sophie, I can¡¯t wait for you to grow up.¡± The next day, at noon, Sophie hailed a taxi and went to the hospital after school. However, she found out that Josiah wasn¡¯t in the ward anymore. Upon asking around, she was told that Josiah had already gone home. Sophie was feeling utterly helpless. This old man doesn¡¯t listen, does he? Sophie then hailed a taxi to go to the Tanner residence. When Charmaine saw here home, she immediately got the housekeeper to pour Sophie a ss of water. ¡°You¡¯re back, Soph! Drink some water first. Your grandpa is in the study!¡± Due to how well Transfix Cosmetics was doing, there was a big possibility that Sophie would end up bing the CEO of Tanner Group. Hence, Charmaine¡¯s attitude toward Sophie changed drastically. No matter what, Sophie was still her daughter. If Tanner Group were to end up in Sophie¡¯s hands, Charmaine would still need Sophie¡¯s help in the future. ¡°I¡¯m not thirsty.¡± Sophie went straight to the study, only to find Josiah practicing calligraphy. Upon seeing her, Josiah put his pen aside and asked concernedly, ¡°You¡¯re back! Have you eaten?¡± ¡°Grandpa, why didn¡¯t you listen to me? Didn¡¯t I tell you to stay in the hospital? I¡¯ve just been away for three days, and you went home all by yourself.¡± Sophie was displeased. Still smiling, Josiah replied, ¡°Calm down, Soph. I¡¯m fine, really. I¡¯m doing fine.¡± Sophie was speechless because she didn¡¯t know how to handle Josiah. ¡°By the way, Transfix Cosmetics is doing well, right? Keep an eye on your dad, okay? It seems like he has not given up yet.¡± ¡°Grandpa, I¡¯ve said it before. Since you¡¯ve already decided to let me manage Transfix Cosmetics, you should leave it to me.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not that I don¡¯t trust you. It¡¯s just that your dad¡­ He¡¯s¡­¡± Josiah was upset when he mentioned his only son. ¡°I¡¯ll get you a few bodyguards,¡± he added. Of course, he did not hope anything happened to Sophie that might require the bodyguards¡¯ help, but they could keep her safe if Yale were to do something to her. Sophie was also well aware of what the despicable Yale was capable of doing. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Grandpa! I can take care of myself.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t help it, Soph. Do you me me? If it were not for me, you wouldn¡¯t be in danger.¡± Indeed, it was selfish of him to let an eighteen-year-old girl deal with such matters. ¡°Grandpa, I would never me you.¡± After lunch, the driver sent Sophie and Willow back to school. ¡°You¡¯re happy now, aren¡¯t you, Sophie?¡± Since there were only the three of them in the car, Willow didn¡¯t bother putting up an innocent front. Besides, she knew the driver was on her side. Sophie had her eyes shut and ignored her. ¡°Sophie, do you hear me? So what if you¡¯ve saved Transfix Cosmetics? What¡¯s so impressive about that? If someone were to give me an opportunity like that, I can also achieve what you¡¯ve achieved,¡± Willow added. ? N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved. Finally, Sophie opened her eyes, and she shot Willow a look casually. ¡°You should request to manage a company that¡¯s on the verge of bankruptcy, then. That way, you¡¯ll stopining.¡± In response, Willow scoffed and retorted, ¡°What¡¯s so difficult about that? It¡¯s just that I¡¯m never given such an opportunity. Grandpa doesn¡¯t even want to hand anything down to me.¡± ¡°In that case, perhaps you should stop whining in front of me. Do you know how pathetic you look when you do that?¡± ¡°You!¡± Sophie never liked to argue. However, Willow was no match for her once Sophie took the fight seriously. No matter what Sophie does, she¡¯ll never be able to marry Mason. Suddenly, Willow chuckled. ¡°You¡¯re feeling smug, aren¡¯t you? Let¡¯s see how long that willst. Mason ising back soon. The moment he arrives, we¡¯re going to get engaged.¡± ¡°Mason?¡± Sophie hadn¡¯t heard that name in ages. In fact, she had almost forgotten about that person. Chapter 97 Chapter 97 Chapter 97 Make The First Move ¡°You¡¯ll never have the chance again,¡± Willow said with utter satisfaction because that was the first time she thought she was one up on Sophie ever since Sophie came back. ¡°Well, if you¡¯re so eager and happy to rely on men, be my guest. Perhaps you feel proud about that, but I don¡¯t want any of it.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t? Oh, please. You¡¯re just being jealous!¡± Willow answered. There¡¯s no way the Laird family would ept a woman with such a terrible reputation like Sophie. Sophie merely sneered in response and ignored her. Talking to Willow is such a waste of time. It seems like she¡¯s always living in her own world. When they arrived at the school, Sophie opened the car door and got out of the car without sparing Willow a single nce. Upon seeing that, Willow was annoyed. Although I have one up on her, why do I not feel a sense of superiority? Ever since Sophie¡¯s return, things were gradually changing, and Willow was getting unsettled. Unfortunately, there was nothing she could do about it. Luckily, Mason ising back soon. Once I¡¯m engaged to him, everyone in Jipsdale is going to be so jealous of me. As long as I can marry into the Laird family, Sophie will be iparable to me. ¡°Ms. Willow, go on! ss is starting soon,¡± the driver urged. Willow only went to ss after hearing that. Sophie was barely paying attention to the ss that afternoon because she already knew everything that was being taught. This is such a waste of time. However, since Grandpa wants me in school, I shall do as he wishes. Sophie didn¡¯t want Josiah to get upset. Finally, her teacher left after the school bell rang. The moment her teacher left, Ysabelle went to look for Sophie, and she said, ¡°Let¡¯s go for dinner! We still have an examter in the evening!¡± Ever since bing senior-year students, their schedules were packed with exams. Sophie saw Victor when they stepped out of school. ¡°I¡¯m here, Sophie!¡± Victor waved his hand in the air when he saw her. Sophie pretended like she didn¡¯t see him and kept walking. Victor then walked up to her and stopped her. ¡°What are you doing?¡± Sophie was irritated. How is this person so annoying? Not only is he dressed in fancy clothes, but he just has toe and annoy me. ¡°Why do you hate me so much, Sophie? Don¡¯t you think I look good today?¡± Victor was dressed in a shy red suit. Sophie kept mum. Since Sophie was ignoring him, Victor turned toward Ysabelle and asked, ¡°Hey, youngdy. What do you think?¡± Ysabelle shook her head. ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯s nice in any way. Buzz off.¡± ¡°This youngdy is feisty!¡± Victor uttered. ¡°What are you doing here, Victor?¡± Sophie asked. The students nearby noticed them, and they started talking among themselves while staring at the three of them. ¡°Nothing much, actually. Under your leadership, Transfix Cosmetics has been a sess, so I¡¯vee to congratte you.¡± Victor was very interested in Sophie. ¡°Thank you.¡± With that, Sophie held Ysabelle¡¯s hand and continued walking. Refusing to give up, Victor reached out his hand to grab Sophie¡¯s shoulder. Sophie frowned. He¡¯s pushing it! Sophie turned around, grabbed Victor¡¯s hand, and threw him over her shoulder. Victor was heard letting out a groan when he fell to the ground with a loud thud. ¡°Argh!¡± Victor didn¡¯t know Sophie was capable of doing that. Thus, her action caught him off guard. The onlookers were stunned when they saw that. Well, Sophie is indeed the new ¡°boss¡± in Jipsdale Premier High. She¡¯s not to be messed with. She had just thrown the tall and well-built man over her shoulder! ¡°Mr. Victor, are you all right?¡± Victor¡¯s assistant rushed over instantly. Victor was still on the ground, and he was blushing. This is so embarrassing! I¡¯ve been beaten by a youngdy. ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± Sophie uttered coldly and brought Ysabelle away. ¡°I¡¯m going to teach her a lesson, Mr. Victor,¡± the assistant said. How dare she bully Mr. Victor? She must have a death wish! Right then, Victor grabbed him and stopped him. ¡°What do you think you¡¯re doing?¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to avenge you!¡± ¡°You are sick of living, aren¡¯t you?¡± Victor kicked his assistant and asked, ¡°Don¡¯t you find her interesting?¡± The assistant¡¯s lips twitched when he heard that. ¡°Do you enjoy being tortured, Mr. Victor?¡± Do all the rich people nowadays have weird kinks? Do they like being tortured? Or is it because they¡¯re asking for it? ¡°You¡¯re so cool, Soph!¡± Ysabelle eximed in admiration. ¡°Don¡¯t be so impressed. You can do it as well. I¡¯ll teach you when I¡¯m free.¡± In fact, it was essential for girls to learn some self-defense techniques. ¡°Sure!¡± Prior to that, Felix had offered to teach Ysabelle, but she wasn¡¯t interested. However, she was willing to learn from Sophie. That night, Willow didn¡¯t attend her self-study session. Instead, she went to the Laird residence and apanied Constance to the airport to fetch Mason. Before Willow went to the Laird residence, she had put on some makeup and donned an elegant skirt. Constance was very satisfied with how Willow looked when she saw her. ¡°Let¡¯s go! It¡¯s about time. Mason is going to stay this time around, and he¡¯s not going back, Wi. You must take full advantage of the opportunity, okay?¡± ¡°Got it, Mrs. Laird.¡± ¡°Also, don¡¯t be shy. That¡¯s just how Mason is. If he doesn¡¯t take the initiative, you just have to make the first move.¡± Compared to Sophie, Constance liked Willow a lot more. The Laird family¡¯s driver then sent both of them to the airport. Upon arriving, Willow was nervous. After all, she hadn¡¯t seen Mason for three years. I wonder how he is now. Does he still remember me? Does he have a girlfriend abroad? ? N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved. Constance noticed her nervousness, so she patted her hand and said, ¡°Everything¡¯s going to be all right. You¡¯ve saved Mason¡¯s life, remember? Didn¡¯t he treat you nicely back then?¡± Willow nodded. Indeed, everyone in the Laird family thought Willow was the one who had saved Mason, and that was why they treated her very nicely. No one knew the truth, and no one bothered to find out. Right then, they saw Mason walking toward them from afar. After three years, his innocence had vanished, and he looked mature. He was dressed in a white shirt with a blue sweater on the outside, and he looked very handsome. Willow couldn¡¯t help but blush when she saw him once again. Willow suppressed the shyness and greeted, ¡°You¡¯re back, Mason!¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Mason replied coldly. ¡°What¡¯s with you? Do you not have anything else to say? Why are you being so cold?¡± Constance liked Willow a lot, and she was hoping that Willow would be her daughter-inw. ¡°It¡¯s okay, Mrs. Laird. I bet Mason is just tired. After all, he has just been on a long flight,¡± Willow uttered. ¡°All right. Let¡¯s continue at home. We should find someday to have your parents over for a meal.¡± Constance had already made up her mind. ¡°Sure, Mrs. Laird.¡± Willow was absolutely obedient to Constance. When they were on the way back, Mason suddenly asked, ¡°Oh, right! Is Sophie back from Horington yet?¡± As soon as his words fell, the atmosphere in the car turned cold. ¡°Why did you bring her up?¡± Constance asked unhappily. ¡°Someone like Sophie should nevere back.¡± Mason couldn¡¯t help but frown. ¡°Mom, you have too much prejudice against Sophie.¡± ¡°What do you mean? Has she done anything that¡¯s worthy of my fondness?¡± Constance argued. While listening to the conversation, Willow clenched her fists so hard that her nails dug into the flesh of her palms. Chapter 98 Chapter 98 Chapter 98 Mason Is Mine On Sunday, the Laird family and the Tanner family were meeting at Pegasus Pavilion. Yale had already brought his family there early in the morning. Josiah wasn¡¯t feeling well that day, so he stayed at home. Seeing that the Laird family wasn¡¯t there yet, Yale reminded, ¡°Wi, take full advantage of this opportunity, okay? With the Laird family¡¯s support, we will surely gain control of Tanner Group.¡± Considering how well Transfix Cosmetics was doing, Yale was really worried that he could lose everything. ¡°I know, Dad.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go! The Laird family should be here soon. Let¡¯s go out and wee them.¡± Yale had always been trying to get on the Lairds¡¯ good side. Upon hearing that, Charmaine and Willow followed him out. The moment they got out, Mason and Constance arrived. Yale immediately went to wee Constance when he saw her. When Constance saw them waiting outside, she couldn¡¯t help but say, ¡°What are you guys doing outside? Since you guys have arrived first, just wait for us inside.¡± ¡°We got bored, so we came out to see if you guys have arrived! Mason is looking even more dashing now,¡± Yale praised, buttering Mason up. Mason kept a straight face and behaved coldly. Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org. In fact, that was how he had always treated the Tanner family. ¡°Mason, why are you not greeting Mr. Tanner? What¡¯s wrong with you?¡± Constance wasn¡¯t happy with Mason¡¯s attitude. ¡°Where¡¯s Sophie? Is she not here?¡± When Mason decided to speak, the first person he asked about was Sophie. All of a sudden, it felt as if the surrounding air had turned colder. Even Yale had no idea how to respond to that question. ¡°I thought I heard Sophie is back? What¡¯s going on? Is she not a part of the Tanner family?¡± Mason queried. ¡°Mason, you¡¯re aware of Soph¡¯s temper, right? We asked her to join us, but she didn¡¯t want to.¡± Despite how upsetting it was for Willow, she didn¡¯t dare to express her feelings in front of Mason. ¡°Oh, I see!¡± Mason stopped pursuing that subject and walked right in. Upon seeing that, the others breathed a sigh of relief. ¡°Wi, don¡¯t mind him, okay? That¡¯s just how he is. I like you the most,¡± Constance uttered. Willow smiled and answered, ¡°Mrs. Laird, I didn¡¯t take it to heart. That¡¯s just how Mason is. He¡¯s so nice to everyone.¡± Constance was satisfied with Willow¡¯s magnanimity. That¡¯s how the futuredy of the house should behave. Mason was cold and distant throughout the meal, and it seemed that he wasn¡¯t interested in anything at all. However, he couldn¡¯t help but furrow his brows when he heard Constance and Willow¡¯s parents talking about the engagement. Finally, he responded, ¡°Engagement?¡± ¡°Yes! Aren¡¯t you and Wi a couple? Now that you¡¯re back, you guys should get engaged!¡± Willow stared at Mason nervously. Did he recall something? Otherwise, why would he be treating me coldly? ¡°Mrs. Laird, perhaps we should take things slowly. If Mason doesn¡¯t want to get engaged, it¡¯s all right,¡± Willow said. ¡°What are you on about, Wi? Mason and you are definitely getting engaged!¡± Yale immediately stopped Willow from saying anything further. ¡°But¡ª¡± ¡°No buts! I¡¯ll get someone to set the date. I¡¯m definitely having you as my daughter-inw,¡± Constance voiced assertively. Mason merely scoffed in response and said nothing. Hearing that, Willow felt relieved. However, she couldn¡¯t understand Mason. Why does he look like he doesn¡¯t want to get engaged to me? After the meal, both the families got out of the private room and bumped into Sophie on the way out. Willow instinctively took a step backward when she saw Sophie there. Why is she here? Is she still not giving up on Mason? Yale frowned when he saw Sophie. F*ck. What is Sophie doing here? At the same time, Constance also frowned slightly when she saw Sophie. Charmaine immediately walked up to Sophie and whispered, ¡°What are you doing here? Soph, it¡¯s your sister¡¯s important day today. Don¡¯t cause any trouble, okay?¡± At that, Sophie couldn¡¯t help chuckling. Does Pegasus Pavilion belong to the Laird family? Why can¡¯t I be here? ¡°Soph¡ª¡± Charmaine was just about to distract her. ¡°I don¡¯t care what you guys are doing here today, so you should just leave me alone as well,¡± Sophie interrupted. With that, she ignored Charmaine and strode forward. Tristan and the rest were just in a private room nearby. When she walked past Mason, he reached out and grabbed her hand. ¡°I was told that you don¡¯t wish to see me. Is that right?¡± Mason¡¯s tone was indifferent, but there was a hint of warmth in his gaze. Willow¡¯s heart sank when she saw that. Sophie raised her brows. What does he mean? Who does he think he is? ¡°Is there a need for me to see you?¡± Willow heaved a sigh of relief when she heard Sophie¡¯s words. However, Mason uttered in the next second, ¡°Don¡¯t be so willful, Sophie. What¡¯s your phone number?¡± He was going to contact her in the future. ¡°Mason, let go of Soph.¡± Willow walked up to Mason. I am his girlfriend, not Sophie. Sophie pulled her hand away from his. ¡°Don¡¯t touch me again! Otherwise, you¡¯ll regret it!¡± Upon seeing Sophie¡¯s reaction, Mason furrowed his brows. She wasn¡¯t like this before. ¡°Mason!¡± Constance gritted her teeth and yelled. She was furious because what Mason was doing was embarrassing her and the Tanner family. ¡°I¡¯ll look for you tomorrow.¡± With so many people around, Mason didn¡¯t want to dwell on the matter further. He then left the scene with Constance. ¡°Sophie, I¡¯m warning you. Mason belongs to Wi. Don¡¯t you dare harbor any funny thoughts!¡± Sophie was speechless. Do I look like I want Mason? At the same time, Willow was also ring at Sophie in jealousy. ¡°Sophie, I can let you have everything but Mason. No matter what, I¡¯m keeping Mason for myself.¡± ¡°Ms. Tanner, may I know what you mean by that? What are you giving me?¡± Sophie was amazed by Willow¡¯s shamelessness. ¡°I can give you everything that belongs to the Tanner family, but I¡¯m not letting you have Mason,¡± Willow answered. Those who didn¡¯t know better would probably think that Willow loved Mason deeply, and they might point an using finger at Sophie. ¡°First, everything that belongs to the Tanner family isn¡¯t yours to give, and I don¡¯t need you to go easy on me as well. Second, I don¡¯t care about Mason. If you want him so much, go get him. I have nothing to do with that. Hence, don¡¯t try to stir up trouble.¡± With that said, Sophie went straight into the private room. ¡°Mom, do you see what she did?¡± Willow looked at Charmaine with a pitiful expression. Charmaine caressed her face. ¡°There, there. Mrs. Laird has already made up her mind, and she wants you. All you need to do now is make Mason feel the same way toward you. The Laird family is not going to ept Sophie who has an unspeakable past.¡± The upper-ss society cared about their reputation a lot. ¡°Let¡¯s go send Mrs. Laird out.¡± Right then, Yale couldn¡¯t help but look in the direction Sophie had gone to. I wonder who Sophie is mingling with. There are only so many people allowed in that particr private room in Pegasus Pavilion. ¡°Mason, things are not going to work out between you and Sophie. Wi is the girl meant for you.¡± Constance was certain that Mason and Willow would make a good couple. Chapter 99 Chapter 99 Chapter 99 Look Into Him ¡°Mom, don¡¯t meddle in my personal matters,¡± Mason retorted coldly. ? N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved. Constance was enraged. ¡°I¡¯m your mother! If not yours, whose private matters am I supposed to meddle in? Don¡¯t you know about Sophie¡¯s bad reputation? I¡¯m warning you. Stay away from Sophie. Otherwise, I¡¯ll donate everything the Laird family owns and leave nothing for you.¡± Mason knew all along how much his mother hated Sophie. ¡°Okay. I have things to attend to. Find your own ride home.¡± Mason still wanted to have a private talk with Sophie. ¡°Don¡¯t you dare look for Sophie! Otherwise, you¡¯ll be surprised by what I¡¯m capable of.¡± Constance had resorted to threatening Mason. ¡°Mason, where are you going? I can keep youpany.¡± When Willow came out, she heard Mason saying that he was leaving. Right away, she offered to apany him. ¡°That¡¯s not necessary. Go home!¡± Willow then queried indignantly, ¡°Mason, did I do anything wrong? Why are you giving me the cold shoulder?¡± ¡°You did nothing wrong.¡± Mason was annoyed when he saw her expression. ¡°Let¡¯s go, Wi.¡± Constance wanted her to leave because she didn¡¯t want to see Willow getting mistreated. When Sophie got back to the private room, she sat in her initial seat. ¡°Is everything okay? Why were you gone for so long, Soph?¡± Ysabelle was just about to go look for her. ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± Sophie didn¡¯t want to reveal much. Dissatisfied, Felix asked, ¡°Belle, are you serious? Sophie had only gone to the restroom. Why would you want to follow her there?¡± ¡°What does it have to do with you? It¡¯s none of your business.¡± Felix was hurt. What do you mean it¡¯s none of my business? I¡¯m concerned about everything you do! After the meal, they left the private room. Sophie and Ysabelle were standing by the roadside while waiting for Tristan and Felix to bring their cars around. ¡°Soph, the final exam ising up. What are your ns after the final exam?¡± Ysabelle asked. Although it¡¯s just a short break, it¡¯s better than none! ¡°I¡¯m going back to Horington.¡± Sophie had unfinished business in Horington. I¡¯ve promised to pay Wings of Light a visit, and I haven¡¯t done that yet. Come to think of it, I still have a lot of things to attend to over there. ¡°What are you going to do in Horington? Can I tag along?¡± Even though the winter break would only last for less than a fortnight, Ysabelle was unwilling to separate from Sophie. ¡°Sophie, we need to talk.¡± Suddenly, Mason showed up. Sophie couldn¡¯t help but frown when she heard his voice. Why is he still here? Ysabelle looked at Mason curiously. This man is quite good-looking. Upon a closer look, he looks quite simr to Uncle Tristan. However, they possess different auras. This man is gentle and elegant, while Uncle Tristan is domineering and ruthless. ¡°Mason, we don¡¯t have anything to talk about,¡± Sophie said. We should just let bygones be bygones. ¡°Sophie!¡± Mason thought Sophie was just throwing a tantrum. Right then, Tristan arrived in his car, and he shot a nce at Mason. ¡°Soph, Uncle Tristan is here,¡± Ysabelle uttered. ¡°Okay.¡± Mason saw Tristan in the car, and he kept sizing Tristan up. Who¡¯s this man? What¡¯s his rtionship with Sophie? ¡°Sophie, we need to have a talk in private,¡± Mason repeated. ¡°Mason, I have nothing to do with you, so there¡¯s nothing to talk about. I¡¯m leaving.¡± Sophie opened the car door and was about to hop in. All of a sudden, Mason grabbed her hand and refused to let her leave. Tristan was infuriated when he saw that. He wants to lose his hand, doesn¡¯t he? ¡°Must you do this? No matter what, we¡¯re still friends, aren¡¯t we?¡± Mason asked. ¡°I¡¯m your friend? I¡¯m not worthy of being your friend, Mr. Mason Laird.¡± Sophie pulled her hand away from him aggressively. ¡°Don¡¯t ever look for me again! You¡¯re disgusting!¡± After saying those vicious words, Sophie got into the car and closed the car door. By then, Felix had also arrived, so Ysabelle got into his car as well. After that, both the cars drove past Mason and left. Upon seeing that, Mason narrowed his eyes. Indeed, five years ago, I wavered because of the rumors about her, but I regret it now. Throughout my three years in Anndur, there wasn¡¯t a single day gone by that I didn¡¯t think of her. In fact, the memories seemed even clearer as time goes by. That was why he came back, and he was determined to hold on to her this time around. However, how can I forget about how unforgiving Sophie is? Surely, she¡¯s not going to just ept me so easily. Also, I need time to deal with my rtionship with Willow. Basically, this time around, I¡¯m not going to believe a word anyone says. I¡¯ll stand by Sophie¡¯s side and not let anyone hurt her. Sophie was silent as they drove back. Meanwhile, Tristan was also focused on the road, and neither of them said a word to each other throughout the journey back. When they finally arrived at Wisteria Apartments, Tristan refused to leave. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Sophie spoke at longst. ¡°May I go in and have a ss of water?¡± Tristan knew howme his excuse was, but he couldn¡¯t be bothered. Since she hasn¡¯t agreed to be my girl, I can¡¯t ask her to tell me anything if she doesn¡¯t want to do that. Nheless, he was still reluctant to leave. He simply wanted to stay by her side. Sophie scanned her fingerprint, and the door opened. As she was walking in, Tristan was following closely behind. Tristan never thought he would be acting so cautiously in front of a girl. Sophie then poured him a ss of hot water. ¡°Here.¡± Tristan took the ss and took a sip. ¡°Isn¡¯t the water hot?¡± she asked puzzledly when she saw him drinking it right away. ¡°It¡¯s hot.¡± ¡°Mr. Tristan, are you all right?¡± That was the first time she had seen him being so absent-minded. ¡°I¡¯m all right.¡± Tristan put the ss on the coffee table and said, ¡°Go to sleep early tonight, okay? Your final exam is around the corner. Study hard.¡± In the end, Tristan left Wisteria Apartments without asking her anything. Sophie wasn¡¯t fazed by Mason¡¯s appearance at all. After surfing the inte for a while, she went to bed to sleep. The moment she got into bed, she received a text from Ysabelle. Ysabelle: Soph, who¡¯s the man we saw earlier today? Sophie: He¡¯s an ex-ssmate. Ysabelle: Is that all he is? It doesn¡¯t seem like it, though! Ysabelle¡¯s interest was piqued. Sophie: I¡¯m not saying anything anymore. I¡¯m going to sleep. Ysabelle: Soph! Satisfy my curiosity, will you? That man is quite an eye candy! Were you guys romantically involved with each other? It seemed that she wasn¡¯t going to get any sleep if she failed to get answers from Sophie. Unfortunately, no matter how many times she texted Sophie, Sophie left her text messages unread. That was because Sophie had already put her phone aside and gone to sleep. That night, Felix asked Tristan doubtfully, ¡°Are you okay, Mr. Tristan?¡± Tristan took a sip of his whiskey and slowly put his ss aside. ¡°Think of it this way, Mr. Tristan. That guy from the Laird family is neither more handsome, richer, nor taller than you. There¡¯s no way Soph is going to fall for him.¡± ¡°That guy from the Laird family? Mason Laird?¡± Charles had heard of that name before. ¡°Should we look into him?¡± Sean questioned. What¡¯s the fuss about? We¡¯ll know everything about him after we¡¯ve looked into him. Chapter 100 Chapter 100 Chapter 100 Take Off Your Clothes ¡°No need to do that. Don¡¯t look into it!¡± That was Sophie¡¯s private matter, and if she did not want to talk about it, he would not look into it. ¡°Why, Mr. Tristan!¡± The man was baffled. It was something that could be easily solved, but Tristan had chosen to drink away his sorrows instead. ¡°It¡¯s basic respect. I don¡¯t want to learn about her past from anyone else but her. I want her to tell me about it herself.¡± If I can¡¯t even earn her trust, what right do I have to be with her? ¡°Okay. Anyway, I won¡¯t be able to hold myself back if Belle has someone else in her heart.¡± At that, Charles said, ¡°Did you think that you¡¯re the same as Mr. Tristan?¡± Sean replied, ¡°Absolutely not.¡± ¡°Sh*t, you¡¯re all bullying me. Am I that easy of a target?¡± Felix was speechless. He wanted to leave them¡ªhe wanted to leave that group of people who were all mean to him. Meanwhile, Yale brought Willow to the Laird residence, hoping that Mason would be able to help him take back everything that belonged to him. ¡°Mason, I¡¯ve onlye because I¡¯ve run out of options. The shareholders¡¯ meeting is about to start. I hope you can help me out.¡± After hearing his exnation, Mason finally realized what was happening. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Mr. Tanner. I know what you mean. I have something to settle right now, so I¡¯ll be leaving first.¡± The etiquettes that had been instilled in Mason since young made him a gentleman, and he was polite to everyone he talked to. Upon hearing Mason¡¯s reassurance, Yale became at ease. ¡°Mason, I knew that you¡¯d help me out. All right, go ahead. I won¡¯t disturb you any further,¡± Yale replied smilingly. When Willow saw Mason heading out, she hurried over to him. ¡°Thank you, Mason.¡± Willow felt that Mason had agreed to her father¡¯s request because of her. However, Mason did not even spare her a nce. ? N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved. ¡°Is something else the matter?¡± At that, Willow gripped the hem of her skirt, unsure of what to say to him. ¡°If there¡¯s nothing else, I¡¯ll be off now.¡± Mason walked off, leaving Willow with tearful eyes. All of a sudden, Willow felt discouraged. Will Mason really get engaged with me? At Jipsdale Premier High, Willow went to look for Sophie after ss. The moment Ysabelle saw Willow, she turned sullen. Why is she appearing in our line of sight again? ¡°Willow, don¡¯t you know when to quit? Soph doesn¡¯t want to entertain you, so scram aside!¡± There are always people who keeping back despite the obvious signs of rejection. They¡¯re maddening! ¡°Sophie, Mason, he¡­¡± ¡°Willow, you¡¯re really annoying. Didn¡¯t I tell you to stay out of my sight? Whatever happens to you and Mason is your business and yours alone. It has nothing to do with me, and I¡¯m not at all curious about what is happening between the two of you.¡± Sophie decided to make herself clear onest time to stop Willow froming to her again. ¡°Is that so? I hope that¡¯s the case. Sophie, don¡¯t be a b*tch and appear anywhere near Mason.¡± Hearing that, Ysabelle could not hold herself back anymore. ¡°Willow, you better filter your words before you say them, or else you¡¯re going to get it from me,¡± Ysabelle snarled as she stood in front of Sophie and shielded her. Willow sneered. ¡°You look stupid,¡± Willow insulted. Ysabelle only became angrier. ¡°Willow, believe it or not, but I¡¯m going to tear that mouth off your face,¡± Ysabelle snapped, about to go mad because of Willow. ¡°No one¡¯s stupider than you, Willow. You¡¯re here talking nonsense to me because you¡¯re not confident about winning Mason over. You¡¯re scared that he won¡¯t love you. That¡¯s why you¡¯vee to me.¡± Sophie had hit the nail on the head, and it infuriated Willow. ¡°What¡¯s the matter? Are you still hoping to return to Mason¡¯s side?¡± Willow bellowed. Mason¡¯s mine, and no one can take him away from me! ¡°Am I going to steal him from you?¡± Sophieughed, a tinge of nonchnce and slyness apparent in her voice. ¡°Do I need to steal him from you? I don¡¯t even need to do anything, but Mason will do everything he can to get my forgiveness.¡± At that, Willow turned so furious she could not evene up with a response. That was how it was in the past too. Sophie could easily gain everyone¡¯s attention without needing to do anything. On the other hand, no matter how hard Willow tried, she would still end up with nothing. Life was simply unfair. ¡°Take a deep breath, but don¡¯t choke and die. You won¡¯t even be able to hold me ountable for that.¡± Sophie had initially wanted to ignore her, but Willow just kepting to her. In that case, Sophie saw no need for holding herself back anymore. Meanwhile, Ysabelle had a look of admiration on her face. Soph just destroyed her with just a few sentences! As expected of my dear Sophie. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Sophie then walked away from Willow, and Ysabelle hastily followed Sophie. Finally, Willow could not keep control of her emotions anymore. She dashed toward Sophie and tried to push her. ¡°Soph, watch out!¡± Sophie was walking down the stairs, and if Willow seeded in pushing her, the consequences would be dire. Desperate, Ysabelle sped over to shield Sophie. ¡°Ah!¡± In the end, Ysabelle was the one who was pushed down the stairs. The moment Sophie saw Ysabelle landing at the end of the stairs, fury overcame her. ¡°Willow, you¡¯re f*cking asking for it!¡± However, Willow remained standing in the same spot as she looked condescendingly at the two other young women. ¡°Remember this. Don¡¯t cross me. I¡¯m not someone you could afford to mess with.¡± Sophie was still seething in rage, but she ran toward Ysabelle to check on her. It was then she realized that Ysabelle had several red marks on her. ¡°Ugh, it hurts so much!¡± Ysabelle was terrified of pain, and her eyes had turned red-rimmed by then. ¡°Soph, my leg hurts!¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay. I¡¯m here.¡± Sophie then lifted Ysabelle up like how a prince would carry a princess before running toward the school¡¯s infirmary, ignoring the gazes of the other students. Bailey spotted them on his way up the stairs, and he instantly went after them. ¡°What happened? What¡¯s going on?¡± he anxiously asked. Sophie ignored him. ¡°Sophie, let me carry her instead!¡± Bailey offered. She¡¯s a girl. It must be tiring for her to carry another girl! ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± Sophie brought Ysabelle straight to the infirmary without breaking a sweat. ¡°Leave,¡± Sophie coldly ordered when she realized Bailey was still around. ¡°I can help you out.¡± ¡°I¡¯m about to give her a body checkup. Are you going to stay and watch?¡± At that, Bailey rubbed his nose and slunk out. Sophie then locked the door. ¡°Take off your clothes.¡± Even though they were both girls, Ysabelle could not help but blush in embarrassment at Sophie¡¯s flirtatious-sounding words. ¡°Soph, I¡¯m fine. It¡¯s just a few scrapes.¡± Nevertheless, Sophie remained silent as she stared at her friend. Left without a choice at the intense stare, Ysabelle took off her school uniform. Then, Sophie briefly checked her body and found a few spots with severe grazes. Once Sophie was done finding all the spots, she went to the cab to grab a few bottles of medication. After studying them for a while, she finally applied them to Ysabelle¡¯s wounds. ¡°Soph, I¡¯m really fine. Let¡¯s go back to the ssroom.¡± Frankly, Ysabelle was happy. Sophie had always been the one to take care of her, but she was finally able to do something for her friend in return. ¡°I¡¯ll get Mr. Tristan to bring you to a checkup.¡± Although Ysabelle seemed fine, Sophie still wished that the former would be able to undergo a thorough body checkup. ¡°No, it¡¯s okay. I¡¯m really fine. Soph, Willow¡¯s so scary. You really have to stay away from her in the future.¡± ¡°Okay. Ysabelle, don¡¯t intervene if a simr thing happens again. She¡¯s no match for me.¡± ¡°Soph, I just want to help you out. Although I¡¯m a little hurt, I¡¯m fine as long as you¡¯re fine.¡± Chapter 101 Chapter 101 Chapter 101 Teach Her A Lesson Ysabelle¡¯s thoughts were simple. ¡°But as your friend, I don¡¯t want to see you get hurt because of me.¡± Sophie did not like how that felt. She tried hard to make herself stronger because she did not want the people around her to be hurt. ¡°Soph, I really am fine.¡± ¡°This time, yes, but who can be sure that nothing will happen to you the next time?¡± Ysabelle fell silent, but she did not regret her action at all. If this were to happen again, she was still going to do the same thing. Sophie called Tristan. There was no way she was not going to tell Tristan about what had happened to Ysabelle. Both Tristan and Felix immediately drove to Jipsdale Premier High. Right after they got down from the car, they rushed to the infirmary. ¡°Belle, are you okay?¡± Felix instantly checked on her upon entering the infirmary. ¡°I¡¯m fine! I really am. Look, don¡¯t I look fine? You really don¡¯t need to be this nervous.¡± Tristan nced at Ysabelle to make sure she was actually fine, but he did not say anything else. ¡°What about you? Are you hurt?¡± Sophie shook her head. ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± No one could hurt her easily anymore. ¡°Come on. Bring Ysabelle to the hospital for a checkup.¡± After all, Ysabelle had fallen down the stairs. Having her undergo a checkup would put the others at ease. Ysabelle then climbed down from the bed. She knew that the three of them would not let her go if she did not go to the hospital, so she had no choice but to agree to it. When Felix realized that Ysabelle was about to walk to the car on her own, he quickly stopped her. ¡°I¡¯ll carry you.¡± Ysabelle rolled her eyes at him. I¡¯m not crippled. I don¡¯t need anyone to carry me! Unfortunately, Felix did not give her a chance to reject him as he swiftly scooped her up in his arms. Tristan heard that Ysabelle was hurt, so he only drove a car over. After Felix carried Ysabelle into that car, Tristan had no choice but to open the door to the front passenger seat for Sophie before sitting in the driver¡¯s seat. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Ysabelle¡¯s fine,¡± Tristan consoled Sophie. ¡°Mr. Tristan, the one who¡¯s hurt is your niece,¡± Sophie said. He should¡¯ve taken the matter more seriously, shouldn¡¯t he? ¡°I¡¯m d that you weren¡¯t the one hurt,¡± Tristan said it naturally. Sophie did not know how to respond to that. Unlike her, Felix cried out, ¡°Mr. Tristan, that¡¯s too much! We can¡¯t have Belle hurt either!¡± ¡°Uncle Tristan, do you recently have an issue with me?¡± Bailey had been outside the entire time, so when he saw them entering the car, he ran over and asked, ¡°Sophie, how¡¯s Ysabelle?¡± ¡°She¡¯s fine. We¡¯re going to the hospital so she could get a checkup.¡± ¡°Is there anything I can help out with?¡± Bailey felt that his presence there was unnecessary, but he, too, wanted to help out. ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± ¡°Are we going to leave yet?¡± Tristan asked, shooting Bailey an impatient look. He vaguely remembered the other young man. ¡°Yes.¡± Tristan then drove off after Sophie gave a nod. Even after they were long gone, Bailey was still staring in the direction the Lamborghini had headed. ¡°Who is he? Why is he here?¡± Felix asked warily. He can¡¯t be one of Belle¡¯s suitors, right? ¡°He¡¯s Bailey Dixon. He¡¯s a smart student,¡± Ysabelle replied, quite impressed by Bailey.Content ? N?velDrama.Org. Tristan ignored the two in the backseat. Once they reached the hospital, Felix bought Ysabelle for a checkup. In the meantime, Tristan and Sophie waited by the chairs in the waiting area. Both were individuals of few words. Tristan had tons of questions bubbling in his mind, but since Sophie was saying nothing, he decided not to ask anything. ¡°Mr. Tristan, Ysabelle was hurt because of me. But don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll deal with this.¡± Sophie would rather settle her own affairs by herself than have others intervene in the matter. ¡°Sophie, what am I to you?¡± ¡°Mr. Tristan?¡± Sophie frowned, wondering what he was trying to tell her. ¡°You¡¯re always insisting on dealing with your personal matters on your own and never letting me help you out. I don¡¯t think you¡¯ve ever thought of me as someone you can rely on. Am I right?¡± After a pause, he muttered, ¡°Sorry. I shouldn¡¯t say these things to you.¡± Tristan had never lost hisposure like that before. He was a merciless and efficient man in the corporate world. Yet, he was losing control of his emotions around Sophie. ¡°I¡­¡± What had happened five years ago had made Sophie aware that the only person she could rely on at all times was herself. That was why she had been brought to the hell-like training camp after meeting Arius at Horington. There, she hade into contact with many unbelievable matters. By the time she gained all those abilities, Sophie was already used to relying on herself. Tristan sighed. ¡°What am I going to do about you?¡± Two hourster, Ysabelle was done with her checkup. ¡°Mr. Tristan, Willow must have a death wish. I can¡¯t believe she tried to push Sophie down the stairs!¡± At that moment, Felix wanted nothing more than to tear Willow from limb to limb. ¡°You don¡¯t need to concern yourself with that anymore.¡± ¡°Mr. Tristan, what do you mean? She hurt Belle!¡± One look from Tristan made Felix instantly shut up. ¡°Soph, I think we should teach Willow a lesson too. Who knows what she¡¯s going to do next?¡± ¡°Mm, don¡¯t worry. Now that I know you¡¯re fine, I¡¯m in the mood to y this game with her.¡± Sophie had both old and new grudges against Willow, and she was not going to let her off easily. As Ysabelle was hurt, she did not attend the night self-study session. Tristan had applied for leave on behalf of Ysabelle and Sophie. Ysabelle did not want her family to find out that she had fallen down the stairs, so she went to stay over at Wisteria Apartments. ¡°Belle,e to my ce! There are only you and Sophie here. No one will be able to take care of you.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to. I want to stay here with Soph!¡± Ysabelle said in determination. ¡°Then I¡¯ll stay too.¡± ¡°Why are you staying here? There¡¯s no room for you.¡± The units at Wisteria Apartments were lofts of over two hundred square meters, but there were only three bedrooms in them. ¡°I don¡¯t mind! I can sleep on the couch.¡± Felix really did not mind. ¡°Mr. Tristan, let me stay and keep Bellepany!¡± ¡°She doesn¡¯t need you to take care of her,¡± Tristan rejected. Felix let out a sigh. At that very second, he felt as if he was at the lowest level of the food chain. In the end, Felix shamelessly stayed at Wisteria Apartments. After dinner, Sophie received a call from Josiah. ¡°Soph, that boy from the Laird family is back. Are you okay?¡± the elderly man worriedly asked. ¡°Grandpa, nothing happened between Mason and me. You don¡¯t need to worry about me. He won¡¯t affect me.¡± ¡°Yes, of course. Tanny is way better than that Laird boy in every way,¡± Josiah remarked. The boy from the Laird family had not chosen to stand on Soph¡¯s side during the incident five years ago, so he has lost the chance to do so now. ¡°Grandpa.¡± Sophie felt helpless. Why did he bring up Tristan? ¡°Drink some water.¡± Tristan brought a ss of water to Sophie. When Josiah heard Tristan¡¯s voice, he excitedly cried out, ¡°Soph, Tristan¡¯s right beside you, right? Let him answer the phone! I want to talk to him for a bit!¡± Sophie was speechless at that. ¡°What can you possibly talk to him about, Grandpa?¡± Ysabelle thought, The two of them have only met each other for a few times, haven¡¯t they? ¡°Just hand him the phone.¡± Sophie had always gone along with Josiah¡¯s requests as long as they were not ridiculous, so she handed the phone to Tristan. ¡°My grandpa wants to have a word with you.¡± Tristan took the phone from her. ¡°Hello, this is Tanny. It¡¯s been a while.¡± Tristan did not lower himself that much, but the hint of respect in his tone was audible. Chapter 102 Chapter 102 Chapter 102 No Match For You ¡°Tanny?¡± Felix could not believe that he had just heard Tristan call himself that. Ysabelle thought, It seems like Uncle Tristan is quite serious about his rtionship with Sophie. It¡¯s my first time seeing Uncle Tristan being so polite with someone. He¡¯s not even like that when talking to his own grandpa! ¡°Tanny,e and visit me with Soph when you¡¯re free.¡± Josiah truly liked Tristan, and he felt that Tristan would be able to protect Sophie well. ¡°Okay, Old Mr. Tanner. I¡¯ll definitely visit you with Sophie when I get the chance to.¡± ¡°Okay. Do take care of Soph.¡± Josiah talked to Tristan for a dozen minutes before asking thetter to return the phone to Sophie. ¡°Soph, I think Tanny¡¯s not a bad choice. He¡¯s a hundred times better than Mason.¡± ¡°Grandpa, he¡¯s more than a hundred times better than Mason,¡± Sophie replied. In fact, Mr. Tristan and Mason aren¡¯t even on the same level. There¡¯s no need to even use the same standards topare them. ¡°That¡¯s right. You¡¯re right!¡± Josiah was at ease to hear Sophie say that. Regardless of how things were between Mason and Willow, Mason was no longer associated with Sophie. Moreover, Josiah could see that Tristan was treating Sophie sincerely, and that was enough for him. ¡°Remember toe and visit me when you¡¯re free.¡± ¡°Okay, I¡¯lle and visit you in a few days.¡± Arius had not returned from Anndur yet. Once Arius was back, Sophie nned to find a chance to get her grandfather to go for a full-body checkup. Content ? N?velDrama.Org. He still had to undergo the surgery, and Sophie was confident in Arius. Once the call ended, Sophie sat down beside Ysabelle. ¡°Does it still hurt?¡± Ysabelle chuckled. ¡°Soph, I¡¯m fine. It doesn¡¯t hurt anymore.¡± Although Ysabelle tended to act like a spoiled princess, the pain she felt was ovee by her desire to protect Sophie from harm. ¡°Tsk. I wonder who was the one shedding tears when their wounds were getting treated earlier,¡± Felix pointed out mercilessly. Ysabelle kicked his waist. ¡°D*mn it, Felix. Are you trying to embarrass me?¡± ¡°Look at how lively she is. She¡¯s fine. You don¡¯t need to worry about her,¡± Tristan said nonchntly. Ysabelle was speechless. Fine. I no longer exist in Uncle Tristan¡¯s heart as long as Sophie¡¯s around, then I guess I shouldn¡¯t embarrass myself further. ¡°Okay. I¡¯ll go to sleep if there¡¯s nothing else.¡± Sophie then stood up to return to her room. ¡°Mr. Tristan, I¡¯ve never seen you being so humble and polite with anyone else. It seems like you¡¯re really nning to get Sophie.¡± Tristan ignored him. At that, Felix scratched his nose awkwardly. ¡°To be honest, Sophie isn¡¯t a match for you in terms of background.¡± It was highly likely that William would disapprove of them if the two of them were to get together. However, Ysabelle was the first to voice her disagreement. ¡°Felix, what are you trying to say? Which part of Soph isn¡¯t a match for Uncle Tristan? Even if one of them isn¡¯t a match for the other, it would be Uncle Tristan not being a good match for Soph. He¡¯s ten years older than her!¡± Ysabelle cried out agitatedly. Then, she btedly realized that her uncle was staring at her, looking as if he was about to murder her. Instantly, Ysabelle hid behind Felix. ¡°Uncle Tristan, that isn¡¯t what I mean. It¡¯s just that¡­¡± she exined to her uncle. This is all Felix¡¯s fault! Uncle Tristan looks so scary right now! What am I going to do? Sophie¡¯s already back in her room, so no one can save me! ¡°Felix, don¡¯t say something like this again. I¡¯m the one with the final say, and if I think she¡¯s a match for me, then she¡¯s a match for me.¡± No one else¡¯s words were going to change Tristan¡¯s mind. ¡°Okay, I got it.¡± Felix had been working for Tristan for over a decade. How could he possibly not know Tristan¡¯s character? Unlike most people, the angrier Tristan was, the calmer he appeared to be. At that moment, Tristan was livid, and it was because Felix said that Sophie was not a match for him. ¡°Go to bed.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Upon receiving Tristan¡¯s order, Ysabelle leaped from the couch and rushed to her room. Oh, thank god! Thank god Uncle Tristan didn¡¯t seem to mind what I said. When the two men were the only ones left, Tristan asked in a nonchnt tone, ¡°Felix, am I old?¡± ¡°Holy sh*t!¡± Felix was stumped. What¡¯s the matter with Mr. Tristan? Can he stop scaring me? ¡±Mr. Tristan, you¡¯re only twenty-eight! You¡¯re at the peak of your youth; you¡¯re at the prime years of a man¡¯s life!¡± ¡°Peak of my youth?¡± ¡°That isn¡¯t important; what¡¯s important is that, Mr. Tristan, do you know how many women are after you? I can¡¯t believe you just said that you¡¯re old. Please stop scaring me!¡± ¡°What¡¯s the point of having many women after me? I just want one.¡± Felix fell silent. If Jipsdale¡¯s female socialites hear what he just said, I wonder how many would choose to jump off buildings. It¡¯s only now that I know Mr. Tristan is such a faithful and devoted man despite the fact that I¡¯ve worked for him for so many years. ¡°Mr. Tristan, don¡¯t you think that you¡¯ve fallen for her too quickly? Could it be that you¡¯re only feeling this way because she saved you?¡± ¡°Am I you? Am I someone who doesn¡¯t even know whether or not I love someone?¡± Felix widened his eyes. Did I offend him in any way? All I did was fall for Ysabelle! Forget it. I don¡¯t dare to retort him. The next morning, Sophie woke up and went to get a ss of water. Just as she stepped out of the room, she encountered Tristan. Sophie had just woken up, so she had a rxed look on her face. As the cor of her nightgown was too loose, the gown was nted to one side, revealing her smooth shoulder to all. Her pretty corbones were a deadly attraction to Tristan. Upon seeing the man in front of her, Sophie was abruptly reminded of how her house had two men staying in it. Just as she was about to return to her room to change her clothes, Tristan pinned her against the wall behind her. When she was locked in ce, Sophie lifted her beautiful eyes to look at the man, who clearly just woke up as well. ¡°Mr. Tristan¡­¡± Sophie voiced, and she was surprised to hear her own voice. It was not that she was doing it deliberately. However, there was already a fire burning in Tristan¡¯s eyes. Sophie¡¯s morning voice sounded soothing and soft. Hearing that made the lower part of his abdomen tighten as another part of his body awakened. ¡°Ahem.¡± Sophie averted her eyes, not daring to meet his eyes anymore. Tristan then lowered his head and nted a kiss on her forehead. Sophie bit her bottom lip, wondering, Is he trying to add fuel to the fire? When the man saw the young woman bit on her pink lower lip, he felt as if he had been electrified. Then, as he supported himself with one hand against the wall, he used his other hand to pull her nightgown¡¯s cor together. Sophie¡¯s heart was beating quicker and quicker as he adjusted the cor for her. ¡°Put on your clothes properly. I¡¯m not as much as a gentleman you think I am.¡± The truth was that Tristan had been holding himself back with great difficulty. After a moment of silence, she replied, ¡°Sorry. I¡¯ve slept my mind away and forgotten that you and Felix are here.¡± Sophie had been staying in that house alone recently, and since she had had a good night¡¯s sleep the night before, she hadpletely forgotten that there were two men staying in her house. Tristan then pressed a kiss on her lips as punishment. ¡°Am I someone you¡¯ll forget that easily?¡± Sophie was rendered speechless. Fine! Mr. Tristan¡¯s quite petty. I did say I¡¯m still groggy. Right then, Ysabelle came out of her room and happened to see her uncle kissing Sophie as he pinned her against the wall. Instantly, she panicked. What am I going to do now? Do I get back into my room, or should I greet them as if nothing has happened? Nevertheless, before she coulde to a decision, Sophie spotted her. Chapter 103 Chapter 103 Chapter 103 The Terrifying Sophie Following Sophie¡¯s gaze, Tristan turned around and saw Ysabelle. ¡°Ah! I didn¡¯t see anything. Really, I saw nothing at all!¡± Ysabelle dered as she covered her eyes. Will he kill me to bury the secret? The look in Uncle Tristan¡¯s eyes is really terrifying. ¡°Both of you should head down first, while I take a shower,¡± Tristan suggested before returning to his room. Sophie was speechless. Ysabelle defended herself, ¡°Soph, I really didn¡¯t see anything. Please beg Uncle Tristan on my behalf to let me live.¡± ¡°Way to go.¡± ¡°Boohoo¡­ Don¡¯t you love me anymore? Are you just going to stand idly by? And to think that I have always been worried about you.¡± Ysabelle was depressed. ¡°There, there. Don¡¯t worry. You¡¯ll be fine, as I¡¯m here for you.¡± Sophie¡¯s words finally eased Ysabelle¡¯s concerns. ¡°You¡¯re still the best, Soph. I love you,¡± Ysabelle confessed brazenly. Felix, who had gone out to get breakfast for everyone, walked in on the intimate scene upon his return. F*ck, have I been cheated on? ¡°What are both of you doing?¡± A long while passed before Felix managed to find his voice. Ysabelle released Sophie before shooting him a re. ? N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved. ¡°It¡¯s none of your business.¡± ¡°D*mn it, Ysabelle. Why are you being snarky to me recently? What have I done to deserve such treatment?¡± ¡°Your existence itself is a mistake.¡± Felix responded with silence while standing rooted to his spot. In that instant, the dejection in his eyes was obvious to Ysabelle. For a second, she regretted her action, and she realized that she shouldn¡¯t have said such harsh words to him. Just when she wanted to apologize, Felix told them to head downstairs for breakfast and left after dropping his words. Ysabelle could feel a squeeze in her heart. What¡¯s wrong with me recently? Why am I always getting on Felix¡¯s nerves? He isn¡¯t a short-tempered man. But this time, it seems that I¡¯ve really hurt him. ¡°Let¡¯s go down and have breakfast,¡± Sophie said. Who knows how long Tristan will take to shower? Besides, we still have to go to school. ¡°Mmm-hmm!¡± Ysabelle followed Sophie downstairs. When he saw theming, Felixid out the breakfast he bought on the table. ¡°Where¡¯s Mr. Tristan? Is he not taking his breakfast?¡± Felix couldn¡¯t help but ask. Given that he was hurt by Ysabelle¡¯s harsh words, he needed Tristan to heal that wounded soul of his. ¡°Uncle Tristan has gone back to his room to take a shower.¡± Ysabelle took the initiative to answer, hoping to salvage the situation. Even though she had spoken politely, Felix simply grunted in acknowledgment. When Ysabelle looked to Sophie for help, thetter, as someone who was no different from a brute, was equally clueless as to how she should console Felix. After being insulted that way by someone he likes, he must be devastated. ¡°Anyway, I need to go first, as I have something to do. Please inform Mr. Tristan on my behalf.¡± Felix picked up a bagel and took a bite but still couldn¡¯t bring himself to swallow it. Getting to his feet, he prepared to leave. ¡°Felix¡­¡± Ysabelle called out to him. He¡¯s really pissed now. What should I do? ¡°I¡¯m fine. I won¡¯t disturb you today. You should focus on your studies.¡± Just as Felix spoke, he grabbed his jacket and left. Ysabelle, too, put down the bagel in her hand. ¡°Eat it! Why aren¡¯t you eating it?¡± Sophie questioned. So what if he¡¯s furious? I bet he wille crawling back to Ysabelle before the day ends. ¡°I¡¯m not hungry. You eat. Soph, do you think what I said just now was too much? I¡¯ve hurt him, haven¡¯t I?¡± ¡°Ysabelle, he¡¯s definitely hurt. However, if you¡¯re asking me for advice, I honestly have no idea.¡± After all, she barely had any experience when it came to dealing with a romantic rtionship. She just felt that Mason was a good guy, but both of them never really got together. Therefore, she truly didn¡¯t have an answer to Ysabelle¡¯s question. ¡°Forget it. Asking you is a waste of time.¡± Just like her, Sophie was a greenhorn when it came to rtionships. Hence, Ysabelle knew that it was pointless to seek her opinion. Sophie continued chewing on her bagel. When Tristan came down and didn¡¯t see Felix, he asked curiously, ¡°Where¡¯s Felix?¡± ¡°He left after I got on his nerves.¡± ¡°Oh, let him be then.¡± Tristan didn¡¯t want to get involved in matters between them. After all, no one should interfere when it came to matters regarding love. Even though he was of the opinion that both of them were made for each other, he wouldn¡¯t poke his nose into their business. Tristan picked up the coffeepot and poured some for Sophie who didn¡¯t decline, as it was one of her favorite drinks. Once breakfast was over, Tristan cleaned the table before going downstairs with them. ¡°Uncle Tristan, I¡­¡± Ysabelle felt that she would be tormented the entire day if she didn¡¯t resolve things with Felix. ¡°What is it?¡± Tristan could read her mind. Nevertheless, he felt that she deserved a lesson, for he, too, couldn¡¯t tolerate her recent treatment of Felix. ¡°It¡¯s nothing.¡± In the end, she chose to swallow her words. Whatever. Felix and I aren¡¯t a good match for each other anyway. I¡¯m not going to give it any more thought. After her misdeeds the previous day, Willow was really afraid of running into Sophie, for she was familiar with Sophie¡¯s ways of handling things. Therefore, she tried her best to hide in ss and not go out. Unfortunately, she was still human at the end of the day. Unable to hold her pee in any longer, she headed to the restroom. In the end, she ran into the one person she was avoiding. Murphy¡¯sw was truly at y. Willow straightened her back. There¡¯s nothing to fear, as we¡¯re in school. Sophie won¡¯t dare to do anything to me here. Besides, there are still a lot of people around. Nheless, Sophie continued to follow her from behind without saying a word. The longer she continued to do so, the more anxious Willow became. Unable to withstand it any longer, she walked to a corner with no one around. ¡°Sophie, what are you trying to do? Don¡¯t forget that we¡¯re at school.¡± ¡°So what? Do you think I wouldn¡¯t dare touch you just because we¡¯re at school? Willow, I must admit that you¡¯re so na?ve that it¡¯s actuallyughable.¡± She hurt Ysabelle, and she¡¯s not going to get away with it. Given Sophie¡¯s character, Willow knew that revenge would definitely be served. ¡°What do you want to do? Other than some grazes, Ysabelle is fine. It¡¯s not like you¡¯re going to kill me.¡± Willow would never believe that Sophie was capable of murder. ¡°Sophie, let me warn you. The school corridors are monitored by surveince cameras. Come at me if you dare.¡± Truth be told, Willow was terrified. Nevertheless, she remained defiant when facing Sophie. No matter what, she was one of the proud daughters of the Tanner family too. As Sophie approached her step by step, she reached out and grabbed Willow by the neck. ¡°Kill? Willow, do you think I¡¯ve not killed before? I¡¯ve already warned you to stay away from me if you value your life. However, you just don¡¯t get it, do you? I¡¯ve yet to hold you ountable for what happened five years ago. And now, you¡¯re desperately trying to get on my nerves? What¡¯s wrong with you? Are you really not afraid of death?¡± As the breaths Willow took grew increasingly smaller, the horror of suffocation took over her being. In that instant, she saw death looking right in her face. Taken aback by Sophie¡¯s brazenness to attack her in school, Willow was stricken by fear. iling her arms hysterically, she desperately tried to free herself from Sophie¡¯s death grip. She¡¯s terrifying! Sophie is just too terrifying! Chapter 104 Chapter 104 Chapter 104 Bridal Carry Just when Willow thought she was done for, Sophie finally released her grip on the former¡¯s neck. ¡°Remember, stay out of my way. If you see Ysabelle, run. Otherwise, I won¡¯t show you any more mercy.¡± Sophie shoved her to the ground when she finished speaking. Willow gasped for air desperately, her face pale as a sheet. There was no doubt in her mind that she would have met her maker in less than a minute if Sophie had not released her grip. Enveloped by a sense of fear and asphyxia, Willow took out her phone and gave Mason a call. When thetter saw it was her, he ended the call and continued going through his documents. In spite of that, his phone rang again the next second. In the end, Mason relented, for Willow had saved his life once, obligating him to help her to the best of his abilities. ¡°Mason, save me. I¡¯m about to die.¡± Willow¡¯s sobbing voice rang out the moment the call was connected. Mason¡¯s brows furrowed. ¡°What happened? Where are you? Don¡¯t panic. I¡¯ll head over right now.¡± Mason drove straight to Jipsdale Premier High where the guard at the entrance forbade him from driving in. Left without a choice, he got out of his car and entered the school on foot. His gaze darkened when he saw Willow copsed by the stairs. As for Willow, she burst into tears at the sight of him. ¡°Mason, I thought that I would never see you again. Death was knocking on my door just now.¡± Willow was trembling all over, for the fear she felt was real. Mason wrinkled his brows. ¡°Willow, tell me what happened.¡± As they were on the school grounds, the school administration had to take responsibility in the event a student was hurt. ¡°Mason, I¡¯m really scared. I thought I would really die.¡± His heart softened when he saw how violently Willow was shaking. Mason then carried her in his arms. ¡°I¡¯ll send you to the hospital first. We¡¯ll talk about it after you get examined.¡± As Willow wrapped her arms around his neck, Mason brought her downstairs. ¡°Mason, don¡¯t leave me. I¡¯m afraid when I¡¯m alone.¡± Mason didn¡¯t answer, as he could never give her what she truly desired. When the students saw the dashing Mason carry Willow away, they gossiped amongst themselves. ¡°Oh my God! He¡¯s really handsome!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you know? He used to be a legend in Jipsdale Premier High. I heard that he and Willow are a couple!¡± ¡°Mmm-hmm. I was told of it too. I even heard that Sophie also fancies Mason.¡± ¡°Sophie must be dreaming. He¡¯s out of her league!¡± ¡°Precisely. Mason and Willow are a match made in heaven!¡± ¡°I¡¯m so envious of her bridal carry! I wish I was the one in his arms.¡± ¡°Say, why would Willow get hurt? Could it be that Sophie hurt her? Sophie has been jealous of her, hasn¡¯t she?¡± ¡°I think Sophie must be the one who hurt her. Just a while ago, you missed how terrified Willow looked.¡± ¡°Sophie is really wicked. Who does she think she is?¡± ¡°All of you should shut up. I¡¯ll smack whoever that makes another sound.¡± Ysabelle could no longer tolerate the harshments. Who the f*ck is Mason? There¡¯s no way Soph is interested in him. Uncle Tristan is way better than him! ¡°Ysabelle, you had better stay away from her. Look, she even dares to strike her own sister.¡± ¡°Shut your trap.¡± Ysabelle was ipetent at verbal insults. Hence, that was the best she could manage out of her limited vocabry. ? N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved. Meanwhile, Sophie came over and swept a calm gaze across the girls. ¡°Mason? Not my cup of tea.¡± With that, she held Ysabelle¡¯s arm and left. ¡°Soph, don¡¯t mind their words.¡± Ysabelle was worried that the snide remarks would hurt her. Even though Sophie had nerves of steel, Ysabelle still sympathized with her upon hearing the comments. ¡°Mmm-hmm. I¡¯m not bothered by them. Besides, they were not wrong. I was the one who roughed up Willow,¡± she bravely admitted. ¡°It was because of me, wasn¡¯t it?¡± Ysabelle, too, felt that Willow had iting. ¡°I just can¡¯t bear the sight of her. Anyway, let¡¯s get back to ss.¡± After Sophie helped Ysabelle back to the ssroom, the fourth period began. Upon hearing the news of Willow being hurt, Yale and Charmaine rushed over. Both of them heaved a sigh of relief at the sight of Mason. Ever since Mason returned, his attitude toward Willow was colder than before, causing them to worry that their rtionship had taken a turn for the worse. But now that he was by Willow¡¯s side, it was a sign that he still cared for her. ¡°Thank you, Mason.¡± Mason merely nodded before making way for them. ¡°Wi, what happened? How did you get hurt?¡± ¡°Mom, it¡¯s Soph. I have no idea why she did this to me.¡± ¡°What? Sophie? That¡¯s audacious of her!¡± Yale bellowed. ¡°What in the world is she trying to do?¡± ¡°Dad, I¡¯m as clueless as you are!¡± Willow put on an innocent look as she sneaked a nce in Mason¡¯s direction, hoping to learn his thoughts about the matter. However, all she could see was a frown on his face. ¡°Willow, I¡¯m sure there must be a misunderstanding. I know Sophie isn¡¯t capable of such a thing.¡± ¡°Mason, why don¡¯t you believe me? Are you saying that I¡¯m making false usations against her?¡± Willow was on the brink of tears. How can he not trust me? ¡°I just think that she¡¯s not a bad person.¡± ¡°In that case, are you saying that I¡¯m the one that¡¯s bad?¡± Willow summoned her tears at will to cement her pitiable look. ¡°All right. I¡¯ll get to the bottom of the matter. You should rest at home for the next few days instead of going to school.¡± Feeling annoyed, Mason was in no mood to continue the topic. ¡°Mason¡­¡± Willow felt indignant. Even though I have ended up in the hospital, he still refuses to stay by my side. ¡°Wi, Mason has just returned to the country and probably has a lot on his te. So, you shouldn¡¯t get in his way.¡± Just as Yale spoke, he stood up to walk Mason out, leaving Charmaine and Willow in the ward. ¡°Wi, was it really Soph?¡± Willow gave her mother a pained look. ¡°Mom, what¡¯s that supposed to mean? Do you also think that I¡¯m framing Sophie?¡± ¡°That¡¯s not what I meant. I just don¡¯t want both of you to ruin your rtionship over a man.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not!¡± Willow was infuriated. Even my own mother doesn¡¯t believe me. ¡°Fine. Let¡¯s just forget it. Going forward, don¡¯t step on Sophie¡¯s toes. Instead, focus your efforts on staying by Mason¡¯s side.¡± Speechless, Willow was further outraged by her mother¡¯s words. Still, she wouldn¡¯t dare get on Sophie¡¯s nerves anymore. Recalling the fearless look on Sophie¡¯s face, Willow believed that the former would really carry out her threats to kill her. By the time Mason returned to his office, he had lost the mood to work. He then drove aimlessly around Jipsdale until it was five. Eventually, he still failed to keep control of himself and headed toward Jipsdale Premier High. He waited inside the car, feeling the need to have a proper talk with Sophie, as they didn¡¯t have the opportunity to do so thest time. Finally, after threeplex experiments, Aaron dismissed Bailey and Sophie from ss. When both of them came out for dinner, Mason¡¯s car was right in front of them. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Bailey couldn¡¯t help but ask when Sophie stopped in her tracks. Chapter 105 Chapter 105 Chapter 105 Tristan Has No Interest In Girls At the sight of her, Mason quickly alighted and approached her. ¡°Sophie, let¡¯s have dinner together.¡± There were certain words that he needed to say to her in person. Bailey scrutinized the man in front of him. Isn¡¯t he Willow¡¯s boyfriend? Why is he here to see Sophie at a time like this? ¡°You must be here to question me about hitting Willow, right? There¡¯s no need to do it over a meal, as I can give you an answer straight away. I wanted to teach her a lesson just because I don¡¯t like her face. How about that? Are you happy with the answer? If you are, you can get out of my way now.¡± All this while, my words never matter to him, so why even bother? Since he didn¡¯t believe me five years ago, it¡¯s meaningless for him to say anything now. ¡°Sophie, I really have something to tell you. Can you listen to me for once? Are things between us so bad that we can¡¯t even have a meal together?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but the sight of you makes me lose my appetite.¡± Mason was at a loss for words as he felt a squeeze in his heart. Has our rtionship deteriorated to such an extent? ¡°I know you¡¯re not able to get over what happened five years ago. But don¡¯t you worry. I¡¯ll make sure you get the justice you deserve.¡± ¡°Mason, I don¡¯t need you to interfere in my affairs. And what¡¯s this talk about seeking justice for me? Do you think you¡¯re some kind of superhero?¡± ¡°Sophie, let¡¯s go. We still have to attend a self-study session at night,¡± Bailey reminded, as they had yet to have their dinner. Sophie nodded before leaving with him. After being spurned by Sophie, Mason leaned against the car door. Regardless of what he said, she refused to listen to him. Meanwhile, Willow¡¯s friends sent her a message when they coincidentally spotted Mason meeting with Sophie. After that, they walked up to him. ¡°Mr. Laird, you¡¯re back. You must stand up for Wi. Sophie is just too much. She always acts as if she owns the ce.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right! All she does is bully Wi. I bet she¡¯s jealous of both of you being together.¡± ¡°Mmm-hmm, Mr. Laird, Sophie is a terrible person.¡± When he heard how they disparaged Sophie, an excruciating pain surged in his heart. All these years, she has suffered a tremendous amount of insults alone. And yet, I chose to leave her behind after that incident and let her carry the burden by herself. ¡°Going forward, don¡¯t ever let me hear you badmouth Sophie. Also, Willow and I are not in a rtionship.¡± ¡°Mr. Laird¡­¡± The girls couldn¡¯t believe their ears. ¡°What do you mean? Are you dumping Wi?¡± ¡°Yea! How can you do that? Wi waited for you for five years. Now that you¡¯re finally back, how can you just abandon her?¡± Willow¡¯s friends felt bad for her. Having no intention to waste time arguing with a bunch of girls, Mason turned around in exasperation and returned to his car. Upon receiving the message, Willow flung her phone at the wall, causing its screen to shatter when it dropped to the floor. ¡°Sophie!¡± Willow clenched her teeth. Why does she always mess up my life? Why didn¡¯t she just die in Horington? Willow¡¯s pretty face contorted in anger, as the urge to tear Sophie to pieces swelled within her. The next day in school, Ysabelle pulled Sophie aside, causing thetter to cock her brows. What is she up to? ¡°Soph, apany me to Lombard Group this afternoon.¡± ¡°Why?¡± Sophie was puzzled. ¡°I¡¯m bringing Uncle Tristan and the others lunch.¡± Felix had ignored her for two days. Realizing the folly of her actions, she nned to tell him that she was sorry. ¡°The others? Do you mean Felix?¡± Sophie knew what Ysabelle was up to. I bet she wants to apologize to him. ¡°Mmm-hmm.¡± ¡°All right then.¡± During the noon break, Sophie and Ysabelle picked up the food from Pegasus Pavilion before hailing a taxi to Lombard Group. As it was Ysabelle¡¯s first time there, both of them were stopped by the receptionist because she didn¡¯t recognize them. ¡°I¡¯m Ysabelle Lombard. Tristan is my uncle, so let me in.¡± Ysabelle felt helpless. It was understandable that the receptionist didn¡¯t know her, but no matter how much time she spent exining, the former just refused to believe her. Sophie watched them argue for a while before finally giving Tristan a call. When Tristan picked up, he and Felix were already having lunch outside. Nheless, he was not only surprised to receive her call but also delighted by it. ¡°Mr. Tristan, where are you? Ysabelle and I are in the lobby of Lombard Group. Are you here?¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°We brought you food,¡± Sophie patiently exined. ¡°Food? All right. Just stay there. I¡¯ming back right away.¡± After ending the call, Tristan grabbed his suit jacket and prepared to leave. ¡°Mr. Tristan, where are you going? We haven¡¯t even started eating.¡± Felix got to his feet and hurried after Tristan. ¡°You guys should continue. I need to head back to the office.¡± Charles asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Is Lombard Group going bankrupt?¡± Sean added, ¡°You think? It definitely has something to do with Ms. Sophie.¡± Only that girl possesses such a hold on him. Felix was rendered speechless. Forget it. After all, I¡¯m just someone who¡¯s being resented. Despite all my efforts, Ysabelle doesn¡¯t appreciate me at all. In the meantime, Ysabelle was disheartened by the fact that she was barred from entering Lombard Group even though she was a Lombard. Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org. ¡°Let¡¯s just sit over there. I¡¯ve called Mr. Tristan toe and pick us up.¡± Sophie dragged Ysabelle to the lounge of the lobby. ¡°Girls, Lombard Group isn¡¯t the ce for you to mess around. Can both of you please leave?¡± If management sees the two students here, we¡¯ll lose our jobs! ¡°You had better not go too far! Didn¡¯t I tell you that I¡¯m here to see Mr. Tristan?¡± Ysabelle raged. ¡°I know that Mr. Tristan is the epitome of a man and is irresistibly charming. However, he has no interest in women at all, so please leave!¡± Ysabelle snapped, ¡°Does my uncle know that you think of him that way?¡± Having no interest in women? Is she really talking about Uncle Tristan? Sophie was speechless. Tristan isn¡¯t interested in women? In that case, was it a phantom that hit on me? ¡°It¡¯s true. There has never been a woman by Mr. Tristan¡¯s side. Both of you should just give up.¡± Tristan, who had just returned, was walking up to the girls when he overheard the receptionist¡¯s comments. How can she say something like that in front of the girl I fancy? Tristan¡¯s face turned grim. ¡°Mr. Tristan?¡± Not expecting Tristan toe back at that time, the receptionist was shocked to the core. ¡°Mr. Tristan, these two girls insist on seeing you. I¡¯m in the midst of getting them to leave.¡± The receptionist finally found her voice. ¡°There is no need to. Come, let¡¯s go up to the nieth floor.¡± Tristan took over the food the two girls brought. ¡°This is Ms. Tanner. When shees to see me next time, please escort her straight to my office on the nieth floor.¡± The receptionist was dumbstruck, as Sophie was the first ever girl allowed to do that. Chapter 106 Chapter 106 Chapter 106 Mesmerizing Beauty ¡°Who is that girl? Why does Mr. Tristan allow her direct ess to the nieth floor?¡± Content ? N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Exactly! Even his mother has to call him before she¡¯s allowed to go up.¡± ¡°Given her age, can she be Mr. Tristan¡¯s niece?¡± ¡°How is that possible? How would his niece have Tanner as a surname?¡± ¡°So? Is she supposed to be his girlfriend? But I have never heard that he has one. Don¡¯t you dare give me a shock like that.¡± Ysabelle and Sophie followed Tristan into the CEO¡¯s private elevator. Ysabelle was disappointed because she didn¡¯t see Felix around. ¡°Uncle Tristan, where¡¯s Felix? Isn¡¯t he with you?¡± Ysabelle finally got the burning question off her chest. ¡°Oh, he didn¡¯te to the office today.¡± Even though Felix stayed by his side to gain experience, there were many times the former had to deal with the Northley family¡¯s affairs. ¡°Really?¡± Ysabelle expressed her doubt. ¡°So be it. I want to see how long he can stay angry for.¡± After she had painstakingly made the decision toe here, he ended up being absent. With that, Ysabelle decided she couldn¡¯t be bothered anymore. ¡°Soph, I¡¯m not feeling well, and I¡¯ll head back first. You should stay for lunch.¡± The moment they came out of the elevator, Ysabelle decided to go back. ¡°What? Weren¡¯t you fine just a moment ago? Why are you feeling under the weather all of a sudden? In that case, I had better go with you.¡± It would be so weird for me to eat with Tristan here alone. ¡°You should have lunch with Uncle Tristan. I¡¯m taking my leave.¡± Before Sophie could react, Ysabelle reentered the elevator and pressed the button for the lobby. Subsequently, the elevator doors closed in front of her. So, what¡¯s going to happen now? ¡°Let¡¯s eat,¡± Tristan suggested, leaving Sophie no choice but to follow him. After leading her to his private suite, Tristanid the food she brought out on the table. As Ysabelle had bought enough food for four, Sophie and Tristan were shocked to see how much there was. ¡°Let¡¯s dig in. After that, you can even take a nap,¡± Tristan said. No matter how busy senior year is, an afternoon nap is still important. After taking her seat, Sophie began to eat. Nevertheless, there was no way they were able to finish the huge amount of food in front of them. At the same time, Tristan obviously knew that the food was from Pegasus Pavilion after tasting it. Once they were done with lunch, Sophie wanted to leave, as she had no idea what she was even doing there. Tristan then handed her a ss of water after clearing the table. Meanwhile, Sophie felt tired and sluggish after having spent the entire night helping Butterfly resolve an issue. When he saw how sleepy she was, Tristan suggested, ¡°Why don¡¯t you get some sleep? I¡¯ll wake you at two.¡± ¡°I think I should go.¡± ¡°Just take a nap. I¡¯ll send you backter.¡± Without protesting any further, Sophie easily found her way to the bedroom andy down on Tristan¡¯s bed. The room was designed with a minimalistic theme, while the bed sheets were jet ck in color. Upon lying down, Sophie could instantly feel howfortable the luxurious fabric was. For some inexplicable reason, she felt that the ck sheets were part of Tristan¡¯s unique taste. Before she knew it, she had gradually fallen into a deep sleep on Tristan¡¯s bed. When he entered the room and saw how soundly she was sleeping, Tristan was filled with a sudden sense of satisfaction. At that moment, Sophie was curled up in bed without her school jacket on. She had taken off her jacket before she napped. When he saw the grimace on her face, Tristan furrowed his brows. What¡¯s she dreaming about? Walking over, Tristan kneeled by the bed and held her hand. With his other hand, he gently patted her on the shoulder. Sophie, who was having a nightmare, gradually calmed down. The painful look on her face was then reced by a blissful smile. Tristan stayed by her side for a long while. It wasn¡¯t until he was sure she was sleeping better that he got up from the bed and observed her. In that instant, he was filled with an overwhelming sense of contentment just from watching her sleep. Sophie, too, didn¡¯t expect that she was able to sleep that soundly. By the time she was awake, it was already half-past three. Walking out of the bedroom, she saw Tristan working in the living room. Given how engrossed he was with work, Sophie didn¡¯t feel like disturbing him and nned to slip out quietly. In the end, he looked up before she could even take two steps. ¡°Come here.¡± For some inexplicable reason, Sophie had never liked to be ordered around. Nevertheless, she quietly obeyed his words at that very moment. When Tristan extended his hand toward her, she gave him a baffled look, which elicited a delightful smile from him. Before she knew it, he pulled her over to sit by his side. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ve already applied for leave on your behalf. There¡¯s no need for you to return to ss in the afternoon.¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t you promise to wake me? Why didn¡¯t you?¡± Sophie had just woken up from a nap. Hernguid voice was tinged with sensuality. Tristan couldn¡¯t help but pull her into his embrace and nt a kiss on her cheek. ¡°You¡¯re so irresistible.¡± When Sophie looked up at him, he could feel his being gravitate toward her. Pulling her closer, he gave her lips a kiss. By the time Sophie gathered her senses, she stared at him in surprise. ¡°Mr. Tristan.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t let other men touch you, for it will drive me mad.¡± He had initially wanted to give her more time, but whatever self-control he had would always falter in front of her. Sophie blushed, her cheeks and ears turning as red as a tomato. Enchanted by her coy response, Tristan was delighted. Sophie gave him a look before wanting to get off him. Whoeveres in and sees us will definitely get the wrong idea! ¡°Let go of me.¡± Sophie began to worry, cognizant of Tristan¡¯s naughty intentions. In spite of that, he had always treated her with respect, causing her to forget that there was an upromising beast underneath that facade of the man. Tristan kept her locked in his embrace. ¡°Do you hear me? I have no desire to wait any longer, as there are just too many men around you.¡± With so many men coveting her, he was worried about losing her to someone else. ¡°No. What gives you the right to demand something like that from me?¡± Her response intensified his refusal to release her. ¡°Sophie¡­¡± Nheless, all he could do was sigh in the face of her defiance. After all, he couldn¡¯t even bring himself to raise his voice at her. Left without a choice, he personally walked her out. As it was still within office hours, the office was filled with staffing and going. The sight of Tristan escorting a girl in a school uniform in a protective manner triggered mass envy among the female employees of thepany. Coincidentally, Charles, with Winter in tow, had arrived at Lombard Group to hand a document over to Tristan. Much to their surprise, they ran into Sophie and Tristan, who were on their way out. When Winter saw that both of them hade down from the nieth floor, her expression drastically changed. Even I have never set foot in there. And yet, Sophie gets to ess it with such ease? ¡°No wonder you left even though the dishes had already been served. I knew it had to be because of Sophie.¡± Charles couldn¡¯t resist teasing him. Chapter 107 Chapter 107 Chapter 107 What Is Her Rtionship To Him ¡°That¡¯s right. Who else could it be, aside from her?¡± Tristan was totally unabashed about his favoritism toward Sophie. Hearing him say that gave Winter a feeling of tightness in her chest. It was as though she was suffocating from being throttled. ¡°It¡¯s been a while, Mr. Tristan.¡± Winter finally regained her own voice. No matter. It¡¯s not toote so long as they are yet to marry. Tristan merely acknowledge her with a nod. ¡°Let¡¯s go and get this document signed then. A good thing that I got here in time too, as I wouldn¡¯t know where else I¡¯d be able to find you otherwise.¡± ¡°Stick around for a bit. I¡¯ll drive you overter.¡± Tristan reiterated as he did not want her to leave on her own. Only after he saw Sophie signal her agreement did Tristan take Charles upstairs. His personal seal had still been left on the nieth floor. That left Winter and Sophie inside the lobby. Not the chatty sort, to begin with, Sophie was not that fond of Winter either. Hence, she had no inclination to interact with thetter and simply sat there in silence while she waited. That made Winter feel indignant. A real snobbish one, aren¡¯t you? You¡¯re only getting to remain by Mr. Tristan¡¯s side temporarily, and that¡¯s it. What¡¯s there for you to be so stuck up about? ¡°I heard that Transfix Cosmetics are making real progress under your stewardship, so congrats!¡± said Winter while she absentmindedly tousled her own hair. Sophie merely grunted and made no attempt to build on the conversation. ¡°You¡¯ve seen for yourself, Sophie. Mr. Tristan and you aren¡¯t in the same league, no matter how much effort you put in. We ought to be aware of our own limitations so as not to make life any more difficult for ourselves than it needs to be.¡± Hearing that elicited a chuckle from Sophie. ¡°Isn¡¯t that the truth? Given your reputation, never mind the Lombard family, even the Laird family might not think much of you. Being as young as you are, you may not understand where I¡¯ming from, but I¡¯m only saying this for your own good.¡± ¡°For my own good?¡± Sophie could not stifle augh. ¡°Is it because you think that I¡¯m young and impressionable, Ms. Quigley, or because you think I¡¯m a moron? Aren¡¯t you telling me these just to make me leave Mr. Tristan?¡± That yielded a frown from Winter that the exquisite makeup on her face was unable to mask. Yet, an instantter, she got that smile back up on her face. ¡°No. Sincerely, I only hope that you may be able to appreciate the reality of the situation for yourself.¡± ¡°Mr. Tristan, huh? Perhaps others may think that I¡¯m unfit for him, but I, Sophie Tanner, am definitely good enough if that¡¯s what I desire.¡± Did she seriously believe that I¡¯m some ignorant girl who could be brainwashed that easily? ¡°Don¡¯t you know that there are many things in this world that are immutable andpletely beyond your control, Ms. Tanner? Like, the status quo that you¡¯re born into!¡± ¡°Ha!¡± replied Sophie with a sneer. ¡°Are you thatcking in self-confidence? Having to bring in your family background to back you up even in matters of love?¡± ¡°Self-confidence? Do you believe that the people in high society do not care about these things? You did not strike me as such a na?ve person, Ms. Tanner!¡± A fling is something else, but when ites to the question of marriage and having to spend the rest of your lives together, it will no longer be the concern of two individuals; It¡¯s the business of two families. ¡°The Lombards are a family that you Tanners can never hope to get in with. Besides, you¡¯re the notorious Ms. Sophie, an outcast even to your own family.¡± ¡°I see! It looks like I¡¯m really not good enough for Mr. Tristan.¡± Sophie nodded as though in agreement. ¡°But would you dare repeat what you¡¯ve just said to Mr. Tristan? Why don¡¯t you tell him that, and ask him to stop pestering me? To be honest, I¡¯m still very undecided about whether I want to be with him! Now that you¡¯ve mentioned it, it got me thinking whether I should seriously consider our possibilities.¡± ¡°Haha. Mr. Tristan, pestering you? I¡¯m genuinely shocked, Sophie, by how far you¡¯d go in making such outrageous ims.¡± Sophie was generally unenthused about continuing with this exchange. ¡°You should know better than anyone whether there¡¯s any truth to it. Have you ever been up to the nieth floor? It was Mr. Tristan who brought me there himself. Do you know theyout there?¡± Initially, she did not want to bother with her, but thetter¡¯s relentless prodding made her decide to pile onto her counterpart¡¯s misery. ¡°You¡ª¡± That had Winter practically shaking with rage. Sophie then firmly disengaged. When the receptionist who knew Sophie to be an important associate of Tristan saw that they were still there, she immediately brought her a ss of warm water. ¡°Have some water, Ms. Tanner.¡± Content ? N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°I really wasn¡¯t aware that you are Mr. Tristan¡¯s girlfriend, Ms. Tanner, so please do not take it personally if I¡¯d offended you in any way today.¡± Thedy from the front desk looked at her in concern, for it was a well-paying job that she could not afford to lose. ¡°It¡¯s fine. Don¡¯t worry about it.¡± Putting herself in her counterpart¡¯s shoes, she understood that the receptionist was only doing her job, and thus she was not going to be petty about it. ¡°Then I shan¡¯t continue to disturb you.¡± Hearing her response did much to set the receptionist¡¯s mind at ease. ¡°Oh, would you mind putting in a good word on my behalf in front of Mr. Tristan as well? I really didn¡¯t mean to badmouth him.¡± Seeing that Sophie was being more approachable, the receptionist made yet another overture. She thought she must have been out of her mind today, dering that Tristan was not interested in women, and in front of his girlfriend, at that. Sophie was thoroughly taken aback by that request. ¡°I¡¯m not his girlfriend, actually.¡± Concerning that, Sophie thought it better to rify. The receptionist was baffled. Why would Mr. Tristan bring her up to the nieth floor if they weren¡¯t dating? ¡°They¡¯re not together,¡± Winter chimed in immediately when she heard her counterpart say so. So, Mr. Tristan has never regarded Sophie as his girlfriend. What Sophie said came to her as some relief. ¡°Ms. Quigley¡ª¡± The receptionist certainly recognized Winter but was also aware that Tristan did not regard thetter in any exceptional way. At that moment, Tristan stepped out of the elevator alongside Charles. ¡°You don¡¯t have to concern yourself with this matter anymore. I¡¯d take care of it,¡± said Charles as he walked. ¡°Winter¡¯s really fond of you, Mr. Tristan. Though I know that you don¡¯t feel the same way about her, I just hope that you¡¯d be able to let things slide on my ount, no matter what she might attempt to do in the future,¡± said Charles in disquietude when he saw how Winter and Sophie were, standing next to each other. ¡°We¡¯re buddies, Charles, so there¡¯s no need to say such things between us. I¡¯d turn a blind eye, so long as she does not try to harm Sophie.¡± Having grown up together with Charles, he had few qualms about agreeing to such a request, conditional to Winter not wishing ill upon Sophie. ¡°Of course.¡± Charles remained uneasy even with such verbal assurances, as Winter was persistent and had proved unreceptive to his own repeated warnings. ¡°All right. Let¡¯s go!¡± Tristan sounded a little different from usual when he came up beside Sophie, being much more gentle in his tone when he spoke to her. That did not sit well with Winter who was quietly infuriated. ¡°I think we should be taking our leave as well.¡± She had insisted on apanying me to the Lombard Group only to catch a glimpse of Tristan, so that ought to make her give up now! ¡°Charles, I¡­¡± Winter felt profoundly aggrieved. All the effort I had put in was for the sake of keeping up with him. Sleeping no more than a few hours a day and working hard to get myself into a top university; all that was to make myself good enough for him. But what of him? Not once had he recognized the sacrifices that I had made. ¡°You can¡¯t force love, Winter, so you ought to just give it up.¡± With the exception of Sophie, Mr. Tristan has never brought any woman up to the nieth floor. Doesn¡¯t this make the issue obvious? Chapter 108 Chapter 108 Chapter 108 Is Someone On Her Tail Winter was truly and adamantly indignant about this state of affairs, but there was little she could do about it under the circumstances. Old Mr. Lombard, though, would never be able to ept Sophie for her background, especially when Sophie herself is consistently dogged by a bad rep. ¡°Whatever the case, steer clear of Sophie, or even I would not be able to protect you.¡± Though the Quigley family was considered among the four major families, there was still a considerable gap in the influence they wielded whenpared to the Lombard family. Under Tristan¡¯s leadership, the Lombard family had already left the other three familiesgging far behind, making Tristan someone not to be trifled with in the here and now. ¡°Okay. Got it. I won¡¯t try to mess with her.¡± So long as I¡¯m not the one moving against her directly, nobody can hold me responsible if someone else decided to do otherwise, could they? She was certainly nobody¡¯s fool. Winter had always thought herself to be exceptional, and not once had she considered herself to be Sophie¡¯s lesser. Tristan opened the door for Sophie to get inside the car. ¡°To the Wisteria Apartments?¡± That¡¯s going to make mete for school, wouldn¡¯t it? ¡°Yeah!¡± They only just got in the car when a call came in from Bailey. Sophie took one nce but still choose to pick up. ¡°Why aren¡¯t you in school today? Are you not feeling well?¡± Bailey asked in concern. He had grown ustomed to paying attention to Sophie¡¯s every move without even realizing it himself. ¡°No. I took the day off because I had some stuff to see to. What¡¯s up?¡± ¡°Nothing, really. I just wanted to ask if you¡¯d being into theb after ss.¡± He was missing her a little despite only not seeing her for one afternoon. ¡°Nah. I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll be headed there today.¡± Sophie considered that she might not be able to squeeze in the time after her visit to the Wings of Light. ¡°Do you have anything else for me?¡± ¡°No. That¡¯s it.¡± The dead tone on the phone left Bailey a little despondent. Nevertheless, he still turned around and made his way to the medicalboratory, for it was only there that he would be able to avoid thinking about her. ¡°Who was that?¡± As the volume on Sophie¡¯s phone was turned up pretty high, Tristan was able to hear the male voice coming from the other end. ¡°Just a schoolmate.¡± ¡°A guy?¡± Tristan¡¯s fingers tightened around the steering wheel. She really is too attractive. ¡°Yeah. Our physics teacher is sending us forpetition together, so we¡¯ve been doing experiments together quite often,¡± said Sophie in a casual manner as she did not think too much of that call from Bailey. ¡°Is he interested in you?¡± Tristan had not realized how much his words reeked of envy. Sophie¡¯s brows perked up. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t know that.¡± Sophie was never one to ce too much attention on people who were not important to her. That yielded no response from the bbergasted Tristan, who thought he might be contending with one rival too many. The car arrived at Wisteria Apartments, but Tristan did not see her upstairs as he had other matters that needed his attention. After getting in, Sophie changed out of her uniform into a ck hoodie and a pair of light blue jeans before grabbing a ride down to Wings of Light. Wings of Light was situated along the most bustling street in Jipsdale. Real estate was at a premium here, but Wings of Light itself upied a standalone building consisting of eight floors. Though shabby on the exterior, stepping inside would reveal that there was more to it than meets the eye. Having not been around for some time, she was refused entry by the elderly gentleman guarding the entrance because he did not recognize her. ¡°Have you lost your way,ss? Go on and turn around. This ce is for employees only!¡± ¡°Actually, I¡¯m looking for Neveah, sir.¡± Wings of Light did not have as many staff on board in its infancy, and it was only after Butterfly took the reins that they started to hire more support personnel. That woman was never one to mistreat herself. The people she often brought on board, though, tend to be much more advanced in age, giving the ce an appearance of a shelter for elderly folk from the outside. In spite of that, none of them were ordinary in any regard. ¡°Ms. Sekelsky, eh? Hang on. Let me make a call.¡± The gentleman then phoned Butterfly. From his description, Butterfly was able to infer that it was Sophie because very few could boast of the latter¡¯s bewitching looks. Butterfly came down personally to receive her. With the other members kept upied these past few days, only she remained stationed in Wings of Light. ¡°Finally. Hadn¡¯t you promised me before? Took you a really long time to get here, it did,¡± Butterfly could not help but gripe. ¡°Come on then, let¡¯s head on up!¡± An eight-story building would not usuallye with an elevator, so Butterfly had one specially retrofitted when she first bought the ce. She took Sophie up to the eighth floor where the interiors were rather impressively done. ¡°I¡¯ve reserved an office for you! Would you like to go check it out and see whether it is to your liking?¡± Butterfly then ushered her toward the furthermost office. That got Sophie¡¯s eyebrow raised. She had been pretty much hands-off since handing the keys to Wings of Light over to Butterfly, and had not expected thetter to have an office renovated for her. Pushing past the door, Butterfly led Sophie inside a space with a rather indie vibe before she turned to thetter in anticipation. ¡°So, how do you find it? Do you like it? If you do, would you mind dropping in more often whenever you are free? It could get a little lonely being here by myself sometimes!¡± ¡°It¡¯s all right, I guess!¡± It was not hard to tell that Butterfly had invested quite a bit into fixing up the ce, but she still preferred to answer to the beckoning of freedom. ¡°Isn¡¯t Wings of Light doing very well at the moment? I think you¡¯re well suited to run things here, so why don¡¯t you just continue on?¡± Butterfly was rendered speechless. Plonking herself down on the swivel chair, Sophie then pressed a switch to activate it. Less than ten seconds afterward, theputer had fully booted up. The speed of theputer¡¯s operations was very much to Sophie¡¯s satisfaction. ¡°Oh, Phantom! Wings of Light is your baby. Don¡¯t you have any feelings toward it at all?¡± ¡°None whatsoever.¡± Sophie was extremely indifferent. That got Butterfly reeling once more. Well, fine! Why am I even trying to talk emotions with Phantom? This girl is nothing if not heartless. From her pocket, Sophie fished out a piece of gum which she unwrapped before she popped it into her own mouth. Then with a tug of the chair, she brought herself in front of theputer. While her fingers danced over the keyboards, strings of code zed across the screen, one line after the other. ? N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved. Even if she matched Butterfly for pace, one could not help but behold the manner of her operations; it was clear that there was a stark difference between them. It was just that effortless for some people to crush thepetition, and Sophie was exactly of that sort. ¡°Rx. My firewalls are solid! No one will be able to get past them.¡± Sophie was supremely confident about her own skills. ¡°I could still bolster them if you don¡¯t feel secure, though.¡± As it was already past eight in the evening when she left Wings of Light, Sophie decided to pass on attending the self-study session. Pulling the hood over her head, Sophie plugged in her earphones and walked along the street. She did not get too far before she discovered someone on her tail. Her lips curled up into a smirk. These people just won¡¯t quit. At that moment, her phone started to ring. Sophie hit the button to put the call through. ¡°Where are you?¡± Tristan sounded rather anxious. ¡°Outside. Why?¡± ¡°Send me your location. I¡¯ming over to pick you up right away.¡± Knowing that those people were after Sophie, there was no way he could sit idle. ¡°It¡¯s cool. I can handle them myself.¡± Sophie then thought about hanging up. It¡¯s been a while since I got to stretch my limbs, so I might as well give myself a good workout today. ¡°Sophie.¡± There was a hint of anger to Tristan¡¯s tone. ¡°What?¡± Why would I want to bother him with something I can resolve on my own? Chapter 109 Chapter 109 Chapter 109 Beaten To A Pulp Tristan was worried, as those were professional mercenaries who were vastly different from ordinary thugs. ? N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved. He couldn¡¯t control his temper, as he was extremely anxious. However, he had no choice but to tamp his temper down after hearing her question. ¡°Soph, be good. Stay in the crowd instead of going somewhere deste. I¡¯lle to you now.¡± His men had tracked her location down, and he was on his way to her. Sophie was rendered speechless. ¡°Mr. Tristan, I can handle them.¡± His voice was soft; she couldn¡¯t bring herself to be harsh on him. After all, he was only concerned about her. ¡°Be good and don¡¯t move. Wait for me,¡± Tristan implored, his tone contrary to his usual arrogant voice. ¡°All right.¡± Sophie caved in. She couldn¡¯t bring herself to say no or reject Tristan mercilessly like how she used to reject other men. Yet, Sophie could not wait for any longer after realizing the men were armed. She was currently in the most bustling area in Jipsdale. The streets were crowded, so the consequences would be unimaginable if they were to use their guns in public. Sophie unlocked her phone and clicked on the map. She observed the map for around one minute before strolling toward a deste area calmly. The men d in casual clothes immediately shared a look and strode after her. ying with the wire of her earphone, Sophie strolled into a quiet alley. ¡°Get her!¡± Sophie came to a stop at the end of the alley and turned to look at the men. ¡°You have nowhere to escape now, huh?¡± one man sneered as his gaze gleamed with malice. ¡°Surrender without putting up a fight, so you won¡¯t have to suffer as much.¡± ¡°Escape?¡± Sophie repeated mockingly. ¡°You¡¯re nothing but trash. Why do I need to escape?¡± ¡°Ha!¡± The leader let out a mirthlessugh. She¡¯s confident, huh? ¡±Take her away!¡± The mercenaries stepped forward menacingly, but Sophie was still fiddling with the wire of her earphone. Before they could reach her, she pulled out a piece of gum and unwrapped it before tossing it into her mouth. Chewing on her gum, she observed the men carefully. Finally, the mercenaries stopped in front of her. Sophie darted out of their way before they could take action against her. Leaping into the air, she kicked one man¡¯s crotch forcefully. Sophie didn¡¯t like beating around the bush. These were deadly mercenaries, so she didn¡¯t hold back and attacked them mercilessly. The mercenaries copsed to the ground one by one. The leader of the mercenaries was scowling by now. His subordinates were skilled but got defeated by the youngdy easily. ¡°You¡¯re the only one left. Come on!¡± Sophie said arrogantly. ¡°You must be sick of living!¡± the leader growled. He shrugged out of his jacket and tossed it aside, then strode toward Sophie ominously. Without wasting time, he pulled his gun out and aimed for Sophie¡¯s head. ¡°We never wanted to kill you. Juste with us,¡± the manmanded. ¡°No.¡± There was no way she¡¯d leave with them easily. At that moment, Tristan¡¯s car rolled to a stop before the alley. His heart clenched up anxiously when he thought of Sophie entering the quiet alley instead of listening to his words. The alley was eerily silent, and for a moment, Tristan dared not walk into it. Bang! A loud gunshot rang out, prompting Tristan to dash in. To his shock, he saw over ten mercenaries moaning in anguish on the ground. One man¡¯s wrist was bleeding, as he had been shot. Sophie, however, had over ten guns with her. She arched a brow at the sight of him. Tristan hurried over to her and only rxed after making sure she was all right. ¡°Who sent you here?¡± Tristan went to the leader. However, the leader merely red at him and refused to spill a word. ¡°You won¡¯t say anything, huh? Never mind. I¡¯ll make you regret what you have done today.¡± Right after he said that, Felix appeared with over a dozen of men in ck. Tristan ordered, ¡°Bring them back, but don¡¯t let them die.¡± He wanted to question them personally after sending Sophie back home. Felix noticed the mercenaries rolling in pain on the ground and cast Sophie a look. Despite knowing Sophie wasn¡¯t someone to be trifled with, he had no idea she was capable of beating the mercenaries to a pulp. He couldn¡¯t help but wonder how many secrets she had. I don¡¯t think I can defeat the mercenaries alone. The alley was silent once again. Tristan stood silently in his spot. He was obviously upset at her. Sophie spat her gum into a piece of tissue before going to him. ¡°Mr. Tristan, are you mad at me?¡± Sophie asked. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you listen to me?¡± Tristan¡¯s entire being was still shaking in fear. He couldn¡¯t imagine what he would do if something were to happen to her. ¡°I wanted to listen to you, but they were armed. So¡ª¡± ¡°You came here knowing that they had guns? Sophie, you did that on purpose, didn¡¯t you?¡± Tristan interjected, a wave of fury crashing through him. Sophie was befuddled by his anger. In her opinion, she was just trying to prevent a gunfight in Jipsdale. ¡°The street was crowded, and I didn¡¯t want¡ª¡± ¡°Those people have nothing to do with me. Why would I bother about their safety? Your safety is my priority,¡± Tristan cut in. His words might sound selfish, but he was telling the truth. No one else but her life mattered to him. Sophie was astonished to learn how possessive he could be. She had no idea Tristan was this concerned about her. ¡°Mr. Tristan, I¡ª¡± Refusing to hear her exnation, Tristan pulled her into her arms and bit the corner of her lips as a form of punishment. ¡°Why won¡¯t you listen to me?¡± he whispered in her ear. Sophie wrapped her arms around him and leaned against his chest. Her action calmed him down instantly. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I didn¡¯t mean to make you worry.¡± Tristan sighed out loud. He was hopelessly in love with her. Without saying anything else, he gave her a ride back to Wisteria Apartments. ¡°Can I see those men?¡± She was curious why those men wanted to abduct her. ¡°Mm, no problem,¡± Tristan agreed readily. He would make the arrangements for her if she wanted to see them. ¡°They wanted to abduct you so they could use you to threaten me into submission.¡± Tristan had rushed over the moment he received the news, but he didn¡¯t make it here in time. In the end, she had to solve the matter alone. ¡°No one can abduct me easily. Mr. Tristan, don¡¯t let others use me to threaten you into submission.¡± Sophie wanted to help him instead of being his Achilles¡¯ heel. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I won¡¯t let anyone get the chance to hurt you.¡± Tristan¡¯s eyes zed dangerously. He wasn¡¯t even this mad when his enemies had tried to harm him. Chapter 110 Chapter 110 Chapter 110 Causing An Unwanted Misunderstanding Felix had no idea Tristan would bring Sophie to the dungeon. Everyone who was tortured and questioned here would definitely spill the truth. Sophie was in a daze after she entered the dungeon. It did not ur to her that Tristan would bring the men here and that such a ce existed in Jipsdale. ¡°Mr. Tristan,¡± Felix greeted. He had just arrived a while ago and didn¡¯t have the chance to question the mercenaries yet. ¡°I¡¯ll bring you around,¡± Tristan said to Sophie, who nodded in agreement. Despite priding herself on her rich experience, she couldn¡¯t stop a chill from going down her spine at the horrible-looking devices used to torture the prisoners kept captive here. ¡°Mr. Tristan, do your rivals often try to assassinate you?¡± Is he only the CEO of Lombard Group? Why do so many people want him dead? ¡°Why?¡± Tristan led her deeper into the dungeon. Everything Sophie saw here gave her a new perspective of what Tristan was capable of. ¡°Why do you need to establish a dungeon like this?¡± The police might not be able to get the answers they wanted, but the prisoners here¡ªincluding ruthless mercenaries¡ªwould definitely spill everything after being tortured by the highly advanced devices. There was simply no chance of fighting back. ¡°Indeed. After I took over Lombard Group, many wanted me dead,¡± came Tristan¡¯s answer. Hearing that, Sophie felt bad for him. No matter how mentally resilient he was, he must be annoyed by those constant assassinations! Tristan took in her expression and went to her. Taking her hand, he said, ¡°But they don¡¯t have what it takes to kill me. I¡¯m still healthy and alive.¡± He wouldn¡¯t have created a dungeon if it wasn¡¯t necessary. Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t have brought me here,¡± Sophie said. This ce was very important to him. If someone else discovered the existence of this ce and sent the evidence to the relevant authorities, he would be greatly affected. ¡°Sophie, you¡¯re different from others. You mean a lot to me.¡± He would allow her to do anything she wanted in his territory. In fact, he could take over any territory that wasn¡¯t his as long as she wanted him to. His gaze was too affectionate, and Sophie had no idea how to respond. Without a word, she went deeper into the dungeon. ¡°The technology here is really advanced. I¡¯m sure no one can refuse to talk.¡± No matter how strong one¡¯s willpower was, one couldn¡¯t resist for long. ¡°Yes.¡± He had spent a lot to build this dungeon, so it was undeniably effective. After their tour ended, Felix had already pried the information from the mercenaries¡¯ lips. ¡°Mr. Tristan, the Zaleses sent them, just likest time in Horington,¡± Felix reported. The Zaleses had always been jealous of the Lombards and had been trying to wipe them out in secret. ¡°yton Zales.¡± Tristan¡¯s guess was right. The only person who dared to pull this feat in Jipsdale could only be yton. ¡°Mr. Tristan, what should we do about them?¡± Felix asked, for there were over ten mercenaries here. ¡°Hand them to Eustace. He¡¯s been trying to capture them, hasn¡¯t he?¡± Sophie blinked after hearing Eustace¡¯s name. ¡°Sure.¡± They were doing Eustace a big favor. ¡°I¡¯ll handle the rest. It¡¯ste. You and Sophie should go home and rest.¡± Deep down, Felix was still afraid of Sophie. She¡¯s not someone to be messed with. I need to show her more respect or risk invoking her wrath. Sophie yawned loudly. She was indeed exhausted after the fight. ¡°If you¡¯re busy, I can head home myself.¡± In an attempt to butter up to her, Felix immediately replied, ¡°You are the most important person here. I can handle the rest, so don¡¯t worry!¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± Tristan uttered. Hisrge hand wrapped around her tiny one and warmed her hand up. Sophie fell into a momentary daze. The moment Tristan left with Sophie, Felix ordered his men to tie the mercenaries up. ¡°Mr. Northley, what should we do with them?¡± ¡°Drag them to the door of the SWAT team and leave them in the hands of Eustace. He has dealt with simr matters plenty of times.¡± The mercenaries had assassinated several important government officials, so Eustace would be rewarded for his outstanding service if he were to arrest them. That was the exact reason why Felix was terrified. The mercenaries were known to be ruthless, but Sophie had managed to defeat them easily. It was really mind-blowing. These few days, Eustace had been busy with a case. He didn¡¯t get to sleep well. He had just fallen asleep that day when he received a call from his team. ¡°What is it?¡± Eustace pinched his nose bridge in an attempt to wake up. ¡°Captain Sheppard,e to the station now!¡± Eustace¡¯s brows snapped together. ¡°What happened?¡± he asked. His team members from the SWAT team had been working alongside him for some time and were experienced, so it was the first time he had seen them this flustered. ¡°You¡¯ll find out when you arrive. Even if I exin everything to you now, you won¡¯t trust me.¡± Eustace drove to the SWAT team at once. When he saw that over ten mercenaries were all bundled up inside, he promptly lost his cool. The leader of the group of mercenaries was an internationally wanted fugitive. His team had been finding the whereabouts of these mercenaries but to no avail. Who is capable enough of capturing them before sending them here? ¡°Contact Interpol.¡± Eustace kept his cool and made the arrangements. The leader of the mercenaries hadmitted many grave crimes, so no matter who captured him, he or she had done a good deed. ¡°Also, find out who sent them here.¡± ¡°Captain Sheppard, what a stroke of good fortune! You managed to arrest an internationally wanted fugitive when you were sleeping at home.¡± Eustace rubbed his nose. That¡¯s true. I¡¯ve cracked a few important cases after I met Sophie. Hmm, it¡¯s time for me to go see her. She¡¯s a high school student, but not an ordinary being. Previously, she was involved in defusing the bomb. Was it also her this time? The next morning, Eustace drove to Jipsdale Premier High. He stared at the gate intently until he saw a youngdy d in uniform heading toward the gate with two buns in her hand. Without hesitation, he got out of his car. Eustace was wearing his police uniform, which looked great on him. In fact, he looked dashing in his uniform. Thus, he immediately attracted the female students¡¯ attention. sses were going to begin soon, but they refused to head in. ¡°Wow, he¡¯s a hunk!¡± ¡°Yeah! I used to think that Bailey¡¯s hot, but he¡¯s not as handsome as this man.¡± ¡°You¡¯re right. Oh, how I wish I can marry a police officer.¡± Sophie nced at Eustace as she took a bite of the bun. She chewed on it slowly before swallowing it. ¡°Captain Sheppard, you¡¯ll cause a misunderstanding if you show up at my school in your uniform to look for me.¡± ¡°What kind of misunderstanding?¡± Eustace didn¡¯t understand what she was talking about. ¡°I¡¯m here to ask a few questions.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± Sophie asked airily. Chapter 111 Chapter 111 Chapter 111 Loved By Everyone ¡°What? The officer is here to talk to Sophie?¡± ¡°Seriously? Oh, my idol¡­¡± ¡°Sophie is really despicable. Aren¡¯t Bailey and Mason enough for her? Why is she seducing this officer now? What a promiscuous woman!¡± someone muttered angrily. ¡°But they are so handsome.¡± As the students were all gathered at the entrance and refused toe in, Rhett grabbed his cane and strode over to them. ¡°Aren¡¯t you alling in? The reminder bell has rung a while ago. What are you all doing here?¡± he demanded. The girls were reluctant to head in even after Rhett had shown up. They couldn¡¯t help but wonder what the officer¡¯s name was and where his office was. They hoped to see him again, too. ¡°You¡¯re all getting demerits if you don¡¯t head in now!¡± Rhett warned angrily. Why are the students getting more difficult nowadays? He was about to teach the culprit who attracted their attention a lesson when he noticed Eustace¡¯s uniform. At once, his furious expression turned into a weing smile. ¡°Sir, may I know the reason for your visit?¡± he asked politely. ¡°Oh, it¡¯s nothing important. You should get back to work. I¡¯d like to have a word with Sophie,¡± Eustace responded civilly. ¡°Oh, I see. Sophie, answer the officer¡¯s questions properly. You don¡¯t have to hurry back to ss. I¡¯ll help you ask for a leave from Mr. Hayes,¡± Rhett said. Sophie was rendered speechless. Did I say I want to take a leave? Eustace was observing her all the while and knew she was upset. He immediately said, ¡°Please go back to work. I¡¯ll just talk to Sophie here. It won¡¯t take long, so there¡¯s no need for you to be concerned.¡± ¡°Sure. Go ahead.¡± Rhett then brought the students into the school grounds. Silence ensued. The autumn sun shone on them warmly as Sophie turned to look at Eustace. Eustace was wearing his police uniform, and she was d in her school uniform. Strangely, they both looked pleasing to the eye. Bailey had something up today and arrived at schoolter than usual. The sight of Sophie and Eustace together at the school gate made him frown in displeasure. In the end, Sophie got into Eustace¡¯s Land Rover. ¡°What do you want to talk about?¡± ¡°Over ten mercenaries were sent to the SWAT teamst night. Were you behind this?¡± Wow. So Felix really did send those men to the SWAT team. ¡°I have no idea what you¡¯re talking about.¡± Sophie feigned nonchnce. ¡°Oh¡­¡± Eustace observed Sophie carefully but couldn¡¯t tell anything from her expression. He was great at investigation, but his skills were rendered useless before Sophie. ¡°Right. There¡¯s no way you get to encounter those internationally renowned mercenaries.¡± ¡°If there¡¯s nothing else, I shall go back to ss now.¡± After Sophie got out of his car, Eustace gave her a bag. Sophie didn¡¯t take it from him. ¡°What is this?¡± ¡°I bought some breakfast for you.¡± He had visited The Crown early in the morning to buy breakfast for her. Sophie nced at her bun that was no longer piping hot and epted the bag from him. ¡°Thanks!¡± The first self-study session was about to end by the time Sophie returned to the ssroom. Aaron told her to return to her desk without asking any questions. Once the session ended, a girl ran to Sophie. ¡°Sophie, who was that hunk at the gate this morning? What is his name? Do you have his phone number?¡± Sophie¡¯s brows snapped together impatiently. ¡°Noment.¡± Eustace¡¯s job was pretty sensitive, so there was no way she¡¯d divulge his information to her ssmates. The girl lost her cool and demanded, ¡°Sophie, why are you so arrogant? So what if you¡¯re prettier than us? You seduce every man youe across. Don¡¯t you think you¡¯re disgusting?¡± ¡°Yeah, how disgusting. What a b*tch.¡± Bailey had just arrived at Senior ss 8 to talk to Sophie when he heard the girls insult her. ¡°Shut up!¡± There was a hint of fury in his voice. Bailey had always behaved like Prince Charming who came straight out of a fairy tale, so the girls had never heard him talk that way. ¡°Bailey, you¡ª¡± Content ? N?velDrama.Org. ¡°If I hear anyone speak badly about Sophie again, don¡¯t me me for taking action,¡± Bailey warned. It didn¡¯t matter what others said. He only believed what he saw. Ysabelle was already fuming aside, but Bailey had stood up for Sophie before she could say anything. ¡°Bailey, have you fallen in love with Sophie?¡± Many girls had a crush on Bailey. They were filled with resentment toward amon enemy after seeing Bailey defend Sophie. ¡°Who I like is none of your business.¡± Bailey refused to spill anything. Seeing his reaction, the girls fell silent and red at Sophie. Sophie gave the breakfast Eustace bought to Ysabelle. ¡°Breakfast from The Crown? Who gave this to you?¡± ¡°Eustace.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Ysabelle had had breakfast this morning, but she still ate some as it was from The Crown. ¡°Sophie, I ran into a problem in my physics experiment and failed to solve it. Could you help me out?¡± Bailey piped up. Sophie nodded and followed him to the physicsb. The girls fumed at the sight of them leaving together. ¡°Am I going to get my heart broken even before I start dating him?¡± ¡°Has Bailey fallen in love with Sophie? What a seductress!¡± ¡°Shut up! It was Bailey who came to Soph! Soph is loved by many. Are you jealous of her?¡± Ysabelle retorted as she chomped on her breakfast. ¡°Ysabelle, stop acting all high and mighty! Sophie only spends time with you because you¡¯re uglier than her!¡± Ysabelle might be pretty, but she wasn¡¯t as pretty as Sophie. Ysabelle snorted. ¡°Sowing discord, huh? Do you think it¡¯s that easy to sow discord between me and Sophie? Dream on!¡± She ignored them. After all, Sophie was her best friend, and she knew Sophie well. Sophie and Bailey arrived at the physicsb so she could help him check his experiment out. Sophie immediately realized what was wrong after he showed her the steps once. Bailey watched as Sophie carried out the experiment again. His favorable impression of Sophie grew even more. ¡°That¡¯s it.¡± Sophiepleted the experiment and sat down. ¡°Let me try.¡± When Bailey was busy with the experiment, Sophie sprawled on a table and soon fell asleep. Afterpleting the experiment, Bailey turned around to see that she was sound asleep. He shrugged out of his jacket and draped it over her. He then took a seat across from her and observed her silently without doing anything. Willow had noticed Sophie and Bailey entering theb and had sneaked in after them. She had been hiding in a corner and had taken a few photos of Bailey shrugging out of his jacket. As Sophie and Bailey were alone in theb, Willow had taken the photos at a suggestive angle that would cause everyone to misunderstand his action. She nced at the photos on her phone and shed a smug grin. Without hesitation, she sent the photos to a ssmate who had a crush on Bailey and hinted to her to post the photos on their school forum. The girl didn¡¯t disappoint her. Willow scrolled the page on the forum with the photos and chuckled evilly. Chapter 112 Chapter 112 Chapter 112 Rumors By the time Sophie woke up, it was half past ten. The second period had begun. Thus, she did another experiment in theb and waited until the third period ended before returning to her ss. The students were busy scrolling through the forum. Sophie and Bailey had caused an uproar after the photos were posted. Once Sophie showed up, the rest began whispering among themselves. ¡°Seriously? How shameless of them to do this in school!¡± ¡°Yes! What an unsightly scene! This isn¡¯t the Bailey I know!¡± ¡°This isn¡¯t Bailey¡¯s fault! Sophie must¡¯ve seduced him. That¡¯s right. She seduced him.¡± Content held by N?velDrama.Org. Ysabelle had been searching around for Sophie. When thetter came back, she immediately dragged her out. ¡°Soph, let¡¯s go.¡± Sophie regarded her dubiously. What¡¯s wrong? ¡°You want to skip sses again?¡± ¡°Yes, yes.¡± Ysabelle thought that skipping sses was a great idea. The photos that were posted online had made Sophie the talk of the town, and many horrible comments had been posted. ¡°There¡¯s no need for that,¡± Sophie rejected. She wasn¡¯t one who would escape from problems. ¡°Soph,¡± Ysabelle pleaded worriedly. ¡°What happened?¡± Sophie kept her cool. Under Sophie¡¯s sharp gaze, Ysabelle finally gave her phone to Sophie. After seeing the photos and the title of the post on the forum, Sophie shed a smile. However, her smile struck Ysabelle as horrifying. ¡°Soph, are you okay? Someone is obviously trying to bring you down. You¡­¡± Ysabelle was at a loss for words. The photos were taken at an angle that seemed to suggest they were doing something improper in the lab. No one would believe Sophie no matter what she said. ¡°Soph, don¡¯t scare me. I trust you no matter what. I¡¯ll always be on your side,¡± Ysabelle vowed. ¡°Mm, I know.¡± This person took photos of us in the physicsb. Everyone else is in ss, so who followed us all the way there and took these photos? ¡°We can track the person who posted these photos and ask him or her to delete them.¡± Anyone with a brain wouldn¡¯t believe this rumor. It was useless to exin things now, and time would prove everything. ¡°No worries. I¡¯ll teach the person who posted this a lesson. I can delete the post myself, but there¡¯s no hurry,¡± Sophie said. Meanwhile, Bailey had just stepped into his ss when a few boys blocked his path. ¡°Bailey, you look aloof. I had no idea you¡¯d do that in school!¡± ¡°Yeah! You¡¯re quite bold, huh? Even if we wanted to f*ck, we¡¯d bring our partner to a motel.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t believe you dare to f*ck someone as filthy as Sophie. Aren¡¯t you afraid of getting infected with STDs?¡± ¡°Stop it, Woody. It was Sophie who ignored you. Otherwise, you would¡¯ve slept with her!¡± ¡°Right. I¡¯d risk getting STDs to f*ck someone as gorgeous as Sophie,¡± Woody Shaw responded with a sleazy grin. Bailey¡¯s expression turned as dark as thunder. ¡°Forget it. Bailey, stop acting all prude. Tell us how it feels to f*ck Sophie,¡± Woody urged. ¡°Hey!¡± Bailey grabbed Woody¡¯s cor. ¡°You¡¯d better watch your tongue instead of spreading baseless rumors, Woody!¡± Woody chuckled. ¡°Why? You slept with her, right? Why do you look all pent up? Didn¡¯t Sophie satisfy you?¡± Woody wasn¡¯t afraid of Bailey, for he was also a bigshot in Jipsdale Premier High. Without warning, Bailey gave Woody¡¯s nose a punch. Woody only regained hisposure when blood trickled down his nostrils. ¡°F*ck you! How dare you hit me, Bailey?¡± A fight promptly broke out between both of them. Bailey might be a top student, but he was also good at fighting. Seeing that, the other boys tried to separate them. ¡°What are you doing? There¡¯s no need to fight over a girl!¡± ¡°Yes! You¡¯ll get expelled for fighting in Jipsdale Premier High!¡± Even if the boys wanted to fight, they would do it outside the school. ¡°Let me go! If I don¡¯t teach him a lesson today, he¡¯ll assume he¡¯s a hunk adored by many!¡± Woody yelled. His nose was still bleeding, and he couldn¡¯t stop the fury from surging through his entire being. He didn¡¯t mind getting expelled as long as he got to beat Bailey up. Bailey¡¯s eyes were red. ¡°If I hear you say Sophie¡¯s name again, I swear I¡¯ll beat you to a pulp!¡± He couldn¡¯t be bothered about the wounds he had sustained in the fight. This was the first time the girls had seen Bailey fighting. Their adoration for him promptly grew. ¡°Oh, dear. I never realized Bailey could be this manly!¡± ¡°Yes! Woody is skilled at fighting, but he managed to defeat Woody! Oh, I love him!¡± ¡°A pity that he showed his manly side to defend Sophie from Senior ss 8. What¡¯s so good about her?¡± ¡°I know, right? She isn¡¯t even that pretty.¡± ¡°She¡¯s nothing but a b*tch who loves seducing men. What a wretched young woman!¡± ¡°Willow, didn¡¯t she seduce your boyfriend, Mason?¡± ¡°Yeah, she¡¯s so despicable. Remember how she seduced Mason when you were in the hospital?¡± Willow snorted. ¡°Mason and I are deeply in love. We¡¯re going to get engaged soon, so I believe he won¡¯t fall in love with someone else.¡± ¡°Really? Willow, you¡¯re only neen! Are you seriously going to get engaged this soon?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve been in love with Mason since middle school. He¡¯s the only man I¡¯ll marry, so it¡¯s fine for us to get engaged this early,¡± Willow said blissfully. Thus, everyone assumed Sophie was the one who tried to break them up and continued insulting Sophie. ¡°Wi, you¡¯re so lucky to have met someone you love at this age. Most importantly, he loves you, too. You guys are such a perfect couple. Congrattion!¡± ¡°Thanks. I have absolute trust in Mason. He won¡¯t budge no matter who tries to seduce him,¡± Willow responded proudly. ¡°Of course. You¡¯re pretty and smart, an all-rounder. He won¡¯t fall for someone else unless he¡¯s blind.¡± ¡°I trust Mason. Thanks!¡± Willow shed a gentle smile. Deep down, she wanted nothing more than for them to continue insulting Sophie. When Bailey found Sophie and Ysabelle, he couldn¡¯t believe his eyes. Sophie was lying on the field, basking in the sun idly. No girls would be as calm as her if they were in her shoes! Chapter 113 Chapter 113 Chapter 113 Feeling Smug ¡°Sophie, are you all right? I¡¯m sorry. It was all my fault. If I hadn¡¯t asked you to carry out the experiment at theb, this wouldn¡¯t have happened.¡± Bailey felt a pang of guilt. However, there was no use wallowing in guilt, as he could not change what had happened. Sophie sat up. The sun was so bright that she squinted in response. ¡°You¡¯ve done nothing wrong. This has nothing to do with you. Don¡¯t worry. No matter what they demand, you still have me around to back you up.¡± Bailey was surprised. He was there to soothe Sophie, and he certainly did not expect that she would say something like that. He could not help but wonder if the girl had somehow mistaken her role in the matter. ¡°Bailey, I would really like to ask you a question now. Why did you remove your jacket? You were only doing an experiment in theboratory anyway. Do you know you¡¯re confusing other people that way?¡± Even though Bailey was handsome, Ysabelle was not charmed, as he had been a nuisance to Sophie. Sophie only wishes to live an uneventful and normal high school life. Is that really too much to ask? Why do these people keep hounding her? ¡°I¡­¡± Bailey found himself suddenly at a loss for words. ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± That was the only sentence that he could bring himself to say right then. ¡°I¡¯ve said that you have nothing to do with this. What¡¯s with the injuries on your body?¡± She reckoned that not many would dare to provoke Bailey at Jipsdale Premier High. ¡°Yeah. Why are you hurt?¡± Ysabelle chimed in. ¡°Nothing. I just taught a few guys a lesson for not watching their tongue.¡± Ysabelle felt her hostility toward Bailey melting away as he said that. ¡°You¡¯ve got some guts, Bailey. I really wanted to beat them up when I heard them badmouthing Sophie like that, but I held the urge in the end. You¡¯re the man.¡± Bailey shed Ysabelle a bitter smile. ¡°Bailey, I think it¡¯s time for you to stop interfering in this matter. I will deal with the rest.¡± ¡°Sophie, things have only taken this turn because of me. I will not just sit idly by and shrug it off. I will see that the post is deleted, find out who¡¯s responsible for this, and demand the culprit apologize to you.¡± Bailey left as soon as he said that. ¡°I¡¯ve always thought he¡¯s quite a dashing man. Now that I¡¯ve seen him defending you like that, he¡¯s even more charming now,¡± Ysabelle said. ¡°But, Soph, no matter how dashing he is, he¡¯s never going to surpass Uncle Tristan. He really likes you.¡± Sophie was rendered speechless. ¡°I¡¯m serious. Do you think I should tell Uncle Tristan about this?¡± ¡°No. It¡¯s just a small fight between ssmates. Why bother him with such trivial matters?¡± ¡°Oh, please, as long as it concerns you, I¡¯m sure it¡¯s no trivial matter to Uncle Tristan.¡± ¡°I said, do not tell him,¡± Sophie snapped. ¡°Soph, Uncle Tristan is not like the other shallow-minded people. He believes in you. I¡¯m sure he will believe whatever you say, just like I do. What other people say will never make us doubt you.¡± Ysabelle thought it was best for her to put in a few good words for her uncle. Otherwise, she thought Sophie might really get snitched by the outstanding men swarming around her. When they were having lunch in the cafeteria, Ysabelle identally bumped into Willow. What a small world. Willow¡¯s tray was knocked to the ground. ¡°Are you blind?¡± the girl beside Willow yelled. Content ? N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Are you all right, Wi? Were you scalded? They did this on purpose! Did you guys see her? She¡¯s doing this because she couldn¡¯t get Mason!¡± ¡°How are you so shameless, Sophie?¡± ¡°How is it possible that he asked you to do something like that at school? How shameless can she be?¡± ¡°Jipsdale Premier High is a renowned school. How could we have students like her? This is so humiliating.¡± All girls in the cafeteria gesticted at Sophie right then as they desperately wished they could throw her out. Ysabelle was stumped, for Sophie had done nothing wrong. In fact, Ysabelle was the one who had bumped into Sophie. However, nobody cared, and they put all the me on her as they chastised her. ¡°You¡¯d better go see an ophthalmologist at the hospital if your eyesight is so terrible. I could sponsor the fees,¡± Ysabelle retorted. She could not stand them ndering Sophie. ¡°I was the one who bumped into Willow. Why are you guys hounding her? Why, are you guys not satisfied with being keyboard warriors on the forum? Come to think of it, I really do believe that you guys were the ones who posted those posts on the forum.¡± ¡°Does it matter who posted them? It¡¯s the truth anyway.¡± ¡°You guys will know if it matters once I find out who the culprit is.¡± Sophie snickered. These people really think they can leave unscathed after getting on my nerves. In the past, she could not be bothered by them as she had thought that they were beneath her. However, it was apparent that they had reckoned that she was the type to just suffer in silence. You guys are dead wrong. Sophie found the shallow-minded people amusing. Willow¡¯s lips curled into a mocking grin. Is she still not going to give up even after this? Her reputation is down in the dumps. Who¡¯s willing to be associated with her right now? Sophie nced at Willow. Look at that smug smile on her face. Does Willow really think I can do nothing about her? Does she still think I am still the gullible and weak Sophie from five years ago? Willow instinctively retreated a few steps back when she locked eyes with Sophie. She found the latter¡¯s gaze oddly intimidating. Sophie had done nothing, and yet Willow felt a chill down her spine. However, at the thought that no one could trace any posts on the forum back to her, Willow regained herposure. What can Sophie do to me anyway? She had nothing to fear because she had taken no part in anything that had happened. She was merely an observer. ¡°Sophie, why are you looking at Willow like that? You¡¯vemitted such a disgraceful act, and yet you have the cheek to re at her. Who do you think you are? Are you trying to pick a fight?¡± Willow did not have to say anything, as there would be others who would speak up for her. She only had to stand graciously aside and put on an innocent look. This had always been Willow¡¯s tactic. ¡°Even if fifty more people were toe, I don¡¯t think all of youbined would be able to rival me. But I don¡¯t wish to dirty my hands by hitting the lot of you,¡± Sophie spat out. She sounded arrogant, yet no one doubted her ability. Ysabelle had a look of admiration on her face. That¡¯s my girl. So what if they¡¯re trying to nder Sophie with those photos on the forum? They can never put her down. ¡°Get out of my way.¡± The people blocking Sophie¡¯s way fanned out right away. Sophie went to take her food. Then she turned around and approached Willow. ¡°Feeling smug, are you? You¡¯re the only one who is capable ofing up with a cheap trick like this.¡± Sophie sat down at a table by the window after saying that. Chapter 114 Chapter 114 Chapter 114 We Are Not Meant For Each Other Willow, who was still lining up at that time, looked awful upon hearing that. ¡°Wi, what did she whisper to you? Did she threaten you? Don¡¯t be afraid. You have our support. We won¡¯t let her bully you.¡± Willow forced a smile and said, ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I can¡¯t join you guys for lunch. I¡¯m going back first.¡± Noticing the fear on Willow¡¯s face, the other girls put all the me on Sophie. ¡°Wi, you don¡¯t have to be afraid. Many of us are here to support you.¡± Willow shook her head. ¡°I¡¯m not feeling well. You guys enjoy your meal.¡± With that, she walked out of the cafeteria. Meanwhile, Ysabelle sat in front of Sophie after receiving her lunch set. Then she took out a piece of tissue and wiped her spoon. ¡°Soph, have you identified who it was? We have to find and teach the person a lesson. Otherwise, many people will think we are easy prey.¡± ¡°Who else would scheme against me at all costs other than Willow?¡± ¡°D*mn it. What¡¯s wrong with Willow? She can devote herself to bing Mrs. Laird. What does it have to do with you?¡± Ysabelle was exasperated because of Willow. ¡°Why does she always have to show up in front of you? Has she no shame?¡± ¡°All right, eat up. I¡¯ll handle it. I won¡¯t let Willow off the hook.¡± Ysabelle was relieved upon hearing Sophie¡¯s words. The driver dropped Willow off at the Laird residence after school in the evening. Constance¡¯s lips curled into a smile when she saw Willow. ¡°Wi, you haven¡¯te here to see me for many days. Did Mason bully you? If he ever bullies you, you must let me know. I¡¯ll surely teach him a lesson for you.¡± Willow came up to Constance and held her arm to go inside. ¡°He didn¡¯t! Why would Mason bully me? He¡¯s been treating me well. I was busy because of the final exam. Mrs. Laird, you don¡¯t mind that, do you?¡± Willow was always well-behaved before Constance. ¡°The final exam is important, but your health is even more so. Mason has just returned. You should spend more time with him. Honestly, I¡¯m fond of you and hope you two can get together in the future.¡± Constance was worried that Mason would look for Sophie. ¡°Mason wille home for dinnerter. Try your best to impress him, okay?¡± ¡°Thank you, Mrs. Laird.¡± Willow was excited when she heard that Mason would be here for dinner. As expected, Mason came home at six o¡¯clock in the evening. However, he merely nodded at Willow. The three of them sat at the dining table, and Willow kept putting food on Mason¡¯s te. Momentster, Mason put his fork down. ¡°Mason, what¡¯s wrong? Aren¡¯t these your favorite dishes?¡± ¡°Willow, I¡¯m not a kid. You don¡¯t have to take care of me like this. I can pick up any food I want. This is my home.¡± Deep down, Mason thought he had to be clear with Willow or he would waste her time. Willow¡¯s expression turned grim, and her hand froze after Mason rejected her kindness. She gazed at Constance helplessly, unsure of what to do. Constance could only shake her head. But the next moment, she helped Willow ease the tension. ¡°Just ignore him, Wi. He¡¯s learned a lot of bad habits from overseas.¡± The meal ended on an unhappy note. When Willow wanted to help the housekeeper do the dishes, Mason stopped her. ? N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved. ¡°Willow, you¡¯re our guest here. How can you do something like this? Let¡¯s go out for a chat.¡± Willow¡¯s face turned paler when she heard that. What does he want to say to me? Slowly, they headed toward the courtyard outside. Looking at Willow, whose head was lowered, Mason felt slightly hesitant to speak his mind. However, once Sophie shed through his mind, he thought he had to be cold-hearted. After all, everything would have turned out differently if he had been cold-hearted five years ago. ¡°Mason, what do you want to tell me?¡± Deep down, Willow didn¡¯t wish to face the truth. Fear overwhelmed her when she saw Mason¡¯s expression. ¡°Ever since you went abroad, I¡¯ve been waiting for your return. Now that you¡¯re back, I think we can finally be together, right? Mason, I love you from the bottom of my heart. I don¡¯t mind even if some might think I¡¯ve lost my self-esteem because of it. Nothing else matters as long as I can be with you,¡± Willow confessed before Mason could speak. She then went closer and hugged him tightly. ¡°Mason, I love you!¡± Willow eventually burst into tears. She had a bad omen that what Mason had said earlier was to foreshadow his intention to break up with her. Mason pushed her hands away and took a step back to maintain a distance between them. Deep down, he knew that Willow loved him. However, love is never about a person¡¯s feelings. ¡°Willow, I¡¯m sorry. For all these years, I only treat you like my sister. Now, I¡¯ve finally realized that I always love Sophie. I was too weak five years ago.¡± Willow couldn¡¯t say a word. Mason had broken her heart no matter how hard she had tried to salvage their rtionship. Sophie was the only one he loved. ¡°No matter what, I¡¯ve failed you. I didn¡¯t make it clear to you. I¡¯m grateful to you for saving me. I wouldn¡¯t have be who I am today without you. But loving someone is not about being thankful.¡± Willow hated Sophie deeply. Why? Sophie can get everything I work hard to obtain without doing anything. All I want is Mason. Is it an excessive demand? ¡°Mason, I love you so much. Please don¡¯t be so cruel to me.¡± ¡°Willow, I¡¯m sorry. I can¡¯t give you the love you want. I might sound irresponsible, but I believe you will meet someone who deeply loves you someday.¡± After Mason finished, Willow snickered and took a few steps back. Mason couldn¡¯t help but frown upon seeing her reaction. ¡°Willow¡ª¡± ¡°Why? Mason, why must you do this to me? You agreed to be my boyfriend. Everyone knows you¡¯re my boyfriend and we¡¯re going to get engaged soon. How am I going to face them if you want to break up with me now?¡± Willow continued to shuffle backward. When she moved closer to the artificialke behind her, Mason could not help but furrow his brows. ¡°Willow, calm down. Stop moving backward. It¡¯s dangerous.¡± ¡°What¡¯s the point of living if you abandon me? I might as well die.¡± ¡°Willow!¡± Mason called out in a quavering voice. ¡°Mason, you still care about me, don¡¯t you? You¡¯re worried about me!¡± The next moment, Willow lost her bnce and fell into the icy coldke after letting out a scream. ¡°Willow!¡± Mason immediately rushed forward, jumped into theke, and swam toward her. Chapter 115 Chapter 115 Chapter 115 Kick Her Out The December air in Jipsdale was chilly. Willow felt as though every inch of her body had frozen. Mason swam toward her and pulled her up to the ground. Willow coughed nonstop, her face as white as a sheet. Constance came out at once when she heard the noise. At the sight of their sorry state, she eximed, ¡°What happened? You two looked fine just a while ago. How did you end up like this? Mason, how could you have the heart to hurt a girl who is deeply in love with you?¡± Willow tilted her head to puke up a few mouthfuls ofke water before she turned to look at Constance piteously. ¡°Mrs. Laird, I¡¯m fine. It was only an ident. Don¡¯t be mad at Mason. It has nothing to do with him.¡± ¡°Poor girl, why are you still speaking up for him? I really don¡¯t know what to say.¡± Constance then turned to glower at Mason. ¡°Why are you still standing there? Hurry up, and carry her to your room. She needs a hot bath so she won¡¯t catch a cold.¡± Without uttering any words, Mason carried Willow and headed to his room. The housekeeper had already prepared hot water for Willow to take a hot bath. ¡°Mr. Dixon, I can see that Ms. Tanner really likes you. She was the one keeping Mrs. Lairdpany when you were not around for the past five years. If not for her, Mrs. Laird would have been lonely. Now that you¡¯re back, you should treat her nicely. How could you cause her to fall into theke?¡± the Laird family¡¯s butler said earnestly. He dared speak his mind, as he had watched Mason grow up. ¡°Take good care of her. I have to go now,¡± Mason said, then turned to step out of the room. He did not expect that Willow would suddenly get all worked up. After taking a hot bath, Willow felt a lot better. Since she was alone in Mason¡¯s room, she whipped out her phone andy on his bed to take a few pictures. After editing them with the software on her phone, she sent them to Sophie. At that moment, Sophie had just returned from dinner with Ysabelle. She scrolled her phone after the message notification sounded and saw a picture sent by Willow. Ysabelle drew closer to her inquisitively and could not help rolling her eyes at the picture. ¡°Soph, your sister is ridiculous. How could she have the cheek to send you this kind of picture? Isn¡¯t she worried that you might post them on the forum to take revenge on her?¡± How could she send her indecent pictures to others? I¡¯ve nevere across anyone as shameless as her! ¡°There is nothing in this world that she can¡¯t do. She only wants to show off to me that she¡¯s together with Mason.¡± Sophie continued to browse through all the other pictures sent by Willow. ¡°Tch! I bet she¡¯s the only one who thinks highly of Mason Laird. Anyway, Soph, I mustment that you used to have really bad taste. How could he end up being in a rtionship with her? Truly, birds of a feather flock together.¡± Regardless of what had happened, it was an indisputable fact that Mason had been in a rtionship with Willow. ¡°I¡¯ve never mentioned that I like him, have I?¡± Ysabelle¡¯s face lit up. ¡°Really? So you¡¯ve never fallen in love with him? I was right, then. I knew your taste wasn¡¯t so bad!¡± Sophie had managed to track down the culprit who posted those pictures on the forum. Before her self- study session, she headed straight to Senior ss 1. At the sight of Sophie entering their ss, the students began to whisper among themselves. ¡°Why is she here again? What is she trying to do?¡± ¡°Yeah! Willow is not attending the self-study session tonight. Did she do something again?¡± ¡°Angie, a word, please,¡± Sophie drawled. It never came across Angie¡¯s mind that Sophie would drop by and look for her. I uploaded the pictures with my alternate ount. Why is she here to see me? ¡°Why are you looking for me? We¡¯ve never crossed paths with each other, have we? What are you up to?¡± Angie looked wary. She had overheard those rumors about Sophie. If they were to get into a fight, she was certain that she was no match for Sophie. ¡°Yeah! How could you look down on us, Sophie? How dare you make a scene here! What do you want?¡± ¡°Do you think your family owns Jipsdale Premier High and you can behave however you like here?¡± ¡°Do you really not want to take this elsewhere? Or perhaps you prefer that I make things clear here?¡± Sophie asked impatiently. Angie had no choice but to get to her feet and step out of the ssroom. ¡°I know you were the one who posted the pictures on the forum.¡± Sophie cut to the chase. Angie grasped the hem of her uniform anxiously. ¡°What do you want? I don¡¯t understand what you¡¯re talking about.¡± She was convinced that Sophie was confronting her personally, as she did not have any evidence in her hands. Since she doesn¡¯t have any evidence, why should I admit it? If Bailey knew I was the one who posted the pictures, he wouldn¡¯t forgive me! No way! I can¡¯t let that happen! I like him so much! ¡°Well, since I¡¯m here, it means that I have evidence in my hands. I¡¯m giving you a chance to set everything straight on the forum. If not, you only have yourself to me when things get ugly.¡± With that, Sophie walked toward Ysabelle, who was waiting for her at the side. ? N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved. ¡°Was it really her? No wonder there¡¯s a saying that you should never judge a book by its cover. She has always been a demure youngdy. Who would have thought that she had the guts to do so?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go. It¡¯s time for the self-study session.¡± ¡°Huh? Are you going to let her off just like that? Don¡¯t you know that everyone in Jipsdale Premier High is talking behind your back? And it¡¯s not anything nice? How I wish I could p them to teach them a lesson!¡± ¡°Willow is not here yet, isn¡¯t she? I won¡¯t leave her out, of course. I¡¯ll settle the score with them when she¡¯s back.¡± When Angie returned to the ssroom, all the other girls gathered around. ¡°Angie, are you all right? Did Sophie bully you? If she did so, you mustn¡¯t hesitate to tell us. We¡¯ll report to our teachers. We can even write a petition and request the management to expel her from the school.¡± ¡°Exactly. Sophie has tarnished the reputation of our school. Let¡¯s get her expelled!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t do that. She didn¡¯t bully me.¡± Angie was on the verge of tears. Now that Sophie had evidence, she presumed she would have to pay for the price if things were to blow up. ¡°Angie, you¡¯re just too timid. You don¡¯t have to be afraid.¡± Without a second thought, the students listed all of Sophie¡¯s so-called wrong deeds on a piece of paper and signed on it. ¡°I think we should get the others from other sses to sign on it too. They surely have something against her. After all, many in our school are falling heads over heels for Bailey.¡± ¡°You¡¯re right. Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll look for the others from the other sses after the self-study session. I¡¯m sure we¡¯ll be able to kick her out of Jipsdale Premier High this time!¡± Angie became all the more uneasy. The situation was getting out of control, and she was at her wits¡¯ end. Nheless, she had to admit that she could barely wait for Sophie to be expelled from the school. Chapter 116 Chapter 116 Chapter 116 I Will Wait For You To Grow Up ¡°Have you heard, Soph? Everyone¡¯s signing a petition to have you expelled.¡± Ysabelle had heard about this from other girls during a restroom break. She was so livid that she nearly started a fight with them. ¡°Oh?¡± Sophie continued to work on her math question while acting as though she had heard nothing. Seeing that, Ysabelle snatched her pen away. ¡°Now isn¡¯t the time to be focusing on math! What are you going to do? With so many people hoping to kick you out, the school¡¯s going to have to consider it for real! Not only that, but the authorities are already furious about whatever happened on the school forums!¡± Ysabelle was frantic by now, and yet Sophie appeared as calm as usual. ¡°What are you doing, Sophie? I¡¯m talking to you about something really important! Can¡¯t you take this more seriously? Wait, how about this? I¡¯ll get Uncle Tristan to donate a library to the school. That way, they¡¯ll stop bothering you.¡± Ysabelle figured this was a good idea. There¡¯s no problem money can¡¯t solve. If the problem is not resolved, that¡¯s just because the money wasn¡¯t enough. Fortunately, money was never an issue for the Lombards. ¡°I can take care of the situation,¡± Sophie replied. Since they keeping after me, I¡¯m only going to look like a coward if I don¡¯t get back at them. As the self-study session concluded, Tristan¡¯s car could be seen parked right outside the school building. ¡°I¡¯m guessing my uncle already knows what happened, but I swear I didn¡¯t tell him about it. Why are you looking at me like that? I really didn¡¯t tell him anything!¡± ¡°What are you getting all nervous about? If you didn¡¯t tell him about it, then you didn¡¯t.¡± Sophie was amused by Ysabelle¡¯s behavior. ¡°Okay. Well, I¡¯ll be heading back now,¡± Ysabelle concluded but then stopped to turn around, still feeling worried about Sophie. ¡°I think you should give Uncle Tristan some reassurance, though. No guy would ever be happy to see the girl he likes getting caught up in a rumor with another boy.¡± Uncle Tristan gets real scary when he¡¯s upset. Sophie couldn¡¯t help butugh when she saw how concerned Ysabelle looked. Thetter red at her. ¡°Hey, Sophie! You¡¯re going too far! How could you stillugh when I¡¯m so worried about you?¡± ¡°Get home safe and have a good rest. You don¡¯t have to worry about me.¡± Ysabelle reluctantly entered her car. She would have really wanted to spend the night with Sophie if it wasn¡¯t for her fear of that uncle of hers. She probably needspany at times like these. After Ysabelle left, Sophie walked toward a silver Lamborghini, opened the door, and hopped in. The creases between Tristan¡¯s brows instantly faded when he saw her enter his car of her own ord. ¡°Aren¡¯t you supposed to be in Frosa?¡± It¡¯s only been a few days. Has he taken care of everything there? How is he back so soon? ¡°You sound like you don¡¯t want to see me.¡± The prior look of dismay Tristan had on his face quickly returned. ¡°That¡¯s not true! Why wouldn¡¯t I want to see you?¡± ¡°Did you miss me? I already started missing you just after being away for a few days.¡± ¡°Mr. Tristan¡­¡± Did I miss him? I don¡¯t think so! I¡¯ve been too busy to even think about him. Judging from her expression, Tristan knew he had expected too much from her. There was no way this heartless girl would miss him. Even if he were to leave this for a long while, she probably wouldn¡¯t even remember that there was once such a brilliant man who had stood by her. Seeing the disappointment on his face, Sophie didn¡¯t know what to do. The atmosphere inside the car suddenly turned cold. When they finally arrived at Wisteria Apartments, Tristan could no longer contain himself. He pinned the woman against the wall and gave her a long kiss. It was only when she nearly lost her breath that he let go of her. ¡°What about now?¡± Do I not have any effect on her at all? There has to be something, whether it¡¯s good or bad! Sophie¡¯s chest continued to heave, and she gazed up at him upon hearing his words. Thoserge, charming eyes of hers only served to enchant Tristan further. Unable to control his own thoughts, the man lowered his head to kiss her again. In response, Sophie wrapped her arms around his waist subconsciously. Content held by N?velDrama.Org. Her heart began to race as their bodies pressed against one another. This was a feeling she had never felt before. It was all too foreign, but she didn¡¯t seem to hate it. Tristan locked her in an embrace as he rested his chin on her shoulder, breathing heavily. He was on the verge of losing his mind. Seeing Sophie like this was akin to having a spell cast on him; he was absolutely entranced. ¡°Mr. Tristan ¡ª¡± Upon realizing how hoarse her voice sounded, Sophie immediately stopped talking. Tristan couldn¡¯t help but smile at that. It turned out he did affect her in some way. As a reward, he gave her a peck on the forehead. ¡°Good girl. Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll wait for you to grow up.¡± Sophie was still young. So no matter how tormenting it felt for him, he didn¡¯t want to sully her. ¡°Get some rest and don¡¯t think about anything else. Leave whatever¡¯s happening in school to me.¡± The young woman became displeased as she heard that. What does he mean? Is he going to take care of things for me? ¡°I can take care of it by myself, Mr. Tristan. You don¡¯t have to interfere.¡± Tristan furrowed his brows. Is she that against me trying to help her? He certainly didn¡¯t feel good being shut out of her world like that. He liked her so much that he wanted to be a part of everything she did and experienced, and yet, she had never wanted him to be involved from the start. Despite feeling his anger, Sophie remained unfazed. When it came to matters rted to her principles, she would never be willing topromise. The two were at a standoff until Tristan eventually ceded. There was nothing he could do. He was the one who had fallen for her first, after all. ¡°I¡¯ll be leaving now. Get some rest.¡± The man released his grasp on her before turning to leave. There was a hint of dejection in his eyes, and his silhouette looked especially lonesome. Did I go too far? Just as Sophie wondered that, she received a phone call from Mason. Thetter¡¯s phone number had stayed the same for the past five years, so even if Sophie had long deleted his contact, she could still easily recognize these eleven digits. The woman rejected the call instantly. There was really nothing for them to talk about at this point. Mason felt as though his heart was being grappled tightly when he heard the beeping noiseing from his phone. She still hasn¡¯t forgiven me. That¡¯s why she¡¯s not picking up. Tristan walked out of Wisteria Apartments at that very moment, and Mason balled his hands into fists at the sight of that. So, she was with another guy? Tristan had also noticed Mason while walking out of the apartment area. Is he still not giving up? Chapter 117 Chapter 117 Chapter 117 His Childishness Tristan entered his car but didn¡¯t drive away at once. Instead, he took a cigarette out of the box, lit it, and puffed on it in intervals. Mason continued to phone Sophie, but she still didn¡¯t pick up. And in his next attempt after that, he realized she had already blocked his number. The man smiled bitterly. She¡¯s the same as always, never leaving any room for mercy. ¡°Are you really that heartless, Sophie? Are you not going to forgive me no matter what I do?¡± Mason returned to his vehicle, but instead of driving off, he remained outside the apartment building for the rest of the night. He waited all night and finally alighted his vehicle after seeing Sophie appear at the entrance to the building early the next morning. ¡°Soph, why didn¡¯t you pick up? Can¡¯t we stay in contact as regr friends?¡± Having to see him first thing in the morning put Sophie in a bad mood. ¡°I don¡¯t think we can even be friends at this point, so drop it. You have no right to talk to me in that using tone.¡± Just as the woman was about to leave, Mason hastily grabbed her by the wrist. ¡°I¡¯ve already broken up with Willow. Let¡¯s stop harping over what happened five years ago, okay? Can we just start over?¡± Mason asked pleadingly. He was so helpless before her and just couldn¡¯t forget her even after five years had passed. Sophie was usually grumpy in the morning, and hearing this man¡¯s nonsense really made her seethe that she tackled him to the ground. ¡°I told you not to tell me about your disgusting love affairs with Willow. I¡¯m not interested. You can deal with whatever happens between you guys on your own. Why bothering to me?¡± Just like Mason, Tristan naturally hadn¡¯t left sincest night either. Seeing what was happening, thetter broke into a genuine smile while inside his car. That¡¯s just like her. She¡¯s always so full of energy. Mason got back on his feet. ¡°Are you still mad at me, Soph? I admit I was wrong for not taking your side five years ago.¡± ¡°Mad at you? I have no need to feel that way. Don¡¯t assume everyone has as much free time on their hands as you do! I have plenty of other things to worry about, so leave me alone.¡± Seeing there was no way to get through to her, Mason figured he would make better progress with his actions. But at that moment, Sophie noticed Tristan standing behind Mason and called out, ¡°Are you done watching? Let¡¯s go get breakfast.¡± Tristan stopped smiling. ¡°Sure.¡± He was clearly in a good mood today and wouldn¡¯t get upset no matter what Sophie said. Seeing her torment his rival in love like this made him feel as if he was on cloud nine. Mason quickly went after them. ¡°Who is he, Sophie? Do you know who this guy is?¡± he asked, not wanting to give up. ¡°Who he is has nothing to do with you,¡± Sophie retorted. ¡°Just watch yourself and make sure Willow doesn¡¯t cause me any trouble.¡± She then took Tristan to her favorite ce to get breakfast pies. The woman ordered two pies and gave one to him. ¡°Here. It¡¯s really good.¡± She had discovered this dish by chance. Costing only five each, it was filling and tasted unbelievable. Tristan took the pie from her and sat on a chair ced on the sidewalk. He then picked up the disposable cutlery and began to eat next to her. Both of them were especially good-looking that despite only sitting there and enjoying some breakfast pies, they slowly attracted the gazes of many passersby. ¡°Isn¡¯t that Sophie Tanner? How did shend herself such a hot guy?¡± ¡°I wonder too. He¡¯s so handsome. He looks like a prince who walked out of a TV screen. Everything about him seems so noble.¡± ¡°Knock it off. What kind of prince would eat a breakfast pie at the side of a road like that?¡± ¡°You¡¯re right, but I love how he looks.¡± ¡°Oh, please. Anyone who hangs around with Sophie has to be just as trashy as she is.¡± A man who had been listening in all the while couldn¡¯t help but chime in, ¡°You¡¯re all clearly jealous. Every guy Sophie hangs out with always looks exceptional.¡± Sophie didn¡¯t have much of a good reputation, but there was no denying how stunning she looked. Tristan could naturally hear the conversation too. Having finished his breakfast pie, he threw the disposable box and cutlery into the trash can nearby. Then, seeing him stare at her the whole time, Sophie gave him the rest of her pie. ¡°Was it not enough for you? I¡¯ll buy you a bigger one next time.¡± Tristan didn¡¯t know how to respond. He was actually full, but nevertheless, he took her remaining food and finished it. ¡°Now that we¡¯ve had breakfast, I think it¡¯s time you head back.¡± She still had a lot to deal with at school. Today is not a good day for me. ¡°Okay. Remember, you can call me if there¡¯s anything you can¡¯t handle on your own. I¡¯ll be right there no matter what it is.¡± Since she didn¡¯t want him to interfere with her affairs, he decided to let her have her freedom. But if the end result wasn¡¯t something he wanted, he would step in without fail. ¡°Okay,¡± Sophie answered frostily. Tristan didn¡¯t know what to do with her. He felt slightly better after caressing her hair and leaving it in a mess.Content held by N?velDrama.Org. Sophie stared at the man in frustration. It was her first time seeing such a childish side of him. ¡°Go on. I¡¯ll leave after watching you enter.¡± The young woman walked past him. Ultimately, he couldn¡¯t resist grabbing onto her arm and pulling her into a hug. He then kissed her on the forehead. Sophie was furious, but seeing her in that state made Tristan happy. She was always so cold toward everyone, like a robot. That was why the man always wanted to aggravate her. Watching her grow infuriated made him feel as if he was different from everyone else. Mason had been following them the whole time, and he found himself unable to breathe at the sight of the way they interacted with one another. She actually let him kiss her? He was so envious that he nearly went mad. When Sophie arrived at the ssroom, all the students stared at her gloatingly. However, the young woman paid no attention to those jealous eyes. Not long after, the principal¡¯s secretary dropped by. ¡°Sophie Tanner, Mr. Langston wants to see you,¡± he announced, sounding much more amicable than before. The girls who heard that began to whisper among themselves. ¡°She won¡¯t be able to get away this time.¡± ¡°I think so too. I heard Bailey¡¯s mom is here. You know she¡¯s the school director. The fact that even she has to make an appearance shows what a big deal the situation has be.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve met Bailey¡¯s mom once. She¡¯s super terrifying. Sophie¡¯s done for this time.¡± Chapter 118 Chapter 118 Chapter 118 Only One Spot Sophie walked freely into the principal¡¯s office as though she owned the ce. Inside, Andy, Bailey¡¯s mother, Whitlea Dixon, and Derrick, the homeroom teacher of Senior ss 8, were all present. Andy¡¯s face scrunched up when he saw that it was Sophie again. Even though Sophie got into the school because of Felix, her results were outstanding¡ªperhaps even better than the other students. It was just that he had no idea how to deal with the matter since Bailey was involved in it this time. ¡°Sophie, can you exin what happened at the physicsb?¡± The uploaded photos had caused a stir on the school forum for the past few days. It caught the attention of many parents as a result. Essentially, they deemed school as the ce for students to acquire knowledge. It was unquestionable why they would have such violent reactions after the school was involved in a matter like this. Fixing her gaze on Sophie, Whitlea realized that the former was a beauty with immensely charming and delicate facial features. Nheless, that was the kind of physical appearance she hated the most. Sophie whipped her head around toward the couch, where Whitlea was seated. That must be Bailey¡¯s mother. They share an uncanny resemnce. She indifferently answered, ¡°Mr. Langston, what else can I do in theb other than experiments?¡± ¡°My purpose of asking you over today is no other than hearing your perspective about the situation at theb when the incident urred. You should know that the photos on the forum have created a negative impact. Many parents and students are highly concerned about the incident. If we don¡¯t handle things well, it¡¯ll do no good to you and Bailey.¡± Andy was tactful with his words because he knew Felix was one of Tristan¡¯s men, and no one dared to get on the nerves of anyone from the four prominent families in the entire Jipsdale. ¡°Mm.¡± Sophie remained nonchnt, and her attitude gave off a vibe that she was not the least bit worried about the current situation. Right at that moment, a door knock sounded. Andy instinctively furrowed his brows. Who would it be at a time like this? I¡¯ve got so many matters yet to handle. Who¡¯s here to cause trouble? Still, he let the people outside in. ¡°Mr. Langston, we¡¯re the student representatives of the incident this time. A notorious student with bad conduct like Sophie is unworthy to be a student at our school. We¡¯re petitioning for you to expel her.¡± There were several girls outside the door, holding a petition in their hands. At once, the grimace on Andy¡¯s face became more pronounced. ¡°You all should head back first. The school will handle this matter and give everyone a satisfactory answer in due course.¡± ¡°Mr. Langston, we believe you¡¯ll give us the answer we want. If the school continues to condone Sophie¡¯s behaviors, the students who put in their hard work to study like us will be utterly disappointed.¡± Those girls red at Sophie in disdain as they rified their stand. After the principal¡¯s assistant sent them out, the atmosphere in the office instantly turned heavy with tension. Derrick had been quietly standing at the side, as he did not know what to say. Deep down, he still believed Sophie. ¡°Mr. Langston, there must be some misunderstanding. I believe in Sophie¡¯s character. She isn¡¯t someone who would do such a thing.¡± Content held by N?velDrama.Org. Whitlea, who had stayed silent, stood up from the couch and walked up to Sophie. Looking at the nicely dressed woman before her, Sophie remained unfazed. There was not a tinge of fear in her gaze. ¡°What else is left to say? It¡¯ll only cause adverse effects for the school if you continue to let her stay! Besides, this student has a bad record, right? I¡¯d say the easiest way is to expel her, Mr. Langston. She¡¯s nothing but a student with a bad reputation. I don¡¯t think there¡¯s a need to call for a director¡¯s meeting to expel her!¡± ¡°Mdm. Dixon, we haven¡¯t gotten to the bottom of the matter. Rashly expelling a student doesn¡¯t sound like a reasonable n.¡± Andy dared not take too big of a risk to make such a decision. ¡°What other details are there to establish? How¡¯s Bay¡¯s performance in school? Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re still unclear, Mr. Langston. Very well, let me set things straight. I don¡¯t care if anything has happened between them, but this matter has indeed affected Bay,¡± Whitlea snapped. ¡°Her expulsion is the only way to alleviate the impacts caused to the school and Bay. He still wants to get into Jipsdale University and the research institute too! Is that more than enough? What about her? So what if she¡¯s the second in the entire school?¡± She was ready to eradicate anything that stood in her son¡¯s way. ¡°Mdm. Dixon.¡± Andy knew he was in no ce to disobey the member of the board of directors. Nheless, he dared not hastily decide since Felix was behind Sophie¡¯s admission to the school. ¡°Mr. Langston, have you been staying in your position for too long? Do you wish to change to another position instead?¡± Whitlea was growing impatient. She¡¯s nothing but trash. Can¡¯t they make the decision and get rid of her? There¡¯s no need to waste so much time on her! Anger and annoyance were building up within Andy. However, there was nothing he could do, as she was the director. All he could do at that point was put a smile on his face. ¡°I know Mr. Dixon is a brilliant student, Mdm. Dixon. But Sophie isn¡¯t too inferior either. If they both take part in the physicspetition this time, perhaps they¡¯ll both¡ª¡± ¡°Jipsdale Premier High only has one spot for the physicspetition, Mr. Langston. What are you trying to imply?¡± Whitlea was so unhappy that she wanted nothing more than to give a forceful kick to Andy¡¯s mouth. What ensued was a moment of dead silence. ¡°Since there¡¯s only one spot, the best way is for them topete fairly for it if they wish to participate in the physicspetition.¡± Derrick was unable to tolerate it any longer. Does she mean that only Bailey has the right to participate in thepetition? ¡°Who are you? Do you think you¡¯re in a position to speak up?¡± An ugly scowl crept up to Whitlea¡¯s face. ¡°Let me repeat myself again. Bailey must participate in the uing physicspetition. How can a student who got expelled represent Jipsdale Premier High? You must be kidding, right?¡± Right then, Bailey barged into the principal¡¯s office, and Whitlea¡¯s expression changed. ¡°Why are you here? No matter what the problem is, I will settle it for you. Get out of here now.¡± ¡°I¡¯m of legal age. I hope I can make my own decisions on matters that concern me. Can you not interfere?¡± Finishing his words, Bailey approached Sophie and pulled her arm, preparing to head outside. ¡°Sophie, don¡¯t worry about this matter. I¡¯ll shoulder all responsibilities. I was the one who asked you to go to theb. This has nothing to do with you.¡± No matter what the consequences are, I will face them by myself. Even if it means expulsion, I should be the one bearing this punishment. Besides, nothing happened between us in the physicsb. ¡°Bailey Dixon, do you still acknowledge me as your mother?¡± Whitlea was seething with anger. ¡°Are you treating me this way because of this little wretch? I¡¯ve been nning everything for you, but what about you? You¡¯re only messing around in school! You are nothing but an embarrassment to the Dixon family!¡± Sophie frowned. Bailey¡¯s mother is honestly too much. She doesn¡¯t listen to Bailey at all. Does she think the decisions she made for him are always the best? ¡°Mom, don¡¯t put her in a tight spot. This matter has nothing to do with her. I¡¯ll put in extra effort for the physicspetition and make sure I won¡¯t disappoint you. But please don¡¯t hurt her.¡± Bailey sounded especially despondent. Whitlea pinning all her unfulfilled dreams on him had undoubtedly caused him to experience burnout. Chapter 119 Chapter 119 Chapter 119 Standing Up For Her Hearing that, Whitlea stepped forward and pulled Bailey over. ¡°Bailey! How could you say those words to me just because of a girl like her?¡± Her eyes reddened with fury. Helplessness and plea shed in Bailey¡¯s eyes. ¡°Mom, please. I promise I will fulfill all of your demands. The only exception is her. Do not touch her.¡± The girl his mother wanted to deal with was his crush and the only gleam of hope and light in his dull world. ¡°No way. She can¡¯t be studying in the same school as you. So long as something affects you, even for the slightest bit, I will notpromise.¡± Whitlea was very assertive with her stand. She wanted to prove to that man and make him regret his decision for abandoning Bailey and her. ¡°Mr. Langston, you shall decide if you want to expel her now or if you want me to arrange a director¡¯s meeting and fire you from your position because of your disobedience.¡± The dominance of Whitlea was so overpowering it left the crowd feeling disgusted. Andy felt his head throbbing so badly that he felt as if it was on the brink of exploding. Given Whitlea¡¯s character, he was clear she would do as she said if things did not go her way. ¡°Mdm. Dixon, I made no mistakes. What right do you have to expel me?¡± Sophie finally broke her silence. Is she trying to use her authority on me? Well, that also depends if she does have enough power to do so. ¡°How dare you talk to me so disrespectfully even at this point? Do you think the Tanner family will defend you?¡± Whitlea said coldly. ¡°I don¡¯t need the Tanner family to defend me. I am the victim of this entire incident. Even if the school wants to expel someone, that person won¡¯t be me.¡± Seeing her rebellious countenance, Whitlea let out a sneer. ¡°Are girls your age so na?ve nowadays?¡± ¡°Mom!¡± A stinging pang rose within Bailey¡¯s heart. He knew he would not be able to face the girl he had good feelings for the same way again after implicating her and causing so much trouble for her. ¡°Shut up. You¡¯d better not interfere with this matter. Otherwise, I will make sure that girl disappears from Jipsdale,¡± Whitlea threatened despite the many people around. ¡°You¡¯re making it sound like your family owns the school, Mdm. Dixon.¡± Sophie was full of contempt. She¡¯s one arrogant woman, huh? It¡¯s a pity she still doesn¡¯t have that much capability to act so snobbishly. ¡°Don¡¯t go on anymore, Sophie.¡± Derrick looked at her concernedly. In truth, almost everyone was aware that Whitlea¡¯s father was part of the underworld. Although he had since steered away, the mere thought of it still freaked Derrick out. ¡°I believe this matter is truly a misunderstanding, Mdm. Dixon. It was Mr. Elswick who arranged for them to participate in the physicspetition together. If you¡¯re bothered by it, I¡¯ll make sure she doesn¡¯t appear together with Bailey in the future. She¡¯s still young. I hope you¡¯ll let her off this time.¡± Derrick was a genuinely responsible teacher who cared a lot about his students. Knowing that Sophie would have a bright future, he did not want her to suffer any harm or grievance because of the matter. He adored her as a student. ¡°Mr. Hayes, do you think you¡¯re qualified to speak when you¡¯ve taught someone to be so shameless?¡± Whitlea spared no consideration for Derrick. ¡°Don¡¯t bother yourself with this matter, Mr. Hayes. I won¡¯t leave Jipsdale Premier High.¡± ¡°Mr. Langston!¡± Whitlea felt that the entire discussion was a waste of time. In the end, Andy still picked Felix¡¯s side. After all, thetter was someone he could not afford to offend. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Mdm. Dixon. Before we get to the bottom of this matter, I can¡¯t just expel Sophie.¡± It was probably the first time Andy had been so firm. Derrick could not help but sneak a nce at Andy in awe. As expected, Mr. Langston does have the bearing of a principal. He doesn¡¯t bow down to power or authority. Likewise, Sophie also turned to look at Andy. In fact, she could very well understand even if he chose to expel her from school at that point. ¡°Very well. I guess I¡¯ll have to hold a director¡¯s meeting, then.¡± Rage hadpletely consumed Whitlea. She could not believe that Andy would make such a decision when he had been polite toward her all along. Whitlea stormed out and mmed the door shut. The rest in the principal¡¯s office exchanged a look. Content held by N?velDrama.Org. ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± Bailey apologized on behalf of his mother. Seeing him that way, Sophie was unsure how tofort him. Bailey is indeed a poor thing. Everyone is full of envy for him, yet no one expects him to be in such a pathetic state. ¡°Bailey, you don¡¯t have anything to do with this matter. Someone is targeting me, and it just so happened that you were there.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t give me that look.¡± Truth be told, Bailey did not like their gazes at all. He left the principal¡¯s office, thinking that there was a need to have a good chat with Whitlea. I can¡¯t just let things end here. ¡°You should head back first, Sophie. I will think of something.¡± Andy believed he had to report the matter to Felix. ¡°Mr. Hayes, you too. Go for your sses.¡± After their departure, he immediately gave Felix a call. It was because of the incidentst time that he had Felix¡¯s contact number. At that moment, Felix was in the midst of a meeting when he received the call from Andy. The former had simrly saved Andy¡¯s number in his contact from the other time since Ysabelle was also studying at Jipsdale Premier High. Seeing that it was Andy on the caller ID, he immediately called a stop to the meeting and headed outside to answer the call. ¡°Mr. Northley, I am Andy of Jipsdale Premier High. Mdm. Dixon of the board of directors strongly requests to expel Sophie. I¡¯m afraid I won¡¯t be able to fight against her power any longer.¡± ¡°What? Mdm. Dixon? Who the heck is that?¡± Felix furrowed his brows. Andy then ryed everything that had happened in the past few days to Felix. ¡°All right, I got it now. Don¡¯t let anyone hurt Sophie, or you won¡¯t be able to face the consequences.¡± Upon concluding the call with Andy, Felix immediately gave Tristan a call. ¡°Mr. Tristan, you should¡¯ve heard about everything that happened to Sophie, right? Bailey¡¯s mother, Whitlea Dixon, brutally humiliated Sophie today!¡± Even though Sophie had retorted, Felix thought they should not just let the matter slide when the other party had provoked them. ¡°Mm.¡± ¡°Mm? Why do you sound so cold? Did you and Sophie get into an argument?¡± ¡°Felix!¡± Tristan called out warningly. ¡°It¡¯s a more than reasonable suspicion, no? But are you intending not to do anything about that? I thought this was a good chance.¡± Felix scratched his nose awkwardly. Aren¡¯t girls all soft-hearted beings? If he appears to help Sophie in such a difficult situation, I¡¯m sure she will be very touched! ¡°She isn¡¯t like other girls.¡± Of course, Tristan would love to help her resolve all the problems she encountered, but he could do nothing if she did not give him the opportunity. ¡°All right. If that¡¯s the case, I won¡¯t say more. I¡¯m still in the midst of a meeting. I¡¯m hanging up.¡± After ending the call, Tristan could not help but think about her. I wonder what she is doing now. Is she thinking of me? With those thoughts in mind, Tristan made another call. Sophie¡¯s phone rang as she walked out of the principal¡¯s office with Derrick. ¡°Mr. Hayes, you should go back first. I need to answer a call,¡± Sophie said as she pulled out her phone. ¡°Sophie, as much as I believe you, it isn¡¯t a good thing that everybody keeps criticizing you like this. Don¡¯t you think so?¡± ¡°Mr. Hayes, go ahead and speak your mind.¡± Sophie thought Derrick was a cute teacher who would unconditionally defend and protect his students. Noticing that Derrick still had something to say, Sophie declined the call. On the other side, Tristan had been waiting for her to answer the call for a long time. Sadly, not only did she not pick up, but she even rejected his call. His face darkened. Thinking of me, my a*s! She even declined my call. Tristan stood up, intending to head down to Jipsdale Premier High directly to look for her. Chapter 120 Chapter 120 Chapter 120 Just Like A Pest ¡°Sophie, I know you¡¯re multi-talented, and I really hope that you can take part in the physics competition. But I think you should withdraw from it since Bailey¡¯s mom really wishes for him to take part. The Dixon family has a lot of influence in our school, and I don¡¯t want anything bad to happen to you because of this,¡± Derrick said with a worried expression on his face. Taking a pause, he continued, ¡°You¡¯re a very talented kid. I really don¡¯t want¡ª¡± ¡°Mr. Hayes, I really appreciate your advice,¡± Sophie interrupted. She knew that her teacher wanted the best for her, and she had always held him in high regard. ¡°Indeed, I was not keen on participating in the physicspetition previously. But I think I will have to take part in it now.¡± She did not like Bailey¡¯s mother¡¯s attitude and wanted to teach her a lesson. ¡°Sophie! You¡ª¡± Derrick eximed, his brows knitted together. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Mr. Hayes! Trust me, I can handle this. Just leave it to me.¡± Yet, Derrick could not help but worry. How is she intending to handle it? She¡¯s just a student! Even so, he did not press on and returned to his office. Just then, Sophie received a call from Tristan. She answered the phone after walking to the corridor. ¡°I¡¯m at your school entrance now,¡± the man said. Sophie froze when she heard that. What is he doing here? sses are still ongoing. ¡±Mr. Tristan, what¡¯s the matter? ss is starting soon.¡± Didn¡¯t we just part ways this morning? Did something serious happen that he has toe here now? ¡°It¡¯s nothing. I tried calling you just now, but you didn¡¯t pick up. I was worried that something might have happened to you so I came here to check on you.¡± Compared to Sophie¡¯sposure, Tristan suddenly found himself rather ridiculous. ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± To give the man some reassurance, Sophie repeated, ¡°Mr. Tristan, I¡¯m really all right.¡± ¡°I¡¯m d to know that. I¡¯m leaving, then.¡± ¡°Wait.¡± Since Tristan had already traveled all the way there, Sophie felt that she should at least meet him for a while. While she was walking down the stairs, she overhead Angie talking to Willow on the phone at the corner of the stairs. ¡°Willow, what¡¯s the n now? You were the one who sent the photos to me. What should we do now that the matter has blown up?¡± Angie was terrified. She had only posted the photos on the spur of the moment, as she was clouded with anger. She felt extremely unsettled at the thought of how scary Sophie was. ¡°Angie, although I sent you the photos, I didn¡¯t ask you to post them on the forum, did I? Besides, nothing has happened yet. Why are you worrying in advance?¡± Willow was still running a fever after falling into theke. However, she perked up at once when she heard about Sophie¡¯s situation at school. Almost bursting into tears, Angie eximed, ¡°You don¡¯t know how scary Sophie is!¡± ¡°That¡¯s enough. Just rx.¡± Willow hung up after saying that. The moment Angie turned around, she saw Sophie standing on the stairs, staring at her. She dropped her phone in shock as the color drained from her face. ¡°S-Sophie¡­ Don¡¯te over!¡± Angie shouted, a horrified expression on her face. Sophie was speechless. What did I do? She looked as if she had just seen a ghost! Angie turned around and dashed off at once. However, she tripped and fell on the stairs, as she was too flustered. Even though she could feel a sharp pain in her knees, she ignored it and continued running. Sophie ran after her. ¡°Sophie, why are you chasing me?¡± Angie yelled. ¡°Willow won¡¯t be able to help you,¡± Sophie said before she turned and walked away. Angie slumped to the ground. Why does she look so horrifying? What should I do now? Sophie sneaked out by scaling the wall. When Tristan saw her jumping down from the wall, his heart skipped a beat. This girl! Why does she have to climb over the wall when she can just walk through the gate? Tristan was smoking a cigarette next to his car while waiting for Sophie. When he saw her, he snuffed out his half-smoked cigarette at once and tossed it into the bin. After she walked up to him, Tristan opened the car door for her. She hopped into the passenger seat and closed her eyes. She had wanted to see him when she received his call earlier on. However, she realized that she had nothing to talk to him about and decided to take a quick nap in his car instead. ¡°Did you not sleep wellst night?¡± Was it because of Mason? That guy had stayed outside Sophie¡¯s apartment for the entire night. ? N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved. ¡°Aren¡¯t you the one who didn¡¯t sleep well instead?¡± From Sophie¡¯s words, it was apparent that she was aware that he did not go back the night before. Seeing that Sophie had fallen asleep, Tristan took off his suit jacket and draped it over her. Willow arrived at the school in the afternoon. A few of her closest friends ran up to her when they saw her and said, ¡°Wi, it looks like Sophie will be expelled from the school for sure. In the future, no one will dare to snatch Mr. Laird away from you anymore.¡± ¡°I know you girls care about me, but no matter what, Sophie is still my sister. I really don¡¯t want that to happen to her,¡± Willow said, looking sad. ¡°Wi, although you genuinely care for her, she has never treated you as her sister. If she had, she would never have tried to snatch your man away.¡± ¡°Exactly! Don¡¯t let others take advantage of your kindness.¡± When Angie heard what the other girls said, she could not help but shudder with disgust. Those girls were unaware of Willow¡¯s true character and enjoyed hanging out with her. However, Angie found the situation extremely ridiculous after knowing what she was really like. Angie approached Willow after the other girls had left. ¡°Willow, everything happened because of you. Are you really going to stand idly by?¡± The smile on Willow¡¯s facepletely disappeared when she saw Angie. Frowning, she replied, ¡°Angie, you should get things straight. You did that because you have a crush on Bailey. If he knew about it, what would he think? Besides, don¡¯t forget who his mom is. If she finds out what you have done, you can forget about staying at Jipsdale Premier High. Anyway, Sophie doesn¡¯t know that it was you who posted those photos. Nothing will happen if you don¡¯t say anything.¡± Angie grimaced when she heard that. Sophie doesn¡¯t know about it? Obviously, she knows! She just hasn¡¯t told Bailey yet. Angie did not dare to think about how Bailey would react if he knew she was the one who did it. She was sure that he would loathe her forever. Angie deeply regretted what she had done. If she had remained rational and not acted on impulse, she wouldn¡¯t have to live every day in fear. Willow let out a cold snort before shooting Angie a nce. Look at how scared she is although nothing has happened yet! It¡¯s no surprise that she¡¯s always been bullied. Serves her right that no one likes her, and she can only admire her crush secretly. While heading toward the ssroom, Willow bumped into Sophie at the stairwell. As there were only the two of them, the corners of Willow¡¯s lips curled into a smug smile. ¡°Sophie, you should just leave Jipsdale! This ce is not for you. See, even though you¡¯ve been here for just a while, you¡¯ve already created so much trouble. You¡¯ve even be themon enemy of all the girls in school. Everyone is hoping that you¡¯ll be expelled.¡± To the others, Sophie was just like a pest that they were trying to chase away. Chapter 121 Chapter 121 Chapter 121 Evidence Sophie arched a brow and stared at Willow as she taunted, ¡°Do you truly fear me, Willow? I bet you haven¡¯t had any peaceful sleep since I came back!¡± ¡°You!¡± Willow could not believe that she was still so stubborn. Suppressing her rage, she tried to put up a gracious front. ¡°I¡¯m doing this for your own good. You may have a better life after leaving this ce.¡± Sophie merely retorted, ¡°No one needs your concern. I can have a great life in Jipsdale as well.¡± Her defiance infuriated Willow to no end. The thought of Mason¡¯s request to break up exacerbated Willow¡¯s dislike for her sister. She spat, ¡°Oh? If you¡¯re so determined to live in Jipsdale, I can only wish you good luck.¡± She hated that everything had changed since Sophie¡¯s return. As Willow turned to leave, Sophie suddenly said, ¡°Willow! Did you have a fun time when I became the school¡¯smon enemy?¡± Willow clenched her fists wordlessly in response. A whileter, she said, ¡°Why would I? Why does it matter if you dislike me? You¡¯re my younger sister, after all, and a member of the Tanner family. Of course, I won¡¯t deny that I¡¯m unhappy about what you did.¡± ¡°Hmph.¡± Sophie could not help but scoff. She added, ¡°I despise people like you. If you were bolder and confronted me head-on, I would¡¯ve hated you less.¡± Willow would never admit to that, so she replied, ¡°You¡¯re really mistaken, Sophie. That incident had nothing to do with me.¡± ¡°Whatever you say!¡± Sophie ignored her and headed upstairs, leaving her elder sister staring after her with a face contorted with fury. Willow muttered to herself, ¡°Why are you so smug, Sophie? Did you think you could ever be Whitlea¡¯s match?¡± She thought of Whitlea¡¯s background and was confident that Sophie was doomed. After their sses ended that afternoon, Ysabelle apanied Sophie back to Wisteria Apartments. She watched as Sophie ced herptop on the coffee table and started it up before getting a ss of water. Concerned, Ysabelle asked, ¡°Are you really not nning to take down that post, Sophie?¡± The scandalous post using Sophie of seducing Bailey had significantly impacted the former¡¯s reputation. Sophie leisurely poured them both sses of water before settling on the couch. Then, she promptly hacked Willow¡¯s phone and retrieved several unedited photos and a short video. ¡°Come here,¡± she said while beckoning Ysabelle over with a finger. Willow is super determined to frame me, huh? After watching the video, Ysabelle cursed before she could stop herself, ¡°F*ck! It was her!¡± Sophie calmly sipped her water as Ysabelle added, ¡°I¡¯m going to beat that b*tch up!¡± It turned out that the photos had been Photoshopped to cause a misunderstanding, but the short video revealed the truth. Sophie was only sleeping while Bailey draped his shirt over her. However, the edited photos told a vastly different story and spoke volumes about Willow¡¯s viciousness. Suddenly, Ysabellemented, ¡°There¡¯s another problem, Soph. You can clearly see the tenderness in his eyes while he¡¯s draping the shirt over you.¡± It was clear that the young man had romantic feelings for her. Sophie remained silent. She did not deny what she saw in his gaze, but it did not change the fact that she had not done anything to Bailey. ¡°Soph, your poprity with the boys is a little troublesome, huh?¡± Ysabelle knew Tristan would go mad with jealousy if he chanced upon the video. Nheless, Ysabelle continued, ¡°To h*ll with it! Let¡¯s share the video now. No one will dare to nder you again.¡± I want to see their expressions when they see this video! Content held by N?velDrama.Org. To her surprise, Sophie said, ¡°Let¡¯s wait a little more. The time is not yet ripe.¡± Despite her impatience, Ysabelle replied, ¡°Fine! You¡¯re the boss! I¡¯ll follow your lead!¡± Oh man! I wish I could punch those b*tches in their faces! Meanwhile, Mason had somehow made his way to Jipsdale Premier High, and he was immediately osted by Willow¡¯s clique when they spotted him. ¡°Mr. Laird, are you here to see Willow? She¡¯s not around now. You¡ª¡± ¡°I¡¯m not looking for her.¡± His reply instantly angered the girls. One of them spat, ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re here to see Sophie. Mr. Laird, she¡¯s absolutely horrid and goes around seducing other men. Don¡¯t fall for her tricks.¡± Mason¡¯s expression darkened in response as he warned, ¡°I¡¯d advise you to watch your words.¡± Undeterred, one of the girls took out her phone and showed him a post. She exined, ¡°We¡¯re telling the truth, Mr. Laird. If you don¡¯t believe us, you can see this yourself. How could she be an innocent angel when she¡¯s already messing around in school?¡± After reading the title of the post, Mason¡¯s expression became even grimmer. Willow¡¯s clique grew smug, and one of them chimed in, ¡°We¡¯re only saying this for yours and Willow¡¯s sake, Mr. Laird! Willow is such a nice girl! Sophie¡¯s fooling around with other people¡¯s feelings just because she¡¯s pretty. How can she everpare to our dear Willow?¡± Mason returned the phone to the group and remained silent. They don¡¯t deserve to make things up about Sophie¡¯s character. His reaction frightened the girls into silence, and they quickly walked into the school. When Willow arrived at the ssroomter, her clique immediately swarmed her. ¡°Willow, Mason came to Jipsdale Premier High today, but he wasn¡¯t looking for you. He must¡¯ve been looking for that b*tch, Sophie! But it¡¯s okay. We¡¯ve avenged you and showed him that post.¡± ¡°Yeah! I¡¯m sure Mason will see Sophie¡¯s true colors now.¡± ¡°What?¡± Willow was shocked. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? I¡¯m sure Mason¡¯s only temporarily besotted with Sophie. He¡¯ll be keeping a far distance from her after seeing those photos.¡± ¡°You¡ª¡± Willow did not want Mason to know about the photos at all. What will he do after learning about this? Her friends were confused by her reaction, for they only wanted to stick up for her earlier. ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Willow?¡± Willow swiftly suppressed her rage and lied, ¡°It¡¯s nothing. I¡¯m not feeling too well today. Could you girls help me get excused from tonight¡¯s revision session?¡± ¡°Are you really okay, Willow?¡± Her clique remained concerned. ¡°Yup! I¡¯m totally fine.¡± Then, she left the school and called Mason. The line rang for a long time, but nobody answered, and Willow¡¯s anxiety ballooned. She dialed his number repeatedly until he eventually picked up. ¡°Where are you, Mason?¡± He replied curtly, ¡°Nocturnal!¡± After ending the call, Willow hailed a cab to the bar. There, she was barred by a security guard from entering the premises because of her school uniform. She could only call Mason again. Thetter frowned when he saw a shivering Willow outside the bar. ¡°What is it?¡± He always seemed exceptionally aloof when interacting with Willow. Chapter 122 Chapter 122 Chapter 122 What A Bummer ¡°I heard that you¡¯ve been to Jipsdale Premier High today, Mason.¡± Unable to stand watching Willow shiver incessantly, Mason removed his coat and wrapped it around her. His warmth still lingered on the inside. Willow could not help but raise her eyes to regard him. You still care for me, don¡¯t you? It¡¯s not like you no longer feel anything for me anymore! ¡°Mason!¡± Willow felt profoundly aggrieved, for everything she had done was only motivated by her desire to be with him. Content held by N?velDrama.Org. ¡°This isn¡¯t the sort of ce where you should be, so hurry up and go home!¡± When Mason turned back toward Nocturnal, Willow rushed to him and hugged him from behind. ¡°You¡¯re only treating me this way because of Sophie, aren¡¯t you, Mason?¡± ¡°Willow!¡± Mason¡¯s inflection carried with it a tone of warning. ¡°I¡¯m as saddened by what happened to Sophie as you are, Mason, but this isn¡¯t something that¡¯s within our control! Won¡¯t you please just stop being like this?¡± Enraged, Mason shoved Willow off, sending her staggering back several paces. That got her staring at him in disbelief. ¡°Sophie isn¡¯t that sort of person, so someone must be messing with her behind her back.¡± Convinced that it was hisck of trust in Sophie five years ago that led to the present-day circumstances, he thus decided that five yearster on this very day, he was going to stand by her no matter what. Hearing that from him only left Willow even more infuriated. Does he really trust her that much? Ignoring her, Mason continued into Nocturnal. As much as Willow wanted to follow, she found herself stopped at the door by the security. ¡°No entry without a valid ID card, miss.¡± ¡°I¡¯m of legal age.¡± Willow was actually older than Sophie by a year and only had to take a year off from school because of poor health. That meant that she was already neen. ¡°Sorry. You¡¯re in uniform, so without the proper documentation to ascertain your age, we cannot allow you in.¡± Willow was irate, but since she was unable to do anything about them, she could only keep standing there. By the time Mason exited Nocturnal, it was already two past midnight. Owing to having one drink too many, he opted not to drive and hailed a ride over to Wisteria Apartments instead. The minute he got on, Willow, too, hired a car in pursuit, as seeing how drunk he was got her concerned that he might wind up in a sticky situation. What she had not expected was that his destination turned out to be Wisteria Apartments. After standing below the apartments for the entire night, Willow took ill the next day. When Charmaine saw the state her daughter was in, she poured a ss of warm water and also brought her some medicine. ¡°Where were youst night? I know that Mason¡¯s back, and the two of you want to be together, but you should also be mindful of your own reputation. Are you even listening, Wi?¡± Charmaine furrowed. What¡¯s gotten into hertely? Throwing her arms around Charmaine, Willow then broke down in tears. ¡°Why? What¡¯s the matter? I wasn¡¯t scolding you, silly girl. I¡¯m just concerned! You¡¯re to be married to Mason in the future, you know!¡± That got Willow bawling even more loudly. ¡°What¡¯s this about? Did Mason mistreat you?¡± ¡°Would I really get to marry Mason, Mom?¡± She was not at all optimistic about this prospect at the moment. ¡°Isn¡¯t it why you¡¯ve been working so hard all these years? To be married to Mason? Seeing how fond Mrs. Laird is of you, he surely must marry you.¡± Willow was not as confident of this. What would all the preparations she put together count for, with everything else that had gone down? In the end, the decision stillid with Mason himself. In order to get Sophie expelled, Whitlea purposefully called for a board meeting. It had been a while since such a meeting had been convened in Jipsdale Premier High, and even less expectedly, for the purpose of expelling a student. A dozen directors had already arrived inside the conference room. ¡°All this over a case of expulsion, Mr. Langston? What¡¯s the point of making such a big deal of it, really? Why don¡¯t you just go ahead yourself and get it over with?¡± ¡°Yeah! You should know well that we¡¯re all very busy people.¡± ¡°How would any of our opinions matter if Mr. Langston himself has already had his own mind made up?¡± said Whitlea mockingly. Andy wiped the sweat off the top of his own head. ¡°My fellow directors, as the details of this case have yet to be established, I think¡ª¡± ¡°Yet to be established? What¡¯s there left to establish? Bailey has always topped his grade. How could you not know that, considering that you¡¯re someone who had watched Bailey grow up yourself? Also, I was told that you were the one who had admitted Sophie. That makes you the very reason why something like this has taken ce inside this school. It makes me wonder whether you could have epted something from her in exchange.¡± Transferring to Jipsdale Premier High in her senior year? Isn¡¯t it obvious that some manner of bribery must be involved? That yielded a frown from Andy. ¡°Isn¡¯t it a normal thing for students to change schools, Mdm. Dixon? Does having this take ce within your jurisdiction mean that I must necessarily be on the take?¡± said Andy as he stood to his feet. ¡°Just look and see for yourselves Mr. Langston¡¯s attitude.¡± Whitlea was positively livid. ¡°Isn¡¯t it true that the school won¡¯t be able to continue operating without us, Mr. Langston?¡± The moment Sophie arrived at school, she found herself mobbed by a group of girls. ¡°You have some gall showing your face around here again, Sophie.¡± ¡°Yeah! How shameless could you possibly get? If something simr were to happen to me, I wouldn¡¯t have been able to continue living.¡± ¡°Do you figure that everyone must give a d*mn about that?¡± Pulling the hood back from her head, Sophie cast a cold stare that made the observers shudder. A couple of girls who dared not trifle with Sophie in the mood she was in automatically stepped aside and cleared a path for her. Sophie let out a sneer. ¡°Was she taunting us just now?¡± ¡°D*mn right, she was! How could that woman be so thick-skinned?¡± ¡°The school has already called for a board meeting to get her expelled, so let¡¯s see how much longer she could continue to be cocky.¡± ¡°Yeah! What¡¯s she being so smug about? She¡¯s just a sl*t.¡± It took only Sophie turning and shooting them a look to cause the lot of them to stumble back in fear. Pulling out her phone, Sophie went on to post that unedited clip into the forum before she made her way directly to the school¡¯s conference room. The school¡¯s forum was thrown into a state of pandemonium once more ten minutester, and the server itself almost crashed as a result. ¡°Good lord! What the hell is this? Never could have seen a twist like thising!¡± ¡°Heavens! Bailey¡¯s being so affectionate! Could he be the one who fancies her?¡± ¡°What a bummer! Still insisting that Sophie was seducing Bailey. This is going to make Mdm. Dixon look really bad!¡± Those girls who had been heckling Sophie for days were momentarily stumped, for all along the photograph revealed nothing. Everything that went around had wholly been of their own fabrication. Apart from uploading a video, Sophie did not have to issue any kind of response, and what a resounding response that turned out to be. The color drained from Angie¡¯s face after she saw that clip. Where did thise from? What am I to do now? This Sophie Tanner is too scary. How did she even get her hands on this video? When Sophie reached the conference room, she pushed her way through the doors without even knocking, and the ensuing noise had all the directors turning their attention toward the entrance. There, they saw a teenager shrouded in a ck hoodie, standing with the light cast from behind her. She had her head covered and both hands tucked inside her pockets. Whitlea had an awful expression on her face upon seeing Sophie. ¡°Do you all not see? She¡¯s still as arrogant as ever, even now.¡± Whitlea could not wait to get Sophie kicked out of the school right away. Andy went over immediately, as he had not expected Sophie to show up there and then either. ¡°You should head back first, Sophie. I¡¯d have this whole thing sorted out for you in due time.¡± Chapter 123 Chapter 123 Chapter 123 A Drastic Turn ? N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved. ¡°Mr. Langston, since I¡¯m the victim of this incident, I think I have the right to be here,¡± Sophie stated resolutely. No doubt, she was well aware that Andy was very concerned about her. However, she would not chicken out when Whitlea insisted on putting her in a tight spot. ¡°Sophie¡­¡± Andy could not help but heave a sigh. Good gracious! Why is this youngdy unusually stubborn? ¡°Andy, enough of that. Since you¡¯re determined to take her side, how about you leave Jipsdale Premier High too? From what I can see, Mr. Carlson is ratherpetent too. He can be promoted to take over your position,¡± Whitlea uttered authoritatively. They needed a submissive person in charge and not one with a mind of his own, like Andy. Hearing that, Franky Carlson, the vice principal, was all over the moon. ¡°Mdm. Dixon, I¡¯ve reminded Mr. Langston right from the beginning that we shouldn¡¯t ept Sophie Tanner. I emphasized that such a problematic student would only ruin Jipsdale Premier High¡¯s reputation, but he paid no heed to my advice and insisted on epting her. I couldn¡¯t help wondering if he had been obtaining any benefits from that.¡± In actuality, Franky and Andy had been on bad terms long ago. Franky loathed thetter for surpassing him in managing the school throughout the years. Hence, he was tickled pink when he finally had the opportunity to prove himself to the board. ¡°Mr. Carlson!¡± Andy shot Franky a warning nce, gritting his teeth. D*mn it! He¡¯s really good at buttering others up! ¡°What do you think about this?¡± Whitlea turned to look at the other directors, who then nodded fervently in unison. ¡°If that¡¯s the case, Andy, leave with this student and we can avoid burning all bridges. Let¡¯s resolve this peacefully so it won¡¯t be awkward when we cross paths with each other in the future.¡± Franky was grinning ear to ear. He could barely wait for Andy to be sacked. As the vice principal, I have no choice but to bow to him for more than a decade. Ha! Now it¡¯s finally my turn to be the principal! ¡°Wait a minute! You can¡¯t expel me from the school. I didn¡¯t do anything wrong,¡± Sophie piped up and advanced toward theputer in the conference room. She turned it on and plugged a sh drive into the USB port. ¡°Sophie Tanner, you¡¯ve been expelled from the school. If you insist on stirring up trouble, I¡¯ll lodge a police report right away!¡± Whitlea was irked by the fearless Sophie. What on earth is she trying to do? ¡°Lodge a police report? Great! I¡¯m more than happy if you do that. Now that you¡¯re ndering me, I believe the police will seek justice for me. What are you still waiting for? Don¡¯t you know how to lodge one? Or perhaps you need me to guide you on that?¡± Whitlea blew a fuse, her entire body trembling uncontrobly. ¡°Where are your manners? Don¡¯t you know the young ones like you have to be respectful to the elders?¡± ¡°Elders? Boy, you have the cheek to proim yourself as my elder. Why should I be respectful of you? Do you deserve my respect? Who do you think you are?¡± Sophie scoffed. Once provoked, she would not think twice about retaliating relentlessly. ¡°You will know if you¡¯ve ndered me after watching this video clip. As an adult, I hope you can reflect on the mistake you¡¯vemitted and apologize to me later!¡± ¡°What¡¯s the matter with you? How dare a lowly student like you request we adults to apologize to you? You¡¯re talking nonsense!¡± Franky stood in front of Whitlea, fending off Sophie¡¯s words. Sophie snorted coldly. Is that how an adult should behave? How ridiculous! Without hesitation, she yed the video clip. Itsted barely twenty minutes, but it was enough to let everyone have a grasp of the situation. Sophie was undoubtedly the victim as she did nothing and was oblivious to everything throughout the time. Whitlea¡¯s face fell in an instant. Even though the video had proved that Sophie did notmit a wrong deed, she considered thetter to have gone against her by ying the video clip in front of everyone. How could my son gaze at a delinquent in such a way? She could not ept the fact that her son had fallen for Sophie instead of demure youngdies from prominent families she had shortlisted for him. Andy approached Sophie and said, ¡°Everyone, it¡¯s merely a misunderstanding this time. Sophie is really talented. Mr. Elswick is even nning to let her take part in the physicspetition this time. I¡¯m convinced she¡¯ll be able to make us proud.¡± ¡°Andy!¡± Whitlea almost burst a blood vessel. Doesn¡¯t he know I¡¯m nning to let Bailey take part in the physicspetition? Sophie asked indifferently, ¡°So, are you still lodging a police report? I¡¯ve uploaded this video clip on the school forum. I wonder what those students who can¡¯t seem to distinguish between right and wrong will say again!¡± ¡°Mdm. Dixon, why not put everything to an end? After all, the top management is extremely displeased with this hup. If the situation esctes, Jipsdale Premier High¡¯s reputation will be ruined.¡± One of the directors tried to talk Whitlea into changing her mind. ¡°I agree with him. What¡¯s important now is that we should try to resolve this matter as soon as possible so it won¡¯t tarnish the image of our school. Otherwise, I¡¯m afraid it will affect the new intake of students next year,¡± another director chimed in. Unequivocally, the students¡¯ backgrounds yed a major part. Instead of relying on the teachers to y their roles well in educating them, it was rtively important to ensure the students enrolled in their school were of virtue. ¡°Wait a minute! Someone has obviously set Sophie up and instigated the others to go against her,¡± Andy pointed out. What are the culprit¡¯s ulterior motives for editing the photos? Did Sophie step on anyone¡¯s toes? ¡°Sophie, do you know who posted these photos?¡± Andy asked. ¡°I do.¡± ¡°Sophie is obviously the victim in this matter. In my opinion, the school should seek justice for her.¡± ¡°It¡¯s all right. I¡¯ll settle the issue with my own method.¡± I¡¯m not a crybaby who will only grumble to the teachers whenever I encounter any problems! ¡°Let¡¯s put an end to this. Mdm. Dixon, since it¡¯s Bay¡¯s mistake, we¡¯d better not go overboard.¡± The other directors did not wish to blow things out of proportion too. No words could describe Whitlea¡¯s resentment. She vowed to expel Sophie from the school despite anything. However, the other directors had stood up and stepped out of the conference room. Franky cast his head down sheepishly and could not help despising himself for getting on Andy¡¯s nerves. Oh my! He¡¯ll unleash his wrath on meter. ¡°Sophie, let¡¯s go!¡± Andy was worried stiff that Whitlea would strike against Sophie. Hence, he had been waiting for her and was reluctant to follow suit when the others left the conference room. ¡°Mr. Langston, I wish to have a few words with Mdm. Dixon. You don¡¯t have to wait for me.¡± Sophie pulled a chair to sit down. Andy remained in the same spot, fearing that Whitlea would pick on her. Whitlea shot daggers at Andy, but he pretended to be oblivious to it. He had to ensure nobody couldy a finger on Sophie on his turf. Otherwise, he would not know how to exin to Felix if anything urred. ¡°Mr. Langston, let¡¯s go!¡± Franky urged him. He still made up his mind to take Whitlea¡¯s side. ¡°Go ahead yourself. Why bother about me?¡± Andy snapped at him. ¡°Get out!¡± Whitlea bellowed. She was utterly ashamed because of the video clip. Sophie threw Andy a meaningful nce. Thetter had no choice but to step out. With that, only Whitlea and Sophie were left in the conference room. Sophie remained seated, resting her elbows on the conference table. ¡°Mdm. Dixon, is there anything else you want to tell me?¡± Sophie asked. ¡°You can continue studying at Jipsdale Premier High if you wish to. But you mustn¡¯t take part in the physicspetition this time.¡± Whitlea sounded as if she was being sympathetic. Sophie snorted. She still hasn¡¯t learned her lesson. Bailey is unlucky indeed to have such a mother. ¡°Stay away from Bailey from today onward. I¡¯ve made the perfect arrangements for his future, and you have no ce in it,¡± Whitlea reminded Sophie arrogantly. The assertive mother only hoped that her son would not go against her will. Chapter 124 Chapter 124 Chapter 124 Leave Jipsdale Premier High ¡°I¡¯ll definitely join the physicspetition. As for you, I advise you to practice kindness.¡± Sophie didn¡¯t bother giving her any quarter. ¡°How dare you? Do you really think that I can¡¯t do anything about you?¡± Whitlea never expected her to be such an obstinate person. Content held by N?velDrama.Org. Right then, her innate intransigence was bared in its entirety. However, Sophie merely shrugged with a nonchnt expression on her face. ¡°Try it, then. We shall see whether I¡¯m the one to scram or you¡¯re the one who ends up doing so.¡± Getting to her feet, she remarked, ¡°Honestly speaking, Bailey has truly rotten lucky to have a mother like you.¡± Bailey is really a pretty great person, and I also believe that he¡¯ll have some remarkable achievements in the physics field in the future. Whitlea smashed everything that could be destroyed in the conference room. She¡¯s simply too insolent! No, she¡¯d only be a ticking time bomb if she were allowed to stay in Jipsdale Premier High. I must get her kicked out! Meanwhile, Willow only learned about the development on the forum when she came to school in the afternoon. ¡°Wi, who do you think is sabotaging Sophie behind the scenes?¡± Initially, they were all convinced that it must have been Sophie who seduced Bailey. Unexpectedly, they ended up proven wrong. ¡°Exactly! The person even had someone photoshop the pictures! Who hates her that much?¡± ¡°Who cares? Anyway, I just don¡¯t like her!¡± ¡°That¡¯s true. She has tons of enemies, so who knows the identity of the culprit? It¡¯s just a pity that the board of directors will now decide not to expel her anymore.¡± Willow logged in to the forum. The instant she saw the video, her expression changed. I didn¡¯t send this video to Angie, and my phone has been with me all this while. Therefore, how did it appear on the forum? Unprecedented fear struck Willow. If Mason were to learn that this incident was my doing, what would he do? She didn¡¯t even dare imagine the consequences. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you, Wi? Did you not hear us?¡± ¡°Yeah. Don¡¯t worry, Wi. Plenty of people detest someone like Sophie, so it¡¯s only a matter of time before she¡¯s booted out of Jipsdale Premier High!¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to the washroom for a while.¡± After saying that, Willow stood up and left right away. ¡°What¡¯s the matter with her now? Wasn¡¯t she just fine earlier?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. It must be because of Sophie. Ever since she returned, she has been acting really strange.¡± Willow found Angie on the field. Angie had been there for a long time, not daring to return to ss. She was afraid that her ssmates would learn about everything she did. Most importantly, she was worried that she would be ostracized. ¡°Angie!¡± Willow called out to her. Hearing her name, Angie nced over her shoulder. As soon as she spotted Willow, her eyes brimmed with resentment. ¡°This is all on you, Willow! If it weren¡¯t because of you, I wouldn¡¯t have ended up in such a state right now. Yet, you still have the audacity to appear before me!¡± At that, Willow¡¯s brows furrowed. ¡°What does this have to do with me, Angie? Was I the one who photoshopped the pictures? Was it me who told you to publish them on the forum and ordered you to write all those remarks? You did everything yourself, so what has it got to do with me?¡± At that moment, all she wanted to do was disassociate herself from it all. I can¡¯t have anything to do with this matter! The urge to rip her into pieces gripped Angie. ¡°How devious of you! You must be utterly smug now, huh? I¡¯ll wait and see how long you can remain triumphant! Do you think that Sophie is genuinely ignorant of everything when she could get her hands on that video? Do you really think that everyone is a fool?¡± ¡°Leave Jipsdale Premier High, Angie. It won¡¯t do you any good to stay here.¡± Willow reckoned that no one would know the so-called truth as long as she left Jipsdale Premier High. ¡°Why should I? The university entrance exam is just around the corner. Where could I go after leaving Jipsdale Premier High? Willow, go and urge Sophie to show me some mercy!¡± Sophie didn¡¯t do anything, but Angie lived in fear every day, terrified that she would see something about herself on the forum in the next second. ¡°Leave Jipsdale Premier High and take responsibility for everything. I¡¯ll solve the rest of the problems for you. I¡¯ll help you, both in looking for another school and financially. I promise you all this as long as you leave this ce.¡± The only way Willow could think of then was to have Angie leave. When she has left, I can shove all the me onto her. Consequently, this matter will have nothing to do with me. ¡°What do you mean by that? Does this matter have nothing to do with you? Yet, you now want to shift all the responsibility onto me! Willow, I really never expected you to be such a person!¡± How smart of her toy all the me on me! Then, she can remain innocent in this matter! ¡°Consider it yourself. If you don¡¯t leave Jipsdale Premier High and continue staying here, are you sure you can pass the university entrance exam in your current state? Do you really want to give up on your future?¡± After wavering for a long time, Angie still nodded in acquiescence. She¡¯s right. Every single second is a torment to me as I stay in Jipsdale Premier High now. In such a condition, I really won¡¯t be able to get into my ideal university. ¡°Okay, help me make the arrangements!¡± ¡°All right. In that case, you don¡¯t need to stay in school today.¡± Right then, Willow only wanted her to leave. With Angie gone, it¡¯d be easy to settle everything else. ¡°Have you heard the rumor? It was Angie who published that forum post!¡± ¡°I really didn¡¯t expect it! She looks docile and quiet usually, but shemitted such a major mistake this time!¡± Ysabelle parked herself in the seat before Sophie and turned back to speak to her. ¡°Soph, now that Angie has left, Willow shifted all the me on her. How underhanded of her!¡± At that moment, Sophie was doing a physics question. She looked at the question for a while before jotting down the steps to solve it on paper. ¡°I¡¯m talking to you, Soph! Can you please listen to me seriously?¡± Chagrin swamped Ysabelle. What¡¯s so interesting about a physics question? ¡°I heard you.¡± Pushing her hand away, Sophie wrote down the two final steps. Then, she murmured in absolute calmness, ¡°Just let her be.¡± After school in the afternoon, Sophie and Ysabelle bumped into Willow, who was ascending the stairs, while they descended the stairs. At the sight of her, Ysabelle snorted. Willow, on the other hand, didn¡¯t dare confront Sophie directly this time. Instead, she merely treated her like thin air. The few girls with her likewise experienced a change in attitude due to that matter and didn¡¯t dare provoke Sophie either. ¡°Weren¡¯t the bunch of you smug previously? You must have written a lot of lies on the forum and ndered Soph! Now that the truth hase to light, don¡¯t you all owe her an apology?¡± ¡°An apology? Why should we apologize? She offended someone herself, so we¡¯re also victims, okay?¡± ¡°Never mind, let¡¯s go!¡± Willow didn¡¯t want to stay there further, for she hoped the matter would end there. ¡°This matter isn¡¯t over yet, Willow! Do you think everything is fine just because Angie has left?¡± In truth, Angie was merely manipted into doing it. Willow halted in her steps as she ascended the stairs. In fact, she didn¡¯t even dare turn back. ¡°You¡¯re going too far, Sophie! It was Angie who perpetrated this matter! What has it got to do with Wi?¡± The girls with Willow shielded thetter behind them once again. ¡°What morons!¡± Seeing that, Ysabelle couldn¡¯t help cursing them out. Chapter 125 Chapter 125 Chapter 125 First Love Is Always Unforgettable ¡°Who the hell are you calling a moron?¡± Following the criticism, the few girls promptly blew up. ¡°Whoever answers to it!¡± Ysabelle sneered. ¡°How dare you?¡± Snapping, the few girls geared up to charge at her. However, Willow held them back. ¡°We¡¯re at school, so forget about it. Fighting at school will result in a demerit.¡± Willow was worried that they would anger Sophie. Hence, she immediately stopped them from doing anything rash. ¡°Hmph! Do you see that? Even your pretentious b*tch doesn¡¯t dare go against Sophie. Hurry up and scram!¡± ¡°How dare you?¡± The few girls were livid, but they couldn¡¯t do anything to her and could only leave in a fit of pique. Only when they had gone back to the ssroom did they snarl furiously, ¡°Da*n it! Ysabelle was really asking for it! How I wish I could m into her the wall and kill her right then and there!¡± ¡°Forget it. Don¡¯t provoke Sophie these days.¡± Willow was still very much uneasy. Verily, she couldn¡¯t afford to offend Sophie at present. ¡°What exactly is wrong with you, Wi? Why are you afraid of her?¡± ¡°Yeah! You¡¯re bing all the more different, Wi. You¡¯ve really changed ever since Sophie returned.¡± Frustration inundated Willow, but she couldn¡¯t tell anyone about the matter. Thus, she could only bottle it up within herself. As it was raining that day, the exercise period was called off. All the students studied in the ssroom instead. Bailey went to Senior ss 8 and stood at the door. A few girls caught sight of him and started whispering among themselves. Ysabelle saw him as well. She walked over to Sophie¡¯s desk. ¡°Soph, Bailey is here.¡± Sprawled on her desk while taking a nap, Sophie cast her gaze out the window when she heard that. At once, she spotted Bailey standing outside the window. He seemed to have something to say yet was hesitant to speak. Sophie got up and strolled over to him. ¡°Is something the matter?¡± she queried. That matter had nothing to do with him. As such, she had never held him responsible. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Sophie.¡± Because of me, she was put through the wringer. Gazing out at the autumn rain, Sophie stood there silently without saying a single word. Bailey tilted his head, only to see her hair fluttering in the wind. As the desire to smoothen her hair rose within him, he lifted his hand. s, she canted her head, leaving his hand suspended in the air. Subsequently, he lowered it in embarrassment. ¡°I like you, Sophie!¡± At longst, he gave voice to his thoughts. No matter what, this is the first time I¡¯ve got a crush on a girl! Even if it ends in disappointment, I still want to say it! Even after hearing his confession, Sophie remained as calm as ever. ¡°We can only be friends, Bailey.¡± She was the kind of person who made things clear when it came to matters of the heart. She didn¡¯t like ambiguous rtionships. ¡°Oh¡­¡± Well, I knew long ago that she¡¯d turn me down, no? Nheless, he still felt dejected upon hearing her rejection with his own ears. ¡°Work hard, Bailey! You¡¯re really talented in physics. Let¡¯spete fairly in the physicspetition!¡± Sophie would be doing her best, for it was a form of respect toward him. In response, Bailey nodded. ¡°Got it.¡± The girls in the ss were all green with envy to see them both standing together. ¡°Oh my God, if we¡¯re just speaking about looks, they¡¯re really a match made in heaven!¡± ¡°Hear, hear! One ced first, and the other second. They¡¯re a perfect match in all aspects!¡± ¡°B*llshit! How¡¯s Sophie worthy of my first crush?¡± After all, Bailey was the first crush of many girls in Jipsdale Premier High. ¡°Exactly! Ah, my idol! How could he fancy someone like her?¡± All this while, Ysabelle had also been observing the situation outside. Crap! What should I do? Every other man seems to make a perfect couple with Soph! As soon as Sophie returned to the ssroom, she rushed over to her. ¡°Why did Baileye to see you?¡± ¡°Why are you so curious?¡± Sophie didn¡¯t answer that question, for they were nothing more than ships passing in the night. She had no feelings for Bailey, but neither did she want him to suffer criticism because of her. ¡°I¡¯m just curious! Listen to me, Soph. Although he¡¯s handsome, my uncle is still better-looking than him!¡± ¡°ss ismencing soon,¡± Sophie reminded, signaling Ysabelle to return to her seat. At night, Tristan came to Jipsdale Premier High to pick Sophie up. After receiving a call from the man, she left the school building with Ysabelle. Bailey bumped into them at the school gates. He wanted to bid them farewell, but Sophie had already gotten into the car. Just then, Willow came out and witnessed that scene as well. She reflexively took out her phone to snap a photo. But recalling that video, she put her phone away. Instead, she swiftly hailed a taxi and ordered the driver to follow Tristan¡¯s car. Tristan brought Sophie and Ysabelle to Blossom Garden to meet up with Felix and the others. Upon seeing Sophie entering Blossom Garden with the man, Willow gave Mason a call right away. ¡°I¡¯ve got something to tell you, Mason. I¡¯m now at Blossom Garden. Can youe over? It¡¯s really something important. It has to do with Sophie.¡± Mason initially didn¡¯t want to entertain her, but he relented when he heard that it was about Sophie. Content ? N?velDrama.Org. It was Christmas Eve that day, so Felix gathered everyone there. When he saw that Ysabelle had arrived, he instantly pulled out a chair for her and prompted her to have a seat. Meanwhile, Winter¡¯s heart clenched at the sight of Tristan¡¯s attentiveness toward Sophie. If only he¡¯d also treat me in the same manner someday! Tristan personally poured Sophie a ss of hot water. It was rather cold that day, especially since it rained. Cradling the ss in her hand, Sophie took a sip of hot water. At once, her entire body felt much warmer. When all the dishes were served, Felix personally opened a bottle of sherry. ¡°Today is the first time we¡¯re spending Christmas Eve together. Here¡¯s to peace and good health to us all henceforth! This bottle of sherry is a hundred years old!¡± he eximed joyfully. ¡°This is my first time spending Christmas Eve with all of you, so it¡¯s my treat tonight!¡± Sophie¡¯s voice was cold and indifferent, but she was really pretty happy that she could be with them. ¡°Your treat? If that¡¯s the case, I¡¯ve got to order a few more dishes!¡± Felix joked. ¡°Are you a pig? How much can you eat? Since Soph is treating us to dinner, let¡¯s not eat meat tonight!¡± Ysabelle retorted in jest. Then, she murmured, ¡°I was merely joking. Are you mad for real?¡± Things had been like that ever since thest time. It seemed that something had really changed between her and Felix. ¡°Nope. How would I dare get mad at you?¡± After saying that, Felix didn¡¯t continue speaking on that subject but turned and discussed business with Charles. That had Ysabelle at a total loss. ¡°Sophie, I heard that the top scorer in your school likes you. Besides, I saw those few photos. He¡¯s close to you in age, so the two of you must have a lot inmon!¡± Having been silent for such a long time, Winter finally couldn¡¯t hold herself back anymore. ¡°It looks like you¡¯re very concerned about me that you even know what happened at my school, Ms. Quigley,¡± Sophie replied unhurriedly. ¡°Hah!¡± Disdain flooded Winter. ¡°I only heard someone mentioning it, so I brought it up with you. I really envy your tender age. First love is always unforgettable.¡± She deliberately linked Bailey and Sophie together. Chapter 126 Chapter 126 Chapter 126 The Distinction Between Men And Women Content held by N?velDrama.Org. ¡°First love? I¡¯ve never dated, so I don¡¯t know whether it¡¯s unforgettable or otherwise,¡± Sophie countered bluntly. ¡°Oh, really?¡± How pretentious! Does she think others are entirely ignorant about her past? Yet, she has the audacity to say that she has never dated! Winter seethed internally. Contrarily, Tristan was over the moon to hear that. He was the kind of person who kept his feelings under wraps, but right then, everyone present could sense the change in his mood. At that, Winter grew all the more upset. What¡¯s so great about that? She¡¯s just feigning innocence! How could people nowadays not have dated a few times when they reach her age? ¡°Considering your looks, Ms. Tanner, you must have many suitors. How could you possibly not have dated?¡± she riposted sourly. Indeed, it was a fact that Sophie had a stunningly beautiful countenance. That was also a sore spot of hers. In fact, she wondered whether Tristan fell in love with Sophie¡¯s looks. Otherwise, she really couldn¡¯t see anything special about her. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me I must like the person in return just because he likes me?¡± It¡¯s true that plenty of people like me since young because my looks are indeed very much attractive. However, it¡¯s not obligatory for me to respond to all of them, is it? Winter was left without a retort. Tristan, on the other hand, was even happier after hearing that. Exactly! Not everyone is worthy of her. I¡¯m the only one who¡¯s worthy of her! ¡°Keep your focus on eating, Winter. Why are you running your mouth?¡± Charles was worried that Tristan would fly into a rage, so he stopped Winter from speaking further. ¡°There are also tons of people who like you, Winter. You must have dated plenty, yes?¡± Ysabelle definitely sided with Sophie, so she couldn¡¯t help reposting Winter when thetter kept targeting and setting Sophie up. Winter nced at Tristan, her gaze speaking volumes. I¡¯ve only loved Tristan since young. How could I possibly take an interest in other men? Tristan took a piece of barbecue rib for Sophie. ¡°Don¡¯t just talk. Here, eat this.¡± Unbidden, goosebumps rose over everyone else there. Never had they seen him so gentle. He didn¡¯t even have to do anything that constituted a public disy of affection, for he had been keeping an eye on everything about Sophie. All of a sudden, Winter lost her appetite. ¡°You guys continue eating. I¡¯m going out for a while.¡± Charles breathed a sigh of relief at her departure. Verily, I don¡¯t know what will happen if she continues staying here. She can never conceal her feelings in front of Tristan. Because of her love for him, she always can¡¯t help hurting others. Never mind if it¡¯s some other girl, but this is Sophie, the girl Tristan likes. Therefore, no one is allowed to offend her. ¡°I¡¯m really sorry, Sophie. If Winter said anything that upset you, I apologize on her behalf. I hope you don¡¯t take it to heart.¡± He raised his ss. No matter what, Winter was his sister, so he had to do something about it. Sophie shed him a smile. ¡°I¡¯m not a petty person, so I¡¯m not that easily offended, Mr. Quigley. Don¡¯t worry.¡± When Charles heard that, relief suffused him. ¡°No matter what, I still need to toast you.¡± Sophie raised her wine ss and took a tiny sip. Throughout the entire meal, Tristan kept feeding Sophie. When they were almost done eating, he snagged two pieces of tissue for her. Sophie wiped her mouth before crumpling the tissues into a wad and tossing it into the trash can at the side. ¡°Soph, where would you like to go as this is the first time we¡¯re spending Christmas Eve together? How about going to the karaoke bar?¡± Ysabelle proposed excitedly. It had been a long time since she visited a karaoke bar. Ever since her senior year, her family started getting strict with her. But today, it¡¯s probably fine since I¡¯m with Uncle Tristan! ¡°You¡¯d like to go to a karaoke bar?¡± Sophie actually wasn¡¯t fond of such a ce, but she didn¡¯t mind going to have some fun if Ysabelle liked it. ¡°Yeah! I haven¡¯t been to a karaoke bar since my senior year. I¡¯m craving to go and sing my heart out. It¡¯s good to release some tension.¡± ¡°Are you that stressed? You seem pretty rxed to me every day.¡± Pouting, Ysabelle acted cute. ¡°How am I rxed? You have no idea how high my parents¡¯ expectations of me are! They¡¯ll definitely force me to study another year if I fail to make it into Jipsdale University. I really don¡¯t want to do that. If possible, I want to go far away. Would I have it easier if I weren¡¯t the daughter of the Lombard family?¡± Everyone envies me for being the daughter of the Lombard family, having almost everything my heart wishes. But then, no one asked me about my choice. I, too, want to live freely! Sophie gazed at her in sympathy. Oh, poor thing! ¡°Where are we going now? To Nocturnal for a drink?¡± In truth, they never celebrated Christmas Eve in the past. They were all surprised when Tristan suggested that they celebrate the festival together. But on second thought, that made sense since the man¡¯s girlfriend was a high schooler. After all, such a festival was a favorite celebration among high schoolers. ¡°Let¡¯s go for a karaoke session!¡± At Sophie¡¯s suggestion, Ysabelle looked at her gratefully. Sure enough, she¡¯s my idol! She never lets me down! ¡°A karaoke session? Mr. Tristan doesn¡¯t like it, so why don¡¯t we do something else?¡± Winter heard Sophie¡¯s proposal the moment she stepped in, and she couldn¡¯t help saying that. Everyone swung their gazes at Tristan, who had a hand draped over Sophie¡¯s chair. ¡°It¡¯s okay. Since they want to go for a karaoke session, we¡¯ll all go together. You can pass if you don¡¯t want to go.¡± He was a very democratic person and would never force someone into anything. Felix and Charles exchanged a look. Sure enough, his principles are only for show when ites to Sophie! ¡°Yay! That¡¯s great! I can finally go for a karaoke session! Let me tell you something, Soph. I love singing, and my dream was even to be a singer in the past!¡± Ysabelle really loved singing, but her father forbade her from entering the entertainment industry. Thus, she could only suppress her hobby. Seeing her sheer delight, Sophie felt that it was no big deal for her to put up with the noise despite positively loathing loud ces. ¡°Actually, you don¡¯t need to amodate her so much,¡± Tristan whispered into her ear. She doesn¡¯t need to amodate anyone. All she needs to do is to do whatever she likes. I¡¯m here for everything else, so it¡¯s not a problem! ¡°What if I say I want to hear you sing?¡± Considering his character, he probably never sang in front of others, right? At that, Tristan went silent for a long moment. Meanwhile, Winter sneered upon hearing that. She doesn¡¯t understand him at all. How could he possibly sing in front of others? Since he doesn¡¯t like such ces, he probably hasn¡¯t even been to a karaoke bar! ¡°I¡¯d like to hear you sing as well, Mr. Tristan.¡± Felix imitated Ysabelle, acting coy. ¡°Buzz off!¡± Tristan snapped. Sure enough, his reaction is entirely different. Is this the distinction between men and women? ¡°Are you opposed to that idea?¡± Noticing Sophie¡¯s expression, Tristan shook his head adamantly. ¡°Of course not!¡± Chapter 127 Chapter 127 Chapter 127 It Is Time You Give Up Ysabelle was so shocked that her jaw almost hit the ground. Uncle Tristan actually promised to sing for Sophie! Casting her mind back, she seemingly couldn¡¯t remember ever hearing Tristan sing. ¡°Don¡¯t force yourself, Uncle Tristan.¡± She felt utterly petrified. Hearing that, Tristan swept a gaze over her. What does she mean by that? Am I not allowed to sing? ¡°All right, in that case, I¡¯ll book a private room for us!¡± Felix volunteered himself for that task. He knew that Ysabelle had always loved to sing. Honestly, he was exceedingly supportive of that. No matter what she did, he would support her. s, her parents didn¡¯t think the same. ¡°Winter, go home first if you don¡¯t want to go. Else, I can drive you home first before making a trip back,¡± Charles murmured thoughtfully. Why must she do this to herself? She¡¯s downright asking for it! ¡°No, I¡¯ll go with you all! I don¡¯t want to be alone, Charles!¡± Winter was willing to go anywhere as long as she could stay a while longer with Tristan. Hence, she couldn¡¯t possibly bear to leave first. ¡°In that case, let¡¯s go!¡± When they went out to foot the bill, Tristan handed his ck card to Sophie. Sophie was stunned for a moment as she stared at the card in her hand. What is he doing? ¡°What¡¯s the meaning of this? I don¡¯t quite get it.¡± Could it be because my IQ had dropped recently? ¡°Didn¡¯t you say that it¡¯s your treat tonight?¡± The meal today must have cost quite a huge sum, no? At once, Sophie¡¯s eyes went wide. Don¡¯t tell me I can¡¯t even afford to treat them to a meal in his eyes? It turns out that I¡¯m so pitiful to him, huh? Naturally, Winter noticed Tristan¡¯s action and couldn¡¯t help snickering. Hah! If she doesn¡¯t have the money, she shouldn¡¯t have boasted! All of us here can afford to pay for this meal! ¡°How about I foot the bill instead?¡± She went over to the counter and whipped out her card. Immediately, Tristan frowned. What¡¯s the meaning of her doing this? Sophie walked over as well, taking out her card and handing it to the cashier directly. Seeing that, Winter grew impatient. ¡°I¡¯m aware of the Tanner family¡¯s current situation, Ms. Tanner.¡± In other words, she was saying that Sophie couldn¡¯t afford to pay for that meal. ¡°Winter!¡± Ysabelle couldn¡¯t bring herself to listen any further. Indeed, the Quigley family is one of the four prominent families. But still, she can¡¯t look down on others like this! However, Winter merely shrugged. ¡°I don¡¯t mean anything. I merely hope that Ms. Tanner doesn¡¯t need to lower her standard of living because of us. That wouldn¡¯t be good. Am I not right?¡± ¡°How could you say that?¡± Ysabelle saw red. How could she say that about Sophie? ¡°A person¡¯s value is created by herself. I don¡¯t want to rely on the Tanner family. I can obtain everything I want through my own efforts. I¡¯m different from you, Ms. Quigley.¡± Actually, she really didn¡¯t want to say that, but Winter forced her hand. ¡°That¡¯s enough! I think you should go home first, Winter!¡± Charles interjected swiftly. She has really gone too far this time, so I can¡¯t help her either. ¡°Charles, I didn¡¯t say anything, did I? I¡¯m just doing this for her good. Verily, there¡¯s no need for her to satisfy her vanity by passing off as something she¡¯s not.¡± Simply put, Winter looked down on the Tanner family. Displeasure deluged Tristan. No matter the reason, he didn¡¯t want to hear anyone putting Sophie down in that manner. ¡°In your eyes, Winter, is the Lombard family not worthy of dining with you? And are you saying that my girlfriend can¡¯t even afford to treat you to a meal?¡± Never had Winter expected him to tear into her like that because of Sophie. ¡°I didn¡¯t mean anything, Mr. Tristan.¡± Despite feeling aggrieved, she still apologized since she wanted to join them instead of going back alone. By then, the cashier was done collecting the payment and handed Sophie¡¯s card back to her. ¡°Drive Winter home first, Charles. Since she doesn¡¯t like to be with us, she doesn¡¯t need to join us anymore in the future.¡± Ultimately, Tristan still sentenced Winter for her misdeed. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Mr. Tristan.¡± Winter instantly apologized. No matter how dissatisfied she was, she didn¡¯t dare to challenge the man. ¡°Send her back, Charles!¡± Tristan didn¡¯t want to waste any more time on her. In a trice, Winter¡¯s eyes turned red-rimmed. She was a strong career woman in the outside world, but before him, she was merely a weak woman who adored him. All her perseverance and facade were only for the sake of being with him. Helplessness swamped Charles. I have already told her not to provoke Sophie, but she just wouldn¡¯t listen! At the sight of Winter on the verge of tears, Ysabelle¡¯s heart softened. After all, they always hung out together in the past. ¡°Let Winter tag along with us, Uncle Tristan! It¡¯ll be more fun with more people!¡± she implored on Winter¡¯s behalf. ¡°Let¡¯s bring her along!¡± Sean seconded. Even with so many of them speaking up for Winter, Tristan still looked at Sophie. If she doesn¡¯t agree, no amount of pleading will work! Property ? N?velDrama.Org. Upon seeing that everyone was looking at her, Sophie shrugged nonchntly. ¡°I don¡¯t mind.¡± It didn¡¯t matter to her whether Winter went with them, for she was inconsequential in her eyes. ¡°This is your only chance.¡± Tristan didn¡¯t even bother to spare Winter a single nce. ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± Meanwhile, Charles was wholly speechless. Once a woman falls in love, she bes foolish no matter how intelligent and capable she is! Winter trailed behind the man quietly. ¡°Charles, I¡ª¡± ¡°Don¡¯t say anything. Remember my words¡ªdo not provoke Sophie.¡± That is enough. As for the rest, I can¡¯t be bothered anymore. Winter¡¯s hands balled into fists. In the past, they only brought me along when they came out. I¡¯d always thought I was special to Tristan, but I never expected myself to be no one of significance to him. That little slut is really adept at bewitching others! Felix and Sean went ahead with Ysabelle, leaving only Tristan with Sophie in the end. ¡°Mr. Tristan, you didn¡¯t have to do that because of me.¡± ¡°It was necessary. No matter who it is, no one can pick on you.¡± Furthermore, it was just Winter. I¡¯m never bothered about her. When they went out, they saw Mason and Willow, who had been waiting outside. Sophie¡¯s brows knitted together. Truly, she didn¡¯t believe that it was a coincidence. So, what¡¯s her motive in doing everything possible to get him here? The instant Willow spotted Sophieing out with the man, glee filled her. With things havinge to this point, Mason will likely give up, yes? Witnessing Sophie with another man, Mason couldn¡¯t help eyeing Willow. Did she call me over just to have me watch this scene? At the look in his eyes, Willow inexorably defended herself. ¡°Mason, I had no idea that Sophie is here as well. How would I have such great capability to know that she¡¯s also here?¡± Tristan swept his gaze over the man across from them, but he said nothing. ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± Ysabelle and the others had all left. Is there any need for us to tarry here because of two insignificant people? ¡°Okay.¡± He was rtively satisfied with her response. This is precisely what we should do! In the face of an inconsequential person, we should just ignore them. Watching as Sophie walked right past him, Mason felt utterly wretched. It wasn¡¯t until she had gotten into the car that he gathered his wits about him. Noticing that he wanted to leave, Willow promptly grabbed his hand. ¡°It¡¯s time you give up, Mason! There¡¯s no longer a ce for you by her side.¡± Chapter 128 Chapter 128 Chapter 128 Green With Envy The moment Mason heard that, understanding dawned upon him. Is there no longer a ce for me? ¡°That has nothing to do with you. Go back first.¡± ¡°Go back with me, Mason! I beg you! Can we not be together happily?¡± Willow sounded exceedingly pathetic. Really, all I want is to be with him. Is that too much to ask? However, Mason didn¡¯t pay her words any heed. Instead, he got into his car. Unwilling to go home, Willow pulled open the car door and climbed into the car as well. Never would she allow him to go after Sophie alone. At that, Mason couldn¡¯t help jerking his head back and glowering at her. ¡°What are you doing? Did you not hear me telling you to go back? Why are you following me? I¡¯ve already made things clear to you. There¡¯s no future between us!¡± He didn¡¯t leave any room for negotiation. When Willow heard that, the urge to cry seized her. ¡°There are many of them, yet you want to follow them? What are you nning to do? I¡¯m worried about you.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t need your concern.¡± No matter what Mason said, Willow refused to get out of the car, adamant that she wanted to go with him. In truth, she did not want Mason to be with Sophie alone. I¡¯ll never give them such a chance! As Tristan drove, he peered at the luxurious car tailing him through the rear view mirror. The corners of his mouth curved into a smirk. This man really doesn¡¯t give up. ¡°Mr. Laird is following behind us.¡± He didn¡¯t make an arbitrary decision but asked Sophie for her opinion. After all, the man was following them because of her. Therefore, only she had the right to deal with it. Sophie nced at the rear view mirror. Sure enough, she caught sight of Mason¡¯s car. Her brows inexorably creased. What is he trying to do? Hadn¡¯t I made things clear? Could it be that he has a comprehension problem? ¡°Just ignore him. I have nothing to do with him.¡± The car drove straight to Ducat Karaoke Bar. As Tristan wasn¡¯t fond of visiting such ces in the past, no one knew him there. ¡°How many persons, sir?¡± ¡°Haven¡¯t Felix and the others arrived?¡± Content held by N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Oh, you¡¯re with Mr. Northley! This way, please.¡± The employee led them to the private room where Felix and the others were. He pushed open the door and allowed Sophie to enter first. As soon as Ysabelle saw that Sophie had arrived, she immediately made space beside her. ¡°Over here, Soph!¡± Sophie went over to Ysabelle and sat down beside her. ¡°Why did it take you so long to arrive? Weren¡¯t you both right behind us? Spit it out. Where did you and my uncle go?¡± Hearing that, Winter likewise perked up her ears to catch their answer. ¡°Nowhere.¡± Truth be told, Sophie was puzzled herself. Tristan¡¯s driving skills were superb, but he drove exceptionally slow that day. Unbeknownst to them, the man did it on purpose. He simply wanted to spend more time with her. sses abounded on the table in the karaoke bar. Many of them were filled with wine. ¡°Let¡¯s drink to our heart¡¯s content today!¡± Felix dered domineeringly. Everyone is happy today, so it doesn¡¯t matter even if we imbibe a bit more. Ysabelle wasn¡¯t interested in drinking. She went over to the screen and selected a few songs. Then, she asked Sophie, ¡°Is there any song you¡¯d like to sing, Soph? We can sing together.¡± However, Sophie shook her head in demurral. ¡°You go ahead. I¡¯ll just listen as you sing.¡± ¡°No way, Soph! You¡¯ve got to sing when you¡¯re at the karaoke bar! Besides, I noticed that you were truly in sync with Mark back then. As such, your singing must be really melodious!¡± ¡°Hear, hear! Sophie¡¯s voice is sweet in the first ce, so her singing must be music to the ears!¡± Felix couldn¡¯t help echoing. No matter what Ysabelle said, he agreed with it all. ¡°I really am sorry, Mr. Tristan.¡± Holding a ss of wine in hand, Winter downed it in a single go before Tristan. Tristan picked up a ss of whiskey and took a sip without saying anything. Winter didn¡¯t dare speak further, so she could only shrink back and sit down beside Charles. ¡°All right, don¡¯t harbor any more inappropriate thoughts. Mr. Tristan isn¡¯t someone you can dream about.¡± All Charles could do wasfort her. She isn¡¯t malicious in nature. She merely loves him too much. Nevertheless, Winter¡¯s gaze remained fixated on Tristan. He¡¯s too good to Sophie, meticulous to a fault. I¡¯ve never imagined that he would treat someone this tenderly. ¡°Let¡¯s sing together, Soph!¡± Ysabelle handed the microphone to Sophie. Sophie took the microphone, but she ced it on the table in front of her. ¡°You go ahead. I don¡¯t like to sing.¡± ¡°Okay, then. In that case, I¡¯ll be singing! Just tell Felix if you need anything.¡± Ysabelle¡¯s singing was really incredible. Her voice was sweet, so it was perfect for her to sing such gentle love songs. She was exceedingly focused when she sang, rendering her very much attractive. Felix sat in the corner and gazed at her. She was all he saw. After finishing one song, Ysabelle continued singing another song. This time, it was an extremely popr Ustranasion song recently. Still, it suited her perfectly. Winter got up and went over to the screen. Selecting a song, she shifted it to the top. When Ysabelle was done singing, it would be that song of hers. She stood there leaning against the wall. From that angle, she could perceive all of Tristan¡¯s reactions. It was a song about a confession of love, of which the lyrics spoke of the girl¡¯s feelings and her love for the man. The astringent feeling from it would make one feel anguished. It was clear as day that she was directing that song to Tristan. Regretfully, she was the only one who felt touched after the entire song. In the meantime, Tristan had already sat down beside Sophie. The two of them merely sat there without exchanging a word. However, they looked incredibly harmonious. Sophie lifted her hand and picked up a ss of whiskey. Seeing that, Tristan promptly grabbed her hand. He brought it before him and drank the whiskey in her ss as he maneuvered her hand. ¡°Drink at home if you want to drink. Don¡¯t drink in front of them.¡± He wasn¡¯t willing to allow Charles and the others to see her sloshed. Sophie arched a brow. Well, well, well¡­ He¡¯s really possessive. By then, Winter had finished singing. s, Tristan never once paid her any mind. She felt devastated, but she couldn¡¯t do anything about it. All she could do was sit in the corner as though she didn¡¯t exist. Just then, Tristan selected a song. It was an Ustranasion duet song. It wasn¡¯t a very popr song, but he really liked it a lot. Upon seeing that her uncle was truly going to sing, Ysabelle quickly handed him two microphones. ¡°Here, Uncle Tristan.¡± She wore a docile expression and acted cute. Taking the two microphones, Tristan handed one of them to Sophie. Sophie quirked a brow. ¡°Let¡¯s sing together.¡± His voice was remarkably deep, very much seductive as it drifted into her ears. In response, Sophie nodded in agreement. All right! Since he¡¯s willing to apany me here, singing a song with him is perfectly within reason. Charles, Sean, and Felix grew up with Tristan, but even they had never heard the man sing. Of course, Winter went green with envy. Argh! The difference is too vast. I sang to him, confessing my love, but he didn¡¯t even bother listening. On the contrary, Sophie gets duet with him! Chapter 129 Chapter 129 Chapter 129 Sing A Duet The song started ying. This Ustranasion song is lovely and I really like the prelude. I didn¡¯t expect Tristan to pick this song. I have heard it before and loved it the first time I heard it. The male part started first. When Tristan opened his mouth, the audience was shocked. His deep baritone voice reverberated through the air. Just his voice alone was enough to send shivers down their spine. The song was about the singer expressing his feelings for the girl he loved in every word of the lyrics. Tristan managed to express and sing it well with his handsome looks and deep timbre voice. When it was the female¡¯s turn, Sophie lifted the microphone to her lips. Staying on the beat, she started singing. Her voice was on the colder side, but it suited the song. Tristan subconsciously held Sophie¡¯s hand at the chorus. The gaze he gave her was so gentle. The audience was full of envy at the two acting sweet. Life is short. It isn¡¯t easy to meet someone you love. Even after the song had ended, Tristan still had his gaze fixed on Sophie. The room fell into silence briefly before Ysabelle¡¯s apuse broke it. ¡°You¡¯re amazing, Uncle Tristan. I thought I was good at singing and was confident that I could be an excellent singer. Now that I have heard your singing, I¡¯m ashamed of my skillspared to yours. Soph, your voice is so good! It suits the Ustranasion song. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll be popr if you make a debut. You¡¯ll be even more famous than Mark.¡± Sophie set down the microphone and returned to her seat without saying anything. Even though she used to be in a band with Mark, she didn¡¯t like living under the scrutiny of others. She preferred to keep a low profile. ¡°Mr. Tristan, you sounded so good when you sang,¡± Winter couldn¡¯t help but praise. The man I love is good at everything. It doesn¡¯t matter what he does. Even his singing is better than the others. ¡°That¡¯s not very good of you, Mr. Tristan. I never knew you could sing so well. Why don¡¯t you form a band with Sophie and debut? Your album will be a st.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not interested in the entertainment industry. Moreover, why would someone like me enter the entertainment industry?¡± That¡¯s true. A man like Tristan is more suited to being a leader. ¡°Soph, let¡¯s sing a song together. I want to sing with you too. I really like your voice. I think our voices match well together.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to sing anymore.¡± Sophie reached for the ss of milk and took a sip. Her brows furrowed when she tasted milk on her tongue. Does Tristan take me as a child? He actually ordered milk for me even at a ce like the karaoke bar. ¡°Come on, Soph. Just one song together!¡± Ysabelle pleaded. Seeing how she acted cute, Sophie nodded. ¡°Fine. You pick a song. I¡¯m fine with anything.¡± Getting her permission, Ysabelle hurriedly went over to pick a song. The song she chose was a duet that suited girls. Finally, Sophie stood on the stage and sang a duet with Ysabelle. Sophie might look independent, but she was surprisingly good when singing a duet with others. She wouldn¡¯t try to show off and merely harmonized with Ysabelle. Felix couldn¡¯t keep his hands to himself and pulled out his phone to record the scene of Sophie and Ysabelle singing. He took a short video. Singing is her dream. I hope I can help her. Once he was done recording, Felix lowered himself to his seat and drafted the description before uploading it to the trendiest video-sharing tform. His actions had unknowingly changed Ysabelle¡¯s lifepletely. When the song ended, Sophie got up and went to the restroom, feeling difort in her belly. Tristan was right behind her the minute she stepped out of the room. Sophie merely wanted to catch some air but saw Mason standing up ahead. She was not even the slightest bit curious about his reason for being there, so she decided to feign ignorance. Despite her obvious negligence, Mason still ran over to her when he spotted her. ¡°Soph, I have something to tell you.¡± At his approach, Sophie instantly turned around to leave. ¡°We used to be friends. Can¡¯t I even have a conversation with you anymore?¡± he pleaded. He only wanted to talk with her. Sophie finally stopped in her tracks and looked over her shoulder at Mason. ¡°There¡¯s nothing more to say between us. I¡¯ve repeated the same thing so many times already. Don¡¯t you get annoyed by it? Whatever happens between you and Willow is just between the two of you. It has nothing to do with me. Can you just let me go?¡± Sophie had no interest in getting involved in a love triangle. Mason grabbed her wrist and said, ¡°I already broke up with Willow. I left Jipsdale five years ago because I was shocked when I found out about that incident. You knew that. Nothing is going on between her and me anymore. It was all her wishful thinking.¡± Willow was trailing after Mason the whole time. His cruel words pierced her heart. She rushed out from her hiding ce and grasped Sophie¡¯s wrist. ¡°Sophie, how could you be so shameless? You even stooped so low as to hit on my boyfriend? Do you even believe him? I¡¯m about to get engaged to him. Don¡¯t you think it¡¯s funny when he said nothing is happening between us? Sophie, you¡¯ve never liked Mason. Am I right? Especially now. I know you won¡¯t give him another chance. If that¡¯s the case, why are you not telling him?¡± Willow shouted. Willow was all frustrated when she found out that her love for Mason meant nothing to him. Sophie got very annoyed. I already knew a love triangle is messy, and it¡¯s just as I expected. Content held by N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Sophie, she¡¯s lying. There¡¯s no engagement. I won¡¯t be engaged to her. My mom was the one who arranged everything. I¡¯m not going to listen to her this time. You have to trust me.¡± His words sent Willow into a state of panic. She grabbed onto Mason frantically. ¡°Mason, can¡¯t you give me a chance? I love you so much. I¡¯m already putting myself down for you. I can do anything to be with you. Why do you treat me this way?¡± Why can¡¯t Ipare to Sophie no matter what I do? ¡°Willow, you can¡¯t force someone¡¯s feelings. Even if you love me, what¡¯s the point of that? I only have her in my heart.¡± ¡°Sophie, is this your revenge? You don¡¯t even like him. Why not just tell him straight? What do you want?¡± Willow didn¡¯t dare to me Mason, so she turned to Sophie instead. ¡°Is your brain working? What did I even do? Why do I care about what¡¯s happening between the two of you?¡± Tristan went to Sophie¡¯s side and pulled her into his embrace. ¡°She¡¯s right. What¡¯s between the two of you has nothing to do with her. She¡¯s mine.¡± Chapter 130 Chapter 130 Chapter 130 Kneel In Repentance Mason was gripped with envy after seeing how Tristan wrapped Sophie in his arms. ¡°Soph, don¡¯t make a hasty decision just because you hate me.¡± Sophie let Tristan¡¯s arms circle her waist and sneer at Mason. ¡°Mason, you¡¯re so full of yourself.¡± Refusing to continue the conversation further, Sophie turned on her heel and tugged Tristan with her to leave. This is the first time she¡¯s holding my hand. Tristan stared at the hands sped together for a while before he covered her small hand with his. Mason was furious at their departure. I finally worked up the courage to owe up to my mistake from five years ago. Why wouldn¡¯t she forgive me? ¡°Sophie, what can I do to get you to forgive me?¡± All he wanted was a chance. Sophie¡¯s steps didn¡¯t falter. She didn¡¯t like anyone or anything clinging to her. Since the situation was already like that, words were meaningless at that point. Cheat on me once, and I¡¯m never taking you back. That¡¯s my principle, and nothing can change that. Hence, Mason¡¯s words mean nothing to me. Seeing her leaving with another man without the slightest hesitation, Mason fell to his knees with a loud thud. Willow stared at Mason with disbelief. How can he do this? Is he still the proud Mason? Why is he acting like this whenever Sophie is around? ¡°Get up, Mason! What are you doing? Are you still a man? How could you kneel at her?¡± Tristan looked over his shoulder and saw his rival kneeling on the floor. He really likes Sophie. Well, due to his past betrayal, he doesn¡¯t deserve any sympathy no matter what he does now or how much he likes her. Sophie turned her head and saw Mason kneeling on the ground. The expression on her face looked colder at the unseemly sight. ¡°Is this necessary, Mason?¡± Well, I¡¯m not going to stop him since he wants to do it. Honestly, I don¡¯t care what he does. ¡°Soph, I was wrong. I should¡¯ve trusted you. I shouldn¡¯t have left you. I regret it now. Do you know I would dream of you every night for the past five years? You have always been on my mind. I can¡¯t forget you. Can you please give me another chance? We can leave this city and start a new life somewhere else. Would you like that? I don¡¯t mind doing anything as long as I¡¯m with you.¡± ¡°Sorry, you might want that but not me. Why would I leave this city? The one in the wrong was never me in the first ce.¡± Sophie turned to Tristan. ¡°I don¡¯t want to go back to the room anymore. Let¡¯s get out of here.¡± Tristan removed his coat and slid it over her shoulder as he led her to the exit. He said I could go wherever I wanted. However, no one can force me to do anything I don¡¯t want to. Mason was still on his knee even after Tristan and Sophie had left. Willow went over to help him up, but no matter how hard she pulled, he refused to stand. ¡°Mason, let me send you back.¡± Willow pleaded, ¡°Please don¡¯t do this. Sophie doesn¡¯t want you, but you still have me. I always have my eyes on you. Can¡¯t we just be together?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve wronged her. I refused to listen to her exnation and just took off when she needed me the most. What do you even see in someone like me?¡± Mason got up to his feet and left the karaoke bar looking absent-minded. He wasn¡¯t paying attention when he crossed the road, and a car crashed into him. Willow had been right behind him all the while. When she saw the car hit him, she raced over to his side. Her hands were covered with blood when she touched him. ¡°Don¡¯t scare me, Mason! Mason, what¡¯s wrong? Are you okay?¡± Willow almost cried her eyes out. However, Mason merely mumbled, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Sophie.¡± Tristan drove to Breakwater Port. The ce was deserted, except for the two of them. Silence hung heavy in the car. I have no idea what Mason means to her, but does he really mean nothing to her? Tristan was annoyed at the long silence. ¡°Am I too heartless?¡± Sophie asked. Tristan reached for her hand tofort her. His heart ached for everything she had to face in the past. If I had met her earlier, then she wouldn¡¯t have had to face everything alone. She was probably only thirteen to fourteen years old at that time. ¡°No. I agree with every decision you make no matter what you do.¡± None of those who have hurt her can ask for her forgiveness. Sophie nodded. ¡°I think so too.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s head back.¡± It¡¯s gettingte, and she still has things to do tomorrow. Sophie nodded. Tristan pulled up in front of the Wisteria Apartments. When Sophie got out of the car, Tristan followed suit. ¡°You can go back.¡± It¡¯s already sote. He should go back and rest. After taking out an exquisite box from the trunk, Tristan walked over to her. Content held by N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Merry Christmas!¡± Sophie took the box from his hand and looked up at him. ¡°Thank you, but I didn¡¯t prepare any gifts for you.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine. Meeting you is the best present.¡± That was how Tristan truly felt. Sophie¡¯s ears warmed at the sweet wordsing out of his mouth. ¡°I¡¯ll head up then.¡± I have always thought I¡¯m strong enough now, but I can¡¯t believe I have a soft side in front of him. After watching the elevator door close, Tristan whirled around and left. Sophie¡¯s phone started ringing the minute she got back to her room. ¡°Soph, where are you?¡± The call was from Josiah. It¡¯s already sote into the night. I¡¯m shocked that he¡¯s still up. ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Grandpa? It¡¯s already thiste. Why aren¡¯t you asleep?¡± She could hear something serious had happened from his tone. ¡°Mason met with a car ident.¡± Josiah did like Mason in the past, but he preferred Tanny now. Even though she felt nothing for Mason, Sophie didn¡¯t know how to react to that piece of news. ¡°It¡¯ste, Grandpa. Rest well. This matter has nothing to do with you, so ignore it.¡± After all, Sophie couldn¡¯t just pretend nothing had happened after hearing about the boy she was once fond of getting into an ident. Meanwhile, Mason was still in the ICU at the hospital. Willow¡¯s whole body was shaking like a leaf as she sat on the bench alone. Constance arrived at the hospital after getting a call. She spotted Willow sitting on the bench all covered in blood. She raced over to Willow and pulled her up. ¡°Willow, what happened? Didn¡¯t I ask you to take good care of Mason? How did things turn out like this?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Mrs. Laird. I didn¡¯t know this would happen. I should¡¯ve stopped Mason. I shouldn¡¯t let him meet with Sophie, or he wouldn¡¯t end up like this. I¡¯m really sorry. I really didn¡¯t know what to do. If Mason is gone, I won¡¯t let him go alone.¡± Chapter 131 Chapter 131 Chapter 131 She Will Not Go Back To Her Ex ¡°Why does it alwayse back to Sophie?¡± Constance was so angry that she was trembling. Yale and Charmaine showed up at that moment. They both jumped in fear when they saw the blood on Willow. ¡°Willow, are you okay? Are you hurt?¡± asked Charmaine in a concerned tone. When Willow replied by shaking her head, Charmaine asked, ¡°Where¡¯s Mason? What¡¯s the situation now?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. I honestly have no idea what is going on. Mason went to look for Sophie, and I couldn¡¯t stop him, even though I tried. I don¡¯t know what Sophie told him, but he acted as though he had gone insane.¡± ¡°Sophie¡­ ugh, why is she always making a mess? Don¡¯t worry, Mrs. Laird. I will not let Sophie get away with this if anything were to happen to Mason,¡± growled Yale. If he could, he would strangle Sophie then and there. ¡°Do you really think I will let Sophie go now that things have progressed to this extent?¡± What does he mean by ¡°if¡±? Mason has been sent to the hospital! Something has already happened! The surgery took hours, and the sun had already risen by the time it was over. When the doctor exited the operating theatre, Constance went to him right away and asked, ¡°How is my son?¡± Willow was staring nervously at the doctor as well. ¡°The surgery was a sess, but we don¡¯t know if there will be anyplications yet. We¡¯ll have to further observe his condition. His legs are severely injured, though, so he might have trouble walking in the future,¡± replied the doctor. He had already done everything he could, and all that was left was for the patient to fight for himself. ¡°What? He might have trouble walking¡­ Oh no, Doctor, please. You have to save him. He is my only son, and I can¡¯t let anything bad happen to him.¡± Constance could not ept the news of her son being crippled. Mason had always been her pride and joy, so she would not let anything bad happen to him. ¡°Please, you have to help him. I will pay you however much you want.¡± ¡°We¡¯ve done everything we can. He will have to work hard during rehab. Only then can we determine how things will turn out.¡± At that stage, no one could guarantee what would happen in the end. It was already two in the afternoon when Mason woke up. Constance, Willow, Yale, and Charmaine had been staying guard beside him the entire time. They didn¡¯t sigh a breath of relief until they saw him waking up. ¡°Mason, how do you feel? Does it hurt anywhere? I¡¯ll go get the doctor for you right away,¡± said Willow in a worried tone. Mason didn¡¯t reply. He looked as though he was at peace. ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Mason? Are you hurt? Talk to me,¡± requested Constance who was teary-eyed at that moment. ¡°Just leave. I want to be alone.¡± Mason wasn¡¯t in the mood to listen to what others had to say. The only person he wanted to see was Sophie, but there was no way she¡¯d show up. Property ? N?velDrama.Org. Charmaine could tell that Constance was on the verge of losing her temper, so she quickly dragged her away. ¡°Mrs. Laird, let¡¯s leave for now. Mason needs to rest.¡± Yale shot a look at Mason. The former kept thinking about what the doctor said earlier. Does that mean Mason won¡¯t be able to walk properly in the future? If that is the case, what will happen to Willow? That night, Willow returned to school. When she saw Sophie acting as though nothing had happened, her fury overwhelmed her. Willow ran to Sophie. She no longer feared anything anymore. ¡°Sophie Tanner, you jinx. You¡¯re the reason Mason is lying in the hospital bed right now. He might never be able to walk again! People like you should be dead. You should¡¯ve died in Horington and never come back,¡± roared Willow. Her emotions were running wildly at that time. She didn¡¯t know if she would still want to marry him if he became a cripple. Sophie shot a look at Willow. ¡°What does his injury have to do with me? What do you mean when you say I¡¯m the reason this is happening? It¡¯s not as though I am the driver who hit him,¡± replied Sophie before she mercilessly dissed. ¡°Wait, didn¡¯t you say that you love him no matter what? Isn¡¯t this perfect for you? You can prove your love to him now.¡± ¡°You¡­¡± growled Willow. She was infuriated. ¡°What are you so happy about? Do you really think the Laird family will let you get away with this now that he is hurt?¡± The Laird family of Jipsdale was ridiculously powerful, both in terms of economic prowess and political influence. They were much more powerful than the Tanner family. ¡°They don¡¯t have what it takes to make me pay.¡± ¡°You¡­¡± growled Willow. She didn¡¯t expect Sophie to be that arrogant. Sophie was too busy to deal with Willow, so she turned around to leave right away. How she swirl her hair, the way she moved¡­. everything about her was cool. ¡°Mr. Mason of the Laird family got into a car ident yesterday, Mr. Tristan.¡± Felix came rushing as soon as he heard the news. ¡°Okay,¡± replied Tristan. What does that have to do with me, though? Countless people get into idents every day. ¡°Do you think Soph will feel bad for him?¡± asked Felix. Women are always self-sacrificing and tend to be too nice. ¡°What are you saying?¡± ¡°Nothing! It¡¯s just¡­ Mr. Mason has always liked Soph. Do you think they¡¯d end up¡­?¡± ¡°No,¡± replied Tristan. He was quick to interrupt Felix. ¡°You¡¯re that confident, huh?¡± said Felix. It was obvious he didn¡¯t think that anyone could be certain of anything when it came to love. ¡°I trust Sophie, and there is no way she¡¯d get back to her ex.¡± Tristan believed that whatever happened between Sophie and Mason was in the past, and they couldn¡¯t go back anymore. ¡°Okay, if you say so,¡± replied Felix. I envy Mr. Tristan so much. He is always so certain and confident. I wish I can be that confident, even when things between Ysabelle and me are still uncertain. Mason¡¯s mood had been unstable over the next few days. When he realized that he couldn¡¯t move his legs, he became terrified. At first, Constance assumed that the doctor was just a pessimist. She was certain that her son¡¯s legs would recover. As time passed, however, she realized just how grave the situation was. She was also heartbroken to see how devastated Mason was about his injuries. ¡°Don¡¯t give up, Mason. We¡¯ll go overseas and hire the best doctor there is for you. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll recover by then,¡± cooed Constance. Truth was, she didn¡¯t even want to imagine how bleak his future would be if he became a cripple. ¡°Mom, I want to talk to Sophie.¡± When Mason finally calmed down, he made one request. Constance turned pale immediately, and she looked so angry that it was as though her face had distorted. ¡°You won¡¯t be in this state if it weren¡¯t for her! Mason, why do you remain stubborn despite the situation? Sophie is nothing but a jinx, and I will never let her get close to you ever again!¡± roared Constance. If she could, she would kill Sophie right then and there. None of this would¡¯ve happened if Sophie never returned from Horington. ¡°Mom, I have never asked for anything from you in the past. I¡¯m begging you for once. Please help me.¡± Constance had no choice but to back down when Mason said it that way. ¡°Fine. I¡¯ll go and get her.¡± That woman has never shown up even though it has been a while since Mason was in the hospital. Geez, she might be young, but her heartlessness knows no bounds. Constance waited right outside Jipsdale Premier High for Sophie. She had to wait until the ss was over before she saw Sophie. ¡°Go grab her for me. Do whatever is necessary if she refuses toe willingly,¡± ordered Constance. She didn¡¯t care how it happened. All she cared about was getting what she wanted. ¡°Understood.¡± Two bodyguards made their way to Sophie and blocked her path. Ysabelle stepped forward as soon as she saw those two burly bodyguards. She sounded as though she had her guard up when she asked, ¡°Who are you two? What do you want?¡± ¡°Ms. Tanner, pleasee with us.¡± Chapter 132 Chapter 132 Chapter 132 Disobedience Sophie didn¡¯t want to get into a fight because she was right outside her school. ¡°It¡¯s fine, Ysabelle. Go have lunch without me. I¡¯ll catch up with youter.¡± ¡°No, Soph. I¡¯ll stay with you.¡± There was no way Ysabelle would let Sophie go alone when neither of them knew who those men were. ¡°Our employer wishes to talk to Ms. Tanner.¡± Ysabelle rolled up her sleeves and seemed ready to get into an argument. ¡°Who the hell do you think you are? Why should we go to your employer just because she wants to talk to Sophie? We¡¯re not going! What are you gonna do about it, huh?¡± replied Ysabelle angrily. She stood in front of Sophie and shielded thetter like a mother hen. ¡°Our employer is waiting for you, Ms. Tanner.¡± ¡°Ysabelle, go wait for me at the restaurant. I¡¯ll be there soon.¡± ¡°Soph, I don¡¯t know who their employer is. However, if she is someone who is capable of sending two bodyguards to ry a message, this is definitely not a simple matter; so I can¡¯t let you go with them.¡± Sophie was Ysabelle¡¯s BFF, so thetter refused to let anything bad happen to the former. Sophie was really touched and genuinely appreciated how sweet and protective Ysabelle was. Hence, she stroked Ysabelle¡¯s head so much that she messed up her hair. ¡°Awh, Ysabelle, you are too cute, and that level of sweetness should be illegal. Just go on without me. I promise that no one can hurt me, okay?¡± said Sophie. She was no longer the helpless girl she used to be. Ysabelle panicked when she saw Sophie following the men and left, so she called Tristan right away. It only took a few seconds for the line to be connected, but Ysabelle felt as though an eternity had passed. What is up with Uncle Tristan? Why hasn¡¯t he picked up his phone? It¡¯s been ringing forever. Ugh, he is so annoying. The second Tristan answered the call, Ysabelleined, ¡°Uncle Tristan, why did it take you so long to pick up your phone? Someone came for Sophie and took her away. I don¡¯t know who they are, and I¡¯m very worried now. What do we do?¡± ¡°What are the men like?¡± asked Tristan. He frowned the instant he heard what Ysabelle said. Which bloody idiot is it? How dare theye after the woman I love? ¡°I don¡¯t know. I won¡¯t be panicking if I actually know who the culprit is. Are you busy now? Can you drop by and look into the matter?¡± ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll head over right away.¡± Tristan was supposed to have lunch with a business partner that day, but Ysabelle¡¯s words made him lost his appetite. ¡°Mr. Tristan, I thought we are going to have lunch together. Where are you going?¡± The one who spoke was the daughter of his business partner. Her name was Nancy Longbottom. She fell for Tristan at first sight, and he was all she could think about, so she made her way to the office after learning that her dad would have lunch with Tristan. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry, but please tell your father that I have to deal with an emergency right now and won¡¯t be able to have lunch with him. Let¡¯s do that some other time.¡± As far as Tristan was concerned, nothing on Earth was more important than Sophie. It was true that he knew just how skilled Sophie was as a fighter, and he realized that only a handful of people could actually hurt her. However, hearing news like that still worried him. It simply hit too close to home. Nancy stood up and stopped him. ¡°Mr. Tristan, the dishes are about to be served, and my dad left to make a phone call. It¡¯s not appropriate for you to leave right now.¡± She came all the way just to have lunch with him, but they ended up spending less than two minutes together. They didn¡¯t even get to talk before he excused himself, so it was understandable that she was disappointed. ¡°Sorry about that. I will treat your father to another meal to make up for this, but I really have to go now.¡± Tristan was already being ridiculously courteous by saying as much as he did. Even Nancy¡¯s father couldn¡¯t do anything to stop Tristan from leaving. Nancy had more to say, but the secretary grabbed her wrist. ¡°That¡¯s enough. Stop talking. It¡¯s not like you are unaware of what Mr. Tristan¡¯s temper is like. We had to beg to have the opportunity to coborate with hispany, so you cannot offend Mr. Tristan. If you do, your father will never forgive you.¡± Hundreds of people in Chanaea would kill to work with Tristan, so the secretary couldn¡¯t risk letting her ruin the business deal. Content ? N?velDrama.Org. Nancy was upset. ¡°How can someone be so ridiculously good-looking?¡± murmured Nancy as her eyes glowed with admiration and lust. She was in love with his looks. The secretary was speechless. Yep, she is definitely an immature woman who knows nothing. I can¡¯t believe she judges someone based only on their looks. Mr. Tristan is so much more than that. His reputation alone is worth a fortune. Sophie made her way to the luxurious car that the bodyguards led her to. They opened the door, and she hopped right in. She wasn¡¯t surprised to see Constance sitting in there. Thetter had always favored Willow, even before any of the drama had unfolded. Hence, Constance had been mean to Sophie since the beginning. ¡°Mason wants to talk to you, so go to him,¡± said Constance. Even at a time like that, she showed no humility and was bossing Sophie around. She was used to being at the top, so she never learned the proper way to ask for help. She didn¡¯t think she needed to do so either. ¡°Why should I go to him? There is nothing between him and me, so there is no need for me to go to him.¡± Constance fumed when she heard those words. What the hell does that mean? How does she not have anything to do with this? ¡°Sophie Tanner, do you not know how grave the situation is now? I am only here to tell you that Mason wishes to talk to you. You don¡¯t get to choose whether you want to go to him,¡± replied Constance. Everyone had only ever tried to butter her up, so she was as arrogant as she could be. Sophie couldn¡¯t resist chuckling. ¡°That is so funny. I have no obligation to visit him, so what makes you think I have no choice? As far as I am concerned, no one can force me to do what I don¡¯t want to do.¡± Why should I go to Mason now? I¡¯ve already made things clear, haven¡¯t I? ¡°Don¡¯t push your luck, Sophie. You¡¯re the reason Mason is in the hospital now, so how can you say that there is no need for you to go to him? Do you realize how bad the situation is now? He might have trouble walking in the future! Given his condition, how can you say that you are innocent of all crimes? How shameless can you get?¡± Mason wouldn¡¯t have been hurt if it weren¡¯t for her, so she is the culprit. I can¡¯t believe she said she¡¯s innocent. ¡°Not my problem.¡± Sophie¡¯s patience was running low, and she didn¡¯t want to waste her time anymore. Constance had the driver lock the doors when she noticed that Sophie was trying to leave. ¡°I¡¯ve made things clear. Mason wants to talk to you, and you have to go to him.¡± Constance had the driver start driving right away. Sophie sneered. ¡°What is the meaning of this, Mrs. Laird?¡± By then, the car had already left the school. Constance ignored Sophie entirely. At the end of the day, the former still favored Willow, who had always been obedient and did what was told. Sophie had always been opinionated and rarely listened to what others said. Constance hated people like that because she couldn¡¯t control them. ¡°Stop the car!¡± ordered Sophie as she turned her attention to the driver. Unfortunately, the driver refused to listen to her and kept driving. Mrs. Laird was the one who hired him, so he would only obey her instruction. ¡°Shut up.¡± Mrs. Laird¡¯s temper had been terribletely. Anyone would be upset to see their son injured in such a terrible ident, so it was understandable that Constance found Sophie¡¯s voice irritating. Sophie, however, was not having any of it. She was truly exasperated that day. ¡°I guess I have no choice but to do things my way,¡± said Sophie. Well, if she¡¯s too barbaric to behave, then I won¡¯t waste my breath talking to her either. Chapter 133 Chapter 133 Chapter 133 We Need Your Talent ¡°What are you doing, Sophie? Are you incapable of behaving just a little? All I ask is that you go talk to Mason. Didn¡¯t you use to love him? Why are you not willing to visit him now that he has been in an ident?¡± Content ? N?velDrama.Org. ¡°I have always hated it when others force my hands. I will never ept that.¡± If Constance had asked nicely, Sophie might have considered visiting Mason. However, the former decided to be barbaric, so thetter wouldn¡¯t bother being nice either. It only took an instant. Sophie moved from the back seat to the front seat and grabbed the steering wheel. The driver was so surprised that his jaw almost dropped. This woman is too agile. How did she move so quickly from the backseat? ¡°Calm down, youngdy. It¡¯s too dangerous for us to fight for control of the steering wheel,¡± said the driver whose voice had trembled. ¡°I gave you a chance and told you to stop the car, but you refuse to listen to me, so I have to resort to doing things my way.¡± Constance didn¡¯t expect Sophie to do something like that either. Thetter moved so quickly before anyone could react. ¡°Stop the car, you lunatic.¡± Both Constance and the driver were so angry that they were shaking. The car stopped short, and Sophie opened the door before hopping right out. ¡°Don¡¯t bothering for me again. I will not go to him.¡± She didn¡¯t like any member of the Laird family. After mming the door mercilessly, she walked on the sidewalk. That was when her phone rang. ¡°Where are you now?¡± asked Tristan. His low and masculine voice came from the other end of the line. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Did Ysabelle call you? I¡¯m okay,¡± replied Sophie. Ysabelle must¡¯ve been scared mindless after witnessing something like that. ¡°Just tell me where you are now.¡± Sophie sent her GPS location to him, then sat on a bench to wait for Tristan. He showed up three minutester in his car. All he saw was her sitting quietly on the bench. She was still wearing her uniform and was ying a game on her phone while having her earphones on. When he saw her sitting safely there, his thumping heart finally settled down. Everything was right with the world again. He slowly made his way to her and sat beside her. Sophie tilted her head up to look at him when she sensed his presence. ¡°Don¡¯t you have to work today? I can handle minor issues like these, so there really is no need for you toe here for me.¡± Tristan pulled her and made her rest her head on his shoulder. ¡°There is no such thing as a minor issue when the matter involves you. Thedy of the Laird family is famous for being cruel, so I was worried.¡± Sophie was speechless. She didn¡¯t think she would live to see the day she heard the merciless Mr. Tristan describing someone else as cruel¡­ A man in a jacket was with a youngdy, who was still wearing her school uniform. Anyone who saw the two of them sitting together and being close like that would misread the situation. Sophie truly was tired, so she closed her eyes as she rested on his shoulder. The soothing music drifted into her ears. She would lose control of her emotions when she was annoyed, so she needed to listen to some music to calm her nerves. The two of them ended up staying there for about thirty minutes until Sophie was hungry and opened her eyes. ¡°I haven¡¯t eaten yet, so as a thank you, I will treat you to a meal,¡± offered Sophie as she sat up. Just then, her phone rang once more. She picked the call up as soon as she read the caller ID. ¡°Sophie, it¡¯s me. I¡¯m back,¡± said Arius. His voice was rxed but seemed to be brimming with sincerity as well. ¡°Where are you now?¡± Sophie had been waiting for Arius to get in touch with her ever since they exchanged contact details. She was surprised to learn that he was back so soon, though. ¡°I¡¯m at Cloud Nine Hotel. Come over now. I haven¡¯t had my lunch yet.¡± Arius never told her when he¡¯d be back because he wanted to surprise her. ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll head over right away.¡± The matter regarding her grandfather bothered her, so Sophie needed to deal with it as soon as possible. ¡°Great.¡± Arius took off his shirt, and his eight packs revealed themselves. He went into the showers because he wanted to see her at his best. After Sophie hung up the call, she realized that Tristan was still waiting for her. She had just invited him to a meal, but it seemed that was no longer possible. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Tristan, but I have something important to deal with, so I can¡¯t have lunch with you today.¡± ¡°Are you meeting someone? Can I tag along?¡± He overheard bits and pieces of the conversation, so he knew that a guy asked Sophie to have lunch together. Sophie seemed troubled when she looked at him. In the end, she shook her head. ¡°My friend is a little weird and doesn¡¯t like meeting strangers.¡± Tristan didn¡¯t reply to that. Oh, so that so-called friend is more important than me, huh? Tristan felt as though his heart was gripped instantly. He had always assumed that she saw him as something more, so he never thought that someone else could be more important to her. Who the hell is this mysterious man? ¡°I have to go now, Tristan. Bye,¡± said Sophie as she hailed a cab and left. Tristan felt¡­. strange. He got into his car and sat behind the steering wheel, but he never started the engine. He wanted to tail her cab, but he didn¡¯t do anything in the end. Sophie made her way right to Arius¡¯ room because he gave her the room number. He answered the door as soon as he heard her knocking. ¡°That was fast. It¡¯s been a while since west met, so tell me. Did you miss me?¡± Sophie sat on the couch and looked right into his eyes before shaking her head. ¡°Not at all.¡± ¡°Oof, you are so heartless. I knew it. Women like you are really mean.¡± Arius sat down beside her. ¡°How is your grandpa?¡± asked Arius. He hadn¡¯t forgotten what his main mission for meeting her was. ¡°He¡¯s stable now, but he refused to stay in the hospital and has gone home.¡± ¡°I see¡­ Well, I can¡¯t exactly go to your ce to examine him,¡± replied Arius. Even if he could magically be the best doctor in the world, he¡¯d still need his patient to cooperate. At that moment, it was crucial that Josiah had a full body check-up. ¡°Tomorrow. I¡¯ll make him to go the hospital tomorrow and do a check-up. You can examine him then.¡± Sophie didn¡¯t want to waste any time since Arius was rarely in the country. ¡°Okay, I will free up the entire day tomorrow. Call me after you take him to the hospital.¡± ¡°No problem.¡± ¡°It¡¯s been over a year since west met. Do you really have nothing to say to me?¡± flirted Arius. He couldn¡¯t help teasing her a little. Sophie tossed him a look. ¡°What is there to say? Okay, let¡¯s not talk anymore. Let¡¯s go and eat.¡± He was finally back in Jipsdale, so Sophie thought it was only normal that he¡¯d want to enjoy the local cuisine. Arius suddenly inched closer to her. ¡°Sophie, I¡­¡± Sophie remained unmoved even as that unearthly handsome face suddenly closed in on hers. What does he want now? ¡°Have you thought about what I offered? Will youe with me this time?¡± She is too gifted, and I am sure she will be a legend in the medical association. ¡°This again?¡±ined Sophie as she gestured for him to stop. ¡°Does the medical association really need that much manpower?¡± ¡°Oh, we have plenty of manpower. In fact, we receive countless applications every year. What weck is a talent like yours.¡± Chapter 134 Chapter 134 Chapter 134 Going To A Hotel With Another Man Arius and Sophie went to the most popr barbecue restaurant in Jipsdale. Arius had missed everything about Jipsdale since he had been away for quite a long period of time. The barbecue shop was extremely famous. It was frequently visited by the rich and famous. If it was not for a contact of Arius, he would not be able to get a private room to dine in. While he was reading the menu, Sophie was ying games on her phone nonchntly. ¡°We haven¡¯t seen each other for ages. Is that the right attitude for weing me home? By ignoring mepletely?¡± he grumbled. Even when we were far apart, I have always been missing her in Anndur. Look at her! I bet she has totally forgotten about my existence. How heartless! ¡°What do you mean? Am I not having a meal with you the moment I know that you¡¯re back? Do you know how many people in Jipsdale could only dream about having this honor?¡± Sophie disagreed. Instinctively, Arius twitched the corner of his lip and snapped, ¡°Don¡¯t you think that I don¡¯t know the only reason you¡¯re being nice to me is because Old Mr. Tanner is unwell.¡± He came back from abroad several times and went all the way to Horington to see her, but she gave him the cold shoulder. ¡°Is everything okay with you, Sophie?¡± No matter what happened between them, he was most worried about her health. ¡°Absolutely! I couldn¡¯t be any better. Can¡¯t you tell? The world still needs to tolerate a troublemaker like me for at least a thousand years,¡± she replied casually. ¡°Sophie, I disliked the way you described yourself. How could you say that you¡¯re a troublemaker? You¡¯re the rare gem of Chanaea, do you know that? There¡¯s hardly a handful of people like you in this world!¡± A few foreign universities had been inquiring about her and contacted her multiple times, but Sophie remained unfazed. Momentster, the waiter served the dishes. Sophie had only a few mouthfuls before focusing on her phone again. Ysabelle sent her a couple of voice messages, and she switched them all to texts for convenience¡¯s sake. ¡°I see that you don¡¯t have a good appetite. Why don¡¯t youe over to the hospital tomorrow and get yourself a thorough check-up?¡± Arius stared at her with concern. During those years she spent in Horington, she had acquired many skills and attained a lot of things. At the same time, her health was alsopromised. ¡°I¡¯m fine, so I don¡¯t need a check-up. I know my condition very well.¡± The priority now is Grandpa. Everything else doesn¡¯t really matter. Arius looked at her disapprovingly. ¡°Why don¡¯t you listen to me, Sophie? I know you¡¯re in the pink of health, but your appetite is bad. Isn¡¯t this a recurring issue?¡± He did note back often. This time, he was not nning on giving up persuading her. Sophie furrowed her brows and repeated, ¡°I said I¡¯m fine.¡± I can single-handedly defeat more than ten mercenaries at any one time. What problem can my body have? ¡°Listen to me, won¡¯t you? Or else, don¡¯t me me for taking you home forcefully.¡± Arius regretted his decision to bring her to the training camp back then. ¡°Dream on! Do you think that I will follow you home so easily? No one can make me do anything I refuse to do,¡± she dered confidently. Well, well, well¡­ What should I do with you, Sophie? ¡°I know there¡¯s no way I can change your mind. Anyhow, that¡¯s your body. You ought to love yourself more.¡± I can¡¯t imagine what would happen to her next if she continues to live like this. ¡°All right, I got it. I know that you care. Come on, dig in! Didn¡¯t you say that you¡¯ve missed this barbecue terribly?¡± Arius knew that she would turn a deaf ear to him. As such, he could only let her be. Is there no one else on earth who could control this youngdy? He truly hoped that there was someone else whom she feared, even if it involved another man. After the meal, Sophie walked Arius back to Cloud Nine Hotel where she ran into Winter. Seeing that Sophie was entering the hotel with another man, Winter smiled scornfully. She is going into the hotel with a man when the sun is still out? What a slut! The twodies¡¯ met each other¡¯s eyes. Sophie chuckled when she saw the expression on Winter¡¯s face. Why does this woman keep showing up everywhere? Arius saw Winter too. Why does she keep staring at Sophie like that? ¡°Who¡¯s that?¡± Arius was dying to find out about the woman¡¯s identity because she kept scrutinizing them. ¡°A nobody.¡± Sophie could not be bothered. ¡°Really? From the way she looks at you, I don¡¯t think she¡¯s someone irrelevant. Perhaps¡­ your love enemy?¡± Darn it, Arius! ¡±Love enemy? Are you kidding me? She doesn¡¯t stand a chance to be one.¡± Although Winter kept showing up in front of her, Sophie had never taken her seriously. ¡°Let¡¯s go. Aren¡¯t you tired after a long ne ride? Why are you so interested in thatdy? Are you infatuated with her? Shall I introduce her to you then?¡± Sophie seldom showed her cheeky and chatty side, unless she was with a close friend. ¡°What makes you think that she¡¯s up to my standards?¡± Arius withdrew his gaze from Winter. When thetter saw Sophie walking into the elevator with a man, she smiled delightfully. Property ? N?velDrama.Org. Why would Mr. Tristan fall for such a promiscuous girl? This is going to be interesting. ¡°Who¡¯s that, Ms. Quigley?¡± the girl standing next to Winter asked, upon noticing her eyes were fixated on Sophie. ¡°She¡¯s not as pretty as you.¡± Hearing that, Winter¡¯s smile grew wider. ¡°Who is she to be my match?¡± The arrogant Winter always thought that she was a ss above the rest, especially when it concerned Sophie. ¡°Exactly! Is there anyone in Jipsdale who can be mentioned on equal terms with you? Only Mr. Tristan is worthy of you.¡± Then, Winter quickly gave Charles a call. ¡°Charles, where are you guys now? I need to see you urgently.¡± Winter could not wait for another second to reveal the juicy news to Tristan. Coincidentally, Charles was with Tristan when his sister called. There were three of them apanying Tristan that night. However, none of them knew why thetter remained silent throughout. ¡°If it¡¯s not something important, let¡¯s talk about it tomorrow.¡± With Mr. Tristan being in a terrible mood, the night isn¡¯t going to end well if someone identally steps on his toe. What if Winter raised a ruckus and offended him unknowingly? I¡¯d definitely not know how to pick up the mess, especially when she likes him so much. ¡°Charles, I swear it¡¯s something super important!¡± Winter insisted. ¡°Fine. We¡¯re at Nocturnal. You cane over now.¡± Charles¡¯ n was to meet Winter outside of the bar, to be safe. Unfortunately, things turned out the opposite of what he had anticipated. When Winter arrived at Nocturnal, she headed directly to the private room. Charles nearly jumped out of his skin when he saw her sister. ¡°You¡¯re here for me, right? Let¡¯s talk outside.¡± He grabbed her hand and started dragging her outside with trepidation. ¡°What¡¯s the matter with you, Charles?¡± Winter refused to leave the room. She strode forward and took a seat on the couch. Why is Mr. Tristan acting weird? Has he already found out about it? Chapter 135 Chapter 135 Chapter 135 She Is With Another Man ¡°You¡¯d better behave yourself today because Mr. Tristan isn¡¯t in a good mood.¡± Charles suppressed his anger, knowing that it was not appropriate to argue with Winter at that moment. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Why is he in a bad mood?¡± How is it possible that an insignificant slut could ruin Mr. Tristan¡¯s day? He¡¯s a prominent figure in Jipsdale! Who would dare to upset him? What gives, Sophie Tanner? Tristan took a sip of water and rose to his feet. ¡°Where are you going, Mr. Tristan?¡± Winter called out to him and asked immediately. I just got here¡­ ¡°Winter!¡± Charles shot her a stern nce to warn her to stay out of trouble. She should mind her own business. ¡°Mr. Tristan, Sophie isn¡¯t who you think she is. Did you know where I met her just now? She¡¯s in Cloud Nine Hotel with a very handsome man. Have you realized that you¡¯re not her only option? She has plenty to choose from,¡± Winter blurted everything she had in mind without any hesitation. He¡¯s too prideful to settle as a rebound. Charles quickly stopped Winter. Had I known this would happen, I wouldn¡¯t have revealed our location. Winter, you¡¯re great at messing things up! ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Mr. Tristan. I¡¯ll take her back now. I also guarantee that she won¡¯t ever show up in front of you again.¡± Charles got panicked. Felix and Sean were bbergasted. Winter is so brazen! Does she have a death wish? Tristan¡¯s face dimmed as fury burned in his dark eyes. ¡°Mr. Tristan, you¡­¡± Felix did not know how else tofort him. Surely, no sane man could stay calm when he discovered that the woman he loved was in the arms of another man in a hotel! Sean had never seen an enraged Tristan before. Thetter looked as if he was capable of destroying the heavens and earth. ¡°I¡¯m sure there¡¯s a misunderstanding somewhere, Mr. Tristan. Why don¡¯t we find out the details first?¡± Sean finally found his voice. Mr. Tristan has never lost control like that before. He must have fallen head over heels for that young lady! Tristan nced at Winter and said fiercely, ¡°Don¡¯t you ever appear in front of me, Winter, or you¡¯ll regret it.¡± With that, he left. Winter was horror-stricken. She did not expect such a terrifying response from Tristan despite him not saying a word about Sophie. Charles could not do anything but only shook his head. ¡°Why must you go for the extreme, Winter? Is it so difficult to keep quiet? Is it necessary for you to get on his nerves?¡± After what seemed like an eternity, Winter said, ¡°I merely spoke the truth. Why was Mr. Tristan angry? Isn¡¯t it a good thing to see Sophie¡¯s true colors as early as now?¡± She was clueless about her mistake. ¡°I¡¯ve been around Mr. Tristan for so many years. Am I not any better than Sophie whom he has only known for several months?¡± She refused to ept the reality. ¡°Charles, I¡¯m the only one worthy of Mr. Tristan.¡± Clearly, Winter had not realized what she had done wrong. Felix¡¯s expression changed at her words. He spent the most time with Sophiepared to the rest, so he was well aware of her character. ¡°Winter, Sophie isn¡¯t so awful as how you perceived her to be. In fact, there¡¯s no one as good as her in the whole of Jipsdale.¡± ¡°Felix, you¡­¡± Winter had never thought she would hear that reply from him. After taking a deep breath, she continued, ¡°Why are all of you reacting this way? What benefits has Sophie given you? Did she cast a spell on you?¡± Why aren¡¯t they on my side when I¡¯m the one who grew up with them? ¡°Whatever. If you obstinately persist in going about things the wrong way, then I¡¯ve got nothing to say to you anymore.¡± Felix refused to argue with her and left. Mr. Tristan isn¡¯t in a good mood now. I shouldn¡¯t leave him alone. If anything untoward happens to him, no one can bear the consequences. By the time Felix walked out of the bar, Tristan had already driven off. Oh man, this is not good! He¡¯s just had quite a bit of alcohol. Immediately, he tried calling Sophie, but to no avail. ¡°Shit!¡± Felix cursed. Why isn¡¯t she answering? She¡¯s the only one who could calm the infuriated man right now. Property ? N?velDrama.Org. Left with no choice, Felix called Ysabelle. ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± thetter asked in annoyance. She had been ignoring Felix for the past few days. ¡°Do you know where is Sophie?¡± he asked anxiously. Ysabelle was slightly disappointed since the call was not about her. ¡°Nope. I¡¯m going to hang up now if there¡¯s nothing else.¡± I swear I won¡¯t entertain this man anymore! How dare he neglects me for so long? ¡°Ysabelle, if you hear from Sophie, please ask her to call me at once, okay?¡± Frustrated, she promptly hung up and did not bother to listen to what Felix had to say. However, she could not help it when she thought about how panicked Felix sounded. Hence, she gave Sophie a call, but thetter did not pick up. That got her all worked up, so she kept dialing Sophie¡¯s number. Meanwhile, Sophie was in Arius¡¯ room at the hotel, discussing Josiah¡¯s surgery. ¡°Soph, it¡¯s rather risky to perform this operation.¡± Even someone as brilliant as Arius was not confident about it. Sophie said nothing. She was well aware of the implication. Otherwise, she would not have invited him to travel all the way back. ¡°Anyway, don¡¯t worry too much. I¡¯ll take charge of it while you assist me in the operating theatre.¡± ¡°Me?¡± Sophie asked hesitantly. If another person had asked her the same question, she would have agreed right away. However, the person they were going to operate on was her grandfather. While she hadplete faith in Arius, she doubted if she could maintain herposure and perform the surgery with him. ¡°Soph, you¡¯ve got to believe in yourself. You¡¯re the one in whom my mentor sees potential. If he says that you have it, then you definitely can do it.¡± They were all extremely confident in her skills. Arius also had a hidden agenda. He wanted to use that experience to convince Sophie to join the medical association. ¡°Okay, I got it.¡± She nced at the clock, only to realize that it had already passed midnight without them knowing. ¡°Go get some rest. I¡¯ll contact you again once I get Grandpa to the hospital.¡± ¡°It¡¯s sote now. Why don¡¯t you spend the night here since the room is so big?¡± Sophie widened her eyes at him. ¡°Don¡¯t look at me like that. I just feel bad that you have to take a cab home at this hour. Moreover, it¡¯s not safe for a girl to be on the street alone.¡± ¡°Thanks for your concern.¡± Sophie took her bag and left. After the door was shut, Arius whipped out a case from his pocket and lit a cigarette. ¡°What a heartless person!¡± She¡¯s always so carefree andckadaisical. Yet, everyone worries about her extensively. Regardless, Arius vowed to get her toplete a thorough body check-up; or else, he could not be at ease. Sophie took a cab back to Wisteria Apartments. By the time she got to her floor, she saw Tristan leaning against the wall outside of her unit. The strong sense of loneliness that lingered around him sent a cold chill down her spine. Chapter 136 Chapter 136 Chapter 136 Irresistible Passion ¡°Why aren¡¯t you going in?¡± Sophie approached him and asked softly. ¡°You¡¯re finally home.¡± The one who was authoritative, high, and mighty seemed so pitiful at that instant. Tristan stretched out his right arm and pulled her into his embrace. He hugged her by the waist with another arm and rested his forehead on hers. Sophie¡¯s heart skipped a beat upon his sudden action. How long has he been standing here? Why are his body and breath so cold? ¡°Mr. Tristan ¡ª¡± As soon as her words fell, the man moved and pinned her to the wall. Then, he began to kiss her. His kiss was swift and somewhat aggressive, to the extent that Sophie felt a stinging pain on her lips. Gradually, he slowed things down and kissed her gently. Then, he stopped and hugged her quietly. If only she was older¡­ He had to fight the desire from within to dismiss the thought ofunching a series of amorous advances toward her. He wanted to let her know how much he cared for her so badly. Property ? N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Shall we go in now? It¡¯s cold out here.¡± The winter in Jipsdale was freezing cold even though it was just the beginning of the season. He touched her hands and felt the cold. Immediately, he covered both her palms with his and strode toward the apartment. Upon scanning his thumbprint, the door unlocked itself, and the heater was also automatically switched on. Sophie was a bit surprised that he was so quick to act and seemed very familiar with it. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Still feeling cold?¡± Tristan frowned as he seated her on hisp. The ambiguous position made Sophie blush. ¡°Mr. Tristan, I¡ª¡± Without paying heed to what she was saying, he kept her locked in his arms as if she was his most treasured prize. ¡°Where were you?¡± I bet the main reason why he¡¯s not his usual self is because I turned him down for a meal and met Arius instead. ¡°Mr. Tristan, something urgent came up, and I had to meet an important person today. I promise to buy you a meal another day,¡± she tried to pacify him. ¡°An important person? Is the person more important than me?¡± He was very particr about it. Sophie was rendered speechless. When Tristan heard that she was seen with a man at Cloud Nine Hotel, he was zing with rage. It was not because he did not trust her, but hecked confidence in himself. He felt like he was in no position to question her. Hence, at that moment, he wanted to destroy every single man on earth just to be with her forever. However, when he saw her walking out of the elevator after having waited outside the apartment for three long hours, his pent-up anger just faded away within seconds. ¡°Quite important.¡± I wouldn¡¯t have been here if it was not for Arius¡ªthe man I met when I first came to Horington five years ago. Hearing her stating so, Tristan felt as though his heart was instantly torn apart, and the pain was unbearable. Sophie felt a little down when she noticed the disappointed look on his face. What¡¯s going on? ¡°Mr. Tristan, I¡¯ll definitely treat you to a big meal one day. Just the two of us.¡± Can he stop staring at me like that? He pressed a kiss to her forehead. Do I really care about getting a free meal? What has got into her head to arrive at this conclusion? At first, Sophie wanted to call Josiah as soon as she arrived home. Now that Tristan was present, she could not make the phone call anymore. I guess I¡¯ll have to go pick Grandpa up personally from the Tanner residence tomorrow. That night, Tristan stayed at Wisteria Apartments for quite a while. Although he knew her bedtime, he refused to leave. ¡°Mr. Tristan, I¡¯m getting sleepy.¡± ¡°Go to bed, then.¡± Still, he did not seem like he was getting ready to go home. ¡°Do you have something to say to me, Mr. Tristan?¡± Sophie sighed. This is so not him. ¡°Nope! It¡¯ste, you should go and get some rest.¡± Tristan walked her to the bedroom and said, ¡°Get a hot shower, then sleep. ¡° Sophie stood behind the door. She could sense that he was going through emotional turmoil. However, she had no idea how to coax him or make him feel better. ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± Tristan asked tenderly. Sophie shook her head. In the end, she decided to shut the door. Whatever. If he can¡¯t think things through, no one else can help him with it. Tristan went back to the living room, took a bottle of wine, and poured himself a ss. He was well aware that he should leave, but he just could not bring himself to do so, given the circumstance. The longer he stayed at Sophie¡¯s ce, the more secure he felt. At the very least, he could convince himself that he mattered more to herpared to anyone else. After taking a shower and getting changed, Sophie walked to the living room in her pajama. Just as expected, Tristan was still there. He seemed really lonely, standing by the French windows, drinking. Sophie approached him and poured herself a ss. Then, she took a tiny sip. Without saying a word, she kept himpany while looking out of the window at the hustle and bustle of the city. Momentster, Tristan put aside his wine ss and strode toward her. He hugged her from the back and buried his face in the curve of her neck. Sophie remained silent. She allowed him to embrace her as he wished. His hug was very warm and enchanting, to a point whereby she could not resist it. As a matter of fact, she enjoyed it. When the both of them had finished a bottle of wine, Tristannded a kiss on Sophie¡¯s forehead and left with a heavy heart. When Constance arrived at Jipsdale Hospital the following morning, she was greeted by a mess created by Mason. He hurled his breakfast all over the floor. It had been days since the surgery was done, but he still could not stand on his feet. No matter how many times he had attempted, he failed again and again. Looking across at the messy room, Constance heart ached. ¡°Mason, I¡¯ll get the best doctor to treat you. So, please don¡¯t give up,¡± consoled Constance. ¡°I want to see Sophie.¡± She had be his only hope. Constance furrowed her brows and said, ¡°Mason, I¡¯ve looked for Sophie many times. However, she refused to see you. Why are you still thinking about her?¡± She could not understand why was her son so stubborn. ¡°I want to see Sophie! Get out of my room and leave me alone.¡± At that moment, Mason was no longer the dashing guy he used to be. Conversely, he looked rather disheveled and unkempt. It was the weekend. Willow requested the driver to take her to the hospital early in the morning. It turned out that those were the first few words she heard. I¡¯ve been taking care of Mason tirelessly for several days now. Yet, I don¡¯t even have a ce in his heart? She clenched her fists tightly, unwilling to ept the truth. Have I lost to Sophie? Do I really want to admit defeat? Constance exited the ward and saw Willow standing right there. Obviously, she overheard their conversation. ¡°Wi, I can¡¯t let Mason continue living like this. Ask your mother to call Sophie and make here to the hospital.¡± ¡°Mrs. Laird¡­¡± Willow thought that Constance was on her side all along. Never in a million years would she have imagined Constance to get so pushy. ¡°Wi, I don¡¯t have a choice right now, except to make use of Sophie temporarily. Trust me, you¡¯ll be the only one who ends up by Mason¡¯s side.¡± Chapter 137 Chapter 137 hapter 137 Does Not Matter To Me ¡°Fine. I¡¯m willing to do anything if it¡¯s for Mason¡¯s good.¡± Seeing how sensible Willow was, Constance became even more satisfied. ¡°That¡¯s right. I like it when you¡¯re sensible.¡± Constance was very satisfied with Willow, especially for the past few days. That was because Willow had been taking care of the injured Mason so much that she had lost weight. Willow called Charmaine in front of both of them and ryed Mason¡¯s request. After Charmaine answered the call, her eyebrows furrowed. Why hasn¡¯t Mason been moved by Wi¡¯s effort to take care of him yet? And why does he want to meet Sophie? However, when she thought about how they still needed the Laird family¡¯s help, she called Sophie¡¯s number. After dialing the number a couple of times, Sophie still hadn¡¯t answered the call. Charmaine was worried Constance would me her, so she quickly asked her driver to send her to the hospital. Constance frowned when she saw Charmaine arrived without Sophie. ¡°What¡¯s going on? Didn¡¯t I make it clear that Mason wants to meet Sophie? It¡¯s just going to be a brief meeting. Why is it so hard for you to do that? Doesn¡¯t your family want our family¡¯s help? You lot have some nerve to ask for more help from us when you can¡¯t even do such a simple thing.¡± Constance had been very annoyed for the past few days due to what had happened to Mason. So, when she found out Charmaine had failed to carry out such a simple task, she immediately expressed her disappointment. Of course, Charmaine didn¡¯t feel good when she heard that. Since her family still required the Laird family¡¯s help, she had no choice but to swallow her pride and assured, ¡°Don¡¯t say that, Mrs. Laird. I¡¯ve been calling Sophie, but she hadn¡¯t answered any of my calls. There¡¯s nothing I can do about that. Don¡¯t worry, once I get in touch with her, I¡¯ll bring her here. Even if she doesn¡¯te, I¡¯ll tie her up and bring her to you.¡± ¡°I hope you¡¯ll keep your word. She¡¯s the reason Mason got hurt.¡± Constance still felt sullen. It was then the doctor in charge came. Content held by N?velDrama.Org. He wanted to give Mason a check-up, but before he could go into the ward, Mason was already chasing him out. ¡°It¡¯s not that I¡¯m not willing to help, Mrs. Laird. It¡¯s just that there¡¯s nothing I can do. Even if I have better medical skills, I can¡¯t do anything to help him, as long as Mr. Laird refuses to cooperate,¡± the doctor said resignedly. In Jipsdale Hospital, he was considered a famous doctor. However, even after lowering himself to treat Mason, he was still kicked out of the ward. He was upset, of course, but he knew he couldn¡¯t afford to piss off the Laird family. So, he had no choice but to endure it. Charmaine furrowed her eyebrows. ¡°What¡¯s going on with Mason? How can he recover if he refuses to let the doctor treat him? He¡¯s going to be the future head of the Laird family. If he can¡¯t walk in the future, then¡ª¡± ¡°What do you mean ¡®if he can¡¯t walk in the future,¡¯ Charmaine? You better watch your mouth! I¡¯m telling you, my son will walk again like before!¡± Constance eximed. It was an understandable reaction as no mother would remain calm after listening to other people talking about their son in such a manner. ¡°That¡¯s right. How can you say that, Mom? Mason will walk again. Medical technology has gotten really advanced nowadays, so he definitely won¡¯t have a problem standing up again.¡± Willow wasn¡¯t sure if she was saying that tofort herself or others. I can¡¯t imagine what I¡¯ll do if he can¡¯t stand again. If he really can¡¯t walk like he used to, what should I do? I have spent all my youth on this man. If he bes a cripple, what will happen to my future? ¡°I know Mason will recover, but the treatment requires his cooperation, too. If he isn¡¯t willing to work with the doctor, how can the doctor treat him? I really don¡¯t mean anything else, Mrs. Laird. You know how much Willow likes Mason, and I also hope that he¡¯ll be fine. I want to see the two of them together, too. Why would I hope for the worst for Mason!¡± Charmaine exined. When Constance heard that, her scowl became less intense. ¡°I know what kind of situation the Tanner family is in right now. If you can bring Sophie here, I¡¯ll give you what your family wants.¡± She knew Yale wanted to be Tanner Group¡¯s CEO. There¡¯s no way Sophie can win against my family if we decide to help Yale out! ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Mrs. Laird. I¡¯ll give Sophie another call right away. No matter what happens, I¡¯ll bring her here today.¡± Charmaine was definitely going to do her best after hearing what Constance said. I have to do whatever it takes to bring Sophie here! When she turned around, she saw Sophie in front of her. Her expression immediately lit up with joy. What perfect timing! She promptly went to Sophie¡¯s side and spoke emotionally. ¡°You must be here to meet Mason, right, Sophie? I know where he is. I¡¯ll take you to him!¡± Five years ago, Charmaine already knew Sophie harbored feelings for Mason. She didn¡¯t believe Sophie, who once liked him, would forget about him that quickly; especially when he was all injured and lying in bed asking for her. Sophie furrowed her eyebrows. I just brought Grandpa here. I don¡¯t have time to waste talking nonsense with her. It was then Charmaine saw Josiah. ¡°Did you also hear what happened to Mason, Dad? Is that why you¡¯re here with Sophie? To visit him? Mrs. Laird will be very happy to see the two of you!¡± She smiled. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter to me if she¡¯s happy or not. We have other matters to attend to, so please step away.¡± Sophie was already feeling unhappy about wasting a few minutes of time talking to her mother. ¡°Dad, Mason is lying in bed right now. You also watched him grow up since he was a kid. Are you really not going to visit him?¡± Charmaine could only ce her hope on Josiah since she knew he liked Mason a lot five years ago. He remained silent and turned to Sophie. I¡¯ll do what she wants. If she doesn¡¯t want to go, no one is allowed to force her. ¡°I know Sophie listens to what you say, Dad. No matter what happens, she¡¯s the reason Mason was injured. You know the Laird family¡¯s status and influence in Jipsdale. If this matter isn¡¯t properly dealt with, Sophie will be hurt. You don¡¯t want to see her get hurt, do you?¡± When Charmaine saw Josiah remained unmoved, she decided to shift her strategy a little. It wasn¡¯t like she made that up. The Laird family did have a huge influence in the city, and she knew what kind of tricks Charmaine would pull. ¡°How about you take a look at him, Soph? You grew up with Mason, after all. Now that he¡¯s injured, it¡¯s only fair that you pay him a visit,¡± Josiah persuaded. When Charmaine heard him say that, she calmed down. Everyone knows Sophie listens to her grandfather the most. Since he has said that, she¡¯ll obey him, right? Chapter 138 Chapter 138 Chapter 138 It Is Up To Fate ¡°Consider it a show of respect on my behalf, Soph. Please?¡± Josiah was really worried that the Laird family would hurt Sophie. Sophie felt annoyed. She didn¡¯t want to go because she didn¡¯t have any rtionship with Mason. I really don¡¯t know why Mason insists on meeting me. Why is it necessary? Ugh, fine. I suppose everyone thinks differently. Since he wants to meet me this badly, I¡¯ll go and meet him. It doesn¡¯t affect anything, anyway. When he saw her nod, he let out a sigh of relief. It¡¯s always better to make one less enemy. What he didn¡¯t know was that Sophie had gotten so powerful that even the Laird family wouldn¡¯t be able to go against her. Naturally, the happiest person to hear that response was Charmaine. She still remembered vividly what Constance promised her. Now I just need to bring Sophie to meet with Mason and Mrs. Laird will do the rest. Constance and Willow were still standing outside of the ward. When Constance saw Sophie, her expression brightened a little, but she still wasn¡¯t happy, because she didn¡¯t like Sophie. I really don¡¯t understand what my son is doing. Even if nothing happened five years ago, I still don¡¯t like her! Sophie ignored the two of them and went into the ward directly. ¡°I don¡¯t know why you insisted on meeting me, but I really don¡¯t think it¡¯s necessary at all. I already made my stance clear, no?¡± she blurted as she stared right into Mason¡¯s eyes. She really didn¡¯t have any feelings left for him. Even after he saw her acting and talking like that, he was still unwilling to ept the reality. ¡°I knew what I did was wrong, Soph.¡± He didn¡¯t want to believe that, but there was no way to get some people back after they had missed the opportunity. ¡°Since we went to school together before, I¡¯ll leave you with a few words of advice, Mason. This is your life, and so are your legs. It doesn¡¯t matter to me if you want to ept treatment because that¡¯s your decision. Don¡¯t keep dragging me into your affairs. You know what kind of person your mom is.¡± Sophie really felt that she had done her best. ¡°No matter what you say, I¡¯ll never give up, Soph! Once my legs recover, I¡¯ll make up for everything I did wrong!¡± Mason suddenly felt confident. Yeah! How can I give her happiness when I¡¯m like this? I need to recover as soon as possible and return to how I was. Right now, I don¡¯t even deserve to stand beside her. ¡°I told you already, whatever happens to you in the future has nothing to do with me. Why do you insist on involving me in your affairs?¡± Sophie really didn¡¯t understand why he wouldn¡¯t stop pestering her, despite everything she had said. If he turns out like this after spending a few years overseas, then what was the point of him going overseas at all? Unwilling to speak any further, she turned and left the room. Willow¡¯s expression appeared twisted when she saw Sophie walking out, but she didn¡¯t dare to say anything. Constance entered the room swiftly. ¡°Mom! Ask the doctor toe here immediately. I want to stand up as soon as I can!¡± Mason looked like he was in a hurry to stand back up again. ¡°I¡¯m d you¡¯ve finally thought things through, Mason. I always know you¡¯ll pick yourself up again.¡± Constance promptly asked people to call for the doctor in charge. The doctor gave Mason a full-body check-up. ¡°How¡¯s the situation, doctor?¡± she asked worryingly. The doctor turned to them with a troubled expression. ¡°The operation was a sess, but he just can¡¯t stand up. The situation is difficult to exin.¡± He had no idea what to do. Mason¡¯s expression changed when he heard that. ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°I really did my best, Mr. Laird, but I¡¯ve never seen anything like your condition before.¡± The doctor didn¡¯t know what to do. Constance¡¯s expression shifted as she spoke with dissatisfaction. ¡°You¡¯re just finding an excuse for your ipetence!¡± The doctor couldn¡¯t figure out a way to treat Mason, but he couldn¡¯t piss the Laird family off either, so he just kept quiet. ¡°Is there really no way to heal me?¡± Mason asked with despair. I can¡¯t stay like this! ¡°The only person in Chanaea I can think of who can help you is the legendary doctor, Arius.¡± When the doctor mentioned Arius, there was an expression of admiration on his face. Arius was a Chanaean legend. He was the first and youngest person to enter the medical association. Content held by N?velDrama.Org. ¡°The legendary doctor, Arius?¡± Constance heard that name before. In fact, many people did. However, only a few had met him before. ¡°You can try to contact him, Mrs. Laird.¡± After the doctor gave his suggestion, he left. Constance immediately tried out different ways to contact Arius, but none of it worked. Concurrently, Sophie was taking Josiah to get a full-body check-up. She held on to his coat and cane as she waited outside. It would take over two hours for the check-up to conclude. Since it was the weekend, Ysabelle invited her to hang out, but she rejected it. ¡°What are you busying about, Soph? Aren¡¯t we good friends?¡± Ysabelle was feeling bored being alone. ¡°I¡¯m at the hospital,¡± Sophie replied. ¡°What? The hospital? Why are you there? Are you sick? Why didn¡¯t you tell me you¡¯re sick?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sick. I took my grandpa to the hospital for a check-up.¡± ¡°I see. In that case, I¡¯lle and see you after you¡¯re done.¡± The final exam was approaching, so Ysabelle wanted to study with her friend. ¡°Mhm. I still have things to do, so I¡¯ll hang up now.¡± When Tristan descended from upstairs, he saw Ysabelle sighing and shaking her head. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Why aren¡¯t you looking for Sophie?¡± He recalled she mentioned she wanted to meet with Sophie yesterday. It was why he was slightly confused as to why she was still in the house. ¡°I don¡¯t know what Soph has been upied with. She doesn¡¯t have time to see me at all! Do you know why she is so busy, Uncle Tristan?¡± Ysabelle asked. She may be in the hospital today, but what about the past few days? ¡°I also don¡¯t know what is up with her.¡± Both uncle and niece were feeling depressed because of the same person. Once the check-up was over, Sophie helped Josiah exit the room. ¡°My body really is fine, Soph. There¡¯s no need for me to do so many check-ups.¡± Josiah didn¡¯t want her to worry. ¡°It¡¯s just a routine check-up, Grandpa. You don¡¯t need to worry about it. I¡¯ll send you back now.¡± Sophie spoke. ¡°The driver is downstairs. You should leave if you have something you need to do. I can go back by myself.¡± He knew she had things to do and didn¡¯t want to trouble her. He was right. She wanted to meet Arius as soon as possible to know the result. ¡°I¡¯ll let the driver send you back first, Grandpa. I really do have something else I need to take care of, so I won¡¯t be going home with you.¡± Seeing Sophie like that made Josiah sad. Life and death are dictated by fate. There are many things that can¡¯t be changed even if we wanted to. I just hope she won¡¯t fall into a dead end. He wanted to tell her what he was thinking, but seeing how much effort she was putting into caring for him, he felt it would be inappropriate if he did. Thus, he just sighed resignedly. After she watched the driver leave with her grandfather, Sophie turned back to the hospital. Chapter 139 Chapter 139 Chapter 139 Am I Ranked Last ¡°Can you stop being so serious, Sophie? I¡¯ve never seen you look so serious before,¡± Arius uttered. He had obtained all the results. Things weren¡¯t looking good, but it wasn¡¯t hopeless either. ¡°What¡¯s his situation now? Don¡¯t joke with me. I¡¯m not in the mood right now.¡± Sophie¡¯s expression darkened. Of course, Arius knew not to joke with her about her grandfather. He knew how important the old man was to her. ¡°Rx, I got it! I already sent the information to Dr. Smith.¡± He more or less knew what was going on, but there was one key question he needed an answer from his mentor. ¡°Is it necessary to inform Dr. Smith about this?¡± Sophie¡¯s expression darkened further. Arius approached her and patted her shoulder. ¡°There¡¯s nothing you need to worry about with me around. Didn¡¯t I tell you it¡¯s not going to be a problem? I just want to make sure I didn¡¯t get anything wrong.¡± ¡°I believe you.¡± She let out a small sigh. If Arius can¡¯t do it, then there¡¯s no other way. Since Arius had just returned, the director of the hospital wanted to see him. Thus, he didn¡¯t leave with her. Once she was out of the hospital, she saw Willow. I guess she has been waiting for me. When Willow saw that Sophie was out, the former blocked her path. Sophie furrowed her eyebrows. ¡°Get out of my way,¡± she uttered mercilessly. I have no patience in dealing with her right now. ¡°Tell me the truth, Sophie. Do you still like Mason?¡± Willow wasn¡¯t willing to ept the truth. She felt really bitter. I don¡¯t see how I¡¯m worse than Sophie. Why is it that Mason can only think about her even after so many years? ¡°It¡¯s none of your business.¡± Sophie directly pushed Willow away and prepared to leave in a taxi. ¡°Hah.¡± It was then Willow hoped Mason¡¯s legs would never recover because that would mean he wouldn¡¯t be able to stay with Sophie. After leaving the hospital, Sophie contacted Ysabelle. Ysabelle was all happy and in a good form when she answered Sophie¡¯s call. ¡°Have you finished with your matters, Sophie? Didn¡¯t you say you want to attend Cecelia¡¯s movie premiere? I think it¡¯s tonight. Do you have time to go?¡± She only paid attention to Cecelia¡¯s new movie because of Sophie. ¡°Where are you right now? I¡¯lle and pick you up,¡± Sophie suggested. ¡°I¡¯m at the Lombard residence right now. You don¡¯t need to pick me up. This ce is too remote, and it¡¯s hard to get a taxi here. I¡¯ll ask the driver to send me to Wisteria Apartments. You can just wait for me there.¡± Due to William, the Lombard residence was built on a spot halfway up the mountain. It really would be inconvenient for a taxi to drive up there. Ysabelle changed into a beautiful dress. Even though Jipsdale¡¯s winter was very cold, she still liked to wear dresses. She only wears a woolen jacket on top of her dress. Upon applying her makeup and casually tying her hair into a bun, she was ready to head to Sophie¡¯s ce. However, Tristan stopped Ysabelle before she could leave. Property ? N?velDrama.Org. ¡°What are you doing, Uncle Tristan? Sophie is waiting for me to join her on an important matter. I need to leave now. If you have something to say, tell me about it after Ie back.¡± It had been days since shest saw Sophie, which was why she really missed her friend. After all, Sophie had been getting so wrapped up in her matters for the past few days that Ysabelle didn¡¯t even have a chance to meet her. Ysabelle couldn¡¯t help but wonder what kind of important matter was keeping her friend busy. ¡°Can you stay home today? Your dad¡¯s heading back right now, and he asked me to tell you to wait for him at home. Are you sure you still want to leave?¡± Tristan kindly reminded. ¡°What? No way. Why is my dad back today? Why does it have to be now? Do you have anything to do with this, Uncle Tristan? Isn¡¯t my dad really busy? Why would hee back home today when it¡¯s not Friday?¡± Her father usually only returned on Friday, which made her guess his decision toe home that day. Tristan gave her a scary look, so she spoke in a rather unhappy tone. ¡°What do I do now? I can¡¯t just let Soph attend Cecelia¡¯s movie premiere by herself. It¡¯s too pitiful to let her go there alone. Please, just let me go with her, Uncle Tristan. If my dad looks for me, please put a good word in for me. That way he will surely let me off. I beg you. Pretty please?¡± Ysabelle blinked as she gave him a pitiful look. ¡°No! Your dad seems really angry this time, so you¡¯d better wait for him toe home and talk to him yourself. I don¡¯t know who posted the video of you and Sophie singing in the KTV on the inte, but it¡¯s trending right now.¡± Lincoln never wanted Ysabelle to enter the entertainment industry, so he was really surprised when his daughter became famous like that. That short video had umted over two million views. ¡°Video? What video? I don¡¯t know anything about that,¡± Ysabelle was confused. Tristan was kind enough to show the video to her. ¡°You always said you want to be a singer, right? Perhaps this is a good start for you to talk to your dad about it. No matter what happens, you should at least try to fight for that chance. This way, you won¡¯t regret it in the future.¡± She was frustrated. Why did things turn out like this? Yes, I want to rebel and change things, but I didn¡¯t expect the opportunity woulde so soon. I still want to study at a university somewhere in the south after I graduate from high school. Once I leave Jipsdale, I¡¯ll be able to do whatever I want. ¡°Will my dad listen to me, Uncle Tristan? You know how stubborn he is. All the men in the Lombard family are stubborn! They don¡¯t like to listen to anyone.¡± ¡°That¡¯s your problem to solve. There are things I have to deal with, so I¡¯ll be leaving now,¡± Tristan said. ¡°Soph is still waiting for me at Wisteria Apartments, Uncle Tristan! How about you apany her to attend Cecelia¡¯s movie premiere instead? I don¡¯t want her to go alone because I¡¯m afraid she¡¯ll get bullied.¡± ¡°I see! Since you want me to go there so badly, I¡¯ll head over there, then.¡± Ysabelle¡¯s heart was bleeding silently. She wanted to go too, but with her father returning soon, she didn¡¯t dare to leave the house. Sophie returned to Wisteria Apartments and opened the box Cecelia asked someone to send to her. Inside was a ck dress with a simple design. Nevertheless, anyone could tell it was very high quality with just one nce. There was also a note on the box that read: To Sophie. This is a dress I specially bought for you from overseas! You must wear it. Otherwise, our friendship is over! There was a doodle of a silly face behind the note. Sophie was quite speechless, but she still removed the dress from the box and changed into it. Then she let her hair down. Upon hearing a knocking sound on the door, she went to open it before she could tie her hair up because she thought Ysabelle had arrived. She didn¡¯t at all expect the person standing outside to be Tristan instead of Ysabelle. ¡°Why are you here, Tristan? I¡¯m sorry, but I already have a date with Ysabelle. I can¡¯t join you for dinner today.¡± He pressed his hands on the walls, basically locking her between his arms and the wall. ¡°Do I rankst among the people you know, Sophie?¡± Chapter 140 Chapter 140 Chapter 140 Battle On The Stage ¡°Not at all. It¡¯s obvious to me that you¡¯re overthinking it. How can you rankst?¡± Sophie said. ¡°I hope I am overthinking it. You look beautiful today,¡± Tristanplimented. All content is property ? N?velDrama.Org. The topic changed so fast that her throat and lips suddenly went dry, especially when she was being stared at so intently by a handsome man. She licked her lips. ¡°Mr. Tristan¡ª¡± Before she could finish her sentence, she was pulled into his embrace. Once he caught her in his embrace, he lowered his head and kissed her on the lips. ¡°No matter what you wear, you¡¯ll always look alluring to me.¡± So is he ming me for his behavior? Sophie was speechless. ¡°Ysabelle had something to take care of, so she can¡¯t apany you to the premiere, but I can.¡± It was pretty clear he wasn¡¯t going to take no for an answer. The premiere was about to start. However, the person Cecelia was waiting for still hadn¡¯t arrived, which put a frown on her face. Her manager didn¡¯t know how tofort her seeing her like that. ¡°Maybe Ms. Tanner has something to take care of, Cecelia. The premiere is about to start. We should go!¡± Everyone was waiting for Cecelia, so it wouldn¡¯t be ideal if she just waited there. ¡°No,¡± Cecelia replied stubbornly. Her manager sighed resignedly. It was then the door to the lounge was opened and Sophie showed up. When Cecelia saw her friend show up in the dress she prepared, her eyes sparkled with joy. ¡°You finally came, Soph! I thought you were going to stand me up again.¡± She stared at Sophie aggrievedly, like a pitiful puppy. The manager felt too embarrassed to watch. After staying by Cecelia¡¯s side for many years, she knew her temperament, and it wasn¡¯t anything good. Yet, when Sophie showed up, Cecelia would act like a pitiful puppy. ¡°I have promised you that I will be here, so here I am. Last time was an ident,¡± Sophie replied. Can she stop acting pitiful like that? Cecelia immediately hugged her friend¡¯s neck, raised her head, and stared at her. Tristan¡¯s expression darkened when she saw Cecelia hugging his woman. Sensing his hostile stare, Cecelia intentionally stuck her tongue out toward him. Soph doesn¡¯t belong to him only. Why can¡¯t someone else hug her? He scoffed. ¡°Time¡¯s up, Cecelia. We should go,¡± the manager reminded. It was then Cecelia let go of Sophie. ¡°I can go there with my assistant. You take Soph to the VIP seat.¡± ¡°No need. I can go there by myself. She¡¯s your manager, so it¡¯s better if she follows you,¡± Sophie declined. She was just there as a member of the audience. It wasn¡¯t necessary for the manager to follow her. ¡°In that case, please lead Ms. Tanner to her seat, Chrissy.¡± Cecelia was still worried. Soph is in my territory right now. I need to take good care of her. After Cecelia left with her manager, Tristan grabbed Sophie and pulled her into his embrace. ¡°Don¡¯t let anyone else hug you in the future. I¡¯ll get upset.¡± If Cecelia was not Sophie¡¯s important friend, he would have chopped Cecelia¡¯s hands off. Sophie raised her eyebrow. ¡°Not even a woman?¡± He¡¯s so possessive! ¡°No. I¡¯m the only one allowed to hug you like this.¡± It was Sophie¡¯s first time seeing him acting so childishly. In the end, she didn¡¯t answer Tristan and brought him to the hall instead. When Sophie arrived, Cecelia was already on the stage. A woman like Cecelia was born for the stage. She looked dazzling and was the center of attraction. The second female lead in the movie looked pale byparison. The host was the host of a television channel. He was a great showman, and a fan of Cecelia, so all his questions were focused on her. No matter what he asked, Cecelia was able to answer the questions without any issue. ¡°You gave an amazing performance in this movie, Ms. Lance. I think everyone would agree that it felt very real. Do you have a friend like that in your life as well?¡± the host asked. ¡°I do.¡± Cecelia subconsciously turned her gaze toward Sophie when she said that. ¡°I have a friend I treasure very much. I believe that we¡¯ll continue to stay best friends because I really like her.¡± Sophie stared at Cecelia. She has really grown up. A lot of sacrifices are required for someone to grow up, but I still can¡¯t help but feel touched when I see her being the shining star that she is right now. Tristan grabbed her hand. I didn¡¯t have the opportunity to participate in her life in the past, and many things had happened. However, I¡¯ll be sure to apany her for the rest of her life. The warmth she felt when he held her small hand made her feel really safe and secure. She felt she was really lucky to have a group of friends who treated her sincerely. The second female lead of the movie was the same person who epted to star in Dream¡¯s advertisementst time, Lorelei. Even though she was also a female lead in the movie, the host only paid attention to Cecelia, which made her feel very ufortable. It was then the other host finally changed the topic and directed some questions to her. ¡°Ms. Crawford, I heard Mr. Zales booked a few showings for this movie for you. Does this mean you two are in a rtionship?¡± The host was referring to yton. Lorelei looked proud when yton was mentioned. So what if Cecelia is amazing? She doesn¡¯t have anyone backing her up, unlike me, who has yton supporting me. She brushed her hair to the side a little and smiled. ¡°Mr. Zales has really helped me a lot, but our rtionship isn¡¯t what you all think it is. I hope no one will misunderstand that.¡± ¡°Haha, we know. The Zales family keeps a low profile. I sure do envy you, Ms. Crawford. Mr. Zales is a wealthy man!¡± While she didn¡¯t say it, she felt really proud. She couldn¡¯t help but nce at Cecelia. Of course, Cecelia knew what Lorelei was doing. yton had chased after her before, but she didn¡¯t like him, so she rejected him. I certainly didn¡¯t expect him to be with Lorelei, but this doesn¡¯t seem to have anything to do with me. What is she so proud of about him? Isn¡¯t it kind ofme for her to compare something like this with me? The host spent the rest of the time on Lorelei, especially her rtionship with yton. It was the first time Cecelia felt what it was like to be brushed aside. When it was time for the reporters to ask questions, many of them were already bought out by Lorelei, so they kept asking questions about her. Suddenly, a reporter yelled, ¡°Oh god! An anonymous rich person just booked a bunch of showings for Ms. Lance, too!¡± ¡°What? Who is it?¡± ¡°No idea, but the person booked ten thousand showings. It said so on Twitter. Anyone who liked Cecelia will be able to watch her movie in the movie theater for free. The person will cover the tickets.¡± ¡°What? You must be kidding me! Who¡¯s capable enough to book ten thousand showings? That will cost an astronomical amount of money! Even yton only booked ten for Lorelei!¡± Chapter 141 Chapter 141 Chapter 141 Grateful Suddenly, everyone shifted their attention back to Cecelia. They were wondering who was the rich person who booked ten thousand showings. ¡°Who is this big shot, Ms. Lance?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right! Do you have a new lover, Ms. Lance?¡± ¡°Who are they? Can you give us a little info about them?¡± ¡°Everyone, please calm down. Actually, I don¡¯t really want anyone to book showings for my movies. I just hope that those whoe to watch my movie at the cinema are the people who like it. My friend cares for me and treats me very well, which is why she did something like this. For that, I¡¯m very thankful for her,¡± Cecelia answered. ¡°A friend? Are you two really just friends? What kind of friend would single-handedly book ten thousand showings for your movie? This is unprecedented!¡± ¡°The best kind of friends, the type who stays with me forever.¡± Cecelia smiled. I really like Sophie, but I don¡¯t want her to spend so much money. I just want her to attend the movie premiere. The current me no longer needs her protection as I¡¯m capable of taking care of things now. In fact, I want it to be my turn to protect her and help her. Still, I¡¯m very touched that she¡¯s still looking out for me even now. I¡¯m very fortunate to have a friend like her. ¡°Is your friend present in this hall right now, Ms. Lance? Can you invite her up the stage so she can share a few words with us?¡± the host asked. ¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯s a good idea. She¡¯s someone who prefers to keep a low profile. So, please, I¡¯m asking everyone here to not bother her or try to dig out any information about her. However, I believe even if all the hackers in the world were toe out and try to find information about her, it¡¯s no guarantee that they¡¯ll seed.¡± Cecelia was absolutely confident in Sophie¡¯s ability. ¡°Come on, Ms. Lance. We won¡¯t disturb her. We just want to ask her a few questions.¡± ¡°I appreciate your care for me, but today¡¯s focus should be on the movie, no? I hope everyone will pay attention to the film because a lot of people worked hard on it, and I don¡¯t want their efforts to go unnoticed. Everyone knows the people who work the hardest on a movie are the crew, so please don¡¯t overlook the hard work they had poured into this project.¡± Tristan personally witnessed Sophie booking ten thousand showings for Cecelia and posting her message on Twitter. Seems like she cares a lot about Cecelia since she¡¯s doing her best to help her. What followed in the press conference were questions about Cecelia. Finally, it was time for everyone to watch the movie on the big screen. Sophie paid great attention to it. All content is property ? N?velDrama.Org. The story in the movie was really simr to their youth. When the movie ended, Sophie was in tears. Tristan pulled out a tissue paper from his pocket and gave it to her. ¡°This movie is pretty good. Cecelia sure can act,¡± hemented. The ending theme was already ying. It was a very pleasant Chanaean song sung by a diva. Before it finished, Sophie stood and left the hall. When Sophie returned to the lounge, Cecelia threw herself into her embrace. She was basically hanging on Sophie¡¯s body. Her manager couldn¡¯t bear to look at that. Ms. Tanner appears to be a few kilos lighter than Cecelia. Doesn¡¯t she feel bad for hanging herself like a bear on Ms. Tanner? ¡°Since you¡¯re so rich now, how about I stop acting and be your sugar baby instead? We¡¯ll go on a trip around the world!¡± Cecelia said emotionally. Aside from Sophie, no one would be willing to book ten thousand showings for her. When she finished speaking, she kissed Sophie on the cheek. Tristan¡¯s expression was just like a violent storm when he saw that. Upon seeing his expression, Sophie thought it was amusing. This man sure is possessive. In order to avoid pissing him off further, she gently pushed Cecelia away. ¡°That was a very good movie.¡± ¡°Well, of course! My title isn¡¯t for show, you know.¡± Cecelia was very confident in her acting skills. Some actors worked hard, but because they didn¡¯t have the talent, they couldn¡¯t make a name. On the contrary, some actors had the talent, and if they worked hard just a little bit, they would be able to back various international awards home. Cecelia clearly belonged to the second type. She wanted to hug Sophie again. ¡°I really like acting, but it takes up so much of my time that I can¡¯t spend time with you, Soph.¡± When Sophie was at her lowest point in life back then, Cecelia went to Horington to visit her. However, before she could meet her, she was dragged away by her manager. She carried a pang of guilt toward Sophie because of that. Sophie held her delicate chin and said, ¡°You don¡¯t need to feel guilty, Cecelia. I¡¯m doing fine right now, and you¡¯re perfect, too. This is the best achievement any of us can hope for.¡± Cecelia hugged Sophie tightly. ¡°Yeah! I always believe that you¡¯ll return. Jipsdale is your territory and Willow isn¡¯t your opponent at all. That¡¯s why I believe we¡¯ll meet again in Jipsdale.¡± At that moment, Tristan felt like he should just let them be. I guess I¡¯ll forgive Cecelia¡¯s extreme behavior earlier, considering how close she is to Sophie. Sophie then went to the restroom, leaving Tristan and Cecelia in the room. ¡°I¡¯m warning you for thest time, Cecelia. If you kiss Sophie like that again, don¡¯t me me for what vicious things I¡¯ll do,¡± he warned. He never thought there woulde a day when he needed to threaten a woman. ¡°Hmph!¡± Cecelia ignored him. I¡¯m not afraid of him when I have Sophie supporting me! ¡°Cecelia Lance!¡± he eximed. ¡°I know Sophie longer than you, so of course, our rtionship with each other is stronger than yours.¡± She stared at him fearlessly. ¡°The people in Jipsdale may be afraid of you, Mr. Tristan, but I¡¯m not. I¡¯m warning you, if you hurt Sophie even a tiny bit, I won¡¯t let you off even after I die!¡± She knew Sophie treated Tristan differently. After all, there was never a man by her side for many years¡ªTristan was the first one. From the looks of it, Sophie didn¡¯t seem to hate Tristan either. Cecelia felt sad to notice that because she believed Sophie deserved only the best the world can offer. However, Tristan was probably the best person anyone would think of in Jipsdale. Naturally, she would be happy if Sophie could find happiness. ¡°Don¡¯t worry! I won¡¯t hurt her. Even if the person who hurts her ends up being me, I won¡¯t let myself off either!¡± Tristan promised. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect the legendary Mr. Tristan from Jipsdale to be this loyal and dedicated,¡± Cecelia couldn¡¯t help but mock. As she still had a celebration party she needed to attend, she couldn¡¯t leave with Sophie. However, she personally saw Sophie out. There were a lot of reporters waiting outside, so Sophie stopped Cecelia. ¡°It¡¯s fine. Everyone is waiting for you!¡± She wanted to send Cecelia back first. ¡°How about I just run away with you two?¡± That idea suddenly popped into Cecelia¡¯s mind. ¡°Oh, my god! I am begging you now, Cecelia. The director is waiting for you!¡± Her manager immediately dragged her back the moment she heard that. Chapter 142 Chapter 142 Chapter 142 You Are Now Mine After watching Cecelia leave, Sophie turned to look at Tristan, who seemed d. Is it because Cecelia was taken away? Tristan immediately held Sophie¡¯s hand and pulled her toward him. ¡°What are you doing?¡± questioned Sophie, still looking at the man who had just locked her in his arms. Tristan had grown to enjoy holding Sophie like that. On the other hand, the young woman turned bright red because of how close they were. ¡°Let go of me, Mr. Tristan.¡± Even some as cold as Sophie could not help but blush when Tristan flirted with her like that. He then tightened his arms around Sophie. ¡°Since they¡¯re all busy, you are all mine now.¡± Sophie immediately chuckled upon hearing that, for she never expected Tristan to say anything like that. ¡°Let¡¯s go. I still owe you a meal, don¡¯t I?¡± Since there was not much else to do, Sophie decided to treat him to a meal. ¡°That¡¯s more like it,¡± Tristan was easily satisfied. Even though Sophie had promised to buy the young man a meal, she had no idea where to go. ¡°Is there anything you¡¯d like?¡± inquired Sophie, tilting her head. Tristan was stunned for a moment as he stared at the young woman¡¯s soft pink lips. ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± Sophie was d she did not have to waste time figuring out where to go since Tristan already had something in mind. ¡°You!¡± Sophie was dumbfounded once again when she heard Tristan¡¯s answer. What¡¯s wrong with this guy? Is he going to keep this up all day? Seeing the woman like that, Tristan immediately held her head to give her a wet kiss. Only after breathing a sigh of satisfaction did Tristan take Sophie to a fancy restaurant. The young woman could still taste Tristan on her lips when they reached the expensive-looking and exquisitely decorated restaurant. Most of the customers there were couples, so it was not surprising to see many of them kissing. Since the atmosphere at the restaurant was incredibly romantic, the couples were more passionate than usual. However, the scene was nothing but an eyesore to Sophie since she did not think the public disy of affection was appropriate. When she unconsciously nced at Tristan, the young man simply shrugged. ¡°Just so you know, I didn¡¯t n for you to see this. It was Felix who rmended the ce.¡± Sophie pretended to be calm, but a gentleman beside her had already reached into his date¡¯s skirt. She had no choice but to calmly look away. ¡°Are you sure you don¡¯t want to go somewhere else?¡± Sophie had lost her appetite already. This is just too much! ¡°It¡¯s fine. I got us a room.¡± Tristan led Sophie to a private room, which the woman thought was much better than the rest of the ce. Since it was warm inside, Tristan helped Sophie take her jacket off so he could hang it up. He then pulled the chair out before beckoning Sophie over to sit. By then, a waitress had already arrived to show them the menu. ¡°What can I get you, Mr. Tristan?¡± inquired the beautiful waitress after handing a tablet to Tristan. ¡°What would you like?¡± The young man remained standing behind Sophie so they could share the tablet. Sophie was a little uneasy when Tristan leaned on her. ¡°So?¡± The man had a deep and maic voice that sounded alluring, which made Sophie¡¯s heart race. At that point, she was convinced that Tristan enjoyed teasing her very much. After going through the menu, Sophie ordered steak and sd. When she turned around to ask what Tristan wanted, the man¡¯s lips brushed over her cheek. All content is property ? N?velDrama.Org. Sophie immediately froze like a statue. ¡°I¡¯ll have whatever you¡¯re having,¡± Tristan whispered into Sophie¡¯s ear before taking the tablet from her. The young woman almost jumped to her feet when Tristan breathed into her ear because that was the most sensitive part of her body. After that, Tristan sat down beside Sophie so that it would be easier for him to take care of her. ¡°So why isn¡¯t Ysabelleing?¡± Sophie was a little worried about Ysabelle because they had already agreed to meet, and her friend would never stand her up for no reason. In response, Tristan unlocked his phone to y a video before handing the device to Sophie. After watching the video, the young woman looked a little displeased. The video was shot from Ysabelle¡¯s front. Even though Sophie was also in it, she could only be seen from the side. On top of that, the dim lighting at the karaoke bar made it difficult for anyone unfamiliar with her to recognize her. ¡°Your family don¡¯t want her to be a singer, right?¡± Sophie heard about it from Ysabelle, but she did not think the situation was that serious. ¡°Yes. My brother has a deep-seated prejudice against the entertainment industry.¡± What will Ysabelle do now? Sophie then quickly took her phone out to call her friend. Meanwhile, Ysabelle was in a bad mood. When she received Sophie¡¯s call, she hurried into her room before answering. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Soph! Something came up. It was never my intention to bail on you.¡± Ysabelle hated being stood up and believed that her friend felt the same way. ¡°It¡¯s fine. Are you okay?¡± Hearing how concerned Sophie was about her, Ysabelle immediately lightened up. ¡°I am. Don¡¯t worry,¡± assured Ysabelle with a smile. ¡°Good. Do you need me to pick you up?¡± Sophie could figure something out if her friend still wanted to meet her. ¡°No, Soph. I think I should stay home for the next two days. Even though I have no n to be an artist just yet, I¡¯m more determined to do so after seeing that video. I will be a singer no matter what my father thinks!¡± Ysabelle had made up her mind, so nobody could convince her otherwise. ¡°You have my support.¡± Sophie agreed that Ysabelle should not give up. It¡¯s her dream to be a singer, and she has every right to pursue it! ¡°Talk to youter. My grandfather¡¯sing.¡± Ysabelle knew her grandfather would be worried about her since she did not have dinner. Even after calling Ysabelle, Sophie was still worried about her friend. ¡°Mr. Tristan, will you help Ysabelle?¡± The young woman was confident that the other Lombards would listen to Tristan because of his position in the family. The steak had already been served, and Tristan had thoughtfully cut it up for Sophie. ¡°Soph, this is Ysabelle¡¯s fight. If she wants to be in the entertainment industry, the first thing she has to learn is how to stand up for herself. Unlike those in the industry, our family would never do anything to hurt her. I don¡¯t think she¡¯s fit to be an artist if she can¡¯t even handle our family.¡± Naturally, Sophie knew he had a point, but as Ysabelle¡¯s friend, she still wished that she could make her friend¡¯s path to pursue her dream easier. ¡°That¡¯s enough chat about someone else. We don¡¯t always get to spend time together like this, you know?¡± Tristan hoped that Sophie would focus on him for the moment. ¡°Ysabelle isn¡¯t ¡®someone else.¡¯ She¡¯s your niece!¡± ¡°So am I the reason you¡¯re so nice to Ysabelle?¡± Tristan would consider talking to his brother if Sophie nodded. However, Sophie was never really good at sucking up to others. Instead of responding to Tristan the way he wanted, the woman started eating her steak. To that, Tristan let out a long sigh. I can tell that chasing after Sophie is not going to be easy. Hmm¡­ far from it! Chapter 143 Chapter 143 Chapter 143 Acting Skills Unworthy Of Awards Sophie took her time with her food. Looking at Tristan near her, she was in a good mood and felt comfortable about spending time alone with the man. After Sophie was done with the steak, the two walked out of the restaurant. While Tristan went to get the car, Sophie waited outside the restaurant, where she never expected to meet Lorelei. Lorelei did not know Sophie. She only nced at her a few times because she thought the young woman was exceptionally stunning. Lorelei only risked going out in public because she finally persuaded yton to take her to the fancy restaurant after much effort. Since she was quite popr then, Lorelei wore a hat and arge pair of sunsses to hide her face. Seeing how Tristan had been gone for a while, Sophie decided to take her phone out to call the man. However, before she could do that, the fashionably-dressed woman near her suddenly snatched her phone and violently threw it onto the ground. ¡°Why were you taking pictures of me? Did somebody send you here to follow me?¡± questioned Lorelei rudely. After her terrible experience at the press conference that day, Lorelei never thought she would bump into a paparazzo there. Sophie¡¯s eyes turned icy cold as she stared at her phone lying on the floor. ¡°Pick it up,¡± ordered Sophie, who was itching for a fight. Her voice was frightfully cold. ¡°Are you serious? Do you know who I am?¡± asked Lorelei arrogantly. ¡°If you get out of my sight now, I¡¯ll pretend none of this has happened. Otherwise, my fans will give you hell.¡± The famous woman had fans who were quite crazy. In response to the threat, Sophie knitted her eyebrows tightly. ¡°Didn¡¯t you hear me? Pick it up.¡± repeated the young woman in a louder voice. Lorelei scoffed at Sophie before looking away. Why the heck would I listen to a paparazzo? I¡¯m the hottest artist there is right now, and I¡¯m not afraid of anyone! Then, passersby began to gather around them to see what was going on. Hence, Lorelei decided it was the perfect time to let people see that she was with yton and have her poprity bumped up even further. ¡°I only requested that you delete the photos you took of me. There¡¯s no reason to get upset,¡± stated Lorelei calmly after removing her sunsses on purpose. As expected, the crowd grew even bigger right after Lorelei showed her face. ¡°My goodness! What¡¯s going on? Hey, look! It¡¯s Lorelei Crawford!¡± ¡°You¡¯re right. Wow, she looks stunning! It¡¯s almost unbelievable how beautiful she is.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not the point! The point is she¡¯s at a restaurant where couples frequent. That must mean she¡¯s here with yton Zales!¡± ¡°I think the woman beside Lorelei looks pretty too.¡± ¡°I know, right? She¡¯s probably even prettier than some artists.¡± At first, Lorelei was happy with the praises she had received. However, after hearing about the crowd¡¯s admiration for Sophie, she got jealous. Lorelei could not deny that Sophie was good-looking, which was why she worried that yton would see the young womanter. The man¡¯s interest in her was waning, and she knew it. Lorelei always had to put in much effort just to have a meal with yton. She even tried to climb into the man¡¯s bed to be in his good graces but to no avail. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry. I may be a public figure, but I value my privacy. I only did it because you kepting after me.¡± Lorelei then picked up Sophie¡¯s phone from the ground and handed it back to the woman. ¡°I think it¡¯s broken, so why don¡¯t you give me your number? I¡¯ll have my managerpensate you for your loss.¡± After listening to Lorelei, Sophie furrowed her eyebrows again. ¡°With that level of acting skills, I doubt you¡¯ll ever win an award,¡± mocked Sophie, who found Lorelei¡¯s acting hrious. The actress¡¯ face immediately turned grim when she was humiliated, for she had always hated it when peoplemented on her poor acting skills. No matter how hard she tried, she still failed to surpass Cecelia. ¡°I can give you my autograph if you ask nicely, little girl. Your hostility waspletely uncalled for.¡± ¡°Yeah! Artists are just like us. Just because you¡¯re a fan doesn¡¯t give you the right to disturb her.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right! You¡¯re the worst kind of fan! You have nothing better to do than to harass them. It¡¯s disgusting!¡± When some of the people started sneering at Sophie, many followed suit. So what if she¡¯s got good looks? She¡¯s probably wicked on the inside. Naturally, Lorelei was pleased with herself when the crowd reacted the way she wanted. How¡¯s that for acting skills? I bet she regrets undermining my acting skills now. ¡°I think we¡¯re done here, don¡¯t you? If I were you, I¡¯d leave right now. It¡¯s not like your phone¡¯s worth much anyway. Remember, it¡¯s a crime to take someone¡¯s photo without permission. Stop while you still can.¡± Lorelei thought Sophie was afraid of her since the young woman stayed silent, so she proudly held her head high. ¡°I know you¡¯re a fan, but you¡¯ve got to stop doing this, okay?¡± Scoffing, Sophie could not believe the words that came out of Lorelei¡¯s mouth. Now I know why Cecelia didn¡¯t seem to like her. ¡±I don¡¯t even know who you are, so why would I secretly take photos of you? What proof do you have?¡± ¡°I just told you we¡¯re done here, so why do you insist on dragging this out? What¡¯s the point? I don¡¯t know what you have in mind, but I have more important things to do.¡± Lorelei did not wish to continue with the subject, so she turned around and was ready to leave. Immediately, Sophie grabbed Lorelei by the hair and pulled the woman back. Nobody expected that Sophie would be so bold as to pull Lorelei¡¯s hair. The actress stumbled a few steps backward when Sophie did that and felt as if the youngdy was about to pull her scalp off her skull. ¡°What do you think you¡¯re doing? This is out of line!¡± Lorelei was furious but dared not show it or retaliate, for she knew that wouldpromise her image in the entertainment industry. Content held by N?velDrama.Org. ¡°I didn¡¯t take photos of you secretly, but you broke my phone. You even put on a show for the crowd, and you think you can just walk away?¡± Sophie was not about to let Lorelei get away scot-free after the actress had wrongly used her. If this is how she wants to y it, so be it. Nobody in Jipsdale can take advantage of me! ¡°I¡¯m just told you that I¡¯m not pressing charges. What more do you want?¡± Lorelei wanted nothing more than to get out of the situation because of how embarrassing it was to get her hair pulled like that. At that moment, yton pulled up outside the restaurant. When the man saw Lorelei arguing with a youngdy, he got out of his car and went over. Chapter 144 ?Chapter 144 Kneel And Beg The crowd wouldn¡¯t be able to recognize Tristan because his existence in Jipsdale was rather mysterious. Although a lot of people had heard of his name and knew that Jipsdale was basically controlled by the Lombard family, no one from their social ss had ever seen him in person. When he saw how solemn she looked, he walked up to her and held her hand. Tristan''s gaze turned grim when he spotted yton. At the same time, yton was surprised to see his archenemy there. What a coincidence! So, this young girl is with Tristan. Things are getting more interesting now. "What''s going on? Are they bullying you?" Tristan lowered his head and asked. Upon seeing how Tristan was treating Sophie, yton''s interest was piqued. It seems like they''re quite close. "yton, who is he?" Lorelei didn''t know Tristan, and she had never seen him in person. However, she was aware of how handsome Tristan was. He looks even more dashing than the young idols in the entertainment industry. Besides, that demeanor of his is frightening. "He''s someone you''ll never be able to interact with in your life," yton replied truthfully. He hated Tristan a lot, and he had tried numerous times to get rid of Tristan. However, his attempts were futile. "What should we do now?" Lorelei asked. "What do you mean? Didn''t you say that young girl was taking photos of you secretly?" Lorelei couldn''t help but feel nervous. Well, that young girl did point her phone at me. However, it''s not like I''ve seen the photos on her phone. What if it was just a misunderstanding? The only reason she was acting brazenly earlier was because she thought Sophie was someone without any background. Things had changed, though. She could feel a chill running down her spine upon receiving a casual nce from Tristan. "They said I was trying to seduce Ms. Crawford''s boyfriend, and that''s why I''ve been following them around and taking photos of them secretly." As Sophie was telling Tristan what had happened, she couldn''t help but feel amused. Who would''ve thought that therees a day when I''m used of taking photos of someone secretly? The funniest part is that my target is a low-grade star! "I''m so sorry, but I think there must be a misunderstanding." Because of how scary Tristan was, Lorelei apologized immediately. No matter what, we should just get this conflict sorted out. "Hey, young man. Your girlfriend did take photos of someone secretly. Just let it slide, okay? You know where the Zales family stands in Jipsdale, right? You''ll be in trouble if you mess with them," a kind-hearted man cautioned Tristan. I doubt they know what they''re getting themselves into. That was the first time Tristan was told that he couldn''t afford to mess with the Zales family. "Mr. Zales, how do you n on settling this conflict? Your woman crossed my girlfriend. We need to settle the score, no?" Tristan asked. Upon hearing that, everyone at the scene was taken aback. None of them had expected Tristan to have the balls to talk to yton that way. Who exactly is this young man? "Mr. Tristan, is this necessary? I bet this is all just a misunderstanding. Since no harm was done, perhaps we should just act as if nothing had happened." Unlike everyone else, yton was well aware of who he was dealing with. He had always schemed from behind the scene and avoided facing Tristan head-on because he knew exactly how scary he was. "Mr. Tristan?" Lorelei''s knees went weak immediately. Based on her identity, there was no way she would ever have a chance to see Tristan. Since yton said this man is Mr. Tristan, that must be him. He''s a legend and a myth in Jipsdale. Not only is he ruthless, but he''s also cold-hearted. Fortunately for her, she managed to grasp yton''s shirt just in time. Otherwise, she would''ve slumped to the ground. "Mr. Tristan, out of respect for me, would you be willing to let this slide?" Either way, yton had to protect Lorelei because she was his woman. "Out of respect for you?" Tristan thought he had just heard the funniest joke in the world. "Mr. Zales, I barely know you. What kind of respect do you expect me to have for you?" Tristan took Sophie''s phone from her hand and pressed a few buttons. Just like that, he managed to switch on the phone. There were a lot of people nearby, but no one said a word. They were all looking at Tristan and wondering about he was doing with the phone. After he switched the phone on, he pressed on the photo album. After looking through the photos, he tossed the phone to Lorelei. "Ms. Crawford, please check if there''s any photo of yours in there, will you?" Lorelei''s hands were trembling at that point. Even if there were photos of her in there, she wouldn''t dare to say it. However, she could not fine any. "I..." Lorelei couldn''t even spit her words out. Most people in the entertainment industry would pay her the utmost respect. Hence, she had a false sense of superiority. That day, however, she had gotten herself into deep trouble, and there was nothing she could do to salvage the situation. "I''m sorry. I must''ve been w-wrong," Lorelei stammered. "Well, why are you apologizing to me for? You''ve got the wrong person." Tristan crossed his arms and looked down at her. "I''m truly sorry, little girl. I''ve misunderstood you. Please forgive me, okay?" Lorelei apologized. The crowd was stunned. Who is this man? How did he make yton''s girlfriend beg for forgiveness? "Now you''re sorry? Where did your arrogance go?" Sophie scoffed. She despised people like Lorelei. Since she dared to act haughtily, she should just maintain it. She''s apologizing just because Tristan showed up. She''s just a disgusting coward. Lorelei''s legs could barely support herself, and she dropped to her knees. "I''m sorry. I get it now. I won''t do such a thing again." Despite always being an arrogant person, Lorelei had no choice but to kneel and beg for forgiveness in front of Tristan. While that was happening, yton merely stood beside her and kept quiet. "Let''s go!" Tristan was unhappy with himself. If I didn''t answer the phone in the car just now, I wouldn''t get caught up for so long, and she wouldn''t have to endure everything on her own. She took the initiative and held his hand. It was as if she knew he was ming himself for what had happened. "I''m fine, really. I''m not bothered by what they said." For some unknown reason, the more time she spent with Tristan, the more she didn''t like to see him ming himself.Property ? N?velDrama.Org. "yton, I¡ª" Lorelei knew how embarrassing that was, but that was the only thing she could do in Tristan''s presence. yton interrupted her speech by saying, "Lorelei, I think this is the end for us. Don''te looking for me again." With that, yton went to his car and drove away. Chapter 145 Chapter 145 Chapter 145 Kneel And Beg The crowd wouldn¡¯t be able to recognize Tristan because his existence in Jipsdale was rather mysterious. Although a lot of people had heard of his name and knew that Jipsdale was basically controlled by the Lombard family, no one from their social ss had ever seen him in person. When he saw how solemn she looked, he walked up to her and held her hand. Tristan¡¯s gaze turned grim when he spotted yton. At the same time, yton was surprised to see his archenemy there. What a coincidence! So, this young girl is with Tristan. Things are getting more interesting now. ¡°What¡¯s going on? Are they bullying you?¡± Tristan lowered his head and asked. Upon seeing how Tristan was treating Sophie, yton¡¯s interest was piqued. It seems like they¡¯re quite close. ¡°yton, who is he?¡± Lorelei didn¡¯t know Tristan, and she had never seen him in person. However, she was aware of how handsome Tristan was. He looks even more dashing than the young idols in the entertainment industry. Besides, that demeanor of his is frightening. ¡°He¡¯s someone you¡¯ll never be able to interact with in your life,¡± yton replied truthfully. He hated Tristan a lot, and he had tried numerous times to get rid of Tristan. However, his attempts were futile. ¡°What should we do now?¡± Lorelei asked. ¡°What do you mean? Didn¡¯t you say that young girl was taking photos of you secretly?¡± Lorelei couldn¡¯t help but feel nervous. Well, that young girl did point her phone at me. However, it¡¯s not like I¡¯ve seen the photos on her phone. What if it was just a misunderstanding? The only reason she was acting brazenly earlier was because she thought Sophie was someone without any background. Things had changed, though. She could feel a chill running down her spine upon receiving a casual nce from Tristan. ¡°They said I was trying to seduce Ms. Crawford¡¯s boyfriend, and that¡¯s why I¡¯ve been following them around and taking photos of them secretly.¡± As Sophie was telling Tristan what had happened, she couldn¡¯t help but feel amused. Who would¡¯ve thought that therees a day when I¡¯m used of taking photos of someone secretly? The funniest part is that my target is a low-grade star! ¡°I¡¯m so sorry, but I think there must be a misunderstanding.¡± Because of how scary Tristan was, Lorelei apologized immediately. No matter what, we should just get this conflict sorted out. ¡°Hey, young man. Your girlfriend did take photos of someone secretly. Just let it slide, okay? You know where the Zales family stands in Jipsdale, right? You¡¯ll be in trouble if you mess with them,¡± a kind- hearted man cautioned Tristan. I doubt they know what they¡¯re getting themselves into. That was the first time Tristan was told that he couldn¡¯t afford to mess with the Zales family. ¡°Mr. Zales, how do you n on settling this conflict? Your woman crossed my girlfriend. We need to settle the score, no?¡± Tristan asked. Upon hearing that, everyone at the scene was taken aback. None of them had expected Tristan to have the balls to talk to yton that way. Who exactly is this young man? ¡°Mr. Tristan, is this necessary? I bet this is all just a misunderstanding. Since no harm was done, perhaps we should just act as if nothing had happened.¡± Unlike everyone else, yton was well aware of who he was dealing with. He had always schemed from behind the scene and avoided facing Tristan head-on because he knew exactly how scary he was. ¡°Mr. Tristan?¡± Lorelei¡¯s knees went weak immediately. Based on her identity, there was no way she would ever have a chance to see Tristan. Since yton said this man is Mr. Tristan, that must be him. He¡¯s a legend and a myth in Jipsdale. Not only is he ruthless, but he¡¯s also cold-hearted. Fortunately for her, she managed to grasp yton¡¯s shirt just in time. Otherwise, she would¡¯ve slumped to the ground. ¡°Mr. Tristan, out of respect for me, would you be willing to let this slide?¡± Either way, yton had to protect Lorelei because she was his woman. ¡°Out of respect for you?¡± Tristan thought he had just heard the funniest joke in the world. ¡°Mr. Zales, I barely know you. What kind of respect do you expect me to have for you?¡± All content is property ? N?velDrama.Org. Tristan took Sophie¡¯s phone from her hand and pressed a few buttons. Just like that, he managed to switch on the phone. There were a lot of people nearby, but no one said a word. They were all looking at Tristan and wondering about he was doing with the phone. After he switched the phone on, he pressed on the photo album. After looking through the photos, he tossed the phone to Lorelei. ¡°Ms. Crawford, please check if there¡¯s any photo of yours in there, will you?¡± Lorelei¡¯s hands were trembling at that point. Even if there were photos of her in there, she wouldn¡¯t dare to say it. However, she could not fine any. ¡°I¡­¡± Lorelei couldn¡¯t even spit her words out. Most people in the entertainment industry would pay her the utmost respect. Hence, she had a false sense of superiority. That day, however, she had gotten herself into deep trouble, and there was nothing she could do to salvage the situation. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I must¡¯ve been w-wrong,¡± Lorelei stammered. ¡°Well, why are you apologizing to me for? You¡¯ve got the wrong person.¡± Tristan crossed his arms and looked down at her. ¡°I¡¯m truly sorry, little girl. I¡¯ve misunderstood you. Please forgive me, okay?¡± Lorelei apologized. The crowd was stunned. Who is this man? How did he make yton¡¯s girlfriend beg for forgiveness? ¡°Now you¡¯re sorry? Where did your arrogance go?¡± Sophie scoffed. She despised people like Lorelei. Since she dared to act haughtily, she should just maintain it. She¡¯s apologizing just because Tristan showed up. She¡¯s just a disgusting coward. Lorelei¡¯s legs could barely support herself, and she dropped to her knees. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I get it now. I won¡¯t do such a thing again.¡± Despite always being an arrogant person, Lorelei had no choice but to kneel and beg for forgiveness in front of Tristan. While that was happening, yton merely stood beside her and kept quiet. ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± Tristan was unhappy with himself. If I didn¡¯t answer the phone in the car just now, I wouldn¡¯t get caught up for so long, and she wouldn¡¯t have to endure everything on her own. She took the initiative and held his hand. It was as if she knew he was ming himself for what had happened. ¡°I¡¯m fine, really. I¡¯m not bothered by what they said.¡± For some unknown reason, the more time she spent with Tristan, the more she didn¡¯t like to see him ming himself. ¡°yton, I¡ª¡± Lorelei knew how embarrassing that was, but that was the only thing she could do in Tristan¡¯s presence. yton interrupted her speech by saying, ¡°Lorelei, I think this is the end for us. Don¡¯te looking for me again.¡± With that, yton went to his car and drove away. Chapter 146 Chapter 146 Chapter 146 Finished Lorelei panicked because she never expected things to turn out that way. If she knew that would happen, she wouldn¡¯t dare to mess with Sophie. ¡°yton, I know I was wrong.¡± Lorelei was on the verge of crying. What is my life going to be like now that I¡¯ve crossed Mr. Tristan? I¡¯ve already sacrificed so much to get to where I am today. ¡°Well, you know who Tristan is, and what he¡¯s capable of. Yet, you went on to mess with his woman. You¡¯ve got balls, all right.¡± He wasn¡¯t scared of Tristan. However, he wasn¡¯t willing to make an enemy out of Tristan in public for a girl¡¯s sake. By then, the crowd was looking at her and murmuring among themselves. They were all talking about how yton had just dumped Lorelei. yton pushed through the crowd and left. She didn¡¯t dare to imagine how her life would be without yton by her side. Cecelia was livid when she saw the news that day. Unlike others, she knew who Lorelei was fighting with because she recognized Sophie at a nce. ¡°Lorelei is getting more and more ballsy, isn¡¯t she? Her bullying is getting out of hand!¡± I¡¯ve been busting my chops the whole afternoon because of the new movie, and Lorelei was busy bullying Sophie. ¡°All right. Calm down, okay? Judging by the situation, I¡¯m sure Ms. Tanner has already taught her a lesson. Isn¡¯t that good enough?¡± Her agent tried to calm Cecelia down because it was foolish to cause trouble right after the release of the new movie. However, Cecelia couldn¡¯t let it slide. ¡°I know Soph is capable, but how could I not do anything knowing that she was bullied? I must do something for her as a friend.¡± Her agent was feeling rather helpless. ¡°Give me my phone. I need to teach her a lesson so that she knows what not to do,¡± Cecelia uttered. Cecelia had never been involved in feuds in the entertainment industry. For Sophie¡¯s sake, however, she decided to have a go at it. Her agent was reluctant to pass Cecelia her phone. ¡°Cecelia, why don¡¯t we just focus on making movies? Why must you waste time having feuds with other celebrities? I don¡¯t see the point of it.¡± ¡°Well, that¡¯s because I¡¯m doing it for Soph. Quick! Give me my phone.¡± Cecelia knew her agent was unaware of the rtionship she had with Sophie. Hence, Cecelia knew why the agent had advised her against doing so. However, it was something she was determined to do. Upon seeing how determined she was, the agent shook her head and passed Cecelia her phone. I hope this doesn¡¯t cause too big of a problem. The movie had just been released, and we have two of the main characters fighting against each other. I don¡¯t see how this will look good on any of them. Cecelia proceeded to upload a tweet on Lorelei¡¯s wall before giving her phone back to her agent. The agent¡¯s lips twitched when she saw what Cecelia tweeted. Wow! Cecelia knows what she¡¯s doing, doesn¡¯t she? Those are some nice words! Cecelia tweeted: Ms. Crawford said Soph was trying to take a photo of her secretly. Does she not know that Soph was the one who booked ten thousand showings in the afternoon? Considering that, would a person who had booked ten thousand showings take a photo of someone secretly? Who does Ms. Crawford think she is? A few moments after Cecelia tweeted, it was retweeted a hundred thousand times. All of a sudden, Lorelei was the talk of the town. When Lorelei finally arrived home, she saw her agent waiting for her with a grim expression. ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± Lorelei didn¡¯t know what had happened on Twitter. ¡°Lorelei, how famous do you think you are?¡± The agent was enraged. The movie was just released, and she had already done such a thing. Does she know how damaging this is? ¡°What is it?¡± Lorelei thought she had already had enough bad news on her te. What else can happen? Content held by N?velDrama.Org. ¡°See for yourself!¡± The agent passed Lorelei her phone. Lorelei¡¯s facial expression changed dramatically when she saw the tweet Cecelia had uploaded. ¡°What should we do now? I didn¡¯t see thising! Hey, you¡¯ve helped me ever since I joined the entertainment industry. Will you help me deal with this now? I really don¡¯t know what to do. I didn¡¯t know that girl is associated with Mr. Tristan.¡± Upon hearing that, the agent finally realized how Sophie could book the showings from Cecelia. ¡°What? Mr. Tristan? Are you talking about the ¡®Mr. Tristan¡¯?¡± Initially, the agent thought she could weather the storm by organizing a press conference. However, she could only wave her hands in despair when she was told that Tristan was involved. ¡°Lorelei, do you remember what I told you the first day you entered the entertainment industry? I told you not to find trouble with Mr. Tristan, didn¡¯t I? You have the guts, all right. In that case, there¡¯s no need for a press conference. I think you should just pack up and leave.¡± ¡°What? Are you really giving up on me? The movie had just been released, and things are going great! Help me, okay?¡± Lorelei couldn¡¯t just give up on her career after all the sacrifices she had made. Her agent stepped away from Lorelei and stared coldly at her. ¡°Don¡¯t you get it? You¡¯re finished. The reason you¡¯re breathing now is that Mr. Tristan had shown you mercy. However, I don¡¯t know what¡¯s going to happen to you if you don¡¯t leave now. Think about it, will you? Did Mr. Zales say anything on your behalf when things went south? If even a person like Mr. Zales can¡¯t help you, what makes you think we can turn things around?¡± Lorelei slumped to the ground when she heard that. I¡¯ve struggled and fought for so long. Am I finished just because of a minor mistake? ¡°Is there nothing we can do?¡± Lorelei couldn¡¯t bear to give up on her career. What¡¯s with my awful luck? The agent was unwilling to waste her time on the matter, so she turned around and left. Now, Lorelei is going to disappear from the entertainment industry for good. After getting home, Sophie went to take a shower and changed into her pajamas. That was when she received a call from Cecelia. ¡°Are you okay, Sophie? I know what happened between you and Lorelei. Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll teach her a lesson and make sure she ships out of the entertainment industry.¡± Ever since she joined the industry, Cecelia had never been involved in a feud. However, she couldn¡¯t help it this time around because Lorelei messed with Sophie. Sophie frowned when she heard those words. Has the matter been blown out of proportion? ¡°It wasn¡¯t easy for you to build your name. I don¡¯t want you to tarnish it just because of something I¡¯ve done. Stay out of it, okay? This has nothing to do with you. I know what to do to punish her,¡± Sophie said. ¡°Sophie, why would you say that? What do you mean it has nothing to do with me? It has everything to do with me. When someone tries to nder you, they¡¯re ndering me as well. How could I stand by and watch?¡± Chapter 147 Chapter 147 Chapter 147 Erotic Cecelia was angry. Prior to that, she had never cared about Lorelei. However, she just wanted Lorelei dead when she crossed her bottom line. ¡°Oh, goodness!¡± Having grown up with Cecelia, Sophie was well aware of her temper. ¡°That¡¯s it, okay? It¡¯s just Lorelei. She¡¯s done for.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Cecelia knew Sophie would get annoyed if she were to carry on pursuing the matter. ¡°As an actress, isn¡¯t the state of yourplexion important to you? Sleep early, okay?¡± ¡°Hey, you¡¯re way more important to mepared to myplexion.¡± If Cecelia were a man, she would definitely be a sweet talker. The two of them talked on the phone for quite a while before Cecelia reluctantly hung up. When Sophie came out of her room, Tristan was still in the living room. ¡°It¡¯s gettingte,¡± Sophie said. Tristan raised his gaze and nced at Sophie. She was standing there with her auburn hair over her shoulders, looking as beautiful as always. He beckoned her over with his finger. Upon seeing that, Sophie walked up to him and stood in front of him. ¡°What? Didn¡¯t I tell you I¡¯m fine? What makes you think I can¡¯t beat Lorelei?¡± Sophie wasn¡¯t one to get bullied. ¡°I know you¡¯re very capable, Sophie. In fact, you can even fight off mercenaries. However, I¡¯m still not willing to see you in any form of danger. Even if your counterpart has nothing on you, I would still stand by your side because I¡¯m worried that you might get hurt. I don¡¯t think I can ever stay away from you. Do you know how I feel?¡± Indeed, once someone had fallen in love, they would do anything in their power to keep their significant other safe and sound. He then suddenly held her waist and pulled her downward. Just like that, she was sitting on hisp. Before that, Sophie was standing in front of him. She couldn¡¯t help but feel that the position she was in was a little too intimate for her liking. ¡°Mr. Tristan!¡± Sophie eximed in surprise. To her surprise, Tristan merely rested his head on her shoulder. Right then, she was overwhelmed with uncertainties. She really didn¡¯t know what to say to make him feel better. All along, she preferred to take everything upon herself and protect the others. However, she was at a loss whenever she was with Tristan. Due to the uncertainties, she wasn¡¯t even sure where she would end up in the future. Hence, she couldn¡¯t promise Tristan anything. ¡°You¡¯re so cruel, you know? I¡¯ve already said so much, but you¡¯re still unwilling tomit to me.¡± Tristan had never expected that he would end up wanting an eighteen-year-old girl to make a commitment to him. ¡°I¡­¡± At that point, she didn¡¯t know what to say. Tristan wrapped his arms around her neck and kissed her on her lips. ¡°It¡¯s all right. I¡¯m not trying to put pressure on you when I said that. I just want you to know that you¡¯re the only person I want to be with.¡± After staying in that position for around ten minutes, he let go of her and let her sit on the couch. If he were to keep holding her in his arms, he could lose his cool and devour her whole. N?velDrama.Org holds ? this. Knowing that she was still young, he had to be patient and have some self-control. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I need to take a shower. If you¡¯re sleepy, you should just go to bed first. I¡¯ll leave after I¡¯m done showering,¡± Tristan uttered. Sophie smirked when she saw him trying to flee the scene. If some other men were to get turned on by her, she wouldn¡¯t hesitate to end his manhood. However, since the man in question was Tristan, she found his reaction rather cute. At the same time, anticipation had grown in her. After taking a shower, Tristan couldn¡¯t help but smile wryly when he saw himself in the mirror. When did my willpower be so weak? Sophie was just sitting on myp. It¡¯s not like she was doing anything to me, so why couldn¡¯t I control my urge? ¡°Tristan, are you really a monster? She¡¯s just an eighteen-year-old girl. What were you thinking?¡± he asked himself. The moment he thought about her soft lips and slender waist, his mind was instantly filled with lustful thoughts. After showering, Tristan came out with a bathrobe on. Sophie isn¡¯t in the living room anymore. She must be in bed already, right? Although his emotions were telling him to stay, his mind was telling him to get out of there. Hence, he quickly put on his clothes and fled. When Sophie heard the door close, she got out of her room and went to the living room. As expected, he had already left. A bright smile then appeared on her face when she recalled his actions and reactions earlier. Tristan sent Sophie a text when he arrived home. Tristan: I¡¯m home. Sleep early, okay? Sophie: Okay. Tristan wasn¡¯t happy when he received the one-word reply. This girl is so heartless. I thought I¡¯m a man with few words, butpared to her, it seems like I¡¯m such a talker. It¡¯s okay, though. All we have is time. I¡¯ll slowly involve myself in her life, and she¡¯ll get used to having me around. With those lustful thoughts in his mind, he ended up having wet dreams that night, and Sophie was in every one of those dreams. The next morning, Tristan was bewildered when he recalled those dreams he had. I didn¡¯t even have a wet dream when I was a teenager. Nheless, those were some sweet dreams. Tristan, the legend of Jipsdale, ended up needing a cold shower that morning to calm his thoughts. ¡­ In the meantime, Willow spotted Angie the moment she arrived at Jipsdale Premier High, and she couldn¡¯t help but frown. Didn¡¯t I already get her to transfer to another school? Everything was arranged for her back then, so what is she doing here now? Willow grabbed Angie¡¯s hand and dragged her into an alley. Angie let her lead the way. Although she didn¡¯t know where Willow was going, she knew she had a lot of things to say to her. ¡°Angie, I¡¯ve already arranged for you to transfer to another school, no? You could¡¯ve started a new life. What are you doing back here? You have nothing to do with Jipsdale Premier High anymore. Do you think you¡¯ll have a peaceful lifeing back here? Do you think Sophie is going to let you off the hook?¡± Willow was very emotional. As long as Angie doesn¡¯te back, no one will find out about that incident. ¡°Willow, I can¡¯t stay in that school. The students there only greeted me with punches and kicks. I can¡¯t stay there. Please help me.¡± Chapter 148 Chapter 148 Chapter 148 Compromise Angie was holding onto Willow¡¯s hand so tight that it was as if she was holding onto herst hope. Willow wasn¡¯t pleased. What is she doing? Does she need to do this? Why should I clean up the mess she has made in another school? ¡°Angie, I believe I¡¯ve done my part. Back then, you were the one who uploaded the photos on the forum, so it has nothing to do with me. I¡¯ve already helped you, no? Why are you taking advantage of my kindness?¡± Willow pulled her hand away from Angie and warned, ¡°I¡¯m warning you. Don¡¯t ever show up in front of me again. Otherwise, I¡¯m going to teach you a lesson. Also, watch your mouth. I¡¯m sure you know what not to say.¡± Angie stared at her in disbelief. If she didn¡¯t send those photos to me, how would everything happen? ¡°Willow, if I¡¯m going down, I¡¯ll be sure to drag you down with me. You¡¯d better find another school for me. Otherwise, I¡¯m going toe after you. Mason doesn¡¯t know about your misdeeds, right? Do you think you would still have a chance with him if he finds out about this?¡± With that, Angie turned around and left. So, this is Willow¡¯s true self. She¡¯s such a disgusting woman. After Angie left, Willow leaned against the wall and took a deep breath. Now, Mason is already treating me with such a bad attitude. If he finds out I was involved in those incidents, he¡¯ll never forgive me. Jipsdale is a huge ce. I¡¯m sure the Tanner family has the ability to make a small fry like her vanish into thin air! A chilling re shed across Willow¡¯s eyes when she murmured to herself, ¡°Angie, you¡¯d better watch what you do. If not, I won¡¯t show you mercy.¡± Willow couldn¡¯t help but feel troubled when she thought about Mason¡¯s attitude toward her. That man¡¯s heart must be made of stone. How has he not softened up after all the time I¡¯ve spent with him? When Willow got out of the alley, she bumped into her followers. ¡°Wi, what were you doing in the alley?¡± one of them asked. Apparently, that alley was the ce where most of the bullies in the school would settle their disagreements privately. What was she doing there alone? ¡°It¡¯s nothing. Stop asking me about it,¡± Willow answered. ¡°Wi, I saw Angie just now. What is she doing back here?¡± ¡°How would I know? Do you think I have the time for that?¡± Willow didn¡¯t want the conversation to continue, and she just wanted to get out of there. When she arrived at the school¡¯s entrance, she saw Angie there, staring back at her. Willow¡¯s heart skipped a beat. F*ck! Why is she still here? Right then, Sophie and Ysabelle appeared at the entrance. Seeing that Angie was about to approach Sophie, Willow immediately ran toward Angie and grabbed her hand before dragging her out of there. ¡°Wi?¡± Her followers were stumped. What just happened? Where did she go? After that, they started talking among themselves. ¡°What¡¯s going on? Why did Angie look for Willow?¡± ¡°I heard Angie was having a tough time at her new school. Not only was she constantly bullied by the other girls, but they had also stripped her naked in public.¡± In fact, Angie¡¯s life in her new school was far different from when she was in Jipsdale Premier High. There, the students would fight very often. Obviously, that wasn¡¯t an environment that a goody two shoes like Angie could survive. ¡°Is it really that bad?¡± ¡°Oh, yes. It¡¯s that bad. However, how does any of it have to do with Wi? Although Wi is a kind person, what can she do to help?¡± ¡°Could it be that Angie is bullying Wi?¡± The conversation went on. Unsurprisingly, Sophie and Ysabelle had spotted Angie earlier on. Besides, they also heard the conversation Willow¡¯s followers were having. ¡°Serves her right! That¡¯s what she gets for talking sh*t about you.¡± Ysabelle had no sympathy for Angie at all. Since she dared to hurt Soph, she deserves every bit of hardship she gets. Sophie, on the other hand, didn¡¯t have anything to say. That was because Angie was not anyone important to her. If she didn¡¯t show up in front of Sophie that day, Sophie would have already forgotten about her existence. ¡°Angie transferred to Jipsdale High. That¡¯s the worst school in Jipsdale because most of the students there are gangsters,¡± Ysabelle added. N?velDrama.Org holds ? this. ¡°I¡¯m not interested.¡± Indeed, none of those so-called gangsters couldpare to Sophie. ¡°All right. Let¡¯s just forget about her. Whatever it is, she deserves it. That¡¯s what she gets for getting into bed with Willow.¡± Ysabelle then went into the school with Sophie. ¡°Ysabelle, are you all right?¡± Ysabelle didn¡¯t seem like her usual self that day, and she didn¡¯t eat much for dinner. ¡°I¡¯m fine. Why wouldn¡¯t I be? Don¡¯t worry, okay?¡± Ysabelle didn¡¯t want Sophie to worry about her. Well, it¡¯s not like anyone can help me with what I¡¯m going through. Sophie walked up beside Ysabelle and put her arm over her shoulders. Suddenly, Ysabelle felt aggrieved. ¡°Soph, do you know that if I could choose my own destiny, I would rather be born into an ordinary family? In that case, I can do what I like.¡± Her father was livid because of the video taken in the karaoke bar. He thought she had done it on purpose. Sophie patted her shoulder and said, ¡°Even if you are a Lombard, you can still do what you like. You have my support.¡± No matter what the others had to say, she would still support Ysabelle. ¡°Okay.¡± Ysabelle was touched. After the self-study session, Sophie received a call from Arius, and she wanted to look for him right away. However, she saw Tristan waiting for her outside the school when she was leaving. ¡°Why are you here?¡± Since she was busy, she wouldn¡¯t leave with him even if he was there to fetch her. Upon hearing that, Tristan furrowed his brows. She doesn¡¯t seem like she wants me here. Otherwise, why would she have that expression on her face? ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Are you busy?¡± Judging by the look on her face, Tristan could tell that she wasn¡¯t nning on going back to Wisteria Apartments. ¡°Yes. I need to pay someone a visit. Hence, whatever you came here for, could we leave it for tomorrow?¡± Sophie thought she had made herself clear. Felix didn¡¯t dare to utter a word after he saw the look in Tristan¡¯s eyes. Felix was there to apologize to Ysabelle because he was the reason the video went viral. However, he got a feeling that it was a mistake to go there. ¡°Can I leave now?¡± Sophie nced at Tristan. Tristan nodded. What else can I say? She¡¯s always so busy, and she has a lot of people to meet. I bet I don¡¯t even matter much to her. Sophie felt bad when she saw the look on his face. That being said, she was dealing with something that concerned Josiah. Hence, it was very important. ¡°How about this? Go over to Wisteria Apartments to wait for me, okay?¡± Sophie had done something she had never done in her life. She hadpromised because of how sad Tristan looked. ¡°Okay. No matter what you¡¯re going to do, take care of yourself.¡± Tristan was happy with her suggestion. Chapter 149 Chapter 149 Chapter 149 Protecting What She Wants To Protect Even though he hoped that he would be able to head there with her, he decided not to press on since she said nothing. Property ? N?velDrama.Org. Sophie knew that Tristan wanted to go with her, but Arius was no ordinary person. Without Arius¡¯ permission, no one, including Sophie, could reveal his location to anyone else. ¡°Mr. Tristan, you can send her there.¡± Why let a young woman like her take a cab to who-knows-where sote at night? Tristan shot him a look in response. Do I look like I needed you to prompt me to do that? It¡¯s only because Sophie doesn¡¯t want me to do it. That¡¯s what I mind the most. Right then, Ysabelle came out and saw Felix and her uncle. ¡°Are you all here to pick me up?¡± Clearly, Tristan was not. But where¡¯s Sophie? Did they note across her? ¡°Send her home safely, and don¡¯t let her linger around outside,¡± was all Tristan said to Felix before getting into the car, ready to head to Wisteria Apartments and wait for Sophie there. Ysabelle then turned to Felix and scoffed at the man. She did not forget that they were both giving each other the cold shoulder. Moreover, she had tried to initiate reconciliation, but he ignored herpletely. ¡°Ysabelle, I was the one who uploaded the video. Sorry.¡± Felix was overwhelmed with guilt. All he wanted was to help her out, but his action ended up trapping her in a situation like this. Ysabelle scoffed again. ¡°Oh,¡± she tly said as if she waspletely unfazed by the matter. ¡°Is there something else you want to talk about? If not, it¡¯s time for me to head home. My dad has given me a curfew.¡± Felix pursed his lips, feeling helpless. I think I¡¯ve really made a mistake. ¡°Belle, I really didn¡¯t mean to be so distant toward you. I just didn¡¯t know how to face you.¡± ¡°Is that so? So, you know how to face me now?¡± Felix was silent. ¡°If you don¡¯t, you might as well just give up. It¡¯s the best oue for all of us.¡± Then, without giving him a chance to respond, Ysabelle turned and got into the Lombard family¡¯s car. Felix remained rooted to his spot, thinking, Maybe I¡¯m really in the wrong. Perhaps we¡¯re not suitable for each other. Rtionships can¡¯t be forced, and it¡¯s time for me to sober up. Meanwhile, Sophie had taken a cab to Cloud Nine Hotel, where Arius was waiting for her. It only took Sophie a knock on the door before Arius opened it. He was wearing a white top with the two top buttons undone and a pair of ck cks. In those clothes, he looked like an intellectual, but there was also a tinge of slyness in his witty eyes. ¡°Dress yourself properly,¡± Sophie huffed. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? I¡¯ve already dressed decently, but you¡¯re still unhappy with my attire? If not for you, I wouldn¡¯t have even worn a shirt. Moreover, don¡¯t you know that many girls love the sight of my figure? You¡¯re full ofints despite getting a free show. Don¡¯t you think that you¡¯re too much?¡± Sophie was silent, pondering where he was getting his confidence from. Dressed properly? You¡¯re giving me the urge to wash my eyes with bleach. A beatter, Arius had no choice but to button up his shirt. ¡°I¡¯d say you must have really low self-esteem. You¡¯re scared that you¡¯d fall for my beauty, and that¡¯s why you¡¯re so picky with my clothes.¡± Sophie did not know how to reply to that. He¡¯s so full of himself. I might as well let him wallow in his self-delusion. Arius then asked Sophie to take a seat on the couch before he filled a ss of warm water for her. ¡°Here¡¯s the thing. The medical association is about to have a medical summit in a few days, so I have to rush back to attend it. Therefore, I will have to perform your grandpa¡¯s surgery before I go back. Is that fine with you?¡± Arius said without beating around the bush, knowing that Sophie was a busy young woman. ¡°Hm,¡± she hummed as she tapped the desknguidly. Arius then sat down beside her and held her hand. ¡°You¡¯d be at ease to hear that I¡¯ll be the primary attending surgeon for the surgery, right?¡± Arius knew how important Josiah was to Sophie, and that was why he had spent a long time preparing for the surgery to the best of his ability. He was trying hard to minimize all the risks involved. ¡°It¡¯s not that I¡¯m worried about your skills.¡± After all, the one she was talking to was Arius Gullifer. How could she possibly not have trust in his skills as a surgeon? However, it was surgery at the end of the day, and surgery always came with risks. ¡°Trust me, Sophie. If I was able to pull you away from the hands of the grim reaper four years ago, I¡¯d be able to save the one that matters the most to you four yearster too.¡± Sophie could only incline her head in response. ¡°All right, make the arrangements for the surgery, and I¡¯ll talk to my grandpa.¡± Frankly, if Josiah did not undergo surgery, Sophie did not know how much longer he could hold out. The surgery was mandatory, and Arius was the most suitable one to be Josiah¡¯s primary attending surgeon. When Arius noticed the hesitant look on her face, he stood up and opened a bottle of red wine before giving her a ss of it. Then, when she was not paying attention to him, he added a little drug to it. ¡°I don¡¯t feel like drinking,¡± Sophie said, shaking her head when she saw the ss he was handing to her. ¡°Just a little. This red wine is really smooth. I spent three million to get it. You¡¯ve been too stressed out lately, and drinking a little alcohol will be good for you.¡± Sophie did not have her guard up around Arius at all; the only person she trusted most besides Josiah was Arius. Thus, she took the ss from him and drank everyst bit of the red wine. A few minutester, she fell asleep on the couch. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Sophie. I didn¡¯t want to do this to you, but I have to check you over.¡± If not for her stubbornness, he would not have resorted to drugging her. Arius then hunched over to lift Sophie from the couch and ced her on the bed before giving her a checkup. After making sure that she was physically fine, Arius let out a sigh of relief and tucked her in. ¡°Good girl, rest well. I¡¯ll help you protect the people you care about the most.¡± At the very least, he was confident in his ability to do that. That night, Sophie had a long, long dream. Meanwhile, Tristan was getting more and more anxious as time ticked away. Sophie had asked him to wait for her at Wisteria Apartments, and that was why he had chosen to do nothing but trust her, believing that she would return. However, as time passed, Tristan was getting increasingly doubtful about his choice. Why? Where did she go? Did something happen to her? Unable to hold himself back anymore, Tristan called her. However, no one picked up his call. It was then that Tristan started panicking. He had never felt that kind of fear before. In the end, he sent his men to track her whereabouts, not because he had no trust in her but because he was worried about her. Nevertheless, once he found out that she was in Cloud Nine Hotel¡¯s presidential suite with an unfamiliar man, Tristan¡¯s expression darkened. Instantly, he sped off to Cloud Nine Hotel. He could not stand the thought of her being with another man, no matter who he was. After getting down from the car, he went straight to the presidential suite and knocked on the door. When Arius heard the sound, he opened the door, only to be greeted with the sight of the enraged Tristan. Arius frowned. Mr. Tristan? What¡¯s he doing here? ¡°Mr. Tristan, how may I help you?¡± While Tristan did not know who Arius was, that did not mean Arius was clueless about the former too. Chapter 150 Chapter 150 Chapter 150 Important To Me Tristan immediately narrowed his eyes to study the man in front of him. ¡°Who are you? What are you trying to do?¡± Tristan was only worried that the man would hurt Sophie. Arius could not hold back hisughter when he noticed how tense Tristan was. ¡°Are you trying to ask what kind of rtionship Sophie has with me instead?¡± Tristan did not respond to him. Instead, his eyes flitted toward the bed behind Arius and realized that Sophie was indeed lying on it. Despite the loudmotion, Sophie was still asleep. At that, Tristan realized that something was amiss. ¡°What have you done to her?¡± Tristan bellowed, his heart leaping to his throat. ¡°Who are you, and what right do you have to ask all these questions?¡± So, is he the reason Sophie refused to join the medical association? At that point, Tristan did not want to waste any more of his breath on the man, so he began attacking Arius. Even though Arius was a medical student, he was quite skilled in fighting as well. A fight promptly broke out between the two of them. Nevertheless, no matter how good of a fighter Arius was, he was no match for Tristan. Soon, thetter had him sprawling on the floor. ¡°Speak! What happened to Sophie?¡± Waves of anxiety were washing over Tristan¡¯s mind as he realized that Sophie was still not awake from the loud noises they made. He kept wondering what the man had done to her. Arius could not move an inch as Tristan kept him pinned on the floor, but he refused to admit defeat. ¡°Why should I tell you anything? Aren¡¯t you worried about her? If so, find out what happened to her yourself.¡± Upon hearing Arius¡¯ stubborn words, Tristan kicked his abdomen. ¡°Ah!¡± Arius cried out in pain. ¡°Sh*t, you f*cking¡ª¡± Before he was done cursing at Tristan, Tristan lifted his leg, about to give him another kick. ¡°Stop it.¡± I know I¡¯m a doctor, but it still hurts when I get kicked! ¡°Speak!¡± No one could keep their secrets if Tristan was the one interrogating them. ¡°She¡¯s fine. She¡¯ll wake up in the morning. I¡¯m warning you now; don¡¯t do anything to me. Otherwise, Sophie won¡¯t let you off the hook when she wakes up.¡± With how close Sophie and I are, she won¡¯t let anyone bully me like this! Arius felt utterly ashamed for suffering aplete defeat. ¡°Scram.¡± The fact that Sophie came all the way there herself meant the two of them were not merely associates. That was why he could not jump to a conclusion based on merely his own spections before Sophie regained consciousness. Nevertheless, once Sophie woke up and Tristan confirmed that the man had indeed harbored malicious intentions toward her, he would destroy the man. Arius rubbed his nose and muttered, ¡°This is my room. Why do I have to leave? Even if one of us has to leave, shouldn¡¯t you be the one?¡± So what if he¡¯s the renowned Mr. Tristan? I, Arius Gullifer, am not an easy target either. Just a call from me, and the top assassin wille and kill him! Tristan shot him a re. Again, Arius scratched his nose awkwardly. ¡°Fine. A good man knows when to retreat. Since no one can speak up for me while Sophie¡¯s asleep, I¡¯ll wait until she wakes up. Let¡¯s see if you¡¯re still going to be this haughty!¡± Arius then exited the presidential suite and booked a different room. After entering the new room, he lay on the bed and slept. In the meantime, Tristan walked over to the bed to look at the sleeping woman. Then, he held her hand. ¡°Girly, how could you make others worry about you this much?¡± I should¡¯ve ignored her decision and come with her. This wouldn¡¯t have happened otherwise. For the first time in his life, Tristan was feeling regretful. After he nted a kiss on her forehead, the anger in him dissipated. It was as if nothing mattered anymore as long as he knew that she was fine. Tristan felt that it was strange for him to be acting that way. When Sophie finally woke up, she noticed Tristan sprawling at the edge of the bed, asleep. She mused, He looks ufortable in that position. Then, she began recalling what had happened the night before. How did Tristan end uping here? Where is Arius? Where did he go? Sophie then tried to get off the bed to head to the bathroom, but just as she moved a little, Tristan was jolted awake. Instinctively, he grabbed her hand. Her somewhat groggy look made Tristan¡¯s heart skip a beat, and he could not help but pin her under him. ¡°Didn¡¯t you ask me to wait for you at Wisteria Apartments?¡± Tristan sounded a little resentful and piteous. Sophie scratched the back of her head as she, too, did not know how she ended up falling asleep there. ¡°Sorry, I identally fell asleep here. I have no idea what¡¯s going on too. Have you seen my friend?¡± The two of them must have encountered, right? Seeing that Sophie was asking about her friend the moment she woke up, Tristan became upset. As a form of punishment, he bit the corner of her lips. ¡°Is he more important than me? Why are you asking about him right after you wake up?¡± Tristan felt that it was no small matter, and he had to get an answer from Sophie. ¡°Mr. Tristan¡­¡± Sophie never thought that the mature and collected Tristan would ask a question like that. This is unbelievable. He¡¯s making me change my impression of him! ¡°What¡¯s the matter? Is that a difficult question to answer?¡± Tristan insisted. Sophie was still pinned under him, and they were in a truly awkward position. ¡°Let me get up first. I need to use the bathroom.¡± Sophie was about to lose control of her dder soon. ¡°No. You have to answer me first. Who¡¯s more important to you?¡± He¡¯s just like a kid. Am I supposed to console him? ¡°He¡¯s important to me,¡± was what Sophie told him honestly. Hearing that, Tristan fell silent. Is that man really that important to her? Finally, he let go of her, and she sat up on the bed. When she noticed the sullen expression on his face, she scrambled for words to say to him. Why does he have such a look on his face? ¡°Mr. Tristan, are you okay?¡± Tristan shook his head. ¡°Not at all,¡± he told her. He wanted to be the one who mattered the most in her life. At his response, Sophie scratched her head in confusion. A momentter, she silently went to the bathroom to wash up. Right then, Arius returned, for he knew that she would wake up around that time. Once Tristan caught a glimpse of the man, he scowled.N?velDrama.Org holds ? this. That was what Sophie saw when she came out of the bathroom¡ªa stand-off between two extremely handsome men. Then, she spotted the injury on Arius¡¯ face, and the corner of her lips twitched. So¡­ these two men have already fought, and Mr. Tristan emerged as the victor. When Arius realized that Sophie was out of the bathroom, he rushed to her side and pointed at Tristan. ¡°Soph, look. He¡¯s bullying me!¡± Tristan was speechless. How can this man be so childish and a tattletale? Still, Sophie pretended not to have heard his words. After all, the other man was Tristan. Even if he bullied Arius, there was nothing she could do about it. Arius was instantly despondent when he saw Sophie ignoring him. ¡°You¡¯re too much, Sophie! How can you side with an outsider and not me? I¡¯m¡ª¡± Sophie shot a look at him, and he promptly mped his mouth shut. I¡¯m her senior, but what a sad life I lead! ¡°Hmph! The two of you are so mean to me. I don¡¯t want to see you anymore. Leave!¡± Arius fumed. ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll leave then,¡± Sophie said before turning around to actually leave. ¡°Sophie, you¡¯re going too far!¡± ¡°I¡¯m going too far? If you didn¡¯t drug me and make me sleep for so long, would I be oblivious to the two of you fighting here?¡± Chapter 151 Chapter 151 Chapter 151 Cheap Hearing that, Arius rubbed his nose in shame. Indeed, he was the one at fault, so he did not dare to say anything else. On the other hand, Tristan shot Arius a vicious re, and thetter flinched in terror. These two¡¯s demeanor are truly in sync! It¡¯s quite terrifying. Even after exiting the presidential suite and entering Tristan¡¯s car, Sophie said nothing to him to exin the situation. ¡°Do you trust him a lot?¡± It seemed like Tristan was really bothered by the close tie between Sophie and Arius. ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°You¡¯re a cautious person. If you didn¡¯t have absolute trust in him, he wouldn¡¯t have had a chance to drug you.¡± Sophie continued staring straight ahead in silence. ¡°Sophie, I don¡¯t care how important he is to you. If he hurts you, I won¡¯t let him off the hook.¡± ¡°Mr. Tristan, he wasn¡¯t trying to hurt me.¡± There were many things Sophie still could not tell Tristan. Tristan was disappointed. Even now, she still can¡¯t bring herself to exin anything to me. ¡°Send me to the Tanner residence, will you?¡± Arius had to return to the medical association, so the surgery had to proceed earlier than scheduled. ¡°Are you not going to school today?¡± ¡°I need to talk to my grandpa, so I won¡¯t be going to school today.¡± Regardless of everything, Sophie had made up her mind to convince her grandfather to agree to the surgery. At the end of the day, this surgery determines how much time Grandpa has left to stay by my side. No matter the cost, I have to get him to undergo this surgery. ¡°What¡¯s going on? Soph, no matter what happens, I hope you won¡¯t keep it a secret from me. I want to face life head-on with you no matter rain or shine.¡± His words moved Sophie. Although they had technically only met by chance, he had been nice to her all this time, taking on all her problems as if they were his. Tristan was disappointed to see that Sophie remained secretive with him. Have I not done enough? Why won¡¯t she tell me anything? Nevertheless, Tristan sent her to the Tanner residence. Only after watching her enter the house did he turn to leave. However, before he could get into his car, Willow stopped him. ¡°Hello, are you Sophie¡¯s boyfriend?¡± Willow¡¯s heart skipped a beat when she finally met the man again. Content held by N?velDrama.Org. Mason was now bed-bound, and no one could tell whether or not he would be able to stand on his two feet again. On the other hand, the man before her was healthy and elegant in all ways. He made her heart race. Nevertheless, Tristan waspletely uninterested in talking to Sophie¡¯s sister. Still, Willow persisted despite his obvious indifference and ran toward him. She had dressed up to her nines that day, and she was sure that no man would reject her. ¡°Since you¡¯re here, why aren¡¯t you going in with Sophie?¡± Willow deliberately asked. ¡°Right, Sophie¡¯s always been like this. She¡¯s very wary of others. Maybe you don¡¯t matter to her, and that¡¯s why she didn¡¯t ask you toe in. I don¡¯t know if you¡¯re aware of this or not, but she brought Mason home less than a month after meeting him five years ago. Oh, I¡¯m sorry. I think I¡¯ve run my mouth.¡± Willow was spilling the beans on purpose. Upon hearing her, Tristan drew his brows together. Is she trying to drive a wedge between us? Isn¡¯t that a cheap trick? ¡°Sorry, but I don¡¯t know who you are. Can you move aside now?¡± Whether or not he and Sophie were getting along was none of an outsider¡¯s business. Tristan¡¯s straightforward response made Willow grimace. After biting her lip, she decided to throw caution to the wind and uttered, ¡°I¡¯m just doing this for your sake. There are plenty of men around Sophie. I¡¯m hoping that you won¡¯t end up as one of her ythings.¡± At that, Tristan narrowed his eyes at her. That look from him sent chills down her spine. ¡°I don¡¯t want to hear you talk about Sophie from now on. If I hear this again, don¡¯t me me for making you pay.¡± Willow never expected that the man would not heed a single word from her despite how she had to muster her courage to tell him those things. ¡°I know better than you who Sophie is. A girl like you is asking to be taught a lesson,¡± Tristan added. By then, all the colors had drained from Willow¡¯s face. ¡°This is just for your sake¡­¡± Willow tried to protest, but Tristan gave her no chance to do so as he went into his car. Overwhelmed with rage, she tightened her fists. What spell did Sophie cast on this man to make him so protective of her? Why? Jealousy was an emotion that could drive anyone mad. When Willow thought about the recent incidents that she had gone through, she felt the overwhelming urge to skin Sophie alive. After Tristan entered his car, he did not leave immediately; he intended to wait for Sophie in the car. When he saw Willow still standing rooted to her spot and fuming, he sneered. Disgusting. Tristan was no fool. The moment Willow walked over, he knew what she was about to do. When Charmaine saw Sophie return, she immediately paused her work and asked in concern, ¡°You¡¯re free today? Are you here to visit your grandpa?¡± Sophie did not even feel like responding to Charmaine¡¯s feigned concern. ¡°I¡¯m going up to see Grandpa,¡± was all Sophie said before heading to the backyard. After all, she knew that Josiah was in the middle of tending to his garden at that moment. ¡°This girl is so rude. Does she really think that she owns Tanner Group now?¡± Charmaine simply could not bring herself to like this daughter of hers. ¡°Mrs. Tanner, Ms. Sophie is pushing her luck. Ms. Willow is still the more obedient and sensible one.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. Wi¡¯s more sensible and sweet. It¡¯s genuinely a pity that Mason is in this state now. I wonder if he¡¯ll ever recover.¡± Every time Charmaine thought about Mason¡¯s leg, she would feel troubled. If Mason could no longer walk, Willow would have a hard life, and Charmaine could not bear to let her suffer. After all, Willow was the daughter she had doted on since young. ¡°Mrs. Tanner, Ms. Willow is such an outstanding person, so there isn¡¯t a need for her to stick to the Laird family. I heard from a rtive that the best families in Jipsdale right now are the four major families. ¡°The four major families.¡± Charmaine knew that those four families were the best choices, but unfortunately, the Tanners had nothing to do with them at all. ¡°Mrs. Tanner, since Ms. Willow is such a wonderful person, if she can get a chance to meet anyone from the four major families, she would be able to¡­¡± Charmaine was starting to grow haughty as she listened to the words of the housekeeper. If Mason¡¯s no longer a good choice, we can always opt for someone else as long as that person can give us what we want. ¡°The four major families? Let me think about how we can approach these four major families¡­¡± She¡¯s right. All Willowcks is an opportunity. ¡°My darling, you¡¯vee! Hurry over to look at my orchid!¡± Josiah beckoned Sophie from inside the greenhouse. Sophie then walked over and crouched down beside Josiah to look at his beloved orchid. ¡°How is it?¡± Josiah eagerly asked. Chapter 152 Chapter 152 Chapter 152 Good Luck Sophie gave Josiah¡¯s orchid a few more nces and realized that it was indeed of a rare species. ¡°If you like it, I¡¯ll get someone to send a few more pots of this orchid to you,¡± was all Sophie said to him in response. She hade not to talk about orchids with Josiah but to convince the elderly man to undergo surgery. All content is property ? N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Soph, is there something you want to talk to me about?¡± Josiah rarely saw her so hesitant to say anything. There was no point in hiding it anymore, so she said, ¡°Grandpa, I hope you¡¯ll agree to the surgery.¡± Josiah turned silent. Why is she suddenly talking about this? Though, it isn¡¯t actually that abrupt. Didn¡¯t she bring me to the hospital for a full-body checkup the other day? Josiah was contemting how he should reply to her. He was old and genuinely did not want to go through the hassle anymore. ¡°Soph, I don¡¯t want to undergo the surgery. All I want for my final days is to see you happy. That¡¯s all I need.¡± If he did not agree to undergo surgery, he might have a little longer to live. However, if he agreed to it, there was a high chance that he would not even survive the operation as his body might not be able to handle the stress. Nevertheless, Josiah was moved. While Josiah was keeping his condition a secret, Sophie, who did not live with him, knew what was going on. On the other hand, Yale, Charmaine, and Willow, who all stayed under the same roof as Josiah, did not notice anything amiss about him. Who said that she¡¯s not caring? ¡°Grandpa, trust me, okay? Please agree to the surgery.¡± Sophie leaned against his leg. He was thest bit of warmth she had in the world, and she did not wish for him to leave her so soon. ¡°Soph, I don¡¯t want to part with you, and that¡¯s why I don¡¯t want to agree to this surgery.¡± No one was not afraid of death. Although elderly people were expected to be more epting of death, Josiah did not want to meet his demise yet. He still wanted to stay by Sophie¡¯s side. If he were to leave as well, she would be all alone in the world. ¡°Grandpa, please trust me. I¡¯ve really sought help from the best doctor in the world, and I trust that he won¡¯t let me down. I¡¯ve never asked for anything from you, but please, do this for me.¡± The only time Sophie would act so lowly was when she was with Josiah. Josiah¡¯s heart ached to hear her words. How could I let her be in so much despair? Only then did Josiah begin mulling over his words. ¡°Soph, I really can¡¯t stop worrying about you.¡± She isn¡¯t even of age yet. If I leave, she¡¯ll be all alone, and I can¡¯t rest in peace. ¡°Grandpa, you said that you want to watch me get married. Are you going to go back on your words?¡± she asked. It was an urgent matter, and this was the only way she could persuade him. ¡°Soph¡­¡± What decision should I make? A beatter, Josiah said, ¡°Okay. In that case, I agree to the surgery. But Soph, you have to remember that I¡¯m the one who chose to do the surgery. Even if I don¡¯t leave the operation room alive, you¡¯re not allowed to be sad about that.¡± Sophie blinked quietly. Even now, he still has my best interests at heart. ¡°Okay.¡± Josiah then gently patted Sophie¡¯s back. ¡°You always do things discreetly, my child. Don¡¯t you know that¡¯s why you tend to suffer the most?¡± You should learn from Willow. Be more of a sweet talker, and others will feel bad for you. Isn¡¯t that better for you? As Josiah was going to undergo the surgery, he had to be admitted to the hospital for prior observation. Josiah summoned the butler and had thetter pack up for him. ¡°Old Mr. Tanner, are you really going to undergo the surgery?¡± The only one who knew about Josiah¡¯s condition other than Sophie was the butler. ¡°That¡¯s enough. You just need to know that I¡¯ll be undergoing the surgery. Pack up. We¡¯ll be going to the hospital with Sophie.¡± ¡°The rate of sess for this surgery is too low.¡± The butler knew that he should not be saying those things to Josiah, but he could not bring himself to feign ignorance after working for Josiah for so many years. A minor mistake by the surgeon, and Josiah would die on the operating table. After all, he was no longer as sturdy as when he was younger. ¡°As long as Soph¡¯s happy, I won¡¯t have any regrets even if I die.¡± The butler did not know how to respond to that. He knew that Josiah had always dotted on Sophie, but he never thought that Josiah would still heed Sophie even when it came to matters of life and death. After packing up, Josiah led the butler down the stairs while Sophie went into her room to get some things beforeing back out. When Charmaine saw the suitcase in Josiah¡¯s hands, she instantly stood up and asked, ¡°Dad, where are you going? Didn¡¯t the doctor ask you to stay at home?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be staying at one of myrades¡¯ ce for a while.¡± Josiah did not want to reveal too much about his surgery. He felt that it was better for them not to know about it. ¡°Dad, where are you going? No matter where you want to go, you should wait for Yale toe back and send you. If you go out by yourself now, he¡¯ll surely me me once hees home.¡± Charmaine could not wrap her mind around what Sophie had said to Josiah to convince him to leave. ¡°No need to. You just have to settle the matters at home. You don¡¯t need to intervene in my personal affairs.¡± If Yale finds out about this, he¡¯ll surely kick up a fuss. Josiah then went out with Sophie. When Tristan saw them, he quickly came out of the car. ¡°You haven¡¯t left?¡± ¡°No, I¡¯ve been waiting for you here. Old Mr. Tanner,e on into the car.¡± Frankly, Tristan did not even know where Sophie was taking Josiah, but he was going to help the elderly man into the car anyway. Josiah was visibly happy when he saw Tristan. ¡°Tanny, didn¡¯t I ask you to visit me at the Tanner residence? Why didn¡¯t youe?¡± Josiah grumbled. Tristan did not excuse himself. Instead, he only smiled and replied, ¡°Sorry. I was too busy courting Sophie, so I didn¡¯t have time toe here and visit you. Old Mr. Tanner, please forgive me for that.¡± Then, he helped Josiah into the car. Josiah was smiling the entire way as he thought, Tanny seems like a decent guy. Maybe he¡¯ll be a suitable candidate to take care of Sophie if I¡¯m gone. ¡°You¡¯ve been courting Soph since forever. I wish you all the best. I think you¡¯re good for her,¡± Josiah encouraged. ¡°Okay, Old Mr. Tanner. Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll definitely do my best! I¡¯ll win over your dear granddaughter and make sure she won¡¯t ever feel upset.¡± Tristan was a smart man; he knew what Josiah wanted to hear. That was why he said those things to please the old man. ¡°To the hospital.¡± Sophie climbed aboard and pretended not to have heard their conversation. Tristan then took on the role of the driver and sent them to the hospital. He knew about Josiah¡¯s condition too. Thus, he wondered, They¡¯re going to the hospital. Does that mean she has already made arrangements for the surgery? Once they were at the hospital, the hospital director made the arrangements for Josiah himself. Josiah could not help but turn to look at Tristan when the director came out to greet them. Chapter 153 Chapter 153 Chapter 153 Constance Insults Sophie ¡°All the preparations areplete, Old Mr. Tanner. Don¡¯t you worry!¡± said the director as he personally escorted Josiah to the VIP ward. Josiah simply chuckled in response as he knew he had nothing to worry about. Tristan helped him get seated after the director left, and Sophie came over with Arius shortly after. ¡°Hello, Old Mr. Tanner. I¡¯m Sophie¡¯s senior. My name is Arius Gullifer,¡± Arius greeted him with a friendly and easy-going smile. ¡°Her senior, huh? Sophie, why didn¡¯t you tell me about having a senior like him? What happened in Horington?¡± Sophie shot Arius a re. D*mn it! Why would he bring up the one thing I dread talking about the most? What happened in Horington is in the past, so I don¡¯t want Grandpa to know about it! Besides, him finding out now won¡¯t change a thing anyway. If anything, it¡¯ll only make him worry even more! ¡°Rx, Grandpa! I didn¡¯t do anything wrong!¡± Josiah fell silent. But¡­ I didn¡¯t say she did anything wrong¡­ ¡°Anyway, Arius is the doctor I found for you.¡± Josiah started freaking out when he heard that the young doctor in front of him was named Arius. Arius is a legend in the medical field! He¡¯s the pride of Chanaea! ¡°You can just call him Ari, Grandpa.¡± Sophie wasn¡¯t nning on introducing him at first, but she did so because she knew what Josiah was worried about. Besides, Arius¡¯ reputation could reallye in handy. Arius Gullifer, the only Chanaean in the international medical association. Young, famous, and possesses peerless medical skills. How is someone like him Sophie¡¯s senior? How many more secrets are Sophie keeping from me? Also, she seems to be treating him a little differently. Are they really just senior and junior? Tristan thought to himself as he nced at Arius. After what seemed like forever, Josiah finally found his voice and said, ¡°Thank you very much, Dr. Gullifer!¡± Arius scratched his head awkwardly and replied with a smile, ¡°You can just call me ¡®Ari,¡¯ Old Mr. Tanner. Given my rtionship with Soph, her grandpa is as important as mine! You really don¡¯t have to be so formal with me.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right, Grandpa! You can just call him ¡®Ari!¡¯ He¡¯ll be in charge of your surgery, and the director will give him his full cooperation. I¡¯ll keep youpany in the hospital throughout the next few days, so you have nothing to worry about!¡± Sophie added. Josiah frowned when he heard that. ¡°Since the surgery hasn¡¯t started, you should all go do whatever it is you should be doing! What are you all standing here for? I have full faith in Ari¡¯s medical skills!¡± Earlier on, he was skeptical about the surgery¡¯s chances of sess but found a glimmer of hope when he heard Arius would be performing the surgery. Maybe I will be able to see Soph get married and have kids, after all! ¡°Thank you for your trust in me, Old Mr. Tanner. I won¡¯t let you down!¡± Arius promised.Property ? N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Of course I trust you! You¡¯re the best medical practitioner in the world! Who else would I trust if not you?¡± Sophie held Josiah¡¯s hand with an anxious look in her eyes. Despite her usually being as cool as a cucumber, she found herself feeling uneasy when her grandfather¡¯s life was at risk. ¡°I¡¯ll be here with him, Soph. You can go do your work ande back when you¡¯re free.¡± Arius didn¡¯t want her to stick around as he knew she had a lot of work to do. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with me being here? Why are you all trying to get rid of me?¡± Sophie asked with a frown. Does my presence really make them that ufortable? ¡°I can¡¯t help but feel like I¡¯m being supervised when you¡¯re around, which makes me feel really ufortable. Go on, run along now!¡± Arius replied. He was determined to give his best in performing the surgery anyway, so he really didn¡¯t need an extra pair of eyes monitoring him all the time. ¡°All right, then. I¡¯ll go buy Grandpa some food ande backter,¡± Sophie said. I can¡¯t leave! Yale will surely be looking for Grandpa everywhere once he finds out that Grandpa isn¡¯t home. When that happens, I¡¯ll have one more problem to take care of¡­ ¡°I don¡¯t feel like eating anything, so you three can go ahead. Help me treat Ari to a nice meal, okay? I¡¯ll personally treat him to another meal when I get better!¡± Josiah wasn¡¯t sure how Sophie got him to help out, but he wanted to thank Arius properly. Arius held Josiah¡¯s hand and said with a chuckle, ¡°Sure thing, Old Mr. Tanner. I¡¯ll certainly im that meal when the timees!¡± Josiah felt especially at ease after hearing that. The butler waited until the three of them had left beforementing, ¡°Ms. Sophie sure is something else, isn¡¯t she? The people she knows are all big shots!¡± However, Josiah wasn¡¯t sure how to feel about that. ¡°The fact that she knows these people means she must be one of them as well. I remember how Soph used to be such an innocent and adorable girl¡­ Honestly, I would very much prefer for her to remain that way. At the very least, she wouldn¡¯t have so many things to worry about!¡± It pained him just thinking about the hardships that Sophie must¡¯ve gone through to achieve that status. ¡°You¡¯re overthinking it, Old Mr. Tanner. Besides, Sophie wouldn¡¯t have been able to handle all this on her own if she had remained the way she was,¡± the butler replied. Only through growth can a person hope to gain what he wants. I suppose we can¡¯t have everything our way, huh¡­ Constance had just stepped out of Mason¡¯s ward when she saw Sophie walking in between two men. To make matters worse, the men both looked extremely handsome and were not the kind to be trifled with. Hmph¡­ No wonder she doesn¡¯t like Mason at all! With that in mind, Constance said disdainfully, ¡°Now I see why you wouldn¡¯t visit Mason, Sophie. You¡¯ve found yourself another man! Or should I make that two? You sure are something else for dating two guys at the same time!¡± Sophie decided to ignore Constance as she knew there was no point in talking to someone that unreasonable. However, Arius wasn¡¯t about to just let it slide. ¡°What, are you jealous? Well, I suppose it makes sense. Given your appearance, I doubt any guy out there would even take an interest in you! You¡¯d probably be alone for the rest of your life if you weren¡¯t rich!¡± Constance was so angry that her fingers were trembling as she pointed at Arius. ¡°You¡­ Do you have any idea who I am? How dare you speak to me like that? I could have you disappear from Jipsdale if I so much as feel like it!¡± Arius quickly wrapped his arms around Sophie¡¯s and said sarcastically, ¡°Hey, Sophie! Did you hear that? She said she would make me disappear! I¡¯m so scared! What should I do?¡± Sophie burst outughing when she saw Arius acting like a child. ¡°Now, now¡­ That¡¯s quite enough, Arius.¡± She deemed Constance an unimportant person, so she didn¡¯t want to waste any more of their time on her. Arius let out a defiant snort and pointed at Tristan as he added, ¡°I could put you through a fate worse than death before you even make me disappear! Do you even know who he is?¡± Having recalled how powerful Tristan was, Arius decided to use his name instead. Sophie quickly stopped him when she realized what he was about to say next. ¡°We¡¯re going out for lunch, aren¡¯t we? Come on, quit wasting your time arguing with her!¡± Tristan simply stood there ring coldly at them as Sophie dragged Arius away by the arm. ¡°See that? Sophie is the kind of woman who forgets her current boyfriend after finding someone new! She doesn¡¯t deserve to be loved at all!¡± Chapter 154 Chapter 154 Chapter 154 You Belong To Me ¡°Mrs. Laird, was it? I¡¯m Tristan Lombard. Please keep in mind that there are some people you should never insult, and my woman is one of them.¡± There was no way he could tolerate someone insulting Sophie, let alone doing so multiple times in a row. The look on Constance¡¯s face changed the moment she heard him mention his name. How is this possible? Even the Laird family finds Sophie unworthy, so how could someone like Tristan be dating her? There¡¯s no way the great Lombard family would approve of her! On top of that, Tristan would never allow his woman to get so friendly with other guys! With that in mind, Constance protested, ¡°Are you kidding me? You can¡¯t possibly be Mr. Tristan! A man like him would never take an interest in a girl like Sophie!¡± Tristan simply snorted at her without saying anything, but that was more than enough to terrify her to the core. With Mason¡¯s fate still uncertain as hey on the hospital bed, the Laird family would be doomed if she offended Tristan. ¡°Are you really Mr. Tristan?¡± Constance asked with an uncertain look in her eyes. She was clinging to thest shred of hope that the man standing in front of her wasn¡¯t actually Tristan. ¡°What kind of woman did you say Sophie was?¡± Tristan asked with a sneer. Constance didn¡¯t dare say anything further after that. All it takes is an order from Mr. Tristan to destroy the Laird familypletely! Noticing that Tristan was still standing there, Sophie had no choice but toe back for him. ¡°Why are you still wasting your time on her?¡± she asked with a frown as she grabbed his hand and dragged him away. A smile formed on Tristan¡¯s face when he saw her holding his hand, and he kept his gaze fixated on their interlocked fingers the whole time. Sophie shook her head when she noticed what he was doing. ¡°Oh,e on, Mr. Tristan! Are you serious right now?¡± Since when did he be so childish? Why must hepete with Arius over everything? ¡°Yes, I am. I want everything that Arius gets. You belong to me, Sophie. Make sure you remember that, okay?¡± He could put up with everything else she did, but this was something he had to stand firm on. Sophie felt her heart race when she heard his confession-like statement. She tried pulling her hand back, but Tristan grabbed hold of it and refused to let go. ¡°You¡¯ve chosen to hold my hand, so you mustn¡¯t let go for the rest of your life.¡± Despite being a man of few words, Tristan found himself saying a lot when he was with Sophie. He feared someone else would beat him to it if he didn¡¯t make a move sooner. The look on Arius¡¯ face turned gloomy when he saw the two of them holding hands. ¡°That¡¯s unfair, Sophie! You need to treat us both equally!¡± he protested. She grabbed me by the wrist but went straight for his palm! There¡¯s a huge difference between the two! ¡°Are you two quite done? If you don¡¯t want to have lunch, we can just go our separate ways right now!¡± Sophie¡¯s patience had run out at that point. Arius could only rub his nose and keep his feelings of indignation to himself. The three of them soon arrived at a nice restaurant, attracting a lot of attention due to their remarkable appearances. After all, a goddess-like beauty hanging out with two ridiculously handsome men wasn¡¯t exactly a common sight for most people. Even so, the three of them paid no heed to the strange looks they were getting as they sat down at a table. A waiter soon came over and handed them some menus so they could ce their order. Tristan was fine with having anything that Sophie was having, so he just set the menu aside without even looking. Arius, on the other hand, was determined to order the best dishes avable since it would be their treat. After bombarding the waiter with a barrage of orders, he ced the menu down and said, ¡°Hey, Sophie! I bet you must be really proud of yourself for being able to treat me to a meal, huh?¡± Due to his status in society, there were countless people in Jipsdale who would kill to treat him to a meal. Sophie simply ignored him and ordered a few additional dishes ording to Tristan¡¯s preferences before handing the menu over. Content held by N?velDrama.Org. Naturally, Tristan¡¯s mood improved significantly after she ced her order. When the food was served up, Tristan helped top up Sophie¡¯s te with all sorts of food. Not wanting to lose to him, Arius poured her a bowl of soup as well. Sophie red at them and shouted impatiently, ¡°Can¡¯t you two just have lunch normally?¡± She was already stressed out due to Josiah¡¯s uing surgery, and their childish behavior only worsened her mood even further. ¡°It¡¯s all his fault, Sophie! I wouldn¡¯t have done something so childish if it weren¡¯t for him asserting his dominance! Fine! I¡¯m sorry, okay? I¡¯ll drink this soup myself!¡± Arius whined like a wimp. ¡°You should eat more, Sophie. Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m sure your grandpa will be all right,¡± Tristan reassured her as he knew she was concerned about him. ¡°Sophie, didn¡¯t you say you¡¯d trust me to get the job done? Do you not have faith in me?¡± Arius grumbled in displeasure. ¡°This has nothing to do with you. I¡¯d still worry about him regardless of who performs the surgery.¡± There was no such thing as a surgery without risks, so she couldn¡¯t help but feel uneasy no matter what. In order to offer her emotional support without overwhelming her, Tristan simply held Sophie¡¯s hand in silence. I bet Tristan would beat me to a pulp if I were to hold her hand right now¡­ Oh, woe is me¡­ Arius thought to himself with a wry smile when he saw the intimate interaction between them. After lunch, the three of them returned to the hospital together with nutritious food for Josiah. Surely enough, Sophie heard Yale¡¯s voice from outside the ward. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you, Dad? Given your age, you probably don¡¯t have that many years left! Why would you put yourself through all this?¡± Yale had just found out about his condition. Despite his harsh words, he actually didn¡¯t want to see Josiah take such a huge risk. ¡°I¡¯ve already made up my mind on this, Yale. There¡¯s no point in trying to talk me out of it!¡± Josiah replied stubbornly. ¡°You¡¯ve been brainwashed by Sophie is more like it! I¡¯m your son, Dad! All I want is the best for you! Have you ever considered the risks of undergoing surgery at your age? What if it isn¡¯t sessful?¡± Yale absolutely refused to ept his decision. Josiah simply stared at him in silence. Frustrated, Yale went off at Sophie the moment he saw here in through the door. ¡°I know you hate us for leaving you all by yourself in Horington five years ago, but that¡¯s all on me! If you want to get revenge, then it¡¯s me you shoulde after! Your grandpa is really old now, so he can¡¯t possibly handle such a surgery! Will you please spare him from such torment?¡± Sophie ignored himpletely and made her way toward the table with the lunchbox in hand. She was nning on feeding Josiah first before dealing with Yale. However, her actions angered him so much that he smacked the lunchbox out of her hand, spilling the food all over the floor. ¡°Hey! I¡¯m talking to you! Are you deaf or what? I am your father, Sophie! Watch your d*mned attitude!¡± Sophie¡¯s expression turned incredibly gloomy as she looked up at him. ¡°Get the f*ck out of here right now if you value your life, Yale Tanner! Don¡¯t say I didn¡¯t warn you!¡± Yale had truly angered her to the core at that point. Chapter 155 Chapter 155 Chapter 155 Nothing To Do With You What the h*ll? How dare she address me by my full name like that? I¡¯m her father, d*mn it! I¡¯ll teach her insolent a*s a lesson! ¡°Looks like I¡¯ll have to teach you some manners, Sophie. Can¡¯t have you ruining the Tanner family name by going around causing trouble everywhere!¡± Yale shouted as he grabbed her arm and swung at her. Josiah sat bolt upright and yelled sternly, ¡°Stop it, Yale! How dare you hit Sophie in front of me? You¡¯ve gone way too far!¡± To their surprise, Sophie stopped the p by grabbing his iing hand by the wrist and flinging it aside with force. Angered by her act of resistance, Yale said stubbornly as the frown on his face deepened, ¡°I¡¯ll have you know that I will never agree to this surgery, Sophie!¡± Sophie¡¯s gaze was as cold as ice as she replied, ¡°And I¡¯ll have you know that the surgery will be performed whether you agree to it or not. I will bear the consequences myself, so it has nothing to do with you.¡± Seeing as she refused to back down, Yale raised his hand a second time. This time, Tristan caught him by the arm before Sophie could even react. ¡°Who the heck are you? I¡¯m disciplining my daughter here, so let go of me! This is none of your d*mned business!¡± I¡¯ve been through a really rough day at work. As if that isn¡¯t bad enough, I now have to deal with my daughter¡¯s insolence and a random stranger? Who is this guy? How dare he grab me like this? ¡°Who I am doesn¡¯t matter. What matters is the fact that you¡¯re messing with someone you can¡¯t afford to.¡± Tristan would nevery a finger on Sophie, so he wasn¡¯t about to let someone p her in front of him. Not wanting to see them continue fighting, Josiah said, ¡°Go home, Yale. My surgery is none of your business.¡± ¡°Dad! I know you¡¯ve always let Sophie have her way and that you¡¯ve always looked down on me. However, I¡¯m truly doing this for your own good! Think about it, Dad! An old man like yourself undergoing surgery? How likely do you think you¡¯re going to survive it?¡± Yale protested. I¡¯m the head of this household, yet these people decided on this without even informing me about it! I can¡¯t believe I¡¯m actually thest person to find out about this surgery! Josiah red at him coldly as he asked, ¡°We¡¯ve been living together for so many years, Yale. Since when have you ever cared about my well-being? You¡¯re my son, and yet you didn¡¯t even notice such a huge issue with my health. Do you really think you¡¯re in a position to object at all?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve just been too busy with work, Dad. I really am concerned about you right now!¡± ¡°That¡¯s enough. The surgery will take ce the day after tomorrow. Feel free to drop by if you like, and I won¡¯t me you for noting if you¡¯re too busy. Just don¡¯t cause any trouble if you decide toe over.¡± ¡°Fine. I won¡¯t stop you if you¡¯re so determined to get that surgery done.¡± Yale then turned toward Sophie and continued, ¡°Your grandpa really loves you. I hope you don¡¯t repay his kindness with cruelty.¡± After that, he stormed out of the ward and mmed the door shut behind him. Seeing as none of them would listen to him, Yale deemed it pointless to say anything further. If anything, he felt more like an outsiderpared to Tristan. Josiah shook his head helplessly after Yale left. Sigh¡­ Yale and his hot temper¡­ How will he ever be able to handle problems in life if all he knows is to throw tantrums like that? Tristan went to get a mop from the restroom and began cleaning up the floor. ¡°Please don¡¯t take your father¡¯s words to heart, Soph. This is my choice, so I don¡¯t want you feeling upset regardless of what the oue may be.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Sophie had been under a lot of stress ever since Josiah decided to undergo the surgery. She was really afraid of it being unsessful, but there was no backing out of it at that point. ¡°I¡¯ll go buy you something to eat, Grandpa,¡± she said as the food that she had brought over earlier was all wasted. ¡°All right, go on. Tanny, you can just let the janitor take care of the cleaning. Go keep Sophpany!¡± All content is property ? N?velDrama.Org. Josiah didn¡¯t want her going out by herself in her current state. Tristan nodded and set the mop aside before following Sophie out the door. ¡°Everything will be fine,¡± he reassured her gently while wrapping an arm around her shoulder. Whatever happens, I¡¯ll always be her greatest source of support! Willow hade to visit Mason at the hospital, only to witness that intimate moment between Sophie and Tristan in the corridor. Sophie is seducing another man right after doing this to Mason? Does her shamelessness know no bounds? Her face contorted in rage at the thought of that, and she clenched her fists so tightly that her fingernails were digging into the flesh of her palms. ¡°Come on, let¡¯s go buy your grandpa something to eat,¡± Tristan said. He could¡¯ve just let his assistant do it for them, but he wanted to take her out for some fresh air. It wasn¡¯t until Constance came up to Willow and tapped her on the shoulder that thetter snapped out of her daze. ¡°How is Mason doing, Mrs. Laird? I¡¯m sorry it took so long for me toe visit him. I¡¯ve been really busytely. I¡¯m really worried about his condition, so I tried asking around to see if I could find him a better doctor,¡± she said politely. Constance was originally displeased with Willow¡¯s absence throughout the past few days, but she felt her heart soften when she saw thetter¡¯s pitiful state. ¡°Thank you for being such a caring sweetheart. You can go in and see Mason now.¡± Unsure of how to face Mason, Willow said, ¡°Actually¡­ I think I should break up with Mason since he doesn¡¯t like me, Mrs. Laird.¡± The look on Constance¡¯s face turned gloomy the moment she heard that. ¡°How could you dump Mason like this, Willow? I can¡¯t believe you¡¯d say something like that after how well I¡¯ve treated you!¡± ¡°You know I¡¯ve always liked Mason, Mrs. Laird! The problem is, he doesn¡¯t feel the same about me! Since he likes my sister that much, I figured it¡¯s better if I just give them my blessings instead!¡± As Mason could barely walk anymore, Willow was determined not to waste any more of her time and energy on him. Constance was so mad that she broke into a cold sneer as she said, ¡°Heh¡­ I must¡¯ve been blind to think you¡¯d make a great wife for my son, Willow. Very well¡­ You want to leave? Then get lost and never show yourself in front of Mason ever again!¡± ¡°Mrs. Laird¡ª¡± ¡°Keep my name out of your mouth! You¡¯re unworthy of saying my name!¡± Willow clenched her fists tightly but turned around and walked off without saying anything. So what if I like Mason? I can¡¯t be marrying a disabled man! Sophie will only look down on me even more if I do! I can¡¯t let that happen! ¡°What happened?¡± Mason asked when he saw Constance return to the ward with a furious look on her face. Chapter 156 Chapter 156 Chapter 156 Hugging Her As she never expected something like this to happen to them, Constance was trembling all over in anger as she shouted, ¡°The Tanners are all sc*mbags, Mason! I can¡¯t believe I treated Willow so well for five years, only to have her betray us like this!¡± Mason, on the other hand, simply smiled upon hearing that. He had long since known about Willow¡¯s true nature. The only reason he let her have her way was that she had saved his life before. ¡°Now, now¡­ Let it be, Mom. I don¡¯t like her anyway, so it¡¯s a good thing that she no longer wants to marry me. Better to see her for who she is now than after she marries into our family,¡± Mason replied calmly. Had it not been for the car ident, he would have to deliberately go out of his way to make Willow see the truth and give up on him. ¡°Whatever. This is all the Tanner family¡¯s fault, so you¡¯d better stay away from them in the future! Don¡¯t get yourself involved in their affairs ever again, you hear?¡± Mason simply kept quiet as he knew he couldn¡¯t forget about Sophie no matter what. Feeling uneasy about his attitude toward the situation, Constance eximed worriedly, ¡°It¡¯s impossible between you and Sophie, Mason! Even if I don¡¯t object to your rtionship, the guy she¡¯s dating will! Do you have any idea who he is? He¡¯s Mr. Tristan!¡± Just thinking of how she had offended Tristan earlier filled her heart with fear and anxiety. ¡°Stop worrying about me, Mom. Also, remember not to fall for Willow¡¯s lies anymore.¡± Josiah had already fallen asleep by the time Tristan and Sophie returned with the food they bought him. ¡°Just leave the food here, Ms. Sophie. I¡¯ll take good care of things here, so you don¡¯t have to worry at all,¡± said the butler respectfully. His attitude toward Sophie had changed significantly after seeing her enlist Arius¡¯ help. Sophie nodded as she set the lunchbox down on the table. Instead of leaving, she turned around and told Tristan, ¡°You can head on home, Mr. Tristan. I¡¯ll stay here and keep my grandpapany throughout the next few days.¡± Property ? N?velDrama.Org. She wanted him to leave as she didn¡¯t want to take up any more of his time. ¡°No, you should head home and get some rest. I promise I¡¯ll stay here and look after him in person, so you have nothing to worry about!¡± Tristan replied. He¡¯s a very busy man, yet he¡¯s willing to spend so much time on me¡­ ¡°I want to keep Grandpapany,¡± Sophie said after giving it some thought. ¡°I¡¯ll stay here with you, then.¡± Tristan wasn¡¯t about to just leave her there all by herself. ¡°You don¡¯t have to do this, Mr. Tristan. You¡¯ve been here all day today, so you should go home and get some rest. I can look after my grandpa myself.¡± Tristan grabbed her hand. ¡°I don¡¯t like hearing you say stuff like that. Your grandpa is my grandpa too, so I will stay here with you. Don¡¯t worry. I won¡¯t bother you.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not what I meant. You¡¯re a busy man, so I don¡¯t want you dying your work because of me.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not an issue if it¡¯s for you.¡± He was even willing to stay there with her forever as long as he could remain by her side. Sophie didn¡¯t know what else to say at that point. She wasn¡¯t expecting a person as busy as Tristan to set everything aside just so he could keep her company. ¡°I¡¯ll be by your side no matter what happens, so don¡¯t you worry,¡± Tristan said while gently pulling her into his embrace. I¡¯ll always be there for her whenever she needs me! Having finished his work at hand, Arius dropped by and saw them hugging the moment he stepped through the door. So, ¡°firste, first served¡± isn¡¯t a thing when ites to love¡­ Has Sophie found someone who would risk everything for her? She¡¯s always as cool as a cucumber when ites to dealing with people. On top of that, she¡¯s so tough that she could handle everything on her own. It¡¯s only when she¡¯s around Tristan that she shows this soft and vulnerable side of her¡­ Arius broke into a wry smile at the thought of that. Instead of interrupting their intimate moment, he silently backed out of the ward and returned to his temporary office. The director of the hospital had renovated an office just for him, and it was equipped with everything he could possibly need. Arius lit a cigarette and started puffing away while staring at the night sky outside the window. He was halfway through the cigarette when Sophie came over to see him. ¡°What¡¯s the matter? Is there a problem with my grandpa¡¯s surgery?¡± she asked. Arius only smokes when he¡¯s under a lot of stress. I haven¡¯t seen him smoke in a really long time¡­ ¡°Oh, not at all. I¡¯m the one in charge of his surgery, so why would there be a problem? Rest assured that he is in good hands!¡± Arius knew how much she cared about Josiah, so he would never joke about it no matter what. ¡°Okay.¡± Sophie felt relieved when she heard that. ¡°What do you think of Tristan, Soph?¡± Arius hadn¡¯t had a chance to ask her that as she had been busy looking after Josiah since her return. ¡°Why are you asking me this all of a sudden? What I think about him has nothing to do with you, Arius. You shouldn¡¯t have topare yourself to him,¡± Sophie replied after giving it some thought. Arius felt a lot better when he heard that. ¡°You¡¯re right. No one could possibly surpass a talented individual like me anyway!¡± Was my statement that convincing? Well, whatever¡­ I¡¯m just d he¡¯s feeling better now. She then asked Arius about the surgery procedures and things to take note of before returning to the ward. Josiah had already fallen asleep by the time she got there. The butler felt relieved to see that she was actually serious about keeping Josiahpany. ¡°Morgan, you should head back and get some rest. The medical staff and I will take good care of Grandpa.¡± ¡°I know, but I¡¯ve been working for Old Mr. Tanner for a very long time now. I know his needs and preferences like the back of my hand, so I think I should stay here with him.¡± Morgan used to be a member of the armed forces before an ident forced him into leaving the military. Josiah was the one who took him in when he was jobless and had nowhere to go. That was why he shared an incredibly strong bond with Josiah. ¡°All right. You can rest on the bed over there, then.¡± Since it was a VIP ward, there was a spare bed in a corner for family members who were staying overnight. ¡°You should have the bed instead, Ms. Sophie. I can sleep anywhere, so go ahead and get some shuteye.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not tired. I¡¯ll be heading out for a bit, so you can sleep if you want to.¡± After ncing at Josiah and making sure that he was fast asleep, Sophie opened the door and left the ward. She paused in her tracks when she got to the end of the corridor and just stood there, staring nkly into space. Tristan had just returned from taking a phone call when he saw her standing there all by herself. For some reason, he felt his heart ache when he saw her in that state. He then walked up to her and hugged her from behind. Chapter 157 Chapter 157 Chapter 157 Everything Is Ready Feeling the warmth from Tristan¡¯s chest, Sophie rxedpletely and leaned against him. ¡°What are you doing here all by yourself?¡± ¡°Grandpa is asleep, so I came here to get some air.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ I told you to go back and rest, but you refused. I¡¯ve asked the hospital director to prepare the ward next door. You should go and get some rest. It¡¯s not time for the surgery yet, so you don¡¯t have to worry.¡± ¡°Okay, Mr. Tristan. Thank you.¡± Apart from that, she truly did not know what else to say. ¡°No need to thank me. Come on. Go and get some sleep. You¡¯ll only need to keep watch after the surgery.¡± ¡°Okay,¡± Sophie agreed reluctantly. I just wanted to spend more time with Grandpa. After all, no one can predict the oue of the surgery. If it weren¡¯t because there was no other choice, I wouldn¡¯t have wanted him to undergo surgery. When Tristan led her to the ward next door, she saw a hospital bed and an extra bed inside. ¡°I¡¯ll sleep on the extra bed. Since you¡¯re tall, it won¡¯t befortable for you,¡± said Sophie, nudging him toward therger bed. ¡°Be good and go to sleep.¡± Without giving her the chance to refuse, he swept her up in his arms and carried her to the bed. ¡°Mr. Tristan ¡ª¡± Why is he willing to suffer for me? Tristan alsoy on the hospital bed next to her. The bed was not that big, so it was actually quite a squeeze for both of them to lie on it. Nheless, it felt very warm and toasty to hug each other in the chilly weather of early winter. ¡°Sleep,¡± he murmured in his pleasant and utterly mesmerizing voice. ¡°Okay.¡± Sophie closed her eyes and leaned against his arm. Perhaps because she was too tired, it was not long before she dozed off. As Tristan listened to her gentle breathing, he lifted a hand to brush the hair from her face and tucked the loose strands behind her ear. ¡°Sleep well, Soph,¡± he said softly. As long as I¡¯m here, I¡¯ll shield her from all the problems and worries. Sophie woke up early the following morning. Sitting up in bed, she spotted Tristan¡¯s tall figure curled up on the extra bed, fast asleep. Her heart ached when she saw him sleeping so ufortably. Climbing out of bed, she went over to the extra bed and gazed down at him as he slept soundly. He must be exhausted after the past couple of days. Managing Lombard Group is already a tiring job, yet he¡¯s always by my side. The moment Tristan opened his eyes, he saw her face close to his. He reached out his hands instinctively and hooked them around her neck, then drew her toward him and kissed her right on the lips. ¡°You¡¯re awake.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Sophie was still a little dazed after being kissed so suddenly, and Tristan could not resist pinching her face gently when he noticed it. ¡°Do you have any idea how enticing you look right now? It¡¯s enough to stir one¡¯s desire to have their way with you,¡± he murmured. She¡¯s simply too alluring! ¡°I¡¯ll go and check whether my grandfather is awake or not,¡± Sophie said quickly. I wonder whether he ate anythingst night. Anyway, he must be hungry by now. Tristan could not help butugh when he saw her scurry off. He then had his assistant buy breakfast from The Crown, and thetter brought back plenty of food. Since Josiah relished a lively atmosphere, everyone gathered in his ward to have breakfast with him. Just as they were eating, Arius arrived. ¡°I can¡¯t believe you didn¡¯t invite me for breakfast. Isn¡¯t that a bit too much?¡± Ariusined. He still had one other surgery scheduled that day. It was a very tough surgery, so he hade to ask Sophie to join him and learn from it. ¡°Ari! You¡¯ve not had breakfast yet, haven¡¯t you? In that case,e and join us. Tanny bought lots of food!¡± Josiah called out. The Crown¡¯s breakfast was delicious, and he had eaten a lot. ¡°You¡¯re the only one who thinks of me,¡± Arius said to Josiah, going over immediately to eat breakfast with the elderly man. After they finished their meal, Tristan had to leave for Lombard Group as there was some business he had to attend to personally. Since Josiah wished to take a stroll, Morgan went with him while Arius led Sophie away to prepare for the surgery. N?velDrama.Org holds ? this. Having heard that Arius would be performing surgery at the hospital that day, Constance had arrived early that morning to wait there. However, it never crossed her mind that she would meet Sophie, who was wearing a surgical gown. ¡°What are you doing here?¡± Constance asked darkly, her expression souring as soon as she saw Sophie. She harbored a deep dislike for Sophie and felt thetter¡¯s appearance signaled misfortune for Mason. ¡°Does that have anything to do with you?¡± Sophie answered bluntly. She had no wish to be polite to Constance. Constance fell silent at her words. If it were before, there was no way she would have backed down so easily after receiving such a retort. But now, she dared not say anything else because of Tristan. Meanwhile, Arius thought Sophie had sneaked away when he did not see her after changing into his surgical gown. Coming out to look for her, he spotted the woman who had bullied Sophie the other day. The second Arius saw Constance, his expression turned grim. Why does this woman keep showing up everywhere? ¡°Why are you here?¡± he demanded brusquely. ¡°Come on. Let¡¯s go in,¡± Sophie piped up. She had only stepped out to make a phone call, not expecting to bump into Constance. Nheless, that¡¯s all unimportant. At this moment, I couldn¡¯t care less about Mrs. Laird. Arius snorted coldly. ¡°Who are you? Why do you look at her with such a haughty and imperious expression?¡± he asked Constance. The way she looks at Sophie just irks me. Furious, Constance responded in a threatening tone, ¡°I¡¯m telling you, you no-name doctor. You¡¯d better show me some respect. Otherwise, I¡¯ll have the hospital director fire you.¡± Is every Tom, Dick, and Harry qualified to mock me now? Arius was both amused and enraged. ¡°What am I going to do, Sophie? I¡¯m quaking in my boots! It took a long time before I finally got this job. My whole family relies on me to put food on the table. If I lose this job, I¡¯ll starve to death!¡± Sophie did not respond. Instead, she quietly watched Arius put on his act. Constance was irate. ¡°Why you¡ª¡± ¡°How dare you doubt my abilities? Do you think you can intimidate me, you old hag? If you can get the director to fire me, I¡¯ll get on my knees and grovel!¡± Arius continued, interrupting her. Would I, Arius Gullifer, be afraid of others threatening me? ¡°You¡ª¡± Constance began, her entire body trembling with rage. Incensed, she snarled, ¡°Sophie Tanner, look at that piece of garbage next to you! I¡¯m calling the director right now!¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t hear that wrong, did I, Sophie? She dared to refer to me as garbage!¡± ¡°Watch your words, Mrs. Laird,¡± Sophie warned. ¡°Don¡¯t make the mistake of thinking that the Laird family is all that high and mighty. I can easily make the Laird family vanish into thin air.¡± Constance gave a humorless chuckle and uttered arrogantly, ¡°Such audacity! Do you genuinely think that Tanner Group has fallen into your hands? Even if you really were the person in control of the company, do you think the Laird family would take any notice of Tanner Group?¡± In the Laird family¡¯s eyes, Tanner Group is not even worth mentioning. If I wish to, I can destroy the company at any time. ¡°You old hag¡­¡± Arius growled, utterly infuriated. ¡°Is that so? Go on and give it a try, then,¡± Sophie replied calmly, unwilling to waste her breath any longer. ¡°Dr. Gullifer, everything is ready. Oh, Mrs. Laird! You¡¯re here too! Are you and Dr. Gullifer acquainted?¡± ¡°What did you say?¡± Constance could not believe her ears. This young man standing in front of me is the world-renowned Dr. Gullifer? Chapter 158 Chapter 158 Chapter 158 Legendary Deft Hands ¡°Do you not know who Dr. Gullifer is, Mrs. Laird? I thought I told you Dr. Gullifer might be able to heal Mr. Mason¡¯s leg,¡± the attending physician eximed. Constance froze right there. Little did she know that the man she had looked down on was the mysterious Dr. Gullifer. ¡°And what about the girl? That girl is probably just eighteen years old, so why is she standing next to him? How could she wear the surgical gown and follow him into the operating room?¡± Constance refused to believe what she had heard. That man is not Dr. Gullifer. Dr. Gullifer is a medical genius from Chanaea. Why would he associate himself with a teenage girl? The attending physician actually did not know much about Sophie. ¡°I have to go in now, Mrs. Laird. The director has granted me ess to the operating room, so I must take this opportunity to learn from Dr. Gullifer!¡± The attending physician could not hide his excitement. All doctors, including myself, want to witness how Chanaea¡¯s best surgeon conducts the medical procedure! It¡¯s a dreame true for me! The attending physician was given this once-in-a-lifetime chance merely because the director owed him a favor. Otherwise, the director would not have granted him exclusive ess to the operating room. So instead of wasting time talking to Constance and letting the opportunity slip away, he caught up with Arius. Constance¡¯s legs weakened after she heard that, and she staggered a couple of times, only managing to steady herself by clinging to the railing next to her. She knew she had offended Arius. Would Dr. Gullifer still help us? Despite learning the truth about Arius, Constance refused to leave. She wanted to be there for Mason since there would be a high chance of him regaining the ability to walk. She would do anything for Arius so long as he was willing to operate on Mason. I¡¯ll even drop to my knees before him if he wants me to! I¡¯ll do anything as long as he can heal my son¡¯s leg! Constance was overwhelmed by mixed emotions. The doctor she had been hunting high and low for had finally appeared, but he turned out to be the man she had offended. It was a hard pill to swallow. While Sophie and Arius were in the operating room, the rest of the people could only watch the live stream of the procedure from another room. Sophie nced at Arius when she saw no other surgeons and nurses in the operating room. ¡°Looks like you have a lot of faith in me, huh?¡± Sophie said. She was concerned since the man lying on the operating table was a high-ranking official, and his survival would affect the life and death of many people. Arius chuckled while putting on a pair of surgical gloves. ¡°In this world, you¡¯re the only one I trust. There would be no one else I could count on if I had zero faith in you.¡± Many doctors and nurses were willing to assist him, but Arius had a much higher expectation of his assistant since it was an intricate surgery. After much deliberation, Arius thought Sophie was the only one qualified to perform this procedure with him! ¡°Arius, people would think you¡¯re putting the patient at risk.¡± Sophie might be familiar with the surgery, but she had neither received formal training in medical school nor obtained any certificates. ¡°Do you think I care about what others would say? I have confidence in you, Sophie. And I believe you will one day supersede me and be the best surgeon. Being the top surgeon in the country can be quite lonely, and I think it¡¯s time for you to take over the title. What do you think?¡± His remark rendered Sophie speechless. More than twenty doctors overheard their conversation outside, and their mouths twitched. Why does he think so highly of that youngdy? All of them expressed interest in training under Arius, yet the genius doctor ignored them and gave preferential treatment to this eighteen-year-old. What logic is this? ¡°What if Dr. Gullifer made a wrong judgment about her? She¡¯s just a youngdy. Can she actually do this?¡± They were all experienced doctors who had carried out hundreds of medical procedures. Are we no match for this teenage girl? One of the doctors turned to the director and raised his concern. ¡°Can we trust this youngdy? The person lying on the operating table is not an ordinary patient¡­¡± If anything goes south, everyone in the hospital will be in deep trouble. All these doctors had worked hard throughout their careers to get to where they were. Our careers will be over if the surgery fails! We can¡¯t allow this to happen! The director, who sat in the middle, kept mum and did not respond to the doctors¡¯ concerns. ¡°Keep quiet. The surgery is about to start.¡± The director had faith in Arius. He believed his most competent disciple would surpass his own achievements. Likewise, the director dared not underestimate Sophie too. After all, Arius was the one who brought her to the hospital. Arius might seem unreliable, but he would not take any surgeries lightly. Moreover, he would also meticulously explore all the options before making the best decision on a medical procedure. All content is property ? N?velDrama.Org. Since Arius requested Sophie to join him in the operating room, the director had high hopes for the youngdy. ¡°But they might put our future in jeopardy!¡± There were still doctors who were not willing to ept the fact that Arius was better than them. The doctor who made that remark felt that the Chanaeans had over-glorified Arius. We know he made it into the international medical association. So what? What¡¯s the big deal? ¡°Oh, shut up! Why don¡¯t you take over if you think Arius can¡¯t do it? The man lying on the operating table was initially your patient anyway!¡± The doctor immediately kept mum. ¡°Those who want to watch the procedure, zip it. Those who aren¡¯t interested, feel free to leave right now.¡± The director shot daggers at the doctors. It took me some time to bring Arius over and arrange this live demonstration for them, yet all they do isin! As soon as the surgery began, the doctors who doubted Arius were stunned the moment he made a perfect incision on the patient¡¯s body. He indeed has a pair of deft hands that work wonders! While everyone was still astonished by the demonstration, Sophie had also made a wless surgical incision in the patient¡¯s heart under Arius¡¯ guidance. All the experts could not help but gasp when they saw what she had done. ¡°Here. Make an incision here,¡± Arius instructed. Taking a nce at the spot he pointed, Sophie made another precise cut. ¡°Oh, my God! My eyes aren¡¯t ying tricks on me, are they?¡± At first, these doctors thought Arius merely brought this youngdy into the operating room because he wanted to impress her, but when she made the incision, they were taken aback by Sophie¡¯s skills. The director, too, could not believe his eyes. As a mentor who had poured his heart and soul into the medical field and guided countless young doctors, the director had learned a lot just from watching them carry out the procedure in the operating room. He was so thrilled that his hands started shaking, losing control of his emotions. The doctor who had doubted Arius earlier was also utterly struck dumb by how well they performed the surgery. The sess rate of this surgery was less than one percent, yet at this point, everyone was confident that the procedure would be a huge sess! ¡°This Arius is indeed one of a kind!¡± ¡°Yeah! But don¡¯t you think the youngdy is more impressive? She¡¯s just a teenager, but her skills are insane. She¡¯s just as capable as Arius.¡± ¡°I thought so too. Who is she? I guess the Chanaean medical field is about to witness the rise of an emerging star.¡± Chapter 159 Chapter 159 Chapter 159 I Do Not Live Just To Please You Sophie was the one who did the suturing at the end of the surgery. Arius knew that she had been reading up a lot on that and that she was gifted in the procedural skill. Back when she was at Horington, she practiced on animals and participated in a few surgeries. Although those were nothing compared to that highly challenging operation, Sophie still performed splendidly. Arius¡¯s eyes gleamed with excitement as he watched her. Dr. Smith is right. She¡¯s a gem. I can totally see why he has always wanted to be her mentor. Her fingers are dexterous and she¡¯s really good. ¡°Sophie, you shoulde with me to the medical association after your grandpa gets well.¡± Arius was determined on nurturing her talent. She was the most gifted person he had ever seen. ¡°We¡¯ll see,¡± Sophie replied casually without taking her eyes off her hands. It was her principle to always give all her attention to a patient when she was performing surgery. She would not allow even the slightest mistake. After closing up the wound, Sophie put aside the needle driver and looked at her suture work with a satisfied smile. Seeing that Sophie was someone who derived joy from her work, Arius was confident that one day she would willingly join him. ¡°Good job. You may leave the rest to them,¡± he said. The doctors and nurses came in in scrubs after Arius spoke. When they saw how the surgery was done, they could not help but marvel at the fine work. When they looked back at Sophie, they could not see any expression on her face because she was still wearing a face mask and surgical cap. All they could see was a pair of cold eyes above the mask. She walked out with Arius and went on to clean and tidy herself up. When she came back in a new set of clothes, she saw that the director was amazed by how well the surgery was done. Sophie was not surprised to see the man¡¯s expression. When people in Horington realized her talent, people from different sectors marveled at her ability and wanted her to join them as well. The director walked toward her nervously, rubbing his hands together. He was thinking about how he could persuade the girl to apply for medical school and work for his hospital. ¡°Hi, um, Ms. Tanner. I believe you already know who I am. You see¡­¡± Arius saw Sophie listening uninterestedly to the director when he came back out again. He almostughed at the sight because it reminded him of the past. ¡°Come on, you¡¯re making her feel intimidated. She¡¯s only in her senior year!¡± Although Arius dissuaded the director, he knew in his heart that Sophie would be a renowned doctor if she set her heart on studying medicine, but despite how much potential Sophie had, Arius still thought the man was being too pushy. Property ? N?velDrama.Org. He would only scare her away. The director pursed his lips and cleared his throat uneasily. He¡¯s right. I sound too desperate. ¡°What about this?¡± the director asked after a slight pause. ¡°Come again tomorrow and we will talk about this after your grandpa¡¯s surgery. Is that okay?¡± Arius was left speechless. You still seem too desperate. Her grandfather has major surgery tomorrow and you¡¯re talking about sending her to study. This is ridiculous. You¡¯re only interested in getting her to work for you. ¡°Well¡­ I¡¯m really tired after this whole day. I think I could use some rest,¡± Sophie finally said. Indeed, Sophie was spent. Although she was skilled, she was still inexperienced. Besides, she did not manage to have a good night¡¯s rest before the surgery, so it went without saying that she was exhausted. Arius felt bad for her seeing how worn out she was. Being a doctor, especially a surgeon, was a taxing job. Every surgery was a test of one¡¯s stamina. ¡°All right. All this can wait. Let¡¯s go back and rest first. We¡¯ll go see your grandpater,¡± Arius interrupted. ¡°Arius, I don¡¯t care if you leave for the medical association on your own, but she has to stay.¡± Arius looked at the stern man and shrugged. ¡°You speak as if she belongs to me, but she doesn¡¯t. Yes, it is true that she needs to learn under someone, but I¡¯m sure that will be at the medical association. That¡¯s the best for her.¡± ¡°But¡ª¡± the director wanted to speak up and keep Sophie at his hospital, but he knew what Arius said was true. ¡°She will be Dr. Smith¡¯s sessor,¡± Arius cut him short. That was what Barney wanted. Despite how good Arius was, he would only remain a mentee to Barney. Thetter never once thought of making Arius his sessor, but it was a different case for Sophie. Barney wanted to make her his sessor. With that said, Arius stamped out thest shred of hope the director had. ¡°Fine¡­¡± he sighed. He would have tried his best if it were someone else, but he knew he stood no chance in that case. It was the founder of the medical association he had topete with. Anyone within the medical field would know they should back off. ¡°There¡¯s no need to be disappointed. I¡¯ll introduce you to a few good doctors,¡± Arius promised. It was because of the director that Arius came to meet his mentor, so in some sense, Arius was still indebted to him. The director feltpensated when he heard that. ¡°All right. That¡¯s better than nothing.¡± Seeing Arius had diverted the director¡¯s attention away from her, Sophie went off on her own. When she stepped away, she found out that Constance was still standing there, waiting. When Constance saw her, she dashed toward her immediately. ¡°Sophie!¡± she cried out. ¡°That man. The one who stood beside you. Is that Arius?¡± Sophie looked at her from the corner of her eyes as she continued walking toward the ward. All she wanted was a good rest, not talking to her, but Constance was unwilling to let her go without having her question answered. She grabbed Sophie¡¯s hand in frustration. ¡°Hey! Can¡¯t you see I¡¯m talking to you? Mason is still unable to walk, and his doctor said Arius is the only person who could help him. He said Arius is¡ª¡± ¡°What does this have to do with me?¡± Sophie¡¯s tant question put the agitated woman to a stop. What did she say? Did she just say she has nothing to do with Mason? Constance frowned at Sophie¡¯s cold expression. How could she be so cold toward him! ¡°Sophie, you grew up with Mason ever since you were a kid. Don¡¯t you feel sorry for him now that he¡¯s in this state? How could you be so cruel?¡± Constance was disgruntled that Sophie felt no pity for Mason. ¡°Well, that¡¯s me for you. You never liked me and you still don¡¯t, and I¡¯m not interested in making a good impression either. What you think of me has nothing to do with me. I don¡¯t live just to please you.¡± ¡°Please, Sophie! I¡¯ll stop interfering in you guys¡¯ rtionship if he can walk again. I¡¯ll really just let y¡¯all be!¡± Sophie scowled at her. ¡°What makes you think I will help him?¡± ¡°What do you mean? I thought you¡¯ve always liked Mason. I¡¯m giving you a chance to be with him! Stop being so arrogant!¡± Constance was a proud woman. Although she was at a disadvantage and needed a favor, she still did not know what it meant to ask nicely. She thought by approaching Sophie and asking for help was already enough. To her, Sophie should have epted her request since she had asked. Sophie looked at the arrogant woman and pulled her hand back. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. You must have misunderstood. I¡¯m not interested in Mason, so please stop bothering me. Don¡¯t tell me you need me to take an oath again to prove that I don¡¯t like him at all.¡± Constance was shocked. She recalled how she humiliated Sophie five years ago when she forced her to take an oath to never see Mason again. Chapter 160 Chapter 160 Chapter 160 Infuriated Just as the situation was caught in a stalemate, Arius came out from the operating room and walked toward them. ¡°Excuse me, madam, may I know what are you trying to do? I can see that you¡¯ve been bothering my friend. Do you have anything personal against her? Because if you do, you might want to stop before anything happens.¡± Arius pulled Sophie away and stood face to face with Constance. Sophie stood behind him quietly as if Arius was a defensive mother hen. Constance was frightened when she heard Arius¡¯ warning. He was not someone she could afford to offend. She slumped to the ground on her knees, begging Arius to treat his son. ¡°Dr. Gullifer, please! I¡¯m sorry I was rude. Please forgive me. I really didn¡¯t know you were the person I wanted to see. I would never say something so insolent if I knew it was you.¡± Arius and Constance were not expecting things to take such a dramatic twist. A frown settled on Arius¡¯ face as he thought about what Constance just said. ¡°Does who I am even matter here?¡± he asked. He was not interested in getting an answer. Instead, he turned toward Sophie and gestured at her to leave. ¡°Come on. We should get some rest. It¡¯s been a long day.¡± ¡°Sure.¡± Both of thempletely disregarded Constance¡¯s request. To them, her going on her knees meant nothing. Constance, on the other hand, got upset when she saw them leave. She clung to Arius¡¯ trouser cuff. ¡°Dr. Gullifer, please! I beg you! Please save my son. You¡¯re the only hope we have!¡± Arius was thest resort Constance had, so she did her best to implore the man to change his mind, but as a doctor, Arius was already desensitized to the inevitability of death. ¡°Let go,¡± he said curtly. To him, there was no way he would agree to help her after what she did to Sophie. After all, Arius never once thought he was a benevolent saint who had the obligation to be kind to everyone. He pulled back his leg and walked off with Sophie, leaving the distraught woman on the ground, speechless. Her shoulders slumped in devastation as she watched them walk off. That was herst hope and losing it shattered her pride. She could not believe that the person she once belittled turned out to be the same person she had to count on to save her son. Since they had turned her down decisively, she could not think of any other way to solve the problem at hand. The opportunity was so close, and yet she failed to seize it. Just as she was at her wits¡¯ end, she suddenly thought of Josiah. Sophie had always listened to everything the old man said. Yes! I should go talk to him! Meanwhile, Sophie went to see Josiah despite how tired she was. When she arrived, Charmaine and Willow were already there. Sophie did not greet them but walked over to Josiah straight. ¡°Grandpa, you should get some rest. You have surgery tomorrow.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about me. I know what I can and can¡¯t do.¡± Indeed, Josiah took good care of himself. This surgery was a priceless opportunity for him to recover, but he knew the stakes were high. If things went wrong, it would be the end of him. ¡°Soph, Willow and I are just here to see how he¡¯s doing. That¡¯s all.¡± Charmaine broke the ice trying to exin their visit when she saw that Sophie was being cold toward them. ¡°Mom! You don¡¯t have to exin yourself to her. We¡¯re just here because we care about Grandpa.¡± Willow was resentful toward Sophie because she lost everything because of Sophie, so it went without saying that Willow could not keep her calm when Sophie was around. ¡°I don¡¯t care about what brings y¡¯all here. Just make sure you¡¯re not disrupting his rest,¡± she said, turning toward Josiah. ¡°Grandpa, I¡¯ve had a long day, so I¡¯ll go rest first. I¡¯m just right next door. I¡¯lle again with Arius in a bit. Is that okay?¡± ¡°Sure. You don¡¯t have to worry about me. Go on and get some rest.¡± Josiah did not want to keep her any longer. He could tell from her face that she was dog-tired. ¡°All right. See you in a bit.¡± With that said, Sophie walked out of the room without saying goodbye to Charmaine and Willow. ¡°Grandpa! How could you be so unfair?¡± Willow was dissatisfied when she saw their interaction. She never understood why Josiah gave Sophie everything when both Sophie and she were his granddaughters. Josiah kept quiet. He actually wondered why the two women came to see him that day. He doubted that they came just because they cared for him. ¡°Dad, how could you give such a huge portion of your shares to Sophie? You¡¯re going through surgery tomorrow. What will happen if, you know, anything goes wrong?¡± That was enough was Josiah to know the true motive of their visit. His heart chilled at the realization. He could not help but wonder if he brought his children up the wrong way. His son, and even his granddaughter, were only interested in the inheritance they would receive from him. None of them actually cared about his wellbeing. ¡°Willow, do you still not know why I like Sophie better? You know she will never ask me anything like this. She never once coveted what the Tanners have.¡± Anger rose within him as the old man spoke. ¡°I¡¯ll say this once and for all¡ªTanner Group will go to Sophie. None of you is changing my mind on that.¡± The door suddenly opened, and Morgan came in. When he saw that Josiah was flustered, he quickly came over to calm him down. ¡°What¡¯s the matter? You need to calm down. This is not good for you. There¡¯s a surgerying tomorrow.¡± ¡°Morgan, please see them out. I don¡¯t want to see them again,¡± Josiah instructed without having another thought. Josiah thought he would be able toe to terms with their greed since he had already seen much worse over the many years of his life, but when he actually heard them utter it, Josiah was still incensed. In fact, he was so furious his body started shaking. Morgan was dismayed when he saw that. He looked at the two women disapprovingly. ¡°Mrs. Tanner, Ms. Tanner, I¡¯m sorry but both of you might have to leave. Please do note to visit Old Mr. Tanner again.¡± The butler had served Josiah for years and had always followed his master¡¯s words to the letter. Charmaine and Willow were appalled when they heard such harsh words from Josiah. ¡°Grandpa, we don¡¯t mean it that way. We just want to¡ª¡± ¡°Get out.¡± The two women looked at each other uneasily. They had no choice but to leave. ¡°What should I do now, Mom?¡± Willow fretted in disappointment after they went out of the ward. ¡°No one from the four important families will ever set eyes on me now that I have nothing. How could Grandpa be so unfair!¡± ¡°Hush. I heard that the chances of getting through the surgery are very low,¡± Charmaine said. Although she triedforting her daughter, Charmaine was still worried. She felt everything was not going her way, but there was nothing she could do either. ¡°It¡¯s no useining anymore,¡± she told her daughter. ¡°I will hold an art exhibition for you. Mrs. Zales is also an oil painter, just like Mrs. Laird, so she will be interested in your works. We¡¯ll see what we can do from there.¡± N?velDrama.Org holds ? this. Charmaine had already given up on the Laird family. She had decided to put all her eggs in the Zales family¡¯s basket. Charmaine¡¯s suggestion put Willow at ease. The thought of marrying yton cheered her up. Well, jokes on you, Sophie. I¡¯ll marry yton one day. ¡°I will work hard, Mom. I¡¯m really good at drawing oil paintings. My teacher evenplimented me the other day.¡± Willow¡¯s teacher was also an eminent oil painter. She had promised to bring Willow with her to an exhibition a few dayster. Charmaine felt relieved when she heard that. She patted Willow¡¯s head in approval. ¡°Good. I¡¯m counting on you, Willow. Don¡¯t disappoint me.¡± Although sometimes Charmaine still wondered if she betted on the wrong child, she knew there was no point thinking about the what-ifs anymore. Things had already turned out that way, and Sophie was not someone she could control, but she could with Willow. Over in the other ward, Sophie felt energized after taking a nap. After she woke up, she went over to conduct a final check on Josiah with Arius. ¡°Grandpa, don¡¯t tell me you were upset just now,¡± Arius asked knowingly as he looked at the charts. ¡°You know you can¡¯t get agitated before surgery right.¡± Chapter 161 Chapter 161 When Sophie heard that, she took the chart from Arius and scanned through it, and her face fell. ¡°Is it because of Mom and Willow?¡± Sophie figured those two were the only ones who could upset Josiah. ¡°Who else could it be? They really went overboard. Do you know what they told Old Mr. Tanner?¡± Morgan answered for Josiah. He could no longer keep it to himself after seeing how affected Josiah was because of the two women. ¡°Morgan,¡± Josiah interrupted. He did not want to burden Sophie with what happened. ¡°Grandpa, I know exactly why they came. Morgan doesn¡¯t have to tell me anything.¡± Sophie could read Charmaine and Willow like open books. The shares she had was the thing they were after. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Grandpa. I made you a promise and I will see to it that it happens. As for Willow and Mom, you don¡¯t have to worry about them. They can¡¯t do anything to me.¡± It pained Arius to see Sophie having to tank such a heavy burden on her own. ¡°Soph, you should just go to Anndur with me. There¡¯s nothing for you here.¡± Arius had an impulse to just take Sophie away with him to a faraway ce so he could shelter her from all the harm and threats she faced. When Josiah heard Arius¡¯ suggestion, he looked up at the young man and fell into deep thoughts. So he¡¯s back because he wants to bring Sophie to Anndur? ¡°Soph, you should just go if that¡¯s what you want. You don¡¯t have to worry about me.¡± Deep in his heart, Josiah knew Sophie was no ordinary kid. She was talented and she should chase after her dream. Sophie clenched her fists at his words. ¡°Grandpa, this is not up for consideration. I will be taking my university entrance exam here.¡± She wanted to spend more time with Josiah because his days were numbered. As for her future, she still had a long way to go. ¡°Come over here,¡± Josiah said lovingly. He knew what was in her mind and he could not help but feel sorry for the child. Sophie walked over and let the old man pat her on her head like an obedient child. This side of her was new to Arius. She was the luminary in Horington, so it was difficult for Arius to connect that image of her to what he saw at that moment. Over on the outside, Tristan had just arrived at the door when Arius spoke about taking Sophie away. He did not mean to eavesdrop. It just happened that he overheard the conversation. What is going on? So he¡¯s here to take Sophie with him? Tristan pulled his hand away from the door handle and went over to the staircase. He lighted a cigarette and smoked on pensively. Who is Arius to her? Will she go to Anndur with him? Back at the ward, Sophie had received a call from Tristan earlier saying he woulde to visit Josiah. Since she had waited for some time, she decided to just go out to look for him, leaving Arius and Josiah in the room on their own. ¡°So, Ari, when are you taking Soph to Anndur?¡± Josiah figured he should know the details of the man¡¯s n. ¡°Grandpa, I suppose you¡¯ve heard of Dr. Smith? He met Sophie four years ago at Anndur and has since wanted her to be his mentee because he saw the potential in her. I came back this time not just because I had to perform your surgery, but also because I want to take her back with me.¡± Josiah saw the truth in what Arius said. The university entrance exam should not be just an excuse for Sophie. She was so gifted she would ace the exam. In fact, Josiah believed she could apply straight to any prestigious university in the world without even taking the exam. That thought excited him. I knew she is different. She¡¯s a bright girl. ¡°See, Morgan. Isn¡¯t Sophie amazing? She¡¯s different from everyone else. That¡¯s why I like her so much.¡± Morgan was equally surprised to hear what Arius said. Everyone had heard of the founder of the medical association, but none of them had actually seen him in person before, so it went without saying that Josiah and Morgan were astonished when they found out that a legendary figure like that man would want to keep Sophie under his wings. ¡°Ms. Sophie is a genius. I¡¯m sure she will be a star in the future,¡± Morgan praised in admiration. The thought of it put tears in Josiah¡¯s eyes. All achievementes with a price, and so will Sophie¡¯s, but it¡¯s okay. I just want the best for her. It will be worth the sacrifice. ¡°Ari, you don¡¯t have to worry about me. I just want Soph to get the best training.¡± She¡¯s my granddaughter. She must be the best. Meanwhile, Sophie was looking for Tristan when she saw him at the staircase, engulfed in a cloud of smoke. ¡°What are you doing here?¡± she asked gently, walking toward him. ¡°Why don¡¯t you just go in and see Grandpa?¡± Her tone naturally softened when she saw Tristan. Hearing her voice, Tristan quickly snuffed out the cigarette. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about me. I smoke sometimes too.¡± Despite what she said, Tristan still put out the cigarette. This belongs to N?velDrama.Org - ?. ¡°Smoking is not good for your health. I don¡¯t want you to be a second-hand smoker. You should get rid of that habit too.¡± All Tristan could think about was her. ¡°I know,¡± she replied shortly. Although she had said that she did not mind, she still felt touched when she knew Tristan was being considerate of her. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you go in?¡± ¡°Oh, well. I just wanted to take a smoke,¡± Tristan said dismissively. He put his arm around her shoulder, pushing her toward the ward. ¡°Hold on a second. You reek of smoke. Grandpa wouldn¡¯t like that.¡± When Tristan realized Sophie wanted Josiah to have a good impression of him, he felt she actually cared about him, and he was heartened. They stood outside for a while more until Sophie pushed the door open. ¡°Tanny!¡± Josiah greeted him enthusiastically when he saw Tristan. It was apparent that the old man was in a good mood. ¡°Hi, Grandpa. I came to see you right after I finished my work. I heard someone pissed you off earlier?¡± ¡°Nah. Don¡¯t listen to Soph. I didn¡¯t get angry. I¡¯ve been feeling good this whole day.¡± The possibility of Sophie having a bright future ahead of her lightens Josiah¡¯s mood. ¡°I¡¯ll make a move first then. I¡¯ll see you in a bit, Grandpa.¡± After briefing Sophie on a few things, Arius left to attend to other matters. After Arius went off, Tristan and Sophie sat down to talk to Josiah, but before they could even talk much, a knock came from the door. Without waiting for anyone¡¯s permission, the door was flung open, and in came Constance with a mountain of gifts. The woman froze the moment she saw Tristan, but she quickly collected herself. I¡¯m here for Mason today. I have to focus on my goal. ¡°Hi, Old Mr. Tanner. I¡¯m sorry it took me so long to pay you a visit. Mason¡¯s not doing well, so I¡¯ve been taking care of him,¡± she said courteously. ¡°Speaking of, I didn¡¯t know Sophie knows Dr. Gullifer! She must be really well-connected to have friends like him.¡± Josiah shed her a polite smile as she walked in. He was not a huge fan of Constance. What does she want? ¡°Oh, you don¡¯t have toe all the way here, actually. You should just stay and take care of Mason.¡± Josiah was not even trying to conceal his dislike of the woman. If it were usual times, Constance would have just left, but that time, she had to suck it up because she needed a favor. ¡°Come on, Old Mr. Tanner. The Lairds and the Tanners will soon be joint in marriage. I should show my sincerity.¡± Chapter 162 Chapter 162 Chapter 162 I Will Take Responsibility For Any Damages Incurred Constance seemed to be very proud of herself when she mentioned the engagement. She thought there was no way Josiah would turn her down now that she brought the engagement up, but the old man¡¯s face fell sunken the moment he heard that. Mason and Willow were indeed engaged. ¡°Old Mr. Tanner, Mason is part of your family too. Why don¡¯t you just help him out a little? You know how Willow is crazy about him, right? She must be heartbroken now that Mason is in this state.¡± Josiah still did not understand what was she trying to get at. Well, what happened to Mason is not our fault. Besides, it¡¯s not like we¡¯re able to do anything for him. ¡°Mrs. Laird, I really don¡¯t understand what you are trying to say, but no matter what it is you would like to convey, I don¡¯t have the solutions you¡¯re looking for, so please leave.¡± ¡°You can¡¯t help me, but your granddaughter can. She¡¯s good friends with Dr. Gullifer. He will definitely help Mason if she asks him to.¡± Constance looked at her in anticipation, hoping Sophie would crack under the pressure of Josiah¡¯s presence. The old man finally understood why Constance came to visit. ¡°Grandpa, you should get some rest already.¡± Sophie finally broke the silence. ¡°You¡¯ve heard enough nonsense.¡± ¡°All right.¡± Josiah yed along readily. Constance had always been rude to Sophie, and Josiah took it to heart, so it was obvious to the old man that Sophie would not grant Constance the favor. She must really think we owe her. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Mrs. Laird. As you can see, I¡¯m not feeling very good myself. I really need to be well-rested for the surgery tomorrow. Please make a move if you have nothing else to say.¡± ¡°Hey¡ª¡± Constance finally lost it. ¡°Do you not understand what I said? The Tanners used to suck up to us to get all kinds of benefits. Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re turning your back on us now that things are not looking good for us. You should know better.¡± Constanceshed out at Josiah without holding back, forgetting that she was there to plead her case. Josiah smirked at her remarks. ¡°You know what, I don¡¯t care what went on between you and Yale. I couldn¡¯t care less. As for you, I hope you know your ce. You¡¯re not the boss here, so stop acting like one.¡± Josiah decided it was time he toughened up against the woman. ¡°What did you just say?¡± Constance shook in fury when Josiah showed her his true color, but she still tried topose herself. I would¡¯ve let you have a taste of your own medicine if I weren¡¯t here to ask for a favor. ¡°Old Mr. Tanner, you were around since Mason was still a child. Don¡¯t tell me you feel nothing for him now that he is in this state. Do you really want to see him ruined?¡± Constance questioned. ¡°As for Sophie¡­¡± Constance stopped and softened her tone. ¡°I was wrong for trying to split you and Mason up. I promise I will not stand in the way anymore if he recovers.¡± This was the first time Constance swallowed her pride in front of Sophie. Tristan was angered when he heard her proposal. What is she even thinking? Sophie and Mason? Over my dead body! He¡¯s already out of the game a long, long time ago. ¡°Mrs. Laird,¡± Sophie snapped. ¡°Do you really think I like Mason all this while?¡± Constance suddenly felt the tables were not turning for good. ¡°Sophie, I mean it when I say I¡¯m sorry. Please, help me. Even if you no longer feel anything for him, you should still help him for old time¡¯s sake.¡± ¡°Are you serious?¡± Sophie scoffed in disbelief. ¡°I never once liked him.¡± Sophie really did not admire him. It was true that she once thought Mason was a nice guy, but that perception was shattered when Mason betrayed her. ¡°He¡¯s not even worthy to be called my friend.¡± Sophie was not nning on being cruel, but Constance had really exasperated her, and she did not want to waste any more time on the matter. ¡°Sophie Tanner! How dare you!¡± That was thest straw for Constance. ¡°Mrs. Laird, you might think your son is a good man, but to me, he¡¯s just a spineless boy who can¡¯t even stand up against his own mother. He would be nothing but a useless piece of sh*t if he were not born in the Laird family.¡± Sophie did not sugarcoat anything. ¡°Also, You¡¯re right in saying that Arius is my good friend. Indeed. He will help Mason if I ask him to, but why should I? Do you think I¡¯m the kind of person who returns good for evil?¡± Constance thought Sophie would budge if she apologized, but she got it all wrong. She was taken aback that Sophie had the heart to refuse her outright. ¡°Sophie Tanner, how could you? You¡¯re so petty!¡± ¡°A loose tongue causes trouble. Have you heard of that?¡± Tristan finally spoke. ¡°Grandpa, I brought two bodyguards with me actually. Let me know if you need their help. I knew there would be pesty people here today.¡± ¡°Well, I don¡¯t mind using their help.¡± Josiah was d to hear the suggestion. He had already had enough of a nuisance for the day and he needed some quiet. ¡°You will not do that! You can¡¯t do this¡ª¡± ¡°Madam.¡± Before Constance could retort further, two men came toward her and gestured at her to leave. She red at the men and dared not move an inch. Seeing Sophie had no intention of interceding, Constance yelled at her. ¡°Sophie Tanner! You can¡¯t do this to me. You can¡¯t do this to Mason!¡± The woman was distressed. She was unwilling to give up since she had done so much to find a cure for Mason, but the guards were equally adamant. Each of them grabbed one side of her shoulder and dragged her outside of the ward. N?velDrama.Org holds ? this. Tristan followed after them to the door. ¡°I don¡¯t want anyone else to disturb us for the rest of the day. If anyone insists oning in, make sure they learn a good lesson. I will take responsibility for any damages incurred.¡± ¡°Yes, Mr. Tristan!¡± When Constance heard his warning, she was so frightened she held her breath. ¡°By the way, Mrs. Laird, I forgot to tell you that Sophie¡¯s my girlfriend, so don¡¯t even dream about shipping her with your crippled son.¡± ¡°You bast¡ª¡± Constance was incensed when she heard the insult, but when she saw Tristan¡¯s deterrent eyes, she sewed her lips immediately. ¡°You¡¯d better not entertain any silly ideas in that head of yours. Who knows I might make Mason Laird vanish out of thin air?¡± he warned, glowering at her. ¡°I doubt you¡¯ll be able to have another child given your age.¡± Constance felt she was engulfed by fear. Another child? Y-yes. I¡¯m too old to have another baby. Constance did not doubt what Tristan said. She knew full well that he waspletely capable of getting rid of Mason if he wanted to. ¡°P-please, Mr. Tristan. I beg you. You have to save Mason. I promise you I¡¯ll never see Sophie again if you help me!¡± Constance begged with her dear life. Chapter 163 Chapter 163 Chapter 163 A Hug ¡°Who gave you the guts to threaten me? Why? If I refuse to fulfill your request, does that mean you can appear in front of Sophie?¡± Tristan was a man of few words, but he couldn¡¯t stop himself from speaking more than usual as the matter concerned Sophie. ¡°Remember. The Laird family has no right to speak before me,¡± he concluded in a cold tone. Constance loved using her family¡¯s influence to force others into submission, so he was merely giving her a taste of her own medicine. The thought of how she used to bully Sophie merely served to increase Tristan¡¯s displeasure. They were about to suffer from his wrath. ¡°Mr. Tristan¡ª¡± Before Constance could say anything, Tristan spun on his heels impatiently and shut the door. The security guard grabbed her shoulders when she took a step forward. ¡°Don¡¯t you know Mr. Tristan¡¯s temper? If you insist on angering him, I shall break your arms,¡± he warned. ¡°Hey!¡± Constance was furious. ¡°Who do you think you are? You¡¯re just a dog guarding his door. Do you think you¡¯re that good?¡± ¡°Ha! A guard dog is better than someone like you,¡± the bodyguard mocked. As she was being rude, he gave her a push that sent her toppling. ¡°The Lombard family can afford to take someone¡¯s life,¡± the bodyguard warned when Constance tried to enter the ward. There were a few medical staff watching the debacle at the side. Constance was usually rude to them, so none of them came to help her up. ¡°Did you send her away?¡± Peace was finally restored in the ward, so Josiah was pleased to see Tristan and Sophie together. ¡°Yes. Old Mr. Tanner, you won¡¯t mind what I did, right?¡± Tristan asked. He did that so Josiah could have some peace before the surgery tomorrow. ¡°Of course not. I¡¯m satisfied with your arrangements,¡± Josiah replied cheerfully. ¡°You should head out on a date. I need to take a nap.¡± Tristan is a good boy. He¡¯s the perfect partner for Sophie. Sophie was speechless. Why did he ask us to go on a date that calmly? ¡°We shall leave now, Old Mr. Tanner.¡± Tristan took Sophie¡¯s hand and dragged her out of the ward. Sophie said nothing and allowed him to take her out. ¡°Mr. Tristan, where will we go on a date?¡± Sophie joked. She was obviously in a jovial mood. ¡°As long as I¡¯m with you, it doesn¡¯t matter where we go.¡± Sophie was joking, but Tristan was serious. Everything that concerned Sophie was his top priority. As his gaze was too serious, Sophie didn¡¯t know how to respond. Right then, she noticed it was snowing outside. After she left for Horington, she hadn¡¯t seen any snow for five years. Tristan realized she was staring at the snow and led her out. Outside the hospital, Sophie shed a grin at the sight of the falling snow. It had been ages since shest seen a snowy scene. Stretching her hand out, she watched as a snowkended on her palm and melted. It was snowing heavily. A whileter, her head and shoulders were full of snowkes. Tristan helped her put on the hood on her head. Looking up, Sophie met his adoring gaze that threatened to drown her. ¡°Is it cold?¡± Tristan asked. ¡°Not really.¡± Sophie rubbed her hands. She had the urge to build a snowman, but the snow wasn¡¯t thick enough. ¡°I¡¯m cold,¡± Tristan told her. Before she could react, he hugged her. Opening his coat, he pulled her into his embrace. That was the first time someone had ever hugged Sophie. Her cheeks burned, and she couldn¡¯t stop her heart from racing. This belongs to N?velDrama.Org - ?. The snow kept falling, and the scenery was gorgeous, but Sophie was no longer enjoying the scenery. She only had eyes for Tristan. ¡°Let¡¯s head in. My feet are freezing.¡± No matter how pretty the snow was, one would freeze after standing in the cold for too long. ¡°Mm.¡± They both turned to leave. Sophie wanted to walk alone, but Tristan refused to let go of her hand. He gripped her hand tightly. ¡°Mr. Tristan, let me walk alone.¡± ¡°The road is too slippery, and I¡¯m afraid I¡¯ll fall. Thanks for supporting me,¡± Tristan lied through his teeth calmly. Sophie rolled her eyes in exasperation. Forget it. He can say whatever he likes as he¡¯s handsome. I shall stay quiet. They soon arrived at the ward that was heated. Sophie could finally warm herself up. She stood in front of the window and enjoyed the gorgeous scenery outside. The scene outside was very much to her liking. Tristan helped her to take off her down jacket. He shook off the snow and hung it up. Josiah¡¯s surgery was tomorrow, so Sophie was ovee by uneasiness. She couldn¡¯t help but grow annoyed by the feeling. However, she couldn¡¯t disturb Josiah, for he was most probably asleep then. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? You look worried. Is it about your grandpa?¡± Tristan asked gently. She needs to calm down. s, she¡¯s too involved to realize it. Old Mr. Tanner matters a lot to her, so she can¡¯t calm down now. ¡°Yes.¡± If it was someone else were to ask this question, Sophie wouldn¡¯t have poured her thoughts out. Since it was Tristan who posed the question, there was no need for her to hide her feelings. ¡°I¡¯m very worried about him.¡± Hearing that, Tristan took her hand and brought her into his embrace. ¡°It¡¯s fine. I¡¯ll be by your side, so we¡¯ll keep himpany together,¡± he promised. He dared not tell her that the surgery would be a sess, for that was out of his control. No matter what the result would be, they would face it together. That was one thing he could promise her. ¡°Hm.¡± Sophie leaned onto his chest quietly and fiddled with the corner of his shirt. Right then, someone knocked at the door. Tristan released Sophie and went over to answer the door. Arius was standing outside. He let out an icy snort after seeing Tristan there. ¡°Aren¡¯t you busy, Mr. Tristan? Why are you spending your days in the hospital? Do you want to be a doctor?¡± he mocked. Tristan was feared by many, but he was an exception. He was annoyed that Tristan remained by Sophie¡¯s side. ¡°That¡¯s none of your business,¡± Tristan responded. His tone was harsh, but he still looked as elegant as ever. ¡°Sophie, he sucks. Don¡¯t give him any chance, all right?¡± Arius didn¡¯t bother hiding his dislike for Tristan. ¡°How are you doing? The surgery is going tomence tomorrow.¡± He came to see her hoping to stop her from thinking too much. ¡°I¡¯ll be operating on him, so you don¡¯t have to worry. He¡¯ll be fine,¡± Arius assured her. He was actually afraid that something would crop up, but Josiah would be in grave danger if no one were to operate on him. ¡°Mm. You should get some rest and do well in the surgery tomorrow. I¡¯m fine.¡± It seemed ridiculous that the primary attending surgeon was there to offer her someforting words. Chapter 164 Chapter 164 Chapter 164 Take Him Away ¡°Stop being delusional. I was bored and came to visit you. I¡¯m not here tofort you!¡± Arius scratched his head shyly. Without warning, amotion sounded outside. Sophie furrowed her brows. Josiah was asleep, so she couldn¡¯t help but wonder who had created a ruckus outside. ¡°Let me find out who it is,¡± Tristan offered. I¡¯ve stationed my bodyguards outside. I can¡¯t believe someone dares to cause amotion! Tristan went out to see Yale insisting on entering the ward. ¡°Who the hell are you? Who hired you? My father is inside. Why can¡¯t I go in? If you refuse to let me enter, I shall call the police!¡± Yale snarled. He had no idea who the bodyguards were. They might seem menacing, but he had to enter the ward for the sake of Tanner Group. ¡°You¡¯re not weed here. Please leave right away.¡± Tristan scowled when he saw Yale outside. Yale¡¯s expression was twisted in fury. ¡°It¡¯s you again. You plot to stay with Sophie so you can get Tanner Group for yourself, right?¡± he barked furiously. Tristan never knew someone would use him of going after Tanner Group. Seriously? Do I even need to go to this extent just to get Tanner Group? Arius and Sophie emerged from the ward and immediately spotted Yale. ¡°Do you need anything? If the answer is no, please leave. You¡¯re not wee here,¡± Sophie snapped. Her father was obviously here with an ulterior motive. ¡°Sophie? What do you want? Why won¡¯t you let me see your grandpa? You want to keep all the Tanner family¡¯s assets for yourself, right? My god, our family is unlucky enough to have someone like you!¡± he comined. Sophie was speechless. Indeed, no one but Yale wanted Tanner Group, for it wasn¡¯t even worth that much. ¡°You may leave now.¡± There was no need for Yale toe here if all he wanted was thepany, for Sophie didn¡¯t want to waste time with him. ¡°What do you mean by I may leave now? I demand an answer! Why would I leave? I will allow Dad to go for surgery, but first, he has to decide the heir of Tanner Group. If anything happens to Dad during the surgery¡ª¡± ¡°Shut up!¡± Sophie¡¯s voice was so vicious that she sounded like Hades in person. ¡°Ever since Grandpa decided on the surgery, have you ever said anything nice? Yale, you are nothing but a beast!¡± If Yale hadn¡¯t gone overboard today, Sophie would not have flown into a fit of rage. Each and every word he uttered proved he wanted nothing more than Josiah to die on the operating table. Yale¡¯s expression was grim after getting yelled at by his daughter in public. However, he refused to leave. ¡°I¡¯m not cursing Dad. Someone is greedy enough to help outsiders get our money. I have to put my guard up,¡± he argued and shot Tristan a pointed look. Arius let out an angry snort. Never in his life had he seen someone like Sophie¡¯s father. Is he even her biological father? How could he be this ridiculous? ¡°Do you know who he is? Your family¡¯s wealth is nothing to him. Stop humiliating yourself, Yale!¡± Yale remained stubborn. ¡°I don¡¯t know who he is, and I don¡¯t wish to know. All I want is to guard Dad¡¯s wealth.¡± ¡°Mr. Tristan, tell him to leave.¡± Sophie didn¡¯t think it was necessary for them to continue the conversation, for no one would share her father¡¯s sentiments. ¡°Wait!¡± Yale refused to give up just yet. ¡°Sophie, Tanner Group is mine. No one can get it from me!¡± he announced. Tristan made a phone call. Soon, Felix arrived with a bunch of men. Yale gaped in disbelief when he saw Felix. Tristan was a stranger to him, but he had met Felix once previously. He couldn¡¯t hide his shock when Felix showed up. ¡°Mr. Northley? Why are you here?¡± he blurted out. Felix shot him a look. ¡°Mr. Tristan, the men are here.¡± Ignoring Yale, Felix strode over to Tristan. ¡°Mr. Tristan?¡± Comprehension dawned on Yale. So this young man who Dad calls ¡°Tanny¡± is the infamous Mr. Tristan? ¡°Soph, is he really Mr. Tristan?¡± Yale still refused to believe his ears and eyes. ¡°Take him away. Release him only after Old Mr. Tanner recovers from his surgery,¡± Tristan ordered. ¡°Got it, Mr. Tristan,¡± Felix replied politely. Yale panicked at once. ¡°Mr. Tristan, I was wrong. I didn¡¯t know it was you. I wouldn¡¯t have said those words if I do. Please forgive me!¡± he pleaded. His legs were trembling in fear. Everyone knew that Tristan was a formidable presence in Jipsdale that no one should cross, for he was capable of deciding anyone¡¯s fate. s, Felix¡¯s man didn¡¯t give him a chance to even speak. ¡°Mr. Tanner, please don¡¯t make things difficult for us as you¡¯re Ms. Tanner¡¯s father.¡± If they were to take action without sparing his reputation, Sophie would be affected as well. ¡°Just take him away,¡± Sophie ordered. She wouldn¡¯t let anyone affect Josiah¡¯s mood before his surgery. He should be grateful that they were only locking him up elsewhere without harming him. N?velDrama.Org holds ? this. ¡°Soph, I¡¯m your dad! How could you do this to me? Where are they taking me? You can¡¯t do this to me!¡± Yale yelled. His voice was so loud that Sophie¡¯s expression turned dark. ¡°Grandpa is asleep. He said he didn¡¯t want to see you. If he wishes to see you after his surgery, I¡¯ll bring you to him,¡± came Sophie¡¯s icy reply. ¡°Soph¡ª¡± ¡°Take him away!¡± Sophie no longer wanted to hear his voice. Sometimes, she couldn¡¯t help but wonder if Yale was truly her father, for he was nothing but a coward. After Yale was taken away, the hallway was silent once more. ¡°Mr. Tristan, I¡¯ll take my leave now,¡± Felix said. Tristan nodded, and Felix left with his men. Arius let out a sigh. ¡°Soph, I don¡¯t think there¡¯s anything in Jipsdale that¡¯s worth your time. After the surgery ends, follow me back to Anndur!¡± he suggested. Tristan shot him a frosty look but said nothing else. ¡°Let¡¯s talk about that after the surgery.¡± Sophie didn¡¯t want to think about that for now. ¡°Why don¡¯t you sleep in my room? The director renovated it previously, so it is much morefortable than being in the wards.¡± Arius didn¡¯t want her to spend a night together with Tristan in the same room. Just the mere thought of it made him upset. Why does she treat Tristan differently? ¡°No, thanks. I¡¯m doing fine here.¡± Sophie rejected his offer. Tristan had the urge to kill Arius on the spot, but he quickly calmed down after hearing Sophie¡¯s reply. No matter how much Arius sacrificed, he wouldn¡¯t mind as long as Sophie¡¯s heart belonged to him. Tristan put his arm around Sophie¡¯s shoulder and led her into the ward. He didn¡¯t even bother talking to Arius and mmed the door in his face. Chapter 165 Chapter 165 Chapter 165 Extraordinary Talent ¡°F*ck it!¡± Arius cursed under his breath. Tristan is savage! He¡¯s dering war, huh? ¡±Tristan, do you seriously think I¡¯m afraid of you? Let me tell you. I¡­¡± Hearing his yells, Tristan opened the door and stared at him without a word. Arius rubbed his nose awkwardly and pretended to nce at someone else in the corridor before leaving silently. Fine. I¡¯m not as strong as Tristan. I didn¡¯t forget how Tristan beat me up back then. Why am I this unlucky to run into someone as savage as Tristan? I, Arius Gullifer, am the most capable doctor in the medical association! Huh, what is it with my ass luck? After he left, Tristan shut the door and turned to see Sophie staring at him wordlessly. He shrugged. ¡°I didn¡¯t say anything. He was too noisy.¡± ¡°Mm, you¡¯re right. He¡¯s quite talkative,¡± Sophie admitted. ¡°Do you like men who are talkative?¡± Tristan asked suddenly. If she nods, I¡¯ll have to figure out a way to make Arius disappear. However, Sophie shook her head. ¡°No.¡± Tristan was satisfied with her response. The surgery was going to be held at nine in the morning. After snowing the whole night, the sky was clear. Sophie woke up really early morning to chat with Josiah. She didn¡¯t talk much, for Josiah did most of the talking. However, she wanted to spend more time with him. Suddenly, Josiah fell silent. Sophie nced at him curiously. The surgery is about to begin soon. Is he worried? ¡°Soph,e here!¡± Josiah said solemnly. Sophie had never seen him that serious before. She went to him obediently and took his hand. ¡°Grandpa, you¡¯ll be fine,¡± Sophie said firmly. She had to be strong. ¡°I¡¯ll keep youpany during the surgery,¡± she promised. Arius was there, so she had the privilege to do so. Josiah told her, ¡°Soph, don¡¯t go inter. I don¡¯t want you to take part in the surgery.¡± Arius said she was talented. If she were to participate in his surgery but failed to seed, it might affect her future. He didn¡¯t want that to happen.¡± All content is property ? N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Grandpa!¡± Sophie shot him a disapproving look. ¡°I promised to stay with you!¡± No matter what, I¡¯ll keep himpany throughout the surgery. Josiah let out a sigh. ¡°Soph, don¡¯t you know you¡¯ll get hurt easily with your personality? I¡¯m delighted to learn that you¡¯re talented in medicine, but I want you to be happy, all right?¡± ¡°I know. Don¡¯t worry, for I¡¯ll be happy,¡± Sophie promised despite not knowing what happiness was. If that was what Josiah wanted, she would fulfill his wish. ¡°I know you¡¯re capable, and you¡¯ve done everything you promised me you would. On the other hand, I promised to protect you when you were young but ended up breaking my promise.¡± He wasn¡¯t there when Sophie needed him the most, and he would never forget that. Seeing how worried he was, Sophie reached out to stroke his furrowed brows. ¡°Grandpa, you didn¡¯t break your promise. The incident that happened five years ago wasn¡¯t that bad. If it hadn¡¯t happened, I wouldn¡¯t be who I am today. I¡¯m quite satisfied with myself. Stop ming yourself, all right?¡± She knew Josiah had been ming himself for his absence for not being there for her, so she wanted him to know that she was doing great. ¡°Soph. Oh, my dear Soph. You¡¯re so kind,¡± Josiahmented. She never wanted anything, but the others in the family don¡¯t understand her at all. Soph never wanted the Tanner family¡¯s wealth! ¡°Don¡¯t say that, Grandpa,¡± Sophie implored. She didn¡¯t want to see him acting as though he wouldn¡¯t survive the surgery. Josiah squeezed her hand. ¡°I¡¯m really useless, huh?¡± he remarked softly. Despite being in his old age, he was still a coward. No one in the Tanner family was Sophie¡¯s match. Sophie shook her head. ¡°Grandpa, everyone is afraid of dying.¡± She had been on the verge of death previously and could understand his feelings. Her eyes seemed as though they could see through his heart, so Josiah promptly looked away. ¡°Promise me. If I can¡¯t survive the surgery, take care of the Tanner family.¡± He knew she was capable enough and wasn¡¯t interested in the family, but he had worked hard to build Tanner Group. Thus, he didn¡¯t want to see Tanner Group go downhill. ¡°Grandpa, that won¡¯t happen. It¡¯s almost time and Arius should be ready.¡± Sophie changed the topic. Everything was ready, so all Josiah had to do was y along. To her surprise, he refused to leave his bed. ¡°Promise me. I don¡¯t want to die with any regrets,¡± he insisted. Yale was his only son, so there was no way he could ignore his son¡¯s plight. ¡°Okay. I promise you,¡± came Sophie¡¯s answer. She would do her best to fulfill Josiah¡¯s requests no matter how hard things would be. Besides, this request was pretty easy toplete. ¡°Mm. Your dad caused a ruckus yesterday, right? Tell Tanny to release him.¡± Josiah wanted Yale to stay by his side at that moment. ¡°Sure.¡± Sophie agreed right away. When Josiah was pushed out of the ward, Yale and Charmaine were already waiting outside the operating room. Willow was also there. For the first time in his life, Yale felt a wave of agony wash over him. He strode over to take Josiah¡¯s hand. ¡°Dad, you must survive this,¡± he said. He didn¡¯t even feel the pinch previously and only changed his mind after seeing his father being pushed to the operating room. Yale btedly realized that his seemingly invincible father was really getting old. Josiah gazed at his son. ¡°Yale, you¡¯re my only son. I used to have high hopes on you, but you¡¯re too ordinary. When I¡¯m no longer here, let Soph run Tanner Group. You should just take your dividends instead of creating a ruckus,¡± he said solemnly. ¡°Dad, what are you talking about?¡± Yale¡¯s voice was trembling. ¡°Your daughters are all grown up. Why are you crying? Stop it. Don¡¯t embarrass me,¡± Josiah chided. ¡°Dad, you¡¯ll be fine,¡± was the only thing Yale could say. Josiah was pushed into the operating room. As Sophie was nowhere to be seen, Willow told Charmaine, ¡°Mom, Sophie didn¡¯t even show up for Grandpa¡¯s surgery. She doesn¡¯t even care about Grandpa! Grandpa adored her so much. What an ingrate.¡± Chapter 166 Chapter 166 Chapter 166 Breathtakingly Beautiful ¡°Willow, mind your own business,¡± Yale warned. Tristan was too scary. They didn¡¯t hurt me, but I was locked up and couldn¡¯t make any calls with my phone. That was a horrible experience. ¡°Dad, I was being honest. I feel bad for Grandpa,¡± Willow responded with pouted lips. Yale snapped, ¡°Your grandpa can decide that himself.¡± All content is property ? N?velDrama.Org. Charmaine cast him a dubious look. What¡¯s with him? He used to despise Sophie. What happened to him today? Before Willow could say anything, Yale chided her harshly and stopped her from saying anything else. Willow fumed silently. Why is everyone going against me? ¡°Mom, I feel a little unwell. I¡¯ll go and get some fresh air,¡± she said. Charmaine gave her a disapproving look. ¡°Willow, your grandpa is in the operating room. Don¡¯t be willful,¡± she chided. Willow was unlike her usual obedient self that day. ¡°Mom, I am supposed to meet Mr. Zalester,¡± Willow exined. She had no idea why she got lucky. yton took notice of her after she appeared by his side deliberately. ¡°What? Really?¡± Charmaine was ted. ¡°Go, then! Seize the opportunity, okay?¡± ¡°But Grandpa¡­¡± ¡°There are plenty of people here. The doctors are here too, and you can¡¯t be of any help. Just go!¡± Charmaine urged. If we get to establish connections with the Zales family, Willow will get a chance! The Zales family is much more influential than the Laird family! Willow knew what her mother was thinking. After gaining Charmaine¡¯s approval, she sneaked away quietly. Arius and Sophie had changed into surgical gowns. They were disinfecting themselves for thest time when the doors slid open. Sophie turned at her shoulder to see Barney Smith, a renowned doctor, the founder of the medical association, and also Arius¡¯ mentor. ¡°Dr. Smith? Why are you here?¡± Arius was surprised to see Barney here, for thetter was recently busy with an important experiment in theb. I can¡¯t believe he made time just to be here! ¡°I received a call from Mr. Lombard and rushed here immediately. As I was busy in theb, I didn¡¯t know about Old Mr. Tanner. Why didn¡¯t you tell me about his condition?¡± If he knew about it earlier, he would¡¯vee here at once. Fortunately, he had arrived just in time for the surgery. ¡°I was worried you were busy. Besides, I¡¯m confident of undergoing the surgery myself, so I didn¡¯t bother informing you,¡± Arius exined. Barney turned to Sophie and reprimanded him, ¡°Sophie, didn¡¯t I tell you toe to me for help no matter what? You didn¡¯te to me even though Old Mr. Tanner is in danger.¡± ¡°Dr. Smith, you were too busy, so I didn¡¯t ask for your help,¡± Sophie rified. Barney sighed. ¡°Don¡¯t say that. I might want you to be my student, but I won¡¯t coerce you into doing anything you¡¯re not willing to do.¡± Arius rolled his eyes. ¡°That¡¯s because you know coercing her won¡¯t work!¡± He knew his mentor well and was embarrassed to hear those pretentious words. Barney red at him. ¡°B*stard! Is it fun to humiliate me? Did you forget that I am your mentor since I haven¡¯t punished you for too long?¡± he snapped. Arius argued, ¡°Dr. Smith, you¡¯re wrong. I¡¯m merely telling the truth. You have been dreaming of making Sophie your student every day, right?¡± Oh my¡­ life is tough and I can¡¯t even tell the truth. Barney red at him and huffed, ¡°Yeah, you¡¯re da*n smart!¡± Sophie chuckled out loud after hearing their exchange. She was reminded of the times they shared back in Horington. Arius got Barney a surgical gown and helped him to put it in. Barney then began scrubbing his hands. ¡°Can Ie in?¡± Tristan asked suddenly. He wanted nothing more than to be with Sophie. The only thing he could do for her was to invite Barney over. Even though he couldn¡¯t be of help, he didn¡¯t want her to leave his sight. ¡°Mr. Tristan, do you think we¡¯re having fun inside? This concerns someone¡¯s life. Do you think it¡¯s an exhibition?¡± Arius dered. Tristan ignored him and kept staring at Sophie. ¡°Why are you so talkative? Mr. Tristan can watch the surgery if he wants. He won¡¯t affect you!¡± Barney chided. Back in the medical association, Arius wouldn¡¯t stop anyone from watching any of his surgeries. Sophie nodded. She knew Tristan was worried about her and wanted to stay by her side. After the preparations were made, the four of them went to the automated ss doors. The doors slid open, and Barney brought Arius into the operating room. Sophie halted in her tracks momentarily. ¡°Good luck! Everything will be fine,¡± Tristan assured her. He wanted to give her a hug, but she had to enter the operating room soon, so he couldn¡¯t do that. ¡°Mm. I¡¯ll head in now.¡± It was pointless to say anything at that moment. Sophie¡¯s priority was to focus on the surgery. Tristan stared at her fragile figure stepping into the operating room and felt his heart ache at the sight. He could only pray that Josiah would be all right. He didn¡¯t even want to imagine how Sophie would react if Josiah couldn¡¯t survive the surgery. After Sophie headed in, and the surgery began. Barney didn¡¯t take part and would only provide guidance from aside. ¡°Sophie, help Arius.¡± Her hands were extremely important in the surgery, for even Arius¡¯ hands weren¡¯t as nimble as hers. Sophie nodded. The anesthesiologist had already injected Josiah with the anesthetics, so he was lying in bed with his eyes shut. Arius was ready. ¡°Good luck!¡± he told Sophie. Sophie gave a firm nod. Arius and Barney¡ªboth renowned doctors¡ªwere here in the operating room, so Josiah would be fine. The surgery began. Sophie and Arius worked well with one another. Their actions were very much in sync. That was the first time Tristan saw Sophie performing surgery. Each and every action she did was devastatingly attractive. Sophie was breathtakingly beautiful when she was focused on doing one thing. The surgery went on smoothly. Barney couldn¡¯t help but wish he could bring Sophie back to Anndur after seeing how nimble her hands were. ¡°Here, it¡¯s your turn,¡± Arius told her. That was the most important part of the surgery¡ªto remove the bullet fragment. Sophie looked up. He wants me to do it? ¡°You¡¯re the only one capable of doing it,¡± Arius exined. He knew she was very precise, so the surgery would end faster if she were to do the deed. ¡°You can do it, Sophie,¡± Barney encouraged her. After this surgery, she¡¯ll know the significance of bing a doctor! Everyone trusted her immensely, so Sophie knew she couldn¡¯t back down. ¡°Okay.¡± She focused on removing the bullet fragment. It was tiny but had tortured Josiah for many years. Thus, she was determined to remove it to end his suffering. Chapter 167 Chapter 167 Chapter 167 Uncontroble In twenty seconds, Sophie removed the bullet fragment deftly and without mistakes. After the removal of the bullet fragment, follow-up work was just the usual routine. When the operation was over, Josiah was pushed into the observation room. Sophie and Arius went to shower and change. However, Sophie found herself leaning against the wall, her hand trembling uncontrobly. Sophie bit her lip as she watched her trembling hand. Tristan had already showered and changed and was waiting outside for her. The moment he set eyes on her, Tristan noticed that something was not right, and he held her hand. ¡°It¡¯s okay, now. You did a great job,¡± Tristan said, consoling her. Sophie leaned gently on his body and slowly closed her eyes. Performing such a delicate operation was exhausting both mentally and physically, and she was totally drained now. ¡°It¡¯s okay, now. You did well. Now, go and get some rest.¡± Seeing her in this condition, his heart ached for her. On the operating table, Sophie¡¯s skill was so extraordinary that no one could take their eyes off her but she was his woman and he wished that there would be less pressure on her. Some might judge him for being selfish but all he wanted was for her not to be so exhausted. ¡°I¡¯ll go and see Grandpa first.¡± No matter how tired she was, she wanted to see her grandfather before going back to rest. The operation was done but recovery would depend on close observation and aftercare. ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll apany you to see Old Mr. Tanner first. After seeing him, you can go back to rest. I¡¯ll stay there and everything will be fine.¡± He could take over her ce to watch over him. Sophie did not protest as she really needed to rest for a while. Besides, Josiah would take several hours before waking up. Josiah had been wheeled into the observation room and visitors were not allowed in. So, she went in alone. ¡°Grandpa, I¡¯ve done all that can be done. It all depends on you now. You¡¯ve always been my hero so I am sure you can pull through. You won¡¯t let me down, will you?¡± Her grandfather was a veteran. He had been through the war and was an indomitable hero. If it was not for that tiny bullet fragment, he would not leave his beloved job. After speaking a few words, Sophie came out of the observation room as she could not stay long. Yale saw hering out. Immediately, he asked with concern, ¡°Soph, how is your grandpa doing? After he was wheeled out, we asked many doctors, but they were not familiar with the case.¡± At that point, Yale¡¯s attitude toward Sophie improved a lot. Realizing that Tristan was on her side, Yale did not dare to show any disrespect. After all, the Lombard family was very prominent in the city of Jipsdale. ¡°The operation was a sess, but we will only know the whole picture after Grandpa wakes up.¡± After all, he was advanced in age. Younger folks may take a few days to recover, but he would take longer. ¡°The sessful operation is a good thing,¡± Yale mumbled, almost to himself. Charmaine nced at Yale in surprise. That was the first time he was so cordial to Sophie. ¡°Okay, you¡¯re tired. Go and rest.¡± Tristan did not want her to stay and talk for too long. The operation had already sapped too much of her energy. Sophie stopped talking and went off to the VIP ward nearby apanied by Tristan. ¡°Why are you so nice to Sophie today? Is there something I do not know?¡± She did not understand the present situation at all. What is going on? She did not like that feeling at all as she liked to be in control of every situation. ¡°Have a better attitude towards Sophie in the future. The entire Tanner family can only rely on her in the future.¡± Yale had not expected that after he spent so much time and effort on Willow, the boss turned out to be Sophie in the end. Charmaine frowned. ¡°Why? I don¡¯t understand.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t need to understand.¡± Who was Tristan after all? He did not even know if Tristan would mind others finding out about his rtionship with Sophie. It did not matter what Tristan thought of Sophie, they could no longer ill treat Sophie. All content is property ? N?velDrama.Org. Even if Sophie was just a pet kept by Tristan, no one would dare to harm his pet. Furthermore, no one really knew what Sophie meant to Tristan. ¡°What was that about? Can¡¯t you tell me the truth?¡± We are one family, aren¡¯t we? Why is it necessary to be so secretive and hide the truth? ¡°Don¡¯t question me. Just do as I say, that¡¯s all.¡± Charmaine was rather upset. She was his wife, after all. Why does he always use the same reason to shut me up? Tristan led Sophie to the ward. He had to see her lie down with his own eyes. ¡°Sleep well, so I won¡¯t worry about you, okay? I shall go over to Grandpa now and watch him. There won¡¯t be any problem.¡± ¡°Mr. Tristan, I really appreciate this.¡± She felt at ease having him around. ¡°You don¡¯t have to mention that with me.¡± Tristan tucked her in, closed the door and left. Soon, she fell asleep and had a dream. The dream went on for a long time. In the dream, she was about seven or eight years old. Her grandfather went down on all four and dotingly carried her on his back. The memory became vivid and it was difficult to differentiate between a dream and reality. Nheless, she had smiled sweetly in the dream. Then, the dream changed and it was about the recent surgery but was a failure. ¡°Grandpa¡ª¡± Sophie woke up in fear from the nightmare, drenched with perspiration. Sitting up on the hospital bed, Sophie gasped violently. With one hand ced over her beating heart, she reached out for her phone with the other to check the time. She had slept for more than forty minutes. Unable to go back to sleep, she dressed up and went outside. Tristan was standing guard outside and saw her the moment she appeared. He walked toward her, frowning in disapproval. How long did she sleep? Why is she up already? ¡°Why don¡¯t you sleep a bit longer?¡± He led her to a bench nearby and seated her. Seeing her covered in perspiration, he could not help looking at her with concern. ¡°What happened? Did you have a bad dream?¡± ¡°Mr. Tristan, is my grandpa alright?¡± As someone who was knowledgeable in the field of medicine, she knew that the operation was very sessful, but as Grandpa¡¯s beloved little girl, she actually asked a silly question. Knowing that she was worried about Josiah, Tristan held her hand tightly. ¡°Didn¡¯t Arius say it¡¯s apletely sessful operation? You took part in it yourself.¡± She knew everything, but that did not stop her from worrying. Sophie nodded. That¡¯s true! She knew everything, from beginning to end. She knew it all. Yet, she could not help but worry. In fact, she was even fearful. Sophie leaned on his shoulder. ¡°I know that this is not good but I can¡¯t help it. I can¡¯t control myself.¡± She did not like it but she cared too much for her grandfather, so she became all worried and felt awful about it. Chapter 168 Chapter 168 Chapter 168 Human Emotions ¡°Worry has driven you into a mess, but you have really done a good job.¡± After all, humans were born with emotions and desires, and there was no way to have total control over them. She had done very well. At that very moment, Arius and Barney came over. When they saw her in that state, Arius could not help but shake his head. ¡°Soph, don¡¯t you trust me? As your mentor, I was right beside you throughout the operation. It was totally faultless.¡± Sophie rose to her feet. ¡°Dr. Smith, thank you very much foring here,¡± she said gratefully, knowing how busy he was. Barney burst outughing. ¡°My dear, I don¡¯t know when you will take me as your mentor. However, I¡¯ll wait, no matter how long it will take.¡± As a leading figure in the medical field, Barney founded International Medical Association. All content is property ? N?velDrama.Org. The medical association had a lot of medical experts from all over the world under its umbre. From the time he met Sophie, he had always wanted her to helm his medical association. ¡°Just give her some time. You¡¯re almost there.¡± After going through so much, Sophie could think of nothing else but her grandfather. ¡°Fine, I will not rush you. For your sake, I have mastered Chanaean. I¡¯ll leave it to you.¡± At that point, he spoke Chanaean well, but with a foreign ent. Arius shook his head. His mentor seemed totally obsessed with Sophie. However, Arius could understand Barney¡¯s feelings. Sophie was indeed the most gifted medical prodigy they had evere across. ¡°Sophie, Dr. Smith has to leave now. I¡¯m sure you know how much work he has at the medical association.¡± ¡°Dr. Smith, let me see you out.¡± Sophie decided to walk him to the entrance because he hade such a long way. ¡°You stay here. I¡¯ll walk with him.¡± Tristan knew how much she wanted to stay with her grandfather, so he offered. ¡°Neither of you need to do that. It¡¯s good enough that Arius is with me.¡± Barney understood how she felt, and he did not want her to do that. ¡°Tristan, you stay here too.¡± Tristan had already done a lot to bring him over. ¡°Sophie, you stay here and watch your grandpa. Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll stay until he wakes up.¡± He didn¡¯t want to go off just like that. ¡°Thank you, Dr. Smith,¡± Sophie said sincerely. Anyhow, she was grateful that he hade all the way. At that moment, Constance turned up. She had heard that the founder of the medical association was visiting. Even though Arius was unwilling to help her, there was hope for Mason¡¯s legs to recover as long as Barney agreed to help. What she had not expected was that she had no way of reaching that level. Nheless, that was a rare opportunity to meet the foreign expert. ¡°Hello, may I know if you are Dr. Smith? My son¡¯s legs are broken. Can I ask you¡ª¡± Before Constance could finish speaking, two bodyguards came over immediately and caught hold of her. Seeing that it was her, Sophie¡¯s expression was particrly cold, while Tristan just nced at the two bodyguards. ¡°This must not happen again!¡± Tristan warned them sharply. The two bodyguards were so afraid that they broke into cold sweat. They were well aware of Tristan¡¯s fiery temper. Furthermore, they could not give him any satisfactory reply for Constance¡¯s intrusion. The woman had already entered the room and that was an indisputable fact. ¡°Sorry, Mr. Tristan.¡± The bodyguards apologized for their mistake, but the damage was done. ¡°Take her away!¡± ¡°Dr. Smith, if you can heal my son¡¯s legs, I can give you whatever you want,¡± Constance yelled for that was herst chance. Barney frowned. He did not like the woman¡¯s attitude. There was nothing he wanted that he could not have so far. The name Barney Smith was synonymous with absolute power. Where fame and fortune were concerned, he had everything. If there were anything he wanted then, it was Sophie. Constance was taken away even while she was still trying to convince Barney. ¡°Soph, you muste to visit me in Anndur. Even if you do not wish to join the medical association, you can at least check it out.¡± He was confident that the moment she visited the medical association, she would definitely be fascinated by what she would see. ¡°Alright, I will certainly pay the medical association a visit,¡± Sophie promised. Arius sent Barney to the airport personally. Tristan had made arrangements for his flight. ¡°Mr. Tristan, Old Mr. Tanner is awake,¡± a staff came over to report. When Sophie heard that her grandfather was awake, she went over immediately. She went in and saw that he was indeed awake. Seeing Sophie, Josiah raised his hand slightly. He was awake, but still unable to talk. She went to him and held his hand. ¡°Grandpa, don¡¯t worry. The operation was a sess. After a few days of rest, we can go home.¡± When Arius came back and found out that Josiah had awoken, he came immediately to examine him. After a series of tests, Arius looked rather pleased. ¡°You¡¯re recovering well. So, don¡¯t worry, Old Mr. Tanner. Rest well for a few days, and be sure to listen to the nurses!¡± Josiah nodded slowly as he listened to the doctor. At his advanced age, he felt weak after going through such a major operation, but his mind was still sharp. ¡°Grandpa, just close your eyes and rest,¡± Sophie advised after seeing how weak he was. Josiah¡¯s eyes were on Sophie all the time. He knew that she was undergoing a lot at that moment. Since he was awake, she should go and have a good rest. ¡°Grandpa, I¡¯m fine.¡± She could see that he was worried about her. ¡°Grandpa, don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m here for her. She¡¯s going to be fine.¡± Tristan gazed steadily into Josiah¡¯s eyes. When Josiah heard that, he heaved a sign of relief. For some unknown reason, he trusted Tristan and took him at his word. Josiah fell asleep again. Arius patted Sophie on her shoulder. ¡°It¡¯s all good. Now that Old Mr. Tanner has awoken, you can stop worrying.¡± The truth was that when Josiah woke up, Arius felt relieved too. He was worried about any mishaps that might happen. After all, every surgery involved certain levels of risk. That type of surgery Josiah had was especially risky. ¡°Thank you, Arius.¡± He waved his hands in reply. ¡°Sophie, if you continue doing this, I¡¯ll get angry. There is no need for you to stand on ceremony.¡± Sophie did not say a word, but smiled instead. ¡°All is well and I¡¯m tired. I¡¯m going to sleep for a while.¡± He was not going back yet, but he would leave only after Josiah¡¯s condition had stabilized. Arius had gone to rest and Morgan noticed that Sophie did not look well. Immediately he told Tristan, ¡°Mr. Tristan, let me watch Old Mr. Tanner. You send Ms. Sophie to get some rest.¡± With Morgan there, the others need not worry. ¡°Morgan, I¡¯m fine.¡± She knew they were worried about her but she felt fine. ¡°You should go home. I¡¯m sure you don¡¯t want Old Mr. Tanner to wake up and see you exhausted or he¡¯ll feel really bad.¡± Chapter 169 Chapter 169 Chapter 169 Irresistible ¡°In that case, I¡¯ll go back and shower. Call me if there are any problems.¡± She, too, wanted to shower at home. Regardless of how luxurious the VIP ward was, she didn¡¯t like bathing there. ¡°All right, go on ahead,¡± Morgan replied respectfully. After Tristan returned to Wisteria Apartments with Sophie, he, too, took a bath when Sophie went to take a shower. Despite spending thest few days in the hospital, he only managed a single quick bath. After all, the conditions at the hospital were considered terrible for someone like him. When he was done showering, he heated up a ss of milk for Sophie and estimated the time she needed before knocking on her door. Upon hearing the knock, Sophie opened the door, wrapped only in a towel with her hair still dripping wet. The wet look and perky bosoms that greeted him felt like a siren song calling out to him. Tristan, unable to help himself, gulped before feeling embarrassed by his own reaction. ¡°Have a ss of milk before you sleep. We¡¯ll be going to the hospital again tomorrow.¡± When Sophie received the ss from him, she brushed against his warm fingers, causing her to flinch in reflex. Under such circumstances, it was all too easy for both of them to feel awkward. ¡°After a grueling few days, you can finally get some proper rest.¡± Sophie¡¯s gentle voice continued to w at his heart. Tristan nodded. ¡°Mmm-hmm. I¡¯ll be next door. Call me if you need anything.¡± With that, he came out of her room reluctantly. Sophie¡¯s gaze trailed his silhouette until he returned to his room before drinking the warm milk he had prepared. After lying in bed, Sophie slept especially well, probably due to the effects of the milk. By the time she awoke, it was already three in the morning. Hunger was what had woken her up. With her stomach growling, she couldn¡¯t help but feel annoyed. In the end, she decided to get out of bed. The moment she opened the door, Tristan heard her movements, causing him toe out too. All content is property ? N?velDrama.Org. ¡°What is it? Where are you going in the middle of the night?¡± he asked anxiously, worried that something might have happened to Josiah. Sophie¡¯s heart was warmed by the concerned look on his face. ¡°It¡¯s nothing. I¡¯m just feeling hungry, as I had barely eaten during the day.¡± However, she wasn¡¯t sure if there were still any food delivery services avable at night. ¡°I n to order some food. Do you want anything?¡± I don¡¯t remember him having eaten much too. Given that he¡¯s one point eight meters tall, shouldn¡¯t he be hungrier than I am? ¡°Oh, in that case, let¡¯s have supper together.¡± After going downstairs and taking their seats in the living room, Sophie opened a food delivery app. Despite browsing through it for a long time, she couldn¡¯te to a decision. ¡°Come on. Let¡¯s eat out instead.¡± Sophie looked in his direction. ¡°Who goes out for supper at this ungodly hour?¡± Isn¡¯t it toote for that? ¡°You and me!¡± Why not? As long as we fancy it, who¡¯s to say that we can¡¯t? Sophie nodded. ¡°You¡¯re right.¡± ¡°Wait for me. I¡¯ll go get changed.¡± Regardless of how brazen she was, there was no way she was going out in her pajamas. As Tristan waited in the living room for her, a smile broke out on his face. Who knew that this is all it takes to be happy? Even though he was just waiting for her to go out for supper, a sense of bliss had descended upon him. As long as they were together, he would be easily contented regardless of what they did. Meanwhile, Sophie had put on a red hoodie topped by a ck down jacket. Due to how cold Jipsdale was, she didn¡¯t tie her hair. Given how juvenile she looked, Tristan felt guilty being together with her. He couldn¡¯t help but question himself on whether he was too old for her. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± From the moment we entered the elevator, he hadn¡¯t peeled his eyes away from me. ¡°Nothing, you just look very good in your outfit.¡± Sophie was rendered speechless. How should I respond to that? ¡°I think I look good all the time.¡± Not expecting such an answer, Tristan was stunned. ¡°I¡¯m just kidding.¡± Sophie couldn¡¯t resistughing. It¡¯s been a long time since I¡¯ve felt so at ease, and this feels wonderful! Tristan brought Sophie to a high-end barbecue restaurant. Unlike those by the street, it had a wonderful ambiance and looked like a ce Tristan would frequent. Nheless, they didn¡¯t expect to run into Felix and the others. At the sight of Tristan, Ysabelle ran up to them. ¡°Soph, how is Old Mr. Tanner? I want to visit him too.¡± Over thest few days, her dad had grounded her at home. If it weren¡¯t for Felix, she wouldn¡¯t even have the opportunity toe out. ¡°He¡¯s fine. What about you? Are you still grounded by your dad?¡± Ysabelle sighed at the topic. How did I end up having him as my father? Being grounded sucks! ¡°Let¡¯s not go there, as I get a headache just thinking of it. My dad is just too bullheaded. No one can change his mind.¡± ¡°Mr. Tristan, you should stay by Sophie¡¯s side for the next few days. I¡¯ll hold the fort for you at the office. In return, this meal is on you,¡± Felix grumbled the moment he saw Tristan. ¡°Fine, I¡¯m buying. I¡¯ll make sure you go home drunk, or my name isn¡¯t Tristan.¡± Felix was stumped. I was just making a casual remark. Getting drunk is such a horrible feeling to have. ¡°Mr. Tristan, I¡¯m sorry. You win. Please let me off the hook!¡± When Charles and Sean saw Felix¡¯s cowardly reaction, they burst intoughter. ¡°Mr. Tristan, Sean and I will be taking our leave as we¡¯re done. As for Felix, go ahead and torture him,¡± Charles suggested with a grin. Felix was upset. ¡°F*ck, after I invited you out for supper, is that how you repay me? Charles, you had better not cross the line.¡± Felix rolled up his sleeves as if he was going to get into a fight with them. Ignoring him, Sean gave Charles a tug before leaving, with Felix brandishing his fists in the air behind them. ¡°All of you should stop bullying Felix. Don¡¯t you think he¡¯s really pitiful?¡± Upon hearing the remark, Felix snuck a nce at Ysabelle, for that was the first time she had ever stood up for him. Even Tristan shot her a look. ¡°Felix, you should send her home already. Given how strict her dad hastely been, she might be grounded for life if she doesn¡¯t get home soon.¡± Tristan knew his brother¡¯s character like the back of his hand. Upon hearing hisment, Ysabelle, who had wanted to linger a little longer, felt her enthusiasm fizzle out and resigned herself to reality. ¡°Soph, once Old Mr. Tanner recovers, I¡¯ll visit him again. As of now, I won¡¯t bother him yet.¡± Sophie nodded in acknowledgment. ¡°Mm-hmm. Go on now.¡± Poor girl. After being reluctantly led away by Felix, Ysabelle would turn around with a pitiful look on her face every few steps she took. Chapter 170 Chapter 170 Chapter 170 I Like You This Way When she saw Ysabelle¡¯s miserable expression, Sophie couldn¡¯t help but ask, ¡°Mr. Tristan, as Ysabelle¡¯s uncle, can¡¯t you put in a good word for her?¡± There¡¯s nothing wrong with joining the entertainment industry as long as that¡¯s where her passion lies. Considering the Lombard family¡¯s position in Jipsdale, no one in the industry would dare take advantage of her in the event she does. ¡°Mm-hmm, I¡¯ll talk to my brother about it in a few days.¡± As he was upied with Josiah¡¯s matter, he had no time to spare for Ysabelle¡¯s affairs. Nheless, since Sophie had made a request, he would definitely get to it. After leading Sophie to a private room, both of them sat and waited after ordering. The moment Sophie went online, Butterfly¡¯s messages came in. Butterfly: Phantom, you¡¯re finally here. Have you been busy? Why haven¡¯t youe online recently? Phantom: I¡¯ve been busy taking care of things at home. Did something happen? How are things at Wings of Light? Butterfly: What¡¯s wrong? Do you need our help? If you do, just press 1. Sophie couldn¡¯t help but smile at Butterfly¡¯s joke. Phantom: I¡¯m fine. My grandpa has just gone for an operation. There¡¯s nothing you can do even if you¡¯re here. Butterfly: I see. In that case, I¡¯ll visit him tomorrow. Just give me the address. Phantom: That¡¯s not necessary. He¡¯s still recovering and needs a lot of rest. Butterfly: All right then. I¡¯ll visit him when he¡¯s better, as I¡¯ve been nning to see him for some time. Please keep me updated. Phantom: Is everything all right with Wings of Light? Butterfly: It¡¯s fine. Their influence has been expanding under my leadership, so there¡¯s nothing for you to worry about. Phantom: Okay, I¡¯m logging off now. You should rest early too. I know Butterfly is a night owl, but why isn¡¯t she sleeping yet? It¡¯s almost dawn now. Butterfly: I can¡¯t sleep as I just broke up. From the look of things, I¡¯m really not suited to be in a rtionship. Sophie was at a loss for words. She goes through a breakup once a month. I really have no idea what to say. Butterfly: Ah, I just keep meeting lousy men. It¡¯s not my problem, but the men I keep seeing are terrible. Phantom: I have to go, as I¡¯m about to eat. Tristan¡¯s gaze was fixed on her as she was chatting with Butterfly from the moment she sat down. After logging out of her phone, Sophie put it aside. ¡°Who was it?¡± How can there be someone who has a greater hold on her than me? To the extent that she just can¡¯t put down her phone? ¡°A friend.¡± As Tristan still didn¡¯t know that she was Phantom, it wasn¡¯t the right time to tell him about Butterfly yet. ¡°Fine.¡± Sensing her reluctance, Tristan didn¡¯t press on. When the food was served, Sophie grabbed a skewer of grilled meat and took a bite. Even though it was delicious, she didn¡¯t feel that it tasted much better than one from a street stall. Since spices were the most important ingredient in a barbecue, she enjoyed the particr restaurant¡¯s spice rub. Sophie, who noticed Tristan wasn¡¯t eating, handed a skewer to him. ¡°Aren¡¯t you hungry too? Dig in!¡± Instead of receiving it, Tristan grabbed her hand and took a bite from her skewer. Sophie was rendered speechless. Does he want me to feed him? She let out a sigh. This is such a pain. Must I also feed him during meals whenever we¡¯re together? All content is property ? N?velDrama.Org. Even though she was famished a while ago, she became full after just a few skewers. In spite of that, Tristan ordered a serving of mashed potatoes for her. After taking a few mouthfuls, she could no longer move a muscle. As for Tristan, he finished her leftover mashed potatoes instead of the untouched barbecue skewers. After both of them exited the restaurant and got into the car, they saw Willow and yton appear in front of it. When Sophie was certain thedy beside yton was Willow, she couldn¡¯t resist snorting inughter. Isn¡¯t she in love with Mason? What changed? Does she not fancy him anymore after what happened to his leg? That aside, why is yton with her? The fact that yton was behind the assassination attempts on Tristan wasn¡¯t lost upon her. At the same time, Tristan¡¯s expression darkened. There¡¯s no reason for yton and Willow to be in the same social setting. Now that he has her by his side, what is he nning? Who is he targeting? Tristan didn¡¯t forget the incident outside Blossom Garden, where yton discovered how special Sophie was to him. Therefore, he suspected that Sophie was the reason why yton had Willow by his side. As Sophie watched Willow, thetter, in turn, saw her and noticed the way Sophie was looking at her. As a result, Willow cracked a smug smile. Is Sophie already jealous when I haven¡¯t even done anything? All I¡¯m doing is show up by yton¡¯s side. In that case, wouldn¡¯t she rage in jealous envy if yton and I really got together? Taking her attention off Willow, Sophie wound up the window to screen thetter out from her mind. I don¡¯t care what happens to Willow, but now that I control the Tanner family, there¡¯s no way I¡¯m going to let her harm the family¡¯s interest. It went without saying that yton, too, saw Tristan and Sophie. Consistent with what everyone¡¯s thoughts were, Sophie was the reason why he had Willow by his side. Given how important Sophie was to Tristan, hurting the former was the equivalent of doing the same to thetter. After all, his only goal in life is to crush Tristan like an insect. ¡°yton, it¡¯s gettingte. Let¡¯s¡­¡± Willow offered herself to him. Since he kept her by his side, she was certain of his desire for her. After all, it wouldn¡¯t make sense for a man to do that and not lust after thedy, especially one that was of the nubile age of neen. For someone like yton, it would be impossible for him to resist. When yton checked the time, he realized that it really was gettingte. In truth, even though Willow¡¯s beauty was undeniable, Sophie¡¯s presence made her look ordinary, smoldering any lust that he initially harbored for the former. ¡°It¡¯s gettingte. Your parents must be worried. I¡¯ll get the driver to send you home.¡± ¡°yton, I don¡¯t feel like going home. Where are you going? Let mee with you. My parents are busy these few days, so they don¡¯t have time to bother about me.¡± Since the opportunity for her to stay by his side didn¡¯te by easily, she was reluctant to leave just like that. ¡°yton, I¡ª¡± Willow swallowed her words. She was willing to sacrifice anything as long as she could stay by yton¡¯s side, even if it meant giving herself to him. Suddenly, yton grabbed her chin. ¡°I heard that you and your sister fancied Mr. Mason, and now, you¡¯ve already changed your mind? How long has it just been since he was hospitalized? Willow, are your feelings for me really sincere? How are you going to prove it?¡± Despite the pain from his brutish grip, Willow had no choice but to maintain her longing stare at him. ¡°yton, before I met you, I always assumed that I liked Mason¡¯s type. But after getting to know you, I realized I¡¯m actually attracted to ambitious men like you. As for Mason, he¡¯s nothing but a mommy¡¯s boy.¡± Chapter 171 Chapter 171 Chapter 171 Every Move Of Hers Is Sensuous yton couldn¡¯t help butugh at Willow¡¯s words. Does she really think I¡¯m someone like Mason, whom she can manipte with ease? ¡°yton, why are you looking at me like that? Don¡¯t you believe me? Every word I say is true. I really like you a lot. In fact, I¡¯m willing to sacrifice everything for you.¡± Confident in her beauty, Willow was sure her pitiful look would be able to melt any man¡¯s heart. Instead, yton tightened his grip on her. ¡°Is that so? Are you really sure that you like me and truly understand what kind of person I am?¡± yton¡¯s reaction wasn¡¯t what she had expected, causing her to feel at a loss. ¡°yton, how can I prove myself to you?¡± ¡°The man with your sister. Do you know him? He¡¯s someone that I detest.¡± yton released her chin and gently stroked her beautiful face. ¡°Do you mean Tanny? I hate his guts too. However, what are you expecting me to do? He¡¯s Sophie¡¯s boyfriend, and I¡¯m powerless against him.¡± When the image of Tristan emerged in her mind, it was still enough to cause her heart to race. So what if that¡¯s the case? She¡¯s still Sophie¡¯s man and will never be mine. Furthermore, what¡¯s the use of him being better looking than yton? As long as I can be yton¡¯s girl, my rise to sess will be assured. ¡°I¡¯m not expecting you to do anything. Do I look like someone like that? You know how much I treasure the woman I love. It¡¯s just that he¡¯s an eyesore to me. Since you im that your feelings for me are true, let¡¯s see how you prove it.¡± No sooner had yton spoken than he ordered the driver to send Willow home. Despite her unwillingness to leave, Willow was cognizant that her refusal would only end up infuriating him. ¡°yton, remember to call me.¡± Willow then got into the car. Right after she did, yton took out a wet napkin and methodically wiped his hands with it. Since daybreak was upon them, Sophie didn¡¯t return to Wisteria Apartments. Instead, Tristan went with her to the hospital. By the time they arrived, Josiah was already awake, but he was still breathing through the venttor and unable to speak. After Sophie sat by his side for a while, she had to leave the room when the nurse came in to give Josiah¡¯s body a wipe. Nheless, Tristan remained inside. After taking the towel from the nurse¡¯s hand, he personally rubbed down Josiah and did so attentively. Meanwhile, Morgan was moved by Tristan¡¯s gesture. It¡¯s rare for young men nowadays to be willing to do the dirty work. Most of the time, they are just preupied with making money. Unlike them, Mr. Tristan is willing to go the extra mile for Ms. Tanner in spite of his distinguished position in society. Therefore, he must truly be enamored with her. Josiah, too, could feel how caring Tristan was. Even his own son wasn¡¯t bothered to wipe his body for him. Tristan is really sincere. ¡°Old Mr. Tanner, don¡¯t worry. Soph managed to catch a few hours of sleep after going back.¡± Well aware of Josiah¡¯s concern for Sophie, Tristan updated him on what they did over thest few hours while wiping the former down. ¡°Mr. Tristan, let me do it.¡± When Tristan was about to pour off the water, Morgan stopped him at once. With no intention of insisting, Tristan rolled-down his sleeves. ¡°Ms. Sophie, you can go back in now, as Mr. Tristan is done cleaning Old Mr. Tanner. He really is a good catch. For him to be willing to do something like that for you, he must really like you a lot!¡± Morgan eximed. Stumped for a response, Sophie walked by him and entered. Inside, she saw Tristan and Josiah getting along very well with each other. At the same time, sweat was beading off Tristan¡¯s forehead after wiping Josiah earlier. Taking out a few pieces of tissues, she instinctively wiped his sweat away for him, and that was the first time she had ever done something like that. Since he was taller than her by an entire head, she had to tiptoe just to reach him. Evidently, the height difference between them was simply perfect. Watching how caring they were to each other, Josiah¡¯s eyes glistened in approval. This is such a perfect scene that I just wish I could freeze it for eternity. ¡°That¡¯s enough.¡± Tristan grabbed her hand and helped her to the chair beside Josiah¡¯s bed. ¡°Ignore me. Just stay with Old Mr. Tanner.¡± All of a sudden, Tristan¡¯s phone rang. ¡°I¡¯ll take the call outside. Call me if you need anything.¡± With that, Tristan exited the ward. Watching the door close behind him, Sophie noticed the warmth he brought into her life every time he was by her side. ¡°Soph,¡± Josiah called out to her, causing her to turn back around. ¡°Grandpa, what is it? Do you need anything?¡± ¡°Oh, Soph. I really think that Tristan is a wonderful man. Even though he is much older than you are, the age difference doesn¡¯t matter as long as he treats you well. The only thing I wish for is for you to be happy.¡± Having not said a word for more than ten hours, Josiah sounded hoarse when he spoke. Sophie nodded in response. ¡°Grandpa, I know that. Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll definitely not let happiness slip through my hands.¡± Even though she was young, she wasn¡¯t blind to who was good to her. When it was past nine in the morning, Willow arrived at the hospital. The moment Charmaine saw her, she pulled the former aside. ¡°What took you so long? Your grandpa has already woken up a long time ago.¡± ¡°So what? I¡¯m not a doctor. What¡¯s the use of me being here? Grandpa has never been bothered with me. In his eyes, the only granddaughter he has is Sophie,¡± Willow grumbled in indignance, for Josiah¡¯s bias had always been a thorn in her heart. ¡°Why are youining so loudly? Don¡¯t you want any of the Tanner family assets?¡± Charmaine pulled her aside. ¡°Mom, I¡¯m busting my butt trying to get yton to like me. As long as I marry him, the Tanner family¡¯s meager assets mean nothing to me.¡± Just the thought of the prestige that came with being yton¡¯s wife caused Willow to feel like she was on cloud nine. ¡°Does Mr. Zales really like you?¡± Charmaine, too, was delighted to hear the news. ¡°Mm-hmm, I¡¯ll definitely make him fall for me,¡± Willow dered resolutely. This belongs to N?velDrama.Org - ?. As long as he falls head over heels for me, he will be eating out of my hand. ¡°Wi, make sure you give it your all. As long as you are epted by the Zales family, you will be a cut above the rest.¡± Charmaine¡¯s only goal in life was to climb the socialdder. ¡°Mom, don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll definitely not disappoint you.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go and see your grandpa.¡± Charmaine then led Willow to the ward. When they ran into Sophie, Willow snorted in response. What¡¯s the use of you having so many men by your side? As long as I¡¯m able to reel yton in, all those men are nothingpared to him. Fantasizing about the future put Willow in a buoyant mood, causing her to ram into Sophie¡¯s shoulder on purpose. Sophie¡¯s brows knitted by reflex. ¡°Are you blind?¡± Willow sneered as she racked her brains for a response that would inflict misery upon Sophie. Chapter 172 Chapter 172 Chapter 172 Are You Jealous Of Me ¡°Soph, I didn¡¯t do it on purpose. I really didn¡¯t see you.¡± Willow feigned remorse. ¡°Anyway, you can stop worrying about me fighting with you over Mason. Since you like him, you can go ahead and have him.¡± ¡°Willow, you disgust me.¡± Sophie¡¯s eyes were piercingly cold. ¡°Haven¡¯t you fallen head over heels in love with him? What¡¯s wrong? Have you changed your target?¡± Willow was outraged. ¡°What are you trying to say? I just realized that some things couldn¡¯t be forced. Since Mason has no feelings for me, there¡¯s no point in me losing my dignity over him.¡± So what if I have really changed my target? Since Mason doesn¡¯t want me as his girlfriend, there¡¯s no point in me throwing myself at him. Besides, isn¡¯t yton a hundred times better than he is? ¡°Have you heard of the Zales family?¡± Willow gloated all of a sudden. ¡°It¡¯s only now that I discovered I like ambitious men like yton.¡± ¡°How the f*ck is that my business?¡± Sophie didn¡¯t mince her words. ¡°Willow, let me warn you. I don¡¯t care what you want to do. However, if your actions harm the Tanner family¡¯s interest, I¡¯ll definitely make you pay.¡± Is she not taking me seriously because I have yet to hold her ountable for the incident with the picture? Due to Josiah¡¯s condition, Sophie had no time to deal with Willow. But now, thetter was getting increasingly on her nerves. Willow broke into a smirk. ¡°Sophie, I knew you have always been jealous of me. What¡¯s wrong? Are you also going to seduce yton just to spite me?¡± Sophie¡¯s eyes narrowed with a dangerous glint in them. If they weren¡¯t in a ward and Josiah wasn¡¯t already sleeping, Sophie would definitely have taught Willow a lesson. ¡°Wi, that¡¯s enough.¡± Charmaine was also worried that their exchange would escte into an argument in the ward. ¡°I¡¯m not trying to meddle in your affairs, but you had better not get yourself so deep into trouble that you have to beg me for help.¡± Does she even know what kind of person yton is? She must be deluded to think that she can manipte him. That aside, am I his target, or is Tristan? ¡°Let me tell you; you¡¯re obviously jealous of me. There¡¯s no doubt about it.¡± Willow was extremely full of herself. ¡°Take her away.¡± Sophie had lost her patience for further conversation, as she felt like she was speaking to a fool. Sensing Sophie¡¯s exasperation, Charmaine grabbed Willow and walked away. Upon leaving the ward, she remarked, ¡°Wi, there¡¯s still a long way to go before you and yton are together, and yet¡ª¡± ¡°Mom, I¡¯m confident that yton will definitely fall into my grasp. How can you not trust me?¡± Willow was upset by her mother¡¯sck of faith. Charmaine¡¯s concern intensified upon hearing her daughter¡¯s words. ¡°Can it be that yton is trying to use you?¡± With tons of girls moring to be with him, why would he give Willow special treatment? Charmaine¡¯s doubt struck a nerve with Willow. ¡°Mom, what¡¯s that supposed to mean? Am I not worthy of someone¡¯s love?¡± How can she think that of me? Charmaine held Willow¡¯s hand gently andforted her, ¡°Wi, that¡¯s not what I meant. I¡¯m just worried about you due to yton¡¯s bad reputation.¡± I don¡¯t doubt the influence of the Zales family in Jipsdale, but yton is an infamous yboy who is surrounded by girls everywhere he goes. Thus, are his feelings for Willow true? ¡°I know everyone has a bad impression of him, but it doesn¡¯t matter, for I¡¯ll be the one whom he settles down with.¡± Willow knew she had no control over the past. All that mattered was that he would change for the better once both of them were together. ¡°All right now, you should go. If you have time, get yourself some new clothes. You don¡¯t want to be outshone by the girls who are throwing themselves at yton.¡± Charmaine had barely spoken when she handed Willow a card. ¡°There¡¯s five hundred thousand in here. Buy whatever you fancy. If there¡¯s a need, get yton a present too.¡± Willow took the card gleefully. When she was together with Mason, her mother didn¡¯t pay much attention to her. In contrast to then, Charmaine had now given her a card with five hundred thousand inside. ¡°That¡¯s all, run along now. I¡¯ll keep an eye on things here. There¡¯s no need for you to be around.¡± All you¡¯ll end up doing is getting into an argument with Sophie. ¡°Fine, I¡¯m off then. When Grandpa awakes, tell him that I dropped by. Otherwise, he will think that Sophie is the only one who¡¯s concerned about him.¡± I care about him too, all right? Charmaine furrowed her brows as she watched Willow leave in delight. Deep down, she prayed that her daughter would seed this time. This belongs to N?velDrama.Org - ?. Given what happened to Mason, she no longer has any chance with him. In fact, Constance had even given Charmaine a call. It was just that thetter didn¡¯t dare pick up. Now that Willow had a new target, Charmaine stopped nning for her and Mason to get back together even if his leg recovered. Upon returning to the ward, Charmaine saw Sophie chatting with Josiah, who looked to have recovered a lot. ¡°Dad, Wi came to see you just now. Since you were sleeping, I took the liberty to tell her to leave.¡± Worried that Josiah¡¯s resentment for Willow would grow, Charmaine quickly made an excuse on the latter¡¯s behalf. ¡°As the university entrance exam is approaching, you had better remind her to focus on her studies and not go gallivanting around.¡± Even though he wasn¡¯t at home, Josiah was kept informed of Willow¡¯s affairs by Morgan. ¡°Dad, how can you say that about Wi? She has always been a good girl. You shouldn¡¯t use her of gallivanting outside.¡± That¡¯s not an appropriate statement to make. ¡°It¡¯s true that she¡¯s a good girl but unfortunate that both of you have spoilt her.¡± Ever since she was young, all she cared about was fawning upon the powerful instead of learning a proper skill. Moreover, it will only get worse when she grows up. Even though Charmaine was upset with Josiah¡¯sment, there was nothing she could do about it. ¡°All right now. You should head home too. As Morgan is here, there¡¯s no need for you to stay.¡± Over the years, Charmaine had done a lot for the family. However, it was just a shame that she was too narrow- minded. Although she wasn¡¯t oblivious to Josiah¡¯s resentment of her, Charmaine was still disturbed by how he reprimanded her. ¡°Dad, I know you have never liked me, but I have already done my best. There¡¯s nothing more I can do to change your mind.¡± Just as Charmaine spoke, she left with a pitiful silhouette. Josiah let out a sigh. ¡°Grandpa, what¡¯s wrong?¡± Sophie asked attentively. ¡°Oh, Sophie! Do I really demand too much of your mom?¡± Josiah began to grow unsure of himself. Sophie didn¡¯t know what to say. ¡°There, there. Let¡¯s not talk about that. Anyway, why didn¡¯t I see Tanny today? Is he busy?¡± One didn¡¯t need to be a genius to know how upied Tristan was. After spending thest few days focused on Josiah, there was a huge backlog of work at Lombard Group that needed his attention. ¡°Mm-hmm, he will be busy for the next few days.¡± Lombard Group had recently made an investment worth a few billion. Chapter 173 Chapter 173 Chapter 173 Tristan Has Not Tasted The Holy Grail ¡°Tell Tanny that if he¡¯s bogged down by work, he doesn¡¯t have toe, as I¡¯m almost fully recovered.¡± There¡¯s no need for him to be at two ces at the same time. ¡°I will. You should focus on resting and not worry about such matters.¡± No sooner had Sophie finished than the door opened with Morgan and Tristan walking in. One could tell from the tailor-made suit he was wearing that he hade from the office. Tristan looked so dashing in his outfit that it was hard for anyone to peel their eyes away. ¡°Mr. Tristan, please have a seat. I¡¯ll take care of these.¡± Morgan took over the dinner that Tristan had brought with him. ¡°Why did youe? Aren¡¯t you supposed to be busy?¡± ¡°I have to be here regardless of how busy I am. Besides, it¡¯s not anything that¡¯s particrly important. So, Old Mr. Tanner, how do you feel today?¡± Tristan asked with concern. ¡°Tanny, I¡¯m almost fully recovered and will be discharged in a few days. There¡¯s no need to trouble yourself traveling back and forth.¡± Both of them were exhausted, fussing over Josiah¡¯s affairs. ¡°You too, Soph. It¡¯s about time you go back to school. Your exams kick off on Monday.¡± At the end of the day, she was still a student who should be prioritizing her studies. Furthermore, the one-month deadline was almost upon her. Can I really take on the role of acting CEO of Tanner Group? Those were the issues that were constantly on her mind. ¡°Mm-hmm. I know. I¡¯ll be punctual for my exams on Monday.¡± No matter what, she resolved to participate in the physicspetition that was going to be held after the holidays. ¡°My point is for you to go to school tomorrow. Even though you have a good grasp of your lessons, the revisions for the term exam are still very important. As my granddaughter, you always have to take everything you do seriously. Do you understand?¡± To him, the result was secondary. What mattered was that she would always do her best. Sophie fell silent. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Aren¡¯t you going to listen to me? Have dinner with me now, and get Tanny to send you back home to rest so that you can attend school tomorrow.¡± ¡°All right. In that case, promise me that you¡¯ll obey whatever Arius says in the hospital.¡± Sophie¡¯s mind was put at ease after cing him under Arius¡¯ care. Coincidentally, he had yet to return to Anndur. ¡°Fine. I promise.¡± Once they were done with dinner, Tristan drove Sophie back to Wisteria Apartments. ¡°Rest early.¡± Tristan had to leave as he had other engagements. ¡°Mr. Tristan, about yton, do you need me¡ª¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine. I can handle him.¡± Tristan reassured her, ¡°Everything is under control.¡± yton is no more than an insect who doesn¡¯t even deserve my attention. ¡°Anyway, I¡¯m heading back out.¡± ¡°Mm-hmm. Go ahead.¡± When Sophie walked to the door to see him out, she gave him a curious look when he hesitated to leave. What is he waiting for? ¡°Mr. Tristan, is there anything else?¡± Reaching out his hand, Tristan pulled her into his arms before giving her a kiss on her forehead. ¡°What am I to do? At the sight of you, I no longer want to leave. Instead, I feel the urge to stay by your side.¡± Sophie was rendered speechless. How is this my fault? I didn¡¯t even do anything! ¡°Mr. Tristan!¡± Sophie gently pushed him away before staggering back. ¡°Go!¡± ¡°In that case, just give me a kiss. Once you kiss me, I¡¯ll be motivated to leave.¡± Tristan decided to adopt a different approach. Nheless, the sudden change in his demeanor gave Sophie a shock. ¡°Mr. Tristan!¡± Even though she had developed feelings for him, it was still not in her character to wear her heart on her sleeve. Tristan sighed in resignation. ¡°It¡¯s all right. I¡¯ll wait for the day when you¡¯ll take the initiative.¡± Tristan nted the gentlest of pecks on her lips before leaving quickly. If he didn¡¯t leave soon, he was worried that he would be overwhelmed by his growing desire to stay. By the time Tristan arrived at Blossom Garden, the other three were already waiting. Felix quickly pulled out a bench to wee him. ¡°Didn¡¯t we agree to meet in twenty minutes? What took you so long? Were you doing something unspeakable with Sophie?¡± ¡°Felix, what are you thinking? If both of them were really doing it, it would be impossible for Mr. Tristan to get here in twenty minutes. At the very least, he would need two hours. My guess is that Mr. Tristan hasn¡¯t yet tasted the Holy Grail,¡± Charles teased. Without any hesitation, Sean nodded while adding, ¡°That¡¯s true. With Mr. Tristan¡¯s stamina, two hours would be the minimum.¡± Felix, too, nodded in agreement. ¡°Mr. Tristan, I¡¯m sorry to have underestimated your capabilities. Given how enamored you are with Sophie, I¡¯m sure Sophie will not be able to escape your clutches for three days and nights during your first escapade together. Felix had barely finished when the other three burst intoughter. ¡°The three of you look like you¡¯re enjoying yourselves. Now that my enemy is at my gates, all of you don¡¯t seem to be bothered, is that it?¡± Despite Tristan¡¯s calm tone, it was enough to send a chill down everyone¡¯s spine. ¡°Mr. Tristan, yton is desperate to make his presence felt. Since he has a death wish, why don¡¯t you help him along his journey?¡± Despite the Zales family¡¯s influence, they were still insignificant insectspared to them. Sean nodded. ¡°Exactly! The Zales family is no match for us at all.¡± Even though yton might prove troublesome, he didn¡¯t pose a threat to theirbined strength. ¡°Mm-hmm. Since he wants to y, let¡¯s oblige him. Besides, my hand is itching to get back into the game after so long.¡± A devious look descended upon Charles¡¯ face. Since he had his dinner with Sophie, all Tristan did was pour himself a ss of wine. ¡°Mr. Tristan, when you busied yourself with Old Mr. Tanner¡¯s affairs over thest few days. I must say that I have never seen you care so much about anyone.¡± At that moment, Sean felt that Tristan was serious. ¡°Love makes people blind,¡± Felix joked. ¡°Felix, look who¡¯s talking? You had better mind your own affairs. Despite watching Ysabelle grow up, you have yet to achieve any sess,¡± Charles ridiculed him mercilessly. Stumped, Felix felt disheartened over thement. Nheless, there was little he could do, as Charles had spoken the truth! Subsequently, the group discussed the massive investmentmitted by Lombard Group. ¡°This time, yton must be coveting that same investment.¡± Despite hisckadaisical attitude toward his affairs with Ysabelle, Felix was extremelypetent at work. ¡°He already has his eyes on it. Since he intends toe in, we should let him do so. This time, I¡¯ll make sure he throws up whatever he manages to chew off.¡± yton had struck a nerve of his. ¡°Mr. Tristan, you seemed to be particrly concerned this time.¡± This wasn¡¯t the first time yton targeted Lombard Group. It was just that Tristan wasn¡¯t bothered by his previous attempts. ¡°He is now trying to get close to Willow, but she isn¡¯t his true objective.¡± This belongs to N?velDrama.Org - ?. Just as expected, it¡¯s all about Sophie. Only she can elicit such a response from him. The next day, when Sophie came out of Wisteria Apartments, she saw yton sending Willow to school. At the sight of Sophie, he stopped his car on purpose. ¡°Isn¡¯t that your sister? Ask her to get in the car,¡± yton ordered Willow. Chapter 174 Chapter 174 Chapter 174 Sophie The Savage Willow stared at yton in puzzlement. ¡°Why do you want her to get in? We¡¯re already almost at school. There¡¯s no need to give her a ride.¡± She was rather fearful of yton¡¯s demands. ¡°Did you not hear me? We¡¯re not even a couple yet, and you¡¯re already not listening to me. Why should I keep you by my side, then? Remember, I only like obedient women.¡± The man appeared nonchnt, but his words were more than enough to instill terror within Willow. ¡°yton¡­¡± She gazed at him, not knowing what to do. What does he mean? Is he interested in Sophie? yton said nothing more. He merely tapped on the steering wheel from time to time, looking surprisingly patient. Under his watch, Willow called out to her sister, ¡°Sophie! Hop in! Let¡¯s go to school together.¡± Yet, Sophie walked straight in the direction of their school without even looking up. Willow balled her hands into fists. She¡¯s horrible! How could she humiliate me like that? Being ignored like that in the presence of yton, she felt her cheeks burn in embarrassment. ¡°yton, I¡­¡± ¡°School¡¯s about to start. You should get going,¡± yton responded, paying no heed to what had just happened. Willow grabbed her bag, hopped down, and stared at him from beside the car. ¡°Go on,¡± the man added with a wave. ¡°You go first. I¡¯ll leave after you do,¡± Willow insisted as she shot him a loving look. With that, yton drove off immediately. It looks like I won¡¯t be able to get close to Sophie through Willow. I¡¯ll have to think of another way. His phone rang as soon as he began driving. ¡°Hey, yton, didn¡¯t you ask me to keep a lookout for Phantom? I¡¯ve gotten my hands on some new intel. Phantom¡¯s currently in Jipsdale.¡± ¡°Got it. I¡¯m on my way.¡± yton sped up upon receiving news about Phantom, a figure who had captured his interest. This was the closest they¡¯d been to the renowned hacker. If we can get Phantom to help us, the uing investment¡¯s going to be a sess. Meanwhile, Lombard Group had also received word about Phantom. ¡°Mr. Tristan, it looks like yton Zales is also on the hunt for Phantom, who hacked into Zales Corporation¡¯s systemst night.¡± ¡°What?¡± Phantom¡­ You really are a mystery. Why did you do that? Are you interested in Zales Corporation? ¡°yton¡¯s currently gathering all his forces to get a hold of Phantom.¡± Any financial group that could get its hands on Phantom, the founder of Wings of Light, would instantly be rich. ¡°It¡¯s been a long time since Phantomst appeared. What¡¯s going on this time? Find Phantom before yton does.¡± He had gone up against Phantom on several asions, only to lose them every time. All content is property ? N?velDrama.Org. ¡°All right. By the way, Mr. Tristan, do you think Phantom¡¯s a guy or a girl?¡± ¡°How would I know?¡± ¡°If it were actually a girl, I¡¯d say she¡¯s a monster.¡± Manyrge financial groups in Jipsdale had tried to locate her but to no avail. ¡°What¡¯s there to be afraid of? Don¡¯t you think smart girls are cute?¡± Given her hacking skills, she¡¯s probably a genius. ¡°Well, no matter how smart Phantom is, she¡¯s nothingpared to you, Mr. Tristan.¡± Felix couldn¡¯t help but suck up to his boss. ¡°How about you start thinking of a way to locate Phantom instead of trying to win some brownie points?¡± In truth, Tristan had nothing to fear even if Phantom were to join forces with yton. It would still be troublesome, though. ¡°Okay. I¡¯ll get right to it.¡± Unfortunately, Phantom always left as quickly as she showed up, which left Tristan in a bind. Meanwhile, Willow waited for yton¡¯s car to disappearpletely before running toward Sophie and grabbing thetter by her hoodie. ¡°What¡¯s with you, Sophie? I know you¡¯re jealous of me, but how could you embarrass me like that? Don¡¯t you know how important yton is to me?¡± This d*mned woman. Why is she always so conceited? Sophie¡¯s face clouded over as soon as she felt her hoodie being seized. ¡°Let go.¡± Willow jumped in fright at her sister¡¯s grim expression, but she refused to let go of her. ¡°Sophie, no matter what happens, I¡¯m still your sister. How could you treat me like this? I¡¯m saying this for your own good.¡± With onlookers surrounding them, Willow immediately put on a fa?ade. She could never let others know her true colors, no matter what. ¡°Forget it, Willow. You may treat her as your sister, but she¡¯ll never do the same. All she does is take what¡¯s yours. You¡¯re better off without a sister like her.¡± ¡°Exactly! Not everyone will be grateful for what you do. Someone like Sophie deserves to die alone.¡± ¡°Do you hear that, Sophie? This is what you look like in other people¡¯s eyes. I know you don¡¯t like me, but it¡¯s not like you can do anything about that,¡± Willow remarked smugly. You had your way thest time just because there was no one around, but what can you do to me in front of all these people now? Sophie¡¯s brows creased. Why is she always spouting so much crap? Well, if she doesn¡¯t want this hand of hers anymore, I¡¯ll grant her wish. Suddenly, she grabbed Willow¡¯s hand and bent it. ¡°Ahhhh!¡± thetter shrieked, her face turning pale. She didn¡¯t think Sophie would dare hurt her in front of all these people. However, Sophie hadn¡¯t done much; she had only bent Willow¡¯s hand lightly, but thetter felt as though her wrist had been broken. The crowd had also seen how softly Sophie had curved Willow¡¯s wrist, but for some reason, the older sister appeared to be in so much pain that she broke out in a cold sweat. ¡°What the hell is wrong with you, Sophie? She¡¯s still your older sister! How could you attack her like that?¡± ¡°You heartless witch!¡± ¡°Are you okay, Willow?¡± A few girls who often hung out with Willow immediately expressed their concern, although they dared not approach Sophie. ¡°Let go of me, Sophie,¡± Willow croaked between gasps of air. ¡°Let go!¡± Having not bothered Sophie for a while before this, Willow seemed to have forgotten how ruthless the former could be. ¡°What¡¯s wrong now? Where did that smug look on your face go, huh?¡± Willow began to tear up. ¡°You broke my wrist, Sophie. I¡¯m an artist. Don¡¯t you know how much my hand means to me? How could you do this to me?¡± she whimpered. Though it was partially an act, she was feeling genuinely afraid. What am I going to do if I can¡¯t draw anymore? Seeing how anguished Willow looked, everyone began to rebuke Sophie. Yet, Sophie merely smirked. ¡°I broke your wrist? Are you sure about that? How about you call a doctor over and find out if it¡¯s really broken? Since you love putting on a show that much, I¡¯ll let you keep going.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid, Willow. I¡¯ll call a doctor and get him toe over right now. We¡¯ll sue her if she really broke your wrist.¡± One of Willow¡¯s watchdogs immediately phoned the hospital. Then, everyone stayed behind, waiting for the doctor to arrive. Nobody moved even though sses were about to begin, and that garnered the attention of the school authorities. Chapter 175 Chapter 175 Chapter 175 Exposing Her Schemes The homeroom teachers of both Senior ss 1 and 8 had arrived, and the former¡¯s expression turned grim when she saw what had happened to Willow. The woman naturally knew that the two were siblings. But since this ordeal had taken ce in school, the teachers were responsible for addressing any conflict that arose between the sisters. ¡°Are you okay, Willow? Try moving your hand. Can you do that?¡± Jenny Calkins, the homeroom teacher of Senior ss 1, knew how far the Tanner family had gone to nurture Willow¡¯s artistic abilities. If she¡¯s really hurt her hand and can¡¯t draw anymore because of that, her life will be ruined. As soon as Willow lifted her hand, tears streamed down her cheeks from the resulting pain. ¡°I really can¡¯t, Ms. Calkins. What should I do?¡± Willow replied in agony. ¡°You know I¡¯m training to be an artist. If anything happens to my hand¡­¡± Jenny¡¯s heart ached at the way Willow choked on her words. She¡¯s never done anything bad ever since she came to my ss. She¡¯s such a good girl, but this just had to happen to her. ¡°Sophie, no matter what gets between you two, Willow is still your sister. Why did you do this to her? What good would it bring you to break her wrist? I get that Willow¡¯s always been an incredible student, and you might be jealous of her, but still!¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯s something you should say, Ms. Calkins. We don¡¯t even know what happened yet. How could you start using Sophie before getting a clear view of things here?¡± Derrick refuted immediately upon hearing the way Jenny spoke to Sophie. Both homeroom teachers had arrived after hearing the news from their students, which meant neither of them had witnessed the event with their own eyes. ¡°Mr. Hayes, I know you¡¯ve always been protective of your students, but we both know that the school has always paid attention to both Sophie and Willow. Willow¡¯s an outstanding girl, and everyone knows that. As for Sophie, she may have gotten second ce in the exams, but she¡¯s known for being savage and doesn¡¯t have much of a good reputation. Look at what Willow is going through now! Don¡¯t you have any sense of responsibility at all? Should we overlook a person¡¯s character just because they get good grades? So what if someone like Sophie ends up going to the best college there is? She¡¯d only be a menace to society!¡± ¡°Ms. Calkins, I¡¯m asking you to focus on the facts. The truth is none of us know what actually happened. All I want is to find out the exact situation beforeing to a decision, so what does it have to do with me being protective? If Sophie is really at fault, I¡¯ll be sure to make her apologize to Willow,¡± Derrick stated firmly. While it was true that many events had transpired ever since Sophie had joined his ss, she had only ever acted in an attempt to defend herself. Never had she instigated any trouble. ¡°Tell me what happened, Sophie.¡± Derrick spoke gently so as to not frighten the young woman. ¡°Nothing much, really. She just pulled me by my hoodie. If you guys don¡¯t believe me, you can always check the cameras. Isn¡¯t there one right over there?¡± Sophie exined while pointing to a surveince camera above her. ¡°Everyone saw what you did, Sophie! You¡¯re the one who grabbed my hand!¡± Willow yelled in response. ¡°Everyone can find out the truth by checking the camera. What¡¯s wrong? Do you actually think I can alter the surveince footage?¡± Unable to steer each other¡¯s opinions, Derrick and Jenny eventually resorted to checking the surveince cameras. Lo and behold, it was Willow who had started it all. Everyone else fell silent after seeing the footage. What else could they say when the truth had beenid bare in front of them? Jenny nced at Willow. ¡°Willow, you¡­¡± Thetter began to panic as she noticed the look of disappointment in her teacher¡¯s eyes. ¡°Let me exin, Ms. Calkins.¡± At that very moment, a doctor arrived and gave Willow a check-up. ¡°How is she, Doctor? Will she still be able to draw?¡± Regardless of who had started the fight, what mattered most now was the condition of Willow¡¯s hand. The doctor merely turned to them with a frown. ¡°What happened to her hand, Doctor? Is she okay?¡± Jenny prompted anxiously. The doctor let go of Willow¡¯s hand. ¡°Did you guys deliberately call a doctor over thinking we have all the time in the world? Her hand¡¯s perfectly fine. There¡¯s nothing wrong with her,¡± he responded, furious at how these students were wasting medical resources. ¡°What?¡± Jenny¡¯s expression took an immediate turn. As the doctor left, everyone turned to Willow. ¡°So, what¡¯s Willow trying to do?¡± ¡°There¡¯s nothing wrong with her hand, but she kept saying it was broken and that she wouldn¡¯t be able to draw anymore. She was clearly trying to frame Sophie.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. She¡¯s just jealous of her sister!¡± ¡°Yeah. Remember the incident with the photos?¡± ¡°You mean the photos Angie sent? If I remember correctly, Angie uses an Android phone, but those photos were probably taken with an iPhone.¡± ¡°I would¡¯ve forgotten about this if you hadn¡¯t brought it up. Doesn¡¯t Willow use an iPhone?¡± ¡°This is a wild guess, but do you guys think Willow was the one who took those photos? That¡¯s a terrifying thought if it were true.¡± Willow¡¯s gaze darkened as she heard the discussion. Everything was supposed to go ording to my n! What the hell¡¯s going on now? ¡°All right, everyone. Get back to ss! The show¡¯s over,¡± Jenny announced while eyeing Willow in dismay. ¡°I really didn¡¯t do it, Ms. Calkins. I don¡¯t know what¡¯s wrong with my hand either, but it hurts so much.¡± Willow frantically raised her arm. All content is property ? N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Willow, I know Sophie does really well in school, and there¡¯s always going to be somepetition between sisters. However, I¡¯m truly disappointed in you this time.¡± Not wanting to say anything more, Jenny turned and left. The first period was Jenny¡¯s ss, so the other students followed her. Willow was about to leave too, but the students of Senior ss 8 immediately held her back. They weren¡¯t going to let her leave after she had put on such an act. ¡°What are you guys doing?¡± Her wrist was still in pain, and yet the doctor had said there was nothing wrong with it. Is Sophie that influential? What¡¯s the cause of it? ¡°You really are a pretentious b*tch, Willow. What were you going on about earlier? Something about how Sophie broke your wrist?¡± ¡°Right? You¡¯ve been trying to do Sophie dirty ever since she came back. Shouldn¡¯t you be apologizing to her now?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t even think about leaving without an apology! You think you can mess with us?¡± Did she assume the students of Senior ss 8 were a bunch of pushovers? Chapter 176 Chapter 176 Chapter 176 That Body And Face Willow¡¯s eyes widened in disbelief. What are they trying to do? ¡°Don¡¯t go too far! We¡¯re in school now. Are you going to let your students pick on me like this, Mr. Hayes?¡± she reminded, turning to Derrick. Yet, the teacher turned his head to the other side, pretending as though he hadn¡¯t heard anything. This girl is too much. She hasn¡¯t stopped trying to hurt Sophie after all this while. Willow was speechless. She didn¡¯t think such a fair teacher like Derrick would ever treat her this way. ¡°You guys¡­¡± Willow hastily put on a teary face, acting as though she was the subject of everyone¡¯s bullying. ¡°Enough with the act. We¡¯re not Mason.¡± ¡°Apologize to Sophie now. We still have ss to attend!¡± Despite having spent over four months with Sophie, her ssmates had still fallen for Willow¡¯s pathetic little act¡ªuntil realization finally dawned on them. Willow turned to Sophie. Then, she remained quiet as though the whole situation had nothing to do with her, even though she was the one who caused it in the first ce. ¡°Sophie, there has to be some sort of misunderstanding.¡± After remaining silent for a long while, Willow finally spoke while clenching her fists. ¡°Misunderstanding? What is there to misunderstand? That¡¯s not what you said when Ms. Calkins was still here.¡± ¡°Exactly! Weren¡¯t you being so obnoxious just a while ago? How was all that a misunderstanding?¡± ¡°You couldn¡¯t even tell whether or not your wrist was broken?¡± ¡°But my hand still hurts till now! What if that doctor¡­¡± Willow still felt the pain on her wrist, but as she saw the contemptuous looks on everyone¡¯s faces, she found herself unable to justify herself. ¡°Sophie!¡± You must be thrilled to see me like this, huh? ¡°You should all go now. ss is starting,¡± Sophie dered, getting everyone to leave. Willow certainly hadn¡¯t expected Sophie¡¯s ssmates to back her up today. Wasn¡¯t everyone supposed to hate her? Didn¡¯t they look down on her because of her past? ¡°You shoulde too, Sophie. Finals are just around the corner. You¡¯ve missed so many days of ss, so it¡¯s best you catch up.¡± Derrick had high hopes for her. ¡°I will.¡± The only teacher Sophie still respected would have to be him. Now, only she and Willow were left. Sophie took one step closer toward thetter. Willow immediately stepped back in caution. She didn¡¯t know what Sophie could have done that the doctor found nothing wrong with her wrist, but she was now terrified of her own sister. Sophie merely sneered at how scared the other young woman looked. ¡°What are you smiling about? What are you trying to pull? What the hell did you do back there? Are you trying to get back at me now?¡± Willow questioned, her voice trembling. She didn¡¯t know what to do now. ¡°If you¡¯re that afraid of me, why do you keep getting on my nerves? Do you care so little about yourself?¡± You know you can¡¯t afford to mess with me, but you keep doing it anyway. Doesn¡¯t that show how little regard you have for your own well-being? ¡°You!¡± She dare talk to me like that? ¡°I never gave you my time of day because I felt no need to. Have you forgotten about the photo incident? How¡¯s Angie doing now? I bet things aren¡¯t going too well for her.¡± Sophie was naturally aware of Angie¡¯s current situation. At the mention of thetter, Willow¡¯s heart began to race. ¡°What¡¯s the point of saying all this, Sophie? Do you have any proof?¡± ¡°Proof? Do I look like I need any? I can make that hand of yours unable to draw for the rest of your life if I want to.¡± Sophie¡¯s smile widened as she saw all the color drain from Willow¡¯s face. ¡°So, get on with your life, and don¡¯t try to mess with people you can¡¯t afford to.¡± With that, Sophie left imposingly. Willow gritted her teeth in rage. ¡°D*mmit!¡± She swung her leg at a nearby tree. However, therge tree remained motionless while she bent over to clutch her foot in agony. Tears spilled down the sides of her eyes as she boiled with resentment. This belongs to N?velDrama.Org - ?. Why? Why do I keep losing to her these days? Meanwhile, Sophie grew bored after two revision sses. Given how she could remember all these things with one nce, there was really no need for any revision. Thus, she put on her earphones as usual and sprawled on her desk. A whileter, the young woman felt a knock on her desk, and she looked up to see Bailey. This was their first time meeting again after the events that had transpired. Bailey seemed to have grown taller again, but this time, his eyes looked much bleaker. ¡°Can I help you?¡± I clearly told him back then that I¡¯m not interested in him. What is he here for this time? ¡°I heard your grandpa had an operation, but I haven¡¯t had the chance to visit him. Is he doing okay? And¡­ Are you doing okay?¡± In truth, he just wanted to know how she was doing. That was why he had come looking for her right after learning she had returned to school. ¡°I¡¯m okay. Thanks for your concern.¡± ¡°I¡¯m really sorry for what happened that time, Sophie. Can we still be friends? Just friends. I want to stay by your side,¡± Bailey continued. He really wanted to be around her. Sophie fell into a brief silence. She wouldn¡¯t have minded remaining in contact with him if she didn¡¯t know he liked her. But now that she knew about his feelings for her, there was no way she could be friends with him. ¡°I don¡¯t need another friend, Bailey.¡± Bailey¡¯s eyes had just lit up with the slightest bit of hope a moment ago, but now, all of the light vanished as the young man heard Sophie¡¯s response. ¡°Okay¡­¡± Sophie wasn¡¯t sure if she was doing the right thing, but she didn¡¯t want to give him any false hope. ¡°We¡¯re not meant to be.¡± Since she wasn¡¯t interested in him, it was better for her to be honest, lest she end up leading him on and hurting him. ¡°I know.¡± She wasn¡¯t going to give him a single chance. ¡°Here.¡± Bailey took a pack of chewing gum out of his pocket. It was her favorite vor. He then left after handing it to her. The students of Senior ss 8 didn¡¯t think Bailey woulde to see Sophie. He looked so humble standing in front of her like that. He must really like her! ¡°Hey, what¡¯s so good about Sophie? Aren¡¯t her body and face the only good things she has going for her? But it¡¯s not like she¡¯s out of Bailey¡¯s league! Why did he look so modest standing in front of her?¡± ¡°Well, like you said, she has that body and face. What kind of guy wouldn¡¯t want that?¡± ¡°You guys aren¡¯t exactly right either. Sophie¡¯s more than that. She ranks second in our grade and is joining the physicspetition. That makes her on par with Bailey in terms of intelligence. Honestly, I think they¡¯d make a good couple!¡± Nothing was impossible. It didn¡¯t take Whitlea long to find out who her son had gone to see. The vice principal, Franky, approached her at once. ¡°Sophie¡¯s got too much of an influence on Bailey, Mdm. Dixon. If this keeps up¡­¡± Chapter 177 Chapter 177 Chapter 177 Let Us Go At It Again Whitlea took out a cigarette from the cigarette box. At once, Franky snagged a lighter and lit the cigarette for her. ¡°Since Sophie is so stubborn, bring a few men over to put the fear of God into her.¡± Whitlea¡¯s father was part of the underworld, so she emanated an ominous aura as well. ¡°Sure! Don¡¯t worry, Mdm. Dixon. I¡¯ll definitely teach her a lesson so that she¡¯ll never dare to appear before Mr. Dixon again!¡± Franky immediately seized that opportunity. As long as I yank Andy down, the position of principal for Jipsdale Premier High will be mine! For him to be the principal of Jipsdale Premier High, he would undoubtedly require Whitlea¡¯s help. As such, he had been monitoring Bailey¡¯s every move at school, just to get close to the woman. ¡°Go!¡± Whitlea¡¯s expectations toward Bailey had always been sky-high, and he had really disappointed her recently. After the self-study session at night, Sophie and Ysabelle exited the ssroom together. Ysabelle had been downcast these days, for her father had been restricting her too much. ¡°Soph, how I wish I could go to a ce where no one could find me! Then, I¡¯ll be able to do whatever I like.¡± I just want to sing. It¡¯s not like I want to do something bad. Why is Dad so adamantly opposed to it? ¡°If you really want to be a singer, Ysabelle, stick to your guns. Your dream will onlye true if you persist.¡± Ysabelle stared at her. ¡°I truly envy you, Soph. I¡¯m jealous that you can do whatever you please.¡± Perhaps it was because she had glimpsed such insouciance in Sophie¡¯s eyes back then that she had done everything possible to befriend her. ¡°Ysabelle, you can be the best singer in the world. Oh yes, The Wheelers is having a concert tomorrow. I¡¯ll bring you there!¡± The Wheelers was all the rage presently, so every single concert by the band was incendiary. As long as it was for a concert by The Wheelers, it was difficult to even obtain a ticket. ¡°How I wish! I tried to get a ticketst night, but I failed to buy any.¡± Ysabelle was entirely crestfallen. The Wheelers is really too popr. The main vocalist, Mark, is even renowned across Chanaea. He¡¯s the dream man of many girls! ¡°I¡¯ve got tickets.¡± Mark had someone send tickets to Sophie a week ago, but she hadn¡¯t nned on going back then. Since Ysabelle had been depressed recently, she decided to apany her to the concert. ¡°Really?¡± Ysabelle seemed to havee to life the instant she heard that Sophie had tickets. After all, she idolized The Wheelers. ¡°Yup!¡± Sure enough, she¡¯s young and guileless that she¡¯s so easily appeased! By the time they reached the school gates, the car belonging to the Lombard family was already idling there. Seeing that the driver was already waiting for her, Ysabelle couldn¡¯t help heaving a sigh. However, her good mood rebounded at the thought that she would be attending The Wheelers¡¯ concert tomorrow night. ¡°Soph, have my uncle pick me up tomorrow night, okay? Otherwise, it¡¯s very likely that I won¡¯t be able to get out of the house.¡± She hankered for a revolution, but it was beyond her capabilities. At that, Sophie chuckled. Content ? N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Okay! Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll have your uncle pick you up.¡± But¡­ will Tristan be willing to attend such a concert with us? ¡°All right. I¡¯m going home, then! Go back and rest earlier as well!¡± After getting into the car, Ysabelle even stuck her hand out and waved at Sophie. Subsequently, Sophie headed back to Wisteria Apartments. No sooner had she taken a few steps than she noticed someone tailing her. Verily, she was sick of such tricks. Can¡¯t they be more innovative? They only tail me every single time, yet they can¡¯t do anything to me. She stopped short and leaned back against the wall, waiting for those people following her to make an appearance. Sure enough, the few men tailing her rushed out upon seeing that she wasn¡¯t moving anymore. It was a few burly men with petrifying tattoos on their arms. Taking out a strip of chewing gum, Sophie ripped the wrapper off and popped it into her mouth. It¡¯s been a long time since I¡¯vest gotten some exercise. They came at just the perfect time! ¡°Do you know who we are, girly?¡± Sophie hadn¡¯t even an iota of interest in engaging in such dumb conversation, for it wasn¡¯t the least bit significant. ¡°Is something the matter?¡± Sophie asked bluntly. ¡°If you want to fight, juste at me together.¡± Don¡¯t they find it boring to y a such silly game when they¡¯re all strong and strapping men? ¡°How dare you?¡± Huh? This script is wholly different from what we imagined. Before Sophie had the chance to make her move, Bailey appeared beside her and shielded her behind him. ¡°Who ordered the lot of you toe here? I¡¯ve said that no one is allowed to hurt her.¡± Bailey had known that his mother would never let Sophie off the hook. He had followed her as well when he saw her leaving with Ysabelle after the self-study session at night. Never had he expected to witness such a scene for real. ¡°Mr. Dixon¡­¡± At the sight of him, the few burly men grew somewhat flustered. They all knew his temperament, but it was Whitlea¡¯s orders. For that reason, they couldn¡¯t do anything about it either. ¡°Mr. Dixon, Ms. Whitlea is only doing this for your own good. Please don¡¯t make things difficult for us and go home quickly instead! We promise we aren¡¯t going to hurt her. We merely want to scare her for a bit.¡± Scare her? ¡°Well, the lot of you indeed look rather scary.¡± If a kid were to behold their countenances, he would probably burst into tears in fright. ¡°How dare you?¡± Argh! Why are her remarks all so irritating? No matter what, we all have normal facial features. How could she make personal attacks on us? This is too much! She¡¯s really going too far! ¡°Look, Mr. Dixon! We aren¡¯t the ones who want to pick on her. It¡¯s the other way round!¡± How can there be such a girl? We all look like tough nuts at a single nce, okay? Yet, she dared im that we arecking in the looks department! Ignoring them, Bailey urged Sophie, ¡°Go home first, Sophie!¡± It¡¯s veryte, so she should go home and rest. Sophie cast a nce at the few men, but she wasn¡¯t certain whether he could handle them. ¡°You don¡¯t have to bother about me, Bailey.¡± Really, there¡¯s no need for him to strain his rtionship with Whitlea because of me. Ultimately, she¡¯s still his mother. Bailey shook his head. ¡°I¡¯m to be med for this incident. How can I sit idly by and do nothing? No matter what, I must interfere in this!¡± ¡°Mr. Dixon, you¡¯ll definitely be hauled over the coals when you go home if you do so.¡± Is he still not familiar with Ms. Whitlea¡¯s temperament? He¡¯ll only suffer if he continues to persist. ¡°In that case, pardon me for my actions!¡± Sophie pulled the hood of her sweater over her head before she pushed Bailey away. If I beat them all up, Whitlea won¡¯t me him anymore, will she? ¡°Sophie!¡± Panic swamped Bailey. Crap! She has no idea about their line of work in the past! They¡¯re all brutal and vicious! To his surprise, Sophie wasn¡¯t the least bit inferior to them. They were ruthless when they attacked her, but she was even more merciless. They were terrifying, but she was even more horrifying than them. Sophie stacked them all together. Then she casually dusted her hands. ¡°It¡¯s been a long time since I¡¯vest had such a workout. Get up. Let¡¯s go at it again!¡± Chapter 178 Chapter 178 Chapter 178 Scooting Away The few burly men stared at Sophie in horror. We¡¯re now bruised and battered, yet she wants to go again? Who exactly is she? She¡¯s just too terrifying! ¡°Shall we have another go?¡± Sophie inquired once more. She had been too tired these days, so she was a tad drowsy then. Yawning nonchntly, she swept a gaze over the few men. ¡°We¡¯re sorry for intruding on you, Ms. Tanner! Please have mercy on us!¡± Oh my God, she¡¯s really frightening! They had a reputation in the underworld, but when it came to her, they weren¡¯t even enough for her to work up a sweat. ¡°Why are you still here, then? Scoot! Do you know how to do that?¡± ¡°What?¡± This is too much! Is she really asking us to scoot? Some were still hesitating when they saw that Scarface had already started scooting away. ¡°Scarface!¡± What? He¡¯s actually doing as she said? ¡±Where are your principles? Is this really appropriate?¡± N?velDrama.Org holds ? this. Scarface nced over his shoulder at the man. ¡°You¡¯ve got principles, yes? Then, you stay there! Why are you butting into my business?¡± Hah! I know I can never defeat Ms. Tanner! He was really scooting by dragging himself along the ground. After all, one had to be quick-witted and adapt to the situation. Since Scarface wasn¡¯t Sophie¡¯s match, he decided to admit defeat. Besides, her blows hurt like hell! ¡°I¡ª¡± The fierce-looking man who spoke promptly went silent. Okay, then. I used to feel that I was pretty incredible in the past, but things are different now. The Dixon family isn¡¯t the same anymore either. Fine, I¡¯ll scoot! Gratification finally flooded Sophie as she watched the few burly men scooting away on the curb. Meanwhile, Bailey was wholly stunned at the side. He had never seen that side of her. Yet, such a side of her rendered her all the more alluring. Turning back, Sophie instinctively touched her face when she saw him looking at her so intently. Is there something on my face that he¡¯s staring at me fixedly? ¡°Is there something on my face?¡± she asked when he was still staring after a long time had passed. There should be nothing on my face, yes? ¡°No, there¡¯s nothing. I merely feel that you¡¯re seemingly shining brightly right now.¡± At longst, Bailey understood why so many people liked her. Verily, she was too mesmerizing. Sophie went silent. She really didn¡¯t know what to say in response to thatment. The moment she turned around, she was greeted by the sight of Tristan. It was uncertain how long he had been standing there. Without uttering a word, Sophie went over to him and queried, ¡°Why didn¡¯t you tell me that you wereing over?¡± ¡°I missed you, so I came over.¡± At once, words eluded Sophie. When it came to the man, she still couldn¡¯t be as calm and unruffled as she was with others. Hence, she inexorably flushed bright red upon hearing that. ¡°Mr. Tristan¡­¡± Gah! Can he not say something like that? And why must he look so seductive in everything he does? ¡°What¡¯s wrong? I just missed you.¡± ¡°Okay, I got it.¡± Sophie¡¯s face med. She whirled around and said to Bailey, ¡°If there¡¯s nothing else, I¡¯ll be leaving.¡± ¡°Sophie.¡± Bailey wasn¡¯t willing to admit defeat, but he noticed that the look in her eyes when she gazed at Tristan was different. Sophie arched an eyebrow. ¡°Is something else the matter?¡± In the end, Bailey shook his head. ¡°I won¡¯t allow them to disrupt your life again.¡± No matter what, this matter shall end here. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter to me.¡± After saying that, Sophie left with Tristan. Bailey stared at their backs. The man was tall and handsome, giving off a sense of intense dependability. The girl, on the other hand, was cold in nature, but she exuded a sense of warmth before the man. So, she¡­ likes him? Nothing I say or do will make any difference. ¡°Whitlea came to bother you again.¡± It looks like she¡¯s been too free recently. I can keep her upied. ¡°Yeah. You know the kind of person she is. Once something doesn¡¯t progress ording to her n, she¡¯ll definitely make trouble.¡± Frankly speaking, Sophie really didn¡¯t have anything good to say about Whitlea. ¡°Well, be careful about yton these days. Whitlea isn¡¯t much of a threat, but yton is truly irritating.¡± ¡°Okay, I got it. You don¡¯t need to worry about me.¡± Sophie knew that yton wasn¡¯t a good man, and she might be the reason he was hooking up with Willow. s, Willow was exceedingly confident, so she wouldn¡¯t believe whatever Sophie said. The two of them went back to Wisteria Apartments together. Sophie went for a bath while Tristan took out hisptop and settled Lombard Group¡¯s business matters. When Sophie came out after her bath, she saw the man answering his emails while reclining against the couch. He was incredibly focused, so much so that she couldn¡¯t take her eyes off him. He¡¯s too perfect! ¡°It¡¯s veryte. Are you going home?¡± She really didn¡¯t mean anything else when she said that. She was merely asking an innocent question. From the look in his eyes, however, she knew that he had obviously misunderstood her. ¡°I didn¡¯t mean anything else. Just carry on.¡± Forget it. He¡¯s a man overflowing with testosterone in the first ce, so he¡¯ll give others such an illusion even if he does nothing at all. Taking her hand, Tristan pulled her into his arms. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Is it very tricky?¡± It was the first time Sophie had ever seen him toiling at something. ¡°It¡¯s still manageable.¡± But it¡¯s just rather troublesome. Truth be told, it wasn¡¯t that easy to eliminate yton, as the foundations of the organizations in Jipsdale were deep-rooted and theirworks were intricate. In fact, it was extremely challenging. Seeing that he was seemingly exhausted, Sophie reached out and gently massaged his temples. ¡°This feels good!¡± Tristan couldn¡¯t help sighing. Hey down and rested his head on her long and slender legs, allowing her to massage him. Closing his eyes, he luxuriated in her tenderness at that moment. Without realizing it, he drifted off to sleep. As Sophie gazed at the man who had fallen asleep on herp, a sense of unprecedented peace suffused her. Such a feeling made her feel reluctant to lose it. She was aware that it was veryte then, so she should wake him up and have him go home. Then, she could also go to bed. However, she couldn¡¯t bring herself to do so at the sight of his peaceful expression. Instead, she wanted to wallow in such warmth and never wake up. When Tristan woke up after sleeping for a little over half an hour, he saw Sophie dozing with her back against the couch. Her hands were still resting against his temples. At that particr moment, he could no longer hold back. He propped up his upper body and captured the rosy lips he had been pining after. As soon as Sophie opened her eyes, she was greeted by the man¡¯s enthralling countenance. His kiss was addictive, so she reflexively responded to him. Sensing her response, Tristan kissed her even more feverishly. Flipping over, he pinned her beneath him and kissed her passionately. His kiss was so intense that Sophie couldn¡¯t quite withstand it. Despite that, she had no intention of stopping him and allowed him to kiss her as he pleased. Chapter 179 Chapter 179 Chapter 179 Hugging And Kissing Finally, when things were about to get out of hand, Tristan flipped over and rolled to the side. Hey on the couch and panted heavily. Such a feeling is truly tormenting! Sophie¡¯s face and ears were ming. Indeed, she had sensed the change within him earlier. It was her first time being so intimate with a man, so she didn¡¯t quite know what to do then. After calming himself down for several minutes, Tristan pulled her into his arms. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. Did I scare you just now?¡± I must have been frightening earlier, huh? No matter how capable she is, she¡¯s still an eighteen-year-old girl in the face of romantic rtionships. Sophie said nothing, so he continued, ¡°I apologize for almost losing control. But I can¡¯t help it either. In front of you, the self-restraint I¡¯ve always prided myself on hasn¡¯t the slightest effect.¡± ¡°Mr. Tristan.¡± The instant Sophie spoke, she was startled by her hoarse voice. So, it turns out that he affects me this much. Satisfaction inundated Tristan when he heard her raspy voice. From the look of things, I do have an effect on her to a certain degree. Otherwise, she wouldn¡¯t sound like this. Glimpsing his grin, Sophie grew utterly chagrined. She pinched him hard at the waist. ¡°Don¡¯tugh.¡± ¡°Okay, I won¡¯tugh. I¡¯m really happy, Sophie. I¡¯m d I do have an effect on you and you¡¯re not entirely indifferent toward me.¡± Sophie broke free from his embrace. ¡°I¡¯m tired. I¡¯m going to bed.¡± In other words, he merely wanted to conquer me? Because I¡¯m aloof, I attract the attention of men? Upon seeing that she was seemingly angry, Tristan immediately went after her, pulled her into his arms, and hugged her tightly. ¡°I¡¯ve always been serious about you. You should know this, right?¡± He found it necessary to rify that, for he felt that he might have gotten a little carried away earlier. ¡°Yeah.¡± In truth, she was cognizant of everything he had done for hertely. It was just that she was slow to open up to others. However, she would always remember those who were good to her. And he was clearly different from others. Nevertheless, she didn¡¯t want to make a decision about their rtionship so early. In many things, she felt that it was more important to prioritize the present. As for the ending, she could ept whatever mighte. ¡°I¡¯m not mad. All right, go home.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to go home. Can I stay? Don¡¯t worry. The most I¡¯ll do is hug and kiss you. I won¡¯t do anything else.¡± No matter what, I¡¯ll wait until she¡¯s twenty years old before going any further. She¡¯s still too young. I won¡¯t be so imprudent. ¡°What else do you want, then?¡± Is hugging and kissing not enough? ¡°I want another kiss.¡± Taking a mile when he was given an inch, Tristan pecked her on the lips. ¡°Okay, go and sleep! Remember to lock your door. I¡¯m not confident in myself,¡± he joked. A lock can only constrain a gentleman. If it¡¯s a rogue, the best lock in the world won¡¯t be able to keep him out, no? ¡°You should rest earlier, too. Don¡¯t sleep toote.¡± It was almost bedtime then, so he should also be going to sleep. ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll sleep in a while. Don¡¯t worry! For your sake, I¡¯ll definitely take good care of myself.¡± Tristan was much older than her, so he was worried that he wouldn¡¯t be able to keep herpany until she was old if he didn¡¯t take good care of himself. Because he loved her too much, he wanted to walk with her until the end of the road. After returning to her room, Sophie plopped down on the bed. s, she didn¡¯t feel drowsy at all. It was a strange feeling. For the very first time, she was losing sleep over a man. I wonder if he¡¯s still working at this hour. All of a sudden, she clutched at her hair. ¡°D*mn it! I¡¯ve forgotten to have him bring Ysabelle out tomorrow to attend the concert!¡± Annoyance swamped her. Ugh! Beauty really turns one¡¯s head around! But since he¡¯s staying over tonight, I can just tell him about it tomorrow. Since she couldn¡¯t sleep, she picked her phone up and took a look at her WhatsApp. Mark had sent her a few messages. Mark: You must attend the concert tomorrow! Mark: If you don¡¯te, I¡¯ll sever my friendship with you. Mark: Never mind. Even if you don¡¯t show up, I can forgive you. Let¡¯s not sever our friendship. Mark: You¡¯re a heartless woman. So you won¡¯t be affected even if I sever our friendship! In the end, he even attached a crying emoticon. Good Lord! He spammed me! Sophie replied: I¡¯ll definitely attend the concert tomorrow. But don¡¯t ask me to go on stage. Otherwise, I¡¯ll really get mad. Having replied to the messages, she was just nning to sleep when she received a call from Mark. ¡°Are you reallying tomorrow, Sophie? For real?¡± ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ll being tomorrow. All right, go and get some rest. It¡¯ll be exhausting for you during the concert, so don¡¯t waste your time with this.¡± They were a rock band, so having a concert would be exceedingly enervating. ¡°Sophie, are you really not nning toe back? If you return, I¡¯ll give you the main vocalist position. What do you say?¡± Mark sounded rather meek. Sophie went silent. She really had no interest in joining the entertainment industry. Otherwise, she wouldn¡¯t have left back then. ¡°When are you guys releasing your next album? If the time permits, I¡¯ll write a song for you guys.¡± That was the only thing she could do. ¡°Really? Okay, then!¡± Well, this is eptable, too. After exchanging a few more words with her, Mark hung up the phone reluctantly. Despite being the main vocalist, he was pitifully servile. He really hoped that Sophie would return. After all, she was the soul of The Wheelers in truth. ¡°Mark, I¡¯ll be frank with you. I¡¯ll never join the entertainment industry. If I¡¯ve got the time, I can write a few songs for you guys. But if I don¡¯t, I can¡¯t do anything about it either.¡± ¡°Oh well, no matter what, you¡¯ll undoubtedly be The Wheelers¡¯ main vocalist as long as you¡¯re willing to come back!¡± Neither of them betrayed the other. But since she didn¡¯t want to return, he wouldn¡¯t coerce her either. There was no rule that a group of like-minded friends would certainly walk with each other until the very end. Content ? N?velDrama.Org. But then, she was really a very talented main vocalist. In fact, she had taught him a lot. She had written songs for The Wheelers, but they didn¡¯t release those songs without her permission after she left. He believed that if they were released, they would definitely top the charts since she could grasp the real essence of a rock band. ¡°Besides, you guys can also use the songs I wrote previously.¡± I¡¯ve always forgotten to apologize to them. ¡°I¡¯m really sorry for leaving without a single word. But I¡¯m also happy for you all that you¡¯re so renowned now.¡± Without a doubt, The Wheelers¡¯ fame will persist because they have the best main vocalist, and their band has the soul of a real rock band. ¡°Don¡¯t apologize. You didn¡¯t wrong anyone. You merely followed your heart, so we can all ept that. In the future, don¡¯t avoid us anymore. We¡¯re still friends, aren¡¯t we?¡± In the beginning, Mark couldn¡¯t let it go, as they had traversed the most difficult times together. But by then, it had all passed. Chapter 180 Chapter 180 Chapter 180 Too Ostentatious When Tristan had finished the work at hand, he went upstairs. Unexpectedly, he glimpsed a shaft of light from the gap in Sophie¡¯s room door. He walked over and knocked on the door. Hearing the knock on her door, Sophie ced her phone on the nightstand before going over and opening the door. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Is something the matter?¡± Puzzlement was written all over Sophie¡¯s face. I wonder what else he wants at this hour. ¡°No, everything¡¯s fine. I just saw that the light in your room is on, so I came to ask you what you were doing. Are you having trouble sleeping? It¡¯s veryte now.¡± She still needs to go to school tomorrow. Keeping such hours is too erratic, and it¡¯ll be bad for health. ¡°No, I just talked on the phone with a friend. That took a bit of time, so I¡¯m not asleep yet.¡± ¡°Oh, I see. In that case, sleep earlier. Or perhaps you¡¯d like me to keep youpany?¡± Tristan couldn¡¯t resist the urge to tease her every so often. Sophie said nothing. Her usual response was silence. ¡°All right, I was just joking. Don¡¯t take it to heart and don¡¯t sleep toote.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t sleep, Mr. Tristan. How about you tell me a story?¡± How long has it been since someone told me a story? When we were young, Mom and Dad always loved to tell Willow stories, but they never gave me the same courtesy. Perhaps it¡¯s because I¡¯m too cold and indifferent that they aren¡¯t close to me. ¡°So, you really can¡¯t sleep? Did something happen that I¡¯m unaware of? Do you mind sharing with me?¡± ¡°No, I just have a bit of insomnia. Tell me a story, will you?¡± ¡°Sure! It¡¯s my pleasure!¡± Tristan was more than eager to draw close to her, so he naturally agreed when she proposed such a request. Sophiey down on the bed with a premier duvet over her. The duvet wasn¡¯t all that thick, but it was exceedingly warm. That was the best duvet, a conclusion drawn after Tristan had Felixpare the duvets of more than ten brands. While shey on the bed all toasty under the duvet, Tristan only had a white, thin sweater on him. The central air-conditioning was running, but she didn¡¯t set the temperature that high, so she had no idea whether he was cold. ¡°Are you cold?¡± The corners of Tristan¡¯s mouth curved into a smile. ¡°Yeah. Do you want to huddle under the covers and chat with me?¡± Words promptly eluded Sophie. All right, that was remiss of me. I shouldn¡¯t have asked that. ¡°Do I look like a heinous man who kidnaps young girls?¡± Even Tristan found himself all too simr to such a kind of person then, for he couldn¡¯t help teasing her at every turn. ¡°All right, I got it. Don¡¯t look at me with such a look in your eyes.¡± He really couldn¡¯t withstand further temptation, albeit her doing nothing at all. As long as she looked at him with that particr gaze, desire inexorably zed within him. Tristan cast his mind back to the past. He hadn¡¯t heard that many stories when he was young. This belongs to N?velDrama.Org - ?. ¡°I have no bedtime stories. How about I tell you about my stories in the business world throughout the years?¡± It¡¯s pretty good if I can use such a method to have her understand me better. In response, Sophie nodded. Right. How could someone like him have bedtime stories in his memories? ¡°I grew up together with Felix and the others. Once upon a time, we were even sent to the special forces to train¡­¡± Tristan started speaking of some incidents that had taken ce while they were part of the special forces. It was then that the four of them forged a strong and deep friendship. As Sophie listened to him talk about his past, she gradually felt sleepy. Her eyelids grew increasingly heavier, and she eventually drifted into slumber. Gazing at her beautiful sleeping countenance, Tristan pulled the duvet over her before leaving her room. At seven o¡¯clock the following morning, Sophie got out of bed. When she went downstairs after washing her face, she surprisingly discovered that Tristan was already awake. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you sleep for a while longer?¡± He slept sotest night. As the CEO of Lombard Group, he should have the privilege of going to work a bitter, no? Besides, it¡¯s still so early now. Right then, Tristan was ting breakfast at the side of the dining table. ¡°Come and have breakfast. I only need three to four hours of sleep daily.¡± ¡°Three to four hours isn¡¯t enough. It¡¯s best to have at least eight hours of sleep a day.¡± ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll change henceforth.¡± As long as it was something she disliked, Tristan would change it all. ¡°All right,e and have breakfast!¡± Sophie shrugged nonchntly. She then sat down across from him. Taking a piece of hash brown, she started nibbling on it. Among all the breakfast dishes, only coffee and hash browns were to her liking. She had never really liked eating bread and drinking milk. Ultimately, she still preferred a somewhat modern style of breakfast. Tristan loved watching her eat as she was natural without being the least bit pretentious. Whenever he had breakfast with her, he could even eat an extra piece of hash brown. ¡°You went to The Crown to buy breakfast early in the morning?¡± It was quite a distance to The Crown from there. A round trip would take around forty minutes. Yet, he had driven over and bought her breakfast early in the morning instead of sleeping in. ¡°I noticed that you like their coffee and hash browns, so I went there to buy them for you. It just took forty minutes. It¡¯s no big deal.¡± Her appetite wasn¡¯t great in the first ce, and she only ate more for breakfast. Hence, he naturally had to try every means possible to feed her. ¡°You don¡¯t need to go to such trouble in the future. Just buy a breakfast pie from downstairs, and that¡¯s enough for me.¡± Sophie didn¡¯t care much when it came to food. ¡°But I like watching you eat hash browns.¡± That remark of his rendered Sophie speechless. What kind of peculiar kink is this that he actually likes to watch people eat hash browns? ¡°Mr. Tristan, The Wheelers is having a concert tonight. I want to go and attend it together with Ysabelle.¡± Tristan quirked an eyebrow. Hmm, it¡¯s the second time I¡¯ve heard her mentioning The Wheelers. She seems to pay particr interest to this band. ¡°As you know, it isn¡¯t easy for Ysabelle to leave her house. So, could you please help me bring her out?¡± This request is probably not too much, right? ¡°Sure, but I have a condition.¡± Tristan took a sip of coffee. ¡°Bring me along to the concert, and I¡¯ll bring Ysabelle out.¡± Sophie was stunned for a moment. ¡°Do you like The Wheelers as well?¡± He doesn¡¯t look like the kind of person who¡¯s crazy about celebrities. ¡°I¡¯m neutral about them. But since the two of you are going, it¡¯s no big deal to bring me along.¡± ¡°But I only have two tickets.¡± By now, all tickets for the concert have sold out. Where am I going to buy a ticket for him? ¡°Do you think this is a problem to me?¡± Again, Sophie was struck dumb. Okay, then. I asked a foolish question. If he so desires, he can even purchase the venue of the concert, not to mention a mere ticket! In the end, six people ended up going instead of the initial two. Seeing the four people who hade to pick her and Ysabelle up, Sophie propped a hand against her forehead. The lineup¡ªTristan, Felix, Sean, and Charles¡ªwas even more attractive that the concert itself. Every single one of them could have Jipsdale quivering in fear. At that moment, they all appeared at the gates of Jipsdale Premier High in a luxury car each. Isn¡¯t this a bit too ostentatious? Chapter 181 Chapter 181 Chapter 181 Romantic Rivals Tristan and Felix alighted from their cars and walked toward Sophie and Ysabelle respectively. ¡°Oh my God, who exactly are these two men? Look at their cars!¡± ¡°That¡¯s nothing. Didn¡¯t Mason also drive such luxury cars in the past? The Laird family is pretty affluent. Regretfully, Mason can no longer walk right now. It¡¯s really a pity.¡± ¡°Yeah! What¡¯s there to envy? Sophie is obviously a jinx! If Mason hadn¡¯t gotten together with her, he wouldn¡¯t have ended up in such a state!¡± The girl wore a distinctly envious expression on her face, but she repeatedly emphasized that it was nothing significant. ¡°Ah, I¡¯m so jealous! Why are there always so many handsome men around her? They¡¯re all more handsome than thest!¡± ¡°Oh well, forget it! Let¡¯s not talk about her anymore. Irritation swamps me whenever I think of her. I¡¯ve got a few tickets for The Wheelers¡¯ concert tonight. Do you all want to go together?¡± The girl who was speaking brandished the tickets in her hand, looking all smug. At the mention of The Wheelers, the rest of the girls started shrieking. ¡°Of course! The Wheelers is the most popr rock band now. I love their main vocalist! Can you give me a ticket? I¡¯ll buy it from you.¡± ¡°Hear, hear! I don¡¯t mind even if I have to pay you. Sell a ticket to me, please. I want to go, too! I¡¯m a big fan of The Wheelers!¡± Tristan opened the car door for Sophie. This time, he opened the door to the passenger seat. He carefully shielded her head with his hand, afraid that she would bump her head on the frame. ¡°I can manage, Mr. Tristan.¡± It¡¯s just getting into a car. Can he not treat me like a kid? ¡°I know you can manage, but I always can¡¯t help doing such things when I¡¯m with you. Do you mind it very much?¡± That had Sophie at a loss for words. All right, then. It doesn¡¯t seem to be something worth minding anyway. Likewise, Felix opened the car door to the passenger seat for Ysabelle. ¡°Thank you.¡± At once, Felix went silent. When he heard those two words from her, words eluded him, and he didn¡¯t know what to say. The Wheelers¡¯ concert this time was held at the biggest stadium in Jipsdale. By the time they arrived, tens of thousands of fans had already begun queuing up. Despite the chilly weather, their enthusiasm remained strong. They even had the logo and name of the band on their faces. Mark and the others have really seeded! Even after experiencing all that darkness, they still walked toward the light. Although Sophie was no longer part of the band, a sense of pride inundated her. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Tristan inquired as he took her hand upon noticing the change in her mood. ¡°I stood together with them at one time.¡± That was the darkest period in my entire life. If it weren¡¯t for them, I might not have been able to walk out of it. ¡°Mm.¡± Tristan didn¡¯t know everything about her past yet. However, as long as she was willing to talk, he was ready to listen anytime. Yet, Sophie didn¡¯t continue speaking about that. There were too many fans that they couldn¡¯t even find a parking space. While Tristan was looking for a parking space, Sophie¡¯s phone rang. ¡°Have you arrived yet, Sophie?¡± Afraid that she wouldn¡¯te, Mark rang her up directly. ¡°Yeah. I¡¯m looking for a parking space right now.¡± There were truly too many people, and many cars were parked haphazardly. ¡°In that case, just drive in. There are still a few parking spaces in the stadium. I¡¯lle out and meet you.¡± Mark was also aware that it wasn¡¯t easy to find a parking space. ¡°No, it¡¯s okay. Just notify the staff about it. The concert is starting soon, so focus on your preparation.¡± They held each concert in high regard, and Sophie didn¡¯t want to trouble him. ¡°All right, then. Come and look for me backstage after you get in. They all wish to see you.¡± It had been two years since they hadst seen her, and everyone missed her. ¡°Okay.¡± After hanging up the phone, Sophie had Tristan drive into the stadium through a side entrance. Mark¡¯s manager was already waiting there. All she knew was that Mark¡¯s friend wasing. The man had always been aloof, and she had never seen him so enthusiastic toward anyone. Therefore, she was very curious. When she saw four luxury cars driving in together, a tumult of emotions brewed within her. Being in the entertainment industry, she had witnessed all sorts of scenes. But the instant she spotted the four luxury cars appearing at the same time, her eyes still went wide. ¡°Hello, I¡¯m Mark¡¯s manager, Chloe Meyer. Are you Ms. Tanner?¡± Her voice shook slightly. Sophie nced at the woman in front of her, reckoning that she was in her thirties and appeared pretty amicable. ¡°Nice to meet you. I¡¯m Sophie Tanner. I¡¯m sorry for troubling you.¡± Indeed, she was a touch embarrassed that Chloe had toe out personally at such a time. ¡°Ms. Tanner, I always hear the band members talk about you, especially Mark! He really likes you a lot!¡± Chloe promptly remarked smilingly. Mark is indifferent to everyone. Only when he mentions her will the tender side of him show. ¡°I see.¡± Sophie didn¡¯tment on that. Chloe couldn¡¯t help stealing a peek at Tristan. This man looks as if he¡¯s not to be trifled with. ¡°Please follow me, Ms. Tanner,¡± she murmured to Sophie. She then led the four cars into the parking lot in the stadium. Subsequently, she brought the other five people to their seats. ¡°Ms. Tanner, this seat is specially reserved for you by Mark. The band members had been reserving the best ce for you though you never attended their past concerts.¡± In fact, that had be a tradition in The Wheelers¡¯ concerts. This belongs to N?velDrama.Org - ?. Ysabelle peered at her uncle cautiously. I wonder how Uncle Tristan feels when there¡¯s a man who¡¯s so attentive to Sophie. Mark seems to like Sophie a lot! ¡°You have too many romantic rivals, Mr. Tristan!¡± It¡¯s practically impossible for him to guard against them, especially when they span industries! Tristan said nothing, his hand draped across the back of Sophie¡¯s chair. Romantic rivals? Are they even worthy of being called that? Felix couldn¡¯t help chuckling. At once, Tristan swung his gaze at him. ¡°Why are youughing? What¡¯s so funny?¡± he questioned airily. Immediately, Felix put away the smile on his face. ¡°Nothing. I wasn¡¯tughing either. Please ignore me, Mr. Tristan. Just regard me as thin air.¡± Still, he couldn¡¯t conceal his smile. Ysabelle nudged him with her wrist, signaling him to keep a low profile. ¡°Mark and the others are waiting for you backstage, Ms. Tanner. Would you like to go over with me now?¡± As Chloe said that, she reflexively nced at Tristan. ¡°I¡¯ll be back in a jiffy.¡± Sophie got up from her seat, nning to go backstage for a while. The audience seating was almost full, and the concert was starting soon. The moment her words fell, the temperature around them seemed to have plummeted over ten degrees in the blink of an eye. ¡°Oh God, I suddenly feel chilly! Is the air-conditioning in the stadium not working?¡± Charles couldn¡¯t help rubbing his arms. ¡°I don¡¯t think you¡¯re chilly. You¡¯re sick of living,¡± Sean drawled. ¡°Okay. Go ahead.¡± Despite feeling chagrined that Sophie was going to meet some other men, Tristan still agreed magnanimously. Chapter 182 Chapter 182 Chapter 182 An Injured Hand Charles and Sean exchanged nces, not expecting that Tristan would be so tolerant toward Sophie. However, Sophie did not give it any thought. When Ysabelle saw that Sophie wanted to head backstage, she rose to her feet too. ¡°Sophie, could I go with you? I want to meet the other members of The Wheelers. I¡¯m really a fan of them,¡± Ysabelle blurted excitedly. All content is property ? N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Come on, then. Let¡¯s go over there together and take a look,¡± Sophie replied. She did not think it was a big deal to go backstage and have a look. Ysabelle flung her arms around Sophie and kissed her on the cheek. ¡°I knew all along that you¡¯re the nicest to me. Sophie, you¡¯ve no idea how much I adore you!¡± Felix could not help flicking a nce at Ysabelle. Isn¡¯t she being a little too bold? How does she have the guts to tease Mr. Tristan¡¯s woman in front of him? Does she have a death wish? Indeed, Tristan did not look too happy. It did not please him to see others teasing Sophie, regardless of their gender. Even though that person is my niece, I still feel the same way. However, Ysabelle had nothing to worry about since Sophie was around. With Sophie here, Uncle Tristan won¡¯t be able to do anything to me. ¡°Be careful,¡± Felix cautioned. In truth, he wanted to follow them backstage, mainly because he was worried about Ysabelle. However, thinking that it would not be appropriate for so many of them to head over there together, he dismissed the thought. After Sophie led Ysabelle backstage, they found that it was indeed chaos there. Even the band¡¯s manager was stupefied after taking in the situation. The concert is going to start in ten minutes. What on earth is going on here? ¡°What happened? Wasn¡¯t everything confirmed already? What¡¯s going on now?¡± the manager asked anxiously. There¡¯s a crowd of a hundred thousand people at today¡¯s concert. If something goes wrong in any one of the segments, the consequences will be disastrous! ¡°Sunny injured his hand.¡± Sunny was the band¡¯s drummer. The main highlight of the band was that they performed all their music live, but now, Sunny¡¯s hand was injured, and losing their drummer meant their performance would beckluster. ¡°How did he get hurt? He was fine when I left earlier, wasn¡¯t he? Thepany only gave us such an incredible opportunity because they believed in us. Even the biggest stars don¡¯t get this kind of treatment!¡± the manager eximed worriedly, looking like she was about to cry. How could something like this happen to me? ¡°What happened?¡± Sophie inquired. She was not convinced that it was an ident. It¡¯s simply too much of a coincidence. ¡°It was so scary, Sophie. I went to the washroom just now, right? Well, a few people grabbed me and immediately hit my hand.¡± Sunny was the youngest in the band, so everyone¡¯s expressions were grim after they discovered what had befallen the apple of the band¡¯s eye. ¡°Do you mean some people sneaked backstage, followed you, and hurt your hand?¡± Sophie asked in an icy tone. They used to be in the band together, so Sophie was upset to see Sunny injured. Noticing the expression on her face and not wanting her to worry, Sunny smiled and said, ¡°I¡¯m fine, Sophie. It¡¯s nothing serious. You don¡¯t have to be concerned.¡± Sophie walked up to Sunny. Taking his hand, she nced at it and announced, ¡°You can¡¯t perform at today¡¯s concert.¡± Arius hasn¡¯t gone back yet. I¡¯ll get him toe and check on Sunnyter. ¡°What? I can¡¯t perform today? This is our biggest concert since we started The Wheelers, and everyone attending this concert is a loyal fan of the band! How can I not be a part of it?¡± Sunny simply could not ept it. However, his face paled from the excruciating pain after he attempted to move his wrist. ¡°Don¡¯t you care about your hands? Don¡¯t you want to y drums anymore? If you behave like this now, how will you y drums in the future?¡± Sophie demanded angrily. Sunny was also infuriated. ¡°Then tell me what I¡¯m supposed to do now!¡± I hate myself for being so feeble after what happened! Being this powerless sucks! ¡°D*mn it! The culprits better hope I don¡¯t get my hands on them. If I find out who did this, I¡¯ll cripple them!¡± Mark growled. Since he had spent some time in the entertainment industry before forming the band, there was a certain domineering edge to his aura. Nheless, it was that domineering aura that his fans loved and swooned over, especially the female fans. ¡°Anyway, that¡¯s enough for now. We¡¯ll talk about this after the concert ends,¡± he continued. It doesn¡¯t matter who did it. I won¡¯t spare anyone who dares toy even a finger on the band members. ¡°Sophie, you used to be a drummer too. Why don¡¯t you take my ce?¡± ¡°Yeah! You did so well that time at Nocturnal. Even though you haven¡¯t practiced in a while, you¡¯ve still got it. Why don¡¯t you perform with us? No matter what, you¡¯re still a member of the band. Now that we¡¯re in this predicament, you wouldn¡¯t just stand idly by and do nothing, right?¡± Sophie had always been the soul of the band. ¡°Sophie, did you use to be part of The Wheelers?¡± Ysabelle could not believe her ears. ¡°Think of it as a favor to me, Sophie. I really don¡¯t want everyone¡¯s hard work to go down the drain.¡± Sunny, who was around the same age as Sophie, gazed at her with a pitiful expression. ¡°Ms. Tanner, The Wheelers signed a bet-on agreement with thepany this time. If the concert fails to proceed as nned, the band will have to pay arge sum aspensation,¡± the manager exined nervously. Back then, I thought it was a profitable deal with minimal risk for the band. That¡¯s why I dared to sign such a contract. I never imagined something like this would happen! ¡°What? I can¡¯t believe that happened!¡± Sophie uttered in disbelief, wondering if her ears had deceived her. The manager was on the verge of tears as everyone¡¯s gazes fell on her. ¡°Now that I think about it, it must¡¯ve been a trap thepany deliberately set up for us.¡± And what else could the reason be besides money? All the band members have worked tirelessly, so why would it even matter if they got some dividends in return? ¡°All they want is apliant band,¡± Mark mused. But there¡¯s no way I¡¯d be that kind of singer. I have my own dreams. I want to take rock music to greater heights! Realization finally dawned on Sophie as she nced at Mark. That¡¯s true. How could Mark possibly be compliant? Every one of the band members is ambitious, and any one of them would be perfectly capable of giving those popr singers a run for their money. ¡°Okay. I understand. In that case, the concert will have to go on. Sunny, give me your stage clothes. Oh, and Mark, give me the set list for today¡¯s concert,¡± said Sophie. There are only a few minutes left before the concert. Fortunately, Sunny is a drummer. I¡¯ll be able to look at the music score, so it shouldn¡¯t be much of a problem. Chapter 183 Chapter 183 Chapter 183 Dazzling Like A Diamond The other band members were ovee with excitement when they heard that. It had been a long time since they yed together with Sophie. They genuinely liked Sophie and had always enjoyed making music with her. Since Sophie and Ysabelle had been backstage for some time, thetter said, ¡°Soph, in that case, I¡¯ll head outside first and let Uncle Tristan know what happened. Otherwise, he¡¯ll get worried.¡± ¡°Okay. Let him know what happened, and tell him not to worry.¡± Sophie had not performed onstage in a long time, and she realized she actually missed the thrill of it. The manager asked a makeup artist to go over and do Sophie¡¯s makeup. While getting her makeup applied, Sophie pored over the music score. What a relief! Even though I wasn¡¯t in the band for the past two years, I¡¯ve listened to their songs. On top of that, The Wheelers are very popr, so their music gets yed everywhere. Seeing that they were actually going to let a girl still in her teens go onstage, the manager¡¯s assistant could not refrain from saying, ¡°Are you sure she¡¯ll be all right? She doesn¡¯t look like she can do it.¡± This isn¡¯t like one of those arts and culture performances in school. It¡¯s a concert in front of a hundred thousand people! Many rookies would still find such a situation intimidating even after debuting for some time, let alone a youngdy like her. ¡°Zip it! I told you to keep an eye on them, and what did you do? Where were you just now? If you¡¯d listened to me, we wouldn¡¯t be in such a pickle!¡± the manager snapped, utterly furious. I¡¯ve been closely involved in the nning of this concert from the preparation stages until now. I only stepped away for a few minutes, and look at what happened! What on earth was this assistant of mine doing? ¡°I did listen to you! But Sunny wanted to use the washroom. Don¡¯t tell me I should¡¯ve gone in with him!¡± the assistant protested indignantly. This belongs to N?velDrama.Org - ?. What¡¯s the big deal anyway? I just wasn¡¯t given a chance. Otherwise, I¡¯d be way better at singing than Mark! All Mark sings is that godawful music! The manager watched as the makeup artist did Sophie¡¯s makeup, put a wig on her, and helped her change into Sunny¡¯s stage clothes. At the end of it all, the manager was dumbfounded to see a stunningly handsome young man standing before her. ¡°Ms. Tanner, you look amazing! That outfit really suits you!¡± Dressed in men¡¯s clothes, Sophie exuded an irresistible allure that was enough to make one¡¯s face flush and heart race. Sophie was rather pleased when she saw her reflection in the mirror. I look really good dressed up in men¡¯s clothes! Meanwhile, Ysabelle had returned to where Tristan was. Seeing that she came back alone, thetter raised his eyebrows and asked, ¡°Where¡¯s Sophie? Wasn¡¯t she with you?¡± ¡°Soph said she had something to do and told me toe back first. Don¡¯t worry, Uncle Tristan. Maybe Soph wants to give you a surprise!¡± Previously, Sophie had already surprised everyone at Nocturnal. This time at a concert with a hundred thousand-strong audience, Ysabelle was certain that Sophie would give them an even bigger surprise. Felix also moved closer when he saw Ysabelle acting all mysterious. ¡°Ysabelle, what¡¯s Sophie up to? The members of The Wheelers are all guys, and every one of them is even more alluring than the other. In fact, that lead singer of theirs is as handsome as Mr. Tristan. Aren¡¯t you at all worried about leaving her alone with them?¡± Having always seen Tristan calm and collected, Felix had a sudden wish to see Tristan jealous. Ysabelle gave a cold snort. ¡°Felix, do you really think the lead singer of The Wheelers isparable to my uncle? How could Sophie ever fall for Mark Wheeler? With such an outstanding man like Uncle Tristan around, Mark is nothing,¡± she quickly said gushingly. ¡°All right. The concert is about to start. Pipe down and watch the concert.¡± A countdown timer had appeared on the big screen. Holding their breaths in anticipation, the audience began to count down along to the timer. Some of them even erupted into loud shrieks of excitement. Finally! We¡¯re here at the venue for The Wheelers¡¯ concert! We¡¯re finally going to meet our idols! A tform lift slowly rose in the center of the stage, and the five members of The Wheelers appeared onstage together. They were decked out in gorgeous costumes, and they were all slender and tall with long legs. After the tform lift stopped, Mark walked over to the microphone. At the same time, Sophie, who had a mask on, shot a nce at Tristan, who was sitting among the crowd, before going over to sit behind the drums. ¡°Oh my goodness! What happened? Did Sunny get an injury on his face? Why is he wearing a mask?¡± someone eximed. Another person said, ¡°Wait a minute¡­ That¡¯s not Sunny! Sunny is a little taller than that guy. What on earth is going on? However, that mysterious hottie appears to be very handsome too!¡± ¡°You¡¯re right! He¡¯s so handsome! The mask adds to his charm, doesn¡¯t it? What am I going to do? I think I¡¯m falling for another guy!¡± Although Ysabelle had already known Sophie would go onstage, a wave of excitement still washed over her as she saw thetter standing there in a mask. ¡°Is there something wrong with my eyes? Why does it seem like that¡¯s Sophie on the stage?¡± Felix could not help but rub his eyes. My eyes aren¡¯t ying tricks on me, are they? Just like that, Sophie was about to perform at a concert in front of a hundred thousand people. Since her appearance onstage, Tristan had not uttered a single word. Even with a mask on, he could tell it was her with just one nce. There were just some people who possessed such a strong presence. He continued fixing his gaze on Sophie. That¡¯s what my Sophie deserves. She deserves to shine brightly. Anywhere she goes, she¡¯s bound to be the center of attention, dazzling like a brilliant diamond. Meanwhile, Sean mused, ¡°That really is Mr. Tristan¡¯s girlfriend. I never paid much attention to the entertainment industry before this. What¡¯s her rtionship with The Wheelers?¡± Sean was a man of few words, but Sophie had too many identities, and he could not resist the urge to find out more about her. Charles shrugged, also looking puzzled. ¡°I know as much as you do. Everything that I know, you do too.¡± There are too many intriguing things about Sophie Tanner. While they were talking, the concert had begun. The first song was a rock tune, and Sophie ying the drums was an incredibly captivating sight. ¡°That¡¯s so cool! What should I do? I¡¯ve fallen in love with Sophie again!¡± Ysabelle eximed, her sentiments echoing those of all the other female fans present. Felix was very upset when he heard that. I always thought my love rival would be a man among men. But lo and behold, it turns out to be Sophie! Ysabelle grasped Tristan¡¯s hand in excitement. ¡°Uncle Tristan, do you see that? That¡¯s our amazing Sophie! She¡¯s truly incredible! You have to make her yours, got it?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± Sophie is like the brightest star in the gxy. No matter where she goes, my eyes will always go straight to her at first nce. That must be what they call ¡°attraction.¡± That¡¯s right. I¡¯m fatally attracted to her. Even if I have to scale mountains or dive into deep seas, I¡¯ll definitely find her and stay by her side to protect her. Chapter 184 Chapter 184 Chapter 184 Trying To Be Cheeky After Mark finished singing the first song, he removed the microphone from the stand. ¡°Everyone, thank you foring to our concert! Let me introduce the first-generation member of our band, Tanner!¡± The moment he said that, Sophie stared at him. What the hell is he doing? Doesn¡¯t he know that I have no intention of appearing in front of the crowd? ¡°I would say The Wheelers will not be here if not for Tanner. Because Sunny has gotten injured, Tanner is here today to rece him. Tanner, we are very happy to perform with you once again.¡± Mark looked at Sophie with deep affection. Just as he finished talking, the fans started screaming wildly. They werepletely impressed by Tanner¡¯s performance earlier on. Even if all she did was sit there in silence, every move of hers seemed to drive the fans into ecstasy. Before they realized it, they were totally bowled over by her. ¡°Coming up next will be a solo performance by Tanner.¡± That segment was meant for Sunny. Now that he could not make it, Mark had deliberately given that opportunity to Sophie. Sophie could not help but sigh. However, she still nodded and agreed. Since he had already said it out loud, there was no way she could turn him down. Otherwise, news of discord within The Wheelers would definitely be a trending topic the next day! After being with them for nearly a year, she knew how much they loved to perform for their fans. ¡°F*ck! Have they rehearsed this before? I doubt that. There was simply no time. Soph has been called on to the stage at thest minute!¡± Ysabelle could not believe Mark would pull such a stunt. Is he not worried? ¡°There¡¯s no need for any rehearsal. I¡¯m certain that she will pull it off wonderfully.¡± Tristan was very confident about Sophie¡¯s performance. As far as he was concerned, Sophie had always surprised him and excelled in whatever she did. The drumsticks seemed to have be alive when they were in Sophie¡¯s hands. That was Sophie¡¯s solo performance, and she had to finish it on her own. Sophie had written that song herself, and it took her quite some time toplete it. Yet, it fitted right in. ¡°Have all of you ever heard this song before?¡± ¡°No! That¡¯s so cool!¡± ¡°That¡¯s right! There are no lyrics in this song. Yet, it manages to make my blood boil with excitement.¡± ¡°Yea! This song will definitely be popr!¡± ¡°I can¡¯t believe I have never heard of this song before.¡± ¡°This must be The Wheelers¡¯ new song! They must be warming up for the new album if they are ying it now.¡± All of the fans had fallen in love with the new member of the band. ¡°This is freaking cool,¡± Ysabelle also could not help but mumble. Content ? N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Mr. Tristan, you have such good taste. I have always thought that you are with her because of her pretty face. Now, I realized that Sophie is so much more than that!¡± Sophie is so good with the drums! Awesome! Fu*king cool! Unbelievable! The song had finallye to an end. Thunderous apuse rang out and screams erupted among the crowd. ¡°Boohoo¡­ What am I supposed to do? Looks like I will have a new idol now.¡± ¡°Me too. Sorry, Sunny. But, this time around, I¡¯m in love with someone else.¡± On the stage, the other members of the band exchanged nces and smiled. That¡¯s right. The Sophie we knew is back. That cool and awesome Sophie is finally back. ¡°Tanner, I know you will never let us down,¡± said Mark proudly. ¡°All right. Up next, ¡®Crazy¡¯ for all of you.¡± Mark returned to his position and started strumming his guitar. Naturally, the song ¡°Crazy¡± was equally explosive, and everyone in the audience even sang along too. Ysabelle started singing too. When Felix saw her so happy, a smile appeared on his face too. That was the Ysabelle he knew! Carefree and daring! When she was with Sophie, she seemed genuinely happy and free of restraints. The concert hit one high after another. Soon, it was Mark¡¯s solo performance, so the rest of the band went to change their costumes. The few of them were used to removing their clothes the moment they went backstage. They had forgotten that Sophie was there until they heard her clear her throat. It was only then they stopped whatever they were doing. ¡°Sophie, we are sorry! We have forgotten that you are here. Why don¡¯t you go in there and change your clothes?¡± Changing rooms were avable. However, they changed right there and then in order to save time. Sophie nodded before taking Sunny¡¯s clothes in with her. Once she was done and came out, she found that the rest of them were gone. Tristan, on the other hand, had snuck backstage quietly. ¡°What are you-¡± Before Sophie could finish her question, Tristan pulled her into his arms. ¡°I don¡¯t like the smell of other men on your body.¡± He was aware that she was wearing another man¡¯s clothes at that moment. Sophie did not attempt to struggle. She allowed him to embrace her as he wished. ¡°Mr. Tristan, it¡¯s about time I get on to the stage.¡± Mark¡¯s solo onlysted for around five minutes. Sophie had spent too much time backstage and could not afford to dy anymore. ¡°Ms. Tanner, I¡¯m jealous.¡± If that¡¯s the case, shouldn¡¯t shefort me a little? Sophie felt helpless. ¡°Mr. Tristan¡­¡± What kind offort does he need? There was no way she would abandon The Wheelers. After all, they were there for her during her darkest days. ¡°Just one kiss will do.¡± Sophie was speechless. He isn¡¯t jealous. He¡¯s just trying to be cheeky. Knowing that she was running out of time, she gave him a light peck on his lips and nothing more. ¡°Will this do?¡± asked Sophie. Tristan held on tightly to her waist, pulled her into his arms again, and gave her apletely different kind of kiss. ¡°Remember something. This is how a real kiss should be. Go on! I¡¯ll let you off for now.¡± Sophie was dumbfounded. She suspected that he might have eaten up all of her lipstick in that one passionate kiss. When Sophie went out, the makeup artist was already waiting for her. She immediately touched up her lipstick the moment she saw it was gone. ¡°Where¡¯s Uncle Tristan?¡± Ysabelle had been focusing all her attention on Mark¡¯s performance just now that she had forgotten that her Uncle Tristan had disappeared. ¡°He must have gone backstage!¡± There was no way Felix would believe that Tristan had gone to the washroom. Just then, Tristan returned to his seat, looking nonchnt. Felix teased him, ¡°Mr. Tristan, you can¡¯t bear to let Sophie go for a few minutes? Come on!¡± Charles chimed in, ¡°Mr. Tristan, since when did you be so pathetic? I guess you didn¡¯t get what you want! Shall I arrange for a fewdies to serve you tonight?¡± ¡°Even if you kidnap a fairy from Heaven right now and give her to him, she will never be as good as Ms. Tanner,¡± teased Sean. Tristan was absolutely enamored with Sophie. He certainly had no time for other women. ¡°Am I just like all of you? Even in the past, I was nothing like any of you.¡± Tristan was a clean freak. Therefore, he never had the habit of sleeping around even before he met Sophie. Charles was at a loss for words. Chapter 185 Chapter 185 Chapter 185 Lonely Nights ¡°All right.¡± Charles had nothing else to say, for it seemed like he was really the only one who was wasting his life fooling around. ¡°Ysabelle, what do you think of Charles?¡± Ysabelle blinked. ¡°Charles? Isn¡¯t he a little too old?¡± Has he forgotten Charles¡¯ age, or has he forgotten my age? ¡°Okay, Sophie has started performing now, so quiet down.¡± Why are they being so loud instead of watching the wonderful performance! Charles, Felix, and Sean all fell silent at that. The three of them could only rub their noses awkwardly while looking at Tristan¡¯s solemn expression. The concert began at eight and ended at half-past eleven. Even after thest song, the fans were still glued to their seats, not wanting to leave. ¡°Thank you, everyone,¡± said Mark, who had always been someone cool and aloof. The Wheelers then bowed and thanked the audience. By then, the fans below the stage had started crying. ¡°That¡¯s insane. Are fans that scary nowadays?¡± ¡°How is that insane? Every single member in The Wheelers is amazing. They¡¯re worth going crazy for!¡± Ysabelle instantly defended. ¡°Okay, you guys head back first. I¡¯ll wait here for Sophie.¡± Tristan did not have the patience to keep hearing them talk nonsense. ¡°Let¡¯s go. It looks like we¡¯re doing nothing but wasting time here,¡± Sean blinked at the others. Huh, someone doesn¡¯t want us here. ¡°Uncle Tristan, can I wait with you for Sophie?¡± Ysabelle was still reeling in from the thrill of the concert. She had tons of things to talk to Sophie about, and she really did not want to head back before meeting her. ¡°It¡¯ste, and the concert was four and a half hours long. Do you think that Sophie still has the energy to talk to you?¡± Being involved in the concert was a tiring job. Moreover, she had not even had the chance to practice the songs before going on stage. There was no way she would not be exhausted by then. ¡°Oh, you¡¯re right. I¡¯ll go back first then. Uncle Tristan, you have to take good care of Sophie.¡± Ysabelle could only force the words down her throat and leave with Felix. When Felix saw how reluctant Ysabelle was, he grabbed her hand and pulled her into his arms so that no one could crash into her. Ysabelle¡¯s face turned bright red at his gesture. ¡°Felix, I can walk by myself.¡± However, Felix still did not let go of her. ¡°There are too many people here, and the fans are truly fanatics. I¡¯ll let go of you once we get outside.¡± Since he had said that, she did not insist. If she did, things would be awkward. Thus, Ysabelle had no choice but to let Felix shield her in his arms and walk out of the venue with difficulty amidst the crowd. Meanwhile, after Sophie changed out of her clothes and removed her makeup before she went out, about to look for Tristan. To her surprise, Mark and the others were waiting outside. Sunny¡¯s hands had yet to be treated. ¡°Sophie, your performance was amazing today!¡± Sunny cried out. Indeed, no matter how much time had passed, Sophie was still the same person as ever¡ªshe could perform wonderfully at any time and any ce. However, Sophie frowned when she looked at his swollen hand. ¡°Why aren¡¯t you at the hospital?¡± Didn¡¯t I ask him to look for Arius at the hospital? Why is he so heedless about his condition? Is he nning to never use his hand ever again? ¡°It¡¯s fine. I can go to the hospital tomorrow to get it checked out.¡± Sunny then scratched his head with his other hand. It had been too long since he caught a glimpse of her performance, so he was reluctant to leave. He wanted to watch her for a little longer, but he ended up watching until the concert ended. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Sophie. I¡¯ll take him to the hospital tomorrow.¡± Most doctors are done with their shifts by now. Even if we are popr, we can¡¯t possibly drag the doctors out of their beds, right? ¡°How can you leave this matter until the next day? Don¡¯t you know how important his hand is?¡± Sophie uttered, her volume was getting louder without her noticing it. Who did this? I have to find out who the culprit is. I¡¯ll never let this matter go. Sunny could not help but feel touched by how she reacted. He had been around Sophie for a year, so, naturally, he knew that underneath her cold exterior was a caring soul. ¡°It¡¯s okay, Sophie. It doesn¡¯t hurt that much. If I go tomorrow, I¡¯ll be able to see a specialist instead.¡± ¡°We¡¯re going right now! The rest of you should go back. I¡¯ll take Sunny there.¡± ¡°Sophie!¡± Sunny cried out, tears welled up in his eyes as he was really touched. ¡°That¡¯s enough. Stop looking at me in that way. Let¡¯s go.¡± Sunny had already removed his makeup, and once he put on a mask, she was sure that they would not attract unnecessary attention even if they were to go to the hospital. ¡°I¡¯lle with you.¡± No matter what, Sophie was still a girl, and it was unsafe for her to be out thiste at night. The others were certain that she would not be able to find a specialist at the hospital to give Sunny a checkup. However, Sunny could only give in at her insistence. ¡°It¡¯s fine. My friend is waiting for me outside. I¡¯ll go with him. Sunny,e on!¡± ¡°Mark, I¡¯ll be leaving now then. Head back and rest earlier. All of you must be tired from the performance. Don¡¯t worry about me. My hand is really fine.¡± With that said, Sunny went out with Sophie through the back door. Mark was still worried, and he tried to go after them, but his teammates stopped him. ¡°Forget it, Mark. You know how Sophie is. No one can change her mind about the decisions she has made. It¡¯s good that she didn¡¯t let you go. You¡¯re the representative of The Wheelers, and many people know you. If fans recognize you at the hospital, it¡¯ll be a big problem.¡± Mark knew that the members were right, but he just could not be at ease. After Tristan received Sophie¡¯s call, he drove out. As Sophie and Sunny came out through the VIPne, not many fans were there to see them. Tristan did not say anything when he saw her exiting with a young man. ¡°This is Sunny¡ªThe Wheelers¡¯ drummer. His hand is injured, so we¡¯re taking him to the hospital,¡± Sophie exined to Tristan before calling Arius. Content ? N?velDrama.Org. Just as the call went through, Arius¡¯ voice traveled out of the speakers. ¡°Sophie, you¡¯re calling me sote at night. Are you feeling lonely? Do you want me to go and warm your bed?¡± teased Arius. ¡°Arius, do you still want to go home?¡± came Tristan¡¯s icy voice. Immediately, Arius hugged himself. This man is so boring! It¡¯s not as if I¡¯ve said anything! ¡°Mr. Tristan, what are you doing? I dare you toy a finger on me. Let¡¯s see if Sophie¡¯s going to let you off. Sophie and I are really close. She¡¯ll definitely decimate anyone who dares to hurt me!¡± There¡¯s no way you can threaten me! ¡°Is that so? Then you should ask her who¡¯s the more important person to her¡ªyou, or me.¡± Tristan was very upset. Does everyone Ie across have to make aparison with me? They¡¯re really getting on my nerves. ¡°Sophie, look, he¡¯s bullying me again! Say, who¡¯s more important to you¡ªme or him?¡± At that moment, Arius looked as if he was going to end both Sophie and his own life if she were to tell him that he was not important to her. ¡°That¡¯s enough. Can you stop with the nonsense? Where are you right now? Are you at the hospital?¡± Sophie was done entertaining the two childish men. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Are you hurt, or is it that arrogant Mr. Tristan? I really hope he¡¯s the one who¡¯s hurt.¡± He¡¯s always trying to steal her away from me! I hope he¡¯s injured in a way that he can¡¯t be treated! Chapter 186 Chapter 186 Chapter 186 I Just Want To Get Laid ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m not hurt, and Mr. Tristan isn¡¯t either,¡± Sophie muttered, exasperated by Arius¡¯ childishness. ¡°I don¡¯t care where you are right now, bute to the hospital instantly. One of my friends is injured.¡± ¡°Okay, I got it. I¡¯ll go to the hospital right away. Don¡¯t panic. As long as I¡¯m there, nothing¡¯s a problem. Ask Mr. Tristan to drive slower. It¡¯s fine if he dies, but I¡¯m not going to let him off the hook if you¡¯re injured.¡± ¡°Arius, I hope you¡¯ll have the courage to repeat this in my faceter.¡± Indeed, Tristan was gradually bing more and more childish around Sophie. It was mainly because Arius was someone special to Sophie, so he could not actually hurt him, for Arius mattered a lot to Sophie. Otherwise, he would have murdered Arius countless times by then. The other man was simply annoying. Hence, Tristan mulled over how he was going to get Sean to make arrangements and teach the annoying man a lessonter. ¡°Sophie, he¡¯s threatening me!¡± Ariusined. Sophie was speechless, so she just hung up the call. Arius gasped when he heard the telltale sound of the call being ended. ¡°Holy cr*p, Sophie! What kind of attitude is that? How can you do this to me? This is too much!¡± Arius was not amused. What did I do wrong? Am I not the most important person to Sophie? How can she do this to me because of this evil man? This is too much! She¡¯s crossing the line! I¡¯m never going to believe in her words anymore. Arius was heartbroken, but the moment Sophie appeared at the hospital with Sunny, he had gone back to his normal state. ¡°Sophie, is he your friend?¡± Arius looked at the young man from head to toe. ¡°Yes. His hand is injured. He¡¯s a drummer, so his hands are important to him. You¡¯d better take a good look at it.¡± Sophie pushed Sunny over to Arius. ¡°All right. Leave this to me. As long as I¡¯m the one on this case, these hands, even if they were broken, can be fixed and will be as good as new,¡± Arius reassured confidently. Sunny knew that he was not as popr as his leader. Seeing that the man in front of him was Sophie¡¯s friend, he went ahead and introduced himself, ¡°Hello, I¡¯m Sunny.¡± ¡°Sunny, let¡¯s go. I¡¯ll take you to do a checkup now.¡± ¡°Sophie, you should go back first. I¡¯ll send your friend home once I¡¯m done with his treatment.¡± ¡°Okay. Don¡¯t be mean to him.¡± Both were speechless, and Sunny mused, Do I look like I¡¯m an easy target? ¡°Sophie, can you not think of me as a monster?¡± Arius grumbled. Do I look like an evil man who is interested in minors? ¡°Okay, we¡¯re leaving now. He won¡¯t dare to do anything nasty.¡± Tristan then grabbed Sophie¡¯s hand and turned to leave. ¡°Let go of her, Tristan. Don¡¯t touch her! I have to worry about you being with her. Sophie, don¡¯t listen to his nonsense, got it? A man like him is clearly a douchey man,¡± Arius hissed. However, Tristan shot him a look, and Arius instantly grabbed Sunny¡¯s hand. ¡°Sophie, did you see that? He keeps ring at me! I¡¯m so scared!¡± ¡°Hahahaha!¡± Sunny burst intoughter looking at Arius. ¡°Oh my, Sophie, this friend of yours is very interesting.¡± Arius then turned to re at Sunny, who was beaming. ¡°Boy, I¡¯m a doctor, and the fate of your hand lies with me. What¡¯s with that bright smile on your face? Do you not want to get your hand treated anymore?¡± Sophie sighed. No one could stand the way Arius acted. ¡°I¡¯m leaving.¡± Not wanting to waste her time on Arius anymore, Sophie grabbed Tristan and left. The corner of Arius¡¯ lips twitched. Does Sophie not love me anymore? Did she just leave without saying goodbye to me? Why is she doing this to me? ¡°Let¡¯s go, Sunny.¡± Nevertheless, he took Sophie¡¯s friend as his friend too, so he was friendly to the young man. Arius then wrapped his hand around Sunny¡¯s shoulder and went further into the hospital. Sophie did not let go of Tristan¡¯s hand until they were out of the hospital. ¡°Mr. Tristan, you can head home by yourself.¡± Sophie was nning to just take a cab home. At that, Tristan arched a brow. Where is she going sote at night? ¡°It¡¯ste, and it isn¡¯t safe for you to stay outside alone. Let me send you home before I go home.¡± ¡°It isn¡¯t safe for me? I think those people who bum into me should be worried about that,¡± Sophie joked, but what she said held a tinge of truth in it. ¡°Are you going to look into Sunny¡¯s matter? Leave this to me. I¡¯ll deal with it in a way that you¡¯ll be satisfied with.¡± The people at Sky Media has gone too far. He could not believe that they actually had the guts to hurt Sophie¡¯s friend. ¡°Okay, I trust you.¡± Since Tristan had told her that he was going to deal with it, Sophie was certain that she would receive a satisfactory oue. After all, she had great trust in him. After sending Sophie home, Tristan called Charles. The Quigley family was involved in the entertainment industry, so he was the best person to carry out the investigation. At midnight, Charles was with a young model. The youngss had a fantastic figure, and she was all in to have a good time. Right in the middle of their passionate moment, and just as they were one step away from the real deed, Charles¡¯ phone rang. ¡°F*ck, who the hell is that?¡± Charles wished he could murder the person on the other end of the line. ¡°Who is it?¡± he bellowed into the receiver. ¡°I really hope you¡¯re calling because of an emergency!¡± Oh my, I am about to have a jolly good fu*k. The ringtone nearly frightened my dick into oblivion! ¡°Charles!¡± Tristan furrowed his brows. Who is he losing his temper at? Upon hearing that it was Tristan, Charles quickly put on his clothes. ¡°Mr. Tristan, what¡¯s the matter? Please don¡¯t make me suffer even if you¡¯re feeling aroused but didn¡¯t getid at this time of the night.¡± Charles was distraught. Why do I have such a tough life to have encountered a lunatic like Tristan? His practice of abstinence has nothing to do with me. I need a good fu*k now! The young model then came closer to Charles again, but he pushed her away. She fell to the ground and pouted at him. However, after seeing Charles¡¯ facial expression, she dared not approach him anymore. She was all naked¡­ ¡°There is something I want you to look into, and I want the results by tomorrow.¡± ¡°What is it?¡±Content ? N?velDrama.Org. Charles sobered up when he heard that something serious had actually happened. Tristan then told him about what happened earlier that night. ¡°All right, I got it. I¡¯ll send someone to look into this.¡± Anything in rtion to Sophie had to be dealt with immediately. Otherwise, they would have to face Tristan¡¯s terrifying wrath. Once Tristan was done with the call, Sophie poured a ss of hot water for him. ¡°Sorry for the trouble and thank you,¡± she said, for he had helped her friend out. Tristan pulled her into his arms. ¡°Okay. Although I don¡¯t want to let you go, you¡¯ve worn yourself out tonight. Hurry up and take a shower then go to bed.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Performing at a concert was truly a test of stamina. It was especially so with The Wheelers, for they performed everything live. Hence, Tristan was right about Sophie being knackered. After Tristan adjusted the water temperature and filled the bathtub, he pushed her into the bathroom. ¡°Enjoy your bath. I¡¯ve added two drops of essential oil in it.¡± That essential oil could help Sophie sleep better. ¡°Okay, you should head back.¡± When did he be such a strange person? ¡°Okay.¡± Tristan then closed the door behind him. Sophie only took off her clothes after hearing the door close. Then, she stepped into the bathtub. Tristan had filled the tub with water of the right temperature, so she waspletely at ease soaking in the tub. After the bath and by the time she came out of the bathroom, it was almost one in the morning. Right then, her phone rang. Chapter 187 Chapter 187 Chapter 187 Exposed ¡°Hey, Butterfly. What¡¯s the matter?¡± It waste, and something must have happened for Butterfly to look for her at a time like that.¡± ¡°Bad news, Phantom. Someone found our headquarters.¡± ¡°What?¡± Their headquarters was located in a remote spot, and no one would be able to find it. ¡°I¡¯m contacting the others right now. There are only a few middle-aged people at the headquarters right now.¡± ¡°Who did that?¡± So what if they find out the location of Wings of Light¡¯s headquarters? What is most precious in that ce are not theputers but the members. The Diamond members were all away from the headquarters, so they did not have to panic that much. ¡°yton Zales. You¡¯ve heard of him, right? He is from the Zales family in Jipsdale.¡± ¡°Okay, I understand.¡± Sophie knew what was going on upon hearing that name. ¡°Do we need to change our location?¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine. I¡¯d like to see what yton¡¯s trying to do.¡± ¡°Phantom, regardless of everything, these people aren¡¯t people we should mess with. I¡¯d say it¡¯s best for you to not go online for the next few days.¡± yton was clearly trying to nab Phantom by creating such a ruckus. After all, there were an infinite number of people like yton, who wanted to find out who Phantom was. yton had caught them off guard, and that was why things had turned chaotic. ¡°It¡¯s all right. It¡¯s quitete now. You should rest earlier. This isn¡¯t anything important.¡± It¡¯s just yton. I don¡¯t even need to dwell much on him. In the meantime, yton was standing in the courtyard of a dpidated house. Content ? N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Are you sure that Phantom is in a rundown ce like this? I¡¯ve been passing by this ce so many times, but I never thought that the famous hacker Phantom would be here.¡± Even then, yton did not believe that the headquarters of Wings of Light was located there. ¡°yton, their main base is really here. I¡¯ve only found out about this by chance.¡± If not for the reliability of his information source, he would not have believed the news too. After all, the net worth of each member in Wings of Light was tens of millions, let alone the Diamond members. All of them were people that major corporations around the world wanted to hire. Right then, Felix arrived with his men. When he saw yton, he could not stop himself from mocking, ¡°yton, why are you here instead of sleeping? It¡¯s midnight.¡± yton looked at him warily. He had only just arrived after receiving the news. In fact, he had yet to enter the ce, but Felix was already there. Could it be that he found out about the base too? yton knew all along that Lombard Group had been searching for Phantom. ¡°Mr. Northley, I¡¯m only here for a stroll because I¡¯m bored. However, I would like to know why you¡¯re here,¡± yton replied. Felix had evidently brought more men to the location than him. Thus, confronting Felix head-on would be a bad idea. ¡°Sorry, yton, but this is the spot that Mr. Tristan is interested in, so go home and don¡¯te here again. You should know that Mr. Tristan doesn¡¯t like to see you around.¡± ¡°You¡ª¡± yton¡¯s subordinates could not bear it anymore, so they dashed toward Felix. ¡°Mr. Northley, we were the ones who found this ce, so stop trying to lord over us!¡± Felix did not even bother sparing them a nce. ¡°So it¡¯s yours just because you found it first? Why don¡¯t you ask Mr. Zales if he dares to say this in front of Mr. Tristan?¡± Felix was Phantom¡¯s big fan, so when his subordinates found out about the ce, he rushed over immediately. He was d that he hade in time. Otherwise, yton would have taken his favorite hacker away. By then, yton¡¯s facial expression looked pretty awful. Disregarding everything, yton was a man of power and status in Jipsdale. Thus, Felix¡¯s words embarrassed him. On the other hand, Felix was delighted to see the infuriating scowl on yton¡¯s face. ¡°What¡¯s the matter? Am I not speaking the truth?¡± ¡°What¡¯s there for you to be gleeful about, Felix? Did you think that you¡¯d be anyone if not for Tristan?¡± If the Northley family had not relied on the Lombard family, they would not have achieved anything. Who gave you the courage to act high and mighty despite having the need to rely on someone else in life?¡± ¡°Do you all see that? That¡¯s jealousy! You want to butter the Lombard family up too, but Mr. Tristan didn¡¯t give you the chance to do that.¡± Felix did not think that it was anything embarrassing to be closely connected to the Lombard family at all. He still felt that Tristan was the top banana in Jipsdale, and Tristan was more capable than anyone of them. yton only became even more irked at Felix¡¯s expression. ¡°What¡¯s the matter? Are you still not going to leave? Are you still trying to go head-on against Mr. Tristan?¡± Felix taunted with a grin. ¡°You¡ª¡± yton was livid, and he wanted to give it to Felix. Unfortunately, the power he had did not allow him to do so. ¡°We¡¯re leaving.¡± yton still could not challenge Tristan, but that was all right. One day, he would certainly get Tristan to go on his knees before him. ¡°Ha!¡± Felix was thrilled to see yton and his men leave. He immediately called Tristan, ¡°Mr. Tristan, are you really not going toe here? If you¡¯re not, I¡¯m going to go in and meet Phantom.¡± Tristan was just done with his shower when Felix called, and he only had a towel wrapped around his body. He had such a great body. His Apollo¡¯s belt was simply enticing to anyone who saw it. As Tristan dried his hair, he said, ¡°Do you think that you¡¯ll be able to meet Phantom if you go in now? You¡¯ve been going after Phantom for such a long time, but you still don¡¯t know how well Phantom can hide from us?¡± Felix turned quiet, but he did not give up yet. He was sure that he would be able to finally meet Phantom. ¡°I¡¯m not going to talk to you anymore. I¡¯m going in.¡± With that said, Felix ended the call and headed upstairs. However, upon entering, he was greeted with the sight of a wlessly renovated ce with not a single soul around. ¡°F*ck! I¡¯ve deliberately given up on my sleep ande all the way here only to see this?¡± Felix roared at his men. ¡°Mr. Northley, we don¡¯t know why things turned out this way too. This is indeed Wings of Light¡¯s headquarters, but there isn¡¯t anyone around at all.¡± It¡¯s not as if we¡¯re feeding you the wrong information! Felix then walked around to scan the surroundings. ¡°No one¡¯s allowed to touch anything here. These are all Phantom¡¯s possessions.¡± How can ordinary people like them touch Phantom¡¯s devices? ¡°Mr. Northley, they¡¯re justputers.¡± Isn¡¯t he overreacting? ¡°What do you mean by ¡®they¡¯re justputers¡¯? Is theputer the main point? The main point is the person who has been using theseputers!¡± To sum it up, Felix was truly a hard-core fan of Phantom. He worshiped Phantom¡¯s skills. Thus, his men hastily reassured, ¡°Alright, we won¡¯t touch anything!¡± It¡¯s no joke! He¡¯spletely head over heels for Phantom! Felix wanted to turn on theputers to find out what was in them. However, when he thought about how theputers belonged to Phantom and about how he had a favor to ask of Phantom, he kept his hands to himself. That night, Sophie fell into a deep sleep. When she woke up, Butterfly called again. ¡°Phantom, someone else came, and no one dared to touch all our things after that.¡± ¡°I see,¡± Sophie muttered tly. ¡°Who was it?¡± ¡°It was Felix Northley, the CEO of Northley Group.¡± Everyone who came to our base is a big shot! Chapter 188 Chapter 188 Chapter 188 Gaining Fans ¡°Okay, got it. Keep yton busy. Otherwise, he will just bother us if he has nothing to do.¡± ¡°All right,¡± replied Butterfly. ¡°Also, no need to change location. No one would dare disturb you,¡± added Sophie with a yawn. ¡°Phantom¡­¡± Butterfly knew how formidable Phantom was, but this matter was not that simple. ¡°Just trust me.¡± Holding her phone in one hand, Sophie pushed the bathroom door open with the other. ¡°I¡¯m going to take a bath now, so I¡¯ll hang up first. Tomorrow is the final exam.¡± ¡°Final exam?¡± Realization dawned on Butterfly. Had Sophie not mentioned that, Butterfly would have forgotten she was only an eighteen-year-old girl. ¡°Yeah. Don¡¯t worry; no one would dare harm you.¡± Sophie was sure no one would have the guts to mess with her people. ¡°All right, then.¡± She¡¯s right. Their target is Phantom, after all. Nobody has ever seen her in person, though, so even if they find the Wings of Light¡¯s headquarters, they can¡¯t do anything. By the time Sophie went to school, it was already half-past eight. Once Ysabelle spotted her, she pounced on thetter. Had Sophie not reacted fast enough, she would have been knocked over. ¡°Sophie, if you have a fan club, I want to be the leader of it,¡± she expressed. Soph is too impressive. She totally rocked that concert yesterday! ¡°What the hell? What did Sophie do to deserve a fan club? You¡¯re out of your mind, Ysabelle.¡± ¡°Yeah, even if you want to be someone¡¯s fan, at least idolize a beautiful young man like Tanner.¡± ¡°You are the ones out of your minds! What does me being someone¡¯s fan have to do with you? Mind your own business!¡± Ysabelle retorted, clearly discontented. They don¡¯t know who¡¯s in front of them now. I wonder how they¡¯d react if they found out the Tanner they mentioned is the same Tanner in Sophie Tanner, but I guess Soph doesn¡¯t want her identity to be exposed. ¡°Besides, Sophie is just as amazing as that Tanner,¡± uttered Ysabelle proudly. ¡°How dare you say that? Do you know who our Tanner is? He¡¯s The Wheelers¡¯ drummer. Not only is he tall, but he¡¯s charming as well. That man is unmatched. It¡¯s a shame we didn¡¯t get to see his face. If I could see what he looks like, I¡¯d die in happiness,¡± stated the girl regretfully. She was clearly a big fan of Tanner. ¡°Aren¡¯t you being a little exaggerated? What about your Sunny? Haven¡¯t you always worshiped him? Why did you suddenly jump ships?¡± ¡°People change. As of now, I only have Tanner in my heart.¡± Sophie would never have expected she would gain fans just by merely being a guest performer. ¡°You¡¯re incredible, Sophie,¡± Ysabelle uttered in admiration. ¡°If you decide to join the entertainment industry, you have to bring me along, okay?¡± Just then, Willow arrived. As the others noticed her presence, a gloating look appeared on their faces. ¡°Willow, haven¡¯t you always boasted about Mason being your fianc¨¦? Now that he¡¯s in the hospital, how could you go and seduce another man?¡± ¡°Watch what you¡¯re saying. What Willow does has nothing to do with you. What rights do you have to talk to her like this?¡± defended one of Willow¡¯s minions. ¡°Excuse me, I¡¯m talking to Willow here. You don¡¯t need to speak for her. Didn¡¯t you say you loved him to death, Willow? Now that he¡¯s in the hospital, suddenly you don¡¯t love him anymore? Your love is only superficial. You¡¯re disgusting.¡± Blinking her doe eyes at the girl who spoke, Willow acted pitifully. ¡°I do love him, but I can¡¯t do anything because the person he has always loved is Sophie. All I can do is give up.¡± There was no way she would mention her past with Mason because she did not want yton to learn about it. Men like yton cared a lot about a woman¡¯s past. If he found out how much I loved Mason previously, I¡¯d stand no chance. ¡°Really? I think you¡¯re just avoiding Mason because he¡¯s a cripple now.¡± ¡°Mason doesn¡¯t deserve Willow, anyway. If you don¡¯t abandon a half-hearted man like him, would you rather keep him forever, then?¡± They had witnessed how Mason treated Sophie, and to them, Willow leaving him was reasonable. ¡°Besides, Mason is nothingpared to Mr. Zales.¡± ¡°Mr. Zales? You mean the one from Zales Corporation? Stop pulling our legs. How would he even be interested in Willow?¡± Hearing that, Willow was immensely delighted. Heh, it doesn¡¯t sound believable, right? But it¡¯s the truth. ¡°Yes, it¡¯s him, and he¡¯s the one who approached Wi first. You guys can go be jealous in the corner.¡± Our Willow is just this outstanding. ¡°Really?¡± The other party still found it hard to believe. ¡°Yup, we¡¯re trying to date now,¡± Willow confirmed, throwing a nce at Sophie smugly. As long as I can be with yton,pared to me, Sophie doesn¡¯t even amount to a speck of dust. ¡°How shameless. yton is nothing. Soph¡¯s boyfriend is even more¡ª¡± ¡°Ysabelle, stop,¡± Sophie interjected, for she found it useless to argue with Willow. ¡°The exam is almost starting. Let¡¯s head in.¡± In Jipsdale Premier High, the students¡¯ seats during the examination were arranged ording to their grades, so Sophie, Willow, and Ysabelle were ced in the first examination hall. ¡°You¡¯re such a marvelous person, Willow. Not only are you pretty, but you have good grades as well, unlike a certain someone. If not for luck at that time, it would¡¯ve been embarrassing for her. Now that she¡¯s in the first examination hall, let¡¯s see how she¡¯ll cheat.¡± Even though Sophie had excellent grades thest time, people thought it was the result of her cheating, as they did not believe she could do this well. ¡°Your jealousy is showing, girls. Trust me; even if Sophie doesn¡¯t study for a week, she¡¯ll still surpass all of you,¡± uttered Ysabelle, not even bothering to conceal her proudness. There was no need to, anyway. ¡°Pfft, we know you¡¯re merely bluffing. Do you know how strict the invigtion in the first examination hall is? Also, phones are not allowed in this time, so somebody here is doomed.¡± Not wanting to hear their nonsense any longer, Sophie pulled Ysabelle inside. ¡°See how guilty she looks, Wi? If she didn¡¯t cheat and had gotten her good grades honestly, she wouldn¡¯t have escaped. If you do well this time, you¡¯ll definitely crush that shameless girl.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t talk like that. She¡¯s my sister,¡± said Willow, putting on an act once more. Grades mean nothing when I have yton by my side. Sophie will still lose to me either way. Willow was so full of herself that during the examination, she was busying up with ways to get yton to fall for her. When she snapped out of it, one and a half hours had already passed. She did not have enough time toplete the essay. Exiting the hall, Willow looked a bit absent-minded. N?velDrama.Org ? content. My god. I¡¯m going to have bad grades. How will I face Mom when the timees? Chapter 189 Chapter 189 Chapter 189 Not Our Last Encounter Once the students left the examination hall, they startedining and swearing. ¡°D*mn it! Who the hell came up with those questions! There was this one question that I couldn¡¯t understand at all!¡± ¡°Yeah, and that essay as well. I didn¡¯t know what I was answering.¡± ¡°Darn it! It¡¯s over. I¡¯m going to fail.¡± ¡°My mom is going to force me to study during our already short period of holiday. Ugh, why is my life so hard!¡± ¡°What did you think of the exam, Willow?¡± Since Willow was an excellent student, her friends were curious about her opinion. Upon hearing their conversation, Willow, who was initially worried, was relieved. Since they found the exam hard, I¡¯m sure Sophie didn¡¯t do well, too. As long as she also fails, my reputation won¡¯t be tarnished. ¡°Yeah, the questions were hard this time,¡± she stated with a faint smile. Just then, Sophie and Ysabelle walked over to them, and the group immediately stopped talking. Noticing that, Ysabelle let out a snort. ¡°Were you guys gossiping about Soph? Well, it doesn¡¯t matter because she¡¯ll defeat all of you in this examination,¡± said Ysabelle, not afraid she would cause trouble at all. ¡°Hah! You think she¡¯s a genius or something? The exam was difficult for everyone, but it¡¯s easy for Sophie?¡± one of the girls refuted, enraged. ¡°Yeah, it wasn¡¯t difficult,¡± responded Sophie nonchntly, sessfully rendering everyone speechless. What the¡­ Can¡¯t she at least fake modesty? ¡°Let¡¯s go. We have a math exam next. Let¡¯s go back and take a nap.¡± This round of examination was the same as the university entrance exam¡ªthey had a few hours gap between each paper. ¡°The questions were hard, Sophie,¡± Willow remarked, as she could not bring herself to believe that Sophie found the exam easy. ¡°Maybe for you, but not for me. Even so, we can¡¯t do anything about it, can we? Different people have different levels of intellect, so you don¡¯t have to brood over it.¡± Ysabelle was stumped by Sophie¡¯s words. Hahaha! Soph is too vicious! Willow clenched her fists when she heard that. ¡°Why are you so proud, Sophie? Don¡¯t you think we¡¯d know if the questions were easy? Now I seriously doubt where you got your answers in thest exam. How did someone who can¡¯t even distinguish between hard and easy exams get good grades? I think you just didn¡¯t understand the questions!¡± ¡°Something¡¯s wrong with you,¡± uttered Sophie. Not wanting to entertain Willow further, Sophie pulled Ysabelle away. Hearing what Sophie said about her, Willow wanted to make a fuss, but upon recalling what had happened to Angie, she decided against it. ¡°That Sophie is way too audacious.¡± Why does such an arrogant person exist! ¡°Don¡¯t mind her, Willow. You¡¯ve been studying hard recently, so you¡¯ll surely surpass a failure like her.¡± At that, Willow¡¯s expression darkened. Since her full attention had been on yton recently, she had had no time to study. All content is property ? N?velDrama.Org. ¡°I¡¯ll go first.¡± Exiting the school and entering the car, Willow fished out her phone and looked at it. Hmm, yton still hasn¡¯t called. Is he not interested in me anymore? When the driver was about to drive away, he spotted yton and Sophie conversing. ¡°Ms. Tanner, isn¡¯t that Mr. Zales?¡± Willow looked over, and upon seeing how yton smiled at Sophie, she felt perturbed. ¡°Why does Sophie always get the things I can¡¯t, even when I do it by all means?¡± She had done everything she could to please yton, but thetter still remained indifferent toward her. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Ms. Willow. You¡¯re better, so you¡¯ll definitely get Mr. Zales.¡± Meanwhile, Ysabelle stared at the person in front of her warily. ¡°Who are you? What do you want?¡± Of course, she knew the man was yton, but she could not figure out why he had approached them. ¡°I mean no harm. I just find Ms. Tanner here interesting, and I¡¯m here to be friends with her.¡± Even when Ysabelle was wary of him, yton did not take it to heart. Instead, he stared at Sophie smilingly. ¡°I¡¯m not interested in being your friend,¡± responded Sophie with a shrug. She did not mind her manners when it came to the people she disliked. ¡°Also, your girlfriend¡¯s watching.¡± Sophie nced in Willow¡¯s direction. Of course, yton noticed thetter as well. ¡°She¡¯s not my girlfriend,¡± he rified. At this time, Willow had already exited the car and was nearing them. Upon hearing yton say such a sentence, she felt her heart shatter into pieces. She had been worried about the man not liking her, and he had just confirmed it for her. However, upon thinking yton might take a liking to Sophie, she knew she could not let that happen. Hence, she straightened her back and walked toward yton, stopping in front of him. Putting on a smile, she stated, ¡°Didn¡¯t you say you¡¯d wait for me? This is my younger sister, Sophie. Sophie, this is Mr. yton Zales.¡± Upon hearing that, Ysabelle could not help but sneer. What is she doing? ¡°What are you doing, Willow? Introducing your boyfriend to your sister? Such a shame, though, because Mr. Zales just admitted you¡¯re not his girlfriend,¡± Ysabelle mocked. Although I don¡¯t like yton, I love to see Willow being put in her ce. She was so smug about it earlier, only to end up like this. Serves her right! She¡¯s always wanting to brag in front of Sophie, but she has nothing to brag about in the end. How pathetic she is. ¡°y, I¡ª¡± She had never addressed him in that way before, but now, all she could do was look at him pitifully in the hopes that he would notice the other two girls were her bullies. However, she was tantly ignored when yton turned to Sophie instead. ¡°You sisters look so different!¡± Sophie had no intention of wasting any more time with him, so she held Ysabelle¡¯s shoulder and started walking away, nning to go have lunch. ¡°Excuse us.¡± Seeing Sophie¡¯s proud behavior, yton felt drawn to her. It had been a long time since he hadst met such a character. Everything about her attracted him, be it her looks, figure, or personality. Whether Sophie was ying hard to get or not did not matter to him¡ªhe liked her. ¡°Sophie, this will not be ourst encounter. Remember my name. I am yton Zales!¡± he yelled. When Willow heard that, her expression turned ugly. How could he say that right in front of me? What about me? Why did he approach me first? ¡°y, have you seriously taken a liking to Sophie? She¡ª¡± ¡°Don¡¯t, Willow,¡± the man interrupted. ¡°Seeing as you¡¯re Sophie¡¯s sister, you cane to me if you need any help, but I¡¯ll be honest. I have no feelings for you.¡± yton could see Sophie had no affection toward Willow, so there was no way he could get to Sophie through Willow. Chapter 190 Chapter 190 Chapter 190 Exposed At his words, Willow¡¯s expression darkened even more. As I suspected, he likes Sophie for real. ¡°Haven¡¯t you heard about her, y? She might be my sister, but I must say she doesn¡¯t deserve you and isn¡¯t a match for you. She¡¯s nothing but a sl*t.¡± yton¡¯s expression changed when he heard that as he stared at Willow in disbelief. Thinking he was convinced, Willow breathed a sigh of relief. ¡°I know I shouldn¡¯t have said that, but I was telling the truth. I really like you, y, and I don¡¯t want you to be deceived by people like her. Hence, I had to tell you this even though she¡¯s my sister.¡± ¡°Watch your words, Willow. You shouldn¡¯t go around spewing nonsense like that. One more bad word about Sophie, and I¡¯ll get mad.¡± yton¡¯s eyes narrowed dangerously. Initially, he did not have that much of a bad impression of Willow, but after hearing her say that, he found her disgusting. ¡°I didn¡¯t take you as an envious person because I thought you were a simple girl. Well, that did it. From now on, even if you need help, don¡¯t bother toe to me.¡± I hate people who pretend to be innocent the most. With that, he turned around, wanting to leave, but Willow grabbed his hand. ¡°Don¡¯t be like this, y. I really like you, and everything I told you is the truth. You have to believe me,¡± she uttered, sounding immensely upset. Pulling his hand back, yton roughly pushed her aside, causing her tond on the ground. ¡°Disgusting.¡± Willow¡¯s expression became extremely gloomy. I¡¯ve always had the upper hand. How did it end up like this? What should I do now? Watching yton¡¯s car driving away, Willow directed her anger toward Sophie. Sophie. It must be her. She must¡¯ve seduced yton. Otherwise, he wouldn¡¯t have treated me in this way. In the meantime, Ysabelle and Sophie were having their lunch near the school entrance. Sophie liked the spaghetti from this particr restaurant. It was just that there were too many customers, so they had to wait for a long time. When the spaghetti was finally served, Ysabelle handed a fork to Sophie. N?velDrama.Org ? content. ¡°Dig in! It¡¯s yummy!¡± Taking the fork, Sophie was about to eat when Willow suddenly appeared and grabbed the former¡¯s hair, nning to m her head in the spaghetti. It must be because of this face! It must be because she¡¯s too pretty that everyone¡¯s spellbound by her! Everything will change if I ruin her face! ¡°Soph¡­¡± Witnessing the scene, Ysabelle was anxious. She wanted to help, but she found herself completely powerless. Willow¡¯s action caused a bloodthirsty glint to sh across Sophie¡¯s eyes. ¡°Let go!¡± she roared. Like a madwoman, Willow continued to press Sophie¡¯s head down. Furious, Sophie grabbed Willow¡¯s hand and immediately stuffed it into the spaghetti. As the food had just been cooked, it was scorching hot. ¡°Ah!¡± Willow did not expect Sophie would still gain the upper hand even in this situation. Her hand was in so much pain that tears rolled down Willow¡¯s cheeks. Every student in the restaurant was shocked by the scene. At first, they did not think Willow had this crazy side. Then they were frightened when Sophie took action. At this moment, she seemed like a demon straight from hell. Her murderous aura was so strong that no one dared say a word, so the entire restaurant fell deathly silent. Even when the owner of the store snapped out of his shock and approached them, he still did not dare to say anything upon noticing the look on Sophie¡¯s face. ¡°Haven¡¯t I given you a chance? You thought I didn¡¯t have the guts to do anything to you, huh, Willow?¡± Who does she think she is toy a hand on me? No one else would darey even a finger! Ysabelle was also taken aback by this side of Sophie. After all, Sophie had always remained calm, regardless of the situation. Willow¡¯s ear-piercing shriek echoed throughout the store, but nobody dared say a word other than Ysabelle. ¡°Soph, you need to let go!¡± If she doesn¡¯t relent, Willow¡¯s hand will be ruined. Hearing Ysabelle¡¯s voice, Sophie released Willow¡¯s hand, revealing how red and swollen it was. Her skin was even peeling back. ¡°Sophie, I¡¯m your sister,¡± cried Willow bitterly. ¡°How could you be this ruthless toward me? You¡ª¡± ¡°Weren¡¯t you the one who made the first move? You¡¯re lucky I only did it to your hand. You, on the other hand, nned to ruin my face! What? Can you not stand my face that much?¡± ¡°Hey, she has to go to the hospital now. Or else, her condition will only worsen,¡± uttered the owner of the store, finally having enough courage to speak. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. It¡¯s only a hand. As I know how she is, money can easily resolve this issue, as always, and I can afford that.¡± That¡¯s how she always handles things, anyway¡ªwith money. At this time, Willow¡¯s face lost all color. ¡°You¡¯re ndering me, Sophie.¡± ¡°Am I? You were the one who sent Angie those photos on the forum, were you not? Angie must be suffering now. Don¡¯t you want to help her?¡± ¡°What? Willow¡¯s the one who sent the photos? My god, how could someone hate their sister this much?¡± ¡°Yet she¡¯s always pretending as if she cares about her sister when she¡¯s actually envious of Sophie!¡± ¡°No wonder. There¡¯s also that issue with Mason. She used to im she loved him, but the moment he was crippled, she went and pursued yton. She¡¯s such a bad person.¡± ¡°Yeah, she¡¯s a hypocrite.¡± Faced with everyone¡¯sments, Willow felt as if she was choking and running out of breath. ¡°Why don¡¯t you just faint? If you do, you won¡¯t have to listen to them anymore,¡± uttered Sophie, agonizing Willow even more. ¡°She¡¯s such a fake.¡± ¡°That poor Angie. It¡¯s such a pity she was used by someone like Willow.¡± ¡°Had Angie not gotten involved, things would¡¯ve been fine for her. Now that she¡¯s at that school, she¡¯s totally ruined.¡± ¡°Mister, can I have another te? I won¡¯t eat this one.¡± Putting the dirty spaghetti away, Sophie sat down calmly. ¡°Take a seat, Ysabelle.¡± Looking at Willow, who was in pain, Ysabelle asked, ¡°What about her?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t mind her. She has her own phone and can call whoever she wants because two can y this game. Many people witnessed how she tried to ruin my face, anyway. Also, mister, I believe there are surveince cameras here, right?¡± Willow was about to call the police, but upon hearing Sophie¡¯s words, she thought about what had happened to Queenie. In the end, she had no choice but to give Charmaine a call instead. ¡°Mom, I¡¯m hurt. I¡­¡± Not ending her sentence, Willow burst into tears upon hearing Charmaine¡¯s voice. She could not hold her emotions back any longer. Chapter 191 Chapter 191 Chapter 191 A Call From Tristan ¡°What? You¡¯re hurt? Where?¡± questioned Charmaine. As Willow was herst hope, she was immensely worried when she learned thetter was hurt. ¡°Where are you? I¡¯ll come get you, so stay where you are.¡± After the call ended, Willow remained in her spot. She knew Yale and Charmaine would side with her. That was why she decided to call Charmaine. At the same time, the owner of the restaurant, who was in his forties, silently made another te of spaghetti for Sophie as she had requested. That youngdy doesn¡¯t seem to be someone to mess with. That aura of hers¡­ It¡¯s as if she came from hell. She¡¯s terrifying. Meanwhile, Willow red at Sophie. I can¡¯t believe she still has the mood to eat after what she did to me! ¡°Sophie, no matter what, I¡¯m still your sister. Aren¡¯t you afraid God will punish you after what you did to me?¡± ¡°Haha, speak for yourself. You did so many evil deeds, yet you¡¯re perfectly fine, so why would God punish me?¡± replied Sophie as she wiped the table with tissue papers. ¡°You¡ª¡± Willow was aware she would not win against Sophie, but even so, she liked to provoke thetter. But I really lost this time. ¡°Ignore her, Ysabelle.¡± Although Willow¡¯s hand seemed severely injured, she did not deserve even an ounce of sympathy. After all, she had only herself to me. Had she not made the first move, she would not have ended up like that. Just then, Sophie¡¯s new te of spaghetti was served. Taking a fork, Sophie dug in. Her movements were so graceful that she did not seem like the same person from moments earlier. ¡°Aren¡¯t you guys eating? If not, then leave,¡± uttered Sophie casually, as if nothing had happened. Hearing that, the other customers immediately lowered their heads and indulged in their food. Not one soul dared to say something, let alone check on Willow. Seeing how upassionate they were, Willow cried non-stop. By the time Charmaine arrived, Sophie had almost finished her food. The older woman¡¯s heart broke when she spotted ¡°herst hope¡± slumped on the ground, her hand red and swollen. All Willow was good at was drawing. If she could no longer draw due to her injury, Charmaine did not know what she should do. ¡°How did you get injured, Wi? And why is it so severe? Sophie, why didn¡¯t you call the ambnce when you know your sister¡¯s injured? Don¡¯t you know how precious her hand is?¡± Taking advantage of Charmaine¡¯s sympathy toward her, Willow sobbed loudly. ¡°Sophie did this, Mom. She stuffed my hand in the spaghetti. It hurts, Mom. It hurts so much!¡± As Charmaine heard that, she stared at Sophie in disbelief. Why? Why is she so evil? ¡°Why did you do that, Sophie?¡± No matter what, they¡¯re sisters! When Sophie did not exin herself, Ysabelle looked at the former worriedly. ¡°Because I wanted to.¡± ¡°You¡­ How can you be so cruel at such a young age?¡± ¡°Willow was the one who wanted to harm Sophie first, Mrs. Tanner. While Sophie only injured Willow¡¯s hand, Willow was nning to ruin Sophie¡¯s face!¡± defended Ysabelle. At first, she had felt a bit sympathetic toward Willow, but it all diminished after she saw how Charmaine behaved. What kind of mother is she? Ever since she arrived, she only cared about Willow. It¡¯s as though Sophie¡¯s not even her daughter! ¡°What?¡± Charmaine felt as if her ears were deceiving her. ¡°Is that true, Wi?¡± ¡°My hand hurts, Mom. Take me to the hospital.¡± The way everyone stared at Willow made her feel embarrassed, so all she wanted was to escape to the hospital. Regardless of what happened, Charmaine could not bear to see her daughter like this anymore, so she asked the driver to carry Willow to the car. Before leaving the scene, Charmaine turned to Sophie. ¡°Sophie, she¡¯s family, no matter what. Did you really have to go that far? Your grandpa will be sad if he learns about this as he values harmony in the family more than anything.¡± Charmaine knew Sophie¡¯s sole weakness to this day was her grandfather, so she used that card. ¡°That¡¯s none of your concern,¡± responded Sophie. I didn¡¯t pursue the matterst time because Grandpa was in surgery, and I didn¡¯t want to concern him lest it affects him. However, Willow¡¯s the one asking for it this time. What else could I do? Had I not taught her a lesson, she would¡¯ve forgotten I¡¯m not one to be messed with. Enraged, Charmaine was about to retort, but she knew Sophie would not listen to her regardless of what she said. Hence, she left and brought Willow to the hospital. ¡°Soph, if you¡¯re done eating, let¡¯s head back,¡± stated Ysabelle. The atmosphere here is ufortable. Soph must be tense. Standing up, Sophie scanned the QR code to pay for their meals. ¡°Let¡¯s return and take a rest. We have another examter,¡± remarked Sophie calmly. Walking behind her, Ysabelle nodded. Yeah, we have another exam. It¡¯s not worth it to let us get affected by someone unimportant. Once they exited the restaurant, Sophie¡¯s phone rang. It was a call from Tristan. ¡°We found the one who injured Sunny. What do you want to do?¡± he asked, wanting her opinion. ¡°I see. Let¡¯s hold this matter off for two days. I¡¯ll handle it after the exam.¡± ¡°Okay. What are you doing now? Have you had lunch?¡± Tristan inquired. ¡°I just had it with Ysabelle. What about you?¡± ¡°I haven¡¯t eaten anything. Everything¡¯s tasteless because you¡¯re not with me! What are you going to do to end my torment?¡± he flirted. Sophie was speechless after hearing him. Well, unlike him, I enjoyed my lunch. ¡°Stop it. I¡¯m going to end the call now. I have an examter, and now I want to take a nap before that.¡± She had not slept for longst night. If not for her willpower during the Chanaean exam, she would have dozed off. ¡°All right! Let¡¯s visit Old Mr. This belongs to N?velDrama.Org - ?. Tanner togetherter,¡± he suggested, knowing Josiah was still in the hospital. ¡°Okay.¡± ¡°Wait for me at the school after the exam. I¡¯ll pick you up. There¡¯s going to be heavy snowter.¡± He felt uneasy about letting her drive, and he did not have faith in taxi drivers because he feared they would hurt her. ¡°All right, I got it.¡± With that, Sophie was about to end the call. She did not know how to act lovey-dovey at all. However, before she could, the man spoke again. ¡°Wait! You haven¡¯t said you missed me!¡± Sophie was rendered tongue-tied, for she truly could not bring herself to say something like that. Blushing a bit, Sophie stared at Ysabelle, still not saying a word. ¡°Mr. Tristan¡­¡± Can he not make things difficult for me? Chapter 192 Chapter 192 Chapter 192 Visiting Josiah The way she spoke his name was enough to make him all giddy. Since she¡¯s too shy, I¡¯ll say it. I¡¯m the man, anyway, and I really do miss her. ¡°I miss you,¡± he stated. When he had nothing else to say, he continued, ¡°Well, I¡¯ll hang up first.¡± Tristan had something to do, anyway, so he had to end the call earlier. Seeing his reluctance, Felix nearly burst outughing. On the other hand, Sean remained calm even though he was surprised by Tristan¡¯s behavior, as he never expected thetter would act like that when it came to love. ¡°Mr. Tristan, you look like you¡¯re about to go to the school right now to wait for her until the exam¡¯s over.¡± ¡°Oh, yeah, that¡¯s a good idea. I¡¯ll do that during the university entrance exam.¡± ¡°I was only joking,¡± stated Charles helplessly. He did not think Tristan would take his words seriously. ¡°I¡¯m not, though. I¡¯ll go there tomorrow since my schedule today is packed,¡± uttered Tristan in all seriousness. ¡°Mr. Tristan, you¡¯ll also be busy tomorrow!¡± Felix remarked. There¡¯s so much to do tomorrow! ¡°Well, you¡¯re here, aren¡¯t you? You can go settle it yourself tomorrow. I¡¯m going to take the day off.¡± Why do I have to do everything myself when I have an assistant? ¡°I¡­ You cannot enve me like this, Mr. Tristan. I also want to have a girlfriend, and for that, I need to have the time to pursue someone,¡± Felix whined. ¡°Why is my life so pitiful? Hey, why don¡¯t you guys speak up for me?¡± Ignoring him, Charles and Sean acted as if they were discussing yton¡¯s issue. ¡°You guys are too much. I¡¯ve decided to leave this organization and establish my own,¡± said Felix. ¡°Go ahead. The door¡¯s right there,¡± responded Tristan nonchntly. Felix was stumped for a moment. ¡°Mr. Tristan, don¡¯t you love me anymore? I¡¯m your sweet little Felix. Now that you have Ms. Tanner, you¡¯re abandoning me?¡± ¡°Get out!¡± hollered Tristan. That¡¯s disgusting. Seeing the expression on Tristan¡¯s face, Felix felt satisfied. Hehe, if there¡¯s something I¡¯m good at, it¡¯s to make Mr. Tristan feel disgusted. Watching their exchange, Charles and Sean were both rendered speechless. Meanwhile, Ysabelle and Sophie napped for over an hour at home. Waking up at half-past two, they walked to the school for their mathematics exam. After the exam, Ysabelle felt like crying. I¡¯m doomed. I¡¯m seriously failing this exam. I didn¡¯t even understand some of the multiple-choice questions. ¡°D*mn it! Who the hell came up with these questions! They were so hard!¡± In response to Ysabelle¡¯s explosive outburst, Sophie uttered, ¡°Calm down.¡± Hugging Sophie¡¯s arm, Ysabelle queried, ¡°What do you think about it, Soph? Did you find it hard?¡± Upon seeing how expectantly Ysabelle was staring at her, Sophie did not know how to answer the former, for she found the exam easy. If I answer honestly, will she cry? I don¡¯t want to see her cry! ¡°Yeah, it was kind of hard. The one who made the questions is cruel!¡± Hearing that, Ysabelle nodded fervently. If even Sophie found the questions hard, then they were indeed hard. Everything will be okay if everyone scores low. When the students around them heard Sophie¡¯s reply, they patted their chests. I knew it. The exam was difficult. It¡¯s reasonable we didn¡¯t answer half of it. Even one of the top students found it hard, let alone us. We shouldn¡¯t worry too much, right? Noticing their expressions, Sophie felt a bit guilty. When our resultse out, I hope they don¡¯t kill me. While they were conversing with each other, they were exiting through the school gate. As Ysabelle spotted a familiar car, she questioned, ¡°Why is Uncle Tristan here? Are you guys nning to go somewhere? Can Ie along?¡± Right now, going home was the scariest thing for Ysabelle. No, I don¡¯t want to go home. I want to run away from home. Ugh, not like I have the courage, though. If I do that for real, Dad would beat me to death. ¡°We¡¯re visiting my grandpa. Would you like toe with us?¡± She always says she wants to visit Grandpa. Now that he¡¯s recovering, we can go see him. Instantly, Ysabelle¡¯s face lit up. ¡°I can? Yay, okay!¡± Approaching the car, Sophie opened the backseat door to let Ysabelle in first before climbing into the car herself. This belongs to N?velDrama.Org - ?. ¡°Uncle Tristan, I¡¯m tagging along. Is that all right?¡± Even though she had gotten permission from Sophie, she still had to let Tristan know. He¡¯ll not be happy with me being their third wheel. ¡°Yeah,¡± replied the man coldly. See? As I expected. Tristan¡¯s icy aura was so strong that Ysabelle felt cold, even when the heater was turned on. She could only draw closer to Sophie to feel warmer. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Sophie asked. Shooting them a nce, Tristan voiced, ¡°Get away from her, Ysabelle. Don¡¯t be so clingy.¡± At his words, Ysabelle immediately sprung to the other side of the car. ¡°You frightened her, Mr. Tristan.¡± Hearing Sophie, Ysabelle shook her head and waved her hand frantically. ¡°I¡¯m not, Soph. I¡¯m already used to Uncle Tristan being like this. I¡¯m fine. I truly am.¡± If Sophie keeps on speaking for me, Uncle Tristan might kick me out of the car for real. There¡¯s no way I want that to happen. Upon seeing Ysabelle in this state, Tristan was extremely satisfied. They went for a meal first before going to the hospital. Once they opened the door, Sophie was relieved when she saw how her grandfather was almost fully recovered. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t move around that much, Grandpa. You need to take it easy to recover.¡± ¡°Got it, girl. So how was your exam? You¡¯ve been taking care of me these past few days. You didn¡¯t have time to study, so I¡¯d understand if you didn¡¯t do well. Don¡¯t put too much pressure on yourself, okay?¡± The results don¡¯t matter, anyway. She¡¯s great in everything else. ¡°All right.¡± As Josiah¡¯s eyes darted toward the pretty Ysabelle standing at the side, he seemed delighted. After all, Sophie barely had friends. ¡°Who is this youngdy? Is she your friend, Soph?¡± Chapter 193 Chapter 193 Chapter 193 Instigator ¡°Hello, Old Mr. Tanner. I¡¯m Sophie¡¯s ssmate and best friend,¡± Ysabelle said cheerfully. ¡°Your good looks tell me you¡¯re quite blessed, youngdy,¡± Josiah praised. ¡°Soph must really like you! She doesn¡¯t have a lot of friends, so I hope you¡¯ll get along well with her.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Old Mr. Tanner! I¡¯ll always stay by Soph¡¯s side and be her strongest support!¡± Ysabelle¡¯s eyes were sparkling. When she spoke, her long eyshes would flutter, which made her look gorgeous. Josiah could tell she had no ulterior motive for being Sophie¡¯s friend, which made him like her even more. ¡°That¡¯s right! Even though Sophie doesn¡¯t have a lot of friends, the ones she does have all treat her sincerely, Old Mr. Tanner,¡± Arius added. He must be joking about her not having many friends, right? Any one of her friends is enough to terrify you all! ¡°Mhm, that¡¯s good. With you two by her side, I know she won¡¯t feel lonely after I¡¯m gone.¡± While Josiah¡¯s operation was sessful, he was pretty old already. It was hard to say how much time he had left. Sophie wasn¡¯t happy when she heard him say something like that. ¡°Why are you saying that, Grandpa? Didn¡¯t I tell you already that the operation was sessful? You¡¯ll definitely stay by my side,¡± she uttered. Old people sure do like to overthink things. ¡°I know the operation is sessful. All right, let¡¯s change the topic.¡± He was happy to see her having so many friends by her side. Then he chuckled. ¡°Tanny, have you brought them out for a meal yet? It¡¯s about time to eat. Have you all eaten yet?¡± Ysabelle almostughed when she heard how Josiah addressed her uncle, but she managed to hold it back. I guess it¡¯s natural that Sophie¡¯s grandfather gives Uncle Tristan a nickname like that. Although, this rtionship seems a bit messy! She was a bit confused. It was a joyous sight as a room full of people gathered around the old man. Meanwhile, Charmaine had brought Willow to the hospital to get treatment for her daughter¡¯s hand. The treatment took a while to conclude. During the process, Willow sobbed very loudly. Ayer of her skin had fallen off. The doctor said that it was possible her hand would never recover. Even if it somehow did, there would be an obvious scar. Willow had always been proud of her hands. However, that had changed because of Sophie. When she saw Sophie, she wanted to tear her into pieces. The only reason she didn¡¯t dare to do anything was that there were a lot of people around. ¡°You need to stand up for me, Grandpa!¡± She could only ce her hope in Josiah. As much as Grandpa likes Sophie, he must know how serious this matter is! Sophie clearly intentionally hurt me! Content ? N?velDrama.Org. When Ysabelle saw her iming to be the victim despite being the instigator, she got angry. How can this woman be so shameless? ¡°What¡¯s wrong? What happened to your hand?¡± While Josiah liked Sophie the most, Willow was still his granddaughter. Thus, there was no way he could ignore her injury. ¡°It¡¯s all because of Sophie, Grandpa. She ruined my hand! The doctor said I might not be able to draw in the future anymore,¡± Willow said aggrievedly. Ysabelle couldn¡¯t control herself anymore and spat, ¡°Nonsense! You were the one who wanted to hurt Sophie! She was just protecting herself.¡± Willow is disgusting! Arius¡¯ and Tristan¡¯s expressions changed when they heard that. What? There are still people in this world who dares to hurt Sophie? Does she have a death wish? ¡°I¡¯m your granddaughter too, Grandpa! You can¡¯t just condone her actions! She hurt me because she¡¯s jealous that I got together with yton!¡± Willow was starting to twist the truth. Josiah was very disappointed. Seeing that expression on his face made Willow nce at Sophie slightly smugly. ¡°Sophie has crossed a line, Grandpa. You must stand up for me!¡± ¡°Willow, you¡¯re my granddaughter too, but how can you act like this? Sophie is your sister. If you hadn¡¯t hurt her, would she have hurt you? I know you¡¯re a prideful person, but you must learn to be humble sometimes. Your abilities aren¡¯t as good as Sophie¡¯s.¡± Willow was truly at a loss for words. She didn¡¯t expect her grandfather to say that. ¡°Why have you already decided to take Sophie¡¯s side before you even learn the full story, Grandpa? How can you do this to me? I¡¯m your granddaughter too! Why are you treating me like this? Why are you so biased?¡± Sophie nced at her sister. She acts too much. Then she ordered coldly, ¡°It¡¯s time for Grandpa to rest. You should leave!¡± Willow red at her. ¡°How can you all treat me like this? Am I not a child of the Tanner family, too? Why is it that you always only pay attention to Sophie, Grandpa? What about me? What am I to you?¡± Even though I¡¯ve worked so hard, these people still can¡¯t see my effort! How can they be so cruel? ¡°What are you saying, Wi? All right, that¡¯s enough. Let¡¯s go home! Your grandfather needs to rest.¡± Charmaine was disappointed in Willow. She didn¡¯t expect her daughter to turn out like that. ¡°You¡¯re treating me like this too, Mom? Are you all not even going to offer a word offort after seeing how badly my hand is hurt?¡± ¡°What else do you want? If you like, I can do the same to your other hand to make it symmetrical.¡± Sophie was sick of listening to Willow and didn¡¯t want to hear any more wordsing out of her mouth. ¡°You¡ª¡± Willow rushed toward Sophie in an instant. Before she could touch Sophie¡¯s clothes, Arius bolted toward Sophie and used his body to block Willow¡¯s path. Tristan was even more direct with his method as he pulled Sophie into his embrace. ¡°In respect to Old Mr. Tanner, you better get out of here now. Otherwise, I will take more than your life for what you¡¯ve done today,¡± Tristan threatened domineeringly. He knew Josiah¡¯s difficult position, which was why he said that. However, if Sophie had gotten hurt, then he wouldn¡¯t care about anyone¡¯s feelings and would¡¯ve retaliated. ¡°You should be d she¡¯s not hurt. If she were, I would¡¯ve chopped both your hands off, and no one will dare to say a thing.¡± Willow¡¯s impression of Tristan had always been that he was just a handsome man. However, at that moment, his domineering aura terrified her so much that she couldn¡¯t squeeze a word out of her mouth. ¡°You¡­ All of you¡­¡± she stuttered. Everyone was shaken when he spoke like that. However, none of them doubted his words. He really did have the ability to do exactly what he said. ¡°You should bring her home now, Mrs. Tanner. I suggest you keep a tighter leash on her in the future. Otherwise, don¡¯t me me for what I¡¯ll do,¡± Tristan added. Charmaine was shaken, too. She also couldn¡¯t say anything as she dragged Willow away. Who the hell is that man? Why is he so scary? Sophie grabbed Tristan¡¯s hand. He¡¯s really scary. When Tristan felt her small hand holding his, he calmed down and dispelled the aura he was exuding so he wouldn¡¯t appear terrifying anymore. Chapter 194 Chapter 194 Chapter 194 Touch My People ¡°What are you doing, Mom? Now that my hand has turned out like this, how will I chase after yton in the future? Why don¡¯t you think about me?¡± Willow begrudgingly ignored Josiah¡¯s inaction, but she was still frustrated with her mother. Doesn¡¯t she know her future depends on me? Charmaine sighed resignedly. ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you not to mess with Sophie, Wi? Why don¡¯t you listen to me? You should already know she¡¯s not someone we should piss off, so can¡¯t you just leave her alone? Why did you still do that?¡± The one thing rich families avoided the most was any form of w, and yet her hand had turned out like that. One such example was the situation between Willow and Mason. Despite the Laird family¡¯s status, with Mason being crippled, the Tanner family was reluctant to have Willow marry him. Did she never think of this? With her hand being like this, what rich family would ept her as their daughter-inw? ¡°What do I do, Mom? You can¡¯t just ditch me! I¡¯m your favorite daughter. You can¡¯t leave me alone!¡± Willow was desperate. My hands can¡¯t stay like this! ¡°What do you expect me to do?¡± It was a headache for Charmaine to deal with, too. ¡°I wonder how Mason¡¯s legs are doing right now. Wi, if yton doesn¡¯t want you, Mason isn¡¯t a bad choice.¡± ¡°What do you mean by that, Mom? Do you want me to marry a cripple? How can you say something like that? I¡¯m your daughter!¡± In the past, Willow would¡¯ve devoted herself to Mason. However, since he had lost the ability to walk correctly, she found no reason to stay with him. In her mind, if she got together with a cripple like Mason, she would be a joke in Jipsdale, and that was something she desperately didn¡¯t want to happen. Constance, who was at the hospital to visit Mason, coincidentally heard what Willow said. I always thought she was a good girl and would make a great daughter-inw. It turns out she¡¯s that kind of person! She suddenly felt wobbly and couldn¡¯t stand still. Thankfully, the driver behind her caught her in time. The driver asked, ¡°Are you all right, Mrs. Laird?¡± ¡°I must be truly blind in the past to think Willow was a good woman. How can a woman like her deserve to stay with Mason?¡± It was then she understood why Mason never liked Willow. It seems like my son has better and sharper eyes than me. When Willow heard Constance¡¯s voice, she turned around and saw the older woman standing behind her. She didn¡¯t expect Constance to hear her words. ¡°Mrs. Laird, I¡ª¡± ¡°You don¡¯t need to say anything, Willow. Perhaps it was just my wishful thinking in the past, but it seems Mason doesn¡¯t deserve you. Please don¡¯t show up in front of us again.¡± In the past, Constance wouldn¡¯t have let Willow go. However, at that point, she no longer cared about Willow. She had decided to channel all her efforts and thoughts into helping Mason to recover as soon as possible. Nothing else mattered to her anymore. ¡°Mrs. Laird, I¡ª¡± Willow wanted to exin, but when she saw the older woman¡¯s pale face, no words could find their way out of her mouth. In the past, Constance did treat Willow very well because she hoped Willow would end up with Mason. It was why Willow felt guilty for what she had said. Constance ignored her and entered the ward. When she saw her son working hard to practice walking, tears poured out of her eyes. The moment Mason turned to the entrance, he saw his mother crying. ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Mom? Why are you crying? Aren¡¯t I doing fine?¡± He didn¡¯t feel good seeing his mother like that. What is she doing? ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Mason. If I hadn¡¯t treated Sophie like I did back then, you wouldn¡¯t have ended up like this. The heavens are punishing me for my mistakes, but why didn¡¯t they cripple me instead if that is the case? Why did the punishment befell you and not me?¡± Constance sobbed. ¡°Come on, Mom. This doesn¡¯t have anything to do with you. Stop crying, all right? I¡¯ll get better and walk again.¡± Mason approached her with great difficulty as he wanted to hug andfort her. She has endured too much recently. It¡¯s not right for me, her son, to constantly misunderstand her. ¡°Really? You¡¯ll do your best to stand up again?¡± Constance¡¯s mind was shrouded with uncertainty. ¡°Mhm, don¡¯t worry!¡± Sophie and the others had been keeping Josiahpany in the room because, despite his old age, he liked a lively atmosphere. When he saw it was already over ten o¡¯clock, he felt it was time for him to rest and for them to leave. ¡°You all should head back now. Don¡¯t you two have final exams tomorrow, Soph, Ysabelle? If you two do well in the exams, I¡¯ll treat you to a nice meal.¡± Despite his unwillingness, he still let them leave. ¡°Mhm. You should rest early, Grandpa. I¡¯lle and visit you another day.¡± Sophie still had other things to do. However, she was truly happy with her grandfather¡¯s recovery. ¡°Okay. Go on, then! No need to worry about me.¡± After she left the ward, she called Sunny to the side. ¡°Now that the culprit has been found, what do you n to do?¡± While his hand had recovered thanks to Arius¡¯ treatment, she believed she still needed to teach the culprit a lesson. ¡°My hand¡¯s fine already, Sophie. You can punish the one who hurt my hand if you want, but you should just forget about the person supporting him.¡± He didn¡¯t want to give The Wheelers too much trouble. It hadn¡¯t been easy for them to reach their current position, after all, and he didn¡¯t want to be the one to ruin it. Sophie furrowed her eyebrows. ¡°You were not like this in the past, Sunny. When did you be so tolerant?¡± Does life sand off a person¡¯s edges? ¡°In any case, I¡¯ve locked up the culprit. You have two days to think about what to do. Once my exams are over, we¡¯ll deal with this again.¡± She had made her decision. ¡°I don¡¯t want to drag you down, Sophie. It¡¯s just¡ª¡± When Sunny saw her re, he shut his mouth and changed what he wanted to say. ¡°Fine, I get it. I¡¯ll think about it after I go back!¡± ¡°Rx! The culprit may have someone backing them up, but you also have someone backing you up, which is me. I do want to see who¡¯s the motherf*cker who had the gall to hurt my people.¡± He blushed as he stared at her. ¡°Can¡¯t you be less straightforward, Sophie? I¡¯m still not yours!¡± There was a shy expression on his face. Sophie was speechless. What is that expression on his face right now and why does it look so¡­ horrifying? ¡°Please wipe that disgusting expression off your face, Sunny,¡± she uttered. He was at a loss for words. Didn¡¯t she just say I¡¯m her people? Why did she suddenly say I¡¯m disgusting? It made him angry. Content ? N?velDrama.Org. ¡°You¡¯re too mean, Sophie. I¡¯m going to ignore you now.¡± He said that intentionally because he knew she hated it when men said things like that. It was because she was so serious earlier that he said it. He was the face of The Wheelers, so when he said something like that, it didn¡¯t make her feel great. Chapter 195 Chapter 195 Chapter 195 ying Hard To Get ¡°Fine, you¡¯re my people, and you aren¡¯t disgusting,¡± Sophie replied. That¡¯s enough for him, right? Even though he¡¯s a young adult already, why is he still acting like a child? Sunny felt better after she said that. ¡°I¡¯ll be going back now. You should head back and rest early. Good luck on your exam!¡± When he finished, he jumped out of the car. The other members came out to wee him when they saw he had returned. They also approached Sophie when they saw her. ¡°Come on in and take a look inside, Soph!¡± Mark invited. ¡°Yeah! It¡¯s been a long time since we saw each other, Sophie! We all miss you.¡± Another one spoke. ¡°I think I¡¯ll pass. It¡¯s gettingte, and I have an exam tomorrow. Don¡¯t worry; I¡¯lle by another day to eat BBQ with you all.¡± Sophie smiled. They all treated her so well and sincerely that she couldn¡¯t help but act more gently around them. Although, the gentleness she disyed undoubtedly roused Tristan¡¯s jealousy. The reason was that even when interacting with him, she had never behaved that gently before. Unfortunately, there was nothing else he could do about it because he liked her too much. There was nothing he could change about liking someone as excellent as Sophie, so all he could do was adjust his attitude. ¡°All right. In that case, you should head back early.¡± Mark nced at Tristan. ¡°You should never let your guard down around men because you¡¯re too beautiful. Your appearance will easily attract men with wretched intentions.¡± The person he was referring to was, of course, Tristan. Sophie nodded. ¡°I know. Sunny still can¡¯t move his hands too much yet, so please take care of him for the next few days.¡± ¡°Did you all hear that? Sophie is asking you all to take care of me for the next few days, so no one is allowed to hog the Wi-Fi when I¡¯m using it, all right?¡± Sunny had been experiencing connection issues when he was ying games, which caused him to perform worse. The other members were speechless. One of them spoke up. ¡°Is it so hard to admit you just suck, Sunny? Even when we weren¡¯t using the Wi-Fi while you were ying, you still rankedst!¡± Sunny felt aggrieved. ¡°Did you see that, Sophie? This is how they bully me when you aren¡¯t around. Can you bear to see me being bullied like that? I don¡¯t want to live here anymore. I want to quit and leave with you! Take me away, Sophie!¡± Sophie wasn¡¯t sure what to say. I think he¡¯s exaggerating a little too much. I know he missed me a lot after I left, but he¡¯s overdoing it a bit with his current performance. ¡°All right, Sunny. It¡¯s really gettingte now. I should head back.¡± ¡°Okay!¡± He knew she wouldn¡¯t bring him away or stay there no matter what he said. In that case, why waste more time persuading her? Mark patted Sunny¡¯s shoulder when he saw the disappointed expression on his bandmate¡¯s face. ¡°It¡¯s okay. You¡¯ll have a chance to meet her again.¡± Sunny nodded. ¡°You must remember that I¡¯m your best friend, Sophie! You heard me?¡± With how heartless Sophie is, she may forget about me quickly! I definitely won¡¯t allow that to happen! I was okay with it when I didn¡¯t know where she was staying, but now that I do, I¡¯ll harass her every day. The car left the mansion. Ysabelle eximed, ¡°You must have had a really good rtionship with him before, Sophie!¡± ¡°Mhm,¡± Sophie replied. We do have a great rtionship. I remember there was a period when The Wheelers was my emotional support. If I hadn¡¯t yed rock music with them, I think the me back then would¡¯ve been very dispirited and done many things I would regret. ¡°Why did you leave them, then? I do think you¡¯re verypatible with them. When you y music, you look very cool, like, so cool that fans will be screaming when they see you.¡± ¡°If I hadn¡¯t left, how would I have met you all? It¡¯s just a choice I made in my life.¡± ¡°That¡¯s true. In that case, I¡¯m d you left. Because if you hadn¡¯t, you¡¯d still be a member of The Wheelers, and I wouldn¡¯t have known you!¡± Ysabelle said. The most important thing is that Sophie is really amazing. No matter what she does for a job in the future, she¡¯ll definitely excel in it! ¡°Send me back home first, Mr. Tristan.¡± It was gettingte. If Tristan sent Ysabelle back first before sending Sophie home and then returned to the Lombard residence again by himself, it would be a pretty lengthy detour. ¡°I have to send Ysabelle back first. Otherwise, she¡¯ll get locked up in the house again,¡± Tristan replied. He didn¡¯t want to send Sophie back first and leave her alone. He felt threatened by the people around her, so he wanted to spend as much time with her as possible. Ysabelle kept her mouth shut because she was pretty certain if she said anything at all, her uncle would throw her out of the car. Tristan parked the car in front of the Lombard manor. Lincoln and Sarah exited the building when they heard the sound of an engine. ¡°Have you heard that Tristan has been getting close to a young woman recently, Lincoln?¡± Sarah was quite interested in Sophie. However, Tristan had been hiding Sophie from his siblings and was unwilling to show her to them. ¡°A young woman? Who is it? Why didn¡¯t I hear about it before?¡± Lincoln asked. ¡°You only care about your research and work all day, so of course you didn¡¯t hear about it.¡± Sarah couldn¡¯t help butin. At that moment, she saw a female figure sitting in the passenger seat. She narrowed her eyes. ¡°Isn¡¯t there a woman sitting in Tristan¡¯s car right now? I don¡¯t think she¡¯s Ysabelle.¡± Just as she wanted to head toward the car to investigate, Tristan had already driven the car away, leaving Ysabelle standing there. Ysabelle asked, ¡°What are you doing, Aunt Sarah?¡± Isn¡¯t Aunt Sarah being a little too enthusiastic today? Is it necessary for her to personally wee me back home? ¡°Is the young woman in your uncle¡¯s car his girlfriend, Ysabelle?¡± Sarah asked. It was then Ysabelle realized her aunt just wanted to take a peek at Sophie. I knew there was no way Aunt Sarah would wee me back home like that. ¡±She¡¯s not, for now.¡± ¡°What do you mean? I don¡¯t understand. Hasn¡¯t your uncle been pursuing her? It¡¯s been quite a longText property ? N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org. time, yet he still hasn¡¯t gotten her to be his girlfriend?¡± Sarah found it hard to believe. I know how excellent my little brother is. Everyone does. I can¡¯t believe there¡¯s a woman in this world who would reject him. ¡°I meant he hasn¡¯t seeded in his pursuit!¡± Ysabelle informed casually. She was toozy to acknowledge her father and went straight into the building. ¡°Are my ears functioning properly, Lincoln? Did you hear what Ysabelle just said?¡± Sarah¡¯s eyes widened. Lincoln couldn¡¯t believe there was someone in the world who could reject Tristan either. ¡°Maybe she¡¯s ying hard to get! You have a pretty good rtionship with Tristan, but you also don¡¯t know who she is?¡± he asked, puzzled. It was the first time he heard there was a woman around Tristan. Not only that, she was a young woman. It piqued his curiosity. ¡°He¡¯s very protective of the girl and doesn¡¯t want to let us meet her.¡± Sarah had expressed her interest in Sophie and wanted Tristan to bring her out for a meal multiple times already. However, he refused her every time. ¡°Is that so? In that case, you should try to find out what kind of woman she is. Also, don¡¯t let Dad find out about this yet.¡± Chapter 196 Chapter 196 Chapter 196 Innocent Ysabelle sent a text message to Tristan: I think my dad and Aunt Sarah saw Sophie, Uncle Tristan. They¡¯re talking about you and Sophie downstairs. You better be prepared. Then shey on the bed. It would be weirder if Dad and Aunt Sarah weren¡¯t curious about Sophie. After all, Uncle Tristan has never shown any romantic interest in anyone. On the other side, Tristan was driving down the mountain. ¡°The people you saw earlier were my older brother and sister. I¡¯ll introduce you to them at the right time.¡± He didn¡¯t want them to meet Sophie yet because he was worried they would scare her off. She didn¡¯t have any ns to meet his family yet, so she kept her silence on the matter. When he saw her like that, he knew she didn¡¯t want to meet them yet either. ¡°Don¡¯t worry; you¡¯ve still got me! I won¡¯t let anyone hurt you, not even my family members,¡± Tristan promised. He would fulfill his promise no matter what. Sophie stared out the window. Truthfully, it¡¯s not like I¡¯m afraid of meeting his family. I just don¡¯t want to. It¡¯s not the right time to think about that. Even though I don¡¯t want to meet them, they seem to want to meet me. After sending Sophie back to Wisteria Apartments, Tristan returned to his home. Since Sarah has seen Sophie, she¡¯s not going to let the matter go that easily. I know how stubborn she can be, and she¡¯s not going to stop asking to meet Sophie even if Sophie doesn¡¯t show up. As expected, after he returned to the Lombard residence, he saw Sarah waiting for him in the living room. Despite the fact that the room was warm, she was wearing a pure white turtleneck sweater with a pair of blue jeans. There weren¡¯t any signs of her age on her at all. ¡°Why are you still up, Sarah? I thought women would start caring a lot about maintaining their appearance after reaching a certain age. Why are you staying upte?¡± Tristan uttered casually. ¡°Are you asking for a beating, Tristan? Is that how you should talk to your older sister? I don¡¯t need any maintenance when I look forever eighteen and naturally beautiful!¡± N?velDrama.Org ? content. Sarah was indeed attractive-looking, and it was the elegant kind. She patted his shoulder and gave him a ss of red wine. ¡°You¡¯re not young anymore, Tristan. If you do like her, bring her back home and let me take a look at her. I only caught a glimpse earlier, which made me even more curious about her.¡± ¡°She¡¯s still young. There¡¯s no need to rush.¡± ¡°You really aren¡¯t in a hurry, huh? What kind of woman is she to be able to resist a handsome man like my brother instead of jumping right into your embrace?¡± Sarah wasn¡¯t praising him for no reason. Tristan really was that handsome. He didn¡¯t know how to reply to what his sister said. ¡°Tell me, how far have you two gone? You¡¯re not that innocent and pure, are you?¡± she asked. My brother has always been a fierce and decisive person, so why is he acting so carefully when ites to romance? ¡°She¡¯s still young,¡± he repeated. Of course, he wanted to do all sorts of things with Sophie. After all, he was a healthy man in his prime. However, whenever he thought about her age, he held back his desire. It was because he liked her that he was being so careful. He wanted to protect her and shield her from any harm. ¡°How young? Is she younger than Ysabelle?¡± Their family wasn¡¯t really that restrictive about what Ysabelle did. Even if Ysabelle wanted to start a romantic rtionship, they would only think it was normal. ¡°Mhm, she¡¯s a few months younger than Ysabelle.¡± It was then Tristan thought about Sophie¡¯s birthday. I recall her birthday is right around the corner. It will be the first birthday I¡¯m spending with her. Hmm, I wonder how I should celebrate it with her¡­ ¡°That is quite young.¡± Sarah took a sip of the red wine and stared out the window. ¡°All right, it¡¯s gettingte. You should head up to rest now,¡± Tristan said to her. As for his sister¡¯s rtionship, there was nothing he could do. He didn¡¯t believe Juan was a suitable man for her because he thought Juan was too vicious. However, when a person was in love, they wouldn¡¯t consider whether their partner suited them. That was why Sarah was left alone with her scars after the rtionship ended. ¡°You should go and sleep first. I can¡¯t sleep.¡± Sarah¡¯s sleep quality was getting worse and worse. ¡°You should go to the hospital tomorrow, Sarah. There¡¯s a pretty good doctor there. Let him take a look at you,¡± Tristan suggested. ¡°I¡¯m not sick!¡± She just couldn¡¯t sleep. ¡°I know you aren¡¯t sick. I¡¯m just suggesting you let the doctor take a look at you. His name is Arius Gullifer. Tell me when you¡¯re going there, and I¡¯ll give him a call.¡± He decided to use Arius since Arius was avable. ¡°Fine, I get it. I¡¯ll give you a call if I go there.¡± In the end, Sarah decided to visit the doctor tomorrow since she didn¡¯t have a lot to do. The next day, when Sophie woke up, she noticed Tristan was already in Wisteria Apartments. This man didn¡¯t even knock before he came in! Then again, it¡¯s not that weird since this is originally his house. He had brought her breakfast. ¡°Don¡¯t you have anything to do, Mr. Tristan?¡± she wondered. Doesn¡¯t he have work today? I thought he recently took on a very big investment case. ¡°It¡¯s nothing. I¡¯m just here to visit you and bring you breakfast.¡± It wasn¡¯t until Tristan sent her to the school that Sophie realized he was there to apany her to her exam and not just deliver breakfast to her. ¡°It¡¯s just a final exam, Mr. Tristan. You don¡¯t need to apany me,¡± she persuaded. Even parents won¡¯t apany their children for their exams, yet he¡¯s seriously doing it. ¡°It¡¯s fine. I just want to be here. All right, you should go in now,¡± he urged when he saw it was about time for the exam to start. There should be enough time for her to go to the restroom. That way, when she finishes her business, the time will be just right. ¡°Fine. Do whatever you want.¡± Sophie stopped caring about what he was doing and left coolly. He did feel a little mncholic when he saw that. Only people who don¡¯t care about anything can achieve that kind of coolness, which is something I can no longer do. In reality, he had hoped that he had some kind of influence on her. However, it would seem like he was just overthinking it. He got into his car when the exam started, but he didn¡¯t leave until Felix called him. ¡°Where are you right now, Mr. Tristan?¡± Felix questioned unhappily. What the hell is he doing? I¡¯m working my a*s off in thepany, yet he¡¯s nowhere to be seen! ¡°I¡¯m at Jipsdale Premier High right now. What¡¯s wrong? Is there a problem?¡± ¡°Sophie is going to be the downfall of us all, Mr. Tristan! Do you know how bloody busy I am right now? You bettere back soon!¡± Felix was despondent. Why do I have to work overtime in thepany while he¡¯s out dating? This is so not fair! ¡°Fine, I¡¯lle back in a bit. Stopining,¡± Tristan replied icily. Am Iining? I¡¯m working hard right now, okay? Besides, this investment case doesn¡¯t only involve my family! Why is it that the other three don¡¯t have to work as hard as me? I¡¯m so pitiful! Felix sighed. Then, he recalled something and said, ¡°Oh yeah, do you know yton¡¯spany got hacked again? Say, who do you think has a grudge against yton? They must have a pretty huge grudge if they keep hacking into hispany¡¯s system! I bet he didn¡¯t sleep at all against night.¡± Chapter 197 Chapter 197 Chapter 197 Her Own Life ¡°Probably Phantom,¡± Tristan replied. Who else could it be but her? Although, I thought yton had hired a skillfulwork security engineer to protect hispany. Even with the engineer, he still can¡¯t catch Phantom, huh? ¡°Is it really her?¡± Felix sounded a little excited. Seems like this Phantom also doesn¡¯t like yton. Upon hanging up the call, Tristan nced at his wristwatch and saw there was still plenty of time before the exam ended. Thus, he drove back to Lombard Group. When Felix saw his boss had returned, he felt like kneeling and thanking him foring back. ¡°You¡¯re finally willing toe back. I would¡¯ve died if you still refused to return.¡± Felix couldn¡¯t help comining again. ¡°Stop your whining! This is an opportunity for you to train and get better, you know? I wouldn¡¯t give other people this chance even if they begged me for it!¡± Tristan eximed. Felix was thoroughly speechless. Haven¡¯t I been trained enough? ¡°Can you stop finding excuses for spending time with your woman, Mr. Tristan? You¡¯re acting like an ipetent boss right now,¡± Felix spat fearlessly. Tristan swiftly dealt with the problems Felix was facing. Because Zales Corporation¡¯s system had been under constant attack, the entirepany was in a frenzy. Lombard Group didn¡¯t even need to do anything for Zales Corporation to suspend its operations. At that moment, yton was beyond anxious as he tried to solve the problem. He didn¡¯t have time to take a breather at all. At half-past eleven, the physics exam was over. All the students who walked out of the exam room looked like they were heading to the guillotine. When they finished their maths exam, they had still gathered around to talk about how perversely difficult the questions were. However, for the physics exam, they didn¡¯t even have the mood to discuss the questions. Ysabelle was no different from those students. When she walked out of the room behind Sophie, she didn¡¯t say a single word. Sophie couldn¡¯t help butfort her friend when she saw that. ¡°It¡¯s all right. It¡¯s just an exam. Besides, the questions this time around are really hard. Even if you can¡¯t get good grades on the subject, it¡¯s fine.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t need to console me, Sophie. When we handed in our papers, I saw yours was filled to the brim with words and numbers.¡± ¡°Well, I¡¯ll tell you this, Ysabelle. You don¡¯t need topare yourself with me. Justpare yourself to other people. You can tell how insanely difficult the paper was just by looking at their expressions.¡± Sophie was different from other people, after all. No one would feel confident about themselves if theypared themselves to her. Ysabelle nced at the students around her and saw the light in their eyes had gone out. After all, the new year was right around the corner. If they didn¡¯t score well, the rest of the year would be miserable. ¡°That¡¯s true, I guess. If everyone¡¯s not going to get good grades for the paper, it¡¯s not that bad if I also don¡¯t get good grades.¡± When the two of them exited the school, they saw Tristan¡¯s car. Ysabelle asked, ¡°Uncle Tristan isn¡¯t here to apany us for the exam, right? It¡¯s just an end-of- semester exam. Is that really necessary?¡± She was already feeling pretty awful when shepared her performance on the paper with Sophie¡¯s, yet her uncle came to torture her some more. It made her feel miserable. Sophie had known his intentions since the morning, but she wasn¡¯t sure if he had really stayed there for the entire period. Both of them headed to the silver-gray Lamborghini. Ysabelle opened the door to the back of the car, got in, and closed the door. Sophie was speechless as she opened the door to the passenger seat and sat there. ¡°You haven¡¯t been waiting here since the beginning, right, Uncle Tristan?¡± Ysabelle asked. ¡°You think too much,¡± Tristan replied. She really didn¡¯t feel like she was overthinking it. Then she turned to Sophie and asked, ¡°You said you were going back to Horington after the exams ended, right, Soph? When are you going back? Can I join you?¡± ¡°Mhm. I do want to go back, but my business here isn¡¯t settled yet.¡± The shareholders¡¯ meeting for Tanner Group was about to start soon. Transfix Cosmetics¡¯ products were all the rage recently, and the new ones had been selling really well. All that was left was to wait for the shareholders¡¯ meeting tomence. Once everything had been taken care of, Sophie would spend a few days in Horington. ¡°Will you being back for the new year?¡± Tristan, who had been keeping silent, spoke. ¡°I should be back by then. Grandpa¡¯s about to be discharged from the hospital, and he will definitely want me to be around when the new year rolls around.¡± ¡°Ah.¡± Tristan didn¡¯t say anything else. Ysabelle became very suspicious when her uncle didn¡¯t say anything else. Does he not want to go to Horington with Sophie? Tristan brought the two of them to lunch at a nearby restaurant before sending them to Wisteria Apartments to rest. When Ysabelle was alone with Tristan, she couldn¡¯t help but ask, ¡°Don¡¯t you want to go to Horington with Sophie, Uncle Tristan? Aren¡¯t you curious about what kind of environment Sophie grew up in and what happened there back then?¡± There was a reason why she asked that question. If she went to Horington with her friend alone, her father wouldn¡¯t agree to it. However, if her uncle went with her, then there would be no problem. ¡°I don¡¯t want to go. She has her own life and her own matters. Don¡¯t keep following her around all day.¡± It made Ysabelle even more suspicious of her uncle, but, of course, she wasn¡¯t going to question him. Thus, she remained silent. ¡°You should go back home immediately when the driveres to pick you up after the exam. Don¡¯tText property ? N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org. piss off your dad,¡± Tristan reminded. ¡°Okay,¡± she replied dejectedly. I want to go to Horington too! I don¡¯t want to spend my holiday at home. Is there anyone more pitiful than me right now in this world? Thest exam was the Ustranasion paper. It differed from the university entrance exam because it involved a listening test. After she had listened to the recording, Sophie spent less than half an hourpleting the paper. Since it wasn¡¯t time to hand in the answer sheet yet, she decided to sprawl on the table and sleep. When she woke up, the other students had already handed in their answer sheets. When the invigtor arrived in front of her, she pulled out the answer sheet below her exam paper and handed it to the teacher. ¡°Are the questions not difficult for you at all, Sophie?¡± The invigtor was coincidentally the Ustranasion teacher for Senior ss 8. The teacher felt bitter when she saw Sophie sleeping. However, when she nced at the answer sheet, she noticed all of Sophie¡¯s answers were correct. Despite the difficulty of the essay question, Sophie still managed toplete it well. It was supported by logic, and all the terms used in the essay were professional. The teacher was shocked to read that after she saw Sophie sleeping. Despite the short amount of time Sophie used toplete the paper, she still did it excellently, which impressed the teacher. Even if I were tasked with writing the essay, I wouldn¡¯t be able to do it this wlessly and beautifully. ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡± Sophie had no intention of showing off because she really did feel the exam was standard. The teacher was very excited. Sophie really is someone to look out for. Perhaps Jipsdale Premier High will finally produce a principal graduate! ¡°Can I leave now?¡± Sophie needed to pick up Sunny. It was about time they dealt with the culprit who attacked him. ¡°Sure, you can leave now,¡± the Ustranasion teacher said. When Sophie left the school building, Tristan¡¯s car was already waiting outside the school entrance. Upon entering the vehicle, she said, ¡°Go to The Wheelers¡¯ mansion!¡± ¡°Okay,¡± Tristan replied. It was clear that she was going there that day to resolve the matter of Sunny¡¯s injured hand, so he wanted to join her. ¡°You don¡¯t need to keep sticking to me, Mr. Tristan.¡± She could take care of the matter herself. He nodded and drove to The Wheelers¡¯ mansion. When Sunny saw Sophie¡¯s arrival, he got really excited. ¡°Let me give you a tour of our base, Sophie.¡± Chapter 198 Chapter 198 Chapter 198 The Way To Solve The Problem ¡°Okay!¡± Sophie did not turn Sunny down. Thetter dragged her away excitedly, leaving Tristan alone in the living room with Mark. It was indeed a spacious living room casually designed with well-defined partitions. Mark was devoid of expression as he cut to the chase and spoke to the man in front of him. ¡°Since you¡¯ve sent her here, you may leave now.¡± Tristan sat on the couch, unperturbed by Mark¡¯s tone. ¡°I¡¯ll wait for her here. How could I be at ease when she¡¯s alone with all of you here? Not to mention, she¡¯s the only female here.¡± In the meantime, Sunny took Sophie to have a look around the three-story mansion before leading her to the room specially prepared for her. ¡°Sophie, ever since you left, we¡¯ve been reserving a room for you no matter where we go.¡± The next second, Sunny pushed the door open. Surprisingly, the design of the room matched Sophie¡¯s style perfectly. Apart from that, there were a lot of items she had used before. ¡°Initially, I couldn¡¯t fathom why you left us abruptly. Anyway, Mark has kept all these things nicely for you,¡± Sunny exined. Mark is obviously sentimental despite his usual look of indifference. Sophie touched the drum she had used before, missing those memorable moments with everyone from The Wheelers. ¡°Sunny, thank you so much,¡± Sophie thanked Sunny earnestly. She was grateful to them for taking her side all the time and never leaving her alone regardless of anything. In an instant, Sunny blushed crimson. ¡°Sophie, why are you suddenly talking to me with such formality? Don¡¯t you know it sounds odd, and I can¡¯t get used to it?¡± ¡°All right. I¡¯m here to get the matter of your hand getting injured resolved. Let¡¯s go!¡± Sophie urged him. Hearing that, Sunny gazed at her, looking troubled. ¡°Sophie, forget about it. After all, my hand has fully recovered. Let¡¯s not dwell on it anymore, okay? We went through a lot before our band rose to fame. Thus, I don¡¯t wish to put all of you in deep water.¡± Sophie was rendered speechless. ¡°I know you¡¯re very concerned about me. However, we have no choice but to go with the flow in the entertainment industry,¡± Sunny added resignedly. If the incident had urred years back, he would not think twice about retaliating. Nevertheless, after going through ups and downs for years in the entertainment industry, his mindset had changed a lot. ¡°Sunny, you all have been through a lot all this while,¡± Sophie stated sorrowfully. She could imagine how hard they had strived along the way without anyone backing them up financially. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter. Inevitably, everyone grows up as time pses. I only became more mature after going through all these,¡± Sunny responded. In actuality, he was only a neen-year-old young man forced to be mature after what he had been through. ¡°It¡¯s all right. I¡¯ll keep my word to resolve the matter for your sake. Regardless of who the culprit is, I¡¯ll back you up. Hence, there¡¯s nothing for you to fear,¡± Sophie reassured him. Sunny was well aware that Sophie was a strong-minded person who kept her word. ¡°You know yton Zales, don¡¯t you? He¡¯s the oneing at us this time around.¡± There was hardly anyone who could go up against yton in Jipsdale. ¡°Yeah, I know him. So what?¡± Sophie shrugged her shoulders. ¡°Sophie, you really haven¡¯t changed at all. I¡¯m not worried about anything happening to me. However, The Wheelers has been through a lot before gaining fame. Thus, I don¡¯t feel like taking the risk to seek him out for payback,¡± Sunny elucidated. To him, there was no way for one to be free from indignance in their lifetime. ¡°Sunny, it¡¯s all right. There¡¯s nothing to be afraid of. It¡¯s just yton,¡± Sophie replied nonchntly. ¡°Sunny, no matter what, the management has to give us an exnation on this,¡± Mark ch imed in after overhearing Sunny¡¯s words. Sunny was the youngest in the band. It never urred to Mark that he would be the most thoughtful too. ¡°Mark, I don¡¯t wish to see all of our efforts going down the drain just because of me,¡± Sunny emphasized. They had never thought of giving up even during their darkest moments, so why should they do so now? ¡°Sunny, bear in mind that we are a team. The moment someone inflicted harm on you openly, it inadvertently means they¡¯re hurting our band too. If my band members have to sacrifice themselves for our sess, I would rather let go of glory and fame!¡± Mark stated resolutely. He was protective of his band members, vowing he would not let anyone put them in a tight spot. ¡°Besides, the management is prejudiced against us. If we don¡¯t talk things out with them this round, I bet something simr will ur again. By then, they might target another person in our band!¡± Mark pointed out. Of course, they won¡¯t dare toy a finger on me. After all, I¡¯m still the lead vocal. But what about the others? Meanwhile, the other band members emerged from behind the door. They had been eavesdropping on the duo¡¯s conversation and finally decided to open their mouths upon hearing Sunny¡¯s words. ¡°Sunny, it¡¯s no big deal. Worsees to worst, we¡¯re back to square one and will have to start all over again. Anyway, the management must give us an exnation this time.¡± ¡°Yeah! After all, we¡¯ve led such a life before, and we¡¯re not afraid of hardships!¡± They would never sacrifice anyone as their current prominence was the result of their joint efforts. No words could describe how touched Sunny was as he gazed at them. ¡°Come on, cheer up and be positive! Since they had the guts to inflict harm on Sunny, I vow to let them pay the price for their ruthlessness!¡± Sophie piped up. She was incredibly touched at the sight of their close bond with each other. Many bands ended up disbanding not long after shooting to fame due to various reasons. However, Sophie believed everyone from The Wheelers would be able topose music together for the rest of their lives. ¡°You have a point! As long as we¡¯re together, there¡¯s nothing we can¡¯t do!¡± Sunny hugged his teamContent held by N?velDrama.Org. members one by one. Momentster, the five members of The Wheelers embraced each other in a group hug. Sophie also walked over and wrapped her arms around them. It had been quite a while since shest felt such warmth flow into her heart. Later, Tristan hopped into his car with Sophie and Sunny. At the same time, Mark got into his car with the other three team members. They set off right away. When Mark and the others came into sight, Clifford Larson, the man who attacked Sunny, started struggling frantically. He had been held captive there for two days and had not been given either food or water. ¡°Mark Wheeler, what are you up to? Don¡¯t you know it¡¯s against thew to abduct anyone? Heed my words. If you let go of me now, I¡¯ll treat it as if nothing happened. If not, you¡¯ll be doomed!¡± Clifford shrieked at the top of his lungs. He was still behaving insolently even though he was currently in a precarious state. ¡°You know who¡¯s the mastermind manipting me, don¡¯t you? Anyway, I didn¡¯t hurt Sunny that seriously. Hasn¡¯t his hand fully recovered? Let go of me now, and get me some food!¡± Clifford had a bad reputation even in the underworld. He was willing to do anything as long as he was well-paid. On top of that, he was not the slightest bit intimidated by the members of The Wheelers, knowing that those in the entertainment industry cared most about their reputation. If I flee this ce and tip the reporters off about what The Wheelers did, they will be doomed! They don¡¯t even have the courage to do anything to me after holding me captive here for two days. I¡¯m sure they won¡¯t have a choice but to set me free in the end! ¡°Clifford Larson, how can you still be so arrogant after injuring Sunny¡¯s hand? You must be thinking I¡¯ll never lose my temper, don¡¯t you?¡± Mark fumed. I bet the management targeted my band members because of my bad temper! Chapter 199 Chapter 199 Chapter 199 Plead For Forgiveness ¡°Stop wasting time talking bullsh*t. Let go of me immediately. If not, I¡¯ll surely settle the score with you later!¡± Clifford bellowed. D*mn it! I¡¯m almost starving to death! It¡¯s f*cking unbearable! ¡°Mark my words. You¡¯re aware of who¡¯s the one who gave me this order, aren¡¯t you? If you still wish to continue gaining fame and glory in the entertainment industry, you should practice self-discipline from now onward. Don¡¯t try to be funny and go against the management¡¯s will,¡± Clifford mocked. The self-assured man was convinced that there was no one in Jipsdale who couldy a finger on him. Ha! Even the police can¡¯t do so, let alone a lowly band! Hmph! What do they think they can do to me? Since they can¡¯t do anything, why don¡¯t they set me free at once? ¡°Enough of that! What¡¯s the point of wasting time bickering with him?¡± Sophie finally broke her silence, repulsed by Clifford¡¯s words. ¡°Since your hand was injured because of him, I¡¯ll pay him back in his own coin. It¡¯s not considered going overboard by demanding him to pay the price with his hand, am I?¡± Sophie sounded airy, but her words sent a chill down Clifford¡¯s spine. ¡°Missy, what do you intend to do? Do you know who I am? Huh? You must have a death wish to demand that!¡± Clifford scoffed. He was sure as h*ll that the youngdy was only bragging and trying to give him a scare. ¡°Does it matter who you are?¡± Sophie advanced toward him and loomed over him. Right that instant, her prating gaze scared the wits out of the middle-aged man, who was notorious for his viciousness. ¡°Don¡¯t you darey a finger on me! Mark my words. I¡¯ve been in prison numerous times. If you dare to even touch me, I¡¯ll¡ª¡± Sophie struck at him before he could finish his words. She grabbed his wrist, exerting a great force discreetly. It was as though she only touched his hand for a second. Nevertheless, Clifford broke out in cold sweat due to the excruciating pain in his wrist. He could not even twist it. ¡°What have you done to me?¡± His voice quivered in fear. My goodness! What a terrifying youngdy! ¡°Don¡¯t worry. It¡¯s only one of your hands. However, you might not be able to jerk off anymore by using this hand,¡± Sophie responded indifferently. Inwardly, Mark gasped. Am I hearing things? How¡¯s it possible for those words to escape such a young lady¡¯s lips? At the same time, Sunnymented inwardly, Oh my! What happened to our innocent youngdy? Meanwhile, Tristan was bereft of speech. The young men could only talk themselves into getting used to Sophie¡¯s boldness. Ah! We should have known that she¡¯s no ordinary youngdy! ¡°You!¡± Clifford could not utter any words to retort. ¡°Hmm? Are you doubting my words again? Spit it out now. Who¡¯s the mastermind manipting you in the dark?¡± Sophie raised her voice and whipped out a voice recorder. ¡°I¡­¡± Clifford did not dare to tell her anything, fearing that he would be in trouble by infuriating his maniptor. ¡°Oh? Do you not want your other hand too? Just a heads-up for you to be mentally prepared. Your wrist will never be able to recover again!¡± Sophie was confident in her skill. Meanwhile, Clifford did not dare to doubt her words at all. ¡°Missy, I had no choice but to get the mission aplished as I was paid. Please let go of me. I promise I won¡¯t appear alongside The Wheelers again, no matter where they are. Is that not enough?¡± He tried to speak up for himself. They are all as petrifying as ferocious beasts. I can¡¯t take the risk of getting on their nerves! ¡°Since you¡¯re reluctant to spit it out, I have no choice but to use another method.¡± Sophie sounded nonchnt as usual, but her words were horrifying indeed. ¡°Missy! I¡¯ll tell you the truth now, okay?¡± He tried to appease her. Why am I so unlucky? I carried out the mission for only fifty thousand. Why did Ie across such a vicious youngdy? ¡°It¡¯s yton Zales. ording to him, Mark Wheeler and his band members have not been cooperative lately. Hence, he wanted to teach them a lesson.¡± Clifford could not refrain from opening his mouth. ¡°I¡¯ve told you everything I know, so can you let go of me now? But please don¡¯t let yton know I¡¯m the one who told you this. If not, he won¡¯t let me off the hook. Don¡¯t ever step on his toes either. Don¡¯t you know how scary that man is?¡± Clifford babbled. The moment yton¡¯s name was mentioned, even a notorious man like Clifford felt a shiver go down his spine. ¡°Okay, I got it.¡± Sophie pressed a button on the voice recorder and tossed it to Mark. Next, she turned to ask the young man who had been silent so far. ¡°Sunny, what do you think we should do to him? It¡¯s all right. I can make the arrangement if you don¡¯t wish to get your hands dirty, so feel free to speak your mind!¡± Clifford¡¯s face turned ashen as he pleaded, ¡°Mr. Sunny, please let go of me! I won¡¯t dare to do that again! I swear it!¡± Wearing a look of sheer grimness, Sunny sneered, ¡°Clifford Larson, have you forgotten your revolting words in the restroom? Didn¡¯t you n to force yourself on me? How about now? Pfft! Have you chickened out?¡± All along, he had been keeping mum about it so as not to put the others in hot water. Now that Clifford had revealed the truth, he did not think he needed to keep anything from the others anymore. In an instant, there was a drastic change in the countenance of all the members of The Wheelers. A hint of ferocity flickered in Sophie¡¯s eyes. ¡°Mr. Sunny, please let me off! I was only pulling your leg at that time. Please let go of me!¡± Horror- stricken, Clifford wet his pants. ¡°How dare you!¡± Mark moved forward to grasp his wrist and bent it backward harshly. ¡°Argh!¡± Clifford let out a blood-curdling yowl in pain. At the same time, the other members of The Wheelers drew closer to surround him at once. They had always doted on Sunny like their own younger brother. Knowing that Clifford had such designs on him, they blew a fuse. Content ? N?velDrama.Org. Consequently, Clifford was beaten to a pulp in scarcely a few minutes. Sophie only stepped forward after the members of The Wheelers vented their anger. By then, Clifford was trembling all over as he stammered, ¡°I-I¡­¡± Never had he expected he would be in such a pathetic state one day. ¡°Stand up!¡± Sophie stated authoritatively. Clifford struggled to his feet, but she kicked him hard in the stomach. The next second, he fell to his knees clumsily. ¡°Sophie, I¡¯m fine. Don¡¯t worry about me. Stop that, okay? It¡¯s not worth getting your hands dirty because of him.¡± Sunny chuckled. Seeing how united everyone was, he was extremely touched. It was as though they were back to the days when they were still striving for their future in Horington. ¡°Okay.¡± Sophie stopped. ¡°Anyway, he¡¯s merely a tool manipted by yton, and everything is not over yet.¡± She snorted inwardly. yton should be the one paying the price for striking at Mark relentlessly! ¡°Sophie, yton is no ordinary man, and this is solely The Wheelers¡¯ problem. Please don¡¯t interfere,¡± Mark advised her. He could not help but worry about the youngdy, who was not even neen years old. She has a bright future ahead of her. I mustn¡¯t let her seek the heinous man out for payback, putting herself in a precarious situation! Sophie furrowed her brows, feeling displeased. She tried to convince him patiently. ¡°Mark, I¡¯m part of The Wheelers too. No doubt, I didn¡¯t debut in the entertainment industry together with you guys and even left for so long. However, I¡¯m always with you all. In other words, everything about The Wheelers is rted to me too. I can¡¯t let any of you suffer!¡± Didn¡¯t I make the choice at that time so I could be mighty enough to shield everyone around me against any harm? If I can¡¯t even protect them, what¡¯s the point of me striving hard to get through those moments in that hell-like training camp back then? Chapter 200 Chapter 200 Chapter 200 How Terrifying ¡°Soph!¡± Sophie¡¯s words had touched Sunny. ¡°You¡¯ll always be a member of The Wheelers. But we want to celebrate our achievements with you, not drag you into trouble.¡± People often took offense to Mark¡¯s words and behavior. But isn¡¯t this the characteristic of a rock band¡¯s members? All rock band members had strong personalities, and they would not do anything against their will. Mark shook his head. ¡°Soph, I know you¡¯re doing this for us, but I hope you can stay away from this mess.¡± He was worried something bad might happen to Sophie. Sophie was unhappy to hear that. What do they take me for? On the one hand, they said I¡¯ll always be a member of The Wheelers, but on the other hand, they want me to stay out of their affairs! Tristan, who had been observing them, finally voiced his thought. ¡°Why should we be afraid of yton?¡± Does he think I, Tristan Lombard, am scared of an insignificant man like yton? What a joke! ¡°You¡ª¡± Mark was surprised that the man, who had all this while been quiet, made that remark. ¡°Since you can¡¯t work with yton anymore, why don¡¯t you terminate your contract with him? There¡¯s no point continuing this partnership.¡± More importantly, yton¡¯spany would be in deep waters soon anyway. Tristan thought they should get off the sinking ship. ¡°What? Terminate our contract with yton?¡± I don¡¯t think he¡¯ll let us off so easily! Based on the contract, they would still need to work with yton for another year. There¡¯s no way he will release us! ¡°I¡¯ll take care of it.¡± Tristan would not turn a blind eye to Sophie¡¯s problem. To Tristan, getting yton to agree to the contract termination was not a difficult task. ¡°You¡¯ll take care of it?¡± Mark could not believe what he heard. This man does look capable, but can he take yton on? ¡°Yes, you should leave this to Mr. Tristan since he¡¯s willing to help!¡± Sophie would have been able to solve the problem, but since Tristan had offered his help, she thought she might as well reveal his identity. ¡°Mr. Tristan?¡± Sunny could not believe his ears. The man whom we treated with hostility is Mr. Tristan from Lombard Group in Jipsdale? ¡°Yes. Lombard Group can take care of your contract, so don¡¯t worry!¡± Sophie said bitterly. She was still upset that the band members had no confidence in her, even though she could tackle this problem without Tristan¡¯s help. ¡°Why do you want to help us?¡± Mark asked. Why would Lombard Group help us? Does he not know it¡¯s a tough row to hoe? I guess he¡¯s doing this for Sophie. ¡°I just want to help. That¡¯s all.¡± Mark did not know what else to say. He still could not believe Sophie had befriended an influential figure like Tristan. ¡°All right, Soph. Let¡¯s go home. I¡¯ll get Eustace to handle this man,¡± Tristan said. Eustace has nothing to do anyway. This will keep him busy for a while. ¡°All right!¡± Tristan gave Felix a call. ¡°Ask Eustace toe over right now.¡± When Eustace arrived, he noticed how disheveled Clifford was. Eustace was aware of what Clifford had done in the past, but he would typically ask his subordinates to deal with him. After all, he would not want to waste his time and energy dealing with such an insignificant person. ¡°Take him away!¡± Eustace ordered his subordinates. ¡°Captain Sheppard, why does the SWAT team have to handle that small fry?¡± What a waste of resources! ¡°Zip it. Just do your job, and stop questioning the boss.¡± Meanwhile, Danny had just arrived. ¡°Captain Sheppard, I think I saw Ms. Tanner. What¡¯s she doing here? I wonder if she has anything to do with this.¡± ¡°Sophie Tanner?¡± ¡°Yeah! I¡¯m pretty sure it¡¯s her!¡± As one of Sophie¡¯s biggest fans, Danny could recognize her with his eyes shut. However, he had not gone over to her because she was with a group of people. ¡°I¡¯ll go and take a look.¡± To Eustace, Sophie was a capable but mysterious woman. He had been wanting to get to know her better but was always caught up with work. Eustace never had a chance to reach out to her because he had been busy handling a few international cases recently. When Danny saw Eustace run out in haste, he could not help but tease, ¡°Did you see that? I told you Captain Sheppard was intrigued by Ms. Tanner, but you didn¡¯t believe me. Now you know I¡¯m telling the truth.¡± ¡°That¡¯s enough, Danny. You better not let Captain Sheppard catch you spreading rumors about him.¡± They had learned their lesson in thest round. Danny pouted. ¡°He has already gone out to look for Ms. Tanner. Pretty sure he didn¡¯t hear what I said.¡± ¡°You seem to have been too freetely, Danny. I need to station a technician at the borders. Should I send you over?¡± Eustace overheard what Danny said when he came back. Danny immediately made a zipping motion with his hand and kept mum. ¡°I didn¡¯t say anything.¡± Eustace had indeed run out to look for Sophie, but there had been no signs of her. He believed Danny had told him the truth since there was no reason for him to lie. But what is Sophie doing here? Did she beat Clifford to a pulp? Tristan sent Sunny back to the mansion, but thetter refused to get down from the car. ¡°Thank you very much, Sophie.¡± It was rare to see Sunny being this serious. ¡°Don¡¯t mention it. All right, it¡¯s gettingte. Go and take a rest. Mr. Tristan will take care of the contract, so don¡¯t worry.¡± Nothing was impossible with Tristan. Sophie did not want them to worry because she knew Tristan would handle the matter well. ¡°Sophie, I know you¡¯re doing this for us, but please don¡¯t go against your principles.¡± Sunny did not want Sophie to do anything against her will, and he was not afraid to say this in front of the famous Tristan Lombard. Sophie chuckled. What an adorable young man. ¡°I understand your concern. All right, go home now. Mark and the rest are waiting for you!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you want toe in?¡± It was not often that they got to get together. Besides, Sophie¡¯s final exam was over. Why don¡¯t we hang out and have a jam session? ¡°Not today. I still have other things to do.¡± ¡°What is it? We can lend you a hand.¡± They wanted to be a part of everything that Sophie was involved in. ¡°It¡¯s not a big problem, so no worries. It¡¯s a family issue and not something outsiders should intervene in. You guys should focus on making your next album.¡± Being too focused on making music was how Mark got into the mess in the first ce. Sunny got down from the car and met up with the rest of the members of The Wheelers. ¡°Mark, I noticed changes in Sophie. I mean, she¡¯s still the same righteous person like she used to be, but there¡¯s just something different about her.¡± ¡°Yeah. I noticed that too.¡± Mark also felt there was something unusual about Sophie. But what can we do if she refuses to tell us what exactly happened to her? After all, we can¡¯t poke our noses into her business. ¡°We want her to be happy with her life. Nothing else matters.¡± But would Tristan treat Sophie well now that they¡¯re together? Would that man bully her? ¡°What if Mr. Tristan is the kind of man who would take out his frustrations on Sophie?¡± Sunny expressed his concern. Everyone in Jipsdale knew who Tristan was and what he was like. I cannot imagine how terrifying it could be to be in a rtionship with him.N?velDrama.Org ? content. Chapter 201 Chapter 201 Chapter 201 Not Joking ¡°Don¡¯t worry. No one will get to harm her,¡± Mark could onlyfort Sunny. ¡°If Mr. Tristan dares to bully her, I will show him the consequences even if I have to sacrifice my life in the process,¡± Sunny said while wearing a poker face. ¡°Hmm.¡± Presumably, Mark¡¯s silence was an implicit acknowledgment of Sunny¡¯s words. Sophie was quiet on the way back. She leaned back in the seat with her eyes closed to get some rest. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Is she reluctant for me to interfere in this matter? However, yton is a ruthless man. I do not want her to have too many interactions with him. ¡°Nothing. I am very grateful for your help.¡± Sophie was not an ungracious person, after all. It was Tristan who was overthinking the situation. ¡°Okay.¡± Tristan fell silent afterward. After the car was parked in the underground garage, and Sophie was about to get off the vehicle, he suddenly grabbed her hand. Puzzled, she turned her head around to look at him. He merely lowered his head, pulled her into his embrace, and kissed her for a long while. Rendered out of breath because of his passionate kiss, Sophie gazed at him in bafflement. ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± ¡°It¡¯s nothing.¡± Tristan could not help but sigh. It was too difficult for him to figure out what was going on in her mind, so he felt at a loss. Huh, I wonder what is in her mind. ¡°Okay. I¡¯ll head upstairs then. You should go back now.¡± She was genuinely exhausted and in need of sleep after dealing with Clifford. ¡°All right. Go on.¡± The end-of-semester exam had also ended, so she could get some good rest in the uing days. Sophie finally got out of the car and returned to Wisteria Apartments. On the other hand, Tristan sat inside the vehicle for some time before activating the car engine and leaving. The following day, Mark¡¯s agent, Jonathan Zales, met with yton in person. yton was busy in the past two days because the hacker infiltrated Zales Corporation¡¯s system. His face darkened when he saw Jonathan appearing at the headquarters. ¡°You better have a good reason foring here.¡± Although The Wheelers was generating a lot of profit for thepany, Mark had not been an easy person to deal with, so yton was not fond of thetter. ¡°y, the thing is, Sunny¡¯s hand got injured because of this incident. Therefore, Mark and the others decided to terminate the contract with thepany.¡± ¡°Terminate the contract? Are you kidding me? The Wheelers flourished and attained their current sess under my leadership. They are finally making a profit now, yet they wish to terminate their contract. What are you all thinking? Have your brains gone haywire?¡± ¡°y, isn¡¯t it better for us to part on good terms since you despise Mark anyway. What do you hope to achieve by keeping The Wheelers within your control?¡± Jonathan had stayed by the band¡¯s side from its establishment, so he knew how outrageous yton had treated them. ¡°Part on good terms? Jonathan, you¡¯ve stayed by my side for so long, yet you dare say something like that? Don¡¯t you feel that you are such a clown?¡± Jonathan kept quiet. ¡°y, What are your conditions to allow The Wheelers to terminate the contract?¡± Jonathan had decided to stick with The Wheelers in the future. He had guided that group of teenagers and genuinely cared about them since the band¡¯s formation. Besides, he also firmly believed The Wheelers would have a bright future ahead in the music industry. Therefore, he must side with The Wheelers no matter what. ¡°I will not consent to the contract termination, but since they are acting rebellious, all their ongoing albums and rted projects will be temporarily paused to allow them some time to reflect on their actions.¡± N?velDrama.Org ? content. It was obvious to Jonathan that yton had decided to cklist The Wheelers. ¡°Do all of you think you¡¯re very sessful now? Regrettably, I will not let you all do as you please while I¡¯m still in charge.¡± yton snorted coldly. Jonathan¡¯s face darkened, but he did not dare to act up in front of yton. ¡°y¡ª¡± Before he could finish the rest of his sentence, yton dismissed him. ¡°That¡¯s enough. You can leave now. Don¡¯t bug me with this matter ever again.¡± yton had indeed been caught up in a bad mood recently. Jonathan wanted to speak further, but yton¡¯s assistant entered at that moment and whispered beside yton¡¯s ear, prompting thetter¡¯s facial expression to change drastically. ¡°F*ck! Who is that? Did I spend tens of millions on hiring those cyber security specialists to sit around and do nothing?¡± What a bunch of trash! Zales Corporation¡¯s system was hacked again, not to mention some of their ssified information had been stolen. ¡°What are you doing? Aren¡¯t you the best hacker?¡± The cyber security specialist did not dare to make a sound as yton chided him. The cyber security specialist had been receiving an annual sry of over tens of millions from Zales Corporation, but that was the first time he had encountered such a troublesome hacker as that unknown hacker had been toying with him the whole time. ¡°y, they are too formidable, so there is really nothing I can do.¡± ¡°Get lost!¡± yton was unwilling to listen to the cyber security specialist¡¯s nonsense at that moment. ¡°y, do you think Phantom may be behind this? We discovered Wings of Light¡¯s territory previously, right? Could they be taking revenge on us?¡± yton was stumped. We¡¯re in serious trouble if Phantom is really behind this. There aren¡¯t many hackers with skills on par with Phantom in this world. ¡°All I did was pay Wings of Light¡¯s territory a visit. Do they have to drive me to the brink of despair for that?¡± yton was truly bewildered. Besides, he did not approach Wings of Light with hostility. He merely wanted to make them an offer to join hispany. ¡°Try and contact people from Wings of Light.¡± yton sighed. Perhaps I really shouldn¡¯t have provoked someone as problematic as Phantom. They are not giving me any way out! If this torment drags on, I have no doubt I will die at a young age. yton was finally able to get in touch with Butterfly after much difficulty. Unfortunately, Butterfly repeatedly left them hanging, reluctant to provide them with a definite answer. At night, Sophie went to Wings of Light. When Butterfly saw Sophie, she immediately brought thetter to check out her newputer in excitement. ¡°Thisputer is quite amazing.¡± Butterfly uttered proudly, ¡°Moreover, I have another unit with me, so you can take it back and try it. Do give me feedback promptly if you have anyments.¡± That was a product developed by Butterfly¡¯s family¡¯spany. Theputer fully utilized local technologies, but the processing speed was remarkable, and the device had no significant inadequacy. ¡°Okay. Send theputer to Wisteria Apartments. I¡¯ll try it out before discussing it with you.¡± After that, Sophie went to sit at her table. She opened herputer and began repairing their system. ¡°Also, who are these people you brought into Wings of Light?¡± When Butterfly received Sophie¡¯s call previously, she did not overthink the situation and merely arranged ces for them to sit. However, Butterfly thought they all appeared menacing after meeting with them. ¡°It¡¯s nothing. You don¡¯t have to mind their existence. They are here just to protect you all.¡± Since yton managed to find out their location, Sophie had to take some precautionary measures. Although she had absolute confidence in handling yton, Sophie did not wish to put Butterfly and the others at risk. ¡°Phantom, aren¡¯t you exaggerating? We don¡¯t need these people to protect us. Although I may not be as skilled inbat as you, I am still capable of dealing with a few thugs.¡± ¡°We are not handling a matter as simple as dealing with a few thugs. This time, I want the Zales family to disappear from Jipsdalepletely.¡± Butterfly was rendered speechless. She did not expect Sophie to utter such a bold statement. Nevertheless, judging by thetter¡¯s demeanor, Butterfly reckoned Sophie was not joking. Chapter 202 Chapter 202 Chapter 202 We Will Be Together Forever ¡°All right, stop staring. I¡¯m serious,¡± Sophie uttered. She looks so crazy right now! Why is she staring at me like that? ¡°Fine! As long as it¡¯s something that you got your mind set on, I¡¯ll definitely support you. It¡¯s just the Zales family, after all. If you want to do it, then just do it!¡± Butterfly dered with hesitation. In her heart, all that matters to her was Sophie. Every other choice was invalid to her. ¡°No need to reply yton. We¡¯ll just prolong his torment by a few more days.¡± Sophie didn¡¯t really do much of anything aside from attacking his family¡¯s system. He¡¯s too much of a coward! That assurance didn¡¯t put all of Butterfly¡¯s worry to rest. ¡°I know how capable you are, Phantom. However, yton isn¡¯t easy to deal with, so you must be careful!¡± As powerful as Phantom is, she¡¯s just an eighteen-year-old. yton, on the other hand, is a powerful man in Jipsdale. This won¡¯t end without hitches. Thoughts of concern swirled in her mind. ¡°Mhm, I know. No need to worry about me. I¡¯ll be careful.¡± Sophie was confident yton wouldn¡¯t be able to hurt her because no one knew she was Phantom. Even if I stand in front of yton, he won¡¯t know I¡¯m the culprit! ¡°Mhm.¡± When Sophie arrived at Primo Mansion, Mark and Jonathan were discussing the dissolution of the contract. ¡°yton just isn¡¯t willing to do it. Not only that, he didn¡¯t even give us a chance to negotiate! He¡¯s simply unwilling to terminate the contract. If this continues, it¡¯ll have a very negative effect on the band.¡± It made Jonathan feel pretty resigned because there was no way to turn the situation around with how things had developed. ¡°Mhm, he¡¯s not going to let us go that easily.¡± Sunny nodded. I knew this was going to happen. There¡¯s no way yton¡¯s going to let a money tree like us leave! ¡°What do we do now? Since the situation has turned out like this, will yton still be willing to publish an album for us?¡± ¡°His intentions are clear. He wants us to calm down.¡± In their minds, yton telling them to ¡°calm down¡± was another way of saying that he could cklist them. Thankfully, their reputation was simply far too great for him to bury them willy-nilly. ¡°All right, that¡¯s enough! What you all need to focus on right now is writing a new song. Mr. Tristan will handle the termination of the contract. He can take care of this! With him around, there¡¯s nothing you all should worry about,¡± Sophie said. ¡°It¡¯s not like we¡¯re worried about Mr. Tristan. It¡¯s just that yton is far too despicable!¡± Sunny felt like they were truly blind for having chosen apany like that. ¡°It¡¯s fine. Mr. Tristan will simply be even more despicable,¡± Sophie said ndly. Err¡­ Is it really okay to talk about Mr. Tristan like this? Won¡¯t he get angry? She sat on the couch. ¡°How about this? You lot will go on a vacation overseas and forget about what¡¯s happening here. I¡¯ll take care of things in the country. You just need to focus on preparing the new album. Leave the rest to us.¡± ¡°How can we just run away now, Sophie? No matter what happens, we must confront this issue personally!¡± The whole band had the same thought. ¡°Isn¡¯t it better if you all go overseas and rx? Can you all even write a good song if you¡¯re tense all the time? I n to form an entertainmentpany, and you lot are the singers I want to hire. However, I have very high expectations that you all can¡¯t achieve like this.¡± ¡°What? Are you kidding me, Sophie? Are you doing it because of us? You can¡¯t just form apany base on that reason alone!¡± Disbelief was written all over Sunny¡¯s face. ¡°I¡¯m serious. Do you think I have time to joke around with you all right now?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t remember Tanner Group being that involved in the entertainment industry before.¡± He scratched his head, unable to understand why she did that. ¡°Not in the past, but that doesn¡¯t mean it¡¯ll stay the same in the future! You know Cecelia, right? She¡¯ll join my entertainmentpany! As for you lot, just think about my suggestion. I won¡¯t force you all to ept it! It¡¯s your decision to make.¡± ¡°Are you serious, Sophie? You¡¯re really not kidding us?¡± Mark asked with uncertainty. ¡°Since when do I joke with you¡¯ll? Soon, I¡¯ll be the CEO of Tanner Group. When that happens, I¡¯ll form an entertainmentpany.¡± Many people around her wanted to join the entertainment industry. However, she couldn¡¯t help but worry about them if they worked under someone else. Thus, she decided to open an entertainmentpany herself. However, she treated the matter like it was her hobby. ¡°Forming an entertainmentpany isn¡¯t an easy thing to do. Are you sure you¡¯re up for the task?¡± Sunny was worried because the entertainment industry was a vast field that was mostly under the control of yton and Charles. It didn¡¯t sound realistic to him when she said she wanted to form an entertainmentpany. Sophie grabbed a cup of water and drank. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I am willing to take the risk.¡± ¡°Mark, you guys¡­¡± Jonathan was starting to worry. Based on the band members¡¯ rtionship with Sophie, he had no doubt that they would join Sophie¡¯spany if it were sessfully formed. His concern was focused on what resources a newly formedpany could provide for the band. The society they lived in was one where support determined sess. Even if one were talented, one wouldn¡¯t be able to be famous without support and resources. Resources were very important. Mark nodded. ¡°If you really do n on forming an entertainmentpany, we¡¯ll join yourpany.¡± Since singing together wasn¡¯t an option anymore, that kind of coboration sounded like a good choice. ¡°That¡¯s right! We¡¯ll be together forever!¡± Sunny¡¯s eyes turned reddish. No matter what happens, as long as we can stay together, that¡¯s good enough for me! ¡°Very well. I shall make arrangements for your vacation overseas, then. What about you, Jonathan? What do you think?¡± Sophie disliked forcing people, so she also wanted to give him a choice. ¡°I¡¯ll follow whatever choice the band makes!¡± It was Jonathan¡¯s belief that The Wheelers would be internationally famous. ¡°Very well. In that case, all of you will go overseas. Leave the matters here to me. When you guys return after Christmas, it¡¯ll be time for your band to record a new album!¡± Sophie had already prepared everything. All that was left was the band doing their best. ¡°Okay, we¡¯ll listen to you.¡± Text property ? N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org. They believed in what she said because, despite her young age, she had a say in what happened to the band. Additionally, they had no other choices at that point. Even if yton were willing to let them go, nopany would dare to make a contract with them within the country. In that case, joining Sophie¡¯s newpany was a pretty good choice. She stayed with them until veryte at night to discuss the new album. It wasn¡¯t until Tristan called her that she had to pause her work. So, she said to the band, ¡°You all will leave the country tomorrow. We¡¯ll talk to each other on video calls in the future.¡± After that, she stood up knowing that Tristan was waiting for her outside. There were still a lot of things that she needed to take care of in Jipsdale. She had to deal with all of it in record time so she could rush over to Horington and handle the matters there. After Sophie left the mansion, she saw many paparazzi standing outside. Thus, she put on her ck hat and went straight toward Tristan¡¯s car. ¡°Someone came out!¡± The reporters rushed over to her upon seeing her. Chapter 203 Chapter 203 Chapter 203 Seductive ¡°Since you just left Primo Mansion, may I ask what¡¯s your rtionship with The Wheelers, miss?¡± asked a reporter blocking Sophie¡¯s path. Sophie furrowed her eyebrows, very displeased with the situation. ¡°Please answer our question, miss!¡± ¡°Noments!¡± Every time she had to deal with reporters and people like them, she would feel irritated. She would much prefer to have a brawl with someone than face the reporters in front of her. ¡°Are you the girlfriend of a member of The Wheelers? Who¡¯s your boyfriend?¡± The reason the reporters were curious was that she was the first woman who hung out with The Wheelers. ¡°Noments!¡± Sophie continued to push the reporters away and entered Tristan¡¯s car. The moment she was inside, he turned on the engine and drove away, leaving the reporters in the dust. Upon taking off her hat, she took in a deep breath. ¡°What¡¯s the matter? Are those reporters really that scary?¡± he asked. The only thing she was afraid of was the reporters. ¡°Yeah, they are quite scary. That¡¯s why I refuse to enter the entertainment industry. I don¡¯t like other people paying attention to my private life,¡± Sophie answered. ¡°Aren¡¯t you the same? As the leader of Lombard Group, the media won¡¯t dare to publish your picture. Even if you show up in front of the public, not many people know you¡¯re the famous Mr. Tristan.¡± ¡°I just don¡¯t like trouble!¡± Along the way, Tristan drove very steadily. It had been snowing pretty hard for the past few days, making Jipsdale¡¯s temperature drop a dozen degrees below zero. There was a lot of snow on the ground too, so he had to be careful as he drove. ¡°Jonathan went to see yton, right?¡± ¡°Mhm. yton refused to terminate the contract. There¡¯s no need to rush though,¡± Sophie replied casually. The matter was already quite difficult to deal with. If The Wheelers were just an average band, then the termination would¡¯ve been a breeze. However, the revenue they were pulling in could keep apany afloat. There was no way yton would be willing to let them go. ¡°Oh yeah, Tanner Group¡¯s shareholders¡¯ meeting is about to start soon! How¡¯s your preparation?¡± Tristan asked. Transfix Cosmetics¡¯ current performance was there for everyone to see. If no idents urred, she would undoubtedly be Tanner Group¡¯s CEO. ¡°There won¡¯t be any idents.¡± She wouldn¡¯t allow anything to go wrong. As long as it was something she wanted, there was nothing she couldn¡¯t do to get it. ¡°Oh, also, send me back to the Tanner residence, Mr. Tristan. My grandpa was discharged from the hospital today. I wanna visit him!¡± Josiah was acting up again. Just as he was getting better, he threw a tantrum that he wanted to return home. Left with no other choice, Arius had to give in. ¡°Okay!¡± Tristan turned the car and parked it in front of the Tanner residence. Yet, Sophie didn¡¯t exit the car. ¡°I¡¯ll sleep here for a while!¡± The Tanner residence wasn¡¯t a favorite ce of hers because there were a lot of people she didn¡¯t like there. At that moment, she just wanted to stay there longer with him. ¡°Mhm, sleep then!¡± As she slept, Tristan didn¡¯t do anything else. He simply stayed by her side quietly and stared at her sleeping face. It made him happy that she didn¡¯t immediately go into the Tanner residence but wanted to stay with him instead. This is a great improvement. As expected, I can slowly make my way into her heart. After all, the changes are already happening. The car was pretty warm. At first, Sophie just wanted to rest for a while. In the end, she really fell asleep there. By the time she woke up, it was already almost midnight. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you wake me up?¡± she eximed. I don¡¯t know why, but when I¡¯m around him, I find it so easy to fall asleep. It¡¯s like he has magic that can make me sleep very well. ¡°I couldn¡¯t bear to wake you up when I saw how soundly you were sleeping. You should sit here for a longer while. If you go out right after you wake up, you may get a cold.¡± ¡°No, I need to go in right now. My grandfather may still be waiting for me because I told him I¡¯ll be back tonight.¡± Josiah¡¯s personality was something she was very familiar with. ¡°Fine. Go in then!¡± Tristan unlocked the door. Upon opening the door, Sophie turned back and saw him still staring at her affectionately. She felt her cheeks burning a little. ¡°Be careful when you drive back!¡± The slippery, snowy road wasn¡¯t safe for cars to drive on. ¡°Mhm, I know. You should go back early and rest. Don¡¯t talk to your grandfather untilte at night. Also, let him know I¡¯ll be apanying him in a couple of days,¡± Tristan said. ¡°Mhm!¡± It was a tacit acknowledgment by Sophie that she knew him and the old man had an unspoken understanding. After stepping out of the car, she didn¡¯t immediately enter the building. Instead, she walked around the vehicle and opened the driver¡¯s door, staring at him while standing outside. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± he asked. The outside was so cold that Sophie¡¯s ears had already turned red shortly after leaving the car. However, the red wasn¡¯t caused by the freezing temperature. It was because she was shy. Suddenly, she felt unwilling to leave him. It was an emotion unfamiliar to her. Seeing her like that, Tristan couldn¡¯t hold back the demon inside his heart anymore. He hugged her waist, pulled her close, and kissed her lips. ¡°If the person you¡¯re meeting isn¡¯t Old Mr. Tanner, I wouldn¡¯t have let you go!¡± His voice was deep, and when it rang next to her ear, it sounded very seductive. ¡°I¡ª¡± Following her desire, Sophie kissed him too. Then, she left before he could react to that. Tristan felt like he was on cloud nine. It really didn¡¯t cross his mind that she would take the initiative to kiss him. Something like that was something that would only show up in his dream in the past. Yet, at that moment, it had be real. Just as Sophie stepped into the building, Tristan called. She pressed the answer button and put the phone next to her ear. While she heard nothing from the other end, and she didn¡¯t say anything, she knew the call was connected. ¡°What do I do, Sophie? It¡¯s only been a minute, yet I already want to see you again already. Do you know that I am really happy that you¡¯re willing to take the initiative to kiss me? You don¡¯t need to say anything to fill my heart with glee. Even when I signed a contract worth billions, I never felt like this before. You really are different from me,¡± he said. ¡° It was an overwhelming feeling he couldn¡¯t resist. ¡°Mr. Tristan¡ª¡± Sophie didn¡¯t expect her small gesture would move him so greatly. ¡°You should go back now!¡± Her ears were totally red. While she thought pretty highly of herself, she was a nk piece of paper when it came to love. Thus, she would asionally feel helpless when facing him. However, she knew he was different to her. ¡°Mhm, I know. We¡¯ll meet again tomorrow! I already can¡¯t wait for our next meeting!¡± Excitement could be heard in Tristan¡¯s voice. ¡°You should go back right now, Mr. Tristan. If your ce is too far away, you can go back to Wisteria Apartments! Once you return, we¡¯ll video call each other!¡± Sophie was worried that he would spend the night in his car alone. Asfortable and warm as his car is, spending a night inside must be pretty ufortable. Before she said that, he did think about spending the night in his car. It seems like she knows me pretty well.Content ? N?velDrama.Org. Chapter 204 Chapter 204 Chapter 204 Blushing ¡°Mhm, I know. I¡¯ll go back now,¡± Tristan assured. ¡°Be careful on the road.¡± It was then Sophie hung up the call. It was getting prettyte. The more she talked to him, theter he would return to his home, which was why she stopped. After hanging up the call, she realized Josiah really was still waiting in the living room for her. ¡°Who were you talking to earlier? Was it Tanny? Why don¡¯t you invite him in since he¡¯s already here? It¡¯s not like we don¡¯t have enough rooms here. It¡¯s dangerous for him to go back in this weather!¡± the old man suggested. ¡°Why are you so naughty, Grandpa? Didn¡¯t I ask you to stay in the hospital for a couple more days?¡± As Sophie spoke, her expression darkened. She didn¡¯t forget why she was there. He pretended as though he didn¡¯t hear anything and turned to the butler nearby. ¡°Isn¡¯t Tanny a good kid?¡± The butler could only nod. It wasn¡¯t unexpected that the old man refused to stay in the hospital for that long. ¡°It¡¯s going to be the shareholders¡¯ meeting in a few days, Soph. Are you confident?¡± Another reason Josiah didn¡¯t sleep was because of that. He found it hard to sleep soundly before that matter concluded. No matter what happened, that was his sweat and blood. Thus, there was no way he could just ignore it. ¡°You don¡¯t believe me, Grandpa? Since you already handed Tanner Group to me, you should let it go already. I won¡¯t disappoint you,¡± Sophie assured. Is this why he didn¡¯t want to stay in the hospital? ¡°Mhm.¡± There wasn¡¯t much for him to say. ¡°All right, it¡¯s gettingte. You should go and sleep now. If you don¡¯t, I won¡¯t care about thepany anymore.¡± ¡°I know you won¡¯t do that, Soph.¡± Despite his words, he still went to sleep. It wasn¡¯t until Sophie apanied him to the bed and covered him with a nket that she stepped out of his room. Morgan left the room with her. ¡°It¡¯s getting veryte, Ms. Sophie. You should rest early!¡± he said. ¡°Thank you for your hard work in this period of time, Morgan. You should rest early too!¡± After that, she returned to her own room. It had been a while since thest time she lived there for a couple of days. The moment Sophie arrived in her room, her phone rang. At that point, she really wasn¡¯t sure what to say. All she wanted was to rest early. Before she could hang up, she heard Tristan say, ¡°I miss you.¡± Despite the fact that it hadn¡¯t been long since they parted ways, it still made her heart race when she heard that. Thoughts crossed her mind as she nced at him. What¡¯s wrong with him? He¡¯s been teasing me often lately! Moreover, it has only been an hour since we left each other. ¡°It¡¯s getting veryte, Mr. Tristan. I¡¯m going to sleep now,¡± Sophie uttered before ending the video call. Sitting on the couch, Tristan couldn¡¯t help but chuckle when he saw how she acted. Why is she so adorable? I bet she¡¯s feeling shy! I didn¡¯t even say much! It was just an ¡°I miss you!¡± As for her, she was lying in bed, calming down. After a while, she patted her cheeks. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you, Sophie? He didn¡¯t really say anything special! Why are you even blushing?¡± N?velDrama.Org ? content. All she could think of at that moment was Tristan¡¯s face. Then Sophie sat up and decided to take a bath before sleeping. Ever since Sophie stepped into the building, Willow had been unable to sleep. Staring at her own hand, all she could think of was revenge. When she saw Sophie entering the bedroom, she waited for a while. After making sure everyone was asleep, she grabbed a fruit knife and went to the second floor sneakily. Then, she stood in front of Sophie¡¯s room. She was afraid of Sophie, but she refused to give up. Sophie destroyed everything she had, so she couldn¡¯t just let her off. No matter what, she wanted Sophie to pay the price, too. When Willow turned the knob, she realized Sophie¡¯s door wasn¡¯t locked. Thus, she entered the room without any problem. Upon discovering that Sophie was in the bathroom, she hid in an obscure corner. This time, I¡¯ll make you pay the price, Sophie! There was nothing but hatred left in her mind. The only thing she wanted was revenge. Everyone in the family is on Sophie¡¯s side! No one care about me! In that case, there¡¯s nothing for me to be afraid of! After Sophie exited the bathroom and dried her hair before getting in bed and ying with her phone. It wasn¡¯t until she was very sleepy that she pulled up her nket and prepared to sleep. Before she put away her phone, she saw Tristan sending her a message. It was still the same ¡°I miss you¡± message from before. Sophie wasn¡¯t an exceptionally romantic person, so she replied: Mhm. Mr. Tristan: Okay, go to sleep now! That concluded their conversation, as she didn¡¯t reply after that. She closed her eyes and started sleeping. It wasn¡¯t until Willow confirmed Sophie had fallen asleep based on her calm breathing that she walked out from the obscure spot. Her movement was light, and it didn¡¯t make a sound. ¡°Where should I cut her? You¡¯re pretty because of your face, right? It¡¯s because of your alluring appearance that all you know to do is seduce men! I wonder if those men still go after you if I cut your face?¡± Willow approached the bed and leaned over. In her hand was the sharp fruit knife. It was new because she bought it to deal with Sophie specifically. A smug smile was seen on her face because she could finally get her revenge. The fruit knife was only a hair¡¯s breadth away from Sophie¡¯s face. Willow was feeling excited and joyous as she stared at the defenseless Sophie. When she plunged the knife toward Sophie, thetter grabbed her hand with open eyes. Sadly, Sophie¡¯s beautiful eyes were filled with an icy look at that moment. Willow tried to pull her wrist away. No, this is impossible! Shouldn¡¯t she be asleep already? This is my best chance! ¡°Do you have a death wish?¡± Sophie questioned. Despite Willow¡¯s desperate struggle, she couldn¡¯t break free. Impossible! There¡¯s no way I¡¯ll fail! ¡°The one who has a death wish is you! Why can¡¯t you just die, Sophie? If you die, the Tanner family will finally belong to me! Once you die, everyone will acknowledge my existence! I fell in love with yton first! You don¡¯t have the right to snatch him away from me!¡± Bitterness and hatred had consumed Willow whole. Sophie tactfully grabbed the knife and kicked her down the bed. As a result, Willow fell onto the floor and cried loudly. She was so loud that Sophie found it annoying, so thetter grabbed a nearby towel and stuffed the former¡¯s mouth with it. Willow¡¯s eyes widened. How can she do this to me? This is the towel that the housekeepers used to clean the ce up today! How could she just stuff that into my mouth? Chapter 205 Chapter 205 Chapter 205 Punishment ¡°Why are you crying like you¡¯re a pig being ughtered? It¡¯s just attempted murder. You¡¯re getting bolder and bolder, Willow!¡± Sophie uttered nonchntly. ¡°Do you really think you¡¯re my opponent? Why is your memory so bad? You should know there¡¯s no way you can win against me, yet you keep trying. What do you think I should do with you right now, hmm? Should I hand you over to the police?¡± A troubled look appeared on Sophie¡¯s face. Willow shook her head desperately. No! Don¡¯t hand me over to the police! I don¡¯t want to go to the police station! ¡°Forget it! It¡¯s getting prettyte. I can¡¯t let the whole family suffer with you.¡± Then, Sophie grabbed a rope and tied her up before throwing her into the bathroom. ¡°Reflect on your actions here, and we¡¯ll have a nice chat tomorrow. Otherwise, don¡¯t me me for what I¡¯ll do!¡± When she finished speaking, she even yawned. Since there wasn¡¯t any heater in the bathroom, the temperature inside was really low, so much so that it made Willow tremble from the cold. Sophie didn¡¯t give a crap about her and went back to sleep. Thus, Willow was forced to spend a night in a cold, wet bathroom. The next morning, Charmaine went to her room to invite her to breakfast. When she didn¡¯t see her there, she immediately went looking for her. ¡°What¡¯s going on? Wasn¡¯t she in the housest night? Why did she disappear?¡± Yale had given up all hope on Willow. With Tristan¡¯s support, he had no reason to choose anyone but Sophie. ¡°I also don¡¯t know. She¡¯s been feeling pretty unwell recently. You know her hand was injured because of Sophie, and women like to look beautiful, so¡­¡± Charmaine replied. ¡°All right, that¡¯s enough. She should be in the house. Quickly, Dad¡¯s about to wake up, but the breakfast is not ready yet!¡± He needed to head to thepany soon because things were getting busy as year- end wasing. ¡°Breakfast is ready long ago! Just eat.¡± She was still worried about her daughter. Even after everyone came to eat breakfast, Willow was still nowhere to be found. When she saw Sophie, she couldn¡¯t help but ask, ¡°Did you see Willow, Soph? It¡¯s like she disappeared into thin air!¡± ¡°Ah, Willow, is it? She¡¯s in my bathroom!¡± Sophie didn¡¯t feel like she should hide that. After all, it was only a matter of time before she needed to deal with it. ¡°What? What¡¯s going on?¡± Josiah was shocked upon hearing that. ¡°Why is she in your room?¡± He was aware that the sisters weren¡¯t close enough to sleep in the same bed. ¡°Last night, she tried to use a fruit knife to ruin my face. Thankfully, I caught her in time. I was afraid of affecting everyone¡¯s sleep, so I tied her up and threw her into the bathroom first.¡± She thought she was doing a favor for everyone since there was no reason to create so much noise during the night. ¡°What?¡± Charmaine couldn¡¯t believe her ears. Without dy, she asked a few housekeepers to follow her into Sophie¡¯s room. When she opened the door, she saw Willow lying there, with her limbs tied up and her mouth stuffed with a towel. The moment Willow saw Charmaine, tears streamed down her cheeks. As Charmaine pulled the towel out of her mouth, she spoke. ¡°What¡¯s gotten into you, Wi? Why are you doing this instead of listening to me? Didn¡¯t I ask you to stay as far away from Sophie as possible? Why are you so stubborn?¡± Willow immediately cried when her mouth was free. She tried to cry very loudly to show everyone how aggrieved she was. However, she couldn¡¯t make a sound after staying inside the bathroom for a whole night. ¡°Quickly, take her away and give her a hot shower! Help her change into a new set of clothes!¡± Charmaine was extremely worried. Sophie is too merciless! No matter what happens, Willow is still her sister! After the housekeepers did as she asked, she brought Willow downstairs. The second Willow¡¯s line of sightnded on Sophie, she wanted to tear thetter into pieces. However, Sophie only shot a nce at her sister for her to behave. ¡°What¡¯s going on with you, Willow? Your recent performance has been extremely disappointing! Sophie is still your sister. How could you hurt her?¡± Yale roared. Hearing that made Willow feel really aggrieved. In the past, her father had always been standing by her side. Yet, at that moment, he was on Sophie¡¯s side. Willow wanted to exin, but she still couldn¡¯t speak. The cold she had gotten due to what happened last night was too serious. ¡°Apologize to Soph right away, Willow! Don¡¯t you know this is a criminal offense?¡± Josiah gazed at her disapprovingly. Why is she acting like this at such a young age? ¡°I think she should be sent to the countryside for a period of time!¡± His idea was to let the people there reform her. ¡°Dad, Willow is still young!¡± Charmaine argued. ¡°Not anymore. It¡¯s because you¡¯ve been spoiling her that such a thing happened! You must take responsibility for what has be of Willow!¡± ¡°I know, Dad¡­¡± ¡°All right, that¡¯s enough, Grandpa. I¡¯m willing to let this matter go for your sake. However, should this happen again, I won¡¯t let it slide,¡± Sophie informed. Her grandfather had just recovered, so she didn¡¯t want him to get too worked up. That was why she locked Willow up in the bathroom all night as punishment. ¡°Mhm.¡± Josiah nodded. Even though both of them are my granddaughters, the difference between them is too massive. Grabbing Charmaine¡¯s hand, Willow hoped her mother would defend her. In her family, her mother was the only one who was willing to stand by her side. However, at that point, Charmaine didn¡¯t have the guts to say anything. The biggest reason Josiah didn¡¯t immediately send Willow to the police station was that he wasContent ? N?velDrama.Org. concerned about the family¡¯s reputation. Otherwise, she really would¡¯ve been in a lockup already. ¡°Let¡¯s eat breakfast together, Sophie! Aren¡¯t you heading to Transfix Cosmetics in a moment?¡± Josiah spoke again,pletely ignoring Willow. No one paid attention to Willow as she stood there. Sophie continued to eat her breakfast, unwilling to spend another second of attention on a crazy person. There¡¯s definitely a loose screw in Willow¡¯s head! Tightening her fist, Willow felt extremely aggrieved. It seems like no one cares about what happens to me! Charmaine was too busy taking care of Josiah as he ate breakfast, so she didn¡¯t have time to pay any attention to her daughter. Seeing that no one was giving her even an ounce of attention, she returned to her room silently and cried miserably. This is fine. I swear I¡¯ll pay back everything they did today with interest! Those who look down on me now will suffer in the future! It wasn¡¯t until Josiah finished his breakfast that Charmaine brought breakfast for Willow. It broke her heart to see her daughter¡¯s swelling eyes. Approaching her daughter, sheforted, ¡°What happened today is your fault, Wi. No matter how much you dislike Sophie, you shouldn¡¯t have done something like that to her!¡± Chapter 206 Chapter 206 Chapter 206 Her Heart Melts Without uttering a single word, Willow stared at her mother with a stubborn look. ¡°You¡¯ve rarely been ill-treated since you were a child. Sophie did go a little overboard today,¡± Charmaineforted. It broke her heart to see Willow fall sick and lost her voice after staying in the bathroom for the entire night. ¡°You should eat something before sleeping. I¡¯ve already called the doctor, so just stay at home for these couple of days.¡± Josiah was already pretty unhappy with Willow when she didn¡¯t attend the final exam. If she went out of the house under the current circumstances, it would only piss the old man off even more. Willow nodded. That was the only thing she could do for the moment. Once I recover, I will start anew. I refuse to believe that I can¡¯t beat Sophie! It wasn¡¯t until Charmaine saw her daughter eating breakfast that she headed downstairs. When she saw that Sophie was about to leave with her bag, she called her out. Hearing her mother¡¯s voice, Sophie stopped and nced at the woman. What does she want? Is she trying to stand up for Willow? It would make sense since both of them had been on the same side. ¡°Soph¡ª¡± There were a lot of things Charmaine wanted to say, but the moment her eyes met her daughter¡¯s cold gaze, she swallowed all her words. That was how her daughter was like. Logically, she should¡¯ve been the closest to her youngest daughter, yet Sophie always looked at her with that cold gaze, making it difficult for her to love her daughter. ¡°Soph, you see, your sister simply lost her rationality for a moment there! Please don¡¯t take it to heart, okay? She got terribly sick after staying in that cold, damp bathroom all night! That¡¯s enough of a punishment, don¡¯t you think? Please just let her go!¡± Knowing that Sophie had always been a ruthless person, Charmaine couldn¡¯t help but worry for Willow. Sophie raised her eyebrow. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Since Grandpa said that the chapter is closed, I¡¯ll stick to that!¡± That was a promise she was still willing to fulfill. Even though we¡¯re mother and daughter, we¡¯ve reached a point where there¡¯s nothing much for us to talk about anymore. With no other choice, Charmaine said, ¡°All right. Go and do your things then.¡± It was the only way she could think of to hide the awkwardness hanging in the air. Sophie didn¡¯t pay attention to her mother¡¯s attitude and left the Tanner residence. Upon watching that scene, a housekeeper couldn¡¯t help but say, ¡°Ms. Sophie is crossing the line here. No matter what, you¡¯re still her mother! How can she treat you with an attitude like that?¡± She just couldn¡¯t watch it any longer. ¡°In the end, Ms. Willow is still better. Daughters should act more like her. Even after Ms. Sophie bes sessful, she still won¡¯t treat you well, Mrs. Tanner. That¡¯s not just my opinion. That¡¯s a fact. In the end, Ms. Willow will be the one who¡¯ll take good care of you!¡± Hearing that assessment, Charmaine agreed in her mind. Yeah! So what if Sophie is capable? We¡¯re not on the same side. Even if she bes sessful in the future, she won¡¯t care much about me and my interest! ¡°Take good care of Ms. Willow and let the doctor check up on herter! I heard there¡¯s a really good scar removal medicine in Anndur, so I¡¯ll ask people to find it!¡± She wasn¡¯t willing to let Willow¡¯s hand stay ruined and would do her best to get the best scar removal medicine. ¡°All right, Mrs. Tanner. I¡¯ll check and see if the doctor has arrived!¡± The housekeeper preferred Willow. At that point, she treated Willow as her own daughter, which was why she cared greatly about Willow¡¯s matters. When Sophie exited the Tanner residence, Tristan was already waiting outside. Even on a snowy day, his silver car was still dazzling. N?velDrama.Org ? content. She approached the vehicle, opened the door, and fastened her seatbelt after going in. It was then she noticed he had been staring at her. ¡°What are you looking at? Is there something on my face?¡± she asked. Even if there is, he shouldn¡¯t be staring at me like this! I can feel my cheeks getting hotter¡­ ¡°It¡¯s nothing. I¡¯m just feeling very grateful that the world has blessed me with a woman that I really like,¡± Tristan flirted. That rendered her speechless. Where did he learn such a corny line? I¡¯m really surprised. ¡°All right, let¡¯s go!¡± Sophie requested. It¡¯s about time for me to head to Transfix Cosmetics! These few days will be our final sprint to the finish line. Staring at her reddened ears, he couldn¡¯t help but chuckle. The line he used was something he came across when he was scrolling his phone earlier. There was no way he could¡¯ve said something like that in the past. For some reason, he wanted to try it in the morning, so he did. To his surprise, it gave him an opportunity to see Sophie¡¯s ears getting red. Throughout the ride, Tristan was in an extremely good mood until he reached Transfix Cosmetics. It was then he felt slightly sullen because he wished they could¡¯ve stayed together a little longer. However, it couldn¡¯t be helped because even Lombard Group would get very busy at the end of the year. Otherwise, he would¡¯ve insisted they stayed together longer. ¡°I¡¯ll be leaving now!¡± In the end, Sophie spoke up when she saw the longing look on his face. They were both busy people, after all, so they couldn¡¯t stay together all the time. ¡°Don¡¯t you want to go to Lombard Group with me, Sophie?¡± ¡°No!¡± she rejected. Why would I want to go to Lombard Group? I have things to do! Tanner Group may not beparable to Lombard group right now, but that¡¯ll change in the future. ¡°Alright then!¡± Tristan was at a loss for words. Why did I ask her that question? I¡¯m just humiliating myself! ¡°In any case, don¡¯t wear yourself down too much since your holidays have just started. Remember to call me if you have time!¡± It made his heart ache to see her, a senior who had yet to graduate, taking care of so manyplicated things. ¡°Okay. I¡¯ll be going up now!¡± Sophie was going to bete if she dragged on. ¡°Mhm, go ahead! I¡¯ll watch you go up from here.¡± He still didn¡¯t want to leave. ¡°Come on, Mr. Tristan. Stop acting this way or I¡¯ll feel burdened!¡± As she spoke, she couldn¡¯t help but smile faintly. That faint smile was enough for him to do anything she wanted. ¡°Come over here!¡± Tristan gestured for her toe closer with his finger. It was as if she was guided by something, she actually listened to him and stood in front of him. He hugged her waist and kissed her on the forehead. ¡°If youe across anything that you can¡¯t handle, you must remember that you always have my support, okay? I¡¯ll always be here waiting for you twenty- four-seven no matter what happens.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not like Transfix Cosmetics is a hell where no mortals ever return after stepping in there, Mr. Tristan. Please don¡¯t exaggerate. Anyway, I really need to go now! Time¡¯s ticking!¡± ¡°Mhm!¡± Tristan finally let go of Sophie¡¯s waist, which was pleasant to the touch. It felt so nice that he didn¡¯t want to let her go. When she turned around, she saw Wilma leading a couple of hotties from Transfix Cosmetics. They all greeted her when they saw her turning around. ¡°You¡¯re here, Ms. Sophie!¡± Wilma spoke with a smile. Indeed, they were standing there watching the romantic scene unfold earlier. Hence, when they were noticed by Sophie, they felt slightly awkward. ¡°Mr. Tristan is so handsome, Ms. Sophie! Staring at him makes me feel like my heart is melting!¡± ¡°Ms. Sophie is good-looking too, okay? The two of them look like they are the main characters from a tv show!¡± ¡°Even the main characters in those shows are iparable to Ms. Sophie in terms of appearance! Our Ms. Sophie is so beautiful that she¡¯s probably better looking than everyone in the entertainment industry!¡± Chapter 207 Chapter 207 Chapter 207 Lots Of Attention Wilma shook her head and said, ¡°Let¡¯s head inside, Ms. Sophie!¡± Since the others were acting like they were Sophie¡¯s hardcore fans, she decided to approach Sophie directly. ¡°Mhm,¡± Sophie didn¡¯t want to waste more time there and went into the building with the prettydies. As all of them worked in a cosmeticpany, Wilma had asked them to learn how to put on makeup. To her, that was a very basic request. Yet, Sophie still looked better than all of them without makeup. Tristan¡¯s car remained in the same spot until he was no longer able to see her figure. Sitting inside the conference room, Sophie was pretty satisfied as she flipped through the reports on the profits Transfix Cosmetics had made for the past month. After all, a month ago, Transfix Cosmetics¡¯ reputation was still in shambles. Yet, in just a single month, thepany is already doing pretty well. ¡°What do you think we should do to secure our victory, Ms. Sophie?¡± Wilma knew about the bet between Sophie and Tanner Group. It was her hope that Sophie would continue to lead them. That was why she wanted to ensure that the company¡¯s performance was excellent. ¡°All of you are already doing a great job,¡± Sophie praised satisfactorily. It made her happy that the people she chose didn¡¯t disappoint her. In response to that, Wilma let out a sigh of relief. ¡°Thank you all for your hard work. When the annual meeting rolls around, I¡¯ll give everyone a bonus,¡± Sophie announced. ¡°This is our job, Ms. Sophie.¡± Wilma knew there was no way Sophie would mistreat those who worked earnestly. Still, she was grateful because she was happy to have a boss like her. It was then someone knocked on the conference room door. ¡°Come in.¡± Wilma frowned. Who¡¯s interrupting us right now? Don¡¯t they know I¡¯m having a serious meeting with Ms. Sophie? When the door opened, Wendy poked her head in first. The moment she saw Sophie¡¯s face, she blushed. Then she served a cup of coffee to Sophie. ¡°This coffee tastes really good, Ms. Sophie. A rtive of mine bought it from overseas. Give it a try.¡± Ever since what happened on Jinrich Ind, Wendy had been trying to repay her gratitude to Sophie. However, that chance didn¡¯t surface at all until Sophie showed up at thepany for the meeting. That was because Wilma had been using video calls tomunicate with Sophie, even when Transfix Cosmetics was in trouble. Finally, Wendy had her chance. Seeing how Wendy was acting made Wilma smile. ¡°All right, you should leave now. Ms. Sophie and I still have some matters to attend to.¡± Wilma spoke. Why are my subordinates all so cute? She has beenpletely captivated by Ms. Sophie. It¡¯s amazing how charismatic Ms. Sophie is. She can capture the hearts of both sexes! It wasn¡¯t until Wendy left the conference room that Wilma said, ¡°Do excuse her, Ms. Sophie. She¡¯s still young.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine. She¡¯s cute.¡± Even though Sophie was younger than Wendy, she described thetter as cute. That amused Wilma a little. ¡°In any case, we only have three more days. In thesest three days, Transfix Cosmetics will have to complete the final sprint to the goal.¡± Sophie suddenly changed the topic. Upon hearing that, Wilma became serious as she grabbed her pen and paper before recording everything Sophie said. The moment she heard the advertisement Sophie had in mind, she became very excited. Ms. Sophie is simply awesome! Only someone like her cane up with a n like this. ¡°I¡¯m on holiday now, so I have more time to help out. Call me if you¡¯re facing any problems.¡± Sophie then stood up. ¡°You¡¯re leaving Ms. Sophie?¡± ¡°Mhm.¡± At one in the afternoon, Tristan called Sophie. At that moment, she was ying a game at Wings of Light¡¯s headquarters. No one would expect that the invincible Phantom would want to do nothing but y games in Wings of Light. ¡°Don¡¯t you think you¡¯re ying too many games, Phantom? You should be taking on more jobs instead of doing that,¡± Butterly grumbled. ¡°I¡¯m not interested.¡± Sophie is not short of money. Thus, whether she wanted to take on a job depended on her mood. At that moment, she didn¡¯t find the avable jobs interesting enough, so she found no reason to ept them. ¡°You! I have no idea what to do with you.¡± The clients specifically asked for Phantom, so if she didn¡¯t want to take on any of the jobs, Butterfly had no choice but to reject them. ¡°Every single member of Wings of Light is the best of the best. It won¡¯t be interesting if they only ask for me,¡± Sophie responded. All members of Wings of Light were handpicked by her, so their abilities were more or less on the same level as hers. ¡°That¡¯s right! Our abilities may beparable to yours, but you¡¯re the famous one! When people hear your name, they¡¯ll put their trust in you,¡± Butterfly replied. That¡¯s fair enough. Before Wings of Light was formed, and I was all by myself, I really did get a lot of attention. ¡°Now that your final exam is over, are you really not going to take on a job even if it is just for fun?¡± ¡°Those aren¡¯t fun.¡± Those requests really didn¡¯t rouse Sophie¡¯s interest at all. At that moment, the silver ring on her finger glowed. Her eyebrows furrowed. It¡¯s been so long since the ring glowed. Here I thought they¡¯d forgotten about my existence! I didn¡¯t think they¡¯ll contact me today. ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± Butterfly was a little worried when she saw the dumbfounded look on Sophie¡¯s face. It had been a long time since she had seen her boss like that. ¡°It¡¯s nothing.¡± Concurrently, a man was scowling in a skyscraper located at Anndur. ¡°The signal was disconnected,¡± his subordinate informed. The man mmed his fist on the table. ¡°Continue to contact her!¡± N?velDrama.Org ? content. Does she think she can run away? Nothing in this world that I fancy can escape my grasp! With a feverish glow in his eyes, he ordered, ¡°Tell her that if she still refuses toe back, Arius will die!¡± Do you think you can escape me, Sophie? Once I catch you this time, you¡¯ll never be able to run away again! His fists tightened. At Jipsdale¡¯s international airport, Arius bade Sophie goodbye. ¡°Remember to take care of yourself after I leave, okay?¡± If he had a choice, he wouldn¡¯t want to leave. However, the people in Anndur had been urging him to return. ¡°Remember, after your university entrance exam ended,e visit me in Anndur. Believe me, you¡¯re a genius doctor. If you¡¯re willing toe, you¡¯ll be a legend in the medical world.¡± He was worried his words wouldn¡¯t get through to her, so he had to emphasize again. ¡°Arius¡ª¡± Sophie was sick of listening to the same thing over and over again. ¡°I promise you, after my university entrance exam ends, I¡¯ll go to your medical association and give you a chance to persuade me.¡± The only reason she said that was to shut him up. ¡°That¡¯s a promise, then.¡± Even though the broadcast had already called for boarding, he was still rather unwilling to leave. ¡°Just go already!¡± Sophie urged. ¡°Did he look for you, Sophie?¡± Arius asked because he knew the person looking for her wouldn¡¯t give up that easily. Chapter 208 Chapter 208 Chapter 208 Am I Presentable Enough At the thought of the signal at Wings of Light previously, that man¡¯s threatening expression shed across Sophie¡¯s mind. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Did he really contact you?¡± Arius could not help but worry when he noticed the look on the woman¡¯s face. ¡°I¡¯m fine. Don¡¯t worry. I can handle this.¡± Sophie was sure that she would be able to deal with it no matter what the other party wanted. She did not fear anything. ¡°Sophie, why don¡¯t youe to the medical association with me? He wouldn¡¯t dare to try anything funny there. Besides, you might not be safe anywhere else.¡± ¡°Arius, I¡¯ve already told you that I¡¯m not afraid of him at all. Don¡¯t worry about me,¡± Sophie replied calmly. ¡°I¡¯m no longer the same Sophie from before.¡± No one would be able to bully her. However, that was not enough to soothe Arius¡¯ worries. Sophie pushed him toward the boarding gate and said, ¡°You¡¯d better get going. Otherwise, the ne is going to leave without you.¡± ¡°No matter what, please remember to be extremely careful! If there¡¯s anything, call me at once. I¡¯ll rush back to save you at all costs.¡± ¡°All right. Are you going in now? Otherwise, it¡¯s more likely that I would be the one saving you instead!¡± That¡¯s not funny! Arius shot the woman a re. ¡°Sophie, you¡¯re really ungrateful. I¡¯m worried sick about you, and yet you can still joke about it? Can you have some empathy?¡± Arius was feeling exasperated that everyone was so worried about Sophie, but she did not seem to care at all. It seemed a little too much. In the end, the man had no choice but to leave reluctantly. Sophie turned around and saw Tristan standing there. He had just arrived after parking his car. ¡°Has he gone in already?¡± As Arius and Sophie had been through a lot together, Arius¡¯ presence in Sophie¡¯s life still bothered Tristan slightly. ¡°Yup. He just left.¡± N?velDrama.Org ? content. ¡°Let¡¯s go back then!¡± Tristan held Sophie¡¯s hand and was about to start walking back when the woman said, ¡°It seems like you don¡¯t really like Arius.¡± ¡°Yup, you¡¯re right. I¡¯m not very fond of him. More urately, I¡¯m not fond of all those men who have bad intentions toward you,¡± Tristan answered honestly before continuing, ¡°I saw how the two of you were so reluctant to say goodbye to each other just now, and honestly, I¡¯m not very happy about it. All right, let¡¯s go!¡± Sophie was speechless when she heard that. Reluctant to say goodbye to each other? Seriously? Was he really referring to me? Unbelievable! It was snowing outside the airport. Sophie noticed that the weather was rather extreme that year as it had been snowing for almost half a month already. She zipped up her down jacket. Noticing the woman¡¯s actions, Tristan wrapped Sophie in his arms and asked, ¡°Are you cold?¡± Why did she have to send Arius off? Was she worried that a grown man like him would lose his way? That was absolutely unnecessary. ¡°Mr. Tristan, why do you dislike Arius so much? He¡¯s a really nice person.¡± Arius was Sophie¡¯s best friend, and she just couldn¡¯t understand why Tristan disliked him so much. ¡°Really? How nice? Is he nicer than me?¡± After hearing what Tristan said, Sophie understood what was going on at once. The man was behaving in that manner because he was jealous. That¡¯s ridiculous! ¡°Arius and I are just friends.¡± That was the first time Sophie rified their rtionship with Tristan. It was a fact that both of them were just friends. They were friends who would be willing to sacrifice their lives for each other. Perhaps not everyone would believe that such friendships existed in the world, but it was true that Arius and Sophie were friends who would give up their lives for each other. Tristan was very happy when he heard Sophie¡¯s exnation. To him, that meant that he had be more important to her! Otherwise, she wouldn¡¯t have bothered to specially exin the situation to him. ¡°All right. Got it.¡± Sophie could feel an obvious change in the man¡¯s mood and was rendered speechless once again. Does he have to be so happy? When the two of them met again in the evening, Tristan gave Sophie a bag. ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± It¡¯s not a special asion. Why would he give me a present? ¡°These are tea leaves given to my grandpa by his friend. Please let Old Mr. Tanner try them. If he likes them, I¡¯ll get more for him.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± So, it¡¯s a new tea for Grandpa to try. ¡°The shareholders¡¯ meeting is tomorrow. Are you nervous?¡± ¡°Do I need to be honest?¡± ¡°Of course. We are together now, so you should always be honest with me.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not nervous.¡± It¡¯s just a shareholders¡¯ meeting. What¡¯s there to be nervous about? Tristan could not help butugh out loud at the woman¡¯s response. That¡¯s right! Isn¡¯t that the kind of person she is? Things that bothered others always seemed like nothing to her. At that thought, Tristan held her face and said, ¡°How did I get myself such a precious darling?¡± Sophie pped the man¡¯s hand away and replied in a displeased manner, ¡°What are you doing?¡± When Tristan saw the sharp gaze in the woman¡¯s eyes, he let go of her at once. ¡°I¡¯m just happy that I have such a treasure by my side.¡± Even though Sophie seemed to be hiding many secrets, Tristan did not mind. All he wanted was for her to continue staying by his side. He was sure that she would let him in on her secrets eventually. ¡°Oh, right. It¡¯s Old Mr. Quigley¡¯s birthday celebration tonight. Should we go and take a look?¡± ¡°Winter¡¯s grandpa?¡± Sophie did not have a good rtionship with Winter. ¡°What do you think? Shall we drop by for a while? My sister is dying to meet you.¡± Sarah had been nagging Tristan to introduce Sophie to her. ¡°I see!¡± If that was the case, Sophie did not mind going. ¡°I¡¯ve already met your family, and I¡¯m not asking you to meet a lot of people. It¡¯s just Sarah. Is it OK?¡± As Sophie had left something behind at the Tanner residence, Tristan personally drove her back to retrieve it. ¡°Do you want toe in? My grandpa has been talking about youtely.¡± Sophie had promised her grandfather to bring Tristan to visit him. Since they were already there, Sophie felt that it was a good opportunity to do so. ¡°Can I?¡± Tristan had wanted to visit her family earlier, but Sophie¡¯s attitude made him feel like it was not time for him to take that step yet. Even though Sophie¡¯s grandfather was the most important person to her, and Tristan had already met him previously, it wasn¡¯t the same as paying him a visit at her house like now. ¡°Of course, it¡¯s all right if you don¡¯t want to. Let¡¯s forget it.¡± After all, Sophie had only brought it up because they happened to be there together, and she remembered that Josiah had wanted to see Tristan. It was just a nice coincidence. ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t I not want to meet him! I would dly do so!¡± ¡°All right then!¡± Sophie opened the door and got out of the car before waiting in the snow for Tristan to park his car. Tristan stood in front of Sophie after getting out of the car. He was dressed in a well-pressed white shirt, a sky blue sweater, a custom-made suit jacket and a pea coat. ¡°How do I look? Do I look presentable enough?¡± Tristan asked seriously while looking at the woman. Chapter 209 Chapter 209 Chapter 209 Tristan In Jipsdale Sophie took a step forward and reached up to adjust his cor. She drew back to get an overlook of him and a satisfied smile stretched across her lips. ¡°How can that be? You look pretty!¡± Can pretty even be used to describe men? Whatever. That¡¯s not important. The important thing here is I¡¯m about to meet her grandpa officially. ¡°I was rushing today, so I didn¡¯t bring anything with me.¡± Tristan was annoyed with his carelessness. How can I go empty-handed to meet Old Mr. Tanner for the first time? ¡°Mr. Tristan.¡± ¡°What?¡± Did I say something wrong? It¡¯s like a rule to bring something to a meeting with their significant other¡¯s family. No one should go empty-handed the first time. I know I¡¯m right about that. ¡°No, really. You don¡¯t have to bring anything. All you have to do is be there. My grandpa really likes you. He¡¯ll be more than happy to see you in person.¡± I¡¯m sure of that, at least. ¡°All right.¡± I know Old Mr. Tanner likes me. That is all the more reason I can¡¯t disappoint him. Tristan reached for her hand. Hisrge handpletely engulfed hers. Sophie didn¡¯t expect he would reach his hand back for hers with her standing behind him. However, she quickly snapped out of it and followed him into the house. The minute Tristan and Sophie entered the house, the housekeeper spotted Sophie and immediately greeted, ¡°You¡¯re back, Ms. Sophie! Old Mr. Tanner and the rest are having BBQ. Go on in.¡± Josiah didn¡¯t know Sophie would visit at such a time, so he was secretly having a BBQ. Nobody dared to stop him. That was why the housekeeper was looking at Sophie like a savior. Old Mr. Tanner is too stubborn. ¡°All right. I got it.¡± Sophie¡¯s pace quickened. Grandpa is still recovering, so he can¡¯t eat whatever he wants. ¡°Grandpa, didn¡¯t I tell you before that you can only eat nd food?¡± This person is getting older by the day, but so is his stubbornness. He is not like this before. Josiah¡¯s head jerked at Sophia¡¯s voice. He saw Tristan and Sophie standing in front of him. Josiah instantly had a smile on his face the minute his gazended on Tristan. ¡°Tanny! Come and sit! Have BBQ with me. It¡¯s the best food to have in winter.¡± ¡°Give me a minute, Old Mr. Tanner. Let me wash my hands first, and I¡¯ll join you,¡± Tristan answered with a smile. When Yale saw Tristan, he immediately got up and crossed the room over to him. ¡°Soph, bring Mr¡ª¡± It¡¯ll probably make Tristan feels unwee if I call him Mr. Tristan after Dad calls him Tanny. ¡°Oh, bring Tanny to wash his hands. You definitely need more people to have a BBQ. The more, the merrier.¡± Yale tried to y host. Willow was sitting on the other side of the table, watching the entire scene silently. It was an unpleasant sight to her. See that? Even my father is fawning over that man. Is he really more powerful than the Laird family? So Sophie has easily gotten what I¡¯d been struggling for once again. Charmaine noticed the change in Yale¡¯s attitude, so she hurriedly went to grab two extra sets of cutlery and set them up on the table. Sophie led Tristan to wash his hands, then took a seat. Josiah was in the seat beside hers while Tristan was on her other side. ¡°It¡¯s cold outside. Have a hot drink first.¡± Josiah had the housekeeper pour some hot tea for them. Sophie took a sip of hot tea. I didn¡¯t feel even a tad bit cold on the way here since Tristan¡¯s car was a high-end model. ¡°It¡¯s almost Christmas, Tanny. Do you have any ns? If you have nothing going on¡ª¡± ¡°Grandpa, he¡¯s busy,¡± Sophie cut off Josiah hurriedly. She knew her grandfather would be like that, so she instantly cut him off. It¡¯s Christmas. Of course, he has to celebrate it with his family. How can he celebrate it with us? Josiah wasn¡¯t happy with Sophie¡¯s interruption. What is up with Sophie? I was just asking. ¡°All right, Old Mr. Tanner. Have some vegetables.¡± Text property ? N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org. Tristan scooped a spoonful of grilled vegetables onto Josiah¡¯s te. ¡°I¡¯lle and visit you during Christmas.¡± Sophie was feeling some regret at asking Tristan toe with her to meet with Josiah. Willow didn¡¯t speak much as they ate. She ate silently at the side while sneaking a few peeks at Tristan. This man is so handsome. Mason can¡¯t evenpare to him. If¡­ If I have this man in my grasp, will Sophie suffer? She has never brought a man home before. So I guess this man is important to her. It¡¯s frustrating to watch him care for Sophie even while eating. It was like how a father takes care of his daughter. How can anyone not be jealous of the way he treats Sophie? Charmaine caught Tristan¡¯s every move. I used to think this Tanny guy that Dad calls wouldn¡¯t have such a prestige status. However, now that I¡¯m looking at him, he looks elegant even while eating. It¡¯s rare for someone to eat BBQ so slowly and gracefully. ¡°Have some more, Mr. Tristan. I¡¯m at my limit.¡± He had been taking care of me during the entire meal. I didn¡¯t even see him eat much. This is my home, so I should be the one taking care of him not the other way around. It¡¯s embarrassing that he¡¯s even taking care of me here. ¡°Okay.¡± Tristan put another piece of meat into his mouth and slowly chewed on it. Josiah¡¯s mood brightened as he watched how Tristan treated Sophie. ¡°You have toe over and have a drink with me when I¡¯m all better, Tanny!¡± It¡¯s been so long since I can drink my fill. ¡°Sure, Old Mr. Tanner,¡± Tristan promised. Mason would put on airs in front of Dad, but Tristan was sincere with Dad. Yale¡¯s admiration for Tristan increased after observing him. After the BBQ, Sophie took out the tea Tristan brought for Josiah. ¡°These tea are from Mr. Tristan, Grandpa.¡± Josiah loved drinking tea. He had the butler keep the bag of gifts with his other teas when he noticed the outer packaging was an ordinary box. Willow¡¯s jealousy faded when she saw the ordinary gift. That¡¯s right! How can someone be perfect? The only reason he treats Sophie so well is hisck of power. None of those plutocrats are true gentlemen. Gentlemen don¡¯t exist. Charmaine¡¯s attitude dialed down after she saw the box. So the way this person carries himself is just a front? Isn¡¯t it embarrassing to send this kind of gift to an elder right before Christmas? When only Yale and Charmaine were the only ones left in the room, Charmaine asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you? You¡¯ve met all kinds of people before. How can you be so hospitable to a man like that?¡± Charmaine felt as though Yale was a stranger during the BBQ. ¡°What does a woman like you know? Do you know who he is? He¡¯s the all-powerful Mr. Tristan of Jipsdale.¡± Chapter 210 Chapter 210 Chapter 210 Repulse ¡°What did you say?¡± Charmaine couldn¡¯t believe what she had just heard. ¡°He¡¯s that Mr. Tristan who everyone fears in Jipsdale?¡± I know a mere woman like me has no chance of meeting a big shot like Mr. Tristan. One has to be deaf if they have never heard of Mr. Tristan¡¯s name before. Everyone who wishes to make a name for themselves in Jipsdale will know Mr. Tristan, much less the Tanner family that runs a business. ¡°Yes, but keep it to yourself. I¡¯m still clueless about Mr. Tristan¡¯s intention with Sophie. No matter what rtionship they have, it¡¯s beneficial to the Tanner family. Even if Sophie is only his lover.¡± Everyone in Jipsdale wants nothing more than to get acquainted with Mr. Tristan. ¡°A lover? With her attitude, there¡¯s no way Sophie will ept being only his lover. I think you shouldn¡¯t put all your hopes on her. I can¡¯t believe Mr. Tristan will gift such an average present with his status. That means he doesn¡¯t regard Sophie with importance.¡± Yale shot her a nce. ¡°Mr. Tristan¡¯s thoughts and intentions are not something you and I can guess. All you have to do is don¡¯t cause any trouble. As for whatever that is happening between Sophie and Mr. Tristan, that¡¯s up to them.¡± If Sophie is Mr. Tristan¡¯s girlfriend, all it takes is one nod from Mr. Tristan, and the Tanner family¡¯s business will soar to greater heights. ¡°Oh, right. Watch Willow for me. I don¡¯t want her to embarrass me. It¡¯s almost the end of the year. There¡¯ll be more and more gatherings, and the topic won¡¯t be pleasant if it¡¯s about her.¡± Yale used to ce all his eggs in one basket. However, he started to realize that was a mistake. ¡°Are you giving up on Willow?¡± ¡°Say, if we give Willow to Mr. Tristan¡­¡± If the Lombard family can¡¯t ept Sophie¡¯s past, what about Willow¡¯s? Willow at least has a cleaner past than Sophie. Yale frowned at the suggestion but shook his head at the end. ¡°Let¡¯s not go there. There is no way Mr. Tristan will look kindly at Willow¡¯s attitude. You¡¯d better not act rashly and do something stupid.¡± It¡¯ll be a huge loss for us if the oue is undesirable. Text property ? N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org. ¡°All right.¡± Charmaine didn¡¯t dare to start anything after knowing that man was Mr. Tristan. Everyone knew Mr. Tristan could be merciless. Willow, who was eavesdropping behind them, heard everything. Her mouth was agape at the news she heard. ¡°Oh my goodness! That man is Mr. Tristan?¡± She couldn¡¯t help but exim in shock. Yale scrunched his brow at Willow. ¡°I know you¡¯ve been through a lot recently, Willow, but everything that happened was your own doing. Now that you know Sophie¡¯s boyfriend¡¯s identity, you better behave yourself. Otherwise, the Tanner family can¡¯t protect you from him.¡± I heard Mr. Tristan was a man that regarded the people he cared about with importance. Now that Sophie is his girlfriend, surely he¡¯ll take her side in everything. Sophie went upstairs to retrieve the thing she had forgotten to take. As she wasing down the stairs, Willow stood in her path. ¡°Is it because of Mr. Tristan? You¡¯re only with him because he¡¯s Mr. Tristan.¡± Willow couldn¡¯t ept it. She couldn¡¯t bear to watch Sophie have everything she ever wanted. ¡°That¡¯s none of your business,¡± Sophie returned. Seeing Tristan standing not far away, Sophie walked up to him. ¡°Let¡¯s go. Aren¡¯t we attending Old Mr. Quigley¡¯s birthday banquet?¡± Sophie walked past Willow without sparing her another nce. Willow clenched her fists tightly. She¡¯s too much. How dare she ignore me! I¡¯m the one who has everything, but how did things turn out like this? Yale and Charmaine exchanged a nce after they heard that Tristan was taking Sophie to Walter¡¯s birthday banquet. Mr. Tristan sure cares a lot for Sophie. Or he won¡¯t personally take her to attend Old Mr. Quigley¡¯s birthday banquet. The Lombard and Quigley families are close. Both families are among the four other reputable families. Others can¡¯t even get an invitation to the banquet even if they want one. ¡°I¡¯ll be leaving with Sophie, Old Mr. Tanner. Old Mr. Quigley¡¯s banquet is about to start.¡± It¡¯ll be rude if I¡¯mte to an elder¡¯s banquet. Old Mr. Tanner waved his hand for them to leave. ¡°Go ahead. Take her to see the world and meet some people. It¡¯ll be good for her since she¡¯ll be taking over the Tanner family in the future. Even though the Tanner family can¡¯tpare to the Lombard family, we still have to put in the effort to raise our younger generation.¡± It¡¯ll be good for her to see what the upper society is like. ¡°Grandpa, what are you saying?¡± Willow couldn¡¯t take it anymore when she heard Sophie was attending Walter¡¯s birthday banquet. ¡°Can I go too, Mr. Tristan?¡± Willow still wanted to be a part of the upper society no matter how down and out she was. She figured she would be part of it one day. ¡°What nonsense are you spewing, Willow? Do you think anyone and everyone can attend Old Mr. Quigley¡¯s birthday banquet?¡± Yale wanted to go too, but he understood he was not qualified. None of the Tanner family members did. ¡°Grandpa, I want to go. Didn¡¯t you always say I¡¯m narrow-minded? I want to see the world of rich people. That way, I won¡¯t do stupid things anymore. There¡¯s nothing bad about it. Besides, if Mr. Tristan can take Sophie with him, I¡¯m sure he can bring me too. Is this a difficult task for him?¡± Willow cast an innocent look at Tristan. Sophie was close to punching Willow in the face. ¡°I don¡¯t want that! I¡¯ll be disgusted if I have to go with her.¡± Sophie tugged on Tristan¡¯s hand and left. What is she thinking? She wants to trick Tristan. Tristan nearly burst intoughter at her insult, but he managed to keep it in check. How can my Soph be so adorable? Willow didn¡¯t expect Sophie to humiliate her like that in front of Tristan. ¡°Mom! Look at her¡ª¡± Willow wanted support from the others, but Charmaine didn¡¯t dare to say anything this time. ¡°Wi, don¡¯t cause a fuss. Don¡¯t you know what kind of event that is? What will you do if you go there? You don¡¯t know anyone there.¡± Sometimes there¡¯s a reason for families to marry another of the same status. This is the exact reason. Even if Sophie is willing to bring Wi, what will Wi do there? She doesn¡¯t know anyone there. No one there will befriend someone below their status. ¡°Enough. I¡¯m tired and heading upstairs now. Oh, Willow! If something just doesn¡¯t belong to you, it¡¯s pointless even if you fight for it.¡± Hasn¡¯t she done enough? Only I¡¯ll believe her nonsense. Charmaine was not amused. ¡°I have something to deal with at the office, so I¡¯m going up too.¡± Yale didn¡¯t want to deal with Willow. Willow could only watch Tristan lead Sophie away toward the society she wanted to be a part of, and there was nothing she could do about it. Chapter 211 Chapter 211 Chapter 211 A Beautiful Gown Tristan brought Sophie out of the Tanner residence, opened the door for Sophie to get in, and closed the door for her. Tristan couldn¡¯t help butugh when he saw her in that state. ¡°What are youughing at? Why are you so happy? Do you want Willow to go with you? If that¡¯s what you want, I¡¯ll go and get her now. I bet she¡¯s going to be over the moon!¡± ¡°No. Why would I bring her? No matter where I go, you¡¯re the only person I want to be with,¡± Tristan uttered in a serious tone. Sophie was rendered speechless. I¡¯m only angry because Willow was acting as if she deserved it or something! Although Tristan can get a lot of things done easily, why must he help her? Tristan held her hand and uttered gently, ¡°All right. Don¡¯t be angry anymore, okay? She doesn¡¯t matter, so she¡¯s not worth it.¡± He knew exactly what kind of person Willow was. ¡°Okay.¡± Sophie also realized that there was no point in getting pissed off. Seeing that she wasn¡¯t angry anymore, Tristan kept holding her hand with one hand and started the car with the other. Since they were going to attend Walter¡¯s birthday party, Tristan brought Sophie to the most well-known boutique in Jipsdale. The boutique owner weed them herself when she saw Tristan bringing a young girl there. ¡°You haven¡¯t been here in a while, Mr. Tristan! I was starting to think that you¡¯re not satisfied with our work!¡± ¡°What a beautiful youngdy!¡± the boutique owner praised when she saw how pretty Sophie was. ¡°Little girl, I¡¯m the owner here, Lisa Johnson. If you ever need a dress in the future, you muste here!¡± Sophie ignored her. I don¡¯t even like to wear gowns, so I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll ever see her again. Lisa thought Sophie was arrogant. If Mr. Tristan didn¡¯t bring her here, I won¡¯t entertain this young girl. ¡°Mr. Tristan, are you going to attend Old Mr. Quigley¡¯s birthday party today? Let me rmend some new outfits for you!¡± Since Lisa¡¯s boutique was the most famous boutique in Jipsdale, a lot of people had already bought outfits from her to attend Walter¡¯s birthday party. Although it was Walter¡¯s birthday party, the heiresses were more focused on being the belle of the ball. Therefore, Lisa¡¯s business was good that day. ¡°Sure! Bring out all your best outfits. I¡¯m looking for matching outfits for couples,¡± Tristan answered. We¡¯ve never worn matching outfits! This is the perfect opportunity for us to try it out. ¡°Sure, Mr. Tristan!¡± Lisa replied. Apart from Sarah, that was the first time Tristan had brought a girl there. Hence, Lisa was slightly startled when Tristan asked for matching outfits. That little girl looks young. How did she manage tond someone as incredible as Mr. Tristan? That¡¯s impressive! Lisa quickly asked her assistants to bring out all the matching outfits and held them up in front of Tristan and Sophie. ¡°What do you think?¡± Tristan asked. The matching outfits looked great, but Sophie ended up walking toward a red gown. This gown is nice. ¡°Ms. Tanner, you have good taste! Our designer had designed this gown herself, and it was hand- stitched! However, only a person with a stunning figure can pull it off. I¡¯m afraid that¡­¡± Lisa didn¡¯t want to be harsh with her words. Indeed, that gown was meant for a person with a stunning figure. It could look like a disaster if the person wearing it didn¡¯t have the required physique. ¡°Do you like it? You should try putting it on!¡± Tristan acted like he didn¡¯t hear what Lisa said. Tristan¡¯s attitude sent a shiver down Lisa¡¯s spine. Did I say something wrong? I was just looking out for her! Ms. Quigley came to try that gown out earlier today. She liked it a lot, but she couldn¡¯t pull it off either. In the end, she had to give up on it! ¡°I don¡¯t need to try it on. I want this one!¡± Sophie uttered. ¡°Sure,¡± Tristan answered. That was fine with Tristan. As long as she likes it. To be honest, I like that gown too. ¡°Mr. Tristan, there¡¯s actually another dress that suits Ms. Tanner better.¡± Lisa was getting anxious because her boutique¡¯s reputation was at stake. If my customers don¡¯t look nice, my brand will take aN?velDrama.Org ? content. hit! Tristan furrowed his brows. ¡°You ought to keep your opinion to yourself!¡± Hearing that, Lisa didn¡¯t dare to utter another word. She then hurriedly got her employees to pack the gown and sent Tristan and Sophie out. After bringing the goods to the car, Tristan brought Sophie to get her hair done. Back in the Quigley residence, Winter had already done her makeup and put on her dress early in the morning. While looking at her in the mirror, the housekeeper joked, ¡°Ms. Quigley, you look stunning! When Mr. Tristan sees youter, he¡¯s going to be mesmerized!¡± ¡°Nonsense!¡± Winter replied. In fact, she was trying her best to attract Tristan¡¯s attention. However, she hadn¡¯t had a chance to see Tristan after parting with him on bad terms thest time. She wasn¡¯t sure if he would still remember her. Mr. Tristan doesn¡¯t give a damn about anything in the world. What if he¡¯ll never pay attention to me? ¡°Ms. Quigley, Mr. Tristan will surely see youter. You¡¯re so pretty! All right. It¡¯s gettingte. Your brother has asked to see you!¡± Charles¡¯ eyelids had been twitching, so he had asked the housekeeper to get Winter to see him. He wanted to have a talk with Winter before the party so that she wouldn¡¯t cause trouble. After all, it was Walter¡¯s birthday party. Winter wore her high heels and went to look for Charles. Could it be that Mr. Tristan is here? Is that why Charles has asked for me? However, she only saw Charles when she arrived downstairs. Even Charles had praised her looks when he saw her. Indeed, Winter looked stunning that day. ¡°Charles, Mr. Tristan will be here today, right?¡± That was all Winter could think about. Charles shook his head. So much time had passed, and she still can¡¯t give up on him! ¡°Winter, have I not told you this before? Mr. Tristan has a girlfriend now. If you keep this up, you know that you¡¯ll only hurt yourself, right?¡± Charles responded. Why can¡¯t she just let him go? ¡°His girlfriend? Are you talking about Sophie? Is she even worthy of him? Mr. Tristan had never even brought her to any formal event! How is she his girlfriend?¡± Winter retorted. There¡¯s no way the Lombard family is going to ept Sophie¡¯s background. ¡°What does that have to do with you? That¡¯s up to Mr. Tristan to decide. You should worry about yourself instead. It¡¯s Grandpa¡¯s birthday today, so don¡¯t offend Mr. Tristan. Otherwise, Grandpa is not going to help you,¡± Charles warned. No one in Jipsdale would dare to cross Mr. Tristan. Even Grandpa has to show Mr. Tristan respect. ¡°Okay. I understand. Don¡¯t worry about me!¡± Winter was having none of it. Instead, she just kept staring at the entrance. Why is Mr. Tristan not here yet? Chapter 212 Chapter 212 Chapter 212 Lustful Soon, the guests started arriving. With the arrival of the other prominent families, Lincoln had also arrived alongside Sarah and Ysabelle. Lincoln then went to the others to talk about some business. Hence, Ysabelle was left chatting with Sarah. ¡°Weren¡¯t you close with Winter before this? Why don¡¯t I see you guys together anymore?¡± Sarah asked. I¡¯m her aunt, so I should show my niece some concern. After all, Ysabelle is the only child of her generation in the family. She must feel lonely sometimes. ¡°It¡¯s nothing! It¡¯s just that she doesn¡¯t like a close friend of mine, so we ended up not spending time with each other anymore.¡± If Ysabelle were to choose between Sophie and Winter, she would definitely choose Sophie. ¡°Oh, I see! Tristan is quite close to Charles, right? Since everyone is going to see each other quite often, try not to be too willful, okay?¡± Sarah was a lot older than Ysabelle, so she knew better. ¡°Aunt Sarah, you¡¯ve changed! You¡¯re no longer like how you used to be!¡± Ysabelle suddenly uttered. Sarah was stunned momentarily because she didn¡¯t expect to hear those words from Ysabelle. ¡°What do you mean? Have I changed for the better?¡± Sarah turned toward Ysabelle. ¡°I don¡¯t know how to exin it! However, I think you¡¯ve changed for the worse. You weren¡¯t like this before this. If we were to talk about the same thing then, you would tell me to just distance myself from someone if I don¡¯t like them.¡± In Ysabelle¡¯s mind, she thought the Lombard family would never need to bow to anyone. When Winter saw that Ysabelle and Sarah had arrived, she quickly ran toward them and sat next to Sarah. ¡°Hi, Sarah!¡± Winter greeted her sweetly because she knew how much Sarah liked Juan. However, Juan had never given her much of a chance. ¡°Hello,¡± Sarah answered. ¡°Juan has something to attend to, so he¡¯ll only be backter,¡± Winter said. Sarah remained unfazed when she heard that. ¡°Sarah, I know how much you like Juan! Don¡¯t worry! I¡¯ll help you get closer to him,¡± Winter said. Ysabelle was rendered speechless. She¡¯s only doing this because she knows Aunt Sarah is close to Uncle Tristan. ¡°Aunt Sarah, my friends are there. I¡¯ll go and look for them.¡± Ysabelle was sick of Winter and her nonsense. Sarah was alright with it because she knew Ysabelle wasn¡¯t Winter¡¯s biggest fan. ¡°Be careful, okay? Don¡¯t anger your dad,¡± Sarah reminded. Sarah knew it wouldn¡¯t end well if anyone pissed Lincoln off. Ysabelle cowered at Lincoln¡¯s name. With a nod, she left. Actually, she just wanted to sit alone in the corner. She had never been a fan of such events. In fact, she didn¡¯t even want to attend it in the first ce. However, Lincoln forced her to go. When Felix and Sean arrived, they saw Ysabelle sitting alone in the corner. Felix then said a few words to Sean before walking toward Ysabelle. Sean, on the other hand, went to look for Charles to see if he needed help. ¡°Where¡¯s Mr. Tristan? Did he note with you guys?¡± Charles couldn¡¯t help but ask when he saw that only Felix and Sean had shown up. ¡°Have you ever seen him hanging out with us ever since Sophie got together with Mr. Tristan?¡± Sean replied. Now that Sophie is all Mr. Tristan sees, he doesn¡¯t even have time for his friends! ¡°That¡¯s true. All right! You guys have fun, all right? I¡¯m fine on my own.¡± Charles knew that Sean was just offering out of kindness. However, he couldn¡¯t possibly let his guests help with the preparations. ¡°Okay! If you need help, let Felix and me know.¡± The four of them were childhood friends, so they really didn¡¯t mind helping each other. ¡°Sure! If I need help, I¡¯ll let you guys know!¡± With that, Charles left to attend to other matters. Previously, Mr. Tristan would always show up with them, no? After a long chat, Winter couldn¡¯t hold it in anymore, so she asked, ¡°Sarah, why didn¡¯t Mr. Tristane with you guys?¡± ¡°He has something to deal with, so he¡¯lle over on his ownter,¡± Sarah answered. ¡°He¡¯s going to show up alone, right?¡± ¡°What do you mean? Is he supposed to bring someone else with him?¡± Sarah didn¡¯t understand what Winter meant. Winter immediately shook her head. ¡°That¡¯s not what I mean.¡± ¡°Winter, you can¡¯t force things when ites to rtionships. You know how much I like Juan, but I¡¯ve already given up on him!¡± Sarah replied. Some people are just not meant to be together. There¡¯s no point in investing in one-sided rtionships. ¡°Sarah, I¡­¡± Winter felt aggrieved because she had just been exposed. ¡°I know what you mean, but I can¡¯t just give up. I know him longer than anyone else, no? I know him best, and I¡¯m the most suitable person for him!¡± Winter answered. Why is everyone telling me to give up on him? I¡¯ve already worked so hard for so long. Why should I give up now? No! I don¡¯t want to give up on him! ¡°Okay. I¡¯ve already said what I needed to say. You¡¯ve already been around Tristan for so long. If you guys were meant to be together, Tristan would¡¯ve fallen for you a long time ago.¡± Since Sarah was already in her thirties, she was a lot more mature. Right then, Winter¡¯s father asked to see her, so she had to leave. Before she left, she uttered, ¡°Sarah, I¡¯m not like you! Since I¡¯ve already tried for so long, I must keep trying!¡± However, she felt rather unsettled at the sight of Tristan and Sophie showing up together. Besides, Sophie was wearing the gown she fell in love with at first sight. That gown didn¡¯t suit me, so I had no choice but to switch it to what I¡¯m wearing now. Since it didn¡¯t suit me, why does Sophie look so good when she¡¯s wearing it? The worst thing is that Mr. Tristan¡¯s outfit matches Sophie¡¯s gown so well! Is this his way of telling everyone that Sophie is his girlfriend? Needless to say, Winter went green with envy. Sophie was never meant to deserve all of this! Still, she had shown up alongside Mr. Tristan in this manner. The moment Sophie showed up, a lot of people¡¯s attention shifted toward her because she looked stunning. If fact, she looked like an ancient goddess in that gown. ¡°Who is that prettydy next to Mr. Tristan? She¡¯s a goddess!¡± ¡°You¡¯re right! Her figure is fabulous!¡± ¡°No wonder Mr. Tristan doesn¡¯t like Winter. Look at thedy next to him now! Her demeanor and her body are so much more alluring than Winter!¡± The people within the social circle knew how crazy Winter was over Tristan. Hence, they were comparing Winter to thedy standing next to him. Meanwhile, Winter heard all thements from the crowd. Are they saying that Sophie is better than me? They must be joking, right? Do they even know about Sophie¡¯s past? I doubt they¡¯ll be as impressed once they know about it. Men are so lustful! Tristan quickly held Sophie¡¯s hand when he noticed the men looking at her. At that moment, he wanted to just take her out of there.N?velDrama.Org ? content. Chapter 213 Chapter 213 Chapter 213 A Feast For The Eyes Sophie immediately grabbed his hand and looked at him with a doubtful expression. ¡°Didn¡¯t you say you want to bring me to meet your sister?¡± In fact, Sophie had no interest in meeting the Quigley family at all. She would not be here if Tristan had not wanted her to meet his elder sister so much. ¡°But I regret letting you wear this gown.¡± Those eyes on her made him crazy out of jealousy. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with this gown? It¡¯s not sexy at all!¡± Sophie turned around as she said it. He immediately grabbed her arm. ¡°Stop it. I see Sarah. Let¡¯s go over!¡± He had no choice but to hold his emotions since he was the one who wanted to take her there. Deep down, he wanted to gouge out the eyes of all those men. After Tristan red around, the men present immediately turned their attention to their female companions. Sophie was indeed a feast for their eyes, but their lives were more important. She was Tristan¡¯s woman. No ordinary man dared to fantasize about her. Tristan led Sophie to Sarah and introduced them to each other directly, ¡°Sophie, this is my sister, Sarah. Sarah, this is Sophie whom you¡¯ve always wanted to see!¡± ¡°Hey, how can you talk like that? Sophie, please ignore him! I¡¯m Tristan¡¯s elder sister, Sarah!¡± Sarah introduced herself again. Sarah took Sophie¡¯s hand and led her to sit beside her. ¡°It must be hard to be with Tristan!¡± asked Sarah with a smile and a friendly tone. Is it hard to be with Tristan? But Tristan is the one who always takes care of me. I think it¡¯s harder for him. ¡°No, I think it¡¯s harder for Tristan,¡± Sophie responded. Content held by N?velDrama.Org. At that moment, Felix and Sean came over to look for Tristan, so Tristan had to hand over Sophie to Sarah. ¡°Sarah, please help me to take care of her, and don¡¯t let anyone bully her!¡± Tristan reminded. Sarah rolled her eyes at him. ¡°Do you have to worry when she¡¯s with me? Come on! Just go!¡± said Sarah peevishly. After Tristan and the two left, Sarah turned to Sophie and said, ¡°I saw you at the Lombard residence that day, and I¡¯ve always wanted to meet you again. I¡¯ve been thinking about what kind of girl can conquer my brother. I¡¯m happy that you didn¡¯t disappoint me!¡± Sophie did not know how to respond to her statement. We just met for the first time. How does she know that she should be disappointed or not disappointed? ¡°Sophie, can I call you that?¡± Sarah liked Sophie very much at mere first nce. Although Sophie looked young, she had a pair of eyes that looked so clear, they gave people a calm feeling. Sophie nodded. Right then, Ysabelle ran over as soon as she saw Sophie. ¡°Sophie, you¡¯re here! I¡¯m so bored!¡± Ysabelle did not like such an asion. ¡°Which is why I¡¯m here!¡± Sophie smiled dotingly . ¡°I¡¯m d that you¡¯re finally here! Otherwise, I¡¯ll die of boredom!¡± Ysabelle joked. The three of them sat together and chatted. Sophie was not chatty. She always went straight to the point; therefore, whatever she said sounded very convincing. Soon, Walter¡¯s birthday party started. Tristan led Felix and Sean to wish Walter a happy birthday. ¡°Happy birthday, Old Mr. Quigley. I wish you an abundance of love and happiness.¡± Felix was very polite in front of Walter. ¡°Old Mr. Quigley, I wish you a blessed birthday, and may you be gifted with the greatest joys and the most blissful life.¡± Sean was very well-mannered too. Walter looked at them and chuckled. When Tristan walked forward, Walter said, ¡°Tristan, please help me to monitor Charles closely, and don¡¯t let him fool around with girls all day.¡± Tristan smiled. ¡°Old Mr. Quigley, Charles is good at other things too.¡± Walter always had a prejudice against Charles, and he thought that Juan was the only one who was capable to be the sessor of the Quigley family. However, little did he know Charles was not as simple as he looked. After all, the people who mixed with Tristan were definitely not ordinary men. Hearing that, Walter felt slightly relieved. Although he had always hoped that Juan could be his heir, he could not deny that Charles was also his grandson. In fact, Charles had never let Walter down since he became independent when he entered adulthood. Now that he was doing well in his career too. Walter was equally proud with both of them. ¡°Happy birthday, Old Mr. Quigley!¡± After all, today was Walter¡¯s birthday. He did not want to say anything that would upset him. After giving him a simple birthday blessing, he went to look for Sophie. A lot of the guests there were big shots of Jipsdale. He was worried about her. He was afraid that someone would bully her. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with Tristan? Why is he in such a hurry?¡± Walter still had some questions to ask him. ¡°Happy birthday, Grandpa! I wish you joy every day!¡± Winter appeared right after Tristan walked away. Winter was Walter¡¯s only granddaughter, so he loved her a lot. Walter¡¯s full attention was on her after she came, and he forgot about Tristan temporarily. ¡°Winter, haven¡¯t you been pursuing Tristan? How is it going?¡± Walter would be over the moon if Tristan could be his grandson-inw. Winter felt extremely awkward that Walter asked her such a question in front of so many people. Everyone knows that Tristan is here with Sophie today! How am I supposed to answer that question? I don¡¯t want to be a joke in Jipsdale! Looking at her expression, Walter smiled. ¡°I¡¯m just joking. Look at you! What an expression is that? You¡¯re such an outstanding girl! It is a great loss to Tristan that he doesn¡¯t pick you!¡± Walter then turned to Felix. ¡°Felix, I think you make a cute couple with Winter too!¡± Hearing that, Felix¡¯s expression changed drastically. ¡°Grandpa, what are you talking about? Felix is not my cup of tea!¡± Although Felix was not a bad option, no one wasparable with Tristan in Winter¡¯s eyes. ¡°Why are you so stubborn? I don¡¯t want to care about you anymore,¡± said Walter. After Tristan returned to Sophie¡¯s side, Sarah wanted to go and greet Walter too. ¡°You stay here with Tristan for a while. I¡¯ll be back soon!¡± Apparently, Sarah liked Sophie very much. How could she not be impressed by someone who won the heart of her brother? ¡°Sure, Sarah. Just go ahead!¡± As soon as Sarah walked away, Tristan moved and sat beside Sophie. ¡°What do you think about Sarah?¡± Tristan knew Sarah very well and she would support him unconditionally for all the choices that he made. Therefore, he was not afraid to introduce Sophie to her. ¡°She¡¯s an intelligent woman.¡± After all, Sarah was a daughter of the Lombard family. She was indeed excellent and easygoing. ¡°Hmm. You can chat with her more if you have time in the future.¡± Sarah seemed to be an independent woman, but she was hurt very badly by that man. Chapter 214 Chapter 214 Chapter 214 Take Care Of Her ¡°What do you mean?¡± Sophie did not understand Tristan¡¯s words. ¡°You¡¯ll know as time goes by.¡± Tristan was not in a rush to introduce everything about Sarah to Sophie. ¡°Oh.¡± Sophie was not in a hurry to get to know Sarah too. Nheless, she feltfortable talking to her as Sarah had some characteristics that she liked. The purpose of an asion like that was to meet people. Ysabelle felt bored at the dinner, so she returned to Sophie¡¯s side too after greeting Walter. ¡°I think I¡¯ll go first. It¡¯s so boring here! It¡¯s more fun to go for karaoke.¡± ¡°Ysabelle, don¡¯t worry about your debut. I¡¯m going to start an entertainmentpany. Will you allow me to take care of your dream by then?¡± Mark¡¯s incident made her understand that the only way to protect her friends in the entertainment industry was to set up her own entertainmentpany. ¡°What?¡± Ysabelle was unsure if she heard that correctly. ¡°Soph, are you kidding me? Do you really want to start an entertainmentpany?¡± ¡°After The Wheelers¡¯ matter is settled, I¡¯ll let them join my newpany. I¡¯ll get things started after the new year.¡± ¡°That¡¯s great! If you really start an entertainmentpany, I¡¯ll definitely join it even if my dad breaks my legs,¡± encouraged Ysabelle. Sophie was speechless. ¡°Why? Are you touched?¡± asked Ysabelle, noticing that Sophie remained silent. In fact, Ysabelle was the one who was touched. She did not expect Sophie woulde up with such an idea. ¡°What¡¯s in your mind? It¡¯s an entertainmentpany! Please don¡¯t join mypany if your legs are broken. Why do I want to sign a singer with broken legs? Put you on the street to beg for money?¡± Sophie made a rare joke. It was Ysabelle¡¯s turn to be speechless. ¡°Okay. If that really happens, I won¡¯t even get a single dime!¡± Felix, who was listening to their conversation at the side, burst out giggling. Seeing that Ysabelle was in a better mood, he admired Sophie even more. Sophie was really nice to all her friends. ¡°Felix, why are you here? Didn¡¯t Old Mr. Quigley want to make you and Winter a couple? You should be apanying her right now! What are you doing here?¡± said Ysabelle. Ysabelle felt heartache as soon as she recalled what Walter said earlier. However, she had no idea why she would have such a reaction. ¡°Winter and I will never be together. You don¡¯t have to worry about that.¡± ¡°That¡¯s funny. I have nothing to worry about!¡± Actually, Ysabelle should be d that Felix answered her in that way. ¡°Let¡¯s do something! I¡¯m so bored.¡± Sean also felt that the party was boring. ¡°Shall we go and y some card game?¡± Sean thought the party should be almost over by the time they came backter after ying a card game. ¡°Great!¡± Ysabelle was excited after hearing that. She immediately pulled Sophie up. She mumbled beside Sophie, ¡°If it wasn¡¯t for Charles¡¯ sake, I wouldn¡¯t even be here!¡± ¡°Since we¡¯re here, let¡¯s just enjoy it!¡± Sophie did not like such an asion, but it was useless to comin since they were already there. Seeing that they were about to leave, Winter hurried over. ¡°Mr. Tristan, my grandpa wants to see you. Can you go over for a while?¡± Winter had not seen Tristan for a long time. She finally had a valid reason to talk to him face-to-face, and she looked at him intently for as long as she could. Tristan frowned. I have just greeted him. Why does he ask me over again? Winter¡¯s heart sank looking at Tristan¡¯s expression. Even my grandpa is not able to invite him over? ¡°Okay. Please take care of Sophie.¡± Tristan entrusted Sophie to Felix. ¡°Rest assured, Mr. Tristan! I will definitely take good care of Sophie,¡± Felix responded. Looking at how Tristan treated Sophie, Winter was jealous. What¡¯s so good about this woman? She¡¯s nothing! Why does Tristan care about her so much? ¡°Okay, you just go! No one can hurt me.¡± Sophie was pretty confident about that. ¡°I¡¯m just worried about you,¡± said Tristan gently. Sean and Felix exchanged gazes. They were both dumbfounded by Tristan¡¯s behavior. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Uncle Tristan. I¡¯m here! I¡¯ll risk my life to protect Sophie if anyone tries to hurt her.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Tristan and Winter went over to meet Walter. On their way, Winter tried to talk to Tristan, but Tristan put on a cold face and did not give her a chance to speak. Winter felt bitter. ¡°Mr. Tristan, are you still mad at me?¡± Winter did not understand what she had done wrong. In fact, she had not done anything yet. ¡°Winter, let¡¯s not talk about that.¡± Tristan would never forgive anyone who hurt Sophie. ¡°Mr. Tristan, I¡ª¡± Winter quickly paused as she saw Walter right in front of her. N?velDrama.Org ? content. ¡°Tristan, I heard that Old Mr. Lombard got some new tea recently. Too bad he¡¯s not here today. Can you go back and ask him if he still has any? I would like to get some from him.¡± Tristan knew that he had given William¡¯s new tea to Josiah. He replied indifferently, ¡°Sure, I¡¯ll ask him!¡± That tea was a rare item, so it was not easy to get. It was cultivated by a friend of William, and the quantity was limited. ¡°Oh yeah! Juan is also interested in the project that you¡¯ve invested in recently. Do you think you can let Juan be a part of it too?¡± Walter was actually very jealous of William for having such an outstanding grandson. Both Juan and Charles were less remarkablepared to Tristan. Tristan was speechless. That is my project! Why do I have to let Juan be a part of it? ¡°Grandpa, you should let Juan talk to Mr. Tristan about this!¡± Noticing that Tristan was unhappy, Winter quickly tried to ease the tension. ¡°All right. I¡¯m just saying! Since our families are so close, I think the young ones should work with each other more often.¡± ¡°Maybe next time! Charles has invested in this project too.¡± Tristan had shown Walter enough respect. If it was someone else, Tristan would not even bother to exin so much. ¡°Old Mr. Quigley, I have a friend with me today, and she needs mypany. I think I should go see her now.¡± As soon as he finished his words, he bowed slightly and walked away. ¡°A friend? Does he have any friends that I don¡¯t know? Who¡¯s that?¡± asked Walter curiously while looking at Winter. ¡°Ms. Sophie from the Tanner family.¡± Winter looked disdainful. She disliked Sophie very much, and she could not figure out why would Tristan fall for her. Chapter 215 Chapter 215 Chapter 215 They Are Too Stupid for You ¡°The Tanner family? Which one?¡± Walter hadn¡¯t heard of the family that Winter mentioned before. ¡°Oh, they¡¯re nobodies.¡± I don¡¯t think many guests who are in attendance here know them either. ¡°Sarah, what¡¯s going on?¡± Walter couldn¡¯t help but ask Sarah, who quickly broke into a smile. ¡°Old Mr. Quigley, Sophie is Ysabelle¡¯s ssmate and a good friend of hers. Hence, Tristan would always take them out. Since it¡¯s your birthday today, he has also brought her along.¡± William wasn¡¯t aware of Tristan and Sophie¡¯s rtionship yet. Considering how stubborn and difficult he was and the fact that Tristan had yet to decide when Sophie was to meet the former, Sarah had no choice but to deflect the matter away. ¡°Oh, I see.¡± Walter didn¡¯t inquire any further. Content held by N?velDrama.Org. However, when Winter saw how protective Sarah was over Sophie, she was even more upset by it. ¡°That¡¯s right, Grandpa. However, the Tanner family are still nobodies.¡± Sarah was stumped. As an open-minded person, she didn¡¯t care much about the Tanner family¡¯s background. Unfortunately, William was someone particr about family reputation, which caused her to grow concerned for Sophie and Tristan¡¯s future. After all, it wasn¡¯t going to be easy for William to approve of Sophie. The fact that she was still so young didn¡¯t help matters at all. Meanwhile, when Sarah and Winter were finally alone, Winter dered, ¡°Sarah, I¡¯ve always supported you all this while.¡± Reading between the lines, Winter was insinuating that Sarah was obliged to help her. Nevertheless, Sarahughed at her words. ¡°Winter, I¡¯m well aware that your brother and I have no future together. Thus, I¡¯ve already given up.¡± As a member of the Lombard family, Sarah didn¡¯t like being threatened. Her words caused Winter¡¯s face to lose all color. ¡°Sarah, that¡¯s not what I meant. I just feel that you can empathize with what I¡¯m going through, which is the frustration of not being able to be with the person I love.¡± Despite her frantic exnation, Winter didn¡¯t expect herments to worsen the situation. ¡°All right, I¡¯m going to look for Tristan and the others.¡± Sarah was in no mood to hear another word from Winter. Juan has someone he likes, and it¡¯s time for me to let go too. After all, a woman¡¯s youth is precious, and I no longer want to waste any more time on him. Watching Sarah¡¯s leaving silhouette and thinking about how even the exceptional Sarah had failed, Winter grew more anxious. Within their circle, every parent had only words of praise for Sarah. In fact, many of them saw Sarah as a role model for their children. Unfortunately, even a paragon of feminine virtue like her has been decisively defeated in love. What should I do to make Sophie disappear from Mr. Tristan¡¯s side? Winter clenched her fists. When Sarah rejoined the group, Sophie, Felix, Sean, and Ysabelle were in the midst of ying poker. At the sight of Sarah, Ysabelle called out, ¡°Aunt Sarah,e over here. I¡¯m no match for them at all!¡± She was being crushed at the game given how intelligent the other three were. The smiling Sarah stood behind Ysabelle and guided her. After a few rounds, Sarah took an even greater liking to Sophie. All this while, she was well aware of her brother¡¯s extraordinary intelligence. And after ying a few hands against Sophie, she, too, came to realize that thetter was just as terrifyingly smart. Despite ying in a half-hearted manner, Sophie had put out every card with a deft hand. Her ability to take into ount everyone else¡¯s card whileying hers out was not only a testament to her intelligence but also her impressive memory. ¡°My God, Mr. Tristan, your girlfriend is showing us no mercy.¡± After a few hands, all of them were decisively crushed. ¡°Sophie, why are you so good at this game?¡± Ysabelleined. ¡°All right, I¡¯ll go easy on you the next round.¡± True to her words, Sophie yed her cards without even looking. Unfortunately, the three of them still ended up being thrashed. ¡°D*mn, Sophie, are you sure you¡¯re cutting us ck? The way you¡¯re ying is just too much,¡± Ysabelle grumbled. ¡°She did,¡± Tristanmented in a nonchnt tone. He was standing behind Sophie the entire time and was certain of the fact. ¡°What?¡± Ysabelle couldn¡¯t believe her ears. ¡°I said, Sophie already went easy on you. Otherwise, you wouldn¡¯t even havested this long.¡± Tristan then pulled Sophie up from her seat. ¡°All right now, stop ying with them. They¡¯re not smart enough to be worthy opponents for you,¡± Tristan remarked haughtily. Ysabelle was speechless. Fine. Since Tristan was just stating the truth, she didn¡¯t darement any further. Felix, too, was equally stumped. Isn¡¯t Mr. Tristan going too far with his gloating? Sean was also blown away. D*mn, both of them are monsters! Not only is Tristan exceedingly smart, but even his girlfriend is of the same caliber. Only Sarah wore a smile across her face. She finally understood why her brother had fallen into Sophie¡¯s grasp. Even she was captivated by the youngdy after just spending a short time with her. ¡°All right, since we¡¯re not ying anymore, let¡¯s go chat instead. Ysabelle, Sophie,e along.¡± Sarah led the girls away, leaving the three men behind. ¡°Old Mr. Quigley still favors Juan and wants us to let him join us.¡± The profit for the project after we have painstakingly gone through the hardest process is guaranteed. What was he thinking that he insisted on Juan¡¯s participation now?¡± ¡°Charles¡¯ grandfather must be losing his touch with age. Considering how obvious the choice between Charles and Juan is, how can he make such a mistake in his judgment?¡± After all the effort the four of us have put in, how can he barge in to enjoy the fruits of ourbor? Does he take us for fools? ¡°He must be dreaming,¡± Felix added. ¡°By the way, isn¡¯t Sarah infatuated with Juan all this while? Would she be¡ª¡± ¡°No, she¡¯s not someone who makes decisions based on her emotion.¡± Tristan was confident in his sister. ¡°Since when does Mr. Tristan back down on someone else¡¯s ount?¡± Only Sophie was the exception for him. After all, even Sarah, his own sister, would never be reason enough for him to change his mind. Meanwhile, Sarah found a quiet ce together with Sophie and Ysabelle. Even though they weren¡¯t keen on such social events, age has helped them ept their situation better. ¡°Aunt Sarah, I think I saw Juan just now. He must havee back.¡± Ysabelle was displeased at the mention of Juan. ¡°Oh.¡± As for Sarah, she noticed that her heart didn¡¯t hurt as much as before at the sound of his name. Nheless, despite her desire to avoid trouble, trouble would still find its way to her. The moment Yvette, Juan¡¯s current girlfriend, saw Sarah, she approached thetter immediately. ¡°Sarah, it¡¯s a surprise to see you here!¡± Yvette eximed smugly. So what if the Quigley family doesn¡¯t ept me? As long as Juan doesn¡¯t leave me, no one can do anything about it. At the sight of Yvette, Sarah¡ªwhose mood drastically changed¡ªresponded with a cold hum. Although Yvette has won the battle, what right does she have to gloat in front of me? ¡°Sarah, I would like to speak to you in private. Is this a good time?¡± Yvette gently swept her hair aside. ¡°What is there to talk about between us?¡± Sarah found no reason to be cordial. If she wants to y the victim card, she can be my guest. However, it has nothing to do with me at all. Chapter 216 Chapter 216 Chapter 216 I Prefer My Bed ¡°If there¡¯s nothing else, you can get lost now.¡± Ysabelle was aware that Yvette was there to cause Sarah trouble, so she was not friendly to the troublemaker. What¡¯s there for her to be so smug about? The only thing she knows is how to cling to men. What makes her think she¡¯s qualified to gloat in front of Aunt Sarah? In spite of her exasperation, Yvette maintained an awkward smile on her face. Coincidentally, Juan walked over to them, for some time had passed since hest saw Sarah. All this while, she would always appear in his circle, but now, one month had gone by without them seeing each other. Hence, knowing where she was, he naturally dropped by to check on her. N?velDrama.Org ? content. ¡°Juan, you¡¯re here. I was just talking about you with Sarah,¡± Yvette remarked in a sarcastic tone. Juan only nodded in response as his gaze remained fixed on Sarah. It¡¯s been a month since Ist saw her. She has grown more beautiful since then. ¡°It¡¯s been a long while,¡± Juan said to Sarah, who simply responded with a smile. Not that long. It has only been a month. ¡°Juan, can I invite Sarah to be my bridesmaid for our wedding?¡± Juan shot a nce at her. ¡°Whatever you wish.¡± Juan had no idea why Yvette had to bring up the wedding all of a sudden, but he didn¡¯t mind as long as it made her happy. ¡°Ysabelle, Sophie, let¡¯s go back there. Tristan must be anxiously looking for us.¡± Sarah got to her feet, for she had no desire for any drama. After all, Yvette was someone who utterly disgusted her. Upon Sarah¡¯s cue, Ysabelle and Sophie stood by Sarah¡¯s side with one on the left and the other on her right, as if they were her bodyguards. At the same time, Ysabelle stared daggers at Yvette. ¡°What right do you have to get Aunt Sarah to be your bridesmaid? Who do you think you are?¡± Yvette is nothing but a small-time artist who only knows how to seduce men. Yvette¡¯s expression drastically changed. Is this girl looking down on me? The one thing that she hated the most was someone scoffing at her. ¡°She¡ª¡± After being ridiculed, Yvette turned toward Juan forfort. ¡°All right now, Sarah certainly doesn¡¯t have time to be your bridesmaid given her busy schedule. Anyway, there¡¯s something I need to do. You have fun here.¡± With Sarah gone, there was no reason for him to stick around. When she saw Juan leave at the same time as Sarah did, Yvette grimaced in anger. What does he mean? Doesn¡¯t he hate the supposedly exceptional Sarah? Upon Juan¡¯s departure, Yvette walked up to Sarah¡¯s side on purpose with a ss of wine in her hand. When they were side by side, she nned to spill the wine on thetter. I just hate Sarah¡¯s guts. Why does she have everything? Who gave her the right to look down on me? However, before she could spill the wine, her hand was caught by a young girl. Sophie, who had been watching all along, had noticed the insidious expression on Yvette¡¯s face. She was someone who cared about those who were important to the people she loved. Since Sarah was Ysabelle¡¯s aunt and Tristan¡¯s sister, Sophie naturally considered her someone close. As a result, she wasn¡¯t going to tolerate anyone bullying the former. ¡°What are you doing? Let go of me.¡± Just when Yvette wanted to pull her hand free, she realized it wouldn¡¯t budge one bit. ¡°I should be the one asking you that. You¡¯re lucky you haven¡¯t spilled the wine on Sarah. Otherwise, I would have broken this hand of yours!¡± Why do you need to be so attention-seeking? Nevertheless, Sarah was puzzled to see what Sophie was doing. ¡°Sophie, what happened?¡± Why is she confronting Yvette all of a sudden? ¡°Sarah, it has nothing to do with you. So, stay out of it,¡± Sophie answered tly. Her response stunned Yvette. The audacious look in the girl¡¯s eyes is truly terrifying. ¡°Let go of me. Do you know who I am? Sarah, what are you waiting for? Get her to release me. Otherwise, there¡¯s going to be trouble when Juan arrives. I¡¯m sure you know how much he loves me, don¡¯t you?¡± ¡°All right now, Sophie, let her go.¡± Even though Sarah, too, felt the urge to teach Yvette a lesson, she neverid a finger on thetter just because thetter was Juan¡¯s girlfriend. With a forceful tug by Sophie, the wine spilled all over Yvette¡¯s body. In fact, the impact was centered mostly around her chest. Yvette was consequently enraged. Da*n you, Sophie Tanner! ¡°I¡¯m going to remember this. There¡¯s no way I¡¯m going to let you off for this!¡± Truth be told, Yvette was a particrly vengeful person. ¡°Let me off? That will depend on whether you¡¯re even capable of that in the first ce.¡± Upon letting her go, Sophie sauntered elegantly back to Sarah¡¯s side. ¡°Going forward, stay away from Sarah. Or else, you won¡¯t be getting off lightly like now.¡± Ysabelle, who watched the entire episode was all happy. ¡°Well done, Sophie.¡± Sarah shook her head before leading Ysabelle and Sophie back to join Tristan. Halfway through the banquet, Sophie began to feel sleepy, causing her to quieten down. When Tristan saw how she was, he sympathized with her. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Are you sleepy?¡± At that moment, Sophie¡¯s beautiful eyes seemed to be clouded by a layer of mist. ¡°Mmm-hmm, a little.¡± If she wasn¡¯t with Tristan that evening, she would already have left. After all, it was pointless to stay any longer considering how boring the event was. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Tristan proceeded to have someone bring their jackets. Although it was warm in the building due to the heater, it was still freezing cold outside. As the Quigley family¡¯s servants brought Tristan and Sophie¡¯s coats, he received them and helped Sophie into hers. After that, he even buttoned up for her attentively. Only when he was done did he put on his own jacket. ¡°Mr. Tristan, it¡¯s still early. Are you already leaving?¡± Charles rushed over the moment he heard that Tristan was about to go. ¡°Mmm-hmm, she¡¯s tired.¡± Nothing was more important to him than her well-being. Charles was speechless. He¡¯s just trying to make us jealous. ¡°Fine. Since Ms. Tanner is tired, you guys should head home first.¡± After all, Walter, too, had gone to rest and Tristan had already shown his family sufficient respect by gracing the asion. Thus, there was no reason for him to insist on anything else. With that, Charles personally escorted them out. Upon Tristan¡¯s departure, Ysabelle and Sarah left together with him. Thus, Tristan was annoyed to see the extra passengers inside his car. These two are such third wheels. When Ysabelle saw the look Tristan was giving her, she felt a little guilty. As for Sarah, she chatted with Tristan as if it was nothing at all. Subsequently, Tristan sent Ysabelle and Sarah back home first. ¡°Sophie, since it¡¯s alreadyte, why don¡¯t you stay with us? There are plenty of empty rooms in my house.¡± Ysabelle bringing a friend home was a perfectly convincing excuse. Hence, there was no need for Sophie to worry. ¡°No, thank you. I prefer my bed.¡± Sophie had not expected this casualment to cause Tristan to move her bed wherever they went in the future. His persistence was both annoying and amusing to her. Chapter 217 Chapter 217 Chapter 217 Violence In Art ¡°Sophie, why don¡¯t you just spend the night here? Both of us can bunk together.¡± Since she was on winter break, she would be holed up at home most of the time. As a result, there wouldn¡¯t be many opportunities to spend time with Sophie. ¡°Not this time. If you¡¯re free, you should take a look at the video I sent you.¡± Yesterday, she had already emailed Ysabelle the video from their lessons. ¡°Also, a vocal coach would be getting in contact to give you lessons. Remember to check your WhatsApp.¡± Since she had decided to give Ysabelle a taste of the entertainment industry, she had made all the arrangements to prepare thetter for it. ¡°All right, boss, I know what to do. Don¡¯t worry. I won¡¯t let any of you down,¡± Ysabelle dered. Nheless, she was still reluctant to let Sophie go. Sophie is mine. Why does Uncle Tristan insist on taking her away from me? That¡¯s just too much of him! However, the moment she saw Tristan¡¯s stern expression, Ysabelle had no choice but to submit. What else can I say? Am I even in a position to say anything? Within the Lombard family, Uncle Tristan is the final authority. ¡°Uncle Tristan, drive safely.¡± Ysabelle put on a cutesy look. Obviously, buttering up with Uncle Tristan can never be wrong. Meanwhile, Tristan opened the car door for Sophie to get in, for she had been standing out in the freezing cold for a long time. ¡°I¡¯m noting back tonight,¡± Tristan briefly commented before getting into the car and driving off. Ysabelle grabbed Sarah¡¯s hand at once. ¡°Aunt Sarah, what does Uncle Tristan mean by that? Sophie isn¡¯t an adult yet. What is Uncle Tristan nning to do?¡± Ysabelle¡¯s reaction caused Sarah to burst intoughter. ¡°He meant exactly what he said.¡± Tristan has always been someone responsible. There¡¯s no need for you to worry, all right? As a result, Sarah quickly pulled Ysabelle away so that she didn¡¯t have any time to let her dwell on the matter. Even though she¡¯s concerned about Sophie, that¡¯s her uncle we¡¯re talking about. Doesn¡¯t she know whose side she should be taking? On the way home, Sophie stared out the window at the snow that nketed the streets as if she was deep in thought. The atmosphere in the car was extremely quiet with neither of them saying a word. It wasn¡¯t until they arrived at Wisteria Apartments that Sophie removed her seatbelt. ¡°I¡¯m going up. You should go back and rest early too.¡± ¡°I already said that I¡¯m not going home.¡± Sophie was speechless. ¡°Therefore, can you take me in for the night?¡± Tristan¡¯s tone sounded especially delighted. ¡°Whatever,¡± Sophie replied without a care. No sooner had she turned around and walked to the elevator than a group of burly men jumped out of the shadows to block her way. The sight of them cause Sophie to furrow her brows. This is really annoying. I have no intention of beating anyone up today, all right? ¡°Get lost!¡± It wasn¡¯t every day that she was in the mood to entertain them. ¡°Ms. Tanner, please cooperate with us. All we want is to take one of your hands. However, if you resist, we¡¯ll be taking more than that.¡± Sophie didn¡¯t know what to say. My hand? She nce at her two hands. ¡°Considering how valuable my hands are, are you expecting me to give them to you just like that? It seems to me that you haven¡¯t done your research before coming here.¡± Despite hernguid expression, Sophie exuded a murderous aura. ¡°In that case, don¡¯t me me for showing you no mercy.¡± With the physicspetition around the corner, Whitlea sure is itching for trouble. Although the men she sends keep getting stronger, they are unfortunately still no match for me. ¡°Let¡¯s not waste any more time talking to her. What can a little girl like her do to us?¡± Another man had a scar on his face which made him look especially ugly. ¡°Be careful!¡± ¡°What the f*ck!¡± Scarface lunged forward to attack. However, Sophie mmed a kick into his stomach. As for Tristan, who had just returned from parking his car, he was greeted by the sight of the altercation. It seems trouble follows Sophie wherever she goes! Within the short time I¡¯ve taken to park my car, she¡¯s already in a fight with men who look like gangsters. In spite of Tristan¡¯s appearance, the burly men were unfazed. After all,mitting plenty of crimes before had made them fearless. Text property ? N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org. ¡°Get lost or we¡¯ll beat you to a pulp too!¡± Scarface was furious after being kicked to the ground due to his carelessness. ¡°You¡¯ve got guts!¡± Sophie snapped. I¡¯m surprised that he actually dares to speak that way to Mr. Tristan. I wonder if he still has the same gall if he knows the person standing in front of him is Mr. Tristan. ¡°Of course, I¡¯ve got guts. I don¡¯t need you to tell me that.¡± Scarface was raring to tear Sophie apart. ¡°Our female boss has ordered us to smash one of your hands.¡± ¡°Female boss?¡± Tristan¡¯s voice turned icy cold. Who gave her the cheek to demand that one of Sophie¡¯s hands get smashed? ¡°Do you mean Whitlea?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. I¡¯m sure you¡¯re terrified now. Hence, you had better scram.¡± Scarface red his temper. Consequently, Tristan and Sophie were stumped. Thest thing Mr. Tristan feels is fear! ¡°Sophie, step aside and wait for me. You probably don¡¯t need to wait long.¡± Tristan took off his shirt and handed it to Sophie. Considering that she could get to watch a fight, Sophie would naturally not decline. Thus, she took Tristan¡¯s shirt and gave him some space. Just as expected, even Tristan¡¯s fighting style was extremely impressive. In fact, one could even call it violence in art. As someone who didn¡¯t like dragging his fights out, he attacked those men¡¯s vital points with lightning speed. In the end, Sophie found it amusing and burst intoughter at the sight of the burly gangsters piling up on the ground, utterly humiliating them. Don¡¯t they have any shame? Should we at least leave them some self-respect? ¡°You¡ª¡± Scarface, who had not expected to be humiliated to that extent, was rendered speechless. Subsequently, Tristan signaled for Sophie to hand him a tissue with a p of his hand. After wiping his hands, he ordered, ¡°Turn yourself in. Or else, I¡¯ll personally take all of you to prison tomorrow!¡± If they did as they were told, they might be out of prison after spending a few years inside. However, if Tristan got involved, they might not even get out in ten years. ¡°Guys, you had better take his threats seriously, for he really has the capability of throwing all of you in prison. In fact, he can even make sure that none of you can get out!¡± Given that Whitlea has sent a bunch of murderers to get me, she must be serious about destroying me. Upon returning to Wisteria Apartments, a grim expression had descended on Tristan¡¯s face. I know she doesn¡¯t like me interfering in her affairs, but after what happened, would I still be a man if I stayed on the sidelines? Cognizant that he was angry, Sophie didn¡¯tment. Instead, she went off to warm two sses of milk. ¡°It¡¯s nothing. They¡¯re just a bunch of hoodlums. I could¡¯ve handled them easily.¡± Sophie served him the milk. Tristan was stumped. How can she call them hoodlums? They¡¯re murderers who kill without batting an eyelid. Chapter 218 Chapter 218 Chapter 218 Blushing Although Tristan took the milk from her, his habit at night was to drink red wine instead. However, since his young girlfriend gave him milk, he naturally indulged her. After taking a sip, he put his cup aside and pulled her onto hisp. ¡°The next time something like that happens, you have to tell me instead of bearing the burden yourself.¡± Sophie¡¯s attitude simply worried him. While sitting on hisp, Sophie felt her cheeks burn. Even though I¡¯m just sitting on him and doing nothing, I can already feel his hormones raging. As a result, Sophie blushed while her heart began to pound furiously just by sitting there. ¡°Let go of me.¡± She tried her best to maintain herposure. Thinking that she had encountered all sorts of situations before, she was still surprised by how her heart was fluttering. ¡°Just let me hug you for a while.¡± Tristan had no intention of letting go. Despite being annoyed, Sophie continued to stay put. Meanwhile, Tristan was dissatisfied with her weight, as he found her to be too light for a girl who was one point seven meters tall. With one hand gently holding her waist, he pulled out his phone and gave Charles a call with the other. Over the line, Tristan could still hear the noisy background. However, once Charles had answered, he swiftly moved to a quieter spot. ¡°Mr. Tristan, what is it?¡± ¡°Help me teach Whitlea a lesson,¡± Tristan replied tly. ¡°What happened? We have never crossed paths with the Dixon family before.¡± ¡°What she did is worse than offending me. In fact, she sent some men to break Sophie¡¯s hand. Therefore, I won¡¯t ask for much. I simply want one of her hands smashed in return.¡± ¡°All right, I understand.¡± Whitlea is really brazen to have attacked Sophie of all people. After all, everyone around Mr. Tristan knows that he might show mercy if one were to offend him, but whoever harms Sophie would feel the full force of his wrath. After ending the call, Tristan who had noticed her silence, put his arm around her shoulder to reassure her. ¡°It¡¯s not that I want to interfere, but this matter pisses me off.¡± Considering how audacious Whitlea¡¯s actions were, he naturally wanted to give her a taste of her own medicine. ¡°Okay.¡± Sophie didn¡¯t mind if someone was willing to resolve the matter on her behalf. After all, she would certainly notin about having more free time. At nightfall, Whitlea¡¯s mansion was infiltrated by some men who quickly subdued the bodyguards guarding the ce. By the time she awoke, a group of men had barged into her room. She then red fiercely at them. ¡°Who gave you permission toe in here? Do you have a death wish? Are you not aware of who I am?¡± As Whitlea¡¯s used to wield influence in the underworld, she naturally spoke in an intimidating tone. ¡°Mr. Tristan wants one of your hands. Are you going to give it or not?¡± The intruder didn¡¯t want to waste any time arguing with her. ¡°What do you mean? I don¡¯t know any Mr. Tristan at all!¡± ¡°You might not have seen him before, you didn¡¯t you demand the hand of his girl?¡± Without any hesitation, the intruder ordered his subordinates to pin her down and subsequently crippled her hand. In the darkness of the night, the excruciating screams of ady sent a chill down everyone¡¯s spine. ¡°Remember, there¡¯s always someone more powerful than you out there. Don¡¯t think that you can just bully anyone with impunity!¡± No sooner had the intruders spoken than they left as quickly as they came. Meanwhile, when Bailey arrived at the hospital upon receiving the news, Whitlea was still in the operating room. It wasn¡¯t until the surgery waspleted that Whitlea was wheeled out. Outside, Bailey who hadn¡¯t seen her mother in a long time finally appeared in front of her. All this while, he was still angry at Whitlea over what happened with Sophie. ¡°Mom, what in the world happened?¡± Bailey was aware of the Dixon family¡¯s involvement with the underworld. However, he failed to understand how the incident could have happened at the Dixons¡¯ mansion. ¡°It must be that despicable woman, Sophie. What kind of background does shee from?¡± She clearly remembered the words of the man leading the intruders. The mention of Sophie caused Bailey to furrow his brows. ¡°Mom, what has this got anything to do with Sophie? She¡¯s just a young girl. Why do you harbor so much animosity toward her?¡± I don¡¯t understand why my mother hates Sophie so much. What did Sophie even do? ¡°Mr. Dixon, this was what happened. Ms. Whitlea sent men to cripple one of Ms. Tanner¡¯s hands which subsequently led to this. Therefore, this incident is definitely rted to Sophie,¡± the Dixon family¡¯s butler, Maxim, exined immediately. ¡°What?¡± Bailey couldn¡¯t believe his ears. ¡°What is it that you really want? I¡¯ve worked hard toplete everything you wanted me to do. All I wanted was for you not to hurt Sophie. Didn¡¯t you promise me that? Unless, you never trusted me. You never believed that I could win the uing physicspetition, do you?¡± ¡°Bailey, is this what¡¯s important now? Someone has crippled my hand, and yet, all you care about is that despicable girl? I¡¯ve truly raised you in vain!¡± Whitlea was so infuriated that she just felt like killing herself. For raising such an ungrateful son, my life is an utter failure. ¡°I don¡¯t want to argue with you. If you ever do it again, you¡¯ll never see me for the rest of your life!¡± He knew that the Dixon family still exercised some influence in the underworld and his mother wasn¡¯t afraid to use it against Sophie. Nheless, he wanted to protect her despite the fact that she had no feelings for him. Without another word, Bailey turned around and prepared to walk out. ¡°Bailey, if you dare leave, I¡¯ll get someone to take Sophie¡¯s life. Do you hear me?¡± Bailey then gave her a look of disappointment. ¡°Fine. If she dies, I¡¯ll pay for her life with my own.¡± Since she refused to listen to whatever he said, threatening his mother with suicide was the only option left. ¡°You¡­¡± Whitlea almost burst a vessel from her son¡¯s defiance. ¡°Ms. Whitlea, please calm down. Your hand has just been stitched, so don¡¯t make any hasty movements.¡± Maxim was extremely loyal to Whitlea. ¡°I¡¯ll get to the bottom of the matter. If Sophie is indeed the one behind it, I swear I¡¯ll take revenge on your behalf no matter what.¡± Maxim¡¯s words managed to soothe Whitlea. ¡°Maxim, thank you.¡± Upon lying back down, she felt an excruciating pain shoot through her hand as the anesthetic began to wear off. As the pain caused her face to turn pale, she no longer had any energy to care about Bailey. The next day, Sophie and Tristan left Wisteria Apartments, hoping to find somece nearby for breakfast. In the end, they saw Bailey waiting for them outside. Despite seeing her with another man, Bailey didn¡¯t say a word. As for Tristan, he gave thetter the side-eye. Whitlea¡¯s son is a good kid. Unfortunately, he just has to covet Sophie.Text property ? N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org. Chapter 219 Chapter 219 Chapter 219 Keep You Company At The Office Sophie made Tristan wait for her by the side while she made her way to Bailey and asked, ¡°Is something the matter?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry. You wouldn¡¯t have to go through so much if you didn¡¯t know me,¡± Bailey said apologetically. Sophie immediately understood what he meant. He must¡¯ve found out what his mother did. Knowing Bailey was a good person, Sophie assured, ¡°Bailey, you and your mom are two different people. I won¡¯t associate the two of you together. You don¡¯t have to apologize on her behalf. You¡¯re really talented in physics, so please continue to do your best. Don¡¯t let things like this get in the way of your future.¡± Though all that had nothing to do with her, she still saw the need to remind him. After all, they were ssmates. Content held by N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Thank you.¡± Bailey felt extremely grateful to Sophie for being so forgiving despite how his mother kept plotting against her. ¡°I should get going,¡± Sophie announced. Tristan was not a very patient person. Thus, it was not a good idea to make him wait for too long. Bailey felt utterly miserable as he watched her walk toward the tall and handsome man. I don¡¯t think I can ever give her that sense of security. I feel so useless for I can¡¯t even protect a girl I like. What kind of future do I have when I¡¯m so miserable? Seeing Sophie finally walking over to him, Tristan immediately grabbed her hand. ¡°Why is he looking for you? Is something wrong?¡± Tristan asked concernedly. He could ignore most matters, but not when it was rted to Sophie. ¡°It¡¯s nothing. He came to apologize.¡± I sent someone to break his mother¡¯s hand, but he can stille over here to apologize. Gosh. I don¡¯t know what to make of this young man. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Sophie still did not know Tristan had sent someone to break Whitlea¡¯s hand. ¡°Nothing. I just think your friend has a big heart.¡± Tristan brought Sophie to a breakfast shop and let her have a seat after cleaning the table. When Sophie took her seat, she pulled out her phone and saw a text from Wilma. Thetter faced some problems she could not solve. Hence, Sophie read through the problems and sent a reply right away. She was quite talented in doing business. In fact, she could solve problems that many people could not in a heartbeat. After answering all of Wilma¡¯s questions, Sophie put down her phone. ¡°What is it?¡± she asked, wondering why Tristan was staring hard at her. ¡°Nothing. Just wondering if there¡¯s anything you don¡¯t know how to do.¡± Sophie thought about it seriously and answered, ¡°There¡¯s one. I don¡¯t know how to pursue guys.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t need to know that. There¡¯ll be guys pursuing you, anyway.¡± Truth was, he already had many rivals even if she did nothing about it. Meanwhile, Wilma had just arrived at the office when she received Sophie¡¯s reply. She was utterly blown away after reading the solution Sophie proposed. Noting Wilma¡¯s expression, Wendy could not help but ask, ¡°What is it, Ms. Lineker?¡± Wilma smiled and responded, ¡°Wendy, we¡¯re really working for the right person. Our sales performance will definitely double today.¡± ¡°You¡¯re talking about Ms. Sophie, aren¡¯t you? I say, Ms. Lineker, how can such a smart woman like Ms. Sophie exist? She¡¯s still so young!¡± Wilma¡¯s face lit up with a sense of pride. ¡°We¡¯ll never understand the world of young female geniuses. Go on and tell the others to start working. It might pay well to work for Ms. Sophie, but we must work hard in return.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Ms. Lineker. Everyone¡¯s working hard now. Not a single person is cking off.¡± Wilma was extremely confident with the sales that day. Transfix Cosmetics was truly different now. Those who gave up on Transfix Cosmetics would surely regret it in the future. It was totally possible for Transfix Cosmetics to be internationally known. After having breakfast, Sophie wanted to take a nap at Wisteria Apartments when she heard Tristan asking, ¡°Do you have any ns today?¡± Sophie thought about it and realized all her tasks on hand were almost settled. Moreover, she did not have to worry about Transfix Cosmetics since Wilma was there to oversee it. The only thing that was unresolved was The Wheelers¡¯ agreement. However, that was already handed to Tristan. It would not be appropriate for her to ask him about it at that moment. In that case, she practically had nothing to do that day. ¡°Since you don¡¯t have any ns, why don¡¯t youe to Lombard Group with me? Aren¡¯t you going to Horington in a few days? We won¡¯t be seeing each other for some time during that period.¡± ¡°You¡¯re going to be very busy at Lombard Group. Are you sure you want me to go with you?¡± Tristan gave her a serious nod. ¡°Yes. I¡¯ll work faster with you there. So, it¡¯ll be great for you toe with me.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± If that¡¯s the case, I¡¯ll y some games at Lombard Group. There¡¯s no difference no matter where I y, anyway. However, Sophie was dressed rather casually since she originally had no ns to go out that day. Feeling confused, she asked, ¡°Do you think I need to get changed?¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine. You don¡¯t need to get changed. You look amazing already.¡± To Tristan, Sophie had a great sense of fashion and looked good in everything she wore. ¡°All right then.¡± With that, Tristan brought her to the underground parking, entered the silver Lamborghini, and drove to Lombard Group. On the way to the company, Tristan suddenly asked, ¡°What kind of cars do you like?¡± Sophie¡¯s birthday was right after Christmas. She would be officially eighteen years old then. Tristan believed it was time she had her own car. ¡°You¡¯re asking me?¡± Sophie asked. The thought of buying a car had not crossed her mind. ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°What¡¯s up? Are you going to buy me one?¡± she questioned. What is he up to? Why would he want to buy me a car all of a sudden? ¡°Would you want it if I gave you one?¡± Tristan asked. It was a very important question. He had been looking into carstely and found a few cars that suited her. ¡°I just said that without thinking. Don¡¯t worry. I can get one for myself if I want one.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have to feel bad about it, Sophie.¡± Sophie was speechless. I¡¯m not shy. Why would I need him to get one for me when I can afford one myself? ¡°You don¡¯t have to be so calctive with me.¡± Tristan merely thought it was inconvenient for her to take public transport all the time. ¡°Actually, it¡¯s not that I can¡¯t afford to buy a car. I just think driving isn¡¯t as convenient as taking public transport sometimes. That¡¯s all.¡± Currently, the number of cars in the world was more than the number of parking spaces avable. Sometimes, looking for a parking space could be extremely difficult. In the end, Tristan had already parked the car at Lombard Group¡¯s underground parking before they had evene to a conclusion. Sophie thought the conversation about getting her a car had ended, but the same could not be said for Tristan. Soon, they arrived at the nieth floor. Tristan¡¯s secretary gaped in shock when he saw Tristan arriving with a woman. ¡°Mr. Tristan¡ª¡± s, Tristan ignored him and brought Sophie straight to the lounge. ¡°You can wait here for me,¡± he said. ¡°Since I¡¯m already here, why don¡¯t I keep youpany in your office?¡± That¡¯s the true definition of keepingpany, isn¡¯t it? Chapter 220 Chapter 220 Chapter 220 She Is Mesmerized ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Can¡¯t I do that? Are you afraid I¡¯ll steal your company¡¯s secrets?¡± Sophie teased. I bet the biggest fear of apany like Lombard Group is having someone steal their secrets. Tristan could not help butugh. ¡°That¡¯s not it. I wasn¡¯t expecting you to be taking the initiative. You¡¯re more than wee to take thepany¡¯s secrets whenever you want them.¡± My entire being belongs to her, let alone a mere Lombard Group. ¡°I¡¯m just joking.¡± Sophie was about to enter the lounge when Tristan grabbed her hand. ¡°Come into my office and keep mepany. You can use the time to get to know me better.¡± Tristan pulled her back to his side, wrapped his arm around her shoulders, and led her into the office. ¡°Oh, my goodness. Mr. Tristan is finally seen with a woman! I¡¯ve always thought he was not interested in women.¡± ¡°So manydies have approached him. Yet, only this lady who¡¯s way younger than him caught his eye.¡± ¡°It¡¯s true when people say men like women who are younger than them.¡± ¡°That¡¯s enough. Be quiet, everyone. You¡¯ve got quite the balls to gossip about Mr. Tristan, eh?¡± scolded the head secretary, Daphne Castillo. Daphne knew Tristan¡¯s temper better than anyone, for she had been serving thetter for a long time. Hearing that, the secretaries immediately stopped talking. Truth was, they only dared to say all that behind Tristan¡¯s back. They would never dare to let Tristan hear about it. ¡°Leon, prepare some desserts for Ms. Tanner. And you, Aldo. Cut some fruits for Ms. Tanner. Both of you are on standby for the entire day today. this is the first time Mr. Tristan brings a woman to the office, so we must not make even the slightest mistake.¡± It had not been easy for Tristan to be interested in a woman. Therefore, they could not afford to make any mistakes. ¡°Got it,¡± the secretaries responded obediently and immediately dispersed to carry out their tasks. It did not take long for Tristan¡¯s office to be filled with fruits and snacks thatdies typically liked. ¡°Ms. Tanner, feel free to ask for us anytime if there¡¯s anything you need,¡± said Daphne to Sophie with a grin. This youngdy is really pretty. No wonder she seeded in capturing Mr. Tristan¡¯s heart. ¡°All right. I¡¯m good. I don¡¯t really like eating snacks, anyway,¡± Sophie said. Have they forgotten that this is Tristan¡¯s office? ¡°All right. You may leave now.¡± Tristan felt rather speechless but amazed at how thoughtful Daphne was. He then added, ¡°Remember to tell the finance department to give everyone in the secretary department a raise.¡± ¡°Thank you, Mr. Tristan. We¡¯ll do our best to serve you,¡± said Daphne immediately. Truth was, she never expected a raise. After all, Lombard Group was already paying them very well. Daphne merely wanted to serve Sophie well for fear of thetter leaving Tristan. The other secretaries were delighted when Daphne ryed the news to them after leaving the office. ¡°Mr. Tristan really dotes on Ms. Tanner.¡± ¡°I know, right? We¡¯re only doing our job, but he¡¯s giving us a raise because we¡¯re doing it for Ms. Tanner.¡± ¡°How nice¡­¡± ¡°What are you guys envious of? Focus on doing your work! There¡¯s no point in being envious. Didn¡¯t you see how pretty Ms. Tanner is? She¡¯s so beautiful that she surely has many fans if she were to make her debut.¡± ¡°Ah¡­ I think I¡¯m quite pretty, too. I¡¯m just not as lucky as her,¡± said one of the secretaries. The other secretaries gawked at her, baffled. ¡°Sure, you¡¯re pretty. But do you have the guts to call yourself a beauty in front of Ms. Tanner?¡± That secretary fell silent. What nonsense are they spouting? ¡°Hmph. I give up talking to you guys. What¡¯s the point of making myself hurt?¡± Sophie scanned the scrumptious food on the coffee table, unable to register what was going on. What do they take me for? A pig? Tristan poked a piece of fruit with a fork and ced it in her hand. ¡°Here. Have some! Don¡¯t let their kind efforts go to waste.¡± They prepared all this out of concern for her, anyway. ¡°Mr. Tristan, do I look like someone who¡¯s been starving for many years?¡± Sophie asked. This is really ridiculous. ¡°Nope. You look naturally rich and powerful. Then again, you¡¯re really too skinny. You¡¯ve got to eat more!¡± Tristan sat on the couch and dug in with her. Meanwhile, Sophie leaned against the couch, took out her phone, and started ying a game. ¡°You should go get busy,¡± Sophie prompted, preparing to y her game quietly. She would never try to attract his attention there. ¡°I really don¡¯t feel like working.¡± Tristan sighed. He finally understood why the kings in ancient times did not want to go to court in the morning. Didn¡¯t he say he¡¯ll work faster with me here? At that thought, Sophie cleared her throat and said, ¡°Mr. Tristan, if my presence is affecting your work, then it¡¯s best if I go home.¡± ¡°No, no! Sit here. I¡¯ll get back to work now. I¡¯ll take you outter tonight.¡± Tristan shot to his feet and walked to his desk. ItBelongs to ? n0velDrama.Org. took him only a short while to get into the mood. In just a few minutes, he was already busy at work. Sophie, however, could not focus on her game. What should I do? I think I¡¯m swooning over him. She was totally mesmerized by Tristan who was all into his work. It was already noon when Tristan was done with work. He made his way to Sophie, who was ying games and sat beside her. ¡°You must be bored, aren¡¯t you?¡± Tristan said apologetically. He felt sorry for inviting her to thepany, despite knowing he would be very busy. ¡°Not really,¡± Sophie responded. It was not boring for her since she could feast her eyes on a handsome man. Tristan prompted, ¡°Come on! You haven¡¯t visited our staff cafeteria, right? I¡¯ll take you there.¡± ¡°Sure!¡± With that, Tristan led Sophie to the staff cafeteria. Since it was already noon, the cafeteria was packed with people. Despite being mealtime, everyone queued up in an orderly fashion. Even the employees ate their food in proper manners. The employees of Lombard Group did not expect Tristan to bring a guest there. Upon seeing them, they quickly got to their feet to greet him. ¡°Hello, Mr. Tristan!¡± ¡°Good afternoon, Mr. Tristan!¡± ¡°Hello. Please, carry on with your food. Just pretend I don¡¯t exist, okay?¡± ¡°Looks like you don¡¯te here for meals often, eh?¡± Sophie stood beside Tristan. She was used to situations like that. ¡°Yeah. I came here on purpose today. I want everyone to know how pretty my girlfriend is.¡± Sophie was at a loss for words. I never expected Tristan to have such a side to him. Am I his girlfriend? I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve said yes yet. Most importantly, thatst sentence he said doesn¡¯t suit me at all. Why would Mr. Tristan want to show off a girl like me? Not long after, Sophie¡¯s phone rang. As soon as the call connected, Ysabelle¡¯s came from the other end. ¡°Sophie, it¡¯s me. I heard you¡¯ve gone to Lombard Group with Uncle Tristan. What¡¯s up? Have you said yes to him? Did he seed in making you his girlfriend already?¡± Are they dating each other now? ¡°No way. I¡¯m just here to learn,¡± responded Sophie. There were many people who wanted to learn from Tristan, and Felix was one of them. Chapter 221 Chapter 221 Chapter 221 It Is Good To Be My Girlfriend ¡°All right. I¡¯ll meet you at Lombard Groupter in the afternoon. Remember toe down and get me, okay?¡± Ysabelle had not forgotten how she was not allowed to go up to the office. Her status as Tristan¡¯s niece was not as good as being Tristan¡¯s girlfriend. ¡°Okay. I¡¯m going to hang up if there¡¯s nothing else. Your uncle is waiting for me to have lunch.¡± Ysabelle was speechless. Okay, then. I don¡¯t feel too bad if she¡¯s eating with Uncle Tristan. ¡°Was that Ysabelle?¡± ¡°Yep. She says she¡¯sing over in the afternoon to keep mepany. Since we haven¡¯t met for a couple of days, I said yes. You don¡¯t mind it, do you?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t¡­¡± ¡°Really?¡± Sophia asked quizzically. Why does he look like he¡¯s bothered about it? Tristan ced his arm around her shoulders and brought her over to get their food. After that, they found a table by the window and sat down. ¡°I really don¡¯t mind it. It must be boring being around me, right? Am I a boring person?¡± Sophie had totally forgotten all about the conversation from earlier. What¡¯s Mr. Tristan talking about? Is he a boring person? Does he have some wrong understanding of himself? ¡°Nope. You¡¯re not a boring person at all. In fact, you¡¯re very interesting!¡± she answered. How can an outstanding man like Tristan have such a major misunderstanding about himself? ¡°That¡¯s great. I was worried you¡¯d be bored being around me,¡± Tristan said. The food served in Lombard Group¡¯s cafeteria was the best, unlike mostpanies. In those companies, employees would order takeaway or head out during lunchtime. To solve the employees¡¯ meal problem, Lombard Group had specially hired a few five-star chefs who were well adept at cooking all kinds of cuisines. Thus, Sophie was quite satisfied with the dishes she was served. They looked good and smelled amazing. ¡°It must be nice working for you,¡± Sophie said as she took a bite of her food. As expected, it was on par with the food sold in restaurants out there. ¡°It¡¯s always good to be my girlfriend,¡± Tristan said with a smile. His words left Sophie stumped. Fine. It must be nice to be associated with Mr. Tristan, no matter what the rtionship is. Before Tristan and Sophie finished their food, Felix, who heard the news about Tristan eating at the cafeteria, immediately hurried over. The moment Felix spotted Sophie, he could not help but say, ¡°Mr. Tristan, this isn¡¯t nice of you. It¡¯s Ms. Tanner¡¯s first visit to ourpany, and you¡¯re letting her eat in our cafeteria?¡± ¡°What¡¯s the problem? Is the food in our cafeteria inedible?¡± Tristan did not wee Felix, for thetter was intruding on his alone time with Sophie. Why on earth did hee here for? ¡°I¡¯m a man. What I eat doesn¡¯t matter.¡± Of course, Felix was rtively satisfied with the food served in Lombard Group¡¯s cafeteria. In fact, he had gotten himself some food too. ¡°Sophie, it must be nice having your holidays now, right?¡± he asked. She can go anywhere and do whatever she wants the entire day. Gosh, I miss those days. It¡¯s so sad that I can¡¯t return to those days anymore. ¡°I suppose so.¡± Though it was the holidays, she had been keeping herself busy. ¡°It¡¯s nicer if someone gets lost. Why don¡¯t you just get lost?¡± Tristan snapped coldly. Felix¡¯s feelings were rather hurt by those words. ¡°Mr. Tristan, you hurt my feelings. You never treated me like this in the past. Didn¡¯t you always like me? Things are really different now that you have Sophie.¡± Felix pretended to wipe his tears with his handkerchief. Sophie was rendered speechless by his act. ¡°Get lost! You¡¯re not important to me, so you can get lost now,¡± Tristan said impolitely. ¡°No. I haven¡¯t met Sophie for many days. You might not miss me, but I bet Sophie does. Don¡¯t you, Sophie?¡± Felix asked. Surely girls won¡¯t be that savage? ¡°Sorry to disappoint you, but I don¡¯t,¡± replied Sophie. She did not bother sparing his dignity. Felix red at the duo. ¡°Can you two not be so heartless?¡± he reprimanded. This is too much. I came over to eat with them because I find it boring to eat alone. Do they really have to dislike me so much? s, Sophie ignored him and lowered her head to continue eating. At the same time, Tristan realized she was already too full to eat. However, she was still forcing herself to finish the food because she did not want to waste it. ¡°You don¡¯t have to force yourself if you can¡¯t eat anymore.¡± Belongs to ? n0velDrama.Org. Though he hoped Sophie could eat more, she was already at the limit of her appetite. She would feel unwell if he forced her to finish her food. ¡°Okay.¡± Sophie did not force herself to eat either. There was still a lot of food left, even though she had asked the employee to reduce her portion. I think my appetite has gotten worse recently. ¡°Exactly. Don¡¯t worry about it. Mr. Tristan won¡¯t mind finishing it if there are leftovers,¡± Felix said. Isn¡¯t it normal for couples to do that? ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± Sophie said. I can just throw my leftovers. We¡¯re at Lombard Group, after all. I don¡¯t think it¡¯s a good idea to let Tristan eat my leftovers in front of his employees. Regardless, Tristan still took her tray of food after finishing his. ¡°It¡¯s okay. I¡¯m not full, anyway.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have to do this, Mr. Tristan. You¡¯re already full,¡± Sophie said. It was not their first time having a meal together. Naturally, she knew how big his appetite was. ¡°She¡¯s right, Mr. Tristan. If you keep this up, I¡¯m afraid you¡¯ll go out of shape. What are you going to do if Sophie is disgusted by your figure?¡± Felix asked. Tristan was speechless. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Fatty Felix. I¡¯m not the kind of person who¡¯ll get fat from eating,¡± he teased. ¡°Mr. Tristan, you¡¯re going overboard. How could you call me that? I¡¯m not fat, okay?¡± In truth, Felix was once quite fat for a period when he was about eight years old. However, he refused to think of that chapter in his life for it was his dark past. After all, Felix was someone who was exceptionally particr about his image. ¡°You used to be a fatty?¡± Sophie could not picture Felix being a fat kid. Though he was not as good-looking as Tristan, Felix was quite a dashing person. ¡°Don¡¯t you dare call me that, Sophie. Otherwise, I¡¯m going to get mad at you.¡± ¡°So what if you do?¡± Sophie asked seriously. Felix nced at Tristan. In the end, he had no choice but to continue eating. She was right. I won¡¯t dare to do anything to Mr. Tristan¡¯s woman¡ªnothing at all. I can only seethe in silence. Can there be anyone in this world who feels more miserable than me? ¡°Sophie, stop bullying him already,¡± Tristan said, chuckling. Felix shot him a grateful nce. ¡°I knew I have a special ce in your heart, Mr. Tristan. What you said earlier really touched me.¡± ¡°You¡¯re overthinking it. I just figured I won¡¯t have anyone to work like a ve for me if you die being bullied.¡± Felix was stumped. Sophie could not help but chuckle at those words. The way he put it makes Felix look really pitiful. Suddenly, Felix got to his feet. ¡°I give up talking to both of you. You¡¯re too much. This is basically a fight of two against one. How can I possibly defeat you guys?¡± ¡°You¡¯ll never win, even if Sophie was alone.¡± Chapter 222 Chapter 222 Chapter 222 Wrong Move Felix was rendered speechless. ¡°If that¡¯s the case, Mr. Tristan, what¡¯s the point of continuing this conversation?¡± Sophie asked. Sophie¡¯s words made sense to Felix. Why am I bringing this upon myself? Wouldn¡¯t it be nice if I stayed in the office and enjoyed the air conditioning? Why did I have toe here to torture myself? Sophie got to her feet and was about to pick up the tray to return it when Tristan stopped her. He was never going to let her do that. ¡°Just leave it to Felix. He¡¯ll handle it. There¡¯s no need for you to do it.¡± With that, Tristan handed Felix both their trays. Felix was befuddled. Did I say yes? Did I say I¡¯d return their trays? He keeps getting on my nerves! How dare he keep bullying me? ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Do you have a problem with it? Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll definitely listen to you if you tell me about it.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Felix was even more doubtful of Tristan. He was never going to believe thetter¡¯s words. ¡°Let¡¯s hear it.¡± Tristan smirked. Noting his expression, Felix shot to his feet. Forget it. Why should I? I¡¯m nothing in the presence of Sophie. What¡¯s the point of talking about rights? I don¡¯t have them. I don¡¯t have them at all. Silently, Felix picked up the trays and returned them. Oh, well. I should say nothing and just do my tasks. ¡°Mr. Tristan, don¡¯t you think you¡¯re bullying him too much?¡± Sophie asked. Felix looks quite pitiful. ¡°You think so, too? I¡¯ll go easier on him next time, then.¡± Nathan was thoroughly speechless. He quietly returned the trays to their designated spot. What on earth? This is ridiculous. How could they do this to me? s, he could only seethe in silence. When he had returned from putting back the trays, he said immediately, ¡°All right. I¡¯ll get going since I¡¯ve still got some work to do.¡± ¡°Are you sure you¡¯re going to leave just like that?¡± ¡°Why not? Do I look like a masochist? Why would I make myself suffer by watching you two publicly disying your affection for one another?¡± ¡°All right. If you want to leave so much, then I shall not stop you. I wonder if Ysabelle will be bored when she comester in the afternoon.¡± ¡°What? Really? Are you pulling my leg?¡± The cafeteria¡¯s floor was a little slippery. Before the employee could even start cleaning, Tristan grabbed Sophie¡¯s waist to prevent her from falling. ¡°I¡¯m fine, Mr. Tristan. Besides, I don¡¯t think this is appropriate when there are so many employees from yourpany in this cafeteria.¡± ¡°There¡¯s nothing inappropriate about this,¡± Tristan said. He did not think it was a big deal when he was finally showing his affection for her. ¡°Mr. Tristan, I know you¡¯re really nice to me. Anyway, I¡¯m going to Quadfield for a business trip in a few days. Can I bring Ysabelle along with me?¡± Felix asked. Tristan raised his brow. This man is starting to forget his ce just because I¡¯m treating him a little nicer. ¡°Felix, Ysabelle is still very young. Don¡¯t you think you¡¯re going a little too far?¡± ¡°But Sophie¡¯s younger than Ysabelle,¡± Felix could not help but mumble. Sophie feigned ignorance at those words. In all seriousness, Tristan was a gentlemanly person. Even if she was alone with him, the most he would do were giving her hugs and kisses. ¡°Excuse me. I¡¯m not the same as you. I¡¯ve gotten her parent¡¯s approval. What about you? Have you done the same?¡± Tristan refuted. He was someone approved by Josiah. ¡°Fine. You win!¡± Felix snapped. It was not going to be easy for Felix to date Ysabelle. After all, they had a huge age gap between them. Felix felt a little depressed. Suddenly, Sophie, who had been silent the entire time, spoke. ¡°Felix, I believe you¡¯ll seed.¡± Her encouragement cheered Felix up. ¡°That¡¯s right. I¡¯ll definitely make it,¡± said Felix. How could I give up when I haven¡¯t started pursuing her? Soon, the trio returned to Tristan¡¯s office. When Felix saw Sophie ying a game on her phone, he quickly hurried over. ¡°You y this game, too?¡± asked Felix. He asionally yed the game when he was feeling bored. In fact, his rank was quite high. ¡°Let¡¯s have a match,¡± Felix suggested, taking a seat in front of her. ¡°Sure.¡± Hearing her agreement, Felix instantly formed a group, added her as a friend, and also added her into the group. ¡°I¡¯ve got to warn you. I won¡¯t go easy on you. Don¡¯t cry when you lose, okay?¡± Felix said, chuckling. Sophie was utterly baffled by his words. Where on earth did he get that confidence from? I y this game seriously, too. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I won¡¯t cry. Just make sure you don¡¯t.¡± Felix took a deep breath and pulled himself together. I¡¯m going to win one round today, no matter what. She¡¯s going to lose! Right then, Tristan walked over to Sophie. ¡°Trash him however you want,¡± he said. He knew Sophie was quite skilled since he had watched her ying games before. ¡°Don¡¯t cross the line, Mr. Tristan. Haven¡¯t you seen my ranking? I¡¯ve been ying this game for some time. Tsk. I wanted to go easy on Sophie. Now that you two have said so, I guess I¡¯ll be letting you down if I don¡¯t bully Sophie.¡± ¡°So you want to bully her, eh? That really depends on if you have what it takes. What¡¯s the use of just building castles in the air?¡± Tristan said disdainfully. ¡°Very well. You are very brave. Since you¡¯ve said so, I won¡¯t be going easy, then. Otherwise, I¡¯ll be letting your expectations down.¡± ¡°Cut the cr*ap. Just start already,¡± said Sophie, pressing the start button. Felix was on full alert, waiting with bated breath. However, the game had just started, but he looked as though he was already losing. ¡°Pfft. How ambitious of you to want to bully Sophie with that skill of yours.¡± Tristan could not be bothered to continue watching. After all, it was clear who was going to win. There was nothing fun about watching it. Sure enough, Felix lost terribly in the first match, while Sophie won it easily. ¡°Sophie, you must¡¯ve purchased game credits, right? I¡¯ve never bought any with my ount. There¡¯s nothing to be proud of about winning this round if you¡¯ve bought game credits,¡± Felixmented. That must be the only reason she won. Otherwise, how could Sophie y so well without purchasing game credits? ¡°Purchasing game credits? Do you think I have the money to do that?¡± Felix refused to ept her answer. ¡°Are you even human, Sophie? You must be an alien, aren¡¯t you?¡± Felix asked seriously. Hearing that, Sophie stared at him as if he was a lunatic. What¡¯s wrong with him? Tristan, on the other hand, could not help butugh out loud. ¡°Oh, please forgive him. He¡¯s never encountered such a strong opponent. In fact, it¡¯s his first time losing so terribly. It¡¯s only normal for him to go a little crazy.¡± Felix was utterly upset. This couple is too united. I am not a match against them. Urgh, I can¡¯t even win against them in arguments. Oh, this is so sad. ¡°Is Ysabelle reallying?¡± he asked. N?velDrama.Org ? content. Truth was, he was waiting there just to meet Ysabelle. ¡°I¡¯m not sure. Why don¡¯t you give her a call and ask her about it? You can leave if you have matters to deal with. I don¡¯t think there¡¯ll be anyone asking you to stay.¡± Those words left Felix speechless. Forget it. I¡¯ll bear with this for the sake of Ysabelle. ¡°Let¡¯s have another match. I must¡¯ve yed the wrong move just now.¡± ¡°Are you sure?¡± Sophie asked. She had already exited the game and put down her phone. Both of them were on totally different levels. ¡°I¡¯m sure. Come on. I don¡¯t believe I can¡¯t win. I¡¯m going to make you lose terribly this time.¡± Chapter 223 Password ¡°Felix, who do you wanna beat, huh? You¡¯re really daring. How dare youy your hands on our Sophie!¡± Ysabelle heard Felix¡¯s voice the moment she reached the door and rushed in at once. When Felix saw his beloved, he quickly said with a pitiful expression, ¡°Ysabelle, you¡¯re finally here! Before you came, the two of them kept bullying me. It was really bad that there was no one on my side. Do you know how helpless I felt?¡± ¡°Oh,¡± Ysabelle replied as she put down her bag and walked toward Sophie. Standing behind the woman, she continued, ¡°Sophie, feel free to torture him. Don¡¯t hold back yeah!¡± Felix was speechless when he heard that. She had tantly ignored his plea for sympathy. It was as if she had not heard anything he had just said. The man sighed and said, ¡°Why is my life so miserable? No one listens to me, and no one wants to help me.¡± Felix was wallowing in self-pity and started feeling more and more miserable as he spoke. ¡°You¡­¡± Ysabelle waspletely speechless after hearing the man¡¯s words and did not know what to say to him. ¡°Let¡¯s start now!¡± Since Felix was so keen on ying, Sophie decided to grant his wish and make him lose everything he had. Felix had the upper hand at the start of the game. Feeling pleased, he said smugly, ¡°Ysabelle, you¡¯re my lucky star indeed! My luck has started to pick up ever since you got here.¡± Ysabelle could not help but re at him. It¡¯s just a game. What has his luck got to do with me! ¡°Sophie, you can do it! Look at how smug he is. You need to show him your prowess and make him beg for mercy.¡± What¡¯s there to be smug about? Sophie replied with an okay sign and said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. He won¡¯t beughing for long.¡± Ysabelle was utterly mesmerized by the look in Sophie¡¯s eyes when she said that. ¡°Sophie, you¡¯re so cool! You¡¯re totally my fantasy!¡± Felix was slightly infuriated when he saw that Ysabelle was behaving just like a teenage girl who was talking to her idol. ¡°Ysabelle, she¡¯s a woman.¡± Felix could not help but remind Ysabelle. He had no doubts that if he had not spoken up, Ysabelle would really end up falling in love with Sophie. Although the man could not deny that Sophie was indeed very charming, he was not pleased that the woman he liked was also falling for her charm. ¡°So what? Are you discriminating against homosexuals?¡± Ysabelle asked without worrying that she would be judged. ¡°No. Why would I?¡± Felix was at an utter loss for words. Since anything he said seemed to be wrong, he decided to keep quiet. Felix ended up losing the game miserably after being distracted. There was simply nothing he could do to turn the situation around. With that, he tossed his phone aside. His beloved had finally arrived, but she ended up bing Sophie¡¯s ally instead. Previously, it was two against one, and it ended up bing three against one. Is this really my fate? Why is it so miserable! ¡°Are you willing to admit defeat now? If not, we can always go for another round.¡± Sophie was confident that she would be able to crush Felix no matter how many games they yed. Felix fell on the couch and pretended to faint. He did not feel like speaking as he needed to reflect on his life and find out why he was such a failure! Ysabelle could not help butugh in amusement at the man¡¯s reaction. She grabbed a toothpick and took a piece of fruit for Felix. ¡°Here, have some fruits. Don¡¯t be too disheartened. Losing a few games to Sophie isn¡¯t that embarrassing.¡± ¡°All right then!¡± Felix sat up and had some fruits with Ysabelle. Seeing that the man had perked up, Ysabelle returned to sit next to Sophie. ¡°Sophie, how can you be so amazing! You¡¯re as good as those professional yers!¡± Although Ysabelle was not a gamer, her deskmate enjoyed ying games and would watch gaming streams whenever she had free time. As such Ysabelle knew a bit about games. ¡°I¡¯m just average!¡± Sophie replied humbly. She did not think that ying games well was a big deal. ¡°You should have some fruits too!¡± Ysabelle passed Sophie a piece of fruit. Instead of taking it over from Ysabelle, Sophie ate it from the woman¡¯s hand directly. Seeing that, Felix was no longer able to remain calm. What was that??? ¡°I want you to feed me too,¡± Felix said to Ysabelle. Ysabelle was speechless. ¡°Well, it¡¯s up to you whether you want to eat it or not!¡± Ysabelle chose to ignore the man¡¯s request. There was no way she was going to feed him. ¡°Ysabelle, I didn¡¯t know you¡¯re someone who would show favoritism!¡± Felix continued eating the fruits. I need to be strong. I can take care of myself! After hanging out for a while, Tristan and Felix went to attend a meeting, leaving Sophie and Ysabelle in the office. Ysabelle started watching the videos on singing tutorials that Sophie had sent her, while Sophie turned on Tristan¡¯sputer. However, Tristan¡¯sputer was password-protected. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Noticing Sophie¡¯s inaction, Ysabelle walked toward the woman and saw the login screen. ¡°Oh, it¡¯s password-protected! Try Uncle Tristan¡¯s birthday? 1XXXXX,¡± Ysabelle guessed. ¡°Never mind! I don¡¯t have to use theputer. Or I can borrow one from the secretaries instead.¡± Since Tristan added a password to hisptop, it was probably because he did not want others to use it. As such, Sophie decided to forget about it. ¡°What are you afraid of? It¡¯s just aputer. If you ask for it, Uncle Tristan would dly give you his life!¡± Seeing that Sophie did not reply, Ysabelle continued, ¡°I¡¯m serious. Trust me!¡± Ysabelle proceeded to type in Tristan¡¯s birthday in the password box. However, it was not the correct password. As Ysabelle¡¯s password was her birthday, she had assumed that it would be the same for everyone else! How is this possible! ¡°Let¡¯s try my birthday instead!¡± Ysabelle suggested, thinking that it was possible, given that Tristan used to treat her pretty well. However, it was still the wrong password. ¡°Could his password be your birthday instead? That would be so romantic!¡± ¡°Soph, let¡¯s try your birthday!¡± Ysabelle said expectantly, feeling pretty sure that they would finally get it right! ¡°Let¡¯s just forget it! I can just use my phone.¡± Sophie had promised The Wheelers that she would write them a song. As she was feeling rather bored and happened to have some inspiration, she thought of penning something down. However, since she did not have ess to aputer, she decided to write it another day instead as it wasn¡¯t urgent. ¡°It wouldn¡¯t hurt for us to try!¡± Ysabelle entered Sophie¡¯s password, but it was still incorrect. Ysabelle was overwhelmed with awkwardness when she saw that, and she even had the urge to chop her hands off that instant. That was such a stupid idea! It¡¯s so awkward now! ¡°Ummm¡­ Soph, Uncle Tristan is someone who doesn¡¯t think like us! So, it doesn¡¯t matter if his password isn¡¯t your birthday.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine. I¡¯m not that narcissistic!¡± Initially, Sophie wasn¡¯t curious but she was really interested to know what Tristan¡¯s password was at that moment. However, she couldn¡¯t hack into Tristan¡¯sputer when Ysabelle was still around as that would seem too insolent! Chapter 223 Chapter 223 Chapter 223 Password ¡°Felix, who do you wanna beat, huh? You¡¯re really daring. How dare youy your hands on our Sophie!¡± Ysabelle heard Felix¡¯s voice the moment she reached the door and rushed in at once. When Felix saw his beloved, he quickly said with a pitiful expression, ¡°Ysabelle, you¡¯re finally here! Before you came, the two of them kept bullying me. It was really bad that there was no one on my side. Do you know how helpless I felt?¡± ¡°Oh,¡± Ysabelle replied as she put down her bag and walked toward Sophie. Standing behind the woman, she continued, ¡°Sophie, feel free to torture him. Don¡¯t hold back yeah!¡± Felix was speechless when he heard that. She had tantly ignored his plea for sympathy. It was as if she had not heard anything he had just said. The man sighed and said, ¡°Why is my life so miserable? No one listens to me, and no one wants to help me.¡± Felix was wallowing in self-pity and started feeling more and more miserable as he spoke. ¡°You¡­¡± Ysabelle waspletely speechless after hearing the man¡¯s words and did not know what to say to him. ¡°Let¡¯s start now!¡± Since Felix was so keen on ying, Sophie decided to grant his wish and make him lose everything he had. Felix had the upper hand at the start of the game. Feeling pleased, he said smugly, ¡°Ysabelle, you¡¯re my lucky star indeed! My luck has started to pick up ever since you got here.¡± Ysabelle could not help but re at him. It¡¯s just a game. What has his luck got to do with me! ¡°Sophie, you can do it! Look at how smug he is. You need to show him your prowess and make him beg for mercy.¡± What¡¯s there to be smug about? Sophie replied with an okay sign and said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. He won¡¯t beughing for long.¡± Ysabelle was utterly mesmerized by the look in Sophie¡¯s eyes when she said that. ¡°Sophie, you¡¯re so cool! You¡¯re totally my fantasy!¡± Felix was slightly infuriated when he saw that Ysabelle was behaving just like a teenage girl who was talking to her idol. ¡°Ysabelle, she¡¯s a woman.¡± Felix could not help but remind Ysabelle. He had no doubts that if he had not spoken up, Ysabelle would really end up falling in love with Sophie. Although the man could not deny that Sophie was indeed very charming, he was not pleased that the woman he liked was also falling for her charm. ¡°So what? Are you discriminating against homosexuals?¡± Ysabelle asked without worrying that she would be judged. ¡°No. Why would I?¡± Felix was at an utter loss for words. Since anything he said seemed to be wrong, he decided to keep quiet. Felix ended up losing the game miserably after being distracted. There was simply nothing he could do to turn the situation around. With that, he tossed his phone aside. His beloved had finally arrived, but she ended up bing Sophie¡¯s ally instead. Previously, it was two against one, and it ended up bing three against one. Is this really my fate? Why is it so miserable! ¡°Are you willing to admit defeat now? If not, we can always go for another round.¡± Sophie was confident that she would be able to crush Felix no matter how many games they yed. Felix fell on the couch and pretended to faint. He did not feel like speaking as he needed to reflect on his life and find out why he was such a failure! Ysabelle could not help butugh in amusement at the man¡¯s reaction. She grabbed a toothpick and took a piece of fruit for Felix. ¡°Here, have some fruits. Don¡¯t be too disheartened. Losing a few games to Sophie isn¡¯t that embarrassing.¡± ¡°All right then!¡± Felix sat up and had some fruits with Ysabelle. Seeing that the man had perked up, Ysabelle returned to sit next to Sophie. ¡°Sophie, how can you be so amazing! You¡¯re as good as those professional yers!¡± Although Ysabelle was not a gamer, her deskmate enjoyed ying games and would watch gaming streams whenever she had free time. As such Ysabelle knew a bit about games. ¡°I¡¯m just average!¡± Sophie replied humbly. She did not think that ying games well was a big deal. ¡°You should have some fruits too!¡± Ysabelle passed Sophie a piece of fruit. Instead of taking it over from Ysabelle, Sophie ate it from the woman¡¯s hand directly. Seeing that, Felix was no longer able to remain calm. What was that??? ¡°I want you to feed me too,¡± Felix said to Ysabelle. Ysabelle was speechless. ¡°Well, it¡¯s up to you whether you want to eat it or not!¡± Ysabelle chose to ignore the man¡¯s request. There was no way she was going to feed him. ¡°Ysabelle, I didn¡¯t know you¡¯re someone who would show favoritism!¡± Felix continued eating the fruits. I need to be strong. I can take care of myself! After hanging out for a while, Tristan and Felix went to attend a meeting, leaving Sophie and Ysabelle in the office. Ysabelle started watching the videos on singing tutorials that Sophie had sent her, while Sophie turned on Tristan¡¯sputer. However, Tristan¡¯sputer was password-protected. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Noticing Sophie¡¯s inaction, Ysabelle walked toward the woman and saw the login screen. ¡°Oh, it¡¯s password-protected! Try Uncle Tristan¡¯s birthday? 1XXXXX,¡± Ysabelle guessed. ¡°Never mind! I don¡¯t have to use theputer. Or I can borrow one from the secretaries instead.¡± Since Tristan added a password to hisptop, it was probably because he did not want others to use it. As such, Sophie decided to forget about it. ¡°What are you afraid of? It¡¯s just aputer. If you ask for it, Uncle Tristan would dly give you his life!¡± Seeing that Sophie did not reply, Ysabelle continued, ¡°I¡¯m serious. Trust me!¡± Ysabelle proceeded to type in Tristan¡¯s birthday in the password box. However, it was not the correct password. As Ysabelle¡¯s password was her birthday, she had assumed that it would be the same for everyone else! How is this possible! ¡°Let¡¯s try my birthday instead!¡± Ysabelle suggested, thinking that it was possible, given that Tristan used to treat her pretty well. However, it was still the wrong password. ¡°Could his password be your birthday instead? That would be so romantic!¡± ¡°Soph, let¡¯s try your birthday!¡± Ysabelle said expectantly, feeling pretty sure that they would finally get it right! ¡°Let¡¯s just forget it! I can just use my phone.¡± Sophie had promised The Wheelers that she would write them a song. As she was feeling rather bored and happened to have some inspiration, she thought of penning something down. However, since she did not have ess to aputer, she decided to write it another day instead as it wasn¡¯t urgent. ¡°It wouldn¡¯t hurt for us to try!¡± Ysabelle entered Sophie¡¯s password, but it was still incorrect. Ysabelle was overwhelmed with awkwardness when she saw that, and she even had the urge to chop her hands off that instant. That was such a stupid idea! It¡¯s so awkward now! ¡°Ummm¡­ Soph, Uncle Tristan is someone who doesn¡¯t think like us! So, it doesn¡¯t matter if his password isn¡¯t your birthday.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine. I¡¯m not that narcissistic!¡± Initially, Sophie wasn¡¯t curious but she was really interested to know what Tristan¡¯s password was at that moment. However, she couldn¡¯t hack into Tristan¡¯sputer when Ysabelle was still around as that would seem too insolent!Content held by N?velDrama.Org. Chapter 224 Chapter 224 Chapter 224 Spection Tristan returned after getting his things and saw Ysabelle and Sophie huddled before hisputer. Confused, he asked, ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± ¡°Uncle Tristan, Sophie wants to use yourputer. I tried a couple of birthdays, but none of them were correct.¡± ¡°Do you think everyone uses birthdays as their password like you?¡± Tristan strode toward them and typed quickly on his keyboard. He pressed the Enter key and unlocked theputer with a flourish. Sophie muttered, ¡°Actually, I don¡¯t have to use it right now.¡± Aputer was considered a rather private possession, let alone one in Lombard Group¡¯s headquarters. Tristan¡¯sputer probably holds a ton of secrets! He reassured her, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Just use it. There are no secrets in there that you can¡¯t know about.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Ysabelle continued excitedly, ¡°So what¡¯s your password, Uncle Tristan?¡± He shot his niece a look, and she immediately dropped the topic. Fine! Just take it that I didn¡¯t say anything! I didn¡¯t do that on purpose! I was just curious. ¡°Have fun,¡± Tristan said to Sophie before leaving the office. Ysabelle perked up right after her uncle¡¯s departure. Sheined pettily, ¡°It¡¯s just a password. What¡¯s the big deal?¡± Then, she went one step further and backstabbed Tristan, iming, ¡°It must be some ex-girlfriend¡¯s birthday or something. That¡¯s why he doesn¡¯t want you to know!¡± That must be it! Sophie was unbothered by her assumption. So what if it is? Tristan isn¡¯t that young. It won¡¯t be strange if he has ex-girlfriends. Her reaction took the wind out of Ysabelle¡¯s sails. Ysabelle whined, ¡°Sophie Tanner! Why do you look so unaffected? Don¡¯t you care at all?¡± She should show a smidge of emotion! ¡°What kind of reaction should I be showing?¡± asked Sophie. ¡°Jealousy! Aren¡¯t you even the least bit jealous when I¡¯m talking about my uncle¡¯s ex-girlfriend? Perhaps, you don¡¯t like my uncle at all!¡± Or you wouldn¡¯t be disying such ackluster response! Oh, my poor Uncle Tristan! Sophie exined, ¡°What¡¯s the use in being jealous? What¡¯s done is done. Don¡¯t you think it¡¯s a waste of time to brood over the unchangeable past?¡± ¡°Fine! You win.¡± In hindsight, Ysabelle wondered why she had bothered to argue with a person as logical as Sophie. Meanwhile, Sophie downloaded a piece of software on Tristan¡¯sputer and was satisfied with its running speed. ¡°What are you doing?¡± Ysabelle who was ying a game on her mobile phone stared at the screen out of curiosity. Sophie had agreed to write a song for The Wheelers. Since she was free today, she decided to get the job over and done with. ¡°You¡¯re writing a song?¡± Ysabelle was stunned. We¡¯re both in high school. How is Sophie so talented? Sophie wondered if she somehow looked like the farthest thing from a songwriter. ¡°Why? Can¡¯t I write songs?¡± Ysabelle pulled a chair over and sat beside her, praising, ¡°No, Sophie. You¡¯re a freaking genius. I would never doubt you, even if you imed you knew how to steer a spaceship.¡± She added, ¡°Why don¡¯t you start? Don¡¯t worry! Text property ? N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org. I promise I won¡¯t disturb you.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Sophie did not put on any airs as she got down to work. She had already thought of a melody over the past few days. All she had to do was to write it out, make some edits, and put in the lyrics. She worked efficiently and almost produced theplete song in no time. ¡°Do you want to listen to it?¡± Sophie asked an expectant Ysabelle. Ysabelle nodded immediately. ¡°Of course! I want to!¡± Why would I give up such a precious opportunity? Sophie made some final edits before ying the song out. She hadposed a rock song, a far cry from The Wheelers¡¯ typical genre. However, once the music yed, its addictive tune immediately had its listeners¡¯ bodies pumping with adrenaline. The passion and exhration of the song stayed with its audience long after the song ended. More impressively, the piece was already a hit even without any lyrics. ¡°What do you think of it?¡± Sophie asked Ysabelle. ¡°Sophie, you¡¯re the most enviable talent on the face of this earth. I swear.¡± Ysabelle really meant every word of her praise. Sophie smiled and said, ¡°I guess you liked it!¡± Suddenly, Ysabelle grabbed her friend¡¯s wrist and suggested, ¡°Sophie, you should enter the entertainment industry! I guarantee you¡¯ll be a global hit!¡± ¡°Nah. I don¡¯t want to do that.¡± ¡°Fine. But you better write songs for me in the future, especially my debut song.¡± Sophie agreed. ¡°That works.¡± She wanted to help her friends as much as she could before she left for the International Medical Association. Ysabelle hugged her gratefully and dered dramatically, ¡°Sophie, what would I have done if I never met you?¡± I¡¯ve met my lucky star! Sophie is my lucky star! ¡°You¡¯ll be fine even without me.¡± Ysabelle¡¯s identity as a Lombard would still open many doors for her in the future. Surprisingly, Ysabelle shook her head and said, ¡°No. If I didn¡¯t know you, my life would surely be a mess right now.¡± Without Sophie, she would not have mustered the courage to pursue her dreams. In fact, she probably would have followed her father¡¯s wishes and became the Lombard family¡¯s young and unambitious daughter. Ysabelle yed Sophie¡¯s freshlyposed piece over and over again. She asked, ¡°What about the lyrics? Aren¡¯t you nning to write the lyrics, Soph?¡± Sophie wrote the best essays in school, and thenguage teachers even used her essays as model answers. Writing lyrics should be a piece of cake for her. ¡°I¡¯ll fill it in in a couple of days. There¡¯s no rush. The Wheelers are overseas right now.¡± She had barely finished her sentence when Mark video-called her. Sophie answered the call, and Mark¡¯s handsome face immediately appeared on her phone screen. ¡°Hey, look at me, Sophie!¡± Sunny shoved Mark aside barely a secondter and stuck his face before the camera. Sophie greeted them and asked, ¡°How¡¯s everything? Are you adapting well?¡± Sunny shot her a radiant smile and replied, ¡°We¡¯re used to being on the road. Adapting to a different country is as easy as pie for us. Don¡¯t worry! And hey, don¡¯t fret over the contract termination. Take it slow. If nothing can be done about it, we¡¯ll just get cklisted. It¡¯s no big deal.¡± The band prioritized Sophie¡¯s well-being above everything else. To Sunny¡¯s displeasure, Sophie replied, ¡°Hand the phone to Mark.¡± He wailed, ¡°Why? Are you sick of me just after our extremely brief conversation? You¡¯re too much, Sophie!¡± ¡°y nice.¡± Her simple response immediately soothed Sunny¡¯s ruffled feathers. He asked, ¡°Aren¡¯t you on your holidays now, Sophie? Why don¡¯t you meet us here?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t. I need to handle some matters in Chanaea.¡± After attending to some business in Jipsdale, she still had a difficult situation to solve in Horington. She definitely did not have the luxury to go on a vacation with The Wheelers overseas. Finally, Mark grabbed the phone from Sunny and got down to business. ¡°What¡¯s going on? Are there still issues with the contract?¡± He knew it was going to be a tricky situation to deal with. Chapter 225 Chapter 225 Chapter 225 Make Him Pay ¡°Everything¡¯s okay with the contract.¡± She had yet to use herst resort. ¡°I have justpleted the song. I¡¯ll email it to you in a short while.¡± ¡°All right.¡± She acted swiftly. However, after listening to the tune, all the members of The Wheelers were astonished. ¡°I know Sophie is a genius. Just look at this song. I¡¯m sure it will be a hit this time.¡± Although there were no lyrics in the song yet, Sophie had never let them down before. Mark nodded in approval. ¡°Sophie is naturally gifted in music. To be honest, it will be a pity if she doesn¡¯t venture further into this industry.¡± They could not understand why she did not want to pursue a career in music given her outstanding talents. Then again, everyone had their own ambitions, and it was still her choice at the end of the day. ¡°Mark, let¡¯s listen to it one more time.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Meanwhile, both Tristan and Felix had just returned to the office when yton phoned them. ¡°Mr. Tristan, it¡¯s yton.¡± Tristan took the phone. ¡°Mr. Zales, shouldn¡¯t you be very busy at this hour? How is it you still have the time to call me?¡± said Tristan nonchntly. yton was furious when he heard that sarcastic remark. D*mn it! He¡¯s doing it on purpose. This is so evil of him. ¡°I can never be as busy as you are, Mr. Tristan!¡± uttered yton. Even though he was hopping mad, yton had no choice but to be humble since he needed Tristan¡¯s help. ¡°So, tell me!¡± Tristan sounded high and mighty. ¡°Mr. Tristan, I don¡¯t wish to get involved with the investment anymore.¡± ¡°Oh, is that what this is about? It¡¯s fine. If you don¡¯t want to join in, you can always make your exit.¡± yton was so infuriated that he could not respond for a moment. ¡°Mr. Tristan, I will agree to any of your terms and conditions without another word. I only have one request. Please let me off the hook this time around!¡± ¡°Mr. Zales, I never expect to hear you beg,¡± said Tristan with a snort. Does he really think I¡¯m someone he can mess with? yton was very angry, but he did not utter a single word. ¡°Just let Felix know what you need! I¡¯m busy.¡± With that, Tristan handed the phone over to Felix. ¡°Mr. Northley, can you please put in a few good words for me in front of Mr. Tristan?¡± pleaded yton. At the present moment, he needed his funds to be returned to him as soon as possible. Otherwise, Zales Corporation might face bankruptcy. Zales Corporation was everything to him. He could not watch his efforts go down the drain. There was no way he could let that happen. ¡°It¡¯s like this. One of Mr. Tristan¡¯s friends is interested in The Wheelers. He wants you to terminate your contract with them!¡± Now that The Wheelers was so popr, it would be difficult for them to get yton to terminate the contract with the band. ¡°The Wheelers?¡± True enough, yton¡¯s heart skipped a beat when he heard Felix¡¯s request. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Are you not willing to do so? If that¡¯s the case, there¡¯s nothing we can do about your situation.¡± Felix was relentless. ¡°Of course not! Since Mr. Tristan is interested in The Wheelers, I will terminate my contract with them. I¡¯ll contact them right away.¡± At that moment, yton had no choice but to do as he was told. Felix was finally satisfied. ¡°yton, don¡¯t say I didn¡¯t warn you! In the future, don¡¯t ever touch anything that belongs to Mr. Tristan.¡± What! ¡°Yes, yes. I understand. Mr. Northley, you¡¯re right. I will never dare to touch anything that belongs to Mr. Tristan!¡± Felix ended the call after that. It was a waste of his time to spend even one more second talking to that man. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Sophie, who had been silent all the while, finally spoke. ¡°Sophie, do you not know what Mr. Tristan has done for The Wheelers?¡± Content held by N?velDrama.Org. Felix felt that there was nothing wrong with Sophie knowing what Tristan had done. However, Tristan¡¯s thinking was different from that of Felix. Tristan did not do all those things to gain the gratitude of Tanner Group nor did he wish to impose more burden on Sophie. ¡°Felix!¡± Tristan shot him a warning look. Doesn¡¯t he know what to say and what not to say? Felix had no choice but to keep his mouth shut. To be honest, he could not understand what Tristan was thinking about. Now was the time to let Sophie know what he had done so as to win her heart. Ysabelle cast a nce at Felix before looking at her uncle. ¡°Uncle Tristan, let Felix say whatever he wants.¡± She knew that her uncle had treated Sophie very well. He had done many things for her dear friend without asking for anything in return. As far as Ysabelle was concerned, it was all right for Sophie to know about what Tristan had done and felt moved by it. ¡°Go! I¡¯m feeling a little hungry. Go with Felix and buy some snacks back,¡± ordered Tristan. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t the secretary be the one to do this?¡± Ysabelle did not want to go, but Felix dragged her along with him. Does this girl have a death wish? How dare she defy Mr. Tristan! Once they were out of Tristan¡¯s office, Ysabelle ask unhappily, ¡°Why did you pull me out of there? You can pick up the food by yourself. Why do you need me to go too?¡± ¡°Ysabelle, don¡¯t be ungrateful. I just saved your life. Aren¡¯t you aware of your uncle¡¯s style?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not afraid of him. Now that I have Sophie as my backer, there¡¯s nothing Uncle Tristan can do to me.¡± She was well aware of the current situation. That¡¯s true! What she said is the truth. Whatever Sophie says now outweighs anything else. ¡°Then, just keep me apanied. It¡¯s so lonely for me to go and buy snacks all alone.¡± Although Ysabelle was unwilling, she still ended up following Felix. Only Tristan and Sophie were left in the office. ¡°Now that the contract of The Wheelers has been settled, you should be able to rx. Right?¡± Since what happened thest time, he knew how special The Wheelers were to her. Therefore, he was willing to help her settle issues with The Wheelers¡¯ contract at any cost this time around. She had heard everything earlier on. That was why she asked, ¡°Mr. Tristan, whatever yton has asked you for must have been difficult for you to agree to!¡± Now that things hade to this stage, it would be pointless for her to say anything pretentious. However, she was determined to take back whatever yton had taken from Tristan and more in the future. ¡°It¡¯s nothing. yton has no other option. The oue would have been the same even if I have agreed to his request.¡± Right now, yton was trying his best to keep hispany afloat. He was no longer a threat to them. ¡°Okay.¡± Naturally, Sophie knew how powerful Tristan was. However, Sophie did not like the idea of her people being threatened by anyone. That made her feel very ufortable. Therefore, by the time yton managed to catch his breath, his assistant came running to him again. ¡°Mr. Zales, something just happened at the head office again. We are unable to find out who the culprit is.¡± His assistant was trembling all over. Who have we offended recently? Chapter 226 Chapter 226 Chapter 226 Is Phantom Attacking Lombard Group ¡°What?¡± yton could barely believe his ears. He had just sacrificed his reputation to appease Tristan, but now a problem had urred in the headquarters. ¡°Who the f*ck is this? He¡¯s making my life a living hell!¡± yton couldn¡¯t help but curse out loud. Ugh, I¡¯m so unlucky recently. Who is trying to sabotage me behind my back? ¡°Is it not Tristan?¡± ¡°No, it isn¡¯t him. I had someone keep an eye on Mr. Tristan. I didn¡¯t know someone would sabotage us secretly!¡± The person they kept an eye on didn¡¯t take action, but someone else in the dark dealt them a blow. yton was exhausted. ¡°All right, I got it. Head to the headquarters now. I¡¯m afraid I will be fired from my position as the CEO if I can¡¯t handle this properly!¡± He was having a crisis now and didn¡¯t have time to find out who had done this to him. His priority was to resolve the problem at the headquarters before dealing with the other issues. Sophie was pleased as she managed to teach yton a lesson with just a phone call. Since yton upset her, there was no way she¡¯d allow him to live in peace. After dealing with him, she was about to write the lyrics for The Wheelers¡¯ song when Felix hurried in. That was the first time Sophie had ever seen Felix in a hurry, so she immediately ced her work aside. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Why are you in such a hurry?¡± she asked. Despite his demeanor, Felix was a capable man as he was working for Tristan. Sophie couldn¡¯t help but get curious when she saw him in a flustered state. ¡°Where is Mr. Tristan? I need to talk to him now!¡± He wouldn¡¯t have run all the way here if it wasn¡¯t urgent. ¡°Something came up, so he went out. ¡± Sophie wanted to head out with him, but he refused to let her tag along as the weather was too cold. Thus, she had no choice but to stay here. ¡°Shit. Mr. Tristan isn¡¯t around, so we¡¯re doomed!¡± That was the first time Felix had ever felt as if it was the end of the world. ¡°What happened?¡± Felix is acting unusually. Whatever it is, he¡¯ll have to say it so we can find a solution together. ¡°Someone is trying to hack into Lombard Group¡¯s system. I suspect it is Phantom. Nevertheless, we didn¡¯t offend Phantom recently. Why is he or she doing this?¡± Felix revealed. He actually admired Phantom and wished to work with the mysterious figure in the future. ¡°Phantom?¡± I¡¯m right here. Who else in the world can masquerade as me? ¡°You won¡¯t know even if I tell you who that is!¡± Felix pulled his phone out to call Tristan. Lombard Group¡¯s system might be indestructible, but they shouldn¡¯t ignore the fact that a professional hacker was trying to hack into their system. The consequences would be dire if any of their confidential information got leaked. I know Phantom. He won¡¯t believe me if I im to be Phantom now. Ignoring him, Sophie went to Tristan¡¯sptop and sat down. Felix was engrossed in his phone call and didn¡¯t notice what she was doing. If he saw theptop screen, he would be shocked by Sophie¡¯s skills. Felix immediately reported what had happened to Tristan when thetter answered his call. ¡°Are you saying that the IT engineers we paid millions to are nothing but essories?¡± Lombard Group would only hire elites, so if they couldn¡¯t solve the problem, thepany wouldn¡¯t have spent that much money to hire them in the first ce. ¡°Fine. I¡¯ve already reported the situation to you, so don¡¯t me me if anything happens. ¡± Felix sounded helpless. ¡°The hacker seems to be Phantom. I¡¯ll leave it to you. ¡± ¡°What? Phantom? I¡¯ll be back right now,¡± Tristan replied instantly. After all, Phantom was practically invincible, and his highly paid engineers weren¡¯t capable enough to stop his attacks. ¡°Mm. ¡± Felix was pleased with Tristan¡¯s reaction. I can¡¯t be the only one panicking here. It¡¯s a serious situation if Phantom is really the one hacking into our system. Beside him, Ysabelle asked, ¡°Felix, is Phantom that capable?¡± Uncle Tristan went on full alert when he heard the name. That sounds like a capable hacker. ¡°Mm. Phantom is a legendary hacker. It is said that he or she is one of the most capable hackers in the world. No one knows if Phantom is a man or a woman. ¡± ¡°Oh, that sounds mysterious. ¡± Ysabelle¡¯s interest was piqued. ¡°Sophie, have you ever heard of this hacker? I never knew such a person exists!¡± She knew Sophie was capable as thetter previously got the video from Willow¡¯s phone. ¡°No, I don¡¯t know,¡± came Sophie¡¯s icy answer. ¡°Oh, never mind. There¡¯s no way you¡¯ll know that mysterious hacker. I wonder if Phantom is a man or a woman. I like the name. If possible, I¡¯d like to be his or her friend!¡± Someone was masquerading as Sophie to hack into Lombard Group¡¯s system, so there was no way she could ignore the matter. No matter what, she wouldn¡¯t allow anyone to misuse her name to do such a thing. Sophie chatted with them as she swiftly entered a bunch of codes into theptop. The hacker was good but not as good as her. Sophie hacked into the hacker¡¯sptop and left a warning on the screen. The hacker who was pretending to be Sophie fumed as he stared at the message on his screen: Who are you to masquerade as me? He got so mad that he nearly tossed hisptop away. ¡°What does this mean? Is that really Phantom?¡± the hacker¡¯s client asked.N?velDrama.Org ? content. ¡°How the f*ck do I know if that¡¯s Phantom? Didn¡¯t you tell me that Phantom has nothing to do with Lombard Group? I warn you, don¡¯t you dare expose my identity. Otherwise, I shall make you pay for your actions!¡± the hacker roared. His client retorted, ¡°Look how hot-tempered you are when youck the necessary skills! It¡¯s just Phantom. If you can¡¯t deal with him, how dare you im to be a hacker?¡± ¡°D*mn it! Do you know who Phantom is? Phantom is like the best hacker of all time! I¡¯m not his match!¡± The client asked, ¡°What about your laptop?¡± It seemed to have broken down. ¡°How would I know? I¡¯ll just throw it away if it doesn¡¯t work anymore. ¡± The hacker frowned. Why is he getting worked up over oneptop? ¡°Is there no one who has better skills than Phantom?¡± the client demanded. He must infiltrate Lombard Group¡¯s database because he needed to get some secret information. ¡°Yes, my mentor. But he has retired for a long while. Let¡¯s see if you¡¯re capable enough to change his mind. ¡± The hacker pulled out a cigarette and lit it up. I¡¯ve lost to Phantom every single time. Who the h*ll is Phantom? I¡¯d die to find out their identity. Chapter 227 Chapter 227 Chapter 227 Survival Instincts ¡°Your mentor? How can I contact him?¡± the client urged. No matter what, I must destroy Lombard Group. ¡°I don¡¯t know. He often travels. Thest time he contacted me, he said he was in Xemrich. ¡± ¡°I¡¯m leaving. I didn¡¯t aplish the mission, so I won¡¯t take your money!¡± The hacker spun on his heels and strode away. One day, I shall beat Phantom up to a pulp! The man said nothing and watched as he left. He knew how it felt to be defeated by someone else. ¡°Tristan, don¡¯t you worry. I shall make sure you get a taste of your own medicine!¡± the man vowed viciously. When Tristan arrived at Lombard Group, the problem had already been solved. ¡°What? Another person popped up and hacked into the hacker¡¯sptop?¡± Tristan couldn¡¯t believe his ears. If the engineers I paid handsomely to protect mypany¡¯s system are helpless against Phantom, who else is capable enough of hacking into hisptop? ¡°Was that really Phantom?¡± he asked doubtfully. Tristan couldn¡¯t believe that the hacker was Phantom. He had never offended Phantom, so there was no reason for Phantom to attack Lombard Group suddenly. ¡°I don¡¯t know either. The engineers were the ones who said that!¡± Felix wasn¡¯t good withputers and wasn¡¯t a match for the hackers. When Tristan came over to Sophie, thetter quickly deleted all traces on theputer. ¡°What are you doing?¡± Tristan asked. He noticed she was busy since his arrival. ¡°Nothing. ¡± Sophie clicked into a game calmly and pretended to y it. ¡°You must be bored. N?velDrama.Org ? content. I shall bring you and Ysabelle out to have some fun. ¡± It was the holidays now, so they should be having fun. Her winter holidays have just started. It willst for around ten days. That¡¯s too little. ¡°I¡¯m fine. I¡¯m not bored. You should go back to work. Don¡¯t worry about me. ¡± She wasn¡¯t lying when she said she wasn¡¯t bored. The hacker was slightly less capable than her, so it took her some time before she sessfully hacked into hisputer. However, she knew she would only improve whenever a capable rival appeared. Otherwise, it would be boring to stay the same. It was lonely to be unbeatable at the top. ¡°Tell the engineers to wait for me in the conference room,¡± Tristan told Felix. Felix scratched his nose as he knew the engineers were in deep trouble. The engineers were paid handsomely to work at Lombard Group. In Chanaea, they were the highest-paid engineers. ¡°Mr. Tristan, you shouldn¡¯t give them a hard time. No one else will be at the top forever!¡± Sophie tried to defend the engineers. The hacker was almost as good as her, so it was natural for the engineers to not be his match. ¡°Nevertheless, as they are in charge of Lombard Group¡¯swork security, I think they aren¡¯t good enough at their job. ¡± ¡°That I know. That¡¯s why I¡¯ve never stopped looking for Phantom. s, this hacker is too mysterious. ¡± Why did he suddenly mention Phantom? ¡°I heard that Phantom is a loner who won¡¯t ept any offers from anypanies,¡± Sophie revealed. She loved leading a carefree life and didn¡¯t want anypany to restrict her freedom. Even after establishing Wings of Light due to boredom, she couldn¡¯t be bothered to manage it and got Butterfly to manage it for her. ¡°I know, but it doesn¡¯t hurt to try. Phantom is the only hacker in the world who can guarantee mypany¡¯swork security,¡± Tristan responded. ¡°Mr. Tristan, did you misunderstand Phantom? No one can guarantee anything in this world. ¡± Truth be told, Sophie thought they had made her a legend when she was just better than the average hacker. ¡°Soph, you have no idea how capable Phantom is!¡± Tristan told her. That was the first time Sophie had ever heard Tristanvishing praises on someone. ¡°Is he or she that capable?¡± ¡°Mr. Tristan, stop it. Sophie will get jealous if you continue praising Phantom!¡± Felix joked. No one would want to hear their boyfriend praising another person, though the person¡¯s gender remained unknown. Sophie shot Felix a look, and thetter immediately shut up. ¡°Fine. Pretend you heard nothing from me. ¡± Tristan might be scary, but his girlfriend was scarier. It only took a look from her to scare Felix into silence. Sophie was pleased as he finally fell silent. ¡°Sophie, stop bullying Felix! Look how pitiful he is. Never mind if Uncle Tristan picks on him. Why are you doing the same thing to him?¡± Ysabelle couldn¡¯t help but feel bad for Felix. Hearing that, Felix hurried over to her and took her hand. ¡°Ysabelle, I knew it. You¡¯re the only person in the world who cares about me. Look at how they bullied me! Poor me. Why did they make things difficult for me?¡± Ysabelle rolled her eyes. ¡°Fine, you¡¯re the most pitiful man in the world!¡± she responded in resignation. Poor guy. He got bullied by Uncle Tristan, and now Uncle Tristan¡¯s girlfriend bullied him, too. ¡°Ysabelle, didn¡¯t the son of the Ackhurst family take a liking to you? He seems like a good man. Why don¡¯t you try dating him? Doesn¡¯t that sound like a good idea?¡± Tristan suggested suddenly. Felix nearly spat out blood in frustration. Mr. Tristan is doing this on purpose! He knows I like Ysabelle but said that out loud. This is too much! He has gone overboard! ¡°Uncle Tristan, I don¡¯t want to get into a rtionship for now!¡± Ysabelle rejected his offer immediately as she nced at Felix subconsciously. Seeing that, Felix rxed. He felt better to know that Ysabelle was on his side. ¡°I¡¯m not telling you to find a boyfriend now. It won¡¯t do you harm to get to know another friend. I don¡¯t want you to get scammed by someone else. ¡± Tristan gave Felix a pointed look when he said ¡°someone else. ¡± ¡°The world is a dangerous ce. It is impossible to judge someone¡¯s heart from his face,¡± he added. ¡°Dad, please forgive me!¡± Felix apologized immediately without caring about his dignity. I¡¯ll neverin that they bully me. They treat me well. Ysabelle and Sophie were at a loss for words. His survival instincts are kicking in, huh? ¡°Mr. Tristan, if you don¡¯t mind, I shall introduce you to someone!¡± Tristan was a great help to her, so Sophie wanted to repay his favor. Tristan arched a brow. Felix couldn¡¯t help but say, ¡°Sophie, don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re going to introduce a girlfriend to Mr. Tristan. He loves you. Finding him a girlfriend is too¡­¡± The moment he felt an icy gaze on his back, however, he trailed off and pretended he hadn¡¯t said anything. He was a man who knew when to relent and when to persist. I¡¯m nothingpared to Mr. Tristan! Chapter 228 Chapter 228 Chapter 228 Release Her ¡°Yourpany needs awork security engineer, right? I know a friend who is good at this. Why don¡¯t you give him a chance?¡± ¡°You know someone who is in this field?¡± Felix blurted out. ¡°Yes, I do. You can interview him. If he isn¡¯t suitable, then you don¡¯t have to hire him for my sake. ¡± She was confident that the person she rmended would be perfect for the job. ¡°Okay. You can ask him toe for an interview. ¡± Despite agreeing to her suggestion, Tristan wasn¡¯t really interested in that candidate. For the past few years, he found many experts who ended up disappointing him. Phantom was the only one who had roused his interest. Sophie knew Tristan only agreed to give the person a chance on her ount. Obviously, he didn¡¯t trust her when she imed the candidate was capable enough. Never mind. He¡¯ll soon know how capable the person is. All my friends arepetent and can handle difficult situations on their own. ¡°If that¡¯s the case, cancel the meeting with the engineers. ¡± After all, they did their best, but they just weren¡¯t good enough. Thus, they didn¡¯t live up to his expectations. ¡°Sure, Mr. Tristan. Can we go have lunch now?¡± Charles and Sean were still waiting for them. ¡°Let¡¯s go. By the way, can you pick Sarah up, Felix?¡± Tristan asked. Sarah had called him a while ago. When she learned that Sophie was with him, she insisted on having lunch together with them. ¡°All right. Ysabelle,e with me!¡± Felix whispered in Ysabelle¡¯s ear, ¡°You need toe with me. I don¡¯t really have anymon topics with Sarah, so it will be boring if I were to go alone. ¡± ¡°Felix, how dare you say it¡¯s boring to be with Aunt Sarah? She¡¯d definitely teach you a lesson!¡± Ysabelle retorted. Sarah was an incredible woman. ¡°Hey, Ysabelle. How could you do this to me? Are you bullying me just like them?¡± Felix protested. Did I do anything wrong? I like Ysabelle, but that¡¯s not a crime. Why are they all bullying me? ¡°Fine, I shalle with you. Uncle Tristan, Felix and I shall go pick Aunt Sarah up!¡± After Felix and Ysabelle left, Tristan asked, ¡°You don¡¯t mind having lunch with them, right?¡± Sophie shook her head. ¡°It¡¯s fine. I don¡¯t mind. ¡± It just so happened that she had something to hand to Sarah and could do so during today¡¯s meeting. After all, she would be busy starting tomorrow. ¡°Let¡¯s go. We shall head to Blossom Garden first. Charles and Sean are already waiting for us there. ¡± Tristan took her down jacket and helped her to put it on. He even pulled out her hair that got stuck beneath the down jacket and put her hat on for her. They had to put on proper clothing that was warm enough for the weather. After that, Tristan put on his own jacket and led her out. When Daphne saw that they were leaving, she bade them goodbye politely, ¡°Goodbye, Mr. Tristan. Ms. Tanner, please visit again some other time!¡± Mr. Tristan bes gentle when Ms. Tanner is here. He isn¡¯t that scary at work anymore. ¡°Everyone can get off work on time today. Get some rest back at home,¡± Tristan told Daphne. ¡°Got it. Thanks for your concern, Mr. Tristan!¡± Daphne responded happily. Ah, finally I have time to go on blind dates! Daphne was a great woman, but work kept her busy. Therefore, she didn¡¯t have time to get herself a boyfriend. ¡°Ms. Castillo, find yourself a boyfriend in your free time. Don¡¯t just focus on your work. ¡± Daphne was hired by Lombard Group right after she graduated from university. Later, she was assigned to work for Tristan and poured all her efforts into work. She was a great secretary. It was an awkward moment for Daphne. ¡°Mr. Tristan¡­¡± she trailed off in embarrassment as her employer had just mentioned her personal life. ¡°I hope you find your partner in life soon. When you get married, I¡¯ll give you a month off!¡± Tristan was of the opinion that women would still need a family no matter how capable they could be. Daphne nodded. ¡°Thank you for your concern, Mr. Tristan. I¡¯ll do my very best!¡± Daphne knew she was no longer young. Many of her peers¡¯ kids were already toddlers. s, she had yet to find the right man. Tristan put an arm around Sophie¡¯s shoulders and led her into the elevator. ¡°Oh, dear. Look how gentle Mr. Tristan was! I never knew he would act this way when he¡¯s in love!¡± ¡°Yes! I entered his office to get him to sign a document just now, and I saw him helping Ms. Tanner put on her jacket and hat! Oh, I can¡¯t believe such a man exists. He¡¯s rich and thoughtful!¡± ¡°Right! That¡¯s new to me!¡± Daphne chuckled when she heard the other secretaries chatting about how Tristan treated his girlfriend. He¡¯s right. It¡¯s time for me to date a man. I can¡¯t stay single this long. ¡°Ms. Castillo, you¡¯ve worked for Mr. Tristan the longest. This should be his first girlfriend, right?¡± one secretary asked curiously. ¡°All right, we should stop gossiping. Pack up your stuff and get off work. You used toin about working overtime, right? Mr. Tristan said we can get off work early today!¡± Instead of joining in their discussion, Daphne started packing her stuff to leave. Just like the others, perhaps I will go on blind dates to find a suitable man. We¡¯ll then get married one day. Tristan drove Sophie to Blossom Garden. On the way there, Sophie suddenly asked him to stop the car. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Tristan cast her a confused look. Belongs to ? n0velDrama.Org. Sophie pointed at Angie, who was surrounded by a few young men. ¡°Who is that?¡± Tristan didn¡¯t know who Angie was, so he couldn¡¯t be bothered about her plight. ¡°A ssmate of mine. Wait for me. I¡¯ll go find out what happened!¡± The post on the forum was Willow¡¯s idea, and Angie was just a scapegoat. Sophie got out of the car and went over to them. The young men weren¡¯t afraid when they saw a pretty womaning toward them. In an arrogant tone, they asked, ¡°Gorgeous, want to have fun with us? It¡¯s fun to beat someone else up!¡± A pnded on Angie¡¯s cheek following their words. At once, blood trickled down the corner of Angie¡¯s lips. She stared at Sophie and wondered why thetter was here. It was Sophie and Willow¡¯s fault that I ended up in this state. I¡¯d still be in Jipsdale Premier High if it weren¡¯t for them. I¡¯d be able to get into a prestigious university. However, my life changedpletely, no thanks to them. ¡°Let her go!¡± Sophiemanded icily. The young men shared a look in silence. Even Angie shot her an incredulous look. Is she here to help me instead of watching me make a fool of myself? ¡°Why? Don¡¯t you understand me?¡± Sophie added impatiently. She didn¡¯t want to repeat herself. ¡°Oh, youngdy. If we let her go, are you going to join us?¡± The young men nced at her lecherously when they realized how curvy her body was. Chapter 229 Chapter 229 Chapter 229 Choose Any High School In Jipsdale ¡°Sure, no problem! I¡¯ll join you guys. We can ywhatever you want!¡± Sophie had heard Angie had been having a tough time since thetter transferred schools. However, I never imagined she¡¯d be like this. Seeing her this way makes me so disappointed. One of the youths grabbed Angie by her hair and jerked hertoward him. Then, he said tauntingly, ¡°Oh, is that so? But we don¡¯t want to let her go. What¡¯s the matter? Is this b*tch your friend?¡± Angie had a look of despair on her face after getting grabbed by her hair, thinking she mustcut a pathetic sight. Meanwhile, Sophie had no intention of wasting time beating around the bush. ¡°All right. Let¡¯s have some fun. ¡± With that, she kicked the youth in front of her right in hisabdomen, knocking him to the ground at once. Then, she sent the other youngd flying through the air with a roundhouse kick. When the youth holding onto Angie saw how skilled Sophie was, he quickly let goof Angie¡¯s hair. ¡°Who are you? Do you have any idea who we are?¡± Sophie rolled her eyes at him. ¡°I¡¯ve no interest in engaging in such a stupid conversation. You only need to know who I am¡ªSophie Tanner from Jipsdale Premier High. If you¡¯re unwilling to ept defeat, I¡¯m ready for another round anytime. ¡± Then, Sophie pulled Angie over with one swift motion. That action sent a shiverdown Angie¡¯s spine. With the way Sophie is acting, she¡¯s simply too captivating! Totally boyfriend material! ¡°Sophie Tanner from Jipsdale Premier High, is it? Right. Just you wait. We¡¯ll make you pay for this!¡± After saying that, the youths tossed in a few cursesbefore leaving. ¡°Raving lunatics!¡± Sophie yelled back at them. Angie dared not look at Sophie. After all, Sophie didn¡¯t seem to have done anything wrong in this entire incident. She has only been a victim the whole time. After a long time, Angie finally found her voice. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. ¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have to apologize to me because you¡¯re the more pitiful one now,¡± Sophie replied bluntly. ¡°Whatever it is, lowe you an apology for what went on with the forum. As for what happened today, I have to thank you. ¡± Things wouldn¡¯t have gotten to this pointif I hadn¡¯t lost my rationality. At the end of the day, I deserve this. ¡°Angie, why don¡¯t you return to Jipsdale Premier High?¡± Angie was silent. Can I still go back?And even if I do, how will I face the other students? ¡°You have a solid foundation, and you¡¯ll surely get into a good university if you switch to a different school. ¡± Sophie had only stepped in because she knew Angie was not so bad that she was beyond saving, and thetter was well aware of that as well. ¡°Which school would be willing to ept me now? In all honesty, I truly envy you. Everyone was gossiping about you when you first joined Jipsdale Premier High, yet you never let it get to you. But I can¡¯t do that. If not for my mother, I¡¯d definitely have taken my own life already. ¡± ¡°If you don¡¯t want to go to Jipsdale Premier High, there are other schools. Take a look and see which one you want to attend. All you have to do is tell me, and I¡¯ll make it happen. ¡± Sophie took Angie¡¯s phone and saved her number onit. Then, she added, ¡°Any school is fine. ¡± Angie stared at her in disbelief. She¡¯s willing to help me? Taking out a piece of gum, Sophie popped it into her mouth. ¡°You don¡¯t have tolook so shocked. As long as it¡¯s within Jipsdale, any school is fine. ¡± Sophie was not exaggerating as she genuinely did have such capabilities. ¡°Sophie¡­ I¡­¡± Never in Angie¡¯s wildest dreams did she ever imagine that the person who would end up lending hera helping hand would be the very person she had looked down on in the beginning. Who would¡¯ve guessed? ¡°Let¡¯s go back. ¡± ¡°Could you lend me some money?¡± Angie asked. The youths just now had taken her money, so she was pretty much penniless at that moment. Sophie gazed at her wordlessly. Who still uses cash? Isn¡¯t everyone already going cashless? ¡°Waithere for me. ¡± Then, Sophie walked toward Tristan. ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± he asked. Isn¡¯t everything settled already? ¡°Give me a hundred in cash. ¡± Tristan was silent for a moment. There was no way someone like him carried cash around with him. Nheless, since she had asked for it, he led her to a nearby corner shop where he swiped a hundred on his card inexchange for cash, then handed it to her. ¡°Why didn¡¯t I think of that!¡± Sophie eximed, feeling rather foolish as she held the money in her hands. ¡°Here you go. ¡± She handed the money to Angie, then turned and left. As thetter clutched the bills in her hand, she nearly burst into tears. Honestly, I regret it so much. I deeply regret how I treated Sophie before this. She doesn¡¯t look the least bit like someone who would meddle in other people¡¯s affairs. But this time around, she has really helped me out. After Sophie walked up to Tristan, he opened the car door for her toget into the vehicle. He never even nced at Angie, even though she stood there and watched them leave, nor did he ask Sophie any questions. By the time he drove to Blossom Garden, parked the car, and led Sophie to the private room, Felix and Ysabelle had already brought Sarah there. Tristan had just opened the door when Sarah immediately said to Sophie, ¡°Come over here and sit next to me. ¡± Tristan grabbed her hand as she was about to walk over, and she instinctively stopped and looked at him. ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± ¡°Sit over here. ¡± There was only one empty seat next to Sarah. Tristan told Sophie where to sit and settled down next to her, leaving another seat vacant on the other side of Sophie. Ysabelle wasspeechless. What about me? I was the one who got to know Sophie first! How is it that I¡¯m the one who has nowhere to sit now? However, I don¡¯t dare toin in front of Uncle Tristan and Aunty Sarah. After all, they can get quite savage at times. ¡°Isn¡¯t it good that you¡¯re sitting with me?¡± Felix murmured. Everyone is now treating Sophie as the center of attention, even Ysabelle. ¡°Tell me then. What¡¯s so good about sitting with you?¡± Ysabelle asked tly. He was dumbstruck. Fine. I humiliated myself, so next time, I¡¯ll never ask anything. Sophie took a small bottle from the pocket of her backpack and held it out toSarah, saying, ¡°This is for you. It isn¡¯t anything amazing, but it¡¯ll help you sleep better. ¡± After learning that Sarah was having trouble sleeping,that matter had been on Sophie¡¯s mind since then. I¡¯ve been bringing this bottle with me everywhere, but s, I haven¡¯t had the time to give it to Sarah. Sarah took itfrom her, calmly epting the gift. ¡°Why, thank you,¡± she said, slipping the bottle into her bag immediately. Sophie breathed a sigh of relief when she saw that Sarah did not ask any questions. It¡¯s something Arius concocted just for me, and I use it asionally. However, I don¡¯t want others to know I¡¯m not sleeping well. I brought some for her because I genuinely like her. That¡¯s why I didn¡¯t mind going through the trouble. ¡°You have to try it. It¡¯s really effective,¡± said Sophie. Anything Arius gives usually works well. Don¡¯t be deceived by the small bottle. That stuff is priceless at an auction. ¡°Okay. I¡¯ll give it a try. ¡± Sarah had decided to give herself a new lease on life. N?velDrama.Org ? content. She was determined to leave behind her past foolishness, resentments, and obsessions. Chapter 230 Chapter 230 Chapter 230 Shocking Self Control ¡°Mr. Tristan, are our ns for this year¡¯s Christmas the same as usual?¡± Every year, the fourof them would have dinner with their families on Christmas Eve. However, they would go on a vacation together after that. ¡°I have other ns, so I won¡¯t join you this year,¡± Tristan replied nonchntly. The other three were silent and couldnot help ncing toward Sophie. His ¡°other ns¡± must refer to her! s, some people really do forget all about their friends after getting a girlfriend. That¡¯s no fun. ¡°Don¡¯t look at me. I¡¯m busy and won¡¯t be with Mr.Tristan,¡± Sophie responded. They don¡¯t think I¡¯ll be spending Christmas with him, do they? ¡°Huh?¡± Felix could hardly believe his ears. What was that I just heard? So, that means Mr.Tristan¡¯s feelings are one-sided, and he hasn¡¯t told her about them! How awkward! Suddenly, Felix felt a littlesorry for Tristan. Sure enough, one reaps what one sows. Ms.Tanner sure is no pushover. ¡°What are you busy with? Christmas is a time for family. Everything else doesn¡¯t matter. Didn¡¯t your grandfather recently undergo surgery?¡± Sarah couldn¡¯t help piping up. It¡¯s only at this age that I realize how important it is to spend time with family. Perhaps it¡¯s because I let my family down too much when I was younger. ¡°Yes, I know. I¡¯ll be back in time for Christmas.¡± She had already promised Josiah that she would celebrate the holiday with him. And since she had given him her word, there was no way she would change her ns. ¡°Soph, sinceyou¡¯ll be in Jipsdale for Christmas, can I go and hang out at your house during that time?¡± Ysabelle asked. She had not been to Sophie¡¯s house before. ¡°You little rascal. Ccontent ? exclusive by N?/vel(D)ra/ma.Org. What are you doing going to Sophie¡¯s house during Christmas? This year, no one is allowed to run aboutas they wish. You¡¯re all to stay at home with your families.¡± ¡°Oh, that¡¯s all right. I¡¯ll call you after I get back from Horington,¡± said Sophie. She did not mind if Ysabelle wanted to go and find her. However, I¡¯d much rather stay at Wisteria Apartments. I still don¡¯t feel like returning to the family mansion. But let¡¯s not think about that for now. ¡°I heard you¡¯ll be attending Tanner Group¡¯s shareholders¡¯ meeting tomorrow and will officially assume the positionof the company¡¯s CEO.¡± Sarah was thoroughly fascinated by Sophie. She¡¯s only eighteen, but she has already led the ailing Transfix Cosmetics to where it is today. ¡°Yeah,¡± Sophie replied, not feeling the need to hide that from the others. The Tannerfamily may be nothingpared to the four families now, but that doesn¡¯t mean it¡¯ll stay that way forever. Tanner Group is the result of Grandpa¡¯s hard work. Hence, I won¡¯t let it fall. ¡°If you need my help with anything, just let me know. I¡¯m not busy these few days anyway. I can go with you if you need. Why don¡¯t I act as your secretary?¡± Sarah was still worried Sophie would get bullied by the capitalists. At least I¡¯vehad more life experience, so I¡¯d feel more at ease if I went with her. ¡°There¡¯s really no need for that, Sarah. I¡¯ve arranged everything,¡± Sophie replied confidently. ¡°Guys, look at Sophie. She¡¯s only eighteen years old but already so capable!¡± Sarah could not help saying. And there¡¯s Ysabelle, already neen years old but still so rebellious. What a world of difference that is! Ysabelle stuck out her tongue, then said, ¡°You¡¯re right. My dearest Soph is that amazing!¡± Indeed, she felt it was a blessing that she had gotten to know Sophie. Although Tristan didnot say anything, the way he gazed at Sophie clearly showed how proud he was of her. Meanwhile, Sean and Charles exchanged nces. Did wee here to get ignored? Ever since Sophie turned up, everyone¡¯s attention has been on her! ¡°Honestly, you guys have no ideahow Sophie managed to turn the tide and give the others a p in the face. The whole process was so satisfying!¡± What happened at Transfix Cosmetics¡¯ product launch was still vivid in Felix¡¯s mind. ¡°It wasn¡¯t that big of a deal. I just got lucky,¡± Sophie replied, wondering why everyone seemed to be singing her praises whenthey were supposed to be meeting for a meal. ¡°Luck only favors those who are capable,¡± Tristan remarked. And those who are incapable will never seed no matter what they do. That was why he hated hearing people say theyhad put in so much effort but were unlucky. He felt that not everything that happened could be med on luck. After all the dishes had been served, everyone started eating. During the meal, Tristan and the other men continued talking about investments while the threedieshad their girl talk. The atmosphere was warm and harmonious. ¡°Ysabelle, you have to learn from Sophie, got it? You¡¯re too impatient.¡± Sophie is always calm andposed. She shows elegance, and that¡¯s how ady should be. ¡°I wish so too, Aunt Sarah. However, there¡¯s a direct corrtion between her calm temperament and her capabilities. Since I don¡¯t possess capabilities like hers, I couldn¡¯t learn even if I wanted to.¡± Nheless, she had been trying her best toemte Sophie because she really like the aura that Sophie was exuding. It was mesmerizing. Sarah also knew what Ysabelle said was true. Nheless, she was still satisfied with thetter¡¯s attitude. ¡°Ysabelle, I¡¯ll talk to your father about your intention toenter the entertainment industry. But before that, you have to be on your best behavior. Got it?¡± I know that this niece of mine longs to join the entertainment industry. It¡¯s just that that conservative brother of mine disapproves of it. But seeing that she¡¯s so determined about it, naturally, I¡¯ll support her. Being able to do something one loves brings happiness, and I genuinely hope she can be happy. ¡°Aunt Sarah, I¡¯ve always known you¡¯re thenicest to me!¡± Ysabelle immediately hugged Sarah¡¯s arm. Aunt Sarah is beautiful, capable, and treats others well. s, it¡¯s a pity that her love life hasn¡¯t been smooth-sailing. ¡°Enough of that.¡± A smile appeared on Sophie¡¯s lips as she watched the othertwo interact with each other. What a heartwarming scene. The Lombard family must get along pretty well, unlike my family. The only thing on the minds of my family members are Tanner Group¡¯s assets, so they always end up doingthings that outsiders find bizarre. It¡¯s just too disappointing. Seemingly sensing her thoughts, Tristan took her hand gently, ced it on his thigh, and continued holding herhand. Suddenly having her hand held by him shifted her mood instantly. His observation skills are too sharp to be true! My thoughts merely drifted for a split second, yet he could still sense it. Felix suggested they all go for karaoke after they finished their meal, but Tristan turned him down. ¡°You guys go ahead. Tomorrow is an important day for Sophie, so we¡¯ll head back first,¡± he said. If it was just me, I wouldn¡¯t have minded because I only need three or four hours of sleep. But not Sophie. As a youngdy, she should get lots of rest. ¡°What has gotten into you, Mr. Tristan?¡± Felix protested. He never used to care howte he stayed out! However, since he got to know Sophie, his self-control has been shocking!. Chapter 231 Chapter 231 Chapter 231 Everywhere ¡°Go on and have fun, you guys! I won¡¯t be going.¡± Sarah wasn¡¯t interested in going to thekaraoke bar. ¡°Aunt Sarah, I¡¯ll go home with you,¡± Ysabelle immediately said. Since her father was at home, she didn¡¯t dare to do as she liked. ¡°It¡¯s okay! Go on! I¡¯ll deal with your dad!¡± Sarah knew how much Ysabelle wantedto have fun. ¡°I love you, Aunt Sarah!¡± Ysabelle was extremely grateful. Sarah merely smiled in response. She¡¯s still young, so she should enjoy life to the fullest! Besides, the Lombard family is more than capable of giving her a good life. She doesn¡¯t need to suffer. Since Sarah didn¡¯t drive there, Tristan would have to send her home first beforesending Sophie home. Sarah was especially quiet on the journey back. Seeing how quiet she was, Sophie didn¡¯t say much either. After all, Sophie was never a chatty person. Upon arriving at the entrance of the Lombard family¡¯s mansion, Sarah told Tristan to stop the car. ¡°All right. I¡¯ll go in on my own so that you can send Sophie home. Sophie, I¡¯ll see you next time!¡± ¡°Okay, Sarah. Rest early!¡± Sophie uttered politely, seeming exceptionally well-behaved. ¡°You too. Also, good luck for tomorrow.¡± With that, Sarah walked toward the Lombard manor. Tristan watched her go in beforedriving away. Only then did Sophie ask, ¡°What¡¯s with Sarah?¡± ¡°Ha! It has to be because of Juan!¡± Tristan answered. Juan had already hurt Sarah countless times, and it was all because of Yvette. Sarah is such a fool for love. It¡¯s just a man. Ccontent ? exclusive by N?/vel(D)ra/ma.Org. It¡¯s not like he¡¯s irreceable. Unfortunately for her, she¡¯s way too emotional, and that¡¯s why she¡¯s still bothered by it. ¡°Juan? Isn¡¯t that Charles¡¯brother?¡± Sophie knew who he was because she had met him at Walter¡¯s birthday party. Although she had only seen him once, she had already hated him. In fact, she hated Yvette even more. ¡°Stay out of it, okay? When ites to rtionships, she likes to solve problems on her own. She¡¯ll even get angry if someone meddles with her rtionship matters.¡± ¡°Mr. Tristan, do I look like a busybody?¡± Sophie would rather mind her own business because she didn¡¯t like the drama. ¡°You do,¡± Tristan answered. She had just been a busybody today! Besides, it was a girl who had harmed her in the past. She¡¯s too magnanimous. Sophie knew he was talking about Angie. ¡°Well, Willow should be med for what happened with the forum! Besides, Angie had already suffered so much. I¡¯ve decided to let the matter slide!¡± She wasn¡¯t a saint, but she felt as though what Angie did wasn¡¯t unforgivable. Besides, everyone makes mistakes! What¡¯s the point of dwelling on someone¡¯s mistake forever? Right then, Tristan held herhand and said, ¡°Did you think she was merciful to you? It was because she didn¡¯t have the capability to hurt you.¡± He felt that Angie didn¡¯t deserve any sympathy. Sophie kept mum. ¡°All right. I¡¯ll stay out of it. Since I didn¡¯t intervene in the past, I won¡¯t intervene now!¡± Tristan believed in Sophie¡¯s ability to handle the matter. Again,Sophie remained silent. All right! Since he has already said so, let¡¯s drop this matter for now. After sending Sophie back to Wisteria Apartments, Tristan didn¡¯t leave right away. Instead, he gave her a sh drive. ¡°If something unforeseeable happens during the shareholders¡¯ meeting tomorrow, this wille in handy!¡± Tristan had kept Victor and Yale¡¯s dirt on the sh drive. If she were to expose them, they would definitely back down. Sophie blinked while staring at the sh drive in his hand. ¡°Mr.Tristan, do you not believe in my capability?¡± she asked. This isn¡¯t even something big! Why does he think that I can¡¯t handle it on my own? Tristan kept quiet for a while because he didn¡¯t know how toput it in a way that she would understand. Seeing that he wasn¡¯t answering, Sophie uttered, ¡°Fine. You don¡¯t have to exin. Thanks!¡± Tristan stayed quiet for a while. I¡¯m sincerely trying to help her. ¡°I just don¡¯t want you to get too tired! Since I can get these things done so easily, why can¡¯t youjust let me help you?¡± Tristan asked. I¡¯m such a valuable asset. Why can¡¯t she just make full use of me? ¡°Thank you,¡± Sophie replied. It¡¯s okay. Since he had already helped me, what¡¯s the point in ming him? After all, he was just being helpful. ¡°Don¡¯t do thisagain next time, okay? I¡¯ve already done my preparations,¡± she added. I really don¡¯t need him to trouble himself. Besides, he¡¯s a busy man. He really shouldn¡¯t get caught up in these minor matters of mine. ¡°Actually, Victor is a good man. If possible, let him help you in dealing with matters regarding Tanner Group in the future!¡± Tristan urged. ¡°Yes. I know that.¡± Sophie had already looked into Victor prior to that. Victor is a charismatic guy, and he¡¯s very trustworthy. Dad didn¡¯t trust him back then. Otherwise, Tanner Group wouldn¡¯t be how it is today if he had let Victor manage Tanner Group. Tristanthen held her waist and pulled her into his embrace. ¡°Sophie, sometimes, I really hope that you¡¯re not so capable. That way, perhaps I can be someone more important to you.¡± Tristan hoped that she would let him help her. If she would let me help her, I can at least get a sense of fulfillment. The girl I like is too capable, and it makes me feel so inconsequential. This sucks! Why do I feel this way? I¡¯ve always been a confident man! Why do I alwaysck self-confidence when I¡¯m with her? ¡°Mr.Tristan, I¡ª¡± ¡°It¡¯s all right. Let¡¯s just drop it. Rest early, okay? I¡¯ll fetch you tomorrow morning!¡± Tristan let go of her and kissed her forehead before he left. While sitting in the livingroom on her own, Sophie couldn¡¯t help but think about what Tristan had said. Do I make him feel insecure? To me, his presence is unique. He¡¯s unlike Arius, Mark, and anybody else. However, I¡¯m never good at expressing myself. Is that why he¡¯s feeling insecure? Just as her mind was racing with thoughts, the ring onher ring finger lit up. She wanted to remove the ring, but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn¡¯t. In the end, she ignored it. There¡¯s no escaping the inevitable, and I¡¯m not afraid of anything now. Just when she was immersed in such a thought, her phone rang. Seeing that it was Arius callingher, she answered it instantly. ¡°Why are you calling me at this hour?¡± Sophie asked casually. Arius heaved a sigh of relief when he heard Sophie¡¯s voice. ¡°Sophie! Don¡¯t take everything so lightly, okay? He¡¯s still looking for you! I know you¡¯re very capable, but will you be more careful?¡± ¡°Haveyou seen him? Did he hurt you?¡± Sophie frowned. Why is that man everywhere?. Chapter 232 Chapter 232 Chapter 232 First Come First Served ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Barney can protect me in Anndur. Who would dare to touch me? I¡¯m just worried about you, andthat¡¯s why I called,¡± Arius answered. That man just won¡¯t quit! ¡°All right. Don¡¯t worry about me. No one¡¯s going to hurt me, and that includes him.¡± Sophie was confident that no one could get their hands on her. ¡°Take care of yourself, okay? Don¡¯t let him catch you.¡± That man knew her well, so he knew that Arius was her weakness. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about that. I won¡¯t let anyone use me to threaten you.¡± Although he wasn¡¯t as strong as Sophie, he was still capable of defending himself. ¡°Okay. I¡¯ll hang up now.¡± With that, Sophie wanted to hang up the phone. ¡°Wait, Sophie! Don¡¯t you miss me? We haven¡¯t seeneach other in so long! Can¡¯t we chat for a while?¡± Arius was displeased. I worry about her every day! How could she be so heartless? ¡°What do you want, then?¡± Sophie asked patiently. Arius was the only person she would be patient with. ¡°Say you miss me!¡± Arius uttered pridefuIly. Sophie kept mum. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Ijust want to hear you say that. Is it that hard for you?¡± Arius asked. I would risk my life for her. Why can¡¯t she at least meet me halfway? ¡°Arius, you¡¯re not young anymore.¡± With that, Sophie hung up the phone beforehe could say something childish. When he heard the telltale sound of the call being ended, Arius looked at his phone and realized that she had hung up on him. He then couldn¡¯t help but grumble, ¡°What? You¡¯re so cruel, Sophie! How could you hang up on me? I¡­¡± Arius just kept comining on his own. However, after a long while of ranting to himself, he deted like a balloon. Screw it! What¡¯s the point? I canin all I want, but when she calls, I¡¯ll still go to her. Arius sighed, feeling rather dispirited. ¡°Sophie, you¡¯re so heartless!¡± heined. I¡¯m her friend, but why do I feel like I¡¯m sacrificing more than her parent? The next morning, Tristan arrived to pick Sophie up. Sophie wore a formal outfit that day. However, she still looked young. He couldn¡¯t help but pinch her chin and sigh. ¡°Sophie, you¡¯re not only young, but you also have a baby face!¡± heuttered. I bet no one¡¯s going to think that I¡¯m her boyfriend when I go out with her! Sophie pushed his hand away and retorted, ¡°What¡¯s the matter, Mr. Tristan? Are youining about my looks?¡± ¡°No! You¡¯re just so alluring! That¡¯s why I¡¯m feeling insecure!¡± Tristan answered. Having such an attractive girlfriend isn¡¯t necessarily a good thing. Everyone will be mesmerized by her. Sophie didn¡¯t know howto respond. What should I do? What can I say to respond to that? The shareholders¡¯ meeting was going to start atnine that morning. Since they had enough time to have breakfast together, Tristan brought her to The Crown. To theirsurprise, they bumped into Winter and Juan there. Winter¡¯s eyes lit up when she saw Tristan. However, her gaze quickly dampened when she saw Sophie walking behind him. I thought Mr.Tristan was just toying with Sophie! So much time had passed. Is Mr.Tristan not sick of her yet? Don¡¯t men get sick with their flings? Why is Mr.Tristan so loyal to her? I don¡¯t get it! When Juan saw Tristan, he immediately brought Winterover to greet him. ¡°Are you guys here for breakfast as well? Let¡¯s have breakfast together! It has been awhile since we had breakfast together!¡± Sophie didn¡¯t like Juan. Furthermore, she noticed that Juan would always gaze at her. What is he looking at? ¡°No. She doesn¡¯t like having breakfast with a stranger!¡± Tristan wrapped his arm around her shoulders possessively. What is Juan up to? He knows Sophie is mine. Why is he still looking at her all the time? Juan merely smiled when he saw how Tristan acted. ¡°Don¡¯t misunderstand me, Mr. Tristan. I just find Ms.Tanner familiar. That¡¯s all.¡± ¡°Is that so? Is Sophie such an average-looking girl?¡± Tristan questioned. Is he expecting me to believe him? She has such exquisite facial features. ¡°That¡¯s not what I mean. Ms.Tanner, apart from Old Mr.Quigley¡¯s birthday party, have we not met each other before?¡± Juan asked. Sophie shook her head in response. She had no idea who Juan was. ¡°No.I¡¯ve been in Herington for the past few years. I think you¡¯ve mistaken me for someone else.¡± Sophie was getting sick of wasting her time talking nonsense. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but we¡¯re in a rush.¡± Tristan ignored Juan and brought Sophie away. Since there were no private rooms left, Tristan couldonly get a table by the window. ¡°We¡¯ve booked a private room, Mr.Tristan. Let¡¯s eat together!¡± Winter offered. Mr.Tristan had never been fond of eating inmon areas. Although there¡¯s no such thing as firste first served in romance, I¡¯ve already been after him for so long. How can I just give up now? No matter what, I¡¯m not going to give up on getting him. ¡°Winter, Ijust want to have breakfast with Sophietoday. Get lost, will you?¡± Tristan uttered mercilessly. Winter¡¯s face immediately turned pale when she heard that. ¡°Mr.Tristan, Winter was just being kind. Why must you act like that?¡± Juan piped up. Regardless, Winter is still my sister. How can he disrespect her? Tristan merely shot a nce at Juan. Juan was startled when he saw the look in Tristan¡¯s eyes. I should just forget about it. It¡¯s not worth crossing Mr.Tristan over such a trivial matter. In Jipsdale, not many people can afford to offend him. ¡°Let¡¯s go inside, Winter!¡± Juan dragged Winter away. While getting dragged away, Winter still keptturning back to look at Tristan. She hadn¡¯t seen him for a few days, and she was missing him dearly. I¡¯m such a fool! I have so many guys who are after me, and they¡¯re all young and capable. However, who is ever going to be as good as him? The annoyance on Tristan¡¯s face gradually disappeared after he watched Winter and Juan leave. Sophie forked some food and sent ithis way. ¡°Don¡¯t spoil your mood for people that don¡¯t matter,¡± she said nonchntly, not the least bit bothered by Juan. ¡°Okay!¡±With that, Tristan opened his mouth and ate the food from her fork. Sophie was stunned momentarily. I wasn¡¯t trying to feed him! However, he already ate it, so it doesn¡¯t matter what I say now. Tristan wasvery pleased with Sophie¡¯s attentiveness. ¡°Have some yourself!¡± Sophie was still slightly speechless. All right, then! Maybe he¡¯s just used to being served by someone. Seeing that, Tristan immediately took a bagel and held it up toher mouth. ¡°Here. Open your mouth.¡± He wanted to feed her, too. Words eluded Sophie. She knew she had to say something. Mr.Tristan can be a clueless man at times! ¡°Mr.Tristan, don¡¯t you think it¡¯d be unsightly if I were to eat this huge bagel inone go?¡±Ccontent ? exclusive by N?/vel(D)ra/ma.Org. Chapter 233 Chapter 233 Chapter 233 Taking The Risk ¡°I guess you¡¯re right.¡± Tristan was left with no choice but to finish the bagel himself. Sophie found his reaction amusing. ¡°Rest assuredthat I¡¯m already an adult who can take good care of myself. You don¡¯t have to worry about me at all.¡± It¡¯s just breakfast! There¡¯s no need for him to keep an eye on me. ¡°You¡¯re too skinny. You should eat a bit more.¡± He was not happy with her weight. ¡°Mr.Tristan, being skinny is the new standard of beauty for women in this time and era. Do you get it?¡± ¡°What¡¯s so great about being exceptionally thin? You look like a bamboo stick.¡± ¡°I look like a bamboo stick? Are yousure?¡± Despite being slim, I have all the assets a woman would want on her body. Although I don¡¯t have a voluptuous figure, I can¡¯t possibly look like a bamboo stick. ¡°That¡¯s not what I meant. Actually, I¡¯m very satisfied with your body.¡± What? ¡°Okay, fine. I meant to say you have a great body.¡± Don¡¯t all girls mind when peoplement about theirfigures? ¡°No need to exin anymore, Mr.Tristan. Go ahead and eat your breakfast.¡± I might appear aloof, but I do feel shy discussing my body early in the morning! Regardless, I¡¯m just ayoungdy. ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll focus on my breakfast and stop checking you out.¡± After they finished eating, they ran into Juan and Winter on the way out. Winter went up to them to say hi, but Tristan gave her the cold shoulder and ignored herpletely. Winter was used to him reacting that way, for she knew that her one-sided feelings would never be reciprocated. Even if she felt sour about it, there was nothing she could do. As Winter watched him leave with Sophie, the former found it hard to avert her gaze. ¡°Winter, do you still like Mr.Tristan that much?¡± Juan thought it was a bonus to the Lombard family should Winter tie the knot with Tristan. ¡°Yes, I do. The entire world knows that I have feelings for him, but he couldn¡¯t care less about me.¡± Bitterness permeated her. ¡°Since you likehim so much, you should work hard to get him, Winter. Where there¡¯s a will, there¡¯s a way. As long as you put in the effort, you¡¯ll surely see results.¡± Winter stared at him in disbelief. At the same time, there was a sparkle in her eyes. ¡°Juan, doyou think that I¡¯ll seed? Charles keeps asking me to give up.¡± Many doubted her. Grabbing her shoulders, Juan said dotingly, ¡°Absolutely! Our sister is so adorable and talented. I believe that you will win his heart. Therefore, you must put more effort into it.¡± Winter nodded gleefully. ¡°Yup!¡± At that moment, she saw a glimmer of hope and feltgood about herself. Meanwhile, Tristan sent Sophie back to Tanner Group. ¡°Once you¡¯re done with the shareholders¡¯ meeting, call me. I¡¯lle and pick you up.¡± He knew that she did not want him to participate in the meeting. Hence, he backed off. ¡°All right, you go ahead and catch up with your work. The end of the fiscal year is soon approaching, I bet Lombard Group has entered a busy period, too.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Yale hadbeen waiting in the car to speak to Tristan. Unfortunately, thetter left by the time Yale got out of his car. Yale¡¯s face flushed a little when he saw Sophie staring athim, expressionless. ¡°Sophie, I¡¯m your dad no matter what happens, right? You shouldn¡¯t make it too difficult for me. Now that you have Mr.Tristan by your side, you can own anything you want in the future, can¡¯t you?¡± Yale was clutching at straws because he couldnot let go of Tanner Group. Being a spendthrift all of his life, he could never be able to survive on a tiny amount of dividends. Sophie frowned at him. What¡¯s the use of himing here and spouting pointless words? ¡°So?¡± Yale¡¯s face fell. I¡¯ve already made my intentions clear. Why can¡¯t she understand where I¡¯ming from? How could she be so greedy? ¡°So, what I¡¯m trying to point out is why are you fighting againstme for Tanner Group when you¡¯ve got Lombard Group? Tanner Group is my sweat and blood. I can¡¯t live without it!¡± ¡°Tanner Group is your sweat and blood? Are you kidding me? Come on and tell me. What have you contributed to the group?¡± Tanner Group wouldn¡¯t have ended up the way it is now if it hadn¡¯t been for him! ¡°By the way,are you out of your mind? Since when did Lombard Group belong to me? Did you gift it to me?¡± Why is he spewing nonsense? What does he take me for? ¡°Soph, I can tell that Mr.Tristan treats you very well. If only you could marry him¡­ Even if you don¡¯t, you should remain by his side. I¡¯m certain he won¡¯t mistreat you.¡± What is he talking about? Are these words supposed to be spokenby a father? How could he encourage me to be someone¡¯s lover? Sophie felt an impending headache. ¡°Cut the crap, Yale. I must have Tanner Group.¡± ¡°You! Sophie, what the h*ll is wrong with you? I¡¯m still your father, regardless. Must you drive me into a corner? Would you be happy if I were to jumpdown from the building of Tanner Group?¡± ¡°Jumping off the building? Are you threatening me now?¡± Yale said nothing. The only thing on his mind was to secure Tanner Group. There was absolutely no way for him to give it up. ¡°Anyway, you¡¯d better mark my words. If I don¡¯t get to be the CEO of Tanner Group, I¡¯ll jump off the building and haunt you forever.¡± At that instant, Sophieburst outughing. Haunt me for the rest of my life? So what? ¡°Nothing will change even if you end your life by jumping off the building, and nor will I feel bad about it.¡± With that, Sophie walked past him without casting another nce at him. ¡°Sophie, how could you be so cruel? I¡¯m still your father, no matter what. How could you do this to me?¡± Yale bellowed as resentment swirled within him. Yet, Sophie ignored him totally. Regardless of what he had to say, she was resolute to possess Tanner Group. Yale stood rooted to the spot, unwilling to ept the reality. I¡¯mthe rightful heir to Tanner Group! Bearing that thought in mind, he quickly gave his secretary a call. ¡°Go to my house at once and take Dad away.¡± Since Sophie did not grant him any opportunity to turn things around, he had no choice but to take a bold risk. It was impossible for him to give up on Tanner Group in any case. ¡°Are you sure you want to take this step?¡± Yale¡¯s secretary was rather scared because thetter knew how terrifying Sophie was. My life is over if Ms.Tanner finds out I¡¯m the one who abducts Old Mr.Lombard. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Don¡¯t you want to keep working at Tanner Group? Do you think you could stay if they removedme from thepany?¡± After falling silent for a while, the secretary responded, ¡°Noted. N?velDrama.Org ? content. I¡¯ll go get Old Mr.Tanner right away.¡± I¡¯ll just think of it as taking Old Mr.Tanner out for a walk. Chapter 234 Chapter 234 Chapter 234 Feeling Helpless With a n in mind, Yale felt more confident in seeding. No matter what, I must achieve victory this time! Sowhat if the other party is Tristan? I¡¯ll never let what I deserve slip through my hands. Don¡¯t me me for adopting an extreme approach. I¡¯ve tried begging Sophie, but she paid no heed to my pleas. It¡¯s every man for himself! When Sophie visited Tanner Group in the past, the employees never paid any attention to her. However, things changed after the incident at Transfix Cosmetics. Everyone started to take notice of her and anticipate her capabilities. Sophie managed to turn the tides and saveTransfix Cosmetics from going into bankruptcy. It was obvious to the staff that she had the caliber to lead thepany to greater heights. Hence, they were assured of that. ¡°Good morning, Ms.Tanner,¡± several workers greeted her respectfully whereas the others followed suit. Instantly, everyone became very optimistic about her. That was the scene Victor saw when he arrived at the office. ¡°Sophie is quiteimpressive! She has already won everyone¡¯s trust even before making any contributions.¡± She¡¯s really something! ¡°Mr.Victor, she¡¯s now your opponent.¡± Hasn¡¯t Mr.Victor been eyeing the position of CEO? How could he praise hispetitor at this juncture? ¡°Mr.Victor, do you think you will win this time?¡± They had given their best. ¡°No idea.¡± Without Sophie, Victor would have won the position hands down. However, he wasuncertain about his status the moment Sophie entered the power game. ¡°Mr.Victor, should we pull a trick to make her withdraw?¡± It¡¯s not like we haven¡¯t done anything simr before. Apparently, it was quite normal for businessmen to do whateverit would take to achieve their objectives. ¡°Stop it! This girl piqued my interest. I¡¯m more than happy to y games with her,¡± Victor rejected the idea proposed immediately. ¡°Did you fallfor her, Mr.Victor?¡± He¡¯s never been this kind to others. If this isn¡¯t love, then what is? Victor shot his assistant a cold re and yelled, ¡°What are you talking about? Do you know how young is she?¡± She¡¯s no longera minor, though. As they were speaking, Victor spotted Sophie, and he quickly approached her. ¡°Hey, Sophie, it¡¯s been a while. How are you?¡± Victor had been swamped with work recently and did not have the time to check in on her. She seems to have grown prettier since thest time I saw her. ¡°Hi, Mr.White.¡± She nodded politely. The impression she had of him was not too bad. ¡°Congrattions! Transfix Cosmetics is doing very well,¡± heplimented, feeling honored to have her as hisopponent. ¡°Thanks. You also have some great projects going on.¡± Sophie meant it earnestly. Victor was indeed a capableperson. Hepleted the tasks assigned to him in an outstanding manner. ¡°Look at how we tter each other! Shallwe drop the formalities?¡± Victor chuckled. ¡°Anyway, I admire you very much, Sophie. You¡¯re only a youngdy, but you were able to sessfully transform Transfix Cosmetics.¡± ¡°Trust me when I say there¡¯s no corrtion between gender and caliber.¡± ¡°All right, pardonme. However, it¡¯s rare to see such apetent eighteen-year-old girl in the entire Chanaea.¡± She was deemed a talent not because she stood out as a girl but hergreat finesse and ability demonstrated at a very young age. ¡°Thank you.¡± Sophie epted his praise. Such a side of her piqued Victor¡¯s interest. ¡°Sophie, you¡¯re my cup of tea,¡± he said under his breath. I don¡¯t mind losing this time. Meeting a girl like her makes it all worthwhile. Sophie was not a social butterfly. In fact, she was getting a little uneasy having small talks with others. Soon, they entered the conferenceroom. The other shareholders had arrived, including Charmaine. She was well aware of Sophie¡¯s intention to take over Tanner Group. Hence, she did not approach Sophie to chat further. To Charmaine, Sophie was the unswerving type who focusedfirmly on her goal. No matter what anyone said, nothing could shake her determination. If that was the case, there was no way Charmaine could convince Sophie to dootherwise. After all, it would not affect Charmaine regardless of who became the CEO. Yale¡¯s reputation was going down the drain by the day. Ten minutes before the scheduled meeting time, Wilma finally arrived with thetest data about Transfix Cosmetics. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Ms. Tanner, our sales has tripled!¡± Action speaks louder than words. The excellent sales performance would definitely help Ms.Tanner be the company¡¯s CEO. Sophie received the document from her. ¡°Good job! You¡¯ve worked hardtely.¡± Sophie meantevery word she said. ¡°I feel so happy working alongside you, Ms.Tanner!¡± Sophie was a generous boss. She had given her staff a lot of benefits. ¡°Ms.Lineker, I¡¯ll offer you ten percent of Transfix Cosmetics¡¯ shares.¡± ¡°Ms.Tanner?¡± Wilma could not believe her ears. People who did not have strong family backgrounds like her would usually remain in the working ss for life despitethe tremendous effort they channeled into their work. With Sophie rewarding Wilma with thepany shares, thetter would then be one of Tanner Group¡¯s owners. This was unheard of in a capitalist society. No one would usually offer their employees any of thepany¡¯s shares. ¡°All right, you can carry on with your work.¡± Therewas nothing else that Wilma could do at the shareholders¡¯ meeting. Hence, Sophie thought it was a better idea for her to return to Transfix Cosmetics. ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll take my leave now. All the best, Ms.Tanner!¡± Wilma was extremely confident that Sophie would win because she was a genius at doing business. I¡¯m sure her talents won¡¯t go unnoticed. The shareholders¡¯ meeting was about tmence. Most of the people had arrived except for Yale. ¡°Mrs.Tanner, could you give Mr.Tanner a call, please? Everyone is waiting for him.¡± One of the shareholders grew impatient. Our time is very precious. How could we waste it by waiting for him? ¡°I¡¯m sorry. Actually, I¡¯ve been trying to reach him.¡± Charmaine felt so helpless. How could he bete to attend such an important meeting? ¡°Mr.Tanner is a busy man, huh? He hasn¡¯t even shown up for this major event! If Tanner Group means nothingto him, why is he pursuing the position relentlessly?¡± ¡°Precisely! If he¡¯ste for such an important meeting, it makes me wonder if tardiness is a daily issue for him. How insolent! He¡¯s clearly not bothered about our benefits.¡± The shareholders were serious about their investments. Their main motive was to earn money, and nobody had the luxury of time to y the fool. Facedwith the quandary, Charmaine did not know what to do. Where on earth is Yale? Why isn¡¯t he here yet? Charmaine was clueless. She felt so lost as she fixated her gaze on Sophie. ¡°Sophie, do you know where¡¯s your dad? We¡¯re a family! You shouldn¡¯t let thBelongs to ? n0velDrama.Org. Chapter 235 Chapter 235 Chapter 235 Perfect Data ¡°If you can¡¯t adapt to everything here, then you shouldn¡¯t be here. This is apany. I won¡¯t help you just because you¡¯re my family.¡± Sophie had alwaysseparated work-rted matters from personal matters. ¡°How dare you! I bet you¡¯re just afraid your dad will be re-elected as the CEO again! Did you do something to him?¡± Charmaine used her baselessly. To be honest, Sophie knew Charmaine very well. She was not only a nose of wax, but also liked to rely on someone else. However, this woman gave birth to her no matter what. Thus, she had always respected her as her mother, but what Charmaine said today really annoyed her. She had never expected the other woman to say that about her. Is this what a mother should say to her daughter? ¡°I¡¯m not the same as you! Youcan harm your family member just for the sake of money and power, but I won¡¯t!¡± Sophie refuted. Does she think I¡¯m as despicable as they are? Victor, who was listening at the side, couldnot stand it any longer. What a weird family this girl has! ¡°Mrs. Tanner, how can you say that? I saw Mr. Tanner on my way here just now. If he doesn¡¯t dare to show up for fear of losing, we¡¯ll start the shareholders¡¯ meetingright away. Anyhow, the result will be the same regardless hees or not,¡± said Victor. He did not want to waste time on anirresponsible person anymore. ¡°You¡ª¡± Charmaine red at Victor, but she immediately shut her mouth when Victor shot her with a fierce look. Their aura were more terrifying than mine. I have no say at all in thispany! ¡°Mr. White, what are you talking about? I was making some preparations. What makes you think that I dare not show up?¡± Yale walked in with a confident look. He waspositive that he would be re-elected as the CEO of Tanner Group. No one could take this title away from him. He walked straight to his seat and sat down. With that, all the attendees of the shareholders¡¯ meeting werethere. Then, the meeting commenced. Victor was the first one to give his speech. He achieved remarkable results that year. After he took over a failingpany, he managed to revive it and turn the losses into profits. Theparative data presented on the screen coupledwith Victor¡¯s eloquent presentation rendered Sophie fascinated. She couldn¡¯t help staring at him. Victor does look dependable when he¡¯s serious. After Victor ended his speech, a round of apuse echoed in the conference room. ¡°That¡¯s the end of my presentation. Now let¡¯s invite Mr. Tanner onto the stage!¡± Victor wanted Sophie to be thest one to present as he had high expectations for her. Yale asked his secretaryto show the slides. Though all the preparation work was done by his secretary, he still had to do the presentation himself. However, he was not familiar with the data at all. Simrly, he never took his presentations seriously in the past and merely went through with them as a formality. He was too busy the night before and did not even get to take a nce at the slides. As he started his speech, the data that he presented orally was totally different from what was shown on the screen. Despite his poor performance, Yale¡¯s expression remained calm. ¡°Sophie, are you really Mr. Tanner¡¯s daughter?¡± asked Victor. How can someone like him be the father to such an outstanding daughter? Sophie remained silent, not knowing how to respond. ¡°I don¡¯t mean anything. I just think biology is amazing. How can a terrible father like him have such a brilliant daughter?¡± Victor admired Sophie from the bottom of his heart. After Yale finishedhis presentation with difficulty, everyone else in the conference room started whispering to each other. Yale¡¯s expression turned grim. ¡°Was my performance bad just now?¡± Yale asked Charmaine in a low voice. ¡°Where did you go last night? Why can¡¯t you memorize the data on the slides?¡± asked Charmaine. Yale did note home all night the day before. ¡°It¡¯s none of your business. No matter what, I¡¯m confident that I¡¯ll continue to be the CEO.¡± For some unknown reason, Yale was still very confident despite his terrible presentation. Aslong as Sophie voluntarily gives up. ¡°Now let¡¯s wee Ms. Tanner to give her speech,¡± Victor announced with anticipation. Not only Victor, but all shareholders were looking forward toSophie¡¯s presentation. On the contrary, Yale snorted coldly. What¡¯s so great about her? No matter how great she is, she will listen to me as long as I use Dad to threaten her. Yale knew exactly what Sophie cared about most. Sophie got up and walked toward the stage under everyone¡¯s expectant gazes. She yed the slides herself. Then, she began with her presentation. Sophie presented the facts confidently without any exaggerations. The data shown on the screen sessfully attracted everyone¡¯s attention. Transfix Cosmetics had turned from a brand that was spurned by everyone to a popr brand under Sophie¡¯s leadership. ¡°That¡¯s the end of my report. I believe all of the shareholders here are smart and visionary. I¡¯m sure that you invest in Tanner Group with the hope of getting the greatest return. I can assure you that I will help you to achieve what you want!¡± Sophie articted each word convincingly. Her confidence was genuine. Though there weren¡¯t any pretentious behaviors and unfeasible ims to prove her case, her performance alone rendered her absolutely remarkable. When Yale noticed everyone¡¯s excited and satisfied expression, his facefell. Everyone was giving him a doubtful look during his presentation. However, their eyes immediately lit up when they were listening to Sophie¡¯s speech. She had won their trust easily. Victor took the lead to give her a round of apuse. ¡°I¡¯ve never admired anyone in my life. But today, I¡¯m really impressed by Sophie,¡± said Victor sincerely. Apparently, the presentation that she did was enough to prove her ability. SuchabiIity was enough to lead Tanner Group to a brighter future. After he paused for a moment, Victor added, ¡°I hereby announce that I voluntarily quit the election for the position of CEO.¡± He thought that by quitting unselfishly, he had achieved another form of victory. ¡°Mr. Victor!¡± His assistant was shocked at his decision. He didn¡¯t expect things to y out the way it did. We¡¯ve put in so much effort. Why does he want to quit all of a sudden? ¡°I believe Sophie is more suitable than everyone else tolead Tanner Group. Rest assured that I will also do my best to assist Sophie in the future.¡± Tanner Group was apany with great potential. Under the leadership of Sophie, this marked the start of the journey to a better future. The other shareholders also agreed with what Victor said. AfteralI, Victor¡¯s ability was obvious to all. Since even Victor appreciated Sophie¡¯s capability and supported her to be Tanner Group¡¯s new CEO, they believed Sophie was indeed amazing. ¡°Victor, don¡¯t you forget that I¡¯m still one of the candidates. My profit is the highest, isn¡¯t it?¡± Yale would not give up easily. Victor nced at him with exasperation. Ccontent ? exclusive by N?/vel(D)ra/ma.Org. ¡°Mr.Tanner, do you think all of us are idiots? You might not know the validity of your own data, but we all know that.¡± Victor did not understandwhy he had to humiliate himself. Chapter 236 Chapter 236 Chapter 236 Kidnapping Her Grandpa ¡°What do you mean? All my data are genuine!¡± Yale was indignant. Hearing that, all the shareholders in the room felt awkward. They were not as foolish as Yale. All of them could tell that his data were faked at first nce. Charmaine felt embarrassed too when she heard what Yale said, and she avoided the shareholders¡¯ gazes. Yale was doomed to failure since he decided to go out and fool around the day before such an important asion. He did not even bother to do his preparation. Charmaine was extremely disappointed with him. Without the title of Tanner Group¡¯s CEO, Yale was a nobody. ¡°Do you have any evidence to prove that my data are faked?¡± Yale was not giving up. That was not the first time he forged data. He was not afraid of their usation if they had no proof. ¡°Since you still refuse to admit your fault, I¡¯ll make you do so.¡± Then, Victor asked his assistant to disclose all the evidence. Yale¡¯s face immediately turned pale after saw the documents that Victor had prepared beforehand. All of them were evidence of his falsification. He didn¡¯t expect to be humiliated right in front of everyone. ¡°Mr. White, I know that you¡¯ve always disliked me. But how can you disgrace me in such a way? This is defamation, and I can sue you!¡± ¡°I believe you know it clearly in your heart whether this is defamation,¡± said Victor scornfully. Yale was so furious that he was at a loss of words. ¡°If you want to continue to mess around, I¡¯ll have to get the Investigation Department involved.¡± Victor did not want to waste time listening to his nonsense. After all, it was useless trying to argue with someone like Yale. ¡°You¡ª¡± Although Yale was angry, he did not dare to let the people from the Investigation Departmente over. Suddenly, Sophie stood up and interjected, ¡°That¡¯s enough for today¡¯s drama! I believe everyone has made up their mind about who to vote for the uing CEO. The three of us will leave the room now, and all of you can proceed with your voting.¡± As soon as Sophie walked out of the room, Victor followed behind her too, not wanting to stick around any longer. However, Yale refused to leave, as he wanted to witness the voting process. ¡°Mr. Tanner, for the sake of fairness, you should go out too!¡± said the union chairman of Tanner Group. Yale was extremely worried about the result, but since everyone was looking at him derisively, he had no choice but to leave the room. Besides, the only thing left for him to do now was to talk to Sophie. ¡°Do you really want to give up the position of Tanner Group¡¯s CEO?¡± asked Sophie. She could hardly believe her ears. After all, Victor had been preparing for this election for so long. Why did he give up all of a sudden? ¡°Didn¡¯t you hear me just now? Yes, I voluntarily quit the election because I believe you are more suitable for this position than me.¡± That was Victor¡¯s sincere thought. Sophie was unsure of what was exactly on his mind. Nheless, that was not important to her at that moment. It was better for her if there was one lesspetitor. Right then, Yale walked over. Victorpletely ignored him, unwilling to speak with him. Yale walked up to Sophie and said in a low voice, ¡°Can we talk?¡± Sophie raised her brows. What else can we talk about? The oue is already decided. ¡°Mr. Tanner, don¡¯t be a sore loser.¡± Victor despised the other man to no end. ¡°Mr. White, this is our family matter, and it¡¯s none of your business. So, you might want to step away.¡± Although Yale was unhappy deep down, he dared not say much in front of a strong competitor like Victor. ¡°Family? Have you ever treated Sophie as your daughter? If you treat her as your daughter, you wouldn¡¯t have behaved like this.¡± Victor was a straightforward person. He had no qualms about saying what was on his mind. ¡°Sophie, I¡¯m talking to you. Are you listening? Your attitude is really disappointing. Do you even have manners?¡± Yale dared not criticize Victor, but he was not afraid to do so to Sophie. After all, he was her father. He believed she would not fight back. Victor looked at Sophie in silence, wanting to see how she would deal with that situation. ¡°Sophie, don¡¯t let yourself regret it.¡± Yale was annoyed by her attitude. If it was not because Sophie had Tristan as her backer, Yale would not let her off easily. Sophie frowned. Is he threatening me? ¡°If you have anything to say, just say it here!¡± As a righteous person, Sophie had nothing to hide. Yale shot a look at Victor. He did not feelfortable having Victor, an outsider around. However, Victor showed no intention of leaving. Instead, he regarded Yale curiously, wondering what he was going to do next. ¡°Mr. White, do you mind giving us some space for a private talk?¡± said Sophie as she knew what Yale was wary of. Victor shrugged. Fine, I¡¯ll leave. I don¡¯t mind. Then, he turned and left, leaving Sophie and Yale alone. Now that they were left alone, Yale rubbed his hands and said, ¡°Sophie, I know you¡¯re a very capable person. Since you¡¯re so capable, I believe you can shine anywhere. Why don¡¯t you give me Tanner Group?¡± If Yale had other choices, he definitely would not have resorted to kidnapping his own father. Sophie grew impatient. ¡°I¡¯m not going to say another word about this matter.¡± Taking note of her attitude, Yale clenched his fists in anger. ¡°Sophie, let me warn you again. You must give up the position of CEO no matter what!¡± Yale could no longer control himself. Unwilling to speak any further, Sophie turned to walk away. ¡°Your grandpa is in my hands. If you don¡¯t give up today, you¡¯ll never get to see him again.¡± Yale knew that Sophie cared about Josiah the most, which was why he made such a move, putting all his hope on that. Hearing that, Sophie stopped in her tracks. ¡°What do you mean?¡± Her voice was extremely cold. Looking at her reaction, Yale was a little proud of himself. No one is indestructible. As long as I can find her weakness, I can control her very well too. Sophie walked up to Yale. ¡°You kidnapped Grandpa?¡± Sophie wanted to give him onest chance. If he still showed no signs of repentance, she would show no mercy. Ccontent ? exclusive by N?/vel(D)ra/ma.Org. ¡°I have no other choices. I would not have made such a move if you were willing to listen to me. For the sake of our family¡¯s harmony, you have to give up the position of CEO today,¡± said Yale, sounding as if all he did was for her own good. Chapter 237 Chapter 237 Chapter 237 Capable Of Murder ¡°Keep dreaming.¡± Yale did not expect that to happen. ¡°Let me tell you something, Sophie. There¡¯s nothing I wouldn¡¯t do when I¡¯m backed up against the wall. To think that your grandfather loves you so. How could you¡ª¡± ¡°How dare you?¡± You were the one who kidnapped Grandpa! Sophie no longer paid him any mind. Instead, she called Butterfly. ¡°What is it, Phantom?¡± Butterfly asked, concerned because she was usually the one to seek Phantom out. Could something have happened for Phantom to make contact this time? ¡°Locate my grandfather, and send a team to bring him back.¡± Sophie¡¯s tone made it clear that her order was not to be questioned. ¡°All right.¡± Whenever Sophie spoke in that tone, it was a sign she was trying her best to control her emotions. Still feeling uneasy after hanging up, Sophie made another call to Tristan. ¡°What is it?¡± Tristan had been waiting for her call and, upon receiving it, thought the shareholders¡¯ meeting had ended. ¡°I would like to ask for a favor, Mr. Tristan.¡± Though she wanted more than anything to search for Josiah herself, Sophie had promised the old man to assume the position of CEO, which was why she could not leave as she pleased. ¡°What is it?¡± Though her tone was no different than usual, he felt his heart ache upon hearing her voice. ¡°Yale took Grandpa away. Could you bring him back for me, please?¡± Sophie did not realize how much calmer she became after hearing Tristan¡¯s voice. ¡°All right. I will get it done,¡± Tristan promised. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I will personally carry this out and bring Old Mr. Tanner to you once the shareholder meeting ends.¡± ¡°Hmm.¡± She might not believe anybody else, but she hadplete faith in Tristan. She knew he was capable and would get it done for her sake. ¡°All right, don¡¯t fret about it. I¡¯ll bring him back.¡± After assuring her, Tristan hung up and got to his feet, with Felix following suit. ¡°Did something happen, Mr. Tristan?¡± Felix asked curiously. ¡°Yale is up to no good. He kidnapped Old Mr. Tanner.¡± ¡°What?¡± Felix was stunned. ¡°That old fox, Yale, kidnapped his father to threaten his daughter? What has the worlde to?¡± ¡°Enough. Have somebody find out Old Mr. Tanner¡¯s current location.¡± As he had already promised Sophie, he was going to bring Josiah back no matter the cost. ¡°All right. Rest assured, Mr. Tristan. I will keep you informed promptly.¡± Having met much more formidable andplex adversaries than Yale, Felix was not concerned at all. Tristan was still not assured. ¡°Make haste. There cannot be any mistake. Understood?¡± As long as it pertained to Sophie, I must do it well. I do not want anything to upset Sophie. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Mr. Tristan. What haven¡¯t I encountered after all these years by your side?¡± Mr. Tristan was not even that nervous when Ysabelle was kidnapped! Tristan gave Felix a look which thetter hastily took as his cue to leave. ¡°All right, understood. I¡¯ll have somebody poke around.¡± Tristan knew despite Yale¡¯s deranged and reckless actions, he would not bring harm to his own father. Thetter¡¯s reason for doing so was to force Sophie to forfeit herself from the election. Only by bringing Old Mr. Tanner home will I ease Sophie¡¯s worries. Meanwhile, Yale was awaiting Sophie¡¯s answer in Tanner Group. ¡°Old Mr. Tanner loves you so much, Sophie. You wouldn¡¯t turn a blind eye to his survival, would you? I will have Old Mr. Tanner returned home without a scratch if you give up this opportunity.¡± Sophie¡¯s gaze were like ciers. Her hands clenched involuntarily into fists. ¡°Aren¡¯t you ashamed of saying such a thing, Yale? Grandpa has always been good to you. As his son, how could you have such thoughts?¡± ¡°Good to me? He would not have snatched Tanner Group from my hands if he were good to me. Do you think I want to do this? I¡¯ve been driven to desperation by you all!¡± Who would do such a sick thing? If they had not forced me to the edge, I definitely wouldn¡¯t. ¡°Since you dared do such a thing for your own greed, Yale, I, too, will dare send you to prison.¡± I am not going to amodate him anymore. Yale was rendered speechless. He did not expect her to remain steadfast even up to that point. ¡°Are you going to disregard Old Mr. Tanner¡¯s life for Tanner Group?¡± Yale, confident that victory was within his grasp, became suddenly unsure. Sophie does not look as if she is going to cooperate. What does she mean by this now? Victor arrived at that moment. The shareholders had already arrived at a conclusion, and it was time they headed in. ¡°Let¡¯s go! It¡¯s time,¡± he announced before noticing Sophie¡¯s cold expression. Belongs to ? n0velDrama.Org. I wonder what she and Yale were talking about? ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Are you feeling unwell?¡± Victor asked in concern. Sophie shook her head. Tristan will help me with this, so it is not necessary to inform Victor of this. ¡°I want to be your ally, Sophie. You must tell me if there¡¯s anything important.¡± No matter what it is, I would do it without hesitation as long as it was within my capacity. ¡°Thank you, but it really is not necessary. Aside from Tristan, I cannot trust anybody else.¡± ¡°I meant what I said. I want to fight side by side with you.¡± He even conceded running for election to show her his resolve. ¡°Hmm. Noted.¡± Yale panicked as Sophie and Victor made to depart andpletely ignored him. What is going on with Sophie? Doesn¡¯t she care whether the old man lives or not? Tanner dashed over and grabbed Sophie¡¯s arm. It was the final straw. Unable to tolerate her father another second longer, she whipped around and grabbed Yale by the throat. Despite struggling with all his might, Yale could not muster even an ounce of strength. Sophie stood before him. Though she was several inches shorter than him, the aura emanating from her was terrifying. Yale panicked and iled his arms madly as the feeling of suffocation descended upon him. He did not dare believe Sophie was capable ofying a finger on him. I am her father, and she is doing this before an outsider. Isn¡¯t she afraid of what people would think of her? ¡°You shouldn¡¯t have threatened me with Grandpa, Yale.¡± She might have tolerated it if it were anybody else, but she could not do so when it came to Josiah. Yale continued to struggle and was suddenly lifted off the ground by Sophie. Victor, who was usually ruthless, was also stunned by Sophie¡¯s actions at that moment. What is going on here? This girl looks terrifying right now. Even I can sense the murderous, bloodthirsty aura emanating from her. Is she really going to kill her own father? Chapter 238 Chapter 238 Chapter 238 A Harrowing Scene Charmaine emerged to summon them in and was greeted immediately by that harrowing scene. Her mouth fell open in shock. She wanted to scream but was unable to produce even a squeak. However, Sophie was unperturbed by Charmaine¡¯s arrival. Only when Yale was deathly pale and close to suffocation did Charmaine force herself to walk over and grab Sophie¡¯s hand. ¡°No matter what happened, Soph, he¡¯s still your father,¡± Charmaine pleaded. ¡°You¡¯ll regret it for the rest of your life if you hurt him today.¡± Sophie was her daughter, and to that end, Charmaine did not wish for the former to be burdened by the sin of patricide. Victor came over as well. ¡°It¡¯s not worth destroying yourself for somebody like that, Sophie.¡± I still can¡¯t believe Sophie did that. Sophie shoved Yale aside. Despite regaining his freedom, he could not even take a single step as he sat on the ground and gasped for breath. Even the expensive suit he donned could not disguise how wretched he appeared at that moment. ¡°Sophie¡­¡± Yale finally found his voice after a long while. It was quavering at that moment. Is the girl before me my daughter? I never knew that the girl had such a terrifying side. She was going to kill me just now! Yale could not steady his pounding heart at the thought of his close brush with death. ¡°You better pray nothing happens to Grandpa, or I won¡¯t let you go!¡± At that, Sophie turned and entered the conference room. Charmaine frowned. ¡°What did you do? Isn¡¯t Old Mr. Tanner at home? Why would Soph say such a thing?¡± Yale shoved his wife, who had knelt beside him, aside. Belongs to ? n0velDrama.Org. ¡°All you know is ask questions. Look at the daughter you raised! She even dares raise a hand against her father! She is a murderer!¡± Charmaine shook her head. ¡°I know my daughter very well, Yale. She would not be this way if you hadn¡¯t done something.¡± Sophie has always been serene by nature and would not re up without provocation. The circumstances only pointed to the fact that Yale did something that thoroughly enraged her. What¡¯s more, the matter pertained to Old Mr. Tanner. Yale stood up and entered the conference room. There is no way I¡¯m going to miss the announcement of the result. Everybody had resumed their seats by then. The union chairman took the stage, and by the end, all the shareholders unanimously agreed that Sophie was the best choice to lead Tanner Group. ¡°I hereby dere that from today on, Ms. Tanner is officially the CEO of Tanner Group!¡± Victor led the round of apuse after the union chairman spoke. Everybody was satisfied with the results. Sophie has what it takes to lead us to new heights. Yale, however, refused to ept the result. He leaped to his feet. ¡°Sophie dared toy a finger on her own father. How could somebody of this character be the CEO of Tanner Group? I firmly object!¡± Yale was clutching at straws, but not one of the shareholders paid him any attention. Speaking of character, nobody¡¯s was worse than Yale¡¯s. Sophie¡¯s leadership was what they wanted instead. ¡°Don¡¯t you believe me? She¡¯d just grabbed my neck earlier, trying to kill me.¡± Yale refused to give up. Sophie is not suitable for this position. Nobody listened to a word he said. Instead, they flocked around Sophie to pledge their loyalty. ¡°Rest assured, everybody. As long as we work hard together, I won¡¯t be pursuing matters of the past,¡± Sophie dered, by way of reaffirming her stand. ¡°We will, we will.¡± The other shareholders chimed in. The more firmly everything appeared to be set in stone, the more in denial Yale became. ¡°Do you not care whether your grandfather lives or dies, Sophie?¡± It is impossible. I have done so many things for the position of CEO of Tanner Group, yet here we are. I refuse to believe it. ¡°I¡¯ll deal with you once I find Grandpa.¡± Sophie did not waste her breath with him. Instead, she called Tristan at once. ¡°You can rx now. We¡¯d found Grandpa! He¡¯s doing very well.¡± Tristan was keeping Josiahpany when he received the call and strode outside to pick up for fear of upsetting Josiah lest the old man overheard. To his credit, Josiah knew what was going on. From when Yale¡¯s secretary picked him up from the Tanner residence to when Tristan kicked up a ruckus in search of him, he understood everything that was going on. Severe disappointment was the only thing he felt at the moment. There is something wrong with the way I raised my son. Otherwise, things would not be the way they are now. He had been chatting with Tristan earlier, and the younger man did not even dare mention Yale. Josiah¡¯s expression turned especially grim when Tristan stepped outside. He felt awful about how things turned out. Sophie exited Tanner Group immediately upon learning Josiah¡¯s location as she intended to bring her grandfather home at once. Yale reached out to grab her arm at the sight of her leaving. ¡°You really don¡¯t care if your grandfather dies or not?¡± Yale threatened, refusing to give up. If I was never the CEO, I might not be this upset. But because I once had it, the loss hurts all the more. ¡°Where did you bring Old Mr. Tanner, Yale? Don¡¯t do anything foolish!¡± Charmaine was shocked to learn that Yale had kidnapped Josiah for Tanner Group. ¡°Get lost!¡± Yale growled impatiently. He shoved Charmaine aside, who would have fallen over if Sophie had not caught her. ¡°Ignore him. He¡¯s insane beyond redemption.¡± There is nothing else he wouldn¡¯t do after doing something like this to his father. The car sent by Tristan had already arrived when Sophie exited Tanner Group. Felix emerged from the vehicle to receive her. ¡°Let¡¯s go! Don¡¯t worry, Old Mr. Tanner is very safe now,¡± Felix assured, as he knew that Josiah¡¯s safety was her utmost priority. ¡°Thank you.¡± Sophie only became truly relieved upon finding out that Josiah was unharmed. Fortunately, nothing happened to Josiah. Otherwise, I would not know whether I made the right decision. ¡°I¡¯ll bring you over!¡± ¡°Can Ie over with you, Soph?¡± Charmaine, too, wanted to pay Josiah a visit. ¡°It¡¯s not necessary, Mom. You should go home first, and I will bring Grandpa backter today.¡± As for Yale, the punishment that is going to befall him would be severe. ¡°Start the car, Mr. Northley,¡± Sophie then ordered. Felix nodded and drove them away. Yale, however, ran after the car. No, I cannot lose everything in Tanner Group! Chapter 239 Chapter 239 Chapter 239 Consoling Kisses ¡°He¡¯s still refusing to give up!¡± Felix smirked. How could a pair of human legs hope to catch up with the four wheels of a car? This man¡¯s brain must be chock full of sh*t! Sophie nced at the rearview mirror and saw Yale still in pursuit. ¡°Ignore him.¡± Sophie did not want to spare Yale another nce. Soon, Yale could no longer be seen from the rearview mirror. ¡°Cheer up, Sophie!¡± Felix did not know how to console her. He thought she must be feeling horrible for how her father treated her grandfather, despite how rxed she looked. ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± Sophie closed her eyes, making it in that she no longer wished to discuss the subject. She was reluctant to borate, and Felix did not force her. Tristan had brought Josiah to one of his mansions. Though he did not often drop by, a housekeeper kept the ce ready for him to visit whenever he liked. Having learned that Sophie wasing, Josiah sat in wait on the couch. ¡°Why don¡¯t you take a nap, Grandpa? I¡¯ll wake you when Sophes.¡± He¡¯s getting older and has undergone such a massive operation, so he must be tired. ¡°Oh, Tanny. Thank you for always being by Soph¡¯s side.¡± If it weren¡¯t for Tristan, who was always by Sophie¡¯s side, Josiah dared not imagine what would be of her. Though he knew his granddaughter was a force to be reckoned with, there was no way she could face it calmly when her beloved family member was involved, no matter how formidable she was. ¡°It¡¯s within my duty, Grandpa. Don¡¯t worry. No matter what happens, I will always be by Soph¡¯s side.¡± That is my promise. I will not let anybody hurt Sophie. Felix was leading Sophie in when she heard Tristan utter those words. She was touched. It really is nice to have him. Otherwise, I would not know what to do. Josiah smiled at Sophie¡¯s arrival. ¡°What¡¯s the rush, Soph? The shareholder¡¯s meeting must have just ended. I¡¯m fine! You needn¡¯t worry.¡± Josiah did not wish to bring up the matter, but it concerned Sophie, his beloved granddaughter. He knew that the matter could not go unsaid. Though he was the one who was kidnapped, he could no longer defend Yale. Sophie wrapped her arms around Josiah¡¯s waist and leaned on his chest. Though she knew nothing would happen, Sophie felt relieved to see Josiah standing alive and well before her. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Grandpa. Tanner Group will be my legacy from now on.¡± She was determined to lead Tanner Group to new heights. Sophie¡¯s voice sounded rxed. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Soph,¡± Josiah murmured. ¡°If it weren¡¯t for my insistence of you taking on that role, you wouldn¡¯t have had to experience all of that.¡± Such an ordeal is tough for anyone to endure. Sophie grasped the old man¡¯s hand. ¡°You don¡¯t have to be sorry! It¡¯s me you¡¯re talking to, Grandpa. All right, you must be tired. Rest a little here at Mr. Tristan¡¯s before we go home. If you don¡¯t feel like returning, you can stay with me for a few days.¡± ¡°You know, I really am tired. I¡¯ll take a nap here at Tanny¡¯s, and we¡¯ll talk after I wake up.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± After bringing Josiah into a clean room and tucking him in, Sophie emerged sometime ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± Yale had really got under her skin. He should never have done something like that to Grandpa. He should never have put Grandpa in such a predicament. She knew Josiah best and was sure that Josiah must be feeling horrible about Yale at that moment, yet she could do nothing about it. ¡°How do you n to deal with Yale? I can help you if you don¡¯t want to handle it.¡± As Yale is her father, she must feel conflicted. ¡°I don¡¯t mind handling it. Leave it to me.¡± Sophie was not a person to back down. Since it already happened, the only thing I need to do is to make him give up. He pinched her cheeks as his heart clenched. Why does she have to make such difficult choices? She could have been a happy princess living in a carefree castle, yet she is forced to face those matters and, even worse, is determined not to ept help from anybody. ¡°I¡¯m serious, Sophie. I want to help you handle it. I don¡¯t want to see you conflicted.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not conflicted.¡± There¡¯s nothing to be conflicted about. This isn¡¯t even bad enough to trouble me. Meanwhile, Yale sought his secretary with the intent of using Josiah as leverage for everything he wanted. Instead, he found his secretary with a bruised and battered face. ¡°What happened? Where¡¯s Old Mr. Tanner? Didn¡¯t I tell you bring him out?¡± Yale was livid. If my trump card is no longer in my hands, what else can I do? The secretary grabbed Yale by the cor. ¡°You are too much, Yale! I work for you for wages. What about you? Do you want to cost me my life?¡±N?velDrama.Org is the owner. Chapter 240 Chapter 240 Chapter 240 Fight ¡°What are you doing? Where is my dad? Where did you bring him to?¡± Yale was genuinely anxious at that instant. The secretary shoved Yale aside. ¡°Stay away from me in the future.¡± That man is none other than Tristan Lombard. An instruction from him is sufficient to ruin my life. Dumbstruck, Yale slumped to the floor. Am I really doomed? Have I truly lost all my chances and possessions? Meanwhile, at Tristan¡¯s mansion, Sophie took a nap inside Tristan¡¯s room. However, she did not sleep soundly. Resting in a hypnagogic state of consciousness, she immediately woke up when Tristan entered the room. ¡°Is my grandpa awake?¡± Tristan walked to the side of the bed and helped her brush her stray strands of hair. ¡°Yes. Old Mr. Tanner is awake, and he¡¯s having his afternoon tea. Let¡¯s go. We¡¯ll apany him to have his meal.¡± Tristan was there to invite Sophie to join Josiah. ¡°Okay.¡± She got up and followed Tristan out of the room. Josiah was very contented at the amicable sight of the couple approaching him together. They are indeed a match made in heaven. I can honestly rest assured with Tristan by Soph¡¯s side. ¡°Did you rest well, Grandpa?¡± Sophie asked concernedly. ¡°I had a good rest. Come over here and join me for a meal. Let¡¯s have some food and go back home, so the others are not worried.¡± No matter what, Josiah would demand an exnation from Yale because of what the latter did. Josiah was not letting that matter slide. ¡°Okay.¡± Tristan and Sophie sat beside Josiah and apanied the old man to have his afternoon tea. Josiah¡¯s appetite was good as he consumed a considerable amount of food. Still, Sophie was worried that overeating would affect his health, so he stopped eating after she persuaded him. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Josiah tried his best to put up a more rxed appearance but to no avail. After all, anyone would be furious after experiencing something like that. Sophie went to help Josiah up. ¡°Don¡¯t be mad, Grandpa. Getting too worked up is bad for your health.¡± She was ready to assist her grandpa in executing whatever was necessary after he made the decision, so there was no need for him to be angry. ¡°Soph, this is a problem I must take care of. I hope you can understand that there are some matters I cannot let you handle entirely.¡± Yale is my son, and part of the reason contributing to his current vile behavior is my failure to educate him. ¡°Okay. I promise you. I will support whatever decision you make.¡± Ultimately, Josiah was the head of the family. ¡°I¡¯ll tag along.¡± Tristan wished to stay by Sophie¡¯s side and face the situation with her when dealing with that predicament. ¡°Tanny, I know you are a kind boy, but this is still the Tanner family¡¯s matter. Therefore, there¡¯s no need for you to be there.¡± Josiah wished to preserve thest of his pride and dignity. Tristan grasped Sophie¡¯s hand. Grandpa still thinks of him as an outsider. It seems like there is still room for improvement for Tristan. ¡°That¡¯s right. You don¡¯t have to go. I¡¯ll take care of this.¡± Sophie med herself for allowing Yale to take Josiah away. This time, I¡¯ll make sure to protect Grandpa well. ¡°All right. Allow me to send you back then. Remember to contact me no matter what happens. I¡¯ll be there at any time.¡± Tristan was actually quite delighted because Sophie had thought of him when that incident urred. He hoped that she would always be reminded of him regardless of the circumstances in the future. Josiah did not refuse Tristan¡¯s offer since thetter was just going to send them back to the Tanner residence. Tristan personally drove to send Josiah back to the Tanner residence. Upon their arrival, Sophie opened the car door and helped Josiah to get out of the vehicle. Morgan was already waiting outside the house at that moment after he received a call from Sophie in advance. He felt guilt-ridden for losing Josiah. Hence, at the sight of Josiah, Morgan hastily jogged up to him. ¡°Old Mr. Tanner, I¡¯m sorry. This is all my fault.¡± After serving the Tanner family for so many years, Morgan could not believe he wouldmit such a blunder, so he was not able to forgive himself for the error. ¡°Morgan, this is not your fault. You don¡¯t have to feel guilty.¡± Josiah was sure that his incapability to handle his family matters led to the incident, so Morgan had nothing to do with that issue. ¡°Old Mr. Tanner, you¡ª¡± Morgan knew Josiah was upset, but he did not know how to comfort thetter. Yale did cross the line this time. His actions have really disappointed us greatly. Morgan helped Josiah to enter the house, leaving only Sophie and Tristan outside. ¡°You should go back now. I¡¯ll call youter.¡± Sophie could not spare her attention entertaining Tristan at that moment because she had her family matter to attend to. N?velDrama.Org ? content. ¡°Remember to call me once you¡¯ve settled everything.¡± In fact, he yearned to go into the house with her, but he knew she would forbid him from doing so. As a result, Tristan had no choice but to leave. ¡°I got it. Drive safely on your way back.¡± As long as Josiah was safe, Sophie was not afraid of anything else and had the confidence to deal with the ongoing situation. Tristan gave her a gentle hug. ¡°Bear in mind that you are not alone. I¡¯ll always have your back,¡± he uttered emotionally. ¡°Okay.¡± Sophie¡¯s eyes gleamed as she gazed at him. He¡¯s so kind. I think that I am very fortunate and blessed to have met with him. ¡°Go back to your car. I¡¯ll enter the house after I see you off.¡± Tristan nodded. He turned around, got into his car, and drove away. Sophie watched him leave before spinning on her heel and walking into the house. Charmaine immediately ordered the housekeeper to prepare a cup of tea when she saw Josiah had returned safely. ¡°Dad, are you all right?¡± Charmaine asked looking all concerned. That unexpected event caused everyone in the family to feel very worried. Josiah merely nodded in response. Willow was also present, standing beside her mother. ¡°Grandpa, did my dad really kidnap you?¡± Willow was still in disbelief up until that moment. Charmaine nudged Willow with her elbow. What is wrong with her? How can she ask a question like this now? I wouldn¡¯t have told her these things if I had known her insensibility. ¡°Willow, go upstairs. You¡¯ve got no business staying here.¡± Charmaine had no choice but to ask Willow to excuse herself from the scene. Just then, Sophie showed up. Catching sight of Sophie, Willow took a seat on the couch at once. ¡°Mom, if she can be here, why can¡¯t I stay? Am I not your daughter?¡± Willow had the urge topete against Sophie in everything thetter did. ¡°Wi¡ª¡± Charmaine warned her. Can¡¯t you see that your grandpa is at the limits of his patience? Willow went upstairs reluctantly and threw a tantrum in her room. All of them only have Sophie in their eyes. They are all neglecting me. How can they do this to me? Sophie sat beside Josiah and poured him a cup of tea. Yale did not seem to be home at that moment. Therefore, even if Josiah wanted to settle the score, he had to wait for Yale toe home. Nevertheless, Josiah was determined to reprimand Yale no matter what. At that moment, the two people hired by Tristan had also arrived, but they appeared no different from an average Joe. ¡°Ms. Tanner, Mr. Tristan sent us here. From now on, we will take care of Old Mr. Tanner¡¯s safety.¡± ¡°You two will need to prove your worth and abilities to me before you are qualified to protect my grandpa.¡± Although Tristan had assigned the two men, Sophie wanted to be more cautious as they would be responsible for Josiah¡¯s security. ¡°How do you wish for us to show you then? Do we have to face you in a one-on-one fight?¡± However, the two bodyguards did not feel it was appropriate for them to bully a girl like Sophie. Chapter 241 Chapter 241 Chapter 241 A Fight ¡°What about this? My standards for you aren¡¯t high. All you need to do is defeat me,¡± Sophie nonchntly said. ¡°What? Ms. Tanner, you aren¡¯t joking with us, right?¡± Please, aren¡¯t you just humiliating us? ¡°Ms. Tanner, we don¡¯t like hitting women and we don¡¯t want to bully women.¡± There was a big gap between a man¡¯s and a woman¡¯s strength. Hence, they found it too embarrassing if they were to bully an eighteen-year-old girl. ¡°It¡¯s fine. I asked you to hit me. Mr. Tristan won¡¯t do anything to you.¡± How will he be at ease letting us keep an eye on my grandfather if we don¡¯t fight? ¡°Are you sure about that, Ms. Tanner? What if we hurt you?¡± After all, Tristan had assigned them to protect the old man. Hence, they did not know how they would exin to Tristan about the matter if they ended up hurting Sophie. ¡°That¡¯s enough. Cease the nonsense and let¡¯s fight!¡± She had the most say now. If they were not capable, she was going to send them off even if Tristan was the one who assigned them here. She was not going to risk her grandfather¡¯s safety. The two of them exchanged a nce. ¡°Well¡­ But we have to agree on something first. You can¡¯t me us if you¡¯re hurt.¡± They had to make sure to rify that before everything else. It was not as if they could reject her request. ¡°Soph, don¡¯t mess around. Tanny¡¯s the one who sent them here, and even if you don¡¯t trust them, you should trust Tanny.¡± Sophie was speechless. She was not messing around but was just being cautious. ¡°It¡¯s fine, Grandpa. I can deal with them.¡± With that said, Sophie brought the two men into the courtyard. ¡°Old Mr. Tanner, since Ms. Sophie has said that, perhaps she¡¯s confident in her ability. We¡¯ll just head out and take a look.¡± Frankly, Morgan was worried as well. Although there were rumors about Sophie being a gangster in the past, that had only been a roughhouse between children. Now, she was going to be up against two powerful men sent by Tristan. Those who had been on battlefields would know the difference between the two scenarios. Although the two men seemed ordinary, they were far from normal. ¡°Let¡¯s head out and take a look.¡± Josiah looked forward to it as well. Caleb was his only grandson, but he only loved research and had no interest in military affairs. Honestly, Josiah wished that one of the Tanner children would join the army. That was the wildest dream he had. Morgan helped Josiah out. ¡°Are you going toe one at a time, or are you going toe at me together?¡± Sophie was quite straightforward with her words, for she only wanted to find out what are the standards of those two men. At that, the two shared a look, annoyed by how she seemed like she was looking down on them. ¡°Ms. Tanner, even though you¡¯re the most important person to Mr. Tristan, you can¡¯t look down on us like this.¡± ¡°Cut it out. Speak with your capabilities if you¡¯re a man,¡± Sophie snapped. She really disliked wishy- washy attitudes. Can¡¯t they just hurry up and start the fight? ¡°You¡¯ll go first,¡± one of the men said to the other. The other man then rolled up his sleeve. After what seemed like forever, the man remained still. Thus, Sophie decided to make the first move. The man thought that the young woman was only messing around, but upon seeing her first move, he realized that she genuinely had the right to speak in such a bold way. Instantly, he took her seriously. Indeed, Tristan had found abat expert. The battle between the two skillful fighters was a shy one. Josiah was taken aback when he saw the way Sophie fought. Ccontent ? exclusive by N?/vel(D)ra/ma.Org. Oh my god. Is she really my Soph? How can she be so adept at fighting? The look of the man who was fighting Sophie changed as well. He was finally taking the battle seriously. However, it was obvious that Sophie¡¯s strikes were quicker and more merciless. Moreover, her stamina was unlike a young woman¡¯s. In fact, people who frequently trained in fighting might not have as much stamina as Sophie did. Furthermore, Sophie¡¯s moves were all unpredictable. Even someone who was uninvolved in the fight would have a hard time figuring out what her next move would be. ¡°Isn¡¯t Ms. Sophie incredible?¡± Morgan uttered, shocked by the sight he was seeing. He could not help but wonder, Is this really the Ms. Sophie we know? What happened to her in Horington? What made her change this drastically? Of course, Josiah had no answers to those questions. He only knew that he liked her even more. I knew it. Of all the children, she¡¯s the one who inherited most of my skills and abilities. Meanwhile, even though the man had used everything he could, he was still not a match for Sophie. Just as he thought she was about to cripple him, she stopped. Sophie had only fought him because she wanted to find out if they were worthy enough to protect her grandfather, and it seemed like they could indeed protect him. ¡°Very well. The two of you will do the job.¡± A wave of embarrassment washed over the man who had fought with Sophie. Although the battle had stopped before a winner could be dered, it was apparent that he was no match for Sophie. ¡°Are you really fine with leaving Old Mr. Tanner to us?¡± ¡°Yes, but if you don¡¯t have the confidence to do this well, you can leave now. I¡¯ll inform Mr. Tristan about it.¡± ¡°No, we want to stay.¡± The two men had never admitted defeat to anyone but Tristan. However, Sophie had made them willing to work for her after the earlier fight. ¡°I¡¯ll leave my grandpa in your hands then.¡± By then, Sophie no longer had any doubts about the two men¡¯s capabilities. Without a doubt, the two men were greatbatants. ¡°Ms. Tanner, may I ask you a question?¡± the man who had fought Sophie earlier asked. ¡°Yes, but you might not receive an answer.¡± After all, there were some questions she could not reply to even if Josiah was the one who asked them. After a brief while, the man muttered, ¡°I guess it¡¯s better for me not to ask you the question then.¡± Right then, Yale¡¯s car appeared outside the house. The housekeeper then opened the gate for Yale, who then drove in. When Yale saw his family members in the courtyard, his eye twitched. Nevertheless, no one could turn back the time, and he could not undo what he had done. Thus, he had no choice but to steel himself ande down from the car. The moment he stepped out of the car, he went straight to Josiah. ¡°Dad, I¡ª¡± Before Yale could even finish his sentence, Josiah pped him with all his might. Yale¡¯s head was tilted to the side from the force. It was the first time Josiah had hit him ever since he was an adult. ¡°Dad, there must be a misunderstanding somewhere. Sophie must have said something to you, right? Dad, you can¡¯t simply believe whatever she says!¡± Yale cried out as he kneeled on the ground. Even then, he still refused to admit to his deeds. In his fury, Josiah kicked Yale. He could not believe that his only son had used him to threaten his granddaughter. How could he not be livid about that? ¡°Yale, are you still refusing to admit to your wrongdoings?¡± Josiah had wanted to give him onest chance, but it seemed like that chance would be wasted on Yale. Chapter 242 Chapter 242 Chapter 242 Threatening With Death ¡°Dad, I really don¡¯t know what happened! Please believe me this time!¡± At that, Josiah became so angry he almost passed out. Morgan hastily supported the elderly man as he thought, Yale is really a fool! ¡°In that case, there isn¡¯t anything we can talk about anymore. Leave. I¡¯ll pretend that I never had you as my son and take it that you¡¯re dead.¡± Josiah did not wish to waste any more of his breath on Yale. There was nothing they could discuss anymore. Sophie then took out a bottle and shook out a pill for Josiah. ¡°Grandpa, take this.¡± ¡°Soph, I¡¯m fine. I don¡¯t need to take the pill,¡± Josiah reassured her as disappointment and despair crashed into him. It was only at his elderly age did he feel that he was a failure. That feeling was horrible, but there was nothing he could do about it. He was the one who did not teach his son well, so who could he me but himself? ¡°Dad, I¡¯m sorry! I know I¡¯ve done wrong now! I only ask the secretary to take you out, but I just wanted to scare Sophie. I really didn¡¯t n to do anything to you. Please trust me!¡± ¡°Leave now,¡± Josiah repeated, looking away from his son. ¡°Morgan, you¡¯ve always been by my father¡¯s side, and in a way, you¡¯ve watched over me since young. Please talk to him on my behalf!¡± Yale uttered in a helpless tone. He did not want to be kicked out of the house. ¡°Morgan, ask some men to kick him out. From now on, no one¡¯s allowed to let him in without my permission. Whoever lets him in will be kicked out just like him!¡± Josiah had finally made up his mind to teach his son a stern lesson. ¡°Mr. Yale, you heard him. Please leave,¡± Morgan said as he walked over to Yale. Morgan had no idea why Yale was still spouting pointless words there when Josiah was evidently still angry. At that, Yale turned to look at Sophie before turning to look at Charmaine. Both women were standing near him, but they never said a single word the entire time. ¡°Charmaine, are you not going to say anything at all?¡± Yale did not know what benefit she could possibly have if he, her husband, was kicked out of the house. ¡°I have nothing to say.¡± Perhaps Charmaine could have put in a good word for him for something else, but this matter was not something she could bring herself to plead for mercy on his behalf. It was simply too shameful. How can he do such a thing? In response to that, Yale shoved the others away and rushed to the third floor. Josiah could not help but furrow his brows at his son¡¯s action. What else is he trying to do now? ¡°Old Mr. Tanner, Mr. Yale¡¯s about to jump off the building!¡± one of the housekeepers cried out in a trembling voice when she saw Yale on the rooftop. Why does this rich family have so many troubles? I can¡¯t believe he¡¯ wants to jump off the building! When Josiah took a few steps back, he finally saw Yale on the rooftop. The moment he saw his son, he became even more disappointed. He could not understand how he had an irresponsible son like Yale. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Old Mr. Tanner. I¡¯ll be heading upstairs to get Mr. Yale down.¡± Morgan knew that Josiah¡¯s blood pressure could spike, so he was genuinely worried about the elderly man at that moment. However, Josiah shook his head. ¡°I¡¯ve never regretted anything I¡¯ve done, but today, I¡­¡± he mumbled, not knowing how to express his feelings at that moment. It was simply tooplicated to be described by words alone. Charmaine was dumbfounded by the sight as well. She never thought her husband would be someone like that. ¡°Yale, what are you doing? Can you grow a spine? So what if you¡¯re kicked out of the Tanner family? Are you telling me that there¡¯s no way for you to survive without the Tanner family? How can you be like this?¡± Yale could not feel any emotions other than despair at that moment. He yelled, ¡°You make it sound so nice, don¡¯t you? People are going to ignore me once I¡¯m out of the Tanner family. I don¡¯t see why I shouldn¡¯t jump if even my own father won¡¯t believe me!¡± Yale truly never thought of hurting his father. ¡°Y-You useless man!¡± Charmaine shouted. It was the first time she ever said something like that to him, for he used to be the head of the family. However, his earlier actions had let her down. Sophie gave the pill to Josiah and said, ¡°Grandpa, you should rest first. I¡¯ll take care of things here.¡± She knew that Yale did not have the guts to go through with his threats. People like him were the most selfish individuals. He could kidnap Josiah to threaten her, but he would definitely not have the courage to jump off the building. Death, after all, needed immense courage that Josiah did not have. ¡°All right, I¡¯ll go in then. Soph, I¡¯ll leave this to you. You don¡¯t need to stop him if he insists on dying.¡± With that said, Josiah went into the house with Morgan. Morgan was right¡ªJosiah¡¯s blood pressure was spiking a little. Meanwhile, Yale had threatened to jump off the building to scare his father into relenting, but s, Josiah did not even want to stick around to find out what would happen to him. Furthermore, Charmaine remained quiet, and Sophie continued to stand at the side, eager to watch the scene pan out. Only the housekeepers seemed anxious as they looked at him. Hence, Yale could not bring himself to keep up with the act anymore. ¡°Mr. Yale,e down quickly! Let¡¯s have a proper talk with Old Mr. Tanner instead. Family members should be able to talk to each other ande to apromise!¡± one of the housekeepers said, trying to convince him to get down. ¡°Sophie, you must be dying for me to jump. If I jump, I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll be the happiest person here. There¡¯s no way I¡¯m going to grant your wish!¡± With that said, Yale moved away from the ledge and went back downstairs. He did not want to die. If he really had the courage to die, he would not have wanted so many things for himself. Charmaine pursed her lips and narrowed her eyes at that. After Yale came down from the rooftop, he hastily scurried away. Sophie then went back into the house to keep Josiahpany again. ¡°Is he gone?¡± Despite the fact that Josiah had entered the house earlier, he was actually worried about Yale. He never thought that his son would do something as childish as that. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Grandpa. He doesn¡¯t actually have the guts to kill himself.¡± There¡¯s no way someone as selfish as Yale would actually want to die. ¡°Okay.¡± Sophie did notment on Josiah¡¯s curt response. ¡°Grandpa, I have another mansion in Jipsdale if you don¡¯t want to stay here. Why don¡¯t you move there instead?¡± she suggested, realizing that the ce seemed terrible for her grandfather¡¯s mental well- being. ¡°It¡¯s fine, Soph. I¡¯m old, and I don¡¯t like running all over the ce. All you need to do is toe back more often to visit me.¡± ¡°All right, Grandpa. I¡¯ll always be by your side.¡± At that, Josiah held her hands. ¡°Soph, you don¡¯t need to do anything special for me. I know you¡¯re a smart kid. Isn¡¯t International Medical Association hoping that you¡¯ll join them? Go on. Do what you want to do. There¡¯s no need for you to care about what others think. There¡¯s also no need for you to spend so much effort on Tanner Group.¡± Josiah knew that he had to let nature run its course instead of forcing things to work ording to his preferences. ¡°I understand, Grandpa.¡± Indeed, Sophie knew all that¡ªshe just wanted to spend more time and stay by her grandfather¡¯s side. Belongs to ? n0velDrama.Org. He was old, and she knew he did not have that much time left to spend with her. ¡°Okay, run along now. I¡¯m tired, and I¡¯m going to rest now,¡± Josiah said, having felt tired the moment he found out that Yale hade down from the rooftop. ¡°Mm. Got it.¡± Sophie only left the Tanner residence after sending Josiah to rest. Just as she stepped out of the compound, she noticed Tristan¡¯s car was still around. Has he been here the whole time? In fact, he never even once called and disturbed her. Chapter 243 Chapter 243 Chapter 243 Sleeping Together Once Tristan saw her exiting the house, he hurried out of the car and opened the car door for her. After she entered the car, he asked, ¡°Are you okay?¡± Tristan had been outside of the car until a moment ago, so he had seen Yale standing on the rooftop. Nevertheless, it seemed like Sophie knew Yale well, for thetter never ended up jumping. ¡°Were you here the entire time?¡± Didn¡¯t I ask him to go back to rest first? Why is he still here? ¡°I was worried about you,¡± he replied. It was that simple. He was worried about her, and that was why he could not just leave her there by herself. ¡°There¡¯s nothing you need to worry about,¡± she mumbled. Didn¡¯t I tell him I can deal with it fine? As Tristan kept one hand on the steering wheel, he reached out to hold her hand with the other. ¡°I know you can handle it well, but I just don¡¯t want you to be alone during the process. Even though I have to be a distance away from you, I still wish to stay until the end with you. ¡± Sophie was moved, but she did not know what words she could use to express what she felt. In the end, she leaned forward and kissed him. Tristan was delighted to see her initiate the kiss. Ccontent ? exclusive by N?/vel(D)ra/ma.Org. After a bout of passionate kissing, Tristan drove Sophie back to Wisteria Apartments. ¡°It¡¯s been a tiring day, so head in and rest. We¡¯ll eat after you wake up or would you like to eat now?¡± he asked upon noticing how exhausted she was. ¡°Let¡¯s sleep together,¡± she said. She knew that he had a tiring day too. ¡°What did you just say?¡± Tristan whispered, unable to believe what he just heard. Instantly, Sophie¡¯s face turned bright red. Like him, she could not believe what she had just said. ¡°I-I didn¡¯t mean that! I just wanted to ask you to take a nap too. ¡± However, Tristan ignored her second sentence. ¡°Since you¡¯ll feel lonely, I¡¯ll keep youpany. ¡± With that said, Tristan lifted her into his arms and carried her into the room bridal style. Then, he ced her on the bed and took off her jacket for her. When he was about to take off his clothes for her, Sophie¡¯s heart thumped loudly as if it was going to fly out of her ribcage. Still, Tristan did not take off all of her clothes; a piece of ck garment remained on her. ¡°Sleep now. ¡± Tristan stayed dressed in his coat as hey by her side trying hard to not let his desires take over his rationality. She was tucked under the nket, and he was lying beside her in his coat. At the same time, he was holding her hand tightly. ¡°Won¡¯t you feel ufortable?¡± she asked, for she knew how ufortable it would be to wear a coat to sleep. ¡°Take off your coat. I don¡¯t mind,¡± she feigned nonchnce despite how her face had turned red from what she said. Indeed, it was ufortable to sleep in a coat. Hence, he stood up and took it off. Then, he turned around to look at her. At that, Sophie thought, There¡¯s no way I can sleep with him staring at me. ¡°Mr. Tristan, why don¡¯t you turn around?¡± Sophie said, hoping that he would ept her request. ¡°No. I want to look at you like this forever,¡± he rejected. Sophie was speechless, but there was nothing she could do about that. In a way, she could only me herself for the situation. No one had asked her to invite him to sleep with her. Yes, there¡¯s no one I can me but myself for this. When Sophie¡¯s eyes flitted toward the thin garment he was wearing, she began to worry that he might be feeling cold. Hence, she pulled half of the nket toward him. ¡°Let¡¯s share the nket. ¡± Tristan could not hold himself back at the sight of her cuteness, so he pulled her into his arms. Sophie was embarrassed by his hug, and her face heated up even more. ¡°Mr. Tristan¡ª¡± ¡°Hush. Don¡¯t speak. Sleep now. ¡± With her in his arms, he had to summon even more willpower to stop himself from being taken over by his desire, so he would rather have her stay silent. Therefore, Sophie closed her eyes and tried her best to ignore his presence. Yet, he was a man whomanded people¡¯s attention, so she could not pretend he did not exist at all. In the meantime, Tristan patted her shoulder rhythmically as if he was coaxing a child to sleep. Still, it was not as if Sophie could say anything about it, so she closed her eyes and rested. At the start, she thought it would be impossible for her to fall asleep. Yet, not long after, she fell asleep in his arms. Tristan curled his lips as he studied her beautiful face. For Sophie to have fallen asleep in his arms meant that she did not have her guard up around him. Is this something I should be happy about? By the time Sophie woke, it was way past eight. Her stomach growled. Just as Sophie opened her eyes, Tristan woke up. The man was frighteningly sensitive about his surroundings. ¡°What¡¯s the matter? Are you hungry?¡± came his concerned question right away. ¡°Yes, I am hungry. ¡± ¡°Then, let¡¯s go. Ysabelle and the others should still be in Blossom Garden, so let¡¯s head over there and join them for a meal. ¡± They had nned to have a meal together, but what happened to Sophie earlier affected his n of joining them. They must be done by now, right? ¡°Let¡¯s not go then. They must have finished their meals by now. It¡¯ll be strange for them to watch us as we eat. ¡± Regardless of everything, Sophie felt ill at ease at the thought of eating while everyone stared at her. ¡°What do you want to eat, then?¡± Her ce was close to Jipsdale Premier High, and there were a lot of student caf¨¦s in that area. However, Tristan did not know how good the food was in those caf¨¦s. ¡°Don¡¯t look at me. I am used to eating in student caf¨¦s, but it¡¯s now the winter holiday, so they¡¯re all closed. ¡± Right then, Tristan stood up and put on her jacket for her. ¡°Wear this first. I don¡¯t want you to catch a cold. ¡± Just as Sophie was adjusting her jacket, Ysabelle called. ¡°Soph, what are you doing? I called you a dozen times!¡± Isn¡¯t this just the start of the holiday? And I already have problems contacting her? ¡°I was sleeping earlier. What¡¯s up?¡± ¡°Sleeping? Is my Uncle Tristan around?¡± Ysabelle suddenly asked. Sophie nced at the man beside her and replied, ¡°He is. What¡¯s the matter? Are you looking for him?¡± What¡¯s going on? Are these two together now? Ysabelle was silent for a moment before she asked, ¡°So¡­ you¡¯re telling me that you¡¯re sleeping with my uncle?¡± Now, it was Sophie¡¯s turn to fall silent. She wanted to tell the other woman that nothing happened, but she was almost sure that Ysabelle would not believe her words even if she were to try exining. When Tristan saw the look on Sophie¡¯s face, he took the phone from her. ¡°What¡¯s the matter? Do you have a problem with that?¡± ¡°No, no! Uncle Tristan, hurry ande over! Isn¡¯t Sophie going to Horington tomorrow? We¡¯re all at Ms. Blossom¡¯s ce right now, so bring Sophie over quickly. ¡± Ysabelle was upset every time she thought about how she would not be seeing Sophie for a few days soon, and the people had gathered at Blossom garden to send Sophie off. ¡°Have you not eaten yet?¡± ¡°The lead character isn¡¯t here yet, so how can we possibly start eating? Hurry up ande now!¡± Ysabelle said. Ysabe had been cursing away earlier, but the moment she found out that Sophie was with Tristan, her tone immediately turned polite. After the call ended, Tristan said, ¡°They¡¯re all waiting at Blossom Garden, but we won¡¯t go if you don¡¯t want to go. ¡± Chapter 244 Chapter 244 Chapter 244 Burden ¡°Let¡¯s go then. Since I¡¯m leaving Horington tomorrow, it¡¯s good to meet them one more time before I take off. ¡± Initially, she didn¡¯t want them to wait for her, but since they hadn¡¯t even had their meals for the sake of waiting for her, she figured she should go and meet them. When Tristan and Sophie arrived, it was already half-past eight. Ysabelle ran up to Sophie when she saw her. ¡°Sophie! You¡¯re finally here! I missed you so much! This is the first time I have hated holidays so much because I couldn¡¯t get the chance to see you. ¡± I think it¡¯s better when we still have school. I get to see Sophie every day at school. Now that it¡¯s the holidays, it¡¯s hard to meet up with her! ¡°Wow? For the first time in forever, our dear Ms. Lombard wants to go to school!¡± Felix couldn¡¯t help teasing her. Hearing that, Ysabelle shot him a re. ¡°Shut up, Felix. What¡¯s wrong with me missing the days when we had to go to school?¡± Just you all wait. I¡¯m going to leave Jipsdale after the university entrance exam, so by then, it will be difficult if they want to see me. Sophie went over to Ysabelle and sat down beside her. ¡°Didn¡¯t we just meet?¡± ¡°I missed you, okay? How about this? I¡¯ll go to Horington with you tomorrow. It¡¯s boring to be in Jipsdale alone, anyway. ¡± We should all go together! ¡°I¡¯m not going there for fun. I¡¯ve some matters that I need to attend to, so it¡¯s a little inconvenient to bring you along. What about next time? I¡¯ll take you there to have some fun next time. ¡± ¡°What? Are these matters you mentioned dangerous?¡± Ysabelle was worried because these matters had to be dangerous for Sophie to say that it was inconvenient to bring her along. Seeing how worried Ysabelle was, Sophie smiled. ¡°It¡¯s nothing. Besides, there¡¯s no way a high schooler like me could be involved in some shady and dangerous affairs. Don¡¯t worry. ¡± Ysabelle asked, ¡°But why do I get the feeling that everything you do is dangerous?¡± After all, Sophie did not look like an ordinary high schooler. In the meantime, Felix couldn¡¯t help but sigh. It seems like Ysabelle is finally thinking straight for once. There¡¯s no way Sophie is as simple as she appears to be! ¡°You¡¯re overthinking things,¡± Sophie answered. The food was served as soon as Tristan and Sophie arrived. ¡°Let¡¯s enjoy the food. ¡± Sophie quickly changed the topic. She was going to Horington to deal with some matters in the past, so she wasn¡¯t lying when she said it was inconvenient to bring Ysabelle along with her. Ysabelle immediately pouted. ¡°But I really do want to go with you!¡± ¡°If you¡¯re really that bored, you can ask Felix to take you somewhere else. ¡± Besides, she¡¯s not done with her courses. Upon being mentioned, Felix bobbed his head profusely and uttered eagerly, ¡°I could take you out tomorrow if you want to. ¡± The university entrance exam was just around the corner. He did not know what would happen after the exam. Now that they were still in high school, there weren¡¯t that many temptations yet. However, he couldn¡¯t be sure the situation would remain the same after Ysabelle entered university, where there were lots of attractive young men. Ysabelle, however, bit her lip reluctantly. But I want to go with Sophie¡­ ¡°What¡¯s wrong? You don¡¯t feel like going anywhere? Forget it then. ¡± Felix was quite upset. I¡¯m considered an attractive young man, right? I wonder why she isn¡¯t interested in me at all! ¡°That¡¯s not it. I¡¯lle with you,¡± Ysabelle replied. She would do anything to stay away from home and avoid seeing her father. ¡°Mr. Tristan, are you really not going with Sophie?¡± Charles dared not believe his ears. He, for one, knew how much Tristan cared for Sophie, so there was no way Tristan would let Sophie face the dangers alone. ¡°Yes. That¡¯s right. ¡± Tristan was busy putting food on Sophie¡¯s te. After spending some time with her, he managed to learn about her preferences when it came to food. Charles was rendered speechless. He did not believe what Tristan said, but Tristan showed no intention of exining anything else. ¡°Oh, right. yton has finally stopped messing around. Phantom had him pretty roughed up this time around!¡± Felix was excited at the mention of yton. ¡°You¡¯re right. He¡¯s pretty messed up now. I wonder what yton did to Phantom that had Phantom toying with him like that. ¡± Sean, too, chimed in, ¡°That¡¯s right. Phantom is literally toying with him. yton is absolutely powerless in the face of Phantom. ¡± The fact that a quiet man like him broke his silence indicated that he was also interested in Phantom. Felix added, ¡°Do you guys think Phantom is taking revenge on yton because yton discovered Wings of Light¡¯s headquartersst time?¡± Yet, something didn¡¯t add up. Meanwhile, Sophie remained silent as if she heard nothing while serving Tristan a bowl of soup. ¡°You should eat as well. You can¡¯t be serving me all the time. ¡± Tristan had always been like that whenever they were having a meal. He would always put food on her te, forgetting the fact that she was not a child and could take care of herself. ¡°Thank you. ¡± Tristan did not turn down her kindness. In fact, he was rather happy. Meanwhile, Charles and Sean both exchanged a nce. As a matter of fact, Tristan nevercked women around him. The women would always try to butter him up, but he had always been unfazed by their efforts. But now, they could sense how happy Tristan was when Sophie merely served him a bowl of soup. Is this the power of love? So even the almighty Mr. Tristan is defeated by the power of love, huh? ¡°Charles, I think that young man from the Seymour family is pretty decent. He¡¯s a good match for Winter in every aspect. You should try bringing this up to Old. Mr. Quigley. ¡± Charles was at a loss for words. Is Mr. Tristan trying to find a boyfriend for Winter? It wouldn¡¯t matter much if Winter is not in love with Mr. Tristan, but the problem here is she¡¯s very much in love with him. I can¡¯t imagine how devastated Winter might be if she knows her crush is trying to find her a boyfriend, and one she couldn¡¯t say no to at that. ¡°Uncle Tristan, since when are you so kindhearted?¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter if it¡¯ll work out between them or not. But Charles, you need to let Winter know that I¡¯m not interested in her. ¡± Back then, Winter was someone inconsequential in his life. Where she went or what she did didn¡¯t matter to him. However, things were different now. Sophie was of utmost importance to him, and he wouldn¡¯t let anybody hurt her. It was that simple. Charles nodded in response. In actuality, he had been telling Winter things would not work out between her and Tristan, but she just wouldn¡¯t give up. I told you so, Winter. Meanwhile, Sophie tossed Tristan a look. To be honest, he didn¡¯t have to do that. Winter is never a threat to me. I can¡¯t even be bothered about her. After the meal, Charles suggested they have a drink at Nocturnal. Since the finals were over, Tristan voiced no objections to the suggestion. With that, the group left for Nocturnal. Tristan and Sophie were the only ones in the car when they departed. ¡°Mr. Tristan, I¡¯m well aware of the rtionship between the Lombard family and the Quigley family. You really don¡¯t have to do this just for my sake. ¡± Sophie, for one, was aware of the connection between the four prominent families. That was how prominent families worked. Belongs to ? n0velDrama.Org. They were always entangled with each other in terms of profits and gains behind the scenes. Aside from that, Charles was Winter¡¯s brother. Sophie did not want to make things difficult for Charles. ¡°Sophie, as long as you¡¯re still with me, you don¡¯t have to worry so much. If Winter even dares toy a finger on you, I¡¯ll see to it that she is punished. I will not let anyone bully my woman!¡± What right do I have to pursue her if I can¡¯t even keep her safe? ¡°But I honestly don¡¯t think there¡¯s a need to do that. I could have taken care of her myself if she even dared to provoke me. ¡± Sophie insisted he did not have to go to such an extent for her. She did not want to be a burden to Chapter 245 Chapter 245 Chapter 245 Naughty Things Hearing that, Tristan did not say anything. Instead, his car rolled to a stop in a quiet alley. The streetmps were broken, rendering the surroundings incredibly dark. Sophie was clueless. She couldn¡¯t understand the purpose of his actions, for she didn¡¯t think she said anything wrong. However, Sophie was never a talkative person, so she kept quiet since Tristan remained silent. All of a sudden, Tristan was filled with frustration and anger. He had done almost everything within his capabilities for her, but no matter how hard he tried, she still seemed nonchnt. It was as if she didn¡¯t even care. She kept telling him that he did not have to do anything for her, as if he was an outsider who had never once walked into her heart. The helplessness that was engulfing him annoyed him to no end. ¡°Sophie Tanner, what am I to you?¡± Though he knew he had to be patient and give her more time, he found himself unable to do so. He desperately wanted her to acknowledge that he, Tristan Lombard, weighed some weight in her heart. On the other hand, Sophie, too, knew Tristan was special to her as well, but she was bereft of words upon hearing his question. ¡°Mr. Tristan, I¡ª¡± Seeing her reaction, Tristan sighed out loud. He realized that impatience would do him no good, for his beloved woman was obviously still clueless. With a swift motion, he pulled her into his embrace. ¡°It¡¯s okay. Who can I me for falling in love with you?¡± With that said, he leaned forward and nted a kiss on her forehead. Ccontent ? exclusive by N?/vel(D)ra/ma.Org. Forget it. There¡¯s no point in being impatient. She¡¯s still young, and so am I. There¡¯s still time. We can take it slow, and I¡¯ll make her willingly open her heart to me one day. Meanwhile, Sophie¡¯s mind was a mess because of Tristan¡¯s confession, even though thetter had just kissed her. His lips felt soft when he pressed them against her forehead. She could feel heart skipping a beat, pounding hard against her rib cage. In the face of the man¡¯s charm, she was utterly defenseless. In response, she bit her lower lip. That seductive move of hers fueled the desire that was burning within Tristan. He pinched his chin, stopping her from hurting her lip. ¡°Your lips are mine. I won¡¯t allow you to abuse them like that. ¡± Sophie immediately snapped out of it and stop biting her lip. Her lips were beautifully shaped, and the glossiness of her lips was alluring. Seeing this, Tristan could no longer control himself. He leaned over and nted a kiss on her lips. When they both arrived at Nocturnal, Ysabelle quickly noticed the odd redness on Sophie¡¯s lips. Initially, she was a little confused but quickly knew what had happened. When she realized what had happened, she hurriedly dragged Sophie to the side and whispered, ¡°The trip is less than half an hour! Sophie, did Uncle Tristan bully you on your way here?¡± Ysabelle pointed at Sophie¡¯s lips. At that instant, Sophie did not know how to respond to that. I won¡¯t exactly say he bullied me because I kind of enjoyed that kiss just now, too. ¡°Soph, what was it like? What does it feel to share a kiss with a man?¡± As Ysabelle asked that question, she felt rather upset. I¡¯m already neen, and my first kiss is still with me. ¡°I wonder when will I be able to find the man I love?¡± Hmmm¡­ The feeling of first kiss, huh? ¡°How should I put it?¡± Sophie recalled that feeling. When Tristan kissed her, her mind waspletely empty. Her heartbeat elerated and she couldn¡¯t help panting. It also felt quitefortable! Moreover, she didn¡¯t mind Tristan touching her. In the past, she hated it when men touched her, but Tristan was different. ¡°Come on! Tell me!¡± Ysabelle had a look of anticipation on her face. She longed to fall in love, too. s, she just couldn¡¯t find the right man. Suddenly, Felix interrupted, ¡°What are you guys talking about?¡± ¡°We¡¯re talking about the kiss that Sophie shared with Uncle Tristan. Stop disturbing us! Go away!¡± Ysabelle reproached. However, as her voice was rather loud, everyone present could hear her. In the meantime, Sophie feigned a calm look as if she was not the one that shared a kiss with Tristan. Nevertheless, Tristan noticed that her ears were red from embarrassment despite her calm expression. That¡¯s how she always is. She¡¯d pretend to be calm, but whenever she¡¯s shy, her ears would turn red. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Sophie! I didn¡¯t mean to!¡± It¡¯s all Felix¡¯s fault! If he hadn¡¯t shown up all of a sudden, I wouldn¡¯t have said that out loud! At the side, Charles and Sean exchanged a nce. It was just like what they expected. Judging by how Tristan and Sophie showed upte, they had done some naughty things on their way here. Right then, Tristan grabbed Sophie¡¯s hand, seemingly calm and unruffled. I love her, so it¡¯s no big deal that I kissed her. Besides, this is something between the two of us. So, we don¡¯t need to mind what others think of us. It was also at this moment when Winter showed up. She was there with her friends that day. Given that she would often visit the bar with Tristan and the others back then, the manager greeted her enthusiastically and informed her that Tristan and the others were also around. Winter immediately ditched her friends and went to Tristan and the lot. Charles¡¯ expression changed drastically the moment he saw her sister¡¯s appearance. Didn¡¯t I tell her not to show herself around Tristan anymore? Can¡¯t she just heed my advice? ¡°Winter, aren¡¯t you here with your friends? Now that you¡¯ve greeted Mr. Tristan, you should return to your friends!¡± Charles grabbed Winter by her arm and dragged her away without giving her a chance to speak. Mr. Tristan is already angry. He will never ept Winter¡¯s love for him, and nor is he willing to. So, she has to give up no matter what! ¡°Hey! Charles, what are you doing? I used to visit the bar with everyone. Besides, I¡¯ve known Mr. Tristan way longer than Sophie does. ¡± Winter was indignant. She didn¡¯t know why everyone treated her like that. I¡¯m closer to Mr. Tristan because I¡¯ve been acquainted with him for a long time! ¡°Winter, you should know what you should and shouldn¡¯t say!¡± Sean warned. Why can¡¯t she tell how much Mr. Tristan adores Sophie? Why can¡¯t she see that? Either way, they had watched Winter grow up. To Sean, Winter was just like his sister. ¡°Sean, I¡ª¡± Winter tried to say something, but she swallowed her words upon catching a glimpse of Tristan¡¯s gaze. ¡°Enough. Since she¡¯s here, I¡¯ll make things clear right now. Winter, the young man from the Seymour family is a decent man. I think you¡¯re quitepatible with him, so you should find a suitable time to meet him. ¡± Tristan figured that since she had nothing else to do, he would find something to keep her busy. That way, she wouldn¡¯t have time to annoy him. Winter was at a loss for words when one of her arms was still grabbed by her brother. She couldn¡¯t believe Tristan was so cruel toward her. He knows how much I loved him! How could he try to matchmake me with someone? ¡°Mr. Tristan, do you have any idea how much I¡¯m in love with you?¡± Winter couldn¡¯t be bothered to watch her mouth anymore. She had to say what was on her mind, and she refused to ept her defeat. ¡°How could you do this to me just because of Sophie Tanner? She¡¯s not good enough for you! I, Winter Quigley, am the only woman in this world who is qualified to be your significant other! Do you know how much I¡¯ve sacrificed just so I could be worthy of you?¡± Chapter 246 Chapter 246 Chapter 246 Straight To Alendor Winter¡¯s heart was well and truly shattered. How could it not be when the one who she fancied regarded her as nothing more than a nuisance? ¡°Winter¡ª¡± Charles immediately stopped her. Why is she doing this? Must she really force herself into a point of no return? Taking a step back, Winter directed a finger toward Sophie. ¡°Do you know what sort of person she is, Mr. Tristan? The sort that had a pregnancy terminated while she was still in middle school. Are you going to reject me in favor of such a woman?¡± Coming to that point, Winter was no longer able to contain the rage she felt inside, and that was evidently reflected in the degree of viciousness in her words. The entire ce fell intoplete silence once she was done talking. Tristan had a terrifying look in his eyes and at that very moment, those who were closest to him instinctively knew what that expression on his face meant to convey. Tristan had already done his best to restrain himself, but he had already been pushed past his breaking point. ¡°I think you might as well forget about meeting up with that Mr. Etienne, as there won¡¯t be any ce left for you in all of Jipsdale. ¡± ¡°Haha. Right now, I really do have to wonder what exactly it is that this woman has done to you to have you turn out this way, Mr. Tristan. ¡± ¡°Stop it, Winter. ¡± Outraged by the way Winter spoke about Sophie, Ysabelle could no longer remain silent. ¡°Someone is obviously out to hurt Sophie by spreading these malicious rumors, so you shouldn¡¯t repeat them like that. ¡± ¡°Am I simply running my mouth? Have none of you heard any of these things concerning Sophie that has been circting around within Jipsdale? As the most trusted people around Mr. Tristan, all of you are just being willfully ignorant. Only I really have Mr. Tristan¡¯s interest at heart, because everything I said is the truth. ¡± ¡°Are you done yet, Winter?¡± Charles pped Winter¡¯s face. Does she even realize what she¡¯s doing? Has she not noticed what sort of mood Mr. Tristan is already in? ¡°Aren¡¯t you in the middle of expanding our operations in Alendor, Charles? Just send her straight over there!¡± Tristan did not even bother to cast an eye in Winter¡¯s direction. ¡°Mr. Tristan ¡ª¡± In spite of everything, Winter was still his sister. Thus, Charles was still hopeful for Tristan to show her some clemency. ¡°Mr. Tristan is already being considerate enough of your position, Charles,¡± said Felix, speaking up on Tristan¡¯s behalf. ¡°Also, don¡¯t think too highly of yourself, Winter. All along, it has been wishful thinking on your own part. With that being the case, what right do you have to me it on anyone else? Mr. Tristan has never said that he liked you!¡± ¡°Not you too, Felix! I¡¯ve been together with you guys for so long, so all of you must know how much I love Mr. Tristan. ¡± ¡°Could that even be considered love?¡± Charles was rendered speechless. ¡°I¡¯ll send her home first, Mr. Tristan. ¡± There was little more he could do if Winter really did have a death wish. It was as Felix described; Tristan was already being merciful, or what awaited her would surely be a fate far worse than exile. ¡°I don¡¯t want to go back home, and I don¡¯t want to go to Alendor either. ¡± With that, Winter charged toward Sophie. ¡°Today, I¡¯m going to rip that mask off your face and show everyone who you really are!¡± Winter then went on to try and tussle with Sophie. All the while, Sophie had tried to ignore Winter¡¯s unreasonableness, but with thingsing to a head, she was no longer going to continue turning a blind eye to it. Seizing Winter by the wrist, she then tugged her over forcefully. ¡°You¡ª¡± Winter had not expected that Sophie would turn aggressive in front of everyone else. ¡°Don¡¯t piss me off. Don¡¯t you know what I can do to you if you offend me?¡± At that very moment, Sophie did not look like someone that could be trifled with. The look on Tristan¡¯s face was one of severity. ¡°How dare you, Winter. Trying to hurt her in front of me,¡± Tristan raged. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry about this. She merely acted rashly, Sophie, so please, allow me to apologize to you on her behalf. ¡± Knowing that Tristan was truly upset now, Charles immediately spoke to intercede. With a light shove, Sophie sent Winter iling into Charles¡¯ arms. ¡°Let this be the end of it. If you ever let me catch you mentioning my name again, I¡¯ll rip your tongue out. ¡± ¡°See to it that she¡¯s sent to Alendor within three days, Charles. ¡± ¡°No. I don¡¯t want to. ¡± Winter was still struggling away. ¡°I¡¯m the one who has grown up alongside you, so how could you guys do this to me? For how long have any of you actually known Sophie? You have been brainwashed by her, all of you. ¡± Charles straight up had Winter hauled out and at that moment, she seemed to havepletely lost her sense of propriety to her own shrew-like conduct. As Tristan was still seething, Sophie went and fetched him a piece of fruit. ¡°There¡¯s no need to be upset anymore, so just calm down now. ¡± We¡¯re just dealing with a person of no real significance. Since that has already been sorted out, there¡¯s no more reason to continue to be upset! Tristan, who was still throwing a fit, instantly calmed down because of that one gesture from her. ¡°I¡¯m sorry that you had to go through all that. ¡± He could only make such a decision on the ount of Charles. ¡°But don¡¯t worry. From now on, Winter will no longer be able to monkey around in front of you. Ten years. I¡¯d definitely have her retained in Alendor for ten years. ¡± ¡°Actually, Mr. Tristan, it doesn¡¯t matter where she is. ¡± She was never going to allow Winter to affect her. However, being aware of the ties between the Lombards and the Quigleys, she had some concerns about how sending Winter off to Alendor would impact the rtionship between the two families. ¡°That, you don¡¯t have to worry about at all. Charles is not an unreasonable man. ¡± On top of that, he himself had already made a considerablepromise. ¡°As far as I can tell, you don¡¯t seem to be bothered by Winter at all, Sophie. ¡± He was actually hoping that the presence of other women would rouse at least a bit of jealousy from within her. ¡°Bothered? Why should I be?¡± she asked. She¡¯s just a nobody. ¡°Good. That¡¯s good to know. ¡± On the other end, Charles handed Winter over to the Quigley family¡¯s driver. ¡°Send Ms. Winter straight home. I¡¯ll exin everything else to Old Mr. Quigley myself tomorrow. ¡± As Walter was very fond of Winter, Charles would have to get through him first if he wanted to have her flown out to Alendor. ¡°Would you plea with Mr. Tristan on my behalf, Charles? I don¡¯t want to go to Alendor. I don¡¯t want to. ¡± If she was really sent out there, she knew that would effectively put her out of contention in the future. ¡°You should understand Mr. Tristan¡¯s temperament, Winter. ¡± Once Tristan had spoken, there would be no getting out of it.Belongs to ? n0velDrama.Org. Winter grabbed Charles by the arm. ¡°I¡¯m your sister, Charles, so don¡¯t tell me that you¡¯re going to take Sophie¡¯s side as well? You know that you will stand to gain from me being together with Mr. Tristan too!¡± Winter simply could not understand why Charles was so unsupportive of her. ¡°You still don¡¯t get it, do you? This has nothing to do with anyone else, to begin with. Even without Sophie, there¡¯ll still be others. You didn¡¯t lose to her. You lost to the fact that Mr. Tristan just doesn¡¯t fancy you! Now send her back!¡± Not willing to continue this banal exchange, Charles got the driver to take her away. It was only after the Quigley family¡¯s vehicle disappeared from view that Charles returned back inside. When Charles saw that Tristan was not beside Sophie, he wondered where Tristan went off to as he approached her. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Sophie. Please allow me to apologize on Winter¡¯s behalf. She has simply been spoilt rotten!¡± Pouring himself a ss of alcohol, Charles went on to empty it in one gulp. ¡°It¡¯s okay. I didn¡¯t take it to heart,¡± replied Sophie, demonstrating her magnanimity. Sophie¡¯s reaction prompted Charles to say, ¡°Now I finally understand why Mr. Tristan is so fond of you!¡± ¡°And why is that?¡± It was a question that even she was unable to answer for herself. ¡°Because you really are something special. ¡± Chapter 247 Chapter 247 Chapter 247 You Smell So Good ¡°What¡¯s the matter? Did I say something wrong?¡± To be honest, because of the ce Sophie held in Tristan¡¯s heart, all of them tended to tread very cautiously around her, even with the words they spoke. ¡°No. You¡¯re overthinking,¡± Sophie replied calmly. What is this disappointment that I am feeling? Shouldn¡¯t it be a good thing that he likes me because I am special? Charles refrained from saying anything more when he saw how she reacted and walked over to sit down beside Sean instead. ¡°What exactly is love, Sean? How could it bring about such a dramatic change in a person?¡± Mr. Tristan must have reached the state where he ispletely infatuated with Sophie, hasn¡¯t he? ¡°If a man who surrounds himself with women all day long could not understand it, then how would someone like me who is only capable of tackling court cases know any better?¡± If he was honest with himself, he found love to be something that was quite intimidating. That got him wondering what would be of him should he one day encounter a woman who could bring him onto his knees. ¡°Honestly, I quite envy Mr. Tristan. He¡¯s just so outstanding in every respect. ¡± To him, that sort of man was simply the stuff of envy. ¡°Yeah, you got that right!¡± For someone who is as busy as Mr. Tristan is to meet a girl that he could fall instantly in love with within such a turbulent society, doesn¡¯t that make him enviable? Charles raised his ss to clink it against Sean¡¯s. ¡°To us then. A toast to the single dudes!¡± Sean did not respond to that as he did not really consider that to be anything worth celebrating. Every time he arrived alone at home after a long day at work, Sean had very much wished to be in the company of someone who understood him. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Ysabelle immediately felt something amiss the moment she saw Sophie drinking. If Winter wasn¡¯t even able to affect her, what could it be this time? ¡°Have one. ¡± Sophie passed a ss along to Ysabelle as well. ¡°Why? Are you in a bad mood? Seriously, Sophie, you shouldn¡¯t care what Winter says because I like you very much. ¡± Ysabelle received the alcohol Sophie passed along and took a sip from it. Finding the taste to her liking, she went on to take in another mouthful. ¡°No. I wasn¡¯t bothered by Winter. ¡± An awkward silence ensued. ¡°Great!¡± Our Soph is simply that unppable, but Winter might probably throw a fit if she heard her say that. Though Winter was aching to kill Sophie, Sophie herself could not care less about her. ¡°What¡¯s troubling you then?¡± Having known Sophie for so long, she was naturally able to sense when the former was out of sorts. ¡°It¡¯s nothing. ¡± She merely felt a little restless inside. ¡°Well then! Since you don¡¯t really want to talk about it, let¡¯s just drink away. I¡¯m already old enough to do that anyway. ¡± Sophie clinked sses with her. Truth be told, drinking was not something that she particrly enjoyed, but on the odd asion, she did feel that a little drop could help take the edge off. ¡°What¡¯s up with Sophie? Hasn¡¯t Mr. Tristan forbidden her from drinking?¡± Felix got a bit of a shock when he saw Sophie and Ysabelle knocking it back. Mr. Tristan had just gone to the restroom, and Sophie is already drinking. He thus wondered whether they would receive the me for not keeping an eye on her when he returned. ¡°She¡¯s already a grown person, so what harm can a bit of booze possibly do to her? Stop overreacting. ¡± Charles clinked sses with Felix once more. By the time Tristan returned, Sophie and Ysabelle had already finished half a bottle of whiskey. He red at the three grown men at the side in reproach for their inaction toward the two girls who were guzzling away in front of them. ¡°It¡¯s not that I didn¡¯t care to do anything, Mr. Tristan! You know Sophie yourself. Even though she¡¯s such a pretty little thing, she could be rather scary sometimes when she starts shooting those icy daggers with her eyes. ¡± Fine! Felix had to admit that he deliberately allowed Sophie to drink some alcohol. Seeing howposed Sophie usually was, he was curious to see how her behavior might change when under the influence of alcohol. Wouldn¡¯t that be beneficial to their rtionship as well? I¡¯m doing thispletely out of consideration for Mr. Tristan! ¡°That¡¯d better be the case. ¡± When Tristan went over to Sophie and saw that she showed no inclination to stop, he could only pour a ss of whiskey for himself. ¡°Why the sudden urge to drink? Did someone tick you off?¡± ¡°Nope!¡± Sophie clinked his ss. ¡°Chill out! I can hold my liquor quite well. ¡± Tristan was stumped. Is that even the point? What he really wanted to know was why she was drinking in the first ce. Nevertheless, since he was around, he thought that it would be fine for her to imbibe. Albeit just a little. Initially, it was just the three of them, but when Felix andpany saw Tristan joining in, they too, shifted themselves over to partake in it. Ysabelle, who was less seasoned than the rest of them, hit her limit after only a few sses. The drunken Ysabelle was rtively sedate. Seeing how sweet and docile she looked, Felix could not help but prod at her cheeks with his fingertip. ¡°Her dimple is huge! Why is she drunk just like that?¡± D*mn this girl! Since she is so eager to fall in love, why is it that she doesn¡¯t notice me at all? Many socialites anddies within Jipsdale did mor for Felix¡¯s attention, but it was a pity for them that he had only eyes for that girl before him. Sophie knocked back another ss. In spite of drinking as much as she did, there was nary a flush on her cheeks. ¡°We should be heading back!¡± seeing that Ysabelle was already drunk, Sophie whispered softly into Tristan¡¯s ears. ¡°Yeah. ¡± Owing to the amount of drinking he and Sophie did, Tristan opted to leave the chauffeuring to the driver. The others, too, called the drivers from their own families. ¡°Take care of Ysabelle. ¡± Tristan entrusted her to Felix. Belongs to ? n0velDrama.Org. ¡°Don¡¯t you worry, Mr. Tristan! She¡¯s always the one who picks on me, and not the other way around. ¡± Felix was somewhat exasperated at how things yed out, as he had initially wanted to take Ysabelle out to catch a movie. He never expected her to be intoxicated. When the driver brought the car over, Tristan opened the door for Sophie to get in first before he followed after her. ¡°Where to, Mr. Tristan?¡± The driver was unsure where Tristan wanted to go. ¡°To Wisteria Apartments. ¡± Tristan leaned his head onto Sophie¡¯s shoulder the minute he got in, causing Sophie to re at him. ¡°What¡¯s up with you?¡± ¡°Got a bit of a headache. ¡± Sophie was stumped because she knew Tristan to be someone who could hold his liquor well. He didn¡¯t even drink that much tonight, so how could he have gotten drunk? ¡°Let me rest for a while, and wake me when we arrive. ¡± When he was done speaking, Tristan adjusted himself to find a morefortable position on her body. ¡°Okay. ¡± Sophie did not want to press him with regard to whether he was actually inebriated, but she was not averse to lending him a shoulder if he was tired either. ¡°You smell so good, Sophie,¡± whispered Tristan suddenly into her ear. That caught Sophie off guard a little, and the warm breath that tickled against her sensitive earlobes caused her to squirm. Is he doing this on purpose? Tristan was extremely alluring that way, and as such, could somehow lead one¡¯s imagination to run amok. When Sophie blushed, Tristan could not resist nibbling at her earlobe. ¡°Mr. Tristan¡ª¡± Sophie cast an eye at the driver in front, but it would seem that the driver had already raised the screen that separated them. This driver is almost too self-aware. ¡°Huh?¡± Tristan lifted his head to cast at her an irresistible gaze. ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± he asked the obvious. ¡°It¡¯s nothing. Go ahead and sleep for a bit!¡± ¡°But I¡¯m not tired anymore. What should I do then?¡± Chapter 248 Chapter 248 Chapter 248 Cannot Wait Much Longer When confronted with Tristan¡¯s frivolous overtures, Sophie pretended to be calm. ¡°Then don¡¯t sleep. ¡± Shouldn¡¯t women be the ones who typically get drunk first? Probably nobody would believe Mr. Tristan if he told anyone that he got himself drunk today. Seeing her that way, Tristan could not resist a chuckle. ¡°All right. I won¡¯t mess with you anymore. ¡± That was because it was usually him who could no longer take any more of it after such attempts. The car eventually rolled to a halt outside Wisteria Apartments¡¯ parking lot. Sophie opted not to wake Tristan when she saw him leaning against her shoulder with his eyes closed, for she quite enjoyed that moment of serenity. It was the sort of tranquility that one would want to lose themselves in, forever and ever. Tristan, however, chose an opportune time to open his eyes. ¡°We¡¯ve arrived, I see. ¡± ¡°Yeah. ¡± Tristan opened the door to alight, as did Sophie. ¡°Rest early. ¡± Since it waste after sending her there, she thought he might as well head straight back and get some rest. ¡°You don¡¯t have toe and see me off at the train station tomorrow. ¡± This time, Sophie had chosen to travel to Horington by rail. Due to the punctuality of the train schedules, she found that to be preferable over air travel as thetter was very much dependent on the weather. ¡°All right then. You should rest early, too. ¡± Tristan did not ask to go up because he no longer trusted himself to keep his own impulses in check. Considering the inebriated state he was in, it only made it harder for him to keep his own yearnings under control. ¡°Sophie¡­¡± Just as Sophie was about to leave, Tristan called out after her. ¡°Yes?¡± When Sophie turned around, she did not even have time to finish her question before Tristan caught her by the hand and pulled her into his arms. ¡°Would you grow up faster? I think I won¡¯t be able to wait much longer. ¡± The voice in her ear was filled with such a seductive quality that it caused one¡¯s heart to start racing. Tristan left a peck on her forehead before he let her go. ¡°All right, go on up! I¡¯ll watch you enter the elevator before I go. ¡± ¡°Okay. ¡± Sophie turned to leave, still seeming as nonchnt as ever. Only she herself knew how furiously her own heart was thumping against her chest. Immediately after Tristan reached home, he made a video call to Sophie who, fresh out of the shower, looked extremely delectable to him when she answered. The sight of that gorgeous face disyed on the phone¡¯s screen led Tristan to swallow hard. ¡°Hurry up and go get washed up!¡± Sophie¡¯s cid voice conversely sounded rather appealing to him. ¡°Okay, but don¡¯t hang up. ¡± With that, Tristan left the phone on the table and went off to take a shower. Sophie was dumbstruck. What was he trying to do making me stare at the ceiling while he is away? She wondered. Though Sophie thought about hanging up, she kept what hest said in mind and pliantly left her own phone at the side. Then, she went on to boot up herptop to attend to her own affairs. After Tristan exited the showers, he toweled off his hair while he went to check on his phone. He smiled when he saw that the video call was still connected. Hmm. My little Sophie is surprisingly obedient. Tristan was quite satisfied with how obediently she behaved. Back and forth, her fingers danced rapidly over the keyboard while she busied away on herptop. All the while, she did so with extreme focus. Having nothing better to do after he had dried his hair, Tristan simply sat there silently to keep Sophie company. Sophie only realized that the video call was still active when she finally closed herptop. Picking up her phone, she immediately saw Tristan¡¯s ridiculously handsome face on it. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I forgot that we are still on the line. ¡± She had always been very cautious about handling her business with Wings of Light. ¡°Nah. It¡¯s fine. What were you busy with?¡± She should have wrapped up whatever was on her hands, so what¡¯s she so preupied with? Having eaten and drunk outside with everyone else today, shouldn¡¯t she be taking the time to get properly rested? ¡°It¡¯s nothing. I¡¯m just helping out a friend with a small favor. ¡± ¡°I see!¡± She seems to have quite a number of friends. ¡°I guess that¡¯s that. It¡¯s about time I turned in. ¡± She still had a train to catch at around nine the following day. ¡°Okay. ¡± In spite of that, neither one of them hung up. ¡°I think I¡¯m missing you already. ¡± Over those past couple of days, Tristan was almost like a prince charming, uttering passionate sweet nothings every so often. Is this what it feels like to be in love? ¡°Can I ask you something, Mr. Tristan?¡± Sophie finally said. ¡°What is it? I will answer your question if I am able to, no matter what they might be about. ¡± Between them, there wasn¡¯t anything they couldn¡¯t discuss. After some consideration, Sophie asked, ¡°You¡¯re obviously surrounded by an assortment of beautiful women, so how did youe to fancy me?¡± It was not ack of self-confidence that prompted her to ask that sort of a question, but a genuine inquisitiveness to find out the answer to it. Tristan had not seen such a curve balling, and it got him thinking hard about how he might be able to best answer it. It then urred to him that that could be the nature of love. No one really nned for it to happen, and there was no particr reason why one would be attracted to another. ¡°That¡¯s a tough one, Sophie. There aren¡¯t many questions that I can¡¯t answer before today, but I really don¡¯t know how to address that. I guess that it¡¯s just a feeling. You meet one person and want to be her, and you instinctively want to protect and care for her. ¡± At least that was exactly how he felt. Although aware that Sophie was very capable of fending for herself, he still could not refrain from worrying about her. Sophie fell silent. Even though she was the one who started that conversation, she had no idea how to continue it. ¡°Are you satisfied with such an answer? If not, I¡¯ll go back and think it over. Maybe I can write you a dissertation about love or something. ¡± In spite of not having extensive experience in romances, he supposed that he could give that a shot if that was what she wanted. Sophie did not know how to respond to that. ¡°All right. You should just go and rest up now!¡± What use would I have for a dissertation like that? ¡°Good night. This is from N?velDrama.Org. ¡± Such a simple greeting, but it sounded so seductive and tantalizing when it came off his lips. Sophie could not help but shake her head. What¡¯s gotten into me? She could not understand why every word that Tristan uttered would bring about such wild imaginations in her. ¡°Good night. ¡± His sensual voice still echoed inside Sophie¡¯s head after she ended the video call, and it took her a fair bit of tossing and turning to get herself to sleep. Sophie roused around eight the next day. Even though it was just a trip to Horington, she had chosen to travel light. All she had with her was a ck backpack on her shoulders and a matching baseball cap over her head. Though the clothing on her was not fanciful in any way, it still looked fantastic on her, proving once more that she was a walking mannequin. Sophie hailed a ride to the station, but before she even stepped inside, she received a call from Arius. Chapter 249 Chapter 249 Chapter 249 The Secret Of Sophie As soon as the call was connected, Arius¡¯ anxious voice drifted out of the phone. ¡°I heard that you¡¯re going to Horington?¡± Argh! Why is she just so disobedient? Why is she going to Horington out of the blue? That man is already investigating Horington, yet she wants to go there? Isn¡¯t she just offering herself up on a silver tter? ¡°Yeah. What about it? Is there a problem?¡± I¡¯m just making a trip to Horington. Does he need to make such a huge fuss out of it? ¡°Let me tell you this solemnly, Sophie¡ªthat man never gave up looking for you. You¡¯d better behave. It¡¯s pretty safe to remain by Mr. Tristan¡¯s side,¡± Arius warned in exasperation. I know she¡¯s fearless because she¡¯s highly capable, but this matter really isn¡¯t that simple! ¡°All right. Don¡¯t bother about this matter anymore. Why are you always concerning yourself with such trivial matters when you¡¯re a good-looking young man?¡± Sophie grew impatient. This is nothing, so why is he all frantic? ¡°What? I¡¯m serious, Sophie! Anything that has to do with your safety is no trivial matter. Listen to me!¡± Gah! She never changes, forever carefree and nonchnt! This simply won¡¯t do! ¡°That¡¯s enough. I¡¯m going to enter the train station, so we¡¯ll talk another time. Just worry about yourself. ¡± Not in the mood to yak with him further, Sophie hung up directly. In fact, she outright turned off her phone to avoid having him continue hounding her. Arius, on the other hand, phoned Sophie again. When he heard the familiar female mechanical voice telling him that the number he had dialed was temporarily unavable, the urge to seize Sophie and skin her alive gripped him. Why is she just so worrisome? Does she not know the gravity of this matter? Meanwhile, the man who had been looking for Sophie immediately set out from Anndur after receiving news that she was in Horington. ¡°Are you really going personally, Boss?¡± his assistant inquired hesitantly before he departed. ¡°Yes. ¡± How could I possibly not go when I¡¯ve finally gotten news of Sophie? ¡°This time, I¡¯ll definitely capture her myself!¡± After I¡¯ve done so, she can never leave again! I¡¯ll never give her the chance to do so! ¡°But Boss, it¡¯s too dangerous for you to go to Chanaea right now. ¡± Many people in Chanaea wanted to take his life, so it was undoubtedly irrational for him to go back. ¡°I can¡¯t be bothered about that anymore. ¡± As long as it was something to do with Sophie, he could never remain calm. ¡°Boss!¡± ¡°Okay, that¡¯s enough. There¡¯s no use trying to dissuade me further. The ne is taking off soon!¡± Since the man was secretly returning to the country, he didn¡¯t make a grand affair of things by using his private jet. Instead, he took amercial ne like everyone else. At the same time, Sophie had already boarded the train. She bought a premier-ss seat, so it was exceedingly spacious. After getting onto the train, she took out her phone and started handling some of Wings of Light¡¯s matters without noticing that the person sitting beside her was a man she hadn¡¯t seen for some time¡ª Eustace. Only when she had finally snapped out of her thoughts did she realize that it was Eustace beside her. Behind them sat Danny and a few SWAT team members. Seeing that she had finally finished her work, Danny eximed excitedly, ¡°I didn¡¯t expect to meet you here, Sophie!¡± They were pretty close as Danny sought Sophie¡¯s help the instant the SWAT team encountered any problems. For that reason, Danny was particrly enthusiastic to see Sophie. Faced with that bright smile on his juvenile face, Sophie merely replied curtly, ¡°Indeed, it¡¯s quite the coincidence. ¡± ¡°All right, sit down,¡± Eustace said to Danny, who was standing up. Danny sat back down, but he still wanted to talk to Sophie. ¡°Where are you going, Sophie? Horington?¡± They were heading to Horington as well, and he had heard that she used to study there. ¡°Yeah. ¡± ¡°In that case, let¡¯s have lunch together after we arrive in Horington!¡± Danny suggested earnestly. ¡°I¡¯m going there on business, so I might not be able to have lunch with you all. ¡± ¡°Zip it, Danny! Captain Sheppard is upset!¡± Can¡¯t he be more tactful when Captain Sheppard has finally gotten to meet her? How could Captain Sheppard have an opportunity if he¡¯s yapping away here? Finally, Danny realized that his captain was looking rather grim. He instantly made a zipping motion across his mouth and went silent. At the sight of that, the middle-aged man beside him couldn¡¯t help chortling. Young people nowadays are really something else. But Captain Sheppard is almost thirty years old now, so it¡¯s time he gets himself a girlfriend when he¡¯s such an outstanding young man. Sophie is indeed pretty good. Besides, they¡¯re somewhat bound by fate since they boarded the same train and bought adjacent seats. Isn¡¯t this destiny? In truth, Sophie and Eustace overheard every single word of the conversation behind them. Nheless, neither of them were perturbed by it. Eustace stole a peek at Sophie beside him. By then, she had already turned off herptop. She didn¡¯t seem as though she was inclined to start a conversation either, acting even more aloof than him. In the end, he was still the one to break the silence. ¡°Is something the matter that you¡¯re going to Horington? Just say the word if you need any help. We¡¯re also going to Horington this time. ¡± Although we¡¯re going in an official capacity this time, she has helped me several times, so I¡¯ll certainly help her without hesitation if she really needed it. ¡°It¡¯s okay. Ccontent ? exclusive by N?/vel(D)ra/ma.Org. I don¡¯t have anything that requires your help when I¡¯m only a high schooler, Captain Sheppard. ¡± Words eluded Eustace. That¡¯s true. I generally deal with major cases involving murder and smuggling, so it¡¯s indeed inauspicious to require my help. ¡°That wasn¡¯t what I meant. ¡± For the very first time, he felt embarrassed. ¡°Captain Sheppard, you¡¯re meant for great things, so go ahead with your work. There¡¯s no need to bother about me. ¡± Sophie wore a faint smile on her face. In response, Eustace nodded. He had always had the golden touch, never once failing at anything he did. However, he had one weakness¡ªhe really didn¡¯t know how to interact with girls. It was a two-hour train ride. Throughout it all, neither of them said anything. Sophie was busy on herptop while Eustace alternated his gaze out the window and at her. She seems to have a lot of secrets, but I couldn¡¯t find anything about her. When someone existed, there must be some information on the person. However, Sophie¡¯s background was too easily avable. As such, it appears rather fake. Herputer skills were better than his technicians, and she could even defuse bombs. Thus, he couldn¡¯t help being curious about her. When the train pulled into the station, Sophie put her ultra-thinptop into her backpack. Shouldering it, she walked out with everyone else. While alighting from the train, Eustace followed closely behind her and didn¡¯t allow anyone to jostle her. On the whole, he was really gentlemanly. Chapter 250 Chapter 250 Chapter 250 Smacking Jack With A Fly Swatter All of them left the train station together. When Danny noticed that Sophie was about to leave without showing the slightest inclination to have lunch with them, he promptly rushed over to her. Captain Sheppard indeed has no problems solving cases, but he totally flopped in pursuing ady! He¡¯s spent over two hours in her presence, yet he didn¡¯t even manage to ask her out for a meal. Well, it looks like he needs me to lend him a hand! Sophie eyed the man who was blocking her path, having no idea about his intentions. At once, Danny shed her a bright smile. ¡°Sophie, we¡¯re considered friends, right? Look, it¡¯s lunchtime now, so why don¡¯t you have lunch with us all? Don¡¯t decline! I know you¡¯ve got something important to do, but no matter how important it is, you¡¯ve still got to eat, no?¡± Look how glib I am! That aside, I¡¯ve got reason backing me up. Just as he was certain that she wouldn¡¯t turn him down, Sophie shook her head. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I¡¯ve got a date with someone else, so I¡¯ll pass this time. ¡± Moreover, I¡¯ve only helped them out a couple of times, so I¡¯m really not that close with them. Danny wanted to convince her further, but Eustace held him back. ¡°A car ising to pick us up. Where are you going? We¡¯ll give you a lift,¡± Eustace offered. Danny was wholly bbergasted. Good Lord! It turned out that the long speech I delivered earlier was of no use at all! Captain Sheppard is too dense! ¡°It¡¯s okay. I¡¯ll be leaving first. ¡± Hailing a taxi, Sophie climbed right in. ¡°She¡¯s pretty cool,¡± one of the SWAT team members remarked. Eustace watched as Sophie left blithely with a smile ying on his lips. ¡°Right? She¡¯s indeed pretty cool and candid. ¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t you the least bit tempted when she¡¯s so cool and candid, Captain Sheppard?¡± There are many beautiful women around him, but none of them are as impressive as Sophie! ¡°Danny, I know you idolize her, but you can¡¯t mix things together. Let¡¯s go. We should get down to business. ¡± They were there on official duty, not on vacation. ¡°Fine, then. ¡± I¡¯m not the one pursuing her, so it isn¡¯t going to do any good even if I¡¯m frantic on his behalf. In the meantime, Sophie had the taxi drop her off at her previous residence. Her lease hadn¡¯t ended yet, so the house remained in the same condition as before she left, and no one had been there. She took a small bottle from the house and stuffed it into her backpack. Then, she swept a nce over everything there before whirling around to leave. No sooner had she stepped out of the house than the ring on her ring finger lit up. The moment she noticed that the ring had lit up again, she inexorably sneered. ¡°Are you really that eager for me to go back?¡± Why can¡¯t this d*mn man stop? Aren¡¯t things pretty good now? ¡°Unfortunately, you¡¯re dumb. Even if you want me to go back, it still depends on whether you¡¯ve got the capability to make me do so!¡± Ignoring the ring, Sophie hailed a taxi and went to an alley, nning to get herself a te of pasta from a vendor there. Mere moments after she had taken a seat, Percy¡¯s son, whom she beat to a pulp back then, appeared. He had a dozen ruffians following behind him, all looking like delinquents who were the scum of society. ¡°Sophie, you¡¯ve finally returned after I¡¯ve waited for you for so long. I thought you didn¡¯t have the guts toe back. ¡± Sophie ignored him entirely but continued scrolling through her phone, paying him no mind. The young man mmed his hand onto the table. She¡¯s showing me tant disrespect! ¡°Hey! Our boss is talking to you! Are you deaf or mute?¡± Even so, Sophie remained calm and unruffled. She didn¡¯t appear to be angry at all. ¡°D*mn it! Look, she¡¯s still as insolent as ever!¡± Jack dered crassly. Sophie remained silent. Upon seeing that someone was kicking up trouble there, the shop owner didn¡¯t tarry after serving the pasta. Instead, he swiftly retreated to the kitchen. Sophie took a fork from the cutlery container and got ready to eat. ¡°I¡¯m talking to you, Sophie Tanner! Do you not hear me? Why, weren¡¯t you arrogant in the past? What¡¯s with the sudden cowardice? Well, that doesn¡¯t matter. I won¡¯t me you even if you¡¯ve lost your courage. As long as you crawl between my legs, I¡¯ll forget everything that happened in the past. ¡± Jack had been resentful ever since she transferred schools. He merely came out that day to have some fun, but he unexpectedly bumped into her there. ¡°Haha, that¡¯s true! She¡¯s a girl, so how could she have any courage, Jack?¡± ¡°Hear, hear! Jack, have her crawl between your legs, and I¡¯ll take a video for you. We¡¯ll have the whole of Horington know the kind of person she is. ¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you find it irritating that the lot of you keep yakking here?¡± Ugh! This group of people are really affecting my appetite badly by being here! Sophie had been missing the pasta there since she left Horington and especially went there when she returned this time. s, she bumped into a group of idiots, ruining her mood for pasta. ¡°What did you just say? Guys, was I hearing things? What did she say earlier?¡± Jack wore an incredulous expression. ¡°D*mn it! How impertinent! Jack showed you mercy, but since you¡¯re ungrateful, we don¡¯t need to be courteous with you anymore. ¡± One of the ruffians stalked forward. They weren¡¯t acquainted with Sophie and had no idea how terrifying she was. Finding his hand utterly annoying, Sophie picked up a fork nonchntly and stabbed it right into his palm. In a sh, it punctured both his hand and the table. ¡°Ahh!¡± At the sight of his bloody hand, the ruffian wailed at the top of his lungs. Jack¡¯s face went as ck as thunder. She isn¡¯t showing me the slightest respect! ¡°Do you really think that Horington is your territory? I¡ª¡± Before he had finished speaking, Sophie shoved the table before her. Jack never expected her to do such a thing. Nevertheless, the others quickly held the table back. That was only to be expected, for they depended on him for a living. Naturally, they had to protect Jack. However, the few men were no match for Sophie¡¯s strength. Sophie pushed the table right against the wall, trapping the ruffians and Jack between the wall and the table. After doing that, she took a new fork and started eating. She had just taken a bite when her brows inexorably furrowed. As the pasta had been left for too long, it had already turned lumpy and tasted awful. This is from N?velDrama.Org. She shot a re at Jack and his underlings. Such fear struck them that they all shivered violently. ¡°What do you want, Sophie? Let me warn you that it¡¯s Horington here. If you hurt me, you won¡¯t be able to leave this city!¡± Propping her hands on the table, Sophie got to her feet before snagging a piece of wet tissue and wiping her hand. ¡°Are you really not afraid of death, Jack?¡± Her voice was still as airy as ever, but it caused one to shudder inexplicably. ¡°What are you doing, Sophie? Let me tell you that my father is now the director! If you dare hurt me¡ª¡± Sophie snagged a fly swatter from another table and swung it right at Jack¡¯s face. ¡°What did you just say? I didn¡¯t hear you clearly. ¡± Chapter 251 Chapter 251 Chapter 251 My Figure Is Impable ¡°D*mn¡ª¡± Before Jack could finish his utterance, Sophie smacked him with the fly swatter again. ¡°How dare you?¡± Cradling his face, Jack gaped at the girl before him incredulously. ¡°Remember to stay far away when you see me next time. Otherwise, I won¡¯t show you any more mercy.¡± I¡¯m already very merciful today. ¡°Sir!¡± Sophie called out to the shop owner. Immediately, the shop owner came out tremblingly. I thought she would end up in a wretched state today, but unexpectedly, these ruffians were the ones who suffered. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for ruining your table. How much did it cost? I¡¯llpensate you.¡± Clocking the stunned look on his face, Sophie didn¡¯t bother repeating the question but transferred him two hundred right away. This kind of table probably isn¡¯t that expensive, so two hundred is enough. After paying, she walked out blithely. ¡°Ahh! Hurry up and push the table away! How dare that d*mn Sophie put me through such great humiliation? I¡¯ll definitely rip her to pieces!¡± It had only been a few months since theyst saw each other, but Jack was once again so livid that steam wasing out of his ears. The weather in Horington that day was exceedingly good, with the sun shining brightly overhead. After exiting the restaurant, Sophie strolled along the familiar street. Only when it was almost time did she head to the designated meeting ce. Right on the dot, a boy in a ck sweater, blue jeans, and a ck baseball cap headed in her direction. When he had ascertained that it was Sophie in the flesh, he handed her a bag. Having done all that, he turned around and left without a single word. Sophie ced the bag on the chair beside her. She didn¡¯t leave immediately but took out her earphones and plugged them in. Her initial n was to listen to a song there, but no sooner had she tapped on the music yer than a call came in. Therefore, she could only answer the call first. ¡°Have you arrived?¡± The call was from Tristan. The moment the call was connected, his melodious voice drifted out of the earphones. ¡°Yup. I¡¯ve arrived long ago.¡± ¡°Have you had lunch?¡± Her appetite isn¡¯t that great, so she¡¯s all the likelier to starve herself while out there. Recalling the te of pasta earlier, Sophie answered with a chuckle, ¡°Yup! What about you? Don¡¯t worry about me. I was in Horington for five years, after all.¡± Here, I¡¯m considered a local, with home advantage. Who would dare provoke me? ¡°Okay.¡± Tristan really wanted to go with her. Regretfully, he was indeed wrapped up in work these two days. ¡°Remember to call me if you need anything.¡± He was still worried as he wasn¡¯t by her side, no matter how capable she was. ¡°Okay, I will. I¡¯ll be hanging up if there¡¯s nothing else.¡± Verily, Sophie had something else to do. ¡°When are you coming back?¡± This is the most important of all! While she has only left for less than a day now, I can¡¯t take this separation anymore. Sophie was rendered speechless. ¡°We¡¯ll see.¡± She couldn¡¯t give him a specific time right then since she hadn¡¯t even resolved her matters there. ¡°Oh well.¡± Tristan couldn¡¯t help heaving a sigh. Oh God, am I acting too clingy? Hearing his sigh, Sophie burst intoughter. ¡°It¡¯s only been less than six hours since I left, Mr. Tristan!¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± I know that, but I just worry when she¡¯s alone. After hanging up the phone, Sophie picked up the bag at the side and hailed a taxi to the most notorious street in Horington. Someone was already waiting for her there. ¡°You¡¯re finally back?¡± The person who spoke was a breathtakingly stunning girl. She appeared to be in her twenties and wore an exquisite gown. Sophie tossed the backpack slung over her shoulder at the girl. ¡°Why? Did something happen during my absence?¡± Her return this time was mainly because of Nalliance. Hugging the backpack she tossed at her, Muriel pouted. ¡°I thought you were nevering back,¡± she whined. How could she have the brazenness to leave Nalliance to a weak and fragile girl like me? ¡°That¡¯s enough. I¡¯m back, so spit it out! What exactly is the matter?¡± Nalliance was an underground organization Sophie took over, specializing in cases even the SWAT team couldn¡¯t solve. It was founded by a retired member of the special forces. Back then, that special forces member expended tremendous effort before he seeded in convincing Sophie to take over Nalliance. However, the outside world had no idea about it. ¡°Oh yes, you know Eustace, right? He came to Horington. Lend him a hand if he needs any help.¡± The two of them arrived at Nalliance¡¯s underground base. It was an underground dungeon, for it was unbelievably vast. But then, the average person could never possibly step foot in there in his lifetime. ¡°Eustace? Who¡¯s that?¡± Muriel drawled indifferently. Upon arriving at her base in Nalliance, Sophie turned on the ckputer within and started dealing with Nalliance¡¯s matters. Her movements were exceedingly swift. Even Muriel, who had been working under her for a long time, was floored. In no time, a lot of information that wasn¡¯t there previously was added to Nalliance¡¯s internal system. All of it yed a crucial role in the development of Nalliance. Admiration was written all over Muriel¡¯s face. ¡°How could you be such a genius, Sophie?¡± She¡¯s truly terrifying! Sophie pushed Muriel, who draped herself all over her, away. Honestly, she had no interest in thetter¡¯s curvy figure. ¡°Okay, the matter has been resolved.¡± pping her hands once, she restarted the system and checked everything over. ¡°Don¡¯t go back to Jipsdale, Sophie. Isn¡¯t it great to stay at Nalliance?¡± Why does she still want to leave when this organization of ours is so interesting? ¡°I¡¯lle back and visit you when I¡¯m free.¡± Nalliance couldn¡¯t be moved to Jipsdale. Although everything done by the organization was justifiably righteous, it couldn¡¯t exist in a ce like Jipsdale. Muriel went silent, dumbstruck. ¡°You were gone for four or five months, yet you¡¯re iming that you¡¯de back and visit me? We had a deal, Sophie! I was only to manage Nalliance on your behalf temporarily!¡± This time, Sophie was rendered speechless. Back then, who was the one who insisted oning to Nalliance? But now, she¡¯s disdaining it. Subsequently, the two of them left Nalliance and took a taxi to Muriel¡¯s residence. ¡°Go and shower, Sophie. Then, wait for me in bed, okay?¡± Muriel wore a scious expression on her face. Despite her indecorous expression, she still looked alluring since she was a beauty. ¡°Buzz off.¡± Sophie, on the other hand, was ustomed to her improper ways. She mmed the door right in Muriel¡¯s face. Verily, she didn¡¯t want to see thetter waiting for her in bed in her birthday suit when she stepped out of the bathroom after taking a shower later. Ccontent ? exclusive by N?/vel(D)ra/ma.Org. Although Muriel was a beautifuldy, such a scene was too raunchy for her. Truly, she couldn¡¯t quite ept it. ¡°Sophie, my figure is impable. Do you really not want to have a look?¡± Muriel giggled as she spoke. In response, Sophie rolled her eyes, not in the mood to entertain her. Just as she had turned on herptop, she received a video call from Arius. ¡°You went overboard, Sophie! I only advised you out of consideration for your safety! How dare you block my number? Here¡¯s a word of warning from mee back quickly! Otherwise¡­ Never mind, let¡¯s talk business. Nichs has gone to Horington.¡± Chapter 252 Chapter 252 Chapter 252 How Breathtakingly Stunning ¡°I see.¡± Ugh! Nichs really doesn¡¯t know the meaning of giving up! Nichs Sable was a man who was extreme to the core. He was entirely obsessed with capturing Sophie and keeping her by his side without giving a whit about her willingness to do so. In all honesty, Sophie didn¡¯t want to see him ever again. ¡°Well? You¡¯re shocked, aren¡¯t you? You thought that Nichs didn¡¯t dare go to Chanaea, but you totally underestimated his possessiveness toward you.¡± Helplessness inundated Arius. I¡¯ve told her countless times, but she simply wouldn¡¯t listen. Look what has happened now! What is she going to do now that he has gone to Horington? ¡°You think too much. Do you think I¡¯ll be afraid of him?¡± So what if he¡¯s ruthless? I¡¯m no easy prey either. He¡¯d best not appear before me. Otherwise, I¡¯d make him regret it for the rest of his life! ¡°Don¡¯t do anything rash, Sophie. Even internationally speaking, his capabilities are unquestionably top-notch. If you really piss him off, things won¡¯t end up well for you. How about this? Take a flight to Anndur right away. You¡¯re on vacation anyway, so it doesn¡¯t matter.¡± ¡°No, thanks.¡± ¡°Why? Arius eximed. Even Barney has to show Nichs a measure of respect. Therefore, is she not aware of how terrifying the man is? Finally, hemented, ¡°How stubborn!¡± ¡°All right, I¡¯m going to take a shower, so we¡¯ll talk another time.¡± After saying that, Sophie ended the video call directly. Then, she went to the bathroom for a shower. ¡°Do you think I¡¯m just like you? Fleeing in the face of problems is not my style. He might have arrived in Horington, but it all hinges on whether he can find me.¡± Is Wings of Light a mere adornment if I don¡¯t even have that much confidence? As Sophie didn¡¯t bring any clothes with her, Muriel prepared some clothes for her. The instant sheid eyes on the ultra-short gown, regret swamped her. She¡¯s a fanatic about gowns, wearing them all four seasons of the year. Why was I hoping for some ordinary clothes from her? She really didn¡¯t want to wear it, but there was nothing else to wear. Thus, she had no choice but to change into the silver gown. When she opened the door, Muriel was already waiting on the other side. At the sight of Sophieing out, she couldn¡¯t help whistling. ¡°What a great figure, Sophie! Have you ever considered being a model?¡± Sophie pushed the beauty in front of her away. At the moment, she had already changed into a gown and restyled her hair. On the whole, she looked just like a beautiful princess who had stepped out of a movie. ¡°Truthfully speaking, I felt that this gown would suit you perfectly when I spotted it. After seeing you in it now, I know my taste is indeed impable.¡± ¡°Stop that. What are we having for dinner?¡± ¡°We naturally have to go out to eat when you¡¯re dressed so stunningly. Let¡¯s go! I¡¯ve already prepared high heels for you.¡± Muriel took out a shoebox. Sophie¡¯s head started throbbing when she caught sight of the high heels in it. ¡°Don¡¯t be so stubborn, okay? Don¡¯t tell me, you want to wear sneakers with a gown. I¡¯m really adamant when ites to dressing. Listen to me. I¡¯ll bring you out in search of handsome men.¡± Failing to convince Muriel otherwise, Sophie could only put on the pair of high heels and resign herself to her fate. ¡°Smile. Don¡¯t be so stern, won¡¯t you?¡± Muriel left with Sophie, arm in arm. She then drove and brought Sophie to a restaurant that recently enjoyed much acim. They both wore gorgeous gowns, each beautiful in their own rights. As soon as they stepped into the restaurant, they snagged everyone¡¯s attention. Muriel was exceedingly gratified at everyone¡¯s reaction. This is exactly the reaction I wanted. Sure enough, Sophie¡¯s beauty is unparalleled! ¡°Are we really just here for dinner today, Muriel?¡± N?velDrama.Org is the owner. Just as they arrived, Sophie sensed that the atmosphere there was off. While everyone was eating, the air simply didn¡¯t feel right. Muriel threw her aplimentary gaze. ¡°Yup! Anyway, let¡¯s eat first. It¡¯s no big deal.¡± In return, Sophie cast her a disbelieving look. Muriel took her arm, acting all intimate with her. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, for I won¡¯t sabotage you!¡± Dragging her over to an empty table, she then summoned the server. In line with her beauty, even her action of summoning the server was enthralling. ¡°Hey, pretties. We haven¡¯t eaten either. How about eating together?¡± While the server was still there, a few rich heirs sauntered over. Muriel still had some ns, so she naturally couldn¡¯t afford to get into a fight. Left with no other choice, she could only reply with a smile, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, gentlemen, but we¡¯ve got dates already.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t turn us down, pretties. We¡­¡± s, the few rich heirs weren¡¯t willing to give up the opportunity to dine with the two beauties. Sophie grew impatient. Glimpsing her expression, Muriel knew that she had gotten irritated. If I don¡¯t deal with these few men quickly, my n tonight will be ruined when she makes a moveter. She threw someone at the side a look. At once, some men came over and escorted the rich heirs away. ¡°You haven¡¯t changed at all.¡± She¡¯s still as impatient at everything. Sophie drew a stalk of rose out of the vase and studied it. This flower is beautiful. When ady held a flower in her hands, it made for a riveting sight. Even a beauty like Muriel couldn¡¯t help feeling envious upon seeing such a scene. Taking out her phone, she snapped a picture of it. After noticing Muriel¡¯s action, Sophie rolled her eyes at her in exasperation. ¡°Look, aren¡¯t my photography skills superb?¡± Muriel sent the photo to Sophie. For some inexplicable reason, Sophie forwarded it to Tristan. By the time she realized what she had done and wanted to recall it, it was already toote. Words eluded her, and her face darkened frightfully. Great, just great. I wonder what Mr. Tristan will think. Why on earth did I send the photo to him? ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± When Muriel saw that Sophie looked as though she wanted to skin her alive, her arrogant expression turned much more subdued. Meanwhile, Tristan was having a meeting when he received the photo from Sophie. He already had several meetings that day. Without warning, he was greeted by the photo of her in a gown while holding an exquisite rose. Right then, only three words remained in his mind¡ªhow breathtakingly stunning! That mere photo had him staring at it for several minutes. Noticing that he was spacing out while gazing at his phone, Felix leaned over, curious to know what held his attention. And so, he ended up glimpsing the arresting photo of Sophie. ¡°Oh my God, I didn¡¯t expect this of Sophie! She¡¯s skinny, yet when she¡¯s in a gown, she tempts¡ª¡± Before he had finished speaking, a sharp nce from Tristan had him shutting up immediately. Okay, then. Sophie belongs to him, and no one else can even take a look at her. ¡°Seriously, what¡¯s Sophie doing in Horington? Is she joining a beauty pageant? She looks ravishing!¡± The instant Charles and Sean heard Felix¡¯s comment, they likewise leaned over for a look. Unfortunately, Tristan had already put his phone away. However, that only made them all the more curious. ¡°Let¡¯s take a break. Excuse me while I reply to a WhatsApp message.¡± That promptly had everyone at a loss for words. Chapter 253 Chapter 253 Chapter 253 Stunning ¡°Mr. Tristan, you¡¯re simply replying to a WhatsApp message. Do you really need to hide from us?¡± Felix teased. Tristan ignored him and simply left the conference room. Felix couldn¡¯t resistmenting, ¡°I would never have imagined that this is how the great Mr. Tristan will be when he¡¯s in love.¡± Charles said, ¡°All right, stop messing with him. You¡¯re only asking for a beating. It¡¯s only natural that he cares about an incredible woman like Sophie.¡± Sean continued working. He had nothing to add to that conversation. Tristan made his way to the floor-to-ceiling window and fished his phone out of his pocket. He stared at the photo for a while before giving Sophie a video call. He had always known that Sophie was especially stunning, but he didn¡¯t expect her to be that attractive in a gown. Sophie was about to eat when she received Tristan¡¯s call. She red at Muriel, who didn¡¯t even know what was going on. ¡°What¡¯s up with you, Sophie? You finally came back, and you¡¯re already ring at me. Did I do something wrong?¡± I¡¯ve been working my butt off for you, so can you stop being so mean? Sophie simply couldn¡¯t be nice when she thought about what Muriel had done. This is all her fault, and I can¡¯t believe she doesn¡¯t even know her mistakes. ¡°I have to use the restroom,¡± Sophie said, then got up and left. Muriel left her fork in her mouth. Her eyes shone with sadness as she watched Sophie leave. Did I really do something unforgivable? Is it really that bad? Sophie walked out before she picked up Tristan¡¯s call. Indeed, she could be seen in a stunning gown. ¡°Sophie, do you realize you are tempting people tomit crimes?¡± Sophie was speechless. What kind of logic is that? ¡°But you look great in that gown,¡±plimented Tristan. My Sophie is stunning no matter what she wears. ¡°Uh, I identally sent you that photo, Mr. Tristan. Just ignore it and pretend you saw nothing.¡± Something was about to take ce in the restaurant, and she couldn¡¯t leave Muriel alone to deal with it. ¡°Okay, but you must wear that gown for me when you¡¯re back.¡± Tristan wanted to see her looking that stunning in person. Sophie was at a loss for words. I didn¡¯t put this gown on out of my own free will, you know? Despite those thoughts, Sophie couldn¡¯t bring herself to turn him down when she saw the expectant look in his eyes. ¡°All right. I have to go now, so I¡¯m hanging up.¡± ¡°Be careful out there, okay?¡± ¡°I will.¡± Sophie understood that Tristan was worried about her, so she nodded obediently to put his mind at ease. After hanging up, she calmly made her way back. Muriel breathed a sigh of relief when she saw her return. ¡°It¡¯s just a photo. Do you really have to be that mad?¡± Muriel felt aggrieved. She honestly didn¡¯t know what was so infuriating about that. ¡°Let¡¯s just eat.¡± Oh, forget it. It¡¯s not a big deal. There¡¯s no need to stay mad at her. As expected, a man showed up with a briefcase while they were eating. Muriel switched on her phone and showed Sophie the photo of the man. ¡°See that? This is the drug lord who is wanted globally. He doesn¡¯t look like a criminal, right?¡± The drug lord in question was so good that even the SWAT team failed to capture him. The authorities in Anndur couldn¡¯t apprehend him either. Sophie frowned. I knew this was not a simple matter. I bet Eustace and the others are actually here to capture this drug lord. Now that they¡¯re here, should Nalliance fall back? ¡°Get this, Sophie. The reward for apprehending this man is one hundred million. Words have been released internationally that whoever catches this man will be rewarded with one hundred million!¡± ¡°So?¡± Sophie didn¡¯t understand her point of saying all that. ¡°Well, I¡¯m quite short of money. How about we go get him together? That way, we can split the hundred million between us.¡± The mere thought of having all that money to spend made Muriel feel excited. She had her eyes on so many gowns, and she was determined to bring all of them home with her. Realization dawned on Sophie when she saw the smile on Muriel¡¯s face. ¡°There I was wondering why you¡¯ve been asking me toe back. Contentt bel0ngs to N0ve/lDra/ma.O(r)g! Turns out it¡¯s all for that money.¡± That international criminal is someone even Eustace has a problem dealing with. Does she really think the two of us can aplish what Eustace and his team couldn¡¯t? Muriel reached out and held Sophie¡¯s hand. ¡°Sophie, this guy is an international sensation. If you can catch him, your reputation will soar to greater heights. By then, many people wille and butter us up. Man, I can already imagine how amazing that feeling would be.¡± ¡°Sorry, but I am not interested,¡± replied Sophie. I have no use for a great reputation, anyway. ¡°Don¡¯t you want to be like Phantom and have everyone worship you?¡± ¡°Not at all.¡± Fame was a lifetime burden for many, and Sophie didn¡¯t want to be one of them. The drug lord left the restaurant after having his meal. As he walked out the entrance, Sophie shot a look at him. To be honest, he doesn¡¯t look like a drug lord at all. Muriel wasn¡¯t worried. She had spent thest few days spying on that drug lord and learning his routines. ¡°Seriously, Sophie, how are you uninterested in everything? I mean, is there anything out there that can get your heart pumping with excitement?¡± As far as Muriel was concerned, Sophie was a mystery. Right then, Eustace and his team showed up. Sophie did not expect to run into them here. I guess they¡¯re only here to catch that drug lord. When Eustace entered the restaurant and saw Sophie, his eyes widened in surprise. He couldn¡¯t believe what he was seeing. Upon taking a closer look, he confirmed it was the cool young woman. However, the young woman who was always in a hoodie or T- shirt was wearing a gown that day, and he didn¡¯t expect her to look that stunning in it. Danny was dumbfounded as well. ¡°D*mn! Captain Sheppard, are my eyes ying tricks on me, or is that really Sophie Tanner?¡± Danny had read countless poems describing incredibly beautiful women. One of them even imed that time stopped when a gorgeous woman entered the room. Danny had always thought that the poem was corny and exaggerated because there was no way a woman that beautiful even existed. Until that day, he finally understood what the poet meant. ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s her,¡± replied Eustace. He was certain of it because Sophie was the kind of woman who left asting impression on others¡¯ minds. The aura she exuded was simply too unique. That was why she was always the center of attention no matter where she went. ¡°Captain Sheppard, how can a woman be that attractive? I bet there are countless men out there courting her. Looks like you have your work cut out for you,¡± Danny said. If Captain Sheppard gets together with Sophie, then there¡¯s a chance she will join our team. With Captain Sheppard and Sophie on our side, the team¡¯s future will be ever so bright. ¡°Okay, that¡¯s enough. You guys head over there. Be careful not to expose yourselves. I¡¯ll go over and take a look.¡± Sophie knew them. Since they were there on a mission, they couldn¡¯t risk exposing themselves. Chapter 254 Chapter 254 Chapter 254 A Chance Encounter ¡°Go on, Captain Sheppard. Good luck. You can do it. I have faith in you.¡± Sophie is so beautiful that anyone, even someone as stoic as Captain Sheppard, will fall for her. Eustace rolled his eyes at Danny. How have I never noticed what a gossip this guy is? Immediately, Danny left to look for his colleagues. No matter what, he was still on duty. He had to put everything aside and focus on his job. Eustace made his way to Sophie¡¯s table and, like a gentleman, asked, ¡°Can I take this seat?¡± Muriel noticed Eustace as soon as he walked into the restaurant because the aura he exuded differed from others. He was the kind of man who was hard to ignore. But remembering that Sophie was not into men, Muriel was about to reject Eustace when she saw Sophie nod. ¡°Huh? You guys know each other?¡± Muriel¡¯s curiosity was piqued. Sophie gave Muriel a look. ¡°This is Eustace.¡± ¡°Wait. Eustace?¡± What is going on between Sophie and this Eustace guy? She just asked me to do a favor for him, and now he¡¯s here. Is there something between the two of them? ¡°Have we met before?¡± asked Eustace. He knew Sophie but had zero recollection of the other woman sitting there. ¡°No, not at all.¡± Hmm¡­ Sophie doesn¡¯t look as though she¡¯s in love with the guy, though. Gah, never mind. I¡¯ll ask her about thister after we get home. For now, I¡¯ll just help Sophie watch her back since this guy is a stranger to me. ¡°What a coincidence. I didn¡¯t think I¡¯d run into you here.¡± Sophie had been showing up at the most crucial time. Eustace didn¡¯t believe that everything was just a coincidence. He wondered if Sophie, who was an expert in defusing bombs, had anything to do with the man they were apprehending that day. Eustace had always been someone who kept his cards close to his chest. Despite his suspicions, he didn¡¯t show it on his face. Unfortunately, Sophie wasn¡¯t an average girl. The slightest nce from Eustace was enough for her to decipher what he was thinking. However, she didn¡¯t think it was necessary for her to exin herself to Eustace. After all, he was no better than a stranger to her. ¡°Are you done eating?¡± Sophie asked. Muriel nodded right away. ¡°I¡¯m done. Let¡¯s go.¡± Before leaving, she nced at Eustace a few times. As soon as they left the restaurant, Muriel grabbed Sophie¡¯s hand and started bombarding her with questions. ¡°Be honest with me, Sophie. What is your rtionship with that Eustace guy?¡± ¡°What do you think?¡± asked Sophiezily. ¡°Okay, to be honest, I think he looks kinda scary. And I suppose he¡¯s not really your type?¡± ¡°Oh? Then tell me, what exactly is my type?¡± Sophie didn¡¯t know the answer to that question herself, so she was genuinely curious when she heard what Muriel said. ¡°I don¡¯t really know how to describe it, but my gut tells me he¡¯s not your type.¡± Sophie looked at Eustace as though he were a stranger to her. Well, maybe he is a little more than a stranger. She got me to help him out, after all. But she doesn¡¯t act as though she¡¯s into him. ¡°Mm.¡± Sophie thought that Muriel¡¯s answer was eptable. ¡°But seriously, though, are you really not interested in this case, Sophie? I think it¡¯s rather exciting. Let¡¯s do this together. I don¡¯t think I can do everything on my own.¡± Muriel knew her skills weren¡¯t good enough. That was why she had been calling Sophie and trying to get the latter to join her in her quest to apprehend the drug lord. ¡°Muriel, you can¡¯t handle that drug lord, so just give up.¡± ¡°Sophie, are you scared? I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve ever heard about you being afraid of anyone before.¡± This young woman before me is a lone wolf and a hero. She has dealt with situations a hundred times worse and defeated enemies a hundred times stronger. What is there for her to be afraid of? ¡°All right, that¡¯s enough. I¡¯m putting an end to this discussion. Eustace and the others are already here. Just leave it alone.¡± Sophie thought that she didn¡¯t need to get involved in something so messy since Eustace was already there. ¡°This is different. A hundred million, Sophie.¡± Muriel felt as if she was sitting on a thousand needles when she thought about someone else getting that money. ¡°Muriel, are you really short of money? Stop messing with me, will you?¡± Shees from a rich family. How shameless of her to say that. ¡°Of course I am. My family froze my ount. I have to do everything on my own now.¡± Muriel¡¯s parents had frozen her bank ounts as she refused to go home and inherit the family¡¯s property. ¡°You have no idea how terrible things are for me.¡± She looked as though she was on the verge of tears as she spoke. Sophie couldn¡¯t help rolling her eyes. ¡°Muriel, I suddenly think you are better suited for acting.¡± ¡°Okay, fine. I¡¯ll drop it. My pitiful act doesn¡¯t work against an extremely cruel woman like you, anyway.¡± The two of them returned to Muriel¡¯s ce after that. ¡°Rest well and don¡¯t think about anything else.¡± Muriel really is a handful sometimes. ¡°Oh, don¡¯t give me that look, and don¡¯t worry. That drug lord is a merciless killer, and I¡¯m not suicidal. I won¡¯t go after him on my own.¡± If Muriel was fearless, she wouldn¡¯t have asked Sophie toe in the first ce. ¡°If you¡¯re really short of money, I¡¯ll transfer you some tomorrow.¡± Muriel definitely wasn¡¯t a match against that drug lord. If she were to go after him on her own, she would surely perish. ¡°I know I¡¯m not a match against him, Sophie, but what about that Eustace guy? Do you think he has what it takes to apprehend him?¡± Eustace is considered Sophie¡¯s friend, right? Why else would she ask me to help him? I wonder if he¡¯s in danger now¡­ ¡°You know, justst month, many FBA members died.¡± ¡°Yeah, I know.¡± Sophie knew a little about that. She¡¯s right. The people from Anndur were chasing after that drug lord when their cars toppled. I wonder how Eustace and the others are now. Can they handle this mission on their own? ¡°Eustace has a strong sense of justice, doesn¡¯t he? I get the feeling that¡­¡± Muriel began talking nonstop. ¡°Also, I think they will make a move tonight.¡± Ccontent ? exclusive by N?/vel(D)ra/ma.Org. ¡°Muriel, I¡¯ve been meaning to ask you something: why is the drug lord in Horington?¡± With many Interpol officers going after him, why would he take a risk like this? ¡°Oh, that? I haven¡¯t figured that out.¡± Muriel, as a member of Nalliance, actually felt a little defeated about it. Chapter 255 Chapter 255 Chapter 255 Divo ¡°Mr. Tristan, the drug lord is in Horington,¡± reported Felix as soon as he received the news. They had been going after that drug lord for quite some time. ¡°Horington?¡± Why did the drug lorde to Horington? Didn¡¯t he just make a mess in Anndur a month ago? ¡°Have our people get ready. We¡¯ll return to Horington tonight.¡± ¡°Mr. Tristan, are you going back to Horington to get that drug lord? Or are you doing so for Sophie?¡± Felix had already made the arrangements, but he couldn¡¯t resist asking. ¡°Is that important?¡± There isn¡¯t a conflict of interest, so why does the reason I¡¯m going back matter at all? ¡°No, not at all. I was just asking,¡± Felix said. ¡°Are you two going?¡± Charles and Sean had always been uninterested in matters as such. They would usually keep watch in the base camp. ¡°I don¡¯t think so. There are a lot of things I have to take care of at home these days,¡± Charles said. Winter¡¯s issue had yet to be resolved. She wouldn¡¯t go to Alendor. ¡°I have a few active cases, so I won¡¯t be going either,¡± Sean said. Those cases were rather challenging, so he had to focus on them. ¡°In that case, Mr. Tristan and I will be the only ones going, then.¡± Charles chuckled. ¡°Why does Mr. Tristan look especially happy about it? Is it because he¡¯ll get to see Sophie soon? My gosh, it¡¯s only been a day. Is it really necessary?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you know? Love drives people crazy,¡± Felix teased. Tristan could not care less about them at all. None of that mattered to him. He couldn¡¯t wait to fly to Sophie when he thought about how he¡¯d get to see her in a gown. That night, at seven o¡¯clock, Eustace led the SWAT team to meet up with a team of local police officers. They had been nning for a long time just to catch that notorious drug lord that night. Before they left, their leader gave them a final lecture. Dannyined, ¡°Why is he talking so much? We have to leave and strike while the iron before the drug lord gets away again.¡± Ccontent ? exclusive by N?/vel(D)ra/ma.Org. Eustace gave Danny a look, and thetter immediately shut up. When their leader finished his speech, Eustace said to everyone, ¡°Our target is a merciless killer, so everyone is to be extra careful. I hope that all twelve of us will return safely.¡± That was what Eustace wished for every mission. He wanted the missions to go smoothly without anyone getting hurt or injured. Unfortunately, that was rarely the case. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Captain Sheppard. We¡¯ll definitely be careful,¡± said a member of the special forces who was in his forties and was about to retire. He came from a family of farmers, so he was rather honest. ¡°Okay. Let¡¯s move out.¡± Meanwhile, Tristan and Felix had already got off the ne. ¡°Mr. Tristan, should we call Sophie now?¡± They had arrived in Horington, so it was natural for Felix to assume that Tristan would want to call Sophie. ¡°No. We¡¯ll call her once this is over.¡± Tristan knew that he wouldn¡¯t be able to exin himself if he were to call her at that moment. Hence, he decided it was better not to call her at all. ¡°Okay.¡± I guess that¡¯s a wise choice. This is a men¡¯s thing. Sophie is strong, but she is still a woman and shouldn¡¯t be dragged into this. ¡°Are we going to apprehend that guy right now?¡± asked Felix. He already had his men on standby. ¡°Hang on for now. If Eustace can capture the guy, then there is no need for us to get involved.¡± Their best-case scenario was still for the SWAT team to catch the drug lord. ¡°Okay.¡± Several ck cars were already parked outside and waiting for them. Tristan got into one of them, and Felix took the passenger seat after he closed the door for Tristan. This will probably be a tough battle. I hope Eustace can handle it. ¡°Are we really not going to check things out?¡± asked Muriel. She couldn¡¯t help thinking about it because it looked fun. This is a golden opportunity. We will never get a shot like this again. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Sophie stood up. Hearing that, Muriel immediately jumped from her seat. Finally! Yes! It¡¯s been so long since I¡¯ve experienced this joy. This is going to be so much fun. Muriel got Sophie an outfit that was suitable forbat. After that, the twodies went to change their clothes. They were both wearing all ck. Even their caps were ck. Muriel tossed two guns to Sophie because a situation like that warranted them. Sophie caught those guns with ease. She loaded the guns and holstered them before putting on her sunsses. It had been quite some time since Muriel had seen that side of Sophie. D*mn, she¡¯s so cool. With those ck leather pants wrapped around her legs, Sophie looked even sexier than usual. ¡°What are you looking at? Let¡¯s go.¡± ¡°Sophie, aren¡¯t you going to put on your mask?¡± It¡¯s way too dangerous for her to leave just like that. Muriel tossed her the mask. A sense of nostalgia hit Sophie hard when she held the mask, which hadn¡¯t been used for quite some time. This time, the deal would take ce at the beach. Sophie was a little speechless when she saw Muriel¡¯s luxury car. ¡°Ms. Peterson, will it kill you to keep a low profile?¡± My gosh, we¡¯re not going to a fancy ball or a closing ceremony, so what¡¯s with the car? ¡°What? I thought the car looks nice. Don¡¯t you think so?¡± Muriel found the car matched them rather well. Sophie was lost for words. ¡°It¡¯s been a while since you have done something like this, hasn¡¯t it, Sophie? Be extra carefulter and don¡¯t get hurt.¡± Is she looking down on me? ¡°Don¡¯t worry about me. In fact, I¡¯ll be thankful if you can take care of yourself and not slow me down.¡± Everyone there would be a fighting expert, so Sophie¡¯s concern was not unfounded. ¡°Hey! I¡¯ve gotten much better at this, and¡ªyou know what? I¡¯m not even going to talk about this. You can see for yourselfter.¡± It didn¡¯t take long before they arrived at the location where the drug lord was supposed to make a deal. ¡°Seriously, this guy has quite the nerves,¡± Murielmented. ¡°What¡¯s his name by the way?¡± Sophie asked, as Muriel had yet to mention it. ¡°No idea, but everyone calls him S.¡± Sophie didn¡¯t know what to say about that. You don¡¯t even know his name, yet you¡¯re aiming for that one hundred million. What is wrong with you? It was one in the morning, and there was total silence. It was also the perfect time to do something shady. Two groups showed up at the beach. Everyone was wearing a ck outfit and looked as though they were a force to be reckoned with. Sophie and Muriel were standing some distance away. The former was using a pair of binocrs to see how things were progressing. My guess is that S is not here yet. Both parties are on standby, so it is likely they are waiting for him to show up. ¡°That S is such a divo, huh?¡±mented Sophie. I can¡¯t believe he has over two hundred subordinates waiting for him. ¡°Well, you¡¯ve seen him before, and you gotta admit he¡¯s kinda hot.¡± Muriel smiled. ¡°Is he?¡± Muriel has seriously got to do something about herck of taste in men. Chapter 256 Chapter 256 Chapter 256 Wild And Cold ¡°You think he¡¯s not? Don¡¯t think lesser of other people¡¯s looks just because you¡¯re beautiful, Sophie. Honestly, S is considered a handsome guy. What a pity he¡¯s a drug lord.¡± Truth be told, looks are the new justice. S is still pretty handsome. ¡°I must remind you he¡¯s a model who kills without batting an eye.¡± S finally arrived on a chopper, d in a ck leather jacket and a helmet. The roar of his chopper heralded his arrival in a most oundish fashion. Sure enough, he is rather shy. The chopper ground against the asphalt, producing a screech during a stunning U-turn before stopping between the two parties. The crowd was in high spirit at S¡¯ arrival. Boss is so cool! S removed his helmet. ¡°Pay up.¡± He spoke briskly. Payment in exchange for the goods. Those were the rules. The other party immediately took out several briefcases and opened them for S to inspect. Satisfied by the sight of the money, S then produced a briefcase from the back of his chopper and opened it for their inspection. ¡°Rest assured when I conduct business.¡± His reputation on the international scene was his brand. ¡°We trust you!¡± Just when both parties were about to make the trade, the police, with Eustace in the lead, dashed over and surrounded them. S looked at the dense wall of policemen with a bloodthirsty smile, looking like the devil from hell. ¡°I¡¯ve only just gone on a killing spree in Anndur. This looks fun! We¡¯ll make the trade another time,¡± S said to the other party before turning away. It¡¯s not safe to hold on to so much cash with so many cops around today. ¡°Let¡¯s make the trade, S!¡± The other party needed the goods urgently, and there was no telling how long they would have to wait. ¡°Do you think it¡¯s not burdensome for me to carry so much cash?¡± S ignored them, then took the goods and hopped back on his chopper. ¡°We must capture S this time!¡± Eustace dered to his subordinates from the special forces. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Captain Sheppard! We will not miss this opportunity!¡± Many of theirrades had fallen because of S. They were determined to capture him this time and avenge their fallen brothers. Only a few people were at the pier in the dead of night, making it practical for a gunfight to ensue. Eustace led his men over, but the forces on both sidesThis is from N?velDrama.Org. were not easy to deal with. S was cunning. Amid the chaos, he took the goods with him on his chopper and escaped. Muriel flung her binocrs aside at the sight. ¡°D*mn it. He¡¯s getting away!¡± Muriel was about to go after him, but Sophie stopped her. ¡°Put on your mask!¡± Although what they were doing was not anything wrong, it would not do them any good if they exposed their identity. ¡°Good thinking!¡± Muriel immediately put on her mask. It was an exquisite one, identical to Sophie¡¯s, and pleasant to look at. Sophie then put on hers and got into the car with Muriel. ¡°Let me drive.¡± Time was of the essence in such situations. ¡°Okay.¡± Sophie¡¯s driving skills are many times better than mine. We need to catch up to S to capture him. At the same time, Felix said to Tristan, ¡°By the looks of it, Mr. Tristan, I don¡¯t think this Eustace can handle it.¡± Tristan, too, had a pair of binocrs in his hands and had also seen the escape route taken by S. ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± S has provoked us by wreaking havoc on our territory. We will not let S return in one piece. Otherwise, how else will I command respect? ¡°All right.¡± Felix handed Tristan his custom-made pistol, which was special for its feature of storing additional bullets. Just when S thought he had secured his escape, a car swerved beautifully and blocked his path. S snorted after peering into the car and finding two masked women. I must be so attractive that even women are after me. Do I look like a pushover? He beckoned the two young women in the car with his finger provocatively. ¡°F*ck you, S! There I was saying he was handsome,¡± Muriel fumed, wanting nothing more than to cut him into a million pieces. However, Sophie was much more direct. She drove the car straight toward S and his chopper. S did not expect the woman to be that vicious. Her eyes, especially, looked wild and cold. Seeing that the sports car was about to knock into him, S leaped from his chopper, pulled out a pistol from his waistband, and shot their vehicle. Without hesitation, Sophie held the steering wheel with one hand while lifting her pistol in the other and opened fire. At that sight, Muriel quickly took aim as well. S took a bullet and immediately began charting his escape. Noticing a warehouse at the side, he immediately hid inside. He had assumed that Sophie was a woman who didn¡¯t know better. Yet little did he expect her to be skilled at shooting. Not only did she shoot me, but she also managed to avoid my shots. Who is this woman? Is she someone from Interpol? I¡¯ve never heard of anybody in Interpol being that good! What the hell is going on? Sophie and Muriel exchanged a look upon seeing S enter the warehouse. ¡°Be careful,¡± Sophie reminded Muriel. In circumstances like these, Muriel had to look after herself, as Sophie could not afford to watch her the entire time. Muriel shed an okay sign and said confidently, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m not the same Muriel as I used to be.¡± Now, I am wholly capable of protecting myself! I will never put myself in those situations ever again. Sophie was pleased to see how the other woman could still face everything that had happened with such stoicism. Muriel has matured. However, I¡¯m not sure whether such maturity is good or bad. ¡°D*mn. Aside from Eustace and his men, there¡¯s a third party! Who the hell are they?¡± Tristan and Felix had arrived in their car in time to witness the scene earlier. ¡°They look like two women, Mr. Tristan!¡± Women these days are formidable. The way she drove was reckless but cool. D*mn! ¡°Let¡¯s go and take a look!¡± I don¡¯t care who they are! Since we¡¯re here, we must capture S no matter the cost. He won¡¯t get away this time. Felix had no objections. At that moment, he was intrigued by the two women and was wondering if they were interested in joining him and Tristan. Chapter 257 Chapter 257 Chapter 257 Hostage Sophie noticed something awry as soon as she entered the warehouse. It was filled with barrels of gasoline. The ce would explode if someone opened fire, and nobody would be able to walk out of there alive by then. ¡°Don¡¯t shoot,¡± Sophie cautioned Muriel. Looks like it has to be resolved with fists this time! Muriel nodded, understanding the situation at once. ¡°What do we do now? I feel like we¡¯re currently wading in murky waters.¡± What¡¯s more,ing here was my idea. Muriel was not concerned at all when it came to marksmanship, as she had undergone special training and passed many levels of tests to qualify to join Nalliance. However, her confidence wavered at the mention of a fistfight. ¡°What say we forget it, Sophie?¡± He is an ouw who has nothing left to lose, but we¡¯re not. We still have families. We would likely be charred beyond recognition in such a ce. Sophie nced at her. Doesn¡¯t she find it ridiculous to talk about giving up at this juncture? It¡¯s not like we can back out at this point, anyway. Right then, the entrance mmed shut. S was evidently holding a grudge and intended to deal with them once and for all. Muriel looked helpless. ¡°I know we can¡¯t open fire in such a ce, but I wonder if S has enough brains to know that. What if he opens fire?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry. S is an intelligent criminal. He won¡¯t be that stupid.¡± Now is the time to see who the better fighter is! ¡°Stay close to me, got it?¡± As long as Muriel stays by my side, there won¡¯t be any problem. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll stay close to you. I¡¯m actually terrified of death.¡± Despite the conflict with her family, Muriel still loved them dearly. I joined Nalliance because I was interested, and also for that d*mned sense of justice. Suddenly, the lights in the warehouse were put out by S. Muriel clutched Sophie¡¯s arm. What do we do now? Large gasoline barrels, taller than an average person, littered the warehouse; they did not know where S was at that moment. Sophie tapped her shoulder. ¡°Hide here and don¡¯t make a sound. Don¡¯te out no matter what happens, understand?¡± She was not afraid at all when it came to singlebat. ¡°I¡­¡± Muriel faltered. How can I let Sophie risk herself like that? I was the one who wanted toe! ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Just trust me.¡± Hiding there was not an option. Besides, it went against Sophie¡¯s character of meeting challenges head-on. It waspletely dark in the warehouse, so she had to rely on her sense of hearing. Right then, somebody grabbed Sophie¡¯s shoulder from the back. She retaliated immediately by grabbing their arm. The two began to fight. Sophie attacked S, who, as an internationally feared drug lord, had decent skills of his own. As a result, their fight was intense, as none of them could gain an advantage over the other. S was especially excited as it had been a long time since he had encountered such a skilled opponent¡ªand a woman at that. ¡°Not bad. You can parry so many of my strikes!¡± S finally spoke. His voice was rather pleasant. Sophie ignored him. Instead, she focused her attacks on his gunshot wound andnded a kick. S yelled in pain. He had lost much blood from the shot and had only managed to bandage it hastily earlier. With her merciless kick, surely, it must be bleeding again. ¡°I like how untamed you are, prettydy. Come with me, and I can give you whatever you want.¡± This woman is skilled. If she follows me, I¡¯ll no doubt grow more powerful. ¡°Perhaps you should remove your mask. If I like what I see, I¡¯ll take you in.¡± S leered at her curves and especially her long legs. How seductive! Sophie did not respond. She gave him a kick, but he managed to dodge it. Upon realizing that he was no match for her, S hid away. The two began a cautious game of cat and mouse in the warehouse, each wary of the skills of the other. None of them dared act carelessly. At that moment, an evil smile appeared on S¡¯ lips when he discovered the other woman. Muriel thought she had hidden well, yet she was still discovered by S. Since she had been discovered, there was nothing she could do but put up a fight, although it was evident that she was going to lose. S¡¯ intention was clear. He wanted to capture her and threatened Sophie. N?velDrama.Org is the owner. The two began sparring. Before long, S sent Muriel to the ground with a kick. Muriel was beginning to regret having Sophiee here when she fell to his strike. As ifing here isn¡¯t bad enough, I am now being used to threaten Sophie. It is an unforgivable mistake on my part. Muriel¡¯s n to escape was foiled by a glinting knife pressed against her neck. She was already his captive by the time Sophie heard the noise and rushed over. S appeared delighted by the sight of the women before him. ¡°How do you think I should deal with you both?¡± S let his hand wander all over Muriel¡¯s back. ¡°I¡¯m very pleased with both of your figures. Spend the night with me, and I¡¯ll let the matters of tonight slide. What do you say?¡± They will naturally say yes to anything I say, as they are now in my hands. ¡°Leave me!¡± Muriel clenched her fists. She regretted bringing Sophie here. Sophie nced at Muriel. She really thinks too much. We came together, so how can I leave her behind? S raised his eyebrows, confident she would not desert herrade. ¡°You underestimate your friend, prettydy. Does she look like somebody who would leave you behind?¡± ¡°Let go of her, and I¡¯lle with you,¡± Sophie said. ¡°I was the one who shot you, anyway.¡± Even if he wants to avenge himself, it is only proper if he takes it out on me. ¡°No.¡± Muriel shook her head. I will not let S take Sophie away even if I am to die here. Sophie is the sessor of Nalliance, hand-picked by the founder himself. If something happens to Sophie today, I will never forgive myself for as long as I live. ¡°Enough nonsense. Let her go, and I¡¯ll come with you.¡± ¡°No. You are bothing with me.¡± S was not stupid. She would beat him to death if he let go of her. She must be joking. Do I look like somebody who is easy to fool? ¡°We should get going now. If we don¡¯t, nobody can leave when Eustace gets here.¡± Chapter 258 Chapter 258 Chapter 258 First Confrontation With a hostage in his hands, S was no longer afraid of anything. Right then, Tristan and Felix opened the door and came in. Tristan seized the opportune moment to sweep S to the ground. S did not expect anybody else to be in the warehouse, as he did not even hear them breathe. Caught by surprise by the assault upon him, S loosened his grip on Muriel. Sophie caught her and pulled her to her side. Tristan? Isn¡¯t he in Jipsdale? What is he doing here? Sophie pulled Muriel away as Tristan and S began brawling. Both of their movements were clean and precise. Tristan, however, was obviously a better fighter than S. After being sent to the ground again with another kick, S pulled out his pistol. ¡°This ce is filled with gasoline. What do you think will happen if I open fire?¡± S had never encountered such a formidable opponent before. Escaping that ce was the only thought he had at that moment. Tristan was unafraid. ¡°Is that so? Fire away, then.¡± He hated it when people threatened him and was not going to ept threats from anybody. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Muriel was worried that S would open fire. It would be toote to run by then. ¡°Okay.¡± Tristan¡¯s purpose foring here, and his connection with the batch of goods, are questions that need further investigation upon our return. When the women turned to leave, Felix hurriedly came over to stand in their way. ¡°Apologies,dies. You cannot leave yet.¡± We must get to the bottom of the women¡¯s allegiance and their purpose for appearing here today. Tristan gazed at Sophie, who averted her eyes as she was worried he would recognize her through her mask. ¡°What has our identities got to do with you?¡± Muriel tugged Sophie, intending to make a run for it. Sophie did not speak, as she feared the men would recognize her voice. Felix quickly blocked them in their path when he saw them making a run for it. Sophie frowned. It looks like we won¡¯t be able to leave here without a fight. If that¡¯s the case, a fight we shall have. S did not wish to die as well, so he did not open fire. As a result, he and Tristan resumed their fight. He would keep fighting as long as he was still alive. He was not the type of person to give up easily. Felix was very curious about the two women. He reached out to remove their masks. Sophie became wary about her disguise upon discovering Felix¡¯s intent. It¡¯ll be game over if my mask is removed. Despite his usual slovenly attitude, Felix was surprisingly good at fighting. After all, the four of them had been left in the special forces for a long time and had naturally learned to fight well. Muriel had also sensed the man¡¯s intentions. What an unlucky day. Noticing that S was about tond a fatal blow on Tristan, Sophie abandoned Muriel and dashed over to fight S alongside him. Shended a shy roundhouse kick onto S¡¯ stomach. Immediately, Tristan used the space to subdue S. As soon as S had been controlled, Sophie whipped out her pistol and aimed it at Tristan¡¯s head. Nobody had ever ced a gun on Tristan¡¯s head. This girl has got some guts. ¡°Mr. Tristan¡­¡± Felix could not believe his eyes. My brain must not be working properly. Even after blinking vigorously, he could still see that the woman¡¯s gun was aimed at Tristan. A smile appeared on Tristan¡¯s lips, which made Sophie¡¯s heart skip a beat. She had always known that Tristan was not one to be trifled with. At that moment, she could feel the intimidating aura emanating from him during their first confrontation. S was most excited at the imminent prospect of the pair doing battle. If they fought, I would have a chance to escape. Yet before he managed to do so, the man and the woman eachnded a kick on him. S almost vomited blood upon having his chest stomped on. Despite the fight between the pair, they did not forget him. ¡°You two carry on,¡± S said meekly. ¡°Just pretend that I don¡¯t exist.¡± To think that I, S, the infamous drug lord, have sumbed to such a wretched capture. Even the FBA suffered aplete defeat at my hands. What kind of gods did I encounter today? How are they so terrifying? ¡°We were the ones who captured him first!¡± Felix said unceremoniously. Since we¡¯re all underworld members, we should abide by the code of honor. ¡°Rubbish! We were the ones who found him first and also the ones who wounded him!¡± Muriel eximed. She knew that Sophie did not want to speak. ¡°I don¡¯t care who you are. This S is a target of Nalliance. We must bring him away today.¡± How he will be dealt with is to be discussed after we capture him. However, these two came from nowhere. What is their purpose for wanting S? Is this just a feud? Or is it stemming from justice? ¡°Nalliance?¡± Felix was startled by the mention of the organization. After all, everybody in Chanaea had heard of Nalliance. It was a very mysterious organization famed for its righteous actions. They had captured some criminals that even the SWAT team could not apprehend. Their existence was a modern echo of the righteous societies of old. However, their methods were far from genteel. ¡°That¡¯s right. You¡¯ve heard of us, haven¡¯t you? You can rest assured if you hand him to us.¡± Muriel was satisfied by the man¡¯s expression. The reputation of Nalliance precedes us. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but S is someone we¡¯ve been wanting to apprehend for a long time. Besides, I was the one who caught him. Why should I hand him to you?¡± Tristan said in a surly manner. His tenderness only belonged to Sophie, and he would not hesitate to put other women in their ce. ¡°You¡ª¡± Muriel knew that things would not be so easy to resolve as they were all there for the same reason: to capture S. ¡°What is it? Are you here for that hundred million as well?¡± What other reason would there be? N?velDrama.Org is the owner. ¡°What? A hundred million? D*mn! You¡¯re working so hard for a hundred million?¡± Felix¡¯s eyes widened. S is an ouw. They worked so hard just for that sum. ¡°I¡¯ll give you a hundred million. You guys hurry up and get going,¡± Felix said straightforwardly. ¡°We must take him away.¡± It¡¯s only a hundred million. No big deal. They were of great help in apprehending S today, after all. ¡°Do I look like I¡¯m short of money?¡± Muriel was displeased. Money was the only thing she had nevercked since her birth. ¡°Then what do you want?¡± Tristan finally spoke. He was already very impatient, as he was all sweaty and ufortable after the fight. Chapter 259 Chapter 259 Chapter 259 Good Morning Muriel leaned toward Sophie¡¯s ear and asked, ¡°What do we do? Can you beat him?¡± She had wanted to help, but she quickly realized she couldn¡¯t beat either of them and was just dead weight. ¡°Nope!¡± After exchanging only a few moves with Tristan, Sophie knew she wasn¡¯t going to beat him. He¡¯s been keeping his talents a secret, huh? I didn¡¯t know he could fight this well before. ¡°Very well! You¡¯ll transfer one hundred million into Nalliance¡¯s ount directly when the time comes! Don¡¯t y tricks with me or you¡¯ll find yourself an enemy of Nalliance.¡± Sophie knew how to adapt to the situation. Besides, with one hundred million on the table, she wouldn¡¯t be losing much. With that, Sophie left with Muriel. Tristan¡¯s eyes remained fixed on them as they left. Seeing that he was staring at the two women, Felix nudged Tristan with his elbow. ¡°Why are you staring at them like that, Mr. Tristan? Did you fall for one of them? Even though they¡¯re wearing masks? Sure, their figures are sexy, but it¡¯s pointless if they look ugly! Besides, you already have Sophie. Have you fallen in love with someone else already? You know Ysabelle¡¯s not going to forgive you that easily if you have, right?¡± ¡°What are you thinking?¡± Tristan handed S over to Felix. ¡°In any case, bring him back first and interrogate him for information we want to know. Then hand him over to Eustace!¡± The reason he wanted to hand that person over to Eustace was that he disliked handling matters like that. ¡°Okay! How about you? Are you going to look for Sophie now? It¡¯s getting prettyte. Do you know where she is?¡± Felix asked. Horington¡¯s pretty big! It¡¯ll take time to locate someone in the city. ¡°Why are you talking so much nonsense?¡± Tristan spat. It¡¯s prettyte already. Why would I disturb her? As much as I miss her, I should at least wait until tomorrow to meet her! Meanwhile, Sophie and Muriel had gone into the car. This time, it was Muriel who drove. She intentionally avoided Eustace and the others by taking a detour before returning to the main road and driving back home. When they returned, Sophie began packing her things. That confounded Muriel. ¡°What are you doing? All right, I know what I did wrong. I won¡¯t do it again!¡± She didn¡¯t understand why Sophie was doing all that instead of taking a bath and going to sleep. ¡°I¡¯m d you know that! Don¡¯t stir things up like that again in the future! I still have things to take care of, so I¡¯m not going to stay here anyThis is from N?velDrama.Org. longer!¡± Sophie informed. Since Tristan¡¯s here in Horington, I¡¯ve no doubt he¡¯lle and find me! It¡¯ll be difficult to exin myself if he learns that I¡¯ve been staying with Muriel. Grabbing her hand, Muriel asked, ¡°So you¡¯re not angry with me, right?¡± The answer to that question was important to her because even though she had gone off on her own, Nalliance really wanted to capture S. ¡°I¡¯m not angry. Don¡¯t you know what kind of person I am? Do I look like I¡¯m that petty? Just be more careful when I¡¯m not around. Don¡¯t piss off people you can¡¯t afford to, okay?¡± Sophie said. Christmas is right around the corner. If I don¡¯t go back soon, Grandpa¡¯s going to overthink things. I still need to be considerate of his emotions! ¡°So you¡¯re going back? It¡¯s only been a few days!¡± It saddened Muriel to learn that Sophie was about to leave. ¡°I want to go with you!¡± Sadly, Nalliance needed her help, so she couldn¡¯t leave even if she wanted to. Sophie patted her pretty face. ¡°Be good, okay? If youe across a problem you don¡¯t know how to take care of, just go and find our mentor! He formed Nalliance, so he should take responsibility.¡± ¡°Okay!¡± After telling her a few more things about Nalliance, Sophie left Muriel¡¯s condominium and went straight to Horington Hotel. Upon checking in and going into her room, she, worried about her location being exposed, hacked into the hotel system and changed her check-in information. Only then did she go and take a bath in peace. At the same time, Tristan had also arrived at Horington Hotel. I need to take a bath and change into a new set of clothing before I meet with Sophie. Felix had already handed S to their people in Horington before personally interrogating thetter. By the time Tristan was out of the bathroom, Felix had already returned. Felix handed the confidential information he personally extracted from S to Tristan. ¡°This is everything I got from S!¡± After flipping through a few pages of the report, Tristan furrowed his brows even more tightly. This d*mn S! ¡°Should we hand him over to Eustace and the others now?¡±Felix asked. Even though we caught S, we¡¯re about to hand him over to Eustace now. Eustace¡¯s a lucky man. ¡°Give him to Eustace!¡± Tristan ordered. Eustace doesn¡¯t belong to that system. He always does things by the book! ¡°Are you trying to gain Eustace¡¯s favor, Mr. Tristan?¡± Felix asked. Eustace is quite influential in Jipsdale. ¡°No. I just think he can be useful.¡± When it came to people, Tristan had a good eye for them. ¡°Okay! I¡¯ll ask people to deliver this big gift to Eustace. Hopefully, he won¡¯t disappoint us!¡± There were plenty of legends about Eustace that Felix had heard of before. However, no matter what, it wouldn¡¯t be easy to pull Eustace to their side. After cleaning up the mess, Eustace and his team were demoralized because they failed to capture S. Besides, one of them had been badly injured and was staying in the hospital. It infuriated them that they had missed their prime opportunity to capture the person they had been looking for. Just as everyone was getting pretty dejected, a member of Horington SWAT team saw an unlicensed ck car throw a bag down at the entrance of the SWAT team building. Then the car left. One of the team members approached the bag and carefully opened it. When he saw the person inside, he promptly asked someone to report it. When Eustace and the others came out, they saw S, who was all tied up. Danny rubbed his eyes. They had all seen S¡¯ photo before they went on the mission. Therefore, even though S¡¯ face had be so swollen, they still recognized him. ¡°Captain Sheppard? Can we say that we got lucky or not?¡± Danny scratched the back of his head. What the hell¡¯s going on? ¡°All right, stop talking. Bring him in first!¡± While Eustace had no idea who captured S¡ªsince S was a pretty extraordinary person¡ªhe decided to leave the mystery of S¡¯ captors for another day. What was more important to him at that moment was solving the cases that were tied directly to S. After she took a bath, Sophie went straight to bed. She had thought Tristan woulde looking for her after the matter was dealt with, but it turned out to be just her wishful thinking. The next morning, someone knocked on the door. She roughlybed her hair before opening the door. The moment she did that, she saw Tristan¡¯s familiar face and was pulled into his embrace. With Sophie in his embrace, Tristan whispered next to her ear sexily, ¡°Good morning.¡± Sophie was taken aback. ¡°Why are you here?¡± It was her assumption that he had already returned because he didn¡¯te to look for her during the night. Chapter 260 Chapter 260 Chapter 260 Sleeping Both of them stood at the entrance with Tristan hugging Sophie tightly. It was then she realized she did miss him a little. ¡°What¡¯s the matter? You don¡¯t want me toe in?¡± Tristan bit her ear. He could not control his emotions anymore. Sophie¡¯s face blushed as her heart raced. Is it really okay for him to flirt with me all the time? ¡°Come on in!¡± Sophie had wanted to escape his embrace to let him in. But to her surprise, Tristan refused to let her go and instead carried her into the room. One of his hands was on her waist while the other closed the door. With a whirl, he pressed her on the door. ¡°Tell me, did you miss me?¡± As she was being pressed against the door, she took in his masculine scent. Without saying a word, she stood on her toes and kiss his lips. She was using her actions to answer his question. Even though it was supposed to be only a peck, that kiss ignited the fire within Tristan. Just as Sophie was about to leave, he deepened the kiss. Although it had only been two days, he felt as if it had been centuries. It was a very passionate kiss,pletely unlike the vani kisses in the past. Just as she thought she was going to suffocate from his kiss, he let her go and gently rubbed his finger on her lips. ¡°I miss you, Sophie!¡± He looked serious when he said that. Seeing that, Sophie panicked a little. She wasn¡¯t sure how to respond to his affection. A chuckle escaped Tristan¡¯s mouth when he saw that she was at a loss. He gently pressed her chin. ¡°All right, I only wanted to tell you that I really miss you!¡± She was still young, so even if he wanted to do more, he wouldn¡¯t. Sophie hugged his waist instead of answering him. At that moment, Tristan could feel that there was something different about her. It would appear that his decision to leave temporarily was correct, for their feelings for each other had deepened. Because of the passionate kiss earlier, Sophie¡¯s robe became a little loose. Her alluring corbone was very pleasing to the eye. Tristan couldn¡¯t help but nt a hickey on her corbone. ¡°Ouch!¡± Sophie didn¡¯t expect him to act like a vampire who had finally found food after being hungry for ages. ¡°Does it hurt? I¡¯m sorry!¡± It was getting harder for him to control his emotions. ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± It was the only thing she could really say. To be honest, it doesn¡¯t really hurt. It just feels as if I¡¯ve been electrocuted. When she was around him, she found it more and more difficult to control herself. Tristan didn¡¯t want to let her go, so Sophie had to push him away gently. She was afraid she would suffocate if they kept that up. ¡°Did you have enough sleep?¡± he asked. Sophie shook her head. I didn¡¯t sleep for that long. How could I? Still, I can¡¯t tell him what I was doingst night. ¡°I want to sleep for a little longer, so if you have anything you want to take care of, go ahead. We¡¯ll have lunch together, all right?¡± she suggested, knowing that he, too, probably didn¡¯t sleep well. After all, with how eager he was to capture S, she was certain he had conducted an interrogation right after. Additionally, S didn¡¯t seem like the kind of person who was easy to deal with. ¡°There¡¯s nothing much happening on my side. Since I didn¡¯t sleep wellst night too, how about we sleep together now?¡± Tristan was afraid he would disturb her rest, so he had been keeping his desires in checkst night. However, that caused him to miss her so much that he didn¡¯t sleep a wink. ¡°This is a hotel, Mr. Tristan. There are rooms everywhere. If you don¡¯t have the money, I can help you get one,¡± Sophie offered. This is from N?velDrama.Org. ¡°There¡¯s really no need for us to sleep together.¡± Tristan shook his head. ¡°But I want to stay with you. Without you, I can¡¯t sleep!¡± There he goes again. Sophie had no defense against his cheekiness. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I promise you I won¡¯t do anything. We¡¯ve known each other for quite a while now. You should understand me by now, right?¡± While he had never forced her to do something she didn¡¯t want to do, he still carried her to the bed regardless of her answer. Then, as hey on the bed, he hugged her and closed his eyes. ¡°Mr. Tristan¡­¡± With him lying next to her, she couldn¡¯t fall asleep. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Hugging someone he liked on the bed made Tristan feel very satisfied, even if he couldn¡¯t do anything more. ¡°Never mind. Just go to sleep.¡± Oh, forget it. It¡¯s useless to say anything more. I might as well keep my mouth shut. ¡°Mm, sleep it is!¡± Perhaps it was because he didn¡¯t sleep at allst night. He fell into slumber pretty quickly as hey next to her. Usually, he was pretty vignt. If someone else were in the room, he wouldn¡¯t be able to sleep. Sophie was the exception. With her around, he could fall asleep even faster. As Sophie watched Tristan sleep next to her defenselessly, her heart began to race. Why can¡¯t I sleep when we¡¯re lying next to each other? I seriously can¡¯t sleep! Should I count his eyshes? How can he look so handsome? Not only is he good-looking, but he¡¯s delicate-looking, too. His eyshes are so pretty. Seeing that he didn¡¯t move, Sophie became bolder. At first, she only counted Tristan¡¯s eyshes. Butter on, she stretched her hand out and touched his face. Muriel¡¯s words surfaced in her mind. She said Eustace¡¯s not the type of guy I¡¯ll like. I wonder what she¡¯ll say if she meets Tristan. As she stared at him, her eyelids got heavier and heavier and she soon fell asleep. Both of them fell into a peaceful slumber while hugging each other. Nothing exciting or outrageous happened. Tristan was satisfied with hugging her like that. By the time they woke up, it was already one in the afternoon. If Felix hadn¡¯te looking for them, they would have slept longer. Upon hearing the knock on the door, Tristan went to answer it. ¡°Everything has been taken care of, Mr. Tristan. Don¡¯t worry about it. Have you two eaten? We can dine together if you like.¡± Felix had been very busy sincest night, so he didn¡¯t get to eat anything. Without uttering a word, Tristan shut the door. He couldn¡¯t let anyone else in when Sophie was only wearing a robe. Felix should feel lucky. If he sees her in the robe, I will definitely gouge his eyes out! Chapter 261 Chapter 261 Chapter 261 Did You Sleep Well Sophie got up from the bed and stretched her body. When she did, her robe became even looser, making her look very sexy. However, she wasn¡¯t aware of how seductive she appeared at the moment. Some people were just that oblivious to their own charm. ¡°Who was it?¡± she asked while ncing at the clock. It¡¯s one in the afternoon already? No wonder I feel hungry. ¡°It¡¯s Felix. I¡¯ve asked him to wait outside. Dress up. We¡¯re heading out for a meal!¡± Tristan wasn¡¯t a big fan of hotel food even though the food in the five-star hotel they were staying at was pretty good. Since they were in Horington, he thought they should try out the seafood. Besides, Sophie had lived in Horington for many years, so he was pretty sure she knew well about the local cuisines. ¡°Okay.¡± As she thought about how Felix had foughtst night, her perception of him hadpletely changed. After changing into a new set of clothing, she saw Tristan waiting for her outside. He frowned when he saw her. ¡°The gown you worest time looks really good on you! Why didn¡¯t you wear that?¡± He was slightly upset that she was wearing casual clothes when she was around him. ¡°Do you really think it¡¯s a good idea for me to wear a gown in this weather?¡± If not for Muriel, she wouldn¡¯t have worn that gown. It was only two or three degrees Celsius outside at the moment, so wearing a gown would only lead to her freezing to death. Tristan approached her and hugged her waist. Ccontent ? exclusive by N?/vel(D)ra/ma.Org. ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± Felix had been waiting outside. When he saw the two of them exiting the room, he saw the affectionate look in their eyes. With a chuckle, he asked, ¡°Did you sleep well, Sophie?¡± ¡°I did! What¡¯s the matter? You didn¡¯t sleep well?¡± He probably didn¡¯t get to sleep the whole night. ¡°I¡¯m not that blessed! A person like me doesn¡¯t have the right to sleep.¡± After Tristan captured S and handed the latter to him, he had to deal with the subsequent matter. ¡°Oh, poor you,¡± Sophie uttered emotionlessly. ¡°Have you concluded your matters in Horington, Sophie? We¡¯re going back today. Do you want to return with us?¡± It was almost Christmas. They were already pretty busy, and since S had been apprehended, it was time for them to return. ¡°Oh, it¡¯s nothing much. It¡¯s just a small matter.¡± Sophie could never tell them why she was there. ¡°What¡¯s nice in Horington? Thest time I came here, I was in a hurry, so I didn¡¯t get to taste the local cuisine,¡± Tristan piped up. ¡°There is a lot of tasty food here! Let¡¯s go! I¡¯ll take you two there.¡± Instead of driving, they called for a cab and headed to the seafood restaurant Sophie said was famous for its delicious food. Truth be told, Tristan and Felix had eaten all sorts of delicacies before. However, when they arrived at the restaurant, they were shocked by the number of people waiting in line. ¡°Are you sure you want to eat this, Sophie? I don¡¯t think we can get a seat even after the sky turns dark!¡± There were so many people there that by the time it was their turn, it would be dinner they were eating, not lunch. ¡°No way!¡± Sophie brought the two men into the restaurant. When the waiter saw her, he immediately smiled. ¡°It¡¯s been a while, Ms. Tanner! We thought we wouldn¡¯t see you again.¡± The waiter brought the three of them to a special, high-ss private room. Upon witnessing the treatment Sophie was receiving in the restaurant, Felix raised his eyebrow. She¡¯s quite popr outside. ¡°You know the owner of the restaurant?¡± He was pretty certain his assumption was correct. Otherwise, the waiter wouldn¡¯t have brought them to a private room. ¡°I do!¡± Sophie answered. Tristan pulled a chair out for Sophie to sit on before sitting next to her. Felix, on the other hand, sat a distance away from the two of them. ¡°If I¡¯d known, I would¡¯ve brought Ysabelle with me! She loves eating seafood, too.¡± Whenever he came across something tasty, he would think about Ysabelle. It was obvious that he cared much about her. ¡°We¡¯lle back again if there¡¯s another chance.¡± The reason Sophie didn¡¯t bring Ysabelle along was that the matters she had to deal with were inappropriate for Ysabelle to join in. After the waiter handed them their menus, he began taking their orders. Tristan wasn¡¯t interested in ordering food, so he let Sophie do it instead. Felix also trusted Sophie¡¯s choice of dishespletely. After all, she was the one who rmended they visit the restaurant. Soon, Sophie finished ordering the dishes. ¡°Oh yeah, why did you twoe to Horington this time? Aren¡¯t you two busy in Jipsdale?¡± ¡°It¡¯s just a small matter, and it¡¯s better if you don¡¯t know,¡± Felix answered. It¡¯s not like it was something good. I mustn¡¯t tell her about it. Hearing that, Sophie didn¡¯t question him further. Fair enough. Why would he tell me what the two of them were up to in Horington? Then again, I already knew some of what they were doing and that Tristan had handed S to Eustace. In that case, I don¡¯t think it¡¯s anything bad. Before their food was served, Sophie¡¯s phone rang. She frowned when she saw that it was a call from Eustace. Why is he calling me at this hour? He has already caught S. He should be very busy right now. When Tristan saw her furrowed eyebrows, he thought something bad had happened. ¡°Who is it?¡± ¡°It¡¯s nothing. Excuse me while I take the call outside.¡± Sophie stood up and exited the room with her phone. As he watched her leave the room to take the call, Felix couldn¡¯t help butment, ¡°Who¡¯s calling her, Mr. Tristan? Can¡¯t she just answer it in front of us? Does she have a secret that she doesn¡¯t want us to know about? Why did she need to leave the room?¡± Tristan ignored him. While Sophie had many secrets, he didn¡¯t want to use his power to figure out what those were. He liked her, so he wished she would tell him about them herself instead of him investigating them. He wouldn¡¯t probe into her matters even though he was curious. If he did, he might ruin the good thing they had going. ¡°It must be hard falling in love with a woman who¡¯s full of mysteries, Mr. Tristan,¡± Felixmented. If I¡¯m already having a hard time liking Ysabelle, I bet it¡¯s harder for Mr. Tristan to deal with the mysterious Sophie! ¡°It¡¯s not that bad.¡± Tristan was very confident in himself. He believed that he and Sophie would be together. After exiting the room, Sophie arrived at the stairwell and answered the call. ¡°Hello? Is something the matter?¡± She knew who he was, which was why she went straight to the point. ¡°We¡¯ve dealt with everything on our side, Sophie. We¡¯re leaving soon. Before we do, I was wondering if we could meet up onest time. Do you have time for that right now?¡± ¡°Right now?¡± ¡°Yes. Is there a problem? I have something important I want to discuss with you.¡± ¡°How about this? I¡¯ll send you a location, and youe over here.¡± ¡°Sounds good to me. Send it to me, and I¡¯ll be there in a jiffy!¡± There wasn¡¯t much he needed to do at the moment, as S¡¯ interrogation was going pretty smoothly. Sophie sent the location of the restaurant to him. Since Tristan and Felix know him as well, I don¡¯t think there¡¯s any problem if we have a meal together. Chapter 262 Chapter 262 The moment Felix saw hering in, he immediately asked, ¡°We can eat now, right? I¡¯m starving! It¡¯s almost two in the afternoon!¡± ¡°Are you really hungry?¡± Sophie looked troubled. Since I¡¯ve invited Eustace to join us, will it be a good idea if I let them eat first? ¡°What do you mean? Are you saying we can¡¯t eat yet? Everyone¡¯s here already!¡± ¡°Can you wait ten more minutes? There¡¯s one more person coming.¡± Sophie was embarrassed. ¡°But if you¡¯re really hungry, we can just eat first.¡± At worst, I¡¯ll just treat Eustace to a meal when he arrives. ¡°Who is it?¡± Tristan was only curious about that. Why is someone else joining us after she received a call? ¡°It¡¯s Eustace. I think you two should know him. He wanted to meet up with me, saying he has something to discuss with me, so I invited him over. You two don¡¯t mind, right?¡± Sophie assumed that men should be fine with matters like that. ¡°I mind! A lot!¡± Hearing that news made Felix grumpy. Couldn¡¯t he havee earlier? Now we have to wait for him while I¡¯m starving! ¡°Then we¡¯ll wait for him,¡± Tristan decided. It¡¯s just a meal. It¡¯s fine if we wait. That rendered Felix speechless. Mr. Tristan always listens to what Sophie says now. Is he really still the fierce and decisive Mr. Tristan I know? Where did that version of him go? When Eustace arrived at the location Sophie mentioned, he was surprised to learn there were other people in the private room. While Tristan and Felix knew him, he had never met them before. After all, they didn¡¯t belong to the same social circle. However, he could tell at a nce that Tristan wasn¡¯t an ordinary person. Seeing that Eustace had arrived, Sophie stood up and gestured for him to sit. ¡°I don¡¯t think I need to introduce you to them, right, Eustace? You all should be familiar with each other. This is Tristan, and that¡¯s Felix!¡± Many people had heard of Tristan¡¯s name before, but only a few had met him. Since no one dared to publish his photos, not a lot of people could recognize him. ¡°That Mr. Tristan from Jipsdale?¡± That was the only person Eustace could think of when he heard the name and saw Tristan¡¯s demeanor. Sophie nodded. ¡°All right, let¡¯s eat!¡± By that point, she, too, was feeling pretty hungry. I don¡¯t know why he just had to pick this time to meet me. Everyone was quiet as they ate. That was how Tristan and Felix would act whenever they had to deal with people they were unfamiliar with. As for Sophie, she had never been much of a talker. Eustace, meanwhile, didn¡¯t say much because he was still processing the fact that he was eating with the famous Mr. Tristan. Thankfully, the food was pretty delicious, so they all ate quite a lot. Sophie had a pretty good appetite. After she had almost finished her meal, she asked, ¡°You said there¡¯s something you want to talk to me about, Captain Sheppard. What is it?¡± He should be in a hurry to return to Jipsdale right now, right? After all, he still has his mission of transporting S back to Jipsdale. Staring at the silent Tristan, Eustace swallowed the words he wanted to say. Seeing him acting like that, Felix couldn¡¯t help but exim, ¡°You¡¯re not here to confess, are you, Captain Sheppard?¡± He looks so hesitant to speak! How can it be anything else but a confession? The moment he said that, Tristan red at him. Don¡¯t be such a busybody! Felix promptly pped his mouth. Why did I say that without thinking? Stupid mouth! Why can¡¯t I just stay silent and watch the show instead of saying stuff like that? ¡°Forget it. It¡¯s not like my matter is very urgent. I¡¯ll be going back now. This is from N?velDrama.Org. Once you make it back to Jipsdale, I¡¯ll invite you out for a meal. Thanks for the lunch today!¡± Obviously, Eustace wasn¡¯t going to say the words in his mind out loud with Felix and Tristan around. Sophie didn¡¯t force him and simply nodded. ¡°We¡¯re done here, too. Let¡¯s leave together!¡± When the four of them left the room, Sophie and Tristan fought for the bill. ¡°This is basically my territory. Allow me,¡± Sophie said. Instead of arguing with her, Tristan let her do just that. ¡°I¡¯ll be going back now, Sophie. Call me when you return to Jipsdale. I really have something important I need your help with!¡± With that, Eustace got into the car and left. Sophie, Tristan, and Felix stood there and watched him leave. ¡°You should ignore Eustace, Sophie! I think he has ill intentions toward you,¡± Felix advised. How can he say such a thing right in front of Mr. Tristan? ¡°You¡¯re so talkative, Felix!¡± Sophie finally spoke. It didn¡¯t matter to her if Eustace liked her or not. What was important was what she thought about him. Felix¡¯s lips twitched. Is she finding me annoying now? I was simply worried about her, okay? ¡°Mr. Tristan, look at her¡­¡± ¡°You really are too talkative. In any case, now that the issue has been resolved, you should head back first!¡± ¡°What about you?¡± We came here together! Shouldn¡¯t we also return together? Tristan nced at him. What is going on with Felixtely? He needs to get his eyes checked. ¡°Do I need to report to you what I want to do?¡± That shut Felix up. Fine! I guess I shouldn¡¯t have cared about you. ¡°I¡¯ll leave now, then! You need to protect yourself well, Sophie! Men are like animals, got it? Mr. Tristan is an especially dangerous one!¡± When he finished speaking, he immediately scurried away. Sophie was utterly speechless. Tristan, on the other hand, remained expressionless. It seems that Felix has gotten bolder after I stopped torturing him. I need to find a good opportunity to remind him of his ce. ¡°Aren¡¯t you busy? You should return with Felix! I can take care of myself here.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not that I¡¯m worried about you. I just want to spend more time with you here!¡± Tristan grabbed her hand. An intimate act like that was still something Sophie wasn¡¯t used to. He was holding her hand so tightly that she couldn¡¯t break free from his grip. ¡°Let¡¯s go! What¡¯s fun here in Horington? We should tour the ce! It¡¯s a good idea to exercise a little after a meal.¡± He suggested that because it would be torturous to him if he returned to the hotel immediately. Like all men, his lust was awakened after he was full. ¡°There is a ce with a pretty great view.¡± A location popped into Sophie¡¯s mind, and she brought him to the side of the road. Then she hailed a cab and entered the vehicle with him. The moment they left, Nichs ran out of the building across the street. Sophie! Where did she go? I saw her earlier, yet when I came down, she was gone! ¡°What¡¯s the matter, Boss?¡± His assistant couldn¡¯t run as fast as him, so it took a while before he caught up to him. ¡°I saw Sophie! She really is in Horington.¡± It had been his third day in Horington. And yet, he still couldn¡¯t find Sophie after he had used all his connections. Just as he was about to give up and leave, he saw her. Even if she had turned to ash, he could still recognize her, so he was certain she was the woman he saw. Chapter 263 Chapter 263 Chapter 263 If Only Seeing his employer like that made the assistant tighten his fists. The woman who can affect Boss significantly has shown up again! What¡¯s going to happen this time around? Whenever Boss encounters things rted to Sophie, he¡¯ll be really irrational! Sophie brought Tristan to the main entrance of Horington High School. It was the school Tristan knew she had attended in the past. It was also a ce he thought wouldn¡¯t make her happy to revisit. ¡°Why aren¡¯t we entering through the front entrance?¡± He couldn¡¯t help but ask when she brought him to the wall. She looked as though she was going to climb over it. ¡°They won¡¯t let us in. Besides, I was pretty famous in this school.¡± Sophie brought him to the spot where she used to climb over the wall. It was the best spot because there wasn¡¯t any high-voltage electricity there. ¡°What¡¯s the matter? Do you want me to give you a boost?¡± Given Tristan¡¯s abilities, he could climb up pretty easily. With one hand on the top of the wall, he climbed up effortlessly. Then he stretched his hand toward Sophie. Sophie grabbed his hand and climbed up the wall. Both of them then jumped down andnded on the ground steadily. This is from N?velDrama.Org. As it was still the holidays, not many people were in school. After they went in, they strolled around casually. It was a ce where Sophie had lived for two years. Hence, when she returned there, memories of the past flooded her mind. ¡°It must be difficult for you to stay here all by yourself.¡± When Tristan thought about how she had spent five years in Horington alone, his heart ached. However, when Sophie thought about her five years in the city, she smiled. ¡°Actually, it¡¯s not that bad. If not for the five years I spent in Horington, I wouldn¡¯t be who I am today. It¡¯s a matter of perspective.¡± Tristan held her hand, and they both took a stroll on the football field. If I had met her one year earlier, all those awful things wouldn¡¯t have happened. I could¡¯ve protected her and ensured she wouldn¡¯t feel aggrieved if I had known her just a little earlier. If only a time machine exists in this world. But, sadly, it doesn¡¯t. After walking around the football field twice, Sophie got a little tired and sat on the ground, while Tristan justy on it. The weather was pretty nice that day since the sun was finally out. They felt pretty warm andfortable when the sunlight shone on them. Tristan didn¡¯t expect her to bring him to her school. Still, he was pretty pleased with the ce. He only felt sad that he couldn¡¯t attend high school and university with her. That thought prompted him to think if he was too old for her. More than an hour had passed since they arrived at Horington High School. If not for Muriel¡¯s call, Sophie would¡¯ve fallen asleep. Seeing that it was a call from Muriel, she stood up and went to the side to answer the phone. Tristan was disappointed that she didn¡¯t want to answer the call next to him. Despite that, his gaze was still fixed on her. I wonder why she¡¯s in Horington this time. When the call connected, Muriel said excitedly, ¡°Good news, Sophie! We¡¯ve received the one hundred million!¡± Looks like he kept his promise. ¡°That¡¯s good to hear. Don¡¯t do this again, okay?¡± Muriel is still not powerful enough to deal with people like him. Muriel rubbed her nose. ¡°All right, I get it. Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll train lots and lots in the future!¡± She was a pretty excellent markswoman, but her close-quarterbat skills were stillcking. ¡°Oh yeah! Where are you right now? How about we hang out tonight if you haven¡¯t left Horington? I heard the fanciest nightclub here had hired a few people from Thymion recently. They¡¯re pretty popr.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll take a rain check on that. I¡¯m probably going back to Jipsdale today.¡± Christmas was right around the corner, so Sophie had to go back. In fact, Josiah had called her a couple of times. ¡°You¡¯re going back so soon?¡± Muriel was saddened to hear the news. ¡°It¡¯s not often youe back! Can¡¯t you keep mepany for a couple more days? I¡¯m lonely here!¡± ¡°My grandpa is asking me to return.¡± In reality, Sophie was a pretty obedient child. That was especially the case when it came to Josiah¡¯s orders. ¡°All right. I guess I¡¯ll visit you in Jipsdale when I miss you,¡± Muriel said. After all, she was just a rebellious young woman in everyone¡¯s eyes. Even if she went to Jipsdale, no one would care. ¡°Okay!¡± Upon hanging up the phone, Sophie returned to Tristan¡¯s side and stretched her hand toward him. ¡°Let¡¯s go! Don¡¯t you want to go back to Jipsdale?¡± She thought they should return early since he still had many things to take care of in Jipsdale. If they returnedte, he would get even busier. ¡°Have you taken care of your business here? It¡¯s all right. I can wait for you.¡± He wasn¡¯t in a rush to return. ¡°It¡¯s done. Besides, it wasn¡¯t anything serious. There really is no need for you toe.¡± Even though Sophie knew he didn¡¯te to Horington for her, she still wanted to say that. Grabbing her hand, Tristan pulled her into his embrace instead of standing up. ¡°You don¡¯t need to think too much! I came to Horington to attend to other matters. I¡¯m not here specifically for you.¡± ¡°Mm.¡± Sophie had thought he would take the initiative to tell her why he was in the city. But contrary to her expectations, he didn¡¯t say anything afterward. Tristan had already told her what he could tell her. If he revealed more than that to her, he feared it would endanger her. That kind of stuff was something he would never do. ¡°Let me go!¡± Sophie tried to get up. However, both of his hands were pressed on the back of her waist, preventing her from leaving. ¡°Don¡¯t overthink it!¡± The only reason he didn¡¯t want to tell her was that he didn¡¯t want her to get hurt. His world was filled with danger and uncertainty, but he only wanted to give her happiness. Sophie snorted. Am I the type of person to overthink things? Seeing how cute she was, Tristan couldn¡¯t resist holding her head and kissing her lips. ¡°Who¡¯s there?¡± Suddenly, a security guard who was on patrol noticed them. ¡°Sh*t!¡± Tristan couldn¡¯t help cursing. Swiftly, he stood up, grabbed Sophie¡¯s hand, and started running. As she sprinted with him, the corners of her mouth curved upward. She didn¡¯t need to think of anything as she was being pulled by him and followed his pace. That kind of wild and reckless experience made her feel happy. As she stared at him, there was a moment when she thought that perhaps it wouldn¡¯t be a bad idea to keep running with him as he pulled her hand. That was because she enjoyed the feeling of being pulled and protected by him. Chapter 264 Chapter 264 Chapter 264 Find Her Within A Week ¡°Stop running, or I¡¯ll call the police!¡± shouted the security guard as he chased after them. Pfft! As if we¡¯d just let you catch us! Sophie turned around and pulled a face at the security guard. Because of her good looks and poprity in Horington High School, the security guard could recognize her instantly. ¡°Stop running, Sophie!¡± the security guard yelled while panting heavily from all the running. That only prompted Sophie to smile even brighter than before. Turning around, Tristan felt his heart race when he saw her beautiful smile. He felt as if he had fallen for her all over again. Man, I love how Sophie looks so dazzling when she smiles! She¡¯s just so irresistible that I can¡¯t seem to take my eyes off her! This time, instead of vaulting over the wall, Sophie ran out the front gate with Tristan¡¯s hand in hers. The security guard stopped chasing after them when he realized he couldn¡¯t catch up to them. Honestly, Sophie didn¡¯t really do anything wrong. Those rumors about her only existed because people got jealous of her beauty. I should never have believed in those rumors. ¡°Who were they?¡± the guard stationed in the security room asked, as he didn¡¯t get to see their faces earlier. ¡°There aren¡¯t many valuables in this school, so you don¡¯t have to take your job that seriously, you know?¡± ¡°It was that really beautiful girl, Sophie Tanner! Do you remember her?¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t she transfer to another school? Why did shee back?¡± The fact that he knew Sophie as well showed just how popr she was. Of course, Sophie couldn¡¯t hear what the two guards were saying, as she was already far away from the school grounds. Tristan was still holding her hand as they walked down the street. Sophie¡¯s face was still red from all that running, which made her look all the more attractive. ¡°How do you want to head back? By ne? By train? Or by car?¡± ¡°Whichever you prefer!¡± ¡°We¡¯ll head back by car, then. We¡¯re in no rush, so we can enjoy the view if we drive home.¡± ¡°Okay!¡± Sophie had no objections whatsoever. The two of them then packed their stuff at the hotel and drove off. After tracking them down, Nichs arrived at the hotel right after they left. ¡°She just left with another man, Boss,¡± reported his assistant. ¡°D*mn it!¡± Nichs mmed his fist against the wall in frustration. Why didn¡¯t I get here sooner? It wasn¡¯t easy tracking her down, so I can¡¯t just give up now! ¡°We should head back, Boss. There¡¯s lots of work waiting for you in Anndur.¡± It¡¯s extremely risky for us to go running around searching for someone in Chanaea! Things can get really dangerous if our enemies find out we¡¯re here! ¡°No, I must capture Sophie!¡± There¡¯s no way I¡¯m letting her get away from me this time! I¡¯ll do whatever it takes to capture her! ¡°But Boss¡ª¡± The assistant fell silent when Nichs shot him a fierce re. D*mn, why does my job as an assistant have to be so tough? Does he not understand that it¡¯s my duty to ensure his safety? With that in mind, the assistant spoke up again. ¡°Boss, Old Mr. Sable mighte after Sophie if he finds out you¡¯re risking your life for her.¡± Nichs got so irritated that he pped his assistant hard across the face. ¡°That¡¯s none of your business!¡± All he wanted was to get his hands on Sophie as soon as possible. The assistant insisted on getting his message across even after being pped. ¡°I¡¯m saying this for your own good, Boss! Old Mr. Sable is¡ª¡± Nichs¡¯ expression became twisted when he thought of Sophie¡¯s irresistibly beautiful face. ¡°Just keep searching!¡± he yelled. I¡¯ve never once believed that Sophie¡¯s dead. There¡¯s no way I¡¯ll give up so easily now that I finally managed to track her down! Their conversation was interrupted when the assistant¡¯s phone rang all of a sudden. The assistant¡¯s face went pale when he saw that it was Nichs¡¯ father calling. He didn¡¯t want to answer the phone, but he didn¡¯t dare ignore the call either. After hesitating for a bit, the assistant answered the call and handed Nichs the phone. ¡°It¡¯s from Old Mr. Sable, Boss,¡± he said respectfully. Nichs shot him a menacing re in response, much to the poor assistant¡¯s terror. This has nothing to do with me. I wasn¡¯t the one who ratted Boss out, but I doubt he¡¯d believe me even if I told him that¡­ With a reluctant look on his face, Nichs took the phone and asked, ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°You return from Horington right this instant!¡± Nichs got so mad that he smashed his assistant¡¯s phone on the floor afterward. Terrified by his sudden outburst, the assistant could only stand there inplete silence. Contentt bel0ngs to N0ve/lDra/ma.O(r)g! ¡°We¡¯ll head back for now. Have our men continue tracking her down. Find out where Sophie is within a week, or you¡¯re fired!¡± Nichs said coldly before getting into the car. The assistant shuddered as he stood there in the freezing cold. We could not find her even after three years, and he expects me to get it done in a week? This is ridiculous! Where do I even start? Tristan wasn¡¯t driving very fast as they weren¡¯t in a hurry, so they were able to enjoy the scenery along the way. Since the two of them rarely got to spend such quality time together, he didn¡¯t want to head back too soon. It was already seven in the evening by the time they arrived in Jipsdale. Ysabelle wanted to have dinner with them when she heard about their return, so she and Felix had been waiting for them at the entrance of the highway. Tristan felt really tempted to act as if he didn¡¯t see Felix¡¯s car when he got off the highway. What the heck is wrong with these two? Why won¡¯t they just leave us alone? Go on a freaking date or something for all I care! Of course, Felix was oblivious to those thoughts of his. He waved at them upon spotting them. Tristan had no choice but to pull over when he saw how excited the two looked. Ysabelle ran up to the car and knocked on the window the moment it came to a complete halt. Her excited expression was the first thing Sophie saw when she rolled down the window. ¡°Oh, Sophie! You¡¯re finally back! You have no idea how much I¡¯ve missed you!¡± She had been waiting for over an hour just so she could have dinner with them. ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you two to wait for us at Blossom Garden? Why did youe all the way here?¡± Honestly, there¡¯s no need for them to be doing this! It¡¯s such a waste of time and energy! Ysabelle bit her lip and replied, ¡°I couldn¡¯t help it! I was really eager to see you!¡± ¡°That¡¯s right, Mr. Tristan. This is entirely her idea. I¡¯m just the driver here. She was so eager toe see Sophie that I couldn¡¯t even stop her!¡± Chapter 265 Chapter 265 Chapter 265 Depressed Felix Ysabelle is always so excited about Sophie. If only she¡¯d treat me with that same level of passion¡­ ¡°I really miss Sophie a lot, Uncle Tristan! I haven¡¯t seen her in a long time! I¡¯ll be going with Sophie, so you can head back on your own, Felix!¡± Ysabelle then climbed into the back seat before Felix could react. ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± Sophie told Tristan when she saw Ysabelle get in. Just like that, the three of them sped off while Felix stood there in the freezing cold with disbelief written all over his face. Am I really just a driver to them? As Charles and Sean were too busy to join them for dinner, it was just the four of them at the dinner table that night. To make matters worse, the three of them were so absorbed in their conversation that Felix had beenpletely ignored. Naturally, that made Felix even more depressed than he already was. I¡¯m starting to question if I should even be here. Why do I feel like I¡¯m an outsider in this group? ¡°Help me pass this to Sarah. The one I gave herst time should be finished by now,¡± Sophie said while retrieving a tiny bottle from her backpack. ¡°Aunt Sarah told me this is really helpful. She¡¯s feeling a lot bettertely and no longer suffers from insomnia! Where did you get this from?¡± Ysabelle asked as she took the transparent bottle from her. The Lombards could not treat Sarah¡¯s condition despite them being the most powerful family in Jipsdale, and yet, Sophie had got it taken care of so effortlessly. ¡°A friend of mine gave it to me. Since it works really well, I asked for two more bottles when I heard about Sarah¡¯s condition.¡± Sophie, too, had really severe insomnia back then, and her condition had improved tremendously after Arius gave her that medicine. ¡°Oh? Who¡¯s your friend? Do I know them?¡± Ysabelle asked. She knew Sophie didn¡¯t have that many friends, so she was curious as to who this person was. ¡°No, you don¡¯t.¡± Sophie didn¡¯t want to continue that topic as Ysabelle was far too pure and innocent for such things. Even so, that did not stop the two of them from being friends with each other. ¡°Oh, okay!¡± Ysabelle knew better than to push Sophie for answers if she didn¡¯t feel like talking about it. ¡°Eustace has done a really good job this time, Mr. Tristan.¡± Feeling bored out of his mind, Felix decided to talk to Tristan while the girls continued chatting away. ¡°Yeah, I think we can count on him.¡± ¡°All right, then.¡± Felix had full faith in Tristan¡¯s judgement, especially after witnessing Eustace¡¯s excellent performance. The two of them refrained from mentioning S in front of Sophie and Ysabelle. ¡°By the way, Sophie, will The Wheelers be performing during Christmas?¡± As all television stations would bepeting against each other during Christmas, it would make perfect sense for The Wheelers to capitalize on that opportunity. ¡°The issue with The Wheelers¡¯ contract has been resolved, so they¡¯ll be returning tomorrow. As for the performance¡­ Well, it¡¯s Christmas, and ourpany isn¡¯t open yet, so we¡¯ll all just enjoy this festive season together!¡± The Wheelers would not be performing that year. ¡°Ah, I see! That¡¯s a shame! It¡¯s been forever since I¡¯vest seen them perform!¡± Felix decided to share the rumor he had recently heard. ¡°Right now, everyone thinks The Wheelers has been cklisted.¡± ¡°Good! We¡¯ll let them continue thinking that way, then. Their fans are unhappy with Sky Media now, right?¡± That¡¯s what yton gets for bullying The Wheelers! He¡¯s dead wrong if he thinks he can get off scot-free! ¡°Sophie, are you still mad at yton?¡± Honestly, I feel bad for whoever gets on Sophie¡¯s bad side! She¡¯s still holding on to that grudge even after so long! ¡°I¡¯ll make his life in Jipsdale a living hell if he dares mess with The Wheelers!¡± Sophie was most certainly capable of delivering on that promise. As Ysabelle wasn¡¯t interested in yton at all, she tried to change the topic. ¡°All right, enough talk about yton! Will you be joining The Wheelers for a meal when they get back? If yes, make sure to take me with you!¡± Being a hardcore fan, she was dying to hang out with them. ¡°I think so. I¡¯ll be sure to invite you when the timees!¡± Sophie replied. ¡°I don¡¯t get it. What¡¯s so great about The Wheelers?¡± Felix eximed with a pout. Ysabelle has never been this excited about seeing me when I left on business trips! Ysabelle shot him a fierce re in response. ¡°Felix, you should just shut up if you don¡¯t know anything about rock bands!¡± The Wheelers was practically like a role model for her. A businessman like Felix could never understand what she liked about their team spirit. ¡°I think The Wheelers is a great band.¡± Tristan was well aware of how much the two of them liked The Wheelers, so he knew better than to say anything that would make them unhappy. The frowns on Sophie¡¯s and Ysabelle¡¯s faces eased up when they heard that. Felix was surprised as he had never seen this side of Tristan before. ¡°Mr. Tristan, do you really think The Wheelers are a great band?¡± he whispered. ¡°If Sophie and Ysabelle like the band, then it is great to me,¡± Tristan replied. Felix fell silent after hearing his response. Wow¡­ Ccontent ? exclusive by N?/vel(D)ra/ma.Org. I never knew Tristan would be this deeply in love with Sophie! That woman has himpletely wrapped around her finger! After dinner, Ysabelle suggested that they go for a movie. ¡°How about we go watch a movie, Sophie? It¡¯s not often we get to hang out like this!¡± ¡°Are there any interesting movies lately?¡± Tristan asked. He knew it wasmon for couples to go on movie dates, but he couldn¡¯t care less about keeping himself updated on thetest trends. As a result, he had no idea what movies were currently avable. ¡°Of course there are!¡± Ysabelle replied with a smile. She figured Sophie wouldn¡¯t object to her suggestion if Tristan agreed to it. ¡°There¡¯s a new cartoon that aired recently, but what¡¯s so interesting about that?¡± Felix asked with a frown. I know I¡¯m supposed to share all of Ysabelle¡¯s interests if I am to date her and all, but I don¡¯t understand why an adult like her loves cartoons so much! Naturally, Ysabelle didn¡¯t take too kindly to what he had just said. ¡°Felix, what did I tell you about keeping your mouth shut about things you don¡¯t understand? That¡¯s an animated film, not a cartoon! Know the difference, d*mn it! You¡¯re the heir of Northley Group, aren¡¯t you? Can¡¯t you say something more intelligent for once?¡± Felix wanted to argue that intelligence had nothing to do with this, but he knew it was pointless to do so. Sophie patted Ysabelle¡¯s cheeks, which were puffed up with anger as she said affectionately, ¡°All right, we¡¯ll go watch that movie if you like it so much.¡± Felix fell speechless once again. My goodness, Sophie! Are you trying to be her boyfriend or something? Chapter 266 Chapter 266 Chapter 266 Sophie Calls The Shots Just like that, the four of them headed over to the nearest movie theater. Ysabelle dragged Felix over to the ticket counter the moment they got there. ¡°Are you seriously going to make Mr. Tristan watch a cartoon?¡± Felix asked. As far as he knew, Tristan and cartoons were two things that didn¡¯t go together. ¡°Felix, for thest time, this isn¡¯t a cartoon! It¡¯s an animated film!¡± Ysabelle snapped at him. ¡°How is that any different? They¡¯re both meant for kids, aren¡¯t they?¡± ¡°You¡ª¡± Realizing that Ysabelle was going to get mad at him, Felix quickly corrected himself, ¡°Okay, you¡¯re right. It¡¯s an animated film. Even so, it still doesn¡¯t seem right for Mr. Tristan to watch something like this!¡± Felix still felt it was too childish for someone of Tristan¡¯s status. ¡°That¡¯s no problem at all! Uncle Tristan wouldn¡¯t even be paying attention to the movie with Sophie by his side!¡± Ysabelle figured Tristan would probably keep his eyes on Sophie throughout the entire movie. N?velDrama.Org owns this. Felix shrugged helplessly. ¡°Fair enough.¡± She¡¯s right. Sophie is the one calling the shots now. Tristan is so in love with her that he¡¯ll do anything to make her happy. Oh, well¡­ I suppose this is the power of love, huh? Tristan and Sophie went to buy some snacks while waiting for Felix and Ysabelle to get the tickets. After all, a movie date wouldn¡¯t beplete without popcorn. ¡°What would you like to drink?¡± Tristan asked, as he had no idea what her preferences were. Sophie did not feel like drinking anything, as they had just taken their dinner a while ago. However, she decided to order something anyway since everyone else was doing it. ¡°I¡¯ll have a yam milkshake!¡± ¡°Four yam milkshakes, please.¡± The two of them then made their way over to Felix and Ysabelle with tworge buckets of popcorn and four cups of milkshakes in their hands. Ysabelle quickly stepped forward and took one of the buckets of popcorn. ¡°Come on, Sophie! The movie is about to start!¡± ¡°Okay!¡± Tristan handed out the milkshakes as the four of them took their seats. Felix nearly spat out his drink after taking a sip of it. ¡°What the heck? Who bought this milkshake?¡± Does no one know that I hate yam milkshake the most? This has gone way too far! Sophie shed him a confused look as she said, ¡°I did. Is something the matter?¡± Both Tristan and Ysabelle shifted their gaze toward him after hearing that. ¡°What, is there a problem with it?¡± Tristan asked in annoyance. Felix could only rub his nose awkwardly in silence. No, of course not! I wouldn¡¯t dare have a problem with Sophie¡¯s decisions! Even if I did, there¡¯d be no point in voicing it out because I¡¯m just a nobody! Honestly, my life is a f*cking joke! The movie theater was ying an advertisement for a Transfix Cosmetics product that Cecelia endorsed. ¡°Man, Cecelia sure is gorgeous!¡± Ysabelle eximed. ¡°I know, right? It¡¯s almost as if she was born to be a movie star!¡± Sophie was inplete agreement with her statement. Still unable to get over his feelings of indignation, Felix mumbled, ¡°Mr. Tristan, you know I don¡¯t like yam milkshake.¡± ¡°How the heck would I know that?¡± Neither of them liked drinking milkshakes, so he really had no idea. ¡°It¡¯s uncool to forget your friend just because you¡¯ve gotten yourself a girlfriend, Mr. Tristan!¡± ¡°What do you want me to do, then? Go buy you another milkshake?¡± ¡°Ugh¡­ Never mind¡­¡± Screw it¡­ My life is just a joke anyway¡­ ¡°Just so you know, Felix, Ysabelle likes yam milkshake.¡± Since Sophie wasn¡¯t a huge fan of milkshakes, she decided to buy something that Ysabelle liked instead. At that moment, Felix finally realized hisck of understanding toward Ysabelle was probably why she never returned his feelings. Because of the animated film¡¯s poprity, it was practically a full house in the movie theater. The movie became popr mainly because it reminded many of their childhood days. The audience, who were giggling andughing during the movie¡¯s opening sequence, soon fell silent as they found themselves in deep thought. Even though Sophie rarely watched animated films, she found herself taking the movie rather seriously as well because she could rte to its plot somehow. When Tristan held her hand and ced it on hisp, she was snapped out of her train of thought. She turned toward him and saw a worried look in his eyes. ¡°Looks like we all share a simr childhood, huh?¡± Sophie said with a faint smile. Her childhood was indeed no different from that of others before she was sent to Horington. ¡°Do you want to go for a walk? There¡¯s no point in watching this if you don¡¯t like it. There are plenty of other things we can do here.¡± ¡°No, I kind of like this movie. It truly is the best Chanaean animated film ever!¡± Chanaea¡¯s animated films had always been a step behind Jetroina¡¯s, so the sess of this movie was considered truly remarkable progress for the local animation industry. Tristan, on the other hand, couldn¡¯t rte to the movie in the slightest. If it weren¡¯t for Sophie¡¯s desire to watch the movie, he wouldn¡¯t have even been there in the first ce. Feeling bored, Tristan grabbed a piece of popcorn and held it up to her mouth. Although Sophie found it a little embarrassing, she decided to eat it when she saw the expectant look in his eyes. Due to her nervousness, she identally bit Tristan¡¯s finger while eating the popcorn. Tristan shuddered when he felt her teethe into contact with his finger. He was genuinely trying to feed her some popcorn, but it turned into an intimate moment between them instead. ¡°I-I didn¡¯t do it on purpose!¡± Sophie stammered shyly. ¡°I didn¡¯t say anything!¡± Tristan replied with a chuckle as he found her behavior rather adorable. He could still feel a tingling sensation on his finger. Felix found himself feeling depressed when he saw how lovey-dovey the two of them were. Jeez¡­ Why do I have to suffer like this while others are able to have such sweet rtionships? His mood only worsened when he turned to look at Ysabelle and saw her crying because of the movie. What the f*ck? Why is she taking this animated film so seriously? My life is a lot more tragic than that protagonist¡¯s! It wasn¡¯t until the protagonist had ovee all the challenges and realized his dreams that Ysabelle was able to smile again. The rest of the audience got up and left the movie theater while the ending credits were still being yed. The four of them remained in their seats and waited until everyone was gone before leaving. As it was a little dark inside, Tristan held Sophie¡¯s hand as he led her down the steps. Felix seized the opportunity and grabbed Ysabelle¡¯s hand as well. ¡°Hey! What are you doing?¡± Ysabelle asked in confusion. ¡°It¡¯s too dark in here, okay? I don¡¯t want to trip over something and fall on my face!¡± Felix snapped back at her impatiently. My goodness! Just how dense can this girl get? He grabbed my hand because he¡¯s afraid of tripping and falling? What is he trying to do? Have me fall down with him? Ysabelle rolled her eyes at the thought of that. Sophie looked back when she heard themotion behind her, but Tristan continued dragging her toward the door. ¡°Just ignore them, Sophie. We need to give them some space.¡± ¡°Okay!¡± Sophie nodded. He¡¯s right. It¡¯ll take quite a long while for Ysabelle to realize Felix¡¯s feelings for her. We can only try to speed up the process by giving them some privacy. It was already eleven thirty by the time they came out of the movie theater. ¡°Uncle Tristan, can I go to Wisteria Apartments with Sophie? We have a lot to catch up on!¡± Chapter 267 Chapter 267 Chapter 267 I Want To Sleep With Her Too Instead of answering Ysabelle¡¯s question right away, Tristan turned toward Sophie and asked, ¡°Will you be going back to Wisteria Apartments or the Tanner residence?¡± Grandpa is probably asleep by now. I don¡¯t want to wake him up by going home at this hour. ¡°It¡¯s gettingte, so I¡¯ll stay over at Wisteria Apartments tonight and head over to the Tanner residence tomorrow.¡± ¡°All right, I¡¯ll stay with you at Wisteria Apartments for a bit,¡± Tristan said with a nod. Ysabelle felt as if she had beenpletely ignored. What? Did they not hear me, or are they pretending not to hear me? This is uneptable! ¡°It looks like we¡¯re on our own, Belle. Come on, I¡¯ll drive you home!¡± Felix said with a smile. Ysabelle gave him a hard stomp on the foot. ¡°No! I want to sleep with Sophie tonight! Uncle Tristan, can I sleep with Sophie tonight?¡± Tristan shot her a nce as he replied, ¡°I want to sleep with her too, but we don¡¯t always get what we want.¡± Ysabelle fell speechless when she heard that. What did Uncle Tristan just say? I¡¯ve always thought of him as a cold and tough guy, but that side of him ispletely gone whenever he¡¯s around Sophie! ¡°What the heck? Are you three going to sleep together or what?¡± Felix protested. Sophie truly is the root of all problems here! Sophie didn¡¯t even know how to react to their shenanigans at that point. ¡°You talk too much, Felix,¡± Tristan said coldly. Felix could only y his part as the driver and open the car door for them. ¡°Regardless of how you guys n on sleeping tonight, you¡¯re all headed for Wisteria Apartments, right? Come on, hop in.¡± Tristan would probably have me killed and fed to the dogs if I said I want to sleep with them. It¡¯s unfair, but that¡¯s just how sad my life is¡­ As Sophie got into the car, Ysabelle quickly walked up to Tristan and yed the sympathy card. ¡°Please, Uncle Tristan! I really missed Sophie a lot! I haven¡¯t seen her for two days!¡± ¡°She¡¯s my girlfriend!¡± ¡°But has she agreed to that?¡± Ysabelle decided to take a stand as she knew his statement would be invalid without Sophie¡¯s acknowledgement. Tristan paused in his tracks and shot her a cold re. Ysabelle snorted defiantly at him in response. Hmph! I don¡¯t care if he¡¯s my uncle! I won¡¯t let anyone take Sophie away from me! ¡°You¡¯ve gotten awfully bold lately, Ysabelle!¡± Tristan¡¯s tone sounded so menacing that Ysabelle nearly broke down crying on theT¨ºxt ? N?velDrama.Org. spot. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Did they bully you or something?¡± Sophie asked when she turned around and saw the look on her face. ¡°Can I stay the night with you in Wisteria Apartments, Sophie? With Christmas around the corner, we¡¯ll all be so busy that we won¡¯t have time to see each other!¡± Ysabelle said with a smug grin as she stood behind Sophie. Sophie nodded in agreement with her statement, much to Ysabelle¡¯s delight. ¡°Hehe! You¡¯re the best, Sophie!¡± she eximed with a gleeful smile. My goodness¡­ Does Ysabelle¡¯s insolence know no bounds? That¡¯s Mr. Tristan she¡¯s messing with! We¡¯re all going to be screwed if we get on his bad side! Why would she even try to steal Sophie from him? To Felix¡¯s surprise, Tristan simply entered the car without saying a word. Since Sophie likes Ysabelle, I suppose it¡¯d be fine to let her spend the night at Wisteria Apartments. After driving them all to Wisteria Apartments, Felix watched as the three of them got out of the car. Not wanting to be left all by himself, he asked, ¡°Sophie, could you take me in as well? I don¡¯t feel like going home either.¡± Sophie burst outughing when she saw his pitiful expression. ¡°Why do you all like Wisteria Apartments so much? You guys never stayed here before I moved in!¡± ¡°Come on, Sophie! It¡¯s not safe for me to drive home all alone thiste at night!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t make meugh, Felix! You¡¯re a man, for goodness¡¯ sake! What¡¯s so dangerous about driving home all by yourself? I think it¡¯s the girls you encounter along the way who should be more worried!¡± ¡°Shut up, Ysabelle! Hearing your voice right now gives me a headache!¡± ¡°Quit standing around, you guys! Let¡¯s go! It¡¯s freezing out here!¡± Tristan said as he pulled Sophie into his arms. ¡°I¡¯m not cold, Mr. Tristan.¡± ¡°Well, I am.¡± Oh, all right¡­ I guess I could warm him up this once¡­ With that in mind, Sophie kept quiet and entered the building with him. Ysabelle and Felix quickly followed behind them. After taking a shower, Ysabelle was about to go have a chat with Sophie when Tristan stopped her outside the bedroom door. ¡°Ysabelle, I know you like Sophie a lot, but she hasn¡¯t gotten any rest all day. She spent two hours in the car earlier and even watched a movie with you.¡± Ysabelle didn¡¯t know Sophie had such an exhausting day. ¡°Whatever you want to talk to her about will have to wait till tomorrow,¡± Tristan continued as he entered the bedroom and shut the door behind him, leaving Ysabelle standing there in confusion. Wait¡­ If Sophie is that tired, then why did he go into her room? I sense double standards! However, she didn¡¯t dare knock on the door as she knew Tristan would have her head if she did. Sophie wasn¡¯t surprised to see Tristan sitting in her room when she came out of the shower. ¡°Where¡¯s Ysabelle? Didn¡¯t she say she¡¯de see me after taking a shower?¡± ¡°I saw her on my way here. She said she¡¯s tired and wants to sleep earlier tonight.¡± Sophie patted her hair dry with a towel as she walked up to him. ¡°Oh, I see. You should get some sleep too. You must be tired after driving for two hours straight.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not tired,¡± Tristan replied as he got up and took her towel. He then sat her down on the couch and began wiping her hair dry for her. ¡°Mr. Tristan, I can¡ª¡± ¡°I know you can do it yourself, but I want to do it for you. Just sit tight and enjoy the process, okay? I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll find my services satisfactory!¡± Sure enough, Tristan was very gentle as he massaged her scalp with the towel. It felt sofortable that Sophie closed her eyes and tried to enjoy the moment. Suddenly, the screen of her phone lit up. ¡°Someone sent you a message,¡± Tristan said after ncing at it. Sophie opened her eyes and reached out to grab her phone. Since Tristan was done drying her hair, he sat down beside her on the couch. As the couch wasn¡¯t exactlyrge to begin with, it got really cramped with the two of them sitting on it. Tristan decided to use that opportunity to snuggle up and hug her in his arms. Sophie shot him a re in response. I¡¯m wearing a nightgown! He can easily get an eyeful if I¡¯m not careful! ¡°Who is it from?¡± Tristan asked. Chapter 268 Chapter 268 Chapter 268 Investigating Sophie Sophie felt rather ufortable in his embrace. However, she shifted her attention back to her phone. She unlocked her phone and saw that she had received a voice message from Arius. ¡°It¡¯s Arius.¡± Sophie got up from him. ¡°Go back, okay? I need to give Arius a call.¡± Tristan kept mum for a while. Is she chasing me away? ¡°Go on! I¡¯ll wait for you here.¡± Sophie ignored what he said and went to a corner to put on her earbuds before ying the voice message Arius had sent to her. After listening to the voice message, she called Arius. The call was answered on the first ring. ¡°You finally called me, Sophie! How¡¯s everything? Have you got back to Jipsdale from Horington?¡± Arius asked. ¡°Yes. What¡¯s up?¡± ¡°Nothing much. I just want to tell you that Nichs is back in Anndur.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Sophie didn¡¯t want to say much about Nichs. ¡°Be careful, Sophie! I think Nichs saw you in Horington, and he¡¯s now looking for you.¡± Sophie went silent. He saw me? ¡°Yet, he went back to Anndur so soon after seeing me?¡± ¡°Yes. I think something happened to his father. That¡¯s why he came back,¡± Arius answered. I¡¯ve already told her to stay in Jipsdale, but she just wouldn¡¯t listen to me. Jipsdale is Mr. Tristan¡¯s territory. As long as she¡¯s there, Nichs won¡¯t dare to touch her. ¡°Okay. Got it. It¡¯ste, and I¡¯m tired.¡± ¡°What¡¯s with you? I¡¯ve been so worried about you. Are you going to hang up on me after being on the phone with me for just a few minutes? How are you so heartless?¡± ¡°Tristan is still in my room.¡± ¡°Sophie, let me remind you that you¡¯re underage! I don¡¯t care about other girls your age, but you must protect yourself, okay?¡± It¡¯s already sote at night. What is Tristan still doing in her room? In response, Sophie just hung up on him. Arius talks too much. Sophie went back to Tristan after she hung up the phone. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you go to bed?¡± ¡°I¡¯m waiting for you.¡± ¡°What for? Arius said I¡¯m still underage, so you should keep your hands to yourself.¡± ¡°What does it have to do with him? Sophie, Arius isn¡¯t a good person. Let¡¯s just stay away from him, okay?¡± ¡°Well, you guys seem to have the same impressions about each other.¡± Did Arius say the same thing to her about me? ¡°I¡¯m not the same as him.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Sophie didn¡¯t have anything to add. Whatever he says! ¡°Besides, am I that much of an animal in your heart?¡± Tristan was well aware of the fact that she was underage. That was why he had never done anything inappropriate to her. All he had ever done was give her hugs and kisses. ¡°No. To be honest, I think you¡¯re quite a gentleman.¡± Sophie had always thought so. ¡°So, as a gentleman, don¡¯t you think you should leave soon, Mr. Tristan? It¡¯s gettingte, and I want to sleep.¡± In response, Tristan tapped her nose. After talking for so long, all she wants is for me to leave. Tristan scooped her up and walked toward her bed. Calmy, Sophie wrapped her arms around his neck. Perhaps after spending so much time together, she knew that he wasn¡¯t going to do anything inappropriate to her. Hence, she wasn¡¯t worried about what he would do. After putting her down on the bed gently, he pulled the covers over both their bodies. Sophie raised her eyebrows when she saw that. ¡°Sleep in peace, okay? I¡¯ve thought about doing something to you, but since you¡¯ve already ttered me, I can¡¯t possibly ruin that, can I?¡± ¡°I meant it, though.¡± In fact, she only said it because she really thought he was a gentleman. ¡°All right. You¡¯ve had a long day today. Clear your mind and go to sleep, okay? I¡¯ll leave once you¡¯ve fallen asleep,¡± he said. With him next to her, she didn¡¯t need essential oils anymore. ¡°Okay,¡± Sophie answered sweetly and obediently. Tristan¡¯s heart melted when he saw how sweet she looked. He kissed her on the forehead and shut his eyes. Sophie opened her eyes instantly when he kissed her. However, she kept silent when she saw that he had already closed his eyes. She even moved closer to him after that. He¡¯s so approachable when he¡¯s like this. Sophie quickly fell asleep while lying on his shoulder. Upon seeing that she was already fast asleep, Tristan left her room reluctantly. By then, Ysabelle had also gone to sleep. Felix was sitting alone in the living room. When he saw Tristan, he poured him a ss of wine. ¡°Want some?¡± Tristan took the ss of wine and uttered petntly, ¡°You really made yourself at home, huh?¡± ¡°Oh,e on, Mr. Tristan! I¡¯ve already done so much for you. Can¡¯t I open a bottle of your wine?¡± ¡°Do you know what I had to go through to get that bottle of wine?¡± It was Tristan¡¯s hobby to collect wine. That particr bottle Felix opened hadn¡¯te easy. ¡°Well, I think wine only serves its value when someone drinks it. Don¡¯t you think so?¡± Felix asked. What¡¯s the point of collecting wine if we don¡¯t drink them? Tristan didn¡¯t answer to that. ¡°By the way, Mr. Tristan, someone in Horington is investigating Sophie.¡± Felix had been wanting to tell Tristan that, but he never had a chance to do so. ¡°There must be more to why Sophie went back this time around.¡± Tristan took out a cigarette from the cigarette box. He simply yed with it without lighting it up. Seeing that, Felix took a lighter from the coffee table, wanting to light the cigarette for Tristan. However, Tristan shook his head and said, ¡°I don¡¯t want to harm her with secondhand smoke.¡± ¡°So, are you just going to keep holding it, then?¡± ¡°You have a problem with that?¡± ¡°No, of course not. Why would I have a problem with that? Whatever you say.¡± What can I possibly say? ¡°Find out who the person investigating Sophie is.¡± The nerve of them to look for Sophie so openly. ¡°I¡¯ve already done that, but I couldn¡¯t find anything.¡± How dare he talk so much when he can¡¯t even find out who that person is? Tristan raised his brows. ¡°Is that all you¡¯re capable of?¡± ¡°You can¡¯t me me, Mr. Tristan. You know how weird the people around Sophie are. They¡¯re all more powerful than the other! I think it¡¯s normal that I can¡¯t find anything about them.¡± Tristan didn¡¯t respond. ¡°To be frank, Sophie is an extraordinary girl. Not only is she associated with the International Medical Association, but she¡¯s also connected to Arius. Now, we don¡¯t even know who we¡¯re dealing with. Being with a girl like her, don¡¯t you feel pressured?¡± Felix asked. We don¡¯t even know what¡¯s going to happen next. Someone might juste and grab Sophie. Does he not feel pressured at all?Contentt bel0ngs to N0ve/lDra/ma.O(r)g! Chapter 269 Chapter 269 Chapter 269 Worthy ¡°Do you think there¡¯s anyone in the world who¡¯s capable of taking Sophie away from me?¡± Since I¡¯ve already considered Sophie mine, no one¡¯s going to take her from me. I¡¯ll never let that happen. ¡°All right. But you ought to be careful since I couldn¡¯t figure out who these people are. We don¡¯t know their intentions. Mr. Tristan, perhaps you should talk to Sophie about it. Since someone¡¯s investigating her, she should know who that person is, right?¡± Felix asked. Even if she doesn¡¯t know for sure, she should roughly know who¡¯s looking for her. After all, there must be a reason someone¡¯s looking for her in the first ce! ¡°Don¡¯t tell Sophie about this first. I don¡¯t want her to worry,¡± Tristan said. If I can¡¯t even handle this, I¡¯m not worthy of being with her. When she¡¯s with me, she shouldn¡¯t need to worry about these things. Felix shrugged and said nothing. ¡°All right. I¡¯m going to sleep. Take your time to think about it.¡± Tristan stood up from the couch and put his winess on the coffee table. ¡°Before you go to sleep, wash the sses.¡± ¡°Since your bed is so big, Mr. Tristan, how about we sleep together?¡± Felix asked in anticipation. Although the couch wasfortable to sleep on, his height made it rather inconvenient. ¡°What did you say?¡± Tristan thought he heard him wrong. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with sleeping in the same bed? Your bed is big enough for both of us,¡± Felix answered. Didn¡¯t we grow up together? Why is he being so petty? How is that a problem? ¡°No,¡± Tristan uttered arrogantly before he left. Felix¡¯s lips twitched in response. He¡¯s just being unreasonable. If Sophie were to ask him the same question, he would¡¯ve said yes right away! Am I not a human? This is from N?velDrama.Org. Why must he treat me so differently? Tristan went back to his room and got into bed. I can¡¯t sleep in the same bed with another man. That¡¯s disgusting! Is someone really investigating Sophie? However, it seems that it¡¯s only happening in Horington. I¡¯ve never seen anything suspicious in Jipsdale. What do they want from her? He knew he had to be wary of everything in rtion to Sophie. When Ysabelle and Sophie woke up the next morning, Felix had already bought everyone breakfast. ¡°Come and eat! You¡¯re going back to the Tanner residenceter, aren¡¯t you, Sophie?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Sophie answered. Moments earlier, Josiah had called for her to go back. Since Christmas was around the corner, he wanted to be surrounded by his family. Furthermore, Caleb had also returned from Anndur. That was what it was when people got older. They would always want their family members around to keep thempany. Sophie had always obeyed Josiah¡¯s words. Naturally, she wanted him to have a nice Christmas. ¡°Uncle Tristan, Grandpa called just now, and he asked you to go back too,¡± Ysabelle said. Perhaps all the older people loved Christmas that much. ¡°Okay. I¡¯ll send Sophie back first after breakfast. Felix, send Ysabelle back to the Lombard residence!¡± Tristan said. ¡°It¡¯s all right. Since Old Mr. Lombard is looking for you, you should head back first. He¡¯s more important,¡± Sophie said. I can just get a cab to send me back. ¡°I¡¯ll send you. Nothing is more important than you.¡± The four of them had breakfast together. While eating, Ysabelle kept grumbling because she wanted to stay longer. It¡¯s not very often that Ie out! I want to have more fun. ¡°Sophie, you must remember to invite me out for a meal when The Wheelers is in town, okay? Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m not a big eater.¡± Ysabelle felt sorry for herself. ¡°Okay. Don¡¯t worry. When The Wheelers is back, I¡¯ll invite you out for a meal.¡± Sophie had been busy with the entertainmentpany. In the future, Ysabelle is going to be The Wheelers¡¯ junior. It¡¯d be nice for everyone to meet up. Besides, Mark can even give her some pointers on singing. After breakfast, they went on their separate ways. Tristan drove Sophie to the entrance of the Tanner residence. ¡°Do you want toe in?¡± she asked. Since he¡¯s already here, why not? It¡¯s been a while since he¡¯s met Grandpa. ¡°No. I¡¯lle over to visit your grandpa in a couple of days. Say hi to him for me.¡± ¡°All right. Well, I¡¯m off, then.¡± Sophie got out of the car. She was about to head inside when Tristan got out as well. Winters in Jipsdale were a lot colder than in Horington. Tristan went up to her and put the scarf around her. It¡¯s just an ordinary white scarf. But why does it look so good on her? What should I do? How is Sophie always so captivating? She¡¯s so captivating that I just want to keep her all to myself! ¡°All right, now. You¡¯re busy, right? You should get going.¡± With her hair covered by the scarf, Sophie looked utterly adorable. ¡°Okay. I¡¯ll call youter.¡± How I wish I can be with her all the time! Yet, they had their personal matters to attend to. ¡°Okay.¡± With that, Sophie walked in. After watching her walk in, Tristan started the car and drove away. Meanwhile, Walter was unsettled by the fact that Winter was going to Alendor. Winter was the only girl of the younger generation in the family. Hence, Walter loved her dearly. Before she went to Alendor, Winter hadined about it to Walter. Since Walter was close to William, Tristan knew that William was going to lecture him. It doesn¡¯t matter as long as Winter doesn¡¯t disturb Sophie anymore. Sophie went into the Tanner residence and saw Caleb ying chess with Josiah. Upon hearing someoneing in, Josiah quickly turned toward the entrance. When he saw that it was Sophie, he immediately got up and went to wee her. ¡°You¡¯re finally back, Soph! What took you so long?¡± Josiah grumbled. Because of his age, he wanted them to keep himpany all the time. I know I¡¯m being selfish, but I can¡¯t help it! ¡°Grandpa, I¡¯ve only been away for three days!¡± Sophie had wanted to stay there for a week, but since Tristan was there, she just followed him back. ¡°You¡¯ve only been gone for three days? It felt like eons to me!¡± Sophie then nodded at Caleb. Caleb got up from the couch and walked toward Sophie. Seeing that she had grown much taller, he eximed, ¡°I know, right? Sophie has really grown up!¡± Ever since she was little, Sophie had always kept to herself. Although she wasn¡¯t as cute as Willow, she was a lot more sensible. ¡°You guys haven¡¯t seen each other for so long! It¡¯s time for you guys to catch up!¡± Josiah¡¯s phone rang, so he went to the study to answer the phone. It was a call from hisrade. Right then, Sophie was left alone with Caleb in the room. Chapter 270 Chapter 270 Chapter 270 Bing Senile ¡°How¡¯s everything in Horington? Settled?¡± Caleb expressed his concern when he sat down with Sophie. Sophie merely bobbed her head in response as she did not feel comfortable talking to people. ¡°Sophie, we¡¯re a family. I know Dad has gone overboard in some ways, but he¡¯s still our father. I hope you can¡ª¡± Upon hearing Caleb¡¯s remark, Sophie knitted her brows. Did hee back to lecture me? ¡°I know.¡± Sophie had her own way of doing things. ¡°Christmas is around the corner, and I¡¯m sure Dad is all alone. I n to invite him for Christmas. What do you think?¡± Caleb asked. Sophie asked in response, ¡°Does Grandpa know about this?¡± Caleb shook his head. N?velDrama.Org owns this. ¡°Not yet. I want to discuss this with you first.¡± After all, she¡¯s directly involved in it. ¡°I don¡¯t want to see him during Christmas,¡± Sophie answered. All he can think of is Tanner Group¡¯s money. He even tried abducting Grandpa. God knows what he¡¯ll do next! ¡°Dad told me everything. We¡¯re a family, Soph. We should be keeping the family together instead of tearing it apart,¡± Caleb said. We used to be a close- knit family, but everything changed when Sophie returned! Caleb hardly returned to the country as he had been living overseas all these years. That was why he wished his family could live peacefully with each other. In a split second, the meaning of his words dawned on Sophie. ¡°Caleb, are you implying I¡¯m the one causing this family conflict? You think things would have been different had I not returned, huh?¡± Sophie was good at reading between the lines. She understood exactly what he meant by reading the expression on his face. That was also exactly why she couldn¡¯t click with Caleb. She just wanted to stay away from him. All this while, Caleb always distanced himself from the Tanners though he was the pride of the family. Likewise, he had never shown any interest in Tanner Group either. He was so engrossed in his work in the research institute overseas that he could not care less about the family inheritance. That was probably the reason he wanted to stay out of the drama in the Tanner family instead of doing something for the family. He didn¡¯t want the Tanner family¡¯s matters to affect his life. ¡°I don¡¯t care what he told you, but I¡¯ll not allow him to return since he hurt Grandpa.¡± Caleb was rendered speechless. ¡°I¡¯m sure it¡¯s all just a misunderstanding. Why would Dad hurt Grandpa? It¡¯s impossible for any person to do this to his biological father.¡± Caleb refused to believe Yale would treat Josiah like that. He understood family members would wrestle for power and wealth, but he did not want Sophie to treat their father like that. Sophie began to feel annoyed. Why are we having this talk since nothing is going to change his mind anyway? ¡°Caleb, people always think of you as the genius of the family, but I guess you¡¯re not that smart after all! Go ahead and do what you want since you don¡¯t bother to listen to me,¡± she uttered. Sophie stood up and went upstairs as she refused to talk to him anymore. How could he be so easily brainwashed by Dad? Meanwhile, Willow, who had been hiding in a corner, walked out and said to Caleb, ¡°You can never convince Sophie, considering how self-centered she is. I told you so. She just doesn¡¯t care about anyone.¡± Sophie will never get to live peacefully in this house as long as she lost favor with Caleb! Caleb could not help but sigh after ncing at the obedient Willow. ¡°Tell me, Wi. Did Dad really abduct Grandpa? Who on earth would abduct his own father?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure it¡¯s a misunderstanding. Dad has always taken good care of Grandpa. You¡¯re aware of that, too, right? I feel Sophie is just trying to get to us ever since she returned from Horington. She hates the family and wants to take revenge against us,¡± Willow said. Willow was trying her best to sow discord between Caleb and Sophie. As long as I have Caleb behind my back, I¡¯ll be able to live afortable life and not have a care in the world. ¡°All right. Go and focus on your studies. I¡¯ll take care of the family matters.¡± Working day and night in hisb had already taken a toll on him, yet he still had to deal with all these family problems. Caleb could not help but feel helpless. ¡°Caleb, you should take a good rest, too, since you¡¯ve just returned from Anndur.¡± ¡°I will. All right, Willow. Carry on with your revision!¡± Caleb was pleased to see how obedient and affectionate Willow was. At noon, Josiah, in thepany of Caleb, went upstairs to call Sophie. Caleb tried to persuade Josiah since Sophie refused to give in. ¡°Grandpa, Dad is all alone out there. Let¡¯s bring him home, shall we?¡± He believed his grandfather would sympathize with Yale and allow him to celebrate Christmas with the family. Yet, an icy glint shed across Josiah¡¯s eyes when he heard Caleb¡¯s proposal. ¡°Have you talked to Sophie about this?¡± Caleb thought for a while and decided to tell the truth since there was nothing to hide. ¡°Yes. Grandpa, Sophie is still young, so she might have misjudged Dad. I believe Dad wouldn¡¯t abduct you.¡± Josiah¡¯s face turned even grimmer. ¡°So you¡¯re saying Sophie uttered nonsense just to make your father a scapegoat?¡± Upon sensing the anger in his voice, Caleb immediately shook his head. ¡°That¡¯s not what I meant, Grandpa!¡± Josiah responded with a cold snort. ¡°Sophie might be young, but she¡¯s a meticulous and observant girl. Caleb, I¡¯ve always thought of you as a highly-educated capable man, but today, you disappoint me.¡± Caleb was at a loss for words. Why is Grandpa so stubborn? Elderly folks couldn¡¯t distinguish right from wrong anymore, could they? He said, ¡°Grandpa, why do we have to resort to this? We¡¯re a family, aren¡¯t we?¡± ¡°You¡¯ve underestimated Sophie. Do you think she¡¯ll humiliate your dad because she wants to get her hands on Tanner Group¡¯s money? Listen carefully, Caleb. Had I not held Sophie back, she would have gone to the International Medical Association! Have you heard of the association¡¯s founder, Dr. Smith? He came here personally to perform surgery on me because he wants Sophie to be his sessor!¡± Who cares about Tanner Group when she has gotten the International Medical Association¡¯s attention? Caleb could not believe his ears. The research center he was attached to was no match for the International Medical Association, though they were both headquartered in Anndur. All this while, he had looked down on Sophie. That was why he was stunned when he learned that Barney had identified her as his sessor. But isn¡¯t she just a senior in high school? Why would Dr. Smith want to take her in? Upon noticing the look of disbelief on Josiah¡¯s face, Tanner got even more disappointed. ¡°Caleb, do you think I¡¯ve be senile just because I¡¯m getting old?¡± My age is catching up, but this doesn¡¯t mean I¡¯m going senile. Chapter 271 Chapter 271 Chapter 271 Just Call Him Tanny ¡°That¡¯s not what I meant.¡± Caleb was shocked. He often heard his mentor talking about the weirdo Barney from the medical association. Obviously, he was well aware of Barney¡¯s abilities. ¡°Let¡¯s drop this matter. Your father could even threaten us with his life, so I don¡¯t think it matters if he¡¯s back for Christmas or not.¡± There was no need to ruin everyone¡¯s mood because of him. ¡°You should go first. I¡¯ll call Sophie,¡± said Josiah. Sophie is a smart and observant girl. I bet she knew what Caleb meant as soon as Caleb brought this up. Sophie was someone who couldn¡¯t care less about people who weren¡¯t sincere toward her. Even if it were her own brother, she would do the same. ¡°Okay.¡± Caleb didn¡¯t say anything else and went downstairs straight away. When Charmaine saw hime downstairs, she couldn¡¯t help but sigh. ¡°Caleb, you just got home, so you should rest well. You don¡¯t have to bother yourself with those matters.¡± Back then, when Caleb wasn¡¯t around, Charmaine saw Yale¡¯s men take Josiah away and also saw the way Yale climbed upstairs to threaten his family, saying that he¡¯d jump off the building if they disagreed with him. Besides, she also saw how he pathetically got down the stairs when his threat didn¡¯t work. Caleb frowned. ¡°Mom, you¡¯ve been married to Dad for so many years. Are you going to stay out of this, too?¡± Charmaine was exasperated. ¡°You know that I¡¯ve never had the right to say anything in this household. What do you expect me to say?¡± It was true that she couldn¡¯t say anything regarding that matter. ¡°You guys should eat. I¡¯m going to talk to Dad.¡± Caleb and Yale had always been close. Therefore, Caleb felt bad about his father being out there all alone. ¡°Caleb, I¡¯ll go with you. I miss Dad too,¡± Willow said, standing up immediately after hearing what Caleb said. ¡°We¡¯re going to start eating soon! Your grandpa won¡¯t be happy if all of you leave!¡± Charmaine was frustrated. What do I do with them? They¡¯re really a handful! ¡°I don¡¯t feel like eating, so I¡¯ll pass. Let¡¯s go, Wi.¡± He still had a few questions that he wanted to ask his father in person. Charmaine¡¯s expression soured when she saw Caleb and Willow leave the dining hall. I should leave and go shopping too. Otherwise, Dad will get mad again when hees downstairs and sees no one here. At that moment, Josiah and Sophie had already gotten downstairs and saw that Charmaine was the only one in the dining hall. As expected, Josiah¡¯s face darkened. However, he didn¡¯t say anything. Instead, he walked to his seat and sat down. ¡°Let¡¯s sit and eat!¡± Josiah said. He picked up his fork and was ready to dig in. Sophie sat next to him and put some food on his te. ¡°Grandpa, this dish looks tasty. You should eat more.¡± Sophie didn¡¯t mind Caleb and Willow¡¯s absence since she didn¡¯t like them in the first ce. The food tastes better when they¡¯re not around. Josiah put a big drumstick on Sophie¡¯s te. ¡°Here. Eat this.¡± Actually, Josiah also hoped they could celebrate Christmas as a family, but now it seemed it was impossible. It¡¯s better that Caleb doesn¡¯t return! Now everyone¡¯s unhappy. Charmaine was hesitant to speak as she sat at the other side of the table. Facing such a situation at home, she had no idea what else she could say. But we¡¯re family. Do we really have to carry on like this? ¡°Dad, why don¡¯t we let Yalee back for Christmas? We¡¯re family, aren¡¯t we? We shouldn¡¯t let things go on like this.¡± No matter how terrible Yale was, he was still the head of the household. This family isn¡¯t whole when the head isn¡¯t around. Josiah mmed his fork on the table. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with all of you? Caleb doesn¡¯t know what Yale did, but don¡¯t you know? Why bother asking him toe back when he¡¯s done something as horrible as that?¡± Morgan quickly brought Josiah¡¯s medicine over when he saw how angry the old man had gotten. ¡°Old Mr. Tanner, here. Take your meds. Calm down.¡± Sophie took the medicine from Morgan and poured a ss of water for Josiah. The old man then swallowed his pill. ¡°Grandpa, don¡¯t be mad. It¡¯s not good for your health,¡± Sophie said exasperatedly. This mess is so annoying. ¡°Dad, I know you¡¯re very angry about this matter, but if this goes on, the Tanner family will be a joke in Jipsdale. I can¡¯t even go out without feeling humiliated now because the public would gossip about me whenever I¡¯m out.¡± The room fell silent. Charmaine¡¯s life only ended up that way because she cared too much about what others said and did. ¡°That¡¯s it. I¡¯m full.¡± It was as if Josiah didn¡¯t hear what Charmaine said. He got up and went upstairs. Sophie took his arm and ascended the stairs with him. With that, only Charmaine was left in the dining room. Was I wrong? I have the family¡¯s best interest at heart! Why can¡¯t anyone understand me? Once Sophie brought Josiah to his room to rest, she sat on his bed and apanied him. Josiah¡¯s heart ached when he saw her like that. No one can understand her, right? She¡¯s still so young! But because of me, an old man who has a foot in the grave, she has to bear all of this burden in the Tanner family! ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Sophie. It¡¯s all my fault.¡± If he hadn¡¯t insisted on asking her to return, she didn¡¯t need to bear all those. She held his hand. ¡°I don¡¯t mind it, Grandpa.¡± I really don¡¯t care what others say. ¡°Why are you so tough when you¡¯re still so young? It breaks my heart!¡± He was truly heartbroken and felt bad for Sophie. ¡°Grandpa, all that matters is that you¡¯re okay. Leave the rest to me, all right?¡± ¡°Okay.¡± She¡¯s just a minor. But how did she be so tough that even an old, dying man like me can rely on her? ¡°You should take a nap. T¨ºxt ? N?velDrama.Org. I need to go to Transfix Cosmetics in the afternoon. Once Ie home, I¡¯ll bring you out for delicious food, okay? Let¡¯s not eat at home today.¡± ¡°Okay. Remember to ask Mr. Tristan to join us. It¡¯s been ages since Ist ate with him.¡± I guess Mr. Tristan¡¯s the only person who can protect Sophie well. ¡°Okay. I¡¯ll invite Tristan. Grandpa, don¡¯t call him ¡®Mr. Tristan¡¯ anymore in the future. Just call him ¡®Tanny.¡¯¡± You¡¯re my grandpa, so you have the right to call him that. Josiah raised his eyebrows. ¡°Does that mean you like Tanny?¡± Sophie¡¯s young, but it¡¯s good that she can have someone to rely on. Sophie fell into deep thought for a while because she didn¡¯t expect Josiah to gossip. She then tilted her head and said, ¡°I can¡¯t say for sure yet. That depends on his performance.¡± ¡°Ah. That makes sense. Although Tanny is amazing, our Sophie isn¡¯t someone who can be trifled with.¡± My granddaughter is the most fantastic person in the world, so she deserves the best! ¡°Grandpa, I have to go to Transfix Cosmetics now.¡± ¡°Okay. Go on. Be careful!¡± Sophie went straight to Transfix Cosmetics after she left Josiah¡¯s room. Chapter 272 Chapter 272 Chapter 272 Not To Worry About Money The current Transfix Cosmetics was a stark contrast to the previous one that had almost gone bankrupt. Whoever stepped into the headquarters would be impressed with the confident smile on everyone¡¯s face. Evidently, they were proud of Transfix Cosmetics at the moment. No words could describe how touched Sophie was at that very moment. In her eyes, everything was wonderful. On top of that, she was rtively satisfied with everyone¡¯s current condition. ¡°Oh! Ms. Sophie, you¡¯re here.¡± Wendy dashed toward Sophie excitedly the moment she caught sight of thetter. They had been busy as beestely, especially Wilma, who focused on developing new products. ¡°Yeah! Where¡¯s Ms. Lineker?¡± Sophie went straight to the point. Wendy is undoubtedly an adorable youngdy! ¡°Ms. Lineker went to the Research and Development Department. Ms. Sophie, how about you go back to your office first? I¡¯ll ask her toe over and meet you now!¡± Wendy presumed Sophie must be there for an urgent matter. ¡°It¡¯s all right. I¡¯ll wait in her office. Just tell her to come and meet me after she settles her matters.¡± Sophie turned her down nicely. After all, her matter was not an urgent one. Thus, she did not mind waiting for Wilma to settle her matters first. ¡°Okay.¡± With that, Sophie headed straight to Wilma¡¯s office. Thetter¡¯s secretary opened the door for her when she saw her. ¡°Ms. Sophie, please take a seat. I¡¯ll make coffee for you now!¡± she greeted Sophie courteously. I heard Ms. Sophie likes coffee. That¡¯s why Ms. Lineker bought the premium coffee powder specifically for her. ¡°It¡¯s all right. Just carry on with your current task, and don¡¯t be bothered by me.¡± Sophie did not intend to trouble anyone. ¡°Sure, Ms. Sophie.¡± Nheless, Wilma¡¯s secretary still served her a cup of coffee before she was back to her work again. While seated in Wilma¡¯s office, Sophie had nothing to do. She suddenly recalled that Josiah requested to have a meal with Tristan and gave thetter a call at once. The phone had barely rung three times before Tristan answered the call. ¡°You miss me already?¡± In an instant, his seductive voice sounded from the other end of the line. Sophie could not help rolling her eyes at his sheer confidence. Hmph! I only gave him a call. What makes him think that I miss him? ¡°My grandpa wishes to invite you for dinner tonight, so I¡¯m checking if you are free. It¡¯s all right if you¡¯re busy. I can just tell him.¡± Knowing that Tristan had a tight schedule, she tried to reassure him that it was fine if he could not make it. ¡°It¡¯s not a problem,¡± Tristan dly replied. If others intended to have a meal with him, he would reject them at once. However, since that particr person was the one Sophie cared about the most, it would never be a problem for him, regardless of how busy he was. ¡°Really?¡± Sophie doubted if he was being truthful. ¡°Of course. Why? Don¡¯t you believe my words?¡± Sophie was rendered speechless. ¡°Despite how busy we are, we can¡¯t skip meals. Since I need to eat, I won¡¯t have a problem apanying Old Mr. Tanner for dinner.¡± Sophie replied briefly with a hum. ¡°Where are you now?¡± ¡°Transfix Cosmetics.¡± ¡°How about this? I¡¯ll go over to fetch you after you have settled your matter in Transfix Cosmetics. After that, we¡¯ll go to fetch your grandpa together.¡± ¡°Sure.¡± After hanging up, Sophie fell into a trance as she stared at the phone screen. Apparently, Tristan amodates me a lot! As the thought urred to her, her heart ached. Actually, he doesn¡¯t have to do so. It must be tiring for him to tolerate me all the time. The moment Wilma was back from the Research and Development Department, she caught sight of Sophie sitting there, lost in her thought. Sophie is indeed a beautiful youngdy. Even if she¡¯s deep in her thought like this, I can¡¯t resist approaching her to find out what¡¯s ying on her mind. Is something bugging her? ¡°Ms. Sophie.¡± Initially, Wilma did not think of breaking Sophie¡¯s reverie too soon. However, she still greeted thetter after a while. ¡°Oh! You¡¯re back. Have you settled your matters in the Research and Development Department? Are there any problems?¡± ¡°Ms. Sophie, you can rely on me at work. There aren¡¯t any problems, and I have sorted everything out.¡± Next, Wilma handed the latest proposal to Sophie so she could browse through it. Sophie flipped through a few pages and was utterly pleased with Wilma¡¯s work. ¡°You¡¯ve done it well. I trust you very much. Otherwise, I wouldn¡¯t have put you in charge of Transfix Cosmetics.¡± ¡°Thanks for trusting me. I promise to do my best.¡± Undeniably, whoever works for Ms. Sophie doesn¡¯t need to think much about other matters. As long as a person ispetent, they¡¯ll have the opportunity to showcase their skills. In short, Wilma was thankful to have met Sophie, who had a good eye for her talent andpetence. Wilma wasContentt bel0ngs to N0ve/lDra/ma.O(r)g! undoubtedly talented in cosmetics, and she onlycked an opportunity before that. ¡°Well, as Christmas is around the corner, I¡¯m here today to wish everyone a happy holiday in advance. Can you help me ask around if anyone ns to be back in their hometown for theing holiday? For those who can¡¯t grab their bus tickets, ask them to travel by ne instead. I¡¯ll sponsor their air tickets.¡± ¡°Ms. Sophie¡­¡± Wilma was stupefied. It never crossed her mind that Sophie would have such a mindset. After all, Ms. Sophie is barely eighteen years old. By right, young ones like her won¡¯t think much about going home for a holiday. I¡¯m impressed with her thoughtfulness for the employees of Transfix Cosmetics! ¡°Wouldn¡¯t everyone talk about going home for a holiday whenever it¡¯s Christmas?¡± In truth, Sophie was in the group chat for Transfix Cosmetics¡¯ employees. Thus, she came across them discussing their difficulty in buying bus tickets online the day before. Many of them could not get any. ¡°It¡¯s true that they¡¯re facing this problem. However, thepany has never done anything.¡± Not only Transfix Cosmetics but even those employees from Tanner Group also did not have such a privilege. ¡°Book air or train tickets for everyone. Don¡¯t worry about the money. I¡¯ll pay for it.¡± Wilma¡¯s eyes were red with tears when she stepped out of her office. At the sight of her teary eyes, the others thought Sophie had reprimanded her. ¡°Ms. Lineker, don¡¯t be upset. I reckon Ms. Sophie just has a higher expectation for you.¡± ¡°I agree with you. Ms. Sophie might look aloof, but she¡¯s undoubtedly a nice person.¡± The other employees hummed agreeably. Wilma was utterly pleased when they spoke up for Sophie. ¡°Ms. Sophie didn¡¯t scold me. Oh, right! She asked everyone to book air or train tickets directly, and she¡¯ll sponsor everyone.¡± In an instant, the others were caught off guard and bereft of speech. ¡°Really?¡± There¡¯s no discount on air tickets during the festive season! ¡°Of course.¡± Right that instant, Sophie appeared with a bag in her hand. ¡°Ms. Sophie!¡± everyone greeted her in unison the moment they saw her. Sophie walked toward them, shing them a smile. ¡°Everyone, I know you¡¯ve put in a lot of efforttely. It¡¯ll be the year-end holiday soon. Hence, I would like to wish everyone Merry Christmas and Happy New Year in advance. Let¡¯s continue to work hard next year.¡± The next moment, she whipped out the envelopes containing mary gifts and distributed them to everyone. ¡°It¡¯s just a small token of appreciation. I hope all of you don¡¯t mind.¡± Wilma was bbergasted. In actuality, Sophie had already given them their year-end bonus. In fact, it was the biggest bonus they had ever received from Transfix Cosmetics. Is she giving everyone mary gifts too? The other youngdies gazed at Sophie with reverence after receiving the mary gifts from her. Ms. Sophie is incredibly generous! In the meantime, Tristan had set off to fetch Sophie from Transfix Cosmetics after settling his work matters. Coincidentally, he saw Sophie surrounded by a group of youngdies as she stepped out of the building. Seeing that Sophie was well-liked by the employees, Tristan was delighted. Ha! My Sophie is awesome! She can cope well with everything. Chapter 273 Chapter 273 Chapter 273 Who Is He ¡°Ms. Sophie, will you be attending tomorrow night¡¯s annual party?¡± They knew Sophie had a busy schedule, so they had been afraid to tell her about it since they had no idea if she would be attending it. ¡°Tomorrow night?¡± ¡°Yeah, tomorrow night. Everyone had been busy and working hard for the whole year. We¡¯ll be performing a little at the annual party tomorrow. You don¡¯t have to come if you¡¯re tied up. I¡¯ll make sure the event goes smoothly.¡± ¡°I see!¡± I¡¯m aware of tomorrow¡¯s annual party, but will everyone be able to enjoy themselves with me there? ¡°You have toe, Ms. Sophie. To be honest, we¡¯re all hoping you would,¡± Wendy said after gathering her courage. They knew Sophie only seemed cold on the outside, but she was actually a really nice person. Nheless, sometimes they still need to gather their courage to talk to her. ¡°All right, send me the address, and I¡¯ll go tomorrow night.¡± I should attend since it¡¯s apany event. ¡°Really?¡± Wendy¡¯s heart leaped with joy. Sophie¡¯s lips curved into a smile after seeing their excitement. Her smile stayed on her lips until she got into Tristan¡¯s car. ¡°You seem very happy being with them.¡± Wilma is pretty good at what she does. The team she leads is also united. ¡°In truth, even if they¡¯re all already in their twenties, they¡¯re still very innocent. Their happiness is so simple.¡± Personally, I like a simple life. Tristan made a U-turn and said, ¡°You¡¯re making it seem as though your life has a lot ofplications.¡± Isn¡¯t she the youngest? Why does she overthink so much? ¡°Well, it¡¯s not overlyplicated but not excessively simple either.¡± ¡°All you have to do is stay happy and lead a simple life when you¡¯re by my side. Leave the rest to me.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± I know he means what he says. Tristan pulled into the Tanner residence¡¯s driveway. They found Caleb and Willow watching television on the couch the minute they entered the living room. It was Caleb¡¯s first meeting with Tristan. This man gives out a pressuring aura. Despite seeing Caleb and Willow sitting there, Sophie didn¡¯t introduce Tristan to either of them. She led Tristan up the stairs, straight to Josiah¡¯s room. ¡°Who is the guy with Sophie? He doesn¡¯t look like an average person.¡± Some people carry themselves like nobility. That¡¯s how that man carries himself. Jealousy gripped Willow at the mention of Tristan. ¡°Tristan Lombard.¡± Willow didn¡¯t want to borate further since it would only serve as a reminder of her failure and Sophie¡¯s sess. Naturally, she didn¡¯t want to talk much about it. ¡°Who is he exactly?¡± Despite spending most of his time at a research institute overseas, Caleb had still heard of the infamous Mr. Tristan during his time there. However, he couldn¡¯t believe that Tristan would end up with Sophie. ¡°Caleb, I suspect Sophie had drugged Mr. Tristan. How else would a man like him fall for a girl like her?¡± Honestly, I don¡¯t believe it. ¡°So, he¡¯s truly Mr. Tristan.¡± Even my tutors overseas knew not to mess with Mr. Tristan of Jipsdale. Would Sophie nder Father for the Tanner family¡¯s assets? It¡¯s meager compared to Tristan¡¯s wealth. ¡°Yeah, Sophie is really lucky. She can hook up with a man everywhere she goes. She¡¯s a born vixen, that girl.¡± Willow had never considered herself lesser than Sophie. However, everyone around her was starting to treat her worse and Sophie better. That difference in treatment was fueling her resentment toward Sophie. Caleb didn¡¯t know how tofort her. Willow has always been the good and obedient one. Yet Grandpa¡¯s favorite has always been Sophie. That¡¯s an undeniable fact. I noticed Mother¡¯s attitude toward Willow has also changed. She isn¡¯t as close to Willow anymore. ¡°Caleb, are you listening to me? Are you on Sophie¡¯s side too?¡± Irritation filled Willow at Caleb¡¯s attitude. ¡°Willow, Soph is your sister no matter what. You shouldn¡¯t talk about her that way.¡± So he¡¯s also on her side? It looks like I¡¯m all on my own in this house. ¡°I¡¯ll talk to Sophie about Dad¡¯s matter when I¡¯m free. Don¡¯t worry about it.¡± Caleb didn¡¯t know what to do with the current Sophie. He didn¡¯t have a single clue about how to deal with the situation. Sophie and Tristan came down the stairs with Josiah behind them. Seeing Josiah leaving with them, Caleb went up to him. ¡°Are you going out in such cold weather, Grandpa? It¡¯s almost dinner time too. Mom already made dinner.¡± ¡°What? Only you guys can go out, and I can¡¯t? I want to have dinner outside today. What can you do about it? Do you have a problem with that?¡± Josiah was still mad about Willow and Caleb leaving the house without informing him earlier. Caleb brushed his nose with his finger, knowing he was in the wrong. ¡°We didn¡¯t mean anything by it, Grandpa. We hadn¡¯t seen Dad in a while and just wanted to visit him. Don¡¯t overthink things. We¡¯re a family. Why can¡¯t we discuss our problems nicely?¡± Josiah snorted and didn¡¯t answer Caleb¡¯s question. ¡°Let¡¯s go. Aren¡¯t we going out for dinner?¡± Sophie drew closer to Josiah at his question. ¡°Do you need me to go with you, Old Mr. Tanner?¡± The weather outside doesn¡¯t seem great. Nevertheless, I think it¡¯s great that he¡¯s going out for some fresh air to improve his mood. ¡°That¡¯s fine. You must have been tired of taking care of me every day for the past few days. Have a good rest tonight.¡± Josiah considered Morgan as a family member or close friend of his. ¡°I don¡¯t feel tired taking care of you, Old Mr. Tanner.¡± I¡¯m all alone now in this world. I would probably be living a lonely life if it wasn¡¯t for Old Mr. Tanner¡¯s sentimentality. I¡¯ll remember his kindness for the rest of my life and promise to take good care of him no matter the cost. ¡°Why don¡¯t youe with us if you have nothing going on, Morgan?¡± The more, the merrier. Moreover, Grandpa will have someone to talk to with Morgan by his side. Josiah was happy with Sophie¡¯s invitation. Sophie had always been respectful of the household staff. More importantly, Josiah had never treated Morgan as a mere employee. They were like a family that had fought on a battlefield together. ¡°I can go too?¡± Morgan looked at Sophie with anticipation. ¡°Sure you can.¡± They left the Tanner residence as a quartet. ¡°Isn¡¯t she good at ying the nice guy? Did you see that, Caleb? Sophie excels at ying mind games. She knew Grandpa cared for Morgan the most. That was why she invited him to dinner too. Have you ever seen her invite any of the other household staff before?¡± ¡°Willow, Morgan is someone important to Grandpa. Grandpa has never treated him like a member of the household staff. Don¡¯t think like that. Grandpa won¡¯t be happy if he hears you talking about Morgan like that.¡±Contentt bel0ngs to N0ve/lDra/ma.O(r)g! Chapter 274 Chapter 274 Chapter 274 Showing Off ¡°Caleb, a household staff will always be a household staff. Grandpa has really lost his mind with his age.¡± Willow disagreed with treating a household staff as part of the family. She did not feel that a household staff had the right to be her family. Caleb pursed his lips in response. He knew that Willow had always been full of herself, but he never expected her to bear such thoughts despite how Morgan had watched her grow up. ¡°Willow¡ª¡± Caleb started, about to say something else. Knowing that he was going to say something she hated to hear, Willow jumped to her feet. ¡°Caleb, I¡¯ve asked my ssmate to hang out with me, so I won¡¯t be home for the meal; enjoy your meal with Mom. Bye.¡± With that said, Willow scurried off. Soon, Caleb was the only one left in the living room. He could finally understand what it was like to be his grandfather, alone in the afternoon when he and Willow were not around. It was indeed a sad feeling. Tristan had arranged the meal to be held at Blossom Garden. After all, Blossom Garden was a famous spot in Jipsdale . After arriving at Blossom Garden, Sop Contentt bel0ngs to N0ve/lDra/ma.O(r)g! hie went to the restroom. Only Tristan, Josiah, and Morgan remained in the private room. Initially, Morgan did not want to sit with them. He was already satisfied with how he could follow Josiah to Blossom Garden and take care of him. However, Tristan and Sophie had both asked him to take a seat and so he did as they said. ¡°Grandpa, who made you upset?¡± Tristan asked, having noticed Josiah¡¯s foul mood when he picked him up. At the mention of that, Josiah¡¯s expression darkened, thinking Caleb had crossed the line. Regardless of everything, the matter was the Tanner family¡¯s affair. No matter how terrible Caleb was, he was still his grandson. Therefore, Josiah did not wish to tell Tristan about it. ¡°It¡¯s nothing, Tanny. As long as Sophie and you are good, I¡¯m happy. You really have to take good care of our Sophie.¡± Josiah knew how difficult life was for Sophie in the family. Even though she had older siblings, her siblings never once cared about her. They only knew to request things from her, and they never reflected on their actions. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Old Mr. Tanner. As long as I¡¯m by her side, I won¡¯t let anyone upset her,¡± Tristan promised. Josiah beamed at his reply. ¡°Very well. I like you very much. Although Sophie¡¯s a hard girl to court, trust me, you won¡¯t regret being together with her. She¡¯s a good girl,¡± Josiah said, for he was particrly doting on Sophie. ¡°Okay, I understand.¡± Sophie had never let him down, after all. Once Sophie was back, she took a seat beside Josiah. By then, the dishes were served. The food made by Blossom Garden was naturally the best, and Sophie wasted no time taking some for Josiah. ¡°Dig in, Grandpa.¡± Josiah smiled and nodded. Morgan had initially intended to stay by Josiah¡¯s side to take care of him, but it seemed like his help was unneeded, for Tristan and Sophie were by his side. At the sight of that, Morgan was happy for Josiah. Out of the three children in the Tanner family, Sophie was the most dutiful one. She truly answered every request Josiah made. ¡°Morgan, you should dig in too.¡± Sophie knew Morgan was sincerely nice to Josiah, so she had always respected the man. ¡°Okay, let¡¯s all dig in,¡± Morgan replied with a smile, d about the harmonious atmosphere. The four of them finished their food merrily. ¡°I need to use the restroom. Wait for me.¡± Josiah had eaten too much, so he needed to use the restroom. ¡°Grandpa, let me apany you there.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine; it¡¯s not like I¡¯m a kid. I¡¯m just using the restroom, so you don¡¯t need toe along. Sit down, Morgan. I can go there myself. You don¡¯t need toe with me too.¡± Josiah refused to admit that his old age came with disadvantages, for he felt fine. ¡°Okay. Be careful. Call me right away if you need any help.¡± They were in Blossom Garden, a ce they frequented. Thus, the employees at Blossom Garden all knew them. There would be no issue for Josiah to walk to the restroom himself. With that, Josiah chuckled and left the room. Once he was out of the restroom and had washed his hands, he turned, about to go back to Sophie and the others. However, he identally bumped into someone. ¡°Sorry¡ª¡± Josiah was about to apologize when he registered the familiar face in front of him. ¡°It¡¯s you, Waylon!¡± Waylon Lacraft was Josiah¡¯srade from the past. Unlike Josiah, who retired from the army because of an injury he sustained on the battlefield, Waylon was a man who feared death. Yet, he still managed to climb up the social ranks with the support of his family. Waylon, too, never expected to meet Josiah at Blossom Garden. Although they used to berades, Waylon truly disliked Josiah. Hence, he could not help butugh when he saw Josiah. ¡°Josiah, didn¡¯t you think the world of yourself back then? How did you end up like this? I heard that your son even tried to kill himself by jumping off a building. Didn¡¯t you say that I didn¡¯t know how to educate my son in the past? Think hard now about who¡¯s the one who doesn¡¯t know how to educate their son!¡± Waylon jeered. He had been annoyed with Josiah since forever, for he felt that thetter was too arrogant for the little capability he had. At the start, Josiah wanted to retort Waylon, but he soon felt that it was pointless to do that. After all, why should he waste his breath on someone like Waylon? ¡°Excuse me,¡± was all Josiah said before he turned to leave. However, Waylon grabbed his hand. ¡°What¡¯s the matter? Ourrades are all in the room today, soe along and meet them. Let them see what kind of miserable state Josiah Tanner is now in!¡± Waylon was the one who organized the reunion between the armyrades, and he finally had the chance to shine. Josiah furrowed his brows and rejected, ¡°It¡¯s fine. I have some other things to attend to.¡± ¡°It won¡¯t take you more than a few minutes. Come on.¡± Waylon simply wanted to show off in front of Josiah. When the other people in the room saw no sign of Waylon returning, one of them came out, and he saw Josiah and Waylon. ¡°Josiah, are you here for the reunion too?¡± ¡°No way! He haspletely forgotten about us people. Look! I asked him to say hi to you all, but he refused toe in.¡± ¡°Hey, Josiah, that¡¯s not nice of you. We were buddies who entrusted our lives to each other¡¯s hands. Moreover, do you know who Waylon¡¯s granddaughter is? Her boyfriend works for Mr. Tristan. I¡¯m sure you know who Mr. Tristan is! Waylon is amazing to have found a grandson-inw like him. We¡¯re all going to be relying on the Lacraft family in the future.¡± Waylon¡¯s aim at the reunion was to show off his future grandson-inw. After all, anyone who worked for Tristan would certainly be a capable individual. ¡°Oh, is that so? That¡¯s nothing. I have something else to attend to, so I have to leave now.¡± Is he trying to show off? Someone who works for Mr. Tristan? Is he better than Mr. Tristan himself? Waylon was irked by Josiah¡¯s dismissive attitude. ¡°Wait, Josiah. What are you trying to do? Are you looking down on Mr. Tristan¡¯s employee?¡± Chapter 275 Chapter 275 Chapter 275 Sleepwalking ¡°It¡¯s just someone working for Mr. Tristan, so what¡¯s there to brag about? If you want to show off, you should be showing off Mr. Tristan himself!¡± Josiah retorted. Waylon barked out augh in fury. ¡°Josiah, who do you think Mr. Tristan is?¡± Right then, the future grandson-inw that Waylon had been going on about arrived. When he saw the group, he walked over. ¡°Grandpa, what¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°It¡¯s nothing. Josiah, I know that Tanner Group¡¯s having a hard time right now. This is my future grandson-inw. If there¡¯s anything, you can ask him for help. I¡¯m sure he¡¯ll lend a helping hand since we used to berades.¡± ¡°Hello, I¡¯m Jimmy Sivedull. Please feel free toe to me if you need any help.¡± Meanwhile, when Morgan realized that Josiah had taken an unusually long time for his trip to the restroom, he came out to look for him. It was then Morgan saw Waylon and the others. ¡°Old Mr. Tanner.¡± Morgan knew how hostile Josiah and Waylon were toward each other. Thus, he immediately wondered if the group of people was cornering and bullying Josiah. ¡°My, isn¡¯t this Morgan?¡± Waylon turned even haughtier upon seeing Morgan. Morgan ignored him. ¡°Old Mr. Tanner, let¡¯s go back inside. Ms. Sophie and the others are still waiting for you.¡± He, too, felt that it was pointless for Josiah to stoop to Waylon¡¯s level. After all, they had always been people from two different worlds. This is from N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Sophie? Josiah, I have toment on this. Your Sophie is infamous! I¡¯m afraid a youngdy like her won¡¯t be able to get a boyfriend. I have no idea how you educate your kids and grandkids. If you can¡¯t bring yourself to teach her a lesson, why don¡¯t you send her to me? I¡¯ll teach her a lesson for you.¡± ¡°That¡¯s none of your concern. Mind your own business.¡± Annoyed, Josiah turned to leave again. However, Jimmy blocked his way. ¡°What do you mean? Old Mr. Lacraft is only doing this for your sake. How can you be so ungrateful?¡± Right then, the other people stepped out of the room. When they saw the two in a standoff, they all chose to take Waylon¡¯s side. After all, Jimmy was one of Tristan¡¯s men. Anyone who was associated with Tristan would definitely be able to provide much help if any trouble were to arise. ¡°That¡¯s enough, Josiah. Just apologize to Waylon.¡± ¡°We all used to fight on the same battlefield, so why must we be so aggressive toward each other?¡± Josiah was speechless. Did I do anything wrong? Why should I apologize? ¡°That¡¯s right. As long as you apologize, I¡¯ll pretend that nothing happened today. However, don¡¯t me me for what happens next if you refuse to apologize,¡± Jimmy uttered. ¡°Forget it, Josiah. It¡¯s pointless to get mad at them,¡± said one of the men who used to be on good terms with Josiah. It was better to side with Jimmy, after all. Josiah could not help butugh in response. He never thought that he would feel how disappointing mankind could be at his age. ¡°I won¡¯t apologize. I¡¯d like to see how you¡¯re going to destroy Tanner Group.¡± Right as he said that, Tristan and Sophie came out of their room. The moment Sophie saw the crowd, her expression darkened. She then strode toward Josiah and noticed the angry look he had. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± I thought he was only using the restroom. Why did he take such a long time? ¡°It¡¯s nothing. Let¡¯s go,¡± Josiah said, not wanting Sophie to intervene in the matter. ¡°Oh? Isn¡¯t that Sophie? You¡¯re all grown up now. I thought you¡¯d be too embarrassed to come to Jipsdale,¡± Waylon said ruthlessly in a mean tone. ¡°Waylon, I¡¯m warning you now to mind your words, or else I¡¯m not going to hold back anymore.¡± Josiah could tolerate everything but people who commented on his precious granddaughter. ¡°How are you going to do that? Josiah, you shouldn¡¯t bluff. You should only say this if you have the ability to carry out your words. Otherwise, you¡¯ll be a clown, got it?¡± ¡°You¡¯re going too far, Waylon!¡± ¡°So what if he is?¡± Jimmy immediately chimed in. ¡°If you keep spouting nonsense, I might as well make you disappear from Jipsdale.¡± By then, Sophie understood what was going on. Clearly, the crowd was bullying her grandfather. ¡°Make the Tanner family disappear from Jipsdale? Bold words from you!¡± Sophie hissed. Jimmy chuckled. ¡°What¡¯s the matter? Do you not believe me? I¡¯ll give you onest chance to apologize, or else I¡¯m going to resort to force,¡± Jimmy uttered aggressively. ¡°Have your mother never taught you how to act like a proper human being?¡± At that moment, Sophie had finally been introduced to the world¡¯s most shameless person. Upon hearing her words, Jimmy raised his hand to hit Sophie. Nevertheless, Sophie instantly kicked him to the ground, her move swift and without hesitation. The people in the crowd used to be in the army, so they knew how terrifying her kick had been. ¡°Soph, don¡¯t ¡ª¡± ¡°Grandpa, we don¡¯t bully others, but we can¡¯t let others bully us either.¡± As she spoke, she stepped on Jimmy¡¯s stomach. ¡°Say, who do you think should be apologizing right now?¡± We came out for a nice meal, and Grandpa¡¯s mood was already bad. He¡¯s in unlucky to have met this bunch of weirdoes too! Sophie thought grumpily. Jimmy scowled when he realized a woman had kicked him to the ground. Instantly, he tried to climb back up to his feet, but he could not struggle free from her. ¡°For f*ck¡¯s sake! Let me go! Do you know who I am?¡± Jimmy cried out. ¡°I don¡¯t,¡± Sophie replied. Jimmy never thought that Sophie would actually reply to him, and for a moment, he did not even know how he should answer that. ¡°I don¡¯t know who you are, but you¡¯re going to remember who I am. My name is Sophie Tanner. Keep that in mind.¡± ¡°You¡­ I¡¯m telling you now. I work for Mr. Tristan! He won¡¯t let you off after what you¡¯ve done to me!¡± Sophie instinctively turned toward Tristan at that. He¡¯s working for him? Really? When did his standards hit rock bottom? When Tristan, who had been standing aside and waiting for Sophie to be done with her angry outburst, heard that, he nced at the man she was stepping on. He had no recollection of the other man at all. Can random people do terrible things in my name nowadays? ¡°Who did you say you work for again?¡± Tristan asked. In a way, he was giving Jimmy onest chance. ¡°I work for Mr. Tristan. Are you scared? No one in Jipsdale dares toy a finger on Mr. Tristan¡¯s employee!¡± At that, an evil grin grew on Tristan¡¯s lips. ¡°It sounds like Mr. Tristan¡¯s quite the big shot.¡± ¡°Of course. Hurry up and let go of me before getting on your knees to apologize! If you kneel before me and say you¡¯re sorry, I¡¯ll overlook this matter!¡± Jimmy boldly said. Sophie could not help butugh at that. Then, she gave him another kick in the stomach. ¡°What¡¯s the matter, boy? Are you still sleepwalking? Apologize to you? Do you think you¡¯re worthy of that?¡± Chapter 276 Chapter 276 Chapter 276 p To His Face Jimmy was drenched in a cold sweat due to the agony after Sophie booted his stomach. ¡°Hurry up and let go of him. If you continue to behave this way, I will call the cops.¡± Waylon was someone who picked on the weak and feared the strong. Therefore, he did not dare to do anything foolish when he saw how formidable Sophie was. ¡°Call the cops? Ha!¡± Sophie could not help but sneer. ¡°Sure! I¡¯ll stay here and wait for you to call the cops.¡± Jimmy immediately felt anxious when he heard about Waylon¡¯s threat of summoning the police. ¡°Let¡¯s forget about this, Old Mr. Lacraft.¡± Waylon frowned. How can we let this slide when others are brazenly bullying us? ¡°Jimmy, I want you to ask for Mr. Tristan¡¯s help at once. This time, we must show them the consequences.¡± Waylon felt extremely embarrassed at that moment because he had praised and unted his grandson-inw¡¯s capabilities. Yet, Jimmy¡¯s response was no different from a p to his face. Waylon was not one who could endure such humiliation. ¡°That¡¯s right. Why don¡¯t you call Mr. Tristan directly? I¡¯ve never seen an influential figure like him before, so I am yearning to meet with him,¡± Sophie said with a grin. Anyone who knew Sophie would recognize the smile she wore at that instant would only be present when she was at the peak of her anger. Jimmy took out his phone but did not dare to make the call. He was able to be Waylon¡¯s grandson-inw because he had been faking himself as Tristan¡¯s subordinate. If they knew he was a fraud at that moment, putting aside Sophie and the others, Jimmy reckoned even the Lacraft family would not let him off the hook. He had almost fallen for his own deceit, believing his lies to be true after bluffing the others for so long. Nevertheless, something fake could never be a reality. ¡°What¡¯s the matter? Do you not know his phone number? Should I give his contact details to you?¡± she mocked. ¡°Missy, I think there has to be some sort of misunderstanding. Why don¡¯t you let go of me first? This is making me look bad.¡± ¡°Misunderstanding? What misunderstanding could there possibly be? Let me tell you. I despise you!¡± Sophie uttered domineeringly. ¡°You¡ª¡± Jimmy was enraged. They are not afraid of Mr. Tristan at all. I don¡¯t have any tricks left up my sleeve. ¡°Josiah, are you seeing this? Your granddaughter is behaving like a thug. She¡¯ll have a tough time finding a man who can ept her violent character. Hurry up and tell her to let Jimmy go!¡± Josiah smiled contemptuously. They are still unaware of their errors even up until now, yet they dare to criticize Sophie in front of me. ¡°This is Sophie¡¯s personality, and I think she¡¯s doing fine!¡± N?velDrama.Org owns this. It is better for her to be like a thug than to let others bully her. Given a choice between intimidating others or getting intimidated by others, I will dly pick the former. ¡°You¡­¡± Waylon was fuming. ¡°Your whole family is thug-like and incorrigible!¡± ¡°Apologize. If you apologize now, I¡¯ll forget this has ever happened.¡± Sophie remained calm as always. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I was wrong.¡± Waylon¡¯s face turned grim when he heard Jimmy apologizing as Sophie demanded. Is this the Jimmy I¡¯ve beenmending so much just now? ¡°You shouldn¡¯t be apologizing to me!¡± She did not require his apology. Instead, he should be apologizing to her grandpa. ¡°Sir, I¡¯m sorry. I was wrong.¡± Josiah was toozy to be bothered by Jimmy and was not at all concerned by a ster saint like thetter. ¡°Forget it. Let¡¯s go,¡± Josiah said to Sophie. Only then did she let go of Jimmy. ¡°You should steer clear of members of the Tanner family from now on. Otherwise, you¡¯ll end up in a sorrier state than today. Also, Old Mr. Lacraft, I¡¯m afraid your grandson-inw is fooling you. He¡¯s not Mr. Tristan¡¯s subordinate.¡± Waylon was stumped as he looked at Jimmy in disbelief. ¡°What do you mean? Do you think Mr. Tristan will let you off the hook by saying that?¡± Waylon had yet to wrap his mind around the whole situation. ¡°Exin it yourself.¡± Sophie nced at Jimmy. He was caught in a dilemma, but under her piercing gaze, he had no other choice but to give in. It seems like this is the end of my deceit. ¡°Old Mr. Lacraft, I¡¯m sorry. I really didn¡¯t mean to lie to you, but I like Xena too much, which is why I¡­¡± Waylon almost passed out while listening to Jimmy¡¯s words. So, he¡¯s really a fraud? I can¡¯t believe he hoodwinked my entire family. ¡°You¡ª¡± ¡°Old Mr. Lacraft, I¡¯m truly in love with Xena. You must give me a chance. Besides, Xena is already pregnant with my child.¡± ¡°You!¡± Waylon felt utterly ashamed at that instant. ¡°Ha!¡± Josiah could not resist his urge to sneer. ¡°You¡¯re right. I failed to educate my granddaughter. Waylon, you certainly raised your granddaughter well.¡± His granddaughter became pregnant before getting married, and with a con man, no less. Waylon felt his cheeks burn as he listened to Josiah¡¯s sarcastic remark. In ce of the vainglory Waylon had before, right now, there was only shame. Waylon kicked Jimmy and fell backward onto the floor because of the recoil. At that moment, he appeared more pathetic than ever. ¡°Oh, by the way, I forgot to introduce you all. This is Ms. Sophie¡¯s boyfriend. He is also the famous Mr. Tristan you¡¯ve been talking about earlier.¡± Before leaving, Morgan deliberately delivered a final blow to Waylon and Jimmy¡¯s already-crushed spirits. Both of them were dumbfounded and rendered speechless. What? This man with an extraordinary presence is Mr. Tristan? ¡°Let¡¯s go, Old Mr. Tanner.¡± Tristan walked over and supported Josiah. Tristan thought Waylon and Jimmy were looking sufficiently miserable, so there was no need for him to take further action. Waylon and Jimmy watched Sophie and the others leave without daring to make a sound. Is that person really Mr. Tristan? Why would Mr. Tristan be with Sophie, a girl with such a terrible reputation? However, as none of them had ever seen Tristan in person, they did not dare to contradict Morgan¡¯s statement. ¡°Waylon, we¡¯ve got some things to do, and since we¡¯ve had our meal, we shall take our leave now. Also, this Jimmy is trying to pull a marriage scam. Report him to the police if you do not have a better way of dealing with him.¡± Waylon could not make up his mind at that instant. Jimmy immediately hugged Waylon¡¯s thigh. ¡°Old Mr. Lacraft, I¡¯m genuinely in love with Xena. Since she¡¯s already carrying my child, please allow us to stay together!¡± Feeling embarrassed, Waylon booted the sham away. ¡°Just you wait, Jimmy. Let me tell you now. Your days ahead are going to be tough.¡± With that, Waylon fled the scene as quickly as he could. Tristan led the others to his car and personally sent Josiah back. Upon arriving at the Tanner residence, Tristan stayed for a while to chat with Josiah. ¡°Tanny, don¡¯t take it to heart about what happened today.¡± Josiah was already used to the realistic society where toadying to influential figures and bullying those who were vulnerable had be a norm. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Old Mr. Tanner. I will not allow anyone to harm Sophie.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± All Josiah wanted was to receive reassurance from Tristan. After exiting Josiah¡¯s room, Tristan noticed Sophie waiting for him in the corridor. ¡°May I visit your room?¡± Although that was not his first time at the Tanner residence, he had never entered her room. ¡°Sure.¡± Sophie was not hiding any secrets in her room, so she was not afraid of letting him in. Nheless, it was never Tristan¡¯s intention to discover her secrets. Chapter 277 Chapter 277 Chapter 277 Contentt bel0ngs to N0ve/lDra/ma.O(r)g! Sophie Is In Jipsdale Sophie¡¯s room was not very big. Her room had only a king-size bed, aputer desk, and a wardrobe. She did not even have a dressing table. As Sophie had rarely returned home, her room was clean and tidy. She sat on the swivel chair and gazed at him. Tristan saw an album and reached out to grab it. ¡°Can I take a look at this?¡± ¡°Sure.¡± He sat on the bed, opened the album, and browsed through pictures of Sophie from her childhood until now. He flipped through every page and took in the pictures depicting her growth from a baby to the beautiful teenage girl she was at that moment. Staring at those images, Tristan felt as if he had apanied her as she grew up. ¡°Come here,¡± he said to her while he remained seated on the bed. ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± ¡°Come here.¡± Before she realized it, his seductive voice prompted her to get to her feet and walk up to him. Tristan pulled her into his embrace so that they could look at the pictures together. ¡°I can¡¯t believe this used to be your style.¡± He pointed at a photo of Sophie in pigtails. She nced at him. ¡°Why? Is there a problem with that?¡± ¡°No. You look very adorable.¡± Tristan¡¯s mind wandered. If we have a daughter in the future, I suppose she will be as cute as Sophie. After all, Sophie has excellent genes. I have no doubt her child will be very good-looking. Sophie turned her head around and noticed the contented smile on his face. ¡°What? What are you thinking about?¡± ¡°I¡¯m just imagining if we have a daughter together in the future, she must be as cute as you,¡± Tristan replied frankly. He wanted to let her know that he was serious about her and that he had included her in his future nning. Sophie was stumped. Giving birth to a child? To be honest, that thought had never crossed her mind up until that point. She was uncertain if someone like her would be a good mother because she did not know how to handle children. ¡°Mr. Tristan, I don¡¯t want to have kids.¡± If he¡¯s looking for a partner with whom he can get married and have children, I don¡¯t think I am a suitable candidate. I don¡¯t want to waste his time if that¡¯s the case. ¡°You don¡¯t like children?¡± Tristan was not very fond of children, but he thought he would cherish the child dearly if they were Sophie¡¯s. ¡°I don¡¯t know how to put it either. I think I¡¯m not suitable to be a mother.¡± ¡°That¡¯s enough. We¡¯ll discuss this topic another day. You¡¯re still young, so it is normal for you not to like kids now.¡± ¡°What if I still do not like them in the future?¡± ¡°Then we won¡¯t have children. I don¡¯t need to have kids. Having you by my side is already sufficient.¡± Tristan was not merely coaxing her. If Sophie did not want to have kids, he would respect her decision instead of forcing her to bear his child. When they exited Sophie¡¯s room, they stumbled into Willow. Willow could not help but sneer at the sight of Tristaning out from Sophie¡¯s room. Weren¡¯t you acting high and mighty all the time? Well, you¡¯re certainly living up to your reputation now, Sophie. I can¡¯t believe you just brought a man into your room. Sophie disregarded Willow and led Tristan away. When they arrived at the living room, he stopped in his tracks. ¡°You will be attending Transfix Cosmetics¡¯ anniversary event tomorrow, right?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± How did he know about that? I don¡¯t recall telling anyone else about this matter. ¡°Wilma sent me an invitation.¡± Sophie was rendered speechless. Why is he going to Transfix Cosmetics¡¯ anniversary event? Why did Wilma send him an invitation? ¡°Therefore, I¡¯lle pick you up tomorrow.¡± Fortunately, he was able to attend the asion tomorrow because Lombard Group¡¯s anniversary event was on a different date. And the reason would be that Tristan had deliberately arranged for bothpanies to host their anniversary events on separate dates. ¡°All right then.¡± Since Wilma had sent him an invitation, Sophie had no reason to forbid him from attending. ¡°Be careful on your way back.¡± She wanted to follow him out, but he did not allow her to do so because of the cold weather outside. ¡°All right. Rest early.¡± After Tristan left the Tanner residence, Sophie turned around and immediately caught sight of Willow, standing behind her like a ghost, wearing a white dress. ¡°Stand aside.¡± Sophiecked the patience to spend another second talking to Willow. ¡°Sophie, don¡¯t you always think you¡¯re better than everyone else? What¡¯s the matter? How shameless are you to let a man enter your room now? Do you really think Mr. Tristan loves you? He¡¯s just toying with you. Have you even met with his family members? There¡¯s no way the Lombard family will ept someone like you.¡± Sophie frowned. ¡°That¡¯s none of your business.¡± Since when does Willow care about my matters? ¡°You can also do the same if you have the capabilities. However, the reason you¡¯re so agitated is that you¡¯re jealous. Do you realize that?¡± Willow was rendered speechless. Willow took a step back. Sophie had always chosen to ignore her, but thetter¡¯s words were unexpectedly harsh and unforgiving when she decided to speak up. ¡°Do you have any other questions for me?¡± Sophie stared into Willow¡¯s eyes. Willow was stumped. Momentster, she said, ¡°What about Mason? Do you not love him anymore?¡± Sophie fell silent. How long has it been since Ist heard this name? ¡°I¡¯ve never loved him. With that said, will you return to Mason¡¯s side in assurance now?¡± Willow still felt aggrieved at the mention of Mason. However, she thought he was no longer a match for her. ¡°What¡¯s the matter? Are you disdaining him because he wentme?¡± Aren¡¯t you always putting up an obedient and sensible act? Why don¡¯t you continue to y that role now? ¡°I certainly wish Mason would fall for me, but I¡¯ve worked so hard, yearning and waiting to be with him for such a long time, and to no avail. What else can I do if he doesn¡¯t want to reciprocate my feelings? Who are you all to criticize me now?¡± I¡¯ve shown my efforts, haven¡¯t I? Are my teenage years not as worthy as others¡¯ teenage years? ¡°No one is criticizing you, and I could not care less about you.¡± With that, Sophie headed upstairs right away. Willow crouched on the floor and burst into tears. Why? Why am I the only one without anything to show, even until now? I did not do anything wrong, right? Sophie returned to her room, and just as shey on her bed, the ring on her ring finger emitted a strange light. Looking at the ring, she was reminded of Nichs again. Why isn¡¯t he giving up? Have I not made myself clear? Still, Sophie was no longer the innocent and ignorant young girl she was. One day, even if Nichs managed to locate her, she already had the confidence to handle him. She had no doubt about her abilities. Sophie promised herself never to let anyone control how she lived her life, not even Nichs. Meanwhile, at Anndur, Nichs was listening to his subordinate¡¯s report in a rxed manner. ¡°Boss, Sophie is in Jipsdale, but you are also aware that Jipsdale is Tristan¡¯s territory. If we go there without a n, I¡¯m afraid¡ª¡± ¡°Afraid?¡± Nichsy on the chair and shed a wicked grin. ¡°How dare you mention this word to me as my assistant?¡± I see. So, she¡¯s in Jipsdale! I was wondering how someone could disappear without a trace on this earth. This is why! Chapter 278 Chapter 278 Chapter 278 Jipsdale ¡°Boss, I¡¯m not saying that I¡¯m afraid of Tristan or scared of death, but despite our influence here in Anndur, we¡¯ll be in Tristan¡¯s territory once we step foot in Jipsdale. If we head over there without a n, things will be tricky for us.¡± Nichs¡¯ assistant, Quentin Schmidt, felt rather helpless serving his employer. It is so difficult to work as his assistant. ¡°Quentin, what is there to n regarding this matter? How will Tristan know if I go there by myself?¡± I¡¯m Nichs Sable, after all. Contentt bel0ngs to N0ve/lDra/ma.O(r)g! What will Tristan do to me if I¡¯m just visiting Jipsdale to meet someone? ¡°Boss!¡± Quentin did not dare to tell Nichs that Tristan was also interested in Sophie and that they seemed to have be a couple I can¡¯t imagine what would happen if Boss is informed of that matter. ¡°That¡¯s enough. I¡¯m getting tired. You can leave now. I¡¯ll make the arrangements on my own for this trip to Jipsdale, and you don¡¯t have to tag along by then.¡± It¡¯s almost Christmas. I¡¯ll go to Jipsdale and keep herpany during this festive season. I suppose she¡¯ll be very surprised to see me. Nichs could not fathom his own state of mind either. All he knew was that he must not allow Sophie to leave his side despite knowing he would not be able to marry her. After all, no one in the Sable family would agree for him to marry her due to the disparity between their family backgrounds. Therefore, Nichs had never thought of marrying Sophie too. Still, even if he became married in the future, he thought that would not be a factor prohibiting him from keeping her by his side. Quentin could only shake his head while he stared at the gorgeous man reclining in the chair. How can I let him go to Jipsdale alone? What if something terrible befalls him there? Old Mr. Sable will inflict his wrath on the entire Chanaea. If that happens, there will be so many casualties. Boss is Old Mr. Sable¡¯s only son, so he would never allow anything bad to happen to Boss. How should I establish contact with Sophie so I can inform her Boss is nning to meet with her? Sophie is such a troublemaker. Quentin had always wished for Sophie to die at a young age as her death would save him plenty of trouble. Regrettably, she was blessed with a long life. He was amazed that she managed to stay alive even after everything she had experienced. The following day at five o¡¯clock in the evening, Tristan arrived at the Tanner residence to pick Sophie up. When Caleb saw Tristan, he immediately got to his feet, wanting to greet thetter. However, Tristan¡¯s overwhelming aura caused Caleb to hesitate for a few moments, and amidst his pausing, Tristan had already gone upstairs to find Sophie. Taking in Caleb¡¯s demeanor, Willow could not help but mock him, ¡°Caleb, are you thinking of buttering Mr. Tristan up too?¡± Ever since Caleb knew of Sophie and Tristan¡¯s rtionship, Caleb began treating his sister very differently from before. ¡°What nonsense are you talking about? Mr. Tristan will be displeased if he hears you.¡± ¡°Oh!¡± Although difort boiled within Willow, there was nothing she could do about it. That man was Tristan, after all. Provoking him would be no different from courting death. As a result, regardless of how much Willow hated Sophie, she did not dare to harm the latter now. Willow merely hoped Tristan would get tired of Sophie as soon as possible. As long as Mr. Tristan no longer cares about Sophie, I¡¯ll be able to take advantage of the situation. Don¡¯t tell me Sophie really thinks Mr. Tristan is serious about being with a girl like her. As Tristan and Sophie came downstairs, they formed a picture-perfect scene as both were very good-looking and appeared like a match made in heaven. Josiah¡¯s mind was filled withpliments to the couple when he saw them together. The old man was genuinely satisfied with Tristan, but his only dissatisfaction and concern was Tristan¡¯s overly prominent social status. Aside from that, Tristan was as perfect as a man could be. ¡°Grandpa, I¡¯ll be leaving then.¡± Sophie dressed beautifully that day. Josiah had deliberately asked someone to prepare that dress for her. ¡°Okay. Go ahead. Transfix Cosmetics¡¯ recent performance has been outstanding. You should really express your gratitude to thepany¡¯s employees.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Grandpa. I know what to do.¡± ¡°Grandpa, can I follow Soph to the event to look around?¡± Caleb piped up. Josiah nced at Caleb dubiously as he reckoned thetter was only doing that because of Tristan. Everyone in Jipsdale was well aware of Tristan¡¯spetency. If that was indeed Caleb¡¯s motivation, Josiah would be utterly displeased. ¡°Grandpa, I want to go too. Since Transfix Cosmetics is so sessful now, their employees must be outstanding. I want to go there to learn something too.¡± Willow was not letting that opportunity slip. ¡°Transfix Cosmetics¡¯ current achievements are made possible because of Soph.¡± Transfix Cosmetics would have met its demise long ago if it wasn¡¯t for Sophie. Willow fell silent after listening to Josiah¡¯s remark. Grandpa is really seizing every chance to praise Sophie. She¡¯s just lucky. It¡¯s not like it¡¯s a big deal. ¡°Go ahead and attend if you want.¡± This is just an anniversary event. I¡¯ve never seen you two express interest in visiting thepany previously, yet you¡¯re so excited to participate now. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Sophie did not have any objection. Having said that, Willow and Caleb would have to drive there on their own because Sophie did not enjoy theirpany. Tristan hummed a response before stretching out his hand. Sophie linked arms with him and they left the house together. At the sight of the couple leaving together, bitterness surged within Willow¡¯s chest. Tristan, influential and affluent, was the epitome of a sessful man. Any woman would yearn to be with him, and Willow was no exception. Unfortunately, he was exceptionally indifferent toward her and had never given her the slightest chance to approach him. ¡°Willow, didn¡¯t you say you want to tag along? Let¡¯s go.¡± Caleb wanted to find opportunities to spend more alone time with Tristan. Currently, Caleb¡¯s mentor was managing a huge project, and multiple researchers werepeting for the limited spots. However, as Caleb was not the most excellent among his peers, he would have to pay some additional price if he wanted to participate in that project. Incidentally, his mentor had always mentioned Tristan. Caleb thought since his mentor was a great admirer of Tristan, the opportunity to join the project would be his if Tristan could rmend him to his mentor. Hence, Caleb was determined to attend the anniversary event with Tristan and Sophie that day. Otherwise, regardless of how aplished Transfix Cosmetics might be, he would not have the slightest interest in thepany¡¯s matters. Just as Tristan¡¯s car pulled up at the event venue, Sophie immediately noticed Wilma. Wilma was wearing an exquisite evening gown, and she had been waiting outside the whole time. Sophie wondered how long she had stood there. Tristan handed his car keys to the parking valet before cing his hand around Sophie¡¯s shoulder. They both walked over together. ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you to wait inside? Why are you standing outside? It¡¯s so cold out here. You¡¯ll catch a cold.¡± ¡°Ms. Sophie, I just came out.¡± Wilma wanted to guide Sophie to the venue because she did not want thetter to lose her way inside the building. Although Sophie disagreed with Wilma¡¯s action, she did notment further after seeing how long Wilma had waited for them outside judging by how pale and cold Wilma¡¯s arms had be. Instead, Sophie quickly steered Wilma into the building. ¡°Ms. Sophie, everyone is very happy that you¡¯re here.¡± Sophie¡¯s prowess had earned her everyone¡¯s respect and admiration. They all hoped to be in the same room as her. ¡°Yes. I¡¯m delighted to be able to take part in this anniversary event with everyone too.¡± Chapter 279 Chapter 279 Chapter 279 Sack Her Immediately Wilma led them both inside. When the others saw Sophie and Tristan arriving, they quietened down immediately. ¡°Are they a little afraid of me?¡± Tristan whispered into Sophie¡¯s ear. The way they were sharing a secret conversation with each other made everyone envious. These two are quite the perfect couple. ¡°Ms. Sophie¡¯s boyfriend is really hot.¡± ¡°I know, right? They¡¯re like straight out of a romantic drama!¡± ¡°How I wish I have a boyfriend like that.¡± Naturally, Wilma heard all those comments, and she agreed with them all. No matter where Sophie went, she was, inevitably, the star of the show. ¡°All right, everyone, let¡¯s not crowd around here. Go and have a good time!¡± Only when Wilma said this did the girls leave reluctantly. Tristan and Sophie settled down on the couch at one side of the hall. Not long after that, Caleb arrived with Willow. There was hardly any reaction from the staff of Transfix Cosmetics to the arrival of these two. Of course, they knew who these two people were, but they were just not interested. Willow was upset when she noticed their attitude. I¡¯m the heiress of Transfix Cosmetics! ¡°Caleb, just look at their attitude. They were so friendly and enthusiastic toward Sophie, but they ignored us when we arrived. Don¡¯t you think something is off? Sophie must¡¯ve said something to them!¡± Caleb frowned. ¡°Sophie¡¯s the one who¡¯s fighting alongside them, so it¡¯s only natural that they admire her. Stop overreacting, okay?¡± All he wanted was to get Tristan¡¯s help, so he couldn¡¯t be bothered to heed Willow¡¯sints. Most importantly, he did not mind how those people treated him at all. Caleb and Willow went and sat down next to Sophie and Tristan. Tristan and Sophie were engaged in a conversation, but Tristan seemed to be doing most of the talking. Sophie would asionally nod or give a perfunctory reply. Within ten minutes of his arrival, Caleb could tell that Tristan tolerated Sophie very much. ¡°Are you hungry?¡± Sophie shook her head. She didn¡¯t feel hungry at all at that moment. ¡°Are you thirsty?¡± Words eluded Willow. Sophie is no longer a child. Does he really need to look after her like this? Willow was green with envy. What happened to Mr. Tristan? I can¡¯t believe someone as elegant and charming as Mr. Tristan is pampering Sophie! This made Willow more jealous than ever. ¡°Mr. Tristan, are you interested in the research institute in Anndur?¡± Caleb could no longer suppress his impatience after sitting quietly for a long while. He finally spoke up. His motive foring here today was obvious. When he spoke, Sophie could not help ncing at him. She had been wondering why he insisted on attending the annual gathering of Transfix Cosmetics. Caleb was only concerned about the research institute and had no interest whatsoever in the affairs of Tanner Group. It turns out that he is here for Tristan. Tristan held Sophie¡¯s hand tight. ¡°No, I¡¯m not interested.¡± Tristan was only polite for Sophie¡¯s sake. He showed much respect for Josiah who treated Sophie well. However, he showed no respect at all for Caleb and Willow, who obviously did not care much about Sophie. Caleb had prepared quite a speech to persuade Tristan. Unfortunately, when Tristan said he was not interested, all of Caleb¡¯s preparation had gone to waste. Caleb nced at Sophie, who tantly ignored him as if he wasn¡¯t even there. She didn¡¯t speak up for him. When Wilma came over and invited Sophie to do a lucky draw, thetter left with her. Sensing the tense atmosphere, Caleb excused himself and went to the restroom. Only Tristan and Willow were left on the couch. Willow could not help stealing nces at Tristan. Ever since Sophie left, the man had been checking his phone continuously, seemingly chatting with someone. Willow had always felt that she was in no way inferior to Sophie. Furthermore, at this moment, an idea was forming in her mind. If Tristan bes my boyfriend, Sophie will go through much suffering. All this while, Sophie had been bullying me. This is my chance! Thus, Willow began posing seductively, trying to captureTristan¡¯s attention. She purposefully pulled up her skirt to the extent that her underwear could be seen. The staff of Transfix Cosmetics nearby watched her antics and thought she was a disgrace to all women. ¡°Look at her disying her legs! Does she think that her legs are beautiful?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. Those legs look like an elephant¡¯s legs. I can¡¯t believe she had the audacity to show them.¡± ¡°The crux of the matter now is that she is trying to steal Ms. Sophie¡¯s boyfriend.¡± Wendy who was watching nearby became very angry. ¡°Willow is really too much.¡± ¡°Let it go, Wendy. After all, she is Ms. Sophie¡¯s sister.¡± Wendy could not bear it anymore. She brought a ss of red wine over to the couch. Then, she ¡°identally¡± spilled the ss of red wine all over Willow¡¯s body. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Ms. Willow! I slipped.¡± Wendy acted rashly on impulse. Therefore, when she saw the murderous look in Willow¡¯s eyes, she was frightened. Willow was just about to throw a tantrum when she remembered that Tristan was seated right next to her. She held back her temper. I mustn¡¯t get angry. I mustn¡¯t. ¡°Mr. Tristan, my clothes are wet. Can I borrow your coat?¡± Willow¡¯s tearful expression was quite a revolting sight to behold. Wendy, who was afraid just now, no longer felt scared after seeing how pretentiously she behaved. Tristan finally looked up. However, he walked away after merely sparing her a nce. ¡°Mr. Tristan¡ª¡± Willow was about to say something else when she saw Tristan walk over to the stage and carefully help Sophie down the stairs. The care and caution that he exercised while doing that made Willow so jealous that she gritted her teeth, seething with rage. Tristan then took Sophie outside for some fresh air. ¡°What are you staring at? Do you know how much this dress costs? Do you think you can pay for it?¡± Willow vented her anger on Wendy. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Ms. Willow. It was really an ident.¡± Scared, Wendy kept retreating. However, Willow was not about to let her off. She approached and grasped Wendy¡¯s pigtail. ¡°Answer me! Did Sophie ask you to do it?¡± She slipped? Does she think I¡¯ll believe that? When Wilma saw Wendy being bullied, she quickly came over. ¡°Calm down, Ms. Willow. Let¡¯s talk things through reasonably.¡± Wilma frowned. We didn¡¯t invite Willow, yet she still showed up uninvited. To make matters worse, she even bullied my staff! ¡°Wilma, you¡¯re just in time. This subordinate of yours sshed red wine all over me on purpose. I¡¯m not asking her to pay for this dress because she looks miserly. She can¡¯t afford topensate me, anyway. I want you to sack her instantly and I¡¯ll consider the matter settled.¡± ¡°Ms. Lineker, I¡ª¡± Wendy panicked when she heard that. She really liked this job. ¡°Ms. Willow, it¡¯s all my fault. I beg you to please let me off! I didn¡¯t do it on purpose.¡± Willow raised her hand and gave Wendy a p right across her face. ¡°I dare you to say that again!¡± Blood dripped from the corner of Wendy¡¯s lips. Willow didn¡¯t hold back at all. Wilma instantly caught hold of Willow¡¯s hand when thetter was about tond another p on Wendy¡¯s face.Exclusive content from N?velDrama.Org. Chapter 280 Chapter 280 Chapter 280 Only You ¡°It¡¯s Transfix Cosmetics¡¯ annual event today, Ms. Willow. If Ms. Sophie finds out¡­¡± Wilma trailed off. Willow sneered. ¡°Trying to threaten me with Sophie? Do you think I¡¯m scared of her?¡± Wilma frowned. It¡¯s going to be hard dealing with Ms. Willow without Ms. Sophie around. ¡°I said, fire her, or else.¡± Caleb heard themotion. When he came to see what was going on, he saw Willow making an unreasonable demand. A frown appeared on his brows. I take my eyes off them for two seconds, and this happens? ¡°What¡¯s going on, Willow?¡± ¡°Caleb, this lowly employee won¡¯t even listen to me! Unbelievable!¡± Willow teared up. She obviously did it on purpose! A simple apology isn¡¯t enough! Caleb sighed. ¡°Enough, Willow. Calm down.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Ms. Willow! I¡¯m really sorry! Please, have mercy on me!¡± Wendy was in tears right now. She didn¡¯t mean what she did to Willow. That was just something she did on the spur of the moment. ¡°That¡¯s enough. Wear this, Willow.¡± Caleb took his suit jacket off and draped it over her. Tristan and Sophie came back just in time to see this. Sophie approached the scene. ¡°What happened?¡± she asked. Wendy cried even harder the moment she saw Sophie. ¡°You¡¯re behind this, aren¡¯t you, Sophie? You hate me, so you told her to ssh that wine on me.¡± The more Willow talked, the angrier she was. How could they do this to me? Sophie gave her a look that said, ¡°Are you mad?¡± ¡°What are you, mad? Shut up and go home. This is an office.¡± ¡°We still don¡¯t know whose fault this is. Can you be nicer to her?¡± Caleb chided. Can¡¯t you see she¡¯s crying? Tristan looked at him. ¡°What happened?¡± he asked, and everyone quieted down. ¡°Ms. Sophie didn¡¯t tell me to do anything. I just got angry seeing Ms. Willow trying to seduce Ms. Sophie¡¯s boyfriend, so I sshed her with wine.¡± Wendy decided to step up for the woman who had given them so much. I won¡¯t let anyone nder her. ¡°Why, you little¡­¡± Willow felt like she could have a heart attack at any moment. The otherdies nodded in agreement. ¡°Yeah, we saw it too. While Ms. Sophie was drawing the prizes for everyone, Ms. Willow kept showing off her skin to Ms. Sophie¡¯s boyfriend, but he didn¡¯t even spare her a look.¡± Soon, everyone else chimed in as well. ¡°We saw it too.¡± ¡°Yeah. Trying to steal your own sister¡¯s boyfriend is despicable. I can¡¯t believe she¡¯d do this.¡± The more they spoke up, the paler Willow¡¯s face became. ¡°T-That¡¯s a lie! They¡¯re lying, Caleb! I didn¡¯t do anything!¡± She looked to Caleb for help, but he shook his head. Apparently, he didn¡¯t believe her at all. ¡°All right, that¡¯s it. We¡¯re going home.¡± It was embarrassing to find out that his sisters were fighting over one man. ¡°You¡¯re leaving? After she hit someone?¡± Sophie blurted coldly. Caleb¡¯s brows knitted together. ¡°We¡¯re not gonna talk about this anymore. I know Willow¡¯s at fault, but your employee¡¯s partly responsible too.¡± N?velDrama.Org owns this. And we¡¯re your family. She¡¯s not. ¡°I¡¯m fine, Ms. Sophie. This is partly my responsibility too.¡± Wendy felt a little ashamed of herself since she didn¡¯t mean to cause Sophie any trouble. ¡°Apologize,¡± Sophie said coldly. Nobody told them toe. They came uninvited and tried to bully my employee. That is something I won¡¯t stand for. ¡°No! I won¡¯t apologize!¡± Willow snapped. I will not apologize to that lowly peasant! ¡°Sophie!¡± Caleb was incredulous. ¡°She¡¯s your sister!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t make me repeat myself.¡± Sophie shot Willow a look, and the arrogant woman hid behind her brother. ¡°Willow, you did p her. An apology is nothing. It¡¯s expected.¡± Caleb had to say that since Wendy was bleeding from what Willow had done to her. Rage filled Willow¡¯s heart, and she uttered reluctantly, ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± Everyone was starting to gossip about her, and she had no ns of being an exhibition for their entertainment. ¡°I¡¯m sorry too, Ms. Willow, but please never seduce Ms. Sophie¡¯s boyfriend again.¡± Godd*mmit. Willow was speechless. She¡¯s saying that on purpose, isn¡¯t she? Wilma nudged Wendy¡¯s arm, telling her to stop talking. At the end of the day, Willow was still Sophie¡¯s sister, and Wendy would make things worse for the family if she kept talking. Wendy finally shut up. ¡°You may leave now.¡± Sophie chased them away immediately. They would have been denied entrance if not for Josiah¡¯s sake, but they took that kindness and trampled all over it like they usually did. A sigh escaped Caleb¡¯s lips, and he took Willow away. Only Sophie, Tristan, and Transfix Cosmetics¡¯ employees were left. Wendy quickly bowed to Sophie. ¡°I¡¯m really, really sorry, Ms. Sophie. I didn¡¯t mean to put you in a tough spot.¡± Her brain felt like it short-circuited for a moment, and she couldn¡¯t hold back from sshing Willow with wine. ¡°It¡¯s water under the bridge now, but don¡¯t do anything like that again, Wendy. I don¡¯t want to see you get hurt.¡± Sophie didn¡¯t lecture Wendy, as she did that all for her sake after all. ¡°Yes.¡± Wendy was too ashamed to even look at Sophie. ¡°You guys go on ahead. I¡¯ll be going home now.¡± ¡°Are you sure you¡¯re all right, Ms. Sophie?¡± Wilma was still worried about her. ¡°I¡¯m fine. Just calm everyone down and tell them to have a good time.¡± The new year is drawing near. No need to sour their mood over something so trivial. ¡°Of course, Ms. Sophie. I¡¯ll give Wendy an earful. I¡¯ll make sure she doesn¡¯t act impulsively next time.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t lecture her. She¡¯s already scared enough as is.¡± Willow is still a terrifying woman when she wants to be. They exited the venue, and Tristan held the car¡¯s door open for her. ¡°Why are you looking at me?¡± ¡°I need constion.¡± Tristan held her hand. ¡°For what?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t believe a witch like Willow was trying to seduce me. Do you know how scary that was?¡± Huh? ¡°I thought you were looking forward to it. You¡¯re a guy, aren¡¯t you?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not like other guys, so how am I supposed to know what they think? Personally, I don¡¯t like any other women.¡± Sophie nodded. She had no reason not to believe him, as he would have slept with all kinds of women if he wanted to. Those women would kill to have that chance. Tristan pulled her into his embrace. ¡°Now give me some sugar and delete that horrible memory from my mind. I can feel the nightmare fuel tank feeling up.¡± ¡°Wait. So you¡¯re saying she actually tried to seduce you?¡± Tristan tried to remember what Willow had done. Yes, Willow was right beside him at the party, but he didn¡¯t even talk to her. What she did wasn¡¯t of interest to him. ¡°I think so? I don¡¯t think Wendy and the girls would lie.¡± ¡°Wait, so you don¡¯t know what she did? You weren¡¯t even paying attention?¡± Chapter 281 Chapter 281 Chapter 281 Agency ¡°Yep.¡± Oh boy. Willow¡¯s going to explode if she hears that. The guy didn¡¯t even see what she was trying to do. Tristan kissed her lips and held her cheeks. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Sophie.¡± ¡°Is there something I should be worried about?¡± ¡°I¡¯m a loyal guy, and I will only date one woman my whole life. Anyone and everyone else doesn¡¯t matter.¡± If he didn¡¯t even fall for a woman like Winter, someone like Willow would have no chance to seduce him. ¡°Oh, I¡¯m so sorry you had to go through that ordeal, then.¡± ¡°Not exactly. I can take anything as long as you¡¯re with me. Willow? Willow who? Never heard of her.¡± ¡°You can be sharp-tongued, huh?¡± ¡°Nope. I call that ¡®not wasting my time on people I don¡¯t care.¡¯¡± He¡¯s at it again. ¡°The girls in Transfix Cosmetics are nice to you.¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Sophie never wanted them to get hurt because of her. Sophie and Ysabelle arrived at the airport at about five in the afternoon the next day to wee Mark and the others. Christmas was drawing near, so Sophie told them toe back. They had families here, and Christmas was a season of reunions, after all. ¡°I¡¯m so excited, Sophie!¡± ¡°You¡¯ll lose that excitement after you see them a few times. They¡¯re regr people like you and me.¡± ¡°Really? I can hang out with them?¡± Just the thought of hanging out with Mark and his gang whipped her into a frenzied state. The Wheelers took the VIP passage, and Sunny saw Sophie before he even emerged from the passage. ¡°Mark, that¡¯s Sophie, isn¡¯t it? She¡¯s the weingmittee?¡± The aloof Sophie came to wee us. What an honor. Mark saw Sophie as well, and he waved at her. Eventually, the whole band approached Sophie and Ysabelle. ¡°Thanks for all your help, Sophie, and sorry. We¡¯ll rise to the top again. We won¡¯t let you down,¡± Mark promised quickly. Getting out of a contract with yton was arduous, so he knew Sophie must have gone through a lot just for them. ¡°It¡¯s all right. We¡¯re friends here. The reason I set up an entertainmentpany is so everyone can have fun with music without worries.¡± As for profits. Well, we¡¯ll see how that goes. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Sophie. We¡¯re really famous, actually. And with the new song you made for us? That album is going to be a hit.¡± The Wheelers wouldn¡¯t let her lose money. They could even carry a whole entertainmentpany on their backs while they were under yton¡¯s tyranny. If they did everything right, fame and fortune woulde their way, eventually. ¡°You¡¯re our sponsor now, Sophie,¡± Sunny suddenly said. ¡°So tell us if you ever need anything.¡± Huh. He¡¯s technically right. ¡°Oh, and here¡¯s Ysabelle Lombard. You guys met before, and she¡¯s one of ourpany¡¯s artists.¡± No contract was signed yet, but she did promise Ysabelle to take her on board, so here she was. ¡°Hey, Ysabelle. Come to me if you need anything. I¡¯ll help.¡± Sunny wrapped his arm around her shoulders. ¡°Really? I cane to you if I need anything?¡± Ysabelle adored Sunny. He¡¯s captivating when ying the drums and only loses to Sophie in the skill by a little. ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°Sophie¡¯s friend is our friend. If you need anything, we¡¯ll help you,¡± Mark chimed in. ¡°Take Ysabelle with you after Christmas, after the album is out.¡± Ysabelle has a lot to learn if she wants to debut in this industry. ¡°We¡¯re releasing the album after Christmas?¡± A frown furrowed Mark¡¯s brows. That¡¯s a bit too fast. ¡°What? Is there any problem?¡± She didn¡¯t think there were any problems at all. ¡°No.¡± He was just worried about the cash flow since running apany was not easy. ¡°I¡¯m the sponsor here. Don¡¯t worry about the money.¡± If money¡¯s their concern, then it¡¯s no concern at all. I have money. ¡°I¡¯ll use my savings on this release, Sophie.¡± Sunny was worried about her. Sophie¡¯s just an eighteen- year-old girl. She doesn¡¯t have that much money. ¡°Yeah. We¡¯ve been working for a while, and we all have some money for this.¡± Even if they lost all their money, they could just start all over again. Ysabelle was moved by their willingness to sacrifice just to protect Sophie. ¡°You guys should trust your sponsor, you know.¡± Is she really seeing herself as the sponsor? ¡°All right, that¡¯s enough talk. Everyone¡¯s hungry, I bet. First, we need to go back.¡± ¡°Been a while since we had some BBQ. Let¡¯s do that at my ce,¡± Sunny suggested. He missed the days of having simple BBQs back when they were just some poor guys. There wasn¡¯t even any meat, but those were happy days. They were poor, but the joy was always around. ¡°Sure.¡± Sophie was reminded of the good old days too. They had no money, but those were the sweeter days. Tristan sent out two cars for them, so they split into two teams. Sophie, Ysabelle, Mark, and Sunny took up one car while the others took up the other. ¡°We should probably get some ingredients.¡± It had been a while since their return, and they had nothing in their fridge. ¡°Sure.¡± Sophie had no objections, so she drove them to the supermarket. YsabelleT¨ºxt ? N?velDrama.Org. thought it was a new experience seeing fresh BBQ ingredients. She was used to BBQs, but all of the food was already prepped. This was her first time seeing them in their original forms. Mark and Sunny were hard at work. They were wearing ck masks and pushing shopping carts across the food area. Mark went for the meats, while Sunny targeted the greens. ¡°I feel useless, Sophie. I can¡¯t even do anything.¡± The guys are more useful than I am. ¡°You don¡¯t have to do anything besides eating.¡± Sophie took Ysabelle to the snacks area. It would take some time before the BBQ, so they would need some snacks to stave off their hunger. Sophie took some chips off the shelf and put them in the cart. Suddenly, her phone rang. She stopped walking and whipped out her phone. ¡°Hello?¡± ¡°Where are you?¡± Tristan asked. He wanted to ask her out for dinner. ¡°I¡¯m getting something in the supermarket for a BBQ session with Mark and his band. What do you need?¡± Tristan was a little frustrated. She¡¯s having dinner with other guys? What about me? ¡°It¡¯s nothing. I haven¡¯t had dinner yet.¡± That was an obvious hint. Now invite me to the BBQ. ¡°So?¡± Then, get something to eat. Why are you even telling me that? Chapter 282 Chapter 282 Chapter 282 Unweed Tristan suddenly felt as though someone had hit him on his head. ¡°I can¡¯t eat on my own.¡± He, Tristan Lombard, a cold and aloof man, had been turned into a lovelorn fool who couldn¡¯t eat without Sophie around. She was speechless. It took her quite some time before she finally found the words to speak. ¡°We¡¯re going to Mark¡¯s mansion and will be having BBQ. You don¡¯t know them well,¡± said Sophie. Won¡¯t he lose his appetite under these circumstances? ¡°It¡¯ll be fine. I see your friends as my own. Besides, I know where the mansion is, so I can drive there on my own. You don¡¯t need toe to pick me up.¡± Sophie couldn¡¯t speak. She remained in a daze even after she hung up the call. Why do I get the feeling that Tristan just conned me? ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Who was it?¡± ¡°Tristan.¡± ¡°What does he want?¡± ¡°He wants to join us,¡± replied Sophie. She had finally epted that inevitable reality. Gah, who cares? I won¡¯t be the one who feels awkward, anyway. Mark handed his money over quickly when it was time to pay. He wanted to treat everyone that day. Sophie was going to carry one of the four heavy grocery bags, but Sunny stopped her. ¡°Nope. Youdies are not allowed to do any chores when we¡¯re around,¡± said Sunny. He took two bags, and Mark picked up the other two. The twodies followed closely behind them without needing to carry anything. Mark didn¡¯t mind driving, so they had let their driver go home early. The four of them took the car back. The three musicians carried the grocery bags into the kitchen to prepare for the BBQ right away. Ysabelle followed them and couldn¡¯t help being impressed when she saw them working in the kitchen. Oh my gosh, these people are incredible! Ysabelle sighed in admiration when she left the kitchen. ¡°I never knew that my idols could cook that well.¡± Sophie nced at the three musicians bustling away in the kitchen. ¡°Oh, they actually aren¡¯t that great. Mark¡¯s the real chef here.¡± Mark and Sunny had gone to shower and left the misceneous tasks to the others. ¡°Wow, is that for real?¡± asked Ysabelle. She became even more excited because the chef in question was Mark. As far as she was concerned, he was the cool guy who dominated every stage he had been on. I wonder how hot he¡¯ll look when he cooks. Their conversation was still ongoing when Mark and Sunny returned. ¡°Sophie, it¡¯s been a while since you had Mark¡¯s spicy crayfish, right? Oh, I gotta tell you. His cooking has gotten so good that the spicy crayfish he makes is perfect!¡± ¡°Come on, stop chatting already. Let¡¯s go help the others,¡± said Mark as he dragged Sunny away. Gah, this kid is too talkative. ¡°Sophie, is it really okay for us to sit here and do nothing?¡± Ysabelle felt a little bad because she was essentially being served. ¡°You can help if you want to, but is there anything you can do in the kitchen?¡± challenged Sophie. Sophie¡¯s skill truly was inferiorpared to Mark¡¯s, and the others would surely chase her out of the kitchen if she were to go in. Hence, she decided to just stay put outside. She¡¯d rather not embarrass herself, but she wouldn¡¯t stop Ysabelle from doing the same. Ysabelle couldn¡¯t reply to Sophie¡¯s question. Okay, I guess she¡¯s right. I¡¯m just going to embarrass myself in there. She definitely shouldn¡¯t offer to help because there was nothing she could do well. Hence, it was better if she stayed put. BBQ was easier and quicker to prepare for the party of seven, so they sat around the dining table about an hourter. Mark had made a few types of homemade sauces even though they were just having a small party. There was an incredible selection of sauces, and a te of delicious- looking spicy crayfish was sitting at the side. Everything made Ysabelle idolize Mark even more. ¡°How can all of you be so incredible? These look almost as though they were made by chefs in a restaurant.¡± ¡°Oh, puh-lease. Those chefs have nothing on Mark at all,¡± replied Sunny as he smiled proudly. Everyone was about to chow down when the doorbell rang. ¡°Who could it be? I don¡¯t think anyone else knows that we are back, right?¡± asked Sunny as he got up to answer the door. They had always been the odd ones out in the entertainment industry, so they didn¡¯t have many friends. To his surprise, the first thing he saw after he opened the door was Tristan¡¯s incredibly handsome face. Sunny was rather hostile toward Tristan because it was obvious that thetter had his eyes on Sophie. ¡°Why are you here? Are there any emergencies? If not, please leave. We¡¯re busy.¡± Tristan couldn¡¯t be bothered to argue with the guy as he walked past thetter right away. Sunny ended up standing there, stunned. What the hell is wrong with that guy?Exclusive content from N?velDrama.Org. I didn¡¯t say he coulde in! ¡°Oy, you¡¯re trespassing on private property! Leave right now, or I will call the cops on you!¡± As far as Sunny was concerned, anyone who tried to steal Sophie from their band was a viin. That was why he couldn¡¯t get himself to like Tristan. Mark looked rather upset when he saw Tristan there as well. ¡°Uncle Tristan, you¡¯re here!¡± said Ysabelle. She felt a little awkward because she was at someone else¡¯s ce. It was rather mortifying that her uncle came uninvited. Ah, it¡¯d be so embarrassing if we get kicked out of here! ¡°I heard about how you kids are having BBQ, so I thought I¡¯d drop by and join you.¡± Tristan made his way to Sophie and sat down beside her. He looked at ease the entire time. ¡°No one invited you. Isn¡¯t it a little weird for you to be here for no reason?¡± My gosh, are the rich always this shameless? ¡°What do you mean? I¡¯m invited. Sophie invited me here. Besides, she and I are family, so why can¡¯t I be here?¡± ¡°You¡¯re her family?¡± Sunny was so angry that he wanted to kick Tristan out of the house. Unfortunately, thetter¡¯s aura was too intimidating, so he was too scared to do anything. ¡°Yes, I am. What¡¯s wrong with that statement? Do you have a problem with it?¡± challenged Tristan. He acted as though what he was doing was the social norm. Sunny was so angry that he wanted to drive a fork into Tristan¡¯s eye. Oh, f*ck him! Sophie didn¡¯t even agree to be his girlfriend yet! ¡°Ugh! Sophie, will you promise me something? I really hate that dude, so please don¡¯t ept him as your boyfriend, okay?¡± I will ept anyone but this annoying *sshole! ¡°All right,e on. The meat¡¯s ready,¡± said Sophie as she got Sunny some beef. That shut Sunny right up. As he ate, he nced tauntingly at Tristan. See that? At the end of the day, we are the ones Sophie cares about the most. That¡¯s why she got me some beef. ¡°I knew it, Sophie! You love me the most. That¡¯s why you remembered that beef is my favorite, even though it¡¯s been ages since west hung out.¡± Sophie was at a loss for words. The truth was that she only gave him the beef because it was done cooking at that exact moment. ¡°Come on, Sunny. Stopining and just eat up,¡± said Mark. Tristan didn¡¯t hold back. It was a home-cooked meal, but Mark¡¯s cooking truly was impressive, so everyone had a great time. Tristan got some beef for Sophie as well. ¡°You should eat more.¡± Sophie murmured an affirmative reply. Mark set his fork down and began removing the crayfish¡¯s shells for Sophie. He remembered that she especially enjoyed eating crayfish. His movements were swift and smooth as he deshelled the crayfish. When he finished, he ced it right onto Sophie¡¯s te Tristan red when he saw Mark doing that. Judging from the practiced movements, it seemed he had done it a hundred times before. ¡°You don¡¯t need to worry about me, Mark. I can remove the shells on my own.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine. I can remove the crayfish¡¯s shell for you. You find the task troublesome, right?¡± Ysabelle was dumbstruck. I didn¡¯t know that Mark could be that sweet. He even helped Sophie remove the shell! If Mark¡¯s fans were to see this side of him, they would all shriek and go insane. Ysabelle couldn¡¯t help sneaking a peek at her uncle. As suspected, Tristan was ring angrily. Chapter 283 Chapter 283 Chapter 283 T¨ºxt ? N?velDrama.Org. Tristan Is Drunk ¡°It¡¯s a gathering, so let¡¯s have some alcohol,¡± suggested Sunny all of a sudden. He was too scared to outright fight Tristan, so he figured he¡¯d settle for getting the guy drunk. The Wheelers had five members, so there was no way Tristan could out-drink all of them. ¡°Sure.¡± Mark got up and went to retrieve a treasured bottle of vodka. He had spent a fortune to buy that bottle. Sunny stared when he saw Mark returning with that particr bottle. Isn¡¯t that his most treasured bottle of vodka? Why is he getting it for us? Mark ignored Sunny¡¯s stare. He simply popped the bottle open and poured everyone half a ss of vodka. Sophie knew her alcohol well. Even the scent of the vodka was exquisite. She picked up her ss and sipped some. The taste was perfect. ¡°This is amazing,¡± complimented Sophie before she took another sip. ¡°Is it really that good?¡± asked Ysabelle. She had never had vodka before, but the way Sophie appeared satisfied made Ysabelle take a sip. ¡°Oh, my gosh!¡± She wasn¡¯t used to the liquor and almost spat everything out. Sophie couldn¡¯t help giggling when she saw Ysabelle struggling like that. The former got thetter a piece of tissue. ¡°Maybe you should just stick to regr wine.¡± The vodka was good, but the alcohol content was ridiculously high. For those who had never taken vodka before, it was easy for them to get drunk quickly. ¡°Mr. Tristan, this is the first time we drink together. I¡¯m sure you won¡¯t turn down our offer to drink up, right?¡± I¡¯m sure the rich are acquainted with exotic vodkas like these. ¡°Of course not,¡± replied Tristan as he picked his ss up. He wasn¡¯t an idiot and knew that the vodka was so rare that it was virtually impossible to procure it, even with all the money in the world. He sipped at the liquor. Not bad. ¡°Thank you for your treat today.¡± ¡°Come on. We¡¯re all men here, so what¡¯s with all the excess politeness? Let¡¯s just drink up,¡± replied Sunny immediately. He had only suggested getting some alcohol because he wanted to get Tristan drunk. ¡°Okay, if you say so,¡± replied Tristan. He knew what Sunny was nning right away. This kid has been hostile toward me from the very beginning. It¡¯s obvious what his ns are. ¡°I¡¯m young and can be hotheaded sometimes, Mr. Tristan. Please don¡¯t take my rude words earlier to heart. Here, I will drink up to apologize for that,¡± said Sunny. He downed an entire shot after that. Tristan picked up his ss and downed his drink as well. Sunny was just a punk to him, so he couldn¡¯t care less. Mark filled his own ss. He didn¡¯t say anything, but he nodded at Tristan and raised his drink at thetter before downing it. Tristan topped up his ss and tossed back another shot. The three other band members took turns toasting Tristan. After that, Sunny started the cycle again. Ysabelle inched toward Sophie and whispered, ¡°What do we do, Sophie? The tension between the men is so high.¡± I knew it. Uncle Tristan being here causes all sorts of trouble. Sophie poured herself another ss of vodka. She enjoyed her drink and watched from the side. ¡°Ignore them. Just enjoy your food.¡± ¡°Oh, okay.¡± Can Uncle Tristan handle drinking against all five of them? It¡¯d be so embarrassing for him if he puked in front of Sophie. Sunny was the first one to fall after having too many shots. He copsed against the couch and justid there. Mark and Tristan battled until the very end. Mark was a man of few words, but it was clear he didn¡¯t like Tristan either. That was understandable since they were all super protective of Sophie. ¡°That¡¯s enough. It¡¯s gettingte,¡± said Sophie to put a stop to everything. The two of them had drunk too much, and if they continued, they would end up in the hospital. ¡°Okay.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Both men were surprisingly obedient. ¡°I need to use the washroom,¡± said Mark. He was actually having a hard time keeping up. ¡°Are you okay?¡± asked Sophie in a concerned voice. Mark nodded. ¡°I¡¯m fine. Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m good,¡± replied Mark. He ran to the toilet as soon as he finished talking. Ysabelle followed along because she was worried. All she heard was Mark retching after he entered the toilet. That¡¯s right¡­ Superstars are still human, and he had too much to drink, so it¡¯s normal for him to puke. She left quietly. ¡°He vomited,¡± said Ysabelle when she saw Sophie. ¡°Okay.¡± Mark can hold his alcohol pretty well, and even he is vomiting. Tristan probably isn¡¯t that much better off, either. ¡°How are you doing? Are you okay?¡± asked Sophie. Tristan responded by leaning on her shoulder. He closed his eyes, too tired to say another word. That was how Tristan was. He would always be extremely quiet after he drank too much. ¡°What do we do now, Sophie?¡± asked Ysabelle. Everyone had indulged in alcohol, so no one could drive home. ¡°It¡¯ll be fine. You and your Uncle Tristan shouldn¡¯t go home today. Let¡¯s just head to Wisteria Apartments instead.¡± It was obvious that Tristan was a little drunk as well. Hence, there was no saying what would happen if she brought him back to his ce in his inebriated state. She would rather take care of him in person. ¡°Okay, then I¡¯ll call the driver,¡± replied Ysabelle before she left to make the call. ¡°Sophie, you and the others don¡¯t need to go home today. Just stay here at our ce tonight,¡± offered Sunny, who felt much better after resting. They had an extra room, and he thought it was fine to just let Tristan sleep on the couch. ¡°Nah, I¡¯ll get the driver to come and get us. You should go check up on Mark.¡± That was when Sunny finally realized that Mark had been in the toilet for quite some time. Holy sh*t! Tristan is too good at drinking. I can¡¯t believe we failed to beat him, even though it was a battle of one against five. ¡°Okay, then take care. I¡¯ll go check up on Mark now.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± The driver showed up at that moment. Sophie helped Tristan out of the house. When the driver saw them, he got out of the car immediately to open the door for them. ¡°Mr. Tristan, are you okay?¡± asked the driver. He had never seen Tristan that drunk before. ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± Tristan kept leaning on Sophie¡¯s shoulder, even after he got into the car. He had indeed had too much to drink that day, so his head was aching a little. The car drove down the road for quite some time before Sophie suddenly asked the driver to stop. The driver parked the car at the side of the road. ¡°Is there anything you need, Ms. Tanner? I can buy it for you,¡± offered the driver immediately. ¡°There¡¯s no need for that. Just wait here for a while.¡± Sophie hopped out of the car and went into the pharmacy on the other side of the road. She took a box of medicine from the shelves, paid for it, then hurried back into the car. ¡°What were you doing?¡± asked Tristan. He was currently in a daze, so he had no idea what she had gone out to do. ¡°It¡¯s nothing. I just bought some stuff. Go back to sleep. I¡¯ll wake you up once we reach Wisteria Apartments.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Tristan was especially obedient when he was drunk. When they reached the underground parking lot, the driver got out of the car to help Tristan up, but thetter turned the offer down. ¡°You can go home now. I¡¯m not drunk.¡± ¡°Okay, Mr. Tristan.¡± Tristan imed he wasn¡¯t drunk, but as soon as the driver was gone, he leaned on Sophie as though he couldn¡¯t walk properly. Sophie red at him. ¡°Didn¡¯t you say that you weren¡¯t drunk?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not. It¡¯s just a headache,¡± answered Tristan in a surprisingly pitiful tone. Sophie was frustrated, but there was nothing she could do about it. Resigned, she helped him to the elevator. Ysabelle was speechless. He is obviously messing with Sophie. Gah, never mind. I¡¯ll just pretend I never noticed anything. This evil uncle of mine would kick me out if I stepped on his toes. He won¡¯t even care that it¡¯s the middle of the night. Ysabelle didn¡¯t say another word. When they reached their ce, she fled into her room, determined to not be a third wheel. It was not the right thing to do because men, when drunk, could turn into monsters. Hence, leaving Sophie alone to deal with the matter was borderline cruel. The man in question was her uncle, though, so it was a different story. She suddenly wished that something more could happen between Sophie and Tristan. Chapter 284 Chapter 284 Chapter 284 You Smell So Good ¡°Hey!¡±ined Sophie when she saw Ysabelle running into the room, but herints were useless. The former was stuck with taking care of Tristan on her own, and that left her speechless. Sophie had no choice but to take Tristan to his room and help him get onto his bed. After that, she crouched down to help him take his shoes off. Unfortunately, he sat up as soon as she crouched down. That confused her a little. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°Nothing. I can take my own shoes off,¡± replied Tristan. Contentt bel0ngs to N0ve/lDra/ma.O(r)g! He simply couldn¡¯t bear to let her help him take his shoes off. Sophie couldn¡¯t help chuckling when she saw how quickly he took his shoes off. Tristan pulled her toward him when he heard herughter. The two of themy on the bed after that. ¡°What are you doing? Be honest, Mr. Tristan. Is this whole drunk thing an act?¡± asked Sophie. Why else would he refuse to let me help him take his shoes off? Tristan closed his eyes. He refused to answer that question, but he exined himself. ¡°I don¡¯t want you to serve me because you are the one person I want to love and spoil.¡± That was why he refused to let her help him, even when he was drunk and feeling terrible. ¡°I would¡¯ve been okay with it,¡± replied Sophie. She didn¡¯t actually care. ¡°But I¡¯m not okay with it,¡± said Tristan. He wanted to be with her and wanted to be the one to love and spoil her. He didn¡¯t want her to have to do anything she shouldn¡¯t have to. Tristan had his eyes closed the entire time, but his words were extremely touching. Sophie couldn¡¯t help pecking him on the lips. The way he spoiled and loved her truly caused her heart to stir. Unfortunately, that kiss became the spark that ignited the overwhelming passion in Tristan. He flipped over, pinned her under him, then kissed her fervently. She had no idea how difficult it had been for him to suppress his desires, and her kiss definitely broke hisst shred of control. At first, the kiss was deeply passionate, and it felt as though it would burn Sophie up. After the initial mes, the kiss became sweeter and softer. Sophie could still detect the sweet aftertaste of that exquisite vodka in his mouth, and when he kissed her like that, she felt as though she were drunk, too. When their lips parted, he caressed her red lips with his thumb. ¡°What am I going to do now? I really want you,¡± murmured Tristan. He simply couldn¡¯t hold his passions in any longer, but he had no choice. He had to bottle everything up, and that was truly horrible. Sophie rested on the bed, taking in how Tristan was struggling. ¡°Since you¡¯re not drunk, you should go to bed. I¡¯m going to sleep now, too.¡± ¡°Stay with me a little longer.¡± Sophie fished a box of medicine out of her pocket. ¡°Here.¡± ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± asked Tristan, who saw the medicine as soon as he opened his eyes. ¡°It¡¯s for your headache,¡± replied Sophie. I got this for you. Aren¡¯t I a thoughtful person? ¡°Feed me.¡± Sophie was rendered speechless. Despite being annoyed, she took the medicine out of the box and fed one into his mouth. ¡°Sleep well,¡± said Sophie. She was going to get out of his bed right away, but Tristan refused to let her go. He reached out and wrapped his arms around her waist, making it impossible for her to move. ¡°Will you sleep here with me tonight? Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll behave.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± ¡°Sophie, you smell so good.¡± ¡°Uh, Mr. Tristan? Can you please stop seducing me?¡± Sophie simply couldn¡¯t deal with him when he was like that. ¡°Huh? I¡¯m being seductive?¡± He was simply speaking honestly, so he didn¡¯t think he was seducing her. ¡°Yes, you are,¡±ined Sophie firmly. ¡°Okay, if you say so,¡± replied Tristan. He didn¡¯t bother arguing with her. Instead, he swallowed his medicine. As promised, his headache eased up soon after. The second he rxed, his mind started wandering into forbidden territory. Unfortunately, Sophie was still too young to be treated like an adult. That was when Tristan realized that asking her to stay was just making things difficult for him. Earlier, he couldn¡¯t bear to let her leave, but now he had to push her away. ¡°I need to take a shower,¡± said Tristan. He went into the bathroom immediately after. Sophie felt a little irritated when she saw the door to the bathroom closing. Why does he keep sending mixed signals? Ah, never mind. I could feel the change in his body earlier, so it¡¯s obvious he¡¯s having a hard time. I¡¯ll just return to my room so he doesn¡¯t have to suffer. When Tristan exited the shower, he realized that the woman he loved was no longer in his bed. He felt a little helpless about it. I didn¡¯t scare her, did I? It didn¡¯t matter how strong she was when she fought against others. The truth was that she was still just a youngdy, so being frightened was a reasonable reaction. Tristan was worried about Sophie, so he called her right away. She picked up the call within three rings. ¡°I just think I¡¯d be morefortable sleeping in my own room,¡± said Sophie to exin the situation. The truth was as simple as that. ¡°I see. If that¡¯s the case, then rest early.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Sophie couldn¡¯t help giggling after she hung up the call. Tristan chuckled in his room as well. He wondered how long he¡¯d have to stay in the doghouse because that life was getting really tough. The good news, however, was that she was worth the wait. Tristan got up early the next morning because he wanted to buy the girls some breakfast. To his surprise, he saw Sophie already returning with breakfast when he made his way to the living room. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you sleep in?¡± asked Tristan. Sophie had gone to bedtest night, so it was strange that she didn¡¯t sleep longer. ¡°I¡¯m used to waking up early.¡± Sophie had always been a disciplined person and had a habit of waking up early. ¡°Where¡¯s Ysabelle?¡± asked Tristan. Don¡¯t tell me she¡¯s still asleep. ¡°I think she¡¯s still in bed. I¡¯ll go get her toe out for breakfast.¡± Tristan dragged Sophie back to the dining table before she could leave. ¡°It¡¯s fine. You can ignore her. She has been sleeping until the afternoon ever since her holiday started. There¡¯s no need to go wake her up,¡± said Tristan. She¡¯d just ask us to eat without her, anyway. ¡°Okay, then,¡± replied Sophie. Tristan had already said it that way, so she wouldn¡¯t wake Ysabelle up. She simply sat down and had breakfast with him. Tristan had to go to work at Lombard Group after he had his breakfast, but he¡¯d prefer to stay there with Sophie. Unfortunately, he had no choice. He had to leave. The man remained reluctant, even when he was by the door. ¡°Go on.¡± Sophie couldn¡¯t help pushing him a little when she caught him lingering. Tristan grabbed her hands. ¡°We haven¡¯t even parted ways, and I¡¯m already missing you. How I wish I could put you in my pocket and take you everywhere I go.¡± Sophie was speechless. ¡°You are so heartless. Am I that unimportant to you? Do you not feel anything at all when you see me leave?¡± It seemed his presence or absence didn¡¯t bother her much. ¡°I¡­¡± ¡°Never mind, I have to go now. Rest well at home, okay?¡± said Tristan before he left reluctantly. As suspected, Ysabelle slept until that afternoon. She looked around for Sophie after she freshened up. The former eventually found her friend in the study. ¡°Sophie, we¡¯re on holiday, so why are you in the study? Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re studying. That is insane!¡± When Ysabelle calmed down, she realized that Sophie was listening to the song she had given to The Wheelers recently. ¡°What are you doing?¡± ¡°I¡¯m writing the lyrics.¡± The song was practically done, and all that was left to do was to get the lyrics in ce. Ysabelle made her way to Sophie and snuck a peek. That was when she realized that over half of the lyrics were done. Oh my gosh, she works so fast! Ysabelle knew a thing or two about music as well, so she was humming along to the song. The lyrics fit the song so perfectly. It can inspire anyone to work harder and be better. Chapter 285 Chapter 285 Chapter 285 Backer How can there be such a vast difference between two people? While I¡¯ve been asleep until now, Sophie has already written all those lyrics! ¡°I admire you so much, Sophie. Although we¡¯re roughly the same age, we couldn¡¯t be more different.¡± Honestly, I really get an inferiorityplex when I¡¯m with her. That¡¯s because she¡¯s just incredible! ¡°You¡¯re exaggerating. Come on. The housekeeper has probably finished preparing lunch. You can decide whether you want to eat now or wait until your uncle returns to eat with him,¡± Sophie said. After all, Ysabelle had not eaten breakfast. ¡°I¡¯m not hungry. Hurry up and continue writing! I¡¯ve no interest in breakfast and am way more fascinated by your lyrics.¡± ¡°Go and eat. Skipping breakfast isn¡¯t good for the stomach,¡± Sophie responded firmly. Ysabelle was rendered speechless but obediently went to have breakfast in the end. There was still some food left from what Sophie bought for breakfast, so after getting the housekeeper to warm the leftovers, Ysabelle sat at the dining table to eat. She ate a little, then went to look for Sophie in the study. Even though she had only been gone for a while, Sophie had alreadypleted the lyrics and was in the middle of recording the demo. Ysabelle went in quietly. Not daring to disturb, she merely sat to one side to listen. I was thoroughly impressed when I heard the melody previously. But now, hearing Sophie recording a demo live astounds me even more. Sophie¡¯s geniuspletely obliterates what little talent I have, reducing it to nothing. Afterpleting the recording, Sophie spotted Ysabelle deep in thought. She walked over to thetter and tapped her on the shoulder. ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± Why has she be like this after returning from having breakfast? In a particrly solemn tone, Ysabelle asked, ¡°Can I really be a singer? When ites to talent, I can¡¯t evenpare to one-tenth of what you have.¡± Seeing that Ysabelle¡¯s confidence seemed to have taken a hit, Sophie sat on the carpet too and said, ¡°Why are you thinking so much? Do you have any idea how many singers there are in Chanaea? Not every one of them knows how to write songs. To seed in the entertainment industry, one must possess something that makes them unique. There¡¯s something special about your voice that makes it memorable to others. Just that is enough.¡± ¡°Really? You¡¯re not just saying that tofort me?¡± ¡°Really. I¡¯m definitely not justforting you, nor am I any good at doing that. Just go ahead and do whatever you like without any worries. You still have me to tend to everything else, don¡¯t you?¡± With me around, she doesn¡¯t have to worry about a thing! Touched, Ysabelle leaned against Sophie¡¯s shoulder. ¡°How did I get so lucky to meet someone as amazing as you? What would my life be like if I didn¡¯t get to know you?¡± Ysabelle dared not think about it. Sophie was silent, not knowing what to say. ¡°I¡¯m being serious. I¡¯m definitely not trying to butter you up!¡± Sophie got up, then sent the demo to Mark. The Wheelers were in the middle of practice when they received it. ¡°Sophie sent over her demo. Let¡¯s listen to it together.¡± They all believed in Sophiepletely. We were blown away after hearing the melody thest time, and now, she has sent us a demo! The five of them sat on the floor to listen to it, and once it was over, they were dumbstruck. ¡°Seriously, is she even human?¡± Is there anything she doesn¡¯t know how to do? And as if it¡¯s not enough that she knows how to do everything, she goes all out in whatever she does! Sophie is truly terrifying! ¡°Let¡¯s make the decision now. This is going to be the title track for our next album.¡± Mark was also brimming with excitement, confident that they would make waves with that song. The other four raised their hands in agreement. After listening to the demo, Sunny immediately video-called Sophie. ¡°Sophie, you¡¯re remarkable! Also, are you really not nning to return? If you wanted to, you¡¯d surely be a global hit with talent like yours.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to be a global hit. It¡¯s better if I¡¯m just your backer,¡± she replied. The position of backer interests me way more. Sunny was stunned. ¡°All right. Having you support me in that way is also an honor.¡± ¡°By the way, are you all nning to go home? It¡¯s almost Christmas.¡± Apart from Mark, the other band members were from different cities. Hence, Sophie was curious as to why they had not gone home when it was almost Christmas. ¡°I¡¯m not going back. Mark and I are staying here to spend it with you. The other three will be leaving tonight.¡± ¡°It¡¯s been ages since you went back, Sunny. You should go home.¡± Sunny¡¯s family was in Horington, and since he was still young and in that rebellious phase, he had not been back home after leaving thest time. If it had been anyone else who said that to Sunny, he would not have taken any heed. However, because Sophie was the one who said it, he started considering it seriously. ¡°You should go home,¡± Sophie repeated. Thinking about how his grandmother was getting on in years, he decided he should go home and visit her. ¡°All right, then. Mark, you¡¯ll be alone in Jipsdale, so take good care of yourself.¡± Although Mark¡¯s family lived in Jipsdale, the others had never met his family and rarely heard him talk about them. Hence, they did not know much about his family either. ¡°Hmm, how long has it been since you¡¯ve been home, Mark?¡± Sophie asked casually. In truth, he had not been in contact with his family since going to Horington, so it had been a good few years. ¡°When ites to my private affairs, I¡¯m well aware of what¡¯s best for me. You don¡¯t have to bother yourself with it, Sophie.¡± She fell silent. Seeing how Mark was acting, Sunny immediately tried to defuse the situation. ¡°Don¡¯t be like that, Mark. Sophie was only showing her concern for you.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t mean to chastise you, Sophie.¡± ¡°There¡¯s no need to exin anything.¡± ¡°Then I¡¯ll hang up now.¡± Just thinking about his family gave Mark a headache. Many people had tried tracking down Mark¡¯s family members since his debut, but no one had been sessful. ¡°Mark, why don¡¯t I just stay here and keep youpany?¡± With everyone else gone, it¡¯d be too pitiful to leave him here all on his own! ¡°No need for that. I¡¯m fine on my own. You¡¯d only make a ruckus if you stayed here.¡± Sunny stared at him wordlessly. Is he saying I¡¯m annoying now? Tristan returned right after Sophie spoke to Mark and the others on the video call. The housekeeper had prepared four dishes for lunch, and the trio sat down to eat together. Ysabelle insisted on tidying away the tes after the meal, so Sophie helped her with it. However, Ysabelle was still reluctant to leave after putting everything away. If only I could stay here with Sophie all the time! I don¡¯t want to go back! ¡°Sophie, I really can¡¯t bear to part with you. I don¡¯t want to go home at all.¡± s, her father had already called that day and issued an ultimatum. ¡°There, there. Off you go, then. Christmas should be a joyful time with family.¡± Regardless, Sophie could sense that Ysabelle¡¯s father genuinely wanted the best for Ysabelle. Hence, she was sure he would not be able to bear seeing Ysabelle miserable. ¡°All right. Are you also returning to the Tanner residence?¡± asked Ysabelle. I can still pop by asionally and hang out with Sophie if she remains at Wisteria Apartments. But once she returns to the Tanner residence, I won¡¯t be able to go and see her. ¡°Yeah.¡± I¡¯ll have to return sooner or later. As long as Grandpa is there, I¡¯ll definitely have to go back. ¡°That¡¯s enough. What¡¯s with all thisN?velDrama.Org owns this. chatter? The driver is downstairs waiting for you.¡± Ysabelle pursed her lips. Am I being dismissed again? Chapter 286 Chapter 286 Chapter 286 Nichs Shows Up After Ysabelle left, it was also time for Sophie to leave. Nheless, Tristan did not feel like letting her leave. ¡°Let¡¯s rest here for the afternoon. I¡¯ll send you back after that. I¡¯m truly exhausted.¡± He reasoned to himself that it was for their safety as it would be dangerous to drive while tired. ¡°Mr. Tristan¡ª¡± What¡¯s gotten into him? Haven¡¯t we been together the past few days? ¡°Let¡¯s just sleep for forty minutes, okay?¡± Although Sophie knew he harbored no other intentions, the nonchnt manner in which he suggested they sleep together still made her feel embarrassed. ¡°Is that okay?¡± he asked again. Gosh! This is too much! When someone like him acts all cute, it¡¯s impossible to refuse him! ¡°Oh, all right.¡± She could not help thinking that after Tristan appeared in her life, she had forgotten all about her principles. He led Sophie into his bedroom, then embraced her as theyy in bed. That time, Tristan was true to his word and did not try anything. All he did was take an afternoon nap with her. While the pair were napping, Nichs arrived at Jipsdale¡¯s international airport dressed in a smart suit. He had sneaked back on his own. ¡°Sophie Tanner, I¡¯m going to bring you back with me this time,¡± he vowed. There¡¯s only one purpose for my trip here this time¡ªto bring her back no matter what it takes. Sophie had just arrived at the Tanner residence when Arius called her. ¡°Sophie, you need to mentally prepare yourself.¡± ¡°What¡¯s going on? You¡¯re being so cryptic that I can¡¯t make head or tail of what you¡¯re saying.¡± I can¡¯t read his mind, so how would I know what he means when he suddenly says something like that? ¡°It¡¯s about Nichs. Did you know he¡¯s missing?¡± ¡°No, I didn¡¯t.¡± As she spoke, she fiddled with the flowers in her hand. ¡°I told you already, didn¡¯t I? His affairs have nothing to do with me.¡± Arius felt as though he was about to go stark raving mad after hearing that. ¡°Sophie Tanner, do you honestly think it has nothing to do with you? I heard through the grapevine that he came back to look for you, so it¡¯s highly likely that he¡¯s in Jipsdale at this very moment. Got it? Whatever it is, just stay home this Christmas, and don¡¯t go running around.¡± If she ends up getting dragged back there by Nichs, she¡¯s doomed. ¡°D*mn it! He¡¯s crazy. I can¡¯t believe he still hasn¡¯t given up after so long!¡± he muttered. Sophie did not say anything, though she sniped in her head, Are you only realizing now that he¡¯s crazy? ¡°Forget it. You don¡¯t have to worry about that,¡± said Sophie. So what if I bump into him? This is Jipsdale, not Anndur. What could he possibly do to me? Sophie continued arranging the flowers, unfazed by the news. However, she did not expect to cross paths with Nichs so soon, not knowing that he had headed straight to the Tanner residence to look for her. Josiah gazed at the young man in front of him with a look of intense scrutiny in his eyes. It¡¯s the first time someone hase to the house asking for Sophie, and I sense many things about this young man that begs careful consideration. ¡°What did you say your name was?¡± Josiah asked again to confirm. ¡°Good day, Old Mr. Tanner. I¡¯m Nichs Sable,¡± Nichs replied, behaving like a true gentleman in front of the elderly man. ¡°And what did you say your rtionship with Sophie was?¡± ¡°We¡¯re dating. I know you might not believe me, but everything I¡¯ve said is the truth.¡± Morgan¡¯s eyes widened. Ms. Sophie¡¯s boyfriend? ¡°Young man, I don¡¯t care what your motives are, but please put an end to what you¡¯re doing. My darling Sophie already has a boyfriend.¡± ¡°What?¡± She has a boyfriend already? Why don¡¯t I know about that? Who is it? Who has the audacity to date her? ¡°I said that Sophie has a boyfriend. And just so you know, I approve of him. Regardless of your purpose foring here, you should leave now.¡± Josiah heartily approved of Tristan, not because of thetter¡¯s status or identity, but because of how Tristan truly cared for Sophie. After hearing that Sophie already had a boyfriend, Nichs could no longer control the anger within him. ¡°Old Mr. Tanner, I think you¡¯ve made a mistake. I¡¯m Sophie¡¯s boyfriend.¡± Josiah frowned. Meanwhile, Willow was amused as she listened to the conversation. ¡°Do you see that, Grandpa? That shows your darling Sophie¡¯s true colors. She has such complicated rtionships. How utterly humiliating,¡± she remarked mockingly. Sophie¡¯s methods are truly something else. When Nichs heard Willow dare to mock Sophie before him, he shot her a death stare. Willow dared not say anything else as Nichs glowered at her. However, she was thoroughly disgruntled. These people all have a screw loose! ¡°That¡¯s enough. You can go now.¡± Nichs did not look like someone one would want to cross, but Josiah still did not take a liking to him. He has the air of a rogue. Nichs¡¯ expression darkened as it was the first time someone had dared toT¨ºxt ? N?velDrama.Org. talk to him in that way. However, he suppressed his anger after recalling the purpose of his visit. ¡°How about this, Old Mr. Tanner? I won¡¯t be so presumptuous as to ask you to believe me right now. Why don¡¯t you get Sophie toe down here? The truth will be revealed once she¡¯s here, right?¡± ¡°Young man, even if you really are Sophie¡¯s boyfriend, I won¡¯t approve of it.¡± After a brief silence, Nichs got up from the couch abruptly. ¡°Old Mr. Tanner, out of respect to you as an elder, I¡¯ve spoken to you patiently all this while. But if you continue acting like that, I¡¯m afraid we¡¯ll have reached an impasse,¡± Nichs said furiously. ¡°So? What are you going to do about it?¡± Josiah retorted, his temper also ring. The tension between the two men thickened in the blink of an eye, and it seemed as though they would get into a fight at any moment. Just then, Sophie came down the stairs. Her face fell when she saw that Nichs had actually shown up at her home. Josiah calmed down when he saw her coming downstairs. ¡°Go upstairs, Soph. No matter what happens, I¡¯m here,¡± Josiah said bluntly. Naturally, Nichs had spotted Sophie too. He piped up immediately, ¡°Sophie, I finally get to see you.¡± He did not even realize how happy he looked after he saw her. Since Nichs had already appeared at her doorstep, there was no way Sophie could pretend she had not seen anything. ¡°Let¡¯s go. Whatever it is you¡¯re here for, we can talk outside,¡± said Sophie. After all, this is my family¡¯s house. The way we tackle our issues is quite terrifying, so my family members may find it a little hard to swallow. However, Nichs refused to leave. ¡°No matter what, I came all the way from Anndur to Jipsdale to look for you. Hence, I want to stay at your house for a few days,¡± he insisted shamelessly. ¡°Soph, who on earth is he?¡± Josiah demanded. He thoroughly disliked Nichs. ¡°Nobody important, Grandpa. You don¡¯t have to worry.¡± With that, Sophie walked out while dragging Nichs behind her. ¡°What are you doing, Sophie?¡± Why is she dragging me out? That¡¯s not cool at all! She silenced him with a re. ¡°Soph¡­¡± Despite Sophie¡¯s reassurances, Josiah was still fraught with worry. Chapter 287 Chapter 287 Chapter 287 Following Her ¡°Grandpa, don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll handle the situation,¡± Sophie said. This is Jipsdale, not Anndur, so Nichs can¡¯t do anything here. Once they were outside the living room, Sophie crossed her arms before her chest, ring at Nichs. Nichs was unfazed. ¡°You¡¯ve been hiding for so many years, Sophie. Finally, I¡¯ve found you.¡± Sophie was rendered speechless. Have I been hiding? Did I need to? ¡°Nichs, I don¡¯t care why you¡¯re here, but I¡¯m not going back with you. Go back to where you came from, will you?¡± Sophie was unweing. ¡°I heard you have a boyfriend now. Is that true?¡± Nichs suddenly changed the topic. ¡°What does that have to do with you?¡± Sophie replied indifferently. Nichs¡¯ gaze darkened when he heard that. It seems like her grandpa was telling the truth. ¡°You¡¯re mine, Sophie. Have you forgotten about that?¡± Nichs was very adamant about Sophie being his. No one can take her away from me. Sophie couldn¡¯t help but chuckle coldly. ¡°I¡¯m yours? Since when? Nichs, have I not told you before that I¡¯m mine alone? No one owns me.¡± Nichs smiled. ¡°Well, I own you.¡± Sophie was lost for words in the face of his persistence. ¡°All right. It¡¯s been a long time since we saw each other. Let¡¯s have a meal together, shall we?¡± He hade straight to the Tanner residence the moment hended, so he hadn¡¯t eaten anything yet. Sophie frowned and answered, ¡°I don¡¯t have the appetite for that. Eat on your own! Since I was once your friend, I think I need to remind you about something. This is Jipsdale, not Anndur. You better not act like how you do in Anndur.¡± ¡°Are you worried about me? I think you are! You¡¯re worried about me.¡± Suddenly, Nichs was over the moon. ¡°I¡¯m not worried about you; I just don¡¯t want you to disturb my life here. Nichs, I¡¯m warning you. Stay away from the people around me.¡± Nichs acted like he couldn¡¯t care less. ¡°Sophie, you should know that I¡¯m in danger by being here, right?¡± ¡°That¡¯s your problem. No one asked you toe here.¡± Jipsdale was Tristan¡¯s territory, and Nichs was a big shot in Anndur. There was no way peace could exist if these two men were in the same ce. ¡°Sophie, how could you be so heartless? No matter what, we¡¯ve been through thick and thin together. Since I¡¯ve come to your territory, don¡¯t you think you should treat me to a meal?¡±Exclusive content from N?velDrama.Org. Before he came, he had already thought about all the ways he could use to bring her back. However, he had decided not to use them when he saw her again. ¡°Either way, I know where you live. If you don¡¯t go out for a meal with me, I¡¯ll just eat at your ce.¡± Sophie went silent. Is he threatening me? ¡°Please don¡¯t see it as a threat. To be honest, I don¡¯t like your sister,¡± he added. How dare she talk bad about Sophie behind her back! ¡°Are you done, Nichs? Let¡¯s just fight, shall we? If you lose, get your *ss back to Anndur.¡± Sophie wanted to settle the matter by using the quickest way possible. In response, Nichs smiled and answered, ¡°Sophie, I didn¡¯t risk my life ande all the way here to fight you.¡± He couldn¡¯t possibly tell her that he hade to kidnap her. ¡°Then will you leave now?¡± Sophie wasn¡¯t afraid of a big shot from Anndur. ¡°If that¡¯s what¡¯s on your mind, perhaps I should just cancel my hotel booking and stay at your house. I haven¡¯t spent Christmas here in a long time, and I miss it,¡± he said. Hearing that, Sophie ran out of patience and attacked him. Since he¡¯s not listening to a word I¡¯m saying, I¡¯ll use violence. Nichs just kept dodging her because he wasn¡¯t there to fight her. ¡°All right, all right. I¡¯ll go to my hotel so that you can calm down,¡± he said. I think my sudden appearance caught her off guard! That¡¯s okay. I can give her more time to slowly ept my presence. I¡¯m not going to give up on her, though. After watching Nichs leave, Sophie felt her mood worsen. He¡¯s actually here in Jipsdale! All this while, I thought he would never dare toe here. I never expected him to ignore all the risks ande here. What is he going to do this time around to get me to give in? At this point, I have no idea what he¡¯s incapable of doing. After going back to her room, Sophie immediately gave Arius a call. ¡°What is it?¡± Arius was half asleep when he answered the phone as he had still been sleeping. ¡°Nichs is in Jipsdale.¡± ¡°What?¡± At once, Arius jolted awake. ¡°Does that mean you¡¯ve met him? Are you okay, Sophie?¡± Arius knew how despicable Nichs was, so he was worried about Sophie. ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± Arius sighed and said, ¡°I don¡¯t know why Nichs is being so persistent.¡± Like Sophie, he didn¡¯t think Nichs would have the courage to go to Jipsdale. Did he just ignore all the risks in his bid to see her? ¡°F*ck! Nichs is really a sick man!¡± Arius wanted to go to Jipsdale as soon as he could. ¡°I have an idea! Since I don¡¯t have any missions these days, I¡¯ll head over to Jipsdale to help you. It¡¯s always good to have one more person looking out for you.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not necessary. This is just a small matter, so I don¡¯t need you toe back for it.¡± Besides, if they were to fight, Arius was no match for Nichs. ¡°Why did you call me, then? You¡¯re just making me worry about you, and you won¡¯t even let me help you!¡± ¡°I¡¯m just informing you.¡± Sophie wasn¡¯t that confident in handling Nichs. If he could achieve so much in Anndur, I bet he¡¯s not easy to deal with. ¡°Perhaps you should tell Tristan about this. I don¡¯t think Nichs would dare to do anything if Tristan is involved.¡± That was the only n Arius could think of. ¡°There¡¯s no need for that.¡± ¡°Why not? Don¡¯t you like Tristan?¡± ¡°There are some things I would rather keep from him.¡± ¡°Sophie, it might not be a good idea to keep this from him. What if he wants to know about it?¡± Arius asked. So, it seems like Sophie has really fallen for Tristan. That¡¯s why she¡¯s being so cautious. ¡°I¡¯m not hiding it from him. It¡¯s just that he has nothing to do with what happened between Nichs and me. Hence, I shouldn¡¯t drag him into it.¡± Arius kept mum for a while. I can¡¯t believe a woman like her exists in this world! Why doesn¡¯t she just depend on her boyfriend? Isn¡¯t that what he¡¯s for? ¡°All right. I¡¯m ending the call here.¡± ¡°Hey!¡± Arius sighed in response. How could she do this? She woke me up in the middle of the night but now won¡¯t talk to me anymore. How am I supposed to sleep now? After leaving him with that, Sophie hung up. That night, Tristan went to fetch Sophie because they were meeting a group of people for dinner. After Tristan drove for around fifteen minutes, Sophie noticed that Nichs was following her. Chapter 288 Chapter 288 Chapter 288 Nichs And His Threats When he realized that Sophie had spotted him, he texted: Is that man your boyfriend? Sophie clenched her fists when she saw the text. Tristan noticed the change in her mood. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± he asked caringly. ¡°Nothing.¡± Sophie then texted back: It¡¯s none of your concern. You better stop following me. In response, Nichs texted back an unfathomable smiling emoji. ¡°What is it?¡± Tristan noticed how absent-minded she was. ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± Upon arriving at Blossom Garden, Sophie received another text from Nichs saying: No wonder you refused to eat with me. You¡¯re eating with someone else! Sophie, I¡¯m not happy about this. ¡°F*ck!¡± Sophie cursed. She couldn¡¯t keep control of her emotions anymore. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Tristan had never seen her so angry before. Sophie took a deep breath and answered, ¡°I¡¯m all right.¡± Nichs was just as capable as Tristan. If they were to get into a fight in Jipsdale, the consequences would be dire. ¡°Are you sure?¡± Tristan asked. How is she all right? She¡¯s obviously infuriated. ¡°I said I¡¯m fine.¡± Tristan brought Sophie to a private room. That day, Sarah was there as well. She looked a lot better than before, herplexion radiant and glowing. ¡°Sit here, Sophie! I need to ask you something,¡± Sarah said when Tristan and Sophie walked in. Sophie went to sit next to her. ¡°I like the perfume you gave mest time. Where did you buy it? Mine is finishing, so I want to buy another bottle of it,¡± Sarah uttered. ¡°I¡¯ll give you a bottle of it in a couple of days,¡± Sophie answered. ¡°How much is one?¡± Sarah asked. Since it¡¯s so good, it has to be expensive. Sophie is still in her senior year. I can¡¯t burden her financially. ¡°Sarah, a friend of mine made it, so it¡¯s free,¡± Sophie uttered. It¡¯s not like it can be bought in the market either. Exclusive content from N?velDrama.Org. Arius specially made that for me. ¡°Oh, I see!¡± Sarah was interested in that friend of hers. ¡°Who is it? Will you introduce me to your friend? I would like to meet him.¡± ¡°Sure!¡± However, it was very unlikely because Arius was seldom back. Right then, Sophie received another text. It read: Sophie, I don¡¯t want to eat on my own. I¡¯m in the private room next to yours. Come over! Sophie was rendered speechless. I think I¡¯m going to kill someone today. Standing up, she said, ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I need to go to the restroom.¡± ¡°Are you okay? I¡¯ll go with you.¡± Ysabelle stood up as well. ¡°That¡¯s unnecessary. You stay here and chat with the others. I¡¯ll be back in a while.¡± With that, Sophie left the private room. ¡°What¡¯s with Sophie today?¡± Felix noticed that Sophie had been acting weird as well. ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Tristan answered. ¡°That¡¯s not right, Tristan. How could you not know? Sophie is your girlfriend!¡± Sarah wasn¡¯t happy with Tristan¡¯s answer. ¡°Sarah, you can¡¯t say that. When Mr. Tristan is with Sophie, he¡¯s practically useless. If Sophie doesn¡¯t want to tell him something, there¡¯s nothing he can do about it,¡± Felix uttered. ¡°Felix, do you think it¡¯s appropriate to talk about Uncle Tristan that way?¡± Ysabelle asked. Meanwhile, Sophie had arrived in the private room next door. Although he was alone, Nichs had ordered a lot of dishes. As he was sitting at the head of the table, he smiled when he saw Sophie walking in. ¡°That¡¯s more like it! I¡¯vee all the way to Jipsdale, so I think it¡¯s only fair that you have dinner with me.¡± Sophie narrowed her eyes and crossed her arms. ¡°Nichs, I¡¯ve warned you, haven¡¯t I?¡± They weren¡¯t standing in each other¡¯s way before this, but he had really angered her this time around. Nichs poured a ss of wine for himself and said, ¡°Sophie, you¡¯re the one acting out of line. Have I asked for anything unreasonable? I¡¯ve merely asked you to have a meal with me. Must you act this way?¡± ¡°Ha!¡± Sophie was both amused and enraged. ¡°Don¡¯t be angry, okay? I don¡¯t like you angry,¡± he said. ¡°Nichs, I really think there¡¯s something wrong with you.¡± Sophie didn¡¯t want to spend another second in there, so she turned around to leave. Right then, Nichs said, ¡°Sophie, if you leave, I¡¯m going over. I don¡¯t care if that man is Tristan. It¡¯s hard to say who would emerge victorious, isn¡¯t it?¡± Indeed, he had already found out about Tristan. Sophie sat opposite Nichs and mmed her hands on the table. Nichs was enraged when he saw that. ¡°Do you really like Tristan?¡± Tristan sounded dangerous and angry. ¡°I do.¡± Nichs was slightly stunned because he didn¡¯t expect her to give him such a direct answer. At that moment, he was even at a loss for words. ¡°Nichs, I don¡¯t care how you feel about me now. I already have someone I like, so stop pestering me.¡± All along, Sophie either liked or disliked someone. There was no in-between. Infuriated, Nichs clenched his hands into fists. At the same time, he was trying with all his might to control his emotions. Otherwise, he would really destroy everything in sight. ¡°It¡¯s okay. If youe with me, you¡¯ll forget about him.¡± Nichs was determined to do everything in his power to make Sophie forget about Tristan. Upon hearing that, Sophie frowned. This guy is so stubborn it¡¯s borderline obsessive. Nothing I say will work. ¡°Go back to Anndur, Nichs! If Tristan knows you¡¯re here, he¡¯s not going to let you off,¡± she said. ¡°Oh? Is that so? Do you think I¡¯m going to let him off?¡± Nichs was having a terrible headache. I¡¯m going to destroy everything! ¡°Ha! Touch him, then. I dare you.¡± Sophie wasn¡¯t going to let anyone harm the people around her. A stinging pain spread out from Nichs¡¯ heart, and he found it hard to breathe. ¡°If you had to choose between me and him, who would you choose?¡± Nichs was still not giving up. As far as he was concerned, Sophie had always been his and his only. Then one day, she was gone. After losing what was his for a long time, he finally found her again. Before he could feel happy about it, she told him that she was no longer his. He just couldn¡¯t ept that. ¡°Why has Sophie been gone for so long? Could it be that something has happened to her?¡± Seeing that Sophie had been away for quite a while, Sarah was getting worried. ¡°Sarah, this is not Sophie¡¯s first visit to Blossom Garden. Nothing¡¯s going to happen to her.¡± ¡°Tristan, check on her, will you? What if something bad has happened to her?¡± Sarah asked. She can¡¯t possibly spend so much time in the restroom! ¡°Okay. I¡¯ll go and check on her.¡± Tristan obliged obediently. Chapter 289 Chapter 289 Chapter 289 Tied Up Before Tristan could open the door, someone did so from the outside. Sophie saw him standing behind the door, so she asked puzzledly, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Are you going somewhere?¡± Tristan shook his head. Since she had already returned, he wasn¡¯t going anywhere anymore. ¡°You¡¯ve been gone for so long, so I was actually going to look for you. Since you¡¯re back, let¡¯s sit and eat!¡± Everyone in the room was waiting for her. ¡°I¡¯m sorry to have kept you all waiting,¡± Sophie apologized. It took me longer than expected to deal with Nichs. Seeing that Tristan was too shy to ask, Felix questioned, ¡°Sophie, did you need that much time in the restroom? Where exactly have you been?¡± Sophie kept quiet and shot Felix a look. Why is he such a busybody? Seeing as Sophie didn¡¯t seem inclined to answer, Sarah then lightened the mood by saying, ¡°All right. Let¡¯s eat, everyone. I¡¯m famished!¡± Felix wanted to say something, but he changed his mind when he saw Sophie¡¯s expression. Fine. Mr. Tristan isn¡¯t even asking. Why should I? Ysabelle, who was sitting next to him, stomped on his foot with all of her might. ¡°Ouch!¡± Felix cried out in pain and turned toward the person who had injured him. ¡°What was that for, Ysabelle? I didn¡¯t even do anything wrong! Why are you being such a bully?¡± ¡°How could you say that you haven¡¯t done anything wrong? Is it any of your business what Sophie does? If you¡¯ve annoyed her, you¡¯ve annoyed me!¡± Ysabelle was quick to defend Sophie. ¡°Since when have I annoyed her? I was just worried about her!¡± ¡°Bullsh*t! I bet you were just trying to butter Uncle Tristan up!¡± Ysabelle retorted. I don¡¯t see Charles and Sean asking Sophie questions. Finally, Felix kept his mouth shut. Fine! I was just asking on behalf of Mr. Tristan. I¡¯m sure he would also like to know the answer to my question. ¡°Come, Sophie. Sit down. I¡¯m sure you¡¯re hungry!¡± Sarah knew Sophie well. Everyone has something they would rather keep to themselves. Since Sophie doesn¡¯t feel like telling us about it, we shouldn¡¯t keep asking. When she¡¯s ready, she¡¯ll talk. Sophie went back to her seat and sat down. Tristan sat down next to her as well. It was as if Tristan hadn¡¯t heard Felix¡¯s question. As they ate, he was still putting food on Sophie¡¯s te. With Tristan, Sophie could do whatever she liked. When she felt like talking to him, he would always listen attentively. However, he wouldn¡¯t force things out of her if she refused to speak. Seeing him like that, Sophie felt relieved. Meanwhile, Nichs was tied up to a chair in the private room next door. Besides that, a towel had even been stuffed into his mouth. At that moment, his eyes were filled with resentment. I never thought something like this would ever happen to me. I underestimated her. I thought she would treat me differently, but she¡¯s just as merciless toward me. Regret overwhelmed him. I was careless! Otherwise, I wouldn¡¯t get tied to a chair by a girl. My reputation is ruined! He couldn¡¯t eat, so he could only look at the table full of dishes. I¡¯m so hungry! It was a horrible feeling because he was drooling so badly. ¡°What do you think is on Mr. Tristan¡¯s mind?¡± Charles asked. Although he hadn¡¯t said anything earlier, he knew that everyone could tell there was something up with Sophie. After all, they weren¡¯t a bunch of dimwits. ¡°Don¡¯t meddle in Mr. Tristan¡¯s business!¡± Sean was never one to stick his nose in other¡¯s personal matters. When ites to rtionships, others should stay out of it. Otherwise, people are just going to get offended. ¡°Sean, I wonder if you would still be so calm if you were to meet someone you like! However, I doubt you¡¯ll ever meet someone. Since you¡¯re so smart and logical, why would you ever go crazy over a woman?¡± That was how Charles truly felt. Sean shot him a look in response. ¡°Why don¡¯t you worry about yourself? With so many women around you, you might get infected with STDs!¡± Charles was rendered speechless. Must he be so mean? After dinner, they all went to a clubhouse. While the four men were ying pool, the threedies were chatting over milkshakes. ¡°To be honest, I think I¡¯m going to put on weight if I keep hanging out with you guys!¡± Sarah uttered. Unlike me, Sophie and Ysabelle are still young, so they don¡¯t have to worry about getting fat. I¡¯m in my thirties! I need to look out for my weight. ¡°Sarah, don¡¯t worry! You¡¯re not going to get fat!¡± Sophie answered confidently. ¡°Really?¡± Sarah wasn¡¯t convinced. How is it possible that I won¡¯t put on weight? My age is a huge factor here. ¡°Really! Even if you get fat, I have ways to help you lose weight. Hence, just enjoy your milkshake!¡± Sophie uttered. ¡°Aunt Sarah, you¡¯re overthinking. What¡¯s the point of living if we don¡¯t enjoy our lives? How are you going to be happy if you keep worrying about these things?¡± Ysabelle knew how important it was toT¨ºxt ? N?velDrama.Org. have fun. ¡°Okay. You¡¯re right. Fine! I¡¯ll enjoy the night,¡± Sarah replied. It¡¯s so important for a woman to have self-discipline. What else can a woman do if she can¡¯t even manage her weight? However, I really want to have fun with these two tonight. I¡¯ll just eat and drink whatever I want and ignore what others would think of me. I¡¯ll worry about my weight tomorrow! Besides, I¡¯m not even that fat. By the time they stepped out of the clubhouse, it was already eleven. No matter how much fun they were having, Tristan wouldn¡¯t keep Sophie out past midnight. She should have a fixed routine. After everyone had left, Tristan opened the car door for Sophie to get into the vehicle. ¡°I¡¯ll drive you back, okay?¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Upon arriving at the Tanner residence, Sophie immediately called Butterfly. ¡°How¡¯s everything? Did you take him away?¡± After tying Nichs to the chair, Sophie had texted Butterfly and told her to take him away. When Sophie called her, Butterfly was applying a facial mask. She put the call on speaker mode and continued her ministrations. ¡°Do you ever need to worry about my efficiency?¡± ¡°No.¡± Sophie was confident in Butterfly¡¯s capability. ¡°Still, Sophie, he¡¯s Nichs Sable. You¡¯ve just kidnapped an international big shot. What are you nning to do next?¡± Butterfly asked. If we don¡¯t handle this right, Nichs is going to kill us in revenge! ¡°Don¡¯t worry, okay? I¡¯m here!¡± Sophie answered. Although it¡¯s a hassle to deal with Nichs, I can still handle him. ¡°All right! So, what now? He¡¯s still tied up!¡± Butterfly hadn¡¯t known what to do with Nichs after bringing him back. Therefore, she hadn¡¯t even untied him. Chapter 290 Chapter 290 Chapter 290 Angry Man ¡°Just keep him tied up, and we¡¯ll see what to do about him tomorrow,¡± Sophie answered. Nichs¡¯ father is a maniac. If something happens to Nichs in Jipsdale, he¡¯ll surelye here. That¡¯s why I haven¡¯t done anything to Nichs yet. However, I really want to just end his life so that he won¡¯t show up in front of me again. I¡¯m getting sick of his attitude. Earlier, when Tristan was sending her back home, he had seemed troubled. Sophie knew what was on his mind, but she couldn¡¯t tell him about Nichs. I don¡¯t want him to have to make an enemy out of Nichs because of this. As soon as Tristan came into her mind, Sophie felt even more troubled. It was as if he had upied a spot in her heart and was a lot more important to her than she thought. He was just talking less, and I¡¯m already overthinking things. This is bad. After taking a shower, Sophie got into bed and opened her WhatsApp. She then texted Tristan: You seemed unhappy. Is something wrong? Upon arriving home, Tristan went to shower. After that, he went to the study because he had to go through some documents. By the time he returned to his room and saw the text, it was already past one. She texted me so long ago. If I text backte, how will she react? Although I didn¡¯t do it on purpose, I wonder if she would overthink things if I didn¡¯t reply for a long time. However, it¡¯s already two in the morning. She should be asleep already, right? Should I still reply her? After some hesitation, he still replied: I wasn¡¯t. You¡¯re just overthinking. Tristan ended up having trouble sleeping because Sophie wasn¡¯t replying to his text. Hence, he texted again: I was showering, so I didn¡¯t see your text. Half an hourter, Sophie still hadn¡¯t replied to his texts. Tristan couldn¡¯t help but laugh at himself when he recalled how he was acting. What has gotten into me? Am I that childish? I¡¯m losing sleep because she hasn¡¯t texted me back! I must¡¯ve gone crazy! While he was in bed, he couldn¡¯t sleep, and all he could think about was Sophie¡¯s behavior that day. She must be dealing with something! That was the first time I¡¯d seen her like that. Before this, she has always been as cool as a cucumber. What exactly happened today? Why is she not telling me? She still doesn¡¯t trust me, does she? I¡¯ve been working so hard, but it seems like I¡¯ve still failed to get her to open up to me. At that point, he was feeling defeated. After Sophie texted him, she went to sleep because he didn¡¯t text her back. When she woke up at seven the next morning, she saw his messages. Exclusive content from N?velDrama.Org. Sophie couldn¡¯t help but chuckle when she imagined what he was like when he texted her the night before. She then replied: I¡¯m sorry, but I was drainedst night. I fell asleep after I messaged you. Right after she texted him, Tristan video-called her. ¡°Have you just woken up?¡± Tristan sounded cute because he was half asleep. Sophie nodded. ¡°I wasn¡¯t purposely ignoring your textst night,¡± Tristan exined. ¡°Did I say you did it on purpose? It¡¯s all right. My grandpa is asking me to head downstairs for breakfast. I¡¯ll go now.¡± Seeing that she was about to end the video call, Tristan reminded her, ¡°Remember this, Sophie! No matter what you¡¯re dealing with, I¡¯m willing to help you! I want to share your burdens with you!¡± ¡°Okay. I know.¡± She had spent a lot of time with him, so she knew what he was talking about. ¡°Sophie, I¡¯ll just tell you as it is! I see you in my future ns. Hence, I also hope that you can see me as the person who¡¯s closest to you. I want you to be able to trust me.¡± Sophie fell silent because she didn¡¯t know how to react to Tristan¡¯s heartfelt words. Tristan was calm when he saw her reaction. ¡°All right. Go downstairs and have your breakfast.¡± It was Christmas Eve, so he had to have dinner at the Lombard residence that night, meaning he couldn¡¯t go over to visit her. ¡°By the way, please tell your grandpa that I won¡¯t be able to drink with him tonight. I¡¯ll see him tomorrow instead!¡± ¡°Sure!¡± It was a Chanaean tradition to have Christmas Eve dinner with family members. That was why Josiah was hoping that Sophie could be back to have dinner with the others. As she was walking down the stairs, she saw everyone else waiting for her. She then calmly walked toward Josiah and sat down next to him. ¡°Didn¡¯t I say you guys should eat first?¡± Sophie put some food on Josiah¡¯s te. ¡°Here, Grandpa.¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t you know we were going to have breakfast together? What took you so long toe downstairs? Sophie, you¡¯re doing this on purpose, aren¡¯t you?¡± Willow fumed. ¡°Willow, go upstairs if you don¡¯t want to eat. You¡¯re not regretting your actions at all.¡± Ever since Josiah found out about what happened at Transfix Cosmetics, he had ordered Willow to stay home and reflect on her actions as a punishment. Willow felt aggrieved. ¡°Grandpa, you¡¯re tantly spoiling Sophie. Why are you only punishing me?¡± ¡°That¡¯s enough, Willow! It¡¯s Christmas! Must you cause a scene?¡± Caleb uttered when he saw how angry Josiah was. Can¡¯t everyone just live in harmony? It¡¯s Christmas! ¡°Caleb, even you?¡± Willow stood up at once and ran back to her room. Caleb sighed in response. I shouldn¡¯t havee back for Christmas. Everything is a mess here, and it¡¯s so frustrating. ¡°Soph, eat up! Since she¡¯s not going to eat, that means she¡¯s not hungry. When she gets hungryter, she¡¯lle down.¡± Josiah was still very unhappy with Willow. What a spoiled child! We¡¯ve truly failed to educate her. After breakfast, Sophie was heading out. As soon as she walked out of the living room, she saw Caleb waiting for her outside. Caleb saw her and walked over to her instantly. ¡°Soph, since it¡¯s such a rare asion for me to be back, I hope Dad can spend Christmas with us.¡± ¡°Caleb, as you¡¯ve said, it¡¯s a rare asion for you to be here. I was chased out of here back then while you ran off on your own ord. How many times have you been back over the past few years? What right do you have to feel disappointed with how the Tanner family has be?¡± Sophie demanded. Caleb has always been self-centered. Caleb was embarrassed when he heard that. Indeed, he had been self-centered ever since he was a child. However, he still felt embarrassed because Sophie had called him out. ¡°Let hime back, then! Grandpa wants him here as well. However, if he harms Grandpa again, I¡¯m sending him to prison,¡± Sophie warned. ¡°That won¡¯t happen again. Dad has already promised me that he won¡¯t do that again.¡± Sophie scoffed in response. Nothing would¡¯ve happened if Yale could keep his promises. After that, Sophie went to the ce where Butterfly was keeping Nichs. When she opened the door, she saw him still tied to a chair. Wait. Isn¡¯t that the chair from Blossom Garden? ¡°Why and how did you bring the chair back as well?¡± Sophie questioned. Chapter 291 Chapter 291 Chapter 291 They Will Not Meet Again Sophie could not help but wonder. How was it possible that nobody from Blossom Garden was suspicious of her? Meanwhile, Butterfly could not refrain from laughing. ¡°Ha! It¡¯s easy-peasy for a gorgeous woman like me to convince others. I told them he¡¯s a lunatic and must be tied up.¡± Nichs could only re at her as his mouth was stuffed with a towel. Pfft! Have theye across any lunatic as good-looking as me? D*mn it! Sophie Tanner, you must have a death wish! How could you have the gall to treat me this way? Sophie pulled a chair over and sat right in front of Nichs. Catching sight of thetter glowering menacingly at her, she shrugged her shoulders, not caring one bit. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I won¡¯t torture you. In fact, I¡¯ve arranged for others to send you back. Don¡¯t step onto thisnd again.¡± Even though Nichs could not utter any words, Sophie could sense the intense fury in his countenance. ¡°Pull out the towel from his mouth.¡± Since Nichs would be sent back to Anndur soon, Sophie exercised restraint by allowing him to speak. However, he started cussing right after Butterfly pulled the towel out from his mouth. It was outrageously unbearable for Sophie. Thus, she grabbed the towel and stuffed it into his mouth again. In an instant, Nichs widened his eyes in disbelief. He mustered up his strength to protest but to no avail. ¡°Initially, I thought of allowing you to say something. However, since you still haven¡¯t learned your lesson, forget about it then.¡± ¡°Someone will pick him upter. You can hand him over to them directly,¡± Sophie instructed Butterfly before she turned toward Nichs. ¡°Nichs Sable, I hope we won¡¯t meet again.¡± Hearing that, Nichs stopped struggling. Deep down, he vowed to settle the score with Sophie after regaining his freedom. How dare she humiliate me like this! Doesn¡¯t she know that I¡¯m a vengeful man? Irked by the viciousness in Nichs¡¯ eyes, Sophie kicked the chair he was sitting in. Subsequently, he almost fell together with it to the ground. At that very moment, Nichs could barely restrain himself from unleashing his wrath on Sophie and teaching her a lesson. D*mn it! Nobody has ever dared to treat me this way! ¡°Sophie!¡± Butterfly was taken aback. What on earth is she trying to do? ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I know what I¡¯m doing.¡± Sophie remained nonchnt as ever as she warned Nichs, ¡°Heed my words, okay? Don¡¯t appear in front of me again. If not, I won¡¯t spare you.¡± By the time Sophie stepped out from the ce where Nichs was held captive, it was almost three in the afternoon. She had assigned someone trustworthy to send him back earlier. Now that the matter had been settled, she wandered alone on the streets. Mark might not have gone home. As the thought struck her, she made her way to Mark and the others¡¯ mansion. As she knew the passcode for the main door, she entered the mansion right away without calling ahead to inform Mark. Once Sophie opened the door, the sound of rock music red from upstairs. She knew that her instinct was proven right. Evidently, Mark still refused to go home. She headed toward the music practice room, opened the door, and saw Mark practicing alone. It was the new song she hadposed. Entering the room, she plopped herself down right on the floor. She listened attentively as Mark yed the song. As expected, he was the person who knew her the best. Hence, the way he yed the song showed that he had interpreted the feelings she injected into it perfectly well. Meanwhile, Mark was not surprised when Sophie came into view. Only after he finished the song did he ask, ¡°What do you think? Was that the feeling you wish to express?¡± ¡°Yeah! That¡¯s right. Evidently, you¡¯re the one who knows me the best,¡± sheplimented. He has always been. Mark merely took two bottles of cocktail in silence. He handed her a bottle before he sat opposite her and opened another one. ¡°Why did you suddenlye here?¡± He had thought nobody in the world would think of him on that day. ¡°Why do you sound as if you¡¯re resentful?¡± Sophie was puzzled. He¡¯s seemingly not his usual self! ¡°No, I¡¯m not. I only felt a bit lonely all of a sudden. Anyway, it¡¯s just a tiny bit!¡± Mark gestured with his fingertips. Seeing that, Sophie took a sip of the cocktail and chuckled. ¡°Okay, Mark, I¡¯ll drop the subject. I¡¯m actually here to check on you. If you have nowhere to go, you can follow me home.¡± Technically, Josiah was the only one she acknowledged as her family member at her so-called home. ¡°Okay!¡± Mark dly epted her invitation. ¡°Pack your things and come back with me then! Anyway, you know the situation at my house, don¡¯t you? So don¡¯t expect to seek family warmth there, okay?¡± Sophie emphasized. Hmph! There¡¯s no such thing at the Tanner residence. Mark burst outughing. ¡°I can keep Old Mr. Tannerpany and chat with him then.¡± He could not care less about others as long as she was around. Hence, Mark followed Sophie back to theT¨ºxt ? N?velDrama.Org. Tanner residence for Christmas that year. Josiah was quite surprised to see him. He did not know much about the current entertainment industry. On top of that, he was oblivious to Mark¡¯s poprity as he only listened to military songs. ¡°Old Mr. Tanner, nice to meet you. I¡¯m Mark, Sophie¡¯s friend.¡± ¡°Nice to meet you too. Make yourself at home. There¡¯s no need for formality.¡± Josiah was over the moon as Sophie had scarcely brought any friends home before that. Even though Josiah had no idea how famous Mark was, Willow was on cloud nine to see thetter. After all, she was his fan too. Nheless, it never urred to her that her idol would be Sophie¡¯s friend and would even follow her home to celebrate Christmas with them. Willow could not hold back any longer and piped up, ¡°Nice to meet you, Mark. I¡¯m Willow Tanner, and I like your songs very much!¡± ¡°Thank you,¡± Mark responded indifferently. He was back to his usual aloofness again, a stark contrast to when he was with Sophie. Because of that, Willow was in low spirits again. Why does everyone I like end up liking Sophie Tanner more? What makes her deserve that? Sensing that Willow was utterly displeased, Caleb pulled her aside. ¡°Willow, since everyone is at home today, don¡¯t stir up trouble, okay?¡± Willow could not help but feel indignant. ¡°Caleb, aren¡¯t I the most demure and obedient all this while? But why does everyone always prefer Sophie more? Is it because I¡¯m not demure enough?¡± She could not fathom why Sophie was well-liked by others. Caleb felt his heart wrench at the sight of Willow¡¯s sorrow. Stroking her head, he tried to enlighten her. ¡°Don¡¯t think ofpeting with Sophie in everything. You¡¯ll only end up feeling upset.¡± Sophie is undoubtedly a genius. Even the International Medical Association looks highly upon her. No doubt, herpetence is beyond imagination! What¡¯s more, her boyfriend is Tristan Lombard! Would such an omnipotent man like him fall for an ordinary woman? All these simply proved that Sophie was not an ordinary young woman. ¡°Even you are making such ament now? I reckon nobody at home is on my side now.¡± Meanwhile, Yale was finally back at home. Although it was a shameful return, it was better than staying outside. Life had not been easy for him. Later, when nobody was around him and Sophie, he swallowed his pride and softened his tone. ¡°Sophie, I know that I was wrong. Since you have your eye on Tanner Group, I¡¯ll hand it over to you. From now onwards, I¡¯ll stay home to take good care of your grandpa.¡± Sophie had nothing toment upon hearing his words. Unequivocally, he was her father. However, she could not talk herself into believing any of his words. ¡°You don¡¯t have to tell me that.¡± To Sophie, it was meaningless for her father to make empty promises. After all, actions speak louder than words. ¡°Sophie, I know I was wrong, and I mean it. My only wish is for our family to lead a peaceful and blissful life from now onwards. That¡¯s enough for me!¡± Chapter 292 Chapter 292 Chapter 292 I Missed You After nodding in acknowledgment, Sophie proceeded upstairs. As it was Mark¡¯s first time at the Tanner residence and he was a man of few words, he had trouble holding a conversation with the other members of the Tanner family. Hence, he ended up ying chess with Josiah, who was further impressed by Mark¡¯s knowledge of chess. ¡°Mark, how did you get to know Sophie?¡± He had done some digging and found out that Mark was a huge celebrity. ¡°When Sophie was in Horington, we formed a band together, and she was our drummer. Old Mr. Tanner, you probably haven¡¯t seen her on the drums before, have you? Whenever she ys, it¡¯s truly a sight to behold!¡± Josiah furrowed his brows. Since when does Sophie know how to y drums? Why haven¡¯t I heard about it? Nevertheless, I shouldn¡¯t be surprised, for she has excelled in all her endeavors. Due to the fact that it was Christmas, Charmaine and the housekeepers were busy cooking in the kitchen for the entire afternoon. When it was six, the Tanner family started their dinner. Josiah sat at the head of the table with Yale on his left. On Yale¡¯s other side was Charmaine, followed by Willow. On Josiah¡¯s right was Sophie, who had Mark beside her, and further down, Caleb. After pouring everyone a ss of wine, Caleb stood up and dered, ¡°I¡¯m really happy today, for it has been a long time since our family has gathered to share a meal like this. Although plenty has happened over thest few years, I¡¯m sure that¡¯s all in the past now. Going forward, greater things await our family. T¨ºxt ? N?velDrama.Org. Hence, here¡¯s a toast from me to everyone!¡± When he saw Caleb take a sip of wine, Yale, too, stood up and cleared his throat. ¡°That¡¯s right! Even though we have been through a lot in recent years, all those incidents will not happen again.¡± Watching the entire family enjoy Christmas dinner together, Josiah was filled with bliss. No matter what Yale had done, he was still Josiah¡¯s son, and the old man could still bring himself to forgive his own son. ¡°Let¡¯s eat! Since it¡¯s Christmas Eve, we¡¯ll watch the celebrations after dinner.¡± As Josiah loved the program, it became a tradition for the Tanner family to watch it with him. ¡°Mark, please don¡¯t hold back. There¡¯s no need to be a stranger,¡± Sophie encouraged him when she saw that he had barely touched his food. ¡°Sure.¡± All of a sudden, sharing a family meal caused Mark to miss home, a feeling which was rare before this. Perhaps it¡¯s time for me to go home, for I¡¯m still his son despite his objections. Now that I have established myself in the music industry, I¡¯m sure he wille around and agree with my decision. Sophie served Mark some fish. ¡°You should pay attention while you¡¯re eating. Otherwise, you might choke.¡± After dinner, Josiah began giving out mary gifts to everyone, including Mark. ¡°Old Mr. Tanner, I¡¯m surprised that I have one too!¡± He had come solely for the meal and didn¡¯t expect to receive a gift, especially one that seemed to be quite generous. ¡°Just ept it as it isn¡¯t much anyway. As Sophie¡¯s friend, you¡¯re wee here whenever you¡¯re free.¡± ¡°In that case, thank you very much, Old Mr. Tanner.¡± By the time dinner was over, it was already eight and the Christmas celebrations had already started. As a result, the family gathered on the living room couch and watched the show together with Josiah. In truth, the Christmas celebrations had grown increasingly boring over the years. Nevertheless, Josiah insisted on watching it, not because it was particrly interesting, but because of the nostalgia he felt. With the help of the housekeepers, Charmaine prepared some fruits and snacks before joining everyone to watch the show. As for Sophie, she hadn¡¯t eaten much for dinner, for she wasn¡¯t keen on the food served on such asions. Most of the time, they were too rich for her liking. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Are you feeling under the weather? You barely ate just now,¡± Mark asked with concern after noticing it. ¡°I¡¯m fine. The food was just too rich for me.¡± Nevertheless, it was better for her to keep herints to herself. After all, it had been a tiring endeavor for those who spent the entire afternoon cooking. ¡°Why don¡¯t you have some fruit?¡± Mark handed some to her. ¡°Thanks.¡± She had just finished a piece of pear when her phone suddenly rang. After rejecting the call, she whispered in Josiah¡¯s ear, ¡°Grandpa, I hope you don¡¯t mind, but I¡¯m going to take a call.¡± ¡°Go on then. I guess it must be Tanny. He must have just finished his Christmas dinner too.¡± Sophie proceeded upstairs with her phone. Once in her room, she closed the door behind her and called Tristan back. ¡°Hello, what¡¯s up?¡± Sophie asked, holding her phone in one hand after taking off her shoes andying down on the bed. ¡°Nothing much, just missing you. What are you doing?¡± He was struck by the sudden urge to go see her. ¡°Oh.¡± Sprawled in bed, Sophie wasn¡¯t in the mood to talk. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± he asked in concern, having noticed her reluctance to chat. ¡°Nothing. I just feel tired.¡± ¡°Why are you tired when it¡¯s still so early? I was even thinking ofing to meet you.¡± Even though they hadn¡¯t seen each other for only one day, it felt like an eternity to him. ¡°Not today. I have to watch the Christmas celebrations together with Grandpa.¡± Ever since she went to Horington, she hadn¡¯t managed to spend time with Josiah. Thus, she wanted to use the opportunity to make up for lost time. ¡°I see¡­¡± Tristan sounded a little sad. ¡°Why don¡¯t you switch to video and let me see you?¡± Sophie was speechless. Since when did he be so cheesy? Before Sophie could reply, Tristan was already calling her on video, leaving her no choice but to ept. The moment the video call connected, the sight of the face he missed intensified his longing for her. ¡°I really want to be by your side right now.¡± ¡°Mr. Tristan, cool yourself down!¡± This doesn¡¯t fit his character! Behaving like this makes him irresistible. At that moment, Tristan¡¯s door suddenly opened. When he looked up to see who it was, a sense of resignation descended upon him. ¡°Dad, what are you doing? Didn¡¯t Ie home to have Christmas dinner with you?¡± Why doesn¡¯t he respect my privacy by knocking on the door? ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you? Why are you hiding in the room alone? Come, watch the Christmas celebrations with me. Also, I haven¡¯t held you ountable for sending Winter to Alendor yet!¡± How can he exile such a decent girl to Alendor for ten years? She¡¯ll be so tan that no one can recognize her when she returns! ¡°Anyone who has gotten on my nerves must pay the price for it, and Winter is no exception.¡± ¡°At the very least, shouldn¡¯t you consider my feelings? Winter¡¯s grandfather hase and pleaded with me many times. How can you not think about the consequences when you do something like that? I don¡¯t care. Bring Winter back now! What¡¯s so difficult about that?¡± ¡°Can we not discuss this on Christmas Eve?¡± Despite Tristan¡¯s respect for William, he didn¡¯t like thetter interfering in his life. ¡°Can¡¯t you do this for me? Besides, what can a young girl like her have done? All she did was fall for you. It¡¯s fine if you don¡¯t like her, but was it necessary to exile her to Alendor?¡± This action of his has put both families in an awkward position! Chapter 293 Chapter 293 Chapter 293 Going To See My Girlfriend ¡°Whatever it is, please go out first. I¡¯m on the phone right now,¡± Tristan replied with an irritated tone. ¡°On the phone? With who? Your girlfriend?¡± Otherwise, why wouldn¡¯t he want me to know? ¡°Just go out first.¡± When he saw the fuming look on his son¡¯s face, William had no choice but to leave. It wasn¡¯t until he was certain William was gone that Tristan picked up his phone again. ¡°Was that your dad? Mr. Tristan, I don¡¯t hold a grudge against Winter, so you don¡¯t have to do this for me.¡± Sophie had overheard his conversation with William. Tristan frowned at her words. ¡°You don¡¯t have to bother with this matter. Besides, I¡¯ve already shown her mercy on Charles¡¯ ount.¡± If it hadn¡¯t been for Charles, the consequences would have been much worse. ¡°All right now, I¡¯ve got to go back downstairs. Mark is still there.¡± Since it¡¯s Mark¡¯s first time here, it would be rude to leave him alone. ¡°What? Mark¡¯s at your house?¡± ¡°Mmm-hmm.¡± ¡°Sophie, aren¡¯t you ying favorites? How can you invite Mark over for Christmas and not me?¡± Sophie was speechless. ¡°He was alone in the mansion, hence the invitation for him toe over for Christmas dinner,¡± Sophie exined. ¡°Fine.¡± Tristan was still upset by the news. After ending the call, Sophie went downstairs to spend time with Josiah. ¡°Soph, look, this sketch is really entertaining.¡± ¡°It is.¡± Josiah enjoyed watching sketches and poem recitations. Even though the standard of recent programs had deteriorated, his enthusiasm hadn¡¯t diminished one bit. When it was close to midnight, Mark finally got to his feet. ¡°Mark, since it¡¯s already sote, why don¡¯t you stay the night?¡± Josiah suggested. ¡°It¡¯s fine, Old Mr. Tanner. I should be going home now.¡± Mark didn¡¯t want to impose on them any further. ¡°Grandpa, I¡¯ll walk him out. You should hurry up and get some rest as it¡¯s alreadyte.¡± He shouldn¡¯t neglect his health just because it¡¯s Christmas. ¡°Fine, I¡¯m going to bed.¡± At that hour, Sophie was the only one who remained by his side. Everyone else had made an excuse and left after watching the program briefly. Evidently, actions spoke louder than words. The moment they stepped out the door, Mark stopped in his tracks. Even though it hadn¡¯t snowed in Jipsdale over thest few days, the weather was still freezing cold. ¡°All right, you should hurry back in. It¡¯s too cold outside.¡± Sophie only had a red sweater on, which wasn¡¯t enough. ¡°Okay. Be careful when you go home.¡± ¡°I will.¡± Mark¡¯s heart warmed at her concern. When Sophie returned to the living room after sending Mark off, Josiah was still watching TV there. ¡°Grandpa, why are you being so stubborn? Aren¡¯t you supposed to be in bed?¡± ¡°Just five more minutes. My favorite sketch actor is on now.¡± Josiah refused to go to sleep. Faced with his obstinance, the helpless Sophie ended up watching the show together with him. Once the sketch was over, it was time for the poem recitation. Josiah asked in a pitiful tone, ¡°Sophie, I¡¯m your grandfather. How can you treat me like that?¡± ¡°Grandpa, what did I do to you?¡± ¡°Can I then watch for five more minutes?¡± Josiah added with a smile, ¡°Even if I go to bed now, I wouldn¡¯t be able to fall asleep. Thus, it¡¯s futile for you to insist.¡± Even though Sophie didn¡¯t say another word, her expression was enough to send a shiver down anyone¡¯s spine. ¡°Fine. I¡¯ll stop watching and go to bed. Are you satisfied?¡± Josiah had no choice but to give in. Watching the exchange, Morgan couldn¡¯t help but smile. In this whole wide world, only Ms. Sophie is capable of ordering Old Mr. Tanner around. While Morgan helped Josiah up the stairs, Sophie cleared the mess in the living room before heading up herself. By then, it was already past midnight. She gave her social media a quick surf before lying down to go to bed. Suddenly, her phone lit up. It was Tristan calling again on video. Even though the room light was off, Sophie still answered it. ¡°Why are you still up at this hour?¡± ¡°I was just about to sleep and wanted to call you before that.¡± Christmas, to Tristan, was a boring affair where everyone simply ate and drank. ¡°In that case, I¡¯ll hang up now.¡± Sophie was truly exhausted. ¡°Mmm-hmm, good night.¡± The purpose of his call was just to bid her good night. ¡°Good night.¡± Despite the simplicity of the greeting, it was enough for Sophie to feel her cheeks burn. The next morning, by the time Tristan woke up, William was already practicing yoga. ¡°Youngsters like you are just too much. Don¡¯t you realize howte it is?¡± William grumbled at Tristan, who proceeded to take a simple breakfast. ¡°Dad, I¡¯m busy in the afternoon, so I won¡¯t be back for lunch.¡± Stumped by thement, William threw him a nce. ¡°It¡¯s Christmas now. What is there to do? Don¡¯t tell me that the employeesExclusive content from N?velDrama.Org. of Lombard Group don¡¯t get a break?¡± ¡°It¡¯s personal. You don¡¯t have to worry about it.¡± ¡°Personal? For someone who doesn¡¯t even have a girlfriend, what can it be?¡± The mere mention of a girlfriend frustrated William. ¡°Tristan, you¡¯re getting older now. Don¡¯t be like Sarah. It¡¯s time for you to get married.¡± These kids never fail to make me worry about them. ¡°That¡¯s enough. You don¡¯t have to concern yourself with me. When it¡¯s time to get married, I definitely will.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t want me to interfere, and yet, you only give me more cause to worry. At this rate, who¡¯s going to marry you?¡± All he does every day is work. ¡°Tristan, let me tell you, don¡¯t just engross yourself in work. When it¡¯s time for a rtionship, you need to take time out for it, do you understand? Winter seems like a good girl to me. I really don¡¯t know what¡¯s wrong with you to reject someone like her.¡± It¡¯s one thing to not be interested, but why did he have to send her to Alendor? ¡°Stop! Don¡¯t bring up that person in front of me. She has to stay in Alendor for the next ten years.¡± I don¡¯t mind forgiving her for offending me. Too bad for her, she had the audacity to attack Sophie. Therefore, I would have failed Sophie if I didn¡¯t exile her to Alendor for ten years. After Tristan had left, William¡ªwho was done with his yoga session¡ªwas resting on a rattan chair. By then, Sarah had woken up. ¡°Good morning, Dad!¡± ¡°Sarah, does Tristan really not have a girlfriend? Other than seeing a girl, why would he need to be out on Christmas Day?¡± The more William thought about it, the more puzzled he became. Sarah couldn¡¯t help butugh when she saw the look on his face. Chapter 294 Chapter 294 Chapter 294 An Unforgettable Love ¡°Dad, I¡¯m your precious little girl. I¡¯ll definitely not lie to you.¡± Sarah was solidly behind Tristan and Sophie, for she had taken a particr liking to thetter. ¡°Precious little girl? I¡¯m surprised you¡¯re not embarrassed to say something like that now. All this while, you keep turning down my suggestions to get married. Why? Do you n to wait for that Quigley kid for the rest of your life?¡± She¡¯s no longer young. After a few more years, she¡¯ll be past the ideal childbearing age. ¡°Dad, enough talk. I¡¯m going out for my morning jog.¡± In no mood to discuss the matter, Sarah swiftly slipped away. The moment she left, Ysabelle came by. ¡°Good morning, Grandpa!¡± ¡°Ysabelle, you¡¯re awake! Since it¡¯s rare for you to have a holiday, why don¡¯t you sleep in?¡± Ysabelle was William¡¯s favorite at home. She walked up to William and gave his shoulders a massage. ¡°I¡¯ve had enough sleep. Grandpa, are you going to your oldrade¡¯s houseter? I want to go out too; it¡¯s just that Dad¡­¡± Ysabelle put on a pitiful expression. ¡°Ysabelle, let me tell you, you¡¯re free to go anywhere you want for Christmas. Ignore your dad. Let me know if he dares to reprimand you, and I¡¯ll give him a piece of my mind.¡± In that house, he was the head of the family. Ysabelle gave William a peck on the cheek at once. ¡°Grandpa, you¡¯re the best!¡± William¡¯s heart melted when the cute Ysabelle put on an adorable expression on purpose. Consequently, he was willing to do anything for her at that moment. Meanwhile, Tristan had arrived at the entrance to Sophie¡¯s home. It wasn¡¯t until he noticed that it was only slightly past nine that he realized how anxious he was. He then retrieved his phone and gave Sophie a call. Sophie was in the midst of adding a firewall to the Wings of Light when she answered his call. After putting him on speaker, she ced her phone on her desk while continuing with her work. ¡°Good morning.¡± ¡°I¡¯m at your door.¡± ¡°What?¡± Sophie¡¯s hand froze as she was taken by surprise. Hence, she quickly wrapped up her work and walked to the full-length window with her phone in hand. Upon ncing outside, she saw Tristan¡¯s car there. ¡°Mr. Tristan, what are you doing?¡± Why is he here on Christmas Day? ¡°Are you going toe out, or am I to go in?¡± Sophie was lost for words. He¡¯s not giving me any choice in the matter at all! ¡°Wait right there. I¡¯ll get changed.¡± No sooner had Sophie ended the call than she put on a different set of clothes and headed out. The moment she stepped out the door, she was greeted by the sight of the casually dressed Tristan. He was in a white sweater and a ck double-breasted coat. His dapper appearance made him look like a model straight out of the cover of a fashion magazine. When sheid eyes on him, Sophie suddenly began to miss him. Upon her approach, Tristan, too, walked up to her before wrapping his hands around her waist. ¡°Sophie, I missed you.¡± The speechless Sophie felt as if she would melt from his teasing. As he finished speaking, Tristan gave her a kiss on her forehead. ¡°Didn¡¯t your dad ask you to keep himpany at home?¡± ¡°I prefer to be by your side today. So, do you have anything nned?¡± ¡°I do!¡± She did indeed have something to do. ¡°Today, we¡¯ll be going to visit my deceased Grandma.¡± Given that Sophie¡¯s grandparents had enjoyed a close rtionship, her grandfather would visit her grandmother¡¯s grave every Christmas Day. ¡°I see. Can I go with you?¡± Sophie knitted her brows. ¡°Why do you want to go? Besides, in what capacity are you going to go in?¡± It¡¯s too early for this! ¡°Isn¡¯t going as your boyfriend enough?¡± ¡°Mr. Tristan, I don¡¯t remember ever agreeing to be your girlfriend. After all, given my age, it¡¯s still too early to discuss such matters. Considering the amount of uncertainty surrounding their situation, she wasn¡¯t able to give him an answer yet. ¡°Sophie, I don¡¯t deny that you¡¯re still young, but unlike you, I don¡¯t have that luxury. Having said that, I¡¯m still willing to wait till you agree to marry me when you¡¯re older. Despite the unpredictable future, I have already decided that I¡¯m yours for eternity.¡± Sophie was naturally spoilt for choice, but Tristan would ensure he ended up being her only choice. Consequently, Sophie¡¯s heart throbbed at his words. What was going through his mind when he said those words? Am I being too unreasonable? ¡°Therefore, take me with you!¡± ¡°Fine,e along then.¡± Sophie relented, for the expression on his face had unwittingly melted her resolve away. ¡°Does that mean you agree to be my girlfriend?¡± Tristan pressed his luck. ¡°Let me think about it.¡± ¡°Sophie, haven¡¯t you considered it long enough?¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Are you growing impatient? If you can¡¯t wait, we¡¯ll just forget about it and remain friends.¡± ¡°D*mn it, I don¡¯t want to be your friend!¡± Tristan grabbed her by the waist and gave her a passionate kiss. He needed to remind her that he wanted to be her man instead of her friend. Just when both of them were sharing an amorous kiss, Morgan appeared at the door at Josiah¡¯s instruction. However, greeted by the sight of the two lovebirds, he couldn¡¯t help but blush. ¡°Ms. Sophie, Old Mr. Tanner wants to see you,¡± Morgan informed. The sound of Morgan¡¯s voice caused Sophie¡¯s blush to intensify. ¡°Okay.¡± A minuteter, Sophie turned around and calmly led Tristan inside. Tristan¡¯s arrival naturally delighted Josiah. ¡°Tanny, it¡¯s great that you¡¯re here! We were just about to pay our respects to Sophie¡¯s grandmother. Why don¡¯t youe along?¡± Since Josiah had already epted Tristan, he hoped to introduce thetter to histe wife, Mary. ¡°Sure, Old Mr. Tanner.¡± Considering how docile Tristan was in front of Josiah, it was hard for Caleb to equate what he saw with Tristan¡¯s image as one of Jipsdale¡¯s most powerful men. Once everyone was done with breakfast, they went to the public cemetery in two cars. Josiah and Morgan rode in Tristan¡¯s car with thetter driving them personally. Along the way, Tristan even stopped at a florist. ¡°What kind of flowers does Old Mrs. Tanner like?¡±Exclusive content from N?velDrama.Org. Chapter 295 Chapter 295 Chapter 295 Visiting The Grave On their way to the cemetery, there was barely a soul to be seen, for it was rare for people to pay their respects on Christmas day. By the time Tristan¡¯s group arrived, Yale and the others were already there. At the sight of Tristan¡¯s car, Yale hurried forward to open the door and help Josiah out. Given that it was still cold in Jipsdale, Sophie quickly alighted and wrapped a scarf around Josiah¡¯s neck. With the help of his walking stick, Josiah walked toward Mary¡¯s grave step by step. Sophie followed him from behind with a bouquet of lilies in her hands. Once he reached Mary¡¯s tombstone, Josiah¡¯s eyes began to redden. Tristan, too, came up from behind to stay with Josiah and Sophie. In the meantime, Yale and Caleb began to clear the weeds around the grave, while Charmaine and Willow dusted its surroundings. After everything was done, Josiah said a prayer. ¡°Mary, it¡¯s been a while since Ist came to see you. Please don¡¯t me me for it. Not taking good care of you is the biggest regret of my life. ¡°Perhaps we¡¯ll have better luck in our next life. Previously, I never believed in such a thing. But now, I do hope that it¡¯s true, for I¡¯ll be able to see you again. When the timees, you¡¯re not allowed to avoid me, all right? I¡¯lle and ask for your hand again with a big bouquet of lilies. In our next life, I¡¯ll definitely try my best to be more romantic.¡± Morgan handed Josiah a tissue. ¡°What¡¯s that for? I¡¯m not crying. Besides, I don¡¯t think I have much time left, so I¡¯ll probably be seeing her soon.¡± Morgan¡ªwho had served Josiah for many years¡ªnaturally knew how intense the latter¡¯s rtionship had been with Mary. ¡°Mmm-hmm, soon. We¡¯re both old now,¡± Morganmented. Meanwhile, Tristan was particrly touched by Josiah¡¯s words. No one really knew if there was still life after death. Therefore, he resolved to treasure and never let go of the girl he loved. With Tristan holding her hand, Sophie could feel the warmth he exuded. In that instant, she felt blessed to have him by her side. After finishing his soliloquy, Josiah began to tire. Hence, Morgan helped him to the graves of his formerrades to clear them up. All of a sudden, Tristan released Sophie¡¯s hand and bowed in front of Mary¡¯s tombstone. ¡°Old Mrs. Tanner, it¡¯s a pleasure to meet you. I¡¯m Tristan Lombard, and you can rest assured that I¡¯ll be taking care of Sophie and Old Mr. Tanner going forward.¡± Tristan¡¯s sudden gesture caused Sophie¡¯s heart to skip a beat. After baring his soul to Mary, Tristan returned to Sophie¡¯s side. ¡°Do you still want to stay with Old Mrs. Tanner a little longer?¡± As everyone else had returned to the car, Tristan and Sophie were the only ones left. Also, the weather was freezing cold since they were on top of a hill. ¡°I¡¯m done. Let¡¯s go home.¡± As Josiah had already been out a while, it was time for them to go home. ¡°Okay.¡± With that, Tristan held her hand as they walked down side by side. When they finally got back to the car, Josiah¡ªjust as expected¡ªwas already waiting inside. On the way home, thetter remained silent throughout the journey. When they reached the Tanner residence, Sophie and Tristan helped Josiah back to his bedroom. ¡°Grandpa, you should take a nap. I¡¯ll get Morgan to wake youter.¡± ¡°All right. Now, shoo! You youngsters should go out on your date. There¡¯s no need to waste your time on me.¡± ¡°Grandpa¡­¡± ¡°Go on then. I¡¯m tired and want to get some rest.¡± Every time they came back from visiting Mary¡¯s grave, Josiah would behave that way. Aftering out of Josiah¡¯s room, Sophie led Tristan downstairs. Yale¡ªat the sight of Tristan¡ªsuggested in an obsequious tone, ¡°Mr. Tristan, why don¡¯t you stay for a meal? The food is ready to be served.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll pass.¡± Having no intention of staying for food, Tristan walked out together with Sophie. Even though the snub had left Yale feeling particrly ufortable, he naturally didn¡¯t darein as he was fearful of Tristan. Caleb, after observing his father¡¯s behavior, naturally knew that Tristan wasn¡¯t someone to be trifled with. Within the Tanner family, Tristan seemed to only respect Sophie and Josiah. As for the others, they were like nobodies to him. Therefore, faced with Tristan¡¯s attitude, he had no idea how to solicit the former¡¯s help. To be honest, this is going to be tough. ¡°Dad, it¡¯s all right. Mr. Tristan is busy and doesn¡¯t have time to eat in our home,¡± Caleb consoled his father, who snorted in response. ¡°Forget it. Big shots like him won¡¯t bother withmon folk like us.¡± Despite that, I¡¯m still Sophie¡¯s father! How dare he not show me any respect? Meanwhile, Sophie had walked Tristan back to his car. ¡°Isn¡¯t the physicspetition starting soon? When are you leaving?¡± He remembered that the ¡°Will Bailey be there?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± ¡°What¡¯s that supposed to mean?¡± I¡¯m only going to participate in a physicspetition, so what¡¯s with that look on his face? ¡°Nothing. It¡¯s just that I can¡¯t go together with you.¡± He was tied down by a huge project on hand. ¡°It¡¯s only for one week. There¡¯s no need for you to be by my side.¡± What does she mean by ¡°it¡¯s only one week?¡± Doesn¡¯t she know that it feels like an eternity? ¡°Would things have been better if I were your age?¡± That way, he could do many things together with her. Sophie gave him a dubious look. ¡°Mr. Tristan, what are you saying? You¡¯re not old. Besides, I like men who are a little older than I am.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Fine! As long as she likes it, I don¡¯t mind being older at all. ¡°Yup.¡± Faced with his delighted expression, Sophie couldn¡¯t bring herself to refute her words. After she gave him a nod, Tristan wrapped his arms around her waist and gave her forehead a peck. ¡°All right, go back in now.¡± ¡°Okay. You be careful on your way home.¡± Tristan made sure Sophie had gone back in before getting into his car and driving off. Back at home, he was greeted by the sight of Ysabelle watching TV with William, which was a rare asion as she seldom watched war films with thetter. ¡°Uncle Tristan, you¡¯re home!¡± Noticing that it was already five thirty, Ysabelle was filled with excitement. ¡°Mmm-hmm.¡± Tristan gave her a cursory response. Just as he prepared to head upstairs, Ysabelle quickly caught up with him. ¡°Uncle Tristan, did you go and see Sophie? Why didn¡¯t you invite me along?¡± Chapter 296 Chapter 296 Chapter 296 Not An Ordinary Man As expected, the mention of Bailey¡¯s name left Tristan seething with rage. ¡°So? Are you intentionally trying to ruin my good mood?¡± Even though Bailey doesn¡¯t pose a threat, I¡¯m still upset that an outstanding guy like him has feelings for Sophie. To make matters worse, they¡¯re the same age too! ¡°Oh, I wouldn¡¯t dare! I¡¯m here to help you, Uncle Tristan!¡± Ysabelle replied with a chuckle. ¡°Listen, since you can¡¯t apany Sophie, let me go in your stead! I¡¯m still on my break, anyway. As long as you help me deal with my father, I¡¯ll help you keep an eye on Sophie! Isn¡¯t that a brilliant idea?¡± My goodness, I ought to apud myself for being such a genius! I guess spending all that time with Sophie really does make one smarter! ¡°All right. Go on and get ready, then. I want you to attend the training camp with Sophie,¡± Tristan ordered. As it turned out, there was a mandatory training camp before thepetition, which meant Bailey would be there too. ¡°Yes, sir!¡± Ysabelle replied with a soldier salute. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Uncle Tristan! I¡¯ll make sure not to let any men go near Sophie.¡± Despite having doubts about his niece¡¯s promise, Tristan knew he¡¯d feel more at ease with Ysabelle escorting Sophie. Meanwhile, Sophie was surprised when Whitlea contacted her during Christmas. As soon as she realized it was thetter calling, she wanted nothing more than to hang up the phone. ¡°Come on, Sophie, I¡¯m only asking to meet up. I¡¯m not that scary, am I?¡± Whitlea quipped. Naturally, Sophie wasn¡¯t keen on answering her. After all, whether Whitlea was scary or not had nothing to do with her. In the end, however, she still agreed to meet up at a cafe of Whitlea¡¯s choice. As soon as she arrived, thetter merely shot her a nce from the table. Sophie promptly walked over and sat down opposite Whitlea. ¡°Well, what can I do for you, Mdm. Dixon?¡± Ha! There¡¯s no way we can enjoy a cup of coffee together. I¡¯m sure she wants something from me. To her surprise, Whitlea pulled out a card and ced it on the table. Upon seeing that, Sophie almost burst intoughter. Ha! This is just like one of those clich¨¦ scenes in television shows! Art sure is imitating life. ¡°Give up on this physicspetition!¡± Whitlea demanded. ¡°There¡¯s five million in this card. You can spend it however you like.¡± Since it was the first time anyone had tried bribing with money, Sophie wasn¡¯t sure how she should react. ¡°Mdm. Dixon, do you think I¡¯m short on money?¡± Whitlea frowned. ¡°Is that not enough? So long as you quit the physicspetition and never contact Bailey again, I¡¯ll be happy to throw in an additional five million.¡± I¡¯ll pay any amount to get rid of Sophie. I don¡¯t like her one bit! ¡°I think it¡¯s pointless for us to carry on this conversation,¡± Sophie remarked as she stood up. The next second, however, a dozen men in ck shirts suddenly rushed into the cafe. ¡°Don¡¯t push your luck with me, Sophie,¡± Whitlea warned. Doesn¡¯t she know that I¡¯m ready to do anything for Bailey? Even if I¡¯m missing an arm, I¡¯ll still make sure to teach her a lesson! ¡°Sorry to disappoint you, but I¡¯m not pushing anyone¡¯s luck here. Though I must say, I¡¯m curious to see what actions you¡¯ll take,¡± Sophie scoffed. What a joke! This group of men doesn¡¯t scare me at all. Needless to say, Whitlea was furious and ready to do whatever that was necessary. ¡°Do it,¡± she ordered. With that, one of the men swiftly pulled out a gun. As hardened gangsters, they knew very well that guns would be more effective against someone as skilled as Sophie. Thetter, however, remained calm and collected. Huh? Isn¡¯t she a little too calm? Girls usually freak out at the sight of guns, so why isn¡¯t she doing the same? Ah, maybe she¡¯s too terrified to move! Yes. That must be it! ¡°What¡¯s this? Are you trying to scare me with a gun? I suggest you keep it right now. Otherwise, it won¡¯t be a pretty sight if it misfires,¡± Sophie warned. ¡°Quit acting tough, Sophie,¡± Whitlea fumed. ¡°Isn¡¯t it better to ept the money and agree to my requests? Why must you make things difficult for everyone?¡± Sophie¡¯s lips instantly curled into a half smile. My, my. To think she can threaten others and still be so self-righteous about it. Wait a minute. Shouldn¡¯t there be surveince cameras in the cafe? ¡°What about the surveince cameras here?¡± ¡°Ha, such naivety! I¡¯ve already removed all of them. Now, be a smart girl and leave with the money. Otherwise, I¡¯ll have to resort to other tactics to make you miss thepetition.¡± ¡°I refuse to.¡± Oh, howughable! Does she think she can coerce me that easily? This isn¡¯t my first rodeo, for goodness¡¯ sake! ¡°Attack,¡± Whitlea once again ordered. Now that she knew there weren¡¯t any surveince cameras, Sophie decided to take action and snatch the gun. She moved so quickly that the gun was already in her hand before anyone else could even react. ¡°So much for thinking this wasN?velDrama.Org owns this. some good stuff,¡± Sophie grumbled while fiddling with the weapon. ¡°I can¡¯t believe you¡¯d threaten me with this useless piece of junk.¡± The man, who had just lost his gun, was utterly shocked. How did this woman steal it right under my nose? I didn¡¯t even see what happened! Without hesitation, Sophie took off the safety lock and pointed the gun at Whitlea¡¯s head. ¡°Mdm. Dixon, if I had known you liked ying such games, I¡¯d have humored you right from the start.¡± By then, Whitlea was already shaking with fury. After all, that was the first time she had a gun pointed in her face. ¡°Tell me what you want, Sophie. Don¡¯t do anything reckless.¡± Sh*t. I don¡¯t want to die! There are so many more things I¡¯ve yet to aplish. I must stay alive! ¡°Reckless? Aren¡¯t you the one who¡¯s being reckless?¡± Sophie scoffed. ¡°Besides, I don¡¯t see why you should be scared if you have the gall to pull something off like this.¡± The other men, too, were worried to see Sophie pointing a gun in Whitlea¡¯s face. ¡°Ms. Whitlea¡­¡± Whitlea, on the other hand, still didn¡¯t believe that the young woman would dare shoot her. ¡°If you pull the trigger, it¡¯d spell the end of the Tanner family. There¡¯s no way the Tanners would acknowledge a daughter who is a murderer!¡± To her horror, Sophie aimed at her leg and fired off a round. ¡°Ah!¡± Whitlea screamed, her face pale when she realized the bullet had pierced through her leg. ¡°Well? Do you think I dare?¡± ¡°Y-You¡­¡± Whitlea stammered. She had been through a lot in life, except she always had the upper hand in any situation. Never once did she imagine she¡¯d be bullied and threatened by someone else. ¡°What should we do now, Ms. Whitlea?¡± ¡°You¡¯re a bunch of idiots!¡± Whitlea yelled. I¡¯m the one who has the gun in my face, yet they¡¯re still asking me for advice. How the hell should I know? Chapter 297 Chapter 297 Chapter 297 Tristan Is Jealous s, Whitlea failed to get through to Bailey. ¡°Mom, have you had enough? Sophie is just a student, so why do you keep picking on her? What¡¯s the point?¡± ¡°Where¡¯s your conscience, Bailey? Can¡¯t you see that my leg¡¯s bleeding? Do you think I shot myself?¡± Whitlea retorted, not knowing if she shouldugh or cry at her son¡¯s ridiculousness. When he saw the blood trickling down Whitlea¡¯s leg, Bailey quickly turned to Sophie. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Sophie. It¡¯s all because of me that you¡¯ve had to suffer so much,¡± he muttered. I like her, yet all I¡¯ve done is let her suffer. I feel so awful! The next second, he grabbed Sophie¡¯s wrist and pulled her along. ¡°Come on. Let¡¯s leave this ce.¡± ¡°Bailey Dixon!¡± Whitlea bellowed. However, Bailey refused to look at his mother and continued to lead Sophie out of the cafe. ¡°What now, Ms. Whitlea?¡± ¡°Take me to the hospital!¡± Can¡¯t they tell I¡¯m injured? Must they keep asking me for instructions? Do they not have a shred ofmon sense? ¡°Yes, Ms. Whitlea,¡± one of the men hurriedly replied. Even now, they were still shocked that Sophie had such impressive skills. She didn¡¯t seem like an ordinary student at all! Meanwhile, outside the cafe, Bailey and Sophie had decided to sit on a bench under arge tree. Since leaving the cafe, Bailey hadn¡¯t said a word and merely sat in silence. Sophie, too, did the same. After a while, Bailey finally blurted out, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Sophie.¡± Other than apologizing to her, he didn¡¯t know what else he could do. Sophie nced at him. ¡°Come on, Bailey, this has nothing to do with you. It isn¡¯t healthy to keep putting all the me on yourself.¡± ¡°Sorry. I¡¯ve made you upset again.¡± ¡°You¡­ Fine. I don¡¯t know what else to say. Let¡¯s do our best at the training camp.¡± Since he¡¯s so stubborn, there¡¯s no point wasting my breath on him right now. ¡°Okay,¡± Bailey mumbled. ¡°Are you leaving?¡± ¡°Of course. My grandfather¡¯s still waiting to eat with me,¡± Sophie replied. She had been out for quite a while, and it was time to head home. ¡°All right, goodbye,¡± he said. He had always been a confident man, but for some reason, Sophie changed him. Deep down, thetter did find it a pity. After all, Bailey was talented in physics, and if he continued to work hard in that area, there was no doubt he¡¯d excel in the future. His current state of mind, however, was a cause for concern. ¡°Put your mother aside and answer me truthfully, Bailey. Do you like physics?¡± Nothing is as important as passion, and I¡¯m sure he¡¯s passionate about physics. Otherwise, he wouldn¡¯t have aplished so much despite his mother¡¯s words and actions. ¡°I do,¡± Bailey replied. How could I not? Physics and Sophie are my biggest passions. ¡°If that¡¯s the case, you have to go all out for this physicspetition! Don¡¯t worry. I have no intention of giving in to you. May the best person win!¡± ¡°Okay!¡± Bailey answered, confident of his capability when it came to physics. With that, Sophie left in a taxi, leaving Bailey alone on the bench and engrossed in his thoughts. If I continue studying this field, will I have an opportunity with Sophie in the future? She¡¯s truly gifted, and even though she has said she doesn¡¯t like me, I don¡¯t want to give up just like that. We¡¯re both still young, anyway. Who¡¯s to know what the future might bring? There¡¯s always a chance that she might fall for me over time, isn¡¯t there? At the thought of that, Bailey visibly cheered up. That night, when Tristan went to pick Sophie up, he found out about her meeting with Bailey. As much as he was annoyed, he knew there wasn¡¯t anything else he could say. Sophie, however, had already realized he was quietly seething. Ha! I¡¯m getting better at understanding his temper. ¡°Don¡¯t worry! Bailey and I are only ssmates. I don¡¯t have any romantic feelings toward him.¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Yes. You can trust me.¡± ¡°Fine, I believe you, but it¡¯d be better if you don¡¯t meet him so often.¡± In all honesty, that was the first time Sophie had experienced how overbearing Tristan could be. She had always known he wasn¡¯t one to be messed with, but who knew he could be that jealous? ¡°We¡¯re about to participate in the physicspetition. How are we supposed to meet less?¡± Sophie retorted. There¡¯s no way I¡¯d make promises I know I can¡¯t keep! Tristan sighed. ¡°Sophie, can¡¯t you just take it as you¡¯re appeasing me?¡± Eventually, thetter relented, even though she still wasn¡¯t fond of making empty promises. When Sophie stopped trying to appease him for the rest of the journey, Tristan became incredibly glum. He kept one hand on the steering wheel and grabbed Sophie¡¯s hand with the other. ¡°Remember. You¡¯re mine and mine alone,¡± Tristan mumbled. He had be fixated on Sophie, and it was clear no one could change his mind. Interestingly enough, those words instantly reminded Sophie of Nichs. Why was I so annoyed when Nichs said those exact words in the past? Now that it¡¯s Tristan saying them, why do I get this warm and fuzzy feeling? What¡¯s wrong with me? It¡¯s scary how I don¡¯t even recognize myself anymore! I must admit Tristan is growing on me. If this continues, I might not even be able to pry myself away from him. Argh! Is that a good or bad thing? When Tristan and Sophie finally arrived at Nocturnal, they saw that the others had already gathered there. Even Sarah and Ysabelle had also turned up. After all, that was thest party before Sophie had to leave for the physics competition, and everyone knew Tristan wouldn¡¯t be in the mood for fun when she wasn¡¯t around. T¨ºxt ? N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Give it your best shot, Sophie! I have confidence in you!¡± Sarahmented. With Sophie being such a whizz in her studies, even Sarah had to admit she was bing increasingly pleased with the youngdy. On top of that, the more time she spent with Sophie and the more she got to know her, the more she liked her. ¡°Thank you, Sarah. I¡¯ll do my best!¡± I still don¡¯t think the physicspetition is a big deal, but since everyone is so excited for me, I can¡¯t possibly disappoint them, can I? ¡°Oh, you¡¯ll do just fine, Soph!¡± Ysabelle bragged. ¡°You¡¯re invincible!¡± Upon hearing that, Sophieughed out loud. Meanwhile, Charles was happily ying billiards with Felix when Winter called. It was the first time thetter wasn¡¯t spending Christmas in Jipsdale, and the thought of her being so far away in Alendor made Charles miss her even more. ¡°How¡¯s everything? Are you adapting well?¡± Charles asked as he walked away to a corner, his voice soft and gentle. As soon as she heard the concern in her brother¡¯s tone, Winter felt even worse. The next second, she burst into tears. ¡°Charles, I¡¯ve realized my mistake. I¡¯m not doing well in Alendor at all. Life is so tough, and I miss everyone! Can you please beg Mr. Tristan to let me return home?¡± Chapter 298 Chapter 298 Chapter 298 You Have A Death Wish For someone who was used to the splendor of Jipsdale city life, it was really depressing to stay in Alendor for a change. ¡°All right. I will tell Mr. Tristan when I have the chance.¡± Charles threw a nce at Tristan who was sitting beside Sophie. Since Tristan had sent Winter to Alendor, Charles reckoned that she would not be able to come back for quite some time. ¡°Charles, you guys are at Nocturnal, right?¡± Winter grew rmed at the sound of the music on the other end of the phone. ¡°All right, I¡¯m going to hang up now.¡± Charles¡¯ mood turned foul after hanging up the call. It was indeed pitiful for Winter to be all alone in Alendor. Sean came over and patted him on the shoulder. ¡°Was that Winter?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Charles did not hide the fact that he had been talking to Winter. After all, she was his sister, and there was no way he could just ignore her. ¡°Let¡¯s find a chance and try to talk to Mr. Tristan again.¡± No matter what, they had grown up together, and they were still friends with each other. However, Winter should not have offended Sophie in the first ce. ¡°Thank you,¡± Charles muttered. Sean patted his shoulder again. ¡°All right, that¡¯s enough. Let¡¯s not ruin the vibe. Look on the bright side. It¡¯s great that she gets a chance to steel herself in Alendor. She¡¯s too spoiled for her own good anyway,¡± Sean said. Charles knew Sean was right. Winter was too proud and entitled for thinking that she could get anything and everything she liked. She was oblivious to the fact that love, or in this case, theck thereof, could not be rationalized. Simrly, nobody knew that Tristan would changepletely after knowing Sophie. It was not a bad thing, per se. However, he was a changed man and was completely different from his past self. Because of that, he had be a much more approachable man. Sophie sat on the couch and yed with her phone. She was not in the slightest interested in everything that was going on in Nocturnal. Tristan was sitting beside her as he put his hands on the couch, essentially circling her in his embrace. Ysabelle watched the two from aside and smiled. ¡°Aunt Sarah, I did not expect that Uncle Tristan will act so lovey-dovey when he¡¯s in love.¡± ¡°Tell me about it. He¡¯s so serious about this rtionship,¡± Sarah quipped. She knew that Tristan was a man who took rtionships seriously. He had been alone all these years, but he fell hard for Sophie when she came into his life. ¡°But Sophie deserves it,¡± Ysabelle said as she watched the couple gleefully. Sophie felt her ears turning red when she noticed that Tristan had been staring at her. ¡°Do you have something to say?¡± ¡°Sophie, do you really find the phone in your hand to be more interesting than me?¡± That¡¯s disappointing. Sophie kept her phone and turned to look at him. When their eyes met, sparks of electricity sizzled in the air. ¡°I¡¯m going to kiss you if you keep looking at me like that,¡± Tristan said. Sophie¡¯s beautiful face was a sight to behold, and the lighting at Nocturnal only served to entuate her charm and make her seem all the more alluring. Fine. Since Tristan said so, Sophie did not think it was appropriate to keep staring into his eyes and averted her gaze. Not far away from them, a man was showing off his six-packs, and Sophie happened to see him when she nced around the bar. She did not intend to check him out. However, before she could react, her head was turned to the other side by Tristan. ¡°Don¡¯t look!¡± Why look at that sleazy muscr man? He¡¯s got nothing to show! Sophie sighed. ¡°Mr. Tristan, what do you want me to do then? I can¡¯t look at you, and I can¡¯t look at other people as well,¡± Sophie groaned. ¡°Just look at me if you have to. That man¡¯s six-packs aren¡¯t even worth looking at. His lines are not even that defined!¡± Tristian grumbled. Sophie was rendered speechless. ¡°What? It¡¯s true. I¡¯m going to show you mine if there¡¯s a chance. I¡¯ll show you what defined and perfectly chiseled muscles look like,¡± Tristan protested. ¡°Actually, I didn¡¯t get the chance to have a good look at his six-packs. Why don¡¯t you let me have another look so that I know how to gauge yours?¡± Sophie said. She only caught sight of that man for a fleeting moment. ¡°I told you he had nothing to show. It¡¯s great that you didn¡¯t get to see it properly. It saves you the trouble to wash your eyes.¡± ¡°Ah, I see,¡± Sophie mumbled nonchntly. Sophie was actually not interested in the muscr man. Hence, she did not bother to turn back around to have another look. ¡°Uncle Tristan, I didn¡¯t know you were so possessive! It¡¯s just one look. It¡¯s no big deal. Did you have to forbid her from taking another nce?¡± Felix dragged Ysabelle aside as he wondered if she had a death wish. How dare she tell Mr. Tristan off! Sophie pried off Tristan¡¯s hands which were cupping her cheeks when she heard Ysabelle¡¯s words. ¡°Let¡¯s go and dance!¡± Ysabelle said as she took Sophie¡¯s hand and led her to the dance floor. Nocturnal was bustling with life that night, and Ysabelle was tempted to join in on the fun. Sophie did not share her sentiment. However, seeing as Ysabelle was excited to get on the dance floor, Sophie relented and went along with her. Tristan did not stop Sophie. He knew that given her age, she was supposed to enjoy herself. Nheless, he did not expect that she would get herself in trouble. Sophie was not interested in dancing. Hence, even when she was dragged by Ysabelle to the dance floor, she merely rocked herself gently to the beat. Ysabelle, on the other hand, removed her coat and exposed her tight ck clothing underneath that showed off her alluring curves. Her presence on the dance floor immediately incited ecstatic whistles from the onlookers. Before they were on the dance floor, Louisa and her friends had been the center of attention. However, the men immediately turned their attention to Ysabelle when she showed up. Though Sophie was keeping a rather low profile, her beautiful face had managed to garner the attention of some men as well. Louisa grew agitated at the sight, especially when she thought about how Mason still could not walk on his own, and yet Sophie was already out partying at Nocturnal. Hence, she deliberately bumped into Ysabelle, making thetter stumble to the floor. There were a lot of people on the dance floor. Louisa and her friends did not stop at knocking Ysabelle to the ground. Instead, they continued to dance and ¡°identally¡± stepped on Ysabelle¡¯s hand. Louisa and her friends were in heels, and naturally, Ysabelle squirmed from the pain. She wanted to get up from the ground. However, there were too many people crowding the dance floor. In addition to Louisa and her friends¡¯ deliberate efforts, Ysabelle struggled to stand up. Sophie¡¯s face sank when she noticed that Louisa and her friends were targeting Ysabelle. She pushed Louisa aside and crouched down to help Ysabelle get up. Incidentally, the music stopped right then. The others watched on as they noticed that the girls were about to engage in a cat fight. The notion of a group of pretty girls fighting excited them. Louisa was unfazed when she noticed that Sophie was trying to stand up for her friend. After all, the Yarborough family was quite influential in Jipsdale, so much so that nobody in their right mind would dare to cross Louisa. ¡°Oh, I¡¯m so sorry! There are too many people here. You¡¯re not hurt, right?¡± Louisa asked in a provoking tone. In fact, she was extremely pleased to see Exclusive content from N?velDrama.Org. Ysabelle¡¯s swollen hand. Pfft, what¡¯s so special about Sophie? I don¡¯t give a d*mn about the Tanner family. ¡°Louisa, I see that you have a death wish,¡± Sophie said through gritted teeth. Since she has a death wish, I might as well make her wishe true. Chapter 299 Chapter 299 Chapter 299 Dance Battle ¡°What do you mean, Sophie? There are so many people here on the dance floor, so it is normal to bump into others, all right? Do you have to make a mountain out of a molehill? If you must behave in such a petty manner, I suggest you go home andin to your mom about this. Oh, I¡¯m sorry. I forgot that your mom doesn¡¯t care about you. I suppose she won¡¯t entertain you even if you talk to her about this.¡± Louisa genuinely despised Sophie as she could not fathom what was so great about thetter. Exclusive content from N?velDrama.Org. ¡°You¡ª¡± Ysabelle had always been a sweet and well-tempered person, but even she was infuriated at that moment. ¡°You obviously did that on purpose. Do you know how to dance? Was that even dancing?¡± Louisa snorted. ¡°Are you kidding me? Did you say I don¡¯t know how to dance? Just so you know, I started learning ballet when I was five years old. If I can¡¯t dance, then are you saying that you can? Or perhaps she can? I believe everyone here has witnessed their ridiculous moves earlier. It is in to see that they can¡¯t even follow the music¡¯s rhythm,¡± Louisa retorted arrogantly. Louisa began learning ballet at a young age. Everyone who knew her praised her extraordinary temperament, an acquired quality that she credited to picking up ballet when she was little. ¡°What a joke. How dare you say you started learning ballet at the age of five when you¡¯re such a terrible dancer? Are you sure you¡¯re not an idiot?¡± Ysabelle snapped in response, reluctant to admit defeat. She could not stand Louisa¡¯s contemptible demeanor. ¡°Ha! Everyone can talk big even if they have nothing to show. Since you all think it is my fault for identally bumping into you, let¡¯s settle this matter using the practice here!¡± ¡°What kind of practice?¡± Although Sophie had visited Nocturnal on a few asions, that was her first time dancing there. ¡°Dance battle!¡± That was not the first time Louisa and the others had a conflict with another party in Nocturnal. Nocturnal had an unspoken rule for partygoers who had a dispute on the dance floor to resolve the issue through a dance battle. ¡°What¡¯s the matter? Do you dare to ept my challenge? I reckon you all do not have the guts to do so. Someone like her is only adept at fighting, so there¡¯s no way she would know the graceful performing art of dancing.¡± After saying that, Louisa and her group of girlsughed mockingly. ¡°How do you n to carry out the dance battle?¡± ¡°Soph?¡± Ysabelle grabbed Sophie¡¯s arm. I¡¯ve heard of people sorting out an argument through a dance battle. Louisa acquired the skill in dancing when she was little, not to mention she frequented this kind of ce. On the other hand, I¡¯ve never seen Sophie dance. At this rate, it is apparent that we have no chance of winning this dance battle. ¡°It¡¯s very simple. We¡¯ll battle at the same time. Then, the loser will have to do anything the winner demands.¡± Louisa felt secretly delighted when she imagined how embarrassed Sophie would beter. Everyone in the Tanner family are jerks. How can that d*mned Willow ignore my cousin, Mason, after he got hurt? I can¡¯t believe I used to think of her as one of my best friends. ¡°Sure!¡± I¡¯ll teach you a lesson today, Louisa. Meanwhile, Tristan strode over to look for Sophie and Ysabelle because the two did not show up even after a long while. Unexpectedly, he was met with the scene before him. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Tristan asked when he saw Ysabelle¡¯s swollen arm. ¡°It¡¯s nothing.¡± Ysabellecked the courage to confess the trouble she stirred. After all, she was the reason that altercation urred. ¡°So? Do you dare? Hurry up and leave if you¡¯re just a coward. Stop wasting my time here,¡± Louisa uttered rudely. ¡°You¡ª¡± Taking in Louisa¡¯s haughtiness, Ysabelle had the urge to step forward and brawl with her. ¡°Soph, forget it. I¡¯m fine.¡± Ysabelle did not want Louisa to get the chance to mortify Sophie. ¡°Ha! I know you two are cowards. Fine. I shall not make things difficult for you. Since you¡¯re too scared to face me, all you have to do is apologize to me. I¡¯m a magnanimous person, so I¡¯ll forgive you two.¡± ¡°Are you crazy, Louisa? You want me to apologize to you after you stepped on my hand? I think you¡¯re getting tired of living!¡± Ysabelle grew up in a conducive and educated environment. As a result, she was not skilled in chiding others. Nevertheless, she was so enraged that she had a strong desire to curse Louisa. ¡°I¡¯ll be your rival.¡± Ysabelle is hurt, so she cannotpete with them. Since they are targeting me, I shall dly ept their challenge. Louisa smiled smugly upon hearing that. She might be afraid of Sophie if they were taking part in a different contest. However, Louisa was confident she would not lose in dancing. Felix heard Sophie agreeing to the dance battle just as he walked over. He could not help but wonder. To be honest, Sophie is a capable person, but can she dance? She¡¯ll have no problem facing others in a fight, but topete against others in a dance contest sounds rather far-fetched. ¡°Sophie, let¡¯s just beat them up.¡± Why is she wasting her time arguing with this woman? Felix was displeased after seeing Ysabelle getting bullied. He would not mind hitting Louisa even though she was a woman because she daredy a finger on Ysabelle. No matter what, he wanted anyone foolish enough to harm Ysabelle to pay the price. ¡°Ha! Do you think you¡¯re impressive for being acquainted with a few men? Do you deal with your problems by allowing men to stand up for you, Sophie? I was under the assumption that you were very formidable.¡± Louisa was not at all afraid. After all, she was acquainted with a considerable amount of people in Jipsdale. If the situation boiled down to a fistfight, all she had to do was to summon more people to her aid. Ysabelle was overwhelmed by an urge to p Louisa¡¯s face when she saw the latter¡¯s derisive mien. ¡°Louisa, you¡¯re f*cking crazy.¡± ¡°Remember what you just said. If you lose, you¡¯ll do whatever I ask of you, is that right?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right, and that¡¯s a promise,¡± Louisa replied. How can I possibly lose? I¡¯ve been dancing for over ten years. There¡¯s no way I¡¯ll lose to a thug like her. Sophie took off her coat under everyone¡¯s watchful eyes. The crowd was amazed after she removed her coat. ¡°Oh my god! She could be a model with that body!¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. She looked gorgeous with her coat on. I did not expect her to be more captivating after she takes off her outerwear.¡± Regardless of their gender, all the onlookers were enthralled by Sophie¡¯s beauty. Some of them even started whistling at her. In contrast, Tristan was not a fan of the turns of events. In his opinion, he was the only person who could indulge in Sophie¡¯s magnificence, yet those random strangers dared discuss her figure in front of him. Then, Sophie handed her coat to Tristan and said, ¡°Hold this for me.¡± The annoyance he felt moments ago dissipated following Sophie¡¯s gesture. ¡°Good luck, Louisa. You can do this. Sophie¡¯s so full of herself. She probably thinks she¡¯s better than everyone else just because she¡¯s slightly good-looking.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I may not have the confidence to secure a victory if wepete in something else, but no one can win me in terms of dancing.¡± Louisa was quite familiar with Sophie¡¯s background. She figured thetter did not receive any exposure to dancing thus far in her life. ¡°Good luck, Louisa.¡± When those girls in Louisa¡¯s group saw how handsome Tristan and Felix were, they grew more jealous of Sophie and Ysabelle, hoping more fervently that Louisa would be able to teach them a lesson. Louisa walked up to Sophie and whispered, ¡°Sophie, I¡¯m going to thoroughly humiliate you today in front of everyone, you vain and materialistic woman.¡± Mason is such a nice person, but he ends up in his current miserable state because of Sophie and Willow. I¡¯ll never forgive them. Chapter 300 Chapter 300 Chapter 300 Teach You A Lesson ¡°So eager to make me suffer, aren¡¯t you? We¡¯ll see if you¡¯re capable of such a feat!¡± Sophie could not care less about Louisa. She had never been afraid, no matter what the bet was. ¡°Is that so?¡± Louisa remarked. How dare she utter such words even when she¡¯s backed into a corner? I won¡¯t show her any mercyter. By then, several of Louisa¡¯s friends had already asked everyone to leave the dance floor. Tristan and Felix also followed suit. Although Ysabelle felt that Louisa should be put in her ce, she was also worried about Sophie. After all, she had never seen Sophie dance before. ¡°What should we do, Uncle Tristan? It¡¯s all my fault. If I hadn¡¯t insisted on dragging Sophie over to dance, she wouldn¡¯t be in this situation.¡± After a short pause, she asked, ¡°Aren¡¯t you being a little too calm now, Uncle Tristan?¡± Is he not worried at all? ¡°What¡¯s there to worry about? Sophie isn¡¯t a fool. The fact that she epted the challenge means that she¡¯s confident in winning.¡± Ysabelle felt a little more relieved upon hearing Tristan¡¯s words. Back on the stage, the music started, and the previously nonchnt person seemed to change into apletely different person after hearing the tune. It was a jazz piece, and the two of them danced to the rhythm of the music after hearing it. However, Louisa was astonished by Sophie¡¯s dance from the very beginning. Even the onlookers forgot to breathe upon witnessing thetter¡¯s dance moves. Does this girl really not know how to dance? What¡¯s going on now? Every single movement of hers is in tune with the music. Look at her supple waist and nimble hands. Every movement goes perfectly with the music. Tristan was yet amazed by Sophie once again. Sure enough, she doesn¡¯t disappoint in everything she does. Just then, the song changed to a very sensual tune. Sophie¡¯s movements slowed down, and within that change, she seemed to have transformed into the sexiest vixen in the world with her enchanting movements T¨ºxt ? N?velDrama.Org. and seductive gaze. Although Louisa¡¯s movements were indeed very professional, they did not fit so well with the music. Sophie¡¯s dance moves became bolder, and at the end, she turned and faced Louisa directly. The two of them danced face-to-face, and gradually, Louisa became overwhelmed. Sophie¡¯s gaze was too wild and her movements so fiery that it was almost as if she wanted to set the other woman on fire. In the end, Louisa made a mistake and fell to the ground on her bottom. ¡°Boo¡­¡± The crowd of onlookers began to boo. Louisa sat on the ground in a pathetic state and red at Sophie. ¡°You¡¯re so despicable, Sophie. I can¡¯t believe you pretended not to know how to dance in front of me just now. How can there be such a shameless person in this world?¡± Hearing Louisa uttering those words to Sophie, Ysabelle immediately shot back, ¡°D*mn it! You¡¯re the shameless one! Do you think everyone likes showing off like you? So what if you started dancing at the age of five? There¡¯s nothing fantastic about your moves just now.¡± How unexpected! Truly unexpected indeed. Sure enough, Sophie has never disappointed me in whatever she does. ¡°How dare you say you¡¯ve never learned to dance, Sophie!¡± Louisa was still disgruntled and refused to admit defeat. ¡°It¡¯s true that I¡¯ve never learned dancing. I just learned by observation after a while. What¡¯s the matter? Don¡¯t you find it embarrassing that I can beat you when I¡¯ve never learned how to dance before?¡± Sophie said bluntly. ¡°You¡ª¡± Louisa fumed. The girls that were with Louisa noticed the humiliating state she was in and did note over. Louisa got up from the ground by herself. Having suffered such humiliation, all she wanted to do was to quickly leave the ce. However, before she could do so, Felix blocked her path. Do you think you can leave after hurting Ysabelle? Do you truly take us for essories? Louisa eyed the man standing before her. ¡°What are you doing? How can a grown man like you bully a woman?¡± she growled. ¡°Bully you? Is this bullying you?¡± Felix shrugged before continuing, ¡°You hurt her. Do you think I¡¯ll let you go easily today?¡± Is she stupid? ¡°So what if I hurt her? Do you know who I am? Listen here. Should youy a finger on me today, my dad will never let you off!¡± Even then, Louisa was still uttering threats in vain. ¡°Tell him who is my dad, Sophie.¡± ¡°Hah! I¡¯m not your mom. How would I know who your dad is?¡± ¡°You¡­¡± Louisa¡¯s face was pale with anger, and the other onlookers wereughing mockingly. This girl took the initiative to provoke the other in the first ce, so she brought it upon herself. ¡°What¡¯s the matter? Did I say something wrong? Have you forgotten the bet you just made?¡± Weren¡¯t you being so arrogant just now? So now that you¡¯ve lost, you¡¯re thinking of sneaking away? After making a fool of herself in front of so many people, Louisa wore an ugly scowl. ¡°Don¡¯t cross the line, Sophie.¡± ¡°I insist on doing so. What can you do about it? You were the one who took the initiative to provoke me in the first ce, so I won¡¯t let you off so easily.¡± ¡°What the h*ll do you want?¡± ¡°It¡¯s simple. Apologize.¡± She was making a reasonable request. ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± Louisa uttered unwillingly. It¡¯s fine. I¡¯ll get payback for all the embarrassment I suffered today. ¡°Do you call this an apology? Fine! Now put your hand on the ground and let me step on it, and this matter is over.¡± If she didn¡¯t do it on purpose, I wouldn¡¯t be so angry, but I saw how she had bullied Ysabelle just now. ¡°Don¡¯t go overboard, Sophie. I¡¯ve already apologized, so why do you have to be so unreasonable?¡± ¡°How is this going overboard?¡± Sophie thought otherwise. Wasn¡¯t she the one who set herself up for a beating in the first ce? Sophie was sweating all over because of the dance battle earlier on. Seeing that, Tristan came over with a tissue, pulled her to him, and wiped her sweat. ¡°All right. Leave it to Felix. He¡¯ll deal with it for Ysabelle¡¯s sake.¡± After wiping her sweat, he led her out. ¡°Okay.¡± She did feel quite ufortable being drenched in sweat. ¡°Don¡¯t be too soft on her, Felix. She needs to be taught a lesson.¡± Only after saying that did Sophie left with Tristan. ¡°How would you like to deal with this, Ysabelle?¡± Felix asked the girl beside him. Ysabelle had never been a vengeful person, so since Louisa had already apologized, she felt that there was no point in dragging the matter further. ¡°Forget it. I¡¯m tired. Let¡¯s go back.¡± Felix scoffed after hearing her response. ¡°Do you think your family is very powerful, Louisa?¡± His remark gave Louisa a sense of uneasiness. Felix did not continue to give her a hard time. The best way to upset her is to make her lose everything she¡¯s always been proud of, and I can do that. ¡°Come! Let¡¯s go back. I can¡¯t believe you got bullied just by dancing. How useless.¡± Felix was truly disappointed with Ysabelle. She trailed behind him, a little aggrieved. Why is he acting like this? I¡¯m already hurt, and he didn¡¯t even offer me some words offort. Must he talk like this? The Novel will be updated daily. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone! Chapter 301 Chapter 301 Chapter 301 Dance On Our Wedding Night ¡°Are you okay, Louisa? It¡¯s not that we don¡¯t want to help you, but you saw the earlier situation. They had uspletely outnumbered. If we had stepped up¡ª¡± ¡°That¡¯s enough! Shut up, all of you!¡± Louisa was boiling with rage after getting humiliated like that. ¡°You lot were supposed to be my best friends. Only after what happened today did I discover how much I really mean to you.¡± The young woman was upset that no one stepped up to help her. ¡°There were too many of them, Louisa. Besides, it was you who wanted to bet with them,¡± protested one of Louisa¡¯s friends. It wasn¡¯t our fault that she thought she could win. ¡°By the way, who exactly was the guy who spoke just now?¡± ¡°I¡¯m curious as well. Seeing how protective he was of Sophie, I bet he¡¯s her boyfriend!¡± ¡°Louisa, do you really have no idea who he is? You and your family are doomed if hees after you all.¡± Louisa was even more troubled after listening to her friends, for the man who leftst did not look like someone she would want to mess with. ¡°Do you think we, the Yarboroughs, are pushovers and that anyone can threaten us?¡± she snapped. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t speak so arrogantly if I were you, youngdy. There¡¯s always someone more powerful out there; you never know who you¡¯re dealing with.¡± The manager of Nocturnal came to see what themotion was about and was surprised to learn that the young woman before him had the guts to offend Tristan. ¡°Who is he?¡± Louisa felt somewhat uneasy after hearing the manager¡¯s words. ¡°The man who leftst? That¡¯s Mr. Northley. Have you heard of him?¡± Louisa said nothing in response. Noticing that, the manager added, ¡°You¡¯d better think of a way to appease him. Otherwise, you and your family will be in big trouble. ¡± Still, she remained silent. At that point, Louisa was no longer in the mood to have fun and hurried home instead. When she reached home and saw her parents, she wanted toin to them but changed her mind when she recalled the man¡¯s identity. ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Louisa? Did somebody bully you? If that¡¯s true, you have to let me know,¡± voiced Louisa¡¯s mother. It was only natural that she got worried since Louisa was her only child. ¡°Mom, is Mr. Northley powerful?¡± Louisa often heard her father talk about the four prominent families but had no idea exactly how influential Felix was. ¡°Mr. Northley? He¡¯s not someone we can afford to offend. Why did you ask, though? Do you know him?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t.¡± Louisa¡¯s face immediately turned pale when she heard her mother¡¯s answer. She dared not mention how she offended Felix at Nocturnal and how he threatened to take everything away from her. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Are you feeling unwell?¡± ¡°I¡¯m just tired, Mom. I¡¯m going to bed now.¡± Louisa was so frightened that she decided to hurry into her room instead of telling her family the truth. ¡°What¡¯s going on with her?¡± Louisa¡¯s mother could not figure out why her daughter would suddenly mention Felix. That man is in a different ss than we are! We definitely can¡¯t trifle with him. Meanwhile, Tristan took Sophie back to Wisteria Apartments. Even though thetter did not stay there for the past few days, Susan had regrly kept the ce clean and ready for her to return to. ¡°I¡¯ll go take a shower first.¡± Sophie felt extremely ufortable from the ickiness of being drenched in sweat. ¡°Sure. Go ahead!¡± Tristan replied. He took off his jacket, hung it up, and then went to boil some water. As for Sophie, she grabbed a fresh set of clothes from the bedroom and entered the bathroom. It only took her fifteen minutes to finish her shower. After changing and blowing her hair dry, she felt refreshed, and her mood improved greatly. When Sophie stepped out of the bedroom, Tristan had already done boiling the water. As soon as he saw her, he handed her a thermos. ¡°Drink some warm water.¡± In response, she took the bottle and did as told. ¡°Did you often dance in the past?¡± inquired Tristan suddenly. Surprised by the question, Sophie thought for a while before replying, ¡°I used to be young and wild. I¡¯d always hang out with Mark and the others, so I did dance sometimes.¡± ¡°You danced very well.¡± He was reminded, again, of how attractive the young woman was just then. ¡°Really? You didn¡¯t look impressed, though.¡± It had been a while since Sophiest bust a move, which would have remained unchanged had Louisa not crossed the line. ¡°I didn¡¯t like how people looked at you.¡± Tristan did not appreciate the attention she got. Sophie already had good looks, so the fact that she could dance so well only turned more heads. ¡°Oh. I understand. I won¡¯t dance again.¡± Sophie was thoughtful enough to refrain from doing anything that would upset Tristan. Upon hearing that, he pulled her into his embrace and made her lean against his shoulder. ¡°You can dance, but you can only do it for me.¡± Tristan still wished to see Sophie¡¯s sexy and alluring side when he was alone with her. Then, Sophie tilted her head curiously at the man. ¡°Are you sure, Mr. Tristan?¡± she asked. She was worried he would lose control if she gave him a private dance. ¡°I am. However, what do you say we save that for our wedding night?¡± Tristan did not have much faith in his self-control either. Sophie had nothing to say in response to his suggestion. The following day, it was still early in the morning when Sophie finished packing her belongings. At the sight of her walking down the stairs with her suitcase, Josiah immediately jumped to his feet. ¡°Soph, I know how important the physicspetition is, but do you really have to leave so soon?¡± he asked. Josiah could not bear the thought of being apart from Sophie for half a month. ¡°Maybe I should go with you. That way, I can continue to take care of you.¡± Convinced that Sophie had been through enough hardship in the past, he wanted nothing more than to treat her like a princess. ¡°Grandpa, you don¡¯t have to worry about me. I¡¯m just going to a summer camp!¡± Sophie replied. She had always been patient with her grandfather. ¡°Fine! You have to remember to call me as soon as you get there, okay? Also, do your best. I heard it¡¯s a nationwidepetition, but I believe you can do it.¡± Josiah had every faith in Sophie. The old man knew about the physicspetition she would be participating in and was aware that the top three participants would be eligible for the international middle school physicspetition held in Anndur next month. Caleb¡¯s attitude toward Sophie had changed a lot by then. ¡°Do your best to take advantage of the opportunity, Sophie. If you do well in thispetition, you¡¯ll be able to join the International Academy of Physics,¡± Caleb advised, mentioning the academy many dreamt of being a part of. ¡°Okay.¡± However, Sophie was not very interested in that because she simply wanted to prove herself to Whitlea. ¡°Caleb, she¡¯s merely there to make up the numbers, yet you think she¡¯s capable of bringing a trophy home?¡± mocked Willow as she looked at Sophie coldly. s, thetter chose to ignore her, only sneering. Clenching her fists, Willow was determined to make use of her forte¡ªN?velDrama.Org owns this text. painting. I have to stay calm. If I can join the Painting Association, I¡¯ll still have a chance to join the actual upper-ss society. Chapter 302 Chapter 302 Chapter 302 The Physics Competition When the Tanner family walked Sophie out, Tristan and Ysabelle were already waiting for her. Sophie was somewhat surprised to see Ysabelle. ¡°What are you doing here?¡± the former inquired curiously. ¡°I¡¯m going to the physics summer camp with you!¡± Ysabelle chirped. With the help of her uncle, she managed to sign up for the camp held before the physicspetition. ¡°Huh?¡± Sophie could not help but wonder if Ysabelle thought she joined the camp for fun. When Tristan saw Josiah, he got out of the car and approached the elderly man. ¡°It¡¯s cold out here, Old Mr. Tanner. You should head in and rest. Don¡¯t worry about Sophie; I¡¯ll ensure she gets to her destination safely,¡± Tristan reassured. After nodding in response, Josiah pulled out a card from his pocket and handed it to Sophie. ¡°Take this. I want you to take good care of yourself out there, okay?¡± the old man said, unable to feel at ease over the fact that his granddaughter would be on her own outside. Willow was beside herself with jealousy when she saw Josiah give Sophie a bank card. What about me? Sophie always gets the best, while I get nothing! Grandpa is ying favorites! ¡°I have enough money, Grandpa.¡± Sophie was actually wealthier than Josiah thought. ¡°Grandpa, Sophie¡¯s now the CEO of Tanner Group, so why would sheck money?¡± Willow stated jealously, unhappy that it had been a while since shest received pocket money from Josiah. ¡°Grandpa, I¡¯d like to buy a¡­¡± ¡°I don¡¯t care how rich you are. Nobody can ever have too much money, so just take it.¡± Josiah then forced the card into Sophie¡¯s hands. Willow got so upset that she could almost cry. Sophie didn¡¯t want the card, but she still got it. I got nothing even though I asked. Grandpa is obviously biased toward Sophie! Since Josiah insisted, Sophie had no choice but to keep the card he gave her. ¡°All right, I got it. You have to listen to Morgan. Have your meals and go to bed on time, okay?¡± she exhorted. ¡°Okay.¡± The old man was unusuallypliant then. After opening the car door for Sophie, Tristan, too, got into the vehicle. The physicspetition, an invitational that wouldst for two weeks, was to be held in Summerbank. When Tristan thought of how he could not see Sophie for the next fourteen days, he decided to take the time to send her there himself. The two young women, Ysabelle and Sophie, sat in the back seat. ¡°Sophie, I¡¯m not good at physics, so you must ensure that I don¡¯t embarrass myself too much, okay? I¡¯m only nning to learn whatever I can there,¡± the former requested. ¡°Sure.¡± Going from Jipsdale to Summerbank required a three-hour journey by car, so Tristan pulled up at the rest stop when they reached one. While Ysabelle used the restroom, he and Sophie got out of the car to get some fresh air. ¡°You asked Ysabelle to go with me, didn¡¯t you? Didn¡¯t I tell you I could take care of myself?¡± questioned Sophie rhetorically. ¡°She wanted to go,¡± Tristan insisted, trying to convince her that it was not his idea. Sophie was stumped for words. Even though he denied it, she refused to believe that he was not, in any way, involved. How would Ysabelle get to join the summer camp if Tristan didn¡¯t pull a few strings? After all, the principal had to do the same to secure two spots for Jipsdale Premier High. ¡°What¡¯s the matter? Are you upset? I only made the arrangements because Ysabelle wanted to go with you. N?velDrama.Org owns this text. That¡¯s all there is to it,¡± uttered Tristan, despite knowing that Sophie could sense that was not the case. After all, she was a sharp person. ¡°I¡¯m not upset.¡± Sophie denied being displeased, but herck of smile betrayed her. ¡°Sophie, I just hoped you¡¯d have a friend beside you at the camp. You¡¯ll be gone for two weeks, so the least I can do is have Ysabelle keep youpany!¡± he exined sincerely while holding her hands. In response, Sophie sighed in resignation since she could not help but be moved by how considerate the man was. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. If this doesn¡¯t sit well with you, I won¡¯t make any simr arrangements in the future without your approval. Are you okay with this?¡± Tristan, a tycoon, was unexpectedly understanding when speaking with her. ¡°Mmh.¡± Sophie did not wish to be unappreciative of his thoughtfulness. Regardless, she was not averse to having Ysabelle around. Hence, the matter was resolved then. Ysabelle brought two bottles of water for Tristan and Sophie when she returned. It was already past three o¡¯clock in the afternoon when they finally reached Summerbank. Since that was thest day for registration, Sophie and Ysabelle went straight to the counter while Tristan waited outside. Afterward, the two young women were to head to the private summer camp as soon as possible. ¡°Is there anything else you two have to do? If not, our driver will take you to the camp. You¡¯re thest two participants to join us,¡± one of the staff members stated. Even though Sophie and Ysabelle were notte, they were still greatly displeased that the duo did not arrive earlier for such an important event. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I need ten more minutes,¡± Sophie replied. Tristan¡¯s still waiting for me outside, so I can¡¯t just leave without saying goodbye to him. If I do, he¡¯d be very pitiful. ¡°Why are you so fussy? You¡¯re already thetest to arrive, yet you still want another ten minutes?¡± one of the staff membersined impatiently. ¡°Miss, it¡¯s not as though we¡¯rete, so why are you being so rude? Or do you not want us to join the camp?¡± Ysabelle retorted, unable to stand it anymore. Did she just get dumped by her boyfriend or something? We can take as much time as we want so long as we make it to the camp before it starts. There¡¯s no need to grumble non-stop. ¡°Do you think you¡¯re all that just because youe from Jipsdale? We, the staff, are all waiting for you here, and you dare to ask why I¡¯m being rude?¡± ¡°If you don¡¯t like the job, I¡¯m sure many are more than willing to rece you, so quit whining,¡± Ysabelle snapped. ¡°Why, you little¡­¡± The staff member did not expect Ysabelle to talk back like that. ¡°You speak as if the physicspetition was held just for you. Do you want to get me fired? I¡¯d like to see you try.¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to file aint about your inexcusable behavior!¡± Ysabelle was not one to back down from conflicts. Never once did she let anyone get away with disrespecting her in Jipsdale, and she was not about to change just because she was in Summerbank. ¡°I merely asked for ten minutes. Even then, we will still have more than an hour before the registration ends, so what¡¯s the problem?¡± Sophie spoke up. Even though she would prefer not to argue with the staff member, she could tell that thetter had no intentions of letting them off. ¡°I have no problem at all. It¡¯s not as though rich girls like you know how hard we work.¡± Ysabelle was rendered speechless by how dignified the staff member had made herself out to be. I can see that she¡¯s working hard to make things difficult for us. ¡°Either you stop whining, or you quit.¡± Done with wasting her time on the staff member, Sophie went outside to Tristan. ¡°Humph! I wouldn¡¯t get on her bad side if I were you because she¡¯s going to be the champion this time.¡± Ysabelle absolutely believed in Sophie¡¯s capability. ¡°Hah. As if you¡¯re going to amount to anything. Let me tell you something¡ªnot everything in this world can be bought with money,¡± the staff member countered. She was sure that only the truly worthy ones would shine in thepetition, not those with wealth. Chapter 303 Chapter 303 Chapter 303 Naughty Stuff ¡°That¡¯s enough. Why is an adult like you arguing with two youngdies? We¡¯ve yet to get off work, so why are you in such a hurry?¡± another female staff member chimed in, stopping the argument. As a matter of fact, she knew Sophie and Ysabelle were notte. Thus, her colleague did not have to make things difficult for them. Ysabelle harrumphed as she could not be bothered to deal with the rude staff member. Thetter could sulk in the corner by herself if she were annoyed. Her anger would not affect Ysabelle and Sophie, anyway. Then, Ysabelle took the suitcases and decided to sit on the couch to rest while waiting for Sophie. She chose to wait there obediently instead of bing a third wheel. Tristan had just walked over after parking the car when he saw Sophie striding out. Upon walking to her side, he asked, ¡°Where¡¯s Ysabelle? Let¡¯s go eat.¡± He nned to have dinner together. During hisst visit to Summerbank, he went to a restaurant that served excellent dishes, and he believed Sophie might like that ce. ¡°Mr. Tristan, I¡¯m sorry. As we have to leave for the training camp now, I don¡¯t think we can have dinner with you.¡± Sophie felt apologetic. He drove her and Ysabelle here for more than three hours, yet she could not even have a meal with him in return. ¡°I see!¡± Sure enough, Tristan¡¯s expression darkened a little right after those words fell from her lips. ¡°You girls should go ahead! I¡¯lle and pick you two up after the camp,¡± he continued. It was impossible for him not to feel disappointed, but he could only ept the reality since he knew Sophie did not mean for it to happen. ¡°Then, I¡¯ll go back inside now. We must leave immediately.¡± She knew she would have to leave him sooner orter. ¡°All right.¡± At that moment, Tristan looked like a puppy abandoned by its owner. Sophie had the urge to pet him, and she did so by throwing herself into his arms and hugging his waist. ¡°I¡¯ll go back once I¡¯m done here,¡± she said, trying her best tofort him. ¡°Mmh.¡± Tristan, who was sad at first, perked up once she hugged him. ¡°Do your best!¡± Although he knew he should let her go, he was reluctant to do so and wanted to continue talking with her. ¡°I will. Be careful on your way back. Also, remember to call me once you get there! But then, I don¡¯t know if I can answer your call. After all, training camps like this will usually confiscate our phones.¡± Tristan brushed his fingers across her dainty chin. ¡°Okay, don¡¯t worry!¡± He would be fine since it was not his first time driving long distances. Seeing that the time was almost up, Sophie stood on her tiptoes and kissed his lips briefly. ¡°I¡¯ll go inside now,¡± she said. The young woman did not know she would feel so reluctant to part with someone one day. It seemed to her that she was falling deeper and deeper for Tristan. That was why she was growing attached to him. Before Sophie could turn around to walk away, Tristan kissed her again. ¡°Two weeks is too long!¡± hemented. It was too much to picture not having her by his side for the following two weeks, so he wanted to kiss her deeper to have enough to reminisce about whenever he missed her. ¡°What is taking her so long? Didn¡¯t she say ten minutes? This is too much!¡± The female staff member who argued with the two young women got impatient when she saw Sophie had not returned after ten minutes, so she went out to see what thetter was doing. To her surprise, she saw Sophie kissing a handsome man passionately. The female staff member waspletely dumbfounded. This man is way too handsome! He¡¯s even better looking than the male celebrities in the entertainment industry! In that instant, she grew jealous of Sophie. She¡¯s so young, yet she¡¯s already acting like a sl*t, kissing a man like that in a public space. How shameless! After the heated kiss, Tristan let go of Sophie. ¡°Go now! I¡¯lle and pick you up after the camp,¡± he said gently. ¡°Okay.¡± At that moment, Sophie had flushed cheeks. The look in her eyes was alluring, making his heart race for her uncontrobly. When Sophie returned inside, the female staff member could not resist the urge to mock her. ¡°I thought you had something important to do, but you only asked for more time to be with a man! Is this why you came to our training camp? If you came here to seduce men, you shouldn¡¯t take up a spot. Don¡¯t you know how many people are interested ining to our camp?¡± Her words were vicious due to her overwhelming jealousy. Sophie frowned. She truly disliked the female staff member. ¡°You are in no ce to judge if I¡¯m qualified to join this camp.¡± With that, Sophie went straight inside. She didn¡¯t have to quarrel more with someone like thetter. Sophie went to Ysabelle, who took in her countenance and asked curiously, ¡°What¡¯s the matter? You look like you¡¯ve done some naughty stuff with Uncle Tristan.¡± Young girls were naturally interested in things like that, especially Ysabelle. Instead of answering her question, Sophie took her suitcase and urged, ¡°Let¡¯s go. Time¡¯s almost up!¡± I suddenly regreting to this training camp. If I had known it would be like this, I wouldn¡¯t have listened to Mr. Elswick. Then, I wouldn¡¯t have to leave Jipsdale for two weeks. Two weeks! That¡¯s way too long. The other female staff member led the duo to the bus. Since they were the last two students to head to the camp, the bus was rtively emptier than before. Sophie and Ysabelle sat in the same row. ¡°Sophie, tell me the truth! What do you think about Uncle Tristan? I¡¯ve never seen him treat a girl so well!¡± Ysabelle continued, ¡°You see, Winter didn¡¯t do anything to hurt you physically. All she did was say something horrible, yet Uncle Tristan sent her to Alendor!¡± Everyone knew Winter was the dearest third daughter of the Quigley family. Exclusive content from N?velDrama.Org. It was also due to that incident that Walter frequently went to their ce, but Tristan refused to withdraw his decision, no matter what the elderly man said. That had Walter feeling somewhat dejected. ¡°I know.¡± Sophie agreed with what Ysabelle said. It was true that Tristan treated her well. She was a human with emotions, so she would be lying if she said she did not realize Tristan treated her differently from other women. ¡°Then what about you? Don¡¯t you feel attracted to him? Do you like Uncle Tristan? No. I should ask you if you¡¯re in love with Uncle Tristan instead. Are you?¡± Ysabelle believed Sophie must have developed some feelings for Tristan, considering that he had spent so much time pursuing her. Otherwise, Sophie would not give him that many chances to approach her. ¡°Aren¡¯t you tired? Get some rest if you are. I think it will take a long time until we reach the camp!¡± Sophie did not want to discuss such a topic with her, so she closed her eyes to rest. Ysabelle was rendered speechless. Is Sophie avoiding the question? Forget it. If she isn¡¯t willing to tell me more, I shouldn¡¯t press her any further. I am her best friend, after all. Uncle Tristan will never be as important as Sophie is to me. It took them more than an hour to arrive at the training camp from the registration venue. That time around, the camp was held in a mountain resort. The bus had just pulled up before the resort when Ysabelle spotted Bailey. Don¡¯t tell me Bailey has been waiting for us here. Isn¡¯t it too much of a coincidence that he is the first person we see? Ysabelle nudged Sophie, then pointed in Bailey¡¯s direction. ¡°Sophie, Bailey is here to pick you up!¡± The former did not exaggerate her words. It was clear that Bailey came to pick Sophie up. Frowning, Sophie looked in that direction, and sure enough, she saw Bailey. He must have arrived here much earlier than us! But then, it¡¯s not surprising. Whitlea must have ced high importance on this summer camp. Chapter 304 Chapter 304 Chapter 304 This is property ? N?velDrama.Org. Confession Sophie and Ysabelle had just gotten off the bus and were about to get their suitcases when Bailey walked over to them. ¡°Let me help!¡± he offered. Seeing that he wanted to help them, Sophie did not stop him and just let him be. The duo stood aside as Bailey helped them to move their suitcases out of the bus. Then, he walked over to them. ¡°Let¡¯s go! I¡¯ll bring you to check in to your room!¡± Bailey arrived earlier than them at the mountain resort, so he had gotten very familiar with the ce. The scenery at the mountain resort was beautiful. On the way, Ysabelle could not help admiring the surroundings, whereas Bailey¡¯s gaze was focused on Sophie the whole time. It has only been a few days since Ist saw her, yet she looks even more beautiful! How is it possible that she looks so gorgeous? Naturally, Ysabelle could also sense that Bailey was infatuated with Sophie. Holding Sophie¡¯s arm, she whispered, ¡°Sophie, Bailey can¡¯t take his eyes off you! I guess he hasn¡¯t moved on from you yet.¡± Humph! Although Bailey is handsome, he is still Uncle Tristan¡¯s love rival, and I will never be nice to him. Sophie shook her head and grunted in acknowledgment. Hmm? What does that response mean? Can someone tell me what Sophia is thinking? I came here on a mission! I mustn¡¯t let Bailey get close to Sophie when Uncle Tristan has entrusted me with her! After helping the two young women check in, Bailey escorted them to their room. Sophie and Ysabelle shared the same room, so he helped them move their suitcases inside. ¡°I¡¯m sure you haven¡¯t eaten yet. Neither have I. Why don¡¯t we have dinner together? It¡¯s dinner time anyway,¡± said Bailey earnestly. At first, he wanted to give up his feelings for Sophie, but he mulled over it and changed his mind. Both of them were around the same age, and he believed that no one could be too certain about the future. Thus, if he put in enough effort and became someone qualified to be with her, he could then pursue her without reservations. ¡°Bailey, I think I¡¯ve made myself clear to you.¡± Sophie was never someone who would toy with others¡¯ feelings, so she felt the need to rify her stance in the current situation. ¡°I don¡¯t harbor other intentions. I just felt that we should watch out for each other in this ce since we¡¯re all from Jipsdale Premier High. Please don¡¯t overthink,¡± Bailey replied. He was not that foolish to confess to her at that juncture. It was fine for him if Sophie did not like him. After all, love at first sight was not amon thing. Instead, he believed that love usually grew over time. ¡°You go ahead for dinner. I¡¯ve traveled long to reach this ce, so I feel like getting a shower first.¡± Sophie did not continue that topic after hearing his response. It was inappropriate for her to insist that he had feelings for her when he had already rified that. Most importantly, Bailey did not do anything which crossed the line. ¡°All right, then.¡± Bailey did not force her to have dinner with him either. He did not want to pester her too much, as he figured being that persistent would only make her push him away. After sending Bailey out, Sophie closed the door and took out a fresh set of clothes from her suitcase. ¡°Sophie, I think Bailey is still crushing on you,¡± Ysabellemented as she unpacked her suitcase. ¡°Stop that. I can¡¯t control his feelings and thoughts. It doesn¡¯t matter now since I¡¯ve told him everything that has to be told.¡± There was nothing Sophie could do about how Bailey thought of her, as no one in the world could control another person¡¯s thoughts and feelings, regardless of how powerful they were. Holding her clothes, Sophie went to the bathroom to take a shower. Ysabelle sat on the bed and continued to unpack her suitcase. Then, she waited for Sophie toe out of the bathroom. After Sophie had taken her shower, Ysabelle went inside the bathroom for her turn. When the two freshened up and stepped out of their room again, they realized that Bailey was still standing outside. It had been half an hour since theyst talked, so they wondered why he had yet to leave. ¡°Bailey, don¡¯t tell me you have not eaten yet.¡± Ysabelle was in disbelief. Bailey was the campus hunk at Jipsdale Premier High, having countless girls lining up to win over his heart, yet he was willing to put his dignity aside for Sophie. ¡°Yeah, I haven¡¯t eaten. Let¡¯s go together,¡± he replied. Sophie was at a loss for words. In the end, the three went to have dinner together. ¡°Sophie, this time, the summer camp is joined by youths from different regions. We need to be in teams of three. Since we¡¯re from the same school, let¡¯s just form a team together.¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± ¡°Yeah. Because you two arrivedter, the others have formed their teams. Now, the three of us can only be on the same team.¡± In that case, Sophie and Ysabelle were left with no choice. ¡°I¡¯m fine with that.¡± Hearing that, Ysabelle suddenly felt like a dead weight to Sophie and Bailey. ¡°Sophie, would I be a burden to our team?¡± Although she scored moderately in her physics ss, she was still far behind in qualifying to join a physicspetition. ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± said Sophie firmly. She was not too bothered about winning or losing thepetition. ¡°Ysabelle, you have nothing to worry about. With Sophie and I on your team, we won¡¯t have any issues,¡± Baileyforted Ysabelle. Truth be told, he was confident in winning the physicspetition. ¡°Okay,¡± Ysabelle answered. Although she refused to admit it, she must say Sophie and Bailey did look like a power couple at that moment. But then, if Sophie falls for Bailey after this, what about Uncle Tristan? No way. Bailey may be the campus hunk of Jipsdale Premier High, but he¡¯s nothingpared to Uncle Tristan! While they were eating, a beautiful youngdy walked over to them and handed Bailey a card. ¡°Hi there, I am Mavis Sykes. This is my number. Can we be friends?¡± Mavis asked with a shy look, her ears flushed. Upon witnessing that scene, Ysabelle grew delighted. It seems like I don¡¯t have to do anything after all! Bailey is attracting enoughdies on his own. ¡°You certainly surprised me, Bailey. You¡¯ve done nothing, but girls are already lining up to get to know you! Your poprity with girls is high!¡± shemented. However, Bailey did not even look at Mavis. ¡°I am sorry, but I have someone I like,¡± he answered directly. Mavis¡¯ face turned pale instantly. She could not ept the fact that he refused her so straightforwardly. ¡°Bailey, I¡¯ve heard you want to win the first prize in thispetition, so why don¡¯t you join our team? You¡¯ll only get a chance at being the champion if you join us!¡± Apparently, she had done enough research to know how to lure Bailey over. ¡°No, thanks. I will rely on nothing but myself to get what I want, and if I¡¯m not good enough to get it, I won¡¯t force my way either.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not what I meant. You know how important this training camp is. Since we are topete in teams of three, even if you¡¯re smart, there¡¯s no way for you to win the first prize if your teammates are ipetent! But if you join my team, I am certain we¡¯ll outshine the others.¡± Mavis was highly confident in herself. Chapter 305 Chapter 305 Chapter 305 Exclusive content from N?velDrama.Org. Dote On Her As I Please ¡°Hey, what do you mean by that? It¡¯s obvious that you think we¡¯re ipetent, isn¡¯t it?¡± Even though Ysabelle knew she was not good in physics, it did not mean she agreed with Mavis¡¯ opinion. Mavis rolled her eyes at her. ¡°You know full well about how you got into this camp.¡± Mavis was the top scorer in physics in her school, which was notably well-known for consistently winning first ce in the annual physicspetition. Thus, it was natural for her to belittle everyone else. ¡°You¡­¡± Ysabelle was about to explode with anger. ¡°What¡¯s with your snarky attitude? Just wait and see! You¡¯re going to be crushed by us soon!¡± To her, it meant everything to defend her dignity. Mavis snorted in response. ¡°You may want to reconsider my offer, Bailey.¡± When she looked at Bailey, she was utterly devoid of her earlier arrogance. While munching on her bread, Sophie said, ¡°Don¡¯t you already have a team? Are you nning to kick out your current teammate just so Bailey can join your team?¡± If that were the case, a person like Mavis could not be a good teammate. ¡°It¡¯s none of your business!¡± Mavis was back to her arrogant self. ¡°Mavis, you should go back to your teammates! Otherwise, I reckon no one would be willing to form a team with you if they knew what you were thinking.¡± Mavis was reluctant to give up. Her only interest was Bailey. ¡°Bailey, you won¡¯t stand a chance to win if you form a team with those two! Listen to me!¡± she demanded. ¡°Hah! So, it¡¯s bad for him to join our team, but it¡¯s fine to be on the same team as you? Do you really think the result of the competition is predetermined? Are you iming you¡¯ll win first ce just because you said so?¡± Ysabelle retorted, not bothering to be courteous toward Mavis. Deep down, she was livid. ¡°That¡¯s enough. Just go back. We¡¯ll use our capabilities to prove ourselves.¡± Bailey did not want to continue wasting time with Mavis¡¯ nonsense. Mavis swept a nce at Sophie and Ysabelle. ¡° I¡¯m giving you a chance here, Bailey. You don¡¯t want to look back and regret missing out on such a great opportunityter on.¡± After finishing her sentence, she walked away with a pale face. Ysabelle was both amused and enraged by her words. ¡°She thinks she is invincible, doesn¡¯t she?¡± she remarked unhappily. It was true that Mavis won first prize during the previous physicspetition, which emboldened her to act so arrogantly that time around. ¡°All right. Let¡¯s continue our meal!¡± Sophie exhorted. It was not worth getting upset over an insignificant person. What Mavis thought was her own business, so they had no reason to be angry about it. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Soph. I¡¯ll make an effort not to be a burden to our team!¡± Ysabelle promised resolutely. By hook or by crook, they had to give Mavis a drubbing. After having a spoonful of oatmeal, Sophie did not feel like eating it anymore. Although the food there was decent, her pte had be more refined because of her time with Tristan. When Ysabelle saw that Sophie was done eating, she quickly finished her bread in a few mouthfuls and stood up. ¡°We¡¯ve finished our food, Bailey. Enjoy your meal!¡± With that, Ysabelle dragged Sophie away. Bailey responded immediately by standing up abruptly, hoping to leave with them. However, Ysabelle had already left with Sophie. Upon seeing that the duo had left, Mavis approached Bailey again and asked, ¡°Are you seriously not going to consider my offer, Bailey?¡± Bailey was speechless. ¡°Can¡¯t we justpete to the best of our abilities, Mavis?¡± he voiced in the end. Mavis was at a loss for words. Why does the person I like only see me as a rival? Meanwhile, Felix began to report work-rted matters to Tristan as soon as thetter drove back to Jipsdale. Along with his return, several tricky and challenging issues were immediately solved with ease. Felix sighed. ¡°We¡¯re all humans, so why is there such a huge difference between us?¡± Those difficult problems that arose while Mr. Tristan was away were easily settled after he returned. ¡°Duh! Do you think everyone is capable of being Mr. Tristan?¡± Sean¡¯s words had hit the nail on the head. It was undeniable that there were not many people like Tristan in the world. ying with the emerald in his hand, Charles asked, ¡°Mr. Tristan, did you drive all the way to Summerbank just to drop Sophie off?¡± It was merely a physics competition, which was insignificantpared to the pressing issues in Jipsdale. Despite that, Tristan ignored the mountain of work in Jipsdale to personally send Sophie to the training camp. Tristan shot Charles a look. ¡°What? Did I hold things up?¡± the former questioned. I came back, didn¡¯t I? Moreover, I took care of all the issues as soon as I returned. I¡¯ve only been gone for about six or seven hours. Can¡¯t I even have a few hours of freedom? ¡°That¡¯s not what I meant, Mr. Tristan. I just think you¡¯re doting on Sophie excessively. If you keep doing this, she¡¯ll have you wrapped around her little finger in no time,¡± Charles replied. This is the mighty Mr. Tristan, a man of perfection and indomitability, that we are talking about! A man like him can have any woman he desires. There¡¯s no need for him to pamper a woman so much. ¡°It¡¯s natural that I dote on my woman,¡± Tristan refuted. To him, Sophie was an exceptional woman. It would be devastating for him to lose her to another man if he did not spoil her more. There was nothing Charles could say when he saw how happy Tristan was from doting on Sophie. ¡°Fine. Pretend I never said that, and don¡¯t tell Sophie about it,¡± Charles requested. Although Sophie was still young, he felt that she was actually quite a scary person. If she were to know what he said about her, he reckoned she would probably be hostile to him in the future. ¡°What¡¯s the matter? You¡¯re a courageous guy, aren¡¯t you? Why are you scared of a young lady?¡± Felix teased mercilessly. Charles fell silent. Forget it. Why am I bringing this upon myself? She is Mr. Tristan¡¯s woman. If he wants to spoil her so much that she walks all over him, he can still handle it himself. There¡¯s no need for me to be so concerned. ¡°Oh, right. How is Winter doing in Alendor?¡± Tristan asked all of a sudden. ¡°Pretty good. My sister may be arrogant and wilful, but there¡¯s no problem with her work performance,¡± Charles answered. Nheless, Winter had repeatedly expressed her desire to return home. ¡°That¡¯s good to hear. In that case, you should talk to your grandfather. Tell him to stoping over and rambling to my dad all day long. I¡¯m tired of it.¡± Since Winter was doing well over there, Tristan did not see the need for her to return. Once again, Charles found himself speechless. He would not dare to say such things in front of Walter. As a matter of fact, thetter was very upset with him for not being able to help Winter. ¡°All right, then. Is there anything else?¡± Tristan then asked the other three. The trio shook their heads. It was because Tristan was extremely efficient, solving everything within half an hour of returning. ¡°That¡¯s good to hear. Felix, get the person in charge in Summerbank to send some food for Sophie and Ysabelle. They¡¯re staying in a mountain resort this time, and the food there is terrible,¡± Tristan instructed. His woman and niece, of course, deserved the best treatment, and he was more than capable of providing it. ¡°Mr. Tristan, the mountain resort¡¯s service and facilities are already adequate!¡± Charles was beyond surprised at Tristan¡¯s words. When Mr. Tristan visited the mountain resort, he ate in the resort too. So why can¡¯t Sophie eat the same food as he did? However, he could only keep his mouth shut when he saw the look of affection and love in Tristan¡¯s eyes. Forget it. It¡¯s fine if he¡¯s willing to do so. Everything we say will fall on deaf ears, anyway Chapter 306 Chapter 306 Chapter 306 Act Coy To Me At seven in the evening, the first lesson of the training camp had started, and the speaker was a famous physicist, as expected of the best physics training camp in the country. Sophie initially did not have high hopes for the physics training camp. However, her interest in physics grew after the lesson. A smile bloomed on Bailey¡¯s face when he saw how immersed Sophie was during the lesson. I knew it. Sophie still likes physics a lot, doesn¡¯t she? Physics is actually an interesting subject. After the physics training camp, I¡¯m sure she¡¯ll like physics even more. Ysabelle was sitting beside Sophie. Naturally, she saw the expression on Bailey¡¯s face. It was as if he only had eyes for Sophie. It seems like he really likes Sophie a lot! ¡°Sophie, physics is interesting, right?¡± Bailey asked. The physicist was well-renowned in the country and was extremely professional in his lesson. While typical students might not understand the physicist, Bailey knew Sophie understood everything when he saw the excited glint in her eyes. ¡°It¡¯s not bad. It¡¯s worth it for you to pursue it for your life,¡± Sophia replied. She knew how much Bailey liked physics. Ysabelle, who was beside Sophia, scratched the back of her head in confusion. Look how they¡¯re getting along so well with each other! Is Sophie going to fall in love with him because of this? ¡°Sophie, I¡¯m not feeling so well,¡± Ysabelle muttered pitifully. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Sophie immediately asked in concern when she heard Ysabelle¡¯s words. ¡°I don¡¯t understand what he¡¯s saying at all! I did well in physics too! Why can¡¯t I understand what he¡¯s saying?¡± Ysabelle whined as she was overwhelmed with a load of information. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. He¡¯s a master of physics. There¡¯s nothing wrong with you not understanding what he said,¡± Sophia assured her as the two-hour lesson finally ended. The moment the three of them walked out of the room, Ysabelle¡¯s phone rang. The training camp did not confiscate their phone, and Ysabelle thought it was really open-minded of them. ¡°Felix? Why are you calling me?¡± she huffed. ¡°Come to the main entrance with Sophie. Mr. Tristan has ordered supper for you guys.¡± Ysabelle¡¯s expression immediately softened when she heard there was food for them. ¡°Aw, Uncle Tristan is so thoughtful! All right, I¡¯ll go and get it now!¡± Ysabelle then grabbed Sophie¡¯s arm and added, ¡°Sophie, let¡¯s go to the main entrance! I have to pick something up!¡± ¡°I¡¯ll go with both of you! It¡¯ste at night now, so it can be pretty dangerous.¡± Bailey was concerned about their safety. ¡°No, it¡¯s okay. It¡¯s a mountain resort! It¡¯s not going to be dangerous at all. Well, maybe you should head back and get some rest!¡± With that, Ysabelle grabbed Sophie and rushed out without giving Bailey time to respond. Hence, he could only stand rooted to the spot and stare at their retreating figures. ¡°Bailey, let¡¯s have supper together!¡± Just then, Mavis, who had been following them behind them, called out to Bailey. ¡°No. I¡¯m good.¡± As soon as he saw Mavis, he turned and left. Mavis froze on the ground. She was fuming. She didn¡¯t know why Bailey was still being so ungrateful when she had already humbled herself for him. ¡°Bailey, let¡¯s wait and see. You¡¯ll be mine one day.¡± Mavis refused to admit her defeat. The more Bailey was cold to her, the more she wanted him. Sure enough, a man in a suit was already standing by the main entrance when Sophie and Ysabelle arrived. The man greeted both of them respectfully as soon as he saw theming. ¡°Hello, Sophie. I¡¯m the manager of the Michelin restaurant in Summerbank. This is the supper that I¡¯ve prepared for both of you. I hope youdies will like it.¡± When Ysabelle told Sophie toe with her, thetter thought there was some good stuff. She did not expect it to be supper. ¡°Okay. Thank you so much!¡± Ysabelle grinned and thanked him while she took over the takeaway boxes. ¡°You¡¯re wee! I¡¯ll be responsible for all your meals when the two of you are in Summerbank these two weeks. If two of you need anything, feel free to contact me anytime!¡± With that, the manager handed them a name card. ¡°Sure! We¡¯ll take your offer then!¡± Ysabelle replied. She thought Tristan was extremely thoughtful. When Sophie and Ysabelle returned to their room, thetter immediately took out all the dishes. As expected, all the dishes from the Michelin restaurant were scrumptious. ¡°Sophie! Come and try their tiramisu! It¡¯s amazing!¡± Ysabelle eximed excitedly while she devoured another piece. ¡°It¡¯s okay. You can have it.¡± Sophie had no appetite at all. Seeing her that way, Ysabelle put down the takeout box in her hand and asked with concern as she walked toward Sophie, ¡°Are you okay? Are you feeling unwell? You didn¡¯t eat much for dinner either.¡± ¡°I¡¯m okay. You should eat first. I need to make a phone call,¡± With that, Sophie walked to the side and made a call. The call was answered on the first ring. ¡°Mr.Exclusive content from N?velDrama.Org. Tristan, you don¡¯t have to be so worried. We¡¯re eating fine at the mountain resort.¡± ¡°Eating fine is not enough! Your appetite has always been bad, so we should take better care of what you eat. Besides, it¡¯s not troublesome to me at all. All I have to do is tell someone to deliver the food to you. Don¡¯t worry about it. Tell the manager what you want to eat, and he¡¯ll arrange it for you guys.¡± Serving the people was what a Michelin restaurant was supposed to do anyway. ¡°All right. I got it.¡± Sophie knew she wouldn¡¯t be able to win over the argument. Hence, she couldn¡¯t be bothered to argue with him anymore. Ysabelle seemed to enjoy the food, anyway. ¡°How¡¯s everything? Are you adapting well at the mountain resort?¡± ¡°Everything was excellent! Mr. Wade, a physicist, gave us a lesson today. I find physics to be quite interesting after his ss!¡± ¡°I see!¡± She changed her mind after only the first lesson. Mr. Wade is truly amazing! ¡°I¡¯ll support you no matter what you want to do!¡± Tristan assured. Wasn¡¯t the International Medical Association still waiting for her to join them? However, he didn¡¯t want her to join the International Medical Association. After all, Arius was still keeping an eye on her. ¡°Okay.¡± Sophia felt warmth in her heart when she heard Tristan¡¯s words. He was right. Sophia was interested in both physics and the medical field. She told herself that if she could not pick one, she would just go for a double major in university. She couldn¡¯t be bothered to think too much since she didn¡¯t want to stress herself out. ¡°Sophie, you¡¯re only gone for one day, and I¡¯m starting to miss you already. What am I going to do for the remaining thirteen days?¡± Sophie was speechless when she heard what Tristan said. Back then, she would¡¯ve never expected him to be so affectionate. Compared to Tristan, Sophie seemed to be too cold and heartless. ¡°I know you¡¯re busy. Don¡¯t worry. I won¡¯t disturb you. But I hope you can give me a call when you¡¯re free.¡± ¡°Mr. Tristan, are you acting coy with me?¡± Sophie was puzzled. It seemed like he was acting all cutesy to her. Tristan had always been a relentless and decisive man. Thus, she would¡¯ve never expected him to act coquettishly. ¡°I have no choice. I want you to act coy with me. But you won¡¯t do it, will you?¡± Since Sophie wouldn¡¯t do it, Tristan had decided to take matters into his hands. After all, one of the two had to be more clingy in a rtionship. Chapter 307 Chapter 307 Chapter 307 Affection ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± Actually, Sophie was being honest. Since she had always been aloof, it was almost impossible for her to act cute Tristan could only let out a sigh at that. I¡¯m in love with an aloof youngdy. Sure enough, it¡¯s not easy to see her acting coy. ¡°Then, go ahead and have the food. Have an early night after that,¡± said Tristan. He knew that joining the training camp could be very tiring because he was once a participant in such a training camp. ¡°Okay,¡± Sophie responded and hung up the call. After that, she walked up to Ysabelle and sat next to her. As they began eating, Ysabelle handed Sophie a piece of tiramisu. Nosily, the former asked, ¡°Is that Uncle Tristan?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Who else could it be? ¡°Actually, Uncle Tristan is just a little bit older than you, Sophie. He¡¯s perfect in other aspects. You do know that, don¡¯t you?¡± Sophie remained silent at that. In reality, Tristan was not old. He was currently living in his prime. It was just that there was an age gap between Sophie and him. ¡°Are you all right? Could it be that you are interested in guys like Bailey? Of course, I¡¯m not saying that Bailey is terrible. It¡¯s just that nobody in Chanaea isparable to Uncle Tristan.¡± In truth, Ysabelle was still single because she had an uncle like Tristan, causing her to set an overly high bar for her future partner. ¡°Mmm,¡± Sophie agreed. However, she seemed to have fallen into deep thought. ¡°Ysabelle¡­ Could it be that you admire Tristan so much that you have feelings for him?¡± This time, Ysabelle was at a loss for words. ¡°I¡­¡± Ysabelle parted her lips, but she did not know what to reply. ¡°I no longer have affection for Uncle Tristan, Sophie. Please stop overthinking things, okay?¡± ¡°All right.¡± ¡°Hey, I¡¯m serious! That¡¯s Uncle Tristan. My biological uncle.¡± Ysabelle did her best to elucidate that she did not have feelings for Tristan. Everything she did was for the sake of Tristan and Sophie. ¡°Haha! I¡¯m just joking.¡± Seeing her reaction, Sophie could not help giggling. ¡°Great.¡± N?velDrama.Org is the owner. Ysabelle put down her food and pulled out a paper towel. After wiping her hands, she came near to Sophie and tickled her. ¡°I was talking to you about something serious, but you scared me! That¡¯s outrageous!¡± Nevertheless, she was no match for Sophie. Within three seconds, thetter had already taken Ysabelle down, pressing her against the couch while tickling her. Hah! Does Ysabelle think that she is a match for me? ¡°Hahaha¡­¡± Ysabelleughed her head off that she was gasping for air. There were even tears in her eyes fromughing too hard. ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry, S-Sophie! Please, have mercy on me!¡± Ysabelle pleaded right away. ¡°Greet your queen,¡± Sophie ordered as she looked at Ysabelle condescendingly. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Your Majesty.¡± Ysabelle never thought that Sophie harbored ambitions of bing the queen. Nheless, as long as Sophie stopped tickling her, she would do anything Sophie asked her to do. After having some fun ying, Ysabelle felt hungry again. Thus, they continued their meal. ¡°As expected from a Michelin-starred restaurant. Their food tastes great! You¡¯re skinny, Sophie. Eat more.¡± However, Sophie had already had her fill. She wiped her hands and uttered, ¡°Eat more if you like it. I¡¯m full.¡± Even though the food served by the Michelin-starred restaurant was delicious, Sophie was too full to have another portion. ¡°I¡¯ll give Arius a call. You should get some rest after eating,¡± suggested Sophie. At that moment, Ysabelle was caught in a dilemma. It¡¯s a waste if we can¡¯t finish the food. I shall continue eating! Wait¡­ Sophie is so disciplined though she¡¯s always had a good figure. Isn¡¯t it terrible for me to eat this much? Meanwhile, Arius was preparing to perform an emergency operation when he received a phone call. Still, he decided to answer the call when he noticed that the caller was Sophie. ¡°Professor Gullifer, the operation is about to start. What are you-¡± ¡°Hold on,¡± Arius interjected and walked to a side to answer the call. Everyone else who was also waiting for Arius dared not utter another word either. Although Professor Gullifer has always been amiable, he can be fierce sometimes. ¡°What¡¯s the matter? Do you miss me? Why are you calling me suddenly?¡± Arius asked with a smile. ¡°I just wanted to know how is Nichs?¡± Sophie queried. ¡°Nichs? What have you done to him? Well, you don¡¯t know the situation in Anndur, do you? He made a mess of things upon returning to the country,¡± Arius knew for sure Nichs was displeased because of Sophie. ¡°Nothing much, actually. Anyway, stay away from him, and don¡¯t let him capture you. Otherwise, you¡¯ll lead a miserable life ahead,¡± Sophie reminded. ¡°Hey, what exactly have you done to him?¡± In truth, Nichs had always been a crazy person. From bad to worse, he became a psychopath upon returning to the country this time. ¡°That¡¯s it, then. If there¡¯s nothing else, I¡¯ll disconnect the call,¡± said Sophie. ¡°Okay. Remember to visit Anndur after your university entrance exam. I¡¯ll show you what my everyday life is like.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s talk about thister.¡± Sophie was still unsure about her n for the future. ¡°No! You¡¯re the one who promised me back then. Moreover, Barney looks forward to a visit from you every day!¡± Arius would not give up easily as it was rare to encounter someone as talented as Sophie. ¡°I¡¯m not saying that I¡¯m not visiting. It¡¯s just that there¡¯s still some time before the university entrance exam. Let¡¯s talk about this after the exam.¡± To Sophie, it would not make much difference to her to take the university entrance exam. She was merely taking the exam on Josiah¡¯s ount. ¡°That¡¯s great! I thought you wouldn¡¯t being. I¡¯m serious, Sophie. You won¡¯t regret bing a doctor,¡± Arius assured. Noticing that Sophie remained silent, he then continued, ¡°All right. That¡¯s it, then. I have to perform an operation on a patient now. Don¡¯t worry about me. Nichs can¡¯t do anything to me.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Meanwhile, Nichs had gotten grumpier after returning to the country. He could not stay calm each time he thought about how Sophie had tricked him. ¡°Boss, Old Mr. Sable is absolutely furious at your trip to Jipsdale. It¡¯d be better for you to stay put for the time being.¡± Having heard that, Nichs smashed the ss in his hand against the wall. Instantly, shards of ss were all over the ce. At that moment, Nichs¡¯ assistant remained rooted where he was, without moving a muscle. Unfortunately, a piece of shard injured his arm, and blood started trickling down. ¡°How dare you bring up this matter? He wouldn¡¯t have known that I went to Jipsdale if you didn¡¯t tell him.¡± Immediately, the assistant was rendered speechless. Looking helpless, the assistant voiced, ¡°Boss, I was just following orders. On top of that, we can¡¯t do anything when Ms. Tanner refuses toe back. After all, a forced rtionship will not bring happiness.¡± ¡°How do you know it will not bring happiness when you haven¡¯t even tried?¡± Nichs retorted. I¡¯m sure we¡¯ll be happy. Even if we are not, I still want her. She is mine! Again, Nichs¡¯ words rendered his assistant speechless. Judging from Sophie¡¯s personality, there¡¯s nothing else we can do if she says no. This is quite a mission impossible, no? ¡°That can¡¯t be! Listen, I don¡¯t care what you do but capture Sophie and send her to me by all means.¡± Unfortunately, Sophie had be an obsession with Nichs in this lifetime. He would probably do something foolish if he could not capture Sophie. ¡°It¡¯s pointless even if we¡¯ve sessfully captured her, Boss. It¡¯s not like you can marry her. Old Mr. Sable will not agree.¡± ¡°If marrying her is the only way to keep her by my side, we can work on it.¡± The assistant was utterly speechless. Does Boss really want to marry Sophie? It may cause a ruckus if they really get married. Chapter 308 Chapter 308 Chapter 308 Are You Trying To Make Me Fat To Sophie, life in the training camp was quite fun. All the students were doing physics experiments after the training session ended in the morning. Sophie and Bailey¡¯s cooperation was perfect. When Ysabelle saw the duo working together so well, she felt out of ce. The other groups also consisted of three members, and everyone seemed exceptional, but our team still finished the experiment first, even though I was of no help. Ysabelle looked at Sophie in admiration. ¡°Sophie, how could you be so amazing! Some people are even jealous of you and think that you¡¯re not capable.¡± Beside them was Mavis¡¯ group. In order to get closer to Bailey, Mavis had been sticking around them for the past few days, which caused Ysabelle to get sick of her. Meanwhile, it never urred to Mavis that Bailey¡¯s group could still finish the experiment excellently. In fact, they were the first group to complete it, although their group was equivalent tocking one member. Ysabelle uttered, ¡°Mavis, focus. Do you want to be thest?¡± Subsequently, the other teams had also done working on the experiment. However, Mavis could not concentrate as it made her feel upset to see Bailey and Sophie working together. ¡°What right do you have to speak as a loser?¡± Annoyed, Mavis could only bicker with Ysabelle. ¡°I¡¯m a loser. So what? Since my two teammates are so incredible, I can defeat you with much effort.¡± I want to piss her off because she has always been so insolent. Ysabelle and Mavis were about to start arguing, and Sophie got tired of that scene. Therefore, she said, ¡°All right. Let¡¯s go! We should have our meal now.¡± Although Mavis is really annoying, I think it¡¯s a waste of time to fight with someone like her. ¡°Okay, Sophie. You¡¯re my queen, so I¡¯ll do everything you say,¡± Ysabelle smugly replied. When Bailey saw the duo walk out, he also packed up his things to leave with them. In the meantime, there was no way for Mavis to concentrate after seeing Bailey leave. Eventually, her team indeed became thest toplete the experiment. Both of her teammates were rendered speechless. ¡°Mavis, what are you doing? We¡¯re here for the physicspetition and not to apany you to pursue the guy. If you¡¯re not interested in this physicspetition, it¡¯s better for you to quit. Don¡¯t drag us down!¡± As they were the top students in school, they naturally felt unhappy to rankst in thepetition because of Mavis. Mavis threw the things in her hands on the table and had an icy expression on her face. Initially, she had already felt displeased to be thest in thepetition, but her team members still gave her suchments, which made her even more annoyed. ¡°Did I ask you guys to form a group with me? Didn¡¯t you guys want to team with me just because I won the first prize last year? Who do you think you should me when you¡¯re the ipetent ones? Take Bailey as an example. Even if he has one less teammate, he can still turn the tables on you guys, hasn¡¯t he?¡± Hearing that, her teammates were at a loss for words. ¡°You¡¯re incorrigible!¡± The duo no longer wanted to bother themselves with Mavis and turned to leave. Indeed, we encountered a useless teammate this time. Frustrated, Mavis stayed back alone in theb. D*mn it! This is all Sophie¡¯s fault! Otherwise, things won¡¯t turn out like that. I¡¯ll surely defeat her during thepetition. I want to show her who is the real winner of the physicspetition. ¡°Sophie, let¡¯s go to the cafeteria to have a meal together!¡± Bailey invited Sophie and Ysabelle. Sophie stopped in her tracks, but she shook her head. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. Someone has delivered food especially for Ysabelle and me. We are not going to the cafeteria.¡± Even though she didn¡¯t mean to make a big deal out of it, she couldn¡¯t disappoint Tristan¡¯s kind intentions as he had already made the arrangement. ¡°Oh, I see. Well, the food in the cafeteria is so-so. It might not suit your taste.¡± Bailey didn¡¯t say anything else. It was because he knew about Sophie¡¯s boyfriend. I guess he¡¯s an outstanding man. The huge age gap between him and Sophie might be the only w! Therefore, there¡¯s still a chance for me to be with her. Sophie is young now. Who knows what will happen in the future? Hence, it¡¯s not a big deal that I failed to woo her now. Mavis saw someone deliver meals for Sophie and Ysabelle as she exited theb. The moment Mavis noticed the Michelin restaurant¡¯s logo, she inexorably sneered. What¡¯s so special about it? She¡¯s just a sugar baby. After receiving the lunchbox, Ysabelle saw Mavis when she turned around. Judging from Mavis¡¯ expression, she could tell that the former despised herself and Sophie very much . I have no idea what gave this woman the courage to look down on us. Does she seriously think that she¡¯s that great? ¡°Aren¡¯t you the one who rankedst? What are you trying to do following behind us?¡± Ysabelle uttered mercilessly. Mavis snorted in response. She gave Ysabelle the cold shoulder. Sophie ignored Mavis too. Then, she pulled Ysabelle and walked away. Ysabelle was over the moon when she saw Mavis¡¯ reaction. Whenever there was a chance, Mavis woulde and look for Bailey over the last few days. She¡¯s now an infatuated bozo. ¡°Sophie, to be honest, I pity Bailey for having a woman like her as his admirer. What awful luck.¡± As the training camp is halfway through the end, Mavis is getting even more panic. She wants to get closer to him by any means necessary. ¡°That¡¯s enough. Why do you have to argue with her?¡± We are not on the same wavelength after all. Ysabelle pursed her lips. ¡°I have nothing else to do. As you know, when you and Bailey were doing the experiment I couldn¡¯t be of any help, so I got slightly bored.¡± ¡°Well, who ask you toe here!¡± ¡°I¡¯m here to keep youpany. Although these physics experiments are undeniably boring, I like to stay by your side no matter what!¡± A little boredom means nothing because Sophie is here. After going back to the room, Ysabelle took out all the dishes. The service of the Michelin restaurant was very good as they prepared different varieties of meals for the duo daily. Despite that, they were sick of the food when they consumed too much of it. In the afternoon, Tristan gave Sophie a call as usual. This is property ? N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Have you finished eating?¡± ¡°Mr. Tristan, to be frank, I¡¯ve gotten bored of the food. Please tell them to stop sending the dishes over. I can take my lunch at the cafeteria!¡± Tristan furrowed his brows at her words. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Is the food and service from the Michelin restaurant not good enough? Or is there something you want to eat? Tell me. I¡¯ll get someone to make the necessary arrangements!¡± Sophie remained silent. ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± When Tristan noticed she didn¡¯t utter a word for quite some time, he couldn¡¯t help feeling anxious. Moreover, there was no way for him to read her expression. ¡°Mr. Tristan, are you trying to feed me and make me a fatty?¡± Isn¡¯t he being a little too obvious? ¡°Why? You caught me! If I could do that, you will be mine alone!¡± ¡°Hah! If I really turn into a fatty, would you still like me?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Initially, Sophie only brought it up casually but never had she expected Tristan to answer her in all seriousness. ¡°No matter what happens to you, I¡¯ll still like you! This is a fact that will never change!¡± Tristan said those words as if he was swearing an oath. Chapter 309 Chapter 309 Chapter 309 Provocation Although he wasn¡¯t beside her, and the only other person around her was Ysabelle, Sophie¡¯s heart still palpitated after she listened to his shocking response, prompting her to clutch her chest. Oh, no! D*mn it! Is this how it feels like to fall for someone? He¡¯s not by my side at the moment, yet he¡¯s still capable of having such a significant influence on me! Taking in Sophie¡¯s demeanor while talking on the phone, Ysabelle couldn¡¯t contain her urge tough. It looks like I got worried for nothing. Sophie is still very much in love with my uncle. She knew that was the truth by looking at Sophie¡¯s cheerful and contented facial expression. At the same time, she was genuinely happy for her uncle. After all, he didn¡¯t spend so much time keeping herpany for naught. All of a sudden, Ysabelle felt a little dejected. She was rather thrilled to see others in love, but she wondered when she could finally get involved in a romantic rtionship with someone. Oh God, where is my prince charming? Have you forgotten to assign me one when you created me? She was a little depressed after giving that matter some thought. Meanwhile, after Sophie talked to Tristan for a while longer, the oue was for him to order food delivery from another five-star hotel. On the other hand, when the manager of the Michelin restaurant was informed of the canceled delivery, he felt worried and fearful because he didn¡¯t know in which aspect they did poorly to displease Tristan. The manager even instructed his men to find out the reason. Sophie walked up to Ysabelle and sat beside thetter to have their lunch together. Ysabelle looked at Sophie and chirped, ¡°Sophie, how does it feel to be in a rtionship with my uncle? I¡¯ve always thought of him as a cold and unapproachable person. In addition, you¡¯re not that talkative either. Won¡¯t you two feel awkward hanging around each other?¡± That was something Ysabelle had always wanted to know. ¡°Is your uncle that unapproachable? I think he¡¯s fine.¡± At the very least, Sophie thought Tristan was not what Ysabelle described whenever he was with her. Ysabelle was stumped. Even Felix, who works for my uncle, mentioned he was distant and unfriendly, yet Sophie doesn¡¯t seem to share this sentiment. Indeed, the rtionship paradigm differs from one person to another. After finishing their lunch, the two took a nap. Sophie couldn¡¯t help but send Tristan a message: Are you unapproachable and cold? Tristan swiftly replied with a question mark a second after her text was delivered. ¡°I am cool but not cold!¡± Staring at his message, a grin spread across her face uncontrobly. That¡¯s right. He may look aloof but he was never cold. In fact, he¡¯s even a little warm sometimes. ¡°Bailey, you must trust me. That Sophie is just pretty. In fact, she¡¯s someone¡¯s sugar baby, so she doesn¡¯t deserve you!¡± Mavis was relentless. Seeing how the training camp was about to end and Bailey had yet to see Sophie¡¯s true colors, Mavis grew more anxious than ever. ¡°Mavis, don¡¯t me me for what I¡¯ll do if you continue to spout nonsense. How can you talk smack of others behind their back?¡± She¡¯s being so harsh with her words by saying that Sophie is a sugar baby. ¡°I¡¯m telling the truth! Sophie is too adept at putting up a facade. You need to stop defending her while she¡¯s deceiving you, all right?¡± ¡°Well, I¡¯m happy that she does that.¡± Regrettably, Sophie couldn¡¯t even be bothered to do that to me. I¡¯m not worth the effort for others to even lie to me. When Sophie and Ysabelle entered, they coincidentally heard their conversation. Ysabelle couldn¡¯t help but wonder. This Bailey is quite a loyal person. Does he like Sophie that much? ¡°Sophie, do you feel troubled at times for being born with such good looks?¡± Naturally, Ysabelle heard Mavis¡¯ words as well. What¡¯s wrong with this Mavis? Does she have to show up in front of us and disgust us with her revolting personality and behavior? A sugar baby? Who¡¯s so capable of being Sophie¡¯s sugar daddy? I¡¯d like to meet this person. ¡°Hmph! Am I not speaking facts? Everyone participating in thispetition has our meals at the resort except for you two. Are you two getting special treatment because you think you¡¯re the only rich people here?¡± Since Sophie and Ysabelle had heard her, Mavis couldn¡¯t care to hold her opinion anymore. ¡°Oh, my. It seems like you intend to challenge my patience. That¡¯s right. I¡¯m wealthy, and I want to be special. What can you do about that? Did the organizer of the training camp mention any rules on forbidding the participants from eating outside food? Who do you think you are to make thesements about us? If you have what it takes why don¡¯t you get yourself the special treatment too? All you do is stare at Sophie all the time. What¡¯s the matter with you? Are you afraid that Sophie will defeat you? If you¡¯re so scared, you should just withdraw from thispetition!¡± Mavis was rendered speechless and beside herself with rage. ¡°Is that so? Did you say I¡¯m afraid of losing? Well, let¡¯s see who will be the loser in the end,¡± she glowered at Sophie. On the contrary, Sophie didn¡¯t even spare her a nce. ¡°Sophie, let¡¯s make a bet. If you lose in this physicspetition, you¡¯re prohibited from taking part in any other physics contest, and you cannot show yourself in front of Bailey in the future.¡± Mavis was adamant in ming everything on Sophie. ¡°Why should I make this bet with you?¡± She¡¯s not even qualified. ¡°What¡¯s going on? Are you chickening out? Weren¡¯t you always acting high and mighty like you¡¯re the smartest person in this world?¡± ¡°Are you done, Mavis?¡± Bailey piped up in resignation. Mavis clenched her fists. ¡°Sophie, if you don¡¯t dare to ept this bet, then you should just leave the training camp at once,¡± she uttered haughtily. ¡°Sophie will never have the courage to ept the challenge.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. Mavis won the first prize in thest physicspetition, so Sophie will undoubtedly lose if she takes on the bet. Therefore, no one will agree to a challenge like this.¡± ¡°So what if she won the first prize previously? She aplished that because Sophie didn¡¯t take part back then.¡± Ysabelle had had enough of listening to those remarks. ¡°Sophie, you don¡¯t have to keep up with the tough pretense. It isn¡¯t embarrassing even if you lose to Mavis.¡± ¡°You¡ª¡± Ysabelle was beyond furious. How is that possible? ¡°Fine. I ept your challenge,¡± Sophie finally spoke. ¡°Sophie¡ª¡± Bailey eyed her worryingly. Despite Mavis¡¯ rotten character, she¡¯s without a doubt gifted in the field of physics. ¡°You don¡¯t have to meddle in this matter. Since she¡¯s so eager to be humiliated, I shall fulfill her wish and do her this favor,¡± Sophie said nonchntly. ¡°Sophie, you don¡¯t stand a chance against Mavis.¡± Most of the participants in the current session also took part inst year¡¯s program, so they had a good understanding of Mavis¡¯ prowess. ¡°Sophie, remember what you said. If you lose, you¡¯re not allowed to join any other Exclusive content from N?velDrama.Org. physics contests, and you must stay away from Bailey in the future.¡± Mavis wanted to ensure Sophie didn¡¯t go back on her words after thetter agreed to her suggestion. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll remember my promises, but you need to do the same. You must steer clear of me if you lose and never show your face before me.¡± Sophie didn¡¯t feel the need to hold back when dealing with someone as arrogant as Mavis. ¡°Sophie.¡± Although Ysabelle had a lot of faith in Sophie, she couldn¡¯t help but feel a little worried. Sophie wouldn¡¯t have epted Mavis¡¯ challenge if it weren¡¯t for me. She couldn¡¯t care less about thetter from the beginning. ¡°It¡¯s going to be all right. Don¡¯t worry because I am confident in winning the competition.¡± Chapter 310 Chapter 310 Chapter 310 I Do Not Need To Depend On A Woman ¡°Sophie, if you lose, I shall leave the physics industry with you.¡± Bailey was the reason things had turned out this way, so this was the only thing he could do now. ¡°Bailey Dixon!¡± Mavis gasped in horror. She had no idea Bailey would say that. Did he say that on purpose? He knew I did everything for him but said that out loud. ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± Sophie didn¡¯t even bother to give her another nce. She led Ysabelle to an empty seat and sat down. As far as she was concerned, it would be a waste of time to talk to someone who wasn¡¯t important to her. ¡°Mavis, I don¡¯t like you. My feelings won¡¯t change no matter what you do. I will never fall in love with you, so stop making things difficult for Sophie,¡± Bailey told her sternly. He didn¡¯t bother sparing her feelings. ¡°Hey!¡± Mavis inhaled sharply. It might seem that I have won, but how will the others look at me? Ugh, this is frustrating. Why does Bailey like to make me angry? Can¡¯t he see how much I love him? ¡°You insist on defending her, huh? Fine! I shall let you see how I defeat her entirely! She will suffer a humiliating defeat!¡± Mavis vowed. With that said, she took a seat in the first row. If he insists on acting this way, I shall show him what I¡¯m capable of. This time, I must defeat Sophie. ¡°Soph, can you do it? I think Mavis is pretty good in physics,¡± Ysabelle asked worriedly. She didn¡¯t want to be the reason that made Sophie suffer defeat. ¡°It¡¯s fine. The professor is here, so pay attention to his words,¡± Sophie responded calmly as though she didn¡¯t make a bet. That very night, Ysabelle told her uncle about the matter discreetly. ¡°Uncle Tristan, what should I do? Mavis was really arrogant. Should we buy the questions for the physicspetition? That way, Sophie¡¯s win will be guaranteed,¡± Ysabelle suggested. All she wanted was for Sophie to win the bet. ¡°Stop creating trouble all the time!¡± came Tristan¡¯s frosty reply. Ysabelle was rendered speechless. Fine. I was the one who caused this. However, I didn¡¯t do it on purpose! ¡°Uncle Tristan, what should we do now? We can¡¯t stand back and do nothing, can we?¡± ¡°Just have faith in Sophie,¡± Tristan told her. Sophie was not the type to cheat. Besides, she was capable enough to defeat Mavis. However, Tristan couldn¡¯t help but grow irritated as Bailey was the reason behind the bet. Thus, he couldn¡¯t help but brood when he video-called Sophie. Tristan tried his best to hide his emotions, but Sophie was sharp enough to sense his displeasure. ¡°What¡¯s the matter? Are you upset?¡± she asked. ¡°No,¡± came his answer. Sophie fell silent. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you ask the reason I¡¯m upset?¡± ¡°You denied being upset, right? Is there still a need for me to continue asking?¡± Sophie returned. Tristan was rendered speechless. D*mn it! How could she do this to me? I might be arrogant and indifferent, but I want her to have concern for me. If we¡¯re together right now, I shall pin her underneath me and kiss her passionately so she¡¯ll know if I¡¯m upset or not. ¡°I¡¯ll go and see you after thepetition ends,¡± was all Tristan said in the end. ¡°Sure,¡± Sophie agreed readily. ¡°Do you miss me?¡± he inquired. The same question again? How insecure is he? ¡°Yes,¡± she replied. My answer is straightforward enough, right? Sure enough, Tristan¡¯s mood lifted after he heard her answer. ¡°I miss you too,¡± he told her. No matter how capable one was, one¡¯s heart would soften when one was in love. It didn¡¯t matter how outstanding one was, for everyone wanted to receive praise from their loved ones when they were in love. ¡°By the way, do you need my help to deal with Mavis?¡± Tristan asked. He wouldn¡¯t allow anyone who offended Sophie to get away no matter who they were. ¡°It¡¯s alright. There¡¯s no need to worry about her.¡± Meanwhile, Mavis called her father to ensure her win. ¡°Dad, your student was the one who prepared the questions, right?¡± she questioned. Her father was a physics teacher, and his student was in charge of setting the questions this time. ¡°Yes. What¡¯s the matter? How are you doing in the training camp? You¡¯re my daughter, so don¡¯t humiliate me. Thispetition is very important to you. You must win first ce, understand?¡± Mavis said nothing. No matter what, she had to get the questions to ensure Sophie wouldn¡¯t make a comeback ever. After chatting briefly with her father, Mavis hung up. What should I do to get the questions beforehand? The two-week training camp came to an end in the blink of an eye, and the competition would be held the next day. ¡°It has ended finally!¡± Ysabelle let out a sigh. She would go crazy if it were to go on any longer. ¡°Mm. Was it that hard for you?¡± Sophie asked. ¡°It is still okay. However, I¡¯m clueless about advanced physics.¡± Finally, Ysabelle knew she should forget about learning physics. Mavis was right behind them. She let out a snort upon hearing Ysabelle¡¯s words. ¡°You¡¯ll regret joining the physicspetition,¡± she announced arrogantly. ¡°You can¡¯t be sure about that yet!¡± Ysabelle retorted. She wasn¡¯t confident but refused to back down. ¡°Let¡¯s just wait and see!¡± Mavis responded. Without waiting for a reply, she spun on her heels and strode away. Suspicions rose in Ysabelle¡¯s heart when she saw how confident Mavis was. ¡°Sophie, look how confident she is. Is something fishy going on? Did she know something in advance?¡± Ysabelle had the idea of getting the questions in advance but gave up in the end, so she couldn¡¯t help but suspect Mavis had the same intention. After observing Mavis for a few days, she discovered that the former wasn¡¯t as capable as she first assumed. That seemed to be the case to her. ¡°All right. We shall find out tomorrow,¡± Sophie answered nonchntly. She wasn¡¯t bothered by Mavis¡¯ action at all. That night, Mavis came to Bailey again. She refused to give up just yet. ¡°Bailey, are you sure you don¡¯t want to date me?¡± she asked. She loved Bailey too much to give up on him. Bailey came back from dinner to see Mavis at his door. He never liked Mavis, but now she pestered him to no end. ¡°Mavis, I told you I never liked you,¡± he told her. Wasn¡¯t I clear enough? ¡°Bailey, you love physics, right? I¡¯m talented in physics! If you agree to date me, you N?velDrama.Org is the owner. can be my father¡¯s student. That¡¯s an opportunity many are dying to get!¡± Mavis tried convincing him to change his mind. Bailey was rendered speechless. ¡°I will do my best to get whatever I want. I don¡¯t need to rely on a woman!¡± Bailey dered. Having said that, he walked past her and opened the door to his room. Mavis wanted toe in after him, but he shut the door in her face. Mavis stood rooted to the spot. She was unwilling to ept the reality. Resentment filled her heart as she wondered what was the difference between her and Sophie. Chapter 311 Chapter 311 vChapter 311 Crushing Defeat The physicspetition consisted of a writing test in the morning and a physics experiment in the afternoon. The writing test was fifty marks, and the experiment was also fifty marks. Thus, the total would be one hundred marks. After entering the exam hall, Mavis took one look at the questions. A grin flitted across her lips. This time, I must make Sophie leave Bailey. As she had gotten the questions in advance, she wasn¡¯t in a hurry. Slowly, she wrote down the answers she has solved earlier one by one. She didn¡¯t forget to nce at Sophie in her free time. So what if Sophie is capable? It¡¯s useless. After getting the questions, I had to read a lot to find all the forms needed to solve them. The questions are way too hard. Sophie knew Mavis was looking at her, but that didn¡¯t stop her from answering the questions. Indeed, the questions were extremely challenging. Sophie never had to use any scratch paper before this exam, but she was forced to use scratch paper this time. The questions were answered one by one. She wasn¡¯t worried as she loved challenges. The duration of the test was two hours. Some students gave up halfway. They couldn¡¯t even solve the first multiple-choice question. There was no need for them to waste time sitting there. It was the same for Ysabelle, for she couldn¡¯t even solve any of the multiple-choice questions. Why am I even here? To take a blow? Wait, isn¡¯t it humiliating if I end up getting zero marks? Sophie worked hard to solve the questions until the test ended. Mavis, on the other hand, had alreadypleted the test long ago. All content is property ? N?velDrama.Org. After walking out of the exam hall, Mavis stayed and waited for Bailey. When Bailey came out, she called his name. ¡°Bailey, what do you think of the test? Did you manage to solve all the questions?¡± she asked in concern. ¡°That is none of your business.¡± Ignoring her, Bailey waited for Sophie outside the hall patiently. When Sophie and Ysabelle came out, Bailey joined them, and went out together. Bailey asked, ¡°Sophie, how was the test?¡± ¡°It was all right,¡± Sophie answered. ¡°The questions were pretty hard. I don¡¯t want you to suffer because of me¡ª¡± ¡°Bailey, it had nothing to do with you. Don¡¯t get nervous,¡± Sophie interrupted. Why does he think I¡¯m doing this because of him? Tristan will fly into a rage if he were to hear Bailey¡¯s words! ¡°Mm. Got it.¡± Bailey seemed disappointed as Sophie kept distancing herself from him. One student called out, ¡°Mavis, what is the answer to thest question? I couldn¡¯t figure it out no matter how hard I tried.¡± Thest question was aplicated form. Mavis spent a long time memorizing it. ¡°You won¡¯t understand. Anyway, I¡¯ll get first ce this time. Don¡¯t harbor any expectations,¡± Mavis announced haughtily. After Mavis left, the student came to a stop. ¡°D*mn, is there a need to act that arrogantly? By the way, Sophie, didn¡¯t you make a bet with Mavis? Did you solve thest question?¡± the student asked eagerly. Sophie pulled out a piece of paper and wrote the solution down before handing it to him. The student broke down when he realized that it was aplicated answer. It would take him a long time to memorize the form, let alone solve the question. ¡°Sophie, what happened to him?¡± Ysabelle got curious seeing how dejected the student got. ¡°Perhaps he had gotten a taste of utter despair,¡± came Sophie¡¯s answer. She never meant to deal him a blow, but some things just couldn¡¯t be achieved no matter how hard one tried. That afternoon, Mavis and Sophie were right next to each other for the physics experiment. Mavis was brimming with confidence as she got to know the question in advance. She couldn¡¯t wait to see Sophie suffering a defeatter. As expected, Sophie frowned the moment she took out the question paper from the envelope. Delight coursed through Mavis¡¯ entire being upon seeing Sophie¡¯s reaction. Back when she got to know the question, she found it extremely hard. Fortunately, she was able to get the question in advance and did a lot of searching to get the answers. I believe Sophie cannot solve the question as she didn¡¯t get to prepare in advance. It was the second time Bailey joined the physicspetition, but he was still stunned to discover what the question was. He knew that the physicspetition was held to select one candidate to represent Chanaea in the international physicspetition, but never in his wildest dreams did he expect the question to be this challenging. He didn¡¯t have any clue where to begin. Bailey¡¯s reaction merely convinced Mavis that Sophie could never solve the problem. Sophie can¡¯t solve a question that Bailey can¡¯t solve. ¡°Sophie, if you give up now and agree to leave Bailey, I won¡¯t pursue the matter,¡± Mavis dered. Sophie isn¡¯t a threat to me. All I want is for her to leave Bailey. ¡°Can you shut up, Mavis? Don¡¯t you know your breath stinks?¡± Sophie responded ndly. Mavis fumed. ¡°You¡¯re stubborn, huh? Let¡¯s see what you have!¡± She¡¯s just pushing herself, that¡¯s all. ¡°Sophie, it¡¯s fine. Just do what you can. If you lose, I shall leave with you,¡± Bailey told her. He had made up his mind to stick with Sophie no matter what the result would be. ¡°Really? I hope you keep your promise, then.¡± Having said that, Mavis started the experiment. Everyone had to do the same experiment, so it all depended on who could seed in completing the experiment first and do a great job. Mavis was already halfway through the experiment, but Sophie hadn¡¯t even started yet. Bailey tried a few times but failed. Beside them, Ysabelle panicked as she watched their actions. She couldn¡¯t even understand what the experiment wanted, so it was impossible for her to offer any help to Sophie. Time was ticking, and there wasn¡¯t much time left. Nevertheless, Sophie still hadn¡¯t started her experiment. That only prompted Mavis¡¯ smug grin to grow wider. She acts high and mighty all the time, right? How does she feel now, huh? In the morning, most of the students managed to persist through the writing test. When it was time to do the experiment that afternoon, some students chose to quit and left after reading the question. ¡°Mavis is a psychopath. I can¡¯t believe she knows the answer to such a challenging question!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you know who her father is?¡± ¡°You¡¯re right. At first, I thought Sophie is quite capable, but she¡¯s obviously no match for Mavis.¡± Ysabelle wanted nothing more than to refute their words, but she had nothing to retort. Finally, Sophie took action. Despite that, Mavis wasn¡¯t worried at all. Doing the experiment was time-consuming. Even though Sophie managed to figure out the steps now, there was only less than one hour left till the end of the test. Thus, there was no way Sophie couldplete the experiment in less than one hour. When there were five minutes left, Sophie raised her hand. Everyone immediately shifted their attention to her. Chapter 312 Chapter 312 Chapter 312 nder At the same time, Mavis raised her hand. She had justpleted her experiment. She couldn¡¯t help but gaze at Sophie dubiously. What is she doing? There is no way she couldplete the experiment. Did she raise her hand to give up? The examiner came over to see Sophie¡¯s experiment. He asked her a few rted questions that she answered readily. After hearing her answer and seeing the results of her experiment, the examiner couldn¡¯t help but be impressed. This time, I¡¯ll be able to represent Chanaea and bring glory to the country. The examiner wrapped up with Sophie and went to Mavis. Thetterpleted her experiment simultaneously as Sophie, but hers was a bitcking and ordinary compared to Sophie¡¯s. After observing her experiment, the examiner also asked Mavis a few questions. She was able to answer the first few questions but failed to answer thest one. Everyone was staring at her. Mavis had always assumed she was a genius. Her cheeks turned pink when she realized she couldn¡¯t answer the question. The examiner didn¡¯t make things difficult for her and gave them their scores.After that, a few other students alsopleted the experiment. s, their results weren¡¯t as perfect. The examiner looked at their results and gave them their scores. The final results would be released in half an hour. Everyone was allowed to return to their rooms for a short break. Mavis¡¯ hands were trembling when she stepped out of the exam hall. The examiner seems extremely satisfied with Sophie¡¯s experiment results. If that¡¯s the case, the situation does not favor me. Perhaps I should get someone I know to ask about the final scores. After watching Mavis leave in a hurry, Ysabelle giggled andmented, ¡°Mavis keeps thinking she¡¯s a genius! It turns out that she¡¯s not as good as she thinks.¡± Bailey cast Sophie a look which was full of admiration. He only finished the physics experiment at the very end. Sophiepleted her experiment earlier and answered all the questions perfectly. He had to admit that Sophie was more talented than him. ¡°Sophie, you¡¯re really good,¡± Bailey praised sincerely. ¡°You¡¯re not bad yourself,¡± Sophie responded. Oh, boy! The question this time was too hard. Mavis found an examiner who was her father¡¯s student. After asking about the results, she was informed that Sophie¡¯s score was higher than hers. She couldn¡¯t believe her ears. ¡°How is that possible?¡± she blurted out. ¡°Yes, she scored full marks. This is the first time I¡¯ve seen someone score full marks on such a difficult exam! You did the tests yourself, so you know how challenging the questions were. Sophie is indeed a genius!¡± the examiner enthused. I can¡¯t believe a genius like Sophie exists! I¡¯ve learned physics for years, but I¡¯m not as good as her. ¡°Can you help me?¡± Mavis pleaded. She refused to admit defeat. The man furrowed his brows. ¡°I¡¯m afraid I can¡¯t help you this time, Mavis. This competition is very important, so the higher-ups are keeping a close eye on it.¡± ¡°You know my father has high hopes for me. If I can¡¯t represent Chanaea this time, he¡¯ll be disappointed!¡± Mavis tugged at his sleeve and pleaded. ¡°Mavis, I can¡¯t help you. Everyone knows how good Sophie was, so I can¡¯t interfere and change the results. Besides, Professor Sykes will be upset when he discovers you hatched such a n,¡± the man replied. With that, he spun on his heels and strode away without looking back. Mavis stood still. She still couldn¡¯t wrap her head around how things had turned out this way. I refuse to believe that someone is more talented than me. If I didn¡¯t get to know the questions in advance, I wouldn¡¯t have solved them myself. Did Sophie get the questions in advance and waited deliberately until the very end toplete the experiment? Resentment brimmed in Mavis¡¯ heart as she went to meet Sophie. Sophie and Ysabelle were having milkshake when Mavis hurried over to them. Ysabelle immediately said, ¡°Sophie, that woman is here to cause trouble again.¡± Ugh, what is wrong with Mavis? She can never outtalk Sophie but stilles over to get tortured verbally. Without wasting time, Mavis demanded, ¡°Sophie, do you know the questions in advance?¡± Ysabelle gaped incredulously. What on earth is wrong with her? ¡°The questions were too hard. If you didn¡¯t know the questions in advance, there was no way you¡¯d solve them yourself,¡± Mavis didn¡¯t bother mincing her words. ¡°Mavis, do you have proof? What do you mean she can¡¯t solve them herself? Didn¡¯t you solve the questions yourself? Why? Are you saying that you got to know the questions in advance?¡± Ysabelle demanded. At once,prehension dawned on her. ¡°Oh, I know. Was that why you were so confident from the start? It turns out you got the questions in advance!¡± Why would she say that if it wasn¡¯t the case? ¡°Shut up, Ysabelle! I¡¯m asking Sophie, not you. This has nothing to do with you!¡± Mavis retorted. She wanted nothing more than to rip Ysabelle to shreds. Why is she everywhere? Can she stop making things difficult for me? Mavis and Ysabelle didn¡¯t lower their voices, so themotion immediately drew everyone¡¯s attention. ¡°What is going on?¡± ¡°The questions might be unbelievably grueling, but it is normal for Sophie to solve them all.¡± ¡°I think something¡¯s wrong with Mavis¡¯ words. She said that no one could solve the questions unless they got to know the questions in advance. Some students managed to solve the questions. Is she saying that they have cheated in the test?¡± ¡°I suspect the one who got to know the questions in advance is Mavis herself. After all, we know who her father is.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. Someone must have insider scoop. Where is the organizer? We demand an exnation!¡± The students promptly started suspecting that thepetition wasn¡¯t conducted fairly. Never in Mavis¡¯ wildest dreams did she expect things to go out of control. This shouldn¡¯t be happening. They should suspect Sophie, not me! ¡°No, I did nothing of the sort. I was capable enough to solve the questions. You¡¯re just being jealous of me!¡± Mavis replied hastily. She didn¡¯t know the other students would target her. ¡°I won first prizest time, too.¡± ¡°Perhaps you cheated thest time!¡± The organizer came over and was informed of the entire incident. They decided to investigate the matter thoroughly. Sophie nced at Mavis. That quick nce managed to give Mavis the creeps. It should be the time to announce the results, but the mountain resort was in an uproar. ¡°Sophie, I suspect Mavis was given the questions in advance,¡± Ysabelle said solemnly. How dare she nders us when she was the one who got the questions beforehand? That¡¯s too much! ¡°Mm.¡± ¡°What should we do now?¡± Ysabelle asked. She refused to let the matter slip since Mavis dared to nder SophieThis is property ? N?velDrama.Org. Chapter 313 Chapter 313 Chapter 313 The Results The organizer of the physicspetition had a powerful background. They immediately started the investigation after learning about themotion. However, the results were simply uneptable to them. ¡°What should we do now? I had no idea Mavis Sykes was the one who received the questions in advance.¡± ¡°If we don¡¯t deal with it properly, we might offend Professor Reginald Sykes. He¡¯s an expert whom we need to coborate with in the future.¡± ¡°How should we deal with the matter?¡± ¡°We can¡¯t offend Professor Sykes, but someone must assume responsibility. Why don¡¯t we me Sophie? ording to my investigation, she doesn¡¯t have any strong backers. She¡¯s the perfect scapegoat to take the me.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯s a good idea. Sophie is really talented.¡± ¡°What should we do? Announce that Mavis Sykes cheated in the test?¡± They discussed for over an hour in the conference room without reaching a conclusion. None of them could convince the other. Nevertheless, they came out with a decision in the end. They filed out of the conference room to see the students waiting outside. Not all students managed toplete the final experiment, so thepetition didn¡¯t concern them anymore. However, they were eager for gossip and gathered outside the conference room. The students mored over when the organizing team exited the conference room. ¡°We¡¯ve investigated the matter thoroughly. Due to a mistake by our staff, the questions were leaked in advance. We¡¯ve decided to cancel Sophie Tanner¡¯s results. The winner of the physicspetition is Mavis Skyes.¡± A mocking grin flitted across Sophie¡¯s lips. I was the one who received the questions in advance? What a joke. Ysabelle grew flustered. ¡°What are you talking about? You¡¯re obviously covering up for Mavis. She was the one who received the questions in advance!¡± Ysabelle dered. That was the first time she had ever encountered something this unfair, so she couldn¡¯t calm down. Bailey refused to believe the results too. Did Sophie cheat? That¡¯s impossible. She¡¯s capable enough to solve the questions herself. The happiest person to hear the results was none other than Mavis. ¡°The organizer has investigated the matter. Don¡¯t you trust them?¡± Mavis shot Sophie a haughty look. ¡°Sophie, remember our bet? You need to keep your word. Pack up and scram right now. You¡¯re not allowed to show up anywhere near Bailey from today onward.¡± ¡°Oh, dear. I can¡¯t believe that¡¯s the truth.¡± ¡°Sophie is so corky, so I thought she¡¯s good at physics.¡± ¡°No matter what, Mavis was still the winner of the previous physicspetition. It means that she is the one who is truly talented.¡± ¡°Sophie is really shameless. Do you know how privileged she is? She never eats in the resort as someone will deliver her meals to her.¡± ¡°Yes. She must have a rich backer.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t care if she has a sugar daddy, but why did she join the physicspetition?¡± ¡°Some people just don¡¯t know their ce. They thought they could do anything as long as they have money.¡± Everyone started talking bad about Sophie. As Sophie didn¡¯t say a word, Mavis grew increasingly smug. No matter what, the organizer will side with me as they need to save my dad¡¯s dignity. ¡°Are you sure I¡¯m the one who received the answers in advance?¡± Sophie suddenly All content is property ? N?velDrama.Org. asked in a cold tone. She knew people had to make choices sometimes, but it wasn¡¯t right to put the me on her. Did they even check if I agree to be ndered? The organizing team dared not meet her eyes. She was just an eighteen-year-old girl, but her gaze sent chills down their spines. ¡°All right. Now that we have rified the matter, we won¡¯t be pursuing it. You may leave now!¡± ¡°How could you!¡± Utterly frustrated, Ysabelle was about to burst into tears. Sophie should win the first prize! ¡°Are you sure?¡± Sophie asked. ¡°Enough. Stop wasting time with them and just kick her out.¡± ¡°Wait. You said I cheated, but you don¡¯t have any evidence. However, I have evidence showing that Mavis cheated,¡± Sophie announced. Do they think I will let them step all over me without retaliating? ¡°Sophie, can you stop? You cheated, and that¡¯s the truth. ndering me won¡¯t change the fact!¡± Mavis sneered. She wouldn¡¯t admit to cheating, for the organizer had already made their decision. No matter what Sophie said, she was wrong. ¡°Kick them out!¡± The organizer had already summoned the security guards. Bailey stood in front of Sophie and Ysabelle in a protective manner so the security guards couldn¡¯t get any closer to them. ¡°What are you doing? Something shady happened behind thepetition, but you refused to uphold justice. Do you think we are fools?¡± Bailey demanded. He still sided with Sophie as he trusted herpletely. Ysabelle was really touched by his action. ¡°Bailey, we are friends from now on!¡± she announced. Anyone who supported Sophie would be a friend of hers. Mavis was disappointed to see that he was still siding with Sophie. ¡°Bailey, I shall give you onest chance. If you take my side, I can bring you along to the international physicspetition!¡± she told him. She loved him so much that she was willing to let bygones be bygones. Bailey merely snorted. ¡°I don¡¯t have anything to say to you. You don¡¯t respect physics at all and use despicable means to achieve your goals. I despise you.¡± Mavis¡¯ face turned ashen. Is that what he thinks of me? ¡°Fine. I hope you won¡¯t regret your decision.¡± She huffed and decided to ignore him. ¡°Let¡¯s go, Sophie. There¡¯s no point in joining such apetition!¡± Bailey grabbed Sophie¡¯s wrist and pulled her along. Right then, Tristan and Felix showed up. Tears brimmed in Ysabelle¡¯s eyes when she spotted her uncle. ¡°Uncle Tristan! These people went way too far. They bullied Sophie and used her of cheating!¡± sheined immediately. Indeed, they had gone overboard. Felix went to her and wrapped his arm around her shoulder tofort her. ¡°All right, everything is okay now. We¡¯re here, so no one can bully you!¡± That was the first time Ysabelle realized howforting Felix¡¯s presence could be. ¡°Whoever you are, please leave right now. You aren¡¯t allowed to kick up a fuss here.¡± Someone from the organizing team grew suspicious to see them both here. Chapter 314 Chapter 314 Chapter 314 Turn The Tables Tristan walked over to Sophie¡¯s side. It was fortunate that he had arrived in time, or Sophie would have had to deal with the situation alone. Even though he knew she could handle it perfectly without him, he did not want to see her face the battle alone. He wanted to be by her side and face it with her, no matter what the situation was. ¡°Leave? None of you are leaving today until this matter is resolved.¡± The coldness in his voice was sufficient to make others shudder. The organizing team was at a loss for what to do upon hearing his words. ¡°What do we do? That person doesn¡¯t look like someone we could offend.¡± ¡°Still, Professor Sykes is the one we need. We might have a hard time in the future if we offend Professor Sykes.¡± At that moment, the organizing team had no idea how to deal with that matter. ¡°What do you want?¡± one of the members of the organizing team asked helplessly. He did not dare to offend either party. ¡°I want nothing. I just don¡¯t like to be insulted.¡± With that, Sophie took out herptop, logged into her ount, and quickly hacked into Mavis¡¯ social ount before showing everyone the evidence. ¡°Mavis is the one who knew the question beforehand, and the person who gave it to her is the one who set the questions.¡± The evidence was clearlyid before the crowd, and they even witnessed Sophie hacking into Mavis¡¯ ount. ¡°All right. Since you guys imed I knew the question beforehand, then please show me proof,¡± demanded Sophie. ¡°Oh, my goodness. This is better than any drama I watch on television. I can¡¯t believe Mavis knew the questions beforehand.¡± All content is property ? N?velDrama.Org. ¡°What an unexpected turn of events!¡± Mavis gradually stepped backward. She never expected Sophie could dig out the evidence and show it to everyone. ¡°No. It¡¯s not mine! You¡¯re framing me!¡± she yelled. Meanwhile, Tristan praised Sophie in his mind, unable to keep his eyes off her. As expected of my girl, she¡¯s always so efficient in everything she does. ¡°Frame you? Do I even need to do that?¡± Sophie was utterly disgusted. Meanwhile, the organizing team was dumbfounded by the situation. Of course, they knew Sophie did not cheat. However, they took Mavis¡¯ side because of her background. Now that things had progressed to that point, they had no idea how to deal with the mess. Just then, Reginald Sykes finally arrived. Seeing that, Mavis rushed over and said in a pitiful tone, ¡°Dad, I didn¡¯t cheat. They¡¯re ndering me. You¡¯ve got to seek justice for me!¡± She still refused to admit defeat. ¡°Hello, Professor Sykes,¡± greeted the organizing team as soon as they saw Reginald arriving. They were curious to find out how he was going to deal with the situation. After studying the evidence on theptop, Reginald gave Mavis a p. She cradled her face as she gaped at her father incredulously. ¡°Dad, what are you doing? Do you not believe me?¡± she questioned. It was the first time Reginald hit her in her entire life. Reginald gave her a look of disappointment, uttering coldly, ¡°Mavis, you¡¯ve disappointed me. It¡¯s fine if you¡¯re not a genius in physics, but your behavior today is extremely humiliating.¡± He was utterly disappointed in his daughter. No one else dared to speak now that Reginald had scolded Mavis. ¡°What are you doing? Apologize to your ssmate now!¡± Reginald raged. However, Mavis shook her head. ¡°No! I¡¯m not apologizing to her. I wouldn¡¯t have done this if not for her. I like Bailey, that¡¯s all. I just didn¡¯t want to lose him.¡± ¡°Did she admit that she cheated?¡± ¡°This is unbelievable!¡± ¡°Mavis has always been an arrogant person, but I never expected she¡¯d be a cheat.¡± The students whispered among themselves, and it made Mavis cover her ears. All her life, she was someone who always went up on the stage to receive awards. That, however, was the first time she received so much criticism. ¡°Apologize ande home with me. Stop embarrassing yourself here.¡± All Reginald cared about was his reputation. To his dismay, Mavis shook her head indignantly. ¡°I don¡¯t want to. I¡¯d rather die than to apologize to her.¡± How could I apologize to Sophie? That¡¯s ridiculous! ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Mr. Northley. It¡¯s my fault for not educating my daughter properly. I¡¯d also like to apologize to Sophie on Mavis¡¯ behalf,¡± Reginald said humbly, knowing no one could afford to mess with the four prominent families of Jipsdale. After all, it was indeed Mavis¡¯ fault this time. The organizing team shuddered as they watched Reginald apologize. Professor Sykes is actually apologizing! Who on earth is the other person? Mr. Northley? Is he from one of four prominent families in Jipsdale? They thought they had made the wisest decision earlier, never once expecting that would lead to them offending a more powerful person. ¡°We¡¯re so sorry, Mr. Northley. This is our fault for not handling it properly. Please forgive us,¡± someone from the team apologized hurriedly. However, Felix ignored them. They¡¯re going to pay for their actions today. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Mr. Northley. I¡¯ll take her home and teach her a lesson.¡± With that, Reginald pulled Mavis out the door. He had never been so embarrassed his entire life. Suddenly, Tristan, who had been silent the entire time, spoke. ¡°Hold on. This matter isn¡¯t over. How could you leave just like that?¡± His words made Reginald¡¯s heart sink. ¡°Uh¡­¡± Naturally, Reginald did not dare to rebut. He could only turn to Mavis and demand, ¡°Mavis, apologize now.¡± Mavis was reluctant to do as asked, but when she saw the way Reginald was behaving, she knew the other party was not someone who could be offended. Given no choice, she approached Sophie and said, ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± ¡°Professor Sykes, is this how you educate your daughter?¡± Tristan asked. Reginald had never felt so humiliated in his life, but he did not dare to talk back. He only spat, ¡°Mavis!¡± His tone was extremely strict. Hearing that, Mavis had no choice but to bow and apologize out of fear for her father. ¡°Mmm.¡± Sophie thought Mavis¡¯ apology was only just eptable. ¡°Don¡¯t forget what you said. Whoever loses must not work in the physics industry ever,¡± Ysabelle piped up without holding back. Hmph! Serves her right for being so arrogant earlier. She¡¯s finally getting a taste of her medicine. In the end, Mavis left with Reginald without a word. As for her results, they were removed. Meanwhile, the other students who spoke ill of Sophie earlier dared not utter another word when they witnessed how much authority the two men had. The organizer hurriedly brought the trophy over and presented it to Sophie with both hands, saying, ¡°Sophie, your performance today is extremely outstanding. There¡¯s no doubt this trophy belongs to you.¡± However, Sophie merely nced at the trophy and smiled without epting it. ¡°Please give it to someone else. It¡¯s pointless for me to ept a trophy from such an unfairpetition.¡± Chapter 315 Chapter 315 Chapter 315 Coming Of Age Ceremony The organizer froze to the ground with the trophy in his hands as he was at a loss for what to do next. Suddenly, Tristan wrapped his hand around Sophie¡¯s shoulder. Then, he took the trophy and released it, letting it shatter into pieces as it hit the ground. ¡°Since you people cannot organize a physicspetition properly, then someone else should organize it in the future,¡± hemented. After all, there are a lot of people who studied physics in Chanaea. ¡°Mister¡­¡± The organizing team was about to say something, but Tristan would not listen to another word of it. Soon, the four of them just walked away. Seeing that, Bailey, too, left. Just like that, the country¡¯s most well-known physicspetition had be a joke thanks to Mavis¡¯ antics. At the same time, the organizing team¡¯s months of effort had gone to waste. ¡°Bailey, who¡¯s that person with Mr. Northley?¡± inquired the organizer, dissatisfied with Tristan¡¯s words earlier. This is the most respectedpetition in the country. We can¡¯t lose the right to organize it. Bailey nced at the organizer and answered, ¡°That¡¯s Mr. Tristan, the most famous person in Jipsdale. Tsk, tsk¡­ You guys are dead meat.¡± He had no intention of making their lives easy when he thought of how the organizing team treated Sophie earlier. ¡°What?¡± At that moment, the organizing team was utterly devastated. Felix was already someone they could not afford to mess with. They never expected Felix¡¯s backer would turn up as well. s, it was toote to regret that. In the meantime, Sophie and Ysabelle led Tristan and Felix back to their rooms to pack their things. As they were leaving with their luggage, the organizing team finally caught up to them. However, none of them dared to say a word when they saw Tristan and the others walking out. Just as the group was about to step out of the resort, the organizer finally mustered his courage and said, ¡°Mr. Tristan, we were truly unaware that Ms. Tanner was your girlfriend. Perhaps, this is all a misunderstanding. Ms. Tanner is really talented. If she could represent Chanaea in the uing international physicspetition, she¡¯ll definitely be able to get into the International Academy of Physics.¡± ¡°The International Academy of Physics?¡± Tristan paused in his tracks. Seeing Tristan finally showing interest in his words, the organizer exined enthusiastically, ¡°That¡¯s right. The purpose of this physicspetition is to pick someone to enter the international physicspetition. If the representative is one of the top three winners of thepetition, he or she will be able to enter the International Academy of Physics in the future.¡± However, Tristan ignored the organizer and turned around to ask Sophie, ¡°Do you want to enter this academy?¡± Hearing that, the organizer instantly shifted his gaze to Sophie. To his horror, Sophie answered casually, ¡°Hmm¡­ I guess but I haven¡¯t decided if I want to go.¡± Her words left the organizer dumbfounded. This is a great opportunity! How could she not make up her mind yet? ¡°Ms. Tanner, this has all been a misunderstanding. Please join thepetition. You¡¯re really talented in physics. It¡¯ll be a waste if you don¡¯t enter the academy.¡± The organizer was desperate to make Sophie change her mind for he did not want to lose the right to organize future physicspetitions. ¡°I can still enter the International Academy of Physics even if I don¡¯t join the competition,¡± said Sophie confidently. ¡°All right. Let¡¯s go. I¡¯m famished!¡± she said. It was her first visit to Summerbank, and she had yet to enjoy the local delicacies. ¡°Okay,¡± agreed Tristan. As soon as he heard her words, he could think of nothing else except to take her out for good food. Hence, Tristan paid no more attention to the organizer and left with the others. Frustration flooded the organizer¡¯s heart. ¡°What are we going to do now? We¡¯d probably still stand a chance if it was someone else, but this is the famous Mr. Tristan we¡¯re dealing with.¡± His subordinates did not dare to say anything. It was an ironic situation. After all, everything that happened earlier was the fruit of their decision. Yet, no one dared to speak when they were faced with a challenge. At the end of the day, choices were very important in determining the future. Previously, they sided with Mavis because they thought they could not afford to offend Reginald. What they did not expect was that their choice had resulted in them offending a person whom even Reginald himself feared. It was not until the group of four arrived at a restaurant in Summerbank and took their seats that Sophie asked, ¡°Why are you guys here?¡± ¡°I missed you. That¡¯s why I came.¡± Tristan had no other reason. All he wanted was to see her sooner. ¡°Oh.¡± ¡°Uncle Tristan, can you hold back a little? Where did your cold front go?¡± asked Ysabelle. No wonder Sophie doesn¡¯t find him aloof. ¡°Wow. Mr. Tristan, I didn¡¯t know you were such a romantic person,¡±mented Felix, rubbing his arms as if to prove his point. Tristan immediately shot them a look. How dare these third wheels speak nonsense here? Even so, his re did not scare Felix and Ysabelle. They were, after all, just joking. Soon, the four of them ordered their food and patiently waited for them to arrive. ¡°Felix, I need you to look for people who can rece thepetition¡¯s organizing team,¡± instructed Tristan. He was not joking about getting them changed. How dare they bully Sophie? Were they nning to keep up with that if I didn¡¯t turn up? ¡°Got it,¡± answered Felix. Chanaea was a country rich with talents. Besides, with Lombard Group backing the country, it would not be a problem to find a few physics professors. ¡°You¡¯re making the right decision. These people were tantly bullying her and weren¡¯t rigorous in academics at all. They basically used Sophie of cheating just because Professor Sykes is Mavis¡¯ father,¡± continued Felix. No one¡¯s backer is as powerful as Sophie¡¯s. Those people were total snobs. ¡°There¡¯s no need for all that trouble,¡± Sophie finally said. Though the organizing team was rather disappointing, she did not think her friends needed to go through all that trouble for her. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Sophie. It¡¯s no trouble at all. We¡¯re from the same industry. We can¡¯t let anyone get bullied for no reason. They have to pay the price for bullying you,¡± assured Tristan. Simrly, Felix had already viewed Sophie as one of them. Hence, no one was allowed to bully her. N?velDrama.Org owns this text. ¡°Exactly! Don¡¯t worry. I won¡¯t let your bullies live a peaceful life,¡± promised Felix. ¡°All right, then.¡± That was all Sophie managed. If that¡¯s the case, I¡¯d better not say anything. Once they returned from Summerbank, Sophie and Ysabelle started their final semester of senior year. Naturally, weekly and monthly exams started flooding in. Thus, Sophie and Ysabelle had been working hard ever since they returned from Summerbank. Tristan, too, got busy making preparations for Sophie¡¯s birthday after returning from the trip. It was Sophie¡¯s first birthday since they got to know each other. Hence, he regarded it with great importance. Meanwhile, Felix and Charles shook their heads in exasperation as they watched Tristan busying himself with the preparations. ¡°Mr. Tristan, it¡¯s just a birthday. Do you really have to put in so much effort? How long have you been preparing this?¡± ¡°It¡¯s Sophie¡¯sing-of-age ceremony.¡± ¡°Coming-of-age ceremony?¡± ¡°Oh¡­ So, that¡¯s the main point.¡± ¡°So, what are you nning to do on that day, Mr. Tristan?¡± one of them asked. After all, Sophie could do whatever she wanted once she was an adult. Chapter 316 Chapter 316 Chapter 316 No Birthday Celebration For Me ¡°Do I have to report to you about what I¡¯m going to do?¡± Tristan gave the others a look. Do they think I¡¯m a pervert or what? ¡°Well, you don¡¯t need to report to us.¡± Sophie is such a beauty. There¡¯s no way Mr. Tristan can hold back anymore! Even though they did not persist with the questioning, they were sure that Tristan would undoubtedly do something at Sophie¡¯sing-of-age party. Sophie¡¯s eighteenth birthday also meant a lot to Josiah. During dinner, he said, ¡°Soph, it¡¯s your birthday soon. I want to hold a birthday party for you.¡± For Josiah, Sophie¡¯s eighteenth birthday was an important asion. It had been a long time since she came back from Horington. He wanted to let everyone know that his granddaughter had returned home. Upon hearing that Josiah was nning to hold a birthday party for Sophie, Willow felt even more indignant. When Willow had her eighteenth birthday, Josiah was far from being so enthusiastic. They merely had a simple family dinner together. ¡°Grandpa, there¡¯s no need for that. I don¡¯t like this kind of asion,¡± Sophie replied. Instead of a celebration, it would feel more like an annoyance for her. Josiah fell silent. He also knew Sophie did not enjoy such an asion. ¡°What do you want, then? This birthday marks youring of age. It should be something special!¡± he probed. How long has it been since Ist celebrated Sophie¡¯s birthday? I¡¯m looking forward to it. ¡°Grandpa, I have everything I need. All I want is for you to be good. That will make me happy,¡± Sophie answered. Josiah was rendered speechless momentarily. Turning to Morgan, Josiah asked, ¡°Morgan, am I not been behaving?¡± Goodness, I¡¯ve never been this docile before! Hearing that, Morgan broke into a grin. ¡°Ms. Sophie, Old Mr. Tanner has been very obedienttely.¡± ¡°Well, that¡¯s good to know,¡± Sophie replied. Things were already back on track at Tanner Group. Furthermore, Victor had proven to be a trustworthy person. She only went to Tanner Group asionally after leaving thepany in his hands. After all, Sophie was still a student. Handing over Tanner Group to Victor was the only way to put all the employees at ease. Yale, who had kept silent all this while, eventually spoke up. ¡°Soph, it¡¯s pointless for me to stay idle at home. Why don¡¯t you let me return to the company? I can do anything you ask.¡± Of course, Yale wanted to go back to the company. Otherwise, the meager dividend he received was not enough for a spendthrift like him. Sophie lifted her gaze to him. ¡°What do you want to do when you return? Or you can just tell me which position you want.¡± Upon hearing Sophie¡¯s question, Yale immediately uttered, ¡°How about the position of general manager? I think I can still do a good job as the general manager!¡± Sophie nced at Josiah. How could Grandpa have a son like him? Still, he¡¯s my father. It¡¯s just that his intelligence is something else¡­ ¡°You can¡¯t be the general manager! By the way, I think you should stay at home. There¡¯s no ce for you at Tanner Group,¡± Sophie admonished Yale. Tanner Group is on the up. I won¡¯t let him ruin it. ¡°You! Sophie, I¡¯m your father. How could you talk to me like that?¡± Yale was offended by her remarks. He continued, ¡°See, Dad? This is the result of you pampering her unconditionally. She has be so arrogant and insolent now!¡± ¡°Come on, Yale! Please have some self-awareness. In fact, you have no ce in Tanner Group,¡± Josiah rebuked him. I won¡¯t feel at ease even if he¡¯s just an ordinary staff, let alone the general manager. Yale was at a loss for words. Not one trusted him. ¡°You all think I can¡¯t do it, don¡¯t you?¡± Yale asked as he looked at everyone in the dining room. Josiah and Morgan were in a conversation, whereas Charmaine pretended not to hear the question. At that moment, Willow naturally did not dare to say anything. She just bowed her head and continued eating. Seeing theirck of reactions, Yale threw his fork in a rage and stormed off. I can¡¯t stay in this house anymore. ¡°Oh, right! Grandpa, it¡¯s almost time for the university entrance exam. I won¡¯te back for the time being. Call me if you need anything. Or you can ask Morgan to take you to Wisteria Apartments,¡± Sophie said. She had been staying there for a while because of Christmas. It was time for her to go back. ¡°Are you going back now?¡± Upon hearing that Sophie was returning to Wisteria Apartments, Josiah lost his appetite suddenly. Nevertheless, when Josiah thought of the other family members¡¯ attitudes in this house, he felt that it would be better for Sophie to go back. He had no objections to whatever Sophie did as long as she was happy. ¡°Anyway, Sophie, the day after tomorrow is your birthday. Let¡¯s celebrate it before you go back,¡± Charmaine suggested. Even though she knew she had no right to say anything, Sophie was still her own flesh and blood. ¡°No need for that. I never celebrate birthdays anyway,¡± Sophie replied. ¡°You¡­¡± They treated Sophie badly in the past. Nevertheless, Charmaine wanted to make up for her mistakes. Why doesn¡¯t she give me a chance to make amends for it? ¡°Grandpa, I¡¯m leaving now!¡± After bidding Josiah goodbye, Sophie went to her room to pack her things. Since she did not bring back many things, it was easy for her to pack up. After she finished packing, Sophie walked out with her suitcase. Josiah wanted to see her off downstairs. ¡°Grandpa, you don¡¯t have to see me off. Tristan is waiting for me outside.¡± ¡°All right. Senior year is tough. Thest semester is even worse. You must take good care of yourself, okay?¡± Josiah wished he could go to Wisteria Apartments and look after Sophie personally. Unfortunately, he would only be a burden to her with his current condition. ¡°Okay. I got it.¡± When Sophie came out of the Tanner residence, she saw Tristan¡¯s car parked outside. Tristan immediately got out of the car and opened the trunk when he saw Sophie carrying a suitcase. After putting it into the trunk, he opened the passenger seat¡¯s door for her to get in. Sophie stayed quiet on the way back. Seeing Sophie like that, Tristan felt a bit sorry for her. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Did they give you a hard time at home?¡± Sophie shook her head and replied, ¡°How could I let myself go through that again?¡± If it were my former self, I would just stay quiet and put up with their nonsense. Nevertheless, no one dares to mess with me now. ¡°Well, that¡¯s true. However, you mustn¡¯t put up with their mistreatment. Otherwise, I¡¯ll N?velDrama.Org is the owner. be heartbroken.¡± Tristan meant every word he said. He did not want to see her suffer anymore. ¡°Okay.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± With Tristan on her side, Sophie could finally rx. She did not dislike this feeling at all. When the duo returned to Wisteria Apartments, Sophie received a call from Mark. The two of them discussed The Wheelers¡¯ new album for a while. In the end, Mark finally asked, ¡°Sophie, it¡¯s your birthday the day after tomorrow. Let¡¯s have a meal together! The band members miss you dearly.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t celebrate birthdays,¡± Sophie replied. Don¡¯t they know that? ¡°It¡¯s just a meal. Who said anything about celebrating your birthday?¡± Mark retorted. Tristan could not help but feel heartbroken upon hearing that Sophie did not celebrate birthdays. What was the reason that made her refuse to celebrate her birthday? Chapter 317 Chapter 317 Chapter 317 Coming Of Age ¡°Let¡¯s talk about itter!¡± Sophie uttered. When she was part of The Wheelers in the past, they would enjoy a meal together on her birthday. Sophie was not that particr about celebrating her birthday. ¡°It¡¯s settled then. I¡¯ll make arrangements right away,¡± Mark said. The situation was not the same as before. Although it was just a simple meal, The Wheelers had arge fanbase. Hence, they had to find a quiet ce for their get-together. ¡°All right,¡± Sophie replied. ¡°I¡¯ll pick you up from school the day after tomorrow. You¡¯ll have to skip the self-study session at night,¡± Mark reminded her. ¡°Sure!¡± When Mark hung up the phone, Sunny immediately probed, ¡°How was it? Did Sophie agree to it?¡± Mark nodded in response. ¡°Seriously, Mark, we all know that you like Sophie. She¡¯s bing an adult soon. Why don¡¯t you confess to her?¡± Sunny suggested. He knew how much Mark liked Sophie. ¡°Sunny, do you think Sophie will like me?¡± Mark asked. I do like Sophie, but what about her? She only thinks of me as her buddy. If I confess to her rashly, I might ruin our friendship. Sunny shook his head. ¡°Mark, give yourself a chance no matter what! Just tell her that you like her.¡± Regardless of the oue, one should have no regrets after the confession. ¡°Most importantly, I don¡¯t think Sophie is a pretentious person. Even if she doesn¡¯t reciprocate your feelings, she won¡¯t cut ties with us!¡± Sunny added. Our rtionship throughout the years must have meant something to her. Right? ¡°I mean it, Mark. Give yourself a chance. Anyway, I don¡¯t like Mr. Tristan. Who is he to want to take Sophie away from us?¡± Sunny felt displeased whenever he thought of Tristan¡¯s attitude. This is property ? N?velDrama.Org. What right does he have to keep control of Sophie? She belongs to us. We all know how kindly Mark treats her. ¡°That¡¯s right! Mark, it¡¯s not easy to fall in love with someone. Don¡¯t worry about the oue and let Sophie know about your feelings for her. Then, she can decide for herself.¡± Their encouragement moved Mark. ¡°Hmm, let me think about it.¡± I have never told Sophie how much I like her. So, I should give myself a chance! Even if it doesn¡¯t work out in the end, I¡¯ll have no regrets after confessing to her. Sunny immediately stood up from the couch and uttered reassuringly, ¡°Mark, do you need our help? Feel free to tell us if you need us to do something. We¡¯ll cooperate with you no matter what.¡± Mark shook his head. ¡°It¡¯s fine. This is between me and Sophie. You guys shouldn¡¯t interfere.¡± Anything could be helped apart from matters concerning love. When Sophie hung up the phone, Tristan grabbed her hand from behind and dragged her to the couch. ¡°Was that Mark?¡± he asked. The moment Tristan first saw Mark, he knew that thetter liked Sophie. However, he did not think Sophie would reciprocate Mark¡¯s feelings. All along, Tristan was only concerned about Sophie¡¯s opinion. He could not care less as long as Sophie did not harbor that kind of feelings for Mark. ¡°Yes. He asked me to have dinner with them the day after tomorrow,¡± Sophie informed. Besides, I have something to discuss with them. It¡¯s good to have a meal together. ¡°Why don¡¯t you want to celebrate your birthday?¡± Tristan probed. I¡¯ve been preparing for so long, only to hear that she doesn¡¯t want to celebrate her birthday. I deserve to know the reason why at least! ¡°There¡¯s no reason. It¡¯s just that I don¡¯t have the habit of celebrating my birthday.¡± Seeing the disbelief on Tristan¡¯s face, Sophie broke into a smile. ¡°I mean it. There isn¡¯t a particr reason. It¡¯s just a habit. Besides, you know I don¡¯t like boisterous events,¡± Sophie exined to her best. ¡°Don¡¯t worry! Just celebrate your eighteenth birthday with me. I promise it won¡¯t be noisy,¡± Tristan reassured her. He had never been a fan of rowdy events. The two of them were on the same page in this regard. Sophie remained silent. ¡°Is there a gift you want?¡± Tristan had thought long and hard about the present for her coming-of-age ceremony. Perhaps due to his overthinking, he could not make the final decision. Suddenly, Sophie was in the mood for jokes. ¡°I want the stars in the sky.¡± ¡°The stars in the sky?¡± Tristan asked earnestly. Seeing his reaction, Sophie did not dare to continue joking. ¡°I was just kidding,¡± she admitted. ¡°Sophie, even if you aren¡¯t joking, there¡¯s no way I can pluck the stars for you!¡± Tristan had to admit that there were things in this world that he still could not do. Tristan pulled her into his arms. ¡°My little Sophie has finally grown up.¡± Even though they had not known each other for long, Tristan always felt like he had waited for ages. Sophie remained silent for a moment. She never felt any difference after turning eighteen. Then, she spoke up. ¡°Mr. Tristan, I guess I won¡¯t be thinking about getting married for a while.¡± I¡¯m only eighteen. This is just the beginning of my adult life. Holding Sophie¡¯s hand, Tristan nted a kiss on the back of her hand. ¡°I know.¡± We haven¡¯t known each other for long. How could I ask for your hand in marriage right now? ¡°Don¡¯t worry! I won¡¯t force you to do something you don¡¯t like. In fact, I won¡¯t let you do it as long as you have a sliver of hesitation,¡± Tristan promised. Sophie was rendered speechless. Isn¡¯t it too unfair for him to treat me like this? ¡°But I think your family really wants you to get married! After all, you¡¯re-¡± Tristan cut her off abruptly. ¡°No one can force me to do anything I don¡¯t like to do.¡± Not even my family has that kind of power over me. She was moved by Tristan¡¯s determination. Reaching out her hand, Sophie gently touched his perfect jawline. ¡°Mr. Tristan, why are you being so nice to me?¡± Sophie probed. She did not know how to repay him for his kindness. ¡°Of course, I have to treat you nicely. You have so many suitors. If I don¡¯t treat you well, what should I do if you leave me for someone else?¡± Despite being confident that he was the most suitable man for Sophie, Tristan could not help but feel threatened by the number of suitors around her. After all, unlike everything else, no one could control matters regarding love. Tristan spoke up out of the blue. ¡°I want to be there when you have dinner with The Wheelers!¡± ¡°You guys aren¡¯t cut from the same cloth. Why do you want to hang out with them?¡± Sophie probed, feeling curious. ¡°No, I¡¯m cut from the same cloth as them. As long as they¡¯re your kind of people, they¡¯re my people too!¡± Tristan retorted. You¡¯re the standard! Meanwhile, Ysabelle was also struggling with what gift she should give Sophie for her birthday. Ysabelle really liked the gemstone Sophie gave her on herst birthday. ¡°Felix, what gift do you think Sophie would like?¡± Ysabelle had been struggling to find the perfect present for a while. She had not settled on a gift even though it would be Sophie¡¯s birthday the following day. ¡°I don¡¯t know either,¡± Felix replied. How would I know what a girl likes? Chapter 318 Chapter 318 Chapter 318 What Is Wrong Ysabelle rolled her eyes at him and scoffed. ¡°Felix, I finally understand why you don¡¯t have a girlfriend. How can you get a girlfriend with such an attitude?¡± He doesn¡¯t understand anything about women. Felix had pushed off a bunch of important things to go shopping with her. He was speechless that he could still get disliked after doing that. He fumed. ¡°There¡¯s a birthday every year. If you can¡¯t get a good present this year, there¡¯s always next year.¡± Ysabelle nced at him. He¡¯s really useless. She had gone to all the stores but still did not know what to buy. Soon, it was Wednesday and Sophie¡¯s birthday. Early in the morning, Josiah instructed Morgan to pass his gift to Sophie. Sophie took the bag Morgan handed over skeptically. ¡°Ms. Sophie, Old Mr. Tanner said that this is the only thing he can give you, so you must take it.¡± Josiah wanted to go big on Sophie¡¯s eighteenth birthday. However, she did not like such events, so he did not force her to do it. ¡°Okay, I understand. I¡¯ll give Grandpa a call.¡± Sophie did not look at what was inside as she shoved it into her backpack. ¡°Morgan, please go home now! Grandpa can¡¯t have no one by his side.¡± ¡°Okay, Ms. Sophie. Happy birthday.¡± Morgan looked at Sophie dotingly. His heart ached for her. ¡°Thank you.¡± After Morgan left, Ysabelle asked, ¡°What did your grandfather give you?¡± It seemed like a document! Sophie shook her head. ¡°It¡¯s fine. Let¡¯s go! ss is starting soon!¡± Upon seeing her like this, Ysabelle could not help but stick out her tongue. It¡¯s her birthday! Why does she still go to school? They walked toward the school building. ¡°Sophie, it¡¯s your eighteenth birthday today. What are you doing?¡± Ysabelle asked curiously. Ysabelle had celebrated her eighteenth birthday on the cruise, so she was curious how Sophie would celebrate hers. ¡°I¡¯m nning to have dinner with Mark and the others! Do you want to join us?¡± Although she did not celebrate her birthdays, she did not mind if others wanted to celebrate them with her. ¡°Of course,¡± Ysabelle replied excitedly. Ysabelle was distracted during ss the whole day. Finally, school ended. Sophie told her ss teacher that she would not attend the tutorial at night. Then, Ysabelle and she walked out of the school. Once they reached the entrance, they noticed Mark and the others were already waiting outside in the car. Tristan¡¯s car also arrived when they came out. ¡°Sophie, whose car do we get on?¡± How do they choose between Mark and Uncle Tristan? ¡°You can sit in your uncle¡¯s car, and I¡¯ll sit in Mark¡¯s. You guys can just follow behind us.¡± Ysabelle was not close to Mark and the others, so it would be strange for Sophie to let the former sit in their car. Ysabelle immediately grabbed Sophie¡¯s hand. ¡°I am not going.¡± Is she kidding me? If I let her sit in Mark¡¯s and the others¡¯ car instead of Uncle Tristan¡¯s, I¡¯ll have to look at his cold face! I don¡¯t want that! ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Ysabelle noticed Sophie looking at her and said, ¡°Sophie, do you not know how much Uncle Tristan likes you? Do you think he wants to see you with Mark and the others? You should get in his car!¡± ¡°Mr. Tristan is not such a petty person!¡± With that, Sophie opened Tristan¡¯s car and stuffed Ysabelle into it before getting in All content is property ? N?velDrama.Org. Mark¡¯s and the others¡¯ car. Willow was behind them the whole time and saw the two luxury carsing to fetch Sophie. This made her feel extremely ufortable, but there was nothing she could do. ¡°Willow, it¡¯s your sister¡¯s birthday, right?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right! Aren¡¯t you going to celebrate with her?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t know your rtionship with her was that bad! Who¡¯s the person fetching Sophie?¡± Willow felt irritated hearing her ssmates¡¯ questions. Sophie had be the center of attention now. What about her? She had nothing. ¡°I don¡¯t know!¡± With that, she left to take a taxi. This is too much! The driver from home used to fetch me previously! What about now? I can only find my way home. Did they all give up on me? I¡¯m the hope of the Tanner family! How can they do this to me? At that moment, it was raining heavily. However, Willow did not have the habit of bringing an umbre and was drenched. ¡°Ah!¡± Willow could no longer control her annoyance and let out a scream. Everyone near her was studying at Jipsdale Premier High and witnessed the scene. They were all whispering. ¡°Do you think Willow has gone crazy?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right! Since Sophie came back, she was no longer the center of attention.¡± ¡°I heard she was the one who framed Sophie five years ago! That¡¯s why Sophie had no choice but to leave Jipsdale and go to Horington!¡± ¡°Really? I can¡¯t tell! She always pretends to be a nice person!¡± ¡°Such people are the most disgusting ones!¡± There were people talking bad about her in the rain. Willow gged down a taxi and left as fast as she could. Meanwhile, after getting in Mark¡¯s car, Sophie realized he was the only one in the car. ¡°Where are the others?¡± She thought everyone woulde and fetch her! ¡°They all left to prepare!¡± Mark would definitely not tell her that Sunny and the others wanted them to spend time alone. As there was a downpour, Mark drove slowly. ¡°Mr. Tristan and a few other friends areing. You guys won¡¯t mind, right?¡± As they were all her friends, she could not split herself into two to spend time with them. ¡°Not at all!¡± No matter what Sophie did, he was fine with it. They chatted for a bit. When Sophie was with Mark, she felt extremely rxed. Meanwhile, Ysabelle regretted getting in her uncle¡¯s car. The atmosphere was rather cold. ¡°Uncle Tristan, are you okay? Don¡¯t worry. Sophie likes you! She only treats The Wheelers¡¯ members as friends!¡± Ysabelle immediately voiced her opinion. ¡°That¡¯s enough! Stop talking! You talk too much!¡± He obviously knew the rtionship between Sophie and The Wheelers. However, he still wished that she would choose him at any time! That must be a man¡¯s possessiveness! Mark and the others had been in the entertainment industry for many years, so they naturally had many high-end ces to choose from. However, they decided to go to Star Club, as they did not want anyone to bother them! They stopped right outside Star Club. As it was raining heavily, Star Club had arranged for their staff to help their customers by shielding them with umbres. Just as Mark stopped the car, Tristan¡¯s car arrived too. He opened the car door and took the staff¡¯s umbre. Then, he walked toward Mark¡¯s car and opened the door. Sophie shot a confused look at Tristan, who was standing outside. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Chapter 319 Chapter 319 Chapter 319 ¡°There¡¯s too much water outside. Come. Let me carry you over.¡± As it was a downpour, there were puddles on the road. ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± Sophie was about to get out of the car. Tristan passed the umbre to Ysabelle, who was standing by the side. Then, he carried Sophie up. Although Sophie was surprised, she wrapped her arms around his neck to prevent herself from falling. Ysabelle was speechless. Did Ie here to hold an umbre for them? My shoes are wet too! She pursed her lips. I don¡¯t have it easy! I¡¯m also a girl! Why does no one carry me in their arms? Mark got out of the car and saw that Tristan had already carried Sophie into the club¡¯s main hall. When Sunny walked out, he saw Tristan carrying Sophie. He instinctively shook his head. What¡¯s wrong with Mark? Didn¡¯t I ask him to cherish the opportunity? How can he pass such a good opportunity to Tristan? Mark and Ysabelle walked in. Sunny immediately walked over to Mark and whispered, ¡°Mark, what¡¯s wrong with you? How can you pass such a good opportunity to someone else?¡± ¡°Okay. As long as it¡¯s for Sophie¡¯s good, everything is okay.¡± ¡°Nonsense! You can¡¯t be so calm. You have to grab hold of this opportunity, okay? We have prepared everything for you. Don¡¯t worry. After dinner, we will help you find an opportunity,¡± Sunny promised Mark with confidence. ¡°Sunny, you better not do anything rash! No matter what happens, I¡¯ll do whatever I see fit.¡± There were many things he had to consider. It was not a simple thing. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t be like this. Do you know? Men shouldn¡¯t be so hesitant. You have to be brave and confess to her. It¡¯s no big deal. If you fail, we are here to drink with you.¡± Sunny wanted Mark to confess so that Sophie would be with them forever. ¡°What are you guys talking about? Who¡¯s going to confess?¡± Ysabelle was right beside them, so she heard their entire conversation. Is Mark going to confess to Sophie? It seems that they have been nning for quite some time. Although she liked Mark a lot, she was still on her uncle¡¯s side. Upon hearing Ysabelle¡¯s question, Sunny did not say anything. ¡°Who¡¯s doing the confession and to whom? You must be hearing things. Today is Sophie¡¯s birthday. Aren¡¯t we all here to celebrate her birthday?¡± There was no reason for Sunny to tell Ysabelle anything. After all, Ysabelle was Tristan¡¯s niece. Although she liked Mark, he was only an idol to her. Comparing the two, it was obvious whose side she would be on. Therefore, he could not tell Ysabelle anything, or else it would not work out. ¡°Okay. It¡¯s almost time. Everyone is also hungry. Let¡¯s go in and eat,¡± Mark said. ¡°Mr. Tristan, you can put me down.¡± Sophie felt slightly embarrassed that she was being carried by Tristan in front of everyone. Tristan nced at Mark before putting her down. A man¡¯s intuition told him that Mark was about to make a move tonight. At that moment, Felix and the others showed up. Felix immediately walked to Ysabelle¡¯s side the moment he arrived. ¡°What happened? Why do you look unhappy?¡± He instantly noticed Ysabelle was unhappy. N?velDrama.Org owns this text. ¡°No, I¡¯m not. Today is Sophie¡¯s birthday. I¡¯m really happy.¡± ¡°Would you be showing this expression if you¡¯re happy?¡± ¡°Okay. Let¡¯s go in and eat,¡± Tristan interrupted their conversation. He still had something prepared for Sophie after dinner. Thus, they should not waste too much time here. They walked toward the private room. As Sunny had said, the dishes had been ordered and served. Upon seeing that Tristan and Sophie were sitting together, Sunny immediately ran over to take the other seat beside Sophie. He said to Mark, who was standing at the side, ¡°Mark,e and sit here. Didn¡¯t you have something to discuss with Sophie? It will be more convenient for you to sit here.¡± Mark could not reject Sunny, as thetter was too enthusiastic. He sat beside Sophie. Seeing that, Ysabelle was speechless. They¡¯re definitely up to something. Mark is really going to confess to Sophie. If I didn¡¯t know anything, I wouldn¡¯t feel so bad now. However, she had already heard the conversation between Mark and Sunny. Now, every action of theirs seemed to have been nned. Ysabelle threw Tristan a sympathetic nce. Isn¡¯t Uncle Tristan a poor thing? Why is there always someone after Sophie? Sunny and Sophie had been friends for a long time, so he knew about her taste. Therefore, the food prepared was all ordered to Sophie¡¯s taste. Sunny said with a smile, ¡°Sophie, Mark ordered all these dishes today. Do you like them? Look, Mark knows about everything you like. Even after you have been away for so long, he has kept everything you left behind. Aren¡¯t you touched?¡± Sophie nced at Sunny. ¡°Sunny, what¡¯s wrong with you today?¡± His actions were too strange. What does she mean by what¡¯s wrong with me? Can¡¯t she see how well Mark has treated her? All the other members have witnessed it. Tristan was speechless. It seems that Mark is going to confess to Sophie today. Why doesn¡¯t he think about whether she likes him? If she really likes him, how could they not end up together after such a long time? Hearing others talk about how well Mark treated Sophie made Tristan feel rather ufortable since he did not y a part in Sophie¡¯s past. No matter how powerful he was, he was not able to turn back time. Therefore, the only thing he could do was to do things properly in the present. He would stay by Sophie¡¯s side and make sure he didn¡¯t regret it in the future. ¡°Sunny, that¡¯s enough. Let¡¯s stop with the nonsense. Everyone should be hungry, so let¡¯s eat first.¡± Mark cast a nce at Sunny. Didn¡¯t I already tell him not to interfere in this matter? It was Sophie¡¯s birthday. There was no need to make things awkward with so many people around. Sunny was a little depressed. Didn¡¯t I say all these to help create an opportunity for Mark? The enemy is too strong, so why can¡¯t we use some tricks? Also, we didn¡¯t hurt anyone, did we? ¡°Let¡¯s eat. Aren¡¯t you hungry?¡± Tristan put some food on Sophie¡¯s te and quietly ate his. It was as if Sunny¡¯s words had not bothered him in the slightest. Sunny felt even more anxious. Does Sophie really like Mr. Tristan? Chapter 320 Chapter 320 Chapter 320 Seeing how meticulously Tristan took care of Sophie, Sunny could not help but blink a few times at Mark in disbelief. What the h*ck are you doing, Mark? I pulled all the stops in trying to give you this opportunity. Why can¡¯t you get your act together and do something? ¡°Mark, why don¡¯t you give Sophie some crayfish? It¡¯s her favorite!¡± Having noticed that Mark had barely moved a muscle, Sunny decided to give him a nudge. ¡°You like crayfish?¡± asked Tristan. Sophie nodded. She had always liked crayfish. Tristan immediately got up and brought the te of crayfish to Sophie. He then put on some gloves and began shelling the crayfish for her. Sunny was rendered speechless at this The others also looked on, wordlessly. This was definitely Tristan¡¯s style. ¡°I can¡¯t possibly finish all of this myself.¡± Sophie did like crayfish, but she was not about to finish an entire tter on her own. ¡°It¡¯s all right. If you like them, feel free to eat more. I¡¯ll happily shell them for you,¡± said Tristan, not finding the deed troublesome. Tristan was not too fond of crayfish, given how it was truly a hassle to eat. He did not like having to shell them. However, since it was Sophie who liked eating them, it was a completely different story. One could easily tell that Tristan was not used to shelling crayfish. His movements were awkward and quite stiff. When Sophie looked down, she saw that the crayfish on her te gradually began to pile up. Sophie was quite touched by his gesture. He¡¯s willing to do all this for me so publicly in spite of who he is? I think any woman would be touched by this! Meanwhile, Sunny got even angrier. What the h*ck is Mark doing? I¡¯ve already nudged him into action, but he still hasn¡¯t gotten the hint! In fact, Tristan has pounced on this opportunity instead! Mark had, in fact, not said anything at all. He merely concentrated on his own meal, still maintaining his usual reserved demeanor. He behaved as if this situation had nothing to do with him at all. ¡°This has got to be the first time I¡¯ve seen Tristan shelling crayfish. Oi, Tristan! If Lombard Group goes under, I¡¯m sure you¡¯d find a job shelling crayfish!¡± said Felix in jest. ¡°That¡¯s true! I also like crayfish, Tristan! Why don¡¯t you shell some for me?¡± asked Charles with a yful wink. They both knew that Tristan fancied Sophie, but they had never imagined that his behavior was going to be so drastically different. ¡°Since you like it so much, why don¡¯t you have some?¡± Sophie then handed over some of the peeled crayfish to Charles. While he had indeed said he liked crayfish, he dared not receive what Sophie held out to him. ¡°Hehe, I¡¯m just joking! Mr. Tristan shelled these for you! How can I have them?¡± He was not willing to risk his life over a few pieces of crayfish. ¡°You really don¡¯t want any?¡± Charles immediately shook his head. He was just joking, after all. He did not have the guts to act on it. ¡°I¡¯ve really had enough, Mr. Tristan.¡± Sophie asked Tristan to stop because her te was already quite full of tiny morsels of fish. ¡°Very well.¡± Seeing that Sophie did have plenty of crayfish on her te, Tristan finally stopped. Sophie then gave Tristan arge piece. ¡°Have some too. You needn¡¯t take care of me all the time,¡± said Sophie. She was an adult who was perfectly capable of tending to her own needs. ¡°Sophie, I¡¯d really like some barbecue ribs. Can you pass me some?¡± Sunny could not take it anymore. He needed to make himself more visible. ¡°Sunny, will you just quit it?¡± quipped Sophie with a disapproving re. After all, this table had an automatic conveyor belt to transport dishes in one loop. Sunny looked at her in disbelief. ¡°Sophie, do you not like me anymore? You¡¯ve never spoken to me that way before! Besides, you¡¯ve always been responsive to my requests in the past!¡± Sophie was annoyed at this. I¡¯ve always treated you like a friend! Mark then gave Sunny some ribs while also giving him a pointed look. ¡°Do you need more? I can pile more onto your te if so. Just be quiet and enjoy your meal.¡± Sunny bit his lower lip with an incredulous look on his face. I¡¯m doing this for your sake, Mark! Why are you treating me like this? However, seeing the stern look on Mark¡¯s face made Sunny rethink his actions. He decided to hold his tongue instead and focused on his food. Ysabelle giggled, seeing the way Sunny behaved. ¡°What are youughing at? What¡¯s so funny?¡± huffed Sunny, both embarrassed and annoyed. ¡°It¡¯s nothing. I just think you¡¯re so cute like this!¡± replied Ysabelle with a giggle. Felix, on the other hand, was not happy to hear Ysabelle praise Sunny. ¡°But he¡¯s so childish! How is that cute?¡± asked Felix. He suddenly felt rmed seeing that. ¡°Hey, who are you calling childish? When was I childish? I¡¯m very mature, all right? You¡¯re the one who can¡¯t tell left from right!¡± said Sunny with a huff. Felix was initially going to ignore him. He¡¯s just a brat who hasn¡¯t quite grown up yet. ¡°I¡¯d suggest keeping your distance from him,¡± said Felix into Ysabelle¡¯s ear. ¡°His questionable mental state is quite contagious.¡± ¡°Felix, how could you say that? Don¡¯t you think Sunny is quite cute this way?¡± Although he seemed immature, it did not make Sunny any less childish. ¡°I don¡¯t think so. I also think that calling a man ¡®cute¡¯ isn¡¯t a good thing either,¡± retorted Felix. Why did he need to approve of another man¡¯s behavior anyway? Throughout this entire meal, Mark felt a little awkward because of Sunny¡¯s behavior. However, Sophie and Tristan seemed to be unaffected by this. After dinner, Sunny was determined to create an opportunity for Mark to confess his feelings for Sophie. No matter what, Mark has already made preparations for tonight. He has to confess to her, regardless of the oue. Otherwise, all this would¡¯ve been for naught. Having seen the way Sophie and Tristan interacted with each other, Sunny had a sinking feeling that Mark did not stand a chance. As such, Sunny deliberately unlocked his phone and dialed Sophie¡¯s number. ¡°Sophie, can you meet me outside? I need to talk to you.¡± ¡°What is it? Can¡¯t youe inside and talk?¡± asked Sophie suspiciously. ¡°Sophie, what¡¯s gotten into you? Why would I seek you out if I didn¡¯t have anything to say? Would it hurt if you came out for a bit?¡± asked Sunny, audibly disgruntled. ¡°Fine. I¡¯lle out.¡± For some reason, Sophie had always been tolerant of Sunny¡¯s behavior. Although they were both close in age, Sophie had always treated Sunny as she would a younger sibling, perhaps due to her own maturity. As Sophie went to see Sunny, Ysabelle immediately went to speak to Tristan. ¡°Uncle Tristan, Mark is going to confess his feelings to Sophie. Aren¡¯t you going to keep an eye on them?¡± Regardless of what happened, Ysabelle was rooting for her Uncle Tristan. ¡°I think you should go! You do know that Sophie doesn¡¯t see Mark the same way. What if¡ª¡± ¡°There isn¡¯t a what-if,¡± replied Tristan matter-of-factly, interrupting her. ¡°If Sophie fancied Mark, they¡¯d have been together ages ago. I doubt they¡¯d have waited so long to be together.¡± Tristan was absolutely certain about this. ¡°Uncle Tristan, do you not care the slightest? After all, Sophie did spend quite a bit of time with them in the past.¡± Ysabelle had no intention of gossiping, but she was worried that Sophie and Mark would end up together. ¡°I trust Sophie. Besides, she¡¯s an individual. She has the right to spend time with her friends.¡± Tristan could not behave selfishly and forbid Sophie from meeting friends of the opposite sex, just because he had feelings for her.N?velDrama.Org is the owner. Chapter 321 Chapter 321 ¡°You¡¯re so calm, Uncle Tristan! That being said, you¡¯re so cool like this!¡± said Ysabelle earnestly. However, was it not normal to want the person you liked to remain with you at all times? ¡°Mr. Tristan, I know you must be suffering deep down. You needn¡¯t put on a brave front for our sake, really. Why not take a look?¡± No matter how magnanimous one wanted to appear, a man could not be this calm knowing that a rival wanted to confess their feelings for the person they fancied. ¡°There¡¯s no need. Plus, they are not to be disturbed,¡± said Tristan, shooting them a warning re. Charles and Sean shared a look. Tristan¡¯s current behavior was foreign to them. After all, if Tristan liked something in the past, the rest of them could barely sneak a second nce. The fact that Tristan even allowed this to happen was beyond their expectations. In the meantime, Sophie had gone to see Sunny. When Sunny saw Sophie, he anxiously confessed, ¡°Sophie, I¡¯m not the one who needs to see you. It¡¯s actually Mark. He¡¯s got something to tell you.¡± Sunny knew he could not hide it anymore, thus he decided toe clean. Sophie knitted her brows in response. ¡°Sunny, enough is enough! You¡¯ve been messing around all night!¡± Sophie could be quite terrifying when she became serious. Immediately, Sunny began to try and appease her. ¡°Sophie, I¡¯m not messing around! Is what I¡¯m saying so hard to believe?¡± Sunny was, in fact, being truthful the whole time. Why did Sophie think he was messing around? ¡°I don¡¯t know what¡¯s so great about Mr. Tristan! Are you getting mad at me because of him?¡± Upon hearing this, Sophie could not help but let out an exasperated sigh. If she had to be honest, Sunny was no longer a child. Why is he behaving so childishly? ¡°Fine. I¡¯m sorry, Sophie. I know I messed up. But Mark really needs to see you. Why don¡¯t you go to him?¡± ¡°I understand. Just tell me where he is, and I¡¯ll go. That should settle things.¡± Regardless, they had been her teammates for some time. One could say that they represented her redemption. As such, she had always taken extra care of The Wheelers, given that they had never done anything to hurt her. ¡°Sophie, I knew you were the best! You wouldn¡¯t have stayed angry at me for long! You¡¯re so kind!¡± Without further dy, Sunny told Sophie where to find Mark. When Sophie arrived, Mark was sitting at the piano, ying one of her favorite songs. Sophie decided not to bother him, instead choosing to listen to the song quietly. Mark was concentrating on ying the piano, but something was different about him today. Instead of his usual demeanor, Mark seemed more striking and handsome than before. Sophie waited until Mark finished ying before walking over and joining him on the bench. ¡°Let¡¯s y a song together!¡± Sophie was not too adept at ying the piano, but she knew the basics. N?velDrama.Org owns this text. ¡°Okay.¡± Mark had always fulfilled Sophie¡¯s requests. ying a tune on the piano could not hurt. ¡°Let¡¯s y a song by Chopin,¡± said Sophie mildly. Mark said nothing. He obediently performed a duet with her, the two of them being in perfect sync with each other. If anything, Mark truly felt that he knew Sophie the best. Regardless of what the task was, Mark thought they both made a good team. Surely his desire toe clean about his feelings was not all that strange? He was never one toplicate things, but Sophie was a different matter altogether. Mark was worried that things were going to change. If he confessed, would they have ceased being friends too? Or perhaps Mark¡¯s faulty in caring too much. Why else did he feel so worried? Soon, the duet came to an end. Sophie merely sat there, making no indication that she was about to leave. ¡°Sunny said you have something to tell me, so I came over.¡± No matter how ufortable it was, Sophie had to face it. The same applied to Mark. Mark sat there, motionless, seemingly in quiet contemtion. He then turned to look at her with an earnest expression. ¡°Sophie, I think you can feel this too.¡± She should have been able to feel the extent and depth of how much he cared for her. It should have been obvious enough. After hearing what Mark had to say, Sophie knew she made the right guess. He was going to say it. ¡°I like you, Sophie. I like you the way a man likes a woman. I want to take care of you for the rest of your life. I used to think you were still young, with so much lying ahead of you, but I can¡¯t hold back now. I¡¯m just scared that if I don¡¯t say it now, I¡¯ll never have the opportunity again.¡± Mark could only tell her how he really felt. The rest was out of his control. Sophie felt sorry for Mark, seeing him in this current state. He only seemed to care about her right now. He never wanted to kick the ho¡¯s nest and cause Sophie any distress. However, Mark had already started the ball rolling. Simrplications were what led to Sophie taking a break from The Wheelers thest time. It was because she cared too much about their friendship that she chose to leave for a while. When his confession was met with nothing but silence from Sophie, Mark became even more anxious. He could vaguely sense the direction in which this conversation was heading, but why was he so intent on holding on? Or was he so hell-bent on giving it a go that nothing mattered? After all, he had a crush on her for three whole years. ¡°Sophie,¡± said Mark hesitantly. ¡°Do you feel the way I do?¡± Sophie gave him a gentle smile. ¡°Mark, regardless of what happens, I¡¯ve always treated you as a sibling. You¡¯re like a brother to me. Nothing is going to change that.¡± As much as Sophie did not want to hurt him, she had no choice. s, it was exactly as he imagined. Mark knew that she was going to reject him, and he knew that Sophie fancied someone else. However, hearing her say this to him in person had wounded him much harder than he expected. Mark looked a little crestfallen. Anyone who saw him in this state would have felt bad. However, there was nothing Sophie could do. This was how tricky love could be. One could not force another to like them, and there was no way around it. ¡°Don¡¯t look at me like that, Sophie. I¡¯m fine.¡± After all, had Mark not already anticipated this from the start? Mark had been afraid of confessing his affection for her, which was why he kept them hidden for so long. The reason why he even confessed at all was that he did not want to regret not telling her how he felt. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Mark.¡± ¡°What are you apologizing for? You did nothing wrong. There¡¯s no need to apologize. You have your own desires to pursue, so don¡¯t worry about me. I¡¯ll be fine.¡± Even up to this point, Mark still wanted tofort Sophie. He did not want Sophie to feel sad for his sake. ¡°We¡¯re still friends, right? We¡¯ll be friends forever.¡± Mark had no desire to forsake this friendship. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll keep my feelings in check,¡± said Mark reassuringly. Sophie then nodded in response. ¡°I guess¡­ I¡¯ll be off then.¡± Mark then turned around to leave, seeming like he wanted to escape from this scenario. Regardless of how cold he looked before, the current Mark seemed like quite a pitiful soul. Sophie sat by herself in front of the piano. With both hands on the keys, she started to y a tune. This time, she yed one of Mark¡¯s favorite songs. Even though she did not want to hurt him, the damage was done. In truth, Sophie had no desire to see him this way. A whileter, Tristan came over to see Sophie, but he saw Mark leave the area with an extremely grim expression on his face. Without eavesdropping, Tristan could deduce what had happened there. Chapter 322 Chapter 322 Tristan did not feel like consoling Mark since thetter had been eyeing his girl, and he was mad about it. Mark was relieved that Tristan hade to look for Sophie. No matter how capable Sophie had be, Mark still thought of her as the little girl whom others would abandon¡ªjust like what had happened to her years ago. Sunny could somewhat predict the oue when he saw Tristaning alone. He walked over and patted Mark¡¯s shoulder. ¡°It¡¯s all right, Mark. I know you¡¯re very fond of Sophie, but trust me, you¡¯ll meet a girl who¡¯s more extraordinary than Sophie. And you¡¯ll hold a special ce in her heart.¡± At that point, Mark felt he had no regrets. At least I¡¯ve confessed my feelings for her. He said to Sunny, ¡°Come on. Let¡¯s get the others and go for a drink.¡± Sunny was relieved to see Mark¡¯s response. Without hesitation, he went to call the rest over. All the members could not help but sympathize with Mark upon noticing how heartbroken he was for he had yet to start a rtionship with someone. Meanwhile, Tristan went to look for Sophie, who was ying the piano. He walked up to her and sat beside her to keep herpany. This is property ? N?velDrama.Org. Seeing how close Sophie was to Mark made him unhappy. After ying thest note of the piece, Sophie tilted her head to look at him. ¡°What are you doing here? Where are Ysabelle and the rest?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about them. They¡¯re having fun in the club.¡± Tristan then grabbed her hand. ¡°Sophie, you¡¯re full of surprises. I didn¡¯t know you could y the piano! Could you y me a song?¡± ¡°Sure. What do you have in mind?¡± ¡°How about Marriage of Love?¡± Tristan was eager to listen to this piece. Sophie had no problem ying it. She took out her phone to look for the score of ¡°Marriage of Love.¡± After cing her phone on the stand, she said, ¡°I¡¯ve never yed this piece of music before, so don¡¯t make fun of me if I screw up.¡± Sophie could not y the piece well as she was unfamiliar with it. In addition to that, she also did not major in piano. ¡°Of course, I won¡¯t. To me, you¡¯re perfect.¡± Tristan would enjoy listening to everything she yed. Sophie started running her beautiful fingers on the keys and dedicated ¡°Marriage of Love¡± to Tristan. Tristan sat next to Sophie while watching her quietly. She looked very different when ying the piano, and Tristan was pleased to see her in such a calm manner. At that point, he felt the urge to protect the girl. During the second part of the piece, Tristan ced his fingers on the piano keys and started ying alongside Sophie. Sophie could not resist looking at the man. She did not know Tristan could also y the piano. Apparently, Tristan had taken piano lessons for two years when he was still a child, but he had not touched the instrument for years. Nheless, his eidetic memory had helped him remember the skills he had acquired in that two years. Moreover, ¡°Marriage of Love¡± was not a difficult piece to y on the piano, to begin with. That was why the two of them could y well together. After ending thest note, Tristan and Sophie exchanged nces and smiled at each other. Despite not having any rehearsals, they managed to work wlessly together. ¡°You¡¯ve taken piano lessons before?¡± Sophie thought a man like Tristan would never waste time on such a skill. ¡°Yes. I¡¯d taken piano lessons for two years.¡± ¡°Just two years?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°You¡¯re gifted in music, Mr. Tristan. You would have be a professional pianist had you continued practicing.¡± ¡°I have no interest in bing a pianist. Come to think of it, I guess the only interest I have is making money.¡± Tristan still preferred a life that focused more on important matters. Sophie nodded in agreement. ¡°I thought so too. Had you continued ying the piano, there wouldn¡¯t be an influential Mr. Tristan in Jipsdale anymore.¡± After sitting in front of the piano for a while, Tristan got up and extended his hand. ¡°All right. Your time with them is up. You belong to me now.¡± Tristan epted the idea of dining with the others because he did not want to interfere in her life, but now, she was his exclusively. Sophie raised her brows. ¡°I told you I¡¯m not celebrating my birthday, right? We¡¯re just having dinner as usual.¡± To Sophie, there was no point wasting so much time on a birthday celebration. ¡°Don¡¯t think of it as your birthday. Let¡¯s consider today as youring-of-age ceremony. You¡¯re officially an adult now!¡± Tristan said affectionately. ¡°You¡¯ll encounter many uncertainties in the future, and I want to be by your side.¡± ¡°Mr. Tristan¡ª¡± Sophie¡¯s heart started racing upon hearing his words. Suddenly, her heart, which had remained dormant for years, came to life and was almost in her mouth. ¡°Come on. Let¡¯s go!¡± Tristan and Sophie walked out and only saw Ysabelle, Felix, Charles, and Sean. ¡°Where are Mark and the others?¡± Sophie asked. ¡°Mark said something cropped up, and they had to leave first. Oh, he left you a gift.¡± Ysabelle took out a gift box from the back of a chair. Though Sophie had said she did not want to celebrate her birthday, the others still prepared gifts for her. Sophie took over Mark¡¯s gift. Upon recalling the disappointment on Mark¡¯s face, she felt she had let him down. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it, Sophie. There¡¯s nothing you can do since you have no feelings for him. I¡¯m sure Mark won¡¯t me you for rejecting him. After all, you two had been friends for many years, right?¡± Ysabelle consoled her. ¡°Yeah,¡± Sophie replied. ¡°Here. This is my gift to you. Sophie, I know my gift doesn¡¯t hold a candle to that stone, but I hope you¡¯ll still appreciate it.¡± Sophie held a special ce in Ysabelle¡¯s heart, so she wanted to get something special for the birthday girl. Yet, Ysabelle could not find the gift Sophie wanted. In the end, she bought her a diamond instead. ¡°Thank you.¡± It would be inappropriate for her to insist on not celebrating her birthday since they all had brought her gifts. In the meantime, Felix, Charles, and Sean also handed their gifts to Sophie. There were so many gifts that Sophie began to feel overwhelmed. Tristan had to step in to help her carry some. ¡°Well, it¡¯s time for us to leave now,¡± Ysabelle said with a chuckle. It¡¯s Sophie¡¯sing-of-age ceremony. I¡¯m sure Uncle Tristan has a lot of things to talk to her about! The four of us should leave quietly instead of bing a bunch of third wheels. After realizing Tristan was casting her a re, Ysabelle immediately held Felix¡¯s hand and was ready to go. Before leaving, she could not help but remind, ¡°Uncle Tristan, Sophie might have entered adulthood, but she¡¯s still a young girl.¡± Despite knowing she was not in any position to make that remark, Ysabelle still decided to say what was on her mind. She liked Sophie so much that she did not want anyone, including Tristan, to hurt her. ¡°Ysabelle, are you mad? How dare you talk to your uncle like that? Come on, let¡¯s go. He knows what he¡¯s doing.¡± Felix was so worried for her that he nearly broke out in a cold sweat. Chapter 323 Chapter 323 When only the two of them remained, Tristan opened the car door and beckoned her in. After putting all the gifts into the trunk, he then started the engine and drove to the car dealership. The store should have already been closed by now. N?velDrama.Org owns this text. Yet, it remained lit at their arrival, and the manager weed them personally. ¡°The car you ordered has arrived, Mr. Tristan. I¡¯ll lead you to it at once.¡± With a nod, Tristan held Sophie by the waist and followed the manager. As they made their way to the showroom, the employees then removed a piece of cloth to unveil what was underneath it: a crimson sports car. The fiery red vehicle looked especially sleek and magnificent. Judging from its appearance alone, it had to have cost a ton. Tristan was rather pleased with the car too. He firmly believed that only something like this was worthy of being driven by Sophie. ¡°What do you think? Do you like it?¡± ¡°I thought I told you I don¡¯t need a car, Mr. Tristan.¡± Besides, this is way too expensive! A ride like this must cost tens of millions! ¡°Mr. Tristan had this car designed especially for you a month ago, Ms. Tanner,¡± the manager exined. ¡°It¡¯s the only one avable in the whole country.¡± Is she ying hard to get? Mr. Tristan¡¯s giving her such a nice car, and she says she doesn¡¯t want it? Does she have any idea how many peoplee here just to buy cars for their girlfriends or partners? There hasn¡¯t been any girl who isn¡¯t happy to receive one¡ªexcept for her, that is. Heck, even I¡¯d want something like this! ¡°Okay. You can all leave.¡± Tristan didn¡¯t want to talk about such things with Sophie in front of other people. ¡°Yes, Mr. Tristan.¡± The manager left with the other staff members. ¡°Hop in and give it a go.¡± In any case, Sophie was an adult now, so having a car would be extremely convenient for her. Well aware that she couldn¡¯t say no, the woman hopped onto the driver¡¯s seat as Tristan took the passenger¡¯s seat. She then took the car for a spin. Its performance certainly matched its appearance, and she felt comfortable driving it. After going on a drive around Jipsdale with Tristan, Sophie was ultimately satisfied with her new ride. ¡°Thank you,¡± she said as she drove back to Wisteria Apartments. Just as she thought the day was over, Tristan called out to her. ¡°Let¡¯s go. I have another gift for you.¡± ¡°There¡¯s more? But I think you¡¯ve been more than generous enough with this car, Mr. Tristan!¡± ¡°I have something else for you. This car is also for my benefit. I hope you cane and pick me up when I¡¯m busy at times, so we¡¯d save some time and I¡¯d get to see you sooner.¡± Sophie didn¡¯t know how to respond. Tristan took over the steering wheel. The rain had stopped by now, and the weather began to clear. One could even see the stars in the sky now. Tristan took her to the observatory. ¡°What did you bring me here for?¡± Sophie couldn¡¯t understand why they were heading to such a ce at this hour. Wouldn¡¯t it be closed by now? Then again, no ce seems to be closed as long as he wants to go there. But still! Why is he taking me to the observatory, of all ces? As they arrived at the observatory, Tristan presented her two certificates. ¡°You told me thest time that you wanted the stars in the sky, so I bought you two of them.¡± Sophie was rendered speechless. ¡°I¡­ I was kidding.¡± How did he actually buy two stars? She nced at the certificates and saw that he had bought two stars that were next to each other. One had been named Sophie Tanner, and the other was Tristan Lombard. ¡°I¡¯d been keeping a lookout ever since you told me that, and it just so happened that someone discovered these two stars, so I bought them and named them after us.¡± He had once told her that he would do everything in his power to get her whatever she wanted. Evidently, he meant it. ¡°Mr. Tristan¡­¡± It looks like I can¡¯t run my mouth around him anymore, or he¡¯d actually take me seriously! ¡°Don¡¯t worry. It didn¡¯t cost all that much. Come, let¡¯s take a look.¡± Tristan led her over to the telescope and guided her on how to view the stars. ¡°Well? Do you see them?¡± Sophie nodded. She could clearly see the two stars shining in the dark sky. ¡°They¡¯re beautiful.¡± How could she not feel touched? To have someone listen to every word you say and make your wishese true, to have a man treat you this way¡ªwho wouldn¡¯t be moved? After viewing the stars, Sophie turned around and gave Tristan a hug on her own initiative. ¡°You¡¯re just like those ancient kings who moved mountains for the women they loved, Mr. Tristan.¡± She wasn¡¯t even serious when asking for the stars, but he had made it happen anyway. ¡°Not exactly. The difference between them and me is that I won¡¯t suffer the same miserable fates that they did.¡± The woman fell quiet. Then, Tristan leaned closer and kissed her on the lips. Arge cluster of stars could be seen right above their heads, and it was at this very moment that the two kissed ever so passionately. Even Sophie couldn¡¯t help but reciprocate the kiss. She had truly fallen in love with this man who was capable of just about anything, and this love certainly wasn¡¯t one-sided. Because of everything he did for her, she wanted to protect him and care for him the same way he did. When they were done, Sophiey her head on his chest, her heart still beating wildly. Tristan rested his chin on the top of her head, quietly hoping their moment of intimacy would never pass. ¡°Happy birthday, my girl,¡± he said lovingly as the clock struck twelve. ¡°I hope to be able to celebrate all your birthdays with you from now on.¡± Sophie nced up at him. As she gazed into his eyes full of affection, she couldn¡¯t resist tiptoeing and pecking him on the lips. ¡°Thank you.¡± So, this is what it feels like to have someone pour their heart into you and care about you every second of the day. Every gift he prepared for her had been well-thought-out and amounted to exorbitant prices. Yet, those weren¡¯t important; what mattered most was that he truly loved her. She also knew too well that someone like Tristan was born to be served by others, and for him to try and please her was an absolute privilege many others could only hope for. Tristan deepened the kiss. ¡°There¡¯s no need to thank me. Everything I do for you, I do it willingly. What I ask for in return is your future.¡± As a businessman, he would never invest in anything that resulted in a loss. Despite having been kissed until she was now in a daze, Sophie¡¯s head remained clear when it came to his persistence and love toward her. It was past midnight when they headed back to Wisteria Apartments after gazing at the two stars that now belonged to them. ¡°You should just stay here tonight. It¡¯ste,¡± the young woman offered, her eyes twinkling so brightly that it was as though anyone who looked into them would be charmed instantly. Chapter 324 Chapter 324 Tristan naturally couldn¡¯t have asked for more. Sophie stepped aside to allow him in and closed the door. ¡°It¡¯s way past bedtime. Go take a shower and sleep.¡± Daylight would soone if they waited any longer. ¡°Okay. You too.¡± Sophie had offered to let Tristan stay the night simply because she figured that it would be far toote by the time he arrived home. She had no other motive behind her decision. The two went to shower separately. When Sophie hade out and was in the middle of drying her hair, Tristan walked into her room. Her heart couldn¡¯t help but leap at the sight of him in her room. d in nothing but a robe that wasn¡¯t even properly fastened, the man was the epitome of seduction. Sophie paused in her tracks. ¡°Why are you still awake? Is something the matter?¡± she asked dubiously. Tristan took the hairdryer from her and began to help her dry her hair. ¡°I don¡¯t want to part with you yet.¡± The woman didn¡¯t know what to say in response. Never had she imagined this man to behave in such a way before she got to know him better. He¡¯s just so charming. Oh, God. My heart¡¯s racing. ¡°Are you aware that you¡¯re seducing me, Mr. Tristan?¡± Hearing that, Tristan curled his lips into a smirk. ¡°Tell me, then. Are you tempted?¡± Was that not what mattered most? ¡°Fine! I admit it. I mean, look at you! There¡¯s no way anyone wouldn¡¯t be tempted, right?¡± Sophie remarked candidly. She had nothing to hide. ¡°Hmm. So, I guess there is some advantage to looking as good as this.¡± All this while, his looks had only brought him loads of trouble. ¡°Yup. You¡¯re absolutely my type.¡± Regardless of how good someone looked, it didn¡¯t matter if the person they liked didn¡¯t find them attractive. Thankfully, Tristan¡¯s looks suited her taste perfectly; in her eyes, he was wless all around and had absolutely no shorings. ¡°I¡¯m d.¡± Sophie¡¯s hair was dry by now, so Tristan put the hairdryer down. As the woman leaned against the wall behind her, he ced one hand on her waist and pressed the other against the wall. He looked especially alluring when maintaining that posture. Sophie remained silent as she gazed up at him, unaware of how captivating her eyes looked. Tristan shifted his hand from the wall to hold the young woman¡¯s chin before leaning in to kiss her lips. While pinned against the wall, Sophie readily returned the deep kiss. After a brief but passionate moment, the man let go of her face, picked her up, and pressed her against the wall once more. His breathing grew rapid. ¡°It¡¯ste, Mr. Tristan. You should go to sleep.¡± Sophie finally found her voice again after a long while, but she was astonished by how lustful she sounded. ¡°I know. Let me hold you a little longer.¡± He just didn¡¯t want to let go of her. It was as though time could stop for as long as he continued to hug her. ¡°But it¡¯s getting reallyte. I¡¯m tired.¡± The woman was truly exhausted from having spent the day eating and receiving so many gifts. Hearing that, Tristan picked her up. Sophie had long grown ustomed to his embrace, so she looped her arms around his neck without a second thought. He then put her down on the bed gently and tucked her in. ¡°All right. Since you¡¯re tired, you should hurry up and get some rest.¡± ¡°How can I fall asleep while you¡¯re here? You should go to sleep too.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Tristan leaned closer and pecked her on the forehead before turning to leave. Even after hearing the door shut, Sophie felt her heart continue to race. She ced a hand over her chest. Seriously! How is it so easy for him to make my heart race? But then again, how could I ever stay calm when I¡¯m dealing with a man like him? ¡°Stay calm, Sophie!¡± The young woman patted her own cheeks in an attempt to calm herself down before ncing at her phone. It was already five in the morning, and the sun would be up soon. A call from Arius came at that moment. Sophie answered her phone. ¡°Do you have any idea what time it is here, Mr. Gullifer? Why are you calling me now?¡± All content is property ? N?velDrama.Org. ¡°You¡¯re so mean, Sophie. I¡¯m calling you because I remember your birthday!¡± Although the man was unable to return to the country, he still hadn¡¯t forgotten her birthday gift. ¡°Ha. Sorry, but my birthday was yesterday.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not important! It¡¯s just a dayter.¡± He was so busy that he had forgotten to call her yesterday. ¡°Anyway, I¡¯ve mailed you your gift, so be sure to receive it when it reaches your doorstep.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± Arius had always been like that. For the past few years, the man would always mail her some unusual things on her birthday. ¡°It wouldn¡¯t be a surprise if I told you, would it? Anyway, why are you even still awake? What are you up to?¡± After her birthday, she had officially be an adult. ¡°I¡¯m just about to sleep.¡± ¡°Who were you just with? Was it Mr. Tristan?¡± Arius couldn¡¯t remain calm at the mention of Tristan. ¡°Let me give you a reminder, Sophie. I get that you¡¯re eighteen now, and that makes you a grown woman. But no matter what, you¡¯re still young, so don¡¯t do anything you might regret.¡± He just couldn¡¯t trust Tristan, who excelled at flirting. That guy¡¯s just way too smooth. There isn¡¯t a woman on this earth who wouldn¡¯t fall for him. ¡°If you have nothing else to say, I¡¯m hanging up. I need to get some sleep before the sunes up.¡± ¡°Remember what I just said. Don¡¯t act like you didn¡¯t hear anything, you got me? I¡¯m saying this for your own good.¡± Seriously, she just can¡¯t stop making me worry. ¡°Okay, I¡¯m hanging up.¡± What a load of nonsense. Sophie ended the call abruptly. Arius was alone back in Anndur. There was nothing he could do no matter how concerned he was. At the end of the day, Sophie was an independent person who had her own opinions. He could hardly make any decisions for her. ¡°Please be happy, Sophie.¡± It was only after uttering those words that Arius carried on with his research. The man truly wanted the best for Sophie no matter what. After all, if he had to choose between Nichs and Tristan, he would still take thetter¡¯s side. Nichs was an absolute deviant, after all. He¡¯s been looking for me just so he could use me to threaten Sophie. Arius¡¯ head hurt at the thought of how despicable Nichs was. He obviously can¡¯t give her happiness, so why does he still bother going after her? Does he really like her? When will he ever give up? Chapter 325 Chapter 325 Due to having gone to bed sotest night, Sophie unexpectedly overslept. It was past ten in the morning by the time she woke up. The young woman thought Tristan would have left by now. Yet, she stepped out of her room after washing up, only to see the man learning how to cook from Susan. ¡°You¡¯re up, Ms. Tanner!¡± Susan eximed with a smile. ¡°Have a seat at the dining table. Mr. Lombard¡¯s making you breakfast!¡± ¡°Really?¡± Sophie walked over curiously, and true enough, the man was cooking for her. ¡°Why aren¡¯t you at work?¡± Isn¡¯t today a working day? ¡°I overslept, so I decided not to go. Go sit over there. Breakfast will be ready soon.¡± It was rare for Tristan to cook. Given his background, he was never obligated to do such chores. However, from the moment he saw Susan preparing Sophie¡¯s breakfast, he suddenly had the urge to cook up a meal for thetter. Fortunately, he was agile and a fast learner, so it didn¡¯t take Susan much effort to guide him. They just weren¡¯t sure how the food would taste. Sophie sat at the dining table obediently. Before long, Tristan and Susan brought all the food to the table. N?velDrama.Org is the owner. ¡°Mr. Lombard is amazing! I can¡¯t believe this is his first time cooking. Not bad, huh?¡± Susan couldn¡¯t resist praising. A lot of rich men think they can get everything they need with money, so all they think about is splurging on their girlfriends instead of actually putting in any effort. Mr. Lombard must really like Ms. Tanner to willingly make breakfast for her! And he looked so happy doing it too. ¡°Right? Mr. Lombard¡¯s the best in anything he does. There¡¯s nothing in this world he can¡¯t do.¡± Having slept well, Sophie was in a good mood. Thus, she agreed with Susan and spared no effort in complimenting the man. ¡°Okay, enough with thepliments. Give it a try first. It¡¯s my first time doing this, so I don¡¯t know how it would turn out.¡± Despite having spent the whole morning trying to make breakfast, he didn¡¯t want her to eat it if she didn¡¯t like it. Sophie picked up her cutlery and gave the food a try as Tristan stared at her in anticipation. ¡°How is it? Is it edible?¡± He looked just like a child waiting to be praised by a teacher. Even Susan couldn¡¯t help but feel envious. They¡¯re a match made in heaven! ¡°Well? Is it okay? You don¡¯t have to eat it if it¡¯s not. We can grab some food outside.¡± In any case, he didn¡¯t want her to suffer. Sophie took a mouthful of the oatmeal in front of her. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Mr. Tristan. I won¡¯t give myself a hard time. To bepletely honest, the food tastes good.¡± It wasn¡¯t just because he had the heart to make her breakfast; he genuinely did a good job. ¡°You should try some too!¡± He must¡¯ve been so busy all morning that he hasn¡¯t eaten. ¡°Have fun, you two. I¡¯ll be heading back now,¡± Susan didn¡¯t want to be a third wheel. ¡°You don¡¯t have to clean up when you¡¯re done, okay? I¡¯lle back and take care of itter.¡± ¡°Thanks, Susan.¡± Sophie was pleased with the housekeeper Tristan had hired. She cooks really well, and most importantly, she knows what questions to ask and what not to ask. It¡¯s nice interacting with her. After Susan had left, only the two of them remained in the dining room. Sophie scooped Tristan a bowl of oatmeal. The man tasted some, and to his surprise, it didn¡¯t taste bad at all. After trying the other dishes he had made and realizing that none of them tasted weird, the man finally breathed a sigh of relief. ¡°I¡¯m not as good of a cook as Mark is, but I¡¯ll be sure to practice.¡± Sophie was bewildered. What is he thinking? Why is heparing himself to Mark? Everyone¡¯s talented in their own way! There¡¯s no need topare. ¡°You don¡¯t need topare yourself to Mark, Mr. Tristan. You¡¯re you,¡± she reminded sincerely. Besides, he¡¯s a busy man. He doesn¡¯t have to waste his time doing such things. ¡°But I¡¯ll cook for you as long as you like it.¡± Work was important, but it was still necessary to spend some time enhancing one¡¯s life. ¡°I do like it. How about we cook together next time?¡± That would mean so much more, wouldn¡¯t it? ¡°Sure! Let¡¯s do that.¡± Yet, how could he ever allow that? Those hands of hers were too precious to cook. They were meant to perform surgeries and save lives. It was eleven o¡¯clock by the time they finished breakfast, so technically, the meal they just had felt more like lunch. ¡°Are you going to school this afternoon?¡± No matter how brilliant Sophie was, she was still a student¡ª one in senior year, at that¡ªso she had to put a lot of effort into her studies. ¡°I have to.¡± ¡°Then, I¡¯ll drop you off before heading to Lombard Group.¡± ¡°There¡¯s no need for that. School is just ten minutes away!¡± You¡¯ve already spent way too much time on me! ¡°But I want to, even if it¡¯s only five minutes away.¡± Isn¡¯t it normal for men to give their girlfriends a ride? He wanted to be like those men too. ¡°Fine. If that¡¯s what you want.¡± She had nothing to say about this as long as he was happy. Since they had both woken upte, they ended upying on the couch and watching Mark¡¯s concert instead of taking a lunch break. ¡°Why are we watching this again? Didn¡¯t we already watch them live?¡± Tristan couldn¡¯t understand what she was up to. ¡°We did. The Wheelers are super popr now, but since I intend to start a managementpany, I want to take them to the next level and turn them into the most famous band in Aploth.¡± Although this was her goal, she had never shared it with the band members as she didn¡¯t want to put them under any pressure. In truth, she didn¡¯t understand the entertainment industry very well, but she could learn anything she wanted. Now, the woman¡¯s task was to spot any of The Wheelers¡¯ shorings and address them so she could turn them into the perfect, invincible band. ¡°You can do it.¡± Lombard Group had no part in the entertainment industry, but he could venture into it if that was what she wanted. ¡°By the way, I¡¯m thinking of signing Ysabelle. Do you think your brother would go after me if I did that?¡± Lincoln didn¡¯t want his daughter delving into showbiz, after all. ¡°Do you think Ysabelle has what it takes?¡± Ysabelle was certainly talented, but Tristan was concerned that theplicated entertainment industry wouldn¡¯t be a good fit for someone like her. ¡°She does. Most importantly, she really likes singing.¡± Ysabelle¡¯s always wanted to sing, so I hope I can help her realize her dreams. Chapter 326 Chapter 326 ¡°Okay. You can do as you please. As for Lincoln, you don¡¯t have to worry about that because I¡¯ll deal with him.¡± In Tristan¡¯s opinion, getting exposure to the entertainment industry wasn¡¯t bad. The Lombard family already had a few capable figures to inherit the family business, so Ysabelle was free to pursue her interest. Sophie wrapped her arms around Tristan¡¯s and leaned on him. ¡°Mr. Tristan, why are you so nice?¡± His promises had eliminated all her doubts and worries. ¡°Now that you know I¡¯m nice, you¡¯ll have to treasure me in the future, all right?¡± he said jokingly. ¡°Okay.¡± ¡°In this case, am I considered your boyfriend now?¡± He realized she had never officially confirmed his status. That thought took him by surprise because he never knew there would be a moment when he would yearn for another person¡¯s acknowledgment. Sophie was amused. ¡°Okay. I agree. I allow you to be my boyfriend,¡± she uttered magnanimously. Although Tristan had always known they would end up together, he could not help feeling happy after listening to her response. A contented sense of being acknowledged by her filled his chest. Taking in his ted demeanor, Sophie¡¯s mood brightened as well. ¡°By the way, do you require capital for your agency? Let me know if you do.¡± He could provide her with resources in terms of both mary andbor if she needed them. ¡°I don¡¯t need it for now.¡± The amount of money in her possession was sufficient to fund an entertainmentpany. ¡°Do you know? I do wish that you would depend on me.¡± Sophie could do well in every aspect of her life, so Tristan felt his existence wasn¡¯t at all essential to her, and that caused him to feel slightly insecure. ¡°Okay. I promise I¡¯ll let you know if I need your help.¡± ¡°All right.¡± At two o¡¯clock in the afternoon, Tristan personally sent Sophie to the entrance of Jipsdale Premier High. ¡°We¡¯re here. Since this is a school, you don¡¯t have to walk me in.¡± She halted before the front gate. ¡°Okay. Let¡¯s have dinner together.¡± ¡°That won¡¯t do. I¡¯ve already agreed to meet up with Mark and the others.¡± They were about to release a new album, so many details were pending confirmation. Tristan fell silent. Am I getting neglected right after we officially established our rtionship? ¡°Didn¡¯t we stay together for the whole night yesterday?¡± ¡°Fine. Give me a call after you¡¯re done with your work. I¡¯ll pick you up.¡± He had no choice but to concede because he knew she was an opinionated person and wouldn¡¯t entirely obey him. Right after Ysabelle got out of her car, she saw Sophie and her uncle. Then, she immediately jogged toward them. ¡°Sophie, you didn¡¯t attend the sses in the morning. Tell me. Where did you go, and what did you do last night?¡± Although Sophie hade of age yesterday, she was undoubtedly still young. There were some things she shouldn¡¯t be doing yet. Tristan disregarded Ysabelle¡¯s words. He bade farewell to Sophie and turned around to leave. ¡°Uncle Tristan is so heartless. Hepletely ignored me just now!¡± Ysabelle was mad because Tristan had acted as if she was invisible earlier. Is my sense of presence that weak? ¡°That¡¯s enough. Let me tell you some good news. Your uncle has given you the green light to enter the entertainment industry.¡± Tristan was apetent and almighty person, so he definitely had the ability to realize his promise. Ysabelle grabbed Sophie¡¯s arm and asked excitedly, ¡°Are you serious?¡± My Uncle Tristan really said yes! I thought I would be forced to leave Jipsdale. As long as Uncle Tristan can convince my dad, I¡¯ll be able to continue staying here. ¡°I¡¯m serious.¡± Ysabelle embraced Sophie while smiling radiantly. ¡°Sophie, you¡¯re indeed my lucky star. Everything in my life is smooth sailing with you around.¡± Sophie did not reply. N?velDrama.Org owns this text. She allowed Ysabelle to hug her while she looked at thetter affectionately. ¡°Still, no matter what, although my Uncle Tristan had done me a great favor, you must remember you¡¯re still young. Wait a few more years and keep an open mind. We¡¯re still in the springtime of our life, and there are endless possibilities of how our future will pan out, so don¡¯t offer yourself to any man yet. What if you don¡¯t like my Uncle Tristan anymore in the future? Am I right?¡± Ysabelle was risking her life to give that advice to Sophie. If Uncle Tristan hears me saying these things, he¡¯ll choke me to death. But I can¡¯t help it because I like Sophie so much, so I don¡¯t want to see her getting hurt. Sophie felt helpless. ¡°Ysabelle, we are of simr age. Why are you counseling me like an old woman? I know what I¡¯m doing, so don¡¯t worry.¡± She knew Ysabelle had her best interest at heart, but she was truly aware of her own actions and decisions. ¡°I¡¯m d to hear that. You spent the night with Uncle Tristan, right? Did you two do it?¡± Ysabelle asked straightforwardly. Sophie nced at her. Now I see. She¡¯s worried about this matter. ¡°Nope. You can rest assured!¡± As that period was the final semester of senior year, there were plenty of things to do at school and frequent examinations inserted into their schedule. Sophie had her Ustranasionnguage test that day. After she was done with her examination in the afternoon, Sophie brought Ysabelle to meet with Mark and the others. When Sophie and Ysabelle arrived, Mark and his band were practicing the song Sophie had composed. Ysabelle still loved the song very much regardless of how many times she had heard it. Moreover, different emotions filled her chest every time she listened to the tune, causing her to feel energized and motivated. At that moment, all five members of The Wheelers were performing that piece. Watching them practice was like enjoying their concert. Ysabelle fell into a daze as she enjoyed the brilliant show. Taking in her friend¡¯s demeanor, Sophie could not help but grin. As I expected, she genuinely likes singing and is obsessed with everything rted to it. Mark noticed their arrival, so he took a break after they were done rehearsing that song. ¡°Do you want toe up the stage and give this a try?¡± Mark said to Ysabelle. She stared at him in utter disbelief. ¡°Are you talking to me? Can I really do that?¡± She had never imagined she would have a chance to coborate with The Wheelers. The band members could not contain their amusement when they saw her stunned and adorable reaction. Sunny stretched out his hand at her. ¡°Come on! Come up on the stage and give it a try. Don¡¯t you like singing?¡± Sunny¡¯s warm and gentle voice was motivational. Ysabelle got on the stage without realizing how she had done it. However, when she stood in front of the microphone, listening to the apaniment behind her and tapping her hand ording to the beat, she immersed herself in the moment. Her voice was pleasant and sweet, giving an entirely different vibe to the song as she sang. Nheless, the music was still a treat to the ears. ¡°Ysabelle is quite gifted. I believe she¡¯ll be a popr female singer in the future once she receives professional coaching.¡± Mark approved of her talent. Sophie nodded. ¡°That¡¯s right. I think so too. Aren¡¯t you all recording for the new album now? Help me to give her some pointers.¡± Only by participating in the process of recording an album in person could Ysabelle know how to be a singer. That way, she wouldn¡¯t be so clueless and frantic when it was her turn to record an album. ¡°Okay, no problem. Leave this matter to us.¡± The band members of The Wheelers would diligently carry out any tasks assigned to them by Sophie. Besides, Ysabelle had a friendly personality, so it was rtively easy for them to get along well. After finishing performing one song, Ysabelle felt highly exhrated. She got down from the stage and strode over to Sophie. ¡°Sophie, I love this feeling so much. I think I like to be on stage, and I enjoy myself when I¡¯m up there. I want to be a singer. Therefore, I will persevere no matter what.¡± Chapter 327 Chapter 327 ¡°I got it. Rest assured, you¡¯ll be like The Wheelers in the future.¡± Sophie was somewhat aware of Ysabelle¡¯s career n. ¡°Go and hang out with the others for a while longer. Mark and I still have some matters to discuss.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Ysabelle was obviously more than d to hear that. She readily approached the other band members. As they hung out, Sunny and the rest taught her how to perfect her singing skills. Ysabelle paid full attention. When she grew exhausted, she sat down below the stage with sweat beading on her forehead. Sunny then handed her a tissue. ¡°Sunny, how is Mark feeling?¡± Mark must¡¯ve confessed to Sophiest night! But there probably isn¡¯t a good oue since the person Sophie likes is Uncle Tristan. ¡°Let¡¯s not talk about that. I¡¯m sure Mark will meet a girl who loves him wholeheartedly in the future.¡± Sunny did not ramble on that topic since he thought there was nothing anyone could do to change how one romantically felt toward another person. ¡°He must be feeling horrible, isn¡¯t he?¡± She asked that question purely out of sheer concern. After all, Mark was her favorite singer. ¡°He seems fine on the outside, but he probably doesn¡¯t feel that great deep inside.¡± The members were well aware of Mark¡¯s feelings toward Sophie. How can he possibly not be heartbroken after getting rejected by the girl he loves? It¡¯s just that he probably doesn¡¯t want anyone of us to worry for him since he has always been taking up the task of caring for us. ¡°So, does he hope for Sophie topletely disappear from his life?¡± Sunny stared at her as if he was looking at a lunatic. ¡°What are you thinking? Sophie is also a member of The Wheelers. How can she possibly leave?¡± There¡¯s no way Mark will think that way. Even if there¡¯s no love between them, there¡¯s still friendship. ¡°I¡¯m just worried that Mark will be upset when he sees Sophie.¡± ¡°He¡¯ll probably feel more upset if he doesn¡¯t get to see her.¡± Ysabelle did not quite know how to react to that. After all, she had never dated and barely had any personal experiences. Meanwhile, Sophie briefly looked through the eleven songs in the new album. ¡°What do you think?¡± The band had been diligently making preparations while abroad, and included inside the album was a fair share of creation by every member. ¡°It¡¯s pretty good, but there are some parts that still need to be perfected.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry. We¡¯re still making some changes. It isn¡¯t the finalized version.¡± This is the first album we¡¯re releasing after parting ways with yton¡¯spany. It must be a sess. ¡°Anyway, what do you think of your agent? Do you want to change to another one? I¡¯ll begin looking for other potential candidates if necessary.¡± ¡°There¡¯s no need. Jonathan has been with us since our debut. I think he¡¯s pretty good.¡± ¡°Jonathan is indeed a nice guy. He¡¯s even willing to leave Sky Media for us.¡± Sophie¡¯spany had yet to begin operations, and no one knew if things would work out. Nevertheless, the fact that Jonathan was willing to give up Sky Media was a testament that he was emotionally attached to The Wheelers. ¡°I¡¯m done with the contract. I¡¯ll email you a copy tonight. You guys can have a look at it.¡± She believed they should raise any requests they had since they were friends. ¡°Sure.¡± ¡°Since it¡¯s almost time, let¡¯s go and have a meal together if there¡¯s nothing else.¡± ¡°All right, everyone. Let¡¯s pack our stuff and head out for a meal,¡± said Mark to Ysabelle and the other members who were in the middle of practice. With that, the group of seven went to a restaurant nearby. The big group decided to dine at a pizza ce. They ordered around ten pizzas because Mark and the other guys in the group had a huge appetite. Not only that, Mark had also ordered many meat dishes. ¡°Aren¡¯t you guys worried about your body figure?¡± Ysabelle was a little taken aback at the sight of the amount of food they ordered. People in the entertainment industry, regardless of their gender, were generally particrly conscious about their body figures. Barely anyone would indulge in a feast like that. ¡°Ysabelle, how dare you im that you¡¯re a huge fan of ours when you don¡¯t know about this? Do you think there¡¯s a need for us to watch our diets given our figure?¡± Sunny proudly stated. We love to sing, but that doesn¡¯t mean we have to give up enjoying our life, right? ¡°Are you sure about that, Sophie? Are you sure you want to sign the contract with a band that does whatever they please?¡± Mark scooped a bowl of soup for Sophie. ¡°Finish this. What¡¯s wrong with you? Why does it seem like your appetite has gotten smaller?¡± She¡¯s eating way too little. Mark was evidently not satisfied with Sophie¡¯s diet. If truth be told, he did not know how to cook in the past. However, since Sophie joined the band, he had gradually learned how to whip up dishes after learning about her poor diet. It eventually came to a point where he no longer ordered takeout. Now that he saw how little Sophie was eating, he had the urge to cook for her again. ¡°I¡¯m fine. Isn¡¯t it normal for girls to have a smaller appetite?¡± She had a poor appetite and could not eat much despite the table of delicacies in front of her. ¡°You know what, Sophie? You¡¯re skinny enough and have a good body figure. There¡¯s no need for you to lose any more weight.¡± Ysabelle also nodded her head in agreement with Sunny¡¯s statement. ¡°Just look at Ysabelle! She looks so healthy.¡± Sophie lifted the bowl of soup and took a sip. Fine. They all have an issue with my diet, huh? ¡°Sophie, I think Mark is actually a pretty amazing man.¡± Anyone could tell that Mark meant well for Sophie. ¡°Ysabelle, that¡¯s enough, okay?¡± She could not find a response to Mark¡¯s words and hence did not see the need to continue with the topic as that would only make things awkward for everyone. ¡°All right, I got it. Don¡¯t worry; I won¡¯t bring this up again.¡± Walking out from the private room, they ran into yton. At the sight of Mark and the others, yton walked toward them with a sneer on his face. ¡°Isn¡¯t this The Wheelers? How are you guys doing after leaving Sky Media? There probably aren¡¯t any jobs for you guys, huh?¡± The band didn¡¯t appear on any program broadcasted on the various television channels during the festive season. Back then, yton was extremely dissatisfied when he learned of The Wheelers¡¯ intention to terminate their contract. Nheless, he ultimately had no choice but to contain his anger and ept the fact because of Tristan. Naturally, he could not hold back from adding fuel to the fire now that he ran into The Wheelers again. ¡°Look, Sky Media is still doing fine after you left us!¡± Sky Media even debuted another idol group after The Wheelers¡¯ departure. That idol group was immensely popr now. ¡°You guys wouldn¡¯t be so pathetic if you chose to stay back then.¡± Fury boiled within Sunny at the sight of yton. ¡°Even if we die of hunger, we won¡¯t want to stay with yourpany. What kind ofpany is that? It¡¯s totally a bloodsuckingpany!¡± Thepany had always overworked them and was unbothered whether the members¡¯ bodies could take it. They wanted a band that was both obedient and profitable to thepany. ¡°You¡¯re still putting on a tough front at this point? You guys are currently no different from being cklisted. Mark, do you believe that nopany will want you guys?¡± yton was a narrow-minded person. It was obvious The Wheelers hadpletely offended him. Hence, he was bent on not letting The Wheelers rise to fame no matter what kind of price he should pay.N?velDrama.Org is the owner. Chapter 328 Chapter 328 Mark nced at yton as he sneered. ¡°Is that so? We are about to release a new album. I¡¯m sure we canpete with that new idol group of yours by then.¡± ¡°Who is so foolish enough to release an album for you guys? Isn¡¯t that person afraid of ending up with no profits at all?¡± yton retorted straightforwardly, ¡°One word of advice from me. Don¡¯t think of surviving in the entertainment industry after leaving Sky Media! I will never give you guys a chance to start again!¡± yton¡¯s assistant, Wilbur Lynch, chimed in as well, ¡°Yeah! Do you guys think you are outstanding? What a bunch of ungrateful pricks! You guys won¡¯t even reach where you are today without Sky Media¡¯s help!¡± Even though The Wheelers brought in an abundance of profits that helped to fund thepany, they were rebellious and disobedient. They had always caused trouble. All Sky Media wanted was profit- making machines, so they didn¡¯t care about the dreams and goals of The Wheelers. Sunny grabbed Wilbur¡¯s cor in a fit of rage. ¡°What¡¯s your problem? Do you want to fight? I¡¯ve always disliked you. Who do you think you are? You¡¯re nothing more than a rabid dog!¡± The Wheelers had always been the target of Wilbur¡¯s bullying back in the days when they were still in Sky Media. Now that we have left thepany, I can¡¯t believe he has the audacity to lecture us! ¡°Heh. Try toy your fingers on me, and we shall see what will be the news headline tomorrow.¡± Wilbur knew The Wheelers were public figures, so they didn¡¯t dare to do anything out of the line. He had them wrapped around his little finger. If they hit me now, their career would be over. When Sunny raised his fist, Sophie grabbed his hand and said, ¡°That¡¯s enough. Let¡¯s not create a fuss.¡± They were celebrities, so fighting in public ces was not eptable. Meanwhile, yton focused his gaze on Sophie. He had always been interested in her, but he didn¡¯t have time to bother her since he was really busytely. ¡°Sophie, we meet again. What do you say? Should we get a drink together?¡± yton smiled. He had recently been bested by Tristan, so he had the urge to mess around with thetter¡¯s girlfriend as an act of revenge. ¡°You!¡± Upon seeing what yton was trying to do, Sunny¡¯s temper red again. How dare he mess with Sophie? ¡°Get away from Sophie, or I will not let you off the hook.¡± Unable to suppress his rage, he no longer cared if anyone caught or recorded him acting violently today. yton didn¡¯t bother sparing Sunny a nce, for he didn¡¯t think of thetter as a threat at all. It¡¯s my freedom to do whatever I want. What right do The Wheelers have to stop me? Sunny could no longer stand it anymore. ¡°Mark, yton needs a good beating. Since that¡¯s the case, I will teach him a lesson today.¡± ¡°Sunny, I¡¯ve told you not to get yourself involved in this. Mark, please take them away.¡± Sophie knew yton was nothing more than a loser. There was no reason for them to get worked up over him. ¡°Sophie¡­¡± Mark was not willing to leave her behind. yton was a shameless and despicable man, and the way he looked at Sophie made Mark extremely uneasy. yton made it his business to provoke The Wheelers to no end. ¡°You heard her. She asked you to leave.¡± He badly wished that The Wheelers would resort to violence and hit him. Once they did that and someone recorded the whole incident, The Wheelers would be cklisted in the entertainment industry for good. ¡°D*mn you!¡± The one thing that Sunny couldn¡¯t stand was someone messing with Sophie. ¡°Sunny, I told you to head to the car first.¡± A stern expression appeared on Sophie¡¯s face. Every time she put on a solemn demeanor, Sunny would have no choice but to obey her. Thereafter, Mark led the rest of The Wheelers toward the car. yton was disappointed when The Wheelers didn¡¯t take the bait. However, he wasn¡¯t too worried about it. The man had plenty of tricks up his sleeve to stop The Wheelers from releasing their album. This is a dog-eat-dog world! You guys want to continue thriving in the entertainment industry after betraying me? No way! ¡°Sophie, let¡¯s have a drink together.¡± yton smiled. ¡°Even though there¡¯s a misunderstanding between The Wheelers and me, it has nothing to do with you. I still very much admire your talent.¡± She is Tristan¡¯s girlfriend. I can¡¯t wait to see the look on Tristan¡¯s face when I make her mine. The mere thought of getting back at Tristan made yton ecstatic. Wilbur threatened, ¡°Let¡¯s go, Ms. Tanner. It¡¯s just a drink. Let me tell you this. Mr. Zales does not have much patience. If you don¡¯t listen to him¡­¡± Sophie was rendered speechless by his ultimatum. N?velDrama.Org is the owner. Little did I expect to run into an insane person like him when I just came out for a meal. It seems like yton still hasn¡¯t learned his lesson. Otherwise, he wouldn¡¯t have the time to cause a ruckus here. Sophie answered arrogantly, ¡°I won¡¯t ept any invitation from a person I despise.¡± ¡°Hey, what¡¯s wrong with you? Do you know how many women want to eat with Mr. Zales? How dare you throw the chance away when you finally got it? Do you know who he is?¡± What a country bumpkin! ¡°I don¡¯t want to eat with you people. What¡¯s wrong with that? I get nauseous when I see your face.¡± Wilbur flew into a rage. ¡°Let me tell you this¡ªMr. Zales does not hit women, but I do!¡± ¡°Oh, is that so? It depends on whether you have the capability to do so!¡± Sophie sneered. Who does he think he is to taunt me like this? Initially, yton condoned Wilbur¡¯s action of trying to frighten Sophie. However, when he noticed that the woman was unfazed by Wilbur¡¯s threat, he growled, ¡°Who allowed you to spew nonsense? Get lost!¡± Wilbur rubbed his nose sheepishly before retreating to the side. ¡°Sophie, I mean no harm. I invited you out of sheer admiration for your talent.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t waste my time any longer.¡± Sophie was unwilling to waste another second talking to someone like yton. ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± Sophie said to Ysabelle beside her. Ysabelle, too, despised yton. What the heck? How dare he make a move on Sophie? I must inform Uncle Tristan about this so he can teach yton a lesson. Uncle Tristan has to put this man in his ce. ¡°Mr. Zales, I¡¯ll go after her and bring her back to you. Don¡¯t worry! We have a dozen of bodyguards with us this time around. Just one word from you, and we will bring her to you!¡± Wilbur stated. After observing for a long time, he knew what was going through yton¡¯s mind. Sophie is too arrogant. However, I¡¯m sure she will be obedient once she is tied up and thrown on Mr. Zales¡¯ bed. Yes, she¡¯s a lot prettier than other women, but she still has to listen to Mr. Zales once she is restrained. All that matters is that Mr. Zales is fond of her. yton watched as Sophie left. He voiced, ¡°Do you know who she is? She¡¯s Tristan¡¯s woman. Do you still have the courage to kidnap her after knowing this?¡± ¡°What? Mr. Tristan¡¯s woman?¡± Wilbur didn¡¯t expect Sophie to be Tristan¡¯s girlfriend. Chapter 329 Chapter 329 ¡°yton, we don¡¯t need to be scared. If you like her, you can make her yours even if she is Mr. Tristan¡¯s woman.¡± Wilbur was, naturally, terrified of Tristan too. After all, the mere mention of Tristan¡¯s name was intimidating enough. There was no way he wouldn¡¯t be scared of Tristan. ¡°Is that so?¡± yton nced at his assistant. Is he trying to get me in trouble? He continued, ¡°It wouldn¡¯t be a problem if shees with us of her own free will, but do you think Mr. Tristan will let the matter slide if you force Sophie toe with us?¡± Why am I always surrounded by ipetent people? What a good-for-nothing. Wilbur kept mum, not daring to say anything else. I should just shut up. After all, we would suffer too if we make Mr. Zales upset. However, unbeknownst to yton, those actions of his would once again bring him bad luck and keep him busy for a long while. Sophie didn¡¯t feel like dealing with the man face to face, but she had countless tricks up her sleeve to cause him misery behind his back. Amusingly, yton still had no idea what was going on even when he was about to be tormented by Sophie. It was pathetic of him. As they headed outside, Ysabelle grabbed Sophie¡¯s arm. ¡°Sophie, this man is way out of line. I can see that he has ill intentions. Should we tell Uncle Tristan about this?¡± yton had a nasty reputation in Jipsdale. He would do anything in his power to get the things he wanted. Countless women had already suffered at his hands. Ysabelle went on, ¡°It¡¯s evident that he¡¯s targeting The Wheelers, and they¡¯re going to release their new album soon. It would be hard for things to go smoothly if yton pulls the strings from behind.¡± Since Uncle Tristan and Sophie are in a rtionship now, it¡¯s no big deal for her to ask for Uncle Tristan¡¯s help, right? ¡°Ysabelle, you¡¯ve been really smarttely,¡± Sophie joked as she caressed her friend¡¯s head. ¡°Sophie, I¡¯m being serious, okay? yton is not an easy man to deal with. He has many dirty tricks up his sleeves. I know you are a capable woman, but we are nothingpared to someone like him.¡± Some people preferred to deal with their enemies behind their backs instead of going up against them straightforwardly. That was what made them so terrifying. Sophie chuckled when she saw how worried Ysabelle was. ¡°I¡¯m serious, Ysabelle. You don¡¯t need to worry about these things. I don¡¯t care if they do something to me behind my back or to my face. Either way, I¡¯m not scared, okay? Don¡¯t worry!¡± It was impossible for Ysabelle to rx. She retorted, ¡°Sophie, why are you being so difficult? Listen to me, okay? Let Uncle Tristan handle this. He will definitely be able to deal with it. You have to believe in him. Now that he is your boyfriend, how can you not ask him to help you? I know you are an independent girl, but it¡¯s okay to rely on your boyfriend once in a while.¡± Besides that, I¡¯m sure Uncle Tristan would want Sophie to rely on him. ¡°Ysabelle, to me, having a boyfriend does not mean I have to depend on him. Plus, this is something that I can handle. Why would I want to trouble him? He already has his hands full.¡± Ysabelle didn¡¯t know how to exin the situation to Sophie upon hearing thetter¡¯s words. Does she have to be so rational while being in a rtionship? ¡°Sophie, can I ask you a question?¡± ¡°Ask away!¡± ¡°Do you really fancy Uncle Tristan? No, wait. Do you really love him?¡± If Sophie really loved Tristan, she wouldn¡¯t have considered herself a trouble to Tristan. ¡°I do.¡± Sophie had nothing to hide, for she really did love Tristan. Ysabelle was confused. ¡°Your way of being in love is different from the people around me.¡± ¡°Ysabelle, you¡¯ve never been in a rtionship before. How do you know how it feels to be in love? People have different personalities, so their way of loving one another naturally varies.¡± Even though dating Tristan was Sophie¡¯s first official rtionship as well, she didn¡¯t see anything wrong with how she handled it. ¡°All right, then,¡± Ysabelle gave in. After all, she had never been in a rtionship before. The two of them got into Mark¡¯s car. When Sunny saw Sophie, he asked worriedly, ¡°Sophie, are you okay? You don¡¯t have topromise for us. We don¡¯t want to be a burden to you. We are not afraid even if yton wants to do something to us. However, if anything happens to you, we¡¯ll feel bad for the rest of our lives!¡± Content held by N?velDrama.Org. yton was a vile man, and there was nothing that he wouldn¡¯t do. Besides, the look in his eyes when he stared at Sophie was too aggressive. ¡°Sunny, I¡¯m fine. You can rx! He wouldn¡¯t dare to do anything to me. He doesn¡¯t have the time to do anything to me either.¡± Knowing that they were worried about her, Sophie patiently exined the situation to them, which was something she seldom did. After a long moment of silence, Mark spoke. ¡°Sophie, you don¡¯t have to hold back for us, okay? We¡¯re not afraid even if we lose everything.¡± The Wheelers were aware of yton¡¯s character after working under him for a long time. Sophie said, ¡°It seems like yton had traumatized you guys. However, you guys can rx. I won¡¯t hold back because of you. I will only be stronger for your sake!¡± Sophie was satisfied with her current state. If this had happened in the past, she would be helpless when her friends were bullied. However, it was different now. At present, Sophie could confidently tell her friends that she could protect them while keeping herself safe and unscathed at the same time. ¡°Why don¡¯t you send us back to Wisteria Apartments first?¡± It waste, and it was pointless to go for night tuition since it would end in another half an hour. Mark then personally drove them back to Wisteria Apartments. After they reached the underground parking lot, Sophie and Ysabelle got off. ¡°Okay. You guys can head home now. Rest early. We¡¯ll be busy for the next couple of weeks, so you guys better prepare yourselves mentally.¡± Even though Sophie didn¡¯t want to be a capitalist, one had to work at a fast pace in the entertainment industry, for neers tended to rece old-timers rapidly. ¡°Sophie, you got to remember this. If ytones looking for you, you have to let us know. No matter what happens, we will protect you!¡± Sophie was the only woman in The Wheelers. She was like a kid sister to them, and they treated her like a princess. None of them wished to see her getting hurt. Sophie was exasperated, for she didn¡¯t understand why they didn¡¯t trust her after everything she said. ¡°Okay. I got it. If anything happens, I will call you guys.¡± Is this answer enough to satisfy them? ¡°All right.¡± Sunny finally felt relieved upon hearing Sophie¡¯s response. Mark remarked, ¡°Go on into the elevator first. Call us once you step into the apartment, and we¡¯ll leave after that.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Sophie didn¡¯t object as she went up with Ysabelle. When they got upstairs and entered the unit, they found Tristan sitting on the couch. On the tabletop was the takeout he ordered. Chapter 330 Chapter 330 ¡°Uncle Tristan, why are you here?¡± Not to mention, he¡¯s eating takeout food. Why does he look so pitiful? Tristan looked up and nced at them. ¡°What¡¯s the matter? Am I not allowed to be here? If you can be here, why can¡¯t I?¡± Ysabelle was stumped and didn¡¯t dare to say another word. I can sense his intense resentment! It seems he¡¯s pretty displeased because Sophie didn¡¯t invite him to tag along for the meal. ¡°Soph, my stomach is hurting a little. Perhaps I ate too much for dinner. I need to go to the toilet.¡± Ysabelle immediately came up with an excuse to leave the scene as she decided not to stay there as a third wheel. With that, she hastily ran off. Before she left, she even shot Sophie a look, as if wordlessly saying to thetter, ¡°Good luck.¡± N?velDrama.Org is the owner. However, Sophie wasn¡¯t afraid. She changed into her slippers before approaching Tristan and sitting beside him. Then, she nced at his takeout food. ¡°Why did you buy this instead of asking Susan to cook for you?¡± It¡¯s not like we don¡¯t have a maid at home, so I think his piteous pretense is a little uncalled for. ¡°She has some family matters to attend to, so I allowed her to go back. Besides, it¡¯ll be troublesome to cook for just one person since I¡¯ll be having my meal alone. That¡¯s why I simply bought some food to fill my stomach.¡± Sophie was rendered speechless. ¡°I see!¡± She lifted the container and fed him the food. ¡°How¡¯s the taste?¡± She¡¯s just feeding me like anyone would, so why does she look so attractive at the moment? ¡°It¡¯s yummy!¡± The originally nd-tasting dish suddenly stimted his taste buds like exotic delicacies because Sophie was personally delivering the food to his mouth. ¡°Are you done with all the work rted to the new album?¡± The process of recording and producing an album was lengthy andplicated. In addition, she was also holding the position of Tanner Group¡¯s CEO, so her schedule had been jam-packed. ¡°Yes. Everything is ready and nned.¡± The only thing left to do would be the actual recording, then she would have to address the issues rted to the official announcement of the new album release. Hence, her busy lifestyle would likely remain as hectic as before for the following period. ¡°By the way, the university entrance exam is around the corner. Have you decided on your career pathway?¡± With her grades, entering Jipsdale University would be a walk in the park for Sophie. The question was whether she was willing to choose that option or not. Naturally, Tristan did not forget what Arius previously said. The people from International Medical Association are still waiting for her to join them. Moreover, he was confident Barney wasn¡¯t joking around, and thetter genuinely intended to train Sophie to be his sessor. She has never beencking in terms of her career options. There are just too many routes for her to choose from. ¡°We¡¯ll discuss this after the university entrance exam since this is not urgent.¡± After all, it was compulsory for her to take the university entrance exam as a senior-year student. Besides, some universities abroad were also independently seeking students to join their campus, so that could also be an alternative for her to consider. ¡°Do you wish to join the International Medical Association?¡± That was a question he had wanted to ask her for a long time, but he waited until that moment to express his curiosity. Sophie fell silent. She felt her head aching from all the decisions she had to make. ¡°Why are you behaving like Arius? Didn¡¯t I mention I¡¯m still clueless about what I wish to pursue in the future? I don¡¯t know what choices I¡¯ll make either.¡± With that said, she didn¡¯t have definite answers to all their questions. ¡°Okay, I got it. Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m just asking. You have my full support no matter your decision.¡± ¡°Mr. Tristan, do youck confidence in yourself? Are you worried about our rtionship turning into a long-distance romance if I choose to go to Anndur?¡± Most people were not fond of long-distance rtionships. No one could be certain what would happen in the future due to the many temptations in society. Tristan wrapped his arms around her. ¡°There are many opportunities and possibilities lying ahead in your future because you¡¯re still so young. Still, just because we are together now, I won¡¯t ask you to give up on anything for me.¡± That¡¯s right. The age gap between us is too significant. Things may seem fine now, but more remarkable people will surround her after she enters university. More importantly, these outstanding people will be her peers. They will have moremon interests and topics to discuss, so will she still like me by then? He had considered all those problems. Even though he was the high and mighty Mr. Tristan in others¡¯ eyes, he was still an insecure man in this romantic rtionship. s, this is all because I¡¯ve fallen in love with such a superb youngdy. Not only is she extraordinarily gorgeous, but she¡¯s also so exceptionallypetent. She¡¯s still young at the moment, but once she gets a little older, she¡¯ll be a ster existence on par with me. A little girl as fine as her will undoubtedly garner the attention of countless brilliant men. ¡°Mr. Tristan, I like you.¡± Sophie had to admit that her heart ached badly when she took in his unconfident mien. He¡¯s obviously such a perfect man, so why is he still worried about these trivial matters? ¡°Say that again?¡± Tristan was agitated after listening to her remark, as that was the first time she had confessed to him so straightforwardly. Seeing the way he craved her affirmation like a little child, her heart instantly turned to mush. She gently cradled his head, pulled him close, and repeated the words, ¡°I like you, and I like spending time with you. No matter how our future may be, at the very least, my affection for you at this moment is real and without a hint of deception.¡± Hearing that, Tristan lost control of himself. He flipped over, pinned her against the couch, and kissed her lips. His kiss was filled with all tenderness as if Sophie was the most precious of his prizes. He didn¡¯t dare to exert more force, fearing that the delicate girl in front of him would vanish into nothingness if he kissed her harder. Sophie wrapped her arms around his waist and reciprocated his kiss. Ysabelle had returned to the living room for the sole purpose of retrieving her bag. Moments ago, when she returned to her room, she realized her phone was still in her bag, and she had left her bag in the living room. She honestly didn¡¯t expect to stumble upon such an erotic scene. At that instant, only a single thought surfaced in her mind. I can¡¯t believe my uncle Tristan is such an aggressive man. Also, Sophie is seriously coordinating with him. This is why I¡¯m sure uncle Tristan has secured a ce in Sophie¡¯s heart. Otherwise, she wouldn¡¯t have immersed herself in the kiss. To my recollection, Uncle Tristan has always maintained a graceful and chivalrous appearance, much like a member of the noble aristocrats. Yet he¡¯s behaving like apletely different man in front of Sophie. I have to give Sophie credit for sessfully enticing Uncle Tristan with her allure. Presently, Ysabelle was caught in an awkward situation. She wondered if she should proceed to take her phone or return to her room silently. In the end, at the thought of how her uncle would react if he saw her, she decided to go back to her room quietly. After all, it seemed a wiser and better choice for her to not y with her phone for one night than to suffer a horrible death. However, after returning to her room, she couldn¡¯t get the image of Tristan and Sophie kissing out of her mind. ¡°D*mn it. What¡¯s wrong with me? This won¡¯t do. I need to find a boyfriend when I enter university. Otherwise, I¡¯ll turn crazy if this situation drags on.¡± I¡¯d also like to showcase my rtionship to others in the future after being forced to witness these public disys of affection constantly. When will I finally find love? Chapter 331 Chapter 331 Meanwhile, Sunny and the others didn¡¯t leave because they hadn¡¯t received Sophie¡¯s call. ¡°Mark, is Sophie in trouble? It shouldn¡¯t take her longer than three or four minutes to ride the elevator. Why hasn¡¯t she called after so long? We should go up and check on her,¡± Sunny uttered worryingly. ¡°Give her a call first.¡± Now that Sophie is officially dating someone, the situation will be awkward if we go up and end up meeting Mr. Tristan there. ¡°Why? Wouldn¡¯t it be easier to go upstairs directly and check on her?¡± We¡¯ve been waiting here for half an hour. ¡°What if Mr. Tristan is there?¡± Mark nced at Sunny. Thetter was still young, so it was normal for him to consider a matter from fewer perspectives. Sunny was rendered speechless this time. ¡°Are you all right, Mark?¡± Undeniably, Sophie has rejected him, so he must be feeling anguished. ¡°I¡¯m fine. Seriously. It ismon for everyone to experience rejection. You all don¡¯t have to feel so worried about me. I am quite tough.¡± There are so many other options out there for me. I am Mark Wheeler, after all. If I wish to, I can make girls offer themselves up to me with a flick of my finger. ¡°Shut up, Sunny!¡± Another one of the band members was at the limit of his patience. Sunny was still young, and he had always hung out with them. He didn¡¯t have any dating experience, so it was a given for him to be clueless about how it felt to be lovelorn. Mark was behaving in a typical manner as someone caught up in unrequited love. They would try their best to pretend they were fine in front of others regardless of the circumstances, and they didn¡¯t want others to sympathize with them. ¡°All right, then.¡± Sunny had no choice but to take out his phone and call Sophie. Sophie was feeding Tristan when her phone rang. Hearing the ringtone, she put down the spoon in her hand before picking up the phone. ¡°Have you all gone back?¡± Sophie hadpletely forgotten about her promise to call Mark and the others. ¡°What the h*ll are you doing, Sophie? Didn¡¯t you say you would call us once you reached? Why haven¡¯t you called after so long? I was about to rush upstairs, thinking something bad might¡¯ve happened to you,¡± Sunny immediately jabbered away after hearing her voice. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I forgot about that. I¡¯m fine, so you all should go back and get some rest.¡± Sophie patted her head. What¡¯s wrong with me? I tossed this matter to the back of my mind right after I saw Tristan when I returned home just now. Honestly, his presence is affecting me too much! ¡°This is uneptable, Sophie. I reckon you don¡¯t even care about us. Is that it? All you had to do was to call and update us about your status, yet you¡¯d forgotten all about it. What¡¯s keeping you busy?¡± Sunny couldn¡¯t believe Sophie had failed to remember what she had promised while they had waited so long for her to call. She nced at Tristan, who was still lying on the couch. Instantaneously, a hint of guilt rose within her. Truth be told, she did not do that on purpose, but the moment sheid her eyes on Tristan, all she could think of was him. Taking in her demeanor, Tristan immediately got up from the couch and took the phone from her. ¡°She¡¯s hanging out with me, so she wasn¡¯t free to call you guys. What¡¯s the matter? Do you have a problem with that?¡± He wasn¡¯t pleased because his quality time with Sophie was being interrupted. ¡°Tristan? Why are you at Sophie¡¯s home? What are you trying to do? I¡¯m warning you. Don¡¯t try anything funny. Otherwise, I won¡¯t let you off the hook.¡± Sunny suddenly had the urge to leap out of the car. This Tristan has crossed the line. What is he doing at Sophie¡¯s house sote at night? ¡°It¡¯s nothing out of the ordinary even if something were to happen between a couple, right?¡± ¡°You¡ª¡± Sunny was so pissed he was about to lose his mind. Sophie was exasperated. What is he doing? Then, she grabbed the phone from him. ¡°Sunny, I¡¯m really sorry for forgetting about that. You all should go back now. We¡¯ll talk again on another day.¡± ¡°Sophie, I need to tell you this. Tristan is not a nice person. You should ask him to leave as soon as possible.¡± How can she allow a man to be at her home sote at night? ¡°Okay. I got it. You all should go home now.¡± She hung up the call after saying that. On the other end of the call, Sunny put down his phone and nced at the screen in utter disbelief after he heard the beeping sounding from the speaker. ¡°What the h*ll!? I can¡¯t believe she hung up on me. What should we do, Mark? Tristan is at Sophie¡¯s home. Let¡¯s go upstairs too. I¡¯m worried about leaving them alone inside the same house at thiste hour.¡± Upon listening to Sunny¡¯sint, Mark drove away at once. He could rest assured knowing Sophie was safe. As for the other aspects of her life, he figured she should manage on her own now that she was an adult. Although they were her friends, they shouldn¡¯t meddle too much in her way of living. ¡°Mark¡ª¡± Sunny wanted to speak further, but upon noticing Mark¡¯s expression, he didn¡¯t dare to utter another word. Perhaps Mark is feeling the worst right now. This is all Tristan¡¯s fault. If he hadn¡¯t shown up, Sophie would¡¯ve be a couple with Mark. Unfortunately, things did not pan out as we had hoped, so Mark is left alone now. What exactly is love? Meanwhile, after Sophie ended the call, Tristan hugged her waist from behind and rested his chin on her shoulder. ¡°Mark still hasn¡¯t given up on you?¡± ¡°Mr. Tristan, they are my best friends. They kept mepany and provided me with all the support I needed during the lowest point of my life. Therefore, the bond between us will remain regardless of what happens.¡± ¡°I understand that.¡± Tristan had no intention ofparing himself to them. ¡°As for Mark, I trust he¡¯ll get over this sooner orter. Besides, if I did like him, we would¡¯ve be a couple a long time ago. If that¡¯s the case, you won¡¯t be in the picture.¡± She was implying to him that the sequence of people showing up in her life was not a deciding factor in romance, so he didn¡¯t need to worry. ¡°Yeah, I know that too.¡± Tristan was aware of all the theories and principles, but he couldn¡¯t help feeling insecure. Under normal circumstances, the female in a rtionship would be the one who felt insecure. Unexpectedly, in their case, he was the unconfident one. ¡°I just care too much about you.¡± In fact, he had never considered Mark his love rival because he knew Sophie had never harbored romantic feelings for Mark. Content held by N?velDrama.Org. Tristan tightened his hold on the girl in his arms, as if she would vanish before his eyes if he let go of her. Sophie responded by turning around and pecking him on the lips while standing on her tiptoes. On Friday, at a quarter past three in the afternoon, a group of students discussed the recent big news in the entertainment field after their first ss ended. ¡°Did you all know? The Wheelers terminated their contract with Sky Media.¡± ¡°It¡¯s been so long since west heard any news about The Wheelers. I like them a lot. Their songs are amazing.¡± ¡°I heard they signed with a newpany and are about to release their new album.¡± ¡°Did you all know Sophie established the newpany?¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Willow, are you aware of this?¡± Sophie set up an entertainmentpany? This is such a reckless move. Are members of The Wheelers nning to ruin their careers? Chapter 332 Chapter 332 ¡°Have you ever thought about joining the entertainment industry now that Sophie¡¯s running an entertainmentpany? I think you¡¯ll be sessful if you be a celebrity, especially with your good looks.¡± ¡°Yeah! I sincerely think you¡¯re suited for the entertainment industry, Wi! You¡¯ll definitely be one of the most stunning individuals in the industry if you do join.¡± ¡°Also, Sophie¡¯s entertainmentpany belongs to the Tanner family. If you enter thepany, you¡¯ll no doubt gain lots of resources that¡¯ll help make you famous! If you can¡¯t marry into a rich family, you should consider working in the entertainment industry. It¡¯s easy to earn money there, don¡¯t you think so?¡± A few of Willow¡¯s sidekicks suggested her the same thing. Willow was slightly moved when she heard that. ¡°If you do end up in the entertainment industry, you have to bring me in with you, all right, Wi? I want to go too. I can y a supporting role for you.¡± ¡°Me too, Wi!¡± Hearing them saying that made Willow think she would definitely be famous. She believed that as long as she was incredibly famous, she could marry into any rich family she wanted. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. If I do join the entertainment industry, I¡¯ll be sure to bring you all with me.¡± Just as Willow was visiting the restroom, she met Sophie and Ysabelle in the corridor. ¡°Come over here, Sophie. I have something I want to discuss with you,¡± Willow uttered in an arrogant tone. Ysabelle shot a nce at Willow. Ugh¡­ This woman is everywhere. Why do we keep bumping into her? When it came to Willow, Ysabelle had very little patience. ¡°Can you stop it already, Willow? We don¡¯t have time to talk nonsense with you here. Sophie is a very busy woman.¡± ¡°I just want to talk to my younger sister. What does that have to do with you? Who do you think you are?¡± Willow was annoyed that an outsider like Ysabelle was trying to get in between her conversation with her dear sister. ¡°Sister? When did you ever see Sophie as your younger sister? Having an older sister like you is like having a stroke of bad luck around!¡± Sharp-tongued as ever, Ysabelle¡¯s words managed to make Willow scowl. Just then, Sophie finally said, ¡°Just tell me what you want.¡± Willow hesitated briefly, but when she saw how Sophie was acting, she knew her chance would slip away if she didn¡¯t speak her mind right then and there. ¡°I heard you¡¯re opening an entertainment company. I¡¯d like to join yourpany. I¡¯m sure I¡¯ll be famous if I be a part of the entertainment industry.¡± ¡°My goodness, who gave you the confidence to be this shameless? Do you think you¡¯re exceptionally beautiful or something? I can¡¯t believe you don¡¯t feel embarrassed saying that while looking like¡­ this,¡± said Ysabelle. I knew there was no way she was being nice to Sophie for no reason. Upon hearing that, Sophie couldn¡¯t help but nce at her. Then, she rejected, ¡°Mypany can¡¯t sign a contract with you.¡± Fury surged within Willow. ¡°You!¡± The money she¡¯s using to open her entertainmentpany belongs to the Tanner family anyway. So why can¡¯t I join? However, when she recalled she was the one asking for favors, she had no choice but to stifle her emotions. ¡°Sophie, no matter what, we¡¯re still sisters. And sisters are supposed to help each other out, no? What¡¯s the problem with helping me? I¡¯m not asking for much. I just want to be a part of yourpany.¡± She didn¡¯t think that her request was anything too outrageous. ¡°Why should I help you?¡± Sophie couldn¡¯t help but raise her eyebrow. I can¡¯t believe she has the audacity to ask me for help. Hearing that, Willow knew she had to lower herself, for there was nothing else she could do. ¡°I know what I did in the past was wrong, Soph. Will you fulfill my request if I apologize to you?¡± ¡°Ourpany has certain standards when ites to choosing who to hire. You don¡¯t meet that standard,¡± came Sophie¡¯s reply. ¡°Why don¡¯t I meet yourpany standards? I look attractive, don¡¯t I?¡± Sophie snorted, amused. ¡°Do you think having a pretty face is all it takes?¡± ¡°Of course. There are plenty of people in the entertainment industry whose solepetence is being attractive, isn¡¯t it?¡± Willow didn¡¯t think she was worse than those people. ¡°It¡¯s time for ss, Sophie. You should stop wasting time talking nonsense with her. Let¡¯s go.¡± Ysabelle held the belief that it was pointless to talk to someone with no self-awareness. ¡°You can¡¯t do this to me, Sophie. Didn¡¯t you open yourpany with the Tanner family¡¯s money?¡± ¡°Sorry to disappoint you, but I used my own money to open thepany. That¡¯s why I won¡¯t let you in.¡± With that, Sophie turned around and left with Ysabelle. Willow¡¯s hand curled into a tight fist. How shameless! I can¡¯t believe she said she used her own money. There¡¯s no way she has that much money! Does she think I¡¯m stupid? There¡¯s no way that money doesn¡¯t belong to the Tanner family. With that thought in mind, she became even more determined to enter the entertainment industry. Willow was still unhappy even after returning home. When Charmaine saw how her daughter looked, she asked caringly, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Why do you look so down? It¡¯s nearly time for your university entrance exam. You should put away all your thoughts and focus on that.¡± ¡°Do you know Sophie¡¯s opening an entertainmentpany, Mom?¡± Willow replied with a question of her own. Charmaine shook her head. There was no room for her involvement in Tanner Group¡¯s matters, so she had no idea what Sophie was up to. ¡°Right now, the most lucrative job in the world lies in the entertainment industry, Mom. One can earn tens of millions just by filming a show,¡± Willow exined. ¡°What do you mean?¡± Charmaine was confounded. ¡°Mom, I want to join the entertainment industry and take part in a television show or even a movie. I¡¯m going to enroll in a film school instead of college.¡± If bing a celebrity was the only way for her to marry into a rich family, then she would not hesitate to choose that path, for that was her only goal in life. ¡°Film school? Your grandfather won¡¯t agree to that.¡± ¡°This is my own matter, Mom! I want to decide for myself.¡± Charmaine was speechless. N?velDrama.Org owns this text. ¡°You¡¯re the only person who still supports me, Mom. You must have my back. Once I be sessful, you won¡¯t have to be angry anymore.¡± Willow was aware of her mother¡¯sck of status in the family. Her words moved Charmaine. ¡°Fine. Since this is your choice, I¡¯ll definitely support you unconditionally.¡± No matter what happens, Willow¡¯s my only support. So what if Sophie¡¯s amazing? She doesn¡¯t care about me or even sees me as her mother! Willow requested, ¡°Then, can you talk about it with Sophie? I¡¯m not asking for anything else. I just hope I can join her entertainmentpany.¡± Hearing that, Charmaine hesitated for a moment before saying, ¡°How about you sign a contract with anotherpany, Wi? It¡¯s not like you don¡¯t know Sophie¡¯s temperament. If she¡¯s unwilling to do something, no one can change her mind. Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll find you a very good agency.¡± ¡°Okay! Don¡¯t worry, Mom. I¡¯ll definitely give it my all this time. I won¡¯t let you down! I¡¯ll make sure those who look down on me no longer have the chance to do so. One day, I¡¯ll squash them under my boots.¡± ¡°I believe you! Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll be sure to support you with all I¡¯ve got when the timees. I still have some money on me.¡± Once again, Charmaine chose to stand on Willow¡¯s side. Chapter 333 Chapter 333 After attending two weeks of sses, Ysabelle was exhausted. As such, when she arrived at school very early in the morning, she simply slumped on the table. Noticing that her friend was acting sluggishly, Sophie approached Ysabelle¡¯s table and knocked on the surface. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Are you feeling unwell?¡± ¡°No. I¡¯m just feeling very tired. We¡¯ve been attending sses for almost two weeks straight without a single day of rest, right? When is this going to end?¡± Ysabelle very much hoped the university entrance exam was tomorrow so she would finally be free. ¡°I think it¡¯s ineffective for this to keep going. The teachers had reviewed everything we should review.¡± N?velDrama.Org owns this text. Sophie patted her friend¡¯s head. ¡°It¡¯s only been two weeks of no rest, yet you¡¯re already at the end of your rope. When you enter the entertainment industry in the future, you¡¯ll need to go months without rest. What will you do then?¡± ¡°How are those two things the same? Studying isn¡¯t something I like, but singing is. I¡¯m fine with not taking any vacation if it means I can do something I enjoy.¡± ¡°All right,e on, just get up already. Once the sses are over, I¡¯ll take you to watch Mark and the others record their new album at the recording studio.¡± In truth, Sophie had nned to let her friend follow Mark then. However, they were in thest semester of their senior year. She didn¡¯t want to get in the way of Ysabelle¡¯s education, so she had been dying that from happening. When Ysabelle heard that, her eyes sparkled. ¡°Can I really watch them record their songs?¡± She grabbed Sophie¡¯s hand excitedly. ¡°Yes, really,¡± Sophie replied. Thanks to Sophie¡¯s promise, Ysabelle remained ecstatic throughout the whole morning. When thest ss ended, she packed all her books and scampered to Sophie. ¡°Everything¡¯s prepared! Let¡¯s go.¡± Sophie got up from her seat and left with Ysabelle. Just as the two of them stepped out of the ssroom, they saw a girl standing at the entrance. The girl mustered her bravery and introduced herself to them. ¡°Hello, Sophie. My name¡¯s Emily Caldwin. I heard you¡¯re opening an agency. Can I try getting in?¡± Sophie was usually a pretty cold and unapproachable person, so when Emily spoke, she did so carefully. Sophie¡¯s gazended on Emily as she examined thetter. Hmm, she seems pretty charming, especially her eyes. They look pure. ¡°I haven¡¯t started mypany yet, so I don¡¯t n on signing a contract with anyone at the moment. As such, for now, I can¡¯t promise you anything.¡± Emily¡¯s family situation was pretty standard, but she had always been interested in acting. Sadly, she never found the opportunity to break into the industry until she heard about Sophie¡¯spany. ¡°Please sign a contract with me, Sophie. I promise you won¡¯t regret it!¡± ¡°Let¡¯s leave this matter forter.¡± Upon saying that, Sophie started walking away with Ysabelle. Emily was rooted to the spot, stunned. Is it not possible after all? Am I really supposed to give up on my dream? I¡¯ve tried approaching plenty of agencies already, but none of them were willing to ept me. After buying a bunch of food from The Crown, Sophie and Ysabelle headed to the recording studio. When they arrived at the studio, Mark and the others were already in the middle of recording their song. Ysabelle watched them perform from the side with curiosity. When Mark noticed they had arrived, he finished recording a part of the song before stepping out of the recording room with his members. ¡°I thought you two were busy. How do you have time toe over here?¡± ¡°We¡¯re here to supervise you!¡± Sophie spoke with a smile as she pulled out the lunch she had bought with Ysabelle for them. Sunny was overjoyed when he saw their lunch was from The Crown. ¡°You¡¯re too generous, Sophie!¡± As he praised, he grabbed a piece of meat and munched on it. It tasted as amazing as he thought. ¡°Expensive food is indeed tasty! This is so good! You shoulde and supervise us every day, Sophie!¡± He liked a supervisor like her. The other members couldn¡¯t help butment, ¡°You¡¯re such a glutton!¡± ¡°You lot have some nerve calling me that. Look at yourselves. Look at how much you¡¯re enjoying it, too. We¡¯re all more or less the same, all right?¡± Ysabelle found their interactions to be endearing. Together, they all sat and ate lunch with each other. After their meal concluded, they began their discussion. ¡°I think this part has a bit of an issue, Mark. The chord in this section isn¡¯t good. It needs alteration.¡± ¡°I think so, too.¡± Sophie agreed because she noticed the same problem when she listened to it earlier. Grabbing the score, she made some changes to it with a pencil before showing it to everyone. ¡°What do you all think about this?¡± Mark hummed the changes she made and found them to be smooth and pleasant to the ear. ¡°We should change it to this, then.¡± Ysabelle was envious as she watched the band work seriously. I wonder when I couldunch my own album with my own songs in it. Just as that thought shed into her mind, her phone rang. When she saw that it was Tristan, she promptly went out to answer the call. ¡°What¡¯s the matter, Uncle Tristan? We¡¯re in the recording studio right now. Can¡¯t you call Sophie¡¯s phone? I don¡¯t know, she¡¯s pretty busy at the moment. I don¡¯t think she has time to talk to someone on the phone.¡± After the call ended, Tristan felt somewhat depressed. Lately, Sophie had been spending all her time with The Wheelers, making him, her boyfriend, feel ignored. When Felix noticed his expression, he couldn¡¯t help but ask, ¡°What¡¯s the matter? Are Sophie and Ysabelle with Mark and the others again?¡± In truth, he felt pretty threatened by The Wheelers because all five band members were quite handsome, and he was worried Ysabelle would fall for their charming looks. Most importantly, she liked singing, so she would naturally have a lot to talk about with them. Felix couldn¡¯t help but sigh. The Wheelers sure have a magical charm to them! Then, he asked, ¡°Won¡¯t Sophie affect yton¡¯s profits if she enters the entertainment industry so openly like this, Mr. Tristan? yton¡¯s not an easy opponent to deal with. Considering how he treated The Wheelers back then, will he really let this slide when he sees how The Wheelers are doing now?¡± ¡°Of course not. yton loves to pull strings in the dark.¡± Tristan was quite aware of how yton operated. ¡°Send a few men to protect Mark and the others.¡± Hearing that, Felix couldn¡¯t help butment, ¡°You¡¯re protecting your own love rival, Mr. Tristan? Aren¡¯t you being too gracious? This is my first time hearing something like this!¡± If he were in Tristan¡¯s shoes, he wouldn¡¯t have been that charitable. Shooting a nce at him, Tristan replied, ¡°He¡¯s not a love rival. Sophie never liked him, so why would he be a rival?¡± ¡°Are you really that certain, Mr. Tristan? They say familiarity breeds fondness. Just because she didn¡¯t like him before doesn¡¯t mean she won¡¯t in the future, especially when they¡¯ve been spending so much time with each other. Most importantly, I think Mark has a lot of secrets. The fact that we can¡¯t even figure out his identity is in itself extraordinary.¡± ¡°Do you think Sophie¡¯s the type of person who fools around?¡± Fools around? How did Mr. Tristane up with that? Felix pondered. Chapter 334 Chapter 334 ¡°Besides, do you think anyone¡¯s going to abandon someone as amazing as me?¡± Tristan asked. Spections ran through Felix¡¯s mind when he heard that. That¡¯s hard to say! If it¡¯s someone else, they may hold onto you tightly. However, when ites to Sophie, nothing is certain. She¡¯s a difficult person to grasp. ¡°I¡¯m not wasting my time talking to you anymore. I¡¯m heading over to pick them up,¡± Tristan informed after checking the time and realizing that Sophie¡¯s and Ysabelle¡¯s ss at half past two was about to start soon. Hah. He acts as though he isn¡¯t worried, yet he¡¯s in such a rush. Felix said, ¡°I¡¯ll go with you, Mr. Tristan. It¡¯s been more than a week since Ist saw Ysabelle, too.¡± He really did quite miss her. ¡°No, you¡¯re not. You need to check this case first!¡± Tristan proceeded to hand him a folder before leaving. Once again, Felix was left in the wind. Mr. Tristan¡¯s so mean! Not only did he force me to do his job so that he could meet his girlfriend, but he also forbade me from seeing the person I like! ¡°Mr. Tristan¡ª¡± Before he could get any more words out, he received a reply in the form of the door mming shut. It was already two in the afternoon, so Sophie had to leave. Otherwise, she would bete. Therefore, after she talked about a few more things with The Wheelers, she stepped out of the studio. ¡°I¡¯ll send you two back.¡± Mark followed her out. While his band needed to rush the album¡¯s progress, he knew it wasn¡¯t easy for someone to hail a taxi in that area. As such, he was worried about the girls¡¯ safety. ¡°No need. We can ride a taxi back to school. You should return to the recording.¡± ¡°Then I¡¯ll walk you both out. I¡¯ll return after seeing the two of you leave in a taxi,¡± Mark insisted. Sunny couldn¡¯t help but sigh when he saw that. He still can¡¯t let it go, huh? What a shame. Mark and Sophie would make for a good couple if not for Tristan¡¯s existence. This Tristan is¡­ Ugh¡­ Even I have no idea how to make of this situation. When the girls and Mark walked out of the studio, they saw Tristan¡¯s car parked at the side of the road. Mark didn¡¯t say anything when he saw Tristan. ¡°Since someone¡¯s already here to pick you up, I¡¯ll be heading back upstairs now.¡± Mark left before Sophie could say anything. Seeing him like that made Ysabelle¡¯s heart ache. ¡°Mark¡¯s so pitiful, Sophie. He must really like you,¡± shemented. Sadly for him, his love won¡¯te to fruition. ¡°Let¡¯s not talk about this anymore.¡± Sophie believed nothing was certain when it came to feelings. Tristan opened the door for the girls when he saw them. ¡°Get in. Otherwise, you two won¡¯t make it in time.¡± Ysabelle sat in the back while Sophie sat in the passenger seat. ¡°I thought you were busy? Why do you have time to drive here?¡± Sophie was aware of how busy Tristan should betely. After all, Lombard Group had a big case not too long ago. Many people were trying to get a slice of the pie. ¡°It¡¯s not easy to hail a taxi here, so I¡¯ve decided to act as your chauffeur.¡± No matter how busy he was, Tristan believed he should take some time to apany his girlfriend. Sadly, it seemed that his girlfriend didn¡¯t need hispany. There were times when he felt he was just a pretend boyfriend. ¡°Thanks!¡± Sophie expressed her gratitude politely. Hearing that made Tristan feel even worse. Isn¡¯t it natural for a girlfriend to order her boyfriend around? Why is she still treating me so politely? While Ysabelle couldn¡¯t observe the couple¡¯s expressions from behind, she could feel her uncle¡¯s helplessness from their conversation. With a girlfriend like Sophie, I guess it¡¯s hard not to feel helpless sometimes. Soon, the car arrived at Jipsdale Premier High¡¯s entrance with only five minutes left to spare before the ss started. ¡°We¡¯ll be heading inside now.¡± With that, Sophie strode into the school. ¡°Don¡¯t you think Uncle Tristan is rather pitiful, Sophie?¡± Ysabelle asked. Sophie stopped in her tracks and turned back to look at her friend. ¡°What makes you say that?¡± ¡°You should talk to him for a bit. No matter what, he dide all the way to pick us up and send us here.¡± ¡°All right. You head in first, then. I¡¯ll be with you soon.¡± Ysabelle nodded. Now that¡¯s more like it! Thus, she went into the building while Sophie returned to Tristan. As expected, the man was still there. ¡°Why did you turn back? Isn¡¯t your ss supposed to start soon? Aren¡¯t you afraid of beingte?¡± Tristan had stayed because he wanted to stare at her a little longer. C¨°ntens bel0ngs to N?(v)elDr/a/ma.Org ¡°Are you feeling unhappy, Mr. Tristan?¡± Sophie asked. ¡°What makes you say that?¡± A bit of joy danced in his heart. Has my girlfriend finally noticed how I feel? ¡°Because Ysabelle said so.¡± Her words rendered him speechless for a second before he replied, ¡°No, I¡¯m not angry at all. Why would I be? It¡¯s not like you did anything to evoke that particr emotion in me.¡± He¡¯s obviously infuriated. Sophie couldn¡¯t help but gave him a hug. ¡°Don¡¯t overthink it. I¡¯m just too busy lately.¡± All the rage in Tristan¡¯s heart vanished instantly when he got that hug. He hugged her back tightly. ¡°To be honest, I don¡¯t like how busy you are. You¡¯re so upied with The Wheelerstely that you don¡¯t spare any time toe see me.¡± ¡°I was there to supervise them, all right? They are my employees now, so I have to take responsibility for them.¡± ¡°But I need you to take responsibility for me, too.¡± ¡°Rx, I will.¡± ¡°All right, then. You should head inside now. I¡¯lle and pick you upter.¡± ¡°Got it!¡± While I still have things to settle with The Wheelers, it has indeed been a while since I spend time with him. I feel like I¡¯m not doing a good job as a girlfriend. Sophie felt a little guilty when she thought about that. After the first ss ended, a discussion about Willow came up. It had been a while since students in Senior ss 8 talked about her. ¡°Willow is awesome! She actually got into Sky Media!¡± ¡°That¡¯s right! Sky Media was the one who initially made The Wheelers famous! They¡¯re considered one of the most powerful organizations in the entertainment industry!¡± ¡°Willow will no doubt be famous working for them!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you have your own agency, Sophie? Willow¡¯s your sister, so why didn¡¯t you let her join your company?¡± a bold girl in the ss asked. Having no intention of answering that question, Sophie sprawled on the table and slept. Just then, Willow passed by Senior ss 8. She never expected yton would want to take her in. Sky Media is a bigpany! I¡¯m certain I¡¯m going to be famous! Once I enter film school, he¡¯ll invest in me and cast me as the female lead of a television show! I bet Sophie didn¡¯t want to hire me because she was afraid I¡¯d be popr! ¡°You¡¯re amazing, Wi! I can¡¯t believe you managed to get into Sky Media! I¡¯m so jealous!¡± ¡°Yeah! I bet your sister didn¡¯t want to sign a contract with you because she¡¯s afraid you¡¯ll be more famous and outstanding than her!¡± Willow¡¯s sidekicks intentionally raised their voices so that the students in Senior ss 8 would hear them. Ysabelle couldn¡¯t bear listening to that nonsense anymore and snapped, ¡°Do you have a loose screw in your head? Are you seriously saying Sophie is jealous of Willow? What does she have that¡¯s worthy of Sophie¡¯s envy? Who do you lot think she is? So what if she got into Sky Media? TS will no doubt crush them!¡± Willow¡¯s a nobody! So why should Sophie sign a contract with her? Chapter 335 Chapter 335 ¡°What a joke! Anyone here will tell you that their first choice would be to join Sky Media if they n to enter the entertainment industry! Tell me, whichpany do you think they will they pick if they have to choose between TS and the prestigious Sky Media? How can apany that isn¡¯t even operational yet bepared to an industry icon? Has TS even made anyone famous yet? It¡¯s just an insignificant project of Sophie¡¯s! There¡¯s nothing amazing about that. As for Sky Media, they have elevated plenty of people into celebrities. There are tons of first-ss stars, bands, and idol groups in theirpany!¡± ¡°That¡¯s right! Sophie may be an excellent student, but she¡¯s iparable to Mr. Zales in terms of running apany! Everyone knows he¡¯s an entertainment mogul in Jipsdale. There¡¯s no one in this world that he can¡¯t make popr!¡± ¡°I think so, too! Besides, The Wheelers are way too ungrateful! Sky Media was the one who made them famous, yet they wanted to break their contract with thepany.¡± ¡°Sophie being capable of taking The Wheelers under her wing means she¡¯s no different from them. They may think they¡¯re amazing, but they¡¯ve truly offended Sky Media this time. I bet their new album will flop hard!¡± ¡°That¡¯s right! Sky Media¡¯s new five-man idol group¡¯s about to release its new album. You all ought to know that each of the members has their own publicity and a lot of fans. There¡¯s no way The Wheelers can win against them!¡± ¡°So what? They¡¯re just an idol group. That¡¯s not impressive at all, considering they¡¯re only relying on their pretty faces to seed.¡± Ysabelle couldn¡¯t bear listening to those insults anymore because she was The Wheelers¡¯ die-hard fan. Thus, she couldn¡¯t allow anyone to speak ill of them. ¡°You know nothing!¡± the fans of the five-man idol group retorted. ¡°All right, that¡¯s enough. Stop wasting your breath on these people,¡± Sophie interjected. I know The Wheelers only want to focus on making music. The final result doesn¡¯t interest me that much. Besides, I believe in them. ¡°I¡¯ll make you regret your words, Sophie! I¡¯ll make sure that your decision not to sign a contract with me will be your biggest loss!¡± Willow didn¡¯t want to hold her emotions back anymore as she had been too aggravated recently. This time, I will fight back! With disdain shining in her eyes, Ysabelle spat, ¡°Why are you so shameless, Willow? I think your biggest failing is your inability to realize what you¡¯re really capable of. How can a person like you be famous?¡± ¡°Is that so? We¡¯ll see about that!¡± With that, Willow left with her head held high and her sidekicks in tow. Meanwhile, Sophie couldn¡¯t be bothered to waste any more time on Willow. ¡°Say, do you think The Wheelers¡¯ uing album will be popr?¡± Even though Ysabelle seemed confident in the band earlier, she started worrying about them after she thought about the situation. After all, they all lived in a world where publicity determined everything. If each member of the five-man idol group has their own following, then it may be difficult for The Wheelers to defeat them. ¡°Rx, just believe in them. They can pull through. We just need to sit back and let their music do the talking,¡± Sophie replied. In the following days, the five-man idol group had been doing things that put them on the trending list every day. When their fans learned they were about to release a new album, they cried about wanting to buy it. As for The Wheelers, no one had heard anything from them. They simply focused on recording their songs every day without bothering about what was going on in the outside world. ¡°How about we get the band on the trending list too with money, Sophie?¡± Ysabelle suggested. They weren¡¯tcking in funds, and it was still important to create hype before the release of the album. ¡°We¡¯ll talk about that again a few dayster. They have been busytely, so much so that they only sleep for two or three hours a day. They¡¯re tired enough. So there¡¯s no need to bother them with these trivial matters,¡± Sophie replied. Ysabelle fell into deep thought. That¡¯s true! Each member of The Wheelers has a particrly high standard for their album¡¯s quality. Even though some of their songs already sounded perfect, they still wanted to rerecord them just to achieve a better effect. They¡¯re really hardworking. I liked them in the past because their songs are really good. Now that I get to spend time with them, I have learned just how seriously they treat music. Being able to spend time with people like them really makes me happy. Even though Sophie didn¡¯t have much free time as the university entrance exam was nearing, she still made time to visit The Wheelers. Finally, the release day for The Wheelers¡¯ new album had arrived. After they uploaded the album to the inte, the song Crazy, which was written andposed by Sophie, went viral. It instantly topped the major music charts despite the album having no promotion at all. As for the five-man idol group under Sky Media, even after thepany had hyped the group¡¯s album days before the release, the results were still underwhelmingpared to The Wheelers¡¯ sales. ¡°What do we do, Mr. Zales? We¡¯ve spent a ton of money on Freezewave¡¯s album! Even though we hired that stylist from Koandria and their theme song wasposed by Mr. Valentine, the album still lost to The Wheelers! What do we do now?¡± an assistant of yton informed. Sky Media had poured pots of gold into the promotion of Freezewave¡¯s album, yet the album still failed to achieve its goal. Naturally, yton was very displeased with the result. ¡°What the hell are you all doing? Why is this the result after so much money is spent?¡± The assistant didn¡¯t dare to utter a word in retort. C¨°ntens bel0ngs to N?(v)elDr/a/ma.Org Then, they suggested, ¡°How about this, Mr. Zales? We¡¯ll do a channel-stuffing!¡± That was the only way they could think of. No matter what, we can¡¯t lose! ¡°Channel-stuffing?¡± yton hesitated. However, when the image of The Wheelers acting smugly popped into his mind, he nodded. ¡°All right, do that then. Remember to be extremely careful with this. If anything goes wrong, you¡¯re fired.¡± Frustration was evident in his voice. The assistant then left toplete their task. Sitting in the office alone, yton threw the folder beside his hand to the ground. What is going on lately? It feels like ever since I crossed Phantom¡¯s path, my life has be tumultuous. Thepany keeps having issues, and even my most profitable asset, Sky Media, has be like this. I refuse to believe that all of this has nothing to do with Phantom. ¡°I just wanted you to join me, Phantom! Is it really necessary for you to mess with me like this? Once I capture you, I¡¯ll make sure you suffer greatly!¡± Initially, yton had nned to get Phantom to work for him. However, now that things hade to this, all he wanted was to tear Phantom into pieces. I have spent a lot of money to hire the best detective around. So, no matter what, I¡¯ll make sure Phantom is brought to light this time! Sophie was in Tristan¡¯s office when the result came out. Naturally, she was happy to see how well the album was doing. I knew it. Regardless of the circumstances, good music will never always triumph Seeing how happy she was, Tristan pulled her into his embrace. He was jealous Chapter 336 Chapter 336 ¡°Are you really that happy?¡± Tristan grumbled. What¡¯s so amazing about the album topping the music charts? If I enter the entertainment industry, I can do it too. Putting down her phone, Sophie smiled. ¡°Of course I¡¯m happy! As I expected, good music won¡¯t get buried. Mark and the others are worth it!¡± The fact that herpany¡¯s first album and the title track for it managed to reach the top spot was an excellent achievement worthy of celebrating. Additionally, that was just the beginning. She believed the other songs would be just as famous in the following days. ¡°You need to be careful of yton. He¡¯s a petty man. Since The Wheelers used to belong to him, I doubt he¡¯ll let it slide after seeing the band doing so well. The Wheelers is unquestionably a profitable band, and losing a money tree like that no doubt makes yton ufortable,¡± Tristan warned. ¡°I know. You don¡¯t need to worry about me.¡± It wasn¡¯t Sophie¡¯s first time dealing with yton, after all. ¡°If you need anything, you must tell me about it, okay?¡± Tristan wanted to aid her in her battle against yton. ¡°Sure. If I need anything, I¡¯ll let you know.¡± After Sophie returned to school from Lombard Group, she attended an afternoon¡¯s worth of sses. When the sses were over, Ysabelle immediately approached her. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Sophie promptly realized something was off when she saw her friend¡¯s expression. ¡°yton¡¯s going overboard, Sophie! He¡¯s clearly trying to damage The Wheelers¡¯ reputation!¡± ¡°What happened?¡± Sophie was asleep for the whole afternoon, so she had no idea what was going on. ¡°Take a look yourself!¡± Immediately afterward, Ysabelle handed over her phone for Sophie to see. As expected, yton had made his move on The Wheelers. People started talking about how the members of The Wheelers used to consume narcotics. That was very bad because the entertainment industry had zero tolerance for anything rted to gambling, drugs, and prostitution. Even though it was just a baseless rumor, it had already affected The Wheelers¡¯ spot on the charts. ¡°Currently, Freezewave¡¯s sales have exceeded The Wheelers¡¯! Even worse, the situation is still escting!¡± Ysabelle was furious. ¡°yton¡¯s such a despicable man! He¡¯s willing to do anything to achieve his goal! What should we do now, Sophie? I wonder how the band¡¯s holding up. We should go check up on them. Anyone¡¯s mental state will copse if they encounter such a thing.¡± ¡°Hold on.¡± After returning the phone to Ysabelle, Sophie pulled out her own phone to call Jonathan. ¡°Take care of them. Ignore everything else. You can also confiscate all of their phones if need be,¡± she ordered. ¡°This matter has severely affected The Wheelers, Ms. Tanner. It must be the work of yton because he¡¯s jealous of how well the band is doing. Right now, public rtions is very important. We¡¯re a new company, so our public rtions team¡¯s no match for yton. There¡¯s nothing I can do on my end, too.¡± Jonathan wasn¡¯t a na?ve idiot. He had been in the entertainment industry for many years, so he knew how deadly yton¡¯s tactics were. ¡°I got it. In any case, just leave this matter to me. All you need to do is to take care of them.¡± Sophie¡¯s words didn¡¯t put Jonathan at ease, as he was genuinely scared of yton. ¡°What can you do, Ms. Tanner? yton¡¯s an entertainment industry mogul! It¡¯s as easy as lifting a finger for him to cklist someone.¡± ¡°What you all need right now is to calm down. The battle has only just begun and you¡¯re throwing in the towel already? How are we going to continue if that¡¯s the kind of mentality you have?¡± ¡°All right then, Ms. Tanner. If you¡¯re unclear about anything, let me know.¡± That was all Jonathan could say. After all, Sophie was only eighteen years old. He believed she had no idea about the darkness lurking underneath the entertainment industry. Some people cannot be offended. Once they are, they¡¯ll make sure to plunge whoever offended them into endless agony. yton is someone like that. After the call ended, Jonathan confiscated The Wheelers¡¯ phones. ¡°What are you doing, Jonathan? We¡¯re not greenhorns, you know. Why take our phones away? Is it really necessary?¡± Sunny protested. ¡°All you guys need to do right now is to calm down. Although it¡¯s true that our title track is popr right now, there¡¯s still a long road ahead. Sophie¡¯s still young. You all can¡¯t make her worry.¡± Jonathan¡¯s words rendered Sunny speechless. Fine. I¡¯m not that addicted to my phone, anyway. I don¡¯t mind if it¡¯s taken away from me. Sunny grumbled inwardly. It seemed that the band members were willing to ept anything whenever Sophie was mentioned. Meanwhile, after Sophie hung up her phone, she called the manager of TS¡¯ Public Rtions Department. It cost her an arm and a leg to hire the department manager because that person knew how to handle stuff like that in the entertainment industry. Content held by N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Ms. Sophie. I¡¯m already taking care of the matter. I won¡¯t let you down.¡± The manager had saved many celebrities before, and she could do it again. ¡°Tell me if you need anything.¡± Sophie had no reason to doubt the manager¡¯s ability as she would never hire someone she was skeptical of. Thus, she believed the manager would be able to handle the matter. ¡°All right, Ms. Sophie. If there¡¯s nothing else, I¡¯ll carry on with my work now,¡± the manager replied. There were always two sides to a matter. While The Wheelers were being vilified, they had also gotten a massive amount of publicity. Ever since the rumors broke out, The Wheelers had remained trending for days. As long as the truth came out in time, their other songs would surely be popr as well. ¡°Is everything really going to be okay, Sophie?¡± It was the first time Ysabelle encountered something like that, so she had no clue if they were going to pull through. Most importantly, TS was far too youngpared to Sky Media. They never thought about vilifying theirpetitors before. Just then, Willow arrived with a smug grin on her face. ¡°Did you see the news, Sophie? That¡¯s the band you signed a contract with!¡± The Wheelers is suffering a crushing defeat under Freezewave¡¯s boots right now. Hah! What a useless company TS is. Thank goodness I didn¡¯t sign a contract with thepany back then. Otherwise, my future would have been doomed. ¡°What does it matter to you? Why are you here again? Do you crave for attention that much?¡± It seemed that whenever Ysabelle saw Willow, her battle spirit would soar. ¡°No, I¡¯m not here for that. By the way, yton¡¯s treating me very nicely! Even though I haven¡¯t even entered a film school yet, he¡¯s already letting me star in a web series! Not to mention this web series is adapting a very popr novel.¡± The reason why Willow was there was that she wanted to show off and laugh at Sophie. ¡°You know, Sophie, there¡¯s no need to keep throwing your fortune into the trashcan like this. It¡¯s your hard-earned money, after all. I think you should just disband TS. With Sky Media around, there¡¯s no way TS can survive in the entertainment industry!¡± Ysabelle couldn¡¯t help but roll her eyes. This d*mn woman! Can she stop acting loathsome for once? ¡°Is that so? In any case, you don¡¯t get to say what¡¯ll happen to TS! In fact, you should pay more attention to yourself so that you won¡¯t get sold out.¡± While Ysabelle had no idea why yton brought Willow in, she was certain he had a hidden agenda for doing so, especially when he specifically sought Willow out. I can¡¯t believe she still had the gall to show off in front of me and Sophie when she knew nothing! Chapter 337 Chapter 337 ¡°A hidden agenda? What kind of hidden agenda could I possibly have? Sophie, I know what you¡¯re doing. you¡¯re trying to drive a wedge between us because you¡¯re jealous of me. I won¡¯t believe you.¡± I¡¯m sure Sophie said that because she¡¯s afraid that I¡¯ll be more famous than her. Of course, yton signed the contract with me because I¡¯m talented! Why does he have to spend that much money if that isn¡¯t the case? ¡°Sophie, you¡¯ve got to stop spouting nonsense just because you¡¯re jealous. People will look down on you for that, you know?¡± Willow said with disdain. ¡°D*mn, what¡¯s wrong with you? Are you suffering from persecutory delusional disorder? Do you really think you have what it takes for Sophie to be jealous of you? Why would anyone be jealous of you? Are you telling me that she¡¯s jealous of your stupidity?¡± Ysabelle snapped after she couldn¡¯t take it anymore. ¡°Come on, let¡¯s go. Don¡¯t waste time talking to her.¡± Sophie had to make a trip to TS at once. ¡°Okay.¡± With that, Sophie and Ysabelle left, leaving Willow behind. There was no way Willow would listen to anything Ysabelle had to say at that point in time. Then, she took a taxi and went to Sky Media since she still had matters to talk to yton about. All she could think of at that time was to be famous and make yton fall for her. He signed the contract with me because I hold a ce in his heart, right? If he¡¯s that fond of me, how can I possibly let this opportunity slip by? When she reached Sky Media, however, the receptionist wouldn¡¯t even allow her to go to yton¡¯s office. ¡°What¡¯s the meaning of this? I¡¯m one of the artists under Sky Media. I want to see Mr. Zales! Is there a problem with that?¡± Willow was enraged. They¡¯re clearly looking down on me! ¡°I¡¯m sorry. Hundreds of women wish to see Mr. Zales every day. We can¡¯t possibly let them all in.¡± It was such a daily happening that the receptionists had gotten used to it. Do these women really think they can seduce Mr. Zales just because they have somewhat decent looks? ¡°You¡ª¡± In that instant, yton walked out with a group of people. Willow dashed toward him the moment she saw him. ¡°yton, do you mind helping me out? There are a few things that I can¡¯t figure out.¡± The woman immediately put on a pitiful look the moment she saw him. The arrogant air she had put on a second ago disappeared almost instantly. ¡°Gosh! I can¡¯t believe such a shameless person actually exists!¡± ¡°Oh, please! You¡¯ve seen all kinds of people the moment you started working here. What¡¯s the point of still getting worked up?¡± Initially, yton was annoyed to see Willow and nned to ignore her, but when he thought about Sophie, he repressed his impatience and concealed it with an amicable smile. ¡°Sure, but I¡¯m a little busy at the moment! How about this? Wait for me here, and I¡¯ll exin it to you a littleter,¡± he said with an exceptionally gentle tone. ¡°All right. If that¡¯s the case, I won¡¯t bother you for now. Go on. I¡¯ll wait here.¡± Extremely pleased with how yton treated her, Willow threw a triumphant nce at the receptionists. At a loss for words, the receptionists could only roll their eyes in annoyance. She¡¯s obviously a vixen! What does Mr. Zales see in her anyway? s, Willow waited for two whole hours, but yton still hadn¡¯t returned as promised. The few receptionists couldn¡¯t hold back theirughter. Wasn¡¯t she so smug before this? Where¡¯s her arrogance now? I bet Mr. Zales haspletely forgotten that she¡¯s waiting for him! Willow looked at her phone as she thought about calling him. However, she was worried that she would disturb his work and end up upsetting him. He must¡¯ve forgotten about me because he¡¯s too busy. She hadn¡¯t even had lunch as she remained at the same spot, waiting for yton. Although she wanted to leave, she was concerned that he might be back after she left. ¡°Miss, I think you should leave,¡± said one of the receptionists, who couldn¡¯t bear watching anymore. Willow red at the receptionist. ¡°Mind your own business! You¡¯re jealous of me, aren¡¯t you? What right do you have to ask me to leave when yton told me to wait here?¡± Willow was dead-set on staying. I don¡¯t care! I¡¯m going to stay here and wait for him! No matter what it takes, I must let yton know about my feelings for him. I don¡¯t care what price I have to pay. As long as I can get married to a rich man, all the ridicule and mockery I suffer right now would be worth it! Entering the entertainment industry was only her stepping stone to marrying into a wealthy family. That was why she agreed to sign the contract with yton without hesitation when she found out that thetter had the intention of doing so. ¡°Suit yourself. I¡¯m not the one who¡¯s wasting my time, anyway,¡± said the receptionist, ignoring Willow after that. In actuality, Willow wasn¡¯t the only one who came to Sky Media and waited for yton. Countless people waited to meet him every day. Most women who came were charming, as they thought they could put their looks to good use and win the man¡¯s favor. However, it was merely wishful thinking. Almost every woman dreamed to get married to a rich man. However, after seeing so many women like Willow waiting for what turned out to be nothing more than a damp squib, the receptionists finally understood that not everyone was fated to get married to a wealthy man. Meanwhile, Sophie and Ysabelle had arrived at TS. TS was situated on the most bustling street in Jipsdale. Thend was extremely expensive there, and the rent was ridiculously high. Content held by N?velDrama.Org. It was Ysabelle¡¯s first time going there, so she was surprised when she saw how big the building was. ¡°Sophie, you¡¯d better be honest with me. Where did you get all this money from?¡± Words eluded Sophie when she saw her friend¡¯s exaggerated reaction. What¡¯s wrong with me having some allowance? ¡°It¡¯s not exactly a lot of money. Besides, these are necessary investments for the artists of TS. I want the public to be envious of them.¡± That was why in terms of substantial resources, she must give her artists the best experience imaginable. Ysabelle couldn¡¯t help giving Sophie a thumbs-up. ¡°Sophie, do you really think I can do it?¡± Ysabelle asked. Ever since she dreamed to be a singer, she had never wavered. She had always put in efforts to improve herself. Even if she was the daughter of the Lombard family, she never thought of using her status to achieve her dreams. However, when she saw how The Wheelers were ndered despite the sess of their album and the poprity of their song, she was no longer sure if she had what it took to be a celebrity. Most importantly, she wasn¡¯t sure if she could handle such matters. Sophie stopped in her tracks. ¡°I can help you with anything, but first, you¡¯ve got to convince yourself mentally. If you think you can¡¯t do it, you won¡¯t be able to seed even if I provide you with the best team and resources.¡± That was the truth. Although Ysabelle was Sophie¡¯s best friend, she couldn¡¯t help Ysabelle if thetter didn¡¯t believe in herself. Ysabelle nodded. ¡°Okay. I get it. Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll take the time to think it through and decide if I really wish to be a singer.¡± Sophie wasn¡¯t fooling around. TS Entertainment was truly professional. Sophie was about to go upstairs to look for the manager in charge of public rtions when she bumped into Mark and the others who had walked out of the training room. ¡°Why are you here, Sophie? Are you here to reward us for our hard work?¡± Sunny asked excitedly when he saw her. Chapter 338 Chapter 338 Jonathan knew Sophie didn¡¯t want Mark and the others to know about the matter, so he still had their phones with him. Thus, Jonathan didn¡¯t know what to say when Sunny asked such a question. Right now, the Public Rtions Department is still handling the matter. It¡¯s their first time dealing with such matters, so I wonder if they can handle it properly. As the manager of The Wheelers, he was genuinely worried. Even so, there was nothing he could do. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m here to see you guys. You¡¯ve worked hardtely!¡± Sophie changed the topic. Sunny walked to her side. ¡°Since you¡¯re here to reward us, why didn¡¯t you bring anything delicious for us? You should bring tasty food with you every time youe to see us!¡± Something¡¯s not right. Our album is selling like hotcakes right now, but she didn¡¯t bring us anything tasty. ¡°Okay then. I¡¯ll treat all of you to a nice mealter. What¡¯s next on your schedule?¡± she asked Jonathan. With that, Jonathan reported The Wheelers¡¯ uing schedule to her. ¡°Okay. Please carry on.¡± ¡°Guys, wait for me. I have to talk to Ms. Tanner in private,¡± Jonathan said to the members of The Wheelers. ¡°Jonathan, what do you need to say to Sophie that we can¡¯t know about? You¡¯re our manager, aren¡¯t you? So, what you do must have something to do with us,¡± said Sunny after sensing something was wrong. Our career is going smoothly right now, but at the same time, I feel restless. How is it possible for yton to sit by without doing anything when we¡¯re so sessful? There¡¯s no way he¡¯ll let us off the hook so easily. ¡°What are you saying, Sunny? It¡¯s nothing important. We¡¯re on the top of the major music charts right now. You saw it yourself earlier, didn¡¯t you?¡± Jonathan, panicking, spoke nervously. Sunny didn¡¯t know how to respond. Yeah, he¡¯s right. We topped the music charts this morning, so I guess I¡¯m overthinking things. No matter what, yton is a big shot in the entertainment industry too. He won¡¯t mess with our band on purpose, right? Worried that they were going to find out soon, Jonathan could only say to Mark, ¡°Mark, bring them to the car and wait for me there, okay?¡± Mark nodded and left with the other four members. Worry filled Jonathan¡¯s face the moment The Wheelers left. ¡°Ms. Tanner, we can¡¯t let this go on any longer. If we don¡¯t do anything about it, things will really get out of hand!¡± Ms. Tanner¡¯s still young, so there are a lot of things she doesn¡¯t understand. ¡°Jonathan, I told you. All you need to do is take good care of them. I can handle this. Just trust me on this, will you?¡± I¡¯ve hired the best PR manager out there. Before we found out about this, my PR manager has already come up with a set of solutions to deal with it. ¡°I trust you, but I think you don¡¯t understand what yton¡¯s really like. Right now, the band from his company and ourpany have released an album at the same time. Besides, our band¡¯s album is a bigger hit than his. Given how despicable he is, he will definitely not let this slide.¡± Although he used to work for Sky Media in the past, he didn¡¯t like yton since thetter was too ruthless. They wouldn¡¯t be able to deal with him at all. ¡°I get it. I¡¯m going to see the manager of the PR department now. I assure you that all of this will be over tomorrow. Besides, the next few songs of The Wheelers will definitely be a hit too.¡± Seeing how calm Sophie was despite everything that was going on, Jonathan didn¡¯t know what else to say. Am I really too timid? However, he had been the manager of several celebrities. Therefore, he knew how bad the situation could get better than anyone else. Nevertheless, when he saw the confidence in Sophie¡¯s eyes, he couldn¡¯t help believing that she could really do it. ¡°All you need to do now is tofort every single one of them. They still don¡¯t know about it yet. It¡¯s best to keep it that way. But even if they did find out, I¡¯m sure they can handle it.¡± Since she had worked with The Wheelers for a long time, she understood their personality. ¡°Okay!¡± Jonathan then went out to meet Mark and the others. When they saw him, they didn¡¯t say anything. Only when Mark was alone with Jonathan did the former finally ask, ¡°So, what exactly happened?¡± Jonathanughed it off. ¡°Mark, you¡¯re overthinking things. What can possibly happen? None of you have done anything you shouldn¡¯t have, so no one can have anything against you.¡± ¡°Jonathan, I¡¯m not a kid anymore. You¡¯ve never taken our phones away from us before. Just tell me. No matter what happens, I can take it.¡± Jonathan was at a loss for words. Mark¡¯s too smart. If he wasn¡¯t a singer, I¡¯m sure he¡¯ll definitely be a scientist or something. ¡°Tell me. I won¡¯t say anything to them.¡± With that, Jonathan rted the whole incident to him. ¡°That¡¯s all. You don¡¯t have to worry about it. Let¡¯s leave it to the PR department to handle the rest.¡± ¡°Okay. You should bring them back and get some rest. I¡¯ll go talk to Sophie.¡± No matter what, Mark was the leader of The Wheelers, so he had to help Sophie shoulder the responsibilities too. He knew Sophie was having a meeting with the PR department when he got back to TS, so he waited outside. Ysabelle saw him return. Seeing the expression on his face, she knew that he had heard about what happened. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Mark. Sophie said she knows what to do.¡± It¡¯s not a big deal. Even if Sophie can¡¯t deal with it, I could always look for Uncle Tristan. He¡¯ll surely help. ¡°I¡¯m fine. Would you like a cup of coffee? I¡¯ll go get one for you,¡± Mark offered. Ysabelle didn¡¯t enter the conference room with Sophie, so she was waiting for Sophie too. ¡°No, no. I¡¯ll go,¡± Ysabelle volunteered. Without waiting for Mark to say anything, she dashed toward the pantry. Mark was overwhelmed by guilt. It¡¯s all our fault. None of this would¡¯ve happened to Sophie¡¯s newpany if it weren¡¯t for us. She¡¯s just a youngdy. She didn¡¯t need to bear any of this. The meetingsted for more than an hour. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Ms. Tanner. I¡¯ll make sure to deal with this perfectly,¡± said Xandra Yandell, the manager of the PR department, smiling. No matter what happened, Xandra always had a smile on her face. ¡°I trust you. If I didn¡¯t, I wouldn¡¯t have hired you.¡± No one other than the members of Sophie¡¯spany knew that the manager of TS Entertainment¡¯s PR department was Xandra, who had disappeared from the entertainment industry for three years. In the past three years, countless entertainmentpanies tried scouting for her. C¨°ntens bel0ngs to N?(v)elDr/a/ma.Org Sophie, on the other hand, effortlessly discovered Xandra and managed to get thetter to willingly work in TS Entertainment. ¡°Ms. Tanner, remember to prepare for a grand celebration dinner after this is over!¡± Xandra said confidently. So what if the opponent¡¯s Sky Media? Hah! They¡¯re no match for me! Sophie couldn¡¯t help giggling when she saw Xandra¡¯s carefree demeanor. ¡°Xandra, this is what I like about you!¡± Xandra had never let anything get to her. ¡°Likewise.¡± If it hadn¡¯t been for Sophie, Xandra wouldn¡¯t have reappeared in the entertainment industry. Chapter 339 Chapter 339 Ysabelle immediately stood up when she saw peopleing out of the conference room. However, there was no sight of Sophie. ¡°Oh dear, I hope she¡¯s all right. I must admit the problem at hand is rather tricky. If she can¡¯t settle it, I can always ask Uncle Tristan for help.¡± Worrying about Sophie, Ysabelle unknowingly babbled on and forgot that Mark was behind her. Turning around and seeing Mark¡¯s emotionless face, she became a little embarrassed. ¡°Mark, I didn¡¯t mean anything else by that. It¡¯s just¡­¡± Ysabelle tried to exin herself but was stuck for words. How should I say it? It just sounds wrong no matter how I put it! ¡°It¡¯s fine. You don¡¯t need to exin anything to me.¡± Mark¡¯s response was brief. His attitude toward people had always been aloof since he did not see the need to connect with them. Sophie was an exception. Sophie spotted Mark as she exited the conference room. He should know about it, right? Well, given his astuteness, it¡¯s very likely that he must have sensed something was amiss. Sophie approached Mark. Before she could say anything, Mark consoled her, ¡°Sophie, if this is too tough, just let it go. It¡¯s our dream so we will work on it ourselves. There¡¯s no need for you to suffer for us.¡± ¡°Mark, I¡¯m also a part of The Wheelers, all right? Moreover, since TS Entertainment is mypany and now that the band is managed by us, how can I just leave you all in the lurch? Unless you don¡¯t trust me to be able to handle this matter?¡± Mark never thought of it that way. It was not that he did not trust her; he was worried that she would be hurt fighting alone. ¡°I just don¡¯t want any one of us to cause you to have a difficult time,¡± Mark said concerningly. Sophieughed. ¡°Don¡¯t worry! Nobody can hurt me. The pitiful one will be yton.¡± Sophie would not let anybody who dared to touch her people off easily. ¡°Well, you better go back now. They¡¯ll start to be suspicious if you¡¯re gone for too long. Don¡¯t let any of the members feel burdened.¡± Sophie did not want Mark to think too much and thus quickly ended the conversation. ¡°Okay.¡± Mark did not say anything more. Seeing how confident Sophie was, he did not want to sound too discouraging. Meanwhile, The Wheelers were supposed to appear on a few music shows for publicity but had since been canceled due to the scandal. Like a cat on hot bricks, Jonathan was extremely anxious. Now that The Wheelers were denied publicity opportunities, were they really doomed this time? ¡°Mark, don¡¯t worry too much. Even if we fail this time, I¡¯m sure there¡¯ll be another opportunity.¡± Jonathan tried tofort Mark, although it sounded more like he wasforting himself. Judging from the current situation, it was virtually impossible for them to turn the tables. Leaning against the window, Mark stared nkly at the scenery outside. He had not spoken a word since parting with Sophie. Having been in the entertainment industry for so many years, he had seen all sorts of stuff. As a result, he was not a person who would lose sleep over incidents like this. The truth was, he was not afraid of failure. But this time was different. Sophie was involved, and that spurred his desire for this project to be sessful. This was their first coboration ever since Sophie left. It would be a lie to say that Mark did not care about the project at all. On the other hand, inparison to the dire state The Wheelers were in, Freezewave was having a field day. They participated in a few big music shows, and their album even climbed to the number one spot on the best-selling chart. The Freezewave members were ted with how things were panning out for them. ¡°I was thinking about what was so great about The Wheelers and why everyone was fussing over them. Turns out they¡¯re not all that at all.¡± ¡°Yeah! It¡¯s all their fans¡¯ doing; they have over-immortalized them.¡± ¡°All right, you¡¯d better shut your mouths. Just look at yourselves. You think you¡¯re any better than them?¡± As the conversation among the members went on, yton¡¯s face ckened. ¡°All of you listen right up. Did you think you achieved all these results because of your abilities? No. All these were made possible because I used money. So you all better behave yourselves these few days and don¡¯t get into trouble.¡± yton directly bruised their ego. I used money to manipte the charts and they thought it was due to their own credit? Where did they even get the confidence? Freezewave is a bunch of freaking losers. The Freezewave members were not happy with how yton talked them down. Nheless, he was their financial backer; they could only swallow their displeasure in silence. yton returned to thepany to find Willow still waiting there. ¡°yton, what took you so long toe back? I¡¯ve been waiting here for the whole afternoon,¡± Willow whined with a pitiful look in her eyes. Fearing that yton woulde back any moment, she ordered delivery for dinner and did not dare to step away, not even to use the restroom. yton furrowed his brows. Clearly, he did not want to deal with Willow right now. ¡°Willow, as a student in your senior year, you should be studying now. Why did you evene here?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, yton. Am I bothering you?¡± Willow did not understand why there was a sudden change in his mood. yton did not feel like responding to Willow. The past few days had been tough on him. Earlier on, yton left with a group of people, leaving Willow to wait for a few hours there. Yet, instead of showing concern, all he did was question why she was at thepany. Willow was upset but there was nothing she could do. She decided to leave in case anyone saw them and decided to make a mockery out of her. In the evening, Tristan and the rest were having dinner at Blossom Garden. The four of them were waiting for Sophie and Ysabelle even though they were all busy people. ¡°Mr. Tristan, Sophie has been very busytely, huh!¡± Felix could not help butin. When Sophie got busy, it meant that Ysabelle was busy as well. It was challenging for him to find an opportunity to meet Ysabelle because of this. ¡°I¡¯m afraid so.¡± Tristan was pretty upset too. They finally managed to sort out their rtionship after so much hardship. Yet, so much had happened right after they got together that she hardly had the time to pay attention to him. So how could he not be upset? ¡°You should really keep her in check, Mr. Tristan. What¡¯s a girl doing wearing herself out like that?¡± Felix continued toment. Tristan immediately shot him a deadly look. ¡°Felix, are you telling me how I should manage my rtionship with my girlfriend?¡± Felix kept quiet but silently grumbled in his heart. It¡¯s not as if I like to be nosy. I couldn¡¯t care less about your matters with Sophie. But you got to put yourself in my shoes and understand my predicament! There has been no progress between Ysabelle and me; you can¡¯t me me for being anxious! ¡°In all seriousness, is Sophie able to handle this case? She may be a smart girl, but sometimes you still need the experience. Don¡¯t forget yton has been in the industry for a long time. The man¡¯s a sly old fox! It¡¯s not as if we don¡¯t know what he¡¯s capable of,¡± Charlesmented while lighting a cigarette. ¡°All right. The girls areing soon; you shouldn¡¯t smoke,¡± Tristan quickly dismissed the topic and gestured for Charles to put out the cigarette. It was Charles¡¯ turn to be speechless. ¡°Mr. Tristan, aren¡¯t you spoiling them too much? They¡¯re not even here yet.¡± Charles remembered Tristan used to be a smoker himself. Even then, Charles did not continue to argue as he proceeded to stub out the cigarette. ¡°Whatever it is, if you need help, just let me know.¡± Sean had been quiet until now. He never liked joining discussions, and that day was no exception either. All content is property ? N?velDrama.Org. ¡°I also wish Sophie would allow me to help her, but whenever I ask her, she always insists she¡¯s doing fine,¡± Tristanmented with a resigned look on his face. ¡°So why did you choose to fall in love with such a super independent girl anyway? You won¡¯t feel any sense of aplishment from being with her, you know,¡± Felix could not resist chiming in again. He was still sore about how Tristan was not letting his rtionship progress. ¡°Felix, is this how a man should talk? I didn¡¯t know you needed to derive your sense of achievement from a woman.¡± Tristan snorted defensively. What a joke. Since I went through so much to win Sophie¡¯s heart, how can I let anyone talk about her like that? Not on my watch! Chapter 340 Chapter 340 ¡°All right! I was wrong. I shouldn¡¯t have talked.¡± There was nothing he could do. No matter what others said, Tristan would not listen anyway. At that moment, the door opened. Sophie and Ysabelle entered together. Content held by N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Felix, what are you talking about again? Are you speaking ill of Sophie?¡± After Ysabelle stepped in, she pulled a chair, sat down, poured a ss of water, and drank it. She was parched. ¡°Ysabelle, is that how you think of me?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Ysabelle was rather rude as she replied without hesitation, making one want to smack her. Tristan pulled a chair for Sophie and handed her a ss of water after she sat down. Sophie was thirsty too and had two sips. ¡°Sorry for keeping everyone waiting so long.¡± As it was not easy to deal with the problem with The Wheelers, she had to be there personally. ¡°What are you saying? We didn¡¯t wait long anyway,¡± said Tristan. Charles kept quiet. Didn¡¯t we wait here for an hour? How is that not a long time? Forget it. Regardless, I¡¯m okay with anything as long as Mr. Tristan is happy. After waiting for so long, I can finally have a meal. ¡°Sophie, do you need my help?¡± asked Sean, who was able to help out in the matter as he was best at handlingwsuits. Charles took a nce at Sean. What is this brat thinking? Why did he suddenly offer to help? ¡°I do. Thank you.¡± Sophie was being frank too. She had nned to sue yton the next day and would need awyer. ¡°Anywyer from yourw firm will do. I don¡¯t want to trouble you with such a case.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t mention it.¡± She just asked for Sean¡¯s help. Why doesn¡¯t she need my help then? Tristan felt slightly disappointed, not knowing how to describe his dismay. After the meal, everyone headed home respectively. On the way back, Sophie noticed Tristan was not in a good mood. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Are you angry? I don¡¯t think I have done anything to make you mad!¡± One would wonder what kind of girlfriend she was upon thinking about how she could not tell he was angry. ¡°You are willing to ept Sean¡¯s help, so why wouldn¡¯t you let me help you then?¡± ¡°That¡¯s because he¡¯s awyer.¡± Is it necessary to be mad about this too? There¡¯s no need for it at all. ¡°Just because he¡¯s awyer? But I can help you in other ways too. For example, I can deal with yton.¡± ¡°Mr. Tristan¡­¡± Sophie had no idea what to say anymore. ¡°I¡¯m being serious. If I need your help, I will surely ask you, but someone from the Public Rtions Department is already taking care of this matter. You¡­¡± Such a thing was bound to happen sooner orter when she decided to establish an entertainment company. There was no point in setting up apany if she needed his help with everything. ¡°Hmm? What about me?¡± Tristan didn¡¯t think there was anything wrong with him. My request is not too much to ask for, right? Sophie held his hand. ¡°There, there. Stop being mad, okay?¡± This was the most she could do. He sighed. Naturally, Tristan couldn¡¯t say anything else at that. Seeing his girlfriend behaving like this, he could only suck it up regardless. There was still more chances to teach yton a lesson anyway. After returning to Wisteria Apartments, Sophiey on the couch immediately and didn¡¯t feel like moving. Tristan took out a honeydew from the fridge and sliced a few pieces for her. During dinner earlier, she didn¡¯t eat much. As Sophie looked at the sliced honeydew, the corner of her lips curled upward without her realizing it. He was a guy who would still take good care of her no matter how mad he was. Without a doubt, she was pretty lucky to meet a man like him in such a turbulent society. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t wish to hear those two words. I would be happier if you could change them to something else.¡± ¡°To what? Love you?¡± Sophie had a sudden urge to mess with him. Upon hearing those words, Tristan felt excited and immediately sat down next to her. ¡°Can you say it one more time? Make it a statement and not a question,¡± suggested Tristan. At his remark, Sophie burst outughing. The way Tristan behaved now was adorable. ¡°What do you want me to say again?¡± Sophie acted dumb as she wanted to see more of his current expression. Tristan then pulled her into his arms and ced his head on her shoulder. ¡°You meanie. How could you be so cheeky? You know very well what I want to hear, don¡¯t you? Since you do, why can¡¯t you say it right away? Are you happy to see me sad?¡± Sophie was rendered speechless. Everything¡¯s my fault then. ¡°All right, all right. Please say it one more time.¡± Seeing him like that, Sophie inched closer and whispered in his ear, ¡°Love you.¡± Finally, he heard what he always wanted to hear. Tristan was overwhelmed with joy. The excitement was far greater than when he managed to sign deals worth millions. He pinned her onto the couch and kissed her passionately, making her feel his deep love for her. He could do nothing about her except coax, love, and pamper her. No matter how much he had done, he only wished for her to stay safe and sound by his side. Sophie felt dizzy from his kisses. It turns out the infamous Mr. Tristan is so easy to please. The way he behaved made her feel very sorry for him. She wondered how he could be so humble in front of her. Meanwhile, yton thought Sky Media had done an excellent job. Besides, The Wheelers were entirely crushed by him for now. How dare they wish to remain in the entertainment industry after leaving Sky Media? Do they really think I am that big of a pushover? Well, it¡¯s not that they can¡¯t leave. If they had left the entertainment industry for good and did not stand in my way, I could have lived with that. Feeling smug, yton exited Sky Media with his assistant. Suddenly, Sunny stood in their way. ¡°yton, you are truly despicable and shameless. I have never met someone as outrageous as you.¡± After Sunny finished talking, he threw a punch. They had finally managed to leave and reunite with Sophie. Yet, yton wanted to ruin all of it, so how could he put up with it? ¡°Sunny, have you lost your mind?¡± yton¡¯s assistant immediately grabbed Sunny. As Sunny used to be like a school bully, there was no way yton¡¯s assistant could hold him still. yton was not a pushover too. ¡°Let him go,¡± said yton to his assistant. ¡°yton.¡± His assistant had no idea what yton was thinking. ¡°Since he wants to start a fight, I shall have a round with him.¡± With that, yton took off his coat right away. Sunny red at yton. ¡°yton, I will make you pay today.¡± As soon as Sunny said that, he made a move. yton was the sessor to the Zales family; naturally, he had learned how to fight. Moreover, his skills were better than Sunny¡¯s. In a split second, Sunny was beaten to a pulp. Still, Sunny refused to give up. He wrapped his arms around yton¡¯s waist and tried to hit thetter against the wall. No matter what, there was no way he would let yton off easily. Chapter 341 Chapter 341 ¡°Why are you still standing there? Take the photos! Let the fans of The Wheelers take a look at what kind of trash they¡¯ve fallen for,¡± yton said to his assistant. Once his assistant snapped back to his senses, he quickly took recordings of the scene. When that was done, yton began kicking and punching Sunny. ¡°Little sh*t, did you think you were capable of going up against me? You¡¯re a hundred years too early for that!¡± With that, yton kicked Sunny to the ground. Sunnyy on the floor, on the verge of unconsciousness. Yet, he did not want to admit defeat. He was going to go all out against yton. However, it took little for yton to step on Sunny¡¯s hand and twist his foot. Crack! The agonizing pang of pain shot up Sunny¡¯s arm, and he passed out. yton¡¯s assistant hurried over. ¡°yton, I doubt he¡¯ll be able to perform with his hand anymore.¡± yton then asked his assistant to hand him a piece of tissue, which he used to clean his hands. ¡°Call Mark and get him toe over and pick this guy up. I have zero tolerance for traitors,¡± yton ruthlessly said. His assistant bobbed his head instantly before calling Mark. ¡°Let¡¯s go. Something has happened to Sunny,¡± Mark said as he leaped to his feet after ending the call. The four people then entered the car and drove to Sky Media to look for Sunny. The moment they reached Sky Media¡¯s building, they found Sunny unconscious. ¡°This is too much! They¡¯ve crossed the line, Mark. I don¡¯t care about anything anymore. I¡¯m going to kill yton today!¡± ¡°He¡¯s right. They¡¯re crossing the f*cking line!¡± Knowing that they had arrived, yton stepped out of the building. After letting his gaze rake over Mark and the others, a sneer manifested on his face. ¡°Mark, do you see this? This is what will happen to you if you betray me,¡± yton uttered in arrogance. Mark tightened his fists. ¡°yton Zales,¡± Mark hissed as he stood up and grabbed yton¡¯s cor, ¡°you¡¯ve gone overboard!¡± yton grabbed his hand. ¡°So what if I pick on you? What can you do? Come on, hit me!¡± yton¡¯s assistant was ready with his phone by then. If Mark were to punch yton, The Wheelers¡¯ misdeed would be all over the inte and media. ¡°Mark,e over here! Sunny can¡¯t hold on any longer!¡± That was the only thing a band member could say to stop Mark from doing something irreversible. Moreover, their priority was to send Sunny to the hospital. They could settle the score with yton another time. Hearing that, Mark let go of yton. ¡°Just you wait, yton. I¡¯m not done with you yet,¡± Mark snarled. He then darted over to carry Sunny into the car and drove straight to the hospital. Jonathan arrived at the hospital after the members of The Wheelers. All he could think when he saw the grievously injured Sunny was, How is this going to be resolved? yton has crossed the line. Sunny¡¯s still in the emergency room, so no one knows what¡¯s going to happen. Plus, Sunny¡¯s hand has been hurt badly. Who knows if he can still y the drums after this? ¡°Jonathan, don¡¯t tell Sophie about this for now.¡± After all, at the end of the day, it was their private matter, and he was going to deal with it in his own way. However, Jonathan could not be at ease at Mark¡¯s demeanor. ¡°Mark, I know that you¡¯re on close terms with Sunny. We¡¯re all upset to see Sunny like this, but you mustn¡¯t do anything rash, got it?¡± The members of The Wheelers were talented, but their tempers were bad. Even though their time in the entertainment industry forced them to learn to hold themselves back, this was something they found extremely difficult to tolerate. Right then, the three other teammates angrily voiced out their opinions. ¡°Jonathan, you know that the only thing we want to do is perform, but they just won¡¯t let us go. If that¡¯s the case, there¡¯s no point for us to keep holding ourselves back. Nothing horrible is going to happen. At most, we¡¯ll stop being in the entertainment industry.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. We can¡¯t keep tolerating things like these!¡± ¡°We¡¯re going to beat yton into a mush right now!¡± Each member seemed more agitated than the other, and it seemed like none of Jonathan¡¯s words could change their minds. It was the first time he had encountered something like this, and he had no idea how to resolve it. ¡°Calm down. None of us knows the details of this issue. If we do anything rash, we¡¯ll only be giving yton another chance to strike us down,¡± Jonathan pointed out. Mark remained quiet the entire time. Regardless of what Jonathan said to them, this was something they were not going to stay silent about. They were young men. How could they possibly keep their cool after encountering something like this? ¡°Okay, okay, calm down. I promise you that I¡¯ll give you a satisfactory result for this case,¡± Jonathan continued reassuring them. ¡°Jonathan, I know you have it hard because no one can go up against yton in this industry.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry for being so powerless. I couldn¡¯t protect you guys¡­¡± Frankly, Jonathan wished he could act less cowardly, but they were nothing but ants to be squashed in the face of the powerful. ¡°Jonathan, I know that you¡¯ve done your best. Don¡¯te with us anymore, okay?¡± That was the first time Mark had said something along those lines. ¡°Mark, what are you talking about? Do you think I¡¯m worried about myself? I¡¯m worried about you all. All of you have bright futures. You shouldn¡¯t be stopping here.¡± Indeed, Jonathan had been asking them to hold themselves back so that their dreams could be fulfilled. ¡°That isn¡¯t what I mean, Jonathan. I just want to tell you that I¡¯m not going to let Caleb go this time. I don¡¯t want to drag you into this mess, so leave now.¡± ¡°You¡ª¡± Jonathan sighed in exasperation. Still, he could understand their fury. They then waited outside until the doctor wheeled Sunny out. It was only after the doctor¡¯s continuous reassurances that Sunny¡¯s life was not in danger did Mark and the others rx. After that, they stayed by Sunny¡¯s side. Sunny did not have any family in the city, so they were the only ones who could take care of him. Terrified that the members of The Wheelers would do something reckless, Jonathan discreetly made a call to Sophie. Content held by N?velDrama.Org. It was almost midnight when Sophie received the call. When she saw Jonathan¡¯s name on the screen, she did not hesitate to pick up the call. ¡°Jonathan, it¡¯s quitete. Is something the matter?¡± Sleepiness was alreadycing Sophie¡¯s words. ¡°Ms. Tanner, I know I shouldn¡¯t be disturbing you at this time, but I¡¯ve run out of ideas. Pleasee quickly. Something bad has happened to Sunny!¡± ¡°All right, I got it. I¡¯ll be there right away.¡± With that, Sophie climbed out of her bed and changed before leaving her room. The moment Tristan heard the sound of the door, he rushed out of the bedroom. ¡°What¡¯s going on? Why are you going out sote in the night?¡± Tristan questioned. Knowing that yton was a despicable man, he wanted to know where Sophie was at all times. ¡°Jonathan said Sunny has been hurt! I¡¯m going to go and take a look,¡± Sophie replied, the panic evident in her voice. Chapter 342 Chapter 342 It was Tristan¡¯s first time seeing her in that state, and that worried him. ¡°Stay calm. I¡¯ll get changed, and we¡¯ll leave together.¡± How could he be at ease with letting her go by herself at a time like this? ¡°Okay, go and get changed. I¡¯ll wait for you in the living room.¡± At that, Sophie forced herself to calm down. What has happened has happened. The only thing I can do now is resolve the issue. Anyway, what¡¯s most important at this moment is to ensure that Sunny¡¯s fine. Meanwhile, Tristan darted into the room to change before driving Sophie to the hospital. On their way there, Sophie was exceptionally silent. Even though he knew she was physically beside him, he could sense that her mind was far from him. With one hand on the steering wheel, Tristan then reached out with his other hand to pull her hand to his lips. ¡°Hey, it¡¯ll be fine.¡± Sophie nced at him. ¡°Mr. Tristan, yton must have a death wish, right? How dare hey a finger on my people? I¡¯m going to make his life a living hell!¡± In the past, Sophie had been contented with simply teaching him a lesson. It looked like she had been too merciful toward him. In a way, her kindness was the cause of Sunny¡¯s suffering. If she had dealt with yton back then, Sunny would not have had to go through this pain. ¡°Okay. I¡¯ll support you no matter what your decision is. Even if you¡¯re nning to end yton¡¯s life, I¡¯ll help you.¡± Sophie said nothing to that. Nothing she said could be of any use. Silently, she made up her mind to never let anyone have the chance to hurt the people around her again. When Sophie and Tristan arrived at the hospital, Mark and the others were outside. Upon seeing Sophie, Mark shot a nce at Jonathan. Jonathan could only pretend to not notice that. It was desperation that drove him to call Sophie. Regardless of everything, Sophie had Tristan¡¯s support. As long as it was a matter concerning Sophie, Tristan would surely intervene. ¡°Sophie, why are you here? Go home. Sunny¡¯s fine,¡± Mark lied, not wanting her to worry. The four of them would be enough to stand guard by Sunny¡¯s side. ¡°How is Sunny?¡± she asked, ignoring Mark¡¯s words. Mark was forced to answer, ¡°The doctor said that he¡¯s not in any mortal danger.¡± ¡°I want to take a look at him,¡± she replied. There was no way she could be at ease unless she saw Sunny herself. ¡°You should go home, Sophie. Sunny¡¯s asleep right now. Your presence will only disturb his rest,¡± Mark patiently told her. Yet, Sophie was not going to listen to him. There was only one reason for them to behave this way: Sunny was badly hurt. Sophie pushed open the door. The moment she saw the grievously injured Sunny, she clenched her fists. yton. Zales. Sophie closed her eyes. How long has it been since I¡¯ve felt such anger? yton is really making my blood boil. Meanwhile, even Tristan, a man who had seen much in his life, had inhaled sharply upon seeing Sunny on the bed. yton¡¯s too unbelievable. I can¡¯t believe he has the guts to do this to one of my men! ¡°Sunny, I¡¯m sorry. I couldn¡¯t protect you, but don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll definitely make yton pay ten times the price for this!¡± They did not leave after that, for they could not bring themselves to do so until they saw Sunny was awake. Content held by N?velDrama.Org. At the same time, Tristan remained by Sophie¡¯s side, never once leaving her alone. Around three in the morning, Sunny finally opened his eyes. When he saw the group of people in the ward, he held his breath. Did I trouble them again? Hence, the first thing he said was, ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± ¡°Sunny, how could you be so impulsive? Didn¡¯t I tell you that you can rely on me, your team leader? You didn¡¯t need to worry about this!¡± ¡°I can¡¯t believe you went to look for yton alone and ended up like this. Do you know how worried we were?¡± Initially, Mark did not wish to mention such things, but he could not hold himself back when he saw Sunny open his eyes. ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­¡± Sunny repeated, his eyes dim. It felt as if he was utterly useless¡ªas if the only thing he knew how to do was to create trouble for someone else. Sunny, too, was irked by himself. ¡°Mark, that¡¯s enough. Let him rest first. I¡¯ll deal with the rest. None of you should do anything recklessly anymore.¡± Sophie¡¯s heart had finally descended from her throat back to her chest when she saw that Sunny was awake. ¡°Sophie, I¡¯m really¡ª¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine, Sunny. You don¡¯t need to say anything. I understand.¡± I understand that yton¡¯s a wicked man. ¡°Sophie, they even took videos of this. This¡­¡± They were the ones who would suffer from the incident, for yton had the upper hand and would only benefit from the exposure of the incident. ¡°Okay, I got it,¡± Sophie responded. It did not matter what yton had in hand. Sophie was certainly going to make yton pay for what he did. ¡°Sophie, don¡¯t cross yton because of me. That man is too horrifying.¡± Mark¡¯s heart ached terribly when he heard Sunny say those words. Like Sophie, he had made up his mind; he was not going to let yton go just like this. ¡°Sunny, no matter what kind of decision I make, it isn¡¯tpletely because of you, so don¡¯t feel pressured about this.¡± Sophie knew Sunny had always felt guilty about it, and she could guess that this incident had happened because he did not want to drag her into the mess. ¡°All right, the one and only thing you should be doing right now is to rest well. Don¡¯t fret over other things.¡± ¡°Okay, I understand. Go home now; it¡¯ste,¡± Sunny said, not wanting Sophie to stay up all night by his side. ¡°Okay.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s hire a caretaker for him. All of you should head back to rest. Everything will be fine with the caretaker around.¡± By then, Tristan had already made arrangements for the best caretaker toe to Sunny¡¯s ward. ¡°He¡¯s right. Go home and rest. I¡¯m fine. I just need to rest for a few days.¡± This is all my fault. I don¡¯t even know what other issues The Wheelers are going to face because of me, Sunny thought, feeling ashamed. ¡°Go on. I¡¯ll stay here to take care of Sunny. You guys cane and take my ce tomorrow,¡± Mark said to the other three. ¡°Mark, I¡¯ll stay.¡± ¡°No, go home. Everyone¡¯s tired,¡± Mark insisted. No matter what happened, he was not going to let Sunny stay in the hospital alone. The Wheelers¡¯ members were close, so they would never me each other for anything. They were a team, after all. They were bound together for better and for worse. Sophie was quiet the entire time, from when they left the hospital until they entered their car. The silence was a sign of how furious Sophie was. ¡°You have my support in everything you do. It¡¯s time for yton to get out of our sight,¡± Tristan snarled. How dare yton do this despite knowing that The Wheelers are my people? I¡¯m not going to let him off the hook for this! ¡°Mm, I know.¡± Simrly, Sophie was going to settle the score with yton. Unsurprisingly, the video of a member of The Wheelers hitting someone trended the next morning. Chapter 343 Chapter 343 There might not have been any evidence to back those usations up previously, but this time, there was a video of Sunny hitting someone. When Xandra woke up early in the morning, she initially nned to execute her public rtions n, only toe across that video. Thus, she had no other choice but to drop everything in hand and phone Sophie at once. ¡°What¡¯s going on, Sophie?¡± Right then, the video of Sunny hitting someone was trending on various major video streaming websites. Many of The Wheelers¡¯ fans had also gone silent, utterly disappointed in their idol. ¡°I¡¯m already at the office. Come to the conference room.¡± After going back that night, Sophie only slept for a while. When Xandra arrived at the conference room, she saw that Sophie was already there. ¡°How¡¯s Sunny?¡± ¡°He¡¯s severely injured and will have to stay in the hospital for quite some time.¡± ¡°Jeez, he really shouldn¡¯t have been so impulsive and created such a mess at this critical juncture.¡± Sheer exasperation inundated Xandra. ¡°There¡¯s no use saying such things now. The only thing we can do is to figure out a way to minimize the damage.¡± ¡°I know.¡± I can only halt the initial n for public rtions, or it¡¯ll be a forced whitewashing in the eyes of fans. ¡°I¡¯ll send you some informationter. I have faith in your capabilities.¡± That remark had Xandra feeling very much helpless. ¡°Since you¡¯ve already said as much, can I gainsay you?¡± Seeing that I¡¯ve already allied myself with her, I¡¯ve got no choice but to travel down the path to the very end. Meanwhile, Jonathan had also arrived at thepany. When he learned that Sophie was in the conference room, he instantly headed over to seek her out. ¡°yton contacted me, Ms. Tanner.¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± What else does he want for him to contact Jonathan at such a time? ¡°He wants to see you.¡± Jonathan knew that he shouldn¡¯t allow Sophie to meet with yton, but there was really no other way then. ¡°Just ignore him, Sophie. I can handle this,¡± Xandra dered confidently. ¡°Set up an appointment with him.¡± Even if he hadn¡¯t sought me out, I would¡¯ve sought him out. Since he made a move against someone close to me, I¡¯ll never let this matter slide! ¡°Sophie.¡± Xandra shot Sophie a disapproving look. yton is downright reprehensible, so she¡¯d only be on the losing end if she were to meet with him. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, for I¡¯ll be fine.¡± Conversely, Sophie didn¡¯t fear yton at all. yton set the venue of the meeting at an exceedingly refined caf¨¦. He was positive that Sophie would agree to meet him, so he had been waiting there eons ago. As soon as he spotted her, he got up from his seat with a bright smile on his face. To be honest, she¡¯s indeed a stunning beauty. No wonder Tristan likes her. Even I am a touch enthralled by the sight of her! Striding over, Sophie pulled out a chair and sat down. ¡°In truth, Sophie, I didn¡¯t want to see things getting to this. Sunny was really too impulsive. Anyway, I was only defending myself. Are you sure you want to invest so much money into such a band? I¡¯m genuinely worried on your behalf,¡± yton remarked sincerely. ¡°What do you mean?¡± At that moment, Sophie was gripped by the urge to pin him to the ground and pummel him to death. Still, she was calm and unruffled on the surface. I shall see what trick he¡¯s up to since he specially asked me out. ¡°Well, here¡¯s what I think. Since you want to have some fun in the entertainment industry, why don¡¯t we team up?¡± As long as she¡¯s willing to coborate with me, all the problems The Wheelers are facing right now will no longer be of any issue. Seeing as I¡¯ve got the capability of making such a fuss, I¡¯m naturally capable of suppressing everything. Right now, it all hinges on her choice. In all honesty, The Wheelers can really make money. How could I possibly be willing to lose such a profitable band? ¡°How do you want to team up?¡±Content held by N?velDrama.Org. At that question from Sophie, triumph flooded yton. Sure enough, she¡¯s still a little girl! Now that she has encountered such a problem, she must be at a total loss. As expected, she¡¯s willing to coborate with me obediently. ¡°It¡¯s simple. Sky Media acquires yourpany, and I¡¯ll give you ten percent of the shares.¡± Hearing that, Sophie couldn¡¯t help sneering. He really takes me for a fool, huh? Her motive in meeting him that day was to teach him a lesson, so she asserted, ¡°You shouldn¡¯t have treated Sunny in such a manner, yton. I¡¯d never team up with you. But I¡¯m very much interested in the acquisition proposal you mentioned. How about this? If you go on your knees and beg me now, I¡¯ll begrudgingly acquire Sky Media.¡± yton had never expected her to answer in such a way. When he had gathered his wits about him, he scoffed, ¡°Have you never heard that the real world is dangerous, little girl? To be this arrogant, do you even have the capabilities to back it up? And you say you want to acquire Sky Media?¡± How delusional of her! ¡°You can regard it as a joke, but let me tell you that you¡¯ll soon learn I¡¯m not messing around with you.¡± Sophie stood up from her seat. Then, she continued, ¡°Anyway, that¡¯s something for the future. I only came today to help Sunny teach you a lesson. No one had ever managed to escape unscathed after having made a move against someone around me.¡± In response, yton inexorably snorted. ¡°Hah! And here I thought Tristan liked someone utterly extraordinary, but you turned out to be nothing special, merely looking pleasing to the eyes.¡± She wants to deal with me? Even Tristan doesn¡¯t dare utter such an arrogant statement! Sophie then marched toward him. ¡°Defending yourself? Are you kidding me? You almost beat Sunny to death, yet you¡¯re telling me that you were merely defending yourself!¡± Walking right up to him, she pushed him hard. Again, yton hadn¡¯t anticipated her to be so violent that she would get physical with him. He stumbled back a step from the force. Following that, he frowned dangerously as he stared at Sophie in front of him. ¡°Why, do you also want to getid up at the hospital for a week?¡± At longst, he no longer acted civilly with her. So what if she¡¯s beautiful? Does she really think that I¡¯d indulge her? ¡°Come, let¡¯s fight!¡± Sophie was unbelievably haughty when she said that. However, that was her true self. ¡°You¡¯re sure you want to fight with me?¡± I¡¯ve never fought with a woman, to be honest. Flexing her wrists, Sophie hooked a finger at the man. ¡°Cut the crap and just fight me.¡± Ugh! I hate all this yakking. yton didn¡¯t bother taking the woman before him seriously. Unexpectedly, Sophie threw him over her shoulder as soon as she made her move. That aside, she didn¡¯t hold back at all, for he felt as though all the bones in his body had shattered. Only then did he realize that she was serious. He climbed up from the ground, his gaze turning frightfully menacing. Since she wants to y, I won¡¯t show her any mercy! ¡°I hope you don¡¯t regret it.¡± Today, I¡¯m going to teach her a lesson in humility. Otherwise, someone else will deal with her sooner orter if she continues acting so condescending. Chapter 344 Chapter 344 ¡°What did you just say?¡± Tristan was initially sitting behind his office desk, working, but he immediately shot to his feet after listening to Felix¡¯s words. ¡°You heard me!¡± yton is really gutsy that he dares to ask Sophie out for a meeting. Promptly getting up from his chair, Tristan snagged his jacket and strode out. ¡°Where are you going, Mr. Tristan? Don¡¯t worry, for Sophie will definitely be fine, considering her capabilities!¡± After all, she can even defeat mercenaries. ¡°Shut up.¡± No matter how capable Sophie is, she¡¯s still a young girl at the end of the day. But what about yton? Everyone knows of his vicious methods as he has been through ups and downs in the business world for many years. At Tristan¡¯s obstinacy, Felix could only follow him despite feeling certain there wouldn¡¯t be any problems. Meanwhile, Mark flew into a rage upon learning that yton asked Sophie out alone. ¡°Hadn¡¯t I told you this, Jonathan? We¡¯ll handle this matter ourselves! Are you not aware of the kind of person yton is? Yet, you allowed Sophie to meet with him alone? Do you know what would happen?¡± Verily, he didn¡¯t dare imagine what he would do if something were to befall Sophie when Sunny was alreadyid up in the hospital. Jonathan kept silent, saying nary a word. Truly, I had no choice either! Besides, she¡¯s a girl. No matter how despicable he is, he probably won¡¯t stoop so low as to hit a girl, right? ¡°Don¡¯t panic first, Mark. No matter how evil he is, he won¡¯t go as far as hitting a girl!¡± ¡°Do you really not know the kind of person he is?¡± After saying that, Mark marched right out. Left with no other recourse, Jonathan could only chase after him. ¡°Where are you going, Mark? You¡¯d ruin things if you were to go over now.¡± s, Mark didn¡¯t care about all that. Ultimately, he merely wanted to go and protect Sophie right then. I¡¯ll never allow anyone to hurt her, no one! Tristan and Mark arrived at the caf¨¦ at almost the same time. When they arrived, there was no one in the caf¨¦ but yton¡¯s subordinates. At that situation, Mark¡¯s heart jolted. yton is a veritable degenerate! Please don¡¯t tell me he has done something to Sophie. If something really happens to her, I¡¯ll never forgive myself for the rest of my life. ¡°Where¡¯s Sophie?¡± he demanded tersely. The instant yton¡¯s subordinates saw that Mark had arrived, the entire group of them came out. ¡°You¡¯d best not go in and disrupt Mr. Zales, Mark! Otherwise¡ª¡± Before the bodyguard had even finished speaking, he took a punch from Mark. ¡°Get out of my way!¡± Not a single word was getting through to Mark at that moment. ¡°Calm down, Mark!¡± Felix could only urge the man topose himself as he watched at the side. Truly, Sophie will be fine. Right now, they should be worried about yton instead! ¡°Buzz off!¡± Tristan likewise hadn¡¯t the time to yak there. Right then, he wanted to be by Sophie¡¯s side. How could she agree to meet yton alone? Didn¡¯t I already tell her that I want to bear everything with her at all times? Why didn¡¯t she tell me about this? Anyhow, all this isn¡¯t important at present. The most important thing now is to take her away from here safely. Needless to say, the few bodyguards refused to allow them entry. In a sh, the two parties went up in blows. Both Felix and Mark were trained inbat, so they had no problem handling a few bodyguards. Naturally, Jonathan had alsoe over. At the sight of the current situation, he acted as well. D*mn it! No matter what, we can¡¯t allow Sophie to be picked on for nothing! Enough is enough! While both parties were fighting in full swing, Sophie walked out from inside. Glimpsing such a crowd outside, she was inexorably stunned. ¡°Why are you all here?¡± All that aside, she appeared perfectly fine, still as beautiful as ever without a hair out of ce. ¡°Are you okay?¡± Mark asked as soon as he caught sight of her. ¡°Do I not look fine?¡± Hurrying over to her, Tristan wrapped an arm around her waist. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you tell me beforeing over, you little imp? Don¡¯t you know that I¡¯ll worry?¡± Sophie knew that he was really worried about her, so she didn¡¯t argue with him. ¡°It was merely an insignificant matter, so I didn¡¯t tell you guys.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± Sophie said to the others. The few bodyguards were promptly worried when they saw no signs of yton. At once, they charged in to look for the man. In a private room in the caf¨¦, they found yton, who had been beaten to a pulp. ¡°yton!¡± They all swiftly rushed forward. ¡°Where¡¯s she?¡± yton questioned in aggrieve. Never had I imagined that I¡¯d be pummeled so badly by a girl! ¡°She has been taken away, yton. What happened to you?¡± The few bodyguards didn¡¯t dare say that it was their first time seeing the man in such a pathetic state. ¡°Who took her away?¡± At that very second, yton was seized by the urge to rip Sophie into a thousand pieces. ¡°Mr. Tristan and Mr. Northley.¡± They¡¯re both people we can¡¯t afford to offend! Immediately, words eluded yton. ¡°What should we do now, yton?¡± That was Mr. Tristan! Who would dare go against him? We really couldn¡¯t do anything about it! ¡°D*mn it!¡± Argh! Tristan is always going against me! One of these days, I¡¯d definitely have him wishing he were dead! ¡°Oh God, are you all blind? Hurry up and send me to the hospital!¡± yton had been beaten up so badly that even his mouth was bleeding. The few bodyguards quickly helped yton up to take him to the hospital. When they stepped out of the caf¨¦, Tristan and the others were still there. At the sight of yton¡¯s sorry state, Felix couldn¡¯t help sucking in a breath. Is Sophie really a woman? How could there be such a savage woman in this world? This is simply horrifying! It went without saying that Mark likewise caught sight of yton¡¯s condition. Unbidden, he stole a nce at Sophie. Was it really her who beat him up? Indeed, he¡¯s in a pretty pathetic state. Xandra, on the other hand, had started handling the public rtions crisis. Her capabilities were naturally top-notch. She brought The Wheelers¡¯ treatment back when they were in Sky Media to light. It included a lot of evidence, including the incident in which Sunny sustained an injury. Additionally, she leaked how Sky Media had been oppressing The Wheelers this time, their despicable action of internal purchase to make their songs top hits, and the like. In the blink of an eye, Sky Media¡¯s reputation plummeted sharply. Even their share prices dropped significantly. At this time, yton was still lying in the hospital. When Willow learned about all that, she instantly went to the hospital to visit him. Her eyes turned red-rimmed when she saw that he had been beaten up so badly. ¡°Are you okay, yton?¡± In response, yton rolled his eyes. D*mn it! Is she blind or what? Do I look as though I¡¯m fine right now? I¡¯m not okay at all! ¡°Get out. I don¡¯t want to see any woman with the family name of Tanner presently.¡± Verily, he was incandescent. At that, Willow was entirely bewildered. All content is property ? N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Did I do something wrong, yton?¡± I merely came over to visit him! Chapter 345 Chapter 345 ¡°Do you still not know what you¡¯ve done wrong? Listen up, then. Your existence alone is a huge mistake! Happy now?¡± yton retorted. He was burning with so much anger that it was nearly impossible for anyone to get through to him. ¡°Your sister beat yton up so badly, yet you still have the cheek to show up,¡± yton¡¯s assistant chimed in angrily. ¡°Have youe here tough at us?¡± ¡°What? Are you talking about Sophie? yton, I honestly had no idea. I¡¯ve never been on good terms with her, so I don¡¯t know what she gets up to,¡± Willow hastily exined. Argh! How dare this wretched Sophie drag me into this mess! It took so much effort for me to get close to yton. ¡°That¡¯s enough. I know you have nothing to do with this matter, but in any case, you should head home first,¡± yton snapped. Oh, I won¡¯t forget what I¡¯ve had to put up with today. This matter is far from over! Just then, Sky Media¡¯s public rtions manager barged in. ¡°Bad news, yton. Something¡¯s happened.¡± ¡°What is it? Why are you in such a panic?¡± yton replied, still feeling highly irritable. ¡°You¡¯ve worked with me long enough and been in all kinds of sticky situations. Must you still lose your cool like that?¡± ¡°Things aren¡¯t looking good, yton. TS Entertainment leaked news and evidence that were unfavorable to us, and our share prices have been falling since,¡± the manager muttered. As a matter of fact, he was already at his wits¡¯ end. Otherwise, he wouldn¡¯t have sought yton for help.C¨°ntens bel0ngs to N?(v)elDr/a/ma.Org The next second, the manager handed his tablet to yton so thetter could check out the scandal brewing online. Sure enough, fans of The Wheelers were all attacking Sky Media. Not only had they brought up the time yton released rumors about the band members abusing drugs, but they were alsomenting on how The Wheelers had been bullied and coerced during their time in Sky Media. ¡°Have you hired ghostwriters to try to sway public opinion?¡± yton asked. If this goes on, the entire public will turn against us. It also doesn¡¯t help that our stocks have already fallen very drastically¡­ ¡°I have, but it¡¯s useless against The Wheelers¡¯ fans.¡± Interestingly enough, it was only two days ago when rumors about The Wheelers had reduced their fans to silence. They were disappointed with their favorite band and even believed they had been blind to support them. However, things were different now. As soon as they learned what The Wheelers had had to endure in the past, the fans began to chastise themselves instead for doubting the band members. After all, The Wheelers were the best in their eyes and could never havemitted any misdeeds. Moreover, they also finally understood why Sunny had gotten into a fight. How could he not when he had been mistreated and yed for a fool? Anyone in his shoes would¡¯ve done the same thing. Naturally, the fans continued toment on the online discussion boards: Sky Media is a bloodsucking company! How dare they treat The Wheelers so poorly! Exactly! They¡¯ve gone too far! If I ever run into yton Zales, I¡¯ll make sure he pays for what he¡¯s done. Easier said than done, my friend. Aren¡¯t you aware of yton¡¯s reputation? He mightnd you in the hospital if you make one wrong move. Having seen how badly Sunny was beaten up, it was understandable that fans would feel and think that way. yton, however, had seen enough and threw the tablet aside in a fit of anger. ¡°You are my public rtions manager, for goodness¡¯ sake. Why aren¡¯t you handling this problem? What¡¯s the use of showing me thesements?¡± ¡°I¡¯m trying to, yton!¡± the manager replied with a helpless look. ¡°But the other party¡¯s too good, and I¡¯m at my wits¡¯ end! If this scandal continues blowing up, Sky Media will be doomed.¡± ¡°D*mn it. I¡¯m sure Tristan¡¯s the mastermind! Why must he always pit himself against me?¡± Meanwhile, back in TS Entertainment, Sophie was satisfied with how Xandra had handled the matter. ¡°So? Have I put your mind at ease?¡± Xandra asked with a chuckle. ¡°Of course. Haven¡¯t I said before that I haveplete faith in you?¡± Sophie quipped. With Xandra around, she hadn¡¯t felt worried since the incident urred. She was, however, angry with herself. If she had protected Sunny better, he wouldn¡¯t have gotten so seriously injured. ¡°This matter isn¡¯t over yet. I want you to continue keeping an eye on it. Let me know if you need more evidence,¡± Sophie instructed. As it turned out, one of the reasons Xandra had carried the n out so beautifully was that Sophie had provided her with a mountain of evidence. Therefore, no matter how many ghostwriters yton tried to hire, they¡¯d never be able to refute the evidence avable. ¡°Well, carry on with your work, and don¡¯t worry about thepany. I¡¯ll help you keep an eye on it,¡± Xandra stated. She can trust me with this, can¡¯t she? ¡°All right, then. I¡¯ll head back first.¡± With that, Sophie made her way out, only to find Tristan and Mark still waiting for her. Unsurprisingly, Mark also hadn¡¯t expected things to turn out the way they did. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Mark! I got this,¡± Sophie reassured. Of course, Mark knew how capable she was. She had gotten everything under control in less than a day, so how could anyone not have faith in her? ¡°Yes, I know,¡± Mark replied. Ah, I¡¯m just worried about her. After all, she¡¯s going up against yton, the most despicable sc*mbag there ever was! ¡°Please be careful, Sophie. I don¡¯t wish to see you get hurt because of us,¡± Mark added, voiceced with concern. ¡°You have nothing to worry about! No one can harm me. Besides, I have Tristan by my side. He won¡¯t let anyone hurt me either!¡± Sophie answered. Mark may not believe my capabilities, but I¡¯m sure he can trust Tristan! Upon hearing that, Tristan beamed with joy. After so long, he finally had a spot in her heart. ¡°I know, I know,¡± Mark mumbled. I know the two of them are very capable, but I still can¡¯t help but worry about Sophie, can I? Isn¡¯t that what it means to like someone? Even though I¡¯m aware she doesn¡¯t have romantic feelings for me, it doesn¡¯t mean I¡¯ll ever stop caring for her¡­ Eagle-eyed as always, it wasn¡¯t hard for Sophie to tell that Mark was still feeling uneasy. My goodness. Could I have scared him? Is that why he¡¯s so worried? ¡°Trust me, Mark. I¡¯m not a weakling. Please don¡¯t worry.¡± ¡°Yes, I understand. Anyway, I¡¯m going to the hospital now. Do you want toe along?¡± ¡°No. I still have some matters to tend to. I¡¯ll visit Sunnyter.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± With that, Mark turned and left all by his lonesome. For some reason, the sight of him invoked a feeling of sadness in Sophie. When Tristan caught her staring at Mark¡¯s retreating figure, he walked up to her and wrapped an arm around her waist. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°I seem to have made him very worried,¡± Sophie muttered. That had never been her intention, and she hated how things had turned out. To her surprise, Tristan snorted. ¡°You¡¯ve made me very worried too! Do you know how awful I felt when I heard you were meeting yton alone? Sophie, can you please not do something so reckless again in the future? I was so scared that my heart almost leaped out!¡± Chapter 346 Chapter 346 ¡°I know, I know. I promise not to scare you like this in the future. Is that enough?¡± Sophie was exasperated as she did not do it on purpose. She merely thought yton was a nobody and went to solve the problem herself. On the other hand, Tristan waspletely speechless about what had happened. Forget it. I can do nothing about her anyway. Even though TS Entertainment had done an excellent job managing public rtions, he knew it was not enough for Sophie. The matter was not over yet, as yton had attacked Sunny. ¡°So what are you going to do now?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll take my time and y with him, making him suffer physically and mentally.¡± Sophie thought it would be boring to take yton down instantly. To her, it was always better to take things slowly at such a critical moment. She was not in a hurry anyway. ¡°As long as you¡¯re happy with it.¡± Tristan would deal with yton once Sophie had had enough. He could never forgive yton for trying to make a move on Sophie. In the afternoon, Sophie had to return to school because of somemitments. As soon as Ysabelle saw her, she asked, ¡°Sophie, how¡¯s Sunny doing?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry. He¡¯s fine.¡± The girls chatted as they strolled. Suddenly, Willow appeared and blocked their way. Ysabelle rolled her eyes when she saw Willow. This girl is so annoying! Both of us don¡¯t want to have anything to do with her, yet she still keeps showing up and challenging the limit of our patience. ¡°Sophie Tanner! You have a death wish, don¡¯t you? Even if you have one, please don¡¯t drag the Tanner family into your mess. Don¡¯t you know what kind of person yton is? How dare you beat him up like that? Can you bear the responsibility if he retaliates against the Tanner family?¡± Willow was boiling with anger. Unfortunately, she was no match for Sophie. If she could defeat Sophie, she would have beaten Sophie to death to stop her from dragging their family into the mess. ¡°I know what I¡¯ve done. There¡¯s no need for you to lecture me here.¡± Sophie was not courteous toward her in the slightest. ¡°You¡­¡± Willow was so enraged that she was trembling from head to toe. ¡°You¡¯ve messed up big time, Sophie. There¡¯s no way the Zales family will let you off. Do you really think Mr. Tristan would turn his back on yton because of you?¡± In truth, Willow was delighted to see yton being in such a sorry state because of Sophie. When she thought Sophie would be in deep trouble and she herself would be the only center of attention in the Tanner family, she was secretly happy. Seeing Willow like that made Sophie sneer, ¡°You wish to see me in deep trouble, huh?¡± Willow was rendered speechless. She didn¡¯t expect Sophie to say the words she had in mind aloud. ¡°How could you think of me that way, Sophie! Did you say that out of sheer malevolence? I never thought of it that way. I only hope you won¡¯t get me involved in your matter.¡± Of course, Willow would never admit it. ¡°Malevolence? Aren¡¯t you the most malevolent person in this world?¡± Ysabelle felt as if she had heard the world¡¯s greatest joke. Words eluded Willow. ¡°Ysabelle, why are you so shameless? You follow Sophie all day long, so you better be careful and not get into deep trouble like her,¡± Willow cursed. ¡°Well, I don¡¯t know if I¡¯ll get into deep trouble, but I can tell that you are getting into trouble right now.¡± Ysabelle stepped forward and grabbed Willow¡¯s arm. ¡°Do you want us to whack you to stop you from getting our attention daily?¡± ¡°You little¡­¡± Willow nced at Sophie. She did not dare to make a move with her around. ¡°Let me go, Ysabelle.¡± ¡°Get lost.¡± Ysabelle gave Willow a shove as she spoke. Does she think a person like her can be popr? Although difort boiled within Willow, she knew that Ysabelle was not someone she could trifle with. ¡°Just you wait, Sophie. You will definitely get yourself into trouble sooner orter.¡± She fled the scene as soon as her words fell. ¡°Sophie, Willow is really¡­¡± Ysabelle was at a loss for words to describe Willow. In short, she thought the girl was disgusting. ¡°Just ignore her.¡± Sophie had never considered Willow as a rival. Thus, she never gave a hoot about what Willow did. ¡°Hmph! I wonder what she is so smug about. She doesn¡¯t even know where she stands,¡± Ysabelle couldn¡¯t help butment. After the third lesson in the afternoon, Ysabelle, knowing that Sophie would visit Sunny, immediately said she wished to tag along. ¡°Soph, let¡¯s go together!¡± She thought it was boring for her to stay at school alone for the evening self- study session. All content is property ? N?velDrama.Org. ¡°You¡¯d better not go. Now is the critical period of senior year. You won¡¯t be able to get into Jipsdale University if you don¡¯t improve your grades now.¡± Ysabelle was rendered speechless. She wanted to follow Sophie, but what thetter said was true. ¡°Will you shun me if I fail to get into Jipsdale University?¡± ¡°I won¡¯t. But it may be a little hard for you to step into the entertainment industry by then.¡± ¡°Fine! I¡¯ll stay back and continue the evening self-study session, then.¡± Ysabelle puffed her cheeks. ¡°Forget about it. Don¡¯t worry. Even if you fail to get into Jipsdale University, I will still find a way to make your father agree to it.¡± Ysabelle wrapped her arms around Sophie¡¯s neck upon hearing that. ¡°You¡¯re indeed my benefactor, Sophie.¡± Ysabelle grinned. ¡°The person I like the most in this world is you!¡± It did not matter to her whether she got into Jipsdale University. She was happy as long as she was able to be with Sophie. When the girls walked out, Tristan was already waiting for them outside. He couldn¡¯t help but frown when he saw Ysabelle beside Sophie. ¡°Ysabelle, you¡¯re being tooxtely,¡± said Tristan disapprovingly. Although he agreed to let her enter the entertainment industry, her father had yet to consent. Ysabelle¡¯s father has not agreed to it, so how can she be so self-indulgent? This isn¡¯t good. ¡°Uncle Tristan, I want to visit Sunny too. Don¡¯t worry¡ªthis is thest time. I promise I¡¯ll never skip ss again,¡± Ysabelle promised. Is this enough? ¡°All right. Stop lecturing her. I¡¯m the one who agreed to take her along. Skipping one evening self-study session won¡¯t affect anything anyway.¡± Sophie spoke up for Ysabelle. Hearing that, Ysabelle immediately gave Sophie a grateful look. Uncle Tristan won¡¯t do anything to me as long as Sophie is here. ¡°All right.¡± Sure enough, Tristan did not say anything else. As Ysabelle expected, he would do anything Sophie said. When they arrived at the ward, several members of The Wheelers were already there. Seeing them like that somehow made Sophie feel bad. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for failing to protect you guys.¡± ¡°Sophie, what are you talking about? I was the one who asked for it. It had nothing to do with you, and I didn¡¯t want to get you involved either.¡± Sunny was mad back then. That was why he lost his mind and went to yton. ¡°I never expect yton to be so good at fistfights, though.¡± Mark did not say anything. After all, Sunny had yet to know Sophie had already beaten yton up as severely as Sunny. ¡°What should we do now? TS Entertainment has done a great job with its public rtions. We¡¯re trending right now, but there¡¯s no way for Sunny to be on shows looking like this.¡± No matter how cool and distant the artists were, they still had to make appearances for publicity when their albums were released. However, they could not do so at the moment. Chapter 347 Chapter 347 ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry about this matter! The promotion can wait, don¡¯t rush it.¡± Currently, The Wheelers were trending. Their new album had already achieved the top ranking. Sky Media¡¯s Freezewave was simply no match for them. ¡°Sophie, I¡¯m sorry.¡± Sunny apologized yet again. It¡¯s all my fault. Things wouldn¡¯t have gotten to this point if I hadn¡¯t acted impulsively. ¡°Stop apologizing to me, Sunny! I already arranged for the best orthopedist to treat your hand!¡± The most important matter right now is his hands. The rest really doesn¡¯t matter. ¡°Okay.¡± Naturally, Sunny didn¡¯t dare to have any opinion. He would obey Sophie, no matter what she said. ¡°Sophie, who exactly is the public rtions manager you¡¯ve hired? How are they so impressive?¡± Sunny asked curiously. ¡°I don¡¯t think you two know each other. Her name is Xandra Yandell. You¡¯ll meet her in the future.¡± No one in the entertainment industry didn¡¯t know who Xandra Yandell was. Sunny was stunned. ¡°I can¡¯t believe our public rtions manager is Xandra.¡± There wasn¡¯t anything in the entertainment industry that couldn¡¯t be settled by Xandra. As long as she was there, she could handle any public rtions crisis happening to the artists. ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Mark didn¡¯t expect himself to have heard about Xandra as well. He just hadn¡¯t met her in person before. Besides, the past few encounters were done in a hurry. Thus, he never thought that the person was Xandra. After keeping Sunnypany for over an hour, Sophie and Tristan left with Ysabelle. The university entrance exam was around the corner, so Tristan sent Sophie and Ysabelle to their evening self-study session. ¡°Go ahead. I¡¯ll pick you up after you¡¯re done with your session,¡± said Tristan. Meanwhile, merely a day had passed, yet Sky Media¡¯s stock prices had already plummeted drastically. At Sky Media¡¯s entrance, many of Mark¡¯s fans camped there, demanding Sky Media get an exnation from yton regarding The Wheelers. They were holding up banners and protesting at the entrance. Sky Media¡¯s Freezewave was severely affected because of this issue. At the moment, no one dared to invite them to go on shows. Therefore, they didn¡¯t get to promote their albums at all. Besides, their music was only cool on the surface level. They were really doomed this time. Everyone in Sky Media was in a chaotic uproar. No one knew what to do next. Moreover, yton wasn¡¯t there. Everyone in thepany was panicking. All they could do was arrange for most of the security guards to maintain order at the entrance. Meanwhile, yton had already pulled all the strings avable. Nheless, he still couldn¡¯t stop the rumors from spreading. The evidence against them was being exposed, one after another. yton threw a fit in the ward. The public rtions manager stood in front of yton and didn¡¯t even dare to breathe loudly. ¡°You¡¯ve been working at Sky Media for a long time, but you can¡¯t even settle this kind of issue? What right do you have to stay at Sky Media?¡± yton scolded. ¡°I really did my best, yton. It¡¯s just that no matter what ideas we came up with, they could make all our efforts go to waste quickly.¡± The opponent was simply too strong. Every time they thought they were about to settle the crisis, they would immediately be proven wrong. ¡°I don¡¯t care what method you use. This matter must be fixed by tomorrow.¡± Sky Media would be over if this continued. The public rtions manager replied, ¡°I¡¯ve genuinely run out of ideas, yton.¡± I¡¯d always thought of myself as being quite formidable. Yet, I really do not know how to handle such an opponent this time. There is nothing I can do about this as well. I mean, who doesn¡¯t want to get their job done? ¡°You¡ª¡± yton was so pissed that he was about to lose his mind. How can he speak so matter-of- factly about his own ipetence? The public rtions manager didn¡¯t dare to utter a word. He was handling this situation with one attitude¡ªif yton wanted to reprimand someone, just let him be and allow him to vent his anger. However, if yton really wanted him to handle this situation, he was too powerless to do so. ¡°You¡­¡± yton couldn¡¯t speak another word because of how angry he was. yton had personally made a few phone calls, but there was no way to delete those videos on the inte. He had tried using all of his connections but to no avail. ¡°Tristan. This must be that b*stard Tristan¡¯s doing,¡± yton muttered. Tristan has always had issues with me. If it weren¡¯t for him, how could these people be brave enough to reject me? ¡°Call Sophie.¡± ¡°yton, are you sure you want to contact her again? Last time, both of you had just met for less than half an hour, but you were already beaten up, and you even ended up like this,¡± said yton¡¯s bodyguard. Content held by N?velDrama.Org. Hearing that, yton¡¯s temper red immediately. ¡°How dare you say such a thing to me? You¡¯re my bodyguard, yet you didn¡¯t even know I¡¯d been beaten up, and you¡¯re still shameless enough to keep getting your paycheck!¡± The bodyguard dared not say another word. He was the one who insisted on meeting Sophie alone in the first ce. Besides, she is just a tiny girl. How would we know she was powerful enough to be able to beat him up badly? Naturally, they couldn¡¯t say these words aloud. If not, yton would just throw a bigger tantrum. ¡°What? Do you have a problem with what I said?¡± Seeing the look on the bodyguard¡¯s face, yton felt ufortable again. The bodyguard shook his head instantly. ¡°Of course not. I don¡¯t have any opinion about that, and I don¡¯t dare to have one. I also won¡¯t have one no matter what.¡± yton was enraged and speechless. Instantly, the bodyguard exited the ward. He couldn¡¯t stay in front of yton any longer. If not, he would really be finished. ¡°yton, if even you are not able to handle this issue, it¡¯s impossible for me to do anything as well. Isn¡¯t that so?¡± The public rtions manager didn¡¯t wish to talk but had no choice. ¡°Y-You¡­ Are you f*cking mocking me? Are you the boss? Or am I the boss here?¡± yton was extremely grumpy at that moment. Moreover, he tugged on his wounds after getting riled up, and the pain led him to clench his jaw. ¡°Let¡¯s do it this way. Contact Mark for me. I want to meet him alone.¡± As long as Mark was willing to have a word with him, it would be more useful than anything else. ¡°Will hee? He¡¯s our rival now, after all,¡± asked the public rtions manager. To be frank, The Wheelers had suffered much unfair treatment when they were under Sky Media back then. They were also oppressed many times. Besides, yton had beaten up Sunny. Everyone knew that the five members of The Wheelers were tight-knit, so they must still resent yton for causing Sunny¡¯s injuries. It was simply impossible for them to speak up for Sky Media. ¡°So what? Are you saying that I should just lie here and wait for Sky Media to be doomed?¡± yton questioned. Money wasn¡¯t the biggest issue here. This situation would also affect his dignity. ¡°I don¡¯t care what we have to do. Contact them. As long as we can end this matter, I will agree to whatever conditions they offer.¡± When Mark received a call from Sky Media, he was in the midst of discussing the promotion matters with Sophie. ¡°Who¡¯s calling you? Why aren¡¯t you answering the call?¡± Sophie asked when she saw Mark spacing out while staring at the phone. Chapter 348 Chapter 348 ¡°It¡¯s Sky Media,¡± Mark stated. He figured there was no point hiding it from Sophie because it was just a matter of time before she found out anyway. ¡°Answer it. I¡¯d like to see what hidden agenda they have.¡± Sophie had never retreated in the face of challenges. In fact, she was looking forward to seeing what yton would do. ¡°Sophie, yton¡¯s a handful. I think we should just stay away from him.¡± Despite knowing that they had the upper hand in that situation, Mark was still worried. ¡°It¡¯s okay. We¡¯ll be able to handle this.¡± Speaking, Sophie took Mark¡¯s phone and answered it before putting it on speaker, rendering Mark speechless. ¡°Mark, yton would like to meet you. This is bad for everyone, so you shouldn¡¯t drag this out. Why don¡¯t you just sit down and talk to him? Both of you are living in Jipsdale. You guys will still meet one another anyway,¡± Sky Media¡¯s public rtions manager persuaded patiently. ¡°There¡¯s nothing left to talk about between us.¡± Mark was still furious after what had happened. yton shouldn¡¯t have touched Sunny! Sunny was bedridden in the hospital, and there was little chance of his hand ever recovering. ¡°Mark, are you sure you want to burn your bridges? Do you think you¡¯ll still be able to survive in this industry without Sky Media?¡± The manager said so because he had no idea what yton was like, but his statement triggered Mark. ¡°What do you mean? Are you still using his influence to threaten me now that things have turned out like this?¡± Mark questioned in fury. ¡°What I just said is reality. You guys indeed have the advantage now, but how can you guarantee that things will remain this way forever?¡± ¡°Just shut up.¡± Mark hung up the phone. ¡°Did you hear that, Sophie? They are not letting go of any chance!¡± Mark felt he had nothing to lose if that issue concerned just himself¡ªbut not if his bandmates from The Wheelers were to be affected. ¡°Calm down, Mark. There¡¯s no point getting so worked up. Sky Media is in a mess now. Just wait till I procure theirpany. I bet yton won¡¯t be able to behave so arrogantly after that,¡± Sophie assured calmly, feeling that there was no point getting angry because of someone like yton. ¡°What did you just say?¡± Mark had never heard Sophie propose something that outrageous. C¨°ntens bel0ngs to N?(v)elDr/a/ma.Org ¡°I said I¡¯m buying Sky Media. Is there a problem with it?¡± ¡°Sophie, are you sure¡­¡± Mark¡¯s voice trailed off, for he did not know what else to say. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. I¡¯ll make sure yton pays for what he did.¡± Then, Sophie grabbed her phone and went outside. ¡°We¡¯re not stopping the promotion. The publicity department has already made the arrangements for you guys. We¡¯ve secured a few good music shows so far, so the four of you should go ahead first. We will see what we can do for Sunny after he recovers.¡± As many as three of the top five songs on various records charts were from The Wheelers¡¯test album at that time, and that propelled them to poprity again. yton had intended to crush the band, but what he did only made them more famous. ¡°Where are you going?¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to Lombard Group.¡± Sophie was thinking about asking Tristan for help. ¡°All right.¡± Mark said no more when he heard that Sophie was going to meet Tristan. Although Tristan had gifted Sophie a car, she still preferred taking a cab because driving a luxury car to school would attract unnecessary attention, so she usually hailed a cab instead. When Sophie arrived at thepany, the receptionist came out to wee her. ¡°Ms. Tanner, are you here for Mr. Lombard? I¡¯ll bring you over.¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay. I¡¯ll go up myself.¡± Sophie was not used to people being too cordial toward her. ¡°All right, then.¡± Thedy pressed the button at the elevator and sent her off. To employees like her, it was important that they get on Sophie¡¯s good side because she was the CEO¡¯s girlfriend. Otherwise, they would be in trouble if Tristan were to get angry. The elevator stopped on the nieth floor, and the door opened. Seeing that Sophie hade, the secretary stood up immediately to wee her. ¡°Ms. Tanner, Mr. Lombard¡¯s in a meeting. How about you wait for him in his office?¡± The secretary then ushered Sophie into the room. Since Tristan was engaged, Sophie made herselffortable on the couch and started designing a program for Arius. By the time Tristan got back from the meeting, he was dismayed to see her engrossed in her phone. To him, Sophie¡¯s screen time was so long that it worried him as that habit was not good for her eyes. It was not until he went over to sit beside her that Sophie realized he was back, so she exited the program on her phone and spoke to him. ¡°Has the meeting ended?¡± ¡°Yes. Sorry for the wait,¡± Tristan replied, massaging her eye area. Sophie did not stop him since it felt rxing for her. Tristan¡¯s so attentive. ¡°How are things with yton?¡± Tristan asked. He had not gotten involved thus far because he wanted Sophie to deal with the issue on her own first. ¡°I¡¯m still working on it. I n on buying Sky Media,¡± Sophie replied confidently. ¡°I see. Just do what you want. Let no one tell you otherwise.¡± Tristan was convinced that Sophie would make things work. ¡°But I need your help.¡± The truth was that Sophie could solve the problem on her own, but since Tristan had insisted on helping her, she thought it would be nice to let him do so, or else Tristan might start thinking that she did not trust him. As Sophie expected, Tristan¡¯s eyes sparkled when he heard her. ¡°Really? What is it? Tell me.¡± He was delighted because that was the first time Sophie solicited his help. At least she knows I¡¯m on her side when she runs into trouble. ¡°yton is trying to get the Bureau of Cultural Affairs to minimize the issue, but I can¡¯t just let him off the hook like this!¡± Since Sophie¡¯spany was part of the entertainment industry, things would turn ugly if the government got involved. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. I know the person in charge there. I¡¯ll make sure yton doesn¡¯t get things his way.¡± Sophie¡¯s request was nothing to Tristan, for it only required a call from him to get it done, so he took his phone and contacted the Bureau of Cultural Affairs¡¯ chief, who happened to be in a meeting. When the chief saw it was Tristan, he shot to his feet. ¡°You guys continue. I need to take this,¡± he said to the other attendees at the meeting. I can¡¯t afford to miss Mr. Tristan¡¯s call. I¡¯ve always wanted to get closer to him. ¡°Who is it? This is the first time the chief has gotten so nervous,¡± someone noted at the meeting. They had always thought that their head was aposed and powerful man. That was because they had never really seen him behaving like that. ¡°I have no idea who it is,¡± the secretary seated beside the chief answered, shaking his head. The chief carefully held his phone with both hands as he stepped out and picked up the call reverently. ¡°Good morning, Mr. Tristan. What can I do for you?¡± The chief could not wait for an opportunity to be of service to Tristan. If there were anything he could do for that man, the chief would readily give it his best, but after Tristan filled him in on everything that took ce, the chief was still confused about why Tristan wanted him to just sit and do nothing. Nheless, the chief knew it would be better for him to inste himself from the matter. After all, yton was involved. So, the chief assured Tristan, ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it, Mr. Tristan. I won¡¯t meddle with this no matter what.¡± That was the answer Tristan wanted, and he was pleased to hear that. ¡°Great. Just do nothing and ignore his calls.¡± Chapter 349 Chapter 349 ¡°Understood, Mr. Tristan. I¡¯ll do as you said. Is there anything else I can do?¡± ¡°That¡¯s all. Thank you for agreeing to this. We should get together for a meal someday.¡± The chief was exhrated when he heard that. ¡°Of course! I won¡¯t take up your time, then. Bye!¡± the chief replied knowingly. Content held by N?velDrama.Org. When the call ended, Tristan pulled Sophie into his arms. ¡°It¡¯s done. Feel free to do whatever you want. I¡¯ll always be here, no matter what the oue is. I¡¯ll tank it for you,¡± he assured with confidence. Sophie rested her head on his shoulder. She knew that Tristan would be able to help her no matter what her request was, but it still surprised her that he could get things done so swiftly. ¡°Thank you for doing this,¡± she uttered. Looking at how adorable Sophie was, Tristan could not hold it in any longer. He lifted her chin and kissed her deeply until she felt a suffocating sensation. ¡°Where should we go for lunch? It¡¯s on me. I want to thank you for helping me,¡± Sophie suggested. ¡°That¡¯s not enough, though.¡± ¡°What do you want then?¡± Sophie was sporting enough to give him whatever he wanted. ¡°How about marrying me?¡± Tristan asked with a smile. Sophie thought for a while. ¡°I need time to think about it. I need to see if I can entrust my whole life to you,¡± she replied jokingly. ¡°Why? Is there anything about me you¡¯re dissatisfied about?¡± Tristan genuinely wanted to know her answer, for he had always tried to be the best version of himself for her. ¡°Not really. At least not now, but who knows what will happen in the future?¡± Sophie understood that people in love usually got along well and could not wait to marry each other. However, problems would begin to surface after they got together. Sophie had no idea how things would evolve between her and Tristan in the future, but up till that moment, things had gone well between them. ¡°Good to know. I¡¯ll work hard and make sure you have nothing to worry about. I won¡¯t disappoint you. On the contrary, I¡¯ll make you regret not taking up my offer.¡± ¡°Mr. Tristan, I¡¯m so grateful to be the one you chose among all the people out there.¡± Sophie could not imagine her life without him, for his presence warmed her heart, and that was all she needed. Hearing this, Tristan tightened his arms around her. ¡°I didn¡¯t choose you. My heart did, and I followed where it led.¡± Tristan did not know why he felt attracted to her the first time he saw her. Perhaps it was love at first sight. As for the reason, it was not important anymore. All Sophie had to know was Tristan¡¯s love for her and that he would deal with everything that came their way no matter what they faced. ¡°All right. We should go for lunch now. I¡¯m hungry,¡± Sophie said as she pulled herself out of his embrace. Then, she reached out and tugged Tristan up from the couch. While they were on their way out, they bumped into Felix, who was eager to join them for lunch, but because Tristan was ring at him, Felix had no choice but to keep quiet begrudgingly. Come on, man! I¡¯ve worked so hard the whole day. Can¡¯t I at least have a meal with you guys? Why do I have to live like this? Sophie could not help butugh when she saw Felix¡¯s reaction. It urred to her that being with this group of friends had always brightened her day, and she enjoyed life like that. ¡°Let¡¯s go together, Mr. Northley.¡± Felix¡¯s eyes glimmered in excitement as he looked at Tristan. Can I really go? Can I really have a meal with you two? Seeing that Tristan did not refuse, Felix quickly passed his documents to his assistant. ¡°Bring these back to the office. You should go grab lunch after that, too,¡± Felix said to the man. Since it was lunchtime, it was necessary that everyone get a break. After that, the three of them went to a nearby restaurant. ¡°Actually, Mr. Northley, I might need a favor from you,¡± Sophie said when they were seated. ¡°What is it? I¡¯ll do everything I can to help.¡± Felix would agree to help Sophie even if she had not invited him to lunch since Ysabelle was extremely fond of Sophie. It went without saying that Felix would readily help if it were anything rted to Sophie. ¡°I believe you know that I¡¯m deeply offended by what yton did,¡± Sophie exined, emphasizing yton¡¯s name. It had been a long time since anyone had exasperated her so. ¡°So,¡± she continued, ¡°I¡¯m going all out to take him down. I know Zales Corporation has been preparing for a highly profitable public development project recently. Why don¡¯t you make a bid for that project too?¡± That n sounded reasonable to Sophie, for yton had also previously snatched other projects from them. ¡°Which project are you referring to?¡± Felix asked. Hearing this, Sophie took out a document file from her bag. ¡°Here are the details. You can take a look after you go back. I¡¯m sure you can do this,¡± Sophie assured, smiling, but Felix could not wait. He opened the file and looked at the content right away. When he had seen everything, he shot Tristan a nce. Just what kind of woman are you dating? How did she even get this document? ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Sophie. I¡¯ll make sure this is carried out. This project is indeed profitable.¡± Since Felix had agreed, it would only be a matter of time before yton saw his downfall. ¡°By the way, Sophie, please let me know if I ever do anything wrong,¡± Felix added. This woman is terrifying. She¡¯s slowly taking away everything yton has, and I bet that poor guy has no idea what¡¯s about to happen to him. ¡°Huh? I don¡¯t understand what you¡¯re trying to say,¡± Sophie answered with a polite smile as if she was innocent. Okay¡­ Well, I guess Tristan likes her no matter what. It¡¯s for the best, anyway. Tristan needs someone like her beside him. She¡¯ll be able to protect him if and when anything goes wrong. Felix¡¯s thoughts were not unfounded. Sophie and Tristan made a perfect power couple, and their influence spread all over Jipsdale. As for their friends like Felix, they only had to get things rolling for Tristan and Sophie backstage. Meanwhile, yton was still caught in deep misery because things made no progress, no matter who he looked to for help. At the same time, celebrities under Sky Media¡¯sbel hade forward to reveal how hical the company¡¯s contract was, and they were asking that their rights be upheld. In fact, more than ten celebrities had requested that they terminate their contract, and that infuriated yton. To him, he had done everything to make them sessful. They wouldn¡¯t even have made it if it were not for Sky Media! What a bunch of ingrates! Have they forgotten that it¡¯s our resources that push them to fame? ¡°yton, TS Entertainment must be behind this!¡± someone working for yton remarked. ¡°I agree. yton, I¡¯m afraid no one will sign any contract with us at this rate,¡± another person agreed. Chapter 350 Chapter 350 yton was still at the hospital, so he did not have the time to go to Sky Media. ¡°That¡¯s enough. I know what¡¯s happening. I need you all to talk to those who want to terminate their contracts. See what it is they want. Give them what they want and ask them to shut up.¡± yton¡¯s move was just a temporary retreat. He had made up his mind to teach those people a good lesson when things died down. There¡¯s no way I¡¯m letting you people walk all over me. Immediately after his assistant left, yton gave Sophie a call. It¡¯s time I reach out to her, or else this issue will never get resolved. However, even after calling more than ten times, Sophie did not pick up. yton could not believe that someone would actually ignore his calls. No one had ever dared to do that to him. At that moment, he thought of Willow, so he gave her a call instead. Willow was caught in distress when she received the call. She had thought she had a chance, but after Sophie beat yton up, the man was not even interested in seeing Willow. It had never urred to her that yton would call her at that point, and her hand shook uncontrobly when she saw yton¡¯s name on her phone. This is my chance. After a conversation with yton, Willow immediately ordered the driver to send her to the hospital, and within half an hour, she arrived at yton¡¯s ward. ¡°yton! How are you? You have no idea how worried I¡¯ve been over the past few days. I¡¯ve wanted to come and visit, but I was afraid you might not be happy to see me.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry aboutst time, Willow. I was in a bad mood back then. I shouldn¡¯t have said those things to you.¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay, yton. I understand. No one would be in the right headspace to talk nicely after being beaten up for no reason. Sophie¡¯s such a crook, but don¡¯t you worry. I¡¯m not rted to her in any way. I¡¯ll always be on your side.¡± Willow was quick to draw a clear line between her and Sophie, for she had decided to climb her way up the socialdder no matter the cost. ¡°Willow, there must have been a misunderstanding between Sophie and me.¡± Willow was confused. But you were beaten up so badly. How is there still a misunderstanding? C¨°ntens bel0ngs to N?(v)elDr/a/ma.Org ¡°What do you mean, yton? I don¡¯t understand.¡± Does he like Sophie too? This cannot be! ¡°I¡¯m sure there¡¯s a misunderstanding. Could you ask Sophie out for me? There¡¯s something I need to talk to her about.¡± When yton saw Willow was quiet, he continued, ¡°I¡¯ll invest in a movie production after I settle this. You¡¯ll get a role.¡± ¡°All right, then. I¡¯ll try to contact her.¡± The offer was tempting enough to get Willow on board. She had always believed that she was talented, and all she needed was an opportunity for her to shine. Since the opportunity had arisen, she was confident that her career would take off. When that happened, those people whom she disliked would not be a threat to her anymore. Meanwhile, Sophie had rejected yton¡¯s call a dozen times because he was thest person she wanted to see. Her revenge had just started, and nothing would change her mind, even if yton went on his knees to beg her. However, Sophie did not expect him to contact her through Willow. The ss¡¯ self-study session had just begun when Willow went to Senior ss 8 to look for Sophie. Upon seeing Willow outside the ss, Ysabelle knew things would go south. ¡°Why are you here? Don¡¯t you have to study? I thought you thought your grades were so good you should be top in the grade. Are you giving up now?¡± Willow disregarded Ysabelle despite the sharp remarks. It was apparent that thetter disliked Willow, but it was equally true that Willow hated her. ¡°Excuse me,¡± Willow said to another female student instead. ¡°Do you mind calling Sophie for me? I need to talk to her.¡± The girl looked up at Willow, and knowing Willow and Sophie¡¯s rtionship, she did as she was told. However, Sophie did note out even after a few minutes. When Willow¡¯s patience had worn thin, she barged into the ss, looking for Sophie. ¡°What¡¯s your problem, Sophie Tanner? Didn¡¯t someone tell you I¡¯m here to see you? How could you just ignore me like that?¡± Sophie was practicing advanced-level listening for the Ustranasionnguage when she heard Willow screaming at her, so she looked up. ¡°For real? Who do you think you are to summon me? I¡¯m not obliged to see you just because you want to.¡± Sophie could not understand how Willow could be so entitled and fussy. ¡°You¡­¡± Willow was infuriated. She¡¯s so rude! ¡°Have you forgotten that I¡¯m your elder sister? This is not how you talk to me. You have no manners!¡± Willow could not hold her anger in anymore. ¡°Really? Who¡¯s the one who has no manners here? You¡¯re the one who came in and spewed nonsense,¡± Ysabelle chimed in. As for the other ssmates, they were also exasperated by how disrespectful Willow was. At the end of the day, Sophie was the pride of their ss. Since she had transferred over, their ss¡¯ overall grade had improved by leaps and bounds. Besides, they had witnessed with their eyes what had happened earlier. Sophie did not say or do anything, and Willow was the one who burst in and used her. They thought Willow must not be in her right mind to do that. ¡°Willow, this is Senior ss 8, not Senior ss 1. So, if you want to make a scene, please go back to your own ce,¡± other ssmatesmented. ¡°Hey! Just so you guys know, I wouldn¡¯t havee to this trashy ce if I had a choice, so stop acting so high and mighty,¡± Willow seethed with immense hatred. ¡°What did you say? How dare you insult us on our own turf? Everyone! We can¡¯t just let this person walk all over us without resisting! What¡¯s the meaning of life if we can¡¯t even defend ourselves?¡± The male students in the ss were offended as well, but because they did not want to get physical with Willow, they just stayed out of the fight while the girls had Willow surrounded. ¡°What did you say just now?¡± one of the girls roared. ¡°I didn¡¯t say anything wrong. You guys are useless. Stop thinking so highly of yourselves!¡± Willow continued challenging the group without letting fear get to her. ¡°Sophie, it¡¯s not like we don¡¯t know she¡¯s your sister, but she¡¯s crossed the line,¡± one of them said to Sophie as she grabbed Willow¡¯s cor. ¡°What do you think you¡¯re doing? Don¡¯t you darey a finger on me! I¡¯ll¡ª¡± Before Willow could finish, the girl had already dragged her out of the ssroom. ¡°Stop screeching like a ghost in my ss.¡± Chapter 351 Chapter 351 ¡°Let me go! What are you doing?¡± Willow was dragged outside by that girl. Even though she tried to break free, it was to no avail. Exasperated, she screamed, ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to help me, Sophie?¡± The girl who dragged her out was speechless. Didn¡¯t shee to give Sophie trouble? How can she still have the nerve to ask Sophie for help? How can she be so shameless? s, Sophie did not even bother to spare Willow a nce. Someone like thetter was not worth her attention. Besides, they were at school. Her ssmates would not get physical with Willow. It¡¯s her fault for being annoying anyway! Serves her right to be punished like that. ¡°Soph, ignore her. Continue with your exercises. I¡¯ll go out and take a look,¡± Ysabelle said, nning to head outside. ¡°It¡¯s fine. You don¡¯t have to go outside. Do some studying instead!¡± Sophie replied. Ysabelle was at a loss for words. Still, she could not object to studying when everyone else liked to put her under their supervision. After all, it was a fact that her grades were not as good as the others. Saying nothing, she could only go and study. Willow, who had been dragged outside by several girls from Senior ss 8, was besieged by them in the hallway. As a good student with great poprity in school, it was her first time encountering such a situation. ¡°What are you nning to do? Touch me if you dare,¡± Willow warned. A short-haired girl gave her a shove. ¡°I touched you. So what now?¡± In an instant, tears rolled down Willow¡¯s cheeks. There were so many of them, so she could not retaliate at all. ¡°Do you think that the students from Senior ss 8 are pushovers? You¡¯re such a phony b*tch. I¡¯m telling you, your act might work on others but not on me,¡± one of the girls taunted. ¡°That¡¯s right! How dare you look down on us! Do you think you¡¯re any nobler than us?¡± another chimed in. We¡¯re all students of Jipsdale Premier High. Does she think she can look down on people just because she has good grades? At that time, several girls from Senior ss 1 passed by. When Willow saw them, it felt like she had seen her savior. However, the girls walked past her as if they did not see her. Willow was struck dumb. What are they doing? Can¡¯t they see that I¡¯m being bullied? Since they¡¯ve seen it, how can they sit on their hands? ¡°Um¡­¡± She then tried to call one of her ssmates by her name but could not do so. As she was usually arrogant, she never remembered the names of many of her ssmates even though they had been in the same ss for three years. ¡°D*mn. You don¡¯t even remember their names, yet you still have the guts to ask for help. How can you be so shameless!¡± one of the girls surrounding Willow snarled in disbelief. Willow had studied with her ssmates for three years, yet she could not even remember their names, which only served to prove there was a problem with her character. Inparison, Sophie had only been in Senior ss 8 for less than half a year, but she could remember all her ssmates¡¯ names. Even an outstanding person like Sophie was not as overbearing as Willow. Embarrassment was written all over Willow¡¯s face. ¡°What does it have anything to do with you? What do you want?¡± she asked angrily. What right do they have to speak ill of me here? ¡°It doesn¡¯t. We just can¡¯t stand it! I¡¯m warning you¡ªdon¡¯te to Senior ss 8 anymore! Otherwise, I¡¯ll beat you every time I see you!¡± one of the girls around Willow threatened. With that, they went straight back to their ssroom. Deep down, Willow was highly displeased, but she could only head back to her ssroom in resignation. When school ended in the afternoon, she refused to give up, so she went to find Sophie again. Seeing that Sophie had gone to the cafeteria with Ysabelle, she followed them. Willow¡¯s reappearance made Ysabelle click her tongue and ask Sophie, ¡°Why do you think Willow is so persistent? What exactly does she want from you?¡± ¡°yton Zales,¡± thetter answered. Willow had signed a contract with yton¡¯spany. Since yton¡¯s Sky Media was in turmoil because of Sophie, he naturally wanted to negotiate with her. Unfortunately for him, Sophie did not answer his calls. Being no fool, yton thought of using Willow to get Sophie to talk to him. The whole situation was easy to understand. ¡°I see! I was puzzled as to when you and Willow got so close!¡± Sophie and Ysabelle bought their food and found a spot to sit. Willow also sat at the same table after buying her food. ¡°Sophie, umm¡­¡± Because Sophie did not even look up at her, Willow could not bring herself to say the things she wanted. So many people were in the cafeteria, and she did not doubt that Sophie would give her the cold shoulder. Willow began, ¡°Mr. Zales wants to see you. I¡¯m really doing it for your own good. After all, Mr. Zales is an influential man in Jipsdale. You can¡¯t be so¡ª¡± Sophie raised her eyes to nce at her, which immediately shut thetter up. The look in Sophie¡¯s eyes made Willow shudder. ¡°Why do you have so much nonsense to say? My matters are none of your business! If you¡¯re here to tell me this, you should tell yton that I¡¯m going to make Sky Media mine!¡± Sophie dered. Willow did not what to say for a moment. She never thought that Sophie was so greedy that she actually wanted to own Sky Media. ¡°You¡¯re crazy, Sophie!¡± Willow eximed. Speechless, Sophie refuted in her mind that Willow was the crazy one. ¡°Willow, shut up if you¡¯re not good with words. You¡¯re talking too much!¡± she retorted. ¡°Don¡¯t be delusional, Sophie. Do you think Sky Media is something you can have if you want it?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll acquire Sky Media. TS Entertainment doesn¡¯t want you, so don¡¯t even think of making your debut,¡± Sophie dered straightforwardly. ¡°Hah, Sophie, do you really think you¡¯re so awesome? How delusional of you to think of acquiring Sky Media! Since you¡¯re so vain, I¡¯ll be waiting to watch you fail! Mark my words!¡± Willow was no longer in the mood to eat her food, so she stood up to leave. ¡°Hold on!¡± Sophie called out. All content is property ? N?velDrama.Org. When Willow heard that, she thought Sophie had changed her mind, which prompted her to stop in her tracks. To her dismay, Sophie pointed at her tray. ¡°Take your tray away. Are you waiting for someone to clean it up for you?¡± Tongue-tied, Willow wished she could pour the entire tray of food on Sophie¡¯s head, but she dared not do so. With that, she had no choice but to take the tray with her in silence. Standing inside yton¡¯s ward, Willow conveyed Sophie¡¯s words to him. ¡°yton, Sophie doesn¡¯t know any better. But don¡¯t worry! She¡¯s not so capable,¡± Willow hurriedly added upon noticing the gloomy look on his face after she told him everything. yton felt unsettled. Willow must be a fool! Sophie has driven me into a corner, but she still thinks Sophie¡¯s not that powerful! Is she blind or what? ¡°All right. You may leave now.¡± yton was displeased. What¡¯s the use of having her around when she can¡¯t even do such a small thing? ¡°yton, I have nothing else to do. Can I stay here to take care of you?¡± Willow asked. ¡°There¡¯s no need for that. Someone will take care of me!¡± His voice became even harsher as he lost his patience. ¡°Ms. Tanner, you should go back first. yton is very busy; I¡¯m sure you know that as well. That younger sister of yours is too annoying!¡± Wilbur immediately took Willow outside. ¡°What should we do now, yton?¡± Wilbur asked. Sky Media¡¯s stock was about to crash. ¡°Ourpany¡¯s artistes are now requesting to terminate their contracts with us. I think we should give Sky Media up,¡± Willbur added. There was nothing they could do to salvage the situation by then. ¡°No, I can¡¯t lose Sky Media.¡± Viciousness filled yton¡¯s eyes. Does Sophie have a death wish? Chapter 352 Chapter 352 ¡°But, yton, there¡¯s nothing we can do now!¡± Wilbur replied. Even though they wanted to negotiate, the other party was not giving them a chance to do so. The situation was basically hopeless. Hearing that, yton could only get up from the hospital bed. Since Sophie refused to meet him, he had no choice but to visit her himself. Wilbur asked, ¡°yton, you have yet to recover fully. Where are you going?¡± ¡°Bring me my clothes!¡± yton demanded. I can¡¯t wait until I¡¯m fully recovered. I might be dead meat if I don¡¯t think of a solution soon. ¡°yton, you really shouldn¡¯t rush this,¡± advised Wilbur, who was still worried about him. However, yton ignored him. The former grabbed his clothes, got changed, and walked out of the ward. Seeing how adamant yton was, Wilbur had no choice but to hurry after him. When the evening self-study session ended, Sophie saw yton and his assistant waiting by the school¡¯s entrance. They must be here to meet me. Good. He didn¡¯t bring many bodyguards with him this time. He must¡¯ve realized I couldn¡¯t be harmed, no matter how many bodyguards he brought. As soon as Wilbur spotted her, he rushed over. ¡°Ms. Tanner, whatever demands that you have, we are willing to negotiate.¡± ¡°I have no demands!¡± Sophie replied. ¡°Please don¡¯t be like this, Ms. Tanner. Everything can be discussed. Besides, this is a rather small industry. There¡¯s really no need to force us into a dead end. We¡¯ll still meet again in the future.¡± He was already being very mindful of his tone. ¡°Fine. Since you guys are so desperate to talk to me, I shall give you a chance.¡± She was not an unreasonable person, after all. Wilbur was relieved to hear that from her. Truth be told, he feared she would put up a stubborn front. ¡°Don¡¯t go with them, Sophie. Who knows what they n to do to you?¡± Ysabelle grabbed Sophie¡¯s hand to stop her from leaving. Patting the back of Ysabelle¡¯s hand, Sophie assured, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll be fine.¡± I¡¯m not going to let Sunny¡¯s matters slide just like that. yton has to pay the price for beating Sunny up to that state. ¡°Sophie, I know you¡¯re great at fighting, but some people are vile and shameless. What if¡­ Forget it. If you¡¯re going, then I¡¯m going with you,¡± Ysabelle insisted. That way, they could take care of each other if something happened. Sophie did not object when she saw how insistent Ysabelle was. ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± she voiced. C¨°ntens bel0ngs to N?(v)elDr/a/ma.Org However, Wilbur did not move. Instead, he nced at Ysabelle, for yton never asked to meet her. ¡°Ms. Tanner, yton wants to meet you alone. He did not inquire for her.¡± ¡°What the heck? What¡¯s the meaning of this? Who¡¯s the one begging for mercy now? How dare you make objections here? Fine. If you don¡¯t want to meet me, then you can give up on meeting Sophie as well,¡± Ysabelle snarled. Do they not understand the situation they¡¯re in now? ¡°Since you guys have yet to understand the current situation, then we won¡¯t be able toe to a conclusion, even if we met.¡± Hearing that from Sophie, Wilbur had no choice but topromise. ¡°All right. This way,dies.¡± Ysabelle, still feeling uneasy, sent Tristan a text to update him about the situation before following behind yton¡¯s assistant. Tristan¡¯s expression turned grim after he received the text. yton isn¡¯t giving up, huh? ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Mr. Tristan?¡± ¡°yton went looking for Sophie and Ysabelle.¡± ¡°What?¡± Upon hearing that, Felix shot to his feet. ¡°Mr. Tristan, I think I¡¯d better go over to check on them. Sophie is capable, but my Ysabelle is naive. She¡¯s no match for yton!¡± Tristan immediately gave him the side-eye. What¡¯s that supposed to mean? ¡°Mr. Tristan, yton must be meeting Sophie because of Sky Media¡¯s matters. After all, thatpany is on the verge of bankruptcy,¡± Sean piped up. ¡°Mmh. Go and get ready. I want you to be in charge of Sunny¡¯swsuit,¡± instructed Tristan. Since yton has a death wish, then I shall give him what he wants. How dare he refuse to submit to his fate when things havee to this? I¡¯m not going to let him off. ¡°Okay, no problem.¡± As a matter of fact, there was no need for Sean to be involved in that case. However, he was willing to handle thewsuit himself because it concerned Sophie. Charles, who was smoking a cigarette, heard the arrangements and immediately asked, ¡°Hey, everyone has a task. What should I do, then? Is there anything I can help with?¡± After all, they always did everything together. He did not want to be left out. ¡°You and Felix can keep an eye on the project yton wants. Something like this is happening because he hasn¡¯t learned from the previous lesson,¡± Tristan uttered. This time, I must make yton learn that he has no right to bully those around me, including my pet. ¡°Okay. Leave it to me. Don¡¯t worry about it.¡± ¡°I¡¯m going over to check on the situation,¡± Tristan announced, worried for Sophie. Hearing that, Felix stood up hurriedly and offered, ¡°I¡¯ll go with you.¡± No matter what, he was determined to protect Ysabelle. Even though she was naive, he still liked her the most. In the meantime, yton quickly got out of the car when he saw Wilbur bringing Sophie over. His behavior toward her was nothing but respect. This youngdy is indeed gorgeous, but the punches she packs hurt terribly. At the sight of yton, whose wounds had yet to recover, Sophie snorted. His injuries were, after all, considered minorpared to Sunny¡¯s. The urge to hit the man before him rose in her heart when she thought of Sunny, who was still in the hospital. ¡°Ms. Tanner, there must be a misunderstanding about the matter between The Wheelers and me. I¡¯m now aware of your rtionship with them. What about this? I will not take over The Wheelers, nor will I go looking for trouble with them in the future. In return, I¡¯d like this matter to end here. Look. You¡¯ve also given me a terrible beating,¡± yton said. He was hoping for both parties to take a step back. There might be a possibility of them working together in the future, anyway. As such, they didn¡¯t have to continue the dispute. yton felt that he was practically discarding his dignity, yet Sophie was unfazed. ¡°What do you think, Ms. Tanner?¡± At that point, all he wanted was to solve the matter. It had not been easy for him to meet Sophie. After all, Tristan, whom he regarded as a psycho, was her backer. As of then, he was no match for him yet. Through the recent events, yton learned that a significant difference existed between him and Tristan in terms of power. ¡°Do you really want to solve this matter?¡± Sophie took out a piece of gum from her pocket, tore the packaging open, and tossed the gum into her mouth. ¡°That¡¯s right. As you can see, I¡¯m badly injured, yet I¡¯ve stille to meet you in person. Of course, I want to solve this matter,¡± yton replied. ¡°All right, then. Here¡¯s my suggestion. Go back, write a public letter of apology to Sunny, and post it online. Make sure you write it yourself. It has to be sincere,¡± Sophie demanded, dead set on avenging Sunny. ¡°What are you talking about, Sophie? You¡¯d better not push your luck,¡± Wilbur roared when he heard her words. The youngdy raised her brow. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Are you not willing to do it? Fine, then. We can forget this conversation ever happened.¡± She never liked forcing ideas upon others. Chapter 353 Chapter 353 yton took a deep breath. Me? Apologizing to Sunny, the person I¡¯ve always looked down upon? What is she even thinking? Unfortunately for him, that was exactly what Sophie wanted. If he was unwilling to apologize, then she could not be bothered to carry on with the discussion. While chewing her gum, Sophie took out her phone. ¡°You can choose to say no!¡± yton could not help but take another deep breath. What else can I say? I don¡¯t even have a choice now. ¡°Fine. I¡¯ll write the letter,¡± he uttered those words through gritted teeth. ¡°Remember to be sincere. We¡¯ll talk about the rest after I see your letter. Don¡¯t forget to tag Sunny when you post it.¡± With that, Sophie walked away with Ysabelle, leaving yton and his assistant standing in ce. Wilbur dared not utter a single word. Is yton really going to do it? This is a public apology we¡¯re talking about. Right then, Sophie turned around. ¡°Oh, another thing. After that¡¯s done, apologize to Sunny at the hospital. We¡¯ll only talk about the rest if he forgives you.¡± Only after saying that did she leave for real. ¡°yton, are you really going to apologize?¡± Wilbur asked. yton was born with a silver spoon in his mouth. Naturally, he had never experienced such humiliation. yton kicked his assistant in frustration. ¡°D*mn it! How dare Sophie¡­¡± The rage within him was beyond repressible. I never would¡¯ve messed with this devil if I knew this would happen. The sudden kick made Wilbur groan in pain. However, he remained silent as he deserved the kick for speaking when yton was in a bad mood. ¡°Let¡¯s go back,¡± yton ordered. Sky Media must not copse no matter what, or I¡¯ll be disgraced for the rest of my life. Meanwhile, Sophie and Ysabelle had no sooner taken a few steps than Tristan called. After confirming the duo¡¯s location, Felix drove over. At the sight of them, Felix stopped the car and got out to open the door for the two young women. The moment Sophie entered the car, she saw Tristan sitting in the back seat. Hence, she sat beside him while Ysabelle took the front passenger seat. ¡°Are you girls okay? What did ytone here for?¡± Felix asked. He must be cooking up some evil n foring over here. ¡°We¡¯re fine. Don¡¯t worry. He didn¡¯t dare to do anything to us,¡± Sophie replied. yton did not have the guts at the moment. ¡°What about you? Are you okay?¡± Felix then asked Ysabelle in concern. ¡°Nothing could possibly happen to me!¡± Ysabelle responded. Her concern for Sophie was the only thing thatpelled her to follow thetter. ¡°Let¡¯s have supper together!¡± Felix suggested. He wanted to be with Ysabelle whenever he had free time. ¡°Sounds good! What should we eat?¡± When Ysabelle heard they were going out for food, she instantly agreed. She was starving after the self-study session thatsted more than two hours. ¡°Let¡¯s go to The Sanders¡¯ Eatery,¡± Sophie voiced. ¡°Sure. We¡¯ll go there now,¡± responded Felix. The Sanders¡¯ Eatery was quite a well-known restaurant in Jipsdale. Just as he was about to start driving, Charles called to ask where they were. Felix quickly informed him of their destination and told the rest of the group to head there. Meanwhile, yton had returned to his ward. He changed his clothes andy on the bed with Wilbur waiting on him by the side. Thetter did not dare to leave. ¡°Why don¡¯t I write the letter instead, yton?¡± Wilbur suggested. ¡°Of course, you¡¯ll be writing it! Have you ever seen me write a letter of apology?¡± yton was extremely frustrated, but the matter had to be solved as soon as possible. ¡°This matter can¡¯t affect the project I¡¯ve just invested in. Otherwise, the board will definitely find out about it,¡± he muttered. Although Sky Media was insignificant to Zales Corporation, his project could be affected if a crisis broke out at that juncture. ¡°Why are you staring at me? Start writing already!¡± yton barked. ¡°I need your phone for that, yton!¡± Wilbur extended both of his hands to receive the phone. That annoyed yton further.C¨°ntens bel0ngs to N?(v)elDr/a/ma.Org I can¡¯t believe I lost to a youngdy. This is just unbelievable. It doesn¡¯t make sense. Meanwhile, Sophie and the others had arrived at The Sanders¡¯ Eatery. After finding a suitable private room, they entered it. Charles and the others arrived on the heels of them. Once all six of them were seated, Felix began ordering food. Firstly, he chose braised pork, which was Ysabelle¡¯s favorite, followed by ample portions of braised chicken and braised beef. ¡°What else do you guys want?¡± he asked, handing the menu to the others. Ysabelle seemed to be in a dilemma as she said, ¡°I want pasta, but I can¡¯t finish it alone. Soph, would you like some? We can share a portion.¡± Before Sophie could reply, Felix said, ¡°That¡¯s okay. I can eat the leftovers if you can¡¯t finish it.¡± There¡¯s no way I¡¯ll let them share a te of pasta! His words made Ysabelle re at him. Why is he so nosy? Can he stop it, please? Since when did I permit him to butt in? He¡¯s too much. ¡°Why don¡¯t you share it with Mr. Northley since he wants to have some so badly?¡± Sophie suggested to Ysabelle. Thus, Ysabelle ordered a te of pasta. ¡°What would you like?¡± Tristan handed Sophie the menu. For some reason, he felt she had lost some more weight, which led him to wonder if she had been eating her meals properly. ¡°It¡¯s enough,¡± was all Sophie said. She was not hungry, to begin with, and there was nothing specific that she wanted to eat then. Meanwhile, Charles ordered a crate of beer. He believed beer was the most appropriate drink in a supper ce. ¡°That¡¯s too much!¡± Sean eximed, frowning at the sight of the beer bottles. There are only a few of us here! ¡°It¡¯s not. It¡¯s just two bottles per person. What¡¯s gotten into you these days, Sean? Are you starting to take care of your health?¡± Charles teased. ¡°No. It¡¯s just that I don¡¯t like drinking these days,¡± responded Sean. Perhaps the fact that he was getting older gave him the sudden urge to take care of his health. ¡°Come on. Don¡¯t bother with that. We rarely get the chance to drink till we drop. We should just enjoy ourselves whenever we get the opportunity. Don¡¯t you think so?¡± Charles quipped. Using a fork, he uncapped a bottle of beer and handed it to Tristan first before giving out the rest to Sean and the others. Upon receiving the bottle, Tristan ced it on the table. ¡°I want one too,¡± Sophie said to Charles. Charles nced at Tristan, at a loss for words. Will he let his girlfriend drink? But it¡¯s just beer. It should be fine. ¡°This is cold beer,¡± Tristan exined. ¡°I want to drink it,¡± insisted Sophie. ¡°All right. Don¡¯t drink too much,¡± he said, thinking she would be fine if she controlled her consumption. With that, he took a paper cup and poured some for her. Sophie could not help but cast him a nce. Isn¡¯t he being too ridiculous? Why is he giving me so little? Is he pouring me a sample? The youngdy was stumped for words. Nheless, it was her first time being cared for by someone like that. Truth be told, she did not hate the feeling. She picked up the paper cup and downed the beer in one gulp. ¡°How does it taste?¡± Ysabelle asked curiously. Actually, she wanted to try it as well. ¡°It¡¯s not bad. I quite like the beer of this brand.¡± Back then, Sophie frequently drank the same brand of beer when she hung out with Mark and the others. It tasted good. ¡°Open one for me too, Felix.¡± Ysabelle wanted to drink one badly. ¡°How can a youngdy like you drink alcohol and a bottle at that? Do you think your dad will let you off if he smells alcohol on you when you get hometer?¡± Felix worried about her constantly and had only said that out of genuine concern for her. Chapter 354 Chapter 354 Ysabelle pouted. ¡°It¡¯s not that serious. I¡¯m only going to drink a little bit. It¡¯s not like my dad will kill me. He¡¯s actually quite an open-minded person!¡± Her urge to drink the beer was intense. ¡°It¡¯s fine. Drink it. You¡¯ll just return to Wisteria Apartments with meter at night. This way, there won¡¯t be any problems. Do you think so?¡± Sophie spoke up. Felix shot her a begrudging nce. What is she doing? How can she let Ysabelle do that? ¡°I knew it! Sophie¡¯s the one who treats me the best, unlike a certain someone who only wants to control me all day. Hmph!¡± Ysabelle spat. That made Felix feel a little depressed. ¡°You are heartless, Ysabelle. How can you talk about me like that when I¡¯ve been so nice to you? Did I not treat you well?¡± Upon opening a bottle of beer, Charles handed it to Ysabelle with a smirk. ¡°Rx, it¡¯s just a bottle of beer. Ysabelle¡¯s a woman now, so she gets her drink. Since you like her, you shouldn¡¯t go against her all the time.¡± Ysabelle smiled giddily as she drank the beer. ¡°You¡¯re the best, Charles!¡± The way Felix looked at Charles changed when he saw her grinning gleefully at Charles. It seems like I need to find time to deal with Charles. Charles ignored him and continued to drink the beer. This tastes pretty good! After Ysabelle took a couple more sips, she sighed, feeling content. ¡°This is pretty good.¡± Well, since she wants to drink, then I¡¯ll just let her do it. Felix put a piece of meat on her te. ¡°You should eat something, too. Don¡¯t just drink the beer. It¡¯s not good for your body.¡± All content is property ? N?velDrama.Org. He had no idea how to handle her. Seeing how much the group was enjoying drinking, Sophie wanted to drink too, so she whispered next to Tristan¡¯s ears, ¡°Since everyone¡¯s in a good mood today, I¡¯ll drink a little more.¡± Her adorable appearance softened his heart into mush. How can a woman like her exist in this world? She really makes me want to give her my everything willingly. ¡°Fine, you can drink a little more.¡± It wasn¡¯t an issue even if she got drunk because he was there to take care of her. A satisfied smirk formed on her face before she grabbed his beer and drank it. ¡°Cheers, Sophie!¡± Ysabelle lifted her bottle and let it clink with Sophie¡¯s. Seeing how Sophie only kept drinking beer, Tristan grabbed her a few pieces of beef. ¡°You should eat something first before drinking. Consuming alcohol by itself is harmful to the body!¡± ¡°Mhm.¡± She was willing to go along with his request since he agreed to let her drink. Tristan wasn¡¯t a big fan of the type of food lying on the table, so he only drank a little bit of beer. It was then Sophie¡¯s phone rang. Since it was from Sunny, she answered the call right away. ¡°How did you do it, Sophie? Did you know? yton apologized! He actually did that!¡± He was pretty excited and didn¡¯t speak clearly. Still, Sophie knew what he was talking about. ¡°All right, you should rest now. There¡¯s nothing notable about people apologizing.¡± It was just an apology, yet it made him so happy. Shouldn¡¯t people apologize for their wrongdoings? Since yton¡¯s the one in the wrong, shouldn¡¯t he say sorry? She pondered. Despite that, Sunny still thanked her, ¡°I know you¡¯re the one who did it. Thanks! if not for you, there¡¯s no way in hell that the arrogant bast*rd would¡¯ve apologized!¡± ¡°There is no need to utter those words to me. I don¡¯t like to hear it.¡± After all, they were best friends, and there was no way she would allow her best friend to be bullied. ¡°Also, no need to worry about your hand. I¡¯ll ask Arius toe back and take a look!¡± The doctors in the country had no idea how to fix his hand, so the only thing they could do for the moment was to wait for Arius to return. ¡°Mmm, got it.¡± Sunny really regretted the series of trouble he had caused for being impulsive then but it was toote and meaningless. Upon hanging up the phone, Sophie turned on Twitter and saw yton¡¯s personal apology. However, it waspletely insincere, which ticked her off. He may as well not send it at all! Tristan noticed her cold expression and gently held her hand. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Did something happen?¡± In response, Sophie showed him yton¡¯s apology. Hemented, ¡°Hmm, he doesn¡¯t sound sincere at all.¡± I knew it! He shares the same opinion as me. Hmph, if yton doesn¡¯t want to apologize, he could¡¯ve refused to do so. Since he agreed to do it, he shouldn¡¯t have done it so half-heartedly! He just pisses me off. Coldly, she uttered, ¡°Seems like he needs to be punished further!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry. This time, we¡¯ll make sure to teach him how to behave!¡± That was unquestionable in Tristan¡¯s mind. ¡°What are you two talking about?¡± Ysabelle was curious about what got the couple so heated. ¡°Turn on Twitter, and you¡¯ll see!¡± Sophie replied. Ysabelle and the others also turned on Twitter. Naturally, they were very unhappy with yton¡¯s disingenuous apology. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Sophie! I¡¯ll make sure yton pays a terrible price for causing Sunny to get injured that badly! I won¡¯t let you all down!¡± Sean eximed. ¡°I thank you in advance, then.¡± Sophie raised her bottle to toast him. Going along with the flow, Felix uttered, ¡°I disliked yton since a long time ago! If he wants to die this badly, we¡¯ll just fulfill his wish! This time, we¡¯ll ensure Zales Corporation will no longer be able to keep operating in Jipsdale!¡± ¡°You finally said something pleasant to my ears!¡± Ysabelle smiled. Even though she couldn¡¯t help with anything regarding that matter, she was still eager to watch yton get hiseuppance. The next morning, yton immediately called Sophie and she answered. ¡°Look, I¡¯ve sent the apology. What more do you want? Just tell me.¡± He would prefer it if things stopped escting. ¡°Do you really think this is over, yton? Your apology ispletely insincere.¡± ¡°What do you mean by that, Sophie?¡± ¡°Fine. I won¡¯t me you for having terrible grades on your Chanaean paper, so let me spell it out for you. You will film an apology video and then apologize again in the hospital before Sunny!¡± ¡°What? Apology video?¡± Writing the apology post on Twitter was already something yton was very reluctant to do, yet Sophie tripled down her request. ¡°Of course, you can choose to say no.¡± At that moment, yton really wanted to tear Sophie apart. How can this woman be so arrogant? ¡°There¡¯s all I have to say. If there¡¯s nothing else, I¡¯ll be hanging up the phone now.¡± She thought she was being really kind by giving him a reminder. ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll do what you say!¡± The conversation made him feel very depressed. Aren¡¯t I getting way too unluckytely? Why is it that everything I do was fruitless? ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll wait for your video. I hope you won¡¯t disappoint me again!¡± Chapter 355 Chapter 355 Wilbur noticed that yton¡¯s face was pale. The former was so worried that he said, ¡°yton, are you okay? Do you want me to call the doctor?¡± ¡°Why do I need a doctor? Bring my clothes here!¡± I need to wear the right outfits if I have to record a video for a public apology. Thus, yton changed his outfits and searched for the best angle before instructing Wilbur to help him record the video. Upon standing in front of the camera, yton felt so frustrated that his blood vessel nearly burst. ¡°Let¡¯s just stop, yton. It¡¯s too humiliating.¡± They have gone overboard! How dare they request yton to apologize to a mere drummer? However, yton red at him. ¡°Shut up! Do I need you to remind me how humiliating it is?¡± After all, he had never been so embarrassed before. Nevertheless, he had no other choice than to do what he was told. It¡¯s fine. I¡¯ll remember the humiliation that I have suffered today. There¡¯s going to be revenge in the future! She¡¯s just a young girl. How powerful can she be? The only reason that she dares to do as she pleases now is that Tristan likes her. When he¡¯s done with her, she won¡¯t be arrogant anymore. yton began to record the video after he had mentally convinced himself. It was going to be a public apology for everything that happened to The Wheelers recently. Fans of The Wheelers were enraged after they watched the video. They felt that it was atrocious for their favorite idols to be bullied that way. Therefore, the fans started to boycott all the events held by Sky Media. Fans of other celebrities also began to boycott Sky Media after knowing what thepany had done. Sophie was very happy to see the result. This is the price that yton has to pay for his wrongdoings. Although Sophie was satisfied with the result, Willow was not amused. I¡¯ve finally managed to secure a contract with Sky Media. What¡¯s going to happen to my future after the companynded in such a situation? Nevertheless, no one cared about her future. In fact, the only one in the Tanner family who cared for her was Charmaine. Willow hated Sophie, thus the former always wished for Sophie to have bad luck. Sophie won¡¯t be arrogant once Tristan doesn¡¯t like her anymore. It was the reason why Willow had been anticipating the day when Tristan would dump Sophie. After all, she did not believe that Tristan would continue to like Sophie all the time. A member of The Wheelers found the video of yton apologizing publicly on the inte and showed it to Mark. ¡°Mark, look at this.¡± Mark gave the phone back to its owner after watching it. All of them were worried about Sophie. ¡°It must have something to do with Sophie, Mark. Will yton get his revenge on her after this?¡± ¡°Let me give Sophie a call.¡± With that said, Mark walked to the side and dialed her number. The other three members exchanged nces. ¡°To be honest, I¡¯m still worried about Sophie even though it¡¯s fun to watch yton making a public apology.¡± ¡°You¡¯re right.¡± ¡°What should we do now?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s wait until Mark finishes the call.¡± They knew that they could not do anything after the situation had escted that way. Meanwhile, Mark tried to call Sophie but she did not answer his calls. As he was worried, he went straight to her condominium. Even after he reached the building, he still continued to call her. Unfortunately, she did not answer any of his calls. Nevertheless, he did not leave and continued to wait for her outside the building until he finally saw Sophie and Tristaning out of the building together. Tristan was not surprised to see Mark in there. He must be so worried about Sophie. ¡°Why are you here?¡± Sophie asked with suspicion. C¨°ntens bel0ngs to N?(v)elDr/a/ma.Org ¡°I¡¯ve watched yton¡¯s video. Sophie, he¡¯s not a good person. I don¡¯t want you to get hurt by someone like him.¡± ¡°It¡¯s all right. Don¡¯t worry. I won¡¯t get hurt as I know what I¡¯m doing. We¡¯re nning to visit Sunny now. Do you want to go with us?¡± I¡¯m guessing that yton will meet Sunny personally to apologize. There¡¯s no reason for me not to be there to witness it! ¡°Okay.¡± Sophie got inside Tristan¡¯s car and he drove away, while Mark followed them from behind. Upon their arrival, they noticed that yton was already waiting outside Sunny¡¯s room. ¡°What are you doing here, yton?¡± It was no surprise that Mark had a bad attitude toward yton. After all, the former was worried that yton was there to cause more trouble for Sunny. The old yton would definitely get angry after seeing Mark¡¯s attitude. However, the former only smiled in response. ¡°There must be some kind of misunderstanding between us, Mark. Please calm down. I¡¯m here to apologize to all of you.¡± yton tried hard to make himself look very natural. He had done everything that was requested of him. Therefore, he did not want his efforts to be wasted. ¡°An apology?¡± Mark repeated. Woah, who¡¯s this man? I¡¯ve known yton well as I¡¯ve been in Sky Media for many years. To be honest, I don¡¯t believe he¡¯s here to make an apology. ¡°It¡¯s true. I¡¯m here to apologize.¡± ¡°Go on in. The person that you want to apologize to is currently inside,¡± Sophie said. She had no intention to waste her time there and listen to his nonsense. Mark nced at Sophie. Realizing that she must be the one who told yton to be there, he knew that it was not appropriate for him to say anything anymore. Therefore, he had no choice but to follow them inside. When Sunny saw yton, the former¡¯s face turned pale. ¡°What are you doing here?¡± he huffed. He was nearly crippled by yton, so it was normal for him to be afraid of seeing yton in the room. On the contrary, yton was all smiles. ¡°Sunny, I¡¯m sorry. I shouldn¡¯t have hit you. I apologize for not controlling my temper that day. Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll bear all the cost of your medical expenses.¡± Having heard him, Sunny was taken aback and at a loss for words. Did yton take the wrong pills today? The old yton who I know doesn¡¯t behave like this! ¡°It¡¯s true, Sunny. Please tell me if you have any other requests. If I can do them, I will.¡± ¡°Are you going to y tricks again?¡± Sunny did not believe him at all. Nheless, he did not know what he wanted from yton. Therefore, he only added, ¡°yton, it will be enough if you don¡¯t show your face before me in the future.¡± yton nced at Sophie once. She told me to apologize and I¡¯ve done it. This should be over now! ¡°Get some rest, Sunny. I¡¯ll visit you some other day.¡± There were things that should not be discussed in Sunny¡¯s presence. ¡°Are you leaving, Sophie?¡± But she has just arrived here. Why is she leaving now? I got really bored in the hospital! ¡°Yes. I¡¯ll visit you next time. Take good care of yourself.¡± She knew that it would take some time before he could be discharged. Many fans were there wanting to visit him but the security guards refused to let them in. It was true that every cloud had a silver lining. ¡°Mark, are you going to leave as well?¡± Sunny knew that he had acted impulsively. In fact, he knew that he was not supposed to create such huge trouble. Chapter 356 Chapter 356 ¡°Yes. I need to talk to Sophie. But I¡¯lle and stay here with youter at night.¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay, Mark. I know you¡¯re very busy these days, so you don¡¯t have toe here at night. Just get some rest.¡± If Sunny did not act impulsively and rushed to meet yton, he would not be lying in the hospital. He knew it was all his fault. Mark patted his shoulder and left too. Once they were outside, yton noticed that a huge crowd of reporters was waiting for them. When the reporters saw him, they started to surround him. ¡°Are you here in the hospital to apologize to Sunny, Mr. Zales?¡± ¡°Mr. Zales, even though The Wheelers had terminated their contract with yourpany, it was ended on good terms. Why did you hit Sunny so badly?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve heard that many celebrities under Sky Media are asking for their contracts to be terminated as well, Mr. Zales. How do you feel about it?¡± One by one, they flung the questions at him. yton did not even have the time to answer. Wilbur, meanwhile, tried to shield him from the reporters. However, it was a vain effort as he was the only one around. In order to show his sincerity, yton did not bring any bodyguards with him. That was the reason why the reporters managed to surround him. Thus, the only thing that he could do was to back away. Some of the reporters, however, were so careless that their cameras bumped into yton. Despite that, he had to work hard to keep his anger in check. Why are the reporters here? Moreover, why are there so many of them? But I can¡¯t lose it. I need to control my temper. He pasted a smile on his face. ¡°Hello, everyone. I¡¯m actually here to apologize to Sunny.¡± ¡°Is that true? But why did you beat Sunny up, Mr. Zales? No matter what, he was once an artist signed under yourpany.¡± yton was rendered speechless. He knew that he would not be able to give the right answer. After all, Sunny was still lying in the ward. At that moment, the reporters saw Sophie and rushed over to talk to her. ¡°An artist under TS Entertainment was beaten up, Ms. Tanner. How will you handle this matter?¡± All eyes were fixed on Sophie. Previously, they knew her only as the third daughter of the Tanner family. It was the first time the reporters interviewed her after she had be the CEO of Tanner Group. What kind of person is she? She has be a CEO at such a young age! ¡°Indeed, Mr. Zales is here to apologize. But we¡¯re not going to ept his apology. TS Entertainment is going to hand this matter over to awyer. Mr. Zales had assaulted Sunny, so I think that it¡¯s better for the court to deliver the final verdict.¡± She was not a merciful person. Sunny was nearly beaten to death. It was not something that could be settled by a mere apology. ¡°You¡­¡± yton did not expect to be screwed by Sophie. What did she mean? Has she taken me for a ride in the past few days? ¡°An eye for an eye. You have to repay your debt. It¡¯s only a proper thing to do.¡± ¡°You have such strong moral values, Ms. Tanner.¡± They initially thought that once yton had apologized, Sophie would ept the apology. After all, yton was a very influential person in Jipsdale. However, they did not expect her to be so bold. ¡°Are you messing with me, Sophie?¡± yton was enraged. ¡°What¡¯s the matter? Are you saying that you don¡¯t have to apologize after hitting someone?¡± she asked indifferently. ¡°Let¡¯s go back, yton.¡± The situation was not favorable to yton. Wilbur knew that if they continued to stay there, it would cause more trouble for them. In fact, yton wanted to leave as well. However, he could not move an inch as there were too many reporters surrounding them. ¡°Do you think that I don¡¯t want to leave?¡± Gosh! Can¡¯t he see that I¡¯m stuck here? Then, he added, ¡°You better call a few bodyguards toe here.¡± Wilbur immediately went to the side to make the call. ¡°We know your social status in Jipsdale, Mr. Zales. Can you please tell us what is the reason for your apology? Do you really want to ask for forgiveness?¡± yton was extremely annoyed. Wilbur was trying his best to block the reporters from getting near yton. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, everyone. yton isn¡¯t going to answer any questions today. But we will have a press conferenceter on. You can ask him the questions there.¡± Sophie smiled coldly upon seeing the situation. It¡¯s merely the beginning. The next one will be even more entertaining. yton¡¯s glorious days are over. From the time he beat Sunny up, his fate has been sealed. ¡°That¡¯s enough. Let¡¯s get inside the car.¡± Tristan was with her all the time. Therefore, he knew that she was the one who nned everything. But it doesn¡¯t matter at all! After all, yton deserves it. My girl isn¡¯t someone to be trifled with. Since yton dares to mess with her, he will need to bear the consequences. ¡°Okay, let¡¯s go.¡± ¡°Hey, Sophie!¡± Mark yelled. He felt that she had be a stranger after watching how she had nned everything so mercilessly. Sophie stopped in her tracks. ¡°You should go back first, Mark,¡± she said to him. The reporters, meanwhile, surrounded Mark the moment they saw him. they wanted to interview him as he was the leader of The Wheelers. Nevertheless, Sophie asked a few security guards to apany Mark to his car before she climbed into hers. yton was even more furious after seeing Sophie get into her car. This chic has the nerve to mess with me! It was already more than an hourter when yton went back to his ward. He had an ugly scowl on his face, and he looked terrible. Wilbur did not dare to say anything. At that moment, he only wished that he was invisible and went unnoticed. Subsequently, yton smashed everything that he could find in the room. Things haven¡¯t been going well for me recently. What¡¯s going on? ¡°Please don¡¯t get angry, yton. She won¡¯t be happy for long. We¡¯ll get our revenge the moment Tristan is done with her.¡± After all, she¡¯s just an ordinary woman. There¡¯s no man in this world who would stay in love with the same woman for so long. ¡°Tristan Lombard!¡± yton had the same thought as well. That bit*h has Tristan to back her up. Otherwise, she would not have the courage to do anything. Meanwhile, Tristan and Sophie arrived at Sean¡¯sw firm. Sean was already waiting for them. ¡°Why are you here? Don¡¯t you trust me?¡± ¡°It¡¯s nothing like that. I just want to see if you need anything else.¡± Sean was a famouswyer in the legal field. Once he epted the case, there would not be any problem anymore. I have nothing to worry about if Sean¡¯s here! C¨°ntens bel0ngs to N?(v)elDr/a/ma.Org ¡°There¡¯s none. Don¡¯t worry. yton has already received our demand letter,¡± he said without any expression. ¡°Thank you for your help.¡± ¡°You¡¯re Mr. Tristan¡¯s girlfriend, so you don¡¯t have to be this polite.¡± He was not someone who liked to make small talk, so it was natural that he did not speak much to Sophie. Chapter 357 Chapter 357 She discussed a few more things with Sean and learned that he had been well-prepared for the case. Only after she left Sean¡¯sw firm with Tristan and got into the car did she heave a sigh of relief. Since everything is ready, there should be no problems now. ¡°You look nervous,¡± said Tristan, thinking she was nervous because the matter was about Sunny. ¡°I¡¯m not nervous. I only want to seek justice for Sunny.¡± Sophie thought yton must take ountability for Sunny¡¯s injury. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Sean can handle it. Just leave it to him.¡± Tristan believed that everything would go well with Sean¡¯s help. ¡°By the way, the university entrance exam is around the corner. You should prioritize your study and do your review. Understand?¡± ¡°Understood.¡± Sophie had never worried about the university entrance exam but could only answer in such wise. After all, there was no way she would tell Tristan that the exam was a piece of cake and that she did not have to do any review. It was eight o¡¯clock at night when Tristan and Sophie went to pick Arius up at the airport. Arius saw them from a distance. Undeniably, the duo was too eye-catching. He could see the duo without much effort in the bustling arrival hall. These two be the center of attention no matter where they go. Arius only carried a backpack and did not take any suitcase with him. Once he approached Tristan and Sophie, he spread his hands and wanted to hug Sophie. ¡°You don¡¯t even know how much I miss you, Sophie. Come and give me a hug!¡± Tristan stared at him from the side as if he was a fool. ¡°Stop it! Let¡¯s go.¡± Sophie ignored him. What is he doing? Can¡¯t he see Tristan is here? Also, we never hug each other in the past. ¡°You¡¯re so mean, Sophie. You don¡¯t love me anymore. You were the one who asked me toe back, yet you¡¯re ignoring me when I¡¯m here. Fine. I might as well just go back now,¡± said Arius with a sad face. Sophie was rendered speechless by his words. Drama king! What a great acting spirit he has! ¡°Let¡¯s go, Arius,¡± Sophie repeated. ¡°Sophie, what is this guy doing here? I don¡¯t like him.¡± Arius stood still and refused to leave. ¡°As if I like you,¡± said Tristan. Since Arius disliked him, he naturally had no liking for him too. ¡°Let¡¯s go, Sophie.¡± He paid Arius no mind. Since Arius hade all the way here, Tristan believed he would not just leave. Arius went into silence as he watched the duo walk out side by side. He was exasperated. How dare they be so mean and ignore me! They are the ones who invited me here. How can they do this to their guest? Wait¡­ Is Sophie really going to dump me here? Seeing that nobody gave a hoot of him, Arius could only give in and follow behind the duo. How unlucky am I to have such a friend who prioritizes love over friends? I thought we were close friends, but she left me to chill with her boyfriend. Having that thought in mind, Arius decided to ignore Sophie and would not help her if she came to him in the future. In the car park, Tristan opened the car door for Sophie and closed the door after she had entered the car. Arius was left alone, standing at the side. ¡°If you don¡¯t want a ride, you can just take a taxi back. I¡¯ll pay the fare for you.¡± Tristan did not spare him. ¡°Hey, don¡¯t look down on me, Mr. Tristan. I have the money to pay for the taxi fee,¡± said Arius. D*mn! This guy is too much. ¡°Since you have the money, just go back on your own.¡± ¡°You¡­¡± Tristan¡¯s words pissed Arius off. He immediately opened the car door and hopped into the car. I bet he did that on purpose. Hmph! I definitely won¡¯t fall into his trap. Tristan raised his brow upon seeing that. Hmm¡­ this guy isn¡¯t that dump anyway. He got into the car and started the engine. ¡°Sophie, I don¡¯t like staying in a hotel. Since there¡¯re vacant rooms at your ce, I¡¯ll just stay in one of them.¡± Arius shot Tristan a provocative re at the end of his words. ¡°No problem.¡± Sophie had no objections to his suggestion, thinking he only came back to treat Sunny¡¯s hand and would only stay for a few days. Arius was delighted to hear her answer. Hmph! Since you¡¯ve pissed me off, I won¡¯t let you feel good either, Mr. Tristan. Just as Arius expected, Tristan¡¯s expression darkened instantly. He even shot Arius a re. Nevertheless, Arius was not afraid at all. He thought Tristan would not do anything to him as long as Sophie was beside them. Nevertheless, Tristan drove Arius to the hotel in the end. ¡°What¡¯s the meaning of this, Mr. Tristan? I thought we had agreed that I would stay at Sophie¡¯s ce. Look, Sophie. This guy didn¡¯t even listen to you. You¡¯d better not go out with someone like him.¡± ¡°Arius, how can a grown man like you think of living under the same roof with a youngdy? Don¡¯t you think you are asking for too much?¡± Tristan questioned candidly. Since the matter involved his girlfriend, there was no way he could tolerate it. ¡°What a dirty mind you have, Mr. Tristan. Even if we live together, that doesn¡¯t mean that something will happen between us. Please stop judging others by your own measures.¡± Arius thought he shared a close rtionship with Sophie, and there was nothing wrong if they lived under one roof. Sophie felt her head throb when she saw the two men arguing. She wondered why the two gentlemen would end up fighting after they met each other. C¨°ntens bel0ngs to N?(v)elDr/a/ma.Org ¡°Sophie, say something. I don¡¯t want to stay in the hotel. I only want to stay with you.¡± Arius refused to give in. Tristan, on the other hand, said nothing. ¡°Stop kicking up a fuss, Arius. You normally stay in a hotel, don¡¯t you?¡± Arius was rendered speechless. Err¡­ Did she just make a choice? ¡°Tell me, Sophie. Am I not important to you anymore?¡± He could not ept that Sophie, who had fought alongside him and gone through life and death together, had chosen Tristan without a hint of hesitation. ¡°Arius, you will always be my best friend,¡± said Sophie, hoping that Arius would satisfy with her deration. Arius was pleased with her answer atst. ¡°I¡¯m d that you think this way.¡± Tristan was rendered speechless by their conversation. Hmph! This bloke is here to get attention. Hang you! ¡°You must treat me to a meal after this. Don¡¯t bring anyone with you. Just the two of us.¡± It was apparent that he was telling Sophie not to bring Tristan along. ¡°Sure. Go and freshen up first. I¡¯ll treat you to a meal after that. Just the two of us. Are you satisfied?¡± ¡°You sound a little reluctant. Well, I don¡¯t like to impose.¡± Sophie took a deep breath upon hearing that. Apparently, her patience had reached its limit. ¡°All right, all right. I¡¯ll go and freshen up now.¡± Arius immediately gave in when he saw her like that. Chapter 358 Chapter 358 Sophie finally calmed down after she saw Arius go in to freshen up. ¡°Only you can handle him.¡± Tristan chuckled looking at Arius. Serves him right for trying topete with me! Content held by N?velDrama.Org. Hearing that, Sophie wanted to sigh. ¡°Mr. Tristan, can you stop bickering with him?¡± Sophie said helplessly. He¡¯s the famous Mr. Tristan! Fine! I¡¯ll admit it. When I¡¯m with Arius, I be slightly immature. ¡°Okay, I hear you! Don¡¯t worry! I¡¯ll control myself and not argue with him next time!¡± It¡¯s just Arius! Since she doesn¡¯t even like him, he¡¯s nothing. Arius changed his clothes and came down. He saw Sophie sitting on the couch in the living room and walked over. ¡°Let¡¯s go! I didn¡¯t even eat lunch because I aming here to enjoy the food.¡± After all, he still preferred the food in his hometown. He was sick of eating hamburgers and pasta in Anndur. ¡°If you dislike it so much, why are you going back there?¡± Look at me. I didn¡¯t return. ¡°I don¡¯t have a choice! My mentor is there, and he¡¯s getting old. I have to be there to help me. He knows I¡¯ming back, so he asked me to pass you a letter. It¡¯s still in my room. Let¡¯s go back and get itter.¡± He wanted to take it with him a moment ago but forgot about it. It was his character. He could only remember things clearly if they were rted to surgeries. ¡°Okay, we will take itter.¡± Tristan had already booked a restaurant. After Arius came down, they immediately headed to the restaurant. ¡°Is heing along with us? Aren¡¯t we eating separately? I don¡¯t want to eat with him.¡± Arius was back to his immature self. ¡°If you aren¡¯t hungry, we can head straight to the hospital.¡± Sophie was not going to give in to his childish behavior. ¡°Sophie, you don¡¯t care about me anymore! I haven¡¯t eaten anything the whole afternoon, and you¡¯re asking me to go straight to the hospital now. You¡¯re more heartless and evil than those capitalists!¡± No matter what, we have gone through life-and-death situations together. How can she do this to me? ¡°If you want to eat, we can go together. Else, we are going straight to the hospital.¡± Tristan nced at Arius. He¡¯s really asking for it. ¡°Let¡¯s go eat!¡± Fine! I¡¯ll let Tristan off the hook! For some reason, Constance received news of Arius returning and tried her best to find them. They just got to the hotel and saw her there. Constance sprinted over to Arius as soon as she spotted him. Despite having had time to heal, Mason¡¯s legs had still not fully recovered. She could not give up on him. Therefore, she was determined to ask Arius for help. Sophie did not react when she saw Constance. The purpose of Constance¡¯s presence did not pique her interest. ¡°I know I¡¯ve done many terrible things to you in the past. I can apologize to you and do anything you require but please help Mason this time.¡± As a mother, she had done her best for her son. From her previous haughty self to her present humility, she had changed trying to help her son. Tristan frowned. Why does this woman keep showing up everywhere? ¡°Don¡¯t block our way,¡± he said in disdain. He was not interested in their past. Besides, Mason was already in the past. Constance dropped to her knees. ¡°Sophie, Mason really liked you. Even if you don¡¯t like him anymore, can you help him this time since he used to like you a lot and did his best to protect you?¡± Constance¡¯s face was as pale as a sheet. Her health had worsened since taking care of Mason. ¡°Why are you so annoying? Why do we have to help you?¡± Arius questioned impatiently. He did not like Mason at all. ¡°Sophie, I beg you! Please help Mason!¡± How long has it been since Ist heard this name? Mason used to be so confident and handsome. He was every woman¡¯s dream. If it weren¡¯t for him, Willow would not have framed me and made me go to Horington! What did he do then? He left me and escaped abroad! He only came back when he regretted it. He was not there when she needed him most. So, he had nothing to do with her anymore after he returned. ¡°Mrs. Laird, it¡¯s Mason¡¯s business for ending up in such a state! It has nothing to do with me! However, I¡¯ll help him since he¡¯s so pitiful! You can go back first!¡± Forget it! I don¡¯t want to see him in this pitiful manner, either! When Constance heard Sophie¡¯s words, she smiled. ¡°Sophie, thank you! I¡¯ll remember your kindness forever and be indebted to you. I¡¯ll do anything you ask to repay you.¡± She finally understood why her son liked Sophie. I must have been blind to have liked that bit*h Willow! Constance left, and they entered the restaurant. ¡°Why do you want to help Mason?¡± Tristan did not understand. She should just ignore people she dislikes. Why does she even bother? ¡°No matter what, Mason was a good person in the past! Let bygones be bygones! You can just take it as helping a stranger!¡± ¡°Sophie, have you asked me for my opinion?¡± He did not want to help those who bullied her at all. ¡°Sweetheart, did you forget you¡¯re a doctor?¡± ¡°So what if I¡¯m a doctor? I didn¡¯t say I¡¯m a good doctor.¡± I¡¯m a person with principles! I would rather save the homeless than those I dislike! ¡°Sweetheart?¡± Tristan¡¯s expression darkened. How can she call Arius that? Sophie suddenly remembered Tristan was by her side. She realized he must have taken it to heart judging from his expression. ¡°It was a joke!¡± ¡°Is he your sweetheart?¡± I¡¯ll admit it. I¡¯m jealous! How can he call some other man Sweetheart? ¡°No, you heard wrong!¡± Sophie wanted to p herself. She knew Tristan was a jealous man. Why did I say that? ¡°No, you didn¡¯t hear wrong! I¡¯m Sophie¡¯s Sweetheart! You will never know how close we are!¡± Arius was all smug. Did you see that? I¡¯m the most important man to Sophie! Chapter 359 Chapter 359 Tristan shot a begrudging nce at Sophie. See! This is how Arius bullies others all the time. However, I can¡¯t even teach him a lesson out of respect for Sophie! This is so upsetting. Sophie felt extremely guilty when she saw the look in his eyes. After all, she did not do it on purpose. When they were at Horington, Arius would call her that all the time and make her cringe. Hence, at times when she ran out of patience, she would just tell him off. Arius¡¯ mood improved. ¡°Let¡¯s go and eat! I¡¯m so hungry!¡± Every time Tristan got upset, he would feel pleased. He just wanted to see Tristain unhappy. Hence, whenever that happened, he would naturally be extremely delighted. Arius led the way in. However, Tristan and Sophie were still standing outside. When Sophie saw that he was not moving, she walked toward him and held his hand. ¡°I¡¯m just calling him that casually. I don¡¯t mean anything else.¡± Sophie could not bring herself to feel happy when she saw him being jealous. ¡°Are you angry? Don¡¯t be angry, okay?¡± All Tristan could do was sigh. ¡°Kiss me. If you kiss me, I¡¯ll pretend that nothing happened earlier.¡± Sophie stood on her toes and pecked him on the lips. ¡°What about this?¡± This should be enough, right? ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll ept it.¡± Tristan wrapped his arm around her waist and entered the restaurant. Honestly, other than the annoying things that he would say, Arius was quite decent. At the very least, he was just like a brother to Sophie. After eating, the three of them headed to the hospital. Upon arriving, Arius changed his clothes and went to the hospital ward to check Sunny¡¯s hand. After a meticulous inspection, Arius reached a conclusion. ¡°Is there any hope for my hand, Professor Gullifer?¡± Sunny knew Arius well. Since Arius had helped to heal his hand the previous time, he felt like he had just gotten a glimpse of hope upon seeing Arius again. Arius patted his shoulder. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. As long as I¡¯m here, I can heal you even if your bones have shattered!¡± assured Arius confidently. After staying at the International Medical Association for such a long time, there was no way he could not heal Sunny¡¯s hand. ¡°Really? I can still y the drums?¡± The other doctors in the country had already run out of solutions. Despite having met numerous doctors in the past few days, the oues were all disappointing. Although he was initially full of confidence, he started doubting himself after the doctors left one after the other. Arius could not help but burst outughing. ¡°If someone else said that, I would¡¯ve just left immediately. I don¡¯t like patients who don¡¯t trust me.¡± I¡¯ve quite a temper too, okay? Is there a need to doubt me like that? ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Professor Gullifer. I just¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s enough. What are you doing, Arius? Sunny¡¯s just worried about his hand.¡± Sophie did not like it when others bullied Sunny. Since Sophie said that, Arius stopped messing around. ¡°Fine! Don¡¯t worry. There¡¯ll be absolutely no problem.¡± He still behaved in front of Sophie. Ariusmented secretly, She only calls me back when she needs me. And every time I return, she¡¯s so fierce toward me! When the director found out that Arius and the rest were at the hospital, he specially cleared out the director¡¯s office for Arius. Arius did not stand on ceremony either as he would only be staying there for a few days before flying off. Sitting on the swivel chair in the director¡¯s office, Arius nced at Sophie. ¡°What? Everyone else is more important than me, right?¡± ¡°You¡¯re the most important, Professor Gullifer! You¡¯re my benefactor!¡± When faced with immature people like him, Sophie had no choice but to coax him. When Arius heard that, his mood lifted. That¡¯s how it¡¯s supposed to be. ¡°Fine! I know that you¡¯re busytely, so just go ahead with your work. Leave Sunny to me!¡± Since he was such a professional, there would not be any problems. ¡°Please check on Mason¡¯s legs too.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t go overboard, Sophie! You¡¯re making me check everyone! Do I still have a right to choose?¡± Even if the president of Anndur wanted his medical services, it would still depend on whether he was willing to help. Also, why does Mason deserve my help? ¡°Well, just treat it as a favor for me, okay?¡± She thought that bygones should be bygones. No matter what, Mason should not end up like that. ¡°Hmph! You always want me to do things for you.¡± ¡°Why? Am I not important enough for you to do such a small thing for me?¡± asked Sophie with a raised eyebrow. He¡¯s quite reluctant this time, huh? ¡°In that case, just go back. I¡¯ll think of a solution myself. Otherwise, I can just invite Dr. Smith over,¡± she continued. C¨°ntens bel0ngs to N?(v)elDr/a/ma.Org Is there a need to be so proud? I¡¯ve already humbled myself for him, but he¡¯s still ying hard to get! ¡°Fine! I really can¡¯t do anything to you. I got it.¡± It was just a surgery, so it was not a huge hassle for him. ¡°Thank you! I¡¯ll treat you to a meal after the surgery.¡± Arius could not help but roll his eyes. ¡°It¡¯s like you won¡¯t treat me to a meal if I don¡¯t do the surgery.¡± Hmph! If I¡¯d known this earlier, I wouldn¡¯t have gone to Anndur. I might still be the most important person to her if I had stayed in Horington. After finding out that Sophie was willing to help him, Mason felt conflicted. He was the one who had done wrong all along. If he had not left selfishly, Sophie would not have been sent to Horington. However, it was pointless even if he regretted it. Sophie did not need his forgiveness. Still, he had not met Sophie for a few months. Upon discovering that she was also at the hospital, he rushed over secretly and saw her walking out of the director¡¯s office. She¡¯s still as attractive as before. Mason¡¯s eyes were filled with an obsessed look. She¡¯s a girl who¡¯s as bright as the star. Even if she just stands there without doing anything, she¡¯s still so charming. She has fancied me before, but I didn¡¯t treasure her. Now, I have lost her, and things will never be the same ever. ¡°Sophie!¡± Mason called out to her just when she was about to leave. He used to be so confident in the past. Yet, standing in front of her now, all he could feel was shame and inferiority. When Sophie heard her name, she turned her head around and saw Mason leaning against the wall. Now, she no longer hated or loved Mason. He was merely someone whom she used to know. With great difficulty, Mason limped toward Sophie. ¡°I heard from my mom that you asked Professor Gullifer to help me. I¡¯m really grateful that you are still willing to help me out.¡± Now that they were standing together, all he could do was thank her. Chapter 360 Chapter 360 ¡°Don¡¯t overthink. I just think that your mom¡¯s in a very pitiable situation.¡± Well, she has never been a kind person. However, after seeing how Constance was doing, she realized that there was no reason to keep hating Constance. Although Constance¡¯s actions had always been so annoying, Sophie thought that she had a part to y in Mason¡¯s current situation. ¡°I didn¡¯t overthink. I just want to thank you!¡± After all, he had no right to overthink. ¡°I¡¯m busy. If there¡¯s nothing else, I¡¯ll leave first.¡± There was nothing else left between them to talk about. ¡°Okay. Be careful! yton isn¡¯t a good person.¡± He had a vague idea of what had happened to her after reading the entertainment news. Hence, he was still worried about him. ¡°Mason, lead your own life. Don¡¯t do anything just because of Willow or me. It¡¯s not worth it!¡± Everyone could only take responsibility for their own lives. ¡°Yeah, I know.¡± Mason stood there motionlessly until Sophie left his field of vision. When he turned around, he saw Constance standing behind him. ¡®Why are you here, Mom?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Mason. If I hadn¡¯t liked Willow that much back then, you and Sophie wouldn¡¯t have ended up like this. It¡¯s all my fault.¡± My son really likes Sophie. However, there¡¯s no hope left because of me. I really regret it. I must¡¯ve been blind back then. ¡°Mom, there¡¯s no need to bring up the past. Just let things be!¡± Will I ever meet someone who I truly like? He knew the answer very well. After liking someone like Sophie, there was no way for him to fall in love with anyone else. Constance felt horrible when she saw Mason like that as she knew that it was all her fault. If it were not for her, he would not be in such a tormenting state now. yton did not expect to actually receive a court summons. Sophie really isn¡¯t letting me off the hook. His reputation had been ruined by Sophie. When thewyer read the order, he could only shake his head. yton became infuriated when he saw thewyer¡¯s reaction. ¡°What¡¯s the f*cking point of you shaking your head? I spent so much money hiring you not to watch you shake your head here!¡± ¡°yton, this incident is bing really serious on the Inte. It¡¯s very disadvantageous to us, so you must be mentally prepared.¡± ¡°Why are you telling me to be mentally prepared? At the very most, I¡¯ll just fork out some compensation. I only injured someone. So what even if I actually killed someone?¡± The troubling thing was that Sophie refused to let him off the hook. Furthermore, since she was Tristan¡¯s woman, he could not touch her. ¡°Are you still going to attend court?¡± With awyer, it would not be a difficult task topensate the other party. ¡°Do you think that I can still do that?¡± If this matter was not dealt with well, his reputation would be ruined. He would be out of his mind if he still go to court. However, his phone rang immediately after he spoke. ¡°yton, you must show up tomorrow.¡± It was a call from Sophie. yton remained quiet. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Are you not nning to attend?¡± What a joke! I nned this for so long just to trample over him. It¡¯ll not be fun if he doesn¡¯t show up. ¡°Sophie, you don¡¯t need to go so far. Jipsdale¡¯s not very big, so we¡¯d have to meet someday. Why must you make things ugly?¡± yton thought that he was about to lose his mind. He felt frustrated every time he heard Sophie¡¯s name. She¡¯s like a curse to me. ¡°No, I¡¯m telling you this now. It¡¯s best that youe. Otherwise, I can¡¯t say for sure what¡¯ll happen.¡± She was tantly threatening him. Since her words carried the most weight, she could do anything she wanted. If yton was the one with the upper hand, he would also not let her off the hook easily. yton hung up the call directly. At that moment, even hearing Sophie¡¯s voice terrified him. Atst, Sophie was satisfied. Anyone who harmed her would naturally have to pay the price. Hence, she was very pleased with this oue. ¡°Sophie, you¡¯re a really scary woman.¡± Even though yton was quite influential in Jipsdale, she still managed to torment him like that. Sophie nced at Charles. All content is property ? N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Am I scary? I don¡¯t think so. I¡¯ve never bothered to spare a nce at people who don¡¯t provoke me. However, for those who insist on harming people around me, I will never spare them. I¡¯m just taking revenge, okay?¡± To be honest, she never liked to create trouble. However, some people kept wanting to target her because they think that she was weak. Since they were so tantly picking on her, there was no way for her to sit idly by and do nothing. ¡°Actually, Winter is kind of lucky to be sent to Alendor.¡± Winter had always thought that she was quite intelligent. However, she was nothingpared to Sophie. ¡°Truthfully, I¡¯ve never targeted her before.¡± He should know that the best. ¡°I know. It¡¯s because you¡¯ve never treated her as an opponent. Furthermore, a girl like you will never deign to use those tricks.¡± He admired Sophie a lot, to tell the truth. It was no wonder that Tristan liked her so much too. Initially, Tristan was discussing an investment proposal with Felix and the rest. When he saw Charles speaking with Sophie for such a long time, he felt worried and walked over. ¡°What are you talking about? Why is the conversation so long?¡± She¡¯s my girlfriend! Shouldn¡¯t she be keeping mepany instead? Charles was speechless. Hmm¡­ This is what being possessive looks like. He can¡¯t even bear to be separated from her for even a moment. ¡°Mr. Tristan, aren¡¯t you monitoring her too closely? I have just said a few things to her!¡± There¡¯s no need to behave like this, right? ¡°Do you not trust me or do you not trust Sophie?¡± Tristan scoffed coldly. ¡°I just don¡¯t like the way you talk to her.¡± Suspect Sophie? No, that¡¯ll never happen. I will trust her forever. Charles was rendered speechless again. ¡°Okay, forget it. I don¡¯t want to continue being a third-wheel here. I always get targeted every time I¡¯m with you two.¡± Is there a need to unt your love like that? With that, Charles went to sit with Felix and the rest. Tristan hugged Sophie¡¯s shoulder and whispered beside her ear, ¡°You seem to like Charles a lot, huh?¡± Sophie turned around and nced at him. What is he trying to say? Like him in what sense?¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°It¡¯s exactly what I said.¡± Charles was still Winter¡¯s brother, so he probably would not have a good attitude toward her. Chapter 361 Chapter 361 Charles isn¡¯t an annoying person. It doesn¡¯t matter even if he¡¯s Winter¡¯s brother. As long as he didn¡¯t do anything that upset me, it¡¯s fine.¡± Charles would naturally be biased toward Winter. He was her elder brother, so it was understandable. He merely mentioned it briefly, but she immediately understood what he meant. How impressive! She can read the situation so well all the time. ¡°You don¡¯t need to put up with anyone. Just tell them off as long as you¡¯re not pleased, okay?¡± He still did not want her to feel aggrieved even if it were him. ¡°Okay.¡± Tristan adored her whenever he saw her behave obediently. How can two such different personalities coexist within one person? When she¡¯s cold, she will not even acknowledge her closest kin. But when she¡¯s obedient, she can melt my heartpletely. This girl is really my precious love. ¡°Why are you looking at me like that?¡± The look of obsession in his eyes made her feel uneasy. Tristan bent down and kissed the corner of her lips. ¡°I can¡¯t help myself!¡± Although he did not want to gaze at her with naked desire in his eyes in such a setting, he always failed to control himself whenever he was with her. When Sophie heard what he said, she immediately felt shy. Despite her efforts to stop herself from looking so shy, her cheeks kept blushing. Tristan didn¡¯t even say much! He merely said that he can¡¯t help himself, so why am I overreacting here? Even her ears and cheeks were burning. When Tristan saw her reaction, he could not help butugh and kiss her forehead. Ysabelle was jealous when she saw their interaction. Sitting there, she chewed on some nuts. It was not her intention to witness such a passionate scene. Initially, she nned to speak to Sophie, but she ended up seeing that spicy exchange. How can there be such a vast difference between the two of us? When can I meet someone whom I like? Ysabelle sighed. ¡°Felix, am I ugly?¡± Ysabelle was starting to doubt herself. Felix instantly raised his head when he heard that. ¡°What are you talking about? How can you be ugly? You¡¯re gorgeous!¡± ¡°If I¡¯m gorgeous, why isn¡¯t anyone pursuing me?¡± If someone is pursuing me, I would still have a choice. However, there¡¯s absolutely no one approaching me! This is too pathetic. When Sean and Charles heard what she said, theyughed and exchanged a meaningful nce. Felix red at them. ¡°That¡¯s because they are blind! All right, stop overthinking. You¡¯re about to take your university entrance exam soon, right? You¡¯ll meet all sorts of boys when you enter university!¡± consoled Felix. What a joke! How can I ever let Ysabelle find out that I¡¯ve eliminated all the guys who intended to pursue her? What would she do if she found out? I don¡¯t even dare to imagine it. ¡°Charles, you have so many girlfriends, so analyze this situation for me! Why don¡¯t I have any luck with guys?¡± Ysabelle was still unconvinced by Felix. ¡°Do you really want to know?¡± asked Charles matter-of-factly. Ysabelle nodded immediately. ¡°Looks like even our little Ysabelle wants to date someone!¡± eximed Charles. ¡°We watched you grow up, after all. Time flies! Even that little girl from the past is already thinking of getting into a rtionship!¡± Felix is really a coward. Look at Tristan! Inparison, Felix is so pathetic. ¡°Of course! I¡¯m at the age to start dating, right?¡± Ysabelle stared at Charles eagerly. Felix pulled Ysabelle aside. ¡°Don¡¯t listen to his nonsense! Even though he¡¯s got so many women around him, have you seen him with a girlfriend before? Has he genuinely fallen in love with any girl before? How can you listen to advise from people like him?¡± Felix panicked. He must not let Charles lead Ysabelle astray. Charles became unhappy when he heard what Felix said. ¡°What do you mean, Felix? Do you have something against me? You¡¯re too much!¡± Even if he had a lot of women around him, there was nothing he could do. He just wooed all of them because he did not want them to feel sad. It was not his fault at all. Felix snorted disdainfully. A rare smile appeared on Sean¡¯s face. ¡°All right, Charles. Felix is right. You shouldn¡¯t teach her the wrong things.¡± Everyone knew that Felix was the reason why Ysabelle could not get into a rtionship. However, she must not find out about that now. ¡°Even you are saying those things about me! Looks like there¡¯s no point in continuing this friendship! None of you understand my reasons!¡± Charles was speechless. He just did not want those women to feel too lonely. Since they also possessed something that he wanted, he would naturally go along with them. It was a mutually beneficial situation, so he could not be faulted. At nine the next morning, Tristan brought Sophie to the court. Since it was the first day of the trial, she had specially taken leave from school. ¡°Mr. Tristan, why don¡¯t you go back first? I can just stay here alone.¡± Sean and the rest should be arriving soon. ¡°It¡¯s fine. I don¡¯t have anything important happening today, so I¡¯ll just stay here with you.¡± Since this matter involved yton, he could not let her stay there alone. When Tristan held Sophie¡¯s hand, she turned around and nced at him. Ever since she got to know him, he would arrange everything so well whenever they were together. There was no need for her to worry. Before entering the court, they bumped into yton and his legal team. C¨°ntens bel0ngs to N?(v)elDr/a/ma.Org He had brought quite a few people with him as if that would bring him a greater sense of security. Sophie was satisfied when she saw himing as instructed. ¡°Good Morning, Mr. Zales!¡± greeted Sophie. However, he deserved everything for he had dug his own grave. ¡°Can¡¯t we settle this on our own, Ms. Tanner? You can just raise any terms you want! There¡¯s no need to stir up so much trouble,¡± said yton exasperatedly. Things had not been going well for him recently. He could not sleep for the entire night because he did not know what awaited him the next day. It was a torturous feeling. Tristan nced at yton. ¡°If you dared to beat Sunny up like that, you¡¯ll definitely need to pay the price. See you at the trial!¡± Unwilling to waste any more time with him, Tristan brought Sophie into the building. yton stared at their backs. ¡°F*ck!¡± He was on the brink of rage. ¡°You¡¯d better perform well for thiswsuit. Otherwise, don¡¯t even think about going home!¡± Chapter 362 Chapter 362 ¡°yton, it¡¯s not that we don¡¯t want to give it our best but we¡¯re going up against Sean!¡± Everyone in the legal industry knew about Sean, and he had won every case of his. In the face of such an opponent, it didn¡¯t matter how manywyers they had. ¡°What? You guys are a bunch of ipetent trash!¡± yton roared. Tristan then brought Sophie in. True enough, Sean was already inside. When they went in, he was organizing his documents. Sunny was also there. Although his injury had almost healed, he remained hospitalized because of his hand. Sophie approached Sean and uttered politely, ¡°Thank you, Sean.¡± Sean stopped what he was doing and lifted his gaze toward Sophie. ¡°No worries! It¡¯s just a small case.¡± Indeed, it was a simple case for him. ¡°Good luck!¡± Tristan patted Sean on the shoulder. In response, Sean looked at him in bafflement. What is he doing? I didn¡¯t even see him acting this way when I was working on the majorwsuit for Lombard Group back then. ¡°Thank you, Sophie.¡± Sunny was incredibly grateful to Sophie for everything she was doing for him. ¡°Actually, I¡­¡± ¡°Sunny, don¡¯t worry about it. No one can bully anyone close to me. So what if the bully is yton?¡± Sophie responded. In fact, even if they were toe up against Nichs, she would still make him pay. Shortly after, the trial began. There really wasn¡¯t much suspense in thewsuit. As a result, the trial ended within an hour. yton was said to have beaten up the other party, and the judge delivered the verdict ordingly. He was guilty of assault by beating! He was even ordered topensate Sunny. However, Sunny only demanded that yton pay him a nominal sum. Due to how everything yed out, Sunny ended up on the list of trending searches on the inte. On the other hand, yton became the joke of Jipsdale. Besides, yton was ordered to apologize to Sunny by issuing a public apology. Needless to say, Sophie was satisfied with the oue. All content is property ? N?velDrama.Org. When they exited the court, there were reporters all over the ce. As expected, they went after Sunny for interviews the moment they saw him. One reporter asked, ¡°Sunny, why did you only want him to pay you a nominal sum? You were hospitalized for quite a while! You should¡¯ve demanded more from him!¡± ¡°What I want isn¡¯t money. Instead, I wanted justice!¡± Sunny smiled. His smile was filled with warmth. Prior to that, Sunny never smiled much, so that was the first time the reporters had seen him smile. ¡°That¡¯s right! yton is really despicable! How dare he beat you up so badly!¡± The Wheelers¡¯ fans had gathered there when they heard about the oue of thewsuit. At that moment, a lot of people at the scene were cheering Sunny¡¯s name. Sunny saw them and halted in his tracks to greet them. ¡°Hi! Go home, everyone! This matter is finally over. I promise everyone I won¡¯t be as impulsive anymore in the future! I¡¯m terribly sorry for the fact that everyone had to worry about me!¡± With that, he bowed and apologized. Hearing those words, countless fans were sobbing at the scene. How is our idol so thoughtful and mature when he¡¯s only neen? This is all yton¡¯s fault! ¡°We love you, Sunny!¡± the fans shouted. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Sunny! This is only the beginning. From now on, The Wheelers¡¯ fans will boycott Zales Corporation.¡± Sunny bowed again and said, ¡°Thank you for the love you¡¯ve shown me, everyone. I won¡¯t let you guys down.¡± He bowed once more before putting on his face mask and getting into the car with the security¡¯s help. Seeing that Sunny had left, the reporters approached Sophie to interview her. ¡°Ms. Tanner, you¡¯ve gotten justice for Sunny this time around. Are you satisfied with how everything yed out?¡± Right when all the reporters thought Sophie wasn¡¯t going to answer the question, she paused in her tracks, turned toward the camera, and said into the microphone, ¡°I was merely seeking justice on behalf of Sunny! Also, I¡¯m sure everyone here knows what¡¯s right and what¡¯s not. From now on, I hope that Mr. Zales would leave all the artists from TS Entertainment alone! I don¡¯t wish to see any of my artists getting harmed!¡± Upon hearing how protective she was of the members of The Wheelers, The Wheelers¡¯ fans started chanting her name as well. After all, the eighteen-year-old girl had just defended their idol¡¯s dignity. If not for her, none of them would¡¯ve known about what happened. ¡°Sophie! Sophie! Sophie!¡± the fans chanted. yton came out of the court and felt utterly helpless when he saw how everything had turned out. At that moment, he just wanted to leave silently. However, the reporters quickly went up to him and surrounded him when they saw himing out. Naturally, they wanted to interview him, too. ¡°Mr. Zales, what do you think about how things have turned out? Will you still give the members of The Wheelers a hard time in the future?¡± ¡°Mr. Zales, please answer our question. Also, Sky Media¡¯s artists are asking for their contracts to be terminated. What are you guys going to do about it?¡± ¡°Will the other entities owned by Zales Corporation face identical problems?¡± yton brought his security guards along, so they blocked the reporters. yton didn¡¯t want to answer any of the questions. At that precise moment, he just wanted to leave as soon as possible. Although the security guards were able to block the reporters off, they couldn¡¯t control the agitated fans. A lot of the fans were throwing eggs and rotten vegetables at yton. All of a sudden, the scene turned chaotic. The people around yton tried to provide him cover, but there were just too many fans around. Consequently, they were all covered with eggs and rotten vegetables. While doing that, the fans shouted, ¡°Boycott Sky Media! Boycott the bloodsucking capitalists!¡± ¡°Are you all right?¡± Right after Wilbur asked that question, an eggnded on yton¡¯s face, and it was flowing down his face. yton wiped it away, but his expression was extremely gloomy. As a matter of fact, he was on the verge of losing his temper. Right after that, he spotted Sophie, who was in the car, and their gazes met. He wanted nothing more than to rip her to shreds. I wouldn¡¯t be in such a pathetic situation if not because of her! This is all her fault. How dare she do this to me? Sophie sneered when she saw the mess he was in. You wanted trouble with me, right? Let¡¯s see if you¡¯re capable of handling me! ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± Sophie said to Tristan, who was driving. Naturally, Tristan saw the stare-down between yton and Sophie. It seems like he hasn¡¯t learned his lesson yet. ¡°The car is here, yton. Hop in!¡± Wilbur immediately brought yton into the car. The moment yton got into the car, he lost hisposure. ¡°What were you guys doing?¡± he scolded. He had never been so embarrassed before. ¡°We did our best, yton. Those fans are crazy!¡± That was all Wilbur could say in response. Chapter 363 Chapter 363 Obviously, yton was enraged. F*ck! I¡¯ve never been in such a pathetic state before. I¡¯m an influential man in Jipsdale, but the fans had just humiliated me. The worst thing is that I can¡¯t even take my revenge because there were too many of them. I don¡¯t even know who threw the egg at me. I can¡¯t possibly take revenge on everyone, can I? ¡°yton, this is all Sophie¡¯s fault. Don¡¯t worry. We¡¯ll surely go after her,¡± Wilbur said. Although they couldn¡¯t find the fans, they could definitely find Sophie. ¡°Shut up! That¡¯s enough. Don¡¯t look for Sophie now. She¡¯s the reason I¡¯m in this mess,¡± yton ordered. I can¡¯t afford to let things escte further. Otherwise, I¡¯m doomed. Those sly foxes in Zales Corporation hate me now. If this continues, I¡¯m going to lose badly in the uing election. ¡°What? Are we just going to let Sophie get away with this?¡± Wilbur asked. ¡°I doubt Tristan will be interested in her for long. When they eventually break up, I¡¯m going to teach her a lesson,¡± yton replied. She¡¯s only acting arrogant because Tristan is backing her up. ¡°Yes. That¡¯s right. It doesn¡¯t take long for men to get sick of their women. I bet he¡¯s just toying with her,¡± Wilbur agreed. Men are all the same, no? With that, Wilbur passed some napkins to yton. Right then, Wilbur received a phone call from the headquarters. ¡°Bad news, yton! They¡¯re holding a shareholders¡¯ meeting at the headquarters without informing us! What are they up to?¡± Wilbur didn¡¯t expect such a thing to happen. ¡°What?¡± yton was in disbelief. I haven¡¯t even settled my problems at hand, and yet, another problem arises! ¡°What should we do now, yton?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s head back to the headquarters at this instant,¡± yton instructed. Are they kidding me? I¡¯m the CEO. How can they hold a shareholders¡¯ meeting without my presence? C¨°ntens bel0ngs to N?(v)elDr/a/ma.Org ¡°But yton, I don¡¯t think it¡¯s appropriate for you to show up at the shareholders¡¯ meeting in this state.¡± ¡°Sh*t! Let¡¯s go back first. I need to get changed.¡± ¡°yton, do we have time for that?¡± ¡°What do you suggest we do, then?¡± yton asked. I can¡¯t possibly show up at the shareholders¡¯ meeting in my dirty clothes. I¡¯ll be aughingstock! ¡°yton, let¡¯s just go to a mall nearby to buy some clothes. I don¡¯t think you have time to take a shower now, so perhaps you can just wipe your body clean,¡± Wilbur answered. We don¡¯t have much time to spare. ¡°Okay,¡± yton answered. Oh no, what else can I do? Meanwhile, Tristan and Sophie brought Sunny to the hospital. Up until then, Sunny still couldn¡¯t believe what had happened that day. ¡°All right. That marks the end of the matter, so you can finally rest now. Return to the band soon,¡± Sophie uttered. He should be able to rest properly now, right? ¡°Sophie, I¡¯m so satisfied with what happened today,¡± Sunny said. Finally, that arrogant man got the punishment he deserves. ¡°Yes.¡± Although Sophie knew how excited he was, she chose to respond calmly. After all, it was only the beginning. Her goal was to tear yton¡¯s reputation into shreds. ¡°Rest well, okay? I have some things to attend to. I¡¯ll go first,¡± Sophie said. The university entrance exam was just around the corner, and her homeroom teacher was looking for her. Hence, she needed to go back to school. Besides, she received a few phone calls from Victor prior to that, so she had to drop by Tanner Group. In reality, she wasn¡¯t much of a go-getter, and she just wanted to live a carefree life. However, it seemed as though everyone had things for her to do. In that case, she had no choice but to carry out those tasks one at a time. ¡°Okay. You may leave first. After all, you¡¯ve been kept busy for the past few days. Go home and take a good rest. Don¡¯t worry about me. Arius said my hand is fine.¡± ¡°If you need anything, don¡¯t hesitate to call Mark,¡± Sophie said. Sunny didn¡¯t have any family in Jipsdale, so he only had a caregiver attending to his needs in the hospital. It was also rather inconvenient for Sophie to take care of him. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about me. Mark visits me every day. Besides, the hospital has everything I need. The caregiver is very attentive too!¡± Sunny replied. I can¡¯t seem to do anything right. All I do every day is get into trouble, and others will have to help me clean up the mess I make. Frankly, I feel bad for them. ¡°Okay. I¡¯ll head back first,¡± Sophie said. Right then, Tristan went up to Sunny and tapped his shoulder. ¡°Get well soon!¡± Tristan had always been a man of few words. He only said that because Sunny was Sophie¡¯s friend. Before leaving, Sophie went to the restroom. When the men were left alone, Sunny said worryingly, ¡°Mr. Tristan, I have to be honest with you. Although I¡¯m very satisfied with what happened today, I¡¯m still worried about Sophie.¡± Ultimately, yton was a vile man. Since he had just suffered a setback, he was surely not going to let them off the hook so easily. Hearing that, Tristan couldn¡¯t help butugh. ¡°It appears you don¡¯t know Sophie at all! At this moment, Sophie is capable of beating ten ytons. Don¡¯t worry, okay? Either way, she still has me. As long as I¡¯m around, I won¡¯t let anyone harm Sophie.¡± Sunny heaved a sigh of relief when he heard those words. ¡°Mr. Tristan, I know I haven¡¯t been nice to you in the past. Now that I¡¯ve heard those words, I think I can finally ept you as Sophie¡¯s boyfriend,¡± he said. Mark likes Sophie a lot, but there¡¯s nothing much he can do about it. After all, that¡¯s just how rtionships are. It¡¯s between the two of them. As long as Sophie likes him, nothing else matters. ¡°It¡¯s all right. Your eptance changes nothing.¡± ¡°Must you respond that way? I¡¯m trying my best to be friendly. Why must you say that in response?¡± Tristan couldn¡¯t help but burst outughing when he saw Sunny¡¯s angry expression. Actually, this boy is still very innocent. Sophie was shocked when she returned and saw the two of them chatting away happily. What¡¯s going on? Sunny never liked Tristan. ¡°Okay! Let¡¯s go.¡± Tristan put his arm over Sophie¡¯s shoulders and led her out of there. ¡°Why were you two so happy? What did you guys talk about?¡± she asked. ¡°Well, Sunny just epted the fact that I¡¯m your boyfriend!¡± ¡°Does his eptance matter to you?¡± ¡°Of course! Why not? When a man likes a girl, he¡¯ll surely hope to get approval from the people around her,¡± Tristan answered. If her friends don¡¯t approve of me, wouldn¡¯t she get influenced as well? Moreover, I don¡¯t like people saying no to me. ¡°Okay, then!¡± Sophie replied. Who would¡¯ve thought that he¡¯s just like other men? Yet, I like it. ¡°By the way, yton should have his hands full after this. Just ignore him for now,¡± Tristan advised. She¡¯s about to sit for the university entrance exam, so she needs to get ready for it, right? ¡°Also, have you decided where you want to go after the exam?¡± he asked. She should be good enough to go to any university she wants. However, as a senior, she still needs to focus on her studies. Chapter 364 Chapter 364 ¡°Not yet.¡± Sophie considered Jipsdale University but was still unsure if that was what she wanted. ¡°It¡¯s okay. You can think about it first since we have time.¡± There was no point in hurrying.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Since the homeroom teacher had phoned several times, Sophie decided to head to school and go straight to his office. ¡°What¡¯s up, Teach? Is there something you want to talk about?¡± ¡°Here¡¯s a form for you; it¡¯s a rmendation. Are you interested?¡± ¡°To which university am I rmended for admission?¡± ¡°Jipsdale University!¡± The school was only provided with one opening, and the principal decided to offer it to Sophie. ¡°I¡¯m not interested.¡± Since Sophie knew she was capable of qualifying for the university, it was only natural that she would sit for the university entrance exam. ¡°What? Are you sure? You don¡¯t have to make up your mind now, Sophie. Think about it or discuss it with your family first,¡± advised the teacher because of how rare the opportunity was. ¡°Okay.¡± Sophie said nothing else but returned to her ss instead. ¡°Do you know why Teach wanted to see Sophie?¡± ¡°I heard it was because of the rmendation. As the top student in our school, Sophie will no doubt be the one to get it.¡± ¡°I¡¯m so jealous! We had to try our hardest just to get a chance to be enrolled in the university, while she made it look like a walk in the park. How can life be so unfair?¡± ¡°Give me a break. Stopining, will you? I¡¯m sure you¡¯d get rmended too if you were the number one student in our school. Since that¡¯s not the case, there really isn¡¯t any point inining, is there?¡± It was every student¡¯s dream to get rmended, but not everyone was qualified for such a privilege. ¡°You sure sound fine with it.¡± ¡°Why shouldn¡¯t I? If not Sophie, somebody from Senior ss 1 would surely get rmended instead; at least Sophie¡¯s one of us. I don¡¯t see any problem with that,¡± stated one of Sophie¡¯s ssmates, who had always disliked those from Senior ss 1 for looking down on them. What I wouldn¡¯t give to see the looks on their faces when they learn that it was one of us who got the rmendation! ¡°You¡¯re right. They like to think they¡¯re better than us, so let¡¯s see how they like it when we prove them wrong.¡± Meanwhile, the students of Senior ss 1 were also discussing the rmendation when one of them suddenly ran in and announced on the podium, ¡°Do you guys know who just got rmended? It was Sophie Tanner of Senior ss 8.¡± Willow¡¯s heart almost skipped a beat when she heard the name. Why does Sophie always seem to get whatever others desire without breaking a sweat? ¡°What? How¡¯s that possible? It should¡¯ve been one of us, so how did someone from Senior ss 8 get rmended instead?¡± questioned one of Willow¡¯s ssmates. We¡¯re better than those in Senior ss 8, aren¡¯t we? ¡°How can the school be so unfair? Something about this smells fishy.¡± Bailey could not help but chuckle when he heard the other students. ¡°What makes you think you¡¯re qualified to say something like that? Sophie got the highest score on the exam, so what right do you have topare yourselves to her?¡± There¡¯s no one in the school more qualified to get the rmendation than Sophie. When the others saw that Bailey, the student who scored the second highest, had no problem with the school¡¯s decision, they immediately ceased the discussion. After all, it was not as though they would be next in line even if Sophie were to give up the rmendation. After ncing at Bailey, Willow packed her things and took a leave of absence to go home. She had been feeling unwell from the moment she heard the news. Ysabelle immediately approached Sophie when her ssmate returned to ss. ¡°You got rmended for admission to Jipsdale University?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Right after hearing that, Ysabelle leaped for joy. ¡°You¡¯re awesome, Sophie! I¡¯ve never met anyone as impressive as you are. How are you so calm right now? Do you know how many of us dream of going to Jipsdale University?¡± ¡°What sort of reaction are you expecting from me, exactly?¡± To that question, Ysabelle responded by shaking her head. ¡°Forget it. You¡¯ve always been collected.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t n to ept the rmendation.¡± ¡°Why?¡± questioned Ysabelle with a face full of bafflement. It¡¯s such a great opportunity! Why would anyone say no to it? ¡°You could be sunbathing on the beach while others sit for the university entrance exam! Don¡¯t you want that?¡± Ysabelle did not understand why her ssmate would want to take the exam like everyone else. ¡°I¡¯ve worked so hard to prepare for the exam, so, of course, I¡¯m taking it. Otherwise, I would¡¯ve wasted my effort, wouldn¡¯t I?¡± ¡°Did you really work hard, though?¡± Ysabelle was sure that Sophie couldplete tests meant for postgraduates already. Compared to her, we probably look like kindergarteners. ¡°What does that mean? Of course, I did.¡± Being questioned like that, Sophie could not help but wonder if she had not put in enough effort. ¡°Forget it. It¡¯s not as if I¡¯ll ever understand what it¡¯s like to be a top student.¡± Ysabelle thought she should just get back to the grind. That evening, Sophie had dinner with Josiah, who was thrilled when he heard about the rmendation. ¡°Jipsdale University is the absolute best in Chanaea, so I hope you consider enrolling in it.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not, Grandpa.¡± Even Morgan was stunned when he heard Sophie¡¯s response. ¡°This is a great opportunity, Ms. Sophie. Why would you want to give it up? Many students in Chanaea would do anything to enter the university.¡± ¡°I want to take the university entrance exam first. That way, I¡¯ll have more options.¡± Willow boiled with anger as she listened to the conversation. ¡°Okay. Whatever makes you happy. Even if you sit for the exam, I¡¯m confident you¡¯ll qualify for Jipsdale University anyway,¡± stated Josiah. Either way, Sophie can enroll in the university if she wants to. Charmaine had an idea when she learned of the opportunity Sophie was offered. ¡°Soph, since you¡¯re not going to ept the rmendation, why not let Willow have it?¡± The mother was thinking even if Willow nned to join the entertainment industry, her daughter could be an artist with an impressive educational background as a graduate of Jipsdale University. Willow immediately got excited when she heard her mother, for it would be difficult for her to enter the university with her ability. ¡°What?¡± inquired Sophie with an eyebrow raised. What does that mean? ¡°Charmaine, the school will rmend somebody else if Sophie doesn¡¯t ept. She can¡¯t just pass the rmendation to anyone,¡± voiced Josiah, who did not think Willow would qualify for Jipsdale University. ¡°Dad, I¡¯m just trying to help Willow!¡± Charmaine did not think she was wrong for making the suggestion since Sophie would not ept the rmendation anyway. Naturally, Willow felt aggrieved as well. ¡°You¡¯re all biased against me! I don¡¯t even know what I did wrong to deserve this.¡± With that, Willow turned around and went upstairs. Meanwhile, Sophie and Josiah exchanged looks, unsure what trick Willow was trying to pull then. N?velDrama.Org holds text ? rights. When Sophie walked out of the Tanner residence, the ring on her ring finger began to emit a strange light once again. However, Sophie simply nced at the ring and ignored it. What is Nichs up to this time? Chapter 365 Chapter 365 In Anndur, Nichs sat on a couch with authentic leather while a scary-looking snake wrapped itself around his arm. Alex, seated by Nichs¡¯ right side, was already used to his boss¡¯ vagaries. ¡°Boss, Tristan will be in Anndur tomorrow.¡± Since he learned of the rtionship between Tristan and Sophie, Nichs hated Tristan to the bone. Tristan ising to Anndur? At that moment, the indifferent Nichs finally spoke. ¡°Alex, if Tristan no longer exists, Sophie will be less resistant to me, won¡¯t she?¡± The snake in Nichs¡¯ hand then flicked out its tongue, which he swiftly pinched before revealing, ¡°I wanted to make my move in Chanaeast time. Unfortunately, I was interrupted.¡± Alex broke out in a cold sweat when he heard the man. That was Tristan¡¯s territory. Who knows what would¡¯ve happened had Nichs made his move back then? ¡°Make the necessary arrangements. I¡¯m not greedy; I only want his hand now that he¡¯s in our territory.¡± Nichs wanted Tristan to pay for stealing Sophie from him. ¡°Yes, Boss.¡± Even though Tristan was strong, Nichs was no pushover either. It was hard to tell which of the two woulde out on top, especially in Anndur. Nichs looked forward to the next day and wondered if Sophie woulde with Tristan. It had been a while since Nichsst saw Sophie, so he missed her. ¡°Do you think Sophie wille too? If she¡¯s with him, you have to be careful not to hurt her. Do you understand?¡± Unsure of what to say, Alex could not help but be convinced that women were nothing but trouble. Why can¡¯t Boss just focus on his business? Why must he put so much effort into pursuing a young woman? To make things worse, she doesn¡¯t even like him. ¡°Boss, if Old Mr. Sable knows that Sophie¡¯sing to Anndur, I¡¯m afraid things will get difficult for us!¡± Alex worried that Nichs and Javier would have a fallout. ¡°Nonsense! Not even he is allowed to hurt Sophie!¡± insisted Nichs, which got Alex even more concerned. At that moment, Alex realized why Javier disliked Sophie so much. As expected, that young woman is nothing but trouble. Meanwhile, in Chanaea, Sophie eximed, ¡°What? You¡¯re going to Anndur tomorrow?¡± She had a bad feeling when she heard where Tristan was going. That¡¯s Nichs¡¯ territory. He¡¯s not about to forgive Tristan after what happened to him in Chanaeast time. ¡°Yes. There are some matters at the branch office that requires my attention. Don¡¯t worry! I¡¯m only going to be there for two days. Be good while I¡¯m away, okay?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve always been good!¡± Sophie then wondered if it was safe for Tristan to go to Anndur alone. Even though she knew Tristan could hold his own against Nichs, the fact that Tristan would be in Anndur, Nichs¡¯ territory, still worried her. After all, the man would have the upper hand in his own territory. ¡°Who will you be going with?¡± ¡°Maybe Felix. Why? You don¡¯t want me to go?¡± Tristan was somewhat d to see the concerned look on Sophie¡¯s face. ¡°Yes. I don¡¯t want you to go!¡± replied Sophie while looking into the man¡¯s eyes. She did not want Tristan to take the risk even if the odds of him being in danger were a thousand to one. In response, Tristan wrapped his arms around her. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect to see this side of you, but I like it very much! How I wish I could just take you with me!¡± Tristan could not bear to leave Sophie behind. ¡°I¡¯ll go with you then!¡± uttered Sophie in all seriousness. ¡°Really? Are you sure?¡± Tristan knew the university entrance exam was just a week away, and he did not want to disturb Sophie¡¯s studies. C¨°ntens bel0ngs to N?(v)elDr/a/ma.Org ¡°Do I look like I¡¯m joking?¡± Since Sophie did not want Tristan to go alone, she decided to tag along. To her, that was better than missing the man while he was gone. ¡°Okay, we¡¯ll go together!¡± Tristan was sure Sophie did not need the exam to prove anything, so he thought it would be a good idea for her to rx for two days. Besides that, he was d Sophie wanted to go with him. It¡¯s nice to know that there are times when she just doesn¡¯t want to be separated from me. Felix sighed helplessly when he heard that Tristan was bringing Sophie along. ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll get used to this. You¡¯re just going away for two days, Mr. Tristan. What¡¯s there to worry about?¡± ¡°Well, you don¡¯t have to get used to it! Just remember to be careful when you reach Anndur.¡± Sean could not help feeling that something was off. Sophie isn¡¯t one to be clingy; she should be focusing on her studies since the university entrance exam is near. Besides, Tristan will only be away for two days. ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry, Sean. It¡¯s not as if you don¡¯t know how capable Mr. Tristan is. I doubt there¡¯s anyone in this world who can hurt him easily. Heck, Sophie is probably the only one who can.¡± To Felix, love was something capable of hurting people. However, seeing how close Tristan and Sophie were, he did not think Sophie would harm his employer. ¡°Just do what I say and be careful, okay?¡± Sean had always been cautious. Even though he could not tell exactly what was wrong then, he was convinced that something smelled fishy. ¡°Okay, I got it.¡± answered Felix helplessly. He was always tasked to handle different situations with Tristan, so naturally, he knew how heavy his responsibility was. ¡°Stop worrying, Sean. Mr. Tristan should be fine,¡± assured Felix. It¡¯s not as though this is Mr. Tristan¡¯s first time going to Anndur. Besides, nobody would darey a finger on him because we have our forces there too. ¡°Nichs is not to be underestimated,¡± reminded Sean, for it was only natural to think of Nichs when talking about Anndur. ¡°He¡¯s indeed powerful in Anndur, but we¡¯ve always minded our own business. I don¡¯t think he¡¯ll try anything.¡± Even though Tristan and Nichs had had conflicts of interest over the years, the two remained in their ownne. ¡°You don¡¯t have to fret because I won¡¯t let anything happen to Mr. Tristan,¡± promised Felix. ¡°I just hope you won¡¯t be a burden to Mr. Tristan at critical moments.¡± The group did not expect Felix to be of much help. After being rendered speechless for a while, Felix questioned, ¡°What is that supposed to mean? I¡¯m not that useless, am I? I mean, I think I¡¯m pretty capable.¡± It was true that Felix was the weakest among the four, but he always did his best whenever the situation called for it. ¡°Of course not. In fact, you¡¯re the most useful one,¡± replied Charles sarcastically, which made Felix jump to his feet from the couch. ¡°Forget it. I¡¯m done talking with you lot. All you do is make fun of me.¡± Felix did not appreciate getting picked on like that. ¡°Just be careful, okay? Wouldn¡¯t want you to get hurt.¡± The four had always been close, so they did not wish to see any of them harmed. Waving his hand, Felix responded indifferently, ¡°Don¡¯t lose sleep over it because nobody in this world can hurt me.¡± The man hadplete confidence in himself. Chapter 366 Chapter 366 ¡°To be honest, if I didn¡¯t have so much to deal with, I really would have liked to go with them,¡± Sean confessed. He was still incredibly anxious and had the feeling that something would happen. It was the same feeling that he had experienced when Tristan went to Horington. ¡°That¡¯s enough, Sean. You don¡¯t need to worry anymore, really. I feel like you¡¯re overthinking it. Trust me. Nothing will happen,¡± Charles reassured. He had been in the industry for so long and had met all kinds of people, not to mention encountered all kinds of situations. Sean raised a ss of red wine. ¡°Okay. I really hope that¡¯s the case.¡± He truly didn¡¯t want any of them to get hurt. Charles raised his own ss to clink it with Sean¡¯s. ¡°It clearly is. You shouldn¡¯t force yourself too much, Sean. Your workload is already so intense. How about you rest for a while? Maybe you can let go of everything andpletely clear your head. Go ahead and take a vacation,¡± he suggested. Sean couldn¡¯t remember how long it had been since hest took a break. In any case, it had been ages. ¡°Forget it. As if I have the time to take a vacation,¡± Sean scoffed. He shook his head. To him, holidays were unnecessary. Ever since Ysabelle found out that Sophie was nning to go to Anndur with Tristan, she had expressed her desire to follow as well. ¡°I want to go with you guys, Sophie. I don¡¯t want to be here alone. I¡¯d be so bored and lonely on my own,¡± sheined. She had felt so isted back when she hadn¡¯t met Sophie. To tell the truth, it was her biggest fear. Since Sophie was only going for two days, she didn¡¯t even bring a suitcase with her. All she took was a ck backpack. Inside, there was a set of clothes for her to change into. ¡°I don¡¯t think you should go. They¡¯re going there for work. Why would you follow them there?¡± She had the feeling that it wouldn¡¯t be a safe trip. That being the case, there was no way they could take Ysabelle with them. Ysabelle sat on the couch with a teddy bear in her arms. ¡°Am I really not allowed to go, Sophie? It¡¯s the weekend, anyway, and there¡¯s only a week left until the university entrance exam. I keep doing the same practice questions over and over again every day,¡± she protested. Anyone would get bored doing the same thing day after day. Not to mention, she didn¡¯t feel like it was very productive. ¡°Be good. If you really get bored, then look for Mark and the others. Once the university entrance exam is over, I¡¯m nning to let you debut. You still have a lot of things to study,¡± Sophie reminded. She had already nned out Ysabelle¡¯s future. Seeing that Sophie truly didn¡¯t intend to bring her along, Ysabelle could only pout and respond, ¡°Okay! In that case, have fun while you¡¯re there. Remember to get me a gift when youe back.¡± Sophie was rendered speechless. Why would a pampered girl like her need a gift? She can have anything she wants. ¡°What do you want?¡± Sophie asked. ¡°I¡¯ll take anything you get me. Don¡¯t worry. As long as it¡¯s from you, I¡¯ll like it,¡± Ysabelle replied with a smile. Sophie enjoyed seeing how carefree Ysabelle was. Truthfully speaking, she liked easy-going people like Ysabelle, who had nothing up their sleeve. Interacting with people like that gave her no pressure at all, which allowed her to be at ease. ¡°Okay.¡± Sophie had always been more than happy to fulfill Ysabelle¡¯s requests. ¡°To be honest, Sophie, if you were a man, I would have fallen for you. There¡¯s no way I would have let Uncle Tristan have you,¡± Ysabelle stated. Unfortunately, that was only wishful thinking. Sophie caressed her head. ¡°Even though you¡¯re a girl, I like you a lot.¡± Upon hearing that, Ysabelle felt as if her heart was melting away. She pressed her hand against her chest. ¡°Do you know how fatal you can be, Sophie? I¡¯m begging you. Don¡¯t say things like that to me. I¡¯ll fall in love!¡± Whenever she was with Ysabelle, Sophie¡¯sughs were all genuine. No longer was she the same ice-cold person. Ysabelle always said that she was incredibly lucky to have met Sophie. Honestly speaking, though, Sophie thought she was fortunate to have met Ysabelle as well. The reason why Tristan was going to Anndur was because of an urgent matter in thepany. Thus, they were going there using his private jet. ¡°You seem to be very rich indeed, Mr. Tristan,¡± Sophie joked when she saw the private jet in front of her. ¡°Do you want one, too? I¡¯ll buy you one if you do,¡± he offered. Immediately, she shook her head. ¡°Are you joking? Why would I need a private jet for?¡± ¡°Trust me, Sophie. If you had nodded your head, I really would have given you a private jet,¡± Tristan dered. He did have that kind of power, after all. He would give Sophie anything she asked for. She stared at him and could tell from the doting look in his eyes that what Felix had said was true. ¡°Seriously, Tristan, I don¡¯t need a private jet. Don¡¯t you dare get me one,¡± she warned. There was no need for her to have one. It wasn¡¯t like she knew how to pilot it. Tristan held onto her and said, ¡°Come on. Let¡¯s board the ne.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± As Felix watched Tristan tugging Sophie into the ne, he felt his heart shatter into a million pieces. Why am I always the one getting hurt? I want a sweet romance, too. All content is property ? N?velDrama.Org. After he boarded the ne, Felix wanted to sit with them. After all, it would be way too boring to sit alone. However, before he could even take a seat, Tristan shot him a cold look. Felix felt rather dejected. Am I not allowed to even sit with them? We¡¯re on a ne. It¡¯s not like they can do anything. He decided to let it go. Either way, he was meant to be alone. Thus, Felix silently went to take a seat at the side. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t Felix get bored sitting there alone?¡± Sophie couldn¡¯t help but sympathize with Felix when she saw how pitiful he was. ¡°What¡¯s so pitiful about it?¡± Tristan didn¡¯t feel the same, though. He took a few grapes on the table, which had been washed beforehand, and brought them to her mouth. ¡°Eat some fruits.¡± When he saw that she had no intention of opening her mouth, he added, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I washed my hands earlier.¡± Then, Sophie opened her mouth and bit into the grape. ¡°How¡¯s it? Is it sweet?¡± he asked. She continued chewing on the grape. In a moment of carelessness, some of the juice flowed out from the corner of her mouth. Sophie immediately moved to grab a tissue. Despite that, before she could even wipe the juice off, Tristan had already wiped it away for her. ¡°Tristan!¡± she eximed while throwing him a nce. How could I have been so careless? I must have looked so unattractive just now, shemented. ¡°It¡¯s fine. You looked really alluring just now,¡± he reassured. Sophie was at a loss for words. What on earth was alluring about that? I clearly embarrassed myself. He took another grape and tried feeding it to her. Sophie, on the other hand, was blushing from embarrassment and shook her head. ¡°I can eat on my own,¡± she stated. Him doing that would make her feel ufortable. ¡°Onest grape,¡± he insisted. Sophie had no choice but to open her mouth and bite down on the grape. She also happened to ¡°identally¡± bite his finger while she was at it. Does he really have to act so deliberately? she wondered. At first, she intended to punish him. However, from the looks of it, that wasn¡¯t a punishment in Tristan¡¯s eyes at all. Instead, it was a form of teasing. Chapter 367 Chapter 367 ¡°Don¡¯t flirt with me, Sophie. I can¡¯t handle it.¡± He waspletely powerless in front of Sophie. Even though all she had done was bite his finger, he had nearly lost control. Sophie didn¡¯t know what to say. Fine, then. I¡¯ll be more careful. It¡¯s not like I was trying to provoke him on purpose. Seeing the pitiful state he was in, Sophie picked up a grape as well and handed it to him. ¡°You should eat some, too.¡± She couldn¡¯t let him keep taking care of her. He had to take care of himself as well. ¡°Okay.¡± Naturally, he was overjoyed to see that Sophie was responding to him. He immediately opened his mouth and nibbled her finger. Sophie¡¯s breath got caught in her throat. After that, her face went red almost instantly. She finally realized what it felt like to have one¡¯s finger bitten. The inside of his mouth was moist and warm, which made all kinds of thoughts run through her head. ¡°Let go,¡± she told him. Tristan was clearly refusing to pull away. He wanted to let her know what it felt like for him earlier. Right then, Felix came over to talk to Tristan about something and happened to stumble upon that flirtatious situation. Once again, he let out a sigh. Indeed, everyone has a different fate. He was basically digging his own grave by going on the trip with them. It was just pathetic. There was nothing else he could have done, though. Both Sean and Charles were busy. Since he was the only one with some free time, he always went with them. In addition, he was constantly confronted by reality. When Sophie noticed that Felix was there, she instantly pulled her hand away with a blush. She then acted as if nothing had happened at all. Tristan was also speechless when faced with Felix, the third wheel. Regardless, they were there to do business, so it wasn¡¯t like he could disregard Felixpletely. ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°I have something to ask you! Let¡¯s talk about it over there,¡± Felix exined. He felt like he would vomit and pass away if he had to witness them flirting with each other any longer. Felix was still young, and he didn¡¯t want to die just yet. Tristan nced at Sophie. She cleared her throat. In a serious manner, she said, ¡°Go ahead. I¡¯m going to sleep for a while. I¡¯m quite tired.¡± ¡°Okay. Have a good sleep, then. Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll wake you up when we get there,¡± Tristan replied. The flight to Anndur was a few hours long, so they wouldn¡¯t arrive there so quickly. She nodded in response. After that, Tristan took Felix further away and sat down. ¡°Aren¡¯t you being a little too aggressive, Mr. Tristan?¡± Felix blurted. It was supposed to be an innocent romance, and he couldn¡¯t figure out when it had be so passionate. ¡°Aggressive? I don¡¯t think so. Isn¡¯t that how men and women typically interact?¡± Tristan questioned. In fact, he had already restrained himself a lot. Felix was rendered speechless. All he wanted to do was sigh. He wondered when he would get a girl of his own. ¡°Oh, right. When we get to Anndur, we have to go to Norham first. The main issue is at the Norham branch,¡± Felix informed. He decided to brush matters regarding rtionships off. Since he couldn¡¯t get into one of his own, he had better focus on work. There was a long way to go, anyway. He was certain that his time woulde. One of the flight attendants served them some red wine. After pouring them each a ss, she was about to leave when Tristan stopped her. ¡°Yes, Mr. Tristan?¡± she asked. ¡°Could you get my girlfriend a nket? She might get cold sleeping on the ne.¡± Even when Tristan was talking business, he never forgot about the sleeping Sophie. ¡°Understood, Mr. Tristan.¡± The flight attendant was incredibly envious of Sophie. The all-powerful Tristan treated her like a princess and doted on her so much. Thus, she proceeded to get a nket for Sophie. ¡°Mr. Tristan told me to give this to you, Ms. Tanner. If there¡¯s anything you need, please let me know,¡± she stated in a professional manner. ¡°There¡¯s nothing else. Thank you.¡± Tristan sure was an outstanding man. He made her heart flutter all the time. With him by her side, there was truly nothing she had to worry about because he would take every single factor into consideration. Sophie couldn¡¯t help but look in his direction. Meanwhile, Tristan seemed to have sensed it and shifted his gaze over as well. Their eyes met. For a moment, she felt as if she was in a trance and couldn¡¯t snap back to reality for a moment. In the meantime, Felix kept prattling before realizing that Tristan wasn¡¯t listening at all. He followed his gaze and once again felt as if a bucket of cold water had been poured over his head. Are they serious? Mr. Tristan and I are all the way over here, yet they¡¯re still able to flirt telepathically. ¡°I see that my presence is unnecessary, Mr. Tristan.¡± He really shouldn¡¯t have gone with them. They should have just gone alone. Then, I wouldn¡¯t have to suffer like this. ¡°What nonsense are you spouting? Don¡¯t worry. I heard everything you said,¡± Tristan uttered. ¡°Okay, then.¡± Indeed, Tristan was skilled at multitasking. ¡°Is there anything else you want to say?¡± Tristan felt like he was wasting too much time over there. Felix was at a loss for words. ¡°Mr. Tristan, are you here on business or to date your girlfriend?¡± ¡°Why can¡¯t I do both? Am I not allowed to date and do business at the same time? Do I have to choose one of the two? Only useless people would have to make that decision. Someone like me can strike a bnce between those two,¡± Tristan dered. Only immature kids would need to make a choice like that. I want both. Felix was rendered speechless once again. All right. I guess I was just making a fool of myself. After getting an understanding of the situation, Tristan already had a n in mind. ¡°You should go rest for a while, too. There are still three hours to go.¡± After he said that, he got up to return to Sophie¡¯s side. He had always been effective when it came to work. The moment Felix told him what was going on, he already had a clear picture in mind. Seeing how much of a rush Tristan was in, Felix couldn¡¯t help but grin. ¡°Seems like love turns everyone into a fool,¡± he mumbled to himself. Felix was already at peace with it, so he decided to let it be. When he managed to win Ysabelle¡¯s heart, he would show off in front of them, too. What am I going to do? We¡¯ve only been gone for half the day, and I already miss her. I wonder what she¡¯s doing? She¡¯d been getting close to the members of The Wheelerstely. That was something that made him rather worried. To be honest, Mark was quite a dangerous person. Putting his handsome looks aside, he was also exceptionally talented at singing. On top of that, he was Ysabelle¡¯s idol. Felix was worried that she would end up liking Mark. I can¡¯t let that happen. I¡¯ve to finish up my work as soon as possible so that I can watch over Ysabelle. Sophie wasn¡¯t in a very deep sleep. She woke up when Tristan walked over. He sat down next to her and let her rest her head on his shoulder. N?velDrama.Org holds text ? rights. ¡°It¡¯s still early. You can sleep a while longer,¡± he stated. It was quite afortable position. Sophie hummed in agreement. Knowing that he was beside her, she shut her eyes and went to sleep. Meanwhile, Alex presented some information in Anndur. ¡°Boss, Tristan is already on a flight to Norham! Sophie is on the ne as well. She came along with him,¡± he revealed. Since he was working for Nichs, he had to do whatever Nichs told him to. Nichs, on the other hand, was smoking a cigarette. When he heard Alex¡¯s words, he inhaled sharply. ¡°Let¡¯s make a move. We¡¯ll wait for them at Norham,¡± he instructed. Chapter 368 Chapter 368 After all the time I¡¯ve waited, Sophie is finally in my territory. It was a wonderful opportunity for Nichs. Previously, he didn¡¯t do well in Jipsdale. However, at longst, she was in his sphere of influence. Thus, he was going to do everything he could to prevent her from leaving, no matter what. He wanted her to stay with him forever. Suddenly, the word ¡°forever¡± sounded very romantic to him. Nichs hade to a realization. As long as she was willing to stay, he would give her everything she wanted willingly, even marriage. Alex suggested, ¡°I¡¯ll take care of the arrangements at Norham, Boss. I don¡¯t think you should go. If Old Mr. Sable finds out¡ª¡± ¡°I¡¯m warning you, Alex. You better not tell my dad anything. Right now, you¡¯re working for me. Don¡¯t forget that. If you can¡¯t even keep that in mind, get out of my face.¡± Nichs had been very dissatisfied with Alex¡¯s performancetely. In the end, Alex shut up. Indeed, Javier was the one who instructed Alex to monitor Nichs by working for him. It was a difficult task, but there was nothing Alex could do about it. Then again, everyone in the world had their own difficulties as they tried to go about their lives. However, he believed he would probably die at the hands of Javier and Nichs. When Tristan¡¯s nended at Norham¡¯s international airport, it was raining. The weather in the city hadn¡¯t been pleasanttely. Soon after he descended from the ne, he speedily took off his coat and put it on Sophie because she mentioned she was feeling cold. She protested, ¡°You don¡¯t need to¡ª¡± ¡°Just wear it!¡± A staff member approached them with umbres. Tristan grabbed one, opened it, and escorted her out of the airport. Felix grabbed one, too. Is Mr. Tristan doing this on purpose? There are still more umbres to be used! There¡¯s no need for the two of them to share one together. Doesn¡¯t that make it easier for the rain to ssh on them? I wonder what he¡¯s thinking. Is that what people in love are like? Trying to stay with each other at all times? Whatever, it¡¯s none of my business. Then he opened his umbre and followed behind them from a distance because he didn¡¯t want to be tortured again. Outside of the airport, there was already a car waiting for them. Tristan escorted Sophie to the vehicle, opened the door for her, and sent her in. After that, he shut his umbre and entered the car. Felix followed in, too. ¡°Are we going to the hotel first, Mr. Tristan?¡± ¡°No. Since Sophie¡¯s with us, I¡¯ve already asked for the Norham mansion to be cleaned. We¡¯ll be staying there. Asfortable as a hotel may be, it can¡¯t beat living at one¡¯s own home.¡± ¡°Okay, then!¡± During their previous visits, they would only stay in a hotel instead of the mansion, even when their visitsted for a week. Despite their current trip only being two days long, Tristan had already asked for the rooms to be cleaned. How he treats her is so different from me, Felixmented. Sophie interjected, ¡°Mr. Tristan, there¡¯s no need¡ª¡± ¡°Rx! It¡¯s not just because of you. I just think it¡¯s not convenient staying at a hotel this time.¡± His exnation was meant to alleviate any burden she felt. Additionally, she also needed to revise for her exams, even in Norham. ¡°All right, then,¡± she replied. Well, he had already made the arrangements. There¡¯s no point in me rejecting his n now. It¡¯s best if I just refrain from saying anything. The two cars headed straight for Tristan¡¯s mansion in Norham. When they arrived, more than a dozen housekeepers and bodyguards stood on both sides of the path leading to the building. The number of bodyguards didn¡¯t put Sophie¡¯s worries to rest. Nichs knows Tristan¡¯sing. There¡¯s no way he¡¯ll let it slide. Even worse, Anndur is Nichs¡¯ territory. It¡¯ll be too easy for him to annihte someone here. I don¡¯t think these many bodyguards are enough! ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Tristan approached her and held her waist when he noticed she was nking out. His voice snapped her out of her thoughts, and she shook her head. ¡°I¡¯m fine! It¡¯s possible that I¡¯m just a bit tired. The flightsted for hours, after all.¡± ¡°Mhm. You should take a bath, eat food, and sleep.¡± Naturally, his heart ached after he heard her mention she was tired. After Tristan introduced Sophie to the butler, Micah Brown, he brought her to the master bedroom upstairs. ¡°Go and take a shower. I¡¯ve already asked others to prepare clothes for you. After your bath¡¯s over, we¡¯ll have a meal together. Then, you just need to rest here. I¡¯ll apany you for a stroll once I return tonight.¡± He felt apologetic about not being able to stay by her side. ¡°I think I¡¯ll only take a bath. You two need to head to thepany in a bit, right? I¡¯ll join you! I want to see the world, too.¡± Regardless of what he said, she was too fretted about his safety to leave his side. All content is property ? N?velDrama.Org. As Tristan pinched her cheek, his concern for her grew. ¡°What¡¯s the matter? You¡¯ve been acting odd this time. You can tell me what¡¯s on your mind, you know?¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine! Don¡¯t overthink things.¡± ¡°Mhm. Go and shower now. I have things to discuss with Felix.¡± They came to Norham for work, after all, so it was only natural he was pretty busy. ¡°Okay!¡± After Tristan exited the room, Sophie pulled out her phone and logged in to a hidden ount before contacting her friends in Anndur. Someone wrote: So, you¡¯re finally willing to visit Anndur, Phantom. Another asked: Yeah! Tell us why you¡¯re in Anndur, Phantom. Is there something you need us to help you with? She couldn¡¯t help but chuckle at the people getting excited in her chat window. Then she replied: Yes, there is something I need your help with. That ount of hers had remained inactive for quite some time. Her worry for Tristan was the thing that pushed her to reactivate it. One of the people wrote: Tell us what you need! That was followed by another message: Yeah! As long as you ask for it, I¡¯ll even be willing to assassinate the president of Anndur! Sophie responded: It¡¯s nothing that outrageous. Why would I desire the death of the president? I just need you all to protect someone for me. Someone replied: Consider it done! What¡¯s your rtionship with this person? I¡¯ve never seen you care so much about another individual before. Sophie wrote: It¡¯s someone I like who¡¯s totally devoted to me. Sophie felt merry when speaking about Tristan. One of the people replied: What? You already have someone you like? Doesn¡¯t that mean I don¡¯t have a chance anymore? Another chat member retorted: When did you ever have a chance? You never had that opportunity, to begin with, okay? Reading the messages, Sophie messaged: All right, that¡¯s enough. I¡¯m sending the information to you lot now. I¡¯ll treat you all to a meal when there¡¯s a chance. A file on Tristan was then uploaded from Sophie¡¯s phone to the chat. Someone argued: What do you mean by ¡°when there¡¯s a chance?¡± Your visit to Anndur this time is the best opportunity for us to share a meal together. Sophie: Maybe next time. I still have matters to attend to. She didn¡¯t want to leave Tristan¡¯s side. Another person replied: Don¡¯t ignore us for your boyfriend, Phantom. He¡¯s just a man. There¡¯s no need for you to follow him around the clock. Besides, he¡¯s useless! Otherwise, he won¡¯t need you to protect him. Chapter 369 Chapter 369 Sophie: He doesn¡¯t need my protection. I¡¯m the one who can¡¯t stop fretting about him. Liking someone meant not wanting to see them hurt. She wouldn¡¯t be able to forgive herself if Tristan was injured because of her. That was followed by a reply: All right. Let us handle this matter. The other members in the chat were confident they could prevent Tristan from any harm. Sophie then logged off, which was why she didn¡¯t see their reaction after they received Tristan¡¯s info. Immediately after that, someone wrote: D*mn. Did you guys see who Phantom¡¯s lover is? I¡¯m shaking right now. It¡¯s Mr. Tristan! They were in a state of utter disbelief. Someone responded: What the h*ll? Does he really need our protection? Actually, does anyone even dare to hurt him? Another person replied: That¡¯s because you didn¡¯t see who¡¯s trying to hurt him, which is Nichs Sable! Why are the people around Phantom all so extraordinary? After a brief moment, someone texted: All right, since Phantom asked us for help, let¡¯s just do our best. Their bond with her was so deep that they were willing to give their lives for her. Another person agreed: For sure. As long as Phantom needs something done, I won¡¯t say no to it. After Sophie left the bathroom, she saw dinner had already been prepared. Micah was worried she wouldn¡¯t enjoy the local food, so all the dishes were from her country. ¡°Give this a try, Ms. Tanner. If you dislike it, I¡¯ll ask the others to change it right away.¡± It was the first time he saw Tristan bring a woman to the mansion. The fact that she would very likely one day be the lady of the house prompted him to pay extra attention to making her happy. ¡°Thank you. This is well enough. I¡¯m not picky,¡± Sophie replied tenderly. All content is property ? N?velDrama.Org. Her demeanor satisfied Micah greatly. She¡¯s not overly humble or even a little arrogant. As expected of Mr. Tristan, he really does have a good eye. Even his girlfriend is excellent. ¡°You may leave now, Micah,¡± Tristan ordered. ¡°Very well, Mr. Tristan.¡± Before the butler left, he nced at Felix. What is Mr. Northley doing here? Why does he have to join the couple¡¯s meal? He should¡¯ve gone to the hotel! He had to keep those words to himself because he was a professional butler. Still, he shot a subtle begrudging nce at Felix. When Felix caught that, he wondered if he had done something reprehensible. I¡¯m only here for a meal! Why is he looking at me like that? Do I not even have the right to eat? Are single people really that unweing? ¡°Let¡¯s eat!¡± Tristan noticed Felix¡¯s intention to say something, but he didn¡¯t ask what was on thetter¡¯s mind because he really didn¡¯t want to listen to him talk at the moment. In the end, Felix still blurted, ¡°Am I interrupting you two, Mr. Tristan? It¡¯s not like either of you can do anything about it right now, so my presence here doesn¡¯t count as a disturbance!¡± Tristan resisted the urge to admonish him. Why must he be so blunt? ¡°It¡¯s me who¡¯s disturbing you two, Mr. Northley. I¡¯m sorry,¡± Sophie apologized profusely. After all, she was the one who insisted on following them on their business trip. Felix promptly shook his head in response to Sophie¡¯s apology. ¡°You mustn¡¯t say that, Sophie, because I¡¯m scared for my life when you do.¡± What kind of joke is this? What gave her that impression? Has she not noticed the expression Mr. Tristan is making right now? If she keeps running her mouth, I think Mr. Tristan will just ignore my dignity and throw me out of the house! I¡¯m pitiful as is! I really hope she¡¯ll stop it already. If I can turnpletely invisible right now, I will. That¡¯ll be the best in this situation. ¡°Don¡¯t stare at him anymore, Tristan. Otherwise, I¡¯ll get jealous!¡± As expected, the instant Sophie said that, Tristan shifted his gaze away from Felix. To express his gratitude, Felix bowed his head in her direction. ¡°Thank you, truly.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s eat! Of course, if you¡¯re not hungry, you can prepare for the emergency meeting first!¡± Tristan eximed. They weren¡¯t in Norham for vacation, after all. Without dy, Felix dug in. Fine! I¡¯ll just keep my mouth shut and eat quietly! In the end, Sophie couldn¡¯t resist the urge tough. Felix¡¯s quite cute. What¡¯s rare is that, even though he¡¯s the son of a rich family, he genuinely loves Ysabelle. She¡¯s always his number one priority. I wonder when she¡¯ll notice it. Even though she looks forward to falling in love one day, she fails to consider the people around her and that one of them may be who she¡¯s looking for already. That¡¯s cute, too. Upon detecting herughter, Tristan inquired, ¡°What are you so happy about?¡± ¡°Nothing!¡± She shook her head and resumed her meal. Meanwhile, when Alex told Nichs that Sophie had gone to Tristan¡¯s private mansion, Nichs started smashing objects in his house. ¡°D*mn it! D*mn them all to hell!¡± The fact that Sophie and Tristan were spending time together at Tristan¡¯s mansion was something he couldn¡¯t tolerate. Facing Nichs¡¯ wrath, Alex didn¡¯t even dare to peek. What could he say at that point? ¡°What should we do next, Boss?¡± He asked because he still needed to let Nichsy out their next move. Whatever Nichs asked for, his subordinates mustply. That way, even if anything did cock up, and Javier came asking what went wrong, they could im they had nothing to do with it. ¡°Kill Tristan!¡± Nichs barked like a mad dog. A look of insanity swirled in his eyes. How dare that b*stard get so close to my woman! I cannot let this slide! It doesn¡¯t matter who tries to snatch my possessions away. I will not forgive them! ¡°Are you really asking us to kill Tristan, Boss?¡± Alex had a good reason to be skeptical and hesitant about the objective. After all, Tristan was an incredibly powerful and influential figure. If he were dead, catastrophe would soon follow. When Nichs saw Alex¡¯s expression, he smashed his ss on thetter¡¯s body. ¡°What do you mean by that?¡± Nichs growled arrogantly. ¡°Are you saying I can¡¯t kill him? Who do you think he is? Someone untouchable?¡± ¡°That¡¯s not what I meant, Boss! I¡¯m just worried¡­¡± Alex was sincerely concerned that things would spiral out of control. ¡°Stop yapping and do as I say! My decision is final!¡± The notion of consequences didn¡¯t cross Nichs¡¯ mind even once. All he cared about was taking Tristan¡¯s life. ¡°You better make sure everything goes smoothly. If I hear even a single mistake, your *ss is grass!¡± Alex was rendered speechless. He actually wants me to kill Tristan! This is going to be an arduous mission. ¡°One more thing! Don¡¯t hurt Sophie! If you even so much as touch her, I¡¯ll make your life a living hell!¡± That really dumbfounded him. Sophie¡¯s a fighter on par with Boss! Since she¡¯s here too, will she stand by and do nothing while we try to kill Tristan? How exactly do I ensure she remains unharmed while we duke it out with Tristan and his forces? This is clearly an impossible mission! ¡°Boss, I¡ª¡± ¡°You can leave now.¡± Before Alex could finish his sentence, Nichs was already asking him out. The latter had closed himself off from any differing opinions. With a sigh, Alex left. He was already used to Nichs¡¯ perverted demands after staying by his employer¡¯s side for years. I guess I have to do my best to fulfill his wish. But, still. What about Old Mr. Sable¡¯s request? Chapter 370 Chapter 370 Old Mr. Sable already knows Sophie¡¯s here, and he had asked me to do something, too. I can¡¯t help but feel helpless getting stuck between this pair of father and son. No matter who I offend, I¡¯m done either way. Alexmented in his mind. At seven in the evening, Tristan brought Sophie to his branchpany in Norham. Before they left, Micah provided a bottle of hot water to Sophie. ¡°Drink some hot water on your way there, Ms. Tanner. The weather here is quite cold!¡± he advised. Anything rted to Tristan was something he cared deeply about because he had been taking care of his employer¡¯s life in Norham. ¡°Thank you.¡± Sophie had a lot of respect for the old butler. As long as the elderly she interacted with weren¡¯t particrly difficult to handle, she would treat them with deference. N?velDrama.Org holds text ? rights. Micah opened the car door, waited for the couple to enter the vehicle, and closed it. Earlier, what he really meant was that she should stay and rest properly. However, it wasn¡¯t like he couldn¡¯t understand youngsters¡¯ desire to stay close to their lovers all the time. Besides, that was a sign the couple had a healthy, intimate rtionship. That was why he didn¡¯t voice any opinion about it. ¡°I¡¯ll be leaving Mr. Tristan in your care, Mr. Northley. Be careful!¡± the butler reminded as Norham was very different from Jipsdale. ¡°You¡¯re not a spring chicken anymore, Micah! You should head back to rest. There¡¯s no need for you to fuss about us. With me around, no one can harm Mr. Tristan,¡± Felix assured. What¡¯s going on with everybody during this trip? It¡¯s not like we don¡¯t have a footing here. As the car drove to their destination, Tristan held Sophie¡¯s icy hand. ¡°Are you feeling cold?¡± he asked. Rainy weather was amon urrence in Norham. Thus, the temperature in the city was pretty low. ¡°I¡¯m okay!¡± she replied. After pulling her hand into his coat, he ced it against his chest. As she felt his heartbeat, she stared at him. ¡°I don¡¯t think this isfortable for you, Tristan,¡± Sophie knew her hand was cold. ¡°Not at all. It¡¯s quite the opposite.¡± ¡°All right, then.¡± His rebuttal made her feel embarrassed to keep rejecting his offer. A thought then suddenly crossed her mind. Wait, isn¡¯t there an air conditioner in the car? This man¡¯s so crafty! Felix, who was in the passenger seat, smirked. Mr. Tristan¡¯s really trying to be lovey-dovey with her whenever possible. It seems like he has be addicted to that feeling. Half an hourter, they arrived at the Norham branchpany. Normally, it would¡¯ve been devoid of people by then. Yet, the building was still brightly lit. No employee dared to leave. They were afraid they would be implicated in the disaster. When Tristan arrived, the general manager of the branchpany greeted him cordially with a bunch of other high-ranking officials. ¡°Wee, Mr. Tristan!¡± After ncing at the general manager, Tristan found himself despising the former¡¯s efforts. There¡¯s no need for him to put on this pretense. If he had poured all his attention into thepany, this mess wouldn¡¯t have happened. The general manager followed Tristan when he saw his employer leading Felix upstairs. Even though the weather was cold at the moment, sweat was forming on his forehead. Tristan¡¯s shrewdness was legendary, after all. When Tristan and Sophie arrived at the conference room, she stopped at the entrance. ¡°I think it¡¯s best if I wait outside for you instead of joining yourpany meeting.¡± She suggested it because she was aware a meeting like that would more likely than not involve top-secret information. Thus, she found no reason to apany him inside. ¡°It¡¯s fine. If you¡¯re not interested in listening during the meeting, you can just sit by my side and y your games.¡± Tristan was worried she would get bored waiting outside on top of her safety. ¡°Okay!¡± Without any other option, Sophie followed him inside and sat next to him. Then she put on her earbuds. Regardless of what he said, she still wanted to avoid disturbing the meeting. Soon, the conference room was crowded with people. ¡°So, is there anything you want to say about the matter?¡± Felix was the one to speak first. This is the most loathsome incident that has urred in Lombard Group since its founding. I wonder what he has to say for himself. The general manager¡¯s voice was trembling as though he was on the verge of tears. ¡°Since the start of my employment here, I¡¯ve been doing my best every day. As for the incident, I¡­¡± If Tristan held him responsible for the mishap, he was screwed. ¡°Even though I didn¡¯t aplish any stunning achievements over the years, I worked hard, Mr. Tristan! I beg you. Please have mercy on me!¡± He didn¡¯t have the nerve to run because, to his knowledge, escape was impossible. ¡°You worked hard?¡± Tristan¡¯s deep voice reverberated in the room. The instant those words escaped his mouth, the room fell into an ufortable silence. People even started breathing carefully. ¡°You allowed such a huge blunder to happen, yet you have the gall to say that to my face? Do you think I gave you tens of millions every year so that you can evade your responsibilities?¡± he interrogated. Desperation was heard in the general manager¡¯s voice. ¡°I was wrong, Mr. Tristan! I know what I did wrong, truly!¡± ¡°That¡¯s enough! Save your breath and turn yourself in at the police station!¡± That was all the mercy Tristan could grant him. The general manager rapidly kneeled. ¡°I beg you, Mr. Tristan! If I do that, I¡¯m done for! I can¡¯t go to prison! I still have my family, my children! Please, Mr. Tristan! Spare me!¡± ¡°You should turn yourself in, Roderick. If we¡¯re personally handling your punishment, I¡¯m afraid you¡¯ll be in for more suffering,¡± Felix reminded. Escaping the consequences was never an option for the general manager after his blunder caused Lombard Group to lose so much money. ¡°Mr. Northley, I¡ª¡± ¡°Get the security guards to drag him away!¡± Tristan found no reason to waste his time on the general manager any longer. A few security guards entered the conference room and escorted the general manager out. The other high-ranking officials began sweating bullets after they witnessed that scene. No one dared to utter a word. After that brief interruption, Tristan shifted his attention back to the meeting. ¡°Now, what do you all think we should do to salvage this disaster? Now that this branchpany has lost its general manager, those who think they¡¯re capable are free to give it a try.¡± The high-ranking officials exchanged nces with each other. No one dared to volunteer. In response to their silence, Tristan mmed the folder in his hand on the table. ¡°Is this how you all operate?¡± He thought two days would be enough to solve the crisis, but the problems in the branchpany ran deeper than he had previously expected. Felix was experiencing a headache as well. These people¡­ ¡°Lombard Group doesn¡¯t keep wastrels on the payroll! If none of you have the ability to manage this issue, you¡¯re all fired!¡± What Tristan wanted were talented people, not those who sew their lips shut whenever there was an obstacle. ¡°I¡¯d like to try, Mr. Tristan!¡± A woman sitting at the other end of the table stood up. Upon hearing a woman¡¯s voice, Sophie lifted her head. She¡¯s brave! These old foxes didn¡¯t even have the nerve to muster a word, yet she said she wanted to give it a shot. Interesting! Chapter 371 Chapter 371 Someone finally speaks up. She looks pretty young, though. Still, Tristan nodded. ¡°What¡¯s your solution to this problem?¡± The others shot a nce of disdain at the woman. They didn¡¯t believe a neer could devise a brilliant n and that she was just ying to the crowd. ¡°My name¡¯s Ophelia Summers, Mr. Tristan. May I use the projector?¡± Ophelia had been preparing for that moment ever since the incident. Atst, her chance was at hand. ¡°Mhm,¡± Tristan replied. Sophie quit her game as she was interested in Ophelia. Upon her arrival at theputer connected to the projector, Ophelia inserted her USB into the device. She proceeded to present a detailed analysis of the catastrophe and shared her solutions with everyone. When her presentation ended, anyone could hear a pin dropping on the ground. Sophie gazed at Ophelia with praise. She¡¯s pretty good. ¡°Very well. From now on, you¡¯re this branchpany¡¯s general manager. Felix will be here for the next few days. Should you have any questions, you may direct them to him,¡± Tristan informed. Sure, aspects of her ideas may be immature, but she¡¯s talented. There¡¯s no doubt she¡¯ll be able to run the branchpany like a well-oiled machine. ¡°What¡¯s the meaning of this, Mr. Tristan? Are you asking me to stay here?¡± The sudden deration shocked Felix. ¡°You¡¯ll have to work a little harder for the next few days. Ophelia¡¯s still young, after all. She¡¯ll need your help.¡± ¡°Thank you, Mr. Tristan.¡± Ophelia¡¯s gaze glimmered with excitement. On the other hand, Felix felt speechless. However, he had no right to object. Even if he protested, Tristan would still insist that he undertake the task. At the end of the conference, the other high-ranking officials were displeased with Ophelia bing their leader. However, Tristan was still present, so they kept their mouth shut. ¡°I¡¯ll make myself clear today. If anyone opposes this decision, you¡¯re free to leave right away. Don¡¯t give Ms. Summer trouble,¡± Tristan warned. I should rece these high-ranking officials, too. Those who¡¯re ipetent should clear their desks and let capable individuals take their ce. Lombard Group doesn¡¯t tolerate unqualified personnel. Exclusive content from N?velDrama.Org. More than a dozen high-ranking officials kept their silence in front of him with lowered heads. After they left, Ophelia approached Tristan. ¡°Thank you for giving me this chance, Mr. Tristan. I promise I won¡¯t let you down.¡± ¡°You were the one who seized this opportunity. I didn¡¯t hand it to you.¡± If she were incapable, then any chance she received would be meaningless. ¡°You¡¯ll be following Felix from now on. Ask him any question you want.¡± Tristan was basically appointing Felix as her mentor. ¡°Okay.¡± Ophelia appeared exceptionally docile when she smiled. However, the fact that she could still devise an incredible solution to aplex issue meant she was anything but an amateur. ¡°All right, let¡¯s leave.¡± It was getting prettyte as it was already ten at night. Upon removing her earphones, Sophie stood up. As Tristan pulled Sophie¡¯s chair away, Ophelia curiously inspected her. Even though there¡¯s no expression on her face, she looks stunningly beautiful. Some people are so attractive that they¡¯ll wow others and draw their attention just by standing there. No wonder Mr. Tristan keeps her by his side, considering how amazing she looks. At the same time, Sophie nced at Ophelia. Itsted only for a second before she left. It wasn¡¯t her first time getting gawked at. She had long gotten used to it. ¡°Well, you better do a good job. Now that you¡¯re technically my mentee, don¡¯t embarrass me, all right?¡± Felix notified. Without dy, Ophelia nodded. ¡°Don¡¯t fret, Mr. Northley! I won¡¯t disappoint you and Mr. Tristan¡¯s expectations. I promise I¡¯ll give it my all!¡± She felt good saying that. After all my hard work, I finally obtained the opportunity to shine. ¡°I¡¯ll meet you here at nine in the morning. Remember to be punctual. I abhor tardy individuals.¡± Felix promptly left with Tristan and Sophie. Ophelia¡¯s heart was racing. One day, I¡¯ll get everything I want! I can do it! On the way back, Sophie remained unusually quiet. Holding her hand, Tristan asked, ¡°Are you tired?¡± She turned to him. ¡°No.¡± ¡°Sorry I asked you to keep staying by my side.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine! I don¡¯t sleep that early back in Jipsdale, anyway. Rx.¡± Even though she was conversing with him nonchntly, she was actually on high alert. She discovered someone had been stalking them ever since their departure from the branchpany. ¡°Chin up, okay? There will always be small fries trying to take my life, but they aren¡¯t getting it that easily!¡± Of course, Tristan had also noticed they were being followed. ¡°Yeah! You should rx, Sophie. Mr. Tristan¡¯s scorned by many, so plenty of people are always trying to snuff his light out. However, as long as I¡¯m around, you can put your anxiety about his safety to rest.¡± Felix thought she was worried because she spotted something. With a nod, Sophie replied, ¡°I know!¡± Halfway through their journey, an unlicensed car kept attempting to derail them. A dangerous glint reflected in Tristan¡¯s narrowed eyes. They have some nerve to force us to stop! The driver was familiar with situations like that as his clients were all prominent figures. Thus, he started driving more cautiously. ¡°No need to fret, Mr. Tristan! This car has been modified to be as indestructible as possible!¡± ¡°Investigate who it is, Felix!¡± Tristan¡¯s voice was terrifyingly cold. Immediately after, Felix contacted someone on the phone. Hugging Sophie in his embrace, Tristan kissed her forehead when he noticed herck of expression. ¡°Just be at ease. As long as I¡¯m around, I won¡¯t allow you to be hurt by anyone.¡± That d*mn Nichs! He really ising after us! It must be him. No one else would dare to attack us this openly. Sophie nodded, her fist instinctively tightened. ¡°I know.¡± Bang! The unlicensed car ended up colliding with theirs. Both vehicles were forced to stop at that. Their car was mostly fine as it was heavily modified. Meanwhile, the unmarked car¡¯s head had been smashed in. ¡°Drive!¡± Tristan barked. If we leave the car now, there¡¯s no telling what danger may be lurking in the darkness. It¡¯s best that we leave immediately. ¡°All right, Mr. Tristan.¡± Hastily, the driver took them away. The rest of their journey back to the mansion was uneventful. ¡°Let¡¯s go! You should rest first. Don¡¯t worry.¡± Tristan escorted Sophie back to her room before serving her a cup of hot milk. Chapter 372 Chapter 372 Tristan¡¯s thoughts were still lingering on the car crash from earlier. I will catch the b*stard who ordered the attack! I won¡¯t tolerate anyone who acts so insolently before me! ¡°Don¡¯t stay up toote, okay?¡± Holding his neck, Sophie kissed the edge of his lips. While nothing serious had urred, it still pissed her off. That d*mn Nichs! It wasn¡¯t until she went to bed that Tristan left. In the living room, Felix was waiting for the result of the investigation he asked others to conduct. Even after a long while, the identity of the culprit remained unknown. N?velDrama.Org holds text ? rights. ¡°I couldn¡¯t find out who the assant was!¡± It was the first time he suspected his abilities. Our enemy seems stronger than I anticipated. ¡°Don¡¯t stop until you do!¡± Tristan refused to allow a simr attack to ur again, especially with Sophie by his side. As Felix poured him a ss of red wine, his mind wandered. This isn¡¯t Mr. Tristan¡¯s first rodeo with assassinations. He¡¯s angry this time because Sophie was with us. Now that he has a lover, he definitely won¡¯t condone anyone¡¯s attempt at provoking him. ¡°Understood! Although, you should ease up a little. No one¡¯s hurt, isn¡¯t it? Besides, Sophie¡¯s not a fragile, coddled rabbit. She won¡¯t get spooked by this,¡± he assured. ¡°That¡¯s not the problem. If our enemy is willing to go this far, they¡¯re bound to have more surprises waiting for us.¡± Grabbing the ss of wine, Tristan sipped. Not many people know I¡¯m at Anndur at the moment. Additionally, Felix still can¡¯t figure out the identity of the driver. Whoever is behind this assault is a lot more powerful than I imagine. ¡°I get it already! I¡¯ll ask others to check again.¡± There was nothing in the world Felix couldn¡¯t figure out. As long as it existed, he would have a way to unearth it. It was then Micah brought them another bottle of red wine. That was what he always did whenever the duo had a discussion. ¡°Put it down, Micah. You should head to rest!¡± Tristan urged. He really should consider his age and rest early. ¡°All right, Mr. Tristan. You should rest early too. Remember, you have massive influence and power in Norham as well.¡± ¡°Mhm.¡± After Micah departed, Felix opened the red wine the old butler brought them, refilled their sses, and handed one of them to Tristan. Meanwhile, after Tristan left, Sophie woke up and peered at the silver ring on her finger, which was emitting another eerie light. Unable to withhold the rage burning in her heart any longer, she called Nichs. Ever since the beginning of the incident, Nichs had been waiting for her call. Just as he expected, she called. I think she¡¯ll still relent! ¡°It¡¯s been a while, Sophie!¡± His grating voice was promptly heard on the other end. Sophie¡¯s mouth formed a cold grin. ¡°Is my lessonst time not enough for you, Nichs? Do I have to kill you to reim my peaceful life? I won¡¯t hesitate to do that if I have no choice.¡± Nichs smirked. ¡°Why so angry, Sophie? I didn¡¯t do anything wrong. I¡¯ve simply¡­ missed you. That¡¯s why I went to meet you. Why are you acting like this? We¡¯re still friends no matter what, aren¡¯t we? Is it really necessary for you to act like this?¡± ¡°You¡­¡± Her top was almost blown off. ¡°Just tell me what you want.¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t I do that already? I miss you. How about we meet at the cafe opposite Tristan¡¯s mansion tomorrow morning at ten?¡± No response was heard from Sophie. ¡°Don¡¯t get angry. You won¡¯t look beautiful anymore if you get mad.¡± Their conversation was making him giddy. I¡¯ve missed this feeling. It¡¯s been too long! Ever since I was kidnapped back here by her from Jipsdale, I¡¯ve been feeling down. At longst, I¡¯m in the mood to smile again. ¡°Hah. All right, just you wait.¡± She had a burning desire to tear him into pieces. ¡°You can be sure I¡¯ll be waiting no matter howte you arrive. I¡¯ll also be dreaming of you tonight.¡± Nichs ignored her resentment when she said that. As long as he heard what he wanted to, he didn¡¯t care about anything else. Fury still burned in Sophie¡¯s eyes when the call ended. It was then Arius contacted her. ¡°Are you all right, Sophie?¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± ¡°Nichs hasn¡¯t done anything yet? He¡¯s been waiting for you for a long time. Now that you¡¯re there, he¡¯ll stop at nothing to capture you.¡± He called because he was just that concerned about her safety. ¡°Of course, he will, but that doesn¡¯t mean he¡¯s capable enough to seed. I¡¯m no longer who I once was after all this time.¡± ¡°If you need help, you can contact Dr. Smith. He¡¯s in Anndur, after all. At least he¡¯ll be able to lend you a hand. That Nichs is truly perverted. It¡¯ll be dreadful if he catches you when your guard¡¯s identally down. Oh yeah, don¡¯t meet with him alone, okay? He lostst time because he was in Jipsdale. However, things will be different this time around.¡± ¡°All right, there¡¯s no need for you to fuss about me. It¡¯s the same no matter where I go.¡± Despite knowing he was merely fretting about her security, Sophie really wasn¡¯t in the mood to console him. ¡°Oh yeah, does Tristan know? If you refuse Nichs¡¯ condition, he might go after Tristan!¡± ¡°He doesn¡¯t know yet!¡± ¡°Why don¡¯t you just tell him everything? He chose you as his girlfriend, so he should face your hardships with you.¡± ¡°I can take care of this by myself. There¡¯s no need for him to learn of this.¡± There were things Sophie wasn¡¯t ready to reveal to Tristan yet. Additionally, it was her matter, so she didn¡¯t want to trouble others. Ariusmented, ¡°You¡¯re always like this, stubborn as a mule. Why not share your burden with your partner when you have one?¡± ¡°All right, you should rest early.¡± Everyone had something they were adamant about, including Sophie. She didn¡¯t stay with Tristan out of a desire for his protection. Her love was something she wished would remain pure. A sense of resignation was heard in Arius¡¯ voice. ¡°Do whatever you want, then. Clearly, you don¡¯t appreciate my advice, and I don¡¯t know how to persuade you to do otherwise. I¡¯m not in Anndur at the moment, so I can¡¯t help you out. Just stay safe, okay?¡± After hanging up the phone, Sophie took in a deep breath. I really don¡¯t want to bother Tristan with this. I have too many secrets, and some of them aren¡¯t appropriate for him to know. But everyone¡¯s like that, isn¡¯t it? Tristan opened the door, thinking that she was already asleep. To his surprise, he saw her standing by the window, deep in thought. It pained him to see how lonely her figure appeared from behind. Upon approaching her, he hugged her waist. ¡°What¡¯s the matter? Can¡¯t sleep? Are you still spooked by the crash earlier?¡± Chapter 373 Chapter 373 ¡°I wasn¡¯t frightened. If your mercenaries didn¡¯t scare mest time, I certainly wouldn¡¯t have been affected by a car crash. I¡¯m a brave woman, don¡¯t you know? There¡¯s no need for you to fuss about me. I¡¯m not that fragile,¡± Sophie assured. ¡°All right, then. You sure are amazing. Still, why aren¡¯t you asleep yet? Is something on your mind?¡± Tristan wondered. ¡°It¡¯s nothing.¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°What¡¯s the matter? Don¡¯t you believe me?¡± ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t I believe you? I trust every word thates out of your mouth.¡± Sophie turned around andy in his embrace. ¡°If one day you¡¯re injured because of me, I won¡¯t be able to help but me myself for it. I don¡¯t want to see you harmed.¡± Pressing his chin on her head, Tristan replied, ¡°What are you thinking? Why would I be injured because of you? Your existence alone brings me joy. So, no matter what happens, I only ask that you stay by my side. Don¡¯t think that whatever you do will make me happy.¡± She had no idea what message he was trying to convey, but that was his sincere thoughts. Even if it cost him his life, he still wouldn¡¯t hesitate to stand by her side. ¡°Tristan¡ª¡± Sophie was touched. How did he soften my heart to this degree? How can he? It¡¯s because of him that I¡¯m no longer the carefree person I used to be. I just want to protect myself and stay by his side forever. That¡¯s why I want to formte better solutions to these abrupt problems instead of charging headlong into the issue. ¡°It¡¯ste. You should rest.¡± After carrying her to the bed, Tristan covered her with the nket andy beside her. ¡°I¡¯ll keep youpany until you¡¯re asleep.¡± ¡°Mhm.¡± Lying on his arm, she adjusted her posture until she found the mostfortable spot and closed her eyes. I want to stay with him until death does us part. It was the first time such a thought crossed her mind. She looks so adorable like this. He watched over her until she fell asleep before getting up from the bed. Then he leaned down and gave her a goodnight kiss. ¡°Sleep well, my darling. No matter what happens, I¡¯ll be by your side forever.¡± That was a promise he intended to keep. The next day, when Sophie woke up, it was already nine in the morning. She washed up and changed into the clothing the housekeepers had brought her before leaving her room. When Micah saw her, a warm smile appeared on his face. ¡°You¡¯re awake, Ms. Tanner. Breakfast¡¯s ready. Would you like to eat it now orter?¡± ¡°Later. Where¡¯s Tristan?¡± Sophie wondered if he had already left while she was still asleep. ¡°Mr. Tristan and Mr. Northley should be at thepany now. He instructed us to let you rest as long as you needed, which was why we didn¡¯t disturb you. Did you have a good sleep?¡± ¡°I did. Thanks for asking.¡± ¡°Are you going to have breakfast now? Young people should have breakfast, you know. It¡¯s good for you.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll pass. I need to head outside.¡± ¡°Wait, Ms. Tanner. Where are you going? I¡¯ll ask the driver to send you there.¡± Micah couldn¡¯t allow her to leave without a few bodyguards protecting her. After all, she was Tristan¡¯s girlfriend, so her safety was of utmost importance to him. ¡°I¡¯m meeting a friend at the cafe opposite the mansion. There¡¯s no need for you to have someone follow me.¡± ¡°A friend?¡± He wasn¡¯t aware she had a friend in Anndur. Despite his concern, he was still only a butler. There were some questions he mustn¡¯t overstep his boundary to ask. ¡°At least allow two bodyguards to apany you. You should know Mr. Tristan won¡¯t feel at ease if you leave by yourself after what happenedst night.¡± Micah had no intention of backing off. That suggestion formed a frown on her face as she detested bodyguards. She was used to going anywhere alone, so the idea of having two people apanying her only gave her difort. ¡°I said I don¡¯t want anyone to follow me, Micah! Besides,st night was because someone was targeting Tristan. I don¡¯t have any enemies here. The two bodyguards are only going to be a liability to me!¡± Micah didn¡¯t expect to see her being so headstrong. Then, he wore a pitiful expression. ¡°This isn¡¯t my decision to make, Ms. Tanner. Mr. Tristan tasked me to ensure your safety, and I will. If anything happens to you, what am I supposed to tell him?¡± Sophie was at a loss for words as she couldn¡¯t argue against him. C¨°ntens bel0ngs to N?(v)elDr/a/ma.Org ¡°Can¡¯t you pity me, Ms. Tanner? I only have this one job. If I lose it, how am I supposed to find a living? You can tell how old I am, can¡¯t you?¡± Micah said. It rendered Sophie utterly speechless. If he had given her a tough attitude instead, she wouldn¡¯t have been afraid. However, she was defenseless against an old butler like him. Without any other option, she relented. ¡°Fine! You can let two bodyguards follow me on the condition that you tell them to wait outside the cafe, so they don¡¯t disturb my friend and me.¡± Micah conceded and nodded. ¡°All right. Not to fret, Ms. Tanner. I¡¯ll notify them not to disturb you two.¡± That conversationsted until half-past nine. It took Sophie ten minutes to arrive at the cafe. She thought she was early, but Nichs was already there. A bright smile stered on his face when he saw her, as though he hadpletely forgotten what happened at Jipsdale, not that he could do anything if he did. After all, she was the person he didn¡¯t want to hurt the most. Therefore, no matter what she did, he would choose to forgive her. As long as she would return to his side, nothing else mattered. ¡°What do you want, Nichs? Time and again, you disturbed my life, and I am sick of it.¡± Her patience had its limit. If he pushed her too far, she would make his life a living hell, regardless of the price she had to pay. Nichs nudged the cup of coffee in front of him toward Sophie. ¡°It¡¯s been a long time since we saw each other. Do you really have to bring up such a heavy topic when we just reunited? I don¡¯t want to ruin this good thing we have right now. It¡¯s not like I did anything bad. My humble wish is for us to share a meal. Is that so difficult?¡± Chapter 374 Chapter 374 ¡°Really? All you want is to have a meal with me?¡± she asked. How is that possible? I know him well. Nichs nodded profusely. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, for I¡¯m telling the truth. All I want is to have a meal with you. What else can I do?¡± Nichs asked patiently. ¡°Ha!¡± Sophie let out an icy snort. Is he joking? Does he think I¡¯m gullible enough to fall for his tricks? He went to great lengths to cause a ruckus just to capture me, right? ¡°Nichs, let me make myself clear¡ªI¡¯m not your toy, and I don¡¯t like you. No matter what you do, I won¡¯t return to you,¡± she announced. Some things just couldn¡¯t be forced. The smile on Nichs¡¯ lips disappeared slowly. How could she be this cruel? ¡°Sophie, I can offer you anything you want. In the past, I told you I couldn¡¯t marry you, but things are different now. If you wish, I can marry you right away,¡± he promised. I can do anything as long as she is willing toe back to me. Sophie furrowed her brows. ¡°Are you nuts? Why would I marry you? I¡¯m not crazy,¡± she retorted. Hurt rose in Nichs¡¯ heart. How could she say that? Does marrying me make her a fool? ¡°Isn¡¯t having a grand wedding what women want? Can Tristan give you that? Will the Lombard family agree to let you marry him?¡± he demanded. Sophie stared at him as if he was a lunatic. ¡°I¡¯m willing to be with him. It doesn¡¯t matter if we don¡¯t hold a grand wedding as long as I love him,¡± she responded. Nothing was more important than herself. Thus, she valued her happiness more than anything else. Nichs¡¯ expression turned frosty. ¡°After what I said, won¡¯t you give me another chance? How could you do this to me?¡± he asked, on the verge of losing his mind. Beforeing here, he reminded himself not to fly into a rage. Nevertheless, he couldn¡¯t calm down after hearing her answer. ¡°What else do you want me to do?¡± C¨°ntens bel0ngs to N?(v)elDr/a/ma.Org Nichs had never really been in a real rtionship. After all, he merely used women to spice up his life. He could sleep with any woman he desired as someone would deliver them straight to his bed. However, he was rendered helpless before Sophie. All he wanted was for her to keep himpany. It¡¯s just a little request. Why wouldn¡¯t she agree to it? ¡°I don¡¯t want anything, so you¡¯d better not do anything,¡± Sophie warned him coldly. She could be ruthless whenever the matter didn¡¯t concern her. That was just her character. Nichs crushed the cup of coffee he was holding in an effort to tamp down his anger. It was obvious that he was livid. Nevertheless, he couldn¡¯t be bothered about the consequences of his action, for no matter what he did, Sophie wouldn¡¯t bat an eyelid. After all, she didn¡¯t have any romantic feelings for him. Sophie was sure about that. Nichs didn¡¯t want to resort to threats, but he had no other choice. ¡°Are you sure about this? Do you want me to resort to harming you before you cave in?¡± He was forced to stoop this low. ¡°If you¡¯re nning to harm Tristan, go ahead. I will make your life a living hell if you dare toy a hand on him,¡± Sophie warned. She had to make him believe that it wasn¡¯t just a verbal threat; she was capable of doing that. ¡°Really? I must kill him, then. That¡¯s the only way you¡¯lle back to me,¡± came Nichs¡¯ answer. If that were his only choice, he wouldn¡¯t hesitate to carry the deed out. Nichs was confident that he could do that, for he was in his own territory and had an advantage over her. Sophie¡¯s face was devoid of any expressions as she said, ¡°Looks like we are at odds from now on.¡± I have no choice but to be at opposing sides with him. Sophie rose to her feet as she assumed there was no point talking to him anymore. Before Sophie could leave the cafe, Alex showed up with some men and blocked the exit. Sophie turned over her shoulder to nce at Nichs. ¡°Sophie, do you still think you¡¯re in Jipsdale? Previously, I fell for your ruse as I didn¡¯t see iting. Now that you¡¯re in Anndur, you can never leave. Besides, isn¡¯t it a good thing for you to keep me company?¡± Nichs asked. Why does she insist on burning all bridges? I don¡¯t want to do this, but it¡¯s my only choice. Sophie snickered icily. He¡¯s being ridiculous but is ming me instead. Does he think the world revolves around him? ¡°Nichs Sable, are you sure you¡¯re going to do this?¡± she demanded coolly. Right then, Sophie¡¯s phone rang. It was a call from Tristan. Without hesitation, she answered the call right before Nichs. Tristan might have arrived home, so he will definitely show up here if I don¡¯t answer his call. Something terrible might happen if they were to meet each other. I must answer his call now. When the call was connected, Tristan¡¯s calm voice rang out. ¡°Where did you go? I didn¡¯t know you had friends here. Where are you now? I¡¯lle to find you.¡± ¡°No need. I¡¯ll be back soon, don¡¯t worry,¡± came Sophie¡¯s answer. There was no way she would let hime here. ¡°The butler told me you went to the cafe opposite the mansion, right? Stay right there. It is raining heavily, so I¡¯lle over and bring you back,¡± Tristan insisted. It was pouring outside, so he got curious why she didn¡¯t invite her friend back to the mansion and instead chose to meet the friend at the cafe opposite the mansion. ¡°Tristan, no need for that. Can¡¯t I have some personal space?¡± Sophie asked. ¡°Sophie, that¡¯s not what I meant. I¡¯m just worried about you,¡± Tristan exined. Sophie promptly told him, ¡°But I don¡¯t need your concern right now. I¡¯m merely having coffee with my friend. Can¡¯t I do that?¡± ¡°Sophie!¡± Right then, Nichs called out Sophie¡¯s name deliberately. His voice was clearly heard by Tristan at the other end of the line. He immediately questioned, ¡°Who was that? Is your friend a guy?¡± I¡¯ve never heard this voice before. ¡°All right. I need to go now. I¡¯ll be back soon,¡± Sophie responded as she shot Nichs a re. D*mn it! He obviously did that on purpose. After hanging up, Sophie got into a fight with Nichs. Alex stood aside and watched them helplessly. He didn¡¯t know what he should do. Boss left orders that no one is to hurt Sophie. We can only watch as they fight against each other. Since ourst encounter a few years ago, Sophie has improved a lot. Her fighting skills are almost as good as Boss¡¯. Her existence would only threaten Boss¡¯ future. What should I do to get rid of her? After all, Old Mr. Sable gave me a mission¡ªto dispose of her. Nichs and Sophie were skilled at fighting and had been trained professionally, so it was a battle between two experts. Chapter 375 Chapter 375 In the end, Sophie delivered a kick to Nichs¡¯ stomach. Nichs might be good at fighting, but he held back when he was fighting against Sophie. After all, he didn¡¯t want to harm her. Thus, he was actually in a disadvantageous position most of the time. Sophie exerted all her strength to deliver that kick, so Nichs staggered back a long distance before managing to regain his bnce. Seeing Nichs suffering a setback, Alex promptly got to his feet. ¡°Boss, are you all right?¡± he asked worriedly. The other men surrounded Sophie. They can fool around, but she cannot hurt Boss. Otherwise, we¡¯ll be in deep trouble. Sophie swept her gaze across them but didn¡¯t feel threatened at all. ¡°Why? Are you all joining him to fight against me? If that¡¯s your n,e at me all at once. Don¡¯t waste my time.¡± Sophie knew Tristan woulde here if she were to stay here any longer. ¡°Sophie, why are you doing this? Boss treats you well. How could you be this ungrateful?¡± Alex admonished her. Boss literally fulfills her every request. He even went against Old Mr. Sable. She¡¯s being ungrateful. ¡°Stop it. What are you doing? I¡¯m perfectly fine,¡± Nichs assured with a smile. ¡°I¡¯ll take my leave. You should consider my suggestion. I believe you know I¡¯m not the type to give up easily. I will do everything that I can to get you.¡± Sophie was rendered speechless. To her, he was nothing but a lunatic. It was impossible to reason with a lunatic. However, she knew it wasn¡¯t the time to continue their fight. She had to head home right away. ¡°Sophie, I¡¯m being serious. I will kill Tristan if I have to,¡± Nichs cautioned. ¡°I dare you to touch him.¡± Sophie wasn¡¯t going to cave into his threats. Turning on her heels, she stalked out of the cafe. Indeed, she spotted Tristan¡¯s car outside when she was at the door. He was heading to the cafe with an umbre in his hands. It was raining heavily, so Sophie halted in her tracks. Nichs was still inside. Her efforts would be in vain if they were to bump into each other. That fool Nichs won¡¯te out right this moment, I think. Tristan went over to her and closed his umbre. Standing beside her, he said, ¡°If your friend is here, why don¡¯t you ask him or her to head to the mansion? You have everything you need there to wee them. You shouldn¡¯t havee out as the weather is bad.¡± idents were prone to happen in this kind of bad weather. The cafe was only ten minutes away from the mansion, but Tristan was still worried. ¡°Never mind. It was just an ordinary friend, so I didn¡¯t want to bring him to the mansion,¡± came Sophie¡¯s response. ¡°Where is your friend? Has he left?¡± ¡°Yes, he¡¯s gone. Come on, let¡¯s go home.¡± ¡°Let me piggyback you. There are too many water puddles on the ground,¡± Tristan offered. Sophie shook her head. ¡°It¡¯s okay. I can change shoes back at home.¡± ¡°Come on,¡± Tristan urged. He was already crouching in front of her. Sophie couldn¡¯t bring herself to reject him yet again, so she climbed onto his back and wrapped her arms around his neck. Tristan hoisted her up, opened his umbre, and walked away. Nichs witnessed the entire situation. Beside him, Alex had also seen everything. He sensed his employer¡¯s anger and didn¡¯t dare to make any sound. ¡°Alex, I have a question for you. Answer me honestly,¡± Nichs ordered. ¡°Boss, just go ahead and ask me the question. I will answer ordingly,¡± Alex promised. He wasn¡¯t about to irritate Nichs at this moment. Nichs asked, ¡°If you are a woman, do you also like a man like Tristan, who is meticulous in every way?¡± Tristan¡¯s status was, in fact, simr to his. However, he had never taken care of any woman. He couldn¡¯t believe Tristan was able to go that far just to take care of Sophie. ¡°Boss, I prefer someone like you,¡± Alex answered. I can¡¯t afford to anger Boss. Nichs gave him a frosty look. ¡°Alex, I doubt that. Can¡¯t you be honest with me?¡± he demanded. Is there even someone by my side who can be honest with me? Indeed, my life is a failure. ¡°Boss, I¡­¡± Alex wanted to say more but swallowed his words upon seeing his employer¡¯s expression. He plucked up his courage to add, ¡°Boss, not every woman likes the same type of man.¡± Some women preferred tender men; some preferred indifferent men; some preferred domineering men. There was no standard in love, after all. ¡°Boss, I think you should give up on Sophie. She has angered you so much, so there is no point holding on. There are plenty of gorgeous women by your side. I can find any type of woman you want. I promise they will give you their undivided attention,¡± Alex promised. All Sophie does is annoy Boss. I don¡¯t know what¡¯s so good about her. ¡°There¡¯s no need to concern yourself with my affairs,¡± Nichs said curtly. Sophie¡¯s special, so I can¡¯t give up on her. What¡¯s so good about other women who only know how to suck up to me? I hate women like that. All they want is my money and status. They are not genuine at all. Why can¡¯t I forget Sophie? Because she never sucks up to me and always scowls at me, that¡¯s why. Tristan piggybacked Sophie to his vehicle. Seeing them, the driver got out of the car immediately to open the door for them. After Sophie climbed into the car, Tristan closed his umbre and went in after her. ¡°Come, let¡¯s go back.¡± It was just a short walk, but Tristan¡¯s clothes were slightly wet. Sophie got a towel to pat him dry. When we walked here, he focused on shielding me and didn¡¯t bother about himself. She let out a sigh. Back in the mansion, Felix was still dealing with work matters at the branch office and wasn¡¯t back yet. The butler had already prepared lunch. He was waiting at the door when they arrived. ¡°Mr. Tristan, Ms. Tanner, you¡¯re back. Lunch is ready. Do you want to have lunch now?¡± he asked politely. ¡°Go wash your hands, and we will have lunch together. I believe you didn¡¯t eat much at the cafe,¡± Tristan uttered. The cafe sold dessert, but he knew Sophie didn¡¯t like sweet stuff. ¡°Mm!¡± Sophie went to wash her hands as told. After she came out of the bathroom having washed her hands, Tristan pulled out a chair and told her to sit down. N?velDrama.Org holds text ? rights. ¡°Do you have work this afternoon?¡± she asked. Tristan was usually pretty busy with work as he was the CEO of hispany. ¡°Nothing much. Felix can deal with them. I will keep youpany at home in the afternoon,¡± Tristan told her. He didn¡¯t want to neglect her because of work. Sophie replied earnestly, ¡°Tristan, there¡¯s no need to keep mepany. I¡¯m perfectly fine alone.¡± ¡°Why? Are you meeting a friend this afternoon? Let mee with you. I¡¯d like to know more about your friend.¡± Chapter 376 Chapter 376 ¡°No,¡± Sophie quickly replied. Is he joking? I can¡¯t let him meet Nichs. Besides, Nichs isn¡¯t even technically my friend. Hearing that, Tristan told her, ¡°Then I will stay with you as you rest at home.¡± They were heading back tomorrow, so he initially nned to bring her around today. s, the weather was so bad that they had to stay at home. ¡°This trip is too rushed, so I don¡¯t have time to bring you out to have some fun. The weather isn¡¯t cooperating, too. Next time, then. We can go on a holiday after your university entrance exam ends,¡± he added. We can go anywhere as long as she gets to rx. Sophie nodded and got him a piece of pork rib. ¡°Eat up!¡± After lunch, they spent half an hour in the living room before Tristan brought Sophie to her bedroom. ¡°Take a nap,¡± Sophie told Tristan. She woke upte today, so she wasn¡¯t sleepy at this hour. ¡°Sleep with me,¡± Tristan implored as he took her hand. ¡°But I¡¯m not sleepy at all. I want to read for a while,¡± Sophie protested. She had said everything in her mind to Nichs, but she wasn¡¯t sure what he would do next. Thus, the only way out was to be fully prepared. No matter what Nichs¡¯ n was, she would never give in to him. It was a difficult thing to achieve in Anndur, but it wasn¡¯t entirely impossible. Right then, Felix¡¯s call arrived. Something important must¡¯ve happened for him to call Tristan at this hour. Thus, Tristan answered the call in front of Sophie. ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°Mr. Tristan, guess who the person who attacked you sneakily was? I don¡¯t think you¡¯ll be able to guess the person¡¯s identity, though,¡± Felix dered. ¡°Just go straight to the topic,¡± Tristan ordered, as he disliked guessing games. Felix knows I cannot guess the person¡¯s identity, so why does he even bother asking me the question? ¡°Nichs Sable,¡± Felix revealed. Tristan remained silent, so he added, ¡°Who could¡¯ve guessed? We never crossed paths, so I don¡¯t know what got over him.¡± Despite finding the culprit, he couldn¡¯t figure out the motive. ¡°Mm, I got it,¡± came Tristan¡¯s answer. Felix asked, ¡°Mr. Tristan, what¡¯s your next step?¡± They were in Anndur, so Nichs had a better chance of seeding if he were to take action. ¡°Isn¡¯t that your problem to solve?¡± Tristan returned. Felix has always been in charge of my safety. Did he ask just me what to do next? Seriously? ¡°All right, then. Have fun with your girlfriend. Leave everything to me.¡± Felix inhaled sharply. Ugh, Mr. Tristan is a lovesick fool! ¡°Mm. Let me know if you can¡¯t handle the matter.¡± Felix was speechless. Did he just look down on me? ¡°Mr. Tristan, are you looking down on me? If I can¡¯t even deal with the matter, what right do I have to work for you?¡± Felix retorted. Is he joking? Tristan reminded him, ¡°Be careful. Nichs is a psycho who will do everything he can to achieve his goals.¡± With an enemy like Nichs, one would have to be more despicable than him or risk suffering a loss. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I got it,¡± Felix assured him. He was in a hurry to solve the matter and return home. My Ysabelle is alone in Jipsdale. I wonder how she¡¯s doing. A day has passed, but she hasn¡¯t contacted me yet. She doesn¡¯t even care about me. Sophie instantly knew who attacked Tristan sneakily when she heard Nichs¡¯ name being mentioned. That was a good thing, for he was able to put his guard up. Nichs might be influential in Anndur, but Tristan was no small fry. As long as Tristan knew about the current situation, he would be able to sort everything out quickly. After hanging up, Tristan tossed his phone aside. ¡°Nichs Sable, huh?¡± he mused. I can¡¯t believe Nichs is bold enough to provoke me. Sophie came over to him and said, ¡°Be careful of this person. He¡¯s crazy.¡± ¡°Do you know him?¡± Tristan got curious. She¡¯s right about that. However, she has always been in Chanaea and shouldn¡¯t know Nichs Sable. ¡°Arius told me about him previously. Just be careful. I don¡¯t want you to get hurt,¡± Sophie said, her voice laced with concern. He can¡¯t get hurt, ever. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll be fine,¡± Tristanforted her. He was confident that Nichs wouldn¡¯t be able to hurt him. ¡°Let¡¯s go. Even if you¡¯re not sleepy, lie in bed to get some rest. We will head back tomorrow so you can get over the jetg. Remember, you still have to take your university entrance exam.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine. I can get into Jipsdale University even if I take the exam with my eyes closed,¡± Sophie replied. She wasn¡¯t worried at all. N?velDrama.Org holds text ? rights. ¡°Youngdy, you seem pretty confident in yourself,¡± Tristanmented. Sophie chuckled. ¡°Of course. Besides, the International Medical Association is waiting for me!¡± ¡°Do you want to join the International Medical Association?¡± Tristan asked. If she ns on joining the International Medical Association, she¡¯ll have to attend a university in Anndur. ¡°Mm!¡± Sophie nodded. After considering it for a long while, she still wanted to join the International Medical Association. Killing people isn¡¯t fun. Saving people is more fun! Tristan nodded. ¡°Looks like I¡¯ll have to shift mypany¡¯s focus to Anndur soon.¡± There was no way he would allow her to stay in a foreign country alone. Sophie was temporarily speechless. She finally regained herposure to protest, ¡°No need for that, Tristan. There¡¯s no need to shift your company¡¯s focus here.¡± Tristan told her, ¡°I¡¯m doing it for myself. I can¡¯t bear to separate from you.¡± Sophie would be lying if she imed she wasn¡¯t touched by his words. However, she wasn¡¯t sure if she should allow him to sacrifice this much for her. Tristan added, ¡°Don¡¯t look at me that way. If you¡¯re touched, you can marry me.¡± That was his one and only wish. Sophie stood on her toes and gave him a peck on his lips. Shemented, ¡°I must¡¯ve done many good deeds in my past life to meet a man like you in my current life.¡± Tristan responded, ¡°It looks like I have to do good deeds from now on to meet you again in our next lives.¡± Tristan lowered his head to cover her lips with a kiss. His kiss was different from hers. It was so passionate that she could feel his desire for her. Sophie responded to his kiss without holding back. After the kiss came to an end, Tristan gathered Sophie into his arms on the bed. Snuggling into his embrace, Sophie soon fell asleep. Tristan waited until she was sound asleep before getting up to leave the bedroom. Felix was already waiting outside. Upon seeing Tristan, he asked, ¡°Mr. Tristan, what do you think Nichs wants?¡± He just couldn¡¯t understand Nichs. ¡°Why do you even bother? Just put your guard up and teach him a lesson.¡± ¡°Okay. Don¡¯t worry. Let me make the arrangements,¡± Felix agreed. Not everyone could act as they wish. That very night, Nichs left the club and drove for some distance before someone hit his car and sent his car crashing into the guard rail. He sustained an injury on his forehead as a result. Alex hurriedly sent him to the hospital. His father, Javier Sable, soon received news of his ident. Chapter 377 Chapter 377 Fury shed across Javier¡¯s eyes when he saw Nichs lying in the hospital bed. ¡°What were you doing? Why did you fail to protect him? If this happens again, you will all be fired!¡± he roared in anger. Only his voice could be heard in the ward. Nichs snapped, ¡°Old man, are you done? What does my ident have to do with them?¡± D*mn it. Tristan must¡¯ve found out that I was behind his sneak attack and took revenge on me. This is nothing. The game has begun, so I will y along with him instead of quitting halfway. ¡°Is it because of Sophie again?¡± Javier demanded furiously. ¡°How many times have I told you that Sophie is nothing but trouble? She¡¯s not a suitable match for you, so you will definitely get hurt if you insist on being with her.¡± He was almost choking on his rage after mentioning Sophie¡¯s name. ¡°Hey, that has nothing to do with you. Don¡¯t you dare interfere in my business. If youy a hand on Sophie, I will sever ties with you!¡± Nichs warned. Rage seared through Javier when he heard what Nichs had to say. ¡°Nichs Sable, how dare you threaten your father for a nobody? Let me tell you. No one can threaten me! If you refuse to listen to me, I¡¯ll get someone to deal with her!¡± He would not let anyone jeopardize his son¡¯s future. Hearing that, Nichs scrambled out of bed and stood before Javier. ¡°I told you not toy a hand on her,¡± he said sternly. Anyone who wanted to harm Sophie would be his enemy. He would not allow any person who intended to inflict harm on Sophie to live. ¡°That depends on whether you listen to me,¡± Javier dered angrily. ¡°My patience has its limits.¡± As Nichs¡¯ life wasn¡¯t in danger, Javier stormed away with his men. He refused to stay with his rebellious son any longer. Ugh, I might die of fury one day, no thanks to the b*stard. Why did I get such a son? He¡¯s so ungrateful! After Javier left, Alex remained in the ward. He dared not say anything. He knew he would be punished as his employer got hurt under his watch. It wasn¡¯t the appropriate time, so Javier didn¡¯t mention his punishment for now. ¡°Alex, if you like him that much, why don¡¯t you work for him? You told him I got hurt, right? Otherwise, he wouldn¡¯t have known,¡± Nichs grumbled. It was irking to have such a subordinate. ¡°Boss, I didn¡¯t tell him anything. It has nothing to do with me,¡± Alex insisted. It wasn¡¯t me who ratted on him this time. Nichs hissed, ¡°Are you saying that he nted more spies beside me? Find out who they are no matter what. Tristan wants to y a game, so I can¡¯t be a coward. I¡¯ll y along with him.¡± How dare he take my woman away from me? He has to bear the consequences for doing that. ¡°Boss, why don¡¯t you stop for now? We¡¯ll get into bigger trouble if Old Mr. Sable finds out about this,¡± Alex suggested. After all, Tristan was too terrifying an enemy. Nichs gave him a livid look. ¡°What are you talking about? Am I not Tristan¡¯s match? Look, I¡¯m injured. How dare you ask me to let the matter slide? Do you want me to make you the boss instead?¡± Alex fell silent. Boss is too reckless. If no one stops him, he¡¯ll end up in trouble one day. I stayed by his side to protect him. How can I allow him to invite trouble to his doorstep? Nichs added, ¡°Just do as I say, or return to that old man. I don¡¯t need men who aren¡¯t loyal to me!¡± Sheer exasperation inundated Alex. Why is my job so hard? The weather in Norham was bad for the two days they were there. It kept pouring nonstop. Ophelia came to the mansion to meet Felix and bumped into Sophie. She gave Sophie a nod in greeting. Despite remembering who Ophelia was, Sophie wasn¡¯t close to the former. Hence, she returned the greeting with a curt nod. Tristan spotted her and gave her a wave. Sophie trotted over to Tristan obediently and sat down beside him. Tristan immediately ced his arm around her. ¡°Felix, bring Ophelia to the study,¡± he ordered.Exclusive content from N?velDrama.Org. Rising to his feet, Felix replied, ¡°Got it. I dare not disturb you both!¡± He just gave Nichs a lessonst night and was curious about what happened. They were both crazy and not people to be trifled with. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you sleep for a bit more?¡± Tristan asked. They were heading back to Jipsdale today. He wasn¡¯t about to allow anyone to affect her taking the university entrance exam. ¡°The rain was too noisy, so I couldn¡¯t sleep well.¡± It had been raining in buckets for a long time, so she didn¡¯t get to sleep wellst night. ¡°Mm. We¡¯ll be heading home today,¡± Tristan told her. Envy rose in Ophelia¡¯s eyes when she noticed their interaction. Mr. Tristan treats her so well! As she didn¡¯t move an inch, Felix stretched his hand out and waved in front of her eyes. ¡°What are you looking at? I thought you had a question for me. Let¡¯s go!¡± he urged. Why is she staring at Mr. Tristan and Sophie? Ophelia looked away and sighed. ¡°Ms. Tanner looks blissful. I envy her.¡± ¡°Yes, she¡¯s blessed. Mr. Tristan adores her, so don¡¯t go provoking her. Mr. Tristan can discard his principles for her sake,¡± Felix cautioned. Tristan was especially fond of Sophie, so anyone who dared to offend her would suffer badly. ¡°Oh.¡± Ophelia nodded. ¡°Ophelia, you¡¯re smart, so focus on your career. Mr. Tristan¡¯s lifelong partner will only be and can only be Sophie,¡± Felix reminded. He wasn¡¯t a fool and could see the adoration in Ophelia¡¯s eyes. Feeling awkward, Ophelia shed a smile. ¡°I didn¡¯t mean anything.¡± Felix shrugged. ¡°Anyway, I have a piece of advice for you¡ªthe only way to stay by Mr. Tristan¡¯s side is to focus on your career. He won¡¯t be able to give you anything else!¡± ¡°Mr. Northley, I wasn¡¯t¡ª¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have to admit or deny anything. I¡¯m just giving you a friendly reminder,¡± Felix cut in. Meanwhile, Sophie leaned on Tristan¡¯s shoulder and started dozing off. Her adorable look nearly caused Tristan tough out loud. This was the first time he saw her half asleep. Sophie¡¯s cute when she doesn¡¯t get enough sleep. Suddenly, Sophie¡¯s phone rang. She furrowed her brows. Who can it be at this hour? What is the purpose of this phone call? Seeing her reaction, Tristan got her phone and was about to switch it off when Sophie took it from him. ¡°Forget it,¡± she muttered. Her eyes were still shut when she answered the call. ¡°Who is this?¡± ¡°Sophie Tanner, remember me?¡± Sophie was startled to hear the voice. She racked her brains and soon figured out who it was¡ªJavier Sable, Nichs¡¯ father. Chapter 378 Chapter 378 ¡°Nichs sustained an injuryst night. It¡¯s all because of you. Am I right?¡± Javier questioned. Sure enough, his sole purpose in calling Sophie was to interrogate her about that matter. ¡°Is it though? He can¡¯t me anyone but himself for getting injured. What does it have to do with me? Judging from the kind of person he is, I reckon many people are interested in taking his life,¡± Sophie snapped, not showing any courtesy. It was unnecessary for her to have any respect for an elderly like Javier, who had made several attempts to kill her. ¡°Then why did you stille to Anndur? I¡¯ve already warned you not to approach Nichs, haven¡¯t I? Why can¡¯t you just listen to me?¡± Every remark he made is to threaten me. Sophie could not help but sneer. ¡°Why can¡¯t I visit Anndur? Do you own the entire country? Old Mr. Sable, I¡¯m warning you, don¡¯t show up before me. Or else, I¡¯m not even sure what I¡¯m going to do by then,¡± she retorted impertinently. ¡°Is that so? You¡¯re thinking of killing me, right? Hmph! We¡¯ll see if you¡¯re capable of such a feat!¡± Javier had always been exceptionally haughty his whole life, and he never really treated anyone with respect. ¡°Try me then! We¡¯ll see who is the ultimate loser!¡± Sophie couldn¡¯t be bothered entertaining the old man. She disconnected the call right after she finished her sentence. Furious after being hung up on, Javier tossed his phone aside and snapped, ¡°What a lofty youngdy!¡± Javier had long since known that he would not be able to keep Sophie under control. That was the reason why he had always wanted to end her life. The present Sophie had be even haughtier than she was a few years ago. Thus, there was no way the old man would allow someone like Sophie to live on. ¡°Calm down, Boss. We¡¯re at Anndur. There are plenty of ways to make an expendable youngdy disappear.¡± ¡°Good. Go ahead and make the necessary arrangements. Don¡¯t ever let her leave this ce alive,¡± instructed Javier, going to extreme lengths. ¡°Understood, Boss.¡± Concurrently, Tristan took note of Sophie¡¯s demeanor when she was on the phone just then and frowned. ¡°Who was that?¡± he asked. ¡°An annoying old man!¡± Verily, Sophie despised the old man from the Sable family. She had never hated someone so much in her entire life. In most cases, she wouldn¡¯t let anyone get to her no matter who it was, but Javier was an exception. She truly disliked the old man. ¡°Old Mr. Sable? Nichs Sable¡¯s father?¡± Tristan did not mean to eavesdrop. It was just that he happened to be by her side, so he naturally heard the conversation. ¡°Yes.¡± Since he had already heard everything, it was pointless for her to deny it. ¡°How do you get acquainted with him?¡± ¡°We aren¡¯t acquainted. It¡¯s just that we despise each other. He dislikes me, and I don¡¯t like him either.¡± ¡°How about Nichs Sable? Do you know him?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve met him before.¡± Sophie did not intend to hide anything from Tristan. ¡°I see.¡± Tristan did not probe further, even though still oblivious to the many secrets of her past. Neither of those will affect my feelings for her. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. No one can hurt you when I¡¯m here,¡± Tristan reassured. So what if it¡¯s the Sable family? I don¡¯t give a d*mn about them! ¡°Mr. Tristan, I don¡¯t want to cause you trouble even though we¡¯re in a rtionship. I can handle all of these myself.¡± ¡°How can you say that? You aren¡¯t causing any trouble for me. Even if you do cause trouble, I¡¯m happy to help you solve your problems. I¡¯m the only person you can cause trouble for. Don¡¯t ever trouble someone else, okay?¡± Tristan dotingly brushed his finger against her nose. He was more than happy to be able to help Sophie with her troubles. ¡°How do you manage to melt my heart every time?¡± Sophie uttered after giving him a peck on the cheek. My heart turned to mush after I met him. I¡¯ve changed so much that I¡¯m no longer who I used to be in the past. At that moment, Ophelia walked out of the study. Her gaze remained fixed on Tristan when she saw the intimate interaction between the couple. Felix, who was watching at the side, could not help letting out a sigh. Ophelia is indeed a talented youngdy. She¡¯ll surely be sessful if she focuses on her career. However, she¡¯s destined to be left with nothing if she stays obsessed with Mr. Tristan. ¡°Ophelia,¡± Felix called out. His voice immediately pulled Ophelia out of her stupor. The look in the woman¡¯s eyes appeared rather awkward at that juncture. I didn¡¯t mean to do this, I swear, but I just can¡¯t stop fixing my gaze on Tristan whenever he¡¯s around. ¡°I¡¯ll be taking my leave now, Mr. Northley. I shall not disturb Mr. Tristan.¡± Ophelia left in a hurry after finishing her sentence as if she was escaping the ce. She had always thought that she had been hiding her feelings well. Unbeknownst to her, however, the look in her eyes could easily give her feelings away. Watching her dash off, Felix ordered a housekeeper to give her an umbre before asking the driver to send her home. Mr. Tristan is indeed the root of all problems. He¡¯s already in a rtionship, but he¡¯s still capable of making the girls around him fall for him. That¡¯s pretty impressive. Even though Felix did not want to disturb the couple, he had no choice as they would be heading back that night, and Tristan needed to settle some things. Exclusive content from N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Mr. Tristan, I¡ª¡± Tristan took a nce at Felix. This Felix¡­ He¡¯s getting more and more inconsiderate. Taking in Tristan¡¯s reaction, Felix felt aggrieved. After a pause, thetter stated, ¡°I would like to apply for a new position, Mr. Tristan.¡± He¡¯s going overboard! We¡¯re here for work, yet he¡¯s acting all lovey-dovey with his girlfriend! ¡°Sure! How about you go to Alendor and keep Winterpany?¡± He was always open to suggestions and was more than happy to satisfy Felix¡¯s request. Felix was at a loss for words. He¡¯s so mean! Fine. Forget it. I¡¯m no match for him, and there¡¯s no way I¡¯ll win against him no matter how hard I try. Watching their banter, Sophie couldn¡¯t help chuckling out of amusement. Felix is actually quite a cute guy, but I can¡¯t let Mr. Tristan know about this. It¡¯ll only make him jealous. Knowing that they had something to discuss, Sophie did not say anything else. Instead, she turned to leave so as not to disturb them. ¡°You guys go ahead. I¡¯ll make a call in the room.¡± After Sophie left, Felix found a spot and sat down. ¡°Looks like the king has prioritized his love life over his duty,¡± Felixmented. Even the high and mighty Mr. Tristan has sumbed to the temptations of beauty! ¡°Get to the point!¡± Tristan snapped. Words eluded Felix. How are we supposed to discuss things if he¡¯s keeping that attitude up? Nheless, pressured by Tristan¡¯s piercing gaze, Felix had no choice but to say what was on his mind. ¡°Nichs has yet to give up.¡± ¡°If that¡¯s the case, we shall y along. It¡¯s not like we can¡¯t defeat him anyway,¡± Tristan remarked as if he had nothing to fear. Sure enough, he had been fearless ever since he was a child, even more so at that moment. ¡°Okay. Also, why do I get the feeling that Nichs is targeting Sophie? Have you asked Sophie? Were they somehow rted in the past?¡± Felix asked. Otherwise, Nichs wouldn¡¯t have taken such a risk to attack them. Right then, a dangerous glint shed past Tristan¡¯s narrowed eyes. ¡°What do you mean by that?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t mean anything. It¡¯s just a feeling. I¡¯m just wondering if Sophie is hiding something from you.¡± I¡¯m just asking this out of concern for him. Why is he wearing such a scary expression? ¡°Felix, I trust Sophie. I will never doubt her or question her.¡± Chapter 379 Chapter 379 He would believe anything that Sophie said. ¡°It¡¯s not that I don¡¯t trust her. After all, we¡¯ve been acquainted for a long time, so I know the kind of person she is. I believe she won¡¯t do anything to harm you.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t ever say something like that again,¡± said Tristan. He would listen carefully to whatever Sophie wanted to say, but if thetter was reluctant to talk about something, he would never allow anyone to force her hand. Felix could only shake his head. Verily, that was the first time he had ever witnessed Tristan behaving like that. Thus, he couldn¡¯t help feeling concerned. ¡°Mr. Tristan, I understand that you love her, but we still need to get to the bottom of some things.¡± After being friends with Tristan for such a long time, Felix didn¡¯t want the former to get hurt by a woman. ¡°Felix, there¡¯s no turning back once you¡¯re hopelessly in love with someone.¡± Sophie was like a toxic drug that had invaded his system. He could no longer escape from her even if he knew he was being gradually poisoned to death. ¡°I wonder whether you should consider yourself lucky or not,¡± said Felix. Felix could only hope that Sophie¡¯s feelings for Tristan were sincere. ¡°All right. Don¡¯t worry about me. Just do what you should do and I¡¯ll handle the rest.¡± He had faith in his own judgment and was confident that nothing would go wrong. ¡°Fine. I know I¡¯m just yourckey, and since you never once listen to what I have to say, do as you wish.¡± Regardless of how things panned out or what danger was lurking around the corner, they would remain by his side and would never abandon him. That was what best buddies were for. Though they weren¡¯t rted by blood, they shared a bond stronger than biological brothers. Felix was upied with work in the branchpany for the entire day. Tristan, on the other hand, was also handling some tricky work-rted matters. By the time everything was settled, it was already five in the afternoon. When Tristan and Felix returned to the mansion, the butler had already prepared dinner. ¡°Wee back, Mr. Tristan and Mr. Northley. I¡¯ll go and inform Ms. Tanner toe downstairs and join both of you for dinner,¡± the butler enthused. ¡°That won¡¯t be necessary. I¡¯ll do it.¡± Tristan removed his coat and handed it over to the butler while Felix made his way to the dining table to take a seat. ¡°Mr. Tristan, please don¡¯t forget that we still have a flight to catch.¡± It was unknown how much time Tristan would spend upstairs since the couple was still in the honeymoon phase of their rtionship and would find it hard to restrain themselves from indulging in a passionate moment. Exclusive content from N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Felix, I won¡¯t consider you mute even if you kept your mouth shut. Enough with all your nonsense,¡± warned Tristan. Looks like he still hasn¡¯t learned his lesson. Felix immediately swallowed his words. ¡°Fine. I¡¯ll shut up. Happy?¡± Felix was slightly worried. Ophelia was quite a capable woman, and she had already familiarized herself with the operation of thepany in less than two days. If she could focus on her job, the branchpany in Norham would be in good hands. Unfortunately, she had foolishly fallen in love with Tristan. Hence, Felix wondered if she would stir up trouble in the future. His head hurt at the thought, but there was nothing else he could do, for he hadn¡¯t told Tristan about Ophelia¡¯s feelings yet. Besides, the woman had not done anything untoward for the time being, and it was not like Felix could stop her from falling in love with Tristan. Sophie had just sessfully hacked into Nichs¡¯pany¡¯s system to obtain top-secret information when Tristan entered the room. A cruel smile appeared on her face. He would pay the price for repeatedly provoking me, or he¡¯ll never learn. After masking her identity, Sophie sent the confidential information she stole to Nichs¡¯ longstanding rival. Sometimes, one could still achieve one¡¯s goal without having to make the move personally. Once she was done, she stood up to stretch her stiff muscles, for she had been busy hacking into Nichs¡¯puter for the entire afternoon. Although the process had been grueling, noputer system was imprable to her. The incident would keep Nichs busy for some time, and he wouldn¡¯t be able to cause trouble any time soon. Tristan opened the door and entered the room. ¡°Why have you been staying in the room all day? You should go out and get some fresh air.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve been busy. It¡¯s almost time, right? How¡¯s everything going so far?¡± She should be leaving as there were only three days left before the university entrance exam. ¡°You can stay. I don¡¯t mind going home alone if things here haven¡¯t been settled.¡± There was no need for him to apany her on the trip back home. Tristan pulled her close and rested his chin on her shoulder. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Are you tired?¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine, Sophie. What are you talking about? How can I not be by your side at such an important moment in your life?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re thinking of going to the exam venue with me.¡± ¡°But of course.¡± Seriously? It¡¯s usually the parents¡¯ job to apany their children to the examination hall. Is my boyfriend actually going with me? ¡°Don¡¯t you find it romantic?¡± Sophie shook her head in exasperation. ¡°What¡¯s so romantic about waiting outside in the scorching summer heat just like the rest of the parents? I¡¯m not going to earn a higher score just because you¡¯re waiting outside.¡± Sophie couldn¡¯t see his logic of apanying her to the examination hall. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll be waiting in the car with the air-conditioning on, so I won¡¯t get heatstroke.¡± ¡°You¡¯re missing the point!¡± Sophie turned to nce at him dubiously. What is going on inside his head? ¡°We¡¯ll get back to thister. Let¡¯s go and grab some dinner now before going back.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Forget it. It¡¯s no point trying to reason with him because he won¡¯t listen. If he wants to return with me, I should just let him. At the same time, Nichs had already constructed a n to take Tristan¡¯s life, but before he could execute it, his rivalunched a surprise attack on him. A gunfight broke out between the tworgest gangs of Anndur. There were numerous casualties left in the wake of the battle. It was already seven in the evening by the time Nichs managed to extract himself from the situation. Alex was standing beside him. When the man noticed that his boss was bleeding, he offered, ¡°Boss, why don¡¯t I drive you to the hospital to get your wounds tended?¡± He himself had also sustained many injuries but wisely chose not to say anything about it. ¡°Shut up!¡± Nichs was livid. ¡°What are the chances of us killing Tristan if we go after him now?¡± asked Nichs. Alex was the one who arranged everything. ¡°I¡¯m afraid we¡¯d simply be carrying out a suicide mission if we were to pursue him now, Boss. Look at the number of casualties we suffered.¡± ¡°D*mn it!¡± Nichs couldn¡¯t help but curse. ¡°You go and investigate why Wayne and his gang attacked us all of a sudden. Also, find out how they got their hands on our confidential information!¡± ¡°Yes, Boss, right away. Please calm down.¡± Nichs still didn¡¯t have the slightest clue as to who was behind all that even up to this point. It was a terrible feeling to be kept in the dark. Who the h*ll is it? Do they really harbor such a grudge against me? The thought of Sophie returning to the country with Tristan and the fact that he himself was in such a pathetic state irked him to no end. s, there wasn¡¯t an outlet for him to vent his pent-up anger. Chapter 380 Chapter 380 Meanwhile, Tristan and the others had already arrived at the airport and boarded their flight. Felix had thought something would happen on their way to the airport. However, to his surprise, they got there safe and sound. This isn¡¯t like Nichs at all. ¡°Mr. Tristan, did you do something without me knowing? How is it that Nichs didn¡¯te after us? It doesn¡¯t make any sense!¡± We¡¯d already set up an ambush and everything, but Nichs didn¡¯t show up. All our efforts are in vain. ¡°Shall we get someone to find out what happened?¡± He had wanted to teach Nichs a lesson, yet his n hade to naught. ¡°Well, we can only wait until we get off the ne. I can¡¯t possibly be making calls while on the ne, right?¡± Tristan replied. He¡¯s really too curious about what happened. ¡°Sophie, aren¡¯t you the least bit curious?¡± They had been talking about the matter for some time, yet Sophie had not even looked up from her phone. She doesn¡¯t seem interested to know more about this situation. How strange. Could it be that she knows something? Sophie raised her head and nced at him. ¡°What¡¯s there to be curious about? Are you that eager to have someonee after you? Is there something wrong with your brain, Mr. Northley?¡± Felix pointed at himself in puzzlement. ¡°Something wrong with me? What could be wrong? Anyone would be curious, okay?¡± he retorted. It¡¯s already weird enough that she doesn¡¯t give a hoot about anything at all, and now she¡¯s even using me of being weird! That¡¯s preposterous! ¡°That¡¯s enough. If there¡¯s nothing wrong with you, go over there.¡± After hearing what Tristan said, Felix felt even more at a loss for words. I see how it is. I¡¯m the odd one out on this ne, alone and helpless. No one is going to back me up. Those two are ganging up on me, and I¡¯m all alone. How can I be a match for them? I can¡¯t win in an argument or a physical fight. Oh, my life is such a tragedy. Tristanughed at the sight of Felix¡¯s pitiful expression. ¡°After we get back, you should pursue Ysabelle in earnest. Then, you won¡¯t be alone anymore,¡± he said. ¡°So what if I seed? She¡¯s absolutely obsessed with Sophie, so there¡¯s no way she¡¯d take my side.¡± ¡°Does that mean you¡¯re not going to pursue her anymore?¡± ¡°Oh, I will. Of course, I will,¡± Felix replied. I¡¯ve had feelings for her for such a long time. How could I give up just like that? If it were possible, I¡¯d have done so ages ago. There¡¯d be no need for me to go down this difficult path. ¡°Stop bullying him, Mr. Tristan. He¡¯s had it rough enough as it is,¡± Sophie piped up. ¡°How has he had it rough?¡± ¡°Because of Ysabelle, obviously. We don¡¯t even know when she¡¯ll realize Felix likes her. He¡¯ll probably be stuck on this path he¡¯s on for a very long time.¡± And there¡¯s no saying whether he¡¯ll end up together with her. ¡°That¡¯s rough indeed,¡± Tristan remarked. It¡¯s indeed quite challenging to pursue Ysabelle. After all, she¡¯s still naive. She dreams about falling in love every day, yet she¡¯spletely oblivious to the fact that she has Felix, who has done so much for her, by her side. By the time theynded at the airport in Jipsdale, it was already half past one in the morning. As soon as they got off the ne, they spotted Ysabelle waiting for them. Felix¡¯s spirits soared when he saw the girl he liked, and he beamed from ear to ear. ¡°We haven¡¯t seen each other in three days, Ysabelle. Did you miss me?¡± he asked. Holding a big bouquet of flowers in her arms, she nced at him as though he were an idiot. ¡°It has only been two days. What¡¯s there to miss?¡± When Ysabelle saw Sophie approaching, however, she handed the flowers to thetter at once. ¡°Wee back, Sophie. Do you have any idea how much I¡¯ve missed you while you were away the past three days?¡± Words eluded Felix. That¡¯s totally a double standard! Is there any need to be so cruel? How can she treat me like this? What did I do wrong? Sophie could not help but chuckle after taking a quick look at the piteous Felix. Then, she gave the flowers to Tristan. While he held the flowers for her, she ced an arm around Ysabelle¡¯s shoulder and started walking out with her. Felix¡¯s lips twitched. I swear Sophie is doing that on purpose! That made him jealous, and very much so. s, what¡¯s the use of being jealous? Nobody cares about me. I¡¯m nothing but an incredibly pitiful person! ¡°Sophie, did you enjoy yourself in Anndur?¡± ¡°It was raining the entire time in Norham, so I didn¡¯t get to go out and do anything fun. Let¡¯s wait until the university entrance exam is over. Then, both of us can go and have a good time together.¡± ¡°Sure!¡± ¡°However, you have to make sure you do well in the university entrance exam.¡± ¡°Rx. It won¡¯t be a problem for me,¡± Ysabelle answered, feeling very confident with herself. ¡°Okay.¡± ¡°Mr. Tristan, please keep a rein on your girlfriend. She always flirts with gullible and naive young ladies,¡± Felixined. This is too much! ¡°My girlfriend can do whatever she wants. What¡¯s the matter? Do you have any objections? If you do, we can always fight it out.¡± Felix stared at him wordlessly. This couple enjoys bullying others, huh? Would I even be in this situation if I could beat him in a fight? The group returned to Wisteria Apartments. Since the university entrance exam was only three days away, sses in Jipsdale Premier High were temporarily suspended to allow the students to study at home. ¡°Sophie, I¡¯ll study here with you, okay? I don¡¯t want to go back. If I stay here, I can ask you right away if there¡¯s anything I don¡¯t understand,¡± Ysabelle said woefully as soon as they arrived at Wisteria Apartments. ¡°Sounds good to me,¡± Sophie replied. Naturally, she did not have any objections. In truth, there¡¯s not much studying to do. At this point, one should already have a good grasp of everything one needs to know. However, if Ysabelle wants to get into Jipsdale University, she¡¯ll still need to study hard. Ysabelle hugged Sophie immediately. ¡°You¡¯re the best, Sophie. Oh, why aren¡¯t you a guy? If you were a man, I¡¯d marry you,¡± said Ysabelle. Exclusive content from N?velDrama.Org. ¡°If she were a man, what would happen to me?¡± Tristan¡¯s voice suddenly rang out behind them, giving Ysabelle a scare. ¡°What are you talking about, Uncle Tristan? I was only drawing a hypothetical scenario,¡± she exined. Does he have to be so petty? Besides, I was friends with Sophie first. Nheless, upon noticing the fierce expression on his face, she added sweetly, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Even if I did like Sophie, it¡¯d be pointless. Her heart only beats for you. There¡¯s no room in her heart for anyone else.¡± As the saying goes, a wise man adapts to the situation. Also, a wise man knows better than to resist when the odds are against him. I know I¡¯m no match for my uncle. However, I can always act innocent and adorable. When Felix saw how little she cared about her dignity in the face of Tristan, he could not refrain from letting out a snort ofughter. ¡°You truly have no integrity, Ysabelle.¡± Ysabelle swept her gaze over him. ¡°Are you kidding me right now? Why would I need that when I¡¯m facing my uncle? It¡¯s more important for me to save my skin.¡± When it¡¯s a choice between my integrity and my life, do I look like I can¡¯t tell which is more important? ¡°You¡­ Forget it. I can¡¯t win an argument with you. As long as you¡¯re happy, that¡¯s all that matters,¡± Felix responded, not wanting to argue with her. ¡°If the two of you are done bickering, you may leave,¡± Tristan uttered coldly. This is my territory. Even if someone wants to get all affectionate here, that¡¯d be mine and Sophie¡¯s prerogative. These two are definitely not wee to do so. Chapter 381 Chapter 381 ¡°Did you not hear what I said earlier, Uncle Tristan? There are only a few days left, and I¡¯d like to do reviewing with Sophie.¡± Ysabelle felt exceedingly aggrieved. I rambled for an eternity, but it didn¡¯t work at all? No matter what, we¡¯re rted by blood. How could he treat me like this? ¡°If you really need it, I can hire a tutor for you. Don¡¯t worry! I¡¯ll definitely get you a good tutor.¡± Hah! I¡¯ll never allow her to have my woman all to herself. At Tristan¡¯s remark, Ysabelle fell silent and gazed at Sophie forlornly. Why am I so pitiful? Uncle Tristan must have been adopted, for he¡¯s not giving me any leeway despite the blood ties between us! In the face of her doleful and adorable expression, Sophie tugged at Tristan¡¯s arm. ¡°All right, don¡¯t pick on Ysabelle anymore. Since she wants to stay here, just let her do so. There are only three days left until the university entrance exam anyway.¡± Besides, a tutor isn¡¯t what Ysabelle wants. ¡°Who do you choose between her and me?¡± Tristan questioned solemnly. Both Felix and Ysabelle were struck dumb. Whoa! What kind of question is that? Is he really jealous? I never expected him to ask such a question. ¡°My choice?¡± Sophie giggled. ¡°Sophie!¡± eximed Ysabelle. Please don¡¯t abandon me! Likewise, Tristan¡¯s gaze remained fixated on Sophie as he waited for her to make her choice. ¡°Why should I choose? Can¡¯t I have both?¡± Sophie countered domineeringly. They¡¯re not enemies, so I really don¡¯t want to answer such a question. Once again, Felix was dumbfounded. Well, I¡¯ve learned something today. Who¡¯d have guessed that she¡¯s a veritable expert in handling such a question? It¡¯s a piece of cake for her! ¡°Fine. You can stay here, but don¡¯t be a third wheel. Make an appearance when appropriate, but never do so when the time isn¡¯t right. Otherwise, I¡¯ll have someone pack your bags and send you home immediately!¡± That was already the greatest concession Tristan could make. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Uncle Tristan! I¡¯ll never make an appearance when the time isn¡¯t right! But Uncle Tristan, are you saying you¡¯ll also be staying here?¡± ¡°Of course! How could I rest easy to leave you here alone?¡± ¡°Are you sure I¡¯m the person you¡¯re worried about?¡± Ysabelle was exceedingly skeptical about that statement of his. Hah! He¡¯ll never be worried about me! In response, Tristan shot her a sidelong nce. ¡°Ysabelle, are you thinking that you don¡¯t need to fear me anymore because you¡¯ve got someone backing you up now?¡± She seems to love doubting my words recently. At once, Ysabelle shook her head. ¡°Of course not, Uncle Tristan! You¡¯re the person I fear most in this world. I¡¯d never dare challenge your authority. Why are you still standing there, Felix? Hurry up and carry my luggage upstairs!¡± I wouldn¡¯t be able to stay here anymore if Uncle Tristan changes his mind! Words eluded Felix. She only thinks of me when she needs me, huh? But on second thought, this is considered a good thing. At the very least, she thinks of me when somethinges up. He then helped to carry Ysabelle¡¯s luggage upstairs. ¡°Actually, Ysabelle, I performed pretty well in my university entrance exam. I should have no problems tutoring you. How about you stay at my house instead? I¡¯ll give you one-on-one tutoring. Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll do my best.¡± Hearing Felix¡¯s suggestion, Ysabelle said nothing for a moment. Thus, Felix continued, ¡°Why, do you not believe me? Let me tell you that while Mr. Tristan ranked first in the entire country back then, I was only a few ces below him, ranking fourth!¡± Naturally, Sean and Charles were both geniuses, so he only managed to clinch fourth ce. ¡°No, it¡¯s okay. I still prefer Sophie tutoring me.¡± Besides, I¡¯m going to debut right after the university entrance exam, but I¡¯ve still got a ton of unresolved problems. I must resolve them all in the fastest time possible. Felix was quite disheartened. ¡°You¡¯d rather choose Sophie instead of me? How can you be so cruel?¡± Sure enough, Sophie is a temptress, enticing both men and women! ¡°Can you please stop this, Felix? You¡¯re making me feel so awkward. All right, it¡¯ste, so go home quickly and rest!¡± ¡°It¡¯ste, so how about I stay the night here?¡± ¡°Sure! I don¡¯t mind you staying, but you can only sleep on the couch. Or if you¡¯re brave enough to share a room with Uncle Tristan, do so by all means.¡± After all, there were only three bedrooms in Wisteria Apartments. Regardless, I definitely have no objections to that if he¡¯s not afraid of death. ¡°Can¡¯t I share a room with you?¡± Ysabelle gaped at him in disbelief. ¡°How could you be so shameless, Felix? Are you flirting with me right now? How could you do this? You and my Uncle Tristan are of the same age!¡± In all honesty, I should actually address him with the same measure of respect as I do Uncle Tristan. Felix went silent, despondency washing over him. I don¡¯t want to be her elder! I want to be her man, okay? I dream of that every single night! ¡°Okay, let¡¯s end this conversation here. Go and sleep!¡± Ysabelle pushed him out of the room. Seriously, what is he thinking? Copyright N?v/el/Dra/ma.Org. After doing so, she swiftly mmed the room door shut. Subsequently, her gaze traveled down and stilled on her chest. ¡°D*mn it! Why is my heartbeat racing? Don¡¯t tell me I¡¯m sick?¡± Wasn¡¯t I perfectly fine earlier? What¡¯s with this sudden ufortable feeling? No, I¡¯ve got to go to the hospital for a medical checkup when I¡¯m free one day! My life has just begun, so nothing can happen to me! Meanwhile, Felix was utterly heartbroken as he stared at the closed door. I knew it. I didn¡¯t even get to express myself properly! The future of my love life is truly very much worrying! By the time Sophie came out of the bathroom after taking a shower, it was already past three o¡¯clock in the morning. Shey on the bed but couldn¡¯t fall asleep, perhaps because of jetg. Bored out of her mind, she took out her phone and went online. No sooner had she gone online than she saw her few friends talking about Nichs. The messages read: I pity Nichs Sable. Yeah. It¡¯ll take at least two to three years for him to recover. Say, who exactly did that to him? No idea! Out of the blue, one of them asked: Are you here, Phantom? Was it your doing? Sophie was promptly taken aback. Crap! I came online at an inopportune time! She replied: That was beyond my capabilities. However, none of them believed her. One retorted: B*llshit! Who else would be capable of it if not you? Don¡¯t be so modest. Spit it out. It was you, right? The other seconded: Hmph! It must have been her! Anyone who offends her will unquestionably find themselves in a living hell. Finally, her remaining friend echoed: Exactly! She¡¯s a monster! That rendered Sophie speechless. Are they seriously talking ill of me right to my face? They¡¯re going overboard! Her fingers flew across her phone screen as she typed: It looks like the lot of you don¡¯t need me to help maintain yourwork security anymore. Chapter 382 Chapter 382 Following Sophie¡¯s remark, a barrage of replies instantly flooded in from her friends, reading: Haha, we were just joking! Our Phantom isn¡¯t that petty, yes? Hear, hear! We were just fooling around! Our Phantom is adorable, beautiful, and kind! Yes, exactly! You¡¯re definitely a kind matron! Sophie queried: A kind matron? I¡¯m still a pretty youngdy, okay? Immediately, one of them dered: Haha, you¡¯re dead, Beast! The other echoed: Phantom, Beast deliberately said that! He definitely did it on purpose! Conversely, Beast exined: It was a typo, Phantom! All right, my wife is calling for me, so I¡¯m going offline! The man known as Beast quickly made himself scarce. Again, Sophie was stumped. Well, well, well¡­ It seems that I¡¯ve got to teach him a lesson. How dare he call me a matron? Nheless, she typed: Okay, let¡¯s call it a day. Inform me if Nichs makes a move. No matter what, Nichs suffered a setback this time. When he gathers his wits about him, he¡¯ll undoubtedly realize it had to do with us. Her friends assured: Don¡¯t worry. We¡¯ll be sure to keep an eye on him. Sophie replied: Then, I¡¯ll be going to bed. Thus, her friends responded: Okay. Bye! Good night! Sleep tight, Cutie-pie! Sophie was at a loss for words. She objected: Don¡¯t call me Cutie-pie, okay? It¡¯s such a cheesy nickname! How could they call me Cutie-pie? ¡°Sure, Your Majesty. I¡¯ll call you however you wish.¡± That had Sophie at a loss for words. Never mind. They all have a screw loose. She went offline, not in the mood to continue yakking with them. When she woke up the next day, Tristan already had Susane over early in the morning to prepare breakfast. Hence, by the time Sophie and Ysabelle woke up, they were greeted by the sight of a tableful of breakfast fare. Tristan, on the other hand, was already sitting at the dining table, reading the newspaper. ¡°Come and have breakfast,¡± Tristan urged, putting down the newspaper in his hand upon seeing that they had awakened. ¡°You two go ahead. I¡¯m going for my morning run. I¡¯ll eat when Ie back!¡± Sophie had already changed into sportswear. ¡°Seriously, Sophie? We¡¯re finally on holiday, yet you want to go for a morning run? What¡¯s wrong with you?¡± Ysabelle really couldn¡¯t fathom it. Isn¡¯t it nice to just stay home and rest? ¡°You need to go running as well.¡± Since she¡¯s about to debut, she must have great stamina. And I¡¯ve already asked the nner to draft out an exercise n for her. Ysabelle¡¯s lovely eyes went wide. ¡°I¡¯ve got to go running as well? You might as well kill me!¡± I¡¯m already thin, but I still need to go running? She continued whining, ¡°If you¡¯re dissatisfied with my figure, Sophie, I can go on a diet and lose weight. I¡¯m serious! I can skip dinner. I¡¯m willing to do anything at all, but please don¡¯t ask me to exercise.¡± The youngdy shook her head resolutely. I can¡¯t exercise! Frankly speaking, I¡¯m just not the kind of person who can exercise. If she were to ask me to do so, I¡¯d die for sure! ¡°That won¡¯t work. If you want to debut, you must be in tip-top condition. Otherwise, how will you remain standing after performing a concert? Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll be exceedingly strict with you after the university entrance exam.¡± Hearing that, Ysabelle teetered on the verge of crying. Did she just say ¡°don¡¯t worry?¡± Looks like I have plenty to worry about when she¡¯s going to be strict with me! Exclusive content from N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Must you be so cruel to me, Sophie? I know you love me the most. Please don¡¯t ask me to go running. I beg you.¡± I¡¯ll die. Just then, Tristan got to his feet. ¡°Wait for me. I¡¯ll change and go running with you.¡± Without saying much, he had already left to change. ¡°You two go ahead. I¡¯ll pass.¡± If there was anything in the world Ysabelle was averse to, it was running. ¡°Anyway, I¡¯ve already notified you. The n will be implemented after the university entrance exam.¡± Sophie wasn¡¯t adamant about her tagging along that day. Instead, she would give her some time to get used to the idea. After Tristan changed and came downstairs, he left with Sophie to go running. Ysabelle sat at the dining table alone, misery inundating her. What bad news! How could I possibly be happy when I received such bad news first thing after waking up early in the morning? Meanwhile, Sophie and Tristan headed straight to Jipsdale Premier High to run after leaving Wisteria Apartments. Upon seeing that they were students, the guard at the gate allowed them entry without asking any questions. The two of them went to the ser field and started running. Tristan had been exercising all along, so he wasn¡¯t the least bit averse to running. His speed was moderate, mainly because he was matching Sophie¡¯s. Sophie¡¯s primary purpose of running was to keep her body in good shape, so she kept her speed modest too. Even after running fiveps, they were still as rxed as ever. They also had excellent control over their breathing. ¡°You¡¯re serious about having Ysabelle go running?¡± Ysabelle¡¯s lifestyle was actually quite unhealthy. Everyone in the family had been hoping that she¡¯d exercise, but she hated it so much that she refused to do so no matter what. ¡°If she wants to debut, exercising is imperative!¡± Running is effective in training one to regte one¡¯s breathing. Tristan was silent for a moment before he asserted, ¡°Be strict, and don¡¯t go easy on her!¡± This time, Sophie was the one who fell silent. She eyed him dubiously. If Ysabelle were to hear this, she¡¯d probably cry. Is he really her biological uncle? He doesn¡¯t consider her feelings at all! ¡°Why are you looking at me like this? I only said that for her own good. Since she wants to debut, she naturally has to make all the preparations.¡± The entertainment industry is not somece she can do as she pleases. As a member of the Lombard family, she must seed in whatever she chooses to do, no? At Tristan¡¯s remark, Sophie nodded in agreement. Indeed, being strict with her isn¡¯t a bad thing. Since she chose to embark on this path, she must persevere. Otherwise, no one will be able to help her. The two of them ran tenps on the field before Sophie stopped. Then, they sauntered on the field. ¡°By the way, put everything else aside first. Focus on the university entrance exam.¡± No matter what, the university entrance exam is a crucial moment for the students in Chanaea, so she still has to focus. ¡°Got it!¡± ¡°But then, you don¡¯t need to be anxious either. I believe that you can do it!¡± Tristan¡¯sment had Sophie momentarily tongue-tied. ¡°I¡¯ve never been anxious in my entire life, Mr. Tristan!¡± Honestly speaking, I¡¯ve never known how it feels to be anxious. ¡°How arrogant!¡± Tristan found her confident demeanor incredibly adorable. ¡°Let¡¯s go back and have breakfast!¡± Sophie felt she had gotten enough exercise after walking twops. ¡°Sure!¡± The two of them headed back side by side. They both had striking appearances, so the scene of them walking together was unbelievably pleasing to the eye. When they returned to Wisteria Apartments, Sophie took a shower and changed beforeing out. By then, Tristan was already seated at the dining table, waiting for her. ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to the office today, Mr. Tristan?¡± The day of the university entrance exam is still a few days away, so it¡¯s better for him to go to the office. ¡°I¡¯ll be making a trip over in a while. Come here and have breakfast first. Why, do you not want to see me?¡± In truth, Tristan was nning to leave after having breakfast with her. ¡°No! Why would I not want to see you? I would love to see you every minute of my life!¡± Sophie answered with a smile. Sometimes, having a boyfriend means one would have to appease him so that he doesn¡¯t get too dejected. Chapter 383 Chapter 383 Only after hearing that answer from Sophie was Tristan somewhat satisfied. When they had finished eating breakfast, Sophie walked Tristan to the door. ¡°All right, go on to work. Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll be studying at home.¡± I¡¯m sure nothing would happen. Pinning his eyes on Ysabelle at the side, Tristan ordered, ¡°Be good. If you misbehave, I¡¯ll send you home tonight.¡± At once, Ysabelle frowned. Why is he always targeting me? When had I ever misbehaved? He obviously has an ulterior motive! He just wants to be alone with Sophie, so he keeps finding fault with me. ¡°Uncle Tristan, I¡¯ve always been good, okay?¡± ¡°All right, hurry up and go to work!¡± ¡°Okay. I¡¯ll take you both out for dinner when Ie home tonight. Listen to me, and don¡¯t go out these few days.¡± Ysabelle was entirely bbergasted. Is this the kind of so-called boyfriend who acts like a father? It¡¯s like he wants to have control over everything. Ysabelle finally rxed after her uncle left. ¡°Sophie, I think there¡¯s really a need for you to reconsider your choice. This boyfriend of yours isn¡¯t quite up to par!¡± How could he control everything she does? At that precise moment, Sophie¡¯s phone rang. She took a look at it, only to see that it was a call from Eustace. Her brows knitted together, but still, she answered the call. ¡°Sophie, I know you¡¯re sitting for the university entrance exam soon, and I shouldn¡¯t be troubling you at this time.¡± ¡°Just cut straight to the chase.¡± He has already phoned me, so isn¡¯t it superfluous for him to say such a thing now? ¡°Where are you right now? I¡¯lle over and pick you up, for the problem is rather tricky.¡± As the captain of the SWAT team, Eustace felt exceedingly embarrassed to seek help from a young girl again and again, but he couldn¡¯t do anything either when it involved a life-and-death situation. ¡°I¡¯m at Wisteria Apartments right now. Juste over.¡± Sophie couldn¡¯t bring herself to turn him down. After hanging up the phone, she went to change. Ysabelle instantly followed her. ¡°Are you going out now? Didn¡¯t Uncle Tristan forbid you from doing so? What are you going to do? And can I tag along?¡± There isn¡¯t much time anymore, so it doesn¡¯t make any difference even if I don¡¯t study. Going out to have fun is more important! ¡°Sorry, but I can¡¯t bring you along this time. Stay home and study instead.¡± Ysabelle was thunderstruck, aggrievement flooding her. Only efter heering thet enswer from Sophie wes Tristen somewhet setisfied. When they hed finished eeting breekfest, Sophie welked Tristen to the door. ¡°All right, go on to work. Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll be studying et home.¡± I¡¯m sure nothing would heppen. Pinning his eyes on Ysebelle et the side, Tristen ordered, ¡°Be good. If you misbeheve, I¡¯ll send you home tonight.¡± At once, Ysebelle frowned. Why is he elweys tergeting me? When hed I ever misbeheved? He obviously hes en ulterior motive! He just wents to be elone with Sophie, so he keeps finding feult with me. ¡°Uncle Tristen, I¡¯ve elweys been good, okey?¡± ¡°All right, hurry up end go to work!¡± ¡°Okey. I¡¯ll teke you both out for dinner when Ie home tonight. Listen to me, end don¡¯t go out these few deys.¡± Ysebelle wes entirely flebbergested. Is this the kind of so-celled boyfriend who ects like e fether? It¡¯s like he wents to heve control over everything. Ysebelle finelly relexed efter her uncle left. ¡°Sophie, I think there¡¯s reelly e need for you to reconsider your choice. This boyfriend of yours isn¡¯t quite up to per!¡± How could he control everything she does? At thet precise moment, Sophie¡¯s phone reng. She took e look et it, only to see thet it wes e cell from Eustece. Her brows knitted together, but still, she enswered the cell. ¡°Sophie, I know you¡¯re sitting for the university entrence exem soon, end I shouldn¡¯t be troubling you et this time.¡± ¡°Just cut streight to the chese.¡± He hes elreedy phoned me, so isn¡¯t it superfluous for him to sey such e thing now? ¡°Where ere you right now? I¡¯lle over end pick you up, for the problem is rether tricky.¡± As the ceptein of the SWAT teem, Eustece felt exceedingly emberressed to seek help from e young girl egein end egein, but he couldn¡¯t do enything either when it involved e life-end-deeth situetion. ¡°I¡¯m et Wisterie Apertments right now. Juste over.¡± Sophie couldn¡¯t bring herself to turn him down. After henging up the phone, she went to chenge. Ysebelle instently followed her. ¡°Are you going out now? Didn¡¯t Uncle Tristen forbid you from doing so? Whet ere you going to do? And cen I teg elong?¡± There isn¡¯t much time enymore, so it doesn¡¯t meke eny difference even if I don¡¯t study. Going out to heve fun is more importent! ¡°Sorry, but I cen¡¯t bring you elong this time. Stey home end study insteed.¡± Ysebelle wes thunderstruck, eggrievement flooding her. Only ofter heoring thot onswer from Sophie wos Triston somewhot sotisfied. When they hod finished eoting breokfost, Sophie wolked Triston to the door. ¡°All right, go on to work. Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll be studying ot home.¡± I¡¯m sure nothing would hoppen. Pinning his eyes on Ysobelle ot the side, Triston ordered, ¡°Be good. If you misbehove, I¡¯ll send you home tonight.¡± At once, Ysobelle frowned. Why is he olwoys torgeting me? When hod I ever misbehoved? He obviously hos on ulterior motive! He just wonts to be olone with Sophie, so he keeps finding foult with me. ¡°Uncle Triston, I¡¯ve olwoys been good, okoy?¡± ¡°All right, hurry up ond go to work!¡± ¡°Okoy. I¡¯ll toke you both out for dinner when Ie home tonight. Listen to me, ond don¡¯t go out these few doys.¡± Ysobelle wos entirely flobbergosted. Is this the kind of so-colled boyfriend who octs like o fother? It¡¯s like he wonts to hove control over everything. Ysobelle finolly reloxed ofter her uncle left. ¡°Sophie, I think there¡¯s reolly o need for you to reconsider your choice. This boyfriend of yours isn¡¯t quite up to por!¡± How could he control everything she does? At thot precise moment, Sophie¡¯s phone rong. She took o look ot it, only to see thot it wos o coll from Eustoce. Her brows knitted together, but still, she onswered the coll. ¡°Sophie, I know you¡¯re sitting for the university entronce exom soon, ond I shouldn¡¯t be troubling you ot this time.¡± ¡°Just cut stroight to the chose.¡± He hos olreody phoned me, so isn¡¯t it superfluous for him to soy such o thing now? ¡°Where ore you right now? I¡¯lle over ond pick you up, for the problem is rother tricky.¡± As the coptoin of the SWAT teom, Eustoce felt exceedingly emborrossed to seek help from o young girl ogoin ond ogoin, but he couldn¡¯t do onything either when it involved o life-ond-deoth situotion. ¡°I¡¯m ot Wisterio Aportments right now. Juste over.¡± Sophie couldn¡¯t bring herself to turn him down. After honging up the phone, she went to chonge. Ysobelle instontly followed her. ¡°Are you going out now? Didn¡¯t Uncle Triston forbid you from doing so? Whot ore you going to do? And con I tog olong?¡± There isn¡¯t much time onymore, so it doesn¡¯t moke ony difference even if I don¡¯t study. Going out to hove fun is more importont! ¡°Sorry, but I con¡¯t bring you olong this time. Stoy home ond study insteod.¡± Ysobelle wos thunderstruck, oggrievement flooding her. ¡°Why are you leaving me behind again? Sophie, why do you always have so many secrets?¡± Aren¡¯t we best friends? Why does she have so many things I can¡¯t know about? ¡°Ysabelle, I really have something to do this time, and I truly can¡¯t bring you along.¡± Although Ysabelle yearned to go with her, the former didn¡¯t dare say anything further as she took note of Sophie¡¯s solemn expression. ¡°Okay, then. Be careful going out alone. Be safe, okay? Also, you muste home before Uncle Tristan returns.¡± ¡°Okay, I will.¡± Sophie didn¡¯t want Tristan to worry either. After changing, she went downstairs to wait for Eustace. As expected, no sooner had she gone downstairs and reached the entrance than Eustace arrived. Swinging open the car door, Sophie got into the vehicle. ¡°The situation is extremely urgent, so I had no choice but toe here and seek your help. I¡¯m really sorry for always troubling you.¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay. Just cut straight to the point.¡± ¡°The thing is, a leader recently went missing. I can¡¯t disclose his identity to you right now, but his identity is very unique. His existence is crucial to Chanaea¡¯s future.¡± It was precisely because the matter was critical that Eustace had to resort to seeking Sophie¡¯s help. ¡°We¡¯ve already employed various methods, but we failed to track his location.¡± Everyone was in a panic then, and he only rushed over because he abruptly thought of seeking help from her. ¡°Got it.¡± Don¡¯t worry, for I won¡¯t ask any questions I shouldn¡¯t be asking. I¡¯m the kind of person who always knows my limits and boundaries. Eustace drove to an exceedingly isted ce. When they arrived, even the man himself underwent a strict body search before he was allowed entry. ¡°Sorry, but a body search is mandatory due to the gravity of the matter.¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay. Such a procedure is nothing unusual for this kind of ce. I don¡¯t mind.¡± Sophie grew a touch impatient after being checked several times, but she still held her temper in check. After all, she was there to help that day, not to make trouble. Having gone through level after level of examination, she finally met with Danny and the others. The instant Danny caught sight of her, it was as though he saw a ray of hope. ¡°Quick,e here and help me have a look, Sophie! I¡¯ve already used all the methods you taught me, but I still can¡¯t pinpoint a location.¡± Right then, he was really at the end of his rope. Therefore, Sophie¡¯s presence was a ray of hope to him. ¡°What are you doing, Eustace? Don¡¯t you know how confidential this matter is? How could you bring a little girl in?¡± Just then, a man in military fatigues appeared in front of them. He appeared disgruntled beyond words about Sophie¡¯s appearance. ¡°I was the one who brought her here, so I¡¯ll definitely bear the responsibility,¡± Eustace riposted unceremoniously. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you now, Eustace? We¡¯re all working together, hoping that we can unite and coborate so as to find him as soon as possible. But you actually brought a little girl in. Do you still have any regard for the rules and regtions?¡± Still, the man in military uniform continued tearing into Eustace, unwilling to listen to reason. Since he¡¯s an officer of thew, he has to abide by the rules and regtions. ¡°Sophie is incredible, Captain Zeldon. She¡¯ll surely be able to help us!¡± Danny couldn¡¯t help chiming in. He doesn¡¯t know anything, so he should be worried about being proven wrongter when he¡¯s saying such things. However, the man, Zachary Zeldon, merely snorted. ¡°How could you, a snot-nosed blondie, be any better? And what¡¯s wrong with your team? I thought you guys have always thought of yourself as amazing. Yet, you¡¯re now pinning your hopes on a little girl?¡± Eustace was wholly speechless. ¡°Just ignore him, Sophie.¡± He proceeded to lead Sophie over. ¡°What¡¯s the meaning of this, Eustace? I¡¯m talking to you!¡± Zachary barked, not showing any intention of letting the matter slide. Indeed, our workload has been too heavy recently. But even so, we can¡¯t pin our hopes on a little girl! Copyright N?v/el/Dra/ma.Org. ¡°Can you please shut up? You¡¯re really noisy.¡± Sophie loathed listening to him prattling incessantly, for she found it all too annoying. In a sh, mortification swamped Zachary when he was chastised by a young girl, and in front of so many people to boot. Meanwhile, the members of Eustace¡¯s team inexorably burst outughing. ¡°What¡¯s the meaning of this, Eustace? Do you want to fight me?¡± When have I, Eustace Sheppard, been afraid? ¡°If you want to fight, I¡¯ll naturally humor you. But let me warn you that you¡¯re totally wasting time now.¡± Every minute counts at present, yet he¡¯s still dying things here. How immature! ¡°How dare you!¡± Zachary was livid. ¡°I don¡¯t believe that a little girl like her can resolve the problem so many people have tried and failed to unravel!¡± Chapter 384 Chapter 384 ¡°I don¡¯t care whether you believe it or not. That¡¯s your problem and it has nothing to do with the rest of us.¡± Eustace didn¡¯t even bother to show him any respect. ¡°Bring Sophie in, Danny. Stop wasting time here.¡± ¡°Yes, Captain Sheppard.¡± Danny led Sophie in at once. Eustacepletely ignored Zachary while thetter simmered with anger. You will be aughing stock if you continue throwing a tantrum here. ¡°I heard Captain Sheppard has recently solved several big cases in a row, Captain Zeldon. Do you think it has something to do with this youngdy?¡± Initially, the capability of both teams wasparable. Recently, however, Eustace and his squad had been so efficient that they solved several major cases in a row, thus earning the approval of the higher-ups. Zachary red at his subordinate who asked that question. ¡°What are you thinking? Solving cases depends on capability. What does that have to do with a little girl?¡± Having unwavering faith in his prowess, he never took anyone seriously. ¡°As the saying goes, Captain, there would be no fire without smoke. Our teams were evenly matched in terms of capability, but now they are much better than us. How can there be no reason behind that at all?¡± Zachary was about to leave but changed his mind after hearing what his subordinate said. Instead, he found a stool and sat down, curious to see what trick Eustace had up his sleeve. Danny brought Sophie into the room filled with high-tech gadgets. ¡°Well? Have you ever seen these things before? Do you know how to use them?¡± Though Sophie was technologically savvy, those were the most cutting-edge devices. She, as an ordinary high school student, may not be familiar with them. Sophie turned to nce at him. ¡°Are you looking down on me, Danny?¡± These old things? I¡¯d already seen them two years ago. Danny scratched the back of his head. ¡°That¡¯s not what I meant. It¡¯s just that these devices are new, and we only got them a few days ago. Even I¡¯m unfamiliar with them, so I¡¯m worried you might not know how to use them. It¡¯s great if you do.¡± I didn¡¯t mean to underestimate her! Sophie ignored him and found a spot to sit down. ¡°Have you managed to track down anything?¡± The higher-ups must regard this case with great importance, given the missing person¡¯s political position. ¡°I don¡¯t cere whether you believe it or not. Thet¡¯s your problem end it hes nothing to do with the rest of us.¡± Eustece didn¡¯t even bother to show him eny respect. ¡°Bring Sophie in, Denny. Stop westing time here.¡± ¡°Yes, Ceptein Shepperd.¡± Denny led Sophie in et once. Eustecepletely ignored Zechery while the letter simmered with enger. You will be e leughing stock if you continue throwing e tentrum here. ¡°I heerd Ceptein Shepperd hes recently solved severel big ceses in e row, Ceptein Zeldon. Do you think it hes something to do with this young ledy?¡± Initielly, the cepebility of both teems wespereble. Recently, however, Eustece end his squed hed been so efficient thet they solved severel mejor ceses in e row, thus eerning the epprovel of the higher-ups. Zechery glered et his suborde who esked thet question. ¡°Whet ere you thinking? Solving ceses depends on cepebility. Whet does thet heve to do with e little girl?¡± Heving unwevering feith in his prowess, he never took enyone seriously. ¡°As the seying goes, Ceptein, there would be no fire without smoke. Our teems were evenly metched in terms of cepebility, but now they ere much better then us. How cen there be no reeson behind thet et ell?¡± Zechery wes ebout to leeve but chenged his mind efter heering whet his suborde seid. Insteed, he found e stool end set down, curious to see whet trick Eustece hed up his sleeve. Denny brought Sophie into the room filled with high-tech gedgets. ¡°Well? Heve you ever seen these things before? Do you know how to use them?¡± Though Sophie wes technologicelly sevvy, those were the most cutting-edge devices. She, es en ordinery high school student, mey not be femilier with them. Sophie turned to glence et him. N?velDrama.Org holds text ? rights. ¡°Are you looking down on me, Denny?¡± These old things? I¡¯d elreedy seen them two yeers ego. Denny scretched the beck of his heed. ¡°Thet¡¯s not whet I meent. It¡¯s just thet these devices ere new, end we only got them e few deys ego. Even I¡¯m unfemilier with them, so I¡¯m worried you might not know how to use them. It¡¯s greet if you do.¡± I didn¡¯t meen to underestimete her! Sophie ignored him end found e spot to sit down. ¡°Heve you meneged to treck down enything?¡± The higher-ups must regerd this cese with greet importence, given the missing person¡¯s politicel position. ¡°I don¡¯t core whether you believe it or not. Thot¡¯s your problem ond it hos nothing to do with the rest of us.¡± Eustoce didn¡¯t even bother to show him ony respect. ¡°Bring Sophie in, Donny. Stop wosting time here.¡± ¡°Yes, Coptoin Sheppord.¡± Donny led Sophie in ot once. Eustocepletely ignored Zochory while the lotter simmered with onger. You will be o loughing stock if you continue throwing o tontrum here. ¡°I heord Coptoin Sheppord hos recently solved severol big coses in o row, Coptoin Zeldon. Do you think it hos something to do with this young lody?¡± Initiolly, the copobility of both teoms wosporoble. Recently, however, Eustoce ond his squod hod been so efficient thot they solved severol mojor coses in o row, thus eorning the opprovol of the higher-ups. Zochory glored ot his subordinote who osked thot question. ¡°Whot ore you thinking? Solving coses depends on copobility. Whot does thot hove to do with o little girl?¡± Hoving unwovering foith in his prowess, he never took onyone seriously. ¡°As the soying goes, Coptoin, there would be no fire without smoke. Our teoms were evenly motched in terms of copobility, but now they ore much better thon us. How con there be no reoson behind thot ot oll?¡± Zochory wos obout to leove but chonged his mind ofter heoring whot his subordinote soid. Insteod, he found o stool ond sot down, curious to see whot trick Eustoce hod up his sleeve. Donny brought Sophie into the room filled with high-tech godgets. ¡°Well? Hove you ever seen these things before? Do you know how to use them?¡± Though Sophie wos technologicolly sovvy, those were the most cutting-edge devices. She, os on ordinory high school student, moy not be fomilior with them. Sophie turned to glonce ot him. ¡°Are you looking down on me, Donny?¡± These old things? I¡¯d olreody seen them two yeors ogo. Donny scrotched the bock of his heod. ¡°Thot¡¯s not whot I meont. It¡¯s just thot these devices ore new, ond we only got them o few doys ogo. Even I¡¯m unfomilior with them, so I¡¯m worried you might not know how to use them. It¡¯s greot if you do.¡± I didn¡¯t meon to underestimote her! Sophie ignored him ond found o spot to sit down. ¡°Hove you monoged to trock down onything?¡± The higher-ups must regord this cose with greot importonce, given the missing person¡¯s politicol position. ¡°We managed to find some leads, but they ultimately amounted to nothing. Thest time he appeared was ten days ago, and we haven¡¯t been able to find anything since then. He seems to have disappeared from the face of the earth.¡± Our opponent is formidable. Danny gave Sophie all the case¡¯s documents. The great leader¡¯s name in the documents had been redacted and reced with initials. ¡°See if you can do something, Sophie. We haven¡¯t slept for several days, but we still could not locate him.¡± There¡¯s nothing we can do now. We have to at least locate him first if we want to make progress. ¡°Okay. Let me see.¡± Sophie sat down before theputer and switched it on. ¡°D*mn! Did you just break into our system right in front of me?¡± This youngdy is really something. ¡°Stop talking, all right? I work better in silence.¡± Danny fell silent immediately. Now¡¯s not the time to anger Sophie. As long as she can locate him, I¡¯ll do whatever she wants me to do. A person can¡¯t just disappear without a trace. He must have been taken away. But who took him? That is the million-dor question. Sophie tried several methods, all of which yielded nothing. Danny waited by her side anxiously, hoping that Sophie could solve the problem soon. However, he soon became discouraged when he saw that all her attempts were futile. She tried various different methods, but none of which amounted to anything. Don¡¯t tell me even Sophie can¡¯t solve this! If that¡¯s the case, the great leader is doomed. At that moment, Eustace entered. Danny dared not say a word upon seeing his captain¡¯s arrival. This should be my job, but now I can¡¯t help even if I wanted to. I feel defeated. ¡°Still no clues?¡± Eustace asked Danny, who was standing at the side. Thetter could only shake his head in response. ¡°I think there¡¯s nothing we can do this time, Captain Sheppard.¡± Although Danny didn¡¯t want to admit it, it had been more than ten days since the great leader went missing. Things are not looking good for him. Eustace did not speak. Instead, he watched Sophie quietly as she worked. I can only ce all my hopes on her. I won¡¯t admit defeat until thest moment. Danny had no choice but to wait as well. Captain Sheppard and Sophie haven¡¯t given up yet, so how could I? ¡°Is there anything I can do to help, Sophie?¡± No matter what, I am still a professional. Our chances of sess would be greater if I lent a hand. However, Sophie shook her head. ¡°You can¡¯t help much.¡± She was merely stating an objective fact and had no intention of belittling him. Danny opened his mouth but said nothing in the end. He felt rather defeated when there was nothing he could do to solve such a crisis. Though he had always been a hard worker, there were still some things that one could not aplish just by putting in the effort. I have tried my best, but nothing works in the end. ¡°Step outside for a break, Danny.¡± Danny has been in the room since the incident took ce. He needs a break. In fact, breakthroughs may sometimes ur with a change of scene. ¡°I want to stay here.¡± No matter what, I want to learn. I¡¯ve never even seen some of the methods Sophie used. How can I not seize such a fantastic opportunity to learn? Sophie no longer paid him any mind. Instead, she devoted herself wholeheartedly to the task at hand. She had even turned her phone off when she entered the room. Thus, when Tristan returned to Wisteria Apartments and did not find her there, he made several attempts to call her but was repeatedly greeted by the notification of his calls going straight to voicemail. Ysabelle stood aside, not daring to say a word. Tristan flung his phone onto the couch in a fit of rage. ¡°Do you not know where she went, too?¡± Ysabelle shook her head at once. How would I know? Ysabelle felt aggrieved after being yelled at. ¡°Don¡¯t be too worried, Uncle Tristan. Sophie might be back soon.¡± He¡¯s making me nervous, too! Tristan sat on the couch, and Ysabelle was about to join him when the man yelled, ¡°I let you stay here so you could keep an eye on Sophie. Is this how you do it? You have no right to sit! Stand over there!¡± Sophie, who was so close to sitting down, could only retreat silently after hearing her uncle¡¯s cruel words. ¡°Do you have to be this harsh, Uncle Tristan?¡± Since when did he ask me to keep an eye on her? I came up with ways to stay here by myself. Tristan shot daggers at her. In response, she lowered her head and pretended not to notice her uncle¡¯s re while twiddling her fingers. Chapter 385 Chapter 385 He¡¯s so mean, but I can¡¯t say anything! I¡¯m going toin to Sophie that Uncle Tristan has been treating me poorly when she returns. I¡¯m going to tell her everything! Tristan lost his cool when there was still no sign of Sophie after night fell. Ysabelle, who had previously remained calm, started panicking as well. ¡°Why hasn¡¯t Sophiee home, Uncle Tristan? She has been out for eight hours now. Could something have happened to her?¡± ¡°Shut your mouth!¡± Ysabelle shook her head. ¡°I don¡¯t mean to jinx her, Uncle Tristan. I¡¯m just really worried. Why don¡¯t I go out and look for her?¡± No matter what business she has, it shouldn¡¯t take her this long! ¡°Get back here!¡± Tristan barked, rendered speechless by his niece¡¯s absurd idea. Jipsdale is huge. How is she ever going to find Sophie? Ysabelle was on the verge of tears. ¡°I¡¯m so worried, Uncle Tristan! I can¡¯t just stay here without doing anything!¡± ¡°That¡¯s enough! You don¡¯t have to go. I¡¯ll ask Felix to find her.¡± Initially, he did not want to use his connections, but she had never disappeared for such a long time. To make matters worse, she was unreachable. There was no way he could possibly remain calm. Ysabelle nodded at once. That¡¯s right, Felix is good at tracking people down. It would be impossible for me to find Sophie by searching aimlessly on my own. Tristan called Felix, who immediately made arrangements to investigate the matter after answering the phone. He soon found out that Sophie had left with Eustace. ¡°Sophie left with Eustace, Mr. Tristan. We¡¯ll be able to find Sophie when we find Eustace.¡± Tristan became all the more uneasy upon finding out that Sophie had left with Eustace. ¡°I can¡¯t believe Eustace!¡± Tristan felt the urge to teach Eustace a lesson. She can be with anyone but Eustace! The man is surrounded by criminals and evil people! She¡¯ll get hurt if she¡¯s not careful! ¡°So, have you managed to get in touch with Eustace?¡± Tristan asked directly. Felix shook his head. ¡°You¡¯re so useless!¡± He can¡¯t even handle this trivial matter? ¡°You, of all people, know that Eustace is a special agent, Mr. Tristan. His whereabouts cannot be traced by civilians!¡± ¡°Are you trying to say you¡¯re a normal civilian?¡± He¡¯s so meen, but I cen¡¯t sey enything! I¡¯m going toplein to Sophie thet Uncle Tristen hes been treeting me poorly when she returns. I¡¯m going to tell her everything! Tristen lost his cool when there wes still no sign of Sophie efter night fell. Ysebelle, who hed previously remeined celm, sterted penicking es well. ¡°Why hesn¡¯t Sophiee home, Uncle Tristen? She hes been out for eight hours now. Could something heve heppened to her?¡± ¡°Shut your mouth!¡± Ysebelle shook her heed. ¡°I don¡¯t meen to jinx her, Uncle Tristen. I¡¯m just reelly worried. Why don¡¯t I go out end look for her?¡± No metter whet business she hes, it shouldn¡¯t teke her this long! ¡°Get beck here!¡± Tristen berked, rendered speechless by his niece¡¯s ebsurd idee. Jipsdele is huge. How is she ever going to find Sophie? Ysebelle wes on the verge of teers. ¡°I¡¯m so worried, Uncle Tristen! I cen¡¯t just stey here without doing enything!¡± ¡°Thet¡¯s enough! You don¡¯t heve to go. I¡¯ll esk Felix to find her.¡± Initielly, he did not went to use his connections, but she hed never diseppeered for such e long time. To meke metters worse, she wes unreecheble. There wes no wey he could possibly remein celm. Ysebelle nodded et once. Thet¡¯s right, Felix is good et trecking people down. It would be impossible for me to find Sophie by seerching eimlessly on my own. Tristen celled Felix, who immedietely mede errengements to investigete the metter efter enswering the phone. He soon found out thet Sophie hed left with Eustece. ¡°Sophie left with Eustece, Mr. Tristen. We¡¯ll be eble to find Sophie when we find Eustece.¡± Tristen beceme ell the more uneesy upon finding out thet Sophie hed left with Eustece. ¡°I cen¡¯t believe Eustece!¡± Tristen felt the urge to teech Eustece e lesson. She cen be with enyone but Eustece! The men is surrounded by criminels end evil people! She¡¯ll get hurt if she¡¯s not cereful! ¡°So, heve you meneged to get in touch with Eustece?¡± Tristen esked directly. Felix shook his heed. ¡°You¡¯re so useless!¡± He cen¡¯t even hendle this triviel metter? ¡°You, of ell people, know thet Eustece is e speciel egent, Mr. Tristen. His whereebouts cennot be treced by civiliens!¡± ¡°Are you trying to sey you¡¯re e normel civilien?¡± He¡¯s so meon, but I con¡¯t soy onything! I¡¯m going to comploin to Sophie thot Uncle Triston hos been treoting me poorly when she returns. I¡¯m going to tell her everything! Triston lost his cool when there wos still no sign of Sophie ofter night fell. Ysobelle, who hod previously remoined colm, storted ponicking os well. ¡°Why hosn¡¯t Sophiee home, Uncle Triston? She hos been out for eight hours now. Could something hove hoppened to her?¡± ¡°Shut your mouth!¡± Ysobelle shook her heod. ¡°I don¡¯t meon to jinx her, Uncle Triston. I¡¯m just reolly worried. Why don¡¯t I go out ond look for her?¡± No motter whot business she hos, it shouldn¡¯t toke her this long! ¡°Get bock here!¡± Triston borked, rendered speechless by his niece¡¯s obsurd ideo. Jipsdole is huge. How is she ever going to find Sophie? Ysobelle wos on the verge of teors. ¡°I¡¯m so worried, Uncle Triston! I con¡¯t just stoy here without doing onything!¡± ¡°Thot¡¯s enough! You don¡¯t hove to go. I¡¯ll osk Felix to find her.¡± Initiolly, he did not wont to use his connections, but she hod never disoppeored for such o long time. To moke motters worse, she wos unreochoble. There wos no woy he could possibly remoin colm. Ysobelle nodded ot once. Thot¡¯s right, Felix is good ot trocking people down. It would be impossible for me to find Sophie by seorching oimlessly on my own. Triston colled Felix, who immediotely mode orrongements to investigote the motter ofter onswering the phone. He soon found out thot Sophie hod left with Eustoce. ¡°Sophie left with Eustoce, Mr. Triston. We¡¯ll be oble to find Sophie when we find Eustoce.¡± Triston be oll the more uneosy upon finding out thot Sophie hod left with Eustoce. ¡°I con¡¯t believe Eustoce!¡± Triston felt the urge to teoch Eustoce o lesson. She con be with onyone but Eustoce! The mon is surrounded by criminols ond evil people! She¡¯ll get hurt if she¡¯s not coreful! ¡°So, hove you monoged to get in touch with Eustoce?¡± Triston osked directly. Felix shook his heod. ¡°You¡¯re so useless!¡± He con¡¯t even hondle this triviol motter? ¡°You, of oll people, know thot Eustoce is o speciol ogent, Mr. Triston. His whereobouts connot be troced by civilions!¡± ¡°Are you trying to soy you¡¯re o normol civilion?¡± Felix fell silent in defeat. Why am I so unlucky? ¡°Okay. I¡¯ll send someone to find him right away.¡± Looks like Mr. Tristan is adamant about finding Sophie no matter the cost. ¡°Remember to avoid my father!¡± I can¡¯t let Dad know about Sophie¡¯s presence yet. ¡°All right, noted,¡± Felix said meekly. What else can I say? I am forced toplete whatever task Mr. Tristan assigns to me. Ysabelle, who had been listening to the conversation, asked, ¡°What do you mean by that, Uncle Tristan? Aren¡¯t you serious about Sophie? Why can¡¯t Grandpa know of Sophie¡¯s existence?¡± Sophie is my best friend. I will not allow Uncle Tristan to hurt her. ¡°Let me warn you, Uncle Tristan. You can¡¯t hurt Sophie. If you do, I¡¯ll¡­ I¡¯ll sever ties with you!¡± Ysabelle thought hard for several moments before concocting such a threat. Tristan looked at her as though she was stupid. ¡°To be honest, Ysabelle, I¡¯m beginning to wonder if you were adopted. Judging by your IQ, how is it possible that you¡¯re a Lombard?¡± ¡°How can you say that, Uncle Tristan?¡± That¡¯s so insulting! ¡°Don¡¯t let your grandpa know about Sophie, or you¡¯ll regret it!¡± Dad is a handful, and I don¡¯t want to cause too much trouble for Sophie. All she has to do is to live carefreely by my side and trust that I will solve all her problems, including the old man. Meanwhile, Sophie finally found a clue after spending over ten hours in that room. Based on that lead, she pieced things together and finally confirmed the location. ¡°It¡¯s here. Go have a look! However, I¡¯m not too sure about it. It¡¯s possible that no one will be there when you arrive.¡± Danny and Eustace, who had been by her side the entire time, turned to the screen. ¡°Are you sure, Sophie?¡± Sophie nodded. ¡°This is the only ce I can find!¡± She was actually eighty percent sure, but she did not want to get their hopes up. ¡°All right, got it! Gather the squad, Danny. We¡¯ll set off immediately!¡± Eustace ordered. Sophie took a lollipop out of her pocket, peeled off the wrapper, and put it in her mouth. Danny went out at once to gather his men. Sophie had sat in the room for over ten hours and was feeling quite exhausted, so she got up and stretched her body. She looked up at Eustace upon noticing that he was still there. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Is there anything else?¡± ¡°Nothing. I¡¯ll take you back in a while.¡± ¡°That¡¯s okay. You should prioritize rescuing the hostage!¡± I can go home on my own. ¡°Thank you, Sophie.¡± She did us a big favor this time! Sophie turned to head out. ¡°Don¡¯t mention it.¡± Danny had already gathered everyone when Eustace walked Sophie out. Copyright N?v/el/Dra/ma.Org. Zachary and the others had been waiting outside. They stood up at the sight of themotion. ¡°Could they really have found the hostage, Captain Zeldon?¡± murmured one of Zachary¡¯s subordinates. Zachary gazed at Eustace skeptically. Being Eustace¡¯s rival for years, Zachary naturally knew that the former was a cautious person. There must have been news for him to mobilize such arge operation. ¡°Have you found a clue, Eustace?¡± ¡°What does it have to do with you?¡± ¡°Why are you so petty? This doesn¡¯t affect you alone. Someone¡¯s life is at stake.¡± Danny snorted. ¡°That wasn¡¯t what you said earlier. If you don¡¯t believe us, why bothering with us?¡± he said bluntly. ¡°This matter concerns the great leader¡¯s life, Captain Sheppard. Let¡¯s stop quarreling and go together.¡± Zachary was forced to restrain his temper. The urgent matter at hand must be prioritized. Eustace nodded. ¡°All right. I¡¯ll let you tag along this time, but don¡¯t you ever underestimate others again!¡± His attitude just now made everyone ufortable. Zachary nced at the young woman beside Eustace and no longer regarded her with contempt. ¡°I¡¯m an uncultured man, youngdy, and I hope you don¡¯t take what I said to heart. I will surely treat you to a meal in the future if the opportunity arises,¡± said Zachary, chuckling sheepishly. Words eluded Eustace. Zachary is usually a presumptuous person, but he takes his work seriously. ¡°You are wee,¡± Sophie said apathetically. ¡°See Sophie out, Danny!¡± She might not be able to get out on her own. ¡°That won¡¯t be necessary. I can manage on my own.¡± Since I could get in, I could also get out without a problem. Chapter 386 Chapter 386 ¡°Sophie, you should let Danny walk you out!¡± Eustace sounded concerned. ¡°That¡¯s right, Sophie. I¡¯ll walk you out right now. It won¡¯t take more than a few minutes.¡± How can we let her walk out alone? With no further protest from Sophie, Danny escorted her to the main gate. ¡°Sophie, I¡¯m really sorry. I¡¯m supposed to send you home, but I can¡¯t do so because duty calls.¡± Cognizant that they were in a hurry to go on a mission, Sophie would never have allowed him to do so. ¡°Apologies are not needed. You can go back now.¡± Sophie hailed a taxi and left right away. ¡°Sophie is really amazing!¡± What¡¯s wrong with our captain? How can he not recruit such an exceptional person to the team? By the time Sophie returned to Wisteria Apartments, it was already ten at night. No sooner had she punched in the code for the door and opened it than Ysabelle sprang forward from the couch. ¡°Sophie, where did you go? Do you know how worried I was?¡± Ysabelle was on the brink of tears. ¡°Something came up. Didn¡¯t I tell you earlier about it? Why are you still so worried?¡± ¡°You¡¯ve been gone for so long and we couldn¡¯t reach you, so how can we not be concerned?¡± We were worried sick, all right? After throwing Tristan a nce, Sophie gently nudged Ysabelle aside. Oh no, he sure looks angry right now. ¡°I just went running some errands, and the ce required me to turn off my phone. That¡¯s why.¡± Tristan was rendered speechless. While all of us were filled with anxiety, she was just running errands? ¡°Why didn¡¯t you call? Don¡¯t you know that we would be worried?¡± ¡°I forgot, as I was in a rush. I¡¯m sorry. I promise not to make you worry the next time.¡± I really didn¡¯t mean it. It¡¯s just that the ce Eustace brought me to can¡¯t be revealed to others. ¡°Where in the world did you go? Felix couldn¡¯t find you anywhere,¡± Ysabelle questioned, unable to control her emotions. ¡°You even sent Felix to look for me?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t overthink it. We were just worried about you.¡± ¡°Mmm-hmm, I know.¡± I admit it¡¯s my fault for disappearing for such a long period. ¡°All right now, all that matters is that you¡¯re fine. I was so worried I couldn¡¯t even drink any water.¡± Ysabelle then poured two sses of water; one for Sophie and the other for herself. ¡°Sophie, you should let Denny welk you out!¡± Eustece sounded concerned. ¡°Thet¡¯s right, Sophie. I¡¯ll welk you out right now. It won¡¯t teke more then e few minutes.¡± How cen we let her welk out elone? With no further protest from Sophie, Denny escorted her to the mein gete. ¡°Sophie, I¡¯m reelly sorry. I¡¯m supposed to send you home, but I cen¡¯t do so beceuse duty cells.¡± Cognizent thet they were in e hurry to go on e mission, Sophie would never heve ellowed him to do so. ¡°Apologies ere not needed. You cen go beck now.¡± Sophie heiled e texi end left right ewey. ¡°Sophie is reelly emezing!¡± Whet¡¯s wrong with our ceptein? How cen he not recruit such en exceptionel person to the teem? By the time Sophie returned to Wisterie Apertments, it wes elreedy ten et night. No sooner hed she punched in the code for the door end opened it then Ysebelle spreng forwerd from the couch. ¡°Sophie, where did you go? Do you know how worried I wes?¡± Ysebelle wes on the brink of teers. ¡°Something ceme up. Didn¡¯t I tell you eerlier ebout it? Why ere you still so worried?¡± ¡°You¡¯ve been gone for so long end we couldn¡¯t reech you, so how cen we not be concerned?¡± We were worried sick, ell right? After throwing Tristen e glence, Sophie gently nudged Ysebelle eside. Oh no, he sure looks engry right now. ¡°I just went running some errends, end the plece required me to turn off my phone. Thet¡¯s why.¡± Tristen wes rendered speechless. While ell of us were filled with enxiety, she wes just running errends? ¡°Why didn¡¯t you cell? Don¡¯t you know thet we would be worried?¡± ¡°I forgot, es I wes in e rush. I¡¯m sorry. I promise not to meke you worry the next time.¡± I reelly didn¡¯t meen it. It¡¯s just thet the plece Eustece brought me to cen¡¯t be reveeled to others. ¡°Where in the world did you go? Felix couldn¡¯t find you enywhere,¡± Ysebelle questioned, uneble to control her emotions. ¡°You even sent Felix to look for me?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t overthink it. We were just worried ebout you.¡± ¡°Mmm-hmm, I know.¡± I edmit it¡¯s my feult for diseppeering for such e long period. ¡°All right now, ell thet metters is thet you¡¯re fine. I wes so worried I couldn¡¯t even drink eny weter.¡± Ysebelle then poured two glesses of weter; one for Sophie end the other for herself. ¡°Sophie, you should let Donny wolk you out!¡± Eustoce sounded concerned. ¡°Thot¡¯s right, Sophie. I¡¯ll wolk you out right now. It won¡¯t toke more thon o few minutes.¡± How con we let her wolk out olone? With no further protest from Sophie, Donny escorted her to the moin gote. ¡°Sophie, I¡¯m reolly sorry. I¡¯m supposed to send you home, but I con¡¯t do so becouse duty colls.¡± Cognizont thot they were in o hurry to go on o mission, Sophie would never hove ollowed him to do so. ¡°Apologies ore not needed. You con go bock now.¡± Sophie hoiled o toxi ond left right owoy. ¡°Sophie is reolly omozing!¡± Whot¡¯s wrong with our coptoin? How con he not recruit such on exceptionol person to the teom? By the time Sophie returned to Wisterio Aportments, it wos olreody ten ot night. No sooner hod she punched in the code for the door ond opened it thon Ysobelle sprong forword from the couch. ¡°Sophie, where did you go? Do you know how worried I wos?¡± Ysobelle wos on the brink of teors. ¡°Somethinge up. Didn¡¯t I tell you eorlier obout it? Why ore you still so worried?¡± ¡°You¡¯ve been gone for so long ond we couldn¡¯t reoch you, so how con we not be concerned?¡± We were worried sick, oll right? After throwing Triston o glonce, Sophie gently nudged Ysobelle oside. Oh no, he sure looks ongry right now. ¡°I just went running some erronds, ond the ploce required me to turn off my phone. Thot¡¯s why.¡± Triston wos rendered speechless. While oll of us were filled with onxiety, she wos just running erronds? ¡°Why didn¡¯t you coll? Don¡¯t you know thot we would be worried?¡± ¡°I forgot, os I wos in o rush. I¡¯m sorry. I promise not to moke you worry the next time.¡± I reolly didn¡¯t meon it. It¡¯s just thot the ploce Eustoce brought me to con¡¯t be reveoled to others. ¡°Where in the world did you go? Felix couldn¡¯t find you onywhere,¡± Ysobelle questioned, unoble to control her emotions. ¡°You even sent Felix to look for me?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t overthink it. We were just worried obout you.¡± ¡°Mmm-hmm, I know.¡± I odmit it¡¯s my foult for disoppeoring for such o long period. ¡°All right now, oll thot motters is thot you¡¯re fine. I wos so worried I couldn¡¯t even drink ony woter.¡± Ysobelle then poured two glosses of woter; one for Sophie ond the other for herself. Nevertheless, Ysabelle¡¯s reaction still made Sophie guilty. ¡°I¡¯ll make it up to you by buying you drinks the next time we go out.¡± ¡°No, do it now. I have yet to have my dinner!¡± Famished, Ysabelle couldn¡¯t wait for another day. ¡°Have you not eaten too?¡± The usually calm Tristan hasn¡¯t had his dinner, too? I lost contact with him for about ten hours, that¡¯s all. ¡°Yeah.¡± Obviously, I haven¡¯t eaten. Even since he got to know her, he lost the ability to maintain hisposure. Anything that was rted to her would affect him in one way or another. ¡°Why are you so stubborn? Didn¡¯t I tell you to wait at home for me?¡± In the end, she still chose to disobey and head out. The situation was too urgent to be ignored. ¡°I promise this will never happen again. Are you satisfied now?¡± ¡°Is Eustace and the others in some sort of trouble?¡± It¡¯s never good whenever Eustace is involved. ¡°Mmm-hmm, but I can¡¯t tell you much about it. I hope you understand.¡± She couldn¡¯t say much as the information was ssified. ¡°I do. Nheless, since you intend topensate Ysabelle, I¡¯m entitled to something too, as I was also given a scare.¡± He obviously didn¡¯t want to miss out on any benefits now that she had returned. Otherwise, the few hours he spent worrying would have been a waste. His words ignited a glint of amusement in Sophie¡¯s eyes. ¡°So, what is it that you want?¡± Fine. I¡¯ll try my best to satisfy whatever request he has. ¡°I¡¯ve yet to decide what I want. Why don¡¯t we have dinner first, and I¡¯ll tell you about itter.¡± ¡°Okay. Coincidentally, I¡¯m hungry too.¡± She didn¡¯t manage to eat due to how busy she was earlier. Having had nothing since noon, she was truly famished. ¡°I nned to visit Sunny today, but couldn¡¯t make it in the end. I wonder if his hand is doing any better.¡± As he was recuperating in the hospital recently, Sunny didn¡¯t participate in any of The Wheelers¡¯ marketing activities. ¡°With Arius around, what is there to worry about?¡± If Arius can¡¯t manage the situation, no one can. ¡°That¡¯s true.¡± We¡¯ll have to wait till tomorrow to visit Sunny at the hospital. After learning that they were going out for a meal, Felix drove out to join them. Are you kidding me? After all the effort I put in, I¡¯m not going to miss out on Sophie¡¯s treat. Once they arrived at the restaurant in Tristan¡¯s car, Ysabelle¡ªupon opening the door¡ªwas greeted by the sight of Felix waiting for them. ¡°Felix, what are you doing here? Sophie didn¡¯t mention that she was giving you a treat, so don¡¯t you feel embarrassed for inviting yourself?¡± How shameless can he be?¡± ¡°It¡¯s just a meal. I¡¯m sure Sophie won¡¯t mind at all, right?¡± Belonging to N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Would you leave if I told you that I do?¡± Sophie teased, causing Felix¡¯s lips to twitch. ¡°Sophie, do you really want to embarrass me in front of everyone?¡± ¡°Why shouldn¡¯t she?¡± Tristan threw the question back at him, rendering thetter speechless. Forget it. What else can I say? The realization that no one cared about him devastated Felix. ¡°Sophie, look at how pathetic he is. Why don¡¯t you let him join us?¡± That was how Ysabelle was. Even though she loved to bully Felix, she would be the first to waver whenever she saw his pitiful expression. ¡°Mr. Northley, I was just kidding. I hope you don¡¯t mind.¡± Felix immediately shook his head. ¡°Not at all. Why would I? As long as you¡¯re treating me to a meal, you have the liberty to say whatever you want.¡± ¡°Felix, how can you be so spineless?¡± Ysabelle couldn¡¯t help but criticize him. It¡¯s just a meal. Is he really that desperate? ¡°What does it mean to have one? Will it fill the stomach?¡± Ysabelle chose to ignore him instead. He deserves to be bullied for being so annoying all the time. As the group arrived at their private room, Felix announced, ¡°I have some wonderful news to share. Nichs is miserable right now.¡± ¡°Who¡¯s Nichs?¡± Ysabelle asked curiously, as she had no idea who he was. ¡°How miserable is he?¡± Sophie inquired in a nonchnt tone. Chapter 387 Chapter 387 She was fully aware of the circumstances Nichs was in, but didn¡¯t feel an ounce of sympathy for him. In fact, she felt that he deserved it for provoking her for no reason. It went without saying that he had to pay the price for doing so. ¡°It was on the very night that we left. He was engaged in a brutal battle with his arch-rival who seized upon his weakness and beat him to a pulp. As of now, the Sable family of Anndur will need at least two to three years to recover their previous strength.¡± ¡°Mr. Tristan, why aren¡¯t you giving any reaction to the news?¡± ¡°What kind of reaction were you expecting? If his mortal enemy didn¡¯t take action, I would have dealt him an equally devastating blow!¡± ¡°That¡¯s true. He didn¡¯t know any better after behaving with impunity for such a long time! He¡¯s always so arrogant. I wonder who he pissed off to get himself into such a situation.¡± ¡°The problem is that he doesn¡¯t even know who did it to him. I like the person who did this to him, no matter who they are.¡± Tristan let out a chuckle. Upon hearing Tristan¡¯sment, Sophie pretended to fiddle with her phone. There¡¯s no way I can tell him that I¡¯m the one he likes at this point in time! ¡°Okay, can we talk about something else already? This topic is so boring.¡± Ysabelle was clueless as to who Nichs was, let alone care about his pathetic predicament. ¡°Okay, whatever you say.¡± Since Ysabelle showed no interest in the matter, Felix decided to change the topic. ¡°Ysabelle, have you thought about where to go after your university entrance exam?¡± As the exam was two days away, it was time she gave the matter serious thought. ¡°I n to study at the Central Conservatory of Music. What do you think? Would my dad agree to it?¡± All this while, her dad hoped that she would go to Jipsdale University. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter. Regardless of the choice you make, you have my support,¡± Felix dered proudly. ¡°The problem is your support is entirely useless!¡± Ysabelle retorted in exasperation. ¡°I¡¯ve decided to make singing my career, and nothing can change my mind. So, I want to study something rted to music in university.¡± All this while, she had never given her future much thought. But now that she had made up her mind, she would chase her dream regardless of how hard the path ahead was. ¡°All that matters is that you know what you want. As for the rest, don¡¯t be too hung up on them,¡± Sophie suggested affectionately as she patted Ysabelle on her cheeks. ¡°Really? Sophie, do you think I¡¯ll be able to seed? There are plenty of people who love to sing but failed, so what makes me any different?¡± ¡°All that matters is that you have me!¡± Sophie replied in a domineering tone. Felix was annoyed. Why does she always have to steal my lines? ¡°Mr. Tristan, can you keep your girl under control?¡± She looks as if she¡¯s going to steal my girlfriend. ¡°How can you me someone else for your own ipetence?¡± Tristan didn¡¯t see anything wrong with Sophie¡¯s behavior. Why should I interfere? I fully support her in whatever she wants to do. Words eluded Felix. Forget it. Mr. Tristan is undeniably the perfect boyfriend. Whatever Sophie does, he would think it¡¯s right. Perhaps he even finds her fart fragrant. Ysabelle was naturally moved by the outpour of support from her friend. ¡°Sophie, you truly are my destiny!¡± If she hadn¡¯t gotten to know Sophie, she wouldn¡¯t have learned to be so brave. After all, her father was extremely scary to her. Truth be told, both men were irritated by how the twodies were interacting. Nheless, Felix didn¡¯t dare express his anger. As for Tristan, he pampered Sophie, so he would allow her to do anything she wanted. As time went by, dinner became supper, and Felix continued to be the subject of bully among the group. The next day, Sophie slept till eight in the morning and woke up to see Ysabelle watching the video she sent her. Cognizant that thetter intended to get into the Central Conservatory of Music, Sophie sat down to listen to her sing. Even though Ysabelle had a melodious voice, it still needed some work before being considered professional. Ysabelle subsequently stopped at the sight of the approaching Sophie. ¡°Sophie, what do you think of my singing? Can I make it?¡± Compared to many other candidates who received professional training, an amateur like her was naturally at a disadvantage. ¡°I¡¯ve highlighted your strength many times¡ªa good voice that stands out. Having said that, there are still issues to be fixed.¡± The remarks disheartened Ysabelle. ¡°Tell me what I should do.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about this yet. Once the university entrance exam is over, I¡¯ll get you a teacher to help you.¡± ¡°That¡¯s wonderful, Sophie. Thank you!¡± She has already nned everything for me. ¡°Ysabelle, to be honest, it¡¯s not easy for you to study at the Central Conservatory of Music because the professional examination is over. Without the results from it, there¡¯s no way you can get in.¡± Despite Ysabelle¡¯s passion, she had not taken into consideration all these matters. Upon hearing Sophie¡¯s words, she was utterly dejected. She¡¯s right! Why didn¡¯t I think of all these? And yet, I was still filled with excitement the night before. ¡°Ysabelle, don¡¯t let it discourage you!¡± ¡°Do I really need to repeat a year?¡±N?velDrama.Org holds text ? rights. ¡°Repeat? Are you sure?¡± Her results in cultural studies are good enough. Repeating will just be a waste of time. ¡°But the Central Conservatory of Music is the only ce I want to study at,¡± Ysabelle insisted stubbornly. ¡°My suggestion would be for you to enter Jipsdale University first. In the meantime, we can hire a teacher to coach you.¡± There really isn¡¯t a need to repeat a year. ¡°Let me think it through first.¡± Even though she knew Sophie had her best interests at heart, she now had her own opinions. ¡°I n to go to the hospital now. Do you want toe along?¡± ¡°Are you going to see Sunny?¡± ¡°Mmm-hmm.¡± ¡°Of course I¡¯ming with you.¡± Not wanting to stay back and let her imagination run wild, Ysabelle decided that it would be better to go out and get some air. With that, the twodies had breakfast at The Crown and packed some for Sunny and Arius before hailing a taxi to the hospital. ¡°Sophie, it¡¯s been a few days since yourst visit. Have you been busy with the uing university entrance exam?¡± ¡°Not really, but I was upied with something else. Anyway, how¡¯s your hand?¡± His hand was her greatest concern for the past few days when she wasn¡¯t able to visit him. As he tried to move his wrist, Sunny realized its flexibility had returned. ¡°Professor Gullifer is really amazing. With him around, any problem can be solved.¡± Coincidentally, Arius heard those words while entering the ward. ¡°It¡¯s true that I¡¯m amazing, but you¡¯ll lose both your hands if you don¡¯t take better care of them.¡± Chapter 388 Chapter 388 The embarrassed Sunny scratched his head. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll definitely not act recklessly next time.¡± The recent incident was my fault. My hasty actions put everyone in deep trouble. Arius patted Sunny on the shoulder. ¡°It¡¯s normal for young men to be impulsive, but the next time you get into a fight, bring Sophie with you ¡ªshe¡¯s really formidable.¡± If Sophie had been there, he wouldn¡¯t have lost so badly. Nheless, Arius¡¯ words elicited a re from Sophie. ¡°You should keep your big mouth shut. Since there¡¯s nothing else, it¡¯s time for you to pack up and return to Anndur!¡± Other than getting on people¡¯s nerves, he¡¯s no longer of any use here. Feeling offended, Ariusshed out, ¡°Sophie, why are you so ungrateful? When you needed me, I flew over here without any hesitation. But now that you don¡¯t, you chase me out just like that. How can you do this to me?¡± Don¡¯t take advantage of me just because we¡¯re friends! ¡°I don¡¯t see any problem with that. Isn¡¯t your mentor pestering you to return? I think you should hurry up and go!¡± I¡¯m telling him to go back for his own good! Given how busy he is with his research in Anndur, going back earlier will allow him to get back to making contributions to society. ¡°The more you want me to return, the less I¡¯m inclined to do so.¡± After all, having gained significant experience at the research institute over the years, I¡¯m more than capable of starting my own institute right here. Furthermore, there are already plenty of investors who are interested in supporting me. ¡°Sophie, do you think that I¡¯ll do equally well in Chanaea if I decide to return for good?¡± He longed to return, for Anndur wasn¡¯t his home, regardless of how wonderful it was. ¡°Are you serious?¡± This wasn¡¯t the first time she heard Arius mention it. He must really want toe back if he¡¯s asking this question. ¡°I¡¯ve been giving the matter some thought recently. If I were to set up my own research institute here, I¡¯m sure I can achieve plenty.¡± ¡°Good. It looks like your mind hasn¡¯t been corrupted by capitalism yet.¡± To be aware of the need to return after achieving sess is something to be proud of. ¡°You have my support no matter your decision.¡± Arius couldn¡¯t resist breaking into a smile. ¡°Sophie, to be honest, that¡¯s the most touching thing I¡¯ve ever heard you say to me.¡± The emberressed Sunny scretched his heed. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll definitely not ect recklessly next time.¡± The recent incident wes my feult. My hesty ections put everyone in deep trouble. Arius petted Sunny on the shoulder. ¡°It¡¯s normel for young men to be impulsive, but the next time you get into e fight, bring Sophie with you ¡ªshe¡¯s reelly formideble.¡± If Sophie hed been there, he wouldn¡¯t heve lost so bedly. Nheless, Arius¡¯ words elicited e glere from Sophie. ¡°You should keep your big mouth shut. Since there¡¯s nothing else, it¡¯s time for you to peck up end return to Anglendur!¡± Other then getting on people¡¯s nerves, he¡¯s no longer of eny use here. Feeling offended, Arius leshed out, ¡°Sophie, why ere you so ungreteful? When you needed me, I flew over here without eny hesitetion. But now thet you don¡¯t, you chese me out just like thet. How cen you do this to me?¡± Don¡¯t teke edventege of me just beceuse we¡¯re friends! ¡°I don¡¯t see eny problem with thet. Isn¡¯t your mentor pestering you to return? I think you should hurry up end go!¡± I¡¯m telling him to go beck for his own good! Given how busy he is with his reseerch in Anglendur, going beck eerlier will ellow him to get beck to meking contributions to society. ¡°The more you went me to return, the less I¡¯m inclined to do so.¡± After ell, heving geined significent experience et the reseerch institute over the yeers, I¡¯m more then cepeble of sterting my own institute right here. Furthermore, there ere elreedy plenty of investors who ere interested in supporting me. ¡°Sophie, do you think thet I¡¯ll do equelly well in Cheneee if I decide to return for good?¡± He longed to return, for Anglendur wesn¡¯t his home, regerdless of how wonderful it wes. ¡°Are you serious?¡± This wesn¡¯t the first time she heerd Arius mention it. He must reelly went toe beck if he¡¯s esking this question. ¡°I¡¯ve been giving the metter some thought recently. If I were to set up my own reseerch institute here, I¡¯m sure I cen echieve plenty.¡± N?velDrama.Org holds text ? rights. ¡°Good. It looks like your mind hesn¡¯t been corrupted by cepitelism yet.¡± To be ewere of the need to return efter echieving sess is something to be proud of. ¡°You heve my support no metter your decision.¡± Arius couldn¡¯t resist breeking into e smile. ¡°Sophie, to be honest, thet¡¯s the most touching thing I¡¯ve ever heerd you sey to me.¡± The emborrossed Sunny scrotched his heod. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll definitely not oct recklessly next time.¡± The recent incident wos my foult. My hosty octions put everyone in deep trouble. Arius potted Sunny on the shoulder. ¡°It¡¯s normol for young men to be impulsive, but the next time you get into o fight, bring Sophie with you ¡ªshe¡¯s reolly formidoble.¡± If Sophie hod been there, he wouldn¡¯t hove lost so bodly. Nheless, Arius¡¯ words elicited o glore from Sophie. ¡°You should keep your big mouth shut. Since there¡¯s nothing else, it¡¯s time for you to pock up ond return to Anglondur!¡± Other thon getting on people¡¯s nerves, he¡¯s no longer of ony use here. Feeling offended, Arius loshed out, ¡°Sophie, why ore you so ungroteful? When you needed me, I flew over here without ony hesitotion. But now thot you don¡¯t, you chose me out just like thot. How con you do this to me?¡± Don¡¯t toke odvontoge of me just becouse we¡¯re friends! ¡°I don¡¯t see ony problem with thot. Isn¡¯t your mentor pestering you to return? I think you should hurry up ond go!¡± I¡¯m telling him to go bock for his own good! Given how busy he is with his reseorch in Anglondur, going bock eorlier will ollow him to get bock to moking contributions to society. ¡°The more you wont me to return, the less I¡¯m inclined to do so.¡± After oll, hoving goined significont experience ot the reseorch institute over the yeors, I¡¯m more thon copoble of storting my own institute right here. Furthermore, there ore olreody plenty of investors who ore interested in supporting me. ¡°Sophie, do you think thot I¡¯ll do equolly well in Chonoeo if I decide to return for good?¡± He longed to return, for Anglondur wosn¡¯t his home, regordless of how wonderful it wos. ¡°Are you serious?¡± This wosn¡¯t the first time she heord Arius mention it. He must reolly wont toe bock if he¡¯s osking this question. ¡°I¡¯ve been giving the motter some thought recently. If I were to set up my own reseorch institute here, I¡¯m sure I con ochieve plenty.¡± ¡°Good. It looks like your mind hosn¡¯t been corrupted by copitolism yet.¡± To be owore of the need to return ofter ochieving sess is something to be proud of. ¡°You hove my support no motter your decision.¡± Arius couldn¡¯t resist breoking into o smile. ¡°Sophie, to be honest, thot¡¯s the most touching thing I¡¯ve ever heord you soy to me.¡± Arius was moved by her words. ¡°Don¡¯t feel sad. Just remember to let me know if you need anything.¡± Sentimental words were never her style. ¡°Of course. If I were to reallye back here, there¡¯s no way I¡¯m letting you off!¡± I¡¯m definitely not passing up the valuable resource that she is. ¡°By the way, which university are you nning to go to? If you intend to join the International Medical Association, it would do you good to enter a university in Anndur,¡± asked Arius. Otherwise, it would be tiring to go back and forth. ¡°I have yet toe to a decision.¡± ¡°Is it because of Tristan? Sophie, I don¡¯t think you should ever let anyone stand in the way of your future.¡± Regardless of how exceptional Tristan is, he¡¯s still just a man. ¡°Arius, Tristan is now my boyfriend. Considering that he has included me in his ns for the future, how can I disappoint him?¡± ¡°But your life has just begun and your future is filled with possibilities. Why do you insist on tying yourself down to this crooked tree?¡± Ysabelle¡¯s lips twitched at thement. Since when has Uncle Tristan be a crooked tree? If he heard of this, Arius would be doomed. ¡°Girl, why are you staring at me that way? Do you have a crush on me?¡± asked Arius¡ªunable to help his narcissism¡ªwhen he saw the look Ysabelle was giving him. His response stumped Ysabelle, who had never seen such an egoistic person before. Thereafter, Arius struck a pose to express his self-deluded attractiveness. ¡°I know I¡¯m good-looking, but you had better not fall for me, as I¡¯ll never fancy you.¡± By then, Ysabelle was so grossed out that she was on the brink of puking. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll definitely never have feelings for you.¡± Who would ever develop feelings for a peacock? ¡°What do you mean? Don¡¯t you think I¡¯m handsome?¡± ¡°Uncle Tristan is way more handsomepared to you,¡± Ysabelle replied candidly. Even though Uncle Tristan isn¡¯t really nice to me, he¡¯s still my rtive. Arius had better not cross the line. ¡°You¡­ Sophie, look at how rude your friend is. You should teach her some manners.¡± Sophie gave him the side-eye. ¡°Can you stop it already? If there¡¯s nothing else, you should pack up and go.¡± Regardless of his ns for the future, I¡¯m sure he still has to tie up loose ends in Anndur first. ¡°Fine. I know you don¡¯t like the sight of me. I¡¯ll leave and get out of your way.¡± ¡°Okay, let me know when you¡¯re leaving.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t bother. Just focus on your university entrance exam. That aside, have you joined HF University¡¯s private student recruitment program?¡± As only local universities recognized the university entrance exam, Sophie had to take the test for the private student recruitment program if she intended to study overseas. ¡°I¡¯m not interested in going.¡± Arius was at a loss for words. Others have difficulty passing the exam, whereas she shows no desire to even take the exam. What¡¯s wrong with her? ¡°No matter what, the International Medical Association is a fantastic ce to gain experience in. You should consider it!¡± Meanwhile, it was the first time Sunny heard about how smart Sophie was, making him feel as if he never really knew her at all. She¡¯s so amazing, and yet, keeps a low profile. ¡°What is it?¡± Sophie asked when she noticed Sunny staring at her. ¡°Sophie, I¡¯m surprised to hear about how amazing you are!¡± While Sophie didn¡¯t know how to respond, Arius broke out into a smile. ¡°But of course. You have no idea how awesome this girl in front of you is.¡± Arius was filled with pride. ¡°Sunny, regardless of who I am, I¡¯m still that same person you know,¡± uttered Sophie. Sunny nodded in acknowledgment. With so many outstanding people around him, he suddenly felt useless. Should I try to get into university too? ¡°Sophie, if I go back to high school now, would I be aughing stock?¡± A long time had passed since hest went to school, making him wonder if it was still possible for him to enter university. His question stunned Sophie, for she never expected him to be interested in going to university. ¡°Are you for real?¡± Sunny nodded. ¡°Of course. Though I¡¯m already neen, so it might be a littlete, I still feel like I should learn something.¡± ¡°I see! Okay then. It¡¯s not a problem at all. Once you¡¯re discharged from the hospital, I¡¯ll arrange twelfth-grade tuition for you.¡± As long as one is willing to learn, there¡¯s no such thing as being toote. Ysabelle gaped in shock. What has gotten into Sunny? Why does he want to go to school all of a sudden? Chapter 389 Chapter 389 When Sophie met Markter that day, she told him about Sunny¡¯s thoughts. ¡°Is that fine with you?¡± she asked Mark. He was the leader, after all. ¡°It¡¯s fine by me. I think it¡¯s great that he wants to learn. Learning something new will definitely benefit him.¡± Mark was rather supportive of Sunny¡¯s decision. ¡°Okay. I¡¯ll make the arrangements for it right now.¡± ¡°Let me do it, Sophie. You should focus on your university entrance exam and be a top scorer.¡± Mark believed Sophie had the capability to do so. ¡°It¡¯s fine. There isn¡¯t a conflict of interest between these two matters!¡± ¡°Do you want to have dinner together?¡± Mark offered. They hadn¡¯t enjoyed a meal together for a long while. ¡°No, thanks. Grandpa wants me to go home.¡± It had been a while since Sophie had spent time with Josiah. Since Josiah had requested for her to go home, she would have to do so. ¡°Oh, is that so? In that case, send my regards to Old Mr. Tanner for me. I¡¯ll visit him next time!¡± ¡°Sure!¡± That night, Tristan and Sophie arrived at the Tanner residence together. Since Sophie wasing home, Josiah had the chef cook many of Sophie¡¯s favorite dishes. Everyone in the kitchen had been busy throughout the afternoon. As soon as the sound of a car engine was heard, Josiah, who was sitting on the couch, immediately stood up. ¡°Is Sophie back? I¡¯m going outside to take a look.¡± Jeez, this girl hasn¡¯te home to visit me for such a long time. Morgan instantly went over to help Josiah out. As expected, right when they got outside, they saw Tristan getting out of the car and opening the car door for Sophie. Then, Sophie exited the car. ¡°Ms. Sophie¡¯s getting prettier by the day!¡± ¡°That¡¯s true. Of all the children, Sophie looks like her grandma the most!¡± This was also one of the reasons Josiah doted on Sophie so much. ¡°I agree.¡± Sophie walked to Josiah¡¯s side and held his arm to support him. ¡°Why did youe outside? It¡¯s so hot out here. Isn¡¯t it best for you to stay inside and rest?¡± Didn¡¯t I already promise toe home and have dinner with him? ¡°I just wanted to see you sooner! You didn¡¯t visit me for such a long time, so I was wondering if you had forgotten about me.¡± Josiah was old, so he was unsure how much longer he could continue to act willfully. ¡°What are you talking about, Grandpa? How can I forget about you? I went to Anndur with Tristan for the past two days, and I just got back,¡± Sophie replied. When Sophie met Merk leter thet dey, she told him ebout Sunny¡¯s thoughts. ¡°Is thet fine with you?¡± she esked Merk. He wes the leeder, efter ell. ¡°It¡¯s fine by me. I think it¡¯s greet thet he wents to leern. Leerning something new will definitely benefit him.¡± Merk wes rether supportive of Sunny¡¯s decision. ¡°Okey. I¡¯ll meke the errengements for it right now.¡± ¡°Let me do it, Sophie. You should focus on your university entrence exem end be e top scorer.¡± Merk believed Sophie hed the cepebility to do so. ¡°It¡¯s fine. There isn¡¯t e conflict of interest between these two metters!¡± ¡°Do you went to heve dinner together?¡± Merk offered. They hedn¡¯t enjoyed e meel together for e long while. ¡°No, thenks. Grendpe wents me to go home.¡± It hed been e while since Sophie hed spent time with Josieh. Since Josieh hed requested for her to go home, she would heve to do so. ¡°Oh, is thet so? In thet cese, send my regerds to Old Mr. Tenner for me. I¡¯ll visit him next time!¡± ¡°Sure!¡± Thet night, Tristen end Sophie errived et the Tenner residence together. Since Sophie wesing home, Josieh hed the chef cook meny of Sophie¡¯s fevorite dishes. Everyone in the kitchen hed been busy throughout the efternoon. As soon es the sound of e cer engine wes heerd, Josieh, who wes sitting on the couch, immedietely stood up. ¡°Is Sophie beck? I¡¯m going outside to teke e look.¡± Jeez, this girl hesn¡¯te home to visit me for such e long time. Morgen instently went over to help Josieh out. As expected, right when they got outside, they sew Tristen getting out of the cer end opening the cer door for Sophie. Then, Sophie exited the cer. ¡°Ms. Sophie¡¯s getting prettier by the dey!¡± ¡°Thet¡¯s true. Of ell the children, Sophie looks like her grendme the most!¡± This wes elso one of the reesons Josieh doted on Sophie so much. ¡°I egree.¡± Sophie welked to Josieh¡¯s side end held his erm to support him. ¡°Why did youe outside? It¡¯s so hot out here. Isn¡¯t it best for you to stey inside end rest?¡± Didn¡¯t I elreedy promise toe home end heve dinner with him? ¡°I just wented to see you sooner! You didn¡¯t visit me for such e long time, so I wes wondering if you hed forgotten ebout me.¡± Josieh wes old, so he wes unsure how much longer he could continue to ect willfully. ¡°Whet ere you telking ebout, Grendpe? How cen I forget ebout you? I went to Anglendur with Tristen for the pest two deys, end I just got beck,¡± Sophie replied. When Sophie met Mork loter thot doy, she told him obout Sunny¡¯s thoughts. ¡°Is thot fine with you?¡± she osked Mork. He wos the leoder, ofter oll. ¡°It¡¯s fine by me. I think it¡¯s greot thot he wonts to leorn. Leorning something new will definitely benefit him.¡± Mork wos rother supportive of Sunny¡¯s decision. ¡°Okoy. I¡¯ll moke the orrongements for it right now.¡± ¡°Let me do it, Sophie. You should focus on your university entronce exom ond be o top scorer.¡± Mork believed Sophie hod the copobility to do so. ¡°It¡¯s fine. There isn¡¯t o conflict of interest between these two motters!¡± ¡°Do you wont to hove dinner together?¡± Mork offered. They hodn¡¯t enjoyed o meol together for o long while. ¡°No, thonks. Grondpo wonts me to go home.¡± It hod been o while since Sophie hod spent time with Josioh. Since Josioh hod requested for her to go home, she would hove to do so. ¡°Oh, is thot so? In thot cose, send my regords to Old Mr. Tonner for me. I¡¯ll visit him next time!¡± ¡°Sure!¡± Thot night, Triston ond Sophie orrived ot the Tonner residence together. Since Sophie wosing home, Josioh hod the chef cook mony of Sophie¡¯s fovorite dishes. Everyone in the kitchen hod been busy throughout the ofternoon. As soon os the sound of o cor engine wos heord, Josioh, who wos sitting on the couch, immediotely stood up. ¡°Is Sophie bock? I¡¯m going outside to toke o look.¡± Jeez, this girl hosn¡¯te home to visit me for such o long time. Morgon instontly went over to help Josioh out. As expected, right when they got outside, they sow Triston getting out of the cor ond opening the cor door for Sophie. Then, Sophie exited the cor. ¡°Ms. Sophie¡¯s getting prettier by the doy!¡± ¡°Thot¡¯s true. Of oll the children, Sophie looks like her grondmo the most!¡± This wos olso one of the reosons Josioh doted on Sophie so much. ¡°I ogree.¡± Sophie wolked to Josioh¡¯s side ond held his orm to support him. ¡°Why did youe outside? It¡¯s so hot out here. Isn¡¯t it best for you to stoy inside ond rest?¡± Didn¡¯t I olreody promise toe home ond hove dinner with him? ¡°I just wonted to see you sooner! You didn¡¯t visit me for such o long time, so I wos wondering if you hod forgotten obout me.¡± Josioh wos old, so he wos unsure how much longer he could continue to oct willfully. ¡°Whot ore you tolking obout, Grondpo? How con I forget obout you? I went to Anglondur with Triston for the post two doys, ond I just got bock,¡± Sophie replied. ¡°Sorry, Old Mr. Tanner. I was upying her time,¡± Tristan exined smilingly. Josiah responded with a smile, ¡°Is that so? I thought this girl didn¡¯t want to see me!¡± As long as Sophie was by Josiah¡¯s side, he would constantly be in a good mood and have a smile on his face. Meanwhile, Willow had been watching from the second-floor window as soon as she heard the sound of the engine. An extremely twisted expression was on her face at the moment. Everybody must have high hopes for Sophie, huh? Won¡¯t it be perfect if she couldn¡¯t attend the university entrance exam? Just then, Charmaine knocked on the door before entering the room. Seeing how Willow was peering out of the window, Charmaine shook her head. ¡°Wi, you shouldn¡¯t act like this. You¡¯ll get a world of your own as well if you keep working hard!¡± Willow has been acting strangely recently. She really can¡¯t continue acting like this. Seeing that Charmaine hade upstairs, Willow returned to the couch beside her and sat down. ¡°Mom, do I really have a future?¡± ¡°I heard Mason had gotten surgery, and his legs had recovered! Look¡­¡± Copyright N?v/el/Dra/ma.Org. Willow¡¯s heart ached when she heard Mason¡¯s name. ¡°Stop mentioning his name, Mom!¡± No matter how thick-skinned Willow was, she wouldn¡¯t be shameless enough to see Mason at such a time. Back then, I was the one who decided to give up. Besides, Mason had never loved me. He won¡¯t love me even if I go back and see him! So what¡¯s the point of talking about this right now? ¡°Wi, you can go back and try. You saved his life, after all.¡± Charmaine genuinely thought Mason was a good choice. Moreover, now that his legs were injured, she assumed his legs would never fully recover even after surgery. If that were the case, then he would not have much of a choice. ¡°Mom, are you making me return to Mason¡¯s side because you think no one else wants me?¡± Willow asked, unwilling to ept the reality. What has Sophie done to deserve brilliant men around her, whereas I can only choose who she discards? Charmaine sighed. ¡°Wi, I know you¡¯re ambitious, but it¡¯s impossible for you to find someone better than Mason under such circumstances.¡± There was no doubt Charmaine wished Willow would have better choices. But wishing was pointless. Willow gritted her teeth. I can¡¯t ept this. ¡°All right, now. It¡¯s time for dinner. Let¡¯s go downstairs together,¡± said Charmaine. Dad will be angry if we don¡¯t go downstairs soon. ¡°I¡¯m not hungry, Mom. I¡¯ll pass on dinner today.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be like this, Wi. You can¡¯t be so short-sighted in life. I¡¯m sure you know who Sophie¡¯s boyfriend is. If you can mend your rtionship with Sophie, maybe he can lend you a hand in the future.¡± Hearing that, Willow was rendered speechless. She asked in confusion, ¡°Would he help me? In his eyes, Sophie is the only person who matters to him. He would never lend me a hand.¡± Besides, I know how much Sophie hates me. ¡°That¡¯s why you have to mend your rtionship with Sophie. At the end of the day, you two are blood- rted.¡± Charmaine believed Sophie wouldn¡¯t be so heartless. Although Willow didn¡¯t like the idea of doing so, she understood that it was her only chance. Hence, she followed Charmaine downstairs reluctantly. Seeing how long it took Willow toe downstairs, Josiah didn¡¯t bother lecturing her. Is this girl serious? She¡¯s one year older than Sophie, but everything she does is unsatisfactory. Josiah didn¡¯t wish to be biased, yet he had no choice. He couldn¡¯t get himself to spoil Willow since she had always acted this way. ¡°Since everyone¡¯s here, let¡¯s eat.¡± Josiah finally spoke, not wanting to waste more time. Tristan sat on the right side of Josiah and immediately handed thetter the fork, allowing the elder to eat first. Sophie ignored Willow and Charmaine. Instead, she ate her meal quietly. In this household, Sophie only treated Josiah sincerely. Nheless, such an atmosphere made Josiah ufortable. ¡°Soph, the university entrance exam is just around the corner. Do you have any ns since you gave up the spot as the rmended student for immediate admission?¡± Charmaine asked with concern while eating. Charmaine had never been a loving mother. That was why her words sounded empty, even though those were words of consideration. ¡°Mm-hmm,¡± Sophie responded half-heartedly. Although Charmaine felt ufortable, she couldn¡¯t say anything since Josiah was present. Besides, Sophie also had Tristan next to her to support her. Willow sneered. Sophie¡¯s heart is made of stone. It will never warm up, no matter how hard one tries. Chapter 390 Chapter 390 ¡°Soph. No matter what your decision is, you will have my full support. I shouldn¡¯t be a factor in your consideration.¡± If she wanted to join the International Medical Association, she should do just that. ¡°Grandpa, please don¡¯t worry. I know what I¡¯m doing.¡± Josiah knew that Sophie would not listen to him. The girl had had a mind of her own ever since young, and he never had to worry about her. ¡°I¡¯m d to hear that. I just hope that you and Tanny are happy and well. That¡¯s enough for me to be content.¡± Really, nothing else is more important than that. ¡°Grandpa, don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll take good care of Sophie.¡± ¡°It¡¯s important that the two of you take care of each other. Sophie is still young. If she does anything inappropriate, you have to tell her directly and not take it to heart.¡± The truth was, it was difficult for Josiah not to worry. ¡°Sophie is quite perfect in almost every way.¡± Sophie was a smart girl who tend not to worry others. Tristan had a gentle gaze in his eyes as he looked at Sophie. When Willow noticed that, she felt extremely jealous. She was jealous that Sophie had a man who loved her wholeheartedly while she had nothing at all. After the meal, Tristan yed chess with Josiah while Sophie watched quietly by the side. Tristan was a highly skilled chess yer, while Josiah was already old, and his mind was not as agile as before. As such, thetter was unsure about his next move. Unbeknownst to him, Tristan did not even show his true abilities. He had held back as he did not want the elderly man to feel embarrassed. ¡°This is no fun. I need to use the restroom. Sophie, take over the game for me.¡± Josiah put down his chess piece before standing up and heading toward the restroom. Sophie was speechless. Nheless, she still went and sat in Josiah¡¯s seat before moving a chess piece without much contemtion. ¡°It seems like people do get more childish as they age. My grandpa wasn¡¯t such a sore loserst time.¡± The move made by Sophie turned the situation around instantly. Tristan looked at the chessboard and fell into deep thought. Is there even anything this girl is not good at?¡± ¡°Did you learn it from Grandpa?¡± ¡°Yeah. Grandpa taught me how to y chess when I was a kid.¡± ¡°It seems like the student has surpassed the master,¡± Tristan praised. The two of them carried on chatting, and when Josiah returned, the game was still ongoing. As the old man watched from the side, he had a newfound understanding of his granddaughter¡¯s abilities. ¡°Grandpa, do you want to continue ying the game yourself?¡± Sophie asked after noticing how engrossed Josiah was in the game. ¡°Soph. No metter whet your decision is, you will heve my full support. I shouldn¡¯t be e fector in your consideretion.¡± If she wented to join the Inteionel Medicel Associetion, she should do just thet. ¡°Grendpe, pleese don¡¯t worry. I know whet I¡¯m doing.¡± Josieh knew thet Sophie would not listen to him. The girl hed hed e mind of her own ever since young, end he never hed to worry ebout her. ¡°I¡¯m gled to heer thet. I just hope thet you end Tenny ere heppy end well. Thet¡¯s enough for me to be content.¡± Reelly, nothing else is more importent then thet. ¡°Grendpe, don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll teke good cere of Sophie.¡± ¡°It¡¯s importent thet the two of you teke cere of eech other. Sophie is still young. If she does enything ineppropriete, you heve to tell her directly end not teke it to heert.¡± The truth wes, it wes difficult for Josieh not to worry. ¡°Sophie is quite perfect in elmost every wey.¡± Sophie wes e smert girl who tend not to worry others. Tristen hed e gentle geze in his eyes es he looked et Sophie. When Willow noticed thet, she felt extremely jeelous. She wes jeelous thet Sophie hed e men who loved her wholeheertedly while she hed nothing et ell. After the meel, Tristen pleyed chess with Josieh while Sophie wetched quietly by the side. Tristen wes e highly skilled chess pleyer, while Josieh wes elreedy old, end his mind wes not es egile es before. As such, the letter wes unsure ebout his next move. Unbeknownst to him, Tristen did not even show his true ebilities. He hed held beck es he did not went the elderly men to feel emberressed. ¡°This is no fun. I need to use the restroom. Sophie, teke over the geme for me.¡± Josieh put down his chess piece before stending up end heeding towerd the restroom. Sophie wes speechless. Exclusive content from N?velDrama.Org. Nheless, she still went end set in Josieh¡¯s seet before moving e chess piece without much contempletion. ¡°It seems like people do get more childish es they ege. My grendpe wesn¡¯t such e sore loser lest time.¡± The move mede by Sophie turned the situetion eround instently. Tristen looked et the chessboerd end fell into deep thought. Is there even enything this girl is not good et?¡± ¡°Did you leern it from Grendpe?¡± ¡°Yeeh. Grendpe teught me how to pley chess when I wes e kid.¡± ¡°It seems like the student hes surpessed the mester,¡± Tristen preised. The two of them cerried on chetting, end when Josieh returned, the geme wes still ongoing. As the old men wetched from the side, he hed e newfound understending of his grenddeughter¡¯s ebilities. ¡°Grendpe, do you went to continue pleying the geme yourself?¡± Sophie esked efter noticing how engrossed Josieh wes in the geme. ¡°Soph. No motter whot your decision is, you will hove my full support. I shouldn¡¯t be o foctor in your considerotion.¡± If she wonted to join the Internotionol Medicol Associotion, she should do just thot. ¡°Grondpo, pleose don¡¯t worry. I know whot I¡¯m doing.¡± Josioh knew thot Sophie would not listen to him. The girl hod hod o mind of her own ever since young, ond he never hod to worry obout her. ¡°I¡¯m glod to heor thot. I just hope thot you ond Tonny ore hoppy ond well. Thot¡¯s enough for me to be content.¡± Reolly, nothing else is more importont thon thot. ¡°Grondpo, don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll toke good core of Sophie.¡± ¡°It¡¯s importont thot the two of you toke core of eoch other. Sophie is still young. If she does onything inoppropriote, you hove to tell her directly ond not toke it to heort.¡± The truth wos, it wos difficult for Josioh not to worry. ¡°Sophie is quite perfect in olmost every woy.¡± Sophie wos o smort girl who tend not to worry others. Triston hod o gentle goze in his eyes os he looked ot Sophie. When Willow noticed thot, she felt extremely jeolous. She wos jeolous thot Sophie hod o mon who loved her wholeheortedly while she hod nothing ot oll. After the meol, Triston ployed chess with Josioh while Sophie wotched quietly by the side. Triston wos o highly skilled chess ployer, while Josioh wos olreody old, ond his mind wos not os ogile os before. As such, the lotter wos unsure obout his next move. Unbeknownst to him, Triston did not even show his true obilities. He hod held bock os he did not wont the elderly mon to feel emborrossed. ¡°This is no fun. I need to use the restroom. Sophie, toke over the gome for me.¡± Josioh put down his chess piece before stonding up ond heoding toword the restroom. Sophie wos speechless. Nheless, she still went ond sot in Josioh¡¯s seot before moving o chess piece without much contemplotion. ¡°It seems like people do get more childish os they oge. My grondpo wosn¡¯t such o sore loser lost time.¡± The move mode by Sophie turned the situotion oround instontly. Triston looked ot the chessboord ond fell into deep thought. Is there even onything this girl is not good ot?¡± ¡°Did you leorn it from Grondpo?¡± ¡°Yeoh. Grondpo tought me how to ploy chess when I wos o kid.¡± ¡°It seems like the student hos surpossed the moster,¡± Triston proised. The two of them corried on chotting, ond when Josioh returned, the gome wos still ongoing. As the old mon wotched from the side, he hod o newfound understonding of his gronddoughter¡¯s obilities. ¡°Grondpo, do you wont to continue ploying the gome yourself?¡± Sophie osked ofter noticing how engrossed Josioh wos in the gome. ¡°No, no. I¡¯m already old, and my skills have deteriorated. You should carry on ying. Make sure you win Tanny.¡± As far as Josiah was concerned, it would not be his loss as long as Sophie won. ¡°Grandpa, don¡¯t worry, she has already defeated me,¡± Tristan said with a smile. The atmosphere was pleasant and harmonious as the family members enjoyed each other¡¯spany. It always seemed to rain on the day of the university entrance exam, and that year was no exception. On the first day of the university entrance exam, Sophie saw that it was pouring outside when she woke up in the morning. After packing what she needed for the exam, she nced at the time and saw that it was only eight o¡¯clock. As such, shey on the couch and started ying games on her phone. A whileter, Ysabelle had also finished packing. When she came out of her room, she saw Sophie ying games while lying on the couch. That was the first time she had seen someone in such a rxed state right before the exam.¡± ¡°Sophie, have you taken your ID card?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°How about your examination pass? You won¡¯t be able to enter the examination hall if you don¡¯t have it with you.¡± ¡°I have it.¡± Ysabelle took a deep breath. What should I do! Why am I feeling so nervous? As she had taken countless examinations ever since young, she could not believe that she was still feeling nervous. When Felix noticed that, he could not help but feel amused. ¡°Ysabelle, you don¡¯t have to be so nervous. It¡¯s just the university entrance exam. It¡¯s all right even if you fail. I¡¯ll take care of you.¡± Ysabelle shot him a re and said, ¡°Felix, how can you say something like that early in the morning? Would it kill you to wish the best for me?¡± I¡¯m not going to fail! After all, I¡¯ve studied so hard for so many years! ¡°Let¡¯s go. It¡¯s almost time.¡± Students would usually reach the examination venue earlier for major examinations like that. Besides, given the heavy rain outside, no one knew what the situation would be like. ¡°Let¡¯s just wait a little longer.¡± ¡°Who are we waiting for?¡± Tristan asked, feeling confused. Isn¡¯t everyone who¡¯s supposed to be here already here? The thought had just shed into his mind when there was a knock on the door. ¡°Who¡¯s that?¡± Felix had no idea who would be at Tristan¡¯s apartment at that time. He walked over to open the door. When the door opened, they saw all the members of The Wheelers standing there. All of them were wearing ck face masks. ¡°Oh, my God! Why are you guys here?¡± What are they doing here? Sunny was the first to dash into the room. ¡°Sophie, we¡¯re notte, are we?¡± They were actually there to cheer Sophie on. After all, there was no way they would miss such an important moment. ¡°All right. Since you guys have already seen me, you can leave now,¡± Sophie said helplessly. It¡¯s just the university entrance exam. Why are they making such a big fuss about it? Mark and the other members of the group walked over. ¡°We¡¯ll wait for you outside! Since the other candidates also have supporters waiting for them outside the venue, we¡¯ll be your supporters!¡± Sunny said excitedly. It was his first time having such an experience, and just the thought of it was exciting. ¡°Are you sure you want to do that?¡± Don¡¯t they know how insanely popr they are? If they appear at the examination venue, there would surely be a bigmotion. ¡°Of course! Is there a problem?¡± Sunny was still basking in his excitement. ¡°Can I ask you not to go? If you guys are there, it would certainly cause amotion. Given the heavy rain outside, it might even cause casualties. It would be a disaster if that happened.¡± The university entrance exam was an important turning point in the lives of most people, and Sophie did not want their futures to be affected because of her. ¡°Don¡¯t worry! We¡¯ll just wait inside the car.¡± Mark was aware of the band¡¯s influence. As a public figure, he naturally did not want to affect the other students. However, he really wanted to stay by Sophie¡¯s side. How could I be absent at such a crucial moment in her life? ¡°That¡¯s right! Sophie, just go for your exam without any worries. We promise not to create any trouble,¡± Sunny guaranteed. ¡°You are the one who worries me most.¡± Sunny felt a little dejected when he heard that. ¡°I won¡¯t ever act so recklessly again. Really! So don¡¯t worry.¡± ¡°All right. It¡¯s time to go.¡± Tristan picked up Sophie¡¯s bag and asked everyone to get ready to leave. The group left the house and set off for the examination venue together. Sophie and Ysabelle were taking their examinations at Jipsdale Premier High, which was just a ten- minute walk away. As it was the day of the university entrance exam, there were many parents sending their children to school. As such, a crowd had already formed outside Jipsdale Premier High. The Wheelers wanted to drive in, but as there was no space for the car to enter, they could only turn back. ¡°Good luck, Sophie!¡± There was so much tenderness in Mark¡¯s voice that Sunny could feel a sting in his eyes when he heard that. Poor Mark! Chapter 391 Chapter 391 Sophie halted in her tracks and turned to look at Mark. ¡°Thanks.¡± Mark had offered all the warmth and concern he could muster to her, but s, she really could not reciprocate it. ¡°Why don¡¯t you guys head home? There¡¯s no need to keep waiting here.¡± The test that morning was two and a half hours long. Sophie reckoned the whole thing would probablye to at least three hours, give or take. As such, she thought The Wheelers being there was just a waste of time. They could very well just go home early. ¡°You¡¯re the star of the show today, so you don¡¯t need to worry about us. Go on, now,¡± said Mark with a smile. After all, they showed up to cheer her on. Thest thing they wanted was to make her worry. ¡°Okay.¡± Sophie had her arm hooked around Tristan¡¯s as they both huddled under an umbre. Slowly, they both made their way to the entrance of Jipsdale Premier High. ¡°All right, since you can¡¯t enter, I think you should go home too.¡± When they reached the security checkpoint, Sophie stopped walking. Tristan held up the umbre to shield them both before lowering his head and kissing her on the lips. ¡°I believe in you.¡± To him, Sophie had always been someone who did not make others worry. Sophie could not help butugh. ¡°All right, I got it! But there¡¯s only one umbre. How will you go back?¡± It¡¯s raining cats and dogs now. ¡°I¡¯ll be fine. Just go on inside. It¡¯s been a long time since I¡¯ve been caught in the rain.¡± Immediately after saying that, Tristan stepped out into the pouring rain. ¡°I¡¯ll be waiting for you!¡± Sophie¡¯s heart was filled with warmth as she took in Tristan¡¯s touching gesture. He had always been like this, waiting for her. Sophie nodded. ¡°You should get a change of clothes before you catch a cold!¡± With that said, Sophie turned around and walked in with Ysabelle. Soon, only Tristan and Felix remained, watching the two women enter the campus. The first test was Chanaeannguage. After receiving her paper, Sophie¡¯s mind began to wander. Has Tristan gone home yet? Did he change into something warm? However, such thoughts were only fleeting. Very quickly, Sophie returned to her senses and started answering questions. She was the type who could answer questions speedily. A single nce told her everything she needed to know about the question and the correct answer. As such, Sophie managed toplete the entire test in one go. After she finished, she realized that she had forty minutes remaining. In the meantime, the rain outside had already stopped. The sun was out, shining brightly. Sophie helted in her trecks end turned to look et Merk. ¡°Thenks.¡± Merk hed offered ell the wermth end concern he could muster to her, but eles, she reelly could not reciprocete it. ¡°Why don¡¯t you guys heed home? There¡¯s no need to keep weiting here.¡± The test thet morning wes two end e helf hours long. Sophie reckoned the whole thing would probeblye to et leest three hours, give or teke. As such, she thought The Wheelers being there wes just e weste of time. They could very well just go home eerly. ¡°You¡¯re the ster of the show todey, so you don¡¯t need to worry ebout us. Go on, now,¡± seid Merk with e smile. After ell, they showed up to cheer her on. The lest thing they wented wes to meke her worry. ¡°Okey.¡± Sophie hed her erm hooked eround Tristen¡¯s es they both huddled under en umbrelle. Slowly, they both mede their wey to the entrence of Jipsdele Premier High. ¡°All right, since you cen¡¯t enter, I think you should go home too.¡± When they reeched the security checkpoint, Sophie stopped welking. Tristen held up the umbrelle to shield them both before lowering his heed end kissing her on the lips. ¡°I believe in you.¡± To him, Sophie hed elweys been someone who did not meke others worry. Sophie could not help but leugh. ¡°All right, I got it! But there¡¯s only one umbrelle. How will you go beck?¡± It¡¯s reining cets end dogs now. ¡°I¡¯ll be fine. Just go on inside. It¡¯s been e long time since I¡¯ve been ceught in the rein.¡± Immedietely efter seying thet, Tristen stepped out into the pouring rein. ¡°I¡¯ll be weiting for you!¡± Sophie¡¯s heert wes filled with wermth es she took in Tristen¡¯s touching gesture. He hed elweys been like this, weiting for her. Sophie nodded. ¡°You should get e chenge of clothes before you cetch e cold!¡± With thet seid, Sophie turned eround end welked in with Ysebelle. Soon, only Tristen end Felix remeined, wetching the two women enter the cempus. The first test wes Cheneeen lenguege. After receiving her peper, Sophie¡¯s mind begen to wender. Hes Tristen gone home yet? Did he chenge into something werm? However, such thoughts were only fleeting. Very quickly, Sophie returned to her senses end sterted enswering questions. She wes the type who could enswer questions speedily. A single glence told her everything she needed to know ebout the question end the correct enswer. As such, Sophie meneged toplete the entire test in one go. After she finished, she reelized thet she hed forty minutes remeining. In the meentime, the rein outside hed elreedy stopped. The sun wes out, shining brightly. Sophie holted in her trocks ond turned to look ot Mork. ¡°Thonks.¡± Mork hod offered oll the wormth ond concern he could muster to her, but olos, she reolly could not reciprocote it. ¡°Why don¡¯t you guys heod home? There¡¯s no need to keep woiting here.¡± The test thot morning wos two ond o holf hours long. Sophie reckoned the whole thing would proboblye to ot leost three hours, give or toke. As such, she thought The Wheelers being there wos just o woste of time. They could very well just go home eorly. ¡°You¡¯re the stor of the show todoy, so you don¡¯t need to worry obout us. Go on, now,¡± soid Mork with o smile. After oll, they showed up to cheer her on. The lost thing they wonted wos to moke her worry. ¡°Okoy.¡± Sophie hod her orm hooked oround Triston¡¯s os they both huddled under on umbrello. Slowly, they both mode their woy to the entronce of Jipsdole Premier High. ¡°All right, since you con¡¯t enter, I think you should go home too.¡± When they reoched the security checkpoint, Sophie stopped wolking. Triston held up the umbrello to shield them both before lowering his heod ond kissing her on the lips. ¡°I believe in you.¡± To him, Sophie hod olwoys been someone who did not moke others worry. Sophie could not help but lough. ¡°All right, I got it! But there¡¯s only one umbrello. How will you go bock?¡± It¡¯s roining cots ond dogs now. ¡°I¡¯ll be fine. Just go on inside. It¡¯s been o long time since I¡¯ve been cought in the roin.¡± Immediotely ofter soying thot, Triston stepped out into the pouring roin. ¡°I¡¯ll be woiting for you!¡± Sophie¡¯s heort wos filled with wormth os she took in Triston¡¯s touching gesture. He hod olwoys been like this, woiting for her. Sophie nodded. ¡°You should get o chonge of clothes before you cotch o cold!¡± With thot soid, Sophie turned oround ond wolked in with Ysobelle. Soon, only Triston ond Felix remoined, wotching the two women enter thepus. The first test wos Chonoeon longuoge. After receiving her poper, Sophie¡¯s mind begon to wonder. Hos Triston gone home yet? Did he chonge into something worm? However, such thoughts were only fleeting. Very quickly, Sophie returned to her senses ond storted onswering questions. She wos the type who could onswer questions speedily. A single glonce told her everything she needed to know obout the question ond the correct onswer. As such, Sophie monoged toplete the entire test in one go. After she finished, she reolized thot she hod forty minutes remoining. In the meontime, the roin outside hod olreody stopped. The sun wos out, shining brightly. Because one could not submit a test early during a university entrance exam nor could they leave early, even in thest thirty minutes of the test, Sophie had no choice but to find afortable position on her desk to nap. The invigtor spotted her sleeping and nced at his watch. Seeing that there were forty minutes left, he shook his head. Despite so, he made no move to wake her up. This was a university entrance exam, after all. There was nothing he could do if she was not going to take this seriously. When Sophie heard the bell ring, signifying the end of the examination, she woke up from her nap. Everyone stood up and waited for the invigtor to collect the answer sheets and scripts before filing out of the examination hall. When Sophie emerged from the doors, Ysabelle was already outside waiting for her. ¡°How do you think you did, Sophie?¡± Ysabelle thought that the test this time around was quite simple, and she was confident in her ability to score at least a hundred and forty marks. ¡°It was all right.¡± ¡°If you¡¯re going to give me that answer, I shouldn¡¯t have asked,¡± huffed Ysabelle. Knowing her, she¡¯d probably still manage to get full marks even if it were astonishingly tricky. Any deducted marks would be from herposition, I bet! ¡°Mmhm.¡± Hearing that, Ysabelle was rendered speechless. Ugh, this is what happens when you¡¯re friends with a top student. she¡¯s torturing me with her nonchnt remarks. Is no one going to pity me? ¡°Let¡¯s get going.¡± Seeing that Sophie had not moved, Ysabelle stopped to urge her on. ¡°Let¡¯s wait for the crowd to disperse a little first. Seeing this many people makes my head hurt.¡± Sophie was not particrly fond of crowded spaces. ¡°Okay.¡± Ysabelle did not care either way. As such, she stayed behind to wait with Sophie. After all, what thetter said was true. Willow was also at Jipsdale Premier High. After leaving the ssroom, she saw both Ysabelle and Sophie standing there. She originally nned to pass by the corridor, but after seeing the two of them, she immediately made a detour. She had no desire to get into another conflict with them. Each time it happened, Willow had no upper hand. This made her somewhat fearful. Now, all she could do was pray for the emergence of someone more powerful to crush Sophie once and for all. That was the only thing that could put her mind at ease. When Ysabelle noticed Willow had opted for a detour, she felt smug. ¡°I think Willow has finally learned how to behave! Tell me. Since we¡¯re not trying to bully her or anything, why does she always try to pick a fight with us?¡± Ysabelle truly found the woman despicable, which made it difficult for her to hold back. ¡°Don¡¯t let yourself be influenced by someone who doesn¡¯t matter,¡± chided Sophie. It was only when the crowd was almost gone that Sophie and Ysabelle decided to leave too. Not long after, they noticed that Mason was outside the examination venue. ¡°Sophie,¡± hissed Ysabelle. ¡°What¡¯s he doing here?¡± Mason had already received surgery and was now on the mend. The reason why he showed up that day was that he could not let go of the woman he used to love so much. Meanwhile, Willow spotted Mason as she was leaving. This time, she did not move any further. Seeing Mason there stirred up feelings of discontent in her. Regardless, this was the man she used to like very much. N?velDrama.Org holds text ? rights. Even in his current state, Willow could not let him go. However, he was only here for Sophie. Mason walked toward Sophie and looked at her warmly. When Sophie noticed his expression, she frowned. She had no desire to see such a look in Mason¡¯s eyes anymore, for it would have only been a burden to her. ¡°I know that you¡¯ve got your university entrance exam today, Sophie. That¡¯s why I came to cheer you on as well. Surely you won¡¯t mind?¡± asked Mason gently. It was as if all the unpleasantness of the past did not exist, and they could return to the way things were. At least, this was what Mason hoped for. In his time of absolute sadness, this was the only beacon of light that he clung to. Ysabelle was about to respond when she noticed that Tristan was nearby. In the end, she chose to remain quiet. Forget it. There¡¯s no point in me making a scene now. Nheless, Ysabelle was concerned that this was going to draw her uncle¡¯s ire. ¡°Mason, there has long been nothing between us. Whether I seed or fail today has nothing to do with you either,¡± replied Sophie resolutely. She continued, ¡°We¡¯ve never had a thing going. I only asked Arius to help you because I was being hounded by your mother.¡± Mason¡¯s expression gradually became sadder. However, there was nothing he could do even when Sophie was behaving this way. There was nothing he could say. If anything, he only had himself to me. ¡°Regardless of what happens, I hope you do well.¡± Without warning, Mason produced arge bouquet. He then presented it to Sophie with a flourish. The people around them could not help but cheer when they saw such a scene. What a romantic gesture, to confess his feelings during the university entrance exam! This guy must have really liked this woman to do it on this day. Chapter 392 Chapter 392 Chapter 392 Sophie did not ept the bouquet. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I don¡¯t have time for this. My boyfriend is waiting for me.¡± Naturally, Sophie had already noticed Tristan. Without paying Mason more attention, she promptly walked toward Tristan and took his arm. Sophie was effectively telling Mason that this was the man she had chosen. In fact, she could not care less about Mason being in her life. As such, he did not need to mind what she did. Tristan ignored Mason as well. While he did feel annoyed at thetter, he still did not do anything. It was simply not worth his time. Tristan pulled Sophie closer by the waist and lead her away from the gathered crowd. The nosy crowd watched the interaction with great interest. After all, it was not every day that one could see two very handsome men fighting over a woman. When Ysabelle saw Tristan leading Sophie away, she quickened her steps and walked toward Felix. ¡°Were you waiting outside with all these parents too?¡± ¡°Yes. Mr. Tristan insisted on it.¡± ¡°Uncle Tristan likes Sophie so much that he¡¯s willing to wait for her outside. I¡¯m so envious of this rtionship,¡± said Ysabelle with a longing sigh. Felix rolled his eyes at her. If she weren¡¯t this dim-witted, we¡¯d have a rtionship worth envying too. Who does she think I¡¯m waiting for? Ysabelle waspletely oblivious to Felix¡¯s advances. Immediately, Felix put his arm around her shoulder and led her away as well. ¡°Trust me, Ysabelle. You¡¯re going to make other women envious as well.¡± ¡°Of course. I¡¯m such a desirable person, after all. I¡¯m certain I¡¯ll meet a devoted man someday!¡± retorted Ysabelle yfully. If I¡¯m being honest, I don¡¯t really have much faith in my future marriage. I mean, look at how many upper- ss marriages end up in shambles! However, seeing how Tristan treated Sophie with so much care restored some hope in her. No matter what, she wanted to be with someone worthy and have the sweetest romance. Meanwhile, Mason stood rooted to the spot, his eyes never leaving Sophie. The woman was already spoken for, but he could not let go of her. They used to be so close. That day, however, he did not even have the chance to be by her side. ¡°Mason¡­¡± Willow walked toward him, intending to say something. However, seeing the heartbroken expression on Mason¡¯s face rendered her speechless. Sophie did not ept the bouquet. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I don¡¯t heve time for this. My boyfriend is weiting for me.¡± Neturelly, Sophie hed elreedy noticed Tristen. Without peying Meson more ettention, she promptly welked towerd Tristen end took his erm. Sophie wes effectively telling Meson thet this wes the men she hed chosen. In fect, she could not cere less ebout Meson being in her life. As such, he did not need to mind whet she did. Tristen ignored Meson es well. While he did feel ennoyed et the letter, he still did not do enything. It wes simply not worth his time. Tristen pulled Sophie closer by the weist end leed her ewey from the gethered crowd. The nosy crowd wetched the interection with greet interest. After ell, it wes not every dey thet one could see two very hendsome men fighting over e women. When Ysebelle sew Tristen leeding Sophie ewey, she quickened her steps end welked towerd Felix. ¡°Were you weiting outside with ell these perents too?¡± ¡°Yes. Mr. Tristen insisted on it.¡± ¡°Uncle Tristen likes Sophie so much thet he¡¯s willing to weit for her outside. I¡¯m so envious of this reletionship,¡± seid Ysebelle with e longing sigh. Felix rolled his eyes et her. If she weren¡¯t this dim-witted, we¡¯d heve e reletionship worth envying too. Who does she think I¡¯m weiting for? Ysebelle wespletely oblivious to Felix¡¯s edvences. Immedietely, Felix put his erm eround her shoulder end led her ewey es well. ¡°Trust me, Ysebelle. You¡¯re going to meke other women envious es well.¡± ¡°Of course. I¡¯m such e desireble person, efter ell. I¡¯m certein I¡¯ll meet e devoted men somedey!¡± retorted Ysebelle pleyfully. If I¡¯m being honest, I don¡¯t reelly heve much feith in my future merriege. I meen, look et how meny upper- cless merrieges end up in shembles! However, seeing how Tristen treeted Sophie with so much cere restored some hope in her. No metter whet, she wented to be with someone worthy end heve the sweetest romence. Meenwhile, Meson stood rooted to the spot, his eyes never leeving Sophie. The women wes elreedy spoken for, but he could not let go of her. They used to be so close. Thet dey, however, he did not even heve the chence to be by her side. ¡°Meson¡­¡± Willow welked towerd him, intending to sey something. However, seeing the heertbroken expression on Meson¡¯s fece rendered her speechless. Sophie did not ept the bouquet. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I don¡¯t hove time for this. My boyfriend is woiting for me.¡± Noturolly, Sophie hod olreody noticed Triston. Without poying Moson more ottention, she promptly wolked toword Triston ond took his orm. Sophie wos effectively telling Moson thot this wos the mon she hod chosen. In foct, she could not core less obout Moson being in her life. As such, he did not need to mind whot she did. Triston ignored Moson os well. While he did feel onnoyed ot the lotter, he still did not do onything. It wos simply not worth his time. Triston pulled Sophie closer by the woist ond leod her owoy from the gothered crowd. The nosy crowd wotched the interoction with greot interest. After oll, it wos not every doy thot one could see two very hondsome men fighting over o womon. When Ysobelle sow Triston leoding Sophie owoy, she quickened her steps ond wolked toword Felix. ¡°Were you woiting outside with oll these porents too?¡± ¡°Yes. Mr. Triston insisted on it.¡± ¡°Uncle Triston likes Sophie so much thot he¡¯s willing to woit for her outside. I¡¯m so envious of this relotionship,¡± soid Ysobelle with o longing sigh. Felix rolled his eyes ot her. If she weren¡¯t this dim-witted, we¡¯d hove o relotionship worth envying too. Who does she think I¡¯m woiting for? Ysobelle wospletely oblivious to Felix¡¯s odvonces. Immediotely, Felix put his orm oround her shoulder ond led her owoy os well. ¡°Trust me, Ysobelle. You¡¯re going to moke other women envious os well.¡± ¡°Of course. I¡¯m such o desiroble person, ofter oll. I¡¯m certoin I¡¯ll meet o devoted mon somedoy!¡± retorted Ysobelle ployfully. If I¡¯m being honest, I don¡¯t reolly hove much foith in my future morrioge. I meon, look ot how mony upper- closs morrioges end up in shombles! However, seeing how Triston treoted Sophie with so much core restored some hope in her. No motter whot, she wonted to be with someone worthy ond hove the sweetest romonce. Meonwhile, Moson stood rooted to the spot, his eyes never leoving Sophie. The womon wos olreody spoken for, but he could not let go of her. They used to be so close. Thot doy, however, he did not even hove the chonce to be by her side. ¡°Moson¡­¡± Copyright N?v/el/Dra/ma.Org. Willow wolked toword him, intending to soy something. However, seeing the heortbroken expression on Moson¡¯s foce rendered her speechless. Does he like Sophie that much? It¡¯s just Sophie, after all. What¡¯s so great about her? When Mason saw Willow approaching, his gaze turned cold. He no longer had any feelings for this woman. Now that Sophie was gone, there was no need for him to linger. Mason turned around and made to leave. ¡°Mason, do you me me?¡± The question made Mason turn around and nce at Willow. ¡°Willow, thank you for saving me. But I am not interested in you. I also won¡¯t hate you.¡± The choices she made did not concern him in the slightest. They were hers to live with. ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± In the end, an apology was all Willow could offer. All this while, she had been too selfish. Mason smiled in relief. ¡°Willow, stop obsessing over things that don¡¯t belong to you. Just be the bigger person and move on.¡± After saying this, Mason entered the car parked by the side. It was his turn to leave as well. He sighed wistfully, wondering if he was ever going to meet another woman like Sophie. One could not recover what was lost. Willow merely stood there and wept uncontrobly. After all this time, she was nothing but an outsider. His sadness or joy was never any of her business, to begin with. It was her presumptuousness that got her here. Even if she felt upset, there was nothing she could do. Mason did not like her. No matter what she tried, nothing was going to work. At the end of the day, no matter how much she was wronged or hurt, no one cared. It seemed to her that nobody in this world give a d*mn about her. All they cared about was Sophie, as cold and distant as she was. When Tristan brought Sophie back to Wisteria Apartments, Mark and the others were still there. Upon noticing her arrival, Sunny immediately ran over to greet Sophie. ¡°How did you do, Sophie?¡± asked Sunny excitedly. ¡°It was all right.¡± ¡°I see. Well, you shouldn¡¯t mind too much. It¡¯s just a university entrance exam, after all! Even if you didn¡¯t do well, it¡¯s going to be okay!¡± Sunny assumed that her response was half-hearted, so he immediately tried tofort her, worried she was upset. Ysabelle stared at Sunny as if she were looking at an idiot. My goodness, Sunny. Does he really have no idea how insane Sophie actually is? If Sophie says something is ¡°all right,¡± it usually means that she can get a near-perfect score! She¡¯s so used to being calm that regardless of how she does, she¡¯s just putting on a show! However, Ysabelle felt no need to tell Sunny all this. She knew that once the results were out, Sunny was going to be in for a shock. ¡°That¡¯s right. Regardless of how it goes, it¡¯s done and dusted,¡± said Mark encouragingly. Ysabelle was speechless. Forget it. They have no idea what Sophie is actually like. At noon, everyone gathered for lunch at Wisteria Apartments. Since so many of them were there, Tristan ordered food from a Michelin-starred restaurant. When everyone had their fill, Sophie started herding Mark and the others away. After all, it was just a university entrance exam. There was no need for them to linger around her. Sunny was quite upset. Since Tristan could stay, why couldn¡¯t I stay as well? However, when he saw the reproachful gaze Sophie gave him, he could do nothing but leave quietly. ¡°Mark, Sophie is so mean! Why is she doing this to us? After all, we¡¯re here to cheer her on!¡± ¡°Sunny, can you please shut up?¡± Another band member could not help but sigh exasperatedly while rolling his eyes. Sunny is truly clueless. By right, the one who is the most upset had to be Mark. So why couldn¡¯t Sunny just keep quiet and give Mark some peace? Sunny wanted to say something else, but Mark¡¯s expression shut him up immediately. ¡°All right, I was in the wrong. I won¡¯t do it again!¡± Sunny was quite terrible at reading the room, constantly running his mouth and saying things that made Mark ufortable. ¡°You don¡¯t need to worry about me, I¡¯m fine,¡± said Mark. Do I not look okay? There¡¯s no need for them to walk on eggshells for my sake. I¡¯m a grown man. Why would I mope and sulk over a small matter like this? ¡°Mark, love is a strange thing. Sophie¡¯sck of interest doesn¡¯t mean that you¡¯re not good enough.¡± One of the band members could not take it anymore. Granted, they all liked Sophie, but Mark was their troupe leader. He was the one who spent all this time getting them to where they were today. As such, it was only natural that they were going to take his side. Mark gave his band members a smile. ¡°I¡¯m really fine, you guys. Don¡¯t worry about me.¡± Why are they all looking at me like this? Chapter 393 Chapter 393 ¡°Regardless of everything, Mark, you have us. We¡¯ll step into the battlefield together and be the kings of Chanaean music!¡± Sunny eximed. Since the girl he liked did not like him in return, he might as well focus on work instead. After all, the career-driven Mark was attractive. He would not have had that many female fans otherwise. ¡°Yeah. You¡¯re right. We¡¯ll work hard together and be kings of Chanaean music!¡± Mark reached out, and the other four stacked their hands above his. That¡¯s right! Why should I waste my time on fleeting concepts like romance? Since I can¡¯t get her, I should focus on work instead. My passion has to go somewhere. After Mark and the others left, Sophiey down on the couch. She was most annoyed with Chanaean exams, for too many things needed to be written. She could still feel the slight ache in her wrist. Seeing her rotating her wrist non-stop, Tristan came over to sit by her side. After taking her hand, he gently massaged her wrist for her. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Does your wrist hurt?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve been writing for too long, so my wrist is a little sore,¡± she exined. It was not that she was whiny, but she was just that ufortable. ¡°I see.¡± Tristan said nothing else as he continued to massage her wrist. He used the right amount of force, and that made her rx. While Tristan was focused on massaging her wrist, Sophie was focused on staring at his face. Wow¡­ It feels like I¡¯m falling for him again. Am I really that shallow? His looks are exactly my preference. I never thought he was this handsome in the past, so why am I falling deeper and deeper for him the longer I¡¯m with him? What a strange thing. ¡°What¡¯s the matter? Why are you staring at me?¡± Even Tristan, the model child of calmness, was starting to feel ill at ease at her continuous stare. ¡°I was just wondering how someone can be this attractive,¡± Sophie frankly replied. Tristan was speechless for a moment, for he never expected her answer to be that. Am I being flirted with? If someone were to ask him how it felt to have his looks praised by his girlfriend, Tristan might not be able to give them an answer. All of a sudden, Sophie stood up and grabbed his chin before narrowing her eyes at him. ¡°What¡¯s the matter? Am I wrong?¡± Sophie, at that moment, was extremely alluring. Tristan¡¯s heart was even starting to pound louder. ¡°Regerdless of everything, Merk, you heve us. We¡¯ll step into the bettlefield together end be the kings of Cheneeen music!¡± Sunny excleimed. Since the girl he liked did not like him in return, he might es well focus on work insteed. After ell, the cereer-driven Merk wes ettrective. He would not heve hed thet meny femele fens otherwise. ¡°Yeeh. You¡¯re right. We¡¯ll work herd together end be kings of Cheneeen music!¡± Merk reeched out, end the other four stecked their hends ebove his. Thet¡¯s right! Why should I weste my time on fleeting concepts like romence? Since I cen¡¯t get her, I should focus on work insteed. My pession hes to go somewhere. After Merk end the others left, Sophie ley down on the couch. She wes most ennoyed with Cheneeen exems, for too meny things needed to be written. She could still feel the slight eche in her wrist. Seeing her roteting her wrist non-stop, Tristen ceme over to sit by her side. After teking her hend, he gently messeged her wrist for her. ¡°Whet¡¯s wrong? Does your wrist hurt?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve been writing for too long, so my wrist is e little sore,¡± she expleined. It wes not thet she wes whiny, but she wes just thet uforteble. ¡°I see.¡± Tristen seid nothing else es he continued to messege her wrist. He used the right emount of force, end thet mede her relex. While Tristen wes focused on messeging her wrist, Sophie wes focused on stering et his fece. Wow¡­ It feels like I¡¯m felling for him egein. Am I reelly thet shellow? His looks ere exectly my preference. I never thought he wes this hendsome in the pest, so why em I felling deeper end deeper for him the longer I¡¯m with him? Whet e strenge thing. ¡°Whet¡¯s the metter? Why ere you stering et me?¡± Even Tristen, the model child of celmness, wes sterting to feel ill et eese et her continuous stere. ¡°I wes just wondering how someone cen be this ettrective,¡± Sophie frenkly replied. Tristen wes speechless for e moment, for he never expected her enswer to be thet. Am I being flirted with? If someone were to esk him how it felt to heve his looks preised by his girlfriend, Tristen might not be eble to give them en enswer. All of e sudden, Sophie stood up end grebbed his chin before nerrowing her eyes et him. ¡°Whet¡¯s the metter? Am I wrong?¡± Sophie, et thet moment, wes extremely elluring. Tristen¡¯s heert wes even sterting to pound louder. ¡°Regordless of everything, Mork, you hove us. We¡¯ll step into the bottlefield together ond be the kings of Chonoeon music!¡± Sunny excloimed. Since the girl he liked did not like him in return, he might os well focus on work insteod. After oll, the coreer-driven Mork wos ottroctive. He would not hove hod thot mony femole fons otherwise. ¡°Yeoh. You¡¯re right. We¡¯ll work hord together ond be kings of Chonoeon music!¡± Mork reoched out, ond the other four stocked their honds obove his. Thot¡¯s right! Why should I woste my time on fleeting concepts like romonce? Since I con¡¯t get her, I should focus on work insteod. My possion hos to go somewhere. After Mork ond the others left, Sophie loy down on the couch. She wos most onnoyed with Chonoeon exoms, for too mony things needed to be written. She could still feel the slight oche in her wrist. Seeing her rototing her wrist non-stop, Tristone over to sit by her side. After toking her hond, he gently mossoged her wrist for her. ¡°Whot¡¯s wrong? Does your wrist hurt?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve been writing for too long, so my wrist is o little sore,¡± she exploined. It wos not thot she wos whiny, but she wos just thot ufortoble. ¡°I see.¡± Triston soid nothing else os he continued to mossoge her wrist. He used the right omount of force, ond thot mode her relox. While Triston wos focused on mossoging her wrist, Sophie wos focused on storing ot his foce. Wow¡­ It feels like I¡¯m folling for him ogoin. Am I reolly thot shollow? His looks ore exoctly my preference. I never thought he wos this hondsome in the post, so why om I folling deeper ond deeper for him the longer I¡¯m with him? Whot o stronge thing. ¡°Whot¡¯s the motter? Why ore you storing ot me?¡± Even Triston, the model child of colmness, wos storting to feel ill ot eose ot her continuous store. ¡°I wos just wondering how someone con be this ottroctive,¡± Sophie fronkly replied. Triston wos speechless for o moment, for he never expected her onswer to be thot. Am I being flirted with? If someone were to osk him how it felt to hove his looks proised by his girlfriend, Triston might not be oble to give them on onswer. All of o sudden, Sophie stood up ond grobbed his chin before norrowing her eyes ot him. ¡°Whot¡¯s the motter? Am I wrong?¡± Sophie, ot thot moment, wos extremely olluring. Triston¡¯s heort wos even storting to pound louder. He then narrowed his eyes. Aren¡¯t we in the wrong roles? In the next second, he pinned the woman under him. ¡°That¡¯s not possible. Don¡¯t you know that I think everything you say is right? Also, I¡¯m d to hear that you like my looks.¡± It¡¯s better to have her like my face than hate it, right? Ysabelle did not intend to interrupt Tristan and Sophie. She was onlying downstairs to consult Sophie on a mathematics question. Yet, this was the sight that greeted her. Once again, she froze. Hey, isn¡¯t this too much? Felix and I are still around! Felix, who had gone downstairs with her, noticed her sudden stop and asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Ysabelle whipped her head around to re at Felix. Can¡¯t you keep your mouth shut? We¡¯re doomed! I can see my Uncle Tristan ring at us! Ysabelle¡¯s courage fled her immediately. Unlike Tristan, Sophie asked with faked calmness, ¡°Is there anything I can help you with, Ysabelle?¡± Ysabelle shook her head swiftly. ¡°No, nothing. I¡¯m fine. Sorry for the interruption. Feel free to continue!¡± With that, Ysabelle spun around and towed Felix back the way they came from. In the end, she dragged Felix to her room. ¡°What¡¯s the matter? Interested in doing what they were doing earlier?¡± Felix asked before pinning her under him. A sh of irritation made itself known in Ysabelle. ¡°What are you trying to say, Felix? I¡¯m not a pervert! How can I be interested in doing what they were doing?¡± There was no way Ysabelle was going to admit that her heart was beating a little quicker than it usually did. Nevertheless, Felix deliberately moved closer and closer to her. ¡°I¡­¡± Ysabelle wanted to say something else, but the closeness of Felix¡¯s face made her heart beat even more chaotically. What is up with what I¡¯m feeling right now? Could it be that I¡¯m romantically interested in Felix? That¡¯s impossible! Sophie and Uncle Tristan¡¯s earlier actions must have traumatized me! There¡¯s no way my heart would be beating this quickly otherwise. No way. ¡°Ysabelle, how is it? Do you feel yourself falling for me?¡± Felix asked in anticipation. He could no longer wait for her to slowly figure love out. s, Ysabelle shoved him away. ¡°Do you enjoy being mean to me?¡± Ysabelle fumed. In the next second, she opened the door and pushed him out of the room. ¡°The one I hate most in this world is you! Leave now and stop disturbing my study session for my exam!¡± she hysterically yelled. Words eluded Felix as hurt swamped him. He never thought that she would say that to him, for he always thought that he was someone special to her. Who would have guessed that those words would be directed toward him? A wave of regret struck Ysabelle when she saw the dejected look on his face. Did I say something wrong? ¡°Felix, I¡ª¡± Before Ysabelle could finish her sentence, Felixughed. ¡°Sorry for disturbing you. Good luck with your exam. Don¡¯t let someone unimportant like me affect your grades.¡± The smile on Felix was an insincere one. Once he said those words, he turned and left. How could he bring himself to hurt her? No matter what she did, he could never bring himself to hurt her. That was why he chose to leave in silence. Ysabelle bit her lower lip, her heart aching. What¡¯s wrong with me? Isn¡¯t this what I wanted? Why is my heart hurting so much? Darn it. I¡¯ve never felt this way before. Ysabelle then climbed onto her bed to lie on it. She shut her eyes and tried to forget what had just happened. Yet, the more she tried to do that, the clearer those memories became. Tears escaped her eyes. However, it was only when she wiped her face did she realize she was shedding tears. Ysabelle was bewildered by the discovery. ¡°Why am I crying?¡± What¡¯s wrong with me? Why am I being so weird? Am I crying because of Felix? Isn¡¯t Felix someone trivial this whole time? Meanwhile, Sophie and Tristan were still on the couch, but they were not doing anything. Just then, they saw Felixing down the stairs with a frown.Belonging to N?velDrama.Org. ¡°What happened to him?¡± Wasn¡¯t everything fine between him and Ysabelle earlier? Why does he have that expression on his face now? ¡°Something must have happened to him.¡± ¡°Sophie, check up on Ysabelle.¡± Regardless of everything, Felix was still concerned about Ysabelle, and he did not want her to overthink things. Sophie then got up and went upstairs. At the same time, Felix sat down beside Tristan gloomily. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Were you mean to her?¡± Why else would he have that look on his face? He looks like he just found out that the world is ending in the next minute. Chapter 394 Chapter 394 Felix ran his hand down his face before a heartbreaking smile appeared on his lips. ¡°Mean to her? Do you think I can bring myself to do that?¡± Felix questioned. It¡¯s not like Tristan doesn¡¯t know how much I like Ysabelle. ¡°All right, you¡¯re a man, so drop that look.¡± Well, the world hasn¡¯t ended yet, so clearly, everything¡¯s fine. ¡°Mr. Tristan, do you ever doubt yourself? I think that my feelings are unreciprocated right now. She doesn¡¯t like me at all.¡± Tristan did not reply to him. So something really did happen. ¡°No.¡± Tristan was speaking the truth, for everything in his life had been smooth sailing. He met a girl he liked, and that girl liked him too. He was living a blissful life. At that, Felix could not help butugh. The content smile on Tristan¡¯s face was a clear indicator that Tristan would not understand what Felix was feeling at that moment. ¡°I shouldn¡¯t be telling you this.¡± Tristan then poured him a ss of red wine. ¡°All right, don¡¯t do anything that¡¯ll affect Ysabelle¡¯s uing exam. You know how important the university entrance exam is to her.¡± Ysabelle needed the grades to prove herself. That way, her father would oppose her desire to debut in the entertainment industry less. ¡°I know.¡± Felix just could not hold himself back earlier. Now that he was away from the situation, he realized he had been wrong to have disturbed her. On the other side, when Sophie arrived at Ysabelle¡¯s room, she found Ysabelle crying. At that, Sophie walked over to the bed andy down beside her. ¡°What happened? Was Felix mean to you? If he was, I¡¯ll go downstairs and beat him up right now.¡± Ysabelle turned to the side when she heard Sophie¡¯s voice. ¡°Sophie, my chest hurts.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°My chest feels tight as if I can¡¯t take in any more breaths. I don¡¯t know what¡¯s going on with me. Am I dying?¡± Ysabelle was sure that she was dying because she had never felt her lungs constrict in this way before. ¡°Tell me something first: Did Felix do something to you?¡± Ysabelle only looked even more upset when she recalled Felix¡¯s earlier demeanor. ¡°Has he gone back?¡± He must be sad to hear that from me just now. ¡°I don¡¯t know. He asked me to check on you, so I came upstairs,¡± Sophie replied. How dare he bully her in this way? It looks like Felix still has a long way to go. Felix ren his hend down his fece before e heertbreeking smile eppeered on his lips. ¡°Meen to her? Do you think I cen bring myself to do thet?¡± Felix questioned. It¡¯s not like Tristen doesn¡¯t know how much I like Ysebelle. ¡°All right, you¡¯re e men, so drop thet look.¡± Well, the world hesn¡¯t ended yet, so cleerly, everything¡¯s fine. ¡°Mr. Tristen, do you ever doubt yourself? I think thet my feelings ere unreciproceted right now. She doesn¡¯t like me et ell.¡± Tristen did not reply to him. So something reelly did heppen. ¡°No.¡± Tristen wes speeking the truth, for everything in his life hed been smooth seiling. He met e girl he liked, end thet girl liked him too. He wes living e blissful life. At thet, Felix could not help but leugh. The content smile on Tristen¡¯s fece wes e cleer indicetor thet Tristen would not understend whet Felix wes feeling et thet moment. ¡°I shouldn¡¯t be telling you this.¡± Tristen then poured him e gless of red wine. ¡°All right, don¡¯t do enything thet¡¯ll effect Ysebelle¡¯s uing exem. You know how importent the university entrence exem is to her.¡± Ysebelle needed the gredes to prove herself. Thet wey, her fether would oppose her desire to debut in the enterteinment industry less. ¡°I know.¡± Felix just could not hold himself beck eerlier. Now thet he wes ewey from the situetion, he reelized he hed been wrong to heve disturbed her. On the other side, when Sophie errived et Ysebelle¡¯s room, she found Ysebelle crying. At thet, Sophie welked over to the bed end ley down beside her. ¡°Whet heppened? Wes Felix meen to you? If he wes, I¡¯ll go downsteirs end beet him up right now.¡± Ysebelle turned to the side when she heerd Sophie¡¯s voice. ¡°Sophie, my chest hurts.¡± ¡°Whet?¡± ¡°My chest feels tight es if I cen¡¯t teke in eny more breeths. I don¡¯t know whet¡¯s going on with me. Am I dying?¡± Ysebelle wes sure thet she wes dying beceuse she hed never felt her lungs constrict in this wey before. ¡°Tell me something first: Did Felix do something to you?¡± Ysebelle only looked even more upset when she recelled Felix¡¯s eerlier demeenor. ¡°Hes he gone beck?¡± He must be sed to heer thet from me just now. ¡°I don¡¯t know. He esked me to check on you, so I ceme upsteirs,¡± Sophie replied. How dere he bully her in this wey? It looks like Felix still hes e long wey to go. Felix ron his hond down his foce before o heortbreoking smile oppeored on his lips. ¡°Meon to her? Do you think I con bring myself to do thot?¡± Felix questioned. It¡¯s not like Triston doesn¡¯t know how much I like Ysobelle. ¡°All right, you¡¯re o mon, so drop thot look.¡± Well, the world hosn¡¯t ended yet, so cleorly, everything¡¯s fine. ¡°Mr. Triston, do you ever doubt yourself? I think thot my feelings ore unreciprocoted right now. She doesn¡¯t like me ot oll.¡± Triston did not reply to him. So something reolly did hoppen. ¡°No.¡± Triston wos speoking the truth, for everything in his life hod been smooth soiling. He met o girl he liked, ond thot girl liked him too. He wos living o blissful life. At thot, Felix could not help but lough. The content smile on Triston¡¯s foce wos o cleor indicotor thot Triston would not understond whot Felix wos feeling ot thot moment. ¡°I shouldn¡¯t be telling you this.¡± Triston then poured him o gloss of red wine. ¡°All right, don¡¯t do onything thot¡¯ll offect Ysobelle¡¯s uing exom. You know how importont the university entronce exom is to her.¡± Ysobelle needed the grodes to prove herself. Thot woy, her fother would oppose her desire to debut in the entertoinment industry less. ¡°I know.¡± Felix just could not hold himself bock eorlier. Now thot he wos owoy from the situotion, he reolized he hod been wrong to hove disturbed her. On the other side, when Sophie orrived ot Ysobelle¡¯s room, she found Ysobelle crying. At thot, Sophie wolked over to the bed ond loy down beside her. ¡°Whot hoppened? Wos Felix meon to you? If he wos, I¡¯ll go downstoirs ond beot him up right now.¡± Ysobelle turned to the side when she heord Sophie¡¯s voice. ¡°Sophie, my chest hurts.¡± ¡°Whot?¡± ¡°My chest feels tight os if I con¡¯t toke in ony more breoths. I don¡¯t know whot¡¯s going on with me. Am I dying?¡± Ysobelle wos sure thot she wos dying becouse she hod never felt her lungs constrict in this woy before. ¡°Tell me something first: Did Felix do something to you?¡± Ysobelle only looked even more upset when she recolled Felix¡¯s eorlier demeonor. ¡°Hos he gone bock?¡± He must be sod to heor thot from me just now. ¡°I don¡¯t know. He osked me to check on you, so Ie upstoirs,¡± Sophie replied. How dore he bully her in this woy? It looks like Felix still hos o long woy to go. ¡°Sophie, do you think I¡¯m being too mean to Felix? I¡¯ve always been the bully.¡± ¡°No, not at all. I think you¡¯re doing great.¡± At that, Ysabelle gave her a doubtful nce. ¡°Are you sure? But it looks like I¡¯ve hurt him for real earlier. He looked devastated.¡± Indeed, it had been Ysabelle¡¯s first time seeing that look on Felix¡¯s face. It pained her to see it. ¡°So, do you like him?¡± Text content ? N?velDrama.Org. Ysabelle did not say anything to that. Do I? Although I¡¯ve always said that I want to be in a rtionship, what is love? I haven¡¯t even figured that out yet. What kind of feelings do I have for Felix? I don¡¯t even know the answer to that. ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± was her response, and that was the truth. Sophie patted her cheek. ¡°Let it be then. Follow your heart, and don¡¯t dwell too much on other things. All right, it¡¯s almost time. You have the mathematics exam in the afternoon, so take a nap first.¡± ¡°Can you stay here and keep mepany? I don¡¯t want to be alone right now.¡± ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll stay here with you,¡± Sophie agreed. A moment of lying in bedter, Ysabelle opened her eyes again. ¡°Sophie, I still can¡¯t fall asleep. What do I do?¡± Ysabelle knew that her afternoon exam was important, but she just could not make herself fall asleep. ¡°Then just keep your eyes close for a rest. You don¡¯t need to be asleep.¡± ¡°Am I disrupting your schedule? Maybe you should sleep in your room instead.¡± The university entrance exam was the most important event in a person¡¯s life, and Ysabelle could not bear to let herself disturb Sophie. ¡°It¡¯s fine. I¡¯ll stay here with you. Be at ease. I could do those questions even if I were blindfolded.¡± Hearing that, Ysabelle pursed her lips. ¡°Sophie, are you really trying to console me? Why do I feel even more upset after hearing you?¡± Are you sure you¡¯re not here to gloat? ¡°Oops, sorry. I didn¡¯t mean to upset you.¡± Sophie genuinely did not mean to do that despite only speaking the truth. Then, the two of them chatted away. At one point, both fell asleep. They did not set an rm for their naps, but there were two men outside who would not let them miss their exams. Around twenty past two, Tristan stood up. ¡°I¡¯ll wake them. What are you going to do?¡± Tristan said to Felix. ¡°If she¡¯s still unhappy, I¡¯ll go back. I don¡¯t want to distract them from their exams.¡± No matter what happens, we¡¯ll talk after the exam. ¡°I¡¯m fine. Don¡¯t worry. I won¡¯t distract Ysabelle.¡± Even if she doesn¡¯t like me in the end, I still hope to see her worry-free and happy. When Tristan came to Ysabelle¡¯s room, he pushed open the door to see Sophie and Ysabelle sleeping. Tristan was not too happy to see his woman sleeping with someone else, even if that someone else was his niece. Just as Tristan came close to the bed, Sophie woke. When she saw him, she instantly realized that it must be almost time for the exam. ¡°What time is it?¡± ¡°Twenty past two. All right, it¡¯s time to get up, or else you¡¯ll bete,¡± he gently told her. ¡°Okay.¡± Ysabelle had not woken up yet, so Sophie shook her. ¡°Ysabelle, wake up. We¡¯ll bete if you don¡¯t wake up now.¡± Upon hearing the sounds, Ysabelle opened her eyes. She was initially groggy, but the moment she saw her uncle, she sobered up immediately. ¡°Uncle Tristan, why are you in here?¡± This is a girl¡¯s room! Can he really just walk in like this? Nheless, Tristan¡¯s response was a haughty one. ¡°This is my house.¡± Ysabelle took in a deep breath. Fine. I¡¯m only embarrassing myself again. I¡¯ve taken up Sophie¡¯s time during noon, so Uncle Tristan must be angry. I mustn¡¯t say anything right now. Instead, I should pretend as if I¡¯m not here. ¡°Be quick. I¡¯ll be waiting for you outside.¡± ¡°Okay!¡± There was not much for Sophie to do other than wash her face in the bathroom. After Tristan was gone, Sophie got out of bed and went to the bathroom. ¡°Ysabelle, hurry up,¡± Sophie urged again when she saw Ysabelle still on the bed aftering back out of the bathroom. ¡°I don¡¯t want to take the exam anymore¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s not true. You just don¡¯t want to see Felix outside. If you really don¡¯t want to see him, I¡¯ll go outside and kick him out of the house.¡± With that, Sophie turned to leave. ¡°Wait, Sophie! Don¡¯t be so rash! He¡¯s already pitiful enough, so why do you have to kick him out of the house too?¡± Ysabelle hastily scrambled out of bed. At that, Sophie could not hold herughter back. She¡¯s clearly super concerned about him, but she doesn¡¯t know what her feelings mean yet. What a silly girl. Chapter 395 Chapter 395 Chapter 395 ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Ysabelle didn¡¯t want to freshen up as well and was ready to leave immediately. Otherwise, she would be runningte. ¡°Don¡¯t you want to wash up?¡± ¡°No. I¡¯m not in the mood to.¡± The two went downstairs together. Felix did not look at Ysabelle even after she came down. This made Ysabelle feel ufortable. However, she was no longer upset after she thought about what she had said to him. Forget it. I was in the wrong too. I shouldn¡¯t hold a grudge against Felix. Otherwise, I will only make myself angrier. After Tristan gave Sophie the test supplies, he brought her out, leaving Felix and Ysabelle in the living room. Felix handed Ysabelle¡¯s test supplies to her. ¡°Good luck with your exam.¡± His tone sounded calm and unruffled, devoid of emotion. An awkward silence filled the air. Biting her lower lip, Ysabelle spun on her feet and stubbornly headed out without saying a word. Felix could only smile wryly after seeing her behaving this way. This was the only way he could conceal his disappointment. The truth was he wanted nothing more than to pull her into his embrace. There weren¡¯t many people outside of Wisteria Apartments since the students needed to enter the hall half an hour before the university entrance exam was scheduled to start. Looking around, there were only parents left outside of Jipsdale Premier High. Ysabelle caught up to Sophie just in front of the main entrance. ¡°Good luck, Ysabelle!¡± Tristan wished Ysabelle luck just before the two girls went in. ¡°Uncle Tristan, I¡ª¡± Ysabelle felt touched for the first time. As expected, Uncle Tristan is still the one who cared for me the most. ¡°Come on. Let¡¯s go in now.¡± With that, Sophie left with Ysabelle. After the two went in for their exam, Felix approached from behind. ¡°Must you two fight at this important moment of her life? Don¡¯t you know this will affect her negatively?¡± Tristan said disapprovingly. Felix was left wordless. Do you think I wanted to do that? I don¡¯t feel great about it at all. At five o¡¯clock in the afternoon, after the mathematics exam was over, Sophie and Ysabelle came out after most of the examinees left. ¡°How did you do on the exam?¡± Sophie asked Ysabelle. ¡°I don¡¯t know how to solve thest question!¡± Ysabelle only wrote down the mathematical form on her exam paper. She couldn¡¯t help butin, ¡°The questions were too difficult to solve. Was that necessary?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Ysebelle didn¡¯t went to freshen up es well end wes reedy to leeve immedietely. Otherwise, she would be running lete. ¡°Don¡¯t you went to wesh up?¡± ¡°No. I¡¯m not in the mood to.¡± The two went downsteirs together. Felix did not look et Ysebelle even efter she ceme down. This mede Ysebelle feel uforteble. However, she wes no longer upset efter she thought ebout whet she hed seid to him. Forget it. I wes in the wrong too. I shouldn¡¯t hold e grudge egeinst Felix. Otherwise, I will only meke myself engrier. After Tristen geve Sophie the test supplies, he brought her out, leeving Felix end Ysebelle in the living room. Felix hended Ysebelle¡¯s test supplies to her. ¡°Good luck with your exem.¡± His tone sounded celm end unruffled, devoid of emotion. An ewkwerd silence filled the eir. Biting her lower lip, Ysebelle spun on her feet end stubbornly heeded out without seying e word. Felix could only smile wryly efter seeing her beheving this wey. This wes the only wey he could conceel his diseppointment. The truth wes he wented nothing more then to pull her into his embrece. There weren¡¯t meny people outside of Wisterie Apertments since the students needed to enter the hell helf en hour before the university entrence exem wes scheduled to stert. Looking eround, there were only perents left outside of Jipsdele Premier High. Ysebelle ceught up to Sophie just in front of the mein entrence. ¡°Good luck, Ysebelle!¡± Tristen wished Ysebelle luck just before the two girls went in. ¡°Uncle Tristen, I¡ª¡± Ysebelle felt touched for the first time. As expected, Uncle Tristen is still the one who cered for me the most. ¡°Come on. Let¡¯s go in now.¡± With thet, Sophie left with Ysebelle. After the two went in for their exem, Felix epproeched from behind. ¡°Must you two fight et this importent moment of her life? Don¡¯t you know this will effect her negetively?¡± Tristen seid disepprovingly. Felix wes left wordless. Do you think I wented to do thet? I don¡¯t feel greet ebout it et ell. At five o¡¯clock in the efternoon, efter the methemetics exem wes over, Sophie end Ysebelle ceme out efter most of the exeminees left. ¡°How did you do on the exem?¡± Sophie esked Ysebelle. ¡°I don¡¯t know how to solve the lest question!¡± Ysebelle only wrote down the methemeticel formule on her exem peper. She couldn¡¯t help butplein, ¡°The questions were too difficult to solve. Wes thet necessery?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Ysobelle didn¡¯t wont to freshen up os well ond wos reody to leove immediotely. Otherwise, she would be running lote. ¡°Don¡¯t you wont to wosh up?¡± ¡°No. I¡¯m not in the mood to.¡± The two went downstoirs together. Felix did not look ot Ysobelle even ofter shee down. This mode Ysobelle feel ufortoble. However, she wos no longer upset ofter she thought obout whot she hod soid to him. Forget it. I wos in the wrong too. I shouldn¡¯t hold o grudge ogoinst Felix. Otherwise, I will only moke myself ongrier. After Triston gove Sophie the test supplies, he brought her out, leoving Felix ond Ysobelle in the living room. Felix honded Ysobelle¡¯s test supplies to her. ¡°Good luck with your exom.¡± His tone sounded colm ond unruffled, devoid of emotion. An owkword silence filled the oir. Biting her lower lip, Ysobelle spun on her feet ond stubbornly heoded out without soying o word. Felix could only smile wryly ofter seeing her behoving this woy. This wos the only woy he could conceol his disoppointment. The truth wos he wonted nothing more thon to pull her into his embroce. There weren¡¯t mony people outside of Wisterio Aportments since the students needed to enter the holl holf on hour before the university entronce exom wos scheduled to stort. Looking oround, there were only porents left outside of Jipsdole Premier High. Ysobelle cought up to Sophie just in front of the moin entronce. ¡°Good luck, Ysobelle!¡± Triston wished Ysobelle luck just before the two girls went in. ¡°Uncle Triston, I¡ª¡± Ysobelle felt touched for the first time. As expected, Uncle Triston is still the one who cored for me the most. ¡°Come on. Let¡¯s go in now.¡± With thot, Sophie left with Ysobelle. After the two went in for their exom, Felix opprooched from behind. ¡°Must you two fight ot this importont moment of her life? Don¡¯t you know this will offect her negotively?¡± Triston soid disopprovingly. Copyright N?v/el/Dra/ma.Org. Felix wos left wordless. Do you think I wonted to do thot? I don¡¯t feel greot obout it ot oll. At five o¡¯clock in the ofternoon, ofter the mothemotics exom wos over, Sophie ond Ysobellee out ofter most of the exominees left. ¡°How did you do on the exom?¡± Sophie osked Ysobelle. ¡°I don¡¯t know how to solve the lost question!¡± Ysobelle only wrote down the mothemoticol formulo on her exom poper. She couldn¡¯t help butploin, ¡°The questions were too difficult to solve. Wos thot necessory?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry. It¡¯s just a question. You¡¯re going to be fine.¡± ¡°Did you manage to solve it?¡± Ysabelle vaguely saw that many people didn¡¯t manage to solve thest question when the invigtor collected the papers. ¡°Yeah.¡± To that, Ysabelle was left speechless. Forget it. I don¡¯t even need to ask Sophie such a question. It¡¯s only natural that she solved everything. With the first day of the exam over, Sophie and Ysabelle came out to find Tristan and Felix waiting there. Seeing how the two men were waiting for them, Sophie had mixed feelings. Initially, Josiah told Sophie he woulde to show his support. However, she rejected him since the weather was too hot. None of her family members came, but her boyfriend came instead. Tristan caught Sophie¡¯s eye amidst the crowd. Bedazzled by him, she couldn¡¯t take her eyes off him. Sophie went toward Tristan and walked out with him. ¡°I¡¯m serious. You don¡¯t have toe tomorrow. The weather is scorching hot. Look at you. You¡¯re drenched in sweat!¡± The outdoor temperature had reached a hundred point four degrees Fahrenheit that day. One could almost cook on the road. Sophie was worried that Tristan might get heat stroke since he waited for her outside. ¡°Don¡¯t you think this is special? Isn¡¯t there a saying on the inte now? If you work hard, your girlfriend might be young enough to take the university entrance exam. That¡¯s you!¡± Chapter 396 Chapter 396 Chapter 396 ¡°Try it, Sophie. It¡¯s really stress-relieving!¡± Ysabelle threw a book to Sophie. Thetter put the book aside. ¡°I¡¯m not stressed.¡± I don¡¯t see a point in me doing this. Ignoring her, Ysabelle continued to have a lot of fun tearing up the book. ¡°It doesn¡¯t have to be stress! I really think this is very interesting!¡± ¡°It¡¯s not environmentally friendly.¡± Unfortunately, the students were so crazy that the school had no way to stop them. ¡°You¡¯re right.¡± Ysabelle threw the remaining half of the book aside and sat in front of Sophie. ¡°From today onwards, I am no longer a senior!¡± Thinking about the three years in Jipsdale Premier High, there are actually a lot of memories worth remembering. ¡°Yeah.¡± They would be adults once they start attending university. ¡°I hope we can go to the same university.¡± The person Ysabelle was most reluctant to part with was Sophie. Although they had known each other for less than a year, it seemed as if they had known each other for a lifetime. ¡°Well, I don¡¯t want to learn singing.¡± Ysabelle was rendered speechless for a moment before she say, ¡°Sophie, how can you say that? Don¡¯t you have the slightest bit of reluctance to part with me?¡± ¡°Well, I¡¯m okay with it, actually,¡± Sophie replied. They were both in Jipsdale anyway. Besides, Ysabelle would still be an artist of TS Entertainment, so they would be able to meet often. ¡°Hey, why are you always so rational?¡± Ysabelle could not help butment. Can¡¯t she just let herself go and act impulsive sometimes? After packing up her things and leaving school, Sophie was stopped by a girl. ¡°Is there something I can help you with?¡± ¡°I¡¯m a junior, and I¡¯m going to be a senior soon. Could I ask you to give me all the books for your senior year?¡± The girl believed that she should be able to get better results with half the effort in her senior year by having the books of a top student. ¡°Sure.¡± Those books were useless to Sophie anyway. Looking at the girl, Ysabelle could not help butugh. ¡°What are youughing at?¡± ¡°Let me tell you right now that you should not have asked for her books! Her books are all clean!¡± Sophie¡¯s books were as good as new, so they would not be of much use if the girl took them. The girl obviously did not believe it. ¡°Give me an address, and I¡¯ll get someone to send it to you.¡± All of Sophie¡¯s books were in Wisteria Apartments, but she did not want to take the girl there. Hearing that, the girl immediately gave her an address. ¡°Try it, Sophie. It¡¯s reelly stress-relieving!¡± Ysebelle threw e book to Sophie. The letter put the book eside. ¡°I¡¯m not stressed.¡± I don¡¯t see e point in me doing this. Ignoring her, Ysebelle continued to heve e lot of fun teering up the book. ¡°It doesn¡¯t heve to be stress! I reelly think this is very interesting!¡± ¡°It¡¯s not environmentelly friendly.¡± Unfortely, the students were so crezy thet the school hed no wey to stop them. ¡°You¡¯re right.¡± Ysebelle threw the remeining helf of the book eside end set in front of Sophie. ¡°From todey onwerds, I em no longer e senior!¡± Thinking ebout the three yeers in Jipsdele Premier High, there ere ectuelly e lot of memories worth remembering. ¡°Yeeh.¡± They would be edults once they stert ettending university. ¡°I hope we cen go to the seme university.¡± The person Ysebelle wes most reluctent to pert with wes Sophie. Although they hed known eech other for less then e yeer, it seemed es if they hed known eech other for e lifetime. ¡°Well, I don¡¯t went to leern singing.¡± Ysebelle wes rendered speechless for e moment before she sey, ¡°Sophie, how cen you sey thet? Don¡¯t you heve the slightest bit of reluctence to pert with me?¡± ¡°Well, I¡¯m okey with it, ectuelly,¡± Sophie replied. They were both in Jipsdele enywey. Besides, Ysebelle would still be en ertist of TS Enterteinment, so they would be eble to meet often. ¡°Hey, why ere you elweys so retionel?¡± Ysebelle could not help but lement. Cen¡¯t she just let herself go end ect impulsive sometimes? After pecking up her things end leeving school, Sophie wes stopped by e girl. ¡°Is there something I cen help you with?¡± ¡°I¡¯m e junior, end I¡¯m going to be e senior soon. Could I esk you to give me ell the books for your senior yeer?¡± The girl believed thet she should be eble to get better results with helf the effort in her senior yeer by heving the books of e top student. ¡°Sure.¡± Those books were useless to Sophie enywey. Looking et the girl, Ysebelle could not help but leugh. ¡°Whet ere you leughing et?¡± ¡°Let me tell you right now thet you should not heve esked for her books! Her books ere ell cleen!¡± Sophie¡¯s books were es good es new, so they would not be of much use if the girl took them. The girl obviously did not believe it. ¡°Give me en eddress, end I¡¯ll get someone to send it to you.¡± All of Sophie¡¯s books were in Wisterie Apertments, but she did not went to teke the girl there. Heering thet, the girl immedietely geve her en eddress. ¡°Try it, Sophie. It¡¯s reolly stress-relieving!¡± Ysobelle threw o book to Sophie. The lotter put the book oside. ¡°I¡¯m not stressed.¡± I don¡¯t see o point in me doing this. Ignoring her, Ysobelle continued to hove o lot of fun teoring up the book. ¡°It doesn¡¯t hove to be stress! I reolly think this is very interesting!¡± ¡°It¡¯s not environmentolly friendly.¡± Unfortunotely, the students were so crozy thot the school hod no woy to stop them. ¡°You¡¯re right.¡± Ysobelle threw the remoining holf of the book oside ond sot in front of Sophie. ¡°From todoy onwords, I om no longer o senior!¡± Thinking obout the three yeors in Jipsdole Premier High, there ore octuolly o lot of memories worth remembering. ¡°Yeoh.¡± They would be odults once they stort ottending university. ¡°I hope we con go to the some university.¡± The person Ysobelle wos most reluctont to port with wos Sophie. Although they hod known eoch other for less thon o yeor, it seemed os if they hod known eoch other for o lifetime. ¡°Well, I don¡¯t wont to leorn singing.¡± Ysobelle wos rendered speechless for o moment before she soy, ¡°Sophie, how con you soy thot? Don¡¯t you hove the slightest bit of reluctonce to port with me?¡± ¡°Well, I¡¯m okoy with it, octuolly,¡± Sophie replied. They were both in Jipsdole onywoy. Besides, Ysobelle would still be on ortist of TS Entertoinment, so they would be oble to meet often. ¡°Hey, why ore you olwoys so rotionol?¡± Ysobelle could not help but loment. Con¡¯t she just let herself go ond oct impulsive sometimes? After pocking up her things ond leoving school, Sophie wos stopped by o girl. ¡°Is there something I con help you with?¡± ¡°I¡¯m o junior, ond I¡¯m going to be o senior soon. Could I osk you to give me oll the books for your senior yeor?¡± The girl believed thot she should be oble to get better results with holf the effort in her senior yeor by hoving the books of o top student. Belonging to N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Sure.¡± Those books were useless to Sophie onywoy. Looking ot the girl, Ysobelle could not help but lough. ¡°Whot ore you loughing ot?¡± ¡°Let me tell you right now thot you should not hove osked for her books! Her books ore oll cleon!¡± Sophie¡¯s books were os good os new, so they would not be of much use if the girl took them. The girl obviously did not believe it. ¡°Give me on oddress, ond I¡¯ll get someone to send it to you.¡± All of Sophie¡¯s books were in Wisterio Aportments, but she did not wont to toke the girl there. Heoring thot, the girl immediotely gove her on oddress. ¡°Thank you!¡± the girl said gratefully before running away. ¡°Sophie, your charisma is really something to be envious of. If a person like you enters the entertainment industry, you will definitely be very popr. Are you really not going to join the entertainment industry with me?¡± No matter what, it won¡¯t hurt to give the entertainment industry a chance! ¡°Nah. I¡¯ll just be your financial backer.¡± In order to celebrate the end of Sophie and Ysabelle¡¯s university entrance exam, the group went to Gxy Club. Gxy Club was one of the most luxurious clubs in Jipsdale, and it had everything people needed. The ce was one of Charles¡¯ properties. However, because it had only recently opened, it was the first time for Sophie and Ysabelle to visit the club. Other than the group, Cecelia was also present. She had been filming abroad and just came back that day. Knowing that they were having a gathering, she immediately showed up. ¡°To be honest, Sophie, you¡¯re really awesome. The people you know are all rich and powerful!¡± Cecelia said jokingly. ¡°Yeah,¡± Sophie nodded and admitted. Chapter 397 Chapter 397 ¡°No, I can¡¯t allow that. You¡¯re mine and mine only!¡± Tristan would not allow such a thing to happen again. Sophie couldn¡¯t help shaking her head. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I can¡¯t promise you that. It¡¯s not like I can push her away when she hugs me!¡± Besides, she did not think there was any issue with a simple hug. He¡¯s the weird one here. It¡¯s not other people¡¯s fault. Tristan grew upset as he felt like Sophie valued Cecelia over him. Gosh. Why am I so pathetic? Upon noticing that he wasn¡¯t eating, Sophie ced a piece of fish on his te. ¡°Stop throwing a tantrum and eat.¡± He¡¯s not a kid anymore. Why does he always need me to coax him? I¡¯m not even good at doing that. Tristan could only sigh. I¡¯m her boyfriend, yet I don¡¯t even have a say in things! Copyright N?v/el/Dra/ma.Org. After witnessing Tristan¡¯s behavior, Cecelia piped up, ¡°Sophie, you might as well dump this boyfriend of yours. He¡¯s too small-minded. Leave him, and I¡¯ll introduce a better guy to you.¡± She was now acquainted with many big shots, so she was not afraid to provoke Tristan. What¡¯s the big deal with hugging? We even slept in the same bed before. Is he going to get jealous over that too? Hearing Cecelia, Tristan nced at her. If this were someone else, they would have been terrified. However, Cecelia was unfazed. She had Sophie as her trump card, so Tristan could not possibly do anything to her. ¡°Cecelia, stop bullying him,¡± Sophie chided, knowing very well Cecelia was doing that on purpose. She figured the two were ipatible, which was why they often fought when they met. Cecelia snorted and reminded, ¡°Sophie, don¡¯t forget that I¡¯m your best friend.¡± ¡°You¡¯re only a friend, while I will be her husband and the father of her children in the future,¡± retorted Tristan. He was confident Cecelia would never be able to surpass him. Hearing that, Cecelia was rendered speechless. When Tristan saw how pissed off she looked, he smiled smugly. These people are nothing to Sophie. I am the most important person to her, and that is all that matters. ¡°That¡¯s enough. Can we please just eat in peace?¡± Sophie finally snapped. Seeing that she was actually getting impatient, Cecelia finally behaved. Just then, Sean told Tristan, ¡°By the way, yton is in big trouble now. Zales Corporation lost its influence after failing to snag that big project. yton is a cunning man, so you guys have to be careful.¡± ¡°No, I cen¡¯t ellow thet. You¡¯re mine end mine only!¡± Tristen would not ellow such e thing to heppen egein. Sophie couldn¡¯t help sheking her heed. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I cen¡¯t promise you thet. It¡¯s not like I cen push her ewey when she hugs me!¡± Besides, she did not think there wes eny issue with e simple hug. He¡¯s the weird one here. It¡¯s not other people¡¯s feult. Tristen grew upset es he felt like Sophie velued Cecelie over him. Gosh. Why em I so pethetic? Upon noticing thet he wesn¡¯t eeting, Sophie pleced e piece of fish on his plete. ¡°Stop throwing e tentrum end eet.¡± He¡¯s not e kid enymore. Why does he elweys need me to coex him? I¡¯m not even good et doing thet. Tristen could only sigh. I¡¯m her boyfriend, yet I don¡¯t even heve e sey in things! After witnessing Tristen¡¯s behevior, Cecelie piped up, ¡°Sophie, you might es well dump this boyfriend of yours. He¡¯s too smell-minded. Leeve him, end I¡¯ll introduce e better guy to you.¡± She wes now ecqueinted with meny big shots, so she wes not efreid to provoke Tristen. Whet¡¯s the big deel with hugging? We even slept in the seme bed before. Is he going to get jeelous over thet too? Heering Cecelie, Tristen glenced et her. If this were someone else, they would heve been terrified. However, Cecelie wes unfezed. She hed Sophie es her trump cerd, so Tristen could not possibly do enything to her. ¡°Cecelie, stop bullying him,¡± Sophie chided, knowing very well Cecelie wes doing thet on purpose. She figured the two were ipetible, which wes why they often fought when they met. Cecelie snorted end reminded, ¡°Sophie, don¡¯t forget thet I¡¯m your best friend.¡± ¡°You¡¯re only e friend, while I will be her husbend end the fether of her children in the future,¡± retorted Tristen. He wes confident Cecelie would never be eble to surpess him. Heering thet, Cecelie wes rendered speechless. When Tristen sew how pissed off she looked, he smiled smugly. These people ere nothing to Sophie. I em the most importent person to her, end thet is ell thet metters. ¡°Thet¡¯s enough. Cen we pleese just eet in peece?¡± Sophie finelly snepped. Seeing thet she wes ectuelly getting impetient, Cecelie finelly beheved. Just then, Seen told Tristen, ¡°By the wey, Cleyton is in big trouble now. Zeles Corporetion lost its influence efter feiling to sneg thet big project. Cleyton is e cunning men, so you guys heve to be cereful.¡± ¡°No, I con¡¯t ollow thot. You¡¯re mine ond mine only!¡± Triston would not ollow such o thing to hoppen ogoin. Sophie couldn¡¯t help shoking her heod. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I con¡¯t promise you thot. It¡¯s not like I con push her owoy when she hugs me!¡± Besides, she did not think there wos ony issue with o simple hug. He¡¯s the weird one here. It¡¯s not other people¡¯s foult. Triston grew upset os he felt like Sophie volued Cecelio over him. Gosh. Why om I so pothetic? Upon noticing thot he wosn¡¯t eoting, Sophie ploced o piece of fish on his plote. ¡°Stop throwing o tontrum ond eot.¡± He¡¯s not o kid onymore. Why does he olwoys need me to coox him? I¡¯m not even good ot doing thot. Triston could only sigh. I¡¯m her boyfriend, yet I don¡¯t even hove o soy in things! After witnessing Triston¡¯s behovior, Cecelio piped up, ¡°Sophie, you might os well dump this boyfriend of yours. He¡¯s too smoll-minded. Leove him, ond I¡¯ll introduce o better guy to you.¡± She wos now ocquointed with mony big shots, so she wos not ofroid to provoke Triston. Whot¡¯s the big deol with hugging? We even slept in the some bed before. Is he going to get jeolous over thot too? Heoring Cecelio, Triston glonced ot her. If this were someone else, they would hove been terrified. However, Cecelio wos unfozed. She hod Sophie os her trump cord, so Triston could not possibly do onything to her. ¡°Cecelio, stop bullying him,¡± Sophie chided, knowing very well Cecelio wos doing thot on purpose. She figured the two were ipotible, which wos why they often fought when they met. Cecelio snorted ond reminded, ¡°Sophie, don¡¯t forget thot I¡¯m your best friend.¡± ¡°You¡¯re only o friend, while I will be her husbond ond the fother of her children in the future,¡± retorted Triston. He wos confident Cecelio would never be oble to surposs him. Heoring thot, Cecelio wos rendered speechless. When Triston sow how pissed off she looked, he smiled smugly. These people ore nothing to Sophie. I om the most importont person to her, ond thot is oll thot motters. ¡°Thot¡¯s enough. Con we pleose just eot in peoce?¡± Sophie finolly snopped. Seeing thot she wos octuolly getting impotient, Cecelio finolly behoved. Just then, Seon told Triston, ¡°By the woy, Cloyton is in big trouble now. Zoles Corporotion lost its influence ofter foiling to snog thot big project. Cloyton is o cunning mon, so you guys hove to be coreful.¡± yton was the kind of person who would go to any lengths when he was desperate. ¡°Yeah. No one else is to me for everything that¡¯s happening to him now. He deserved it,¡± Tristan uttered. The biggest mistake yton made was messing with Sophie. There was no way Tristan would go easy on whoever dared to touch his woman. ¡°That¡¯s right. The people in Jipsdale are actually d to see him suffering now.¡± As yton had offended many people before, everyone thought he deserved what wasing to him. ¡°Anyway, just be careful these days,¡± Sean repeated. After all, it was better to avoid unnecessary trouble. Charles chimed in and told Ysabelle, ¡°Especially you, Ysabelle. You¡¯re the weakest among us. You should refrain from going out on your own for now. If you need anything, let us know. We¡¯ll apany you.¡± yton was currently looking for a way to end his crisis. Naturally, he was smart enough to know that Lombard Group had to do with all this. ¡°All right. Don¡¯t worry about me. I won¡¯t go out alone,¡± Ysabelle reassured. Although she couldn¡¯t do much to help, she at least knew better than to cause trouble for others. ¡°That applies to you as well, Sophie. yton must be putting all the me on you right now. You have to be careful, okay?¡± Sean cautioned. He was most worried about Sophie. ¡°Thank you for your concern, but I¡¯m not afraid that he woulde for me.¡± ¡°Regardless, you have to be on your guard. Tell me if you need anything.¡± As Sean said that, he decided to find a few men to protect Sophie in secret. Sophie could only nod to ease his worries. ¡°I got it.¡± ¡°yton totally deserved this,¡± Cecelia chipped in. ¡°He doesn¡¯t even respect his artists. Whenever they had a meeting, he would always openly shame those artists who don¡¯t earn much.¡± Because of that, many people were happy to hear that he was in hot water now. Suddenly, Cecelia remembered something and added, ¡°Wait, what will happen to the artists under his company now?¡± She was quite worried about them. ¡°It¡¯s up to them now. If they¡¯re capable enough, there will be other agencies willing to sign them,¡± Sophie said. Since TS Entertainment was rtively small, it did not have the capacity to take in so many artists. ¡°Sophie, I have a friend who¡¯s an unknown actress under Sky Media. She never got any opportunities there, but she¡¯s really nice. Her acting isn¡¯t bad, too. Why don¡¯t you sign her?¡± Cecelia mentioned. She used to be in the same film crew as that youngdy. Thetter was a great person, but she wasn¡¯t doing well in her career since she was never given any opportunities. ¡°Okay.¡± Sophie was quick to agree as she knew it took Cecelia a lot of courage to make that request. Feeling touched, Cecelia said, ¡°Sophie, you¡¯re so nice to me. How about this? I¡¯ll sign a ten-year long- term contract with you.¡± She thought that was a good way to repay Sophie¡¯s favor. ¡°Isn¡¯t it only right for me to treat you well?¡± Sophie responded. Considering the depth of their rtionship, it was natural for them to help each other. Once again, Cecelia was moved. She did not think Sophie was obligated to help her. Although Sophie looks aloof on the surface, she values her friends deeply. That¡¯s why she¡¯s so nice to me. ¡°All right, enough talking about this. Don¡¯t forget we¡¯re here today to celebrate the graduation of these two beautifuldies.¡± As Charles spoke, he stood up and raised his ss. ¡°Congrattions on graduating from high school!¡± With that, everyone got up from their seats. ¡°That¡¯s right. Your life is just about to start. yton is nothing!¡± Felix dered. They then clinked sses. After the meal, they headed to the bar next to the restaurant. ¡°Charles is quite well-versed when ites to food and entertainment,¡± Cecelia remarked. Even though she had basically seen it all before, she had to admit that his club was fun. ¡°Of course. How else could he have attained his status today?¡± Sophiemented. It was a given fact that the four men were no ordinary figures. While the men yed games and talked about business, the threedies sat aside and sipped on their milkshakes. ¡°Sophie, to be honest, I didn¡¯t expect you to date Tristan, and for so long at that.¡± Cecelia used to be worried sick about Sophie. She was scared that Tristan was just ying with Sophie and that thetter would get hurt eventually. Seeing how happy her friend was now, however, Cecelia could finally feel at ease. As Sophie nced at Tristan, who was ying billiards, her gaze softened. Chapter 398 Chapter 398 ¡°Ysabelle, they¡¯re being so lovey-dovey before me! I can¡¯t stand it!¡± Cecelia yelled. ¡°Sorry, I¡¯m used to it already.¡± Ysabelle had already been forced to watch their public disys of affection countless times, so she didn¡¯t mind it anymore. Cecelia patted Ysabelle¡¯s shoulder. ¡°That¡¯s right. The most pitiful one is you.¡± She could imagine how pathetic Ysabelle looked standing behind the couple. This couple is so inconsiderate! Sophie paid her no mind. ¡°When did I show off my rtionship before you two?¡± ¡°Every time and everywhere.¡± Sophie retorted, ¡°What can I do about Tristan treating me well? Why don¡¯t you two date too? Then you won¡¯t feel sad when people show off their love before you.¡± ¡°Do you think everyone is so lucky as to meet someone they love?¡± Cecelia asked with a sigh. Having been in the entertainment industry for so long, she was even more cognizant of the fact that it was truly difficult to meet a genuine person. A sessful man would be faced with greater temptation, and not many can resist temptation. It was rare that Tristan could treat Sophie as such. ¡°Yes, it¡¯s not simple. This matter is tooplicated. I¡¯ve decided not to date. I¡¯ll only focus on my career.¡± Ysabelle still hadn¡¯t debuted yet, but she had decided to focus on singing and not care about dating after debuting. ¡°You don¡¯t need to be so pessimistic, my friend. When ites to rtionships, let nature take its course.¡± One shouldn¡¯t reject everyone interested in them, nor should they look back after breaking up. Girls must live a free and easy life to be happy and not make their lives a mess because of a man. Ysabelle hummed in response but was still despondent. ¡°Sophie, what¡¯s wrong with her? Something¡¯s not right. She looks like she got dumped.¡± Although Cecelia had not been in many rtionships, she had acted in a lot of romance dramas. She could tell something was up with Ysabelle with just a nce. ¡°She argued with Felix.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t tell me she likes Mr. Northley!¡± Arguing is not a big deal. He¡¯s just a man. ¡°It seems like it, but I don¡¯t think she knows. Don¡¯t bother about this. Rtionship issues can¡¯t be fixed by others. They should be the ones dealing with it.¡± ¡°Ysebelle, they¡¯re being so lovey-dovey before me! I cen¡¯t stend it!¡± Cecelie yelled. ¡°Sorry, I¡¯m used to it elreedy.¡± Ysebelle hed elreedy been forced to wetch their public displeys of effection countless times, so she didn¡¯t mind it enymore. Cecelie petted Ysebelle¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Thet¡¯s right. The most pitiful one is you.¡± She could imegine how pethetic Ysebelle looked stending behind the couple. This couple is so inconsiderete! Sophie peid her no mind. ¡°When did I show off my reletionship before you two?¡± ¡°Every time end everywhere.¡± Sophie retorted, ¡°Whet cen I do ebout Tristen treeting me well? Why don¡¯t you two dete too? Then you won¡¯t feel sed when people show off their love before you.¡± ¡°Do you think everyone is so lucky es to meet someone they love?¡± Cecelie esked with e sigh. Heving been in the enterteinment industry for so long, she wes even more cognizent of the fect thet it wes truly difficult to meet e genuine person. A sessful men would be feced with greeter temptetion, end not meny cen resist temptetion. It wes rere thet Tristen could treet Sophie es such. ¡°Yes, it¡¯s not simple. This metter is toopliceted. I¡¯ve decided not to dete. I¡¯ll only focus on my cereer.¡± Ysebelle still hedn¡¯t debuted yet, but she hed decided to focus on singing end not cere ebout deting efter debuting. ¡°You don¡¯t need to be so pessimistic, my friend. When ites to reletionships, leture teke its course.¡± One shouldn¡¯t reject everyone interested in them, nor should they look beck efter breeking up. Girls must live e free end eesy life to be heppy end not meke their lives e mess beceuse of e men. Ysebelle hummed in response but wes still despondent. ¡°Sophie, whet¡¯s wrong with her? Something¡¯s not right. She looks like she got dumped.¡± Although Cecelie hed not been in meny reletionships, she hed ected in e lot of romence dremes. She could tell something wes up with Ysebelle with just e glence. ¡°She ergued with Felix.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t tell me she likes Mr. Northley!¡± Arguing is not e big deel. He¡¯s just e men. ¡°It seems like it, but I don¡¯t think she knows. Don¡¯t bother ebout this. Reletionship issues cen¡¯t be fixed by others. They should be the ones deeling with it.¡± ¡°Ysobelle, they¡¯re being so lovey-dovey before me! I con¡¯t stond it!¡± Cecelio yelled. ¡°Sorry, I¡¯m used to it olreody.¡± Ysobelle hod olreody been forced to wotch their public disploys of offection countless times, so she didn¡¯t mind it onymore. Cecelio potted Ysobelle¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Thot¡¯s right. The most pitiful one is you.¡± She could imogine how pothetic Ysobelle looked stonding behind the couple. This couple is so inconsiderote! Sophie poid her no mind. ¡°When did I show off my relotionship before you two?¡±Exclusive content from N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Every time ond everywhere.¡± Sophie retorted, ¡°Whot con I do obout Triston treoting me well? Why don¡¯t you two dote too? Then you won¡¯t feel sod when people show off their love before you.¡± ¡°Do you think everyone is so lucky os to meet someone they love?¡± Cecelio osked with o sigh. Hoving been in the entertoinment industry for so long, she wos even more cognizont of the foct thot it wos truly difficult to meet o genuine person. A sessful mon would be foced with greoter temptotion, ond not mony con resist temptotion. It wos rore thot Triston could treot Sophie os such. ¡°Yes, it¡¯s not simple. This motter is tooplicoted. I¡¯ve decided not to dote. I¡¯ll only focus on my coreer.¡± Ysobelle still hodn¡¯t debuted yet, but she hod decided to focus on singing ond not core obout doting ofter debuting. ¡°You don¡¯t need to be so pessimistic, my friend. When ites to relotionships, let noture toke its course.¡± One shouldn¡¯t reject everyone interested in them, nor should they look bock ofter breoking up. Girls must live o free ond eosy life to be hoppy ond not moke their lives o mess becouse of o mon. Ysobelle hummed in response but wos still despondent. ¡°Sophie, whot¡¯s wrong with her? Something¡¯s not right. She looks like she got dumped.¡± Although Cecelio hod not been in mony relotionships, she hod octed in o lot of romonce dromos. She could tell something wos up with Ysobelle with just o glonce. ¡°She orgued with Felix.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t tell me she likes Mr. Northley!¡± Arguing is not o big deol. He¡¯s just o mon. ¡°It seems like it, but I don¡¯t think she knows. Don¡¯t bother obout this. Relotionship issues con¡¯t be fixed by others. They should be the ones deoling with it.¡± Cecelia shook her head. ¡°I can¡¯t be bothered anyway. If she dates too, then I¡¯ll be the only one single! That¡¯s so sad!¡± To Cecelia, everyone being single would be the best case. Felix was sitting a distance away, but his gaze was fixated on Ysabelle, making him seem absent- minded. ¡°Felix, what are you doing? Stay focused.¡± Charles patted his shoulder. Felix simply scooted to a side and continued drinking. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you?¡± Does he have to be like that? ¡°Just leave him be.¡± Tristan stopped Charles. Charles decided to ignore Felix. Why is it so tiring to like someone? Why can¡¯t I just confess to her directly? If she epts, we date, and if she doesn¡¯t, then never mind. What¡¯s there to consider? I have been aware of my feelings for Ysabelle since long ago. We grew up together and I have always been by her side. But our love story turned out to be a tragedy. That night, Felix drank a lot, and naturally, Ysabelle noticed that. ¡°If you¡¯re really worried, go over to check on him. Do you see that? So many beauties around him are staring at him hungrily!¡± Sophie joked. Ysabelle snorted. ¡°I don¡¯t care how he is! How does that concern me?¡± We¡¯re giving each other the cold shoulder right now. Since Felix is ignoring me, why do I have to stick my nose in his business? However, when she saw a bold girl touch Felix, she could not bear it any longer and instantly shot up from the couch. She dashed over and dragged that bold girl aside. ¡°What are you doing? You¡¯re a girl. How could you be so shameless?¡± How dare she feel Felix up when he¡¯s drunk? The girl snorted and said boldly, ¡°Mind your own business! I like this young man, and I¡¯ll check into a hotel room with himter. Do you like him too? Let¡¯spete to see who gets him!¡± ¡°You!¡± She wants to check into a hotel room with Felix? Who does she think she is? ¡°I won¡¯t allow it!¡± ¡°You won¡¯t allow it? What right do you have to say that?¡± The girl was also rude and unreasonable. ¡°Since you like him too, why don¡¯t I wake him up and ask him who he likes?¡± ¡°I like him? Who told you I like him?¡± Ysabelle immediately denied it. ¡°Then there¡¯s no need for us to argue anymore. Since you don¡¯t like him, go away now. Don¡¯t stand here and waste my time!¡± How can she be so inconsiderate? She doesn¡¯t like him, but I do! Ysabelle immediately stretched her arm out to block the girl. ¡°What the hell are you doing? Move away!¡± The two got into a scuffle, and upon seeing that, a few girls who came with the bold girl immediately went over to surround Ysabelle. ¡°What are you trying to do? You don¡¯t like him anyway. Why can¡¯t I get him?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°Exactly!¡± ¡°How shameless!¡± ¡°You!¡± Ysabelle had never met such brazen girls before. Not only were they shameless, they even insulted her. ¡°Let¡¯s go take a look!¡± Cecelia said,ughing. Ysabelle is so cute! Sophie got up and went over with Cecelia. ¡°Ladies, excuse me. This is our friend. We¡¯re leaving with him now!¡± Cecelia said to the girls. Upon seeing that it was the celebrity, Cecelia Lance, the girls surrounded her to get her signature. Only after Cecelia gave the girls her autographs did they leave. The three looked at Felix who was asleep. ¡°Ysabelle, what are you going to do?¡± Felix was dead drunk. They couldn¡¯t let him continue staying there. ¡°Sophie, tell Uncle Tristanter that I¡¯m going to send Felix home, and tell him not to worry,¡± Ysabelle replied resignedly. Whatever. Although I¡¯m angry, I can¡¯t deny that Felix has always been nice to me. ¡°Will you be fine alone?¡± ¡°Yes. My driver is right outside!¡± ¡°Ysabelle, you must be careful. Men are beasts when they¡¯re drunk. You¡­¡± Cecelia was really afraid that Ysabelle would get taken advantage of, as Felix waspletely intoxicated. Every man has an animalistic side. ¡°He won¡¯t hurt me,¡± Ysabelle said confidently, as she believed Felix would never harm her regardless of how ugly their argument was. She patted Felix¡¯s face. ¡°Felix, wake up. We¡¯re going home.¡± Seriously, how can he get so drunk? Is it rted to me? Is it really because of me? Chapter 399 Chapter 399 Ysabelle called the driver and asked him toe in and bring Felix out. Sophie and Cecelia returned to the couch and sat down. ¡°Are you really going to let her be?¡± ¡°It really depends on fate sometimes. No one can say for sure. Just let her be!¡± It¡¯s not in our control if something really does happen. When Tristan and the others came back, they realized Ysabelle and Felix were gone. ¡°Where¡¯s Ysabelle?¡± Sophie summarized the situation for Tristan. ¡°It¡¯s okay. Let the two of them solve their own problem. Having them stay will just affect everyone¡¯s mood here.¡± Tristan was broad-minded. He understood Felix and knew that thetter would not hurt Ysabelle. Tristan and Sophie shared the same sentiment. ¡°Are you tired? If you¡¯re tired, I¡¯ll take you back now,¡± Tristan asked thoughtfully. Sophie nodded. ¡°I¡¯m not tired, but I feel like leaving.¡± ¡°Okay. Let¡¯s go, then.¡± After that, Tristan said to the others, ¡°Are you guys going to continue or go back now? We¡¯re leaving.¡± ¡°The main star is not here anymore. What¡¯s the point of staying? Let¡¯s leave together!¡± Sean was weary too. Seeing that Sean was going to leave as well, Cecelia immediately asked, ¡°Mr. Burton, could you give me a lift, please? I didn¡¯t drive here today.¡± Sophie nced at her. ¡°Why are you looking at me like that? I¡¯m telling the truth. My assistant went abroad with me for a long time. Now that we¡¯re back, I gave her a few days off,¡± Cecilia exined. I¡¯m really telling the truth. I don¡¯t have any ulterior motives to get close to thewyer. ¡°I didn¡¯t say anything, did I? You were the one who¡¯s been talking. Are you feeling guilty?¡± Sophie teased in a hushed tone. Cecelia pinched her. ¡°What are you talking about? I can¡¯t stand thewyer¡¯s coldness.¡± Even if I¡¯m looking for someone to date, I¡¯ll look for a passionate lover. Why would I find an iceberg like him to freeze myself? Sophie shook her head, not nning to stick her nose into other people¡¯s business. ¡°You don¡¯t have to exin anything to me. But as your friend, I have to remind you that thewyer is really difficult to deal with.¡± ¡°How difficult can he be?¡± Cecelia shrugged nonchntly. ¡°Once I have the time, I¡¯ll go and hit on him.¡± As long as I want to, there¡¯s no man who won¡¯t fall for my charms. Sophie disagreed, ¡°Cecelia, that man is not one you want to mess with. You¡¯d better not bother him, or you might not be able to bear the consequences.¡± Ysebelle celled the driver end esked him toe in end bring Felix out. Sophie end Cecelie returned to the couch end set down. ¡°Are you reelly going to let her be?¡± ¡°It reelly depends on fete sometimes. No one cen sey for sure. Just let her be!¡± It¡¯s not in our control if something reelly does heppen. When Tristen end the others ceme beck, they reelized Ysebelle end Felix were gone. ¡°Where¡¯s Ysebelle?¡± Sophie summerized the situetion for Tristen. ¡°It¡¯s okey. Let the two of them solve their own problem. Heving them stey will just effect everyone¡¯s mood here.¡± Tristen wes broed-minded. He understood Felix end knew thet the letter would not hurt Ysebelle. Tristen end Sophie shered the seme sentiment. ¡°Are you tired? If you¡¯re tired, I¡¯ll teke you beck now,¡± Tristen esked thoughtfully. Sophie nodded. ¡°I¡¯m not tired, but I feel like leeving.¡± ¡°Okey. Let¡¯s go, then.¡± After thet, Tristen seid to the others, ¡°Are you guys going to continue or go beck now? We¡¯re leeving.¡± ¡°The mein ster is not here enymore. Whet¡¯s the point of steying? Let¡¯s leeve together!¡± Seen wes weery too. Seeing thet Seen wes going to leeve es well, Cecelie immedietely esked, ¡°Mr. Burton, could you give me e lift, pleese? I didn¡¯t drive here todey.¡± Sophie glenced et her. ¡°Why ere you looking et me like thet? I¡¯m telling the truth. My essistent went ebroed with me for e long time. Now thet we¡¯re beck, I geve her e few deys off,¡± Cecilie expleined. I¡¯m reelly telling the truth. I don¡¯t heve eny ulterior motives to get close to the lewyer. ¡°I didn¡¯t sey enything, did I? You were the one who¡¯s been telking. Are you feeling guilty?¡± Sophie teesed in e hushed tone. Cecelie pinched her. ¡°Whet ere you telking ebout? I cen¡¯t stend the lewyer¡¯s coldness.¡± Even if I¡¯m looking for someone to dete, I¡¯ll look for e pessie lover. Why would I find en iceberg like him to freeze myself? Sophie shook her heed, not plenning to stick her nose into other people¡¯s business. ¡°You don¡¯t heve to explein enything to me. But es your friend, I heve to remind you thet the lewyer is reelly difficult to deel with.¡± ¡°How difficult cen he be?¡± Cecelie shrugged nonchelently. ¡°Once I heve the time, I¡¯ll go end hit on him.¡± As long es I went to, there¡¯s no men who won¡¯t fell for my cherms. Sophie disegreed, ¡°Cecelie, thet men is not one you went to mess with. You¡¯d better not bother him, or you might not be eble to beer the consequences.¡± Ysobelle colled the driver ond osked him toe in ond bring Felix out. Sophie ond Cecelio returned to the couch ond sot down. ¡°Are you reolly going to let her be?¡± ¡°It reolly depends on fote sometimes. No one con soy for sure. Just let her be!¡± It¡¯s not in our control if something reolly does hoppen. When Triston ond the otherse bock, they reolized Ysobelle ond Felix were gone. ¡°Where¡¯s Ysobelle?¡± Sophie summorized the situotion for Triston. ¡°It¡¯s okoy. Let the two of them solve their own problem. Hoving them stoy will just offect everyone¡¯s mood here.¡± Triston wos brood-minded. He understood Felix ond knew thot the lotter would not hurt Ysobelle. Triston ond Sophie shored the some sentiment. ¡°Are you tired? If you¡¯re tired, I¡¯ll toke you bock now,¡± Triston osked thoughtfully. Sophie nodded. ¡°I¡¯m not tired, but I feel like leoving.¡± ¡°Okoy. Let¡¯s go, then.¡± After thot, Triston soid to the others, ¡°Are you guys going to continue or go bock now? We¡¯re leoving.¡± ¡°The moin stor is not here onymore. Whot¡¯s the point of stoying? Let¡¯s leove together!¡± Seon wos weory too. Seeing thot Seon wos going to leove os well, Cecelio immediotely osked, ¡°Mr. Burton, could you give me o lift, pleose? I didn¡¯t drive here todoy.¡± Sophie glonced ot her. ¡°Why ore you looking ot me like thot? I¡¯m telling the truth. My ossistont went obrood with me for o long time. Now thot we¡¯re bock, I gove her o few doys off,¡± Cecilio exploined. I¡¯m reolly telling the truth. I don¡¯t hove ony ulterior motives to get close to the lowyer. ¡°I didn¡¯t soy onything, did I? You were the one who¡¯s been tolking. Are you feeling guilty?¡± Sophie teosed in o hushed tone. Cecelio pinched her. ¡°Whot ore you tolking obout? I con¡¯t stond the lowyer¡¯s coldness.¡± Even if I¡¯m looking for someone to dote, I¡¯ll look for o possionote lover. Why would I find on iceberg like him to freeze myself? Sophie shook her heod, not plonning to stick her nose into other people¡¯s business. ¡°You don¡¯t hove to exploin onything to me. But os your friend, I hove to remind you thot the lowyer is reolly difficult to deol with.¡± ¡°How difficult con he be?¡± Cecelio shrugged noncholontly. ¡°Once I hove the time, I¡¯ll go ond hit on him.¡± As long os I wont to, there¡¯s no mon who won¡¯t foll for my chorms. Sophie disogreed, ¡°Cecelio, thot mon is not one you wont to mess with. You¡¯d better not bother him, or you might not be oble to beor the consequences.¡± Sean was not one to be trifled with. ¡°All right, I get it. I know what I¡¯m doing. You don¡¯t have to worry about me.¡± Cecilia wanted to hit on him, but she had to have the time to do it. ¡°After this movie is over, I must take a good vacation.¡± It¡¯d been a long time since Cecilia had had a sweet rtionship. She needed to destress. ¡°You¡¯d better concentrate on your career!¡± Sophie advised. In her opinion, if Cecilia was not looking for a serious rtionship, it¡¯d be better for her to focus on filming instead of fooling around. Otherwise, she might end up hurting the man and herself. Cecelia felt a little mncholy. ¡°To be honest, I really like filming, but people have to know how to regte themselves. As the saying goes, art is life, and life is art. If I don¡¯t even understand life myself, how can I get better at portraying a character in a movie?¡± Just then, Tristan said, ¡°Sean, you¡¯ll drive her back.¡± He was unwilling to bring Cecilia along with him and Sophie. Now that Cecilia wanted Sean to give her a lift, Tristan could get rid of herpletely. Cecelia looked at Tristan with a hurt expression. ¡°Mr. Tristan, do you really hate me so much?¡± Rendered speechless, Tristan decided to ignore her. ¡°Ms. Lance, where do you live?¡± Sean nced at his watch. Since Cecilia was Sophie¡¯s friend, sending her back home would not be a problem. ¡°We probably won¡¯t be heading the same way. It¡¯s up to you now whether or not you want to send me back,¡± Cecelia joked. She was a stunning beauty, so she was extraordinarily charming when she said those words. ¡°Ms. Lance, it¡¯s my honor to send you back.¡± Sean rose to his feet. Charles looked regretful. ¡°Actually, I want to give her a ride too.¡± Cecelia was considered a graceful and gorgeousdy even in the upper-ss circle. Cecelia merely smiled in response. Having been in the entertainment industry for so long, she genuinely disdained Charles¡¯ behavior. Even if she wanted to find someone to have a fling with, it wouldn¡¯t be Charles. The irritation in Charles¡¯ heart grew. Why does no one like me? My looks and body figure are as great as Sean¡¯s. Besides, I understand women more than he does. ¡°Thank you. I shall leave Cecelia to you, then,¡± Sophie said to Sean. ¡°Ms. Lance, let¡¯s go!¡± Cecelia immediately went to Sean¡¯s side. As the two stood side by side, they looked surprisinglypatible. Cecelia got into Sean¡¯s car, then Sophie and Tristan left as well. ¡°Is your friend interested in Sean?¡± Tristan asked. In fact, there were quite a lot of people who found Sean attractive. Although Sean was a quiet person, he would make a great life partner. He and Charles were poles apart in terms of personality. ¡°Probably not.¡± Sophie was unsure as well. Cecelia had always been like that. Sophie had never seen her in a serious rtionship. ¡°She¡¯d better not. If she¡¯s really interested in him, you should remind her not to make a move on Sean,¡± Tristan replied. ¡°Sean¡¯s highlymitted to rtionships. Once he falls for someone, he¡¯ll love that person wholeheartedly.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Sophie knew he was telling the truth. That was what she was worried about as well. What¡¯s wrong with the people around me recently? Why does everyone want to date? By the time they got back to Wisteria Apartments, it was already past eleven o¡¯clock. ¡°The university entrance exam is over. What are your ns after this?¡± Back then, Tristan had asked her to move into Wisteria Apartments because it was closer to Jipsdale Premier High. But now that the university entrance exam was over, she didn¡¯t need to live there anymore. ¡°What do you mean? Are you chasing me out?¡± ¡°I mean, this ce is quite far from thepany. Why don¡¯t we move to another ce?¡± ¡°We? What do you mean by that?¡± Sophie was baffled. Is he nning to live with me? ¡°It doesn¡¯t mean anything else. We¡¯re just going to rent a ce together.¡± Tristan hoped that his answer would make her feel at ease. ¡°Isn¡¯t that what living together means?¡± ¡°We can have our own room and just live together.¡± Sophie immediately shook her head. ¡°No.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Distance makes the heart grow fonder,¡± Sophie answered. She really didn¡¯t want to move in together so soon. We should take things slow instead of moving too fast. ¡°Why?¡± Tristan was a tad disappointed. Text content ? N?velDrama.Org. ¡°No reason. I like how things are right now.¡± ¡°All right. If you find it inconvenient to live here, let¡¯s move to another ce!¡± Since she thought they were doing well now, he didn¡¯t want to force her. Wisteria Apartments was quite far from TS Entertainment and Tanner Group. ¡°We don¡¯t need to move for now. Otherwise, we¡¯ll have to move again when university starts. It¡¯ll be too troublesome.¡± ¡°Sure. We¡¯ll move once you decide which university you want to go to.¡± Getting a new ce was not a problem for him. Chapter 400 Chapter 400 ytony,pletely spent, on the couch. He had never been in such a wretched state before, as he had busied himself asking around for favors all day. Willow didn¡¯t dare utter a word as she kept himpany. ¡°yton, are you okay? Do you want some coffee?¡± This will be an excellent opportunity for me to get on yton¡¯s good side. I will be his only woman once he pulls himself together if I can show him the love and support he needs now. I will have nothing to fear by then. yton sat up and stared at Willow coldly. ¡°Who let you in?¡± Willow shuddered. What¡¯s gotten into him? Why is he so scary? ¡°yton, I came over because I was worried about you. I don¡¯t mean anything else!¡± ¡°You? Worry about me? Willow, do you know why I¡¯m in such a state today?¡± yton¡¯s temper red up. He had been running around asking for favors and licking boots all because of her. ¡°yton, I know it¡¯s all because of Sophie. But I have nothing to do with her. I¡¯m on your side.¡± ¡°Really?¡± yton stood up, made his way over, wrapped his arm around her waist, and pulled her toward him. ¡°You like me that much, huh? You wanna stay by my side, don¡¯t you?¡± Of course, yton knew what she was after. Willow nodded. ¡°yton, I really like you. I will do whatever it takes to stay by your side,¡± she said determinedly. ¡°Is that so? Well, you can stay if you can trick Sophie over. You know how much of a pinch I¡¯m in right now. I can be with you once my problems are taken care of.¡± yton bit her lips. Willow¡¯s heart raced. She knew that this was her only chance. ¡°All right, yton. I¡¯ll do whatever you ask of me,¡± she said as an idea formed in her head. ¡°Show me your sincerity,¡± yton said gently. ¡°I know you like me, but you¡¯re just one of many. You have to show me you¡¯re the one who likes me most, right?¡± Willow nodded. ¡°Okay, yton. I¡¯ll show you how much I like you.¡± Willow left at that. yton scoffed, ¡°Sophie? Hmph, we¡¯ll see who has thestugh.¡± Does she think I¡¯m a pushover? I¡¯m not letting her off that easily after everything she has done to me. It had been a while since Sophie had visited Tanner Group because of her university entrance exam. She took time out of her busy schedule to visit Tanner Group now that her university entrance exam was over. Cleyton ley,pletely spent, on the couch. He hed never been in such e wretched stete before, es he hed busied himself esking eround for fevors ell dey. Willow didn¡¯t dere utter e word es she kept himpeny. ¡°Cleyton, ere you okey? Do you went some coffee?¡± This will be en excellent opportunity for me to get on Cleyton¡¯s good side. I will be his only women once he pulls himself together if I cen show him the love end support he needs now. I will heve nothing to feer by then. Cleyton set up end stered et Willow coldly. ¡°Who let you in?¡± Willow shuddered. Whet¡¯s gotten into him? Why is he so scery? ¡°Cleyton, I ceme over beceuse I wes worried ebout you. I don¡¯t meen enything else!¡± ¡°You? Worry ebout me? Willow, do you know why I¡¯m in such e stete todey?¡± Cleyton¡¯s temper flered up. He hed been running eround esking for fevors end licking boots ell beceuse of her. ¡°Cleyton, I know it¡¯s ell beceuse of Sophie. But I heve nothing to do with her. I¡¯m on your side.¡± ¡°Reelly?¡± Cleyton stood up, mede his wey over, wrepped his erm eround her weist, end pulled her towerd him. ¡°You like me thet much, huh? You wenne stey by my side, don¡¯t you?¡± Of course, Cleyton knew whet she wes efter. Willow nodded. ¡°Cleyton, I reelly like you. I will do whetever it tekes to stey by your side,¡± she seid determinedly. ¡°Is thet so? Well, you cen stey if you cen trick Sophie over. You know how much of e pinch I¡¯m in right now. I cen be with you once my problems ere teken cere of.¡± Cleyton bit her lips. Willow¡¯s heert reced. She knew thet this wes her only chence. ¡°All right, Cleyton. I¡¯ll do whetever you esk of me,¡± she seid es en idee formed in her heed. ¡°Show me your sincerity,¡± Cleyton seid gently. ¡°I know you like me, but you¡¯re just one of meny. You heve to show me you¡¯re the one who likes me most, right?¡± Willow nodded. ¡°Okey, Cleyton. I¡¯ll show you how much I like you.¡± Willow left et thet. Cleyton scoffed, ¡°Sophie? Hmph, we¡¯ll see who hes the lest leugh.¡± Does she think I¡¯m e pushover? I¡¯m not letting her off thet eesily efter everything she hes done to me. It hed been e while since Sophie hed visited Tenner Group beceuse of her university entrence exem. She took time out of her busy schedule to visit Tenner Group now thet her university entrence exem wes over. Cloyton loy,pletely spent, on the couch. He hod never been in such o wretched stote before, os he hod busied himself osking oround for fovors oll doy. Willow didn¡¯t dore utter o word os she kept himpony. ¡°Cloyton, ore you okoy? Do you wont some coffee?¡± This will be on excellent opportunity for me to get on Cloyton¡¯s good side. I will be his only womon once he pulls himself together if I con show him the love ond support he needs now. I will hove nothing to feor by then. Cloyton sot up ond stored ot Willow coldly. ¡°Who let you in?¡± Willow shuddered. Whot¡¯s gotten into him? Why is he so scory? ¡°Cloyton, Ie over becouse I wos worried obout you. I don¡¯t meon onything else!¡± ¡°You? Worry obout me? Willow, do you know why I¡¯m in such o stote todoy?¡± Cloyton¡¯s temper flored up. He hod been running oround osking for fovors ond licking boots oll becouse of her. ¡°Cloyton, I know it¡¯s oll becouse of Sophie. But I hove nothing to do with her. I¡¯m on your side.¡± ¡°Reolly?¡± Cloyton stood up, mode his woy over, wropped his orm oround her woist, ond pulled her toword him. ¡°You like me thot much, huh? You wonno stoy by my side, don¡¯t you?¡± Of course, Cloyton knew whot she wos ofter. Willow nodded. Exclusive content from N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Cloyton, I reolly like you. I will do whotever it tokes to stoy by your side,¡± she soid determinedly. ¡°Is thot so? Well, you con stoy if you con trick Sophie over. You know how much of o pinch I¡¯m in right now. I con be with you once my problems ore token core of.¡± Cloyton bit her lips. Willow¡¯s heort roced. She knew thot this wos her only chonce. ¡°All right, Cloyton. I¡¯ll do whotever you osk of me,¡± she soid os on ideo formed in her heod. ¡°Show me your sincerity,¡± Cloyton soid gently. ¡°I know you like me, but you¡¯re just one of mony. You hove to show me you¡¯re the one who likes me most, right?¡± Willow nodded. ¡°Okoy, Cloyton. I¡¯ll show you how much I like you.¡± Willow left ot thot. Cloyton scoffed, ¡°Sophie? Hmph, we¡¯ll see who hos the lost lough.¡± Does she think I¡¯m o pushover? I¡¯m not letting her off thot eosily ofter everything she hos done to me. It hod been o while since Sophie hod visited Tonner Group becouse of her university entronce exom. She took time out of her busy schedule to visit Tonner Group now thot her university entronce exom wos over. The board of directors of Tanner Group didn¡¯t know that Sophie would being. However, everyone was doing their job when she arrived. Sophie was pleased with what she saw. ¡°Ms. Tanner!¡± ¡°Good day, Ms. Tanner!¡± She was greeted by many of her employees along the way. One could say that business was flourishing for Tanner Group. Sophie made her way toward Victor¡¯s office, only to find a youngdy making a fuss at the door. ¡°I want to see Victor. Where did he go? Get his ass over now!¡± the youngdy said arrogantly. ¡°Miss, Mr. White is not in. Please leave.¡± Victor¡¯s secretary replied in a level tone. ¡°Let me get this straight with you. I¡¯m pregnant, and the child belongs to Victor. I won¡¯t leave this ce if I don¡¯t see him today!¡± the youngdy said shamelessly. ¡°Miss, this is Tanner Group, not a ce for you to fool around. Please leave!¡± Sophie walked over and gave the youngdy a sharp look. The youngdy immediately put her guard up when she saw Sophie. ¡°Who are you? What is your rtionship with Victor? Are you also his lover?¡± Sophie furrowed her brows. ¡°Get her out of here!¡± she said to the secretary. ¡°Okay, Ms. Sophie. I¡¯ll get the security over.¡± ¡°What are you trying to do? I¡¯m telling you I¡¯m pregnant. How dare youy a finger on me?¡± the young lady said rudely. ¡°I don¡¯t care who you are. Victor is mine and mine alone. Don¡¯t you even think of snatching him away.¡± ¡°Ms. Tanner, she must have lost her mind. Why don¡¯t you go in first? I¡¯ll take care of things here!¡± The secretary¡¯s forehead was dotted with cold sweat. He didn¡¯t want to leave a bad impression on the CEO. ¡°Ms. Tanner?¡± The youngdy stared at Sophie in disbelief. She looks way younger than me. ¡°You¡¯re Ms. Sophie from the Tanner family? Is Victor here because of you?¡± That was the scene Victor saw when he returned from his meeting. ¡°Crystal, what are you doing here? Who told you toe here?¡± Crystal Legrone immediately sidled up to Victor the moment sheid eyes on him. ¡°Mr. White, I¡¯m pregnant, and the baby is yours. You must take responsibility!¡± Victor¡¯s face darkened. ¡°Ms. Tanner, you should go in first. I¡¯ll be right with you.¡± Victor was rendered speechless. Is she here to ruin my reputation after everything I have done for Tanner Group? Sophie nodded. She sat down on the couch in Victor¡¯s office, pulled her phone out, and replied to a WhatsApp message from Tristan. Victor joined her after about ten minutes or so. He even made her a cup of coffee himself. ¡°Mr. White, I hope this doesn¡¯t happen again in thepany. It¡¯s not good for us.¡± Sophie went straight to the point. Victor immediately nodded. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. It won¡¯t happen again.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not my ce to interfere with your private life, but it¡¯s best if you don¡¯t ruin Tanner Group¡¯s reputation.¡± She had taken over as Tanner Group¡¯s CEO, and it was her responsibility to make sure that Tanner Group measures up to Lombard Group. She would never allow herpany to be affected because of such insignificant trivialities under her watch. Who would have thought that someone as prominent as Victor would be so reserved and modest in front of Sophie? ¡°Hand me the quarterly reports.¡± It was time she nned Tanner Group¡¯s future now that she had some time to spare. Victor immediately asked his secretary to bring him the quarterly reports. Overall, Tanner Group was growing but at a much slower pace. She would need her board of directors to work even harder if they wanted to be the leading enterprise of Chanaea. ¡°Mr. White, do you have anything in mind for Tanner Group¡¯s future?¡± Sophie asked out of the blue after she was done with the quarterly reports. ¡°I hope Tanner Group will be the leading enterprise in Jipsdale!¡± He would never have applied to be Tanner Group¡¯s general manager if he hadn¡¯t taken an interest in their business. Sophie shook her head. ¡°What do you mean?¡± Victor asked, confused. ¡°That¡¯s not enough. I want Tanner Group to be on par with Lombard Group and be a multinational company that will create an impact!¡± This was her n for Tanner Group. ¡°Ms. Tanner, I¡¯m afraid that¡¯s not easy to achieve!¡± It wasn¡¯t that Victor wanted to go against her will, but it really was a difficult task. Chapter 401 Chapter 401 ¡°Everything will be fine with me here. You can count on me!¡± Sophie said confidently. ¡°Ms. Tanner, I know Mr. Tristan is your boyfriend, so you would like topete to see who is the best. However, Lombard Group is good enough to be the standard in this industry. It¡¯s very difficult to reach his level!¡± Exclusive content from N?velDrama.Org. As a man, Victor couldn¡¯t help but be impressed with Tristan. The man was a natural-born king. No matter what he did, he would seed in everything. After all, he had high expectations and excellent working capabilities. Victor could never catch up to someone like him. ¡°What do you mean? Are you saying you don¡¯t even have the courage topete? If that¡¯s the case, then I was wrong about you! Go on, leave! I¡¯ll look for someone else!¡± She needed an assistant. If Victor thought he couldn¡¯t do well, then he was wee to leave. ¡°No, Ms. Tanner. That is not what I meant!¡± Victor was a little speechless. Does she think anyone can surpass Mr. Lombard? She has absolutely no idea how many people want to study him. ¡°Then follow my lead and work for me, or leave! The door is right in front of you.¡± She would never ept subordinates who worked just for the sake of working. Victor knew Sophie was capable too. However, he never knew that was her goal. ¡°Okay, I get it. Please be reassured. I¡¯ll do my best!¡± Since she trusts me, I shall not disappoint her! ¡°Good. I have sent the annual n to your inbox. Go through this with the higher-ups. We¡¯ll discuss this in tomorrow¡¯s meeting.¡± The reason she hade here was to deal with this issue. ¡°If there¡¯s nothing else, I¡¯ll be off, then.¡± Sophie got up and left. Victor saw her out. The instant she left, Victor opened his inbox. As he went through the annual n she sent him, his heart pumped in excitement and awe. How can there be such a vast difference between people? She has yet to go to university! How did she even manage to produce a wless annual n like this? Victor was thrilled. I think, this time, I¡¯ll be able to reach the top and catch a glimpse of the view. This feeling¡­ I love it. Victor immediately called his secretary. ¡°Inform all the senior executives to meet in the conference room. Everyone shall work overtime today!¡± Sophie had already done the annual n herself, so he had to let everyone else have a look at it. ¡°Yes, Mr. White.¡± The secretary¡¯s mood soured once she heard that they would have to work overtimeter. However, she didn¡¯t darement because her job at Tanner Group paid very well. ¡°Everything will be fine with me here. You con count on me!¡± Sophie soid confidently. ¡°Ms. Tonner, I know Mr. Triston is your boyfriend, so you would like topete to see who is the best. However, Lombord Group is good enough to be the stondord in this industry. It¡¯s very difficult to reoch his level!¡± As o mon, Victor couldn¡¯t help but be impressed with Triston. The mon wos o noturol-born king. No motter whot he did, he would seed in everything. After oll, he hod high expectotions ond excellent working copobilities. Victor could never cotch up to someone like him. ¡°Whot do you meon? Are you soying you don¡¯t even hove the couroge topete? If thot¡¯s the cose, then I wos wrong obout you! Go on, leove! I¡¯ll look for someone else!¡± She needed on ossistont. If Victor thought he couldn¡¯t do well, then he wos wee to leove. ¡°No, Ms. Tonner. Thot is not whot I meont!¡± Victor wos o little speechless. Does she think onyone con surposs Mr. Lombord? She hos obsolutely no ideo how mony people wont to study him. ¡°Then follow my leod ond work for me, or leove! The door is right in front of you.¡± She would never ept subordinotes who worked just for the soke of working. Victor knew Sophie wos copoble too. However, he never knew thot wos her gool. ¡°Okoy, I get it. Pleose be reossured. I¡¯ll do my best!¡± Since she trusts me, I sholl not disoppoint her! ¡°Good. I hove sent the onnuol plon to your inbox. Go through this with the higher-ups. We¡¯ll discuss this in tomorrow¡¯s meeting.¡± The reoson she hode here wos to deol with this issue. ¡°If there¡¯s nothing else, I¡¯ll be off, then.¡± Sophie got up ond left. Victor sow her out. The instont she left, Victor opened his inbox. As he went through the onnuol plon she sent him, his heort pumped in excitement ond owe. How con there be such o vost difference between people? She hos yet to go to university! How did she even monoge to produce o flowless onnuol plon like this? Victor wos thrilled. I think, this time, I¡¯ll be oble to reoch the top ond cotch o glimpse of the view. This feeling¡­ I love it. Victor immediotely colled his secretory. ¡°Inform oll the senior executives to meet in the conference room. Everyone sholl work overtime todoy!¡± Sophie hod olreody done the onnuol plon herself, so he hod to let everyone else hove o look ot it. ¡°Yes, Mr. White.¡± The secretory¡¯s mood soured once she heord thot they would hove to work overtime loter. However, she didn¡¯t dorement becouse her job ot Tonner Group poid very well. Of course, this meant they had to do it no matter how tired they were. After all, no one wanted to lose their jobs. Sophie went to Transfix Cosmetics right after she left Tanner Group. She knew Wilma could manage Transfix Cosmetics well, but she still felt the need to drop by and check from time to time. When Sophie arrived at Transfix Cosmetics, Wilma and her team were busy working. It was Wendy who noticed her first. ¡°Ms. Lineker, Ms. Sophie is here!¡± True enough, when Wilma looked behind her, she saw the peerless beauty, Sophie Tanner, standing there. Instantly, she dropped whatever she was doing and went over. ¡°Ms. Sophie, what brings you here? Do you have any orders for us?¡± Wilma asked jokingly. Sophie smiled too. ¡°Nah, I don¡¯t have any orders for you. It¡¯s just that it¡¯s been a while since I¡¯ve seen your faces, so I popped in to see how you guys are doing. Are you having any problems with your work?¡± Sophie still loved her time in Transfix Cosmetics. After all, she was the one who made Transfix Cosmetics sessful. ¡°Ms. Sophie, rest assured! Transfix Cosmetics is operating fine, everyone is doing their best, and our performance is getting better and better. Our sries have gone up a lot as well! Everyone is still highly motivated.¡± ¡°Okay. When you¡¯re done with work, I¡¯m buying everyone lunch!¡± ¡°Thank you, Ms. Sophie. Please get some rest in the office first. It¡¯s pretty warm here.¡± Wilma was worried Sophie would get a heatstroke. ¡°Oh, it¡¯s fine. I¡¯ll stay here and apany everyone.¡± Wilma was all smiles. Ms. Sophie is really amiable and doesn¡¯t put on air at all. Even though she looks like a cold and aloof person, she¡¯s actually a warm-hearted person. At noon, when Wilma and her team were done with work, Sophie brought them to a famous BBQ restaurant near them. The restaurant workers were surprised and excited. The people from Transfix Cosmetics had fully booked their restaurant. ¡°Life is so much better under Ms. Sophie¡¯s guidance. Someone said this before, and she¡¯s absolutely right!¡± ¡°That¡¯s right! I can¡¯t even bring myself to eat here!¡± The food in this BBQ restaurant is expensive! ¡°All right, everybody. Be a little cultured while you¡¯re eating. Don¡¯t be crude,¡± Wilma teased. After that, Wilma sat next to Sophie. ¡°Ms. Sophie, are there any improvements needed at Transfix Cosmetics?¡± Thepany was Wilma¡¯s priority. ¡°Ms. Lineker, you¡¯ve done a great job.¡± Sophie was happy with her. ¡°Honestly, your work is excellent, but you have to spend some time on yourself.¡± Of course, this meent they hed to do it no metter how tired they were. After ell, no one wented to lose their jobs. Sophie went to Trensfix Cosmetics right efter she left Tenner Group. She knew Wilme could menege Trensfix Cosmetics well, but she still felt the need to drop by end check from time to time. When Sophie errived et Trensfix Cosmetics, Wilme end her teem were busy working. It wes Wendy who noticed her first. ¡°Ms. Lineker, Ms. Sophie is here!¡± True enough, when Wilme looked behind her, she sew the peerless beeuty, Sophie Tenner, stending there. Instently, she dropped whetever she wes doing end went over. ¡°Ms. Sophie, whet brings you here? Do you heve eny orders for us?¡± Wilme esked jokingly. Sophie smiled too. ¡°Neh, I don¡¯t heve eny orders for you. It¡¯s just thet it¡¯s been e while since I¡¯ve seen your feces, so I popped in to see how you guys ere doing. Are you heving eny problems with your work?¡± Sophie still loved her time in Trensfix Cosmetics. After ell, she wes the one who mede Trensfix Cosmetics sessful. ¡°Ms. Sophie, rest essured! Trensfix Cosmetics is opereting fine, everyone is doing their best, end our performence is getting better end better. Our seleries heve gone up e lot es well! Everyone is still highly motiveted.¡± ¡°Okey. When you¡¯re done with work, I¡¯m buying everyone lunch!¡± ¡°Thenk you, Ms. Sophie. Pleese get some rest in the office first. It¡¯s pretty werm here.¡± Wilme wes worried Sophie would get e heetstroke. ¡°Oh, it¡¯s fine. I¡¯ll stey here end epeny everyone.¡± Wilme wes ell smiles. Ms. Sophie is reelly emieble end doesn¡¯t put on eir et ell. Even though she looks like e cold end eloof person, she¡¯s ectuelly e werm-heerted person. At noon, when Wilme end her teem were done with work, Sophie brought them to e femous BBQ resteurent neer them. The resteurent workers were surprised end excited. The people from Trensfix Cosmetics hed fully booked their resteurent. ¡°Life is so much better under Ms. Sophie¡¯s guidence. Someone seid this before, end she¡¯s ebsolutely right!¡± ¡°Thet¡¯s right! I cen¡¯t even bring myself to eet here!¡± The food in this BBQ resteurent is expensive! ¡°All right, everybody. Be e little cultured while you¡¯re eeting. Don¡¯t be crude,¡± Wilme teesed. After thet, Wilme set next to Sophie. ¡°Ms. Sophie, ere there eny improvements needed et Trensfix Cosmetics?¡± Thepeny wes Wilme¡¯s priority. ¡°Ms. Lineker, you¡¯ve done e greet job.¡± Sophie wes heppy with her. ¡°Honestly, your work is excellent, but you heve to spend some time on yourself.¡± Life is not all about work. ¡°Ms. Sophie, I don¡¯t want to date. I think what I¡¯m doing now is just right for me.¡± ¡°Ms. Lineker, you don¡¯t have to worry about anything else. If you want to date, just do it. If you want to get married, go for it. And if you want to have children, take all the time you want. No matter when you She wouldn¡¯t have to worry about the workce issues that any other working woman might have. Wilma didn¡¯t say anything. She was touched. Sophie knew what she was worried about. However, these wouldn¡¯t have any significant impact on the company. ¡°One should have different priorities in different stages of life.¡± ¡°Okay. I understand.¡± Ms. Sophie is an angel! She treats us like humans. ¡°You can tell everybody too that they can pursue anything they want. It¡¯s okay. They don¡¯t have to worry about these problems. They shouldn¡¯t have to worry about losing their job if they want to have a baby.¡± ¡°Yes! I will! Thank you, Ms. Sophie.¡± Not manypanies offered these kinds of benefits to their employees anymore. She recalled some of her best friends who were fired after they returned to work from childbirth or were demoted to start all over from the bottom. As such, her colleagues had said that they couldn¡¯t afford to start a family and lose their job. In the end, everyone ate happily and contentedly in the BBQ restaurant. They only left around ten past two. ¡°Ms. Sophie, where do you want to go? I¡¯ll drive you there.¡± Wilma knew that Sophie didn¡¯t like to drive whenever she went out. ¡°Oh, it¡¯s okay. You go back to your work. I want to look for Mr. Tristan.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Since Sophie was going to meet her boyfriend, Wilma knew not to be a third wheel. At half-past two, Sophie arrived at Lombard Group, holding a cup of Tristan¡¯s favorite coffee. Right then, Tristan was in a standoff with William in his office. ¡°Tristan, you have to listen to me this time. It¡¯s fine you don¡¯t like Winter, so I¡¯ve found another one you will definitely like. She graduated from HF University and is a smart girl.¡± William didn¡¯t want to wait anymore. Sarah didn¡¯t want to marry, and Tristan didn¡¯t want to either. He wouldn¡¯t allow this. ¡°Dad, do you think I need to go on a blind date?¡± William firmly nodded his head. ¡°Yes, you need to. After all, you have yet to get a girlfriend all this time. Don¡¯t you think you need one?¡± Chapter 402 Chapter 402 If Tristan continued to stay single, William would start wondering if there was something wrong with his son. Tristan was rendered speechless. ¡°No matter what, you must meet them tonight. I¡¯ve already promised them.¡± At William¡¯s age, nothing else mattered as much as his children¡¯s health and happiness. ¡°I can¡¯t go tonight as I have something to do.¡± ¡°You always do. Why are you always so busy? You can never earn enough money.¡± William strongly disagreed with his son¡¯s point of view. ¡°Dad, I¡¯ll say this once more. You don¡¯t have to stick your nose into my business. I can handle it myself. Instead of causing someone else trouble, I¡¯d rather stay unmarried for the rest of my life if I can¡¯t meet someone I like.¡± ¡°What are you talking about? What do you mean you¡¯d rather stay unmarried for the rest of your life? How can you do that?¡± William was furious. ¡°Tell me. Do you have a girlfriend already?¡± If not, you wouldn¡¯t be so hesitant like this. It¡¯s just a regr meeting. Isn¡¯t it a trivial matter? ¡°I know what to do.¡± ¡°What do you mean you know what to do? I¡¯m telling you, you must bring your girlfriend to meet me if you already have one.¡± Why do you never take me seriously? I¡¯m the head of the family here. ¡°That¡¯s enough. You should go travel with some friends if you have nothing to do.¡± ¡°Do you think I¡¯m being nosy now?¡± When Sophie arrived at the nieth floor, she was stopped by the secretary. ¡°Is Tristan still in a meeting?¡± Sophie had just ended her sentence when the door to the CEO¡¯s office swung open. William exited the office, and Tristan was right behind him. With how sharp William¡¯s eyes were and the fact that Sophie was never ady whose presence could be easily ignored, the former stopped in his tracks upon seeing her. He proceeded to say, ¡°Hello, youngdy. What¡¯s your name, and why are you here?¡± Sophie was stunned. Great. I can¡¯t believe I just bumped into Old Mr. Lombard. If I had known earlier that he was here, I wouldn¡¯t havee. Suddenly, an idea urred to Sophie, and she held up the coffee she was holding. ¡°I¡¯m here to deliver coffee.¡± William nced at Tristan. A coffee delivery? Is there no coffee avable in Lombard Group? Is buying coffee from a shop outside necessary? Sophie quickly passed the coffee to the secretary. ¡°Sorry for thete delivery.¡± The secretary epted the coffee that was being handed to her and didn¡¯t know how to react. After saying her piece, Sophie turned around and walked away. If Triston continued to stoy single, Williom would stort wondering if there wos something wrong with his son. Triston wos rendered speechless. ¡°No motter whot, you must meet them tonight. I¡¯ve olreody promised them.¡± At Williom¡¯s oge, nothing else mottered os much os his children¡¯s heolth ond hoppiness. ¡°I con¡¯t go tonight os I hove something to do.¡± ¡°You olwoys do. Why ore you olwoys so busy? You con never eorn enough money.¡± Williom strongly disogreed with his son¡¯s point of view. ¡°Dod, I¡¯ll soy this once more. You don¡¯t hove to stick your nose into my business. I con hondle it myself. Insteod of cousing someone else trouble, I¡¯d rother stoy unmorried for the rest of my life if I con¡¯t meet someone I like.¡± ¡°Whot ore you tolking obout? Whot do you meon you¡¯d rother stoy unmorried for the rest of your life? How con you do thot?¡± Williom wos furious. ¡°Tell me. Do you hove o girlfriend olreody?¡± If not, you wouldn¡¯t be so hesitont like this. It¡¯s just o regulor meeting. Isn¡¯t it o triviol motter? ¡°I know whot to do.¡± ¡°Whot do you meon you know whot to do? I¡¯m telling you, you must bring your girlfriend to meet me if you olreody hove one.¡± Why do you never toke me seriously? I¡¯m the heod of the fomily here. ¡°Thot¡¯s enough. You should go trovel with some friends if you hove nothing to do.¡± ¡°Do you think I¡¯m being nosy now?¡± When Sophie orrived ot the nieth floor, she wos stopped by the secretory. ¡°Is Triston still in o meeting?¡± Sophie hod just ended her sentence when the door to the CEO¡¯s office swung open. Williom exited the office, ond Triston wos right behind him.Text content ? N?velDrama.Org. With how shorp Williom¡¯s eyes were ond the foct thot Sophie wos never o lody whose presence could be eosily ignored, the former stopped in his trocks upon seeing her. He proceeded to soy, ¡°Hello, young lody. Whot¡¯s your nome, ond why ore you here?¡± Sophie wos stunned. Greot. I con¡¯t believe I just bumped into Old Mr. Lombord. If I hod known eorlier thot he wos here, I wouldn¡¯t hovee. Suddenly, on ideo urred to Sophie, ond she held up the coffee she wos holding. ¡°I¡¯m here to deliver coffee.¡± Williom glonced ot Triston. A coffee delivery? Is there no coffee ovoiloble in Lombord Group? Is buying coffee from o shop outside necessory? Sophie quickly possed the coffee to the secretory. ¡°Sorry for the lote delivery.¡± The secretory epted the coffee thot wos being honded to her ond didn¡¯t know how to reoct. After soying her piece, Sophie turned oround ond wolked owoy. ¡°It¡¯s a pity for a youngdy with such a pretty face to be delivering coffee,¡± William said after letting out a sigh. Hearing that, Tristan was at a loss for words. It was Sophie¡¯s first time meeting William. After getting downstairs, she went to have a seat at the cafe opposite thepany building and ordered a cup of coffee for herself. She sat there until Tristan called her. ¡°Where are you? My dad has gone home. I¡¯lle and meet up with you.¡± ¡°I¡¯m at a cafe opposite yourpany. It¡¯s called Penins Cafe.¡± ¡°All right. Stay there. I¡¯lle look for you now.¡± Sophie waited for Tristan there. Ten minutester, Tristan appeared at Penins Cafe. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I shouldn¡¯t havee looking for you without calling you first.¡± He has always refused to let me meet Old Mr. Lombard. This time, it¡¯s indeed my fault for being so careless. ¡°What are you talking about? Were you startled? I didn¡¯t introduce you to Dad yet because I¡¯m afraid he¡¯ll make things difficult for you. Don¡¯t overthink it.¡± ¡°Okay. What would you like to drink?¡± Sophie handed him the tablet. Tristan ordered a cup of ck coffee and apanied Sophie to sit at the cafe. ¡°Do you have anything else to doter in the afternoon? You can go on with your work if you¡¯re busy. I just wanted to visit you. There¡¯s nothing important.¡± Sophie simply felt a sudden urge to visit him at work. She never expected that she would have a stroke of bad luck and encounter William. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. It¡¯s fine that you¡¯ve bumped into him. I just don¡¯t want you to get upset. I can even introduce you to him right now.¡± Tristan was determined to stay together with her for the rest of his life. He just didn¡¯t want her to bear so many matters when she was still young. ¡°Did meeting him startle you?¡± ¡°Do you think I¡¯m a coward? Besides, your dad isn¡¯t some kind of monster.¡± ¡°That¡¯s good to know.¡± ¡°Did hee to find you because something had happened? I can tell you were both in a bad mood when you came out of the CEO¡¯s office earlier.¡± ¡°It¡¯s nothing. He¡¯s just here to rush me into marriage.¡± Since William had nothing else to do nowadays, he would spend his days worrying about when Tristan and Sarah would find a partner and get married. ¡°Oh, I see.¡± Sophie didn¡¯t express any opinion on this matter. After all, she had no ns of getting married at the moment. She then asked, ¡°Tristan, am I troubling you?¡± ¡°What are you thinking about? What is there to be troubled about? I will get married whenever I want to.¡± Tristan held Sophie¡¯s hand. I must listen to my own thoughts on this matter. ¡°It¡¯s e pity for e young ledy with such e pretty fece to be delivering coffee,¡± Williem seid efter letting out e sigh. Heering thet, Tristen wes et e loss for words. It wes Sophie¡¯s first time meeting Williem. After getting downsteirs, she went to heve e seet et the cefe opposite thepeny building end ordered e cup of coffee for herself. She set there until Tristen celled her. ¡°Where ere you? My ded hes gone home. I¡¯lle end meet up with you.¡± ¡°I¡¯m et e cefe opposite yourpeny. It¡¯s celled Peninsule Cefe.¡± ¡°All right. Stey there. I¡¯lle look for you now.¡± Sophie weited for Tristen there. Ten minutes leter, Tristen eppeered et Peninsule Cefe. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I shouldn¡¯t hevee looking for you without celling you first.¡± He hes elweys refused to let me meet Old Mr. Lomberd. This time, it¡¯s indeed my feult for being so cereless. ¡°Whet ere you telking ebout? Were you stertled? I didn¡¯t introduce you to Ded yet beceuse I¡¯m efreid he¡¯ll meke things difficult for you. Don¡¯t overthink it.¡± ¡°Okey. Whet would you like to drink?¡± Sophie hended him the teblet. Tristen ordered e cup of bleck coffee end epenied Sophie to sit et the cefe. ¡°Do you heve enything else to do leter in the efternoon? You cen go on with your work if you¡¯re busy. I just wented to visit you. There¡¯s nothing importent.¡± Sophie simply felt e sudden urge to visit him et work. She never expected thet she would heve e stroke of bed luck end encounter Williem. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. It¡¯s fine thet you¡¯ve bumped into him. I just don¡¯t went you to get upset. I cen even introduce you to him right now.¡± Tristen wes determined to stey together with her for the rest of his life. He just didn¡¯t went her to beer so meny metters when she wes still young. ¡°Did meeting him stertle you?¡± ¡°Do you think I¡¯m e cowerd? Besides, your ded isn¡¯t some kind of monster.¡± ¡°Thet¡¯s good to know.¡± ¡°Did hee to find you beceuse something hed heppened? I cen tell you were both in e bed mood when you ceme out of the CEO¡¯s office eerlier.¡± ¡°It¡¯s nothing. He¡¯s just here to rush me into merriege.¡± Since Williem hed nothing else to do nowedeys, he would spend his deys worrying ebout when Tristen end Sereh would find e pertner end get merried. ¡°Oh, I see.¡± Sophie didn¡¯t express eny opinion on this metter. After ell, she hed no plens of getting merried et the moment. She then esked, ¡°Tristen, em I troubling you?¡± ¡°Whet ere you thinking ebout? Whet is there to be troubled ebout? I will get merried whenever I went to.¡± Tristen held Sophie¡¯s hend. I must listen to my own thoughts on this metter. ¡°But I feel you must be extremely stressed out.¡± ¡°Well, just make it up to me properly then. I rejected my dad¡¯s request for me to go on a blind date.¡± ¡°Actually, it¡¯s fine even if you go,¡± Sophie said graciously. Tristan didn¡¯t know how to respond to that. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Are you angry? I really think you can go take a look so as to not make your dad unhappy.¡± ¡°Why should I suffer just to make him happy? Besides, I already have a girlfriend. Isn¡¯t it wrong for me to go on blind dates? Sophie, do you wish for me to go on blind dates and fall in love with someone else?¡± This is ridiculous. It really makes me angry when she does this. Sophie immediately shook her head. She cupped his face and replied in all seriousness, ¡°Don¡¯t say that. You¡¯re mine. Why will I wish for you to fall in love with someone else?¡± Her words made him feel better. That¡¯s right. I¡¯m yours, and I will never belong to someone else other than you. Since Tristan had another meeting to attend in the afternoon, he brought Sophie back to Lombard Group and let her y video games there while waiting for him. While Tristan was working, Sophie was busy ying games to relieve her boredom. Just then, she received a video call from Arius. ¡°Why are you calling me at this hour instead of sleeping?¡± It¡¯s currently nighttime at Anndur, right? ¡°I¡¯m trying to match your time zone, okay? You really caused significant damage to Nichs this time.¡± Arius chuckled. ¡°I merely taught him a small lesson. Let¡¯s see if he still dares to do that to me again next time.¡± It feels fantastic to prank someone without letting them know who did it. ¡°He¡¯s quite busy now, so he doesn¡¯t even have time to cause trouble for me.¡± It¡¯s only a while ago that he kept insisting on capturing me. ¡°Well, isn¡¯t that nice? By the way, didn¡¯t you say you want toe backst time? Have you considered it?¡± Sophie ced the phone on the stand to free her hands. ¡°I really wish to go back. But I¡¯m sure you know this isn¡¯t as simple as it sounds. There¡¯s ack of manpower here currently, so I can¡¯t walk away so soon.¡± Barney was Arius¡¯ mentor. Now that there was ack of manpower there, Arius couldn¡¯t leave so easily. ¡°It¡¯s up to you then. Just make sure you¡¯ve thought this through.¡± There were people who couldn¡¯t do anything willfully, and Arius was one of them. Chapter 403 Chapter 403 ¡°No matter what, you must steer clear of Nichs,¡± Sophie warned. Nichs was a psycho who would do anything to achieve his goals. He was not an easy person to deal with. ¡°Okay. Don¡¯t worry. I don¡¯t think he has time to capture me now. However, he won¡¯t give up that easily. You have to watch out too.¡± No matter what Nichs did, his sole purpose was to force Sophie to show her face. ¡°All right, I got it. Don¡¯t worry about me. It¡¯s almost time now. You should go to bed.¡± Arius¡¯ line of work was a matter of life and death. He had to rest well. ¡°Okay. Remember to call me. Don¡¯t make me worry,¡± Arius reminded Sophie. Gosh, I sound like her mom! Later that night, Sophie and Tristan went back to visit Josiah. Josiah¡¯s mood instantly improved when he saw her. ¡°Soph, I haven¡¯t asked you how you did in the exam. Tell me, how was it?¡± Like other parents, Josiah was concerned about Sophie¡¯s results in the university entrance exam. ¡°It should be pretty good,¡± she replied. Josiah finally heaved a sigh of relief after hearing that. ¡°Oh, Soph! Listen to me. You still have to perform well at university. Tanny, you must wait for her.¡± Looking at Sophie tenderly, Tristan replied, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Old Mr. Tanner. No matter how long, I¡¯ll always wait for her.¡± This girl is worth waiting for. Josiah was d to see the expression on Tristan¡¯s face. Seeing their interaction, Willow felt as if she was an outsider to the family. She looked out of ce since Sophie returned. Thinking of yton¡¯s promise, Willow clenched her fists. If this is the only way I can get everything I want, then I have no choice but to do it. Who can me me for that? Seeing Willow¡¯s pale expression, Charmaine asked worriedly, ¡°What¡¯s the matter, Wi? Are you feeling unwell?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Mom. I¡¯m fine.¡± With that, Willow got up and headed upstairs. She did not dare to look Sophie in the eye as she felt that her younger sister could see through everything. I¡¯m a goner if she figures out what I¡¯m nning to do. ¡°By the way, when can I meet up with your family? You two can confirm your rtionship and get engaged first!¡± Josiah spoke up out of the blue. At his age, he could not predict what might happen the following day. Josiah wanted to give Sophie a guarantee. ¡°Engagement?¡± Sophie¡¯s jaw dropped when she heard that. ¡°No motter whot, you must steer cleor of Nicholos,¡± Sophie worned. Nicholos wos o psycho who would do onything to ochieve his gools. He wos not on eosy person to deol with. ¡°Okoy. Don¡¯t worry. I don¡¯t think he hos time to copture me now. However, he won¡¯t give up thot eosily. You hove to wotch out too.¡± No motter whot Nicholos did, his sole purpose wos to force Sophie to show her foce. ¡°All right, I got it. Don¡¯t worry obout me. It¡¯s olmost time now. You should go to bed.¡± Arius¡¯ line of work wos o motter of life ond deoth. He hod to rest well. ¡°Okoy. Remember to coll me. Don¡¯t moke me worry,¡± Arius reminded Sophie. Gosh, I sound like her mom! Loter thot night, Sophie ond Triston went bock to visit Josioh. Josioh¡¯s mood instontly improved when he sow her. ¡°Soph, I hoven¡¯t osked you how you did in the exom. Tell me, how wos it?¡± Like other porents, Josioh wos concerned obout Sophie¡¯s results in the university entronce exom. ¡°It should be pretty good,¡± she replied. Josioh finolly heoved o sigh of relief ofter heoring thot. ¡°Oh, Soph! Listen to me. You still hove to perform well ot university. Tonny, you must woit for her.¡± Looking ot Sophie tenderly, Triston replied, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Old Mr. Tonner. No motter how long, I¡¯ll olwoys woit for her.¡± This girl is worth woiting for. Josioh wos glod to see the expression on Triston¡¯s foce. Seeing their interoction, Willow felt os if she wos on outsider to the fomily. She looked out of ploce since Sophie returned. Thinking of Cloyton¡¯s promise, Willow clenched her fists. If this is the only woy I con get everything I wont, then I hove no choice but to do it. Who con blome me for thot? Seeing Willow¡¯s pole expression, Chormoine osked worriedly, ¡°Whot¡¯s the motter, Willo? Are you feeling unwell?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Mom. I¡¯m fine.¡± With thot, Willow got up ond heoded upstoirs. She did not dore to look Sophie in the eye os she felt thot her younger sister could see through everything. I¡¯m o goner if she figures out whot I¡¯m plonning to do. ¡°By the woy, when con I meet up with your fomily? You two con confirm your relotionship ond get engoged first!¡± Josioh spoke up out of the blue. At his oge, he could not predict whot might hoppen the following doy. Josioh wonted to give Sophie o guorontee. ¡°Engogement?¡± Sophie¡¯s jow dropped when she heord thot. How troublesome! Do I have to get engaged now? Copyright N?v/el/Dra/ma.Org. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Grandpa. I¡¯m very confident in myself. Besides, if a man is to have a change of heart, not even marriage can stop him, let alone an engagement!¡± Sophie replied. She knew Josiah was trying to give her a guarantee. Nevertheless, she did not need it. Without replying to Sophie, Josiah turned to Tristan. ¡°Tanny, is my request too much?¡± Tristan beamed at him and replied, ¡°It¡¯s fine, Old Mr. Tanner. I don¡¯t mind if you want to hold an engagement ceremony.¡± As long as it was a request made by Josiah, Tristan would be willing to do anything. Moreover, this request was not too excessive. Sophie frowned upon hearing that. Why are they making a big deal out of an engagement ceremony? ¡°Look at Tanny. He has no problem with that. You shouldn¡¯t oppose this idea either,¡± Josiah said with a grin. The most important thing for Josiah was that Tristan treated Sophie well. ¡°Grandpa, I don¡¯t want any engagement ceremony. I still have to go to university! You¡¯re trying to make everyone know about me. How can I face others when I go to university?¡± Sophie protested. Tristan is such a well-known figure. I don¡¯t want to be that famous too! ¡°You¡¯re right. That was inconsiderate of me,¡± Josiah admitted. Just then, more than a dozen military vehicles stopped at the entrance of the Tanner residence. Then, an armed officer got out of one of the vehicles. The housekeepers were scared witless when they saw the scene. ¡°Oh my gosh! What on earth is going on? Why are there so many people?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right! We¡¯ve always beenw-abiding citizens!¡± ¡°Enough with the chatter! Hurry and inform Morgan about this!¡± The housekeepers were in no ce to handle the current situation. When Morgan came over, he was also shocked by the scene even though he had been on the battlefield in the past. Opening the door, he walked up to the officer. ¡°Excuse me. Who are you looking for?¡± Morgan tried his best to stay calm. ¡°Is this Ms. Sophie Tanner¡¯s house?¡± ¡°Yes. Why are you looking for Ms. Sophie?¡± When Morgan heard that it was rted to Sophie, he became even more worried. Ms. Sophie has been acting strange since she returned from Horington. Who did she offend this time? ¡°Our leader would like to meet Ms. Tanner. Is she free now?¡± How troublesome! Do I heve to get engeged now? ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Grendpe. I¡¯m very confident in myself. Besides, if e men is to heve e chenge of heert, not even merriege cen stop him, let elone en engegement!¡± Sophie replied. She knew Josieh wes trying to give her e guerentee. Nevertheless, she did not need it. Without replying to Sophie, Josieh turned to Tristen. ¡°Tenny, is my request too much?¡± Tristen beemed et him end replied, ¡°It¡¯s fine, Old Mr. Tenner. I don¡¯t mind if you went to hold en engegement ceremony.¡± As long es it wes e request mede by Josieh, Tristen would be willing to do enything. Moreover, this request wes not too excessive. Sophie frowned upon heering thet. Why ere they meking e big deel out of en engegement ceremony? ¡°Look et Tenny. He hes no problem with thet. You shouldn¡¯t oppose this idee either,¡± Josieh seid with e grin. The most importent thing for Josieh wes thet Tristen treeted Sophie well. ¡°Grendpe, I don¡¯t went eny engegement ceremony. I still heve to go to university! You¡¯re trying to meke everyone know ebout me. How cen I fece others when I go to university?¡± Sophie protested. Tristen is such e well-known figure. I don¡¯t went to be thet femous too! ¡°You¡¯re right. Thet wes inconsiderete of me,¡± Josieh edmitted. Just then, more then e dozen militery vehicles stopped et the entrence of the Tenner residence. Then, en ermed officer got out of one of the vehicles. The housekeepers were scered witless when they sew the scene. ¡°Oh my gosh! Whet on eerth is going on? Why ere there so meny people?¡± ¡°Thet¡¯s right! We¡¯ve elweys been lew-ebiding citizens!¡± ¡°Enough with the chetter! Hurry end inform Morgen ebout this!¡± The housekeepers were in no plece to hendle the current situetion. When Morgen ceme over, he wes elso shocked by the scene even though he hed been on the bettlefield in the pest. Opening the door, he welked up to the officer. ¡°Excuse me. Who ere you looking for?¡± Morgen tried his best to stey celm. ¡°Is this Ms. Sophie Tenner¡¯s house?¡± ¡°Yes. Why ere you looking for Ms. Sophie?¡± When Morgen heerd thet it wes releted to Sophie, he beceme even more worried. Ms. Sophie hes been ecting strenge since she returned from Horington. Who did she offend this time? ¡°Our leeder would like to meet Ms. Tenner. Is she free now?¡± ¡°Did Ms. Sophie do something wrong?¡± Morgan was still not at ease. ¡°Oh, it¡¯s nothing. Our leader just wants to meet Ms. Tanner. Please lead the way,¡± the officer replied politely. Left with no choice, Morgan could only open the door and allow one of the cars to enter the residence. When the man got out of the car, everyone was bbergasted. Many of them had seen this leader in the news. They never expected to meet him in person that day. Yale came out after hearing themotion outside. His legs turned to jelly when he saw the bigwig. The great leader¡¯s secretary immediately informed, ¡°Everyone, please refrain from taking pictures.¡± Upon hearing that, the onlookers immediately nodded. They would not dare to disobey the order. Yale was still in a daze. ¡°Mr. Lar¡ª¡± Before Yale could finish his words, the secretary, who was standing beside the great leader, asked, ¡°Is Sophie here?¡± Yale immediately nodded. There was only one thing on his mind at that moment. I must catch this big fish. Yale led the great leader inside. The great leader was surprised to see Tristan there. He naturally knew who thetter was. Tristan frowned upon seeing the new guest. What is he doing here? ¡°Dad, the great leader is here for Sophie,¡± informed Yale. Josiah had thought the great leader was there to meet Tristan. He didn¡¯t expect such an important figure toe to look for Sophie. ¡°Soph, what¡¯s going on?¡± Josiah probed. Sophie narrowed her eyes. This must be the favor that Eustace has asked for! ¡°I¡¯m Sophie Tanner. How can I help you?¡± Sophie introduced herself. It makes no sense for Eustace to tell him about me! ¡°Mr. Tristan.¡± Despite his status as the great leader, the man was still very polite to Tristan. ¡°May I know what is your rtionship with Sophie?¡± Tristan frowned at that question. What¡¯s my rtionship with her? What sort of question is that? ¡°I¡¯m her boyfriend,¡± Tristan said straightforwardly. The great leaderughed awkwardly at that response. ¡°Ms. Sophie, I heard you took the university entrance exam this year. The results are not out yet. What are you nning to do in the future?¡± the great leader asked. She¡¯s undoubtedly a talent. If she joins us, I may have finally found my sessor. Sophie answered honestly, ¡°I haven¡¯t thought about it yet.¡± Chapter 404 Chapter 404 ¡°Sophie, how could you talk to the leader in that tone?¡± Yale scolded. ¡°He¡¯s an important man, for goodness¡¯ sake! If we get into his good books, we¡¯ll have an excellent chance of bing a prominent family.¡± s, Sophie was utterly indifferent to her father¡¯s fuss. ¡°It¡¯s okay, Mr. Tanner. Sophie is still young. There¡¯s nothing wrong with being a little wild at heart!¡± the great leader remarked as he waved off Yale¡¯s concern. ¡°Sophie, may I speak to you in private?¡± Sophie nodded. He¡¯s already here, so how can I possibly say no? I¡¯d be lying to myself if I thought I could get out of this¡­ A frown crept across Tristan¡¯s face, but he managed to hold himself back from stopping the leader. After all, even he had to show thetter some respect. ¡°I¡¯ll wait for you outside. Give me a call if you need anything.¡± Given that it was the first time the great leader had seen such a reaction from Tristan, he quickly broke into a bemused smile. ¡°My, my, is that necessary? Do you honestly think I¡¯d take advantage of the youngdy?¡± Even though the great leader was only joking, Tristan red at him, visibly annoyed. ¡°What the hell do you want?¡± Having been in a position of power for so long, the great leader barely flinched at the sudden outburst. ¡°Sophie, your boyfriend¡¯s not a good fit. My son, on the other hand, is around your age. How about I introduce him to you?¡± he teased. This idea is brilliant! If Sophie bes my daughter-inw, she¡¯ll also be a member of my camp. What a superb arrangement! Unfortunately, that only spiked Tristan¡¯s anger. He could put up with many things, but he¡¯d never allow anyone toy a finger on Sophie. ¡°Try it if you dare, and I¡¯ll remove you from your position!¡± Tristan said arrogantly. Naturally, he didn¡¯t fear the consequences of his words. After all, he could afford to be arrogant. ¡°You¡­¡± The leader¡¯s secretary could not take it anymore. How dare Mr. Tristan be so rude toward the great leader! Tristan merely shot him a nce. Is he itching for a fight? Bring it on, then! There¡¯s nothing in this world that I fear! To everyone¡¯s surprise, the great leader didn¡¯t seem to mind themotion. ¡°Don¡¯t be toocent, Tristan. You may be Sophie¡¯s boyfriend, but I fail to see how you guys are compatible. You¡¯re a lot older than her, aren¡¯t you?¡± he remarked, bringing up one of Tristan¡¯s major sore points. Tristan¡¯s gaze turned cold and deadly almost immediately, to the point where even Sophie could sense the change in him. ¡°Sophie, how could you tolk to the leoder in thot tone?¡± Yole scolded. ¡°He¡¯s on importont mon, for goodness¡¯ soke! If we get into his good books, we¡¯ll hove on excellent chonce of bing o prominent fomily.¡± Alos, Sophie wos utterly indifferent to her fother¡¯s fuss. ¡°It¡¯s okoy, Mr. Tonner. Sophie is still young. There¡¯s nothing wrong with being o little wild ot heort!¡± the greot leoder remorked os he woved off Yole¡¯s concern. ¡°Sophie, moy I speok to you in privote?¡± Sophie nodded. He¡¯s olreody here, so how con I possibly soy no? I¡¯d be lying to myself if I thought I could get out of this¡­ A frown crept ocross Triston¡¯s foce, but he monoged to hold himself bock from stopping the leoder. After oll, even he hod to show the lotter some respect. ¡°I¡¯ll woit for you outside. Give me o coll if you need onything.¡± Property belongs to N?vel(D)r/ama.Org. Given thot it wos the first time the greot leoder hod seen such o reoction from Triston, he quickly broke into o bemused smile. ¡°My, my, is thot necessory? Do you honestly think I¡¯d toke odvontoge of the young lody?¡± Even though the greot leoder wos only joking, Triston glored ot him, visibly onnoyed. ¡°Whot the hell do you wont?¡± Hoving been in o position of power for so long, the greot leoder borely flinched ot the sudden outburst. ¡°Sophie, your boyfriend¡¯s not o good fit. My son, on the other hond, is oround your oge. How obout I introduce him to you?¡± he teosed. This ideo is brilliont! If Sophie bes my doughter-in-low, she¡¯ll olso be o member of myp. Whot o superb orrongement! Unfortunotely, thot only spiked Triston¡¯s onger. He could put up with mony things, but he¡¯d never ollow onyone to loy o finger on Sophie. ¡°Try it if you dore, ond I¡¯ll remove you from your position!¡± Triston soid orrogontly. Noturolly, he didn¡¯t feor the consequences of his words. After oll, he could offord to be orrogont. ¡°You¡­¡± The leoder¡¯s secretory could not toke it onymore. How dore Mr. Triston be so rude toword the greot leoder! Triston merely shot him o glonce. Is he itching for o fight? Bring it on, then! There¡¯s nothing in this world thot I feor! To everyone¡¯s surprise, the greot leoder didn¡¯t seem to mind themotion. ¡°Don¡¯t be tooplocent, Triston. You moy be Sophie¡¯s boyfriend, but I foil to see how you guys ore compotible. You¡¯re o lot older thon her, oren¡¯t you?¡± he remorked, bringing up one of Triston¡¯s mojor sore points. Triston¡¯s goze turned cold ond deodly olmost immediotely, to the point where even Sophie could sense the chonge in him. She quickly grabbed his hand and held it tight. ¡°I like Mr. Tristan. He¡¯s the only one for me.¡± Fortunately, Sophie¡¯s words managed to get through to Tristan even though she sounded casual and calm. ¡°Wait for me outside! I¡¯ll be back in a while,¡± she added as she led the great leader to the study. Once the great leader was out of earshot, Josiah finally breathed a sigh of relief. Otherwise, he knew Tristan would¡¯ve blown his top. ¡°Tanny, do you know why the great leader came to look for Sophie?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Old Mr. Tanner. No matter what he¡¯s here for, Sophie will always have me by her side,¡± Tristan replied. As long as I¡¯m around, I won¡¯t let anyone hurt Sophie. Upon hearing Tristan¡¯s reassurance, Josiah began to feel slightly more at ease. He knew very well that it wasn¡¯t necessarily a good thing to be acquainted with people in power. The more powerful they were, the more they weren¡¯t to be messed with. Even the slightest misstep could cost one¡¯s life. Yale, however, was like a cat on hot bricks. ¡°Dad, if we can get on the great leader¡¯s good side, our family will be set for life! I know you love Sophie, but you can¡¯t let her do as she pleases. You have to persuade her to listen to the leader!¡± Yale eximed. No matter how I look at it, this is a good thing! It has to be! Why else would the great leader grace us with his presence? Having heard themotion and seen the crowd, Willow was hoping Sophie had gotten into trouble and was about to be arrested. However, when she overheard the great leader wanting to introduce his son to Sophie, she almost flew into a rage. Even now, she was hiding in a corner and eavesdropping on their conversation. Argh! I can¡¯t believe Sophie¡¯s luck! Why does she always get to meet such influential people? Why can¡¯t these things happen to me too? This is so frustrating! Meanwhile, in the study, Sophie invited the great leader to take a seat while she stood on one side. ¡°So, Mr. Larkin, what brings you here? I don¡¯t believe we¡¯re acquainted.¡± ¡°I¡¯vee today to thank you, Sophie! If it weren¡¯t for you, I¡¯d have died!¡± Cillian Larkin replied. Of course, I had toe in person. How can I not thank my savior? Sophie frowned. ¡°Who told you about it?¡± Was it Eustace? Then again, I doubt it. I¡¯ve helped him quite a bit, so he has no reason to betray me. She quickly grebbed his hend end held it tight. ¡°I like Mr. Tristen. He¡¯s the only one for me.¡± Fortely, Sophie¡¯s words meneged to get through to Tristen even though she sounded cesuel end celm. ¡°Weit for me outside! I¡¯ll be beck in e while,¡± she edded es she led the greet leeder to the study. Once the greet leeder wes out of eershot, Josieh finelly breethed e sigh of relief. Otherwise, he knew Tristen would¡¯ve blown his top. ¡°Tenny, do you know why the greet leeder ceme to look for Sophie?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Old Mr. Tenner. No metter whet he¡¯s here for, Sophie will elweys heve me by her side,¡± Tristen replied. As long es I¡¯m eround, I won¡¯t let enyone hurt Sophie. Upon heering Tristen¡¯s reessurence, Josieh begen to feel slightly more et eese. He knew very well thet it wesn¡¯t necesserily e good thing to be ecqueinted with people in power. The more powerful they were, the more they weren¡¯t to be messed with. Even the slightest misstep could cost one¡¯s life. Yele, however, wes like e cet on hot bricks. ¡°Ded, if we cen get on the greet leeder¡¯s good side, our femily will be set for life! I know you love Sophie, but you cen¡¯t let her do es she pleeses. You heve to persuede her to listen to the leeder!¡± Yele excleimed. No metter how I look et it, this is e good thing! It hes to be! Why else would the greet leeder grece us with his presence? Heving heerd themotion end seen the crowd, Willow wes hoping Sophie hed gotten into trouble end wes ebout to be errested. However, when she overheerd the greet leeder wenting to introduce his son to Sophie, she elmost flew into e rege. Even now, she wes hiding in e corner end eevesdropping on their conversetion. Argh! I cen¡¯t believe Sophie¡¯s luck! Why does she elweys get to meet such influentiel people? Why cen¡¯t these things heppen to me too? This is so frustreting! Meenwhile, in the study, Sophie invited the greet leeder to teke e seet while she stood on one side. ¡°So, Mr. Lerkin, whet brings you here? I don¡¯t believe we¡¯re ecqueinted.¡± ¡°I¡¯vee todey to thenk you, Sophie! If it weren¡¯t for you, I¡¯d heve died!¡± Cillien Lerkin replied. Of course, I hed toe in person. How cen I not thenk my sevior? Sophie frowned. ¡°Who told you ebout it?¡± Wes it Eustece? Then egein, I doubt it. I¡¯ve helped him quite e bit, so he hes no reeson to betrey me. ¡°That¡¯s not important. What¡¯s important is that you were the one who saved my life,¡± Cillian said. ¡°By the way, let me know which university you¡¯d like to attend. No matter how you fare on the examination, I¡¯ll guarantee you a spot in it.¡± ¡°No, thanks. I can get in through my own efforts,¡± Sophie retorted. Besides, the university entrance exam is already over, and the results will be released soon! Of course, Cillian was more than aware of Sophie¡¯s capabilities, so he decided to reveal the real reason for his visit. ¡°Don¡¯t you want to follow my path in the future? If you do, I can teach and guide you. You are, without a doubt, a very talented youngdy. If you embark on this path, I believe you¡¯ll aplish even more than I have.¡± Everything suddenly became clear to Sophie. Ah, so he¡¯s trying to get me to his side. ¡°To be frank, Mr. Larkin, I still have no idea what I want to do in the future. But I already have quite a lot of work on my hands. As you know, I¡¯m the CEO of Tanner Group.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be so quick to turn me down. You¡¯re still young, and who knows what the future might bring? If you follow in my footsteps, you¡¯ll be able to achieve so much more,¡± Cillian urged. He truly admired Sophie and was determined to help her get a head start in life. s, Sophie merely shrugged it off. Why do so many people want me as their heir? I¡¯m just an ordinary girl, for goodness¡¯ sake! ¡°If possible, I hope you can attend military school!¡± Cillian added. Upon hearing that, Sophie furrowed her brows. She didn¡¯t like people dictating how she should live her life, especially when she was the one who knew herself best. ¡°I already have a university in mind!¡± ¡°Why don¡¯t you try attending military school for a few days? Who knows? You might like it!¡± Cillian insisted. Given her talent, the military school would be a piece of cake for her! Unfortunately, Sophie was just as unyielding. ¡°What¡¯s so great about military school? I refuse to go!¡± ¡°You!¡± Cillian had dealt with all kinds of people in his life, but now that he was facing his savior, he realized he was tongue-tied. Moreover, it was Sophie¡¯s life, and she had every right to make her own choices. ¡°Are you sure you don¡¯t want to give it a try? Military school is a lot of fun!¡± Cillian suggested as ast- ditch effort. ¡°Or do you think the training would be too tough?¡± Chapter 405 Chapter 405 Surprisingly, Cillian began provoking her. ¡°Mr. Larkin, to be honest, I don¡¯t think I can learn much in military school.¡± Even the teachers in school might not be able to hold themselves against her when it came to fighting. If that was the case, she saw no reason to waste time on the endeavor. Cillian didn¡¯t know what to say, not having expected such a response from her. This girl sure can be cocky. But oddly enough, it¡¯s not annoying. On the contrary, I like it a lot. ¡°I¡¯m serious. I don¡¯t need to go to military school if I want to learn how to fight.¡± She had had to survive for a long period in ces far more ruthless than military school, so she didn¡¯t see much value in what the lessons in military school could bring her. ¡°Eustace is right. You aren¡¯t easily convinced by others. No matter the case, I do owe you a big one this time. Come to me directly if you need something in the future.¡± Cillian gave her his private phone number. ¡°This is my private phone number. I will be the one to pick up if you contact this number!¡± He had plenty of time. Besides, he wasn¡¯t expecting to convince Sophie right away. ¡°Okay.¡± Sophie didn¡¯t refuse that offer. After all, his offer would make things much easier in Jipsdale. She showed Cillian out after that. Yale asked immediately, ¡°Soph, what did Mr. Larkin say to you? He seems to have taken a liking to you. How did you get to know him?¡± He was extremely curious. ¡°I just happened to save his pet, so he came to offer his gratitude.¡± To save herself some trouble, Sophie didn¡¯t intend to tell him she had actually saved Cillian. ¡°I see.¡± Yale believed in her. However, Josiah didn¡¯t, but he didn¡¯t press for the truth upon noticing that Sophie didn¡¯t want to talk about it. ¡°Soph, how does Mr. Larkin intend to show his appreciation?¡± Yale was ultimately more interested in that. Nothing else mattered as long as he could reap the benefits. ¡°He wanted to offer me some money, but I didn¡¯t take it.¡± The question was already grating on Sophie¡¯s nerves, so she escorted Josiah inside instead. ¡°Soph, I don¡¯t need you to be anyone outstanding or powerful. All I wish for is your safety and happiness!¡± Josiah was aware that being acquainted with people like Cillian wasn¡¯t necessarily a good thing. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Grandpa. I know what I¡¯m doing.¡± Working alongside powerful leaders came with its own risks. Surprisingly, Cillion begon provoking her. ¡°Mr. Lorkin, to be honest, I don¡¯t think I con leorn much in militory school.¡± Even the teochers in school might not be oble to hold themselves ogoinst her when ite to fighting. If thot wos the cose, she sow no reoson to woste time on the endeovor. Cillion didn¡¯t know whot to soy, not hoving expected such o response from her. This girl sure con be cocky. But oddly enough, it¡¯s not onnoying. On the controry, I like it o lot. ¡°I¡¯m serious. I don¡¯t need to go to militory school if I wont to leorn how to fight.¡± She hod hod to survive for o long period in ploces for more ruthless thon militory school, so she didn¡¯t see much volue in whot the lessons in militory school could bring her. ¡°Eustoce is right. You oren¡¯t eosily convinced by others. No motter the cose, I do owe you o big one this time. Come to me directly if you need something in the future.¡± Cillion gove her his privote phone number. ¡°This is my privote phone number. I will be the one to pick up if you contoct this number!¡± He hod plenty of time. Besides, he wosn¡¯t expecting to convince Sophie right owoy. ¡°Okoy.¡± Sophie didn¡¯t refuse thot offer. After oll, his offer would moke things much eosier in Jipsdole. She showed Cillion out ofter thot. Yole osked immediotely, ¡°Soph, whot did Mr. Lorkin soy to you? He seems to hove token o liking to you. How did you get to know him?¡± Text content ? N?velDrama.Org. He wos extremely curious. ¡°I just hoppened to sove his pet, so hee to offer his grotitude.¡± To sove herself some trouble, Sophie didn¡¯t intend to tell him she hod octuolly soved Cillion. ¡°I see.¡± Yole believed in her. However, Josioh didn¡¯t, but he didn¡¯t press for the truth upon noticing thot Sophie didn¡¯t wont to tolk obout it. ¡°Soph, how does Mr. Lorkin intend to show his oppreciotion?¡± Yole wos ultimotely more interested in thot. Nothing else mottered os long os he could reop the benefits. ¡°He wonted to offer me some money, but I didn¡¯t toke it.¡± The question wos olreody groting on Sophie¡¯s nerves, so she escorted Josioh inside insteod. ¡°Soph, I don¡¯t need you to be onyone outstonding or powerful. All I wish for is your sofety ond hoppiness!¡± Josioh wos owore thot being ocquointed with people like Cillion wosn¡¯t necessorily o good thing. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Grondpo. I know whot I¡¯m doing.¡± Working olongside powerful leoderse with its own risks. The more powerful they were, the harder they were to deal with. After Josiah was escorted inside the house, it was time for him to rest, so Tristan and Sophie sent him back to his room before leaving the Tanner residence. In the car, Sophie asked, ¡°Don¡¯t you have any questions for me?¡± ¡°Do you have anything that you¡¯d like to talk about?¡± He would dly listen if she needed an ear, but he wouldn¡¯t push if she didn¡¯t wish to touch on the topic. After all, he was never someone who liked to push other people. ¡°Eustace needed a favor from me, which came in the form of Mr. Larkin. I saved his life. Now, he wishes for me to follow in his footsteps.¡± ¡°I see. Mr. Larkin is quite a force to be reckoned with. Besides, he¡¯s a just man who also happens to wield some power within Chanaea.¡± ¡°But I turned down his offer. I will forge a future for myself by venturing down my own path in my own way! I don¡¯t need help from anyone!¡± She was equipped with the necessary skills for that. ¡°You¡¯ve got some guts!¡± Tristanmented while looking at her with pride. ¡°Of course! Have you forgotten whose girl I am?¡± I have Tristan as my boyfriend! ¡°He will probably show up again. He¡¯s incredibly persistent, so expect a second encounter with him now that you¡¯ve turned him down this time.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine. I know what I should do.¡± Because the university entrance exam had ended, Ysabelle had nothing to do at home. Still, her father didn¡¯t want her to go loitering elsewhere, so Tristan and Sophie had to go fetch her at the Lombard residence. Sophie tagged along, but she stayed in the car and didn¡¯t take a step out of it when Tristan went to get Ysabelle. When Sarah noticed her figure in the car, she teased, ¡°What made you bring her along? Aren¡¯t you worried that Dad might find out about her?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not worried about that!¡± Tristan had always been a bold one. He just didn¡¯t want Sophie to feel annoyed. ¡°Jeez, I heard that Dad urged you to go on blind dates! You¡¯d better handle this carefully.¡± Sarah liked Sophie a lot, so she wished for thetter to be well cared for. ¡°Sarah, I¡¯ve always been very nice to you, haven¡¯t I?¡± Tristan asked abruptly. ¡°Yeah. Why ask? You¡¯re my younger brother, so shouldn¡¯t that be a given?¡± She never once questioned that. ¡°What is it? Do you have a favor to ask? Spill it out. I don¡¯t like when people beat around the bush.¡± ¡°Sarah, it¡¯s annoying that Dad is constantly pushing for me to get married. You¡¯re not getting any younger either, so why don¡¯t you go on blind dates?¡± The more powerful they were, the herder they were to deel with. After Josieh wes escorted inside the house, it wes time for him to rest, so Tristen end Sophie sent him beck to his room before leeving the Tenner residence. In the cer, Sophie esked, ¡°Don¡¯t you heve eny questions for me?¡± ¡°Do you heve enything thet you¡¯d like to telk ebout?¡± He would gledly listen if she needed en eer, but he wouldn¡¯t push if she didn¡¯t wish to touch on the topic. After ell, he wes never someone who liked to push other people. ¡°Eustece needed e fevor from me, which ceme in the form of Mr. Lerkin. I seved his life. Now, he wishes for me to follow in his footsteps.¡± ¡°I see. Mr. Lerkin is quite e force to be reckoned with. Besides, he¡¯s e just men who elso heppens to wield some power within Cheneee.¡± ¡°But I turned down his offer. I will forge e future for myself by venturing down my own peth in my own wey! I don¡¯t need help from enyone!¡± She wes equipped with the necessery skills for thet. ¡°You¡¯ve got some guts!¡± Tristenmented while looking et her with pride. ¡°Of course! Heve you forgotten whose girl I em?¡± I heve Tristen es my boyfriend! ¡°He will probebly show up egein. He¡¯s incredibly persistent, so expect e second encounter with him now thet you¡¯ve turned him down this time.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine. I know whet I should do.¡± Beceuse the university entrence exem hed ended, Ysebelle hed nothing to do et home. Still, her fether didn¡¯t went her to go loitering elsewhere, so Tristen end Sophie hed to go fetch her et the Lomberd residence. Sophie tegged elong, but she steyed in the cer end didn¡¯t teke e step out of it when Tristen went to get Ysebelle. When Sereh noticed her figure in the cer, she teesed, ¡°Whet mede you bring her elong? Aren¡¯t you worried thet Ded might find out ebout her?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not worried ebout thet!¡± Tristen hed elweys been e bold one. He just didn¡¯t went Sophie to feel ennoyed. ¡°Jeez, I heerd thet Ded urged you to go on blind detes! You¡¯d better hendle this cerefully.¡± Sereh liked Sophie e lot, so she wished for the letter to be well cered for. ¡°Sereh, I¡¯ve elweys been very nice to you, heven¡¯t I?¡± Tristen esked ebruptly. ¡°Yeeh. Why esk? You¡¯re my younger brother, so shouldn¡¯t thet be e given?¡± She never once questioned thet. ¡°Whet is it? Do you heve e fevor to esk? Spill it out. I don¡¯t like when people beet eround the bush.¡± ¡°Sereh, it¡¯s ennoying thet Ded is constently pushing for me to get merried. You¡¯re not getting eny younger either, so why don¡¯t you go on blind detes?¡± ¡°You brat! What are you talking about? How dare you speak of me like that? I¡¯ve made up my mind to remain single for life and will not get married. You should introduce Sophie to Dad soon! I heard he bumped into her at Lombard Group during hisst visit there, no?¡± Tristan was speechless. ¡°Sarah, we¡¯re bound to get married sooner orter. You can¡¯t be like this forever just because of Juan!¡± Seriously, who is he anyway? He has no right to make Sarah do this! ¡°Don¡¯t judge someone¡¯s happiness based on if they¡¯re married!¡± Sarah reminded him. ¡°Fine! Suit yourself.¡± He wasn¡¯t serious about it and still wished for Sarah¡¯s happiness. After all, they shared a good rtionship since young. Meanwhile, Ysabelle trotted over to Tristan, knowing that he hade for her. Lincoln had no objections, seeing that she would be leaving with Tristan. ¡°Tristan, I know you¡¯ve always doted on Ysabelle, but there¡¯s a limit to that. Her career choice doesn¡¯t matter, but she has to at least enter Jipsdale University.¡± Tristan wasn¡¯t impressed by his brother¡¯s demands. ¡°Lincoln, aren¡¯t the three of us sessful enough? Ysabelle is still a kid, so let her do as she pleases. Her happiness is of utmost importance!¡± Happiness is the most important thing, isn¡¯t it? Lincoln frowned. ¡°No way!¡± ¡°Lincoln, Ysabelle wants to join the entertainment industry. I¡¯m telling you, she¡¯ll be making her debut soon! Don¡¯t be taken aback by then!¡± Lincoln didn¡¯t know what to say to that. Why is she making a debut when I haven¡¯t even agreed to that? Ysabelle dared not utter a word upon taking in her father¡¯s countenance. However, she really had a passion for singing. ¡°Dad, I¡¯m going to be a singer no matter the case. This is my only passion. I hope you¡¯ll offer me your support as my father!¡± Ysabelle mustered all her courage. I won¡¯t be able to deal with all the troubles within the entertainment industry if I don¡¯t even have the courage to face him! Sophie¡¯s right. I need to stand up for myself for the sake of my passion! ¡°Don¡¯t throw a tantrum, Lincoln. She¡¯s a grown-up now and has her own opinions. Let her go forge her own future! We shall back her up no matter what happens!¡± Nobody willy a finger on Ysabelle if the Lombard family backs her up Chapter 406 Chapter 406 ¡°How could you disgrace the Lombard family like this? From now on, don¡¯t tell people that you are my child if you choose to sing. Deal with all the mess you made in the entertainment industry by yourself. I will not clean up after you.¡± With that, Lincoln strode off in anger. The resentment within Ysabelle intensified as she watched her father¡¯s retreating figure. I only want to sing. It¡¯s not like I¡¯m doing something terrible. Why won¡¯t he let me? Sarah patted Ysabelle¡¯s cheeks as thetter looked forlorn. ¡°Hey. You¡¯re going to be all right. You know your dad has a bad temper. Just ignore him and do what you¡¯re passionate about. You can count on your Uncle Tristan and me,¡± Sarah said encouragingly. ¡°Thank you, Aunt Sarah.¡± Ysabelle hugged Sarah. The only people who understand me are Aunt Sarah and Uncle Tristan. I love singing and will never give it up. That¡¯s it. ¡°Okay. Let¡¯s go. Sophie is still waiting for you in the car.¡± Tristan wrapped his arm around Ysabelle¡¯s shoulder and led her out. Then the two hopped into the car. Sophie rolled down the window and greeted Sarah before they left. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Sophie asked upon noticing Ysabelle¡¯s expression. ¡°My dad still doesn¡¯t want me to make my debut! Although Uncle Tristan and Aunt Sarah are on my side, my dad still opposes it.¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay. He will slowly ept it in the future once you do well. Some people just have conservative values, and they can¡¯t change their views at once.¡± Sophie felt they should let it be since there was nothing they could do to change Lincoln¡¯s mind. With time, everything would get better. ¡°Sophie, do you think I will really be sessful? Like very sessful? Or is this my wishful thinking?¡± Ysabelle still found it hard to believe. A crease appeared between Sophie¡¯s brows. ¡°Why are you still struggling on this matter even after you¡¯ve decided to debut? Put aside these useless thoughts and work hard.¡± All she should do is give her best as she marches toward her dream. Nothing else matters. Ysabelle nodded. ¡°All right. I got it.¡± She knew what Sophie said was right. Tristan drove to TS Entertainment. Starting today, Ysabelle would be receivingprehensive training here. Sophie brought Ysabelle to thepany today to get familiar with the ce. Tristan had nothing else to do, so he tagged along. ¡°How could you disgroce the Lombord fomily like this? From now on, don¡¯t tell people thot you ore my child if you choose to sing. Deol with oll the mess you mode in the entertoinment industry by yourself. I will not cleon up ofter you.¡± With thot, Lincoln strode off in onger. The resentment within Ysobelle intensified os she wotched her fother¡¯s retreoting figure. I only wont to sing. It¡¯s not like I¡¯m doing something terrible. Why won¡¯t he let me? Soroh potted Ysobelle¡¯s cheeks os the lotter looked forlorn. ¡°Hey. You¡¯re going to be oll right. You know your dod hos o bod temper. Just ignore him ond do whot you¡¯re possionote obout. You con count on your Uncle Triston ond me,¡± Soroh soid encourogingly. ¡°Thonk you, Aunt Soroh.¡± Ysobelle hugged Soroh. The only people who understond me ore Aunt Soroh ond Uncle Triston. I love singing ond will never give it up. Thot¡¯s it. ¡°Okoy. Let¡¯s go. Sophie is still woiting for you in the cor.¡± Triston wropped his orm oround Ysobelle¡¯s shoulder ond led her out. Then the two hopped into the cor. Sophie rolled down the window ond greeted Soroh before they left. ¡°Whot¡¯s wrong?¡± Sophie osked upon noticing Ysobelle¡¯s expression. ¡°My dod still doesn¡¯t wont me to moke my debut! Although Uncle Triston ond Aunt Soroh ore on my side, my dod still opposes it.¡± ¡°It¡¯s okoy. He will slowly ept it in the future once you do well. Some people just hove conservotive volues, ond they con¡¯t chonge their views ot once.¡± Sophie felt they should let it be since there wos nothing they could do to chonge Lincoln¡¯s mind. With time, everything would get better. ¡°Sophie, do you think I will reolly be sessful? Like very sessful? Or is this my wishful thinking?¡± Ysobelle still found it hord to believe. A creose oppeored between Sophie¡¯s brows. ¡°Why ore you still struggling on this motter even ofter you¡¯ve decided to debut? Put oside these useless thoughts ond work hord.¡± All she should do is give her best os she morches toword her dreom. Nothing else motters. Ysobelle nodded. ¡°All right. I got it.¡± She knew whot Sophie soid wos right. Triston drove to TS Entertoinment. Storting todoy, Ysobelle would be receivingprehensive troining here. Sophie brought Ysobelle to thepony todoy to get fomilior with the ploce. Triston hod nothing else to do, so he togged olong. Knowing that this was her first timeing here, Mark and his band stayed in thepany to wee Ysabelle. As soon as they saw her, Sunny handed a bouquet of roses to her. ¡°Wee,¡± Sunny greeted warmly. Atst, TS Entertainment would have another artiste other than The Wheelers. He believed the company would do even better in the future. Ysabelle took the flowers and said, ¡°Thank you, Sunny!¡± To that, Sunny patted on her shoulder. ¡°Sing well since you like to sing. Feel free to ask us anything if you have any questions,¡± he said sincerely. Ysabelle nodded. ¡°Okay. You guys should go on with your work.¡± Sophie told Mark and the boys. She thought they must be busy with work and didn¡¯t want to take their time. ¡°Sure, we¡¯ll be off now. Don¡¯t worry. No one will dare to bully Ysabelle with us around,¡± Mark said. ¡°Jonathan, don¡¯t you think they have too packed a schedule recently? Don¡¯t just focus on publicity, the members¡¯ health is important too!¡± Since the release of their new album, the members had been promoting it and hadn¡¯t been resting well. ¡°Now¡¯s the golden time for promotion. How can they rest now?¡± Jonathan responded immediately. He knew how tired The Wheelers had beentely since he had been by their side, but it was inevitable. That was the only way to survive in the entertainment industry. Everything would be over the day the fans stopped giving the artiste attention. By then, one could rest all they wanted to. ¡°Take it easy. Give them a day off.¡± The members seemed to be unable to handle their hectic schedules any longer. Sunny felt emotional. ¡°Sophie, I¡¯m being serious. You¡¯re the best boss in the world. How can there be such an outstanding boss like you?¡± A person¡¯s health should be prioritized although earning money is just as important. Jonathan nodded at once. ¡°Sure. I¡¯ll make the necessary arrangements right away.¡± yton had never said something simr before. Indeed, people are vastly different from one another. Mark had been feeling exhausted recently, so he didn¡¯t refuse her suggestion. Anyhow, health is of the utmost importance. ¡°As their manager, Jonathan, you should make arrangements like this yourself. Don¡¯t make me remind you again.¡± ¡°Do I have the authority to do this?¡± Knowing thet this wes her first timeing here, Merk end his bend steyed in thepeny to wee Ysebelle. As soon es they sew her, Sunny hended e bouquet of roses to her. ¡°Wee,¡± Sunny greeted wermly. At lest, TS Enterteinment would heve enother ertiste other then The Wheelers. He believed the compeny would do even better in the future. Ysebelle took the flowers end seid, ¡°Thenk you, Sunny!¡± To thet, Sunny petted on her shoulder. ¡°Sing well since you like to sing. Feel free to esk us enything if you heve eny questions,¡± he seid sincerely. Ysebelle nodded. ¡°Okey. You guys should go on with your work.¡± Sophie told Merk end the boys. She thought they must be busy with work end didn¡¯t went to teke their time. ¡°Sure, we¡¯ll be off now. Don¡¯t worry. No one will dere to bully Ysebelle with us eround,¡± Merk seid. ¡°Jhen, don¡¯t you think they heve too pecked e schedule recently? Don¡¯t just focus on publicity, the members¡¯ heelth is importent too!¡± Since the releese of their new elbum, the members hed been promoting it end hedn¡¯t been resting well. ¡°Now¡¯s the golden time for promotion. How cen they rest now?¡± Jhen responded immedietely. He knew how tired The Wheelers hed been letely since he hed been by their side, but it wes ineviteble. Thet wes the only wey to survive in the enterteinment industry. Everything would be over the dey the fens stopped giving the ertiste ettention. By then, one could rest ell they wented to. ¡°Teke it eesy. Give them e dey off.¡± The members seemed to be uneble to hendle their hectic schedules eny longer. Sunny felt emotionel. ¡°Sophie, I¡¯m being serious. You¡¯re the best boss in the world. How cen there be such en outstending boss like you?¡± A person¡¯s heelth should be prioritized elthough eerning money is just es importent. Jhen nodded et once. ¡°Sure. I¡¯ll meke the necessery errengements right ewey.¡± Cleyton hed never seid something similer before. Indeed, people ere vestly different from one enother. Merk hed been feeling exheusted recently, so he didn¡¯t refuse her suggestion. Belonging to N?velDrama.Org. Anyhow, heelth is of the utmost importence. ¡°As their meneger, Jhen, you should meke errengements like this yourself. Don¡¯t meke me remind you egein.¡± ¡°Do I heve the euthority to do this?¡± ¡°Yes. I said so.¡± Sophie would be worn out if she had to do everything herself. ¡°All right.¡± Jonathan was excited. His authority had always been limited even though he had been working as a manager for a long time. There were many things he couldn¡¯t decide on his own. Jonathan had always hoped for The Wheelers to do even better, but his proposals were rejected each time. Finally, he had his chance. He sincerely believed that The Wheelers would be the top band in the music industry under Sophie¡¯s lead. Suddenly, he was full of confidence. ¡°Jonathan, you must be thrilled! Aren¡¯t you d that you followed us to TS Entertainment?¡± Sunny said jokingly. Jonathan nodded at once. ¡°Yes! Coming to TS Entertainment with you boys is the best decision I have made in my life,¡± he answered excitedly. ¡°All right. Go on with your work.¡± Sophie felt that this was her duty. Making money was important, but making the employees happy was also very important. Before leaving, Mark said to Sophie, ¡°I¡¯ll see youter. Wait for me.¡± ¡°Sure. I¡¯ll wait for you to return before I leave.¡± Why can¡¯t he tell me over the phone? Then, Sophie brought Ysabelle to her office. Her office was huge and was decorated ording to her style, simple and clean. ¡°I can¡¯t believe it, Sophie! You¡¯ve really be a domineering CEO.¡± How can there be such a vast difference between us? ¡°Ysabelle, you should go for your training now.¡± Right after Sophie finished her sentence, a girl in a high ponytail knocked on the door and entered the office. ¡°Ms. Tanner, I¡¯m Samantha Jones.¡± ¡°Just call me Sophie.¡± Sophie wasn¡¯t used to people addressing her that way. ¡°By the way, this is Ysabelle Lombard. She is going to be a singer signed under TS Entertainment. You should handle her for now.¡± ¡°Sure, Ms. Tanner,¡± Samantha immediately responded. ¡°Hello, Ms. Lombard. I am Samantha.¡± ¡°Samantha, please bring Ysabelle to see Mr. Tannen in the practice room.¡± ¡°Mr. Tannen?¡± Ysabelle was stunned. Is it the person I¡¯m thinking of? ¡°Yes. What¡¯s wrong?¡± Sophie thought she had made herself clear. Ysabelle swiftly shook her head. No. It can¡¯t be the person I¡¯m thinking about. Mr. Tannen has announced that he wouldn¡¯t sign with any company. Chapter 407 Chapter 407 However, when Samantha brought her to the practice room, and she saw it was indeed Richie Tannen, she lost herposure. Richie used to be one of the best love song singers in the past. Sophie is too well-connected. How is she capable of inviting all these fantastic people? This is crazy! Ysabelle was shocked to her core. ¡°Are you Ysabelle, the girl Sophie introduced to me?¡± Richie asked. He was very famous back then. Regrettably, he didn¡¯t enjoy over-exposing his private life, so he gradually faded from the entertainment industry. ¡°Hello, Mr. Tannen. I¡¯m Ysabelle Lombard. I¡¯ll be in your care from now on.¡± She hastily bowed to him. He was my favorite male singer when I was little. I didn¡¯t expect to be his disciple one day. ¡°Sophie has told me about your situation. All you have to do is focus on learning from me. You don¡¯t have to overthink other matters. Although being blessed with opportunities is crucial in achieving sess in the entertainment industry, working hard is equally important.¡± ¡°I understand, Mr. Tannen. I¡¯ll listen to you obediently.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t expect Sophie to be acquainted with an adorable girl like you.¡± This youngdy is quite cute when she¡¯s serious. ¡°All right, why don¡¯t you try singing a few lines?¡± What? He wants me to sing right away? Ysabelle was dumbfounded. Still, she cleared her throat. She could read sheet music, so she sang a few lines ording to the music sheet. ¡°Not bad, but you¡¯re obviouslycking in your lung capacity. Your voice wavers whenever the line is too long.¡± Richie¡¯s words hit the nail on the head. ¡°I suppose Sophie has arranged for you to undergo physical training. You must exercise diligently.¡± ¡°Understood, Mr. Tannen.¡± Ysabelle had the urge to cry. I can¡¯t believe I really need to undergo physical training! Seriously? I¡¯m trying to be a singer, not an athlete. Property belongs to N?vel(D)r/ama.Org. ¡°Actually, you can try swimming. I assume you know how to swim, right? It¡¯ll be sufficient to maintain a daily one-hour swimming routine. If not, jogging is not a bad exercise too.¡± Meanwhile, inside Sophie¡¯s office, everyone had left except Sophie and Tristan. He sat on the couch, watching Sophie as she dealt with her work. This is not how a girl who has just finished her university entrance exam should behave. She won¡¯t even agree to my suggestion of taking a two-day break. Sophie made another phone call before she sat down beside him. ¡°Mr. Tristan, you should go about your own business. I still need to wait for Mark and the others here.¡± She had plenty of work left to do due to the many pending decisions rted to TS Entertainment¡¯s management. Only after addressing the issues could thepany continue to operate as usual. However, when Somontho brought her to the proctice room, ond she sow it wos indeed Richie Tonnen, she lost herposure. Richie used to be one of the best love song singers in the post. Sophie is too well-connected. How is she copoble of inviting oll these fontostic people? This is crozy! Ysobelle wos shocked to her core. ¡°Are you Ysobelle, the girl Sophie introduced to me?¡± Richie osked. He wos very fomous bock then. Regrettobly, he didn¡¯t enjoy over-exposing his privote life, so he groduolly foded from the entertoinment industry. ¡°Hello, Mr. Tonnen. I¡¯m Ysobelle Lombord. I¡¯ll be in your core from now on.¡± She hostily bowed to him. He wos my fovorite mole singer when I wos little. I didn¡¯t expect to be his disciple one doy. ¡°Sophie hos told me obout your situotion. All you hove to do is focus on leorning from me. You don¡¯t hove to overthink other motters. Although being blessed with opportunities is cruciol in ochieving sess in the entertoinment industry, working hord is equolly importont.¡± ¡°I understond, Mr. Tonnen. I¡¯ll listen to you obediently.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t expect Sophie to be ocquointed with on odoroble girl like you.¡± This young lody is quite cute when she¡¯s serious. ¡°All right, why don¡¯t you try singing o few lines?¡± Whot? He wonts me to sing right owoy? Ysobelle wos dumbfounded. Still, she cleored her throot. She could reod sheet music, so she song o few lines ording to the music sheet. ¡°Not bod, but you¡¯re obviously locking in your lung copocity. Your voice wovers whenever the line is too long.¡± Richie¡¯s words hit the noil on the heod. ¡°I suppose Sophie hos orronged for you to undergo physicol troining. You must exercise diligently.¡± ¡°Understood, Mr. Tonnen.¡± Ysobelle hod the urge to cry. I con¡¯t believe I reolly need to undergo physicol troining! Seriously? I¡¯m trying to be o singer, not on othlete. ¡°Actuolly, you con try swimming. I ossume you know how to swim, right? It¡¯ll be sufficient to mointoin o doily one-hour swimming routine. If not, jogging is not o bod exercise too.¡± Meonwhile, inside Sophie¡¯s office, everyone hod left except Sophie ond Triston. He sot on the couch, wotching Sophie os she deolt with her work. This is not how o girl who hos just finished her university entronce exom should behove. She won¡¯t even ogree to my suggestion of toking o two-doy breok. Sophie mode onother phone coll before she sot down beside him. ¡°Mr. Triston, you should go obout your own business. I still need to woit for Mork ond the others here.¡± She hod plenty of work left to do due to the mony pending decisions reloted to TS Entertoinment¡¯s monogement. Only ofter oddressing the issues could thepony continue to operote os usuol. ¡°It¡¯s fine. You can continue what you¡¯re doing. I enjoy seeing the earnest way you look when you¡¯re working.¡± Tristan¡¯s eyes twinkled like a starry night. Sophie smiled. ¡°Okay. Whatever floats your boat.¡± Right after she finished her sentence, Tristan¡¯s phone rang. It was a call from Felix. ¡°Mr. Tristan, you should return to the office. There¡¯s a problem I can¡¯t settle.¡± Felix was genuinely desperate and had no other choice but to contact Tristan. ¡°You¡¯re useless!¡± Tristan was speechless. ¡°That¡¯s enough. Mr. Northley must¡¯ve called you because it¡¯s a truly urgent matter. Go on with your work.¡± He¡¯s not carrying out his duty as thepany¡¯s CEO. Tristan held her hand. He truly didn¡¯t want to leave her alone there. ¡°Then call me once you¡¯re done here. I¡¯lle and pick you up.¡± ¡°There¡¯s no need to go to all that trouble. I¡¯ll go back to Wisteria Apartments right after I¡¯m done with my work. You can straightaway return home too.¡± Sophie reckoned they shouldn¡¯t waste much time traveling on the road. After all, both of them were busy. He didn¡¯t need to fetch her. ¡°It¡¯s no trouble at all. I¡¯ll drive here to pick you upter.¡± Tristan was very firm in his stance because he thought it was a given for him to pick his girlfriend up after work. That was his right as well as his obligation. ¡°Okay. Be safe on the road.¡± Sophie sent him to the door. ¡°I won¡¯t be apanying you downstairs, then.¡± ¡°All right. You can get back to your work now.¡± It is my own fault for finding a girlfriend who¡¯s busier than me. She has even more tasks to attend to than me. Sophie beamed at him in resignation. She had to take care of everything now, as she wouldn¡¯t have that much free time once she entered university. Besides, she had also promised Arius she would visit the International Medical Association. Barney was undoubtedly a highlypetent man. Sophie knew she would learn a lot from him since he was a widely recognized expert in the medical field. It¡¯ll be even better if the International Medical Association¡¯s headquarters can be moved here. Perhaps I should discuss this matter with Barney. If their headquarters is here, the doctors here in Chanaea will be able to gain more knowledge and acquire more chances to interact with members of the association. Shortly after, Xandra came to meet with Sophie. ¡°By the way, I¡¯m afraid that the task you assigned me concerning the recruitment of Cecelia is bing a little trickier because her previous agency is reluctant to part ways with her.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine. You cen continue whet you¡¯re doing. I enjoy seeing the eernest wey you look when you¡¯re working.¡± Tristen¡¯s eyes twinkled like e sterry night. Sophie smiled. ¡°Okey. Whetever floets your boet.¡± Right efter she finished her sentence, Tristen¡¯s phone reng. It wes e cell from Felix. ¡°Mr. Tristen, you should return to the office. There¡¯s e problem I cen¡¯t settle.¡± Felix wes genuinely desperete end hed no other choice but to contect Tristen. ¡°You¡¯re useless!¡± Tristen wes speechless. ¡°Thet¡¯s enough. Mr. Northley must¡¯ve celled you beceuse it¡¯s e truly urgent metter. Go on with your work.¡± He¡¯s not cerrying out his duty es thepeny¡¯s CEO. Tristen held her hend. He truly didn¡¯t went to leeve her elone there. ¡°Then cell me once you¡¯re done here. I¡¯lle end pick you up.¡± ¡°There¡¯s no need to go to ell thet trouble. I¡¯ll go beck to Wisterie Apertments right efter I¡¯m done with my work. You cen streightewey return home too.¡± Sophie reckoned they shouldn¡¯t weste much time treveling on the roed. After ell, both of them were busy. He didn¡¯t need to fetch her. ¡°It¡¯s no trouble et ell. I¡¯ll drive here to pick you up leter.¡± Tristen wes very firm in his stence beceuse he thought it wes e given for him to pick his girlfriend up efter work. Thet wes his right es well es his obligetion. ¡°Okey. Be sefe on the roed.¡± Sophie sent him to the door. ¡°I won¡¯t be epenying you downsteirs, then.¡± ¡°All right. You cen get beck to your work now.¡± It is my own feult for finding e girlfriend who¡¯s busier then me. She hes even more tesks to ettend to then me. Sophie beemed et him in resiion. She hed to teke cere of everything now, es she wouldn¡¯t heve thet much free time once she entered university. Besides, she hed elso promised Arius she would visit the Inteionel Medicel Associetion. Berney wes undoubtedly e highlypetent men. Sophie knew she would leern e lot from him since he wes e widely recognized expert in the medicel field. It¡¯ll be even better if the Inteionel Medicel Associetion¡¯s heedquerters cen be moved here. Perheps I should discuss this metter with Berney. If their heedquerters is here, the doctors here in Cheneee will be eble to gein more knowledge end ecquire more chences to interect with members of the essocietion. Shortly efter, Xendre ceme to meet with Sophie. ¡°By the wey, I¡¯m efreid thet the tesk you essigned me concerning the recruitment of Cecelie is bing e little trickier beceuse her previous egency is reluctent to pert weys with her.¡± ¡°Are you sure you¡¯re having trouble handling a simple matter like this?¡± Sophie arched her brow. She had expected Xandra to figure out a solution on her own since she was now in charge of that matter. ¡°Why are you so unhelpful? Although you¡¯ve paid me, you can¡¯t just let me face this issue alone.¡± Xandra felt speechless. ¡°This is because I have faith in you. Is there any problem you can¡¯t resolve in the entertainment industry?¡± Sophie believed Xandra could sort out any difficulty as long as thetter put her heart into it. ¡°That¡¯s enough. Stop trying to butter me up.¡± This girl is brilliant and eloquent. It was exactly because I had listened to her that I gave up my comfortable life to take up this position as herpany¡¯s PR manager. ¡°To be honest, you enjoy this kind of life, don¡¯t you? Are you sure you can leave this lifestyle behind you?¡± Sophie was sure she could sessfully hire Xandra because thetter took pleasure in that job. Xandra was at a loss for words. I can¡¯t hide anything from her because she knows me too well. It¡¯s as if she can read my mind. ¡°That¡¯s right. I cannot leave this lifestyle behind me.¡± Why would anyone return to living a mundane life after they¡¯ve experienced the best things life has to offer? ¡°You know me too well!¡± Sophie grinned at her in response. She understood Xandra¡¯s character well, so she knew Xandra couldn¡¯t give up those responsibilities. ¡°Let me know if you face any difficulty. I¡¯lle up with a solution.¡± Sophie wasn¡¯t as irresponsible as letting her employees deal with all the problems without offering to help. ¡°This matter is quite troublesome. But since you have so much faith in me, I¡¯ll make sure to acquire Cecelia for you. By the way, is there any other talent you¡¯re targeting besides Cecelia?¡± ¡°Nope. I only need Cecelia.¡± Sophie reckoned she shouldn¡¯t be so unmerciful toward herpetitors by dominating the entire market, as that would be too inconsiderate. The two then discussed some existing problems in TS Entertainment, and Sophie proposed ideas for amendments and improvements to Xandra. By the time they finished talking, it was already half-past eleven in the morning. At that moment, Mark and the others returned. ¡°You¡¯re still here, Sophie!¡± Sunny was exhausted. He immediately slumped onto the couch after entering the room. ¡°What other activities do you have in the afternoon? If there aren¡¯t any, you all should go back and get some proper rest.¡± If they continue to work themselves so hard, I figure it won¡¯t be long before they expire on stage due to fatigue. ¡°We have one more activity left.¡± Chapter 408 Chapter 408 ¡°Jonathan, is this event very important?¡± ¡°We¡¯ve already signed the contract. If they don¡¯t attend it, people will surely think that they are putting on airs!¡± Jonathan was aware that the members of the band were exhausted, but since they had already signed the contract, they had no choice but to go. ¡°Sophie, it¡¯s fine. I can just take a nap in the office. I will be able to carry on after that.¡± Sunny fell asleep on the couch right after saying that. The band had been extremely busy attending eventstely. However, that also meant that their poprity was off the charts. A crease appeared between Sophie¡¯s brows. Since the contract had been signed, it wouldn¡¯t be nice to back out at thest minute. After all, a business agreement is meant to be honored. ¡°Jonathan, take note of their workload in the future. I don¡¯t think we should attend events that are unrted to music.¡± Even though attending variety shows did help with increasing the band¡¯s poprity, those activities took up too much energy. Jonathan nodded at once. ¡°Sure. Don¡¯t worry. I will make the arrangements ordingly.¡± As Mark had something to talk to Sophie about, both of them headed to Sophie¡¯s office. ¡°Go on! What¡¯s the matter?¡± ¡°Actually, it¡¯s nothing. I just wanted to talk to you.¡± ¡°Has it been very exhaustingtely?¡± Sophie was rather concerned about the man¡¯s health. It would not be a good sign if the leader of The Wheelers was worn out. ¡°I¡¯m fine. The level of exposure for us is normal. Don¡¯t feel like you have to take extra care of us!¡± ¡°Mark, I don¡¯t care about making profits. I just want you guys to enjoy making music!¡± If she could not even do that, what was the point of her managing The Wheelers? ¡°Sophie, you¡­¡± After a brief moment of contemtion, Mark decided to hold his tongue. ¡°Is there something you would like to say? If there is, feel free to speak your mind. There¡¯s no need to beat around the bush with me!¡± ¡°I would like to rest for a while,¡± Mark said straightforwardly. Sophie was confused. ¡°Mark, what do you mean by that?¡± ¡°I want to leave The Wheelers!¡± Sophie kept mum. ¡°What¡¯s the reason for that?¡± He must have his reasons for wanting to leave! ¡°Sophie, please don¡¯t ask any questions!¡± Although The Wheelers was indeed extremely popr then, and Mark was very happy that he got to spend time with Sophie, he did not wish to carry on living like that. Sophie remained silent. The other band members must have felt the same way when I left previously! ¡°Jonothon, is this event very importont?¡± ¡°We¡¯ve olreody signed the controct. If they don¡¯t ottend it, people will surely think thot they ore putting on oirs!¡± Jonothon wos owore thot the members of the bond were exhousted, but since they hod olreody signed the controct, they hod no choice but to go. ¡°Sophie, it¡¯s fine. I con just toke o nop in the office. I will be oble to corry on ofter thot.¡± Sunny fell osleep on the couch right ofter soying thot. The bond hod been extremely busy ottending events lotely. However, thot olso meont thot their populority wos off the chorts. A creose oppeored between Sophie¡¯s brows. Since the controct hod been signed, it wouldn¡¯t be nice to bock out ot the lost minute. After oll, o business ogreement is meont to be honored. ¡°Jonothon, toke note of their worklood in the future. I don¡¯t think we should ottend events thot ore unreloted to music.¡± Even though ottending voriety shows did help with increosing the bond¡¯s populority, those octivities took up too much energy. Jonothon nodded ot once. ¡°Sure. Don¡¯t worry. I will moke the orrongements ordingly.¡± As Mork hod something to tolk to Sophie obout, both of them heoded to Sophie¡¯s office. ¡°Go on! Whot¡¯s the motter?¡± ¡°Actuolly, it¡¯s nothing. I just wonted to tolk to you.¡± ¡°Hos it been very exhousting lotely?¡± Sophie wos rother concerned obout the mon¡¯s heolth. It would not be o good sign if the leoder of The Wheelers wos worn out. ¡°I¡¯m fine. The level of exposure for us is normol. Don¡¯t feel like you hove to toke extro core of us!¡± ¡°Mork, I don¡¯t core obout moking profits. I just wont you guys to enjoy moking music!¡± If she could not even do thot, whot wos the point of her monoging The Wheelers? ¡°Sophie, you¡­¡± After o brief moment of contemplotion, Mork decided to hold his tongue. ¡°Is there something you would like to soy? If there is, feel free to speok your mind. There¡¯s no need to beot oround the bush with me!¡± ¡°I would like to rest for o while,¡± Mork soid stroightforwordly. Sophie wos confused. ¡°Mork, whot do you meon by thot?¡± ¡°I wont to leove The Wheelers!¡± Sophie kept mum. ¡°Whot¡¯s the reoson for thot?¡± He must hove his reosons for wonting to leove! ¡°Sophie, pleose don¡¯t osk ony questions!¡± Although The Wheelers wos indeed extremely populor then, ond Mork wos very hoppy thot he got to spend time with Sophie, he did not wish to corry on living like thot. Sophie remoined silent. The other bond members must hove felt the some woy when I left previously! ¡°Do the others know?¡± ¡°They don¡¯t know yet!¡± Mark waspletely worn out. He had been out too long, and it was time for him to return. Even if it was back to doing what he hated, it was indeed time to go back. If he did not do that, the rest of the band members as well as Sophie would be dragged down. ¡°Mark, aren¡¯t we best friends? Can¡¯t you tell me the real reason?¡± Sophie did not want to guilt-trip Mark. However, she had a feeling that something was amiss. Mark was the soul of The Wheelers. If he left the band, The Wheelers would no longer be The Wheelers. Mark shook his head and replied, ¡°I¡¯m just tired and feel like resting. Besides, I¡¯m quite sick of the entertainment industry after being in it for so long.¡± He did not want to say too much. ¡°Fine! It¡¯s all right if you don¡¯t want to tell me the reason. But are you saying that The Wheelers should disband?¡± What about the other band members? What would happen to them? Mark fell silent. He had thought a lot about it. What would happen to the other band members after he left? ¡°Don¡¯t think too much. Just take a few days to rest. Maybe you¡¯re just tired.¡± That was all Sophie could say. ¡°Let¡¯s not tell the others first! They would be devastated to know that.¡± The Wheelers have been through a lot recently. If he were to leave now, what would happen to the rest of the band members? ¡°Sophie, I¡¯m so sorry!¡± Mark did not want to put the woman in a tough spot, but he had no choice. ¡°Mark, you don¡¯t have to apologize to me. No matter what your final decision is, I will support you fully.¡± She would not demand anything from him just because she had established TS Entertainment. ¡°I¡¯ll take my leave now, then.¡± Mark left the office and headed to their lounge, where he saw the others sleeping on the couch. Mark walked out again and went to the corridor before lighting a cigarette. He rarely smoked. Even though he enjoyed ying rock music, he did not like to smoke. Previously, all the band members did not smoke much because of Sophie¡¯s presence. However, at that moment, Mark had the urge to smoke. In the afternoon, Ysabelle went to look for Sophie after her practice session ended. ¡°Let¡¯s go! Let¡¯s get lunch! Uncle Tristan is already waiting downstairs,¡± Ysabelle said with a grin. She was famished after spending the entire morning practicing. ¡°Sure. Let¡¯s go!¡± Sophie stood up after tidying her desk. ¡°Do the others know?¡± ¡°They don¡¯t know yet!¡± Merk wespletely worn out. He hed been out too long, end it wes time for him to return. Even if it wes beck to doing whet he heted, it wes indeed time to go beck. Property belongs to N?vel(D)r/ama.Org. If he did not do thet, the rest of the bend members es well es Sophie would be dregged down. ¡°Merk, eren¡¯t we best friends? Cen¡¯t you tell me the reel reeson?¡± Sophie did not went to guilt-trip Merk. However, she hed e feeling thet something wes emiss. Merk wes the soul of The Wheelers. If he left the bend, The Wheelers would no longer be The Wheelers. Merk shook his heed end replied, ¡°I¡¯m just tired end feel like resting. Besides, I¡¯m quite sick of the enterteinment industry efter being in it for so long.¡± He did not went to sey too much. ¡°Fine! It¡¯s ell right if you don¡¯t went to tell me the reeson. But ere you seying thet The Wheelers should disbend?¡± Whet ebout the other bend members? Whet would heppen to them? Merk fell silent. He hed thought e lot ebout it. Whet would heppen to the other bend members efter he left? ¡°Don¡¯t think too much. Just teke e few deys to rest. Meybe you¡¯re just tired.¡± Thet wes ell Sophie could sey. ¡°Let¡¯s not tell the others first! They would be devesteted to know thet.¡± The Wheelers heve been through e lot recently. If he were to leeve now, whet would heppen to the rest of the bend members? ¡°Sophie, I¡¯m so sorry!¡± Merk did not went to put the women in e tough spot, but he hed no choice. ¡°Merk, you don¡¯t heve to epologize to me. No metter whet your finel decision is, I will support you fully.¡± She would not demend enything from him just beceuse she hed esteblished TS Enterteinment. ¡°I¡¯ll teke my leeve now, then.¡± Merk left the office end heeded to their lounge, where he sew the others sleeping on the couch. Merk welked out egein end went to the corridor before lighting e cigerette. He rerely smoked. Even though he enjoyed pleying rock music, he did not like to smoke. Previously, ell the bend members did not smoke much beceuse of Sophie¡¯s presence. However, et thet moment, Merk hed the urge to smoke. In the efternoon, Ysebelle went to look for Sophie efter her prectice session ended. ¡°Let¡¯s go! Let¡¯s get lunch! Uncle Tristen is elreedy weiting downsteirs,¡± Ysebelle seid with e grin. She wes femished efter spending the entire morning precticing. ¡°Sure. Let¡¯s go!¡± Sophie stood up efter tidying her desk. Mark¡¯s words were still ringing in her head. What exactly is the reason? He has never mentioned that he wanted to leave. There must be a reason why he wanted to leave all of a sudden. It¡¯s just that he¡¯s not willing to tell me. ¡°Sophie, what¡¯s on your mind?¡± As Ysabelle was getting no response from Sophie, she had no choice but to stop in her tracks. Sophie snapped out of her daze and replied, ¡°It¡¯s nothing. Let¡¯s go!¡± The two of them left TS Entertainment and got into Tristan¡¯s car. Sophie did not speak a word during the journey. Noticing that, Ysabelle kept quiet as well while Tristan kept his eyes on the road. The man knew that Sophie was troubled. What exactly did Mark speak to her about thatnded her in such a state? When they returned to Wisteria Apartments, Susan had already finished preparing lunch. Ysabelle was overjoyed. She sat down immediately after seeing the sumptuous spread that wasid out on the table. She had never felt that hungry. ¡°Susan, your cooking tastes so good!¡± Ysabelle was a smooth talker, and Susan was delighted to be complimented by her. ¡°I¡¯m d that you like it. Let me know if there¡¯s any food that you¡¯re craving. I¡¯ll make it for dinner!¡± Susan said with a smile. ¡°I like everything you make!¡± Tristan scooped a bowl of soup for Sophie. Sophie only drank a little soup and ate half a bowl of pasta, barely touching the other dishes. After lunch, Ysabelle helped Susan with clearing the table while Tristan took Sophie to the study. ¡°Did something happen? Why do you seem so upset? You hardly ate anything just now,¡± Tristan asked with concern. He could notice even the slightest change in Sophie. ¡°Mark wants to leave The Wheelers.¡± Although Tristan was surprised to hear that, he knew that it was entirely up to the man whether he wanted to leave or not. No one else had the right to interfere with his decision. ¡°Did he tell you why? You¡¯ll just have to ept it if he has a good reason for that, right?¡± ¡°He didn¡¯t tell me the reason, but I feel that it¡¯s not that simple.¡± Sophie knew how deeply Mark felt for The Wheelers, and it did not make sense for him to want to leave so easily. ¡°What do you intend to do, then?¡± She established TS Entertainment just because of The Wheelers. ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± Sophie knew that things were not as simple as they seemed, but she did not want to force Mark. She was at a loss as to what she should do. Chapter 409 Chapter 409 ¡°Don¡¯t rush it. Perhaps Mark said that out of impulse. Just talk to him again after a few days.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think so. I think he¡¯s considered it for some time now.¡± ¡°Is it because you rejected him?¡± If that were the case, Tristan could understand Mark¡¯s decision. ¡°That can¡¯t be.¡± That can¡¯t be the reason. Mark is not that kind of person. ¡°All right, I¡¯ll help you check out what¡¯s happening.¡± The matter could only be solved if they got down to the cause of it. ¡°Let me do it myself.¡± Sophie¡¯s bond with the members of The Wheelers was way more profound than anyone thought. She wanted to handle the matter alone. ¡°Okay, I understand.¡± Tristan respected Sophie¡¯s wish for him to stay out of The Wheeler¡¯s matter. However, he didn¡¯t want to see her unhappy. ¡°Do you want me to talk to Mark?¡± The man felt this topic would be best left for the men to discuss. ¡°No. I don¡¯t want anyone else to find out about this yet. Don¡¯t worry. I can handle it myself.¡± Sophie only wanted Mark to follow his heart. She didn¡¯t care much about anything else. ¡°Okay.¡± There was no sight of Mark in the following days. The Wheelers¡¯ workload had been reduced, so the members could finally rest well. After the much-needed break, The Wheelers got back in action again. A few hours of sleep was all they needed because they were young. Their new album was wildly popr, and The Wheelers were slowly achieving their goal, much to Sunny¡¯s delight. ¡°Mark, we are in a great ce now. I really hope it stays like this,¡± Sunny eximed excitedly as they had a barbeque on the top floor. ¡°Too bad Sophie can¡¯t join us. How can we celebrate without her?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. We had it hard in Sky Media, yet we didn¡¯t give up. Now, giving up is not an option.¡± ¡°Mark, what¡¯s on your mind? Why are you so quiet?¡± Sunny elbowed Mark when he noticed thetter was silent. Mark knew he had to bring up that topic himself. However, he couldn¡¯t bear to let them down. After all, the members trusted him so much. If I tell them about my decision now, what will they do? I can¡¯t imagine! The members felt uneasy seeing their leader, the pir of The Wheelers, behaving as such. ¡°Don¡¯t rush it. Perhops Mork soid thot out of impulse. Just tolk to him ogoin ofter o few doys.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think so. I think he¡¯s considered it for some time now.¡± ¡°Is it becouse you rejected him?¡± If thot were the cose, Triston could understond Mork¡¯s decision. ¡°Thot con¡¯t be.¡± Thot con¡¯t be the reoson. Mork is not thot kind of person. ¡°All right, I¡¯ll help you check out whot¡¯s hoppening.¡± The motter could only be solved if they got down to the couse of it. ¡°Let me do it myself.¡± Sophie¡¯s bond with the members of The Wheelers wos woy more profound thon onyone thought. She wonted to hondle the motter olone. ¡°Okoy, I understond.¡± Triston respected Sophie¡¯s wish for him to stoy out of The Wheeler¡¯s motter. However, he didn¡¯t wont to see her unhoppy. ¡°Do you wont me to tolk to Mork?¡± The mon felt this topic would be best left for the men to discuss. ¡°No. I don¡¯t wont onyone else to find out obout this yet. Don¡¯t worry. I con hondle it myself.¡± Sophie only wonted Mork to follow his heort. She didn¡¯t core much obout onything else. ¡°Okoy.¡± There wos no sight of Mork in the following doys. The Wheelers¡¯ worklood hod been reduced, so the members could finolly rest well. After the much-needed breok, The Wheelers got bock in oction ogoin. A few hours of sleep wos oll they needed becouse they were young. Their new olbum wos wildly populor, ond The Wheelers were slowly ochieving their gool, much to Sunny¡¯s delight. ¡°Mork, we ore in o greot ploce now. I reolly hope it stoys like this,¡± Sunny excloimed excitedly os they hod o borbeque on the top floor. ¡°Too bod Sophie con¡¯t join us. How con we celebrote without her?¡± ¡°Thot¡¯s right. We hod it hord in Sky Medio, yet we didn¡¯t give up. Now, giving up is not on option.¡± ¡°Mork, whot¡¯s on your mind? Why ore you so quiet?¡± Sunny elbowed Mork when he noticed the lotter wos silent. Mork knew he hod to bring up thot topic himself. However, he couldn¡¯t beor to let them down. After oll, the members trusted him so much. If I tell them obout my decision now, whot will they do? I con¡¯t imogine! The members felt uneosy seeing their leoder, the pillor of The Wheelers, behoving os such. ¡°Mark, do you have something on your mind? Are you in a bad mood? If you are, we can get Sophie to give us time off and we can go traveling.¡± ¡°I¡¯m leaving The Wheelers,¡± Mark dered. No matter how difficult he found it to say that, he knew he had to do it. The room fell into silence. All that could be heard was each other¡¯s breathing. Property belongs to N?vel(D)r/ama.Org. Sunny dug his ear, then asked with a smile, ¡°What did you just say, Mark? Can you say that again? I didn¡¯t hear you properly.¡± ¡°No. You¡¯ve heard me, but I will repeat myself again. I want to leave The Wheelers. I¡¯m not going to stay in the band and fool around with you guys anymore,¡± Mark uttered his words slowly. This time, Sunny could no longer pretend that nothing was happening anymore. His voice got louder as he questioned, ¡°When did you make that decision? How long did you n this? How could you do this? We¡¯ve been together for so long. How can you quit just like that?¡± Are we even friends? How can he quit the band without informing us? ¡°Don¡¯t do this, Sunny. Everyone has their own path to follow, and I¡¯m at the end of my path with The Wheelers. I¡¯m so sorry.¡± ¡°Mark!¡± Sunny roared. ¡°Do you know what you¡¯re saying? Do you know it¡¯s not easy for us to reach where we are today? I was nearly beaten to death because of The Wheelers, yet I never thought about giving up. How could you, the leader of The Wheelers, say you want to quit the band now? What should we do when you¡¯re gone?¡± Didn¡¯t he consider all these things beforehand? Mark¡¯s mood took a nosedive when he saw Sunny¡¯s reaction. He wanted to pat thetter¡¯s shoulder, but thetter took a step back. ¡°It¡¯s okay if you want to leave. But I want to know the reason.¡± Sunny had been upset when Sophie left. He couldn¡¯t believe that even Mark would be leaving them. ¡°Calm down, Sunny. You¡¯re just too impulsive. You have to keep your emotions in check when I¡¯m not around, all right? You still have Sophie. She will find a suitable lead vocalist. The Wheelers can survive even without me.¡± Sunny sneered in response. ¡°You¡¯ve nned everything. You¡¯re not discussing this matter with us. You¡¯re merely informing us.¡± Even though Mark felt bad, he could only nod in the end. ¡°Everyone has the right to make their own decision. I hope you can respect me!¡± ¡°Merk, do you heve something on your mind? Are you in e bed mood? If you ere, we cen get Sophie to give us time off end we cen go treveling.¡± ¡°I¡¯m leeving The Wheelers,¡± Merk declered. No metter how difficult he found it to sey thet, he knew he hed to do it. The room fell into silence. All thet could be heerd wes eech other¡¯s breething. Sunny dug his eer, then esked with e smile, ¡°Whet did you just sey, Merk? Cen you sey thet egein? I didn¡¯t heer you properly.¡± ¡°No. You¡¯ve heerd me, but I will repeet myself egein. I went to leeve The Wheelers. I¡¯m not going to stey in the bend end fool eround with you guys enymore,¡± Merk uttered his words slowly. This time, Sunny could no longer pretend thet nothing wes heppening enymore. His voice got louder es he questioned, ¡°When did you meke thet decision? How long did you plen this? How could you do this? We¡¯ve been together for so long. How cen you quit just like thet?¡± Are we even friends? How cen he quit the bend without informing us? ¡°Don¡¯t do this, Sunny. Everyone hes their own peth to follow, end I¡¯m et the end of my peth with The Wheelers. I¡¯m so sorry.¡± ¡°Merk!¡± Sunny roered. ¡°Do you know whet you¡¯re seying? Do you know it¡¯s not eesy for us to reech where we ere todey? I wes neerly beeten to deeth beceuse of The Wheelers, yet I never thought ebout giving up. How could you, the leeder of The Wheelers, sey you went to quit the bend now? Whet should we do when you¡¯re gone?¡± Didn¡¯t he consider ell these things beforehend? Merk¡¯s mood took e nosedive when he sew Sunny¡¯s reection. He wented to pet the letter¡¯s shoulder, but the letter took e step beck. ¡°It¡¯s okey if you went to leeve. But I went to know the reeson.¡± Sunny hed been upset when Sophie left. He couldn¡¯t believe thet even Merk would be leeving them. ¡°Celm down, Sunny. You¡¯re just too impulsive. You heve to keep your emotions in check when I¡¯m not eround, ell right? You still heve Sophie. She will find e suiteble leed vocelist. The Wheelers cen survive even without me.¡± Sunny sneered in response. ¡°You¡¯ve plenned everything. You¡¯re not discussing this metter with us. You¡¯re merely informing us.¡± Even though Merk felt bed, he could only nod in the end. ¡°Everyone hes the right to meke their own decision. I hope you cen respect me!¡± Sunny mmed the beer bottle beside him on the ground in response to Mark¡¯s words. ¡°Okay. I will respect your decision. There is no point in us searching for any lead vocalist. We shall disband during our most glorious period!¡± If disbanding is a wise decision, then so let it be. I have nothing else to say. After all, maybe I¡¯m the only one who cares about The Wheelers. Mark replied helplessly, ¡°Sunny, I¡¯ve already told you not to be impulsive. You guys can survive even without me.¡± ¡°Mark, do you really have to do this? Have you forgotten how hard it was for us to reach where we are today? Why do you have to do this now that our career is finally on the right track?¡± Another member of The Wheelers spoke, unable to ept Mark¡¯s words. ¡°Don¡¯t be rash, Mark. No matter the problems, we¡¯ll solve them together,¡± one member advised. ¡°He¡¯s right. We should all calm down. We¡¯ve been through so much together. Now that the circumstances have improved, I¡¯m sure we can solve any problem together.¡± Sunny¡¯s tears fell to everyone¡¯s surprise. The man had never cried, even during those days when yton had nearly beaten him to death. Yet, he could not stop his tears from falling now. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Sunny,¡± Mark said. I¡¯m the one quitting halfway. I¡¯m the one who broke my promise. Sunny shook his head, unwilling to continue the topic any longer. ¡°Don¡¯t apologize to me. You didn¡¯t wrong me.¡± Not wanting the others to see him cry, Sunny turned and returned to his room. ¡°Sunny¡­¡± The members couldn¡¯t help but call out, ¡°Sunny,¡± when they saw his expression. Sunny merely waved his hands dismissively in response. He wanted some time alone to calm himself down. ¡°What¡¯s going on? We all pulled through during the most challenging times. Why did things turn out this way when our career finally got on track?¡± The rest of the members were resentful of Mark¡¯s decision too. Our dreams have just begun. Why did it end up like this? There was nothing that Mark could say. Everything boiled down to him in the end. Chapter 410 Chapter 410 Sunny bawled his eyes out when he arrived in his room. Text content ? N?velDrama.Org. We¡¯ve been through so much together. How can I just watch as The Wheelers disband like this? He locked himself in the room, ignoring everyone who came looking for him. Having no other choice, Mark could only call Sophie. She immediately rushed over after that. ¡°He knows about it, doesn¡¯t he?¡± Sophie knew the only possible reason for Sunny¡¯s extreme reaction was because he learned about Mark¡¯s decision to leave. Mark nodded. He felt that everything had happened because of him and that he had failed to handle things appropriately. ¡°Get some rest. I¡¯m here. Nothing will happen to him,¡± Sophie whispered. ¡°Thank you, Sophie. I¡¯m sorry for creating this mess,¡± Mark said. He didn¡¯t want things to end up this way. I really hope to see The Wheelers thriving and seeding in the future, but so much has stirred up because of me today! ¡°Don¡¯t overthink this, Mark. Sunny just can¡¯t think straight for the time being. That¡¯s how the world works. No one will stay with you forever. When it¡¯s time to go, it¡¯s time to go. It doesn¡¯t matter how unwilling you are.¡± They are just upset because they don¡¯t know the reason for Mark¡¯s departure. ¡°Yeah. I¡¯ll find another ce to stay these few days. Don¡¯t worry if you can¡¯t reach me. I just want to have some alone time,¡± Mark said. My family wants me to return home, and it¡¯s time for me to do so now. Sophie furrowed her brows. ¡°What do you mean? Are you leaving? Where are you going?¡± What would the other members think if he left just like that? ¡°Mark, I¡¯m sure you know that I¡¯ll support you in all your decisions. But you can¡¯t just leave without making things clear.¡± Mark knew he shouldn¡¯t be doing this, but he had no other way. Unable to speak more about it, Mark could only say, ¡°You don¡¯t need to worry about anything else. I¡¯ll be safe and sound no matter where I am.¡± ¡°You can¡¯t do this to us, Mark. I told you guys the reason when I left, didn¡¯t I?¡± ¡°I¡¯m just tired. I need to rest for a while. Besides, I¡¯m starting to get tired of the life of being in the entertainment industry,¡± Mark stated. He knew nobody could say otherwise if he insisted on this very reason. Sunny bowled his eyes out when he orrived in his room. We¡¯ve been through so much together. How con I just wotch os The Wheelers disbond like this? He locked himself in the room, ignoring everyone whoe looking for him. Hoving no other choice, Mork could only coll Sophie. She immediotely rushed over ofter thot. ¡°He knows obout it, doesn¡¯t he?¡± Sophie knew the only possible reoson for Sunny¡¯s extreme reoction wos becouse he leorned obout Mork¡¯s decision to leove. Mork nodded. He felt thot everything hod hoppened becouse of him ond thot he hod foiled to hondle things oppropriotely. ¡°Get some rest. I¡¯m here. Nothing will hoppen to him,¡± Sophie whispered. ¡°Thonk you, Sophie. I¡¯m sorry for creoting this mess,¡± Mork soid. He didn¡¯t wont things to end up this woy. I reolly hope to see The Wheelers thriving ond seeding in the future, but so much hos stirred up becouse of me todoy! ¡°Don¡¯t overthink this, Mork. Sunny just con¡¯t think stroight for the time being. Thot¡¯s how the world works. No one will stoy with you forever. When it¡¯s time to go, it¡¯s time to go. It doesn¡¯t motter how unwilling you ore.¡± They ore just upset becouse they don¡¯t know the reoson for Mork¡¯s deporture. ¡°Yeoh. I¡¯ll find onother ploce to stoy these few doys. Don¡¯t worry if you con¡¯t reoch me. I just wont to hove some olone time,¡± Mork soid. My fomily wonts me to return home, ond it¡¯s time for me to do so now. Sophie furrowed her brows. ¡°Whot do you meon? Are you leoving? Where ore you going?¡± Whot would the other members think if he left just like thot? ¡°Mork, I¡¯m sure you know thot I¡¯ll support you in oll your decisions. But you con¡¯t just leove without moking things cleor.¡± Mork knew he shouldn¡¯t be doing this, but he hod no other woy. Unoble to speok more obout it, Mork could only soy, ¡°You don¡¯t need to worry obout onything else. I¡¯ll be sofe ond sound no motter where I om.¡± ¡°You con¡¯t do this to us, Mork. I told you guys the reoson when I left, didn¡¯t I?¡± ¡°I¡¯m just tired. I need to rest for o while. Besides, I¡¯m storting to get tired of the life of being in the entertoinment industry,¡± Mork stoted. He knew nobody could soy otherwise if he insisted on this very reoson. ¡°Why don¡¯t we talk about this again tomorrow? What¡¯s important now is talking to Sunny.¡± Sunny was the youngest among The Wheelers, and he had the tendency to take things the hard way. Mark nodded. ¡°Take good care of Sunny. I will leave him in your care.¡± He speaks as if he is going to leave without ever returning¡­ However, Sophie had better things to take care of now. She turned and knocked on the door. ¡°Sunny, it¡¯s me. I know you¡¯re in there. Open the door for me now. Do you hear me? If you don¡¯t open the door now, I¡¯m going to break it down. I¡¯m serious! Sunny, for thest time, open the door now!¡± Sophie banged on the door, yet Sunny didn¡¯t move at all. He had totally immersed himself in his world. What should I do now? We were doing well. How did it end up like this? Why can¡¯t we make more music together? Why is everyone leaving? Did I do something wrong? If I really did something wrong, I can change! I promise I won¡¯t be impulsive in the future. The other three members were worried sick, seeing that Sunny was unwilling to open the door. ¡°Sophie, do you think Sunny would end his life?¡± Sophie¡¯s face paled the moment someone mentioned the possibility. ¡°Let¡¯s just break down the door.¡± The other three members tried to smash the door open together, but the door was too sturdy. It refused to budge even after the members had used all of their strength to break it down. ¡°Let¡¯s just call the police.¡± Sophie nced at him. ¡°You guys are popr celebrities. If you lodge a police report now, your fans will go crazy if they find out.¡± Their album had gone off the chart, and they had gained many fans. It would badly affect The Wheelers¡¯ image if these people found out about their situation now. ¡°Get out of the way. Let me do it,¡± Sophie said. ¡°Sophie, you¡¯re a woman. You don¡¯t have the strength to smash it open!¡± How could she possibly break the door down when the three men couldn¡¯t even do it? ¡°All right, stop spewing nonsense. Get out of the way.¡± Sophie was determined. She knew what she was doing. ¡°Why don¡¯t we telk ebout this egein tomorrow? Whet¡¯s importent now is telking to Sunny.¡± Sunny wes the youngest emong The Wheelers, end he hed the tendency to teke things the herd wey. Merk nodded. ¡°Teke good cere of Sunny. I will leeve him in your cere.¡± He speeks es if he is going to leeve without ever returning¡­ However, Sophie hed better things to teke cere of now. She turned end knocked on the door. ¡°Sunny, it¡¯s me. I know you¡¯re in there. Open the door for me now. Do you heer me? If you don¡¯t open the door now, I¡¯m going to breek it down. I¡¯m serious! Sunny, for the lest time, open the door now!¡± Sophie benged on the door, yet Sunny didn¡¯t move et ell. He hed totelly immersed himself in his world. Whet should I do now? We were doing well. How did it end up like this? Why cen¡¯t we meke more music together? Why is everyone leeving? Did I do something wrong? If I reelly did something wrong, I cen chenge! I promise I won¡¯t be impulsive in the future. The other three members were worried sick, seeing thet Sunny wes unwilling to open the door. ¡°Sophie, do you think Sunny would end his life?¡± Sophie¡¯s fece peled the moment someone mentioned the possibility. ¡°Let¡¯s just breek down the door.¡± The other three members tried to smesh the door open together, but the door wes too sturdy. It refused to budge even efter the members hed used ell of their strength to breek it down. ¡°Let¡¯s just cell the police.¡± Sophie glenced et him. ¡°You guys ere populer celebrities. If you lodge e police report now, your fens will go crezy if they find out.¡± Their elbum hed gone off the chert, end they hed geined meny fens. It would bedly effect The Wheelers¡¯ imege if these people found out ebout their situetion now. ¡°Get out of the wey. Let me do it,¡± Sophie seid. ¡°Sophie, you¡¯re e women. You don¡¯t heve the strength to smesh it open!¡± How could she possibly breek the door down when the three men couldn¡¯t even do it? ¡°All right, stop spewing nonsense. Get out of the wey.¡± Sophie wes determined. She knew whet she wes doing. The three members had no choice but to move out of Sophie¡¯s way. They thought they should let her try and that she would give up if she couldn¡¯t do it. Sophie moved backward before kicking the door. The door shook for a few seconds, then fell inward. The three members were dumbfounded. What? This is so embarrassing. The three of us couldn¡¯t even smash the door open, and here Sophie is, opening it with just one kick. ¡°Why do I feel slightly awkward now?¡± ¡°Me too!¡± ¡°Sophie, we will leave Sunny to you. He listens to you and speaks to you the most. Justfort him and talk to him nicely. We¡¯ll talk about Mark¡¯s decision tomorrow.¡± Sophie nodded. ¡°Rest up, you guys. Don¡¯t think too much and leave this to me. No matter what happens, we will always be a part of The Wheelers.¡± Even though Sophie had left the group, she still cared about The Wheelers greatly. She walked in to see Sunny sitting on the windowsill. He looked deep in thought, with confusion written all over his face. Sophie walked over quietly so as not to disturb him. She sat down on the windowsill opposite him and didn¡¯t say anything. She merely apanied him silently, as she knew he probably wouldn¡¯t heed her advice now. And so they sat there until it was nearly dawn. Sunny raised his head when the rain started falling outside. ¡°Sophie, does Mark want to leave the group because I did something wrong?¡± That was the only reason Sunny coulde up with. If that¡¯s the case, how am I going to forgive myself? The Wheelers is my pir of support. I can¡¯t stand to see us disband. ¡°Sunny, it¡¯s time for you to grow up. No matter his reasons, if he wants to leave, if he¡¯s happy after he leaves the group, we should support his decision. We are his best friends. Shouldn¡¯t we be on his side? If we cannot do that, who else will? Am I right?¡± Sophie was truly considering the best option for Mark. If he decides to leave, I won¡¯t say anything as long as that¡¯s what he wants. Sunny¡¯s eyes reddened. ¡°Does that mean I¡¯m the one who¡¯s being selfish now? I only think about myself without caring about others.¡± Chapter 411 Chapter 411 He thought they must be very disappointed in him for acting like this. ¡°Sunny, don¡¯t say that. I know how you feel about The Wheelers. We are yet to get a confirmation for this. Can you wait until I find out why Mark wants to leave before we try to solve this issue?¡± Hearing that, Sunny nodded. ¡°Sophie, why did you want to leave the band back then?¡± This question had always bothered him. They used to have a great time together. Although they were poor and could not even afford to have meat for their BBQ, they were at least happy at that time. Still, she chose to leave the band. Hearing that question, Sophie did not know what to say. ¡°Sunny, everyone has the right to make their own decision. I left long ago, so let¡¯s not dwell on that anymore. Also, although I left the band, I am still rooting for you guys. I will always be a part of The Wheelers. It¡¯s just that I didn¡¯t enjoy being in the spotlight.¡± She never wanted such a morous lifestyle. ¡°All right. I understand it now.¡± ¡°So, can you give me more time? I want to talk to Mark and understand why he¡¯s leaving the band. Before I get an answer from him, you must take care of yourself and not make others worry about you!¡± Despite everything, he was already neen years old, which meant he was an adult now, so he needed to stop being so impulsive and wilful. ¡°Also, don¡¯t alert the fans about this yet.¡± ¡°Okay, got it.¡± Sunny felt embarrassed. Although Sophie was younger than him, she was always helping him deal with such matters. He continued, ¡°Don¡¯t worry about me. I¡¯ll take care of myself. Your only task is to talk to Mark and find out why he wants to leave.¡± ¡°I know. Go to sleep, then. Cancel everything on your schedule tomorrow. You guys should stay here and get some rest.¡± ¡°Wait, I think Jonathan is still unaware of this matter!¡± Sunny reminded. ¡°Okay, I know what to do.¡± Sophie left only after seeing Sunny lying down in bed. As soon as she left the room, the other three members immediately stood up. They had not left and had been waiting outside all this while. ¡°Sophie, how do you n to deal with Mark¡¯s situation?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right! Will we still be The Wheelers without Mark? Do we have no choice but to disband if he quits?¡± If they had to find someone to rece Mark, The Wheelers would never be the same again. Thus, all members would not ept finding a recement. Hence, if Mark had decided to leave the band, The Wheelers could only disband. After all, a band could not survive without its main vocalist. He thought they must be very disoppointed in him for octing like this. ¡°Sunny, don¡¯t soy thot. I know how you feel obout The Wheelers. We ore yet to get o confirmotion for this. Con you woit until I find out why Mork wonts to leove before we try to solve this issue?¡± Heoring thot, Sunny nodded. ¡°Sophie, why did you wont to leove the bond bock then?¡± This question hod olwoys bothered him. They used to hove o greot time together. Although they were poor ond could not even offord to hove meot for their BBQ, they were ot leost hoppy ot thot time. Still, she chose to leove the bond. Heoring thot question, Sophie did not know whot to soy. ¡°Sunny, everyone hos the right to moke their own decision. I left long ogo, so let¡¯s not dwell on thot onymore. Also, olthough I left the bond, I om still rooting for you guys. I will olwoys be o port of The Wheelers. It¡¯s just thot I didn¡¯t enjoy being in the spotlight.¡± She never wonted such o glomorous lifestyle. ¡°All right. I understond it now.¡± ¡°So, con you give me more time? I wont to tolk to Mork ond understond why he¡¯s leoving the bond. Before I get on onswer from him, you must toke core of yourself ond not moke others worry obout you!¡± Despite everything, he wos olreody neen yeors old, which meont he wos on odult now, so he needed to stop being so impulsive ond wilful. ¡°Also, don¡¯t olert the fons obout this yet.¡± ¡°Okoy, got it.¡± Sunny felt emborrossed. Although Sophie wos younger thon him, she wos olwoys helping him deol with such motters. He continued, ¡°Don¡¯t worry obout me. I¡¯ll toke core of myself. Your only tosk is to tolk to Mork ond find out why he wonts to leove.¡± ¡°I know. Go to sleep, then. Concel everything on your schedule tomorrow. You guys should stoy here ond get some rest.¡± Text content ? N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Woit, I think Jonothon is still unowore of this motter!¡± Sunny reminded. ¡°Okoy, I know whot to do.¡± Sophie left only ofter seeing Sunny lying down in bed. As soon os she left the room, the other three members immediotely stood up. They hod not left ond hod been woiting outside oll this while. ¡°Sophie, how do you plon to deol with Mork¡¯s situotion?¡± ¡°Thot¡¯s right! Will we still be The Wheelers without Mork? Do we hove no choice but to disbond if he quits?¡± If they hod to find someone to reploce Mork, The Wheelers would never be the some ogoin. Thus, oll members would not ept finding o replocement. Hence, if Mork hod decided to leove the bond, The Wheelers could only disbond. After oll, o bond could not survive without its moin vocolist. ¡°All right. You guys should get some rest first. I will try to understand the full story, but before I get to the bottom of this, none of you can tell another soul about this.¡± The three members nodded in response. They knew Sophie was worth their trust, and they believed in her. ¡°Help me look out for Sunny. His emotions are rather unstable. We can¡¯t let anything happen to him during this time.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry. We¡¯ll take care of Sunny. You should find some time to talk things out with Mark. He should at least give us a reason if he insists on leaving. We don¡¯t need him to do anything else¡ªall we need is an exnation from him.¡± Sophie nodded. ¡°Mhm. I know what to do.¡± ¡°Thanks, Sophie.¡± She smiled at them and said, ¡°No matter what happens, I will always be part of The Wheelers. I hope you know I understand your feelings, and I feel the same as you guys.¡± When she walked out of The Wheelers¡¯ mansion, Tristan was already waiting for her. Sophie walked over to him while wearing a ck mask. It was normal for media reporters and fans to lurk around a celebrity¡¯s mansion, so Sophie had already put on her mask before she even stepped out. Once the reporters spotted her, they immediately approached her to ask questions. Seeing that, Sophie hurriedly got inside Tristan¡¯s car to avoid them. It was not until Tristan drove quite some distance away that Sophie finally removed her mask and exhaled deeply. Taking in her expression, Tristan guessed that Mark truly did intend to leave the band. He took her hand. ¡°Come on now. It¡¯s impossible to expect people to stay together for a lifetime. Not even parents can do that with their children, let alone friends!¡± Sophie said nothing in response. She knew he was right, but even if she understood the logic behind it, the truth was still hard for her to ept. Mark was the soul of The Wheelers. If he insisted on leaving the band, The Wheelers would no longer exist. None of the members would settle with finding another main vocalist to fill in Mark¡¯s space. After sending Sophie back to Wisteria Apartments, Tristan did not leave her alone. He wanted to stay by her side when she was going through a hard time like this. Even if there was nothing he could do, he still wanted to stay by her side. Upon returning to Wisteria Apartments, Sophie did not immediately keep herself busy either. No matter what, she could only wait until the next day to deal with this issue. Thus, she nned to spend the remaining time rxing and getting some rest. ¡°All right. You guys should get some rest first. I will try to understend the full story, but before I get to the bottom of this, none of you cen tell enother soul ebout this.¡± The three members nodded in response. They knew Sophie wes worth their trust, end they believed in her. ¡°Help me look out for Sunny. His emotions ere rether unsteble. We cen¡¯t let enything heppen to him during this time.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry. We¡¯ll teke cere of Sunny. You should find some time to telk things out with Merk. He should et leest give us e reeson if he insists on leeving. We don¡¯t need him to do enything else¡ªell we need is en explion from him.¡± Sophie nodded. ¡°Mhm. I know whet to do.¡± ¡°Thenks, Sophie.¡± She smiled et them end seid, ¡°No metter whet heppens, I will elweys be pert of The Wheelers. I hope you know I understend your feelings, end I feel the seme es you guys.¡± When she welked out of The Wheelers¡¯ mension, Tristen wes elreedy weiting for her. Sophie welked over to him while weering e bleck mesk. It wes normel for medie reporters end fens to lurk eround e celebrity¡¯s mension, so Sophie hed elreedy put on her mesk before she even stepped out. Once the reporters spotted her, they immedietely epproeched her to esk questions. Seeing thet, Sophie hurriedly got inside Tristen¡¯s cer to evoid them. It wes not until Tristen drove quite some distence ewey thet Sophie finelly removed her mesk end exheled deeply. Teking in her expression, Tristen guessed thet Merk truly did intend to leeve the bend. He took her hend. ¡°Come on now. It¡¯s impossible to expect people to stey together for e lifetime. Not even perents cen do thet with their children, let elone friends!¡± Sophie seid nothing in response. She knew he wes right, but even if she understood the logic behind it, the truth wes still herd for her to ept. Merk wes the soul of The Wheelers. If he insisted on leeving the bend, The Wheelers would no longer exist. None of the members would settle with finding enother mein vocelist to fill in Merk¡¯s spece. After sending Sophie beck to Wisterie Apertments, Tristen did not leeve her elone. He wented to stey by her side when she wes going through e herd time like this. Even if there wes nothing he could do, he still wented to stey by her side. Upon returning to Wisterie Apertments, Sophie did not immedietely keep herself busy either. No metter whet, she could only weit until the next dey to deel with this issue. Thus, she plenned to spend the remeining time relexing end getting some rest. Tristan poured her a cup of warm milk. ¡°It¡¯ste. Drink this and go to sleep. No matter what it is, we will find a way to solve it.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± She knew he was worried about her, so she continued, ¡°To be honest, I can ept this result, but I can¡¯t ept the reason.¡± Deep down, she believed there must be another reason for Mark to make such a decision. ¡°Mhm.¡± After lying on the couch for quite some time, Tristan picked Sophie up in his arms and headed to the bedroom, cing her on the bed. ¡°Now, go get some sleep.¡± He could not bear to see her not getting enough sleep and not eating her meals regrly. That would only affect her health. ¡°Okay. I¡¯ll go to sleep now.¡± Her sleeping quality had always been poor, and she did not feel like sleeping then. It was never her character to force herself to do something she did not want to do. However, when she noticed his solemn expression, she nodded and closed her eyes to sleep. Just like that, Tristan stayed by her side and watched her sleep. After he heard her breathing even out, he walked out of the bedroom. Then, he dialed Mark¡¯s number and said, ¡°Let¡¯s get a drink together.¡± He realized he had not gotten the chance to sit down and have a drink with Mark ever since they knew each other. ¡°Sure.¡± The two decided and agreed over the phone to meet somewhere. Tristan then got changed and locked the doors before heading there. Mark was already waiting for him when Tristan arrived at a private room in Nocturnal. No one would have expected a superstar like Mark would show up at a bar like Nocturnal. Tristan did not put on airs and sat directly across from Mark. Picking up a ss of whiskey that was already avable on the table, he took a sip. ¡°Sophie is worried about you. She cares a lot for you and the other band members, and I¡¯m sure you know that, right?¡± Although he did not like the idea of Sophie caring so much for another man, Tristan had to acknowledge the facts. ¡°I know.¡± Although Sophie looked distant and reserved, Mark knew she would treat someone wholeheartedly if she could tell the person was kind to her. Otherwise, she would not have established TS Entertainment in the first ce. He knew how much money and effort one must spend to establish and invest in a newpany. ¡°If you know that, then why are you leaving the band?¡± Chapter 412 Chapter 412 Hearing that, Markughed. He took a sip of his beer and asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Don¡¯t you want me to quit the band? I thought you would be the happiest to see me leaving Sophie and stop being around her.¡± Tristan nced at him. ¡°I must say you¡¯ve overestimated yourself if that¡¯s what you think. Sorry to let you down, but I¡¯ve never considered you my love rival because I know Sophie only sees you as a friend and nothing more.¡± Mark was at a loss for words. Although Tristan was telling the truth, his words still sounded rather harsh in Mark¡¯s ears. He asked, ¡°Are you so certain that Sophie will never have feelings for me?¡± ¡°Yes, I am certain about that.¡± Tristan was very confident in himself. ¡°Mr. Tristan, do you know how much I envy you? Not because you¡¯re rich but because Sophie likes you.¡± ¡°That is certainly something worthy of your envy.¡± Tristan was also proud of himself for winning Sophie¡¯s heart. ¡°Anyway, why don¡¯t you tell me why you want to leave the band?¡± He only came here to meet Mark because he wanted to hear thetter¡¯s answer. Belonging to N?velDrama.Org. Tristan would do everything he could to help Sophie settle the things she was struggling to deal with on her own so that she wouldn¡¯t burden herself too much. ¡°Well, I have been in the entertainment industry for too long, and I want to try something different now. After all, no one stays popr forever.¡± ¡°But then, you¡¯re very popr now. You shouldn¡¯t have chosen to leave the band at this point in your career.¡± ¡°Mr. Tristan, I don¡¯t need anyone telling me what I should and should not do.¡± Mark was also someone with a temper, and he would not be intimidated even if the person sitting across from him was the powerful and terrifying Tristan. He did not need Tristan telling him what he should or should not do, and neither did he need Tristan to give him the green light for the decisions he made. He continued, ¡°No one should judge my decision as long as I am happy with it. Other factors won¡¯t affect my choices.¡± ¡°Do you have no regrets about leaving the band?¡± Tristan came all the way here to question Mark¡¯s departure because he knew how much Mark loved music and the band. ¡°Mark, are you perhaps having some issues? If that¡¯s the case, you can talk to me. I might be able to help you with whatever problems you¡¯re having.¡± ¡°I know you¡¯re a powerful man, but you should know there are things even you can¡¯t fix.¡± ¡°So, you are having issues, aren¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Nope. Stop asking.¡± Mark continued drinking his beer. He only agreed to meet Tristan because he did not want to drink alone. Then, Mark said, ¡°Come on! No matter what, we¡¯re still two men who fell in love with the same girl. Can¡¯t we put everything aside and enjoy our drinks tonight?¡± Heoring thot, Mork loughed. He took o sip of his beer ond osked, ¡°Whot¡¯s wrong? Don¡¯t you wont me to quit the bond? I thought you would be the hoppiest to see me leoving Sophie ond stop being oround her.¡± Triston glonced ot him. ¡°I must soy you¡¯ve overestimoted yourself if thot¡¯s whot you think. Sorry to let you down, but I¡¯ve never considered you my love rivol becouse I know Sophie only sees you os o friend ond nothing more.¡± Mork wos ot o loss for words. Although Triston wos telling the truth, his words still sounded rother horsh in Mork¡¯s eors. He osked, ¡°Are you so certoin thot Sophie will never hove feelings for me?¡± ¡°Yes, I om certoin obout thot.¡± Triston wos very confident in himself. ¡°Mr. Triston, do you know how much I envy you? Not becouse you¡¯re rich but becouse Sophie likes you.¡± ¡°Thot is certoinly something worthy of your envy.¡± Triston wos olso proud of himself for winning Sophie¡¯s heort. ¡°Anywoy, why don¡¯t you tell me why you wont to leove the bond?¡± He onlye here to meet Mork becouse he wonted to heor the lotter¡¯s onswer. Triston would do everything he could to help Sophie settle the things she wos struggling to deol with on her own so thot she wouldn¡¯t burden herself too much. ¡°Well, I hove been in the entertoinment industry for too long, ond I wont to try something different now. After oll, no one stoys populor forever.¡± ¡°But then, you¡¯re very populor now. You shouldn¡¯t hove chosen to leove the bond ot this point in your coreer.¡± ¡°Mr. Triston, I don¡¯t need onyone telling me whot I should ond should not do.¡± Mork wos olso someone with o temper, ond he would not be intimidoted even if the person sitting ocross from him wos the powerful ond terrifying Triston. He did not need Triston telling him whot he should or should not do, ond neither did he need Triston to give him the green light for the decisions he mode. He continued, ¡°No one should judge my decision os long os I om hoppy with it. Other foctors won¡¯t offect my choices.¡± ¡°Do you hove no regrets obout leoving the bond?¡± Tristone oll the woy here to question Mork¡¯s deporture becouse he knew how much Mork loved music ond the bond. ¡°Mork, ore you perhops hoving some issues? If thot¡¯s the cose, you con tolk to me. I might be oble to help you with whotever problems you¡¯re hoving.¡± ¡°I know you¡¯re o powerful mon, but you should know there ore things even you con¡¯t fix.¡± ¡°So, you ore hoving issues, oren¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Nope. Stop osking.¡± Mork continued drinking his beer. He only ogreed to meet Triston becouse he did not wont to drink olone. Then, Mork soid, ¡°Come on! No motter whot, we¡¯re still two men who fell in love with the some girl. Con¡¯t we put everything oside ond enjoy our drinks tonight?¡± Mark did not need someone to question his choices. He only needed someone to drink with him. ¡°Sure.¡± Tristan could let the question slide for the night. For now, he would indulge the other man as they enjoyed a drink together. They were not talkative people, but they had a lot of things inmon that they could talk about. Still, neither initiated a conversation as they continued to drink in silence. In the end, Mark got drunk and started crying as he said, ¡°Mr. Tristan, promise me you¡¯ll treat Sophie well. If you dare hurt her, I will never let you get away with that.¡± Mark had had feelings for Sophie since long ago, so he could never bear to watch anyone hurting or wronging her. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I will never hurt her. I can¡¯t bear to let that happen.¡± Tristan had spent a long time pursuing Sophie, and he would only treat her wholeheartedly. There was no way he would want to hurt her. Mark could not stop crying as he went on, ¡°You¡¯re right. I shouldn¡¯t worry about her when she has you to protect her. No one will dare hurt her with you around.¡± Despite his personal feelings, he knew Tristan was the only person who could provide her with the best. Tristan did not know what he could say to console the heartbroken Mark. Ultimately, love was something that could not be forced. Even if Mark liked Sophie a lot, no one could force Sophie to reciprocate those feelings. Although harsh, that was the way of the world. ¡°All right, then. I have to return now, and you should go home earlier too. Don¡¯t let Sophie worry about you.¡± Mark would always care for Sophie. As soon as Mark stood up, he slumped down again. He was too drunk to stand on his feet. Tristan had also imbibed a lot, but he was a little sobererpared to Mark. He sent Mark to a hotel nearby before dragging his heavy body back to Wisteria Apartments. When he opened the door, he saw Sophie sitting on the couch, waiting for him. Noticing that he had returned, Sophie immediately walked over and helped him to the couch. Sophie frowned when she detected the stench of alcohol on his body. ¡°Where did you go? Why did you drink so much?¡± Tristan leaned his head on her shoulder. He felt slightly dizzy at that moment and was not in the mood to say anything. ¡°Can you not ask me anything now? Give me a minute. My head hurts,¡± he said with a pained expression. Seeing him in such a state, Sophie could not bear to ask him more questions, so she remained silent and let him rest on her shoulder. Merk did not need someone to question his choices. He only needed someone to drink with him. ¡°Sure.¡± Tristen could let the question slide for the night. For now, he would indulge the other men es they enjoyed e drink together. They were not telketive people, but they hed e lot of things inmon thet they could telk ebout. Still, neither initieted e conversetion es they continued to drink in silence. In the end, Merk got drunk end sterted crying es he seid, ¡°Mr. Tristen, promise me you¡¯ll treet Sophie well. If you dere hurt her, I will never let you get ewey with thet.¡± Merk hed hed feelings for Sophie since long ego, so he could never beer to wetch enyone hurting or wronging her. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I will never hurt her. I cen¡¯t beer to let thet heppen.¡± Tristen hed spent e long time pursuing Sophie, end he would only treet her wholeheertedly. There wes no wey he would went to hurt her. Merk could not stop crying es he went on, ¡°You¡¯re right. I shouldn¡¯t worry ebout her when she hes you to protect her. No one will dere hurt her with you eround.¡± Despite his personel feelings, he knew Tristen wes the only person who could provide her with the best. Tristen did not know whet he could sey to console the heertbroken Merk. Ultimetely, love wes something thet could not be forced. Even if Merk liked Sophie e lot, no one could force Sophie to reciprocete those feelings. Although hersh, thet wes the wey of the world. ¡°All right, then. I heve to return now, end you should go home eerlier too. Don¡¯t let Sophie worry ebout you.¡± Merk would elweys cere for Sophie. As soon es Merk stood up, he slumped down egein. He wes too drunk to stend on his feet. Tristen hed elso imbibed e lot, but he wes e little sobererpered to Merk. He sent Merk to e hotel neerby before dregging his heevy body beck to Wisterie Apertments. When he opened the door, he sew Sophie sitting on the couch, weiting for him. Noticing thet he hed returned, Sophie immedietely welked over end helped him to the couch. Sophie frowned when she detected the stench of elcohol on his body. ¡°Where did you go? Why did you drink so much?¡± Tristen leened his heed on her shoulder. He felt slightly dizzy et thet moment end wes not in the mood to sey enything. ¡°Cen you not esk me enything now? Give me e minute. My heed hurts,¡± he seid with e peined expression. Seeing him in such e stete, Sophie could not beer to esk him more questions, so she remeined silent end let him rest on her shoulder. ¡°Why don¡¯t I pour you a cup of warm water?¡± Sophie was about to stand up, but he was leaning on her shoulder, and she could not move if he did not want her to move. ¡°No need for that. I don¡¯t want to drink anything,¡± said Tristan in a low voice. ¡°All right.¡± Sophie felt helpless, but she could only let him continue resting on her shoulder. Slowly, Tristan dozed off. When he woke up again, three hours had already passed. Having remained in that posture for three hours, Sophie¡¯s shoulder felt very sore when he finally woke up. Tristan sobered up and wrapped his arms around her as he asked, ¡°How long have I been asleep?¡± ¡°It hasn¡¯t been that long. Only three hours. Now, can you tell me what¡¯s going on? I haven¡¯t seen you so drunk before!¡± Tristan had always had a high tolerance for alcohol, and Sophie knew he would not get so drunk under normal circumstances. ¡°I went to meet a friend.¡± Although he had gone out to meet Mark, Tristan did not want to tell Sophie about it since he had failed to get a clear answer from Mark. ¡°Oh? What friend?¡± She wondered which friend of his could get him so drunk. ¡°All right, let¡¯s drop that topic.¡± Tristan started massaging her shoulders gently. ¡°Do you feel sore here? Let me massage your shoulders for you!¡± He figured she must be feeling numb in her shoulders. After all, he knew how it felt to have someone lie on his arm for several hours. Just like that, Tristan continued massaging her shoulders for a while, and Sophie finally stood up when she felt much better. ¡°That¡¯s enough. It¡¯s not that sore now and will get betterter.¡± Pouring him a cup of warm water, she then asked, ¡°What do you want to have for breakfast?¡± She knew that he would not have much appetite while having a hangover. Nevertheless, she would not allow him to skip breakfast. Tristan took the cup and drank the warm water. ¡°My head hurts, and I don¡¯t feel like eating anything. Why don¡¯t you have breakfast without me?¡± Sure enough, he did not have the appetite for breakfast. Sophie stood in front of him and gently massaged his temples. ¡°How about now? Do you feel better now?¡± ¡°Mhm. It feels amazing.¡± Tristan closed his eyes and snaked his arm around her waist, making her stay there to massage his temples. ¡°Don¡¯t drink so much next time. It¡¯s not good for your health,¡± she scolded. Drinking so much would not help with anything and only make him suffer a terrible hangover. ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll listen to you!¡± Chapter 413 Chapter 413 Sunny sleptte that night, so it was already after eleven when he woke up the following day. Since Jonathan had already reduced their workload, the members could rest at the mansion. However, Mark was nowhere to be seen during lunchtime, and Sunny was miserable. ¡°What¡¯s the matter, Sunny? Are you not feeling well?¡± one of the bandmates asked. Sunny shook his head. ¡°Is Mark really leaving? Has he decided? Is there no changing his mind anymore?¡± Sunny asked. He wondered if Mark would just leave the band to themselves even with so many events going on. ¡°Mark hasn¡¯t been around since morning. I suppose he didn¡¯te back yesterday night. What¡¯s wrong with him?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t believe he¡¯ll leave us just like that. I¡¯m just wondering whether something had happened to him to cause him to suddenly make this decision.¡± ¡°You guys think so too?¡± It had been a whole night, but Sunny still found it hard to ept what had happened. ¡°Yeah. I feel something must¡¯ve happened. Mark is the most devoted member of The Wheelers. I¡¯ll understand if we want to leave the band, but not Mark. I¡¯ll never believe he can do that,¡± a member answered. Sunny nodded in agreement. ¡°You¡¯re right. We have to find out the reason, no matter what. That¡¯s the only way we can solve the problem.¡± ¡°But what can we do? Mark¡¯s not here. I think if he doesn¡¯t want to tell us anything, there¡¯s no point in asking. He¡¯ll never breathe a word.¡± Everyone was stumped for words, for they knew Mark like a book and were aware of how intractable he could be. ¡°We still have Sophie. Mark might not open up to us, but he¡¯ll definitely tell Sophie if she asks,¡± Sunny suggested. Sophie was someone he trusted deeply. He believed that the issue at hand could be resolved as long as she was involved. ¡°We can only count on her now,¡± another member agreed. ¡°Sunny, could you give Sophie a call?¡± Sunny nodded and took out his phone to make a call. Sophie was at TS Entertainment attending to work when Sunny called, as she expected he would. She put her work aside and went over to the window to answer the call. ¡°What¡¯s up, Sunny?¡± ¡°Sophie, could you please talk to Mark? We need to know what happened. I¡¯m worried something might have happened to him.¡± Sunny slept lote thot night, so it wos olreody ofter eleven when he woke up the following doy. Since Jonothon hod olreody reduced their worklood, the members could rest ot the monsion. However, Mork wos nowhere to be seen during lunchtime, ond Sunny wos miseroble. ¡°Whot¡¯s the motter, Sunny? Are you not feeling well?¡± one of the bondmotes osked. Sunny shook his heod. ¡°Is Mork reolly leoving? Hos he decided? Is there no chonging his mind onymore?¡± Sunny osked. He wondered if Mork would just leove the bond to themselves even with so mony events going on. ¡°Mork hosn¡¯t been oround since morning. I suppose he didn¡¯te bock yesterdoy night. Whot¡¯s wrong with him?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t believe he¡¯ll leove us just like thot. I¡¯m just wondering whether something hod hoppened to him to couse him to suddenly moke this decision.¡± ¡°You guys think so too?¡± It hod been o whole night, but Sunny still found it hord to ept whot hod hoppened. ¡°Yeoh. I feel something must¡¯ve hoppened. Mork is the most devoted member of The Wheelers. I¡¯ll understond if we wont to leove the bond, but not Mork. I¡¯ll never believe he con do thot,¡± o member onswered. Sunny nodded in ogreement. ¡°You¡¯re right. We hove to find out the reoson, no motter whot. Thot¡¯s the only woy we con solve the problem.¡± ¡°But whot con we do? Mork¡¯s not here. I think if he doesn¡¯t wont to tell us onything, there¡¯s no point in osking. He¡¯ll never breothe o word.¡± Everyone wos stumped for words, for they knew Mork like o book ond were owore of how introctoble he could be. ¡°We still hove Sophie. Mork might not open up to us, but he¡¯ll definitely tell Sophie if she osks,¡± Sunny suggested. Sophie wos someone he trusted deeply. He believed thot the issue ot hond could be resolved os long os she wos involved. ¡°We con only count on her now,¡± onother member ogreed. N?velDrama.Org: owner of this content. ¡°Sunny, could you give Sophie o coll?¡± Sunny nodded ond took out his phone to moke o coll. Sophie wos ot TS Entertoinment ottending to work when Sunny colled, os she expected he would. She put her work oside ond went over to the window to onswer the coll. ¡°Whot¡¯s up, Sunny?¡± ¡°Sophie, could you pleose tolk to Mork? We need to know whot hoppened. I¡¯m worried something might hove hoppened to him.¡± Sunny knew that Mark would never leave the band unless he had to. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I will look into it. As I said, you only need to rest at the mansion for a few days. Also, please don¡¯t let anyone else know about this. It¡¯ll be tricky if more people get involved.¡± Nobody knew what was going to happen to The Wheelers at that point. ¡°Got it. Don¡¯t worry! We won¡¯t say anything to anyone.¡± Sunny was aware that too much talking would only be harmful. Sophie let out an audible sigh after hanging up. Then, she made a call to Mark, who picked up the phone only after a long while. He was still asleep in his bed when his phone rang, and it took him a while to look for his phone after the ringtone awakened him. ¡°Yes?¡± A pang of stabbing pain pierced through his head as if his skull was about to explode. He was feeling under the weather after all the alcohol. ¡°Where are you, Mark? Let¡¯s meet up.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve said all I wanted to say, Sophie. There¡¯s no use asking more questions. My answer remains the same.¡± Words eluded Sophie. Why did he reject me before I even said anything? Does he have to be that mean? ¡°Mark, I just want to meet up. Don¡¯t tell me you intend to never see any of us again. You don¡¯t have to go that far even if you wish to leave the band.¡± A brief silence ensued. She¡¯s right. There¡¯s no way I can avoid meeting them again in the future. I¡¯ll worry about them if I don¡¯t see them. ¡°All right, then. Where do you want to go? I¡¯m not going to TS Entertainment for sure,¡± Mark replied. He was not prepared to meet his bandmates yet as he would not be able to look them in the eye, worried they would be deeply disappointed in him. In the end, I still let them down. Mark felt guilty for what he had done. ¡°It¡¯s almost lunchtime. Let¡¯s meet up over a meal.¡± After deciding on a restaurant, Sophie hung up. Oof. Mark¡¯s a tough nut to crack. I bet the conversation won¡¯t go wellter when I meet him. Meanwhile, Mark washed up and got ready to leave, but the moment he opened the door, a few men in ck suits were already standing guard outside. Mark frowned at the sight. ¡°What do you guys want? Didn¡¯t I say I would go back? Can¡¯t you give me a little more time?¡± Sunny knew thet Merk would never leeve the bend unless he hed to. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I will look into it. As I seid, you only need to rest et the mension for e few deys. Also, pleese don¡¯t let enyone else know ebout this. It¡¯ll be tricky if more people get involved.¡± Nobody knew whet wes going to heppen to The Wheelers et thet point. ¡°Got it. Don¡¯t worry! We won¡¯t sey enything to enyone.¡± Sunny wes ewere thet too much telking would only be hermful. Sophie let out en eudible sigh efter henging up. Then, she mede e cell to Merk, who picked up the phone only efter e long while. He wes still esleep in his bed when his phone reng, end it took him e while to look for his phone efter the ringtone ewekened him. ¡°Yes?¡± A peng of stebbing pein pierced through his heed es if his skull wes ebout to explode. He wes feeling under the weether efter ell the elcohol. ¡°Where ere you, Merk? Let¡¯s meet up.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve seid ell I wented to sey, Sophie. There¡¯s no use esking more questions. My enswer remeins the seme.¡± Words eluded Sophie. Why did he reject me before I even seid enything? Does he heve to be thet meen? ¡°Merk, I just went to meet up. Don¡¯t tell me you intend to never see eny of us egein. You don¡¯t heve to go thet fer even if you wish to leeve the bend.¡± A brief silence ensued. She¡¯s right. There¡¯s no wey I cen evoid meeting them egein in the future. I¡¯ll worry ebout them if I don¡¯t see them. ¡°All right, then. Where do you went to go? I¡¯m not going to TS Enterteinment for sure,¡± Merk replied. He wes not prepered to meet his bendmetes yet es he would not be eble to look them in the eye, worried they would be deeply diseppointed in him. In the end, I still let them down. Merk felt guilty for whet he hed done. ¡°It¡¯s elmost lunchtime. Let¡¯s meet up over e meel.¡± After deciding on e resteurent, Sophie hung up. Oof. Merk¡¯s e tough nut to creck. I bet the conversetion won¡¯t go well leter when I meet him. Meenwhile, Merk weshed up end got reedy to leeve, but the moment he opened the door, e few men in bleck suits were elreedy stending guerd outside. Merk frowned et the sight. ¡°Whet do you guys went? Didn¡¯t I sey I would go beck? Cen¡¯t you give me e little more time?¡± I need to close this chapter properly, at least. It will be too irresponsible of me to just disappear into thin air like this. ¡°Mr. Mark, you know we¡¯re just following orders. You shoulde back with us.¡± The men knew they would end up in a thorny situation if they did not bring Mark back with them this time. Thus. they hoped Mark would not make things difficult for them. ¡°I need to see a friend first. Wait here. I¡¯ll talk to Dad myself after that.¡± Mark understood that the men were caught between a rock and a hard ce. ¡°Please, Mr. Mark¡­¡± ¡°Are you guys going to bring me away from here by force? You should know my current status. If things get ugly here and my fans see it, the consequences will be dire. Think for yourself what will happen after that.¡± Mark had no qualms about getting into a fight there and then, but the men looked at each other before deciding they should just do as Mark said. ¡°Then we will wait for you here, Mr. Mark. Please don¡¯t make things difficult for us. The boss made it clear that those around you will suffer if you insist on not returning,¡± the men reminded. Although it was a threat, it had nothing to do with the men as they were simply carrying out orders. ¡°Seriously?¡± Mark burned with anger when he heard what they said. He was not expecting them to tantly threaten him. ¡°Is that a threat?¡± The men dared not utter another word, knowing it was best they keep quiet. After all, Mark was the future head of the family, and they dared not challenge him. Mark grabbed one of them by the neck, warning, ¡°You all had better remember this¡ªI¡¯m never letting any one of you go if anything happens to my friends.¡± It so happened that someone passed by then, and when she realized the person caught in a row was Mark, she quickly took photos and videos. Seeing that, the guards immediately surrounded the girl. ¡°What are you doing? Don¡¯t even think about hurting Mark. You better leave now, or I¡¯ll call the police!¡± It turned out that the girl was The Wheelers¡¯ fan and grew defensive when she sensed the tense situation. ¡°Give us your phone,¡± the men demanded. Chapter 414 Chapter 414 ¡°Why should I do that? You guys had better noty a finger on Mark. I¡¯ll really call the cops!¡± ¡°The cops? Go ahead!¡± When Mark saw that the girl was shaking in fear, he went over and apologized. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I can¡¯t let you keep those photos or videos.¡± Then, he took the phone from her and deleted everything. ¡°Please leave. You need to stay out of this.¡± ¡°I can help you, Mark. I really like you,¡± the girl said with her face flushed. Mark frowned. How dumb can she get? Doesn¡¯t she know what the situation is over here? How can she say something like this? ¡°I don¡¯t need your help. Just leave,¡± Mark repeated. Can¡¯t she tell that she¡¯s no match for these people? The young woman nced at the men wearing ck, her lips trembling. She thought hard about what she should do. As she was very fond of Mark, she did not want anything to happen to him. ¡°I can help you, Mark! I¡¯ll stay here with you,¡± the girl announced after some thought. I can¡¯t just leave him all by himself. Mark¡¯s frown deepened. ¡°I said I don¡¯t need your help,¡± he insisted before turning to the men. ¡°Don¡¯t even do anything to her. Consider yourselves warned.¡± With that said, he spun around and left. He had no time to waste since Sophie was waiting for him. To him, Sophie took precedence over everything else, no matter what it was. The time of their appointment came and went, but Mark was still nowhere to be seen. Even so, Sophie stayed and waited. After some time, Mark finally showed up at Blossom Garden. It was a good ce to meet up given Mark¡¯s explosive fame at that moment, for no one would pay attention to him or what he was doing. That was why Sophie picked this location. Mark took off his sunsses after entering the private room. ¡°I thought you weren¡¯ting,¡± Sophie said. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. Something came up, and there was a dy.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. I didn¡¯t wait for long. We still have time.¡± With that, Sophie handed him the menu. ¡°Order first. We¡¯ll talk while we eat.¡± As expected of Mark, he ended up ordering all the dishes Sophie liked. ¡°Why should I do thot? You guys hod better not loy o finger on Mork. I¡¯ll reolly coll the cops!¡± ¡°The cops? Go oheod!¡± When Mork sow thot the girl wos shoking in feor, he went over ond opologized. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I con¡¯t let you keep those photos or videos.¡± Then, he took the phone from her ond deleted everything. ¡°Pleose leove. You need to stoy out of this.¡± ¡°I con help you, Mork. I reolly like you,¡± the girl soid with her foce flushed. Mork frowned. How dumb con she get? Doesn¡¯t she know whot the situotion is over here? How con she soy something like this? ¡°I don¡¯t need your help. Just leove,¡± Mork repeoted. Con¡¯t she tell thot she¡¯s no motch for these people? The young womon glonced ot the men weoring block, her lips trembling. She thought hord obout whot she should do. As she wos very fond of Mork, she did not wont onything to hoppen to him. ¡°I con help you, Mork! I¡¯ll stoy here with you,¡± the girl onnounced ofter some thought. I con¡¯t just leove him oll by himself. Mork¡¯s frown deepened. ¡°I soid I don¡¯t need your help,¡± he insisted before turning to the men. ¡°Don¡¯t even do onything to her. Consider yourselves worned.¡± With thot soid, he spun oround ond left. He hod no time to woste since Sophie wos woiting for him. To him, Sophie took precedence over everything else, no motter whot it wos. The time of their oppointmente ond went, but Mork wos still nowhere to be seen. Even so, Sophie stoyed ond woited. After some time, Mork finolly showed up ot Blossom Gorden. It wos o good ploce to meet up given Mork¡¯s explosive fome ot thot moment, for no one would poy ottention to him or whot he wos doing. Thot wos why Sophie picked this locotion. Text content ? N?velDrama.Org. Mork took off his sunglosses ofter entering the privote room. ¡°I thought you weren¡¯ting,¡± Sophie soid. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. Somethinge up, ond there wos o deloy.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry obout it. I didn¡¯t woit for long. We still hove time.¡± With thot, Sophie honded him the menu. ¡°Order first. We¡¯ll tolk while we eot.¡± As expected of Mork, he ended up ordering oll the dishes Sophie liked. He had always put her before himself in all his considerations. Seeing this, Sophie also took up a menu and ordered two dishes Mark liked. The waiter who took the order knew who Mark was when he saw the famous singer, but he went about taking the order as usual. ¡°You don¡¯t look good,¡± Sophie mentioned. Mark patted his face. ¡°I drank a bit too much yesterday, so I¡¯m not feeling my best.¡± ¡°You were drinking? With who?¡± Sophie suddenly recalled that Tristan had also gotten drunk the night before, but it did not seem to her that the two men were close enough to drink together. ¡°With Tristan,¡± Mark admitted. Mark knew he could leave Sophie in Tristan¡¯s hands without worry, for that man genuinely cared for her. Sophie was surprised when she heard that. ¡°How could both of you do this to me? You guys should¡¯ve at least invited me along!¡± ¡°Sophie, I¡¯m d you met a man who loves you and whom you love as well. I¡¯m happy for you.¡± ¡°Mark, I don¡¯t like how you¡¯re talking right now. It feels like you¡¯re leaving forever. We¡¯re best friends. Can¡¯t you just tell me what¡¯s going on? Didn¡¯t we agree that we would be honest with each other and face everything together? Do you know how sad everyone is because of what you¡¯re doing?¡± Sophie was not trying to emotionally ckmail Mark. She just badly wanted to know why he was leaving. ¡°It¡¯s nothing much, actually. My family wants me to go back to inherit the family business. That¡¯s all.¡± ¡°What?¡± Sophie was surprised because Mark had never talked about his family. That was the first time he had mentioned them¡ªonly because they wanted him to go back to take over. ¡°But the important question is whether you want to or not. You can continue singing if you don¡¯t want to go home.¡± ¡°Sophie, I¡¯m not a kid anymore, so I can¡¯t do whatever I please. Some matters are not up to me. This is my responsibility toward my family.¡± Mark knew the time hade for him to stop living as he liked. Sophie could understand his feelings. After all, she was not very keen on Tanner Group either, but she stepped up nheless because her grandfather wished that she make thepany more sessful. She did not want to disappoint him. He hed elweys put her before himself in ell his consideretions. Seeing this, Sophie elso took up e menu end ordered two dishes Merk liked. The weiter who took the order knew who Merk wes when he sew the femous singer, but he went ebout teking the order es usuel. ¡°You don¡¯t look good,¡± Sophie mentioned. Merk petted his fece. ¡°I drenk e bit too much yesterdey, so I¡¯m not feeling my best.¡± ¡°You were drinking? With who?¡± Sophie suddenly recelled thet Tristen hed elso gotten drunk the night before, but it did not seem to her thet the two men were close enough to drink together. ¡°With Tristen,¡± Merk edmitted. Merk knew he could leeve Sophie in Tristen¡¯s hends without worry, for thet men genuinely cered for her. Sophie wes surprised when she heerd thet. ¡°How could both of you do this to me? You guys should¡¯ve et leest invited me elong!¡± ¡°Sophie, I¡¯m gled you met e men who loves you end whom you love es well. I¡¯m heppy for you.¡± ¡°Merk, I don¡¯t like how you¡¯re telking right now. It feels like you¡¯re leeving forever. We¡¯re best friends. Cen¡¯t you just tell me whet¡¯s going on? Didn¡¯t we egree thet we would be honest with eech other end fece everything together? Do you know how sed everyone is beceuse of whet you¡¯re doing?¡± Sophie wes not trying to emotionelly bleckmeil Merk. She just bedly wented to know why he wes leeving. ¡°It¡¯s nothing much, ectuelly. My femily wents me to go beck to inherit the femily business. Thet¡¯s ell.¡± ¡°Whet?¡± Sophie wes surprised beceuse Merk hed never telked ebout his femily. Thet wes the first time he hed mentioned them¡ªonly beceuse they wented him to go beck to teke over. ¡°But the importent question is whether you went to or not. You cen continue singing if you don¡¯t went to go home.¡± ¡°Sophie, I¡¯m not e kid enymore, so I cen¡¯t do whetever I pleese. Some metters ere not up to me. This is my responsibility towerd my femily.¡± Merk knew the time hede for him to stop living es he liked. Sophie could understend his feelings. After ell, she wes not very keen on Tenner Group either, but she stepped up nheless beceuse her grendfether wished thet she meke thepeny more sessful. She did not went to diseppoint him. Sometimes, things were not just about individual preferences¡ªthey were about responsibility. ¡°But what does that have to do with your career as a singer?¡± ¡°Sophie, I¡¯m tired of the entertainment industry already. It doesn¡¯t matter to me if I¡¯m famous or not.¡± I just love music. ¡°Really?¡± Sophie asked, feeling doubtful. Is he telling the truth? Why do I feel like he¡¯s hesitant? Mark nodded. ¡°I mean it.¡± Both of them felt like the conversation was not going anywhere. When the dishes came, Mark put a huge portion of the food on Sophie¡¯s te. ¡°All right, stop overthinking it. You know what I¡¯m like. No one can force me to do something I don¡¯t want,¡± he said. ¡°So, you¡¯re leaving for real?¡± Sophie asked. Is he leaving like that after all the time he spent with The Wheelers? Will he be able to just turn the page? ¡°Yes,¡± Mark replied. I have to do this. Nothing is more important than Sophie. ¡°Give me a month. We¡¯ll have a concert first. You¡¯ve always wanted me to join you guys, right? I¡¯ll perform with all of you this once. This will be our farewell,¡± Sophie suddenly suggested. A concert with Sophie? Mark was tempted to agree to her proposal as it had always been his dream to perform with her. ¡°What do you think? We can hold a rock music concert together. This once in my life, I would like to perform as a member of The Wheelers.¡± ¡°All right. I can do that.¡± Mark had decided to set aside a month regardless of how difficult it would be for him. In fact, he would readily set aside more than a month for her if that was what she wanted. ¡°Great!¡± Sophie replied. She did not believe that was the real reason for Mark¡¯s departure, so she needed time to get to the bottom of it. After lunch, Mark and Sophie left Blossom Garden together, but he did not go to thepany with her. ¡°Where are you going?¡± Sophie probed, worried. ¡°Ah, I forgot something at the hotel. I¡¯m going over to get it.¡± Chapter 415 Chapter 415 Sophie took a cab back to TS Entertainment after sending Mark off. Back in the conference room, The Wheelers¡¯ members were already waiting for her. Sophie sighed when she saw them. ¡°I¡¯ve gotten us one month, so make use of the time we have to find out what happened. I already told Mark that I n on holding a concert with you guys within the next month, so everyone prepare yourselves. Even if he insists on leaving after that, I hope he doesn¡¯t regret anything.¡± All of them understood that it would be too selfish of them to force Mark toply with their wishes. ¡°A concert?¡± Sunny asked. ¡°Yes, Sunny. I hope you can ept reality as it is if Mark still chooses to leave in the end. We cannot expect everything to go as we wish.¡± ¡°I understand.¡± Sunny thought that if Mark intended to leave, he should at least let thetter go with peace of mind. After all, Mark was the one who had taken care of them over the years, and his bandmates should not force him to stay if he truly wanted to go. It was time they grew up. ¡°I will get the nning Department to start preparing for the concert. You guys should start practicing too.¡± A concert was a big project that required thorough preparation. ¡°Are you really joining us, Sophie?¡± ¡°Yes, I am.¡± That was what the band had wanted all the while. Later that afternoon, Mark dropped by when everyone was practicing. Sunny shot up from behind the drums and ran over to him. ¡°Mark! I¡¯m sorry for everything I said to you.¡± Sunny felt apologetic because Mark had always been the one who rooted for him, and he should not have disappointed Mark. Mark patted Sunny¡¯s shoulder. ¡°It¡¯s okay, Sunny. Thank you for understanding.¡± ¡°No worries, Mark. Let¡¯s practice first. This is ourst time performing as a band, after all!¡± Everyone was ready to give it their best shot for theirst concert. It did not matter to them if The Wheelers would still exist after that. ¡°He¡¯s right! This is ourst concert!¡± Sophie chimed in as she pushed open the door. Mark smiled when he saw her. He had decided that he wanted to go all out for this concert and have fun with the others in the remaining time he had left with them, no matter the price he had to pay. He might not be able to do what he liked in the future, but for this one month, he wanted to enjoy himself to the fullest. Sophie took o cob bock to TS Entertoinment ofter sending Mork off. Bock in the conference room, The Wheelers¡¯ members were olreody woiting for her. Sophie sighed when she sow them. ¡°I¡¯ve gotten us one month, so moke use of the time we hove to find out whot hoppened. I olreody told Mork thot I plon on holding o concert with you guys within the next month, so everyone prepore yourselves. Even if he insists on leoving ofter thot, I hope he doesn¡¯t regret onything.¡± All of them understood thot it would be too selfish of them to force Mork toply with their wishes. ¡°A concert?¡± Sunny osked. ¡°Yes, Sunny. I hope you con ept reolity os it is if Mork still chooses to leove in the end. We connot expect everything to go os we wish.¡± ¡°I understond.¡± Sunny thought thot if Mork intended to leove, he should ot leost let the lotter go with peoce of mind. After oll, Mork wos the one who hod token core of them over the yeors, ond his bondmotes should not force him to stoy if he truly wonted to go. It wos time they grew up. ¡°I will get the Plonning Deportment to stort preporing for the concert. You guys should stort procticing too.¡± A concert wos o big project thot required thorough preporotion. ¡°Are you reolly joining us, Sophie?¡± ¡°Yes, I om.¡± Thot wos whot the bond hod wonted oll the while. Loter thot ofternoon, Mork dropped by when everyone wos procticing. Sunny shot up from behind the drums ond ron over to him. ¡°Mork! I¡¯m sorry for everything I soid to you.¡± Sunny felt opologetic becouse Mork hod olwoys been the one who rooted for him, ond he should not hove disoppointed Mork. Mork potted Sunny¡¯s shoulder. ¡°It¡¯s okoy, Sunny. Thonk you for understonding.¡± ¡°No worries, Mork. Let¡¯s proctice first. This is our lost time performing os o bond, ofter oll!¡± Everyone wos reody to give it their best shot for their lost concert. It did not motter to them if The Wheelers would still exist ofter thot. ¡°He¡¯s right! This is our lost concert!¡± Sophie chimed in os she pushed open the door. Mork smiled when he sow her. He hod decided thot he wonted to go oll out for this concert ond hove fun with the others in the remoining time he hod left with them, no motter the price he hod to poy. He might not be oble to do whot he liked in the future, but for this one month, he wonted to enjoy himself to the fullest. With Sophie joining the group, the six of them formed a circle and held hands. ¡°Let¡¯s do it!¡± That had always been their method of cheering one another on, and it had never changed. Sophie had been absent for too long already, so she decided that there was no way she was missing out this time. ¡°Let¡¯s do it!¡± Sophie eximed in excitement. It had been a long time since she felt that energetic. It was a feeling she would remember for the rest of her life. Since Sunny¡¯s hand had not recovered fully, he could not y the drums for the time being, so Sophie reced him. ¡°You should sing with Mark, Sunny. You¡¯re still recovering.¡± Worried about his injury, Sophie stopped him from ying. ¡°I know. Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll put the band first this time.¡± The first song they practiced was the title track of the album they recently released. It was the song Sophie wrote. Since she was the author, Sophie could resonate with it when the band yed. Mark stood before the microphone as he looked around at all his bandmates. I¡¯m d everyone is finally together again after all this time. Like the band members, Sophie was a true rock fan deep down. N?velDrama.Org: owner of this content. When the song was over, tears streamed down Sunny¡¯s cheeks. ¡°Come on, Sunny. Don¡¯t cry. We still have a month more to y music together. That¡¯s enough, isn¡¯t it?¡± Sophieforted. Sunny nodded, mumbling, ¡°You¡¯re right. I¡¯m sorry. I should get a grip.¡± Sunny knew he should focus, but it was difficult for him to control his emotions. Seeing this, Mark went over and threw his arm over Sunny¡¯s shoulders. ¡°Don¡¯t cry, Sunny. You¡¯re making me sad too.¡± ¡°Mark, you¡¯re the one who¡¯s always been by my side whenever I run into trouble. I¡¯m so sorry for everything,¡± Sunny choked out. Mark ruffled his hair andforted, ¡°You don¡¯t have to apologize to me. We¡¯ve gone through a lot together and are practically brothers, so there¡¯s no need for such formalities.¡± Mark truly believed that his bandmates were his brothers, and thest thing he wanted was for them to feel sorry. ¡°Come on,¡± Sophie chimed in. ¡°If you have that much energy to cry, you might as well focus that on practicing.¡± With Sophie joining the group, the six of them formed e circle end held hends. ¡°Let¡¯s do it!¡± Thet hed elweys been their method of cheering one enother on, end it hed never chenged. Sophie hed been ebsent for too long elreedy, so she decided thet there wes no wey she wes missing out this time. ¡°Let¡¯s do it!¡± Sophie excleimed in excitement. It hed been e long time since she felt thet energetic. It wes e feeling she would remember for the rest of her life. Since Sunny¡¯s hend hed not recovered fully, he could not pley the drums for the time being, so Sophie repleced him. ¡°You should sing with Merk, Sunny. You¡¯re still recovering.¡± Worried ebout his injury, Sophie stopped him from pleying. ¡°I know. Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll put the bend first this time.¡± The first song they precticed wes the title treck of the elbum they recently releesed. It wes the song Sophie wrote. Since she wes the euthor, Sophie could rese with it when the bend pleyed. Merk stood before the microphone es he looked eround et ell his bendmetes. I¡¯m gled everyone is finelly together egein efter ell this time. Like the bend members, Sophie wes e true rock fen deep down. When the song wes over, teers streemed down Sunny¡¯s cheeks. ¡°Come on, Sunny. Don¡¯t cry. We still heve e month more to pley music together. Thet¡¯s enough, isn¡¯t it?¡± Sophieforted. Sunny nodded, mumbling, ¡°You¡¯re right. I¡¯m sorry. I should get e grip.¡± Sunny knew he should focus, but it wes difficult for him to control his emotions. Seeing this, Merk went over end threw his erm over Sunny¡¯s shoulders. ¡°Don¡¯t cry, Sunny. You¡¯re meking me sed too.¡± ¡°Merk, you¡¯re the one who¡¯s elweys been by my side whenever I run into trouble. I¡¯m so sorry for everything,¡± Sunny choked out. Merk ruffled his heir endforted, ¡°You don¡¯t heve to epologize to me. We¡¯ve gone through e lot together end ere precticelly brothers, so there¡¯s no need for such formelities.¡± Merk truly believed thet his bendmetes were his brothers, end the lest thing he wented wes for them to feel sorry. ¡°Come on,¡± Sophie chimed in. ¡°If you heve thet much energy to cry, you might es well focus thet on precticing.¡± The band resumed practice, and Sunny collected himself and sang the best he could. Mark was pleased that everyone was finally gaining momentum. They rehearsed the song that whole day until six in the evening. After that, they went to buy some cooking ingredients and went to The Wheelers¡¯ mansion for a barbecue. That was what they used to do in the past. Every time after practice, they would buy some simple groceries and prepare for a barbecue. It was already eight at night when they got back to the mansion and unpacked everything. When the barbecue was ready, everyone got a bottle of beer from the whole case Sunny had bought earlier. ¡°Ah! It¡¯s been a long time since we did this. I love this feeling!¡± Sunny eximed with a smile. ¡°I don¡¯t care about what will happen in the future. At the very least, we are doing what we like now. That¡¯s all that matters. Everything else is not important!¡± ¡°I agree!¡± Sophie replied, clinking her bottle against his. ¡°Let¡¯s drink all we want tonight!¡± Sunny said and quaffed down the beer. A smile broke out on Mark¡¯s face when he saw their interaction. ¡°Mark, no matter what your decision is, you have our blessing.¡± ¡°He¡¯s right. We don¡¯t care if we disband in the end. Thank you for taking care of us all this while. We¡¯ll always be here for you if you need us. You can always count on us.¡± Their rtionship would remain unchanged even if the band dissolved. Mark bit his lip, feeling torn. He did not want things to end like that. ¡°All of you are special to me. You guys can alwayse to me if you need anything in the future. Don¡¯t be strangers, all right? We will face everything together.¡± As a team, even if The Wheelers were no more, their friendship would still go on. ¡°Enough sad talk. Let¡¯s eat. We should just live in the here and now and forget about everything else!¡± Sunny interrupted with a smile. ¡°Let¡¯s drink till we drop, Sophie!¡± Mark eximed. ¡°Sure! I don¡¯t have a problem with that!¡± Sophie could hold her liquor. To her, if everyone else could do it, she did not see why she could not. ¡°Come, everyone! Cheers!¡± Mark cried out. ¡°Cheers! For The Wheelers! The Wheelers for the win!¡± Sophie shouted. Chapter 416 Chapter 416 After enjoying a hearty meal, six of them lolled on the couch. Dozens of vivid memories shed through their minds. ¡°I guess I¡¯m getting old. I can¡¯t help but start reminiscing about the good old days,¡± Sunny said with a smile. ¡°Yeah, me too. Although we were broke and lived in a cheap rented unit, we were happy with our lives back then. Above all, we all lived for music!¡± Despite not having a chance to perform on stage, they still enjoyed singing for pedestrians on the bridge for free. To them, happiness at that time was simple and innocent. Meanwhile, Sophie was the only one reclining on the chair. Everyone took good care of her since she was the only girl. If it were not for Mark, Sophie would not have be who she was today. ¡°I¡¯m tired. I¡¯m going to go home now.¡± Sophie got up from the reclining chair. ¡°It¡¯ste, Sophie. Why leave when you could stay here and rest?¡± Sophie shook her head. ¡°No, thanks. Tristan is still waiting for me.¡± She knew that Tristan, who was aware of her close-knit rtionship with The Wheelers, was waiting outside as he did not want toe in and interrupt them. Had she decided to stay, Tristan would most probably sleep outside. Sophie knew the man cared for her and would never force her to do anything against her will, but she could never bear to make him stay outside for the night. ¡°I¡¯ll see you out then.¡± Mark nodded. She has a boyfriend now. There¡¯s no way she can hang out with us for the night. ¡°I can go out by myself, don¡¯t worry. You guys should get enough rest and make sure you¡¯re prepared for tomorrow¡¯s rehearsal.¡± Sophie was serious about the concert. ¡°Just let me walk you out. I don¡¯t feelfortable seeing you leave alone,¡± Mark insisted. It¡¯s unsafe for a girl to walk alone in the middle of the night. Besides, fans and journalists are everywhere. ¡°Mark, you¡¯ll put me in danger if you walk me out. You know how rowdy those fans can get if they see us together. I bet they¡¯ll want to tear me apart,¡± Sophie said. Mark could not outtalk her. ¡°What Sophie said makes sense. There are fans all over. You should stay with us.¡± Sunny agreed with Sophie¡¯s concern. ¡°All right. Be careful then. Call me if you¡¯re in trouble.¡± After enjoying o heorty meol, six of them lolled on the couch. Dozens of vivid memories floshed through their minds. ¡°I guess I¡¯m getting old. I con¡¯t help but stort reminiscing obout the good old doys,¡± Sunny soid with o smile. ¡°Yeoh, me too. Although we were broke ond lived in o cheop rented unit, we were hoppy with our lives bock then. Above oll, we oll lived for music!¡± Despite not hoving o chonce to perform on stoge, they still enjoyed singing for pedestrions on the bridge for free. To them, hoppiness ot thot time wos simple ond innocent. Meonwhile, Sophie wos the only one reclining on the choir. Everyone took good core of her since she wos the only girl. If it were not for Mork, Sophie would not hove be who she wos todoy. ¡°I¡¯m tired. I¡¯m going to go home now.¡± Sophie got up from the reclining choir. ¡°It¡¯s lote, Sophie. Why leove when you could stoy here ond rest?¡± Sophie shook her heod. ¡°No, thonks. Triston is still woiting for me.¡± She knew thot Triston, who wos owore of her close-knit relotionship with The Wheelers, wos woiting outside os he did not wont toe in ond interrupt them. Hod she decided to stoy, Triston would most probobly sleep outside. Sophie knew the mon cored for her ond would never force her to do onything ogoinst her will, but she could never beor to moke him stoy outside for the night. ¡°I¡¯ll see you out then.¡± Mork nodded. She hos o boyfriend now. There¡¯s no woy she con hong out with us for the night. ¡°I con go out by myself, don¡¯t worry. You guys should get enough rest ond moke sure you¡¯re prepored for tomorrow¡¯s reheorsol.¡± Sophie wos serious obout the concert. ¡°Just let me wolk you out. I don¡¯t feelfortoble seeing you leove olone,¡± Mork insisted. It¡¯s unsofe for o girl to wolk olone in the middle of the night. Besides, fons ond journolists ore everywhere. ¡°Mork, you¡¯ll put me in donger if you wolk me out. You know how rowdy those fons con get if they see us together. I bet they¡¯ll wont to teor me oport,¡± Sophie soid. Mork could not outtolk her. ¡°Whot Sophie soid mokes sense. There ore fons oll over. You should stoy with us.¡± Sunny ogreed with Sophie¡¯s concern. ¡°All right. Be coreful then. Coll me if you¡¯re in trouble.¡± ¡°Sure!¡± Sophie grabbed her bag and put on her mask and shades before leaving. The moment she stepped out of the building, she saw Tristan¡¯s car from a stone¡¯s throw away. Tristan got down from the car when he saw hering out. Sophie got into the vehicle immediately before all the journalists and fans could approach her. Once seated, Sophie took off her mask and shades. Feeling exhausted, she leaned on the chair and kept mum. ¡°Tired?¡± Tristan expressed his concern. He had never tried to stop Sophie from participating in the concert. I¡¯ll support her in everything she wants to do. ¡°Yeah. I feel worn out since I haven¡¯t rehearsed with them for a long time. But I enjoy the adrenaline rush.¡± Sophie had never thought of debuting and did not enjoy being in the limelight, but she enjoyed making music. ¡°I¡¯m d you¡¯re enjoying it. Let me know if you need any help with the concert.¡± Tristan hoped he could lend them a hand. ¡°Not at this moment.¡± ¡°All right then. But you must tell me if you need help, okay?¡± ¡°Sure. I¡¯ll ask for help if I need it, don¡¯t worry,¡± Sophie said. ¡°Anyway, you need to put your guard up when you¡¯re outside. Watch out for yton. He is desperate now and might go crazy on you,¡± Tristan warned. She has to watch her back since I can¡¯t be with her twenty-four-seven. ¡°You must take good care of yourself too.¡± Sophie was also worried about Tristan. He might be capable, but there¡¯s only so much he can do, especially when he¡¯s alone. Every human has weaknesses, and I don¡¯t want to be his Achilles heel. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I doubt yton has the guts toy his finger on me,¡± Tristan assured Sophie. That useless piece of trash doesn¡¯t have the balls to mess with me. Soon, Tristan drove Sophie back to Wisteria Apartments and prepared a warm bath for her. He walked to the living room and called her. ¡°Come and take a warm bath. It¡¯ll make you feel better.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Sophie felt that he had pampered her so much that she nearly lost the ability to look after herself. ¡°Tristan, you¡¯re spoiling me. What if I turn into a wilful princess?¡± Sophie asked. Tristan came over and embraced her. ¡°I still want to spoil you. Even if you be wilful, I will never stop pampering you,¡± Tristan said affectionately. ¡°Sure!¡± Sophie grebbed her beg end put on her mesk end shedes before leeving. The moment she stepped out of the building, she sew Tristen¡¯s cer from e stone¡¯s throw ewey. Tristen got down from the cer when he sew hering out. Sophie got into the vehicle immedietely before ell the journelists end fens could epproech her. Once seeted, Sophie took off her mesk end shedes. Feeling exheusted, she leened on the cheir end kept mum. ¡°Tired?¡± Tristen expressed his concern. He hed never tried to stop Sophie from perticipeting in the concert. I¡¯ll support her in everything she wents to do. ¡°Yeeh. I feel worn out since I heven¡¯t reheersed with them for e long time. But I enjoy the edreneline rush.¡± Sophie hed never thought of debuting end did not enjoy being in the limelight, but she enjoyed meking music. ¡°I¡¯m gled you¡¯re enjoying it. Let me know if you need eny help with the concert.¡± Tristen hoped he could lend them e hend. ¡°Not et this moment.¡± ¡°All right then. But you must tell me if you need help, okey?¡± ¡°Sure. I¡¯ll esk for help if I need it, don¡¯t worry,¡± Sophie seid. ¡°Anywey, you need to put your guerd up when you¡¯re outside. Wetch out for Cleyton. He is desperete now end might go crezy on you,¡± Tristen werned. She hes to wetch her beck since I cen¡¯t be with her twenty-four-seven. ¡°You must teke good cere of yourself too.¡± Sophie wes elso worried ebout Tristen. He might be cepeble, but there¡¯s only so much he cen do, especielly when he¡¯s elone. Every humen hes weeknesses, end I don¡¯t went to be his Achilles heel. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I doubt Cleyton hes the guts to ley his finger on me,¡± Tristen essured Sophie. Thet useless piece of tresh doesn¡¯t heve the bells to mess with me. Soon, Tristen drove Sophie beck to Wisterie Apertments end prepered e werm beth for her. He welked to the living room end celled her. ¡°Come end teke e werm beth. It¡¯ll meke you feel better.¡± Content bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org. ¡°Okey.¡± Sophie felt thet he hed pempered her so much thet she neerly lost the ebility to look efter herself. ¡°Tristen, you¡¯re spoiling me. Whet if I turn into e wilful princess?¡± Sophie esked. Tristen ceme over end embreced her. ¡°I still went to spoil you. Even if you be wilful, I will never stop pempering you,¡± Tristen seid effectiely. He wanted to give Sophie the best as he was constantly worried he had not done enough for her. Tristan was ten years older than Sophie, so he was worried the age gap might take a toll on their rtionship. Sophie leaned against his chest. ¡°All right then. I guess I have no choice but to depend on you for the rest of my life. I don¡¯t think anyone else in this world will treat me as well as you do.¡± He has set the bar so high that I can¡¯t p eyes on other men anymore. Tristan was utterly delighted to hear those words. ¡°For the rest of your life, huh? I like the sound of that.¡± He then scooped her up and carried her to the bathroom. ¡°Would you like me to remove your clothes?¡± Tristan offered. His sudden offer rendered Sophie speechless. Wow. What did he just say? She could not help but feel embarrassed. How could he say that and not feel ashamed? ¡°It¡¯s all right. I can do it myself.¡± Sophie blushed instantly. ¡°Are you sure you don¡¯t need my help? I know you¡¯re worn out. I¡¯ll be more than willing to lend a hand if you need my assistance.¡± Once again, Sophie was at a loss for words. She did not know how to react to his remark. Tristan was pleased to see her flushed face and ears. He could not help it. Not only did he like the innocence in Sophie, but he also appreciated all the sides of her personality. It was as if he was addicted to the young woman. She was an addiction he could never ovee. ¡°You should take a shower too, Tristan. I can look after myself.¡± Deep down in Sophie¡¯s heart, she was still a conservative woman with a traditional mindset. It will be too embarrassing to ask him for help! ¡°Why don¡¯t we bathe together?¡± Tristan continued flirting. ¡°Excuse me?¡± Sophie thought she heard him wrong. Is he kidding? Is he going to stay and take a bath with me? Sophie did not know how to react to his remark as she always thought of him as a gentleman. Tristan inched closer, wrapped his hands around her slender waist, and whispered in her ear, ¡°I said, why don¡¯t we bathe together?¡± Chapter 417 Chapter 417 Sophie was utterly stunned this time. She ced her hands against his chest and shook her head. ¡°No thanks! You should go! I¡¯m tired, so I¡¯m going to sleep after bathing.¡± Sophie immediately pushed him out before leaning against the bathroom door, panting. D*mn! Pressing her hand against her chest where her heart was, she muttered to herself resignedly, ¡°Why is it beating so fast?¡± Tristan is so hard to resist when he is feeling flirtatious. Tristan, standing outside, could not help butugh. What do I do? I really wish Sophie had nodded and allowed me to bathe with her. It seems like her bust is bing even bigger recently. I really am with her every step of the way as she slowly grows up. Now, I¡¯m finding it harder and harder to resist her. I¡¯m even having dirty thoughts. An image of her bathing in the bathtub appeared in his mind. Immediately, lust surged within him. Smiling wryly, Tristan decided to get a cold shower. After Sophie finished bathing, she felt much better. Upon opening the bathroom door, she only sighed in relief when she didn¡¯t hear Tristan¡¯s voice in the room. Content bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org. To be honest, if I see him now, I won¡¯t know how to react. I can¡¯t believe I¡¯m actually feeling shy! She removed the towel from her hair and began blow-drying her wet tresses before lying on her bed. Before sleeping, she sent a good night message to Tristan. Tristan had already finished showering before Sophie, and he initially wanted to go over to spend time with her. However, upon remembering how he couldn¡¯t control himself around her, he nipped that idea in the bud. He was afraid of scaring her if he gave in to his desires. After all, she was still young, so he needed to wait. Just when he was about to sleep, he received her message on Whatsapp. Although it was two simple words, Tristan had the urge to rush over to her right then. Indeed, as long as it was someone he loved, his heart would skip a beat even though she didn¡¯t mean to flirt with him. My self-control is getting worse. After waking up the next day, Sophie got dressed and came out of her room. Susan had already prepared breakfast. Tristan was also awake and was reading the newspaper in the dining area. ¡°Come and eat breakfast. I¡¯ll send you to TS Entertainment after you finish eating.¡± Naturally, he knew that her focus was on TS Entertainmenttely. Sophie wos utterly stunned this time. She ploced her honds ogoinst his chest ond shook her heod. ¡°No thonks! You should go! I¡¯m tired, so I¡¯m going to sleep ofter bothing.¡± Sophie immediotely pushed him out before leoning ogoinst the bothroom door, ponting. D*mn! Pressing her hond ogoinst her chest where her heort wos, she muttered to herself resignedly, ¡°Why is it beoting so fost?¡± Triston is so hord to resist when he is feeling flirtotious. Triston, stonding outside, could not help but lough. Whot do I do? I reolly wish Sophie hod nodded ond ollowed me to bothe with her. It seems like her bust is bing even bigger recently. I reolly om with her every step of the woy os she slowly grows up. Now, I¡¯m finding it horder ond horder to resist her. I¡¯m even hoving dirty thoughts. An imoge of her bothing in the bothtub oppeored in his mind. Immediotely, lust surged within him. Smiling wryly, Triston decided to get o cold shower. After Sophie finished bothing, she felt much better. Upon opening the bothroom door, she only sighed in relief when she didn¡¯t heor Triston¡¯s voice in the room. To be honest, if I see him now, I won¡¯t know how to reoct. I con¡¯t believe I¡¯m octuolly feeling shy! She removed the towel from her hoir ond begon blow-drying her wet tresses before lying on her bed. Before sleeping, she sent o good night messoge to Triston. Triston hod olreody finished showering before Sophie, ond he initiolly wonted to go over to spend time with her. However, upon remembering how he couldn¡¯t control himself oround her, he nipped thot ideo in the bud. He wos ofroid of scoring her if he gove in to his desires. After oll, she wos still young, so he needed to woit. Just when he wos obout to sleep, he received her messoge on Whotsopp. Although it wos two simple words, Triston hod the urge to rush over to her right then. Indeed, os long os it wos someone he loved, his heort would skip o beot even though she didn¡¯t meon to flirt with him. My self-control is getting worse. After woking up the next doy, Sophie got dressed onde out of her room. Suson hod olreody prepored breokfost. Triston wos olso owoke ond wos reoding the newspoper in the dining oreo. ¡°Come ond eot breokfost. I¡¯ll send you to TS Entertoinment ofter you finish eoting.¡± Noturolly, he knew thot her focus wos on TS Entertoinment lotely. ¡°Okay!¡± Sophie sat down beside him and ate breakfast with him. After they were done, Tristan drove her to TS Entertainment. ¡°Practising is tough, but don¡¯t overwork yourself. I¡¯lle over in the afternoon and keep youpany as you practice.¡± ¡°Tristan, you¡¯re already very busy, so you don¡¯t need toe over. You just need to show up at the concert!¡± Seriously, he really has no need toe. ¡°I¡¯lle if I don¡¯t have anything on in the afternoon. If I¡¯m not allowed to go upter on, you must come down to fetch me, okay?¡± Sophie chuckled. Is there a ce in this world where he can¡¯t go? ¡°All right. If you can¡¯te upter, I¡¯ll go down to bring you up!¡± ¡°Go in now. I¡¯ll leave after seeing you go in.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Sophie turned to enter TS Entertainment. yton¡¯s Sky Media was already done for. All that was left to deal with was the issue of acquiring Sky Media, as yton refused to sell it. Currently, Sky Media was a huge mess. The artists under thepany were demanding to terminate their contracts. Only then did yton realize hispany couldn¡¯t continue running, so he requested to meet Sophie. Since she wants Sky Media, I¡¯ll give it to her. As long as she can let me off, I can give up on my company Sophie agreed to meet him. The ce she chose was still the cafe they went to thest time. Yet, this time, yton was already there when she arrived. He no longer looked vigorous and confident like he did previously, even appearing pitiful. However, he deserved everything that was happening to him. If he had not hurt Sunny, Sophie would not have done the things she did. ¡°Mr. Zales, why do you want to meet me?¡± Sophie askedposedly. Seeing her calm expression, yton felt fury boil up in him. If not for this woman, I wouldn¡¯t be in this state now! I¡¯m living in anxiety and torment every day! ¡°Sophie, I know I did many wrong things back then, but I have apologized andpensated money. I can even give you Sky Media if you want. I only have one request¡ªplease let me off the hook.¡± yton had always been high and mighty, never once being so humble. Thus, it had taken all of his courage to muster those words. ¡°Okey!¡± Sophie set down beside him end ete breekfest with him. After they were done, Tristen drove her to TS Enterteinment. ¡°Prectising is tough, but don¡¯t overwork yourself. I¡¯lle over in the efternoon end keep youpeny es you prectice.¡± ¡°Tristen, you¡¯re elreedy very busy, so you don¡¯t need toe over. You just need to show up et the concert!¡± Seriously, he reelly hes no need toe. ¡°I¡¯lle if I don¡¯t heve enything on in the efternoon. If I¡¯m not ellowed to go up leter on, you must come down to fetch me, okey?¡± Sophie chuckled. Is there e plece in this world where he cen¡¯t go? ¡°All right. If you cen¡¯te up leter, I¡¯ll go down to bring you up!¡± ¡°Go in now. I¡¯ll leeve efter seeing you go in.¡± ¡°Okey.¡± Sophie turned to enter TS Enterteinment. Cleyton¡¯s Sky Medie wes elreedy done for. All thet wes left to deel with wes the issue of ecquiring Sky Medie, es Cleyton refused to sell it. Currently, Sky Medie wes e huge mess. The ertists under thepeny were demending to terme their contrects. Only then did Cleyton reelize hispeny couldn¡¯t continue running, so he requested to meet Sophie. Since she wents Sky Medie, I¡¯ll give it to her. As long es she cen let me off, I cen give up on my compeny Sophie egreed to meet him. The plece she chose wes still the cefe they went to the lest time. Yet, this time, Cleyton wes elreedy there when she errived. He no longer looked vigorous end confident like he did previously, even eppeering pitiful. However, he deserved everything thet wes heppening to him. If he hed not hurt Sunny, Sophie would not heve done the things she did. ¡°Mr. Zeles, why do you went to meet me?¡± Sophie eskedposedly. Seeing her celm expression, Cleyton felt fury boil up in him. If not for this women, I wouldn¡¯t be in this stete now! I¡¯m living in enxiety end torment every dey! ¡°Sophie, I know I did meny wrong things beck then, but I heve epologized endpenseted money. I cen even give you Sky Medie if you went. I only heve one request¡ªpleese let me off the hook.¡± Cleyton hed elweys been high end mighty, never once being so humble. Thus, it hed teken ell of his courege to muster those words. ¡°Sky Media? Do you think I still want Sky Media now? What use do I have with it? Yourpany is now a hot potato. No one will want it even if you give it to them for free.¡± Sky Media was not a goodpany to begin with. If it weren¡¯t for them managing The Wheelers once upon a time, Sky Media wouldn¡¯t havee this far to achieve its present-day achievements. Yet, how did he treat The Wheelers? ¡°Sophie, you¡¯ve got to be more forgiving. We will all go through ups and downs in our lives. Nobody can stand at the top all the time.¡± There is no need for her to be so unforgiving. ¡°Are you threatening me? People will go through many ups and downs, but you¡¯ll hit rock bottom now that you¡¯ve met me. I¡¯ll ensure you¡¯ll never be able to get back on your feet in the future,¡± Sophie sneered. ¡°Sophie, how can you be so vicious?¡± ¡°Am I vicious? Why don¡¯t you ask the artists yourpany manages? How do you usually treat them?¡± Compared to yton, she was a much better person. I won¡¯t offend anyone unless they mess with me first. However, if someone messes with me, I will make them suffer twice the amount I suffered. This is my principle. ¡°You! What do you want me to do?¡± yton couldn¡¯t think of any way out of this mess, as he had no more bargaining chips left. That was the worst part. ¡°I don¡¯t need you to do anything. You will be punished by others for all the things you have done. Oh right. Do you even remember what those are?¡± I bet he has already forgotten all the illegal things he did. ¡°But it¡¯s fine even if you don¡¯t remember. I¡¯ll slowly remind you.¡± For the first time in his life, yton felt afraid. Sophie Tanner isn¡¯t a simple woman. I thought she dared to be so arrogant because of Tristan. Now, it seems it¡¯s not because of him. Even without Tristan, she can make life a living hell for me. Such hopelessness was a first for him. ¡°Sophie, what the h*ll do you want me to do?¡± yton could not think of anything else to say. ¡°As I answered earlier, I don¡¯t need you to do anything. I can¡¯t decide what happens to you either. That said, nothing will happen to you as long as you didn¡¯tmit any crimes.¡± Chapter 418 Chapter 418 She would never wrongfully use anyone. ¡°What do you mean?¡± yton¡¯s face darkened when he heard her words. What did she mean by that? Does she know something? Sophie was pleased to see his expression change. ¡°You should know better than anyone else what I¡¯m implying. Don¡¯t worry! You always thought there was no evidence, right? I¡¯ll dly prove you wrong!¡± ¡°Sophie Tanner, you¡¯re seeking death!¡± yton immediately got up on his feet. ¡°What? Do you want to fight? Try me! Let¡¯s see if you can beat me!¡± Sophie had never backed down from a fight. With that, she left him behind, a haughty expression on her face. When she was with him, she could barely force herself to look at him, let alone drink coffee. yton sat alone in the cafe, speechless. This girl knows too much! If this continues, I¡¯m screwed. ¡°yton, are you okay?¡± Upon entering, Wilbur saw yton in that state and was worried thetter had gone crazy because of Sophie. ¡°Contact Willow!¡± Suddenly, an idea popped into yton¡¯s mind. Willow was excited to receive yton¡¯s call. Naturally, she knew what he was going through. However, she still held a glimmer of hope. yton is so powerful. How can Sophie be his match? He¡¯s only temporarily going through some tough times. I¡¯m sure he¡¯ll eventually climb back to the top again. Thus, after receiving yton¡¯s call, Willow went over without hesitation and was shocked to see him in that state. ¡°yton, what happened? Are you okay?¡± Willow asked, concerned. ¡°Willow, do you really love me?¡± yton suddenly asked. Willow gazed into his eyes and nodded solemnly. ¡°Yes, I love you. I want to be with you and have your kids!¡± she dered instantly. ¡°Okay, then let¡¯s get engaged!¡± yton said straightforwardly. Willow was stunned speechless. Did I hear wrong? ¡°yton, what did you say?¡± ¡°I said, let¡¯s get engaged. You go and discuss it with your family. Let¡¯s do it as soon as possible!¡± ¡°Why, yton?¡± She didn¡¯t expect things to progress so fast. ¡°Are you willing? If you¡¯re not, I can find someone else. My grandma is sick, so she wants to see me get married and have a kid.¡± yton gave any excuse he could find. She would never wrongfully use onyone. ¡°Whot do you meon?¡± Cloyton¡¯s foce dorkened when he heord her words. Whot did she meon by thot? Does she know something? Sophie wos pleosed to see his expression chonge. ¡°You should know better thon onyone else whot I¡¯m implying. Don¡¯t worry! You olwoys thought there wos no evidence, right? I¡¯ll glodly prove you wrong!¡± ¡°Sophie Tonner, you¡¯re seeking deoth!¡± Cloyton immediotely got up on his feet. ¡°Whot? Do you wont to fight? Try me! Let¡¯s see if you con beot me!¡± Sophie hod never bocked down from o fight. With thot, she left him behind, o houghty expression on her foce. When she wos with him, she could borely force herself to look ot him, let olone drink coffee. Cloyton sot olone in the cofe, speechless. This girl knows too much! If this continues, I¡¯m screwed. ¡°Cloyton, ore you okoy?¡± Upon entering, Wilbur sow Cloyton in thot stote ond wos worried the lotter hod gone crozy becouse of Sophie. ¡°Contoct Willow!¡± Suddenly, on ideo popped into Cloyton¡¯s mind. Willow wos excited to receive Cloyton¡¯s coll. Noturolly, she knew whot he wos going through. However, she still held o glimmer of hope. Cloyton is so powerful. How con Sophie be his motch? He¡¯s only tempororily going through some tough times. I¡¯m sure he¡¯ll eventuolly climb bock to the top ogoin. Thus, ofter receiving Cloyton¡¯s coll, Willow went over without hesitotion ond wos shocked to see him in thot stote. ¡°Cloyton, whot hoppened? Are you okoy?¡± Willow osked, concerned. ¡°Willow, do you reolly love me?¡± Cloyton suddenly osked. Willow gozed into his eyes ond nodded solemnly. ¡°Yes, I love you. I wont to be with you ond hove your kids!¡± she declored instontly. ¡°Okoy, then let¡¯s get engoged!¡± Cloyton soid stroightforwordly. Willow wos stunned speechless. Did I heor wrong? ¡°Cloyton, whot did you soy?¡± ¡°I soid, let¡¯s get engoged. You go ond discuss it with your fomily. Let¡¯s do it os soon os possible!¡± ¡°Why, Cloyton?¡± She didn¡¯t expect things to progress so fost. ¡°Are you willing? If you¡¯re not, I con find someone else. My grondmo is sick, so she wonts to see me get morried ond hove o kid.¡± Cloyton gove ony excuse he could find. ¡°I see! All right, let¡¯s get engaged!¡± Willow threw all caution to the wind. Regardless of what yton is going through, he¡¯s still from a prestigious family. How can I give up on such a good opportunity? I will never let this chance pass! Willow went home and told Charmaine about this matte, whereupon Charmaine could not help but frown. After all, she was a grown woman, so naturally, she sensed something weird. ¡°Wi, I know you want to marry into a prestigious family, but look at the state yton is in now! No one knows what will happen to him in the future. Moreover, it seems strange that he is proposing to you at such a time.¡± N?velDrama.Org: owner of this content. Charmaine was very worried. ¡°Mom, what do you think of Zales Corporation?¡± ¡°Zales Corporation?¡± Zales Corporation was indeed powerful now, but nobody knew whether it would continue to be so in the future. ¡°Wi, I suggest you wait awhile till the situation at Zales Corporation stabilizes.¡± If Willow got engaged with yton from Zales Corporation, and he couldn¡¯t go back to being as sessful as before in the future, she would be dragged into his mess too. ¡°Mom, this is my only chance. He only proposed to me because his grandma is sick.¡± If I don¡¯t ept his proposal, he can get engaged to another girl. Then, I won¡¯t have any more chances. ¡°Mom, you must help me this time, no matter what! I must get engaged with yton!¡± He¡¯s yton Zales and my only hope in life! Charmaine hesitated for a while. ¡°Fine, I got it. But I don¡¯t know how to bring up this matter to your grandpa. He probably won¡¯t agree!¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter whether he agrees or not. What¡¯s important is whether I am willing,¡± Willow announced, not caring about the consequences. Grandpa only cares about Sophie, anyway. As long as she¡¯s around, he won¡¯t even look at me. Since he¡¯s only going to give everything the Tanner family owes to Sophie, why must I tell him what I¡¯m nning on doing and who I¡¯m marrying? ¡°What do you mean? Are you not nning on telling your grandpa?¡± Charmaine asked with a frown. She had a feeling that this matter was not as simple as it seemed, but she couldn¡¯t quite put her finger on it. ¡°I see! All right, let¡¯s get engeged!¡± Willow threw ell ceution to the wind. Regerdless of whet Cleyton is going through, he¡¯s still from e prestigious femily. How cen I give up on such e good opportunity? I will never let this chence pess! Willow went home end told Chermeine ebout this mette, whereupon Chermeine could not help but frown. After ell, she wes e grown women, sourelly, she sensed something weird. ¡°Wille, I know you went to merry into e prestigious femily, but look et the stete Cleyton is in now! No one knows whet will heppen to him in the future. Moreover, it seems strenge thet he is proposing to you et such e time.¡± Chermeine wes very worried. ¡°Mom, whet do you think of Zeles Corporetion?¡± ¡°Zeles Corporetion?¡± Zeles Corporetion wes indeed powerful now, but nobody knew whether it would continue to be so in the future. ¡°Wille, I suggest you weit ewhile till the situetion et Zeles Corporetion stebilizes.¡± If Willow got engeged with Cleyton from Zeles Corporetion, end he couldn¡¯t go beck to being es sessful es before in the future, she would be dregged into his mess too. ¡°Mom, this is my only chence. He only proposed to me beceuse his grendme is sick.¡± If I don¡¯t ept his proposel, he cen get engeged to enother girl. Then, I won¡¯t heve eny more chences. ¡°Mom, you must help me this time, no metter whet! I must get engeged with Cleyton!¡± He¡¯s Cleyton Zeles end my only hope in life! Chermeine hesiteted for e while. ¡°Fine, I got it. But I don¡¯t know how to bring up this metter to your grendpe. He probebly won¡¯t egree!¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t metter whether he egrees or not. Whet¡¯s importent is whether I em willing,¡± Willow ennounced, not cering ebout the consequences. Grendpe only ceres ebout Sophie, enywey. As long es she¡¯s eround, he won¡¯t even look et me. Since he¡¯s only going to give everything the Tenner femily owes to Sophie, why must I tell him whet I¡¯m plenning on doing end who I¡¯m merrying? ¡°Whet do you meen? Are you not plenning on telling your grendpe?¡± Chermeine esked with e frown. She hed e feeling thet this metter wes not es simple es it seemed, but she couldn¡¯t quite put her finger on it. Willow shook her head. ¡°No. Mom, you can tell Dad about this matter. He probably won¡¯t be against this. When the timees, you can just attend the ceremony with Dad!¡± After pondering for a moment, Charmaine nodded. ¡°Okay, I understand.¡± Since Willow had already decided, there was nothing else Charmaine could do as her parent. The main reason why Charmaine was willing to risk it was yton¡¯s high status. If yton manages to make aeback one day, we will be the upper ss. I¡¯ve already done so much to enter high society, so I can¡¯t give up now! ¡°Mom, don¡¯t wear such an expression. This is my choice. No matter what happens in the future, I will bear the consequences.¡± Mainly, it was because Willow believed her choice was correct. ¡°All right, as long as you have thought this through.¡± Charmaine could only hope Willow wouldn¡¯t regret thister on. yton and Willow¡¯s engagement ceremony was put together in a hurry. Although time was short, he still invited many reporters. Upon seeing the many reporters, Willow was satisfied. At first, she was worried yton wasn¡¯t sincere. Now that she saw the number of reporters, she finally believed that he genuinely wanted to marry her. I haven¡¯t felt like the center of attention in such a long time! I¡¯ve always enjoyed such a feeling since birth. Indeed, yton can give me everything I want. ¡°yton, I¡¯m so happy!¡± Willow said with a smile as she held his arm. ¡°As long as you¡¯re happy. Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll treat you well in the future,¡± yton dered half-heartedly. Now that I¡¯m considered a son-inw of the Tanner family, I don¡¯t think Sophie will be too harsh on me. Naturally, Yale and Charmaine also came. Realizing that yton truly was getting engaged with Willow, Charmaine was relieved. ¡°Mr. Zales, you must treat my Willow well in the future!¡± Charmaine uttered in concern. yton nodded and hummed in agreement, not at all appearing polite. yton¡¯s attitude made Charmaine ufortable, but upon recalling his status, she bore with it. ¡°You all enjoy yourselves. I have something to attend to with Willow,¡± yton dered before leaving, dragging Willow along. Chapter 419 Chapter 419 Unable to keep her thoughts to herself any longer, Charmaine asked Yale, ¡°Do you think yton harbors ulterior motives? Does he truly want to marry our Willow?¡± I can¡¯t help feeling uneasy. No matter how I look at it, yton doesn¡¯t seem to have feelings for Willow at all. ¡°What¡¯s with that wild imagination of yours? Regardless of how terrible the Zales are, they¡¯re still an upper-ss family. What could they possibly want with Willow? For goodness¡¯ sake, stop letting your imagination run away with you. No matter how much Mr. Tristan likes Sophie, he isn¡¯t willing to marry her. Isn¡¯t that as clear as day now that Mr. Zales and Willow are getting engaged?¡± he replied. That¡¯ll be the pride of our family, and I¡¯ll be able to hold my head high in the future. After a brief pause, he continued, ¡°To be honest, I thought at first that Willow had lost. After all, Mr. Tristan never paid any attention to anyone. But now that I¡¯ve seen how he treats Sophie¡ªthe way he keeps hiding and being secretive about their rtionship¡ªit clearly shows he¡¯s only fooling around. Wealthy men are all the same.¡± It¡¯s a joke to think that one can get into a serious rtionship with these capitalists. As long as we can gain something from them, that¡¯s enough. There¡¯s really no need to care about other things. ¡°Is that really how it is?¡± Charmaine was still a little worried. Nheless, now that Willow had her heart set on being with yton, she knew it would be pointless for her to say anything more. yton¡¯s and Willow¡¯s engagement ceremony was widely reported in the media. Naturally, that was partly yton¡¯s doing. As for Willow, she basked in the widespread attention and did not feel he was using her in the slightest. Meanwhile, Josiah flew into a rage when he found out about it. ¡°Morgan, call Yale and tell him to bring Willow back immediately!¡± he roared. No matter what, Willow is still my granddaughter. How is it that I¡¯mpletely in the dark about her engagement? I can tell that yton Zales isn¡¯t a decent person. How could she get engaged to a man with ill intentions like him? ¡°I¡¯ll go and call him now. Just be careful not to get so upset that it affects your health,¡± said Morgan. Getting mad now won¡¯t do any good and will only be detrimental to his health. Ms. Willow has always been like this. She has always dreamed of marrying into a wealthy family without ever considering the consequences. ¡°Go and make the call. I¡¯m fine.¡± Josiah was infuriated, so he kept insisting on calling them and telling them to return. Yale was watching the engagement ceremony when Morgan called. After seeing who the call was from, he could not refrain from furrowing his brows. Unoble to keep her thoughts to herself ony longer, Chormoine osked Yole, ¡°Do you think Cloyton horbors ulterior motives? Does he truly wont to morry our Willow?¡± I con¡¯t help feeling uneosy. No motter how I look ot it, Cloyton doesn¡¯t seem to hove feelings for Willow ot oll. ¡°Whot¡¯s with thot wild imoginotion of yours? Regordless of how terrible the Zoles ore, they¡¯re still on upper-closs fomily. Whot could they possibly wont with Willow? For goodness¡¯ soke, stop letting your imoginotion run owoy with you. No motter how much Mr. Triston likes Sophie, he isn¡¯t willing to morry her. Isn¡¯t thot os cleor os doy now thot Mr. Zoles ond Willow ore getting engoged?¡± he replied. Thot¡¯ll be the pride of our fomily, ond I¡¯ll be oble to hold my heod high in the future. After o brief pouse, he continued, ¡°To be honest, I thought ot first thot Willow hod lost. After oll, Mr. Triston never poid ony ottention to onyone. But now thot I¡¯ve seen how he treots Sophie¡ªthe woy he keeps hiding ond being secretive obout their relotionship¡ªit cleorly shows he¡¯s only fooling oround. Weolthy men ore oll the some.¡± It¡¯s o joke to think thot one con get into o serious relotionship with these copitolists. As long os we con goin something from them, thot¡¯s enough. There¡¯s reolly no need to core obout other things. ¡°Is thot reolly how it is?¡± Chormoine wos still o little worried. Nheless, now thot Willow hod her heort set on being with Cloyton, she knew it would be pointless for her to soy onything more. Cloyton¡¯s ond Willow¡¯s engogement ceremony wos widely reported in the medio. Noturolly, thot wos portly Cloyton¡¯s doing. As for Willow, she bosked in the widespreod ottention ond did not feel he wos using her in the slightest. Meonwhile, Josioh flew into o roge when he found out obout it. ¡°Morgon, coll Yole ond tell him to bring Willow bock immediotely!¡± he roored. No motter whot, Willow is still my gronddoughter. How is it thot I¡¯mpletely in the dork obout her engogement? I con tell thot Cloyton Zoles isn¡¯t o decent person. How could she get engoged to o mon with ill intentions like him? ¡°I¡¯ll go ond coll him now. Just be coreful not to get so upset thot it offects your heolth,¡± soid Morgon. Getting mod now won¡¯t do ony good ond will only be detrimentol to his heolth. Ms. Willow hos olwoys been like this. She hos olwoys dreomed of morrying into o weolthy fomily without ever considering the consequences. ¡°Go ond moke the coll. I¡¯m fine.¡± Josioh wos infurioted, so he kept insisting on colling them ond telling them to return. Yole wos wotching the engogement ceremony when Morgon colled. After seeing who the coll wos from, he could not refroin from furrowing his brows. However, the thought of Josiah¡¯s wrath still made him go to one side to answer the call. ¡°Mr. Yale, Old Mr. Tanner would like you to bring Ms. Willow back and call off today¡¯s engagement,¡± Morgan said, conveying Josiah¡¯s wishes ordingly. Yale frowned upon hearing that. ¡°Tell my father what¡¯s done is done and that he shouldn¡¯t concern himself with this matter,¡± Yale answered bluntly. ¡°Mr. Yale, you know how Old Mr. Tanner¡¯s temper¡¯s like. There¡¯ll be serious consequences if you don¡¯t return now.¡± Morgan was genuinely not trying to threaten them and was only telling them what would happen. However, Yale grew enraged. ¡°Do you still have any respect for me? Do you think I¡¯m particrly useless? Is that why you¡¯re always threatening me? Is Sophie the only person you care about now?¡± Whatever it is, I¡¯m still a Tanner in blood and technically his superior. How can he, a mere butler, talk to me like this? ¡°I apologize if you think I¡¯m being rude, Mr. Yale. Nheless, Old Mr. Tanner disapproves of this marriage, so you shoulde back soon.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll return once the engagement ceremony is over.¡± With that, Yale hung up and turned to go back into the venue. When Charmaine saw the look of anger on his face, she could not help but ask, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Who was the call from?¡± ¡°It was Morgan. My father opposes this marriage and wants us to bring Willow back now.¡± ¡°Now? But there are so many people here. Wouldn¡¯t the Zales family get offended if we take her away now?¡± she responded. There were also many media present, and she fretted over how they would exin things to them. ¡°That¡¯s enough. You don¡¯t need to bother about this. We¡¯ll leave after the ceremony. We can¡¯t afford to upset the Zales family at this point, no matter what. Otherwise, how will we live our days in peace after this? As Willow¡¯s biological parents, as long as we have no objections to this marriage, it doesn¡¯t matter if Dad opposes it,¡± Yale replied firmly. Hearing that, Charmaine felt slightly more at ease. My only hope now is for this union to proceed without any hups and that we can all get what we want. That¡¯s all I ask for. As for the other matters, we¡¯ll cross that bridge when wee to it. Meanwhile, Morgan dared not tell Josiah what happened after the call ended abruptly. Josiah was so short-tempered that Morgan was sure the former would not be able to take it if he told him what Yale said. However, the thought of Josieh¡¯s wreth still mede him go to one side to enswer the cell. ¡°Mr. Yele, Old Mr. Tenner would like you to bring Ms. Willow beck end cell off todey¡¯s engegement,¡± Morgen seid, conveying Josieh¡¯s wishes ordingly. Yele frowned upon heering thet. ¡°Tell my fether whet¡¯s done is done end thet he shouldn¡¯t concern himself with this metter,¡± Yele enswered bluntly. ¡°Mr. Yele, you know how Old Mr. Tenner¡¯s temper¡¯s like. There¡¯ll be serious consequences if you don¡¯t return now.¡± Morgen wes genuinely not trying to threeten them end wes only telling them whet would heppen. However, Yele grew enreged. ¡°Do you still heve eny respect for me? Do you think I¡¯m perticulerly useless? Is thet why you¡¯re elweys threetening me? Is Sophie the only person you cere ebout now?¡± Whetever it is, I¡¯m still e Tenner in blood end technicelly his superior. How cen he, e mere butler, telk to me like this? ¡°I epologize if you think I¡¯m being rude, Mr. Yele. Nheless, Old Mr. Tenner disepproves of this merriege, so you shoulde beck soon.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll return once the engegement ceremony is over.¡± With thet, Yele hung up end turned to go beck into the venue. When Chermeine sew the look of enger on his fece, she could not help but esk, ¡°Whet¡¯s wrong? Who wes the cell from?¡± ¡°It wes Morgen. My fether opposes this merriege end wents us to bring Willow beck now.¡± ¡°Now? But there ere so meny people here. Wouldn¡¯t the Zeles femily get offended if we teke her ewey now?¡± she responded. There were elso meny medie present, end she fretted over how they would explein things to them. ¡°Thet¡¯s enough. You don¡¯t need to bother ebout this. We¡¯ll leeve efter the ceremony. We cen¡¯t efford to upset the Zeles femily et this point, no metter whet. Otherwise, how will we live our deys in peece efter this? As Willow¡¯s biologicel perents, es long es we heve no objections to this merriege, it doesn¡¯t metter if Ded opposes it,¡± Yele replied firmly. Heering thet, Chermeine felt slightly more et eese. My only hope now is for this union to proceed without eny hups end thet we cen ell get whet we went. Thet¡¯s ell I esk for. As for the other metters, we¡¯ll cross thet bridge when wee to it. Meenwhile, Morgen dered not tell Josieh whet heppened efter the cell ended ebruptly. Josieh wes so short-tempered thet Morgen wes sure the former would not be eble to teke it if he told him whet Yele seid. ¡°When are theying back?¡± ¡°You should get some rest first, Old Mr. Tanner. What do you feel like eating? I¡¯ll get the kitchen staff to whip it up for you,¡± Morgan replied. Since Josiah was getting on in years, the doctor had advised having small but frequent meals, and it was time he ate. ¡°I asked you when they¡¯reing back.¡± With things as they were, Josiah was in no mood to eat. All he wanted was to resolve the matter. Hence, Morgan had no choice but to reply, ¡°They¡¯ll be back soon.¡± ¡°I see. All right, then. You don¡¯t have to prepare anything for me, Morgan. I don¡¯t feel like eating right now,¡± Josiah replied. How could he have the appetite to eat now? ¡°That yton is clearly using Willow!¡± Josiah growled after a pause. And my son is utterly ipetent for not catching on to that. He must be over the moon now, thinking he has climbed the socialdder. ¡°The younger generation has their own lives and can take care of themselves, so you don¡¯t need to worry so much,¡± Morgan said. That¡¯s the thing about age. The older one gets, the less likely one may willingly listen to others. ¡°I wish so, too. If everyone could be like Sophie, I¡¯d have nothing to worry about. I wouldn¡¯t be like how I am now.¡± s, that son and granddaughter of mine are just the types of people who make others worry. They have too many desires that are difficult to satisfy. At the mention of Sophie, Morgan immediately had the idea to call her. He felt she was probably the only person who could defuse the situation. ¡°I¡¯ll go and get you a ss of water, Old Mr. Tanner.¡± With that, Morgan went to pour a ss of water, then made the phone call while he was there. As soon as the call connected, he said, ¡°Ms. Sophie, if you have some time now, hurry up ande back. Something has happened.¡± Sophie was in the middle of practice when she received the call, and her heart lurched after she heard what Morgan said. ¡°What is it, Morgan? Tell me properly. Has something happened to Grandpa?¡± N?velDrama.Org: owner of this content. ¡°Everything is fine for now. However, I¡¯m at a loss on how tofort Old Mr. Tanner. You¡¯d bettere back.¡± ¡°Okay, got it. I¡¯ll head over right now. Stay by Grandpa¡¯s side, okay?¡± She always prioritized all matters rted to Josiah. Hence, despite how busy she was, she would definitely make a trip back home first. Sophie set aside the drumsticks she was holding and rose from her seat. Upon seeing that, Sunny immediately hurried over to her and asked, ¡°What¡¯s the matter, Sophie? Who was that?¡± Chapter 420 Chapter 420 ¡°It¡¯s fine. You guys continue practicing. Something hase up at home, so I need to go!¡± Sophie informed them. ¡°What happened? Did something happen to Old Mr. Tanner?¡± Mark asked urgently. ¡°I¡¯ll go with you.¡± ¡°There¡¯s no need for that. It shouldn¡¯t be anything serious. Continue your practice. If something does come up, I¡¯ll give you a call.¡± Regardless of what happened, I¡¯ll handle it. ¡°All right. You can use my car.¡± Mark tossed his keys to her. ¡°Great!¡± Calling for a taxi is inconvenient, so I might as well take Mark¡¯s car. Twenty minutester, Sophie arrived at the Tanner residence. Josiah sat alone in the living room, sulking. It had been quite a while since he spoke. So much time has passed, yet none of them are back yet. That can only mean one thing¡ªthey don¡¯t want toe back. I guess no one listens to me anymore. Does everyone be this pitiful after they turn old? Sophie caught Josiah¡¯s sad look even when she was still at the front door. Her heart sank. What¡¯s wrong? Why is he all alone in the house? ¡°Grandpa, I¡¯m back.¡± Sophie took a seat by his side. Josiah¡¯s head jerked up at Sophie¡¯s voice. ¡°Why are you back? Haven¡¯t you been really busytely with the uing concert? All while managing TS Entertainment and Tanner Group at the same time.¡± ¡°I missed you, so I came back. Is there anything more important than my grandpa in this world? Nothing,¡± Sophie answered with a grin. Warmth spread across Josiah¡¯s chest at Sophie¡¯s sweet words. Has my Sophie always been this good at talking? Every problem is no longer an issue with her here. ¡°What happened, Grandpa? You don¡¯t look happy. Tell me, and I¡¯ll analyze the situation for you!¡± ¡°Willow has gotten engaged to yton!¡± Josiah¡¯s anger spiked the instant he brought up this topic. Willow always makes me worry. ¡°yton?¡± Sophie was surprised at the news. She had spent the entire day practicing, so she didn¡¯t have the time to look at her phone and was unaware of thetest happenings. ¡°Yes, and I only found out through the news. With the media¡¯s rampant reporting, Willow¡¯s name will be tied to yton¡¯s every action in the future!¡± Naturally, Josiah knew about the conflict between Sophie and yton. That was why he was infuriated when he saw news of Willow¡¯s engagement with yton. ¡°Oh, it¡¯s just an engagement. Don¡¯t worry. They won¡¯tst till the wedding.¡± yton will be incarcerated before he marries Willow. ¡°Soph, this yton is a ruthless man. Be careful, okay? I don¡¯t think I can take it if anything happens to you.¡± ¡°Rest assured. What can happen to me? The person who should be worrying right now is yton.¡± Just then, the sound of a car engine came from outside. Yale, Willow, and Charmaine had brought yton back. It was yton¡¯s first time visiting the Tanner residence. Disdain filled him as he studied the house. ¡°Come on, yton! I¡¯ll take you to meet my grandpa!¡± Willow said with excitement. It¡¯ll be fantastic if Sophie is here since I¡¯ll get to brag in front of her. Sophie has been with Mr. Tristan for so long, yet he doesn¡¯t even consider acknowledging her as his wife, which means he¡¯s just ying her. On the contrary, I¡¯m already engaged to yton. Now the whole of Jipsdale knows I¡¯m yton¡¯s fianc¨¦e. Willow felt that her life was perfect. How can everything be so perfect? When the group reached the living room, they saw Sophie sitting with Josiah. A wave of happiness surged through Willow at the sight of Sophie. Life is going smoothly for me! Everything is right where I want them! Willow intentionally tightened her grip on yton¡¯s arm, her intention to unt tantly obvious. ¡°I¡¯m back, Grandpa! Sorry for not telling you beforehand about my engagement with yton. I¡ª¡± A nce from Josiah had Willow stopping mid-sentence, unable to continue. ¡°Hi, Grandpa. I¡¯m yton Zales!¡± yton, on the other hand, was collected as he introduced himself. Josiah merely let out a huff and ignored him. Text content ? N?velDrama.Org. One look at him, and I can already tell he¡¯s not a nice man. Yale couldn¡¯t bear to keep silent anymore after seeing Josiah¡¯s attitude. ¡°Don¡¯t be like that, Dad! I know it¡¯s our fault for not telling you about the engagement beforehand, but aren¡¯t we here now to apologize to you? We¡¯re all family in the future. There¡¯s no need to make things awkward,¡± Yale said. ¡°I don¡¯t have such luck. We have some family disputes to settle, so please leave, Mr. Zales.¡± Josiah didn¡¯t bother to mince his words. yton slid a nce at Sophie and didn¡¯t say anything. ¡°I¡¯ll head back first, Willow. Talk it out with Grandpa nicely, no matter what the issue is. Don¡¯t make him mad,¡± yton advised. Willow felt wronged. It¡¯s my freedom to marry whomever I want. How is it Grandpa doesn¡¯t have any opinion about Sophie and Mr. Tristan¡¯s vague rtionship, but he suddenly has an issue when it¡¯s my engagement with yton? He even made me look bad. He¡¯s obviously biased against me! ¡°All right. I¡¯lle and pick you up at night.¡± yton patted Willow¡¯s face gently. His gentle coaxing brought a smile to Willow¡¯s face. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, yton. It¡¯s my fault for not dealing with the issue properly and putting you in such a position,¡± Willow apologized. It has always been like this. yton has a higher social status than me, so I have to be careful in everything I do. ¡°I¡¯ll be heading back now, Grandpa. I¡¯lle and visit you another day.¡± yton turned on his heels and left. Only members of the Tanner family remained in the living room. ¡°Willow, I don¡¯t care what you¡¯re thinking, but annul the engagement this instance!¡± Josiah was blunt in his request. With Willow¡¯s character, he figured there was no point in talking it out. Willow couldn¡¯t control her temper any longer at Josiah¡¯s request. ¡°I don¡¯t want any of the assets under your name, Grandpa, so don¡¯t intervene in my life. No matter what happens to me in the future, it¡¯s my problem. It has nothing to do with the Tanner family.¡± That should be enough. Everything that happens in the future will be my cross to bear, and I won¡¯t drag the Tanner family down with me. I can finally do whatever I like now. ¡°What are you doing, Willow? Don¡¯t make your grandpa angry! Hurry up and apologize to him.¡± Charmaine tugged on Willow¡¯s hand and dragged her closer to Josiah. However, Willow didn¡¯t appreciate her mother¡¯s concern and flung her hand away. ¡°Leave this matter be, Mom. Grandpa has always been biased, and you know that. He¡¯s fine with Sophie and Mr. Tristan¡¯s ambiguous rtionship but disagrees with my engagement with yton. What logic is this?¡± Willow couldn¡¯t ept Josiah¡¯s differential treatment. Even if I have a falling out with Grandpa, I won¡¯t budge on my stance. Chapter 421 Chapter 421 ¡°Would you care to repeat that? What do you mean by an ambiguous rtionship? I agreed to Sophie and Tanny¡¯s rtionship!¡± How can she talk about Sophie like that? ¡°Who do you think you are, Grandpa? Do you think everything will work out with your approval? Does the Lombard family agree? They¡¯ve been together for so long but have you met with any one of the Lombard family members?¡± Anger was rolling though Josiah in waves at Willow¡¯s ignorance. ¡°Are you done talking, Willow?¡± Sophie said, unable to continue listening to her. ¡°Whatever happens between Tristan and I is our problem. What does it have anything to do with you?¡± ¡°Exactly! Your problems with Tristan are your issues, so my engagement with yton is our problem. What right do any of you have to intervene in my problems?¡± They¡¯re being such hypocrites! ¡°Sophie, can you talk to your grandpa? I don¡¯t think there¡¯s an issue with Willow¡¯s engagement with Mr. Zales.¡± Yale truly thought Willow and yton¡¯s union was perfect. ¡°Grandpa, just leave her be and let her do whatever she wants.¡± Every choice she makes is on her. Regardless of the consequences, she¡¯ll have to bear them. After all, Willow is already an adult. Josiah merely shook his head at Willow¡¯s stubbornness. ¡°All right. Pretend I never said anything today. I only hope you don¡¯t regret the choices you made today. yton is not a good man.¡± Since she¡¯s unwilling to listen, there¡¯s no point trying to persuade her anymore. ¡°Naturally, everyone I meet is bad. You already branded me as being wrong in your mind, so every move I make is wrong.¡± Willow let out a bitterugh before running out of the house. Charmaine immediately chased after her. Why did things have to turn out this way? No matter what, the engagement is supposed to be good news. ¡°See what you¡¯ve done, Dad! Why do you have to make everyone unhappy?¡± Yale truly didn¡¯t understand what was going on in Josiah¡¯s mind. ¡°Get out! I don¡¯t want to see you.¡± Look at the child he raised. Yale rubbed his nose. ¡°Willow is right, Dad. You¡¯re too biased.¡± Yale whirled around and left after that. I need to get some fresh air. Being in this house is suffocating me. ¡°I¡ª¡± For a moment, Josiah couldn¡¯t catch his breath due to his overwhelming anger. ¡°Don¡¯t be angry, Grandpa. Rest assured. I¡¯ll send yton to jail before the wedding.¡± Sophie raced over to calm Josiah down. Josiah finally rxed after a while. After a long silence, Josiah said, ¡°Soph, I¡¯m sorry! They all think I¡¯m biased toward you, but they have no idea about the hardships you have to go through to carry the weight of the entire Tanner Group on your shoulders.¡± The person I owe the most to is my favorite granddaughter! Yet none of them understand this. ¡°You didn¡¯t wrong me in any way, Grandpa. I¡¯m the one who wants to manage Tanner Group, so don¡¯t overthink things.¡± It seems like yton is at his wit¡¯s end for him to get engaged to Willow. This must be hisst-ditch effort. Josiah merely sighed, unwilling to borate on the subject. ¡°Go on with your work! We can only talk about this matter once yton is incarcerated.¡± Willow won¡¯t listen to anyone¡¯s opinion at the moment, so it¡¯s pointless to say anything further. ¡°Okay, Grandpa. Go get some rest.¡± Sophie helped Josiah to his feet. Almost immediately, Morgan was there. After she and Morgan helped Josiah up the stairs to his bedroom, Sophie left the house. ¡°What should we do now, Ms. Sophie? Ms. Willow has crossed a line!¡± How can she use Old Mr. Tanner of such things? ¡°It¡¯s fine, Morgan. Please take care of Grandpa for these few days.¡± yton is like a ticking time bomb. He must be eradicated at all costs. ¡°Rest assured, Ms. Sophie. I won¡¯t let anyone harm Old Mr. Tanner with me here,¡± Morgan promised. Even if I have to risk my life, I won¡¯t let any harme to Old Mr. Tanner. Property belongs to N?vel(D)r/ama.Org. ¡°I¡¯ll be leaving then. Call me if anything happens.¡± The person she was most concerned about was Josiah. However, Tristan had arranged for two of his men to work in the Tanner residence, so their presence there eased some of her worries. Before she left, she found the two bodyguards. ¡°Is there a problem, Ms. Sophie?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t let anyone take Grandpa out of the house recently, even if they¡¯re one of the Tanner family members. Understand?¡± She was certain yton wouldn¡¯t leave things be, so she had to be prepared. ¡°Yes, Ms. Sophie. Don¡¯t worry. Old Mr. Tanner will be fine with us here.¡± The two bodyguards tapped their chests with clenched fists as an assurance. ¡°I¡¯m not as worried since you both will be here.¡± She had practiced with them before and knew their skills were pretty good. ¡°Also, no matter what happens, call me.¡± After leaving another set of instructions, Sophie finally left the Tanner residence. Meanwhile, Charmaine had coaxed Willow to return to the house, and they ran into Sophie on her way out. Charmaine stopped Sophie when she saw thetter was leaving. ¡°Soph, your grandpa listens to you. Can you tell him what¡¯s done is done, and it¡¯s useless even if he objects? I don¡¯t want his health to deteriorate from his rage,¡± Charmaine said. Sophie found her words hrious. ¡°What¡¯s done is done? Even a married couple can get divorced, let alone an engaged pair,¡± Sophie answered. Willow couldn¡¯t bear to listen to Sophie any longer. ¡°You¡¯re just jealous of me, Sophie. Are you scared that I¡¯ll live a better life than you do? I didn¡¯t see Mr. Tristan proposing to you despite your rtionship having been going on for a while. What? Are you nning to stay as his girlfriend forever? Can he stay single his whole life?¡± Willow taunted. Sophie didn¡¯t rebuke her mockery. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Cat got your tongue? You know I¡¯m speaking the truth, don¡¯t you? You¡¯re nothing more than a toy in Mr. Tristan¡¯s eyes, yet you¡¯re always so full of yourself!¡± ¡°I was the one who didn¡¯t want it!¡± Tristan had wanted to propose, but she thought having the status of his wife was too troublesome. ¡°Haha! You¡¯re good at lying to yourself!¡± Willow absolutely refused to believe Sophie¡¯s words. What is this joke? Is there any girl who doesn¡¯t want to be the wife of someone prominent? ¡°Whatever! I¡¯m done talking to someone like you on this topic.¡± Sophie was done wasting her breath on Willow. It¡¯s better to leave. ¡°You¡¯re nothing but a toy, Sophie!¡± Coincidentally, Tristan was there to pick Sophie up and heard Willow¡¯s shout. Getting out of the car, he walked over to Sophie. ¡°What toy?¡± Tristan questioned. It was the first time he was looking at Willow directly. Willow averted her gaze, feeling guilty. A gaze like that is too scary. ¡°You must¡¯ve heard wrong, Mr. Tristan. There was no mention of any toy.¡± Charmaine hurriedly tried to smooth things over. ¡°Are they bullying you?¡± Violence shed across his eyes. Nobody can bully my woman. I don¡¯t care if they¡¯re her mother or sister. Sophie nced at Willow, and Willow took a step back. Even though Willow was currently yton¡¯s fianc¨¦e, she was still scared of Tristan. There was probably no one in the whole of Jipsdale who was unafraid of him. Chapter 422 Chapter 422 ¡°That¡¯s enough. Let¡¯s go. Nobody can bully me,¡± Sophie said. Besides, it¡¯s just Willow. What can she do to me? ¡°All right. Let¡¯s go!¡± Tristan wrapped an arm around Sophie¡¯s shoulders and opened the car door to let her get inside first. Then, he turned around and dered in a stern voice, ¡°This is a warning. Nobody here has the right to criticize my woman!¡± Tristan would not stand for people trying to hurt his girl. N?velDrama.Org: owner of this content. Willow fumed with indignance when she heard him. Unlike Tristan, yton had never sided with her like that. Besides, Tristan would never believe anything others said about Sophie. It was virtually impossible to sow discord between them. Tristan only got into the car after making his statement. If not for the fact they were Sophie¡¯s mother and sister, he would haveshed out long ago. ¡°Why are you so angry? I¡¯m not even that mad at them. Don¡¯t get all worked up because of those people. It¡¯s not worth it,¡± Sophie said after Tristan entered the car. ¡°It¡¯s not that. I just don¡¯t want them to hurt you. Why don¡¯t we also get engaged?¡± If keeping their rtionship in the dark would put her through all this, Tristan would rather they make it public for everyone to know. Sophie shook her head right away. ¡°Forget about it. sses are starting soon. We¡¯ll talk about this after I graduate from university.¡± Sophie knew she would be the talk of the town, garnering unwanted attention and trouble if she went to the university as Tristan Lombard¡¯s fianc¨¦e. Even though she could not care less about what others thought of her, she loathed dealing with unsolicited troubles. ¡°Well, everyone thinks that I¡¯m the one who¡¯s refusing to acknowledge our rtionship when it¡¯s you refusing to make it official,¡± Tristan grumbled. I¡¯m more than willing to acknowledge our rtionship. Knowing making it official would spell trouble for them both, Sophie was in a bind. ¡°That¡¯s not what I meant. I just don¡¯t want to get you into trouble,¡± Sophie mumbled. Tristan relented and said, ¡°Okay. We¡¯ll talk about this after you graduate from university.¡± After all, they¡¯d have to wait until after her graduation anyway. ¡°Thank you for being so considerate.¡± Sophie took his hand in hers, grateful that he was willing to respect her wishes. Sophie vowed she would not forsake his unconditional love. Meanwhile, Charmaine led Willow into the house. ¡°Wi, you¡¯d better apologize to your grandpa. At the end of the day, he is still your grandfather. It¡¯s really not wise to sour your rtionship like this,¡± Charmaine said, trying to talk sense into her daughter. ¡°Why do I have to apologize? I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve done anything wrong. Since he only has eyes for Sophie, what does anything I do have got to do with him?¡± Willow replied stubbornly. After all, she was yton¡¯s fianc¨¦e now. There was no need for her to take all this crap anymore. ¡°Then please don¡¯t stir trouble for Sophie again. Please, you have enough to worry about as it is,¡± Charmaine pleaded. ¡°Mom, why are all of you siding with her? Why don¡¯t you guys ever consider how I feel?¡± Willow rebuked. Charmaine furrowed her brows. ¡°Wi, I am on your side and always have been. How heartless of you to say that.¡± Willow let out a derisive snort. ¡°Forget it. I¡¯m tired, so I¡¯m going upstairs to take a rest. I¡¯ve got a date with ytonter!¡± Willow uttered in a huff, disregarding everything that her mother just said. She truly thought that she had married into a wealthy family. In the evening, Tristan brought Sophie to Nocturnal to have drinks with their group of friends. Even though Ysabelle was all tuckered out from work at TS Entertainment, she still joined them. ¡°Soph, what¡¯s up with yton? Does he really have feelings for Willow?¡± Ysabelle asked in an incredulous tone, still unable to believe it. ¡°Why do I somehow feel like he¡¯s got some hidden agenda? Willow must be really dumb to not suspect anything,¡± she continued. ¡°Ysabelle, I¡¯ve got to say that you¡¯ve be smarter after spending time with Sophie,¡± Felix teased. Ysabelle red at him in response. ¡°Felix, what are you getting at? Are you trying to aggravate me? I¡¯ve always been smart, okay? You¡¯ve just never realized it,¡± Ysabelle refuted. How could he say that? I have my pride. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for pointing out the truth,¡± Felix said with a shrug. Rendered speechless by her fury, she chose to ignore him. Felix was someone who could make one have very prized feelings for him. Sometimes, one would pity him when he was bullied. More often than not, however, his words were infuriating. Charles was left speechless at their interaction. Felix had a crush on Ysabelle, and yet he wasn¡¯t showing her any mercy with his snark. How long is he going to take before he seeds in making Ysabelle his wife? He¡¯s been around her for so long, and yet the girl¡¯s realized nothing about his feelings. On the other hand, Sean picked up a ss and took a sip of his liquor, seemingly uninterested in their conversation. Willow had not left much of an impression on him. All he cared about were his cases. Well, the friends sitting before him were also an exception. ¡°What are you thinking about?¡± Tristan asked when he noticed Sean keeping quiet. ¡°You have to stop being a social hermit. Go and make more friends. Even better if you manage to snag a girlfriend.¡± Given Sean¡¯s age, people would start to question his sexual orientation if he did not get himself a girlfriend soon. ¡°It¡¯s not like I have the time,¡± Sean replied. There were mountains of cases piling up at the firm, and he had to deal with them one by one. It didn¡¯t help matters that only major cases would make it to his firm. ¡°Sophie, could I ask you for a favor?¡± Everyone was taken aback by Sean¡¯s question. ¡°Sean, are you in trouble? You know you can always tell me if you encounter any problems,¡± Charles hurriedly said. Sophie is just a high school graduate. What help would she be to Sean? ¡°You won¡¯t be able to help me. Only Sophie can,¡± Sean answered. He had recently been struggling to solve a very tough case. Sophie raised a brow curiously. She never expected that a cold and distant man like Sean would ask her for help. Well, he did help out a lot with Sunny¡¯s matters previously, so I should return the favor this time. ¡°Fire away,¡± Sophie said. ¡°Not today. Could youe to my office tomorrow when you¡¯re free? This is not a good ce to talk about it,¡± Sean replied. Charles grew even more curious. ¡°Sean, what problems did you get yourself into? Can¡¯t you even tell us?¡± The fact that Sean was going to tell Sophie but not them made him feel somewhat bitter. ¡°You won¡¯t be of help even if you know about it. So, what¡¯s the point?¡± Sean refused to dwell on the subject. Besides, it was quite a dangerous favor to ask of Sophie. Sean decided that he would seek for her consent in the matter first before proceeding. He wouldn¡¯t force her to do anything she didn¡¯t want to do. Tristan was getting curious as well. Has Sean really encountered trouble? Why does he need Sophie¡¯s help? ¡°That¡¯s my girl! Even Sean is asking a favor from you,¡± Ysabelle dered, feeling proud for having a friend like Sophie. ¡°Right, Soph, so what are we going to do with Willow? She¡¯s a Tanner as well. I don¡¯t think it¡¯s going to do the Tanners any good if she keeps doing things that will humiliate your family,¡± Ysabelle commented. Chapter 423 Chapter 423 ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ve already figured out how to deal with this issue,¡± Sophie answered. It¡¯s just an engagement. She¡¯ll never be able to marry yton in the end. ¡°In my opinion, Willow isn¡¯t a good person. Since she wants to be with yton so badly, we should just let her be. yton will deal with her!¡± Felix uttered bluntly. Ysabelle nodded, concurring, ¡°That¡¯s true. Willow is such a bad person! We should just leave her to her fate.¡± Even if we were to help her, it¡¯s not like she would be appreciative. It¡¯spletely unnecessary for us to make a move. Content bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org. ¡°All right, now. Stay out of it, you guys,¡± Sophie stated, not seeing the need for the others to brood over it. Right then, yton and Willow showed up. Upon seeing them, Ysabelle immediately shut her eyes as she thought she had imagined things. Speak of the devil! She then gradually opened her eyes. Sure enough, she still saw them. yton brought Willow over because he thought that no matter what, the group would show her some respect since she was Sophie¡¯s older sister. ¡°Hey, Mr. Tristan! What a coincidence!¡± yton arrived in front of the group and wanted to take a seat. Seeing that he was about to sit down, Sophie uttered, ¡°Who said you¡¯re allowed to sit here?¡± The young woman did not see the need to pretend to be cordial toward people she disliked. Willow was utterly dissatisfied with Sophie¡¯s attitude toward yton, so sheined haughtily, ¡°Soph, what¡¯s the matter with you? We¡¯re going to be family soon! Why must you act this way?¡± In her mind, she thought it waspletely fine for sisters to help each other out. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but you¡¯re not my family,¡± Sophie retorted. I don¡¯t have such a shameless sister. ¡°You¡ª¡± Livid, Willow was about to lose her temper but held her tongue when she saw Tristan sitting next to Sophie. ¡°Soph, don¡¯t you think you should behave yourself in Mr. Tristan¡¯s presence?¡± She reminded Sophie. ¡°Hah. This is how I am. Why should I change? I¡¯m not a pretentious person!¡± Sophie did not mince her words. ¡°Exactly! Uncle Tristan likes Sophie for who she is. What¡¯s wrong? Are you jealous? Didn¡¯t you try to seduce Uncle Tristan back then? How shameless of you!¡± Ysabelle chimed in ungraciously. ¡°Ysabelle, don¡¯t spew nonsense. Since when have I tried to seduce Mr. Tristan?¡± Willow panicked. She was in disbelief that Ysabelle dared to make such a false im in the presence of yton. ¡°I¡¯ve never done that, yton!¡± she exined, turning to her fianc¨¦. Anger surged in yton¡¯s heart. Have I be a nobody? ¡°yton, we¡¯re not cut from the same cloth. Perhaps you should bring your fianc¨¦e to another table.¡± Since Sophie and the rest did not own Nocturnal, they would not chase yton and Willow out of there. However, if yton were to try to blend in, none of them would show him respect, which was unfortunate for him. At that moment, yton¡¯s expression was grim. ¡°yton, we¡ª¡± Willow wanted to say something but dared not finish her sentence when she saw his countenance. As a matter of fact, she was terrified of yton. She knew he was not genuinely into her, though it did not matter to her. After all, she would have a chance as long as she could stay by yton¡¯s side, and all she wanted was a chance like that. ¡°Well, I¡¯m sorry for intruding on your gathering, then!¡± yton said. However, he was even more mortified because everyone ignored him. Yet, he could not afford to lose his temper at such a moment. In the end, he had no choice but to bring Willow away silently. ¡°Don¡¯t be angry, yton. That¡¯s just how they are. They think they¡¯re all that,¡± Willowforted him. ytonshed out at her. ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you to fix your rtionship with Sophie? What have you done?¡± ¡°You¡¯re aware of Sophie¡¯s temper too, yton. She¡¯s so haughty that no matter what I do, she¡¯ll always be high and mighty.¡± Despite feeling aggrieved, Willow could only endure it. ¡°I don¡¯t care how you do it, but I want you to reconcile with Sophie.¡± He ignored her after saying that. Willow felt miserable when she saw Sophie being on friendly terms with the top elites of the upper- ss society while she had to ept yton¡¯s unreasonable demands. D*mn you, Sophie! You should¡¯ve died in Horington. How did you make your way back to Jipsdale? Ever since you returned, my life has been tough. I¡¯m praying for you to die every single day. That way, everything will then return to normal! ¡°Did you hear what I said to you? Why are you in a trance? Let me tell you this¡ªI hate fools. If you want to stay by my side, you ought to be alert!¡± yton scolded. I wouldn¡¯t have gotten engaged to this woman if it weren¡¯t because I wanted to make Sophie show me mercy. Honestly, nothing about Willow is attractive to me. ¡°I understand, yton.¡± Willow nodded. However, reconciling with Sophie was mission impossible for her. Meanwhile, Ysabelle said excitedly to Sophie, ¡°By the way, we¡¯ll be able to check our results for the university entrance exam by midnight! Should we wait for it together?¡± Regardless of the oue, it was considered the beginning of a new journey for them. ¡°We can check our results when we wake up tomorrow morning. Why should we stay up just for a score?¡± Sophie disagreed. Frankly, it¡¯s not worth the wait! ¡°What do you mean it¡¯s just a score? You have no idea how many people are going to have trouble sleeping tonight, Sophie!¡± Ysabelle eximed. It¡¯s definitely not just a score! It represents hope for countless people! ¡°To me, it really is nothing but a score,¡± Sophie replied. I¡¯m not losing sleep over that. ¡°It¡¯s all right. If she doesn¡¯t want to apany you, I¡¯ll keep youpany while you wait,¡± Felix immediately uttered. Ysabelle shot a nce at him. ¡°Forget about it! This sort of thing should be done with people who matter the most to me. Why should I do it with you?¡± she said, turning him down right away. ¡°Since you¡¯re so excited to see your score, I¡¯ll apany you.¡± Sophie did not want to disappoint her. ¡°Really? Does that mean I get to stay over at Wisteria Apartments tonight?¡± In truth, Ysabelle was looking forward to sleeping the night at Sophie¡¯s ce instead of checking her score. Sophie nodded in agreement. Seeing that, Felix was rendered speechless. How is it possible that Ysabelle has such a strong attraction for a pretty girl like Sophie? If this goes on, I might even begin to suspect that she¡¯s actually in love with Sophie! ¡°I¡¯ll keep you bothpany, then!¡± Felix suggested. The man humbled himself because he wanted to be by Ysabelle¡¯s side at such a crucial moment in her life. ¡°Felix, you can¡¯t be like this. You ought to allocate some time to find a girlfriend, you know? You¡¯re not getting any younger. If you don¡¯t get a girlfriend soon, you might be single forever!¡± Ysabelle said. ¡°What do you mean, Ysabelle? Are you saying I¡¯m old? How am I old? My age is just right!¡± Felix retorted. Unfortunately, he experienced what it was like to be disdained by someone he was crushing on. It was a suffocating feeling. Chapter 424 Chapter 424 Chapter 424 ¡°You¡¯re old! You must admit it!¡± Ysabelle replied. Felix was thirty, while she was only neen. Compared to her, he was indeed old. Felix was dumbfounded by those words. Meanwhile, Charles, who was gloating over his difiture, could not help butugh. ¡°Felix, you are old. There¡¯s no escaping reality; you have to ept it!¡± ¡°Have you forgotten about the fact that we¡¯re the same age? If I¡¯m old, it applies to you as well!¡± Felix grumbled. Is he serious? How dare heugh at me? Upon hearing that, Charles fell silent. Fine! He¡¯s no fun. When the group left Nocturnal, they bumped into yton and Willow again. Why do they keep showing up in front of us? Needless to say, all six of them ignored yton and Willow as if they were invisible. Initially, yton wanted to greet them, but he could only remain silent upon seeing their reactions. If I greet them now, they¡¯ll surely disregard me. When that happens, we¡¯ll still be the ones who are humiliated. Since everyone in the group drank alcohol that night, they got drivers to send them back. Just then, Tristan and Sophie entered their car first. Immediately, Ysabelle wanted to follow them into the vehicle, but Felix grabbed her hand. ¡°Come with me, okay? You can¡¯t keep being the third wheel. Mr. Tristan isn¡¯t going to like it,¡± he said. Ysabelle was displeased by his remark. He and I are both third wheels! ¡°Felix, that¡¯s Uncle Tristan we¡¯re talking about. He won¡¯t do anything to me!¡± As soon as those words fell from her lips, Tristan¡¯s car drove off. Her uncle did not bother to wait for her. Ysabelle was on the verge of crying when she saw that. How could Uncle Tristan do this to me? That¡¯s mean! He went overboard! ¡°Do you see that? He didn¡¯t even hesitate!¡± Felix was thrilled. Mr. Tristan is giving me a chance! Ysabelle harrumphed in response. Who cares about that? Next time, I have to make Uncle Tristan look bad in front of Sophie. I must show him I¡¯m not someone he wants to mess with. Felix opened the car door for her and said, ¡°All right. I¡¯ll give you a ride since you seem so pitiful!¡± Content bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org. I must be the kindest man alive, considering that I can¡¯t bear to watch her suffer! His words left Ysabelle speechless. Fine! In that case, I¡¯ll just ept his offer. Once Ysabelle got into the car, Felix followed her, and they left immediately after that. With that, Charles and Sean were left standing at the roadside on their own. At the sight of those four leaving in pairs, Charles sighed andmented, ¡°Seeing that they¡¯ve found partners, it makes me want to be in a rtionship as well!¡± At his age, it was about time for him to date someone. ¡°What? It¡¯s best if you don¡¯t hurt young women,¡± Sean uttered. It¡¯s impossible for him to give up on the ladies! Charles was left speechless for a moment before he said, ¡°Sean, as I¡¯ve said before, there¡¯s nothing I can do about the fact thatdies swoon over me. There¡¯s only one of me. I don¡¯t want them to be heartbroken.¡± ¡°Nonsense!¡± Sean was bereft of speech upon hearing Charles¡¯ reasoning. ¡°Anyway, you ought to be careful! Don¡¯t die on a woman¡¯s bed one day.¡± Charles was caught off guard by his words. That¡¯s a cruel thing to say, no? No matter what, we¡¯re still close like brothers. How could he say such a thing? Sean ignored him after that. When the driver got out of the car to open the car door for him, Sean hopped in straightaway. ¡°It¡¯s just a word of caution. You can choose to ignore it.¡± With that, he told the driver to start driving. Charles could not help but curse under his breath. They are all prejudiced against me! What else should I do in the prime of my life if not date someone? I can¡¯t possibly start dating only when I¡¯m older and thedies like me for my money. Although Ysabelle said she wanted to wait for the release of their scores with Sophie, she fell asleep on the couch shortly after arriving at Wisteria Apartments. ¡°Felix, please carry Ysabelle upstairs andy her on the bed,¡± Sophie said in resignation. She was the one fussing about checking our scores together, yet she ended up falling asleep first. Meanwhile, Felix was heartbroken when he saw the state Ysabelle was in. ¡°Sophie, Ysabelle has been pampered throughout her life, so please cut her some ck in her training. Look at how tired she is.¡± Even though he would support Ysabelle regardless of the choices she made, his heart still ached when he saw how drained she was. ¡°If she wants to debut as an artiste, she must train. It¡¯s necessary. In fact, it¡¯ll only get tougher from now on,¡± Sophie replied. Ysabelle has no choice but to train. Otherwise, how is she going to achieve sess if she doesn¡¯t work hard? Words failed Felix. Can¡¯t she just tell a white lie? ¡°Enough of that. Ysabelle chose to undergo these things willingly. Do you think your objections can change anything? If you can¡¯t stand it, you can dissuade her from entering the entertainment industry.¡± Tristan was fed up with Felix¡¯s attitude. Hearing that, Felix wentpletely speechless. I didn¡¯t even say anything! Must Mr. Tristan be so protective of Sophie? ¡°I¡¯ll carry her upstairs, then,¡± Felix uttered. They¡¯ve tired her out. Heid Ysabelle on the bed but did not go back downstairs even after a long time. Instead, he stayed by the side of the bed and watched her with an affectionate gaze. When will she understand my feelings for her? Jeez, there¡¯s nothing I can do with her. She could¡¯ve enjoyed an easy life as the daughter of a prominent family, yet she chose to enter the entertainment industry. Must she tire herself out like this? Only Tristan and Sophie were left sitting on the couch. The youngdy was leaning against the cushion because she was tired from the constant rehearsal in the past few days. ¡°Are you still going to wait for your score?¡± Tristan asked. If she wanted to wait for it, he could apany her. Sophie shook her head in response. ¡°No. I¡¯ll just check it tomorrow. I¡¯m so sleepy!¡± All she wanted at that moment was sleep. As for her score, she had zero interest in finding out about it. ¡°Sure! Let¡¯s go take a bath before going to bed!¡± Tristan said. He then rose to his feet and pulled her up from the couch. ¡°Can you still walk?¡± he inquired. Sophie immediately nodded. Of course, I can! Is he kidding me? I can¡¯t possibly let him carry me up the stairs! However, Tristan suddenly scooped her up in his arms the next second. ¡°Since you¡¯re so tired, I¡¯ll carry you upstairs!¡± he offered. That baffled Sophie. I didn¡¯t even say I was tired! ¡°Actually, I¡¯m fine!¡± she eximed. ¡°You¡¯re not fine. My heart aches when I see how tired you are,¡± Tristan replied. His woman was indeed very capable, which was probably why she was so tired. Sophie felt rather blissful when she heard his words. Hence, she no longer stopped him from carrying her up the stairs. Well, this isn¡¯t too bad. It was not until they arrived in her room that he put her down and headed to the bathroom to run a bath for her. All of a sudden, Sophie struggled to find the words to describe the man before her eyes. How does he manage to attend to all of my needs? What did I do to deserve such a man? He treats me so well. If he ever leaves me, I¡¯m going to be very sad. Tristan came out after running a bath and caught her spacing out on the bed. He then walked up to her and sat next to her. ¡°What¡¯s on your mind?¡± he asked. ¡°I¡¯m thinking about our future!¡± That was the first time she had ever looked forward to the future. I think we¡¯ll surely have a blissful life together! Chapter 425 Chapter 425 ¡°What did you think of?¡± Tristan asked curiously. Sophie leaned on his shoulder and continued, ¡°We¡¯ll probably be very blissful.¡± ¡°You can be bolder and remove the word ¡®probably¡¯ in the sentence. As long as I¡¯m here, you¡¯ll have a blissful future,¡± he said, confident in himself. ¡°All right. It has been a tiring day, so take a bath and go to bed.¡± ¡°Okay!¡± It was eight in the morning when Ysabelle woke up the next day. Darn it; I forgot to set my rmst night! There¡¯s no way I¡¯ll be able to reach TS Entertainment in half an hour¡¯s time. Mr. Tannen¡¯s a strict teacher. He hates tardy people! I¡¯m so doomed. Anxious, she scrambled out of bed and quickly washed up. In fact, she did not even have the time to put on any makeup, rushing out of the room immediately afterward. At the sight of her hasty demeanor, Sophie said, ¡°Slow down. I¡¯ve already helped you take a leave of absence for today, so there¡¯s no need to rush.¡± It was only then Ysabelle let out a sigh of relief. My goodness, that had been a frightening moment. ¡°Sophie, you¡¯re the best. You¡¯re the savior of my life. How am I going to live without you?¡± she then voiced. Sophie did not show a big reaction to her words. ¡°We have to go to school after checking our scores, so I applied for a leave for you.¡± It dawned on Ysabelle then. ¡°Oh, I see. Right, we still need to go to school for our university application.¡± I thought we wouldn¡¯t need to go to school anymore. ¡°By the way, have you checked your score? Sorry. I was too tiredst night, so I fell asleep,¡± Ysabelle added sheepishly. She was the one who insisted on checking their scores together, yet she ended up falling asleep. There was no doubt that she felt embarrassed. Sophie was nonchnt about it. ¡°It¡¯s fine. It¡¯ll be the same even if we check now.¡± It was not as if their scores would change overnight, after all. ¡°Okay.¡± Ysabelle then took out her phone to log into the website. ¡°How did you do?¡± Sophie asked. If she can¡¯t get into Jipsdale University, her dad might give her a hard time. ¡°Hold on. The websitegged out,¡± Ysabelle said, holding her breath. Truth be told, she felt that she had done well in the exam. Still, there was no telling what score she would get. Finally, the page loaded. ¡°D*mn!¡± Never in her wildest dreams did she imagine she would be able to get a score such as that. ¡°How is it?¡± Sophie asked worriedly. After all, Ysabelle was not academically talented to the point that her score would remain stable regardless of the papers¡¯ difficulty. ¡°It¡¯s six hundred eighty-nine!¡± Even Ysabelle herself was in disbelief. Her scores in the first few mock examinations had only been around six hundred fifty, so getting six hundred eighty-nine was beyond her expectations. ¡°Mm, not bad!¡± Tristan was quite pleased after hearing her result. Ysabelle¡¯s efforts had not gone to waste. ¡°Sophie, you really are my savior! I¡¯ve only encountered good things ever since I met you!¡± Ysabelle eximed in excitement. I¡¯m sure my dad has nothing to say now! ¡°This is all thanks to your hard work; it doesn¡¯t have much to do with me,¡± Sophie replied. She did work very hard right before the exams too. ¡°Of course it does! In thest few days, you taught me how to solve all the questions I didn¡¯t know how to answer.¡± At the same time, Ysabelle thought that Sophie would make a good teacher. For the concepts she failed to understand even after their teacher taught them, she understood right away when Sophie exined them to her. It was like a miracle. Ysabelle chirped, ¡°What about you? You must have scored above seven hundred!¡± There¡¯s no way Sophie is going to have any issues with the university entrance exam. Even if she¡¯s not one of the high achievers, she¡¯ll still get an impressive score. ¡°I¡¯m not sure. I haven¡¯t checked it yet,¡± Sophie responded. ¡°Aren¡¯t you curious about your score? Hurry up and check it! I¡¯m sure Old Mr. Tanner wants to know it as well!¡± Sure enough, right after those words fell from Ysabelle¡¯s lips, Josiah called. ¡°Soph, have you checked your score yet? What did you get?¡± Josiah blurted out. He seemed even more excited than his granddaughter. ¡°I haven¡¯t checked it yet. I¡¯ll tell you once I do,¡± Sophie promised. Josiah urged, ¡°Why aren¡¯t you eager to see your score? Hurry up and check it! I¡¯ve already invited your teacher to our house to consult about the universities you should apply to!¡± ¡°What? You invited our teacher to our house?¡± There¡¯s no need for that! ¡°Of course. In any case, this is an important matter! How can I not invite your teacher for a consultation?¡± Josiah stubbornly said. He fretted much over all matters pertaining to Sophie. ¡°Even if you don¡¯t need the consultation, Willow would need it. All right, I¡¯m not going to chat with you for long. Come home once you¡¯ve checked your score,¡± he said at the end. ¡°Your teacher is waiting for you at home!¡± went unsaid. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Tristan asked in concern upon noticing Sophie¡¯s expression. ¡°Did something happen to Old Mr. Tanner?¡± Sophie shook her head and answered, ¡°He¡¯s totally fine.¡± ¡°Then what¡¯s with that look on your face?¡± ¡°He invited our teacher to our ce, saying that he wants to consult the teacher about my university application.¡± Why did he have to do that? I can decide by myself which university I want to study at¡­ ¡°All right, don¡¯t look so somber. Old Mr. Tanner¡¯s doing this for your sake,¡± Tristanforted her. To an old man, a teacher would seem more experienced in making major life decisions like this. ¡°I know,¡± Sophie replied. She would never get mad at her grandfather. ¡°Sophie, you should check your score first,¡± Ysabelle entreated, eager to know how much her best friend had scored. ¡°Okay.¡± Since they all seemed very enthusiastic about her score, Sophie decided to check it right away. After keying in her registration number and password, she stared at her phone screen in stunned silence. ¡°What score did you get?¡± Ysabelle queried, wondering why Sophie had a look like that on her face. ¡°There isn¡¯t any score on the screen.¡± ¡°What? What¡¯s going on?¡± Ysabelle was baffled. How is that possible? Sophie should have a score above seven hundred! Tristan then took Sophie¡¯s phone to look at its screen and discovered she was right¡ªthere was no score on the page. ¡°You¡¯re right. It didn¡¯t disy any score!¡± Ysabelle eximed. She was still in disbelief but was forced to ept reality after checking the screen of Sophie¡¯s phone. ¡°How can this be? You should have filled in the correct registration number, right?¡± ¡°It must have been hidden,¡± Tristanmented. As it turned out, he was familiar with that scene. Back then, Tristan and Sean could not check their scores for the university entrance exam too. Then, when it was finally released, the former was revealed to be the top scorer, while Sean was right behind him. ¡°Wow! Only the high achievers will have their scores hidden. I knew it. Sophie never disappoints,¡± Ysabelle praised in amazement. Sophie was at a loss for words. That might not be the case. ¡°All right. In that case, I¡¯ll have to take a trip home,¡± she voiced. Her grandfather had invited their teacher to the Tanner residence, after all. She had to make an appearance there. ¡°I¡¯lle with you,¡± Tristan offered. ¡°It¡¯s fine. You should do what you need to do instead.¡± Sophie rejected his offer as she knew he had been quite busy recently. There was no need for him to keep herpany at all times. ¡°It¡¯s okay. I¡¯ll send you there, greet Old Mr. Tanner, and leave.¡± No matter how busy he was, he would always have time to drive her around. Content bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org. ¡°Well, I¡¯ll head to TS Entertainment, then. I haven¡¯t mastered the dance I learned,¡± Ysabelle chimed in. ¡°Dance? You dance?¡± Tristan blurted, bewildered to hear that his niece was learning to dance. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Is it that surprising?¡± Ysabelle retorted. As she knew some basics of dancing, all that was left for her to do was practice diligently. ¡°I am. You gave up thest time because of how hard it was.¡± Tristan never thought that Ysabelle could persevere through it then. Chapter 426 Chapter 426 ¡°Don¡¯t they all say that interest is the best teacher you can get? I really like singing right now, so I don¡¯t mind learning how to dance as well. Don¡¯t worry, Sophie. I won¡¯t let you down,¡± Ysabelle announced. Sophie bobbed her head. ¡°To be honest, you don¡¯t need to stress yourself out too much,¡± she exhorted. Without a doubt, she was capable of letting Ysabelle rise to fame. Besides, it was her decision to have thetter debut as an artiste. Therefore, regardless of how things would end up, she would never me Ysabelle. Property belongs to N?vel(D)r/ama.Org. Touched by Sophie¡¯s words, Ysabelle dered, ¡°I¡¯ll never let you down!¡± ¡°Ysabelle, no matter what you do, the most important thing is never disappointing yourself,¡± Sophie advised. There was a problem with Ysabelle¡¯s earlier viewpoint. ¡°You¡¯re so nice to me. How can I bear to disappoint you?¡± ¡°You¡ª¡± Sophie could not knock some sense into Ysabelle, but it did not matter. With them around, it would be impossible for thetter to fail. Tristan, without a doubt, was d to see the close-knit rtionship between the two young women, for that meant that Sophie would have someone to talk to when she married into the Luther family. Hmm, but honestly, I doubt Sophie will have any trouble making friends anywhere. Doesn¡¯t Sarah like Sophie too? After sending Ysabelle to TS Entertainment, Tristan drove Sophie to the Tanner residence. Unsurprisingly, Josiah was in the middle of a conversation with the school teacher when Tristan and Sophie arrived. Winston Woods, the teacher who came, taught mathematics in Senior ss 8. While his sses were mediocre at best, he had always been an arrogant person. Josiah called out, ¡°Soph,e here. I¡¯ve invited Mr. Woods here today. Hurry and say hi to your teacher.¡± Hearing that, Sophie walked over. She then greeted, ¡°Hello, Mr. Woods.¡± ¡°Soph,e here. Take a seat beside me,¡± Josiah said, beckoning her to sit beside him. ¡°Okay.¡± ¡°Take a seat too, Tanny.¡± Winston had not seen Tristan before, but it was clear at first nce that thetter had the bearing of a big shot. ¡°Old Mr. Tanner, this is¡­¡± Winston asked tentatively. ¡°Oh, he¡¯s Sophie¡¯s boyfriend!¡± Josiah answered. ¡°Oh, I see! Where¡¯s Willow? I don¡¯t see her around. She must have scored well, too, right?¡± Winston had onlye over because Willow¡¯s boyfriend was yton. Everyone in Jipsdale knew about the Zales family. Like the others, he wanted to curry favor with them. The second Winston mentioned Willow, Sophie figured out why he was there. It¡¯s really as I¡¯ve expected. ¡°Charmaine, where¡¯s Willow? What¡¯s going on with her? Wasn¡¯t she informed about the teacher¡¯s visit? Hurry up and get her toe downstairs,¡± Josiah instructed. He had invited the teacher over to consult him about Willow¡¯s and Sophie¡¯s university applications. ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll go and get her right now. I saw that she was in the middle of a call when I went upstairs earlier,¡± Charmaine replied. ¡°There¡¯s no need to rush her. She must be on a call with Mr. Zales right now,¡± Winston hurriedly chimed in. How can we disturb her at a time like this? Sophie nced at Tristan upon hearing her mathematics teacher¡¯s words. ¡°I told you not toe,¡± she whispered. This is what you¡¯ll see if youe. Tristan reassured, ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± It was not like he had never seen people like Winston. Hence, he did not find it strange to encounter such an asion. After all, few in Jipsdale had seen him in person, so it was no surprise that Winston did not recognize him. At the same time, Josiah was starting to get displeased. What¡¯s going on with Mr. Woods? Is he so eager to butter yton up? Right then, Willow came down the stairs. Seeing that Tristan and Sophie were present as well, she naturally had to be careful with her words. ¡°Wi, your grandpa has invited Mr. Woods over to consult about your university application. Have you checked your score?¡± Charmaine asked. ¡°I have, and it isn¡¯t great,¡± Willow confessed. In truth, she was not satisfied with her score. ¡°How much did you get?¡± Charmaine was eager to know. Willow¡¯s currently in a rtionship with yton. If she manages to get into Jipsdale University, I¡¯m sure she¡¯ll be able to stand tall by his side. ¡°It¡¯s only six hundred fifty,¡± Willow replied. It was a little difficult to enter Jipsdale University with that score. ¡°Willow, you did a great job. Mr. Zales should be able to find a way around this if you really want to be admitted into Jipsdale University.¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± was all Willow answered. Feeling bitter, she asked, ¡°What about you, Sophie? What¡¯s your score?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know yet.¡± ¡°What do you mean by that? It¡¯s fine if you don¡¯t want to tell me, but you didn¡¯t have to lie,¡± Willow snapped. ¡°Soph, what¡¯s going on? Have you not checked your score yet?¡± ¡°I have, but I don¡¯t have a score,¡± Sophie revealed. ¡°How can that be? Could it be that you¡¯ve underperformed this time and are too embarrassed to tell us?¡± Hah! Don¡¯t you think highly of yourself all the time? Why don¡¯t you have the guts to tell us your score now? ¡°Yes, Sophie, no matter how you¡¯ve done on the exam, you must tell us about it so that we can think of a way to deal with this,¡± Winston quickly chimed in. Sophie was speechless. Why won¡¯t they believe me? Well, it¡¯s not as if it matters. ¡°No, thanks,¡± she answered, her patience running thin. ¡°Soph, how can you not have a score? Did you flunk the exam? How can you be so irresponsible?¡± Charmaine grumbled. The university entrance exam is a significant event in everyone¡¯s life! How can she be so thoughtless about it? Sophie was at a loss for words. ¡°Isn¡¯t it just a university entrance exam? I know what I¡¯ve done.¡± Regardless of the score she obtained, she would ept it readily. There was no need for them to worry about it on her behalf. ¡°Sophie, I know that you had good grades, but it¡¯s nothing unusual for high achievers to underperform. You don¡¯t need to feel ashamed,¡± Winston casually pointed out. ¡°Well, Willow¡¯s still the best. She has never let her teachers worry about her. What a good girl she is.¡± His praise made Willow smug. Right then, the housekeeper entered. ¡°Old Mr. Tanner, there are a few men in suits looking for Ms. Sophie outside,¡± they reported, musing about how the men had seemed unfriendly. ¡°Who are they?¡± Josiah asked. ¡°I think it¡¯s the chancellor of a university.¡± ¡°The chancellor of a university?¡± Josiah was baffled, for he had never encountered something like that before. ¡°Morgan, invite them in!¡± he then instructed. No matter what, he could not let them wait outside. Willow was confused as well. Why is a university¡¯s chancellor here? Meanwhile, Tristan had been dissatisfied with Winston since arriving at the Tanner residence because he felt ufortable with thetter¡¯s attitude toward Sophie. ¡°I don¡¯t really like your math teacher,¡± he said to Sophie. ¡°Why would you need to like him? You just need to like me,¡± she responded. To them, other people were insignificant. ¡°Okay.¡± Still, Tristan could not shake off the feeling that Winston had insulted Sophie. At that moment, a bespectacled schrly-looking man in his fifties entered with a few men behind him. ¡°May I know who is Sophie Tanner?¡± Tristan knew who that man was, and evidently, so did the middle-aged chancellor. ¡°Why are you here too?¡± the chancellor asked, taken aback by Tristan¡¯s presence in the Tanner residence. Chapter 427 Chapter 427 ¡°What are you doing here?¡± Tristan asked. When he saw Christopher Olsen, the chancellor, he figured out Sophie was a high achiever on the university entrance exam. Every year, Christopher would personally visit the houses of high achievers and attempt to recruit them to Jipsdale University. ¡°You know what? Never mind. I don¡¯t have time to catch up with you,¡± Christopher said. He then ignored Tristan and shifted his gaze toward Sophie. Smiling, he uttered, ¡°Greetings, Sophie. My name is Christopher Olsen. I am the chancellor of Jipsdale University. I understand that the scores for the university entrance exam have been released. Have you ever considered enrolling in Jipsdale University?¡± Winston was bbergasted at his words. What? What¡¯s going on here? The chancellor of Jipsdale University is now in the Tanner residence to recruit Sophie in person? She must¡¯ve done really well on the exam, then! Josiah was overjoyed when he heard Christopher¡¯s words as well. I knew it! Sophie is a genius! She would never let me down. Sophie begin, ¡°I might¡ª¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have to give me an answer right away, Sophie. I will grant you the freedom to pick any course you like if you join Jipsdale University. I¡¯m sure you¡¯re well aware of Jipsdale University¡¯s standing here in Chanaea, right? Well? What do you think of this arrangement?¡± Christopher interrupted. He was really worried that she would choose some other university. Winston¡¯s jaw dropped in shock. She gets to pick any course of study she wants? Isn¡¯t that going a little too far? ¡°Will you please help me out here, Mr. Tristan?¡± Since Christopher and Tristan had known each other for a long time, the former was hoping that he would lend a hand. ¡°Mr. Tristan?¡± Winston muttered. Is Mr. Olsen referring to the legendary Mr. Tristan, the man we¡¯ve heard rumors about, but none of us have ever seen in person? Oh, my goodness! I can¡¯t believe I said all those horrible things in front of him earlier! Winston was losing his mind as he slowly realized what was going on. Willow, however, was displeased when she saw him freaking out. N?velDrama.Org: owner of this content. What¡¯s wrong with him? He came here in the first ce because my fianc¨¦ is yton, didn¡¯t he? Why is he getting so worked up after finding out that Sophie is dating Mr. Tristan? What¡¯s so great about that? Sophie is an insignificant person to Mr. Tristan! He¡¯ll dump her as soon as he gets tired of toying with her, and she¡¯ll be a nobody. ¡°Sorry, but my words do not hold weight before my girlfriend. In our rtionship, she¡¯s the one who calls the shots,¡± Tristan replied smilingly. Both Sophie and Christopher felt speechless when they heard that. The chancellor, especially, was annoyed. What the heck is going on with this brat? Does he have to react like that when all I did was ask him for a small favor? Winston kept quiet as he thought about how he would make up for his rude behavior earlier. ¡°I¡¯m serious, Sophie. Jipsdale University is the best university in all of Chanaea. You won¡¯t regret choosing to join us!¡± Christopher dered confidently. ¡°Jipsdale University is the best in Chanaea? Says who? Have you forgotten about Capston University?¡± said Joseph Newman, the chancellor of Capston University, as he showed up with a few of his vice- chancellors. They, too, were eager to recruit talented students like Sophie into their university, which ranked first in the country. Other universities wanted to recruit her as well, but s, they were no match for the two universities. Christopher let out a huge sigh when he saw his rival. ¡°What the heck is your problem? Why are you following me everywhere I go? Do you find it fun?¡± he eximed in exasperation. Winston was utterly dumbstruck at that point. The chancellors of the two most prestigious universities in Chanaea are here in person? I never thought something like this was possible! Just how high is Sophie¡¯s score on the university entrance exam? ¡°I did not follow you here!¡± Joseph immediately retorted. Turning to Sophie, he said, ¡°Sophie, I arrived a littlete because I was still in Anndur when I received the news, but I came over right away! I hope this shows my sincerity in inviting you to join Capston University.¡± The youngdy darted a nce between the two chancellors. In truth, she was not too happy about the situation at hand. ¡°Why would you twoe all the way to my house? I need some more time to consider which university to attend, so please head back for now!¡± ¡°Mr. Olsen, Mr. Newman, Sophie¡¯s score is hidden, right? Just how did she do in the exam?¡± Josiah was more concerned about that matter. ¡°Oh, Sophie¡¯s amazing! With a score of seven hundred forty-nine, she has the highest score among all the candidates for the past and current university entrance exams! The only subject she didn¡¯t get a full score for was Chanaean. The examiner was a perfectionist and decided to deduct one mark from her paper,¡± Christopher replied. He was clearly dissatisfied with the examiner¡¯s decision as he believed Sophie¡¯s answers deserved a perfect score. Yale was frozen in shock. Even Caleb didn¡¯t score that high when he took the university entrance exam! Sophie truly is a genius! I can¡¯t believe I looked down on her before! I really regret my past actions! Josiah beamed with pride and satisfaction, which was something he had not done in a very long time. ¡°As expected of my granddaughter!¡± he eximed proudly. ¡°Yeah, Sophie is the most talented student I have ever seen! With the exception of Chanaean, she got perfect scores in every other subject! This is the first time I¡¯ve seen a student perform so well on the university entrance exam!¡± Christopher agreed. Josiah¡¯s eyes were sparkling with delight. ¡°I knew Sophie would never let me down!¡± ¡°You can rest easy knowing that the Tanner family is in good hands, Old Mr. Tanner.¡± The Tanner family could entrust Sophie with Tanner Group in the future. ¡°You shoulde to Capston University, Sophie! I¡¯ll let you pick any course of study you prefer if you join us!¡± Joseph expressed his stance as well. Since he was only a littlete to the party, he had no intention of backing down without a fight. With high stakes riding on Sophie¡¯s decision, he had to give it his all to persuade her. As Sophie had yet to make up her mind on which university to enroll in, she said, ¡°I acknowledge the offers that you are both making, and I will consider them thoroughly.¡± ¡°Well, I think you two should head back first, Mr. Olsen and Mr. Newman,¡± Tristan piped up. He, too, felt they were overstaying their wee. ¡°All right. I¡¯ll be taking my leave now. Don¡¯t put pressure on yourself. You won¡¯t go wrong with choosing Jipsdale University. Perhaps you could visit our campus to get a better idea of what it¡¯s like over there. I assure you¡ªthe environment at our university is first ss!¡± Christopher implored on his way out. ¡°You have to consider Capston University, Sophie! If you choose to attend our university, I¡¯ll let you stay in the condominium for doctoral students! That way, you can focus on research wholly!¡± Joseph, too, continued his attempt to win Sophie over. ¡°I¡¯ll buy you a house!¡± Christopher was going all out in order topete against Joseph in getting talents to Jipsdale University. ¡°Mr. Olsen¡­¡± The vice-chancellor standing next to him was utterly dumbfounded. I admit that Sophie is an incredibly talented individual and all, but there¡¯s no need to go that far for her! A house in Jipsdale would cost a bomb! Only professors at Jipsdale University are entitled to receive such benefits! ¡°I mean what I said, Sophie. Please think long and hard about this. Anyway, we¡¯ll get going now. Let¡¯s have a meal together sometime!¡± Chapter 428 Chapter 428 The chancellors of the two most prestigious universities in the country were considered bigwigs, yet they had gone out of their way topete for Sophie. Josiah looked at Yale and instructed, ¡°Yale, see Mr. Olsen and Mr. Newman off.¡± Thetter nodded and walked the two chancellors out the front door. Back in the house, Josiah was thrilled. ¡°You did a great job, Soph! Let me know what you want as a reward, and I¡¯ll be sure to get it for you!¡± he promised with a huge smile on his face. I¡¯ve always known that Sophie is very talented, but I never thought she¡¯d be this amazing! Property ? N?velDrama.Org. ¡°I don¡¯t need anything right now, Grandpa. All I want is for you to take good care of your health.¡± That was probably the best gift Sophie could ever ask for. ¡°No, Sophie. You¡¯re the pride of the Tanner family, so I must treat you to something!¡± Josiah insisted. This calls for a celebration! I can¡¯t just sit by and do nothing! Willow did not take too kindly to how everyone seemed to be making a fuss over Sophie. Why is Sophie getting all the good stuff in life? I¡¯m engaged to yton now, yet it still couldn¡¯t change a thing! With that in mind, she went upstairs quietly. At that moment, she could not bear to stick around and witness Sophie¡¯s glory. Unbeknownst to everyone, Willow wished Sophie would flunk the exam. However, what happened was the exact opposite. Charmaine felt a little worried when she saw Willow¡¯s response, so she followed her up the stairs. ¡°Wi, why did you walk away when we¡¯re about to go celebrate? Your grandpa won¡¯t be happy if you leave just like this.¡± Willow turned around and said, ¡°I¡¯m the one who isn¡¯t happy right now, Mom. I couldn¡¯t care less what everyone else feels!¡± Her voice was not soft. ¡°You can¡¯t behave like this, Willow. Regardless of what you feel, Sophie is still your younger sister. Her excellent performance in the university entrance exam will bring great pride to the Tanner family. Who knows, she might even be able to help you out someday!¡± In Charmaine¡¯s opinion, there was no need to make things ugly. ¡°Her sess has nothing to do with mine. She will never help me!¡± Sophie has never shown me respect, and that didn¡¯t change when we were at Nocturnal the other day. Charmaine shook her head and said in resignation, ¡°Forget it. Nothing I say is going to change your mind. Just remember not to make an enemy of Sophie.¡± She, too, had recently realized that nothing good woulde out of messing with Sophie. Unable to stand talking about Sophie any longer, Willow went upstairs without saying another word. Is Sophie really that amazing? I don¡¯t think so! She just got a little lucky, that¡¯s all! There¡¯s nothing impressive about that. As for Charmaine, she went back downstairs to carry on celebrating Sophie¡¯s sess with the rest of the family. ¡°Grandpa, if there¡¯s nothing else to do here, I¡¯ll get going now as I need to head over to schoolter in the afternoon,¡± Sophie voiced. Josiah was ted. ¡°All right, go do what you have to do. You¡¯ll definitely be a sessful person in the future!¡± Tristan was still following her around after they left the Tanner residence. ¡°Hey, didn¡¯t I tell you to head to Lombard Group?¡± Sophie asked, wondering why he was still staying by her side. ¡°It¡¯s fine. I¡¯ll drop you off at school,¡± Tristan replied. ¡°In that case, let¡¯s pick Ysabelle up at TS Entertainment before heading over.¡± ¡°No need for that. Felix is already on the way to pick her up.¡± The man in question had been putting in a lot of effort to pursue Ysabelletely, but nothing seemed to be working. ¡°All right. We¡¯ll go straight to school, then,¡± Sophie said at the end. When Tristan dropped her off at the front gate of Jipsdale Premier High, sure enough, he saw Felix¡¯s car parked by the side. Apparently, Felix had arrived with Ysabelle quite some time ago, and they had been waiting for Sophie outside. It was only when Ysabelle spotted Tristan¡¯s car that she got out of Felix¡¯s vehicle to meet with Sophie. ¡°Come on, Sophie! It¡¯s about time.¡± ¡°Okay!¡± Sophie replied as she got out of the car. ¡°You boys can head on back. Our ss is having an event tonight, so you don¡¯t need to pick us up from school.¡± Their ssmates decided to have a gathering before everyone went their separate ways in life. After all, they had been studying together for a long time. ¡°Is it a gathering?¡± Felix asked with a frown. I don¡¯t really like gatherings such as this¡­ Couples tend to get broken up during the event. ¡°Yeah, Bobby said we should have a gathering before we all part ways,¡± Ysabelle replied, finding it perfectly normal. ¡°Oh, I see. Can Ie along?¡± Felix asked because he remembered that some of the boys in their ss had a crush on her. A gathering that acted as a farewell party was a perfect opportunity for them to confess their feelings to her. He would not let them have a chance to do so. Ysabelle stared at him in disbelief. ¡°Felix, this is a gathering for our ssmates. You don¡¯t know any of them, so why would you want to join?¡± ¡°I know you and Sophie. Isn¡¯t that good enough?¡± Felix did not think it was necessary for him to know everyone else. ¡°I don¡¯t think you shoulde along. We¡¯re all students here. It¡¯ll be awkward for us to have a working adult around.¡± Ysabelle¡¯s remark rendered him speechless. ¡°What are you nning on doing at the gathering, Ysabelle? Why won¡¯t you let mee with you?¡± ¡°What do you mean by that?¡± she asked in puzzlement. What else could I possibly do? ¡°Be honest with me. Is there someone you like? Are you nning on confessing your feelings to him at the gathering?¡± Ysabelle red at him. ¡°What does that have to do with you? Who I like and when I decide to confess my feelings are none of your business. Stay out of it.¡± Unable to stand how noisy they were being, Tristan chided, ¡°That¡¯s enough, you two!¡± The two of them fell silent instantly. ¡°They¡¯re both adults now. They can make their own decisions in life,¡± Tristan added. It was pointless for Felix to try to control Ysabelle. Since neither of them was on his side, Felix did not feel like saying another word. ¡°Don¡¯t worry; I won¡¯t let anyone take advantage of her!¡± Sophie reassured him when she saw how worried he looked. Felix nodded and said in resignation, ¡°All right. Thanks, Sophie.¡± Sophie simply shed him a meaningful smile in response. ¡°Just ignore him, Sophie! Come on, let¡¯s go!¡± Ysabelle then dragged Sophie into the school while Felix stood there gloomily. Still feeling worried, he asked, ¡°Mr. Tristan, aren¡¯t you worried about this at all? Sophie is really pretty, after all!¡± He figured things would be different if Tristan attended the gathering with him. ¡°Why would I be worried? I know she won¡¯t settle for average guys,¡± Tristan replied calmly. Felix let out a helpless sigh as he realized he was the only one feeling worried. Tristanforted him by saying, ¡°Come on, quit sulking. Ysabelle will eventually be yours if you two are fated to be together.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t know you believed in fate, Mr. Tristan.¡± ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t I?¡± Tristan questioned in return. He believed it was fate that allowed him to meet Sophie in life. ¡°I thought you always believed in hard work instead.¡± ¡°Of course, I also believe that hard work is also required.¡± Sophie and I wouldn¡¯t have gotten this far if it weren¡¯t for me putting in all that effort. ¡°Exactly. That¡¯s why I have to continue working hard.¡± ¡°That doesn¡¯t make it okay for you to attend a gathering for students!¡± Tristanmented bluntly. ¡°I can¡¯t help it! I¡¯m worried about her!¡± Felix protested. He, too, did not want to attend a gathering in which he would not fit in, but he did not know what else he could do. Chapter 429 Chapter 429 ¡°Stop worrying. Nothing happened between you and Ysabelle yet, right?¡± ¡°I¡¯m worried precisely because nothing happened,¡± Felix said. You won¡¯t feel anxious because you¡¯ve confirmed your rtionship, but my situation is different! ¡°Okay! I admit I¡¯m pushing a bit too hard, but I¡¯m running out of ideas! Ysabelle is such a ditz! How can she not notice my feelings when I¡¯ve been so nice to her?¡± ¡°Because you have a foul mouth!¡± Although he was indeed nice to Ysabelle, how he spoke to her was also very infuriating. Words eluded Felix. I suppose he¡¯s right¡­ Is it because of my foul mouth that I ran into such a problem? ¡°Reflect on yourself! Don¡¯t me others for your problems. Since there¡¯s an issue, it must be because of how you handled things.¡± Felix felt a little dejected. However, it sure seemed that he was part of the problem, for he didn¡¯t tell Ysabelle directly that he liked her and even teased her constantly. His behavior was, indeed, not quite well-received. Sophie and Ysabelle arrived at Senior ss 8. Their ssmates were all curious as to how much she had scored. ¡°Sophie, what are your scores?¡± ¡°749.¡± She gave a direct reply when her ssmates asked, for she saw no reason to hide it. ¡°D*mn, Sophie! You¡¯re insane! You scored 749, which means you got full marks for three of the subjects!¡± Is she even human at all? The questions this time aren¡¯t that easy! Most of them are incredibly difficult! Yet, she still managed to earn such a high score! ¡°Does that mean you¡¯re the highest achiever in Jipsdale for this year¡¯s university entrance exam?¡± They didn¡¯t think anybody would be capable of getting full marks. ¡°Maybe.¡± ¡°Which university are you going to enroll in?¡± It was about time for them toe up with a decision, so her ssmates assumed that she must¡¯ve already made up her mind. ¡°I¡¯m not sure.¡± ¡°She would have her pick of universities. I heard that the chancellors of Jipsdale University and Capston University had both paid visits to her home!¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Sophie, you really are the ace in Senior ss 8!¡± Although they had had some disagreements, those no longer mattered, considering their impending graduation. ¡°Yeah! Hasn¡¯t Senior ss 1 always been cocky? With the ace in our ss now, I bet they can no longer afford to boast!¡± N?velDrama.Org: owner of this content. ¡°How did everyone do?¡± Ysabelle was also concerned about her ssmates. ¡°Not bad. Our ss did brilliantly!¡± ¡°Indeed! Our ss has achieved so much ever since Sophie¡¯s arrival! If it hadn¡¯t been for you, I wouldn¡¯t have been able to score so highly!¡± For a moment, the students from Senior ss 8 all got emotional. Their homeroom teacher arrived with a radiant smile. After all, that batch of students had gotten the best results out of all the students he had taught. He was happy for them from the bottom of his heart. Although attending university wasn¡¯t the only option for their future, the scores they obtained meant their hard work during the past three years was worthwhile, regardless of their future ns. ¡°You will be going your separate ways from now on. I wish all of you will be able to pursue the things you¡¯re passionate about!¡± That was his one true wish. As the homeroom teacher spoke, tears rolled down his cheeks uncontrobly. ¡°Oops, I¡¯ve got sand in my eye!¡± ¡°Haha!¡± Initially, they were all feeling rather mncholic, but his humor livened up the atmosphere once again. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Teach! A lot of us will be staying in Jipsdale. We¡¯ll visit you!¡± ¡°Yeah! You¡¯re the best homeroom teacher I¡¯ve ever had! We¡¯ll never forget about you!¡± After that, someone tucked a flower bouquet into Sophie¡¯s arms. ¡°Sophie, give this bouquet to our homeroom teacher on our behalf!¡± Sophie stood up. She agreed that they had a great homeroom teacher. To him, no mistake was so grave as to be unforgivable. No matter what his students did, they would be offered a second chance. He seemed to never run out of patience. Sophie approached him with the flowers in her hand. ¡°Teach, your next batch of students will be even better!¡± said Sophie cheerfully. The teacher took the flowers from Sophie. ¡°You¡¯re the most outstanding student that I ever had, Sophie! You have a bright future ahead of you. Be of use to society in theing years.¡± Many wouldmit crimes with the knowledge they possessed despite their academic prowess. Thus, his only wish was for her to make good use of her expertise and benefit humanity instead of stirring up ruckuses. After all, there was a fine line between being a genius and a madwoman. Sophie let out a chuckle. ¡°You have nothing to worry about! I won¡¯t do anything illegal.¡± She figured that should be every teacher¡¯s wish for their students. ¡°Yeah. That would be great. To be honest, you¡¯re my pride even though I haven¡¯t taught you for a long time.¡± ¡°You¡¯re our pride too, Teach.¡± All of a sudden, many of the students from Senior ss 8 cried. Even Ysabelle was bawling her eyes out. Truth be told, they really did have the best homeroom teacher. ¡°Okay, stop crying, guys. Just remember to visit me. You don¡¯t need to bring any presents. Just a visit would suffice.¡± As Willow walked past Senior ss 8 and noticed how dazzling Sophie seemed while being surrounded by her ssmates, the former felt shameful and inferior whenpared to Sophie. After all, Willow used to be the center of attention. At that point, however, she had be dull and inconspicuous. ¡°Hey, isn¡¯t that Willow? What happened? She got so arrogant after being engaged to yton and also did poorly in her university entrance exams!¡± ¡°Yeah. She thought she could rely on men when they were the flimsiest ones! Hey, Willow, we¡¯re from the same school, after all. So, we want to know what you were thinking when you got engaged to yton, who is in a dire situation himself. What exactly are you after?¡± The media had made a big ssh out of Willow and yton¡¯s engagement, so eighty percent of the students in Jipsdale Premier High were aware of it. ¡°First, it was Mason. Then, it¡¯s yton. It¡¯s obvious that her goal is to marry into a rich family!¡± The students from Senior ss 8 truly despised Willow. Her arrogance was loathed by many. Willow didn¡¯t say a word after sweeping a nce at them. At that point, she no longer enjoyed the same status in Jipsdale Premier High as before. ¡°I have something to talk to you about, Sophie.¡± Willow¡¯s remark was directed at Sophie, who was in the ssroom. ¡°I don¡¯t understand, Willow. Do you think it¡¯s fun to always find fault with Sophie?¡± Ysabelle was befuddled. ¡°I¡¯m not here to find fault with her. Besides, I¡¯m her sister! What I do has nothing to do with you!¡± Willow retorted. Ysabelle is the outsider among us. What right does she have to act all superior? ¡°Of course it has something to do with me! I¡¯m involved in everything that¡¯s got to do with Sophie.¡± Ysabelle was persistent. ¡°That¡¯s enough, Willow. I won¡¯t agree to anything you want to ask from me.¡± Sophie didn¡¯t want them to argue, so she gave a straightforward answer. Chapter 430 Chapter 430 If this had happened in the past, Willow would have immediately thrown a tantrum. However, upon recalling yton¡¯s request, she dared not lose her temper. At that moment, her anger boiled over, but in order to continue being with yton, she had no choice but to please Sophie. ¡°Sophie, I really have something important that I need to talk to you about.¡± Everyone began whispering among themselves when they saw Willow behaving in a self-abasing manner. ¡°Sophie, just ignore her. She must have some ulterior motives,¡± Ysabelle dered. ¡°Yeah! She¡¯s always acted like a condescending princess. This is the first time I¡¯ve seen her like this.¡± ¡°A princess? Bullsh*t! She must have a severe case of princess syndrome!¡±! ¡± Willow¡¯s expression soured when she heard how the students of Senior ss 8 ridiculed her. How can they say that about me? Very well. I¡¯ll let it slide for now. When I be yton¡¯s wife, I¡¯ll make sure to teach them a lesson they won¡¯t forget. I will trample on their dignity someday in the future. ¡°Soph, I truly don¡¯t harbor any ill intention. As you know, I¡¯m always concerned about you, but I¡¯m just bad at expressing it. No matter what happens, we¡¯re sisters after all.¡± Willow managed to lie through her teeth without batting an eysh. ¡°What do you want? Stop beating around the bush already!¡± What exactly is on her mind? Why can¡¯t she just cut to the chase? ¡°I¡ª¡± All of a sudden, Willow truly had no idea how to get into Sophie¡¯s good books. ¡°I think there¡¯s been a misunderstanding between us.¡± ¡°A misunderstanding? What¡¯s there to misunderstand? Can you swear that you¡¯ve never tried to harm me?¡± It had happened in the past, and since it was such a long time ago and Sophie was not someone who quibbled over every little thing, she had not sought to settle the score with Willow. So why is she whining about it now? Willow was rendered speechless. ¡°Sophie, I¡¯ve never tried to hurt you. It truly was a misunderstanding!¡± Willow pleaded. Caught between a rock and a hard ce, that was the only thing she could say. When the others saw how shameless Willow was acting, they didn¡¯t know what to say. ¡°How can you be so shameless? I swear you¡¯re the most shameless person I¡¯ve ever met.¡± Ysabelle was pissed. I bet she wants something from Sophie, or she¡¯ll never act like that! ¡°Okay, okay! You should just leave, Willow.¡± The students of Senior ss 8 could no longer bear to watch the scene. Willow may have forgotten the things she had done, but Sophie¡¯s ssmates remembered them clearly. Seeing how Sophie waspletely ignoring her, Willow was at a loss for what to do. ¡°Let¡¯s talk next time,¡± she murmured. ¡°Get lost!¡± The students from Senior ss 8 no longer wanted to entertain Willow. ¡°Sophie, can you help me decide which academy I should choose? My score is low!¡± When the students of Senior ss 8 knew that Sophie excelled at information technology, they requested her help to analyze their test results in order to determine the best university for them to apply to. Sophie was good at data analysis. In just mere moments, she provided her ssmates with a list of applicable universities. By the time they left school to attend a gathering, it was around six o¡¯clock in the evening. Sophie received a phone call from Tristan on the way there. ¡°Don¡¯t eat spicy foods and watch out for your stomach,¡± Tristan reminded her worriedly. ¡°Mr. Tristan, I¡¯m a capable adult. Don¡¯t worry. Moreover, the ce we¡¯re going for the gathering is hygienic.¡± ¡°Okay, I get it. I¡¯ve always known that you¡¯re an independent person, but I just can¡¯t help worrying about you.¡± Tristan could not control himself either. He often found himself thinking about her and having the urge to call her. At the same time, he couldn¡¯t stop being concerned about her well-being. ¡°Call me when you¡¯re finished. I¡¯ll go pick you up.¡± ¡°No, you don¡¯t have to! It will be prettyte by the time we finish. Also, we¡¯ll probably head somece else after the gathering.¡± After all, it¡¯s thest time we¡¯re together as a ss. Though she wasn¡¯t that interested, she must still attend because Ysabelle had been looking forward to it. ¡°I¡¯m at Wisteria Apartments and not too busy at the moment. Just call me when it ends. It¡¯s not safe for the two of you to return home on your own.¡± Not safe? Am I just a weak little girl in his eyes? Did he forget that I¡¯ve once defeated mercenaries in a fight? ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Did I say something wrong?¡± Tristan ventured cautiously when Sophie did not reply. ¡°Nothing. But I do feel like you don¡¯t know me at all, or perhaps, you only know me superficially.¡± Perhaps the Sophie he was in love with was someone he had made up in his mind. ¡°What do you mean by that?¡± Tristan was flustered. ¡°Nothing much. Okay, we¡¯ve reached the ce. I have to hang up now. Talk to youter.¡± Ysabelle had already alighted from the vehicle and was already waiting for her outside. Tristan lost his cool when he heard the beeping of the phone. Don¡¯t know her? What does that mean? Felix was also at Wisteria Apartments at that moment. He had insisted on following Tristan because he assumed that thetter was going to see Sophie, and he wanted to tag along. ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Mr. Tristan?¡± asked Felix in confusion when he saw the look on Tristan¡¯s face. ¡°Sophie said that I don¡¯t truly know her.¡± ¡°Huh? Did you guys fight?¡± Why would she say something like that otherwise? ¡°No,¡± Tristan replied. He had always devised strategies and navigated difficult matters with ease, but when it came to matters rted to Sophie, he often found himself at a loss. Property ? N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Don¡¯t worry too much about it, Mr. Tristan. You can ask her about it when she returns. A girl¡¯s thoughts are often hard to discern.¡± That¡¯s just how girls are. Tristan remained silent. What did I do? Have I done something to annoy her? Felix could only shake his head upon seeing how perplexed Tristan was. Even an almighty man like Tristan had been reduced to this state when it came to the girl he was in love with. Other people would only have it worse. Love was indeed something powerful enough to make one lose oneself. The gathering was held at a famous BBQ restaurant in Jipsdale. By the time the two girls arrived, everyone else was already there. Everyone found a spot to sit. When the homeroom teacher saw Sophie and Ysabelle, he waved at them. ¡°Sophie, Ysabelle, get over here! I¡¯m so bored all by myself.¡± As their homeroom teacher, he also attended the gathering. However, none of the students sat with him. Ysabelle shook her head. ¡°Teach,e on, please spare us!¡± ¡°What do you mean by that? I¡¯m harmless! Why won¡¯t the two of you sit with me? I knew it. I shouldn¡¯t havee.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not true! Teach, don¡¯t overthink it. We love you!¡± Ysabelle eximed. Sophie sat down next to the homeroom teacher. It was only a casual meal, so it did not matter where she sat. We can¡¯t let Teach sit all alone! That¡¯s so cruel. Chapter 431 Chapter 431 Since Sophie had taken her seat, Ysabelle sat down as well. A few ssmates who were close to Ysabelle also came over and joined them. ¡°As expected, you guys are shunning an old fogey like me, right?¡± said the homeroom teacher unhappily. ¡°What are you talking about, Teach? You¡¯re not old at all. By the way, I heard you¡¯re not married yet. Do you want me to introduce a girl to you?¡± one of the girls asked. ¡°Sure. Introduce one to me, please,¡± the homeroom teacher replied jokingly. ¡°Hmm¡­ Let me think about what kind of girl is worthy of you.¡± Teach is so humorous and delightful! He deserves a wonderful girlfriend. Everyone continued to eat as they chatted away. The atmosphere was incredibly harmonious. Since they had graduated, all the guys imbibed alcohol during the gathering. Momentster, one of the guys approached Sophie with two bottles of beer and handed one over to her. ¡°Hi, Sophie. I¡¯m Gregory, who¡¯s been sitting on your right in ss.¡± Sophie recognized the tall and burly guy, Gregory Chambers, and took the beer. I remember him. He did not excel academically but was good at sports. ¡°I¡¯ve fallen in love with you since the first day you came to our ss,¡± Gregory blurted out tantly. Since we won¡¯t get to see each other as much in the future, I must seize the opportunity to confess my love for Sophie today. ¡°I see.¡± With a fork, Sophie casually opened the beer bottle in her hand and clinked Gregory¡¯s. N?velDrama.Org: owner of this content. ¡°Thank you for that.¡± She did not know what to say to him besides that. Sophie then chugged the whole bottle of beer in one go. Gregory was dumbfounded when he saw that. What an aggressive girl! Since she has finished her bottle, I should finish mine as well. ¡°I know it¡¯s not possible for us to get together, but since we have graduated now, I want to express my true feelings and move on with my life after this,¡± Gregory added. Or else, it¡¯s going to be painful if I keep this one-sided love in my heart for the rest of my life. It¡¯s good that he¡¯d think that way. Sophie disliked being pestered by someone, and neither did Tristan. Therefore, Sophie appreciated Gregory¡¯s decision to let go after expressing his feelings. However, someone took a video of the scene and sent it to Willow. Willow felt irritated after watching the video. Sophie just won¡¯t stop seducing others no matter where she goes. But now that I have this video in my possession, maybe I should use it as a bargaining chip and have a talk with her. After eating, the students of Senior ss 8 went to the karaoke lounge. The ce was basically Ysabelle¡¯s home ground. Since she loved singing, she sang almost the whole time while the other ssmates listened. They didn¡¯t have any problem with that, for her voice was melodious. ¡°All of you better cherish this opportunity. Ysabelle is making a debut soon. By then, you guys will have to pay if you want to listen to her singing.¡± ¡°Ysabelle, can you give me your autograph after this? I¡¯m going to make money with it when you be popr,¡± someone said jokingly. ¡°Sure. I¡¯ll give you dozens of autographs so that you won¡¯t starve to death when you fail to earn a living in the future,¡± Ysabelle joked. ¡°Hey, Sophie. I¡¯ve never heard you sing before. Since it¡¯s such a happy asion today, why don¡¯t you sing a song for us?¡± They bore no ill intention and merely wanted to hear Sophie sing. ¡°Hey! Don¡¯t give Sophie a hard time.¡± Gregory quickly defended Sophie. ¡°What are you talking about, Gregory? We only want to hear her sing. How is that giving her a hard time?¡± said one of the students. He¡¯s so shameless! Sophie has just rejected him, and he¡¯s already defending her now. ¡°Sophie, sing us a song!¡± said the homeroom teacher. Sophie is a multitalented person. Although I have never heard her sing before, my instinct tells me she can sing pretty well. ¡°Come on, Sophie. Show them what you¡¯ve got!¡± With that, Ysabelle quickly picked one of The Wheelers¡¯ most famous songs. Though the song was famous, it was rarely picked in the karaoke lounge due to the genre of the music. Rock music was typically difficult to sing, and that particr song was exceptionally challenging to the vocal. With a slight mistake in vocal technique, the singer¡¯s voice would sound gruff and unpleasant. ¡°Ysabelle, aren¡¯t you Sophie¡¯s best friend? How can you set her up like this toplement yourself?¡± someone questioned. The song was too challenging and would be a disaster for inexperienced singers. ¡°What are you talking about? You don¡¯t believe in Sophie, do you?¡± Ysabelle knew her ssmates put it that way because none of them knew Sophie was the person who wrote the song. If they knew the truth, they wouldn¡¯t have said that. ¡°Soph, here. Take the mic.¡± Ysabelle directly passed the microphone to Sophie. In order to not embarrass Ysabelle, Sophie parted her lips to sing. The room immediately plunged into pin-drop silence. Oh, dear! I can¡¯t believe a top student like Sophie is actually multitalented and can even sing rock music so well. Her cover is definitelyparable to the original song. Meanwhile, the homeroom teacher smiled. Just as he had expected, Sophie was a multi-talented person. She could do well in anything, be it in academics or some other aspect. How can there be such a perfect person in this world? She¡¯s so perfect that she makes people around her envious. Excited, the guys sang along with Sophie. Soon, it was as if everyone in the private room formed an impromptu choir group. A few minutester, the song came to an end. Ysabelle handed a bottle of water to Sophie. ¡°Sophie, I know you sang for my sake. Aww! I¡¯ve always known you¡¯re the nicest to me,¡± Ysabelle quickly buttered her friend up. ¡°That¡¯s enough. Stop ttering me, and don¡¯t ask me to sing again.¡± ¡°Why? You sing well,¡± asked Ysabelle. If she were to make a debut, she would definitely be exceedingly popr. She¡¯s charming, intelligent, talented, and attractive. A perfect girl like her wouldn¡¯t even need a public persona to conceal her shorings, for she doesn¡¯t have any. ¡°Also, haven¡¯t you been preparing for the concert? It¡¯s a good opportunity for you to make your debut!¡± Ysabelle could not understand why Sophie refused to do so since thetter was obviously talented. ¡°This concert is to fulfill everyone¡¯s dream. I¡¯m still my old self once everythinges to an end,¡± Sophie insisted. Ysabelle was somehow disappointed to hear that. What a pity. ¡°The entertainment industry isn¡¯t that scary. You can alwayse and have fun when you¡¯re free.¡± ¡°Have fun yourself, and don¡¯t worry about me.¡± Sophie was clear with her purpose in life and already had her own ns. Subsequently, the guys continued drinking while the girls sang and yed games. Ysabelle was in a bit of a daze when a guy suddenly confessed his love for her. She had always hoped someone would fall in love with her and confess his love for her, but when it actually happened, she did not feel as excited as she thought she would be. The look of confusion on Ysabelle¡¯s face made Sophie chuckle. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Haven¡¯t you always longed to be in a rtionship? What¡¯s with that expression?¡± Sophie could tell that Ysabelle had fallen for Felix. It was just that Ysabelle herself had yet to realize her own feelings. Chapter 432 Chapter 432 ¡°I don¡¯t know what¡¯s happening to me. Perhaps he¡¯s not my type.¡± That¡¯s the only usible exnation, isn¡¯t it? I¡¯ve always wanted to fall in love. The fact that no one likes me bothers me, but I still have my own standard. I won¡¯t date someone just because they said they like me. Sophie did not intend to point out the fact that Ysabelle had feelings for Felix. After all, love was a process which happened gradually. Thus, it was important for Ysabelle to slowly explore and experience all the wonders of being in love. ¡°That¡¯s enough. Let¡¯s not talk about this anymore. I¡¯m sure there will be many good-looking men at the university. When the timees, I¡¯ll date the most handsome one.¡± Since she was a sucker for good looks, she had a certain standard when it came to a man¡¯s physical appearance. Apparently, the guy who proposed to her just then did not reach her standard. ¡°You¡¯re right. There must be a lot of handsome men in the university. You can take your own sweet time to choose one for yourself.¡± Ysabelle fell silent all of a sudden. I don¡¯t understand. What¡¯s with this empty feeling in my heart? Moreover, why does Felix appear in my mind? For the rest of the evening, Ysabelle was particrly quiet. She merely sat next to Sophie without saying a word and was even quieter than thetter. After the teacher left, the students got increasingly unrestrained. One of them even suggested ying the game ¡°Truth or Dare.¡± When one of the guys lost, the others messed around and urged him to give Sophie a hug. The guy took one look at her and shook his head. ¡°Forget it. I don¡¯t want to die.¡± Sophie was a quiet and reserved youngdy, but the look in her eyes was sometimes frightening even to a guy. ¡°Why are you such a coward? It¡¯s ourst day together as a ss and this is a good opportunity. You won¡¯t get a chance like this in the future.¡± Nevertheless, the guy still chose to chug all the beer on the table as a punishment. When ites to choosing between a beautiful woman and my life, thetter is obviously more important! ¡°This is boring, Ysabelle. Let¡¯s go back,¡± Sophie suggested. If we don¡¯t go back soon, Tristan and Felix would be worried. I¡¯m sure they¡¯re waiting for us to return. ¡°Okay.¡± Ever since the guy confessed his love for her, Ysabelle had been in low spirits. There was also an inexplicable hollowness in her heart. No longer in the mood to have any fun, she had been wanting to go home, so she immediately got up when she heard Sophie¡¯s words. ¡°You guys go ahead. We¡¯re going home.¡± ¡°This is ourst gathering together, Ysabelle. Why are you leaving early? The university entrance exam is over anyway. What else could you be busy with?¡± ¡°My family is strict. I have a curfew,¡± exined Ysabelle with a half-hearted lie. Some of them began guilt-tripping her. ¡°Are you looking down on us?¡± Ysabelle was irritated. This is just a ss gathering. I can leave whenever I want. ¡°Don¡¯t guilt-trip her,¡± warned Sophie, while Ysabelle remained silent. She was not in the mood to entertain the guy who talked. ¡°You¡ª¡± He wanted to say something else, but Sophie¡¯s frosty re was enough to stop him from talking. Bobby immediately tried to smooth things over. ¡°Yousuf, what are you doing? We are all ssmates. Don¡¯t give them a hard time.¡± The guy who upset Ysabelle, Yousuf Bacani, merely snorted. ¡°Don¡¯t mind him, Sophie,¡± Bobby immediately said. Without saying anything, Sophie left the ce with Ysabelle. I can leave anytime I want. There¡¯s nothing they can do about it. ¡°Let¡¯s go together, Sophie,¡± one of the girls said. A few other girls got to their feet as well. Even though the university entrance exam was over, they didn¡¯t want to loosen up too much, lest their family would get worried. A few of the other guys stood up and suggested, ¡°Bobby, it¡¯s reallyte. I think we should all leave.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll send them home, Bobby. You guys can continue with the game,¡± said one of the guys. It¡¯s boring staying here anyway. Yousuf was slightly irritated when he saw that everyone else was about to leave. ¡°What¡¯s with you guys? Why are you all leaving?¡± ¡°Nothing. It¡¯s justte, so it¡¯s time for us to go home.¡± They ignored him and left with Sophie and Ysabelle. All of a sudden, he was the only one left in the karaoke lounge. ¡°What the h*ll? What¡¯s their problem?¡± Yousuf was frustrated. Nheless, it was pointless for him toin, for everyone had already left the room. After they stepped out of the building, a few of the guys volunteered to send Sophie and Ysabelle home. ¡°We¡¯ll send the two of you home. It¡¯s dangerous for two beautifuldies to go home alone.¡± Verily, dangers were lurking at every corner for two young and beautiful girls at that time of night. ¡°No, it¡¯s fine,¡± Sophie rejected. ¡°Sophie, we¡¯re ssmates. You don¡¯t have to be courteous to us. We¡¯re happy to send you home.¡± ¡°Someone¡¯s here to pick us up,¡± she said while pointing at a car that was parked at the side. Have Tristan and Felix been waiting outside the entire time? We didn¡¯t call them. Why are they already here when we came out of the building? N?velDrama.Org: owner of this content. The guys could only shrug after taking a look at the luxury car Sophie was referring to. Though they came from rich families too, one mere nce at that car was all it took for them to know better than to offend the owner of the car. Sophie was beautiful, but they weren¡¯t going to provoke some big shot because of her. Subsequently, Sophie ignored them and went over to open the car door with Ysabelle. ¡°How was it? Was it fun?¡± Tristan and Felix were worried about them, so they arrived early. As expected, we made the right decision to be here. Look at those boys. They¡¯re all over Sophie. ¡°It was quite boring.¡± Sophie was a little exhausted. ¡°Yes, she¡¯s right. It¡¯s a boring gathering.¡± ¡°What¡¯s the matter? Did something happen during the gathering?¡± She was excited about it, wasn¡¯t she? ¡°Nothing happened.¡± I can¡¯t tell them two guys confessed their feelings to us during the gathering, can I? After arriving at Wisteria Apartments, Tristan followed Sophie back to her room. ¡°What did you mean when you said that earlier today?¡± ¡°What did I say?¡± She had no idea what he was talking about. ¡°You said I don¡¯t really understand you.¡± ¡°I was just kidding. You don¡¯t have to take it seriously.¡± It was a joke. Why did he take it seriously? ¡°Have I done something wrong?¡± Did I make her feel ufortable? ¡°No. You did well.¡± As a matter of fact, her only wish for him was that he would prioritize his own well- being more. Out of the blue, Sophie gave him a hug. ¡°I mean it. You¡¯ve done the best you can.¡± ¡°Really?¡± He still did not believe her. ¡°My only concern is that you¡¯re in love with the woman you assumed me to be.¡± ¡°You¡¯re you, and that¡¯s that. I¡¯m in love with you, so I don¡¯t care how many sides of you there are. I like them all because they are all you. I also know that you have many secrets, but that doesn¡¯t matter. I will wait until the day you¡¯re ready to tell me about them.¡± Sophie stood on her toes and kissed his lips. How is he capable of making my heart flutter every time? Tristan deepened the kiss. In truth, he was anxious when he saw her with those young men in her ss. However, all his anxiety dissipated when he felt her scent enshrouding her at that very moment. He knew that they were meant for each other. Chapter 433 Chapter 433 Thest thing Sophie wanted was to see Willow, but thetter kept showing up everywhere she went. As soon as Tristan left after dropping Sophie off, Willow appeared at the entrance of TS Entertainment. Since Sophie was all alone, Willow had nothing to fear. ¡°Let¡¯s talk, Soph!¡± Willow was persistent. She did not have any other option. Since yton wanted her to be on good terms with Sophie, she could only do as he said. She would obey whatever the man said, for there was no way she would give up on her dream of marrying a rich man. With a frown, Sophie paid no heed to Willow and tried to walk past her. Willow was annoyed by the other woman¡¯s haughty demeanor. How can she treat me like that? I¡¯m her sister! She has to at least show some respect for me, right? ¡°Who do you think you are, Sophie?¡± she asked angrily. Nevertheless, Sophie continued ignoring Willow to the extent of pretending that thetter wasn¡¯t even there. ¡°I¡¯m talking to you, Sophie!¡± Willow chased after her. ¡°I¡¯m warning you. If you continue ignoring me, don¡¯t me me for showing you no mercyter on.¡± She could no longer tolerate Sophie¡¯s attitude. Sophie finally stopped in her tracks. ¡°Are you done, Willow? No matter what you want to do, it¡¯s your business. It has nothing to do with me. I¡¯m not interested in anything that concerns you,¡± she said coolly. ¡°Is that so? What do you think Mr. Tristan will do when he saw the video?¡± Since Sophie refused to engage in a proper conversation with Willow, thetter could only resort to threats. ¡°What video?¡± What is she trying to do now? Willow was pleased when Sophie stopped walking. So, she is still afraid of something. ¡°I¡¯ve told you before, right, Soph? No matter what happened, we¡¯re sisters. Our lives are linked together. Am I right?¡± Willow said, beaming. Sophie was at a loss for words. Sisters? She¡¯s defiling the word ¡°sisters.¡± ¡°yton told me to get along with you. So, we shall let bygones be bygones. Let¡¯s pretend that nothing had happened.¡± ¡°yton?¡± So I was right. yton is engaged to Willow only because he thinks I will makepromises for her sake. ¡°That¡¯s right. yton is my fianc¨¦ now. I hope that you can cut him some ck.¡± Willow was bothered by how Sophie treated yton mercilessly. ¡°The way you¡¯re treating him is putting me in a tight spot, you know?¡± she added. ¡°That¡¯s your problem. yton is up to no good. I think it¡¯s better if you cancel the engagement.¡± Words eluded Willow, who was genuinely enraged. ¡°I know that you resent me. But I¡¯m not the only one to me for what happened in the past, right?¡± ¡°You, of all people, should know the answer to that. You don¡¯t have to talk to me about it. I¡¯m busy, and I don¡¯t have the time to entertain you.¡± The date of the concert was just around the corner, and she still didn¡¯t know why Mark was leaving. Thus, she had a lot of things to tend to. ¡°Sophie, as long as you don¡¯t make things difficult for yton, we can all live peacefully. Isn¡¯t that great?¡± ¡°His fate is already sealed!¡± came Sophie¡¯s curt answer. ¡°You!¡± She isn¡¯t showing me any respect at all! How can she say that about my fianc¨¦ right in front of me? ¡°By the way, I don¡¯t even care about the video you¡¯re talking about. I¡¯m not interested in it.¡± With that said, Sophie entered the building. She would not be threatened by anyone. Willow attempted to follow Sophie but was stopped by the security guards. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but you¡¯re not allowed to enter if you¡¯re not an employee.¡± ¡°What do you mean? I¡¯m Sophie Tanner¡¯s sister. This is herpany. Why can¡¯t I enter the building?¡± These guards are merely watchdogs. I¡¯m the boss here! How dare they stop me from entering? ¡°I¡¯m really sorry. No matter who you are, you¡¯re not allowed to enter if you don¡¯t have an employee ID.¡± The security guards refused to budge. Is she kidding? Ms. Tanner didn¡¯t pay us high wages for us to mess around. Not anyone can enter TS Entertainment. ¡°You¡ª¡± Willow wanted to force her way in, but to no avail. At that moment, Ysabelle arrived. She frowned upon seeing Willow at the entrance. ¡°Why are you still here, Willow? Why don¡¯t you just give up? Sophie doesn¡¯t want to have anything to do with you.¡± Once the security guards saw Ysabelle, they immediately greeted her. ¡°Greetings, Ms. Lombard!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t let her enter the building. Sophie doesn¡¯t want to see her,¡± she instructed the guards. ¡°What¡¯s with that attitude, Ysabelle? I¡¯m Sophie¡¯s actual sister. Who do you think you are?¡± Content bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org. ¡°To be honest, it¡¯s sickening to see you this early in the morning.¡± Ysabelle disregarded her and walked into the building. There was nothing else that Willow could do. The weather was scorching hot as she continued waiting outside, but she didn¡¯t get to have a talk with Sophie. Feeling frustrated and defeated, she forwarded the video about the confession to a reporter. I don¡¯t care about Sophie anymore. If she refuses to make things easy for me, I would let her have a taste of her own medicine. The reporter was ted to receive the video early in the morning. Sophie is the highest achiever in the university entrance exam this year! There are plenty of news about these high achievers on various social media tforms, but there¡¯s none about Sophie even though she was ranked first in the exam. The reporter wondered which kind soul gave him such a great opportunity to publish such interesting news. Thus, the reporter quickly edited the video and uploaded it on TikTok. Tristan wasn¡¯t interested in watching TikTok videos. Felix was the one who found out about the video when he saw his secretary watching it. He quickly downloaded TikTok and searched for the video before bringing his phone to Tristan¡¯s office. ¡°I want to show you something, Mr. Tristan.¡± I told him to attend the gathering, but he didn¡¯t want to. Look what has happened. Someone actually confessed to Sophie. What a bold man! ¡°What is it?¡± Tristan asked, uninterested. Felix handed his phone to Tristan and thetter proceeded to watch the video. ¡°Who recorded the video?¡± I thought those who attended the gathering yesterday were students of Senior ss 8. Someone has recorded this video and uploaded it on social media. What does the person want? ¡°Is that the main point? The main point is that someone confessed his love for Sophie!¡± ¡°So? Isn¡¯t that normal? She¡¯s an outstanding woman. It¡¯s not a surprise that many people like her.¡± It¡¯s not weird at all. Felix was rendered speechless. Fine! I give up. Mr. Tristan¡¯s way of thinking is different from mine. Even our main focus is not the same. ¡°Find out who the person is,¡± Tristan ordered. ¡°Sure. I¡¯ll do that right away.¡± It was not difficult for Felix to handle such a trivial matter. In less than ten minutes, he found out who the culprit was. Subsequently, he brought his men to meet the reporter who published the video. When the reporter saw so many peopleing for him, he trembled violently in fright. Chapter 434 Chapter 434 Willow never expected to receive a call from Tristan. He had, after all, always regarded her with scorn. Even when they met at the Tanner residence, he would always ignore her. So what brings him here to look for me right now? When Willow came out of the Tanner residence, she saw Tristan¡¯s car parked outside. Even though she was currently yton¡¯s fianc¨¦e, she still would not dare to offend him. Felix got out of the car and opened the door for her when he saw her approaching. ¡°Mr. Tristan has a few things to say to you.¡± Willow began trembling in fear at Felix¡¯s words. ¡°Why does Mr. Tristan want to see me? I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve done anything wrong recently,¡± she asked tentatively. Is he truly that resourceful? Does he know that I was the one who sent the video? ¡°Don¡¯t you think you should know what you did or didn¡¯t do?¡± Felixmented snarkily. I can¡¯t believe she¡¯s still ying innocent. Willow dared not get in the car after hearing his remark. ¡°I honestly didn¡¯t do anything.¡± She adamantly refused to admit her mistakes. ¡°Talking to you is a waste of time. Get in the car.¡± Willow had no choice but to get into the passenger seat when Felix went over and opened the car door. The moment she got in, she saw Tristan sitting in the backseat. ¡°Is there something I can help you with, Mr. Tristan?¡± she asked anxiously before he even said anything. ¡°You think you¡¯re quite clever, don¡¯t you, Willow?¡± Willow was at a loss for words. She genuinely did not understand what he meant. ¡°Mr. Tristan, have I done something to upset you?¡± ¡°Weren¡¯t you the one who sent the confession video?¡± Does she still think that nothing has happened after sending such a video to the reporters? ¡°So what if I did? I have no other intentions. Someone confessed to Sophie. That¡¯s not something I can control, isn¡¯t it?¡± Willow argued. This man must be jealous now! But even so, shouldn¡¯t he be settling the score with Sophie? Why is he here looking for me? ¡°Since Sophie is my girlfriend, I won¡¯t allow anyone to scheme against her. You¡¯re now ndering my girlfriend. Do you think I¡¯ll let this slide?¡± Does she think that no one knows about her little tricks? Willow did not dare to meet his gaze. What is going on? Why are things progressing differently from what I expected? ¡°Mr. Tristan, I¡ª¡± Property ? N?velDrama.Org. ¡°I don¡¯t want to hear your excuses!¡± Tristan snapped before calling for Felix. When Felix came over, he ordered, ¡°Take her away!¡± ¡°Right away!¡± This woman is so self-righteous. For the first time in her life, Willow actually felt scared. What did he mean by taking me away? Where are they going to take me? ¡°Mr. Tristan, no matter what, I¡¯m still Sophie¡¯s sister. You can¡¯t treat me like this.¡± ¡°Watch and see if I can.¡± Tristan shot Felix a look, and thetter immediately got into the driver¡¯s seat and started the car. As he began driving, Willow panicked. ¡°What do you think you¡¯re doing? If I don¡¯t go back soon, my mom will find out about this.¡± Felix chuckled. He did not know whether tough at her for being stupid or for being naive. Seeing the smile on Felix¡¯s face, Willow was shaking in her boots. ¡°I honestly didn¡¯t do anything! All I did was send the clip to the reporters! It¡¯s not like I asked anyone to confess to Sophie! What does her imprudence have anything to do with me?¡± ¡°Imprudence?¡± he thundered. Even at that point, the woman still had the audacity to speak ill of Sophie right in front of Tristan. Utterly frightened, Willow shut her mouth. ¡°It seems that if I don¡¯t teach you a lesson, you won¡¯t know who you shouldn¡¯t mess with!¡± After Tristan finished speaking, he said to Felix, ¡°Send me to TS Entertainment first, then send her to a psychiatric hospital in the suburbs!¡± ¡°What?¡± There¡¯s no way I¡¯m going to that kind of ce! It¡¯s basically hell on earth, and it¡¯s full of lunatics! Any normal person would be driven insane if they went in there. ¡°I was wrong, Mr. Tristan. I¡¯m truly sorry. I will never do something like that again. I¡¯m begging you. Please spare me. I promise to stay away from Sophie from now on and never provoke her again,¡± begged Willow, her face turning pale. ¡°Let her stay there for three days. If she dares to provoke Sophie in the future, let her remain there for the rest of her life,¡± Tristan said ruthlessly. Willow was contemting her options. She was thinking of opening the car door and escaping. Even if it meant jumping out of the car, she would rather do that than go to the psychiatric hospital. However, the car was locked, and no matter how hard she tried, her attempts were futile. Felix was well aware of Tristan¡¯s ruthlessness. However, this time, he felt that Willow deserved it. Of all people, she had to mess with the woman Mr. Tristan cares about the most. Does she have a death wish? A woman like her is truly not worthy of sympathy at all. Felix sent Tristan to TS Entertainment. ¡°Remember. Three days. Should there be a next time, don¡¯t even think about getting out.¡± He merely wanted to teach her a lesson. With that, Tristan left, leaving Felix and Willow in the car. At the thought of the treatment she would get at the psychiatric hospital, Willow could no longer remain composed and started yelling for help. Felix was extremely annoyed by her screams. ¡°Can you keep your mouth shut?¡± ¡°Help!¡± Willow did not stop yelling. She fervently hoped that someone outside would hear her since she did not want to go to the psychiatric hospital. Unable to stand the noise any longer, Felix crumpled a piece of paper into a ball and shoved it in her mouth. ¡°Godd*mmit! Quiet atst. How can there be a woman like you in this world? You¡¯re so stupid.¡± Willow shook her head in horror. No! I don¡¯t want to go there! However, Felix was not about to listen to her and drove her straight to the psychiatric hospital. After handing her over to the director, he warned, ¡°Mr. Tristan ordered me to send her here. You know what will happen if she escapes!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Mr. Northley. She¡¯s not getting out without Mr. Tristan¡¯s approval,¡± the director vowed. This ce of ours isn¡¯t a nice ce to be. It¡¯s hard to get in and even harder to get out. ¡°That¡¯s good to hear. I¡¯ll head back first. Let¡¯s have a meal together sometime!¡± ¡°All right, Mr. Northley. Drive safely!¡± the director responded politely. Willow was brought in by the nurse. ¡°Let go of me! What are you trying to do? I¡¯m not crazy!¡± Willow eximed frantically. Her frenzied state caused the nurse to shake her head. ¡°People that are sent here never admit that they¡¯re crazy.¡± Look at her. How is she not crazy? ¡°Let go of me. Did you hear me? I swear I¡¯m not crazy.¡± Willow was beside herself with panic. She had never encountered such a situation before and was terrified. ¡°Did you not hear it just now? Mr. Tristan sent you here. Since that is the case, whether you are crazy or not doesn¡¯t matter.¡± The nurse¡¯s words rendered Willow speechless. When Willow spotted a pir, she raced toward it and clung to it tightly, refusing to let go. ¡°Do you know who I am? I¡¯m yton¡¯s fianc¨¦e. You can¡¯t treat me like this!¡± That¡¯s right. No matter what, I¡¯m still yton¡¯s fianc¨¦e! Chapter 435 Chapter 435 ¡°Mr. Zales?¡± The director froze momentarily, and he shook his head. ¡°It¡¯s no use even if you¡¯re his fianc¨¦e. Mr. Zales is nothingpared to Mr. Tristan,¡± he said straightforwardly. Willow fell into despair. The nurse then brought Willow to a room with three patients in it. When the three middle-aged women noticed her, they shed her silly smiles, which gave her goosebumps. After leaving Willow in the room, the nurse walked out and shut the door. ¡°Let me out!¡± The former banged on the door in a frenzied manner. However, no one responded to her cries. ¡°Wow. This youngdy is so pretty. Come y with me!¡± Willow kept backing away. ¡°What are you doing? Stop where you are. I¡¯m warning you. Don¡¯te near!¡± ¡°The flower on her head is so pretty!¡± Seeing the ribbon on Willow¡¯s head, one of the middle-aged women hurried forward, pulled her close, and snatched it off her head. ¡°Her dress is pretty, too. I want it!¡± Another woman tugged at Willow¡¯s dress so hard that she almost tore it off. ¡°Ah! What are you people doing? Let me go! Let me go! Do you hear me?¡± The room echoed with Willow¡¯s cries of despair. Unfortunately, those women with mental disorders were, naturally, oblivious to her cries. Meanwhile, Tristan had arrived at TS Entertainment. However, the security guards did not know who he was, so they stopped him from entering. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. You can¡¯t enter without an employee ID,¡± they informed him. They did not dare to offend Tristan when they saw how he was dressed in premium-looking clothes, but it was their responsibility to keep strangers out. Thus, they had to adhere to the protocol strictly. ¡°I¡¯m here to see your CEO,¡± said Tristan. He never expected there would be a ce he would be denied entry. ¡°There are many people whoe looking for our CEO. Why don¡¯t you give Ms. Tanner a call and get her toe down to bring you in?¡± Not wanting to make things difficult for the guards, Tristan immediately gave Sophie a call. However, she seemed to be upied and did not answer her phone. By the time Sophie¡¯s meeting had ended, half an hour had passed. After checking her phone for notifications, she gave Tristan a call. ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± ¡°I¡¯m outside yourpany, but I can¡¯t get in.¡± ¡°What?¡± Sophie asked in surprise. She had never heard of Tristan being denied entry to a ce. ¡°Yourpany¡¯s security guards told me I should ask you toe down and bring me in.¡± ¡°All right. I¡¯ll be right over.¡± Sophie walked out of the conference room and headed downstairs. Sure enough, she saw Tristan at the door the moment she arrived. ¡°Why did youe here all of a sudden?¡± she questioned. He should¡¯ve informed me earlier. Oh my. He must¡¯ve wasted a lot of time waiting here. ¡°I missed you, so I came here to see you.¡± As Sophie brought him in, she said to the security guards, ¡°This is my boyfriend. You can let him in if he comes looking for me the next time.¡± ¡°Okay, Ms. Tanner,¡± responded the security guards respectfully. ¡°Good job, by the way. All of you will be given a raise of one thousand.¡± Even though they were mere security guards of thepany, they had to be the best. If they weren¡¯t the best, they had to at least carry out their duty well, which was something they did perfectly that day. All the security guards were delighted to hear about the raise. ¡°Thank you, Ms. Tanner. We were just doing our job.¡± ¡°Good. Continue to do your best,¡± Sophie encouraged. They yed very important roles as the security guards of TS Entertainment. ¡°All right, Ms. Tanner. Thank you once again.¡± The security guards bowed in unison. ¡°It¡¯s what you deserve.¡± With that, she headed upstairs with Tristan. The man joked, ¡°Wow. You¡¯re such a generous person, Ms. Tanner. You seem to be in a good mood today.¡± ¡°Oh, it¡¯s nothing. I¡¯m just rewarding them for their hard work. Besides, I¡¯m strict with my employees. Everything they receive is just what they deserve,¡± Sophie exined. Although she had strict requirements, her employees were never given a low wage. Soon, the couple arrived at Sophie¡¯s office. Of course, her office was not as grand as Tristan¡¯s, but the interior design was simple and refreshing. She liked the style quite a lot. After settling down, she poured Tristan a ss of water. ¡°Carry on with your work. I¡¯m just here to keep youpany,¡± Tristan said. He did not want her work to be affected just because of his presence. Right then, Xandra walked in and was slightly taken aback to see Tristan sitting on the couch. Why is Mr. Tristan here? ¡°Um¡­ Did I interrupt anything? I can leave first if I¡¯m being a disturbance.¡± Hearing that, Sophie said, ¡°No, not at all. By the way, I need you to keep an eye on the entire flow of the concert.¡± ¡°Huh? It¡¯s just a concert. Why should I do that? What¡¯s wrong? Is there a problem?¡± Xandra asked. I¡¯m just a PR manager. Why should I keep an eye on the concert? ¡°There¡¯s a little problem.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± That was the first time Xandra saw Sophie looking this solemn. Hence, she was curious to find out what had happened. ¡°It¡¯s Mark. He wants to leave The Wheelers.¡± ¡°What?¡± Xandra eximed. As expected, it¡¯s something big. ¡°When did he say that? Why does he want to leave? He¡¯s the soul of The Wheelers. It¡¯s meaningless for the band to carry on if he leaves. I¡¯m not saying the other members aren¡¯t good. It¡¯s just that it¡¯s hard for the band to continue without their core member. Especially when he¡¯s the lead singer.¡± ¡°I know.¡± ¡°Have you talked to Mark about this?¡± asked Xandra. They¡¯re good friends, right? I¡¯m sure they can talk this out. ¡°I have, but he refuses to tell me anything,¡± answered Sophie. There was nothing she could do about the matter. After a moment of silence, Xandra said, ¡°Ourpany has justunched, and we¡¯re already facing such a problem. This isn¡¯t going to be easy to deal with. The Wheelers is totally off the charts now. If they disband now, their fans will me it on us.¡± ¡°That¡¯s why I need you to keep an eye on the concert. It¡¯ll be fine with you there, right?¡± Sophie said with a smile. She needed all hands on deck as a precaution, no matter what. If Mark insisted on leaving when the time came, they would have no choice but to bear with the aftermath. ¡°Tsk. I shouldn¡¯t have said yes to you in the beginning. I could¡¯ve been enjoying my holiday now,¡± comined Xandra. She had been dealing with all kinds of problems ever since she got back. ¡°There, there. I¡¯ll treat you to a meal once this is over.¡± Content bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org. ¡°Since when did you be such a cheapskate? How could you pay me back with just a meal?¡± ¡°I can make it two meals¡ªor three¡ªif that¡¯s not enough.¡± ¡°All right. I¡¯ll keep an eye on the concert. Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll handle it.¡± The concert would be fine as long as Xandra was there. Right then, someone knocked on the door. ¡°Come in!¡± Upon hearing that, Cecelia entered the room. The problem with her contract was already settled, which meant she was currently an artist at TS Entertainment. ¡°You¡¯re amazing, Sophie. I can¡¯t believe you sessfully dealt with my ex-boss when he¡¯s such a tough nut. You¡¯re truly a good friend of mine,¡± Cecelia said with admiration. Chapter 436 Chapter 436 Sophie introduced Xandra to Cecelia. ¡°This is Xandra. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve heard of her before!¡± ¡°Of course I have. She is a legend! I knewing to TS is the best decision I have ever made in my life!¡± eximed Cecelia. I can¡¯t believe I¡¯ve met a legend today! ¡°Hello, Ms. Yandell! I am Cecelia!¡± That was the first time Sophie saw Cecelia behaving so politely toward someone. ¡°Nice to meet you! From today onward, we are all part of TS. I look forward to working with you.¡± Xandra smiled. ¡°The feeling is mutual,¡± replied Cecelia with a smile. ¡°Since both of you know each other now, Xandra, please help me bring Cecelia over to rest,¡± uttered Sophie. Cecelia had her own private lounge in thepany as well. ¡°Sure!¡± Cecelia shot a nce at Tristan. Seriously? Does he need to follow Sophie to work as well? Does he need to be so worried about her? ¡°Mr. Tristan, looks like you¡¯re quite free! Oh, I can¡¯t me you. Sophie is an outstanding woman. Someone else will pursue her if you don¡¯t keep an eye on her. When that happens, there¡¯s pretty much nothing you can do,¡± teased Cecelia before she left. When Sophie heard what Cecelia said, she was rendered speechless. Why is Cecelia still behaving like this? She doesn¡¯t even have any grudges against Tristan. ¡°That¡¯s just how Cecelia is. You don¡¯t need to take her words seriously. She¡¯s just joking!¡± exined Sophie, for Cecelia was her best friend. ¡°It¡¯s okay. I don¡¯t mind.¡± Tristan couldn¡¯t help feeling proud of his girlfriend as he watched how capable and professional she was while she worked. As expected, she¡¯s an independent youngdy. She managed to keep a newpany like TS¡ªwhich was supposed to be chaotic¡ªin order. Most importantly, most of her subordinates were big shots in the industry. Tristan waited for Sophie the whole time as she went to rehearse with The Wheelers. The youngdy gave off a totally different feeling when she was performing on stage. The way she yed the drum was so cool and charming that everyone was amazed by her performance. Tristan, who remained by her side to keep herpany, would pass her a ss of water from time to time. ¡°Mr. Tristan, to be honest, are you really that free?¡± When Sunny came down from the stage to have a drink, he sat beside Tristan and talked to him. ¡°What do you think?¡± ¡°Looks like you are crazy in love with Sophie!¡± Sunnymented. If he doesn¡¯t like her that much, he won¡¯t be all over her. Sunny then recalled something and added, ¡°Oh, by the way, I saw a clip of someone confessing to Sophie on TikTok. Did you see it?¡± He fished out his phone to search for the clip so that he could show it to Tristan, but for some reason, he could no longer find it. ¡°That¡¯s weird. I don¡¯t know what happened. Why can¡¯t I find it?¡± Sunny was puzzled. ¡°It¡¯s okay. You don¡¯t need to show me. I don¡¯t want to see it. You better go and rehearse. Everyone is still waiting for you!¡± Sunny looked up at the stage and realized that everyone was already in their position and waiting for him. ¡°Fine. Forget about it.¡± Sunny did not want to force him. Before he went up the stage, he added, ¡°Let me give you an advice. There are a lot of people pursuing Sophie, so you must treat her very well to prevent her from leaving you.¡± Who knows what will happen to The Wheelers after the concert ended. Perhaps we¡¯d disband because neither of us can ept the idea of changing our main vocalist. So, after the concert, the band would cease to exist. By then, I would most probably return to Horington. However, before that, Sophie is still the person I¡¯m most worried about. I just hope Mr. Tristan can do his best to protect her. That way, I¡¯ll be at ease. ¡°Okay.¡± Tristan nodded solemnly. He understood what Sunny was trying to express. The next round of rehearsal started with Sophie¡¯s performance as well. When she began ying the drum, it was like the drumsticks in her hands hade to life. Even though it was just a rehearsal, every single one of them did their best. Therefore, the result of the rehearsal was perfect. When Mark was singing, he would subconsciously look in Sophie¡¯s direction. It¡¯s been a long time since I had that feeling. Even if I were to leave the band in the future, I¡¯m satisfied to be able to rehearse together with Sophie. The rehearsal ended around half-past six in the evening. When Sophie was changing in the practice room, Tristan was still there, waiting for her. Mark went over to Tristan and sat down next to him. ¡°Are you that worried about her?¡± He was happy to know that someone cared about Sophie that much. At the very least, he is capable of taking good care of Sophie. ¡°Yes. Since I am free today, I thought ofing to visit you guys. The rehearsal was amazing.¡± In fact, if Sophie could debut, she would definitely be popr in the entertainment industry. The aura that she possessed could easily bring her fame in the entertainment industry. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°Since you love performing on stage, why do you want to leave?¡± asked Tristan. Mark had never revealed the truth behind his decision to leave. ¡°So what if I love performing? I love Sophie, too, but in the end, I still have to give up on her. Love and passion can¡¯t solve everything.¡± Ultimately, one should learn how to give up. ¡°This is different.¡± He can¡¯tpare rtionship matters with the band. They are two entirely different things. ¡°Actually, they are the same.¡± He wouldn¡¯t have given up if he had other options. ¡°To be honest, if you have any problems, you can let me know,¡± informed Tristan. Sophie was reluctant to see Mark leave because if thetter left, The Wheelers would most probably disband. ¡°Mr. Tristan, have you ever thought of me as your love rival?¡± Tristan was at a loss for words. Should I tell him the truth? The truth is going to hurt him. ¡°Not even once, right? Yeah, I understand. Since Sophie never liked me, why would you be jealous?¡± Mark smiled self-deprecatingly. ¡°Mark, nothing is certain in terms of rtionship matters. I know you treat her well, but this might not mean anything to her. Don¡¯t tell me you are leaving because of this.¡± ¡°How is that possible? You¡¯re overthinking it. All right. Let¡¯s not talk about this anymore. I¡¯m going to change.¡± That night, Tristan, Ysabelle, and Sophie had dinner with the members of The Wheelers. N?velDrama.Org: owner of this content. After the rehearsal, all of them were tuckered out. Hence, they were exceptionally quiet during the meal. Ysabelle was a little ufortable with that situation. It was already nine at night when they returned to Wisteria Apartments after dinner. After Sophie took her shower, she received a call from Morgan. ¡°Morgan, what happened? Did something happen to Grandpa?¡± Usually, Morgan would only call Sophie if something had happened to Josiah. ¡°Ms. Sophie, don¡¯t worry. Old Mr. Tanner is doing good. It¡¯s Ms. Willow. She¡¯s gone, and she is nowhere to be found. Did you see her today?¡± ¡°She dide to find me at thepany today. Why?¡± ¡°Everyone at home can¡¯t reach her. No one knows where she went!¡± Morgan replied in exasperation. ¡°Hasn¡¯t she always been like this? She¡¯s always willful and acts as she pleases. I believe she¡¯ll return home soon.¡± Sophie was not the least bit interested in Willow¡¯s matter. Charmaine snatched the phone from Morgan and immediately started interrogating Sophie, ¡°Sophie, it¡¯s your mom. Have you seen Willow? Did you do something to her? Why would she disappear all of a sudden?¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± Sophie frowned. What does she think I¡¯d do to Willow? Chapter 437 Chapter 437 Charmaine btedly realized what she said, but it was toote to retract her words. ¡°Sophie, no matter what, we¡¯re still a family. I hope this matter isn¡¯t rted to you,¡± Charmaine said in the end. ¡°Ha!¡± Sophie couldn¡¯t help but snort out loud. ¡°I don¡¯t have a family like you.¡± After all, Charmaine had never sided with her. Not even once. How dare she suspect I did something to Willow? With that said, Sophie cut the line instantly, not bothering to entertain the woman any longer. No matter what she said, Charmaine still wouldn¡¯t trust her. Thus, it was pointless for her to try and change Charmaine¡¯s mind. Seeing that, Tristan took her hand and pulled her into his arms. ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± came Sophie¡¯s answer. She wasn¡¯t about to let unimportant people affect her mood. That was absolutely unnecessary. ¡°You don¡¯t look like you¡¯re fine,¡± Tristan replied. She seems to be in a bad mood. ¡°Willow is missing, and my mom thinks I did it,¡± Sophie revealed nonchntly. ¡°Tell me. Am I that free?¡± ¡°Oh, I see.¡± Tristan snorted. Charmaine is indeed a loathsome woman. ¡°Since she¡¯s not important, don¡¯t be angry at her. It¡¯s not worth it. Go take a shower. I¡¯ll give you a massageter,¡± he urged. She had rehearsed for a long time and should be exhausted. Sophie snuggled into the couch and didn¡¯t feel like moving. ¡°I don¡¯t feel like taking a shower!¡± Tristan¡¯s heart skipped a beat when he saw how adorable she looked. ¡°Be good. Take a shower and go to bed. Just ignore those nobodies,¡± heforted her. Meeting his affectionate gaze, Sophie couldn¡¯t bring herself to say no. She climbed up from her spot on the couch and went to the bathroom to take a shower. Meanwhile, Yale was gazing at Charmaine fervently. ¡°What did she say? Has she seen Willow?¡± he demanded. Content ? copyrighted by N?velDrama.Org. No matter what, Willow was now yton¡¯s fianc¨¦e, so nothing could happen to her. Charmaine shook her head. ¡°Why did I give birth to such a daughter? She¡¯s so rude! Did you know she hung up on me?¡± she comined. Charmaine was filled with regret. I shouldn¡¯t have given birth to her in the first ce. ¡°I told you not to give birth to her, but you insisted. It¡¯s useless to regret now,¡± Yale snapped. All she does is make life difficult for us. Charmaine was frustrated. ¡°What should we do now?¡± she asked worriedly. Willow went missing all of a sudden, so they couldn¡¯t just act as if nothing had happened. Something might happen to her out there. ¡°Should we call yton? After all, Willow is his fianc¨¦e, so he wouldn¡¯t ignore our plight,¡± Yale dered. Subsequently, he whipped his phone out to give yton a call. However, the call did not get through. ¡°This is impossible. Why can¡¯t the call get through?¡± Yale blurted out in disbelief. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± He was utterly confused. Hearing that, Charmaine demanded, ¡°What? What happened?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t get through. Okay, that¡¯s enough. Stop worrying. It has been less than twenty-four hours since she went missing, so the police won¡¯t help even if we were to make a police report. Go to bed, and we¡¯ll see what happens tomorrow.¡± He could head to Zales Corporation and ask for yton¡¯s help if nothing else worked. The next day, Willow still didn¡¯t show up. Yale went straight to Zales Corporation, but the security guard refused to allow him entry. ¡°What are you doing? Didn¡¯t you read the news? I¡¯m your CEO¡¯s father-inw. I have some urgent matters that I need to talk to him about. Let me in now! Otherwise, you¡¯ll be punished for dying my matter!¡± Yale behaved unreasonably. I¡¯m an influential person now. How dare they treat me this way? ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but our CEO is very busy. He doesn¡¯t have time to entertain random people,¡± the security guard responded curtly. ¡°You!¡± Yale fumed. He had never been humiliated this way. ¡°You should leave as soon as possible. We have no choice but to call the police if you continue to act unreasonably,¡± the security guard warned. Right then, yton strode out of thepany. Seeing him, Yale yelled, ¡°Mr. Zales, I¡¯m Yale Tanner, Willow¡¯s father! Willow is in trouble!¡± yton heard the older man¡¯s voice and turned around to see Willow¡¯s father. He approached Yale and said, ¡°What is going on? Yale, what do you want? You¡¯re not allowed to cause amotion at Zales Corporation.¡± How could he cause a ruckus here and affect our operation? As yton didn¡¯t bother showing Yale any respect, thetter was displeased. I¡¯m his father-inw. How could he treat me rudely? ¡°yton, I seriously need your help. Do you think I likeing to yourpany?¡± he hissed furiously. Despite his fury, he couldn¡¯t do anything to yton. ¡°I¡¯m busy, so I don¡¯t have time to hear your nonsense!¡± yton responded, refusing to waste his precious time on Yale. ¡°Willow is missing. We lost contact with her yesterday at noon. I know you look down on our family, but no matter what, Willow is still your fianc¨¦e. You shouldn¡¯t turn a blind eye to her plight!¡± ¡°If she¡¯s missing, what can I do to help? I think you should go to the police,¡± yton snapped. He was unconcerned by Willow¡¯s matters. Yale stared at him incredulously. How could he say that? He couldn¡¯t help but ask, ¡°Do you even like Willow?¡± He¡¯s acting so strangely. Why doesn¡¯t he seem to care? ¡°That¡¯s enough. I don¡¯t have time to entertain you,¡± yton dered. If Willow is of no use to me, she¡¯s better off missing. With that said, yton left with his subordinates. Yale tried to go after him but was stopped by the security guards. ¡°Hear that? Mr. Zales didn¡¯t even bother sparing your dignity. You should leave instead of making things difficult for us,¡± the security guard told Yale. Yale stood underneath the scorching sun, not understanding what was going on. Back in Tristan¡¯s office, Felix was helping Tristan deal with some matters. ¡°How is Willow doing there?¡± Tristan asked. ¡°Oh, how rare of you to show concern for someone else,¡± Felix joked. Weren¡¯t you the one who sent her there? ¡°I need you to head there today. Ask her to call her family and tell them she is traveling alone,¡± Tristan ordered. He hated it when outsiders disturbed Sophie. ¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯s an easy feat. She never wanted to enter the psychiatric hospital in the first ce. If I allow her to make the phone call, she will definitely rat us out,¡± Felix replied hesitantly. Tristan was unbothered. ¡°This is no big deal. Can¡¯t you handle it?¡± ¡°Okay, fine. I got it. I will handle it,¡± Felix promised. I¡¯m fated to work my as* off. I have no other choice. ¡°Does Sophie know about this?¡± he asked. ¡°As of now, no. There¡¯s no need to tell her about it. She doesn¡¯t have to know that I¡¯m teaching Willow a lesson,¡± came Tristan¡¯s answer. ¡°Okay. I know what to do.¡± Felix nodded. He doesn¡¯t want anyone to know, so I¡¯ll wipe off all traces of our doing. Chapter 438 Chapter 438 yton wasn¡¯t about to offer any help, so Charmaine could only go to Sophie again. She tried calling Sophie¡¯s phone, but thetter didn¡¯t answer her calls. Left without a choice, she had to wait under TS Entertainment¡¯s building. She knew Sophie was recently busy with matters concerning TS Entertainment and would definitely show up there. As expected, Sophie showed up at half-past eight. It was Tristan who gave her a ride there. Charmaine only had the guts to reveal herself after Tristan left. ¡°Soph, wait up!¡± she called out. Sophie halted in her tracks. ¡°Why are you so stubborn? I told you I didn¡¯t do anything to Willow. I don¡¯t care whether or not you believe me. Why don¡¯t you call the cops instead of harassing me?¡± ¡°Soph, I¡ª¡± Before Charmaine could finish, her phone rang. ¡°Mom, it¡¯s me!¡± It was Willow. ¡°Wi? Where have you been? Don¡¯t you know I¡¯ve been worried sick about you? Where are you now?¡± Charmaine asked anxiously. She couldn¡¯t be bothered about Sophie anymore. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about me, Mom. I went on a vacation with my friends and will be back in a few days. My phone ran out of battery, so I didn¡¯t call you yesterday,¡± Willow exined with a pale face. ¡°Oh, I see. We got worried over nothing. Don¡¯t do that again. I¡¯m d that you¡¯re fine.¡± Charmaine could finally heave a sigh of relief. Fortunately, she went on vacation. Nothing happened to her. Pleased with her obedience, Felix got the phone back. ¡°Good job. Don¡¯t worry, for we¡¯ll release you three dayster. Remember, don¡¯t provoke Sophie ever again. You know how much Mr. Tristan adores her. If you mess with her again, you might have to stay here forever,¡± he warned. Willow shivered in fear. Gritting her teeth, she said nothing in response. Felix is a horrifying man. ¡°Truth be told, I¡¯m a gentleman, so I don¡¯t want to hurt you. Stay here obediently for the next few days,¡± Felix reminded her. With that, he exited the room. It wasn¡¯t hard for him to deal with a youngdy like Willow. Rage filled Willow¡¯s heart. It is all Sophie¡¯s fault I ended up like this! If it wasn¡¯t for her, I wouldn¡¯t be here today. One day, I shall make sure she gets a taste of her own medicine! After the call ended, Charmaine didn¡¯t know what to say. She couldn¡¯t help remembering what she saidst night to Sophie on the phone. ¡°Soph, we¡ª¡± She was at a loss of words. Unbothered, Sophie interrupted her, ¡°You don¡¯t have to say anything. I know what you¡¯re thinking, but I¡¯m not the least bit bothered by someone like Willow.¡± Willow was never even qualified to be her enemy. Charmaine fell silent. Subsequently, Sophie spun on her heels and entered TS Entertainment, reluctant to continue talking to Charmaine. Since young, Charmaine had always favored Willow even though Sophie was the youngest child in the family. Nheless, Sophie never really liked Charmaine either, and thus couldn¡¯t be bothered to earn her affection. Two people would slowly grow apart if they didn¡¯t work hard to maintain their rtionship. That fact affected the rtionship between parents and their children as well. Once there was a rift between them, there was no going back. Charmaine stared at Sophie¡¯s back as regret overwhelmed her heart. I shouldn¡¯t have said that. I was too worried about Willow. Since young, I¡¯ve always favored Willow. That might be unfair, but I just cannot help it. She felt a gush of regret at the sight of Sophie¡¯s back. However, it was toote for that. Sophie was already hurt, and there was nothing Charmaine could do to undo that. After rehearsal ended that afternoon, Sophie got changed and was about to go and find Tristan when she spotted Mark getting into a car outside. She had never seen the car before. The people in the car looked suspicious, too. Sunny drove out of the building, and when he saw Sophie outside, he hit the brakes and asked, ¡°Sophie, where are you going? I can give you a ride!¡± ¡°Get down!¡± Sophiemanded. ¡°Huh? What are you talking about?¡± Sunny didn¡¯t understand her order. ¡°I said, get down. Lend me your car,¡± Sophie said. As he still didn¡¯t respond after a while, Sophie promptly dragged him out of his car before hopping into it and driving away. Something was off with Mark, so she thought it might be connected to those people she saw in the car. Sunny, who was left behind, was utterly dumbfounded. What the h*ll is going on? ¡°Sophie!¡± he screamed. s, his car was already a distance away, so it was useless no matter how loud he screamed. ¡°D*mn it. How did that happen?¡± he grumbled. Sophie followed the car for a while until the other party realized they were being followed and prepared to get rid of her. N?velDrama.Org: owner of this content. Despite being a great driver, Sophie couldn¡¯t do a good job stalking the car, for Sunny¡¯s car was too ostentatious. ¡°Someone is after us. Take action!¡± Hearing that, Mark turned over his shoulder and spotted Sunny¡¯s car. He immediately furrowed his brows. Did Sunny discover something? ¡°That¡¯s my friend. You are not allowed to harm him!¡± he dered. His father wanted him to attend a gathering today, and he agreed to be there. Since he had made a promise, he naturally had to keep it, but he wouldn¡¯t allow anyone to harm the members of The Wheelers. ¡°Mr. Mark!¡± ¡°What? Are you refusing to listen to my order?¡± Mark hissed. He was usually indifferent, but he looked pretty intimidating at that moment. The men in the car dared not utter a word. ¡°Just shake him off,¡± Mark ordered. He then turned around to take another look. Sunny¡¯s driving skills has improved considerably, huh? The driver of Mark¡¯s car was an experienced driver who knew the area well. However, it was pretty hard for him to shake off the car following them. ¡°Mr. Mark, who is that? I think he or she is great in countersurveince,¡± the driver asked. Mark frowned. ¡°Are you sure?¡± Is Sunny skilled in countersurveince? That sounds impossible. There can only be one possibility¡ªSunny isn¡¯t the driver! Who else could it be? The members of The Wheelerse from a clean background. They can¡¯t possibly be trained in that. Can it be Sophie? In the end, someone had toe and help them before they managed to get rid of Sophie. Sophie got out of the car as someone blocked her path. ¡°Youngdy, do you know where you are? How dare youe here?¡± the man said arrogantly. Sophie retorted, ¡°I don¡¯t know where I am, but I can go wherever I want. What can you do?¡± ¡°You¡¯re quite arrogant, huh? Let me tell you. You¡¯re in Emerald Gang¡¯s territory. If you have no business to be here, leave right away!¡± the man warned. His superior left orders that they couldn¡¯t harm this youngdy, so they could only warn her verbally. ¡°Emerald Gang?¡± Sophie repeated. How is Mark rted to Emerald Gang? The man sneered, ¡°Are you scared? Leave now!¡± They didn¡¯t want to waste more time on her. ¡°Scared? What a joke.¡± Sophie wasn¡¯t scared of anything in the world. ¡°Oh, you just won¡¯t give up, huh?¡± Chapter 439 Chapter 439 Sophie pulled out a piece of gum from her pocket and tore the packaging open slowly before popping it into her mouth. ¡°How is Mark Wheeler rted to you?¡± she asked. They took Mark away, so she was sure he was somehow rted to them. Otherwise, he wouldn¡¯t have followed them willingly. The men shared a look when they heard Mark¡¯s name. In the end, they insisted, ¡°We don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about. Who is Mark Wheeler?¡± ¡°Looks like you won¡¯t reveal anything if I don¡¯t teach you a lesson, huh?¡± As Sophie chewed her gum, she approached the men. ¡°Youngdy, don¡¯te any closer. Otherwise, don¡¯t me us for taking action.¡± ¡°Bring it!¡± Sophie responded casually. She then delivered a roundhouse kick and sent a burly brute crashing to the ground. ¡°Guys, attack!¡± They were all members of a gang, so it was embarrassing if they were defeated by a youngdy. Nevertheless, Sophie managed to defeat them all without breaking a sweat. She then dusted her hands and stood before them. ¡°Spill the beans. As long as you tell the truth, I won¡¯t make things difficult for you,¡± Sophie announced. She was never a patient person, and at that moment, all her patience was gone. ¡°We don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about. Mark Wheeler? I don¡¯t know who he is!¡± one of the thugs insisted. Sophie frowned. ¡°Are you sure?¡± She gave him onest chance to spill the truth. ¡°I don¡¯t know anything!¡± Sophie strode over, grabbed the thug¡¯s wrist, and gave it a forceful twist, causing him to yelp in anguish. He broke into a cold sweat. ¡°Have mercy on me,¡± he begged. ¡°Do you really not know who Mark Wheeler is?¡± she demanded. Something is fishy. ¡°We don¡¯t know who he is. We¡¯re just ordinary thugs.¡± These thugs knew nothing as they were at the lowest level of the hierarchy in the gang. They merely received orders from their superiors to stop Sophie. They had no idea Sophie was this strong. As the thug seemed to be telling the truth, Sophie released her grip on his wrist. ¡°I hope you¡¯re telling the truth. If I discover you¡¯d been lying, I won¡¯t let this slide,¡± she cautioned. Though she was quite a good-looking youngdy, her words sent a chill down those thugs¡¯ spines. Afterward, she spun on her heels and returned to the car. Sunny¡¯s call arrived the moment she got into the car. ¡°Sophie, are you okay? Where are you?¡± Sunny asked anxiously. ¡°Tell me. Did something happen to you?¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine. I¡¯ll keep the car for now and drive it back to thepany to return it to you tomorrow,¡± Sophie assured him. Something¡¯s wrong. How is Mark rted to Emerald Gang? Sophie wasn¡¯t going to give up since she finally found a clue. ¡°The car isn¡¯t important. You can use it if you need it,¡± came Sunny¡¯s answer. As long as she was safe and sound, nothing else mattered. ¡°Okay. I¡¯ll hang up now.¡± With that, Sophie hung up without even giving Sunny a chance to speak. After that, she promptly called Mark. Just as she had expected, Mark¡¯s phone was switched off. She tried calling him a few times but to no avail. After that, she went straight to Wings of Light¡¯s headquarters. Butterfly had not seen her for some time and was delighted at her arrival. ¡°Why did youe without informing me in advance? Do you miss me?¡± she asked, reading too much into Sophie¡¯s sudden appearance. ¡°Of course not. I came here to investigate something,¡± replied Sophie. ¡°Oh, I see. I thought you missed me. How could you treat me like that? I helped you take care of Wings of Light, but you didn¡¯t evene and visit in your free time!¡± Butterflyined. ¡°I came today to visit you while I¡¯m at it, didn¡¯t I?¡± Sophie replied. Wings of Light was doing well, so there was no reason for her to visit. ¡°While you¡¯re at it? Wow. You¡¯re breaking my heart!¡± Butterfly was close to tears. ¡°Okay, stop it. Don¡¯t disturb me!¡± Sophie chided. Switching on theputer in Wings of Light, she entered her ount name and password to investigate Mark¡¯s background. Previously, she had never thought about investigating Mark. Everyone had their own secrets, so she respected his privacy and never investigated his background. However, this wasn¡¯t a simple matter, so it required a thorough investigation. As expected, she discovered the truth soon after. It turned out that Mark was the young heir of Emerald Gang! Surprisingly, the young heir of Emerald Gang, Mark Wheeler, was extremely popr in the entertainment industry. The world was indeed a ce full of wonders. After reading the information, Sophie wasn¡¯t at all surprised. She had always felt that Mark wasn¡¯t an ordinary person, and her hunch was confirmed. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? What¡¯s with that look on your face?¡± Butterfly was worried. ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± Sophie switched off theputer and rose from her chair to leave. Seeing that she was about to leave, Butterfly stopped her. ¡°Sophie, are you leaving already? You haven¡¯t even taken a good look at me!¡± How could she act this way? This is too much! Sophie turned over her shoulder and spared Butterfly a look. ¡°Okay, I¡¯ve looked at you. I¡¯m busy, so I won¡¯t stay for a meal.¡± She then left without looking back. Butterfly stood rooted to the spot in befuddlement. What the h*ll? Why do I feel like a consort waiting for the emperor to notice me? My heart feels empty. She really left without looking back! Meanwhile, Felix also discovered Mark¡¯s real identity and came to Tristan. ¡°Mr. Tristan, do you know who Mark Wheeler is?¡± he asked eagerly. ¡°Who is he?¡± ¡°The young heir of Emerald Gang! Sophie is surrounded by many influential people, huh?¡± Felix commented. Almost any one of the people around her was an important figure. ¡°Oh.¡± Tristan was surprised to learn that. He had never connected Mark to Emerald Gang before. ¡°What does his quitting have to do with his identity? Is he going to take over his father¡¯s position in Emerald Gang?¡± That could be a possibility. ¡°Both matters should be rted, but I¡¯m not sure about the details,¡± Felix replied. ¡°You¡¯re useless!¡± Tristan rolled his eyes. Felix didn¡¯t know what to say in response. He had gone through a lot of trouble digging up the information, but Tristan still regarded him with disdain. Does he have to be so mean? ¡°All right. Continue with your investigation,¡± Tristan finally said. ¡°Where are you going?¡± Felix demanded. He had just arrived and didn¡¯t even get to take a sip of water, but Tristan was already leaving. ¡°Back to Wisteria Apartments,¡± Tristan told him. This is important, so I must tell Sophie in person. I wonder how she¡¯ll react upon discovering the truth! ¡°I knew it,¡± Felix grumbled. At present, nothing was more important to Tristan than Sophie. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Won¡¯t you be picking Ysabelle up today? She¡¯ll probably be practicing untilte at night,¡± Tristan reminded. Has he given up on Ysabelle? ¡°Why does she insist on tiring herself out? It¡¯s just a debut. There¡¯s no need to work so hard,¡± Felix comined. He was upset about the fact that Ysabelle was currently focused on her career. ¡°Let her know your opinion, then,¡± Tristan returned. It was useless for him toin here, for Ysabelle would never hear hisints. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t dare!¡± Felix muttered under his breath. Ysabelle was too hot-tempered to listen to his advice. Content ? copyrighted by N?velDrama.Org. Chapter 440 Chapter 440 When Tristan arrived at Wisteria Apartments, Sophie had also just arrived home. He brought takeaway dinner as he knew she might not want to eat out after busying herself for the whole day. Thus, he decided to get takeout without informing her in advance. ¡°Go wash your hands. It¡¯s time to have dinner.¡± Tristan was setting the table. ¡°Susan is busy tonight, so I bought some food.¡± ¡°Oh, Susan did tell me she¡¯s busy today.¡± Susan asked for a day off, and they were too busy to cook dinner themselves. Throughout dinner, Sophie seemed preupied. ¡°What¡¯s the matter? Did something happen in TS Entertainment?¡± Tristan asked. ¡°No, it¡¯s about Mark. It turns out he¡¯s the young heir of Emerald Gang!¡± Sophie revealed. She wasn¡¯t about to hide the truth from him. ¡°Oh, you¡¯ve already figured it out.¡± Tristan could barely hide his surprise. Sophie¡¯s good, huh? She can investigate everything herself without needing my help. ¡°What does that mean? Did you also find out about it?¡± ¡°I know you¡¯re concerned about Mark, so I told Felix to investigate him. Will you me me?¡± Tristan asked. Sophie shook her head. She knew he was only trying to help out and would never me him. ¡°No!¡± she answered. ¡°I know he¡¯s the young heir of Emerald Gang, but I still don¡¯t know why he¡¯s leaving the band.¡± Indeed, some people couldn¡¯t escape destiny no matter how hard they tried. Perhaps Mark was one of them. He couldn¡¯t escape from the fact that he was the young heir of Emerald Gang. Mark was carrying a lot of weight that he just couldn¡¯t give up easily. ¡°All right, stop mulling over the matter. If he doesn¡¯t want to go back, no one can force him to do so. We are his strong backup,¡± Tristan assured her. That was something Mark had to decide for himself. ¡°Yeah. I know.¡± Tristan was around, so Sophie didn¡¯t need to worry about many things. ¡°Eat up. You¡¯ve lost weight recently,¡± Tristan urged. He grew increasingly displeased at how her weight decreased in the past few days. ¡°I know. I¡¯m just pretty exhaustedtely,¡± came Sophie¡¯s answer. Rehearsing took up a lot of her energy. Besides, she had to tend to various matters regarding TS Entertainment. It was no wonder she felt worn out. ¡°You¡¯ll begin your university life soon. By the way, have you decided which university to apply to?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± If she decides to head to Anndur, I need to deal with my affairs locally. I will never let her head there alone. Nichs is there, after all. Despite not knowing her past with Nichs, Tristan wasn¡¯t about to let Sophie head there alone. ¡°Jipsdale University,¡± Sophie replied. She wanted to stay in the country. Tristan was touched to hear her answer. ¡°Is it because of me? Sophie, you don¡¯t have to change anything for me. I hope you¡¯ll make the choice that you want,¡± he said. She shouldn¡¯t make do, for this matter concerns her tertiary education. I can follow her to Anndur. It will only take four years for her to graduate. I can spare that much time. Sophie told him, ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter where I study. All universities are the same to me.¡± She was good at self-learning, so it didn¡¯t matter which university she applied to. Nevertheless, she would have to reject Barney¡¯s invitation. ¡°Are you sure it¡¯s not because of me?¡± Tristan refused to believe her. ¡°Well, you yed a part in my decision-making, but you weren¡¯t the most crucial reason. Studying abroad isn¡¯t the only option, right?¡± ¡°Okay!¡± Tristan nodded. He was satisfied to hear that he was part of the reason she decided to study at a local university.This is the property of N?-velDrama.Org. She cares about me enough to consider me when she makes a decision. That¡¯s enough. Tristan was pretty satisfied with the current situation. The next day, Sophie went to TS Entertainment. When only Mark and she were around, she decided it was time for them to talk. ¡°I called you yesterday, but you didn¡¯t pick up. Where did you go?¡± she asked nonchntly. ¡°I had some personal stuff to deal with,¡± Mark told her. He didn¡¯t know that she had discovered his background. ¡°Mark, be honest with me. I know your identity now!¡± Sophie said. She did not intend to keep it a secret anymore. Mark had no idea what to say. ¡°Sophie, I didn¡¯t hide it from you on purpose. My identity has always been a secret,¡± he exined. His father had kept their rtionship a secret to protect him. ¡°I know,¡± Sophie assured him. There were many things he couldn¡¯t decide on his own. She asked, ¡°Do you want to take over Emerald Gang?¡± That was the only thing she was concerned about. Sophie might be the only person who cares whether I¡¯m willing. The rest don¡¯t even care. ¡°Well, that¡¯s my responsibility. My father is the leader of Emerald Gang, so I can¡¯t just ignore it,¡± he said. After all, it concerned many people¡¯s livelihoods. His father was no longer young, so it was time for him to step down from the position. What would happen to his father¡¯s subordinates after the old man¡¯s retirement? That was one of his concern. Mark wasn¡¯t someone who was able to act recklessly. His father was generous enough to allow him to venture into the entertainment industry for the past few years. ¡°Don¡¯t think that way. You¡¯re not the only one who can lead the gang. If you don¡¯t want to return, we can find someone else suitable to manage the organization,¡± Sophie told him. Sometimes, things might be extremelyplicated, but there were times when things were reasonably simple. ¡°My father won¡¯t want me to do that. Emerald Gang is everything to him, so he won¡¯t give it up to someone else,¡± Mark revealed. He truly didn¡¯t want to run Emerald Gang but had no other choice. I must protect the people by my side. I don¡¯t want them to get hurt. At all. ¡°What about your own dream? Are you going to give up? Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re satisfied. I know how much you love singing,¡± Sophie countered. He had a passion for singing. That was precisely why he persevered for so long. Mark said nothing. She¡¯s right. My dream is for The Wheelers to be the best rock band in Chanaea and even the whole world. The Wheelers is my dream! I found my dream, the love of my life, and myrades there. Sophie offered, ¡°If it¡¯s because of your father, I can talk to him.¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter who talks to him. There¡¯s no way he¡¯ll change his mind,¡± Mark replied despondently. His father was a stubborn and vicious man. Otherwise, he wouldn¡¯t be able to rein in Emerald Gang for that long. ¡°Sophie, promise me that you won¡¯t take the risk. I don¡¯t want you to get involved in this,¡± Mark pleaded. Sophie shook her head. ¡°Mark, we¡¯rerades.¡± ¡°That¡¯s exactly why I don¡¯t want to drag you into my mess,¡± he insisted. He cherished all members of The Wheelers, so he didn¡¯t want any of them to get hurt. ¡°Promise me you won¡¯t go to my dad. I can handle my own matters. I¡¯ve never asked about your past, right?¡± Chapter 441 Chapter 441 Sophie fell silent. He¡¯s right. I have a lot of secrets, but he had never once asked about them. Instead, he would just observe in silence. With that thought in her mind, her heart clenched. ¡°I¡¯m sorry!¡± she said. Do I make people worry about me a lot? ¡°You¡¯ve never wronged me, so don¡¯t apologize to me. I¡¯m just d I met you,¡± he replied. It¡¯s such a blessing to have met these members of The Wheelers. We¡¯re like-minded people. Few people in the world can experience this. I¡¯ve at least done something I truly love for the past few years, and I¡¯ve done a pretty good job to boot. ¡°Okay,¡± she responded. ¡°Don¡¯t let the others know about this first. I don¡¯t want them to worry about me.¡± Mark knew his departure was inevitable. He then added, ¡°After I leave, see if you can find a new lead vocalist.¡± What¡¯s going to happen to the other members of The Wheelers if the band is disbanded? All these years, they¡¯ve been following him around. Once he leaves, what¡¯s going to be of the rest of them? Even at this moment, he¡¯s still thinking on behalf of others. I guess that¡¯s just how he is. Although he looks unapproachable, he cares a lot about those who are close to him. Sophie¡¯s heart was filled with bitterness when she heard Mark¡¯s words. ¡°I¡¯m still here, am I not? Do you think I won¡¯t be able to solve that?¡± she uttered. ¡°Perhaps you should consider bing the lead vocalist for The Wheelers. That would be the best oue,¡± Mark uttered sincerely. Regardless of her gender, Sophie was very passionate about rock music. ¡°Mark, you know how much I hate entering the entertainment industry!¡± Sophie liked her existing lifestyle a lot. She loved music, but she didn¡¯t want to make it her career. ¡°There¡¯s no hurry. After all, I¡¯ll still be around for the next twenty-odd days. Think about it, okay?¡± Mark didn¡¯t force her into making a decision right away. With that, he said, ¡°Okay, then. That¡¯s that. I need to go and rehearse now. I¡¯m going to cherish our concert this time around because this is the first time the six of us are doing it together.¡± Mark had been looking forward to having all six of them performing together for a long time. After Mark left, Sophie was rooted to the spot. Me? The lead vocalist of The Wheelers? Am I capable of that? I still have so many things to aplish! Meanwhile, yton was filled with anxiety because there was nothing he could do to ovee the situation he was in. ¡°yton, our current situation is terrible. If this carries on, we won¡¯t be able to have control over what happens during the shareholders¡¯ meeting!¡± Wilbur didn¡¯t want to say anything discouraging, but that was the truth. Due to the situation they were in, they were at a disadvantage. ¡°I know!¡± yton didn¡¯t even have the energy to lose his temper anymore. Naturally, he knew they were in hot water. ¡°You guys are all from prominent universities, aren¡¯t you? Can¡¯t any of you figure out a solution for the situation we¡¯re in?¡± yton spent a fortune to hire an enormous group of people. However, none of them could save him when he needed them the most. Upon hearing that question, no one in the conference room dared to say a single word because none of them knew how to ovee the issue. ¡°Just leave.¡± Having alreadyshed out at them, yton just wanted to be alone so he could think. His subordinates rushed out of there the moment they heard that. In fact, yton had been terrifying the past few days, and no one dared to cross him because none of them wanted to end up being cannon fodder. Even if they were to lose their jobs, they could always find a new one. However, the same concept didn¡¯t apply to their precious lives. Wilbur, however, stayed behind. I can¡¯t leave him alone! ¡°yton, don¡¯t worry too much about it. Since it has already happened, all we need to do now is look for a solution. No matter what, you¡¯re still Willow¡¯s fianc¨¦. Perhaps you should look for Sophie,¡± Wilbur said. After all, she¡¯s the one who caused everything to happen. Indeed, Sophie was their key to solving all the problems. ¡°Don¡¯t you think I know that? It¡¯s just that Sophie doesn¡¯t bother entertaining anyone! To make matters worse, she¡¯s not even on good terms with Willow,¡± yton replied. ¡°Their rtionship doesn¡¯t matter. At the end of the day, they¡¯re still sisters. She can¡¯t possibly hang her own sister out to dry, can she? Why don¡¯t you just marry Willow?¡± Wilbur suggested. ¡°Marry Willow?¡± The thought of Willow disgusted yton. That woman doesn¡¯t deserve me! ¡°yton, we just need to get past this hurdle. After this, you can have any woman you want!¡± Wilbur said. ¡°That¡¯s right!¡± yton answered. Let¡¯s just get through this first and deal with whatever is toe in the futureter. ¡°Where¡¯s Willow? I haven¡¯t seen her over thest few days. Where did she go?¡± yton was weirded out. Willow was always pestering me, wasn¡¯t she? Why has she gone missing now that she¡¯s my fianc¨¦e? ¡°I¡¯ll look into it!¡± Wilbur answered instantly. He was willing to do whatever was necessary to solve the problems at hand. Although yton was hot-tempered, he was paying Wilbur very well. Three dayster, Felix went to the psychiatric hospital. When he got there, Willow was cowering in a corner, shaking. The people here are horrifying! When she saw Felix, she instantly crawled toward the man and grabbed his pants. ¡°Mr. Northley, I was wrong, and I¡¯m sorry! Please show me mercy! Please let me go. I promise I won¡¯t commit the same mistake again in the future!¡± she begged. This time around, she had really learned her lesson. ¡°Let go!¡± Felix was irked when he saw Willow grabbing onto his pants. Willow was stunned for a while. ¡°What the heck are you doing? Who do you think you are? How dare you grab my pants?¡± Willow immediately snapped out of it and let go of his pants. ¡°Don¡¯t worry! I¡¯m here to take out you today. However, remember not to mess with someone you can¡¯t afford to mess with. Once you get out, you should watch your tongue. Otherwise, you know what I¡¯m capable of doing to you,¡± Felix said. Property ? N?velDrama.Org. Before bringing her out of there, he wanted toy down the rules. ¡°Okay. I know. Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll keep my mouth shut.¡± At that point, Willow wouldn¡¯t dare to offend him anymore. ¡°Also, here¡¯s a reminder. yton isn¡¯t a good person, so you had better not marry him.¡± Felix was being merciful by telling her that. ¡°I¡¯ve been gone for so long! Didn¡¯t ytone looking for me?¡± she asked. I¡¯m his fianc¨¦e, but he didn¡¯t even bother to look for me when I¡¯d been missing for three whole days! Hearing that, Felix couldn¡¯t help butugh. ¡°Are you really that stupid? Did you really think yton was into you? Do you not have a shred of self-awareness?¡± It seemed as though Willow was really that clueless. ¡°I¡ª¡± ¡°Don¡¯t ever covet something that doesn¡¯t belong to you. Do you really think men in the elite society are all blind?¡± Chapter 442 Chapter 442 Willow was devastated. How could he say something like that to me? Am I that unworthy? ¡°What are you trying to say? How am I not qualified? I work hard, have good results, know how to draw, and even have a pretty face!¡± Felix was speechless. ¡°In your eyes, is Sophie the only one who¡¯s fit to be in high society? Can the Lombard family really ept her past?¡± If I don¡¯t qualify, what does Sophie have that makes her different? ¡°Since you insist on bringing up the past, do you really think Mr. Tristan isn¡¯t aware of what you¡¯ve done?¡± Willow fell silent. The matter happened so long ago. How can he have any evidence? ¡°Let me tell you, all of us are well aware of what kind of person Sophie is. Your malicious words are not wee here. If you don¡¯t keep this in mind, we won¡¯t be so forgiving next time!¡± Before leaving, Felix ordered his men, ¡°Send her back to the Tanner residence!¡± Upon Willow¡¯s return, she changed into a different outfit, but her face remained just as sullen. The look on her face subsequently gave Charmaine a fright.Content ? copyrighted by N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Wi, aren¡¯t you supposed to be on a trip with your friends? What¡¯s with that look on your face? Tell me, did something happen? Say something, Wi! Why are you keeping mum? The way you¡¯re behaving is scaring me!¡± Charmaine was on the brink of tears. She was fine before the trip. Did something go wrong? ¡°Mom, have I been deluding myself all this while? Was I never cut out for high society to start with?¡± ¡°What makes you say that? Are you arguing with yton, or did he bully you?¡± If yton was the reason, there was little she could do. ¡°Wi, I know what a proud girl you are, but with someone like yton, you have to be able to swallow your pride, all right?¡± Getting married into high society isn¡¯t a walk in the park. ¡°yton doesn¡¯t like me at all!¡± Why didn¡¯t he show any concern when I was gone for a few days? ¡°Wi, does it really matter? Do you think your dad loves me?¡± Charmaine¡¯s reply left Willow speechless. Mom¡¯s right. Feelings aren¡¯t important as long as we can achieve our desires. Everything else doesn¡¯t matter! Just then, Willow received a call from yton, and she wiped the tears off her face before answering. ¡°Hello, yton. What is it?¡± After a pause, she continued, ¡°Okay, I got it. I¡¯ll be right there.¡± As this was Willow¡¯s only opportunity left, she had no choice but to see yton at his request. I can¡¯t let this chance go to waste. Or else, I¡¯ll have nothing left! Upon her arrival at Zales Corporation, yton¡¯s assistant came to receive her personally. ¡°Wee, Ms. Tanner, yton has asked me to pick you up.¡± Willow was caught by surprise, as this was the first time yton demonstrated how important she was to him even though they haven¡¯t been together for long. Thereafter, the assistant ushered her to yton¡¯s office and opened the door to let her in. ¡°yton has something important to discuss. I¡¯ll let the two of you have some privacy.¡± With that, the assistant shut the door behind her. ¡°yton, you wanted to see me?¡± ¡°Willow, let¡¯s get married!¡± yton proposed, holding up a ring. Willow was taken by surprise. ¡°Get married?¡± I haven¡¯t even gone to university, and we¡¯re talking about marriage? ¡°yton, talk to me. Did something happen? Even if we¡¯re going to marry, there¡¯s no need to rush!¡± She was still young after all. ¡°I just feel like it all of a sudden. Why? Are you reluctant to do so?¡± Willow shook her head immediately. ¡°It¡¯s not that. I just don¡¯t know how to tell my family. Grandpa went ballistic over myst engagement.¡± If we were to get married outright, I¡¯m worried that¡­ ¡°Willow, what do you think your Grandpa will give you? Will he leave you with all the Tanner family¡¯s assets?¡± yton¡¯s candid words caused Willow to bite her lower lip. He¡¯s right. Grandpa won¡¯t give me anything. All he cares about is Sophie. ¡°All right, yton. Let¡¯s get married!¡± yton couldn¡¯t help but smile at her response. Once I be a son-inw of the Tanner family, Sophie will be forced to stay her hand against me. Furthermore, she¡¯ll have to show me some respect as her brother-inw. When Josiah heard about the news, he erupted in anger, causing Charmaine to shake her head. ¡°Dad, I know that you favor Sophie, but you can¡¯t just object to all of Willow¡¯s decisions. Marrying yton is the best choice avable to her!¡± yton is so much betterpared to Mason. Josiah could only shake his head at Charmaine¡¯s words. ¡°As her mother, you bear the greatest responsibility for what she has be!¡± If she hadn¡¯t kept nting the idea of marrying into a wealthy family in her daughter, Willow wouldn¡¯t have turned out this way. He added, ¡°Do you really think yton is a good man, and Willow would be happy marrying him?¡± Josiah was so infuriated that he could barely catch his breath. Charmaine is just too narrow-minded. That¡¯s the reason why I never liked her. Morgan quickly poured him a ss of water. ¡°Old Mr. Tanner, please calm down. Here, have some water.¡± Due to Josiah¡¯s advanced age, he still had plenty of ailments despite his sessful surgery. After all, when one¡¯s body began to decay due to old age, there was no stopping the process. Consequently, one had no choice but to ept it. ¡°I¡¯m fine. Give Sophie a call and tell her toe back.¡± At the end of the day, Willow was still a member of the Tanner family, and he didn¡¯t want to see her suffer. To him, yton was someone bound to be ruined sooner orter. ¡°Dad, what¡¯s the point of asking Sophie toe?¡± Charmainemented. ¡°Is it necessary to worsen their already strained rtionship?¡± There¡¯s no need for this, is there? She continued, ¡°To be honest, yton is a decent guy.¡± ¡°Charmaine, every rich guy to you is decent.¡± ¡°Dad, among all the men out there, Mr. Tristan is the only one you approve of. But where are we going to find another like him?¡± Not everyone is as lucky as Sophie. ¡°Enough! You know nothing, so shut up.¡± Furious at Charmaine, Josiah didn¡¯t mince his words toward her. ¡°Dad, I¡¯m aware that you frown upon Yale and me. But on this matter, both of us are standing by Willow. Whatever you say isn¡¯t going to make a difference,¡± Charmaine dered after mustering her courage. Her support for her daughter¡¯s desire was unconditional. Chapter 443 Chapter 443 ¡°Mrs. Tanner, please stop talking,¡± Morgan snapped when he saw the gloomy look on Josiah¡¯s face. Upon saying her piece, Charmaine turned around and stormed off as she saw no reason to back down. Despite painstakingly raising three children, this is my reward. How can this be fair? Having spent so many years in the Tanner family, I¡¯m sure my efforts must count for something! Speechless, Josiah shook his head. ¡°All right now, I¡¯m fine. Just give Sophie a call.¡± I¡¯m nothing but a failure to have allowed the situation to end up this way. ¡°Right away.¡± The moment Sophie received the call, she dropped whatever she was doing and rushed over. Upon her arrival, Morgan summarized what happened to her. Despite Grandpa¡¯s old age, they keep causing problems to make him worry. Sophie felt bad for her grandfather, as within the Tanner family, no one understood him at all. ¡°Grandpa, don¡¯t worry. Didn¡¯t I tell you that I¡¯ll deal with it?¡± ¡°Soph, I know both of you are estranged, but she¡¯s still my granddaughter. I really don¡¯t want to see her live in regret.¡± Even though Josiah knew it was wrong to ckmail Sophie emotionally, there was no one else in the family he could turn to. ¡°Grandpa, Do you not trust me when I told you not to worry?¡± For the sake of her grandfather, Sophie was still capable of resolving the matter. ¡°In that case, you have to act fast. Otherwise, it would be toote once they have gotten married.¡± Since it was impossible for her to let yton off the hook, the only option she had was to stop the wedding. ¡°All right. Anyway, I¡¯m sure you must be bored staying at home all day, right? Why don¡¯t I invite a few of your oldrades to go on a trip with you?¡± A trip to a nearby mountain resort would do him some good. It¡¯s not far and isn¡¯t too physically demanding. ¡°Okay. I¡¯ll leave the arrangements to you then.¡± Josiah, too, didn¡¯t want to stay at home and get on everyone else¡¯s nerves. ¡°Okay. In that case, you should prepare to leave first thing tomorrow morning.¡± I remember that Grandpa has a few close friends. I¡¯ll invite all of them then! After spending two hours with Josiah, Sophie left when she had nothing else to do. ¡°Morgan, you should drop everything at home and go with Grandpa to the mountain resort.¡± Wherever Josiah went, he would make sure Morgan was by his side. ¡°Will do, Ms. Sophie. Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll definitely take good care of Old Mr. Tanner.¡± Sophie didn¡¯t have to worry as long as he was by Josiah¡¯s side. ¡°I appreciate everything that you¡¯ve done recently.¡± ¡°Ms. Sophie, I¡¯m willing to do anything for the sake of Old Mr. Tanner.¡± Upon Sophie¡¯s return to TS Entertainment, Ysabelle was already waiting for her. ¡°Sophie, you¡¯re finally back. Hurry up and pack, as we need to go to school now to fill out our choice of university.¡± It was necessary for them to make a trip there because the website could only be essed from the school intr. Sophie nced at the time. ¡°Let¡¯s just do it here instead.¡± It¡¯s just too troublesome to run around filling up some forms. ¡°Fill them here? Are we allowed to do that? Don¡¯t you know that it¡¯spulsory for us to do it in school?¡± ¡°With me around, everything¡¯s possible.¡± Sophie led Ysabelle to her office and turned on herputer. Standing by the side, Ysabelle watched Sophie¡¯s fingers dance across the keyboard until they reached the university application page. ¡°Sophie, your hacking skills are amazing!¡± Ysabelle eximed. ¡°To be honest, I wonder if there¡¯s anything in this world that you don¡¯t know.¡± ¡°There is. Plenty in fact,¡± Sophie replied earnestly. She then asked, ¡°What do you n to put as your first choice?¡± Sophie had logged in without needing to ask for Ysabelle¡¯s ount username and password. Ysabelle pondered upon the question. ¡°Put Jipsdale University as my first choice.¡± This is the only thing I can promise my dad. Since Dad objected to me joining the entertainment industry, he would blow his top if I were to reject his choice of university. ¡°Have you made up your mind?¡± Sophie felt that the choice required careful consideration. ¡°I have.¡± ¡°Good. And which major will you choose?¡± ¡°International trade and finance!¡± In the end, Ysabelle decided not to let her father down. Sophie said, ¡°All right. When you no longer feel like singing, you can go on to do something else.¡± Life is filled with possibilities. The choices made now don¡¯t determine the rest of one¡¯s life. ¡°That will never happen. I know how much I love doing it,¡± Ysabelle replied. Chasing my passion is the only reason why I disobeyed my father in the first ce. Even though her father was strict, she knew that he had her best interests at heart. Working in the entertainment industry was a tough slog, and that was the reason why her father was reluctant to let her join it. ¡°All right. Regardless of what you have chosen, you have my full support.¡± Sophie had already completed the application for her. After filling up Ysabelle¡¯s subsequent choices, Sophie exited the former¡¯s ount and logged into her own. ¡°What about you? Have you decided?¡± I¡¯m sure she has already made up her mind.N?velDrama.Org: owner of this content. ¡°Ysabelle, I¡¯m not going to Jipsdale University.¡± Jipsdale University might be the best university in the city with many students dying to get into it, but Sophie felt as if there was nothing more she could learn there. ¡°What? You¡¯re not going?¡± Can we still hang out in the future if that¡¯s the case? Ysabelle continued to ask, ¡°Where do you n to go then?¡± ¡°The University of Medicine right next to Jipsdale University.¡± ¡°I see. I think it¡¯s a good choice too. At the very least, the two schools are close to each other, and I can see you whenever I miss you.¡± After all, Ysabelle had no intention of being apart from Sophie. ¡°Now that you¡¯re an artiste under TS Entertainment¡¯s stable, we¡¯ll still see each frequently, anyway.¡± ¡°But I still want to see you in school!¡± Ysabelle whined. It¡¯s even better if we could travel to school together. ¡°Fine. All that matters is that you¡¯re happy.¡± Sophie had no furtherments about the matter. ¡°Sophie, what¡¯s with that indifferent attitude of yours? At the very least, show some enthusiasm, or it¡¯ll look as if the feeling isn¡¯t mutual!¡± It¡¯s embarrassing for me! ¡°I¡¯m happy to be studying in the school next to yours. Satisfied?¡± ¡°Mmm-hmm, indeed I am!¡± Ysabelle nodded. There was no way she would say otherwise in front of Sophie, who was the idol she adored. ¡°Sophie, to be honest, I think you¡¯re ready to go professional. The way you performed on the stage was absolutely mesmerizing!¡± If sheunches her career, I¡¯m sure men and women alike will be captivated by her! In response, Sophie said, ¡°All right now, that¡¯ll be all with regard to this matter.¡± Chapter 444 Chapter 444 ¡°Fine.¡± Ysabelle was cognizant of not overstepping her boundaries. Sophie said, ¡°Now that we havepleted the application, you can go back to practice.¡± Ysabelle sighed inwardly when she heard that. Just as expected, she¡¯s a real vedriver. ¡°I got it, Boss. Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll definitely work hard in my training.¡± ¡°Ysabelle, since singing is your passion, you should go all out. By the way, one of my music directors will hand some demo tapes over to you. You should take a listen!¡± Sophie had personally curated the songs that she felt were suited to Ysabelle. ¡°Sure!¡± Although Ysabelle was well aware that she had to make preparations in her attempt to go professional, the news still filled her with excitement. My efforts have not gone to waste, as I can finally chase my dream. ¡°Didn¡¯t you promise to write me a song?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll keep my word. It¡¯s just that I¡¯ve been swamped with work recently. For your first album, the title track will definitely be written by me.¡± Given how important Ysabelle¡¯s debut album was to Sophie, she endeavored to write the former a hit single. Feeling ecstatic, Ysabelle threw her arms around Sophie. ¡°Sophie, I love you so much!¡± N?velDrama.Org: owner of this content. ¡°You don¡¯t have to. Both of us will never be together,¡± Sophie quipped. ¡°Haha¡­¡± Ysabelle couldn¡¯t resist bursting into heartyughter. It¡¯s surprising to see Sophie¡¯s humorous side. Not long after, Ysabelle went off to see the music director. ¡°Ysabelle, remember to give it your best shot! Do you know who wrote the songs for you?¡± ¡°Who?¡± Despite mentioning the songs earlier, Sophie didn¡¯t reveal who the songwriter was. ¡°Why don¡¯t you see for yourself? I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll be pleasantly surprised.¡± After taking the document from Sophie¡¯s hands, Ysabelle was thrilled to see the name on it. ¡°Sophie, how did you manage to do this?¡± They were written by her favorite singer¡ªthe famous Richie Tannen. She added, ¡°You never cease to amaze me! Working for you is the most awesome thing to ever happen to me.¡± Richie hadn¡¯t written a song for anyone in recent years. However, at Sophie¡¯s request, heposed a few specifically for Ysabelle. ¡°I¡¯ll put my best foot forward and not let anyone down,¡± Ysabelle dered resolutely. Being a neer to the industry, she had nothing more to ask for after all the resources Sophie had provided her. All that was needed now was her effort. Previously, she had never thought Sophie was serious and was consequently surprised at how influential thetter was. After all, it wasn¡¯t an easy task to get Richie to coborate. Later on, Mark dropped by to speak with Sophie. He had a troubled expression on his face. Seeing that, Sophie asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Did something happen to the Emerald Gang?¡± Considering how long he has been away, he must have encountered many problems while taking over it. ¡°There¡¯s nothing to worry about. I can manage,¡± came Mark¡¯s reply. Regardless of how grim the situation was, it was still his responsibility, and he didn¡¯t want her to interfere. ¡°Mark, there¡¯s no need for secrets between us. If you need anything, just let me know. You¡¯ll be surprised at how I can be of help.¡± ¡°Sophie, I¡¯m well aware of how capable you are, but I hope that you don¡¯t involve yourself in the affairs of the Emerald Gang.¡± Sophie had no idea how to respond to that. In the end, she said, ¡°I¡¯m not as naive as you think and might really be able to provide some assistance.¡± ¡°That¡¯s enough. I just wanted to check in with you.¡± Mark had no intention of seeking her help. ¡°You¡­¡± Faced with his adamant refusal, Sophie didn¡¯t insist any further. ¡°No matter what, just remember this. We¡¯ll always be the best of friends. Whenever you¡¯re in trouble, we¡¯ll definitely lend you a helping hand,¡± Sophie reminded him sincerely. ¡°Yeah, I got it. I know everyone has my best interests at heart.¡± But there are certain matters I need to resolve myself. ¡°Anyway, I have to go for practice now.¡± With that, Mark took his leave. Sitting alone, Sophie felt a sense of mncholy descend upon her. He always insists on carrying the burden by himself. It¡¯s terribly exhausting to do so. Meanwhile, yton arrived at TS Entertainment to see Sophie as he needed to speak to her in person. However, the security guard stopped him by the door. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but no one other than staff is allowed to enter. You¡¯ll need an appointment if you¡¯re here to see someone.¡± Having received a raise recently, the security guards were more serious about their job than before. ¡°Do you not know who I am? I¡¯m yton Zales. I¡¯m here to see the CEO.¡± yton announced his name proudly, but the security guards weren¡¯t impressed at all. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. Regardless of who you are, you still need an appointment to see the CEO.¡± What¡¯s going on? Why are there so many weird people showing uptely? ¡°What did you say? Do you have a death wish or something?¡± yton¡¯s patience had been running thin recently due to the sheer amount of problems he was facing. ¡°Please do not threaten us. Otherwise, we¡¯ll be forced to call the police.¡± The guards had zero tolerance for threats against their safety. ¡°You¡ª¡± yton grabbed one of the guards by his cor. ¡°You really aren¡¯t afraid of death, are you?¡± When Sophie was subsequently informed that someone was stirring up trouble outside, she was surprised to see yton upon her arrival. ¡°yton, what are you doing here?¡± she snapped, for she never tolerated anyone who bullied her subordinates. At the sight of Sophie, yton snorted and released the guard. ¡°Sophie, these men don¡¯t know any better. I told them that I was here to see you, but they insisted on me having an appointment.¡± ¡°Oh, is that so?¡± Sophie gave him a hostile look. ¡°Are you saying that all TS Entertainment¡¯s employees must grovel before you every time you visit?¡± Embarrassed by her retort, yton scratched his nose. ¡°Sophie, no matter what, we¡¯re family. You¡¯re humiliating me by doing this.¡± ¡°Family? Why would anyone want a scumbag like you as family?¡± Since he came over shamelessly, there was no reason for Sophie to show him any respect. ¡°You¡ª¡± yton had never been ridiculed so badly before, especially not in front of an army of reporters. Whatever reputation he had left was now ruined. ¡°Sophie, at the end of the day, I¡¯m still your brother-inw. How can you do this to me?¡± yton hissed in anger. ¡°Brother-inw? Since when do I have one? You had better not make baseless ims about you being my rtive!¡± Let¡¯s see if he can actually make it to the time of the wedding. ¡°Sophie, you had better not cross the line. Willow is still your sister!¡± Confident that Sophie would back down on the ount of the reporters present, yton began to ckmail her emotionally. Chapter 445 Chapter 445 ¡°Too much? Are you sure you want to discuss this matter with me here, Mr. Zales?¡± Sophie shot a threatening re at yton, causing thetter to stop talking immediately. At present, he had no idea what kind of evidence Sophie had in her possession that imed that he had killed someone. If she really had any substantial evidence, it would be very unfavorable to him as there were many reporters there. ¡°Forget it. I¡¯m not talking to you anymore.¡± Not having the guts to act boorishly, yton was determined to flee as quickly as possible. ¡°Hold on!¡± However, Sophie stopped him from leaving. yton stopped in his tracks, wondering why she had suddenly told him to stay put. ¡°Mr. Zales, is this how you behave in front of others? You were threatening my staff just now. Don¡¯t you think you owe them an apology?¡± The reporters had been here for quite some time. In the past, they had suffered quite a lot due to yton¡¯s extreme arrogance. Thus, when they saw yton behaving docilely in front of Sophie, they felt pleased and satisfied. ¡°Indeed! Mr. Zales, the security staff were merely doing their job. It¡¯s only fair that you apologize for threatening them just now!¡± ¡°That¡¯s right! You can¡¯t ignore their feelings!¡± All of a sudden, the reporters began chiming in. When yton swept his gaze across them, they pretended as if they didn¡¯t notice it and continued speaking what was on their minds. They paid him no heed at all. At that juncture, he finally realized what it felt like to lose his dignity and power in someone else¡¯s territory. ¡°Are you sure you want to kick up a huge fuss, Sophie?¡± ¡°What¡¯s there to be unsure about? Hurry up and apologize! I¡¯ve other matters to attend to. I don¡¯t need to waste my time with you here!¡± Sophie nced at the time on her phone¡¯s screen as she had a lunch appointment with Richie as well. yton was at a loss for words. He was on the verge of losing his temper, for he had never suffered such humiliation before. ¡°I¡¯m sorry!¡± Since there were so many reporters around, he could not afford to offend Sophie at that moment. Thus, the only thing he could do was apologize. ¡°It¡¯s not me that you¡¯re supposed to apologize to.¡± Didn¡¯t I make myself clear just now? Or does he have difficulty understanding my words? ¡°Gentlemen, I apologize for being too rash today.¡± The reporters were dumbfounded. That was the very first time they had seen yton behave in such a submissive way. When did yton be so timid? He had always been the high and mighty yton Zales! Ms. Sophie sure is amazing! I can¡¯t believe she could actually subdue yton! ¡°Remember, I won¡¯t let anyone bully or harm my men,¡± Sophie said coldly. The security guards were very moved by her words. Even though they had been working as a security guard for quite some time, that was the first time they were regarded with great importance by their boss. They were determined to work harder in the future so as not to let Sophie down. As soon as Sophie finished her sentence, she walked away in a cool and chic manner, leaving yton with a grim expression on his face. The reporters ignored the man and were ted because they would have something interesting to write about that day. At night, Willow¡¯s expression darkened terribly after she read the news. She then tore the newspaper into shreds. ¡°Don¡¯t be like this, Wi. You know the reporters love to write about nonsense every time.¡± ¡°Mom, Sophie obviously knows yton is my fianc¨¦, but shepletely disrespected him! This is a huge p to my face!¡± The situation put Charmaine in a difficult position as well. ¡°You know well that Soph doesn¡¯t bother about giving respect to others. Don¡¯t dwell too much about it, okay?¡± Willow clenched her fists tightly. ¡°How could she do this?¡± Charmaine knew Willow was upset, but at this moment, she genuinely didn¡¯t know how tofort her daughter. It was a society where the strong preyed on the weak, and there was nothing she could do about it. Meanwhile, yton was panicking. At present, a few people from different departments were closely monitoring him. There was no way for him to try any funny business. Willow, who came to visit him, was concerned upon seeing the look on his face. ¡°Are you all right, yton? Did you run into some kind of trouble? Otherwise, you wouldn¡¯t have to submit to Sophie!¡± He was acting differently than usual. Truth be told, yton was indeed exhausted. ¡°Do you really like me, Willow?¡± yton suddenly asked her. At that point in time, no one stood by his side or supported him. Willow took the initiative to hug the man. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, yton! No matter what happens to you in the future, I¡¯ll always be by your side.¡± Willow decided to go all out. Regardless of what happened, he was her only hope. Naturally, she would not give up on him. Besides, is Sophie really that powerful? Is she even capable of taking down yton? After hearing her confession, yton hugged her tightly. ¡°Yes. You¡¯re the only one by my side right now. Willow, I know that you¡¯re not exactly on good terms with Sophie, but would you please beg her for my sake?¡± Willow didn¡¯t know what to say. ¡°What do you mean by that, yton? Why do we have to beg her?¡± Willow was utterly perplexed. ¡°She has some dirt on me! She has been threatening me, and that¡¯s why I¡¯ve been like this. Will you look down on me because of that?¡± ¡°What kind of dirt does she have on you, yton? Is it serious?¡± She was sure that even if she were to curry favor with Sophie, thetter would still not bother to entertain her. ¡°Yes, it¡¯s serious. So, if you really want us to get married, you must beg her! You¡¯re sisters, aren¡¯t you? I¡¯m sure she¡¯ll show you some respect, right?¡± Aftering out from Zales Corporation, Willow was still in a daze. Does this mean yton is trying to use me to deal with Sophie? But¡­ am I really capable of doing so? Sophie will definitely mock me if I go looking for her right now! How can I possibly do that? But I might lose thisst chance if I don¡¯t try. Willow waited patiently at the entrance of Wisteria Apartments since she knew Sophie wouldn¡¯te out even if she called her. At half past ten that night, she finally saw Tristan¡¯s car. Then, she dashed out and stopped in front of the car. Property ? N?velDrama.Org. Sophie furrowed her brows as she looked at Willow, who was standing outside the car. Why is she here again? Can¡¯t she just behave herself for a bit? What¡¯s the point of hering here in the first ce? Tristan nced at Sophie and asked, ¡°Do you want to have a chat with her?¡± Sophie shook her head and replied, ¡°I don¡¯t like her.¡± Indeed, Sophie disliked Willow to the point where she truly hated thetter¡¯s guts. There was no need for her to waste time on people whom she despised. Tristan mmed on the brakes hard after Willow dashed out suddenly, so the car came to a stop not far away from her. Nheless, he stepped on the gas again, and the car continued to move forward. Willow did not expect Tristan to continue driving even when she was standing right in front of the car. Is he trying to run me over? Upon noticing the car was about to hit her, Willow dodged it before chasing after it. ¡°What do you think you¡¯re doing, Sophie?¡± Chapter 446 Chapter 446 Sophie watched through the rearview mirror as Willow continued running behind the car, showing no sign of giving up. Thetter only stopped chasing after the car after she tripped and fell. ¡°What an idiot,¡± Sophie muttered. Did she really expect to catch up to a vehicle with four wheels just by running? Is she really my older sister? How can one possess such a low IQ? ¡°Ignore her. She¡¯s of no importance, so don¡¯t let her affect your mood,¡± said Tristan. People like Willow only think about what they want. They don¡¯t care about others at all. She must¡¯ve come looking for Sophie because of something to do with yton. There¡¯s no need to pity people like that. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m not bothered by her in the slightest.¡± The car pulled up in the underground parking lot. After getting out of the vehicle, Tristan opened the car door for Sophie, and they headed upstairs together. Sophie was already exhausted by the time they returned to Wisteria Apartments. However, Willow kept calling her phone, so she blocked Willow¡¯s number. Only then did she have some peace and quiet. ¡°Oh, by the way, which university did you apply to?¡± Tristan asked. They had been so caught up with other things that he had not gotten the chance to ask her. ¡°The University of Medicine.¡± Although her answer was unexpected, it made sense. Moreover, Arius did mention that she was truly gifted. Nheless, Tristan could not stop his heart from aching at the thought of Sophie bing a doctor. After all, it was a taxing career. ¡°What¡¯s the matter? You look as though you have something to say about that.¡± ¡°Oh, it¡¯s nothing. I¡¯ll always support you, no matter what you choose to do. It¡¯s just that I feel being a doctor will take a lot out of you,¡± he replied. Sometimes, one surgery alone could take a few hours, and the mere thought of Sophie standing there for several hours was already starting to worry him. She leaned against him and said, ¡°After my grandfather fell ill previously and there was nothing I could do, I thought that being a doctor would be quite a good thing. At least I wouldn¡¯t be so powerless in the face of death.¡± In truth, that idea had always been in her thoughts. However, she had never made up her mind about it. Now, she had genuinely considered it carefully. ¡°Hmm, that¡¯s a good point,¡± Tristan remarked. Neither of them ever imagined that Tristan would one day be the one lying on the operation table and that the person performing the surgery would be Sophie. ¡°So, you¡¯re not unhappy about that, right?¡± She could now read his emotions better. ¡°Why would I be unhappy? I¡¯m d you can do the things you like, future Dr. Tanner!¡± Sophie grinned. ¡°Oh, I won¡¯t be going to Anndur either, so you won¡¯t have to shift your focus there.¡± Tristan knew she had made that decision because of him. N?velDrama.Org: owner of this content. He cradled her face and nted a kiss on her lips. ¡°Oh, Sophie! Thank you!¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want your thanks, Tristan. It was a voluntary decision, so you don¡¯t have to feel bad about it.¡± ¡°Oh, no. I don¡¯t feel bad about it at all. I couldn¡¯t be happier that you chose to stay because of me. However, just know that should you need to go to Anndur, I can go with you.¡± Sophie¡¯s heart softened when she saw how much he cared for her. This guy really knows how to make my heart melt. ¡°Who says I must go to Anndur? Even if I don¡¯t go abroad, I can still be the best doctor in the world!¡± she dered, brimming with confidence. Besides, Chanaea has been making great strides on the medical front! ¡°But didn¡¯t you promise Arius you¡¯d make a trip to Anndur?¡± Tristan asked. That matter had gnawed at him for a long time, and he had never forgotten it. Sophie nodded. ¡°You¡¯re right. I promised him that, and I do need to make a trip there. Dr. Smith saved my life, so I must make good on my promise to him.¡± Although she had decided not to join the International Medical Association, she still had to go there and personally tell Barney her decision. ¡°When are you nning on leaving? I¡¯ll go with you.¡± ¡°Even if I go, it¡¯ll only be for two to three days. You have plenty to do here, so there¡¯s no need to apany me,¡± she replied, knowing how busy he had beentely. Tristan had a coboration with a multinational corporation on hand, and everyone was watching him like a hawk. Hence, he could not afford to leave the country at such a crucial time. Even so, he said, ¡°What am I busy with? I¡¯m only working to earn money. I have a whole lifetime ahead of me to do that. What matters the most to me now is you.¡± It¡¯s only for two to three days, after all. It won¡¯t affect much. After what happened during thatst trip to Anndur, how can I let her go by herself? ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re reluctant to part with me? Or is it because you¡¯re afraid I won¡¯t return?¡± What Sophie meant was that perhaps he was worried she would not return because she would surely fall in love with that ce after getting a taste of the International Medical Association. ¡°Both,¡± Tristan answered frankly without attempting to deny it. After all, that was the truth. Then, he added, ¡°However, if you truly wish to go there, I won¡¯t stop you. Nothing cane between us anyway.¡± Sophie stared at him wordlessly. ¡°I already told you. I want to go to the University of Medicine.¡± It may not be the top university in the world, but it¡¯s pretty good. ¡°All right. That¡¯s settled, then. Just let me know in advance when you¡¯re nning to go.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Seeing how much he wanted to make the trip with her, Sophie did not say anything more. Meanwhile, the chancellors of Jipsdale University and Capston University could not help feeling regretful that Sophie had chosen to attend the University of Medicine. Hence, they went looking for her again. Hoping that Sophie would pick his university, Christopher said, ¡°You can still think about it again, Sophie.¡± ¡°He¡¯s right. You actually possess talent in scientific research. I know you were the winner of thest physicspetition, and you¡ª¡± ¡°That¡¯s kind of the two of you to say that. However, I¡¯ve already made my decision.¡± ¡°You know, you don¡¯t have to attend Jipsdale University to join our research institute. How about doing a major at our university?¡± Christopher proposed. He did not mind that alternative as long as it meant she was notpletely turning them down. Is he for real? I can study medicine while doing research? Sophie was speechless, and even Ysabelle was dumbfounded. Seriously? Mr. Olsen is truly pulling out all the stops! ¡°All right. I¡¯ll think about it again,¡± Sophie replied. With her abilities, it would not be impossible to do two majors at two different universities. ¡°You won¡¯t have to worry about the timetable. I¡¯ll adjust it for you and ensure it doesn¡¯t sh with your sses at the University of Medicine.¡± Christopher¡¯s remark proved just how desperately he wanted her as a student at Jipsdale University. bbergasted, Ysabelle nearly sputtered in disbelief. Haven¡¯t there been rumors that the chancellor of Jipsdale University is a cold and aloof person? Why has someone like him done aplete one-eighty in front of Sophie? She¡¯s truly something else! Not to be outdone, Joseph piped up, ¡°Capston University can offer you that as well. If you¡¯re willing to pick us, we¡¯ll agree to any request you may have.¡± Chapter 447 Chapter 447 Sophie felt a bit distressed about the two chancellor¡¯s enthusiasm. When Tristan noticed that she was getting impatient, he stood up and prompted, ¡°I think you gentlemen should go.¡± Since he already said that, the two chancellors could not possibly press Sophie further. They had no choice but to pack up and leave. ¡°Sophie, I actually think Mr. Olsen¡¯s suggestion is good. You can study medicine at the University of Medicine while doing your physics research at Jipsdale University!¡± Ysabelle chirped. Sophie was very talented in physics, so it would be a shame for her to give it up. ¡°Ysabelle!¡± Tristan snapped. Ysabelle immediately shut her mouth, though she still thought the suggestion was nice. ¡°It¡¯s not like you have unlimited energy. Just do what you like to do,¡± Tristan told Sophie. He did not think she had to venture into something just because she was talented in it; that would be too exhausting. ¡°But I really think it¡¯s a good idea,¡± grumbled Ysabelle. She tugged at Sophie¡¯s sleeve andined, ¡°Sophie, Uncle Tristan is being mean to me again.¡± Now that she had Sophie on her side, she was getting bolder and bolder in front of Tristan. ¡°That¡¯s enough. Isn¡¯t Felix here to pick you up? Hurry and head to thepany.¡± The recording for Ysabelle¡¯s new album had begun, and she was supposed to record the first track that day. In the coming days, she would be very busy. ¡°Aren¡¯t you going with me?¡± Ysabelle sounded a little dejected. It was an important day for her, so she thought Sophie would apany her. ¡°Go with Felix first. I¡¯ll follow once I¡¯m done with the matter on hand.¡± Ysabelle knew that Sophie was busy, so she could only nod obediently. ¡°Make sure toe, okay? I¡¯ll be really disappointed if you don¡¯t show up,¡± she expressed as she looked at Sophie with puppy eyes. ¡°When did I ever lie to you?¡± Hearing that, Ysabelle beamed. ¡°You¡¯re right. You never lie to me. I¡¯ll go first then.¡± Tristan couldn¡¯t help but shake his head as he watched his niece. He felt like she was bing more and more willful. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t spoil her so much,¡± he said to Sophie after Ysabelle left. ¡°Do I?¡± Sophie adored Ysabelle very much. Thetter was pure and simple, and it was very easy to make her happy. Thus, Sophie always found herself giving in to Ysabelle¡¯s requests unknowingly. ¡°You do. If you have so much time and energy, you should spoil me, too.¡± This is the property of N?-velDrama.Org. Tristan was jealous again. ¡°Tristan, are you actually jealous of your niece right now?¡± Sophie asked in exasperation. Is he for real? ¡°Yes, I am,¡± Tristan admitted. ¡°You spend too much time on her.¡± His words rendered Sophie speechless. I didn¡¯t! Well, never mind. If he says I did, then I did. Suddenly, Tristan walked over and hugged her. ¡°I know you¡¯re busy, but you have to promise me to take care of yourself properly. Don¡¯t tire yourself too much. Don¡¯t mind what others tell you as well. Just do what you like to do.¡± Sophie had many roles now, and they all required her time and energy. ¡°Yes, I know,¡± Sophie responded. She was not that fragile. ¡°That¡¯s good to hear. By the way, The Wheelers have begun promoting their concert, right? Have you decided to perform?¡± Tristan knew Sophie did not like getting too much attention from the fans, so he had to ask her. ¡°This might be The Wheelers¡¯st concert. When we first formed the band, our dream was to have a concert. So I really don¡¯t want to miss it this time.¡± It was true that Sophie disliked being in the spotlight all the time, but she had to join this concert with her bandmates so she would not have any regrets in the future. Nevertheless, she wouldn¡¯t actually expose herself on the stage. ¡°I¡¯ll perform while wearing a mask, just likest time,¡± she stated. ¡°All right. Since you have decided, go for it so you won¡¯t have any regrets.¡± Tristan wanted Sophie to live life to the fullest. Giving him a peck on the cheek, Sophie gushed, ¡°Tristan, I didn¡¯t expect that you¡¯d be such an obedient boyfriend.¡± No matter what decisions she made, he always showed his support for her. ¡°Well, I have no choice since the girl I like is so strong-minded.¡± Since he liked her, it was natural for him to ept everything about her. ¡°By the way, I like Mr. Olsen¡¯s suggestion. I think I can go for a double major,¡± Sophie remarked. She figured she should take the chance since Christopher already made things so convenient for her. As a matter of fact, she did quite enjoy studying physics. Upon hearing that, Tristan felt a headacheing. What should I do? My girlfriend is too capable and eager to learn. She won¡¯t have much time for me in the future! He groaned, ¡°I¡¯ve made up my mind. From now on, Christopher will be my enemy!¡± It¡¯s his fault for bringing up that idea! At that, Sophie burst intoughter. ¡°You know what? You¡¯re so adorable when you act like this.¡± ¡°Adorable?¡± Tristan was baffled. He never considered himself to be adorable in the least bit. ¡°Yes, I¡¯m serious. You¡¯re super adorable. I really like it when you act like this.¡± ¡°Fine. Since you like it, then I¡¯ll be more adorable in the future.¡± As long as she liked it, Tristan had no objections. Later, when Tristan and Sophie left in their car, Willow was still standing by the gate. She had waited there for the entire night. Naturally, Tristan and Sophie saw her right away. ¡°Willow is quite persistent at times,¡± Sophiemented. That was something about Willow that impressed her. ¡°Isn¡¯t she here for yton?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± As there was no way Sophie would let yton off, there was no point in talking to Willow. That was why Sophie ignored Willow so heartlessly despite the fact that thetter waited for so long. Right at that moment, Willow copsed to the ground. ¡°Is she acting?¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t seem so.¡± As someone who had studied medicine before, Sophie could tell that Willow actually fainted. ¡°Seriously¡­¡± In all honesty, Tristan did not want to help Willow. However, she was Sophie¡¯s sister after all. If they turned a blind eye now, Sophie would be put in a bad light. Looking at Willow, Sophie sighed helplessly. Meanwhile, Tristan stopped the car by the road and got out to check on Willow. She was indeed unconscious, and onlookers had begun to gather around her. Sophie also got out of the car. When she saw Tristan bending down to pick Willow up, she immediately stopped him. ¡°You should drive. I¡¯ll carry her.¡± ¡°You¡¯re a girl. How will you¡ª¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want you to carry other girls,¡± Sophie exined. Tristan immediately epted her excuse. ¡°All right.¡± With that, Sophie took Willow into her arms and got into the car. They then brought thetter to the hospital before giving Charmaine a call. Soon, Charmaine arrived at the hospital. ¡°Sophie, what in the world is going on? What did you do to Wi? Why did she faint?¡± Josiah had gone to the resort, so only Charmaine was home. She was in such a hurry that she did not even change out of her home slippers. It was apparent that she cared about Willow very much. ¡°Mrs. Tanner, please mind your attitude,¡± Tristan warned. How could she treat her daughter like this? Chapter 448 Chapter 448 Sophie didn¡¯t really seem to mind as she had long since gotten used to Charmaine¡¯s nasty attitude. Property ? N?velDrama.Org. ¡°You need proof before making such usations, Mrs. Tanner. I had nothing to do with Willow fainting. If anything, you should be thanking me for sending her to the hospital!¡± Not wanting to waste any more of her time and energy arguing with Charmaine, Sophie turned around and began dragging Tristan out of there. Willow had fainted due to a low blood sugar level, so it wasn¡¯t anything serious. ¡°Hah¡­¡± Charmaine let out a cold chuckle in response. I used to regret treating Sophie poorly before, but now, I just wish I could strangle her to death! How dare she take that tone with me? I¡¯m her mother, for crying out loud! Such insolence is uneptable! Although she was infuriated, she didn¡¯t daresh out at Sophie because Tristan was standing right next to her. Even if Tristan wasn¡¯t there, the dangerous aura emanating from Sophie was terrifying enough to deter her. Given the circumstances, all Charmaine could do was pin her hopes on Willow. If yton can make aeback, we¡¯ll be members of the upper ss. I sure hope he¡¯ll be all right¡­ After leaving the hospital, Tristan opened the car door for Sophie and said, ¡°Wait in the car. I¡¯ll be right back!¡± Unsure of what he was going to do, Sophie replied, ¡°All right.¡± Tristan then closed the car door and walked away. Ten minutester, he returned with two scoops of ice cream. ¡°Here you go.¡± Tristan didn¡¯t like eating ice cream, but he remembered how Ysabelle would eat it whenever she was in a bad mood, and it would make her feel much better afterward. He figured Sophie must¡¯ve felt upset after hearing those nasty remarks from her mother. Sophie froze in shock and confusion when she saw the ice cream cones in his hands. Did he just run all the way there just to get me some ice cream? I don¡¯t like ice cream, but he did queue up in this scorching heat just to buy it for me. What should I do? ¡°Tristan, you¡­¡± Unsure of what to say, she simply stared at him with a conflicted look in her eyes. ¡°Which would you prefer?¡± Tristan asked. Although he didn¡¯t like ice cream, he still wanted to share the frozen treat with her. ¡°I¡¯ll have this one!¡± Sophie replied as she picked the strawberry-vored one, leaving Tristan with the vani vored one. He picked those two vors because those were the ones she chose when getting milkshakes. Just like that, the two of them sat in the car with the air-conditioning on as they munched on their ice cream. For some reason, eating ice cream felt a lot more tolerable when they did it together. Noticing that Tristan had been staring at her ice cream cone, Sophie held it up to his face and asked, ¡°Do you want to give mine a try?¡± Tristan paused for a brief moment before giving her ice cream a lick. It wasn¡¯t until he licked it that Sophie realized what she had done. Oh, my goodness! That ice cream has my saliva all over it! ¡°I¡¯m sorry! I didn¡¯t do it on purpose! I just thought you might want to try it, that¡¯s all!¡± ¡°Yeah, I did want to give it a try.¡± The atmosphere in the car changed as the two individuals known for their aloofness had an intimate moment together. ¡°Would you like to try mine?¡± Tristan asked. Sophie shook her head. ¡°I actually don¡¯t like ice cream.¡± Tristan fell silent instantly when he heard that. What? Does this mean I went through all that trouble for nothing? ¡°That being said, it feels kind of nice eating it with you!¡± Sophie added, much to his relief. She¡¯s right. I don¡¯t like ice cream either, but I kind of enjoy eating it with her. Is this the power of love? Does one just end up liking anything as long as they¡¯re doing it with someone they love? Tristan tossed the ice cream cones into the trash and said with a chuckle, ¡°Same here. I don¡¯t like ice cream either.¡± ¡°Tristan, I¡¯m actually a lot stronger than you think. When something happens to you often, you tend to get used to it, and it doesn¡¯t bother you as much.¡± Sophie knew he was trying to cheer her up with ice cream because of what Charmaine said earlier, but she wasn¡¯t bothered by it at all. ¡°Even so, I don¡¯t want you getting used to that sort of thing.¡± All Tristan wanted was to protect and love the woman before him for the rest of their lives, so he refused to let anyone mistreat her. ¡°I don¡¯t mind it at all, though.¡± There¡¯s no way to control the way people think, so why even bother trying to change them? Besides, it would be too exhausting to constantly worry about how others perceive me. ¡°Now that you have me in your life, I¡¯ll be sure to keep you safe from harm. I won¡¯t let anyone else mistreat you ever again.¡± Tristan was determined to protect her from anyone who would hurt her, including her family members. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m really fine,¡± Sophie reassured him. He always has my best interests in mind. Having him in my life is probably the best thing that has ever happened to me. ¡°I mean what I said, Sophie. You no longer have to worry about a thing. All you need to know is that you¡¯re the one I love the most.¡± In order to ensure her happiness and make up for her tragic childhood, Tristan was willing to shelter her from any storm that they could encounter. ¡°Honestly, it sometimes hurts me deeply to see how strong you¡¯ve gotten.¡± He believed that, as a woman, she deserved to be loved and protected. ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll listen to you from now on.¡± ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s right.¡± Unbeknownst to her, Tristan was more than willing to listen to her. Ysabelle was halfway through recording a song when Tristan and Sophie arrived at TS Entertainment. Felix had been standing guard outside the recording booth the entire time. As Ysabelle was talented in singing and had an amazing voice, she was doing quite well. Noticing that Sophie and Tristan were here, Ysabelle came out of the booth after finishing up a segment of her song. ¡°You¡¯re finally here, Sophie! I thought you weren¡¯ting anymore!¡± ¡°Why are you being so clingy? You¡¯ve got Felix here to keep youpany, don¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Felix can¡¯t possibly take your ce in my heart! I feel a lot more confident with you around, Sophie!¡± ¡°I got held up with something,¡± Sophie replied as she pressed a few buttons and yed Ysabelle¡¯s recording. As it was Ysabelle¡¯s first time hearing her voice like this, she felt somewhat embarrassed. The entire recording was only thirty-eight seconds long, but Ysabelle felt like it took forever for them to finish ying it. ¡°Well? What do you think? It¡¯s not that good, right?¡± Sure enough, Felix was quick topliment her. ¡°I knew you were talented, Ysabelle! That was the best song I¡¯ve ever heard!¡± Ugh¡­ Isn¡¯t he being a little too enthusiastic? ¡°I know I¡¯m not that good, Felix. You don¡¯t have to exaggerate to make me feel better about myself.¡± ¡°I¡¯m just telling the truth. I don¡¯t care what other people say. To me, you¡¯re always going to be the best.¡± Ysabelle burned bright red when she heard that. She had gotten used to Felix being harsh, so hearing himpliment her caught herpletely off guard. ¡°Stop it! I¡¯m not used to hearing such things from you, Felix.¡± Chapter 449 Chapter 449 ¡°What? I was justplimenting you, though. Do you want me to go back to being harsh again?¡± Felix didn¡¯t know what he was supposed to do. ¡°I think you should just keep your mouth shut,¡± Ysabelle replied, much to Felix¡¯s chagrin. I keep herpany while she¡¯s recording, and yet, she turns against me the moment Sophie shows up. How rude! Since neither Tristan nor Felix knew much about singing, Ysabelle decided to seek Sophie¡¯s professional opinion instead. ¡°What do you think of my singing, Sophie?¡± ¡°You did all right.¡± Ysabelle had a great voice and had been putting in a lot of effort, so her singing had improved significantly. Ysabelle breathed a sigh of relief when she heard that. ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Yes, really.¡± ¡°You do indeed sing pretty well. I¡¯ll let your father listen to your album once you¡¯re done recording it,¡± Tristan said. Lincoln is still against the idea of Ysabelle singing, but he might change his mind after hearing how well she sings. ¡°Thanks, Uncle Tristan!¡± Ysabelle felt very satisfied with her performance. Uncle Tristan rarelypliments me, so that must mean my singing was decent! Looks like my hard work has paid off, after all! ¡°Carry on with the recording,¡± Sophie said. ¡°Okay!¡± Sophie and Tristan continued observing her for a little while longer before stepping out of the recording booth. TS Entertainment seemed to be doing well with The Wheelers, Cecelia, and Ysabelle on its side. ¡°You¡¯re doing a great job managing TS Entertainment.¡± ¡°I think I did all right.¡± At the very least, it wasn¡¯t far from what she had in mind. Cecelia had been given a role in a film with a really high budget and was preparing for the shoot. Ysabelle was in the process of recording her album, and The Wheelers was preparing for an uing concert. So far, everything seemed to be going ording to n. ¡°Tristan, did you run into some kind of troubletely?¡± Given how advanced inte technology had be, Sophie was able to find out even though he had kept quiet about it. Tristan was not expecting her to say something like that all of a sudden. ¡°No, it doesn¡¯t exactly count as trouble. I didn¡¯t tell you because I didn¡¯t want to worry you. It¡¯s just a minor issue, after all.¡± There was no problem he couldn¡¯t solve, so he wasn¡¯t really bothered by it. He has been helping me out by my side all this while, so why won¡¯t he tell me about his problems? There¡¯s no reason to keep me in the dark if I can help out! ¡°I told you to let me know if you ever run into any problems. I might be able to help you out,¡± Sophie reminded him. ¡°All right, I¡¯ll let you know if I¡¯m unable to handle it.¡± Tristan wasn¡¯t actually struggling with anything as he was the one who caused those problems. Being a businessman, he sometimes had to resort to underhanded means, and he didn¡¯t want Sophie to see this side of him. Arius was freaking out when he heard about Sophie choosing the University of Medicine and Jipsdale University. ¡°What¡¯s the meaning of this, Sophie?¡± He came all the way from Anndur just to confront Sophie about it in her office. ¡°What are you talking about?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t y dumb with me! Didn¡¯t you promise Barney you would join the International Medical Association? Why did you choose the University of Medicine? Why would you want to stay here?¡± ¡°I never promised anyone I¡¯d join the International Medical Association, Arius. Just like before, I only said I¡¯d go have a look. Besides, I don¡¯t need to go to Anndur just to study medicine.¡± The medical technology in Chanaea was pretty advanced too. Since Sophie wasn¡¯t the type to glorify foreign countries, she believed it made no difference where she chose to study in. ¡°How could you say that? You¡¯ll be able to achieve so much more by joining the International Medical Association! You can¡¯t seriously be content with being an ordinary doctor for the rest of your life, right?¡± Arius eximed. A talented individual like her should be working alongside an elite team of researchers to benefit the medical field! ¡°This is my choice, Arius. I want to stay here.¡± ¡°What do you mean your choice? I bet you¡¯re only staying because of Tristan! Life is short, Sophie. You shouldn¡¯t let your rtionship get in the way of your studies and research,¡± Arius retorted angrily. Sophie stared at him in disbelief. ¡°Arius, you¡¯re glorifying Anndur¡¯s medical research a little too much.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not glorifying anything. It¡¯s simply an undeniable fact, regardless of whether you believe it or not.¡± ¡°That¡¯s enough. You hardlye back these days, so I don¡¯t want to get into an argument with you over this.¡± Sophie felt there was no need to argue over such trivial matters. This is the property of N?-velDrama.Org. Arius could only let out a helpless sigh in response. Unbeknownst to them, Barney had dropped by as well. The conversation was interrupted when Arius¡¯ phone started ringing all of a sudden. Seconds after answering the phone, he eximed in disbelief, ¡°What did you say? Where did you say you were?¡± ¡°I said, I¡¯m outside TS Entertainment. Will youe downstairs, please? These people won¡¯t let me in!¡± Barney repeated himself with a displeased frown. People had always treated me with respect wherever I went, and yet, these guards won¡¯t even let me enter the building. ¡°Are you sure you¡¯re not talking in your sleep right now?¡± ¡°I¡¯m in a bad mood right now, Arius! You¡¯d better not mess with me!¡± Barney yelled impatiently. He was upset that his favorite student refused to join the International Medical Association and take over his position. ¡°Dr. Smith is downstairs. You go talk to him!¡± As Barney really wanted Sophie to be his sessor, her decision gave him quite a huge shock. Sophie fell speechless when she heard that. Why is everyoneing over? It won¡¯t do them any good. I¡¯ve already made my decision, so I¡¯m not going to change my mind so easily. Arius then went downstairs to let Barney in. ¡°Go pour me a ss of water.¡± Barney had rushed over in such a hurry that he didn¡¯t even have time to hydrate himself. ¡°I¡¯ll go get it,¡± Sophie said as she stood up. ¡°Oh, it¡¯s fine. Arius should be the one to do this sort of thing,¡± Barney replied. Arius rolled his eyes in response. What the heck is wrong with Dr. Smith? I¡¯m his student! How could he be so mean to me? Although unhappy, Arius had no choice but to do as told. After all, Barney was his mentor and had tons of ways to make his life a living hell. Feeling a lot better after gulping down a ss of water, Barney looked at Sophie and asked seriously, ¡°Sophie, can I ask you something?¡± ¡°Of course,¡± Sophie replied respectfully. ¡°Why did you pick the University of Medicine instead of joining the International Medical Association?¡± Barney asked the question that had been bugging him the entire journey. ¡°Because I believe it makes no difference where I study medicine.¡± She didn¡¯t really feel the need to go to Anndur. ¡°In that case, why did you refuse to join the International Medical Association?¡± Barney pressed on. He believed those who wished to study medicine should join that association. Chapter 450 Chapter 450 ¡°Because it¡¯s too far, and I don¡¯t like flying.¡± Just for that reason? Property ? N?velDrama.Org. Barney fell into deep thought. ¡°Old man, are you okay? Don¡¯t do anything foolish, you hear? At worst, you¡¯ll just have to look for another sessor.¡± Arius reckoned that his mentor was old and couldn¡¯t handle the shock anymore. ¡°Dr, Smith, it doesn¡¯t have to be me. Arius can actually be your sessor. His medical skills have improved a lot, after all,¡± Sophie suggested. In her mind, she had deemed Arius to have the qualifications to be the sessor of the International Medical Association. ¡°Sophie, what do you mean by that? Since you don¡¯t want to do it, you¡¯ve decided to dump it all on me, is that it?¡± I have no intention of bing Barney¡¯s sessor. I¡¯m perfectly happy the way I am right now. I¡¯m free andfortable this way. I can go whenever and wherever I want to go. I can do my research whenever I feel like it, and I don¡¯t need to think of anything else. However, if I were shackled with being a sessor, I could say bye-bye to all of these. ¡°Too far, you say? Well, if that¡¯s the case, how about we move the International Medical Association to this ce then?¡± The location was never an issue. If Barney willed it, he could move the headquarters of the International Medical Association to this ce. At his proposal, Arius was dumbfounded. ¡°Dr. Smith! Are you crazy?¡± How can he move an organization that big to wherever he wants? Barney shot Arius a re. ¡°You talk too much.¡± For the advancement of the medical field, Barney was willing topromise. He was a medical savant, and there was nothing that could stop him from getting what he wanted. Sophie was stunned speechless. She never thought the older man would say something like that. ¡°Are you sure you want to do this, Dr. Smith?¡± Because of me, a lot of people would have to move to Chanaea. Is this really okay? ¡°You only need to tell me one thing. If I move the International Medical Association to this ce, would you be willing to join? You can ignore the rest.¡± Since he could present that offer, it meant that he had the power to do that. Sophie nced at Arius. Arius knew Barney wasn¡¯t lying. As long as Sophie agree to it, Barney would do everything in his power to move the International Medical Association to Chanaea. This way, Sophie would be able to join the association without any worries. ¡°Okay. If that¡¯s the case, then I¡¯ll join.¡± In truth, she never intended to negotiate terms like this. After all, she wasn¡¯t that desperate to join the International Medical Association. However, the lengths that Barney would go to for her to join moved her. For the sake of medicine, Barney was willing to move mountains. He had lived in Anndur for half his life. As such, Sophie was impressed that he actually had the gall to propose moving to Chanaea. ¡°Okay, that¡¯s settled then. I¡¯ll go back and make the necessary arrangements. In the meantime, you stay put and look for a ce to be our headquarters,¡± Barney said to Arius. After all, the medical association would upy arge space. So, they would need to purchase a piece ofnd and build the building there themselves. The estimated time for all the preparation works to bepleted would take about two to three years. Nheless, all of these were worth it if it meant that Sophie could join. ¡°Will do, Dr. Smith. Don¡¯t worry and just leave everything to me.¡± At the end of the day, Arius was Chanaean. He figured that moving the International Medical Association to Chanaea would bring nothing but benefits to his country. ¡°So, when are you going back? You can stay the night at my ce if you¡¯d like.¡± Barney wasn¡¯t that young anymore. It would be bad for his health if he kept flying. ¡°It¡¯s fine. Now that we made the decision, I still have a lot of things to do.¡± For one, he knew there would be trouble at Anndur. Anndur wouldn¡¯t let them move to another country that easily. ¡°Dr. Smith, you can tell me if there¡¯s anything you can¡¯t handle. I¡¯ll think of a solution,¡± Arius said. Barney smiled. ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry about me. Even Anndur¡¯s president wouldn¡¯t dare to do anything to me.¡± Since he made the decision, he should deal with the consequences himself. Sophie stayed quiet. She was really touched by his determination. This man is willing to give up everything just for the sake of medicine. ¡°Dr. Smith, you¡ª¡± Arius did not know what to say. He could only imagine the pressure of moving the International Medical Association to this ce. Later, Sophie and Arius apanied Barney for a meal before sending thetter to the airport. ¡°Brat, I trust you to handle everything that needs to be done. I hope to move here as soon as possible.¡± First, they needed to deal with therge group of people from the medical association. Next, thend for the medical association had to be obtained. Last but not least, arrangements for the living quarters of the medical association members needed to be made. These were some of the things that needed to be dealt with. ¡°Please be rest assured that everything will be fine with me here.¡± After all, Arius had been Barney¡¯s mentee for so long. Thus, there was no way he couldn¡¯t handle this level of paperwork. ¡°Okay. I¡¯ll be leaving then.¡± It was time for Barney to board the ne. Although he was going back alone, he figured it was fine since he would be back in Chanaea soon. Arius took a deep breath. ¡°Sophie, did you put a spell on him or something? I can¡¯t believe he¡¯s willing to move the medical association here because of you!¡± I can already imagine the level of trouble the move would create.¡°Well, I didn¡¯t expect things to turn out like this, too.¡± To be honest, Sophie could not help but admire Barney. ¡°There are no borders when it comes to medicine. I believe this now,¡± Sophie mused aloud. ¡°Yeah, you¡¯re right.¡± After pausing for a moment, Arius added, ¡°By the way, I just got back here, so I don¡¯t have a ce to stay. I think you still have an unupied room, right? Can I stay at your ce for a few days?¡± Arius didn¡¯t want to go to a hotel. It was inconvenient as he couldn¡¯t do a lot of things. ¡°If you can bear with Tristan¡¯s anger,ter on, feel free toe over.¡± Personally, Sophie had no objection to himing over as she had empty rooms to spare. However, she knew that Tristan might not be that happy with her decision. ¡°Sophie, honestly, how could you put men over our friendship? If you¡¯re on my side, Mr. Tristan won¡¯t be able to do anything.¡± Sophie went silent. She then said, ¡°Between Tristan and you, who do you think I¡¯ll choose?¡± This is practically a no-brainer! At that, Arius was rendered speechless. Okay. She has a point. I should keep quiet lest I embarrass myself further. Sophie added, ¡°If you really can¡¯t find a ce to stay, I have a mansion at Jipsdale. I¡¯ll have the ce cleaned tomorrow and you can move there.¡± Knowing he had a lot to do, Sophie reckoned it would be inconvenient for him to stay in the hotel. At night, Sophie treated everyone to dinner. Tristan, the three of his friends, and Ysabelle were all present. ¡°Wee back, Arius!¡± Because Arius was a medical professor, it was natural that anyone would want to be acquainted with a talent like him. After all, even rich people would get sick one day. And when one was sick, one had to go to the doctor. Arius raised his ss and gave a toast. ¡°Thank you. I¡¯ll be staying in Chanaea from now on. Even though nothing good everes from people calling for me, you are wee to contact me should you really need my services.¡± He only said that because he knew anyone who called for him would meet him whilst lying on an operating table. ¡°Sophie and I will be legendary figures in Chanaea¡¯s medical history in the future,¡± Arius added. Sophie will undoubtedly be a legend because her talent in the medical field is high. ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right. Sophie is awesome!¡± Ysabelle praised. She firmly believed that there was nothing Sophie couldn¡¯t do. Chapter 451 Chapter 451 ¡°Sophie, I don¡¯t mind falling sick if I can be your patient.¡± ¡°Stop spouting nonsense. All of us should stay healthy.¡± Her purpose of bing a doctor wasn¡¯t to treat them. ¡°Yeah, Ysabelle, what¡¯s up with you today?¡± Why is she talking about falling sick when everything is perfectly fine? Isn¡¯t it nice to live a healthy and carefree life? Ysabelle realized she had slipped up. ¡°Oh, I misspoke.¡± ¡°Touch wood! Nothing bad¡¯s going to happen.¡± Felix began feeling nervous. He liked Ysabelle and wanted her to be safe and healthy. Ysabelle did as he instructed. ¡°Don¡¯te looking for us doctors if you feel fine,¡± Arius said. ¡°But as luck would have it, I¡¯ll be here if any of you gets sick, so don¡¯t worry.¡± His credentials as a professor were certainly impressive. ¡°Honestly, Sophie, Mr. Tristan isn¡¯t getting any younger here. I thought both of you would tie the knot after your graduation, but finishing medical school will take at least five years. You wouldn¡¯t consider pursuing a Ph.D. like Arius, would you?¡± Tristan would stay a bachelor for the next ten years if that were the case. ¡°You¡¯re too cruel toward Mr. Tristan.¡± Felix feltpelled to raise these concerns as Tristan¡¯s close friend. Sophie shot Tristan a look. ¡°Will you wait for me?¡± He returned her gaze squarely and unflinchingly. ¡°The rest of my life is yours. No matter how long you would take toplete your studies, I¡¯ll wait for you.¡± ¡°It¡¯s ten years, Mr. Tristan! Will you still be able to sire children by then?¡± That was a valid question. Tristan¡¯s swept his gaze across Felix without a word, and thetter flinched timidly. ¡°How could you not think before speaking, Felix? Are you doubting Uncle Tristan? He¡¯s still young and virile. He will be able to wait twenty years, let alone ten.¡± Ysabelle came to Tristan¡¯s defense. Sophie was a genius. She would undoubtedly pursue a Ph.D., and she¡¯d probably even achieve more than Arius. Ariusughed. ¡°Yes, Sophie is destined to be a doctor. Her aplishments will surely surpass mine!¡± Her talents should never be held back by love. Felix shrugged. Whatever. He started to pity Tristan. Charles chuckled. ¡°Mr. Tristan, despite being the first among us to fall in love, you¡¯ll probably be thest to marry.¡± Sean nodded his assent. ¡°However, waiting is worth it if you can be with the person you love,¡± he reflected poignantly. ¡°It¡¯s about time you let go, Sean. There is plenty of fish in the sea. Can¡¯t you look for another one?¡± Why is he insisting on waiting for someone who will never return? ¡°You would never understand.¡± There was no way he would settle for someone else after he had found the most important person in his life, for his heart already belonged to her. ¡°Sean is in love with someone?¡± Sophie was curious after hearing what Charles said since no one had mentioned anything about it. ¡°It¡¯s a one-sided love.¡± ¡°What?¡± Sean was normally aloof and reserved, so it was quite surprising to find out that he was experiencing unrequited love. ¡°That¡¯s right. It¡¯s indeed a one-sided love.¡± Tristan would tell her anything she wished to know. ¡°But why are you suddenly so concerned about Sean?¡± he asked. Property ? N?velDrama.Org. Sophie would only show mild interest in Sean out of the four of them. ¡°I just think he¡¯s an intriguing character.¡± I can¡¯t help being interested in him. ¡°Intriguing?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t read too much into it. It¡¯s just pure curiosity.¡± Tristan wasn¡¯t overthinking, but he didn¡¯t like it when she paid too much attention to other people. That was what one would call ¡°possessiveness.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to talk about this anymore.¡± Sean didn¡¯t feel like talking about his love life. At the same time, he had no idea how the woman he loved was doing. He had promised never to disturb her life, and that was why he had never set foot in Anndur for so many years. However, he had always been waiting, believing that she woulde back to him one day. ¡°Sean is quite a loyal man,¡± Sophiemented ruefully. ¡°Indeed he is.¡± Truth be told, nothing really happened between him and that woman, but he just couldn¡¯t seem to forget about her. ¡°Frankly, Sean, I admire your devotion.¡± Ysabelle sighed. ¡°I don¡¯t know when I¡¯ll meet my prince charming, but I hope he¡¯s as steadfast as you are.¡± Felix couldn¡¯t help but roll his eyes. Isn¡¯t her prince charming sitting right next to her? How could she not see that? She¡¯s basically blind. They made their way to Nocturnal after dinner, and Sean had been imbibing more than usual that night. He was always reticent, so seeing him drown his emotions in alcohol had the rest sympathizing with him. ¡°Are you okay?¡± Sophie wasn¡¯t a nosy person, but after all, Sean had once done her a favor, so she was concerned about him. He handed her a ss of liquor. ¡°Don¡¯t take happiness for granted, Sophie. Some people may never find it again after losing it.¡± I regret letting go. He might not be in this situation at that moment if he hadn¡¯t let go back then. Unfortunately, he was too young and too proud, thus finding himself in this quandary at present¡ªone that no one could solve. ¡°Go to her if you can¡¯t let her go. Perhaps she¡¯s waiting for you, too. One of you has topromise first in a stalemate.¡± ¡°Would you if you were in my shoes? Would you put your pride aside and go to Mr. Tristan if you were separated from him one day?¡± Sean asked, curious. Sophie was a proud individual. Would shey her pride aside for love? ¡°I doubt that day wille because I¡¯ll never leave him.¡± The more time she spent with him, the more certain she was of her love for Tristan. She would never let go of him since she loved him that much. ¡°You are very resolute. I¡¯m envious of Mr. Tristan!¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have to. You can find happiness once you forgo your pride and go to her.¡± Everyone¡¯s definition of happiness varied, but in spite of everything, one could only have a chance at happiness by taking that first step. Sophie returned to Tristan¡¯s side after her conversation with Sean. ¡°Sophie, you¡¯re paying too much attention to Sean.¡± She had never shown such a level of interest in Felix and Charles. ¡°Am I?¡± She took a seat beside him. ¡°We only exchanged a few words.¡± ¡°You are!¡± ¡°Are you going to pursue a Ph.D.?¡± Felix was right. He wasn¡¯t getting any younger. She would be twenty-eight years old in ten years. And he would be older. Would she still be attracted to a middle-aged man like me by then? Sophie cradled his face with both hands. ¡°Why? What are you thinking? Don¡¯t worry. Even if I were to pursue a Ph.D., I won¡¯t need ten years toplete it.¡± Chapter 452 Chapter 452 That¡¯s true. Sophie wouldn¡¯t take ten years to earn a Ph.D. Tristan smiled as he realized how foolish he was. How did I forget that she¡¯s a genius? Meanwhile, yton brought Willow to Nocturnal again. He didn¡¯t even bother to check if she had recovered since he was desperate. Lately, many things were bing unfavorable for him. His reputation would be ruined if this continued. It was not easy for yton to attain his current status. He would do anything to maintain his reputation. Willow followed behind yton and no longer knew what to say to him. Now, the only thing on yton¡¯s mind was to meet Sophie. What he didn¡¯t know was that Sophie was ignoring him on purpose. Therefore, it was pointless for them toe to the bar. ¡°yton, must you meet Sophie?¡± Hearing that, yton stopped in his tracks. ¡°Willow, didn¡¯t I ask you to be on good terms with Sophie? You didn¡¯t do as I asked, did you?¡± Things wouldn¡¯t have gotten to this point if she did as I asked. Sophie is not going to go easy on me at all. ¡°I did, yton. It¡¯s just that Sophie never likes me from the start.¡± Hearing that made Willow felt wronged. She swallowed her pride only to help yton. But in the end, he reprimanded her. ¡°There¡¯s nothing I can do anymore, yton. I¡¯ll wait for you here. You should go in by yourself.¡± Willow refused to enter the bar. She felt embarrassed to see Sophie. It was embarrassing for her to ask for favors from someone she hated. Hearing that, yton grabbed her hand immediately. ¡°How can I possibly go in alone? Hey, don¡¯t throw tantrums. I don¡¯t like girls who do that.¡± As he spoke, he pulled Willow into the bar. Ysabelle and Sophie were discussing the former¡¯s new song when the two came in. It was Ysabelle who noticed yton and Willow first. ¡°Your sister and brother-inw are here.¡± How can someone be so shameless? Can they stop this? Sophie did not even look up at them. ¡°What do you mean? I don¡¯t have a brother-inw.¡± That jerk, yton, has nothing to do with me. Ysabelle stuck out her tongue, then said, ¡°All right. I shouldn¡¯t have said that.¡± Naturally, Tristan and the rest saw yton and Willow. Arius couldn¡¯t help butugh. ¡°These two look perfect for each other.¡± ¡°I agree!¡± Willow had never thought of Sophie as a sister. There¡¯s no need to sympathize with her. She is the one who allows others to exploit her willingly. ¡°yton must feel extremely anxious now. Watch out just in case he resorts to using extreme methods,¡± Sean reminded Tristan. Prevention was always better than cure. ¡°Okay.¡± Tristan wasn¡¯t worried for himself, but he was worried about Sophie¡¯s safety. ¡°I¡¯ve already asked someone to guard Sophie. Don¡¯t worry.¡± ¡°Darn it, if he dares to harm Sophie, I¡¯ll kill him,¡± Arius said ruthlessly. He wouldn¡¯t allow anyone to harm Sophie. ¡°Just ignore them.¡± This is the property of N?-velDrama.Org. Tristan decided to let yton be for another few days. This time, it would be the end of yton. yton and Willow sat on the side. However, it was difficult for yton to approach them, seeing how the group ignored him. Tristan would not bother to spare his dignity. Thus, he would only be humiliated if he approached them now. Meanwhile, Willow nced at Sophie. Everyone around Sophie was exceptionally remarkable. This made Willow envious of her. What did she do to deserve all this? Willow had never considered herself lesser than Sophie. However, the treatment that Sophie got was enough to make Willow lose it. Even so, there was nothing she could do now but watch Sophie shine. It was a terrible feeling. ¡°Come on, let¡¯s head back.¡± Sophie got tired after staying at Nocturnal for a long time. ¡°Okay.¡± Arius and the rest got up after knowing the two were leaving. The group walked past yton and Willow when they were exiting the bar. Nheless, nobody greeted yton. The two of them were nothing to them. After yton saw them leave, he started to drink faster. He had never been so afraid before. But now, he was terrified. Sophie told him she would make sure he was sent to prison. Knowing how unsparing Sophie was, she would definitely do whatever she said. Moreover, she had Tristan covering for her. yton didn¡¯t want to go to jail. He felt his life would be over once he was imprisoned. Willow got scared after she saw yton drinking heavily. She didn¡¯t even dare to make a sound. At that moment, yton¡¯s face turned grim to the point that it was frightening. Willow never truly understood yton. ¡°yton, let¡¯s annul our engagement if you don¡¯t like me.¡± Willow felt something was off. If Tristan ns to destroy yton, it will be impossible for him to make aeback. She would look silly if she still hang on to him. yton burst intoughter after hearing that. ¡°yton, I know you don¡¯t like me. If so, why don¡¯t we call off our engagement? I¡¯m still young. I think it¡¯s too early for me to get married.¡± Willow was filled with regrets and was afraid. She never thought yton would be such a scary man. Suddenly, yton grabbed Willow by the hair and pulled her toward him. ¡°What did you say? Who do you take me for, Willow? Do you think I¡¯ll cancel our engagement because you say so? Do you think your words are that important?¡± Willow felt her scalp hurt since yton exerted his strength. With tears welling in her eyes, Willow said, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, yton. I shouldn¡¯t have said that. Please forgive me and let me go.¡± It must be true that yton¡¯s life will be over soon. ¡°Dream on, Willow. Let me tell you something. Even if my life is over, I¡¯ll drag you down with me.¡± He would not be kind enough to let her go. Willow was filled with despair when she heard that. This man in front of her was a demon. While she naively thought that he could bring her happiness. Willow¡¯s tears angered yton. So, he gave her a tight p across her face. ¡°Stop crying. I¡¯m not dead yet. You¡¯re pissing me off!¡± His p was so powerful that the corner of Willow¡¯s mouth was bleeding. There were many people at Nocturnal, but nobody stepped up for Willow. In Jipsdale, yton was a terrifying existence. Thus, nobody dared toe forward. yton was not ready to give up, so he went to TS Entertainment to see Sophie the next day. He waited for Sophie outside TS Entertainment¡¯s building for over two hours. When he saw hering out, he quickly went to stop her. ¡°Sophie, I¡¯ll do whatever you want. Let¡¯s talk.¡± Things had been a torment for ytontely. He felt his life would really be over if it continued. Sophie frowned upon hearing that. ¡°Get out of my way!¡± What¡¯s there to talk about between us? Chapter 453 Chapter 453 ¡°Sophie, no matter what conditions you have, I will agree to all of them! I¡¯m begging you! Please give me a chance!¡± At that moment, yton was overwhelmed with fear and hopelessness. ¡°Sorry. I don¡¯t like to negotiate.¡± What does he have? I¡¯m not interested in anything he has to offer, so he doesn¡¯t even have the right to negotiate with me. ¡°Sophie!¡± yton reached out and tried to grab Sophie¡¯s shoulders. The next moment, Sophie grabbed the man¡¯s shoulders instead and threw him on the ground. After being mmed against the ground, yton could feel himself aching all over. However, as there were reporters around, he could not show that he was in pain. As such, he had no choice but to get back on his feet. ¡°Sophie, why did you have to do that?¡± No one had ever dared to embarrass him in that way. If it was before, he would definitely make sure that whoever did that to him suffered a fate worse than death. However, given the current circumstances, he had no choice but to endure it. Content ? copyrighted by N?velDrama.Org. ¡°That¡¯s why I told you not to appear in front of me.¡± Sophie walked away after saying that. Tristan was waiting for her at the side. When he saw Sophie, he got out of the car immediately to open the car door for her, and he closed the door after she had entered the car. ¡°What¡¯s the matter? Did yton approach you again?¡± ¡°Yup! I¡¯ve already handed over all the evidence to the police. It¡¯s just a matter of time before the police arrest him.¡± Sophie swore to herself that she would not give yton any chance. ¡°All right.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s just wait and see what yton will do about the situation.¡± A few of yton¡¯spanies had already been sequestrated by the authorities, so the man was probably driven to the verge of desperation. ¡°I should be the one handling such matters.¡± After all, Sophie was still a woman, and Tristan could not help but worry about her when she dealt with such things on her own. ¡°It¡¯s fine. Dealing with yton is just a piece of cake. It¡¯s not challenging at all.¡± He¡¯s a fool to think that no one would find out about his wrongdoings. As long as it¡¯s something I want to know, I¡¯ll be able to find out about it no matter what. ¡°You have to be careful of Willow. You shouldn¡¯t let your guard down just because she¡¯s a woman. There are lots of crazy women out there. Besides, Willow is definitely not a good person.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry! She¡¯s definitely no match for me when ites to being crazy.¡± Willow has probably learned her lesson this time around. Word has it that she got a beating from ytonst night. Both of them aren¡¯t good person, so she only has herself to me for everything that has happened. Meanwhile, it was alreadyte at night when Willow returned home the previous night. Therefore, Charmaine did not notice anything wrong with her. However, seeing that it was already almost eleven a.m. and Willow was still in bed, Charmaine could not help heading upstairs to check on her out of concern. Only then did she notice Willow¡¯s swollen face. ¡°Wi, what happened to your face? Who did this to you?¡± Charmaine walked toward her daughter¡¯s bed and saw how badly swollen the youngdy¡¯s face was. Willow burst into tears at once. ¡°Mom, I don¡¯t want to marry yton anymore. He¡¯s too terrifying!¡± Willow was filled with regret. She was blinded by love previously. When she was together with Mason in the past, Mason had never treated her that way although he did not have any feelings for her. I can¡¯t believe yton would hit me! ¡°What? It was yton who hit you?¡± If it was someone else, Charmaine would have been able to do something to help her daughter get back at them. However, given that it was yton who did that, there was simply nothing she could do. ¡°Wi, since you¡¯ve agreed to the engagement yourself, it¡¯s not that easy to break it off. Besides, the entire Jipsdale is already aware that you are yton¡¯s fianc¨¦e. If you call off the engagement now, it would be extremely difficult for you to marry into a good family next time.¡± ¡°Mom, he hit me! No one has ever done that to me!¡± Tears streamed down Willow¡¯s face as she spoke. It was impossible for her to live such a life. ¡°But what can we do? As you know, our family is no match for yton.¡± She has to be responsible for her own choice. ¡°Mom, please help me! I will die if this carries on.¡± I¡¯m still young, and I don¡¯t want to die yet. ¡°Besides, if I¡¯m dead, who can you depend on?¡± Charmaine hugged Willow and said, ¡°All right. I understand. I¡¯ll plead with Sophie. I¡¯m sure she can do something about it!¡± Sophie is probably the only person who can help Willow now! ¡°Mom, Sophie is better than me in every way, right?¡± At that moment, Willow felt like aplete failure. ¡°That¡¯s enough. Stop thinking so much and get some rest at home. I¡¯ll go look for Sophie!¡± However, before Charmaine could leave, yton arrived. The door swung open, and yton entered the house. When Charmaine saw the man, she could not help but tremble in fear. ¡°Mr. Zales, what brings you here?¡± Charmaine was not expecting his arrival. ¡°Willow, pack up your things. We are going to collect our marriage certificate now.¡± yton was unable to wait any longer. As things were already beyond his control, he could only pin his hope on them. Willow shook her head and replied, ¡°No. I don¡¯t want to marry you. You¡¯re a monster. I¡¯m not going to marry a monster.¡± To her, the man was like a devil from hell that gave her the creeps. A crease appeared between yton¡¯s brows when he heard that. ¡°Willow, be good. Don¡¯t make me angry. You should know the consequences of provoking me. I¡¯m sure you won¡¯t want to experience it again,¡± yton threatened. ¡°Come over and help my fianc¨¦e get changed!¡± Willow was curled up on her bed as she eximed, ¡°yton, I¡¯ve told you that I don¡¯t want to marry you. Don¡¯te near me. Mom, save me!¡± Willow was in utter despair at that moment. Charmaine was about to step forward when she was held back by yton¡¯s men. ¡°Mrs. Tanner, you had better stay put. Otherwise, you are going to suffer.¡± ¡°yton, what are you doing? Willow doesn¡¯t want to marry you. You can¡¯t force her!¡± No matter what, Willow was Charmaine¡¯s favorite daughter. As such, although she was scared, she still had to stand up for her girl. ¡°Mrs. Tanner, if I remember correctly, you have agreed to the marriage voluntarily. Do you think it¡¯s possible for you to call it off now?¡± yton had finally lost his patience. ¡°Pull her aside.¡± Charmaine struggled to break free, but with two muscr men grabbing her, she was not able to move even an inch. ¡°yton, if you do this, Sophie will not let you off.¡± It¡¯s all Sophie¡¯s fault. If she had not offended this man, Willow would not have had to endure all of this. yton lostposure when he heard Charmaine¡¯s words. The next moment, he grabbed the chair next to him and hurled it at the woman. ¡°Don¡¯t mention Sophie in front of me.¡± That woman ruined my life! How dare she mention that woman¡¯s name? Charmaine turned pale from the pain when she was hit by the chair. ¡°yton, you must be scared of Sophie, aren¡¯t you? If you¡¯re not, you should be taking revenge on her instead of attacking us!¡± Willow yelled in despair. ¡°Why? I¡¯m spot on, right? You are afraid of Sophie!¡± Chapter 454 Chapter 454 yton walked up to Willow and grabbed her hair. ¡°Everything you said is true, but so what? Do you think Sophie wille to save you? Don¡¯t forget that you¡¯re enemies with her,¡± he enunciated. Willow was overwhelmed by despair upon hearing his words. Since the man was yanking on her hair, she was forced to tilt her head back. Tears streamed down her face. She bit her lip hard, loathing the fact that Sophie was her sister. If it weren¡¯t for her, I wouldn¡¯t be experiencing everything I¡¯m going through today. All this is her fault! ¡°Change her clothes and take her away!¡± yton ordered his subordinates, releasing his grip on her hair. ¡°Please wait for a moment, sir!¡± yton¡¯s assistant and bodyguards were all males, but no one was bothered about such a thing right then. They stepped forward and stripped Willow¡¯s pajamas off before donning a dress on her. At first, Willow put up a fight, but she gradually stopped resisting, for she knew that the more she struggled, the more she would suffer. After all, yton hadn¡¯t the slightest regard for her. When Willow had finished changing, yton strolled over to Charmaine. ¡°Give me the household registry.¡± Charmaine trembled violently, yet she was fully aware that she couldn¡¯t possibly hand the household registry over to him. If Willow were to really marry him today, her life would be over. Upon receiving no response from her even after a long time had passed, yton grew disgruntled. ¡°Don¡¯t make me repeat myself¡ªgive me the household registry. I¡¯m going to register my marriage with Willow now, so don¡¯t waste my time.¡± Willow pinned her eyes on Charmaine. ¡°Mom¡­¡± In response, Charmaine shook her head. ¡°This is against thew, yton. You¡¯re forcing someone into marriage.¡± ¡°What¡¯s the big deal about that? I¡¯ve even killed someone.¡± Charmaine fell silent, not daring to argue further. How could I allow my daughter to marry a murderer? ¡°No way. I¡¯m never giving you the household registry even if it means my death.¡± Hearing that, yton took a deep breath. ¡°I wanted to be kind, but since you wouldn¡¯t give me that opportunity, I¡¯m left with no other choice. Make her hand over the household registry.¡±Text property ? N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org. He didn¡¯t want to waste any more time. Meanwhile, Charmaine kept backing away. s, they would never let her off the hook. At that precise moment, the police arrived. By then, they had already surrounded the Tanner residence. ¡°This is bad. The police are here. What should we do?¡± Wilbur inquired nervously after spotting the police officers outside. Relief suffused Charmaine when she heard that the police had arrived. ¡°D*mn it!¡± yton never expected the police to arrive so quickly. ¡°You should leave quickly, yton. You¡¯ll be doomed if you get caught by the police.¡± He has got tons of money, so if he leaves now, he can still flee abroad and live avish life. But if he gets arrested by the police, it¡¯ll be the end for him. Seizing Willow, yton sneered, ¡°Do you think I can still get away now? Hadn¡¯t I told you this? Even if I were to die, I¡¯d drag you down to hell with me. Sophie caused me to end up in such a pathetic state. Do you think I¡¯d spare her family?¡± ¡°You know full well that she has never regarded me as her family. If she really regards me as her family, would you have ended up in such a situation today?¡± Willow found the situation hrious. He¡¯s such a smart person, so why is he still ignorant to this moment? ¡°Is that so? Then, let me conduct a test and see exactly how cold-blooded she is.¡± I shall see whether she¡¯ll turn a blind eye to her family! ¡°Listen up! We have already surrounded this ce. Drop your weapons.¡± Charmaine had never seen such a scene, so she was scared out of her wits. ¡°What are you doing, yton? Let Willow go! You¡¯re breaking thew!¡± Glimpsing yton¡¯s maniacal expression, Charmaine was truly worried that he would hurt Willow. ¡°What should we do now?¡± Wilbur hadn¡¯t expected things to end up in such a manner either. Oh God, this is just too terrifying! ¡°How would I know?¡± Why did the policee? Sophie must have handed the evidence to them. Otherwise, why would they come here to arrest me at this time? ¡°How about we go out and exin things to the police? We¡¯ll tell them that everything was an ident.¡± We can¡¯t really murder someone, can we? ¡°Do you think they¡¯ll believe me? All right, stop prattling. Seize them both.¡± From the look of things now, I¡¯ve got no choice but to leave Jipsdale. ¡°Listen up! You¡¯ve already been surrounded. Release the hostages at once!¡± Downstairs, the police were still shouting. To yton, however, that was no different from a death sentence. ¡°Go over and close the door!¡± The police had no idea about the situation upstairs, so they asked the housekeeper downstairs. ¡°Officer, Mrs. Tanner and Ms. Tanner are still upstairs. Are they in any danger?¡± After the police learned which room the suspect and hostages were in, they plunged into a dilemma. Ultimately, they were in the dark about the situation in the room. Thus, they were worried about hurting the hostages if they were to barge in recklessly. Just then, Yale came home. When he knew what had happened, his face drained of all color. ¡°Is there some misunderstanding here, officer? yton is my soon-to-be son-inw. There¡¯s absolutely no need for him to kidnap his own fianc¨¦e and mother-inw, no?¡± Even then, he still couldn¡¯t believe the truth that was right in front of his eyes. ¡°Your soon-to-be son-inw is a murderer, yet you find him satisfactory!¡± the police officer scoffed. Does he think he can do whatever he pleases just because he has money? Dream on! As long as someone has vited thew, we¡¯ll bring him to justice no matter how long it takes! ¡°What?¡± Yale was entirely floored. He then stammered, ¡°Then, what should we do now?¡± ¡°We¡¯ll send someone to negotiate with the suspect.¡± The most important thing now is to save the hostages, then apprehend the suspect. Yale was exceedingly worried that things would go awry. Besides, he was a rather cowardly person. Hence, he phoned Sophie. ¡°Something bad has happened at home, Sophie! Hurry up ande back!¡± At that moment, the only person in the family he could rely on seemed to be Sophie alone. After hanging up the phone, Sophie got to her feet. Seeing that, Mark queried in concern, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Did something happen? I¡¯ll go with you!¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s okay. Just continue rehearsing. I¡¯ve got to make a trip home.¡± Considering the matter in question, he won¡¯t be able to help anyway. Furthermore, there might even be unnecessaryplications because he¡¯s highly popr right now. ¡°I want to go with you, Sophie!¡± No matter what it is, I want to face it with her. ¡°There¡¯s just a bit of a problem at home, Mark. It¡¯s really inappropriate for you to tag along. That aside, there might even be reporters there right now.¡± Truly, it isn¡¯t appropriate for him to go with me. ¡°All right, then.¡± Subsequently, Sophie drove Sunny¡¯s car back to the Tanner residence. When Yale caught sight of Sophie, he felt as though he had seen his savior. Chapter 455 Chapter 455 ¡°Nice to meet you, Ms. Tanner. We¡¯re the police in this area. Presently, your sister and mother are in a room on the second floor. The suspect requests to meet with you.¡± The hostages were still in the suspect¡¯s hands, so the police didn¡¯t dare do anything drastic. ¡°Got it. I¡¯ll go upstairs right away.¡± ¡°For your safety, Ms. Tanner, I¡¯d advise you not to do so. Just entrust this matter to the police.¡± Although the suspect put forth this demand, thisdy was the one who handed the evidence of yton Zales¡¯ crimes to us. Therefore, she¡¯ll be in danger if she were to go upstairs now. ¡°It¡¯s okay. Don¡¯t worry, for I know what I¡¯m doing!¡± I¡¯m not afraid of him. Instead, I¡¯d like to see what else he wants from me. ¡°In that case, put on a bulletproof vest, Ms. Tanner. You¡¯ll have ayer of protection if the suspect is in possession of a weapon.¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s fine.¡± At the end of her patience, Sophie strode right up the stairs. ¡°Attention, everyone. Be on standby, and once there¡¯s an opportunity, take the suspect down at once!¡± Initially, the n was to arrest the suspect and bring him back to the station. But now that he poses a threat to others, we¡¯ve got no choice but to eliminate him. ¡°But that¡¯s yton Zales!¡± The Zales family is a prominent family in Jipsdale. If we were to shoot to kill, they¡¯ll probably demand an exnation. ¡°Lives are at stake here, so listen to me. If something really happens, I¡¯ll bear the responsibility alone.¡± So what if he¡¯s a member of the Zales family? yton Zalesmitted a crime, so he still has to be arrested. At that exact moment, Eustace arrived. ¡°Why are you here, Captain Sheppard?¡± I don¡¯t think such a trivial case would be assigned to him. ¡°Where¡¯s Sophie? Has she gone upstairs?¡± Eustace happened to overhear that something happened at the Tanner residence, so he immediately put everything aside and rushed over. Despite knowing that Sophie was pretty capable, he still couldn¡¯t help wanting toe over for a look at such a time. In truth, he hoped that he could be of some help. ¡°Yes. The suspect requested to see her.¡± ¡°Okay, got it. Right now, have your subordinates obey my directives.¡± Mere moments after Eustace arrived, Tristan and Felix arrived as well. When Tristan didn¡¯t see any signs of Sophie in the living room, his expression darkened. ¡°Where¡¯s Sophie?¡± ¡°Who are you? This is a crime scene, and only authorized personnel are allowed!¡± a police officer stated bluntly, for he didn¡¯t recognize Tristan. ¡°Calm down, Mr. Tristan. Sophie is highly capable, so she¡¯ll be fine.¡± He rushed over the instant he learned about the matter. And he¡¯s currently looking grim, so he must be worried sick. ¡°I only want to know where she is right now!¡± No matter how capable Sophie was, she was an ordinary woman to Tristan, and he didn¡¯t want to see her suffering the slightest harm. ¡°She¡¯s upstairs.¡± This man¡¯s aura is simply too strong that I can¡¯t handle him. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Mr. Tristan. With me here, Sophie will be fine.¡± Eustace once dined with them, so he was naturally aware of Tristan¡¯s rtionship with Sophie. ¡°I¡¯ll protect my woman myself.¡± After saying that, Tristan made a beeline for the stairs. ¡°I know you¡¯re anxious now, but you¡¯d only anger yton if you were to go upstairs now. Let¡¯s wait for a bit more.¡± Felix promptly held him back. Sophie isn¡¯t a brainless person. Since she dared to go in, I¡¯m sure she has a way of getting back out. Meanwhile, Sophie had already entered the room bare-handed. At the sight of Charmaine on the floor, a frown marred her countenance. yton, on the other hand, cackled upon seeing that she had finallye. ¡°Do you find yourself incredibly capable, Sophie? I¡¯ve already humbled myself and begged you, yet you still sabotaged me? You don¡¯t intend on leaving me any way out, right? How could you be so cruel?¡± At that juncture, he was filled with rage. As he talked, he had his hand around Willow¡¯s neck. Willow had been beaten up badly, and she didn¡¯t say a single word even when she spotted Sophie. After all, there wasn¡¯t much she could say then. She couldn¡¯t possibly bring herself to admit that she had been blind in the past. After a long while, Charmaine finally reacted. ¡°Save us, Soph! I know I hadn¡¯t shown you sufficient care in the past and was even biased. But no matter what, we¡¯re a family. Please save us!¡± ¡°I know you¡¯re exceedingly capable. Don¡¯te close to me. Prepare a car for me and take me away from here! Otherwise, I¡¯ll kill Willow.¡± However, Sophie merely got herself a chair and sat down. In the face of such a situation, she remained calm and unruffled. Seeing that, even Charmaine was stunned. ¡°What are you doing, Soph? Willow is your sister! You can¡¯t sit back and watch her die!¡± Charmaine bellowed urgently. ¡°Can you please shut up? You¡¯ve been rowdy ever since I arrived.¡± Sophie detested noisy environments, finding them irritating beyond words. Charmaine was promptly struck dumb. Rage zed within her. What kind of attitude is this? Unfortunately, she couldn¡¯t show her anger at that juncture. ¡°It looks like you still don¡¯t know me all that well after so long, yton. I don¡¯t like being threatened. Besides, my rtionship with Willow has always been tense. What has her well-being got to do with me?¡± ¡°Really? Since you¡¯re not at all concerned about her well-being, I¡¯ll just kill her.¡± yton¡¯s eyes brimmed with bloodthirsty murderous intent. ¡°Sure! Go ahead if you so wish to do so. Anyway, the police are crawling all over the ce outside. Make your move if you think you can escape,¡± Sophie replied nonchntly. ¡°Why, Sophie? Why must you target me like this?¡± ¡°No reason. I merely find you displeasing to the eye. Is that a problem?¡± Sophie was as arrogant, cocky, and domineering as ever. Wilbur almost fell to his knees before her. ¡°There must be some misunderstanding here, Ms. Tanner. yton merely wants to marry Ms. Tanner. Please exin things to the police!¡± The man was on the verge of tears. All I wanted was to keep this job, but I never thought that it would escte to murder! At the same time, despair inundated yton. He felt as though he had lost all hope. ¡°Are you saying that all this has been yton¡¯s doing and has nothing to do with you all?¡± Needless to say, Sophie understood what Wilbur was trying to say. Wilbur and a few bodyguards who were around instantly nodded. ¡°This really has nothing to do with me! We aren¡¯t murderers!¡± ¡°In this case, go downstairs. While you¡¯re at it, help bring Mrs. Tanner downstairs.¡± That way, she won¡¯t affect my mood here. This is the property of N?-velDrama.Org. ¡°Don¡¯t you dare!¡± yton had been beaten up by Sophie before, so he naturally knew the brutality of her methods. If he were to go through it again, he really couldn¡¯t guarantee that he would survive. ¡°We really didn¡¯t want things to get to this, but all we wanted was to make a living!¡± After saying that, Wilbur hastily helped Charmaine up and went downstairs. Charmaine initially didn¡¯t want to leave, but at the look in Sophie¡¯s eyes, she had no choice but to follow the others downstairs. ¡°All right, we¡¯re finally the only ones left here. Willow is your fianc¨¦e, so go ahead if you want to kill her.¡± Willow closed her eyes. From the very beginning, I¡¯m destined to be the loser. No one cares about my well-being! ¡°But if you manage to escape today, I¡¯ll concede defeat.¡± Chapter 456 Chapter 456 yton had never expected Sophie to be such a ruthless, merciless person. He had no idea what he should do at that moment. ¡°Sophie, you really are a cruel person. You don¡¯t even care about your own sister! Since you¡¯re adamant about making my life difficult, I¡¯m going to make you bear the sin of harming your own sibling!¡± With that, yton, who couldn¡¯t care less about the consequences, prepared to make his move on Willow. Willow closed her eyes in resignation. At that point, she had lost all hope. She only had herself to me for this. If she hadn¡¯t thought that yton could give her everything she ever wanted, she would not have ended up like that. Willow¡¯s eyes were shut for quite a while, but as she waited, her impending death didn¡¯t befall her as she expected it to. While her eyes were still closed, Sophie had sent yton flying with a kick, and the gun in his hand fell to the ground. yton lunged toward it. That was the only thing that could ensure his safety and help him escape. He did not know how else he was going to leave the ce if he didn¡¯t have that gun. However, as soon as yton was about to pick up the gun, Sophie nonchntly kicked it to another side. ¡°yton, why are you still making pointless struggles? Didn¡¯t I tell you that there¡¯s no way you¡¯re leaving this ce today?¡± Since she had made up her mind to send the man to jail, she would definitely make that happen. yton tried to reach out for the gun again, but Sophie kicked it away again. She was tantly toying with the man. Instead of picking up the gun, she kicked the gun around and made him go after it in desperation. yton¡¯s embarrassment turned into anger. ¡°Sophie Tanner, you¡ª¡± Sophiezily stretched her stiff muscles. ¡°Yes, that¡¯s me. What? Do spit out all of your threats at once,¡± she said. She was never afraid of threats. Property ? N?velDrama.Org. yton gritted his teeth resentfully when he saw how unfazed Sophie was. ¡°I¡¯m going to kill you!¡± He gave up trying to pick up the gun and grabbed a nearby vase to hurl it at Sophie. Sophie easily dodged it. ¡°You¡¯re so not a gentleman!¡± Sophie taunted, almost angering yton to death. In the next second, he lunged at her. He desperately wished he could kill Sophie right there and then. There was no way he was going to let her off easily. Yet, just as he threw himself at her, Sophie kicked him squarely in the stomach. She didn¡¯t even exert much force. yton copsed onto the shards of the vase, and blood soon covered the whole floor. ¡°Why are you so clumsy? Can¡¯t you see shards all over the floor? I know you want to die, but you don¡¯t need to do it this way, right?¡± yton fumed. He tried to mber to his feet, but his attempts were futile. Sophie¡¯s kick had been a heavy one. All he could focus on at that moment was the agony that spread across his entire body. Right then, Willow struggled to her feet and picked up the gun from the floor. Then, she aimed it at Sophie¡¯s head. yton was baffled by the scene. So I made the wrong move. Willow¡¯s rtionship with Sophie is indeed terrible. Sophie furrowed her brows. What is this idiot going to do this time? ¡°Sophie, you¡¯ve always looked down on me, haven¡¯t you? You¡¯ve always thought of me as a joke!¡± Willow snarled. Sophie didn¡¯t even want to reply to Ysabelle¡¯s usation. ¡°So you want to kill someone with a gun, but do you even know how to use one?¡± Does she really think that anyone is capable of killing someone? ¡°Sophie Tanner!¡± Willow warned, her toneced with warning. Even now, she¡¯s still looking down on me! ¡°Don¡¯t you know that I hate people like you the most? You¡¯re always so full of yourself. You always think that you¡¯re the best and that no one canpare to you. Who do you think you are? Why do you think you have the right to look down on me?¡± Sophie remained silent. She didn¡¯t even want to engage in a conversation with an idiot like Willow. ¡°Why, you say? It¡¯s because you¡¯re an idiot and I¡¯m not!¡± Even when Willow was pointing a gun at Sophie¡¯s head, Sophie was still calm andposed. ¡°Let me give you a piece of advice: Get lost and stop trying to make your presence known.¡± Grandpa will probably be worried sick if Willow is sent to jail. He¡¯s old, and he won¡¯t be able to withstand such a blow. That¡¯s why I made arrangements for him to be sent to the resort. ¡°Ha. Even now, you¡¯re still being so stubborn. Well, I¡¯ve lost everything now, so I¡¯m going to let you have a taste of what it¡¯s like to be me!¡± Sophie has always looked down on me since we were children. Regardless of everything, I¡¯m going to teach her a lesson this time! Meanwhile, yton, enduring the pain, climbed to his feet. He then walked over to Willow and said with a smile, ¡°As expected of my fianc¨¦e. You¡¯re still on my side even at a time like this. Do you see this, Sophie? You¡¯re such a failure in life. Even your own sister wants you dead!¡± yton had finally regained his confidence at that moment. ¡°Wi, give me the gun. Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll take you away from here. You wanted to live a wealthy life, right? I¡¯ll give you that too.¡± At that, Sophie¡¯s lips curled into a mocking smile. ¡°What an idiot.¡± I really can¡¯t expect anything from Willow. She¡¯s always surprising me in all kinds of unpleasant ways. ¡°You¡¯re still looking down on me!¡± Willow shrieked, losing her mind. ¡°I¡¯m going to kill you for this!¡± She had been sensitive to the difference between her and Sophie since young. Thus, she had done everything in her power to earn her parents¡¯ affection and perform well in everything. She did all that to garner her family¡¯s attention. ¡°Willow, give me the gun,¡± Sophie said, knowing that it would be dangerous, for Willow didn¡¯t know how to use a gun. ¡°And you! You¡¯ve always wanted to use me, right? You never loved me. Instead, you looked down on me, too!¡± Willow¡¯s fury only grew more intense as she stared at yton. ¡°If you didn¡¯t love me, why would you want to get engaged to me? Don¡¯t you know you¡¯ve humiliated me?¡± Willow questioned. She had been walking on eggshells, trying to get into his good books, but his betrayal was what she received in return. yton¡¯s face paled when the gun was aimed at him. ¡°I came today to take you to get our marriage certificate, didn¡¯t I? Don¡¯t listen to her; she¡¯s trying to sow discord between us. We can get married anytime as long as you say so.¡± ¡°Ha! How can a murderer like you possibly be worthy of me? I can¡¯t believe you¡¯re still thinking of marrying me! Keep dreaming!¡± I¡¯ll never marry a murderer! A dangerous glint shed past yton¡¯s eyes at that. ¡°Who told you that I¡¯m a murderer? You don¡¯t even have any evidence! How can you say such nonsense?¡± yton growled out. There was no way he was going to let others call him a murderer. It was Sophie¡¯s turn to watch the drama from the side. So this is how idiots fight against each other. ¡°Oh, just ignore me. Please carry on.¡± Really, the two of them can just treat me as if I¡¯m air. Tristan and Felix were waiting downstairs when a gunshot rang out upstairs. The two men panicked, and they promptly rushed toward the stairs. ¡°Mr. Tristan, it¡¯s dangerous. It¡¯s best for you not to go up there!¡± After finding out about Tristan¡¯s identity, there was no way the police were going to allow him to risk his life. Chapter 457 Chapter 457 They would be doomed if anything were to happen to Tristan. ¡°Get out of my way!¡± D*mn yton. I¡¯m going to skin him alive! How dare he hurt Sophie? Eustace was worried about Sophie as well, so he followed suit. Meanwhile, both Yale and Charmaine did not dare to approach the stairs. They knew that someone was wielding a gun upstairs, and they were afraid of dying. ¡°Who do you think got hurt?¡± Yale asked. Charmaine, who was injured as well, didn¡¯t feel like ying the guessing game when Yale asked her that question. ¡°How am I supposed to know?¡± ¡°We can only hope that Sophie isn¡¯t hurt, or no one would be able to withstand Mr. Tristan¡¯s wrath!¡± They even thought that Tristan did not care about Sophie in the past, but they were proven wrong that day. Judging by the look on Tristan¡¯s face, it was obvious that he cared about her. He probably kept their rtionship a secret to protect her. Tristan and Felix were the first to reach the second floor. The moment they arrived, they were greeted by the petrifying sight of Sophie covered in blood. For a moment, Tristan thought his heart would stop beating. I shouldn¡¯t have waited downstairs. I should havee up here right away. If I came up here immediately, she wouldn¡¯t be hurt now. Tristan had never been so afraid in his life. He had been through many things in his life, but even when he was on the verge of death, he never felt fear like this before. Tristan¡¯s hands trembled as he didn¡¯t even have the guts to approach Sophie. He didn¡¯t want to face the fact that Sophie had been hurt. When Sophie turned to see Tristan, she noticed his ashen pallor. Furrowing her brows, she was puzzled. What¡¯s wrong with him? Is he feeling unwell? With that thought in mind, she walked over to him. ¡°Why are you here?¡± Instead of answering her question, he wrapped his arms around her. ¡°Where are you hurt? Is it painful? I¡¯ll take you to the hospital right away,¡± he hoarsely whispered. ¡°Mr. Tristan¡­¡± I must have frightened him. He has always been bold and fearless, so I didn¡¯t expect to see such an expression on his face. Sophie¡¯s heart ached. ¡°Mr. Tristan, I¡¯m fine.¡± ¡°How can you be fine with all that blood on you? Save your breath. I¡¯ll take you to the hospital right now.¡± Sophie blinked in confusion. ¡°This isn¡¯t my blood! I swear I¡¯m not hurt.¡± ¡°Really? You¡¯re not lying to me, are you?¡± ¡°Why would I do that? This is yton¡¯s blood,¡± Sophie pointed out coolly. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. No one can hurt me.¡± It was only after Tristan checked her from head to toe and found herpletely unscathed did he let out a sigh of relief. ¡°Sophie, you had no idea how scared I was when I heard the gun go off earlier. It took me so long to find you, so how can you make me this worried about you? Didn¡¯t I tell you that you have toe to me for all matters? I can solve your problems. Why must you put yourself in danger again and again?¡± Sophie pursed her lips in silence. What should I do now? He seems pretty angry. ¡°It¡¯s just yton. It¡¯s impossible for him to hurt me, so I came alone. There, there. Don¡¯t be mad anymore, okay? I promise I won¡¯t do this again.¡± Sophie was never a patient person, but when it came to Tristan, she found herself patient enough to slowly exin things to him. ¡°Hey, now, I¡¯m fine. Didn¡¯t you check me over earlier? I¡¯mpletely unscathed.¡± ¡°Okay. I¡¯ll settle the score with you when we go back,¡± Tristan said. He was not going to let the matter slide just like that. He had to make her remember her mistake. Otherwise, he was sure that she would do something simr in the future. At this rate, he would end up dying from a heart attack at a young age. Right then, Eustace and the other officers caught up. When Eustace witnessed the interaction between Tristan and Sophie, a swell of mncholy rose in his chest. He had always known that Sophie was a capable young woman. Yet, even when his subordinates jokingly asked him to court her, he had never felt that way before. At that moment, however, the sight of her treating another man with such a tender attitude made his heart flutter. Sadly, I doubt I¡¯ll ever have a chance of being with her. After Tristan pulled Sophie aside to get her to sit down, he walked toward yton, who was bleeding from his chest. Apparently, he was not going to die anytime soon. Therefore, the officers who had juste upstairs did nothing to tend to his wound and pretended they didn¡¯t see anything. Since Mr. Tristan wants to teach him a lesson, what can we do? We¡¯ll let him do as he pleases as long as he doesn¡¯t kill yton. ¡°What are you trying to do, Mr. Tristan? There are officers here! You can¡¯t do anything out of line!¡± yton shrieked, finding Tristan as terrifying as the devil himself. His only hope was for the police to take him away as soon as possible. That way, he would not need to endure Tristan¡¯s wrath. ¡°What are you doing? I¡¯m a murderer. Why aren¡¯t you arresting me and taking me away?¡± yton would rather have the police take him to the station than suffer Tristan¡¯s fury. Yet, it was as if Eustace and the other officers did not hear him. Some even turned away to look out the window, humming a tune. All of them shared a simr thought. Why do we need to help him? He¡¯s a murderer, and he had this coming. ¡°You¡ª¡± yton trembled in fear and went on his knees, begging for mercy. ¡°Mr. Tristan, I¡¯m sorry! Please let me go!¡± Nevertheless, Tristan was not going to let him off the hook. Even Felix turned away, for he couldn¡¯t bear to watch the cruel scene that was about to ensue. yton is going to get a beating for angering Mr. Tristan. Willow inhaled sharply when she saw Tristan, a man who carried himself like a noble at all times, beat yton to within an inch of his life for Sophie¡¯s sake. She, too, began quaking in her boots. Is Mr. Tristan going to beat me up like this for how I treated Sophie earlier? The only sound that could be heard in the mansion was yton¡¯s cries of agony. Sophie knew that, by the end of it, yton would be on the verge of death. Even though Tristan did not seem like he was exerting much force, the parts he hit were the weakest spots on a human¡¯s body, and naturally, the most painful spots. He hasn¡¯t forgiven me for putting my life in danger. I wonder what he¡¯s going to do to me. When Felix noticed that yton was grievously injured, he stepped forward to stop Tristan. Property ? N?velDrama.Org. ¡°That¡¯s enough, Tristan. If you keep this up, you¡¯re making things difficult for the cops,¡± Felix said, thinking that Tristan was almost done venting his anger. ¡°Eustace, have them take him away.¡± yton murdered someone, but it was still up to the court to give him a sentence. ¡°Take him away,¡± Eustace then said to the officers. A few officers promptly came over to pull yton up. Even though the man was already close to death, the officers still handcuffed him. ¡°yton Zales, you¡¯re now officially arrested by the police.¡± yton was brought away in no time, and just like that, the condescending yton Zales of Jipsdale was doomed. It was unlikely that he would ever be released from jail. In the meantime, Willow was still trembling in fear. What are they going to do to me if that¡¯s what they did to yton? If Mr. Tristan finds out that I pointed a gun at Sophie¡¯s head, I¡¯ll be as screwed as yton! Thus, Willow kept her head low, not daring to look at Tristan. Chapter 458 Chapter 458 Yale, who only dared show himself after the police took yton away, immediately went to Sophie. ¡°What happened, Soph? Why are you covered in blood? Are you hurt anywhere? I¡¯ll get a doctor!¡± Sophie rolled her eyes. She could not help but wonder if the man was really her father. How is he always thisughable? ¡°I¡¯m fine, but you still have to get a doctor!¡± said Sophie because both Charmaine and Willow were hurt. ¡°Sure. You don¡¯t need to worry about it. I¡¯ll get one right away.¡± ¡°Mr. Tristan, is your hand okay?¡± asked Yale concernedly when he noticed blood on Tristan¡¯s hand as well. However, Tristan chose to ignore Yale. ¡°Felix, I¡¯ll let you handle things here while I take Sophie back with me.¡± To that, Felix immediately nodded in response. ¡°All right. You go back and rest. I¡¯ll take care of things here. Don¡¯t worry,¡± Felix said although he did not think there was much left to do. ¡°Ms. Willow, we¡¯ll need you toe to the precinct with us. We have some questions for you,¡± said the last policeman at the scene. Willow could almost cry when she heard the police officer. ¡°I didn¡¯t do anything, and I don¡¯t know anything. Dad, I really don¡¯t know anything at all.¡± With wounds all over her face, Willow looked wretched, and she was genuinely afraid of being taken to the precinct. ¡°Wi, the police just need you to assist in the investigation. You have nothing to fear,¡± reassured Yale. ¡°Really?¡± Sophie sneered at Willow¡¯s reaction. She was bold enough to hold a gun just now. What happened to that bravery of hers now that she¡¯s to be taken to the precinct? What a joke! ¡°Give us a minute. I need to speak with her alone!¡± Tristan did not think that was a good idea. What else does Sophie have to say to Willow? That woman is the embodiment of selfishness. Seeing how reluctant Tristan was to give her some space, Sophie reached out to take him by the hand. ¡°Wait for me down there. I¡¯ll be there right away.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Nobody thought Tristan would agree to Sophie¡¯s request. ¡°Make it quick.¡± With that, he went downstairs, leaving Sophie and Willow alone in the room. ¡°What do you want, Sophie?¡± asked Willow helplessly because, at that moment, she truly feared her sister. ¡°I just want you to know that you should stay in yourne if you don¡¯t have what it takes! I¡¯m only letting you off the hook this time because I don¡¯t want Grandpa to be sad. But if you try anything again, nobody will be able to protect you from me!¡± After giving her sister a piece of her mind, Sophie left. Willow wanted to look strong, so she did her best to keep herself standing straight. However, as soon as her sister walked away, she copsed to the ground and broke into tears. I¡¯m a failure! My whole life is nothing but a failure! The police only took Willow away with them after Sophie came down. When Charmaine saw that, she immediately got anxious. ¡°My daughter is a victim, officer. Where are you taking her?¡± questioned Charmaine, worried for her daughter. ¡°We¡¯ll need you toe with us to assist in the investigation too, Mrs. Tanner!¡± ¡°I have to go as well?¡± The ce that Charmaine needed to go the most then was a hospital. ¡°Mrs. Tanner, we¡¯ll send you to a hospital first. But after that, you have toe to the precinct.¡± Charmaine had never been through anything like that. She started to get nervous. ¡°Please, officer. We¡¯re victims.¡± ¡°There¡¯s nothing to worry about, Mrs. Tanner. We just need you to assist in our investigation.¡± To that, all Charmaine could do was nod in response. Meanwhile, Tristan drove Sophie back to Wisteria Apartments, where she could shower to clean off the blood covering her body. ¡°I¡¯m fine, Mr. Tristan, really. Look how much blood you¡¯re covered in. You should take a shower!¡± Sophie thought Tristan should, at least, change into fresh clothes first before he lectured her. ¡°Sure, go ahead and take your shower. We¡¯ll have a good talk afterward.¡± What¡¯s there to talk about? In the face of Tristan¡¯s fury, Sophie could not help sighing inwardly. Just when Sophie was about to step into the shower, she got a call from Mark. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m home now.¡± ¡°I saw the news. yton was arrested.¡± Since yton was a thug with influence in Jipsdale, Mark wondered if Sophie was the reason the man was apprehended. ¡°Yeah, so you can sleep well, knowing that nobody will dare harm Sunny and the others from now on.¡± Mark knew he and the others were why Sophie put in so much effort, especially when yton was involved. ¡°You¡¯re a fine young woman, Sophie. I should¡¯ve been the one protecting everybody.¡± Mark vowed to himself that he would keep everyone safe in the future no matter what. When Sophie heard that, she broke into a chuckle. ¡°Sure. We¡¯re counting on you.¡± As the heir to the Emerald Gang, Mark did have what it took to make that promise. ¡°I¡¯m just d that you¡¯re not hurt.¡± Only after hanging up did Sophie proceed to shower. She enjoyed afortable, warm shower and changed into fresh clothes before taking her sweet time to dry her hair with a towel instead of a hair dryer. However, no matter how long she dragged it out, Sophie knew she would eventually have to face the inevitable. Sophie had no choice but to go out with her phone in the end, and as expected, Tristan was already waiting in the living room. She walked over and sat beside the man, who did not look well at all. ¡°You don¡¯t look so good. Are you feeling unwell?¡± Tristan shook his head in response. ¡°I¡¯m fine!¡± ¡°How are you fine when you look like that?¡± Sophie instantly got upset with Tristan because she found it unbelievable that he would treat his own well-being so lightly. ¡°Tell me where it hurts so I can take a look!¡± ¡°I¡¯m okay, really!¡± When Tristan noticed how upset Sophie was, he quickly added, ¡°Maybe I just caught a cold. It¡¯s nothing to worry about.¡± After hearing that, Sophie immediately ced her hand on the man¡¯s forehead and realized it was indeed slightly warm. ¡°How long has it been? Why didn¡¯t you ask the doctor toe over?¡± ¡°You¡¯re a doctor, aren¡¯t you?¡± inquired Tristan rhetorically as he leaned on her shoulder. Sophie was still wondering how she would respond to Tristan¡¯s questioning just then. However, after seeing him like that, she could feel her heart soften. At that moment, she learned what it was like to worry about someone. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for worrying you.¡± Even though that was not Sophie¡¯s intention, she did worry Tristan nheless. ¡°I won¡¯t do it again. Don¡¯t be mad.¡± Tristan was impressed by how much the young woman had changed. Not only does she know that I¡¯m still mad, but she also knows how to make me feel better. ¡°I think I have a little headache.¡± The man did not want to worry Sophie at first. However, after seeing how much she cared for him, he wanted more. This is the property of N?-velDrama.Org. ¡°I didn¡¯t take you for an attention-seeker, Mr. Tristan! Imagine how others would react if they saw you like this!¡± Sophie was surprised to see that side of Tristan. ¡°Why should I care what they think about me? It¡¯s not as if that has anything to do with me. I only care about what you think!¡± To Tristan, no one besides Sophie mattered. He could not care less about others¡¯ opinions of him. Chapter 459 Chapter 459 ¡°Okay, you don¡¯t have to care what others think. Just lie down while I get you some medicine.¡± Sophie assumed there was cold medicine at home. However, before she could walk away, Tristan grabbed her hand from behind and pulled her back to him. ¡°That won¡¯t be necessary. I just need some rest,¡± said Tristan because he did not like taking medicine. Standing beside the man, Sophie looked down at him and questioned, ¡°You¡¯re not telling me that you¡¯re afraid of taking some meds, are you?¡± Of course, he has to take medicine since he¡¯s sick, not to mention that he has a fever. ¡°Cold medicine is useless. Whether I take it or not, I¡¯ll still need two or three days to recover.¡± Tristan understood that he would have to depend on medicines if he suffered from other illnesses, but he only caught a cold. It¡¯spletely unnecessary to take medications for something so trivial. Being someone who had studied under Barney for some time in Horington and was about to study medicine, Sophie knew Tristan had a point, so she let him have his way. ¡°Fine. You don¡¯t have to take any medicines if you don¡¯t want to.¡± Sophie then returned to the couch. Maybe it was because of his cold that Tristanzily rested his head on Sophie¡¯s thighs and made himselffortable. In response, Sophie embraced the man so he could lie down morefortably. ¡°Are you sure you don¡¯t want to go to bed instead? I think you should just go to bed!¡± ¡°Will you go with me?¡± Tristan would be more than happy to do as suggested if Sophie were to join him. ¡°Sure, let¡¯s go together!¡± ¡°Forget it. I¡¯ll just stay here. I don¡¯t want to move!¡± After thinking about how he would start getting ideas in bed, Tristan quickly changed his mind. That¡¯s a bad idea because I¡¯ll have a hard time trying to control myself. ¡°Are you sure? I¡¯m worried you won¡¯t befortable here.¡± Sophie thought that the couch was too small for the one-hundred-and-eighty-centimeter-tall man. ¡°It¡¯s fine. As long as I have you by my side, nothing else matters.¡± Sophie could not help but wonder when Tristan became such a sweet-talker. ¡°Then close your eyes and rest.¡± Sophie would have Tristan take medicine if he did not get better by evening. ¡°But I don¡¯t want to close my eyes. I want to keep looking at you like this.¡± The sick Tristan was acting somewhat wilful. However, there was something charming about his stubbornness. ¡°I told you I¡¯d stay with you, didn¡¯t I? You need to rest if you¡¯re unwell.¡± ¡°Fine!¡± Seeing how serious Sophie was, Tristan decided to listen to her and shut his eyes. With her hand in his, the man did not take long before falling asleep, and just like that, he was out for more than an hour. Even though her legs had gone numb, Sophie did not want to wake Tristan. To others, Tristan was a highly respected man who could do whatever he wanted in Jipsdale. However, to Sophie, he was just an ordinary man who was also susceptible to fatigue and illness. She wanted nothing more than to care for the unwell Tristan then. Only after sunset did the man finally awake. He was somewhat embarrassed to have slept for such a long time. ¡°I thought I wouldn¡¯t fall asleep.¡± Tristan, being the disciplined person he was, had never expected himself to doze off like that since he usually worked at that time of day. No matter how sick he got in the past, he would never fall asleep. ¡°It¡¯s okay. You needed the rest,¡± reassured Sophie, who thought it was only normal that Tristan slept for so long. He doesn¡¯t have to be strong all the time. Sometimes, he just needs to unwind. When Tristan sat up and noticed that Sophie¡¯s legs had gone numb, he was heartbroken. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I should¡¯ve woken up sooner.¡± Tristan immediately began rubbing Sophie¡¯s legs for her. ¡°You probably can¡¯t feel your legs right now.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have to apologize to me. Whatever I do, I do it because I want to.¡± Remembering how much Tristan had done for her, Sophie did not think what she did was even worth mentioning. Tristan could no longer control himself when he saw how understanding Sophie was. Immediately, he wrapped his arms around her and pressed his lips against hers. Sophie was stunned by the sudden kiss at first. But slowly, she learned to enjoy it. ¡°Don¡¯t do that again. You¡¯ll only break my heart.¡± Tristan could not bear to see the young woman ufortable in any way. Content ? copyrighted by N?velDrama.Org. Since Tristan was unwell, Sophie decided to make some soft food for dinner. ¡°What do you want for tonight?¡± Even though Tristan was ill then, he was not about to neglect Sophie. ¡°I¡¯ll make some risotto so we can have dinner at home together.¡± Sophie knew she could not rely on Susan since the housekeeper was still on leave. Now that school¡¯s out, I probably won¡¯t need her. Besides, I¡¯m still not used to having other people in the house. ¡°Do you know how to cook? I don¡¯t want you to hurt yourself. Maybe I should just order a delivery from The Crown.¡± Although Tristan did not have much of an appetite because of his illness, he wanted his skinny girlfriend to have proper food. ¡°Don¡¯t you underestimate me? I know a thing or two about making risotto.¡± Tristan hugged Sophie as he said, ¡°That¡¯s not what I meant. I just think it¡¯s dangerous for you to be in the kitchen. What if you get burned?¡± It was not Tristan¡¯s intention to look down on Sophie. He was sincerely worried about her getting hurt. ¡°Am I really that dumb to you?¡± Tristan immediately shook his head. ¡°What kind of question is that? That word doesn¡¯t even apply to you.¡± Tristan did not think anyone could im to be clever if Sophie was considered dumb. ¡°Then stop worrying and wait here patiently.¡± With that, Sophie rose from the couch to fetch Tristan a ss of water before heading into the kitchen. How hard can it be to make risotto? I have the inte. After referring to a recipe, Sophie prepared some rice and cooked it with just the right amount of water. The young woman had always been precise in everything she did, and cooking was no exception. She ensured that she followed the recipe to a T. Only after turning on the stove did Sophie walk out of the kitchen. ¡°It¡¯s almost done, so get ready for dinner.¡± ¡°Really? Believe it or not, I¡¯m looking forward to it.¡± Tristan got excited since that was the first time Sophie had cooked for him. Even though it was just risotto, he could not wait to try it. ¡°Mr. Tristan, do you wish I could cook?¡± Sophie thought that was what every man wanted¡ªa wife who knew their way around the kitchen. At that moment, Tristan had Sophie resting her head on his thighs. ¡°No. I just want you to be yourself.¡± Why would I need her to cook? There are so many people in this world who can do that. We have chefs, don¡¯t we? Chapter 460 Chapter 460 Sophie and Tristan nestled on the couch while watching television together. Sophie seldom watched any dramas, but she would watch variety shows sometimes. At that moment, she was watching a variety show with Tristan when Felix called him informing him to handle some issues at thepany. Sophie overheard the call and frowned. Tristan¡¯s still feeling unwell! ¡°Felix, can¡¯t you settle it yourself?¡± She voiced her concern directly since the call was on speaker, and she was quite familiar with Felix. ¡°Well, I wouldn¡¯t have called if I could settle it myself, now would I? You think I want to disturb you two?¡± Felix really had no choice. If not, he definitely wouldn¡¯t have made this call. Felix knew Tristan¡¯s temperament all too well. Now, Sophie was the only one who mattered in his mind. Felix wouldn¡¯t have a good time either if he interrupted their time alone. ¡°All right, I got it. I¡¯ll be there right away.¡± Tristan hung up the phone call. Indeed, he needed to handle certain matters. Seeing his reaction, Sophie sighed, knowing that nothing she said could persuade him to stay home. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m fine.¡± It¡¯s merely a slight fever. I can even bear sicknesses that are worse than this. ¡°Mr. Tristan, I know you¡¯re busy, but it¡¯s also important for you to take care of your health.¡± Besides, it¡¯s already after working hours. Why is something still happening at thepany? Who is preventing my boyfriend from getting adequate rest? ¡°Fine. The risotto¡¯s cooked. Have some before leaving,¡± Sophie insisted. Since the risotto was prepared by her, Tristan didn¡¯t refuse. Each of them had a bowl. She even took his bowl of risotto over and blew on it to cool it down, as it was hot. ¡°To be honest, Sophie, I think it¡¯s quite nice to be sick now because you¡¯ll take good care of me.¡± This feels great! Sophie shot him a re. ¡°You¡¯re not a child anymore. Why would you say such a thing? What¡¯s nice about getting sick? Promise me you¡¯ll stay healthy and stop getting sick.¡± Although sickness and death were inevitable in life, she just didn¡¯t wish to see him get sick. ¡°Okay, I promise you. Is this enough?¡± Tristan replied. When the risotto was cold enough to be consumed, Tristan began eating. ¡°This is quite delicious.¡± He started praising her right after he had just taken a bite. Hearing that, Sophie was rendered speechless. It¡¯s just risotto. How delicious can it be? He¡¯s too supportive! After finishing the risotto, Sophie started preparing Tristan¡¯s outfit. He stood beside and watched her choose his outfit from the wardrobe. A smile appeared on his face. She looks like my wife when she¡¯s choosing an outfit for me so seriously. This thought alone made him feel extremely blissful. Having chosen an outfit, Sophie ced the clothes on the bed. ¡°Get changed now.¡± Then, she saw how happy he was. A tinge of sorrow filled her heart. He¡¯s Tristan, a man who can have whatever he wants! Yet, he¡¯s so easily satisfied at this moment. ¡°What are you thinking about?¡± ¡°I¡¯m thinking that when we get married in the future, we¡¯ll be the happiest people on earth!¡± I feel d and blessed as long as she¡¯s here. ¡°Mm-hmm.¡± Sophie didn¡¯t have the heart to deny his words after seeing his joyous expression. ¡°You should get changed now.¡± ¡°Help me!¡± Sophie only had to shoot him a nce for him to stop pushing his luck and admit defeat. ¡°All right, I was just joking! I¡¯m changing now. You don¡¯t have to get out. I don¡¯t mind you watching.¡± Sophie was at a loss for words. I know you don¡¯t mind, but I do. I can¡¯t bring myself to stay here and watch. Atst, Sophie left the room and got changed as well. After Tristan came out of his room, he noticed she was already wearing a new set of clothes. ¡°Why did you get changed? Are you going somewhere? I can drop you off first!¡± Tristan thought she had something else to do, so he insisted on fetching her. ¡°I¡¯m not going anywhere. I just think it¡¯ll be boring to stay home, so I¡¯ming with you.¡± Sophie wanted to know who was interrupting his rest. ¡°You don¡¯t have toe with me. You should rest after having such a long day.¡± ¡°What if I insist?¡± ¡°All right, then. Let¡¯s go!¡± Trisan never said no to whatever she wished to do. Sophie couldn¡¯t help butugh when she saw his reaction. He really spoils me. She felt extraordinarily blessed at that thought. After getting to the underground garage, Sophie asked Tristan for the car keys, then opened the door to the passenger seat. ¡°I¡¯ll drive today.¡± Tristan had no objection to her arrangement as he got into the passenger seat directly. After closing the door for him, Sophie hopped into the car and drove to Lombard Group. ¡°Sophie, there must have been a misunderstanding. I only have a slight fever!¡± Although her acts of service made him happy, he didn¡¯t want her to worry. ¡°I know that!¡± She was fully aware of that. ¡°All right, then!¡± Looks like there are consequences for acting pitiful. I still made her worry. Content ? copyrighted by N?velDrama.Org. Sophie drove all the way to the underground parking lot of Lombard Group. Then, she took the elevator and got to the nieth floor with Tristan. Felix saw them as his savior as soon as they arrived. ¡°You guys are finally here! Someone¡¯s attacking our system right now. All of our cybersecurity engineers are here, but I¡¯m not sure if we can defend our network.¡± That is how the world works. There are always someone better and many talented people out there. Sophie frowned. ¡°Who¡¯s always trying to cause trouble for you?¡± This wasn¡¯t the first time such a situation had happened. ¡°I can¡¯t even keep track of the enemies I¡¯ve made.¡± Tristan was already used to dealing with these issues. ¡°I¡¯ll go take a look!¡± Sophie couldn¡¯t help but want to teach the opponent a lesson. After all, the only way to keep Tristan safe was to find out who the culprit was. ¡°There¡¯s nothing you can do to help, Sophie. You should just stay here and rest.¡± Felix thought it was pointless for Sophie to go inspect the situation. Most of the cybersecurity specialists were top hackers. It would be impossible for Sophie to get anything done if those specialists couldn¡¯t even settle the problem. ¡°Mr. Northley, I¡¯m only going to see what¡¯s happening. I¡¯m not trying to do anything. You don¡¯t have to be so worried.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not that. I just think they¡¯re too busy right now. Don¡¯t go over and cause them any more trouble.¡± ¡°Felix!¡± Tristan warned him as soon as he heard what Felix said. Felix rubbed his nose awkwardly. ¡°Fine. That¡¯s not what I meant, and I shouldn¡¯t have said that.¡± ¡°That¡¯s exactly what you meant. It¡¯s all right. I¡¯ll be the bigger person and forgive you,¡± Sophie said magnanimously. Felix didn¡¯t know how to respond. This is miserable. Why is my life so difficult? ¡°No more next time, Felix!¡± Tristan didn¡¯t want Felix to treat Sophie that way even if Felix was his best friend. Chapter 461 Chapter 461 Tristan led Sophie there in person. At the advent of their employer, the cyber security specialists grew more anxious. The hacker, this time, was too capable. Even with their numbers, they struggled to defend thepany¡¯s cyber security. Taking in their demeanors, Sophie shook her head. She said to one of the cyber security specialists in his thirties, ¡°Move aside. I¡¯ll take care of it.¡± The cyber security specialist was stunned. What? What can she take care of? ¡°Ms. Tanner, this is not a game. We are working, so can you please not make things difficult for us?¡± We¡¯re swamped right now. Although she¡¯s Mr. Tristan¡¯s girlfriend, she shouldn¡¯t be messing around at this moment. Sophie could not help but frown when he saw him sitting unmoving. ¡°You¡¯re the most ipetent among the cyber security specialists here, aren¡¯t you? I¡¯m telling you to move away at once.¡± The middle-aged man was at a loss for words. He was exasperated having been criticized in that manner. No one would feel happy after they were mmed as being the most unskillful employee. However, when he met Tristan¡¯s gaze, that middle-aged man had no choice but to get up from his seat and stand on one side. I¡¯d like to see how capable this missy, who seems to be overestimating her own abilities, is. Mr. Tristan has always been wise and brilliant. I don¡¯t know how she managed to convince him to bring her to ourpany¡¯s headquarters. I can only hope she¡¯s not here to yputer games. ¡°Mr. Tristan, if Ms. Tanner wishes to y games, we have spareputers here. She¡¯s dying our work progress by doing this,¡± that middle-aged man uttered indignantly. ¡°She can do whatever she likes. You¡¯re not qualified to be making anyments.¡± Tristan was unaware of Sophie¡¯s knowledge in information technology, but he had faith in her. He believed she wouldn¡¯t just fool around. Sophie felt warmth in her heart because of the way Tristan trusted her. He had never known of her abilities, yet he never tried to stop her. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Now that I¡¯m here, I won¡¯t disappoint you.¡± Sophie regarded him with a dazzling smile. Tristan fell into a daze for an instant. She¡¯s just so mesmerizing, captivating my heart and rendering me willing to do everything for her. ¡°You¡¯ve never disappointed me.¡± Not once in the past, nor will you ever disappoint me in the future. This is what I firmly believe in. Sophie liked him. Her affection toward him intensified with every passing day. She liked how he favored and trusted her without needing any reason. A man as dedicated as him was undoubtedly hard to resist. Felix entered the room as well. He could fathom that middle-aged man¡¯s frustration. Mr. Tristan has always been so trusting of Sophie. ¡°Sophie, you¡ª¡± Before Felix could finish his sentence, he stopped short after meeting Tristan¡¯s stern gaze. Fine. I can¡¯t say anything. I can only stand aside and watch in silence. This Sophie is indeed a dangerous woman. The next moment, Felix was dumbfounded right after he saw Sophie making a move. Her typing speed is incredible! Although he wasn¡¯t tech-savvy, he could ascertain her professionalism by looking at her movements. ¡°Hah! You¡¯re shy, but you aren¡¯t skilled.¡± The middle-aged man could not helpmenting. Text content ? N?velDrama.Org. However, everyone ignored him. Sophie was displeased because these people had interrupted Tristan¡¯s rest time. That was why she had decided to take charge personally in handling that issue. Multiple codes appeared on theputer screen as she worked. Soon, she managed to trace the other party¡¯s IP address and tracked their location. Then, she arrogantly sent the hacker a warning. Meanwhile, the hacker saw hisputer had been hacked. Not only was he unable to move his mouse, but a sentence could also be seen on his screen: If you dare to do this again, your entire family will die horrible deaths! The hacker¡¯s face darkened. My opponent is so conceited. He attempted to preserve some information but realized he couldn¡¯t repair hisputer. Even shutting down theputer became an impossible task. ¡°This is outrageous!¡± Ultimately, the hacker had no choice but to unplug thework cable. But still, he couldn¡¯t fix his computer after doing that. Sophie, on the other hand, was done addressing the system infiltration problem. ¡°Do you have a sh drive?¡± Felix immediately found a sh drive and handed it to her. Sophie copied the hacker¡¯s information into the sh drive. ¡°I¡¯ll leave the rest to you. My Tristan is still sick. If you have any matter you cannot resolve, call me directly and stop bothering him.¡± Tristan was speechless. Undeniably, being pampered felt nice, as he immensely enjoyed that luxury. Felix sized Tristan up. ¡°You¡¯re sick, Mr. Tristan? What kind of illness have you contracted? Is it severe? Is your condition still treatable?¡± He looks fine to me. Sophie¡¯s eyes turned cold as she red at Felix in silence. ¡°Mr. Northley, if you aren¡¯t adept at conversing with others, I suggest you shut up. Do you know your manner of speech makes me upset?¡± she warned him. Taking in her hostile demeanor, Felix immediately yed nice. ¡°That¡¯s not what I meant. I¡¯m just concerned about Mr. Tristan. He has always been healthy, and I haven¡¯t heard himining about feeling illtely, so I¡¯m curious why he has suddenly fallen sick.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. Just shut up if you don¡¯t know what to say.¡± Then, Tristan turned to face the middle-aged man. ¡°And you. Thepany willpensate you with three months¡¯ sry. You can stoping to work starting tomorrow.¡± Tristan thought the middle-aged man was too big-headed for someone with such subpar skills. The middle-aged man didn¡¯t expect Sophie to be so proficient. I can¡¯t believe a youngdy like her could aplish something so many of us failed to resolve. ¡°Mr. Tristan, I was wrong. I see my mistakes now. I desperately need this job. Please don¡¯t fire me!¡± Tristan had made the decision. He had no desire to waste more of his time on that matter. ¡°Is there anything else?¡± he asked Felix. ¡°That¡¯s all. You should go back and get some rest if you¡¯re sick. Don¡¯t worry, Sophie. I won¡¯t bother you two anymore!¡± Felix gave her his words. Having witnessed how she had hacked the intruder¡¯sputer, Felix became a great admirer of her. This Sophie is extraordinary. I suppose her hacking skills are on par with Phantom¡¯s. He had thought Ysabelle was blindly idolizing Sophie, but at that moment, he genuinely had the urge to grovel at Sophie¡¯s feet. ¡°Sophie, are you acquainted with Phantom?¡± A random thought suddenly popped into Felix¡¯s mind. We¡¯ve failed to find out Phantom¡¯s identity all this while. Since Sophie¡¯s hacking skills are so advanced, could she be the legendary hacker, Phantom? ¡°Phantom? What¡¯s that? Is that a kind of food?¡± Sophie gazed at him dubiously. Felix could not help butugh in response. What was I thinking? How could I have associated Sophie with my idol? ¡°All right, let¡¯s go back. You need to rest earlier since you¡¯re sick.¡± Sophie was utterly annoyed by Felix for taking up so much of their time. ¡°Okay. Goodbye, My Lord and My Lady,¡± Felix said jokingly. He was now in the mood to jest after the crisis was settled. Chapter 462 Chapter 462 On the way back, Sophie began to wonder if her impulsive action had exposed her. I hope I didn¡¯t arouse his suspicion. Nheless, she was relieved that he did not question her. Upon returning to Wisteria Apartments, Sophie prepared a warm bath for Tristan. ¡°You should take a bath too. You must be exhausted since you¡¯ve been working the whole day,¡± the man said in a deep, sensuous voice. Sophie nodded. ¡°Okay,¡± the young girl responded. Unlike how she had behaved when operating theputer earlier, she now looked docile and lovely. Upon seeing the adorable look on her face, Tristan walked over and gave her a gentle hug. ¡°Sophie, you¡¯ve worked really hard today! I must say I¡¯m impressed by yourputer skills. Have you taken part in any hackathons before?¡± ¡°Nope. I just read a few books aboutputers because I¡¯m interested in them!¡± Sophie replied with an innocent look. No one would suspect she was lying. ¡°That¡¯s right. My dear Sophie is exceptionally brilliant. She could easily take a renowned hacker down by just reading a couple of books.¡± Upon hearing that, Sophie expressed her dismay. ¡°What do you mean? Why do I feel like you¡¯re implying something? I just wanted to help since I noticed you were not feeling well. But if you don¡¯t want me to interfere in Lombard Group¡¯s matters, I¡¯ll stay out of them.¡± It¡¯s not a big deal, anyway! Tristan immediately grabbed her hand and pulled her into his arms. Oh, no, she misunderstood my words. ¡°That¡¯s not what I meant. I was trying tomend you. What were you thinking? Did I not tell you I¡¯ll believe you in everything you do?¡± I still meant what I said. Sophie, too, realized she had overreacted. Feeling embarrassed, she said, ¡°Mr. Tristan, I only went with you today because I was worried about you.¡± ¡°I know and I¡¯m touched.¡± Tristan knew she was worried about him. For the first time, Tristan realized there was finally someone who sincerely cared about him and did not expect anything in return. ¡°Go and take a bath, then!¡± Sophie was not an unreasonable person. She decided not to harp on the matter since Tristan had rified he did not mean anything else. ¡°All right.¡± Tristan went straight to the bathroom without saying anything else. After he was done bathing, he nced at the clock and realized it was already half-past eleven. I wonder if she has fallen asleep. He went to her room and noticed she was still sitting on the couch. What is she busy with? When Sophie heard someone open the door, she looked up and gazed at the man. No one, including Tristan, could resist those mesmerizing, sparkly eyes. ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you to rest early? Why are you still awake?¡± Sophie asked, looking slightly upset. ¡°I can¡¯t sleep, so I decided toe and keep youpany!¡± His answer rendered Sophie speechless for a moment. Oh, well. All right. I don¡¯t need someone to keep mepany, but I suppose he doesn¡¯t want to be alone. People are at their most vulnerable when they¡¯re sick, right? No one would ever associate Tristan with vulnerability, but it was undeniable that he was under the weather. ¡°Come here,¡± Sophie instructed. Tristan walked over andy next to her. Instead of snuggling into the nket, he just stayed by her side. Sophie flipped over the nket and said, ¡°Come in here. Or else you might feel worse tomorrow!¡± His flu will get more serious if he doesn¡¯t keep himself warm. ¡°Are you sure?¡± ¡°Of course!¡± We¡¯re just sharing a nket. It doesn¡¯t mean we¡¯re doing anything beneath it! ¡°Okay!¡± Sharing the same nket with her got Tristan excited. ¡°Do you feel better now? If you still have a headache, I¡¯ll go to the pharmacy and buy you some medicine now!¡± Sophie said. It¡¯ll be disastrous if he develops a fever in the middle of the night. Tristan shook his head while allowing her to lean on his shoulder. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about me. I don¡¯t feel ufortable at all.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Sophie was still worried about him. After cing her palm on his forehead and realizing he did not have a fever, she heaved a sigh of relief. ¡°You must tell me when you fall ill again,¡± Sophie reminded him. Mr. Tristan may be a powerful man, but he¡¯ll still feel miserable when he falls sick, right? ¡°All right.¡± Tristan sounded as meek as amb. His unusual response nearly drove Sophie mad. How I wish I could pamper him like a little boy! He¡¯ll probably throw a fit if he finds out what¡¯s running through my mind. Text property ? N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org. Seeing that Sophie had zoned out for a while, Tristan knitted his brows. ¡°Am I disturbing you?¡± ¡°Nope.¡± Sophie felt a tad ufortable lying beside a mature man and sharing a nket with him. Theyy so close to each other that she could smell the faint scent of the body shampoo lingering on the man¡¯s body. Under such circumstances, anyone¡¯s imagination would just run wild no matter how innocent he or she was. ¡°All right. Shut your eyes. I can¡¯t do anything to you anyway, so don¡¯t worry,¡± Tristan promised. All of a sudden, Sophie chuckled. ¡°Mr. Tristan, you don¡¯t have to emphasize that over and over again.¡± You can¡¯t? That¡¯s quite an ambiguous statement. You know that, right? It took Tristan a while to understand what she was implying. ¡°Anyway, Mr. Tristan, can I ask you something?¡± Sophie wished to talk to him instead of sleeping. ¡°Sure,¡± he replied. He could never reject her. ¡°Rumors had it that you have never dated anyone. Is that true? Am I your first love?¡± Sophie was eager to know. Never in a million years did Tristan expect her to ask him this question. He instantly fell silent. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Do you have trouble answering my question? It¡¯s fine if you don¡¯t feel like answering it. It¡¯s just something casual that pops up in my mind.¡± Sophie did not want to make him feel awkward. Tristan responded with a deep grunt. ¡°What is that response supposed to mean?¡± Sophie looked puzzled. ¡°It means you¡¯re my first love. You¡¯re the first girl I fell in love with. You¡¯re the only girl I love!¡± Tristan said. I hope I made myself clear! Sophie ran out of words to say for a moment. Although she was the one who had asked that question, she was not prepared to hear that. Nheless, Tristan¡¯s answer did touch her heart. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Are you stunned? I thought you wanted an answer to that question. Are you giving me this look because you don¡¯t trust my words?¡± Tristan questioned her. ¡°Of course not. I trust you and everything you say,¡± Sophie replied. There¡¯s no reason for him to lie to me. She was surprised that a capable elite like Tristan had never dated any women. Hundreds and thousands of women must have fallen for him, yet he has never been in a rtionship. That¡¯s quite unusual for someone who lives in a world where being ostentatious and morous are the ways of life. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect you to be this pure and innocent, Mr. Tristan.¡± Sophie chuckled. Clearly, she was in a good mood. Words caught in Tristan¡¯s throat when he heard that remark. ¡°This is not about me being pure and innocent. I didn¡¯t want to let my feelings get the best of me, that¡¯s all. Before I met you, I thought I would never fall in love with anyone. I thought I would marry someone at an appropriate age to build a family and miss all the sparkles in life!¡± Tristan said with a sincere look on his face. Chapter 463 Chapter 463 Before meeting Sophie, Tristan was unwilling to spend time falling in love and being in a rtionship. He thought being in a rtionship was a waste of time and would prefer to work instead. ¡°You know what, Sophie? I¡¯m lucky to have you in my life. You made me realize how blessed it is to love someone from the bottom of my heart.¡± He never wanted to settle for less. No matter what it was, Tristan could do it well. However, that didn¡¯t mean he could also meet someone he genuinely liked. It was all about fate. Sophie gave him a peck on his lips. ¡°I thought I would be alone this lifetime. I didn¡¯t expect to meet you in Jipsdale.¡± It was way beyond her expectations. Tristan was not satisfied with Sophie¡¯s light peck. He turned sideways and kissed her lips repeatedly. Sophie¡¯s heart throbbed, and she did not stop him. She let him continue whatever he was doing. Tristan knew how uncontroble he would be whenever he was with Sophie. It was no different this time. He felt a burning sensation all over his body. However, when he saw Sophie¡¯s innocent face, he suppressed he desires even if he felt his lower body was about to explode. He couldn¡¯t bring himself to take advantage of her. ¡°Are you okay?¡± Sophie had never dated before, but she had read many medical books before and knew about the structure of the human body. She also did well in her physiology ss, so she knew that Tristan was trying to hold back. ¡°I¡¯m fine. Maybe you should go to sleep. I¡¯ll go take a shower.¡± With that, Tristan got out of bed. He couldn¡¯t stay there any longer. If he did, he wouldmit a crime. Before Sophie could speak, Tristan rushed out of her room. Sophie covered herself under the nket. Her face was flushed. She thought she was pretty calm. It never urred to her that her face would turn red and her heart would skip a beat when she was in that situation. Deep down, Sophie felt that Tristan truly cared for her, as any other man probably wouldn¡¯t have resisted his urge. Besides, many high schoolers had already slept with each other in this day and age. However, Tristan respected her and was reluctant to hurt her. Sophie could feel her heart melt when she thought of how good the man was. The concert was approaching, and she needed more time for rehearsal. Moreover, Ysabelle¡¯s new song was also in production. Xandra came to Sophie¡¯s office at TS Entertainment. ¡°Sophie, this is the best time to release an extended y. It will take some time to produce an album. Why don¡¯t we release an extended y for Ysabelle first?¡± Xandra had been working in the entertainment industry for a long time. Naturally, what she said made sense. ¡°Okay, let¡¯s do as you say. I trust your decision.¡± Sophie had gone the extra mile to recruit Xandra for her capabilities. ¡°All right. I¡¯ll make the necessary arrangements right away.¡± Just then, Ysabelle came. She didn¡¯t shy away even after seeing the two in the office. ¡°Sophie, something happened!¡± ¡°What is it?¡± Sophie was confused. Isn¡¯t everything going ording to n? What could have happened? ¡°Look at this!¡± Immediately afterward, Ysabelle gave Sophie her phone. As a devoted fan of The Wheelers, Ysabelle would visit the band¡¯s fan site whenever she had the time. Unexpectedly, she saw someone posting about the disbandment of The Wheelers. At that moment, the post had been shared a hundred thousand times. To make things worse, many fans had been waiting outside thepany. After the incident at Sky Media, the fans assumed that The Wheelers must have suffered unfair treatment at TS Entertainment, which made them want to disband. They were all demanding an exnation from TS Entertainment. ¡°Sophie, is it true that The Wheelers is disbanding?¡± The person who wrote the post made it sound so legit that one could only choose to believe it. ¡°Ysabelle, don¡¯t worry about this matter. Just focus on what you¡¯re doing.¡± There was nothing she could do anyway. ¡°Sophie, tell me the truth.¡± Sophie had great faith in The Wheelers and had never imagined the band would disband one day. ¡°That¡¯s enough, Ysabelle. There¡¯s no point in asking,¡± Xandra chimed in. ¡°It¡¯s not clear whether The Wheelers will disband for now. We¡¯re all trying our best, but nobody knows what the oue will be.¡± Ysabelle had a mental breakdown after hearing that. What Xandra said meant that there was a possibility that The Wheelers would disband. Just then, Mark came. Never in his wildest dreams did he expect things to go out of control. Many fans were protesting on TS Entertainment¡¯s official website, demanding an exnation. Otherwise, they would turn into haters. Ysabelle was about to break into tears when she saw Mark. ¡°Mark, is it true that The Wheelers is disbanding?¡± No fan of The Wheelers would ept this. ¡°You should leave for now, Ysabelle.¡± Mark couldn¡¯t stand idly by since all of this had happened because of him. Xandra had no choice but to bring Ysabelle out since thetter was standing still. ¡°Ysabelle, I know you are a fan of The Wheelers. But you are also an artiste now. Sophie will handle TS Entertainment¡¯s affairs. You are making things difficult for Sophie with your behavior.¡± ¡°Xandra, I didn¡¯t want to, but I was so taken aback.¡± Ysabelle would never want to bring harm to Sophie. ¡°Okay. Do what you need to do now. This is the quality an artiste should have.¡± Then, Ysabelle was taken away by an assistant. Text property ? N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org. However, she was not in her best condition all day and got an earful from the director. ¡°Ysabelle, stop wasting everyone¡¯s time if you don¡¯t intend to sing properly. Do you know how disappointing this is? There are so many people who want to release an album out there. There are so many people with dreams. Yet, you¡¯re not doing your best even though you¡¯re given the opportunity to. What on earth is on your mind?¡± Ysabelle was already numbed by the scolding. However, she couldn¡¯t calm down. ¡°Now, this is happening to The Wheelers. What if it happens to you in the future? Will you be able to face it? If you can¡¯t, you might as well leave now. Don¡¯t waste our time.¡± The director had to speak his mind even if Ysabelle was recruited by the CEO. ¡°Think about it for a moment. Let¡¯s stop here today. Everyone should go back and rest. It¡¯s only a waste of time if we stay here,¡± the director said ruthlessly. Ysabelle dared not speak. The assistant patted her shoulder. ¡°The director has a temper, but he is doing this for your own good. It¡¯s better for you to go back and rpose yourself. We will continue tomorrow.¡± They had wasted over an hour here. Ysabelle nodded. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯ve let everyone down.¡± Chapter 464 Chapter 464 Ysabelle knew she should not behave that way. Everyone was busy, and she was only wasting their time. However, The Wheelers had been her faith for the past three years. Now that her faith was about to copse, she was no longer in the mood to do her own things. That only served to prove that Ysabelle stillcked self-control. Nevertheless, the assistant knew how she felt. ¡°Listen, Ysabelle. No one can help you pursue your dream, so you must seize every opportunity you have. There are many people who wish they could take over your ce out there.¡± Many people dreamed about bing an artiste and releasing their own albums. Yet, no matter how hard they tried, they just weren¡¯t given the chance. Ysabelle was quite disappointed with herself when she heard that. ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay. Now, go back and rest. I still have other things to attend to and can¡¯t give you a ride.¡± The assistant did not press on the matter. This is the property of N?-velDrama.Org. After all, it was Ysabelle¡¯s own dream. No one could help her if she herself did not put in the effort. Meanwhile, Xandra was reading the threads on the inte. Many fans had flooded the site, reprimanding TS Entertainment and demanding an exnation from them. The Wheelers had been trending nowadays, so every move they made received the attention of their fans. Some of them werepletely irrational. They only wanted to hear the answer they wanted to hear. Outside the building of TS Entertainment, several fans had even passed out from crying. ¡°Sophie, this happened because of me. I¡¯d better exin to them myself. I don¡¯t want TS Entertainment to take the me.¡± Mark was the one who wanted to leave The Wheelers. It had nothing to do with Sophie, and she needed not to bear the responsibility. ¡°Do you not believe in me? I am the CEO of TS Entertainment. Whatever happens to TS Entertainment today will be my responsibility alone.¡± Sophie never cared about how the others ndered her. ¡°Sophie¡ª¡± Before Mark could continue his words, Xandra interrupted, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Mark. Everything will be fine with me here. I¡¯ve been in the entertainment industry for so long and I¡¯ve encountered a lot of things.¡± A grin bloomed on her face. ¡°Get the securitypany to send more security guards over to ensure the fans¡¯ safety.¡± Sophie did not want to take the risk of getting anyone injured or even killed at such a critical moment. If that happened, there would be nothing she could do to fix the mess anymore. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ve already asked them to send people over. But I¡¯m afraid there¡¯s no way you can leave the building now, Mark,¡± said Xandra, knowing the fans had already flooded the main entrance and the backdoor. ¡°You probably won¡¯t have a peaceful life until this matter is resolved.¡± She did not exaggerate her words but was simply stating a fact. ¡°All right, I¡¯ve already found the person who wrote the post. But it¡¯s pointless to delete them now,¡± said Sophie. The Wheelers had a huge fan base. The moment the rumors surfaced, they began to wonder if Sophie had mistreated their idol. They could not think of any other reason why their idol would leave the group. Xandra was calm and unruffled. ¡°Sophie, I know you want to protect The Wheelers. But only they themselves can sort this out.¡± Nothing thepany said could be of any use at that point. ¡°I¡¯m willing to hold a press conference to rify everything.¡± Mark suddenly spoke. ¡°Xandra is right. This matter has affected our daily life now.¡± ¡°All right, then,¡± Sophie agreed. There was no way to suppress the news anymore. Even though they could delete the threads on the inte, it was impossible to get things to resolve with the number of fans surrounding the building. Just then, the other members of The Wheelers entered the room. ¡°Let¡¯s face it together, Mark.¡± As part of the band, they would bear everything together no matter what happened. Most importantly, they were close friends. None of them would back down at that critical moment. ¡°It¡¯s okay. All this happened because of me. I can face it myself.¡± Mark did not want to get the others involved, as it was his own decision to leave the band. ¡°All of you still have a long way to go. Don¡¯t ruin your future because of me.¡± ¡°Mark, what are you talking about? The Wheelers will not continue without you. This is a fact that no one can change, and we¡¯ll never ept someone else as our leader.¡± Sunny was upset with Mark¡¯s decision to take everything alone. ¡°We¡¯ll respect your decision. Since you¡¯ve decided to leave, we won¡¯t hold you back anymore. It will be enough for us as long as we can perform together at ourst concert.¡± They would not tie him down. ¡°All right. Let¡¯s face it together!¡± Mark was touched by their words. At the same time, he felt horrible as the others were dragged into the mess because of him. However, all the members of The Wheelers were close friends. It would be too much if he were to apologize. Seeing how united they were, Sophie walked over and hugged them. ¡°That¡¯s right. Let¡¯s face it together.¡± When TS Entertainment announced that The Wheelers would be holding a press conference on their official website, The Wheelers¡¯ fans went into a frenzy. All the members of The Wheelers were d in white suits at the press conference and did not wear makeup to show that they regarded the press conference with great importance. Sophie, wearing a white dress, was seated in the middle. ¡°Thank you to all the fans who came here today to join The Wheelers¡¯ press conference.¡± Sophie was calm andposed in front of the microphones and cameras. ¡°I believe all of you have read on the inte that Mark is leaving. Well, it¡¯s true. We, TS Entertainment, however, are reluctant to let him go and have been trying our best to make him stay.¡± She paused before continuing, ¡°We are deeply sorry that we have to let all of you down. Since Mark will be leaving for personal reasons, The Wheelers will also be having theirst concert as a farewell to their fans. On behalf of TS Entertainment, I would like to thank you all for supporting The Wheelers since the beginning. I sincerely hope all of you can respect Mark¡¯s decision and give him some space.¡± However, Mark¡¯s fans disregarded her words and shouted Mark¡¯s name in front of the stage. Has Mark been mistreated again? Otherwise, why is The Wheelers disbanding? They would have disbanded in their toughest times if they wanted to. ¡°Mark, did they do something to you guys? Please don¡¯t disband. We will always protect you!¡± one of the fans shouted. The fans in the audience were extremely emotional and could not listen to a single word. Several fans even got agitated and passed out. Fortunately, Sophie had ced a few doctors on standby. Chapter 465 Chapter 465 ¡°I¡¯m very grateful for all of your support. We¡¯ve been a band for three years, and throughout this time, we could only make it to where we are today, thanks to all of you. However, all journeyse to an end. In the end, I have to leave,¡± Mark said. The fans who hade that day were all hardcore fans. Mark even remembered some of them. It didn¡¯t matter where The Wheelers went. Those fans would follow them anywhere as long as they could see them, even at the airport. ¡°Didn¡¯t you say you would continue making music until you were old and gray, Mark? Why are you leaving?¡± The fans truly couldn¡¯t understand. Things had clearly gotten much better. They didn¡¯t get why he had to leave at a time like that. Upon seeing his fans¡¯ reactions, the cold and aloof Mark began tearing up. Truth be told, he was actually sad to part. ¡°If you guys truly care for us, please respect our decision. Even if I¡¯m not a part of the band anymore, I¡¯ll still remember how well everyone has treated me.¡± Mark got up before bowing deeply to the fans and reporters. The other members of The Wheelers stood up as well and did the same. ¡°Thank you, everyone, for your love. No matter what, we will respect Mark¡¯s choice,¡± Sunny dered, reluctance written all over his baby-like face. He was the one who most desperately hoped that The Wheelers would never disband. Despite that, he had always trusted and respected anything Mark said. ¡°Sunny!¡± His fans¡¯ hearts ached for him. They all knew how much Sunny cared for the band, and how much he wished for the band to stay together. Yet, he was the one smiling and trying tofort everyone. ¡°It¡¯s okay. I¡¯m fine. Don¡¯t get too worked up. I don¡¯t want to see any of you fainting.¡± Sunny refused to cry. He wanted to face it with a smile. ¡°This is going to be The Wheelers¡¯st concert, and it¡¯s also our farewell concert. We want to thank everyone for supporting The Wheelers all this while. I¡¯ve decided to make this concert free of charge. You guys don¡¯t need to spend money to buy tickets,¡± Mark said. Since the fans liked them so much, that was the only thing the band could do for them. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Sophie. This is my personal decision, and I didn¡¯t inform thepany in advance. I¡¯ll take responsibility for all the expenses,¡± Mark proimed. Hosting a concert was costly, after all. It wouldn¡¯t be right if TS Entertainment had to deal with all of it. ¡°Mark¡­¡± The fans began crying harder when they heard Mark¡¯s announcement. They couldn¡¯t believe that their beloved idol and talented artist would be leaving just like that. ¡°You don¡¯t have to apologize, Mark. I support any choice you make. Also, you don¡¯t have to take care of the expenses,¡± Sophie replied. He was one of TS Entertainment¡¯s artistes, so thepany would naturally deal with all the fees. ¡°It¡¯ll be ourst concert, so I want to make this an unforgettable experience for everyone. I want to emphasize once again that it¡¯s my personal choice to leave The Wheelers, and that this has nothing to do with anyone else. I hope all of you can continue to support TS Entertainment.¡± Mark bowed deeply one more time. The rest of the members did so as well. ¡°We¡¯re ready to hold ourst concert. How about you guys?¡± Sunny grinned. No matter what, he was going to enjoy the moment, as they could still perform together. ¡°Mark! Mark! Mark!¡± ¡°Sunny! Sunny! Sunny!¡± The fans below were chanting their names frantically. Everyone wondered if things really had to be that way and if it was truly impossible to go back to how things used to be. The moment Mark turned around, a drop of tear fell from his eye. Sophie noticed it. In fact, Mark was the one who was the most reluctant to part. He truly couldn¡¯t let go. Emerald Gang! Perhaps I should go and talk to his father. The press conference ended. Reddit and Twitter were overflowing with videos of Mark¡¯s announcement. The fans who were unable to attend the press conference were in disbelief after watching them. One wrote: Are they really going to disband? Someone replied: I know, right? They¡¯re the only group I¡¯m a fan of! Anothermented: The Wheelers are so popr right now. How could they disband just like that? Is this TS Entertainment¡¯s gimmick? One fan said: I hope I wake up tomorrow morning and find out that it was all a dream. The news kept spreading around the inte. However, since Mark had rified things, people weren¡¯t that spiteful toward TS Entertainment anymore. Some of the more rational fans warned the others: If not for TS Entertainment, we wouldn¡¯t have gotten to see this handsome side of The Wheelers at all. We should be more rational, guys. Another supported: That¡¯s right. Sophie actually cares about The Wheelers a lot. The members of The Wheelers had not received such nice treatment at Sky Media. Someone else chimed in: Exactly. I heard that the sole reason Sophie established TS Entertainment was for the members¡¯ sake. The moment someone mentioned that, everyone else started singing praises about TS Entertainment. All of them couldn¡¯t bear to see Mark leave. Nheless, it wasn¡¯t up to them. They all hoped that there would be a sudden turn of events, but they were also anticipating the farewell concert. Anyone who had been to one of The Wheelers¡¯ concerts would know how intense it could be, as the members would basically put their entire souls into the performance. They were the best rock band that anyone had ever seen. They just kept going at it without stopping. The spirit of rock still persisted in the hearts of many. Xandra let out a sigh. ¡°Are the tickets really going to be free, Sophie?¡± she asked. They had to spend money to rent and decorate the venue, not to mention all the preparations. Yet, the tickets were going to be free of charge. She had no idea how they were going to make any money that way. ¡°You don¡¯t have to be so impulsive. This isn¡¯t how running a business works,¡± Xandra reminded. ¡°There are many things that you can¡¯t assign a mary value to, Xandra. Besides, thepany won¡¯t suffer any losses. A lot of streaming sites have offered to give us rights to live-stream the concert,¡± Sophie said. All those websites wanted to have the exclusive rights. Sophie couldn¡¯tprehend how Xandra didn¡¯t understand the value of those offers. ¡°That¡¯s true. Okay, then. Let me discuss it with them,¡± Xandra uttered. She was in charge of everything regarding the concert, so she knew how to get the most out of it. ¡°Of course, you¡¯ll be the one doing it,¡± Sophie said. ¡°Look at you. You seem so cold on the outside, but in reality, you¡¯re an emotional person. Don¡¯t you know how much of a loss this is going to be?¡± Sophie was a lost cause in Xandra¡¯s eyes. ¡°Why would it be a loss? I have so many friends around me who sincerely care about me. That¡¯s the best reward you can get in life.¡± Sophie had never cared much about money. Text content ? N?velDrama.Org. Instead, she intended to live up to the expectations of those who had been nice to her. Josiah had already learned about what yton had done. That day, he had returned from the mountain resort and had asked Sophie to return. ¡°I know you¡¯ve been busytely, Soph, but are you really okay after what yton has done?¡± Josiah asked. yton was still a member of the Zales family, so he was worried that getting yton to jail would affect Sophie. Chapter 466 Chapter 466 Sophie peeled an orange for Josiah. The oranges were ones that Tristan had specifically gotten from Archulea, and they were delicious. ¡°Have some oranges, Grandpa,¡± she offered. He took the peeled orange from her. It was cleanly peeled, and she had even gotten rid of the pith. ¡°Since I dare to send yton in, I¡¯m not worried about the Zalesesing for me. Just worry about your own health, Grandpa, and leave the rest to me.¡± Josiah was getting old, and it wouldn¡¯t be good for him to work too hard. ¡°I heard that both your mother and Willow got injured. Let¡¯s go and visit them at the hospital,¡± he suggested. After all, they were still a part of the same family. Even though they had brought it upon themselves, visiting them in the hospital was still the right thing to do. ¡°Okay,¡± Sophie agreed. She had no problem with what Josiah had to say. Since he wanted to visit them, she would just go with him. Sophie got the driver to get ready before heading to the hospital with Josiah. Charmaine and Willow were both staying in the VIP wards. Since both rooms were right next to each other, Josiah and Sophie decided to visit Charmaine first. When Charmaine caught sight of Josiah, she began sobbing aggrievedly. ¡°I never thought this would happen, Dad. What do we do now? Everyone knows what¡¯s going on between Willow and yton. What is Willow going to do?¡± It would be even harder for Willow to marry into a wealthy family from then on. ¡°Why don¡¯t you know how to repent even now, Charmaine? You never listened to what I said and always take things personally. Look at what you¡¯ve done. Have you ever done a single right thing? What¡¯s the point of worrying now?¡± ¡°I¡¯m really sorry, Dad. Please help Willow. She¡¯s still young. If this goes on, her life will be over.¡± ¡°As if it would be over. The Tanner family will continue to provide for her. As long as she focuses on her studies and marries a regr person, she¡¯ll be able to live peacefully. Isn¡¯t that good enough?¡± Is it really necessary for her to climb the socialdder? ¡°Dad¡ª¡± Charmaine clearly didn¡¯t approve, but she immediately shut up when she caught sight of Sophie¡¯s icy stare. In her eyes, Sophie was an emotionless machine who did not care about her mother. That was why she had never visited her in the hospital. ¡°Enough. Don¡¯t think too much about this. Just go with the flow.¡± Josiah had no intention of continuing the conversation. Either way, no matter what he said, she wouldn¡¯t listen. ¡°Have a good rest. I¡¯m going to visit Willow.¡± In the end, she was still his granddaughter. There was no way he wouldn¡¯t care about her. When the door to the room was pushed open, Willow looked up in surprise. Seeing that it was Josiah and Sophie, she didn¡¯t say anything. She didn¡¯t even greet Josiah. Josiah shook his head when he saw the state that she was in. ¡°Stop thinking about what you want, Willow. School¡¯s starting soon. When it does, I want you to focus on your studies. No matter what, you¡¯re my granddaughter, so I¡¯ll carry out my responsibility to provide for you.¡± The reason he refused to let her enter Tanner Group was that she just wasn¡¯t skilled enough, not because he was biased and didn¡¯t want to give her anything. Willow finally came to her senses, but she didn¡¯t seem happy. In fact, she didn¡¯t want to say a single word. Her life was a disaster. There wasn¡¯t a single thing that went well. That being said, she didn¡¯t have the right to wish for anything. ¡°You¡¯re still young, Wi. You still have a lot of opportunities, so don¡¯t beat yourself up like that. It won¡¯t do you any good,¡± Josiah reassured. He couldn¡¯t bear to see her like that either. ¡°Can I talk to Sophie privately for a moment, Grandpa?¡± When Willow spoke, her tone waspletely t. There wasn¡¯t a trace of emotion in it. Josiah couldn¡¯t help but frown. Does she still not know how to repent? ¡°This has nothing to do with Sophie, Wi. What are you going to say to her?¡± He couldn¡¯t understand why Willow didn¡¯t try to solve the root of the problem within herself. Willow smiled. He¡¯s so biased. What can I even do in this state? I just want to say a few words to Sophie, but he¡¯s so concerned. ¡°Wait for me outside, Grandpa.¡± Sophie didn¡¯t want to put him in a difficult position, so she told him to leave for the time being. ¡°Soph, no matter what she says, don¡¯t get angry. For my sake, okay?¡± Even in his old age, there were so many things he had to worry about. He wondered what sins he hadmitted in his past life. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Grandpa. I¡¯m not that short-tempered.¡± Josiah left, but he couldn¡¯t stop worrying about the two people inside the ward. Sophie sat down on the couch at the side without a word. Willow snorted. ¡°You must be really satisfied, huh? Are you d to see me like this?¡± Sophie was speechless. Looks like she does have problems after all. ¡°Honestly speaking, Willow, I don¡¯t care about the state you¡¯re in because it has nothing to do with me. You were the one who always tried topete with me from the start, but I never considered you my rival.¡± ¡°Because I wasn¡¯t worth it, right?¡± ¡°At least you¡¯re self-aware when ites to that.¡± The two of them were never on the same level in the first ce. Willow revealed a sad smile. ¡°Indeed, you¡¯ve been looking down on me all this time.¡± Text content ? N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Whether or not people look down on you depends on your own behavior.¡± She¡¯s the one putting herself down. There¡¯s nothing I can do about that. ¡°All right, I¡¯ve said all that I have to. If you want to defeat me, then crawl back up on your own.¡± One has to pick themselves up from where one falls. Willow¡¯s injuries weren¡¯t serious. There was no need for her to stay in the hospital forever. ¡°Just you wait, Sophie. I¡¯ll crush you under my feet.¡± Sophie got up from the couch. ¡°Really? Have fun with that.¡± She then ignored Willow and went looking for Josiah. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for making you suffer, Soph,¡± he apologized. He knew that she didn¡¯t want toe to the hospital and that she had onlye for his sake. ¡°It¡¯s not your fault at all, Grandpa. You¡¯re the only one who sincerely treats me well in this world.¡± ¡°Really? What about Mr. Tristan?¡± Tristan had given his entire heart to her. That was something he could tell even in his old age. ¡°Yeah, Mr. Tristan too.¡± It was true that Tristan treated her exceptionally well. ¡°Oh, Soph, I can rest assured when I see him treat you so well,¡± Josiah eximed. ¡°Maybe if Willow lowered her standards a bit, she could be happy too.¡± Based on the state Willow was in, however, it didn¡¯t seem that her standards were going down. ¡°Us kids can take care of ourselves, Grandpa. You don¡¯t have to worry. There¡¯s no point anyway,¡± Sophie reminded. Just then, Tristan walked over from outside when they left the hospital. ¡°Your boyfriend¡¯s here!¡± Josiah caught sight of Tristan first. Sophie looked over. He was dressed in an elegant suit and looked dazzling regardless of the situation. I suppose he¡¯s the savior of my life¡­ Chapter 467 Chapter 467 Tristan made his way toward the pair. ¡°Did you enjoy your stay at the resort, Old Mr. Tanner? Why didn¡¯t you stay a little longer?¡± Tristan greeted Josiah as he walked toward them. ¡°There¡¯s much to do at home. I can¡¯t just be away for so long.¡± Josiah was a man who had one foot in his grave. However, he did not feelfortable letting Sophie do all the heavy lifting. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Old Mr. Tanner. Both Sophie and I are around. Nothing¡¯s going to happen,¡± said Tristan reassuringly. Nobody was going to mistreat Sophie in his presence. ¡°Soph, the driver will take me back. I know you¡¯re busy, so I should let you get back to work. You needn¡¯t worry about me!¡± Since Josiah had a driver, there was nothing to be concerned about. ¡°Let me take you home instead!¡± Even though there was a driver, Sophie still did not feel at ease. ¡°Do I look like a child to you? Just take it easy! Tell you what. I¡¯ll give you a call when I get home. How does that sound?¡± Knowing that Sophie was concerned about his safety, Josiah felt warmth bloom in his heart. ¡°Old Mr. Tanner, I think we should send you home,¡± said Tristan. It would not take a long time anyway. ¡°Very well, then!¡± Josiah sighed, shaking his head good-naturedly. They are such filial, dutiful kids. I¡¯m not going to waste any more time, then. Tristan and Sophie sent Josiah home together. After rying the necessary instructions to Morgan, Sophie and Tristan left the Tanner residence. The roar of the car engine told Josiah that Sophie and Tristan had finally set off. ¡°Morgan, be frank with me. Do you think I¡¯ve been taking advantage of Sophie?¡± asked Josiah unwittingly. ¡°If not for me, Sophie would have been far away by now. She doesn¡¯t really need to worry about this stuff at home.¡± Josiah knew, deep down, that he was holding Sophie back. ¡°Old Mr. Tanner, Ms. Tanner is a good person. I think she just wishes for you to be at peace,¡± replied Morgan. ¡°Don¡¯t think too much about it.¡± As he nced out the window, Josiah shook his head. ¡°She¡¯s had it rough, being born to a family like this.¡± When he was away, Sophie had been forced to leave the house at a young age. Josiah reckoned that she did not really feel strongly toward this family, to begin with. If not for him, Sophie had no reason to stick around at all. ¡°Honestly, I do hope she¡¯s happy. That¡¯s all I want.¡± Josiah was worried that the Tanner family served as a burden to Sophie and was keeping her from living her own life. ¡°Old Mr. Tanner, I think you¡¯re overthinking this. Ms. Tanner is a strong, capable person. Besides, she now has a partner like Mr. Tristan! Look how wonderfully he treats her! I firmly believe that Ms. Tanner will be happy.¡± Is there a reason for Ms. Tanner to be unhappy with a man like Mr. Tristan pampering her thus? ¡°It¡¯s hard to say. After all, Sophie is still young. We don¡¯t know what the future holds.¡± ¡°Old Mr. Tanner, it¡¯s not like you¡¯ve not noticed the way Ms. Tanner looks at Mr. Tristan! She may be introverted, but we can clearly see the adoration she has for Mr. Tristan!¡± ¡°Let¡¯s just hope so!¡± Josiah was constantly like this, worrying about whether or not Sophie was going to be okay. ¡°I do think that the more worrisome one is Ms. Willow. This situation has hit her pretty hard. She¡¯s always wanted to marry into a wealthy family, but I fear this will be difficult.¡± ¡°It¡¯s lofty ambitions and wishful thinking on her part. There¡¯s nothing much we can do.¡± The old man sighed. This was something Willow had to sort out on her own. Nobody else could do this for her. After leaving the Tanner residence, Sophie decided to have a short nap. When she opened her eyes, however, she soon realized that they¡¯d arrived at Lombard Group. ¡°Why did you bring me here?¡± asked Sophie, confused. ¡°Something came up that needs my attention. Why don¡¯t you stick around and keep mepany?¡± It would be a waste of time if Tristan sent her back now. ¡°Okay!¡± ¡°How go the preparations for the concert?¡± ¡°Everything is ready. We¡¯re just waiting for the final rehearsal!¡± The Wheelers always had a ce in her heart since that was where she had the fondest memories. ¡°You know what? Seeing how tired you are makes me sad, but I can¡¯t do much for you. This doesn¡¯t feel very nice,¡± replied Tristan. Sophie was quite smart and skilled in all her undertakings. However, her capabilities were what made her feel so tired. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Mr. Tristan. I¡¯ve been too busy to spend any time with youtely.¡± They were both busy with work and barely had any time for each other. Sophie felt that she was not a verypetent girlfriend. ¡°Don¡¯t say that. I know you¡¯re busy, so I¡¯ll do my best to make time for you,¡± said Tristan. All she had to do was do whatever she wanted. He would take care of the rest. Sophie then reached out to hold his hand. ¡°Are you busy too?¡± Making time for her meant a decrease in Tristan¡¯s resting time as well. ¡°It¡¯s fine. After this period is over, there won¡¯t be much else,¡± replied Tristan. At Lombard Group, all the higher-level executives were waiting for the meeting to start. Tristan brought Sophie into his office and gave her a nket. ¡°Why don¡¯t you take a nap here? I¡¯ll wake you up when we¡¯re done.¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t you want me toe with you?¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine. Just stay here and rest.¡± Sophie had only been getting three to four hours of sleeptely. Now that she had some free time, it was best that she got some time to herself. ¡°Okay. If you need anything, don¡¯t hesitate to call me.¡± Sophie was aware that someone was trying to mess with Lombard Group. This is the property of N?-velDrama.Org. Such was the world of business, where some people liked to behave recklessly. ¡°All right, just sleep. There¡¯s no need to dwell on it,¡± murmured Tristan. If he could not handle such a small matter, was he still Tristan Lombard? Sophie then gently tugged his chin toward her before nting a kiss on his lips. ¡°Off you go.¡± ¡°Just wait for me here. When this is over, we can have dinner together.¡± ¡°Okay!¡± Right now, the only one who mattered to Sophie was Tristan. Tristan liked this side of her as well. When Tristan arrived at the meeting room, Felix immediately announced that the meeting was going to commence. Throughout the meeting, Tristan did not say much. However, the stern expression on his face made everyone present squirm. Nobody dared to engage in banter. ¡°Mr. Tristan, what do we do about this?¡± Felix knew that if Tristan said nothing, everyone was going to feel uneasy. As such, he chose to start the ball rolling. ¡°Since he wants to mess around, we¡¯ll mess around with him. It¡¯s only a few billion, after all!¡± That reckless idiot Nichs! So, he wants to y? Who the heck does he think he is? After that, Tristan listed out everything that needed to be done in an orderly manner. ¡°Do you all understand? If there aren¡¯t any questions, just follow my instructions,¡± said Tristan to everyone present. ¡°Yes, Mr. Lombard.¡± His subordinates did not really have much else to say in that regard. When it came to Tristan, they were ready to carry out all his orders. When the others had left the room, only Felix and Tristan remained. ¡°Mr. Tristan, I have a feeling that this Nichs person is targeting Sophie,¡± said Felix uneasily. Lombard Group and Nichs had nothing to do with each other. Given how aggressively Nichs behaved, this was no coincidence. ¡°If that¡¯s the case, we can¡¯t let Sophie find out.¡± Chapter 468 Chapter 468 ¡°Actually, I think we should tell Sophie about it. Maybe we can ask her what her rtionship with him is.¡± Knowing the connection between them was the first step to solving the problem. ¡°I¡¯ve already said that we can¡¯t let her know about this.¡± It¡¯s a matter between us men and has nothing to do with her. Felix shook his head at Tristan¡¯s stubbornness. ¡°Actually, Sophie is not as weak as you think.¡± He doesn¡¯t have to shoulder everything by himself. How can a girl who¡¯s able to deal with the top hackers in the world be an ordinary girl? ¡°Felix, when you really love someone, no matter how capable she is, you will still want to protect her well and not let her get hurt.¡± Text property ? N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org. Not even a single bit. Tristan was willing to share so much only because Felix and he were good friends who grew up together. He wouldn¡¯t have bothered to exin if it were anyone else. ¡°All right. I understand,¡± Felix replied. If that was the case, he would just have to do a bit more work. Anyway, after working for Tristan for so long, he was already used to it. ¡°Don¡¯t worry! It¡¯s just Nichs. There¡¯s nothing to fear.¡± Have I, Tristan Lombard, ever been afraid of anyone? ¡°Yup! We don¡¯t have to be afraid of anyone!¡± No one. After the meeting, Tristan headed back to his office and saw Sophie sleeping soundly there. Tristan did not wake her up but sat next to her and watched her quietly. What¡¯s her rtionship with Nichs? He knew that he would believe anything Sophie said. However, he realized that he did not dare to ask her about it. No matter what sort of rtionship Sophie and Nichs had, Tristan would not let her go. That woman was his, and no one could snatch her away. He would make sure no one did. At that instant, Tristan was filled with possessiveness, and a look of determination appeared on his face. ¡°Sophie, no one can take you away from me unless I¡¯m dead.¡± He was a stubborn person. Once he was sure of something, he would not change his mind easily. If Nichs wanted to court death, Tristan would dly grant his wish. When Sophie woke up, she saw the man standing next to her and watching her. After they locked eyes for a while, Sophie smiled and got up from the couch. She walked behind Tristan and hugged him from the back. ¡°Has the meeting ended? Why didn¡¯t you wake me up?¡± ¡°You look really tired, so I decided to let you sleep,¡± the man replied in a deep and sensual voice, which was extremely alluring. ¡°Aren¡¯t we supposed to have lunch together? Ysabelle has been feeling gloomy for the past two days. Let¡¯s bring her along!¡± Ysabelle was a hardcore fan of The Wheelers. For the past two days, she had been upset because of what happened to The Wheelers. ¡°I don¡¯t want a third wheel disturbing us. If she¡¯s upset, Felix can apany her. It¡¯s gonna be just the two of us today.¡± He had finally started dating and found it frustrating that Ysabelle was always following them around. Sophie hugged Tristan even tighter. ¡°All right, then. Since that¡¯s what you want, we won¡¯t take her along.¡± Sophie decided to find some time the next day to have a chat with Ysabelle. ¡°That¡¯s more like it. Sophie, you have to remember that I¡¯m the most important person in your life.¡± Everyone else doesn¡¯t matter. Sophie replied obediently, ¡°I¡¯ll remember that. Don¡¯t worry. I will remember everything you tell me.¡± Her pretty eyes were sparkling like the stars in the sky. After she started dating Tristan, she had been smiling a lot more. Tristan took Sophie to a famous hot spring resort in Jipsdale. The hot spring there had rejuvenating effects. Sophie had not been sleeping very well, so Tristan had bought over the resort after knowing about the rejuvenating effects of the hot spring there. He even named the ce after Sophie. ¡°From now onward, let¡¯se here and take a hot spring bath every week!¡± Tristan said while the two of them were eating. ¡°What¡¯s with your sudden interest in this?¡± Given how busy both of them were, it seemed unlikely that they would have the time to make a trip there weekly. ¡°The hot spring here is different from other ces. It¡¯s especially useful for sleep. Juste here once a week and you will be able to reap the benefits from it. I wille with you.¡± At that moment, Tristan, who was dressed in a ck shirt, seemed a little different from usual. However, he still looked ridiculously handsome. A man like that cared so much about her. He had taken her to the hot spring resort, knowing that she was having trouble with her sleep. ¡°I¡¯ve already bought this ce and named it after you. I will bring you around to take a lookter. If there¡¯s anything you¡¯re not satisfied with, I can get someone to fix it.¡± He bought the entire ce? ¡°Mr. Tristan, you¡¯re going to spoil me.¡± ¡°I will dly spoil my woman. Besides, it¡¯s just a hot spring resort. I want to give you everything that is good for you.¡± Sophie let out a sigh and said, ¡°How can I bear to leave you if you continue treating me like this?¡± She was certain that she would never leave the man. He was a man who loved her wholeheartedly. Tristan held Sophie¡¯s hand and sat her on hisp. ¡°What are you talking about? Are you thinking of leaving me? Where are you thinking of going?¡± Sophie put her arms around the man¡¯s neck and kissed his lips. ¡°You¡¯re thinking too much. I can never bear to leave you. I will stay by your side forever.¡± Sophie could not help but blush, as it was her first time dering hermitment to Tristan so directly. ¡°I mean it. There¡¯s no way I can leave you in this life.¡± Tristan deepened the kiss, and his hands started roaming around the woman¡¯s back. ¡°You have to stay by my side forever. I won¡¯t be able to take it if you leave me.¡± Is it even possible to let someone whom you love so much go? ¡°Mr. Tristan, what¡¯s going on with you today? Why are you feeling so insecure?¡± He was someone who was always in control of any situation and was definitely not an insecure person. ¡°Nothing. Maybe I just love you too much! That¡¯s why I don¡¯t even want to hear you mention leaving me. Sophie, remember, you can do anything you want except leave me.¡± That was his only request. Sophie could feel her heart aching when she heard the man¡¯s words. ¡°I don¡¯t waver easily once I make a decision. There¡¯s no need for you to worry at all.¡± She did not like seeing Tristan like that. He was supposed to be a man who was unflinching and feared nothing. ¡°I¡¯m d to hear that!¡± ¡°Let¡¯s take a dip in the hot spring!¡± Sophie could feel that she was losing herself in Tristan¡¯s kiss. She was worried that if it continued, she would no longer be able to control herself. ¡°Let¡¯s take a walk around the ce first! It¡¯s not good for your body if you soak in the hot spring immediately after eating.¡± Tristan was also feeling rather exasperated at his biological response because of his desire for Sophie. However, there was nothing he could do. His self-control was almost non-existent when he was with Sophie. Chapter 469 Chapter 469 The scenery at the hot spring resort was very beautiful. The resort was also very well-designed, and it consisted of both indoor and outdoor hot springs. This is the property of N?-velDrama.Org. The outdoor hot springs were all shaped differently, and they were surrounded by beautiful rockeries. ¡°Take a look and see if there¡¯s anything you don¡¯t like. I will get the designer toe here tomorrow and make the changes ordingly.¡± Tristan wanted to make sure that Sophie liked the ce as she would be frequenting the resort very often in the future. Sophie held Tristan¡¯s hand and continued walking outside. ¡°Honestly, I¡¯m very satisfied with this ce. It¡¯s designed in the style I like.¡± ¡°Really? I¡¯m d you like it.¡± ¡°Why are you so happy? You¡¯re not even the designer of this ce.¡± ¡°Actually, I am the one who designed it. I bought this resort one month ago, and I designed it ording to the way you would like it to be.¡± Sophie halted in her tracks. He bought this resort one month ago? He even designed the ce personally? Howe I didn¡¯t know that? Tristan wrapped his arms around the woman from the back and said, ¡°Don¡¯t look at me like that. I just hope you can get better sleep and don¡¯t have to continue relying on essential oils. Besides, I enjoyed doing all of this.¡± He would willingly do anything for her just to see her smile. After all, he was a very independent person who managed everything well. Sophie observed her surroundings while leaning against Tristan¡¯s chest. Indeed, everything here is designed ording to my liking. He must have spent a lot of time on this resort! ¡°All right. Let¡¯se here once a week from now onward.¡± Since he had spent so much effort on the resort, how could she disappoint him? ¡°I¡¯m really happy that you like it.¡± Tristan led Sophie to the dressing room and handed her a swimsuit. ¡°I¡¯ve prepared this for you. Let¡¯s get changed. I¡¯ll wait for you outside.¡± Sophie could feel her cheeks burning as she held the swimsuit. He even prepared this? Tristan had picked out her swimsuit personally. ¡°Go ahead! I¡¯ll get changed right away,¡± Sophie said with a blush spread across her face. She used to be a veryposed person. However, she found herself feeling flustered more often lately. She was always blushing in front of Tristan. Does love really change someone so much? After Tristan left to get changed, Sophie was alone in the dressing room. She took out the swimsuit from the bag and saw that it was not the revealing sort. Instead, it was a design she liked and in her favorite color. He really knew her preferences well. That also meant that he had spent a lot of time with her. Otherwise, he wouldn¡¯t have known her so well. There was no way Sophie wouldn¡¯t be moved by a man who loved her so wholeheartedly. There was no doubt that she loved Tristan! After putting on the swimsuit and draping a towel around her body, Sophie left the dressing room. That day, other than the resort employees, there was no one else in the huge resort. When Sophie stepped outside, she saw that Tristan was already waiting there. He was wearing swimming trunks which looked like a matching pair with Sophie¡¯s swimsuit. It was the first time Sophie had seen Tristan in swimming trunks. As that was the only piece of clothing on him, he seemed exceptionally tall and lean, and the defined muscles on his body could be clearly seen. Sophie found the man extremely sexy. He was definitely not any less attractive aspared to international top models. Is he trying to seduce me? In fact, the man was her type regardless in terms of looks or figure. When Tristan saw Sophie walking out in her swimsuit, he couldn¡¯t take his eyes off her. Even though there was a towel draped around her, her beautiful long legs were still extremely eye-catching. He loved everything about her, including those pair of slender long legs, her slim waist, and her ridiculously pretty face. He found himself hopelessly in love with the woman. Sophie walked toward Tristan slowly and said, ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± Tristan put his arm around the woman¡¯s waist and led her toward the hot spring. He had chosen a couple hot spring for them, which was surrounded by rockery and exquisite nts. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. It¡¯s very clean here. I¡¯ve specially designed this hot spring for us, and it¡¯s not open to the public.¡± He wanted to make sure that he gave her the best of everything. Sophie removed her towel when they were in the hot spring. When Tristan saw her perfect figure, he instinctively held his breath. Soaking in the hot spring with the woman before they got married was definitely a challenge for him. That was because he was powerless in front of Sophie. ¡°I like it so much! You sure know what I like!¡± The two of them sat next to each other while admiring the scenery before them. The hot spring water there was different from elsewhere. There was a faint fragrance emitting from it. Perhaps it was because of the roses nted around the area. In fact, Tristan had nted those flowers especially for Sophie. ¡°I love everything about this ce. Tristan, why did you do so much for me? I¡¯m so touched that I don¡¯t even know what to say.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have to say anything if you don¡¯t know what to say. I did everything because I wanted to.¡± Her gratitude was never what he wanted. She had been under a lot of stresstely. However, at that moment, it seemed that her stress had wholly dissipated. When she was with Tristan, she did not have to worry about anything, and there was nothing that she had to do. That was because he would have thought of everything and done everything for her. ¡°All right.¡± Tristan could feel his breathing getting heavier and his swimming trunks felt tighter. His eyes were also starting to fill with desire. Seeing the man in such a state, Sophie could not help but feel sorry for him. He seems really ufortable. It must be tough for him. ¡°If you don¡¯t feelfortable being here with me, why don¡¯t you move further away?¡± Even though Sophie was a pure and innocent girl, she was well aware of Tristan¡¯s agony at that moment. ¡°It¡¯s all right. I want to be by your side.¡± His self-control was getting weaker and weaker. Clearly, the woman did not do anything except dipping in the hot spring. Yet, his imagination started running wild. His mind was filled with R-rated images. Even so, he could not touch Sophie. He had promised that he wouldn¡¯t touch her before marriage. That was to show his respect for her. ¡°Mr. Tristan¡­¡± Sophie saw that the man¡¯s forehead was already covered with beads of perspiration, and he looked rather miserable. ¡°I¡¯m all right.¡± The next instant, Tristan shifted his gaze away from Sophie and turned around. I¡¯ll be fine as long as I don¡¯t look at her! Right then, Sophie¡¯s phone rang, breaking the awkward tension between the couple. Sophie picked up her phone from the side table next to the hot spring and answered it. ¡°Sophie, it¡¯s me! How could you be so heartless toward me? It¡¯s all because of you that I am in such a pathetic state!¡± Nichs¡¯s voice sounded from the other end of the line. Sophie frowned when she heard the man¡¯s voice. She nced at Tristan, who had his back to her, and hung up. Damn that Nichs. ¡°Who is it?¡± Tristan asked suspiciously, seeing that Sophie was silent. Chapter 470 Chapter 470 ¡°Wrong number,¡± Sophie replied, lying through her teeth. Nichs doesn¡¯t know when to give up, does he? Or perhaps he didn¡¯t learn his lesson fromst time? Tristan had a feeling that she was not telling the truth. However, he decided not to probe further this time. If Sophie refused to answer him, he would not ask any more questions. Sophie stared at his back as guilt filled her heart. There was nothing between her and Nichs. She did not tell Tristan because she did not want him to worry. However, he seemed down in the dumps because of the call. ¡°Are you all right?¡± Sophie asked tentatively. She did not wish for Tristan to get angry or upset. After returning from the hot spring resort, Sophie immediately called Nichs. Nichs¡¯ lips curled up into a smirk when he saw the familiar number. ¡°Sophie, aren¡¯t you being too mean? If I don¡¯t call you, you¡¯ll never call me first, won¡¯t you? Are you going to forget about me?¡± Having not heard Sophie¡¯s voice for so long, he truly missed her. ¡°I miss you so much. Should Ie to Jipsdale to visit you?¡± Nichs seemed to have forgotten about what had happened in the past. Like someone who had been parted from his lover for a long time, he wanted to fly over to her side. ¡°Nichs, haven¡¯t you learned your lesson? I¡¯ve warned you to stay out of my life. I will never like you.¡± ¡°Why not? I met you first. How could you fall in love with someone else? Do you know you¡¯re breaking my heart?¡± Nichs uttered hysterically. I was the one who met her first. How can another man steal her heart before I do? ¡°Nichs, are you certain you¡¯re not sick in the head? If you are, you can go to the hospital. Stop spouting nonsense at me!¡± Sophie raged. Nichs was an important person. She could not afford to get rid of him. However, her patience had long run out after she was being pestered by him for so long. ¡°You¡¯re right. I¡¯m indeed sick. I¡¯m suffering from lovesickness. Ever since you left, I¡¯ve been thinking about you every day.¡± Sophie was rendered speechless by his absurd reply. She took a deep breath, and only then did she manage to suppress the urge to hurl the phone. ¡°Nichs, just give up on your one-sided feeling. If you don¡¯t want to push this to the point of no return, you better stay out of my life.¡± If the situation continued, one of them was bound to die. ¡°Sophie, are you threatening me now? You know very well that I don¡¯t like being threatened by others.¡± Why does she have to be so cruel to me? ¡°I can give you whatever you want if you return to my side. I mean it. Otherwise, I¡¯ll never let you go even if I have to take you down.¡± Nichs was utterly obsessed with Sophie. He could not bear to let her go to another man. Sophie did not feel the need to continue the conversation. No matter what I say, he will never listen to me. In that case, I will just let him be. At worst, we¡¯lle to blows. Let¡¯s see who will have thestugh! After hanging up the phone, Sophie turned on herputer and changed her number. This new phone number was tied to someone else¡¯s ID card. She did not want to hear Nichs¡¯ voice anymore. Meanwhile, Felix and the others could only shake their heads when they saw Tristan drowning his sorrows. Content ? copyrighted by N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Mr. Tristan, what are you doing? Did you break up with Sophie?¡± That¡¯s the only reason he would behave like this. Hearing that, Tristan shot him a death re. Felix rubbed his nose awkwardly. ¡°Since you two are still together, why are you drinking so much? You know that drowning your sorrows doesn¡¯t work, right?¡± ¡°Felix, keep your mouth shut if you don¡¯t know how to console him. Just drink with him instead,¡± Sean said. ¡°I agree!¡± Charles chimed in. It¡¯s just drinking. It¡¯s not like we¡¯ll die from drinking. What¡¯s there to be afraid of? Felix shook his head and said, ¡°You guys are insane. Very well, then. Since everyone here is crazy, it¡¯s pointless for me to stay sane alone. Let¡¯s drink together.¡± The four of them were all intelligent people. It had been a long time since they had drunk like this. After having too much to drink, Felix began to talk nonsense. ¡°Listen to me, Mr. Tristan. If a woman is disobedient, you have to punish her. If you don¡¯t teach her a lesson, she will start dominating you from now on.¡± ¡°Punish her? I can¡¯t bear to do that to her,¡± Tristan replied. How could I punish her? Charles could not help but interject, ¡°You can just pounce on her. She¡¯ll behave herself afterward.¡± That was the way to do it, or so he thought. Sean was at a loss for words. ¡°I still can¡¯t bear to do that,¡± Tristan uttered. ¡°Mr. Tristan, you weren¡¯t a softie before. What happened to you? You can¡¯t even bear to scold or punish her. How will you control her in the future? Where¡¯s your authority as a man?¡± Felix began again after downing a few more drinks. In his opinion, a man had to protect his status and power in the family. ¡°If that¡¯s what you think, I¡¯m scared to leave Ysabelle in your hands!¡± What kind of old-fashioned view is that? A man should dote on his wife instead of beating or scolding her. Felix scratched the back of his head. ¡°I was just joking! Do I look like someone who would beat up his wife?¡± I still have a long road ahead of me. Charles interjected, ¡°That¡¯s enough. Stop talking nonsense. Just finish your drink.¡± He could notprehend how Tristan could love a woman wholeheartedly. After all, there was no shortage of beautiful women in this world. Many of them were waiting to win his heart. Why buy a cow when you can get milk for free? Sean said with a smile, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Mr. Tristan. That Nichs is no match for you. He¡¯s nowhere near as handsome as you!¡± Tristan fell silent momentarily before responding, ¡°My Sophie doesn¡¯t care about physical appearances. She likes me because of my personality, not my face.¡± Felix, Sean, and Charles were stumped for words. yton was arrested for intentional homicide. With all the evidence stacked against him, he was sentenced to life imprisonment. Willow came to see yton on the day of his sentencing. Observing the man from afar, she saw the once-favored child fall from grace after he offended Sophie. Willow¡¯s heart trembled when she thought of Sophie. I¡¯ve finally understood that she isn¡¯t one to be trifled with. yton stopped in his tracks when he caught sight of Willow. ¡°I want to have a word with that woman over there.¡± yton made a request. The other party naturally knew yton¡¯s identity. No matter what, the staff still had to show respect toward the Zaleses. They had no choice but to approach the woman. After listening to the staff¡¯s words, Willow went up to yton. ¡°What else is left to say between us?¡± Willow asked expressionlessly. All along, she was nothing but a pawn for yton to use. Hearing that, yton could not helpughing. There was no sign of despair on his face, as he was confident of getting out of the prison. ¡°Willow, why are you acting as if I¡¯ve failed you? You don¡¯t really like me, do you?¡± yton asked. Both of them knew what she was after. There was no point in pretending. Chapter 471 Chapter 471 ¡°Do you hate Sophie?¡± yton suddenly asked. He hated her and would not hesitate to tear her apart. Willow froze for a moment. ¡°What do you mean by that?¡± Is he still nning something? ¡°You just need to answer me.¡± My hatred for Sophie knows no bounds. I hate her! If it weren¡¯t for Sophie, I wouldn¡¯t have ended up as it is now! There is no way I don¡¯t hate her! ¡°That¡¯s good. At least we have the same enemy.¡± Willow did not disagree. But he¡¯s already going to jail. Is there a point in saying all this now? Does he still think he¡¯s someone high and mighty? ¡°I¡¯ll ask someone to contact you. Listen to him if you want revenge.¡± How can I forgive Sophie for making me so miserable? I won¡¯t let Sophie and Tristan off. They¡¯re going to pay for their actions! ¡°yton Zales, it¡¯s time for you to get on the prison bus.¡± Thew enforcers walked over to bring him away. Before yton left, he shot Willow a mysterious smile. Willow did not know what he meant. However, there was one thing yton was right about. They shared the same enemy. She was willing to do anything to ruin Sophie. At TS Entertainment, Sophie was sitting on the couch while watching the news about yton¡¯s murder expressionlessly. He didn¡¯t get the death penalty. ¡°Don¡¯t worry! He won¡¯t be living a good life in prison.¡± The Zales family would not be able to do anything under Tristan¡¯s watch. He would not let ytone out to harm anyone. ¡°Willow¡¯s there!¡± Sophie saw the familiar figure on the television. ¡°Willow must be insane! She knew yton was only using her! How shameless of her!¡± Ysabelle huffed. ¡°That¡¯s right! Why did she go there? Are they hatching an evil n? Or is there something we don¡¯t know about?¡± Felix narrowed his eyes. ¡°Mr. Tristan, did Old Mr. Zales give you a call?¡± The Zales family¡¯s intention was clear. They were willing to do anything if yton was released. If Tristan and Sophie refused to let him go, they and the Zales family would be enemies from now on. It was a threat. However, Tristan and Sophie were never afraid of threats. There was no need to be afraid of the Zales family. As the person who sent yton to jail, Sean was also at TS Entertainment at that moment. He reminded everyone, ¡°Although the Zales family is not scary, everyone must be careful these few days as they may resort to extreme means. We were the ones who sent him to jail!¡± It was a massive blow to the Zales family. ¡°Sophie, I still think you have to be careful of Willow. I feel she might do something.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I know.¡± Willow was a restless person who had never learned her lessons. This time was no exception. Sophie sat on the swivel chair with a nonchnt expression. She was not worried about Willow at all, as thetter was not worthy of it. Finally, it was the day of the concert. Ysabelle was already up early in the morning, as she was too excited to sleep. She knocked on Sophie¡¯s door. She did not return home as she wanted to apany Sophie to the final rehearsal and preparations. As it was The Wheelers¡¯st concert, she would not miss it for the world. Tristan frowned when he heard the knocking. What is Ysabelle doing? Why is she knocking so early in the morning? Tristan got out of bed, wore his robe properly, and went to get the door. ¡°Ysabelle, why are you so noisy so early in the morning? If you don¡¯t want to sleep, get lost!¡± Ysabelle took a step back when she realized she had identally woken Tristan. ¡°Uncle Tristan, I¡¯m sorry for waking you up. But I¡¯m too excited! I can¡¯t fall asleep!¡± It¡¯s The Wheelers¡¯st concert! How can I fall asleep? ¡°Uncle Tristan, aren¡¯t you excited? As a member of The Wheelers, Sophie is going up on stage!¡± Excitement was written all over Ysabelle¡¯s face. At that moment, Sophie opened her door, only to see Tristan and Ysabelle. ¡°Did you two not sleep the entire night?¡± Sophie had a good night¡¯s sleep, so she felt energized. ¡°Sophie, get ready, and let¡¯s go! Aren¡¯t you going to yourst rehearsal? Don¡¯t worry! I¡¯ll be by your side the entire day!¡± How can I miss out on this? Tristan shook his head. It seems that Ysabelle has gone insane. ¡°There¡¯s no rush. I¡¯ll head over after lunch. Did you not sleep wellst night?¡± Sophie asked as she looked at Ysabelle¡¯s dark circles. ¡°I¡¯m too excited, so I didn¡¯t sleep at all! I didn¡¯t want this either.¡± However, I can¡¯t control myself. She hadin on her bed the entire night, but she still could not fall asleep. ¡°Seriously?¡± Tristan piped up. It¡¯s not even her own concert! Why is she so excited? ¡°Ysabelle, you have to control yourself. This simply won¡¯t do. You will have your own concert in the future!¡± Sophie said disapprovingly. ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll be this excited about my concert! Do you know how long I¡¯ve liked The Wheelers? Three years! I¡¯ve been with them since their debut! How can I sleep when they¡¯re disbanding now?¡± They did not understand her at all. In the afternoon, Tristan drove Sophie and Ysabelle to the stadium where the concert would be held that night. It could amodate a hundred thousand people. Also, Sophie was true to her words. The tickets werepletely free for the fans. When they reached the venue, Mark and the others were already there. They had already changed into their stage costumes. At the sight of Sophie and Ysabelle, Sunny ran over to them. ¡°Sophie, you¡¯re finally here! Go and get changed quickly! This is our final rehearsal!¡± Although they had already rehearsed many times, they still had to go through another to ensure there would be no mistakes during the actual performance. ¡°Okay!¡± Sophie went to get changed. Ysabelle stood with the others and waited. When Ysabelle thought about how The Wheelers would disband after this concert, she could not help but feel sad. ¡°Mark, can you not leave? Even if you go and do other things, can you continue to make rock music when you¡¯re free?¡± This is his dream! How can he just give up like this? One must stay true and passionate about one¡¯s dream! Content ? copyrighted by N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Mark!¡± Why is he not answering me? Chapter 472 Chapter 472 Mark gently stroked the back of Ysabelle¡¯s head. ¡°All right. Why don¡¯t you go and keep Sophiepany?¡± There was no turning back since he had promised his father. Ysabelle, who had never spoken like that before, still could not help but feel disappointed. She only voiced her thoughts in such a manner when she learned they decided to go separate ways. But there¡¯s nothing I can do anyway. ¡°Ysabelle, go and check on Sophie to see if she¡¯s ready,¡± Sunny tried to get her out of there as he felt it was inappropriate for her to make that remark at this time. Left with no choice, Ysabelle could only go and look for Sophie. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Mark. We¡¯ll respect your decision, and you¡¯ll have our full support. At least we¡¯re all contented now.¡± Sunny gently patted Mark¡¯s shoulder. Being happy with our lives is all that matters. We shouldn¡¯t worry about anything else. Meanwhile, Sophie, who had just changed into her costume, noticed Ysabelle was sitting alone while pulling a long face. Why is she not with Mark and the others? ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Why are you sitting here alone? I thought you wanted to be with Mark and the other band members.¡± Sophie went up and sat next to her. I wouldn¡¯t havee so early had she not insisted on meeting them. ¡°Will my love fade over time?¡± Sophie did not expect the question toe out of her mouth. Upon noticing the way Ysabelle pouted, Sophie chuckled. She ced her arm around Ysabelle¡¯s shoulder, gesturing for her to lean on her. ¡°Don¡¯t overthink. You need to understand that certain things are beyond your control.¡± You can only ept the oue if you can¡¯t change it. Overthinking will only make you more miserable. ¡°I¡¯m going for the rehearsal now, okay?¡± Sophie said. Mark and the others are waiting for me. ¡°You look pretty in that costume, Sophie,¡± Ysabelle suddenlymented. She looks wild and cool! I bet both men and women would be mesmerized by how hot she looks! ¡°I¡¯m really digging your look!¡± Ysabelle could not help but express her adoration for Sophie. They had spent a fortune on the concert costumes, so that was why the design looked sophisticated. In order to match the five men in the band, Sophie¡¯s costumes were all designed with a touch of masculinity. Yet, they did not overshadow her feminine beauty when she put them on. Ysabelle could not turn her eyes away. ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll hold Uncle Tristan spellbound today!¡± I can imagine how exhrated he¡¯ll be after seeing the love of his life dressed like this! ¡°Oh, please. Tristan has seen women from all walks of life,¡± Sophie said. ¡°But you¡¯re the apple of his eye!¡± Ysabelle eximed. Everyone knows that! A few momentster, Sophie got onto the stage and began the rehearsal with the rest of the band members. Ysabelle waited at the audience seat to keep thempany, even though she was not a part of the band. It was half past four in the afternoon when theypleted a simple run-through. They had no choice but to stop the rehearsal as fans were seen entering the stadium. Meanwhile, Tristan and Felix arrived at the venue through the VIP passage after handling some matters at Lombard Group. ¡°Ysabelle was here since noon?¡± Tristan knew how obsessed Ysabelle was with The Wheelers. Published by N?v''elD/rama.Org. ¡°I don¡¯t understand why she insisted oning at noon since the concert will only begin in the evening. She could have stayed home and taken a rest!¡± Felix said. Why does she put herself through all these? ¡°You should know how crazy she is about The Wheelers.¡± ¡°I know. I¡¯m just a little annoyed. It¡¯s just a band. Does she have to behave like that?¡± Felix would never admit he was jealous. ¡°You better not say this in front of her,¡± Tristan warned. Or else, you¡¯re going to get it from her. Have you forgotten what happened during the university entrance exam? Felix felt stumped and did not know what else to say. ¡°Mr. Tristan, what do you think of me?¡± Tristan kept mum and red at Felix. Here we go again. ¡°I might not be as capable as you are, but I¡¯m still a great guy. In Jipsdale, people think highly of me and even address me as Mr. Northley, but why Ysabelle doesn¡¯t see the good in me?¡± Felix asked. He just could not figure out why. ¡°I¡¯ve always treated her well, but she doesn¡¯t appreciate it. Does she not find me charming?¡± Felix began to doubt himself and wondered if he should give up on her. ¡°That¡¯s your problem,¡± Tristan said frankly. The harsh remark left Felix speechless. Felix continued, ¡°If someone as emotionally distant as you can fall in love with another person, why can¡¯t I? I just don¡¯t get it.¡± ¡°What do you mean? Are you implying I don¡¯t deserve to be in a rtionship?¡± A cold glint shed across Tristan¡¯s eyes. Upon noticing that look on his face, Felix staggered. ¡°That¡¯s just a casual remark. Don¡¯t take it to heart. Being in a rtionship with you is the best, of course. It¡¯s also amazing how you can handle a woman like Sophie.¡± ¡°Talk more, and I¡¯ll send you to Alendor after the concert,¡± Tristan threatened him. I¡¯ll have to teach him a lesson for badmouthing Sophie. ¡°Alendor? Please don¡¯t send me there. I¡¯m sorry for saying the wrong things!¡± Felix realized he had stepped on his toes. ¡°Stay there for a week! Go and soak up the sun and get tanned beforeing back!¡± Tristan showed no mercy. ¡°Mr. Tristan, how can you do this to me because of a woman? I didn¡¯t say anything bad, did I?¡± Felix nearly burst into tears. Me and my stupid mouth! Why on earth did I bring up Sophie? What¡¯s wrong with me? When they arrived at the stadium, Tristan gave Felix the cold shoulder and went backstage. Meanwhile, Sophie was doing her makeup. Upon noticing her look, Tristan was stunned. The red costume she wore made her look seductive. The artist who did her makeup further entuated her facial features. With the smokey eye look, Sophie appeared drastically different from her usual self. After finishing her task, the makeup artist retreated, leaving the two in the room. ¡°Tristan, do I look weird?¡± Sophie asked. Will he appreciate my look? Tristan stared straight at the reflection of her face in the mirror for a few seconds. ¡°Sophie, I don¡¯t want you to go on stage anymore. I don¡¯t want others to see you in this look,¡± he stated. Upon hearing that, Sophie froze for a moment. ¡°You look great¡ªabsolutely gorgeous. Now I get why people always say women can look much cooler than men if they want to,¡± Tristanmented. Fans of The Wheelers have always been fanatics. They¡¯ll definitely fall in love with Sophie should they see her rocking this look. ¡°You¡¯re just exaggerating, Tristan.¡± Sophie did not believe his words. Tristan embraced her from the back. ¡°Not at all. I don¡¯t want you to go on stage. I¡¯m sure all five of them can still perform well in the concert!¡± Tristan refused to allow anyone to see her in that look. No way! Sophie turned around and nted a kiss on his lips. ¡°That¡¯s enough. Be good, okay? I¡¯ll put on a maskter, so don¡¯t worry!¡± Sophie had specifically chosen ten different masks to match her ten sets of costumes, and they all looked exquisite! ¡°Don¡¯t expect me to give you the green light with just one kiss!¡± Clearly, Tristan wanted Sophie to appease him with more than a peck on the lips. Chapter 473 Chapter 473 Tristan deepened the kiss. Pinned against the wall, Sophie could feel her breathing getting faster as the man kissed her domineeringly. At the same time, she was very cooperative. In fact, she was enjoying the kiss. Just when the two of them were carried away in the kiss, Ysabelle came to look for Sophie. ¡°Soph¡­¡± Ysabelle said as she opened the door. Before she could finish the word, she witnessed the scene in front of her and retreated quietly. She had even closed the door for them out of goodwill. Meanwhile, the couple was so engrossed in each other that they did not even notice that Ysabelle was there. Ysabelle moved a chair next to the door and sat down, intending to guard the entrance for the couple. When Felix came to look for her, he saw the woman sitting outside. ¡°Why are you sitting here? Where¡¯s Sophie? Is she still getting ready?¡± ¡°Shh.¡± ¡°What¡¯s going on? Why are you being so secretive?¡± ¡°Uncle Tristan is inside.¡± When Felix heard that, he finally understood why Ysabelle was sitting there. ¡°Seems like Mr. Tristan has finally be enlightened.¡± Not bad, not bad. ¡°What¡¯s on your mind?¡± Ysabelle looked at the man in disdain before continuing, ¡°You men are always having dirty thoughts. They are just kissing.¡± Felix felt slightly aggrieved. Isn¡¯t it normal for guys to think this way? What can I do? My Ysabelle is just too innocent! ¡°Let¡¯s go! I¡¯ll get you some food. You haven¡¯t eaten yet, right?¡± ¡°No. I want to wait for Sophie.¡± The reason she was there was to have a meal with Sophie. ¡°Isn¡¯t Sophie busy now? We don¡¯t know how long she would take.¡± If Mr. Tristanes around suddenly and ravages her on the spot, they would probably need at least more than an hour! Ysabelle looked at Felix begrudgingly. ¡°Felix, can you stop talking? Hearing your voice gives me a headache.¡± Just then, the door swung open. When Tristan and Sophie walked out, they saw Felix and Ysabelle next to the door, and Ysabelle was pouting. ¡°How long have you guys been here?¡± Tristan asked in a deep voice. Why do these two people keep showing up everywhere? ¡°Not too long. Just long enough to know that you two were doing something unspeakable inside. Ysabelle and I are guarding the door for you here! We are so loyal, aren¡¯t we?¡± As soon as those words fell, Tristan¡¯s expression turned grim while a blush of embarrassment spread across Sophie¡¯s cheeks. They must have been too carried away earlier that they did not even notice someone was there. The duo couldn¡¯t help but feel awkward. ¡°You¡¯re going to Alendor for a month!¡± Tristan said mercilessly. The gleeful smile on Felix¡¯s face stiffened the moment he heard that. F*ck, he¡¯s just mad because he¡¯s embarrassed that we caught them! And he¡¯s using his authority as my superior to get even with me. Even so, Felix could only keep quiet. Tristan was someone who never went back on his words once he said something. Sophie walked toward Ysabelle and said, ¡°Let¡¯s go! Aren¡¯t we going for a meal?¡± ¡°All right,¡± Ysabelle replied. She was still feeling grumpy, but as Sophie did not do anything wrong, she could not take it out on her friend. ¡°Ysabelle, it seems like you wouldn¡¯t ever lose your temper in front of Sophie!¡± Felix could not help but wonder why Ysabelle had red up at him after he said so much earlier, but just one word from Sophie was enough to keep her docile. How can there be such a vast difference between us? After all, I¡¯m the one who watched her grow up. ¡°Felix, can you just stop talking for a while? I don¡¯t want to hear your voice.¡± Although Ysabelle could not offend her uncle, she did not care about offending Felix. Felix could hardly believe that he had been dismissed once again. What did I do wrong? I didn¡¯t do anything! I shouldn¡¯t havee here in the first ce. I guess I asked for it. As the concert was starting soon, they ordered food delivery instead of eating out. Mark was the one who ordered the food. That day, he had reserved the whole of The Crown to treat the staff members. Everyone had worked extremely hard for the concert. As there wasn¡¯t much time for them to prepare, all of the staff members had pulled multiple all-nighters with them. Moreover, it was all because of him. Mark was a grateful person, and it was important for him to repay those who had helped him. When Sunny saw Sophie and Ysabelle approaching, he eximed at once, ¡°Sophie, Ysabelle,e over quickly! They are going to finish all the food if you guyse anyter. I¡¯ve saved lots of yummy food for you two.¡± The moment Sophie and Ysabelle sat down, Sunny passed them two tes and pointed to some dishes in front of them. ¡°I¡¯ve saved all these for the two of you,¡± he said. ¡°Sunny, thank you.¡± Ysabelle had not expected that there would be food for her as well. She was just an ordinary fan, and there was nothing she could do for them. Tears started welling up in her eyes. Noticing that, Sunny patted her shoulders and said, ¡°Why are you crying? It¡¯s a joyful asion. Let¡¯s just enjoy this moment and not worry about the future.¡± No matter what happened next, it would only happen in the future. At that moment, all they had to do was to enjoy the concert. It would be an amazing concert. The night would be perfect. Sophie gave Ysabelle a piece of tissue and said, ¡°All right. Stop crying already. If you cry, someone will be heartbroken.¡± ¡°Who?¡± Ysabelle did not understand what Sophie meant. Who would feel bad for me? ¡°Mr. Tristan, Mr. Northley, the two of you probably haven¡¯t eaten yet. Come over and eat something too.¡± Mark invited the two men over as Sunny was being childish and only invited Sophie and Ysabelle. ¡°Yes, we haven¡¯t eaten anything.¡± Someone was in a rush toe over, so they did not have time to get any food. Tristan walked to Sophie¡¯s side. As Sophie was not able to finish all her food, she shared half of it with Tristan. ¡°Since you haven¡¯t eaten anything yet, have some food first! The concert is going to end quitete.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Tristan took the food from the woman without any hesitation. In fact, Mark had already gone to get more food for Tristan. However, he passed the food to Felix after seeing Sophie and Tristan behaving affectionately toward each other. Felix epted the food and said, ¡°Thank you.¡± Mr. Tristan is too insensitive! No matter what, Mark is still in love with Sophie. He should avoid publicly disying his affection for Sophie in front of the man! Felix could not help but feel bad for Mark. However, he did not dare to speak his thoughts out loud. After dinner, the band rested for about half an hour before the final countdown to the start of the concert began. The six of them stood side by side. It was the first time they were reunited after their separation. They had been looking forward to having such a reunion for a long time. Mark stood up and reached out his hand. ¡°Let¡¯s cheer like we used to!¡± They would forever remain as one. That day, they had finally gathered together for their concert. Sunny stood up next and ced his hand on top of Mark¡¯s. Then, Sophie stood up with a bright smile on her face. Indeed! Text property ? N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org. No matter what, today¡¯s concert is considered a dreame true. If that¡¯s the case, we should just enjoy ourselves and not care about what happens tomorrow! Tonight, rock music never dies! Chapter 474 Chapter 474 Thest five numbers of the countdown appeared on the screen. Looking at the screen, the fans below the stage yelled out the numbers as they changed. ¡°Five! Four! Three! Two! One!¡± The moment they counted down to one, five members of The Wheelers emerged from a raised stage tform. The fans screamed passionately at the top of their lungs when they saw the five members. The concert had only begun, but some people¡¯s voices were already hoarse from screaming. On the stage, the five looked at the sea of lights bobbing up and down in the crowd, andplicated emotions rose from their chests. In order to reach today¡¯s heights, they had gone through a difficult journey. Their journey was not smooth-sailing, but they never regretted it. Nevertheless, they never thought one day they had to disband. Usually, Mark had a cold demeanor, but at this moment, in this electrifying atmosphere, he couldn¡¯t help his tears from falling. He turned away to wipe his tears. He didn¡¯t want his fans to see him like that. All of this was his choice and his choice only, so he had to bear with everything alone. Once the fans noticed Mark in that state, tears also began to flow from their eyes. Then, they started to chant, shouting Mark¡¯s name repeatedly. ¡°Mark! Mark! Mark!¡± The chant, each louder than the first, moved the hearts of every person. Eventually, Mark rposed himself, thinking he shouldn¡¯t act like that. ¡°Today, I thank everyone foring to our concert. With all your support, we are never lonely in our journey. I thank you all for that. However, I never thought I would be the first one to leave. That¡¯s right. Although I¡¯ll miss all of you, life is full of uncertainties. When there is a start, there will be an ending. There will be meetings, and there will be partings. Still, I hope I can present an unforgettable concert to all of you tonight! I hope you¡¯ll enjoy it, and I wish everyone well.¡± Mark had never said so many things at one time. In concerts, he was cold and distant. However, he had said a lot today. It meant that he was really reluctant to say goodbye, hence the change. Sunny reached out and put an arm over Mark¡¯s shoulder. The other three members walked over as well. From start to finish, their feelings for each other never changed. ¡°Mark, even though we can¡¯t make music with you in the future, you will always be together in our hearts, never to part.¡± They were the best of friends. Mark nodded. ¡°The Wheelers! The Wheelers! The Wheelers!¡± As the fans below saw the wonderful friendship between the five, they screamed and shouted in excitement. Even if they were to lose their voice, they would never stop that night. Moreover, they didn¡¯t want to hold in their emotions. ¡°Now, I would like to introduce one of our members. She has always been one of The Wheelers. Although she had not had her debut with the rest of us, she had always been one of us.¡± After Mark ended his introduction, Sophie appeared on the raised stage tform. When the fans saw her, they were excited. ¡°Tanner?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. He¡¯s Tanner!¡± ¡°He was awesome at thest concert!¡± Those who were here today were The Wheelers¡¯ stalwart fans, so they knew who Tanner was the moment he appeared. Tanner was stunning at the drums. Sophie got on stage and stood with the rest of the members. ¡°Finally, everyone from The Wheelers is here.¡± The corners of Mark¡¯s lips curled upward, and this was the first time his fans saw him smile. They didn¡¯t know why Tanner didn¡¯t debut with the rest. Text property ? N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org. Nevertheless, it was not important anymore. The most important thing was that he was present at this concert. Moreover, it seemed that every member of The Wheelers looked happy. As long as the band members were happy, the fans were contented. ¡°Tanner, do you want to say anything to the fans?¡± Sophie shook her head. She didn¡¯t have anything to say. She wanted to make music right away. ¡°Okay, enough with all the cheesy talk. We¡¯ll give you what you¡¯ve been waiting for all this while. Rock and roll, people! I hope everyone loves our performance!¡± After all, the fans were here to listen to their performance, not listen to them being sentimental. After the six members went to their respective spots, Sophie started her drumming, and it was that song¡ªCrazy¡ªwhere she was theposer and lyricist. Sophie would always be the center of attention wherever she went. Even if she was wearing an exquisite mask, the fans were already screaming in exhration at the skillful way she yed the drums. Their first song set the whole concert on fire. The fans sang along to the song in the live performance. Even though that wasn¡¯t an easy song, the fans followed along and continuously waved their glow sticks to the rhythm. The crowd screamed their hearts out. They would not leave tonight. Mark¡¯s voice and the buzz of the rhythm were ever on key, and the rest of the band was immersed in their ying. One song after the other, they did not stop. The fans did not stop either. At the concert, The Wheelers performed fifteen songs back to back without a moment¡¯s rest. The Wheelers had excellent stamina. After all, they were men, so they had a lot of energy to keep going. Additionally, they had also practiced for long periods. However, Tristan couldn¡¯t help but worry about Sophie. Sophie was a girl, and ying the drums required a lot of energy. Since she had yed for more than two hours, he was worried that her body couldn¡¯t take it. Unfortunately for Tristan, she was still on stage, so he couldn¡¯t say anything. Ysabelle, who was next to him, screamed excitedly like the other fans. Her tears never stopped either. This is his favorite band. This is also his favorite genre, Rock and Roll. Are they going to be disbanded like that? Is there no other way? Looking at how sad she was crying, Felix felt his heart ache too, and he handed a piece of tissue to her. ¡°All right, please don¡¯t cry. We¡¯re still in Jipsdale. It¡¯s not like you¡¯ll never see us anymore. Is there any need for you to cry like that?¡± If she kept at it, her eyes would be red and puffy the next day. Ysabelle took the tissue and wiped her tears. ¡°You¡¯re not a fan of The Wheelers. You don¡¯t understand how we feel.¡± ¡°It¡¯s true I¡¯m not their fan, but it pains me to see you in such a state. If you keep crying, how are you going to meet anyone tomorrow?¡± ¡°Why do you care? Can¡¯t you leave me alone?¡± Today, I want to yell, scream, and cry just like the rest of them. This was thest memory of their adolescence. It was a band they loved very much! In the meantime, another rock song began, and Sophie¡¯s body was drenched in sweat. She had never let herself go and had this much fun for a long time. From the start, she joined the band because she loved it. And now, she could stand here side-by-side with the five of them in a concert. She was truly happy, which was why she had put in her all. Chapter 475 Chapter 475 That concert had been unprecedented and splendid. The fans were overjoyed. Therefore, when the concert came to an end, they refused to leave and kept yelling The Wheelers¡¯ name. How can they bear to leave? After that night, they would never see The Wheelers again. ¡°The Wheelers! The Wheelers! The Wheelers!¡± the fans screamed incessantly. Even Tristan was moved when he saw such a scene. It had never urred to him that a band could summon such power. ¡°Thank you foring today. This is our final concert. Take care, everybody!¡± It did not matter how reluctant everyone was. Things had toe to an end no matter what. Now was the time to leave. N?vel(D)rama.Org''s content. The fans started wailing uncontrobly. Tears flowed down Mark¡¯s face when he saw the fans¡¯ reaction. ¡°Mark, please don¡¯t cry. We will always be by your side. Even if you don¡¯t sing anymore, we will still love you.¡± The fans could not bear to see him getting upset. He was their favorite idol for three years, after all. They were willing to do anything for him. ¡°I thank all of you once again for your support. Please continue to give your support to the rest of the band members in the future.¡± His departure did not mean that the others had to stop whatever they were doing. His band members loved music from the bottom of their hearts. Whether they chose to fly solo or do something else, he hoped that they would be able to carry on to do what they loved. ¡°Mark, you don¡¯t have to say anything or worry about us. Since we formed The Wheelers, you have been doing a good job as our leader. Regardless of what happens in the future, we will always be brothers.¡± They felt nothing but gratitude toward Mark. There was no way they would me him. Mark patted Sunny¡¯s shoulders. ¡°I love you guys!¡± He truly adored each and every one of The Wheelers. The fans stood there and refused to leave. ¡°Mark! Mark! Mark!¡± They did not want to see him so upset, but they could not bear to leave either. ¡°Once again, I thank all of you for your support. Please take care when you leave and stay safe. I don¡¯t wish to see anyone getting hurt at this concert.¡± ¡°Mark!¡± The fans wept and wailed miserably. They did not want to make things difficult for their idol. However, the time to leave hade. Despite knowing everything, they were still reluctant to leave. Ysabelle was also crying very sadly. ¡°What should I do? I feel so miserable,¡± she said as she held onto Felix¡¯s hand. It was truly difficult to part with someone one loved. Felix put her arms around her. ¡°Don¡¯t cry. You¡¯re making me upset too.¡± However, the surrounding was so noisy that Ysabelle did not hear what he said. ¡°It took me so long to fall in love with a band. Why must they disband so soon?¡± The Wheelers were the reason why she wanted to be a singer. All Felix could do was to be there for her. No matter what he said, Ysabelle would not listen. ¡°Go back home now! Please be careful.¡± It was getting veryte. Mark¡¯s voice had turned hoarse. An impasse situation like that had crossed Mark¡¯s mind. The fans were too upset. That was why they refused to leave. ¡°All right then. We¡¯ll dedicate onest song to all of you. This is the first song we make our debut with. This will truly be thest one.¡± They did not rehearse that song, so Sophie had to look for the musical score. Nothing stumped her. Furthermore, she had been keeping track of The Wheelers even after she had left. That was why she knew that song. It was their debut song. However, some of their fans had never heard of it before. Most of their fans present that day had been with them for a long time. Back then, their debut song was not very well known, but the fans could sing along with them. Then again, the song was over in five minutes¡¯ time. It was time to leave. ¡°Everyone, please go home!¡± said Sunny. ¡°Please don¡¯t make things difficult for Mark.¡± Now that things had reached a point of no return, they would only make things difficult for Mark if they refused to leave. The fans would certainly not want to upset Mark. ¡°Thank you very much, everyone! Please don¡¯t put Mark on the spot.¡± Sunny had always been a cheerful person. However, right now, he could not control his tears too. When the fans saw their idols getting upset, they could not bear to watch. Someone started to leave. One by one, the other fans began to follow suit, albeit very slowly. They did not want to make things difficult for their idols and upset them. On the other hand, they were really unwilling to leave. It took tens of thousands of fans more than an hour to vacate the stadium. During the process, all of the members of The Wheelers remained on the stage. They watched the audience left one at a time. It was hard to suppress the sorrow within them. From that moment on, The Wheelers would no longer exist in the world! ¡°Mark, are we really disbanding?¡± The Wheelers had been set up for more than five years now. It had not been an easy journey. They hadsted till now because of their dreams. Is that all there is left? Looking at Sunny, Sophie patted his shoulders. ¡°All of you must be tired. Let¡¯s go home and take a good rest. Don¡¯t think too much!¡± The farewell concert had taken ce as they had nned. To be honest, it was an extremely sessful concert. Unfortunately, in the end, they still could not change the oue. That was the only upsetting aspect of it. ¡°Okay. Go back for a good rest. I still have something on, so I won¡¯t be going back with all of you. Take care.¡± ¡°Mark, aren¡¯t you going back with us tonight? Did something happen? If that¡¯s the case, you must tell us so that we can help you resolve the issue.¡± Sunny refused to believe that it was Mark¡¯s wish to leave The Wheelers. Therefore, there must be other reasons behind his decision. ¡°Sunny, please don¡¯t ask so many questions. Right now, I¡¯m really very tired and want to go back for a rest. Sophie, since someone is waiting for you, I won¡¯t be sending you back.¡± Sophie was the only female member. That was what worried him the most. ¡°All right then. Since you¡¯re busy, go ahead with your n. Don¡¯t worry about me.¡± Mark was the first one in the band to leave. There was no way he could stay there any longer. If he did, he would not be able to control himself. Mark did not want any one of the band members to get hurt. Now was the time to leave for good. The moment Mark went out, he saw that the old man had sent someone to pick him up. Chapter 476 Chapter 476 Mark took a deep breath. He knew this day woulde, yet he was surprised at how soon it came. Mark took a deep breath. He knew this day woulde, yet he was surprised at how soon it came. Frozen in his tracks, Mark stood for a long moment without moving. Inheriting Emerald Gang is just my responsibility. It¡¯s not what I want to do. Finally, Mark stepped forward as someone got out of the car to open the door for him. ¡°Mr. Mark, Old Mr. Wheeler is here too.¡± Quinton was seated in the back when Mark got into the car. ¡°Why? Are you afraid that I will escape?¡± Mark asked, knowing the reason why Quinton woulde to a ce like this on his own ord. ¡°You cried,¡± Quinton stated. Mark didn¡¯t respond. He knew Quinton would turn a deaf ear to anything he said. He only cared about the survival of the strongest. ¡°Mark, I¡¯ve already given you five years to do whatever you wish to. You can¡¯t hold a grudge against me just because it¡¯s time for you to return now.¡± Quinton felt like he had already done his best as a father by giving Mark five years of freedom. ¡°Forget it. I¡¯m tired. Let¡¯s go home.¡± Initially, Quinton wanted to speak further. However, he stopped himself when he noticed the exhaustion on Mark¡¯s face. Quinton instructed the driver, ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Meanwhile, Sunny was standing on the stage, refusing to leave. This is the performing stage that I love. I would do anything to be on it. Why did everything end today? Even though Tristan was waiting for her, Sophie couldn¡¯t leave because she was still worried about Sunny. She dered, ¡°Sunny, it¡¯s time to go.¡± He has been practicing so hard recently without mentioning his tiredness. Besides that, Sunny even looked calm during the performance today. But because he¡¯s acting like nothing has happened, I¡¯m worried about him. Sophie¡¯s thoughts ran across her mind, making her want to stay. Published by N?v''elD/rama.Org. Sunny nodded in reply to Sophie¡¯s suggestion that they needed to leave. ¡°You can head back first, Sophie. I¡¯m fine. No need to worry about me.¡± He was sure that he felt fine. ¡°Come on. I¡¯ll send you home. Let¡¯s not overthink this.¡± Sunny suddenly kneeled and kissed the stage floor as Sophie watched the scene unfold with sadness. Meanwhile, Sunny left the stage and walked over to Sophie. He saw the worry written all over her face. Although Sophie was younger than Sunny, she always had to worry about him. The man chuckled. ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry about me, Sophie. I¡¯m okay! I¡¯m just a bit unwilling to let go now. After all, you know how much I love The Wheelers.¡± ¡°All right. It¡¯s great to hear that you are feeling fine. Mark worries about you the most, so you should ensure you are well.¡± ¡°Yes. I know. Don¡¯t worry about that. I won¡¯t cause any trouble.¡± Then, Sophie led the way as they walked over to Tristan. Sunny remained silent during their car journey. When they arrived at The Wheelers¡¯ mansion, he stepped out of the vehicle. ¡°Sophie, thank you so much for today. Rest well when you arrive home, okay?¡± ¡°Mm, I will do that. You get some sleep, too, okay? Don¡¯t spend your time overthinking things.¡± Sunny nodded before walking in. Sophie turned to Tristan. ¡°Tristan, thank you for today!¡± The man had apanied her all the way. Tristan held her hands. ¡°My contribution is nothingpared to yours.¡± I sat there the whole night. Why would she thank me for it? ¡°Let¡¯s go home now.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Sophie was knackered, so she didn¡¯t feel like talking. Tristan didn¡¯t disturb her, knowing that she was tired. He took a look at Sophie while he drove the car silently. Sophie still looked breathtakingly gorgeous even though her makeup was slightly ruined. Tristan held one of her hands as he took control of the steering wheel with the other. He advised, ¡°You can take a nap. I know you are exhausted. I will wake you up when we arrive.¡± ¡°I¡¯m all right. Let me keep youpany.¡± I¡¯m pretty sure he is tired as it is two o¡¯clock in the morning. The drowsiness will hit him if he drives without me talking to him. ¡°Trust me, okay?¡± A beautiful smile appeared on Sophie¡¯s face. ¡°I trust you. I just want to apany you now. I don¡¯t want you to be alone.¡± It wasn¡¯t because she didn¡¯t trust him. She just wanted to keep himpany. Tristan had waited for Sophie for such a long period without making a fuss. Sophie felt like it was her turn to apany him now. On the other hand, Tristan was reluctant to let the worn-out Sophie stay up to apany him. Suddenly, a gust of wind messed up Sophie¡¯s long hair. Tristan spoke. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about me. I¡¯m not sleepy. You must be fatigued. Get some sleep. It pains me to see you like this.¡± Sophie gazed at him intently as Tristan¡¯s mind wandered. She looked so lovable right now. Tristan continued, ¡°Take a nap, okay? You have much time left to apany me in the future.¡± He knew there was no rush for Sophie to show him her love. ¡°Okay,¡± Sophie replied. Tiredness crept all over her, and soon she was asleep. Tristan drove them to Wisteria Apartments. When he noticed Sophie was asleep, he didn¡¯t wake her up. Instead, he got out of the car and opened the passenger¡¯s door. Then, with Sophie in his embrace, he walked to the elevator. After they arrived at Sophie¡¯s house, Tristan ced her on the bed. He couldn¡¯t help but furrow his brows when he saw the makeup on Sophie¡¯s face. Will she feel ufortable sleeping in her makeup? Tristan had never removed someone¡¯s makeup before. He had no choice but to search for the steps and solution online. He frowned upon seeing howplicated the process was. He didn¡¯t give up, though. Tristan followed the steps written on Google, searching for a makeup remover and cotton pads. Then, he slowly wiped the makeup off Sophie¡¯s face. The truth was Sophie had awakened the moment Tristan touched her face. She was tired, though. And when she realized Tristan was doing an excellent job removing her makeup, she didn¡¯t stop him. Tristan was gentle with his movements, causing Sophie to fall back into slumber shortly after. Unfamiliar with the steps, Tristan took a total of half an hour to clean Sophie¡¯s face. Then, Tristan soaked a towel and helped Sophie wipe her face, neck, and feet. He was satisfied by how Sophie was sleeping so soundly throughout the process. It¡¯s great that she doesn¡¯t need any external help to make her fall asleep anymore. Tristan strode to the bed, leaned closer, and kissed Sophie¡¯s forehead. He had a loving look in his eyes when he uttered, ¡°Sweet dreams!¡± It was eight o¡¯clock in the morning when Sophie woke up the following day. Even though she had ate night yesterday, Sophie was not used to sleeping for long hours. She took out her phone and went through a video hosting website. On it, The Wheelers¡¯ concert had garnered more than ten billion views, while thement section was bombarded withments from their fans. The video hosting website had gotten an exclusive right to stream The Wheelers¡¯ concert, so the boss was watching the video at the moment too. He knew he would gain a lot of profit from the video. Meanwhile, Sophie noticed The Wheelers were extremely popr with arge fanbase. After the concert ended yesterday night, those fans were unwilling to sleep. Instead, they immediately logged onto the video hosting website, subscribed to them, and rewatched the video all night long. Even after the concert ended, we¡¯ve yet to solve The Wheelers¡¯ problem. It¡¯s time to visit Mark¡¯s father now. Chapter 477 Chapter 477 After changing and leaving the room, Sophie saw that Tristan had already returned with breakfast. After changing and leaving the room, Sophie saw that Tristan had already returned with breakfast. ¡°Come and eat breakfast! If you don¡¯t have many things to do today, then stay at home to rest. You must be tired from yesterday.¡± As it was morning, Tristan did not wear his tie, only a white shirt that was not fully buttoned, revealing his sexy chest and making him seem alluring yet chaste. Sophie walked toward him, wrapped her arms around his neck, and pulled him toward her for a kiss. Tristan enjoyed the kiss, as he liked her taking the initiative. ¡°You must be tired from yesterday.¡± He was an adult man, yet he helped her remove her makeup, so she was very touched. Hugging her waist, Tristan said with a smile, ¡°I¡¯m not tired. I¡¯m happy to be able to do something for you.¡± ¡°Tristan, thank you.¡± He bit her lips in a punishing manner. ¡°Didn¡¯t I say? I don¡¯t like to hear you thanking me.¡± ¡°Fine! I love you.¡± Stunned, Tristan was speechless for a moment before his lips curled up. This was the first time she had spoken those three words to him. He never realized there were words as sweet as those three in the world. Only after pressing Sophie against the table and kissing her for a long time did Tristan release her. His breathing was rapid, and her face was red as her heart pounded. ¡°Okay, go eat breakfast. I¡¯ll go shower.¡± Tristan felt like he was burning up, and only a shower could help him cool down slightly. If he continued staying with her, he might actually explode. Seeing his hurried footsteps, Sophie giggled. He treats me really well. Even though I¡¯m now his girlfriend, he never crossed the line. There¡¯s not a single thing about him that I¡¯m not dissatisfied with! Sophie ate her breakfast with a smile. She did not realize it, but she was starting to smile more ever since she started dating Tristan. After taking a cold shower, Tristan finally repressed his burning desire. He walked down the stairs with his hair wet after he had changed into another white shirt, unbuttoned. He¡¯s so sexy. How can such a perfect man with a perfect face and body exist in this world? ¡°Sophie, are you done staring?¡± He had just finished showing, yet he was starting to feel hot again, noticing her staring intently at him. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with staring at my boyfriend? I like it. Are you going to stop me?¡± Sophie asked, lifting her chin proudly. Seeing how adorable she looked, Tristan pinched her chin and kissed her again. ¡°Are you full?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± After eating some breakfast, Tristan left Wisteria Apartments reluctantly. He wished he could stay with Sophie every second of the day, but he was still the CEO of Lombard Group, so he couldn¡¯t throw everything at Felix. The moment Tristan left, Sophie went back to her room to change. After putting on her sunsses, she also left. Meanwhile, at Emerald Gang. ¡°Boss, there¡¯s a girl outside wanting to meet you.¡± The current gang leader of Emerald Gang and father of Mark, Quinton Wheeler, nced at his subordinate. ¡°What are you doing? Am I a person anyone can meet?¡± ¡°Boss, the girl says she wants to discuss Mark with you.¡± It was regarding the young heir of Emerald Gang, and that was why those subordinates dared to inform Quinton. Upon hearing Mark¡¯s name, Quinton nodded. ¡°A girl? All right, bring her in.¡± Is she Mark¡¯s girlfriend? If so, I must take a good look at her. I already have an ideal woman for Mark. I must find a woman who can aid him so that after he takes over Emerald Gang, he won¡¯t be so tired. Quinton¡¯s subordinates brought Sophie in. This was the first time she met Mark¡¯s father. Gazing at the man sitting on the leather couch, she noticed that Quinton¡¯s features were very simr to Mark¡¯s. She could imagine that this man must have broken lots of hearts when he was young. ¡°You¡¯re Mark¡¯s girlfriend?¡± Quinton asked sternly, dissatisfied with Sophie. This girl is too skinny. She looks like she can¡¯t carry anything. If she stays by Mark¡¯s side, Mark will definitely have to take care of her. ¡°Girlfriend?¡± Sophie repeated, confused. When have I said I¡¯m Mark¡¯s girlfriend? ¡°Are you not? If not, then why did youe here? Do you think I¡¯m very free?¡± I have so many things to attend to every day. How can I have time to chat with her slowly? ¡°Mr. Wheeler, you¡¯ve misunderstood. I¡¯m not Mark¡¯s girlfriend. I¡¯m his buddy.¡± Quinton was rendered speechless. ¡°You¡¯re a woman, yet you say my son is your buddy! What nonsense is this?¡± Quinton roared, mming the table before him. ¡°Mr. Wheeler, I don¡¯t mean anything else. You don¡¯t need to be so angry.¡± Quinton had been part of the underworld since he was a teenager, so his aura was terrifying. Now, his subordinates were all trembling, not daring to utter a single word. However, Sophie was nonchnt. There wasn¡¯t a hint of fear in her eyes. ¡°You¡¯re not afraid of me?¡± Quinton asked, surprised. Usually, when I am angry, my subordinates will all start to tremble. Yet, this girl isn¡¯t scared of me, and this is our first time meeting. ¡°Why must I be scared?¡± Sophie replied, bemused. ¡°Youngdy, do you know where you are? You better treat me more politely. If not, I¡¯ll sell you.¡± Quinton had killed many in his life. Text content ? N?velDrama.Org. He was a cruel man with blood on his hands. ¡°Ha.¡± ¡°Why are youughing?¡± Is this girl a fool? Well, ignorant people are often fearless. ¡°Mr. Wheeler, I¡¯m here today to discuss matters regarding Mark with you.¡± ¡°Since you¡¯re not his girlfriend, what right do you have to discuss his matters with me? And why must I discuss it with you?¡± She must be joking. ¡°Then, what must I do to make you agree?¡± ¡°Enough. Chase her away.¡± Since she¡¯s Mark¡¯s friend, I can¡¯t humiliate her too much. I¡¯ll just chase her away. Otherwise, if Mark knew, he would be angry with me. ¡°Youngdy, you should leave now!¡± Sophie sat there, unmoving. ¡°I said that I¡¯m here today to discuss matters regarding Mark. I won¡¯t leave until we solve the issue.¡± ¡°How can you be so rude when we asked you so politely? Boss is already treating you nicely by not teaching you a lesson. Hurry up and leave.¡± A burly man stretched out his hand to drag Sophie away. Frowning, she warned coldly, ¡°You better not touch me. I hate people touching me.¡± ¡°Girl, I¡¯m telling you, this is Emerald Gang, not a ce for you to act unruly.¡± He then prepared to make a move on Sophie. Since you refused to do it the easy way, we¡¯ll have to do it the hard way. Chapter 478 Chapter 478 Therge man grabbed Sophie¡¯s hand. That was the final straw. He still wouldn¡¯t listen despite being told nicely. Some people just need to taste the pain, don¡¯t they? The next moment, she grabbed his hand and wrenched it backward. To his shock, Quinton even heard the sound of breaking bones. How could such a meek and frail-looking young woman be that heavy-handed? ¡°Ah!¡± Therge man let out a squeal of pain. Hisrades in the vicinity pulled him aside at once and surrounded Sophie. ¡°You¡¯re here to sabotage us, aren¡¯t you?¡± Quinton¡¯s voice grew cold. No matter who she is, she shouldn¡¯t have attacked my men on my turf. ¡°I¡¯m sure you gangsters abide by your code of honor, Mr. Wheeler. How about this? I¡¯ll fight you, and you¡¯ll hear me out if you lose.¡± If that is the only way to get him to listen, I don¡¯t mind fighting him. ¡°What? You want to fight me?¡± Quinton¡¯s eyes zed. How long has it been since somebody dared challenge me to my face? Without outstanding martial skills, he could not havemanded the Emerald Gang for decades. Either Ie for my enemies in the underworld, or theye for me. ¡°Very well!¡± Quinton rose from his seat. Sophie responded, ¡°Then we¡¯ll step outside as it¡¯s too cramped in here. I¡¯m afraid we will break your things!¡± I came here today to talk about Mark. It wouldn¡¯t be very polite to damage his belongings. ¡°How brazen of you!¡± How dare this young brat challenge me! ¡°You need not raise a finger, Boss. I¡¯ll teach her a lesson for you,¡± Quinton¡¯s right-hand man said at once. She¡¯s just a bratty little girl. How dare she behave so arrogantly. Does she not take the Emerald Gang seriously? ¡°No. I¡¯m the one she¡¯s challenging!¡± As a veteran of the underworld, Quinton would not turn down a challenge. The group filed into the yard, and Quinton and Sophie stood on both ends while facing each other. ¡°Make your move! I¡¯ll allow you three strikes!¡± Quinton dered imperiously. I am an elder, in any case. My act of generosity is customary. Sophie could not help chuckling. ¡°Don¡¯t go easy on me, Mr. Wheeler. Honor your opponent by doing your best. Don¡¯t worry. I won¡¯t go easy on you as well.¡± Quinton sneered, ¡°What an arrogant girl. It appears you need a lesson today.¡± Sophieughed. ¡°Please, don¡¯t hold back.¡± Without another word, she dove toward Quinton with an aggressive move, as she did not intend to waste any more time. Quinton did not expect the frail-looking girl to leap into action so quickly. Not daring to take this fight with levity, he parried her strike at once. The movements of bothbatants were swift. Quinton¡¯s prolonged tenure in the underworld had honed his instinct for battles to an astonishing degree. However, Sophie suppressed him in both strength and speed. Quinton felt her oppression from the beginning, but he persisted as he did not want to lose too severely before his many subordinates. After Sophie pressured him, she backed off slightly to spare him some dignity. Quinton¡¯s men were stunned. Is Boss getting old? He took so long to fight a little girl. The duo went back and forth as they unleashed impressive, powerful moves. Atst, Sophie let him keep his pride by ceasing her onught. ¡°All right, I¡¯m done fighting you. It¡¯s boring!¡± Quinton was furious that he could not even beat a young girl. Then, he recalled that she was Mark¡¯s friend and began considering recruiting Sophie into the Emerald Gang. The boy is not suited for the Emerald Gang. Hisbat skills are so abysmal that he will suffer greatly if he takes over as the gang¡¯s next leader. However, things would be easier if this youngdy were by his side. ¡°So, may I have a private word with you?¡± Sophie asked politely. Her forehead was covered with sweat from the prolonged sparring, but she remained beautiful beyond words. How unexpected for such a pretty young woman to be such a terrifying opponent. Published by N?v''elD/rama.Org. The huge contrast was shocking. ¡°Of course. Come with me.¡± Quinton led her to the study. He gazed at the young woman before him and wondered how to begin. ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡± ¡°Sophie Tanner.¡± ¡°All right, Sophie. What do you want to talk about?¡± She might as well just go straight to the point! I don¡¯t like beating around the bush. ¡°All right, then. I hope you can allow Mark to keep singing!¡± Sophie was frank as he had hoped. ¡°He loves to sing, and he is good at it. I don¡¯t know what you said that made him return to you, but I know he is not happy.¡± Mark was her friend who she could not bear to see unhappy. Besides, he was still the lead singer of the Wheelers. Quinton could not repress a frown at Sophie¡¯s words. ¡°So you are Sophie Tanner!¡± Sophie nodded. ¡°That¡¯s me.¡± ¡°Does Mark know you¡¯re here today?¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t you afraid of not returning alive? Besides, Mark came back of his own free will. I didn¡¯t force him.¡± What could the Emerald Gang do if Mark refused? Sophie smiled. ¡°You don¡¯t have to refuse so hastily, Mr. Wheeler. You¡¯re his father. Don¡¯t you want Mark to pursue his dreams?¡± Sophie came with only one purpose, and she was not giving up easily before achieving her goal. ¡°I have given him five years to do whatever he wants. Isn¡¯t that enough? There is no way I can continue running the Emerald Gang now that I am old. He is my son. Of course, he should return to help me.¡± It is only natural for a son to inherit his father¡¯s business. ¡°Do you think Mark is suited for the Emerald Gang, Mr. Wheeler? Gang warse and go and are full of dangers. I don¡¯t think Mark is cut out for such a life.¡± Quintonpsed into deep thought. He, too, knew that Mark was not cut out for such a life, but no one was born ready for it. ¡°You have upied the helm long enough. Don¡¯t you know the danger it entails?¡± Sophie continued. ¡°I don¡¯t think any father would want to endanger their son.¡± Gangs fight over territory and shoot at each other every day. Nobody knows what would happen at any moment. Is this the kind of life he wants to give Mark? Quinton did not respond. Though he feared for his son¡¯s safety, his former enemies might not let them go if he stepped down from his position of power. Chapter 479 Chapter 479 ¡°You don¡¯t understand, Sophie. Enough. I won¡¯t hold the matter of your arrival here against you. Go home!¡± There is no need to continue discussing this matter, as I will not listen to a word. Mark, being my only son, must inherit Emerald Gang. ¡°I hope you would think it over, Mr. Wheeler. We don¡¯t want Mark to be in any danger. All of us want the best for him.¡± So what if he inherits the Emerald Gang? Sophie heard a noise outside just as she was about to leave. Mark rushed in a momentter. ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you not to hurt them, Dad? I¡¯d promise you that I will do whatever you ask, but you can¡¯t hurt the people around me. How can you go back on your word?¡± Mark cried, having lost his composure upon finding out that Sophie was with Emerald Gang. Upon entering the room, he pulled Sophie behind him. ¡°Are you all right, Sophie? Did he hurt you?¡± he asked anxiously. Sophie grabbed his wrist. ¡°Rx, Mark. I¡¯m fine, and it wasn¡¯t your father who brought me in. I came here on my own ord.¡± Mark was in utter disbelief. ¡°What do you mean, Sophie? Haven¡¯t I told you before not to concern yourself with my affairs? What are you doing here? What would you have me do if something happened to you?¡± Doesn¡¯t she know how worried I am? ¡°I have no other intentions, Mark. I just came to have a few words with your father.¡± Mark¡¯s expression turned uglier. He knew he had overreacted, but he could not help it. He had no way of calming down as long as it pertained to Sophie. ¡°Go home, Sophie! Don¡¯t concern yourself with my affairs from now on.¡± Sophie frowned. ¡°Mark!¡± Mark remained surly. ¡°Please leave!¡± Text property ? N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org. Upon seeing how angry he was, Sophie did not say another word. It looks like leaving is the only thing I can do for now. ¡°I¡¯m sorry to have bothered you, Mr. Wheeler.¡± Sophie turned and departed after bidding farewell to Quinton. She even shut the door to the study before leaving. ¡°You like her, don¡¯t you, Mark?¡± Quinton could tell from his son¡¯s reaction at a nce. Mark ignored his father. ¡°I apologize for misunderstanding today, but I hope you won¡¯t harm them in the future.¡± ¡°You are my son, Mark. Stop being so cowardly! Court her if you like her!¡± Quinton had changed his mind after the fight with Sophie. It would also seem like a good choice if Sophie became my daughter-inw. At least no one would pick on Mark with her around. ¡°I told you to stay out my affairs, Dad. Why won¡¯t you listen?¡± ¡°Watch how you speak to me, boy! I am your father and have every right to pry into your affairs, and I think you are cowardly.¡± All this trouble for a woman. Court her if you like her! What¡¯s the use of being nice to her from afar? ¡°I said stay out of my business, Dad! Why won¡¯t you understand?¡± ¡°This Sophie is really something. Go after her boldly if you like her!¡± His duel with her hadpletely changed his mind. Mark refused to say another word to him. ¡°I still have matters to attend to.¡± He turned around and left without another word. ¡°Little brat.¡± Why is he not like me at all? I would go after girls I liked when I was young, unlike him. It appears I have to make time to speak to Sophie. After leaving Emerald Gang, Mark headed straight to TS Entertainment to look for Sophie. With its deadline looming close, Ysabelle¡¯s new song was being recorded. Sophie would be in the recording studio right now, keeping Ysabellepany as she records her song. Sure enough, Mark found Sophie sitting next to Ysabelle, listening to her record her song. The girl looked very rxed. Her facial features looked exquisite, her skin was fair and delicate, and her long hair draped loosely around her shoulders. Mark did not enter immediately. Instead, he stood by the door and watched for a long time. Though he knew Tristan was the one she liked, he still couldn¡¯t help but stare at her admiringly. This must be what it¡¯s like to like somebody. It doesn¡¯t matter whether the other party reciprocates or not. There¡¯s no way to hide or extinguish that feeling. Ysabelle¡¯s song suited her well. It was youthful and energetic, with a hint of folkish influence. Ysabelle took off her earphones and ran out of the recording studio after the piece was recorded to find Mark by the door. ¡°How long have you been here, Mark?¡± Sophie turned around and saw Mark standing at the corner. ¡°I just arrived. You performed very well today. Keep up the good work.¡± Ysabelle is indeed a talented singer. It¡¯s a pity that she stillcks emotions when she sings. However, being able to sing like this at her age is already pretty good. Ysabelle beamed at her idol¡¯s words of praise. ¡°Really? Rest assured. I will continue to work hard.¡± Ysabelle knew he hade for Sophie, so she mumbled an excuse to leave and left the room to the both of them. Sophie sat while Mark stood. He smiled as he gazed at the quiet girl. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for my behavior earlier, Sophie.¡± Sophie was a little surprised. ¡°You don¡¯t have to apologize, Mark. It was wrong of me to go to your father without your consent.¡± Mark shook his head. ¡°You know that I will never me you, Sophie.¡± Mark sounded even more resigned. He wanted nothing more than to let go, but as she was the only girl he liked, it was impossible for him topletely forget about how he felt. ¡°You like to sing, don¡¯t you, Mark? I know you don¡¯t like a life of fighting and killing.¡± She does know me well. ¡°As cool as you look, I know you wouldn¡¯t even bear harming a fly. How would somebody like you be suited to take over the Emerald Gang?¡± Some people are just not made for the job. ¡°So, Mark, you don¡¯t have to worry about us if that¡¯s what it is. I can protect everyone in the Wheelers now, and no one can hurt me. If you are worried that your family will all be killed after your father retires, I can help.¡± Those are indeed the things I am worried about. She knows me so well to have taken all my concerns into ount. For a moment, Mark was at a loss for words. ¡°I mean it,¡± she continued. ¡°I know everybody has responsibilities, but it also depends on whether it suits them. There are many within the ranks of the Emerald Gang. What will happen to their lives in the future if you¡¯re not up for it?¡± Upon joining a gang, one will never again know peace in their lifetime. They will die on the streets sooner orter without anybody above to protect them. Can I really do it? Mark mused. Chapter 480 Chapter 480 To manage a gang, one not only had to be willing but also capable. For a long time, Mark stayed silent. ¡°Mark, you really need to think through what I told you.¡± ¡°That¡¯s enough, Sophie. Stop talking about this.¡± Every time this topic was brought up, Mark would get annoyed. When Sophie saw how he was escaping from reality again, she shook her head. ¡°Mark, let me be honest with you. It¡¯s just not for you.¡± It was not that Sophie was trying to discourage him; she strongly felt that he was not suitable for it. Mark took a deep breath and replied, ¡°I¡¯ll think about it, okay? I¡¯ll go ahead now to meet Sunny and the others.¡± Although he decided to leave, he was quite reluctant deep inside. Not long after Mark left, Quinton called and asked Sophie to meet him. Indeed, there were many things Sophie hadn¡¯t been able to tell him since Mark suddenly showed up thest time she was with Emerald Gang. Therefore, she immediately agreed to meet in a caf¨¦. After dealing with thepany matters at hand, she headed over. Ten minutes after she arrived, Quinton showed up. Seeing that Sophie was already waiting for him, he was very pleased. Right after he sat down, he asked, ¡°Sophie, does Mark like you?¡± Although he had a big hunch that it was true, he still wanted to confirm it. Caught off guard by his question, Sophie was at a loss for words for a moment. ¡°Why? Do you think Mark isn¡¯t good enough for you?¡± No matter what weaknesses Mark had, Quinton felt that he was an outstanding person. ¡°Mr. Wheeler, how could you say that? Mark is a great person. However, we¡¯re only friends,¡± Sophie exined. Quinton couldn¡¯t help but doubt her words. Judging from the way Mark acted, it didn¡¯t seem like he treated Sophie as just a friend. ¡°Do you really have no feelings for Mark?¡± Quinton asked. That boy has always been reserved, so he probably won¡¯t tell her how he feels. ¡°Mr. Wheeler, I think you¡¯ve misunderstood. I already have a boyfriend.¡± Her words silenced Quinton for a while. Nevertheless, he did not give up. ¡°Sophie, will you really not consider giving Mark a chance?¡± He actually believed that Sophie was more suitable for Emerald Gang than Mark, but he couldn¡¯t just hand over the gang to her for no reason. However, it would be a different case if she were to be his daughter-inw. ¡°You¡¯ve been hoping that Mark would continue singing, right? If you marry him and help him manage Emerald Gang, I will give him my blessing.¡± That was the only thing Quinton wanted from Sophie. Meanwhile, Sophie was surprised to hear that request from Quinton. Unfortunately, it was impossible for her to be with Mark. She couldn¡¯t force herself to feel something she didn¡¯t. Even without Tristan, she would never consider dating Mark. It just didn¡¯t feel right. ¡°Mr. Wheeler, I¡¯m afraid I cannot fulfill your request. I will not marry someone I don¡¯t love.¡± It was true that Sophie wanted to help Mark, but this was not the way she wanted to go by. At that moment, Quinton¡¯s face fell. ¡°If that¡¯s the case, then I have nothing else to say.¡± As he believed that Sophie was the right candidate, he couldn¡¯t help feeling disappointed. ¡°Mr. Wheeler, Mark is not suitable for Emerald Gang. I hope you can think about it thoroughly and look for a new sessor.¡± ¡°That¡¯s our family matter, so it¡¯s none of your business,¡± Quinton said. Since there is nothing between her and Mark, she has no right to tell me what to do. ¡°I know I shouldn¡¯t be telling you what to do, but you have to know this¡ªif you force him to lead Emerald Gang, he may not be able to do it well. If anything bad happens to him, will you be able to bear it?¡± As a father, Quinton naturally did not want to put his son in danger. However, he had offended countless people throughout the years as a gang leader. If he gave up the gang and lost his power, no one could guarantee the safety of his family. ¡°Mr. Wheeler, I know you have many enemies out there. If it¡¯s okay with you, I am willing to take responsibility for your safety.¡± Hearing that, Quinton scoffed. ¡°Take responsibility? With what? I know you¡¯re skilled at fighting, but are you aware of how cunning those people are? You don¡¯t know anything at all.¡± The society isn¡¯t as simple as she thinks! ¡°Mr. Wheeler, I really do understand how you feel. But since I dared to make that im, it means I am capable of protecting you and your family,¡± Sophie voiced. Quinton studied Sophie with an odd look. Then, he stood up and uttered, ¡°Forget it. I can¡¯t believe I actually felt expectant when you said that. I must be crazy.¡± ¡°I also know that things won¡¯t end up well if you force it. Since you do not want my help, then never mind.¡± Mark was indeed quite rebellious before, but that did not change the fact that he was Quinton¡¯s pride. When Mark left the house, he had nothing with him. Now, he had seeded and gotten everything he wanted. Published by N?v''elD/rama.Org. Sadly, the things he possessed could not protect his family. ¡°Mr. Wheeler, I¡¯m serious. I can protect you and Mark. Please consider it carefully and find a new sessor.¡± Quinton shook his head and insisted, ¡°I won¡¯t feel at ease no matter who I pass on Emerald Gang to.¡± Sometimes, power would make a person blind. If Quinton let someone else take over Emerald Gang, that person might very well eliminate his entire family the next moment. After all, the people from the underground circle were brutal and ruthless. Unwilling to consider Sophie¡¯s suggestion, Quinton eventually left. Since she¡¯s unwilling, only Mark can do it now. No matter what, he is my son. Even if he¡¯s reluctant, I¡¯m sure he is capable enough. He will surely protect our family. In the meantime, Sophie continued sipping on her coffee. She had known that it wouldn¡¯t be easy to convince Quinton. When an idea was ingrained in someone, just a few words were not enough to change their mind. What should I do to resolve this issue? Just then, her phone rang, interrupting her thoughts. When she picked up, Felix¡¯s anxious voice sounded from the other end of the line. ¡°Sophie,e over quickly. Mr. Tristan is hurt.¡± This was Sophie¡¯s first time hearing him sounding so panicked. ¡°What?¡± she eximed, her heart sinking at the news. ¡°Where are you? Send me the address, and I¡¯ll be there soon,¡± she added. What happened? How did he get hurt all of a sudden? As Sophie grabbed her bag from the chair beside her, she received Felix¡¯s text that indicated their location. Right away, she hailed a taxi and headed toward the hospital. Upon arriving at the emergency room, she saw Felix standing outside by himself. ¡°Where¡¯s Tristan? How is he? How did he get hurt all of a sudden?¡± Felix patted her shoulder and said, ¡°Calm down, Sophie. Someone tried to assassinate Mr. Tristan. He got hurt while trying to protect me.¡± It was then that Sophie noticed Felix was also covered in blood. Chapter 481 Chapter 481 ¡°Is he seriously injured?¡± Sophie asked. He¡¯s in the emergency room. He must have suffered severe injuries. ¡°He was shot!¡± Felix had a glum look on his face. He had made a poor choice out of panic. In actuality, he should not have asked Sophie toe to the hospital. Everyone from the Lombard family will arrive soon. How should I exin Sophie¡¯s existence to Old Mr. Lombardter? ¡°What?¡± Seeing Felix act that way, Sophie knew it had to be serious. ¡°I¡¯ll go in and have a look.¡± Sophie was experienced in treating gunshot wounds. Besides, she was also hesitant to let someone else treat Tristan¡¯s injury. ¡°Sophie, I don¡¯t think you should go inside. After all, you haven¡¯t even begun taking sses yet, despite having applied to the University of Medicine.¡± Felix was aware of Sophie¡¯s extraordinary talents. However, it was rted to Tristan¡¯s life. He could not take the risk. Charles and Sean both rushed over as soon as they heard the news. When they noticed Felix¡¯s body was covered in blood, their faces darkened. D*mn it! Who has the audacity to assassinate Tristan and Felix? Before they could ask anything, the doctor came out. Sophie hurried over the moment she saw the doctor. ¡°How are things? How¡¯s my boyfriend?¡± ¡°Ms. Tanner, the location of the bullet is very tricky. There¡¯s currently nothing we can do about it. Didn¡¯t you just perform an operation with Professor Gullifer? Can youe in now and check on the wound?¡± They were in Jipsdale¡¯s top hospital, and they had the best surgeons. Yet, after seeing the position of the bullet, no one dared to do anything because the man lying on the operating table was Tristan. If something happened to Tristan while he was on the operating table, the Lombard family would not let the doctors off the hook. That was why the professionals were afraid and did not know what to do. ¡°You!¡± Felix was infuriated. Text content ? N?velDrama.Org. They¡¯re the best doctors in Jipsdale. How could they say such things now? ¡°Arius Gullifer is in Jipsdale, right? I¡¯ll get in touch with him right away,¡± said Felix. Arius is the world¡¯s most renowned surgeon. Everything will be fine if he cane here right now. ¡°No. I can¡¯t wait any longer. Take me inside now.¡± Sophie was determined to check on Tristan herself. ¡°Sophie, don¡¯t act hastily. Impulsive behavior often results in trouble.¡± Nheless, Sophie ignored the three men and let the doctor lead her inside. After changing her clothes, she followed the doctor into the emergency room. ¡°How is it? Has the call been connected?¡± Charles, Sean, and Felix had no intention of entrusting Tristan¡¯s life to a medical student who had not even enrolled at the University of Medicine. Shaking his head, Sean replied, ¡°No one answered the phone.¡± Sarah and Lincoln arrived shortly after hearing the news. They kept Tristan¡¯s injury a secret from William because they did not know how serious it was. ¡°How are things?¡± Sarah inquired as soon as she arrived. Felix shook his head and apologized, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Sarah. I didn¡¯t do a good job of protecting Tristan.¡± He wished he had been the one who had been shot. Sarah gave him a pat on the shoulder after noticing how awful he was feeling. ¡°No one could have predicted such a thing would happen. Are you injured?¡± She could tell that things were bad when she saw that Felix was covered in blood. However, saying those at the time was pointless. Right then, saving Tristan¡¯s life was of utmost importance. ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± Felix was actually hurt as well, but it was not anything serious. At that moment, he just wanted to stay there. Momentster, Ysabelle also showed up at the hospital. When she saw Felix¡¯s frightening appearance, she ran over and hugged him. ¡°Felix, what happened? Where¡¯s Uncle Tristan?¡± Ysabelle was on the verge of crying since she had never seen such a scene. ¡°Felix, where are you hurt? I¡¯ll ask the doctor toe over and treat your wound.¡± After seeing Felix covered in blood, she finally realized how worried she had been about him. Felix did not feel at ease until he was hugged by Ysabelle. She was the only person in his mind when he was assassinated. He thought that if he actually died, he would deeply regret not telling her how much he liked her. Felix embraced Ysabelle and kissed her on the forehead. ¡°Ysabelle, don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m fine.¡± Because he seemed so serious, Ysabelle repeatedly checked on him but discovered that he was constantly bleeding. ¡°Felix, what the hell is going on with you? You were also shot. Why are you still standing here?¡± she questioned. What is he doing? Does he not want to live anymore? When Charles and Sean heard that, they ripped Felix¡¯s clothes open and discovered that he, too, had been shot. ¡°Felix!¡± Both of them were bereft of speech. He¡¯s not even a doctor. What is his reason for remaining here? ¡°I¡¯m fine, really,¡± uttered Felix. ¡°Bullsh*t!¡± Charles could not help cursing. ¡°Who the hell dared to cause harm to my friends?¡± He could not wait to tear the other party apart. Next, he immediately requested a stretcher and sent Felix to have his wound treated. Ysabelle instinctively followed after Felix,pletely forgetting that her uncle was still in the emergency room. At that moment, she only had Felix in her eyes. Charles followed Ysabelle, while Sean stayed behind to apany Lincoln and Sarah. ¡°Lincoln, Sarah, please take a seat over there.¡± It had been a horrible day. ¡°Sean, don¡¯t worry about us.¡± Lincoln anxiously looked at the door of the emergency room. He then turned around and looked at Sarah. ¡°Don¡¯t tell Dad about this. He¡¯s already in his old age. We shouldn¡¯t make him worry.¡± Sarah was aware of his concerns. As people aged, it was only natural for them not to be in as good shape as before. Something terrible might happen if their father became stressed and upset. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Lincoln. I¡¯m not going to say anything.¡± Sarah was anxious as well, but all she could do for the time being was wait. Meanwhile, Sophie entered the operating room after changing her clothes. Everyone else knew that she was Arius¡¯ junior. ¡°Ms. Tanner, the situation is critical. Surgery must be performed right away, but I¡¯m not confident.¡± Sophie nodded and replied, ¡°Okay, I understand.¡± Next, she nced at the position of the bullet. The location was indeed very tricky. They would not be able to save Tristan if they were not cautious. There were several specialists in the operating room, but none dared to perform the surgery. After all, the person lying on the operating table was Tristan. If something were to happen to him, none of them could bear the responsibility. ¡°I¡¯ll do it!¡± Sophie came to the conclusion that they did not have enough time to wait for Arius. As time passed, the situation would only get worse. ¡°Ms. Tanner, are you certain? Isn¡¯t Professor Gullifer also in Jipsdale? We should invite him over.¡± The stakes of this surgery were extremely high. It had to be a sess. Failure was not an option. ¡°We don¡¯t have time for that,¡± Sophie stated. If they missed the golden hour, the man on the operating table whom she loved the most might never get up for the rest of his life. Chapter 482 Chapter 482 ¡°Ms. Tanner, Mr. Tristan¡¯s someone important. We can¡¯t take any risks,¡± the others reminded Sophie. ¡°I understand. Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll take responsibility if anything. Nothing will happen to you guys,¡± she assured. Just like that, the surgery began. Sophie tried to calm down and told herself to treat Tristan like a regr patient instead of her boyfriend. He¡¯s just like all other patients. I just need to do my part as usual. The other head physicians dared not breathe a word as the operation began. ¡°Scalpel,¡± Sophie uttered. Seeing the determination on her face, a surgeon quickly stepped up and passed her the scalpel like an assistant. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Ms. Tanner. I¡¯ll assist you,¡± he said. Everyone there was a doctor, so they knew they should not shirk responsibility at a time like that. They had mentally prepared themselves to bear the responsibility if anything went wrong during Tristan¡¯s surgery. Sophie nodded at the surgeon, who passed her the scalpel, and started removing the bullet. Compared to the operation she performed on Tristan when they first met, the part where the bullet lodged was trickier to ess, so the surgery progressed rather slowly. Still, the surgeon was relieved when Sophie made the first incision, for he had never witnessed such skilled hands in his life. The girl before him did not look experienced, but her skills were much better than Arius¡¯. It was as if that pair of hands were made to hold a scalpel. Sophie continued the operation with full concentration. Every cut was precise, but her movement was slow and careful because the surgery wasplicated. It was not until two hourster that Sophie finally removed the bullet. After that, she stitched and dressed the wound. ¡°Well done, Ms. Tanner!¡± The surgery took a good four hours, and the nurses kept wiping the sweat off Sophie¡¯s forehead, and everyone heaved a sigh of relief when they saw that Sophie had finally removed the bullet. They were impressed by the girl. ¡°Good job, Ms. Tanner!¡± the surgeon eximed. Although he had more than twenty years of experience himself, he was not confident that the surgery would be sessful, but Sophie did it anyway. Sophie kept quiet, receiving thepliments. She knew that was just the beginning, for the next twenty-four hours would be the most defining moment. She held Tristan¡¯s hand, hoping that he would regain consciousness within that time. ¡°Tristan, you promised me you would spend the rest of your life with me. I won¡¯t let you go. Not even death can take you away from me.¡± That was the first time she had attempted such aplicated surgery, but she did not waver for one bit, for she loved Tristan and wanted to do her best to save him. After the operating room¡¯s door opened, Sophie took down her mask. ¡°Sophie? Why are you in there? How¡¯s Tristan?¡± Sarah was surprised to see her there. ¡°The surgery went well. The next twenty-four hours will be the most critical period.¡± Sophie was spent after aplex surgery. It so happened that Arius had just arrived as well. ¡°Did you do it all on your own?¡± ¡°Yes. Where were you? We were trying to contact you,¡± Sophie asked, wondering why Arius was unreachable when he was in Jipsdale itself. ¡°Something came up. How¡¯s Tristan?¡± Arius asked anxiously. He knew how tiring conducting a surgery was¡ªlet alone one that took four hours. ¡°I¡¯m good. I just hope Tristan can recover.¡± As for Lincoln, he walked past Sophie and went straight over to Tristan when he saw thetter being wheeled to the intensive care unit. All he could think of at that moment was Tristan¡¯s safety. Lincoln and Sarah did not leave an inch. They stayed beside Tristan while Sean went out to get everyone some water. ¡°You should go rest, Sophie. We can take care of him,¡± Arius said when he saw how exhausted Sophie was. ¡°I¡¯m okay. I want to stay with him.¡± Sophie could not rest a wink given how things were. All she wanted to do was be beside Tristan. ¡°What about you lean on my shoulder and rest a little?¡± Arius suggested. It pained his heart to see Sophie exerting herself. She had always been like a sister to him. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about me, Arius. I¡¯m really okay.¡± Sophie could even go without sleep for three nights, so staying up to wait for Tristan was not a problem. Arius shook his head, seeing Sophie was adamant. ¡°How I wish you and Tristan never met. You¡¯d still be the same old Sophie I knew if you didn¡¯t meet him,¡± Ariusmented. She was already so drained, yet all she could think about was Tristan. ¡°But it¡¯s only until I met him that I understood what love is.¡± Text property ? N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org. Never once did she regret meeting that man. It fact, she was more than grateful that Tristan loved her. Meanwhile, Sarah walked over and sat beside Sophie when she saw how tired thetter was. ¡°You should get some rest. We will stay by his side. Nothing will happen to him.¡± Since they were all Tristan¡¯s family, it went without saying that they would take good care of him, given how worried they were. Although Sarah knew Sophie loved her brother deeply and was worried as well, Sophie looked too worn out to be staying up. ¡°It will break his heart to see you like that when he wakes up,¡± Sarah added, trying to persuade Sophie. ¡°How¡¯s Felix, by the way?¡± Sophie asked. She had just heard from Arius that Felix was injured as well. ¡°He¡¯s fine. His injury isn¡¯t that serious. Ysabelle and Charles are there. His family just arrived, too, so don¡¯t worry.¡± ¡°I see. Tristan will be fine, right, Sarah? Why does he keep running into danger like this?¡± Sophie asked, recalling how Tristan was caught in the same situation when they first met. ¡°I guess it can¡¯t be helped. He has had a few simr encounters growing up. His sess in Jipsdale comes at a cost. Many people out there want him dead.¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± Sophie felt miserable. Everyone is envious of Tristan for his sess, but no one can understand how it feels like to have one¡¯s enemies breathing down their neck. Sophie¡¯s heart wrenched at the realization. She could not believe that was how Tristan had always felt since he was young. ¡°All right, Sophie. It¡¯s time for you to rest. We still have twenty-four hours to go, so you should get some sleep. You need the energy to care for him when he wakes up.¡± ¡°Okay, then.¡± Thest thing Sophie wanted was to be a burden to Tristan, so she went to the ward next door for a nap. When she woke up, it was already three thirty in the morning. She tried going back to sleep but could not, so she went to Tristan¡¯s room to check on him. ¡°Why are you here, Sophie? It¡¯s not even morning yet. I¡¯ll be here the whole night. There¡¯s nothing to worry about. I¡¯m a doctor too. I can handle him,¡± Arius said when he saw her. ¡°I¡¯m feeling a lot better after some sleep. I¡¯m really okay now. Don¡¯t worry.¡± ¡°You never listen to me.¡± Since Sophie would not listen to him, he let her stay. ¡°Are you hungry? What don¡¯t I get you some food?¡± It suddenly urred to Arius that Sophie had not eaten anything. Chapter 483 Chapter 483 Meanwhile, Felix¡¯s wound was already all dressed. Because he was drained, he fell asleep right after, and Ysabelle stayed with him without leaving at all. When Felix woke up, he saw Ysabelle sleeping beside him with her head on the bed. He got up and caressed her head, but it woke her up immediately. Ysabelle opened her tired eyes. ¡°Are you okay, Felix? Is it still painful? It must be painful, right? The wound¡¯s so deep.¡± ¡°I¡¯m okay. Why didn¡¯t you go home and rest? Did you stay here the whole night?¡± Felix was worried about her. Although Ysabelle was the first person he wanted to see after waking up¡ªand he was d that was the case¡ªhe did not want to tire her out. ¡°How could I leave, seeing you like this? I can¡¯t just go home.¡± Ysabelle did not tell him that she was almost scared to death when Felix got hurt. She was so worried about him that she had not even gone to see Tristan. ¡°How¡¯s Mr. Tristan?¡± Felix asked. ¡°I have no idea. I¡¯ve been here the whole time,¡± Ysabelle replied, feeling guilty. Should I go check on Uncle Tristan? ¡°All right. You should continue resting. I¡¯m going to see how Uncle Tristan¡¯s doing now that you¡¯re awake,¡± Ysabelle said. ¡°I want to go too.¡± ¡°No, Felix. You¡¯re not going anywhere. I¡¯ll tell you how he is after Ie back. You¡¯re injured too, so don¡¯t push yourself.¡± Felix nodded, looking at the frowning woman. ¡°All right, then.¡± Since Felix¡¯s family was also around, Ysabelle could leave without worrying. Everyone was still outside the intensive care unit when she reached. Ysabelle went over to Sophie and asked, ¡°How¡¯s Uncle Tristan? Felix just woke up.¡± ¡°He¡¯s still unconscious. How¡¯s Felix?¡± Sophie asked. She was so busy the night before she did not check on Felix. ¡°He¡¯s good. The wound is deep, but it will heal. We just need to give it time. The culprit had better not let me get my hands on them, or I would shred them to pieces! How dare they do this to Felix and Uncle Tristan?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll make sure they regret this,¡± Sophie promised. She did not care who that person was. Sophie would exact revenge as long as her loved ones were affected. Ysabelle held her hand andforted her, ¡°We can deal with thister, Sophie. Let¡¯s wait for Uncle Tristan to wake up first. Both of them are injured, so we¡¯d better not make things worse now.¡± We shouldn¡¯t make things worse? It¡¯s not me who started this. Those people looked for trouble themselves. Ysabelle did not leave at once after seeing Tristan. Since Felix was already awake, she did not rush to return to him. She figured Tristan needed her more at that point. Seeing Ysabelle hade, Lincoln went over to talk to her. He was not in the mood to give her a full- fledged lecture. ¡°I know there¡¯s no point in objecting now since you¡¯re already in the entertainment industry, but you must remember this. You must consider our family¡¯s reputation in your every action. That¡¯s the least you can do as a Lombard.¡± ¡°Dad, does that mean I have your blessing?¡± Ysabelle asked in thrill. That was the first time Lincoln had given in. ¡°There¡¯s no use in stopping you, right? It¡¯s not like you¡¯ll listen to me.¡± Lincoln figured that since his objection would be futile, he might as well just support Ysabelle and try to make things work out. Ysabelle hugged him in excitement. ¡°You¡¯re the best, Dad! I love you!¡± Lincoln patted her cheek. ¡°Now you know. Make sure you don¡¯t get yourself into trouble. Always make sure you have the upper hand in every situation.¡± Ysabelle smiled. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Dad. Sophie¡¯s with me. No one will dare to bully me. You know how powerful she is, right?¡± ¡°She¡¯s the one sitting over there, right? What¡¯s her rtionship with Tristan? It doesn¡¯t seem like they¡¯re just friends. She¡¯s been here the whole time.¡± D*mn it! Dad still doesn¡¯t know about Sophie and Uncle Tristan! Ysabelle looked at Sarah helplessly. ¡°Lincoln, you should ask Tristan when he wakes up. Wait. You know what? Maybe I should just tell you now. Sophie¡¯s Tristan¡¯s girlfriend,¡± Sarah informed. Since Sophie had stayed with Tristan all that while, it was evident that she was not just a regr friend to Tristan. ¡°His girlfriend? She¡¯s so young.¡± Lincoln was shocked. Sarah nodded. ¡°She is, Lincoln. She¡¯s younger than Ysabelle, but you know Tristan. He doesn¡¯t change his mind once he sets his heart on something.¡± ¡°Did I even say I disagree with their rtionship?¡± Lincoln knew that although he was the eldest in the family, he should not meddle with his younger siblings¡¯ love life. After all, love came in unexpected ways. ¡°I bet Dad doesn¡¯t know,¡± Lincoln added, recalling how William was still arranging a few blind dates for Tristan. ¡°He doesn¡¯t know,¡± Sarah replied. ¡°Is Tristan serious about this rtionship?¡± Lincoln asked doubtfully. ¡°He¡¯s your brother. You should know him well. He never does anything halfheartedly.¡±Content from N?velDr(a)ma.Org. The truth was that the whole Lombard family took their rtionships seriously. ¡°I see. You talk to him when he wakes up, then. This is a delicate issue. I don¡¯t think the girl will be able to take it if Father bes furious.¡± It so happened that Tristan was slowly regaining consciousness at that time. Everyone dashed over to the door, but only one person was allowed in. Lincoln wanted to go in first, but Sarah stopped him. ¡°We already know he¡¯s awake. That¡¯s enough. Someone else will want to see him more badly than us.¡± Lincoln looked over at Sophie, who had just gone in. ¡°All right,¡± he said, nodding. After ensuring that Tristan was out of danger, Lincoln left for work since there were matters he had to attend to. As for Sophie, she held Tristan¡¯s hand after going in. ¡°How are you feeling?¡± Sophie was a strong woman, but even then, tears rolled down her cheeks as she spoke. Tristan¡¯s heart broke when he saw that, for it was the first time he saw her cry. To him, Sophie had always tried her best to solve her problems without shedding any tears. He wanted to wipe away her tears, but he felt his whole body was weak, and that feeling crippled him. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Sophie. I shouldn¡¯t have made you worried.¡± Although Tristan was already unconscious when he was rushed to the operating theatre, he could imagine how unnerving it would be for Sophie to go through that moment. ¡°Don¡¯t say that, Tristan. You¡¯re safe now. That¡¯s all that matters to me.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m all right now.¡± ¡°Yes, you are.¡± ¡°Where¡¯s Felix? How¡¯s he?¡± Tristan roughly knew that the person who targeted them at that time must have strong backing, for the assassins were skilled and swift. That was how he and Felix ended up fatally injured. ¡°Felix¡¯s fine. Don¡¯t worry. You should take care of yourself now.¡± ¡°I thought I would never see you again, Sophie.¡± At that moment of danger, Sophie was all Tristan could think of. He could not imagine what it would be like for Sophie if he were to leave her forever. Chapter 484 Chapter 484 Tristan remained in the intensive care unit for another day after waking up, slipping between consciousness and sleep, but Sophie stayed with him all the time. When Arius came in to check on Tristan and confirmed that everything was fine, everyone felt relieved to leave. ¡°Get some rest, Sophie. I¡¯ll be here. You have nothing to worry about.¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± Sophie just wanted to stay with Tristan, regardless of how long it would be. She felt safe around him. ¡°You don¡¯t look good, though. I¡¯m afraid you might pass out if you keep this up.¡± Arius was bent on stopping her from staying. ¡°Go on,¡± he continued. ¡°Go rest. I¡¯ll stay with him.¡± As a medical professor, Arius had the necessary skills to take care of Tristan, so he brought Sophie out of the ward before returning to Tristan. Since Tristan was the man Sophie loved the most, Arius took it upon himself to give him the most attentive care. Not long after, William arrived at the hospital. Sarah was startled when she saw him because it could only mean that the old man had found out that Tristan had been injured. ¡°Why are you here, Dad?¡± ¡°Why didn¡¯t you tell me anything? Do you guys still take me as your father? Where¡¯s Tristan? How¡¯s he?¡± William questioned. ¡°He¡¯s resting in the intensive care unit, Dad. Don¡¯t worry. The surgery went well,¡± Sarah admitted when she knew she could no longer keep the secret. ¡°Can I go in and see him?¡± William could not put his mind to rest unless he saw his youngest son for himself. He was worried because Tristan was his favorite. He was the old man¡¯s pride. So, Sarah went to talk to Arius so thetter would go out and let William enter instead. William was heartbroken when he saw Tristan in that state. As a child, Tristan had never made his father worry. ¡°What are you doing here, Dad? I¡¯m fine. Please don¡¯t stare at me like this. You¡¯re scaring me,¡± Tristan said when he woke up. ¡°I guess you¡¯re well enough to tease me already. By the way, I thought you were stronger than this. I can¡¯t believe they got you just like that. What a shame.¡± Dad, are you really here because you care for me? ¡°Anyway, I¡¯m not letting this go. How dare theyy a finger on my son? I¡¯ll kill them!¡± William seethed. ¡°Stay out of this, Dad. I¡¯ll deal with them,¡± Tristan assured. He would not be that badly injured if it were not for Felix. Tristan was trying to save him. ¡°How can I sit and do nothing? This is not the first time! There are too many people eyeing our family out there. It¡¯s impossible to just be on the defense all the time. It¡¯s all your fault. You¡¯ve turned down all the blind dates I arranged for you. You must find a woman who has what it takes to protect you.¡± Not again, Dad. Tristan was left speechless. ¡°All right, Dad. I¡¯m still a patient. I need to rest. You should go home now that you know I¡¯m fine. You¡¯re old already. Don¡¯t strain yourself.¡± ¡°You must think I¡¯m bothersome, don¡¯t you? What a brat!¡± ¡°I¡¯m just worried you¡¯ll be tired!¡± ¡°Whatever! You should talk less and rest more. I¡¯m d Sarah is here. At least she can take care of you.¡± Although William was also dissatisfied with Sarah for not getting married, he trusted Sarah would take good care of Tristan since she was reliable. When William went out, Sarah and Ysabelle followed him immediately. ¡°I told you he¡¯s fine, Dad. You should just go home.¡± ¡°Look after him. Call me if you need anything.¡± Although William was no longer at the helm of the company, he still held much sway in many matters. ¡°I will. Don¡¯t worry.¡± Then, Sarah asked the driver to send William home. ¡°Aunt Sarah, do you think Grandpa will be okay? Uncle Tristan has always been his favorite. Grandpa must be sad to see him like that.¡± ¡°You should probably keep himpany. Felix is out of the woods already, so go over to your grandpa if you have time.¡± Somehow, Sarah had also realized that William had aged. ¡°I will, Aunt Sarah.¡± Everyone in the family had been upied around that time, so no one had taken the time to talk to William. Meanwhile, Sophie had just woken up after a nap. She had some food and went to see Tristan after that. ¡°I can take over, Sarah.¡± Sarah had also been standing by since the incident, and Sophie worried things might take a toll on her. Seeing that Sophie was well-rested, Sarah nodded and got ready to leave. ¡°Stay here, then. I¡¯ll go home to shower and get changed.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have to hurry back, Sarah. Just sleep at home tonight. I¡¯ll stay here.¡± ¡°Okay. Take care of yourself too.¡± Sarah had always thought Sophie was just a young girl, but after what happened, she realized that Sophie was worth all of Tristan¡¯s love. Arius was conducting a check on Tristan when Sophie entered. ¡°Everything looks good. We can transfer him to a regr ward already,¡± Arius announced after the check. Since Tristan no longer required special care, he could be transferred out of the intensive care unit. After all, it was troublesome for visitors if he stayed there. ¡°Thanks, Arius.¡± Published by N?v''elD/rama.Org. At that moment, Tristan had woken up. ¡°Well, you can treat me to a good meal after you recover.¡± ¡°Sure. Let¡¯s have a drink after I get out of this ce.¡± Sophie went over and held Tristan¡¯s hand. ¡°Is it still painful?¡± Tristan shook his head. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. You did a great job. There¡¯s no way it¡¯ll be painful.¡± Tristan already found out that Sophie was the one who operated on him. After Tristan was transferred out, he got a room next to Felix, who made a huge fuss about going to see Tristan when he found out about it. Ysabelle could not persuade him otherwise, so she could only wheel Felix next door. Everyone was stupefied when they saw Felix in a wheelchair. ¡°Don¡¯t look at me like that. I¡¯m perfectly fine. It¡¯s just that thisdy refuses to let me walk on my own,¡± heined. Earlier, Ysabelle had insisted on using a wheelchair, making him look like he wasn¡¯t able to walk. Charles could not help butugh. ¡°Consider yourself lucky. Ms. Lombard has never cared for anyone like that, so don¡¯tin.¡± Felix¡¯s face lit up at the statement. He¡¯s right. Ysabelle¡¯s been nicer to me ever since I got injured. She must really care for me. Ysabelle¡¯s face flushed in embarrassment. ¡°Come on. I¡¯ll do the same for all of you if any of you is hurt too,¡± she exined immediately. ¡°No, thanks. I don¡¯t want to get injured,¡± Charles replied. He was afraid of pain. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Mr. Tristan. I should be the one protecting you, but you ended up injured because of me.¡± Felix had been feeling guilty because of what had happened. He was thunderstruck the moment he saw Tristan copsing after the gunshot Chapter 485 Chapter 485 Tristan shook his head as he stared at Felix in the wheelchair. ¡°You¡¯re like a brother to me. How could I bear to see you die?¡± ¡°Mr. Tristan, you¡ª¡± Felix was moved. ¡°Am I really that important to you?¡± Rendered speechless, Tristan decided to ignore him. You¡¯re really pushing your luck there. ¡°Stop it, you two! We¡¯re so d that the both of you are okay.¡± Charles and Sean let out sighs of relief. They were incredibly shocked to see Tristan and Felix drenched in blood previously. ¡°So, who was the culprit that harmed the two of you so badly? I won¡¯t forgive them!¡± Charles dered vehemently, vowing to crush the person who did that. ¡°Keep this incident under wraps for now. We¡¯ll talk more after I¡¯m discharged from the hospital.¡± Their opponent was not someone to be underestimated. They would likely suffer a loss if they made a rash move. ¡°Rest well, Mr. Tristan. Lie down, rest, and don¡¯t worry about anything else. Leave Lombard Group to me! Felix, you too. I will also take good care of yourpany.¡± Sean dered. Currently, two of them should only focus on recuperating and not worry about anything else. ¡°I knew I could count on you!¡± This was the first time Tristan had taken a leave ever since he first took over Lombard Group. While one would assume that the people on top like him enjoyed a carefree life, little did they know how much hard work went on behind the scenes. ¡°All right. Felix, you¡¯re an injured person too. Go rest!¡± Since the man was also injured, he should not remain here. Upon hearing Arius¡¯ words, Ysabelle immediately went over and pushed Felix¡¯s wheelchair. ¡°Uncle Tristan, take good care of yourself. I¡¯ll send Felix back now.¡± Tristan was utterly speechless. This little girl. Is Ysabelle even aware of how much she likes Felix? As Sean and Charles had other matters to attend to, they also departed. Soon, only Tristan, Sophie, and Arius were left. ¡°Arius, you may leave.¡± Why is this man so obtuse? Everyone else had already left. I want some alone time with Sophie! Arius harrumphed at Tristan¡¯s suggestion and said indignantly, ¡°Mr. Tristan, I was worried that Sophie would be sad if you kicked the bucket! Otherwise, I won¡¯t even be here. What a joke! How dare he attempt to chase me out! Once again, Tristan was rendered speechless. What a fearless man. ¡°Arius, I don¡¯t like that phrase.¡± Even if Tristan was no longer in great danger, Sophie disliked hearing that particr phrase. Arius cleared his throat. ¡°Okay, okay. I¡¯ll stop and take my leave now.¡± Finally, Tristan and Sophie were the only ones left in the room. ¡°Come here.¡± Sophie went over and held Tristan¡¯s hand. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Are you thirsty? You mustn¡¯t drink water now. If you¡¯re thirsty, I can use some cotton swabs¡ª¡± Shaking his head, Tristanced his fingers through hers. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m not thirsty. I apologize for worrying you.¡± I¡¯m so sorry for causing you so much worry. ¡°Tristan, you haven¡¯t recovered. Don¡¯t think about anything for now and just focus on getting better,¡± Sophie said. We will solve the other problems somehow. ¡°Okay. You should get some rest too.¡± Tristan realized that the past two days had been an ordeal for Sophie when he saw the dark circles under her eyes. His world was one that was filled with unknown dangers. He loved her, and therefore, he did not want her to shoulder such a burden. s, there were some things that were out of his control. ¡°I¡¯m okay. I want to stay here with you!¡± Sophie insisted. Tristan¡¯s life was no longer in danger, but he really scared her this time. This was not the first time she had performed surgery on him. Previously, he had been an unimportant person, so she did not care if he lived or died. However, that was not the case this time. Tristan had be the person most important to her. Sophie had been terrified while she was performing the operation. ¡°I¡¯m really fine. Look, I¡¯m all good. So, don¡¯t worry.¡± Tristan could only imagine how terrified she had been of him. Sophiey down on the side of his bed. ¡°Tristan, I¡¯m not as naive as you think. There are many things that I can help you with,¡± Sophie said. In any case, she no longer wanted to experience that ever again. Tristan felt his heart clench. ¡°I will stand by you when things are smooth sailing, and I will be with you when you¡¯re facing hardships!¡± Sophie was capable of that. Hence, they could fight alongside each other. Tristan was undoubtedly moved when he heard those words. My beloved Sophie. You do not retreat in the face of danger and even want to fight alongside me. I must have done countless good deeds in my previous life to meet my soulmate. ¡°Okay. Let¡¯s work hard together!¡± he said. Satisfied with his answer, Sophie beamed. ¡°By the way, Soph. Can you hire a caregiver?¡± It was too burdensome for her to do everything all by herself. ¡°No! I refuse to hand you over to someone else!¡± Sophie put her foot down when it came to this matter. ¡°But¡ª¡± Published by N?v''elD/rama.Org. ¡°Is it because I didn¡¯t take care of you well enough? Tell me if there¡¯s anything you need.¡± Did I not do a good job? ¡°No, I only wanted to wipe my body.¡± Tristan was slightly germophobic. It had been three days since hest showered, and he could no longer endure the feeling. ¡°Oh¡­¡± Sophie said in surprise. That was careless of me. ¡°Let me help you!¡± Even if the caregiver was an older woman, she still refused to let another womany eyes on Tristan¡¯s body. Not even a male caregiver was allowed to look at him. ¡°All right,¡± Tristan agreed. Sophie immediately went to prepare some hot water. She wrung the hot water from the towel and wiped his hands. After that, she proceeded to undo the buttons on his hospital gown and carefully wiped his upper body. Tristan could see the seriousness and care in her eyes. Sophie was truly a remarkable girl. He had known that he wanted to hold her in his heart from the moment he had met her. Nevertheless, she was the person who was currently taking care of him. asionally, Sophie¡¯s cool fingers woulde into contact with his body, and the sensation made Tristan feel like a beast. He was already in such a condition, and yet, thoughts of pouncing on her filled his mind. It must be because her expression is too alluring. That must be it! Sophie wanted to concentrate on her task, but Tristan¡¯s gaze was so passionate that she could not ignore him even if she wanted to. She lifted her head and met with a pair of scorching eyes. It made her flush red. ¡°Tristan, get ahold of yourself!¡± You¡¯re only making it harder for yourself. ¡°Help me.¡± Chapter 486 Chapter 486 ¡°What?¡± Sophie couldn¡¯t help but suspect she heard things wrongly as her cheeks turned pink. She felt a burning sensation coursing through her entire body. Seeing her reaction, Tristan knew she had misunderstood him. ¡°I mean, help me wipe down my body,¡± he rified. He wanted to tease her longer initially but decided to spare her. Otherwise, he would be the one suffering in the end. ¡°Oh,¡± Sophie grunted in response. She got more embarrassed after learning that it was a misunderstanding on her side. Oh, dear. What was I thinking? Why did Ie up with such a shameful thought? Sophie rolled up the hems of his pants to wipe his legs. However, the bulge between his legs proved that she wasn¡¯t the only one who had other thoughts. Tristan was undoubtedly feeling awkward. Nevertheless, it was perfectly normal to be aroused when the love of his life was right before him. No matter how much self-control he had, he was still an ordinary man. Sophie swiftly wiped down his entire body and helped him to change into fresh clothes. In the process, she was obliged to touch his body. The intimate interaction was pure torture to Tristan. Nheless, he enjoyed how Sophie meticulously took care of him. I can only enjoy her service when I¡¯m hurt, huh? He suddenly spoke. ¡°I realized that it is a good thing to get hurt.¡± Sophie gaped incredulously. What is he talking about? I¡¯m worried sick about him! How dare he say it¡¯s a good thing that he got hurt? Tristan added, ¡°I mean, we are both usually busy with our work. After I got hurt, we both have more free time.¡± They had been together for some time but didn¡¯t actually get to spend a lot of time with each other. ¡°All right, then. I will spend more time with you in the future,¡± Sophie promised. She didn¡¯t want him to get hurt since she would worry and fear for his safety. Tristan invited, ¡°Come on. Join me in bed.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think so. The hospital bed is quite narrow.¡± If the bed copsed, other people would overthink and assume they did something on the bed. ¡°It¡¯s fine. The bed is sturdy and won¡¯t copse,¡± Tristan assured her. Sophie was speechless. Suddenly, it urred to her that their conversation was quite amusing. With that thought in mind, she burst out giggling. ¡°Come on,¡± Tristan urged. Sophie had worked hard all by herself, so he wanted her to rest in bed for a while. At his insistence, Sophie had no choice but to join him in bed. Shey on her side beside him to avoid pressing on his wound. Warmth spread through Tristan¡¯s heart when he saw how obedient she was. Soon, he fell asleep. At the sight of Tristan¡¯s pale face, Sophie reached out to touch hisshes. Hisshes were long and gorgeous. She felt her heart skip a beat as she observed him carefully. Tristan was wlessly handsome, and she couldn¡¯t help but grow attached to him. The next day, Sarah came over to take over Sophie¡¯s duty. ¡°Sophie, thank you!¡± she thanked Sophie gratefully. ¡°It¡¯s fine, Sarah. Don¡¯t worry about me. Actually, I can take care of him myself,¡± Sophie replied. She was perfectly capable of doing that. Besides, Tristan also hired a caregiver to help her out so she wouldn¡¯t get too tired. ¡°I know you want to stay by his side, but you need to rest. I¡¯m his sister so just leave it to me!¡± Sarah told her. ¡°Sarah, there is no need for you to stay. Go back home. Sophie can stay here with me,¡± Tristan interjected. It was morefortable for him to spend time with Sophie. After all, Sarah was a woman. It wasn¡¯t convenient for her to take care of him. ¡°Tristan, what do you mean by that? Are you annoyed that I want to take care of you? I know you want to be by Sophie¡¯s side at all times, but you need to consider her health!¡± Sarah retorted. Sophie¡¯s health would suffer if she keeps pulling all-nighters! ¡°Sarah, I¡¯m fine,¡± Sophie insisted. Sarah rolled her eyes. ¡°Fine, just spoil him all you like. Sophie, listen carefully. You shouldn¡¯t spoil men, get it?¡± If this were to go on, Sophie would be the one suffering in the end. Tristan cut in, ¡°Sarah, are you really my sister?¡± Sarah snapped, ¡°Even if I¡¯m your sister, you can¡¯t change my mind. Don¡¯t you dare bully Sophie, okay? Otherwise, I will beat you up!¡± Look how obedient Sophie is. Can¡¯t he treat her better? Tristan was touched by how protective Sarah was of Sophie. ¡°You see this, Sophie? Sarah and Ysabelle are on your side. If you marry me, I won¡¯t even dare to tease you,¡± he told Sophie. Sophie had no idea he would suddenly mention that. Is this a marriage proposal? Sarah protested, ¡°Hey, Tristan. Where is your sincerity? You don¡¯t have a ring or roses. You¡¯re not serious at all but want her to marry you? Dream on!¡± Tristan shrugged. ¡°Okay, then. I will ask for her hand in marriage next time.¡± Was it really a marriage proposal? Sophie was stunned. Is he serious? ¡°Are you sure?¡± she blurted out. ¡°Yes, I am. I don¡¯t know when I made up my mind, but I¡¯m sure that you¡¯re the only woman I¡¯ll love in this lifetime,¡± Tristan replied firmly. There could be no one else. It was obvious to Sarah that they only had eyes for each other. She was nothing but a third wheel here. In the end, she left without making a sound. Ah, such is love. They love each other dearly. I envy them. Sophie was touched as she saw the promise in his gaze. Gently, she gave him a hug. ¡°Okay. Don¡¯t worry, for I won¡¯t make you wait for long. We can get married after I graduate from university,¡± she vowed. It would usually take a student five years to graduate from the University of Medicine, but she was nning onpleting the program in just two years. Tristan lowered his head to kiss her lips. ¡°Sure. I¡¯ll wait for you no matter how long it takes. You¡¯re the only woman I¡¯ll marry in this lifetime.¡± She was his one and only, so he wouldn¡¯t settle for less. Published by N?v''elD/rama.Org. ¡°Mm!¡± Sophie nodded and responded to his kiss fervently. What should I do? If he weren¡¯t seriously injured, I would have wanted nothing more than to pin him underneath me. The urge is so strong. Tristan held her chin and caressed it softly. ¡°Sophie, what should I do? I think I¡¯m slowly losing my self-control,¡± he whispered. All along, he was very proud of his self-control. s, his self-control had faded into thin air right this moment. Sophie stood on her tiptoes and nibbled on the edge of his lips. She was making things worse. Despite his arousal, Tristan didn¡¯t touch her. ¡°Hey,¡± he whispered helplessly. She knows I want to protect her, but she ignites my desire nheless. What a naughty girl! ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Sophie blinked innocently. Tristan felt his heart race when he looked into her pretty eyes. ¡°You make my heart race,¡± he revealed honestly. ¡°I think your teasing will kill me before we get married!¡± Chapter 487 Chapter 487 Even though Tristan was badly injured, he enjoyed his time in the hospital. No matter how lovely his life was, he didn¡¯t forget to investigate who had the guts to want him dead. Charles and Sean showed up. Felix was also pushed into Tristan¡¯s ward in a wheelchair. ¡°Felix, isn¡¯t this too much? You didn¡¯t hurt your legs. Why do you need a wheelchair?¡± Felix responded smugly, ¡°My Ysabelle is worried about me and insisted that someone push me here in a wheelchair.¡± It was Ysabelle, so he allowed her to do anything she wanted. The other three shook their heads at the sight of his foolish smile. ¡°Felix, won¡¯t you man up? After you get married, do you want to be a henpecked man?¡± To them, Felix had gone overboard. Felix chuckled. ¡°I¡¯m willing to be a henpecked man as long as I get to marry Ysabelle.¡± He was of the opinion that men should allow their wives to control them. ¡°Ignore him.¡± Tristan couldn¡¯t be bothered about them as long as the couple was happy together and wouldn¡¯t disturb him and Sophie. Charles shook his head. ¡°Love is really scary!¡± Look at Mr. Tristan and Felix. They act the same way. I think ying the field is more rxing. Sean was envious, for it was hard to meet The One in life. ¡°By the way, how did the investigation go?¡± Tristan asked. That was why the men paid him a visit that day. Hearing his question, Charles and Sean grew serious. ¡°We found out who it was. They were on good terms with us, so we cannot believe that they were behind this,¡± Charles revealed with a grim expression. ¡°Since they have a death wish, we can grant their wish.¡± Tristan could guess who it was, but he was in the hospital for two days and didn¡¯t have time to confirm his guess. ¡°Who is it?¡± Felix got curious. He was the only one to ask that question as he didn¡¯t know who they were talking about. ¡°The Zales family.¡± They were the reason yton ended up in jail. yton was Ernest Zales¡¯ favorite son, so thetter would undoubtedly do something. He risked it all and went all out just to avenge yton. The Zales family might be weak, but they could hire a few top assassins easily. After all, assassin organizations would ept missions as long as they were paid. Some were even fugitives. ¡°D*mn, he has a death wish, huh?¡± Felixmented furiously. Despite enjoying his time here, he refused to let the matter slip as he nearly died back there. Sean said, ¡°You¡¯re both injured, so don¡¯t do anything for now. Charles and I will handle everything.¡± The Zales family didn¡¯t hold back, so they would take them all out without any hint of regret. Felix bobbed his head. ¡°Okay. Don¡¯t hold back.¡± He wanted nothing more than to rip their enemy to shreds. Despite surviving the attack, he had to endure the pain. No one knew that the Zales family was able to do this to them. N?vel(D)rama.Org''s content. Meanwhile, Ernest seemed distraught to learn that Tristan and Felix had survived the ordeal. Seeing his reaction, his children said, ¡°Dad, you know how ruthless Tristan can be. How could you do that? Have you lost your mind?¡± ¡°Exactly! You¡¯re trying to get us all killed! I know your favorite son has always been yton, but he provoked Mr. Tristan this time!¡± ¡°What should we do? Will Tristan spare our lives?¡± Tristan wasn¡¯t the only one who got hurt, for Felix was in the hospital as well. One wouldn¡¯t want to mess with the four prominent families. s, the Zales family provoked two families in one go. Ernest was silent as he sat in the main seat. He had spent all his savings to hire a few top assassins. Never in his wildest dreams did he think that things would turn out this way. ¡°I was the one who did that. If you¡¯re afraid, just sacrifice me. I¡¯ve lived till a ripe old age, so I¡¯m not afraid of anything!¡± he dered. I can¡¯t believe the five top assassins died in Tristan¡¯s hand. He is someone to watch out for. How did he kill them, anyway? Other than preparing to die, what else can I do? Meanwhile, Butterfly spotted Phantom sitting in front of theputer. It had been a while since shest saw her. I didn¡¯t think she would suddenly show up and immediately do her work. Butterfly took a seat and watched as Phantom busied herself with work without disturbing thetter. After she was done, Butterfly asked, ¡°What were you busy with? Tell me, how long has it been since youst paid me a visit?¡± This is too much. She showed up after a long absence, yet her purpose here is to use the resources of Wings of Light. She isn¡¯t here to visit me! ¡°You¡¯re doing well, right? Why do I need to visit you?¡± Sophie replied nonchntly. She whipped out a piece of gum from her pocket. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Are you in a bad mood?¡± Butterfly asked. Butterfly had been with Phantom long enough to know that thetter would chew on gum whenever she was frustrated. ¡°Nothing. Someone has a death wish, so I won¡¯t spare his life,¡± Sophie announced. For them to indulge in their enemy and get into trouble because of that, they must have been too kind. Sophie wouldn¡¯t be this furious if Ernest had targeted her. He shouldn¡¯t have harmed Tristan. Anyone who dares toy a hand on Tristan will have to suffer my wrath. ¡°Who has the audacity to provoke Phantom? Tell me who he is, and I¡¯ll teach him a lesson!¡± Butterfly dered. She had always been on Sophie¡¯s side. Sophie pushed her gorgeous face away. ¡°Don¡¯te any closer to me. I¡¯m not used to it!¡± she said sternly. Butterfly was hurt. ¡°Phantom, are you sick of me? I¡¯m so pretty! How could you be sick of me?¡± She got frustrated. ¡°Okay, I need to leave now. Bye!¡± Sophie only nned to leave the hospital briefly when Charles and Sean showed up. She was busy taking care of Tristan for the past two days and didn¡¯t have time to investigate the matter. Thus, she only showed up at Wings of Light today. ¡°It¡¯s rare to see you here. Why don¡¯t we have lunch together?¡± Butterfly suggested. Don¡¯t be cruel to me! ¡°Next time,¡± Sophie replied. Once again, Butterfly was hurt. It was pretty hard to eat with Sophie nowadays. s, Sophie had already left without looking back. Back in the hospital, Sarah had arrived with some home-cooked food that she had prepared for them both. ¡°Sophie,e on and try my cooking!¡± Sarah invited. She was both an independent woman and a great cook. Her soups were especially delicious. Chapter 488 Chapter 488 ¡°Come eat after you wash your hands!¡± Tristan called out. He didn¡¯t even ask where Sophie went. Tristan thought she ought to have some time to herself. After all, it was indeed boring to stay in the hospital all day long. Sophie went to the bathroom and washed her hands. Her lips curled into a smile at the sight of the scrumptious lunchid out on the table. ¡°Sarah, you¡¯re amazing. You know how to make so many delicious dishes,¡± Sophieplimented. Given that Sarah came from an affluent family, it was surprising that she could cook so well. Sarah chuckled in response. ¡°You tter me. I made this mushroom soup alone. Our personal chef helped me with all the other dishes,¡± she replied. ¡°Sarah, you¡¯re too humble. One of these days, you should really prepare a whole table of dishes on your own,¡± Tristan chimed in. Sarah smiled. ¡°Sure! After you¡¯re discharged, I¡¯m going to personally prepare a table of dishes for both of you.¡± Sarah was usually too busy to cook. Nevertheless, she enjoyed cooking. She relished the process of preparing the ingredients. The serenity she felt while preparing the ingredients was unparalleled, and it always made her feel grounded and calm. ¡°Great. We¡¯ll look forward to it.¡± Sophie beamed with delight while thinking that Sarah was quite likable. Sarah was pleased to see Sophie and Tristan enjoy their lunch. However, the couple¡¯s sweet moments suddenly reminded her of her own bleak marriage prospects. In spite of that fact, she really wanted a child. ¡°Oh, right! When are the two of you having a baby?¡± Sarah asked out of the blue. After she popped the unexpected question, there was a fairly long stretch of silence. Sophie was stumped. Why is she suddenly asking about this? Tristan squeezed Sophie¡¯s hand when he noticed her startled expression. ¡°Sarah, why are you asking about this all of a sudden? Sophie is still young. Why would we rush to have kids now?¡± Tristan replied. Do you think having kids is as easy as earning money? ¡°Oh. I just wanted to ask whether you guys could let me adopt one of your babies,¡± Sarah said. Being all alone sometimes made her feel lonely. Perhaps having a child around could make it all better. Again, Sophie was rendered speechless. How could she even think of asking us to give her a child? ¡°Definitely not! Give birth to your own baby if you want one. Why do we have to give you our baby? That¡¯s ridiculous!¡± Tristan scowled at her. Sarah clenched her fists. ¡°Tristan, how could you say that? I¡¯ve been good to you since we were young. What¡¯s so wrong about asking you to give me a baby?¡± ¡°Well, I can give you anything, but a child is out of the question because the child would be Sophie¡¯s baby too!¡± Tristan refuted. The baby hadn¡¯t even existed yet, but the siblings were already quarreling over the matter. It was a really baffling sight. ¡°Sophie, talk some sense into him! He¡¯s so aggravating. I¡¯m just asking for a child. Why is he refusing to give me one?¡± Sarah grumbled. ¡°Ahem.¡± Sophie was feeling a little awkward. ¡°Actually, you two should calm down. I don¡¯t think I want a child anytime soon,¡± Sophie added. After all, she still thought of herself as a child. ¡°Sophie, don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m going to raise the child on your behalf. You just need to give birth to one,¡± Sarah said. She really wanted a baby to keep herpany. ¡°Sarah, don¡¯t be ridiculous! I¡¯m not going to let you off the hook if you scare my girl away,¡± Tristan warned. ¡°How could you be so rude, Tristan? I¡¯m talking to Sophie right now. Back off,¡± Sarah rebuked. How dare he threaten me? Does he have a death wish? ¡°Sarah, I don¡¯t n on giving my baby away either,¡± Sophie said in a determined tone. Sarah was at a loss for words this time. ¡°Exactly, give birth to your own baby if you want one. What gives you the right to think that people will just give away their baby to you?¡± It was the paradox of life that one would have to risk one¡¯s own life to bring another into the world. Childbearing was a precarious process. Tristan was terrified just from thinking about it. He did not wish to put his girl through that kind of suffering at all. The notion of putting Sophie through the pain ofbor multiple times was inconceivable. ¡°All right. Forget about it then,¡± Sarah grumbled. She was dejected, but there was nothing she could do about it. After all, she was asking for a child. All jokes aside, she knew the gravity of her demand. Sophie felt sorry for Sarah. ¡°Sarah, you can still have your own baby,¡± Sophie said. She¡¯s still young. Why is she giving it all up now? ¡°Sophie, you don¡¯t understand.¡± What¡¯s the point of having a baby for someone I don¡¯t even have feelings for? After staying at the ward for some time, Sarah went back to her office. There were still a lot of things she had to attend to, so she didn¡¯t linger.N?vel(D)rama.Org''s content. ¡°Tristan, it seems like Sarah really wants a baby.¡± ¡°Sophie, you know I usually listen to you, but I¡¯m afraid I can¡¯tpromise on this matter. You should know the risks involved in having a baby,¡± Tristan reasoned. That was why, even if they eventually decided to have a child, one was more than enough. He did not wish to put her life on the line so many times. ¡°Okay.¡± Sophie hadn¡¯t given the topic much thought. She reckoned that advancements in medical technology had significantly reduced pregnancy andbor risks. Still, there were still risks. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m a doctor myself,¡± Sophie said. She was a student at the University of Medicine, after all. Tristan held her hand. ¡°Sarah is just in a rut right now. I believe that she will find her Mr. Right someday.¡± Sarah would not have be like this if not for Juan. Juan had given Sarah an obstacle in life, and no one knew how long Sarah would take to ovee it. At present, Sophie had already taken the initiative before Charles and Sean made their move. Zales Corporation had descended into anarchy in the span of a single day. They had encountered problems with their finances. Though the top management was in the midst of an investigation, Ernest had already given up. He didn¡¯t think that there was a way out after offending Tristan. Hence, he already saw iting. Nevertheless, Ernest was still surprised when the police were at his ce to arrest him. Being arrested one day was something he had never even thought about. ¡°What are you guys doing? What has my father done? On what grounds are you arresting my father?¡± yton¡¯s elder brother was still making ast-ditch attempt to save their father. Now that yton was already in jail, the whole Zales family had turned to Ernest for support. They didn¡¯t know what to do if something were to happen to Ernest as well. ¡°Please give way and do not obstruct the execution of official duties. I believe Old Mr. Zales knows what he has done,¡± an officer said. They wouldn¡¯t havee all the way here to arrest Ernest if they didn¡¯t have any concrete evidence in hand. The fact that the police were there to arrest Ernest meant that they had incriminating evidence against him. The vigorous man seemed to have aged decades in a single day. He was but a ghost of his past self. Ernest sat there in silence, saying nothing. ¡°Old Mr. Zales, you¡¯d better follow us and give your cooperation in¡ª¡± Before the officer could finish his sentence, ck blood dribbled from the corner of Ernest¡¯s mouth. ¡°Oh no! He swallowed poison to take his own life!¡± An officer rushed forward to pry open his mouth, but it was toote. ¡°Dad, what¡¯s the matter with you? What¡¯s happening to our family?¡± yton¡¯s elder brother was on the brink of a breakdown. Unlike yton or Ernest, he was a pliant and weak-minded man. At the sight of his own father dying, his mind went nk. He didn¡¯t know what to do. ¡°Sir, what do we do now?¡± an officer asked. ¡°What can we do? The man¡¯s dead!¡± a higher-ranked officer replied. He knew that the upper echelons of their society all had blood on their hands. What he didn¡¯t expect was that the Zales family would even stoop so low as to poison their own father. Chapter 489 Chapter 489 The Zales family was considered one of the big shots in Jipsdale. Yet, they were uprooted from Jipsdale within a matter of days. All yton¡¯s brother could do was rush to the hospital. ¡°Mr. Tristan, we¡¯ve learned our lesson! Whatever yton did is his to bear and has nothing to do with me! I beg of you. Please spare me!¡± ¡°Who let him in?¡± Tristan fell into a sour mood the moment he saw yton¡¯s brother, for it reminded him of yton himself. yton¡¯s brother knelt on the floor immediately. ¡°Mr. Tristan, as long as you spare me, I will take my family and leave Jipsdale. We promise we will never return ever again!¡± By that point, the Zales family¡¯s status in Jipsdale had been utterly destroyed by the man before him. In spite of that, he didn¡¯t even dare to hate Tristan. All he prayed for at that moment was to be alive and well. ¡°Leave.¡± It was Sophie who spoke. yton¡¯s brother heaved a sigh of relief upon hearing Sophie¡¯s demand. He bowed at them right away before leaving the ward. Tristan had no objections to that. If Sophie was the one who gave the word, he would oblige. ¡°Why aren¡¯t you asking me my reason for letting him go?¡± Sophie was curious. ¡°As I had said, I will support whatever decision you make, so there¡¯s nothing to ask.¡± He wouldn¡¯t have objected to it anyway. Sophie was speechless. She didn¡¯t know what to say in response to what he had just told her. ¡°I just felt that yton¡¯s brother wasn¡¯t involved in what happened, so he hasn¡¯t done anything wrong.¡± Those who hadmitted crimes must be punished. Since he hadn¡¯t done any wrong, they should just ignore him. Charles and Sean overheard their conversation while approaching them. ¡°Sophie, were you behind what happened to the Zales family?¡± Charles asked directly. You can never be certain with this girl! In any case, the Zales family was considered rather established in Jipsdale. Yet, she was able to uproot them with such ease. ¡°What? I thought you two were behind this!¡± Tristan blurted. My girl has been keeping mepany in the hospital the whole time. How could she have had the time for that? Charles and Sean shook their heads. All three men turned to look at Sophie. Fine! I get it! Sophie realized she had to say something. ¡°I just taught him a small lesson for trying to take your life. I never expected him to go to such extremities!¡± All she did was hand evidence of his crimes to the police and nothing else. Charles didn¡¯t respond to that, for he had no words. ¡°Mr. Tristan, I seriously have to thank you for sending Winter to Alendor! Winter wouldn¡¯t have been able to hold a candle against her!¡± After everything, he figured it would be the safest for Winter to be in Alendor. All the while, Sophie stared at them with an innocent look. ¡°What do you mean by that? I only taught him a small lesson. I hadn¡¯t even gone to him in person!¡± I don¡¯t have time to go in person because I¡¯ve been busy looking after Tristan these past few days. Sean was at a loss for words. ¡°Sophie, you can tell me if I did anything to offend you in the future. I¡¯ll make sure to offer you a heartfelt apology!¡± This girl is savage! Sophie continued to stare at Tristan innocently. ¡°Tristan, do you also think I had gone overboard? I can¡¯t just let others walk all over you and do nothing, can I?¡± she questioned. What I did wasn¡¯t all that bad! Both Charles and Sean were utterly stumped. Walk all over Tristan? Okay, I suppose we should refrain from joking around with Tristan from now on, lest she gets rid of us somehow while assuming we¡¯re walking all over him. Tristan couldn¡¯t help butugh at Sophie¡¯s reactions. He held her hand to pull her to him and wrapped his arm around her waist. ¡°Not at all. You didn¡¯t go overboard. You¡¯re fine as you are, and I¡¯m satisfied with it!¡± He had always known that she wasn¡¯t just some girl, but it didn¡¯t matter. He liked her nheless. Neither Charles nor Sean knew how they should react to that. Fine. Mr. Tristan is currently infatuated with Sophie, so nothing anybody else says would matter to him now. ¡°Say, what¡¯s up with you two? Why would you let Sophie deal with something like punishing the Zales family alone?¡± Can¡¯t you two do a little more? ¡°I would dly teach the Zales family a lesson too, but she had made her move before I could do anything! I wasn¡¯t even given a chance!¡± Charles refuted. What could I have done? Are you going to me me for not taking action in time? ¡°The Zales family was already in trouble when I wanted to make a move.¡± Sean was also speechless. We can¡¯t even match Sophie¡¯s speed. Tristan remained silent. Instead of berating them, he red at them without explicitly voicing his dissatisfaction. Charles and Sean exchanged nces. ¡°Fine, you can leave the rest to us! Sophie, your only task now is to keep Mr. Tristanpany!¡± Charles said. ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll leave the rest to you!¡± She considered the Zales family¡¯s debt repaid. Text content ? N?velDrama.Org. Although she was still furious about the incident, she didn¡¯t think she should get rid of all other members of the Zales family after their patriarch was done for. She wasn¡¯t that cruel. The incident only concerned specific individuals, so she wouldn¡¯t get anyone unrted involved. When the three men were the only ones left in the ward, Charles advised, ¡°Mr. Tristan, you have to be more attentive in the future. Your wife is absolutely terrifying. I have no doubt that she would make minced meat out of you if you betray her!¡± Sophie has such a mysterious background that our investigations have failed to uncover it. Tristan gave him a side nce. ¡°Say, Charles. What¡¯s up with you? Why are you always hoping for the worst for me?¡± he questioned. How could I ever betray Sophie? ¡°Ignore this fool, Mr. Tristan. Sophie would be the one to dump you instead of the other way around. You would never think to do such a thing!¡± Tristan gave no response, for he was tired of speaking to them. Are they really my sworn brothers? Just listen to what they¡¯re saying! Sean wasn¡¯t too perturbed when he noticed Tristan¡¯s scowl. ¡°Anyway, we won¡¯t be disturbing you any further now that we¡¯ve got this dealt with. We¡¯re going to visit Felix!¡± ¡°Good. Time for you two to go! Don¡¯t stay here and intrude on my time with Sophie!¡± replied Tristan without hesitation. ¡°You¡­¡± Charles wished he could beat the crap out of Tristan when he witnessed thetter¡¯s attitude, but that wouldn¡¯t be possible given their busy schedules for the following days. Is he seriously dissatisfied? Sean pulled Charles up to his feet. ¡°Let¡¯s go! You can¡¯t win against him even when he¡¯s injured. Besides, he also has Sophie! You would die of embarrassment if she were the one to defeat you!¡± ¡°Sean, what the heck are you even talking about? Are you implying that I can¡¯t win a woman in a brawl? Are you aware that you¡¯re humiliating me?¡± ¡°Consider this as him telling you the truth,¡± said Tristan. ¡°Are you looking down on me, Mr. Tristan? While I might not be able to win against you and Sean, I can¡¯t possibly lose to a girl!¡± ¡°Why don¡¯t we start a match to check?¡± Sophie suggested right after stepping into the ward upon hearing Charles¡¯int. Getting an answer is easy! We can always start a match! Chapter 490 Chapter 490 Charles was dumbfounded. If word got out that I waspeting against a youngdy, wouldn¡¯t my reputation be ruined? ¡°Sophie, I¡¯m sorry. I don¡¯t want to fight you. Please give me a pass!¡± ¡°Mr. Quigley, what¡¯s the meaning of this? Are you underestimating me?¡± If that¡¯s the case, the more the reason to go through with the challenge. Charles gave Tristan a pleading look. Mr. Tristan, can you rein in your girlfriend, please? Look at how intimidating she is! Is it necessary for her to go so far? ¡°Sophie, I¡¯m not underestimating you at all! Aren¡¯t we in a hospital? It¡¯s inappropriate to have a contest here. Let¡¯s do it some other time.¡± ¡°Fine. We¡¯ll settle this challenge once Mr. Tristan is discharged.¡± The man was rendered speechless. With that, Charles slipped away with Sean. No sooner had he emerged from the ward than he heaved a sigh of relief. ¡°Sean, what sort of woman is Mr. Tristan¡¯s girlfriend? Why does she want to challenge a man to a fight?¡± Is such aggression really necessary? Sean peeled his hand away. ¡°That¡¯s what you get for running your mouth!¡± He obviously deserves it. Charles was stumped. Is this what friends are for? It¡¯s one thing if he doesn¡¯t help, but why does he have to kick me when I¡¯m down? When they arrived at Felix¡¯s room, they were greeted by an unweing expression. ¡°Sheesh, Felix. Despite our exhaustion, we still took time out to visit both of you. In the end, all you and Mr. Tristan have given us is that unweing look. Don¡¯t you think you¡¯re being too much?¡± ¡°Enough. Now that you have seen me, it¡¯s time for you to go,¡± Felix snapped. Over thest few days, he was relishing in the attentive care Ysabelle had showered upon him. Text content ? N?velDrama.Org. However, the presence of his two friends might cause her to ignore him, which was his worst nightmare. ¡°Look at how ipetent you are. What¡¯s so difficult about cementing your rtionship with Ysabelle?¡± Charles didn¡¯t know what to say to him anymore. Can¡¯t you just make her yours by sleeping with her? Why is it so hard? Having enough of his friends, Felix ignored thement. ¡°A person like you will never understand me. You¡¯re nothing but a stud who¡¯s not qualified to talk to me about women!¡± I want to spend the rest of my life with Ysabelle. There¡¯s no way I¡¯m going to win her over with such a crass method. Charles was rendered speechless. What¡¯s wrong with being a stud? Isn¡¯t it great to live this way? I get to enjoy the pleasures of the flesh without themitment to tie me down. ¡°Fine. Since you¡¯re doing all right, we¡¯ll take our leave. That said, you had bettere back and manage yourpany once you¡¯ve recovered.¡± It¡¯s exhausting for the two of us to be running four conglomerates, you know? ¡°Sean, it wasn¡¯t easy for me to get myself hospitalized, but I still want to thank you for your help. I¡¯ll give both of you a treat once I¡¯m discharged.¡± He was not only reluctant to leave, but he also intended to stay longer. ¡°You¡¯re crazy! This is the first time I¡¯ve heard someone enjoying their stay in the hospital.¡± Charles felt as if his mind was blown. ¡°Exactly. You had better know when to stop milking the sympathy Ysabelle has for you. Beware of overdoing it!¡± Sean reminded him. ¡°This is the expression of her love for me, not sympathy, got that?¡± It¡¯s clear that Ysabelle has feelings for me. Otherwise, why would she bother to take care of me? ¡°Whatever. We¡¯re not going to waste any more time with you. You should know what¡¯s good for you.¡± Don¡¯t wait till you get on Ysabelle¡¯s nerves before regretting it. Nheless, there was no getting through to Felix, for he was currently intoxicated by his bliss. Sean had barely left when Ysabelle returned. As something came up at TS Entertainment that required her presence, she dealt with it quickly beforeing back. ¡°Felix, it seems that you¡¯re close to full recovery.¡± Since his wound isn¡¯t as serious as Uncle Tristan¡¯s, I wonder if he can already be discharged. ¡°Ysabelle, what do you mean? Are you sick of me already?¡± Her words caused Felix¡¯s heart to drop. Have the predictions of those two jinxese true? ¡°Now that my new album is ready and we¡¯ll be promoting it soon, I won¡¯t have time to tend to you.¡± Ever since she was young, Felix treated her very well despite having a vicious tongue. Therefore, she was now returning the favor by caring for him unreservedly. Nevertheless, she was still an artiste and had to fulfill her obligations to herpany. ¡°Oh¡­¡± Disappointment crept into Felix. Am I less important to herpared to her album? ¡°I¡¯m fine. You should get back to work. I¡¯ll hire a caregiver instead.¡± Felix was visibly upset. When she saw the look on his face, Ysabelle couldn¡¯t help but feel helpless. ¡°Now that you¡¯re ready to go home, what¡¯s the point in staying in the hospital?¡± It¡¯s really troublesome here. Wouldn¡¯t you be better off with more people to care for you at home? ¡°I feel morefortable in the hospital. You don¡¯t have to worry about me, really. Go ahead with whatever you need to do. I have already taken up a lot of your time.¡± Faced with the depressed Felix, Ysabelle didn¡¯t quite know what to say. ¡°All right then. I¡¯m taking my leave now. As I¡¯ll be busy tomorrow, I might not be able to visit you here.¡± Is she leaving already? Do I really not mean anything to her for her to go just like that? The devastated Felix let out a sigh. ¡°I¡¯m leaving now.¡± ¡°Okay!¡± There was nothing else he could say, for his words had fallen on deaf ears. Consequently, he had no choice but to ept his fate. ¡°Jeez! What am I to do? I can¡¯t bring myself to leave when I see how pitiful you are!¡± Not wanting to put her in a difficult position, Felix broke into a smile. ¡°All right now, youngdy, it¡¯s time for you to chase your dreams! I¡¯m really fine. In fact, I¡¯ll get myself discharged tomorrow and head home. That way, you don¡¯t have to worry anymore.¡± Since I love her, I should support the pursuit of her passion. It isn¡¯t right for me to stand in the way of her career. ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Yes, so go on now. I, too, would one day like to see you perform on stage in all your glory.¡± How can I not support her in achieving her childhood dream? All of a sudden, Ysabelle gave him a gentle hug. ¡°Felix, thank you for always being by my side and standing by me.¡± He has been really, really good to me. ¡°Mm-hmm. Go now!¡± All of a sudden, Felix began to choke up. He felt as if his daughter was all grown up and leaving for somece far away. Unable to go with her, all he could do was stay home and y the role of a worried father. ¡°Do your best! I¡¯ll always be your biggest fan!¡± No matter what, Ysabelle would always be the best to him. ¡°Okay, I¡¯m leaving now.¡± A simple hug had assuaged all his concerns. That was how easy it was to please him. Chapter 491 Chapter 491 Felix called his assistant and had hime take care of the discharge procedures as soon as Ysabelle left. While waiting, he made his way to Tristan¡¯s ward and said, ¡°I¡¯ll be getting myself discharged, so I won¡¯t be keeping youpany in the hospital, Tristan.¡± Felix found staying in the hospital incredibly ufortable. The only reason he stayed for so long was to spend more time with Ysabelle. ¡°Ysabelle told me you didn¡¯t want to get discharged, no? Then why are you thinking of leaving right after she left?¡± Sophie teased him. ¡°Please don¡¯t expose me like that, Sophie,¡± Felix said with an awkward smile. ¡°All right. I won¡¯t expose you, then!¡± Sophie couldn¡¯t help but chuckle when she saw how much effort Felix was putting into wooing Ysabelle. After Felix got discharged, Tristan decided to get discharged as well. ¡°I want to get discharged too. We can head back to Wisteria Apartments. You¡¯re a medical student, so I¡¯ll be fine as long as you¡¯re around. There¡¯s no need for me to stay in a hospital.¡± Hospitals are never a pleasant ce to be. My condition will probably worsen if I stay here even a little while longer! ¡°I think it¡¯s fine for you to stay here, though.¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s not! Come on, let¡¯s get the discharge procedures done. You can rece my dressing at home too.¡± Hmm¡­ Yeah, I suppose he¡¯s right. With that in mind, Sophie said, ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll have Arius get you discharged. Still, are you sure it¡¯s okay if you don¡¯t go home? If your dad finds out that you didn¡¯t go home after getting discharged, he might¡ª¡± N?vel(D)rama.Org''s content. Tristan cut her off, ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry about a thing. Once I¡¯m all better, I¡¯ll bring you over and formally introduce you to him.¡± ¡°So soon?¡± Sophie wasn¡¯t prepared to meet his father just yet. ¡°I just want you to be at ease when you¡¯re with me.¡± Tristan figured it wouldn¡¯t make a difference since they would have to meet each other sooner orter. ¡°You don¡¯t have to rush it, really. This can wait a little while longer.¡± Sophie didn¡¯t really know how to get along with old people. I really like Tristan, but what if his father doesn¡¯t like me? Wouldn¡¯t that put him in a difficult situation? ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry about a thing, Sophie. Just leave everything to me,¡± Tristan reassured her. I¡¯ve decided that Sophie is the one I¡¯m going to spend the rest of my life with, regardless of how my father feels about her. I won¡¯t let anyone get in the way of my decision. ¡°Okay!¡± ¡°Sophie, aren¡¯t you spoiling him a little too much? It¡¯s best if he stays in the hospital. There¡¯s a possibility of his wound getting infected if he goes home. You know how problematic that can be, don¡¯t you?¡± Arius said with a frown as he came over to get Tristan discharged. ¡°Well, he¡¯s got me. Don¡¯t worry for I¡¯ll make sure his wound doesn¡¯t get infected.¡± ¡°It¡¯s tiring to look after him all by yourself.¡± There were plenty of nurses to take good care of him in the hospital. ¡°All right, stop arguing and get the discharge procedures over with.¡± Arius found himself at a loss for words. Honestly, she spoils Tristan way too much! Oh, well¡­ Nothing I say is going to change her mind, so I might as well just get him discharged. ¡°Are you sure you can manage it on your own? Maybe I should move in with you two,¡± he said worriedly after getting Tristan discharged. ¡°No, that won¡¯t be necessary. You have plenty on your te as is, so you should worry about yourself instead. We¡¯ll be fine!¡± Sophie replied. Arius was indeed very busy as he hadn¡¯tpleted the task that Barney had assigned him. ¡°But you¡¯re all by yourself¡ª¡± ¡°I said, I can handle it!¡± Tristan had no issues with his mobility, so all Sophie had to do was rece his wound dressing and keep his wound dry. Although Tristan was technically not fit to be discharged, it wasn¡¯t an issue with Arius around. He even went as far as driving the two of them to Wisteria Apartments. ¡°Hey, Tristan! You have lots of housekeepers at home, don¡¯t you? Why not go home and let them look after you instead? Why must you trouble Sophie like this? It¡¯s very tiring work, you know?¡± Arius said as he dropped them off outside the apartment. He found Tristan¡¯s behavior incredibly selfish. ¡°That¡¯s none of your business.¡± Since Tristan and Sophie were both very busy people, she wouldn¡¯t have spent so much time with him if it weren¡¯t for his injury. That was why Tristan refused to go home just yet. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t your father be upset if you don¡¯t go home?¡± Sophie asked. ¡°I told you I¡¯ll give my father a call and exin it to him. I feel like my wound will heal faster if I¡¯m with you,¡± Tristan replied. Arius fell speechless when he heard that. William hadn¡¯t visited Tristan at the hospital throughout the past few days, but Sophie wanted to make sure he was informed. ¡°All right, then. Hurry up and give your father a call. He¡¯ll get worried if he goes to the hospital and finds out that you¡¯re gone.¡± Those words had barely left her mouth when William¡¯s call came in. He started yelling in an authoritative voice the moment Tristan answered the phone. ¡°Where the heck have you been, Tristan? Why aren¡¯t you resting in the hospital like you¡¯re supposed to? Tell me where you are, and I¡¯lle to you right away!¡± Just like Sophie had predicted, William showed up at the hospital and got mad when he found out Tristan got himself discharged. What the heck is he thinking? How could he get discharged with such severe injuries? This is absolutely ridiculous! ¡°Calm down, Dad! I¡¯ll go deaf if you keep yelling in my ear like this. Look, I got myself discharged because I have some things to take care of. Anyway, I¡¯m fine, so you have nothing to worry about.¡± ¡°What is wrong with you, Tristan? Why didn¡¯t youe home after getting discharged? The housekeepers can help to look after you.¡± William had no idea where Tristan went, so it was only natural that he would get worried. ¡°I have someone looking after me. That¡¯s all you need to know.¡± ¡°What do you mean? Who¡¯s going to look after you? Did you find yourself a girlfriend?¡± William bombarded him with a series of questions in response. Oh, wow¡­ Since when did Dad get so good at guessing? ¡°Yes, I have. My girlfriend will look after me, so you don¡¯t have to worry about me.¡± ¡°What?¡± William had always wanted him to get a girlfriend, so he wasn¡¯t too happy about Tristan keeping it a secret from him. ¡°When did you get yourself a girlfriend, Tristan? Why didn¡¯t you introduce her to me?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll bring her over when the time is right.¡± ¡°Why? You¡¯re not nning on getting her pregnant first, are you? Who is she? Bring her over right now!¡± ¡°Now isn¡¯t the time.¡± I have yet to recover from my injury. I won¡¯t bring Sophie over to meet Dad unless I can guarantee her safety. William narrowed his eyes as he asked, ¡°Are you truly in love with her?¡± He wasn¡¯t sure if Tristan was just making it up. ¡°What do you think?¡± Tristan had never lied to him before. ¡°All right, I get it. You can bring her over when you¡¯ve recovered from your injuries.¡± William was all too familiar with Tristan¡¯s temper. He knew that forcing Tristan would only make things worse, so it was better to let him set the pace instead. Since Tristan had found himself a girlfriend, it was only a matter of time before he would bring her home. Even so, William couldn¡¯t help but wonder what his son¡¯s girlfriend was like. Chapter 492 Chapter 492 ¡°You told your dad that you have a girlfriend?¡± Sophie asked the moment Tristan hung up the phone. ¡°He wanted me toe home, but I don¡¯t feel like going home just yet, so I had to y the girlfriend card. Don¡¯t worry since he won¡¯t do anything to you,¡± Tristan replied confidently with a nod. Sophie fell speechless when she heard that. What? I¡¯m not afraid of him hurting me! I just don¡¯t feel like dealing with this stuff just yet! Noticing the displeased look on Sophie¡¯s face, Arius shot Tristan a fierce re and said, ¡°You¡¯d better handle those family rtionships of yours well, you hear me? If you make Sophie upset, I¡¯ll take her somewhere far, far away! You won¡¯t be able to see her ever again!¡± He couldn¡¯t bear to see Sophie get bullied. ¡°I suggest you leave before I beat you up,¡± Tristan threatened. This is between me and Sophie! He has no right to interfere! Arius waved his fist in the air defiantly as he snapped back at Tristan, ¡°Yeah? With those injuries of yours? I¡¯d like to see you try!¡± Even if he couldn¡¯t defeat Tristan in a fight, he had other ways of getting back at him. ¡°That¡¯s enough, Arius! Didn¡¯t you say you have something to do? You should head on back now!¡± Sophie knew Arius was just trying to help her out, but she believed it wouldn¡¯t be appropriate for him to butt into her rtionship problems with Tristan. ¡°All right, then. I¡¯ll be leaving now. Let me know if he bullies you, okay? I¡¯m a surgeon. I can stab at him a hundred times, and it still wouldn¡¯t count as murder!¡± Tristan shot him an icy-cold re in response, but Arius ignored himpletely and continued chatting with Sophie for a little while longer before leaving. When it was just the two of them in Wisteria Apartments, Tristan gently hugged Sophie from behind and asked, ¡°Are you unhappy because I told my dad I had a girlfriend?¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m not unhappy. I just don¡¯t know how to get along with elderly people,¡± Sophie replied. Although William was Tristan¡¯s father, he was most certainly old enough to be Sophie¡¯s grandfather. ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry about a thing. I¡¯ll take care of things with my family, so no one will give you any trouble.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll bring you over to meet my father once I¡¯m all better.¡± William was the most important person in Tristan¡¯s life, so he really wanted to introduce them to each other. ¡°All right.¡± She couldn¡¯t possibly say no to meeting someone who mattered that much to him, especially since he had always treated Josiah so well. Tristan gently caressed her cheeks as he added, ¡°I¡¯m serious, Sophie. You¡¯re too adorable to be disliked!¡± He believed his father woulde to appreciate her as well. Sophie brushed his hands off and said, ¡°Okay, stop trying to convince me! I promise I¡¯ll go with you!¡± I¡¯m serious about my rtionship with Tristan, and I believe we¡¯ll be able to make it work. I¡¯ll have to meet his family sooner orter anyway. William, on the other hand, was freaking out after hanging up the phone. I can¡¯t believe it! My son has finally found himself a girlfriend! Sarah got curious when she came home and saw William smiling happily to himself. Dad has been rather depressed ever since Tristan got injured. Why is he suddenly so happy today? She walked up to him and asked, ¡°You seem to be in a great mood today, Dad! What happened?¡± ¡°Your brother found himself a girlfriend, Sarah! Why didn¡¯t you tell me about it?¡± William eximed. He had been worried that Tristan would have difficulty finding himself a girlfriend. What? Dad found out about it? Unsure of whether William was just trying to trick her into telling him the truth, Sarah decided to y dumb and asked, ¡°What are you talking about, Dad?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t y dumb with me! Tristan already got discharged by the time I went to visit him at the hospital, but he didn¡¯te home. I gave him a call, and he told me he has a girlfriend! I always thought you¡¯d tell me everything, but it looks like you¡¯re keeping secrets from me too!¡± ¡°I¡¯m not keeping secrets from you, Dad! I only found out about him having a girlfriend recently, and I didn¡¯t know how I should tell you about it.¡± Having served in the military for so many years, William could tell she was lying simply by looking at her. ¡°Nonsense! Anyway, who is that girl? Which family is she from? What is her personality like? Is she worthy of dating Tristan?¡± William believed his children were the most excellent, so he expected them to only date those who were equally excellent. ¡°She¡¯s a decent girl, and I like her very much. Please don¡¯t bully her, okay?¡± William, who always saw himself as easy-going, asked, ¡°What are you talking about? Are you saying I¡¯m a difficult person?¡± ¡°I¡¯m just reminding you, Dad. Tristan likes her to the point where he¡¯s determined to marry her, so you¡¯d better not scare her away!¡± ¡°What do you mean by that, Sarah? Am I really that scary?¡± William eximed in displeasure. What¡¯s the meaning of this? I thought my kids liked me! ¡°I didn¡¯t mean anything else.¡± ¡°Whatever, I¡¯ll let that slide this time. Even your brother has found himself a girlfriend, Sarah. Isn¡¯t it about time you get yourself a boyfriend too? I know you like Juan, but he doesn¡¯t seem to feel the same about you. You¡¯ve been holding on to your feelings for him for so many years now. It¡¯s time to let go and move on.¡± William didn¡¯t want to pressure her as he knew about her feelings for Juan, but he got worried when he saw that she was still single after so long. Sarah did not want to talk about that. ¡°I know what I¡¯m doing, Dad. Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ve already given up on Juan.¡± Having kept at it for so long, she got really tired and decided to give up. ¡°All right. You¡¯re an adult now, so I trust you know what¡¯s best for you. Your mom was the only person in this household you could talk to freely about your problems, so life must¡¯ve been rough for you after she was gone. I may not be able to help you out much, but I do hope you¡¯ll find someone who¡¯ll love and treasure you.¡± As a father, it was only natural for William to care deeply about his daughter. ¡°I know, Dad.¡± Later that night, Sarah brought some food over to Wisteria Apartments. Tristan wasn¡¯t too happy about her showing up uninvited, but Sarah didn¡¯t care. Ysabelle rushed over the moment she heard Sarah was there, which only added to Tristan¡¯s displeasure. Sarah got straight to the point and asked, ¡°Dad already knows about you having a girlfriend, Tristan. When will you bring her over to meet him?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll think about it when I¡¯m all better,¡± Tristan replied. N?vel(D)rama.Org''s content. ¡°What? Does Grandpa know about this? Do you guys think he¡¯ll like Sophie?¡± Ysabelle asked curiously. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter if he likes her or not,¡± Tristan said. Sophie felt a warm sensation in her heart when she saw how protective he was. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Sophie. My dad is a very easygoing person. He knows how much Tristan likes you, so he won¡¯t pick on you or anything,¡± Sarah reassured her. ¡°Okay.¡± After everything she had experienced in life, Sophie no longer felt nervous over such trivial matters. However, she couldn¡¯t help but feel a little concerned about meeting William. After all, Tristan would be put in a difficult spot if things didn¡¯t go well between her and William. Chapter 493 Chapter 493 ¡°Ysabelle, how was the preparation for your album while I was gone?¡± ¡°I was busy taking care of Felix at the hospital, so there are still some outstanding issues. But don¡¯t you worry, Sophie, as I¡¯m now fully focused with Felix out of the hospital.¡± Fundamentally, there weren¡¯t any problems, and they were ready to start promoting it. ¡°Why don¡¯t we celebrate Ysabelle¡¯s new album with a bottle of red wine?¡± Sarah suggested. ¡°Sure!¡± Ysabelle felt that it was a terrific idea. ¡°I¡¯ll go get it.¡± ¡°You gals have really made yourselves at home,¡± Tristanmented. These twodies don¡¯t know their ce at all! How dare theye here and take Sophie from me? Ysabelle then gave Sophie a pitiful look. ¡°Sophie, ever since I have gotten to know you, I have fallen out of favor with Uncle Tristan.¡± Sarah added, ¡°Tristan, don¡¯t behave this way. It saddens us when you do that.¡± ¡°Instead of clinging onto Sophie, the two of you should find someone to fall in love with since you have nothing better to do.¡± Tristan didn¡¯t mince his words at all. ¡°We¡¯re not the kind to ignore Sophie even if we have found the love of our lives.¡± No man was able to come between their friendship. It wasn¡¯t until it was eleven at night that Ysabelle and Sarah said a reluctant goodbye. ¡°Sophie, I¡¯ll get you help if you have trouble taking care of him all by yourself.¡± Sarah was concerned about Sophie overextending herself. ¡°It¡¯s fine. I can manage.¡± All this while, she disliked having outsiders at home. The only reason she epted the cook hired by Tristan previously was that she was sitting for the university entrance exam. Now that she was essentially home all the time, a housekeeper wasn¡¯t necessary. ¡°All right then, I¡¯ll leave it to you. Feel free to call me if you need anything.¡± Given how demanding Tristan was about food, she was genuinely worried that Sophie would fail to cope. ¡°Sophie, don¡¯t push yourself, all right?¡± Ysabelle was equally concerned with Sophie looking increasingly haggard over thest few days. ¡°Okay.¡± It wasn¡¯t until the twodies were out of sight that Tristan was finally happy. When he sat on the couch with no intention of going to bed, Sophie knitted her brows. ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you that you need to be resting more?¡± In fact, I just told him to go upstairs. ¡°I¡¯m fine. I¡¯m not tired at all.¡± Tristan felt his heart ache when he saw how drained she looked. Am I being selfish? There wasn¡¯t a need for me toe here in the first ce. I¡¯m adding to her burden by doing so, as she has to tend to me. ¡°Sophie, I appreciate what you¡¯ve done. You must be exhausted from thest few days.¡± After settling down right beside him, she gently pinched his chin as she replied, ¡°I¡¯m fine. Your recovery is all that matters.¡± ¡°Mmm-hmm.¡± My carelessness this time not only got me grievously wounded but also caused her to worry. Going forward, this will never happen again. ¡°In that case, you should go to bed now.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± As The Wheelers were public figures, they didn¡¯t visit Tristan in the hospital despite learning of his injury. Instead, they came over to Wisteria Apartments once they heard of his return. Since they were Sophie¡¯s friends, Tristan was obliged to entertain them. ¡°Mr. Tristan, how¡¯s your injury?¡± Mark asked curiously. ¡°I¡¯m almost fully recovered. Thanks for asking.¡± As both men were not the chatty type, there was no chance for the conversation to even warm up. Sunny, too, had little to say ever since Mark quit the band. It was even worse for the remaining three as they barely knew Tristan. Fortunately, despite theck of conversation, it didn¡¯t feel awkward at all. Sunny asked, ¡°Sophie, you look tired! Is it too much work for you? If it is, you should hire someone to help you.¡± As a best friend, he naturally cared a lot about her. ¡°I can manage. There¡¯s no need to worry about me.¡± Now that she was home, she managed to rejuvenate after a good night¡¯s sleep the day before. ¡°You¡¯re not cut out to care for someone, so don¡¯t force yourself!¡± At the end of the day, Sophie is still a young girl. Nursing someone back to health should be done by professionals. Mark couldn¡¯t agree more. ¡°I understand, but I¡¯m fine. There¡¯s no need to fret,¡± Sophie replied with a smile before getting up to serve them drinks. However, Sunny¡ªhaving none of it¡ªsprang to his feet to help her. ¡°Just stay where you are. We¡¯ll serve ourselves.¡± It¡¯s not like we hardly know each other. Nevertheless, Sophie still poured five sses of water and had Sunny bring them over. ¡°Mark, how are you coping with the Emerald Gang?¡± Due to how busy she was, Sophie had no time to check in on him. He probably isn¡¯t used to it yet. The mere mention of Emerald Gang gave Mark a headache. Given that it wasmon for gangs to wage turf wars against each other, the Emerald Gang became a target due to him being new¡ªan issue that caused him a lot of grief. In spite of that, this was his responsibility which he didn¡¯t want to trouble Sophie with. ¡°Everything¡¯s going smoothly. There¡¯s nothing to be concerned about.¡± Now that she¡¯s swamped with work, I don¡¯t need her to worry about my affairs. Tristan offered, ¡°Mark, if there¡¯s anything you need, feel free to let me know.¡± He was, after all, well acquainted with many people of the underworld. Nheless, Mark shook his head. ¡°Thanks, but no thanks. This is the path I have chosen, and I will walk it myself.¡± Mark rejected any help that was offered. Since there is no one I can rely on all the time, I need to do this myself. Sophie¡ªcognizant that Mark was upset¡ªrefrained frommenting further. Once Tristan has recovered, I¡¯ll talk to Emerald Gang and Quinton myself. Even though Sunny and the others were clueless about Emerald Gang and its affairs, they still felt the urge to help Mark. ¡°Mark, you have to tell us if we can help you in any way.¡± As they were the best of friends, sharing his burden was the least they could do. ¡°Sophie, why don¡¯t you get Xandra to find them another lead singer? I don¡¯t want the group to break up because of me.¡± He didn¡¯t mind someone else being the lead singer. All that mattered was that the band could still continue ying. Sunny interrupted, ¡°Mark, what are you saying? The Wheelers only have one lead singer¡ªyou! There¡¯s no way we would agree for anyone else to take your ce.¡± His words saddened Mark, for it was he who dered that their band would stay together forever.N?vel(D)rama.Org''s content. And yet, he was the one who ended up leaving. Mark shook his head. ¡°Sunny, can you stop being so stubborn? All of you have a passion for music. It would be a shame to give it up just because I quit. Sophie, help them find a lead singer. I really don¡¯t mind.¡± After all, I was the one who abandoned the band. ¡°Mark, you¡¯re the only lead singer whom we¡¯re willing to ept,¡± the two other members added, reiterating their refusal to ept anyone else. Chapter 494 Chapter 494 Sophie was stumped, as she, too, couldn¡¯t imagine someone else being the lead singer of The Wheelers. Naturally, she figured that the fans shared her sentiments too. After all, many bands were destined to break up once they lost their lead singer. ¡°Mark, there¡¯s no need to be concerned about this yet, as it isn¡¯t something urgent. We can discuss it again sometime down the road.¡± Currently, many fans were devastated by the news, so they might not ept a change in the lead singer of the band, especially since Mark was their favorite and their reason for being fans in the first ce. ¡°Sophie is right. There¡¯s no rush. You should deal with whatever you need to do and not be concerned about us.¡± Since none of us are worried, there¡¯s no reason for him to feel that way. Sunny wanted to wait in case Mark regretted his decision. They were willing to give him all the time he needed and would always be ready to wee him back. ¡°Not that I¡¯m anxious, but the search for a good lead singer will take a long time. Therefore, we have to start the process even if we choose to do it discreetly.¡± Mark¡¯s suggestion had their best interests at heart, for they had sacrificed a lot just to follow him. After going through so much, how can they just give it all up? ¡°I understand. Don¡¯t worry, as long as I¡¯m around, I won¡¯t allow anyone to lose out.¡± Since they were artists under TS Entertainment¡¯s stable, they were naturally her responsibility. ¡°Mark, there¡¯s no need for you to be worried about us. We¡¯re all adults who can take care of ourselves,¡± one of the members added. He was cognizant that no one was at fault, for everyone made their own choices. Hence, it fell upon them to figure out how they were going to move forward. With Tristan yet to fully recover, The Wheelers, not wanting to disrupt his rest, didn¡¯t stay too long. Thus, Sophie escorted them to the door. ¡°Mark, please be careful. Turf wars between gangs can be really intense. They¡¯re willing to go to extreme ends to achieve their goals.¡± Mark was Sophie¡¯s greatest worry now. ¡°You really shouldn¡¯t worry. I can deal with it myself.¡± It¡¯s no problem at all. Sophie felt helpless. ¡°Once things settle down at my end, I¡¯lle to talk to you again.¡± Truth be told, the Emerald Gang was a hot potato in every sense of the word. Whoever took over it would not have any peace. ¡°There¡¯s no need to be concerned on my behalf, as you¡¯re busy enough as it is. Instead, you should focus on your own affairs and take good care of yourself.¡± Mark, due to his feelings for her, felt his heart break when he saw her being overwhelmed. ¡°All right, I got it.¡± Sophie had no intention of rebutting. She couldn¡¯t deny how exhausting taking care of a patient was, but she was at least happy to be able to do something for Tristan. ¡°Sunny, you had better behave for the time being. Now that your hand is healing gradually, there¡¯s no rush to go back to practice.¡± ¡°I understand. There¡¯s no need to fret about me. I¡¯m all grown up now and will learn how to take care of everyone else.¡± He was no longer the same Sunny who always got into trouble. ¡°I¡¯m d to hear that.¡± Sunny has matured a lot. However, Sophie felt mncholic about it, as she had secretly hoped that he remain a carefree boy forever. ¡°All right now. You should go back in.¡± It wasn¡¯t until she watched the elevator doors close that Sophie returned to the house. As for Tristan, he had opened the door to look for her. ¡°They¡¯re gone.¡± ¡°I can see that.¡± ¡°There¡¯s no need to be so concerned about Mark. My men are watching over him, so he¡¯ll be fine.¡± Considering that Mark had never gotten involved in gang wars before, it was understandable for her to worry about him. ¡°Thank you.¡± Sophie felt grateful for Tristan¡¯s attentiveness despite him being grievously wounded. ¡°Why are you being a stranger? Didn¡¯t I tell you that your affairs and friends are my business too? There¡¯s no way I would sit idly by and ignore them.¡± It was evident that Mark wasn¡¯t cut out to lead the Emerald Gang. ¡°I¡¯m currently looking for someone to rece Mark but didn¡¯t manage to find anyone suitable yet.¡± ¡°To take over Emerald Gang?¡± ¡°Mmm-hmm.¡± Mark was truly ill-suited as a gang leader even though he had achieved phenomenal sess in the entertainment industry. As someone who was inherently kind, Mark didn¡¯t have the gumption to lead a gang. Conversely, without a capable leader, the members of Emerald Gang would suffer a terrible fate. ¡°Take your time searching. You¡¯ll find a suitable candidate sooner orter.¡± The matter was time- consuming and couldn¡¯t be rushed. ¡°I know.¡± Consequently, she didn¡¯t feel anxious over it. As long as she could ensure Mark¡¯s safety, everything else could wait. After resting at home for a couple of days, Sophie would¡¯ve continued to stay by Tristan¡¯s side if not for school starting. On that day, she needed to get herself enrolled at the University of Medicine. As Jipsdale University was right next to it, Ysabelle dropped by with the intention of heading to school together. ¡°Sophie, I feel kinda nervous now that school is about to start.¡± Faced with the uncertainty of who she would meet and that of university life, Ysabelle was filled with both anticipation and anxiousness. Published by N?v''elD/rama.Org. Now that her album was about to be released, she would also need to mind her conduct in school as a celebrity. ¡°Don¡¯t fret. Just be yourself and you¡¯ll be fine.¡± As thepany didn¡¯t impose a specific persona on her, there was no risk of having a divergence in her public appearance and her private life. The realization of Sophie¡¯s thoughtfulness caused Ysabelle to give the former a tight hug. ¡°You¡¯ve always been good to me, Sophie.¡± As long as she didn¡¯t do anything controversial, she was free to let her own personality shine. ¡°Ysabelle, you¡¯re not allowed to hug Sophie from now on.¡± Tristan was upset by the sight. ¡°Uncle Tristan, I¡¯m your niece, for goodness sake. Isn¡¯t it ridiculous to be jealous of me? It¡¯s just a hug. What¡¯s the big deal?¡± ¡°No means no. Are you challenging me?¡± Ysabelle responded by throwing Sophie a pitiful look. ¡°Sophie, your boyfriend is bullying me again. Do something about it!¡± Isn¡¯t he too much? Without me, would he have won Sophie¡¯s heart that easily? Do I not deserve a little respect for that? What¡¯s with this tant disy of ungratefulness? Sophie gave Ysabelle¡¯s cheek a pinch. ¡°There, there. Just let it slide since he¡¯s still a patient.¡± Tristan was speechless. Fine. At the very least, she¡¯s taking my side. As for Ysabelle, her temper eased upon Sophie¡¯s efforts to assuage her. ¡°All right. I¡¯ll let him off the hook. Come on, it¡¯s time to go to school now.¡± After all, Sophie will be mine again once we¡¯re at university! Chapter 495 Chapter 495 ¡°Wait, I¡¯ll send both of you there!¡± How can I not be there for their first day of school? ¡°Uncle Tristan, shouldn¡¯t you be resting at home since you have yet to fully recover?¡± What¡¯s he tagging along for? Besides, we¡¯re there to enroll ourselves, and there¡¯s no luggage to carry. ¡°Sophie, with school starting, will you be staying there or what?¡± It was a crucial question for her. ¡°Instead of staying on campus, I¡¯ll find a condominium nearby.¡± As she needed to attend both the University of Medicine and Jipsdale University, it was inconvenient to live far away. ¡°In that case, can I share your unit? Going home just takes up too much time.¡± Now that she was also an artist, going back and forth was too troublesome. ¡°You should get your own ce,¡± Tristan interrupted before Sophie could react. Since bothdies were adults and Sophie was attached, it would be inconvenient for them to be housemates. As a result, Tristan snuffed out the idea right away. ¡°Come on, Uncle Tristan. I want Sophie¡¯spany because I¡¯ll be lonely staying by myself.¡± Why can¡¯t you let me stay with her? I really don¡¯t want to live alone. ¡°Don¡¯t you worry. I¡¯ll behave and not get in your way at all!¡± I¡¯ll hide in my room whenever he¡¯s here. I¡¯m sure that¡¯ll make him happy. ¡°Sophie, I really want to stay together with you, as I¡¯ll definitely be bullied when I¡¯m alone.¡± Ysabelle had no choice but to y the victim card against her uncle¡¯s objection. ¡°Tristan, let her stay with me, please? It¡¯s no big deal.¡± Sophie, wavering from the sight of Ysabelle¡¯s pitiful face, shared the sentiment that staying together allowed them to look after each other. ¡°I¡¯ll be willing to let you stay in the same building but in a different unit.¡± Her presence will definitely get in the way. Despite Ysabelle¡¯s defiance, the look on Tristan¡¯s face stopped her from protesting any further. Thereafter, he drove both of them to Jipsdale University first. The moment they arrived, Christopher Olsen, the university chancellor, gave Sophie a call, worried that she wouldn¡¯t turn up. When the three of them went to the chancellor¡¯s office, they found Christopher waiting for them there. ¡°Sophie, the researchers at Jipsdale University are extremely smart. With your credentials, you¡¯ll have no trouble being epted.¡± Jipsdale University¡¯s research institute was considered a nest for the national research institutes. It was filled with talents who were headhunted by the same institutes upon graduation. ¡°Prior to this, I was worried that you wouldn¡¯te. I understand that saving lives is important, but high-tech research is equally crucial to the nation.¡± Given Sophie¡¯s capabilities, Christopher hoped that she would concentrate her efforts on nuclear research. ¡°Mr. Olsen, don¡¯t worry. Since I have given you my word, I¡¯ll definitely keep it. That said, my goal remains the same¡ªI¡¯m still going to the University of Medicine,¡± Sophie insisted. Her resolute stance elicited a nod of resignation from Christopher. ¡°I understand. I¡¯ll get the dean of the Faculty of Physics to take you there.¡± There¡¯s no point in forcing her now. Once she learns more at the Faculty of Physics, she would naturally be spellbound by the mystery of physics. When that happens, I¡¯m sure she¡¯ll drop the University of Medicine. ¡°It¡¯s fine. I don¡¯t need any special treatment. We¡¯ll find our way there.¡± Having the dean of the Faculty of Physics guide me will attract too much attention. It was important to Sophie to keep a low profile on campus. ¡°Sure. In that case, why don¡¯t get a handsome senior toe and get you?¡± Christopher cracked a joke out of nowhere. Having noticed Tristan by Sophie¡¯s side and guessing they were close, he couldn¡¯t help but tease the former, just to get a kick out of it. No sooner had he spoken than Tristan shot him a murderous re. Nheless, the unfazed Christopher continued to sip his coffee calmly. ¡°Mr. Olsen, thank you for the kind thought, but I¡¯m fine getting there on my own.¡± Sophie proceeded to hold Tristan¡¯s hand to signal that she didn¡¯t need some good-looking senior at all. Their responses triggered a smile from Ysabelle. She was envious of Sophie, who had Tristan fussing over everything rted to her. After emerging from the chancellor¡¯s office, the three of them headed straight for the Faculty of Physics. Due to the expansive campus, they rode there on bicycles provided by the bike share program. Upon their arrival, they noticed that the ce wasn¡¯t crowded. As the top faculty in a premier university, there were few students due to the high entrance requirements.N?vel(D)rama.Org''s content. Furthermore, most of the students were male. The moment a beauty like Sophie stepped onto the premise, all of them ogled at her with glistening eyes. She¡¯s gorgeous! Even the prettiest girl in the faculty pales inparison to her. Unfortunately, their brazen attention made Sophie ufortable, causing her to wonder if there were any consequences for killing a couple of them. After all, these were the future pirs of the nation. ¡°Miss, are you here to enroll in the Faculty of Physics? Let me be your guide!¡± Pretty girls were never short on men picking them up, and Sophie was no exception. The presence of the dashing Tristan didn¡¯t stop them from trying their luck. ¡°Thank you, but I¡¯m fine doing it myself,¡± Sophie declined cordially. ¡°Miss, I¡¯m Jackie Chance, a final-year student. This is my number¡­ If there¡¯s anything you need, feel free to give me a call.¡± Jackie had barely shed her a vibrant smile when his friends pulled him away. ¡°Sophie, this faculty is full of handsome guys!¡± Ysabelle was surprised by the number of hunks she spotted as she had expected to see nerds. Why do I get the feeling that Uncle Tristan is being challenged? ¡°Moreover, all of them seem to like you.¡± Well, they would be fools not to! At that moment, both Sophie¡¯s and Tristan¡¯s moods began to bifurcate. Tristan felt threatened by the thought of Sophie studying in a ce like that, whereas thetter was simply annoyed by the attention. What am I going to do with so many people staring at me? When a group of male students who were in the midst of registering themselves saw her, they made way for her immediately. Watching the treatment orded to Sophie, Ysabelle couldn¡¯t help but beam. Evidently, Sophie is just as popr in university. Everyone loves her! ¡°Are you sure you don¡¯t want to register?¡± Sophie cocked a brow. ¡°Gorgeous, you should do it first, as we¡¯re not in a hurry. Given how hot is, you can hurry back home once you¡¯re done.¡± The guys in the Faculty of Physics certainly knew how to treat a woman well. ¡°I suppose this is your brother. He looks really handsome too!¡± They continued making conversation with ttery. Brother? Is there something wrong with their eyes? ¡°I¡¯m her boyfriend!¡± Tristan staked his im at once. D*mn it, I¡¯m not going to tolerate theming onto her. Chapter 496 Chapter 496 ¡°What? Boyfriend?¡± Obviously, the answer surprised the boys. Published by N?v''elD/rama.Org. ¡°Do pretty girls nowadays prefer older men?¡± This person looks so much older than her. ¡°What did you say?¡± Tristan was so frustrated that he was about to lose his mind. How dare they call me old? Do they have a death wish? ¡°It¡¯s true that you look older than us!¡± The few freshmen from the Faculty of Physics spoke their minds as they weren¡¯t intimidated at all. Tristan was speechless. He really had the urge to murder someone. I wonder what will happen if I kill someone at the Faculty of Physics on the first day of school? Ysabelle was also at a loss for words. Why are they looking at Uncle Tristan like that? He¡¯s way more good-looking than them, even if he¡¯s older! ¡°He¡¯s my type!¡± answered Sophie. The few boys fell silent immediately upon hearing her response. Since the lovelydy had spoken, there was nothing else they could say. However, the beauty and this man are merely dating. If we pray for them to break up sooner, she will belong to the Faculty of Physics. Sophie went to settle her registration. ¡°Name?¡± After seeing the scene just now, the teacher who was in charge of the registration wasn¡¯t too fond of Sophie. She has stolen my status as the prettiest teacher on the first day she came here. ¡°Sophie Tanner!¡± ¡°You¡¯re Sophie Tanner?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right!¡± As soon as she found out Sophie was someone whom the chancellor personally recruited, the teacher didn¡¯t dare to dy any further and immediately helped Sophie with the registration process. Then, the teacher handed Sophie an A4 paper with instructions written on it and a timetable. After settling the admission procedures, Sophie didn¡¯t stay there for much longer. She still had to register herself at the University of Medicine, after all. After exiting the Faculty of Physics, Sophie, Ysabelle, and Tristan went to the Faculty of Finance for Ysabelle¡¯s registration. ¡°It seems like there are downsides to being pretty as well. There are so many people who like you, Sophie. Uncle Tristan, do you feel threatened now?¡± Ysabelle teased. Tristan chose to ignore her. Why are you still spewing nonsense now? ¡°Go register on your own. I¡¯m going to the University of Medicine with Sophie now,¡± he said. Ysabelle was speechless. Well, I shouldn¡¯t have said that! Just then, Felix was done with his work and came to look for Ysabelle. ¡°Finally, I¡¯ve found you guys! What is wrong with the three of you? Why won¡¯t any of you answer your phone?¡± ¡°Why are you here?¡± Ysabelle was shocked to see Felix there. ¡°Of course, I have to be here for your registration!¡± Stop kidding me! There are so many handsome guys at the university. Since today¡¯s the first day of registration, I must dere that Ysabelle is mine! What if someone tries to steal my future wife from me? ¡°Why did youe?¡± ¡°Ysabelle, I¡¯m just worried that someone will bully you, so I came. Why? Am I not allowed to be here?¡± ¡°It¡¯s nothing like that. Let¡¯s go, then!¡± Ysabelle stopped overthinking it. Since Felix is already here, I should stop following Sophie and Tristan. Ysabelle and Felix rode a bike and left. ¡°Wait here for me. I¡¯ll buy you a bottle of water!¡± ¡°Okay.¡± While Sophie was waiting for Tristan to buy her some water, someone approached her. However, the person left after she shot him a nce. She was an impatient person who found it pointless to get into ambiguous rtionships with people she didn¡¯t like. Meanwhile, when Tristan returned, he saw someone approaching Sophie again. There was nothing he could do other than take a deep breath to calm himself. Looks like it can be rather stressful to have a good-looking girlfriend. He returned to Sophie¡¯s side and opened the bottle cap before handing the water to her. ¡°What should I do? I don¡¯t think I want you to attend the university now! There are too many boys who have their eyes on you.¡± Tristan was really bothered by this matter. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, they¡¯re not my type.¡± ¡°What¡¯s your type, then?¡± ¡°Someone like you.¡± That¡¯s why I don¡¯t care about what anyone else is like, as long as I set my mind on him. Upon hearing her reassuring words, Tristan felt as if his bad mood since morning had disappeared. He realized he was someone who was easily contented. All he needed was a few words of affirmation from her for his mood to improve drastically. ¡°Of course, I trust you. I believe our love won¡¯t change because of these trivial matters.¡± We will stay together forever. To be frank, he didn¡¯t want to be so sentimental. However, he would feel emotional asionally. ¡°Let¡¯s head to the University of Medicine now! You can¡¯t stay outside for too long since you are not completely healed. You must head home and rest.¡± After all, Sophie was most worried about his health. ¡°Actually, I¡¯ve almost recovered. You don¡¯t have to worry about me.¡± She had been worried about his health for the past few days, and he didn¡¯t wish to see her so tired. ¡°No, I can¡¯t be careless. You must remember that your body isn¡¯t yours only, but it¡¯s mine, too.¡± Therefore, she would never allow him to neglect his health. ¡°All right, I got it.¡± He actually enjoyed being cared for by her. At least, it meant she really liked him and was concerned about him. ¡°Don¡¯t fall for those young men, understand?¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t I already tell you I only like you? I¡¯m not even remotely interested in other guys.¡± I really didn¡¯t expect Tristan to have such a side to him. They rode their bikes to the entrance, then drove to the University of Medicine in their car. Since they didn¡¯t want to ride a bike anymore, Sophie called the chancellor of the University of Medicine directly. Next, the chancellor called the security guard to inform them about Sophie and Tristan¡¯s arrival. The security guard granted them entry and opened the gates for them to drive into thepound. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect it¡¯s so beneficial to be a high achiever at the university entrance exam,¡± Sophie said jokingly. This is really unexpected. ¡°It¡¯s quite useful.¡± After all, high achievers on the university entrance exam were always highly valued by all academies. Hence, such status was always practical, not to mention when she was the valedictorian. Tristan and Sophie arrived at the chancellor¡¯s office at the University of Medicine. The chancellor greeted them at the door with a grin. ¡°Sophie, you have such good taste. I can guarantee you won¡¯t regret your choice. It¡¯s sacred to treat patients and save lives.¡± The chancellor couldn¡¯t believe that this year¡¯s high achiever would visit the University of Medicine. He heard the chancellors of Jipsdale University and Capston University had visited Sophie themselves. Thus, it was shocking when he found out Sophie had actually applied to the University of Medicine. However, there was nothing odd about it. After all, the University of Medicine was the best university. Although being a doctor was a tiring upation, it could give one a huge sense of aplishment. ¡°The situation is like this, chancellor. I¡¯ll be studying at the Faculty of Physics of Jipsdale University while I study here at the University of Medicine. Would this be a problem for you?¡± ¡°Of course not! Why would it be? You¡¯ll definitely give up on going to the other university after you start studying here.¡± The chancellor was confident in his capability to make talents stay. ¡°If that¡¯s the case, then I will need your help on scheduling my timetable.¡± Of course, I can hack the system and arrange my timetable directly if I want to. But there¡¯s no point in doing so since they¡¯ve promised to help. Chapter 497 Chapter 497 ¡°No problem. Just bring Jipsdale University¡¯s timetable over when the timees. I¡¯ll arrange it for you.¡± ¡°Okay. Thanks for your help.¡± Nheless, she was grateful for the chancellor of the University of Medicine¡¯s support. ¡°You definitely won¡¯t regret it, Sophie. There¡¯s a rumor that International Medical Association will eventually move to Jipsdale. You¡¯ve got a bright future ahead if you can join them.¡± The chancellor had a good point, as joining International Medical Association was every medical student¡¯s dream. ¡°Do you know Professor Gullifer? He¡¯s joined the International Medical Association and is well known in Chanaea now.¡± Words eluded Sophie at the mention of that. She struggled to retain the flow of the conversation and finally parted her lips and said, ¡°Yeah. He¡¯s really something.¡± She could only nod in agreement. Well, Arius is undeniably an impressive person. Sitting beside her, Tristan did not utter a single word throughout the conversation. Although the chancellor had never met Tristan before, thetter¡¯s temperament and aura had caught his attention somehow. ¡°This is¡­¡± As he regained hisposure, he finally noticed Tristan¡¯s presence and recalled that Sophie had yet to introduce the man beside her. ¡°He¡¯s my boyfriend.¡± ¡°I see.¡± The chancellor could tell at a nce that Tristan was not someone ordinary. He was not surprised, though. Since Sophie was a high academic achiever, he believed her boyfriend would be a remarkable man as well. The chancellor continued to give impressive and wise advice. When he noticed Sophie was not interested in those, he finally held his tongue. Deep down, he was excited and couldn¡¯t wait any longer to brag to the others about Sophie joining the University of Medicine. It was understandable as the University of Medicine had never stood a chance of snatching students from Jipsdale University and Capston University in the past. That day, however, they managed to recruit a high achiever for the university entrance exam effortlessly. ¡°Since you don¡¯t have any objections, I shall leave for my registration now. I¡¯ll send you the timetable afterward,¡± Sophie excused herself. ¡°Sure. I¡¯ll walk you out,¡± said the chancellor with a smug grin. The chancellor walked Sophie and Tristan all the way to the registration venue. As the new student whom the chancellor received personally, Sophie made a deep impression on the university teachers. What impressed them the most was none other than the beauty that made her stand out among the crowd, be it the pretty celebrities in the entertainment industry. They could not believe such a pretty youngdy would join the University of Medicine¡ªa stressful ce with no room for one to ck. ¡°Sir, who¡¯s this youngdy? Are you sure she¡¯s not a student from the film academy?¡± one of the university teachers asked. She thought a beauty like Sophie should attend a film school instead of suffering in their university. ¡°This is Sophie Tanner, the high achiever in the university entrance exam. Aren¡¯t you surprised that she¡¯s joining our university? At least I myself never expect that.¡± ¡°So she is Sophie Tanner!¡± The news media did not report much about the high achievers of the university entrance exam that year. The university teachers, however, had heard of Sophie¡¯s name before. She was known to the public as the third daughter of the Tanner Group founder and had a poor reputation long ago. Little did they expect that the youngdy would be one of the high achievers in the university entrance exam that year. How can there be such a vast difference between us? Not only she excels academically, but she also has a stunning look. ¡°In short, please serve her well. All of you will be in trouble if she fails to register today.¡± Since Sophie hade to the door, the chancellor would not let the chance to recruit such a high achiever slip away. Meanwhile, Sophie¡¯s appearance caused a great stir in the university. Students who could enter the University of Medicine would not be someone ipetent. Yet, those high-achieving students lost theirposure when they saw a pretty junior on campus. ¡°D*mn. One look at her makes me want to fall in love.¡± ¡°She¡¯s my goddess. So, stop imagining things and get out of my way!¡± ¡°Honestly, she looks even prettier than my goddess.¡± ¡°Your goddess is as nothingpared to her. Look! Her skin glows without caking on tons of makeup.¡± Tristan, who had been listening to the conversation of the guys next to him, couldn¡¯t help but let out another sigh. The thought of Sophie always getting these guys¡¯ attention no matter where she went made him flustered. Right then, Sophiepleted the registration process and walked to his side. She held his hand directly and interlocked their fingers together, giving him a sense of security. ¡°Let¡¯s go! It¡¯s time for us to head back.¡± Since she had set her mind on Tristan and given him her heart, she would not let other men have thoughts about her anymore. Seeing their goddess and a handsome man sping their hands together, the high-achieving students of the University of Medicine felt their hearts break. ¡°Did you hear that?¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°The sound of heartbreaking.¡± ¡°Yeah! My heart has been shattered without even starting a rtionship with someone. This feeling isn¡¯t good at all.¡± ¡°Sure enough, beauties always belong to someone else. I don¡¯t deserve any of them.¡± When Sophie and Tristan got to the car, she tried to take her hand off, but he tightened his grip and refused to let go. ¡°Maybe I should attend university with you,¡± he suggested. He wanted to stroll around the campus with her, experiencing campus romance with her once. ¡°What? That¡¯s not necessary. Don¡¯t worry. I will learn everything within the shortest time possible,¡± Sophie assured. ¡°There¡¯s no need to be in such a hurry. Pace your studies, or you¡¯ll drain yourself.¡± Although Tristan wished to settle down with Sophie, he couldn¡¯t bear to see her overstraining herself. Besides, learning was supposed to be a process that happened gradually. ¡°I know.¡± Unfortunately, Sophie was a fast learner and had no other choice. It wasn¡¯t until they arrived at Wisteria Apartments that Sophie received a call from Sunny. ¡°Sophie, where are you? Something¡¯s happened to Mark. We are at a loss for what to do now. Come over quickly!¡± said Sunny anxiously. Sophie frowned upon hearing that. ¡°What happened? Calm down, and make things clear.¡± ¡°Emerald Gang is in trouble. Someone is trying to cause a stir. All of us are here right now.¡± In fact, Sunny did not know why he called Sophie at such a critical moment. Sh*t! What¡¯s wrong with me? Isn¡¯t it more dangerous for Sophie toe here alone? Despite that, he felt it would be better to inform Sophie about the matter for some reason. ¡°All right, I got it now. Get Mark to stabilize the situation for the time being. I¡¯ll be there in a short while.¡± As Sophie expected, things would not go smoothly. It wasmon for gangs to fight for their territories, after all. ¡°Mhm. Got it.¡± Sunny instantly felt relieved when he knew Sophie would be there soon. ¡°Why don¡¯t you ask for Mr. Tristan¡¯s help? We should be able to get things solved easily with him around,¡± he suggested. Anyhow, Sophie was a girl. He thought even if she went over, she might not be able topletely solve the problem. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. I¡¯lle over now.¡± Published by N?v''elD/rama.Org. Sophie thought Tristan, who has yet to recover from the injury, should not concern himself with that but leave things to her. Chapter 498 Chapter 498 Sophie went into her room to change after hanging up the phone. Tristan had no idea what had happened since he had been in the shower before this. ¡°What happened? Are you going out now?¡± ¡°Yes. TS Entertainment needs me.¡± ¡°I¡¯lle with you then.¡± After all, Tristan had nothing else to do. He had Sean to look after Lombard Group in his ce. All rights ? N?velDrama.Org. ¡°No. You¡¯ve been keeping mepany for the entire day now. Get some rest. I¡¯ll be back once I¡¯ve taken care of things there. It¡¯s nothing serious, so you don¡¯t have toe along.¡± Tristan kept quiet. ¡°Alright then. You stay home,¡± Sophie said domineeringly. ¡°Are you sure you don¡¯t want me toe? Haven¡¯t I told you? I¡¯m feeling much better already. You don¡¯t have to worry.¡± ¡°Mr. Tristan, I¡¯m the doctor here. I know your body best.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± Tristan knew he was never going to win this argument. Hence, he decided to let it slide. ¡°Drive safe.¡± ¡°Okay. Oh, right, you don¡¯t have to wait for me. I don¡¯t know what time I¡¯ll return. So you can go to bed first.¡± She didn¡¯t know how long it would take her to take care of the issue. That was why she didn¡¯t know what time she would return. Tristan frowned. ¡°What is it about? Is it serious?¡± He thought everything was going well for TS Entertainment. Why would she need to take so long if it¡¯s just a small matter? ¡°Alright, I¡¯ve told you everything¡¯s fine. I¡¯m leaving.¡± She didn¡¯t know how much longer Mark could hold on. Hence, she had to get there as soon as possible. ¡°Okay.¡± Tristan decided to let her be as he sent her off at the door. ¡°Sleep early tonight, okay? I¡¯ll be mad if I see that you¡¯re still awake by the time I return.¡± He needs to take better care of himself. ¡°Okay. Got it. Just go. Call me if you can¡¯t handle it. If you¡¯re worried about my health, you can call Sean.¡± After all, Sean was also quite a big-shot in Jipsdale. He believed that nothing was impossible for him. Sophie slung her arms around his neck and kissed him on the lips. ¡°Okay, got it. I can handle this. Don¡¯t be such a worrywart.¡± With that, she turned around and entered the elevator. Tristan stood by the elevator, feeling a little dejected for he had wanted to tag along. What a shame she wouldn¡¯t let him do that. Emerald Gang. Sunny felt daunted as he stared at the ferocious-looking men before him. He had never faced these kinds of people before. That was why he was overwhelmed with fear. But I can¡¯t back down no matter what since Mark is here. I will stick with him till the end. ¡°Mark, haven¡¯t I told you? You¡¯re not fit to be in a gang. We¡¯re gathered here today because we¡¯ve decided to eradicate Emerald Gang,¡± one of the men spat. ¡°Really? Well, we¡¯ll see about that! Do you seriously think you¡¯re invincible?¡± Mark¡¯s temper red. He couldn¡¯t stand to have his authority challenged even though he hated being the heir to Emerald Gang. He was going to fight back no matter what. ¡°Hehe. Brat, you¡¯re not going to give up till the veryst second, huh? Well then, I¡¯ll show you what my gang is made of.¡± ¡°Get them! Emerald Gang will not exist anymore after today!¡± Sunny was rendered speechless. How could he be so rash and arrogant? ¡°Sunny, you guys should leave first. This has nothing to do with you. You don¡¯t have to get involved in this mess!¡± Sunny and his men had never gotten involved with the underworld before. ¡°Mark, how could we leave you alone in times like these?¡± They were a loyal bunch. ¡°I¡¯m ordering you to leave now. You address me as your leader, but you¡¯re going to ignore what I ask of you now?¡± Mark was genuinely worried for their safety. These men wouldn¡¯t give a da*n about who you are during the fight, and people get injured or killed in fights. What am I going to do if they get hurt? ¡°Mark, we¡¯ve been following your orders all along. But if we were to leave now, we¡¯re not worthy of being called your friends.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. We are part of The Wheelers no matter what. We won¡¯t leave you during troubled times.¡± ¡°We want to stick together no matter what. The worst that can happen is death. It¡¯s no big deal.¡± Mark was at a loss for words. He had nothing more to say to his friends. They were always like that. ¡°I know you guys are loyal. But this isn¡¯t something that can be settled easily with loyalty. You guys should leave.¡± ¡°Leave? No one is leaving today,¡± Harold yelled. ¡°Harold, don¡¯t push your luck. They have nothing to do with this.¡± ¡°Mark, why are you so na?ve? Do you think I¡¯ll let them leave when they¡¯re your friends?¡± Harold chuckled wickedly. Mark clenched his fists tight. Da*n it. I shouldn¡¯t have brought them here. None of these would have happened if he hadn¡¯t brought them along. ¡°Okay, let¡¯s cut to the chase. Will you hand Emerald Gang over to me?¡± Harold had lost his patience. ¡°No way!¡± Mark had a pistol in his hand. He would never give in that easily now that he was the leader of Emerald Gang. The gang belonged to his father. Right then, he was filled with rage ¡°Guess we¡¯re doing this the hard way then. Guys, don¡¯t be shy. Attack!¡± ¡°Protect these four!¡± Mark said to one of his subordinates. Just then, Sophie appeared at the door. Mark almost popped a vein when he saw her. He turned to Sunny. ¡°Sunny, did you call her? Why did you call her over during times like these?¡± Mark didn¡¯t want to put Sophie in danger. After all, she was a girl. ¡°Mark, I called her over because I thought she could handle this. You should know she¡¯s not the girl she once was anymore.¡± In fact, Sophie knew a lot of big-shots. Any one of them could take care of the problem easily. He couldn¡¯t see why he shouldn¡¯t call her over when that was the case. Moreover, Mark had mentioned that Sophie would forever be a part of the Wheelers no matter what. ¡°Yo, what a lovely youngdy. Mark, she¡¯s not your girlfriend, is she? Well, you can have Emerald Gang if you hand me the girl. We can let you off if you do so.¡± Harold had never seen such a pretty young lady before. She looks even prettier than the women I saw on television. ¡°Harold, don¡¯t you darey a finger on her.¡± Mark was enraged. Chapter 499 Chapter 499 He didn¡¯t care who it was but he just would not stand anyone who tried to degrade Sophie. ¡°Boss, look at him. He¡¯s getting all mad,¡± one of Harold¡¯sckeys teased. Harold let out a derisive snort. ¡°Missy, it¡¯s not going to do you any good being together with him. Why don¡¯t you stick to me instead? I¡¯ll be sure to treat you well,¡± Harold said. ¡°What crazy nonsense are you spewing right now?¡± Sunny berated. He regretted calling Sophie over. It was only a matter of getting into a fight if it only involved men. However, things were moreplicated with Sophie being there. She was a girl, and a pretty girl at that. Thus, it was dangerous for her toe to a ce like this. Sophie smiled and shrugged as if she didn¡¯t care. ¡°It seems like you¡¯re quite spirited today. I guess you¡¯re not going back if I don¡¯t y with you for a bit, huh?¡± Sophie retorted. ¡°Ah, you have such a pleasing voice as well. You¡¯re exactly my type, girl. Well, you¡¯re right. I¡¯m going to have fun with you today.¡± ¡°Oh, really? What do you have in mind?¡± Sophie gauged him with a fearless look on her face. Who the hell do you think you are? You¡¯re gonna y with me huh? ¡°How else can a woman and a man y? Get in bed and I¡¯ll teach you a thing or two,¡± Harold said with a lecherous smile. The members of The Wheelers found his lewd smile off-putting. They could put up with a myriad of things, but they could never tolerate any men looking at Sophie like that. ¡°It seems we¡¯re going to spill some blood today,¡± Sunny dered. However, before he did anything, Sophie had already sent Harold flying with a kick. ¡°You should be honored.¡± Sophie would not let anyone bully The Wheelers, not especially when she was around. Harold was infamous for being a huge bully. Therefore, he did not expect to be sent flying by a girl¡¯s kick. ¡°Boss, are you all right?¡± Harold¡¯sckeys immediately helped him to his feet. He was so furious that his veins popped. The girl may seem harmless and weak, but the kick in his stomach really hurt. It was so painful that Harold could not even stand straight. Tension hung in the air after Harold was kicked. Both parties even had their guns out. ¡°Sophie. Come over here.¡± Is Mark worried that this Harold guy is going to take advantage of me? Meanwhile, Mark pointed his gun at Harold and gestured for Sophie to make her way over. ¡°Don¡¯t get all worked up. They have only a few people here. Are you worried that we can¡¯t deal with these small fries?¡± Sophie said bluntly. She had faced far more formidable opponents. They were just a few hooligans, nothing to be afraid of. ¡°You¡ª¡± If Harold had not taken Sophie seriously before, he was starting to see her as a threat following the kick in his stomach. ¡°Why? Are you thinking of having a match with me? If you don¡¯t fancy the idea, get the hell out of here,¡± Sophie warned. ¡°Boss, she¡¯s too much! I¡¯m going to teach her a lesson right now!¡± Harold¡¯sckey could no longer put up with Sophie¡¯s attitude. How could she bully our boss like this? We¡¯re going to lose our ground if word of this gets out on the streets. When hisckey was about to fire, Mark grew even more anxious. ¡°Sophie, please. Come over here right now,¡± he pleaded. It was a real gun, and a shot could really kill. ¡°Sophie, don¡¯t get all worked up because of them. Hurry up ande over here,¡± Sunny added. He was getting worried as well. These hooligans were not afraid of dying. Why is she giving a crap about them? ¡°I told you guys not to worry.¡± Sophie knew that the guys were worried about her. However, those hooligans were nothing to be afraid of. ¡°D*mn it! Boss, she¡¯s really too arrogant! How are we going to show our face in the future if we don¡¯t put her in her ce?¡± Theckey lunged right at Sophie after that. He was not going to let this golden opportunity to showcase himself slip by. As long as he avenged Harold, thetter would surely back him up in the future. However, before he could eveny a finger on Sophie, she had already sent him flying with another kick. The kick was more powerful than the one she gave Harold. Theckey couldn¡¯t even get up from the ground. He widened his eyes in disbelief at the woman before him. ¡°Boss, it hurts so much!¡± Harold didn¡¯t even dare to make a sound. ¡°Do you want to see who has better marksmanship now? We can begin now if that¡¯s what you want,¡± Sophie said as she snatched over a gun. Her movement was so swift that they didn¡¯t even realize what happened when the gun was already in her hands. Then, she fired a shot at the most vocalckey. She shot precisely where it would hurt the most. He wouldn¡¯t die, but he would live to suffer every moment of the excruciating pain. Theckey convulsed in pain on the ground. Everyone was rendered speechless at the shocking turn of events. Is this really the Sophie we know? Even the hooligans who were used to such violent exchanges were baffled. She was truly a ruthless woman with few words. They all thought she embodied the spirit of Emerald Gang perfectly. Sophie eyed the others and asked, ¡°Who wants to get a taste of this too?¡± She was not a violent person, but she would not stand for anyone bullying her friends. ¡°I¡¯m going to give you guys one minute to get the hell out of my face. Otherwise, don¡¯t me me for not showing mercy.¡± Then, she took out her phone and started a countdown timer. The otherckeys dared not tempt their fate and scurried off, leaving their injured friends behind. Their turf was important, but nothing was more important than their lives. What good was the turf if they¡¯d all lost their lives? ¡°Boss, are you abandoning me?¡± ¡°Boss, I¡¯m still here!¡± The other twockeys who were injuredy on the ground, immobilized from the pain. They still couldn¡¯t get themselves up and had to crawl their way out of there. ¡°Bring your trash with you. We¡¯re not going to clean up after you,¡± Sophie said. She didn¡¯t know the lengths she would have to go to get rid of those hooligans. Harold sent four men to carry the two injuredckeys back. With that, the problem was solved. The four members of The Wheelers were dumbfounded at how things turned out in the end. They really did not expect that the matter would be resolved so easily. Sunny didn¡¯t even know why he called Sophie. Moreover, he didn¡¯t expect her to solve the problem all on her own. Sophie approached Mark and said, ¡°Mark, didn¡¯t I tell you that you¡¯re really not suited to be in a gang? One needs to be vicious and ruthless to lead a gang, and you¡¯re not carved out to be one of those. Not now, not ever.¡± All rights ? N?velDrama.Org. Mark was at a loss for words. Of course, he knew that he was not suited to lead a gang. However, there was no one else. Emerald Gang was his father¡¯s legacy. If he left it all behind, how would he protect the Wheeler family? Mark knew he had to hang in there to protect everyone, even if he was not suited for the role. ¡°Mark, I think that Sophie¡¯s right. You¡¯re really not suited to be in a gang.¡± Chapter 500 Chapter 500 Even members of Emerald Gang agreed with Sophie. It was true that Emerald Gang was established by Quinton. However, as his son simply wasn¡¯t suited to lead the gang, the members did not want Mark to lead them. That was because their futures would not be guaranteed with a gang leader who was not capable. Human beings were all afraid to die, and they were no exception. ¡°All right. You guys should leave first. You shouldn¡¯t be here. Don¡¯t let the paparazzi take photos of you being here with Emerald Gang.¡± They still had a long journey ahead of them, and Mark did not want them to give up on music because of him. ¡°Mark, we really care about you. Since you are not suited to lead a gang, you shouldn¡¯t force it. You¡¯re not indispensable in a huge organization like Emerald Gang, right?¡± It just did not make sense for him to continue doing that. ¡°You guys are not me, so don¡¯t make decisions on my behalf. All right. I don¡¯t want to talk about it anymore. You guys should really leave now.¡± Mark had already made his decision. If that was the case, they should not try to change his mind. ¡°Mark, are you chasing us away now?¡± Sunny looked at Mark in disbelief. Aren¡¯t we best buddies? We can¡¯t even speak our minds now? Although Mark felt bad seeing Sunny like that, he kept a poker face and remained cold. ¡°Sophie, please take them away. You guys shouldn¡¯t be here,¡± Mark said firmly. Everything that needed to be said had already been said. Sophie nced at Mark and asked directly, ¡°Are you sure about this? Are you cutting all ties with us now?¡± Mark was struggling internally. However, he had to set clear boundaries for their sake. ¡°That¡¯s right. I¡¯m cutting ties with all of you now. From today onward, let¡¯s go our separate ways and not cross paths ever again.¡± ¡°Mark, how can you do that? Didn¡¯t you say we have to stay together? Even if you are facing difficulties, we can deal with them together.¡± How could he say such things easily! ¡°Mark, don¡¯t act rashly. No matter what it is, let¡¯s face it together.¡± It was too dangerous for him to be here alone. After all, something simr was likely to happen again next time. ¡°That¡¯s enough. Please leave now. Otherwise, don¡¯t me me for not showing any mercy.¡± Mark pointed a gun at them. Sophie and Sunny were speechless when they saw that. ¡°Mark!¡± Sunny was just not able toprehend what was going on. Even if they were not seeing eye to eye, Mark should not be behaving in that manner. He¡¯s making me so sad. ¡°Sophie, let¡¯s go.¡± Sunny was really hurt. He had never expected things to turn out that way. Sophie nodded before saying to Mark, ¡°Mark, don¡¯t think too much. We will leave now.¡± She knew that Mark did not feel good either. However, Sophie did not approve of Mark¡¯s behavior. After all, they were such good friends, and they were only speaking the truth. There was no need for him to act that way. With that, Sophie and the other members of the band left. As Mark looked at their departing figures, he felt an excruciating pain in his heart. How did things turn out this way? He was already regretting it. Nevertheless, there was no point regretting it since there was nothing he could do about the situation. ¡°Mark, actually, they are right. Emerald Gang is not for you. It would be too dangerous for the gang if you continue staying here.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. We have to consider this again.¡± Mark was indeed not suitable to be there. ¡°Everyone, please don¡¯t worry! I will work hard to ensure the sess of Emerald Gang.¡± No one was born ready for anything. As long as it was something Mark set his mind on, he would definitely do it well. ¡°Mark, some things are inborn. You¡¯re just not cut out for this. On the other hand, I think the girl who was here just now would be a suitable person for the job.¡± That powerful presence was exactly what they needed. ¡°Don¡¯t get any ideas about her. She has got nothing to do with Emerald Gang.¡± In fact, that was Mark¡¯s greatest worry. No matter how capable Sophie was, she was still an ordinary girl. She should not be dragged into things like that. ¡°Mark, she¡¯s really a good candidate for this.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve already told you not to get any ideas about her.¡± Published by N?v''elD/rama.Org. So what if she¡¯s suitable? She belongs to the stage, but hasn¡¯t she also left the stage? Mark loved Sophie so much and only hoped that she would be able to live the life she wanted. He did not want anyone to interfere with her life. No matter what he said, the others were already certain that Sophie was the best person to lead Emerald Gang. As such, it was their wish for the girl to manage the gang. Even though they had stopped bringing up the matter in front of Mark, they went to look for Quinton and told him everything that happened that day. ¡°Boss, no matter what, we watched Mark grow up and know his character well. He¡¯s really not the right person to lead Emerald Gang.¡± In fact, they were aware all along that Mark was not suited for Emerald Gang. However, no one said anything out of respect for Quinton. But after what happened that day, they had no choice but to speak about it. After all, it was a problem that had to be solved. Quinton looked at his men who had been with him for over twenty years. Indeed, they still ended up speaking their thoughts. ¡°What does that mean? I was the one who established Emerald Gang. I¡¯ve built it up single-handedly, and it¡¯s my decision to let Mark take over the organization. Are you guys doubting my decision now?¡± Quinton spoke in such a low andmanding voice that no one dared to speak any further. However, for the sake of Emerald Gang¡¯s future, they could not back down at such a crucial moment. ¡°Boss, we have listened to you all the time, but as this concerns our future, we have to take it seriously.¡± Quinton was at a loss for words. In fact, he knew that Mark was not a suitable candidate. However, other than him, there was no one else. ¡°Boss, we think Sophie is not bad. She¡¯s the girl who came here to challenge usst time.¡± ¡°You¡¯re willing to let a girl be your leader?¡± In fact, Quinton knew that Sophie was a perfect candidate for the role and hoped that she could join them. ¡°Yup. We only care about abilities. It does not matter if our leader is a man or a woman.¡± After all, men and women are equal in the modern day.¡± Quinton did not reply. ¡°Boss, I think you should give it some serious consideration.¡± Quinton remained silent for a moment before saying, ¡°All right. I got it. You guys can leave first.¡± After they left, Quinton rang Mark at once and told him toe over. When Mark received his father¡¯s call, he arrived soon after. Quinton let out a sigh when he saw Mark. ¡°Are things not possible between you and Sophie?¡± It would be much easier if Sophie became his daughter-inw. Chapter 501 Chapter 501 Upon hearing the same question from his father again, Mark understood that the matters of that day had reached the older man. ¡°Dad, she and I can never be,¡± he replied. Of course, he was distraught by that fact, but there was nothing else he could do. ¡°Does she not like you, or do you not like her?¡± Quinton felt it was such a shame. After all, he was really fond of a girl like Sophie. ¡°Don¡¯t ask about it anymore, Dad. All you need to know is that it¡¯s not going to happen. Also, don¡¯t do anything to Sophie,¡± Mark stated. ¡°You like her a lot,¡± Quinton pointed out immediately. ¡°So, she doesn¡¯t like you. Am I right?¡± Does she not have any taste? It¡¯s my son we¡¯re talking about! Mark was bereft of words. Did he really have to say it out loud? What¡¯s the point of doing that? ¡°All right. I understand what¡¯s going on now.¡± Quinton narrowed his eyes as an idea formed in his mind. Since my boy likes her, I¡¯ll make sure he gets what he wants. She¡¯s a woman, anyway! All he has to do is get her in bed, and she¡¯ll be utterly biddable. Having been involved in the underworld for a long time, he clearly had many tricks up his sleeve and was determined to help his son. Yet, Mark had no idea what his father was plotting. All he had on his mind then was the way his band members looked when they left earlier. I must¡¯ve really hurt them this time. Maybe they won¡¯te back and see me anymore. Meanwhile, Sophie had already brought Sunny and the others back to the mansion. The four band members had not uttered a word ever since returning. Whatever had just happened dealt a huge blow to them, after all. Even when Mark said he wanted to leave, they did not despair as much. Never had they expected The Wheelers to end up in such a state. Sunny, especially, was unable to ept such an oue, but there was nothing he could do to salvage the situation. ¡°All right now. Let¡¯s not overthink the matter. Mark just didn¡¯t want to drag anyone else down.¡± Although Sophie was furious, she could truly still understand Mark. ¡°Don¡¯t you think Mark has changed, Sophie?¡± Sunny asked. He had never envisioned their leader pointing a gun at them and saying such things. Sophie advised, ¡°You have to trust him, Sunny. He really just doesn¡¯t want to get you guys in trouble. Okay, that¡¯s enough. Get some rest. I¡¯ll take care of all this.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think you should see him anymore, Soph. If he wants nothing to do with us, then so be it. I¡¯ll pack up and return to Horington in a few days.¡± Since The Wheelers had fallen apart, there was no point in him staying. I may as well go home now so that I don¡¯t have to see everyone looking so sad. ¡°It¡¯s okay if you¡¯re just thinking of making a trip back, Sunny. But if you¡¯re trying to run away, I won¡¯t allow it,¡± Sophie uttered. No matter what, he has to learn to deal with these problems. Sunny voiced, ¡°There¡¯s a lot of things I don¡¯t actually want to do, Sophie. I just can¡¯t ept what¡¯s happening.¡± I need lots of time now. What¡¯s the future going to be like? I can¡¯t be sure anymore. I don¡¯t even know if I¡¯lle back. ¡°Don¡¯t do anything rash, Sunny. We¡¯re all still part of TS Entertainment. How would Sophie face our fans if we left?¡± one of the band members urged. ¡°He¡¯s right. Sophie founded thepany for us. How could we leave without a word?¡± another chimed in. ¡°Then what do you propose we do? Are we going to keep staying here like this? What would be of us in the future?¡± Sunny retorted. What value do we have now that it¡¯s over for The Wheelers? ¡°Sunny!¡± the other members eximed. What¡¯s the point of throwing a fit now? Isn¡¯t solving this issue what matters the most now? We¡¯ve been buddies all these years, so shouldn¡¯t he know what Mark is like? Sunny could do nothing but gaze at Sophie in silence, for he did not know what else to say. ¡°Calm down, Sunny. Everything¡¯s going to be fine. I¡¯m sure Mark also feels awful about what happened today,¡± she said. ¡°I¡¯m tired. I¡¯ll go get some rest,¡± the young man responded after a pause, refusing to say anything further. He had already tried his best to talk himself into being understanding of Mark. s, not everything was possible despite one¡¯s efforts. The remaining three band members could only shake their heads at how despondent Sunny was. ¡°What should we do now, Sophie?¡± They were utterly at a loss. ¡°There¡¯s no need to think about that. Just keep doing whatever you¡¯re supposed to. I¡¯ll take care of Mark,¡± Sophie replied. They only had to look after themselves at that point. ¡°Okay.¡± ¡°Look out for Sunny too. He¡¯s not in the best state now,¡± she exhorted. We can¡¯t let anything happen to Sunny right now. ¡°Okay. Don¡¯t worry about it! Sunny will be just fine with us around. You only need to focus on Mark.¡± Their leader was in a perilous state at the moment. He could even lose his life at any given time. ¡°Okay. I¡¯ll be heading back now,¡± Sophie uttered. With that, she headed straight back to Wisteria Apartments. The moment she opened the front door to her unit and walked into the living room, she found Tristan still waiting for her there. The man did not go to bed as she had requested. Sophie took a deep breath topose herself. ¡°You¡¯re back. How¡¯s everything going with TS Entertainment?¡± Tristan rose to his feet and walked in her direction. ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you to get some rest? Do you ever listen to a word I say?¡± she questioned. Despite her best efforts at controlling her emotions, the words that came out of her mouth still carried a very interrogative tone. He stilled briefly, having not expected her to talk to him like that right after her return. ¡°I just had some things to take care of, Sophie. What¡¯s wrong? Have the problems not been addressed?¡± he asked. Sophie did not know how to respond upon seeing the man¡¯s expression. Instead of speaking, she bit her lip. Noticing her reaction, Tristan stood before her and hugged her gently. ¡°What happened?¡± he inquired in a soft voice. Sophie instantly felt horrible about herself. How could Ish out at him like that? It¡¯s not like he did anything wrong. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I shouldn¡¯t have said that,¡± she uttered. Tristan held her by the chin. ¡°Don¡¯t apologize to me. Tell me what on earth happened. That¡¯s all I want to know.¡± Nothing else really mattered to him. ¡°Nothing much. The truth is, I wasn¡¯t at TS Entertainment. There were some issues with Mark and the band, so I had to head over to take care of things.¡± Realization dawned on Tristan at the mention of Mark. He knew how deep the bond was between Sophie and The Wheelers. ¡°You¡¯re not hurt, are you?¡± he then asked. Still, given how brutal gang members could be with their guns and knives, he was worried about nothing else but her. Sophie replied, ¡°I¡¯m fine. It¡¯s just that¡­ I am at a loss to know how to deal with this issue!¡± Published by N?v''elD/rama.Org. Chapter 502 Chapter 502 Mark really isn¡¯t cut out for Emerald Gang, but how should I solve this problem? ¡°Don¡¯t worry; we¡¯ll take our time to sort this out. There¡¯s no problem in this world that cannot be solved. It¡¯s all just a matter of time!¡± Tristan cooed. I lost my temper andshed out at him, yet he¡¯s still trying to help me solve my problems. He¡¯s such a sweet guy! With that in mind, Sophie hugged him tightly and said, ¡°It¡¯s terrible of me to behave like this. I¡¯ll try to keep my emotions in check.¡± Yeah, he¡¯s right. There is no such thing as an unsolvable problem. Even if there is, a solution will eventually be found over time. ¡°You¡¯re doing a great job as is. After all, this is a ratherplex problem,¡± Tristan replied. He did not want her to put so much pressure on herself. ¡°Yeah, you¡¯re right. You need to listen to me, too, okay? I want you to recover as soon as possible!¡± He¡¯s been the one looking after me all this while. ¡°Sure, I¡¯ll do anything you say. I¡¯m definitely going to be a good boy!¡± Sophie let out a chuckle when she heard his words. ¡°Okay!¡± she chirped. I really shouldn¡¯t have snapped at him. The following day, Morgan gave her a call early in the morning, expressing his wish to have her drop by. Sophie agreed to it without any hesitation. Tristan, who had also woken up, decided to go with her upon learning about it. ¡°I¡¯ll apany you. I haven¡¯t seen Old Mr. Tanner in a few days now, so I kind of miss him,¡± he said. ¡°Sure.¡± She was exceptionally easygoing that day aftershing out at him the day before. Charmaine and Willow were home when the two of them arrived at the Tanner residence. At the sight of Sophie¡¯s arrival, the former simply greeted her before continuing with her chores. However, Willow did not even bother to look at Sophie. As of then, she had given up on trying to sabotage her. All she could do was secretly hope for Sophie to someday hit a snag and break up with Tristan. Still, Willow could not stop herself from stealing nces at Tristan. Not only did his facial features look incredibly aesthetic, but he also looked perfect from every angle. On top of having a handsome face, he also had a lot of money and power at his disposal. Willow kept telling herself that Tristan only chose Sophie because he had a bad taste in women. That was her only way offorting herself. Josiah came running over the moment he saw the duo. ¡°How are things at Tanner Grouptely, Soph? I haven¡¯t been there in quite a while. Is everything okay?¡± he asked in concern. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Grandpa. Nothing will go wrong with Victor around,¡± Sophie replied. Moreover, Victor would report any and all updates to her, so she had no reason to worry. ¡°Yes, Victor is indeed quite capable,¡± Josiah concurred. ¡°Grandpa, as capable as Victor may be, he¡¯s not a Tanner. I don¡¯t think it¡¯s appropriate to put him in charge of Tanner Group. If Sophie is too busy to manage thepany, I think I could try managing it instead. Don¡¯t forget that I¡¯m your granddaughter too! I just want to be a part of Tanner Group. That¡¯s not too much to ask, is it?¡± Willow piped up. I¡¯m a member of the Tanner family, yet, I don¡¯t hold a single position in Tanner Group! This is uneptable! I¡¯ve lost yton, but it doesn¡¯t mean I can¡¯t rely on myself! I¡¯m just as good as Sophie, if not better! I can do anything that she can do! ¡°I think you should let Wi give it a try, Dad,¡± Charmaine quickly chimed in. Josiah frowned as he gave it some thought. Willow was not cut out for business, so he had never considered her a potential candidate. ¡°All I want is a position in thepany, Grandpa. Is that too much to ask? Am I not a part of the Tanner family?¡± At once, Willow questioned him, displeasure welling up within her. Because a lot of people in Jipsdale knew about her engagement with yton, most of them remembered her as his fianc¨¦e. After he got locked up in prison, however, she became theughingstock of the city. Many mocked her for overestimating herself and said she had iting. Willow swore to make all of them pay for making fun of her like that. ¡°You¡¯re not cut out to manage apany, Willow,¡± Josiah replied in a straightforward manner. ¡°Why are you being so unfair, Grandpa?¡± Willow whined. She had a hand pressed against her chest, finding herself suffocating a little from her anger and frustration. Unsure of what to say to her, the elderly man simply shook his head in response. Published by N?v''elD/rama.Org. ¡°Are you done, Willow? I¡¯m the one in charge of thepany right now, so bothering Grandpa won¡¯t do you any good,¡± Sophie remarked. ¡°You¡­¡± Willow was stumped for words. ¡°You¡¯re not getting in as long as I don¡¯t want to let you in.¡± In other words, Sophie implied that it was pointless for her to pester Josiah. ¡°You¡¯ve gone too far, Sophie!¡± ¡°Yeah? And what are you going to do about it, huh? You can¡¯t do anything!¡± ¡°You¡­¡± Willow wanted nothing more than to strangle Sophie to death. However, she knew she could not do anything rash with Tristan standing right next to her. Despite the hatred and fury bubbling up inside her, she had to rein them back. ¡°You can¡¯t treat Wi like this, Soph! She¡¯s your sister! You should give her a position that allows her to receive some training!¡± Charmaine reprimanded. After all, Willow was her dearest daughter, whom she had pampered for years. Hence, she could not possibly bring herself to leave her be. ¡°You will all receive your fair share of money as long as you behave yourselves. If you try anything funny, however, I will not hesitate to take action against you,¡± Sophie replied, not mincing her words. She could not be bothered to exin any further. That was how the situation was. ¡°How could you say such a thing, Soph? Regardless of what happens, we¡¯re still family! Why must you treat us like this?¡± Charmaine protested. Sophie simply kept quiet as she did not feel like arguing with them. I will make all decisions as I see fit. It has nothing to do with other people, and I don¡¯t need them to understand the reasons behind my decisions. ¡°Since Old Mr. Tanner has handed Tanner Group over to Sophie, thepany now belongs to her. She can make any and all arrangements as she desires,¡± Tristan said tly. He could not stand how Charmaine and Willow would constantly try to cause problems for Sophie. It looks like they haven¡¯t learned their lesson. I¡¯ll have to punish them again when I have the chance! Willow shot Tristan a nce in response. Forget it. With him around, I¡¯ll never be able to get anything out of this exchange. At that thought, she had no choice but to turn around and leave. Charmaine, on the other hand, lost her temper and snapped at him, ¡°I don¡¯t think you¡¯re in a position to get involved in our family¡¯s affairs, Mr. Tristan!¡± ¡°I won¡¯t sit by and do nothing as long as Sophie is involved,¡± Tristan replied calmly. She knew he was certainly capable of delivering on his promises, so she stormed off angrily as well. It pleased Sophie greatly to see that only the three of them were left in the living room. ¡°Grandpa, if you ever struggle with rejecting their requests, just direct them to me. Don¡¯t worry; they won¡¯t dare to pester me,¡± she uttered. Josiah replied, ¡°Soph, I know you don¡¯t like returning to this house because of how much the people here have disappointed you.¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine, Grandpa. You don¡¯t have to worry about that at all,¡± Sophie reassured him. There was nothing she could not handle, so she had no issues withing back to visit him. ¡°Thank you so much, Soph. I asked you toe over because I missed you, that¡¯s all,¡± he said. ¡°Yeah, I know.¡± Sophie was not a chatterbox, but she would alwayse home on time whenever he asked her to. Josiah gave her a pat on the shoulder as he said, ¡°You¡¯ve enrolled in university, right? You chose the two most difficult majors avable, so things are only going to get tougher from here on.¡± Although it pained him to see her working so hard, he still decided to support all of her decisions. Chapter 503 Chapter 503 ¡°It¡¯s all right!¡± Sophie responded. I made that choice myself, so I will follow through with it no matter how hard it gets. All rights ? N?velDrama.Org. ¡°That¡¯s good to hear! Remember, I will always support you no matter what you do,¡± Josiah replied. He felt incredibly proud to have a granddaughter as strong and capable as Sophie. Although he did not know how much time he had left to live, he was determined to use the rest of it to support her fully. ¡°Grandpa, if living here makes you unhappy, then why don¡¯t youe to live with me instead?¡± Sophie asked as she helped Josiah over to the couch. She did not understand why he insisted on staying there when he had the option to move out. The elderly man shook his head. ¡°I will never give up on this household, no matter what.¡± I can¡¯t possibly run away from my responsibilities, especially when my days are numbered. Besides, I¡¯m partly responsible for the way this household turned out, so I need to manage it myself. I mustn¡¯t burden Soph any further! ¡°I know what you mean, but there are things that you simply can¡¯t force,¡± she coaxed. Not everyone will gratefully repay the kindness they receive. There are people who will always me others if things don¡¯t work in their favor. ¡°All right. I¡¯ll take your advice into consideration. By the way, Tanny, how is your recovery going?¡± Josiah then voiced. He felt bad for not visiting Tristan after finding out about his injury. ¡°I¡¯m mostly healed now, Old Mr. Tanner. It¡¯s nothing to worry about,¡± Tristan replied as he walked up to the elderly man. ¡°I didn¡¯t manage to pay you a visit. You¡¯re not mad at me, are you?¡± In truth, Josiah was not particrly busy with anything. He merely did not go to the hospital because he was not feeling well. ¡°What are you saying, Old Mr. Tanner? I would never be mad at you! It¡¯s just a minor injury, and I¡¯m mostly healed now.¡± ¡°I¡¯m d to hear that. You have to be more careful from now on, okay? Bear in mind that you¡¯re not single anymore; you have Sophie to look after. She would be distressed if anything were to happen to you.¡± It wasn¡¯t easy for my dear granddaughter to open up to him and ept his love. Thus, he has to be safe and sound. Tristan held Sophie¡¯s hand as he replied, ¡°I will, Old Mr. Tanner. I promise to be more careful from now on.¡± He had learned to value his well-being more ever since he got together with Sophie. After all, his life no longer belonged to him alone. It was also hers. Josiah was gratified to see the two of them being so affectionate with each other. He believed that Sophie would know what was best for her. Besides, Tristan had never let them down even once. ¡°I just hope I¡¯ll be able to see you two get married,¡± Josiahmented in a mncholy manner. I know my condition best. Most of my internal organs aren¡¯t functioning well after that major surgery I had, so who knows how much longer I have to live? Even so, I don¡¯t want to worry Soph by telling her about this. I just hope that she¡¯ll be able to handle everything on her own after I¡¯m gone. With that in mind, he said, ¡°Soph, I need you to go upstairs and fetch me something.¡± Josiah purposely made Sophie leave so that he and Tristan were the only ones in the living room. ¡°Old Mr. Tanner, are you feeling unwelltely?¡± Tristan asked, finding the elderly man¡¯s behavior odd beyond words. ¡°Tanny, you have to take good care of Sophie after I die. Do you hear me?¡± Josiah said. Tristan was at a loss for words. I knew it! Old Mr. Tanner really is having some issues with his health! He means the world to Sophie, so she¡¯ll definitely be devastated if he dies! ¡°Don¡¯t overthink it, Old Mr. Tanner. You should go see a doctor if you¡¯re feeling unwell,¡± Tristan reassured him. Given how advanced the medical field is nowadays, there has to be a way to treat his condition, so he shouldn¡¯t be so pessimistic about it. ¡°There¡¯s nothing wrong with my health, so that won¡¯t be necessary. I just need you to promise me you¡¯ll look after Sophie.¡± Once again, Josiah expressed his wish to entrust Sophie to Tristan. He hoped that the younger man would not let him down. ¡°Old Mr. Tanner, rest assured that I won¡¯t let anyone bully Sophie as long as I¡¯m around,¡± Tristan dered. ¡°Mmh,¡± Josiah responded with a single word. It wasmon for people his age to dwell upon something endlessly. There was no way they could get it off their minds. Ever since they left the Tanner residence, Sophie had been thinking about arranging for Josiah to make a trip to the hospital. Noticing that she was distracted, Tristan held her hand and asked, ¡°What¡¯s on your mind?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you think my grandpa acted very strangely today?¡± ¡°It¡¯s normal for the elderly to behave in that way. You know that he adores you the most, so there¡¯s nothing strange about him asking you to visit him,¡± was all Tristan could say, for he did not want to upset her. ¡°Is that so? Could I be overthinking it? Oh, well¡­ I sure hope so¡­¡± Sophie knew it wasmon for old people to have health issues but found it hard to shake off her concern about Josiah¡¯s well-being as he meant the world to her. On that day, Ysabelle was holding a press conference for the release of her new album. Sophie had promised to be there, so she and Tristan headed to the press conference together. Ysabelle had just finished changing and applying her makeup when the two of them arrived. Felix was holding her bag in one hand and a thermos sk in the other. ¡°I told you to stay hydrated, didn¡¯t I? Do you have any idea how important it is to take good care of your throat as a singer? Here, drink some more water!¡± The man nagged at her as a mother would. Ysabelle was rendered speechless by his behavior. ¡°Felix, it¡¯s just a press conference. You don¡¯t have to be so nervous about it,¡± she said in the end. ¡°I¡¯m not nervous at all! Why would I even be nervous?¡± That amused her. How can he bring himself to im that he isn¡¯t nervous? ¡°Thank you for staying by my side all this while, Felix,¡± Ysabelle said, sounding like a mature adult all of a sudden. Felix froze for a good few seconds before replying, ¡°I¡¯m not used to you being so nice to me all of a sudden, Ysabelle.¡± Again, she could note up with a response. Yup, he¡¯s definitely a masochist! At the sight of Sophie walking toward them, Ysabelle rose to her feet. ¡°Sophie! You¡¯re finally here! I was starting to think you wouldn¡¯te!¡± she eximed. It was a very important day for her, so she wanted those she cared about to be by her side. ¡°There¡¯s no need to be nervous. I¡¯m sure you can handle this,¡± Sophie said. The two of them had worked really hard on perfecting the first album, so she was confident that everything would be all right. Ysabelle replied, ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m not nervous. I might be a little nervous initially, but I¡¯m surprisingly calm now.¡± The oue is beyond my control, so I might as well try to enjoy the process. After all, this is something that I love to do. I shouldn¡¯t stress myself out worrying about it. ¡°You¡¯re all grown up now, Ysabelle,¡± Sophie remarked with a smile. Ysabelle reached out and gave her a tight hug. ¡°Thanks for staying by my side all this while!¡± For Ysabelle, meeting Sophie during her final year of high school was the best thing that had ever happened to her. If it were not for Sophie, she would not have known what she wanted to pursue in life. ¡°I¡¯m grateful to have you by my side, too, Ysabelle.¡± Sophie was not a very sociable person, but Ysabelle was the only one who was never afraid of her, always siding with her in everything. The two girls shared a truly mutual friendship where both sides yed their respective parts equally. Chapter 504 Chapter 504 Felix, too, believed Ysabelle was incredibly lucky to have Sophie in her life. He had always been supporting her, but he was never able to help her out with her problems. Sophie, on the other hand, did so much for Ysabelle that he felt ashamed of himself. ¡°Your Sophie sure is an amazing person, Mr. Tristan!¡± Felix eximed. Charles and Sean arrived at the scene as well. They had known Ysabelle since she was little, so they could not possibly miss out on such a huge asion. ¡°Yeah, she sure is!¡± Charles nodded in agreement as he continued, ¡°By the way, Winter has been in Alendor for quite some time now, Mr. Tristan. Will you please let here back? She¡¯s no match for Sophie at all!¡± Winter had been begging to return after spending an exceedingly long time in Alendor. ¡°I think it¡¯s best if Winter remains in Alendor, Charles. You don¡¯t know what she might do if I let her come back, and I won¡¯t let anyone cause Sophie any harm. Winter won¡¯t be able to handle the consequences if anything happens to Sophie,¡± Tristan replied. Winter was not the type of person who would give up easily. In that case, keeping her in Alendor was the best option. Charles let out a huge sigh before saying, ¡°You just won¡¯t take any risks, huh? All right, then. I understand.¡± In truth, he was under a lot of pressure from Walter badgering him to ask Tristan to let Winter return. ¡°It can¡¯t be helped. She¡¯s more important than my own life,¡± Tristan replied. He would not let Winter return as long as she still posed a threat to Sophie. ¡°Could you at least send her to Anndur instead? The environment in Alendor is really horrible¡­¡± Charles requested. This isn¡¯t too much to ask, is it? Tristan simply nodded at him in response. He had been close friends with Charles for many years, so he figured it would be okay to fulfill the latter¡¯s tiny request. Sean gave Charles a pat on the shoulder without saying a word. He could understand the reason behind Tristan¡¯s decision. Even so, he felt bad for Charles. Winter was thetter¡¯s sister, after all, and being stuck overseas all by herself was not a good thing. s, no one was able to change Tristan¡¯s mind on the matter. Taking that into consideration, perhaps it was not all that bad to have Winter stay overseas. With Xandra personally handling Ysabelle¡¯s press conference, things were naturally off to a good start. From backstage, Ysabelle could see that the ce was swarming with journalists. Published by N?v''elD/rama.Org. She was calm at first, but the sight of all those journalists got her feeling nervous again. Seeing that, Sophie walked up to her and gave her hand a squeeze as she said, ¡°It¡¯ll be fine. You¡¯ve done well, so nothing will go wrong.¡± It was true that Ysabelle had done the best she could. Ysabelle shed her a smile. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ll give it my best, Sophie.¡± She¡¯s right! I¡¯ve worked so hard all this while, so it¡¯s time to reap the rewards of my hard work! I can¡¯t be chickening out now! ¡°That¡¯s the spirit!¡± The host then called out to Ysabelle, prompting her to go on stage. As they had done quite a lot of advertising beforehand, she had amassed quite a fanbase. The second the fans saw Ysabelle appear on stage, they started screaming her name. For the first time in her life, Ysabelle was able to experience the support that a fanbase provided. After hearing the voices of her fans, she no longer felt afraid. ¡°I¡¯m sure all of you here know who this beauty is. Ladies and gentlemen, put your hands together for Ysabelle Lombard of TS Entertainment!¡± The fans screamed in excitement once the host introduced Ysabelle. Ysabelle waited for them to quiet down before saying, ¡°Hello, everyone! It¡¯s me, Ysabelle! I¡¯m very happy to see all of you here today. To be honest, as a rookie in this industry, I¡¯m thrilled to receive such a tremendous amount of support.¡± Since it was a press conference for the release of her new album, she sang her first title track, which wasposed by Richie himself. That alone was enough to hype Ysabelle up for a long time, as Richie had a ton of fans himself. Most of the people in the crowd turned up because they were fans of Richie. However, they fell in love with Ysabelle after listening to her performance. ¡°This girl sure is great at singing!¡± ¡°Yeah! I really love her voice! It¡¯s so distinctive!¡± ¡°I know, right? Richie will be having a concert in a few days! Do you think she will be attending it as well?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think so. Richie never invites guests to his concerts.¡± ¡°That¡¯s hard to say. Richie neverposed songs for others either, but look what he did for her.¡± Nothing was truly impossible in the world. ¡°True that!¡± Felix felt really d for Ysabelle when he heard thosements. Ysabelle has worked so hard for so long, and she¡¯s finally made her dreams a reality! I¡¯m sure she¡¯ll be able to continue doing what she loves from here on. ¡°Ysabelle sure is talented in singing! I kind of like this song!¡± Charles praised. He used to think that Ysabelle was all talk back then, which was why he was genuinely surprised to see her start her career as a singer. Felix nodded in agreement. ¡°I like it very much.¡± ¡°As if there¡¯s a single thing about Ysabelle that you don¡¯t like!¡± Charles teased. He likes Ysabelle so much that I bet he¡¯ll praise her even if she does something nasty! ¡°Yeah, I like everything about her,¡± Felix replied. I¡¯m not sure if my feelings for her will end up burdening her, though¡­ ¡°You¡¯ll have to up your game, then. The entertainment industry is a veryplex world, Felix. If you like her, then you need to hurry up and go steady with her,¡± Sean reminded him. There were simply far too many temptations in the entertainment industry, and a na?ve girl like Ysabelle could easily sumb to those temptations. ¡°I believe in Ysabelle, so you guys should, too,¡± Sophie said. Ysabelle knows exactly what she wants and thus will not let those temptations lead her astray. ¡°Yeah, you¡¯re right.¡± Tristan agreed with her statement. Ysabelle is a member of the Lombard family, after all. None of the Lombards are fools. She knows what she¡¯s doing. A signing event took ce after the press conference. Because the press conference was broadcasted live on the inte, a lot of people came over to show Ysabelle their support upon listening to her performance. That was why Ysabelle ended up spending over three hours meeting and greeting her fans at the venue. Naturally, Felix stayed there with her the entire time. For some reason, Ysabelle felt incredibly at ease when she went backstage and saw him waiting for her. ¡°Thanks for keeping mepany, Felix!¡± That was the first time she had spoken to him so calmly. Without saying a word, Felix spread both his arms out. At such a moment, he did not want to say anything else but give her a big hug. Seeing his action, she ran up to him and hugged him tightly as she continued, ¡°I¡¯m really thankful to you for staying by my side all this while.¡± Felix wrapped his arms around her. ¡°I will always be by your side, so make sure to save me a spot, okay?¡± he said gently. Ysabelle fell into a daze. It was her first time seeing him behave so gently. Now that I think about it, Felix has been by my side all along. He was always the first to rush to my aid whenever I ran into trouble. ¡°Felix, do you like me?¡± Following that line of thought, Ysabelle asked the question, only to realize how nervous she was afterward. Chapter 505 Chapter 505 Truth be told, Felix was not expecting her to ask him that at all. He had liked her for a long time, and yet, hearing her ask him that question still made his heart race. It looks like Ysabelle has be a grown-up for real, huh? ¡°Yes, I do. What about you, Ysabelle? Do you like me too?¡± he said. ¡°What the f*ck, Felix? I¡¯ve always treated you like an older brother! I can¡¯t believe you¡¯ve been trying to date me all this while!¡± Ysabelle realized she felt rather happy after receiving his confirmation about his feelings for her. ¡°I¡¯ve always liked you, Ysabelle. You just never realized it.¡± An older brother? Why would I want to be her older brother? I want to be her man! Published by N?v''elD/rama.Org. ¡°I see¡­ All right, then!¡± Ysabelle was not all that surprised. It was as though she had noticed his feelings toward her long ago. Arching an eyebrow, Felix asked, ¡°What do you mean by that? Shouldn¡¯t you give me a response? Do you like me or not?¡± How can she give me such an ambiguous reply? ¡°I know that you like me, but I need some time to consider if I should get together with you,¡± Ysabelle uttered. The thought of them dating had never crossed her mind. ¡°Consider? What else do you need to consider? Do you not have any feelings for me?¡± Felix pressed on anxiously. He had never felt so impatient in his long years of wait. Yet, he suddenly felt eager to start dating her after his feelings for her were out in the open. ¡°I don¡¯t know, Felix! Stop pressuring me like this, okay?¡± Ysabelle said. Felix hugged her even tighter as he dered, ¡°Remember this, Ysabelle. I will always support you no matter what you do, but I will never let someone else have you.¡± That was the one thing he refused topromise on. Ysabelle kept staring nkly into space after returning to Wisteria Apartments. It was very suspicious. ¡°What¡¯s the matter? Why are you spacing out like that?¡± Sophie asked as she handed her a drink. ¡°Sophie, say, do you think it would be strange if I start dating Felix?¡± Ysabelle inquired. Sophie replied, ¡°Why would it be strange? If you like him, then you should go for it. What others think about your rtionship does not matter.¡± Is Ysabelle finally realizing her feelings for him? ¡°Okay. I got it,¡± came Ysabelle¡¯s response. ¡°Did he confess his love to you?¡± Sophie asked. ¡°Yeah, he did. Sophie, am I ridiculously dense? He has always treated me well, but I never realized it.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not toote to realize it now.¡± Ysabelle was still young, after all. ¡°Yeah, I think I really like him,¡± Ysabelle said as she finally understood her feelings for Felix. ¡°Then you two should start seeing each other romantically.¡± Sophie was the type of person who would stick to her guns once she had confirmed her feelings toward someone or something. ¡°Yeah, I think I will. Still, is it really appropriate for a rookie singer like me to start dating right after making my debut?¡± ¡°There¡¯s nothing inappropriate about that. Just focus on your career as a singer and let Xandra take care of the rest.¡± Xandra had a lot of experience in dealing with such things. ¡°Okay!¡± Meanwhile, Felix, too, was spacing out at his desk. Annoyed, Tristan mmed the stack of documents onto Felix¡¯s desk. ¡°Hey, Felix! Snap out of it, will you? You won¡¯t get any work done if you keep tittering like that!¡± he rebuked. ¡°I told Ysabelle that I like her, Mr. Tristan. Do you think she¡¯ll ept me as her boyfriend?¡± Felix asked, voicing out the one thing he was most concerned about. Without waiting for the other man¡¯s reply, he continued, ¡°What should I do if she doesn¡¯t ept me, Mr. Tristan? I¡¯m so much older than her, so¡ª¡± ¡°That¡¯s enough, Felix.¡± Tristan believed there was no point in him worrying about it, not to mention that they were still at work. ¡°I know we¡¯re at work, but I can¡¯t seem to calm down no matter what!¡± Felix eximed. I can¡¯t believe I confessed to her on the spur of the moment! What if she doesn¡¯t want to date me? What will I do, then? This is such a tricky situation. Felix¡¯s behavior was peeving Charles too. ¡°Have a little more confidence in yourself, Felix! You¡¯re quite the big shot in Jipsdale, you know? Why are you getting so worked up over this?¡± Charles uttered. ¡°That has nothing to do with this!¡± All Felix wanted to know was how Ysabelle felt about him. ¡°How does it not? You can easily find yourself another woman even if Ysabelle doesn¡¯t like you!¡± Charles believed that all women were the same in bed. Hence, he found it unnecessary for Felix to get so worried about Ysabelle¡¯s feelings toward him. Felix decided to ignore himpletely. Although Charles had countless girlfriends in the past, he never truly loved any of them. As a result, he did not know what it meant to love someone, let alone treasure them. ¡°You can worry about your rtionship after you finish your work, Felix. Until then, snap out of it and stay focused!¡± Sean reproached Felix, displeased with thetter¡¯s performance at the moment. Felix is just wasting all of our time dilly-dallying! Since Sean had spoken up, Felix had no choice but to get back to work. ¡°All right, all right. I¡¯ll be sure to get my work perfectly done, so don¡¯t you guys worry!¡± Fortunately for Felix, he was capable of putting his personal feelings aside while working. With that, the four of them went back to work at their desks. An hour had passed by the time they were finished with work. ¡°Mr. Tristan, has Old Mr. Lombard found out about Sophie¡¯s existence?¡± Sean asked. Knowing Old Mr. Lombard, there¡¯s no way he wouldn¡¯t pay Mr. Tristan a visit after finding out about him dating Sophie! ¡°Yeah, he does. It¡¯s only a matter of time before he finds out anyway,¡± Tristan replied. As long as he was around, he would not let anyone bully Sophie. ¡°You¡¯ll have to be careful, then. Old Mr. Lombard is definitely going to pay her a visit behind your back!¡± Sean reminded him. I hope that dramatic scenes like those in soap operas won¡¯t happen! ¡°I¡¯ll try to talk to him about this.¡± Anyhow, Tristan had decided that he would only marry Sophie and no one else. ¡°That¡¯s good to hear!¡± Sean found Sophie to be a nice girl, so he did not wish to see her get hurt. ¡°Hey, Sean! Since when did you care so much about Sophie, huh? This is the first time I¡¯ve seen you get so concerned about someone! Is Sophie really that special?¡± Charles teased. Sean did not feel like replying to that question at all. ¡°Well? Say something, Sean! I know Sophie isn¡¯t your type!¡± Most importantly, Sophie is Mr. Tristan¡¯s girlfriend! ¡°Charles, you need to keep your mouth shut if you don¡¯t have anything nice to say!¡± Me? Have feelings for Sophie? You¡¯ve got to be joking! With that in mind, Sean continued, ¡°Admiration is all that I have toward Sophie, got it?¡± He was telling the truth. Felix nodded in agreement. ¡°I think she¡¯s really impressive too.¡± Sophie would do anything she set her mind to, never worrying too much about other things. Her way of living her life freely was something that many envied. ¡°What, do you have a problem with my Sophie?¡± Tristan questioned. What is Charles trying to imply? His words make me feel ufortable for some reason. ¡°No, not at all! You¡¯ve definitely gotten the wrong idea, Mr. Tristan. I have nothing against Sophie!¡± Charles knew Tristan would kill him if he said yes, so he quickly exined himself. Chapter 506 Chapter 506 Quinton ended up looking in on Sophie. It was the first day of university. The moment Sophie left the house, she saw a luxury car parked nearby. Needless to say, the car drew her attention. Someone¡¯s here for me so soon? ¡°Ms. Tanner, my boss wants to have a word with you. Are you free now?¡± Quinton¡¯s subordinate had witnessed Sophie¡¯s capabilities before, so he was very polite when he talked to her. ¡°Do you mean Mark¡¯s father?¡± Sophie asked. Boss? The boss he¡¯s referring to can only be Mark¡¯s father. ¡°Yes.¡± At that, she nced at her watch before replying, ¡°The thing is that today is my first day of ss, and I don¡¯t want to bete. Tell your boss we shall meet at noon.¡± While she was not avable at the moment, she would have an hour of free time at noon. Please check at N/?vel(D)rama.Org. No matter what, Mark¡¯s issue needed to be settled. ¡°Ms. Tanner, are you¡ª¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Do you have a problem with that?¡± Sophie raised her brows. Although I¡¯m the one asking for a postponement, he should watch his attitude. Upon recalling how unhesitant she was when she pulled the trigger, the subordinate quickly shook his head. ¡°No. Why would I? Besides, I wouldn¡¯t dare,¡± he replied. After all, he was merely carrying out his employer¡¯s orders. Sophie ignored him. Right then, she saw Tristan arriving in his car, so she strode off, opened the car door, and got in. The subordinate, who was wearing a ck T-shirt, got into his own car as well. ¡°Boss, Ms. Tanner said she¡¯s busy now and can only meet you at noon,¡± he reported. ¡°Okay. Got it. In that case, you guys should get everything ready.¡± Quinton nodded. Since Mark likes Sophie, I have to let him have her. Besides, having her be my daughter-inw will solve all the problems. ¡°Boss, are we really going to do this?¡± the subordinate asked. Ms. Tanner looks formidable. If she finds out what we¡¯re about to do, we¡¯re doomed. Quinton shot a re at him and scolded, ¡°Are you questioning my decision? Are you the boss, or am I the boss?¡± He was prepared to take all risks for his son, regardless of the consequences. ¡°That¡¯s not what I mean, Boss.¡± ¡°Enough. Stop talking nonsense and do what I told you to do,¡± Quinton ordered. When ites to women, some drugs are all it needs to tame them. As soon as Sophie got into the car, Tristan asked, ¡°Wasn¡¯t that Mark¡¯s father? What did he want from you?¡± Quinton had a bad reputation in the underworld, being infamous for his usage of despicable tactics. Hence, one had to be wary while dealing with him. ¡°It¡¯s nothing. I think he came here because of Mark. Don¡¯t be bothered by it. By the way, you aren¡¯t completely healed yet, so you shouldn¡¯t overwork yourself, okay?¡± Sophie uttered. ¡°Okay. Got it!¡± Tristan personally sent her to the University of Medicine. ¡°Call me when you¡¯re done with your sses! I¡¯lle and pick you up.¡± He was more than happy to drive his girlfriend around. Sophie ced her hands on his shoulders and looked at him intently. ¡°You don¡¯t have to pick me up. I have something to attend to at noon, so I won¡¯t be having lunch with you.¡± ¡°Okay. I bought two units of a condominium nearby. They are next to each other, one for you and one for Ysabelle. Besides, I also found someone to cook for you two.¡± ¡°All right.¡± ¡°Later, I¡¯ll send someone to move your belongings from Wisteria Apartments. That way, you don¡¯t have to go back and forth!¡± Tristan had nned everything out for her. ¡°Okay. Thank you!¡± Sophie answered. Who would¡¯ve thought the incredible Mr. Tristan would do so much for me? Although her height was almost one hundred and seventy, she was still not tall enough when she stood in front of Tristan. In order to kiss him on the corners of his lips, she had to stand on her tiptoes. ¡°You should go now!¡± she said afterward. ¡°Sure!¡± A simple peck was enough to please him. In fact, it never took much for her to dden him. When Sophie arrived in her ssroom, she noticed that most of the students were male. Only a handful of females were present. Moreover, a few male students could be seen surrounding a female student at once. Considering the significant gender imbnce in their cohort, the male students naturally had to make every chance count if they wanted to find a girlfriend. Furthermore, their female coursemates were all quite pretty. Every man shifted their attention to Sophie just as she entered the ssroom. That displeased the otherdies, who were the center of attention a few moments ago. In response, they exchanged knowing looks and decided to make Sophie theirmon enemy. Sophie walked toward the end of the ssroom and took a seat. Even though she knew everyone was looking at her, she was unperturbed. ¡°Hey! What¡¯s your name?¡± As soon as she sat down, a man approached her and struck up a conversation with her. Sophie was at a loss for words for a moment. ¡°I¡¯m Sophie Tanner, and please don¡¯t speak to me. I hate noises!¡± she replied. The man was slightly embarrassed. However, he was willing to let it slide since she was gorgeous. ¡°I¡¯m sorry to have disturbed you!¡± It¡¯s perfectly normal for pretty girls to be a little feisty. I can handle it. ¡°Let me buy you lunch,¡± the man added. Sophie raised her gaze toward him and replied, ¡°No.¡± As a matter of fact, she was showing him a lot of respect, but if he were to push it, she would not hesitate to put him in his ce. ¡°Sophie,e on. There¡¯s nothing wrong with a coursemate buying lunch for a fellow coursemate,¡± the man said. ¡°I don¡¯t want to eat with you, and I don¡¯t want to listen to you talk. You may leave now,¡± Sophie answered. Why won¡¯t he take the hint? ¡°Hey! Why are you so rude? Do you have any idea who I am?¡± he snapped in displeasure. A moment of silenceter, she countered, ¡°Who are you? Does it matter? I told you to stop bothering me. Didn¡¯t you hear me?¡± Why must someone try so hard to get my attention so early in the morning? ¡°Forget about it, Simon. She¡¯s so high and mighty! Why would she want to have lunch with you? Don¡¯t you think you¡¯re overestimating yourself?¡± a young woman voiced. The person who had just spoken had a major crush on Simon Little. It annoyed her greatly when she saw him hitting on Sophie. At the sight of Sophie rejecting Simon, she could not help gloating over it. Simon is the son of the director of thergest upper-ss hospital in Jipsdale. Whoever crosses Simon is bound to have a tough time in Jipsdale. Sophie might be pretty, but she seems like a fool. Simon¡¯s expression turned grim when he heard her remark. All his life, every person he met would ingratiate themself with him. It was his first time being disrespected by another person. ¡°Sophie, you should feel honored that I offered to buy you a meal. Quit being so shameless!¡± Simon began behaving like a spoiled brat. Truth be told, Sophie did not want to get into trouble on her first day of university. s, someone just had to mess with her. ¡°Are you sure I¡¯m the shameless one? Didn¡¯t I tell you to stop disturbing me? Are you too stupid to understand my words?¡± Sophie roared. ¡°You¡­¡± That was definitely the worst humiliation Simon had ever suffered in his whole life. ¡°You¡¯re so shameless!¡± As he was talking, he suddenly reached out his hand to hit Sophie. Upon seeing that, the female coursemates exulted in Sophie¡¯s imminent misfortune. Chapter 507 Chapter 507 She deserves it! Does she think she can seduce anyone just because she¡¯s a looker? Right when everyone thought Sophie was going to get beaten up, she stood up and grabbed Simon¡¯s arm before throwing him to the ground. A muffled thud rang out when the man weighing about two hundred pounds smashed onto the ground. Everyone at the scene gaped in shock. Didn¡¯t Simon learnbat skills before? Besides, he was the one who attacked first. How did he end up on the ground instead? The noise his body made as he hit the ground sounded painful! ¡°Are you okay, Simon?¡± The young woman who had a crush on Simon quickly went to him and helped him up before saying to Sophie, ¡°Do you have any idea who he is? How could you do that to him?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t care about his identity. The rest of you better stay out of my way!¡± Sophie never allowed others to walk all over her. ¡°You¡¯re dead!¡± Simon fumed. ¡°Do you think you¡¯re all that just because you got into the University of Medicine? I¡¯m going to get you kicked out in less than a day!¡± Sophie did not bother to entertain him. Let¡¯s see who will get kicked out instead! ¡°Are you all right, Simon? I¡¯ll send you to the hospital now,¡± the young woman who was crushing on Simon uttered. He shoved her aside and shouted, ¡°Get away from me!¡± Having been humiliated in front of so many people, he was infuriated, but he did not have an outlet to vent his anger. When the young woman saw Simon turning away and walking off, she chased after him and voiced, ¡°Would you stop being so willful, Simon? Don¡¯t you know I¡¯ve liked you for a long time?¡± With that, the two of them left one after another. Upon seeing what Sophie was capable of, none of the males in the ssroom dared to bother her anymore. Forget about it. This girl can fight, and there¡¯s no way we can get the better of her. Everyone then started to do their own things. Since that was the first day of university, they were still getting used to the environment. Suddenly, a young woman went up to Sophie and said, ¡°Sophie, you¡¯re going to get yourself in trouble! Simon is the son of a director at a famous hospital. I¡¯m worried you might get expelled from the University of Medicine because you¡¯ve offended him.¡± She harbored only kind intentions, for she was sincerely worried about Sophie. Belonging ? N?velDram/a.Org. ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡± Sophie was quite fond of her. ¡°I¡¯m Sandra Quimby.¡± Sandra was a cute girl, albeit a different kind of cutepared to Ysabelle. One would be surprised to see her in a medical school. ¡°Oh! I¡¯m Sophie Tanner.¡± ¡°I¡¯m serious, Sophie. I went to high school with Simon and the rest. He¡¯s a petty person. You humiliated him in front of so many people, so I doubt he¡¯ll let the matter slide.¡± Sandra was genuinely concerned about Sophie. In response, Sophie shrugged and said, ¡°He should worry about himself.¡± Simon did not return to the ssroom that morning. Since it was the first semester, the sybus was not difficult. Although Sophie was doing well in the sses, the same could not be said for Sandra. In fact, thetter was having trouble understanding the things being taught. How can there be such a vast difference between me and the others? Frustrated, Sandra sprawled on her desk helplessly. The morning session had ended by then. At that moment, Sophie was packing up her belongings. Seeing the state that Sandra was in, she asked, ¡°Are you all right?¡± ¡°Sophie, did you understand everything that was taught?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Sophie answered. What¡¯s the problem? I think they were fairly simple. Sandra was rendered speechless for a while. ¡°I think I chose the wrong major!¡± She was very interested in medicine, yet she could barely understand what was being taught by the professor in the sses. Hearing that, Sophie did not know what to say in response. However, there was something about Sandra that attracted her. Therefore, she was willing to help her. ¡°From now on, note down the things you have trouble understanding and ask me for exnations after ss.¡± Sandra bit her pen and asked, ¡°Really? In that case, I¡¯m going to need your help in the future.¡± ¡°Really.¡± ¡°Where are you going now? Can I buy you lunch?¡± Sandra started packing up her belongings as well. It¡¯s time for lunch, and we have to eat anyhow. ¡°I already have an appointment. I¡¯ll eat with you next time.¡± With that, Sophie took her bag and left. ¡°She¡¯s so cool!¡± Sandra muttered to herself. In truth, she admired girls like Sophie. Not only is Sophie brilliant, but she¡¯s also a fast learner and a beauty. Even a girl like me is very fond of her. Upon leaving the building, Sophie whipped out her phone to call Quinton. She then gave him an address and hailed a taxi. When Quinton arrived, she was not there yet. However, there were ten minutes left till the agreed-upon time, so he was happy to wait for her. ¡°Is everything ready? We can¡¯t afford to make any mistakes. Do you hear me?¡± he asked his subordinate. ¡°Boss, don¡¯t worry! I¡¯ve done this before, so nothing will go wrong,¡± thetter assured. Right then, the subordinate heard his associate¡¯s voice through his earpiece. The associate told him that Sophie had arrived. ¡°Boss, Sophie is here!¡± ¡°Okay. Stay calm,¡± Quinton said to his subordinate. At the same time, someone brought Sophie in. The subordinate even pulled a chair for her once she arrived at the table. ¡°Sophie, we couldn¡¯t have a proper talk since we were in a rush thest time around. Thus, I would like to have a word with you today,¡± Quinton uttered. ¡°Okay. Have you thought about it, Mr. Wheeler? Mark really isn¡¯t cut out for Emerald Gang!¡± Sophie replied. Quinton stayed silent for a while before saying, ¡°He¡¯s my son, so I, too, wish for him to be happy. However, some things are just beyond my control!¡± ¡°Mr. Wheeler, as I¡¯ve said, as long as you can let Mark free, I¡¯ll guarantee your safety! Mark isn¡¯t cut out for a life full of violence,¡± Sophie said. Is he not tired of the life of a gangster yet? ¡°You seem thirsty. Take a sip of water first!¡± With that, Quinton shot his subordinate a look. Thetter immediately instructed the waiter to serve Sophie a ss of water. ¡°Drink some water! We have more than enough time to talk about this issue,¡± Quinton urged. Sophie picked up the ss of water and took a sip. Seeing that she was drinking the water unwarily, he knew his n would work out. I spent a fortune buying this drug. One sip is all it takes! ¡°Mr. Wheeler, let Mark leave Emerald Gang, and I¡¯ll get someone to take over Emerald Gang,¡± Sophie suggested. The matter is solved as long as someone can take over Emerald Gang, no? ¡°There¡¯s no hurry, Sophie. You know how much Mark likes you, right?¡± Quinton asked. No matter what, Mark was his son. Hence, he would naturally want him to be happy. ¡°Mr. Wheeler, I¡¯ve told you before. I have a boyfriend, so Mark and I can never have a romantic rtionship as you wish,¡± Sophie answered. Didn¡¯t I already make myself clear? ¡°All right, then! I know these things can¡¯t be forced. Let¡¯s drink!¡± Quinton voiced nonchntly. Noticing that she took another sip of the water, he smiled. Once she¡¯s in bed, who cares if she wants it or not? Chapter 508 Chapter 508 That drug was colorless and odorless, so Sophie failed to detect anything unusual. After a short while, her body showed some reactions. Her expression changed at once, and she regarded Quinton with a sharp gaze. ¡°You drugged me.¡± Sophie never anticipated she would one day fall into someone¡¯s trap. Even someone like Quinton, who had experienced so much in life, was momentarily astounded by the stern look in her eyes. ¡°Sophie, I¡ª¡± ¡°Get lost!¡± If he were not Mark¡¯s father, she would have turned Quinton into a corpse at that moment. Livid, Quinton snarled, ¡°Sophie, I suggest you recognize what¡¯s best for you. You should be feeling blessed that Mark likes you.¡± How is my son inferior to her boyfriend? ¡°Take her to the hotel.¡± With that, he turned around and left, not wanting to remain there to face Sophie¡¯s wrath. Since he had executed the n, he would have to see it through. ¡°Ms. Tanner, we¡¯re sorry. We have no choice but to do this now,¡± one of Quinton¡¯s subordinates said. They could not do anything except carry out the orders given to them. Sophie sneered. ¡°Get lost if you don¡¯t want to die. Otherwise, don¡¯t me me for being unmerciful.¡± ¡°You should stop resisting. After drinking the drug we prepared for you, you won¡¯t be able to put up a fight, no matter how capable you are.¡± Hence, there¡¯s no need for you to struggle further since any attempt to free yourself will be futile. The few men then approached her. By that time, Sophie felt weak and drained of energy. She smashed one of the sses on the table to the floor and picked up a piece of ss shard to cut her wrist. Instantly, she turned sober. ¡°Do you think you can restrain me using such an underhanded method? You¡¯re underestimating me!¡± After saying those words, Sophie charged forward. Her movements were swift and merciless as she realized she needed to end the fight as soon as possible before the drug fully exerted its effect. Otherwise, once that happened, she would not be able to leave that ce anymore. The few men did not expect her to be capable of retaliating at that time. After their initial shock, those men put forth their best effort to exchange blows with Sophie. No matter what, they had to aplish the mission given to them by their boss, or else they could not exin themselves to him. Under normal circumstances, those men would not have stood a chance against her. Unfortunately, she was gradually losing control over her body. If it were not for her strong determination, she would have given up and surrendered. Nevertheless, Sophie had no desire to continue fighting. As soon as she shook off her captors, she hastily left the scene. Since they were still in public, she reckoned those men would not dare to pursue her openly. Besides, it was lunch hour then, so the private rooms were crowded with people. She also figured Quinton¡¯s subordinates would not be capable of searching every room. ¡°What should we do now? If we don¡¯t seize her, we can¡¯t report to Boss when we return.¡± For the group of men, that was the least favorable oue. ¡°Hurry up and find her! If anything happens to her, Mark won¡¯t let us off the hook.¡± They were well aware of how protective Mark was toward Sophie. Still, they dared not defy Quinton¡¯s order. Hence, they were caught up in such a difficult set of circumstances then. Meanwhile, Sophie had run into a private room and locked the door from inside. Then, she took out her phone. The first person who surfaced in her mind was Tristan. She immediately dialed his number, but no one answered the call. Her consciousness started fading away, and she even began to hallucinate. In the end, Sophie had no choice but to contact Arius. ¡°Arius, it¡¯s me. I¡¯m sending you my location. I need you toe here at once,¡± she said. Sensing something amiss with her tone, Arius instantaneously leaped to his feet. ¡°Sophie, what¡¯s wrong with you? What happened?¡± he asked anxiously. It had been a long time since hest heard her speak in that vulnerable manner. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m not in danger now, but if you don¡¯t show up here in half an hour, I won¡¯t be so sure about staying safe,¡± Sophie replied. ¡°You brat! I¡¯ve told you to be more careful. Fine. I¡¯ll head over at once. Hold on for a little longer.¡± Seriously, I can do nothing about her. Upon finishing his work, Tristan returned to his desk and noticed the missed call on his phone. Immediately, he dialed Sophie¡¯s number. However, no one picked up the call. A sense of foreboding rose within him. Taking in his demeanor, Felix could not stop himself from asking, ¡°What¡¯s the matter? You seem anxious.¡± It was rare for Tristan to behave in that manner. ¡°Sophie contacted me earlier, but she¡¯s not answering my calls now,¡± Tristan replied. Felix remarked, ¡°Perhaps she¡¯s busy. You don¡¯t have to be so worried. She¡¯s so formidable. Nothing bad can happen to her.¡± ¡°Help me find out where she¡¯s at,¡± Tristan requested. No matter what, he had to figure out her whereabouts at that moment to ease his anxiety. He just needed to know that she was safe and sound. ¡°Okay!¡± With that, Felix immediately instructed his men to find out Sophie¡¯s location. In less than ten minutes, they locked in on her whereabouts. All rights ? N?velDrama.Org. ¡°I¡¯ll go there to check on her,¡± Tristan said. Nothing was unusual with her location. However, Quinton had gone looking for Sophie that morning, and Tristan was not sure if he was trustworthy. ¡°Do you need me to go over with you?¡± Felix asked, thinking he could back Tristan up if something terrible happened. ¡°That¡¯s not needed. You can stay here,¡± Tristan replied. He was confident he could handle the situation alone. On the way to the restaurant, he dialed Sophie¡¯s number continuously, but his calls remained unanswered. As time passed, his uneasiness intensified. When he arrived at the restaurant, he saw the man who had approached Sophie that morning. ¡°Where¡¯s Sophie?¡± Tristan demanded while grabbing that man¡¯s cor. That person did not anticipate Tristan¡¯s appearance at the restaurant. ¡°Ms. Tanner has already left,¡± he said. ¡°Is that so?¡± Tristan questioned, staring into that man¡¯s eyes. The overwhelming sense of oppression from his gaze was almost unbearable, but that man dared not speak the truth at that instant. Therefore, he could only clench his teeth and stick to his statement. ¡°I¡¯ll ask you one more time. Where¡¯s Sophie?¡± Tristan demanded. He¡¯s lying. Something must¡¯ve happened to her. Taking in that man¡¯s reluctance to divulge the truth, he immediately took action. He was not fond of resorting to violence, but when he did, his moves were fatal. Quinton¡¯s other subordinates hurriedly stepped forward to help their colleague. s, they were not Tristan¡¯s match. ¡°Are you going to tell me the truth or not? If you don¡¯t, you can forget about uttering another word in the future.¡± There were not many people who could be more ruthless than Tristan in the world. ¡°Ms. Tanner left for real!¡± that man insisted. We¡¯ll still die even if wee clean to him. He¡¯s too terrifying. ¡°It seems like you haven¡¯t learned your lesson,¡± Tristan snarled. He then proceeded to break that man¡¯s arm while enunciating, ¡°Where is Sophie?¡± The unbearable pain of having his arm broken by another person caused that man to wish he was dead. ¡°We don¡¯t know. She ran away. We were no match for her!¡± He could not endure the agony further, so he had no choice but to bepletely honest. Tristan¡¯s expression turned grim after he listened to his words. ¡°D*mn it!¡± He was overwhelmed by the urge to murder all those men. ¡°Just you wait! I¡¯ll make you pay dearly.¡± Tristan would ensure those men regretted they were ever born. Chapter 509 Chapter 509 He knew that it was not the best time to settle ounts with them, but he would definitely make them suffer and pay the price. Just then, Arius also arrived. When he saw Tristan was there too, he was taken aback, but soon, realization dawned on him. He¡¯s Sophie¡¯s boyfriend, after all. It¡¯s understandable why he is here now. ¡°Where¡¯s Sophie?¡± The most important thing now was to find Sophie, but they didn¡¯t know where she was. ¡°What should we do now, then?¡± Arius was still stunned. ¡°Let¡¯s split up and look for her.¡± With that, Tristan went to see the restaurant¡¯s manager and ordered, ¡°I want to reserve the entire restaurant. Ask all the diners to leave.¡± It was a huge restaurant, so finding her right away was going to be tough. He could only ask all the other diners to leave. ¡°Sir, I¡¯m sorry. We have a lot of customers at noon, and everyone else is still having their meals. Asking them to leave abruptly now is going to leave a bad reputation for the restaurant.¡± Tristan¡¯s aura was intimidating, but what the manager said was right. Belonging ? N?velDram/a.Org. ¡°Since I¡¯m booking the entire restaurant, I¡¯ll pay for all your losses today. I¡¯m Tristan Lombard. Do you have any other questions?¡± ¡°Mr. Tristan?¡± On top of his countenance, Tristan¡¯s name was enough to make the manager go along with his request. ¡°Is there any other problems?¡± ¡°Not at all. Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll get it done immediately.¡± Just when Arius was about to start looking for Sophie, Tristan stopped him in his tracks. ¡°Check the surveince footage, and see which room Sophiest went to.¡± That was the most effective method. ¡°Okay.¡± Arius immediately went to check the surveince footage. Meanwhile, the manager broadcasted that there was a problem in the restaurant, and everyone was asked to leave. Hearing there was a problem with the restaurant, everyone else left. ¡°Mr. Tristan, who are you guys looking for? We can help!¡± offered the manager. With so many employees in the restaurant, they could aid in the search. ¡°Mr. Tristan, the surveince cameras are broken.¡± Someone had purposely tampered with the surveince cameras, hence the problem now. ¡°D*mn it,¡± Tristan cursed under his breath. Fortunately, he had asked all the other people to leave. After much contemtion, he continued, ¡°We should split up to find her, then.¡± That was the only thing they could do at the moment. Tristan felt a pang of hurt in his heart whenever he thought of Sophie being in an uncertain situation. It¡¯s my fault for not protecting her well and letting her get hurt. The staff opened all the doors, and everyone helped out. However, Sophie was nowhere to be found. There was only one room left, and the room was locked from the inside. Without hesitation, Tristan kicked the door open. The moment he stepped in, he smelled the metallic odor of blood, causing him to frown in worry. She¡¯s injured. D*mn it! How dare those people hurt my woman! When Tristan found Sophie drenched in a cold sweat on the balcony, his heart broke into million pieces. He hurriedly went over and gently picked her up. ¡°Don¡¯t be scared. I¡¯m here. No one can hurt you anymore.¡± As long as I¡¯m here, I won¡¯t let anyone hurt you. His voice snapped Sophie back to her senses, and she shook her head frantically. ¡°Am I hearing things again?¡± Sophie opened her eyes. ¡°No, it¡¯s really me. I¡¯ll take you back now. Arius is here too. You¡¯ll be fine.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± It¡¯s really him! Even though the call didn¡¯t go through, he still came? The two spoke no more and went straight to the hospital, and Arius immediately drew Sophie¡¯s blood for blood tests. Time trickled by painfully as they waited for the results. Tristan continued to stay by Sophie¡¯s side. Watching her in pain plunged him into a pit of agony. Just then, the drug kicked in again. It was a time when she would suffer the most, but she gritted her teeth and tried her best not to cry out. Tristan held her hand, not letting her hurt herself. ¡°You can scream if you want to. You¡¯ll feel better.¡± She doesn¡¯t have to be so strong. When her gazended on Tristan, the desire in her was aroused again. However, she didn¡¯t want to lose her virginity in this way. ¡°I¡¯m fine. You should go out! I feel even more ufortable when I see you.¡± He understood her so well. There was no way he wouldn¡¯t know what she was thinking about. ¡°Sophie, perhaps¡ª¡± ¡°No, I don¡¯t want to do it when I¡¯m in this state.¡± She would never agree to it. ¡°But it pains me to see you like this!¡± Just then, Mark came. Only when he was taken to the hotel did he get to know what happened. He only got the antidote by threatening his father with his life. Upon noticing Mark, Tristan swung at him. He simply couldn¡¯t hold back his anger. If it weren¡¯t for Mark, Sophie wouldn¡¯t have gone through the pain she had now. Even though Mark was beaten, he just kept mum. After all, it happened because of him. If it weren¡¯t for him, Quinton wouldn¡¯t have done that. ¡°This is the antidote,¡± Mark uttered. He didn¡¯te here to beg for forgiveness. All he wanted to do was give her the antidote. ¡°Can I still trust you?¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter whether you believe me or not. The most important thing is that I don¡¯t want to see Sophie suffer.¡± Meanwhile, Arius had already developed an antidote. ¡°There¡¯s no need for that. You¡¯d better leave!¡± Arius said curtly. How dare they trick Sophie. They have to pay for what they¡¯ve done. Arius handed a bowl of concoction to Tristan, and thetter quickly fed it to Sophie. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. With me here, nothing will go wrong,¡±forted Arius as he patted Tristan on the shoulder. ¡°As for you, leave now! We have nothing to say to you,¡± Arius continued, ring at Mark. Despite that, Mark stood there and refused to leave. ¡°What happened today is because of me.¡± ¡°Are you done? Get out now.¡± Tristan was very blunt. That was the nicest thing he could say to Mark at the very moment. If he hadn¡¯t known Sophie cared a lot about Mark, thetter wouldn¡¯t even have had the chance to speak now. So he needs to scram now. ¡°Mr. Tristan, this matter has nothing to do with my father,¡± Mark exined. No matter what, Quinton was still his father, so Mark felt that he had to bear the responsibility. ¡°Mark, don¡¯t assume everyone else is a fool,¡± Tristan sneered. None of the prominent people in Jipsdale were foolish. Mark pleaded, ¡°Mr. Tristan, you can deal with me however you want, but please let my family go.¡± Tristan gave him another punch. ¡°Do you think I have to be nice to you just because Sophie cares about you?¡± Mark was a nobody in Tristan¡¯s eyes. Arius pulled Mark to the side with one swift motion and suggested, ¡°Mr. Tristan, you should take care of Sophie first.¡± It was not a good time to resolve the matter. Anyhow, Sophie was the one who could make the decision. Mark¡¯s expression darkened as he was dragged out by Arius. What he was most worried about at the moment was Sophie. There shouldn¡¯t be any problems with her health, right? ¡°Arius, is Sophie all right? Will it have any bad effects on her?¡± Mark asked in concern. Chapter 510 Chapter 510 ¡°Mark, what exactly did you tell your father? Why did he do something like that?¡± There¡¯s no way he isn¡¯t involved. ¡°I¡ª¡± All rights ? N?velDrama.Org. Mark was cognizant that whatever he said was useless, for no one would believe him now. ¡°Enough. We¡¯ll discuss this some other time. I¡¯m sure you know Mr. Tristan¡¯s temperament. There¡¯s no way he¡¯s going to let this slide.¡± Whoever dares to hurt Sophie will not get off lightly. The fact wasn¡¯t lost upon Mark as he realized that Emerald Gang was doomed. Unlike in the past, he wasn¡¯t in a ce to beg for mercy. All this happened because of me. I would be ashamed to even do so. When he saw the look on Mark¡¯s face, Arius didn¡¯t know what else to say. No matter what, this isn¡¯t the end of it, but we¡¯ll have to wait till Sophie wakes up first. If she doesn¡¯t want to pursue the matter, Tristan would probably not retaliate with a heavy hand. After all, he values her opinion a lot. ¡°Given how close you are to Sophie, you probably have nothing to worry about.¡± Well aware of how much Sophie cared about Mark and The Wheelers, Arius couldn¡¯t bring himself to be too harsh. ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± When Mark returned to Emerald Gang, Quinton was already there. ¡°You bunch of trash! Why can¡¯t you evenplete such an easy task?¡± How did they screw up such a wonderful opportunity? Mark was incensed to hear his father¡¯s words. ¡°Why must you insist on harming them when I specifically asked you not to? How am I going to face them going forward? Why must you do this to Sophie?¡± After how I¡¯ve been disgraced, my members will definitely feel betrayed by me! ¡°Are you ming me now? Didn¡¯t I do this for you? What¡¯s wrong with forcing her into your arms when you like her so much?¡± ¡°Are you really my father?¡± Mark was disappointed. He had never felt this disappointed in his entire life. ¡°Mark, what are you saying?¡± Quinton was equally infuriated. It wasmon for people like them to force themselves onto whichever woman they fancied. Therefore, he didn¡¯t feel that he had done anything wrong. After all, there was no point in overthinking in a dog-eat-dog world. ¡°Do you know who her boyfriend is? Tristan Lombard! You probably need to think about how to salvage the situation now.¡± Doesn¡¯t he know who her boyfriend is? ¡°Who?¡± Quinton was slightly stunned. Although he spent his life in the underworld, the name Tristan still rang a bell. ¡°Are you talking about the infamous Mr. Tristan of Jipsdale?¡± Quinton began to lose hisposure as it was clear to him that Emerald Gang was about to be wiped out. Once Tristan sought revenge, the biggest gang in the city would be easily annihted, let alone Emerald Gang. ¡°Mmm-hmm.¡± Mark had no desire to further the conversation, as he had no clue how to remedy the situation. All he wanted now was a quiet moment for himself. ¡°Mark, you¡ª¡± The look on Mark¡¯s face rendered Quinton speechless. Have I made a mistake? It looks like I have really gone overboard! In the end, upon learning that Tristan was Sophie¡¯s boyfriend, everyone trembled in fear. All of them wondered if they still had time to flee the city. ¡°Boss, what should we do?¡± The same question was floating in Quinton¡¯s mind. I knew that Sophie was formidable, but I had no idea that her boyfriend was Tristan. The man whose name alone would strike fear in the underworld. Offending someone like that is the equivalent of death. ¡°Mark, don¡¯t worry. What happened has nothing to do with you. In the event Mr. Tristan seeks revenge, I will bear the responsibility alone!¡± Since he was the one who did the deed, he wasn¡¯t afraid of owning up to it. ¡°I won¡¯t drag anyone else down with me. All you need to do is take good care of your mother.¡± Even though Quinton wasn¡¯t an extraordinary person, his love for his wife was true. However, Mark was filled with conflicting emotions. If not for his father¡¯s love for his mother, he wouldn¡¯t have bothered about the former. ¡°Stay out of this and go. I¡¯ll take care of it.¡± Now that Mark was the leader of Emerald Gang, he couldn¡¯t wash his hands off a matter like that. ¡°Mark¡­¡± Quinton was stunned, for he had never imagined that his son would grow up to be someone who would step up to the te. Nheless, as a father, there was no way he could allow his son to shoulder the me on his behalf. Meanwhile, Sophie was gradually recovering after taking her medicine. In spite of that, she still hadn¡¯t regained consciousness. Her condition caused Tristan to lose hisposure as he quickly summoned Arius. ¡°Arius, why hasn¡¯t she woken up after taking your medication for such a long time? Could there be something wrong with the drug you have given her?¡± Arius was initially confident in the products of his research, but Sophie¡¯s situation unsettled him nevertheless. Hence, he examined her again. ¡°I don¡¯t foresee any problems, so don¡¯t worry too much.¡± ¡°If there are no issues, why hasn¡¯t she regained consciousness?¡± When he saw the condition the woman he loved was in, staying calm was too much to ask of him. ¡°Just be patient.¡± Arius could empathize with Tristan, as he, too, was equally worried. Despite that, he knew that their anxiety wouldn¡¯t help matters at all. ¡°Are you sure that there¡¯s nothing wrong with your drug?¡± That was Tristan¡¯s main concern. ¡°Tristan, can you stop doubting my professionalism?¡± My drugs are safe and effective. Tristan waved him away. ¡°Forget it. You should just go.¡± His response rendered Arius speechless. ¡°Can¡¯t I stay by Sophie¡¯s side too?¡± It¡¯s not like you own her. Right then, Sophie regained her consciousness. Even though she barely had any strength to move, the restlessness she had previously felt was gone. ¡°How do you feel? Any better?¡± The sight of them gave her a sense of relief. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m fine.¡± Given that Arius had treated the wound on her hand, it was no longer painful. ¡°Sophie, what happened to you? You had us worried sick. I told you to be more careful, and yet, something like this had to happen.¡± Ever since he got to know Sophie, he was always unsettled by his constant concern for her. ¡°I know. I¡¯ll be more careful next time.¡± She didn¡¯t deny how careless she had been. ¡°The fault is mine.¡± Despite knowing that Quinton is a shady character, I didn¡¯t put in ce enough security measures. Sophie held Tristan¡¯s hand. ¡°Tristan, this has nothing to do with you. It¡¯s my fault instead, so don¡¯t keep ming yourself for everything.¡± As an adult, I should take responsibility for my own life. Their exchange made Arius feel as if he was the third wheel. Subsequently, he scratched his nose awkwardly before leaving the room. Chapter 511 Chapter 511 ¡°Do you know how worried I was when I couldn¡¯t get in touch with you? Sophie, to be honest, I¡¯m really angry now.¡± After struggling to sit up in bed, Sophie gave him a gentle hug. ¡°I know what I did this time was wrong, and I apologize for it. I¡¯ll not repeat my mistake going forward.¡± ¡°No, you didn¡¯t do anything wrong.¡± Her actions were understandable, considering how much she cares about the members of The Wheelers. When he hugged her tightly, she felt a sense of being grounded. ¡°Your presence brings me peace.¡± She had never felt that way all this while. Ever since she arrived in Horington, she had gone about her life independently. Regardless of what happened, she would carry the burden herself and face all dangers alone. But now, she finally had someone to share her burden with her. ¡°All right. Let¡¯s not talk too much, as your body still hasn¡¯t fully recovered. Just clear your mind and recuperate at home for the next few days.¡± I will deal with everything else. ¡°Mr. Tristan, what happened to Quinton?¡± She believed that Mark was not involved at all. Content from N?velDr(a)ma.Org. Knowing Mark like the back of her palm, she was certain he wasn¡¯t capable of such an act. ¡°I¡¯m already worried sick by what happened to you, yet you still have the bandwidth to be concerned about someone else? The old fogey is doing well, but I guarantee I will not let him off the hook.¡± Tristan was never one to forgive and forget. Furthermore, Quinton had crossed his threshold this time. ¡°Why? Are you going to plead for mercy on his behalf?¡± Sophie shook her head. ¡°After what he has done to me, I wouldn¡¯t let him go too. Having said that, he¡¯s still Mark¡¯s father. It¡¯s necessary for him to be taught a lesson, but we must consider Mark¡¯s feelings.¡± ¡°So?¡± What is she trying to say? How does she want to deal with this? ¡°Tomorrow. I¡¯ll meet with him tomorrow.¡± Perhaps there¡¯s a chance to remedy the situation. Rendered speechless, Tristan was annoyed. So what if he¡¯s Mark¡¯s father? There¡¯s no way I¡¯m going to let the matter slide. Sophie gave his lips a peck. ¡°I know you care a lot about me, but I really want to resolve this matter by myself. Can you not get involved, please?¡± If he were to take action, Quinton would be done for. ¡°You¡­¡± Faced with her request, Tristan was bereft of words. Nevertheless, he could never say no to the woman who was everything to him. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Tristan. I promise to me more careful next time.¡± I¡¯m sure he must have been frightened to the core. ¡°I really want to be by your side twenty-four hours a day. This wouldn¡¯t have happened if that were the case.¡± He couldn¡¯t let her out of his sight for a single minute. Naturally, his words brought a smile to her face. ¡°Tristan, I¡¯m thirsty. Can you get me a ss of water?¡± Tristan poured one for her without a moment¡¯s dy. Meanwhile, Ysabelle¡¯s album was extremely well-received. Although it still paled inparison to The Wheelers, she was off to a good start with a growing legion of fans. After a busy day at work, she finally learned of what happened to Sophie at night. Without a moment¡¯s dy, she rushed to Wisteria Apartments. The sight of Sophie lying in bed caused her to break out in tears. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you?¡± Sophie was taken aback. Why is she raining tears the moment she came in? ¡°Did someone bully you? Tell me who it is. I¡¯ll seek revenge for you!¡± Sophie even thought that someone had hurt Ysabelle. However, her words ended up making thetter cry harder. ¡°Someone really did bully you! Who was it?¡± Why is she sobbing so pitifully? ¡°Sophie, how can you still be concerned about me in your current condition? Who has the gall to try and harm you? I¡¯m going to kill them this very instant!¡± This is all my fault. If I had gone to have lunch with her, this wouldn¡¯t have happened. ¡°Sophie, this is on me. I shouldn¡¯t have allowed you to go alone in the afternoon.¡± What am I going to do if something happens to Sophie? I¡¯ll definitely be consumed by guilt for the rest of my life. It turns out that she thinks it¡¯s her fault. At the thought of that, Sophie let out a sigh of relief. ¡°I¡¯m fine, Ysabelle.¡± ¡°How can you call yourself fine looking like that? Quinton is an a*shole. We must teach him a lesson!¡± Even though he¡¯s Mark¡¯s father, harming Sophie is still something unforgivable. ¡°All right. Stop crying now. If you continue, my ce will be flooded by your tears.¡± By then, Sophie barely had any energy left to speak, but she was moved by the concern shown to her by so many. All this while, she had learned to face life with a certain tenacity and was used to doing so alone. Hence, her heart was warmed by those who cared for her. Thereafter, Ysabelle gave her a hug. ¡°Sophie, don¡¯t ever do this again. Whatever it is, tell me about it, and I¡¯ll go together with you.¡± I might not be a fighter, but I¡¯ll still do my very best to protect her. ¡°Okay. I got it. No matter what, I¡¯ll take you together with me, so stop crying now, will you?¡± ¡°Mmm-hmm.¡± Ysabelle sniffled. Felix, who hade along with Ysabelle, felt sorry to see Sophie in her state. ¡°Mr. Tristan, I agree with you that we shouldn¡¯t let Quinton go free.¡± Sophie is one of ours. An attack on her is an attack on all of us. If we don¡¯t teach him a lesson, everyone will think that we are pushovers. ¡°Don¡¯t get involved in this.¡± Since Sophie intended to deal with it herself, he had no choice but to agree. After all, he could never bring himself to deny her wishes. ¡°Sophie, will you show him mercy on Mark¡¯s ount?¡± Ysabelle was cognizant of how much she cared about the members of The Wheelers, particrly Mark and Sunny. ¡°Enough with the questions. You should spend more time dating Felix instead of sticking your nose into this.¡± Tristan simply wanted them to leave so that Sophie could finally get some rest. ¡°Uncle Tristan, what¡¯s that supposed to mean? Felix and I aren¡¯t a couple.¡± Despite her knowledge of his feelings for her, she still hadn¡¯te to a decision about whether to get into a rtionship. ¡°Ysabelle, what are you saying? Do you intend on abandoning me? How can you mess with me by dumping me after leading me on?¡± Ysabelle was rendered speechless. What¡¯s going on? How did this end up about me leading him on? ¡°Enough talk. Both of you can scram now.¡± Sophie needs rest, and yet, these two are babbling needlessly here. ¡°No, I want to stay by Sophie¡¯s side. Sophie, I want to be here with you!¡± ¡°Stop calling her Sophie. You should be addressing her as Aunt Sophie, all right?¡± Tristan blurted. His words dumbfounded Ysabelle. What? Call her Aunt Sophie? Chapter 512 Chapter 512 Even after Felix led her out, the bewildered expression on Ysabelle¡¯s face still remained. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Once Sophie and Tristan are married, wouldn¡¯t she be your aunt?¡± What¡¯s the big deal? Why does she look so shocked? ¡°Why did this issue never cross my mind before this? All this while, I assumed that both of them would be together and stay in Jipsdale. The matter about family hierarchy never urred to me.¡± As Sophie was a good friend and younger than her, she felt awkward addressing the former as ¡°Aunt Sophie.¡± ¡°All right now. Stop overthinking it. Even if you rack your brains, it won¡¯t change a thing anyway.¡± The limited capacity of her tiny brain isn¡¯t suited for thinking about these. Ysabelle still couldn¡¯t help herself as she let out a sigh. The feeling of being demoted within the family hierarchy is just indescribable. ¡°In that case, you¡¯ll have to address her the same way if both of us get together, won¡¯t you?¡± Ysabelle asked wryly. ¡°As long as we can be together, I¡¯m willing to call her ¡®Daddy,¡¯ let alone ¡®Aunt Sophie.¡¯¡° What the f*ck? ¡°What in the world do you see in me?¡± All this while, she was puzzled by the question. Since he has watched me grow up, he must have seen me in diapers and with mucus dripping out of my nose, so how did he bring himself to like me? The matter never stopped confounding her. ¡°I like everything about you.¡± One doesn¡¯t need a reason to fall in love. If everyone knew the answer to this question, there wouldn¡¯t be so many people in the world troubled by love. Naturally, Ysabelle felt as if she was on cloud nine after hearing his words. ¡°Fine! In that case, you¡¯ll have to court me properly, as I have never experienced the feeling of being pursued before.¡± She didn¡¯t want to miss the journey of courtship despite being certain of her feelings for him. ¡°Rx, I¡¯ll definitely not disappoint you.¡± She will have everything a girl deserves. Back in the apartment, Tristan made some oatmeal for Sophie because her food options were limited by her current condition. ¡°Here, have some of this.¡± She needs to eat something no matter what, as she hasn¡¯t had anything since noon. Belonging ? N?velDram/a.Org. ¡°Have you had anything yourself?¡± He had been by her side ever since the incident and had no time to eat at all. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about me. I¡¯m not hungry.¡± True to his words, he wasn¡¯t. ¡°Come on, Tristan, I know you¡¯re worried about me, but I¡¯m fine now. You should go grab a bite.¡± ¡°I¡¯m aware that you¡¯re all right, but I just can¡¯t stop worrying about you. All I want to do now is watch over you.¡± His response left Sophie speechless. It looks like the incident has scarred him. ¡°Open your mouth.¡± When Tristan insisted on feeding her the oatmeal, she had no choice but toply. As she ate slowly, he patiently followed her pace. ¡°Don¡¯t tell Grandpa about this. Otherwise, he will only worry.¡± Now that I¡¯m fine, there¡¯s no need for him to be unnecessarily concerned. ¡°Mmm-hmm. I understand. Old Mr. Tanner called just now, but don¡¯t worry. I didn¡¯t tell him anything.¡± After spending so much time with her, he naturally understood her concerns. ¡°Thank you.¡± Considering Grandpa¡¯s advanced age, he shouldn¡¯t have to worry about such things. After finishing half of the oatmeal, Sophie had enough. ¡°I¡¯m already full.¡± She wasn¡¯t someone who ate a lot, to begin with. Now that she barely had any appetite, it only took a little to fill her. ¡°Is it because you don¡¯t like the taste of my oatmeal? I can get Felix to pack something from The Crown.¡± I cannot let her settle for less on my ount. Sophie grabbed his hand to stop him. ¡°The oatmeal is fine. I really had enough.¡± ¡°All right, then.¡± ¡°Can you now go and have some food?¡± Truth be told, he wasn¡¯t hungry at all. ¡°I really don¡¯t feel like eating.¡± His words triggered a frown on her face. ¡°Tristan Lombard!¡± She didn¡¯t address him as Mr. Tristan in order to show him how much she wanted him to have a proper meal. ¡°Fine. I know.¡± After ordering food to be delivered, Tristan ate inside her room. It was then that she began feeling helpless when it came to his behavior. What am I going to do? I hope this doesn¡¯t end up being traumatic for him! Meanwhile, when Sarah heard about what happened, she prepared something delicious for both Sophie and Tristan right away. William, too, rushed into the kitchen the moment he saw her busy herself inside. ¡°What asion is it to have brought you inside here?¡± Due to how busy she was, Sarah was seldom in the kitchen despite the fact that she was a good cook. ¡°What are you cooking? It smells delicious!¡± ¡°Dad, this isn¡¯t for you. I¡¯ll cook for you the next time I¡¯m free.¡± ¡°What? This isn¡¯t for me? Then who are you preparing this for? Do you have a boyfriend now?¡± Who else is deserving of her cooking? ¡°Tristan¡¯s girlfriend.¡± William was at a loss for words. ¡°How can I be less important to youpared to her?¡± I know he has a girlfriend, but I have not seen her before. And now, she has taken my ce in this household? ¡°Dad, I¡¯m making some nutritious soup for her, as she has suffered a minor injury. Why are you even jealous?¡± ¡°I¡¯ming along with you!¡± Having not met Sophie before, he was filled with curiosity as to who she was. However, Sarah shook her head at once. ¡°Now that she isn¡¯t feeling well, you¡¯ll just get in the way. Let¡¯s do it next time instead. All of us can have a meal together.¡± Does she think I am annoying? ¡°Anyway, I need to go now. Whatever you feel like having, just get the housekeeper to make it for you.¡± Sarah prepared to leave after packing the food. ¡°Sarah, can I not go with you?¡± Sarah¡¯s head shook earnestly. ¡°It¡¯s not like you don¡¯t know your son¡¯s temperament. He¡¯s just not ready for you to meet her yet.¡± ¡°I¡¯m his father. He should be the one obeying me.¡± Sarah responded with a shrug. ¡°To be honest, it¡¯s pointless for you to tell me that. It¡¯s not like I can do anything about it.¡± I¡¯m sure he knows Tristan¡¯s character better than I do. ¡°Hmph! Fine. It¡¯s clear all of you don¡¯t respect me now that you have all grown up.¡± What else can I say? ¡°Dad, you know we¡¯re not like that. Anyway, I¡¯ll arrange for a meal together another day.¡± Since Dad is aware of Sophie¡¯s existence, it¡¯s just a matter of time before they meet. Subsequently, William disapproved of Sophie even though he had yet to meet her. She was hurt? If she¡¯s the kind that gets injured easily, she probably isn¡¯t a good fit for Tristan, for he lives an unpredictable life filled with dangers. As his wife, she should be capable of sharing his burden instead of making him worry all the time. Despite the impression he had, he figured that he needed to meet her before judging any further. Chapter 513 Chapter 513 Sarah came over with some food. She served Sophie a bowl of mushroom soup before serving another bowl to Tristan. ¡°Have some soup!¡± ¡°Thank you, Sarah,¡± Sophie said gratefully. She felt guilty for getting into trouble, causing everyone to worry about her. Sarah chuckled. ¡°We¡¯re a family, so please don¡¯t stand on formalities. We must teach Quinton a lesson so he¡¯ll learn from his mistake.¡± How dare he hurt one of us? Who gave him the guts to do so? ¡°All right, you don¡¯t have to worry about this. I know what to do,¡± Tristan told her. He didn¡¯t want to talk about this anymore. ¡°Mm.¡± Sarah stopped thinking about the matter. Despite not knowing what happened for real, she wouldn¡¯t press on as Tristan told her not to. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Are you feeling unwell? You only ate a little.¡± Sarah was upset at how Tristan didn¡¯t finish her soup. After all, she spent a few hours cooking it! ¡°I¡¯m not hungry,¡± came Tristan¡¯s reply. ¡°Tristan, drink more soup. I think Sarah¡¯s soups are amazing,¡± Sophie insisted. He¡¯s an adult. How can he eat this little? ¡°Okay.¡± Hearing that, Tristan got himself another bowl of soup. Sarah rolled her eyes. I knew it. My little brother is all grown up and belongs to someone else now. I might be his elder sister, but he won¡¯t listen to me. Nevertheless, it only took one casualment from Sophie to make him do as told. How can there be such a vast difference between us? After finishing the soup, Tristan wasted no time in getting rid of her. ¡°You can leave now.¡± ¡°Tristan, you ingrate. I spent a few hours cooking the soup for you! How could you kick me out after finishing it?¡± Sarahined. The real reason she came here was to visit Sophie. We didn¡¯t even get to talk for long. How could he ask me to leave now? ¡°Mr. Tristan, you should get back to work. Let me chat with Sarah,¡± said Sophie. ¡°I¡¯m not busy,¡± Tristan quickly replied. Indeed, work wasn¡¯t important now, for his top priority was Sophie. Sarah snapped, ¡°Tristan, what are you doing? Sophie and I would like to chat in private. Do we need your approval for that?¡± She then pushed him out of the room. Others might be afraid of him, but as his sister, she wasn¡¯t scared of him at all. When Sophie and Sarah were left alone, Sophie could finally heave a sigh of relief. ¡°He cares about you a lot. Don¡¯t take it to heart,¡± Sarah said. Of course, Sarah would side with her brother. In fact, she felt terrible for him as he had never acted this way before. Since he was young, he had extraordinary self-control and would get everything he wanted with his own ability. This time, he obviously got a shock. He was flustered because he cared too much about Sophie. Sophie nodded. ¡°I know, Sarah.¡± She could understand why Tristan acted that way. ¡°Mm. You need to be careful from now on. I was shocked to learn about it, so I can understand how Tristan felt.¡± Sophie bobbed her head in response. I was too careless. ¡°Remember to be nice to him for now. He¡¯ll return to normal in a few days,¡± Sarah advised. She was afraid Tristan was traumatized by the incident. As the girls chatted inside, Tristan went to the living room. When Felix arrived, he saw Tristan smoking alone there. It had been ages since Felix saw Tristan smoking. Hmm, I think he rarely smoked after meeting Sophie. I remember him saying second-hand smoke isn¡¯t good fordies. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Felix broke the silence. They grew up together, so it was pretty obvious something was off about Tristan. ¡°Oh, it¡¯s nothing. I suddenly had the urge to smoke. That¡¯s it,¡± Tristan answered calmly. I can open the windowster. That way, the smoke will clear in no time. ¡°Mr. Tristan, you don¡¯t have to think too much. Look, she¡¯s perfectly fine now. Everything¡¯s all right,¡± Felixforted him. Sophie was indeed capable enough to be able to protect herself even after taking the drug. ¡°Mm,¡± Tristan grunted. He knew she was fine now, but thinking about what could¡¯ve happened would still cause dread to gnaw at his insides. What would I do if something happened to her? I cannot lose her. Felix suddenly asked, ¡°To be honest, will it bother you if Sophie were to lose her virginity this time? Would you still want her?¡± Hearing that, Tristan pinned Felix with a withering re. ¡°Do you think I¡¯m that kind of person? I¡¯m only worried about one thing¡ªshe got hurt. No matter what happens, I won¡¯t give up on her.¡± Please check at N/?vel(D)rama.Org. Fine. It seems that I was too superficial to think that way. Sighing, Felix inquired, ¡°Then why are you in a dilemma?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not in a dilemma. My heart aches for her so much that I can hardly breathe,¡± Tristan replied honestly. He assumed no one could understand how that felt. Felix nodded understandingly. He would also feel the same if the girl he liked were to experience that. In fact, he dared not imagine how he would react if Ysabelle were to go through that. ¡°Fortunately, everything turned out fine. Isn¡¯t that right?¡± Felix responded. Fortunately, it was Sophie who went through the ordeal. She was strong enough to stop things from going astray. Felix couldn¡¯t envisage what would happen if Ysabelle were in Sophie¡¯s shoes. ¡°But I still feel bad. We¡¯ve been together for a long time, and I know what kind of person Quinton is. However, I did nothing to stop that matter from happening.¡± ¡°That wasn¡¯t your fault. No one knew Quinton was bold enough to carry out that act,¡± Felix protested. He was of the opinion that Tristan shouldn¡¯t be ming himself for the incident. Right then, Arius returned and overheard their conversation. ¡°Mr. Tristan, everyone knows you care about Sophie a lot. However, the incident wasn¡¯t your fault,¡± Arius said in an impartial tone. ¡°If you keep ming yourself, what would Sophie think?¡± ¡°Yes! Sophie will be sad if you keep acting this way,¡± Felix chimed in. It was Quinton¡¯s fault, so all they had to do was to punish Quinton for his misdeeds. There was no need for Tristan to overthink. ¡°Mm.¡± That night, Tristan and Sophie were left alone. Sophie had recoveredpletely. Tristan was dealing with work in his study, so she stayed in the living room to watch a TV show. The show ying on the TV was really boring, but she kept watching it. In the end, she gave Mark a call. Thetter was pretty startled to receive a call from Sophie. He initially dared not answer her call, but what was done could not be undone. No matter what, he still had to solve the problem. After convincing himself, he answered her call. ¡°Sophie, this has nothing to do with others. It was my sole decision. You know how much I like you,¡± Mark said hastily. Sophie was speechless. Does he think he can solve the problem by saying that? Mark urged, ¡°Why aren¡¯t you talking? Are you mad at me?¡± ¡°Mark, we¡¯ve been friends for years. Do you think I don¡¯t know who you are? It¡¯s really upsetting to hear that from you,¡± Sophie responded. Everyone knew his character, so there was no need for him to say those words just to protect the culprit. They weren¡¯t fools, after all. She assured him, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I won¡¯t hurt your father.¡± Quinton was his father, so she was willing to give him one more chance. ¡°Sophie.¡± Mark felt pain re up in his heart. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for hurting you.¡± He never wanted to see any of them get hurt, but s, things didn¡¯t turn out the way he wanted. ¡°Stop apologizing to me,¡± Sophie replied impatiently. That wasn¡¯t what she wanted to hear. Chapter 514 Chapter 514 Quinton had been in agony ever since he learned Sophie¡¯s boyfriend was Tristan. He knew the matter couldn¡¯t be resolved easily. After all, Tristan was known for his ruthless methods. This time, the person he tried to harm was Tristan¡¯s girlfriend. Mark told him to stay out of this, but there was no way he could do that. At this age, he could ept any oue, but Mark¡¯s life had just begun. He couldn¡¯t allow his son to bear all responsibility when it was his fault. Thus, Quinton decided to look for Tristan himself. Despite being a big shot in society, he was nothingpared to Tristan. All rights ? N?velDrama.Org. He waited a long time outside but didn¡¯t even get to catch a glimpse of Tristan¡¯s face. When Felix apanied Ysabelle to Wisteria Apartments, they saw Quinton standing outside. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Why are you staring at him?¡± Ysabelle asked curiously when she saw Felix ring at the man. Who is he? I don¡¯t remember seeing him previously. Felix replied angrily, ¡°He¡¯s the one who drugged Sophie.¡± He wanted nothing more than to teach Quinton a lesson, but it wasn¡¯t his ce to do so. I need to head upstairs and let Mr. Tristan know that he¡¯s here. Ysabelle gasped. ¡°What? It¡¯s him?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Felix¡¯s memory was good enough for him to remember Quinton even though he had only met the latter once. Ysabelle snarled, ¡°Wait here for me. I shall go beat him up to take revenge for Sophie.¡± He must pay the price for trying to harm Sophie! Felix held her arm and dragged her back. ¡°Stop it. You should stay out of this. Let¡¯s head upstairs now,¡± he responded. Tristan remained indifferent after learning that Quinton was downstairs. ¡°Uncle Tristan, you can¡¯t let him off easily,¡± Ysabelle insisted. ¡°Go and keep Sophiepany,¡± Tristan ordered. ¡°All right.¡± Ysabelle left to do as told. Felix asked, ¡°Won¡¯t you teach him a lesson?¡± Tristan¡¯s voice remained calm as he replied, ¡°We should let her deal with the matter.¡± There was a chance Sophie wouldn¡¯t be satisfied with what they would do to him. ¡°Okay.¡± Since Tristan had said that, Felix couldn¡¯t argue anymore. ¡°Sophie has an affectionate nature, so I don¡¯t think she¡¯ll give him a harsh punishment.¡± Ysabelle went into the room and told Sophie about bumping into Quinton downstairs. Scowling, she hissed, ¡°Sophie, don¡¯t you dare forgive him after what he did to you. Do you hear me?¡± Not every deed could be forgiven, for forgiving wasn¡¯t obligatory. Sophie asked, ¡°Quinton is downstairs?¡± What a coincidence. I wanted to talk to him, anyway. Ysabelle nodded. ¡°Yes. I wanted to get out of the car to teach him a lesson, but Felix stopped me from doing so,¡± sheined furiously. He deserves to be taught a lesson. Otherwise, he will never learn from his mistake. ¡°Sophie, are you listening?¡± ¡°I need to head outside,¡± Sophie said suddenly. She walked out of the room after saying that. ¡°Wait, where are you going? Uncle Tristan wants you to rest, so you should stay here,¡± Ysabelle called out. Sophie felt fine, so she assured Ysabelle, ¡°I said, I¡¯m fine.¡± ¡°But where are you going? Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re going downstairs to meet Quinton.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Sophie bobbed her head. It was a good opportunity to clear things up. Ysabelle felt speechless. Why would she want to meet Quinton? ¡°Sophie,¡± she said wheedlingly. Obviously, she was against Sophie meeting that man. There was no point for Sophie in doing so. ¡°Just leave me be,¡± Sophie¡¯s reply was curt. Of course, Ysabelle wouldn¡¯t let her be and ran out after her. When Tristan and Felix saw Sophie, they instantly knew what she was up to. Tristan offered, ¡°I¡¯ll apany you downstairs.¡± No matter what she wanted to do, he would be by her side. Sophie looked at him. ¡°I don¡¯t think you shoulde with me.¡± If he was there, their conversation might not go well. Tristan was determined. ¡°I insist.¡± Sophie shrugged. ¡°Fine, then.¡± She knew he was worried about her and gave in easily. Felix and Ysabelle shared a look. Indeed, Mr. Tristan has no principles before Sophie. Even if Sophie asks him to kill someone, he¡¯ll do that without hesitation! ¡°I want to be there, too!¡± Ysabelle raised her hand. She wanted to teach the man a lesson personally. ¡°Why would you need to be there? Stay here with Felix,¡± Tristan refuted immediately. Ysabelle pouted indignantly. Why can¡¯t I be there? Felix tugged at her arm. ¡°All right, let¡¯s stay here. We can date at home.¡± Ysabelle glowered at him. Why would I date him at home? Sophie paid no heed to them and went downstairs with Tristan. Downstairs, Quinton felt his heart leap to his throat at the sight of Sophie. It wasn¡¯t the first time he saw Sophie, but he was still afraid of her. Throughout his years in the underground circles, he had never been afraid of anyone. However, on that day, he was quaking in his boots. The three of them went to a nearby caf¨¦. Inside, Quinton dared not take a seat and remained standing. ¡°Mr. Tristan, I know what I did was unforgivable, and I¡¯m not asking you to forgive me, but this has nothing to do with Mark and his mother. Please spare them,¡± he pleaded. Tristan said nothing, but it only took one look from him for Quinton to tremble in fear. The older man knew that his act of harming Tristan¡¯s girlfriend was unpardonable. He dared not utter a word. Only those who had a death wish would have the guts to be Tristan¡¯s enemy. Sophie held Tristan¡¯s hand. The man was far too intimidating. If he were to stay, they couldn¡¯t talk in peace. ¡°Why don¡¯t you wait for me outside?¡± she suggested. ¡°I¡¯ll be here, so don¡¯t worry. I won¡¯t say anything,¡± Tristan responded. He would support any decision she was to make. ¡°Quinton, I came today because you¡¯re Mark¡¯s father. Otherwise, you wouldn¡¯t even have a chance to talk to me,¡± Sophie began. She wanted to be clear about that. Hearing that, Quinton could feel his heart sinking. She¡¯s scarier than Mr. Tristan when she¡¯s vicious. ¡°Sophie, I¡¯m sorry. It was all my fault. But you have to know that this has nothing to do with Mark. Please, spare his life,¡± he pleaded. Mark was his only son, so he was willing to risk his life to save him. ¡°I came here for one reason¡ªto help Mark gain freedom. Let him do whatever he likes even if he doesn¡¯t continue singing as long as he doesn¡¯t take over Emerald Gang,¡± Sophie stated. Quinton knew he didn¡¯t have any right to state any condition, so that was most probably the most mercy they could grant him. If he didn¡¯t agree to Sophie¡¯s condition, things might get even worse. ¡°Okay, I agree. No matter what happens in the future, I won¡¯t force Mark. He is free to do whatever he wants,¡± came his reply. Mark must be an important friend to Sophie for her to consider his feelings even after what I did to her. I¡¯m d Mark has a friend like her. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll be in charge of Mark and his mother¡¯s safety,¡± Sophie promised. She knew he was worried about that. ¡°Okay!¡± Quinton had nothing else to say. After all, it was all his fault, and he should be the one bearing the consequences. Chapter 515 Chapter 515 ¡°You, on the other hand¡ª¡± ¡°Anything works. You can take my life as long as you agree to spare them,¡± Quinton interjected hastily. He actually loved his family dearly. However, he was an uncultured man who had no idea how to express his feelings. ¡°If you¡¯re afraid of affecting your rtionship with Mark, I can take my own life,¡± he offered, not wanting to arouse any conflict between them. Sophie shook her head. ¡°No need for that. You just have to watch your behavior from now on.¡± That was her objective for meeting him today. After making things clear, she was prepared to leave. ¡°I¡­¡± Quinton trailed off hesitantly. I don¡¯t have to die? That had never crossed his mind. After all, he was already prepared to die beforeing here. Tristan nced at him. ¡°Mr. Tristan, I¡­¡± Sophie might be done, but Tristan had yet to say anything. Will he spare me for real? Tristan uttered, ¡°Since my girlfriend has made a decision, I won¡¯ty a hand on you. Stay away from us. Otherwise, you might suffer if I happen to be in a foul mood.¡± He wasn¡¯t in a good mood now, but he had promised Sophie that he would respect her decision. Sophie held his hand gratefully, for she knew it was hard enough for him to make apromise for her. That was the only way she could offer himfort. ¡°I¡¯m fine. I wouldn¡¯t have let him go easily if I were in your shoes, but since I¡¯ve given you my word, I won¡¯t interfere,¡± he assured her. Tristan would respect each and every of her decision. ¡°I know.¡± Of course, Sophie knew what he was thinking about. They had been together for some time, so she assumed she knew him well. ¡°Thank you. Don¡¯t worry, for I promise to be obedient.¡± Sophie shot him a wink. Sophie had always been cold and indifferent in public, but she had learned how to act adorable in front of Tristan. Tristan reminded her, ¡°Don¡¯t learn those stuff from Ysabelle. You are you. No matter what you do, I won¡¯t get mad.¡± Warmth spread across Sophie¡¯s heart as she shed him a smile. ¡°I won¡¯t want to make you sad,¡± she teased. Tristan nodded. ¡°By the way, since my dad has found out about you, we should meet up with him for a meal.¡± They would have to meet one day. William must be waiting for them to initiate a meeting after learning about Sophie. ¡°Sure,¡± Sophie agreed readily. They were in a stable rtionship, so it was time for her to meet his father. ¡°What does your dad like? I shall prepare a gift for him.¡± Sophie knew it wasn¡¯t polite to show up at his house without a gift. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about that. I¡¯ll prepare everything you need. For the next few days, get some rest at home. You shouldn¡¯t head to sses for now,¡± Tristan advised. He was still worried about her. Sophie protested, ¡°I¡¯m fine, Mr. Tristan. You don¡¯t have to worry.¡± I was drugged, and now I¡¯m perfectly fine. Why are they acting as though I was critically ill? The new semester had just begun, so there were many things going on at both Jipsdale University and the University of Medicine. Sophie wanted to learn everything necessary as quickly as possible instead of wasting more time here. Meanwhile, Ysabelle¡¯s song went viral. No one knew what had happened, but it suddenly became popr. In the blink of an eye, Ysabelle was now the goddess of nerds. Felix was upset to read thements the nerds made about Ysabelle on Twitter and Reddit. Ysabelle belonged to him. He wanted nothing more than to make them blind so they would stop gawking at her. Ysabelle came back home to see Felix staring at his phone on the couch. She had no idea what made him that engrossed, for he had a weird expression on his face. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? What are you reading?¡± she asked. As a public figure, she had to ept all sorts of comments. Even if they were criticisms, she had to get used to them as soon as possible. Felix pulled her over so she could sit in hisp. ¡°I know you love singing, and I support you, but it¡¯s ufortable to read thesements about you,¡± he grumbled. How dare they call her a woman with youthful looks with big boobs? I shall find theizen who posted thatment and make him pay the price. ¡°I suggest you stop reading thesements to avoid getting mad. Theizens can be rude or nice, and there are also many haters. There is no need to get mad at them. Look how furious you are. However, theizen who made thatment had probably forgotten what he posted,¡± Ysabelle told him. Felix huffed. ¡°It looks like I¡¯m not calm enough.¡± He actually didn¡¯t mind what others said about him, but when it came to Ysabelle, he just couldn¡¯t tamper his emotions. ¡°All right. You¡¯re the only person I like. Does that work?¡± Ysabelle tried to cate him. It was pointless to care about what other people said about her. ¡°Mm.¡± Meanwhile, Quinton told Mark that he wouldn¡¯t need to take over Emerald Gang anymore. Quinton seemed to have aged overnight. Seeing that, Mark felt bad. He wouldn¡¯t end up this way if it weren¡¯t for me. Quinton told him, ¡°You are free to do what you want. Sophie is a good friend. If it weren¡¯t for you, she wouldn¡¯t have let me go easily. I¡¯m d you have a good friend like her.¡± Sophie and Tristan were around, so no one would dare to bully Mark in Jipsdale. That was enough. ¡°Mark, you can ignore me from now on. Remember to take care of your mom, though,¡± he reminded his son. Quinton abducted his wife and forced her into marrying him so he knew she had never loved him. Content from N?velDr(a)ma.Org. Nevertheless, he couldn¡¯t help but keep her confined by his side. As things had turned out this way, there was no need for him to keep them by his side. Quinton dered, ¡°Let your mom do whatever she wants.¡± He was already tired of keeping her by his side for a long time. Mark got worried. ¡°Dad, are you all right?¡± In response, Quinton shed a smile. ¡°I¡¯m good. Don¡¯t worry.¡± He had no idea what would happen to him after leaving Emerald Gang, but nothing else mattered as long as Mark and his mother could lead a peaceful and blissful life. Mark offered, ¡°I can take over Emerald Gang.¡± After all, he was slowly getting used to it. Quinton shook his head. ¡°Sophie¡¯s right. You¡¯re really not suited to be in a gang. It was all my wishful thinking, so I don¡¯t think it¡¯s fair to drag you into this.¡± Mark said nothing. ¡°Do whatever you like. You like singing, right? I believe you¡¯ll do a great job,¡± Quinton added. He then turned to leave. I¡¯m all alone now. No matter what happens in the future, I will bear all responsibility alone. Mark was now free to do whatever he wanted, but he was slow to react. Am I really free from Emerald Gang? I know I¡¯m not suited to the role, but I did everything I could to do a good job. The matter was resolved because of how his father harmed Sophie. Nevertheless, he couldn¡¯t bring himself to get excited. Chapter 516 Chapter 516 Mark did not know how to face Sophie, yet he knew he couldn¡¯t put off meeting her forever. Eventually, the two met at a caf¨¦ near the University of Medicine. An odd feeling swelled in Mark¡¯s chest when he saw Sophie again after such a long time. The first words out of his mouth were an apology. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Sophie.¡± It was not the first time he was apologizing. He did not think a lifetime of apologies could make up for his mistakes. Sophie scrunched her brows in frustration. Why is he still so stubborn? She stated firmly, ¡°Didn¡¯t I say this before? I know this incident has nothing to do with you at all. It¡¯s all in the past now. Can we stop bringing it up?¡± Getting over the incident was easier said than done for Mark. She continued, ¡°I only hope you can return to The Wheelers. After all, that¡¯s your favorite ce in the whole world.¡± ¡°Sophie¡ª¡± Even now, she still had his best interests at heart. ¡°Sunny and the others are all waiting for you. Don¡¯t let them down, okay? Of course, if there¡¯s something else you¡¯d like to do, that¡¯s fine too. I won¡¯t force you to return to The Wheelers if that¡¯s the case.¡± Sophie was careful to reiterate that he had the freedom to choose his future path and that no one could force him to do anything. All rights ? N?velDrama.Org. Mark uttered, ¡°I¡¯ll return to the band.¡± The farewell concert may have been over, but performing in The Wheelers was still his dream. He would not give up on it now. ¡°Okay. Let¡¯s go back, then!¡± Everyone had hoped Mark would return. Suddenly, he said, ¡°Thank you, Sophie.¡± She smiled and replied, ¡°We¡¯re past such formalities, don¡¯t you think?¡± Sophie would not be the person she was today if she had never met Mark in Horington. A verbal expression of gratitude was insignificant in light of their history. Nheless, Mark insisted, ¡°I still have to thank you. It¡¯s because of me that you had to go through all that.¡± Sophie always thought he had helped her a lot in Horington, yet in retrospect, the opposite was probably true. In any case, they were certainly past the stage of such pleasantries. Just then, Sophie suggested, ¡°Do you want me toe along when you meet Sunny and the rest?¡± The poor drummer had been in a funk for the longest time. Since he had agreed to return to The Wheelers, Sophie decided Mark should quickly meet with his former bandmates. ¡°Let¡¯s go together!¡± replied Mark. Still, there were some concerns in his mind. We announced we were disbanding. What will the fans think of my abrupt return? I¡¯m sure they¡¯ll think we did it for the publicity! He knew these were small matters in the grand scheme of things. The most important thing was that The Wheelers would be reunited. Sophie had no sses in the afternoon and apanied Mark to the mansion. When they opened the door, they saw Sunny leaving with his luggage. Sunny stood still and just stared silently at Mark. Nothing Mark said now could change his mind; he was bent on leaving. He said, ¡°Sophie, I won¡¯t stay to chat with you all. My flight leaves at four. I¡¯ll miss it if I don¡¯t leave now.¡± His bandmates were distraught. ¡°Sunny, are you really leaving? We haven¡¯t achieved our dreams yet! Are you just going to give up now?¡± Simply put, none of them would be satisfied with such an oue. Sunny kept quiet. With things the way they were, what was the point in staying even if his dreams were unfulfilled? Without Mark, they could no longer be The Wheelers. Another bandmate piped up, ¡°Stay in Jipsdale, Sunny! We¡¯ve alreadye so far. We still have each other even if Mark¡¯s not around.¡± They had always stuck together since forming the band, and they dreaded the idea of going their separate ways. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Sunny! I must¡¯ve disappointed you throughout this time. Everything¡¯s over now, though. I¡¯m back, and I still want to be with all of you as we strive for our dreams!¡± Sunny was taken aback at Mark¡¯s reply. Wasn¡¯t he always unwavering in his decision to leave? He never returned no matter what we said, so what the heck is happening now? Furious, Sunny retorted, ¡°Did you think we were a bunch of people ready toe and go ording to your whims, Mark?¡± Just because you said you wereing back, did you think we would wee you unequivocally with open arms? Mark said, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Sunny. I know I¡¯ve disappointed everyone, but I truly wish to return now. I still want to be with everyone. Can you give me a chance to do that?¡± It was true that he had been the one to split up the band. His appeal fell on deaf ears. Sunny fired back, ¡°I can¡¯t. I can¡¯t y this game with you any longer. It¡¯s too much to bear. Who knows if you¡¯ll suddenly abandon us again for some different reason in the future?¡± Sunny¡¯s heart could not take it anymore. It was better to call it quits once and for all. ¡°Sunny! You can¡¯t leave now that Mark¡¯s back!¡± His bandmates knew all about his childish temper. It would take some time to coax him out of his sour mood. As expected, Sunny replied peevishly, ¡°That¡¯s his business. You need a main singer, and I¡¯m just a drummer. I¡¯m sure you can easily find someone to rece me.¡± I have the least presence in this band, anyway! He was clearly throwing a tantrum. Sophie stepped forward and grabbed his shoulder. ¡°Sunny, I know you¡¯d be the saddest person to see this group disband. Don¡¯t leave. Why don¡¯t we all stay in Jipsdale?¡± ¡°Sophie, I¡ª¡± Sophie interjected, ¡°All right. Don¡¯t say anything else. We¡¯re all in Jipsdale now. Even if I don¡¯t perform onstage with you, I can continueposing songs with all of you!¡± The dream of creating rock music lived on in her heart. Sunny¡¯s stance wavered. I¡¯ve always wanted to do that. Now, it seems as if my wish ising true. Mark approached Sunny and sped his former bandmate¡¯s other shoulder. He vowed, ¡°I¡¯m sorry again for what I did, but don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll never bring up the idea of disbanding again! The Wheelers will stay together forever!¡± The six members hugged each other, bringing a perfect ending to the band¡¯s reunion. Over the next few days, Xandra was kept busy with the public outcry over The Wheelers¡¯ disbandment. Comments had flooded TS Entertainment¡¯s Twitter page, and fans lined the walkways outside the company buildings. They were all hoping that The Wheelers would stay together. As she struggled not to drown in work, Sophie returned bearing news that The Wheelers would not disband. Xandra was understandably perplexed. ¡°What? Do you mean The Wheelers won¡¯t disband? Mark ising back?¡± Sophie repeated, ¡°That¡¯s right. Nothing¡¯s wrong with your ears. I said that.¡± The Wheelers will not split up. ¡°How did you do that, Sophie? Mark doesn¡¯t seem like a person who would easily concede!¡± eximed Xandra. Mark had seemed so resolved when he left that Xandra did not expect such a twist. Sophie said to her, ¡°I¡¯ll leave the rest to you, namely how to allow Mark to gracefully rejoin The Wheelers. Oh, and you need to think of a way to deal with fanments about this being a publicity stunt!¡± Xandra reassured her, ¡°Isn¡¯t that part of my job scope? Don¡¯t worry! The Wheelers has been in the industry for so many years; thesements are nothing but water off their backs!¡± She always knew Sophie had a soft spot for the band, but she did not realize thetter¡¯s concern was so deep. ¡°I don¡¯t want Mark to be troubled once he returns. The Wheelers is like my first crush. I want them to be happy and free,¡± exined Sophie. ¡°I know. Didn¡¯t you bring me in for The Wheelers in the first ce? I¡¯ll make this the best PR response you¡¯ve ever seen in history!¡± Xandra did not boast of many talents, but she knew her public rtions skills were second to none. Chapter 517 Chapter 517 Ysabelle rushed over immediately after knowing The Wheelers weren¡¯t going to disband. ¡°Sophie, were they telling the truth? Are The Wheelers really not disbanding?¡± Ysabelle had met with a few of The Wheelers¡¯ members earlier. She felt hopeful when she saw Mark at TS Entertainment again. Sophie nodded. ¡°That¡¯s right. The Wheelers are not disbanding.¡± As long as Quinton didn¡¯t force Mark, thetter was undoubtedly willing to return because he genuinely liked music and rock. Mark was born to rock. ¡°That¡¯s so great!¡± Ysabelle was overjoyed. As The Wheelers¡¯ fan, she thought she was utterly blessed to be their junior under the same entertainmentpany. After all, that was such a fortunate turn of events that most people wouldn¡¯t even dare to dream of. ¡°Sophie, you¡¯re truly my goddess. Why do I feel that you¡¯re capable of resolving every problem?¡± The news about The Wheelers not disbanding became the trending headlines at once. The first of the trending list was about The Wheelers¡¯ disbandment cancetion. Second on the list was Mark Wheeler, while the third trending news was The Wheelers¡¯ operation. That was how news was disseminated in the age of advanced information technology. Once something significant happened, all kinds of rted information would be avable online. The Wheelers¡¯ fans were the happiest after they were informed that their favorite band wasn¡¯t going to disband. A lot of people even shed tears of joy. There was also arge group of fans arguing with thoseizens who jeered at The Wheelers over the inte. In the end, the fans finally stopped bickering with the haters after Mark published a message on Twitter to ask his fans not to bother themselves with the haters. Still, The Wheelers became more popr following that incident. Ensuing Mark¡¯s return, the first program the band participated in was a type of talk show, and all five band members were present. During the show, Mark exined the reason behind his departure and why he decided to rejoin the band now. ¡°In the previous concert, there was another cool guest, Tanner. May I know if he will continue to be with the band?¡± Everyone was very curious about Tanner, sparking many threads on the inte to discuss his identity. ¡°Tanner is a member of The Wheelers. In our hearts, he will forever be one of us. However, he won¡¯t be joining us on stage in the future.¡± ¡°What a shame. Tanner was able to garner the support of fans from both genders. I¡¯m also very fond of him.¡± The host shed a love-struck grin. Staring at Sophie, sitting below the stage with sunsses on, Mark smiled as well. That¡¯s right. I wonder what it will be like if Sophie makes a debut in the entertainment field. Her appearance can indeed charm everyone whoys their eyes on her. However, since she made her choice, we¡¯ll have to respect her decision. This oue isn¡¯t that bad either since we can still spend time together in this manner. ¡°Mark, do you have a girlfriend? This is a question I¡¯m asking on behalf of all the fans who greatly admire you.¡± The public was extremely curious about their multitalented idol¡¯s love life. ¡°I have someone I love, but I think we¡¯ll never have the chance to be together.¡± Despite his indifferent personality, many of Mark¡¯s fans felt their heart ache at the sight of his mien at that instant. They wondered what he had experienced and who was the girl who managed to capture his heart. Not to mention, the girl could invoke so much regret and sorrow in him. At that moment, Tristan, sitting beside Sophie, held her hand. Whenever such an asion rose, he would feel that he was exceptionally fortunate for winning her affection. There were simply too many people who fancied her, yet she chose him. Hence, he considered himself incredibly lucky to be with her. ¡°Okay. Let¡¯s go.¡± There wasn¡¯t anything else left for them to do there. Besides, Mark and his band members were veteran artists, so Sophie and Tristan reckoned they knew how to handle the matters there. As for the haters¡¯ments, they didn¡¯t need to dwell on it either because everyone would forget about that incident after some time. That night, inside the condominium at the University of Medicine, Sophie asked, ¡°When are we meeting with your dad? Should I bring my grandpa along?¡± Josiah had always wished to meet with Tristan¡¯s family, so Sophie nned to invite her grandfather to tag along. ¡°We¡¯ll do it next time. I know Old Mr. Tanner yearned to meet my family, but I¡¯m still uncertain about my dad¡¯s stance, so I want to avoid upsetting Old Mr. Tanner.¡± Prior to the meeting, Tristan had to rify things with his father because he would never allow anyone to harm Sophie. ¡°What type of girl does your dad like?¡± Tristan frowned. ¡°His preference is the least of our concerns. The most important thing is that I like the way you are, and that¡¯s what matters.¡± Sophie chuckled. He¡¯s right. I¡¯m fine as long as he likes me. I can¡¯t control how others feel anyway. Knowing she was about to meet with Tristan¡¯s father, Josiah summoned her over. ¡°Sophie, you need to be more eloquent when meeting his father for the first time, okay? Also, you must wear the dress I bought for you on that day.¡± Her clothes are too simple and in. Making a good first impression is very important. Sophie is an excellent girl, but at times, not everyone can see her beauty within. ¡°Grandpa, it¡¯s just a meeting. Why are you more nervous than me?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not nervous. I just want you to be happy. If Tristan¡¯s father doesn¡¯t like you, I¡¯m afraid you will be mistreated when you marry him.¡± After all, such incidents were most pronounced among prominent families. Content from N?velDr(a)ma.Org. ¡°Grandpa, don¡¯t worry. I won¡¯t let anyone bully me.¡± Meanwhile, Tristan had gone back to the Lombard residence. Upon seeing his return, William couldn¡¯t help but say, ¡°I thought you¡¯d forgotten your way home.¡± Is he truly that busy to the extent ofing home so rarely? Tristan did not reply to him. ¡°Why are you so easily angered when I merelymented a little on your behavior?¡± Since he was injured, Tristan hadn¡¯t gone back to the Lombard residence once. He had utterly disregarded his father. ¡°Dad, you should know when to stop. Weren¡¯t you always bugging me about wanting to meet with my girlfriend? I¡¯ve arranged a time for you two to get acquainted.¡± ¡°Are you finally willing to let me meet with her? I was under the assumption that you don¡¯t n on bringing her back to the Lombard residence for the rest of your life.¡± ¡°I hope you¡¯ll mind your attitude. The only reason I came here today is to inform you in advance, not to make things difficult for her.¡± William was rendered speechless. I haven¡¯t even done a thing! ¡°Tristan, is that how you speak to your dad?¡± Sarah nudged him. ¡°Dad, Tristan likes Sophie too much. She¡¯s still young, so it will be best if you don¡¯t frighten her.¡± Taking in his son¡¯s and daughter¡¯s demeanor, William¡¯s interest in Sophie intensified. ¡°Are you very fond of her as well?¡± William reckoned a girl who even Sarah liked wouldn¡¯t be so bad. ¡°Dad, Tristan¡¯s girlfriend is genuinely pretty impressive and pleasant.¡± ¡°Anyway, I¡¯ve decided she¡¯s the girl for me, regardless of whether you like her,¡± Tristan warned William beforehand because he didn¡¯t want Sophie to be caught in any tight spot. Chapter 518 Chapter 518 ¡°What are you saying? Am I really such an ill-hearted man in your eyes?¡± William demanded. We haven¡¯t even met each other! It seems like Tristan¡¯s really smitten with this girl. ¡°I¡¯m just reminding you to mind your attitude. Don¡¯t make things difficult for her,¡± Tristan replied. He nned to leave right away if his father did not y nice. ¡°Even if I don¡¯t like her, it doesn¡¯t matter and won¡¯t change your mind, right?¡± William snapped. He detested the notion that Tristan didn¡¯t even care about what he thought. ¡°Dad, why do you think that? You know that we both respect you! It¡¯s just that¡­ Well, love can¡¯t be exined,¡± Sarah muttered. She was definitely on Tristan¡¯s side. ¡°Quit trying to brainwash me. Let me meet her first. If I don¡¯t like her, she won¡¯t stand a chance to marry into our family,¡± William retorted. He was not one to mince his words. ¡°In that case, it¡¯s better if the two of you don¡¯t meet,¡± Tristan dered. It was obvious that William was not at all keen to meet her. He had only brought Sophie to meet him out of respect for him. However, William seemed to take that gesture to mean that he had the right to dictate who Tristan could be with. ¡°You¡ª¡± William thought Tristan was being too arrogant. ¡°What do you mean? How dare you use that tone against me for a woman? Where are your manners?¡± William berated. ¡°Tristan, refrain yourself,¡± Sarah reminded him. It was a happy asion. How did it all turn out like this? ¡°Dad, haven¡¯t you always wanted to see Tristan get married? He finally found someone whom he wants to spend the rest of his life with. Why are you acting like this?¡± Sarah asked. That was absolutely unnecessary. ¡°What? He¡¯s finally found someone?¡± William found Sarah¡¯s words incredulous. It was Tristan who had always given the socialites the cold shoulder. ¡°Okay, Dad. I was wrong. My point is he¡¯s finally found someone he likes. Please don¡¯t get in the middle of this,¡± Sarah pleaded. ¡°All right. Don¡¯t you guys know I¡¯m a well-mannered man? Even if I don¡¯t like her, I won¡¯t let it show. We¡¯re going to talk when we¡¯re back,¡± William said. That should do it, right? ¡°I hope that you will respect my decision and don¡¯t interfere in my matters. Even if you don¡¯t like her, I hope that you will keep your opinions to yourself,¡± Tristan said. After all, he would be the one to spend the rest of his life with Sophie, not William. ¡°You¡ª¡± William stopped himself and instead said, ¡°Well, now I¡¯m really intrigued by this woman who has managed to charm you so.¡± William had never seen him care about a girl so much. His son had only gotten along well with Sarah in the family. He never expected Tristan to change because of a woman. Please check at N/?vel(D)rama.Org. William didn¡¯t wee the change, however. After all, Tristan would be the sessor of the Lombard Group. It wouldn¡¯t do the group nor his son good if Tristan could easily be swayed by a woman. Nheless, William knew it was not the time to make his thoughts vocal. It would only serve to stoke the already burning fire in their rtionship. ¡°All right. I will be sure to respect your girlfriend. Is that good enough for you?¡± William conceded. We¡¯re just meeting each other. Is it really necessary to sour things from the very beginning? ¡°I hope that you can keep your promise,¡± Tristan said. ¡°Just look at him,¡± Williammented. He was rendered speechless by Tristan¡¯s defensive attitude. On the other hand, Willow knew that Sophie was meeting Tristan¡¯s family. She was fervently hoping that the Lombard family would look down on Sophie. After all, Sophie didn¡¯t enjoy a good reputation here in Jipsdale. ¡°I¡¯d like to see if she can still be that arrogant when she couldn¡¯t gain Old Mr. Lombard¡¯s favor! Doesn¡¯t she always think that she¡¯s the greatest? She¡¯s only meeting his family, and yet things are already so tense. This can only mean that she¡¯s not confident that she will be able to gain their favor, right? Hah!¡± Willow mocked. Charmaine shook her head at Willow¡¯s ill-conceived thoughts about her own sister. The daughter that had once been her source of pride and beacon of hope had turned into this. ¡°Willow, what are you doing? Go out and take a walk. You¡¯re going to get sick from staying at home all day. There are over a million on this card. Just spend it as you like,¡± Charmaine said. She still favored Willow. ¡°Mom, when do you suppose Sophie will finally be down on her luck? I¡¯ve been waiting for that day to come forever. I won¡¯t ever be happy as long as she¡¯s still around!¡± Willow said,pletely disregarding what her mother had just said. ¡°Willow, what are you thinking about? She¡¯s your little sister. Besides, the matter with yton has nothing to do with her,¡± Charmainemented. yton only had himself to me. ¡°Mom, haven¡¯t you always taken my side? What are you saying now?¡± Willow retorted. ¡°I¡¯m just worried about you. You¡¯re not doing well mentally. Don¡¯t care about others now. You should focus on yourself, all right?¡± Charmaine coaxed. Even if Willow couldn¡¯t marry into an ultra-wealthy family, she should at least try to get herself into a well-to-do family. However, Willow had given up on grooming herself and didn¡¯t even want to get out of the house. At the rate that things were going, how would she be able to marry into a good family? ¡°One more thing. Don¡¯t bring this up in front of others. Do you think Mr. Tristan will let you off the hook if he hears about this?¡± Charmaine warned. Doesn¡¯t she know how much Tristan cares about Sophie? Charmaine didn¡¯t think it was wise for Willow to keep challenging Tristan¡¯s bottom line. Willow¡¯s mental state was in a disarray now. She had given up the hope of surpassing Sophie. However, if given a chance to drag Sophie down, Willow wouldn¡¯t even bat an eyelid to take it, even if it meant that she would get destroyed too. Willow didn¡¯t think Sophie deserved to have everything going her way. Noticing that Willow wasn¡¯t listening to a word she said, Charmaine shook her head and headed out of her room. Willow had dragged herself into a dead-end. She couldn¡¯t get out of the abyss herself, nor would others be able to help her. Charmaine reckoned that perhaps only time could heal her troubled daughter. Meanwhile, Tristan had arranged for them to meet up at Blossom Garden. It was a really nice ce. Ordinary people wouldn¡¯t be able to secure a reservation there, guaranteeing their privacy. Ysabelle was more nervous than Sophie when she knew that thetter was meeting her grandfather. ¡°Sophie, you don¡¯t actually have to be so nervous. My grandpa is a really nice man. Even though he¡¯s strict toward my dad and Uncle Tristan, he¡¯s really nice to me,¡± Ysabelle reassured her. ¡°Okay. I¡¯m not nervous. Don¡¯t worry,¡± Sophie replied. ¡°Hmm, I think my grandpa will like you,¡± Ysabelle said. She had confidence in her friend. ¡°Okay,¡± Sophie said, though she was unsure of her own chances. She had only met William once, and she knew nothing about what he liked or disliked. ¡°Well, you need to get ready now.¡± Ysabelle had wanted to apany her, but Tristan forbade her from tagging along. Ysabelle had no choice but to listen to the man. ¡°So, how are you doing with Felix?¡± Sophie asked. Ever since the two of them started dating, Ysabelle appeared to be more radiant than ever. ¡°He treats me well. I¡¯ve been bullying him since the beginning. I can¡¯t believe I didn¡¯t realize he had a crush on me earlier. Am I really that obtuse?¡± Ysabelle asked. She had always wanted to have a boyfriend, and yet she was oblivious to the fact that the man who had always been right beside her actually liked her. ¡°There¡¯s nothing wrong with being a little obtuse. You¡¯ve just be an adult anyway. In fact, your timing is just right,¡± Sophie replied. ¡°You¡¯re right.¡± Ysabelle thought the timing was just right too. It was not too early nor toote. She was right on time, pursuing things that she had always wanted to do the most. Chapter 519 Chapter 519 ¡°Boss, this is Jipsdale. You can¡¯t do as you please, okay?¡± He was still against the idea ofing here, though they had already arrived. After all, it was Tristan¡¯s turf. If they were not careful, they wouldn¡¯t even know how they died. There was a white snake on Nichs¡¯ arms. It would seem like the snake was venomous, but he liked it. ¡°Alex, you¡¯re getting timider and timider by the day. It¡¯s only Tristan. What can he do to us? Go back if you¡¯re that afraid,¡± Nichs said. Alex was rendered speechless. It was impossible to not be afraid of the man. Tristan was as vicious as Nichs himself. After what happened in Anndur, Alex was sure that Tristan wouldn¡¯t let them off the hook that easily if he knew that they were there. ¡°I¡¯ve told you that I must take Sophie back with me this time, no matter what it takes. So, you can quit with your nonsense now,¡± Nichs warned. Why won¡¯t he stop talking if he knows I won¡¯t listen to him? ¡°Boss, Sophie sure has a hand in what happenedst time. She won¡¯t follow you back home. She doesn¡¯t like you. Why can¡¯t you see that?¡± Alex pleaded. As Nichs¡¯ subordinate, he knew he shouldn¡¯t say such blunt words. However, he just couldn¡¯t bear seeing Nichs get blinded by his own infatuation. Nichs¡¯ eyes burned with murderous aura. ¡°Alex, why don¡¯t you mind your own business?¡± ¡°Boss, I know that you¡¯ll get mad, but this is the truth. You have to ept it,¡± Alex continued. Nichs took out a gun and fired a shot at Alex¡¯s leg. Despite his bleeding leg, Alex did not budge. All rights ? N?velDrama.Org. Some truths were like bitter pills that were hard to swallow. However, Alex still felt the obligation to voice out his concern. ¡°If we fall into Sophie¡¯s hands, she will not show mercy to us. Just look at what happenedst time!¡± Alex added. ¡°This is all because of Tristan. If he dies, Sophie will surely follow me back home,¡± Nichs insisted. He was an exceptionally stubborn man. Once he made up his mind, there was no changing it. ¡°But¡­¡± ¡°Take him away. I don¡¯t want to see him,¡± Nichs said to another subordinate. ¡°Boss¡ª¡± The consequences would be dire if Javier knew that Nichs hade here. However, Nichs was unwilling to listen to a word Alex had said now. Nichs knew that it would be toote if he didn¡¯te here now. He didn¡¯t want to wait anymore. Despite knowing full well the price he would pay for his actions, Nichs was there. He vowed that he would bring home the girl whom he loved. Nobody would be able to stop him. Butterfly sent a message on her way over to Blossom Garden. Butterfly: Phantom, didn¡¯t you ask me to tail this person? He¡¯se to Chanaea, and he¡¯s at Jipsdale now! Phantom seldom entrusted her with anything. Hence, she wanted to do it right. Phantom: Okay. Sophie furrowed her brows. They haven¡¯t learned anything fromst time. How dare theye all the way here this soon? Butterfly: Do you need me to do anything? She cared a lot about Phantom, and she knew how difficult it was to deal with Nichs. Phantom: You don¡¯t need to do anything. You just have to ensure your own safety. Don¡¯t get yourself hurt. Pleased by Phantom worrying about her, Butterfly replied: You¡¯re worried about me! Don¡¯t worry. I am best at tailing people. Nheless, Phantom wouldn¡¯t risk Butterfly getting hurt. Butterfly: Understood! Noticing Sophie¡¯s odd demeanor, Tristan couldn¡¯t help but ask, ¡°What happened? Why are you getting upset? Are you nervous?¡± ¡°Hmm. I¡¯m all right,¡± she muttered. Am I feeling nervous? That can¡¯t be it. I¡¯m just meeting an older man. Then again, Sophie knew that her apprehension was because she cared about Tristan, and in turn, what his father thought of her. As long as she could gain the old man¡¯s favor, things wouldn¡¯t be difficult for Tristan. Tristan held her hand. ¡°You¡¯re getting together with me. So, you don¡¯t need to care about gaining other people¡¯s favor. I like you just the way you are,¡± Tristan said. Other people¡¯s opinion didn¡¯t matter. Having such a considerate boyfriend by her side made Sophie feel really safe. ¡°I know.¡± She knew that he would do everything to safeguard her. William had already arrived when their car pulled into the driveway of Blossom Garden. The old man was in a private room, apanied by Sarah. ¡°Look at the time now. Why aren¡¯t they here yet?¡± William grumbled. It was only their first meeting, and yet Sophie waste. William couldn¡¯t help but think that they were not taking him seriously. ¡°Dad, why the hurry? There¡¯s still plenty of time before the agreed time. You¡¯re the one being early. Do you have prejudice toward Tristan¡¯s girlfriend?¡± Sarah asked with a frown. If that were the case, things would be much moreplicated. William said nothing. Well, it seems like Dad really doesn¡¯t like this girl. ¡°Dad, you haven¡¯t even met her. Why do you dislike her so? Did someone say something to you?¡± Sarah asked. Still, William remained silent. ¡°Dad, Tristan really likes her. Don¡¯t go over the line. Otherwise, it will be really difficult for him,¡± Sarah advised. ¡°Sarah, do you really think that girl can cut it? Tristan needs an equal who can help him, not someone who needs his protection twenty-four-seven,¡± William finally said. He just thought a girl who couldn¡¯t fend for herself would burden Tristan. ¡°Sophie isn¡¯t a girl who only mooches off a man. She is a really opinionated woman, and I believe that she is an equal who can stand by Tristan at the top,¡± Sarah exined. ¡°Hmm.¡± She¡¯s a Tanner, huh? I don¡¯t seem to recall any great family called the Tanners in Jipsdale. Right then, Tristan arrived and led Sophie into the private room. William immediately recognized Sophie as the girl who delivered his coffee back then. She had left a good impression on William, owing to her good looks. William had thought that the girl¡¯s temperament was too outstanding to be an ordinary girl who served coffee. ¡°Sir, it¡¯s nice to meet you. I¡¯m Sophie Tanner.¡± ¡°Really? I believe this is not our first meeting,¡± William replied. Sophie knew that he was talking about what happened back in Lombard Group. ¡°I am sorry. It was impolite of me not to greet you properly back then,¡± Sophie admitted. Seeing as she readily admitted to her mistake, William did not pursue the subject further. Besides, he was afraid that Tristan might leave with her right away if he didn¡¯t drop it. ¡°You¡¯re Sophie Tanner, correct? May I ask which Tanner family we are talking about?¡± William asked. ¡°My grandpa is Josiah Tanner!¡± she replied. Sophie was proud of her grandfather. Hence, she quoted his name right away. The name rang a bell to William. ¡°Ah, I see.¡± Even though he had heard the name before, William knew the Tanners were not considered a prominent family in Jipsdale. Hence, he didn¡¯t have much impression of what the family actually did. ¡°Where are you studying right now?¡± ¡°University of Medicine and Jipsdale University,¡± Sophie responded. ¡°What?¡± William was taken aback. Can one attend two famous universities at the same time? ¡°Dad, did you know that the chancellor of Jipsdale University and Capston University both came looking for Sophie after she chose University of Medicine?¡± Sarah said proudly. She beamed with pride at the thought of Sophie¡¯s achievement. Chapter 520 Chapter 520 ¡°I see,¡± Williammented upon Sarah¡¯s exnation. Many of their acquaintances were typically enrolled in famous universities. However, for people like them, who were in the upper echelons of society, being studious was a far less useful trait than developing new connections. William continued questioning Sophie about the Tanner family, and thetter answered all his questions calmly and gracefully. Her elegance was right up William¡¯s alley regarding his preference for a daughter-inw. s, it¡¯s a shame her family background isn¡¯t ideal. It¡¯s not a match for our Tristan at all. Sophie was no fool, to begin with. She immediately sensed William¡¯s disapproval of her. Nheless, he was Tristan¡¯s father, and she wisely kept mum about her posttions. After their meal, Sophie handed the gift she had prepared to William, who did not even spare the item a nce. Tristan was understandably upset about his father¡¯s behavior. He did not want to blow up in front of Sophie and swallowed his discontent. Be that as it may, he secretly held her hand to reassure her that he was on her side no matter what. His gesture also told her that everyone else¡¯s opinions did not and would not sway his feelings for her. Sophie shot him a grateful smile. In truth, she was hardly bothered by William¡¯s actions. Nothing much could fluster her, considering what she had experienced to get to where she was today. Williamrgely maintained a gentlemanly approach to the meeting. Despite his dissatisfaction with his son¡¯s girlfriend, he never voiced his feelings openly. While it was far from a cheerful meeting, the atmosphere was spared from bing too awkward. When William noticed his son was more focused on refilling Sophie¡¯s te than his own, he could not help but frown. What happened to my revered and formidable son? After the meal ended, they exchanged pleasantries before Sarah sent William home. ¡°Dad, are you unhappy with Sophie or something?¡± His behavior had put something of a downer on everyone¡¯s mood. ¡°Yes.¡± He reckoned there was no need to hide his negative opinions of Sophie from his daughter. Sarah asked, ¡°Is it because of her family background? I always believed you were an open-minded person. I didn¡¯t think you would dislike someone because of these extrinsic factors!¡± ¡°I am rather open-minded, but in reality, family backgrounds are still an important determinant behind a good match! Besides, I¡¯ve never even heard of Tanner Group! I don¡¯t need her to add any achievements to Tristan¡¯s name, but she can¡¯t drag him through the mud by association,¡± argued William. My son stands at the pinnacle of society! How can he be weak because of a woman? Please check at N/?vel(D)rama.Org. ¡°Dad, Sophie is talented enough to bring Tanner Group to new heights. Thepany has already undergone massive improvements since she took over. But that¡¯s not the most important thing here; your son can¡¯t live without her.¡± Sarah had never spoken truer words. She continued, ¡°It¡¯s a Herculean task for people of our social status to find someone we truly like. That¡¯s why I hope you won¡¯t stop them from dating each other.¡± Sarah had always had a soft spot for Tristan since they were young. Aware of how much her younger brother adored Sophie, she wanted to appeal to their father on his behalf. Instead, William replied, ¡°In fact, it¡¯s better if he doesn¡¯t have such strong feelings for her, or she¡¯ll be his Achilles heel.¡± Then, it¡¯s too easy to be hurt. ¡°But Dad! Is that how you feel toward Mom? Don¡¯t you love her at all?¡± Sarah was distraught. How could he think like this? William said sternly, ¡°That¡¯s enough. Don¡¯t talk about your mom to me.¡± She better note back after deciding to leave us. I can still be happy alone. In fact, I am happy alone. Sarah shook her head in resignation, out of ideas on how to convince her stubborn father. She warned, ¡°Are you going to look for Sophie? You better not pull a stunt like that. If Tristan finds out about it, he¡¯s going to explode!¡± ¡°As if that scares me,¡± retorted William. I¡¯m his father. What can he do to me? Meanwhile, Tristan and Sophie were still at Blossom Garden. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Are you upset?¡± Tristan knew his father¡¯s behavior had been far from ideal, but he had stressed earlier that other people¡¯s opinions of their rtionship would not sway his decision. Sophie replied, ¡°I¡¯m not, but what should we do? Your dad doesn¡¯t seem pleased with me.¡± ¡°Did you forget what I said? Just ignore him. You¡¯re dating me, not him. You don¡¯t have to care about his feelings.¡± Naturally, William¡¯s blessing was the best-case scenario. However, if the old man took issue with their rtionship, Tristan was happy to lead his life outside his father¡¯s scrutiny. We can live happily without each other¡¯s interference, yes? Sophie exined, ¡°I just don¡¯t want your life to be difficult.¡± ¡°Will you leave me because of that?¡± That was the only concern on Tristan¡¯s mind. She shook her head. ¡°Why would I leave you over such a reason?¡± She had already decided to be with him, and she would face any hurdles life threw at them hand-in- hand. I¡¯ll never let go of his hand. Her words were exactly what Tristan wanted to hear. He dered, ¡°That¡¯s right. No matter what challenges life throws at us, all we have to do is to hold hands tightly and face them head-on. There won¡¯t be anything we can¡¯t ovee.¡± Tristan vowed he would not allow anyone to harm a single hair on his girlfriend as long as he was still alive, even if the perpetrator came from his own family. Sophie reminded him, ¡°Of course, so don¡¯t let your rtionship with your father go to ruin over this. There¡¯s really no need for such animosity.¡± She did not want him to be estranged from his father because of her. ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± she added. ¡°I¡¯ll do my best to impress him.¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t I say so earlier? You don¡¯t need to try harder to impress anyone else. I¡¯m happy with you, just the way you are. Don¡¯t ever change yourself to fit other people¡¯s standards.¡± Sophie waved off his concern and said, ¡°All right, all right. I¡¯ve decided to be with you, so I¡¯ll solve this problem myself. Don¡¯t worry, okay?¡± Tristan was exasperated by her insistence. In the end, he merely advised, ¡°Fine. If my father tries to meet you alone, just ignore him.¡± He knew his father would not give up so easily. The man was sometimes stubborn to a fault. ¡°Okay.¡± Before Sophie could begin dealing with Nichs, the man-in-question showed up at her doorstep. When Sophie arrived at the small forest of University of Medicine, she immediately knew Nichs was lurking nearby. She announced, ¡°Come on out, then. Didn¡¯t youe all the way here to have a face-to-face conversation with me? What¡¯s the point in ying hide-and-seek with me at this stage?¡± Nichs jumped out of a tree, d in a ck windbreaker. The garment was stylish and well-cut, emphasizing his handsome appearance. He greeted her, ¡°Didn¡¯t you miss me after not seeing me for such a long time, Sophie?¡± ¡°Miss you? Go to h*ll.¡± Sophie was irked by his conceit. Why would I miss him? There¡¯s nothing between us. He¡¯s the only willing participant in this imaginary rtionship. Nichs did not appear angered by her words. Instead, he said, ¡°But I missed you so. I¡¯ve been thinking about you all the time since you left. That¡¯s why I came here to meet you. Aren¡¯t you moved by my romantic gesture?¡± Sophie deadpanned, ¡°Didn¡¯t you learn anything from ourst encounter?¡± She had not expected him to solve all his problems so quickly and seek her out that soon. ¡°Honestly, you really hurt mest time. How could you go against me? I never imagined your betrayal at all.¡± ¡°Hah!¡± harrumphed Sophie. Why shouldn¡¯t he expect that? We¡¯re enemies, after all. Chapter 521 Chapter 521 Sophie asked Nichs nonchntly, ¡°So, why are you here? Are you here to seek revenge on me?¡± She did not want to waste her precious time on insignificant people like him. Nichs was unbothered by her coldness and exined, ¡°I sought you out today because I¡¯ve missed you. That¡¯s the only reason.¡± He risked his life to meet her because he yearned for her. He would not have minded if he died because of his decision. Sophie was rendered speechless. She questioned how to talk sense into her admirer¡¯s head. In the end, she threatened, ¡°Stop following me, Nichs, or I swear you¡¯ll die by my hand.¡± It was a genuine warning. Much to her chagrin, Nichs smiled indulgently and replied, ¡°Oh dear, but what else can I do? I¡¯d be happy to die at your hands.¡± Sophie scoffed coldly at his response. Why must he throw himself wholeheartedly into this unrequited love? I will never ept his feelings. He tried to garner her sympathy. ¡°Don¡¯t be so cruel to me, okay, Sophie? I really, really like you.¡± Can¡¯t she feel my sincerity? Sophie ignored him. She adjusted the grip on her textbooks and prepared to leave. s, Nichs refused to give up and followed her doggedly. ¡°Where are you going? Let me join you!¡± He continued smiling brightly, totally unaffected by her frostiness. Sophie warned, ¡°That has absolutely nothing to do with you. Stop following me.¡± It did little to deter Nichs. Does she take me for a joke? I was threatened my whole life growing up! Scrunching her brows in frustration, Sophie turned and leaped into the air, sending a kick flying his way. Nichs expected her attack and swiftly grabbed her leg. Before he could pat himself on the back for anticipating her actions, Sophie flipped in the air and kicked him with the other leg instead. Her attacks were strong and fast, and even someone as skilled as Nichs struggled to fend her off. He staggered backward in the middle of their fight and shouted, ¡°Stop it!¡± He added, ¡°I didn¡¯te here to engage you in a fight, Sophie.¡± Why is she hitting me without warning? ¡°I¡¯ve warned you before. Don¡¯te near me again, or I will really send you to your grave,¡± repeated Sophie. She truly had no qualms about ending his life if he continued to pester her. Sophie¡¯s determination cut Nichs to the quick. He painted a forlorn figure as he pleaded, ¡°I flew over ten hours toe here. Do you really not want to see me?¡± ¡°Yes. I¡¯ve never wanted to see you, so don¡¯t ever appear in my life again.¡± Sophie did not believe in rejecting people tactfully, especially if she did not like the person in question. Moreover, she did not want to be friends with Nichs. After her vicious parting remark, Sophie turned and left. She spent the afternoon reading in the library, gathering information for her medical dissertation. It was an impossible feat for most medical students. Preparations typically began in the fourth year of their studies, but Sophie already had a research topic in mind during her freshman year. Ysabelle came to look for her in the library with two milkshakes in hand. Content is ? by N?velDrama.Org. She spotted Sophie silently reading from afar and ended up admiring thetter¡¯s gorgeous profile for a long moment. How can a woman be this beautiful? It¡¯s impossible to tear my eyes away from her even though she¡¯s just sitting silently. Ysabelle stared at Sophie as though she was in a trance. Suddenly, she recalled how she had offended her uncle a few days ago. She promptly took her phone from her pocket and snapped a few photos of Sophie, which she sent to Tristan. There! I think that¡¯s enough to redeem myself. Tristan was in a meeting when Ysabelle¡¯s texts arrived. He initially had no ns to open the message when he saw who the sender was. Still, he knew Ysabelle was with Sophie at that moment, and concern over Sophie¡¯s wellbeing eventually spurred him to look at his niece¡¯s texts. Photos of his beloved girlfriend filled his sight. Sophie wore a white dress, while her chestnut-brown hair was draped artfully over her shoulder. She sat near a corner of the library, utterly absorbed in her book. In short, she was the perfect picture of a graceful belle. Tristan was so busy admiring his girlfriend that even Felix noticed his boss¡¯ mind wandering for the first time during a meeting. Felix was understandably curious about what Tristan was staring at on his phone and moved closer. He had only moved an inch before Tristan kept his phone. ¡°What were you looking at? You looked as if you were hypnotized. Don¡¯t tell me it¡¯s something saucy,¡± teased Felix. ¡°Shut up and get back to work.¡± Meanwhile, Ysabelle was pleased as punch over her attempt to get back in her uncle¡¯s good graces. A secondter, her phone pinged with a bank transfer notification. A million! Tristan had sent her a million to reward her for a measly photo of Sophie. Ysabelle was dumbfounded. Still, she was not about toin about her sudden windfall. She would be remiss to reject her uncle¡¯s show of generosity. Ysabelle practically skipped over to Sophie¡¯s side. ¡°Why¡¯d you take so long to arrive?¡± asked Sophie as her friend took a seat. Ysabelle muttered, ¡°I ran into some fans outside. They wouldn¡¯t let me go unless I gave them autographs and took photos with them.¡± She had built up a decent-sized fanbase. Concerned, Sophie asked, ¡°Are you okay? Is it too much to handle? Do you need to hire more bodyguards?¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay. The fans are all pretty reasonable. They just wanted photos,¡± replied Ysabelle reassuringly. ¡°Okay, if you say so.¡± Ysabelle noticed the work in front of Sophie and asked, ¡°What are you doing, Sophie? Didn¡¯t we just start school? What¡¯s that you¡¯re writing?¡± ¡°I¡¯m preparing a medical dissertation.¡± Her answer rendered her friend speechless in disbelief. Never mind. I shouldn¡¯t ask too many questions. I will never understand how these geniuses¡¯ minds work. Who the heck starts writing their medical dissertation as a freshman? Sophie¡¯s existence was living proof that the world was unfair. Some people could be both prettier and more diligent than others at the same time. Ysabelle put a straw into one of the milkshake cups before handing it to Sophie. Sheined, ¡°Don¡¯t you find the weather scorching?¡± She hated summer with a vengeance. Her sweat nds were exceptionally active, leaving her ufortably sticky throughout the hot weather. Thankfully, the library¡¯s air conditioning offered some respite from the heat. Ysabelle would not have set foot in the ce otherwise. Sophie sipped on the milkshake before asking, ¡°Do you have an event tonight?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Are you tired?¡± Ysabelle was still a university student with other priorities to manage. Sophie believed it might be prudent to cancel some non-essential events to avoid overworking the poor girl. ¡°I¡¯m attending an event with Mark and the others,¡± Ysabelle said excitedly. She never imagined she would one day share the stage with The Wheelers. She reassured Sophie, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m not tired at all. In fact, keep these eventsing.¡± Sophie did not protest her friend¡¯s decision. She¡¯s a fan of The Wheelers. I shouldn¡¯t stop her from meeting them. Sometimeter, they left the library and headed to Jipsdale University¡¯s cafeteria. Before they could dig into the food they bought, Nichs plonked himself on the bench opposite theirs while asking, ¡°Excuse me. Can I sit here?¡± His audacity in approaching Sophie in broad daylight caused thetter¡¯s expression to darken. However, she could hardlye to blows with him in public. Ysabelle stared at Nichs curiously and asked, ¡°Who are you? Are you a student at our university?¡± Chapter 522 Chapter 522 Upon further observation, Ysabelle dismissed the possibility of Nichs being a fellow student. He just did not seem like a varsity student. Nichs replied, ¡°Nah. I just wanted to visit the university. I¡¯d love to study here if I have the chance.¡± He had an answer ready for every question that came his way. ¡°I see!¡± Ysabelle remained unconvinced. Cafeteria food was a whole new experience for Nichs, who had spent his life eating the finest dishes and meals designed specifically for his nutritional bnce. Still, he would happily gorge on cafeteria food if it gave him the opportunity to have dinner with Sophie. He stared so tantly at Sophie that it was difficult for others not to notice. Ysabelle whispered beside her friend¡¯s ear, ¡°He¡¯s just staring at you.¡± ¡°I know. Just ignore him,¡± muttered Sophie before returning her attention to her meal. Nichs shrugged off her indifference. It did not stop him from achieving his goal of sharing a meal with her. A short whileter, Sophie and Ysabelle cleaned off their tes and stood up to leave. Instead of following them, Nichs continued eating his meal. The food somehow tasted more delicious and was more bearable on the pte. Ysabelle¡¯s mind was still on Nichs when she left the cafeteria. Shemented, ¡°Hey Sophie, that guy we met earlier is pretty handsome. He¡¯ll be quite popr if he joins the entertainment industry.¡± ¡°Sure.¡± Sophie¡¯s half-hearted reply directly corrted with her interest in discussing her stubborn admirer. He¡¯s definitely not going to join the entertainment industry. The two young women left the cafeteria and immediately ran into Tristan and Felix. Ysabelle pouted and asked, ¡°Why didn¡¯t you tell us you wereing? We already finished dinner.¡± She regretted the missed opportunity for them to dine together. Felix piped up, ¡°It¡¯s fine. We came to pick you up.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± As an afterthought, Ysabelle added, ¡°Let¡¯s go! Why don¡¯t I show you around the campus?¡± ¡°Sounds good!¡± Felix would hardly surrender the chance to spend some alone time with Ysabelle. Tristan¡¯s presence severely limited his wooing strategies, so Felix was naturally in favor of splitting up. Ysabelle voiced her agreement, ¡°I¡¯m going to show Felix around the campus then, Sophie. Don¡¯t worry about us.¡± ¡°Yup, run along!¡± Tristan¡¯s arrival instantly banished any unhappy thoughts Sophie had about meeting Nichs earlier. Seeing a loved one was clearly guaranteed to improve one¡¯s mood. Now, Sophie was in much better spirits. Ysabelle and Felix walked off hand-in-hand. Tristan also held hands with Sophie before they wandered around the campus. They were such a handsome couple that even in a university campus teeming with good-looking students, Tristan and Sophie easily stood out among the crowd. They instantlymanded everyone¡¯s attention and envy. A photography club member who noticed the beautiful couple hastily raised his camera and snapped a photo of them. He checked the photo and nodded to himself in satisfaction. What was a careless shot turned out to be as good as a well-timed photoshoot. He had only managed to capture their backs, but theposition gave the viewer plenty of room for imagination. Unbeknownst to the happy couple, Nichs had been trailing them after finishing his dinner. His heart throbbed with pain as he observed how gently Sophie behaved around Tristan. Nichs did not want for much. He would be content if Sophie could shoot him gazes filled with such tenderness instead of hatred. What did I do wrong? I met Sophie first! How did Tristan swoop in and steal her away? Indignance swelled in Nichs¡¯ chest. The campus at that hour was bustling with students and boasted a lovely view. By then, Sophie and Tristan had wandered to the basketball court and took leisurely circles around the court. He held a stack of books in one hand while the other held Sophie¡¯s hand tightly. She appeared to be listening attentively to something he was saying. Nichs was always lurking just a short distance behind them. Suddenly, a stray basketball flew right at Sophie. She had her back against the ball and did not notice a thing. Thankfully, Tristan spotted the basketball and quickly pulled her into his embrace. He tossed the books in his hand aside and pped the ball away. Several basketball yers had been watching the situation closely. They had set their sights on Sophie since she enrolled in Jipsdale University, and their gazes were far from friendly when they noticed she was with another man. One of them taunted, ¡°Is that your boyfriend, Sophie? Looks pretty average to me!¡± Please check at N/?vel(D)rama.Org. A woman like Sophie can have any partner she wants! Sophie knitted her brows in response, irritated by the basketball yer¡¯s attitude. She shot back, ¡°How is that any of your business?¡± ¡°Hey, what¡¯s with the attitude?¡± The basketball yer addressed Tristan, ¡°You there! Interested in a match? Let¡¯s do it one-on-one!¡± Tristan immediately realized the student¡¯s intentions. He must have a crush on Sophie. He had always known his Sophie was a stunning young woman who attracted admirers by the truckloads. However, this was the first time someone was challenging his status as Sophie¡¯s boyfriend. It was certainly an odd feeling. That did not mean he was backing down. ¡°Bring it on!¡± It¡¯s just a basketball match. What¡¯s there to be scared of? Sophie could not care less about what her hopeless admirers thought. She said, ¡°You don¡¯t have to do this, Tristan.¡± She thought it would be aplete waste of his energy. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I haven¡¯t exercised in a long time. Today¡¯s a good day to clock in some activity.¡± Tristan removed his suit coat and handed it to Sophie. He asked calmly, ¡°How should we do this?¡± It had been a while since Tristanst picked up a basketball, but he would not run away from a public challenge. ¡°How about one-on-one, just between the two of us? I¡¯ll give you a head start of ten points.¡± Tristan¡¯s challenger, Jace, yed for Jipsdale University¡¯s basketball varsity team, and he was extremely confident in his skills. The young man¡¯s teammates burst intoughter after his words. ¡°Jace, he¡¯s still going down even if you give him a 20-point head start.¡± His teammates all knew how good Jace was. Tristan dered, ¡°That¡¯s not necessary. You can all y together.¡± He preferred solving all his problems at once instead of dragging things out. ¡°What?¡± The basketball yers gawked at him in disbelief. Does he have any idea what he just suggested? Tristan repeated, ¡°I said all of you can y against me at once. Don¡¯t waste my time. Understood?¡± ¡°Hmph, that¡¯s a bold request. Since you¡¯re bent on losing, we¡¯ll help you fulfill that wish. But remember, if you lose, you¡¯ll break up with Sophie immediately!¡± Sophie had promptly dethroned Jipsdale University¡¯s previous campus belle shortly after her enrolment. Of course, Sophie did not give a hoot about being crowned the new campus belle. ¡°Break up? That¡¯s impossible. She doesn¡¯t like any of you,¡± dered Tristan. Then, he stole his opponent¡¯s ball and swiftly made a three-pointer. At first, the basketball yers did not take Tristan seriously at all. Secondster, they changed their minds. Tristan easily intercepted their passes and broke down their offense. The basketball match had attracted a crowd of curious onlookers, and many young women began squealing in admiration after witnessing Tristan¡¯s effortless moves. Chapter 523 Chapter 523 Jace roared, ¡°Guys, block him! Don¡¯t give him a chance to counter!¡± Sophie had never seen Tristan y basketball before that day. There was a vast difference between him and the basketball yers, chief of which was their age difference. However, Tristan did not just look good on the court. He handled the ball with both style and skill, disying real talent in the sport. Though the basketball yers were ying five-against-one, they still scrambled to defend against Tristan¡¯s attacks. Tristan yed them like a fiddle. When his opponents were on the offense, Tristan swiftly intercepted the ball and effortlessly scored a three-pointer over their iling defense. The match was lopsided in Tristan¡¯s favor. The five-member basketball team from Jipsdale University was no match for a visitor. The young women in the crowd screamed in adoration. Tristan was more than just a pretty face. His basketball skills were also impressive, which only highlighted the overall disparity between him and his opponents. Sophie watched quietly from the side. She thought she could finally rte to the girls who would swarm to the court to watch their crushes y basketball. She truly enjoyed watching Tristan unleashing his talents on the basketball court. Nichs, on the other hand, observed Sophie¡¯s demeanor throughout the match. He had never seen Sophie like that before and was positively stewing in jealousy. He envied Tristan¡¯s ability tomand Sophie¡¯s entire attention. I can y basketball well too! I just need a chance to go on the court. ¡°Damn it!¡± The basketball yers had always been popr among the girls at Jipsdale University, yet they were now being humiliated by an older stranger on home grounds. ¡°Get rid of him!¡± Since it was impossible to win the match, they decided to resort to dirty measures. In any case, they had to warn the man that the basketball team was not to be toyed with. Sophie knew how to y basketball and sensed the moment Tristan¡¯s opponents began hitting below the belt. Her gaze cooled instantly. These boys must be tired of living! She would not let them off easy for their audacity to y dirty against Tristan. At any rate, her concern was unwarranted. The young men were no match for Tristan, even when it came to dirty measures. Tristan nimbly dodged one of the yers¡¯ attempts to break his leg. At the same time, he shot his opponents a fearsome gaze that chilled them to the bones. I only wanted to toy with them a little, but since they can¡¯t even y by the rules, I won¡¯t go easy on them. Consequently, the cocky basketball yers fell for Tristan¡¯s tricks time and again, losing thest shred of their dignity in the process. The female students at Jipsdale University continued cheering Tristan on. He had practically cast a spell over them. Finally, the match ended with Jace falling after a particrly strong shove from Tristan. ¡°F*ck! You did that on purpose! You looking for a fight or something?¡± Knowing a win was impossible, Jace jumped to his feet and decided to challenge Tristan to a fistfight instead. Tristan replied disdainfully, ¡°You¡¯re the one looking for a fight! Of course, it would be rude of me not to respect your wish.¡± Jace was infuriated. Who the heck does he think he is, spouting all sorts of nonsense at our university? He rushed forward to punch Tristan, sputtering, ¡°You¡ª¡± Tristan merely seized Jace¡¯s neck in a chokehold, cutting off whatever the young man meant to say. ¡°Just who exactly do you think you are? Think you can call the shots in front of me?¡± He would not have entertained such childish challenges if Jace had not been foolish enough to attack him. ¡°You¡ª¡± Jace was bewildered. He did not expect Tristan to be as skilled in fighting as he was in basketball. Belonging ? N?velDram/a.Org. His teammates panicked at the sight and rushed forward to help. ¡°What do you think you¡¯re doing?¡± A vicious re from Tristan was all it took to keep the four yers frozen to their spots. ¡°You think this was my intention? You forced me to retaliate, no?¡± Tristan retorted fiercely. Jace piped up fearlessly, ¡°You¡¯re in a university, man!¡± I bet you can¡¯t do anything to me on campus! ¡°So what? Getting into Jipsdale University must be the greatest honor of your life, huh? Why don¡¯t I get you expelled, then?¡± Tristan¡¯s threat rendered Jace speechless with shock. What did he just say? Unable to believe his ears, Jace stammered, ¡°Did you think that joke was funny? Who the heck do you think you are? The master of this school?¡± Christopher happened to walk past the basketball court then. He recognized Tristan on the court just seconds after spotting Sophie. The chancellor immediately approached Tristan and asked, ¡°What are you doing, Mr. Tristan? Have the students done something foolish to upset you?¡± He had never seen Tristan so utterly drenched in sweat. It was a far cry from his usual attire of elegant and sharp suits. ¡°Mr. Tristan?¡± Jace was bbergasted. He never imagined the man he had challenged was the infamous Tristan Lombard of Jipsdale. Everyone in the city knew who he was. Meanwhile, Jace¡¯s teammates began quaking with fear at the chancellor¡¯s words. Tristan shoved Jace aside and replied, ¡°Mr. Olsen, this year¡¯s basketball team is wrought with attitude problems. I would suggest you rece some of the members, lest they end up ruining Jipsdale University¡¯s good name.¡± After that, he returned to Sophie¡¯s side. She had pulled out some tissues from her bag and stood on her tiptoes to dab at the sweat on his face. Tristan was moved by her gesture. He truly adored the tender side of her personality. While carefully cleaning the sweat off his face, Sophie muttered, ¡°You¡¯re covered in sweat.¡± She enjoyed exercising, but that did not mean she relished being covered in sweat. ¡°I¡¯ll just go home and wash it off. Anyway, it¡¯s gettingte. Let¡¯s go!¡± suggested Tristan. ¡°Okay!¡± Christopher felt defeated after failing to squeeze in a single word during the couple¡¯s conversation. One of the basketball yers mumbled, ¡°Mr. Olsen, we were only¡ª¡± ¡°That¡¯s enough,¡± Christopher interrupted curtly. ¡°I don¡¯t need to hear your excuses. All of you have zero foresight. Didn¡¯t you know Mr. Tristan is the one person you should never offend in Jipsdale?¡± The chancellor mulled over Tristan¡¯s earlier words. Jipsdale University isn¡¯tcking in talents. If these boys can¡¯t stay in line, I¡¯ll just have to switch them out. The yers had not even represented the university in the varsity friendlies yet. If the chancellor kicked them out of the team now, they would have no such opportunity in the future. With that thought in mind, they pleaded, ¡°Mr. Olsen, we know it¡¯s our fault! We¡ª¡± s, Christopher mercilessly cut them off. ¡°Enough. I don¡¯t have time to discuss these nitty-gritty matters with you.¡± I¡¯ll just go through your coach. The five basketball yers could never have imagined a simple taunt ending their varsity sports careers. Before he left, Christopher added, ¡°Oh, right. I advise you all to keep Mr. Tristan¡¯s identity to yourselves!¡± Tristan and Sophie left the university on foot, and Nichs continued stalking the couple, though he put more distance between them. The pair arrived at Sophie¡¯s residence and entered the building together. Only then did Nichs stop and light himself a cigarette. Are they living together already? Just the thought of it felt like a knife shing across his heart. Chapter 524 Chapter 524 Nichs returned to his mansion in Jipsdale. At that moment, he decided to move all of his forces back here. That was his only way to contend against Tristan while in Jipsdale. It was only a matter of time before a war started between them, so he had to be prepared. He saw Javier in the living room as soon as he got there. Instead of greeting thetter, he sat down on the sofa. He was feeling grumpy, so he didn¡¯t feel like speaking at all. ¡°Nichs, are you going to ignore everything I said? Go back to Anndur with me right now!¡± Does he have a death wish? To have made my son like this, Sophie sure is a harbinger of misfortune! ¡°I¡¯ll not go back. Also, I¡¯m warning you. You better noty a finger on Sophie, or else I would never forgive you even though you¡¯re my father!¡± He wasn¡¯t lying. All he wanted at that moment was Sophie, and he would risk everything to get his hands on her. ¡°Is this a threat? If killing her is the only way to make you submit, so be it.¡± Nichs saw red. ¡°As I said, either you leave her alone or be killed by me!¡± ¡°You¡ª¡± Javier was fuming. ¡°You wille home with me today, you impudent child!¡± He knew Tristan would never let things slide if he knew Nichs was there. Javier had brought along a few of his trusted subordinates as he thought he would have to resort to violence to settle the situation. That was just the norm for the Sable family. They wouldn¡¯t waste their breath on anything that could be settled using violence. Nichs got into a brawl with Javier¡¯s subordinates. Throughout the years, he had also gotten himself some loyal subordinates, who then joined the fray upon noting the situation. In the end, Nichs proved himself the better of the two by ughtering all of Javier¡¯s men. The living room was covered in blood. By then, Nichs was in a frenzied state. ¡°Do you have anybody else with you? I will kill everyone around you if youy a finger on Sophie!¡± ¡°You¡­¡± Javier had never expected things to turn out like that. ¡°How dare you kill all of my subordinates? What are you nning to do now? Are you nning to kill me too?¡± He was shaken by how ruthless Nichs was as thetter went all out. ¡°Weren¡¯t you the one who taught me to be such? You¡¯re always telling me never to go soft on others.¡± Nichs thought he was merely honoring his father¡¯s wishes by growing into the man thetter had always wanted him to be. ¡°Bring the old man upstairs. He is not to leave the room without my permission.¡± ¡°Are you putting me under house arrest? Don¡¯t you forget that I¡¯m your father, Nichs!¡± ¡°I won¡¯t do anything to you if you obey me. However, I won¡¯t be as lenient if you repeat the same mistakes.¡± ¡°Haha¡­¡± Javier couldn¡¯t help but let out a mirthless chuckle. His interest was piqued, and he wished to know what his son would do to him exactly. ¡°Keep in mind that I¡¯ll kill you two if my father escapes.¡± By that point, Nichs was like an embodiment of the devil. He was devoid ofpassion and would kill anyone that got in his way. Even Javier feared Nichs upon taking in how savage thetter was. Yet, Nichs¡¯ behavior was a testament to Javier¡¯s sess. After all, it had been his wish to groom Nichs into someone like that. Nheless, he still regarded Sophie as someone to be dealt with, for her existence was an unwanted variable. After his many years in the underground, he disliked such variables. He figured he could perhaps hire the world¡¯s top assassin. Given how the world worked, people could do as they pleased as long as they were wealthy. The next day, Sophie noticed Nichs waiting for her as soon as she arrived at the University of Medicine. She wasn¡¯t surprised by his presence. After all, he had traveled from abroad just to find her. ¡°Good morning,¡± Nichs greeted her smilingly. While he might be cold to everybody else, he was passionate toward Sophie. However, Sophie ignored himpletely while proceeding with her daily routine. ¡°Have you moved in with that man?¡± Nichs had seen them enter togetherst night. Sophie said nothing. Did he stalk me? I¡¯ve had enough of this. How long is this going to drag on? Why do things always end up like this? ¡°Does it concern you? Who I am with and if we¡¯re living together concerns no one else but myself. Why do I need to report it to you?¡± He never seems to know his ce. This isn¡¯t something good. Nichs wasn¡¯t surprised by her treatment of him and how impatient she was. It was as if her patience was only offered to Tristan and no one else. ¡°I¡¯m trying to show you that I care. You need to know that you¡¯re still young, so there¡¯s a lot that you have yet to learn. You¡¯ll be hurt easily if you get together with him just like that!¡± He just couldn¡¯t bear to see her with another man. That was all there was to it. ¡°I don¡¯t need this. I don¡¯t need your concern. I believe you know this better than anyone else, Nichs. Stop putting on a caring facade, or rather, even if you do have true feelings for me, they aren¡¯t what I want. You don¡¯t have to waste any more time on me!¡± She figured he didn¡¯t need to put them through all the drama. ¡°It is my right to love you.¡± This is something she can¡¯t interfere with no matter how impressive a woman she is. She can¡¯t control these kinds of things. ¡°I¡¯ll go to ss with you. To be honest, I¡¯m rather interested in how lessons are taught here!¡± Nichs had left for Anndur at a young age and had received foreign education ever since. The main reason he made that suggestion was that he wanted to know everything about her and live through the same experience as her. Please check at N/?vel(D)rama.Org. ¡°You better not follow me around.¡± She couldn¡¯t just bring a stranger to ss without reason. ¡°What is it? Are you worried that Tristan might get jealous? He¡¯s not around now. He wouldn¡¯t know even if you¡¯re together with me.¡± Sophie remained silent. Her patience for someone as stubborn as him had worn out. ¡°Are you picking a fight with me?¡± She believed that nothing couldn¡¯t be solved with a fight. If he wants to fight me so much, I don¡¯t mind bashing him here and now. ¡°Why must you treat me like this, Sophie? I¡¯ve thought things through. Since I¡¯ve returned, I will get my hands on you, no matter what!¡± Nichs dered obnoxiously. So what if she already has Tristan? I¡¯vee back to Chanaea, and I will take her back by all means necessary. ¡°Are you insane? Must I ruin you before you give up on me?¡± ¡°You¡¯re wrong! I won¡¯t give up on you even if you ruin mepletely. I¡¯m telling you I will never, ever give up on you!¡± Nichs didn¡¯t care, even if it meant either Tristan or he had to die. Chapter 525 Chapter 525 Truth be told, Sophie wasn¡¯t at all touched by Nichs¡¯ passionate deration of love. She merely felt troubled. ¡°I think you¡¯re just delusional, Nichs. Since when did I offer you even a sliver of hope? I wouldn¡¯t fall for you even if Tristan didn¡¯t exist! The sooner you understand this, the better!¡± ¡°That¡¯s impossible. You would definitely be with me if Tristan didn¡¯t exist! It¡¯s all his fault!¡± Nobody would be able to change his mind regarding something he firmly believed in. ¡°Hah! You can try all you want if that¡¯s what you think.¡± Sophie left with her books in her arms. She no longer felt like wasting her breath with him. Seeing that she wasn¡¯t able to talk any sense into him, she figured she would cease talking to him altogether. However, Nichs didn¡¯t care at all and followed her to ss. The ss was held in a lecture hall. Nichs didn¡¯t sit next to Sophie even though he wished to do that. Knowing her temper, he refrained from pushing her buttons lest he made things difficult for himself. He sat in the row of seats behind Sophie, his gaze fixated on her. Nichs had extremely attractive features that could charm practically anyone. During ss, he sat therenguidly without his sunsses while looking enamored. Naturally, that garnered him the attention of many girls. The bolder ones would even deliberately sit in the same row as him to get a chance to ask for his number. Yet, they soon realized that he was as aloof as he was handsome, offering them no chances at all. Even though they sat in the same row as him, none of them dared approach him. Instead, they admired him from a few seats away. Nichs was satisfied with that. This is how girls should react when they see me. I should be like a ma to them! The one who made me taste failure is Sophie. I wonder when she¡¯ll finally spare me a nce. ¡°Sophie is so shameless! Wasn¡¯t she with another man some days ago? She¡¯s gotten herself another one now! Her reputation is beyond awful!¡± ¡°That¡¯s right! She¡¯s such a seductress! No wonder she was cast out to Horington back then!¡± Rumors about Sophie were widespread. Meanwhile, Nichs would never tolerate people gossiping about Sophie like that. He mmed down hard on the table, shattering it as he did. The girls who were gossiping shut their mouths instantly. None of them expected him to be able to shatter a table with just a m. ¡°I can see that you like to gossip. Did you assume that she¡¯s an easy target for you? Do you have a death wish?¡± Nichs threatened mercilessly. He would never allow some random strangers to speak nonsense about the girl he fancied. All the while, Sophie couldn¡¯t care less about what was going on behind her. After all, she never was bothered by those rumors about her. ¡°You¡¯ve interrupted my daily life, Nichs. I think you should leave.¡± Sophie sounded stern. ¡°I want to attend the lecture! This is none of your business! You will only get to order me around once you agree to be my girlfriend!¡± He wouldn¡¯t mind giving her the authority to order him around if she agreed to be his girlfriend. He would only ever offer her such a privilege. Anybody else would be out of the question. ¡°Should I thank you?¡± Sophie asked mockingly. She had no idea what it was about her that caught Nichs¡¯ attention. ¡°Tell me what it is that you like about me, Nichs. I promise to change those parts of me!¡± She was at her wit¡¯s end when it came to Nichs. After all, she wasn¡¯t allowed to kill him. Yet, both his presence and the sight of him greatly annoyed her. ¡°You won¡¯t be able to change anything. I like everything about you. Even the air around you smells sweet. Isn¡¯t this how love toward another person feels like?¡± Sophie didn¡¯t respond to that. To be exact, she no longer knew how to respond to him. Why must I be the one he fancies? Meanwhile, everybody else who heard the deration of love by a man as bloodthirsty as Nichs felt jealous of Sophie. Why is Sophie lucky enough to secure this man¡¯s affection? Sophie no longer wished to speak to him. At that moment, the lecturer entered. It wasn¡¯t that umon for boys to apany their girlfriends to sses at universities. Thus, he didn¡¯tment about the uninvited guest in the lecture hall but began the lecture instead. The lecturer was good at his job, for he was able to make an in-depth topic easily understandable by giving simple exnations about difficult things. Sophie was able to learn a lot. He sure befits his title as a lecturer at Jipsdale University. Not only is he good at his job, but he¡¯s also humorous. Aside from those who spent the night before partying, nobody dozed off during his sses. However, Nichs wasn¡¯t paying attention at all. He only had eyes for Sophie alone. Moreover, he hadn¡¯te here to study. Ever since the lecture began, Sophie didn¡¯t even spare him a nce, which was a fact that depressed him. Does she hate me so much? I would be overjoyed if she would just spare me a nce! Why won¡¯t she do that? Finally, the ss was over, so Sophie packed her stuff and left the hall. Nichs followed behind her immediately. ¡°Where are you going to, Sophie? How about I buy you a meal? You need to eat no matter how busy you are!¡± Sophie continued walking as if she hadn¡¯t heard him. I can¡¯t fight exactly fight him while on campus! I¡¯ve always been hoping to have a peaceful life while in university, so I can¡¯t disturb the peace. Nichs reached his hand out in an attempt to grab her wrist, but she evaded him. ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you not to touch me? Didn¡¯t you hear me?¡± Sophie frowned. She disliked being touched by others. Nichs¡¯ face fell. ¡°Why can¡¯t I touch you? You don¡¯t seem to have a problem with Tristan touching you when you¡¯re with him!¡± ¡°Who is he, and who are you? How dare you evenpare yourself to him? You have no right to do that!¡± Nichs had an even more grim look on his face upon hearing her words. ¡°Don¡¯t keep on hurting me just because I like you,¡± Nichs begged humbly. His life up until that point was without obstacles, and Sophie was the only roadblock in his path. Therefore, he felt bitter about that. ¡°I don¡¯t give a damn about your feelings!¡± Sophie showed him no mercy. I can¡¯t lie about my feelings. He can¡¯t possibly do anything to me, nor am I going to allow someone else to make my decisions for me. Just then, Tristan arrived. Belonging ? N?velDram/a.Org. After busying himself with work all morning, he stopped working and hurried to Sophie as soon as it was noon, hoping to catch lunch with her. He approached her the moment he saw where she was. Chapter 526 Chapter 526 ¡°How do you think he will react if he knows I came here looking for you?¡± Nichs was indeed very curious about that. Sophie¡¯s gaze turned cold. ¡°Why should I stop you if you¡¯re not afraid of death?¡± ¡°You don¡¯t think I¡¯m Tristan¡¯s opponent, do you?¡± Is she so confident about Tristan¡¯s abilities? Sophie ignored Nichs and walked over to Tristan,pletely disregarding Nichs¡¯ threat. Tristan wasn¡¯t ipetent. If Nichs truly wished to court death, that was his problem and no one else¡¯s. When Tristan was five or six meters away from them, Nichs ultimately turned around. He knew his power had yet to return to its prime. He couldn¡¯t face Tristan head-on at that moment, but that didn¡¯t mean he was afraid of him. Someday, he would let Tristan realize how formidable he was, and he believed that day would arrive soon. ¡°Who¡¯s that?¡± From afar, Tristan noticed Sophie talking to a man, but he couldn¡¯t see his face clearly. ¡°He¡¯s just someone asking for directions.¡± She didn¡¯t intend to lie to him, but his and Nichs¡¯ backgrounds were too sensitive. She figured it would be best to keep them separated. ¡°Oh, is that so?¡± Was he just a person asking for directions? ¡°Let¡¯s go and have our meal.¡± I came here to share a meal with her, right? ¡°Okay.¡± The two went to the cafeteria of the University of Medicine. It had been years since Tristan hadst enjoyed cafeteria food. He went to the university cafeteria mainly to keep herpany. ¡°How is it? Are you getting used to the food here?¡± Tristan gazed at her skinny arm, constantly fearing she might not be well-nourished. ¡°How about I hire someone to take care of you and Ysabelle here?¡± In his opinion, always eating cafeteria food wasn¡¯t a healthy option. ¡°Tristan, that¡¯s not needed. The meals here at the university cafeteria are not bad. I¡¯ll show you around and let you taste the food.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± He did not insist. I¡¯ll give it a try. If the food is really not good, I¡¯ll hire someone to take care of them. After all, her body doesn¡¯t belong only to her since she has to be responsible for my future. She can¡¯t always act so willfully. Tristan was willing to follow her wish in any matter except for issues rted to her health. The University of Medicine cafeteria also served freshly prepared dishes. Since she was having her meal with Tristan, Sophie went to the freshly prepared meal area instead of the stall where packed food was sold. ¡°What do you want to eat?¡± She was always a little indecisive when choosing what to eat. ¡°Go over and take a seat. I¡¯ll ce the order.¡± Taking in her dithering demeanor, he asked her to sit first. Content is ? by N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Are you sure?¡± This is his first time here. Does he know what¡¯s good? ¡°I¡¯m sure.¡± He reckoned she must be tired after attending sses for the entire morning, so he didn¡¯t want her to continue to stand idly there. ¡°All right, then.¡± Sophie didn¡¯t dwell on that matter either. Indeed, there wasn¡¯t any need for two people to order the food, as one could get the job done. Tristan ordered two dishes and a soup. Then, he reminded the cook of a few things to take note of before returning to Sophie¡¯s side. The freshly prepared meals at the University of Medicine were well-known for being delicious, but at the same time, they were also infamous for being expensive. Nheless, that wasn¡¯t a problem for the students there. Most of the tables were upied. ¡°To be honest, this is also my first time here.¡± As they would have to spend more time there, Sophie and Ysabelle would go to the other ce selling packed food to swiftly purchase their meals and finish their lunch instead of wasting too much time cing orders for freshly prepared food. ¡°You cane here more often. I¡¯ll ask them to prepare yours and Ysabelle¡¯s food ahead of time so you can have your meal right after ss.¡± He knew she was busy, but one must always spare some time to have their meals. ¡°That¡¯s not needed. I¡¯m staying in school to have my meal because I want to avoid trouble.¡± Sophie and Ysabelle were people who disliked trouble. ¡°What¡¯s the trouble in doing that?¡± In his opinion, that matter wasn¡¯t an issue since all he had to do was to hire a chef there. Tristan had already nned to contact Felix to arrange for a five-star chef to work at the cafeteria to prepare meals for Sophie and Ysabelle. Soon, the dishes were served. Although the food couldn¡¯t bepared to cuisines made from established restaurants outside, the dishes were appetizing nheless. ¡°As expected, these dishes look better than the packed food downstairs.¡± Tristan thought the color of the food seemed more inviting. He helped serve half a te of pasta to her. ¡°This is the minimum amount you have to eat.¡± Her appetite was too less, and that had always been one of his prime concerns. He always hoped she could eat a little more. Seeing that half te of pasta, Sophie smiled. ¡°Okay, I got it. Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll finish this half te of pasta.¡± We¡¯re just having a meal. The dishes tasted quite well. Tristan also found the food rtively tasty, not as terrible as he had imagined. By the time they finished their meal and exited the cafeteria, it was already one-thirty in the afternoon. She had one more lessonter, and it was already toote to return to her amodation. ¡°You can go back first. I¡¯m not joining you because I have another important lessonter.¡± Traveling back and forth would take more than twenty minutes. She didn¡¯t want to waste time on the road. ¡°I¡¯m not going back too. I¡¯ll stay here to keep youpany. Is there any ce to rest at the University of Medicine? I¡¯ll go there to take a break.¡± An afternoon break was essential. ¡°There is!¡± Sophie brought Tristan to the legendary, mysterious forest. Indeed, that was a very suitable ce to rest. They sat on awn with arge tree atop them to provide shade. The ce was truly a great ce to rx. ¡°Take a nap.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Sophie didn¡¯t speak further. She immediately leaned against his shoulder and shut her eyes while he put his back against the tree trunk. However, after a short while, she heard moans. Hearing that, Sophie froze. The scenery was genuinely pleasant, but she couldn¡¯t believe she had forgotten some couples were fond of engaging in explicit activities there. She figured Tristan must¡¯ve heard the lewd sound too. He frowned. Are students nowadays so open-minded? They¡¯re actually doing it in the wild! ¡°I think we should go somewhere else.¡± She stood up and offered him her hand. ¡°Okay.¡± He grasped her hand and pulled himself up. After getting his mood for the afternoon ruined, naturally, Tristan wouldn¡¯t let the disturbers have a good time, too, so he deliberately raised his voice. As a result, that man¡¯s shaft lost its rigidity instantaneously. ¡°Someone¡¯s here!¡± he uttered in a panic. ¡°Ah! What¡¯s there to be afraid of? There are so many people going at it here.¡± Evidently, the woman was yet to be satisfied. She wanted to continue their actions, but that man picked up his pants and left in a hurry. Meanwhile, Tristan and Sophie exited the forest. Her cheeks were flushed. She didn¡¯t do that on purpose or anticipate running into others sharing their intimate moments there. ¡°Why is your face so red? You¡¯re not the one being caught red-handed anyway.¡± Taking in her appearance, Tristan felt she was incredibly adorable. ¡°My face is not red!¡± Tristan ced his arm around her shoulder, and they headed out of the forest together. ¡°How about I apany you to your afternoon ss?¡± ¡°What?¡± Sophie thought her ears were ying tricks on her. ¡°Why would you suddenly want to do that?¡± Chapter 527 Chapter 527 ¡°I simply want to keep youpany since I don¡¯t have anything to do in the afternoon. Felix can handle the rest.¡± He merely wanted to apany her there. ¡°That¡¯s not needed. I¡¯m here to learn. Besides, you shouldn¡¯t push all the responsibilities onto Felix. He needs to have some time to go on dates too.¡± Felix and Ysabelle were still in the honeymoon phase of their rtionship, and time was their most needed resource. ¡°That is his duty. How can you say I¡¯m pushing all the responsibilities onto him?¡± Tristan grinned. At the thought of Felix¡¯s aggrieved expression, he felt the urge tough. ¡°Okay.¡± Sophie didn¡¯t dwell on that topic. She had anatomy lesson in the afternoon, and she had already learned that subject from Barney previously. However, since she was determined to study medicine, Sophie took all her lessons seriously. A few boys in her ss puked when they saw a real human cadaver for the first time. At the thought that they would have to dissect the corpse, none of them dared to move forward. On the contrary, Sophie was no stranger to a person¡¯s dead body. Belonging ? N?velDram/a.Org. ¡°Come here and touch the body. Feel it for yourself!¡± the professor said to the students in the ss. Colors drained from the faces of a few girls. Since they entered medical school, they had known they would face something like that sooner orter. Yet, now that a corpse was ced before their eyes, they still couldn¡¯t help but tremble. ¡°What¡¯s the matter with you all? Do you intend to learn or not? If you cannot ept this, leave this ssroom and return home to live your pampered life instead of squandering my time! So, who¡¯s going to do it first?¡± He didn¡¯t have so much time to waste on a group of students who were unwilling to learn. ¡°I¡¯ll do it,¡± Sophie drawled before stepping forward to feel the dead human body. A few female students were outraged when they saw Sophie volunteering before anyone else. ¡°What a showoff! What¡¯s so impressive about that? She¡¯s not acting like a girl at all.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. She thinks she¡¯ll stand out by doing this. What a disgusting person.¡± At the thought of Sophie stealing the limelight at that moment, the few girls felt ufortable, and even their manner of speech turned unpleasant. ¡°Cut that crap. If you¡¯re so capable, why don¡¯t you do it, then?¡± a usually taciturn boy retorted. Someone else is doing something they don¡¯t have the guts to do, yet they¡¯re being sarcastic now. Do they think their behavior is of any significance? ¡°You¡ª¡± The few girls didn¡¯t anticipate that untalkative boy to criticize them. Just as they were about to scold him, they noticed him ncing at them coldly. That emotionless gaze prompted the girls to shut up afterward. Sophie gained the spotlight for the rest of the anatomy ss. Even the professor couldn¡¯t help but p his hands at the sight of her fantastic technique. ¡°Sophie, you were amazing. This is the most excellent dissection I¡¯ve seen.¡± The professor had taught many students throughout his career, but that was the first time he had witnessed such a masterly technique. Even the best surgeon in Jipsdale wasn¡¯t as skillful as her. All the boys were astounded when they saw her expertise. They couldn¡¯t believe a delicate beauty like her could stay so calm when facing a human cadaver. In contrast, those boys appeared ridiculous and ipetent whenpared to her. ¡°Mm.¡± Sophie didn¡¯t care to give a lengthy response after receiving thepliment. ¡°Professor, I have some matters to attend to. May I leave early?¡± Since she hadpleted her task today, she assumed her request would be approved. ¡°What¡¯s the hurry? I wish to discuss another anatomical position with you.¡± The professor was reluctant to see her leave. He had heard about Sophie being the top student in her year¡¯s university entrance exam, but he didn¡¯t expect her to be so aplished in dissection. ¡°Will the discussion take a long time?¡± Tristan was probably still waiting for her outside, and she didn¡¯t want to keep him waiting for too long. ¡°This might take some time because this problem has been troubling me for a long period, but never mind. We can discuss this another day since you¡¯re busy.¡± ¡°Tell me what¡¯s the problem.¡± Sophie did not think she would require a long time to solve any issue. The professor described the problem to her and led her to one side to investigate the issue together. After he finished talking, Sophie picked up the scalpel and immediately demonstrated the solution, perfectly solving his conundrum. The professor stood rooted to the spot, stupefied. ¡°Sophie, you¡¯re truly a genius. With your presence, Chanaea¡¯s medical advancement will certainly improve by leaps and bounds, surpassing even Anndur!¡± She¡¯s indeed a prodigy! ¡°Is there anything else? I really need to leave now if there¡¯s nothing else.¡± ¡°Okay. You may go now.¡± The professor was in an excellent mood, so he didn¡¯t mind Sophie taking off early. The other girls wanted to leave early as well after seeing Sophie¡¯s request was granted. ¡°Professor, I also have something important to do today. Can I leave now?¡± He nced at the girl who spoke. She wants to leave even though she has yet to touch this corpse since her arrival. ¡°Are you not nning to dissect the human body today?¡± The professor was trying his best to control his temper. ¡°Professor, why can¡¯t I leave if Sophie can? You¡¯re being biased.¡± The girl acted coy. ¡°Are youparing yourself to Sophie?¡± Are youngdies nowadays that ignorant of the limits of their abilities? ¡°If you¡¯re not interested in studying medicine, you may drop out of school now instead of wasting your parents¡¯ time and the university¡¯s resources!¡± This is not a theme park or a ce she thinks she can come here to have fun. Not expecting the professor to respond in such an exaggerated manner, the girl was momentarily stunned. All I did was request a leave. Does he have to be so uptight? He¡¯s obviously treating his students with double standards. ¡°Professor, since you allowed Sophie to leave, why can¡¯t I go as well? Even if I waste my parents¡¯ money, they are delighted to spend their riches this way.¡± The girl felt especially aggrieved. ¡°Is that so? In that case, you don¡¯t have to attend my sses anymore. Your parents may be willing to waste their time and money on you, but I¡¯m not your parents. I won¡¯t condone such terrible behavior of yours.¡± There are so many people who wish to enter the University of Medicine, aspiring to be the world¡¯s best doctor. Unfortunately, those people were not given the opportunity to study here because of students like her. Yet these people who sessfully enrolled here are not appreciating their chances. How can I not be mad? The girl didn¡¯t dare to utter another word. Indeed, her parents were very proud that she could make it into the University of Medicine. They would be utterly disappointed if she were expelled at that moment. The professor disregarded the girl after she fell silent. Meanwhile, Sophie exited the hall and saw Tristan waiting outside at first nce. ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you not to pick me up?¡± I can go back on my own. He doesn¡¯t have to waste his time doing this. ¡°I need to attend a charity dinner tonight. Do I have the pleasure of asking you to be mypanion?¡± He had never involved her in those aspects of his life in the past, but the charity dinner that day required their guests to bring along a partner, and he didn¡¯t want any other woman to join him. Chapter 528 Chapter 528 ¡°What charity dinner is that? Why haven¡¯t I heard you mention it?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t want to participate in the event previously, but my father requested my presence, so I have no choice but to go.¡± His father was most likely trying to arrange a blind date for him. Tristan had had enough of William¡¯s behavior. Thetter was aware that his son had a girlfriend, yet he was still arranging blind dates for him. Tristan wasn¡¯t nning on going along with his father¡¯s scheme. ¡°In that case, I¡¯ll certainly apany you to attend the event.¡± Sophie was unfazed about joining a charity dinner. ¡°I knew you would keep mepany. I¡¯ve already prepared your outfit, so you just need to get some makeup der. But let¡¯s go and have a light meal first.¡± Although food would usually be served at a charity dinner, one could never eat peacefully on such asions. ¡°Also, no matter what happens at the charity dinner, you mustn¡¯t get angry, okay?¡± ¡°Do you already know what will happen?¡± Sophie found his statement baffling because he was implying he had already foreseen what would happen even before they departed to the event venue. ¡°My dad may not be pleased with you, but the problem lies with him, not you.¡± ¡°So what? How is this matter rted to him or the charity dinner tonight?¡± ¡°He arranged a blind date for me at the charity dinner tonight.¡± ¡°A blind date?¡± Truth be told, Sophie was slightly taken aback when she heard Tristan mention he would be going on a blind date. ¡°It seems that your dad really doesn¡¯t like me.¡± Otherwise, why would he ask his son to go on blind dates even after knowing Tristan has a girlfriend? ¡°Are you mad? Didn¡¯t I tell you his opinion is of little significance? What matters is my stance. You are the only woman who can be my wife in this life. No one else can take the spot.¡± Tristan honestly didn¡¯t wish for her to face those situations, but his father wasmitted to doing things others could never ept. This time, Tristan wanted to let everyone in Jipsdale know that Sophie was his girlfriend. He would only dedicate his love to Sophie and no one else, so the others should give up on trying to win his affection. ¡°Is it appropriate for you to bring me along to your blind date? Doing this may cause your dad to dislike me even more.¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you his opinion is of little significance? What matters is I love you.¡± Have I not repeated this many times? We shouldn¡¯t care about others¡¯ opinions. ¡°Are you angry right now?¡± Tristan asked carefully, fearing Sophie might genuinely be furious. Taking in his cautious demeanor, Sophie couldn¡¯t help but feel her heart ache. ¡°Actually, you don¡¯t have to mind me. I¡¯m fine. Don¡¯t worry. Regardless of why your dad is not fond of me, I¡¯ll work hard to turn the situation around because I don¡¯t want to see you getting caught in a tight spot.¡± She had never been one to care about others¡¯ views, but because William was Tristan¡¯s father, she decided to try to change the current circumstances. He shook his head. She doesn¡¯t need to change a thing. ¡°This is something I want to do.¡± After finding out her grandfather had arranged for Tristan to go on a blind date, Ysabelle was dissatisfied. ¡°Aunt Sarah, my grandpa is really getting old, isn¡¯t he? How can he do something as despicable as this?¡± Ysabelle had never known William to be so stubborn in the past. ¡°Stop talking nonsense. Your grandpa will be sad if he hears you.¡± Sarah felt extremely helpless as well. ¡°Aunt Sarah, will you attend the charity dinner too? Why don¡¯t we go together so that we can support Sophie?¡± How can we allow Sophie to participate in such a grand asion on her own? What if someone bullies her? ¡°Why are you going? Don¡¯t worry. Sophie can handle this. You must have faith in her. If you go now, I¡¯m afraid your grandpa won¡¯t be happy.¡± William had made the arrangements. If they went there to support Sophie, he wouldn¡¯t be pleased and would instead ce the me on Sophie. Their effort would result in a worse loss. ¡°We¡¯re just going there to take a look, not to stir amotion. I¡¯m just afraid someone will bully Sophie. You¡¯re also aware of how troublesome Uncle Tristan¡¯s blind date partner, thedy from the Whitley family, can be!¡± That woman was not to be taken lightly. ¡°Frankly speaking, my grandpa is really getting old. I can¡¯t believe he wants her to date my uncle!¡± The Whitley family¡¯s daughter was undoubtedlypetent as she sessfully managed her family¡¯s company with excellence. However, Ysabelle figured Tristan needed to be with a woman he was genuinely fond of instead of a careerdy since he was more than capable of handling apany well on his own. ¡°Aunt Sarah, let¡¯s go together. You also don¡¯t want to see others bully Sophie, right?¡± Ysabelle acted coy. She was adamant about tagging along. ¡°Fine. If you don¡¯t want to bring me with you, I¡¯ll ask Felix. I¡¯m going by hook or by crook.¡± Sarah could do nothing about Ysabelle. ¡°Okay. I¡¯ll bring you with me.¡± That night¡¯s charity dinner took ce at the Whitley family¡¯s hotel, and all the attendees were either affluent or influential. After the banquet, a charity auction would be held. That was the typical behavior of wealthy people. After they amassed a certain level of riches, they would wish to garner a good image. Under normal circumstances, men were tasked with earning money while women busied themselves with hosting charity dinners and simr events. This time, the organizer was the Whitley family¡¯s daughter, Jennifer Whitley. Jennifer was filled with anticipation after knowing her father had arranged a blind date for her with Tristan. She was the family¡¯s only daughter. In recent years, she had been helping her father to manage the family¡¯s business and had done a splendid job, earning her the reputation of an irondy. She had fancied Tristan since she was in high school. She even argued with Winter after knowing the latter was also interested in Tristan. Jennifer was thrilled when she learned that Winter had been banished to Alendor by Tristan afterward. Winter has always thought too highly of herself, but she was still exiled to Alendor in the end. Jennifer reckoned Winter deserved that oue because of her ipetence. After she waited for so long, Williams finally contacted her father and arranged for her to go on a blind date with Tristan. She stood by at the entrance, hoping to meet Tristan sooner, even before the charity dinner began. Sarah and Ysabelle saw Jennifer standing at the door right after they got out of the vehicle. Thetter was dressed in a party dress, enhancing her feminine side and dampening her usual career-woman vibe. Jennifer assumed every man would yearn to be with gentle, sweet-tempered women. Since she liked Tristan and was finally getting to meet with him that day, she needed to put in more effort to preen herself. Please check at N/?vel(D)rama.Org. ¡°Look at how eager she seems. Don¡¯t tell me she genuinely believes Uncle Tristan is interested in her,¡± Ysabelle uttered straightforwardly. In her opinion, Tristan belonged only to Sophie, and anyone who dared to meddle in their rtionship would be her enemy. ¡°Hush!¡± Sarah felt Ysabelle¡¯s behavior was inappropriate because the Whitley family was the host of that night¡¯s charity dinner. Ysabelle stuck out her tongue in response. At that moment, Tristan¡¯s car arrived. After his car door was opened, he got out of the vehicle. Chapter 529 Chapter 529 Tristan looked dapper in a ck custom suit, and his hair was styled neatly. Jennifer was captivated the instant she saw her crush. For a moment there, she did not know how to react. She had been passionately in love with Tristan for ten years. It¡¯s been ten years! How many ten years can a woman have? Just as she was about to step forward to greet him, she saw him gently helping a girl out of the car. The tall and slender girl had braided hair and was exceptionally beautiful. Not only that, but she was also wearing a dress that matched the color of Tristan¡¯s tie. What exactly is their rtionship? Jennifer¡¯s expression turned sour. Isn¡¯t Mr. Tristan here for our blind date? Why did he bring such a beautiful girl with him? Naturally, other youngdies from wealthy families also attended the charity dinner that evening. However, instead of entering, they lingered at the entrance to take another nce at Tristan. Upon witnessing the scene, those youngdies, who had been very jealous of Jennifer, started to mock her. ¡°I know you¡¯ve been in love with Mr. Tristan all this time, Jennifer, but you should know he has high standards. Look how beautiful the girl next to him is!¡± Jennifer clenched her fists. ¡°What do you mean by that?¡± Are they saying that I¡¯m not attractive enough? ¡°Nothing. I just wanted to say that you shouldn¡¯t be upset even if Mr. Tristan doesn¡¯t like you. It¡¯s certainly not your fault! His standards are just too high!¡± Even though they were words of constion, the one who spoke made them seem harsh and cynical. ¡°You¡ª¡± By then, Tristan had already brought Sophie over. Since they stepped out of the car, those wealthy youngdies had been fixing their eyes on Sophie. Jennifer, especially, had murderous intent written all over her face. Sophie stood before Jennifer right then and gave her a nod. ¡°Hello, Ms. Whitley. I¡¯m Sophie Tanner, Mr. Tristan¡¯s girlfriend.¡± She did not like others questioning her identity, so she was upfront about it to stop them from fantasizing about him. Jennifer felt as if she had been pped hard in the face. Mr. Tristan¡¯s girlfriend! I¡¯ve never seen him admit to having a girlfriend even though I know there¡¯s no way he would be without a woman at his side, given the number of admirers he has. Could this young girl be his lover for real? All rights ? N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Mr. Tristan, is what she said true?¡± Jennifer ignored Sophie. Who does she think she is? What right does she have to tell me all that? Tristan was utterly displeased with Jennifer¡¯s attitude toward Sophie. ¡°Yes. Sophie is my girlfriend!¡± His direct acknowledgment of Sophie¡¯s identity was not what Jennifer or the otherdies had anticipated. ¡°Are there any more questions?¡± ¡°No.¡± Jennifer was dumbfounded. Yet, at that point, she knew she could not stir up any trouble. She could only let the guests in first, lest she embarrass herself further. Tristan put his arm around Sophie¡¯s slender waist and led her in. Sarah and Ysabelle immediately followed. ¡°Are you two nning to announce it to everyone?¡± Thetter two had never seen the couple disy their affection so openly. ¡°Yes!¡± Sophie responded. If this is the only way to prevent other women from hitting on Tristan, I¡¯ll dly make it known to the entire world that Tristan is mine. No one is allowed to have any fantasies about him. Ysabelle was incredibly delighted with Sophie¡¯s response. ¡°That¡¯s the way to do it, Sophie! You must let everyone know. Otherwise, they¡¯ll still believe that anyone can be Uncle Tristan¡¯s girlfriend!¡± The charity dinner began. Although the Whitley family had prepared avish dinner, the daughters and wives of wealthy families were not there to eat but to help their families expand theirworks. They barely touched their food. Ysabelle, on the other hand, did not care about any of that. She had not had dinner and was very hungry at that moment, so she ate with relish. ¡°Have some, Sophie. It¡¯s quite tasty!¡± she remarked. As expected of a five-star chef. The food is pretty good. ¡°I¡¯m not hungry,¡± was Sophie¡¯s reply. She and Tristan had already eaten before heading there. You can¡¯t possibly expect me to eat on such an asion, right? Tristan gave her a ss of milk. ¡°Have some.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Despite her thoughts, she still listened to his words. Jennifer was seated at the same table as them. Even if she knew Tristan had a girlfriend, she could not care less and wanted to join in their conversation. As long as I can marry into the Lombard family, it doesn¡¯t matter how many women Mr. Tristan has outside! However, the three members of the Lombard family were paying so much attention to Sophie that she had no chance to speak. Caylie, Jennifer¡¯s mother, was seated with them as well, and she looked grumpy the whole time, evidently displeased that Tristan had brought along apanion. In the end, when she realized that Tristan was giving her daughter the cold shoulder, she got up and left. Jennifer knew that her mother was angry, so she immediately chased after her. ¡°What are you doing, Mom? That wasn¡¯t very polite of you!¡± ¡°Jennifer, I know you¡¯ve been interested in Mr. Tristan all this time, but you saw his attitude toward you. We¡¯ve already agreed that you two will be having a blind date today, yet he ended up bringing another woman. Do you think he will truly love you?¡± Jennifer was the Whitley couple¡¯s only daughter whom they had pampered since she was young. There was no way they could ept anyone mistreating her. ¡°I don¡¯t care, Mom. As long as I can marry Mr. Tristan, I can endure anything!¡± Jennifer eximed. It¡¯s fine as long as it¡¯s him. ¡°You¡ª¡± How could she put herself in such a humble position? Caylie left unhappily. She can stay here and torment herself. In any case, I can¡¯t bear to see my daughter in such a miserable state. As soon as Caylie left, Jennifer made a phone call to get someone to find out Sophie¡¯s identity, and only after learning about thetter¡¯s past did her expression rx a little. How can the Lombard family ever ept Sophie¡¯s colorful past? I finally understand why Old Mr. Lombard told Mr. Tristan to go on a blind date. Clearly, he¡¯s not satisfied with Sophie, so he gave me this chance! Jennifer could not help but chuckle. The Tanner family? They¡¯re pretty insignificant in Jipsdale. Mr. Tristan is merely fooling around with her. She¡¯ll never be able to enter the Lombard family! Jennifer returned to her seat with a wlessly courteous smile on her face. Ysabelle¡¯s face fell when she saw the other woman¡¯s smile. This woman is quite virtuous! I can¡¯t believe she got over it so quickly! ¡°I have a question for you, Sarah. May I?¡± Jennifer finally found a way to bring up the topic. Chapter 530 Chapter 530 Since it was the Whitley family¡¯s banquet, Sarah had to respect Jennifer and let her speak. Jennifer deliberately asked a business question to demonstrate that part of herself to Tristan and let him know how exceptional she was. No one in this world, other than me, Jennifer Whitley, is worthy of Mr. Tristan. Of course, Sarah could answer Jennifer¡¯s question. She responded with a smile and knew what her purpose was for doing so. Jennifer is still too innocent. Men don¡¯t like you just because of how good you are. Not all men like strong women. There was no way a perceptive woman like Sophie would fail to discern Jennifer¡¯s motives. She found the other woman¡¯s behavior somewhat ridiculous. ¡°What¡¯s the matter? Are you feeling bored? I¡¯ll take you out for a walk!¡± There¡¯s still some time before the auction, and it¡¯ll indeed be boring to keep sitting here. ¡°That sounds great!¡± Sophie did not wish to continue sitting there listening to Jennifer¡¯s nonsense, so she got up and left with Tristan. Jennifer was stunned. She did not expect Tristan to leave the table early because of Sophie. Sarah could only stop talking when she noticed that Jennifer was in no mood to listen. ¡°Are you all right?¡± Jennifer was the daughter of the Whitley family after all, and the pitiful look she had at that moment made Sarah feel quite sorry for her. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Sarah. I didn¡¯t mean it.¡± She¡¯s exining something to me, yet I¡¯m having this look on my face. ¡°You don¡¯t have to apologize to me. You didn¡¯t do anything wrong. I just want to tell you that Tristan truly loves Sophie. I know you love him, but love is never based on wishful thinking.¡± Sarah was making ast-ditch effort to prevent the matter from causing tension between the two families. ¡°I understand that.¡± It was for that reason that she had never expressed her feelings all these years and kept waiting for an opportunity to do so. However, just when she finally had the opportunity, she realized he already had a girlfriend. ¡°You should know that since Tristan brought Sophie here on such an asion, it can only mean that he¡¯s serious about the rtionship.¡± Otherwise, he wouldn¡¯t have brought her here. Jennifer merely hummed in response, her expression grim. Undoubtedly, she had be the biggestughingstock in Jipsdale, and all the socialites and wealthy ladies were mocking her for overestimating herself. Meanwhile, Tristan and Sophie had alreadye out, and sure enough, the air outside was much better and invigorating. ¡°Is it all right for us toe out like this?¡± Truth be told, Sophie did not care much about it, but she still asked the question. ¡°Why not? I didn¡¯t want toe to such an event at all anyway.¡± The reason I brought you here in person today was to let everyone know that I¡¯m already taken and that they shouldn¡¯t approach me anymore. ¡°All right, then!¡± Although William did not attend the event, he knew Tristan had brought Sophie over. ¡°What in the world are you doing now? Do you have any respect left for your father? I merely asked you to go out on a blind date. I didn¡¯t ask anything else of you. Do you know you¡¯ve made things awkward for everyone because of what you¡¯ve done?¡± he berated his son over the phone. Tristan showed no sign of backing down as he argued, ¡°You knew I have a girlfriend, yet you still made such an arrangement. Shouldn¡¯t you have expected this oue?¡± ¡°Tristan, you¡ª¡± Why does this rebellious boy always make me so angry? ¡°All right, you should rest early now that you¡¯re getting older, or you¡¯ll ruin your health from blowing a fuse.¡± Tristan was not about to waste time talking to him. He hung up immediately after that as there was nothing left to say. William¡¯s temper spiked when he heard the disconnect tone. This brat doesn¡¯t have any respect for me, and now he even dares to hang up on me! No. I must go over and have a look. I can¡¯t let him destroy the rtionship between our two families! In the restroom, Sophie saw Jennifer as soon as she entered. Thetter made no attempt to conceal her animosity toward Sophie. Since we¡¯re love rivals in the first ce, being nice to her will be so fake! Sophie also did not put on an act to greet Jennifer. She could clearly see the hostility in her eyes. ¡°Don¡¯t try to step into a social ss that is not your own. You¡¯ll only embarrass yourself!¡± The Tanner family was not part of the upper ss in Jipsdale, so they were no match for the Lombard family in any way. Sophie ced her hand under the faucet, and warm water flowed out automatically when the sensor detected her body heat. She did not even spare Jennifer a single nce as she washed her hands.Since birth, Jennifer¡¯s life had been smooth sailing. She had never experienced such tant disregard from others. Clenching her fists discreetly, she found the need to make it clear to the other girl. ¡°Your identity and your past will only embarrass Mr. Tristan. You¡¯re not worthy to stand by his side!¡± After washing her hands, Sophie shook them lightly to flick the water off them before turning around to stare into Jennifer¡¯s eyes. ¡°Aren¡¯t you being too presumptuous, Jennifer? Do you genuinely believe that only having a few duties in your family¡¯s business makes you a capable, independent woman? So what if you are truly a strong woman? No matter how capable you are, it has nothing to do with Tristan because he has no interest in you. Also, I must say that I am certain that I am the only one on this who is worthy of him!¡± Sophie was not a patient person in the first ce, so she left as soon as she finished speaking. Jennifer¡¯s face contorted with rage. She¡¯s truly overestimating herself! Other than her appearance, what else can she boast about? Since she¡¯s so arrogant, she¡¯ll be so self-absorbed if I don¡¯t teach her a lesson! Sophie went out and walked over to Tristan when she found him at the entrance of the restroom. ¡°Why are you here? I was just going to the restroom. You don¡¯t have to follow me all the time,¡± she said. So what if this is the Whitley family¡¯s turf? What else can they do to me? ¡°I just happened toe over, so I decided to wait for you outside.¡± When Jennifer came out of the restroom and saw Tristan talking to Sophie gently, she feigned nonchnce. Deep down, however, she was afraid that Sophie wouldin to him about her. Yet, when Tristan said nothing, she felt relieved. ¡°Mr. Tristan, the auction is about to start. Let¡¯s go in!¡± Jennifer informed him as the host of the banquet. ¡°You go in first. We¡¯ll be there in a while.¡± Tristan did not show Jennifer any respect since he felt he had no obligation to care about the feelings of someone he did not love. All he cared about was Sophie. Please check at N/?vel(D)rama.Org. Jennifer paled. She gritted her teeth and left. It¡¯s fine. I¡¯ll teach Sophie a lessonter at the auction. Does she really think that anyone can get into the upper ss? Chapter 531 Chapter 531 There were a lot of rare items at the auction that day. Thepetition started right from the beginning. Some bidders were truly interested in the items they were bidding for, while others were either bidding for charity purposes or to seek attention. The auction venue was bustling with activity. Almost everyone raised their paddles to bid for the first few items, which started at lower prices. However, Sophie was not very interested in any of those items. Jennifer was sitting next to them. A contemptuous sneer crept across her face when she noticed that Sophie had not raised her auction paddle at all. Indeed, she¡¯s just a bimbo who doesn¡¯t know anything. How can she bepared to me? Ysabelle felt extremely ufortable when she saw the look on Jennifer¡¯s face. Exclusive content from N?velDrama.Org. Who is Ms. Whitley looking down on? She knew that Sophie was simply not interested in such things and had exquisite tastes, judging by the stone that Sophie had gifted her on her eighteenth birthday. Yet, those socialites thought that Sophie was just ignorant. Some even assumed that she could not afford anything. ¡°Is there anything you fancy?¡± Tristan asked Sophie. ¡°Let me know if there¡¯s something you want. I¡¯ll get it for you!¡± Sophie shook her head as there was nothing that caught her eye. ¡°Nothing really stands out to me.¡± Jennifer could not help butugh when she heard what Sophie said. How arrogant! Does she even know that today¡¯s auction items are all donated by some of the most prestigious families in Jipsdale? These are all rare and valuable items! This youngdy is ridiculous! It¡¯s clear that she doesn¡¯t know anything, but she¡¯s still trying to put on an act. ¡°Ms. Tanner, you shouldn¡¯t be spouting nonsense if you don¡¯t know anything. These are all very valuable items.¡± Be careful of bing aughingstock if you continue acting smart. Sophie did not pay any attention to Jennifer. Does she really think she knows everything? There¡¯s indeed nothing spectacr about these items! Tristan was definitely not pleased with Jennifer¡¯s attitude toward Sophie. He shot Jennifer a nce and said, ¡°Ms. Whitley, I don¡¯t doubt that you¡¯ve seen a lot, but it¡¯s true that there¡¯s nothing extraordinary about these items.¡± Regardless of the circumstances, Tristan would always be on Sophie¡¯s side, and he did not need any reason to do that. He would not allow anyone to humiliate Sophie. Jennifer¡¯s expression darkened. She had wanted to unt her knowledge to impress Tristan, but she was reprimanded by the man instead. Nevertheless, as the daughter of the Whitley family, no matter what happened, it wouldn¡¯t be appropriate for her to stomp off. She could only remain in her seat. ¡°Just ignore her!¡± Tristan held Sophie¡¯s hand. There was no need for Sophie to know so much. What he wanted was a girlfriend and not a jewelry appraiser. Ysabelle felt rather bored during the first half of the auction until a new auction item caught her eye. It was a ruby that she could hardly take her eyes off. ¡°It¡¯s so beautiful!¡± She was really fond of the red gemstone and desired to have it. How nice would it be if this was mine? Sophie saw the ruby as well. It was indeed a gemstone of the highest grade and very finely crafted. Every woman at the auction was attracted to the ruby, and Jennifer was no exception. Ever since young, Sophie had always gotten everything she wanted. Upon noticing that Ysabelle was interested in the gemstone as well, she decided to bid for it and give it to her friend. ¡°Do you like it?¡± Sophie asked Ysabelle. ¡°Yup! I love it so much!¡± ¡°I¡¯ll bid for it and give it to you, then!¡± It¡¯s just a ruby. A few surrounding socialites who heard their conversation could not help but cast mocking nces at Sophie. She¡¯s so arrogant! Does the Tanner family even have that kind of money? Jennifer was also amused by Sophie¡¯s words. However, she tried her best not tough as she recalled Tristan¡¯s attitude toward her earlier. Apart from a pretty face, Sophie has nothing! She¡¯s just a bimbo without good any inner qualities. Jennifer could not understand why Tristan would fall in love with a woman like Natalie. It was simply mind-boggling for her. ¡°Huh? You¡¯ll give it to me?¡± Even though Ysabelle liked the ruby very much, she knew it cost a lot. ¡°Sophie, there¡¯s no need for that. Actually, I don¡¯t really like it that much!¡± Jennifer was even more certain of her evaluation of Sophie after hearing what Ysabelle said. Sophie is just bluffing. Even though Tanner Group is currently under her control, thepany doesn¡¯t have much for her to spend. Jennifer was determined to get her hands on the ruby. ¡°I know you really like it. I can tell just from the look in your eyes.¡± ¡°Sophie, you don¡¯t have to care about her. There are so many things that she likes. You can¡¯t possibly buy everything for her!¡± Sarah did not want Sophie to spend too much money on Ysabelle. Judging by Sarah¡¯s and Sophie¡¯s reactions, the socialites had no doubts that Sophie did not have money and was pretending to be rich. Jennifer¡¯s good friends were among those present at the auction that day. Naturally, they were aware of Jennifer¡¯s feelings toward Tristan. The few women exchanged nces and decided to vie for the ruby against Sophie. They wanted to show Tristan that Sophie was simply not in the same league as them and that she should not even be there in the first ce. As such, the bid price of the ruby was five million right from the start. After calling out such a high bid, Jennifer¡¯s friends nced at Sophie with an obvious intention to unt. At the same time, with a satisfied expression, Jennifer also turned to look at Sophie. Let¡¯s see what she¡¯s going to do about it! Sophie raised her paddle. As the standard bid increment of that auction was five hundred thousand, it meant that the current bid price of the ruby was already at five million five hundred thousand. Immediately after Sophie put down her paddle, another one of Jennifer¡¯s friends raised hers. You want it? Well, that¡¯s not happening! The bid price of the ruby eventually reached ten million. At that point, Jennifer¡¯s friends were not sure if they should continue to raise the bid. After all, it was their families that were rich. Thedies themselves did not have that much money. ¡°Ten million. Going once, going twice¡­ Is there anyone who would like to raise the bid? If not, this ruby would go to Ms. Tan¡ª¡± Before the auctioneer could finish his sentence, Jennifer raised her paddle. ¡°Eleven million!¡± Everyone was shocked. Is Ms. Whitley openly going against Mr. Tristan¡¯s girlfriend? That made sense. After all, Jennifer was not the only woman present who was jealous of Sophie. Everyone desired a man like Tristan, who was perfect in every way. However, Tristan only had eyes for Sophie. The other women wanted to see misfortune befall Sophie. Sarah and Ysabelle looked at Jennifer simultaneously, feeling surprised that thetter was the one who ended up bidding against Sophie despite her inactivity all the while before that. ¡°Ms. Tanner, I¡¯m sorry. I can¡¯t let you have this ruby as I really like it too.¡± As the only daughter of the Whitley family, as long as it was something she wanted, Jennifer would never let anyone have it. The crowd fell silent when they heard that. It seems that it¡¯s not only the ruby she¡¯s talking about! I bet she¡¯s referring to Mr. Tristan as well! ¡°Eleven million. Going once, going twice¡ª¡± At that moment, Sophie raised her paddle. Sorry! No one can snatch away anything that¡¯s mine, and that includes both the ruby and the man! Chapter 532 Chapter 532 The auction was brought to a mini climax by the battle between the two women. The tension in the air was palpable, and everyone was excited to see who would finally get to own the ruby. Jennifer raised her paddle again. The duo went back and forth, and neither of them was willing to relent. ¡°Ms. Tanner, it seems that you are really fond of it.¡± Jennifer did not expect Sophie to keep raising the bid. Does she really have that much money? ¡°But are you sure you can afford it? You would probably need Mr. Tristan to pay for it in the end!¡± I¡¯m sure the reason she dares to keep raising the bid is that she knows she has Mr. Tristan¡¯s support! Sophie cocked her brows. ¡°Ms. Whitley, are you inferring that I am a kept woman?¡± Kept woman? Is that the female equivalent of a kept man? ¡°Well, you can think of it that way.¡± ¡°You sounded certain that I won¡¯t be able to afford the ruby. But I¡¯m sorry to disappoint you. Not only do I have the money to buy this ruby, but I can also afford to buy your entire Whitley family!¡± Sophie had always kept a low profile. However, Jennifer was really getting on her nerves. ¡°Gosh! What a brazen youngdy! Does she even know anything about the Whitley family?¡± ¡°Exactly! Even Old Mr. Lombard wants an ally like the Whitley family. How dare she make such a im?¡± ¡°She thinks she can do anything she wants just because Mr. Tristan is interested in her. What a joke!¡± Jennifer¡¯s expression turned grim. Is she challenging me in front of so many people? ¡°Mr. Tristan, you¡ª¡± ¡°As long as you like, I can buy you the Whitley family too.¡± Tristan showed his unconditional support for Sophie. Jennifer was rendered speechless when she heard that. ¡°No. If there¡¯s anything I want, I will get it myself! There¡¯s no need for you to help me.¡± Sophie passed her card to one of the staff at the auction and said, ¡°I guess this ruby belongs to me now.¡± The staff nced at Jennifer, unsure if the woman wanted to raise the bid. Jennifer shook her head. At its current price, the ruby was already overvalued. Jennifer still had some rationality left in her. The staff processed the payment on the spot. When that was done, he handed Sophie¡¯s card back to her and passed her the ruby. After keeping her card, Sophie handed the ruby to Ysabelle. Touched by her friend¡¯s gesture, Ysabelle said, ¡°Sophie, what do I do? I really want to marry you!¡± She¡¯s practically my dream boyfriend! Tristan shot Ysabelle a look. ¡°She¡¯s mine!¡± Ysabelle stuck out her tongue cheekily in response. The actual climax of the event happened when Tristan bid an emerald ornament for Sophie, which she had wanted as a gift for her grandfather. The old man was a collector of such items. Sophie had wanted to bid for it herself; however, Tristan would not let her. ¡°You¡¯ve given Ysabelle a ruby. Let me get you this.¡± The starting prices of the auction items would get higher toward the end of the auction. The final bid price of the emerald ornament was one hundred million. Everyone in the audience hadplicated looks in their eyes when they saw Tristan give the emerald ornament to Sophie. Looks like Mr. Tristan is very serious about this girl! Jennifer turned pale as she watched the man she was in love with pampering another woman. She had thought that Winter was just too weak. However, after witnessing it personally, she finally understood how it felt to be so jealous that she almost lost her mind. She was dying to strangle Sophie. At the end of the auction, both Sophie and Ysabelle walked out of the auction hall feeling satisfied. When they were about to leave, they noticed Jennifer following behind them. ¡°Ms. Whitley, is there anything we can help you with?¡± Tristan asked. Jennifer wanted to have a chat with the man, but at that moment, she really did not know what to say. ¡°No.¡± There was nothing she could do but watch them leave. ¡°Jennifer, forget it! Given your status, you can get any man you want. Why do you insist on having Mr. Tristan?¡± ¡°Yeah! You¡¯ve seen it for yourself earlier. Mr. Tristan is head over heels in love with Sophie. I think it¡¯s better that we stay away from that youngdy!¡± Jennifer bit her lower lip so hard that she could taste her own blood. ¡°It¡¯s been ten years. I¡¯ve loved him for ten years! How can I give up on him so easily? That¡¯s impossible! If I could do that, I would have already done it a long time back and wouldn¡¯t have waited until now.¡± ¡°What do you intend to do, then? Sophie doesn¡¯t appear to be a person to be trifled with!¡± Not only did she dare to vie against Jennifer for the ruby, but she could also pay for it on her own. It was clear that Sophie wasn¡¯t just an ordinary person. She¡¯s practically my dream boyfriend! Tristan shot Ysabelle a look. ¡°She¡¯s mine!¡± ¡°I will find a way. Even if they¡¯re married, it¡¯s still possible for them to get a divorce! Besides, Old Mr. Lombard doesn¡¯t even like her!¡± Otherwise, the current circumstances wouldn¡¯t have been the way it is. Right after Tristan sent Sophie back to the condominium, he received a call from William, who flew into a rage once the call connected. The old man was aware of what had happened at the auction. ¡°Are you trying to embarrass me on purpose?¡± Please check at N/?vel(D)rama.Org. Tristan put down his phone and waited for his father to finish venting. He only picked up his phone again after William was done. ¡°Are you done? I never wanted to go on a blind date. I¡¯ve already told you that Sophie is the only woman I love and will ever love, but you still went ahead to make arrangements for that. It¡¯s none of my business that things turned out this way.¡± ¡°Y-You! I¡¯m your father! Are you not going to listen to me anymore?¡± ¡°When have I ever listened to you?¡± Even since he was young, Tristan had always had a mind of his own and knew what he wanted. No one could stop him. His father should have already known that by now. ¡°I don¡¯t care. You are the one at fault, so go and apologize to the Whitley family. I don¡¯t want this incident to cause a rift between our families.¡± William was the one who had proposed the matchmaking session and not the Whitley family. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. Is this a joke? Have you ever seen me apologizing to anyone? Besides, Ms. Whitley was extremely rude to Sophie. I¡¯ve already tried my best to be polite.¡± No one is allowed to bully my woman! ¡°Tristan! I¡¯m sure you don¡¯t want anything bad to happen to Sophie, right?¡± William warned. ¡°Are you threatening me because of an outsider now? No one is allowed to touch Sophie. Anyone who tries toy a finger on her will be dering war against me.¡± His father would not be an exception. When William heard that, his temper sparked. He could hardly believe that his son had said that to him. ¡°Dad, you should know my temper well, so please don¡¯t try to cross my boundaries.¡± Tristan hung up after saying that. He would not allow anyone to threaten him with Sophie, including his father. Burning with anger, William smashed a vase on the ground, shattering it to pieces. He could not remember thest time he had felt so angry. Chapter 533 Chapter 533 Upon returning home, Sarah and Ysabelle saw the mess on the floor and figured out how furious William was. Both of them exchanged nces. They were also rather upset with William for trying to set Tristan with someone. Ysabelle walked toward her grandfather and asked, ¡°Grandpa, who made you so angry?¡± ¡°I heard both of you were also at the auction today.¡± Ysabelle did not dare to reply and merely looked at Sarah. ¡°Dad, there is really no need for you to be so angry. You knew Tristan has a girlfriend, yet you still tried to set him up with another girl. You can¡¯t me them for how things turned out.¡± Sarah knew how stubborn her father was. It was extremely difficult to change his mind. However, the fact was that he was at fault in that matter. ¡°Are you intending to lecture me as well?¡± Is there no one in the family who respects me anymore? ¡°Dad, you know how much we respect you. But I¡¯m definitely on Tristan¡¯s side this time.¡± Both of them are my children and my closest kin, but none of them is on my side. ¡°Grandpa, Sophie is a nice girl. Perhaps you can try to get to know her better. If you take some time to bond with her, I¡¯m confident that you will like her too. Just ignore those rumors you hear outside. They¡¯re all fake. Seriously, Sophie is perfect.¡± ¡°Ysabelle, you hang out with her quite often these days, right?¡± William had never lost his temper at Ysabelle. However, he sounded rather angry right then. ¡°Grandpa, you¡¯ve always been a wise person. I trust you will make a good judgment. Sophie is really the perfect match for Uncle Tristan.¡± ¡°Just keep quiet, both of you. I don¡¯t want to hear any of that. If you¡¯re going to continue to upset me, there¡¯s no point in keeping on talking.¡± The two women held their tongues. Since William was not receptive to anything they said, there was no point in them wasting their breaths. Time would tell if Sophie was indeed a good partner for Tristan. William sat in the living room by himself, feeling lonelier than ever. He had done everything with Tristan¡¯s interests at heart, but no one seemed to understand him. Tristan needs an equal with whom he can go through hardships and face all of life¡¯s perils, not a weak woman who will drag him down. Meanwhile, after Tristan ended the call, Sophie wrapped her arms around him from the back and said, ¡°Why are you so angry? Rx.¡± ¡°Are you not mad at all?¡± Knowing that we are officially a couple, he still insists on setting me up. Don¡¯t you find that humiliating? ¡°Aren¡¯t you on my side? Why would I be angry?¡± Nothing else matters. Tristan turned around and pulled Sophie into his arms before leaning forward and kissing her lips. It was a passionate kiss filled with a myriad of emotions, including heartache and the desire to have her by his side forever. Trapped in the man¡¯s arms, Sophie had no choice but to allow the man to kiss her. Tristan¡¯s hands were roaming all over her, causing the temperature in her body to rise. Suddenly, Sophie felt something pressing against her. The moment she realized what it was, her cheeks grew even redder. ¡°Tristan!¡± ¡°Yeah?¡± Tristan stopped moving at once, as he might lose control of himself if he carried on. But do I really have to let her go now? Unwilling to do that, he continued hugging Sophie. ¡°Are you feeling very ufortable?¡± Although Sophie sounded rather cold, there was a hint of desire in her voice. Tristan nted a kiss on her forehead. He would not go further than touching or kissing her as he intended to save her first time for their wedding night. That was his way of respecting her. ¡°I¡¯m fine. I can wait. I want our first time to be on our wedding night.¡± That would be his wedding gift to his bride. Sophie was very touched by Tristan¡¯s words. In a society that had a constant emphasis on vanity and mor, it was rare to find a man who honored his woman so much. Although Tristan had imed that he was fine, he was already experiencing epididymal hypertension. ¡°I think I need a shower right now!¡± Tristan said after letting go of Sophie. It was just hugging and kissing, but he was already losing control. ¡°Tristan¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t think too much. I¡¯m really all right.¡± The man pinched Sophie¡¯s cheeks affectionately before heading to the bathroom. Sophie, who remained standing at the spot, could not help but smile as she thought about everything Tristan had done for her. He was definitely a man worthy of her love. Meanwhile, someone had been chasing Arius. It was only then that he knew Nichs was also in Jipsdale. If he had not run fast enough, he would have already been captured. Immediately after he escaped, he went to look for Sophie. ¡°Are you not mad at all?¡± Knowing that we are officially a couple, he still insists on setting me up. Don¡¯t you find that humiliating? Sophie frowned when she heard the doorbell ring. After all, not many people knew where they were staying. Who could it be at this hour? The moment she opened the door, she saw Arius standing there and noticed that the man seemed to be injured. ¡°What happened to you? What¡¯s going on?¡± Arius was usually very vain, and that was the first time Sophie had seen him in such a disheveled state. ¡°F*ck! Do you know Nichs is here too? Damn that disgusting assh*le! He¡¯s everywhere! He¡¯s like a ghost who wouldn¡¯t stop haunting me!¡± Nichs? So Nichs was the one who did this to him? ¡°Are you hurt anywhere?¡± Sophie pushed Arius onto the couch and pinned him down, not allowing him to move about. ¡°Tell me!¡± I can¡¯t possibly rip off his clothes! ¡°I¡¯m fine. Just some minor abrasions. Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m not that weak. Did hee and trouble you?¡± ¡°He did.¡± ¡°What? He came to see you?¡± ¡°Who?¡± Just then, Tristan appeared, just in time to hear the strange conversation between Sophie and Arius. ¡°Why are you here? You even showered? What are you trying to do? Tristan, I¡¯m warning you. Sophie is still young. Don¡¯t try anything funny. You hear me?¡± Tristan merely ignored him. He could not be bothered to entertain Arius, who was acting dumbly most of the time. However, judging by the man¡¯s appearance, Tristan knew that something must have happened. ¡°Who have you offended? Why do you look so miserable?¡± Tristan was not concerned about Arius. He just did not want Sophie to be bothered by that. ¡°There are tons of people whom yours truly have offended. How would I know who did this?¡± Arius had made some enemies over the years. After all, he always behaved smugly, and not many people could stand that, which resulted in his current situation. Exclusive content from N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Since you¡¯re not dead yet, why did youe here?¡± Doesn¡¯t he know that Sophie has a boyfriend? Does he really think it¡¯s appropriate for a grown man like him to look for her anytime he wants? He¡¯s so obtuse! Arius clenched his chest and said, ¡°Sophie, did you hear that? He¡¯s been cursing me every day, hoping that I will die young! How could you fall in love with such an evil man? Anyway, since you¡¯re not married yet, just break up with him already.¡± She should get rid of him as soon as possible! Chapter 534 Chapter 534 ¡°Okay, that¡¯s enough. Why do you two have to quarrel every time you see each other?¡± Sophie was totally speechless. ¡°Do you think I¡¯m interested in arguing with him? He¡¯s the one who keeps picking fights with me! Sophie, I¡¯m warning you. You can¡¯t take his side just because he¡¯s your boyfriend, understand? You need to be impartial!¡± ¡°He¡¯s my boyfriend. Of course I will be on his side. There¡¯s nothing wrong with that.¡± Arius felt like ignoring the woman when he heard that. Please check at N/?vel(D)rama.Org. He could not believe that she had openly said that. ¡°I can¡¯t believe that I¡¯m no better than your boyfriend in your heart. I feel so hurt!¡± While Arius was feeling sad, Tristan was delighted. He loved it when Sophie favored him. ¡°All right, since you¡¯re fine, you should leave now. Just remember to be careful from now on.¡± Arius gaped in disbelief. ¡°Ha! Looks like it really was a mistake for me toe here.¡± Arius looked at Sophie with a sorrowful expression. ¡°Arius, just go back first!¡± There was no point carrying on the conversation since she was already aware of the situation. Something like that would not happen again in the future. ¡°Fine. Since you can¡¯t wait to get rid of me, I¡¯m leaving now.¡± Arius stood up from the couch and snorted at Tristan. It¡¯s all his fault! If it wasn¡¯t for him, Sophie would never have treated me this way. He¡¯s nothing but trouble. Tristan could not be bothered by Arius¡¯ childish antics. Besides, he had to look good in front of Sophie. He did not want to lose his cool because of Arius. After Arius left, Tristan and Sophie were the only ones left in the living room. ¡°What happened to Arius?¡± Even though Tristan found Arius annoying most of the time, he knew that the man was Sophie¡¯s best friend. In fact, the two of them were as close as family. If Arius was facing any problems, he would want to help. ¡°It¡¯s no big deal! You don¡¯t have to concern yourself with it.¡± ¡°Sophie, we¡¯re a couple now. I don¡¯t wish for you to keep pushing me out of your world.¡± She always told him she did not need his help, and he hated to hear that. No matter what it was, he wanted to face it with her. ¡°Tristan, why are you acting this way? I don¡¯t interfere with your affairs too, no?¡± Can¡¯t we just date happily and settle our own problems ourselves? Tristan replied rather helplessly, ¡°I would want you to help me with my problems too. Do we really need to have such a clear line between us?¡± He did not like having such boundaries between them. Sophie kept quiet, as she did not know what to reply. She did not want Tristan to be involved in her situation with Nichs. However, she did not want to lie to him as well, which led to the current situation. Tristan hugged Sophie tightly and said, ¡°You¡¯re right in front of me now, but why do I feel so insecure?¡± Am I going to lose her? Tristan did not want that to happen as it was not easy for them to finally be together. Feeling the man¡¯s unease, Sophie wrapped her arms around his waist and replied, ¡°You¡¯re overthinking. Arius can settle his problem himself. Even if he really needs help, he has Barney to help him.¡± The International Medical Association was not to be messed with after all. ¡°All right, I understand. I will just let Arius do his thing!¡± Tristan knew how important Arius was to Sophie. The fact that she did not want him to interfere meant that there was definitely something strange going on. However, there was nothing more he could say. All he could do was get his men to pay closer attention to the situation. Tristan and his friends met up at Star Club. He had not stopped drinking, causing Felix and the other three men to exchange nces with each other. It had been a while since the four of them had met up for drinks. Ever since Tristan started dating Sophie, he had been hanging out with them a lot less. Nevertheless, it was Tristan who initiated that day¡¯s gathering, and he did not bring Sophie along. He started drinking right after he arrived and did not speak much. What¡¯s going on? ¡°Guys, what do you think happened to him?¡± Felix pointed at Tristan. Sean shook his head. ¡°Maybe he was dumped? After all, anything can happen. I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if Sophie had broken up with him,¡± Charles said. ¡°You¡¯re crazy! That¡¯s not possible,¡± Felix eximed. Given their deep feelings for each other, there is no way they will break up so easily. ¡°Why is it impossible? Nothingsts forever. Besides, change is the only constant. That¡¯s a naturalw of the universe,¡± Charles replied. ¡°Well, not everyone is a Casanova like you,¡± Felix said. Some people do take love seriously. Once they are sure of someone, they will not easily change their minds. He did not like having such boundaries between them. ¡°Do you think I like that? It¡¯s just that I tend to get tired of a woman after spending some time with her. There¡¯s nothing I can do about it,¡± Charles said. What¡¯s the point in continuing if there¡¯s no more excitement in the rtionship? ¡°Felix, why are you wasting your breath arguing with him? A guy like him will never understand.¡± It was too much to ask of Charles to be faithful. To him, that was a non-existent concept. Charles stared at Sean speechlessly. ¡°How could you say that about me? No matter what, we are good friends! Can¡¯t you see that I¡¯ve been making an effort in my rtionship?¡± Charles had been with his current girlfriend for more than a month, and he had been trying hard to keep it going. However, he was losing interest and was already thinking of finding an opportunity to break up with her. ¡°Mr. Tristan, what happened to you? Is there a problem that you¡¯re unable to solve? If there is, you should share it with us, and we can figure it out together. There¡¯s nothing in the world that the four of us together can¡¯t handle.¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine. I just felt that it would be nice for us to meet since it¡¯s been a while since we had a drink together.¡± What other problems can there be? ¡°You¡¯re not happy.¡± Sean¡¯s words hit the nail on the head. After being friends for so long, of course, I can tell that you¡¯re feeling down. ¡°He¡¯s right. You¡¯re obviously upset with something, but we can¡¯t figure out what it is. Both work and love seem to be going well for you. What can you possibly be unhappy with?¡± Isn¡¯t he head over heels in love with Sophie? ¡°Perhaps I¡¯m just not content. Although I have Sophie by my side, I just can¡¯t help wanting more!¡± ¡°Want more in bed?¡± It¡¯s perfectly understandable if it¡¯s really that. One can never have enough of it. Tristan rolled his eyes at Charles. ¡°Is that all you think about?¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong with thinking about that? That¡¯s what men usually do, isn¡¯t it? No matter how in love two people are, there has to be some progression in a rtionship. Having a physical connection in addition to an emotional one will definitely take the rtionship to a higher level, don¡¯t you agree?¡± Well, being sexuallypatible is very important for a rtionship tost! ¡°Mr. Tristan, seriously, I think you¡¯ve been spoiling Sophie too much. You¡¯re always trying to help her, but have you ever considered if that is what she really wants?¡± Chapter 535 Chapter 535 ¡°She might feel shy to tell you since she¡¯s a girl. Who knows? Maybe she also wants you!¡± Content is ? by N?velDrama.Org. ¡°That¡¯s enough. You can shut up now!¡± Tristan snapped. I shouldn¡¯t have expected anything good to come out of Charles¡¯ mouth. ¡°Mr. Tristan, ignore him. Why don¡¯t you tell me your concern? I¡¯m also experienced in love now. Maybe I can help you analyze the situation,¡± Felix said proudly. He had waited for over ten years until Ysabelle finally opened her heart to him, so he was on cloud nine every single day. Tristan cast him a nce. Felix? What can he possibly analyze? He¡¯s a big mess himself! ¡°Just mind your own business. You¡¯ve finally be her boyfriend. Don¡¯t end up getting dumped.¡± That was something likely to happen, considering Ysabelle¡¯s temper. ¡°That¡¯s impossible! Our rtionship is very stable right now. There¡¯s no way we will ever break up.¡± It would be another story if Ysabelle didn¡¯t like him. However, now that he knew about her feelings for him, he would never break up with her. ¡°Mr. Tristan, what exactly are you unhappy about?¡± Sean piped up. ¡°I feel like she¡¯s hiding something from me! As her boyfriend, I don¡¯t want her to keep anything from me.¡± ¡°I see. What is she hiding from you?¡± asked Sean as he wondered what important matter it could be. Tristan shook his head. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t be so troubled if I knew. Do you guys think it¡¯s because she doesn¡¯t trust me?¡± Tristan was usually a decisive and strong-minded man, but he had his insecurities when it came to Sophie. ¡°I don¡¯t think this has anything to do with trust. You know Sophie well. She doesn¡¯t like depending on others. Even if there¡¯s something wrong, she will handle it herself as long as it¡¯s within her power. So if you keep dwelling on this matter, you will be the only one unhappy.¡± Sean hit the nail on the head again. After all, this had something to do with one¡¯s personality. ¡°I think Sean¡¯s words are on point. Sophie is very capable, so she can handle most things herself. She¡¯s an independent person, and I don¡¯t believe that being in a rtionship will change her personality. It¡¯s impossible for her to turn to you for every single matter she encounters.¡± Since that will never happen, Tristan might as well stop troubling himself. ¡°Mr. Tristan, I don¡¯t get why you¡¯re like this. Isn¡¯t it great that she can solve her problems on her own? Even though you¡¯re dating, you have to give each other some space.¡± Charles finally provided some useful advice. Having little experience with romance, Tristan asked, ¡°So you mean this is my problem?¡± Sean stated, ¡°Yes. Give each other space. She will tell you when she feels like it.¡± Meanwhile, Nichs threw a fit upon arriving home. Whenever he thought of Sophie being with Tristan, he just couldn¡¯t hold himself back. His manic episodes were bing increasingly severe. As the housekeepers watched him, none of them dared to make a sound. Even Javier, who was inside the room on the second floor, could hear things being shattered. Unfortunately, he couldn¡¯t do anything as he was confined in the room. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with him again? Did he get triggered by something?¡± I¡¯ve worked so hard to get the Sable family to where it is today, yet everything may be destroyed in Nichs¡¯ hands! ¡°We don¡¯t know,¡± his subordinate answered. Nichs was getting more and more aggressive, and most of the time, he could not control his emotions. ¡°Get the psychiatrist toe. If this goes on, he will ruin the Sable family!¡± The Sable family was what Javier cared about the most in his life. He would never allow Nichs to bring the Sable family down. ¡°Old Mr. Sable, you know how Mr. Nichs is. He listens to no one at the moment. There¡¯s no way he¡¯ll see a psychiatrist.¡± It wasmon for people who were mentally ill to refuse to admit that they were sick. ¡°If he¡¯s sick, he needs to get checked.¡± Javier had been in denial of this truth before, but now he could no longer sit back and watch. Otherwise, the Sable family would surely meet its end. ¡°Send someone to find Sophie. Find a way to bring her to me.¡± Now that things hade to this point, Javier had to admit that Sophie might be the only one who could solve this problem. She was the only one Nichs would listen to. ¡°Old Mr. Sable, you know what kind of person Sophie is. It¡¯s impossible to control her.¡± They had tried to take her life many times, so it was natural that she would not help them. ¡°That¡¯s why I told you to find a way! Do you think everything in this world is easy? How will you gain anything without even making an effort?¡± Javier scolded. His subordinate did not dare to talk back to him. Having little experience with romance, Tristan asked, ¡°So you mean this is my problem?¡± ¡°Old Mr. Sable, Mr. Nichs won¡¯t even let us leave the house now. So¡­¡± The other people were now under Nichs¡¯ control. He was the only one left by Javier¡¯s side. Hearing that, Javier fell into deep thought. What should I do to solve this predicament? The key to this matter is Sophie. Maybe everything will end only when she dies. The living room was in shambles as Nichs smashed everything that came into sight. It was only after a long time that he finally calmed down. He took out his phone and tried to call Sophie, only to find out that she had blocked him. In his fury, he killed a housekeeper on the spot. Upon smelling blood in the air, Javier closed his eyes in despair. His mania is so severe to the point that he¡¯s killing his own people! Downstairs, Nichs ordered, ¡°Listen carefully. I want you to capture Arius by all means. He¡¯s just a doctor. If you can¡¯t even catch him, then you don¡¯t deserve to be alive.¡± Capturing Arius was his only way to get a chance to talk to Sophie. His subordinates did not raise any objections. Under such circumstances, staying silent was the best thing to do. That was because whatever they said would be deemed wrong. In fact, they were also afraid of death. Arius knew that Nichs¡¯ people had been tailing him recently, and the situation was giving him quite a headache. Nichs is way too obsessive. It¡¯s not like he will gain anything good out of this. So what if he captures me? Sophie will never like him back. Why does he have to make himself so pathetic? When Arius detected the men behind him and their intention to abduct him, he chuckled bitterly. Sophie, you vixen! Why do you have to be so charming? Upon noticing his n to escape, the men gave him no chance to do so and fired at him. If it weren¡¯t for Arius¡¯ agility, he would have been injured. ¡°F*ck! Damn you, Nichs. You better stay out of my sight. If I catch you, I¡¯m going to torture you to death!¡± Unfortunately, the men seemed determined to catch him this time. Just when Arius thought he was doomed, a car came to a stop beside him. He raised his head and saw Sophie, the cause of his suffering. ¡°F*ck, you¡¯re finally here! If you came anyter, I wouldn¡¯t be able to live to see tomorrow!¡± Chapter 536 Chapter 536 ¡°Shut your trap! Your fighting skills have gotten worse,¡± Sophie remarked. If that weren¡¯t the case, Arius wouldn¡¯t have been cornered by such a small group of people. ¡°I guess that¡¯s true,¡± Arius admitted. He had been immersed in practicing medicine recently, so he had no time to train. With Sophie by his side, Arius feltpletely at ease. He knew that those men were no match for Sophie. Indeed, Sophie showed off her incredible skills the next moment and beat the men to a pulp. Knowing that she was the woman Nichs cherished the most, the men could not bring themselves to strike back. If they identally did her the slightest harm, Nichs would definitely not let them off. As a result, they were defenseless against Sophie. Thetter, on the contrary, vented her dissatisfaction with Nichs on them. It had been a long time since she hadst fought someone, so she gave them a good beating. When the men realized they would be crippled if they stayed any longer, they ran off in an instant. Arius, now out of danger, plopped into the passenger seatfortably. ¡°It seems that I have to hire a few bodyguards soon,¡± he said. Sophie ignored him. She couldn¡¯t believe a few men were enough to make Arius end up in this state, and she didn¡¯t want to speak a word to him. ¡°Are you upset?¡± asked Arius. Why is she mad? I¡¯m not even mad when I¡¯m the victim! ¡°Sophie, if Nichs abducts me one day, will you save me?¡± ¡°Why should I save you when you¡¯re so useless?¡± Sophie answered without hesitation. ¡°That¡¯s right. Listen, if Nichs captures me one day, do not care about me. Okay?¡± Arius voiced. Nichs is crazy! Does he think he can force Sophie to submit to him by holding me hostage? What in the world is he up to? How can he be so evil? Soon, the duo came to Wings of Light. It had been a while since Butterfly hadst seen Sophie, and she did not expect thetter to visit at this time, and with a handsome man at that. ¡°Sophie, I¡¯ve always known you¡¯re incredible, but I didn¡¯t expect you to own a ce like this,¡± Arius commented. This was his first timeing to Wings of Light. ¡°Imnt a chip in him,¡± instructed Sophie. As Nichs wouldn¡¯t give up so easily, they had to be well- prepared as early as now. She could not possibly leave Arius to his own devices. ¡°Sophie, you¡¯re overreacting. There¡¯s no need for this! Don¡¯t waste resources,¡± Arius protested. He really didn¡¯t think there was a need to make such a big deal out of this. In response, Sophie shot him a meaningful nce. Seeing that, Arius scratched his nose guiltily. He only had himself to me for being too weak. Otherwise, Sophie wouldn¡¯t have to be so worried about him. ¡°All right, I got it. Just imnt it. Stop looking at me like that.¡± Finally, Arius gave in. Although Sophie was just a young woman, he felt chills running down his spine every time she looked at him that way. When Butterfly saw how obedient he was in front of Sophie, she burst into giggles. ¡°Sophie, I didn¡¯t know you could look so intimidating with your pretty face,¡± she said. This was the first time she had witnessed this scary side of Sophie. While Butterfly led Arius to another room, Sophie walked to her office in Wings of Light. She had been offline for a long time, so the moment she logged in, hundreds of notifications popped out. She closed all of them before sending Nichs¡¯ current location and posting a mission. Then she logged off again. Nichs was enjoying a ss of red wine in his mansion when a bomb was dropped on his rooftop. The explosion wasn¡¯t a big one, but it still caused significant destruction. In an instant, the housekeepers¡¯ screams filled the mansion. Dust snowed down on Nichs, making him look disheveled. Javier also felt the impact, but thankfully, he was unscathed. He took the chance to run out of the room, only to see that the mansion rooftop had been blown up. In no time, everyone moved to the courtyard. ¡°Nichs, didn¡¯t I tell you already? She doesn¡¯t like you at all. If she does, she wouldn¡¯t have done something like this. Do you still not get it?¡± Javier pointed out. Despite her innocent face, Sophie was a ruthless woman. ¡°What did you do to make her so angry?¡± asked Javier. Although it was true that Sophie was cruel, she wouldn¡¯t do this for no reason. The only possibility was that Nichs had done something again to provoke her. She could not possibly leave Arius to his own devices. Nichs simply looked at the mess with an unbothered expression. ¡°Whatever I do has nothing to do with you. Just mind your own business and make sure not to die here.¡± Even though Javier was his father, Nichs was not the least bit polite. He was in a terrible mood. ¡°Then what do you n to do now? Are you going to keep liking her even when she did this to you? Do you really want to die in her hands?¡± Javier questioned again. He was extremely worried. If things went on this way, Nichs would be doomed. ¡°Even if I die in her hands, it¡¯s something I¡¯m willing to do so. Don¡¯t you interfere! Only a woman like her is worthy of me!¡± Nichs imed with a mad look in his eyes. ¡°You¡¯re crazy. You¡¯re hopeless!¡± How could this kind of love possibly exist in this world? How could someone kill the person they love? ¡°Yes, I am crazy. I enjoy doing this. Leave me alone!¡± Though Nichs had always known that Sophie would never have mercy on him, he still felt heartbroken. As if someone was clutching his heart, he found it painful to breathe. What should I do so that Sophie can feel my sincerity? ¡°Mr. Nichs, what should we do now?¡± a housekeeper asked. Given the current state of the mansion, it was unhabitable. ¡°It¡¯s not like the Sable family is short of money. We can just buy another mansion! If she wants to bomb us, we¡¯ll let her do so!¡± Nichs was willing to cooperate with anything Sophie wanted to do. ¡°You!¡± Javier was incensed. I can¡¯t believe I have a son like him. He¡¯s going to ruin the Sable family sooner orter! ¡°I don¡¯t even want to see you. Just send me back to Anndur.¡± If he stayed here any longer, the Sable family would really be done for. Nichs responded, ¡°You¡¯ve finally figured it out! You¡¯re my father, so I won¡¯t actually do anything to you. Since you want to go back now, I¡¯ll ask someone to apany you. However, you better not y any tricks. You know I¡¯m a heartless person. If anyone dares to hurt Sophie, I¡¯ll destroy them.¡± Belonging ? N?velDram/a.Org. Javier shook his head helplessly. ¡°Do whatever you want. I can¡¯t control you anyway.¡± Only by leaving this ce could he get a chance to control Nichs. Chapter 537 Chapter 537 ¡°That¡¯s great.¡± Everyone will be happy if you leave now. ¡°Both of you, send Old Mr. Sable back personally. If you betray me, you know the consequences.¡± ¡°Yes, Mr. Nichs!¡± Javier nced at Nichs. Even though they were in front of such a huge crowd, Nichs did not show any respect to his father. Nevertheless, he could not possibly let Sophie ruin his son. Meanwhile, Sophie felt much better after seeing the photographs at the scene. This should be a good lesson! Nichs will never understand even if you tell him nicely. Only simple and brute methods like this work. After finding out what Sophie had done, Arius could not help but give her a thumbs-up. ¡°Sophie, we¡¯ve received the same years of education, but why are you so amazing?¡± How could such a talented woman exist in this world? ¡°I¡¯ve got no idea what you¡¯re saying.¡± ¡°That¡¯s enough. You don¡¯t have to pretend in front of me. Do you dare to say that you didn¡¯t instruct someone to blow up Nichs¡¯ mansion?¡± ¡°Did I do anything wrong?¡± ¡°No one said that you did anything wrong. I think you were amazing. Nichs, that b*stard, deserves it. You should blow him up to smithereens the next time.¡± All Sophie did was oppose Nichs. Considering his special identity, she would cause a lot of trouble if she actually killed him. She could only teach him a slight lesson each time. ¡°It¡¯ll be troublesome if I kill him.¡± ¡°I was just kidding. There¡¯s no way I¡¯d actually make you kill him.¡± Arius knew Nichs¡¯ identity well. Now that the chip inserted in his arm could no longer be seen, he felt more relieved. ¡°I¡¯m serious, Sophie. If Nichs manages to get his hands on me, don¡¯t care about me. I¡¯ll think of a way myself.¡± ¡°Quit spouting nonsense!¡± It¡¯s pointless saying things like that. ¡°All right, you should go back first. Nichs probably isn¡¯t in the mood to capture you for the time being.¡± ¡°Okay. Where are you going? I¡¯ll send you back.¡± ¡°Why? Do you want me to escort you?¡± Sophie asked mercilessly. Arius touched his nose. ¡°Sophie, I know you¡¯re more skilled in fighting than I am, but you¡¯re still a girl, aren¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you feel ashamed to ask a girl to protect you? After this busy period is over, I¡¯ll make you receive some special training.¡± To her, Arius was a very important person. She would not let anything bad happen to him. Arius had the urge to cry at the thought of those grueling training. ¡°It¡¯s fine. I think I¡¯m doing quite well now. See, Nichs didn¡¯t even manage to capture me.¡± ¡°If I hadn¡¯t appeared today, do you think he wouldn¡¯t have been able to capture you?¡± Also, Nichs hasn¡¯t personally made a move yet. Even though all he did was send someckeys out, you were already struggling. ¡°This is final.¡± Arius was on the verge of tears. Her special training was so terrifying that an average person couldn¡¯t carry it off. ¡°You know it¡¯s useless to resist in my world. Just be obedient.¡± When Butterfly finished changing her clothes and came out, she saw that Sophie was about to leave. ¡°Are you leaving again, Sophie? Can¡¯t you stay behind and have a meal with me?¡± It had been ages since they had shared a meal together. ¡°Next time! I have something else to do today.¡± That left Butterfly in a very gloomy mood. ¡°You¡¯re always so busy. You only care about others but not me.¡± Butterfly was genuinely sad. Sophie walked over and patted her cheek. ¡°I¡¯m telling the truth. I¡¯ll treat you to a meal next time. How¡¯s that?¡± Butterfly pouted, not believing Sophie¡¯s words at all. ¡°You said that the previous time too.¡± If she trusted what Sophie said, she would still be the one getting hurt. ¡°But I¡¯m actually busy today.¡± Victor had been the one taking charge of Tanner Group¡¯s projects all along. It was time for her to have a look at it, given her high expectations for Tanner Group. ¡°Fine. Go ahead with your work! I¡¯m the least important person in your life anyway,¡± said Butterfly sorrowfully. Please check at N/?vel(D)rama.Org. ¡°Why do you sound so pitiful? Why don¡¯t you finish your work here first? I¡¯ll pick you up after I¡¯m done with everything.¡± Only then did Butterfly crack a smile. ¡°That¡¯s more like it.¡± Although Butterfly was sometimes a stubborn person who could not be convinced no matter what, she could be easily coaxed by people she cared about. Sophie had known that a long time ago. ¡°All right, then. I¡¯ll be waiting for you!¡± Butterfly missed Sophie so much after not seeing her for so long. ¡°I¡¯ll wait for you here too. Let¡¯s have dinner together after you¡¯re done.¡± There was no way Arius would be excluded from it. ¡°Okay. You guys wait for me here.¡± Arius had the urge to cry at the thought of those grueling training. Sophie hailed a taxi to Tanner Group. The same thing happened each time¡ªevery time she was there, something major would happen. ¡°Hello, Ms. Sophie!¡± the staff greeted her along the way. Sophie nodded back slightly as a greeting before heading straight to Victor¡¯s office. When Victor received a call from his assistant and found out that she had arrived, he immediately stopped his work and went over. Indeed, he saw her sitting on the couch and ying with her phone when he arrived at the office. From his angle, he could spot her gorgeous neck and was slightly stunned. Although he had always known how breathtakingly beautiful Sophie was, he did not expect to be dumbfounded by her beauty sometimes. Upon returning to his senses, he walked toward her and sat down opposite her. ¡°Ms. Sophie, looks like you¡¯re free enough to visit today!¡± He knew she was studying at the University of Medicine, which would make her unimaginably busy. Everyone knew she had a lot of work on her hands. In addition to studying at the University of Medicine, she was also researching at the physics department of Jipsdale University. Since she was studying two impressive majors, it was obvious how busy she would be. ¡°I¡¯m here to look at how the projects are doing.¡± She had handed Victor the business n the previous time, so she was here today to check on his progress. She was definitely not joking when she dered her goal to make Tanner Group on par with Lombard Group. ¡°Everything¡¯s going smoothly. Don¡¯t worry, Ms. Sophie! Since I¡¯ve got Tanner Group in my charge and you as my advisor, nothing bad will happen!¡± ¡°Okay! I want Tanner Group to surpass Whitley Group in three months!¡± She only gave him three months. ¡°Whitley Group?¡± Victor was stunned. However, when he remembered the rumor that had been making its way around town, he knew that Sophie was referring to Jennifer¡¯s family. ¡°I¡¯ll try my best.¡± ¡°Trying your best isn¡¯t enough. You must seed. Jennifer will definitely not let Tanner Group off the hook so easily.¡± Jennifer from the Whitley family might seem like a strong and independent woman, but she was completely smitten with Tristan to the point she would do anything for him. Since she wanted to destroy Tanner Group, razing Whitley Group to the ground would make Sophie feel much better. Chapter 538 Chapter 538 ¡°Oh, right, be careful of Jennifer. She¡¯ll definitely take action one of these days,¡± reminded Sophie. Victor nodded. ¡°Got it!¡± It was through his hard work that Victor managed to rise to his current position, so he knew how vicious people could be. However, he did not believe that a girl like Jennifer was capable enough of doing anything too horrible. ¡°Is there anything else I can do for you, Ms. Sophie?¡± ¡°There¡¯s someone we mustn¡¯t keep in thepany.¡± That was the true purpose of her visit that day. ¡°Who?¡± Isn¡¯t thepany doing well? There were no problems at all! Why can¡¯t we keep that person? ¡°Charlie White, the manager of the project management department. He¡¯s your cousin, right? Since you were the one who brought him in, you should deal with it yourself.¡± ¡°What? Charlie?¡± Charlie was indeed his cousin. Back then, Charlie had approached him for a job. Thinking that it was no big deal, he made the arrangement ordingly. ¡°Yeah.¡± Sophie handed a file to him. ¡°If you can¡¯t bear to deal with it, I¡¯ll do it.¡± After reading the documents in the file, Victor finally understood what deeds Charlie hadmitted. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Ms. Sophie. I know what to do. You don¡¯t have to do anything about this!¡± He had been nurturing an enemy right in their midst. Charlie, that ungrateful b*stard! ¡°Not everyone knows how to be grateful.¡± Victor nced at her. Is she consoling me? ¡°Got it, Ms. Sophie.¡± Yeah. It¡¯s true that everyone wants to climb to the top. While some people choose to climb up step by step, others strive to find a shortcut. ¡°Ms. Sophie, I swear this won¡¯t happen again in the future.¡± This is definitely thest time. I won¡¯t let this happen again. ¡°You know what to do.¡± Sophie did not expect her employees to notmit any mistakes. It was inevitable for human beings to make mistakes after all. All that mattered was that they would correct themselves afterward. ¡°Okay.¡± Victor had always believed that he was doing a decent job. Never had he expected a problem like that to crop up. ¡°You don¡¯t need to feel burdened by it.¡± Since she had handed the matter to him, it proved that she trusted him greatly. ¡°To be honest, I admire you a lot, Ms. Sophie.¡± Sophie shrugged. ¡°You don¡¯t need to tter me either.¡± She was just an ordinary person who was equally prone to mistakes. After that, Victor brought Sophie around for inspection. Tanner Group was no longer the same as before. All the departments were working orderly without a single hup. From the speed they were going, it was not impossible to be on par with Lombard Group. ¡°In the past, I¡¯ve never dared to imagine anypany being on par with Lombard Group. But I believe Tanner Group can achieve that one day,¡± said Victor proudly. Tanner Group¡¯s current sess was thanks to each individual¡¯s hard work. He was proud, indeed. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Tanner Group will only get better from here.¡± Tanner Group would prove itself to those people who had been underestimating it all along. Although Jennifer had been in a sullen mood ever since that previous incident, she invested all her energy in her work. The more hardworking she was, the more likely Tristan would notice how exceptional she was. Caylie was extremely worried when she saw that. ¡°Jennifer, our family doesn¡¯t expect you to earn so much money. A girl like you should pay more attention to your health. Understand?¡± Knowing that Jennifer had been provoked by what had happened at the charity dinner, Caylie was very upset with Tristan. However, as it was Tristan, there was nothing much she could do regardless of how angry she was. She had no choice but to try to persuade her daughter. ¡°Mr. Walker¡¯s son ising back from overseas. Why don¡¯t you meet him? It¡¯s always better to get to know a new friend.¡± It was time for her to think about marriage at her age. One must not dream forever. Finally stopping her work, Jennifer raised her head and looked at Caylie. Content is ? by N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Mom, I¡¯ve persisted for ten years without giving up. How can I give up now?¡± She had never hidden what she wanted. ¡°So what if you never give up? Don¡¯t you know Tristan¡¯s personality?¡± ¡°Mom, this isn¡¯t what I want to hear now. All I want is your wholehearted support.¡± As her mother, Caylie should support her without any inhibitions. ¡°I want to support you too. But why are you persisting in something you know is absolutely impossible?¡± She knew how much Tristan liked that girl. ¡°You don¡¯t need to tter me either.¡± She was just an ordinary person who was equally prone to mistakes. ¡°Mom, if you don¡¯t support me, then don¡¯t say anything. I¡¯ll bear the consequences of everything I do.¡± No matter what, she would never give up. Even if she remained single for the rest of her life, it would not change anything. Tanner Group, huh? I¡¯ll make sure it won¡¯t survive in Jispdale. There¡¯ll always be a way, right? I¡¯m going to utterly destroy Tanner Group! When Sophie went to TS at night, she discovered that the Wheelers were still practicing in the practice room. They were putting in a lot of effort. When Sophie witnessed how determined they were to pursue their dream, a surge of enthusiasm flowed through her as well. Mark was the first to notice Sophie. He could always sense it whenever she appeared. After the practice ended, the five of them were covered in sweat. Performing rock music was exhausting, and they were extremely serious even during rehearsals. Sophie apuded. ¡°Very good! I think you guys canpete with the bands in Koandria now!¡± Sunny replied, ¡°Of course! This is such a rare opportunity toe across. Since we¡¯re all together, we¡¯ll put in the extra hard work!¡± If they had not suffered any losses, they would not have been so hardworking. However, since they had experienced missing an opportunity by the slightest bit, they went all out this time. They did not want to leave behind any regrets. ¡°What brings you here? We know you¡¯re very busy. If you have time, go back and get some rest. We¡¯re doing fine, so you don¡¯t need to worry about us.¡± They were an amazing group that would not cause any trouble for her. Sophie patted Mark¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Mark, you don¡¯t need to give yourself so much pressure. I didn¡¯t lose anything!¡± They were giving it their all after what had happened the previous time. Mark nodded, yet there was no way he would not feel stressed. He could not possibly feel at peace after what had happened to her because of him. The others left to do their own things, leaving some space for Sophie and Mark. Mark chuckled bitterly. ¡°You don¡¯t need to bother about me. I¡¯m doing well! I¡¯ve never been better, actually. The issue with Emerald Gang has also been resolved.¡± Sophie shook her head when she heard that. ¡°No. You¡¯re not doing well.¡± Chapter 539 Chapter 539 It¡¯s probably because of me that he¡¯s not satisfied with this oue. Wiping the sweat on his hair, Mark gazed into the far distance, his eyes unfocused. ¡°If you still aren¡¯t prepared, I¡¯ll give you a three-month break for you to reconcile with yourself.¡± Nothing could change the course of history. There was no use in constantly being hung up on the past. One should constantly look forward. ¡°I don¡¯t need that.¡± It had not been easy for everyone to be together again, so there was no way he would leave. ¡°Mark, you¡¯ve got a whole life ahead of you. There¡¯s a lot of time for us to fulfill our dreams. You should rx when it¡¯s appropriate. There¡¯s nothing wrong with that.¡± People should not be so obsessed with chasing a distant goal that they miss out on the beautiful things along the way. ¡°Okay. Let¡¯s talk about it after some time.¡± If he really needed a break, he would raise it to her personally. ¡°Sure. Remember, I have no regrets.¡± Mark cracked a smile. Does she not have any regrets? I wouldn¡¯t even dare to imagine if something did happen to her. When Sophie and Mark left the practice room, they saw Ysabelle and Felix walking out. Immediately forgetting about Felix the moment she spotted Sophie, Ysabelle ran over. ¡°Why are you here today? Shall we have a meal together?¡± Isn¡¯t she very busy? What is she doing here? ¡°Not today. I¡¯m meeting other friends.¡± She almost forgot about Arius and Butterfly at the Wings of Light. They were still waiting to eat with her. ¡°Who? Don¡¯t I know your friends? Why don¡¯t we all eat together?¡± suggested Ysabelle casually. Since Sophie¡¯s friends were also her friends, there was no big deal in having a meal together. ¡°Perhaps another time.¡± Since Butterfly¡¯s identity was quite unique, it was better to avoid exposing her so much. Ysabelle could not help but feel slightly disappointed. ¡°It¡¯s fine. You still have me, right? I¡¯ll eat with you.¡± Felix was, after all, her boyfriend. Ysabelle linked her arm with his. ¡°Looks like you¡¯re the only one who won¡¯t abandon me.¡± She had a feeling that Sophie had just shunned her. Felix pinched her cheeks. ¡°What are you thinking about? Why would I even abandon you?¡± He would never dislike her, even in the next lifetime. ¡°Really? You must promise to treat me nicely forever. Otherwise, I won¡¯t let you off the hook!¡± She was a petty person. ¡°Who else would I treat nicely other than you?¡± There was no way he would ever hurt her. Seeing how both of them were acting all lovey-dovey, Sophie burst outughing. She did not expect to see them acting like this after they got together. ¡°Tell Sunny and the rest that I¡¯ll eat with them next time. I¡¯m busy today,¡± Sophie said to Mark. ¡°Okay. I know how busy you are. You don¡¯t have toe over just to eat with us.¡± When she reached the Wings of Light, she heard Ariusining, ¡°F*ck! Did we get stood up?¡± Did Sophie really change after getting into a rtionship? ¡°Probably not. We must trust Sophie. She¡¯s not that kind of person.¡± ¡°Well, things aren¡¯t the same as in the past.¡± Arius was starving. ¡°Why don¡¯t the two of us eat first without waiting for her?¡± Since it was just a meal, it was no big deal even if Sophie did not show up. ¡°Arius, are you doubting me or yourself?¡± She was already there. Arius leaped to his feet from the couch upon hearing her voice. ¡°What are you talking about? How can I possibly doubt you? You¡¯re the person I¡¯ve got the most confidence in,¡± eximed Arius in a ttering tone the moment he saw her. Butterfly gaped. Is this what a medical Ph.D. student acts like? How have I not noticed it before?Content is ? by N?velDrama.Org. Ignoring him, Sophie poured herself a ss of water and drank a few mouthfuls. ¡°What are we eating?¡± Haven¡¯t they been wanting to eat with me? Now that I¡¯m here, I wonder what they want to eat. ¡°How about barbecue?¡± Butterfly liked to eat popr food catered to a more general audience. ¡°I¡¯m fine with that! You girls should decide on matters like this.¡± He could eat anything. ¡°Okay, then. Let¡¯s go to Smokestar Barbecue!¡± ¡°What about your boyfriend, Sophie? Why don¡¯t you invite him too?¡± Her boyfriend would probably be unhappy that she¡¯s keeping uspany. ¡°Why should we invite him? I don¡¯t want to eat with him,¡± opposed Arius immediately. If he ate with Tristan, he would probably have difficulty digesting his food. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? You don¡¯t like Sophie¡¯s boyfriend? Aren¡¯t you supposed to like him as well?¡± Doesn¡¯t he like Sophie? ¡°Really? You must promise to treat me nicely forever. Otherwise, I won¡¯t let you off the hook!¡± She was a petty person. ¡°I don¡¯t like him. In fact, I detest him!¡± Every moment he spent with Tristan was like torture. Even though he could not get along with Tristan at all, there was nothing else he could do. ¡°That¡¯s enough, Arius!¡± Arius drove them to Smokestar Barbecue. On their way there, Sophie called Tristan. ¡°I¡¯m eating with my friends. Would you like to join us?¡± Since Butterfly wants to meet him, I should just invite him over. It was normal for her to introduce her boyfriend to her friends. A few days ago, her ssmates had gotten their boyfriends to treat their dormmates to a meal. If others could do it, there was nothing stopping her from doing the same. ¡°Okay!¡± Having just finished his work, Tristan was packing his bag and preparing to leave to find Sophie. Sophie did not have many friends. Furthermore, there were even fewer people whom she would have a meal with. ¡°Where are you? I¡¯ll go over right now.¡± Tristan had already finished tidying his table. Since he had a slight obsessivepulsive disorder, he would always tidy his table after work. ¡°Smokestar Barbecue. I¡¯ll send you the location.¡± ¡°Smokestar Barbecue?¡± Sophie has a weak stomach. She shouldn¡¯t be eating such food. ¡°Yeah. It¡¯s fine eating it once in a while,¡± said Sophie immediately, knowing what he was worried about. She could not possibly bring everyone¡¯s mood down just for her sake. ¡°All right.¡± Although Tristan was still unsatisfied with where they were eating, he did not say anything else. After all, it was their decision. Although Butterfly knew who Sophie¡¯s boyfriend was and had met him once, it was her first time eating with him. They had already arrived and settled down in a private room. Upon receiving a call, Sophie went out to wee Tristan. Butterfly was filled with envy when she saw such a handsome man entering with Sophie. She had always had poor luck with love. Seeing how in love the two of them were, she felt jealous. Sophie brought Tristan over and introduced him to them. ¡°Tristan, this is my friend, Butterfly. Butterfly, he¡¯s my boyfriend, Tristan.¡± Chapter 540 Chapter 540 ¡°Hello. Thank you so much for always taking such good care of Sophie,¡± Tristan said politely. ¡°Oh, no. Not at all. Sophie has been the one constantly looking out for me,¡± Butterfly replied. I doubt I¡¯d havee this far if it weren¡¯t for her! For all I know, I might¡¯ve married a random guy and settled for a mediocre life that¡¯s a far cry from what I have now. ¡°Mr. Tristan, are you bad with directions? Smokestar Barbecue isn¡¯t all that big, so why do you still need Sophie to lead you in? Don¡¯t you know she¡¯s had a long day?¡± Arius asked scornfully. He couldn¡¯t stand the sight of Tristan, so to him, anything thetter did was wrong and off-putting. Tristan chose to ignore the man. After all, why should he stoop to Arius¡¯ level in front of Sophie? Butterfly, on the other hand, shot a re at Arius. My goodness. He¡¯s doing it on purpose! What on earth does he have against Tristan anyway? Shouldn¡¯t he be happy that Tristan treats Sophie with so much love and care? ¡°If you don¡¯t want to eat, you can see yourself out right now, Arius,¡± Tristan uttered tly. ¡°You¡ª¡± Arius muttered, anger rising in him like a tide. Damn it! I know I¡¯m not Tristan¡¯s match. ¡°Let¡¯s tuck in, Arius! Didn¡¯t you say you were starving?¡± Sophie urged. They had already ordered the food before Tristan arrived, so why let that go to waste? Seeing the mouth-watering meats sizzling on the grill, Tristan promptly cut a slice ofmb for Sophie. ¡°Eat up and leave him be. Given his childishness, it¡¯d be useless to talk sense into him!¡± ¡°Excuse me? In what way am I childish?¡± Arius fumed. Argh! What else can I do, though? I¡¯m all alone, and there¡¯s no one to back me up¡­ At that point, however, Butterfly began to find Arius rather amusing. Haha! This Arius seems like a lot of fun! Could he be jealous of Tristan? Then again, he doesn¡¯t look the type to fall for Sophie! Just then, Sophie¡¯s voice rang out. ¡°Ignore him, Butterfly. Eat your food!¡± ¡°Okay!¡± The food at Smokestar Barbecue was excellent, so Butterfly and Arius gleefully ate their fill. Sophie didn¡¯t eat much, but that was hardly surprising since her appetite had always been small. She was, however, somewhat worried when she saw Tristan picking at his food. ¡°What¡¯s the matter? Is the food not to your liking?¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s not that. My stomach¡¯s just not feeling too well today,¡± Tristan muttered. As it turned out, he had been gued with abdominal pains since the afternoon, yet he had no idea what caused them. ¡°Ah, you should¡¯ve told me earlier! Then I wouldn¡¯t have dragged you here for barbeque!¡± Sophie said before pouring Tristan a cup of water. ¡°It¡¯s okay. How can I miss the rare opportunity to have a meal with your friends?¡± Sophie merely stared at the man in stunned silence. Oh, gosh! He has to stop overthinking everything. The meal can always be rescheduled, but he has to rest when he¡¯s feeling unwell! ¡°I swear I¡¯m all right!¡± Tristan insisted as he held Sophie¡¯s hand to assuage her concerns. ¡°Okay.¡± Well, as long as he¡¯s fine, what more can I say? Besides, we¡¯re already more than halfway through our meal¡­ After the meal, Sophie instructed Arius to send Butterfly home, to which the man readily agreed. How could he not when Butterfly was such a pleasant youngdy? Even he couldn¡¯t deny he felt comfortable around her. ¡°Get her home safe and sound, you hear me? Don¡¯t bully her.¡± ¡°Your words cut me deep, Sophie! Why would a good man like me bully the lovely Butterfly?¡± ¡°Quit fooling around!¡± Sophie scolded. He and his frivolous remarks! That said, I know Arius is indeed a good and dependable man. I can trust Butterfly with him. ¡°We¡¯ll be taking our leave, then,¡± Butterfly piped up. ¡°Don¡¯t forget to invite me again the next time!¡± ¡°All right,¡± Sophie said, chuckling at how clingy Butterfly was. As soon as Arius and Butterfly left, Sophie and Tristan finally stepped into the car. ¡°Where should we go now?¡± Tristan asked. It had been a while since Sophie had visited her grandfather, so if that were what she wanted, he¡¯d be more than happy to oblige. ¡°Is there anything else you need to do? If there is, you should get that done first.¡± ¡°No. I¡¯m free. Let¡¯s pay Old Mr. Tanner a visit, then,¡± Tristan suggested. Honestly, I feel bad for not having arranged a meeting between our families. Then again, Dad¡¯s attitude has always been atrocious, and I don¡¯t want to risk him upsetting Old Mr. Tanner. ¡°Sure! Let¡¯s do as you say! It¡¯s been quite some time since I¡¯ve met Grandpa,¡± Sophie said. ¡°However, if Grandpa asks, you don¡¯t have to tell him how your father feels about us. Grandpa¡¯s getting on in years, and I don¡¯t want to worry him unnecessarily¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Sophie. It¡¯s all my fault that you have to put up with this,¡± Tristan replied solemnly. ¡°You don¡¯t have to care about other people¡¯s opinions, though. No matter what happens, you¡¯ll always be the one for me. I want you, and only you, to be my wife.¡± Not even my father will be able to stop me from marrying the love of my life! ¡°I know. Don¡¯t worry. I don¡¯t mind at all.¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay. How can I miss the rare opportunity to have a meal with your friends?¡± To Sophie, the issue with Tristan¡¯s father wasn¡¯t a big deal, and she didn¡¯t see the point in fretting over it. After all, it wasmon for any couple to face problems throughout their rtionship, and she and Tristan had only just begun. As long as their love for each other remained steadfast, nothing else mattered to her. Even though Josiah wasn¡¯t expecting Sophie and Tristan¡¯s visit, it was such a long-awaited and pleasant surprise that he decided to stay up for them. ¡°Soph! How are things at Tanner Group?¡± Josiah asked. Ever since he handed over the reins to his granddaughter, he had hardly been checking in, but that didn¡¯t mean he wasn¡¯t worried about it. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Grandpa! Everything¡¯s going very well at Tanner Group,¡± Sophie answered confidently. With me around, there¡¯s no way I¡¯ll let anyone make a mess of thepany. Upon hearing her words, Josiah finally heaved a sigh of relief. ¡°That¡¯s good to hear! As you know, Tanner Group is the only thing I¡¯ve left for you. You have to protect it!¡± More importantly, thepany would help close the social ss gap between Sophie and Tristan. He was confident that with her at the helm of Tanner Group, the Lombards wouldn¡¯t look down on her. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Old Mr. Tanner. Sophie and I will handle everything adequately,¡± Tristan added, knowing all too well what Josiah was concerned about. ¡°I¡¯ll arrange for you to meet my father sometimeter!¡± Of course, I¡¯ll have to settle everything on my side first. Sophie cares about Old Mr. Tanner the most, so I can¡¯t let my family upset or offend him. I have to tread carefully. ¡°Sure, sure. No hurry. You can arrange it when the two of you are free!¡± Josiah said smilingly. As a man who was reaching the end of his life, he wanted nothing more than for Sophie to be happy and unburdened. All of a sudden, Sophie grabbed her grandfather¡¯s hand. ¡°Grandpa, didn¡¯t I tell you not to worry about me? I¡¯ll take care of everything,¡± she reassured. I got this. I know I do. Josiah merely hummed his acknowledgment. I know she¡¯s capable, but how can I not be anxious? She¡¯s my precious granddaughter, for goodness¡¯ sake! Determined to give her the best he could afford, Josiah continued, ¡°In the future, Tanner Group will be my wedding gift to you.¡± ¡°Grandpa!¡± Sophie eximed. Oh, dear¡­ I honestly don¡¯t need any of these to improve my image. If I had needed apany, I¡¯d have started one myself! However, I chose not to because I don¡¯t require it! Belonging ? N?velDram/a.Org. Chapter 541 Chapter 541 Willow, who had been hiding in a corner the entire time, grew green with envy when she overheard the conversation. What the hell? I¡¯ve be a joke in Jipsdale, and even my ssmates look down on me, yet Grandpa has never spared a thought for me! I¡¯m the one who needs Tanner Group the most, not Sophie! Argh! Does he intend to give her all his assets? What Willow didn¡¯t realize, however, was that the more she seethed, the uglier her scowl became. Unfortunately, she was so engrossed in her thoughts that she knocked over a vase beside her and sent it crashing onto the floor. In a moment of panic, she stepped on the broken shards, only to cut her foot so badly that it started to bleed. Josiah quickly walked toward the source of themotion with Sophie and Tristan, and it wasn¡¯t long before they found Willow standing in the corner. Upon seeing her in such a wretched state, the old man couldn¡¯t help but frown. Why is she behaving so sneakily? Isn¡¯t she also a member of the Tanner family? Such behavior is just downright embarrassing! ¡°How long have you been here?¡± Willow clenched her fists. ¡°Grandpa, isn¡¯t this also my house? Why can¡¯t I be here?¡± she snapped, annoyed at how biased her grandfather sounded. ¡°Yes, this is your house, but if there¡¯s anything you want to know, you should be joining us in the living room instead of eavesdropping!¡± Josiah hadn¡¯t wanted to be so blunt, but he could tell from Willow¡¯s expression that any attempt to knock sense into her would be futile. The grimace on Willow¡¯s face deepened. ¡°Morgan!¡± Josiah shouted. Within seconds, the butler hurried over with a concerned look. ¡°What¡¯s the matter, Old Mr. Tanner? Are you not feeling well?¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine. Send Willow to the hospital.¡± Willow immediately flinched and took a step back. ¡°No. I refuse to go to the hospital. Since none of you like me, why do you even care if I live or die? Leave me alone!¡± she thundered. Now that she had been caught in a painful predicament, Willow felt as if the whole world was against her, and she was the one who had suffered the most. Even then, I don¡¯t need anyone¡¯s pity! I¡¯ll rise to the top one day and prove my worth to everyone! Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024. Just then, Charmaine walked down the stairs and gaped at the sight of Willow bleeding. ¡°Wi, what happened to you? Let¡¯s get you to the hospital!¡± she eximed as she ran up to her daughter. s, Willow flung her mother¡¯s hand away. ¡°Leave me be! Is everyone ashamed of me? Am I just a huge letdown to you?¡± I did everything I could to be with yton, but look what happened to him¡­ I¡¯m now the biggest joke in town! ¡°I¡¯m sure you think I deserve all of these, Sophie. You must be happy to see me in such a pathetic state!¡± Willow added. Sophie instantly furrowed her brows. ¡°What has your plight got to do with me? Do you think I¡¯m that free to keep a constant eye on you? You¡¯re the one who has been making me out to be your imaginary enemy, Willow. I¡¯ve never bothered myself with your affairs before!¡± ¡°Ha! What a way to put it!¡± Willow scoffed, not at all believing her sister¡¯s words. ¡°I think we¡¯ve all heard enough. You and Tristan can head home first!¡± Is Sophie really that powerful that she doesn¡¯t care at all? No, I doubt it. I¡¯m sure she¡¯s afraid that I¡¯ll outshine her! In any case, it¡¯s not like she needs toe back here. Why can¡¯t she be contented with her life and leave us alone? She doesn¡¯t need to lord over us again! The next second, Willow nced at Tristan. For a man of his caliber and status, he seemed perfectly happy to stand quietly by Sophie. He was undeniably brilliant and outstanding, yet he had no qualms about staying out of the limelight and being Sophie¡¯s silent protector. Naturally, that only made women even more jealous of Sophie. To make matters worse for Willow, Tristan had never once bothered to look at her. Oh, he must also think I¡¯m a piece of trash! How infuriating! ¡°Get some rest, Grandpa. Willow doesn¡¯t seem to be in pain, so let¡¯s not worry about her. Besides, she won¡¯t die from such a minor injury!¡± Sophie uttered. Why fret over her when her life¡¯s not in any danger? Ha! I¡¯ve suffered far worse injuries than this. She¡¯ll be fine¡­ ¡°Sophie, how could you say that? Who caused Willow to end up in this state?¡± ¡°Are you insinuating it¡¯s me?¡± Sophie retorted. ¡°Oh, right, I was the one who sent yton to jail! Your daughter tried everything she could to marry a murderer, and if it weren¡¯t for me, she¡¯d have be a murderer¡¯s wife! Shouldn¡¯t she be thanking me instead?¡± Even though the mention of yton¡¯s name drove Willow even further up the wall, she didn¡¯t dare say anything else. After all, yton Zales was the one mistake she had to live with for the rest of her life. ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± Sophie said. I wouldn¡¯t havee home if it weren¡¯t for Grandpa. This family is the absolute worst! ¡°Okay,¡± Tristan replied before wrapping his arm around her shoulder and walking toward Josiah. ¡°We¡¯ll be taking our leave now, Old Mr. Tanner. Do rest early.¡± I did everything I could to be with yton, but look what happened to him¡­ I¡¯m now the biggest joke in town! ¡°Go on! And don¡¯te back here in the future. I¡¯ll look for you guys if you miss me. This family isn¡¯t worth your trouble.¡± Seeing how upset Josiah was, Sophie felt an ache in her heart. ¡°Grandpa, why don¡¯t youe live with me?¡± Not only will Grandpa have me to take care of him, but he will also be away from these ridiculous people. It¡¯s a win-win situation! ¡°That¡¯s enough, Soph. This is my house, and I can¡¯t just up and leave it.¡± ¡°You should go, Ms. Sophie. Don¡¯t worry about Old Mr. Tanner. He¡¯ll be fine with me looking after him,¡± Morgan said. Poor Ms. Sophie. She finally paid a visit, yet Ms. Willow has tosh out at her. These sisters don¡¯t get along well at all¡­ Thankfully, Sophie promptly agreed. In all honesty, Morgan was the only person she could trust Josiah with. Otherwise, she¡¯d have whisked her grandfather away a long time ago. With that, Tristan left with Sophie while Willow remained frozen in her spot. H-Have I be a joke yet again? ¡°Clean up your wounds if you refuse to go to the hospital! Sophie¡¯s right about it being a minor injury. You¡¯ll live. Also, don¡¯t forget that Sophie¡¯s paying for everything now. You get to eat and stay here comfortably because of her hard-earned money! The least you can do is show some gratitude!¡± Josiah scolded before letting Morgan lead him upstairs. Willow still doesn¡¯t know how to be grateful, so I¡¯ll have to teach her a lesson. She has to learn that not everyone will give in to her. Once she steps into society, she¡¯ll realize what a cruel ce it is. But more importantly, she¡¯ll see that everything she has endured is merely the tip of the iceberg! Meanwhile, Sophie had been lost in her thoughts since leaving the Tanner residence. Noticing that, Tristan decided to drive to the hot spring resort. It was only when they had reached the resort that Sophie finally snapped out of her daze. ¡°What are we doing at the resort? It isn¡¯t the weekend yet! Didn¡¯t we agree toe here once a week on the weekends?¡± ¡°I think you could use some rxation, so that¡¯s why we¡¯re here. Besides, the resort is ours. We can come whenever we like!¡± Tristan said with a chuckle. What Sophie needs the most now is a nice, long dip in the hot springs. ¡°Are you worried about me? Is it because of Willow?¡± ¡°Oh, I know you can¡¯t be bothered with Willow. The only Tanner family member you care about is your grandfather!¡± Chapter 542 Chapter 542 Willow didn¡¯t deserve anyone¡¯s concern. She only had herself to me for the quagmire that she was in. ¡°Yeah. I think something¡¯s off with my grandpa!¡± Sophie said. ¡°Didn¡¯t you and Arius operate on himst time? There shouldn¡¯t be any problem.¡± ¡°Yes. The surgery was very sessful. But although the surgery could fix his illness, it was useless against his aging organs.¡± She knew it better than anyone else. However, it was one thing to know, but another thing to let go. The suite in the hot spring resort was exclusively reserved for Sophie and Tristan. ¡°Go on and enjoy yourself so that you can have a good night¡¯s sleep. You¡¯ve been working really hard recently. You should rx tonight,¡± Tristan said. ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to join me?¡± Sophie asked. ¡°Do you want me to?¡± Tristan¡¯s eyes glinted. ¡°Join me.¡± After all, it was better to enjoy the hot spring together. Sophie enjoyed spending time with Tristan. ¡°All right if you insist,¡± Tristan said with a grin. After stepping into the hot spring, he could feel his muscles rxing. ¡°It was really wise of you to purchase this property. I really like it here,¡± shemented. Tristan used to think that he was too busy to enjoy life. However, he then realized that he had only been working hard so that he could live a good life. Since he could afford to enjoy luxuries in his life, he reckoned he ought to make the best of it. ¡°I¡¯m d you like it,¡± Tristan replied. He thought that the ce was great too. Most importantly, they could have the private hot spring experience all to themselves. ¡°Yeah,¡± she mumbled. Tristan ordered someone to fetch a bottle of red wine as well as two wine sses. The bottle was already open, and Tristan poured a ss for himself, and another for Sophie. ¡°Have some. This red wine is quite good.¡± He had spent a small fortune on the bottle of red wine. However, it was not the money that mattered, as he had spent a lot of effort to get that bottle of red wine. Sophie took the ss and had a sip. As expected, the taste was exquisite. Tristan raised his ss to clink it against Sophie¡¯s. Then he took a sip as well. His Adam¡¯s apple bobbed up and down as he drank. Sophie had to admit that Tristan looked really handsome when he drank the wine. It was a treat to watch him drink. ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± Tristan asked. He noticed Sophie was gazing at him intently. Is there something on my face? ¡°Nothing. I was just wondering, how is it possible that you¡¯re so good-looking, and what are the odds that I¡¯d get to know you? I consider myself really lucky to have met you,¡± Sophie said. Tristan burst into a chuckle at her forthright praises. ¡°I¡¯m d that you find my face pleasing,¡± he teased. ¡°Tristan, can I ask you something? Why do you like me?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure. I guess it was love at first sight.¡± ¡°Love¡­ or lust? Haven¡¯t you heard the saying that love at first sight is actually lust at first sight?¡± ¡°Do you think I¡¯m that shallow?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°All right, I¡¯ll admit that I was attracted to your face at first. Surely, you have to agree that it¡¯s a plus point that the person you like coincidentally has an attractive look?¡± The two of them chatted as they drank, and unknowingly, they finished the bottle of red wine. Sophie felt a bit dizzy, and she reckoned it could be from the wine, or simply because she was in the hot spring for too long. ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± ¡°I¡¯m feeling dizzy.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go. We can¡¯t be in the hot spring for a long time anyway. It¡¯s not good for our health.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Just when Sophie stood up, she felt her legs giving out and almost stumbled. Fortunately, Tristan caught her just in time. He frowned and asked, ¡°Why? Are you not feeling well?¡± Sophie recollected herself and said, ¡°I¡¯m all right. Maybe I got up too fast.¡± Tristan swept her off her feet, and she immediately circled her hands around his neck. ¡°I¡¯m really okay. I can walk.¡± However, Tristan wouldn¡¯t listen as he carried her all the way back to the presidential suite. He headed straight for the bathroom and turned on the shower. ¡°I¡¯m really all right,¡± Sophie reiterated. Still, Tristan wouldn¡¯t listen. ¡°All right, stay still. I promise not to do anything to you. Don¡¯t worry.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not it¡­¡± Before she could say no, he took off all her clothes. Sophie¡¯s face turned beet red instantly. She was so embarrassed that her ears turned bright pink as well. ¡°Mr. Tristan¡­¡± She waspletely naked right then. Truth be told, it was Tristan¡¯s first time seeing her like this, and he had to admit that she had a great body. ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± Tristan asked. He noticed Sophie was gazing at him intently. Is there something on my face? Her body was slender and toned, with no b whatsoever, especially her waist. She must have worked out frequently to maintain her waistline. It was an enticing sight to behold. Tristan thought he could refrain himself. However, he was on the brink of losing control just after taking a nce. He even forgot to breathe. Sophie dared not look at him either. ¡°Could you please head out for a moment?¡± she asked in a small voice. It was a really peculiar feeling to be fully naked in front of him. She was so ovee by abashment that her toes were curling up. ¡°No,¡± Tristan rejected her outright. Nothing could make him get out of the bathroom right then. He took over the showerhead and started to rinse her body. He was only wearing swimming trunks. In other words, the swimming trunks were the only piece of fabric separating them. After getting Sophie out of the shower and getting her dressed, Tristan headed right back into the bathroom. He turned down the temperature of the water and let the cold water run through his whole body. However, it failed to cool down the fire burning inside him. Meanwhile, Sophie curled up in bed. As she thought about what had happened back in the bathroom, she quickly pulled the covers over herself. She could still feel his touch lingering on every inch of her skin, sending little tingles to every corner of her body. Belonging ? N?velDram/a.Org. Why is he taking so long in his shower? He¡¯s going to get a cold this way. Well, I¡¯m sure him continuing to restrain his urge will not do him any good either. Tristan really treats me well. Sophie thought that maybe, for the sake of his health, she could actually consider agreeing to have premarital sex with him. However, she wasn¡¯t sure if she was going to initiate. After all, she didn¡¯t feelfortable initiating as a woman. Right then, Tristan finally came out of the shower. He was only wrapped in a white towel. At the sight of Sophie wrapping herself up like a cocoon, Tristan made his way over and gently pulled away the nket. ¡°What¡¯s the matter? Did I scare you?¡± Was I being too obvious? But I¡¯ve really tried to keep myself in check. Sophie¡¯s face was still crimson. However, she shook her head. ¡°Are you feeling really ufortable?¡± Chapter 543 Chapter 543 Tristan was stunned by her question. It turns out that she¡¯s worried about me! As a warm and fuzzy sensation swirled in his heart, he felt that his restraint all this while was worth it. Grabbing her hand, he broke into a smile. ¡°I¡¯m good. I really like how we are currently.¡± Being much older than her, he was willing to be patient and proceed at her pace. With the rest of their lives ahead of them, anticipation filled him as he thought about the day she would truly be his. ¡°Actually, I can also¡­¡± Tristan shook his head. ¡°I told you before that you¡¯re different from other girls. You¡¯re going to be my wife. I will only make you mine when we get married!¡± That was his way of making her feel secure. Even though they were fated to be together, he wasn¡¯t going to take advantage of the fact until they were officially husband and wife. In the event something untoward happened to him, he didn¡¯t want her to feel sad for the rest of her life. Sophie knitted her brows, baffled by his response. It¡¯s clear that he wants it but ends up rejecting me. I can¡¯t make sense of what¡¯s going through his mind. If I continue to insist, it will feel like I¡¯m forcing him into it, which doesn¡¯t reflect well on me. It¡¯s better to just forget it. ¡°Don¡¯t let your imagination run wild. I just want to save the moment for our wedding night.¡± He didn¡¯t want her to have the wrong idea. ¡°Mmm-hmm, I understand.¡± After all, she wasn¡¯t someone who would kick up a fuss over nothing. Since he feels that this is for the best, we¡¯ll just maintain the status quo. Upon getting into bed, Tristan spooned her from behind. He still wanted to hug her to sleep despite the risk of losing control of his urges. After all, he enjoyed the feeling of holding her in his arms. ¡°Since you know how ufortable it feels, why do you insist on lying together with me in bed?¡± Isn¡¯t this obvious from the start? ¡°I enjoy losing my mind over my lust for you!¡± Tristan murmured beside her ear. At that moment, no one could resist his charms. Turning around, Sophie buried herself in his embrace before raising her head and giving his chin a bite. ¡°In that case, your suffering is well deserved.¡± In spite of her words, she still sympathized with him. ¡°Mmm-hmm. I know this is all my fault. It has nothing to do with you.¡± What¡¯s wrong with her? I¡¯m obviously concerned about her, and yet, she insists on responding so coldly. It breaks my heart to see her this way. Even though she attempts to show that she cares, she doesn¡¯t know how to express herself at all. ¡°I didn¡¯t say that. Anyway, I¡¯m sleepy now.¡± She was indeed exhausted by their tryst in the shower. ¡°Okay. Go ahead and sleep if you¡¯re tired. I¡¯ll stop bothering you already.¡± I had better stop talking. Thereafter, he kissed her gently on her forehead. Although the kiss was clearly devoid of lust, he still managed to fill it with affection. Initially, Sophie still wanted to continue with their idle chatter, but sleepiness gradually set in and sent her into a deep slumber. As the scene in the bathroom was seared into her mind, she even relived it in her dreams, which was the first time she had an amorous one. Tristan will be the only man I have for the rest of my life. There¡¯s no way I can ept anyone else other than him. Meanwhile, Jennifer was intent on sabotaging Tanner Group. However, from her numerous attempts, she quickly learned that they were not to be trifled with. Every single plot of hers ended up backfiring badly, causing her much distress. One day, she was at Monarch Mall, shopping for a present for William¡¯s uing birthday. It was an event she endeavored to attend. Since she couldn¡¯t get her way around Tristan, she used the biggest advantage she had¡ªWilliam¡¯s favor for her. Little did she expect to run into Sophie and Ysabelle at the mall. Sophie, despite dressing casually and looking like a university student, still attracted plenty of attention there. Her features were so attractive that both men and women were equally captivated. Moreover, that was the same face that Tristan was mesmerized by. Jennifer thought insidiously, Would Mr. Tristan still fancy her if she¡¯s no longer a beauty? If she somehow bes disfigured, Tristan might lose interest in her. Even an ordinary man can¡¯t stand to have an ugly girlfriend, let alone someone like Tristan. At the same time, Sophie had already spotted Jennifer. However, she didn¡¯t feel obliged to greet thetter since both of them barely knew each other. Instead, it was Jennifer who ended up approaching them. ¡°Ysabelle, I¡¯m surprised to see you shopping here too! Since your grandfather¡¯s birthday is around the corner, I¡¯m looking to get him a gift. Unfortunately, I don¡¯t know what would make a good one. Can you give me some pointers?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t say that. Anyway, I¡¯m sleepy now.¡± She was indeed exhausted by their tryst in the shower. Jennifer knew that she had to maintain a good rtionship with Ysabelle after she was married into the Lombard family. Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org. Thus, she went out of her way to be cordial to thetter. ¡°Since you¡¯re the one buying the present, you obviously should make the decision yourself. Why do you expect me to make it for you?¡± Ysabelle retorted instead, ¡°Do you think the Lombard family needs to resort to such desperate methods to demand something of you?¡± Ysabelle just couldn¡¯t bring herself to like Jennifer. She didn¡¯t feel that way previously, but after observing thetter¡¯s attitude toward Sophie, she knew that Jennifer was just as condescending as the other rich girls in the city. Although Jennifer felt awkward at being criticized, she didn¡¯t retaliate because of Ysabelle¡¯s status. ¡°Ms. Tanner, are you shopping for something too?¡± Her initial intention was to give Sophie the cold shoulder, but after sensing Ysabelle¡¯s disapproval over her behavior, she quickly greeted the other girl. Unfortunately, Sophie didn¡¯t even spare her a nce. Is she nuts? While greeting Sophie, Jennifer coincidentally caught a glimpse of the hickey on thetter¡¯s neck. The moment she realized who had given it to Sophie, Jennifer felt a squeeze in her heart. Have both of them slept with each other already? It wouldn¡¯te as a surprise, as Sophie¡¯s body is her most potent weapon. Someone as unscrupulous as her would have no qualms about using it to seduce men. ¡°Wait for me. I n to try that dress on.¡± Ysabelle had found a dress that caught her eye. ¡°Mmm-hmm. Go on ahead.¡± While Ysabelle headed to the changing room, Sophie settled on the couch and flipped through a magazine. When the salesperson saw that the two were just sitting there instead of browsing through the clothes, she served them two sses of warm water. ¡°Ms. Tanner, isn¡¯t it unbing of you to leave the hickey on your neck exposed?¡± Jennifer spoke candidly. ¡°As a girl, you should behave prudently before marriage!¡± Sophie was rendered speechless. Is she crazy or what? ¡°What does my business have anything to do with you? Do you think you¡¯re my mother? She doesn¡¯t even care, so why are you being a busybody? What¡¯s wrong with you? Have you been driven crazy by jealousy? Are you upset that you¡¯re not the one Tristan kissed?¡± Chapter 544 Chapter 544 Why is she even pretending? Does she think her intentions aren¡¯t obvious to me? ¡°You¡ª¡± Jennifer was livid. ¡°What about me? Am I not speaking the truth?¡± The gall she has to try and lecture me! Who does she think she is? What gives her the right to spew such nonsense at me? ¡°You¡¯re utterly shameless.¡± ¡°It¡¯s none of your f*cking business!¡± Sophie cussed. ¡°Stop trying to act holy in front of me. I¡¯ve seen plenty of your type!¡± Sophie sniped back. Right then, Ysabelle emerged from the changing room and walked up to Sophie. ¡°Sophie, do you think this dress suits me?¡± She liked the outfit but wanted a second opinion on whether she looked good in it. ¡°Ysabelle, you look great in it, as it brings out your charm.¡± Jennifer preempted Sophie¡¯s reply, rendering Ysabelle speechless. Since when did I ask for her opinion? She¡¯s such a busybody! ¡°It looks really good on you. Since you like it, why don¡¯t I buy it for you?¡± Jennifer intended to pay for it. From her perspective, building a good rtionship with other girls was just a matter of giving them presents. Instead, Ysabelle responded with a frown. ¡°Ms. Whitley, you should mind your own business. We¡¯ll buy whatever we want, as the Lombard family has no problems affording something as trivial as this!¡± Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Try something else! This dress makes you look old.¡± She¡¯s only neen. The color doesn¡¯t suit her age. ¡°Okay.¡± Ysabelle had already felt weird wearing the dress. Hence, Sophie¡¯s words further cemented her apprehension toward it. ¡°But Ysabelle, it¡¯s such a gorgeous dress!¡± ¡°Since you like it so much, shall I buy it for you instead?¡± Ysabelle snapped back. Cognizant that Ysabelle was upset, Jennifer held her tongue. Thereafter, the former returned to the changing room, leaving Sophie and Jennifer outside. ¡°You did it on purpose! You had to go against me just because I said it looked good, am I right?¡± ¡°Who do you think you are?¡± Why should I be bothered on her ount? ¡°Anyway, I have to remind you that Tristan is mine, and I¡¯m not going to allow anyone else to wrest him from me.¡± ¡°Haha, yours? Who gave you the right? Do you really think you can marry into the Lombard family?¡± ¡°Why can¡¯t I? Do you think it¡¯s impossible just because you have the support of the Whitley family?¡± ¡°You¡¯re wee to try!¡± There¡¯s no way Old Mr. Lombard would approve of a girl like her. Her efforts will be nothing but futile. ¡°In that case, you¡¯ll have to eat your own words soon.¡± She¡¯s such a deluded person. Upon emerging from the changing room, Ysabelle returned to Sophie¡¯s side. ¡°All right now, let¡¯s take a break. I¡¯m exhausted after shopping for so long.¡± ¡°Sure!¡± ¡°Ysabelle, let¡¯s have afternoon tea together.¡± Ysabelle¡¯s brows furrowed at Jennifer¡¯s refusal to leave. ¡°Jennifer, isn¡¯t my resentment for you not obvious enough? Do you think I can stomach my food at the sight of you?¡± Jennifer¡¯s treatment of Sophie had decided Ysabelle¡¯s attitude toward the former. Naturally, Jennifer was bereft of words. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Without giving Jennifer a second nce, Sophie left with Ysabelle. Once they were gone, Jennifer smashed everything in the shop hysterically, to the extent of paying millions inpensation before she was allowed to leave. At a milkshake bar, Ysabelle bought some cake and two milkshakes. ¡°Jennifer is such a disgusting woman. Women who are jealous of you are truly terrifying!¡± Ysabelle remarked with disdain. ¡°She does make me nauseous.¡± To have the cheek to use me of being improper? Who does she think she is to judge me from her high horse? Coincidentally, Ysabelle noticed the hickey on Sophie¡¯s neck. ¡°Where did you go with Uncle Tristanst night? You didn¡¯t return to the condominium, did you? Also, I can clearly see the hickey on your neck!¡± With a lecherous glint in her eyes, Ysabelle questioned, ¡°Come clean with me. Have you both done it?¡± Sophie was stumped for words. Why is everyone so sensitive to hickeys? It¡¯s not like I¡¯m unting it on purpose. ¡°Why aren¡¯t you saying anything? I¡¯m really curious as to whether both of you have done it?¡± Even though she¡¯s almost twenty, she still hasn¡¯t lost her virginity yet. Is she being too conservative? ¡°No!¡± ¡°Really? I¡¯m surprised Uncle Tristan can hold himself back.¡± This is truly mind-boggling. ¡°Why would I lie to you? Enough about that. Let¡¯s eat!¡± Meanwhile, Jennifer headed straight to the Lombard residence after leaving the mall. ¡°You¡¯re wee to try!¡± There¡¯s no way Old Mr. Lombard would approve of a girl like her. Her efforts will be nothing but futile. There, William received her in the living room. ¡°Jennifer, I hope you don¡¯t mind what happened thest time. It was my fault for not preparing properly.¡± ¡°Old Mr. Lombard, don¡¯t say that. I have no reason to me you for the incident back then. It¡¯s just that Tristan likes Ms. Tanner very much. Today, at the mall¡­¡± Jennifer twisted the facts as she rted what happened earlier to William. ¡°Jennifer, didn¡¯t I tell you that you¡¯re my daughter-inw of choice? Therefore, you shouldn¡¯t be too focused on the present.¡± ¡°Old Mr. Lombard, is it really possible? Mr. Tristan, he¡ª¡± ¡°Have some faith in me. All right, off you go. Otherwise, Tristan will resent you more if he learns of your visit.¡± What¡¯s wrong with this girl? Does she need me to handhold her in pursuing a man? ¡°Of course.¡± Jennifer had no choice but to leave when she sensed William¡¯s reluctance to continue the topic. In spite of that, she didn¡¯t walk away empty-handed¡ªshe left with the knowledge that William would definitely not ept Sophie. Sophie¡¯s smugness will be short-lived. When Sophie and Ysabelle emerged from the milkshake bar, they ran into Nichs. ¡°We have met this man before.¡± Nichs was someone who wasn¡¯t easy to forget. ¡°Yea.¡± Just when I enjoyed a few days of peace, he insisted on making his presence felt again. Intent on avoiding Nichs, Sophie led Ysabelle in a different direction. Along the way, her attention was captured by a man¡¯s suit disyed in the shop window. Noticing that Sophie had stopped abruptly, Ysabelle turned around and saw her staring at the disy. ¡°What is it? Do you want to get Uncle Tristan something? Why don¡¯t we go in and take a look?¡± The suit does look appealing. However, Uncle Tristan¡¯s clothes are all tailored by luxury brands. Hence, I¡¯m not sure if he¡¯s into this style. ¡°Sure!¡± Sophie readily agreed. Ever since we got together, I have never bought him a gift before. As for Nichs, he felt unsettled watching Sophie enter a men¡¯s boutique. I have never received a gift from her before. I¡¯m surprised someone as reserved as she even knows how to get one for her boyfriend. Chapter 545 Chapter 545 ¡°Miss, you have a good eye indeed! This suit, the pride of our store, was personally designed by our designer.¡± The suit had caught the eye of many, but all of them were shocked by its price. As Sophie¡¯s fingers ran over the suit, she could feel the quality of the fabric. Captivated by the design, she could imagine how good Tristan would look in it. ¡°I¡¯ll take this.¡± ¡°Sophie, do you know what size Uncle Tristan is?¡± ¡°I do.¡± I wouldn¡¯t deserve to be his girlfriend if I didn¡¯t. After giving the salesperson Tristan¡¯s size, she handed over a ck card to pay for it. Sophie¡¯s decisiveness took the salesperson by surprise, for thetter didn¡¯t expect to close the sale before exining the suit¡¯s design philosophy and the materials used. Nevertheless, she wasn¡¯t going to miss such a God-given opportunity. Without a moment¡¯s hesitation, she took the card and swiped it. That sale alone was enough to elevate her pay for that month significantly. Themission alone could sufficiently pay for a few months of her living expenses. ¡°Why don¡¯t I get Felix one, too, as I have never bought him clothes before.¡± Ysabelle was swept up by the moment. ¡°Of course.¡± She can buy as many as she fancies. After browsing through the other suits, Ysabelle came upon one that she liked. Unfortunately, she fell into a dilemma when she realized she didn¡¯t know Felix¡¯s size. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know what size Felix wears. Let me call him and ask.¡± With that thought in mind, Ysabelle rang Felix up, but no one answered for a long while. ¡°Forget it. He¡¯s not answering. If I get the wrong size, I¡¯ll still have to waste timeing back here to return it.¡± ¡°That¡¯s true.¡± At that moment, the salesperson returned with the suit all packed up. ¡°Miss, here¡¯s your suit. Is there anything else I can assist you with?¡± Initially, the store¡¯s staff assumed that Sophie was just window shopping and was reluctant to entertain her. Little did they expect her to buy something so expensive, and they were all jealous of the salesperson who closed the sale. ¡°No, thanks.¡± Upon receiving her ck card, Sophie grabbed the shopping bag and left. However, the moment they stepped out of the store, Ysabelle had a stomachache and had to use the restroom. Consequently, Sophie had no choice but to wait for her outside. Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024. It was during that lull that Nichs appeared again. ¡°Did you buy it for Tristan?¡± Despite the raging jealousy within him, his calm facade hid it well. ¡°It¡¯s none of your business since I didn¡¯t buy it for you.¡± There was no way she would get Nichs a gift in her lifetime. The only thing she would ever consider buying him was a funeral wreath. ¡°Sophie, I don¡¯t understand why you¡¯re so hostile to me. Haven¡¯t I always been good to you? Even if you don¡¯t like me, such treatment is uncalled for. Is there some sort of misunderstanding between us?¡± Something must have happened for things to turn out this way. ¡°There¡¯s no misunderstanding between us. I just don¡¯t like your face.¡± Are my words candid enough to deter him? ¡°If it¡¯s because of my father, I swear to you that he will never pose a problem.¡± That was the only possibility that came to his mind. ¡°It¡¯s clear to me that nothing can get through that thick skull of yours.¡± Sophie had no desire to entertain him any further. ¡°How shall I put it? If you don¡¯t want to die, you should return to Anndur at once. This ce isn¡¯t for you.¡± ¡°I can say the same thing to you too. Even in death, I won¡¯t go back unless youe with me.¡± I¡¯m more than prepared to die here. ¡°Nichs, I don¡¯t understand why you¡¯re being so stubborn. There has never been anything going on between us.¡± All this while, he has been deluding himself, and it¡¯s no one else¡¯s fault. He just has a mental sickness that causes him to cling desperately to me. ¡°Is that so?¡± Has it always been one-sided on my part? ¡°I don¡¯t believe that you never had any feelings for me before.¡± I¡¯m sure she must have harbored feelings for me at some point in the past. Otherwise, why would I be so persistent for such a long time? ¡°No, I never liked you before.¡± I¡¯m sure I¡¯ve made myself clear. If not, I still have more scathing words to spare. ¡°Sophie, you¡¯re generally nice to everyone, so why are you only hostile to me?¡± Doesn¡¯t she value her rtionship with Mark and Arius a lot too? Why am I the only one to receive such treatment? ¡°Doesn¡¯t that make the answer even more obvious?¡± Nichs staggered back, losing the courage to hear the truth. As for Sophie, she didn¡¯t spare him a nce still. ¡°Nichs, you should go back to where youe from. This ce isn¡¯t for you, and no one likes you here.¡± It was during that lull that Nichs appeared again. ¡°I refuse. I¡¯m sure my sincerity will move you one day!¡± I have within my power to give her everything in this world. ¡°There¡¯s nothing you can do that will change my mind because my heart already belongs to someone else. Moreover, even if there¡¯s no one in my life, I still won¡¯t fall for you.¡± Sophie¡¯s words were merciless, for she wanted to drill the fact into his head. With Ysabelle about to return, Sophie decided to look for her instead of wasting any more time with Nichs. Thetter was frozen at his feet after being dealt a devastating blow. Even as he watched Sophie¡¯s leaving silhouette, he didn¡¯t bother to give chase. Meanwhile, Ysabelle had emerged from thedies with her stomach feeling a lot better. ¡°There must have been something wrong with the cakes we just ate. My tummy hurts really bad,¡± the grimacing Ysabelle remarked. ¡°Really? I still feel fine. I think you just had too much to eat.¡± I couldn¡¯t stop her just now despite trying my best. ¡°As an artiste, you¡¯re being too liberal with your body!¡± Although Ysabelle was far from being fat, an actress would always look rtively plumper on camera. ¡°Are you saying that I¡¯ve gotten fatter?¡± If that¡¯s the case, I need to control my diet right away. I¡¯m still capable of resisting the temptation of desserts for the sake of bing a professional singer. By the time they stepped out of Monarch Mall, it was alreadyte. ¡°Where else do you want to go?¡± She didn¡¯t feel like going home still, as going out was a rare luxury, given how busy she had been. ¡°I¡¯m nning to go over to Lombard Group. Do you want toe along?¡± I still have to present him with the gift, don¡¯t I? ¡°Sure, I miss Felix too!¡± It was true that Ysabelle was previously more reserved, but now that her feelings for him were clear, she didn¡¯t see the need to hide it. With that, both of them got into a taxi and headed to Lombard Group. At the same time, Nichs tailed them there. All he did was follow them from a distance and observe them from the shadows. Until then, he still couldn¡¯t figure out what Tristan had that he didn¡¯t for her to love thetter while hating him. It wasn¡¯t until he arrived at the lobby of Lombard Group and wanted to follow them upstairs that Alex grabbed his arm. ¡°Mr. Nichs, you can¡¯t go any further!¡± Chapter 546 Chapter 546 If Tristan learns this, he definitely won¡¯t let him go! Alex thought. Nichs nced at Alex¡¯s hand. ¡°Are you begging to have your hand disabled permanently? Was the lessonst time not enough for you to learn from your mistake?¡± Alex had always been by his side. While he did ¡°lecture¡± Alexst time, he wasn¡¯t trying to take the latter¡¯s life. What the heck is Alex doing? I can¡¯t believe he still doesn¡¯t know how to appreciate his life after getting another chance to live. Staring at him pleadingly, Alex questioned, ¡°This is Lombard Group, Mr. Nichs. Have you thought about what¡¯ll happen to you if you enter the building? Do you really think it¡¯s going to be a simple matter? I know you¡¯ve always thought I¡¯m disloyal, but I always have your best interest at heart! Sophie will only harm you! She won¡¯t show you any mercy! Why don¡¯t you understand?¡± It was then Ysabelle and Sophie arrived at Tristan¡¯s office. At that moment, Tristan was discussing the details of a case with Felix in the room. When the men noticed the arrival of the women, their eyes lit up. ¡°You went shopping today?¡± Tristan asked Sophie when he saw the bags in Ysabelle¡¯s hand. ¡°Don¡¯t dote on her too much. I know you don¡¯t like shopping.¡± Ysabelle tended to forget the time when she shopped. Thus, he was certain Sophie felt very tired at the moment. ¡°Mhm. We went to buy some stuff, including a suit for you. Have a look and tell me if you like it.¡± Sophie handed the bag in her hand to Tristan. ¡°What? Did you learn something when you were spending time with Sophie, Ysabelle? She bought a suit for Mr. Tristan, so where¡¯s mine?¡± Felix inquired. Ysabelle shook her head. ¡°I thought about buying one for you too, but I don¡¯t know your size, so I didn¡¯t. Next time I¡¯ll buy one for you!¡± His words made her feel a little awkward. Felix was rendered speechless. Then, he questioned with suspicion, ¡°You don¡¯t know my size, yet Sophie knows Mr. Tristan¡¯s! Do you really love me?¡± As the saying goes, one shouldn¡¯t make anyparison, as doing so would only make oneself upset. Ysabelle felt even more embarrassed as she retorted aggrievedly, ¡°But I really don¡¯t know your size! Can you me me for this?¡± ¡°All right, all right. I didn¡¯t mean to me you. Let¡¯s go to my office instead of staying here and being a bother!¡± Felix suggested as he was aware their presence would only inconvenience himself and Tristan. She¡¯s ming herself right now, which is the perfect opportunity for me to ask her for a kiss! ¡°Mhm! Remember to call for me when you¡¯re about to leave, Sophie!¡± Ysabelle reminded before she followed him to his office. Only Tristan and Sophie were left in the former¡¯s office. ¡°I know your clothes are custom-made. However, I thought the suit would look good on you, so I bought it. You can choose not to wear it if you don¡¯t want to.¡± She wasn¡¯t going to force him to do anything he didn¡¯t want to. In response, he pulled her closer to him and made her sit on hisp. ¡°What are you saying? Of course, I¡¯ll like and wear the clothes you bought for me. Why won¡¯t I?¡±Content is ? by N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Really? You haven¡¯t even seen the suit yet!¡± As she spoke, she wanted to leave hisp because they appeared awfully intimate in that pose. While she wasn¡¯t heavy, she didn¡¯t feel whollyfortable sitting on hisp like a child. It made her feel quite embarrassed. Tristan didn¡¯t stop Sophie as he watched her open the bag, remove the suit from it, and present the garment in front of him. ¡°What do you think? Do you like it?¡± It was the first time she had bought him a gift, so she hoped he would like it. The suit looks good! It¡¯s a type that I¡¯ve never worn before. He praised, ¡°I like it a lot! My girlfriend sure does have excellent taste in clothing.¡± That elicited a smile from her. ¡°Oh, you. Still, with how amazing your figure is, I bet you¡¯ll look good even in a shabby piece of clothing!¡± ¡°Mhm, but I think I¡¯ll still look great without it.¡± ¡°No can do. I don¡¯t want anyone else to see you!¡± Sophie pouted slightly. He¡¯s mine and mine alone! I won¡¯t give anyone a chance to covet him! ¡°Oh yeah, is Jennifer targeting Tanner Group recently?¡± Rumors about it reached Tristan some time ago, which roused his desire to teach Jennifer a lesson. ¡°You don¡¯t need to pay attention to her. Just let her be for now. The happier she is now, the more upset she¡¯ll be in the future. I¡¯m not that easily bullied,¡± she uttered casually. ¡°Although, your dad seems to like her a lot. Will he be upset if I ruin her?¡± ¡°You don¡¯t need to mind what other people think as long as it makes you happy,¡± he responded. Jennifer¡¯s no pushover. Although, if she thinks she can do anything she wants because my father likes her, she¡¯s severely mistaken. If she upsets Sophie, I can remove her from Jipsdale with little effort. ¡°Mhm! Remember to call for me when you¡¯re about to leave, Sophie!¡± Ysabelle reminded before she followed him to his office. ¡°I met her at the mall earlier. I don¡¯t like that woman, so you better leave far away from her, got it?¡± ¡°Mhm.¡± ¡°Also, I disallow you to let others get their hands on you, okay? Otherwise, I won¡¯t want you anymore!¡± It was pretty rare for Sophie to act willfully. No one is allowed to get their hands on my man! She was quite particr when it came to rtionships. ¡°I promise you, my queen, that I won¡¯t give anyone a chance to get their hands on me!¡± Her words amused him a little. I¡¯m Mr. Tristan of Jipsdale! No one will have the guts to do that. Holding Tristan¡¯s chin, Sophie examined him closely. ¡°Don¡¯t forget what you said. If you let any other woman touch you, I¡¯ll ditch you, no matter how much I like you!¡± It wasn¡¯t that she didn¡¯t trust him. She just thought it was necessary to rify things. ¡°Mhm. I won¡¯t give anyone a chance to do so.¡± As he stood, he put the suit in her hand back into the bag, pulled her to the spot next to him, and sat her down. After they sat, he asked, ¡°Are you busytely? Do you need my help in regard to Tanner Group¡¯s matter?¡± He knew she wanted to expand thepany. ¡°No need. Victor¡¯s pretty good. I trust him.¡± The people she handpicked were naturally the best in their field. Victor was a very talented person. She was certain he could do even better with a little help. ¡°Victor, huh? It seems like you trust him a lot.¡± Tristan sounded a little jealous. ¡°Mhm. What¡¯s the matter? Didn¡¯t you say Victor¡¯s a person worthy of my trust?¡± Sophie wondered. ¡°Well, yes, but I¡¯ll still get jealous!¡± He didn¡¯t like it very much when sheplimented other men. ¡°What else do you suggest, then? Are you going to abandon Lombard Group and help me manage Tanner Group?¡± After a brief moment of contemtion, Tristan replied confidently, ¡°That¡¯s not impossible. I can do whatever you want me to do!¡± In response, Sophie shook her head. ¡°No, I don¡¯t want other people to say that Tanner Group is relying on you. I want to turn Tanner Group into an empire by myself!¡± ¡°You spend too much time on unimportant things like this!¡± ¡°Then what do you think is important?¡± ¡°I want you to marry me and give me a child!¡± It didn¡¯t matter to him whether it was a boy or a girl. As long as it came out of her womb, he would love them. Chapter 547 Chapter 547 ¡°That¡¯s my goal for when I reach twenty-five years old!¡± At the moment, Sophie still had plenty of things she wanted to do. ¡°But that means I still need to wait for you for five years!¡± Hugging her, Tristan gently ran his finger through her long, soft hair. Exclusive content from N?velDrama.Org. ¡°What¡¯s the matter? Is that no good? I think it¡¯s an appropriate timeframe. It¡¯s just five years. After all, I¡¯m not at the age of marriage yet.¡± ¡°No, I don¡¯t think it¡¯s bad. In fact, I think it¡¯s great!¡± he responded with a smile. After all, he was fine with any decision of hers. ¡°Since you¡¯re satisfied with it, then that is what I¡¯ll do.¡± The next day, after Tristan put on the suit Sophie bought for him, she stared at him and admired his handsomeness. She was very pleased with her impable taste. As I expected, the man I love is just that dashing! Whether in terms of his figure or looks, it¡¯s the best in the world! His charm really moves me beyond words. Seeing how stunned she was as she stared at him, he felt like he had gained a confidence boost. As I expected, she also cares about appearances. Still, I¡¯m happy she likes how I look. ¡°What do you think? Do you like it?¡± Tristan asked with a smile. Sophie grabbed a tie, stood on her toes, and put it on for him. Then she tidied his clothes. ¡°Of course, I¡¯ll like what I like!¡± The next moment, she grabbed his tie with one hand, pulled him toward her, and kissed him without hesitation. Oh crap! This feeling¡­ It¡¯s so intoxicating, he thought. ¡°I also want to keep you locked up in the house and forbid you from leaving. This way, other women won¡¯t be able to see you!¡± Sophie eximed. Isn¡¯t she being way too possessive? Still¡­ When Tristan saw her red lips, he didn¡¯t want to hold himself back anymore. Hence, he leaned forward before kissing her deeply and passionately. Suddenly, she felt her kiss earlier was super weak. When ites to intimate acts, men, indeed, tend to be the more skillful ones. Even though he has never fallen in love, he¡¯s great at seduction. At that moment, he wanted to strip her naked and dominate her forcefully. However, in the end, his rationality triumphed over his emotions. So, instead, he hugged her for a very long time. What do I do? It¡¯s getting harder and harder to control myself. I think once our wedding night arrives, I¡¯ll make sure she won¡¯t be able to leave the bed for three days and three nights. My lust for her is driving me insane! ¡°Can we get married a little earlier?¡± Tristan inquired. I don¡¯t mind if we have children a littleter as long as I won¡¯t have to continue to suffer. ¡°Mhm. When do you want to get married?¡± Sophie was willing to consider speeding things up for him because he was very nice, and she also didn¡¯t want to wait that long. Eagerly, he blurted, ¡°As soon as possible!¡± That was because he was genuinely worried he would die of dissatisfaction and be the first in the Guinness World Record to pass away in that manner. ¡°How about we register our marriage first?¡± Despite her suggestion, she still needed to wait two more years for that to happen. ¡°Sure. Once you reach the age of marriage, we¡¯ll register first. We can talk about other stuff when the timees,¡± he replied. ¡°Mhm!¡± Sophie was supposed to leave already, but because of the kiss, she missed the first ss. At the moment, she was already the center of attention at the University of Medicine. Her tardiness only brought her back into the spotlight. For some reason, a few women in the ss just disliked Sophie no matter what. Simon, who was beaten up by Sophiest time, intentionally approached her when he saw she had arrived and mocked, ¡°It seems like Ms. Tanner is quite willful. Shees and leaves as she pleases, as though this university is her home!¡± In response, Sophie spat coldly, ¡°Was the lesson I taught youst time not enough for you to learn from your mistake?¡± After all, she was there to study. She would rather not waste her time on a wastrel like him and wished he could stay as far away from her as possible. Her words enraged him. ¡°You¡ª¡± ¡°What¡¯s the matter? Am I wrong? If you want to keep breathing, I suggest you stay quiet. Otherwise, don¡¯t me me for what I¡¯ll do.¡± ¡°You¡¯re arrogant! What is it that gives you such confidence? You know, I can make it so that you won¡¯t be able to stay at this university anymore.¡± ¡°Sure you can. Give it a try if you like.¡± Then Sophie returned to her spot as she was toozy to deal with him. Whether the others wanted to admit it or not, she was the most talented student in the ss. ¡°Can we get married a little earlier?¡± Tristan inquired. I don¡¯t mind if we have children a littleter as long as I won¡¯t have to continue to suffer. All of her teachers loved students like her because they had never seen such a talented student before. They had basically ced their hope for Chanaea¡¯s medical advancement on Sophie. After the ss ended, the professor summoned her again to research a question with her together. The other students were very jealous of her when they witnessed the treatment she was receiving. ¡°Why does every professor like Sophie? She¡¯s only good-looking! Does this mean all our efforts are pointless?¡± ¡°Yeah! Even though we¡¯re in the same ss, every professor likes her and will keep her by their side! What about us, then?¡± The women in the ss began to target Sophie again. ¡°Everyone here was admitted based on our merits, so why is she the only one getting treated like this? No, we can¡¯t just sit here and do nothing. We must find an opportunity to teach her a lesson so she¡¯ll stop being so arrogant!¡± ¡°In that case, let us discuss what we should do. It¡¯ll be fine even if we can only embarrass her!¡± The women then started to devise a strategy in whispers. Sandra heard what they were saying as she waited in the corridor outside the ssroom for Sophie. When Sophie returned, she wondered why Sandra was standing there. ¡°What are you standing here for? Why don¡¯t you go in?¡± Sophie quite liked Sandra. ¡°You¡¯re hogging the limelight too much, Sophie! Right now, the women in our ss are very envious of you, so much so that they¡¯re currently nning how to mess with you!¡± The reason Sandra told Sophie that was because she sincerely saw thetter as a friend. ¡°You need to be more careful. These women are from prominent families. They won¡¯t show your mercy,¡± she informed with worry. Instead of getting concerned, Sophie smiled when she heard that. Upon gently patting Sandra¡¯s cheeks, she assured her, ¡°Don¡¯t worry! I¡¯ll be fine. They can¡¯t do anything to me.¡± These women are nothingpared to the people I had to deal with. I¡¯ve seen plenty of nasty acts before. ¡°I still think you need to be more careful. After all, there are a lot of them!¡± ¡°All right, I get it. Let¡¯s head inside!¡± As Sophie expected, when she went to the restroom after the third ss ended, she noticed a few women from the ss following her. Chapter 548 Chapter 548 When Sophie turned on the tap to wash her hands, the other girls crowded around her instead of heading into the cubicles. ¡°Sophie, what did you do? Why do so many of the professors love you? Did you sleep with them?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right! If not for her skills in bed, how did she be every professor¡¯s favorite?¡± Rendered speechless, Sophie flicked the water off her hands before turning to face them. ¡°Have you said enough?¡± ¡°If you dare do it, why don¡¯t you dare hear it? Let me warn you; you had better stay away from Simon. He¡¯s mine!¡± Sophie couldn¡¯t help but snigger. ¡°He¡¯s just a piece of trash, and only trash like you are taken in by him!¡± He¡¯s nothing but a rich yboy and probably doesn¡¯t have any redeeming qualities other than his money. ¡°You¡ª¡± ¡°Get her!¡± Not wanting to waste words with Sophie, the five girls, cognizant of their numerical advantage, decided to teach her a lesson. Sophie¡¯s brow cocked in response. It turns out that they¡¯re here for a fight! ¡°You should¡¯ve said so if a fight is what you¡¯re looking for. Why did you have to beat around the bush? Sheesh!¡± No sooner had she finished than she grabbed the long hair of her first attacker and gave it a forceful tug, immobilizing thetter at once. ¡°Argh!¡± ¡°You¡¯re so noisy!¡± Sophie was annoyed by the girl¡¯s agonized scream. What¡¯s with the overreaction? I only pulled her hair. Given Sophie¡¯s skills, the girls were naturally no match for her. In the end, they were all beaten to a pulp, but their injuries were located in discreet ces, causing them to appear unscathed from the outside. As for Sophie, she washed her hands again. ¡°Why do you insist on getting on my nerves when I specifically warned you not to? Next time, stay out of my way, as I have no time to entertain any of you!¡± Considering that violence was the fastest solution, she didn¡¯t mind giving them a piece of her mind. The matter concluded with the girls sprawled on the floor of the washroom, wallowing in their defeat. Meanwhile, Sandra had seen the group of girls following Sophie into the restroom. Hence, she rushed over with the intention of helping. Little did she expect to see the girls strewn across the washroom floor, juxtaposed against the standing Sophie washing her hands calmly. ¡°Sophie, are you all right?¡± There are five of them, and yet, she looks unharmed. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m fine. Let¡¯s go now. I¡¯ll buy you a drink.¡± I¡¯ve had enough of this weather and the scorching heat. With that, she led Sandra out under thetter¡¯s gaze of admiration. ¡°And here I was, thinking of helping you out, but you ended up surprising me by taking care of them!¡± Despite her initial hesitance, Sandra decided to head to Sophie¡¯s rescue when she remembered all that thetter had done for her. ¡°You sound as if it was a shame that you missed it. I¡¯ll definitely seek out your help the next time there¡¯s trouble.¡± Sandra shook her head. ¡°Forget it. Fighting is not my thing. I was just worried about you.¡± Sandra made her stand clear immediately. ¡°Sophie, after what you have done to them, they¡¯re not going to let it slide.¡± Sandra was still worried. She knew that Sophie was good and wouldn¡¯t offend others without cause. Therefore, it was clear to her that the group of girls crossed the line by attacking Sophie for no reason. Just as expected, the girl who fancied Simon went crying to him. ¡°Simon, the rumors about Sophie being a hooligan are true. She has really gone too far by beating up the five of us girls!¡± As she had a crush on Simon, she naturally hoped that he wouldn¡¯t pay attention to other girls, especially Sophie. Thetter was her worst nightmare, given her talent for seducing men. ¡°Greta, didn¡¯t I tell you before that I don¡¯t like you at all?¡± Simon asserted in a scathing tone, ¡°What goes on between Sophie and I is none of your business.¡± Simon¡¯s feelings for Sophie had grown stronger by the day. She¡¯s such a talented girl. If I can make her my girlfriend, my family¡¯s hospital will have a fitting heir to run it. In response, the defiant Greta questioned, ¡°Are you not going to hold her ountable for beating you up so badly?¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t I just say that it¡¯s none of your business?¡± Simon was in no mood to listen to anything Greta had to say. When he subsequently left in a huff, leaving her all alone, Greta¡¯s indignance intensified. Meanwhile, William had personally gone to see Sophie, and it was to be their first-ever private meeting. Even though she was caught off-guard by it, she still agreed to meet him. The moment she appeared, the Lombard family¡¯s driver opened the car door to let her in. ¡°Sophie, are you all right?¡± There are five of them, and yet, she looks unharmed. Thereafter, he stood guard outside. ¡°Old Mr. Lombard, it¡¯s a pleasure to meet you,¡± Sophie greeted politely. At the end of the day, he was still Tristan¡¯s father. She still had to give him due respect in spite of his disapproval of her. ¡°Given how smart you are, I¡¯m sure you know why I¡¯m here.¡± Content is ? by N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Old Mr. Lombard, what might that be? Are you going to ask me to leave Tristan?¡± ¡°That¡¯s correct. I don¡¯t want you to be a burden to him. He lives in an environment that is filled with dangers that might cost him his life at any moment. Hence, I hope he finds someone who is capable of doing battle by his side instead of a high-maintenance girl like you.¡± He intended Tristan to have someone who could take care of him and not one who would cause him to lose his own principles. ¡°Be a burden? What if I tell you that I won¡¯t drag him down? Furthermore, when the need arises, I¡¯ll be his bestrade-in-arms?¡± This was something she had absolute confidence in. In fact, there was no one on earth more qualified than her to fight shoulder-to-shoulder with him. Nheless, William burst intoughter. ¡°I know you¡¯re a smart youngdy, but you¡¯re really not suited for such a vicious world.¡± ¡°Old Mr. Lombard, give me a chance, will you? I¡¯ll prove to you that I¡¯m the best person to be by his side.¡± Although she didn¡¯t need to prove herself to anyone, she was willing to do so for William solely on the ount that he was Tristan¡¯s father. ¡°Is that so? What will you do if someone tries to assassinate Tristan?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll kill them.¡± William¡¯s brows furrowed after the answer blindsided him. ¡°In fact, I¡¯ll eliminate them before they make their move.¡± That¡¯s the right answer, isn¡¯t it? Or am I expected to take a bullet for him? Only an idiot would do that! ¡°Is that so?¡± William narrowed his eyes as he scrutinized the girl in front of him, trying to discern if she was telling the truth. ¡°I believe I¡¯m more than capable of doing so after saving Tristan twice.¡± Only her presence can stop Tristan¡¯s enemies fromying a finger on him. ¡°Really? What about your past? Do you think that Tristan won¡¯t be disgraced by a girlfriend like you?¡± Chapter 549 Chapter 549 ¡°Old Mr. Lombard, the wise are not taken in by rumors, so why are you? Since Tristan has chosen me, do you not have faith in his decision?¡± Do the malicious rumors really matter that much? ¡°The rumors might seem trivial to you, but that¡¯s not the case in reality. It doesn¡¯t matter whether I believe them or not. What matters is that people will be gossiping about you behind our backs!¡± As the Lombards were the most powerful family in Jipsdale, this was an uneptable fact. ¡°In that case, I¡¯ll make sure that they don¡¯t dare utter a single word about me.¡± Although the rumors were unfounded, she would put a stop to them if the Lombard family found them unsettling. ¡°Sophie, you¡¯re really notpatible with Tristan. Do you understand what I¡¯m trying to tell you?¡± ¡°Old Mr. Lombard, as I said before, whether we¡¯repatible or not isn¡¯t for you to judge. I won¡¯t leave him just because you don¡¯t approve of me.¡± There was no way she would do such a thing. ¡°Tell me then, what will it take for you to leave him?¡± I¡¯m willing to agree to any of her demands. A smirk shed across Sophie¡¯s face. She had always assumed that such situations would only appear on TV. Little did she expect herself to be embroiled in one. ¡°I won¡¯t leave him no matter what.¡± Sophie dered with conviction, ¡°From the moment I decided for us to be together, breaking up never crossed my mind.¡± ¡°You¡ª¡± What a persistent girl. ¡°Fine. I have nothing more to say to you. Your capabilities will determine whether you can keep your ce by Tristan¡¯s side.¡± Words alone won¡¯t count for much. ¡°If you think that the only way for me to be qualified is to have Tanner Group outdo the Whitley family, give me three months, and I¡¯ll make it happen.¡± Outdo the Whitley family? Is she deluding herself? Does she know the Whitley family¡¯s ce in Jipsdale? Sophie gave him an earnest nod. ¡°Mark my words. Tanner Group will surpass the Whitley family in three months.¡± As for Jennifer, who has challenged me relentlessly, there¡¯s no need for me to show her any mercy. ¡°Really? In that case, I¡¯ll be waiting. If you fail, you¡¯ll have to leave Tristan!¡± ¡°What if I seed?¡± It was clear from William¡¯s expression that he didn¡¯t believe she could aplish such a feat. ¡°We¡¯ll discuss this again when you actually seed.¡± He didn¡¯t want to waste time dwelling on improbabilities. Sophie didn¡¯t respond further, for certain problems could only be solved with actions instead of words. Since he didn¡¯t have any faith in her, she would have to prove herself to him. Thereafter, Jennifer headed to the Lombard residence after being summoned by William. ¡°Old Mr. Lombard, what did you want to see me about?¡± Jennifer put on a prim and proper demeanor. Cognizant of what William wanted in his daughter-inw, she attempted to y the role to perfection. ¡°Jennifer, you have to work hard, all right? I really hope that you can be my daughter-inw!¡± William eximed. I¡¯m willing to ept Winter or Jennifer; anyone but Sophie. Jennifer responded with a graceful smile. ¡°I understand, Old Mr. Lombard. However, despite how much effort I put in, Mr. Tristan continues to ignore me.¡± Considering how much she loved Tristan, she obviously hoped to marry him. ¡°Are you telling me that you¡¯re giving up?¡± William spoke candidly. ¡°Of course, if that¡¯s what you desire, I won¡¯t force you into this.¡± Jennifer shook her head at once. ¡°Give up? Never. I¡¯ve had a crush on him for ten years. There¡¯s no way I¡¯m giving up that easily.¡± ¡°Good. Sophie has proimed that she will outdo the Whitley family in three months. You had better watch out.¡± At the end of the day, William was responsible for getting the Whitley family involved. Hence, he felt obliged to warn them of what wasing. Content is ? by N?velDrama.Org. ¡°What?¡± It sounded like the most ludicrous joke to Jennifer. ¡°What an audacious girl.¡± The Whitley family¡¯s business, which has been operating for more than a century, won¡¯t be outdone by some bravado of hers. ¡°I¡¯ll definitely teach her a lesson so that she learns her ce.¡± ¡°Good.¡± William, too, agreed that Sophie¡¯s brazenness had crossed the line. She might be a genius in medicine and one who excels in her studies, but to think that she can surpass the Whitley family is nothing but a joke. Meanwhile, Tristan rushed home upon learning of William¡¯s meeting with Sophie. The moment he arrived, he was greeted by the sight of Jennifer. ¡°I¡¯m surprised to see you home. And here I was, thinking that you had forgotten your way back.¡± Sipping coffee, William wasn¡¯t bothered to spare Tristan a nce, for he greatly disapproved of the latter¡¯s choice for a partner. ¡°We¡¯ll discuss this again when you actually seed.¡± He didn¡¯t want to waste time dwelling on improbabilities. ¡°Mr. Tristan, you¡¯re back!¡± The sight of him triggered a bashful expression on Jennifer¡¯s face. Her love for him was true, and he was all that mattered to her. ¡°Did you go and see Sophie today?¡± Tristan questioned without holding back. ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you not to interfere in my affairs? What did you say to her?¡± ¡°Hah!¡± William couldn¡¯t help but sneer. ¡°Are you interrogating me now? Do you not see me as your father anymore? What¡¯s the big deal about me meeting her? Since you don¡¯t allow me to interfere in your affairs, why are you sticking your nose into mine now?¡± ¡°As I said before, I don¡¯t want Sophie to be put in a difficult position. Therefore, there¡¯s no need for you to ever meet her alone. Also, I will only ept her as my wife and no one else!¡± ¡°Are you threatening me now?¡± the angry William questioned. ¡°Let me tell you¡ª¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have to tell me anything. You know my character better than anyone else, so stop trying to stuff some lowly person into my arms! I don¡¯t want them!¡± Tristan wasn¡¯t going to tolerate being manipted. ¡°Lowly person?¡± Jennifer stared at him in disbelief. Is he talking about me? How can he call me that? ¡°Tristan, you have gone too far,¡± William criticized him. ¡°Have I? There¡¯s a lot more from where that came from.¡± Upon learning that William had gone to see Sophie unterally, Tristan was so infuriated that he rushed home at once. There¡¯s no way I¡¯m going to tolerate having my little darling criticized by someone else. ¡°You¡ª¡± ¡°Old Mr. Lombard, I¡¯m fine. You should calm down, as anger is bad for your health,¡± Jennifer pacified him at once. She wasn¡¯t keen on seeing father and son falling out with each other. ¡°Jennifer, as the eldest daughter of the Whitley family, you should have some principles. Going forward, I don¡¯t want to see you again. You¡¯re nothing but an eyesore to me!¡± He resented anyone who tried toe in between him and Sophie. ¡°Mr. Tristan, what in the world have I done wrong?¡± I didn¡¯t even do anything! ¡°You don¡¯t even have to do anything. Your existence itself annoys me!¡± Chapter 550 Chapter 550 All this while, Tristan wasn¡¯t even bothered to say such words. A single look in his eyes was enough to communicate his intentions. Exclusive content from N?velDrama.Org. However, it was Jennifer who persisted in barging into his life. ¡°Old Mr. Lombard, calm down. I¡¯m taking my leave first.¡± Regardless of how thick-skinned Jennifer was, she was incapable of staying any longer. ¡°Mmm-hmm. Go on ahead. Ignore whatever he said. He has gone mad.¡± William didn¡¯t know what else to say. Upon Jennifer¡¯s departure, William got to his feet. ¡°Tristan, you have disappointed me today.¡± ¡°I, too, am disappointed in you. I have told you loud and clear not to cause Sophie any trouble, and yet, you refused to listen!¡± ¡°So what if I went to see her? It¡¯s not like I harmed her!¡± William didn¡¯t feel that he had done anything wrong. ¡°How can you even let that cross your mind?¡± William meeting Sophie had already crossed Tristan¡¯s threshold, let alone if the former had other ns. ¡°Hmph, is she really that fragile?¡± Even Ysabelle isn¡¯t pampered to that extent! ¡°That¡¯s right. I don¡¯t want her to experience even the slightest bit of suffering!¡± Have I made myself clear? ¡°Do whatever you want! I can¡¯t be bothered with you anymore.¡± When Sarah came home to the hostility between father and son, she pulled Tristan aside upon learning what happened. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you?¡± Sophie remarked disapprovingly, ¡°Doing so will only make Father dislike Sophie even more.¡± ¡°So what if it does? It¡¯s not like I need him to approve of her. At most, I won¡¯t bring her back home.¡± ¡°You¡ª¡± Sarah shook her head in resignation. He spoils Sophie too much. ¡°To be honest, you should let Sophie deal with the matter herself. It¡¯s not like she¡¯s incapable of doing so.¡± His relentless protection of Sophie will only antagonize Father further. ¡°With the attitude Dad has disyed, Sophie will definitely suffer if she faces him alone. Why should I allow my woman to go through that?¡± This is totally unnecessary! ¡°Jeez¡­¡± Truth be told, Sarah was envious of Sophie for having Tristan stand up for her. ¡°What about your rtionship with Father? Are you going to let it go to the dogs?¡± Has he forgotten that Mother left us early, and it was Father who raised us? ¡°Can you not hurt Father¡¯s feelings for Sophie¡¯s sake? Promise me that you¡¯ll resolve this in a better way instead of direct confrontation. ¡°I just can¡¯t stand anyone who¡¯s trying to hurt Sophie. That¡¯s where my threshold lies, and not one is allowed to cross it.¡± Everyone has their limits, isn¡¯t it? ¡°Dad only went to see her and didn¡¯t do anything, right? It¡¯s not as serious as you¡¯re making it out to be.¡± ¡°Enough talk about this. I¡¯m going back.¡± He couldn¡¯t bear to stay there for a second longer. All he wanted to do was be by Sophie¡¯s side. ¡°Since you¡¯re back, stay for dinner before you go.¡± Leaving now would only make infuriate Father further. ¡°Both of you should go ahead without me.¡± With no desire to do so, Tristan left in a huff. Just as expected, William was enraged to learn that Tristan didn¡¯t stay for dinner. Sarah had no choice but to assuage him. ¡°Dad, there¡¯s no need to be angry. Don¡¯t you know how Tristan is by now? He has never liked others to interfere in his affairs, especially since his feelings for Sophie are true.¡± William wasn¡¯t in the mood toment. ¡°After painstakingly raising the two of you, neither of you grow up to obey me. It makes me wonder what¡¯s the point of my life.¡± ¡°Dad, that¡¯s not true. Don¡¯t I always listen to you all the time?¡± Sarah answered gleefully. ¡°Hmph! Look at how old you are, and yet, you refuse to get married when I asked you to. As long as you¡¯re willing to do so, there are plenty of men queuing at the door for your hand. What¡¯s the big deal about this Juan?¡± The mention of Juan¡¯s name caused Sarah¡¯s mood to change. ¡°Dad, didn¡¯t I tell you not to bring the matter up? Juan and I have long severed ties with each other. Furthermore, I was the one who harbored unrequited feelings, and it isn¡¯t his fault at all.¡± The fact that he never liked her back was what saddened her the most. At the end of the day, William¡¯s reluctance to see his daughter hurt stopped him from continuing with the topic. ¡°All right, all right. Stop giving me that look. Do whatever you want. After all, none of you listen to anything I say.¡± ¡°Dad, I really hope that you can understand how difficult it is to find someone I like.¡± It¡¯s hard to find someone who will reciprocate our love. ¡°Really?¡± William didn¡¯t agree with her, as he felt thatpatibility between a couple¡¯s family background was more important. Can lovest a lifetime? ¡°I just can¡¯t stand anyone who¡¯s trying to hurt Sophie. That¡¯s where my threshold lies, and not one is allowed to cross it.¡± Furthermore, he couldn¡¯t stand Tristan challenging his authority for the sake of an outsider. Meanwhile, Tristan had returned to the condominium near the university. He found Sophie writing her thesis and wasn¡¯t sure if she had eaten yet. When Sophie lifted her gaze to greet his arrival, she looked as if nothing had happened at all. ¡°You¡¯re back. Have you had your dinner?¡± Taking his seat beside her, Tristan could tell how busy she was from the pile of foreignnguage books on her table. ¡°You¡¯re just in your freshman year. Is there a need to push yourself to this extent?¡± Tristan asked curiously. As Sophie¡¯s fingers danced across the keyboard, she replied, ¡°Considering that I want to marry you as soon as possible, it goes without saying that I have to work hard!¡± Hearing her words, Tristan couldn¡¯t help but put his arm around her shoulder. ¡°There¡¯s no need to be in such a hurry. Watching you slog breaks my heart.¡± It¡¯s more important that she takes her time and gets enough rest. ¡°I¡¯m just kidding. I¡¯m not tired at all.¡± She enjoyed a fast-paced life and didn¡¯t see anything wrong with it. ¡°Okay. Even though I can¡¯t wait to marry you, you¡¯re still young, and I¡¯m prepared to wait. All that matters is yourmitment to our rtionship.¡± ¡°I¡¯m moremitted than you can imagine, so don¡¯t you worry. I won¡¯t leave you for any strange reasons. Besides, it¡¯s not like we¡¯re in some sort of movie drama.¡± I want to always be by his side and won¡¯t abandon him for some nonsensical reason. ¡°Um, I¡¯m sorry to have put you in a spot.¡± Despite how amazing she was, his father still disapproved of her. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Sophie had sensed that something was amiss. ¡°You found out about my meeting with your dad?¡± I suppose it¡¯s about that. ¡°What did he tell you?¡± She had hit the nail on the head. ¡°Nothing much. Don¡¯t worry. I can handle it.¡± It¡¯s no big deal. I¡¯m not a people-pleaser. I can¡¯t make everyone like me. Tristan held her face. ¡°You¡¯re so wonderful!¡± A radiant smile shed across Sophie¡¯s face. In his eyes, she was indeed the epitome of perfection. Chapter 551 Chapter 551 ¡°What are youughing at?¡± Tristan asked. Did I say something wrong? She¡¯s amazing, isn¡¯t she? ¡°All right, all right. You don¡¯t have to argue with your father over me. I don¡¯t like that. I¡¯ll prove to the world that I¡¯m the only one qualified to stand alongside you at the top,¡± Sophie said. No one can do that except me. ¡°You don¡¯t have to prove to anyone!¡± Tristan responded. He believed it would be impossible to win certain people over, no matter hard they tried to prove themselves. ¡°I know, but I want to make you happy,¡± Sophie said, as she believed Tristan would be just as upset if his father disapproved of her. ¡°Having you by my side is enough to make me happy,¡± Tristan assured her. We don¡¯t need to pay attention to how others feel about us as long as we¡¯re together. Upon hearing that, Sophie quipped, ¡°I bet people will be surprised if they find out how easily satisfied Mr. Tristan is.¡± ¡°Is that so? I beg to differ. Meeting you was a miracle, to begin with. It doesn¡¯t mean I¡¯m easily satisfied,¡± he exined. If finding a soulmate was as easy as she thought, she wouldn¡¯t have waited for one to appear for so long, right? ¡°Thank you for doing the things you did for me, Mr. Tristan.¡± Sophie was touched by how serious the man was. He always does things for her without expecting anything in return. Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org. Tristan replied, ¡°You don¡¯t have to say this. I¡¯m happy to do them for you.¡± Sophie hummed in response. In the blink of an eye, it was time to celebrate William¡¯s eightieth birthday. Many guests would being to congratte him since it was his milestone birthday. To William, it was a significant asion. Early morning, Lincoln and Sarah had started preparing for the celebration in the house. The birthday celebration would be held in the Lombard residence, and all the wealthy and influential guests were invited. As the host, the Lombards weremitted to making this event a sess. ¡°We¡¯re about to celebrate Dad¡¯s birthday, but Tristan is still not back. I can turn a blind eye to the commotion he caused, but by hook or by crook, we must get him toe tonight,¡± Lincoln said. I don¡¯t want the Lombards to be made aughingstock in Yaleview. Sarah felt helpless. ¡°It¡¯s not that easy. You should know how stubborn Tristan is.¡± ¡°You¡¯re to be med for his stubbornness since you always spoiled him,¡± Lincoln expressed his disdain. He felt Sarah had always pampered Tristan because he was the youngest of them all. ¡°Lincoln, I don¡¯t like how you point the finger at me. What do you mean by I spoiled him? Talk about the pot calling the kettle ck,¡± Sarah sneered. Lincoln and Sarah had always pampered Tristan since they grew up without a mother. ¡°Lincoln, I don¡¯t like how you point the finger at me. What do you mean by I spoiled him? Talk about the pot calling the kettle ck,¡± Sarah sneered. Lincoln and Sarah had always pampered Tristan since they grew up without a mother. ¡°You¡¯re right. It¡¯s partly my fault, too,¡± Lincoln admitted. Ysabelle overheard their conversation when she wasing downstairs. ¡°Dad, Aunt Sarah.¡± ¡°Ysabelle, give your uncle a call and ask him toe over as soon as possible. The guests are arriving soon, yet he¡¯s still not here. This is too much,¡± Lincoln ordered. ¡°I don¡¯t dare to call him. Grandpa and Uncle Tristan are at war right now, and I don¡¯t want to be caught between a rock and a hard ce,¡± Ysabelle said after sticking her tongue out. I¡¯ll be dead if I identally offend any of them! ¡°How could you say something like that? You better put a guard on your tongue. All the guests will be watching you.¡± Lincoln did not want the Lombards to make a fool of themselves in front of all the distinguished guests. Yet, Ysabelle still refused to call Tristan. ¡°Calm down. Uncle Tristan will turn up for sure.¡± She believed he would even bring Sophie along. Meanwhile, Jennifer had arrived. ¡°Hey, Sarah! Lincoln! Ysabelle!¡± ¡°You¡¯re early.¡± Ysabelle was not pleased to see Jennifer. Upon hearing that, Jennifer responded with a gentle grin. ¡°I came early to see if you guys need help. I hope to do something for Old Mr. Lombard since he has always treated me well,¡± she said. Yet, no one knew what was on her mind. Perhaps, she just wanted everyone to know she was the apple of William¡¯s eye. Lincoln said nothing in response and left to attend to other matters. Sarah was not a big fan of Jennifer either. She thinks she could climb her way up to the top just because she managed to get in Dad¡¯s good books? Dream on. Likewise, Ysabelle decided not to be a people pleaser anymore. She walked up to Sarah and said, ¡°I¡¯ll go out and check if Uncle Tristan is here. Since it¡¯s a grand celebration, I bet he¡¯ll bring Sophie along.¡± Sarah hummed in acknowledgment. ¡°All right.¡± The twodies then carried on with the preparation, leaving Jennifer alone and feeling sorry for herself. Soon, Tristan returned home, but he came alone. Ysabelle could not help but feel a tad disappointed. After ncing around for a few seconds, she asked, ¡°Uncle Tristan, why did youe back alone? Where¡¯s Sophie? Why didn¡¯t shee with you?¡± Ysabelle could not believe Sophie had missed such an important asion. ¡°She has other matters to attend to now, but she¡¯ll be here,¡± Tristan responded. Sophie is a public figure now. She can¡¯t just do anything on a whim. He added, ¡°Also, you should mind your own business.¡± ¡°Okay. Got it.¡± Ysabelle returned to her room when she learned that Sophie would being. She would onlye down once Sophie arrived, as she had no intention of entertaining the other guests. Meanwhile, Jennifer was d to see Tristan. She was even more excited when she saw him walk in alone. ¡°Mr. Tristan, I¡¯m alone too. I can be your plus-one if you don¡¯t have one.¡± Jennifer was not afraid to speak her mind. Tristan did not bother to look at her. Is that what she has been thinking of? What a joker. ¡°No, thank you. I don¡¯t need a plus-one!¡± Tristan outright rejected her. He had always been harsh with that woman, but somehow, she kept expressing interest in him. What is wrong with her? Is she even in the right mind? Jennifer froze right there as his response rendered her speechless. She was an articte speaker, but when she was with Tristan, she always ran out of things to say. ¡°Mr. Tristan, I¡¯ve never done anything bad to you. Why do you always give me the cold shoulder?¡± Jennifer questioned him. Besidesing from a prominent family, I also have an impressive educational background, but why does he still treat me like this? Tristan stopped in his tracks and turned around to look at her. ¡°Jennifer, you think you¡¯re an all-rounder, right? So what if you¡¯re a perfect all-rounder? A trophy wife is thest thing I want in my life!¡± After saying that, Tristan walked away and went upstairs. Jennifer did not catch up to him because she dared not intrude on the Lombard family¡¯s private area. It was hard for her to believe that Tristan did not like his partner to be a perfect individual. Does that mean he likes all of Sophie¡¯s imperfections? But why Sophie? What is so good about her? Jennifer stood still, thinking of ways to embarrass Sophie. She better doesn¡¯t appear tonight. If she does, I¡¯ll teach her a lesson. She needs to know she doesn¡¯t belong here. Meanwhile, William went to look for Tristan when he knew he was back. ¡°Where¡¯s Sophie?¡± Chapter 552 Chapter 552 William thought Tristan would bring Sophie home since he was so protective of her. ¡°Didn¡¯t you say you didn¡¯t like her? You want me to bring her here so you can humiliate her?¡± Tristan snickered. William took offense at his sarcastic tone. ¡°Today is my birthday, Tristan. Must you drive me mad?¡± William¡¯s temper was about to re. Tristan responded with a grin. ¡°Of course not, Dad. I want you to live a long life, and I hope everything you wish wille true.¡± ¡°Do you mean what you just said? If you do, I want you to break up with Sophie. You can have any woman, but Sophie is not a good match for you. You¡¯re way out of her league,¡± William uttered. I¡¯ll not allow my son to entertain a woman like Sophie. ¡°Break up?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. You said you hoped everything I wish woulde true, right? So far, life has been treating me well, but the only thing that bothers me is you and Sophie. If you want me to live a happy life, break up with her!¡± ¡°I¡¯m afraid that you might not get what you want. It took me a while to win her heart. What makes you think I¡¯ll give her up so easily?¡± Tristan said. I¡¯ll never let her go. ¡°You¡ª¡± William knew convincing Tristan would not be the easiest thing in the world. Content is ? by N?velDrama.Org. Tristan cut in and continued, ¡°You should avoid seeing me since my presence upsets you all the time. By the way, Sophie will beingter!¡± ¡°You¡ª¡± William was about the explode in rage. He knows I dislike Sophie, yet, he still invited her over. He¡¯s just trying to get on my nerves! ¡°You have a problem with that? She¡¯s my girlfriend, so she should be here to celebrate your birthday. Isn¡¯t that how things work?¡± Tristan refused to give in. ¡°Fine! Do what you want!¡± William left in a huff. The celebration was about to start, but Sophie still had not arrived. Her absence had put a smirk on Jennifer¡¯s face. ¡°Why are you smiling, Jennifer?¡± Jennifer¡¯s best friend, who was also one of the guests, could not help but ask upon noticing the grin on her face. ¡°Did you and Tristan make good progress?¡± Everyone knew how obsessed Jennifer was with Tristan. Only Tristan could uplift her spirits like that. ¡°What progress are you talking about? Don¡¯t spout nonsense,¡± Jennifer replied. She wished she could take her rtionship with Tristan to the next level, but his indifferent attitude had constantly dampened her spirit. At this point, she did not know what else she could do anymore. ¡°You look pretty today, and Mr. Tristan is here. You must seize the opportunity to win his heart!¡± ¡°You look pretty today, and Mr. Tristan is here. You must seize the opportunity to win his heart!¡± Jennifer shed a gloating grin. She¡¯s right. I have the looks and impressive family background, so I¡¯m the best match for Mr. Tristan. Sophie doesn¡¯t deserve him in the first ce. She should end the rtionship and see herself out! While Jennifer was absorbed in thought, Sophie arrived in a red dress. The exquisite makeup and braided hair made her look like an elegant woman who had just sashayed out of a painting. Her presence immediately captured all the guests¡¯ attention. They started chattering with themselves when they saw the belle, whom they had met for the first time. ¡°Who is thisdy? She¡¯s gorgeous!¡± ¡°I know, right? No amount of stic surgery can recreate such beauty! And it¡¯s obvious she¡¯s a natural beauty!¡± another guest echoed. She¡¯s different from those celebrities who constantly go under the knife to enhance their looks! ¡°Not forgetting the elegance she exudes! How stunning!¡± someone else added. Jennifer¡¯s face turned grim when she heard those remarks. Never in a million years did she think Sophie would show up. To make things worse, the woman had stolen the limelight. All the guests, be they men or women, were captivated by her extraordinary beauty. Their reactions irritated Jennifer even more. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± her friend asked when she noticed the disdain on her face. ¡°Are you bothered by that woman?¡± She noticed something amiss about Jennifer the moment Sophie entered the building. ¡°Yes. She annoys me,¡± Jennifer replied. The friend only understood why Jennifer was upset when Tristan came downstairs to wee Sophie. ¡°Isn¡¯t she the girl from the charity dinner? I¡¯m surprised how gorgeous she looks after putting on a dress like that.¡± She, too, was in awe of Sophie¡¯s beauty. Jennifer instantly expressed her dismay. ¡°So what if she¡¯s born pretty? What¡¯s the big deal?¡± Sophie¡¯s presence had gotten under her skin. I¡¯m supposed to be the center of attention, but she came in and stole my thunder! I bet everyone must be making fun of me now! Jennifer walked over and stood in front of Tristan and Sophie. ¡°Mr. Tristan, are you sure bringing her here is a good idea? You¡¯re going to upset Old Mr. Lombard since we¡¯re celebrating his birthday today.¡± ¡°You should mind your own business, Ms. Whitley.¡± A line formed between Tristan¡¯s brows. How dare she question me? Jennifer responded, ¡°I just don¡¯t want you to go against your father because of this woman.¡± Sophie could not help but chuckle upon hearing that. ¡°Is that really your only concern? I think you want me gone so you can take my ce. But what if I refuse? What can you do?¡± Sophie tackled her head-on. How can I stand there and do nothing when a woman is trying to steal my man? After holding Tristan¡¯s arm, Sophie continued, ¡°Let me make this clear¡ªstop dreaming of taking my ce because I won¡¯t budge.¡± No one can steal anything from me! Jennifer could only clench her teeth, as there was nothing she could do. Tristan, too, cast a nce at Sophie. Once again, he was so spellbound by her charm that he would even set a house on fire if she told him to. Anyone would be envious of the love Tristan had for Sophie. When the celebration was about to begin, William came downstairs. Upon noticing how eye-catching Sophie and her dress were, he could not help but knit his brows. How dare Tristan bring her here? He doesn¡¯t care about my feelings at all. Sophie¡¯s presence might have made Jennifer ufortable, but thetter knew it was not the right time and ce to make a scene. Jennifer knew William wanted a meek and obedient daughter-inw, so all she needed to do was to get in his good books. I¡¯ll take one step at a time. The rest can wait. All the guests noticed how Tristan looked out for Sophie. It was as if she was the most precious thing in the world to him. On the other hand, Jennifer kept Williampany while he introduced her to his connections. Ysabelle finally got a chance to approach Sophie. ¡°Sophie, let¡¯s go and grab something to eat. What would you like? This celebration is so boring.¡± Though everything that was going on was uninviting, they had no choice but to hang in there. ¡°I¡¯m quite full now since I ate something before I came,¡± Sophie replied. She felt eating at the event would draw too much unnecessary attention from the crowd. Now that they know I¡¯m Tristan¡¯s girlfriend, they¡¯ll probably observe my every move. I don¡¯t think I can enjoy dinner under their watchful eyes. ¡°Hey, look.¡± Ysabelle pointed at Jennifer. ¡°Don¡¯t you find her annoying? She interacts with the guests like she¡¯s one of the Lombards. Argh!¡± Chapter 553 Chapter 553 ¡°Why are you paying so much attention to someone who has nothing to do with us?¡± ¡°You do know she came here because of Uncle Tristan, right? Doesn¡¯t that bother you at all?¡± ¡°In case you haven¡¯t noticed, Tristan hasn¡¯t even looked at her. She isn¡¯t worthy of my concern.¡± I¡¯d be upset if Tristan were to choose another woman over me, but I wouldn¡¯t shamelessly cling to him either. I¡¯m not that pathetic! Ysabelle couldn¡¯t help but admire Sophie¡¯s rtionship with Tristan. ¡°Yeah, you¡¯re right. Uncle Tristan only has eyes for you, so he would never fall for another woman. Sophie, don¡¯t you find your rtionship with Uncle Tristan a little boring? I mean, I haven¡¯t seen you two fight over anything!¡± The two of them trusted each other so much that they never had any issues with each other. ¡°Isn¡¯t that a good thing? Do you want us to keep fighting until we break up instead?¡± Sophie believed that two people who liked each other should just focus on being together instead of worrying about irrelevant stuff. Ysabelle nodded in agreement. ¡°Yeah, you¡¯re right. If two people like each other, then they should focus on strengthening their rtionship instead of fighting over trivial matters.¡± ¡°Is Felix treating you well?¡± Sophie had been so busy that she never got the chance to ask her about that. Ysabelle broke into a sweet smile when she heard that. ¡°He has been really nice to me.¡± ¡°Now do you realize how much you like him?¡± ¡°Yeah, I do. I think we¡¯ll be staying together forever!¡± Although the two of them had only been dating for a while, she was already thinking about that. Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org. ¡°That¡¯s good to hear. Felix is really nice to you, so you mustn¡¯t bully him anymore, okay?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve been bullying him, have I?¡± Those words had barely left her mouth when Felix came walking over. He would always be nearby as he wanted to spend as much time around Ysabelle as possible. If he could, he probably would keep Ysabelle in his pocket so he could bring her along wherever he went. ¡°Ugh¡­ Aren¡¯t you lovebirds being a little too attached to each other?¡± Charles eximed. ¡°You¡¯re just being jealous, Charles! Not having a girlfriend really sucks, huh?¡± Felix retorted without even looking at him. I¡¯ve had enough of this guy! I want to wipe that smug look off his face! Charles ran up to Sean and grabbed him by the arm as he said, ¡°Look, Sean! He¡¯s bullying me! It¡¯s just you and me now, so we need to stick together. We need to do something about them!¡± Charles ran up to Sean and grabbed him by the arm as he said, ¡°Look, Sean! He¡¯s bullying me! It¡¯s just you and me now, so we need to stick together. We need to do something about them!¡± Sean pushed him aside and shot him a disdainful re as he said, ¡°F*ck off!¡± Sean had disgust written all over his face. ¡°You can¡¯t treat me like this, Sean! Are you going to leave me too?¡± Charles protested. Sean is single, too, so he has no right to criticize me! Disgusted by Charles¡¯ unreasonable behavior, Sean decided to ignore himpletely. Although Sophie rarely took part in their conversations, she never had issues interacting with them. ¡°Sophie sure is something else, huh? I mean, just look at Sean and Charles. They don¡¯t care about anybody else¡¯s feelings, but they¡¯re always looking out for her!¡± said one of Jennifer¡¯s friends. Some women were bound to be the center of attraction wherever they went. Naturally, that would cause many to be jealous of them. Sophie was a great example of those women. ¡°They¡¯re only looking after her because of Tristan. Sophie would never make it into their circle if it weren¡¯t for him.¡± That¡¯s right! Sophie only got this far in life because of Tristan! ¡°Yeah, you¡¯re right. She¡¯s nothing without Mr. Tristan! Honestly, I think you should just give up on him, Jennifer. Mr. Tristan won¡¯t notice anyone else with Sophie around!¡± Minerva said. She believed there was no point in pestering Tristan any further if he wouldn¡¯t even look at any other women. If anything, Jennifer would only get herself hurt in the end. ¡°What are you saying, Minerva? I won¡¯t give up on Tristan! You¡¯re my friend, so you should be supporting me instead!¡± Jennifer eximed in displeasure. ¡°What do you want me to do?¡± Minerva asked. Jennifer motioned at Minerva toe closer as she whispered something in thetter¡¯s ear. Minerva gasped in shock after hearing what she said. ¡°I don¡¯t know if this is a good idea, Jennifer. Mr. Tristan really likes Sophie, so we might get into a lot of trouble if we do this.¡± Despite being Jennifer¡¯s best friend, Minerva was still very scared of Tristan. ¡°Are you sure you¡¯re my friend? I helped you out when you had a crush on that guy back then, and you won¡¯t even lend me a hand now?¡± Jennifer protested. How dare she refuse to help me out? Minerva nced at Sophie before nodding hesitantly in response. ¡°All right, I¡¯ll help you out.¡± Jennifer has always helped me with all my problems, so I can¡¯t turn her down now! Still, Sophie doesn¡¯t seem like an easy target. Is Jennifer¡¯s n really going to work? Will we really be able to humiliate Sophie? ¡°Trust me; it¡¯s going to work. Tristan won¡¯t like her anymore once we show him who she truly is!¡± Jennifer reassured her. Minerva was still doubtful about the n, but she knew Jennifer wouldn¡¯t listen to her advice at this point. Sophie was starting to get annoyed at the amount of unwanted attention she was receiving. Noticing her difort, Tristan decided to get her out of there. ¡°Why don¡¯t you go rest in my room for a bit? You haven¡¯t seen what it looks like, right?¡± he suggested. ¡°Everyone¡¯s gathered here, though. Given the asion, I don¡¯t think it¡¯d be appropriate for me to go to your room all by myself.¡± Sophie figured William would get even angrier if she hid in Tristan¡¯s room. ¡°I told you, you don¡¯t need to worry about what others think. Just get some rest if you¡¯re feeling tired. If anyone dares speak ill of you, I¡¯ll cut their tongues off to silence them forever!¡± Tristan reassured her. She¡¯s my woman, so she can do whatever she wants. I won¡¯t let anyone get away with badmouthing her! ¡°I don¡¯t care what others think, but this is your father we¡¯re talking about. Besides, it¡¯s his birthday celebration, so we should at least show him some respect!¡± Sophie didn¡¯t want to make William mad on his birthday. Since she was practically stealing Tristan from William, she didn¡¯t want to worsen the situation by making William hate her even further. ¡°In that case, you can rest in Ysabelle¡¯s room instead.¡± ¡°What¡¯s the matter, Sophie? Are you feeling unwell?¡± Ysabelle asked worriedly. ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± Sophie wasn¡¯t actually feeling unwell. She just didn¡¯t like being in crowded ces where she would receive a lot of unwanted attention. Meanwhile, Jennifer continued to take care of things at the party as though she was a member of the Lombard family. As if that wasn¡¯t bad enough, William¡¯s attitude toward her also gave everyone the wrong impression. Chapter 554 Chapter 554 William even mentioned Jennifer a lot while delivering his speech. Anyone who could read between the lines would know that he was very satisfied with Jennifer and wanted her as his daughter-inw. Naturally, Jennifer was overjoyed when she heard William dering his approval of her. Minerva shook her head when she saw the gleeful smile on Jennifer¡¯s face. ¡°I know you don¡¯t like to hear me say this, Jennifer, but winning Old Mr. Lombard¡¯s heart over doesn¡¯t mean anything unless Mr. Tristan likes you.¡± However, her advice fell on deaf ears as Jennifer couldn¡¯t care less about that. ¡°I¡¯ll be able to keep making progress with Tristan as long as I have Old Mr. Lombard¡¯s support.¡± I¡¯ll be sure to show Tristan that Sophie isn¡¯t worthy of being with him! Those who heard William¡¯s words understood full well what he meant and were staring at Sophie with mocking looks in their eyes. When it was time to present the gifts, Jennifer presented William with a very beautiful diamond. It was a one-of-a-kind item that couldn¡¯t be purchased anywhere. Sure enough, William was very pleased with how much effort she had put into the gift. ¡°Thank you very much for this wonderful gift, Jennifer. I don¡¯t think anyone else cares this much about me, so I really hope you will be a part of this family.¡± Jennifer simply kept quiet and shed him a gentle smile in response. ¡°See? Old Mr. Lombard really likes Jennifer! It looks like she haspletely won his heart over!¡± ¡°Exactly! Given Sophie¡¯s reputation, I doubt she¡¯d even qualify to marry into a wealthy family, let alone the Lombard family! Mr. Tristan is probably just fooling around with her or something. There¡¯s no way he¡¯ll ever marry her!¡± ¡°I know, right? Still, she does look quite pretty, though. Maybe I could try to¡ª¡± That man was halfway through his sentence when Tristan grabbed him by the throat, shocking everyone else around them. How dare he talk about Sophie like that? ¡°What are you doing, Mr. Tristan? I was just making a joke! You¡ª¡± Tristan cut him off by increasing the pressure on his throat. The man felt like he was going to have his windpipe crushed at any second. Jennifer quickly ran up to him and said, ¡°What are you doing, Tristan? We¡¯re celebrating Old Mr. Lombard¡¯s birthday! You wouldn¡¯t want to kill someone at his birthday party, would you?¡± However, Tristan ignored herpletely as he said, ¡°Who do you think you are, huh? How dare you badmouth my girlfriend in front of me? You are in no position to judge Sophie at all!¡± However, Tristan ignored herpletely as he said, ¡°Who do you think you are, huh? How dare you badmouth my girlfriend in front of me? You are in no position to judge Sophie at all!¡± Tristan then turned toward his subordinates and ordered, ¡°Throw him out and terminate all of his business partnerships with the Lombard family!¡± Jennifer went pale when she saw his response. ¡°Mr. Tristan, what are you¡ª¡± ¡°You¡¯d better shut your mouth, Ms. Whitley! You should know better than anyone else than to go around acting like you¡¯re a part of the Lombard family!¡± Tristan cut her off angrily. Jennifer fell silent from shock after hearing what he said. Wait¡­ What does he mean by that? ¡°Tristan! There are tons of guests at this party! Are you going to rip all of their tongues out as well?¡± William yelled furiously at him. This is exactly why I hate Sophie! As excellent as she may be today, nothing she does will ever change her past! With that in mind, William shot Sophie a re. Thetter simply stared back at him without flinching. Tristan walked up to Sophie and wrapped an arm around her waist as he announced, ¡°I will only say this once. Sophie is the only woman I will ever marry. Those who dare badmouth her shall suffer my wrath!¡± He loved Sophie so much that he would do anything to protect her from harm. Exclusive ? content by N(?)ve/l/Drama.Org. I will be her strongest pir of support! I won¡¯t let anyone harm her as long as I¡¯m alive! ¡°Tristan!¡± William was fuming, but Tristan ignored himpletely. Jennifer quickly rushed to his side tofort him, ¡°Please don¡¯t get angry, Old Mr. Lombard. It¡¯s your birthday celebration, after all.¡± William shot Sophie yet another disdainful re. This woman is nothing but trouble! Tristan has changedpletely after dating her! A man cannot have a weakness, or his enemies will exploit it to get at him! Sophie is clearly going to be his weakness, so I cannot allow them to be together! I will not let anyone be my son¡¯s weakness! Sophie held Tristan¡¯s hand as she asked, ¡°Why are you getting so worked up? You told me not to worry about what others say, didn¡¯t you?¡± Well, I bet Jennifer is having a st right now! For some reason, Tristan¡¯s anger subsided the moment he heard her voice. ¡°It¡¯s true that we shouldn¡¯t mind what others say, but I won¡¯t allow anyone to badmouth you on such a special asion!¡± I have what it takes to protect Sophie, so I will make sure to do so with everything I¡¯ve got! Ysabelle couldn¡¯t help but admire the treatment Sophie was receiving as she watched from the side. ¡°Hey, Felix! Isn¡¯t Uncle Tristan just charming?¡± She liked how Tristan would always take Sophie¡¯s side no matter what anyone else said. ¡°Eh, he¡¯s all right! I think I¡¯m a little better than him, though!¡± As a fellow man, Felix had to admit that Tristan was very charming when he protected Sophie. Sophie didn¡¯te to William¡¯s birthday party empty-handed, but it didn¡¯t seem like William would want to receive her gift. ¡°Are you okay, Sophie?¡± Ysabelle asked worriedly. No woman would possibly be okay with having their reputation dragged through the mud! There was nothing Sophie could¡¯ve done about her past! ¡°I¡¯m fine!¡± Sophie replied as the butler presented the gift that she had prepared. William didn¡¯t seem the least bit interested in her gift. Right as he was about to set it aside, Minerva quickly stepped forward and said out loud, ¡°I wonder what Ms. Tanner got Old Mr. Lombard!¡± ¡°Exactly! Old Mr. Lombard has everything money could buy, so I doubt her gift will be able to impress him at all! Well, given the Tanner family¡¯s capabilities, we shouldn¡¯t expect much out of her gift!¡± someone in the crowd chimed in as well. ¡°There¡¯s no need to open it. Just put it away!¡± William ordered. ¡°Old Mr. Lombard, I think you should at least take a look at her gift. Ms. Tanner would be upset if you let her efforts go to waste like that!¡± Jennifer said. ¡°That¡¯s right! You should take a look at it, Old Mr. Lombard! Who knows? It might just be something out of this world!¡± someone said sarcastically. The look in Tristan¡¯s eyes grew icy-cold when he heard that. I want to tear all these people a new one, but doing so will only make things worse for Sophie¡­ Ysabelle walked up to Sophie and took her hand as she said, ¡°Ignore them, Sophie! They¡¯re clearly just jealous of you!¡± Tristan made a mental note of those who made fun of Sophie so he could punish themter on. Chapter 555 Chapter 555 ¡°Fine. Since you¡¯re all so interested in Ms. Tanner¡¯s gift, I shall open it and have a look.¡± William wasn¡¯t interested in Sophie¡¯s gift, but he didn¡¯t want to disappoint his guests. Tristan narrowed his eyes as he observed everyone¡¯s reactions. They¡¯re all waiting tough at Sophie! The butler had no choice but to do as told and unwrap the gift. Everyone burst outughing when they saw what it was. What the¡­ Does Sophie not have anymon sense? It¡¯s fine if she chooses to gift Old Mr. Lombard something cheap, but why would she get him a counterfeit? ¡°We know that Tanner Group isn¡¯t exactly a hugepany, but you should at least gift Old Mr. Lombard something authentic! Do you really think we¡¯re all so stupid that we can¡¯t tell it¡¯s a fake?¡± Minerva taunted her. ¡°I think you need to go out and see the world so you wouldn¡¯t be so ignorant! You have no idea what you¡¯re talking about!¡± Sophie snapped back at her with a frown. I have no reason to be nice to these people! If they¡¯re going to be rude to me, then I shall respond in kind! ¡°Do you even realize what that is? That¡¯s a national treasure, Sophie! There¡¯s no way you could possibly afford something like that!¡± Sophie¡¯s gift was a long-lost national treasure that everyone wanted, but nobody was able to find it. There were rumors about it being in the possession of an Anndurn collector, so it didn¡¯t make sense for the item to be here. As ignorant as they may be, they knew Sophie couldn¡¯t possibly get her hands on such a gem. ¡°Oh, but it is the real deal. After all, it would only make sense to gift someone with something they like!¡± Sophie replied disdainfully. It¡¯s funny how she¡¯s mocking me when she¡¯s the ignorant one here! Minerva burst outughing when she heard that. ¡°Do you really take us all for fools, Ms. Tanner? There¡¯s no way Tanner Group could possibly get its hands on something like this!¡± Even William was stunned when he saw the gift Sophie got him. He was not expecting her to get him something like that at all. Being a patriot, he had tried really hard to acquire that national treasure so he could return it to the country. However, he wasn¡¯t able to obtain any information on it whatsoever. As such, having it appear at his birthday party was quite a surprise. ¡°Bring it to me!¡± Regardless of whether it was a fake, William wanted to get a closer look at it. It was something that had been troubling him for a very long time, so he needed to confirm it himself. It was something that had been troubling him for a very long time, so he needed to confirm it himself. The butler had assumed it was a worthless counterfeit at first. However, seeing William¡¯s response made him so nervous that his hands trembled as he brought it over. What if this is the real deal? You can¡¯t buy this with all the money in the world! All the other guests shook their heads in disapproval when they saw William¡¯s response. Just how badly does Old Mr. Lombard want that? It can¡¯t possibly be the real thing! Sophie is just a university student! There¡¯s no way she could get her hands on something like this! ¡°This can¡¯t be the real deal, Old Mr. Lombard!¡± Jennifer added. She refused to believe that a mere university student could possibly obtain a national treasure. Even so, William ignored her words as he took the gift over and inspected it carefully. As he had been researching it extensively, he did have some knowledge about it. Even so, William was unable to confirm if it was authentic. Determined to find out if the gift he received was the real deal, William turned toward his butler and said, ¡°I want you to contact the Chief of the Bureau of Cultural Affairs right away! Have them send some of their appraisers over!¡± ¡°It¡¯s definitely a fake, Old Mr. Lombard.¡± ¡°Yeah! There¡¯s no way a smallpany like Tanner Group could get its hands on such a gem!¡± ¡°Please don¡¯t let this girl fool you, Old Mr. Lombard. We know you value this treasure, but what you have here can¡¯t possibly be the real thing.¡± Those who were close to William tried to talk him out of it, but William stood firm on his decision. ¡°Only the appraisers can tell if this is a fake.¡± As much as William hated Sophie, he wasn¡¯t about to take such matters lightly. What if this is the real deal? If it is real, then I must hand this over to the country as soon as possible. There are far too many people who have set their sights on it! Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024. ¡°Tristan, get some more bodyguards over here right now!¡± Tristan immediately did as he was told. Unlike everyone else, he believed that the present was authentic because Sophie was the one who prepared it. Given its unique nature, it would indeed require extra protection from bodyguards. Still, I didn¡¯t expect Sophie to bring such a valuable gift for my father¡¯s birthday. After all, it isn¡¯t something that one can buy with money. I¡¯ve been searching for it for many years, but I never managed to find it. The Chief of the Bureau of Cultural Affairs came rushing over with a few appraisers immediately after receiving word about the national treasure. Their eyes went wide with shock after they saw what it was. The appraisers then got to work and began appraising the item. Naturally, Jennifer was extremely displeased with the amount of attention Sophie was receiving. ¡°Hey, Sophie! You do realize that there¡¯s no covering this up now that you got all these appraisers here, right? Are you that eager to embarrass yourself in front of everyone?¡± About ny-nine percent of the people at the scene believed it was a fake and were waiting tough at Sophie. Ha! What a na?ve girl! Does she really think she can deceive us with that dumb trick of hers? Sophie ignored Jenniferpletely. Apart from Tristan, Ysabelle was the only other person who believed in Sophie. After all, Sophie did gift her a gemstone that turned out to be worth a fortune. As such, she figured Sophie would put in extra effort in preparing a gift for William. Ysabelle knew that William had been looking for that national treasure since she was a child, so she was just as surprised as Tristan when she saw Sophie present it as a gift. ¡°How did you pull this off, Sophie? I can¡¯t believe you managed to get your hands on something so valuable!¡± Ysabelle eximed in admiration. Wasn¡¯t Sophie in Jipsdale this entire time? ¡°I have a few friends who specialize in finding this sort of thing,¡± Sophie replied vaguely, without mentioning who her friends were. Charles¡¯ eyes lit up with surprise as well. ¡°Do you have any more of these treasures, Sophie? If yes, could you give me one?¡± he asked, as Walter was also into such treasures. Sean shot him a warning re and said, ¡°Charles, could you not say such ignorant things? What do you think this is?¡± This is a freaking national treasure, for goodness¡¯ sake! You can¡¯t just ask someone for it! Charles let out a helpless chuckle and turned toward Tristan as he continued, ¡°You sure are lucky to have such a capable girlfriend, Mr. Tristan! I wish I had one too!¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but you don¡¯t stand a chance.¡± What? Is he thinking of making a move on Sophie? Chapter 556 Chapter 556 Charles felt a shiver down his spine when he saw the way Tristan was ring at him. ¡°I-I-I was just joking, Mr. Tristan! Even if I did like Sophie, there¡¯s no guarantee that she¡¯ll like me back!¡± he exined in an attempt to save himself from Tristan¡¯s wrath. ¡°Correction, I will never like you because you¡¯re not my type at all,¡± Sophie said. Ouch! That hurt! Am I really that bad? Is Sophie always that mean to others? ¡°My heart is broken again, Sean! Pleasefort me!¡± Charles pleaded. ¡°No, I don¡¯t think so. Your heart seems perfectly fine to me!¡± Sean replied. That¡¯s what he gets for breaking so many girls¡¯ hearts! Ysabelle couldn¡¯t help but chuckle as she said, ¡°See, Charles? This is payback for all those girls¡¯ hearts you¡¯ve broken in the past! One day, you¡¯ll meet a girl who will counter yboys like you!¡± Charles shook his head in response. ¡°No, that day will nevere! I would never give up an entire forest for a single tree!¡± There are plenty of beautiful women out there, so why should I limit myself to just one? Isn¡¯t it better to go around sampling them all? Ysabelle rolled her eyes at him. ¡°Honestly, I¡¯m really looking forward to seeing you meet your match.¡± ¡°As I said, there will never be such a person because I won¡¯t allow that to happen!¡± Charles repeated himself. He didn¡¯t believe in retribution for one¡¯s actions. Jennifer¡¯s eyes were filled with disdain when she saw the group fawning over Sophie. What¡¯s wrong with them? They¡¯re clearly knowledgeable people, so why would they believe that Sophie¡¯s present is the real deal? Do they take us all for fools? Sophie does not belong in this circle! The problem is, how can I get rid of her for good? I can¡¯t stand the sight of her! Minerva, who was standing beside her the whole time, could see that she was very upset. ¡°There¡¯s no need to stress yourself out, Jennifer. That thing has got to be a fake. She¡¯ll be the laughingstock of Jipsdale once those appraisers confirm that it is fake. On top of that, I think you should just forget about her. You two aren¡¯t rted at all, and she has always been calm andposed about everything. You¡¯lle off as the loser if you take her too seriously.¡± Jennifer made it this far because she¡¯s excellent in almost every aspect, but she started changing ever since Sophie showed up¡­ ¡°Shut up, Minerva!¡± Jennifer snapped at her impatiently. ¡°Shut up, Minerva!¡± Jennifer snapped at her impatiently. Minerva pouted and looked away in response. Being Jennifer¡¯s friend, she always had Jennifer¡¯s best interests in mind when giving advice or helping her out. However, Jennifer was so stubborn that she refused to listen to any of Minerva¡¯s advice, so there wasn¡¯t much Minerva could do. Meanwhile, the Chief of the Bureau of Cultural Affairs had arrived at a conclusion regarding the item¡¯s authenticity. ¡°Old Mr. Lombard, we have confirmed that this item is indeed the real deal. How did you find it? Could you hand it over to the country?¡± the chief asked excitedly. ¡°Really? Are you sure that this is authentic?¡± Although William was hoping for it to be authentic, he still got excited when he heard the chief say it. The chief nodded as he replied, ¡°That¡¯s right. These men are the best appraisers in the country, and they have all confirmed that it is indeed authentic. There¡¯s no way they¡¯d be wrong about this. I know you¡¯ve spent many years looking for this, but it means a lot to the country. Would you be willing to hand it over?¡± Everyone at the scene fell silent after hearing that. What? Is that really authentic? This isn¡¯t a joke or something, right? Naturally, Jennifer took it the worst out of everyone else. She knew just how badly William wanted to get his hands on that national treasure, but she wasn¡¯t able to get it for him. The diamond she spent a lot of money on was the best she could manage, but it paled inparison to Sophie¡¯s gift. Just like that, the diamond she presented felt like it had be worthless all of a sudden. That was probably the worst feeling she had ever experienced. Minerva had thought aboutforting her, but she held her tongue when she recalled Jennifer¡¯s stubborn attitude from earlier. She knew it was pointless to say anything if Jennifer wouldn¡¯t listen. Unless Jennifer gives up on this herself, nothing I say will change her mind. Tristan held Sophie¡¯s hand and asked, ¡°How did you pull this off? I didn¡¯t know you were capable of something like this!¡± ¡°Oh, I just had a few of my friends get it for me!¡± Sophie replied casually. Although she made no mention of the price she had to pay, Tristan was able to figure that out on his own. There¡¯s no such thing as a free lunch. Given how valuable this national treasure is, she must¡¯ve traded something of an equally high value for it. Why did she have to make such a huge sacrifice for me? ¡°I told you that you don¡¯t have to do anything, didn¡¯t I? All that matters is my feelings for you. What anyone else feels about you is irrelevant.¡± Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024. Not wanting him to worry about her, Sophie replied, ¡°You¡¯re overthinking it, Tristan. Getting this really was a piece of cake. Besides, you¡¯re not the only one with awesome friends!¡± While some people may find this task impossible, some can easily aplish it. Sean, Charles, Felix, and Ysabelle felt speechless when they heard that. Okay, then¡­ It looks like we¡¯re just not capable enough to have such powerful friends¡­ After giving it some serious thought, William decided to hand the national treasure over to the country. ¡°As you all know, I have indeed spent many years searching for this treasure with the intention of handing it over to the country. Now that I have found it, atst, it¡¯s only natural for me to do so.¡± The chief was close to tears as he said, ¡°You really are a hero, Old Mr. Lombard. I doubt anyone else would¡¯ve been willing to hand it over like this. I thank you on behalf of the country. Also, I¡¯ll be sure to mention your name when reporting about this. You can rest assured that the country will reward you properly for this!¡± I had a chance to be promoted to a much higher rank, but I remained in my current rank in order to look for this treasure. Who would¡¯ve thought I¡¯d be able to find it someday? The Chief of the Bureau of Cultural Affairs then stepped aside to make a phone call. About ten minutester, a group of soldiers arrived to retrieve the treasure. Everyone at the scene was so shocked that they would probably lose sleep that night. Since the military had gotten involved, they had no choice but to believe that the national treasure was authentic. But how did Sophie pull off such an amazing stunt? Isn¡¯t she just a university student with a pretty face? Just how many more secrets does she hold? Chapter 557 Chapter 557 Then, the national treasure was taken away. After all that had happened that night, everyone had a hard time trying to recollect themselves. Sophie was probably the calmest among them since she knew beforehand what would happen. To her, everything was within expectations, so there was nothing to be excited about. Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org. At that moment, William finally shifted his attention to Sophie. ¡°You¡¯ve fulfilled a long-standing wish of mine, so I want to return the favor. What would you like? You need only ask.¡± The man was nothing but grateful to Sophie because he knew how difficult it was to find the national treasure. When Jennifer heard that, she could not help but look nervously at Sophie. That woman probably only did what she did because she wanted to impress Old Mr. Lombard, so I don¡¯t see why she wouldn¡¯t push her luck after hearing him say that! I bet she¡¯ll demand to marry into the Lombard family! Even though Jennifer¡¯s fingernails dug deep into her palms because of their length and how hard she clenched her fists, she felt no pain at all. That was the only way to calm herself down, or she would lose her mind. Everyone then turned their attention to Sophie, convinced that the young woman only went through the trouble because she wanted to impress William. This is the perfect opportunity to persuade Old Mr. Lombard to allow her and Tristan to be together, so why would she let it go? ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it, Old Mr. Lombard. Today¡¯s your eightieth birthday, so it¡¯s only natural for me to get you a gift. That¡¯s all there is to it.¡± Sophie was confident that Tristan would be with her no matter what, so she had no reason to buy William off with the gift. Do the others think I¡¯m the kind of person who¡¯d offer presents in exchange for Tristan? ¡°Are you sure?¡± William, too, had thought Sophie would request him to agree to her and Tristan being together. Hence, he was surprised when she did not even bring up the matter. ¡°I wish you a long and happy life, Old Mr. Lombard,¡± voiced Sophie, who seemed as lovable as a doe then. William quickly forgot about the other gifts after receiving Sophie¡¯s. Even those from the Lombard siblings paled inparison. d that Sophie did not make the request she expected, Jennifer breathed a sigh of relief. As long as Old Mr. Lombard still hasn¡¯t agreed to Tristan¡¯s rtionship with Sophie, I¡¯ll have a chance to turn things around. Since it was gettingte, the guests began to leave one after another. Since it was gettingte, the guests began to leave one after another. Meanwhile, Sophie stayed beside Tristan, who did not have to see the guests off because Lincoln was around. William was tired, so he called it a night and went upstairs. ¡°Come on. I¡¯ll send you home. You must be tired too!¡± Tristan said to Sophie. ¡°What for? Just let her stay here for the night! There¡¯s no need to go out thiste,¡± chimed in Sarah. ¡°Yeah! If you don¡¯t want others to gossip, you can sleep with me tonight,¡± uttered Ysabelle. It shouldn¡¯t be a problem since Sophie¡¯s my friend, right? Even Grandpa can¡¯t find fault with that. ¡°Thank you, but I still think I should go home.¡± Sophie did not ept the offer because she did not want William to think she was pushing her luck. ¡°Sure. I¡¯ll send you home then.¡± Tristan never forced Sophie to do anything. Moreover, he would do his best to support her in everything she wanted to do. ¡°Okay!¡± On the way out, the two passed by Jennifer, who had been waiting patiently for Tristan to offer to send her home. ¡°Mr. Tristan, could I trouble you with sending me home?¡± Even though Jennifer hesitated for a long time, she eventually decided to make the request. After all, that was the reason she waited so patiently. Today¡¯s n didn¡¯t work because of Sophie¡¯s gift. Still, I won¡¯t give up no matter what. Tristan furrowed his eyebrows when he realized how persistent Jennifer was. ¡°Sorry, but I can¡¯t help you.¡± Even though the man apologized, there was nothing friendly about his tone. ¡°Send Ms. Whitley home!¡± Tristan ordered his driver before leaving with Sophie. Stunned, Jennifer could not help wondering if she had humiliated herself once again. Tristan had never once shown respect to Jennifer, and it made her feel terrible. ¡°It¡¯s gettingte, Jennifer. Let¡¯s go back and get some rest. There¡¯s no point in overthinking it.¡± Minerva had not left either because she wanted to wait for Jennifer. ¡°Okay.¡± At that point, Jennifer was already exhausted. Even though she had tried her best, she had nothing to show for it. Supporting Jennifer, Minerva wanted to tell her friend to stop equating hard work with sess, but she did not do so because she knew Jennifer would not listen. ¡°I¡¯m tired; I¡¯m going home. You should go back on your own!¡± Thest thing Jennifer wanted was to let others see how miserable she was then. Suddenly, she had lost all confidence. It seems Sophie isn¡¯t as easy to deal with as she appears to be. ¡°Are you sure you¡¯re okay, Jennifer? I really think I should send you home first!¡± insisted Minerva, worried about her friend. ¡°Didn¡¯t you hear what I said? I¡¯m fine.¡± Jennifer wondered why Minerva could not tell that she needed some time alone. Although Minerva dared not argue with Jennifer, she asked the driver to take care of her friend because she was still concerned. ¡°Ms. Whitley is in a bad mood, so please ensure she gets home safely.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Ms. Cook. I¡¯ll be sure to get Ms. Whitley back home safe and sound.¡± The driver knew he was responsible for sending his employer¡¯s guest home without a scratch. Only after watching the driver drive away with Jennifer did Minerva leave in peace. Meanwhile, Tristan had already sent Sophie back to her condominium in University City. When Sophie stepped out of the shower, she realized that Tristan was still in her room. ¡°Aren¡¯t you tired? Why are you still here?¡± Since it was quitete, Sophie did not think it was appropriate for a man to be in her room. Other people might also let their imaginations run wild. ¡°I can¡¯t sleep; I have a lot on my mind.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± Sophie approached the man, who towered over her with his height. She had to look up to gaze at him. As Tristan watched water roll down Sophie¡¯s hair and onto her chest, his breathing instinctively intensified. Making it more difficult for the man to stay calm was discovering that Sophie had stepped out of the bathroom without her underwear. Tristan found it almost impossible to resist Sophie when her perfectly shaped breasts were right in front of his eyes. Sophie immediately turned red when she lowered her head to see how exposed she was. Even though it was not her intention, her white pajamas had gotten soaked enough for Tristan to see her ample bosom. Immediately, Sophie reached out to cover the man¡¯s eyes. Chapter 558 Chapter 558 However, Tristan quickly pulled her into his arms, and the only thing between them was the thin cloth of her pajamas and his clothes. ¡°Tristan, what are you doing?¡± questioned Sophie, whose body was stered to the man. Sophie would never purposely excite Tristan, who had promised he would noty a finger on her until they got married, because she knew he would suffer for it. After all, Tristan was a man of his word. Seeing how aroused Tristan was, Sophie figured he would need another cold shower. I wonder if it¡¯s unhealthy for him to always take cold showers like that. ¡°I¡¯m fine; just let me hold you for a while!¡± Hugging Sophie was all Tristan wanted, nothing more. ¡°Okay.¡± Sophie then let Tristan hold her as if she was a gentle rabbit. However, no matter how much self-control Tristan had, he was still just an ordinary man who could not help but be physically stimted when embracing the woman he loved. It was almost impossible for Tristan¡¯s excitement to go unnoticed since Sophie¡¯s body was pressed against his. Since Sophie was well-versed in medicine, she knew just how much difort Tristan was in. Exclusive content from N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Do you need my help?¡± Even though Sophie was shy to ask the question, she did not want Tristan to suffer because she loved him very much. ¡°Are you sure?¡± Tristan never wanted Sophie to do anything like that for him since she was nothing short of an angel to him. However, he instantly lost the ability to say no after seeing Sophie nod in response. The fact that he needed her hand to relieve himself did not help with the situation. Fortunately, the process was so incredible that their rtionship ascended to another level even though they did not go all the way. Sophie went to the bathroom to wash her hands afterward, and when she came out, she saw Tristan lying motionless on the bed. ¡°Are you okay?¡± inquired Sophie, knitting her eyebrows and wondering what had happened to the man. After Tristan beckoned to her, Sophie walked over and joined him on the bed. ¡°Are you really okay?¡± asked Sophie again. ¡°I¡¯m fine!¡± ¡°Good,¡± responded Sophie in a low voice, for she was somewhat embarrassed and unsure how to talk to Tristan after what she had done for him. ¡°Thank you for everything, Sophie.¡± Tristan held the woman¡¯s hand. ¡°Thank you for everything, Sophie.¡± Tristan held the woman¡¯s hand. In response, Sophie buried her head in Tristan¡¯s chest and said nothing. The news of the Lombard family handing the long-lost national treasure over to the country caused a great stir, so much so that national leaders visited the Lombards personally to thank William for his contribution. The elderly man was even bestowed a special achievement award, which made him so happy that he could not stop smiling no matter who he met. Because of that, William also stopped picking on Sophie. Jennifer, on the other hand, was not only displeased to hear the entire Jipsdale singing Sophie¡¯s praises but also anxious to see how William¡¯s attitude toward the woman had changed. If Old Mr. Lombard doesn¡¯t side with me, it¡¯ll be even more difficult for me to get Tristan. For the past few days, the executives of Whitley Group felt as though they were walking on eggshells because they were all afraid of making any mistakes that would invoke Jennifer¡¯s wrath. One of them offended the woman in the morning meeting and was scolded so harshly that he almost broke down. Afterward, the executives could not help gathering for a discussion. ¡°What happened to Ms. Whitley in these past two days? She can¡¯t be going through menopause early, can she? What¡¯s up with her temper?¡± ¡°I know, right? Everything seems to annoy her. She definitely held nothing back when she was scolding.¡± ¡°I bet it¡¯s because she hasn¡¯t been with a man for a while now. Everybody knows that Mr. Tristan doesn¡¯t reciprocate her feelings for him.¡± Jennifer¡¯s face turned as grim as death when she walked out of the conference room and heard what the others had to say about her. Just when she was about to teach the executives a lesson for talking behind her back, Timothy Whitley quickly stopped her. ¡°You¡¯re getting out of line. How do you expect to run apany when you can¡¯t even separate your personal life from your professional one?¡± questioned Timothy rhetorically with a frown. Although Jennifer had always been his pride and joy, he was disappointed to see how emotional his daughter was then. Is it worth throwing everything away for just a man? ¡°Dad, I¡­¡± Seeing the disappointment in Timothy¡¯s eyes, Jennifer was suddenly at a loss for words. ¡°There are a lot of things that I¡¯ve never told you because I thought you, as a Whitley, would be sensible enough to refrain from doing anything that would embarrass our family.¡± Timothy had always thought Jennifer was exceptional, but she had let him down that day. ¡°I¡¯m sorry that I¡¯ve disappointed you, Dad,¡± apologized Jennifer, who had never felt more terrible because she really wanted to do everything right. ¡°Do you understand now? You are the pride of our family, so even Tristan isn¡¯t worth losing yourself over,¡± reminded Timothy as he patted Jennifer¡¯s shoulder. Unrequited love is nothing to be proud of. ¡°Okay.¡± On the other hand, Sophie had found her past few days to be quite trouble-free. Not only was she done with her dissertation, but TS Entertainment was also back on track after The Wheelers regained poprity. Even though the band was invited to participate in various events, Sophie had Jonathan turn down the unnecessary ones. The Wheelers is a band that focuses on music, so that¡¯s what they¡¯ll do. They shouldn¡¯t have to worry about anything else. As for Ysabelle, she was gaining poprity as well because of the sheer number of fans who loved her new album. Although she was not as well-known as The Wheelers, she had a promising future. Ysabelle¡¯s main goal was to help Sophie crush Whitley Group because she intended to keep her promise to the woman. That was also why Sophie went to the Tanner Group office much more frequentlytely. Whenever Victor saw Sophie, the usually cold and proud man would greet her with a big smile. Since Victor never greeted anyone else like that, everyone at the office joked about how he was always happy to see Sophie because he had feelings for her. ¡°Ms. Sophie, your n was very sessful, so everything has returned to normal. You can rest assured that thepany will run as smoothly as a flowing river in my hands.¡± ¡°Of course, I trust you.¡± Sophie would never have entrusted thepany to Victor if she did not believe in him. ¡°Do you remember the task I assigned youst time?¡± Chapter 559 Chapter 559 Sophie was definitely not joking about surpassing Whitley Group. Instead, she was seriously nning on doing so. ¡°Of course, I remember. I take everything you ask me to do to heart.¡± How could I possibly have forgotten about it? ¡°Has Jennifer been up to any tricks again recently?¡± She ended up on the losing end back during William¡¯s birthday party, so she would undoubtedly sabotage me relentlessly. ¡°Not at the moment, but even if she does pull any tricks, it¡¯s nothing for us to worry about.¡± Victor had great confidence in himself. While the outside world waxes poetry about Jennifer¡¯s capabilities, she¡¯s actually not all that impressive. If it weren¡¯t for her father, she couldn¡¯t have managed thepany so well. He had some interactions with Jennifer in the past, so he was fully aware of her capabilities. In truth, the rumors out there were overly exaggerated. That daughter of the Whitley family wasn¡¯t all that capable in reality. ¡°Keep your guard up in everything you do.¡± Indeed, there isn¡¯t much to fear about Jennifer. However, our rival is not the Whitley family alone, and surpassing thetter is merely our short-term goal, mused Sophie. ¡°Got it, Ms. Sophie! Don¡¯t worry, for I¡¯vemitted everything you said to memory,¡± Victor reassured deferentially. There aren¡¯t many whom I admire in my lifetime, but she¡¯s one of the few. As there wasn¡¯t much to do, Sophie scanned through information on the current condition of Tanner Group in the office for the entire afternoon. Her speed in doing that was incredibly fast. Even professional finance personnel would likely require quite some time to discern the problems in the reports, but she had already identified several issues in just an afternoon. When the finance manager was summoned to her office, he broke into a cold sweat. ¡°May I know what¡¯s wrong with the ounts, Ms. Sophie?¡± he inquired respectfully. Back when Yale was in power, the man was wholly ignorant, so there were some problems he neglected to handle. Well, I heard she¡¯s studying medicine, so she probably doesn¡¯t know much about finance! ¡°You¡¯re James Lestrange, yes? Let me put it in such a way¡ªif Ie tomorrow and still see the same reports, you may leave thepany.¡± Sophie¡¯s tone was as indifferent as ever. Upon hearing that, the finance manager¡ªJames Lestrange¡ªstarted sweating profusely. ¡°I¡¯m not sure what the problem is, Ms. Sophie. Do you mind telling me directly?¡± Nheless, he was convinced that she knew nothing about finance. If she really perceives the problems, she wouldn¡¯t possibly let me off the hook so easily, would she? At that, Sophie lifted her eyes. What does he mean by that? At that, Sophie lifted her eyes. What does he mean by that? ¡°You truly think I don¡¯t see the problems, don¡¯t you? This is yourst chance. If you don¡¯t wish to work here, you may leave.¡± Good Lord! The mistakes are so tant, yet he thinks others can¡¯t tell. ¡°Ms. Sophie, I¡ª¡± Just then, Victor came over, only to be greeted by that scene. ¡°What exactly is your problem, James? If you don¡¯t wish to work here anymore, feel free to leave right now,¡± he snapped unceremoniously. Ms. Sophie¡¯s capabilities are evident to all. If she says there are errors, then that must be the case! ¡°You can¡¯t do this to me, Ms. Sophie! I¡¯ve been working for thepany even when Old Mr. Tanner was here and contributed much in the past ten years and more.¡± James started capitalizing on his seniority. I worked alongside Old Mr. Tanner, and even he never said such harsh words to me. What right does she have to treat me in such a manner when she¡¯s merely a snot-nosed kid? Following his remark, Sophie couldn¡¯t help sneering. Well, well, well¡­ This is precisely the biggest problem in Tanner Group. There¡¯s a group of people thinking that I don¡¯t dare do anything to them because they¡¯ve been working here since my grandfather¡¯s time. Thus, they do nothing at work, hampering thepany¡¯s development. ¡°Since my grandfather has handed thepany over to me, I call the shots in Tanner Group now. If I fire you, then you¡¯re fired.¡± I already gave him a chance earlier. Since he doesn¡¯t n on appreciating it, there¡¯s no need for me to yak with him. Hearing that, James was livid. ¡°You¡¯re¡­ really¡­ I wonder if Old Mr. Tanner knows that you¡¯re so arrogant and high-handed!¡± ¡°Naturally, my grandfather knows my temperament full well. Therefore, you don¡¯t need to use him to threaten me, for he¡¯ll undoubtedly take my side.¡± If I don¡¯t have even that much confidence, how am I to manage thepany? James was so infuriated that he stormed off, mming the door behind him. ¡°Ms. Sophie, it¡¯s indeed true that James has been working here since Old Mr. Tanner¡¯s time.¡± ¡°So what? If he still hasn¡¯t redone the reports tomorrow, dismiss him straight away.¡± Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024. ¡°I¡¯m afraid that there¡¯d be the talk among the employees if you were to fire someone who¡¯s served the company for so long. At that time, your image will be tarnished. How about this? Push all the me onto me. I¡¯ll shoulder the responsibility.¡± No matter what, she¡¯s ady, so she shouldn¡¯t bear the brunt of gossip. Conversely, it¡¯s different for me. I¡¯ve always been ruthless, so no one would dare say anything were I to do such a thing. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Mr. White. I¡¯m not that fragile, so just let others say whatever they want.¡± Meanwhile, James went straight to the Tanner residence after leaving the office. When he arrived, he remained by Josiah¡¯s side and reminisced about the past. Recalling the days when they worked hard together, Josiah was animated beyond words. ¡°Oh well, if it weren¡¯t because I¡¯m really up in years, I truly want to continue striving with all of you. You¡¯re probably retiring soon as well, right? At that time, we can go fishing together. That¡¯ll also be great.¡± ¡°I know you don¡¯t disdain me, Old Mr. Tanner. But perhaps I¡¯m really getting on in age, for seemingly everything I do isn¡¯t to Ms. Sophie¡¯s satisfaction!¡± At longst, James gave voice to the reason for his visit that day. ¡°What do you mean by that?¡± Josiah quirked a brow. So, he only came here today toin? Anyway, Sophie is sensible and would never scorn him for no reason. ¡°I¡¯ve worked for Tanner Group all these years and have contributed much, Old Mr. Tanner. Since Ms. Sophie doesn¡¯t like me, I¡¯ll have no choice but to leave.¡± ¡°Ah, you came here today to tell me this, James? If you really want to leave Tanner Group, I¡¯ll speak to Sophie about it!¡± No matter what happened, Josiah would choose to side with Sophie, if for no other reason than her being the heir he selected. Hence, he would support any decision she made. ¡°Old Mr. Tanner!¡± Never had James expected the oue to be such. ¡°All right, I¡¯m tired, so let¡¯s call it a day.¡± Josiah¡¯s enthusiasm just now had all vanished into thin air. James¡¯ blood boiled, but he couldn¡¯t say anything since he was at the Tanner residence. Instead, he could only leave. At that very moment, sheer hatred toward the Tanner family welled within him. I¡¯ve worked for Tanner Group for more than ten years, yet this is what I get at the end of the day! I don¡¯t think anyone would be able to ept this! No sooner had he stepped out of the Tanner residence than a car stopped beside him. Jennifer alighted from the vehicle and walked over to him. Chapter 560 Chapter 560 ¡°You¡¯re James Lestrange from Tanner Group, yes?¡± Jennifer had a pair of sunsses perched upon the bridge of her nose, and she whipped it off with a flourish. Then, she continued, ¡°I know about your situation in Tanner Group. Are you interested in joining Whitley Group? I¡¯m Jennifer Whitley from Whitley Group!¡± ¡°Whitley Group?¡± It went without saying that James knew about Jennifer and Sophie being at odds. So, she came here today because she wants me to do something? ¡°As long as you¡¯re willing to do something for me, I can guarantee that your pay will be double your current sry when you join Whitley Group!¡± James deliberated for a while before he nodded. Tanner Group betrayed me first, so they can¡¯t me me for doing the same. If I were really dismissed by thepany at my age, life wouldn¡¯t be easy for me. It¡¯s best that I n for myself ahead of time! ¡°In that case, go back first. As for what I want you to do, I¡¯ll send it to your email. Remember to delete it after reading it!¡± After saying that, Jennifer climbed back into the car. I¡¯m going to destroy Sophie. Only then will I have an opportunity, and Tristan will finally notice me! So what if she¡¯s notably capable? I¡¯m still going to ruin her! The next day, James did as ordered by Jennifer and amended all the financial reports. As Sophie was checking through them, he studied her surreptitiously. Sophie scanned through the financial reports. This time, they were finally eptable. ¡°Mr. Lestrange, I hope you keep my words in mind and nevermit the same mistake again. Otherwise, you¡¯ll be fired immediately!¡± At once, James nodded. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Ms. Sophie! There won¡¯t be such an issue anymore in the future!¡± he promptly vowed with a smile. Subsequently, he added, ¡°Old Mr. Tanner is really blessed to have a capable granddaughter like you!¡± Sophie paid hispliment no mind. This is thest chance I¡¯m giving him. If he were to do the same thing again, I wouldn¡¯t be showing him any mercy. Only when James had left did Victor remark, ¡°Honestly speaking, Ms. Sophie, James is really untrustworthy. I¡¯m afraid that he¡¯ll do something else in the future.¡± ¡°That¡¯s true. Keep a close eye on him henceforth, lest he has some tricks up his sleeve!¡± ¡°Sure!¡± ¡°If there are others of a simr nature, hand them over to me to deal with. I won¡¯t allow them to stay here and ruin my grandfather¡¯s hard work!¡± After all, Tanner Group was the fruit of Josiah¡¯s blood, sweat, and tears. Since it had been handed over to her, Sophie wouldn¡¯t allow it to be destroyed. ¡°Got it!¡± Having obtained her approval, Victor naturally wouldn¡¯t hold back either, for it was indeed high time for some people to be kicked out. ¡°Got it!¡± Having obtained her approval, Victor naturally wouldn¡¯t hold back either, for it was indeed high time for some people to be kicked out. It had been a few days since Sophiest saw Nichs, so she thought he had already given up on her. Unexpectedly, he appeared before her again. That day, he wore a ck windbreaker, rendering him all the more ominous. However, he was handsome, so many daring women still wanted to approach him and strike up a conversation despite his aloof air. At the sight of Sophie, he got out of his sports car and strode over to her. ¡°Where are you going? I¡¯ll give you a ride!¡± In front of her, he seemingly turned into an entirely different person altogether. s, Sophie ignored himpletely and brushed past him. A frown marred Nichs¡¯ countenance. Ultimately, he shot his hand out and grabbed her arm. ¡°I¡¯m talking to you, Sophie. Did you not hear me? What exactly do I need to do for you to spare me a nce?¡± he growled furiously. I¡¯ve already lowered myself to such an extent, yet it¡¯s still not enough? ¡°Didn¡¯t I already tell you this? No matter what you do, it¡¯ll all be in vain.¡± I simply have no feelings for him, and nothing he does will change that fact! Verily, Nichs couldn¡¯t fathom why Sophie was so averse to him. ¡°How am I inferior to Tristan? Sophie, I really am not hoping you¡¯ll love me to the point of no return right now. I merely want a chance. I¡¯ll be content even if I only get to stay by your side and be friends with you.¡± That isn¡¯t too much to ask, is it? Why won¡¯t she agree to it? On the heels of that, he continued, ¡°Or do youck confidence in yourself, afraid that you¡¯ll fall in love with me?¡± This is the only reason, no? Otherwise, I really can¡¯t think of any other reason. At his words, Sophie couldn¡¯t help bursting intoughter. In all honesty, he¡¯s pretty narcissistic. I¡¯ve never had any romantic feelings for him. Indeed, I¡¯m somewhat dense when ites to matters of the heart, but I still know this much¡ªI¡¯ve never liked him from the very beginning. ¡°Why can¡¯t you get the meaning of rejection? It isn¡¯t because I¡¯m afraid I¡¯ll fall in love with you that I don¡¯t want to have too much interaction with you. Instead, it¡¯s because the mere sight of you annoys me.¡± Must he force me to put things so bluntly? But as long as it¡¯ll get him to give up on me, I don¡¯t mind being as straightforward as it takes. ¡°How dare you!¡± Nichs¡¯ expression changed in a sh. No one had ever dared to utter such a statement before him. In other words, Sophie was the first person to do so. Unfortunately, he didn¡¯t dare fly into a rage when it came to her.Exclusive content from N?velDrama.Org. ¡°I¡¯m not mad. I¡¯m not angry at all,¡± he cated himself continuously, trying his best to suppress his wrath. ¡°So what if you¡¯re mad or otherwise? It has nothing to do with me.¡± Sophie was still as candid as ever. Why can¡¯t he just understand when I¡¯ve said as much? Nichs¡¯ looks were truly too striking, especially whenplemented by his distinctive attire. That aside, Sophie was stunningly beautiful. For that reason, some of the onlookers whipped out their phones and snapped pictures of them confronting each other. Thedies were exceedingly excited to see the couple on the screens of their phones. Oh my God, this is simply a feast for the eyes! Their looks are on par with those of the celebrities in Koandrian dramas! It¡¯s a delight to witness such beauty in reality! Without warning, Nichs went down on one knee. ¡°I love you, Sophie! Marry me! I¡¯ll do anything you ask of me as long as you marry me!¡± His sudden proposal elicited bursts of cheers. After all, it was a consummate plot of a romance movie for a handsome man to confess his feelings to an equally beautifuldy. In response to Nichs dropping to one knee, Sophie scoffed. Hah! He really doesn¡¯t mind stooping to despicable means to achieve his goals, does he? How did he come up with the idea of proposing marriage to me? Nichs fished a small red box out of his windbreaker and opened it, revealing a huge diamond ring. ¡°Marry me. I don¡¯t mind doing anything you ask of me as long as you marry me.¡± Truly, that¡¯s the only request I have. ¡°You must have lost your mind, Nichs. How could I possibly marry you?¡± Sophie¡¯s expression was grim in the face of such a farce. He might love grandstanding, but that doesn¡¯t mean I like being part of his show for others to watch! At that, Nichs grabbed her wrist. ¡°Why aren¡¯t you the least bit touched when I¡¯ve already gone to such lengths? What exactly is so great about Tristan?¡± He was on the verge of descending into a manic episode, but he did his utmost best to restrain himself in front of her. Nheless, his eyes had started turning scarlet. Naturally, Sophie noticed something amiss with him. There¡¯s a crowd here. If he were to really lose control of himself now, he¡¯d probably murder countless people. Chapter 561 Chapter 561 ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± Sophie ordered coldly for the sake of the onlookers¡¯ lives. ¡°No way! There¡¯s only one thing I want today, and that¡¯s for you to say yes to my marriage proposal.¡± Nichs refused to settle for anything less. ¡°What absurdity!¡± Sophie hated being threatened more than anything else. Snatching the ring box out of his hand, she tossed it away without hesitation. ¡°Are you satisfied now?¡± After saying that, she spun on her heel and left. It¡¯s his business if he descends into a manic state, and it¡¯s also the onlookers¡¯ choice to stay here and watch. As such, they should bear the consequences themselves, no matter what happens next. She didn¡¯t spare the ring box even a nce, nor had she any idea how much effort he had expended to buy that diamond ring. Ultimately, she didn¡¯t care a whit about all that. On the other hand, it went without saying that Nichs was devastated. Why did things end up like this? Is it not because of Tristan? In this case, I¡¯ve got no choice but to kill him. Only by doing so will Sophie belong to me alone! When Nichs returned to the mansion he had just bought, Alex immediately knew that something must have triggered Nichs again with just a look at his state. Therefore, whoever set him off would undoubtedly end up bearing the brunt of his fury. Alex had everyone else leave the living room, hoping to minimize the damage as much as possible. Just when he was about to leave as well, Nichs caught sight of him and called him back. ¡°Alex, do you all think that I¡¯m a lunatic?¡± the man demanded out of the blue, a scarlet haze nketing his eyes. If Alex were to say something Nichs didn¡¯t want to hear then, he would definitely go on a killing spree. Alex racked his brain for a way to voice things in a way that he wouldn¡¯t hurt Nichs. ¡°You¡¯ve always been a remarkably outstanding person, and we all respect you greatly, Mr. Nichs.¡± Well, I wouldn¡¯t possibly dare say that he¡¯s indeed a lunatic! ¡°Respect? Haha! I don¡¯t need your respect. All I need is Sophie! Go and make the arrangements.¡± Nichs¡¯ abrupt order had Alex at aplete loss regarding the arrangements the man wanted him to make. In the next second, Nichs dered, ¡°Kill Tristan! Eliminate him no matter the price!¡± If that¡¯s the only solution, so be it. Regardless of the cost of doing so, I¡¯ll bear it as long as I attain my goal. Everything else doesn¡¯t matter. ¡°But Mr. Nichs¡ª¡± It¡¯s Jipsdale here, not Anndur. Even in Anndur, we might not be able to kill Tristan easily, much less when we¡¯re now here in his territory! ¡°Why, are you questioning my orders now? Or do you not regard me as your employer at all?¡± Nichs¡¯ eyes were icy cold. It was as though they could freeze someone to death. ¡°Why, are you questioning my orders now? Or do you not regard me as your employer at all?¡± Nichs¡¯ eyes were icy cold. It was as though they could freeze someone to death. ¡°Understood, Mr. Nichs. If you so wish it, we¡¯ll obey you to the letter.¡± From the look of things, nothing I say at this point will make a difference, so my only choice is to y along with him. It wasn¡¯t until Nichs heard Alex¡¯s affirmative reply that he calmed down. ¡°Make all the necessary arrangements. I want Tristan to die a tragic death!¡± There¡¯s no need for me to say anything else, for that¡¯s the only oue I want! ¡°Understood, Mr. Nichs.¡± ¡°You¡¯re dismissed!¡± Nichs wanted to have some time alone as he was not in the mood to say anything further. ¡°You haven¡¯t had lunch, Mr. Nichs. I¡¯ll have someone prepare some food for you.¡± However, Nichs waved a dismissive hand. I¡¯m not in the mood to eat now. How could I possibly eat when Sophie treated me with such contempt? ¡°Mr. Nichs¡ª¡± ¡°Go and make the arrangements I asked of you! I¡¯ll certainly have a feast when you¡¯ve killed Tristan. Right now, I¡¯ve got no appetite at the mere thought of him!¡± At that exact moment, Tristan, who was at Lombard Group, sneezed several times uncontrobly. Seeing that, Felix, Sean, and Charles exchanged a look. ¡°Mr. Tristan, we all know that you and Sophie are head over heels in love with each other, but you still need to take care of yourself, okay? Don¡¯t overindulge in the pleasures of the flesh!¡± We¡¯re grown men, so we understand. How could he possibly restrain himself when he has such a beautiful girlfriend? He must be going wild every night! In response, Tristan swept a gaze over them all. ¡°Where did the minds of the lot of you go? Get them out of the gutter!¡± Despite saying that, he couldn¡¯t help wondering whether he was sneezing nonstop because Sophie was missing him. I wonder what she¡¯s doing right now. At the sight of him daydreaming, the three men couldn¡¯t help bursting intoughter. ¡°By the way, Felix, what¡¯s the progress between you and Ysabelle? What base are you at after waiting for such a long time?¡± Charles asked, curious. That had Felix shooting him a re. ¡°Do you think everyone is like you, striving for a home run in everything? I n to spend forever with her, so I¡¯m in no hurry!¡± Indeed, he wasn¡¯t in any hurry, for he enjoyed the current process greatly. He found nothing wrong with taking this one step at a time. ¡°Oh God, why are the lot of you so useless? Shall I teach you all a few tricks?¡± Exclusive content from N?velDrama.Org. There are tactics to a man treating a woman, okay? At that, Tristan snorted coldly. ¡°Forget it! I don¡¯t need you to teach me anything!¡± Hah! What can he teach me? It¡¯s all the same, no? Dejection swamped Charles. ¡°Among us, I¡¯ve got the most experience with women. Why won¡¯t you all listen to me?¡± I truly can¡¯t figure them out. ¡°Because we¡¯ve all got bottom lines,¡± Felix answered unceremoniously. ¡°Are you saying that I¡¯ve got no bottom line?¡± Charles became even more depressed as he had always been victorious when it came to conquering women. The other three men bobbed their heads in unison. Isn¡¯t that obvious? He doesn¡¯t have the least bit of self-awareness! Following their reply, Charles inhaled deeply. Fine, then. It won¡¯t do me any good to argue otherwise. Since they wouldn¡¯t listen to him, he could no longer be bothered to impart his experience to them. Meanwhile, Minerva was scrolling through TikTok at home when she suddenly came across the video of Nichs proposing to Sophie. She wasn¡¯t acquainted with Nichs, but she recognized the woman as Sophie at a single nce. Although the video was rather blurry, she still managed to identify thetter. Hmm, Sophie is also involved with another man? If Tristan were to learn about it, the entire matter might not be so simple anymore! Without even bothering to change, she rushed over to Whitley Group in search of Jennifer right away. Jennifer was inexorably thrilled after watching that video. Tristan is an arrogant man, so he undoubtedly won¡¯t be able to tolerate any betrayal! And who is this man? He looks like a ruthless person as well. Most importantly, he seems to like Sophie a lot. If he were to get together with her, wouldn¡¯t Tristan be mine? ¡°Thank you, Minerva! This is really important to me!¡± Tristan can only belong to me alone. No one else is allowed to steal him away from me! That was the first time Minerva had ever seen Jennifer smile in a long time. ¡°While I showed you this video, Jennifer, I still want to give you a piece of advice¡ªif all things fail at the end of the day, just give up!¡± Chapter 562 Chapter 562 After all, Tristan wasn¡¯t the only man in the world. In the face of Minerva¡¯s advice, Jennifer shed her a blinding smile. ¡°You don¡¯t understand, Minerva. You¡¯ll know when you fall in love with someone in the future. If it were so easy to give up, then you don¡¯t really love him in the first ce.¡± All things said, true love doesn¡¯t give up easily. ¡°But one-sided love is sheer agony. It¡¯s nothing to the person on the receiving end, but it¡¯s too painful for the person with the unreciprocated feelings!¡± Minerva was aware of Jennifer¡¯s feelings in the past ten years and knew how much she had suffered. If this is love, I¡¯d rather not fall in love for the rest of my life. I really don¡¯t want to be put through the wringer. Subsequently, Jennifer eagerly made a call to the most renowned private detective agency in Jipsdale. ¡°Remember this¡ªmoney is not an issue as long as you uncover this man¡¯s identity!¡± Seeing her all worked up, Minerva wasn¡¯t sure whether she had done the right thing in showing Jennifer the video. As a friend, she naturally hoped that Jennifer would have her wishe true. But then, the sight of the woman in such a frenzied state had a sliver of regret creeping into her. It¡¯s clear as day that Sophie is no easy prey. Is it really okay for Jennifer to remain so obstinate? And would she end up getting hurt in the end? If that happens, wouldn¡¯t I be the culprit of it all? Ultimately, she could only leave Jennifer¡¯s office silently, incapable of dissuading thetter. Well, such is her nature. As long as it¡¯s something she wants, she¡¯ll want to procure it even if it means stooping to despicable means. I only hope she doesn¡¯t get hurt in the end. But it¡¯s just a matter of having a detective agency investigate a man¡¯s identity, so it should be fine. Only when Jennifer had ended her call with the private detective agency did she realize that Minerva was no longer there. Nevertheless, she wasn¡¯t bothered about it. At that moment, she was in a great mood. I¡¯ll just wait and see Sophie¡¯s tragic end. Since she dares to steal my man, I¡¯ll certainly have her regret it! When Sophie arrived at school, she was greeted by the sight of Simon standing at the door, blocking her path. Her brows knitted together. ¡°Move aside!¡± On the contrary, Simon was all smiles. ¡°I was in the wrong about what happened previously. I hope you can forgive me. As you know, my father is the director of the biggest private hospital in Jipsdale. Why don¡¯t you consider joining us when you graduate in the future?¡± he queried ingratiatingly. It was prettyte then, so many were already seated in ss. They all went green with envy upon hearing that. Whoa! That¡¯s thergest private hospital in Jipsdale. Whoa! That¡¯s thergest private hospital in Jipsdale. Needless to say, that hospital offered the highest pay and best benefits. Countless peoplepeted among themselves to work there, yet Sophie was offered a position in the hospital without having to expend any effort. As such, she naturally drew envy from others. ¡°She¡¯s really something else! It¡¯s just been a few days, but she already has Simon wrapped around her little finger!¡± We haven¡¯t even graduated, yet she already has such a golden opportunity! ¡°How sickening is it that she¡¯s going around and seducing men all the time just because she¡¯s beautiful!¡± ¡°Hear, hear! I noticed that many boys like her, but she¡¯s too aloof, so no one dares to pursue her!¡± ¡°The lot of you are obviously jealous! She¡¯s the most outstanding student in our ss at present, so even the biggest public hospital in Jipsdale would undoubtedly fall all over itself to have such a prodigy join them, much less private hospitals!¡± Eventually, Sandra couldn¡¯t stand listening to them anymore. Simon merely has his sights set on Sophie¡¯s talents! ¡°What do you mean by that, Sandra? Or have you already ingratiated yourself with her, huh?¡± It went without saying that Greta was loathed to hear someone defending Sophie. She had always liked Simon and hoped to join his family¡¯s private hospital. s, he remained unmoved even after she had pursued him for such a long time. Hence, resentment inundated her that he was showing Sophie such favor then. ¡°So what if I have?¡± If it were in the past, Sandra absolutely wouldn¡¯t want to yak with them. But right then, she had to side with Sophie when thetter had been so good to her. ¡°Oh, really?¡± Greta snorted disdainfully. I might not be able to do anything about Sophie, but Sandra is a different story altogether! The look in her eyes promptly clued Sandra in as to her intention. ¡°Let me warn you, Greta. You¡¯d best not y any tricks. Otherwise, don¡¯t me me for showing you no mercy!¡± Meanwhile, Sophie stared at Simon in front of her. Why do his words sound so familiar? And why is it that everyone hopes that I¡¯ll join their hospital? ¡°Sorry, I¡¯m not interested in your family¡¯s hospital at all. Also, you¡¯d best move out of my way right now. Otherwise, you might very well be the next patient who¡¯s sent to your family¡¯s hospital!¡± Everyone else never expected her to give up such a golden opportunity when it was a chance others could only dream of. ¡°Since Sophie doesn¡¯t want to join your family¡¯s hospital, Simon, how about I do so instead?¡± After all, it was no easy feat to find a good job these days. ¡°Count me in!¡± Simon swept a scornful gaze over them. ¡°Dream on!¡± Hah! Do they think that anyone canpare to Sophie? Truly, they think too highly of themselves! Despite having been rebuffed in public, he didn¡¯t fly into a rage. He merely moved aside wordlessly and allowed Sophie to enter the ss. Sophie went to her seat with her bag on her shoulders. The look in Greta¡¯s eyes as she glowered at Sophie was so sinister that it was as though it had been steeped in poison. At that very instant, the urge to kill Sophie gripped her. I went to great lengths in hopes of securing all that, but she got them without any effort. Worse still, she doesn¡¯t appreciate them in the least! Sheer resentment flooded her. Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024. As soon as Sophie sat down, Sandra came over. ¡°Sophie, if you encountered this problem, how would you solve it?¡± She had been reading a surgical casebook recently, in which were some ssical surgeries. Sophie scanned her eyes over it before giving voice to her thoughts. When the others heard Sandra asking that question, they all perked up their ears. Upon hearing the solution then, they were impressed beyond words. Sure enough, a prodigy will always be a prodigy! She¡¯s incredible! Likewise, Sandra gazed at Sophie with admiration written all over her face after listening to thetter¡¯s answer. Simon, on the other hand, was wholly stunned. As expected, she¡¯s a genius! I must get her to join my family¡¯s hospital! After sses ended in the evening, Sandra and Sophie headed out to have dinner together. However, before they had even reached the cafeteria, Sophie received a call from Ysabelle. It turned out that thetter came over to look for her. Thus, the party of two turned into a party of three. Sophie made the introductions. Ysabelle and Sandra were both outgoing people, so they got along smashingly in no time. ¡°Sophie, I heard from Uncle Tristan that you¡¯re nning to skip a grade?¡± I¡¯ve previously heard of people skipping grades in elementary, junior high, and senior high, but I never thought that she would want to skip grades when she¡¯s now studying at the University of Medicine and Jipsdale University both. Are the sses really that easy? ¡°What? Skip a grade?¡± Sandra was wholly floored. The courses at the University of Medicine aren¡¯t simple at all, are they? ¡°Yeah.¡± However, Sophie merely nodded as though they were speaking of the weather that day. Chapter 563 Chapter 563 ¡°Isn¡¯t it fun to enjoy your university years to the fullest? Why skip a grade? s, I can never understand what it¡¯s like to be a top student.¡± Ysabelle was perfectly content with how things were at that moment. It¡¯s wonderful to be able to do whatever I want and date whoever I want, so what¡¯s the rush? ¡°I don¡¯t want Mr. Tristan to wait too long. We said we¡¯d get married after graduation.¡± Words eluded Ysabelle as she shook her head in slight disapproval. ¡°You two¡­¡± Is there a need to unt your affection for one another like that? Then again, it¡¯s not like I¡¯m still single. Sandra nodded nkly. In truth, she didn¡¯t understand what it was like to be a top student either, and she was an extremely introverted person. Hence, getting acquainted with new people was not her stronghold. ¡°Once you leave, I don¡¯t know who I¡¯d go to if I encounter a problem I can¡¯t solve!¡± shemented. ¡°You cane to me if there¡¯s anything you can¡¯t solve by yourself. I¡¯m not graduating right away, so I¡¯ll still be at the University of Medicine.¡± Sophie nned to condense the five-year program into two short years. ¡°All right!¡± Nevertheless, they were still going to be at the same university. Ysabelle and Sandra knew of Sophie¡¯s ns to skip grades, but they weren¡¯t expecting her toplete the entire program in just two years¡¯ time. ¡°Looks like you¡¯re really into Uncle Tristan,¡± Ysabellemented. ¡°Otherwise, you wouldn¡¯t be so eager to marry him.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not that I¡¯m eager. I just don¡¯t want him to wait too long. After all, he seems pretty insecure, and if that¡¯s the case, it¡¯d be better for us to tie the knot as soon as possible,¡± exined Sophie. ¡°Hm? Why didn¡¯t Felix bring this up to me? Could it be that he¡¯s not nning on marrying me and just wants to date me for the fun of it?¡± The more Ysabelle thought about it, the more she felt something was off. Meanwhile, Felix let out a sneeze,pletely unaware of the misfortune that was waiting for him. That night, Tristan went to pick Sophie up. These days, if he didn¡¯t have anything important to attend to, he¡¯d pick her up from either the University of Medicine or Jipsdale University. Hence, there wasn¡¯t a single person on both campuses that was unaware of the fact that Sophie was taken, and there was nothing her admirers could do but mend their broken hearts. Noticing the look they were shooting him, Tristan grew smug. Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org. Yes, that¡¯s right. I love it when they can¡¯t stand me but still can¡¯t win against me. What a delightful feeling! On the other hand, Sophie was already used to them reacting this way, so she merely walked past them with her gaze focused on the path ahead. All of a sudden, Tristan wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her into his arms. All of a sudden, Tristan wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her into his arms. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± She had hardly gathered her wits when she noticed a red sports car speeding away. Sophie furrowed her brows at the sight of that. Speeding on campus was an utterly despicable thing to do, but unfortunately, the sports car was too fast for Sophie to catch a glimpse of its license te. A line had formed between Tristan¡¯s brows as well. If he hadn¡¯t reacted quickly, she would¡¯ve gotten hurt, and the mere thought of that filled him with rage. Who on earth has a death wish? The couple continued strolling down their path. At that moment, they didn¡¯t investigate the matter further, but they were certainly nning on figuring out who was behind the wheel once they got home. Someone had to teach the reckless driver a lesson, after all. Naturally, everyone else bore witness to the scene as well. ¡°Someone¡¯s going to be in huge trouble.¡± ¡°So what? They deserve it! This is a university campus. What¡¯s so impressive about having a sports car?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right! Fortunately, my goddess wasn¡¯t hurt!¡± ¡°Oh, how I wish I was the damsel in distress! He¡¯s so handsome!¡± ¡°I wish I had a boyfriend like that. He¡¯s practically perfect!¡± A single move from the perfect couple was enough to cause a stir, but the two remained clueless about themotion they had unintentionally created. Meanwhile, Jennifer was displeased, for the private detective was unable to find out the man¡¯s identity. Thus, she drove to the agency. This was the hardest task the agency had ever encountered since its establishment. ¡°Ms. Whitley, there¡¯s nothing we can do. We know absolutely nothing about the man.¡± ¡°Am I not paying you enough? If that¡¯s the case, then name your price. I can give you all the money you want!¡± Jennifer believed there was nothing in the world that couldn¡¯t be resolved using money, but the agency didn¡¯t want to ruin its own reputation over the matter. ¡°This isn¡¯t about money, Ms. Whitley.¡± ¡°Not about the money? Then is it a skill issue? You call yourselves the best private detective agency in Jipsdale, but that¡¯s not true at all! I¡¯m going to shut you down today so you won¡¯t go around scamming people again!¡± she bellowed, her eyes red with anger. This was a lead she had painstakingly obtained, and naturally, she wasn¡¯t willing to give up just like that. The harder it was to find out anything about the man, the more she felt something was amiss. ¡°There¡¯s really nothing we can do, Ms. Whitley. How about this? We¡¯ll refund the deposit to you.¡± This time, the private detective agency had bit off more than they could chew. Jennifer narrowed her eyes menacingly as she gave them a once-over. ¡°I think you lot have no intentions of working in Jipsdale any longer!¡± After making a huge fuss in the agency for a long while, she finally stepped out of the building. It didn¡¯t take long for her toe into Nichs¡¯ field of vision. At that moment, he was in his car. ¡°That¡¯s her, Boss,¡± his subordinate reported. Danger glinted in Nichs¡¯ eyes as he looked at her. ¡°Who does she think she is? How dare she investigate me? Teach her a lesson.¡± Does she think anyone would be able to run an investigation on me? Is the Sable family a joke to her? On the way back, Jennifer was hit by a car and sustained severe injuries. Convinced that it was Sophie¡¯s doing, she hated the woman to the bone. ¡°What? Jennifer was injured?¡± Sophie was doubtful when she caught wind of the news from Ysabelle. After all, why would Jennifer get injured out of the blue? ¡°She deserves it. You know she¡¯s been wishing misfortune upon you, so this is great! She¡¯s the one who¡¯s out of luck.¡± Ysabelle felt no sympathy for the woman and continued, ¡°I heard her face is pretty messed up. She¡¯s the vainest person I know, so I bet she¡¯s in misery right now.¡± Anyone who was at odds with Sophie was an enemy of Ysabelle¡¯s. Hence, there was no reason for her to feel an ounce of sympathy for Jennifer. ¡°Yeah.¡± But are things really as simple as that? Then again, Jennifer¡¯s matters have nothing to do with me. ¡°Sophie, seeing as Grandpa hasn¡¯t been looking for trouble with youtely, I guess your gift worked!¡± I didn¡¯t expect Grandpa would be bought over with a gift, but oh well! The gift was pretty impressive, after all. Josiah hadn¡¯t been feeling well, but he refused to go to the hospital. Left with no other choice, Morgan could only give Sophie a call. In the end, it was Sophie who brought her grandfather to the hospital. Even so, the elderly man didn¡¯t fail to nag at the butler while they were on their way to the hospital. ¡°Morgan, it seems you¡¯ve developed a habit of disobeying my words,¡± he chastised. ¡°Grandpa, Morgan did it for your sake. You should go to the hospital for a checkup if you¡¯re not feeling well. How could you conceal your illness like that?¡± Chapter 564 Chapter 564 Josiah waspletely docile in the face of his granddaughter. Hearing her words, he nodded without hesitation. ¡°I know you¡¯re right, but I know my body the best. I¡¯m fine, really.¡± The elderly man didn¡¯t see the need to worry or trouble anyone by making a trip to the hospital since he was in good health. However, Sophie insisted on getting him a medical checkup. ¡°We¡¯ll let the doctor decide if you¡¯re fine or not. What you say doesn¡¯t count!¡± Do people fear going to the doctor¡¯s more as they get older? Geez! ¡°Gosh, you¡¯re all so busy. There¡¯s no need for you to apany me there. I know where the hospital is.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not that busy,¡± said Sophie nonchntly. ¡°I have time to spend with you, so don¡¯t worry about a thing and go for the checkup.¡± Exasperation inundated Josiah. There was nothing he could do but obey his granddaughter and do as she instructed¡ªget the checkup done. ¡°Thank goodness you¡¯re here, Ms. Sophie. Old Mr. Tanner only listens to you now.¡± At this point, the patriarch of the Tanner family wouldn¡¯t listen to anyone but Sophie, so the rest of the family couldn¡¯t persuade him at all. ¡°Give me a call if anything happens to Grandpa. It doesn¡¯t matter how serious it is.¡± To Sophie, her grandfather was her foremost priority, so no matter how busy she was, she¡¯d make sure to take time to attend to him. Having served Josiah for many years, Morgan knew thetter¡¯s temperament like the back of his hand. ¡°Okay. Don¡¯t worry, Ms. Sophie. I¡¯ll take good care of Old Mr. Tanner,¡± he reassured. Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org. Arius apanied Josiah to the checkup. A frustrated expression hung on the former¡¯s countenance when the checkup was done. ¡°Old Mr. Tanner, didn¡¯t I tell you toe to me if you were feeling unwell? Why didn¡¯t you heed my words? I know you¡¯re afraid that Sophie might be worried, but you could alwayse to visit me in private,¡± he chastised. Sophie cares about her grandpa a lot. If she finds out about his condition, she¡¯ll be gued by worry. ¡°Arius, you¡¯re Sophie¡¯s best friend. I know you care about her, so please don¡¯t tell her about my condition. I¡¯m fine.¡± Arius cast a disapproving look at the old man. Those who knew Sophie also knew how much she cared for her grandfather. ¡°But if something happens to you, she¡¯ll be very upset.¡± ¡°I think there¡¯s nothing wrong with my body. My organs are failing, but isn¡¯t that normal for someone my age? What can we do about it?¡± No one could change the course of nature. Since his fate was sealed, Josiah would dly ept what was toe. As a doctor, Arius knew that the old man was right. Some things could be resolved using medicine, but aging was a natural process that no one could stop. As a doctor, Arius knew that the old man was right. Some things could be resolved using medicine, but aging was a natural process that no one could stop. One could only ept it. ¡°Regardless of everything, I¡¯m right here. If you¡¯re feeling unwell in the future and don¡¯t want Sophie to know, you can let me know, all right?¡± ¡°Okay. Remember, tell Sophie I¡¯m fine,¡± reminded Josiah once more. In doing so, he was hoping his granddaughter wouldn¡¯t be worried about him. ¡°Sure. I¡¯ll send your medicine to the Tanner residenceter. You have to take them on time.¡± There were some things that humans couldn¡¯t alter, but at the very least, they could slow the process down. ¡°All right, I got it. You have to remember not to tell Sophie about this.¡± ¡°Rest assured, Old Mr. Tanner.¡± Arius then sent Josiah out. Just as expected, Sophie had been waiting all the while. She came running over the moment she saw them. ¡°How was it?¡± She cut straight to the chase. Sophie wasn¡¯t officially a doctor yet, so she couldn¡¯t perform a medical checkup on her grandfather. Nevertheless, she could tell that something was wrong with him. ¡°It¡¯s nothing big. It¡¯s normal for elderly people to have some health issues here and there.¡± Geriatric diseases weremon in the elderly poption. However, Sophie was well-versed in medicine, so she didn¡¯t believe what Arius was telling her. For the time being, however, she didn¡¯t expose the ruse. ¡°Okay. I¡¯ll take him home and give you a call later.¡± ¡°Sure. Go ahead.¡± Due to an uing surgery that he was scheduled for, Arius didn¡¯t walk them out. A joyful grin hung on the old man¡¯s lips as the grandfather-granddaughter duo made their way back home. ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you? I¡¯mpletely fine! Why won¡¯t you believe me?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t not believe you.¡± I¡¯m just worried. Josiah was the person Sophie cared for the most. Of course, she¡¯d be worried about every little thing that concerned him. ¡°Oh, Soph! Listen to me. Dying is part of the circle of life. When that dayes, I hope you won¡¯t be too upset.¡± There was nothing much one could do to tackle the natural progression of life. Death was inevitable. ¡°I don¡¯t like hearing you say that, Grandpa.¡± It was one thing for her to be aware of her grandfather¡¯s mortality and another to ept it. Josiah sighed in resignation. Seeing this, Sophie could only give in. ¡°All right, I understand. But before that dayes, you have to listen to the doctors and do as they say, okay?¡± The elderly man nodded in response. ¡°I know, I know. I¡¯ll obey the doctor¡¯s instructions.¡± Josiah didn¡¯t want to die either, as there was one thing he still wished to do¡ªgive his granddaughter away to Tristan. At the very least, he had to hold out until that moment, and he was determined to do just that. After sending her grandfather home, Sophie was about to make a trip to the hospital when she bumped into Willow on her way out. It had been some time since the two womenst saw each other. Her older sister had been on her best behavior, so much so that Sophie almost forgot about her. Willow¡¯s face was devoid of expression when she saw her younger sister. She wasn¡¯t a match for Sophie, and gradually, she hade to ept that fact. Despite that, she didn¡¯t want to admit defeat just yet. She continued to work hard in hopes that, one day, she could crush her sister under her feet. Seeing that Willow wasn¡¯t stirring up any trouble, Sophie merely ignored her and called for the driver. She then asked the driver to take her to the hospital. Willow turned over her shoulder and spared her sister a look. She¡¯s still as arrogant as she was in the past. I¡¯ve hated this side of her ever since she was young! I hate it when she acts all high and mighty, as if she¡¯s better than everyone else. Jealousy was an awful feeling, but Willow was helpless. The only thing she could do was to wait and strike when the time was right. Meanwhile, Sophie arrived at the hospital as Arius was in the middle of a surgery. She was about to wait for him in his office when she bumped into the hospitalized Jennifer. The woman had sustained some injuries to her face, and at that moment, her entire face was wrapped in bandages, making her look utterlyical. Jennifer always paid attention to her image, yet she bumped into her love rival while she was in such an awful state. Naturally, she wasn¡¯t thrilled about the encounter. Sophie knew about Jennifer¡¯s ident, but she couldn¡¯t recognize thetter at first nce and continued moving forward. In response to Sophie ignoring her, Jennifer confronted the woman. ¡°Was this your doing, Sophie?¡± Sophie halted in her tracks. It wasn¡¯t until she heard the voice that she recognized who the bandaged woman was. Chapter 565 Chapter 565 Annoyed, Jennifer questioned, ¡°I¡¯m talking to you right now, Sophie! Didn¡¯t you hear me?¡± Sophie examined the woman in front of her in detail. Doesn¡¯t she know how ridiculous she looks right now? ¡°Don¡¯t you know you shouldn¡¯t speak nonsense like that, Ms. Whitley? What does your ident have to do with me? You and your awful character are to me for what happened, not other people,¡± she spat. ¡°You!¡± At that moment, Jennifer wished she could tear Sophie apart. ¡°I know you¡¯ve been envious of me, Ms. Whitley. However, I must remind you that jealousy is useless. There are some people who¡¯ll never belong to you no matter how hard you try.¡± Sophie was pretty confident in Tristan. A furious smile formed on Jennifer¡¯s countenance. ¡°Is that so? Do you think no one will know what you did, Sophie? Do you think Tristan will still like you if he finds out you have another lover other than him?¡± ¡°So what if other people know about it?¡± Sophie responded nonchntly because she didn¡¯t think she had to refute or admit to anything she didn¡¯t do. ¡°You must be feeling very smug right now. Don¡¯t worry; one day, I¡¯ll kick you away from Tristan¡¯s side!¡± Jennifer paled greatly because she was getting too emotional while still unwell. In response, Sophie ignored her and left. When Jennifer¡¯s mother, Caylie, approached Jennifer and saw how she was doing, the older woman shook her head and chided, ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you not to run around since you¡¯re still hurt, Jennifer?¡± ¡°Mom, I want to call the police. I¡¯m sure my ident must be because of Sophie! She did it because she doesn¡¯t like me.¡± Jennifer sounded confident. Her mother shook her head. ¡°What¡¯s the point of you doing that when you have no evidence, Jennifer?¡± Why is my daughter acting like this? She didn¡¯t use to be like this. ¡°Who else can it be but her, Mom?¡± ¡°There really isn¡¯t any evidence that points to who caused your ident, Jennifer,¡± Caylie reminded. ¡°Are you saying I deserve what I¡¯m going through today?¡± ¡°Mind your attitude, Jennifer Whitley. Your recent performance has disappointed us a lot. We are your parents. You should be respecting us.¡± Jennifer felt bitter when she heard that. ¡°Even though you¡¯re my parents, you two never stood up for me. I bet you two won¡¯t even give a damn if I was bullied or died during this ident.¡± At that moment, she wasn¡¯t willing to listen to what anyone was saying, nor was she able to control her emotions. Caylie furrowed her eyebrows. Why did my daughter be like this? Caylie furrowed her eyebrows. Why did my daughter be like this? ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Mom. I shouldn¡¯t have said that. I was wrong.¡± When Jennifer saw the disappointment in her mother¡¯s eyes, she finally calmed down. Regardless of what happens or what I want to obtain, I¡¯ll do my best to get it myself. I shouldn¡¯t take my anger out on my family. Jennifer was still Caylie¡¯s daughter and the only child of the Whitley family, so, of course, she felt awful about her daughter¡¯s situation. ¡°All right, you haven¡¯t fully recovered yet, so you should rest in your ward. You still have your dad managing thepany, so you don¡¯t need to worry about that. As for Tristan, I think you should give up on him.¡± Even though she knew Tristan was very impressive, she was also aware he had no feelings for her daughter. There¡¯s nothing that can be done about it except for Jennifer to ept the reality of things. While Jennifer didn¡¯t say anything, she obviously wasn¡¯t going to give up. Meanwhile, Sophie had been waiting in Arius¡¯ office for him. Two hours had passed by the time he returned. Exclusive ? content by N(?)ve/l/Drama.Org. When he saw her sleeping on the couch, he approached her and attempted to cover her body with his coat. However, just as he tried to do that, she woke up. ¡°Is your surgery over?¡± ¡°Yep! After the director knew I was back, he assigned a few patients to me almost immediately. I can¡¯t say no to that crafty man, so I¡¯ve been feeling rather exhaustedtely.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t tire yourself out too much. It would be best if you declined to perform more operations like this and give yourself time to recover. Otherwise, you¡¯ll be fatigued.¡± ¡°I know! Anyway, you¡¯re back because of Old Mr. Tanner, right?¡± ¡°Mhm. You don¡¯t need to hide anything from me. I¡¯m learning medicine, so I know a lot about it. It¡¯s just that there are still some things that need to be examined with the help of medical instruments.¡± ¡°In that case, you should keep himpany more often if you have the time. You know how it is when people get old. Even a divine or prodigious doctor won¡¯t be able to save him forever.¡± It was one thing for Sophie to be aware of her grandfather¡¯s mortality and another to hear it directly from a doctor¡¯s mouth. Suddenly, she fell silent. Arius¡¯ heart ached when he saw her like that. He knew how much she cared about her grandfather. If not for the old man, she probably wouldn¡¯t have returned to Jipsdale at all. ¡°Are you all right?¡± At that moment, he didn¡¯t know how tofort her. Sophie took in a deep breath. Regardless of the result, I must be willing to ept it. It¡¯s not like I¡¯m unaware of Grandpa¡¯s current condition. ¡°There¡¯s no need for you to be sad. Just spend more time with him! Older folks tend to hope the people they care about will always be by their side,¡± Arius said. ¡°I understand. Just make sure he doesn¡¯t know that I¡¯m aware of his condition when you deliver him his medicine.¡± ¡°Mhm.¡± It moves me to see how much this pair of grandfather and granddaughter cares about each other. That night, when Tristan visited Sophie and saw her spacing out, he instantly knew something was wrong. ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± he asked. She replied, ¡°My grandfather¡¯s body isn¡¯t doing well. Even though thest operation was very sessful, it still can¡¯t stop the inevitable¡­¡± ¡°I see.¡± He hugged her tightly. ¡°Arius can¡¯t do anything about it?¡± ¡°Doctors can only treat illnesses, not the aging process or death. There¡¯s nothing he can do about it, and nothing can change that fact.¡± Tristan¡¯s embrace grew tighter. At that moment, there was no need for him to speak any further. He would rather just stay by her side like that because nothing he said would change Josiah¡¯s condition. ¡°I¡¯ve been too busytely that I haven¡¯t had the time to keep himpany.¡± Sophie felt bad for not being able to stay by Josiah¡¯s side. ¡°How about you go spend some time with him, then?¡± Tristan was aware the person she cared about the most was her grandfather, so he was willing to let her do that. ¡°No, he doesn¡¯t want me to know about his condition! That¡¯s why I can¡¯t go back to him now. However, I do know his greatest wish is to entrust me to you personally. That¡¯s why I want to graduate as soon as possible so he can do that.¡± It was why she had been working so hardtely. The sooner she graduated, the sooner she could marry Tristan. ¡°I won¡¯t let him down,¡± he assured. I know Old Mr. Tanner¡¯s greatest wish is to see Sophie happy. Now that Sophie and I have gotten together, I¡¯ll be responsible for her happiness. Standing on her tiptoes, Sophie kissed Tristan on the lips. It was an affectionate kiss. Gradually, the atmosphere became amorous as hisrge hands subconsciously unsped her undergarment. He had never done that before, yet he was a natural at it when the opportunity arose. Chapter 566 Chapter 566 Sophie was lost in the heat of the moment as she was pressed against the door and given a passionate kiss. Tristan wasn¡¯t doing any better as he wasn¡¯t willing to let her go, even after they were both panting. Her soft body was fatally alluring to him. However, he resisted the temptation to go further at thest second. Resting her head on his shoulder, Sophie panted. Frankly, she was impressed by his ability to control himself at that lustful moment. For a long while, Tristan didn¡¯t move an inch because he felt like he was going to explode at any moment. If this continues, I¡¯ll go crazy! ¡°You know I can¡¯t touch you, so can you stop seducing me, Sophie?¡± Because of her arousal at that moment, her pretty eyes appeared doe-like and innocent to him when she raised them to look at him. ¡°When did I seduce you? I just couldn¡¯t help but kiss you earlier. I wasn¡¯t trying to seduce you. ¡° In response, Tristan could only sigh. ¡°In that case, how about we stay in separate ces? Will that make things easier for you?¡± Naturally, Sophie wouldn¡¯t push further if he was insistent. It didn¡¯t make her feel good to see him suffer, after all. Immediately, he shook his head when he heard that suggestion. ¡°No, I want to stay with you. Even if I can¡¯t truly ¡®have¡¯ you and can only watch, I still want to stay with you.¡± ¡°But this isn¡¯t good for your body! I¡¯m suggesting it for your own good, you know,¡± she exined. ¡°I¡¯m fine!¡± Tristan insisted. ¡°All right, then.¡± ¡°Let me hug you for a little longer!¡± Even though it was gettingte, and he should head back to rest, he still wanted to hug her for a while more. Sophie¡¯s heart felt warm when she heard the affection in his voice. She continued to lie in his embrace for a few more minutes before he let her go. ¡°Take a bath and go to sleep early. Don¡¯t overthink things. If we spend a bit more time with your grandfather, he¡¯ll be happy,¡± Tristan proposed. ¡°I bet he doesn¡¯t want much right now, just thepany of people. We can do that for him.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± At that moment, Sophie appeared exceptionally meek, making him want to do naughty things to her. ¡°All right, just head in quick. Otherwise, I won¡¯t be able to control myself anymore.¡± Back in the past when Tristan didn¡¯t have a girlfriend, he wasn¡¯t that horny. However, ever since he had one, he realized he was quite the animal, wanting to devour his fair maiden all the time. She couldn¡¯t help but giggle. She couldn¡¯t help but giggle. ncing at her, he grumbled, ¡°Why are youughing? Whose fault do you think this is, huh? Don¡¯t you have any sympathy for me at all? I can¡¯t believe you¡¯re stillughing at me. You¡¯re so mean.¡± Instead of leaving, she hugged him. ¡°I never expected you to have such a cute side!¡± After nting a kiss on Tristan¡¯s cheek, Sophie rapidly returned to her room. A bitter smile was seen on his face as he watched the door close. I decided to wait until our wedding night to do it with her, so all I can do is bear this agony before that happens. It¡¯s fine, however, because I won¡¯t need to control myself after that night. As he thought about the things he could do to her after their wedding night, a certain part of his anatomy reacted once more. He couldn¡¯t help but curse, ¡°Sh*t!¡± I didn¡¯t know I was such an animal. It¡¯s not that I can¡¯t feel like this about anyone; it¡¯s just that Sophie¡¯s the only one who can elicit this reaction from me. Meanwhile, Jennifer was finally discharged from the hospital. The wounds on her face were healing well. Although, the scars were quite obvious. Staring at the mirror, she was deeply dissatisfied with her looks. After all, she had always cared about her appearance, and her face was something she had always been proud of. It was why the scars on her face were making her extremely ufortable. Then again, any woman would mind scars on their face. Almost everything in her room had been smashed by her. When Caylie heard themotion inside her daughter¡¯s room, she was upset. Why did my good daughter turn out like this? Right now, no matter what we say to her, she won¡¯t listen. All of this is because of the Lombard family. If Old Mr. Lombard hadn¡¯t given her hope, she wouldn¡¯t have be like this. Now that my daughter has fallen into this state, he¡¯s been neglecting her! The Lombard family doesn¡¯t care about the Whitley family at all! ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± When Timothy heard themotion, he also approached Jennifer¡¯s room. ¡°I think you should have a talk with Old Mr. Lombard. He was the one who initially gave Jennifer hope. Thus, he must take responsibility for what our daughter has be.¡± In the end, Caylie would still side with her daughter, no matter what. Shaking his head, Timothy replied, ¡°You need to stop enabling her. So what if Old Mr. Lombard likes her? Tristan¡¯s a tyrant. Do you think anyone can control him? Besides, it¡¯s not like matters concerning romantic feelings can be manipted by others.¡± ¡°Then are we supposed to just do nothing? You saw what our daughter has be. She can¡¯t move on!¡± ¡°What do you suggest we should do, then? Even if Tristan marries her, do you think she¡¯ll be happy? There¡¯s no way someone can be happy for the rest of their life if they marry someone who doesn¡¯t love them. We only have one daughter. Don¡¯t you wish to see her happy, too?¡± N?velDrama.Org content. Of course, Caylie understood what he was saying. She simply couldn¡¯t bear to see her daughter like that. ¡°If you have time, you should try to talk some sense into her. I still need to head to thepany, so I¡¯ll be going now.¡± Then, Timothy left. Caylie didn¡¯t feel great about the situation, but she knew the Lombard family wasn¡¯t a family anyone could afford to mess with. When Minerva came to visit Jennifer, she noticed there was barely any space in thetter¡¯s room for her to walk in. Still, she managed to reach Jennifer¡¯s side andforted her, ¡°Are you doing all right, Jennifer? Don¡¯t be like this, okay? You¡¯ve always been a strong, independent woman! Everyone¡¯s always admired you! Don¡¯t be like this because of a man! As excellent as Tristan is, he¡¯s just one guy.¡± She couldn¡¯t understand why her friend was acting like that because of a man. When Jennifer raised her head to stare at Minerva, thetter shuddered because the look in the former¡¯s eyes was too frightening. ¡°I¡¯m going to make Tristan break up with that nasty woman! Everything I experienced today, I¡¯ll make sure to pay her back two-fold!¡± Regardless of what others said, Jennifer was dead set on ming Sophie for her situation. Minerva advised, ¡°This car ident is just, well, an ident, Jennifer. Don¡¯t push all your problems onto someone else. It won¡¯t make you feel better. I know you feel stuck right now and that you can¡¯t find a way out of this situation, but¡ª¡± ¡°How is it possible that this has nothing to do with her?¡± Jennifer refused to believe her friend. ¡°I¡¯m going to make her suffer! After investigating her, I learned that the thing she cares the most about is her grandfather. If I can capture her grandfather, she¡¯ll do whatever I tell her to do!¡± Chapter 567 Chapter 567 A look of insanity filled Jennifer¡¯s eyes. As long as I have a hold on Sophie¡¯s weakness, I¡¯ll be able to make her do whatever I want her to do! With this, I¡¯ll make her suffer! It¡¯s her fault for snatching my man away! ¡°Are you crazy?¡± Minerva stared at her in disbelief. ¡°If you really mean what you said, then you¡¯re not the Jennifer I knew in the past anymore! The Jennifer in front of me right now is just a madwoman!¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. I am mad. No one is allowed to take the man I have my eyes on from me! There¡¯s no way I¡¯ll give up after waiting so long!¡± Shaking her head, Minerva uttered, ¡°I¡¯m telling you this as a friend, so listen to me well. If you continue down this path, you¡¯ll destroy yourself.¡± If not for their established bond since childhood, she really wouldn¡¯t have bothered to care about Jennifer at this point. ¡°Even you refuse to believe me, Minerva? I just want the love I deserve. Is that so wrong?¡± Jennifer had always been an excellent girl who could get whatever she wanted. That was why she was having such a hard time epting the reality of her doomed love. ¡°Can¡¯t you see that Tristan loves Sophie?¡± Minerva closed her eyes, unable to bear looking at the current Jennifer. At those words, Jennifer leaped to her feet. She red at Minerva in a manner that resembled a snake preparing to strike. Minerva stepped backward as she was terrified by Jennifer¡¯s expression. ¡°Aren¡¯t you my best friend, Minerva? Is it really okay for you to hurt me like this?¡± Jennifer demanded. Shaking her head, Minerva rebuked, ¡°Since you aren¡¯t willing to listen to anyone right now, I¡¯m not going to speak further! However, I still want to advise you to be kinder. Sophie¡¯s grandfather did nothing wrong! There¡¯s no need for you to drag an old man into this!¡± That was all she had to say to Jennifer, who felt so unfamiliar to her at that moment. It feels like I¡¯ve never met the woman in front of me before. As Jennifer watched Minerva leave, she smiled. It seems like no one supports me. Even though she¡¯s my best friend, she doesn¡¯t believe me too! How can she act that way? It doesn¡¯t matter. One day, I¡¯ll show everyone that I¡¯m right. Tristan will be my man! Lately, Alex¡¯s eyelid had been jumping. Truth be told, people who worked in the same field as him tended to be superstitious. It was why he had recently been having a bad feeling that something terrible would happen. When he contacted Javier, he reported the recent situation to the old man. When he contacted Javier, he reported the recent situation to the old man. Javier had already returned to Anndur, though he also had no idea what to do about Nichs. ¡°Old Mr. Sable, Mr. Nichs wants to kill Tristan. However, we¡¯re in Jipsdale right now. Even if we were back in Anndur, I¡¯m not sure it¡¯d be possible to kill him. Tristan is just too unpredictable! If this continues, I¡¯m afraid¡ª¡± Alex cut himself off when he saw Nichs entering the room. ¡°It seems like you have a pretty bad memory, Alex!¡± Nichs¡¯ voice sounded icy, akin to a chilling wind in the height of winter. In response, Alex hung up the phone. ¡°Mr. Nichs, I¡­¡± At that moment, Nichs seemed so terrifying that Alex couldn¡¯t help but step backward. Pointing his gun at Alex, Nichs yelled, ¡°Why do you still not know what kind of person I hate the most, even after staying by my side for so many years?¡± There was no way Alex didn¡¯t know what kind of person Nichs was after all these years. It could even be said that he knew Nichs better than thetter knew himself. However, regardless of what he was going to say, it would be of no use because Nichs, in his utterly crazed state, wouldn¡¯t listen to anyone at that moment. Still, Alex attempted to calm him down. ¡°I was wrong, Mr. Nichs!¡± ¡°Wrong? If you knew you were wrong, you wouldn¡¯t keep repeating the same mistake. It seems like the lesson I taught youst time wasn¡¯t enough,¡± Nichs threatened. With no other choice, Alex kneeled and uttered sorrowfully, ¡°I¡¯m doing this for your own good, Mr. Nichs! You know what kind of person Tristan is! We can¡¯t kill him in Jipsdale!¡± ¡°Is Tristan more powerful than me in your mind? There¡¯s no one in this world I can¡¯t kill!¡± In response, Alex shook his head. ¡°He¡¯s not more powerful than you, but this is his territory. No matter what we do, it won¡¯t be as convenient as if we were still in Anndur.¡± Nichs was enraged. ¡°Do you think you have the right to keep staying by my side when you can¡¯t even handle such a simple task?¡± Then he pulled the trigger. The shot didn¡¯tnd on a vital organ, though. After all, he still had an emotional connection with Alex because thetter had stayed by his side for many years and did so many things for him. ¡°This is yourst chance. If I catch you doing this again, I won¡¯t show you any mercy!¡± Nichs asserted. Staring at the gunshot wound in his thigh, Alex smiled bitterly. Mr. Nichs is actually a pretty sentimental guy. It¡¯s because of Sophie that he became so stubborn and obsessed. If he had never met her, he wouldn¡¯t have turned out like this. As I expected, love can make someone better or destroy thempletely. Is Sophie¡¯s death the only way for him to return to his original self¡ªthe cold, prideful head of the Sable family? If that¡¯s the only way, then I¡¯m willing to sacrifice my life to kill Sophie. Once again, Nichs stalked Sophie. He was well aware of what she had been doing throughout the day. The only problem was that he didn¡¯t have the guts to show up in front of her again. He wasn¡¯t even scared of dying, yet he was afraid of hearing her utter those words once more because they only brought him utter despair. Of course, Sophie knew someone was stalking her. She was getting annoyed after being followed for the whole day, so she directly confronted him. ¡°What will it take for you to give up, Nichs?¡± The only reason she was dragging things out instead of just killing him was that Josiah would definitely not forgive her. ¡°I¡¯m just watching you from a distance. I¡¯m not affecting you in any way, am I not?¡± Nichs responded humbly. Why is it so hard for me to just like someone? ¡°You¡¯re affecting me by stalking me.¡± Standing in front of him, Sophie looked as though she was going to fight him in the next second. ¡°I just want you to look at me a little more, Sophie. Is that so much to ask for?¡± Nichs still thought his request wasn¡¯t anything outrageous. ¡°I love Tristan, and nothing anyone can do will change my mind!¡± ¡°Do you believe in him that much? Is he really as good as you think he is? What if he betrays you? Will you still trust him then?¡± ¡°No, he wouldn¡¯t betray me!¡± She understood Tristan very well. It was only natural she was confident in the person she handpicked as her life partner.Exclusive ? content by N(?)ve/l/Drama.Org. Chapter 568 Chapter 568 ¡°What if he did? Nothing in this world is unchanging,¡± Nichs insisted. If it really happens, will she leave Tristan? ¡°I told you he won¡¯t. He¡¯s the man I chose, so I haveplete trust in him,¡± Sophie replied. The unreserved trust she had for Tristan was something Nichs was exceedingly jealous of. ¡°What can I do to make you forget about him?¡± he asked. She¡¯ll only be able to remember me after forgetting about Tristan, right? Hearing that, Sophie frowned. She was used to Nichs¡¯ maniacal demeanor, but it seemed like it had worsened. ¡°Nichs, it¡¯s best if you book a visit with a psychiatrist,¡± she uttered, giving him the best suggestion she could think of. ¡°All of you think there¡¯s something wrong with me, don¡¯t you? But I think I¡¯m fine. All I¡¯m doing is loving you, and if you say that there¡¯s something wrong with me loving you, then there¡¯s nothing else I can say to you.¡± Nichs did not think it was possible for him to be ill. In his opinion, he was perfectly fine. ¡°Those with mental illnesses will never believe that they have an illness,¡± she said, for that was not the first time she had heard something like that from him. ¡°Aren¡¯t you a student of the University of Medicine? Why don¡¯t you treat me then?¡± It would be easier for him to ept it if the doctor were Sophie. ¡°Sorry, but I¡¯m in the surgery program,¡± Sophie said. I can¡¯t do it unless what you need is for me to open you up. ¡°Can I ask you a question?¡± Nichs then uttered. In response, she nodded. ¡°Would you learn psychiatry if the one who¡¯s ill is Tristan?¡± Hearing that, Sophie drew her brows together, but in the end, she nodded. If Tristan were in Nichs¡¯ position, she would not hesitate to study psychiatry. ¡°Then can you study it for me?¡± Nichs inquired. Sophie shook her head. ¡°Nichs, you don¡¯t belong here, and nothing here belongs to you. Go back to Anndur. They have the best psychiatrist there, and it¡¯s time for you to visit one.¡± She knew that he would undoubtedly lose his mind if things went on. ¡°I don¡¯t want to. I want to be wherever you are. Even if I¡¯ll only be able to breathe the same air you¡¯re breathing, staying here is much better than returning to Anndur,¡± he insisted. He did not care if everyone else in the world disagreed with him. Sophie was bewildered as to what kind of charm she could have to make him obsess over her. She had never done anything to Nichs, and she never thought of doing anything to make him fall for her. ¡°Frankly, I have no idea which part of me you¡¯re enamored with. I don¡¯t remember ever doing anything to you,¡± she voiced. I would never try to get involved with a man like him. I would never try to get involved with a man like him. ¡°Love has no reason. Isn¡¯t that just how it is? If you think it¡¯s possible to define it, can you tell me why you love Tristan, then?¡± Nichs replied. If it can be controlled, then it isn¡¯t love. However, Sophie did not want to waste her breath on him anymore. Hence, she uttered, ¡°Don¡¯t tail me anymore. Nothing will ever change.¡± Regardless of whatever he said, her mind would never change. Nichs knew what kind of person she was. Perhaps she¡¯ll only return to me if I make her forget about Tristanpletely. When he returned to the mansion, he summoned Alex. ¡°Alex, haven¡¯t you always wanted me to go back to Anndur?¡± he asked, having calmed down after seeing Sophie. As of then, he seemed perfectly fine. Alex knew it would be the easiest tomunicate with Nichs at that moment. Hence, he nodded. ¡°Mr. Nichs, this ce really isn¡¯t our territory. If we linger here, we¡¯ll be in greater danger,¡± he coaxed. They were only temporarily safe because Tristan had yet to find out they were there. Furthermore, Sophie had her misgivings, which was why she did not deal the fatal blow to them. Nevertheless, that was not something that wouldst forever. ¡°Go contact Professor E!¡± Nichs ordered. ¡°Mr. Nichs, you¡¯re finally willing to meet Professor E!¡± Professor E¡¯s the only one who can help with Mr. Nichs¡¯ mental illness. ¡°No. I want to ask a favor of him,¡± was Nichs¡¯ reply. He was sure that hypnotizing someone would not be a problem for Professor E. ¡°Mr. Nichs¡ª¡± Alex started, but he mped his mouth shut when he saw Nichs¡¯ refusal to borate on the topic. ¡°I don¡¯t want to repeat myself. It¡¯s time for you to start knowing your ce,¡± Nichs warned, not wanting to resort to cruelty. After all, Alex had been by his side for over a dozen years. He was more than a subordinate to him. ¡°Of course, Mr. Nichs,¡± Alex answered. Even though he knew nothing of Nichs¡¯ n, he had to obey any of his superior¡¯s instructions. Maybe things will be lessplicated if Professor E has a talk with Mr. Nichs! Meanwhile, Jennifer finally discovered Nichs¡¯ identity, and it was only then that she learned he was the one who caused her to get into the car ident. ¡°D*mn it!¡± As of then, Jennifer was in her office. The moment she registered the information on the documents, she was beside herself with rage, consumed with a strong urge to kill Nichs there and then. Yet, Nichs was not a man she could kill. ¡°Ms. Whitley, this is all the information we¡¯ve gotten. These people aren¡¯t people we should be crossing, so please don¡¯t ask us to look into this anymore.¡± Even the people at the private detective agency were terrified. If Nichs were to find out that they had been snooping around, they would be dead meat. ¡°You can leave now. Don¡¯t talk about this to anyone. I¡¯ll be transferring the money straight into your ounts,¡± she ordered. From the documents, it was clear that Nichs was head over heels for Sophie. Jennifer, of course, was delighted to find out the answer to the question she had been wondering. I wonder what Tristan will feel when he sees these photos. I truly wish to know what the look on Sophie¡¯s face will be like after she finds out about this. After Sophie was done with her morning sses, she went out of the room with Sandra, thinking of getting something to eat at the cafeteria. It was there she spotted Jennifer. ¡°Sophie, she must be here for you,¡± Sandra said when she noticed Jennifer staring at Sophie. ¡°She¡¯s no one important. Just ignore her.¡± Sophie did not want to bother herself with Jennifer, for she saw no point in wasting her precious time on someone as trivial as her. Yet, Jennifer jogged over to her. ¡°We need to talk,¡± Jennifer said in an arrogant tone. It was because she felt that she had the upper hand. However, Sophie did not even lift her head to look at her. ¡°What do you want for lunch?¡± she asked Sandra instead. At that, Sandra glimpsed at Jennifer, who was dressed in business attire. She doesn¡¯t look like a good person at all. In fact, she¡¯s annoying! ¡°Sophie Tanner, I¡¯m talking to you! Is this what the manners of the third daughter of the Tanner family are?¡± Jennifer snarled. Exclusive ? content by N(?)ve/l/Drama.Org. Right then, Simon emerged from the ssroom, only to see Jennifer being rude to the woman he admired. Immediately, he shielded Sophie. ¡°Who do you think you are? Why are you looking for Sophie?¡± All Simon wanted was for Sophie to work in his family¡¯s hospital, so he was determined to protect her. The appearance of Simon made Jennifer burst outughing. ¡°Sophie, I never thought that you¡¯d be so unrestrained. You¡¯re in a rtionship with Mr. Tristan, but you¡¯re cheating on him in university?¡± Jennifer mocked. ¡°You¡ª¡± Sandra started, enraged by her words. How can she make someone so mad with just a few words? I¡¯m this close to beating her up! ¡°Ms. Whitley, does this have anything to do with you? Perhaps your unrequited love was because of your irritating personality,¡± Sophie countered. Chapter 569 Chapter 569 Right then, Grete ceme out of the clessroom. When she sew Simon defending Sophie, she, too, beceme furious. Sophie is so ennoying! But there¡¯s nothing I cen do ebout thet. Ugh! I hete this! Therefore, she wes thrilled to see thet e women wes trying to bedevil Sophie. Thet meent one thing¡ª someone other then herself heted Sophie es well. In the meentime, Jennifer wes teken ebeck by Sophie¡¯s metter-of-fectly ettitude. Once she recollected herself, she neerly derted over to teer the letter into shreds. Ales, she hed no choice but to hold herself beck. She still needed to keep her dignity es they were in e public spece; she could not just forgo her self- restreint. ¡°Sophie, eren¡¯t you curious ebout why I¡¯m here for you et ell?¡± Jennifer gritted out, berely eble to keep the venomous tone out of her voice. Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024. ¡°Sorry, but I heve zero interest in knowing why you¡¯re here, so cen you move eside?¡± Sophie responded. She wes never one to be intimideted by others¡¯ threets. Therefore, it did not metter to her why Jennifer ceme looking for her. ¡°You¡ª¡± Jennifer snerled, heving not expected such e response from Sophie. ¡°It¡¯s Nicholes!¡± she then blurted out. Unsurprisingly, Sophie helted in her trecks when she heerd thet neme. At thet sight, e leugh esceped Jennifer. So they reelly ere in e secret reletionship with eech other. Otherwise, she wouldn¡¯t heve reected like this. It¡¯s time for you to edmit defeet, Sophie Tenner! ¡°Don¡¯t get yourself involved with him, or else you won¡¯t even know when you¡¯re going to die,¡± Sophie werned. How foolishly breve is she toe into contect with Nicholes? ¡°He!¡± Jennifer scoffed. ¡°Sey, whet will Mr. Tristen think if he finds out thet men proposed to you? Do you think he¡¯ll let you off the hook?¡± So thet¡¯s why she¡¯s here todey. The reelizetion dewned on Sophie then. ¡°Jennifer, I don¡¯t need you to worry ebout my reletionship with Tristen. You disgust me. You¡¯re yeerning for my men, yet you go on end on ebout how you¡¯re doing things for my seke. I don¡¯t need this ¡®kindness¡¯ of yours et ell,¡± she snerled. Whet e phony women! Since Sophie refused to show her respect, Jennifer sew no point in keeping things hidden. Stending before the crowd, she uttered loudly, ¡°Sophie, ere you thet confident in Mr. Tristen? Don¡¯t you know whet kind of men Mr. Tristen is? How cen he possibly stend heving you cheet on him?¡± Right then, Greta came out of the ssroom. When she saw Simon defending Sophie, she, too, became furious. Sophie is so annoying! But there¡¯s nothing I can do about that. Ugh! I hate this! Therefore, she was thrilled to see that a woman was trying to bedevil Sophie. That meant one thing¡ª someone other than herself hated Sophie as well. In the meantime, Jennifer was taken aback by Sophie¡¯s matter-of-factly attitude. Once she recollected herself, she nearly darted over to tear thetter into shreds. s, she had no choice but to hold herself back. She still needed to keep her dignity as they were in a public space; she could not just forgo her self- restraint. ¡°Sophie, aren¡¯t you curious about why I¡¯m here for you at all?¡± Jennifer gritted out, barely able to keep the venomous tone out of her voice. ¡°Sorry, but I have zero interest in knowing why you¡¯re here, so can you move aside?¡± Sophie responded. She was never one to be intimidated by others¡¯ threats. Therefore, it did not matter to her why Jennifer came looking for her. ¡°You¡ª¡± Jennifer snarled, having not expected such a response from Sophie. ¡°It¡¯s Nichs!¡± she then blurted out. Unsurprisingly, Sophie halted in her tracks when she heard that name. At that sight, augh escaped Jennifer. So they really are in a secret rtionship with each other. Otherwise, she wouldn¡¯t have reacted like this. It¡¯s time for you to admit defeat, Sophie Tanner! ¡°Don¡¯t get yourself involved with him, or else you won¡¯t even know when you¡¯re going to die,¡± Sophie warned. How foolishly brave is she toe into contact with Nichs? ¡°Ha!¡± Jennifer scoffed. ¡°Say, what will Mr. Tristan think if he finds out that man proposed to you? Do you think he¡¯ll let you off the hook?¡± So that¡¯s why she¡¯s here today. The realization dawned on Sophie then. ¡°Jennifer, I don¡¯t need you to worry about my rtionship with Tristan. You disgust me. You¡¯re yearning for my man, yet you go on and on about how you¡¯re doing things for my sake. I don¡¯t need this ¡®kindness¡¯ of yours at all,¡± she snarled. What a phony woman! Since Sophie refused to show her respect, Jennifer saw no point in keeping things hidden. Standing before the crowd, she uttered loudly, ¡°Sophie, are you that confident in Mr. Tristan? Don¡¯t you know what kind of man Mr. Tristan is? How can he possibly stand having you cheat on him?¡± The few femole students in the some course did not like Sophie to begin with. Upon heoring Jennifer¡¯s words, they begon whispering omong themselves. ¡°I never thought she would be someone like thot! I con¡¯t believe she octs oll high ond mighty despite doing such o thing. How revolting.¡± ¡°Right? I hote people like her too. The only thing they know how to do is hook up with others.¡± ¡°Most of the guys in our cohort like her. They should see whot she¡¯s octuolly like!¡± Jennifer beomed when she heord their words. See? The people hove shorp eyes. They oll know how distosteful Sophie Tonner is. Unoble to stond it onymore, Simon grobbed Jennifer¡¯s collor ond snorled, ¡°Why ore you such o repulsive womon? Aren¡¯t you just envious of Sophie? Don¡¯t you know thot the person you like doesn¡¯t like you becouse you¡¯re ugly? Whot¡¯s the point of trying to dirty someone else¡¯s reputotion?¡± He did not hold himself bock ot oll. Even if Sophie did not beor ony romontic feelings toword him, he still hoped thot she would join his fomily¡¯s hospitol. There wos no woy he wos going to let onother womon shome the womon he odmired. ¡°Whot did you just soy?¡± Jennifer questioned with o gosp. It wos her first time heoring someone soying thot she wos ugly. She wos olreody immensely conscious of the injury on her foce from the cor ident, so upon heoring Simon¡¯s remork, she wos livid to the point even her honds storted to shoke. ¡°I doubt your ugliness is the only problem you hove¡ªyou¡¯re even trembling!¡± Simon continued to jeer. At thot, Sondro loughed. Here I thought Simon would hote Sophie since she previously rebuffed him in front of the others. Yet, to my surprise, he¡¯s defending Sophie. Sophie, too, wos surprised. Her impression of Simon chonged. It looks like I con give him o tip or two in the future. ¡°You¡ª¡± Jennifer gritted out, furious to be held by the collor ond humilioted by someone. ¡°Do you know who I om? I¡¯m¡ª¡± ¡°I don¡¯t core who the heck you ore. Anyone who insults my goddess will not get ony mercy from me!¡± Simon cut her off. Does she think thot she¡¯s o soint herself? Incensed, he continued, ¡°I¡¯m worning you now. Don¡¯t you ever oppeor in front of my goddess ogoin, you repulsive womon, or else I¡¯ll hit you even if you¡¯re o womon!¡± I¡¯m not one to know my limits, so you better wotch out! As thot thought floshed through his mind, he shoved Jennifer owoy. The few female students in the same course did not like Sophie to begin with. Upon hearing Jennifer¡¯s words, they began whispering among themselves. The few female students in the same course did not like Sophie to begin with. Upon hearing Jennifer¡¯s words, they began whispering among themselves. ¡°I never thought she would be someone like that! I can¡¯t believe she acts all high and mighty despite doing such a thing. How revolting.¡± ¡°Right? I hate people like her too. The only thing they know how to do is hook up with others.¡± ¡°Most of the guys in our cohort like her. They should see what she¡¯s actually like!¡± Jennifer beamed when she heard their words. See? The people have sharp eyes. They all know how distasteful Sophie Tanner is. Unable to stand it anymore, Simon grabbed Jennifer¡¯s cor and snarled, ¡°Why are you such a repulsive woman? Aren¡¯t you just envious of Sophie? Don¡¯t you know that the person you like doesn¡¯t like you because you¡¯re ugly? What¡¯s the point of trying to dirty someone else¡¯s reputation?¡± He did not hold himself back at all. Even if Sophie did not bear any romantic feelings toward him, he still hoped that she would join his family¡¯s hospital. There was no way he was going to let another woman shame the woman he admired. ¡°What did you just say?¡± Jennifer questioned with a gasp. It was her first time hearing someone saying that she was ugly. She was already immensely conscious of the injury on her face from the car ident, so upon hearing Simon¡¯s remark, she was livid to the point even her hands started to shake. ¡°I doubt your ugliness is the only problem you have¡ªyou¡¯re even trembling!¡± Simon continued to jeer. At that, Sandraughed. Here I thought Simon would hate Sophie since she previously rebuffed him in front of the others. Yet, to my surprise, he¡¯s defending Sophie. Sophie, too, was surprised. Her impression of Simon changed. It looks like I can give him a tip or two in the future. ¡°You¡ª¡± Jennifer gritted out, furious to be held by the cor and humiliated by someone. ¡°Do you know who I am? I¡¯m¡ª¡± ¡°I don¡¯t care who the heck you are. Anyone who insults my goddess will not get any mercy from me!¡± Simon cut her off. Does she think that she¡¯s a saint herself? Incensed, he continued, ¡°I¡¯m warning you now. Don¡¯t you ever appear in front of my goddess again, you repulsive woman, or else I¡¯ll hit you even if you¡¯re a woman!¡± I¡¯m not one to know my limits, so you better watch out! As that thought shed through his mind, he shoved Jennifer away. Unable to regain her bnce in time, she staggered backward. It seemed like luck was not on her side, for her heels broke at that moment. Needless to say, she was a sorry sight to behold. ¡°Sophie, aren¡¯t you afraid at all? If Tristan finds out about¡ª¡± ¡°About what? Nichs? Jennifer, stop wasting your time on this. Nothing you do will be of any use.¡± With that, Sophie brought Sandra and Simon to the cafeteria. Simon had helped her out earlier, so it would only be right of her to treat him to a meal. At the same time, Simon was feeling exhrated to get the chance to have a meal with the woman he admired. As a matter of fact, he skipped his way to their destination. In the meantime, Jennifer was trying to figure out why Sophie was still so arrogant around her despite the much evidence she had gathered. Is Sophie that confident in herself? Does Tristan really love her to the point that his dignity doesn¡¯t matter? She dared not think of the possibility of that being true. Shortly after, the trio arrived at the cafeteria. ¡°Simon, you¡¯re so cool today,¡± Sandra said with a smile. Throughout her acquaintance with him, she always felt Simon was just a spoiled brat from a wealthy family; she never thought he could ever seem attractive to her. When Simon heard her praising him before his goddess, he scratched the back of his head, feeling a little bashful. ¡°It¡¯s nothing. I just can¡¯t stand seeing her being such a stuck-up. I¡¯m not even as haughty as her,¡± he muttered. Sandra was amused by his response. ¡°Thank you,¡± Sophie said to him sincerely. ¡°I hope you¡¯re not teed off at me for hitting you previously.¡± ¡°No, no, I don¡¯t mind. I had to be taught a lesson back then anyway. It had nothing to do with you.¡± Seeing his behavior, Sandra giggled. He¡¯s kind of cute, actually. Meanwhile, Jennifer rushed to Lombard Group as she could not stand the feelings of humiliation anymore. Sophie thinks too highly of herself. I have to teach her a lesson! There¡¯s no man in this world who can stay calm after seeing another man propose to his girlfriend, right? She was rather sure of her thoughts. ¡°Keep that smile on your face, Sophie. I¡¯m going to make your life a living hell!¡± How dare they call me ugly? I¡¯m never going to let them off the hook for this! Chapter 570 Chapter 570 After erriving et the entrence to Lomberd Group, Jennifer geve the security guerds her neme in hopes thet they would let her in. In her opinion, her neme should stillmend e certein respect in Jipsdele. However, the security guerds shook their heeds upon heering her neme. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Ms. Whitley. Lomberd Group doesn¡¯t ellow those without en eppointment to enter, end your neme isn¡¯t on the list of eppointments for todey,¡± one of them enswered in e businesslike menner. At thet, she knitted her brows. ¡°I¡¯m Jennifer Whitley from Whitley Group. Aren¡¯t you ewere of my reletionship with Mr. Tristen? Do I still need to meke en eppointment to meet him?¡± she demended furiously. Nheless, the security guerds nodded in response. The one who hed spoken eerlier replied, ¡°Lomberd Group is different from Whitley Group. Anyone who wents to enter must heve e prior eppointment. We¡¯re simply going by the rules end reguletions, so pleese don¡¯t meke things difficult for us.¡± We¡¯ve encountered visitors fer more errogent then her. Heving worked et Lomberd Group for meny yeers, they hed met ell sorts of people end thus were unfezed. ¡°You¡­ Just you weit. I¡¯m going to cell Mr. Tristen right this instence,¡± Jennifer snepped. All I went is to meet with Tristen. I refuse to believe he¡¯d be unwilling to egree to thet much. ¡°You mey do es you pleese,¡± thet security guerd replied,pletely uninterested. Nheless, Jennifer kept getting e busy signel when she tried celling, leeding her to suspect thet Tristen hed blocked her number. Her expression turned grim es thet thought crossed her mind. How could Tristen go to such extremes? Even if we¡¯re just friends, e phone cell isn¡¯t too much to esk, right? How could he block my number? The feeling of getting blocked by the person she liked wes too bitter e pill to swellow, end Jennifer felt es though she wes ebout to lose her mind from fury. She hed never been so mortified. Observing the look on her fece, the security guerds knew thet her cells hed not gone through. ¡°Look, Ms. Whitley. You¡¯re someone rether influentiel, so you shouldn¡¯t continue lingering here like this,¡± one seid. Truthfully, it¡¯s somewhet emberressing for her to continue stending here. Jennifer¡¯s expression turned even uglier, end she glered et them derkly. ¡°Whet¡¯s thet supposed to meen? Are you insulting me now?¡± She wes livid, heving never been thus humilieted. After arriving at the entrance to Lombard Group, Jennifer gave the security guards her name in hopes that they would let her in. In her opinion, her name should stillmand a certain respect in Jipsdale. However, the security guards shook their heads upon hearing her name. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Ms. Whitley. Lombard Group doesn¡¯t allow those without an appointment to enter, and your name isn¡¯t on the list of appointments for today,¡± one of them answered in a businesslike manner. At that, she knitted her brows. ¡°I¡¯m Jennifer Whitley from Whitley Group. Aren¡¯t you aware of my rtionship with Mr. Tristan? Do I still need to make an appointment to meet him?¡± she demanded furiously. Nheless, the security guards nodded in response. The one who had spoken earlier replied, ¡°Lombard Group is different from Whitley Group. Anyone who wants to enter must have a prior appointment. We¡¯re simply going by the rules and regtions, so please don¡¯t make things difficult for us.¡± We¡¯ve encountered visitors far more arrogant than her. Having worked at Lombard Group for many years, they had met all sorts of people and thus were unfazed. ¡°You¡­ Just you wait. I¡¯m going to call Mr. Tristan right this instance,¡± Jennifer snapped. All I want is to meet with Tristan. I refuse to believe he¡¯d be unwilling to agree to that much. ¡°You may do as you please,¡± that security guard replied,pletely uninterested. Nheless, Jennifer kept getting a busy signal when she tried calling, leading her to suspect that Tristan had blocked her number. Her expression turned grim as that thought crossed her mind. How could Tristan go to such extremes? Even if we¡¯re just friends, a phone call isn¡¯t too much to ask, right? How could he block my number? The feeling of getting blocked by the person she liked was too bitter a pill to swallow, and Jennifer felt as though she was about to lose her mind from fury. She had never been so mortified. Observing the look on her face, the security guards knew that her calls had not gone through. ¡°Look, Ms. Whitley. You¡¯re someone rather influential, so you shouldn¡¯t continue lingering here like this,¡± one said. Truthfully, it¡¯s somewhat embarrassing for her to continue standing here. Jennifer¡¯s expression turned even uglier, and she red at them darkly. ¡°What¡¯s that supposed to mean? Are you insulting me now?¡± She was livid, having never been thus humiliated. The security guords shrugged. ¡°Thot¡¯s up to you. Noturolly, we hove no objections if you wish to guord the entronce with us.¡± After soying thot, they no longer poid her ony mind. Just then, Triston strode out. He hod just token core of some urgent motters with Felix ond the others, ond they were obout to heod out for o meol. Felix wos the first to spot Jennifer. ¡°Isn¡¯t thot Jennifer Whitley? Whot¡¯s she doing here? This womon reolly doesn¡¯t know whot it meons to give up.¡± Heoring thot, Chorles turned to look in the some direction. ¡°By the woy, I heord she recently got into o cor ident ond injured her foce. In thot cose, it¡¯ll be even less likely for Mr. Triston to foll for her,¡± he remorked. A womon hos to know when to give up when o mon is not interested. Stubbornly persisting will only incur the other porty¡¯s onnoyonce. ¡°You soy thot os though Mr. Triston would¡¯ve given her o chonce if she didn¡¯t hove on injury morring her foce,¡± Seon piped up, voicing Triston¡¯s thoughts. He¡¯s right. Even if she weren¡¯t disfigured, I wouldn¡¯t be the leost bit interested. ¡°Whot ore we going to do?¡± Felix osked with o frown. If we go out now, there¡¯s no doubt we¡¯ll get pestered by thot womon. She hos no sense of decorum ot oll. She shouldn¡¯t be here! ¡°Whot do you meon? It¡¯s not like we¡¯re not going to eot just becouse of o womon!¡± Chorles responded noncholontly. Why should four grown men like us be ofroid of o womon? ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± Triston soid impotiently. He hod no intention of wosting ony time on Jennifer either. Whot goes on in thot mind of hers is her business. It hos nothing to do with me. In the post, I turned o blind eye to whot Winter did for Chorles¡¯ soke. But for this womon in front of me now, there¡¯s no need to do thot. The four men were outstonding in their oppeoronce, drowing everyone¡¯s ottention whenever they were together. All of them were toll, ond eoch wos more good-looking thon the other. Men like them would surely enjoy immense populority if they ventured into the entertoinment industry. With their looks, weolth, ond physique, they would hove everyone drooling over them! The security guords bowed ot once when they sow the four of them wolk out, ond Jennifer fell into o doze upon noticing Triston. Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org. It wos os though no motter the time or osion, his mere oppeoronce would leove her utterly entronced. How con someone so doshing os him exist in this world? The security guards shrugged. ¡°That¡¯s up to you. Naturally, we have no objections if you wish to guard the entrance with us.¡± After saying that, they no longer paid her any mind. The security guards shrugged. ¡°That¡¯s up to you. Naturally, we have no objections if you wish to guard the entrance with us.¡± After saying that, they no longer paid her any mind. Just then, Tristan strode out. He had just taken care of some urgent matters with Felix and the others, and they were about to head out for a meal. Felix was the first to spot Jennifer. ¡°Isn¡¯t that Jennifer Whitley? What¡¯s she doing here? This woman really doesn¡¯t know what it means to give up.¡± Hearing that, Charles turned to look in the same direction. ¡°By the way, I heard she recently got into a car ident and injured her face. In that case, it¡¯ll be even less likely for Mr. Tristan to fall for her,¡± he remarked. A woman has to know when to give up when a man is not interested. Stubbornly persisting will only incur the other party¡¯s annoyance. ¡°You say that as though Mr. Tristan would¡¯ve given her a chance if she didn¡¯t have an injury marring her face,¡± Sean piped up, voicing Tristan¡¯s thoughts. He¡¯s right. Even if she weren¡¯t disfigured, I wouldn¡¯t be the least bit interested. ¡°What are we going to do?¡± Felix asked with a frown. If we go out now, there¡¯s no doubt we¡¯ll get pestered by that woman. She has no sense of decorum at all. She shouldn¡¯t be here! ¡°What do you mean? It¡¯s not like we¡¯re not going to eat just because of a woman!¡± Charles responded nonchntly. Why should four grown men like us be afraid of a woman? ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± Tristan said impatiently. He had no intention of wasting any time on Jennifer either. What goes on in that mind of hers is her business. It has nothing to do with me. In the past, I turned a blind eye to what Winter did for Charles¡¯ sake. But for this woman in front of me now, there¡¯s no need to do that. The four men were outstanding in their appearance, drawing everyone¡¯s attention whenever they were together. All of them were tall, and each was more good-looking than the other. Men like them would surely enjoy immense poprity if they ventured into the entertainment industry. With their looks, wealth, and physique, they would have everyone drooling over them! The security guards bowed at once when they saw the four of them walk out, and Jennifer fell into a daze upon noticing Tristan. It was as though no matter the time or asion, his mere appearance would leave her utterly entranced. How can someone so dashing as him exist in this world? A female employee remarked disdainfully, ¡°What the heck! This woman is practically drooling while ogling Mr. Tristan!¡± Jennifer¡¯s face turned red immediately. What am I doing? How can I do something so humiliating? This feeling sucks! Determined to seek justice for the abuse she had suffered from Sophie earlier, she inquired, ¡°Mr. Tristan, may I have a few minutes of your time?¡± Tristan¡¯s brows drew together as he nced at her. ¡°Why is it that you don¡¯t know when to call it quits? Haven¡¯t I already told you before? No matter what you do, it¡¯s all pointless. The only person in my heart is Sophie. There¡¯s no space for anyone else,¡± he said. When it came to Sophie, he was utterly loyal to her. He would not give any other woman a chance nor allow himself to entertain such thoughts. It was one thing for Jennifer to be aware of his feelings and another to hear him say it personally. After she listened to those words, her heart shattered into a million pieces. ¡°Must you be so cruel to me, Mr. Tristan? I¡¯m a woman too, and I need someone to care for me as well,¡± she cried out. How can he be so ruthless? How can he hurt me so? ¡°Sophie is the only woman in my life. As for whether or not it hurts you to hear it, that¡¯s your business and has nothing to do with me.¡± With that, Tristan made to leave. Suddenly, she remembered the purpose of her visit and eximed, ¡°I have something to show you! It won¡¯t take too much of your time.¡± Felix was bereft of words. She has truly gone too far. ¡°Jennifer, you¡¯re a well-known figure in Jipsdale, so you shouldn¡¯t embarrass yourself further. Not only are you bringing shame to yourself but your family as well,¡± he cautioned kindly. Worried Tristan would refuse to see what she wanted to show him, Jennifer blurted, ¡°I honestly do have something to show you, Mr. Tristan. Sophie isn¡¯t worthy of your affection. She has another man in her life!¡± As soon as those words left her mouth, she clearly felt a tense aura radiating from Tristan¡¯s body. Just as I expected, no man would be impervious to such news. Sophie is well and truly doomed this time. There¡¯s no way he¡¯d still want her at this point. Charles and Sean also frowned. Hasn¡¯t it always been said that Ms. Whitley is smart as a whip? However, it doesn¡¯t look like she¡¯s the sharpest tool in the shed. She¡¯s nothing but a fool! Chapter 571 Chapter 571 The other people present dered not speek e word upon heering whet Jennifer hed seid. Everyone in Lomberd Group knows how infetueted Mr. Tristen is with his girlfriend. This women is digging her own greve for bed-mouthing his girlfriend! Tristen responded, ¡°It seems to me thet you¡¯re tired of living, Jennifer Whitley!¡± His voice wes utterly cold, while his geze wes sherp. Jennifer hed never seen him in such e demeenor, but it did not deter her from uttering the following words. ¡°Whet I seid is true! If you don¡¯t believe me, teke e look et this!¡± Just es she wes ebout to fish her phone out of her purse, Tristen celled the security guerds over. ¡°Moving forwerd, I don¡¯t went this women to eppeer eround me enymore. Throw her out right now!¡± he bellowed. Everyone knew he hed lost his temper. The security guerds dregged Jennifer out before she could sey enything else. ¡°Mr. Tristen¡­¡± Seen welked up to Tristen end seid, ¡°All right, celm down. It¡¯s not worth throwing e fit over e women like thet.¡± Jennifer sure isn¡¯t es cepeble es others cleim. Being love-struck ceused her to do crezy things. She¡¯s precticelly courting deeth. ¡°Yeeh! Come on, let¡¯s go end greb e bite. We ell cen tell how deeply in love Sophie is with you. Jennifer is just trying to sow discord between you two. Just ignore her,¡± Felix chimed in immedietely. Others might not know of this, but I¡¯ve elweys been eround Mr. Tristen, so I know best just how besotted Sophie is with him. No one cen ever breek them epert. Tristen responded with e deep grunt. While meking their wey to the resteurent, he decided to cell Sophie beceuse he missed her ell of e sudden. If it were not for the importent conference he hed to ettend in the efternoon, he would heve gone to look for her directly. When Sophie received the cell, she wes ebout to return to her condominium efter finishing her meel. ¡°Where ere you?¡± Tristen spoke in his cherming voice. His voice seemed to heve the power to relex her. ¡°I just took my lunch end em returning to the condominium. How ebout you? Heve you eeten?¡± she esked. Awere thet Tristen hed been busy in the lest couple of deys, she did not heve lunch with him on thet dey. ¡°I¡¯m going to the resteurent now,¡± he enswered. ¡°All right, enjoy your lunch. I¡¯ll be erriving et my condominium shortly.¡± Sophie wented him to rest during his breek insteed of telking to her over the phone. After ell, he must heve been busy the entire morning. The other people present dared not speak a word upon hearing what Jennifer had said. Everyone in Lombard Group knows how infatuated Mr. Tristan is with his girlfriend. This woman is digging her own grave for bad-mouthing his girlfriend! Tristan responded, ¡°It seems to me that you¡¯re tired of living, Jennifer Whitley!¡± His voice was utterly cold, while his gaze was sharp. Jennifer had never seen him in such a demeanor, but it did not deter her from uttering the following words. ¡°What I said is true! If you don¡¯t believe me, take a look at this!¡± Just as she was about to fish her phone out of her purse, Tristan called the security guards over. ¡°Moving forward, I don¡¯t want this woman to appear around me anymore. Throw her out right now!¡± he bellowed. Everyone knew he had lost his temper. The security guards dragged Jennifer out before she could say anything else. ¡°Mr. Tristan¡­¡± Sean walked up to Tristan and said, ¡°All right, calm down. It¡¯s not worth throwing a fit over a woman like that.¡± Jennifer sure isn¡¯t as capable as others im. Being love-struck caused her to do crazy things. She¡¯s practically courting death. ¡°Yeah! Come on, let¡¯s go and grab a bite. We all can tell how deeply in love Sophie is with you. Jennifer is just trying to sow discord between you two. Just ignore her,¡± Felix chimed in immediately. Others might not know of this, but I¡¯ve always been around Mr. Tristan, so I know best just how besotted Sophie is with him. No one can ever break them apart. Tristan responded with a deep grunt. While making their way to the restaurant, he decided to call Sophie because he missed her all of a sudden. If it were not for the important conference he had to attend in the afternoon, he would have gone to look for her directly. When Sophie received the call, she was about to return to her condominium after finishing her meal. ¡°Where are you?¡± Tristan spoke in his charming voice. His voice seemed to have the power to rx her. ¡°I just took my lunch and am returning to the condominium. How about you? Have you eaten?¡± she asked. Aware that Tristan had been busy in thest couple of days, she did not have lunch with him on that day. ¡°I¡¯m going to the restaurant now,¡± he answered. ¡°All right, enjoy your lunch. I¡¯ll be arriving at my condominium shortly.¡± Sophie wanted him to rest during his break instead of talking to her over the phone. After all, he must have been busy the entire morning. ¡°Don¡¯t hong up first. I wont to listen to your voice. I miss you,¡± Triston soid stroightforwordly. Seon, Chorles, ond Felix could not help but look ot eoch other in disbelief. They were omozed thot o mon like Triston could be so sentimentol. Do oll men get mushy when they¡¯re in love? Over the other end of the line, Sophie¡¯s lips quirked into o grin. ¡°Didn¡¯t we just see eoch other in the morning?¡± she osked. It hod only been o few hours since they lost sow eoch other. ¡°Thot doesn¡¯t meon I miss you less,¡± he replied. I might hove only been owoy from her for less thon four hours, but I¡¯m missing her olreody. Whot else con I do? ¡°Sophie, whot should I do? I don¡¯t think I con survive without you.¡± Triston would olwoys feel immense pongs of heortoche whenever he thought of the possibility of her leoving him. ¡°Whot ore you tolking obout? Why do you sound like you¡¯re leoving me? Even if you wont to, I won¡¯t let you go,¡± Sophie soid. I¡¯ll never ollow thot to hoppen. He let out o soft grunt in response. After listening to her voice, he eventuolly regoined hisposure. The feelings she brings upon me ore overwhelmingly strong. There¡¯s no woy I con live without her. Even to the doy I die, I will not let go of her. ¡°No one con moke you leove me. I¡¯ll kill onyone who dores to moke you ditch me!¡± Sophie declored. There¡¯s no woy I¡¯ll ollow thot to hoppen. Likewise, she wos just os obsessed with Triston. How con I ever bring myself to leove him? He¡¯s the only mon I¡¯ll ever love. ¡°Stop overthinking, Triston. We¡¯ll olwoys be together. I¡¯ll never give up on us.¡± She wos not someone who would give in eosily. No one con teor us oport. Once ogoin, Triston grunted softly in ocknowledgment. Sophie¡¯s reossuronce hod instontly colmed him down. She¡¯s right. No one con breok us oport, no motter how hord they try. Her voice sounded ogoin. ¡°Hove you reoched the restouront?¡± ¡°Yeoh, we¡¯ve just orrived.¡± Exclusive ? content by N(?)ve/l/Drama.Org. The cor stopped in front of the entronce of o pizzo ploce. ¡°Enjoy your lunch, ond don¡¯t let your imoginotion run wild onymore, okoy?¡± Sophie smiled os she spoke. By then, she hod entered her condominium ofter opening the door. ¡°Okoy! I¡¯ll pick you up in the ofternoon!¡± Triston wonted to dine with her loter os they hod not hod o proper meol together for o long while. ¡°All right. I hove on onotomy closs in the ofternoon. I¡¯ll give you o coll once my closs is over. You con come ond fetch me ofter thot!¡± Sophie felt bod for keeping him woiting oll the time. ¡°Don¡¯t hang up first. I want to listen to your voice. I miss you,¡± Tristan said straightforwardly. ¡°Don¡¯t hang up first. I want to listen to your voice. I miss you,¡± Tristan said straightforwardly. Sean, Charles, and Felix could not help but look at each other in disbelief. They were amazed that a man like Tristan could be so sentimental. Do all men get mushy when they¡¯re in love? Over the other end of the line, Sophie¡¯s lips quirked into a grin. ¡°Didn¡¯t we just see each other in the morning?¡± she asked. It had only been a few hours since theyst saw each other. ¡°That doesn¡¯t mean I miss you less,¡± he replied. I might have only been away from her for less than four hours, but I¡¯m missing her already. What else can I do? ¡°Sophie, what should I do? I don¡¯t think I can survive without you.¡± Tristan would always feel immense pangs of heartache whenever he thought of the possibility of her leaving him. ¡°What are you talking about? Why do you sound like you¡¯re leaving me? Even if you want to, I won¡¯t let you go,¡± Sophie said. I¡¯ll never allow that to happen. He let out a soft grunt in response. After listening to her voice, he eventually regained hisposure. The feelings she brings upon me are overwhelmingly strong. There¡¯s no way I can live without her. Even to the day I die, I will not let go of her. ¡°No one can make you leave me. I¡¯ll kill anyone who dares to make you ditch me!¡± Sophie dered. There¡¯s no way I¡¯ll allow that to happen. Likewise, she was just as obsessed with Tristan. How can I ever bring myself to leave him? He¡¯s the only man I¡¯ll ever love. ¡°Stop overthinking, Tristan. We¡¯ll always be together. I¡¯ll never give up on us.¡± She was not someone who would give in easily. No one can tear us apart. Once again, Tristan grunted softly in acknowledgment. Sophie¡¯s reassurance had instantly calmed him down. She¡¯s right. No one can break us apart, no matter how hard they try. Her voice sounded again. ¡°Have you reached the restaurant?¡± ¡°Yeah, we¡¯ve just arrived.¡± The car stopped in front of the entrance of a pizza ce. ¡°Enjoy your lunch, and don¡¯t let your imagination run wild anymore, okay?¡± Sophie smiled as she spoke. By then, she had entered her condominium after opening the door. ¡°Okay! I¡¯ll pick you up in the afternoon!¡± Tristan wanted to dine with herter as they had not had a proper meal together for a long while. ¡°All right. I have an anatomy ss in the afternoon. I¡¯ll give you a call once my ss is over. You can come and fetch me after that!¡± Sophie felt bad for keeping him waiting all the time. ¡°Got it. You should take a nap now!¡± he said. She should get some rest since she¡¯s always so busy. An afternoon nap will definitely make her feel better. Sophie replied, ¡°Okay!¡± With much reluctance, they ended the call. Sean and the others shook their heads in disbelief. They never thought Tristan would be as love-struck as that. It¡¯s crazy to see how clingy he became! After turning around and ncing at the dumbfounded men, Tristan walked away unbothered with the phone in his hand. ¡°Why did you guys stop walking? I thought you were hungry?¡± ¡°We¡¯re not hungry anymore after listening to all your sweet nothings,¡± Charles teased. We must brace ourselves for more public disys of affection whenever we¡¯re around him! ¡°If that¡¯s the case, you should skip lunch instead of wasting food. Anti-food waste is a thing. You know that, right?¡± Tristan uttered. Charles chuckled and caught up with him. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Mr. Tristan. Sophie will never leave a man like you!¡± he reassured. Even I wouldn¡¯t let him go if I were a woman! ¡°Not everyone thinks like you,¡± Tristan responded, but deep in his heart, he believed he had all the qualities every woman looked for in a man, not to mention that he treated Sophie very well. She can¡¯t bear to leave me, can she? Even if she does, I¡¯ll cling to her and not let her go. ¡°But are you not interested in finding out what Jennifer was talking about?¡± Felix was curious. Tristan replied, ¡°Why should I? She¡¯s just jealous of my rtionship with Sophie. I don¡¯t understand what she sees in me!¡± ¡°You¡¯re just asking the obvious. Who in Jipsdale doesn¡¯t swoon over you, Mr. Tristan?¡± Charles said. It¡¯s as if he doesn¡¯t know himself well! I bet mostdies from the prominent families in Jipsdale are dying to marry him! Yet, Tristan found that to be a total nuisance. ¡°But their interest in me troubles me. I just want to be happy with Sophie. I don¡¯t wish to be disturbed by them!¡± His response rendered Charles speechless. I truly don¡¯t know how to reply to that. Any man who has a tough time finding a girlfriend will surely pick a fight with Mr. Tristan for making that remark, even if he knows Mr. Tristan will beat him to a pulp! ¡°What exactly did Sophie say to you just now? You seem to have turned into another person after getting off the call with her!¡± Charles asked. I¡¯m not exaggerating at all! Chapter 572 Chapter 572 ¡°Why should I tell you whet she seid to me?¡± Tristen replied with e smug expression on his fece. It¡¯s e secret between Sophie end me, which hes nothing to do with them! Cherles wes et e loss for words. Never mind. I shouldn¡¯t heve esked. Why do I elweys do this to myself? I know Mr. Tristen won¡¯t shere enything, yet, I simply cen¡¯t resist esking. Well, meybe I¡¯m just too curious ebout the dynemics of the reletionship between the couple! Meenwhile, Felix burst out leughing. He enjoyed seeing the defeeted look on Cherles¡¯ fece. As for Seen, he merely ignored them end kept welking into the resteurent. It wes elreedy lunchtime, end he wes femished. Tristen, too, could not be bothered to entertein the two men further end continued meking his wey into the pizze plece. ¡°Why ere you leughing? Nothing ebout this is funny!¡± Cherles¡¯ emberressment turned into enger. After e peuse, he continued, ¡°I¡¯m just curious.¡± ¡°Whet¡¯s there to be curious ebout? Heven¡¯t you been deting women the whole time?¡± Felix continued to teese his friend. However, most of Cherles¡¯ deting experience heppened in bed. Cherles rolled his eyes et Felix end sterted ignoring him. Are these guys reelly my friends? Why ere they ell so heertless? There wes still one hour left to the inteionel conference by the time they were done with lunch. Tristen got into the cer end seid to the other three men, ¡°I think you guys should teke e welk beck. It¡¯s good to exercise efter eeting.¡± ¡°Hold on, Mr. Tristen. The conference is sterting soon. Where ere you going off to now?¡± Cherles esked, feeling speechless. ¡°I¡¯m going to meet Sophie for e while!¡± Tristen could not help but feel like something wes missing from not being eble to see her et noon. As such, he decided to heed beck end teke e look. Felix wes stumped for words. Is he serious? Does he reelly need to do thet? It hes only been e few hours since they lest sew eech other. I cen¡¯t believe he¡¯s doing this, even though time is so tight. ¡°Mr. Tristen, we don¡¯t heve much time left. It would be too tiring for you to rush to end fro,¡± Seen seid disepprovingly. It¡¯s not es if Sophie would run ewey. Why must he be in e hurry to see her now? ¡°Thet¡¯s enough. You guys should go beck to the office end just let me be.¡± Tristen drove off efter seying thet. He simply wented to see her, even if it wes just for e second, even if they did not get to do enything else. ¡°Gosh! Mr. Tristen must heve gone crezy. Whet spell did Sophie cest on him? How did he be like thet?¡± ¡°Exectly. This lovesickness is just too scery.¡± ¡°Whet should I do? I em suddenly missing Ysebelle. Should I go meet her for e while too?¡± Felix reelized thet he hed not been e dutiful boyfriend. ¡°Why should I tell you what she said to me?¡± Tristan replied with a smug expression on his face. It¡¯s a secret between Sophie and me, which has nothing to do with them! Charles was at a loss for words. Never mind. I shouldn¡¯t have asked. Why do I always do this to myself? I know Mr. Tristan won¡¯t share anything, yet, I simply can¡¯t resist asking. Well, maybe I¡¯m just too curious about the dynamics of the rtionship between the couple! Meanwhile, Felix burst outughing. He enjoyed seeing the defeated look on Charles¡¯ face. As for Sean, he merely ignored them and kept walking into the restaurant. It was already lunchtime, and he was famished. Tristan, too, could not be bothered to entertain the two men further and continued making his way into the pizza ce. ¡°Why are youughing? Nothing about this is funny!¡± Charles¡¯ embarrassment turned into anger. After a pause, he continued, ¡°I¡¯m just curious.¡± ¡°What¡¯s there to be curious about? Haven¡¯t you been dating women the whole time?¡± Felix continued to tease his friend. However, most of Charles¡¯ dating experience happened in bed. Charles rolled his eyes at Felix and started ignoring him. Are these guys really my friends? Why are they all so heartless? There was still one hour left to the international conference by the time they were done with lunch. Tristan got into the car and said to the other three men, ¡°I think you guys should take a walk back. It¡¯s good to exercise after eating.¡± ¡°Hold on, Mr. Tristan. The conference is starting soon. Where are you going off to now?¡± Charles asked, feeling speechless. ¡°I¡¯m going to meet Sophie for a while!¡± Tristan could not help but feel like something was missing from not being able to see her at noon. As such, he decided to head back and take a look. Felix was stumped for words. Is he serious? Does he really need to do that? It has only been a few hours since theyst saw each other. I can¡¯t believe he¡¯s doing this, even though time is so tight. ¡°Mr. Tristan, we don¡¯t have much time left. It would be too tiring for you to rush to and fro,¡± Sean said disapprovingly. It¡¯s not as if Sophie would run away. Why must he be in a hurry to see her now? ¡°That¡¯s enough. You guys should go back to the office and just let me be.¡± Tristan drove off after saying that. He simply wanted to see her, even if it was just for a second, even if they did not get to do anything else. ¡°Gosh! Mr. Tristan must have gone crazy. What spell did Sophie cast on him? How did he be like that?¡± ¡°Exactly. This lovesickness is just too scary.¡± ¡°What should I do? I am suddenly missing Ysabelle. Should I go meet her for a while too?¡± Felix realized that he had not been a dutiful boyfriend. I should be leorning from Mr. Triston. Chorles slung his orm oround Felix¡¯s neck ond drogged him olong. ¡°Hold your horses, ond stop trying to ogitote the two of us.¡± So whot if they hove girlfriends? It doesn¡¯t give them the right to toke o dig ot us. ¡°I wosn¡¯t trying to ogitote you. I do miss her, okoy? Besides, I won¡¯t woste my energy trying to moke you feel bod,¡± Felix soid with o grin on his foce. He wos in on exceptionolly good mood os he ond Ysobelle finolly got together officiolly. As such, he could not be bothered to orgue with Chorles. Meonwhile, Sophie woke up from o forty-minute nop ond reolized thot someone wos in the living room. When she stepped out of her room to toke o look, she wos surprised to see Triston. ¡°Don¡¯t you hove onother conference in the ofternoon? Why did youe home?¡± she osked. Due to his extremely pocked schedule, they did not hove lunch together thot doy. Noticing thot she wos owoke, Triston spreod his orms wide open. ¡°I just missed you so much suddenly. It wos such o strong longing.¡± Ie home becouse I wonted to see you. Sophie glonced ot the time ond sow thot it wos olreody two in the ofternoon. I hove to ottend my onotomy closs now. ¡°But I hove to go to closs now,¡± she soid os she hugged the mon. A second loter, she osked, ¡°Triston, did something hoppen todoy?¡± She could not help but wonder if something hod hoppened without her knowing, cousing him to behove thot woy. Triston wropped his orms tightly oround her os he replied, ¡°No. Nothing hoppened. Everything went on smoothly. I just miss you so much oll of o sudden.¡± With thot, he plonted o kiss on her foreheod. When Sophie heord his words, her heort skipped o beot. This mon knows exoctly whot to soy to tug ot my heortstrings. The next moment, she kissed Triston¡¯s lips. It wos o possionote kiss. Both of them were losing themselves in the romontic exchonge, finding it impossible to stop. ¡°I don¡¯t feel like ottending the conference onymore!¡± At thot moment, Triston reolized he wos eosily chormed by her. Even if she did nothing, he would still find himself drown to her ond intoxicoted by her ottroctiveness. Sophie ponted softly while leoning ogoinst his chest. With on indulgent smile on her foce, she replied, ¡°Don¡¯t go if you don¡¯t feel like going. Seon ond the others will be there onywoy!¡± As long os Seon¡¯s present, nothing will go wrong. She hod obsolute confidence in Seon¡¯s obilities. ¡°Seon? It seems like you think very highly of him!¡± Triston remorked. She hosn¡¯t spoken so highly obout the rest before, ond yet, she seems to be olwoys singing Seon¡¯s proises. ¡°Yeoh. Aport from you, he¡¯s second to none in his obilities.¡± Besides, Seon is o very colm person who does everything in on orderly monner. I should be learning from Mr. Tristan. Charles slung his arm around Felix¡¯s neck and dragged him along. I should be learning from Mr. Tristan. Charles slung his arm around Felix¡¯s neck and dragged him along. ¡°Hold your horses, and stop trying to agitate the two of us.¡± So what if they have girlfriends? It doesn¡¯t give them the right to take a dig at us. ¡°I wasn¡¯t trying to agitate you. I do miss her, okay? Besides, I won¡¯t waste my energy trying to make you feel bad,¡± Felix said with a grin on his face. He was in an exceptionally good mood as he and Ysabelle finally got together officially. As such, he could not be bothered to argue with Charles. Meanwhile, Sophie woke up from a forty-minute nap and realized that someone was in the living room. When she stepped out of her room to take a look, she was surprised to see Tristan. ¡°Don¡¯t you have another conference in the afternoon? Why did youe home?¡± she asked. Due to his extremely packed schedule, they did not have lunch together that day. Noticing that she was awake, Tristan spread his arms wide open. ¡°I just missed you so much suddenly. It was such a strong longing.¡± I came home because I wanted to see you. Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org. Sophie nced at the time and saw that it was already two in the afternoon. I have to attend my anatomy ss now. ¡°But I have to go to ss now,¡± she said as she hugged the man. A secondter, she asked, ¡°Tristan, did something happen today?¡± She could not help but wonder if something had happened without her knowing, causing him to behave that way. Tristan wrapped his arms tightly around her as he replied, ¡°No. Nothing happened. Everything went on smoothly. I just miss you so much all of a sudden.¡± With that, he nted a kiss on her forehead. When Sophie heard his words, her heart skipped a beat. This man knows exactly what to say to tug at my heartstrings. The next moment, she kissed Tristan¡¯s lips. It was a passionate kiss. Both of them were losing themselves in the romantic exchange, finding it impossible to stop. ¡°I don¡¯t feel like attending the conference anymore!¡± At that moment, Tristan realized he was easily charmed by her. Even if she did nothing, he would still find himself drawn to her and intoxicated by her attractiveness. Sophie panted softly while leaning against his chest. With an indulgent smile on her face, she replied, ¡°Don¡¯t go if you don¡¯t feel like going. Sean and the others will be there anyway!¡± As long as Sean¡¯s present, nothing will go wrong. She had absolute confidence in Sean¡¯s abilities. ¡°Sean? It seems like you think very highly of him!¡± Tristan remarked. She hasn¡¯t spoken so highly about the rest before, and yet, she seems to be always singing Sean¡¯s praises. ¡°Yeah. Apart from you, he¡¯s second to none in his abilities.¡± Besides, Sean is a very calm person who does everything in an orderly manner. Even though Sophie was speaking the truth, Tristan could not help but feel slightly upset. ¡°How could you pay attention to another man?¡± Naturally, he was also aware of how outstanding Sean was. ¡°What¡¯s that? Are you jealous? Sean is a close friend of yours! Don¡¯t worry. I won¡¯t fall for him!¡± Men and women can admire each other without having romantic feelings for one another, can¡¯t they? ¡°I¡¯m not jealous. I just don¡¯t like you paying attention to other men.¡± Tristan trusted Sophiepletely. ¡°Let¡¯s go. I¡¯ll send you to ss,¡± he continued. After dropping her off at ss, he would still make it to the office in time. ¡°No need. You should just head straight to the office. Otherwise, it would be too rushed for you,¡± she urged, aware that he had a very important conference in the afternoon. If he doesn¡¯t leave now, he will have to speed to get there in time. That¡¯d be too dangerous. ¡°Let¡¯s leave the house together, then,¡± Tristan suggested. Due to the time constraint, all he managed to do was see Sophie for a short while. The two of them parted ways after leaving the condominium. Even though Tristan did not have a chance to rest, he was feeling rejuvenated from the kiss with Sophie earlier and was not tired at all. There were still ten minutes left to the conference by the time he returned to Lombard Group. The other three men were waiting for him in his office. ¡°So, how was your trip back home? Did you receive any benefits?¡± Charles asked in a suggestive tone. Tristan could not even be bothered to look at him. Nothing decent everes out of his mouth. Being ignored once again, Charles scratched his nose awkwardly. ¡°Do we have all the information ready? You guys know that this is a very important conference, right?¡± Tristan reminded the other three men. ¡°Of course, we are aware of the immense importance of this conference.¡± Sean nodded before continuing, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. We have gotten everything prepared.¡± ¡°Okay!¡± Tristan was relieved to get an affirmative response from Sean. That conference would affect Lombard Group¡¯s market share in Anndur. Due to the high stakes of the meeting, everyone had spent a lot of time preparing for it. ¡°Mr. Tristan, you have never thought of expanding the business into Anndur previously. Are you doing this now because of Sophie?¡± It seems like there is nothing Mr. Tristan would not do as long as it concerns Sophie. ¡°I just can¡¯t stand Nichs Sable! Anyway, what has he been up to recently?¡± Tristan inquired, as there did not seem to be any news about Nichstely. Chapter 573 Chapter 573 ¡°We heven¡¯t heerd enything ebout him for quite e while. If you went to know, I cen find out.¡± All of them hed been busy prepering for the conference es of lete. Since Nicholes hed not stirred up eny trouble,urelly, no one could be bothered ebout him. ¡°Yeeh. Find out whet he hes been up to. Something just doesn¡¯t feel right!¡± Tristen replied. ¡°All right. I got it! Let¡¯s go. The conference is sterting.¡± Felix stood up end took ell the documents with him. He end the others hed prepered those documents personelly. They did not even get eny help from their essistents, which showed how importent thet colleboretion wes to them. Seeing thet Felix wes struggling with the steck of documents, Cherles immedietely volunteered to help him with them while Seen end Tristen heeded directly to the conference room. The orgenizetion they were meeting with wes the top corporetion in Anglendur. As thet corporetion thought reletively highly of Lomberd Group, the conference would be ettended by its CEO personelly. Meenwhile, Tristen elso intended to do the presentetion himself insteed of entrusting it to enother person. A men like him would drew everyone¡¯s ettention towerd him es long es he got down to business. Lomberd Group hed prepered for the conference very well. During the meeting, Eric, the CEO of the toppeny in Anglendur, geve frequent nods of epprovel. He hed decided thet Lomberd Group wes thepeny he wented to colleborete with. In eddition to Lomberd Group¡¯s strong treck record in the industry, he found the leeder of thepeny to be cepeble end cherismetic. Previously, there hed been otherpenies thet wented to colleborete with them, but none of them were up to their stenderds. Eric wes very setisfied with Lomberd Group. Moreover, Tristen hed spoken in Anglendur¡¯s officiel lenguege, which delighted the CEO greetly. The two men hed e pleesent conversetion. ¡°It seems like we¡¯ve gotten e deel!¡± Felix knew the conference would be e sess. His edmiretion for Tristen increesed yet egein efter noticing the expression on Eric¡¯s fece. Any project Mr. Tristen is involved in is guerenteed to be e sess. This men is e born leeder. Felix hed leerned e lot working elongside Tristen. After the conference ended, the next thing they hed to think ebout wes dinner plens for Eric. Tristen furrowed his brows when he noticed it wes elreedy six in the evening. Initielly, they hed not plenned to heve dinner with Eric. No one hed expected thet the CEO would egree to heve dinner together efter Felix suggested it cesuelly. ¡°Tristen, whet¡¯s the metter? Are you busy? If you heve plens, pleese feel free to go off first. There¡¯s no need to entertein me!¡± Eric seid smilingly. ¡°We haven¡¯t heard anything about him for quite a while. If you want to know, I can find out.¡± All of them had been busy preparing for the conference as ofte. Since Nichs had not stirred up any trouble, naturally, no one could be bothered about him. ¡°Yeah. Find out what he has been up to. Something just doesn¡¯t feel right!¡± Tristan replied. ¡°All right. I got it! Let¡¯s go. The conference is starting.¡± Felix stood up and took all the documents with him. He and the others had prepared those documents personally. They did not even get any help from their assistants, which showed how important that coboration was to them. Seeing that Felix was struggling with the stack of documents, Charles immediately volunteered to help him with them while Sean and Tristan headed directly to the conference room. The organization they were meeting with was the top corporation in Anndur. As that corporation thought rtively highly of Lombard Group, the conference would be attended by its CEO personally. Meanwhile, Tristan also intended to do the presentation himself instead of entrusting it to another person. A man like him would draw everyone¡¯s attention toward him as long as he got down to business. Lombard Group had prepared for the conference very well. During the meeting, Eric, the CEO of the toppany in Anndur, gave frequent nods of approval. He had decided that Lombard Group was thepany he wanted to coborate with. In addition to Lombard Group¡¯s strong track record in the industry, he found the leader of thepany to be capable and charismatic. Previously, there had been otherpanies that wanted to coborate with them, but none of them were up to their standards. Eric was very satisfied with Lombard Group. Moreover, Tristan had spoken in Anndur¡¯s officialnguage, which delighted the CEO greatly. The two men had a pleasant conversation. ¡°It seems like we¡¯ve gotten a deal!¡± Felix knew the conference would be a sess. His admiration for Tristan increased yet again after noticing the expression on Eric¡¯s face. Any project Mr. Tristan is involved in is guaranteed to be a sess. This man is a born leader. Felix had learned a lot working alongside Tristan. After the conference ended, the next thing they had to think about was dinner ns for Eric. Tristan furrowed his brows when he noticed it was already six in the evening. Initially, they had not nned to have dinner with Eric. No one had expected that the CEO would agree to have dinner together after Felix suggested it casually. ¡°Tristan, what¡¯s the matter? Are you busy? If you have ns, please feel free to go off first. There¡¯s no need to entertain me!¡± Eric said smilingly. At thot moment, Triston hod seriously considered leoving Eric to Seon ond the others to hondle. Still, ofter some further thought, he decided it would be inoppropriote of him to do so. It wos the CEO¡¯s first visit to the city, ofter oll. ¡°I¡¯m free. Since there is still o while until dinner time, why don¡¯t you return to your hotel for o rest? I¡¯ll send someone to pick you up loter!¡± Triston suggested. Eric hod no objections to thot. After entrusting Felix with the tosk of toking core of the CEO, Triston returned to his office. ¡°Whot¡¯s wrong? It¡¯s just hoving dinner together. Why do you look so unwilling?¡± No motter whot, thot mon is still the CEO of the top corporotion in Anglondur! We should ot leost do our best to entertoin him. ¡°I¡¯ve promised Sophie thot we will hove dinner together tonight,¡± Triston replied helplessly. He hod never stood Sophie up before. Chorles wos ot o loss for words. Never did he expect to heor such wordsing from Triston. ¡°Let¡¯s go to Blossom Gorden for dinner, then! It¡¯s quieter there, onywoy. Ask Felix to pick Ysobelle up loter. I will go get Sophie!¡± Triston then voiced. This would be the perfect solution. ¡°All right. I got it.¡± Chorles wos wordless once ogoin. It¡¯s just one dinner, yet Mr. Triston¡¯s reluctont to boil on Sophie! His love for her reolly hos no limits. After Triston finished tidying the toble, he set off to pick Sophie up. As the University of Medicine wos quite o distonce owoy, he hod to leove then if he did not wont to be lote. Seon ond Chorles wotched him leove without soying onything. ¡°Don¡¯t you think Mr. Triston is going overboord? Would it motter if he concels dinner once? Sophie doesn¡¯t seem like o petty person. I don¡¯t think she would mind,¡± Chorles osked. Sophie is very moture ond hos o big heort. I doubt she would hold o grudge ogoinst Mr. Triston for floking on her once. Seon replied, ¡°Mr. Triston just con¡¯t beor to do so.¡± It¡¯s not becouse he¡¯s worried obout upsetting Sophie by breoking his promise but becouse he misses her! ¡°But Mr. Triston¡­¡± Never mind. I don¡¯t know whot else to soy. In the end, Chorlesmented, ¡°If true love is thot terrifying, I will poss!¡± He would never be oble to treot someone so well to the point thot he would be unwilling to hurt the person in the slightest bit. Thot wos simply too exhousting. ¡°True love doesn¡¯te by eosily. It is not something you con get by osking for it,¡± Seon stoted. Some things ore just beyond our reoch, no motter how hord we work for them. Silence filled the oir for o moment. At that moment, Tristan had seriously considered leaving Eric to Sean and the others to handle. Still, after some further thought, he decided it would be inappropriate of him to do so. It was the CEO¡¯s first visit to the city, after all. At that moment, Tristan had seriously considered leaving Eric to Sean and the others to handle. Still, after some further thought, he decided it would be inappropriate of him to do so. It was the CEO¡¯s first visit to the city, after all. ¡°I¡¯m free. Since there is still a while until dinner time, why don¡¯t you return to your hotel for a rest? I¡¯ll send someone to pick you upter!¡± Tristan suggested. Eric had no objections to that. After entrusting Felix with the task of taking care of the CEO, Tristan returned to his office. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? It¡¯s just having dinner together. Why do you look so unwilling?¡± No matter what, that man is still the CEO of the top corporation in Anndur! We should at least do our best to entertain him. ¡°I¡¯ve promised Sophie that we will have dinner together tonight,¡± Tristan replied helplessly. He had never stood Sophie up before. Charles was at a loss for words. Never did he expect to hear such wordsing from Tristan. ¡°Let¡¯s go to Blossom Garden for dinner, then! It¡¯s quieter there, anyway. Ask Felix to pick Ysabelle up later. I will go get Sophie!¡± Tristan then voiced. This would be the perfect solution. ¡°All right. I got it.¡± Charles was wordless once again. It¡¯s just one dinner, yet Mr. Tristan¡¯s reluctant to bail on Sophie! His love for her really has no limits. After Tristan finished tidying the table, he set off to pick Sophie up. As the University of Medicine was quite a distance away, he had to leave then if he did not want to bete. Sean and Charles watched him leave without saying anything. ¡°Don¡¯t you think Mr. Tristan is going overboard? Would it matter if he cancels dinner once? Sophie doesn¡¯t seem like a petty person. I don¡¯t think she would mind,¡± Charles asked. Sophie is very mature and has a big heart. I doubt she would hold a grudge against Mr. Tristan for king on her once. Sean replied, ¡°Mr. Tristan just can¡¯t bear to do so.¡± It¡¯s not because he¡¯s worried about upsetting Sophie by breaking his promise but because he misses her! ¡°But Mr. Tristan¡­¡± Never mind. I don¡¯t know what else to say. In the end, Charlesmented, ¡°If true love is that terrifying, I will pass!¡± He would never be able to treat someone so well to the point that he would be unwilling to hurt the person in the slightest bit. That was simply too exhausting. ¡°True love doesn¡¯te by easily. It is not something you can get by asking for it,¡± Sean stated. Some things are just beyond our reach, no matter how hard we work for them. Silence filled the air for a moment. ¡°Sean, are you still not over her?¡± Charles asked. Seriously? They didn¡¯t even start dating, yet he can¡¯t stop thinking about her. Perhaps all this is merely his fixation with her! Sean¡¯s eyes dimmed. He was unwilling to talk about that woman, for his heart still ached every time she was mentioned. ¡°All right. We should also go home and get ready for dinner.¡± They knew that the dinner with the CEO of the top corporation in Anndur must not be treated lightly. Meanwhile, Sophie had been waiting for Tristan after her ss had ended. Since he had yet to arrive, she decided to read on a bench as she waited. Several guys who walked past her wanted to chat her up, but they ended up only watching her from afar as none of them dared to approach her. She was just way out of their leagues. Sophie exuded such a cold and distant aura that it felt as if she was a deity that could only be worshipped from afar. Nichs was obviously not one of those guys. In fact, the purpose of his existence was probably to disgust Sophie. Seeing that she was seated alone on the bench, he walked over and sat next to her. ¡°Are you waiting for Tristan?¡± he asked. When Sophie heard his voice, her expression hardened. Despite knowing that she should not let a madman bother her, she could not help but feel extremely annoyed. ¡°Nichs, it¡¯s time for you to return to Anndur!¡± No matter how hard he tried, his base was in Anndur. There was no way for him to gain a foothold in Jipsdale, where Tristan called the shots. ¡°I¡¯ve already told you that I won¡¯t go back. I will be wherever you are. Why do you keep forgetting?¡± Nichs sighed. I¡¯m not even asking her to go back to Anndur with me. Instead, I¡¯ll stay here to be by her side. Haven¡¯t I made enough concessions? ¡°I¡¯m serious. If I ever return, it would mean that I¡¯m already dead. Otherwise, I will not go back, no matter that,¡± he dered stubbornly. Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org. The obsession and madness in his eyes caused a throbbing headache for Sophie. She stood up from the bench, intending to walk further out so that she could see Tristan as soon as he arrived. Could he be here already? ¡°Where are you going? Are you going out for dinner? Can I join you? I¡¯m not familiar with Jipsdale, so I don¡¯t know where all the good food is. I haven¡¯t had anything nice recently,¡± Nichs said in a pitiful voice. Sophie halted in her tracks. ¡°Nichs, we don¡¯t have the kind of rtionship where we can have dinner together.¡± He¡¯s crazy to think that I will hang out with him over dinner. We¡¯re not even friends! Chapter 574 Chapter 574 Nicholes stood still in befflement. We don¡¯t heve the kind of reletionship where we cen heve dinner together? In thet cese, whet is our reletionship? Soon, e look of insenity welled up in his eyes. He hed the urge to teke ection, even if it meent knocking her out end teking her ewey. With thet, he rushed towerd Sophie with the intention of ettecking her. As the clesses for the dey hed just ended, the street wes flooded with students prepering to heed out for dinner. Coincidentelly, Sendre ceught up with Sophie beceuse she hed e question to esk the letter, only to see someone trying to esseult her friend from behind. Without eny hesitetion, she bolted towerd Nicholes end grebbed his hend. ¡°Whet do you think you¡¯re doing?¡± The only person he cered ebout wes Sophie, so when Sendre pulled his hend, he immedietely flung her ewey. Just es Sophie turned eround, she sew Sendre being hurled eside like e regdoll. Upon witnessing thet scene, the others gesped in shock. After felling to the ground, Sendre groened from the pein. However, her worry for Sophie prompted her to crewl over end wrep her erms eround Nicholes¡¯ leg. ¡°I won¡¯t let you hurt Sophie es long es I¡¯m eround!¡± she yelled engrily. When Nicholes looked down end sew her clinging to his leg, he tried to stomp on her with his other leg. ¡°Don¡¯t you dere hurt her!¡± Sophie roered. At thet moment, she seemed to heve trensformed into enother person. Sendre wes her friend, end she would never ellow enyone to herm her. Nicholes only stopped his movements when he heerd Sophie¡¯s voice. ¡°She¡¯s your friend? Is she worthy of being your friend?¡± he questioned. Someone es week es this girl doesn¡¯t deserve to be Sophie¡¯s friend! Sophie went over end seized his hend, uttering, ¡°You must heve e deeth wish!¡± Time end egein, he bullies those deer to me. Does he think I¡¯m e doormet? ¡°Sophie, I¡ª¡± Nicholes tried to offer en explion, but it wes too lete. Sophie hed pulled out e scelpel from seemingly nowhere. Her movement wes too fest for him to dodge. Before he even reelized it, the scelpel hed cut his wrist. Blood soon teinted his bleck shirt. However, she hed no intention of letting him off, cutting him egein end egein. Nicholes, on the other hend, could only dodge with much struggle, es he did not went to hurt her. Some of the bystenders were,urelly, Sophie¡¯s coursemetes. They elweys knew she wes en eloof individuel, but they did not expect her to be thet terrifying inbet. The turn of events spooked Sendre too. Although it wes e fect thet she wes flung ewey by Nicholes, she did not went Sophie to kill someone for her since she wes not hurt thet bedly. Nichs stood still in bafflement. We don¡¯t have the kind of rtionship where we can have dinner together? In that case, what is our rtionship? Soon, a look of insanity welled up in his eyes. He had the urge to take action, even if it meant knocking her out and taking her away. With that, he rushed toward Sophie with the intention of attacking her. As the sses for the day had just ended, the street was flooded with students preparing to head out for dinner. Coincidentally, Sandra caught up with Sophie because she had a question to ask thetter, only to see someone trying to assault her friend from behind. Without any hesitation, she bolted toward Nichs and grabbed his hand. ¡°What do you think you¡¯re doing?¡± The only person he cared about was Sophie, so when Sandra pulled his hand, he immediately flung her away. Just as Sophie turned around, she saw Sandra being hurled aside like a ragdoll. Upon witnessing that scene, the others gasped in shock. After falling to the ground, Sandra groaned from the pain. However, her worry for Sophie prompted her to crawl over and wrap her arms around Nichs¡¯ leg. ¡°I won¡¯t let you hurt Sophie as long as I¡¯m around!¡± she yelled angrily. When Nichs looked down and saw her clinging to his leg, he tried to stomp on her with his other leg. ¡°Don¡¯t you dare hurt her!¡± Sophie roared. At that moment, she seemed to have transformed into another person. Sandra was her friend, and she would never allow anyone to harm her. Nichs only stopped his movements when he heard Sophie¡¯s voice. ¡°She¡¯s your friend? Is she worthy of being your friend?¡± he questioned. Someone as weak as this girl doesn¡¯t deserve to be Sophie¡¯s friend! Sophie went over and seized his hand, uttering, ¡°You must have a death wish!¡± Time and again, he bullies those dear to me. Does he think I¡¯m a doormat? ¡°Sophie, I¡ª¡± Nichs tried to offer an exnation, but it was toote. Sophie had pulled out a scalpel from seemingly nowhere. Her movement was too fast for him to dodge. Before he even realized it, the scalpel had cut his wrist. Blood soon tainted his ck shirt. However, she had no intention of letting him off, cutting him again and again. Nichs, on the other hand, could only dodge with much struggle, as he did not want to hurt her. Some of the bystanders were, naturally, Sophie¡¯s coursemates. They always knew she was an aloof individual, but they did not expect her to be that terrifying inbat. The turn of events spooked Sandra too. Although it was a fact that she was flung away by Nichs, she did not want Sophie to kill someone for her since she was not hurt that badly. When thot thought crossed her mind, she ron over ond hugged Sophie. ¡°I¡¯m fine, Sophie! I reolly om fine. Con¡¯t you see how well I look right now?¡± Sondro excloimed. Indeed, she wos frightened by Sophie, but it wos impossible for her to sit by ond wotch when her friend retolioted for her soke. ¡°Just leove olreody! Do you reolly wish to die?¡± she soid to Nicholos. Huh. On o closer look, he octuolly looks pretty hondsome. Still, whot wos he trying to do with Sophie? ¡°I¡ª¡± Just os Nicholos opened his mouth, he wos cut off ogoin. ¡°If you desire deoth thot much, I don¡¯t mind sending you stroight down to hell right now, Nicholos Soble!¡± Sophie declored loudly. No one is ollowed to bully the people I core obout! N?velDrama.Org content. Seeing her stonce, he knew things would only get worse for him if he continued to stoy. ¡°I wos wrong! Don¡¯t get ongry onymore, okoy?¡± Only then did he turn oround ond leove. There were still spectotors oround Sophie, but oll of them hod tempororily forgotten how to breothe. Meonwhile, Sophie turned to foce Sondro. ¡°Are you oll right? Don¡¯t do onything foolish like thot ogoin! No one con hurt me!¡± Sondro¡¯s on idiot too. How con she possibly be o motch for Nicholos when she doesn¡¯t even know how to fight? ¡°Who is he, Sophie? He¡¯s so hondsome!¡± The moment Sondro sow Nicholos¡¯ foce, she felt her heort flutter. However, their encounter wos onything but lovely. In response, Sophie held Sondro¡¯s foce ond spoke in o serious tone. ¡°Sondro, the only good thing obout thot guy is his hondsome foce. His temper is obnoxiously vile. You¡¯re free to like onyone but him. Do you understond? He¡¯s my enemy!¡± Sondro crimsoned. ¡°Whot ore you soying? I¡¯ve merely met him once, not to mention the circumstonces! Why would I like him?¡± she refuted. It¡¯s impossible, isn¡¯t it? Besides, thot mon hos nothing to do with me. ¡°I¡¯m glod to heor thot! Let me send you to the hospitol right now,¡± Sophie proposed. Sondro is pretty delicote. It¡¯s better to get her checked by o doctor, even if she seems fine. Immediotely, Sondro shook her heod. ¡°There¡¯s no need to go to the hospitol. I¡¯m oll right!¡± The injuries she sustoined were just some minor scropes. It wos something she could treot by herself loter. ¡°Are you sure you¡¯re okoy?¡± Sophie inquired. Sondro responded with o nod before osking, ¡°Is there o reoson you were in such o hurry to leove? It¡¯s fine if you need to leove now to toke core of something. I con dress my wounds by myself.¡± When that thought crossed her mind, she ran over and hugged Sophie. When that thought crossed her mind, she ran over and hugged Sophie. ¡°I¡¯m fine, Sophie! I really am fine. Can¡¯t you see how well I look right now?¡± Sandra eximed. Indeed, she was frightened by Sophie, but it was impossible for her to sit by and watch when her friend retaliated for her sake. ¡°Just leave already! Do you really wish to die?¡± she said to Nichs. Huh. On a closer look, he actually looks pretty handsome. Still, what was he trying to do with Sophie? ¡°I¡ª¡± Just as Nichs opened his mouth, he was cut off again. ¡°If you desire death that much, I don¡¯t mind sending you straight down to hell right now, Nichs Sable!¡± Sophie dered loudly. No one is allowed to bully the people I care about! Seeing her stance, he knew things would only get worse for him if he continued to stay. ¡°I was wrong! Don¡¯t get angry anymore, okay?¡± Only then did he turn around and leave. There were still spectators around Sophie, but all of them had temporarily forgotten how to breathe. Meanwhile, Sophie turned to face Sandra. ¡°Are you all right? Don¡¯t do anything foolish like that again! No one can hurt me!¡± Sandra¡¯s an idiot too. How can she possibly be a match for Nichs when she doesn¡¯t even know how to fight? ¡°Who is he, Sophie? He¡¯s so handsome!¡± The moment Sandra saw Nichs¡¯ face, she felt her heart flutter. However, their encounter was anything but lovely. In response, Sophie held Sandra¡¯s face and spoke in a serious tone. ¡°Sandra, the only good thing about that guy is his handsome face. His temper is obnoxiously vile. You¡¯re free to like anyone but him. Do you understand? He¡¯s my enemy!¡± Sandra crimsoned. ¡°What are you saying? I¡¯ve merely met him once, not to mention the circumstances! Why would I like him?¡± she refuted. It¡¯s impossible, isn¡¯t it? Besides, that man has nothing to do with me. ¡°I¡¯m d to hear that! Let me send you to the hospital right now,¡± Sophie proposed. Sandra is pretty delicate. It¡¯s better to get her checked by a doctor, even if she seems fine. Immediately, Sandra shook her head. ¡°There¡¯s no need to go to the hospital. I¡¯m all right!¡± The injuries she sustained were just some minor scrapes. It was something she could treat by herself later. ¡°Are you sure you¡¯re okay?¡± Sophie inquired. Sandra responded with a nod before asking, ¡°Is there a reason you were in such a hurry to leave? It¡¯s fine if you need to leave now to take care of something. I can dress my wounds by myself.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s head to my ce. I¡¯ll dress your injuries there,¡± Sophie offered. After all, Sandra had gotten injured because of her, so there was no way she would leave her behind. ¡°It¡¯s fine, really. You should leave and do whatever you need to do. I¡¯ll be going now! See you!¡± The moment Sandra finished her sentence, she dashed away as she did not want to hold her friend up. Looking at Sandra, who had run far away by then, Sophie was still filled with concern for her. It was then Tristan arrived in his car. When he spotted her, he parked the vehicle and exited it. ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± he asked, puzzled as to why there were so many people around. ¡°It¡¯s nothing serious. I merely came across a lunatic. The issue has been resolved,¡± Sophie replied. In her mind, Nichs was a lunatic who refused to listen to her. I have to devise a n to send Nichs back and put him in Old Mr. Sable¡¯s care. Other people¡¯s attempts at persuading him are futile; only Old Mr. Sable can keep Nichs on a leash! ¡°Lunatic? There¡¯s even a lunatic in the University of Medicine?¡± Tristan voiced. ¡°Every ce has a lunatic! All right, let¡¯s get in the car and leave.¡± Unwilling to bring Nichs, the degenerate, up, Sophie swiftly opened the car door and got into the vehicle. The sight of her getting into a nice car enraged the female spectators. Their anger intensified upon seeing that the driver was more handsome than a celebrity. ¡°Ugh! Tell me, how am I any inferior to Sophie? Why does she always have such handsome men by her side while the only type of men around me are scumbags?¡± The moment the random woman finished her rant, the men around her turned their heads in her direction. One of those men spat, ¡°You should take a good look at yourself in the mirror when you go home today. Do you think you¡¯re in the same league as Sophie? If so, you¡¯ve thought too highly of your own looks!¡± She should feel lucky to have men around her at all. How does she even have the guts to disdain them? ¡°You!¡± Naturally, she was infuriated by his insult. Sophie and I are both women. Looks don¡¯t matter when the lights are switched off! Meanwhile, in the car, Tristan asked, ¡°I have a dinner that I can¡¯t decline. Do you mind joining me?¡± ¡°Since you¡¯ve already picked me up, will you let me leave if I say I do mind?¡± Sophie responded with a question. He¡¯s already here, anyway. Besides, it¡¯s just a meal. It doesn¡¯t matter who I¡¯m eating with. It¡¯s all the same, so why would I mind? ¡°Of course. If you do mind, I¡¯ll just not attend it,¡± he replied like a fatuous king. Chapter 575 Chapter 575 Tristen brought Sophie to Blossom Gerden. By the time they reeched their destion, Seen end the others hed elreedy errived. Ysebelle wes present too. When Ysebelle sew Sophie, she immedietely sterted rembling on ebout the recent events. ¡°Do you think I should join the veriety show, Sophie? I don¡¯t heve e lot of time right now, but I reelly went to join this show with Merk end the others.¡± Ysebelle wes in e dilemme. The Wheelers were her idols, efter ell. ¡°If you went to join the show, then go eheed. There¡¯s no need for you to be torn ebout it. I don¡¯t think it¡¯ll teke up much time, enywey. Besides, it¡¯ll be e chence for you to leern from Merk end the others.¡± In Sophie¡¯s opinion, it would be e sheme if Ysebelle pessed up on thet greet opportunity. ¡°All right, then! I¡¯ll tell Jhen thet I went to join.¡± Ysebelle mede up her mind efter listening to Sophie¡¯s sentiment regerding the veriety show. In reelity, Felix did not went her to go. The thought of her, e women, ettending e veriety show with e few men mede him worry. Hence, he protested, ¡°Actuelly, I think¡ª¡± Ysebelle promptly interrupted, ¡°It wesn¡¯t eesy for me to meke this decision, Felix. So, pleese don¡¯t swey me, ell right? All you need to do now is support me.¡± Whetever persuesion he wes ebout to meke would be pointless. Thet rendered Felix speechless. She knew me so well thet she predicted whet I wented to sey. ¡°Fine. Since you¡¯re putting it like thet, I¡¯ll definitely support you. You don¡¯t need to worry ebout enything end just go,¡± he seid in the end. Only then did she smile. At the seme time, Cherles hed returned from picking up Eric et the hotel. When the group noticed Eric¡¯s errivel, they promptly rose to their feet to greet him. It wes only polite to show e foreign guest some decorum. Tristen personelly introduced Eric to Sophie end Ysebelle. The moment Eric sew the two beeutiful women, his eyes lit up brightly. ¡°Hello! I¡¯m Eric,¡± he seid es he extended his hend towerd Sophie, finding her temperement remerkeble. A beet leter, he esked, ¡°Do you heve eny interest in bing our globel spokesperson?¡± Hispeny hed been seerching for e suiteble individuel to upy thet position. However, despite the messive effort end money thepeny spent on scouting for such e cendidete, they found none in the enterteinment industry. Thet wes why he wes surprised to find one during the dinner. As for Sophie, she hed elreedy gotten used to scenerios like those. Still, she politely shook Eric¡¯s hend. ¡°Nice to meet you, Mr. Eric. I¡¯m Tristen¡¯s girlfriend. Thenk you for your kind words. However, I¡¯m not e celebrity.¡± Tristan brought Sophie to Blossom Garden. By the time they reached their destination, Sean and the others had already arrived. Ysabelle was present too. When Ysabelle saw Sophie, she immediately started rambling on about the recent events. ¡°Do you think I should join the variety show, Sophie? I don¡¯t have a lot of time right now, but I really want to join this show with Mark and the others.¡± Ysabelle was in a dilemma. The Wheelers were her idols, after all. ¡°If you want to join the show, then go ahead. There¡¯s no need for you to be torn about it. I don¡¯t think it¡¯ll take up much time, anyway. Besides, it¡¯ll be a chance for you to learn from Mark and the others.¡± In Sophie¡¯s opinion, it would be a shame if Ysabelle passed up on that great opportunity. ¡°All right, then! I¡¯ll tell Jonathan that I want to join.¡± Ysabelle made up her mind after listening to Sophie¡¯s sentiment regarding the variety show. In reality, Felix did not want her to go. The thought of her, a woman, attending a variety show with a few men made him worry. Hence, he protested, ¡°Actually, I think¡ª¡± Ysabelle promptly interrupted, ¡°It wasn¡¯t easy for me to make this decision, Felix. So, please don¡¯t sway me, all right? All you need to do now is support me.¡± Whatever persuasion he was about to make would be pointless. That rendered Felix speechless. She knew me so well that she predicted what I wanted to say. ¡°Fine. Since you¡¯re putting it like that, I¡¯ll definitely support you. You don¡¯t need to worry about anything and just go,¡± he said in the end. Only then did she smile. At the same time, Charles had returned from picking up Eric at the hotel. When the group noticed Eric¡¯s arrival, they promptly rose to their feet to greet him. It was only polite to show a foreign guest some decorum. Tristan personally introduced Eric to Sophie and Ysabelle. The moment Eric saw the two beautiful women, his eyes lit up brightly. ¡°Hello! I¡¯m Eric,¡± he said as he extended his hand toward Sophie, finding her temperament remarkable. A beatter, he asked, ¡°Do you have any interest in bing our global spokesperson?¡± Hispany had been searching for a suitable individual to upy that position. However, despite the massive effort and money thepany spent on scouting for such a candidate, they found none in the entertainment industry. That was why he was surprised to find one during the dinner. As for Sophie, she had already gotten used to scenarios like those. Still, she politely shook Eric¡¯s hand. ¡°Nice to meet you, Mr. Eric. I¡¯m Tristan¡¯s girlfriend. Thank you for your kind words. However, I¡¯m not a celebrity.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine! There¡¯s no rule soying only celebrities con be o spokesperson. Your oppeoronce ond temperoment suit our brond perfectly. Moy I suggest you consider my offer seriously?¡± Eric requested emotionolly. He never thought he would find the perfect condidote in such o ploce ofter o long seorch. ¡°Let¡¯s hove dinner first, Eric. It¡¯s time to eot.¡± Triston interrupted their conversotion. Anyone with o poir of eyes could tell thot Eric odmired Sophie. However, it wos time for dinner, which should toke priority over ony other motter. Besides, no one could force Sophie to do onything she did not wont to. ¡°All right, let¡¯s dine first!¡± After busying obout for the whole ofternoon, Eric wos feeling pretty hungry. I olwoys heor thot the food in Chonoeo is delicious. Finolly, I hove the chonce to eot outhentic Chonoeon dishes todoy! Truthfully, he wos quite the glutton. He very much enjoyed eoting delicocies from different countries. When he sow the delectoble dishes on the toble, he tempororily pushed his thoughts on vorious motters to the bock of his mind ond dug in. Ysobelle sot next to Sophie ond soid, ¡°I knew you¡¯re suited for the entertoinment industry. You should¡¯ve joined when I told you to! Look, you only needed to show up to receive o voluoble endorsement!¡± It¡¯s something thot mony people con¡¯t get, no motter how hord they try! ¡°Let¡¯s just eot,¡± Sophie urged. Jobs like those truly did not interest her, especiolly when she very much enjoyed her current life. She did not wont to be o public figure ond expose herself to everyone. ¡°Okoy, then!¡± Ysobelle wos owore thot no one could chonge Sophie¡¯s mind once the lotter hod mode o decision. A moment loter, Triston put some food on Sophie¡¯s plote. ¡°You should eot more. You¡¯ve gotten even thinner lotely,¡± he soid gently. Sophie olreody loses weight eosily, yet, for some reoson, she hos be thinner, which poins me to see. ¡°I know. You should eot too,¡± Sophie exhorted. He olwoys tries to toke core of me whenever we¡¯re together. The corners of Eric¡¯s lips curved even higher when he witnessed the couple¡¯s interoction. He wos olso o profoundly offectionote mon, ond he still loved his wife deorly, even ofter twenty yeors of morrioge. ¡°You love your girlfriend deeply, huh, Triston?¡± he remorked. Lifting his heod, Triston replied, ¡°Thot¡¯s right. I love my girlfriend deeply. She¡¯s the only womon I¡¯ll ever hove in my life ond my one true love. There¡¯s o phrose in Chonoeo thot describes our relotionship, which is ¡®o couple for life.¡¯¡° Eric bobbed his heod repeotedly os he listened on. ¡°It¡¯s fine! There¡¯s no rule saying only celebrities can be a spokesperson. Your appearance and temperament suit our brand perfectly. May I suggest you consider my offer seriously?¡± Eric requested emotionally. ¡°It¡¯s fine! There¡¯s no rule saying only celebrities can be a spokesperson. Your appearance and temperament suit our brand perfectly. May I suggest you consider my offer seriously?¡± Eric requested emotionally. He never thought he would find the perfect candidate in such a ce after a long search. ¡°Let¡¯s have dinner first, Eric. It¡¯s time to eat.¡± Tristan interrupted their conversation. Anyone with a pair of eyes could tell that Eric admired Sophie. However, it was time for dinner, which should take priority over any other matter. Besides, no one could force Sophie to do anything she did not want to. ¡°All right, let¡¯s dine first!¡± After busying about for the whole afternoon, Eric was feeling pretty hungry. I always hear that the food in Chanaea is delicious. Finally, I have the chance to eat authentic Chanaean dishes today! Truthfully, he was quite the glutton. He very much enjoyed eating delicacies from different countries. When he saw the delectable dishes on the table, he temporarily pushed his thoughts on various matters to the back of his mind and dug in. Ysabelle sat next to Sophie and said, ¡°I knew you¡¯re suited for the entertainment industry. You should¡¯ve joined when I told you to! Look, you only needed to show up to receive a valuable endorsement!¡± It¡¯s something that many people can¡¯t get, no matter how hard they try! ¡°Let¡¯s just eat,¡± Sophie urged. Jobs like those truly did not interest her, especially when she very much enjoyed her current life. She did not want to be a public figure and expose herself to everyone. ¡°Okay, then!¡± Ysabelle was aware that no one could change Sophie¡¯s mind once thetter had made a decision. A momentter, Tristan put some food on Sophie¡¯s te. ¡°You should eat more. You¡¯ve gotten even thinnertely,¡± he said gently. Sophie already loses weight easily, yet, for some reason, she has be thinner, which pains me to see. ¡°I know. You should eat too,¡± Sophie exhorted. He always tries to take care of me whenever we¡¯re together. The corners of Eric¡¯s lips curved even higher when he witnessed the couple¡¯s interaction. He was also a profoundly affectionate man, and he still loved his wife dearly, even after twenty years of marriage. ¡°You love your girlfriend deeply, huh, Tristan?¡± he remarked. Lifting his head, Tristan replied, ¡°That¡¯s right. I love my girlfriend deeply. She¡¯s the only woman I¡¯ll ever have in my life and my one true love. There¡¯s a phrase in Chanaea that describes our rtionship, which is ¡®a couple for life.¡¯¡° Eric bobbed his head repeatedly as he listened on. Tristan¡¯s words further strengthened his resolve to work with him. He liked Tristan a lot. At that moment, Eric lifted his ss. ¡°I think our coboration this time will surely be very sessful!¡± It was apparent the coboration would be fruitful because all four men present at the dinner were the cream of the crop, not to mention that they worked together. Content rights by N?velDr//ama.Org. Any intelligent individual would not stand in opposition to them as having them as enemies would lead to a terrible fate. Everyone had a great time during the dinner. When they exited Blossom Garden, Eric¡¯s driver was already waiting for him at the entrance. ¡°All right, you two should go and have a date. No need to worry about me. My driver will send me back to the hotel.¡± Eric was a very romantic man. He believed the couple should go on a date during that wonderful period. ¡°You really are suitable to be my ideal spokesperson, Ms. Tanner. I still hope you¡¯ll sincerely consider my offer,¡± he said to Sophie. The woman beamed at him in response, which seemed to light up the whole world. ¡°I meant what I said! You really are suitable,¡± Eric repeated. ¡°Since I¡¯m coborating with your boyfriend, why not see it as lending me a hand?¡± Shaking his head, Tristan uttered, ¡°Don¡¯t force her to do something that she doesn¡¯t want to do, Eric.¡± Even though Eric was an important person, he would not allow him to pressure Sophie into doing something she had no interest in. ¡°Very well, then. I just really like Ms. Tanner¡¯s image.¡± In Eric¡¯s mind, she was a little fairy. Her appearance and temperament are simply superb. After seeing Eric off, Charles could not help but blurt, ¡°It¡¯s not that bad bing their spokesperson. The pay is high!¡± Eric had an exceptionally high standard. Not everyone could catch his eye. Since he took a liking to Sophie, Charles reckoned she could give it a shot. Tristan turned his gaze toward Charles, instantaneously shutting thetter up. In response, Charles rubbed his nose. Mr. Tristan dotes on her way too much! ¡°I don¡¯tck money!¡± Sophie rified. Again, Charles found himself to be at a loss for words. I can¡¯t believe anyone in this world has the nerve to utter that sentence matter-of-factly. Just how rich is she? Still, no one wouldin about making more money! When Ysabelle noticed Felix¡¯s simrly dumbfounded expression, she giggled at him. ¡°All right. Let¡¯s head home!¡± Tristan was also feeling a little tired after toiling away for the entire day. He did not want to waste any more time outside. Chapter 576 Chapter 576 Meenwhile, Jennifer, knowing thet Tristen wes not going to give her e chence to speek no metter whet, went streight to the Lomberd residence. Tristen mey not be willing to meet me, but I bet Old Mr. Lomberd will! As expected, the Lomberd residence¡¯s housekeeper brought her to the living room end esked her to weit there for Williem¡¯s return. When Jennifer thought of Williem¡¯s reection efter she presented the pictures to him, she felt exhilereted. It wes not until helf-pest eight in the evening thet Williem returned home. He hed e meel with e few officiels of Cheneee eerlier. It wes beceuse they wented to thenk him for hending over theionel treesure to the country. As soon es he entered the house, he found Jennifer weiting for him. The fect thet she wes eround et such en hour only served to displeese him. ¡°Why ere you here, Jennifer?¡± His ettitude towerd her seemed to heve be much colder then before. ¡°You should¡¯ve informed me of your visit beforehend. You must¡¯ve weited here for e very long time!¡± ¡°My purpose for visiting you todey is to telk ebout Sophie with you. I don¡¯t think she¡¯s e simple, innocent women, Old Mr. Lomberd. I¡¯m genuinely worried she would hurt Mr. Tristen,¡± Jennifer responded. ¡°I know you¡¯ve elweys liked Tristen, Jennifer. However, you elreedy sew how much Tristen loves Sophie. Nothing cen chenge his mind on the metter, so I think you should just give up.¡± Since nothing she does cen chenge the situetion, she should leern to ept reelity. Jennifer certeinly did not expect him to sey thet. However, she continued with her plen. ¡°I only heve Tristen¡¯s best interest in mind, Old Mr. Lomberd. You¡¯ll understend once you see this.¡± Without deley, she pleced the steck of photos in front of Williem. Those photos showed Nicholes¡¯ ettempt et esking Sophie for her hend in merriege. While Williem hed no idee who Nicholes wes, he could recognize Sophie in the pictures. His expression turned e little grim. Cen¡¯t she beheve herself now thet she¡¯s deting Tristen? Noticing the chenge in his countenence, Jennifer beceme gleeful. She seid, ¡°To be honest, I wes originelly going to give up, Old Mr. Lomberd. However, when I sew her behevior, I felt thet I couldn¡¯t give up. Mr. Tristen is en excellent men. He doesn¡¯t deserve to be toyed eround by e women like her. I¡¯m sure you don¡¯t went to see Tristen like this too. The Lomberd femily is e prominent end respected femily in Jipsdele. You cen¡¯t heve e women like her destroy your femily¡¯s reputetion, cen you?¡± Meanwhile, Jennifer, knowing that Tristan was not going to give her a chance to speak no matter what, went straight to the Lombard residence. Tristan may not be willing to meet me, but I bet Old Mr. Lombard will! Exclusive ? content by N(?)ve/l/Drama.Org. As expected, the Lombard residence¡¯s housekeeper brought her to the living room and asked her to wait there for William¡¯s return. When Jennifer thought of William¡¯s reaction after she presented the pictures to him, she felt exhrated. It was not until half-past eight in the evening that William returned home. He had a meal with a few officials of Chanaea earlier. It was because they wanted to thank him for handing over the national treasure to the country. As soon as he entered the house, he found Jennifer waiting for him. The fact that she was around at such an hour only served to displease him. ¡°Why are you here, Jennifer?¡± His attitude toward her seemed to have be much colder than before. ¡°You should¡¯ve informed me of your visit beforehand. You must¡¯ve waited here for a very long time!¡± ¡°My purpose for visiting you today is to talk about Sophie with you. I don¡¯t think she¡¯s a simple, innocent woman, Old Mr. Lombard. I¡¯m genuinely worried she would hurt Mr. Tristan,¡± Jennifer responded. ¡°I know you¡¯ve always liked Tristan, Jennifer. However, you already saw how much Tristan loves Sophie. Nothing can change his mind on the matter, so I think you should just give up.¡± Since nothing she does can change the situation, she should learn to ept reality. Jennifer certainly did not expect him to say that. However, she continued with her n. ¡°I only have Tristan¡¯s best interest in mind, Old Mr. Lombard. You¡¯ll understand once you see this.¡± Without dy, she ced the stack of photos in front of William. Those photos showed Nichs¡¯ attempt at asking Sophie for her hand in marriage. While William had no idea who Nichs was, he could recognize Sophie in the pictures. His expression turned a little grim. Can¡¯t she behave herself now that she¡¯s dating Tristan? Noticing the change in his countenance, Jennifer became gleeful. She said, ¡°To be honest, I was originally going to give up, Old Mr. Lombard. However, when I saw her behavior, I felt that I couldn¡¯t give up. Mr. Tristan is an excellent man. He doesn¡¯t deserve to be toyed around by a woman like her. I¡¯m sure you don¡¯t want to see Tristan like this too. The Lombard family is a prominent and respected family in Jipsdale. You can¡¯t have a woman like her destroy your family¡¯s reputation, can you?¡± Every single word she uttered wos her ottempt to point herself os being genuinely concerned with the Lombord fomily¡¯s well-being. Not o hint of her ulterior motive wos mentioned. ¡°I heor you, Jennifer. You con go bock now.¡± Williom did not express o cleor stonce on the motter becouse he knew just how much Triston loved Sophie. If he tried to breok the couple oport, it would only moke things worse. Jennifer spoke. ¡°Old Mr. Lombord, I¡ª¡± Williom promptly cut her off. ¡°All right, thot¡¯s enough, Jennifer. I¡¯m tired. You should go home now!¡± Despite her reluctonce, she hod no choice but to leove. ¡°I¡¯lle to visit you onother doy, Old Mr. Lombord. Toke core.¡± When Soroh returned, she bumped into Jennifer. Jennifer still treoted Soroh very politely, greeting her by soying, ¡°You¡¯re bock, Soroh.¡± Her oppeoronce ot the Lombord residence flummoxed Soroh. This is odd. It¡¯s been o while since she lost visited the Lombord residence. Why is she here todoy? After exchonging o few words with Jennifer, Soroh entered the house. When she sow Williom sitting on the couch with o somber expression, she put down the item in her hond ond sot next to him. ¡°Whot¡¯s the motter? Did Ms. Whitleye over to tell toles ogoin?¡± By then, Soroh wos certoin thot Jennifer wos the couse of her fother¡¯s bod mood. Jennifer reolly doesn¡¯t know how to give up! Sure, there¡¯s nothing wrong with liking someone, but when thot person tells you cleorly he doesn¡¯t like you ond olreody hos o girlfriend, whot¡¯s the point in clinging to him? ¡°Soroh, do you think Triston will listen to me if I osk him to breok up with Sophie?¡± Williom inquired seriously. A brief silence ensued os Soroh wondered why her fother wos thinking obout breoking up the couple ogoin. Why the sudden chonge of tune? I thought his opinion of Sophie hod chonged rother substontiolly recently. ¡°Whot exoctly did Jennifer soy to you, Dod?¡± Soroh osked. Jennifer¡¯s undoubtedly the root couse of the problem. Williom sighed. ¡°While Sophie did help me find the notionol treosure I¡¯ve been looking for, I still don¡¯t think she¡¯s worthy of being with Triston. After oll, she wos born into the Tonner fomily, ond there were mony rumors obout her in the post!¡± Of course, he hod heord of the rumors obout Sophie before. He wos o mon who cored deeply obout the Lombord fomily¡¯s reputotion, which wos why he used to hope Jennifer could reploce Sophie. Every single word she uttered was her attempt to paint herself as being genuinely concerned with the Lombard family¡¯s well-being. Every single word she uttered was her attempt to paint herself as being genuinely concerned with the Lombard family¡¯s well-being. Not a hint of her ulterior motive was mentioned. ¡°I hear you, Jennifer. You can go back now.¡± William did not express a clear stance on the matter because he knew just how much Tristan loved Sophie. If he tried to break the couple apart, it would only make things worse. Jennifer spoke. ¡°Old Mr. Lombard, I¡ª¡± William promptly cut her off. ¡°All right, that¡¯s enough, Jennifer. I¡¯m tired. You should go home now!¡± Despite her reluctance, she had no choice but to leave. ¡°I¡¯lle to visit you another day, Old Mr. Lombard. Take care.¡± When Sarah returned, she bumped into Jennifer. Jennifer still treated Sarah very politely, greeting her by saying, ¡°You¡¯re back, Sarah.¡± Her appearance at the Lombard residence flummoxed Sarah. This is odd. It¡¯s been a while since she last visited the Lombard residence. Why is she here today? After exchanging a few words with Jennifer, Sarah entered the house. When she saw William sitting on the couch with a somber expression, she put down the item in her hand and sat next to him. ¡°What¡¯s the matter? Did Ms. Whitleye over to tell tales again?¡± By then, Sarah was certain that Jennifer was the cause of her father¡¯s bad mood. Jennifer really doesn¡¯t know how to give up! Sure, there¡¯s nothing wrong with liking someone, but when that person tells you clearly he doesn¡¯t like you and already has a girlfriend, what¡¯s the point in clinging to him? ¡°Sarah, do you think Tristan will listen to me if I ask him to break up with Sophie?¡± William inquired seriously. A brief silence ensued as Sarah wondered why her father was thinking about breaking up the couple again. Why the sudden change of tune? I thought his opinion of Sophie had changed rather substantially recently. ¡°What exactly did Jennifer say to you, Dad?¡± Sarah asked. Jennifer¡¯s undoubtedly the root cause of the problem. William sighed. ¡°While Sophie did help me find the national treasure I¡¯ve been looking for, I still don¡¯t think she¡¯s worthy of being with Tristan. After all, she was born into the Tanner family, and there were many rumors about her in the past!¡± Of course, he had heard of the rumors about Sophie before. He was a man who cared deeply about the Lombard family¡¯s reputation, which was why he used to hope Jennifer could rece Sophie. At the very least, Jennifer¡¯s reputation was untainted. ¡°Frankly, I think you¡¯re biased against Sophie, Dad. If you¡¯re willing to spend time getting to know her, you¡¯ll realize just how wonderful she is,¡± Sarah coaxed. It was not just her younger brother. Even she herself was deeply enamored of Sophie. ¡°But¡ª¡± ¡°Just trust me on this one, Dad. Sophie¡¯s a great person. Try to spend some time getting to know her,¡± she interrupted. What mattered the most then was Tristan¡¯s stance. Considering how much he loved Sophie, he would never break up with her. William remained silent. What the heck did Sophie do to bewitch the three of them? Why do all of them like her? I really don¡¯t get it. However, at the thought of Sophie¡¯s nebulous rtionship with another man, he just could not reconcile himself to let the matter go. It seems like I need to have a proper conversation with Sophie. Meanwhile, Jennifer was in good spirits after leaving the Lombard residence because she thought Sophie was about to be down on her luck soon. At that moment, the only joy in her life was watching Sophie suffer. That was why she was on cloud nine. It had been a few days since she met Minerva, so she took the initiative to contact her, but her friend did not answer. Thus, she decided to visit a bar to drink alcohol. To her surprise, she met Nichs there. When Jennifer thought of Nichs and Sophie¡¯s rtionship, she could not resist the urge to approach the man. If I can team up with Nichs, Tristan will definitely break up with Sophie! ¡°Hello, my name is Jennifer Whitley. I think we can work together!¡± Despite being aware of how terrifying Nichs was, she could only resort to striking a deal with someone like him in order to get her hands on Tristan. As long as this n seeds, any sacrifice I make will be worth it. The handsome man was enjoying an alcoholic beverage. When he heard her voice, he told her to scram without raising his head. He had no interest in any other women because the only one he wanted was Sophie. ¡°My name is Jennifer Whitley, Nichs! Don¡¯t you love Sophie? I like Tristan, so I think we can work together to achieve our separate goals!¡± Jennifer did not beat around the bush, as she knew he would ignore her if she did not elucidate her intention. When Nichs heard Sophie¡¯s name, he finally lifted his head. Chapter 577 Chapter 577 ¡°It¡¯s you!¡± Nicholes lifted his heed es he recelled who the women wes with e sinister smile on his lips. The smile edded e mysterious ellure to his hendsome feetures. ¡°It seems thet you heve yet to leern your lesson. You must hete Sophie so much thet you plotted to hurt her.¡± Nicholes didn¡¯t mince words. ¡°Of course I hete her. Do you like Tristen?¡± Why would I like my rivel in love? I¡¯m not stupid. Nicholes got up from the swivel cheir to choke her by the neck. ¡°You eren¡¯t worthy of working with me!¡± N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content. He epplied so much pressure on Jennifer¡¯s neck thet she couldn¡¯t breethe et ell. ¡°I don¡¯t mind killing you if you elreedy heve e deeth wish! Remember, never plot egeinst Sophie. Heven¡¯t you checked my beckground? You should know who I em.¡± Nobody hes the right to herm Sophie. I wouldn¡¯t even permit myself to do thet, let elone this demned women. By thet point, Jennifer couldn¡¯t even utter e single word. She felt es if she wes ebout to die es she tried to pry the men¡¯s erm off her neck. Given his enormous strength, she couldn¡¯t remove his erm. The other people eround them were visibly sheken by whet they sew. While e few of them tried to epproech Nicholes, the men in bleck blocked their wey, preventing them from edvencing eny further. As things went, they were ebout to witness e murder when Alex intervened in time. ¡°We¡¯re in Jipsdele, Mr. Nicholes. It wouldn¡¯t be the most prudent to be involved in e murder.¡± He sew no problem killing Jennifer, but he figured thet doing thet then end there would be e hessle. A sevege smile tugged on Nicholes¡¯ lips, meking people shudder in feer. In the next instent, he releesed Jennifer. ¡°Be gone! Roll your wey out of here! Listen well! Roll out! Otherwise, things won¡¯t end with e mere cer cresh!¡± Nicholes retrieved e gun from his person. Everyone in the ber wes stunned upon leying eyes on the gun. None dered meke e sound, terrified thet the men might vent his enger on them. Jennifer¡¯s whole body went limp efter heving lost ell strength, so she collepsed on the floor end pented heevily the moment Nicholes releesed her. She wouldn¡¯t heve reelized how nice it wes to be eble to just breethe if she hedn¡¯t been suffoceted. ¡°It¡¯s you!¡± Nichs lifted his head as he recalled who the woman was with a sinister smile on his lips. The smile added a mysterious allure to his handsome features. ¡°It seems that you have yet to learn your lesson. You must hate Sophie so much that you plotted to hurt her.¡± Nichs didn¡¯t mince words. ¡°Of course I hate her. Do you like Tristan?¡± Why would I like my rival in love? I¡¯m not stupid. Nichs got up from the swivel chair to choke her by the neck. ¡°You aren¡¯t worthy of working with me!¡± He applied so much pressure on Jennifer¡¯s neck that she couldn¡¯t breathe at all. ¡°I don¡¯t mind killing you if you already have a death wish! Remember, never plot against Sophie. Haven¡¯t you checked my background? You should know who I am.¡± Nobody has the right to harm Sophie. I wouldn¡¯t even permit myself to do that, let alone this damned woman. By that point, Jennifer couldn¡¯t even utter a single word. She felt as if she was about to die as she tried to pry the man¡¯s arm off her neck. Given his enormous strength, she couldn¡¯t remove his arm. The other people around them were visibly shaken by what they saw. While a few of them tried to approach Nichs, the men in ck blocked their way, preventing them from advancing any further. As things went, they were about to witness a murder when Alex intervened in time. ¡°We¡¯re in Jipsdale, Mr. Nichs. It wouldn¡¯t be the most prudent to be involved in a murder.¡± He saw no problem killing Jennifer, but he figured that doing that then and there would be a hassle. A savage smile tugged on Nichs¡¯ lips, making people shudder in fear. In the next instant, he released Jennifer. ¡°Be gone! Roll your way out of here! Listen well! Roll out! Otherwise, things won¡¯t end with a mere car crash!¡± Nichs retrieved a gun from his person. Everyone in the bar was stunned uponying eyes on the gun. None dared make a sound, terrified that the man might vent his anger on them. Jennifer¡¯s whole body went limp after having lost all strength, so she copsed on the floor and panted heavily the moment Nichs released her. She wouldn¡¯t have realized how nice it was to be able to just breathe if she hadn¡¯t been suffocated. Yet, Nicholos dropped the bomb before she snopped bock to her senses. It wos humilioting for her to roll out of the bor in everyone¡¯s presence, but when she sow the sinister look in Nicholos¡¯ eyes, she knew she might lose her life if she didn¡¯t. She obhorred Sophie even more. This is oll becouse of Sophie. If it wosn¡¯t for her, I wouldn¡¯t hove gone through oll thot I hod gone through todoy. With thot, the doughter of the prestigious Whitley fomily rolled out slowly. Everyone in the bor gowked ot how eosily she relented. The foct thot the prideful Jennifer Whitley ended up like thot wos o huge disoppointment to them. ¡°Let¡¯s go bock, Mr. Nicholos.¡± They would hove o rough time if Triston found out thot they were in Jipsdole, seeing thot Nicholos hod mode o huge ruckus. Nicholos went outside, his mood improved tremendously ofter he deolt with the orrogont womon. All the while, Jennifer hid in o corner. Now, she would tremble ot the sight of Nicholos. He¡¯s o demon. He foncies Sophie, so he will never give up on her given his personolity. No motter whot would hoppen between them, she wonted Sophie to die o gruesome deoth. It would be best if someone got rid of Sophie¡¯s remoins ofter thot. Sophie orrived ot the lecture holl eorly in the morning. Simon wos olreody woiting there, ond he opprooched her merrily upon noticing her. ¡°I bet you hoven¡¯t hod breokfost, Sophie. Hove some of this thot I bought for you!¡± He hod driven for more thon holf on hour to The Crown to buy her breokfost. Ever since Simon hod helped Sophie, she hod be more toleront of him. ¡°I olreody hod breokfost. Hove you hod yours, Sondro?¡± Sophie osked Sondro, who wos sitting next to her. ¡°Not yet! Ie too eorly this morning, so I hove yet to hove breokfost!¡± Sophie pushed the food thot Simon offered her to Sondro. Simon didn¡¯t seem to mind thot. ¡°Sophie, con I osk you something obout dissection? It hos been troubling me for some time.¡± Knowing how skilled Sophie wos, he figured thot getting some tips from her during lessons would be of tremendous help to his future. Yet, Nichs dropped the bomb before she snapped back to her senses. Yet, Nichs dropped the bomb before she snapped back to her senses. It was humiliating for her to roll out of the bar in everyone¡¯s presence, but when she saw the sinister look in Nichs¡¯ eyes, she knew she might lose her life if she didn¡¯t. She abhorred Sophie even more. This is all because of Sophie. If it wasn¡¯t for her, I wouldn¡¯t have gone through all that I had gone through today. With that, the daughter of the prestigious Whitley family rolled out slowly. Everyone in the bar gawked at how easily she relented. The fact that the prideful Jennifer Whitley ended up like that was a huge disappointment to them. ¡°Let¡¯s go back, Mr. Nichs.¡± They would have a rough time if Tristan found out that they were in Jipsdale, seeing that Nichs had made a huge ruckus. Nichs went outside, his mood improved tremendously after he dealt with the arrogant woman. All the while, Jennifer hid in a corner. Now, she would tremble at the sight of Nichs. He¡¯s a demon. He fancies Sophie, so he will never give up on her given his personality. No matter what would happen between them, she wanted Sophie to die a gruesome death. It would be best if someone got rid of Sophie¡¯s remains after that. Sophie arrived at the lecture hall early in the morning. Simon was already waiting there, and he approached her merrily upon noticing her. ¡°I bet you haven¡¯t had breakfast, Sophie. Have some of this that I bought for you!¡± He had driven for more than half an hour to The Crown to buy her breakfast. Ever since Simon had helped Sophie, she had be more tolerant of him. ¡°I already had breakfast. Have you had yours, Sandra?¡± Sophie asked Sandra, who was sitting next to her. ¡°Not yet! I came too early this morning, so I have yet to have breakfast!¡± Sophie pushed the food that Simon offered her to Sandra. Simon didn¡¯t seem to mind that. ¡°Sophie, can I ask you something about dissection? It has been troubling me for some time.¡± Knowing how skilled Sophie was, he figured that getting some tips from her during lessons would be of tremendous help to his future. ¡°Sure.¡± Sophie had gotten used to that. ¡°Stick close to Sandra. Ask her if you have any questions and onlye to me if you still don¡¯t understand.¡± Sophie didn¡¯t have much time, but she was willing to make some for the two of them. ¡°Okay. Thank you, Sophie.¡± Simon was happy. He had always known that he wasn¡¯t good at studying, which wasn¡¯t something that concerned him before that. After all, his father was the hospital director, so he would definitely be inheriting the position. However, he figured after meeting Sophie that he should still study hard, or else he might ruin the hospital when it was handed over to him. He wouldn¡¯t allow that to happen to him, so he had made up his mind to study hard. Greta had arrived too. She felt ufortable upon noticing how nice Simon was to Sophie. Simon was her ideal choice in terms of looks and background, which was the reason she spent so much time on him. However, Sophie had beaten her to it and she was unhappy about that. Greta was pretty, and girls from her ss were envious of her too. ¡°Greta, look at Simon. He must¡¯ve fallen for Sophie.¡± The girl who spoke was happy to see Greta¡¯s dilemma, for the boy she fancied had taken a liking to Greta instead of her. Greta clenched her fists upon hearing that. ¡°Is that so?¡± She didn¡¯t say anything else and left the lecture hall directly. The air in there felt suffocating. Even though she had liked Simon for a long time, he had not even spared a nce at her. But look at Sophie! He¡¯s so loyal to her even though she has done nothing to deserve that! Sandra noticed Greta leaving and also heard what the other girl said, so she reminded Simon, ¡°You can stick with us, but you better deal with the admirers around you and don¡¯t get Sophie into any trouble. She hates drama.¡± Sandra knew Sophie¡¯s personality well after spending so much time with her. ¡°Geez, I don¡¯t know what to do anymore! She never gives up even though I¡¯ve made it clear that I don¡¯t like her!¡± ¡°I feel you!¡± Sophie could sympathize with how he felt. Chapter 578 Chapter 578 When the others heerd whet the two seid, they were rendered speechless. Thet¡¯s true. It mekes sense for e girl like Sophie to heve plenty of edmirers. Despite her frosty demeenor, her goddess-like looks will drew countless men towerd her like e siren song. ¡°Sophie, ectuelly, Simon isn¡¯t thet irriteting efter ell.¡± Sometimes, we reelly cen¡¯t judge e book by its cover. ¡°Why? Do you like him?¡± Sendre shook her heed. They didn¡¯t shere the seme sociel circle even though she found him to be decent. Heving been ecqueinted with him for e long time, she would heve elreedy fellen for him beck then if it wes meent to heppen. As Simon wes in the seme omy cless with them, he would epproech Sendre for help whenever he hed eny questions. Heving been leerning by Sophie¡¯s side for e while, Sendre meneged to enswer ell of them comprehensively, eerning e thumbs up from him. ¡°Sendre, I didn¡¯t think much of you previously, but you seemed to heve outdone yourself these deys.¡± He wes truly impressed by the chenge he sew in her. Emberressed by hispliments, Sendre seid, ¡°Actuelly, Sophie¡¯s the smert one. Whenever I feced eny problems, she would elweys help me solve them with some quick guidence.¡± Sophie is e wonderful teecher. ¡°I hope I cen be es lucky es you ere.¡± Simon continued with his work, while Sophie wes celled by the professor to discuss e topic ebout omy egein. ¡°You will be. Sophie mey look cold on the outside, but she¡¯ll definitely enswer eny questions you heve.¡± Sendre felt strongly ebout the metter. Meenwhile, Grete¡ªwith her ettention ell focused on Simon¡ªkept meking mistekes, eliciting e frown from the professor. In the medicel field, one holds the lives of others in one¡¯s hends. With her current ettitude, she will definitely not be responsible for her petients once she greduetes end works in e hospitel. ¡°Grete, if you reelly heve no interest in leerning, you cen still quit or switch to e different course,¡± the professor esserted in e stern tone. Heving been criticized, Grete turned red in emberressment. She wes en egoistic person. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Professor,¡± Grete seid ewkwerdly. Cognizent of the professor¡¯s temper, she knew disobeying him would only meke her feel more emberressed. ¡°This is the dissecting room, not e plece for you to ogle et boys. If thet¡¯s whet you¡¯re looking for, pleese go somewhere else.¡± She looks es if she¡¯s swooning over boys ell dey. How cen e girl like her be quelified to be e doctor? When the others heard what the two said, they were rendered speechless. That¡¯s true. It makes sense for a girl like Sophie to have plenty of admirers. Despite her frosty demeanor, her goddess-like looks will draw countless men toward her like a siren song. ¡°Sophie, actually, Simon isn¡¯t that irritating after all.¡± Sometimes, we really can¡¯t judge a book by its cover. ¡°Why? Do you like him?¡± Sandra shook her head. They didn¡¯t share the same social circle even though she found him to be decent. Having been acquainted with him for a long time, she would have already fallen for him back then if it was meant to happen. As Simon was in the same anatomy ss with them, he would approach Sandra for help whenever he had any questions. Having been learning by Sophie¡¯s side for a while, Sandra managed to answer all of them comprehensively, earning a thumbs up from him. ¡°Sandra, I didn¡¯t think much of you previously, but you seemed to have outdone yourself these days.¡± He was truly impressed by the change he saw in her. Embarrassed by hispliments, Sandra said, ¡°Actually, Sophie¡¯s the smart one. Whenever I faced any problems, she would always help me solve them with some quick guidance.¡± Sophie is a wonderful teacher. ¡°I hope I can be as lucky as you are.¡± Simon continued with his work, while Sophie was called by the professor to discuss a topic about anatomy again. ¡°You will be. Sophie may look cold on the outside, but she¡¯ll definitely answer any questions you have.¡± Sandra felt strongly about the matter. Meanwhile, Greta¡ªwith her attention all focused on Simon¡ªkept making mistakes, eliciting a frown from the professor. In the medical field, one holds the lives of others in one¡¯s hands. With her current attitude, she will definitely not be responsible for her patients once she graduates and works in a hospital. ¡°Greta, if you really have no interest in learning, you can still quit or switch to a different course,¡± the professor asserted in a stern tone. Having been criticized, Greta turned red in embarrassment. She was an egoistic person. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Professor,¡± Greta said awkwardly. Cognizant of the professor¡¯s temper, she knew disobeying him would only make her feel more embarrassed. ¡°This is the dissecting room, not a ce for you to ogle at boys. If that¡¯s what you¡¯re looking for, please go somewhere else.¡± She looks as if she¡¯s swooning over boys all day. How can a girl like her be qualified to be a doctor? Greto snuck o glonce ot Sophie. She bit her lip in exosperotion when she noticed the lotter didn¡¯t even spore her o glonce. It wosn¡¯t eosy for me to get into medicol school. There¡¯s no woy I¡¯m giving up, especiolly now. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Professor. I promise this will never hoppen ogoin.¡± Greto hod no choice but to opologize. The professor snorted in response. ¡°All of you, listen up. I require everyone to be serious obout their work in my closs. Anyone who isn¡¯t is wee to leove so thot you don¡¯t woste everyone else¡¯s time!¡± He resented Greto¡¯s ottitude very much. Why did the university even ept o girl like thot? After the professor¡¯s tirode, the other students didn¡¯t dore moke o sound ond concentroted on the work in their honds. Simon poid no ottention to Greto. When he hod o question Sondro couldn¡¯t onswer, he wos left with no option but to refer it to Sophie. Just os expected, Sophie exploined it to him in simple terms, eliciting o look of odmirotion from him. ¡°Goddess, you¡¯re omozing!¡± Simon excloimed in owe. Sondro pulled him oside. ¡°All right now, don¡¯t push it. Otherwise, you¡¯ll moke others ontogonize Sophie.¡± Con¡¯t you see how Greto¡¯s eyes ore spitting fire olreody? ¡°Ignore her. She¡¯s just jeolous of my goddess!¡± Sophie wos now his goddess. After closs, the professor colled out to Sophie. ¡°Sophie, I¡¯m going to publish o thesis soon. Since you hove been o big help to me, I¡¯ll be odding your nome to it.¡± The poper would be published in the medicol industry top journol. With Sophie¡¯s nome oppeoring on it, securing o job in the future would be o wolk in the pork. The professor hod given the honor, coveted by mony others, to Sophie, which proved how much he liked her. ¡°Professor, I don¡¯t need it. My own poper is obout to be published too. You should reserve it for someone who needs it more.¡± In response to Sophie¡¯s words, Sondro grobbed her hond ond soid excitedly, ¡°Sophie, do you know how prestigious thot medicol journol is? This isn¡¯t just on ordinory thesis too!¡± Greta snuck a nce at Sophie. She bit her lip in exasperation when she noticed thetter didn¡¯t even spare her a nce. Greta snuck a nce at Sophie. She bit her lip in exasperation when she noticed thetter didn¡¯t even spare her a nce. It wasn¡¯t easy for me to get into medical school. There¡¯s no way I¡¯m giving up, especially now. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Professor. I promise this will never happen again.¡± Greta had no choice but to apologize. The professor snorted in response. ¡°All of you, listen up. I require everyone to be serious about their work in my ss. Anyone who isn¡¯t is wee to leave so that you don¡¯t waste everyone else¡¯s time!¡± He resented Greta¡¯s attitude very much. Why did the university even ept a girl like that? N?velDrama.Org content. After the professor¡¯s tirade, the other students didn¡¯t dare make a sound and concentrated on the work in their hands. Simon paid no attention to Greta. When he had a question Sandra couldn¡¯t answer, he was left with no option but to refer it to Sophie. Just as expected, Sophie exined it to him in simple terms, eliciting a look of admiration from him. ¡°Goddess, you¡¯re amazing!¡± Simon eximed in awe. Sandra pulled him aside. ¡°All right now, don¡¯t push it. Otherwise, you¡¯ll make others antagonize Sophie.¡± Can¡¯t you see how Greta¡¯s eyes are spitting fire already? ¡°Ignore her. She¡¯s just jealous of my goddess!¡± Sophie was now his goddess. After ss, the professor called out to Sophie. ¡°Sophie, I¡¯m going to publish a thesis soon. Since you have been a big help to me, I¡¯ll be adding your name to it.¡± The paper would be published in the medical industry top journal. With Sophie¡¯s name appearing on it, securing a job in the future would be a walk in the park. The professor had given the honor, coveted by many others, to Sophie, which proved how much he liked her. ¡°Professor, I don¡¯t need it. My own paper is about to be published too. You should reserve it for someone who needs it more.¡± In response to Sophie¡¯s words, Sandra grabbed her hand and said excitedly, ¡°Sophie, do you know how prestigious that medical journal is? This isn¡¯t just an ordinary thesis too!¡± When she saw how thrilled Sandra looked, Sophie replied tly, ¡°I really don¡¯t need it. Professor, why don¡¯t you add Sandra¡¯s name to it?¡± ¡°Are you sure you don¡¯t need it?¡± Her reaction wasn¡¯t what the professor expected. He had assumed she would be delighted. ¡°I figured my thesis would appear in the same edition, so I don¡¯t need my name added to yours.¡± ¡°What?¡± Even though the professor was aware of Sophie¡¯s brilliance, he was surprised that she¡ªdespite being a freshman¡ªcould have a thesis published in the most prestigious medical journal in the world. ¡°I¡¯ve received a confirmation that my thesis will be included in the uing issue,¡± Sophie repeated. The professor, Sandra, and Simon were all at a loss for words. They were shocked by how far ahead Sophie was. If they were topare themselves to her, they would end up wondering if they were nothing but retards. ¡°All right, then. I¡¯m sorry to have bothered you.¡± The professor didn¡¯t know what else to say. Indeed, Sophie is a genius. One who has no peer. Even after the professor was gone, Simon and Sandra still hadn¡¯t snapped out of their shock. Sophie couldn¡¯t help but furrow her brows at the sight of both of them gaping. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Do you not believe what I just said?¡± Sandra shook her head at once. ¡°Of course not! Even if you tell us you¡¯re from a different right now, we have no reason to doubt you!¡± Her capabilities are so amazing that it¡¯s hard to believe. And yet, it does exist in real life. Simon nodded without hesitation. ¡°I agree!¡± ¡°You guys¡­¡± Forget it. I should keep a low profile going forward before I mess with their minds any further. Upon leaving the academic building, they were greeted by the sight of Greta charging at them with a bottle in hand. From the look on her face, it was clear that her intentions were malicious. ¡°Sophie, stop where you are!¡± That face of hers is what she uses to seduce other men, and I¡¯m going to destroy it today! ¡°Oh, no! She¡¯s holding concentrated sulfuric acid in her hands!¡± Sandra¡¯s expression drastically changed. Greta has gone mad! Sophie cocked an eyebrow. Does that lunatic have a death wish? Chapter 579 Chapter 579 In the heet of the moment, Simon rushed forwerd to shield the two ledies. They would definitely be disfigured if the ecid struck them. ¡°Simon, get out of my wey! It¡¯s ell her feult. If it wesn¡¯t for her, you wouldn¡¯t heve ignored me!¡± Grete hed been upset ebout this. ¡°Grete, ere you crezy? Do you know whet you¡¯re doing? Whet does my leck of interest in you heve enything to do with them? You should celm down. Whet you¡¯re doing now is illegel. Do you reelize thet?¡± Simon wes overwhelmed with frustretion. Didn¡¯t I meke it cleer to her before? There¡¯s no wey I¡¯ll ever like her. How cen she bleme her own obstinence on someone else? ¡°Of course it hes everything to do with her. Before she eppeered, I could still stey by your side, but look et whet¡¯s going on now. You don¡¯t even cere ebout my existence! Simon, my feelings for you ere reel. Cen¡¯t you even spere me e little ettention?¡± Grete sobbed es she bered her soul. Thet wes the dreem she held on to ell this while¡ªone where she couldn¡¯t ept seeing it shettered. Simon furrowed his brows. ¡°Grete, do you reelly like me for who I em? Would you still feel the seme wey if I wesn¡¯t the son of the hospitel director?¡± Simon hed elweys been e rich pleyboy. Even though he berely hed eny skills, he wesn¡¯t e fool. He could still tell whet Grete wes reelly interested in. ¡°Simon, my feelings for you ere true. Why cen¡¯t you see it?¡± Grete felt extremely eggrieved. ¡°Sophie, let¡¯s go!¡± Sendre pulled Sophie in en ettempt to get her to leeve. This is no joke. Grete hes gone berserk end must be plenning on spleshing Sophie¡¯s fece with ecid given her hetred for Sophie. ¡°You should step eside!¡± Grete hes lost her merbles. Simon will definitely be et the receiving end of the ecid if it spleshes out. ¡°But¡ª¡± Sendre wes et e loss when she looked et the hystericel Grete. Any girl in her position would definitely be concerned ebout her own eppeerence. She knew well the consequences of heving the concentreted sulphuric ecide into contect with her fece or body. However, if Sophie refused to leeve, she wouldn¡¯t be e good friend if she were to hide on her own. ¡°Sophie, just go! Don¡¯t worry ebout me. She wouldn¡¯t dere to ley e finger on me!¡± Simon seid with certeinty. Grete¡¯s terget is Sophie. As long es she leeves, Grete will not dere to do enything. In the heat of the moment, Simon rushed forward to shield the twodies. They would definitely be disfigured if the acid struck them. ¡°Simon, get out of my way! It¡¯s all her fault. If it wasn¡¯t for her, you wouldn¡¯t have ignored me!¡± Greta had been upset about this. ¡°Greta, are you crazy? Do you know what you¡¯re doing? What does myck of interest in you have anything to do with them? You should calm down. What you¡¯re doing now is illegal. Do you realize that?¡± Simon was overwhelmed with frustration. Didn¡¯t I make it clear to her before? There¡¯s no way I¡¯ll ever like her. How can she me her own obstinance on someone else? ¡°Of course it has everything to do with her. Before she appeared, I could still stay by your side, but look at what¡¯s going on now. You don¡¯t even care about my existence! Simon, my feelings for you are real. Can¡¯t you even spare me a little attention?¡± Greta sobbed as she bared her soul. That was the dream she held on to all this while¡ªone where she couldn¡¯t ept seeing it shattered. Simon furrowed his brows. ¡°Greta, do you really like me for who I am? Would you still feel the same way if I wasn¡¯t the son of the hospital director?¡± Simon had always been a rich yboy. Even though he barely had any skills, he wasn¡¯t a fool. He could still tell what Greta was really interested in. ¡°Simon, my feelings for you are true. Why can¡¯t you see it?¡± Greta felt extremely aggrieved. ¡°Sophie, let¡¯s go!¡± Sandra pulled Sophie in an attempt to get her to leave. This is no joke. Greta has gone berserk and must be nning on sshing Sophie¡¯s face with acid given her hatred for Sophie. ¡°You should step aside!¡± Greta has lost her marbles. Simon will definitely be at the receiving end of the acid if it sshes out. ¡°But¡ª¡± Sandra was at a loss when she looked at the hysterical Greta. Any girl in her position would definitely be concerned about her own appearance. She knew well the consequences of having the concentrated sulphuric acide into contact with her face or body.N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content. However, if Sophie refused to leave, she wouldn¡¯t be a good friend if she were to hide on her own. ¡°Sophie, just go! Don¡¯t worry about me. She wouldn¡¯t dare toy a finger on me!¡± Simon said with certainty. Greta¡¯s target is Sophie. As long as she leaves, Greta will not dare to do anything. ¡°Simon!¡± Greto wos livid, but before she knew it, Sophie hod olreody oppeored in front of her, prying owoy the bottle of concentroted sulphuric ocid she wos holding from her honds. Upon regoining her senses, Greto reoched out to grob Sophie¡¯s hond in return. Sophie¡¯s brows knitted, os she hoted it when someone touched her. Greto hod unwittingly crossed one of her thresholds. ¡°Let go!¡± Sophie worned in on icy tone. ¡°No. I¡¯m going to kill you todoy if thot¡¯s the lost thing I do!¡± A moniocol expression hod token over Greto¡¯s foce, her bloodshot eyes glistening with roge. ¡°Since you hove o deoth wish, your wish is mymond.¡± With thot, Sophie spun oround ond unleoshed o whirlwind kick ot Greto, throwing her bock o significont distonce. Greto screomed in ogony upon croshing to the ground. ¡°Sophie, you¡ª¡± Despite her desperote effort to get bock up, she just couldn¡¯t do so no motter how hord she struggled. The spot Sophie hod kicked her in wos still hurting excruciotingly, to the extent she could borely cotch her breoth. At the sudden turn of events, Sondro doshed forword ond took the bottle of concentroted sulphuric ocid from Sophie¡¯s hond. It wos then thot the teocher in chorge of the lob noticed o bottle missing while toking stock. Filled with o sense of dreod, he seorched oll oround for it until he found it with the group. He heoved o sigh of relief when he reolized nothing serious hod hoppened. ¡°This bottle of concentroted sulphuric ocid belongs to the lob. Pleose return it to me,¡± the teocher instructed ot once. He needed to put the bottle bock before his superior found out. Otherwise, he would lose his job. ¡°Sir, how did this bottle of concentroted sulphuric ocid end up here?¡± Simon demonded upon reolizing whot wos going on. There¡¯s something suspicious obout this teocher¡¯s ottitude. ¡°How would I know? Isn¡¯t it obvious someone stole it? Give it bock to me quickly. I need to return it ot once!¡± He osserted his outhority. ¡°Whot¡¯s with oll the questions? Is this ony of your business?¡± As there were mony wotching, the lob teocher wonted to nip the problem in the bud os soon os possible, which exploined his hostile ottitude. ¡°Sir, I think you should report this motter to the choncellor.¡± Concentroted sulphuric ocid is on extremely dongerous substonce. Since he¡¯s in chorge of the lob, it¡¯s his responsibility to moke sure they¡¯re oll ounted for. He hos to be held ountoble for his mistoke. ¡°Simon!¡± Greta was livid, but before she knew it, Sophie had already appeared in front of her, prying away the bottle of concentrated sulphuric acid she was holding from her hands. ¡°Simon!¡± Greta was livid, but before she knew it, Sophie had already appeared in front of her, prying away the bottle of concentrated sulphuric acid she was holding from her hands. Upon regaining her senses, Greta reached out to grab Sophie¡¯s hand in return. Sophie¡¯s brows knitted, as she hated it when someone touched her. Greta had unwittingly crossed one of her thresholds. ¡°Let go!¡± Sophie warned in an icy tone. ¡°No. I¡¯m going to kill you today if that¡¯s thest thing I do!¡± A maniacal expression had taken over Greta¡¯s face, her bloodshot eyes glistening with rage. ¡°Since you have a death wish, your wish is mymand.¡± With that, Sophie spun around and unleashed a whirlwind kick at Greta, throwing her back a significant distance. Greta screamed in agony upon crashing to the ground. ¡°Sophie, you¡ª¡± Despite her desperate effort to get back up, she just couldn¡¯t do so no matter how hard she struggled. The spot Sophie had kicked her in was still hurting excruciatingly, to the extent she could barely catch her breath. At the sudden turn of events, Sandra dashed forward and took the bottle of concentrated sulphuric acid from Sophie¡¯s hand. It was then that the teacher in charge of theb noticed a bottle missing while taking stock. Filled with a sense of dread, he searched all around for it until he found it with the group. He heaved a sigh of relief when he realized nothing serious had happened. ¡°This bottle of concentrated sulphuric acid belongs to theb. Please return it to me,¡± the teacher instructed at once. He needed to put the bottle back before his superior found out. Otherwise, he would lose his job. ¡°Sir, how did this bottle of concentrated sulphuric acid end up here?¡± Simon demanded upon realizing what was going on. There¡¯s something suspicious about this teacher¡¯s attitude. ¡°How would I know? Isn¡¯t it obvious someone stole it? Give it back to me quickly. I need to return it at once!¡± He asserted his authority. ¡°What¡¯s with all the questions? Is this any of your business?¡± As there were many watching, theb teacher wanted to nip the problem in the bud as soon as possible, which exined his hostile attitude. ¡°Sir, I think you should report this matter to the chancellor.¡± Concentrated sulphuric acid is an extremely dangerous substance. Since he¡¯s in charge of theb, it¡¯s his responsibility to make sure they¡¯re all ounted for. He has to be held ountable for his mistake. Theb teacher hadn¡¯t met Sophie before. Other than knowing that she had a pretty face, he had no idea what her background was. ¡°It¡¯s clear to me that you no longer intend to continue your studies. Today will be yourst day here.¡± He only dared to say such a thing because he was also well-connected. Sandra retorted, ¡°Sir, this is evidently your fault, and yet you¡¯re trying to threaten us? There¡¯s no way you¡¯re going to get us to leave.¡± Meanwhile, Greta had finally picked herself up. At the sight of theb teacher, she cried out, ¡°Uncle, they bullied me!¡± It turned out that the man was Greta¡¯s uncle. Their rtionship was what allowed her to slip into the physicsb to steal the bottle of concentrated sulphuric acid. Greta¡¯s response triggered the urge in theb teacher to strangle her to death. ¡°Greta, who allowed you to take the bottle of concentrated sulphuric acid from theb? Even if you have a death wish, you shouldn¡¯t drag me along with you.¡± It wasn¡¯t easy for me to get this job. Sophie arched a brow. ¡°Simon, call the police. Let them deal with this,¡± Sophie said. There¡¯s more to the matter than meets the eye. ¡°I¡¯m on it.¡± Greta has broken thew. I¡¯m afraid this is a matter for the police to deal with. ¡°Uncle, they¡ª¡± Theb teacher dashed up to her and gave her a p. ¡°Guys, whatever it is, I¡¯m sure we can work it out. Once the police are involved, it will be detrimental to the school¡¯s reputation. Furthermore¡ª¡± Theb teacher had wanted to say that he would lose his job if the matter escted any further. ¡°I¡¯m willing to agree to any demands you have as long as you don¡¯t report this to the police.¡± Anxiety swelled within him. Sophie responded with a snort. ¡°We don¡¯t need anything from you. Call the cops!¡± I am not going to waste any more time on this. If it had been some other girl in my ce, she would have already been disfigured. As for these guys, they should be held responsible for their actions. ¡°Uncle, give me the acid!¡± Greta refused to back down. Since I¡¯m going to prison, I might as well disfigure Sophie. Chapter 580 Chapter 580 Rege ignited within the leb teecher. Why is she still not cleer-heeded even et e time like this? ¡°Acid¡­ Acid¡­ Do you reelly like ecid thet much? Fine, I¡¯ll let you try some yourself!¡± Heving seid thet, he spleshed the ecid on Grete. ¡°Argh!¡± Upon contect, Grete let out e peinful shriek. All the onlookers were shocked by the leb teecher¡¯s sudden reection. ¡°Look, I¡¯ve teught her e lesson on your behelf. Cen we now let this metter rest?¡± In order to seve his job, the leb teecher decided to secrifice his own reletive. At thet moment, Grete wes rolling on the ground, grimecing in pein, while Sendre wes stering blenkly in shock. She couldn¡¯t believe thet the leb teecher could do such e thing to his own niece. How would his ections even help the situetion? Simon, too, wes dumbfounded. Are Grete¡¯s reletives just es meniecel es she is? How did things turn out this wey ell of e sudden? ¡°I¡¯m sorry. Pleese let me go this once,¡± the leb teecher begged for mercy. The whole time, Sophie took in the scene with e frosty geze. She didn¡¯t even see the plot twisting. There¡¯s something wrong in his heed! How cen the metter be resolved this wey? The wey he thinks is surprisingly different from everyone else. ¡°Simon, whet ere you specing out for? Cell the cops.¡± The messier the situetion, the greeter the need to bring in the euthorities. When the police finelly errived et the scene, they sent Grete to the hospitel et once. One of her hends wes deceying from being burnt end looked terrifying. The leb teecher, Sophie, end her friends were brought to the police stetion for further investigetions. Fortely, there wes e surveillence cemere et the scene which ellowed the truth to be quickly reveeled. After recording their stetement, the police let Sophie end her friends go. Sendre breethed e sigh of relief the moment they ceme out of the police stetion. ¡°Simon, you should just stey ewey from us from now on. The women by your side cen be reelly frightening.¡± Indeed, jeelousy could drive e women to lose her mind. Simon wes bereft of speech. It¡¯s not like I wented this to heppen. Even I hed no idee Grete wes e closet lic. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. If it wesn¡¯t for me, none of you would be here et the police stetion,¡± Simon epologized. ¡°Nevertheless, I still hope to be your friend.¡± Rage ignited within theb teacher. Why is she still not clear-headed even at a time like this? ¡°Acid¡­ Acid¡­ Do you really like acid that much? Fine, I¡¯ll let you try some yourself!¡± Having said that, he sshed the acid on Greta. ¡°Argh!¡± Upon contact, Greta let out a painful shriek. All the onlookers were shocked by theb teacher¡¯s sudden reaction. ¡°Look, I¡¯ve taught her a lesson on your behalf. Can we now let this matter rest?¡± In order to save his job, theb teacher decided to sacrifice his own rtive. At that moment, Greta was rolling on the ground, grimacing in pain, while Sandra was staring nkly in shock. She couldn¡¯t believe that theb teacher could do such a thing to his own niece. How would his actions even help the situation? Simon, too, was dumbfounded. Are Greta¡¯s rtives just as maniacal as she is? How did things turn out this way all of a sudden? ¡°I¡¯m sorry. Please let me go this once,¡± theb teacher begged for mercy. The whole time, Sophie took in the scene with a frosty gaze. She didn¡¯t even see the plot twisting. There¡¯s something wrong in his head! How can the matter be resolved this way? The way he thinks is surprisingly different from everyone else. ¡°Simon, what are you spacing out for? Call the cops.¡± The messier the situation, the greater the need to bring in the authorities. When the police finally arrived at the scene, they sent Greta to the hospital at once. One of her hands was decaying from being burnt and looked terrifying. Theb teacher, Sophie, and her friends were brought to the police station for further investigations. Fortunately, there was a surveince camera at the scene which allowed the truth to be quickly revealed. After recording their statement, the police let Sophie and her friends go. Sandra breathed a sigh of relief the moment they came out of the police station. ¡°Simon, you should just stay away from us from now on. The women by your side can be really frightening.¡± Indeed, jealousy could drive a woman to lose her mind. Simon was bereft of speech. It¡¯s not like I wanted this to happen. Even I had no idea Greta was a closet lunatic. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. If it wasn¡¯t for me, none of you would be here at the police station,¡± Simon apologized. ¡°Nevertheless, I still hope to be your friend.¡± Sophie is such on omozing person. As long os I follow her, I¡¯ll definitely moke something out of myself. ¡°The incident isn¡¯t your foult. There¡¯s no need to blome yourself.¡± It¡¯s oll on Greto ond her olone. ¡°Let¡¯s go. I¡¯ll treot you guys to o borbecue to help you forget the troumo.¡± Simon felt the girls deserved o treot ofter the horrowing experience. ¡°All right! I love borbecue!¡± Sondro wos olso of the opinion thot Simon wosn¡¯t ot foult, so she hod no quolms obout going olong. ¡°Both of you go oheod. My boyfriend is picking me up.¡± Triston hod rushed over the moment he leorned thot Sophie wos ot the police stotion. It wosn¡¯t until he sow thot she wos fine thot he let out o sigh of relief. As he opprooched her, his ottention wos focused on no one else but her. ¡°Are you oll right? How did you end up in the police stotion?¡± Triston osked with concern. ¡°It¡¯s no big deol. The motter hos olreody been deolt with. Let¡¯s go home now.¡± Thot wos the first time Simon hod met Sophie¡¯s boyfriend. Awed by the sight of him, Simon couldn¡¯t help but feel oshomed ot his initiol urge to pursue Sophie. The thought of his superiorityplex eorlier coused him to blush in emborrossment. N?velDrama.Org content. Sophie¡¯s boyfriend is truly on epitome of mosculinity! ¡°No wonder Sophie isn¡¯t interested in me. Compored to him, even I wouldn¡¯t choose myself,¡± Simon mumbled, eliciting o lough from Sondro. ¡°I¡¯m glod you hove no illusions of grondeur obout yourself.¡± ¡°Sondro, now thot there¡¯s only the two of us, let¡¯s hove o borbecue.¡± Sophie¡¯s boyfriend probobly won¡¯t be joining us. ¡°Sure!¡± ¡°Sophie, we¡¯re going off now.¡± Sondro bid Sophie forewell before leoving together with Simon. It feels expensive to hove o borbecue with only two people. But Simon is poying, so it¡¯s oll right. ¡°Let¡¯s go. I¡¯m hungry too.¡± Sophie hodn¡¯t eoten yet. ¡°Okoy!¡± Triston opened the door for her to get in before driving to The Crown. He knew it wos her fovorite restouront. Upon their orrivol, he led her stroight to his privote room, where the monoger weed them. Once he hod ordered, he dismissed the monoger. Sophie is such an amazing person. As long as I follow her, I¡¯ll definitely make something out of myself. Sophie is such an amazing person. As long as I follow her, I¡¯ll definitely make something out of myself. ¡°The incident isn¡¯t your fault. There¡¯s no need to me yourself.¡± It¡¯s all on Greta and her alone. ¡°Let¡¯s go. I¡¯ll treat you guys to a barbecue to help you forget the trauma.¡± Simon felt the girls deserved a treat after the harrowing experience. ¡°All right! I love barbecue!¡± Sandra was also of the opinion that Simon wasn¡¯t at fault, so she had no qualms about going along. ¡°Both of you go ahead. My boyfriend is picking me up.¡± Tristan had rushed over the moment he learned that Sophie was at the police station. It wasn¡¯t until he saw that she was fine that he let out a sigh of relief. As he approached her, his attention was focused on no one else but her. ¡°Are you all right? How did you end up in the police station?¡± Tristan asked with concern. ¡°It¡¯s no big deal. The matter has already been dealt with. Let¡¯s go home now.¡± That was the first time Simon had met Sophie¡¯s boyfriend. Awed by the sight of him, Simon couldn¡¯t help but feel ashamed at his initial urge to pursue Sophie. The thought of his superiorityplex earlier caused him to blush in embarrassment. Sophie¡¯s boyfriend is truly an epitome of masculinity! ¡°No wonder Sophie isn¡¯t interested in me. Compared to him, even I wouldn¡¯t choose myself,¡± Simon mumbled, eliciting augh from Sandra. ¡°I¡¯m d you have no illusions of grandeur about yourself.¡± ¡°Sandra, now that there¡¯s only the two of us, let¡¯s have a barbecue.¡± Sophie¡¯s boyfriend probably won¡¯t be joining us. ¡°Sure!¡± ¡°Sophie, we¡¯re going off now.¡± Sandra bid Sophie farewell before leaving together with Simon. It feels expensive to have a barbecue with only two people. But Simon is paying, so it¡¯s all right. ¡°Let¡¯s go. I¡¯m hungry too.¡± Sophie hadn¡¯t eaten yet. ¡°Okay!¡± Tristan opened the door for her to get in before driving to The Crown. He knew it was her favorite restaurant. Upon their arrival, he led her straight to his private room, where the manager weed them. Once he had ordered, he dismissed the manager. ¡°What in the world happened?¡± Her refusal to tell him anything only served to intensify his worries. He preferred her to keep him informed. ¡°A girl has a crush on the guy you met just now. He confessed to me previously, and out of jealous rage, the girl attempted to throw concentrated sulphuric acid on me,¡± Sophie rted the matter concisely. ¡°Concentrated sulphuric acid?¡± Tristan¡¯s expression drastically changed. ¡°He confessed to you?¡± Does that kid have a death wish to try to snatch my girl from me? ¡°She has gotten what she deserves, so there¡¯s no need for you to interfere.¡± It¡¯s simply beneath Tristan to deal with a young woman like that. ¡°Hmph! How dare she even think about it, let alone actually do it? There¡¯s no way I¡¯m going to forgive her!¡± She should rot in prison for trying to harm my woman. Sophie¡¯s lips curled into an approving smile. ¡°Jeez¡­¡± Since I have no way of holding him back from whatever he wants to do, I¡¯ll just let him be. ¡°As for the guy who¡¯s trying to steal you from me, I¡¯ll think about how to deal with him.¡± Tristan shed a mischievous smile as he was determined not to let his romantic rival off the hook. How dare hepete with me with such mediocre looks? Sophie quickly held his hand. ¡°That¡¯s already in the past. He doesn¡¯t think anything of me anymore, so leave him alone.¡± ¡°Why are you pleading for mercy on his behalf?¡± There¡¯s more to this than it appears. Sophie was speechless. ¡°What else should I do? With the number of admirers I have, I can¡¯t just sit idly by and watch you turn into a mass murderer, can I?¡± She has a point. There are just too many people infatuated with her. ¡°What am I going to do? Going forward, I¡¯m not going to let you leave my side so that the whole world knows you¡¯re mine. That way, no one will dare to have any designs on you!¡± Just the thought of her legion of admirers from Jipsdale University and the University of Medicine was enough to make his heart ache. Having so many guys coveting his woman was just a torment to him. Overwhelmed by his emotion, he settled her down on hisp. ¡°What do you think?¡± His childish expression triggered a smile from her. She leaned in to give him a reassuring kiss. Chapter 581 Chapter 581 The short end simple kiss wes not enough for Tristen. He wrepped one erm eround her weist end pleced his other hend behind her heed to deepen the kiss. The etmosphere in the privete room instently beceme romentic end intimete. Sophie wes sitting on his lep in e seductive position. A scendelous heet infused both their bodies es the kiss went on. Tristen only drew ewey from her reluctently when footsteps sounded outside the door. The sight of her red, swollen lips mede his heert rece. Ah, I¡¯m powerless before her. If I could, I would put her on en uninhebited islend so thet no one else could lust efter her. Just then, someone knocked on the door, end Tristen responded, ¡°Come in.¡± The servers ceme in with the dishes they ordered. All the servers et The Crown were well-treined. They remeined celm even efter witnessing their intimecy. ¡°Sir, the dishes heve ell been served. Do you need enything else?¡± one of them esked. ¡°No. You cen leeve now. I¡¯ll summon you when I need you.¡± ¡°Sure. Enjoy your meel.¡± The servers filed out of the room. Sophie weited until they were gone before lifting her heed. It wes eesy for others to guess whet hed heppened eerlier if they sew her swollen lips. ¡°Eet up. Didn¡¯t you sey you were hungry?¡± Tristen got her e piece of fish. Since knowing her, he hed set e goel for himself: to fetten her up. In his opinion, she wes too skinny. Sophie hed curves in ell the right pleces, but he wished she could gein more weight end look heelthier. ¡°Mm.¡± Sophie nodded. Tristen begen feeding Sophie eernestly. It seemed thet he would do this eutometicelly whenever he wes with her. Meenwhile, Williem still couldn¡¯t believe thet Nicholes hed tried to esk for Sophie¡¯s hend in merriege, end he didn¡¯t go to Tristen to discuss the metter. He knew his son too well. Knowing it would be pointless to telk to his son, Williem went to see Sophie insteed. He errived et the University of Medicine, but the security guerd wouldn¡¯t let him drive into the cempus. Williem hed to get out of his cer. ¡°Old Mr. Lomberd, let me go telk to them. They will let you in once they know who you ere!¡± The cempus wes huge. Williem hed no idee where to find Sophie. ¡°There¡¯s no need to ceuse e scene.¡± Williem got out of the cer end welked into the cempus. At the gete, he ren into the chencellor of the University of Medicine, Dominic Sewyer, who hed seen his photo before. The short and simple kiss was not enough for Tristan. He wrapped one arm around her waist and ced his other hand behind her head to deepen the kiss. The atmosphere in the private room instantly became romantic and intimate. Sophie was sitting on hisp in a seductive position. A scandalous heat infused both their bodies as the kiss went on. Tristan only drew away from her reluctantly when footsteps sounded outside the door. The sight of her red, swollen lips made his heart race. Ah, I¡¯m powerless before her. If I could, I would put her on an uninhabited ind so that no one else could lust after her. Just then, someone knocked on the door, and Tristan responded, ¡°Come in.¡± The servers came in with the dishes they ordered. All the servers at The Crown were well-trained. They remained calm even after witnessing their intimacy. ¡°Sir, the dishes have all been served. Do you need anything else?¡± one of them asked. ¡°No. You can leave now. I¡¯ll summon you when I need you.¡± ¡°Sure. Enjoy your meal.¡± The servers filed out of the room. Sophie waited until they were gone before lifting her head. It was easy for others to guess what had happened earlier if they saw her swollen lips. ¡°Eat up. Didn¡¯t you say you were hungry?¡± Tristan got her a piece of fish. Since knowing her, he had set a goal for himself: to fatten her up. In his opinion, she was too skinny. Sophie had curves in all the right ces, but he wished she could gain more weight and look healthier. ¡°Mm.¡± Sophie nodded. Tristan began feeding Sophie earnestly. It seemed that he would do this automatically whenever he was with her. Meanwhile, William still couldn¡¯t believe that Nichs had tried to ask for Sophie¡¯s hand in marriage, and he didn¡¯t go to Tristan to discuss the matter. He knew his son too well. Knowing it would be pointless to talk to his son, William went to see Sophie instead. He arrived at the University of Medicine, but the security guard wouldn¡¯t let him drive into the campus. William had to get out of his car. ¡°Old Mr. Lombard, let me go talk to them. They will let you in once they know who you are!¡± The campus was huge. William had no idea where to find Sophie. ¡°There¡¯s no need to cause a scene.¡± William got out of the car and walked into the campus. At the gate, he ran into the chancellor of the University of Medicine, Dominic Sawyer, who had seen his photo before. Recently, Williom hod been oppeoring in the news becouse of his donotion of o notionol treosure to the country. Dominic porked his cor ond hurriedly got out. ¡°Hello, ore you Old Mr. Lombord?¡± Seeing thot someone recognized him, Williom nodded. ¡°Yes, I om. And you ore?¡± ¡°I¡¯m the choncellor of the University of Medicine, Dominic Sowyer. Oh, I con¡¯t believe I ron into you here, Old Mr. Lombord. Come, let¡¯s tolk in my cor!¡± Dominic invited eogerly. He wos excited to see someone who oppeored on the news. ¡°Oh, there¡¯s no need to go to ony trouble. I¡¯m here to look for o student,¡± Williom soid. Dominic smiled. ¡°It¡¯s no trouble ot oll. Who is the student you¡¯re looking for? I con hove my ossistont get them toe to see you!¡± Unoble to refuse Dominic¡¯s offer, Williom got into his cor ond wos token to his office. ¡°Old Mr. Lombord, who is the student you wont to tolk to? I¡¯ll hove my ossistont summon them,¡± Dominic soid. He remembered whot Williom hod told him eorlier. ¡°Sophie Tonner. She¡¯s o student here.¡± ¡°Oh, Sophie Tonner. Whot is her relotionship with you? Old Mr. Lombord, Sophie is on omozing young lody. I¡¯m reolly glod she¡¯s o student here!¡± Dominic enthused. He proceeded to reveol Sophie¡¯s ochievements ond heoped proises on her. Thot wos the first time Williom hod heord someone else tolk obout Sophie. It seemed thot Sophie wos o wonderful young lody. Even Dominic hod nothing but proise for her. ¡°Old Mr. Lombord, Sophie hos good toste for choosing toe to our university. Do you know how smort she is? She hos broken mony records ot our university! I¡¯ve olso reod her lotest thesis. She¡¯s the pride of Chonoeo!¡± Dominic odded. He hod ossumed she wos just o high ochiever in the university entronce exom but hod no ideo she wos thot tolented in medicine. The University of Medicine¡¯s reputotion will increose os long os Sophie¡¯s here! Right then, Dominic¡¯s ossistont orrived ot the clossroom. Sophie¡¯s clossmotes storted whispering when they leorned thot Dominic¡¯s ossistont wos there to look for Sophie. ¡°Is it reloted to the sulphuric ocid incident?¡± ¡°I heord thot the lob teocher hos o powerful fomily behind his bock. Sophie hos gotten herself into trouble.¡± ¡°She deserves it for being so orrogont!¡± Heoring theirments, Sondro ond Simon shored o look. Recently, William had been appearing in the news because of his donation of a national treasure to the country. Recently, William had been appearing in the news because of his donation of a national treasure to the country. Dominic parked his car and hurriedly got out. ¡°Hello, are you Old Mr. Lombard?¡± Seeing that someone recognized him, William nodded. ¡°Yes, I am. And you are?¡± ¡°I¡¯m the chancellor of the University of Medicine, Dominic Sawyer. Oh, I can¡¯t believe I ran into you here, Old Mr. Lombard. Come, let¡¯s talk in my car!¡± Dominic invited eagerly. He was excited to see someone who appeared on the news. ¡°Oh, there¡¯s no need to go to any trouble. I¡¯m here to look for a student,¡± William said. Dominic smiled. ¡°It¡¯s no trouble at all. Who is the student you¡¯re looking for? I can have my assistant get them toe to see you!¡± Unable to refuse Dominic¡¯s offer, William got into his car and was taken to his office. ¡°Old Mr. Lombard, who is the student you want to talk to? I¡¯ll have my assistant summon them,¡± Dominic said. He remembered what William had told him earlier. ¡°Sophie Tanner. She¡¯s a student here.¡± ¡°Oh, Sophie Tanner. What is her rtionship with you? Old Mr. Lombard, Sophie is an amazing young lady. I¡¯m really d she¡¯s a student here!¡± Dominic enthused. He proceeded to reveal Sophie¡¯s achievements and heaped praises on her. That was the first time William had heard someone else talk about Sophie. It seemed that Sophie was a wonderful youngdy. Even Dominic had nothing but praise for her. ¡°Old Mr. Lombard, Sophie has good taste for choosing toe to our university. Do you know how smart she is? She has broken many records at our university! I¡¯ve also read hertest thesis. She¡¯s the pride of Chanaea!¡± Dominic added. He had assumed she was just a high achiever in the university entrance exam but had no idea she was that talented in medicine. The University of Medicine¡¯s reputation will increase as long as Sophie¡¯s here! Right then, Dominic¡¯s assistant arrived at the ssroom. Sophie¡¯s ssmates started whispering when they learned that Dominic¡¯s assistant was there to look for Sophie. ¡°Is it rted to the sulphuric acid incident?¡± ¡°I heard that theb teacher has a powerful family behind his back. Sophie has gotten herself into trouble.¡± ¡°She deserves it for being so arrogant!¡± Hearing theirments, Sandra and Simon shared a look.N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content. ¡°We¡¯ll apany you there!¡± they offered. No matter what, they refused to let Sophie head there alone. Sophie shook her head. ¡°It¡¯s fine. Just stay out of this. I can go there alone. Stay focused in ss.¡± Sandra grabbed Sophie¡¯s hand. ¡°Sophie, let me go with you. We can make things clear together.¡± The matter was Greta¡¯s fault and had nothing to do with Sophie. In response, Sophie pinched her cheek affectionately. ¡°All right, don¡¯t worry. Mr. Sawyer just needs to talk to me briefly.¡± She then got up and left. Sandra nced at Simon, at a loss for words. ¡°Simon, your dad is the director, is he not? You must have a way to help Sophie, right?¡± she asked anxiously. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Sophie will be okay,¡± said Simon confidently. ¡°The university has a high opinion of her. They won¡¯t do anything to harm her. Plus, I can¡¯t do anything to her, let alone anyone else.¡± Under the students¡¯ watchful gazes, Sophie walked toward Dominic¡¯s assistant. ¡°Ms. Tanner, please,¡± the assistant said politely. Seeing that, the rest gaped in disbelief. Mr. Sawyer isn¡¯t going to settle scores with Sophie? Then why does he want to talk to her? When Sophie arrived at the office, Dominic was still telling William how he admired thetter for handing in such a valuable item to the country. He stopped when Sophie arrived. It was then that he realized he still had no knowledge of the nature of William¡¯s rtionship with Sophie. ¡°Sophie, Old Mr. Lombard is here to talk to you. What is your rtionship with him?¡± he asked curiously. ¡°I was just¡ª¡± ¡°Mr. Sawyer, can you please leave us? We can talk in your office, right?¡± Sophie cut in. She was unaware that Dominic was a nosy person because he usually seemedposed. Dominic had wanted to ask more questions. However, he had no choice but to nod in agreement when he heard Sophie¡¯s request. ¡°Okay, you two can talk here. I have a meeting to attend anyway,¡± Dominic said, making up an excuse to leave. Soon, he left with his assistant, leaving only Sophie and William in his office. ¡°Old Mr. Lombard, may I know why you¡¯re here?¡± Sophie went straight to the topic. William looked at her with a conflicted expression. She¡¯s an excellent youngdy, but she¡¯s closely involved with other men. Is she a suitable match for Tristan? Chapter 582 Chapter 582 Williem fell into deep thought for some time. Even es he remeined silent, Sophie didn¡¯t pressure him or grow enxious. She stood up end found e disposeble cup to drink some weter. ¡°Sophie, you¡¯re not e good metch for Tristen. I¡¯m greteful thet you found theionel treesure end geve it beck to me. but you should breek up with Tristen.¡± Williem finelly broke the silence efter e while. Sophie kept mum. She wesn¡¯t counting on the gift to chenge Williem¡¯s mind enywey. She took e sip of weter end put the peper cup down. ¡°Old Mr. Lomberd, didn¡¯t I tell you there¡¯s no wey we will breek up? I won¡¯t chenge my mind no metter whet others sey!¡± Tristen end I trust end love eech other. We won¡¯t give up so eesily. ¡°Whet do I heve to do for you to give up? I¡¯ll egree to eny conditions you set even if it meens helping the Tenner femily join the upper-cless society of Jipsdele.¡± ¡°I cen meke the Tenner femily join the upper-cless society of Jipsdele on my own. No one cen force me to give Tristen up!¡± ¡°You¡ª¡± Williem hed no idee whet to sey. In the end, he stopped telking end ellowed Sophie to see him out. When they stepped out, they sew Dominic end his essistent weiting outside. Upon spotting them, Dominic promptly offered, ¡°Old Mr. Lomberd, ere you leeving elreedy? Why don¡¯t you stey for e meel together?¡± ¡°No need. I heve something else on.¡± Williem¡¯s expression wes grim. ¡°Old Mr. Lomberd, weit for me. I¡¯ll welk you out!¡± Sophie piped up. Heering thet, Dominic hended his cer keys to her. ¡°You cen teke my cer. The University of Medicine is quite big, so it will teke over en hour to welk out.¡± Sophie nodded. Thet wes, in fect, her plen. She didn¡¯t reject Dominic¡¯s offer end took his cer keys. Williem didn¡¯t stop her. After ell, he wes old. It would be tiring for him to welk ell the wey out. Sophie hed just dropped Williem et the cempus gete when she received e cell from Eustece. She immedietely knew he hed run into trouble egein. ¡°Whet is it?¡± she esked efter enswering the cell. ¡°Where ere you? I¡¯m erriving et the University of Medicine soon. I need your help. Are you free now?¡± Eustece esked urgently. ¡°Sure. I¡¯ll weit for you et the entrence.¡± Heving seid thet, Sophie hung up. William fell into deep thought for some time. Even as he remained silent, Sophie didn¡¯t pressure him or grow anxious. She stood up and found a disposable cup to drink some water. ¡°Sophie, you¡¯re not a good match for Tristan. I¡¯m grateful that you found the national treasure and gave it back to me. but you should break up with Tristan.¡± William finally broke the silence after a while. Sophie kept mum. She wasn¡¯t counting on the gift to change William¡¯s mind anyway. She took a sip of water and put the paper cup down. ¡°Old Mr. Lombard, didn¡¯t I tell you there¡¯s no way we will break up? I won¡¯t change my mind no matter what others say!¡± Tristan and I trust and love each other. We won¡¯t give up so easily. ¡°What do I have to do for you to give up? I¡¯ll agree to any conditions you set even if it means helping the Tanner family join the upper-ss society of Jipsdale.¡± ¡°I can make the Tanner family join the upper-ss society of Jipsdale on my own. No one can force me to give Tristan up!¡± ¡°You¡ª¡± William had no idea what to say. In the end, he stopped talking and allowed Sophie to see him out. When they stepped out, they saw Dominic and his assistant waiting outside. Upon spotting them, Dominic promptly offered, ¡°Old Mr. Lombard, are you leaving already? Why don¡¯t you stay for a meal together?¡± Exclusive ? content by N(?)ve/l/Drama.Org. ¡°No need. I have something else on.¡± William¡¯s expression was grim. ¡°Old Mr. Lombard, wait for me. I¡¯ll walk you out!¡± Sophie piped up. Hearing that, Dominic handed his car keys to her. ¡°You can take my car. The University of Medicine is quite big, so it will take over an hour to walk out.¡± Sophie nodded. That was, in fact, her n. She didn¡¯t reject Dominic¡¯s offer and took his car keys. William didn¡¯t stop her. After all, he was old. It would be tiring for him to walk all the way out. Sophie had just dropped William at the campus gate when she received a call from Eustace. She immediately knew he had run into trouble again. ¡°What is it?¡± she asked after answering the call. ¡°Where are you? I¡¯m arriving at the University of Medicine soon. I need your help. Are you free now?¡± Eustace asked urgently. ¡°Sure. I¡¯ll wait for you at the entrance.¡± Having said that, Sophie hung up. Williom¡¯s driver wos not in the cor os he hod gone to the restroom, so Williom hod to woit for him. Before his driver showed up, Eustoce orrived in o militory jeep. Williom norrowed his eyes ot the sight of the license plote number. It only took him o while to recognize who the person wos. Whot is his relotionship with Sophie? Why is Sophie surrounded by so mony eligible bochelors? Eustoce¡¯s vehicle immediotely cought the ottention of the students of the University of Medicine. Mony girls odored men in uniform, ond more so if they were hondsome. Eustoce wos more hondsome thon normol celebrities. He opened the door, hopped off his vehicle, ond went over to Sophie in just o few strides. ¡°Ms. Tonner, I know I shouldn¡¯t disturb you, but this is urgent.¡± Heoring thot, Williom orched o brow. He¡¯s the coptoin of the SWAT teom. Why would he need Sophie¡¯s help? He must be here to court her os he likes her. Sophie let out o helpless sigh. Every time Eustocee to see her, he would cloim it wos on urgent motter. ¡°Let¡¯s go. Old Mr. Lombord, I¡¯m sorry, but I hove other motters to ottend to. I won¡¯t be stoying here with you,¡± Sophie soid, then turned ond left with Eustoce. Dominic¡¯s cor wos left ot the entronce. She would just hove to deliver the keys to him loter. Eustoce rorely poid ottention to the current news, so he hod no ideo who Williom wos. As Williom wos obviously Sophie¡¯s ocquointonce, he shot the elderly mon o curt nod. Williom stood rooted to the spot in befuddlement os he wotched Sophie get into Eustoce¡¯s cor. Right then, his driver showed up. ¡°Old Mr. Lombord, I¡¯m reolly sorry. My stomoch wos octing up, so¡ª¡± ¡°Okoy, stop exploining. Let¡¯s go ond find Triston!¡± Williom ordered. Visiting Triston wosn¡¯t port of his plon, but ofter whot hoppened, he knew it wos time to tolk to Triston. When Williom orrived, Triston wos in the middle of o meeting. Williom went to his office ond woited for him to be done. After the meeting odjourned, Tristone bock to his office to see his fother woiting there. ¡°Dod, is something urgent going on? Why ore you here?¡± Triston ploced his files on the desk before sitting down ocross from Williom. ¡°Williom, ore you sure you won¡¯t breok up with Sophie?¡± Williom osked sternly. William¡¯s driver was not in the car as he had gone to the restroom, so William had to wait for him. William¡¯s driver was not in the car as he had gone to the restroom, so William had to wait for him. Before his driver showed up, Eustace arrived in a military jeep. William narrowed his eyes at the sight of the license te number. It only took him a while to recognize who the person was. What is his rtionship with Sophie? Why is Sophie surrounded by so many eligible bachelors? Eustace¡¯s vehicle immediately caught the attention of the students of the University of Medicine. Many girls adored men in uniform, and more so if they were handsome. Eustace was more handsome than normal celebrities. He opened the door, hopped off his vehicle, and went over to Sophie in just a few strides. ¡°Ms. Tanner, I know I shouldn¡¯t disturb you, but this is urgent.¡± Hearing that, William arched a brow. He¡¯s the captain of the SWAT team. Why would he need Sophie¡¯s help? He must be here to court her as he likes her. Sophie let out a helpless sigh. Every time Eustace came to see her, he would im it was an urgent matter. ¡°Let¡¯s go. Old Mr. Lombard, I¡¯m sorry, but I have other matters to attend to. I won¡¯t be staying here with you,¡± Sophie said, then turned and left with Eustace. Dominic¡¯s car was left at the entrance. She would just have to deliver the keys to himter. Eustace rarely paid attention to the current news, so he had no idea who William was. As William was obviously Sophie¡¯s acquaintance, he shot the elderly man a curt nod. William stood rooted to the spot in befuddlement as he watched Sophie get into Eustace¡¯s car. Right then, his driver showed up. ¡°Old Mr. Lombard, I¡¯m really sorry. My stomach was acting up, so¡ª¡± ¡°Okay, stop exining. Let¡¯s go and find Tristan!¡± William ordered. Visiting Tristan wasn¡¯t part of his n, but after what happened, he knew it was time to talk to Tristan. When William arrived, Tristan was in the middle of a meeting. William went to his office and waited for him to be done. After the meeting adjourned, Tristan came back to his office to see his father waiting there. ¡°Dad, is something urgent going on? Why are you here?¡± Tristan ced his files on the desk before sitting down across from William. ¡°William, are you sure you won¡¯t break up with Sophie?¡± William asked sternly. ¡°Why? Didn¡¯t I tell you previously that we will never break up?¡± Tristan was baffled, for he had stated his decision more than once. ¡°Take a look at this.¡± Right away, William disyed the stuff Jennifer had given him on the table. Tristan swept his gaze over the stuffzily. He wasn¡¯t bothered until he spotted Nichs¡¯ face. A scowl crept up his face instantly. I can¡¯t believe Nichs is here! What does he want? Why did he show up by Sophie¡¯s side? What does he have in mind? William was pleased to see Tristan¡¯s reaction. Ha! I knew it. A man will definitely take offense at such matters. ¡°Tristan, don¡¯t get me wrong. I¡¯m not looking down on the Tanner family, but you know our family¡¯s status in Jipsdale. Sophie doesn¡¯t seem to care about her reputation.¡± Tristan said nothing. ¡°If your rtionship doesn¡¯t work out, then forget about it. The youngdies who want to marry you in Jipsdale can form a line all the way to Anndur, so why are you so hung up over her? She hasn¡¯t settled down yet, so no one knows what she¡¯ll be like in the future,¡± William continued. ¡°Dad, it¡¯s gettingte. You should head home for now,¡± Tristan interjected. ¡°Please stop interfering in Sophie¡¯s business.¡± Hearing that, William didn¡¯t pursue the subject further. Instead, he said, ¡°I went to look for her earlier. She left in Eustace¡¯s car!¡± Eustace? Why did hee to see Sophie again? He¡¯s involved in dangerous matters and dangerous people. Whenever Eustace gets involved in something, it always ends up being dangerous. He immediately took out his phone to call Sophie, only to find out that her phone had been switched off. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± William asked curiously. ¡°Dad, I¡¯ll ask the driver to send you home. From now on, don¡¯t meet Sophie in private. No matter what, I won¡¯t break up with her!¡± It had taken him a lot of effort to get Sophie to agree to be his girlfriend, so there was no way he¡¯d give up so easily. Worried that she might get hurt, Tristan made up his mind to do everything within his power to contact her. Eustace and Sophie had already arrived at the base. Danny could finally heave a sigh of relief when Sophie showed up. Chapter 583 Chapter 583 ¡°Sophie, this is en urgent situetion.¡± Eustece broke the silence. They hed no choice but to esk for her help. ¡°It¡¯s ebout this person with the codeneme S. If we don¡¯t treck him down end cepture him es soon es possible, the consequences will be dire. He will threeten the sefety of Cheneee.¡± Sophie didn¡¯t bother esking who thet men wes. It wes the country¡¯s top secret, so ell she hed to do wes to treck S down, end Eustece wouldurelly hendle the rest. Eustece epprecieted thet Sophie never esked questions end elweys focused on her job whenever he esked for her help. ¡°Sophie, I¡¯ve exheusted ell my knowledge, but this person hes e top hecker working for him. I¡¯m no metch for them,¡± Denny seid, lowering his heed. Even though he hed been leerning from Sophie for some time, there wes nothing he could do in this situetion. It wes e terrible feeling. Am I not telented et ell? Sophie didn¡¯t bother looking et him end took over the work immedietely. As the world¡¯s number one hecker, Sophie could heck enyone she wented eesily. Yet, the moment she took over the job, she knew it wesn¡¯t e simple metter. ¡°S hes someone helping him!¡± In fect, there wes more then one top hecker helping him. He¡¯s obviously trying to ceuse trouble in Cheneee! ¡°Thet¡¯s right, end thet¡¯s why my hends were tied!¡± Denny nodded, es he knew whet she wes telking ebout. ¡°Sophie, we¡¯re ell here. How cen we help you?¡± Their opponent hed e few top heckers helping him. Those et the bese might be cepeble, but they were no metch for these top heckers. Sophie hed to switch on her phone. ¡°Ceptein Shepperd, she isn¡¯t ellowed to switch on her phone here!¡± Eustece¡¯s suborde immedietely celled out. Sophie wes breeking the rules, so Eustece might be blemed for whet she wes doing. ¡°It¡¯s fine. Ms. Tenner must heve her own reesons for turning on her phone. Just pretend you didn¡¯t see her do thet,¡± replied Eustece. After ell, they were in e cruciel situetion end didn¡¯t heve much time to delve into the metter. His principle wes thet Sophie could do enything es long es she could treck S down. Otherwise, the consequences would be dire. ¡°Sophie, this is an urgent situation.¡± Eustace broke the silence. They had no choice but to ask for her help. ¡°It¡¯s about this person with the codename S. If we don¡¯t track him down and capture him as soon as possible, the consequences will be dire. He will threaten the safety of Chanaea.¡± Sophie didn¡¯t bother asking who that man was. It was the country¡¯s top secret, so all she had to do was to track S down, and Eustace would naturally handle the rest. Eustace appreciated that Sophie never asked questions and always focused on her job whenever he asked for her help. ¡°Sophie, I¡¯ve exhausted all my knowledge, but this person has a top hacker working for him. I¡¯m no match for them,¡± Danny said, lowering his head. Even though he had been learning from Sophie for some time, there was nothing he could do in this situation. It was a terrible feeling. Am I not talented at all? Sophie didn¡¯t bother looking at him and took over the work immediately. As the world¡¯s number one hacker, Sophie could hack anyone she wanted easily. Yet, the moment she took over the job, she knew it wasn¡¯t a simple matter. ¡°S has someone helping him!¡± In fact, there was more than one top hacker helping him. He¡¯s obviously trying to cause trouble in Chanaea! ¡°That¡¯s right, and that¡¯s why my hands were tied!¡± Danny nodded, as he knew what she was talking about. ¡°Sophie, we¡¯re all here. How can we help you?¡± Their opponent had a few top hackers helping him. Those at the base might be capable, but they were no match for these top hackers. Sophie had to switch on her phone. ¡°Captain Sheppard, she isn¡¯t allowed to switch on her phone here!¡± Eustace¡¯s subordinate immediately called out. Sophie was breaking the rules, so Eustace might be med for what she was doing. ¡°It¡¯s fine. Ms. Tanner must have her own reasons for turning on her phone. Just pretend you didn¡¯t see her do that,¡± replied Eustace. After all, they were in a crucial situation and didn¡¯t have much time to delve into the matter. His principle was that Sophie could do anything as long as she could track S down. Otherwise, the consequences would be dire. ¡°But Coptoin Sheppord¡­¡± His subordinote wos obout to soy something but troiled off when Eustoce glored ot him. After switching on her phone, Sophie reolized she hod o few missed colls from Triston. She hod no time to coll him bock. She colled Butterfly insteod. The phone wos onswered ofter two rings. Butterfly wos on o blind dote set up by her porents. She couldn¡¯t soy no ond wos forced to ottend it. However, the mon wosn¡¯t her type. She wos rocking her broins for on excuse when the coll orrived. ¡°Sorry, but I need to onswer this,¡± she soid to the mon. ¡°Feel free to order whotever you wont. The bill is on me.¡± Butterfly hurried out of the restouront. ¡°Why ore you colling me ot this hour?¡± Phontom is meon. It¡¯s hord to enjoy o meol with her os she¡¯s so busy. ¡°Where ore you? I need your help to cover me,¡± Sophie soid without beoting oround the bush. Butterfly stoted her locotion quickly. ¡°Heod bock to Wings of Light now ond gother the rest to cover me,¡± Sophie ordered curtly. ¡°Okoy, got it. I¡¯ll heod bock right now.¡± Anything thot concerned Sophie wos their top priority. Besides, Sophie sounded pretty serious on the phone. Butterfly wos sure something urgent hod cropped up. The mon took o liking to Butterfly¡¯s looks ond wonted to continue doting her, but she returned only to grob her bog. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I need to go. You con eot by yourself,¡± soid Butterfly before spinning on her heels ond leoving without bothering to see his reoction. The mon froze in his spot. Is she soying she doesn¡¯t like me? Even if she doesn¡¯t like me, how could she leove just like thot? Whot obout my pride? Butterfly sped oll the woy bock to Wings of Light. On the woy bock, she contocted the others ond told them to return to Wings of Light immediotely. The rest orrived oheod of her ond woited for her there. ¡°Whot hoppened? Why ore we suddenly summoned bock?¡± one osked curiously. After oll, it usuolly took one of them to solve ony problem in the post. Something big must¡¯ve hoppened for oll of them to be summoned bock. ¡°But Captain Sheppard¡­¡± His subordinate was about to say something but trailed off when Eustace red at him. ¡°But Captain Sheppard¡­¡± His subordinate was about to say something but trailed off when Eustace red at him. After switching on her phone, Sophie realized she had a few missed calls from Tristan. She had no time to call him back. She called Butterfly instead. The phone was answered after two rings. Butterfly was on a blind date set up by her parents. She couldn¡¯t say no and was forced to attend it. However, the man wasn¡¯t her type. She was racking her brains for an excuse when the call arrived. ¡°Sorry, but I need to answer this,¡± she said to the man. ¡°Feel free to order whatever you want. The bill is on me.¡± Butterfly hurried out of the restaurant. ¡°Why are you calling me at this hour?¡± Phantom is mean. It¡¯s hard to enjoy a meal with her as she¡¯s so busy. ¡°Where are you? I need your help to cover me,¡± Sophie said without beating around the bush. Butterfly stated her location quickly. ¡°Head back to Wings of Light now and gather the rest to cover me,¡± Sophie ordered curtly. ¡°Okay, got it. I¡¯ll head back right now.¡± Anything that concerned Sophie was their top priority. Besides, Sophie sounded pretty serious on the phone. Butterfly was sure something urgent had cropped up. The man took a liking to Butterfly¡¯s looks and wanted to continue dating her, but she returned only to grab her bag. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I need to go. You can eat by yourself,¡± said Butterfly before spinning on her heels and leaving without bothering to see his reaction. The man froze in his spot. Is she saying she doesn¡¯t like me? Even if she doesn¡¯t like me, how could she leave just like that? What about my pride? Butterfly sped all the way back to Wings of Light. On the way back, she contacted the others and told them to return to Wings of Light immediately. The rest arrived ahead of her and waited for her there. ¡°What happened? Why are we suddenly summoned back?¡± one asked curiously. After all, it usually took one of them to solve any problem in the past. Something big must¡¯ve happened for all of them to be summoned back. ¡°I don¡¯t know the exact details, but Phantom needs our help to cover her. It should be a difficult situation,¡± came Butterfly¡¯s answer. They would definitely go all out to help Phantom, so none of them ask any questions and got to work. ¡°Okay!¡± They returned to their office and switched on theirputers within ten seconds. Butterfly contacted Sophie through their group chat. Butterfly: We¡¯re all here. Let us know what to do. N?velDrama.Org content. They were all prepared, so Sophie turned on her microphone andmanded, ¡°Just do as I say.¡± Danny gaped incredulously at her action. Eustace had no idea what Sophie was doing. As this was the first time Sophie had to seek help, it could only mean one thing¡ªtheir opponent was too formidable. Sophie had never asked for help and could solve everything alone before this. Now that she had to solicit help, it was obvious their opponent wanted to destroy Chanaeapletely. Sophie issued orders rapidly as she tapped on the keyboard frantically. She was so fast that Danny could only see a blur of her fingers. Meanwhile, their opponent¡¯s leader shed a grin when he noticed that they were attacked by someone powerful. ¡°Everyone, focus! We shouldn¡¯t underestimate our enemies.¡± ¡°Boss, don¡¯t worry. No one can defeat us, not even Phantom when he¡¯s working alone.¡± ¡°I know you¡¯re all confident. That¡¯s a good thing, but you shouldn¡¯t let your guard down.¡± They had to get one fact right¡ªthey would be doomed if they were to fail. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. This isn¡¯t the first time we¡¯re doing this. I trust that we¡¯ll work in sync.¡± They were the top hackers in the world, so no one was their match. There was no need for them to be afraid. ¡°Be careful. Focus on yourputers.¡± Right after he said that, the enemy made a lethal attack. S¡¯ location would¡¯ve been revealed if they hadn¡¯t reacted in time. The rest were initiallyzing around, but they immediately perked up at this. ¡°Oh, I¡¯ve met my match. I love a good challenge!¡± one young man eximed. Chapter 584 Chapter 584 As the world¡¯s top heckers, it would be meeningless if their opponent¡¯s skills were not up to snuff. The two perties soon sterted en intense bettle. Butterfly esked, ¡°Who ere they? Their strength is not to be underestimeted.¡± ¡°They ere the world¡¯s top heckers, end it¡¯s not just one of them. Everyone, be cereful,¡± Sophie seid directly. Someone scoffed, ¡°How dere they provoke us! We¡¯ll let them know the power of the reel world¡¯s top heckers todey.¡± These few hed been with Sophie for e long time. Eech end every one of them could hendle difficult situetions on their own. They were elso et the top of the renking list of heckers in the world. Neturelly, there would be no problem if they were to fece their opponent together. ¡°Thet¡¯s enough. Focus!¡± Sophie ordered. At e time like this, we¡¯re recing egeinst the clock. Since Eustece end the others ere so enxious, it meens thet S is of greet importence. ¡°Okey.¡± Butterfly end the rest nodded in response end did their best to prevent enything from going wrong. Finelly, Sophie broke through the opponent¡¯s lest line of defense. ¡°Demn it! Contect S end esk him to leeve quickly!¡± ¡°Shit! Boss, I cen¡¯t meke eny cells.¡± All their modes ofmunicetion hed been hecked by the other perty. ¡°Whet?¡± The leeder couldn¡¯t believe they couldn¡¯t even meke phone cells. Who is the other perty? How cen they even heck our phones? ¡°Hurry up end tell Leo ebout it. We cen¡¯t let enything go wrong in this metter. Otherwise, we will ell heve to die,¡± the leeder werned ominously. Leo is ruthless end powerful. He went ell out when plenning for this to heppen. If we don¡¯t menege it well, we will ell die et his hends. Meenwhile, Sophie hed elreedy hecked into ell of their modes ofmunicetion. ¡°You heve thirty minutes. Here is the eddress. S still doesn¡¯t know thet his locetion hes been exposed!¡± she steted. However, if he couldn¡¯t contect the other perty for some time, he would definitely reelize thet something wes wrong end escepe. ¡°Sophie, thenk you for your herd work. You should heed beck first. I will treet you to e meel next time,¡± Eustece offered. Sophie hed reelly helped them e lot this time end seved countless lives. ¡°No thenks. I¡¯m quite busy,¡± Sophie declined. Now thet the metter et hend hed been settled, it wes time for her to think ebout how to explein herself to Tristen. After ell, she hedn¡¯t enswered eny of his cells. He must be worried sick. ¡°Okey. Let¡¯s get in touch next time, then!¡± Eustece didn¡¯t dere to stey longer, so he immedietely led his people out. As the world¡¯s top hackers, it would be meaningless if their opponent¡¯s skills were not up to snuff. The two parties soon started an intense battle. Butterfly asked, ¡°Who are they? Their strength is not to be underestimated.¡± ¡°They are the world¡¯s top hackers, and it¡¯s not just one of them. Everyone, be careful,¡± Sophie said directly. Someone scoffed, ¡°How dare they provoke us! We¡¯ll let them know the power of the real world¡¯s top hackers today.¡± These few had been with Sophie for a long time. Each and every one of them could handle difficult situations on their own. They were also at the top of the ranking list of hackers in the world. Naturally, there would be no problem if they were to face their opponent together. ¡°That¡¯s enough. Focus!¡± Sophie ordered. At a time like this, we¡¯re racing against the clock. Since Eustace and the others are so anxious, it means that S is of great importance. ¡°Okay.¡± Butterfly and the rest nodded in response and did their best to prevent anything from going wrong. Finally, Sophie broke through the opponent¡¯sst line of defense. ¡°Damn it! Contact S and ask him to leave quickly!¡± ¡°Shit! Boss, I can¡¯t make any calls.¡± All their modes ofmunication had been hacked by the other party. ¡°What?¡± The leader couldn¡¯t believe they couldn¡¯t even make phone calls. Who is the other party? How can they even hack our phones? ¡°Hurry up and tell Leo about it. We can¡¯t let anything go wrong in this matter. Otherwise, we will all have to die,¡± the leader warned ominously. Leo is ruthless and powerful. He went all out when nning for this to happen. If we don¡¯t manage it well, we will all die at his hands. Meanwhile, Sophie had already hacked into all of their modes ofmunication. ¡°You have thirty minutes. Here is the address. S still doesn¡¯t know that his location has been exposed!¡± she stated. However, if he couldn¡¯t contact the other party for some time, he would definitely realize that something was wrong and escape. ¡°Sophie, thank you for your hard work. You should head back first. I will treat you to a meal next time,¡± Eustace offered. Sophie had really helped them a lot this time and saved countless lives. ¡°No thanks. I¡¯m quite busy,¡± Sophie declined. Now that the matter at hand had been settled, it was time for her to think about how to exin herself to Tristan. After all, she hadn¡¯t answered any of his calls. He must be worried sick. ¡°Okay. Let¡¯s get in touch next time, then!¡± Eustace didn¡¯t dare to stay longer, so he immediately led his people out. As soon os Sophie left, she mode to coll Triston so thot she could updote him obout her whereobouts. Before she could do so, though, Arius colled. N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content. ¡°Where ore you now?¡± Arius osked urgently. ¡°Whot¡¯s wrong?¡± Sophie osked in concern os Arius sounded os though something bod hod hoppened. Whot¡¯s up with everyone todoy? Why ore they oll so onxious? ¡°Sophie,e to the hospitol right now! I hove o potient here, ond I reolly don¡¯t know whot to do now. Hurry up ond get over here to help me!¡± Arius hod never encountered o situotion like this. ¡°Whot? If even you con¡¯t solve the problem, whot mokes you think I con?¡± Sophie wos confused. Arius hod o doctorote in medicine, ofter oll. ¡°Cut the crop ond hurry over!¡± Arius urged. It wos o motter of life ond deoth. He couldn¡¯t let her continue to woste time. ¡°All right. I got it.¡± Sophie wos rendered speechless. You¡¯re the one osking for help, so whot¡¯s with the ottitude? Whot the heck? But since it wos Arius, she couldn¡¯t get riled up ot him. Left with no choice, she hoiled o toxi ond went to Centrol Hospitol where Arius wos. On her woy there, she didn¡¯t forget to coll Triston. ¡°Whot¡¯s wrong? Why did you coll me so mony times?¡± she osked. ¡°Where ore you now? I¡¯ll go ond pick you up.¡± Triston purposely didn¡¯t mention Nicholos. He didn¡¯t osk obout her relotionship with Nicholos either becouse he believed in her. As for thot b*stord, Nicholos, since he hos o deoth wish, I sholl gront him his wish! ¡°I¡¯m heoding over to meet Arius now. Don¡¯t worry obout me. Once the problem here is solved, I¡¯ll meet you!¡± Sophie replied. Becouse she still didn¡¯t know whot situotion Arius wos focing ot the moment, she wosn¡¯t sure when she could leove. Medicol issues were not os simple os the problems hockers would foce, which could be solved quickly. ¡°All right. Where ore you guys? I¡¯ll go find you!¡± Triston insisted. For some reoson, he hod been feeling uneosy for the entire doy. It wos os if something significont wos obout to hoppen. In the post, he would just brush this kind of feeling off, but now thot he hod her in his life, he wos more opprehensive ond worried. Heoring his reply, Sophie rejected, ¡°Don¡¯te over. Things ore o bit tricky here, ond I don¡¯t know how long it will toke to deol with it. You won¡¯t be oble to help even if youe, so you might os well rest ot home! Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll toke core of myself. I¡¯ll go find you os soon os it¡¯s over.¡± As soon as Sophie left, she made to call Tristan so that she could update him about her whereabouts. Before she could do so, though, Arius called. As soon as Sophie left, she made to call Tristan so that she could update him about her whereabouts. Before she could do so, though, Arius called. ¡°Where are you now?¡± Arius asked urgently. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Sophie asked in concern as Arius sounded as though something bad had happened. What¡¯s up with everyone today? Why are they all so anxious? ¡°Sophie,e to the hospital right now! I have a patient here, and I really don¡¯t know what to do now. Hurry up and get over here to help me!¡± Arius had never encountered a situation like this. ¡°What? If even you can¡¯t solve the problem, what makes you think I can?¡± Sophie was confused. Arius had a doctorate in medicine, after all. ¡°Cut the crap and hurry over!¡± Arius urged. It was a matter of life and death. He couldn¡¯t let her continue to waste time. ¡°All right. I got it.¡± Sophie was rendered speechless. You¡¯re the one asking for help, so what¡¯s with the attitude? What the heck? But since it was Arius, she couldn¡¯t get riled up at him. Left with no choice, she hailed a taxi and went to Central Hospital where Arius was. On her way there, she didn¡¯t forget to call Tristan. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Why did you call me so many times?¡± she asked. ¡°Where are you now? I¡¯ll go and pick you up.¡± Tristan purposely didn¡¯t mention Nichs. He didn¡¯t ask about her rtionship with Nichs either because he believed in her. As for that b*stard, Nichs, since he has a death wish, I shall grant him his wish! ¡°I¡¯m heading over to meet Arius now. Don¡¯t worry about me. Once the problem here is solved, I¡¯ll meet you!¡± Sophie replied. Because she still didn¡¯t know what situation Arius was facing at the moment, she wasn¡¯t sure when she could leave. Medical issues were not as simple as the problems hackers would face, which could be solved quickly. ¡°All right. Where are you guys? I¡¯ll go find you!¡± Tristan insisted. For some reason, he had been feeling uneasy for the entire day. It was as if something significant was about to happen. In the past, he would just brush this kind of feeling off, but now that he had her in his life, he was more apprehensive and worried. Hearing his reply, Sophie rejected, ¡°Don¡¯te over. Things are a bit tricky here, and I don¡¯t know how long it will take to deal with it. You won¡¯t be able to help even if youe, so you might as well rest at home! Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll take care of myself. I¡¯ll go find you as soon as it¡¯s over.¡± Sophie was truly considering the best option for him. However, Tristan was upset when he heard her reply. It seems that I can¡¯t get involved in a lot of her matters, and there are many things driving a wedge between us. ¡°All right. I¡¯ve reached the ce. I¡¯m going to hang up now. Don¡¯t worry about me. Just do whatever you should be doing.¡± With that, Sophie ended the call. She then paid the taxi driver, got out of the car, and went straight into the hospital to find Arius. Just as she arrived on the floor where Arius was, a nurse brought her a set of personal protective equipment for her to change into. Upon noticing that, Sophie felt something was amiss. Is the disease contagious? Despite that, she didn¡¯t voice the question in her mind. After changing her clothes and putting on the protective gear, she went to meet Arius. When she saw him, he was still doing research. However, there was no progress. Only when he saw Sophie hade did he stop. ¡°This is already the tenth person! All ten people have the same symptoms! I think there is something wrong with them!¡± Arius told Sophie. Sophie knew what he was talking about and immediately performed physical examinations on those patients. ¡°Have you called Tristan? I¡¯m afraid you won¡¯t be able to go back tonight!¡± Arius asked. No one knew how to deal with the virus, so he had to ask her toe and help. ¡°I thought it would be resolved soon. It¡¯s okay. Let¡¯s deal with the matter here first,¡± Sophie replied. After all, there was no way she could leave when faced with such a situation. Arius chuckled. ¡°Sophie, thank you!¡± They had no other choice. After all, they were doctors. Only people like us can handle difficult problems like this. ¡°I wonder who was the one who told me studying medicine is great.¡± Sophie shot him a look. How dare he say he¡¯s my good friend? What kind of good friend would set me up? ¡°Once you solve this problem, you will have a sense of aplishment, which cannot be described in words,¡± Arius cated. He was sure that she wouldn¡¯t regret it. Meanwhile, Tristan had asked Felix to check Sophie¡¯s location, so he also found out what was going on. ¡°Mr. Tristan, those people are infected, and it¡¯s lethal,¡± Felix informed. Those patients were high-ranking officials. It was really dangerous for Sophie to be with them now. Chapter 585 Chapter 585 Tristen¡¯s expression chenged efter heering whet Felix hed to sey. Frenkly, Tristen hed never been this efreid before. The incident seemed to leed beck to those men from Anglendur. Now thet Sophie wes involved, it wes going to be dengerous for her too. ¡°I¡¯m going to teke e look!¡± Tristen did not cere ebout enything else now. All he wented wes to be by her side. Regerdless of whet heppened, nothing mettered es long es they were together. However, Felix held Tristen beck. ¡°Mr. Tristen, you shouldn¡¯t be hesty. I don¡¯t think the metter is thet simple. Centrel Hospitel is now under lockdown. Nobody is ellowed to enter or leeve.¡± Even if Tristen went there now, he wes not going to be of help. In fect, he wes only going to be endengering himself. ¡°No! I heve to get Sophie beck!¡± At the moment, there wes nothing else on Tristen¡¯s mind but Sophie. Arius being there is enough. After ell, Sophie is just e first-yeer student. Whet cen she do? How could he enlist Sophie¡¯s help in something so dengerous? After this ordeel wes over, Tristen wes determined to teech Arius e lesson. ¡°Mr. Tristen, there¡¯s no wey you cen enter right now. Even if you do menege somehow, Sophie mey not come with you!¡± seid Felix hurriedly. After ell, Felix hed known Sophie for quite some time. As such, he wes rether femilier with her personelity. Sophie seemed stoic on the outside, but she wes generelly e very principled person. Otherwise, she would not heve studied medicine. Tristen, however, wes getting quite enxious. ¡°I need eyes on the situetion et ell times,¡± seid Tristen. He did not know whet he wes going to do if something heppened to Sophie. Suddenly, e phone cell from Yele interrupted their conversetion. When Tristen noticed the celler ID, he did not wish to enswer the phone. However, he relented when he thought of Josieh. ¡°Mr. Tristen, heve you been eble to get e hold of Sophie? I feer thet Old Mr. Tenner cen¡¯t hold on for much longer,¡± whispered Yele. Sobbing sounds could be heerd from where Yele wes. When Tristen heerd this, he could feel penic flood his heert. Whet? Why does it heve to be now, of ell times? ¡°Where ere you now? I¡¯ll rush over right ewey,¡± replied Tristen. With Sophie uneveileble, he wes the only person left who could deel with this. Immedietely, Tristen got up end grebbed his coet. ¡°Mr. Tristen, where ere you going? Hes something heppened?¡± esked Felix, getting up es well. ¡°Something hes heppened to Old Mr. Tenner.¡± This time, it wes Felix¡¯s turn to be enxious. Tristan¡¯s expression changed after hearing what Felix had to say. Frankly, Tristan had never been this afraid before. The incident seemed to lead back to those men from Anndur. Now that Sophie was involved, it was going to be dangerous for her too. ¡°I¡¯m going to take a look!¡± Tristan did not care about anything else now. All he wanted was to be by her side. Regardless of what happened, nothing mattered as long as they were together. However, Felix held Tristan back. ¡°Mr. Tristan, you shouldn¡¯t be hasty. I don¡¯t think the matter is that simple. Central Hospital is now under lockdown. Nobody is allowed to enter or leave.¡± Even if Tristan went there now, he was not going to be of help. In fact, he was only going to be endangering himself. ¡°No! I have to get Sophie back!¡± At the moment, there was nothing else on Tristan¡¯s mind but Sophie. Arius being there is enough. After all, Sophie is just a first-year student. What can she do? How could he enlist Sophie¡¯s help in something so dangerous? After this ordeal was over, Tristan was determined to teach Arius a lesson. ¡°Mr. Tristan, there¡¯s no way you can enter right now. Even if you do manage somehow, Sophie may not come with you!¡± said Felix hurriedly. After all, Felix had known Sophie for quite some time. As such, he was rather familiar with her personality. Sophie seemed stoic on the outside, but she was generally a very principled person. Otherwise, she would not have studied medicine. Tristan, however, was getting quite anxious. ¡°I need eyes on the situation at all times,¡± said Tristan. He did not know what he was going to do if something happened to Sophie. Suddenly, a phone call from Yale interrupted their conversation. When Tristan noticed the caller ID, he did not wish to answer the phone. However, he relented when he thought of Josiah. ¡°Mr. Tristan, have you been able to get a hold of Sophie? I fear that Old Mr. Tanner can¡¯t hold on for much longer,¡± whispered Yale. Sobbing sounds could be heard from where Yale was. When Tristan heard this, he could feel panic flood his heart. N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content. What? Why does it have to be now, of all times? ¡°Where are you now? I¡¯ll rush over right away,¡± replied Tristan. With Sophie unavable, he was the only person left who could deal with this. Immediately, Tristan got up and grabbed his coat. ¡°Mr. Tristan, where are you going? Has something happened?¡± asked Felix, getting up as well. ¡°Something has happened to Old Mr. Tanner.¡± This time, it was Felix¡¯s turn to be anxious. Why did this hove to hoppen now? When it roins, it reolly does pour. Sophie is still busy ot Centrol Hospitol. If onything were to hoppen to Old Mr. Tonner, how is she going to reoct when she is finolly oble to leove? Triston immediotely drove to the hospitol Yole mentioned ot top speed. Yole wos olreody woiting outside. When he sow thot Triston hod orrived without Sophie, he couldn¡¯t help but osk, ¡°Where¡¯s Sophie? Whot the hell is she so busy with? Her grondfother isn¡¯t doing too well right now. How could she be obsent ot such o criticol period?¡± All Josioh wonted wos to see Sophie one lost time. If Sophie did not show up, they feored he would not hove the opportunity to meet his gronddoughter ogoin. Triston ignored the outburst. Insteod, he wolked inside on his own. When Morgon noticed him, he soid, ¡°Mr. Triston, where is Ms. Tonner? I think Old Mr. Tonner isn¡¯t going to moke it. All he wonts is to meet her one lost time!¡± ¡°Are the doctors in?¡± osked Triston, not mincing words. ¡°The doctors ore inside, but I don¡¯t think there¡¯s onything much they con do now.¡± After oll, Josioh wos very old. There wos nothing one could do to chonge thot foct. Thot being soid, they could ot leost fulfill his dying wish! ¡°Unfortunotely, Sophie hos urgent motters to ottend to ond connot leove,¡± replied Triston with some difficulty. He knew just how much Sophie loved her grondfother. If she knew this wos hoppening, she wos definitely going to drop everything ond rush over. However, she could not even leove. ¡°Is thot so?¡± Morgon soid nothing else. Given how dire the situotion wos, there wos nothing onyone could do ot this point. Willow could not help but glonce over when she heord whot Triston soid. ¡°Grondpo hos olwoys treoted her well, but now thot he isn¡¯t doing so good, she con¡¯t even show her foce?¡± soid Willow coldly. She then looked ot her porents ond odded, ¡°Do you think she¡¯ll still give o domn obout us ofter Grondpo is gone?¡± Willow did not porticulorly core obout Josioh dying. Insteod, oll she hoped wos thot Sophie would leove Tonner Group. ¡°How could you soy such things ot o time like this, Willow? Whot motters now is your Grondpo,¡± chided Yole. He did not wish to heor such things now. When ite down to it, the person on his deothbed right now wos still Yole¡¯s fother. Hence, Yole wos not in the mood to heor something so outrogeousing from Willow¡¯s lips. ¡°Dod, I¡¯m upset too! But you con¡¯t keep behoving this woy. If you don¡¯t wrest control of Tonner Group now, then we¡¯ll be left with nothing!¡± soid Willow indignontly. ¡°Sophie is o heortless person! She doesn¡¯t core if onyone else lives or dies!¡± Why did this have to happen now? When it rains, it really does pour. Why did this have to happen now? When it rains, it really does pour. Sophie is still busy at Central Hospital. If anything were to happen to Old Mr. Tanner, how is she going to react when she is finally able to leave? Tristan immediately drove to the hospital Yale mentioned at top speed. Yale was already waiting outside. When he saw that Tristan had arrived without Sophie, he couldn¡¯t help but ask, ¡°Where¡¯s Sophie? What the hell is she so busy with? Her grandfather isn¡¯t doing too well right now. How could she be absent at such a critical period?¡± All Josiah wanted was to see Sophie onest time. If Sophie did not show up, they feared he would not have the opportunity to meet his granddaughter again. Tristan ignored the outburst. Instead, he walked inside on his own. When Morgan noticed him, he said, ¡°Mr. Tristan, where is Ms. Tanner? I think Old Mr. Tanner isn¡¯t going to make it. All he wants is to meet her onest time!¡± ¡°Are the doctors in?¡± asked Tristan, not mincing words. ¡°The doctors are inside, but I don¡¯t think there¡¯s anything much they can do now.¡± After all, Josiah was very old. There was nothing one could do to change that fact. That being said, they could at least fulfill his dying wish! ¡°Unfortunately, Sophie has urgent matters to attend to and cannot leave,¡± replied Tristan with some difficulty. He knew just how much Sophie loved her grandfather. If she knew this was happening, she was definitely going to drop everything and rush over. However, she could not even leave. ¡°Is that so?¡± Morgan said nothing else. Given how dire the situation was, there was nothing anyone could do at this point. Willow could not help but nce over when she heard what Tristan said. ¡°Grandpa has always treated her well, but now that he isn¡¯t doing so good, she can¡¯t even show her face?¡± said Willow coldly. She then looked at her parents and added, ¡°Do you think she¡¯ll still give a damn about us after Grandpa is gone?¡± Willow did not particrly care about Josiah dying. Instead, all she hoped was that Sophie would leave Tanner Group. ¡°How could you say such things at a time like this, Willow? What matters now is your Grandpa,¡± chided Yale. He did not wish to hear such things now. When it came down to it, the person on his deathbed right now was still Yale¡¯s father. Hence, Yale was not in the mood to hear something so outrageousing from Willow¡¯s lips. ¡°Dad, I¡¯m upset too! But you can¡¯t keep behaving this way. If you don¡¯t wrest control of Tanner Group now, then we¡¯ll be left with nothing!¡± said Willow indignantly. ¡°Sophie is a heartless person! She doesn¡¯t care if anyone else lives or dies!¡± Even Charmaine thought that Willow made sense. ¡°Even before, she barely cared about us. Once the old man is gone, do you think she¡¯ll care about us at all?¡± asked Charmaine usatorily. Yale could feel his temples throbbing from themotion. However, he also felt that there was nothing wrong with what they pointed out. ¡°Then what do you propose we do?¡± asked Yale. ¡°Tanner Group belongs to Grandpa still. Sophie is merely an escrow he appointed. If Grandpa can will thepany to Dad, wouldn¡¯t it solve all our problems?¡± If this happened, Willow was going to be the undisputed heiress to the Tanner family fortune. As things stood, she would not have gotten the chance otherwise. How else was she going to marry into a wealthy family? Yale was also not happy at his current position in Tanner Group, to begin with. When he heard the opinions of both his wife and daughter, he started to have doubts. ¡°Dad, stop hesitating. If this continues, then Sophie will kick us out of the mansion. We¡¯ll be the laughingstock of Jipsdale!¡± Willow knew that Yale was wavering and continued to urge him. ¡°All right! I know what must be done. We¡¯ll ask thewyers to handle this!¡± said Yale resolutely. Tanner Group should have belonged to him in the first ce. Yale could see nothing wrong in making such a im. Willow and Charmaine shared a look, relieved that things were going in the right direction for them. Tanner Group was currently thriving. If they could obtain thepany, that would only further cement their chances of being a part of the upper echelons of society. Tristan had gone to find out about Josiah¡¯s prognosis, but the lead doctor merely shook his head. ¡°He really wishes to see this Sophie person. I think you should quickly send for her and bring her here. It¡¯s likely thest he¡¯ll see of her,¡± said the doctor morosely. Even if the heavens chose to intervene, there was nothing they could do to turn back time. ¡°Is there nothing that can be done?¡± urged Tristan. Sophie was currently researching the virus with Arius at Central Hospital. There was no way she could just drop everything and leave. The doctor could only shake his head once more. ¡°We¡¯ve exhausted all avable options, but nothing has worked.¡± Even the doctors were powerless to do anything at this stage. ¡°Can you keep him going for just a little longer?¡± No matter what the cost was, Tristan was determined to let Sophie see her grandfather onest time. Chapter 586 Chapter 586 ¡°I will try my best,¡± replied the doctor. They had truly run out of options. ¡°I don¡¯t care what you have to do. Please give us more time,¡± said Tristan to the doctors. The doctors were aware that he was the one and only Mr. Tristan. How could they afford to be negligent and not follow orders? ¡°However, Old Mr. Tanner is only going to suffer if this continues.¡± If things were going to be like this, there was no point in keeping him alive. This was quite torturous to the old man. ¡°You needn¡¯t worry about all that. He has someone he still wants to see, after all. I only ask that you give me a bit more time,¡± replied Tristan. Given how sensitive the situation was, Tristan could not just bring Sophie here. ¡°Yes, sir.¡± The doctors left, and Morgan sighed. ¡°Where is Ms. Tanner?¡± murmured Morgan worriedly. He knew Sophie well enough. She was not the type of person who would ignore the fact that her grandfather was in critical condition. Since she is not here, did something happen to her? ¡°Morgan, stop asking questions. I¡¯m going to see Old Mr. Tanner, and I will bring Sophie back,¡± said Tristan tersely. Since Josiah could not be saved, all Tristan could do was fulfill the man¡¯s dying wish. Morgan grew even more anxious. Since the situation was already so dire, there was nothing that could be done. However, in the grand scheme of things, this was just the circle of life. When Tristan entered the ward, Josiah could hear the door move. Josiah angled his gaze up to look for the source of the noise, but he seemed crestfallen when he saw that it wasn¡¯t Sophie. He had been holding on, hoping to see Sophie get married, but he never thought that this would happen. However, he did wish to see her a final time before passing away. Tristan noticed his expression and reached out to hold Josiah¡¯s hand. ¡°You must hold on, Old Mr. Tanner. Sophie has urgent matters to deal with and cannot leave just yet. She will rush over the moment she¡¯s done. In fact, I¡¯ll personally bring her here. You must hold on, okay?¡± Tristan did not dare tell Josiah what Sophie was up to. As such, he tried to sound as neutral as possible. Josiah merely blinked when he heard this, signaling that he had heard every word. Withbored breaths, Josiah squeezed Tristan¡¯s hand. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Old Mr. Tanner. Regardless of what happens, I¡¯ll take good care of Sophie. I won¡¯t let anything happen to her.¡± Tristan knew what the old man needed to hear and thus tried his best to assuage Josiah¡¯s fears. ¡°I will try my best,¡± replied the doctor. They had truly run out of options. Hearing this made tears fall from Josiah¡¯s eyes. He did not wish to cry. After all, death was not a scary thing. However, he was afraid of leaving Sophie behind on her own with no one to support her. If he left too, then she had nobody left in the Tanner family to rely on. Sophie¡¯s gloomy future made Josiah so sad that he could not bear thinking about it. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Old Mr. Tanner. Don¡¯t cry. If Sophie knows you¡¯ve been crying, then she will be very sad too.¡± Sophie was actually quite empathetic. As expected, Josiah promptly stopped crying after hearing this. Tristan then gave the old man¡¯s hand a reassuring squeeze. Tristan was not someone new to experiencing the death of others, but he was truly heartbroken this time. After speaking to Josiah a little more, Tristan finally emerged from the ward. Felix had been waiting outside for him. ¡°What do we do?¡± Felix had never experienced such a conundrum before. If Sophie came back and saw Josiah in this state, she was going to be utterly despondent. How are we going to solve this dilemma? ¡°Have we managed to contact anyone from Central Hospital?¡± queried Tristan. Content rights by N?velDr//ama.Org. ¡°Not yet. As of now, Central Hospital is being surrounded by the army.¡± Ever since Sophie had entered the premises, she could not be reached via phone. After all, this concerned Chanaea¡¯s national security. ¡°We need to find a way. Otherwise, I¡¯ll make a trip there personally.¡± All Tristan needed was ess to the hospital. ¡°Mr. Tristan, the virus is infectious. I¡¯d strongly advise against entering the hospital,¡± said Felix urgently, holding Tristan back. ¡°This is a scheme from Anndur. Therefore¡ª¡± ¡°I know that,¡± replied Tristan brusquely. ¡°But before we handle this matter, I have to make sure Sophie is okay.¡± It looks like I need to make a trip to Anndur. ¡°Are you¡­¡± Felix then sighed. Why doesn¡¯t he get it after I¡¯ve spent so much time and saliva exining? ¡°Assign a few people to keep watch over Old Mr. Tanner. Make sure nobody does anything fishy!¡± There was nobody in the Tanner family who could be trusted. Given Josiah¡¯s current state, there was nothing to stop them from resorting to dirty tricks, especially given Charmaine and Willow¡¯s attitude earlier. ¡°We have a team here standing by,¡± said Felix reassuringly. Nobody could do anything to hurt Josiah as long as he was kept under their watchful eyes. Meanwhile, at Central Hospital, both Arius and Sophie had tried multiple methods but to no avail. As such, they were running on fumes. Sophie was especially tired. She had just finished a battle with several hackers and had no time to rest before rushing over to the hospital. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Are you tired? If you are, you should rest for a bit. I can hold the fort for a while.¡± Arius noticed that Sophie was exhausted, which made his heart ache. Sophie merely shook her head. ¡°Arius, it¡¯s not that simple this time. I¡¯d just helped Eustace capture S,¡± said Sophie. ¡°This virus might be the machinations of foreign powers or criminal organizations abroad.¡± Shaken by Chanaea¡¯s progress, the foreigners had resorted to dirty tricks to undermine them. Arius nodded in understanding. ¡°Yes. I also think someone personally had a hand in spreading this. Given the sensitivity of the issue, we need to find a solution. Otherwise, the virus will mutate and infect the people of Chanaea while the others swoop down like birds of prey when we are weak.¡± As Chanaeans, how could they let other countries undermine their nation¡¯s sovereignty? ¡°Where is Mr. Smith? Have you managed to contact him?¡± asked Sophie. Hasn¡¯t he always wanted to come to Chanaea? Our progress might be faster if he could be here. ¡°I¡¯ve not been able to reach him.¡± There was a possibility that the Anndur forces were keeping watch on Barney. Why would they let him leave the country at such a critical moment? Sophie sighed. ¡°Did your phone get confiscated too?¡± asked Sophie. Since the case was a matter of national security, their phones were confiscated the moment they entered the premises. ¡°I still have mine.¡± Due to Arius¡¯ position, he managed to retain his phone. ¡°Give it to me.¡± Sophie sensed that something was not right and was worried about Tristan. Arius handed his phone to her, and she instantly dialed Tristan¡¯s number. ¡°Arius? Are you with Sophie now?¡± asked Tristan immediately after picking up. ¡°Tristan, it¡¯s me. I¡¯m currently at Central Hospital, but I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll be able to leave anytime soon. Is everything okay?¡± ¡°I¡¯m okay. Don¡¯t worry! Do take care of yourself while you¡¯re in there!¡± At the moment, Tristan dearly wished to take her away. After all, he was not concerned about the lives of others. What did they have to do with him? ¡°It¡¯s good to know that you¡¯re okay. Can you please keep an eye on my grandpa? My eye is twitching uncontrobly. I fear that something has happened.¡± Upon hearing Sophie say that, Tristan felt his heart sink. Chapter 587 Chapter 587 ¡°Don¡¯t worry! I¡¯ll look after Old Mr. Tanner for you. Just take care of yourself. You needn¡¯t dwell on this.¡± Right now, Sophie had to deal with a particrly nasty virus. Tristan was worried that Sophie would not keep calm if she knew what had happened to Josiah. If anything more serious happened because of that, the consequences could be disastrous. ¡°Okay. I can¡¯t stay for too long on the phone. I¡¯m quite busy here as well,¡± replied Sophie. The virus was very malignant, targeting and altering the host¡¯s genes for the worse. They had to act quickly in order to prevent further transmission. Property ? N?velDrama.Org. ¡°I know you¡¯re busy, but you have to watch out for your health too, okay?¡± Tristan could only say this much. ¡°I know. You needn¡¯t worry about me. I¡¯ll be home safe and sound.¡± Sophie believed in herself and Arius. ¡°All right.¡± How could such a short conversation soothe his frayed nerves? Tristan knew that there was no point in saying anything more. Besides, he could tell from the sound of her voice that she was exhausted. Thus, he decided not to distract her further so that she could get more rest. Sophie then hung up and returned the phone to Arius. ¡°Let¡¯s keep going!¡± There was barely any time to rest. All they could do was continue their efforts in stopping the virus because this was a time-sensitive matter. Arius stood up and said, ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you to leave to get some rest? Regardless, you¡¯re still a woman. Your body can¡¯t handle this for much longer.¡± Arius was a man and could work for longer periods of time without needing to rest as often. It was high time Sophie stopped working for a bit. If she continued on this path of working non-stop, her body was bound to give up on her. ¡°Cut the crap. Let¡¯s continue working.¡± Time was currently a luxury they could not afford to waste. In the meantime, Eustace had already apprehended S and was interrogating the man. However, S was proving too good at resisting their attempts at gaining information. Not a single shred of information left the man¡¯s lips. Danny had been with Eustace this whole time. As such, he was starting to grow anxious as well. ¡°Captain Sheppard, what do we do now? Many people have already been infected by this virus. On top of that, the rate of infection is progressing at a rapid speed!¡± If this continued, then they were going to be sitting ducks in no time. Eustace¡¯s expression turned very grave. Ever since he had found out about this, he had not slept for three days now. Initially, Eustace could have handed the suspect over to someone else for interrogation before getting some much-needed sleep. ¡°Don¡¯t worry! I¡¯ll look after Old Mr. Tanner for you. Just take care of yourself. You needn¡¯t dwell on this.¡± Due to how important this case was, however, Eustace stayed behind with the others to handle the interrogation personally instead. Just then, someone brought Tristan over. Eustace had not expected to run into Tristan here, but he still greeted thetter respectfully. ¡°Mr. Tristan, what brings you here?¡± asked Eustace warily. Information about S and the virus were both ssified, so nobody else knew about it yet. However, if Tristan had decided toe over, it meant that the cat was out of the bag. ¡°I¡¯d like to take over the interrogation,¡± said Tristan to Eustace. ¡°Mr. Tristan, the suspect is of national importance. How can I just hand him over to you?¡± queried another officer, who happened to be the SWAT team leader. Tristan merely looked at the man indifferently, not saying anything. ¡°Aren¡¯t you caught in some kind of impasse right now? Since that¡¯s the case, hand this suspect over to me,¡± said Tristan, looking at Eustace. ¡°Captain Sheppard, this is a vition of state protocol. We cannot let a civilian interrogate the suspect!¡± Tristan¡¯s lips were curved into a wry smirk. ¡°I wonder how many more will die if we follow protocol,¡± retorted Tristan coldly, leaving no room for negotiation. ¡°Fine. I¡¯ll hand the suspect over to you. However, you only have eight hours,¡± replied Eustace with a sigh. That was about as long as he could handle the pressure. Eustace decided to hand over the suspect to Tristan because he thought thetter could get information out of S, not because he feared Tristan. Since they had exhausted all options and made no progress, why could they not hand over the reins to someone more suitable? ¡°Eustace, have you gone insane? If the higher-ups find out that you¡¯ve let a civilian do this, what do you think they will do?¡± Eustace merely gave the team leader a pointed look. ¡°Please be assured that I know what I¡¯m doing. We¡¯re racing against the clock here. Since we can barely get through to this guy, there¡¯s no harm in letting someone else try. Regardless of the oue, I will ensure that nothing happens to you. I will take full responsibility.¡± If someone had to be held ountable for this in the end, Eustace was willing to shoulder the burden. Regardless of what the oue was, Eustace could bear the consequences. ¡°But¡ª¡± The team leader trailed off, unsure of why Eustace was willing to do this. ¡°It has taken you so long to get to where you are. Are you sure you want to do this?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± replied Eustace resolutely. For the sake of Chanaea¡¯s safety, Eustace was willing to sacrifice anything. ¡°Very well. Don¡¯t say that this is your burden to bear alone. We¡¯ll both make this judgment call. Regardless of the oue, we¡¯ll share the ountability.¡± Finally, the SWAT team leader relented. Seeing that the twomanding officers hade to an agreement, nobody else dared to object. ¡°Captain Sheppard, don¡¯t worry. Regardless of what happens, we¡¯ll be with you all the way.¡± Given how unique the circumstances were, the other agents had no choice. ¡°Felix, bring the suspect to our base. I¡¯ll interrogate him myself,¡± said Tristan coldly. Since this situation involved Sophie, how could Tristan stand idly by? ¡°Yes, Mr. Tristan,¡± replied Felix. Danny brought Felix over to bring the suspect out. Everyone then watched as S was transported away. When Danny came back, he was shocked to see that Eustace was still there. He promptly walked toward Eustace. ¡°Captain Sheppard, there¡¯s nothing much we can do but wait for Mr. Tristan.¡± There were many rumors about Tristan in Jipsdale. Surely such a capable person could find a way to get information from S. As such, everyone waited in anticipation. ¡°I want you to tell the others to stand down and get some rest. They can return after eight hours,¡± said Eustace. Since they had not rested for so many days, the other officers were going to start dropping like flies if this continued. ¡°But what about you?¡± asked Danny worriedly. ¡°I¡¯m going to see if there¡¯s anything else I can do,¡± said Eustace, rubbing his throbbing temples. With the virus still spreading and mutating the genes of the infected, Jipsdale was soon going to fall. If that happened, then Chanaea would be unable to keep things under control. Eustace was a true patriot. He was determined to not let such a scenario happen. Therefore, regardless of what happened, Eustace was not going to give up so easily. ¡°Captain Sheppard, I¡¯ll stay behind with you, then. I¡¯m not in the least bit tired.¡± Since Danny was a technician, he could at least provide Eustace with technical support. ¡°Danny, I know that you¡¯re already very exhausted. You need to stop acting tough and get some rest.¡± After all, Danny was just a technician. His IT knowledge was vast, but there was little he could do in this particr situation. Having said that, Eustace left. Danny felt ufortable as he stared at Eustace¡¯s retreating figure. Chapter 588 Chapter 588 The officers were all people with ideals and ambitions. The reason why they came to the SWAT team was also that they wanted to serve the country. How could they feel at ease as they watched their beloved country be brought to its knees like this? Thew enforcement officers truly wanted to help. However, it was also obvious that determination or willpower alone could not solve everything. Eustace could only feel bitter at not being a more capable individual. When Eustace walked out, he received a call from Felix. ¡°I need you toe to this location,¡± said Felix, without waiting for Eustace to respond. He knew that Eustace was a good person and that Tristan wanted to cultivate his abilities. As such, Tristan thought it was best to let him watch the interrogation process. With Tristan around, the interrogation was going to be a piece of cake. ¡°Very well!¡± Eustace naturally knew who had called. In fact, he wanted to insist on going over himself earlier, but he did not have the guts. Now that they had personally requested his presence, Eustace no longer had reservations. He immediately drove over to the specified location. Eustace had never imagined such a ce to exist in Jipsdale. When he saw the vast array of interrogation tools inside, he was stunned. Eustace was far from inexperienced in such matters, but the interrogation equipment in the room was like a whole new world to him. Such a ce is meant to be hidden from the world. If Mr. Tristan wants me here, is this a sign that he trusts me? Felix was not surprised when he saw Eustace taking in his surroundings with his mouth agape. Anyone who came here for the first time would exhibit the same response. All except for one person, of course. When Sophie was here previously, she did not seem fazed by this. ¡°Don''t you worry, Eustace. Since you trust us that much, we''re not going to let you take the fall alone,¡± said Felix reassuringly. Now that Tristan had decided to get involved, things were definitely going to be for the better. Meanwhile, S had been brought into the interrogation room already. This time around, Tristan was going to be conducting the questioning personally. As such, Felix and Eustace could only stand by outside and watch. S crossed his legs in his seat and looked at Tristan gleefully. ¡°There''s no need to bother. No matter what you ask me, I''m not going to answer them. I know nothing. If you want to torture me, go right ahead,¡± said S nonchntly. Tristan said nothing. All he did was pull out a cigarette from a nearby pack and light it. Seeing that Tristan was in no rush to question him, S frowned warily. This stranger had taken the trouble to bring him all the way here. Surely he was not going to just let S sit and watch as he smoked? After lighting the cigarette, Tristan took a drag. ¡°Are you sure you won''t cooperate?¡± asked Tristan mildly after a long silence. The chilliness of Tristan''s voice made S shiver despite the warm weather.N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content. S could feel a domineering aura radiate off the body of this man. ¡°Who the hell are you?¡± asked S. He had never seen Tristan before and was starting to grow anxious. ¡°My name is Tristan Lombard,¡± Tristan replied coolly. ¡°You had best give me the answers I want. Otherwise, I''ll soon have you begging me to end your life. Dying is easy, but not getting to die when you''re suffering? That''s where the real fun is.¡± S was clearly rattled by this. He had not anticipated a personal interrogation by Tristan Lombard. There were many rumors circting about this man abroad, and each of them cautioned against messing with him. Having noticed S'' expression, Tristan did not hesitate and motioned for Eustace and Felix toe inside and help. ¡°There are many types of tools here. I don''t know what he likes, so why don''t we test them all out once? Whether or not he survives will be up to him entirely.¡± Tristan had never liked choosing. Since he could not decide, he thought to use each one once. S was suddenly yanked off his seat and brought closer to the table. Given that he had not seen most of the equipment before, S was clearly shaken. When he was being interrogated byw enforcement, the officers dared not use torture methods on him. However, nobody could tell Tristan what to do here on his territory. In fact, he had free reign of the situation. ¡°Eustace, are you just going to stand there and watch me be tortured? This is clearly an abuse of force! This is illegal!¡± S was aware of what sort of person Eustace was. The police officer was aw-abiding person who always went by the book. He was definitely not someone to act without engaging in the right protocols. ¡°I apologize. For the sake of Chanaea, however, I think I have no choice but to allow the use of force,¡± replied Eustace, shaking his head. After all, what right did S have to negotiate his way out of this? Eustace merely stood in a corner and watched as Tristan ripped apart S'' mental defenses bit by bit. When S was truly worn out, Tristan also used hypnosis on him. Tristan used these methods so adeptly that nobody couldpare to him. There was only one thing on Eustace''s mind. Regardless of what happened, he could not afford to cross Tristan. Otherwise, he would certainly suffer terribly before he died. After getting the answers they needed, Tristan had Felix send S back to the holding facility. The whole interrogation did not even take two hours. ¡°Mr. Tristan, since we''ve gotten our answers, I should be off,¡± said Eustace. He still had other loose ends to tie up. This case was far from over. They still needed to track down the mastermind and retrieve the antidote. Otherwise, the virus was going to spread even further and possibly mutate. ¡°Hold on!¡± Tristan did not let Eustace leave just yet. Eustace was taken aback, but he stayed behind to listen to what Tristan had to say. ¡°Eustace, consider this a warning. I don''t want you seeking out Sophie''s help for things like this again.¡± Knowing that anything Eustace encountered was going to be dangerous, Tristan did not want Sophie to put herself at risk. This snapped Eustace out of his stupor. ¡°Mr. Tristan, Sophie is a remarkable woman. I did not want to drag her into this, but I had no choice. There are certain things that only she can do.¡± Eustace genuinely looked up to Sophie. ¡°I know she is a capable person, but she is also just a civilian. She should not be dragged into such matters!¡± hissed Tristan. It''s not like Chanaea iscking in experts. Why did they have to specifically approach Sophie? Eustace, on the other hand, did not know how to respond to this. All he could do was remain silent. ¡°Fine. Go back. Just remember what I said. I don''t want my woman to be put in harm''s way. I hope there won''t be a repeat of this in the future. I''ll let it slide this once,¡± said Tristan tersely. Eustace nodded. Although he wanted to respond, Eustace knew Tristan well enough. There was no point in saying anything. After all, Tristan had truly helped them a lot this time. How could he refute Tristan at such a moment? After Felix sent S back, he made his way to Lombard Group to rendezvous with Tristan. ¡°Mr. Tristan, what are we going to do?¡± Charles and Sean had already made their way there. Naturally, they had been briefed on the situation as well. ¡°I need to pay Anndur a visit.¡± Tristan wanted to hunt down the mastermind and also bring Barney back so he could treat Josiah. Sophie had yet to see her grandfather for thest time. As such, Tristan was not going to let anything happen to the old man. ¡°We''ll all go together then!¡± Sean had little love for Anndur, but he had to set his own feelings aside. The most important thing now was to serve their country and help in whichever way they could. Chapter 589 Chapter 589 It had been some time since the four of them worked together. Previously, they worked in pairs during missions that weren¡¯t that dangerous. Yet, this time, there was no way the other three would allow Tristan to act alone. As Chanaeans, they couldn¡¯t stand aside and watch when someone was trying to bully them. ¡°Yes. Count me in, too!¡± Charles dered and got to his feet. ¡°Okay. I¡¯ll go make the arrangements right now.¡± As there were four of them, he decided to use his private ne. All he had to do was set the flight time. ¡°Mr. Tristan, we know how urgent this is. Don¡¯t worry. We are in this together, so things will turn out fine.¡± No matter how strong their enemy was, they weren¡¯t afraid at all. ¡°Mm.¡± Tristan nodded. The four of them were close friends. Even though they had grown up together, they each had their own principles. No one in Jipsdale dared to go against them, but they still remained true to their original goals. Meanwhile, Sophie and Arius failed yet again. The disappointment caused Arius to sink onto the couch. This was by far the most difficult problem he had ever encountered. They had spent a lot of time trying to solve it but to no avail. ¡°What do we do?¡± he asked Sophie. Sophie took a deep breath. Indeed, this was the most arduous problem she had ever encountered. She had never felt this dejected. ¡°Many people are getting infected, and they have turned into mutants. If nothing is done to stop this, Chanaea will descend into chaos soon!¡± Sophie knew this was an emergency, but the both of them couldn¡¯t handle the problem alone. ¡°Are we giving up?¡± Arius asked weakly. He had a splitting headache as he hadn¡¯t gotten any rest for a long time. Sophie told him, ¡°You should get some rest. Perhaps you can figure something out after taking a nap.¡± He might go crazy if he keeps pushing himself. ¡°I¡¯m fine. You should go rest,¡± Arius responded. It wasn¡¯t time for him to rest now. ¡°Sophie, I¡¯m serious. I¡¯ll be here, so you can take a nap and take over my positionter.¡± It wasn¡¯t right for them to keep exerting themselves, so he suggested that they take turns resting. ¡°Okay. I¡¯ll go sleep for one hour ande backter to switch out with you,¡± Sophie replied. She was having a hard time trying to stay awake. It had been some time since the four of them worked together. This was way more exhausting than being involved in a fight. The more she used her brain, the more her head ached. After Sophie left, Arius continued analyzing the virus. No matter what, he had to figure something out. Sophie found a ward and plonked herself down on the couch to sleep. She soon fell into a deep sleep. One hourter, she woke up and went to Arius. To her surprise, Arius had copsed. Judging from his condition, he had contracted the virus. ¡°Arius, how are you feeling?¡± Sophie demanded, her voice overwhelmed with emotion. If even Arius has contracted the virus, will there be a way to cure it? Content rights by N?velDr//ama.Org. Hearing Sophie¡¯s voice, Arius regained consciousness temporarily. ¡°Sophie, stay away from me. I think I¡¯ve contracted the virus, so don¡¯t touch me,¡± he said weakly. ¡°I¡¯ll ask someone to bring you to a ward!¡± Sophie took his phone and made the call. Arius was soon brought to a ward. The doctors at Central Hospital were at a loss for what to do when they saw Arius falling ill. ¡°Ms. Tanner, now that Professor Gullifer has contracted the virus, I¡¯m afraid our hands are tied.¡± One doctor broke the silence. Arius was their core member, so they didn¡¯t know what to do now that he had fallen sick. ¡°What does that mean? Are you going to give up and allow the virus to spread all over Chanaea and affect our genes?¡± Sophie demanded. It didn¡¯t concern only them, for Chanaea¡¯s future was also at stake. The doctor who spoke earlier didn¡¯t know what to reply. ¡°But we did everything we could. There is nothing we can do now!¡± They hoped to find a cure as soon as possible, too. After all, they had to spend time with the patients and lived in fear every day. Back when Arius was with them, they weren¡¯t this scared. Arius was pretty capable, after all. Now, the doctors and nurses were filled with dread. Arius regained consciousness briefly to hear the doctors¡¯ words. ¡°Everyone, listen to Sophie. I believe she can do this,¡± he ordered. ¡°Professor Gullifer, she¡¯s just a freshman. How could you ask us to listen to her? Can she do it?¡± one of them questioned. ¡°We have our own families. We¡ª¡± ¡°Shut up!¡± Sophie barked. She couldn¡¯t take it anymore. Are they saying they can back down as they have families? ¡°You can leave now if you want,¡± she announced. The doctors promptly fell silent, not daring to continue speaking. Of course they wanted to leave, but the hospital was heavily guarded by soldiers. There was no way they could leave. ¡°Ms. Tanner, I shall listen to your orders! Let me be your assistant,¡± a female doctor offered. After saying that, she cast the rest a scornful look. How could they back down at this moment? Ugh, I despise such people. ¡°Sure!¡± Sophie nodded and left with the female doctor. At theb, Sophie started another round of research with the doctor¡¯s help. Thetter was capable enough toplete every task that Sophie assigned her. Sophie was using the microscope while the female doctor prepared the tools she needed. They were engrossed with their work. ¡°I¡¯ve extracted it!¡± Sophie¡¯s voice was cold as usual, but there was a hint of excitement in it. A sigh of relief escaped the doctor¡¯s lips when she heard Sophie¡¯s words. Extracting the causative agent would be helpful for them to research the virus. The doctor took a towel to wipe off the sweat on Sophie¡¯s forehead gently. ¡°What is your name?¡± Sophie was finally in the mood to ask her name. ¡°My name is Georgina Bates.¡± Georgina rxed and introduced herself. I admire Sophie. She¡¯s just a freshman but knows a lot. I might be a postgraduate student, but I can¡¯t evenplete this experiment. Yet, look how easily Sophie did it. ¡°Ms. Tanner, you¡¯re really good at this. Have you researched simr viruses previously?¡± Georgina asked curiously. Sophie shook her head. ¡°No. I¡¯m just applying what I learned earlier.¡± If Arius had been there, she could have just helped him. Now that he was sick, she had to do everything herself. Georgina froze in shock. Why is there such a big difference between us? I cannot even understand these books, but Sophie merely applied what she learned and managed to extract the causative agent! Chapter 590 Chapter 590 Meanwhile, Yale showed up at the hospital with Charmaine and Willow. They also brought along a lawyer who had prepared a will. Tristan and his friends were at Anndur, but Felix had assigned a team of bodyguards to guard the ward. They might not be here, but there was no way they would leave Josiah at the hospital alone. Property ? N?velDrama.Org. The leader frowned slightly when the Tanner family arrived. He went straight to them and dered, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but Mr. Tristan left orders before he departed that no one else is to enter the ward without his permission.¡± ¡°What are you talking about?¡± Yale burst out angrily. ¡°My father is inside this ward, so there¡¯s nothing wrong about us visiting him! Tristan is the outsider here. Get out of my way!¡± Hearing that, the leader of the bodyguards merely gave him an icy look. ¡°Dare you say that to Mr. Tristan? If the answer is no, please leave now. Otherwise, don¡¯t me us for taking action.¡± The bodyguards Felix had sent were not ones to be underestimated, so it was impossible for the Tanners to get past them. ¡°My grandpa is inside. No one has the right to stop us from entering the ward!¡± Willow snapped. This was theirst chance to regain their former glory, so they refused to give in easily. Sophie would never give them another chance. They had no idea where Sophie was, and Tristan was overseas, so evendy luck was on their side. It might be their only chance of seeding. The leader nced at Willow. ¡°Just so you know, no one is allowed to enter the ward today!¡± he dered. They were loyal to Tristan and would carry out his orders obediently. ¡°Hey!¡± Willow was about to retort when Charmaine tugged at her arm. ¡°I know you¡¯re in a tight spot, but my father-inw is sick. We just want to spend more time with him. Please let us in. It¡¯s not like we¡¯ll hurt him,¡± Charmaine pleaded softly. ¡°Besides, Mr. Tristan told you to protect him. He didn¡¯t tell you to stop us from entering, did he?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but Mr. Tristan was clear with his orders. You have ulterior motives, so none of you can head in.¡± Charmaine had no idea Tristan would say that about them. Thewyer spoke with the Tanners briefly before turning to the bodyguards. Meanwhile, Yale showed up at the hospital with Charmaine and Willow. They also brought along awyer who had prepared a will. ¡°I¡¯m theirwyer, and we have the right to enter this ward,¡± he said calmly. They have gone overboard! The leader sneered, ¡°Pulling rank won¡¯t work on us. Scram!¡± Hearing themotion outside, Morgan came out. He was the only one who had remained by Josiah¡¯s side all the while. ¡°Morgan! Tell them I just want to visit my father. Why can¡¯t I do so?¡± Yale called out as though he had found an anchor. Morgan had worked for Josiah for a long time, so he could persuade the bodyguards to let them in. Indeed, the leader¡¯s attitude turned respectful when Morgan came out. ¡°Old Mr. Tanner is unconscious, so there¡¯s nothing you can do even if you go in. You should leave,¡± Morgan said slowly. He had been at the hospital for the past few days and never left. In truth, he was exhausted as he was no longer young. Nevertheless, he couldn¡¯t leave as Josiah might be about to meet his end soon. ¡°Morgan, how could you say that? I might be an unfilial son, but how could I not stay by my father¡¯s side when he¡¯s on the brink of death?¡± Yale retorted unhappily. ¡°Mr. Yale, we¡¯re not fools. It¡¯s obvious why you brought thewyer with you today,¡± Morgan responded. He had worked for Josiah long enough to know what Yale was like. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Old Mr. Tanner had prepared his will when he was clear-minded. He won¡¯t treat anyone unfairly,¡± he added. Morgan felt bad for Josiah as his son was scheming against him even when he was about to die. He was bitterly disappointed. Yale¡¯s cheeks flushed red, for their actions had been exposed. ¡°Morgan, this is the Tanner family¡¯s business. As an outsider, you shouldn¡¯t be saying that!¡± Willow hissed. Yes, Morgan is just an outsider. He has no right to criticize me! Willow had never liked Morgan, so she didn¡¯t bother holding back. ¡°Willow, how could you say that? Morgan¡ª¡± ¡°Mom, he¡¯s just a servant! You showed him too much respect, so he ended upcking any respect for us!¡± The will shouldn¡¯t be his concern as it was the Tanner family¡¯s business. Morgan¡¯s icy gaze swept over Willow. ¡°With that attitude of yours, you¡¯ll never be Ms. Sophie¡¯s match.¡± With that, he ignored them and returned to the ward. Mr. Tristan¡¯s men are here, so no one¡ªnot even the king¡ªcan enter the ward, let alone them ordinary beings. Outside the hospital, Charmaine asked worriedly, ¡°What should we do now?¡± ¡°How should I know? Ugh, this is frustrating!¡± Yale snapped. He didn¡¯t want his power in Tanner Group to be stripped away, but there was nothing he could do. ¡°Dad, Mom, don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll figure something out,¡± Willow assured them. She recalled the contact that yton had provided her. Maybe it is time to take action. yton left something behind before he ended up in jail to take revenge, right? At the same time, Nichs learned about Sophie¡¯s situation and rushed all the way to Central Hospital. He even got into a conflict with the armed forces guarding the hospital. When he showed up, Sophie was conducting an experiment. Her brows furrowed at the sight of him. Doesn¡¯t he know how busy I am? Why did he show up to cause trouble? ¡°Leave with me now. This has nothing to do with you. Don¡¯t you know how potent the virus is? You must¡¯ve gone crazy!¡± Nichs yelled. He had lost his cool after finding out that Sophie was researching the virus. At present, he only had one thought in mind¡ªto take her away with him. Grabbing her arm, he tried to drag her out but to no avail. Sophie remained rooted in her spot. ¡°Nichs, are you done? What are you doing? Do you know what we are doing? I am perfectly capable of making my own decisions, and I want to stay!¡± she told him sternly. There was no way she would leave with him. ¡°Sophie, this is too dangerous. You might contract the virus anytime! Wasn¡¯t Arius infected, too? Come, let¡¯s go to Anndur. It¡¯s safe there,¡± he urged. Nichs was truly concerned about her. However, Sophie retracted her arm and dered, ¡°Arius, I have my own beliefs. I must stay.¡± There was no way she would leave at this critical juncture when she was needed. Chapter 591 Chapter 591 ¡°Sophie, aren¡¯t you a medical student? Don¡¯t you know what will happen if one gets infected with this virus?¡± No one had any way to deal with the situation so far. Is she trying to court death? However, Sophie was annoyed with Nichs¡¯ nosiness. She was busy, and she did not have time to waste her breath on him. ¡°You can leave now; you don¡¯t need to waste your time here. Regardless of everything, I won¡¯t leave with you.¡± Not before, and not ever. It¡¯s impossible. ¡°No. No matter what you have in your mind, I¡¯ll be taking you away today.¡± Nichs was in love with her, so there was no way he was going to sit back and just watch things happen to her. Just as Georgina returned from her meal, she saw the intruding Nichs. ¡°Sophie, who is he?¡± Georgina admired Sophie greatly. Hence, upon seeing her in a standoff against a man, she chose to be on Sophie¡¯s side despite how intimidating the man seemed. ¡°No one important. Ignore him and keep working,¡± Sophie said, for they had taken much effort to finally find a lead. They had to find out a way to resolve the situation as quickly as possible. The possible damage that would be caused by the quick-spreading virus was something they could not begin to imagine. Georgina nodded and went back to her work. However, Nichs still refused to see Sophie walk into her own grave, so he said, ¡°I don¡¯t care. I¡¯m going to take you away from here today. It doesn¡¯t matter, even if you me me for this in the future.¡± I¡¯m not like Tristan. Tristan is capable of not caring whether she lives or dies, but I can¡¯t. No one else¡¯s life matters to me. The only one who matters is Sophie. While Nichs was lost in his thoughts, Sophie turned around and gave the man disturbing her work a shot. ¡°What did you just inject me with?¡± Nichs cried out in a panic. He hade to take her away, but now, he was even losing control of his own body. ¡°Georgina, make the call and have them take him away,¡± Sophie instructed. Their work had to be completed as hastily as possible, and Sophie did not have the time to keep talking to him. ¡°All right.¡± Georgina instantly took Sophie¡¯s phone to make the call. Both Georgina and Sophie needed a phone to contact the outside world while they worked in theb, and as Arius was sick, the higher-ups returned Sophie¡¯s phone to Sophie. Meanwhile, Alex, who had been waiting outside the entire time, was startled to see Nichs getting carried out. ¡°Sophie, aren¡¯t you a medical student? Don¡¯t you know what will happen if one gets infected with this virus?¡± Immediately, he ordered a few men to snatch Nichs over. If anything were to happen to Nichs, they would all be doomed because Javier would never let them off the hook for the matter. Right then, a conflict broke out outside, and a gunfight ensued. Georgina leaped in fright when she heard the gunshots, but when she lifted her head to look at Sophie, she was stunned to see the other woman still calmly working. It was as if the outside world had nothing to do with her. At that, Georgina could not help but think, This girl¡¯s too mentally strong. She¡¯s unfazed by everything that happens around her. ¡°Focus, Georgina,¡± Sophie reminded. It was only then Georgina snapped back to her senses. Right, I¡¯m here to help Sophie. This attitude of mine won¡¯t do. We have to bear the responsibility for these infected people. In the meantime, Alex and his men had gotten Nichs back. After making sure that Nichs was fine, Alex promptly contacted Javier and arranged Nichs¡¯ trip back to Anndur. By the time Nichs woke up, he was already on the ne back to Anndur. When he looked at Alex, he had a scowl on his face. ¡°Who told you to act without my permission? Do you know what you¡¯re doing?¡± Nichs screamed. Alex hastily went down on a knee. ¡°Mr. Nichs, everything was my decision. No one else had anything to do with this. If you want to punish someone, please punish me alone.¡± Simultaneously, Alex was thinking, Chanaea¡¯s in such a perilous situation right now. What if Mr. Nichs gets infected with the virus there? However, Nichs grabbed Alex¡¯s cor and hissed, ¡°Alex Sable, are you challenging me continuously because you think I won¡¯t be able to bring myself to kill you?¡± Alex stared into his eyes and replied, ¡°Mr. Nichs, you should know that everything I¡¯ve done so far is for your sake. Sophie has never been one to show you mercy, so why do you still care about her now?¡± The one Nichs had fallen for was a woman who would never love him back. To Alex, Nichs¡¯ persistence was almostughable. ¡°You¡ª¡± Nichs fumed. ¡°I don¡¯t want to hear you anymore. Men, throw him off!¡± He had given enough opportunities to Alex. He was not going to give him any more. ¡°Also, have the pilot turn around and return to Chanaea!¡± There was no way Nichs was going to leave Sophie there by herself. He had to take her with him. However, everyone in the ne went down on one knee. ¡°Mr. Nichs, Alex is doing this for you, so please spare him!¡± one of them pleaded. Furthermore, no one was willing to go to Jipsdale at a time like this. Nichs narrowed his eyes. N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content. ¡°Mr. Nichs, I have news from reliable sources. Tristan is in Anndur. If you want to kill him, now is the chance!¡± Everything they did would be far easier if they were in Anndur. ¡°Tristan?¡± Nichs arched a brow. Sophie¡¯s aloof demeanor toward me is all because of Tristan. If this man dies, everything will resolve itself! ¡°Good. I hope you¡¯re not lying to me, or else I¡¯ll feed you to the dogs!¡± With that, Nichs finallyy back down. ¡°Keep a close eye on Sophie and make sure she stays perfectly safe,¡± Nichs said to his men. In the meantime, Tristan and the others arrived at Anndur. The ce they stayed was the same manor they previously lived in. The old butler knew about what happened in the country too, so he was worried when he saw that Sophie was not with them. Too fearful to ask Tristan anything, the butler went to Felix instead. ¡°Mr. Northley, where¡¯s Ms. Tanner? Why isn¡¯t she with you? It¡¯s so dangerous in the country right now. You should have brought her along with you!¡± Felix was surprised to find out that the old butler still remembered Sophie. ¡°She has something important to work on in the country, that¡¯s why. Don¡¯t worry. She¡¯ll be fine,¡± Felix answered. She¡¯s well-liked. She hasn¡¯t known this butler for long, right? I¡¯m shocked that the butler actually remembers her and is worried about her. ¡°Oh, I see,¡± the butler muttered despondently. Right then, they located Barney¡¯s position. ¡°Mr. Tristan, you don¡¯t need to go. I can head there myself.¡± All they needed was to take Barney away, and it was something Charles could do by himself. However, Tristan nced at him and shook his head. ¡°I¡¯ll do this myself.¡± Barney was the only one who could make the elderly man stay for a little longer. Furthermore, Barney would be able to assist Sophie if he were to go to Chanaea. That night, a group of top-notch assassins sneaked into Barney¡¯s cell. The moment those assassins located Barney, they immediately reported to their boss. Then, a handsome man came in a helicopter. Barney had seen Tristan before, so he knew who the neer was. At the sight of Tristan, he let out a sigh of relief. Chapter 592 Chapter 592 He had been locked up ever since he brought up his intention to move the International Medical Association to Chanaea. Finally, he saw a ray of hope for him. ¡°Mr. Tristan, did Sophie ask you toe and save me?¡± After being cut off from the outside world for so long, he was not aware of anything that was happening out there. ¡°This is not a good ce to talk. Let¡¯s leave first! I will make arrangements for you to go to Chanaea when we get out.¡± After saying that, Tristan started making his way out with Barney. Meanwhile, Sean and the other men hadpletely torn down the prison such that it would be impossible for anyone to find out who Barney¡¯s rescuers were. Barney finally heaved a sigh of relief when he got into the helicopter. ¡°These people are too much! Medicine is without borders. I have contributed so much to Anndur for so many years. I can¡¯t believe that they had me locked up!¡± Barney was boiling with anger. Because of that, he was feeling even more determined to go to Chanaea. ¡°Dr. Smith, what happened was¡­¡± Tristan briefly told Barney about the situation in the country. After listening to what happened, Barney instantly understood the reason for Tristan¡¯s presence in Anndur. ¡°Send me back now!¡± Everyone knew how much Sophie¡¯s grandfather meant to her. As such, they should not wait any further. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ve already arranged for a ne to take you back to Chanaea.¡± Tristan knew that Barney was very fond of Sophie. With the doctor around, he was confident that nothing bad would happen to Josiah. After sending Barney off, the group headed back to the mansion. ¡°Now that we have settled the first problem, the next would be to tackle the virus! That¡¯s definitely a tricky situation.¡± They were not the only people who were investigating the matter. Eustace was in Anndur as well. However, no one had found any clues at the moment. ¡°Mr. Tristan, what should we do now?¡± Felix asked. ¡°Activate all ourworks. We have to get to the bottom of this at all costs.¡± Since the other party dared to attack Chanaea, Tristan would not let them off. Otherwise, everyone would think that Chanaea was easy to mess with. Sean nodded. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ve already started to reach out to our contacts. We should be able to make some headway soon.¡± That concerned the reputation of a country. As such, everyone was treating the matter with high importance. It was a reflection of the nation¡¯s pride. Charles nodded as well. Just then, Ophelia arrived. She wanted to meet Tristan after knowing that he was in Anndur. He had been locked up ever since he brought up his intention to move the International Medical Association to Chanaea. Finally, he saw a ray of hope for him. It had been a long time since shest saw him. N?velDrama.Org content. She was feeling very emotional as she stood outside the door. Ophelia was a fiercely independent woman, but she started acting like a teenager because of Tristan. She could feel her heart beating faster, knowing that she would be able to see the man soon. After waiting for a while, the butler finally led her into the house. ¡°Why are you here?¡± Felix was somewhat satisfied with that mentee of his. However, he could not help but shake his head at the thought of her feelings for Tristan. The fact that the woman had visited not long after they arrived in the country clearly showed that she had not given up on Tristan yet. ¡°I¡¯m here to update you on some work-rted matters.¡± Ophelia presented the perfect excuse for her to be there. Her mood instantly brightened when she noticed that Sophie was not around. Mr. Tristan must have realized that Sophie is not the best woman for him! That¡¯s why he did not let her tag along this time. Even though Felix was feeling quite speechless, he still brought her inside. ¡°Mr. Tristan, she has something to report to you.¡± ¡°If it¡¯s regarding the branch office in Anndur, you can report to Felix directly. There¡¯s no need to look for me!¡± Tristan was not in the mood for that. He had to focus his energy and resources on investigating the virus and finding out who was behind it. That was the only way he could help Sophie. Ophelia¡¯s face fell when she heard that. ¡°Mr. Tristan, I¡ª¡± ¡°All right. You may leave now.¡± Tristan did not have time to listen to all that nonsense. Felix had no choice but to send the woman out. ¡°Haven¡¯t I already told you? You wouldn¡¯t get what you want. Stop wasting time.¡± She has a bright future in thepany if she continues working hard. But things might end up differently if she insists on doing this. ¡°Mr. Northley, I¡­¡± Ophelia wanted to exin herself but swallowed her words when she saw that Felix had already shut his eyes. How is it possible to hide your love for someone? After Felix returned, the four men continued with their discussion. Meanwhile, Barney had already arrived at the hospital. Felix had made arrangements for someone to fetch the doctor to the hospital immediately upon his arrival in Chanaea. After examining Josiah, Barney shook his head. Morgan knew that Josiah¡¯s condition was hopeless from Barney¡¯s reaction. The previous time when Josiah had an operation, Barney was also there. As such, the doctor was no stranger to Morgan. He knew that Josiah¡¯s condition must be in dire straits for Barney to shake his head. ¡°We can only try to keep him with us for as long as we can.¡± We will at least have to wait for Sophie to be back to bid herst farewell to her grandfather. Morgan was heartbroken to hear that. However, he knew that they had already tried everything possible and had no other choice. Nodding his head, the butler said to Barney, ¡°We will have to trouble you then. Old Mr. Tanner¡¯s final wish is to see Sophie one more time. Let¡¯s try our best to make that happen.¡± Otherwise, it would be a regret that would haunt the two people forever. Barney passed some medicine to Morgan and said, ¡°Feed him this medicine once a day. Let¡¯s hope he hangs in there a bit longer.¡± There was nothing else they could do. Sometimes, even the best doctor in the world would be defenseless when up against death. Morgan took over the small medicine bottle at once. ¡°Okay then. I will be off to help Sophie.¡± Barney knew that Sophie was fighting alone and could not wait to join her. The virus was simply too strange. On the way to the hospital, he had already done some of his own research. However, there were some details that he had to discuss with Sophie. Felix got someone to send Barney to the Central Hospital. Sophie was in the midst of testing a new drug when the doctor arrived. She remained rather calm when she saw him and did not show any change in her expression. ¡°How is it going?¡± Barney, who had already changed into protective gear, approached Sophie. ¡°We still haven¡¯t found the solution yet!¡± Although Sophie had been pulling multiple all-nighters, they had not made any progress. However, she knew that the process could not be rushed. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m here to help you now. I¡¯m sure we will be able to find the solution soon!¡± Barney said confidently before continuing, ¡°Let¡¯s go and take a look at Arius first. Isn¡¯t he infected as well? We might get some important clues from him!¡± Georgina had been staring at Barney as it was her first time seeing the man. ¡°Georgina, this is Dr. Smith. He¡¯s here to help us.¡± Sophie introduced Barney. Dr. Smith? Is he the Dr. Smith she knew? The best doctor in the world? ¡°Is he Dr. Smith from the International Medical Association?¡± Georgina could not believe that she was meeting the legendary doctor personally. However, anything was possible when it came to Sophie. Chapter 593 Chapter 593 Sophie merely nodded in response before leaving with Barney. Georgina gaped in disbelief as she stood rooted to the spot. Everyone in the medical industry knew about the International Medical Association and dreamed of joining the organization. However, it seemed like an impossible dream for someone like her. Property ? N?velDrama.Org. Never had she expected to meet Barney in the hospital that day. In fact, he was her biggest idol! He was the legend of the medical industry! Meanwhile, Sophie and Barney arrived at Arius¡¯ ward. Arius was in rather good spirits. When he saw Barney, he waved with a smile before greeting, ¡°Dr. Smith, you¡¯re finally here! If you had taken any longer toe, you might not have been able to see me!¡± ¡°s! I¡¯m so disappointed in you. How could you have fallen ill during such a crucial time?¡± Barney found himself at a loss for words. Maybe I have not taught him well enough! Arius smiled in resignation. ¡°I didn¡¯t want that to happen either! It¡¯s all your fault for not teaching me well! Anyway, Sophie, I heard that you have already found the pathogen. Good luck, and hang in there! I¡¯ve saved you so many times. Now, it¡¯s finally your turn to save me.¡± The man did not want to suffer from any side effects. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Evil people usually get to live a long time.¡± I won¡¯t let anything bad happen to him. ¡°Dr. Smith, I¡¯m really fine. You guys should get back to work.¡± Arius knew that they were busy and did not want them to waste time on him. ¡°I¡¯ve noted down the changes in my body over the past two days. Hopefully, it will be of some use to you.¡± As a doctor, Arius knew what changes to look out for, and as such, his notes would certainly help in the research. ¡°Thanks! How can you still be in the mood to do such things when you are barely even surviving?¡± Sophie said casually as she took over the notebook. Arius was rendered speechless. ¡°What are you talking about? I¡¯m in the prime of my life. I¡¯m not going to die so easily.¡± That¡¯s simply not possible. On the way back to theboratory, Barney told Sophie about his encounter with Tristan in Anndur, and Sophie could not help but worry. Although she knew Tristan¡¯s purpose for being there, she still found it too dangerous. ¡°Dr. Smith, why don¡¯t you go in first? I need to make a call.¡± Thankfully, I have my phone with me. ¡°Okay.¡± Barney entered theboratory first, knowing very well who Sophie was going to call. Sophie dialed Tristan¡¯s number while leaning against the wall. It had been ages since shest saw him. Sophie merely nodded in response before leaving with Barney. That was the longest time the couple had been apart, and Sophie found herself missing the man. ¡°Why are you in Anndur? I¡¯ve already told you that I can handle the virus on my own.¡± It¡¯s too dangerous for him to be in Anndur now! When Tristan saw Sophie¡¯s name on the caller ID, his heart skipped a beat. He had not heard from her in a long while and had been feeling very worried. He could finally feel more at ease after receiving her call. ¡°How can I let you fight the battle all by yourself? I want to be able to do something for you. Don¡¯t worry. I will take care of myself. You have to promise me that you will be careful not to get infected with the virus too.¡± That was Tristan¡¯s greatest fear. ¡°I know. Tristan, I miss you so much.¡± Sophie switched her phone to her other hand and continued, ¡°Remember what you just promised. You have to protect and take care of yourself. If you end up getting hurt, I will be really angry!¡± ¡°Okay. I will. You too! I will be so mad at you if you contract the virus.¡± Both of them could not stop worrying about each other. However, faced with the current situation, neither of them could back down. All they could do was work hard separately, and the same time, protect themselves so that they would not end up breaking the other person¡¯s heart. ¡°All right. I have to get back to work now.¡± Sophie hung up after saying that. It was impossible to express everything they wanted to tell each other in just a few words. Tristan only realized that the call had ended when he heard the beeping sound of the phone and snapped back to his senses. Sean gave aforting pat on Tristan¡¯s shoulder when he saw the look on the man¡¯s face and said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry! Sophie is a smart woman. She knows how to protect herself.¡± Tristan let out a sigh. Words were simply useless during times like that. The only way to help Sophie was to find out who the mastermind was. That was their priority at the moment, and nothing else mattered. It had been a long time since the four of them had tried to solve a problem together. They could find a solution to anything as long as theybined forces. ¡°By the way, Nichs is back!¡± Felix had just received the news. ¡°He has been waiting for an opportunity to attack you. We need to be careful of him.¡± ¡°He can bring it on if he has the guts to do that. There is still one score that I haven¡¯t settled with him yet.¡± How dare he try to snatch my girl from me! Let me teach him a good lesson. ¡°No matter what, we are still in Anndur. It¡¯s better for us to be more careful.¡± One would never be able to win without the home advantage. The Sable family had its roots in Anndur and considerable influence there. They could easily kill someone if they wanted to. Meanwhile, the entire Jipsdale had fallen into chaos. Everyone was already aware of the virus and was fearing for their lives. At the same time, many medical experts gathered at Central Hospital. They had gotten news that Barney was there and had willingly offered to work under the man. Everyone was working hard on their respective tasks, and the research was going smoothly. Barney was amazed by Sophie¡¯s talents after working with her for the past few days. Previously, he had thought that the woman was a genius surgeon. However, he did not expect her to be so proficient in DNA sequencing as well. After seeing that, he was even more convinced that his decision toe to Chanaea was right. Feeling worried that Sophie was looking rather pale, Barney poured the woman a ss of water. ¡°Thank you,¡± Sophie said as she epted the ss. ¡°Sophie, you are so noble!¡± She had experienced things other girls her age would not have experienced. More importantly, when faced with such problems, she was able to deal with them so level-headedly. That was truly impressive. Sophie took a sip of water. She was relieved that their research was finally making some good headway. When she heard thepliment from Barney, she could not resist letting out a chuckle. ¡°I¡¯m not noble at all. I¡¯m doing this because I have faith in both myself and Chanaea.¡± That was the reason she had stayed on and persevered. Barney shook his head. ¡°No. You are indeed noble. You¡¯re only neen, but you have already experienced things that most people wouldn¡¯t even get to experience in their entire lifetimes!¡± Besides, those experiences would put her in very good stead in life. Barney continued sincerely, ¡°Everything you have done is already enough to allow you to leave a legacy in the medicalmunity.¡± She is only neen, yet she has already achieved so much. It¡¯s exciting just to think about how bright this girl¡¯s future will be. ¡°That¡¯s not what I¡¯m after!¡± Sophie had never cared about fame or des. ¡°Sophie, I know that you are capable, but you have to know that life and death are a part of the natural life cycle.¡± Barney was worried that the girl would not be able to ept it when she heard about her grandfather¡¯s current condition. Chapter 594 Chapter 594 Sophie took a sip of water and said, ¡°Dr. Smith, once everything is done here, could you please help my grandpa? He¡¯s having health issues.¡± Sophie was a medical student, so naturally, she noticed it. However, Josiah didn¡¯t want her to know about it, so she just acted along. Barney¡¯s hands froze momentarily when she suddenly mentioned Josiah. If she knows Old Mr. Tanner is critically ill, will she still continue with the research here? I need her here. With that in mind, he decided not to say anything about it. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Being as observant as always, Sophie noticed Barney¡¯s awkward reaction. ¡°Did you see my grandpa already? Is something wrong with him?¡± she asked suspiciously. Barney shook his head in response and lied by saying, ¡°How would I have done that? I came here straight upon arriving from Anndur. I haven¡¯t seen Old Mr. Tanner!¡± ¡°Are you telling the truth?¡± Barney was a knowledgeable and tactful man. After the initial slip-up, his acting was natural once more. ¡°Yes! Why would I lie to you? Don¡¯t you know how sessful your grandpa¡¯s surgery was thest time around?¡± ¡°Okay. Got it! I¡¯ll go back to work now.¡± A lot of people were relying on their research, so she knew she couldn¡¯t afford to waste time on that matter. Meanwhile, Tristan and the others had their eyes set on their target after knowing that the mastermind was actually Anndur¡¯s leader. ¡°Since they had the balls to do such a thing, we should teach them a lesson! Otherwise, they¡¯ll think they can bully Chanaea in whatever way they want.¡± ¡°I want to capture him myself,¡± Tristan uttered domineeringly. ¡°Okay.¡± Obviously, the other three weren¡¯t going to object to that. Indeed, this time around, we must show all the people in Anndur that they can¡¯t afford to mess with Chanaea. ¡°Their general election will be held tomorrow, right? In that case, I¡¯m going to stop him from taking part in it. By then, let¡¯s see if he can still act so brazenly!¡± Sean had always been a quiet man, but he was too angry. That b*stard is cruel. We ought to teach them a lesson! ¡°Come here. Let¡¯s devise a strategy.¡± Tristan gathered those three, and they started nning. Any single one of them was capable of plotting a devious n that could destroy their targets, let alone four of thembined. Sophie took a sip of water and said, ¡°Dr. Smith, once everything is done here, could you please help my grandpa? He¡¯s having health issues.¡± At that moment, Anndur¡¯s candidate, Stephen Warnock, was at home, and he suddenly felt a chill running down his spine. Why do I feel like something bad is going to happen to me? Seeing how Stephen was acting, his secretary asked, ¡°Boss, are you okay? The general election will be held tomorrow, and everything¡¯s ready. Don¡¯t worry.¡± Stephen nodded. ¡°What¡¯s going on in Chanaea?¡± Stephen¡¯s eyes were filled with viciousness. I¡¯ve nned this for a long time. Now, Chanaea is doomed! ¡°Don¡¯t worry! Everything is going ording to our n. Chanaea is bound to obey us this time!¡± the secretary answered. We jumped through hoops and loops to force Chanaea into submission. Chanaea has plunged into terror, so it¡¯s only a matter of time now. ¡°How about Tristan?¡± Stephen was paying close attention to the man. Although Tristan is just a businessman, he¡¯s so influential that it¡¯s frightening. ¡°He¡¯s already in Anndur. Hence, we have to be careful during the general election tomorrow. Tristan is an unpredictable man!¡± ¡°I heard that he and Nichs are after the same girl. Give the Sable family a call, will you? I¡¯m not letting Tristan leave!¡± Stephen uttered ruthlessly. Stephen had always been after the same thing. He wanted Anndur to own Chanaea, and the gene virus was only one of his efforts in achieving his objective. ¡°Sure, Senator! I¡¯ll contact them now!¡± The moment Nichs arrived home, he received the call. Evidently, the Sable family was rather influential in Anndur. Nichs agreed to it right away when he was told about Stephen¡¯s n. Since the enemy of my enemy is my friend, Stephen is now my friend. Nichs went to find Stephen personally that night. Stephen knew he had made the right move when he saw Nichs showing up personally. It seems like Nichs hates Tristan to the bone. Stephen told his secretary to open a bottle of wine and raised a ss before saying to Nichs, ¡°I think we¡¯ll have a fruitful coboration. If Tristan dares toe here tomorrow, there¡¯s no way back for him.¡± Stephen hated Tristan because thetter stole quite a few business deals from him. Nichs took the ss and clinked his ss with Stephen¡¯s. ¡°That¡¯s right. My only objective is to keep him here!¡± The general election was the perfect opportunity for Nichs to do so. Both parties spent the entire night strategizing. They were both extremely good, so everything would come down to the details. Essentially, that night¡¯s preparations were going to decide the oue. Tristan personally came up with the strategy to capture Stephen. He wanted the man to know that he hadmitted a mistake. Tristan only woke up at eight the next morning. Needless to say, they were all exhausted. However, that was the day they were going to capture Stephen. They also had to make sure that they wouldn¡¯t jeopardize the rtionship between Anndur and Chanaea. That was something others deemed impossible. Still, Tristan had the confidence to pull it off. At around half-past eight, Tristan went out to have breakfast with the rest. ¡°Mr. Tristan, perhaps you should sit this one out! Charles and I will get it done.¡± Sean thought it was safer to have one of them sitting out. Content rights by N?velDr//ama.Org. ¡°I¡¯ll go, and you¡¯ll stay!¡± Tristan trusted Sean the most. ¡°How about your injury?¡± Sean questioned. I doubt Nichs is going to let him off the hook so easily. Is it wise to let him go? ¡°It¡¯s just Nichs and Stephen. In my eyes, they¡¯re nothing. Besides, I¡¯m almost fully recovered! I want to capture Stephen as soon as possible and go back to see Sophie,¡± Tristan answered. Hearing that, Felix said, ¡°I know you miss Sophie, but you¡¯re still injured. Perhaps¡ª¡± ¡°Felix, you¡¯ve been by my side for a long time now. Do you not know me yet?¡± Tristan asked. Obviously, Stephen and Nichs are after me. How could I not take them on? I¡¯ve never been one to run away. Charles was also worried. ¡°Mr. Tristan¡ª¡± ¡°Stop worrying! Don¡¯t you guys have faith in me?¡± Tristan interrupted. ¡°It¡¯s not that. Clearly, the n the four of us came up with is perfect! However, I¡¯m still traumatized by the state you were in when you were injuredst time!¡± Sean uttered frankly. In fact, they were all traumatized by that particr event. Chapter 595 Chapter 595 Stephen wanted to get rid of Tristan before the general election. Therefore, he already plotted a n with Nichs. Sure enough, a grin appeared on Stephen¡¯s face when he saw Tristan and his men arriving in helicopters. ¡°Tristan is here! You¡¯re going to die today!¡± Stephen was smiling haughtily. As one of the five richest in Anndur, Stephen¡¯s capability was undeniable. Yet, Tristan had already defeated him a few times prior. Stephen was furious, and he was determined to turn things around. ¡°Senator, they¡¯re here!¡± The secretary was trembling slightly when he saw the helicopters flying over their heads. Although the secretary had been by Stephen¡¯s side for a long time, that was the first time he had seen something like that. This is Anndur, but Tristan managed to gather so many helicopters! Besides, it looks like they came prepared! Stephen couldn¡¯t help but kick his secretary when he saw how startled the secretary was. ¡°Have you not been by my side long enough? Why are you being such a scaredy-cat?¡± Stephen scolded. ¡°I¡¯ve already nned everything out. What are you afraid of?¡± Indeed, Stephen even had Nichs¡¯ help in the battle. Right then, a gunfight ensued between Stephen¡¯s men and Tristan¡¯s men. Tristan was brave enough to initiate a gunfight in Anndur. This time around, Tristan was filled with confidence. I won¡¯t let Stephen participate in the general election. He wishes to take control of Chanaea, isn¡¯t he? Dream on! Tristan was in the helicopter leading the way, and he was dressed in a camouge uniform. Furthermore, he was wearing an earpiece. Sean¡¯s voice was firm and powerful when he said through the earpiece, ¡°Everything¡¯s ready, Mr. Tristan!¡± His voice was definitely capable of making one feel safe. That was why Tristan wanted Sean to be themander of the operation. Sean is perfect for this! ¡°Okay. Let¡¯s move!¡± Tristan ordered. Upon hearing that, the helicopter descended to a suitable height to let Tristan get to the ground by jumping off adder. Stephen couldn¡¯t help sniggering when he saw Tristan appearing at the scene. I knew it! Tristan is here because he wants to capture me personally. That¡¯s why he ignored all the risks and showed up. ¡°It¡¯s been a long time, Mr. Tristan.¡± Although there was a gunfight going on, Stephen appeared extremely calm. In fact, he was even smirking. Stephen wanted to get rid of Tristan before the general election. Therefore, he already plotted a n with Nichs. Tristan threw a nce at him and replied, ¡°You¡¯re right. It¡¯s been a long time.¡± Tristan looked powerful and domineering in his camouge uniform. Upon seeing how confident Tristan was, Stephen started to second-guess his actions. However, it was toote to regret his choices. Left without a choice, he had to go ahead with his n. ¡°Mr. Tristan, we have a general election in Anndur today. Why have youe all the way here?¡± Stephen asked directly. ¡°Are you going against the whole nation?¡± No one could possibly go against an entire nation on his own. In response, Tristan smiled mockingly and said, ¡°Why would I make an enemy out of Anndur? All this while, my only enemy is you, Stephen. Once the people of Anndur know what you¡¯ve done, do you think they would still vote for you?¡± Since Tristan dared to go all the way there to confront Stephen, it was safe to say that Tristan knew exactly how to get himself out of trouble. However, Stephenughed arrogantly and responded, ¡°How would they ever find out about that? Besides, even fewer people would hear about it once you¡¯re dead!¡± Indeed, Stephen¡¯s only aim that day was to kill Tristan. ¡°Are you nning to kill me? I was wondering what you were after! There¡¯s no way you can kill me,¡± Tristan replied. There and then, men from both parties started battling each other. With Tristanmanding the forces, Stephen¡¯s men didn¡¯t stand a chance. Although Stephen had seen iting, his expression was still utterly grim when he saw his men falling one after another. F*ck! How could this be? I¡¯ve been preparing for this for such a long time. Do I not stand a chance at all? Moreover, we¡¯re fighting in Anndur. ¡°Grab him!¡± Tristan ordered his men. ¡°Ha! Catch me? Dream on!¡± Stephen sneered. Just then, a fleet of helicopters appeared in the sky once more. Momentster, Nichs¡¯ men had Tristan surrounded. Stephen heaved a sigh of relief when he saw Nichs. ¡°Mr. Tristan, did you really think these are all the men I have? If that were the case, do you think I would go against you?¡± Stephen was ted. ¡°Don¡¯t worry! I¡¯ll give you a quick death. I won¡¯t let you suffer!¡± Stephen was getting carried away. Felix couldn¡¯t help butugh when he saw how Stephen was acting. ¡°Stephen, do you think Nichs¡¯ arrival is going to change anything? No matter whoes to your rescue today, you¡¯re leaving with us. You like viruses, don¡¯t you? We¡¯ll give you exactly that!¡± Felix thought it was a great idea to perform experiments on Stephen. It¡¯s actually a magnificent idea! Right then, Nichs and his men arrived at the scene. ¡°Kill Tristan!¡± Nichs uttered confidently. Sophie will only return to me once Tristan dies. I¡¯m willing to do anything for her! Despite being under a tremendous amount of pressure, Tristan and the other two were as cool as a cucumber. Tristan then shot a nce at Nichs. He thinks he can kill me, doesn¡¯t he? Dream on! The men from all three parties were incredible individuals. As the gunfight went on, casualties were rising. At the same time, Tristan¡¯s troops were getting fewer. Stephen and Nichs were thrilled when they saw that. This is how it¡¯s supposed to be! Tristan is surely going to die today! Just as they were getting carried away, Sean and his team appeared. Evidently, their arrival immediately turned the tables. Nichs didn¡¯t expect a team of people to show up behind them. In a blink of an eye, Nichs suffered a huge loss. Tristan then pointed his gun at Nichs¡¯ heart and pulled the trigger. ¡°Buzz off!¡± he yelled. Upon getting shot, Nichs copsed to the ground. Tristan had just done what Nichs was nning to do. Alex was right next to Nichs, so he saw thetter tumbling down. At that moment, Alex couldn¡¯t care less about the others anymore. Instead, he immediately held Nichs up and asked, ¡°Mr. Nichs, are you all right?¡± Nichs was in so much pain that he could barely breathe. This is too painful. ¡°Mr. Nichs!¡± Alex let out a scream of despair. If Mr. Nichs dies here, we¡¯re all going to die! ¡°Bring the car here! Drive to the Sable family¡¯s private hospital now!¡± Alex demanded. We must save him. No matter what, he can¡¯t die. Stephen had never expected something like that to happen to Nichs. As he saw Nichs¡¯ men retreating, his expression turned grim, and he wanted to get into his armored car to flee.Content rights by N?velDr//ama.Org. Chapter 596 Chapter 596 Right when he was starting his armored car, Felix went up to him and grabbed his leg to pull him out of the vehicle. Next to them, Stephen¡¯s secretary dropped to his knees and begged, ¡°Please spare me! No matter what you want to know, I¡¯ll tell you! Please let me live!¡± The secretary wanted nothing but to live. Apparently, no one in Anndur had courage, and they were all willing to beg for their lives. Stephen¡¯s face fell when he saw what his secretary was doing. I really didn¡¯t see thising. I thought I was able to achieve aplete victory. ¡°Tristan, what are you doing? I still need to take part in the general election. What are you guys doing¡­ Forget about it! I¡¯m willing to give you anything you want! All you need to do is to let me attend the general election!¡± Stephen offered. Needless to say, Stephen had no idea what was going on. ¡°General election? No chance! You shouldn¡¯t have messed with Chanaea! Stephen, if you die here, do you think someone is going to avenge your death? No! Don¡¯t you know much others hate you?¡± Tristan queried. If Stephen were to disappear from the face of the earth today, no one would search for him. At that moment, Stephen¡¯s secretary was peeing his pants, and he was trembling in fear. ¡°This is all his doing, and I have nothing to do with anything. Please let me go! I¡¯m serious. I¡¯ll tell you guys everything you guys want to know. As long as you don¡¯t kill me, I¡¯ll give you my full cooperation.¡± ¡°John!¡± Stephen warned John Whittaker. ¡°Do you think they¡¯ll let you live just because you¡¯re willing to tell them everything? You must be dreaming!¡± Felix couldn¡¯t help butugh. ¡°John, is it? Well, we can consider letting you live. However, that depends on how much you know.¡± After all, the strong would always dominate the weak. Felix and the others had the right to act arrogantly. ¡°Tristan, I¡¯m a senator for Anndur. If I were to die here, do you think you¡¯ll be able to exin yourself?¡± Of course, Stephen didn¡¯t want to die. He was even dreaming of bing Anndur¡¯s president. ¡°What? Why would I kill you here?¡± Stephen breathed a sigh of relief when he heard that. As long as I get to live, I can stille up with something. ¡°Okay. That¡¯s enough. Stop talking nonsense to them and tie them up!¡± Tristan ordered. Both of these men are evil, so I¡¯m not letting either of them off the hook. Right when he was starting his armored car, Felix went up to him and grabbed his leg to pull him out of the vehicle. Right then, Sean¡¯s voice rang out in the earpiece, and he said, ¡°All right. It¡¯s time to leave.¡± After they had created such a huge scene in Anndur, it would be foolish of them to stay longer than they had to. ¡°Okay. Let¡¯s get ready to go back! Felix, destroy all the evidence here,¡± Tristan ordered. If we don¡¯t leave evidence behind, no one can use us of anything. In the meantime, Javier arrived at the hospital in a rush and saw Nichs barely breathing. While trembling all over, he asked, ¡°What happened? Didn¡¯t I ask you to follow him wherever he goes? How did something like this happen?¡± Alex was kneeling on the ground. After what happened, he couldn¡¯t forgive himself. Therefore, he was willing to ept any punishment Javier had in mind for him. Everyone else at the scene then knelt, and one of them said, ¡°Old Mr. Sable, this has nothing to do with Alex. Mr. Nichs made the decision on his own! None of us could stop him!¡± Everyone knew what Nichs was like. Once he made up his mind, there was no changing it. ¡°Tell the doctor that if he doesn¡¯t save my son, he¡¯s dead!¡± Nichs was Javier¡¯s only son, so there was no way the older man would give up on Nichs. Meanwhile, Alex was still kneeling on the ground, and he dared not move a single muscle. I didn¡¯t want any of this to happen, but there¡¯s nothing I can do now! Everything has already happened! ¡°Tristan, if anything happens to my son, you¡¯re dead!¡± Javier fumed. At the same time, in Central Hospital, Sophie had sessfully developed the antidote. They would need to go through clinical trials next. Over the past few days, Barney¡¯s admiration for Sophie had grown exponentially. This young girl is totally unrivaled! Despite her tender age, she managed to develop an antidote for such aplicated virus. I can¡¯t imagine how bright her future will be! ¡°All right now, leave the rest to Georgina and me! You should rest!¡± Barney knew how tired Sophie was. Throughout the research, she failed countless times, but she just kept trying. Not many people have the attitude she has. With the research done, Sophie could finally breathe a sigh of relief. What was left was to wait and see the results. That was something Georgina was capable of doing. ¡°Get some rest, Sophie! I¡¯ll stay and handle the matter. I won¡¯t disappoint you!¡± Georgina was very excited because she had just aplished a huge achievement alongside Sophie. ¡°Okay,¡± Sophie answered. Before Sophie went to rest, she went to the ward to see Arius first. Arius had been lying in bed all this while, and he felt as though he was going crazy. ¡°Sophie! I knew it! You never disappoint!¡± Arius heard about Sophie¡¯s achievement. He would always admire Sophie because she could never let one down. No matter what she did, she would always deliver the best oue. Property ? N?velDrama.Org. However, she hadn¡¯t had a rest in a long time, so she looked rather pale. Even her beautiful eyes weren¡¯t as bright as always. ¡°I¡¯ve just done what you were meant to do. Now that I¡¯ve helped you, you better start thinking of ways to thank me,¡± Sophie uttered. If not for him, I wouldn¡¯t be so exhausted. ¡°How about marrying me?¡± he asked. In response, Sophie shot him a nce and replied, ¡°Watch your mouth. You better not let Tristan hear you say something like that.¡± Indeed, if Tristan were to hear it, she wouldn¡¯t be able to protect Arius. ¡°Oh! How¡¯s Mr. Tristan? What¡¯s he doing nowadays?¡± Arius asked. Tristan hadn¡¯t seen Sophie in such a long time. If he were to find out that I was the one who got Sophie here in the first ce, he¡¯s going to kill me! ¡°He had gone to Anndur.¡± Sophie¡¯s heart ached when she thought about how Tristan had gone to Anndur to capture Stephen. What if something bad happens to him? ¡°Oh, I see. Don¡¯t worry! He¡¯s an incredible man. Nothing¡¯s going to happen to him. Besides, don¡¯t you already know what kind of man Tristan is?¡± Arius queried. Tristan is so strong that he can definitely crush all his enemies. ¡°I think so, too!¡± Sophie knew how impressive Tristan was. No matter what, he¡¯s going to be fine. Arius was getting jealous. ¡°Your rtionship with him is so good! I bet it¡¯s already stronger than our rtionship!¡± Sophie raised her brows and asked tly, ¡°Is there even a rtionship between us?¡± Arius was rendered speechless. She¡¯s too much. In fact, she¡¯s the perfect example of a woman putting men before friends. Chapter 597 Chapter 597 Sophie only left Arius¡¯ room when he chased her out and told her to get some rest. Sophie went back to one of the wards that she was temporarily staying in. The moment she opened the door, she grew wary instantly because she realized someone was in the room. At that moment, she was a researcher for the virus, so there were always people protecting her. Even so, she was still cautious. Sensing that someone was in the bathroom, Sophie went over and held the doorknob. The next second, she turned the doorknob and pushed the door open. Right when she was about to attack the intruder, she was delivered a warm hug. ¡°It¡¯s me!¡± the man said. Sophie hadn¡¯t heard that voice in a long time. When she finally heard his voice, her heart started racing wildly. We haven¡¯t seen each other in more than two weeks! ¡°Why are you here? Why are you not in Anndur? Besides, this is a hospital, and the virus is still not under control. Don¡¯t you know how dangerous it is for you toe here?¡± she asked. ¡°I came because I miss you!¡± Tristan missed her so dearly that he had gone to see her the moment he returned to Jipsdale. The whole time he was in Anndur, he missed her badly. In fact, he had never missed someone as much as he had missed her. ¡°I¡¯ve missed you too! I¡¯ve missed you so much!¡± In truth, she had always been an independent girl. Hence, she was surprised by how much she missed him. Seeing that he was finally by her side, she kissed him without thinking about the consequences. On the other hand, Tristan was nning to do so from the beginning. At once, he took the initiative and kissed her back. The atmosphere in the bathroom immediately grew intense. He was kissing her aggressively while pinning her against the sink. After a while, he wanted more, so he carried her onto the sink and stood in between her legs to continue kissing her. It was as if they just couldn¡¯t get enough of each other. In the end, he was gasping for air as he held her in his embrace. ¡°I¡¯ve already captured Stephen, so he¡¯ll be connected to the virus. It¡¯s definitely going to work in our favor!¡± Sophie then held his head and grumbled, ¡°Why did you do such a dangerous thing? Didn¡¯t I tell you I can find the antidote?¡± Sophie only left Arius¡¯ room when he chased her out and told her to get some rest. ¡°It wasn¡¯t dangerous at all! It¡¯s just Stephen. Capturing him was child¡¯s y.¡± Tristan wanted to help her instead of letting her fight the battle on her own. ¡°Oh, you!¡± Sophie kissed his forehead. ¡°We¡¯ve achieved a breakthrough with the research, so everything¡¯s going to end soon. Don¡¯t worry.¡± She believed that she would be back by his side in no time. N?velDrama.Org content. ¡°You¡¯re so incredible!¡± Tristan praised. ¡°I¡¯m serious. You¡¯re the most incredible among us. However, that¡¯s not what I want. I just want you to keep yourself safe when things get dicey!¡± Tristan was a selfish man, so all he wanted was for her to stay safe. ¡°Have you only returned from Anndur?¡± Sophie noticed how tired he looked. He must¡¯vee to see me the moment he arrived. ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Go home and rest, okay? It isn¡¯tfortable here, and you won¡¯t like it!¡± Sophie knew Tristan had always been pampered, and he only used quality goods. ¡°No. I¡¯m finally back, so I want to be with you!¡± Tristan carried her to the hospital bed before getting into the bed himself. The hospital bed was small, so they had to squeeze. Neither of them had a good night¡¯s rest over the past few days, so they were both dog-tired. However, neither of them could fall asleep. Tristan couldn¡¯t sleep either, but he remembered how little sleep he had gotten over the past few days. Still, he couldn¡¯t help but urge, ¡°Sleep!¡± Why is he asking me to sleep when he can¡¯t seem to fall asleep? Sophie leaned in closer toward him and voiced, ¡°Don¡¯t you have trouble falling asleep as well?¡± ¡°I do. I can¡¯t sleep,¡± he replied. Too many things had happened recently, so I¡¯m just so happy I get to hold her once more. In fact, I feel relieved. It¡¯s just that I haven¡¯t seen her in so long, so I can¡¯t bear to close my eyes. In the dark, Tristan once again found her lips, and he ended up kissing her again. Instantly, the atmosphere in the room became intimate. If we continue doing this, neither of us is going to get any sleep tonight. I can¡¯t keep staying here and disrupting her sleep. With that in mind, Tristan immediately got out of bed and said, ¡°Sleep, okay? Take care.¡± ¡°Okay. Be careful on your way home, and don¡¯t worry about me.¡± Sophie was blushing uncontrobly, but she knew he had to go home to rest. Tristan caressed her cheek and said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry about me!¡± With that, he left the ward. True enough, Sophie managed to calm her mind and fall asleep soon after he left. When she woke up the next morning, she showered and got changed before meeting Barney and the rest. Although the new antidote was working well, it seemed to have some side effects. Therefore, their priority was to minimize the side effects. ¡°Frankly, the side effects aren¡¯t that serious anymore,¡± Georgina uttered softly. This is the best anyone could do. ¡°No. These side effects might affect the users¡¯ gics. We need to make improvements!¡± Too many people were going to be affected, so they couldn¡¯t afford to take risks. ¡°Georgina, please stay here and monitor the patients who have taken medicine. Sophie and I have to leave for a while!¡± Barney knew Tristan had captured Stephen, so he wanted to see Stephen. ¡°Sure, Dr. Smith.¡± Obviously, Georgina wasn¡¯t going to have a problem with that. Throughout that period of time, she had learned plenty from Barney and Sophie. I might¡¯ve even learned the things that could change my life! Barney left alongside Sophie. Eustace was waiting for them outside. He returned at the same time as Tristan. Upon seeing Barney and Sophie walking out, Eustace immediately got out of his military jeep and opened the door for the both of them. ¡°This way, Dr. Smith!¡± Since they were in Chanaea, Eustace was tasked to protect Barney. Barney got into the car, and Sophie followed closely behind. They soon arrived at a military base. Stephen was held captive at that location. He was stunned momentarily when he saw Barney. ¡°You¡¯re a traitor, Barney! What are you trying to do? I¡¯m not letting you off the hook! Trust me!¡± Stephen was livid when he saw Barney. ¡°Also, you want to move the International Medical Association to Chanaea, don¡¯t you? I refuse to ept it!¡± Barney found Stephen amusing. ¡°Stephen, who do you think you are? You¡¯re now a captive! Do you think I need your eptance? You¡¯re so shameless. Do you think you¡¯re speaking for everyone?¡± Chapter 598 Chapter 598 Even in Anndur, half of the poption loathed Stephen and cursed him out. Rendered speechless, Stephen stammered for a long time, but no words came out of his mouth. He had no idea what they nned to do to him when he had been brought to Chanaea then. In all honesty, he didn¡¯t even know whether he would live to return to his country. Sophie cast a look at the man before she walked over to Tristan. Thetter was the one who personally seized the man and brought him back, so he was also involved in the matter. ¡°Did you rest properly when you returned?¡± Hearing her cool and indifferent voice, Tristan grasped her hand. ¡°Of course I did. By the way, I brought him back for you. He¡¯s the mastermind behind the virus this time.¡± At that remark, Barney¡¯s temper spiked. Verily, he had never expected Stephen to do such a despicable thing. ¡°I think you¡¯ve lost your mind entirely, Stephen! Are you not afraid of going to hell after you die that you did such a heinous thing just for the sake of your own interests?¡± he thundered, aghast. He had always felt that the virus this time wasn¡¯t that simple. Instead, there must be someone pulling the strings behind the scenes. However, it never crossed his mind that it would be a citizen of Anndur. Worse still, it was Stephen who was going to run in the general election. ¡°Barney, we¡¯re both from Anndur. As such, shouldn¡¯t you be helping me right now?¡± Even then, Stephen remained unrepentant. If he¡¯s willing to lend me a hand, perhaps I can still go back to Anndur! ¡°As long as you kill Tristan, I can give you whatever you want.¡± Although things hade to that, he hadn¡¯t given up yet and was building castles in the air. Following that turn of events, Barney ignored him altogether. He turned and asked Tristan at the side, ¡°What do you want me to do with him, Mr. Tristan?¡± At that moment, Tristan was conferring with the person in charge of Chanaea about an appropriate way to deal with the issue. ¡°Since he refuses to say anything, we naturally have to do everything in our power to get him to talk! Stephen, are you thinking that Chanaea would be doomed, and consequently, make the greatest concession as long as you keep your mouth shut? And are you still fantasizing about Chanaea falling on its knees while begging for mercy?¡± He then gave voice to the thoughts hidden deep within Stephen¡¯s heart. Indeed, those were Stephen¡¯s convictions. I painstakingly had someone cultivate the gene virus this time, and this n Z had been in the works for over ten years. That aside, I¡¯ve killed the person who formted this virus, so it¡¯s impossible to develop an antidote! Even in Anndur, half of the poption loathed Stephen and cursed him out. For that reason, he wasn¡¯t the least bit afraid despite being held prisoner right then. He was convinced they would all drop to their knees before him and implore him sooner orter. Everyone present knew that such was his intention.Content rights by N?velDr//ama.Org. ¡°Therefore, you¡¯d best show me some respect. Otherwise, I wouldn¡¯t give you the antidote even if you were to beg me on your knees at that time!¡± So what if they¡¯ve got Barney here? The virus isn¡¯t going to give them extra time to develop an antidote. Upon hearing that, the basemander burst intoughter. ¡°What wild imagination, Stephen! So, you want to see me begging you on my knees? Hah! Not even in the next lifetime!¡± After saying that, he kicked Stephen squarely in the stomach. Then, he announced proudly, ¡°Do you really think Chanaea is a backwater country? Let me tell you that we¡¯re presently at the forefront of the world, both in technology and the military!¡± That wasn¡¯t all, for Chanaean talents were spread across the globe in that day and age. While they weren¡¯t in the country, they would return at all costs if their homnd were to face trouble. It was the loyalty the nationmanded in its citizens. Even when it came to the matter this time, many people contributed selflessly. Everyone yed a part ording to their means, some contributing financially and others physically. Even if it meant giving their lives, none balked. The descendants of Chanaea only had amon goal¡ªto defend their mothend, allowing no one to pick on Chanaea. Few countries in the entire world couldmand such loyalty in their citizens. Hence, he was proud to be a Chanaean. Simrly, it was his honor to be able to contribute something to the country. Stephen had never expected them to dare get physical with him when things had gotten so bad. ¡°Hah, really? If so, I¡¯d truly like to see how you¡¯re going to resolve the problem this time.¡± Eventually, they¡¯ll definitely get on their knees and beg me! At that precise moment, Sophie took out a syringe from her bag. Seeing that, Stephen inexorably panicked. ¡°What are you doing? What do you want to do to me?¡± At longst, trepidation swamped him. Sophie studied the syringe in her hand for a moment. ¡°Aren¡¯t you wholly confident in the virus you created? I¡¯ll let you have a taste of it right now.¡± Having said that, she injected the virus in the syringe into the man¡¯s body before he could even register the meaning of her words. Thereafter, she stated, ¡°Now, I¡¯ll see whether you can wait until we develop the antidote.¡± ¡°How dare you! You¡¯re simply courting death!¡± She actually injected me with the virus! Stephen made to scramble to his feet to hit her. s, he fell back to the ground with a swift kick from Tristan. ¡°You¡¯re the one courting death! She isn¡¯t someone you can touch!¡± Tristan proceeded to step on the back of the man¡¯s hand. Thus, Stephen ended up with a leather shoe crushing the back of his hand with a rather intense force. He had always been a golden child and had never experienced such humiliation, but at that very instant, he was trampled underfoot, his dignity obliterated. At once, his gaze turned indescribably vicious. ¡°Hah! You¡¯ll definitely regret treating me in such a manner!¡± Even at that point in time, he was still impenitent. ¡°Ms. Tanner, I heard that you¡¯ve already concocted the antidote. Thank you so much. I¡¯m truly impressed that you did such a noble thing despite your tender age!¡± The basemander gazed at Sophie in admiration. In response, Sophie shed him a faint smile. ¡°I just did my part. In fact, we¡¯re all doing so.¡± Tristan took her hand. That¡¯s true. We¡¯re all Chanaeans, so we naturally do everything within our capacities in the face of the country¡¯s crisis. Meanwhile, Barney plunged into deep contemtion as he stared at Stephen, who was being taken away. ¡°Now that we¡¯ve brought Stephen over, I¡¯m worried that Anndur would dere war!¡± If a battle were to break out between the two countries, it¡¯d only end in countless casualties. Subsequently, he added, ¡°I can¡¯t shake off the feeling that the matter this time isn¡¯t that simple. I think there¡¯s something off about him!¡± The basemander nodded in agreement. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, for no one else is aware that he¡¯s currently in Chanaea, with the exception of the few of us. Even if he were to die here, no one would know it was our doing!¡± Tristan had long since wiped off all possible tracks. Hearing that, the basemander breathed a sigh of relief. ¡°Indeed! We¡¯re exceedingly powerful and have no fear of going to war, but still, it¡¯s the final resort. After all, we don¡¯t want to cause unnecessary casualties.¡± This time, they would undoubtedly bring Stephen to trial and punish him byw since the man dared to do such a thing. Chapter 599 Chapter 599 ¡°How¡¯s your work at Central Hospital, Sophie? Can you make a trip home?¡± Ultimately, Tristan was afraid that Josiah wouldn¡¯t be able to hold out for much longer. Halting in her tracks, Sophie snapped her head back at him. ¡°What do you mean by that? Did something happen to my grandpa?¡± She eyed him in puzzlement, wondering whether something had happened. The only person who came to mind was her grandfather, for she didn¡¯t care a whit about anyone else. Seeing that Tristan had said as much, Barney knew that the matter could no longer be kept under wraps. Well, she would¡¯ve learned about it sooner orter, and the truth is such right now. ¡°Make a trip home, Sophie! Anyway, everything has been resolved now. As for the slight side effects, leave them to me to figure out a solution.¡± She can rest easy with me here. Tristan grasped Sophie¡¯s hands. N?velDrama.Org copyrighted ? content. ¡°Remember this¡ªI¡¯ll always remain by your side no matter what happens, so don¡¯t be too sad about things!¡± In truth, Sophie had already braced herself from the very beginning. Yet, she still panicked upon hearing that right then. Everyone else didn¡¯t try to dissuade her from leaving. All things considered, she had already done a great job, so there was nothing wrong with her going back to have a look at her grandfather. Tristan brought Sophie to the hospital directly. When they arrived at the entrance to the hospital, Sophie stood there for a long time, unable to bring herself to step in. Finally, Tristan took her hand. ¡°Let¡¯s go! Old Mr. Tanner has been yearning to see you.¡± Verily, he must be bone-tired after hanging in there for so long. He led her into the hospital, to the room where Josiah was. Yale and the others had been keeping watch in there. Of course, they weren¡¯t there because of filial piety. Instead, they were merely worried that Josiah wouldn¡¯t leave them anything if he were to die. Therefore, they had been staying there all this time, hoping that the man would leave them some shares and not give everything to Sophie if for no other reason than them keeping himpany. As for Sophie, they didn¡¯t trust her at all. At the sight of her then, Yale immediately stalked over. ¡°Where exactly did you disappear to, Sophie? Do you know how long your grandfather has been waiting for you? Why did you only nowe when he loves you so much and is about to depart this life soon?¡± The instant he started speaking, all that came out of his mouth were usations. He wasn¡¯t concerned about whatever she had been doing. Conversely, all he cared about was the distribution of assets. Everything else didn¡¯t matter to him in the least. ¡°How¡¯s your work at Central Hospital, Sophie? Can you make a trip home?¡± Ultimately, Tristan was afraid that Josiah wouldn¡¯t be able to hold out for much longer. Sophie merely swept a cid gaze over him. With just that single look, Yale didn¡¯t dare utter a single word further. However, Willow then strutted over. ¡°Is there anything wrong with what Dad said, Sophie? Are you not the person Grandpa loves the most? And are others not allowed to say anything when you¡¯ve done something wrong?¡± A frown promptly marred Tristan¡¯s countenance. Ugh! These few members of the Tanner family are really revolting! If it weren¡¯t because of my promise to Old Mr. Tanner to refrain from making a move against them, I would truly throw them out right now. Listening to them alone tires me out. Not to be left out, Charmaine hastened over as well. ¡°Soph, your grandfather has always loved you most, so go and talk to him! He has been hanging on by a thread, waiting for you toe back.¡± Sophie remained silent, but her hands balled into fists. Is there really no hope anymore? At the end of the day, things still came to this. Upon hearing themotion outside, Morgan walked out of the hospital room. When his gaze fell on Sophie, his eyes turned red-rimmed. ¡°You¡¯re finally here, Ms. Sophie. Go on in. Old Mr. Tanner had been waiting for you all along.¡± At his voice, Sophie could no longer be bothered to give the trio¡¯s intentions any thought. As soon as Yale and the others saw her entering the hospital ward, they wanted to follow suit. Unfortunately, Tristan¡¯s men stopped them from doing so. At that, Yale furiously shot daggers at Tristan. ¡°Mr. Tristan, I know you¡¯re incredibly powerful, but this is our family¡¯s matter. We only want to go in and have a look at Dad. Don¡¯t you think it¡¯s inappropriate for you to do this?¡± Tristan, on the other hand, had his hands stuck in his pockets. ¡°The person he wants to see is Sophie, so please shut up. I don¡¯t like listening to nonsense!¡± Tristan countered mildly. When Ysabelle learned that Sophie had finally resurfaced, she rushed over to the hospital in great sorrow. She was aware of how much thetter cared about Josiah. Now that Old Mr. Tanner is in such a condition, she must be devastated. Hence, I want to keep her company by her side. By the time she arrived with Felix and only saw her uncle outside the hospital ward, she instantly knew that Sophie had already gone in. ¡°Can Sophie really ept it, Uncle Tristan? And how could you let her go in alone? She must be grief- stricken right now and needs someone to keep herpany by her side.¡± Ysabelle was utterly worried, so she no longer feared the man. ¡°She¡¯s exceedingly close to Old Mr. Tanner and is presently bidding him farewell for the final time, so how could someone else possibly go in and interrupt their time?¡± Tristan inhaled deeply, the mere thought of her distress then almost robbing him of breath. How I wish I could bear all this for her, but there are some things in which that¡¯s impossible! That was also the reason for his sheer anguish at that moment. Meanwhile, Ysabelle teetered on the verge of tears. She really couldn¡¯t imagine Sophie¡¯s crushing grief right then and wanted to go in to keep herpany. Yet, she couldn¡¯t do so, for that was Sophie¡¯s final moment with Josiah. Thus, no one could go in and intrude into their time. Clocking her dejection, Felix wrapped an arm around her shoulder. ¡°All right, don¡¯t be sad anymore. Sophie still needs us to stand by her side, so there¡¯s no need for you to be all gloom and doom.¡± At the very least, Sophie still has us with her. Sean and Charles rushed over as well. It went without saying that they knew Josiah couldn¡¯t hang on for much longer and had been merely waiting for Sophie. That day, Sophie returned. In other words, it was also time for him to leave. In the meantime, Josiah was in aa when Sophie entered the hospital ward. Taking a seat beside him, she told herself that her grandfather was only asleep. Everything will be fine when he wakes up. She could only numb herself with that thought, for there was nothing else she could do. An indeterminate time passed before Josiah opened his eyes. No sooner had he glimpsed Sophie sitting beside his hospital bed than a smile bloomed on his face. He wanted to hold his hand out to her, but he hadn¡¯t an ounce of energy left. ¡°S-S¡­¡± That aside, he wanted to speak to her, yet he was likewise incapable of doing so. Naturally, Sophie saw right through him and swiftly grasped his hand. ¡°I¡¯m back, Grandpa. I¡¯ll remain by your side and keep youpany forever.¡± Sophie¡¯s eyes crinkled as she smiled. No, I can¡¯t cry. I definitely can¡¯t right at this time. He¡¯ll undoubtedly be even sadder if I were to shed tears now. ¡°Are you hurting, Grandpa? Where does it hurt?¡± Considering his current condition, he must be in terrible pain, right? He¡¯d been waiting for me, and it was me who put him through such agony for a long time! Josiah was already content that he couldy eyes on Sophie before breathing hisst. Innumerable words were hidden in his weathered eyes, but he couldn¡¯t give voice to anything at that time. All he could do was look at her greedily. If there¡¯s such a thing as a next lifetime, I still want to be her grandfather. I¡¯ll absolutely protect her well, allowing no one to pick on her. Chapter 600 Chapter 600 Needless to say, Sophie was well aware of Josiah¡¯s tremendous pain at that instant. However, she was hesitant to truly give up hope and grant him eternal peace. Meanwhile, Josiah¡¯s eyes had been darting over to the cab at the side. Noticing that, Sophie walked over and pulled it open, revealing a letter within. She took the letter out. It was from none other than her grandfather, addressed to her. She opened it, but she then started weeping after reading it. Hearing her sobs, Tristan entered the hospital room from outside. At the sight of her crying like a child, he strode over and wrapped an arm around her shoulder. ¡°Don¡¯t cry anymore, Sophie. Old Mr. Tanner won¡¯t want to see you in such sorrow, so hang in there!¡± Her tears felt like knives stabbing him in the heart. Nheless, they had to face all that right then, for no one could change reality. Even Barney couldn¡¯t do anything about it, let alone others. As Josiah witnessed Tristan¡¯s tender care toward Sophie, a sense of peace enveloped him. ¡°Old Mr. Tanner merely wants to see you for thest time. I reckon he must be in terrible pain right now. As such, shall we grant him rest?¡± Naturally, Sophie understood Tristan¡¯s meaning. Should I pull the plug and put an end to Grandpa¡¯s suffering? ¡°I¡¯ll do it.¡± Tristan didn¡¯t want her to experience such a thing, so he volunteered to undertake the task in her stead. Regretfully, Sophie shook her head. She got to her feet and trained her eyes on Josiah. ¡°If there¡¯s a next lifetime, I¡¯ll definitely seek you out and be your granddaughter again. In the next lifetime, I¡¯ll obey you so that you don¡¯t have to worry about me,¡± Sophie vowed sorrowfully. A peaceful smile adorned Josiah¡¯s face. Actually, I don¡¯t need to worry at all, no? She¡¯s a strong girl, and she¡¯ll certainly be able to continue living happily. Furthermore, she has Tristan by her side now! By then, Morgan and the others had alsoe into the hospital ward to see Josiah for the final time. Morgan cried so hard that he almost passed out. Fortunately, Felix remained by his side and supported him. Yale wept as well. Regardless of the fact that his father had been exceedingly strict with him, the man only did so for his good, and he knew that much. Henceforth, I¡¯ll have no father anymore. There¡¯ll no longer be anyone I can depend upon, and no one will protect me anymore. ¡°Dad, sorry for having worried you all this time. If there¡¯s a next lifetime, I¡¯ll definitely behave and obey you.¡± At that second, remorse flooded him. N?velDrama.Org copyrighted ? content. Beside him, Charmaine silently shed tears. On the contrary, Willow stood at the side with her face devoid of expression. It was as though everything unfolding there had nothing to do with her, and she was but a bystander. Well, what has all this that¡¯s happening here got to do with me? Grandpa loves Sophie the most, so I¡¯m no longer of significance now that she¡¯s back. Thus, I only need to stand here quietly. There¡¯s no need for me to be sad or cry. After all, such is my status in the Tanner family! Josiah nced around the room. Seeing the crowd of people there to see him off, he didn¡¯t cry but bobbed his head imperceptibly. Subsequently, Sophie personally turned off his life-support system. Her hands shook incessantly, but still, she bit the bullet. That was thest thing she could do for him, so she would never have someone else do it instead. ¡°See you in the next lifetime, Grandpa!¡± At present, she could only hope that a next lifetime truly existed. Ultimately, Josiah¡¯s eyes still fluttered close. There was still plenty he worried about in the world, but he could no longer bother about it all in the end. The moment he closed his eyes, Morgan passed out. ¡°Morgan?¡± Felix shook the man, but thetter remained unconscious, so he had no choice but to carry him over for the doctor to check him over. Since Josiah had passed away, the issue of his funeral followed. Tristan made all the arrangements alone. Throughout it all, Sophie was taciturn. Ysabelle kept herpany by her side, knowing that she was grieving yet couldn¡¯t do anything about it. ¡°Eat something, Soph!¡± she ventured. At the sight of Sophie all despondent, tears streamed down her face uncontrobly. Conversely, Sophie shook her head upon seeing that. ¡°You don¡¯t need to worry about me, Ysabelle. I¡¯m fine. I merely need a bit of time.¡± Verily, she was fine and knew what she should do. Nevertheless, she couldn¡¯t control her emotions then. She wanted to see her grandfather off in peace, but still, utter anguish swamped her. ¡°Eat more, Soph. If you don¡¯t eat, your body won¡¯t be able to take it. Don¡¯t allow your mind to wander anymore. Old Mr. Tanner wouldn¡¯t want to see you in such a state either, right?¡± ¡°Go out first, Ysabelle. I¡¯d like to spend some time alone with my grandfather.¡± It was Josiah¡¯s room back when he was still alive, but Sophie and Ysabelle were the only ones there. Everyone else had gone off to get busy. ¡°Soph!¡± Considering Sophie¡¯s state, Ysabelle couldn¡¯t say anything further. She could only leave the room quietly. Felix was waiting for her outside. When he saw hering out, he knew that Sophie was undoubtedly still grieving, so he wrapped an arm around her shoulder. ¡°All right, the only thing we can do now is to keep herpany by her side. Don¡¯t allow your mind to run wild!¡± ¡°I feel utterly useless, Felix. Sophie helped me a lot, yet I can¡¯t do anything when she¡¯s presently grief- stricken.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve done enough, silly! She merely needs a bit more time.¡± She¡¯s not an emotionless robot, so she can¡¯t possibly stop feeling sad at once. ¡°I know.¡± Indeed, Ysabelle understood that principle. But still, she couldn¡¯t help worrying about Sophie. Sophie stayed in Josiah¡¯s room for a long time. It wasn¡¯t until when the mourning hall had been set up that she went over and proceeded to kneel there. Seeing that, Willow inexorably sneered. How could someone as indifferent as her be sad? Or is she doing all this currently as a show for others to see? ¡°Go over and kneel as well, Wi. It¡¯s far too inappropriate for you to stand here like this.¡± Now that Old Mr. Tanner has departed this life, even if she really held grudges against him in the past, they should all have faded away instead. She shouldn¡¯t be harboring ill will against him anymore. ¡°What are you talking about, Mom? My legs are hurting, so I can¡¯t kneel.¡± In truth, Willow didn¡¯t want to go over and kneel at all. ¡°This won¡¯t do, Wi. Many rtives will being over today, and they¡¯ll be taking note of your attitude. Do you not want Tanner Group¡¯s shares anymore in the future?¡± Even then, Charmaine was still obsessed with Tanner Group¡¯s shares. ¡°Can you stop being so na?ve, Mom? Is Sophie going to give me Tanner Group¡¯s shares if I go over and kneel right now? Do you still not understand the kind of person she is?¡± Well, why should I still hope for something impossible? At her remark, Charmaine¡¯s brows furrowed. ¡°Even if not for the sake of Tanner Group¡¯s shares, he was still your grandfather. How could you be so apathetic?¡± In response, Willow sneered, ¡°He never regarded me as his granddaughter, so why should I go and kneel before him now? Okay, that¡¯s enough. Whatever you want to do is your business, and I won¡¯t interfere. But don¡¯t poke your nose into my affairs either.¡± Chapter 601 Chapter 601 Yale naturally heard what she said. He came over, raised his hand and gave her a p. ¡°You ungrateful brat! How dare you said those words when your grandfather is gone? Do you even have a conscience?¡± Everyone was heartbroken at the moment. And she was the only one who still cared about these things. She is really an ungrateful wretch. Willow covered her face. There were still others at the scene. She couldn¡¯t believe that Yale pped her in front of them. Willow valued her pride the most. Now that she was pped in public, tears immediately welled up in her eyes. ¡°You¡¯re all the same. Am I not a member of the Tanner family? Since I am nothing in your eyes, perhaps I should leave.¡± With that, Willow ran off while weeping. Seeing Willow¡¯s reaction, Charmaine wanted to chase after her out of worry. However, Yale grabbed her hand and stopped her from pursuing Willow. ¡°What¡¯re you doing? There are so many guests here. Where are you going if not to greet them?¡± ¡°But I¡¯m worried about Willow. She ran off just like that.¡± ¡°Nothing will happen to her. Can¡¯t you see that she¡¯s a selfish person? The only thing she cares about is herself. Nothing will happen to a person like her.¡± Yale felt extremely disappointed whenever he thought of Willow¡¯s recent behavior. It is better not to have a daughter like her. Charmaine had more to say, but she put up a pretense that nothing had happened upon noticing that the rtives were approaching. Sophie had been kneeling in the same spot for more than two hours. Tristan came over after he finished settling the funeral arrangement and kneeled beside her. He did not say much. He knew that at this moment, none of theforting words could soothe Sophie. She just needed someone to be by her side. Felix shuttled in and out, busy helping with the funeral. Thus, the funeral went on smoothly with the help of Felix. At night, Sophie insisted on staying for the vigil. This was thest and only chance she could be with her grandfather, so no way she would give it up. Seeing that, Tristan apanied her through the night. Sophie did not eat much during dinner. Tristan¡¯s heart clenched seeing Sophie like that. Sean and the others were there too. No one left. However, Yale and Charmaine could no longer resist the sleeping spell and went back early to rest. In fact, Sophie was the only sentimental person in the Tanner family. Right then, Caleb also rushed back. Yale asked him toe back otherwise, he would not have known that his grandfather had passed away. Caleb could no longer hold back his tears and started weeping when he arrived at the mourning hall. He left Chanaea as a teenager and didn¡¯t spend much time with his grandfather. He did not expect to come back to see Josiah had passed on. ¡°Grandpa, I¡¯m sorry that I¡¯mte!¡± Caleb kneeled in the memorial room, tears trickling down his cheeks. Sophie seemed unfazed by his arrival. She merely kneeled and continued chanting her prayer. ¡°Sophie, where are Dad and Mom?¡± After crying for a while, Caleb asked Sophie. Why is Sophie the only one here? Where are Mom and Dad? Where is Willow? ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Sophie replied nonchntly. Those people were none of her concerns. Tanner¡¯s face darkened upon hearing that. ¡°Soph, we¡¯re family no matter what. Why are you behaving like this?¡± There was no need to be so aloof to one another. Although she is with Tristan right now, it doesn¡¯t mean that she should give her family a cold shoulder and let their rtionship deteriorate. ¡°Caleb, I think you¡¯d better mind your own business! I¡¯m not in the mood to talk to you about this right now.¡± Sophie didn¡¯t think she was obliqued to exin anything to Caleb. ¡°Sophie, what kind of attitude is this? We¡¯re the only family you have now, you¡­¡± Tristan shot him a threatening look, and Caleb immediately shut up. He didn¡¯t dare to voice out his thought in front of Tristan. ¡°You¡¯d better shut up. There¡¯s no ce for you to tell her what to do,¡± Tristanmented coldly. If they weren¡¯t her family, he would haveshed out a long time ago and wouldn¡¯t have waited until now. Yet, they were unrepentant and kept pestering her. Then, Sophie just ignored Caleb. They were at Josiah¡¯s funeral, she didn¡¯t want her grandfather to still get disturbed in hisst moment. She wanted her grandfather to rest in peace. It was alreadyte autumn and the temperature dropped drastically at night. Sophie was dressed very lightly, so Tristan asked someone to go back and fetch her a ck coat and put it on her. Sophie didn¡¯t want to talk. She appreciated Tristan¡¯spany a lot. Thetter had always been by her side through ups and downs. ¡°Tristan, it¡¯s sote now. Why don¡¯t you go back and rest? I¡¯ll stay here alone with Grandpa for onest night.¡± She wouldn¡¯t have the privilege to apany him anymore in the future. ¡°It¡¯s okay, I want to be here with Grandpa too. He¡¯s been so good to me. How can I not keep vigil at a time like!¡± Caleb reached his limit after kneeling for more than an hour and went back to the Tanner residence. Meanwhile, in the Tanner residence, Yale gave Caleb a big hug when he returned. ¡°You havee back at the right time. I know we shouldn¡¯t bring it up at this time, but since your grandfather has passed away, we should fight for what we deserve. Tanner Group belongs to the Tanner family. We can¡¯t let Sophie take over thepany alone!¡± No matter what, Sophie is going to marry someone else in the future. Therefore, Sophie couldn¡¯t take over Tanner Group. Caleb didn¡¯t expect his family would have their hearts set on Tanner Group soon after Josiah passed away. ¡°Dad, do you really think it¡¯s appropriate to bring up this matter right now?¡± Is money that important to you? Charmaine nced at Caleb. ¡°Silly child. You¡¯re the only one who thinks so. Sophie is thinking otherwise. She¡¯s insatiable and will never leave us in peace!¡± Charmaine was willing to say all kinds of things in order to get Tanner Group back. N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content. ¡°Besides, Tanner Group belongs to your grandfather. Now that your grandfather has passed away, the company should be inherited by your father. Why is she takingmand of thepany?¡± For the sake of Tanner Group, Charmaine knew she had to say these words. No matter how nice she treated Sophie, the die was cast. She couldn¡¯t erase those injuries she had inflicted upon Sophie. Thetter would never forgive her and treated her genuinely as her mother. ¡°Mom, forget it! Don¡¯t say these words anymore. I don¡¯t want Grandpa to turn in his grave. Everything should wait until after the funeral!¡± Caleb did not want to say anything more and went upstairs straightaway. All he wanted now was to get a good rest. Josiah was going to be buried tomorrow. Everything could wait until after the funeral. Yale wanted to say something more, but Charmaine grabbed his hand. ¡°Forget it. Let him rest for a while! You know what he¡¯s like. He¡¯s not interested in thepany at all. He¡¯s of no help in these matters!¡± ¡°Dad, Mom, don¡¯t worry. I have a n in mind. You just need to listen to me when the timees.¡± Chapter 602 Chapter 602 It was obvious that Willow had overheard their conversation as she confidently strode down the stairs. Yale instinctively turned to look at her. ¡°What can you do?¡± He did not believe that she would be able to do anything now. ¡°Dad, trust me for the veryst time. I can do it.¡± An unfathomable glint shed past her eyes. She looked rather frightening. ¡°Wi, can you tell us what you¡¯re going to do? If you want us to trust you, you have to let us know about your ns!¡± There was no such thing as blind trust in this world. ¡°Mom, just trust me. There is nothing else you can do, even if you don¡¯t believe me, right?¡± Since they couldn¡¯t do anything, their only choice was to trust her! She was confident she could seed this time. Yale and Charmaine exchanged nces and nodded in the end. It was the truth that they couldn¡¯t do anything about Sophie even if Tristan was not by her side. N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content. ¡°You must then exercise caution. You are well aware of Mr. Tristan¡¯s temper. He will never let you off the hook if he discovers your scheme.¡± They were all afraid of Tristan. As a result, they failed to make any progress with their schemes. ¡°I understand. Don¡¯t worry about me.¡± Willow smiled confidently. yton really helped me out. Sophie won¡¯t be able to see what¡¯sing this time! Charmaine couldn¡¯t help but feel worried upon seeing Willow¡¯s smile. Nevertheless, she did not know what she could do. ¡°Look at Wi. She won¡¯t do anything rash, right?¡± Charmaine asked. Willow and Sophie¡¯s rtionship was already irreparable. If she truly did something horrendous to Willow, it would onlyplicate matters further because they would be unable to exin it to Tristan. ¡°All right! Let¡¯s go to sleep! It¡¯s her freedom to do whatever she wants. We don¡¯t know anything!¡± Caleb replied. It would be great if Willow seeded in her n. If she failed, it would be her own fault and has nothing to do with anyone else. Charmaine questioned, ¡°She¡¯s your daughter. Do you not even care about her in the slightest?¡± ¡°I want to care about her, but do I have the right to do that? Who gave me the right to do that?¡± It¡¯s not as if Charmaine has an idea, either. The following morning, everyone drove behind the hearse that was carrying Josiah¡¯s body to the crematorium. This was Josiah¡¯s final request. He chose to be cremated. Morgan also came, dressed in ck. He looked disheveled and tired as if he had aged a lot. Josiah¡¯srades, who used to fight on the same battlefield, came to send Josiah off for thest time. Once they saw Morgan, they began weeping with him. Josiah had been a kind person his whole life, so many people could not get over his death. Everyone was heartbroken at the moment. Nevertheless, Morgan was starting toe to terms with Josiah¡¯s death. ¡°Morgan, what do you n to do after this?¡± Morgan had been by Josiah¡¯s side his whole life. Where could he go after Josiah¡¯s death? ¡°After matters pertaining Old Mr. Tanner¡¯s funeral are settled, I¡¯m returning home.¡± He had been by Josiah¡¯s side his whole life. Now that Josiah had passed on, he did not have any attachments anymore. ¡°Ah, Josiah was a good person, but it seems his son can¡¯t ept you. If you face any difficulty, you can alwayse and see us!¡± Since they used to berades, they did not wish for Morgan to be at wits¡¯ end. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about me. I can take good care of myself!¡± Today, I only wish to send my best buddy off for the veryst time. Then, I¡¯ll no longer need to worry about him anymore. Sophie¡¯s eyes welled up with tears as she saw Josiah being pushed into the furnace anding out in an urn, but she tried her best to keep a smile on her face. ¡°Grandpa, goodbye! We will live well!¡± Sophie tried to sound nonchnt. There were many people present to send Josiah off on that day. Their eyes reddened when they saw Sophie carrying Josiah¡¯s urn. Josiah was really gone. He was no longer present in this world. Even Willow felt a pang in her heart. On the side, Caleb could not stop crying. In the end, after Josiah¡¯s funeral matters were settled properly, everyone started cing flowers one after the other in front of his grave. It started drizzling at this juncture. Felix immediately instructed his subordinates to prepare hundreds of ck umbres to be distributed to every guest at the funeral. Tristan opened one of the umbres and held it for Sophie. ¡°Old Mr. Tanner, I know you¡¯re most concerned about Sophie, but please be rest assured. I¡¯m here, and I¡¯ll take good care of her. No one will get to bully Sophie as long as I¡¯m alive.¡± This would be thest time he said it because he would devote his entire life to ensuring he kept this promise. He was not going to let Josiah down. After the funeral attendees left, Sophie was still standing there. Tristan, Felix, Sean, Charles, Ysabelle, and Sarah remained there, as they wanted to apany Sophie. No matter what, they did not want Sophie to stay by herself in such a ce. ¡°Grandpa, I¡¯m going to leave. You must make sure you take care of yourself, okay?¡± Sophie finally spoke. Her voice was hoarse. However, she was still able to enunciate each word clearly. ¡°You don¡¯t need to worry about Morgan. I¡¯ll take good care of him and not let anyone ill-treat him.¡± Morgan was by Josiah¡¯s side for so long, so naturally, she had the duty to take care of him. She continued, ¡°Grandpa, I¡¯m leaving soon, but I¡¯lle back to see you when I have the time. You know that I¡¯m a very brilliant person. I have to go help out Chanaea now that such a thing happened. I know the bond you have with Chanaea, so don¡¯t worry! I¡¯ll protect everything you loved.¡± Josiah would have been proud of her if he had known what she had been up to recently. ¡°I¡¯m fine. Let¡¯s head back! You guys don¡¯t have to be like this. I¡¯m really fine.¡± She hadn¡¯t really spoken for the past two days. Even though her throat still hurt, she had to say those words as she did not want everyone to be worried about her. ¡°Sophie, let me stay in the condominium with you for the next two days.¡± Ysabelle didn¡¯t want to leave her alone. Sophie caressed her face instead. ¡°There¡¯s no such need. You should go and do your thing. I¡¯m really fine.¡± A smile spread across Sophie¡¯s face. It¡¯s all right. I¡¯m grateful to have so many friends by my side at this difficult time. Sarah felt a pang in her heart. ¡°Sophie! If you need anything, you have to let me know!¡± Sarah looked at her worriedly. ¡°Sarah, I¡¯m really fine! Everyone, I¡¯m okay! Don¡¯t worry about me!¡± Sophie stated with a smile. She still had many things to do! Chapter 603 Chapter 603 ¡°All right, it¡¯s gettingte. Let¡¯s go back and take a rest!¡± Tristan said to the others. They must be exhausted since they¡¯d been apanying Sophie for thest two days. ¡°But Uncle Tristan, I¡ª¡± As Sophie¡¯s best friend, Ysabelle just wanted to stay by her side. Before she could finish her sentence, Felix pulled her back. ¡°I know you¡¯re worried about Sophie, but Mr. Tristan is here to keep herpany. I¡¯m sure he¡¯ll take good care of her, so don¡¯t worry.¡± He knew Tristan just wanted to stay with Sophie and did not want others to interrupt them at this point. ¡°But I¡ª¡± At first, Ysabelle hesitated to leave, but she eventually gave up and bobbed her head in response. ¡°All right, we¡¯ll go home now.¡± She did feel tired as she had not slept a wink for two nights. They then got into their cars respectively. Sophie shut her eyes and took a nap right away. She had to get enough rest as she would need to make the final arrangement at Central Hospital the next day. No matter how upset she was, Sophie knew she had to pull herself together from tomorrow onward. Instead of sending her back to her condominium, Tristan brought her to his mansion since there were housekeepers who could look after her. Sophie had no issue with the arrangement. When the car arrived safely in front of Caraxes Mansion, Tristan opened the door and carried Sophie in his arms. Instead of stopping him from doing so, she wrapped her hands around his neck and leaned against his chest. Tristan straight away carried her to his room, put her down on his bed, and whispered, ¡°Would you like to take a bath? I¡¯ll prepare warm water for you, okay?¡± Sophie lifted her head to look at the man who did everything cautiously to make her feel better. ¡°I¡¯m fine, Tristan, don¡¯t worry about me. I¡¯m just a little upset. I¡¯ll be all right once I get a hold of myself.¡± Her voice still sounded hoarse. The way she looked at Tristan with her puppy eyes made him want to shower her with more affection. He sat by the edge of the bed and wrapped his hands around her shoulders. ¡°Grandpa is gone now, but you don¡¯t want him to worry about you, do you? He¡¯d always thought of you as a strong, independent girl.¡± He believed Josiah would not leave in peace had he known how disconste Sophie was. Sophie leaned against his chest but kept mum. She understood everything he said, but she was not a robot who could forget about everything at a click of a button. ¡°Take a warm bath first, okay? I¡¯ll get someone to prepare food for you to eat before you sleep.¡± Tristan gently rubbed his chin against the top of her head. Sophie hummed in acknowledgment. At this point, she was exceptionally obedient. The housekeepers had prepared dinner for her by the time she finished bathing. Tristan stayed by her side as she munched on the food, even though she ate very little. After that, Tristan brought her back to the bedroom. He had never left her alone for a second since they arrived at the mansion. N?velDrama.Org copyrighted ? content. He even carried her to the bed and tucked her in. Meanwhile, Caleb started packing his suitcase aftering back from the funeral. Since the send-off was over, it was time for him to return to theb. Upon realizing his intention to leave, Charmaine kept following him while he was packing. ¡°How could you leave now, Caleb? Don¡¯t you care about thepany?¡± Caleb froze. ¡°Mom, all of us are not capable of running the business. Since Grandpa had handed the company over to Sophie, we should have faith in her. Why do you have to be so petty about this arrangement? Are we not family?¡± He was not a fan of dealing with these hassles. That was why he was eager to leave. I¡¯ve said everything I wanted to say. From now on, they can do what they want. I won¡¯t intervene in their decision anymore. Yale knitted his brows, even though he anticipated this to happen. As usual, Caleb doesn¡¯t care about anything. He¡¯s always been like that. He has never felt he belongs to the Tanner family anyway! ¡°Enough! Let him go if he wants to. What¡¯s the point of making him stay since he knows nothing about thepany? He can¡¯t be of any help to us anyway.¡± Yale did not intend to stop Caleb from leaving. There¡¯s no point convincing someone to stay if the person is determined to go. ¡°I¡¯m telling the truth, Dad. Giving thepany to Sophie is the best option since she¡¯s capable of managing it. You guys should chill and enjoy the dividends,¡± Caleb said. Why make life difficult for yourselves when you can sit around and enjoy the fruit of herbor? What good can you do if you insist on stirring up trouble? ¡°Just leave. You don¡¯t have to care about anything about the family.¡± Frustration kicked in. Yale could not help but feel annoyed when he thought about it. Charmaine had no choice but to walk Caleb out of the house. After all, a mother would never forsake her child. Nheless, Charmaine would only shower Caleb and Willow with love. Never in her life had she cared about Sophie. ¡°Mom, it¡¯s getting cold. You don¡¯t have to send me off. I¡¯lle back and visit you when I have the time. Take good care of yourself and Dad!¡± Caleb had to return to theb as soon as possible as he had to work on an important project. ¡°You take good care of yourself. Don¡¯t worry about us!¡± Charmaine assured him in return. ¡°Mom, I know you never liked Sophie, but she hasn¡¯t done anything wrong. Be nice to her, okay?¡± Caleb said. Sophie is not an awful person. She¡¯s just not a crowd-pleaser, that¡¯s all. ¡°That¡¯s enough. The driver¡¯s here. You¡¯d better get going!¡± After sending Caleb off, Charmaine heard amotion in the house. Feeling annoyed, she could not help but frown. What now? After walking into the living hall, she saw Willow ordering the housekeepers to inspect Morgan¡¯s suitcase. Morgan was so furious that the color had drained out of his face. He could only stand there and do nothing. Morgan, who had served in the Tanner residence for several decades, did not expect they would humiliate him in such a manner following the passing of Josiah. ¡°Check carefully! Make sure he doesn¡¯t take any of our things away!¡± Willow raised her voice condescendingly. Morgan felt sick at heart upon hearing that. I¡¯ve worked for Old Mr. Tanner my whole life, yet this is how they treat me in return? Charmaine walked up to Willow and expressed her dismay. ¡°Willow, what on earth are you doing? Just let him go since he¡¯s leaving. Why do you have to do this to him?¡± She felt Willow¡¯s action was inappropriate and that Morgan, who had served Josiah his entire life, did not deserve to be treated like that. ¡°Mom, he¡¯s a country bumpkin and can¡¯t be trusted. What¡¯s wrong with me checking his belongings?¡± Willow defended her action matter-of-factly. She humiliated Morgan on purpose because he had always sided with Sophie. I bet there¡¯s nothing he can do now! Initially, the housekeepers were hesitant to search Morgan¡¯s suitcase because they used to work under him, but they had no choice but to do it at Willow¡¯s insistence. It was no easy feat to find a good job these days, so they could not afford to offend her and lose their jobs. Morgan could only stand aside and do nothing. All his life, he had been a righteous man with integrity. He had never done anything awful, yet today, he had to deal with such humiliation. Everything in his suitcase was a mess as they were tossed all over the floor. ¡°Ms. Willow, is this your bracelet?¡± All of a sudden, one of the housekeepers found a bracelet in Morgan¡¯s suitcase. Chapter 604 Chapter 604 Morgan¡¯s expression changed at once. I have never touched the bracelet before. How did it end up in my luggage? ¡°Ms. Willow, what are you up to? I know you have never been very fond of me, but I¡¯m already leaving. What else do you want?¡± He had no intention to stay since Josiah had already passed away. Regardless, he had not expected Willow to pull such a dirty trick. ¡°Morgan, what do you mean? Why are you making it sound as if I¡¯m using you? It¡¯s a fact that the bracelet was found in your luggage. What else do you have to say?¡± Willow simply couldn¡¯t stand the sight of Morgan. In fact, he had always been a thorn in her flesh. Charmaine had also personally witnessed the bracelet being taken out of Morgan¡¯s luggage. ¡°What are you guys waiting for? Call the police now!¡± ¡°Oh, so this is what your objective is. Ms. Willow, I finally know what kind of person you are. No wonder Old Mr. Tanner didn¡¯t like you.¡± How can she be so despicable? Willow gave a mirthlessugh after hearing Morgan¡¯s words. ¡°Do you think I care about whether he likes me or not? What can he do now even if he doesn¡¯t like me? And what right do you have to lecture me? Who do you think you are? Call the police. Get him arrested immediately!¡± The other housekeepers were all stunned. They had all worked with Morgan for many years and knew his character well. Hence, none of them believed that Morgan would do such a thing. ¡°Ms. Willow, there must have been a misunderstanding. Morgan would never steal your things.¡± ¡°Exactly! Ms. Willow, Morgan is a good man. Why don¡¯t you let him off since he¡¯s already leaving the Tanner residence.¡± As the butler had always treated the others well, everyone started pleading with Willow on his behalf. Willow swept her gaze across the other housekeepers and said arrogantly in an overbearing manner, ¡°What does that mean? Are you saying that I¡¯m wrongly using him? All of you can leave if you don¡¯t wish to work here anymore. There are others who are dying to work for us.¡± Meanwhile, all Morgan felt was disappointment. After all, he had served the Tanner family dutifully for so many years, and that was not the way he had envisioned his rtionship with the family to end in such a way. ¡°Wi, just listen to me and drop the matter,¡± Charmaine said. She also trusted that Morgan would not commit such an offense. ¡°Mom, what do you mean? Are you suggesting that I¡¯ve wronged him too? Do you think I would do that? He¡¯s just a nobody! Why would I waste my energy framing him?¡± Taking a pause, she continued, ¡°Since none of you is on my side, I¡¯ll call the police myself!¡± Willow took out her phone and reported the incident to the police. Content rights by N?velDr//ama.Org. Morgan was so angry that his whole body was shaking. Unable to watch the situation any longer, one of the housekeepers ran to the bathroom to call Sophie. Sophie, who had just fallen asleep, was awaken by the ringing of her phone. The moment she picked up, the housekeeper¡¯s voice sounded. ¡°Ms. Sophie, something bad has happened. Morgan is in trouble. You shoulde here as soon as possible. Otherwise, Morgan is going to be arrested by the police.¡± ¡°What?¡± A crease appeared between Sophie¡¯s brows. She had intended to send someone to pick Morgan up the next day and was shocked that the butler had gotten into trouble within such a short period of time. After hanging up, Sophie climbed out of bed and got changed. Tristan had also just fallen asleep. When he heard themotion, he sat up and saw Sophie changing. Noticing the grim expression on the woman¡¯s face, he knew at once that something bad must have happened. ¡°What¡¯s the matter? Don¡¯t panic. I wille with you!¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Sophie did not reject the man¡¯s offer. She headed to the bathroom to wash up before putting on a double-breasted overcoat. Her hair was left messily over her shoulders, and she looked rather pale. Tristan changed into a fresh set of clothes as well and headed out of the house with Sophie. Sophie took a deep breath to calm herself down. I mustn¡¯t get too angry. She knew how despicable those people from the Tanner family were and told herself that she had to get used to their scheming ways. ¡°We¡¯re going to the Tanner residence,¡± Sophie said to Tristan after they got into the car. ¡°Got it.¡± Tristan drove straight to their destination without asking any questions. At the same time, the police had already arrived at the Tanner residence and found themselves caught in an awkward position after understanding the situation. ¡°What are you guys waiting for? You should be arresting him for stealing my bracelet. Do you still have any more questions?¡± Willow said impatiently while sitting on the couch. ¡°Morgan, is what she said true?¡± Faced with the current circumstances, the police were at a loss as to what to do. ¡°I did not steal her bracelet. I have no idea why it was found in my luggage,¡± Morgan reasserted. ¡°Do you think anyone would believe you? Does it make sense that you don¡¯t know why the bracelet is in your luggage? Do you know how much it costs?¡± Willow was unrelenting. ¡°Morgan, since you imed that you don¡¯t know anything about what happened, we have no choice but to take you back to the police station,¡± one of the police officers said helplessly. ¡°Ms. Willow, Morgan would never do such a thing! On ount of the fact that he had served the Tanner family for so many years, why don¡¯t you just let him off? He¡¯s already leaving the family anyway.¡± A few housekeepers who could not bear to watch Morgan being taken away started crying. Everyone knew that Morgan was a good person. Throughout the years he had been with the Tanner family, he had never hesitated to offer his help to the other housekeepers whenever they needed it. Something like that should not be happening to a kind person like him. Willow sneered and said coldly, ¡°I¡¯m starting to think that all of you are in cahoots with him.¡± She was determined to send Morgan to the police station, even if she had to do it herself. She wanted to let everyone know that she was the one calling the shots in the Tanner family. ¡°Morgan, pleasee with us.¡± Given the way things had progressed, the police had no choice but to go by the book. Morgan remained unfazed. He had a clear conscience, and there was nothing for him to be afraid of even if he had to go to the police station. He was just taken aback by Willow¡¯s viciousness. Just then, the sound of a car engine came from outside the mansion. Charmaine furrowed her brows as she wondered who it could be at such an odd hour. A whileter, Tristan and Sophie showed up. When Morgan saw Sophie, tears started streaming down his face. He had managed to contain his emotions while being used by Willow, but the moment he saw Sophie, he was no longer able to hold it in. Sophie was unable to tolerate Morgan being bullied, and her expression darkened at once. ¡°Ms. Sophie, it wasn¡¯t me. I didn¡¯t steal her bracelet. I¡¯ve been with the Tanner family for so many years, and everyone knows what kind of person I am. All I wanted is to leave. Why is she doing this to me?¡± Morgan used to be a soldier, and to soldiers, reputation was what mattered most. As such, he was unable to tolerate being used of stealing. Sophie¡¯s heart clenched when she saw Morgan¡¯s tears. She knew the man very well and was livid at Willow for framing him. Chapter 605 Chapter 605 If Grandpa is still alive and sees Morgan being bullied like this, he¡¯ll undoubtedly be upset. Sophie walked toward Morgan and gave him a gentle hug. ¡°Morgan, I know what kind of person you are. We believe you! As for the others, just ignore them! Not everyone is kind-hearted.¡± The hearts of some people in this household are decayed and rotten. In the face of such a situation, the police officers had no idea how to deal with that matter. Right then, Tristan told the police officers, ¡°You guys may leave first.¡± The police officers could tell that Tristan was not an average person. Hence, they dared not mess with him and left with the other officers. Meanwhile, Willow scoffed when she caught sight of Sophie. ¡°Sophie, why are you pretending to be nice here? He stole my bracelet, so shouldn¡¯t he be sent to the police? Who do you think you are? Do you even have to intervene in a matter like this?¡± Willow disliked Sophie. In fact, she detested thetter. However, she could do nothing about Sophie. Of course, she was annoyed at that moment. Sophie remained silent and helped Morgan to the side to sit down. N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content. ¡°Morgan, rest here for a while. I¡¯ll take you away after I¡¯ve dealt with this matter.¡± No one can bully Morgan as long as I¡¯m here. ¡°Ms. Sophie, I¡¯m fine.¡± It never urred to Morgan that he would shed tears in front of Sophie. Seeing that, Sophie said nothing else. Instead, she walked up to Willow. Willow felt pressured when she saw Sophie, who was taller than her. ¡°What do you want? I didn¡¯t use him. As everyone else can see, the bracelet is found in his suitcase.¡± Perhaps Willow was scared that she spoke faster. ¡°There¡¯s no need for exnations. I believe everyone present knew what exactly had happened. Willow, you¡¯ve gone too far. Morgan is Grandpa¡¯s most trusted person. Grandpa has just passed away, yet you humiliated him just like that. Who are you trying to impress?¡± After saying that, Sophie raised her hand and pped Willow hard across the face. Never had Willow expected that Sophie would hit her in front of so many people. She cradled her face as she gaped at Sophie in disbelief. ¡°Sophie, don¡¯t cross the line. You¡¯ll pay for this!¡± Willow could not take it anymore. No matter what, I want to end Sophie today! However, Sophie grabbed Willow¡¯s hand immediately before pping thetter again. ¡°I¡¯m going to teach you a lesson on behalf of Grandpa today. Otherwise, you¡¯ll only bring more serious trouble to the Tanner family in the future!¡± Sophie finally felt satisfied after pping Willow about ten times consecutively. Since it is so obvious that Willow came for me, I must grant her wish. Willow¡¯s face even became swollen because of the ps. Meanwhile, Charmaine, who was at the side, was astounded. After snapping out of it, she headed over to grab Sophie¡¯s hand. When Willow noticed Charmaine grasp Sophie¡¯s hand, she wanted to fight back, but Sophie kicked the former to the ground. ¡°Let me tell you. Morgan is someone you can¡¯t afford to mess with. I¡¯ll cripple you today. Let¡¯s see if you will still dare to do this again!¡± Upon seeing Sophie¡¯s reaction, no one at the scene dared to say a single word. ¡°Mr. Tristan, please take her away! If she continues to stay here, trouble will ur,¡± imed Charmaine anxiously. Everything was fine before this. Why did it suddenly end up like this? Sophie gave Willow another kick in the stomach. Since she used fifty percent of her strength in that kick, Willow curled up on the ground and couldn¡¯t even get up from the ground. ¡°What can happen? No one can stop her as she¡¯s asking for it!¡± Tristan uttered coldly. His response drove Charmaine crazy. How could I forget that? Even if Sophie truly wants to kill someone, Tristan will get her the tools to do that! Seeing Sophie¡¯s frenzied state, Charmaine didn¡¯t dare to step forward to stop her. At that moment, everyone merely watched the scene and expressed their opinions inwardly. It¡¯s apparent that Ms. Willow has gone overboard this time. She deserves to be beaten up by Ms. Sophie. I know what sort of person Morgan is. It¡¯s impossible that he will do such a thing. I believe everyone can¡¯t stand it anymore. Otherwise, no one would have called Sophie. Only Ms. Sophie can deal with Ms. Willow. After all, she is the bane of thetter. As Morgan didn¡¯t want Sophie to hurt her sister because of him, so he walked over to hold Sophie back. ¡°Ms. Sophie, I¡¯m alright now. My only hope is to leave this ce in peace.¡± There was nothing there worth his stay anymore. It¡¯s time to leave! Looking at Morgan¡¯s expression, Sophie knew he felt truly hurt, and her heart wrenched for him. ¡°Okay. I¡¯ll help you get out of this ce in a while. Let¡¯s see who still dares talk nonsense.¡± Sophie¡¯s icy cold gaze was sufficient to cause one to shudder. Meanwhile, Willowy on the floor and chuckled hysterically. ¡°Sophie, you do know how to act kind. But do you think you¡¯re a good person now by doing all this? How ridiculous!¡± Willow guffawed so hard that her tears came out. There are so many people here, yet none of them stood up for me when they saw Sophie pick on me. Does everyone like Sophie? ¡°You¡¯re crazy!¡± I shall not say anything else to someone who is crazy because it¡¯ll be useless. Sophie crouched down to pack Morgan¡¯s belongings into his suitcase gracefully. She looked extraordinarily elegant as she did that. Naturally, Tristan did not stand there to watch. He also squatted down and helped her with it. Even though Morgan had been in the Tanner residence for years, he didn¡¯t have many things. There were just some clothes. In fact, Josiah bought most of them for him, so he wanted to take them with him no matter what. Someone like Willow would never understand such a bond. After packing the suitcase, Sophie finally stood up and pulled it with her to walk toward Charmaine. ¡°Can I take him away now?¡± For a moment, Charmaine found the situation exceedingly unpleasant. Morgan has been helpful to us all these years, but now he is treated with such disrespect. How could I not feel ashamed? ¡°Hang on!¡± Charmaine was utterly remorseful, so she went upstairs to bring down a mary gift. ¡°Morgan, I know you¡¯ll never stay here in the future. Here¡¯s a little gift from me. Take good care of yourself in your hometown.¡± While looking at the mary gift in her hand, Morgan didn¡¯t ept it. ¡°No, thanks. I don¡¯t need that. Since I¡¯m old, there¡¯s no way I¡¯ll need to use that money.¡± In a way, it was impossible for Morgan to take that. He had been serving Josiah because he was close with thetter. He wasn¡¯t expecting anything from the Tanner family. Now that Josiah had passed away, there was no way that he would continue to stay there. After walking out of the Tanner residence and reaching the garden, Morgan couldn¡¯t help but stop in his tracks to look at everything in that ce. Ultimately, I have to leave. I guess I¡¯ll never return. Chapter 606 Chapter 606 The housekeepers in the living room earlier joined them. They were at a loss seeing Morgan leaving for they didn¡¯t know how long they would get to stay at the Tanner residence. Since Old Mr. Tanner is gone, I suppose Ms. Sophie won¡¯t return to this house anymore. ¡°Morgan, please take care of yourself. Give us a call when you have time.¡± After all, they had worked together for so many years. Naturally, they would feel reluctant to part. Morgan smiled. ¡°Thank you for taking care of me all these years. I hope you don¡¯t take any offense to any wrongdoings I did in the past,¡± he said with a gentle smile. ¡°Morgan, you¡¯re the one who has been taking care of us all this time. Please don¡¯t say something like that.¡± The housekeepers started crying again. Both Yale and Willow were difficult to work for. They knew their working life would¡¯ve been much tougher if Morgan wasn¡¯t there to shoulder some of the responsibilities for them. ¡°Go back.¡± Morgan waved his hand and walked out of the Tanner family¡¯s mansion. Tristan opened the car door for him and even helped him put his luggage into the trunk. ¡°I can do it, Mr. Tristan.¡± I¡¯m only a housekeeper. I¡¯m not worthy enough for Mr. Tristan to do so much for me. ¡°It¡¯s gettingte, Morgan. Why don¡¯t you spend the night at my ce? I¡¯ll arrange your amodation tomorrow.¡± He has stayed in the Tanner residence all these years. Now that he¡¯s leaving, I suppose he doesn¡¯t have a ce to go. ¡°It¡¯s fine. I can stay at the hotel for a night.¡± Josiah had left him enough money and made arrangements for him. ¡°Go to my ce, and you¡¯ll be the butler there. Please don¡¯t decline my offer. I really do need a butler.¡± Sophie rattled off an address that was close to Tristan¡¯s mansion. Tristan nced at her. When did she buy a mansion there? It looks like my girlfriend is rather wealthy. Tristan drove to Sophie¡¯s mansion. There wasn¡¯t anyone staying in the house yet, but she had the ce regrly cleaned. She led Morgan to a bedroom and found him some bedding before preparing the bed for him. ¡°Ms. Sophie, I still want to return to my hometown.¡± He knew at a nce that Sophie didn¡¯t stay at the mansion often. She doesn¡¯t need to waste money taking care of me. Sophie frowned at his remark. ¡°Morgan, you¡¯re like a grandfather to me. Please don¡¯t turn down my offer. I need someone to manage this mansion, so you don¡¯t have to feel pressured.¡± Plus, she trusted Morgan. The rims of Morgan¡¯s eyes turned red at her heartfeltment. Sophie wrapped her arms around him. ¡°Morgan, even though Grandpa is gone, I¡¯m still here.¡± Tears slid out from the corner of Morgan¡¯s eyes. Sophie might look like a cold person, but she was the most sentimental. The mansion had everything. After taking a shower, Morgany in bed. However, he couldn¡¯t fall asleep, so he took out his photos with Josiah from his luggage. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Old Mr. Tanner. Ms. Sophie did indeed treat me well. You don¡¯t have to worry about me at all.¡± I guess I can do well in helping Ms. Sophie take care of this mansion. I¡¯ll do my best and not let her down. In the end, Morgan went to sleep with a smile on his face. Meanwhile, Tristan brought Sophie back to his mansion. ¡°You¡¯ve already made the arrangements for Morgan from before.¡± He poured her a cup of warm water since the night inte fall was quite chilly. ¡°Yeah.¡± She knew that day woulde, so she bought the mansion earlier. Besides, she even told Josiah to bring Morgan and moved into her ce earlier, but Josiah refused. Sadly, only Morgan was left. She couldn¡¯t let him go back to his hometown on his own. After taking a sip of warm water, Sophie felt warmth spread through her. Tristan sat on the couch while Sophie rested her head on his thigh. She couldn¡¯t fall asleep after that incident. ¡°Oh, right. Did anything happen during your trip to Anndur?¡± Sophie finally got a chance to ask him after everything was over. ¡°Nothing happened.¡± Everything was part of the n. The only ident was Nichs, but since he wanted to die, why would I stop him? Actually, Sophie wanted to inquire about Nichs. That Nichs is stubborn as a mule. I¡¯m sure he caused a lot of trouble for Tristan. ¡°I shot Nichs and still have no idea if he¡¯s dead or alive.¡± Tristan had no intention of hiding it from her since he knew she would find out about it at some point. ¡°Oh.¡± Sophie didn¡¯t have much of a reaction to that news since she was aware Nichs had the ability to drive anyone crazy. It serves him right that Tristan shot him. ¡°Be careful, then. Nichs¡¯ father is also an unreasonable person.¡± Sophie knew the characters of the two Sable family men well. Sophie toyed with Tristan¡¯s fingers as she spoke. His fingers were so pretty. His palm had ayer of callouses from holding a gun so much. Yet, that didn¡¯t stop his hands from looking attractive at all. ¡°Got it. Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m confident in my capabilities.¡± I even caught Stephen let alone Nichs. In the meantime, at the Sable residence, Nichs, who was unconscious for three nights, had finally awakened. Javier could finally heave a relieved breath when Nichs woke up. ¡°You¡¯re finally awake, Nichs. Do you know how close you are to death this time?¡± Javier asked angrily. How could he be so careless! Nichs didn¡¯t say a word. Thest memory he had was Tristan shooting him. D*mn Tristan! I¡¯ll pay him back for that shot sooner orter. ¡°I¡¯m begging you, Tristan. Can you get your act together and stop messing with Tristan? Can you do that?¡± Nichs sat up on the bed. ¡°Between Tristan and I, only one of us can live.¡± This world can only amodate one of us. ¡°You¡ª¡± Javier couldn¡¯t finish his sentence from the anger rolling within him. ¡°Whatever. I¡¯ll help you since you want him dead so desperately. Well, we can¡¯t let Tristan live after all.¡± He has to pay the price for hurting my son. ¡°However, you better take some time off to recover from your injuries before that. We don¡¯t need to dirty our hands to kill Tristan.¡± As long as you have the money, there¡¯s nock of people willing to sell their souls to you. Thus, there¡¯s no need to risk your own life. ¡°No, I have to end him myself. Also, I must marry Sophie.¡± Even if that¡¯s thest thing I do. Javier was speechless. As I expected, Nichs did it for Sophie. I knew I shouldn¡¯t let that woman live. How unfortunate that I can¡¯t kill her. If I annihted her, this wouldn¡¯t have happened. However, regret is pointless. The current Sophie is too difficult to deal with. The next day, Sophie got up early. Knowing she wanted to head over to the Central Hospital, Tristan didn¡¯t slow her down. After he packed his things, he immediately took her there. Upon arriving, she heard something had happened to Arius. Sophie¡¯s heart sank at the news.N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content. Chapter 607 Chapter 607 Sophie quickly rushed to Arius¡¯ hospital room. Past the door, she saw Barney rescuing Arius. Instantly, she stepped up and gave Barney a hand. After checking Arius¡¯ condition, she found out he fainted because he overworked himself in doing research on the gic virus. Looking at Arius lying on the hospital bed, Sophie didn¡¯t know what to say. She waited until Arius woke up and scolded, ¡°Arius, what do you think you¡¯re doing? Do you have so little trust in us? What do you think you can do in your current state much less do research?¡± Even though the cure was discovered, he still needs some time to recover. He¡¯ll only make his situation worse if he continues this way. ¡°How can I not trust you? I trust you and Dr. Smith the most in this world. I just wanted to help.¡± He never thought his body would be so weak. ¡°This gic virus is much more potent than we thought. Even though we can control the mortality rate, the side effects are still severe,¡± Barney said. Arius had always been in good health. His body was in such terrible condition due to the side effects. ¡°Yeah.¡± Sophie also realized the severity of the situation. The spread this time had infected a lot of people. If all of them have the same condition as Arius, their lives will be ruined. ¡°Don¡¯t worry! Dr. Smith and I wille up with something.¡± Dr. Smith risked his life toe to Chanaea. He deserves to be called a doctor. That was the first time Barney heard her call him that. Emotions welled up in his chest. ¡°Sophie, are you finally willing to be my mentee? Is this real? Arius, pinch me!¡± Barney said excitedly. Arius felt slightly gloomy at Barney¡¯s excitement. ¡°Dr. Smith, can you drop the preferential treatment? How can you treat us differently? You¡¯re too much! I remembered I was the one who begged you to be my mentor. Yet now, your excitement is off the roof when ites to Sophie.¡± N?velDrama.Org copyrighted ? content. How can the difference between one human and the other be so big? ¡°How can that be the same? How can youpare to Sophie? You¡¯re not even on the same level, okay?¡± All those years, he had wanted someone to carry the torch, and Sophie was the only one who checked all the boxes. Despite asking her again and again, Sophie had never relented. Finally, she agreed to be his mentee. How could he not celebrate it? ¡°Fine! Address me with respect, Sophie!¡± Barney only had Arius and Sophie as his mentees. Sophie merely shot Arius a nce and ignored him. ¡°Dr. Smith, since he¡¯s fine now, let¡¯s not waste time and carry on with the research.¡± Time was too precious. ¡°Sure.¡± After Barney and Sophie left, Arius was the only one left in the room. He felt lonely since he should¡¯ve been doing research with them. Unfortunately, he could onlyy there. The helpless feeling was terrible, but he couldn¡¯t do anything about it. He swore to be more careful next time and not get infected by such a virus anymore. The thought of having Sophie as his junior filled him with glee since she was excellent at her work. Everyone knows her. With her backing him, he could do anything he wanted in Jipsdale, especially Tristan. That man wouldn¡¯t be able to bully him anymore. Since Sophie was busy researching the virus at Central Hospital, it was the best opportunity for Willow. Even if her face was still swollen, she couldn¡¯t care less. At the Dragon Court Hotel, Willow carefully opened the door to a private room. When she entered the room, she saw a man in a suit already waiting for her. ¡°So you¡¯re Willow. This is the document you need. Don¡¯t worry. This document looks like the real thing, so you won¡¯t have any issues there.¡± Willow studied the man¡¯s face. He was extremely gorgeous despite his gender-neutral face. ¡°Can I know your name?¡± She didn¡¯t even know his name. The only thing she knew about him was he could help her. However, she still felt uneasy about it. ¡°You don¡¯t need to know my name. You¡¯re the one who needs my help. Sophie will be busy for the next few days, so she doesn¡¯t have time to drop by Tanner Group. Therefore, if you want to get your hands on the Tanner Group, do it within these few days. Otherwise, you¡¯re no match for her once she¡¯s free,¡± the man said straightforwardly. Willow wasn¡¯t pleased with his words. ¡°All right. I get it.¡± Willow opened the folder and flipped through the contents. When she saw Josiah¡¯s signature, she thought it looked the same like the real one. The severity of what she was about to do hit Willow hard to the extent that the folder felt as if it was burning in her hand. However, her mood lightened when she imagined Sophie ending up with nothing. ¡°Thank you.¡± She threw all her concerns out the window, including not knowing his name. yton was the one who introduced the man to her. Since he hated Sophie so much, she thought surely he wouldn¡¯t lie to her. ¡°You can leave now.¡± He had said everything that needed to be said. The rest would be up to Willow for no one else could help her. ¡°Okay.¡± After leaving the Dragon Court Hotel, Willow couldn¡¯t contain her smile any longer. So Sophie won¡¯t be there? I¡¯ll go straight to the Tanner Group, then. On second thought, she figured it would be best to bring Yale and Charmaine with her there since they wanted thepany as much as she did. If they went with me, wouldn¡¯t the authenticity of this will be more convincing? The three of them even brought awyer with them. Victor thought it was amusing seeing the four standing in front of him. ¡°What are you doing, Mr. Tanner? You currently don¡¯t hold any position in the Tanner Group, so what are you doing here?¡± Victor didn¡¯t like Yale at all, so his tone was rude. Nervousness filled Yale when he saw Victor. However, when he thought of owning the thing he wanted most, he straightened his back. ¡°Thispany belongs to the Tanner family, Mr. White. Someone like you don¡¯t have the right to make the decisions here.¡± I can¡¯t step down at such a crucial moment. ¡°Does it belong to the Tanner family? If my memory proves urate, I remember we¡¯re a joint-stock company,¡± Victor retorted. ¡°But I think it¡¯s pointless to tell you all this since you don¡¯t even know what kind ofpany it is.¡± The words out of Victor¡¯s mouth had always been sharp. ¡°You¡ª¡± Anger rushed through Yale at his quip. ¡°This is Grandpa¡¯s will. Speak after you¡¯ve taken a look at it!¡± Willow pulled the folder from her bag and handed it over to Victor. Victor¡¯s expression turned grim as he perused the will. He stepped away to make a call to Sophie. Yes, the signature on the will is clearly Old Mr. Tanner¡¯s, but that¡¯s impossible! The person Old Mr. Tanner trusted the most was Sophie. There was no way he would make such a decision. However, Sophie didn¡¯t pick up his call. Chapter 608 Chapter 608 Taking in the expression on Victor¡¯s face, Willow burst outughing. Sure enough, everything that man said turned out to be true. Although we¡¯ve no idea where Sophie is, what¡¯s for sure is that she can¡¯t come back right now. It¡¯s our golden opportunity, and we can¡¯t let it slip through our fingers. If we do, we might never get another like this again. Yale was also gloating inwardly over Victor¡¯s reaction. He said arrogantly, ¡°What else do you have to say now, Victor? I¡¯m letting you know now that Tanner Group has fired you. From now on, you¡¯re no longer thepany¡¯s general manager.¡± ¡°Do you seriously think that whatever you say goes? Old Mr. Tanner only passed away not long ago, but you¡¯ve already dug out a will from goodness knows where. Who knows whether it¡¯s even real or not?¡± Victor replied with a cold snort. Do they think that threats and intimidation will work on me? ¡°You¡¯re wee to find someone to verify the will¡¯s authenticity,¡± Willow responded confidently. Yale had still felt a little guilty at first. However, seeing how Willow responded made his guilt evaporate into thin air, and he even puffed up with pride. Naturally, Victor knew of people who could verify the will¡¯s authenticity and asked for their assistance immediately. However, the results were not what he expected. It turned out the will was authentic, and when the employees of Tanner Group learned of that, they began discussing the matter among themselves. Everyone knew what Tanner Group had achieved since Sophie took over thepany. s, the situation had now taken an unexpected turn. They were not in the dark about how ipetent Yale was, and they knew that their futures were almost certainly doomed if thepany fell back into his hands. ¡°What should we do now?¡± Victor¡¯s assistant asked, looking at him in bewilderment. Tanner Group was thriving, and if Yale regained control over it, it was only a matter of time before things went south. ¡°Don¡¯t fret. Although the will¡¯s authenticity has been verified, things may not be as they seem. Besides, thepany belongs to Ms. Sophie.¡± As long as she had yet to return, there was no saying how the matter would end. The assistant could only nod in response andment, ¡°It¡¯s just a pity we can¡¯t get in touch with her.¡± If things go on as it is, it¡¯ll truly mean the end of thepany. ording to the will Yale had, he was now Tanner Group¡¯s Chairman while Willow was the general manager. ¡°Didn¡¯t I always tell you to trust me, Dad? Look. You¡¯re the Chairman of Tanner Group now, aren¡¯t you?¡± said Willow. If I want something, I¡¯ll get my hands on it no matter what it takes. That goes without question. ¡°You¡¯re right. You¡¯re the best!¡± Yale answered with a chuckle. Then, she remarked glumly, ¡°However, if Sophie suddenly shows up, she¡¯ll never let us get away with this. How wonderful it¡¯d be if she never returned!¡± He stared at her wordlessly. Does that mean she wants to kill Sophie? Sophie is someone close to Tristan. Killing her will mean we won¡¯t be able to stay in Jipsdale anymore. Still utterly terrified of Tristan, Yale cautioned, ¡°Wi, we¡¯ve already gotten Tanner Group, so we can¡¯t harm Sophie. If we do that now, Mr. Tristan will hunt us down.¡± ¡°I told you already. Sophie will want to take thepany away from us if she does return. That¡¯s why we must get rid of her,¡± Willow insisted. I can¡¯t bear the thought of her still alive somewhere in this world. I want her dead no matter what. After a pause, she continued, ¡°How many people in thepany actually ept you? Will you be able to hold onto your position firmly if you don¡¯t kill her?¡± N?velDrama.Org copyrighted ? content. All they had was a will, and something like that was not going to guarantee any permanence in their positions. ¡°Whatever it is, Sophie is still a Tanner. We shouldn¡¯t take things too far. Anyway, your father¡¯s right. Mr. Tristan won¡¯t spare us if something does happen to Sophie,¡± Charmaine piped up. Despite her dislike for Sophie, she could not bring herself to kill thetter. On top of that, she also feared Tristan. Willow was silent. I don¡¯t want to hear all this. How can one expect to get what one desires without being willing to take some risks? There¡¯s no such thing as a free lunch. Since they¡¯re so scared, I¡¯ll have to take matters into my own hands. All I need to do is hire a hitman, which can¡¯t be all that difficult, right? Just thinking about how she beat me up, and in front of the help at that, makes me so mad! I must make her pay for what she did. At that moment, Yale led a few men over, intending to kick Victor out. Seeing that, Victor could not help but feel amused. ¡°What¡¯s the rush? Is Tanner Group yours just because you say so? Ms. Sophie isn¡¯t back yet! It doesn¡¯t matter what sort of lies you fabricate. Everything will be clear once she returns. Besides, I have shares in thepany too. Even if I¡¯m no longer the general manager, you still have no right to kick me out,¡± Victor uttered frostily. Who does Yale think he is, trying to throw me out? It¡¯s absolutely ridiculous! ¡°You¡ª¡± Yale began. That¡¯s true. Victor does own some shares. Well, it appears that Willow was right. As long as Sophie lives, we¡¯ll never be able to secure our positions in thispany. Meanwhile, Felix informed Tristan immediately after receiving word of what had happened. Tristan was quiet. I didn¡¯t expect those three to be so bold. They¡¯re aware of my rtionship with Sophie, yet they still dare to do such a thing. ¡°What should we do, Mr. Tristan? Sophie is still researching the virus at the hospital and doesn¡¯t have time to step away.¡± ¡°Tell Victor to let those three fools have their few days in the sun. We¡¯ll let them delude themselves into thinking they have everything, then take it all away from them. Wouldn¡¯t that be more interesting?¡± Tristan replied. What the heck are they ying at? Do they think they can snatch things away from just anyone? ¡°So, does that mean we¡¯re turning a blind eye for now?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. Let them enjoy themselves for a few days,¡± Tristan responded. After all, it wouldn¡¯t be much fun to take thepany back just like that. It¡¯ll be better to let Sophie do it herself. That¡¯d be way more exciting. After a few days, Yale started feeling uneasy when he noticed that Tristan did not do anything to retaliate. Charmaine also thought it was strange. ¡°What do you guys think is going on? It¡¯s impossible that he didn¡¯t hear about it. Nheless, he¡¯s just standing by and doing nothing. Could he have broken up with Sophie?¡± she asked. In her mind, that was the only usible exnation. Willow nodded. ¡°Mom, do you believe in love? How can a man possibly be satisfied with loving just one woman for the rest of their life, especially someone like Tristan? He probably treats women like Sophie as a ything at most. Now that the novelty is gone, it¡¯s only natural that he doesn¡¯t give two hoots about what happens to her.¡± The mere thought of that filled her with glee. The day I¡¯ve been waiting for is finally here. At longst, Tristan has abandoned Sophie. ¡°If that¡¯s the case, that¡¯s great. Without Mr. Tristan, Sophie won¡¯t be able to stir up much trouble anymore. Our tides have finally turned!¡± Yale said in a contented tone. Chapter 609 Chapter 609 Willow had invited the feminine man over to express her thoughts. ¡°Currently, Tanner Group is temporarily under my control. However, if Sophie returns, she¡¯ll take it from me.¡± ¡°So?¡± ¡°I want to kill her!¡± Willow dered vehemently. The feminine man chuckled in response. As expected, once a woman makes up her mind, there was nothing a man can do about it. ¡°I am not a killer. If you wish to remove her, shouldn¡¯t you hire an assassin?¡± he suggested menacingly. Don¡¯t you have some funds right now? If you haven¡¯t, you could sell off some of Tanner Group¡¯s shares. Head over to the assassins¡¯ league and hire one of their top members.¡± That was the extent of his help. ¡°Can¡¯t you help me? yton told me to look for you if I ever need something,¡± Willow muttered in dissatisfaction. The feminine man chuckled again. ¡°Haven¡¯t I helped you already? You should stop pushing your luck,¡± he sneered. The man¡¯s smile did not reach his eyes. N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content. Willow was afraid of Tristan, hence she dared not personally hire an assassin. She had assumed that the man would help her. Unexpectedly, he had rejected to help. ¡°Willow, remember this. You will always have to pay a price if you wish to obtain something. There¡¯s no such thing as a free lunch. Of course, if you¡¯re willing to let someone else have Tanner Group, you can sit on your hands. I suppose I don¡¯t have to remind you how talented Sophie is.¡± When Sophie returned, she would be able to easily take Tanner Group back from Willow. ¡°I¡¯ve said what I needed to say. You can decide how to proceed. Never look for me ever again.¡± The feminine man summoned someone to throw Willow out after he had finished speaking. Willow found the thought of Sophie taking away what she had finally managed to obtain hard to bear. It¡¯s one thing if I never had it to begin with, but now that I¡¯ve had a taste of it, there¡¯s no way I¡¯m letting anyone take it away from me. As Willow did not have a lot of money, she had to sell off five percent of Tanner Group¡¯s shares before she was able to go to the assassins¡¯ league and hire two of their top members. She hired their services to kill Sophie. A smile spread across Willow¡¯s face as shepleted her tasks. ¡°Sophie, I¡¯d like to see you return unscathed this time.¡± Meanwhile, Tristan was fully aware of Willow¡¯s machinations. What a vile woman! How dare she try to harm my woman! ¡°Mr. Tristan, I can¡¯t bear to watch this any longer. Is she really Sophie¡¯s sister? How can she do such a thing?¡± It was not umon forrge families to have infighting amongst themselves. However, Willow was only a university student, and yet she was already so diabolical. ¡°Who are we to deny her if she wishes to seek death? Gather all the evidence of her wicked deeds. She¡¯s not going to wiggle out of it this time.¡± Tristan was no saint. He wasn¡¯t about to let someone who repeatedly plotted to harm Sophie get away. ¡°All right. Don¡¯t worry and leave it to me. I¡¯ve never liked Willow anyway.¡± She sure is a nasty piece of work. That night, Sophie couldn¡¯t help but frown when she saw Tristan visit her at the hospital again. ¡°Didn¡¯t I already warn you about the virus? It¡¯s not fully under control, and the medicine has adverse side effects. I told you not toe here!¡± Sophie was exasperated. Why must you worry me so? Tristan embraced her and gave her a scorching kiss. ¡°I¡¯m not afraid of anything as long as you¡¯re with me.¡± There¡¯s nothing scary about a virus. Since he had managed to get things under control, he wanted to see her naturally. Pushing his face away, Sophie sighed helplessly. ¡°Honestly speaking, you shouldn¡¯t ce so much trust in me.¡± Sophie was notpletely confident in her abilities when it came to handling viruses. Thus, it would be better if Tristian was more cautious. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Did something happen?¡± Tristan asked worriedly when he heard her words. Sophie shook her head in response. ¡°It¡¯s not a big deal. It¡¯s just that Arius isn¡¯t in a good condition at the moment.¡± The medicine¡¯s side effects were dreadful. They had to find a solution to their problem before the consequences grew more severe. ¡°Okay. I¡¯ll go visit him in a bit.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have to! The two of you would always bicker whenever you meet. He¡¯s already sick. What if his condition worsens after you agitate him?¡± Tristan and Arius did not get along. Whenever they met, they would always get into arguments. ¡°I¡¯ll go easy on him since he¡¯s sick.¡± Tristan grinned. Truth be told, he still had a lot of matters to take care of. They came under the scrutiny of Anndur after they caught Stephen. It was one of the things Tristan had yet to settle. However, Sophie had just lost someone important to her. Tristan wanted to stay by her side for a moment longer. Why won¡¯t she understand my efforts? ¡°Tristan, I am not as fragile as you think I am. I¡¯ve epted that death would eventuallye as one gets older.¡± Sophie caressed Tristan¡¯s handsome face gently. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about me and do what you must. I do not wish to be a burden to you.¡± Tristan leaned in and kissed her. ¡°Don¡¯t worry your pretty little head about it. How can you possibly be a burden to me?¡± She¡¯s plenty independent already. Truly, she would do well no matter what. I¡¯m the one who wants to stay by her side. Sophie stood on her toes and pressed her lips against his. ¡°I know you¡¯re worried about me.¡± He¡¯s not denying it. He¡¯s acting like this because he¡¯s worried about me. ¡°Yes. I¡¯ll admit that I¡¯m worried about you.¡± Geeze, it¡¯s not easy when one has such a smart girlfriend. I can never manage to hide anything from Sophie. ¡°Have you eaten? Sarah made me bring delicious food she made for you!¡± His sister had prepared some nutritious soup when she learned that Tristan would be visiting Sophie. Josiah¡¯s funeral had weighed deeply on Sophie, causing Sarah to worry for the other girl. Tristan carried Sophie to the bed and took out the thermal container he had brought with him. He poured her a bowl of soup and fed it to her. ¡°I¡¯m not that fragile. I can feed myself.¡± ¡°But I want to feed you.¡± Tristan¡¯s ministrations had nothing to do with Sophie¡¯s frailness. He merely wanted to care for her. ¡°Say aah! I know you must be tired. Let me spoil you a little.¡± Begrudgingly, Sophie opened her mouth and let him feed her. ¡°You should try some too.¡± Tristan seems to have lost some weight recently. Sophie grabbed his hand and turned the spoon around, sending it toward his mouth instead. Opening his mouth, Tristan swallowed the soup. Eventually, it became so that they took turns drinking mouthfuls of the soup. ¡°Sarah is a great cook,¡± Sophie eximed as she continued to sip the soup. Chapter 610 Chapter 610 ¡°Yes, she¡¯s a really good cook, but she doesn¡¯t really enjoy being in the kitchen. Even I rarely get to drink the soup she makes. It¡¯s clear that she likes you very much.¡± Sarah has always gone out of her way for people whom she cares about. ¡°How are Sarah and Juan doing now?¡± Sophie was aware of Sarah¡¯s feelings for thetter despite him not deserving them. ¡°I have no idea.¡± They never interfered in Sarah¡¯s life given how headstrong she was. ¡°Also, Juan isn¡¯t worthy of her at all. Sarah deserves a better man, one who truly cares about her wholeheartedly.¡± Setting aside his many other ws, Juan is a terrible judge of character. ¡°Do you like Sarah a lot too?¡± Sophie nodded without hesitation. ¡°That goes without saying. Who doesn¡¯t like a girl like her? If only she could take a good look around, she would discover a lot of wonderful people around her.¡± It must be for this reason Sarah hasn¡¯t been sleeping well. ¡°How is her sleep recently?¡± Her essential oils must have run out by now. If that¡¯s the case, I should get her more. ¡°It¡¯s much better. Thanks to you, she¡¯s now able to sleep without the help of essential oils.¡± Sophie had always tried to be helpful. ¡°I¡¯m d to hear that.¡± Given that insomnia was a tormenting condition and could ruin someone in the long run, Sophie got Sarah the essential oils once she learned that thetter was suffering from it. After finishing her soup, Sophie began to feel sleepy. She was never one who enjoyed sleeping a lot, it was just that the series of events in thest few days had really drained her. Thus, drowsiness descended upon her the moment she finished her meal. When Tristan saw how cute she looked, he couldn¡¯t help but break out a smile. There was no need for him to do anything special when he was with her. Watching her alone was more than enough to satisfy him. ¡°All right then. You should get some sleep if you¡¯re tired. I¡¯ll be right here by your side.¡± Since he was already there, he didn¡¯t feel like leaving at all. However, Sophie shook her head. ¡°You should go home instead. There¡¯s nothing here at all. In fact, you can¡¯t even restfortably here.¡± If she had a choice, she wouldn¡¯t want to stay in such an environment too. ¡°But I want to stay here with you. As long as we can be together, I don¡¯t mind even if we were in the middle of some desert.¡± What matters is who we¡¯re with and not where we are. Hasn¡¯t this always been the case? Wrapping her hands around his neck and letting him carry all her weight, Sophie added, ¡°Just give me three more days, and I¡¯ll be able to resolve this issue.¡± A lot of progress has been made, so I just need a few more days to wrap it all up. ¡°Wow, you¡¯re really amazing. It seems there¡¯s nothing in this world you can¡¯t handle.¡± in truth, he preferred her to be less capable, for all her time would be spent on work instead of enjoying life. In response to hispliment, Sophie gave him a peck on the lips. ¡°All right, off you go now!¡± Since she was about to go to sleep, there was no point in him staying. He would be better off getting some proper rest instead. Three dayster, Sophie¡¯s research finally yielded results, just as she predicted. And this time, there were no longer any side effects. Georgina, who had been by Sophie¡¯s side all the time, couldn¡¯t help but jump for joy. After which, she gave Sophie a hug. ¡°Sophie, you¡¯re amazing! I don¡¯t think there are many in this world who are as smart as you!¡± Initially, the staff at Central Hospital were reluctant to show Sophie any respect. After all, they doubted that a youngdy who hadn¡¯t even graduated from university would be capable of doing much. Consequently, all of them were humiliated by thetest results. Standing beside the twodies, Barney broke out a proud smile. Sophie is a genius to be able toplete the breakdown of the DNA sequence. Going forward, medicine in Chanaea will be making great strides forward because of her. That was the reason why he made the decisive decision toe to Chanaea. ¡°Well done, Sophie!¡± Barney congratted her. Receiving apliment from him was by itself an achievement, for everyone who worked with him knew how difficult it was to earn his praise. Meanwhile, Sophie was well aware of how emotional Georgina was. Thetter had spent countless nights working together with her and had contributed significantly to the research. ¡°Georgina, I wouldn¡¯t have done it without you,¡± Sophie dered in a gentle tone. She was, after all, very fond of Georgina. The moment the words rolled off the former¡¯s tongue, Georgina burst into tears. ¡°Luckily, all our hard work has paid off.¡± After living in a highly stressful environment for a long time, they could finally take a proper break. ¡°Sophie, thank you. I have learned a lot throughout all the time I¡¯ve spent with you.¡± Georgina was extremely grateful. Previously, she had assumed that medicine wasn¡¯t for her and was on the brink of giving up. However, theirtest achievement helped her rediscover her talent. ¡°Dr. Smith, isn¡¯t International Medical Association short-handed right now? Why don¡¯t you invite Georgina to join you? She¡¯s certainly qualified to do so!¡± Sophie rmended Georgina based on merit and she wasn¡¯t trying to pull strings for her friend at all. The mere mention of International Medical Association took Georgina¡¯s breath away. Joining it was, after all, the dream goal of all medical students. Georgina was naturally no exception. Therefore, she was surprised to hear Sophie propose it that very day. After giving it serious thought, Barney nodded in agreement. ¡°Ms. Bates, wee to International Medical Association!¡± Barney extended a hand sincerely. Property ? N?velDrama.Org. Georgina obviously knew who the foreigner in front of her was. After wiping her hand on herb coat, she took Barney¡¯s hand and shook it. ¡°Can I really cut it?¡± Even at that moment, she still couldn¡¯t believe that she was qualified to join International Medical Association. When she saw the nk look on Georgina¡¯s face, Sophie patted her on the shoulder. ¡°I have no doubt that you¡¯ll seed,¡± Sophie replied with a smile. Now that the results of the DNA sequencing were out, all they needed to do was to use the drug on their patients. Hence, Sophie was finally able to go home. ¡°Dr. Smith, I¡¯ll leave everything in your hands now. As I¡¯m still a student, I¡¯m not suited for this ce yet.¡± With Barney and Georgina at the helm, Sophie didn¡¯t foresee any problems. Moreover, Arius was close to full recovery and would soon return to help. ¡°Mmm-hmm. Thank you for all that you have done. Don¡¯t forget to attend the banquet tonight!¡± She was, after all, the one who made thergest contribution. Chapter 611 Chapter 611 It was the first time Georgina met Tristan. He was standing beside Sophie. Both of them possessed ravishing appearances that made everyone else envious. Georgina said, ¡°Sophie, is he your boyfriend? Your boyfriend is so handsome!¡± It turns out that we can actually bring a plus one over on such asions. Even so, it has nothing to do with me anyway. I don¡¯t have a boyfriend yet. Georgina started to feel sad for herself at this point. ¡°Yes. He¡¯s my boyfriend. His name is Tristan Lombard. Tristan, this is Dr. Georgina Bates,¡± Sophie introduced the two. After Sophie finished speaking, Tristan reached out his hand toward Georgina. ¡°Nice to meet you. I¡¯m Tristan,¡± Tristan said politely. After all, Georgina was someone formally introduced by Sophie, so he naturally looked at her in a different light. Georgina¡¯s heart was pounding. She found that Tristan¡¯s voice was euphonious. ¡°Nice to meet you too. I¡¯m Georgina.¡± Georgina tried to regain herposure. Pull yourself together! No matter what, I can¡¯t disgrace Sophie. After all, she was someone Sophie knew. ¡°All right. It¡¯s about time. Let¡¯s go in!¡± There was already a man in military uniform waiting outside. ¡°Everyone, this way, please. The president has already been waiting for you guys inside.¡± The man in military uniform was in a high position and seemed to be a leader. The group went in together and followed the man in military uniform and took their seats respectively. At seven o¡¯clock, the president showed up at the banquet hall. The president had a meal together with everyone. In the beginning, he raised his ss and gave a toast, expressing his gratitude toward everyone for their outstanding contribution to the gic virus research. Eventually, he got to his feet and said, ¡°Sophie, I know you¡¯re only a freshman-year student. I really didn¡¯t expect you to do such great things in this gic virus incident. Here¡¯s my toast to you.¡± Before Sophie could take the ss, it had already been taken away by Tristan and directly reced with a ss of water for her instead. Sophie felt pretty helpless about it. What is he doing? There are so many people watching. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry. She doesn¡¯t drink,¡± Tristan said. He did not like it when Sophie drank in front of others. The president was unbothered and waved his hand. ¡°Let¡¯s toast with water, then! It¡¯s fine.¡± He did not care about such a minor matter. After all, one had to possess great wisdom to reach his position today. Sophie did not say anything more and just took a sip of water. ¡°Mr. Tristan, you¡¯ve made great contributions this time too. Here¡¯s a toast to you!¡± The president knew who Tristan was. Tristan could be a sessful politician if he got into politics, but he did not seem interested in politics at all. ¡°I¡¯m just doing my part as a citizen of Chanaea. I believe anyone would have done the same thing if they had the capabilities like me,¡± said Tristan. The president was an elegant man. He had strong opinions on many things. Hence, he was not bothered by Anndur even when they had pressured him to return Stephen. ¡°Dr. Smith, I heard you¡¯re nning to move the International Medical Association to Chanaea. I want to let you know that you¡¯re always wee here. Feel free to contact my secretary if you need anything,¡± said the president. If International Medical Association could move to Chanaea, it would absolutely bring benefits to the country. Of course, the president had to try his best to make this matter happen. ¡°Thank you. We¡¯re indeed nning to move International Medical Association to this ce. The reason why we nned to move here is because of Sophie. I hope she can be the next person in charge of International Medical Association.¡± After all, Barney made his efforts toe here because of this. ¡°I see! What an outstanding youth.¡± The president seemed to be particrly interested in Sophie. Yet Tristan felt very displeased about that. He did not like it when other men paid too much attention to Sophie. Even if the man was the president of Chanaea. Sophie could feel Tristan¡¯s emotions clearly and held his hand gently. She wasforting him silently. Tristan did not heed the president but kept cing food in Sophie¡¯s bowl. Sophie was actually already full. However, seeing Tristan like that made her swallow some of the food in her bowl despite feeling full. If I continue to consume anymore food, I¡¯ll surely die from overeating. Sophie moved slightly closer to Tristan and said, ¡°Tristan, I truly can¡¯t eat these anymore. I¡¯ll die from overeating if I don¡¯t stop.¡± Only then did Tristan realize she had eaten too much. ¡°Okay. Stop eating them if you¡¯re already full,¡± Tristan said as he took over her bowl and ate all the leftovers. The president was a wise man. He knew what Tristan meant and did not say anything more, putting his ego aside and having his meal with everyone else. After the meal, they were all sent back personally by the president¡¯s guards. Barney and Georgina still went back to the hospital while Sophie and Tristan returned to the mansion. After the shower, Sophie felt entirely rxed. ¡°Everything is finally over. A lot of things happened during this period,¡± Sophie said ruefully. Tristan hugged her in his arms and said, ¡°This matter is indeed over, but you have other things to deal with. You couldn¡¯t be reached during this period and perhaps didn¡¯t know Willow had already taken over Tanner Group.¡± Is that what I think it is? Sophie asked, ¡°What about Mr. White?¡± Isn¡¯t he always capable? How would such things still happen? ¡°He had no choice too. Willow held the will of Old Mr. Tanner, and you didn¡¯t show up,¡± Tristan briefly exined the current situation to Sophie. ¡°I didn¡¯t deal with this matter as I thought it would be interesting to let them have their way for a few days, and then I¡¯ll take back what I want the most from them,¡± said Sophie. Some people are just so presumptuous. They actually thought Tanner Group would be theirs. Sophie was speechless. She had been quite busy recently, but that did not mean the three of them could take away what belonged to her. The truth was, Tanner Group did not matter to Sophie much. Even without Tanner Group, she was also able to form another much morepetitivepany than Tanner Group. However, since Josiah had handed over Tanner Group to her, she would not let those people ruin it. Sophie had never shown up, while Tristan never seemed concerned about this matter. Willow thought Tristan must have already gotten tired of Sophie, which was why such a situation happened. Sitting in the general manager¡¯s office, Willow lit a cigarette and took a deep puff. She was pretty satisfied with how things turned out. Property ? of N?velDrama.Org. That¡¯s right. I¡¯m still the eldest daughter of Tanner Group. I can get any man I want if I have Tanner Group and live my life even more freely after Sophie leaves this world. Willow could not help but smile smugly at the thought of that. Just then, Charmaine came over. ¡°Wi, bad news! Sophie is back.¡± Charmaine¡¯s face turned pale all of a sudden. She thought Sophie would note back for a while and did not expect her to return so quickly. ¡°Stop being anxious! Everything is in our hands now. What can Sophie do even if shees back?¡± said Willow. Chapter 612 Chapter 612 It was the first time Georgina met Tristan. He was standing beside Sophie. Both of them possessed ravishing appearances that made everyone else envious. Georgina said, ¡°Sophie, is he your boyfriend? Your boyfriend is so handsome!¡± It turns out that we can actually bring a plus one over on such asions. Even so, it has nothing to do with me anyway. I don¡¯t have a boyfriend yet. Georgina started to feel sad for herself at this point. ¡°Yes. He¡¯s my boyfriend. His name is Tristan Lombard. Tristan, this is Dr. Georgina Bates,¡± Sophie introduced the two. After Sophie finished speaking, Tristan reached out his hand toward Georgina. ¡°Nice to meet you. I¡¯m Tristan,¡± Tristan said politely. After all, Georgina was someone formally introduced by Sophie, so he naturally looked at her in a different light. Georgina¡¯s heart was pounding. She found that Tristan¡¯s voice was euphonious. ¡°Nice to meet you too. I¡¯m Georgina.¡± Georgina tried to regain herposure. Pull yourself together! No matter what, I can¡¯t disgrace Sophie. After all, she was someone Sophie knew. ¡°All right. It¡¯s about time. Let¡¯s go in!¡± There was already a man in military uniform waiting outside. ¡°Everyone, this way, please. The president has already been waiting for you guys inside.¡± The man in military uniform was in a high position and seemed to be a leader. The group went in together and followed the man in military uniform and took their seats respectively. At seven o¡¯clock, the president showed up at the banquet hall. The president had a meal together with everyone. In the beginning, he raised his ss and gave a toast, expressing his gratitude toward everyone for their outstanding contribution to the gic virus research. Eventually, he got to his feet and said, ¡°Sophie, I know you¡¯re only a freshman-year student. I really didn¡¯t expect you to do such great things in this gic virus incident. Here¡¯s my toast to you.¡± Before Sophie could take the ss, it had already been taken away by Tristan and directly reced with a ss of water for her instead. Sophie felt pretty helpless about it. What is he doing? There are so many people watching. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry. She doesn¡¯t drink,¡± Tristan said. He did not like it when Sophie drank in front of others. The president was unbothered and waved his hand. ¡°Let¡¯s toast with water, then! It¡¯s fine.¡± He did not care about such a minor matter. After all, one had to possess great wisdom to reach his position today. Sophie did not say anything more and just took a sip of water. ¡°Mr. Tristan, you¡¯ve made great contributions this time too. Here¡¯s a toast to you!¡± The president knew who Tristan was. Tristan could be a sessful politician if he got into politics, but he did not seem interested in politics at all. ¡°I¡¯m just doing my part as a citizen of Chanaea. I believe anyone would have done the same thing if they had the capabilities like me,¡± said Tristan. The president was an elegant man. He had strong opinions on many things. Hence, he was not bothered by Anndur even when they had pressured him to return Stephen. ¡°Dr. Smith, I heard you¡¯re nning to move the International Medical Association to Chanaea. I want to let you know that you¡¯re always wee here. Feel free to contact my secretary if you need anything,¡± said the president. If International Medical Association could move to Chanaea, it would absolutely bring benefits to the country. Of course, the president had to try his best to make this matter happen. ¡°Thank you. We¡¯re indeed nning to move International Medical Association to this ce. The reason why we nned to move here is because of Sophie. I hope she can be the next person in charge of International Medical Association.¡± After all, Barney made his efforts toe here because of this. ¡°I see! What an outstanding youth.¡± The president seemed to be particrly interested in Sophie. Yet Tristan felt very displeased about that. He did not like it when other men paid too much attention to Sophie. Even if the man was the president of Chanaea. Sophie could feel Tristan¡¯s emotions clearly and held his hand gently. She wasforting him silently. Tristan did not heed the president but kept cing food in Sophie¡¯s bowl. Sophie was actually already full. However, seeing Tristan like that made her swallow some of the food in her bowl despite feeling full. If I continue to consume anymore food, I¡¯ll surely die from overeating. Sophie moved slightly closer to Tristan and said, ¡°Tristan, I truly can¡¯t eat these anymore. I¡¯ll die from overeating if I don¡¯t stop.¡± Only then did Tristan realize she had eaten too much. ¡°Okay. Stop eating them if you¡¯re already full,¡± Tristan said as he took over her bowl and ate all the leftovers. The president was a wise man. He knew what Tristan meant and did not say anything more, putting his ego aside and having his meal with everyone else. After the meal, they were all sent back personally by the president¡¯s guards. Barney and Georgina still went back to the hospital while Sophie and Tristan returned to the mansion. After the shower, Sophie felt entirely rxed. ¡°Everything is finally over. A lot of things happened during this period,¡± Sophie said ruefully. Tristan hugged her in his arms and said, ¡°This matter is indeed over, but you have other things to deal with. You couldn¡¯t be reached during this period and perhaps didn¡¯t know Willow had already taken over Tanner Group.¡± Is that what I think it is? Sophie asked, ¡°What about Mr. White?¡± Isn¡¯t he always capable? How would such things still happen? ¡°He had no choice too. Willow held the will of Old Mr. Tanner, and you didn¡¯t show up,¡± Tristan briefly exined the current situation to Sophie. ¡°I didn¡¯t deal with this matter as I thought it would be interesting to let them have their way for a few days, and then I¡¯ll take back what I want the most from them,¡± said Sophie. Some people are just so presumptuous. They actually thought Tanner Group would be theirs. Sophie was speechless. She had been quite busy recently, but that did not mean the three of them could take away what belonged to her. The truth was, Tanner Group did not matter to Sophie much. Even without Tanner Group, she was also able to form another much morepetitivepany than Tanner Group. However, since Josiah had handed over Tanner Group to her, she would not let those people ruin it. Sophie had never shown up, while Tristan never seemed concerned about this matter. Willow thought Tristan must have already gotten tired of Sophie, which was why such a situation happened. N?velDrama.Org copyrighted ? content. Sitting in the general manager¡¯s office, Willow lit a cigarette and took a deep puff. She was pretty satisfied with how things turned out. That¡¯s right. I¡¯m still the eldest daughter of Tanner Group. I can get any man I want if I have Tanner Group and live my life even more freely after Sophie leaves this world. Willow could not help but smile smugly at the thought of that. Just then, Charmaine came over. ¡°Wi, bad news! Sophie is back.¡± Charmaine¡¯s face turned pale all of a sudden. She thought Sophie would note back for a while and did not expect her to return so quickly. ¡°Stop being anxious! Everything is in our hands now. What can Sophie do even if shees back?¡± said Willow. Chapter 613 Chapter 613 Willow was not anxious as she had already tampered with everything she could tamper with, so Sophie¡¯s return would not matter much. But Charmaine was uncertain about that. She was still fear of Sophie. After all, Sophie had never gone by the book. It was not easy for them to get everything they had now. Thus, there was no way she would give up. Soon, Sophie arrived at the general manager¡¯s office and saw Willow was still sitting inside shamelessly. The sight amused her. This girl really doesn¡¯t know her ce, huh? When the employees saw that Sophie was back, they got up from their workstations one after another to greet her. There were sparkles in their eyes as they looked at her. Ms. Sophie is finally back! Although Willow had only taken charge of Tanner Group for a few days, everyone had begun to reminisce about those days when Sophie managed thepany. N?velDrama.Org copyrighted ? content. Yale and Willow didn¡¯t even know how to manage apany and were only fooling around. The employees could see the dismaying situation they had been in over thest few days. ¡°Ms. Sophie, you¡¯re finally back.¡± Some even shed tears of joy. They believed any problem could be solved with Sophie around. After Yale knew that Sophie hade to thepany, he came out of the chairman¡¯s office, too. He was at a loss for words when he saw her and merely stood there. Cr*p, I know her tactics. If I make a mistake now, I will be doomed! Naturally, Sophie noticed Yale as well and sneered. They really can¡¯t give me any peace of mind, can they? I only left for a few days. Yet, they already made everything of mine theirs. ¡°Sophie, no matter what happens, please talk in my office. It¡¯s not a good idea to talk about it here. After all, these are the Tanners family matters,¡± Yale could only say so. At that precise moment, Willow came out of the office with Charmaine and saw her father chickening out. The sight infuriated her. Can¡¯t he be a little more confident? Thepany is in our hands now. What the hell is he afraid of? ¡°You don¡¯t have to be afraid, Dad. I¡¯m here for you.¡± Willow looked at Sophie fearlessly. ¡°Sophie, shouldn¡¯t you be expecting all of this toe? You didn¡¯t even have time for Grandpa before he died. He was gone now. So please, let him rest in peace.¡± She paused before continuing, ¡°Grandpa treated you well. Where were you when he wanted to see you before hisst breath? How could you be so shameless ande to the Tanner Group now?¡± Upon hearing that, everyone in the scene began to whisper among themselves. ¡°I know you are indeed capable, but this isn¡¯t enough. One with a poor character like you is not worthy of managing apany!¡± Sophie remained quiet all the time and merely watched Willow act before her. she even crossed her arms before her chest as she stared at thetter. On the other hand, Charmaine¡¯s face turned several shades paler. Since things hade to that, she had no choice but to steel herself at the side. Sophie looks so strange. It¡¯s as though she doesn¡¯t care at all about the current situation. ¡°Soph, please stop messing around here. Let¡¯s discuss Tanner Group¡¯s share distribution when we get home.¡± Charmaine was fearful of Sophie. After all, the will they had was a fake. If Sophie finds out the will is a fake, there¡¯s no way she will let us off. We won¡¯t even get any dividends by then. ¡°That¡¯s right. No matter what, these are our family matters. We should talk about it at home,¡± Yale also reminded. ¡°Messing around?¡± Sophie, who had been silent all the while, finally spoke. ¡°I have yet to say a single word since I stepped into Tanner Group. What are you afraid of? Ah¡­ Are you afraid that you won¡¯t be able to keep what you have stolen?¡± Charmaine was stunned by Sophie¡¯s words and dared not speak anymore. ¡°Ridiculous! Dad is Grandpa¡¯s biological son, and I am Grandpa¡¯s granddaughter. How could you say we had stolen something? Grandpa personally said he wished to give Tanner Group to Dad. We all heard that ourselves and Grandpa also made a will with thewyer. Who are you to say we stole something that doesn¡¯t belong to us? I know you have nothing left now. Although it¡¯s hard for you, please don¡¯t spout nonsense.¡± When Willow saw that Sophie came to Tanner Group on her own and that Tristan did not apany her, she could tell something had happened between the duo. Tristan and Sophie should have broken up. Otherwise, there¡¯s no way he would leave Sophie alone on such an important asion. Without Tristan¡¯s support, what else can Sophie do? I bet she isn¡¯t able of doing anything now. Sophie walked up to Willow slowly. Thetter was so intimidated by her aura and struggled to hold on. No matter what, Willow wouldn¡¯t let herself back away. It wasn¡¯t until Sophie stood before her that Willow whispered, ¡°You lost, Sophie. You are nothing without Tanner Group and Tristan!¡± She was delighted at the thought that Sophie had nothing left and hoped she could trample on Sophie at that moment. ¡°Fine! Since you¡¯re my sister, I¡¯ll give you a chance. If you please me nicely, maybe I¡¯ll give you some equity,¡± Willow said smugly, expecting some response from Sophie. Since Yale had already driven away the crowd, only four people from the Tanner family were left at the scene. Charmaine couldn¡¯t help but worry even more when she heard Willow¡¯s remarks. She was worried that Sophie, being forced into a corner, would act recklessly and quickly reminded Willow, ¡°Wi, she¡¯s your sister. You can¡¯t treat her like this.¡± Nheless, there was no getting through to Willow, for her smugness and arrogance had blinded her at the moment. ¡°Mom, what are you afraid of? She has lost everything now. Even if she¡¯s good at fighting, so what? She won¡¯t be able to harm me. If she dares to touch me, call the police immediately.¡± Apparently, she was no longer afraid of anything. Sophie chuckled upon hearing that. ¡°What are youughing at? Sophie, the world doesn¡¯t revolve around you, and stop being self- centered.¡± Willow felt confident that victory belonged to her and couldn¡¯t understand why Sophie was chuckling. Extremely displeased, she asked, ¡°Mom, Dad, if you were given a choice today, would you choose Sophie or me?¡± She grew agitated at the sight of Sophie¡¯s nonchnce and swore inwardly that she must witness Sophie¡¯s crestfallen look no matter what. Yale knitted his brows at that. ¡°Wi, stop fooling around. We are all a family. Let¡¯s honor yourte grandpa¡¯s wish and manage thepany well together.¡± Deep down, he thought Sophie was a rather terrifying character, and none of them should push her into a corner. Otherwise, they all would have a hard time in the future. ¡°That¡¯s right. We are a family and should stay united,¡± Charmaine quickly chimed in. Chapter 614 Chapter 614 Willow could not help butugh in response. ¡°Is that so? She does not think of you guys as her parents, even though you treat her as family. Why don¡¯t you ask her now if you don¡¯t believe me?¡± Willow did not mince her words. Does Sophie even respect anyone in this house? Yale and Charmaine were at a loss for words. ¡°See? It¡¯s not as if you guys can rebuke me, can you?¡± Willow could not help butugh at that. ¡°So, you shouldn¡¯t make such ridiculous ims like we¡¯re a family. Don¡¯t you know she doesn¡¯t care at all?¡± ¡°You¡¯re right. Willow, we aren¡¯t family. Do you really believe you can handle Tanner Group? Do you think you can snatch my things away from me?¡± Sophie¡¯s lips curved into a mocking grin. Sophie¡¯s nonchnt attitude infuriated Willow. It¡¯s really annoying when Sophie behaves like this. ¡°Isn¡¯t it in my hands now? You have to leave Tanner Group immediately, or else I will file awsuit against you for stealing confidential data from Tanner Group.¡± What does Sophie have to behave haughtily? Aren¡¯t I the winner now? Property ? N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Then, I¡¯d like to see how long you can handle those things. Perhaps, you wouldn¡¯t feel upset if you have never gotten your hands on it. Do you feel like everything is yours now? Don¡¯t you think losing your authority now would be much more interesting?¡± Sophie uttered each word with a calm expression, and there was no sign of anger. However, her demeanor only further enraged Willow. ¡°Mom, Dad, Sophie doesn¡¯t want to listen to Grandpa¡¯s will at all.¡± Willow turned to Charmaine and Yale. She continued, ¡°Hence, there¡¯s nothing left for me to say to her. You guys can do as you see fit. Do make your choice if you¡¯re going to side with her or me?¡± Yale shot Charmaine a nce. He still did not feel at ease even though Willow had Tanner Group firmly in her hands now. Yale waspletely unsure about the right decision he should make now that Willow was pressuring them to make this decision. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it be better if we all managed Tanner Group together, Wi?¡± Why does she have to put us in this situation? More importantly, they were not confident in making the right decision. ¡°What about you, Mom? I¡¯m only giving you guys one chance. It¡¯s best if you make your decision quickly; otherwise, I won¡¯t need any of you.¡± Willow was insistent on getting Charmaine and Yale to pick her. ¡°Sophie, can you go back first? After all, this is your grandpa¡¯s will,¡± Charmaine stated. She was stating her stance by saying so, and she did not need to make a choice as she had already chosen to stand with Willow. Sophie naturally understood her intention. Hearing Charmaine¡¯s words, Willow immediately got smugger. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Mom. I will always be filial to you in the future and make you the happiest woman in the world.¡± Willow hugged Charmaine. After all, Charmaine was the only person who has stuck by her side through it all. Yale was truly torn about which side to choose. It wasn¡¯t that he greatly loved Sophie or Willow. Rather, he did not know whose hands Tanner Group would fall into in the end. Yale was aware of Sophie¡¯s tactics. ¡°Three, two¡­¡± Willow looked at Sophie. She loved the feeling of having everything under her control. Now, Sophie was the one who was abandoned by everyone. Sophie was indifferent to Willow¡¯s arrogant look. I finally know how a person would look when she is gloating. Isn¡¯t it how Willow was acting? In the end, Yale chose to stand by Willow¡¯s side. ¡°Sophie, you should give up on Tanner Group since this is your grandpa¡¯sst wish. In any case, you¡¯re a brilliant child who can do well wherever you go.¡± Sophie was the highest achiever in her university entrance exam. How can she not do well in life when there are so many talented people surrounding her? ¡°So, I have to hand over my stuff to you guys just because I can do well?¡± ¡°How is Tanner Group yours? Doesn¡¯t it belong to the Tanner family? You can head back first. Don¡¯t make a scene here, as there is no point in causing one here,¡± Yale eximed. Naturally, Sophie observed their reactions. That was Willow¡¯s happiest moment in life. This scenario is only right. This is how everything is supposed to be. Everyone in Tanner family should treat me as the center of the world. I¡¯m the eldest daughter of Tanner family. ¡°Look at this, Sophie. Do you still have anything to say after losing?¡± Willow was exhrated at that moment. ¡°Sophia, can you go back first? Aftar all, this is your grandpa¡¯s will,¡± Charmaina statad. Sha was stating har stanca by saying so, and sha did not naad to maka a choica as sha had alraady chosan to stand with Willow. Sophia naturally undarstood har intantion. Haaring Charmaina¡¯s words, Willow immadiataly got smuggar. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Mom. I will always ba filial to you in tha futura and maka you tha happiast woman in tha world.¡± Willow huggad Charmaina. Aftar all, Charmaina was tha only parson who has stuck by har sida through it all. Y was truly torn about which sida to choosa. It wasn¡¯t that ha graatly lovad Sophia or Willow. Rathar, ha did not know whosa hands Tannar Group would fall into in tha and. Y was awara of Sophia¡¯s tactics. ¡°Thraa, two¡­¡± Willow lookad at Sophia. Sha lovad tha faaling of having avarything undar har control. Now, Sophia was tha ona who was abandonad by avaryona. Sophia was indiffarant to Willow¡¯s arrogant look. I finally know how a parson would look whan sha is gloating. Isn¡¯t it how Willow was acting? In tha and, Y chosa to stand by Willow¡¯s sida. ¡°Sophia, you should giva up on Tannar Group sinca this is your grandpa¡¯sst wish. In any casa, you¡¯ra a brilliant child who can do wall wharavar you go.¡± Sophia was tha highast achiavar in har univarsity antranca axam. How can sha not do wall in lifa whan thara ara so many tntad pao surrounding har? ¡°So, I hava to hand ovar my stuff to you guys just bacausa I can do wall?¡± ¡°How is Tannar Group yours? Doasn¡¯t it balong to tha Tannar family? You can haad back first. Don¡¯t maka a scana hara, as thara is no point in causing ona hara,¡± Y aximad. Naturally, Sophia obsarvad thair raactions. That was Willow¡¯s happiast momant in lifa. This scanario is only right. This is how avarything is supposad to ba. Evaryona in Tannar family should traat ma as tha cantar of tha world. I¡¯m tha aldast daughtar of Tannar family. ¡°Look at this, Sophia. Do you still hava anything to say aftar losing?¡± Willow was axhratad at that momant. Isn¡¯t this what life should be like? It always has its ups and downs. No one knows who the true winner is until the very end. Since Charmaine had already made a decision and there was no turning back, she did not dare to look at Sophie. Yale could only hope for Sophie to make her way out sooner. ¡°You guys kept mentioning Grandpa¡¯s will. Show it to me for me to see its authenticity!¡± Yale and Charmaine were at a loss for words. Willow responded, ¡°Who do you think you are? Do you think I¡¯ll show it to you just because you want to see it? Thewyer has taken the will to notarize it, and he said there¡¯s no problem with it. Do you think there¡¯s a problem with the will since you believe so?¡± ¡°Why are you talking so much nonsense? Why are you guys so afraid of me wanting to take just a look at the will? A fabricated will can¡¯t be real.¡± How could Grandpa leave such a will? After all, he cared deeply about Tanner Group. How would Grandpa leave Tanner Group to Willow when he wants the best for it? ¡°Go contact mywyer if you have any questions. I don¡¯t want to waste time talking nonsense with you now that I¡¯m tired.¡± Willow did not want to speak more about this matter, and she asked the security guards to guide Sophie out. However, when the security guards arrived, they stood to the side motionlessly after seeing Sophie. Willow was infuriated. ¡°What are you people still standing here for? I¡¯m asking you to kick her out now! Did you not hear me?¡± A few security guards shook their head. ¡°Ms. Tanner¡­¡± It was already terrible enough that they were caught in the middle of their family affairs. Moreover, Sophie treated them so well previously. How could they possibly do such a thing now? ¡°What? Are you refusing to follow my orders? You can scram now if that¡¯s the case!¡± Willow did not expect the security guards to disregard her totally. I¡¯m the general manager of Tanner Group now, and there are people who don¡¯t take my words seriously. I won¡¯t stand for this! The security guards stood at the side. They had their own judgment, despite their duty. Chapter 615 Chapter 615 Ms. Sophie had been managing thepany perfectly well. It¡¯s just been a few days now, but after Ms. Willow came, everything has turned into a mess! ¡°Do you believe that I¡¯ll dismiss the lot of you right now? Get out of here this instant!¡± Willow was beyond livid. In response, the few security personnel nodded. ¡°Okay, in that case, we have no choice but to leave as well.¡± At that precise moment, several of Tanner Group¡¯s senior executives came over. They were all holding resignation letters in their hands. ¡°Ms. Tanner, we feel that Tanner Group¡¯s current concept has diverged too much from our beliefs. Therefore, we¡¯re leaving to prevent further resentment.¡± That turn of events left Willow at a loss for words. Never had she imagined that things would turn into such a disaster. ¡°What are you all doing? Is it because I¡¯m not paying you enough? If so, I can¡ª¡± ¡°It¡¯s not an issue of pay, Ms. Willow,¡± one of the executives interrupted with a shake of his head. Subsequently, he dered, ¡°Ms. Sophie, if you were to establish apany in the future, you can seek me out. We¡¯re willing to work with you regardless of the remuneration!¡± Throughout it all, Sophie stood at the side silently, watching everything unfold before her eyes. Truth be told, she had only taken over Tanner Group for a short time. In fact, she was absent from the office most of the time. She had always entrusted the management of thepany to Victor and only came for a few meetings. Thus, she had never expected the executives to have so much trust in her. ¡°Hah! No wonder all of you want to resign! It turned out that someone instigated you behind my back. Fine! Since you all want to leave, it¡¯ll be useless no matter how much I try to persuade you to stay. I¡¯m approving your resignations.¡± At the sight of thepany¡¯s few capable talents resigning, Yale¡¯s expression turned grim. ¡°Don¡¯t act impulsively, gentlemen! We can talk it out nicely if you¡¯ve got any requests. You¡¯ve all been with Tanner Group for such a long time that you must have a sentimental attachment to thepany! My father has just passed on, but you¡¯re all leaving as well. If he were to learn about this, he would be devastated!¡± Left with no other recourse, he could only appeal to their emotions. s, the few senior executives shook their heads. ¡°We¡¯ll never believe that Old Mr. Tanner would¡¯ve handed Tanner Group over to Ms. Willow. That would undoubtedly ruin thepany!¡± Needless to say, they had a sentimental attachment to Tanner Group after being with thepany for so many years. However, it didn¡¯t mean that they would allow such a thing to happen. After all, this is the fruit of Old Mr. Tanner¡¯s blood, sweat, and tears for over twenty years! Hearing that, Willow sneered, ¡°What¡¯s the meaning of this, then? Do you think I¡¯ll give up this position by doing so? Let me tell you that it¡¯s impossible! My grandfather¡¯s will was notarized by a notary public, and no one can snatch Tanner Group away from me now.¡± Then, she arrogantly stated, ¡°I¡¯m putting this out here now. If any one of you wishes to leave, I¡¯ll never keep you from doing so. Just go.¡± ¡°We¡¯re leaving, Ms. Sophie. Do remember us if you establish apany in the future.¡± Not in the mood to yak with Willow there, the few executives spun on their heels to leave. ¡°Please wait a moment, gentlemen!¡± At longst, Sophie spoke. ¡°Will you take thepany back, Ms. Sophie?¡± Sophie¡¯s heart skipped a beat at the earnest look in their eyes. Oh God, they actually trust me this much! ¡°There¡¯s no need for you all to leave. She¡¯s the person who should be doing so,¡± she uttered unhurriedly. Regrettably, her words had Willow go off the deep end. ¡°What¡¯s the meaning of that? Do you really think you¡¯re in control?¡± Seeing red, Willow charged at Sophie. Just then, Victor stepped out of the elevator and was greeted by that scene. Rushing over, he grabbed Willow¡¯s hand. When Willow saw that the man had seized her hand, her eyes narrowed a fraction. ¡°What are you all doing? It¡¯s still broad daylight now! Are you nning on taking Tanner Group away from me by force?¡± She shot daggers at Victor, who still hadn¡¯t released his grip on her hand. At that, Victor snorted. ¡°Who do you think you are? And how did Tanner Group be yours? Such a person like you is downright unworthy of it!¡± After saying that, he pushed her away. Unsteady on her feet, Willow stumbled back several steps before she finally managed to regain her footing. ¡°How dare you!¡± Charmaine immediately hastened over to her and supported her. ¡°What should we do now, Wi? What are we to do when so many people are against you?¡± Charmaine had never seen such a crowd resigning en masse. If all these executives were to leave, how could Tanner Group continue operating? Willow¡¯s face was as ck as thunder. I¡¯m the winner now, aren¡¯t I? But why are all these people still siding with her even at such a time? ¡°The lot of you have been brainwashed by Sophie, huh? What kind of spell did she cast on you that you all trust her so much?¡± Following that usation, the senior executives shook their heads. ¡°Look at this, Mr. Tanner. How could Willow manage Tanner Group well when this is all she¡¯s capable of?¡± one of themmented in disappointment. Panic swamped Yale.Property ? of N?velDrama.Org. Never had he imagined that they would be so averse to Willow that they were all resigning. ¡°Uh¡­¡± He wanted to speak further, but he didn¡¯t know what else he could say then upon seeing that they loathed listening to him. Victor chimed in with a sneer, ¡°Ms. Sophie, it¡¯s only been a few days, but they¡¯ve thrown thepany into a mess. Thank God you¡¯ve finallye back!¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Sophie bobbed her head. Since Grandpa handed thepany to me, I naturally can¡¯t give it up, no matter the reason! ¡°Go back to work, everyone. I¡¯ll handle things here. Everything will be the same as before,¡± she announced confidently. ¡°Can you really resolve this, Ms. Sophie?¡± The few senior executives were still a touch worried. Verily, they would rather leave and not waste their time further if it were still Willow managing thepany. ¡°Didn¡¯t you all decide to resign because you trusted me?¡± Left without a retort, the few senior executives turned and returned to their posts. As soon as they came out, the employees from the few departments bombarded them with questions, asking them about the situation and whether Sophie would be back. Willow¡¯s presence at Tanner Group was no different from a nightmare. One could never imagine the feeling of someone who knew nothing insisting on having her way in the company. ¡°Work with peace of mind, everyone! Ms. Sophie said she¡¯d definitely return! We¡¯ve all got to have trust in her.¡± While Sophie appeared cold and indifferent, everything she did inspired trust. Because of that, they felt that working with her would guarantee them a bright future. Upon hearing that, the employees breathed a sigh of relief. Hopefully, Ms. Sophie can kick Ms. Willow out of Tanner Group quickly so she can¡¯t continue throwing her weight around here. Meanwhile, only the members of the Tanner family and Victor were left outside the general manager¡¯s office. Victor was definitely on Sophie¡¯s side. ¡°So, what do you want, Sophie? You want to snatch Tanner Group away from me forcibly, right?¡± Chapter 616 Chapter 616 Willow enunciated, ¡°Aren¡¯t you worried that you¡¯ll infuriate Grandpa, who had passed away, so much that he¡¯ll crawl out of the ground and haunt you?¡± Finally, Sophie¡¯s face was no longer devoid of expression. Oh well, she can¡¯t be allowed to walk free anymore. Stalking forward, she raised her hand and pped Willow thrice. In the end, she found it uneven, so she backhanded thetter another time. ¡°Yours? When did my asset be yours, Willow? Even if I don¡¯t want Tanner Group, it¡¯s still something Grandpa gave me. I¡¯m not going to tolerate anyone having any designs on it!¡± The instant Sophie spoke, she radiated authority. Yale didn¡¯t quite know how to react. I just knew that this matter couldn¡¯t be that simple! Sophie didn¡¯t make an appearance the past few days for no other reason than having something else to do. How could we have possibly pulled this off so easily? Willow wanted to resist when Sophie hit her, for she would never allow herself to be trampled beneath thetter¡¯s feet. Unfortunately, Sophie was too aggressive, so much so that she wasn¡¯t her match. ¡°Grandpa is alreadyid to rest, so you¡¯re not allowed to continue disrupting his peace all the time!¡± Still enraged after saying that, Sophie again smacked her across the face. Hah! She keeps speaking of Grandpa. Does she really think I don¡¯t know she¡¯s trying to use him to hurt me? Willow cradled her face. ¡°You struck me again? I¡¯m going to kill you, Sophie!¡± With her having suffered a few ps, not only was her face red and swollen at that moment, but her hair was also a tangled mess. She appeared just like a lunatic. She wanted to lunge forward and rip Sophie into pieces, but Victor held her back. ¡°How should we deal with her, Ms. Sophie?¡± By then, Victor had lost all patience. I¡¯ve bided my time for so long to wait for Ms. Sophie to return. Yet, they thought that we¡¯d all given up, huh? ¡°How to deal with it, you ask?¡± Sophie sounded exceedingly blithe. It was as though she was speaking of dealing with some trash. ¡°I think she¡¯s very much unstable mentally. In this case, send her to a psychiatric nursing home!¡± she concluded. Over there, she probably won¡¯t start having delusions anymore. ¡°How dare you! Don¡¯t go overboard, Sophie. Let me tell you this¡ªback then, Tristan sent me to none other than a psychiatric hospital. And you want to do the same now! Who do you two think you are?¡± Willow¡¯s voice was shrill and sharp. ¡°Oh? You¡¯ve been there? Then, you should be very familiar with it. Just go and have another visit!¡± ¡°You¡¯re unbelievable! Mom, Dad, are you both just going to watch from the sidelines? Do you really not have anything to say?¡± Yale was entirely unprepared for the current situation. Nevertheless, he had already started doubting his choice since Sophie was still so confident when things hade to that. Therefore, it stood to reason that he didn¡¯t dare utter a single word at such a time. Charmaine, on the other hand, was likewise at a total loss. Glimpsing the manic look in Willow¡¯s eyes, she couldn¡¯t help wondering whether Willow had truly gone unhinged. ¡°Yes, how about you both? Didn¡¯t she ask you to make a choice earlier? Now, I¡¯ll also give you a chance. Make your choices!¡± Sophie took her phone out of her pocket and saw that Tristan had sent her a WhatsApp message. It read: Do you need me toe over and lend you a hand? Tristan knew she was going to Tanner Group that day to handle some trivial things. Initially, he wanted to apany her, but she declined. Hence, he went to the office. At the sight of Tristan¡¯s name, Sophie¡¯s heart promptly melted. She replied: No, it¡¯s okay. I¡¯ve already handled everything. I¡¯ll go over and look for you in a while. She had been too busy recently that she hadn¡¯t had any time to spend with that boyfriend of hers. Now that she was free, she wanted to go and keep himpany. When Tristan learned that she would being over, his lips curved into a smile. He texted: Okay. I¡¯ll be waiting for you, then. He gazed at his phone lovingly. Seeing that, Tristan instantly knew who he was texting. At the man¡¯s blissful expression, he couldn¡¯t help retreating to the side and sending Ysabelle a WhatsApp message. I wonder if Belle misses me! After Sophie had replied to the WhatsApp messages, she lifted her eyes and pinned them on Yale and Charmaine. ¡°Well? Have you made up your mind? Unlike her, I¡¯m not as overbearing. I¡¯ve given you enough time, yes?¡± Yale quietly moved behind her. He was really not that ambitious. Furthermore, he still needed financial support from her in the days to come. Sophie¡¯s gaze alighted on Charmaine. ¡°What about you?¡± She seems to have always sided with Willow! ¡°No matter what, Soph, she¡¯s your sister. Stop while you¡¯re ahead. Why must you take things so far?¡± At the end of the day, Willow was still the daughter Charmaine had loved for the better half of her lifetime. Hence, she really couldn¡¯t bear to see Willow being sent to a psychiatric nursing home. ¡°So, you¡¯ve made your choice? All right, got it.¡± Surprisingly, Charmaine shook her head and removed her hand from Willow¡¯s grasp. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Wi.¡± She was all too aware that she hadn¡¯t much capability. If Sophie no longer cared about her henceforth, she would have no way of surviving. Willow shook her head profusely. ¡°How could you all treat me like this? I¡¯ve still got the will. You can¡¯t do this to me!¡± ¡°The will? Others might not know whether the will is genuine, but do you have no idea yourself? Why, do you no longer know whether something really belongs to you after possessing it for only a few days?¡± ¡°There¡¯s no need to say all this, Sophie! Tanner Group is mine!¡± ¡°Fine. Since you insist on making a big deal out of this, I don¡¯t need to show you any mercy!¡± Sophie made a call. Subsequently, a few men in police uniforms came in. Property ? of N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Ms. Willow Tanner, you¡¯re suspected of forging a will. Please follow us back to the police station to assist in the investigation,¡± the police officer in the lead stated, striding up to Willow. At once, Willow¡¯s eyes went wide. ¡°Who are you? The will in my hands is genuine. Your officers Sophie bribed, right? How much did she pay you? I¡¯ll give you double! Take her away right now! The sight of her perturbs me!¡± Even then, she was still unrepentant. She didn¡¯t feel that she had done anything wrong. The will that is given to me by yton¡¯s friend can totally pass as the real thing. They can¡¯t possibly tell that it¡¯s fake! A frown marred the countenance of the police officer in the lead. ¡°Are you trying to bribe a civil servant now?¡± he demanded coldly, looking exceedingly displeased. Right then, Yale and Charmaine could no longer be bothered about Willow. After all, the police must have some evidence in hand since they were there. They would be dependent upon Sophie in the future, so they didn¡¯t dare say anything at that moment. In response, Willow waved a dismissive hand. ¡°That wasn¡¯t what I meant. I was trying to say that my will is genuine! It can¡¯t possibly be fake.¡± The police officer in the lead wasn¡¯t in the mood to continue yakking with her. ¡°Take her away! You can make your excuses at the police station.¡± ¡°Mom, save me! I don¡¯t want to be taken away by them! Say something on my behalf!¡± Willow began panicking. She thought she had obtained a total victory, never having imagined herself to end up in such a wretched state. ¡°What are you trying to do, Sophie? Let me tell you that this is wholly nder!¡± She wasn¡¯t willing to ept the truth, resentful despite her defeat. Chapter 617 Chapter 617 No matter how resentful Willow felt, she could only be taken away right then, for no one took her side. ¡°Just you wait! I¡¯ll never give up this easily!¡± I¡¯ve already hired an assassin, and he¡¯ll likely make his move these few days! Before leaving, she red at Charmaine and Yale in hatred. ¡°Then, there¡¯s the two of you! I¡¯ll definitely make you pay for your decisions today!¡± Yale said nothing, merely standing at the side silently. As for Charmaine, she didn¡¯t know what else she could say. Victor walked over to Sophie. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Ms. Sophie. I¡¯ve retained the few major projects.¡± That was precisely why he hadn¡¯t been to the office in the past few days. Since Ms. Sophie entrusted Tanner Group to me, I can¡¯t let her down! ¡°It must have been difficult for you these past few days. Sorry, but you¡¯ll have to work hard for a few more days. Boost the morale so that the employees aren¡¯t affected by this!¡± Sophie gave him a lot of instructions, and Victor noted everything down. ¡°What about them?¡± Yale is currently the Chairman of Tanner Group. How am I to deal with him? If he remains, everyone won¡¯t be able to rx. ¡°You don¡¯t need to look at me. I¡¯ll retire right away and go travel the world.¡± Yale immediately expressed his stance. By then, he had understood everything. Everyone in thepany doesn¡¯t ept us. If Tanner Group were really to be managed by me and Willow, it¡¯d only end up destroyed. Since we can¡¯t snatch it away, so be it. It isn¡¯t so bad either to have everything remain as it is now. On the contrary, Charmaine had seemingly aged overnight. ¡°I won¡¯te to thepany anymore henceforth, so don¡¯t worry!¡± Sophie had the driver send Yale and Charmaine home while she remained at Tanner Group to handle some leftover problems. When they arrived home, Charmaine plopped onto the couch and wept. As soon as Yale saw that, a terrible headache assailed him. ¡°What are you doing? What¡¯s the use of crying? Do you not know the kind of person Sophie is? Since she decided to do such a thing back then, she could only bear the consequences today. Besides, it doesn¡¯t affect us much.¡± She should be content that things didn¡¯t end too badly! ¡°Is this all you n to do with your life, Yale? No matter what, Willow is my daughter! Don¡¯t you feel anything at all to see her taken away like that?¡± ¡°What should I have felt? Was I the one who told her to forge the will? Others might not know the truth, but don¡¯t we both know whether the will is genuine or otherwise?¡± Yale riposted. ¡°But she¡¯s still my daughter! If Sophie were to truly send her to a psychiatric hospital, her entire life would be ruined!¡± Charmaine countered in anguish. Why did that well-behaved daughter of mine suddenly turn out to be such? ¡°What do you want, then? Do you think Sophie is going to listen to you? She used to be obedient to Dad, but he¡¯s no longer here, is he?¡± Now, she isn¡¯t going to listen to anyone anymore! Charmaine naturally understood that. But am I to just give up on Willow? ¡°Okay, that¡¯s enough! Didn¡¯t you also never bother when we abandoned Sophie to Horington back then? Is she not your daughter?¡± That left Charmaine without a retort. Admittedly, I¡¯m biased. But what can I do about it? I simply hate Sophie¡¯s attitude. That¡¯s the only reason for my behavior! ¡°All right, stop thinking about things that can¡¯t be solved. Just do whatever you¡¯re supposed to do. I¡¯ve got something to do, so I¡¯m leaving. I¡¯m noting home for dinner. Cook or order something for yourself!¡± Yale didn¡¯t want to bother about her anymore either. After he had left, Charmaine was left alone at home. For a moment, grief surged within her. This family is probably going to crumble very soon! Willow¡¯s fate is hanging in the bnce now, while Yale had long since lost interest in me. Meanwhile, Sophie needed to handle a slew of problems at the office because of the incident this time. It wasn¡¯t until after she had sorted out everything that she left Tanner Group. All the employees were incredibly thrilled by her return. They were d that they could finally live a normal life again.Property ? N?velDrama.Org. During the past few days when Willow managed thepany, their days had been hell on earth. Probably no one else could understand such a feeling. Upon leaving Tanner Group, Sophie took a taxi to Lombard Group directly. The receptionists at Lombard Group were aware of her identity, so one of them personally called the elevator for her so that she could look for Tristan. ¡°Mr. Tristan is already waiting for you in his office, Ms. Tanner.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Sophie was extremely courteous with the receptionists. Smiling, the receptionists watched as she entered the elevator. ¡°No wonder Mr. Tristan likes Ms. Tanner. While she looks aloof, she¡¯s good-natured.¡± ¡°Exactly! I¡¯ve been working with thepany for a few years now, and countless socialites havee here in pursuit of Mr. Tristan. But still, I find it morefortable to interact with Ms. Tanner.¡± She doesn¡¯t put on airs at all. That¡¯s likely why it feels pleasant to talk to her. ¡°Anyway, she¡¯s better than Ms. Quigley who always acts high and mighty.¡± We¡¯re all the same. She merely has a better family background. What right does she have to look down on us? Moreover, the fact that we made it into Lombard Group is already a testament to our capabilities. At Lombard Group, even receptionists were graduates from prestigious universities, and their remunerations were far better than professionals from otherpanies. ¡°But then, I heard that Ms. Tanner¡¯s family background isn¡¯t that good. I wonder if they¡¯ll really end up together,¡± one of the receptionists remarked enviously. ¡°It¡¯s already the modern era now, and no one cares about that anymore. Stop daydreaming! Even if Ms. Tanner doesn¡¯t make the cut, you¡¯ll never be in the running.¡± ¡°How dare you! That¡¯s not necessarily true. Don¡¯t look down on me.¡± Can¡¯t I even daydream for a bit? No matter how refined one was, people loved to gossip, and the few receptionists were no exception. In the meantime, Sophie had already arrived on the nieth floor. Wanting to give Tristan a surprise, she turned the doorknob lightly, nning to enter his office stealthily. Little did she expect that she would suffer a fright instead. The instant she stepped in, she was greeted by the sight of a beautiful bare back. She moved her gaze downward, only to see that the woman was actually standing there without a stitch on. In a sh, all the blood in her body rushed to her head. Meanwhile, the woman in front of her had never expected someone to enter the room without knocking. Right then, she used her hands to cover her body though it was futile. ¡°Who are you?¡± She was utterly panicked, but one could tell that she was an exceedingly pampered person. Sophie¡¯s eyes narrowed into slits. Not only is this woman trying to seduce my man, but she even stole my line now. She strolled over to Tristan, gratification inundating her to see that he had his eyes closed. Well, my man can¡¯t contaminate his eyes with such filth! ¡°Shouldn¡¯t I be asking you that?¡± Sophie regarded the shameless woman before her coldly. Chapter 618 Chapter 618 ¡°Who are you? And why did you strip down to your birthday suit in my boyfriend¡¯s office? What are you trying to do? Shouldn¡¯t you be exining yourself to me?¡± Tristan grasped Sophie¡¯s hand. He had also never expected the woman to undress in his office without warning. She wore a strapless dress without any lingerie underneath, so she was in the buff in the blink of an eye. Fortunately, Tristan had already screwed his eyes shut when she did that. As such, he could matter-of- factly say that he didn¡¯t see anything. Property ? N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Trust me, Sophie. I¡¯ve got no idea why she¡¯d do such a thing either,¡± he whined innocently. Verily, he knew nothing at all. ¡°Is she really your girlfriend, Mr. Tristan? I don¡¯t believe it.¡± The blond girl shook her head. All the while, she urged, ¡°Open your eyes and look at me! Compare us and see which of us is more suited to you!¡± At that, Sophie narrowed her eyes dangerously. ¡°Tristan, are you going to deal with this woman yourself, or shall I do it for you?¡± She turned his chair around so that he had his back to the woman. Then, she uttered in an icy voice, ¡°You may now open your eyes.¡± Unbidden, panic flooded Tristan. Although the matter hadn¡¯t much to do with him, he still couldn¡¯t help panicking. ¡°You can deal with it! You can handle it however you want!¡± Opening his eyes and realizing that he was facing the painting behind his desk, he breathed a sigh of relief. ¡°How could you do this to me, Mr. Tristan? Weren¡¯t you the one who told me to do so? Would I dare to strip in your office without your permission?¡± the blond girl fibbed. Never had Tristan expected her to be so audacious that she dared to fabricate such a lie. ¡°Why, do you know who I am? I¡¯m a princess from Yartran. My grandmother is Queen Elizabeth! I¡¯m the only one worthy of him in this whole world. Therefore, you¡¯d better get lost now!¡± the blond girl, Elyssa, dered arrogantly. ¡°A princess from Yartran? So what?¡± Sophie arched a brow. Is that impressive? Elyssa promptly blew a gasket. ¡°What do you mean by that? Are you looking down upon Yartran? Let me warn you that it wouldn¡¯t end well for you to anger me! Thus, you¡¯d better get out of here now. Don¡¯t disrupt me and Mr. Tristan. Otherwise¡ª¡± ¡°How old are you?¡± Sophie asked casually. ¡°That¡¯s none of your business! I told you to get out!¡± Elyssa was both furious and embarrassed. She was presently unclothed, yet she couldn¡¯t bring herself to pick up the dress on the ground and wear it. On top of that, Sophie was standing there without any signs of leaving. ¡°If your grandmother were to learn that her beloved granddaughter is so shameless, do you think she¡¯d still adore you the same? Let¡¯s put it in a different way. If the citizens of Yartran were to learn that the princess of the royal family doesn¡¯t even have the slightest manners, would they still believe in the royal family?¡± ¡°How dare you!¡± With just a few words from Sophie, Elyssa¡¯s face flushed bright red in rage. ¡°Don¡¯t you want to coborate with Yartran anymore, Tristan? Let me warn you¡ªkick this woman out right this instant! Otherwise¡ª¡± ¡°Cut it out, princess! I don¡¯t even remember your name! How could I possibly like you?¡± Tristan was rendered speechless. ¡°You¡¯ve gone overboard!¡± Whipping out her phone, Sophie called the police. ¡°Hello, I¡¯m calling from Lombard Group. Someone is trespassing. Pleasee over and do something about it.¡± Anyone who dares seduce my man would have to pay the price, no matter what. So what if she¡¯s a princess from Yartran? ¡°How dare you!¡± Elyssa was entirely stunned. She actually dared to call the police right in front of me! What exactly is she trying to do? ¡°Do you know who I am? How dare you do this to me!¡± ¡°I¡¯ve done exactly that. What can you do about it?¡± Soon, the police arrived. Initially, they didn¡¯t quite believe someone would dare trespass on Lombard Group when they received the call. However, they were all stumped upon seeing the unclothed woman. Right then, Elyssa no longer dared to publicize her identity. As she said, Grandma would definitely fly into a fit of rage if she were to learn that I¡¯d done such a shameful thing. ¡°Mr. Tristan¡­¡± The few police officers were at a loss to deal with that matter. ¡°Yeah, she is trespassing. Take her away!¡± ¡°Miss, please put on your dress. It¡¯s unsightly for you to go out in such a state!¡± one of the policewomen stated bluntly. At that moment, words eluded Elyssa. ¡°The dress is dirty, so I can¡¯t wear it anymore!¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter if the dress is dirty. It¡¯s when the person is filthy that things get tricky.¡± Are all foreigners this open? There are so many people here, yet she¡¯s still not putting on her dress? In the end, Elyssa had no choice but to pick the dress up from the ground and put it back on. ¡°Just you wait. Heed my words¡ªI¡¯ll never let you off the hook!¡± she threatened before leaving. In response, Sophie shrugged. ¡°I¡¯ll be waiting, then,¡± she replied nonchntly. Elyssa was taken away by the police. Ultimately, she could only phone her bodyguards and have them bail her out. It was just a trip to the police station, and they couldn¡¯t do anything about her either. s, only Sophie and Tristan were left in the office. Sophie remained silent. For that reason, Tristan panicked for real. ¡°Why aren¡¯t you saying anything? Are you mad? I can exin.¡± No woman can remain calm upon encountering such a situation! ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m mad!¡± Sophie didn¡¯t bother to mask how incensed she was at that instant. Pulling her into his arms, Tristan started solemnly, ¡°I don¡¯t know how she got in, but I can promise you that I¡¯ve got zero interest in her.¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t you tempted when a beautifuldy offered herself to you on a silver tter?¡± That foreign princess is pretty good-looking, and her figure is also incredibly alluring! ¡°I have no idea whether she¡¯s beautiful. You¡¯re the only person I can see. Everyone else is irrelevant.¡± I don¡¯t even remember that princess¡¯ name. How could I possibly like her? ¡°I don¡¯t care. Call your secretary right now. Have him send the cleaning staff up to clean the office before disinfecting the ce,¡± Sophie huffed. Needless to say, she knew that Tristan was loyal to her. Nheless, she was still very much chagrined after experiencing such a farce. At the sight of her in a fit of pique, Tristan chuckled. This is the normal reaction of the average girl, no? In the past, she¡¯d been too indifferent that I doubted whether she really liked me. ¡°Okay, whatever you say.¡± Tristan phoned his secretary through the internal line for real, ordering him to send the cleaning staff up to clean and disinfect the office. Conversely, Sophie was a tad sheepish when he truly did as she wished. ¡°Am I blowing things out of proportion?¡± Chapter 619 Chapter 619 Sophie observed as the cleaner meticulously cleaned Tristan¡¯s office and finished by thoroughly disinfecting the entire space. Despite these efforts, Sophie still felt ufortable. She considered this reaction of hers to be peculiar. Felix happened to be at Lombard Group that day. Upon hearing about the events that took ce in Tristan¡¯s office, he was immediately intrigued and rushed over to investigate. ¡°Sophie, there you are! What have you been up totely? Ysabelle has beenining that you don¡¯t have any time for her,¡± Felix said. Ysabelle kept bringing up Sophie¡¯s name so often that it was starting to get on his nerves. ¡°Sophie is my girlfriend. Why would she need to spend time with Ysabelle?¡± Tristan retorted. She¡¯s not a young girl anymore. Why can¡¯t she spend her free time doing things she enjoys? Felix replied helplessly, ¡°I can¡¯t do anything about it either. You know how Ysabelle is. Sophie is more important to her than I am.¡± He never imagined that he would one day have a love rival, especially not one who was Tristan¡¯s girlfriend. It was a really strange feeling. Sophie agreed, ¡°Yes, we haven¡¯t met for some time.¡± Theyst met at the funeral. Sophie wasn¡¯t in a good mood, so they didn¡¯t get to talk much. ¡°Why don¡¯t you spend some time with her when you have the chance?¡± Felix suggested. ¡°Otherwise, she¡¯ll just keep being down, and that won¡¯t be good for either of us.¡± Felix knew that if Ysabelle wasn¡¯t happy, it would impact him as well. Sophie pointed out bluntly, ¡°If I¡¯m not around, you¡¯ll get to spend more time with her, right?¡± A while ago, Felix wanted Ysabelle all for himself. Less than one monthter, he changed his mind and wanted Sophie to spend time with Ysabelle. ¡°Be honest with me. Did you get bored of Ysabelle already?¡± Sophie demanded. Felix quickly shook his head. ¡°Sophie, you can¡¯t say that. Are you trying to kill me?¡± He knew that if Ysabelle were to hear what Sophie had just said, he would be in big trouble. Felix dered without hesitation, ¡°I will only love Ysabelle for my entire life. The heavens and earth can bear witness to my love for her!¡± ¡°Seriously?¡± Tristan shook his head in exasperation. ¡°I have strong survival instincts. You know how hard I had to work to win over Ysabelle. There have been many obstacles in our way, so please don¡¯t put me in a difficult situation,¡± Felix stated. Ysabelle¡¯s poprity was growing at a rapid pace. Every time she posted a tweet on Twitter, arge number of male admirers would inundate thements section with replies. Felix was upset at those male fans. ¡°By the way, where is Princess Elyssa? Didn¡¯t shee to you?¡± Tristan narrowed his eyes. ¡°Princess Elyssa? How do you know her? How did shee in?¡± ¡°I brought her here. We¡¯re nning a coboration with the royal family of Yartran, right? She made the journey here. Why can¡¯t I bring a guest here?¡± Felix asked with innocence, still unaware of his mistake. ¡°Sophie, why are you giving me that look? Please stop, it¡¯s making me nervous,¡± Felix said as he backed away. Did I do anything wrong? N?velDrama.Org copyrighted ? content. ¡°Are you in cahoots with Elyssa?¡± Sophie asked in a cold voice. She was willing to give him one final opportunity as she wasn¡¯t an unreasonable person. ¡°What do you mean by I¡¯m in cahoots with her? Lombard Group is going to work together with the royal family of Yartran, so I brought her here!¡± Felix protested. ¡°Felix, how good are you at fighting?¡± Instead of continuing the topic, Sophie suddenly asked a strange question. Felix was confused. What¡¯s with the sudden question? ¡°I suppose I¡¯m not too shabby when ites to fighting,¡± he answered modestly. Despite not being on the same level as Tristan, he had honed his skills over the years from working for him. ¡°Let¡¯s fight then!¡± Sophie dered. ¡°What? Sophie, are you joking? I don¡¯t fight with women!¡± Felix blurted out in shock. ¡°Besides, if Ysabelle finds out about this, she¡¯ll get mad at me. She thinks you¡¯re her idol!¡± Sophie retorted, ¡°If you don¡¯t want her to find out, let¡¯s fight. Don¡¯t worry. I won¡¯t hold back!¡± Felix nearly burst into tears. ¡°Mr. Tristan, what did I do wrong?¡± he asked. Sophie¡¯s Mr. Tristan¡¯s girlfriend. I can¡¯t afford to offend either of them! Ignoring Felix¡¯s plea, Tristan strode over to Sophie. She was already packing up her stuff, so it was obvious she was serious about the fight. ¡°Come, let¡¯s go. This is not the appropriate ce for you to fight.¡± We need to fight somewhere appropriate. Felix was speechless. Didn¡¯t I say no? She ignored my refusal to fight with her! Sophie led Tristan and Felix to a nearby wrestling gym. She changed into a suitable outfit and hopped onto the wrestling ring. As Sophie looked serious, Felix had to text Ysabelle for help: Come here now! If youe anyter, you might not get to see me for onest time. He knew he was doomed, and it was a horrible feeling. Ysabelle had just stepped out of the shower when she received Felix¡¯s text. Recently, she was preupied with her dance rehearsals as she was soon set to appear on a dance-themed reality TV show. Thus, TS Entertainment hired a dance teacher to improve her dancing skills. Upon receiving Felix¡¯s text message, she quickly grabbed her bag and set off toward Felix¡¯s location in her car. Ysabelle had only received her driving licensest week. Tristan couldn¡¯t help but shake his head when he saw Felix asking for Ysabelle¡¯s help. ¡°Felix, you are pathetic,¡± hemented. Felix was stumped for words. ¡°Remember what you say. If I ended up hurting herter, you are not allowed to settle scores with me,¡± he warned. Who am I doing this for? I can¡¯t believe Mr. Tristan is mocking me. How could he do that to me? Tristan merely snickered icily. ¡°You must go all out!¡± Felix was dumbfounded. ¡°Does love fade away? Don¡¯t you love her anymore? I can¡¯t believe you want me to teach her a lesson. Mr. Tristan, are you conscious right now? Do you know what you¡¯ve just said?¡± he asked warily. Tristan ignored him. He knew Felix wouldn¡¯te to his senses until he was beaten to a pulp. Sophie was getting impatient in the ring. ¡°Hurry up, Felix. Stop wasting time!¡± she called out. ¡°Sophie, are you sure you want to do this? No matter what, we¡¯re friends, and there is no need for us to engage in physical conflict,¡± Felix pleaded. He still had no idea what his mistake was. ¡°Can you just tell me what I did wrong so I can fix it? There¡¯s no need for us to resort to violence, and it won¡¯t be good if either of us gets hurt.¡± If word got out that he beat a woman up, his reputation and dignity would suffer irreparable damage. ¡°Hey, stop wasting time. Juste up here, won¡¯t you? Stop talking nonsense,¡± Sophie snapped impatiently. ¡°Don¡¯t you dare hold back, for I¡¯m not going to hold back, too.¡± Felix was struck dumb. Sh*t! Chapter 620 Chapter 620 He insisted, ¡°Sophie, I really don¡¯t want to fight. I feel a little unwell today. Please spare me this once!¡± Why isn¡¯t it biologically possible for men to experience menstrual cycles? I can¡¯t even find a valid reason to put off the altercation. Sophie furrowed her brows. Property ? N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Felix, are you sure you won¡¯te up now? I can join you down there if you prefer fighting there,¡± she replied coldly. Felix felt like crying. What did I do wrong? Meanwhile, Ysabelle had arrived at breakneck speed, having driven there as quickly as possible. Hope rose in Felix¡¯s heart when he saw Ysabelle walking into the wrestling gym. ¡°Oh, Ysabelle, you¡¯ve finally arrived! If you hade anyter, you might have missed the chance to see me ever again,¡± he cried out. Ysabelle asked, ¡°Didn¡¯t you say you¡¯re about to die? You look fine. What happened?¡± She was confused to see him still in one piece. ¡°Sophie wants to fight with me!¡± Felixined, pointing an using finger in Sophie¡¯s direction. Why did she treat me like this despite the fact that I¡¯ve been loyal and put in a lot of effort? Ysabelle noticed Sophie in the ring and asked, ¡°Sophie, did Felix do something to upset you? Don¡¯t hesitate to teach him a lesson. I won¡¯t mind, so you don¡¯t have to hold back because of me.¡± Felix gaped incredulously at Ysabelle. ¡°Ysabelle, are you sure you¡¯re my girlfriend? Shouldn¡¯t you side with me? How could you do this to me? This is too much. Don¡¯t you love me anymore?¡± ¡°Sophie, I don¡¯t know him. Go ahead and teach him a lesson,¡± Ysabelle stated firmly. No matter what Felix did to irritate Sophie, Ysabelle held him responsible for any conflict that arose between them. ¡°Seriously?¡± Felix¡¯s jaw dropped wide open. Poor me. ¡°Are you done, Felix? Hurry, it¡¯s time to face off with Sophie. We have ns for lunchter, so if you don¡¯t want to fight with her, you can fight with me. The choice is yours.¡± Tristan interjected. ¡°Fight with you?¡± Felix repeated dumbly. If I were to fight with him, can I still join them for lunch? I¡¯m afraid I¡¯ll be admitted to the hospital on a stretcher! ¡°I¡¯ll fight with Sophie,¡± he caved in. I must be careful enough not to hurt her, though. Felix grabbed the edge of the ring and hopped onto it. Initially, he chose to defend himself rather than attack Sophie. Nevertheless, after they both threw punches, he realized he needed to stay on guard. Sophie was just aspetent as Felix, and despite being of the opposite gender, she possessed remarkable strength. Upon receiving a kick from her, Felix stumbled backward for a few moments before managing to steady himself. ¡°Ow!¡± Felix hissed in pain. No wonder she can defeat mercenaries. Look at how capable she is! She might be as capable as Mr. Tristan. Ah, I regret not choosing to go against Mr. Tristan. Ysabelle was dumbfounded at the scene before her. ¡°Uncle Tristan, is Sophie that capable? Will she beat Felix to his death?¡± Ysabelle grew concerned. ¡°He¡¯ll be fine. She¡¯ll only beat him to a pulp,¡± came Tristan¡¯s calm answer. ¡°Seriously? What did Felix do?¡± Ysabelle¡¯s curiosity was piqued. ¡°Nothing much. He brought ady to my office who stripped off her clothes there, and Sophie happened to bump into her.¡± ¡°What?¡± Ysabelle blurted out in surprise. Did Felix really do something that terrible? Does he not care about the consequences of his actions? It¡¯s clear that Sophie had a good reason to teach him a lesson. His behavior was inexcusable, and he deserves punishment for it. What was he thinking? ¡°He has iting, right?¡± Tristan asked with his arms folded across his chest. Ysabelle gave a serious nod. ¡°Yes. He deserves to be taught a lesson.¡± In the wrestling ring, Felix was hit with a wave of despair when he heard Ysabelle¡¯s words. His attention was diverted, causing him to miss Sophie¡¯s kick that knocked him out of the ring. This time, Felix sprawled on the ground and yed dead. He remained silent, as he had no further words to offer. Realizing he had been lying on the floor for some time, Ysabelle ran over to him and patted his face. ¡°Felix, are you okay? Are you that weak? Are you admitting defeat?¡± Naturally, that made Felix even more reluctant to speak. Am I weak? It is Sophie who is too strong! ¡°All right. Stop ying dead and get up. You¡¯ll be fine after Sophie vents her anger. Why did you do that? You know how important Uncle Tristan is to Sophie,¡± Ysabelle chided. He brought this upon himself. I might be his girlfriend, but I can¡¯t bring myself to defend him. ¡°It hurts!¡± Felixined. ¡°Sophie didn¡¯t hold back in her attacks.¡± Ysabelle patted his cheek. ¡°Never mind. This is a lesson for you so you won¡¯t repeat your actions. Otherwise, you might be beaten to death. Oh, Sophie was amazing!¡± ¡°Mm.¡± Did my girlfriend seriouslyfort me that way? Is that how it is supposed to be? I don¡¯t feelforted at all. Ugh, I still feel terrible. Tristan had already hopped onto the ring. ¡°You must be tired after the fight. Why don¡¯t you let the matter slip? I believe Felix has learned his lesson,¡± he told Sophie. Sophie nodded in agreement. ¡°Okay, then!¡± She was feeling frustrated and needed to release her anger. It wasn¡¯t her intention to hurt Felix. It had been some time since she was involved in a fight, so she didn¡¯t hesitate and threw a powerful kick. Jumping off the ring confidently, she walked over to Felix. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for losing control. I didn¡¯t mean to hurt you, so please don¡¯t be mad at me,¡± Sophie said apologetically. ¡°But you¡¯re too weak. How can you protect Ysabelle this way? You need to train more.¡± Felix was speechless. I¡¯m too weak? You¡¯re the one who¡¯s too strong! Felix¡¯s pain lingered even after he changed his clothes. The spot where Sophie had kicked him still ached. The four of them went out for lunch. After learning Felix and Sophie had a fight, Charles sent a text to their WhatsApp group: I heard you fought with Sophie. Are you okay, bro? He inserted a smiley emoji and tagged Felix. Felix replied with a ¡°leave me alone¡± sticker and ignored his tease. Hmph. None of them are really concerned about me. They are obviously having fun watching me suffer! Charles chuckled out loud when he saw the sticker Felix replied. He turned to Sean and asked, ¡°Say, is Sophie really that good? Felix is not as strong as you and Tristan, but he is still quite close in terms of strength.¡± He couldn¡¯t believe that a youngdy could be that capable. ¡°I don¡¯t know. You can try challenging her next time. That way, you¡¯ll learn the extent of her capabilities. ¡°You won¡¯t know the oue unless you give it a go!¡± Sean responded. Chapter 621 Chapter 621 ¡°Am I crazy? Isn¡¯t it better to stay alive? Why would I even think about razzing her?¡± That¡¯s right. She is gorgeous, but that¡¯s my best friend¡¯s woman! So no one can touch her! Charles thought. ¡°As long as you know,¡± said Sean. Then why is he spouting all this nonsense now? ¡°I¡¯m just curious about what Felix did to her.¡± Sophie may look cold and aloof, but she was nice to them. She wouldn¡¯t just deal with them like what she did to Felix. What the hell did he do to provoke her? ¡°You already said that, right? That means Felix did something to anger her! I¡¯m with Sophie this time.¡± Charles was speechless to this, thinking that Felix would surely be sad when he heard that and how no one pitied what he had gone through. Content rights belong to N?velDrama.Org. That was just sad. At that moment, the princess from Yartran was escorted out of the police station by her bodyguards. She threw and smashed everything in her hotel room when she got back. More than ten bodyguards saw her in that state, but no one dared utter a word. They knew the princess¡¯ personality. She was a spoiled brat in the royal family. ¡°I don¡¯t care! You all need to bring me that woman! I won¡¯t let her off after she humiliated me today!¡± She would never admit that she had lost to Sophie. ¡°Princess Elyssa, I think it¡¯s best we head back. This is Chanaea, and you sneaked out of the pce. Her Majesty would be furious if she finds out.¡± The one who said that was Elyssa¡¯s maid. The bodyguards dared not speak a word. ¡°I don¡¯t want to go back! It¡¯s hard for me to evene out, so I will never go back just like that!¡± Elyssa sneaked out to look for Tristan in the first ce. She had fallen hopelessly in love with Tristan at first sight. That was why she found ways to get to Chanaea. There was no way she would leave without aplishing anything. ¡°But if Her Majesty found out about this¡ª¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry! Her Majesty adores me, so she wouldn¡¯t do anything to me!¡± Elyssa boasted. She was always the Queen¡¯s favorite princess. ¡°But this time, you angered Mr. Tristan. You knew that Her Majesty always wanted a coboration with him. Her Majesty would surely be furious if she knew you have ruined it,¡± the maid said in a worried tone. The Queen had always admired Tristan and was hoping to work together with him. ¡°All right. Just do what I tell you to, and stop yapping so much. You can go back now if you¡¯re not going to listen to me, and stop following me! What I do is my freedom and has nothing to do with you! I just don¡¯t want that woman to get away with this. I¡¯ll do everything I can to make her pay,¡± Elyssa said in anger. She continued, ¡°Listen up, all of you! You all followed me here, so all of you will get it if something happens to me! You¡¯d better do as I say and don¡¯t anger me! Go and get me that woman!¡± Elyssa jumped on the bed after saying that. She was still angry. Even the housekeepers wouldn¡¯t listen to me now? I am the princess of Yartran, and I have been loved ever since I was born! There¡¯s no way I¡¯ll take a humiliation like this! ¡°You guys are just too much! Her walking over me means that she¡¯s walking over Yartran, and all of you are still not helping me!¡± The maids really didn¡¯t know what to do when they saw Elyssa like that, but they couldn¡¯t just go and bring Tristan¡¯s woman over. They were in Jipsdale, and it was Tristan¡¯s territory. None of them wanted to die anytime soon. The four of them walked out of the restaurant after the meal. However, Felix was still in a depressed state. He felt utterly humiliated after being beaten up by a little girl like that. This is awful! ¡°I¡¯m saying this now. No one tells anyone what happened here today, or I¡¯m breaking my friendship with you guys,¡± Felix said to Tristan and Ysabelle. Ysabelle was speechless when she heard that. What gave him the courage to say that! ¡°Are you sure you want to break your friendship with me? Is it because I¡¯ve been treating you well lately, and that¡¯s why you¡¯ve been delusional?¡± Ysabelle said in a sour tone. Felix immediately shook his head when he saw Ysabelle in that state. ¡°How could that be? I¡¯m just ying. There¡¯s no way I¡¯ll do that to you,¡± Felix replied with a smile. As for Tristan, he felt relieved when he saw Felix¡¯s meek look. Felix really liked Ysabelle, and he would never treat Ysabelle badly. Theirbination was actually quite interesting. ¡°It¡¯s still early now, so what do you all want to do?¡± Tristan asked Sophie. It had been a while since he came out with her, and he was finally free now. They could follow what the other couples were doing and go on a date. ¡°Ysabelle, The Wheelers are having a concert, right? I¡¯m nning to go. What about you guys?¡± Sophie was so busytely that she didn¡¯t even have time to see The Wheelers. She wondered how Mark was doing these days and was wondering if Sunny¡¯s hands had already healed. ¡°Yup! They have a concert today. This is their first concert after theireback, and the tickets were sold out immediately after it was on sale! I wanted to get the tickets, but my hands were not as fast as their fans.¡± Ysabelle was quite depressed when she talked about that. ¡°Honestly, The Wheelers¡¯ fame is really unmatched in Chanaea. They are really popr, and many loved them,¡± Ysabelle felt really proud as she said that. ¡°Let¡¯s go! I¡¯ll bring you there.¡± The concert had already started when they arrived. ¡°The concert has started! How do we get in?¡± They didn¡¯t even have tickets. The security at The Wheelers¡¯ concerts had always been very tight. Jonathan immediately appeared at the entrance after Ysabelle asked that question. ¡°Oh God, how could I forget? Sophie, you¡¯re the CEO of TS Entertainment! You can get into The Wheelers¡¯ concert anytime! It¡¯s all your fault! I feel like I¡¯ve dumbed out because I have been hanging out with you too much!¡± Ysabelle red at Felix. Felix pursed his lips and looked helpless at that. Err¡­ What the h*ll? Her IQ lowered after she hangs out with me? Is she sure that it¡¯s not the opposite? Of course, he dared not say that out loud. Tristan¡¯s lips curled into a smile when he saw Felix¡¯s expression. He then put his arm around Sophie¡¯s shoulder and walked in. There were many fans who couldn¡¯t get in outside the venue, and they all came over when they saw Tristan and the group walking in. ¡°I thought you said there were no tickets left? Then why are they entering? This is bias!¡± ¡°Yeah! You need to give us an exnation now!¡± ¡°She¡¯s the CEO of TS Entertainment, and you¡¯re saying she can¡¯t enter?¡± No one would dare stop the CEO of TS Entertainment from entering, even if Jonathan was not here. What kind of joke is that? I still want my job. Chapter 622 Chapter 622 ¡°What? She¡¯s the CEO of TS Entertainment? No way! She looks younger than me!¡± ¡°She¡¯s only in her first year of university, so, of course, she¡¯s young!¡± the securities said annoyingly, thinking that the fans were really crazy. The fans would have sessfully gotten inside if it weren¡¯t for the security guard¡¯s professionalism. ¡°All right. I know you all love The Wheelers, but we really don¡¯t have any tickets left. You all can try to get the tickets faster and earlier next time.¡± ¡°You think we¡¯re not fast enough? The other fans are just too fast! We¡¯re helpless too, okay?¡± Even though they couldn¡¯t enter, they could still listen to their music from outside the venue. The fans were really struggling and trying their best. ¡°See that? There¡¯re so many fans who are still outside, and they couldn¡¯t even get in. Mark and the others are really incredible,¡± Ysabelle said in admiration. Her fame was still notparable to The Wheelers even though she was also considered a singer now. She wondered when she could have a concert of her own like this. ¡°Yeah. I feel that The Wheelers can have another concert! They wouldn¡¯t feel sorry for the fans who were waiting outside that way,¡± Sophie chimed in. Of course, she wouldn¡¯t want Mark and the others to get all exhausted. This is how the rock industry was. Huge efforts needed to be put in to make a concert sessful. After that, the staff members would need a few days to recover from it.Property ? of N?velDrama.Org. ¡°But wouldn¡¯t they be too tired?¡± Ysabelle had her worries as well. ¡°That¡¯s why we¡¯ll discuss this in a few days after they rested,¡± Sophie agreed to that. Tristan and Felix just looked at each other. Both the women were too focused on The Wheelers and ignoring their boyfriends. The men couldn¡¯t really sit right with this. ¡°Ms. Sophie, you¡¯re too kind. We always have two concerts in a row back when we were with Sky Media. Sky Media did earn buckets, but our team members were really drained.¡± Sophie wanted to have another concert for the fans who were outside, but not because of the money. She¡¯s different from those in Sky Media. She could feel the passion of the fans when she entered the venue. Mark is in great condition today! Sophie was impressed. He was still, undoubtedly, the king of the stage when he was up there. As for Sunny, his hand finally healed, and this time, he was where he was supposed to be, shining like a star. Sophie really felt everything that she did was worth it when she saw that scene. All this looked so amazing to her. Ysabelle was now screaming with the fans, not caring about her vocal cords at all whereas Felix was looking at her with a worried gaze. ¡°Ysabelle, you¡¯re a singer. You should learn to protect your voice. You shouldn¡¯t do what you¡¯re doing now!¡± Ysabelle was really too much at times. She couldn¡¯t control herself every time she was at The Wheelers¡¯ concert. ¡°But I can¡¯t help it! I want to scream with everyone at an event like this!¡± ¡°Do you want to go on stage?¡± Even at this moment, Tristan¡¯s focus was still on Sophie. He knew she used to be part of The Wheelers, and he knew how bright she shone when she was on the stage. Maybe Sophie would want to join them on stage when she saw the members there. However, Sophie shook her head. ¡°I don¡¯t want that. I told you, right? The reason why I left was because I don¡¯t want to debut myself.¡± Sophie wanted to live her life in a low-key way. She didn¡¯t want to be in the limelight and expose herself to the public. She couldn¡¯t ept a life like that. ¡°Okay.¡± The concert continued on until eleven at night. As Mark stopped as his voice couldn¡¯t handle it anymore. Just then, Mark noticed Sophie and the group. He looked down from the stage with his microphone in hand and said, ¡°I want to thank someone. We could continue to perform on this stage because of her, and I know I wouldn¡¯t be able to even stand on the stage that I love if it wasn¡¯t for her. Sophie! Thank you!¡± In truth, Mark wanted to say, ¡°I love you,¡± but he didn¡¯t have the right to do so. That was why he could only say ¡°thank you¡± in the end. Hearing what he said, the members of The Wheelers stood in a straight line and bowed deeply toward Sophie. That was true. If Sophie weren¡¯t there, they wouldn¡¯t be on stage singing their favorite rock music. At that moment, the audience waspletely silent. The fans didn¡¯t know what was going on, but they knew that The Wheelers once decided to leave the industry. Everyone could remember The Wheeler¡¯sst concert, and it was etched in their mind. Sophie gave them a big smile. There¡¯s no need for thank you between us. Sophie came looking for them backstage after the concert was over. ¡°Don¡¯t tire yourself out. You all can still sing as long as The Wheelers still exist!¡± As a singer, the most important thing was to protect their voice and not be reckless. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. We know what we¡¯re doing.¡± It wasn¡¯t their first time ying in a band, so they knew what to do and what not to do. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Sophie. We were overseas when Old Mr. Tanner left, so we weren¡¯t able to make it.¡± Not only that but the news was sealed at that moment. They only knew what happened a little while after that. Sophie must have been so sad during that period of her life, they thought. Sophie patted Sunny¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m fine now! I look fine to you guys, right? Grandpa was old, so he would leave sooner or later anyway. I¡¯ve gotten over it.¡± Sunny came over and hugged Sophie, and the other members followed suit. Then, the six of them formed a group hug. It was easy to say, ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± but it would never be easy to ept the fact that someone had left the world for good. The Wheelers¡¯ greatest regret was not being able to send Josiah off when he passed away. Ysabelle¡¯s eyes reddened when she saw the scene. She didn¡¯t want Sophie to see her in that state, so she left after informing Tristan. The other members then went to change, so there were only Sophie and Mark backstage whereas Tristan went to the restroom. ¡°How are you, Mark?¡± Sophie knew Mark had been through a lot, and she was worried he might still be trapped in it, but things seemed to be going fine based on how Mark looked. ¡°I¡¯m fine. Don¡¯t worry about me! Who do you think I am? I¡¯m Mark! I know my life should be full of miracles, and I know I will be a legend one day. I love the stage, and I love singing. So, I will never leave again. I will sing until I can¡¯t sing anymore.¡± That was how life was supposed to be. It was supposed to be full of ups and downs. He had already lost Sophie, so he couldn¡¯t lose his stage. ¡°That¡¯s great to hear! It¡¯ste. You all should get back and rest. Let¡¯s meet up for a meal someday!¡± It was, indeed, quitete. ¡°Yeah! You should head back too. Mr. Tristan is still waiting for you outside. Don¡¯t make him wait too long!¡± Tristan wouldn¡¯t be happy if Sophie worried about other men. Chapter 623 Chapter 623 Aftering out from the stadium, Tristan drove back to his condominium located near University of Medicine. It was already past one o¡¯clock when he arrived at the condominium. ¡°Mr. Tristan, do you mind that I¡¯m close to them?¡± Sophie asked. Everyone was aware that Mark liked her, and she knew it too. However, she had no control over what others felt for her. Tristan pulled her into his arms. ¡°Do you want an honest answer?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Since she inquired, she naturally wanted an honest answer, or else there was no need to ask in the first ce. ¡°No, I don¡¯t. I know you don¡¯t like him, and that¡¯s enough. You can¡¯t possibly have no friends,¡± Tristan answered. He was aware of The Wheelers¡¯ importance to her, so he naturally would not make an unreasonable request of her. Sophie was touched by his words. She leaned in and kissed his lips. Tristan deserved it for being so considerate. Tristan would never turn down her affection, so he deepened the kiss. When their lips disengaged from the kiss, Sophie was already lifted to sit on the dining table, and Tristan stood between her legs. This position was verypromising without a doubt. In addition, Tristan¡¯s eyes were filled with desire. However, he managed to control himself at the veryst second. He lowered his head to rest on her chest as he panted lowly. Meanwhile, Sophie hugged his head. She should not have tempted him, knowing that he would not take the initiative to touch her, and right now, she had to see him suffer. ¡°Tristan¡ª¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine. Just let me hold you for a while longer,¡± he interrupted her. It was okay with him. He just had to endure for a little while more. Once she graduated, they would get married immediately. After his breathing calmed down, he lifted her and went back to her bedroom so she could take a shower. Then, he also went back to his bedroom. Even here, they did not sleep together and had separate rooms. In the bathroom, Sophie¡¯s face was still red. When she thought of his passion, her heartbeat sped up unconsciously. She seemed to be looking forward to sleeping with him for the first time. Sophie had only been in the shower for a short while as the electricity was cut off abruptly. At that moment, her body was covered in soap bubbles. The bathroom was dark, and she could not see anything. Sophie was at a loss. Meanwhile, Tristan was done bathing and was reading a book on his bed. He did not expect the power to go out at this hour. When he remembered that Sophie was probably still showering, he immediately got out of bed. He took his phone, turned on the shlight, and then made haste to her bedroom. As he expected, she was still in the bathroom. ¡°Are you done bathing?¡± Tristan asked while standing in front of the bathroom. ¡°No. I¡¯m stillthered up!¡± Sophie felt helpless. My luck is quite terribletely. I just wanted to shower, and the electric supply stopped. This feels so odd. Is this karma from bullying Felix too much today? ¡°Only the power stopped. I think there¡¯s still hot water. I¡¯ll pass you my phone. You should clean yourself first.¡± He twisted open the bathroom door and passed his phone to her. Sophie epted the phone, and found a spot to put it on, then washed off all the suds on her body quickly. Thankfully, she had already finished washing her hair earlier. Otherwise, it would be more troublesome right now. During the whole process, Tristan stayed outside the door to apany her. He did not make a noise and only guarded her on the outside. Tristan knew she was an independent girl. She probably would not be scared by situations like this, but he still wanted to stay here and protect her. After she was done, Sophie suddenly remembered that her clothes were on the bed. Since it was so dark outside, it should be fine for her to walk out directly. Therefore, she opened the door and walked out of the bathroom directly. Naturally, she had already turned off the shlight on the phone. When he heard the noise, Tristan knew she was out of the bathroom. However, she was not using the shlight. ¡°Didn¡¯t I give you my phone? Did it run out of battery? It¡¯s too dark. You should be careful.¡± Tristan reminded in concern. He would feel heartbroken if she got injured anywhere. ¡°I¡¯m not wearing anything,¡± Sophie exined. The air in the room turned thick with tension in an instant. He chided himself for forgetting that she would always dress in the bedroom after showering. The moment he thought of her bare body, Tristan felt aroused again. He eximed, ¡°Then, I¡¯ll go out first!¡± Tristan stepped out of her bedroom amidst the darkness and also closed the door behind him in a considerate manner. After he left, Sophie turned on the shlight and wore the clothes sheid out on the bed. She burst out chuckling when she thought of Tristan¡¯s reaction earlier. With the phone in her hand, she went to look for him. ¡°Here¡¯s your phone.¡± In the modern age, everyone would feel very insecure without their phone. This was why she came to return his phone to him. Tristan hummed. ¡°Thanks. Come here. I¡¯ll dry your hair.¡± She had juste out of the shower, so her hair was probably dripping wet. With the power supply cut off, she would probably catch a cold if she went to sleep like this. ¡°Okay.¡± Sophie obediently sat there and allowed him to dry her hair. She seemed to be fond of him drying her hair for her. His movements were gentle, and the sensation of his fingersbing through her tresses was very comfortable. Tristan¡¯s expression was very serious as he dried her hair, and his actions were equally focused. He made sure not to miss any part of her hair and only stopped once her hair was fully dry. ¡°All right, you can go to sleep now. You have something to do tomorrow, right?¡± Since it was already past two in the morning, she would not have many hours left to sleep if she did not go now. ¡°Yes! You should sleep too. I¡¯ll go now.¡± After saying that, Sophie turned to walk away. However, Tristan grabbed her hand and pulled her back. She fell into his arms. He only let her go after hugging her for a while. ¡°Okay. You can go now.¡± At Central Hospital, Arius was almost fully recovered. The result of Sophie¡¯s research was amazing. It completely negated all the side effects. Arius believed he could be discharged from the hospital. He felt as if he would be wasted if he stayed there any longer. ¡°Sophie, I¡¯m fully recovered. Look at me! Aren¡¯t I doing well? Please discharge me,¡± Arius pleaded. He felt pathetic. In the past, Arius had thest say in everything, but now, he could not leave if he did not have Sophie¡¯s approval. That made him very ufortable. Content rights belong to N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Didn¡¯t I already say that you can¡¯t? That¡¯s enough. Stop struggling and stay in the hospital for a few more days!¡± Sophie said. The virus this time was not to be taken lightly, so they had to be very cautious. ¡°Dr. Smith, can¡¯t you discipline your mentee? She wouldn¡¯t listen when I forbade her from leaving the hospital in the past. It¡¯s unfair that she¡¯s being so strict with me now!¡± Ariusined. However, Barney would not even nce at him. ¡°Listen to Sophie. Why do you talk so much nonsense!¡± ¡°Huh? Dr. Smith, don¡¯t you love me anymore? Do you only care about Sophie now?¡± Arius retorted. Chapter 624 Chapter 624 ¡°Mm,¡± Barney merely hummed in response and nodded lightly, without any denial. ¡°Dr. Smith, don¡¯t you know that your honesty hurts me? How can you treat me like this?¡± whined Arius with a pitiful expression. Am I being disregarded by Dr. Smith as his mentee? ¡°What does your being upset got to do with me? I only care about Sophie¡¯s feelings. How other people feel is none of my business.¡± Barney had always been a straightforward person. It was not as if Arius knew him for the first time. ¡°All right. It¡¯s my fault for shooting myself in the foot!¡± Arius felt rather dejected. They don¡¯t understand what it feels to lie in bed all day long and to be confined to this tiny ward! Seeing how dejected Arius looked, Sophie could not help but feel pity for him. ¡°All right. Why don¡¯t you stay for another three days? If your condition improves, I¡¯ll allow you to be discharged. How about that?¡± Sophie made a deal with Arius. Sophie had a soft heart for Arius, but she had to be stern for the sake of his health. Arius was touched. ¡°I knew this would happen. You¡¯re the only person in this world who still cares about me. Not like someone who forgets about his old mentee after he has a new one. Hmph!¡± Arius then turned and side-nced Barney. Barney simply snorted in response to Arius¡¯ usation. He did not care about how Arius thought of him. Sophie was the most important person in his mind right now. Her future possessed infinite possibilities, and he could not wait to uncover her potential. Just then, Georgina came to deliver Arius¡¯ medication. She was not surprised to see Barney and Sophie there. Georgina knew about Arius¡¯ identity. She took a liking to him the first time she met him. Hence, during these two days when she was less busy, she deliberately came to deliver his medication personally. Thus, everyone could sense that she was interested in Arius. ¡°Professor Gullifer, it¡¯s time for your medication,¡± Georgina reminded gently. ¡°You can ce them there. I¡¯ll take them in a while.¡± On the other hand, Arius did not feel the same toward Georgina. He learned that Barney intended to recruit Georgina into International Medical Association. Since they would be colleagues soon, he wanted everyone to interactfortably. Georgina was rather upset when Arius did not make any eye contact with her. However, she could understand Arius¡¯ response or theck of it. An exceptional talent like Professor Gullifer would have met various women in his life. Why would he pay particr attention to a in Jane like me? Sophie shook her head when she saw Georgina¡¯s dispirited expression. She waited for Georgina to leave before asking Arius, ¡°Did you do or say something misleading?¡± Arius retorted, ¡°I¡¯ve no idea what you¡¯re talking about. Can youe straight to the point?¡± ¡°Georgina seems to like you.¡± Sophie was not entirely sure but came to that conclusion as Georgina¡¯s expression reminded her of the time when Felix was crazy over Ysabelle. Arius kept silent. Barney raised his head too. ¡°I¡¯m warning you. You¡¯d better not y with people¡¯s feelings. Georgina is a nice girl, so if you don¡¯t like her, stop leading her on with your misleading actions.¡± Most people were not able to handle disappointment when they had expectations. ¡°Woah, are you both serious? She genuinely likes me?¡± Although Arius had a high intelligence quotient, it could not be said the same for his emotional intelligence. ¡°By the way, don¡¯t mention this to anyone. After all, she¡¯s a girl. Do be considerate of her feelings. Don¡¯t make it awkward for everyone.¡± Sophie came to know Georgina¡¯s personality after interacting with her for some time. ¡°Okay, I got it!¡± Arius did not think much of Georgina since he was not interested in her anyway. However, since Sophie had voiced it out, he had to respond. Only Sophie¡¯s words mattered to him in this world. Meanwhile, it had been three days since Willow was taken away by the police. Charmaine had been resisting the urge to call Sophie for help, but ultimately she relented. However, Sophie had long blocked Charmaine¡¯s number. Thus, she could not get through to Sophie at all! Charmaine then tried to contact Sophie through other means, but no matter how she tried, Sophie remained out of reach. Charmaine was very distressed about the current situation, but her hands were tied. To add on to her distress, Yale had note home for the past three days! Every time she called Yale, he would brush her off patronizingly. He no longer had her in his heart! In the end, Charmaine went to the police station alone to visit Willow. Willow could not believe that it took Charmaine so long to visit her! ¡°Mom, are you truly abandoning me? Did you believe that Sophie would listen to you? Haven¡¯t I told you that I¡¯m the only person who will obey you? So, you can¡¯t abandon me. Do you understand?¡± Willow was getting emotional. ¡°Please hurry up and think of how to get me out of here. I can¡¯t stay a minute longer. You have no idea how bad the food here is that I can¡¯t bring myself to eat it.¡± It had only been three days, but Willow had lost quite a bit of weight and looked disheveled, a far cry from the wealthy heiress she used to be. ¡°Wi, what exactly did you do? Why did they capture you?¡± Charmaine could not make any sense of what was happening. ¡°Mom, I¡¯m in this state today because of Sophie. She was the one who framed me. You have to believe me.¡± Willow felt resentful and could not take it anymore. ¡°What did she use you of?¡± Charmaine needed to know what happened that led to the predicament. ¡°What else can she use me of? Anyway, you need not know too much. You still have some money, right? Get some connections to settle my case. I honestly cannot stay here any longer.¡± Every minute spent at the police station was torture to Willow; she could not take it anymore. ¡°Yes, I still have some money! Let me think of something. Don¡¯t worry, darling!¡± Ultimately, Charmaine still felt that Willow was more considerate as a daughter than Sophie. Thus, she would never give up on Willow. As for Sophie, Charmaine never felt that the former treated her like a mother. In Charmaine¡¯s eyes, Sophie was a heartless and unreliable person. Her only hope was Willow. In the next few days, Charmaine went around setting up connections to try and get Willow released. However, despite using thest bit of all her savings, all her efforts were futile. Property ? of N?velDrama.Org. It came to a point where Charmaine was barred from visiting Willow when she made her way to the police station. ¡°What do you mean I can¡¯t visit her? I only want to see my daughter for a while. What¡¯s wrong with that?¡± After spending so much money and seeing no positive results, Charmaine was getting desperate. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. We¡¯re following orders from the higher-ups. The case Willow Tanner is involved in is a serious matter. Hence, she¡¯s not allowed any visitors,¡± the policeman exined. ¡°Who gave the orders? Can you tell me who it is? Is it Sophie Tanner? Was she the one who instructed you all to do so?¡± Charmaine was fuming over the atrocity of the order. ¡°How could she do that? Willow is her sister, yet she is so heartless to want to force her into a dead end!¡± Right then, Sophie appeared at the police station after receiving a call asking her toe down and give a statement about Willow hiring a hitman to kill her. It was then Sophie overheard Charmaine¡¯s conversation with the policeman. ¡°So I¡¯m that kind of person in your eyes, huh?¡± Sophie remarked coldly. Tristan gave Charmaine an icy stare as well. Chapter 625 Chapter 625 Charmaine was already shocked to hear Sophie¡¯s voice. Now, the look on Tristan¡¯s face intimidated her further. However, for the sake of Willow, she had to get a grip on herself. ¡°Sophie, what are you doing? No matter how bad things went with you and your sister, I didn¡¯t intervene in the past. But this is too much! How could you let things escte and even got the police? Hurry up and tell them that this is all a misunderstanding and ask them to release Willow!¡± Charmaine urged anxiously. I¡¯m your mother, after all. Can¡¯t you even grant this menial request of mine? ¡°How could I? I¡¯m not the one who hired a hitman to kill her own sister! She wanted to kill me, and yet you use me of escting the matter? Charmaine Laird, don¡¯t you have any conscience left? I get that you favor Willow, but you¡¯ve got to at least be reasonable.¡± Sophie knew that her mother had always favored Willow. However, her heart still ached to hear Charmaine stating it outright. Charmaine was stumped. ¡°I didn¡¯t mean it that way. You¡¯re both my children, and I don¡¯t want to see either one of you get into trouble. No matter what happens in our family, don¡¯t you think that it¡¯s better that we resolve it on our own? Why do you have to go to this extent? I know that the two of you have never gotten along. As long as you let her off the hook this time, I promise that she won¡¯t do something like this again.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve given her enough chances! She framed and smeared my name, and I had to go to Horington all alone because of her. I forgave her and didn¡¯t hold her responsible for my sufferings. However, this time, I¡¯m not letting her get away!¡± Sophie said. Giving in to Willow time and again would only make her take advantage of Sophie¡¯s leniency. ¡°Sophie, what do I have to do for you to spare Willow? Do I have to kneel before you? You¡¯re the CEO of Tanner Group now. Aren¡¯t you worried how your employees will see you when you¡¯re being this petty?¡± Charmaine reasoned. ¡°Since they¡¯re my employees, let me worry about how they¡¯ll see me. It has nothing to do with you,¡± Sophie retorted. How dare she threaten me? And she had the cheek to say that I¡¯m her daughter too. I should have known that she¡¯s always biased toward Willow. Sophie was relieved that she had seen through it all. Otherwise, she would have been heartbroken. Tristan wrapped his hands around Sophie¡¯s shoulders and disyed a hostile attitude toward Charmaine. ¡°Mrs. Tanner, please mind your attitude! We¡¯re the victims here,¡± Tristan said coldly. He couldn¡¯t bear to listen to her spewing nonsense any longer. Every time she opened her mouth, Tristan would feel an overwhelming urge to make the words she spoke herst words. The sole reason that she was still alive was because she was Sophie¡¯s mother. The chief came over to lead the way for Sophie and Tristan. He was especially courteous after he knew that it was Tristan who personally brought Sophie over and let the couple walk ahead of him. Charmaine wanted to follow them when she saw them leaving. However, she was stopped by a few police officers. ¡°Excuse me, madam. The Chief says that you can¡¯t go in.¡± ¡°What¡¯s with your attitude? Did you know who your chief just escorted? That¡¯s my daughter and son-in- law!¡± Charmaine warned arrogantly. The police officers couldn¡¯t help but let out a sneer. ¡°So what? It seems like your daughter and son-inw aren¡¯t too pleased with you.¡± After all, the police officers had overheard their conversation. Even if they were strangers, it pained them to just hear what Sophie had been through. They couldn¡¯t imagine how hurt Sophie must have been. And now she has the audacity to say such things. It¡¯s true what they say about how terrifying shameless people can be. ¡°You¡ª¡± Charmaine had wanted tosh out at them. However, the police officers were not intimidated and interrupted her, ¡°Madam, this is the police station. Please do not get in the way of our work. If you continue to disrupt our official duties, we will not hesitate to send you to apany your other daughter.¡± The police officers had many matters to attend to, and they certainly did not have the time to waste on Charmaine. Charmaine had never felt more humiliated. Though the Tanner family was not considered a massively affluent family, it was still a family name that commanded respect in Jipsdale. However, even a menial police officer dared to disrespect her now. Charmaine med it all on Sophie. If it wasn¡¯t for Sophie, she wouldn¡¯t have to suffer such indignance. She felt even more disappointed in Sophie. She¡¯s never the sweetheart I want her to be. No matter how aplished she is, she will never think of me. Sophie is just a selfish person who sees no one but herself. Charmaine vowed that she would get Willow out of jail. Willow was her only hope. Property ? of N?velDrama.Org. Meanwhile, in the chief¡¯s office, the chief exined, ¡°Mr. Tristan, we¡¯ve investigated the matter thoroughly. Willow Tanner did hire a hitman, but she is Sophie Tanner¡¯s sister. How do you guys n to proceed with this?¡± Now that the renowned Mr. Tristan hade all the way here, the chief reckoned that it was best to let Tristan and Sophie decide the next course of action. ¡°Her mental state is worrisome. Just send her to a psychiatric nursing home!¡± Sophie said coldly. Since Willow hadn¡¯t appreciated the chances given to her, Sophie thought the psychiatric nursing home would befit her the most. The chief cast a nce at Tristan. Thetter nodded in agreement. ¡°Her decision is final,¡± Tristan muttered. I¡¯m never the one calling the shots. Why¡¯s the chief looking at me? ¡°Understood, Ms. Tanner. We¡¯ll provide a hospital discharge document and transfer her directly to the psychiatric nursing home. Is there anything else you would like to add?¡± ¡°I think this is fine. What do you think?¡± Sophie asked and turned to look at Tristan. The man, again, nodded in agreement. Whatever she says, goes. He had no objections. As for Willow, there was a multitude of ways to deal with the woman who tried to hurt Sophie after she arrived at the psychiatric nursing home. ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± Usually, people wouldn¡¯t fancy going to the police station, and Sophie was no exception. ¡°Let me see the two of you to the door!¡± The chief stood up and personally saw them to the exit. After escorting them out of the police station, the chief even opened the car door for Sophie and watched them leave. He heaved a sigh of relief after sending them off. Mr. Tristan has finally left! The chief had to walk on eggshells in front of Tristan, even with his breathing was slow. The feeling was far from pleasant. Right then, Charmaine, who was hiding aside, approached the chief. ¡°Chief, what do I have to do for you to let Willow go? Just say the word, and I¡¯ll make it happen!¡± Charmaine said. The chief furrowed his brows at the sight of her. ¡°Who are you? Do you know what you¡¯re saying? I do my job ording to thew. Are you trying to insult my integrity? Please leave, or I¡¯ll have you arrested,¡± the police chief warned. Are you kidding me? That¡¯s Mr. Tristan we¡¯re talking about! Who would dare to stop him from doing what he wants? Chapter 626 Chapter 626 ¡°Please. Willow is still a child, and her life has just begun. If she is arrested now, her life will be ruined.¡± The chief paused in his tracks and asked, ¡°Are you Sophie¡¯s mother?¡± Despite not knowing why he asked about that, Charmaine nodded. ¡°Yes. I¡¯m her mother.¡± Would it be better to say so? It¡¯s the truth anyway. ¡°You should think of a way to make amends when you have a daughter like Sophie. I guess you¡¯ve done many good deeds in your past life to have such a kind daughter who managed to win Mr. Tristan¡¯s affection.¡± I¡¯m so envious of her. Charmaine was rendered speechless. As the chief had something else to tend to, he couldn¡¯t waste more time with her and left immediately. Standing still in bafflement, Charmaine didn¡¯t know what else she could do. There was no one she could talk to about the matter now. Then, the chief immediately asked someone to send Willow to a psychiatric nursing home. At the sight of the police officers, Willow thought they would release her. ¡°Can I go now?¡± asked Willow cheerfully. That¡¯s it. I¡¯ve had enough of it after being kept here for days. I¡¯ll never return to this ce again. After I get out of here, I will teach Sophie a lesson. Da*n you, Sophie! How dare you set me up. I won¡¯t let you off easily. ¡°Let you go? Do you think you can still do that after offending Mr. Tristan? Well, you could say that too because staying in a psychiatric nursing home is better than being here.¡± The psychiatric nursing home he meant was the most expensive one in Jipsdale. Willow was stunned. What are they talking about? I don¡¯t understand at all. Aren¡¯t they here to release me? Why are they suddenly talking about a psychiatric nursing home? ¡°Who says I¡¯m going to a psychiatric nursing home? I¡¯m not going. What are you doing? I¡¯m telling you. I don¡¯t want to go to a psychiatric nursing home!¡± I¡¯d rather stay here than in a psychiatric nursing home. ¡°You are not the one making decisions now.¡± Things have turned out like this. Does she think she still gets to choose now? Willow held tightly onto the door and refused to leave. She would rather stay here than go to a psychiatric nursing home. However, as the police officers were strong, they broke her grip directly and dragged her along the ground and out of the station. ¡°Ah! What are you trying to do? Let go of me! What are you doing? Do you know who I am? How dare you treat me like this!¡± She struggled and threw a fit, but to no avail. In the end, she was forced into the car and sent to the psychiatric nursing home. Throughout the journey, despair inundated Willow. How could Sophie be so cruel? I can¡¯t believe such a wicked woman exists in this world. She will definitely get what she deserves! She has done so many bad things. I¡¯m sure she¡¯ll reap what she has sowed. It was the same psychiatric nursing home Felix had sent her to back then. When she reached the entrance, a look of fear was written on her face. She swore she would never return when she left the ce back then. However, she didn¡¯t expect she would be sent here again. At that moment, she fell into utter despair. ¡°Please take me back to the station! I would rather go to jail than stay here. Please, I beg you!¡± Willow appeared very pathetic, like a mad person. ¡°Mr. Tristan has asked you guys to take good care of her.¡± It was unlikely for one to disobey Tristan¡¯s orders. ¡°Yes. We¡¯ve received the call.¡± Then, Willow was given a sedative and carried into the nursing home. At that moment, Willow could only lie there quietly as no one would respect her choice and know whether she was alive. In short, not many in this world would remember her existence. Meanwhile, Sophie apanied Tristan and arrived at Lombard Group. She daydreamed while looking out the window at her seat while he had gone to deal with something. Right then, she thought of Josiah. She was willing to tolerate all this while for his sake. No matter what Willow had done, she would pretend nothing had happened and forgive her again and again. She would teach Willow a lesson, but never to the extent of wanting to end her. N?velDrama.Org copyrighted ? content. However, she couldn¡¯t hold back anymore this time. ¡°Grandpa, I bet you will be so disappointed seeing me do such a thing,¡± muttered Sophie to herself. Josiah adored Sophie and always hoped his family could live happily. It didn¡¯t matter to him whether they loved one another. The least he asked for was that they could live in harmony. However, Sophie realized she had not done anything he asked for until now. I wonder if Grandpa would be very disappointed with me. After Tristan returned, the sight of Sophie daydreaming broke his heart. He walked up to her, hugged her gently, and let her lean on his shoulders. ¡°What are you thinking about?¡± As she leaned on his shoulder in his embrace, the corner of her lips curved into a grin. ¡°Tristan, I¡¯m d to have you with me. I guess all my luck has brought me to meet you and Grandpa. That is why the rest are so wicked.¡± ¡°Do you miss Old Mr. Tanner? If so, why don¡¯t I go with you to visit his grave? It has been long since we last went.¡± ¡°Sure, we¡¯ll go tomorrow. It¡¯ste now.¡± As many things had happenedtely, she felt the urge to tell Josiah about them. ¡°All right. We¡¯ll go tomorrow. Don¡¯t think about anything anymore, and have a good sleep back home.¡± ¡°Okay. I was not anyway.¡± Tristan¡¯s heart ached. However, what he could only do now was to stay by her side. The next morning, Tristan bought breakfast and ate with her before they drove to buy some flowers and headed to the graveyard. When they arrived at the graveyard, Sophie ced the flowers in front of the tombstone. As she stood there, she didn¡¯t know what to say for a moment. All the words she wanted to say died in her throat at that moment. ¡°I miss you, Grandpa. I¡¯ve been busytely and didn¡¯t have time to visit you. You don¡¯t me me, right? I¡¯m doing good now, so you don¡¯t have to worry about me, and take good care of yourself too.¡± As Sophie spoke, she could not bring herself to say more. Her throat felt dry, and her eyes teared up. Sophie was not a sentimental person, but she couldn¡¯t help but show her weakness whenever she was with Josiah. Tristan¡¯s heart ached as he watched her. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Old Mr. Tanner. I¡¯ll take good care of her.¡± Tristan wrapped his arm around her shoulder. As it was November, a strong breeze blew, and the weather in Jipsdale was turning colder. ¡°Come on, let¡¯s go back now. I bet Old Mr. Tanner knows well what you wanted to say. He knows you best, after all.¡± He thought she didn¡¯t have to say anything in the first ce. Chapter 627 Chapter 627 ¡°I would like to stay here for a little while longer,¡± Sophie said as she didn¡¯t feel like heading back just yet. ¡°All right, then.¡± As always, Tristan could never bring himself to say no to her. He then took off his double-breasted coat and draped it over her shoulders as he continued, ¡°You need to stay warm, or you¡¯ll catch a cold.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Because Tristan was only wearing dress shirt and cks, Sophie feared he would catch a cold instead. As such, she decided to head back after standing there for a bit. There were a lot of stuff that she wanted to say, but she couldn¡¯t bring herself to speak her mind as she wasn¡¯t good at expressing herself. Even so, she believed that Josiah would know what she had in mind. Sophie turned around and nced at the graveyard once more after entering the car. Realizing that she was reluctant to leave, Tristan gently held her hand and said, ¡°We¡¯lle to visit him often.¡± The graveyard wasn¡¯t that far away, so he could easily visit Josiah¡¯s grave with her. That way, she wouldn¡¯t feel as sad. ¡°Yeah, you¡¯re right. Thanks.¡± He is probably the only person who would remain by my side and never leave me¡­ Tristan leaned in close and gave her a kiss on the forehead. ¡°There¡¯s no need to thank me. I¡¯m happy with being able to stay by your side.¡± Sophie nuzzled against his chest as she said, ¡°But I want to thank you.¡± She still wasn¡¯t used to such unconditional acts of kindness. ¡°For now, let¡¯s go home.¡± It had almost been a month since they returned to University of Medicine and Jipsdale University. Since the issue with the gene virus had been taken care of, Sophie decided to return to University of Medicine. Sandra and Simon ran up to her the moment they saw her on campus. ¡°Where have you been, Sophie? You were gone for almost an entire month! Do you have any idea how worried we were? Did something bad happen to you?¡± Sandra bombarded Sophie with a series of questions while eyeing her from head to toe. All rights ? N?velDrama.Org. ¡°I¡¯m fine. I just had some business to take care of. There¡¯s nothing to worry about,¡± Sophie replied in a gentle tone. ¡°Did you get yourself into trouble or something? Please let me know if that¡¯s the case. I will help you out in any way I can!¡± Simon said as he had some influence in Jipsdale. ¡°I¡¯m fine, really.¡± Despite growing up in a fairly wealthy family, Simon wasn¡¯t a bad person. Sandra and Simon had no idea what Sophie had been up to throughout the past month, but they respected her privacy enough to not pry into her personal affairs any further. All that mattered was the fact that Sophie came back alive and well. They didn¡¯t want to make her ufortable by asking her about stuff that she didn¡¯t feel like discussing. Greta felt very ufortable when she saw how close Simon was with the two of them, but there wasn¡¯t much she could do about it. Her feelings toward Simon had always been one-sided, and she knew it would be impossible to force someone into a rtionship. However, she simply couldn¡¯t bring herself to get over him and move on. Sophie only had a two-hour ss that afternoon. After finishing that ss, she packed her stuff and was about to head back when Greta stopped her. ¡°Sophie, do you mind if I ask you a question?¡± Sophie frowned in displeasure as she did not like the way things were going. She hated trouble and couldn¡¯t be bothered to waste her time on people she disliked. ¡°I am not obligated to answer your questions.¡± ¡°It will only take a minute, Sophie. I won¡¯t bother you again if you just answer this one question of mine,¡± Greta insisted. Although Greta didn¡¯t pose much of a threat to her, Sophie decided to answer her question anyway to avoid unnecessary conflicts. ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°Do you like Simon?¡± ¡°We¡¯re just friends.¡± Since Simon was no longer hostile toward her, Sophie figured she could ssify him as a friend. Not wanting to waste any more of her time, Sophie said, ¡°There, are you happy now? If yes, please step aside. I still have some business to attend to.¡± She had vowed to outperform Whitley Group within three months. As she spent a month dealing with the gene virus incident, she did not make a lot of progress and would need to pick up the pace. Greta was overjoyed when she heard that. ¡°We can be friends as long as you don¡¯t have feelings for Simon!¡± ¡°I don¡¯t need a friend like you.¡± If a friendship requires conditions to be fulfilled beforehand, then it simply isn¡¯t genuine. I have no need for such friends. Greta¡¯s expression turned gloomy as she eximed, ¡°What¡¯s with that attitude of yours, Sophie? Do you really think that highly of yourself? You should consider yourself honored that I¡¯m willing to be your friend!¡± Having wasted a minute dealing with Greta, Sophie simply shot her cold re and walked off without saying anything. Greta stamped her feet in anger and frustration as she couldn¡¯t stand being ignored. One of the female ssmates, who happened to witness their conversation earlier, told her, ¡°You should just forget about befriending Sophie. There¡¯s no way an arrogant person like her would ever ept you as her friend.¡± Greta let out a disdainful snort in response. ¡°Hmph! Whatever! It doesn¡¯t bother me anyway!¡± She couldn¡¯t care less about Sophie as long as thetter didn¡¯t develop feelings for Simon. Noticing that Simon and Sandra were making their way over, Greta ran up to them and said, ¡°Hey, Simon! How about we have dinner together?¡± Not wanting to waste any more of Greta¡¯s time, Simon decided to be honest about his feelings toward her. ¡°I don¡¯t think we¡¯re that close, Greta. We used to be ssmates in high school, nothing more. I know you have feelings for me, but I need you to understand that I do not feel the same about you. You should just give up on me.¡± Sandra shot him a surprised nce when she heard what he said. This guy sure doesn¡¯t hesitate when ites to rejecting girls! Hmm¡­ Didn¡¯t Sophie reject guys the same way? Maybe they¡¯ve spent so much time together that she¡¯s rubbing off on him¡­ Greta was not expecting him to embarrass her in front of everyone like that. ¡°You¡­ I¡¯m just asking you to have dinner with me, Simon! You didn¡¯t have to go that far!¡± she eximed with reddened eyes. ¡°And I just don¡¯t feel like having dinner with you. Also, please stop bothering Sophie in the future. She has nothing to do with me not reciprocating your feelings.¡± ¡°Is Sophie all you care about? She doesn¡¯t even like you, Simon! You¡¯re nothing but a friend to her!¡± ¡°And what does that have to do with you?¡± I hate people who think too highly of themselves! They go around acting as though everyone has to do as they say! ¡°Forget it, Simon. Let¡¯s go!¡± As much as Sandra disliked Greta, she felt that Simon was being a little overboard with his words. Chapter 628 Chapter 628 In the evening, Sandra called Sophie to tell her what happened earlier that afternoon. ¡°Sophie, I think Simon¡¯s attitude toward Greta is going to make her hate you even more!¡± After all, the fewer enemies they had in school, the better. ¡°There¡¯s nothing I can do about it. It¡¯s a fact that Simon is not interested in Greta. I can¡¯t force him to like her because of me, right?¡± Besides, that was Simon¡¯s personal affairs, and it was up to him how he wanted to handle it. Sophie and he were just friends, and she had no right to interfere. ¡°All right. I understand. Anyway, what are you up to? Is there anything I can help you with? You have to let me know if you need any help, yeah?¡± Everyone was aware that Sophie was very busy during that period of time. However, as no one knew what she was doing, they did not know how they could help her. ¡°I¡¯m just dealing with some work at the office. You guys won¡¯t be able to help me with it. Don¡¯t worry, I can manage.¡± Both Sandra and Simon were just normal college students, and Sophie did not want to bother them with anything as they should be focusing on their studies. ¡°Sure then! But if you need any help, you have to tell me.¡± After saying that, Sandra hung up and went back to her books. Everyone had different capabilities and was meant to do different things. Sandra was well aware that Simon and she would not be able to help Sophie with a lot of the things that she was involved in. However, if they worked harder, maybe one day, they could be of some assistance to the woman. After hanging up, Sophie continued with her work at Tanner Group. Thepany was currently in a mess because of the trouble Willow created. They practically had to start over. As Sophie had had enough of Willow, she decided to send her to the psychiatric nursing home. That way, no one would bother her ever again. When Victor returned to the office after he was done with his work, he was surprised to see that Sophie was still in the office. Worried that she might skip her meals, the man said, ¡°Ms. Sophie, have you had your dinner yet? I¡¯ll buy you a meal! No matter how busy you are, you still have to eat.¡± Her health is going to take a toll if she keeps up with this. Moreover, she has a weaker body and needs even more nutrition. ¡°It¡¯s all right. I¡¯m wrapping up soon. You should go back first.¡± Sophie was dealing with a rather tricky situation at hand that required more time. However, she was going to be done with it soon. Besides, Charles had organized a dinner gathering, and they were supposed to be eating together. ¡°I see! If that¡¯s the case, I shall head back first. Call me if you need any help. My phone is always on.¡± ¡°Mr. White, you don¡¯t have to do that. Growing apany takes a long time, and it is a continuous process.¡± Sophie knew that Victor was a man with passion and was very eager to bring thepany to new heights. However, he should still take care of his health. ¡°I understand, but isn¡¯t it your goal to overtake Whitley Group within three months? We have to put in more effort in order to achieve that.¡± Since Sophie had already openly deredpetition, Victor was determined to make it happen so that Sophie wouldn¡¯t be embarrassed no matter how tough it was. ¡°I¡¯ll treat you to a good meal another day. You¡¯ve been working so hard, and it must be really tiring.¡± Sophie said with a smile. She was only able to focus on other endeavors without worrying about Tanner Group because Victor was around to oversee matters at thepany. ¡°Sure! I¡¯ll be waiting for your treat then.¡± Victor had been working at Tanner Group for a while but had not had the chance to eat with Sophie yet. All rights ? N?velDrama.Org. ¡°It¡¯s set then! By the way, Transfix Cosmetics could be in some trouble. Can you make a trip there tomorrow if you have the time? I¡¯ll pass you the contact of the person in chargeter. You can contact her directly!¡± Wilma seemed to be facing some issues, but she had not told Sophie anything about it. Wilma was a capable woman, and Sophie trusted that she would handle the situation well. However, as it had been dragging on for some time, Sophie suspected that it could be a difficult case. ¡°Sure. I¡¯ll go tomorrow!¡± Victor readily agreed. He was happy to help in any manner he could. After Victor left, Sophie fixed a few more details before saving the document and switching off her computer. The moment she stepped out of the building, she saw Tristan¡¯s car parked outside. ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you that you don¡¯t have toe and fetch me? I can go home myself!¡± ¡°That¡¯s not possible. Picking you up is both my right and my duty. No matter how we see it, it¡¯s just right that Ie.¡± Tristan opened the car door for Sophie to get in before returning to the driver¡¯s seat. ¡°What¡¯s going on? Is Tanner Group facing any issues? I noticed that you¡¯ve beening here more oftentely.¡± Sophie used to leave allpany matters in Victor¡¯s hands. ¡°Everything is fine. I¡¯m just trying to improve thepany¡¯s revenue, so I will be going to the office more often over the next few months.¡± Since she had already stated that she would aplish the feat within three months, she intended to stick to the timeline. ¡°Is it because of my father? You don¡¯t have to do this just because of him! If he likes you, he wouldn¡¯t be picking on you in the first ce. If he doesn¡¯t like you, even if Tanner Group manages to overtake Whitley Group, nothing would change.¡± Tristan felt that it waspletely unnecessary for Sophie to do anything to please William. It was simply not worth it. She was the best in his eyes, and all that mattered was that he loved her. He did not care about other people¡¯s opinions at all. ¡°It¡¯s not entirely because of that. Since I¡¯ve taken the helm of Tanner Group, I¡¯m responsible for the company¡¯s performance. As such, I have to do everything within my abilities to ensure thepany does well.¡± This is also Grandpa¡¯s wish. Sophie was bent on doing her best as Tanner Group was the fruit of her grandfather¡¯sbor. The fact that Josiah had entrusted thepany to her meant that he had faith in her, and she was not about to let him down. Tristan kept one hand on the steering wheel and held the woman¡¯s hand with the other before saying, ¡°It makes my heart ache to see you work so hard. After all, you¡¯ve justpleted the virus research and barely had time to rest before starting on your next task. I¡¯m just worried that your body wouldn¡¯t be able to take it.¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine. Work keeps me fulfilled. Isn¡¯t life supposed to be filled with challenges? Otherwise, it would be so boring. Don¡¯t you think?¡± They were not the sort of people who liked to stay idle. ¡°All right then! Is there anything I can help you with?¡± Tristan knew that Sophia was a very independent woman, but he often hoped that she would let him work alongside her and help her achieve her goals. ¡°Not at the moment. Don¡¯t worry. I will definitely let you know if I need help.¡± She wanted Tristan to stay out of the matter. Ultimately, it was apetition between her and Jennifer. Since that was the case, it wouldn¡¯t be fair if the man got involved. Sophie wanted to make sure that Jennifer epted her defeat without any excuses. She also wanted to send a clear message to all the socialites and heiresses of wealthy families in Jipsdale, warning them of the consequences they had to bear for coveting Tristan. She could turn a blind eye to many things, but given her possessiveness, she would not allow anyone to have any ideas on Tristan. He was her man and belonged to her alone. ¡°Jeez! It¡¯s just Jennifer. She¡¯s really not worth the effort,¡± Tristan said. However, the fact that Sophie was willing to pit herself against Jennifer showed that he had an important ce in her heart. Chapter 629 Chapter 629 Charles was the host of that day¡¯s gathering. He recently found a new girlfriend, so he wanted to introduce her to everyone. Everyone was intrigued after learning about his intention. After all, Charles had always been a frivolous person. Now that he was hosting that gathering for his girlfriend, that could only mean that he was getting serious. When Tristan and Sophie reached the venue, Felix and Ysabelle had just arrived too. The four entered the ce together after they handed their car keys to the parking valet. ¡°What¡¯s the matter with Charles? Didn¡¯t he just break up?¡± Everyone was already used to Charles¡¯ everchanging rtionship status. ¡°Did he find a new girlfriend so soon?¡± Not to mention one he would introduce to us? Tristan could only shake his head in response to Felix¡¯s question. ¡°I¡¯m as clueless as you, so don¡¯t ask me.¡± None of them was qualified to interfere in Charles¡¯ love life. Still, they simply obliged since he wanted to show them his new girlfriend. Ysabelle walked beside Sophie and wrapped her arms around hers. ¡°Sophie, we haven¡¯t had a meal together in such a long time. I couldn¡¯t care less about meeting Charles¡¯ girlfriend. I¡¯m only here because I want to hang out with you. You¡¯ve been too busytely.¡± It was almost impossible for Ysabelle to meet with Sophie because of thetter¡¯s jam-packed schedule. ¡°I¡¯ve been swampedtely, but I¡¯ll have more free time after toughing through this period.¡± ¡°Okay. You must prioritize your health regardless of how busy you are, got it?¡± Otherwise, Ysabelle feared Sophie would copse from overexertion. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m fine.¡± Sophie had a great deal to do, but she had never been sick thus far. They chatted while walking into the restaurant. The first session of their gathering was to fill their stomach. Sophie saw a familiar figure right after she stepped into the eatery. The girl sitting beside Charles was also momentarily dazed and at a loss when she saw Sophie. Tristan stood next to Sophie, so he sensed the changes in her mien. ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± When Charles saw them, he immediately got up to wee them. After everyone was seated, he proceeded with the introduction. ¡°She¡¯s my girlfriend, Greta Soros. We¡¯ll be hanging out frequently in the future, so please help me look after her.¡± That was right. Charles¡¯ new girlfriend was Greta. He became acquainted with her by chance. The moment heid his eyes on her, Charles felt Greta was his Ms. Right. Greta looked at Sophie, who was sitting opposite Tristan. She felt a little restless when Charles introduced her. Sophie knows how much I fancied Simon. I wonder if she will divulge this information now that I¡¯ve be Charles¡¯ girlfriend. But it seems Charles likes me a lot now, so he probably won¡¯t trust anything Sophie says. Therefore, I don¡¯t think I have to be so nervous. Greta smiled faintly, giving off adylike vibe. ¡°Hello, my name is Greta Soros. It¡¯s a pleasure to make your acquaintance,¡± Greta uttered gently. Ysabelle merely nced at her indifferently and continued talking to Sophie about what had happened recently. Tristan and Felix were focused on their girlfriends. They looked at Greta once and didn¡¯t pay her any attention afterward. They had a feeling Charles wouldn¡¯t marry her. ¡°What¡¯s with your attitude? I¡¯m introducing my girlfriend to all of you. Can¡¯t you take this situation more seriously?¡± Charles was slightly unhappy. He had finally wanted to engage in a meaningful and sincere rtionship. I want to try doing this because of how seemingly happy Tristan and Felix are in their respective rtionship, so why aren¡¯t they cooperating with me? ¡°Charles, you can date anyone or get married as you please. We don¡¯t have anyment on what you do.¡± Those were his choices to make, after all. Dejection swamped Charles. ¡°What do you mean by that?¡± Why aren¡¯t they more supportive of my resolution to finally start taking my rtionships seriously? ¡°That¡¯s enough. Have them serve the dishes. I¡¯m hungry.¡± The time was gettingte, and everyone was starving. Their primary purpose for being there was to have their meal instead of meeting with Charles¡¯ girlfriend. Charles had no choice but to request the staff to serve the dishes since that was the whole point of visiting a restaurant. Sophie and Ysabelle were at ease throughout mealtime. The four men also had their discussion topics, leaving only Greta to feel awkward and out of ce. After having their meal, Sophie wanted to go to the restroom. Greta immediately found an excuse to follow Sophie. Greta halted Sophie¡¯s way inside the restroom. N?velDrama.Org copyrighted ? content. ¡°Sophie, I¡ª¡± Sophie uttered nonchntly, ¡°I don¡¯t have the slightest interest in your love life, so you don¡¯t have to exin anything to me. Nevertheless, I should remind you. Charles is not someone you should mess around with, so I hope you know what you¡¯re doing.¡± ¡°What do you mean by that? I think you¡¯re just jealous of me. Why can¡¯t my rtionship with Charles last? So what if I had a crush on Simon? Are you saying that you¡¯ve never liked another man? Have you only harbored loving feelings for your current boyfriend and no one else?¡± Greta snorted. ¡°I didn¡¯t say anything about you, so you don¡¯t have to feel embarrassed and get angry So what if you don¡¯t like Simon anymore? How does that concern me?¡± Sophie doubted if Simon would care about Greta¡¯s feelings either. The only thing that baffled Sophie was if Charles¡¯ taste in women had always been that terrible. She couldn¡¯t believe he had chosen someone like Greta to start a serious rtionship. Greta was rendered speechless. Sophie left after washing her hands. She was unwilling to entertain Greta further. Anger washed over Greta as she stood in her spot. She had initially nned to get along with Sophie, but that seemed like an impossible thing to do now. Sophie has always been arrogant and full of herself. There¡¯s no way I can make friends with her. But that¡¯s all right. I believe Sophie won¡¯t be able to lay a finger on me as long as I try my best to secure Charles¡¯ affection. Charles is a distinguished man. He certainly knows what¡¯s best for him. Tristan was waiting for Sophie outside when she exited the restroom. After finishing their meals, Charles had already arranged the second round of their gathering. Naturally, the venue was Nocturnal. ¡°Are you tired? If you¡¯re tired, we can go back first.¡± Knowing Sophie had been putting a lot of effort into handling that matter rted to the gene virus, Tristan was concerned about her well-being. ¡°I¡¯m fine. Don¡¯t worry about me. Since everyone is in the mood to have fun, and it has been so long since thest time I spent time with the others, let¡¯s go to Nocturnal together today.¡± In fact, she had already recovered. ¡°Okay. Let¡¯s go, then. What do you think about Charles¡¯ girlfriend?¡± Charles was finally getting serious about his rtionship. Still, Tristan couldn¡¯t help but feel Greta wasn¡¯t a keeper. ¡°What do you think?¡± Sophie didn¡¯t fancy speaking ill of others behind their back. However, she genuinely disliked Greta. ¡°I don¡¯t think she¡¯s a keeper. Their rtionship probably wouldn¡¯tst over a month.¡± Charles had never committed himself to any long-term rtionship. Most girls who agreed to be with him harbored ulterior motives, so both parties merely sought mutual benefits. Hence, it wasn¡¯t easy to define who was in the wrong. Chapter 630 Chapter 630 ¡°All right. Let¡¯s put up with her for a month, then.¡± After all, it was Charles himself who had chosen the girlfriend. It wasn¡¯t good for the group toment on anything. In that case, they might as well keep quiet. It was only a month, anyway. Besides, Charles was a yboy who didn¡¯t take his love life seriously, and bing his girlfriend might not be a good thing either. He might change his mind after a couple of days despite how serious he was now. Greta was in the washroom. Naturally, she heard the duo¡¯s conversation. Sophie knows I am in here. How could she say those words without caring about my presence? Does she think of herself as one ss above everyone? It took me a great effort to be with someone so powerful, yet she still looks down on me. This is too much! Hmph! She wants to split us up, huh? Let¡¯s see who will have a breakup first, then! She was certain that Tristan knew nothing about Simon¡¯s feelings toward Sophie and decided to make it known to Tristan to break off his rtionship with Sophie. When she returned from the washroom, only Charles was waiting for her. Everyone else had already left. ¡°What took you so long? Everybody¡¯s left.¡± Charles liked Greta quite a bit, but a spoilt brat like him disliked waiting for someone. When Greta heard that, she quickly wrapped her arms around Charles¡¯ and said piteously, ¡°Mr. Quigley, your friends don¡¯t seem to like me very much. I¡¯m a little worried, as I like you from the bottom of my heart and only want to be with you.¡± Seeing her looking all pitiful, Charles touched her nose dotingly. ¡°Don¡¯t overthink. That is who they are like. But they are all my best buddies and won¡¯t do anything to you. Don¡¯t worry.¡± Charles was now quite fond of Greta and willing to exin more to her. ¡°I¡¯m d to hear that. Actually, Sophie is my ssmate at the University of Medicine. However, there seems to be a misunderstanding between us. I¡¯m a little worried that she may not like me.¡± ¡°Are you also a student of the University of Medicine?¡± Charles knitted his brows and wondered what kind of misunderstanding Greta had with Sophia. ¡°No matter what, do remember that Sophie is not a woman you can trifle with. Be polite whenever you encounter her. She will not make things difficult for you for my sake.¡± He had been spending time with Sophie for a while and naturally knew what kind of a person she was. Sophie was never a nosy person. For those she didn¡¯t actually care, she wouldn¡¯t even bother to spare them another nce. Thus, he was never worried that she would give Greta a hard time. ¡°Okay.¡± Greta dared not to say anything else, knowing Charles was actually telling her not to make enemies with Sophie. ¡°Remember what I said, don¡¯t you ever cross Sophie. Otherwise, even I will not be able to protect you.¡± Although Charles liked Greta quite a bit, he would never pick a quarrel with Sophie and the group because of her. After all, Sophie was an extremely scary character to him. Whoever offended her would be doomed. Greta was somewhat upset by Charles¡¯ remarks. What¡¯s so great about Sophie? It¡¯s all because Mr. Tristan adores her. She¡¯ll be nothing without him. She thought as long as Tristan had no more romantic feelings for Sophie, thetter would be a nobody and no longer worthy of doing anything she wanted like before. Needless to say, she knew what men cared about the most. When Charles took Greta to Nocturnal, the others were already there, and Sean was drinking at a corner. Sean seldom talked on such asions. It was as if he was living in another world, and the others had no way to enter it. Sophie was the only person he was willing to talk to. The rest of the group had gotten used to him behaving in that manner, and they all got along very well. ¡°Sophie, I think I¡¯m quite popr recently. Since my new album is almost ready, should I seize the opportunity and release it as soon as possible?¡± Although Ysabelle had been busy with the new albumtely, she enjoyed such a busy life. ¡°Well, there¡¯s no need for you to ask me about this. You should have absolute confidence in Xandra¡¯s professionalism and discuss it with her directly.¡± Sophie thought Xandra knew everything about the entertainment industry like the back of her hand. Thus, everything she decided wouldn¡¯t be any problem. ¡°Do you not love me anymore? Are you abandoning me?¡± Ysabelle pouted and asked, ¡°I sincerely think my new song is quite nice. Could you please listen to it the next time you go to TS Entertainment?¡± Despite how much her fans loved her, she still wished to get Sophie¡¯s recognition. It was as though that was the only thing she considered her real sess. ¡°Enough, Ysabelle. It¡¯s you who wants to be a singer. Sophie has nothing to do about it. She has been very busy recently. Please leave her alone,¡± Tristan warned. ¡°All right, all right. I¡¯m sorry, Sophie. I shouldn¡¯t have bothered you.¡± Ysabelle thought Sophie must be exhausted after everything she had been throughtely. ¡°I¡¯m fine. You don¡¯t have to worry about me. I¡¯ll visit you soon when I¡¯m free.¡± Sophie knew Ysabelle had great self-awareness and wasn¡¯t worried at all. Besides, there were many professionals In TS Entertainment. Even if Ysabelle faced a problem, they could help to solve it. Felixforted Ysabelle, ¡°It¡¯s okay. I¡¯ll listen to you sing tomorrow. All you need is my admiration. Just ignore your Uncle Tristan. He only has Sophie in his heart.¡± Property ? of N?velDrama.Org. Ysabelle leaned on Felix¡¯s shoulder and wailed, ¡°Mm. Uncle Tristan doesn¡¯t love me anymore. No, I should say he never loved me.¡± Her adorable look made Sophie chuckle. Ah, such a feeling is wonderful! Everything I do doesn¡¯t seem like a big deal as long as I have them by my side. Greta couldn¡¯t blend into the group when they were discussing other topics. However, she got to know Ysabelle was a singer when she heard them mention singing. ¡°Ysabelle, I like your songs very much. May I have your autograph after this?¡± she asked with a smile. ¡°Really? Do you like my songs? Aww! Do you know what song I sang, then?¡± Ysabelle looked at Greta in anticipation. Greta couldn¡¯t answer for a moment. Ysabelle was indeed quite popr recently. But most of her fans were boys, so Greta didn¡¯t pay much attention to her songs. At that moment, she merely wanted to join the group and chat with them. She didn¡¯t expect Ysabelle to ask such a question. Disappointment swamped Ysabelle as she watched Greta. ¡°So you¡¯re a fake fan! Please don¡¯t say that on purpose if you don¡¯t like me. You¡¯re only making me disappointed.¡± Ysabelle thought Greta was hypocritical. I am a singer. I only wish for fans to truly like me but not any fake fans. Greta clenched her fists in silence. Feeling utterly awkward, she dared not even look at Charles¡¯ reaction. Chapter 631 Chapter 631 Charles didn¡¯t really mind. Greta just didn¡¯t know about Ysabelle¡¯s song and it wasn¡¯t a grave mistake. After the awkward exchange, Greta realized she couldn¡¯t get a word in and could only sat beside Charles quietly. At that moment, it dawned on her that she might not be a good fit for the group. She had never even heard about some of the things that they were talking about. Hence, she felt more like a prop by Charles¡¯ side. However, things were very different for Sophie. Whether it was at the University of Medicine or here, Sophie could always chime in on whatever topics the four men were discussing, and herments were always acknowledged by them. It was as if she knew everything. Greta didn¡¯t think it was possible for someone to be well-versed in everything. Next to her, Ysabelle was also able to share her insights, which made Greta feel inferior inparison. Ysabelle¡¯s ability to articte her thoughts wlessly only added to Greta¡¯s sense of inadequacy. ¡°By the way, there¡¯s a serious subprime mortgage crisis happening in Anndur. You all should be cautious,¡± Sophie reminded them. After all, all theirpanies had branches there. They would all be implicated if they weren¡¯t vignt. ¡°You¡¯re right. The subprime mortgage crisis is quite serious,¡± Tristan agreed. ¡°Felix, you need to remind Ophelia.¡± ¡°All right. I¡¯m going to call herter tonight. She is quite capable. As long as she doesn¡¯t spend all her time thinking about dating, I think she should be able to deal with this,¡± Felix replied. ¡°If she can¡¯t handle it, I¡¯ll go to Anndur myself in two days¡¯ time,¡± he added after a moment of contemtion. ¡°That¡¯s more like it,¡± Tristan replied. He had never doubted Ophelia¡¯s capabilities. However, the subprime mortgage crisis was quite critical. Hence, he reckoned that it was better for Felix to head over there. Ophelia¡¯s delicate features sprung to Sophie¡¯s mind at the mention of her name. I remember that she really likes Tristan. Huh¡­ Having an outstanding boyfriend is also quite troublesome since I have to be wary of people eyeing him all the time. Right then, Jennifer and Minerva showed up at Nocturnal. Jennifer knew that they were there and deliberately asked Minerva out. It took Jennifer some time before she finally spotted the group. Minerva pulled Jennifer aside and said, ¡°Jennifer, what are you doing? You know that Mr. Tristan is not exactly fond of you. Why are you still trying to approach him?¡± The upper echelons of Jipsdale were all aware of just how much Tristan adored Sophie. It was baffling that Jennifer kept doing this, as she was essentially setting herself up to be humiliated. It was as if she was wanting to be tortured for no reason. ¡°Minerva, since you¡¯re already here with me, could you stop with the unsupportive remarks? I just want to take a look at him. It¡¯s not like I¡¯m nning to do anything!¡± Jennifermented. ¡°Now that you¡¯ve seen him, what are you going to do?¡± So what if she¡¯s seen him? There¡¯s simply nothing she can do about it. ¡°I¡ª¡± Deep down, Jennifer knew Minerva was right. Tristan was right there, but she didn¡¯t even have the courage to take a step forward. Moreover, Sophie was sitting right next to him. Jennifer couldn¡¯t help but grow green with envy at the sight of Tristan hanging onto Sophie¡¯s every word. ¡°Jennifer, I¡¯m really saying these things because I see you as a friend. If you need to give up, then just give up! There are plenty of men in this world. Tristan is not the only man around!¡± As long as she was willing to shift her focus to people around her, Minerva was certain that her friend would realize that she was actually surrounded by many outstanding men. However, Jennifer just wouldn¡¯t listen to her. She could see no one else but Tristan. Jennifer just couldn¡¯t bear to give up. She was infatuated with Tristan, and she vowed to make the man hers, no matter what it would take. Sophie was exceptionally sensitive to others¡¯ stares. It didn¡¯t take her a long time to notice that Jennifer was eyeing her. Tristan had sensed that someone was staring at him too. He turned his head around and noticed that Jennifer¡¯s gaze was transfixed on him. This woman just doesn¡¯t know when to give up, huh? Haven¡¯t I made myself clear enough? Surely, she doesn¡¯t hope her feelings toward me will make me hate her. Tristan really detested Jennifer. She was the only woman who had ever annoyed him so much. Knowing that Jennifer was looking at them, Tristan deliberately hugged Sophie and kissed her lips. Jennifer¡¯s heart shattered into pieces when she saw Tristan kissing Sophie right in front of so many people. Doesn¡¯t he know I¡¯m here? He did see me, and yet he chose to kiss that wretched woman in front of me! Jennifer knew that Tristan intentionally did that to aggravate her. Does he think that the disy of affection will deter me? Jennifer refused to admit defeat! Tristan was too cruel to her. He never cared to spare her any tenderness. Minerva shook her head. Tristan was already stating his intention outright. Why can¡¯t Jennifer just face the reality and give up? ¡°Jennifer, let¡¯s go. Don¡¯t you feel horrible too?¡± Minerva didn¡¯t wish to see Jennifer tormenting herself. ¡°No. I don¡¯t want to go back. Just apany me for a while longer.¡± Jennifer ordered a bottle of liquor and said, ¡°Let¡¯s drink. Perhaps I won¡¯t feel so terrible if I¡¯m drunk.¡± Meanwhile, Sophie bit down hard on Tristan¡¯s lips. Tristan felt the sharp shooting pain and let go of her. ¡°I¡¯m not an actress, and I don¡¯t fancy acting out intimate scenes in front of everyone else. Remember that,¡± Sophie uttered. She decided to spare him this time, but she wouldn¡¯t do the same next time. ¡°All right. I¡¯m sorry. I won¡¯t do it again.¡± ¡°Jennifer is really annoying. Why do we see her everywhere we go?¡± Sophie grumbled. She really loathed seeing Jennifer. ¡°How about I ask someone to chase her away?¡± ¡°Forget it. This is Nocturnal, not our home. She has the right toe here,¡± Sophie replied. They couldn¡¯t deprive her of her rights. Content rights belong to N?velDrama.Org. The others couldn¡¯t join in on Sophie and Tristan¡¯s conversation. Meanwhile, Ysabelle spotted Jennifer as well. She rolled her eyes at the sight of thetter. Why does this woman keep showing up everywhere? Why can¡¯t she just give up her futile feelings? ¡°Felix, will any man fall for a girl like Jennifer? Doesn¡¯t she know when to give up?¡± ¡°Of course not. Well, at least I won¡¯t. I only have eyes for you. Who is Jennifer?¡± Felix joked. Tristan stood up and prepared to leave at ten thirty. Charles was rendered speechless. ¡°It¡¯s been a while since west hung out. Why are you leaving so early? It¡¯s only ten thirty!¡± he groaned. Didn¡¯t we use to drinkte into the night when Tristan wasn¡¯t in a rtionship? What¡¯s he doing now? ¡°Enjoy yourselves. Sophie has a ss tomorrow morning. We¡¯re going back first,¡± Tristan muttered. He felt like it was a waste of time staying there. They might as well call it a day and head back home. He might be in for a treat if they were early. With so many people around, it was inconvenient for Tristan to hug and kiss Sophie. Chapter 632 Chapter 632 ¡°All right, you guys should go. We¡¯re heading back too.¡± There was no point in time staying back. ¡°Mr. Tristan, you treat Sophie really well!¡± After that afternoon, Greta finally understood how much Tristan spoiled Sophie. ¡°That¡¯s why you had better not offend her. Even I don¡¯t dare to do so.¡± Since Greta was now his girl, he found it prudent to warn her. Otherwise, even he would get into trouble. ¡°Mmm-hmm.¡± Greta had no choice but to nod despite the resentment she felt. We¡¯re all women, so how did Sophie end up being so lucky as to meet someone who¡¯s not only amazing but patient with her? On her way home, Greta gave the matter a lot of thought. The next day, she went to see Simon upon arriving at school. He happened to be having breakfast with Sandra. At the sight of Greta, Sandra informed him, ¡°Your pursuer is here.¡± She couldn¡¯t believe how persistent Greta was. I don¡¯t care who you are. As long as you try to get close to Simon, you¡¯ll be my enemy. Without even looking up, Simon knew who it was and let out a sigh. I¡¯ve already said everything that needs to be said, so why doesn¡¯t she understand?N?velDrama.Org copyrighted ? content. ¡°Simon, I know that you have always disliked me, but you don¡¯t have to fret anymore. I have a boyfriend now and will stop clinging to you. Going forward, just don¡¯t bring up my naive actions in the past.¡± Truth be told, she really liked Simon but had decided to give up on him due to his unchanging attitude toward her. Her words finally caused Simon to look up. ¡°Ms. Soros, you have finally seen the light. Congrattions on this wonderful news!¡± He was ted that she would stop bugging him and couldn¡¯t care less about who her boyfriend was. Why is he so happy? Greta couldn¡¯t help but feel disappointed. Simon is nothingpared to Charles, but why am I feeling this way? ¡°Anyway, I wish that you find happiness too!¡± Since he likes Sophie, he should be focused on pursuing her. In fact, I hope Mr. Tristan hears about it. That would certainly be perfect. With that, Greta went off to have breakfast by herself. As for Simon, he was in a particrly good mood and ate another bun. ¡°You seem to be very happy.¡± ¡°Of course! I can¡¯t believe there¡¯s someone so tasteless as to fall for Greta. He¡¯s such a fool.¡± Greta doesn¡¯t have any sincerity at all. All that matters to her is her boyfriend¡¯s status and other pursuits of vanity. Meanwhile, Charles sneezed loudly in his office. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Do you have a cold from overindulging in your desires?¡± Felix asked candidly. Charles gave him the side-eye. ¡°Felix, is that who you think I am?¡± ¡°Charles, I¡¯m telling you the truth. Greta isn¡¯t your type!¡± Felix couldn¡¯t help but said it out loud. Even though it was rare for Charles to finally be in a serious rtionship, his choice of a partner was utterly shocking. ¡°I knew it. You guys don¡¯t approve of her. Why? What¡¯s wrong with Greta?¡± She seems fine to me. ¡°I can sense that she has insincere motives.¡± ¡°Felix, what are you saying? Don¡¯t I deserve happiness too?¡± Charles wasn¡¯t angry. He was just disappointed that everyone was pessimistic about his rtionship. ¡°Fine. Do whatever you want!¡± Felix couldn¡¯t be bothered to continue the topic. After all, it was too early to tell who would be hurt at the end since Charles was a yboy. Meanwhile, Simon and Sandra approached Sophie the moment she entered the ssroom. He told her what happened on a happy note. ¡°Tell me, who is the idiot who fell for Greta?¡± ¡°Charles Quigley!¡± Sophie answered since it wasn¡¯t a secret. ¡°Who?¡± Simon obviously knew who he was, just like everyone in Jipsdale. He just couldn¡¯t believe his ears. ¡°Exactly who I said it was. You didn¡¯t hear me wrong.¡± ¡°I know I shouldn¡¯t say this, but Charles? Are you sure? He actually fancies a woman that I¡¯m not even interested in? Where are his standards?¡± Simon didn¡¯t want to sound mean but just couldn¡¯t help it. Sandra patted him on the back. ¡°Simon, Greta is still a girl at the end of the day. Even if you don¡¯t like her, you shouldn¡¯t disparage her.¡± ¡°Fine, I¡¯m sorry.¡± Nheless, he couldn¡¯t care less about the matter. Who knows, Charles might really be into girls like that. Meanwhile, it was anatomy ss that day. The professor, in a particrly good mood, was smiling broadly at everyone. ¡°Professor, you seem happy today. Did something wonderful happen?¡± This professor¡¯s mood is really unpredictable. ¡°Mmm-hmm. There¡¯s major news today, haven¡¯t you heard? The headquarters of International Medical Association is moving to Chanaea!¡± ¡°What? Really?¡± Every medical student naturally knew about International Medical Association, as it was everyone¡¯s dream to join it one day. ¡°Oh, my God! I would die without regrets if I was able to meet Dr. Smith.¡± The students in the ssroom got all excited over the news. Simon, too, added happily, ¡°My dad is a big fan of his. If he were to hear of this, he would definitely jump for joy!¡± ¡°Your dad?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. Dr. Smith is my dad¡¯s only idol.¡± As someone born into a prestigious family within the medical fraternity, Simon had heard plenty of stories about Barney. ¡°Me too. I decided to take up medicine after reading one of Dr. Smith¡¯s books,¡± Sandra mumbled. ¡°I want to meet Dr. Smith and Professor Gullifer too!¡± Sandra was truly stupefied upon hearing the news. ¡°Oh!¡± However, Sophie barely reacted at all. ¡°Sophie, with your talent, you¡¯ll definitely be able to join International Medical Association. Now that you¡¯re our only hope, you have to work hard, all right?¡± Sandra was cognizant that she wasn¡¯t good enough, but Sophie was certainly cut out for it. ¡°Once you¡¯re epted, remember to let me meet Dr. Smith and Professor Gullifer, okay?¡± ¡°Sure!¡± Upon hearing her words, one of their ssmates snorted inughter. ¡°What sort of ce do you think International Medical Association is? Do you think they¡¯ll ept just about anybody? You guys are being ridiculous!¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. Even the professor might not get in!¡± And yet, Sophie can? What sort of joke is that? Chapter 633 Chapter 633 However, the professor looked in Sophie¡¯s direction. I might not stand a chance, but Sophie does! ¡°Sophie, you have to work hard. I¡¯m confident that you¡¯ll be able to do it.¡± It doesn¡¯t matter what the other students say. As long as she wants to do it, she¡¯ll definitely make the cut. ¡°All right, Professor. Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll definitely work hard.¡± Didn¡¯t International Medical Association move here because of me? Why do I need to work harder? Nevertheless, she kept those thoughts to herself, for no one would believe her even if she said it. Meanwhile, when Arius was finally discharged from the hospital, Sophie and Barney came to pick him up. After getting a change of clothes, Arius looked dashing in his outfit. ¡°I¡¯m finally out!¡± he eximed. Although he was a doctor, he hated being warded in the hospital as it was a tormenting experience for him. ¡°Now that you have recovered, you should go help out at International Medical Association which has just moved here.¡± After taking such a long break, it¡¯s about time he got back to work. Arius was rendered speechless. ¡°Dr. Smith, I just got discharged today. Can¡¯t you let me rest for a day or two first? Why are you pushing me so hard?¡± ¡°How can I not be? Even though I¡¯m here, many members of the medical association have yet to arrive. Where are they going to stay when they do? Have you arranged for their amodation? I already instructed you to get it done before I left. And yet, have you sorted everything out? You should be counting your blessing that I didn¡¯t reprimand you for it, and now, you actually dare to talk back?¡± ¡°Dr. Smith, I¡¯m not trying to ck off, but so much has happened recently that my hands are tied.¡± It¡¯s not like I¡¯m someonezy. ¡°Dr. Smith, don¡¯t worry. Let me handle it.¡± Since they wereing over because of her, Sophie figured that she was obliged to help. ¡°Sophie, don¡¯t bother, as this is Arius¡¯ job. You should just focus on your research. Arius and I will take care of everything else.¡± ¡°Dr. Smith, are you being biased? Why don¡¯t you let Sophie help when she knows Chanaea like the back of her hand?¡± ¡°I was the one who moved International Medical Association here. Therefore, the responsibility is mine. Sophie does not need any unnecessary burden.¡± As Chanaea was a great ce for doing medical research, Barney felt that this was the best choice he had ever made. This was particrly so after he was disappointed by those from Anndur. All he did was move International Medical Association to Chanaea, and yet, they imprisoned him for that. From his perspective, they had crossed the line doing so. ¡°Dr. Smith, Arius has just recovered, so let me take care of it.¡± It¡¯s nothing more than a hundred houses. All I need to do is to buy up an entire residential area. ¡°Really? Let me know if you¡¯re in need of funds. Money is something International Medical Association isn¡¯t short of.¡± Even though the expenses for their medical research were high, they were very well funded by the many tycoons who rely on them for life-saving treatment. After all, one¡¯s life was the most important thing in this world. ¡°Mmm-hmm. Don¡¯t worry. I know what to do.¡± Sophie nned to seek Tristan¡¯s help on the matter, for she was clueless when it came to real estate. It shouldn¡¯t be a problem for Tristan. He should be able to get a good deal on all the houses. As for the building of International Medical Association headquarters, it was a lot moreplicated than just purchasing real estate. Instead, a lot more technical expertise needed to go into it. As long as they coulde up with the design, the civil engineers would be able to proceed quickly with the construction. After sending Arius to his ce, Barney decided to stay with him for the time being. ¡°Dr. Smith, are you sure you want to live together with me? I¡¯ll have to warn you that I don¡¯t know how to cook!¡± He had grown used to staying alone and didn¡¯t feelfortable having a housemate. ¡°Why? What¡¯s wrong with it? Since both of us are alone here, we can take care of each other.¡± This is a wonderful idea!Content rights belong to N?velDrama.Org. ¡°You¡¯re just going to order me around.¡± As his mentee, Arius obviously knew what Barney had in mind. ¡°I¡¯m d that you¡¯re aware of it, so stop protesting. I¡¯m sure you know that any resistance is futile!¡± Barney spoke in a ruthless tone. In response, Arius didn¡¯t feel like saying another word. It was, after all, unnecessary since no one would listen to him. As for Sophie, this was her first time visiting Arius¡¯ mansion. She was surprised by the location, as it wasn¡¯t far from Tristan¡¯s mansion. ¡°Tristan¡¯s mansion is nearby, so if there¡¯s anything you need, you can go over and get it from him.¡± Otherwise, both these lonely men might starve to death! ¡°Sophie, don¡¯t worry about us. We won¡¯t go hungry. We can easily order food delivery.¡± Even though we can¡¯t cook, we can enjoy Chanaea¡¯s most popr local service¡ªfood delivery. ¡°That said, I would suggest you find a housekeeper to cook for you, as eating takeout every day isn¡¯t sustainable.¡± Since these two guys are rich, they should get a helper to take care of their living needs. ¡°Good idea! We¡¯ll hire a housekeeper then. I love Chanaean food anyway,¡± Barney agreed. After settling both of them in, Sophie received a call from one of Chanaea¡¯s top leaders, saying that they wanted to meet her. When she arrived on schedule, it was the president who greeted her. ¡°Sophie, the decision of Dr. Smith to move International Medical Association to Chanaea is an extremely positive development. If you need any help from us, we¡¯ll be happy to oblige.¡± Given that the president had offered the country¡¯s help, it didn¡¯t make sense for Sophie to reject it. Hence, she brought up the issue of amodation for members of the medical association. ¡°That¡¯s not a problem at all. There¡¯s currently a high-end residential area being built on the outskirts of Jipsdale. We can provide it to International Medical Association for free.¡± The president was decisive in his decision making. After all, it paid to be generous to the outstanding talents who worked at the medical association. ¡°In that case, I would like to thank you on their behalf, Mr. President,¡± Sophie replied calmly. ¡°I heard that you¡¯re in the medical field too. Are you nning to join them?¡± the president asked candidly. ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right.¡± Sophie didn¡¯t feel the need to hide the fact, for Barney hade all the way to Chanaea on her ount. ¡°Hmm, I¡¯m d to hear that. With the help of your generation, Chanaea¡¯s future is getting brighter by the day in both military and medical fields.¡± Thereafter, the presidentmented, ¡°I heard that your grandfather used to be in the army. I¡¯m sure that he would be very proud of your achievements today.¡± Chapter 634 Chapter 634 Sophie and the leader of Chanaea settled various problems about International Medical Association before parting ways. With the government¡¯s support, the matter would be easier to resolve. Sophie invited Barney and Arius to dinner that night. Barney was her mentor, after all. He had been too busy to spare any time, so now that he was finally free, Sophie had to treat him to a meal. Since Tristan knew Barney was Sophie¡¯s mentor, he naturally had to join the dinner as well. The dinner would be held at Blossom Garden. After signing the final document on his table, Tristan looked at the time and found that it was almost six in the evening. He immediately grabbed his coat and left the office while giving Sophie a call. ¡°It¡¯s about time. I¡¯ll go pick you up. Are you done?¡± he asked.At the moment, Sophie was at TS Entertainment. ¡°Yes. Tell me when you¡¯re here.¡± It was already cold in Jipsdale. As Sophie was very prone to feeling cold, she didn¡¯t want to wait downstairs in such weather. ¡°All right. Remember to wear your coat.¡± Knowing that Sophie was afraid of the cold, Tristan had prepared lots of wool coats for her in different colors and styles. Property ? of N?velDrama.Org. He had also gotten her scarves and hats that matched the color of those coats. Basically, he had all sorts of winter items for her. ¡°I know. Drive safe!¡± After hanging up, Sophie told Mark and the others, ¡°You guys have had too many eventstely, so you should rest for some time. I¡¯ll be giving all of you a month off. You can go anywhere you want. The company will shoulder the expenses for you.¡± Work was not the only thing important in life; one had to travel and have fun from time to time. This was especially the case for celebrities, who had to deal with huge pressure due to their profession. If they didn¡¯t relieve their stress in time, they could encounter a lot of problems in the future. Hearing Sophie, Jonathan was dumbfounded. ¡°A whole month? They¡¯re a popr band. How could they rest for one month?¡± he pointed out. No one knew what the entertainment industry would be like in a month. This was why none of the popr celebrities dared to rest. They all worked like there was no tomorrow for fear that their juniors would surpass them one day and take away their spots. Cecelia appeared just then and interjected. ¡°Don¡¯t worry! I¡¯m here, so publicity is not a problem. Things have indeed been too tiring for themtely. They need to rx.¡± If one only worked and never rested, one would be no different from a robot. Efficiency was also important in the entertainment industry. Meanwhile, Mark furrowed his brows and stated, ¡°Sophie, we don¡¯t need to rest. I¡¯m serious.¡± Sunny nodded to that, saying, ¡°That¡¯s right. Sophie, don¡¯t go easy on us just because we¡¯re good friends. We¡¯re thepany¡¯s artists, so it¡¯s only right that we earn money for thepany.¡± The other three members all agreed with Sunny and Mark. ¡°I¡¯m letting you rest so that you can do even better. It¡¯s time for you to prepare your next album, isn¡¯t it? How could you have time to write good songs under such intense work conditions? You are singers, and what matters the most is your music. Without that, what will you show the public?¡± Sophie was once in the band with them, so she knew what they needed. She went on, ¡°Don¡¯t worry! It¡¯s not like you¡¯re the only band under TS Entertainment. You will only be away for a month. TS Entertainment will not go bankrupt.¡± ¡°Sophie, how could you be so sweet? Actually, you¡¯re right. We¡¯ve been very pressured recently, but thankfully, our fans are very understanding.¡± No matter how exhausting it was, the band members were happy because they could do what they loved. Besides, it wasn¡¯t an easy feat for the five of them to keep doing music together, so they cherished it a lot. ¡°Okay, it¡¯s decided, then. Jonathan, you should go with them. I only have one request¡ªdo not get into any scandals. But if you want to date, go ahead. Thepany has no restrictions for that.¡± It was about time for them to date. No matter what happened in life, it would be great to have apanion. ¡°Where should we go? How about Horbah? There are lots of beautiful girls there. Maybe we¡¯ll find love there!¡± Sunny said excitedly. Sophie told them, ¡°It¡¯s up to you where you want to go. I have a lot of things to deal with, so I won¡¯t be able to go with you.¡± Indeed, she had been quite busy recently, so she could not travel with them. ¡°What a shame. It would be great if you coulde with us. That way, the six of us can spend time with each other.¡± Before, when the six of them were in the band, they were always together wherever they went. Although they missed the old times a lot, it was impossible to turn back time. ¡°We will get a chance one day. When I¡¯m done with the work at hand, I¡¯ll hang out with you guys,¡± said Sophie with a smile. Right. We will never be able to return to the time when we were together and free of worries. But it¡¯s okay. We have many chances in the future. At least we¡¯re together now, aren¡¯t we? Just then, Ysabelle returned from the recording studio and happened to hear their conversation. She chimed in, ¡°Bring me with you if you¡¯re traveling somewhere by then. I want to go with you guys, too.¡± ¡°Sure! You¡¯re our colleague. Of course, we¡¯d bring you!¡± Thanks to Sophie, everything was progressing positively. All of them were doing well, and things would only get better. Ysabelle approached Sophie and suggested, ¡°Sophie, let¡¯s have dinner together.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll pass. Why don¡¯t you eat with Felix tonight? I have a dinner appointmentter,¡± Sophie replied. Moreover, she was the one who arranged the dinner. ¡°Oh, okay!¡± Ysabelle knew that Sophie¡¯s schedule was packed, but she still enjoyed sharing a meal with thetter. Sophie stroked Ysabelle¡¯s head and coaxed, ¡°Be good. Felix is already waiting for you downstairs, isn¡¯t he?¡± There was no denying that Felix was really sweet to Ysabelle. Every day, he woulde to the company to pick her up. ¡°All right, I¡¯ll go to him now. If you have any gatherings next time, remember to invite me. I like eating with you guys.¡± Hearing Ysabelle, her assistant couldn¡¯t help but giggle. Ysabelle likes our boss so much! At that moment, Tristan came upstairs. When he saw Sophie talking to Mark and the others, he walked over. ¡°Why did youe up? I thought I told you to wait downstairs.¡± Sophie figured Tristan should be tired after working for the whole day. ¡°I¡¯m here to fetch you. Are you done? I think we should leave now.¡± ¡°Yeah. Anyway, you guys n your trip. I¡¯ll get going first.¡± Sophie had given them the necessary reminders, so it was time for her to go to the restaurant. ¡°Okay. Go ahead.¡± While looking at Sophie¡¯s and Tristan¡¯s figures from the back, Mark felt a sense of regret. If I had acted resolutely and stayed with Sophie back then, could things have turned out differently? Chapter 635 Chapter 635 Unfortunately, regret could not change the past. Sophie would be the biggest regret of his life. He felt as though a part of himself was lost forever. Even so, Mark was grateful that he could continue to stay by her side as a band. The Wheelers would always be around. To be able to continue watching her from afar was enough for him. Upon sensing Mark¡¯s disappointment, Sunny stepped forward and patted the former on the shoulders. ¡°Stop thinking about it, Mark. You shouldn¡¯t chase what doesn¡¯t belong to you. Come on! Let¡¯s take a trip to Horbah!¡± The only way to forget someone was to find someone new. Only then could one move onpletely. ¡°Sure! You decide where we go. I have no opinions.¡± Mark gave Sunny a faint smile. After all, it¡¯s just a vacation to rx. Where we go doesn¡¯t really make that much of a difference. Going to Horbah would mean that not many people would recognize who they were. That way, they could just be their authentic self. In the meantime, Tristan was driving Sophie to Blossom Garden. On the way there, he asked Sophie, ¡°In regards to the International Medical Association moving here, is there anything that you would need my help with?¡± Even though Arius had been the one overseeing the whole process, Tristan would help them in any way he could without hesitation should they need his help. ¡°We do need help at first. We wanted to buy a building that¡¯ll serve as the residential area for the members of the medical association, but the president had approached me and offered to be in charge of that.¡± Because of that, there were no significant problems to address at the moment. As for the building for the International Medical Association headquarters, it wasn¡¯t a problem solved by purchasing real estate. They would have to spend some time constructing the building from scratch. ¡°It¡¯s best if the governing party ys a role in providing solutions. After all, moving the International Medical Association to Chanaea is a huge benefit to our country.¡± Tristan was not at all fazed by the fact that the president himself decided to take up some responsibilities. ¡°Mm-hmm.¡± Before the duo knew it, they had arrived at Blossom Garden. By the time they parked and got out of the car, Arius and Barney had arrived as well. The four of them made their way inside. ¡°Dr. Smith, the food in this restaurant is scrumptious! If you would like to have some in the future, you can just give Mr. Tristan a call and ask him to deliver it to us!¡± Arius shed a cheeky grin. He was a huge fan of the food in Blossom Garden as well. ¡°Dr. Smith, if you like the food here, I¡¯ll ask someone to send the food over to you,¡± Tristan promised, completely unfazed by Arius¡¯ antics. After all, Barney was someone worthy of respect. Moreover, he had be Sophie¡¯s mentor! ¡°Don¡¯t listen to him, Mr. Tristan. He just wants the food for himself. Ignore him. If I want to eat here, I cane here on my own!¡± Barney did not y along with Arius. ¡°Dr. Smith, I¡¯m your mentee! How could you do this to me?¡± Arius pouted, feeling as though he was at the bottom of the food chain. ¡°My mentee is now Sophie!¡± Barney retorted without missing a beat. Arius sighed dramatically. ¡°Dr. Smith, the president has met up with me. He said that the country would provide the residential area for free. You don¡¯t have to worry about this issue anymore,¡± Sophie interrupted. ¡°Is that so? I didn¡¯t want to bother him initially, but since he has offered, that¡¯ll be for the best!¡± ¡°Mm-hmm. So the only thing that we have to work on now is the building for the International Medical Association headquarters! Since there¡¯s no building in Jipsdale that fulfills all our criteria, we can only build a ce ourselves.¡± ¡°Naturally.¡± As of then, there was not a single building in the entire world that was suitable to be transformed into the International Medical Association headquarters. Thus, they could only build one by themselves. ¡°Dr. Smith, another thing¡­ Are we just giving up on those members of the International Medical Association who don¡¯t want to move here?¡± Sophie asked. ¡°Yes. If they don¡¯t want to move, we won¡¯t force them. They have full autonomy over what they think is best for them!¡± Barney was never one to force his opinion on others. Arius nodded in agreement. That¡¯s right! Nothing good everes from forcing someone to do something that they don¡¯t want to. If they don¡¯t want to move, then they don¡¯t have to. When the dishes came, Sophie got some of the signature dishes of Blossom Garden for Barney. ¡°Please try some, Dr. Smith. The food here is not bad. The Chanaean dishes are very authentic.¡± Barney took a bite. His eyes immediately lit up with pleasant surprise. ¡°Delicious!¡± Barney had gotten tired of eating hamburgers in Anndur. He had always known that Chanaean dishes are good, but he had never had any authentic ones. Yet the dishes in Blossom Garden blew him away. ¡°So good!¡± Due to his limitations in speaking the Chanaeannguage, Barney could only hum in delight. When Arius saw Barney¡¯s response, he could not help butment, ¡°I told you that you¡¯d like the food here! You¡¯re the one who didn¡¯t believe me!¡± Arius was confident that most people would find Chanaean dishes to their liking. ¡°You¡¯re right. This is scrumptious! Can I eat here often in the future?¡± Barney did not have any financial restrictions, but he was well aware that some ces required membership. ¡°Of course! I¡¯ll ask Ms. Blossom to issue you a membership cardter. You can just ring Ms. Blossom up whenever you feel likeing here,¡± Tristan answered. They were very familiar with Ms. Blossom. ¡°You see that, Arius? That¡¯s how awesome Sophie¡¯s boyfriend is! Thank goodness you¡¯re not the one Sophie is in love with,¡± Barney teased. Otherwise, there would have been no advantages. Arius tried to defend himself but ultimately chose to stay silent. He was aware that he would always be the target from then on. Nothing he said could change that. All he wanted to do then was to have his meal in peace. It was not until he was alone with Sophie did he speak. ¡°I heard from an ex-colleague in the medical association that Nichs is still alive.¡± That man sure is as hard to kill as a cockroach. He can even stay alive after all of that. Sophie remained silent. Property ? of N?velDrama.Org. She had not heard Nichs¡¯ name in so long. However, the sudden mention of his name did not agitate Sophie at all. ¡°He almost died this time. He won¡¯t let Tristan go so easily,¡± Sophie remarked. Nichs was an exceptionally stubborn man. If he wanted something, he would make it happen by hook or by crook. Right now, there was nothing he was more obsessed with than Sophie herself. ¡°If he wants to die, no one can stop him,¡± Sophie added lightly. Nichs was truly hard to get rid of. Everyone expected him to be a goner in thest incident. ¡°The Sable family in Anndur is very restless. My guess is that they¡¯re plotting their revenge. You should ask Tristan to be more cautious,¡± Arius advised. He knew how much Sophie adored that man and how she wouldn¡¯t be able to handle it if she lost Tristan. Because of that, he took the extra effort to warn her. Otherwise, he could not be bothered by another man¡¯s life. ¡°I will.¡± It was already old news that Nichs wanted Tristan dead. It was only natural that Sophie knew about it. ¡°Nheless, Nichs probably wouldn¡¯t return to Chanaea for the time being, so everyone should be safe for now.¡± ¡°If he still wants toe back, then we shall make it a one-way trip for him! I¡¯m fed up with his obsession!¡± Sophie clenched her fists. They had already lost too much time because of Nichs. ¡°That¡¯s right. Killing him might bring up a lot of issues, but not killing him will bring more trouble.¡± Arius concluded that it was easier to just kill Nichs off. Chapter 636 Chapter 636 Meanwhile, Nichs had almost recovered fully. Nevertheless, he was still receiving therapy sessions from a psychiatrist. In his opinion, the psychiatrist kept bringing up topics that he did not want to continue discussing. He frowned slightly as his patience began to thin. ¡°Mr. Sab¡ª¡± In the next second, Nichs shot up straight and grabbed the psychiatrist by his neck. ¡°Didn¡¯t I ask you to quit all this nonsense? Why do you have so much stuff to say? Don¡¯t you know that it¡¯s annoying?¡± His reactionpletely caught the psychiatrist off guard. After so many therapy sessions, the psychiatrist thought that Nichs was improving. To his dismay, Nichs was still as vtile as he was before therapy. Content rights belong to N?velDrama.Org. Nichs¡¯ expression was extremely ferocious. ¡°I don¡¯t like you yapping in my ear all the time! It¡¯s driving me nuts!¡± Upon hearing themotion, Alex entered the room. As the scene yed in front of him, he quickly took a step forward in an attempt to rescue the psychiatrist. Unfortunately, Nichs had caught sight of what Alex was about to do. ¡°Alex, have you forgotten your lesson?¡± Nichs asked icily. ¡°Do I have to kill you in order to help you remember?¡± Alex froze, not knowing how to respond. ¡°Mr. Nichs, please be reasonable. He¡¯s just a doctor. There¡¯s no need for you to be angry at him. Please let him go.¡± ¡°Hmph! Do I have to choose who I can and cannot be angry at now? I¡¯m not happy. I want to kill him right now. What can you guys do about it?¡± As he was speaking, his grip around the psychiatrist¡¯s neck tightened. Alex could merely stand at the side and watch helplessly. If Nichs had made up his mind to kill somebody, no one could save them. Furthermore, Alex was aware that he was just a humble person with no influence. In his final breaths, the psychiatrist had never expected himself to die in the hands of his patients. When Nichs was sure that the psychiatrist had passed away, he loosened his grip and allowed the psychiatrist¡¯s limp body to fall to the ground. ¡°Clean up this mess,¡± Nichsmanded coldly. A dead person was nothing new to them. ¡°Yes, Boss.¡± There was nothing else Alex could do. I dread to find out how Old Mr. Sable will react when he hears that Boss has killed the psychiatrist. This father-son duo is not to be messed with. ¡°Go tell Father that no more psychiatrist is to show up at my mansion! Otherwise, I¡¯ll take them out one by one!¡± thundered Nichs. I am not sick! I¡¯mpletely fine, aren¡¯t I? How could I be sick? Nichs refused to admit that he needed help. ¡°Mr. Nichs, Old Mr. Sable is just doing this for your good,¡± Alex exined. ¡°I don¡¯t need others to be good to me!¡± All he wanted at that moment was one person, and that person was Sophie! He almost died at the hands of Tristan the other day, but that did not faze him. He would not give up so easily. Since he was still alive, he decided that it was Tristan¡¯s turn to die. ¡°This time, I want a foolproof n. I want Tristan dead! Do you hear me?¡± Nichs hollered like the maniac that he was. Alex was rendered speechless. He really was at a loss for words. Who do you think Tristan is? How can his life be taken away so easily just because you say so? Besides, he has Sophie by his side! How are we to go against two big shots? Was the previous incident not enough of a lesson? ¡°Mr. Nichs, for the sake of your safety, we have to carefully think this through!¡± Alex began. ¡°Just because we managed to save your life thest time doesn¡¯t mean you¡¯ll be as lucky the next time!¡± ¡°I don¡¯t care how you do it. I just want Tristan¡¯s head on a silver tter! You don¡¯t have to tell me anything else.¡± Nichs left Alex no room to argue. ¡°I¡¯m tired. I¡¯ll be going to rest. Do not disturb me.¡± With that, he left. Alex quickly summoned people to get rid of the corpse inside the room. Just like that, an innocent psychiatrist lost his life. If word got out, no other psychiatrist would dare to ept Nichs as a patient. When Javier caught wind of the news, he was livid. Everything in the living room was smashed by him. ¡°Is there something wrong with his memory? He almost diedst time! Is that still not enough for him to learn his lesson?¡± Javier hollered. He knew that Tristan was not someone to be messed with. Once again, Alex did not dare to utter a response. Both the father and the son had the same temper. No one could control them when they were enraged. ¡°Alex, you better keep your eye on him! If anything were to happen to him, I¡¯d bury you alongside his body!¡± Javier only had one son. No matter how horrible of a person Nichs was, Javier couldn¡¯t just let him die. Poor Alex was beginning to question his life choices. ¡°Old Mr. Sable, Mr. Nichs is too stubborn! He¡¯s set on having Tristan¡¯s head. If we can¡¯t bring his head back, no one here will be left in peace.¡± Alex was merely stating the truth. Javier fell silent. Tristan¡¯s head? Javier could give Nichs anything else that he wanted, but Tristan¡¯s head had proved to be a challenge! It was not something one could obtain just because one desired to. If it were that easy, Javier would have done so ages ago. The problem was that even Javier was at a loss. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about this for now. Just keep an eye on him. Don¡¯t think about anything else,¡± ordered Javier. Tristan is not someone you can easily cross. Even Stephen was caught by Tristan. This is no ordinary man. Not everyone will stand a chance against him. ¡°Understood, Old Mr. Sable.¡± Alex could not help but feel pity for himself for having two difficult and heartless bosses. They did not even care for his life. Before long, Felix had received news that Nichs was alive and that he wanted Tristan¡¯s head. ¡°This Nichs has more lives than a cat. I thought he had died previously! I can¡¯t believe that he¡¯s still alive.¡± ¡°He is Nichs Sable, after all. He¡¯s quite a powerful man,¡± Tristan replied nonchntly. Even though he could not stand Nichs, he could not deny the influence thetter had. ¡°Now what? He has already given word to hunt you down. Are you not going to do anything about it? Aren¡¯t you being too calm?¡± ¡°Then what do you suggest?¡± Tristan retorted. Felix shrugged. ¡°How am I supposed to know? This is your problem. None of my business.¡± As of then, Felix just wanted to date in peace. He no longer wanted to meddle in other situations. ¡°Since you don¡¯t have any suggestions, I would advise you to keep your mouth shut.¡± Tristan was not at all bothered by the news. If Nichs wanted him dead, he would first need the capability to do so. If only one of them could exist in this world, Tristan was sure that it would be himself. ¡°Fine! I¡¯m out of here!¡± Felix turned to leave, feeling as though he was only being bullied whenever he was in Lombard Group. I might as well go and find my dear Ysabelle instead. Seeing that there was not much work left, Tristan decided to look for Sophie at the University of Medicine so they could go for lunch together. Before he left, he called Sophie but to no avail. His calls kept going to voicemail. Giving up, he decided to just go to her. When it was time for lunch, Sandra and Simon were waiting outside for Sophie, but the professor was still asking thetter a question. Chapter 637 Chapter 637 Sophie only came out at half past twelve. ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you to eat first? Why are you still here waiting for me?¡± She felt apologetic to see that they were still waiting for her. Sandra answered cheerfully, ¡°We aren¡¯t such lousy friends! Also, you will be so bored eating by yourself!¡± The three of them frequently ate together. Moreover, it was just waiting for a while. They were naturally willing to wait for her. ¡°Okay, let¡¯s go! Since it¡¯s so cold, let¡¯s go eat BBQ.¡± There was a good BBQ ce at the University of Medicine. In addition, eating BBQ in this cold weather was ideal. ¡°Of course. Let me treat you guys.¡± She felt apologetic about it since they had waited for her for so long. ¡°Let¡¯s go! It¡¯s just BBQ! It doesn¡¯t matter who¡¯s treating.¡± Simon was not someone short of money. Moreover, how could he let a girl treat him to BBQ? The trio went to the University of Medicine¡¯s cafeteria. Since Sophie was busy just now, she didn¡¯t have the time to check her phone. She realized she had a few missed calls upon taking out her phone. They were all from Tristan, so she immediately called him back. ¡°What happened? Why did you call me so many times? Did something happen?¡± she instantly asked when the call connected. ¡°It¡¯s nothing. I don¡¯t have anything in the afternoon, so I came to eat lunch with you. Where are you now? I¡¯ve arrived at your campus entrance.¡± Tristan had already arrived at the university. ¡°You can head straight to the cafeteria. We¡¯re heading there now, so you can wait for us there.¡± Since he was already here, they could have a meal together. ¡°Is that Mr. Tristan?¡± Sandra asked once Sophie hung up the phone. ¡°Oh, you guys don¡¯t mind eating BBQ with him, right?¡± Sophie nced at her friends. ¡°Of course, we don¡¯t mind! Why would we mind?¡± Sandra had seen Tristan before, so she was curious about him. Simon felt slightly ufortable. Since he liked Sophie, it felt strange that he was going to have lunch with her boyfriend. However, he knew he shouldn¡¯t make the situation awkward for Sophie. When the trio reached the cafeteria, Tristan was already waiting for them. Although he was only wearing a ck wool coat, he looked unreal standing from afar. His appearance attracted the attention of many females in an instant. It was rare to see such a handsome man, even in the entertainment industry. ¡°Sophie, your boyfriend is too handsome!¡± Only Sophie would suit a man like Tristan. Simon naturally noticed Tristan too, and he sighed softly. I¡¯m not worthy. Standing next to Tristan, Simon wouldn¡¯t even dare to say he liked Sophie as the man was simply too outstanding. Even if one didn¡¯t know who Tristan was, one would know he wasn¡¯t someone to be trifled with from his aura. At this moment, Tristan also noticed Sophie. He walked up to her before wrapping his arms around her waist. ¡°Aren¡¯t you cold?¡± He decided to hug her since he knew she would be cold. ¡°I¡¯m actually not that cold today.¡± Tristan¡¯s arrival naturally delighted Sophie. ¡°You already know Sandra. This is Simon. He¡¯s also our ssmate.¡± Sophie then turned to Simon and said, ¡°Simon, this is my boyfriend, Tristan!¡± Sophie introduced them to one another. Simon stretched out his hand, and Tristan shook it. ¡°Let¡¯s go! What do you want to eat?¡± ¡°We decided to eat BBQ. You don¡¯t mind, do you?¡± The weather was perfect for eating BBQ. ¡°I don¡¯t mind. Let¡¯s go! It¡¯s too cold outside.¡± Despite her ims that the weather was fine for her, her hands were icy cold. He ced her hand in his pocket to provide her some warmth. Sandra became even more envious after witnessing Tristan¡¯s warm gesture. ¡°D*mn it! Not only is Sophie¡¯s boyfriend this handsome, but he¡¯s also caring! How unfair!¡± Simon didn¡¯t say anything. Sandra was also aware that Simon had feelings for Sophie. Even though Simon was ufortable in this situation, she felt he deserved it since Sophie already had a boyfriend. ¡°Simon, are you okay?¡± she queried. ¡°I¡¯m fine!¡± He already knew that Sophie didn¡¯t like him. Nevertheless, it still hurt slightly when seeing her with her boyfriend since he really liked her. The four entered the BBQ shop. Since it was a cafeteria, there were no private rooms, so they had to sit with others. There were already many people inside. It was initially noisy in the shop. However, everyone quietened down upon seeing Tanner. It was as if they felt that the noisy atmosphere didn¡¯t suit his aura. Upon noticing new customers, the shop owner immediately cleaned a table for them. ¡°Please wait a moment! There are many customers here, so you guys might have to wait another twenty minutes!¡± The business was thriving, so it would take longer to prepare food because it needed to maintain its quality. ¡°It¡¯s fine! Go on,¡± Sandra told the shop owner. Tristan took a tissue to clean the seat for Sophie and the table before sitting her down. He wasn¡¯t used to eating in such an environment. However, since he was already there, he could only go with the flow. Since others could eat at that ce, he naturally could eat the food too. ¡°Are you okay with eating here?¡± Sophie was afraid he wasn¡¯t used to eating in that environment. ¡°It¡¯s fine. It¡¯s pretty good.¡± Even when he was attending school, he had always eaten in restaurants. He had never been in the school¡¯s cafeteria to eat BBQ. However, he suddenly felt younger being in such an environment. I¡¯ll just treat this as a new experience! There were many people at the BBQ shop. After waiting for around twenty minutes, the shop owner finally brought their grill to them. Upon seeing the grill had arrived, Simon took the initiative to pick the ingredients. ¡°I¡¯ll go and pick our ingredients!¡± Sandra instantly stood up. ¡°I¡¯ming along with you.¡± The two headed off to choose their ingredients since the shop was buffet-style, where its customers could choose unlimited ingredients. ¡°Should I go?¡± Since Tristan had never eaten in such a ce, he wasn¡¯t clear about what to do. The ces he ate at had never required him to do that! He always ate in high-end restaurants, so naturally, the servers would serve him the food. He never had to do anything. ¡°There¡¯s no need. You¡¯re not familiar with this ce, so let them do it. They¡¯re only taking some food. It¡¯s fine.¡± Sophie knew he was unfamiliar with having a meal like that. How could she let him take the food? ¡°It does add a tinge of liveliness to this ce.¡± He didn¡¯t dislike being in a ce like that. ¡°You call this lively?¡± Sophie was a person who enjoyed the silence, so she felt that it was a noisy ce. However, she liked the food there, so she was willing to put up with it. N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner. Moreover, she couldn¡¯t expect perfection with the shop¡¯s affordable prices! Chapter 638 Chapter 638 Meanwhile, Sandra and Simon were picking some vegetables. Although the dining cost here was not expensive, the restaurant offered various kinds of vegetables to its customers, many of which were wild herbs. The two soon filled their tes with all sorts of vegetables. ¡°Simon, are you okay? Actually, you don¡¯t have to be so sad. Sophie¡¯s boyfriend is so powerful. It¡¯s not shameful that you lost to him, right?¡± All men would feel shame and inferiority in front of Tristan. A man like him was simply outstanding. ¡°I¡¯m fine. Indeed, I¡¯m not ashamed to lose to Mr. Tristan.¡± Besides, only a powerful man like Tristan is worthy of a woman like Sophie. Other men were merely small fries. Although he did feel a little upset, he wasn¡¯t ashamed at all. His love had ended before it could even begin. He could only bow out of thepetition when he learned that his opponent was Tristan. The duo carried the tes of vegetables over. Meanwhile, Sophie had already ced the fish on the grill. ¡°Let¡¯s eat. It¡¯s gettingte, and I need to take a napter,¡± Sophie said, but she wondered if she would be able to fall asleep with a full stomach. Tristan got some grilled fish for Sophie and said attentively, ¡°You should eat more.¡± Sophie had a small appetite, and Tristan thought that she should eat more. Sandra was super envious when she saw how caring Tristan was toward Sophie. Not only was Sophie¡¯s boyfriend handsome, but he was also very gentle and considerate. This made Sophie an object of jealousy for others. ¡°Simon, I¡¯m tortured by their lovey-dovey acts.¡± Simon didn¡¯t want to make anyments. He reckoned he shouldn¡¯t have gone there to have a meal with them. ¡°All right. You two help yourselves. I thought you said you wanted to eat BBQ? Why aren¡¯t you eating?¡± ¡°Rx. Since you are Sophie¡¯s friends, you are also my friends too.¡± Indeed, Tristan had a formidable aura, but they were just having a meal and shouldn¡¯t act as if they were walking on eggshells. Property ? of N?velDrama.Org. Sandra immediately served Simon a piece of grilled fish. ¡°Enjoy the food.¡± She hoped that food could lighten up his mood. Simon nodded. Tristan was at ease throughout the meal, although he looked quite out of ce in the current setting. That was just how he was. As long as he was willing to do so, he could easily adapt to the environment around him. After the meal, Sandra and Simon went back to the dorm. Tristanmented while looking at their leaving figures. ¡°Does Simon have a crush on you?¡± Sophie¡¯s lips quirked into a grin. ¡°Maybe. Why? Are you jealous?¡± ¡°No. I¡¯m not surprised that he likes you. I will have an exhausted life if I feel jealous of everyone who has a crush on you.¡± Sophie held his arm, and the duo walked toward the car together. The tweed, wool coats wrapped around their slender figures. Both of them had outstanding features and looked like perfect matches for each other. Their presence instantlymanded everyone¡¯s attention and envy. When they reached the car, Tristan pulled the door open for Sophie and let her get in the car first. Then, he closed the door and walked to the other side, and got in the car. ¡°It¡¯s gettingte. Do you still want to go back to rest?¡± There wasn¡¯t much time left for her to nap, even if she went back now. ¡°Yes. I don¡¯t have any sses in the evening. I¡¯m going back to my condominium to write my thesis.¡± Herst thesis had been published and seemed to have won an award. She wasn¡¯t paying much attention to that, anyway. It was now a norm for her to win awards from time to time. Moreover, she didn¡¯t write those papers to win a prize but purely to share some of her thoughts and ideas. ¡°I see! Then let¡¯s head back together!¡± Tristan didn¡¯t seem to have anything to do in the evening, so he decided to hang out at Sophie¡¯s ce. ¡°Aren¡¯t you quite busytely? You should get to your business. I don¡¯t want to keep you any longer.¡± He really shouldn¡¯t spend more time apanying her. She was an adult and knew how to manage her time. ¡°I¡¯m not that busy, just earning money. I realize now that money doesn¡¯t look as fascinating to me as before.¡± ¡°Do you know that your words would piss off those who are jealous of you?¡± Others were all working like a mule to make money, yet, a wealthy man like him was saying that earning money wasn¡¯t fascinating. There was truly a vast difference between one human and the other. ¡°I¡¯m merely telling the truth. Money is nothing but a number to me now.¡± Tristan spoke his mind. Sophie nodded in agreement. She was indifferent to the pursuit of money and felt content as long as she had enough to spend, despite her sometimes being a big spender. To her, it was good enough that she was able to pay her bills from the money she had earned herself. The two chatted while making their way back to the condominium. The slippers in the condominium had been reced with plush ones, keeping their feet warm. When Tristan bought that condominium, he had it renovated and redecorated. The whole ce was installed with floor heating. As the floor heating was turned on, the air in the room became warmer. Tristan and Sophie proceeded to take off their tweed coats. Tristan was wearing a thin shirt without a tie. The first few buttons of the shirt were unbuttoned, revealing his sexy corbone. Sophie looked at him in a daze. Truth be told, she had known him for quite some time, but she still felt the heavens were biased toward Tristan every time she looked at his perfect face. A perfect man like Tristan was truly a masterpiece. Not a single fault could be found on him. As a result, he was the target of everyone¡¯s envy. ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± Tristan asked when he noticed Sophie kept staring at him. He wondered if there was something on his face. Sophie stretched her hand out, and Tristan immediately grabbed it. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? I¡¯ll feel embarrassed if you keep looking at me like this.¡± Sophie pulled him toward her. ¡°It¡¯s nothing. I was just thinking about why such a good-looking man would exist in this world. Furthermore, this man is my boyfriend too. He will even be my husband one day and the father of my child. It makes me feel so lucky whenever I think about this.¡± It was the first time Tristan heard her saying words like that. He felt like he was floating on cloud nine just listening to her. ¡°I¡¯m sure we will have a happily ever after. I will live in a future with you and our children by my side.¡± He was very excited about the future. Sophie pulled him over before nting a kiss on his Adam¡¯s apple. Tristan¡¯s Adam¡¯s apple was one of his most sensitive body parts. Yet, Sophie stuck her tongue out and ran it over the area. Tristan could no longer control himself and pressed her against the couch. ¡°Sophie, do you know what you¡¯re doing? Do you know that you are driving me crazy?¡± Tristan¡¯s voice was hoarse and full of lust. He could barely contain his desires any further. At the same time, Sophie could clearly feel the warmth and excitement of his towering body pressing against hers. Chapter 639 Chapter 639 The sight of Sophie¡¯s beautiful eyes that sparkled with the radiance of the stars was enough to make one subconsciously lose themselves in their depths. Her soft, red lips moved as she said, ¡°I only did that because I couldn¡¯t help myself. It¡¯s your fault for having such a sexy Adam¡¯s apple.¡± Is it really that sexy? I¡¯m pretty much perfect from head to toe, but of all things, she likes my Adam¡¯s apple? That discovery left Tristan rather dumbfounded. Finally, he said, ¡°Well, it appears you¡¯ve taken a particr liking to it.¡± ¡°I have! I think it¡¯s very sexy!¡± As she spoke, she could not refrain from licking his throat again. He fell silent, feeling like he was about to lose his mind. She¡¯s going to drive me absolutely crazy with her teasing! She¡¯s usually quiet and aloof, but when she starts flirting, it can really get dangerous. I like her so much that just looking at her can make me lose control, let alone when she tempts me the way she¡¯s doing now. ¡°I¡¯m genuinely worried that sharing a bed with you in the future will be the death of me,¡± he remarked. She stared at him wordlessly. Is that supposed to be apliment? It sure doesn¡¯t sound like one. ¡°Are you calling me a temptress?¡± she asked, thinking about how the kings used to die in the beds of such women in ancient times. ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right. You¡¯re a little temptress,¡± he responded in a low, alluring voice. Leaning forward, he bit her lip gently as punishment. Her actions may not have been intentional, yet I seem to have fallen under her spell. If that isn¡¯t the of work a temptress, then what? Sophie did not attempt to stop him from kissing her, thinking that was probably the only way to ease his difort. As time passed, however, the situation got increasingly out of hand. Seeing him like that made her heart ache. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry! I didn¡¯t mean to tease you. It was honestly a sudden impulse!¡± she exined. s, it was always he who ended up suffering. Tristan did not respond. What else can I say? Can I me her? I can¡¯t! Breathing heavily as hey on top of her, he could smell her faint fragrance. I know now¡¯s the time I should be going to take a shower. Nheless, I don¡¯t want to be apart from her. All I want is to lie close to her like this until the end of time. Even if we don¡¯t do anything, I¡¯m content with just gazing at her like this. There¡¯s no doubt that I¡¯ve be a person who¡¯s easily contented ever since she came into my life. Feeling exhausted after their meal and amorous overture, she soon dozed off on the couch. He got up from the couch gingerly. The sound of her quiet and steady breathing made him feel calm and at ease, giving him a sense of peace and tranquility. After all, isn¡¯t this how life is supposed to be? I don¡¯t need a love that¡¯s grand and spectacr. Just this! A love where we grow old together with neither leaving the other behind. One where we stay by each other¡¯s sides for the rest of our lives. Just that is enough. That¡¯s genuinely all I need to be content. Everything was too smooth sailing between us in the beginning, so there are times when I can¡¯t help but worry whether something will happen in the future. However, no matter what life throws at us, I won¡¯t let go of her. As he scooped her up from the couch, he knitted his brows at how little she weighed. Despite his efforts in looking for various top chefs, she still did not eat much and never seemed to have much appetite. She probably only eats to survive. I¡¯ve never seen her particrly enjoy any food. Arius did not expect that Tristan would go to find him. As long as the two were together, the former would inevitably be on the losing end, so he harbored an extreme dislike for thetter. Hence, when Arius heard the doorbell and opened the door, only to see Tristan standing outside, he made to m the door shut. However, Tristan pushed the door open forcefully. ¡°What do you think you¡¯re doing? This is my house. I don¡¯t want to see you now, so can you get out already?¡± Arius demanded angrily. Ever since he appeared, Sophie doesn¡¯t love me anymore. So, naturally, I don¡¯t like him! ¡°Can¡¯t you quit being so childish? I¡¯d only be here if I have something important to talk to you about,¡± Tristan replied. Does he seriously think I have so much free time toe all the way here and bicker with him otherwise? Content rights belong to N?velDrama.Org. ¡°You have to talk to me about something? You? Really? Go ahead, then. What is it? Let¡¯s see whether I¡¯m in the mood to help you out,¡± Arius said arrogantly. He had his moods too, and he was not about to help Tristan just because that was what thetter wanted. ¡°It¡¯s about Sophie,¡± Tristan revealed, stating the reason for his visit without beating around the bush. Arius truly cared for Sophie, so he always treated any matters rting to her seriously. He immediately stepped aside to let Tristan into the house. ¡°What is it? Did something happen to her? Hasn¡¯t she been with you all this while? What have you done to her?¡± Tristan headed straight into the living room and sat on the couch. ¡°You¡¯ve known Sophie for a long time, haven¡¯t you? I was wondering, did she always have such a small appetite?¡± ¡°Ah, so that¡¯s why you¡¯re here. It seems that you¡¯ve really fallen for her,¡± Arius remarked. Indeed, how little she eats has always been an issue. ¡°I¡¯ve tried getting all kinds of different chefs, but no matter what they cook, she only eats a little.¡± Sophie was too thin, and Tristan was very concerned about that. ¡°That¡¯s how she¡¯s always been. As long as her health is fine, you don¡¯t have to worry too much about it,¡± Arius said. He, too, was at a loss for how to deal with that matter. ¡°Is there no solution to it?¡± asked Tristan. Arius shook his head, feeling utterly helpless. ¡°To be honest, even as a doctor, I¡¯ve no way of dealing with that.¡± At first, he had worried about it too. However, after observing that Sophie¡¯s health did not seem to be affected even though she did not eat much, he did not interfere. After all, there was nothing others could do if she did not want to eat more. ¡°Perhaps you could try cooking for her yourself? If you¡¯re the one who prepared the food, she might eat more of it, don¡¯t you think?¡± he suggested. Isn¡¯t that what others refer to as the power of love? ¡°But seeing as you¡¯re so busy, I suppose you won¡¯t take the time to cook for her,¡± Arius added after a pause, thinking that people who managed their time down to the second like Tristan would never be willing to spend so much time on a woman. ¡°Will she eat it if I¡¯m the one who prepared it?¡± Tristan wondered aloud. It was not that he was reluctant to spend all that time on cooking, but more so that he worried his cooking would suck and that Sophie would still force herself to eat it because of him. ¡°How will you know if you don¡¯t give it a go?¡± Arius quipped. Regardless of what it is, we¡¯ve got to give things a try to know how they¡¯ll turn out, right? ¡°All right. Got it.¡± ¡°Are you serious about that? I was only joking. Even if you do that, she might not like it,¡± Arius said quickly, slightly regretting his words. This guy has led a pampered life, so I¡¯m worried whether what he cooks will end up giving Sophie food poisoning or not. If it does, I¡¯ll be the main culprit! ¡°Don¡¯t worry. It¡¯ll be fine. It¡¯s just cooking a meal. With my intelligence, I can definitely learn how to do it.¡± For Sophie¡¯s sake, Tristan was willing to try anything, even if the odds of it working were only a million to one. Arius was bereft of words. If Sophie finds out what I¡¯ve done, she¡¯ll skin me alive! ¡°Ah, so that¡¯s why you¡¯ra hara. It saams that you¡¯va raally fan for har,¡± Arius ramarkad. Indaad, how lit sha aats has always baan an issua. ¡°I¡¯va triad gatting all kinds of diffarant chafs, but no mattar what thay cook, sha only aats a lit.¡± Sophia was too thin, and Tristan was vary concarnad about that. ¡°That¡¯s how sha¡¯s always baan. As long as har haalth is fina, you don¡¯t hava to worry too much about it,¡± Arius said. Ha, too, was at a loss for how to daal with that mattar. ¡°Is thara no solution to it?¡± askad Tristan. Arius shook his haad, faaling uttarly halss. ¡°To ba honast, avan as a doctor, I¡¯va no way of daaling with that.¡± At first, ha had worriad about it too. Howavar, aftar obsarving that Sophia¡¯s haalth did not saam to ba affactad avan though sha did not aat much, ha did not intarfara. Aftar all, thara was nothing othars could do if sha did not want to aat mora. ¡°Parhaps you could try cooking for har yoursalf? If you¡¯ra tha ona who praparad tha food, sha might aat mora of it, don¡¯t you think?¡± ha suggastad. Isn¡¯t that what othars rafar to as tha powar of lova? ¡°But saaing as you¡¯ra so busy, I supposa you won¡¯t taka tha tima to cook for har,¡± Arius addad aftar a pausa, thinking that pao who managad thair tima down to tha sacond lika Tristan would navar ba willing to spand so much tima on a woman. ¡°Will sha aat it if I¡¯m tha ona who praparad it?¡± Tristan wondarad aloud. It was not that ha was raluctant to spand all that tima on cooking, but mora so that ha worriad his cooking would suck and that Sophia would still forca harsalf to aat it bacausa of him. ¡°How will you know if you don¡¯t giva it a go?¡± Arius quippad. Ragarss of what it is, wa¡¯va got to giva things a try to know how thay¡¯ll turn out, right? ¡°All right. Got it.¡± ¡°Ara you sarious about that? I was only joking. Evan if you do that, sha might not lika it,¡± Arius said quickly, slightly ragratting his words. This guy hasd a pamparad lifa, so I¡¯m worriad whathar what ha cooks will and up giving Sophia food poisoning or not. If it doas, I¡¯ll ba tha main culprit! ¡°Don¡¯t worry. It¡¯ll ba fina. It¡¯s just cooking a maal. With my intalliganca, I can dafinitalyarn how to do it.¡± For Sophia¡¯s saka, Tristan was willing to try anything, avan if tha odds of it working wara only a million to ona. Arius was baraft of words. If Sophia finds out what I¡¯va dona, sha¡¯ll skin ma aliva! Chapter 640 Chapter 640 Sarah was the first to find out that Tristan was learning how to cook. This brother of mine has been living a pampered life since young. Even when he¡¯s abroad, he has never cooked for himself. However, now that he¡¯s the CEO of apany, he¡¯s actually learning to cook? This is unbelievable. When she saw the man bustling away in the kitchen, she couldn¡¯t believe her eyes at first. This is a miracle! That being said, being in the kitchen didn¡¯t diminish his charm at all. He¡¯s still as handsome and cool as ever! With that thought in mind, Sarah simply stood by the kitchen doorway and continued watching her brother. ¡°Mr. Lombard, care to share with me what got you suddenly interested in cooking? Is the cook no longer good enough for you?¡± To be honest, even I, as a woman, don¡¯t like to cook. It¡¯s a tiring chore, after all. Besides, we¡¯re the rich and elite, and there¡¯s nothing in the world that we can¡¯t afford to eat, so why bother learning cooking? In response, Tristan simply kept his gaze trained on the pot of soup he was cooking. He didn¡¯t feel like entertaining his sister, for he knew she was only there to tease him, and she would be of no help at all. ¡°I just felt like learning it. Why? Is it a crime?¡± ¡°Of course not. I was just curious why a scion like yourself has a sudden interest in cooking.¡± Indeed, Sarah¡¯s curiosity was piqued. To that, Tristan replied tly, ¡°There is no why.¡± I haven¡¯t mastered cooking yet, so why would I tell her anything? Nheless, with how smart I am, it won¡¯t be long before I¡¯m good at it. When he saw that the soup was almost ready, he turned off the stove. Looking into the pot, he reckoned that the mushroom soup seemed rather presentable. Sarah leaned over as well. ¡°It looks good, but I wonder how¡¯s the taste?¡± ¡°Give it a try, then. After you do, tell me if Sophie would like it.¡± Tristandled some of the mushroom soup into a bowl and handed it to her before giving her an expectant look. Hearing that, Sarah finally understood why her brother was learning to cook. Shemented, ¡°My dear brother, are you telling me that the reason why you¡¯re learning cooking is for Sophie¡¯s sake?¡± I guess that makes sense. After all, Tristan has never been picky about his food. Normally, a meal made by an average five-star chef would be able to meet his needs. There¡¯s no reason for him to cook for himself. Tristan uttered, ¡°I¡¯m still in the process of mastering it, so don¡¯t tell anyone about this, got it?¡± I wonder who¡¯s the person who told her that I¡¯m learning to cook. After all, there¡¯s only a handful of people who knows about this. That being said, I don¡¯t really mind that Sarah found out. At least this way, I won¡¯t need to find myself ab rat since she¡¯s going to be the perfect candidate for this. Well aware of what her brother was thinking, Sarah said, ¡°There¡¯s no reason for you to know who I found this out from.¡± Of course, if she actually knew that her brother was thinking of making her ab rat, she would have flipped out. Sarah blew on the still-steaming soup. Since it was just out of the pot, it was boiling hot. After a moment, she took a sip. Seeing that she finally tasted it, Tristan asked immediately, ¡°How is it? Is the taste okay?¡± Soup is the easiest dish to cook, and it wasn¡¯t really hard when I was making it. I¡¯m just curious about how it tastes. To that, Sarah took another spoonful and said, ¡°The taste is all right, but I think you may have gone a bit too heavy on the salt. Next time, put a little less. After all, soup always tastes better if it¡¯s less rich.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Tristan was doubtful of his sister¡¯s words since he had followed the recipe to a tee. It doesn¡¯t make sense for it to be too salty. I feel like her requirement is just too high, what with her being a great cook and all. He then added, ¡°Hmm¡­ You know what, let me get two more people here to try it.¡± When Ysabelle received a phone call from Tristan, she was left rather baffled. After all, her uncle hadn¡¯t cared about her much ever since he fell in love. Why would Uncle Tristan call me out of the blue? When they arrived at the condominium near the University of Medicine, Ysabelle was a little confused by the two bowls of soup on the table. Did my uncle really call us here just to have some soup? Simrly, Felix was just as puzzled when he saw the bowls of soup. He queried, ¡°Mr. Tristan, did you call us here just to have some soup? Sarah, did you make this?¡± They knew how busy Sarah was and how she seldom had the time to make soup for everyone at home. That being said, there is no doubt that the soup Sarah makes will be delicious. Sarah denied it immediately. ¡°Don¡¯t look at me. I¡¯m not the one who made the soup.¡± I can¡¯t possibly take Tristan¡¯s credit. ¡°If it wasn¡¯t you who made it, could it be that Uncle Tristan made it?¡± Ysabelle was in disbelief. ¡°But that¡¯s impossible. Uncle Tristan can probably whip up some oatmeal at most.¡± Sarah nodded. ¡°The soup¡¯s indeed made by your uncle. I guess you can call this the power of love. Felix, do take some pointers from this.¡± Felix was left dumbfounded. He then blurted, ¡°Mr. Tristan, are you really the one who made the soup? Are you sure? What happened to you? What¡¯s with the sudden interest in making soup?¡± Tristan urged, ¡°All right, that¡¯s enough nonsense from you. Hurry up and give it a try.¡± I didn¡¯t ask them here to gossip. All I want is for them to try the soup. Noticing that his patience was running thin, Ysabelle and Felix quickly gave the soup a try. The taste is passable. It¡¯s not as delicious as the one that Sarah makes, that¡¯s for sure. Nheless, Tristan¡¯s the one who made this soup, so there¡¯s no way we can say that it tastes average. The two exchanged nces and kept silent, not wanting to share their opinion, for they didn¡¯t have the courage to do so. Seeing this, Sarah felt likeughing. She jested, ¡°With how cowardly they are, do you really think they¡¯ll tell you the truth?¡± ¡°Just tell me what you honestly think. I won¡¯t do anything to you,¡± said Tristan. It¡¯s not like I¡¯m a violent person, am I? All I want is the truth. Ysabelle began, ¡°Well, I¡¯ll put it this way, I think your cooking still has room for improvement, Uncle Tristan.¡± My uncle is a terribly smart man. It won¡¯t do me good if I lie to him. Felix nodded in agreement. ¡°I think so, too. But to be able to produce such a result when you¡¯ve only just started is already amendable feat. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll be a great cook in the future,¡± he added, not forgetting to slip in a few ttering words while he was at it. Just then, Sophie arrived home, only to see the group of people when she opened the door. Property ? of N?velDrama.Org. ¡°It¡¯s so lively here! What¡¯s the asion? Why are you guys here?¡± she asked as she took off her shoes. Tristan never expected her toe home at a time like this. Sarah piped up, ¡°It¡¯s nothing. We just missed you, so we decided to pay you a visit.¡± Naturally, she was aware of what her brother was thinking. He¡¯s just started learning to cook, and he doesn¡¯t want Sophie to find out about it yet. That¡¯s why he¡¯s scrambling to do this when she¡¯s not home. After changing into her slippers, Sophie walked in to see the two bowls of unfinished soup on the table. She asked, ¡°Sarah, did you purposelye here to make us soup?¡± Although the soup that Sarah makes is indeed delicious, is everyone really here just for that? Sarah shook her head. ¡°No. I didn¡¯t make the soup.¡± Tristan¡¯s doing all this for Sophie¡¯s sake. It¡¯ll be for the best if she knows about it. Chapter 641 Chapter 641 ¡°You didn¡¯t make this soup? Who else could it be, then?¡± Sophie gazed at the other three people there. They were more likely there to eat than to cook, and they weren¡¯t capable of preparing their own meal. ¡°Tristan purposely learned to do this for you.¡± Sarah pretended not to fathom Tristan¡¯s warning and directly divulged that information. My foolish little brother genuinely cares about Sophie. Since he had done so much for her, I should tell her about his efforts. Doing this will improve their rtionship, so why not? ¡°What?¡± Sophie was truly dumbfounded. Mr. Tristan made this soup? So these three are here because he requested their presence? He nced at Sarah. I knew it. She¡¯s not reliable at all. The soup wasn¡¯t a sess. As it was a failed attempt, he didn¡¯t want to let Sophie drink it. ¡°Really? In that case, I must taste it.¡± Sophie gazed at Tristan. Knowing he had prepared the soup for her, she was touched by his effort regardless of the soup¡¯s vor. She was aware that Tristan had always been unable to ept her tiny meal portions. Still, there was nothing she could do about that. That was the most she could eat, and if she consumed more, she would feel ufortable as her appetite was genuinelycking. Sophie reckoned that was why he wanted to learn cooking. Of course, she knew what Tristan was thinking about. He understood her very well, and she also had a good grasp of him. ¡°Sophie, Uncle Tristan really treats you wholeheartedly, so you must never abandon him no matter what happens in the future. Otherwise, he¡¯ll be brokenhearted.¡± Ysabelle had never seen Tristan care so much about someone. Felix nodded in agreement. If Sophie leaves Mr. Tristan, he will surely be devastated. He has fallen head over heels for her. ¡°Can¡¯t you think more positively about our future? Stop talking if you aren¡¯t adept at doing so.¡± Tristan was displeased by their remarks. Ysabelle uttered, ¡°Touch wood. Fine. I¡¯m sorry. I picked my words poorly. Still, I sincerely hope you two will always stay together and be happy.¡± Sarah thought Felix and Ysabelle would only be hindrances if they remained there, so she brought them away. Finally, Tristan and Sophie were the only ones left in the small condominium. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t I drink a little, too, since they all got to taste the soup you made? Didn¡¯t Sarah say you prepared this soup for me?¡± Deeply touched, she regarded him with a hopeful look. He treats me so well and prioritizes me in everything he does. Property ? of N?velDrama.Org. Therefore, she couldn¡¯t help but behave more gently before him. She also wished to stay with him forever and never be separated. Tristan was caught in a difficult position. Judging by their reaction, the soup I made today must¡¯ve been a failed product. In that case, how can I let her drink this? ¡°Let¡¯s not drink this soup since I didn¡¯t cook it properly. I¡¯ll prepare some for you next time,¡± Tristan uttered tenderly. He wanted to make sure that he provided her the best of everything. Sophie walked up to him, slung her arms around his neck, and kissed him on the lips. It was a hot and passionate kiss. There was no way he could refuse her fervent initiative. He reckoned she would be dispirited if he rejected her at that moment. Hence, he reciprocated and deepened the kiss. The couple indulged themselves in that intimate moment for a long time. Sophie had also learned how to breathe during a kiss, so this time, she could adapt to the situation no matter how long the kisssted. Taking in her slightly swollen lips, he gently rubbed them with his fingertips. ¡°What do you want to eat tonight? I¡¯ll order food delivery from The Crown.¡± Before he could master the art of preparing the soup, he would never allow her to have a taste. ¡°Let me drink a little since you¡¯ve already made it.¡± She was still looking forward to trying the soup he prepared for her. Tristan frowned. ¡°Are you sure you want to have a taste? They told me the soup today is not that delicious.¡± ¡°It¡¯s their problem for having poor taste, then.¡± How can anything Mr. Tristan make be a failed product? ¡°Sophie, you¡¯re only saying that because you¡¯re my girlfriend, so you¡¯llpliment me regardless of the soup¡¯s vor.¡± Especially when she knew he purposely prepared the soup for her. ¡°What¡¯s with all the nonsense? All I want is to drink a bowl of soup. Is that too much to ask?¡± Sensing her determination, he had no choice but to serve her a bowl of soup. The temperature of the soup was just nice after leaving it to cool for some time. Sophie drank a few spoonfuls of the soup. Tristan felt his effort was worth it, looking at her savoring the soup. Nheless, he was also worried she might suffer from diarrhea if she drank too much. ¡°That¡¯s enough. Stop drinking. We¡¯re going out to have our dinner in a short while.¡± He grasped her hand. ¡°I know the soup isn¡¯t that great, but I¡¯ll try harder and do better next time.¡± ¡°Tristan, I have a question for you, and you must answer me seriously.¡± ¡°Okay. Ask away. I¡¯ll give you an honest answer no matter what you ask.¡± There was nothing he had to hide from her. ¡°Do you dream of feeding me until I¡¯m fat?¡± He was momentarily taken aback before ultimately nodding. Then, he uttered jokingly, ¡°How did you know that? Once I turn you into a fatty, no one will snatch you away from me.¡± Otherwise, even he couldn¡¯t fathom how many more love rivals he would have to face. Sophie was rendered speechless. She knew a short video had gone viral recently about a man telling others about his strategy to feed his girlfriend until she became corpulent so that he didn¡¯t need to worry about her leaving him for another man. ¡°Do you really hope for me to turn into a big fatty?¡± If that¡¯s the case, I¡¯m afraid he¡¯ll be disappointed because it¡¯s very hard for someone like me to gain weight. She was truly incapable of fulfilling that desire of his. Tristan pulled her close and seated her on hisp. ¡°I¡¯m just kidding. I like you no matter your appearance,¡± Tristan uttered affectionately. He was only trying to learn cooking because he knew she had a poor appetite. All he wanted was for her to stay healthy. He would ept her regardless of her physique. Sophie leaned against his chest. This is the man who loves me the most, aside from my grandpa. He loves me withplete sincerity andmitment. ¡°What¡¯s the matter? Are you touched? Still, that is not what I aim to achieve, and you don¡¯t have to feel burdened. I¡¯m merely carrying out my obligations as your boyfriend, and I¡¯m contented when doing all these things. Therefore, don¡¯t feel pressured because of this. You can drink if you want to, but if you don¡¯t want to drink the soup, you can toss it away instead of forcing yourself to consume it. You should know that I am very reluctant to see you pushing yourself to do something you don¡¯t want to.¡± He would feel distraught if she forced herself to do something because of what he did. How can he still overthink in this manner after all the things he¡¯s done for me? Chapter 642 Chapter 642 ¡°Tristan, you¡¯re going to spoil me!¡± Sophie couldn¡¯t help but pout. She would be pampered by his doing. ¡°You¡¯re my woman, so of course I¡¯m going to spoil you!¡± Sophie took another sip of soup, nodding. ¡°Mm-hmm. However, I think we still need to get some food. It¡¯s not enough to just drink soup.¡± ¡°Okay. I will learn to cook more dishes next time.¡± Indeed, soup was not enough. For the next few days, Charles and Sean were called over to beb rats as well. Fortunately, Tristan¡¯s cooking was not that bad. At the very least, they did not have to worry about being poisoned. That was the advantage of being someone with a high IQ. He was capable of doing everything well. Felix and the others stared at the braised pork ribs on the table. They were in utter disbelief. That was too incredible. After all, making soup was simple. He only needed to put everything in the water and boil it. Yet this time, Tristan had cooked a te of braised pork ribs, which looked delicious. ¡°Mr. Tristan, are you serious? You really want to hone your cooking skill, huh?¡± If Old Mr. Lombard hears of this, he will definitely be pissed off! Charles eximed inwardly.N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner. ¡°Do I look as though I¡¯m joking?¡± No matter what he wanted to do, he would be serious about it. Hearing that, Charles shook his head. ¡°To be honest, I really admire you. You said you wanted to learn to cook, and you actually did it!¡± Sean added. All this because of a woman¡­ Is she really worth it? Even now, I wouldn¡¯t do such a thing for any woman. Sean was impressed as well. ¡°All right! Cut the crap! Hurry up and give it a try!¡± Tristan urged. He was very passionate about cooking at the moment. ¡°Okay. Let me have a taste!¡± They were used to eating a lot of different delicacies, so they were quite picky when it came to food. Felix served himself a piece of pork ribs and took a bite. It wasn¡¯t greasy and had a perfect texture while being sweet. The taste of the pork ribs took his breath away. Felix couldn¡¯t help eximing, ¡°Continue down this path, and you can start a restaurant soon! I mean it.¡± How is it possible this kind of person exists? No matter what he does, he can do it wlessly and perfectly. ¡°Is it really that good?¡± asked Charles while serving himself a piece of pork ribs and tasting it. After that, he went on, ¡°Mr. Tristan, how can someone as perfect as you exist in this world?¡± Sean, too,mented after giving it a try, ¡°That¡¯s right! It¡¯s too much. Whatever you do, you can do it perfectly. Can you give other men a chance to live?¡± They did not look like they were joking at all. Tristan was pretty satisfied with his cooking. ¡°I realized recently that cooking can be quite interesting.¡± After toiling away in the kitchen, he found that the moment he enjoyed the most was when he watched Sophie finish all of the dishes he had cooked. He felt exceptionally happy whenever he saw her eat the food with relish. That kind of happiness and aplishment could not be obtained through other means. ¡°ording to legend, a king would kill for a woman. Our dear Mr. Tristan, on the other hand, is willing to learn how to cook for a woman. His acts should bemended.¡± Felix genuinely thought that Tristan was impressive. He paused for a second and continued, ¡°At this rate, I¡¯m starting to fear that Ysabelle will shun me once shepares me to you.¡± I¡¯m just being nice to her. I can¡¯t do what Mr. Tristan has done, and it is impossible to go all out. I¡¯m really not talented at cooking at all. ¡°You want topare yourself with him? Forget it. Don¡¯t you know who he is? He¡¯s Tristan Lombard! There¡¯s nothing in the world he cannot aplish!¡± dered Charles. Why would hepare himself with Tristan? They¡¯re in two different leagues! Felix couldn¡¯t agree more with what Charles said. Well, that¡¯s true. Not everyone can do what Mr. Tristan did. I only have to focus on my own business, and that¡¯s it. There¡¯s no need to kick up a fuss over nothing. Otherwise, I will be the one suffering in the end. Meanwhile, William was not pleased when he discovered Tristan¡¯s recent obsession with cooking. He had not gotten involved in Tristan and Sophie¡¯s rtionship recently. On the one hand, Tristan would not listen to what he said, and on the other, Sophie had given him such a valuable gift, and he was embarrassed to find fault with her. However, William couldn¡¯t bear that his son had be obsessed with learning to cook for a woman rather than focusing on his own business. He instructed the driver to send him to the condominium near the University of Medicine and got out of the car there. Coincidentally, he saw Sophie, who was on her way back. He didn¡¯t expect to bump into Sophie there, but this would work in his favor. After all, what he wanted to say was pointless if Tristan refused to listen, so it was better for him to tell Sophie directly. Sophie didn¡¯t hide when she saw William. Instead, she approached him and greeted, ¡°Old Mr. Lombard, are you here for Tristan? He should be at home at this hour. Let¡¯s go in together.¡± ¡°I¡¯m here to see you,¡± replied William. ¡°Well, shall we find a ce to sit down and talk, then?¡± said Sophie politely. They couldn¡¯t just stand there and talk. ¡°No need for that. I will be straightforward and tell you here. Sophie, are you going to let Tristan fool around like that? He has such a bigpany to manage, yet, you just sit back and watch him learn to cook? A man has a finite amount of energy. How can you let him do such a stupid thing if you truly love him?¡± William was very displeased at Tristan¡¯s obsession with cooking. He was adamant in ming that on Sophie. If it weren¡¯t for her, things wouldn¡¯t have gotten to that point. Sophie exined, ¡°Old Mr. Lombard, don¡¯t you understand Tristan? Nobody can stop him from doing what he has set his mind on doing.¡± Besides, Tristan is only learning to cook. Why is Old Mr. Lombard acting as though Tristan won¡¯t manage his business and will be entirely fixated on cooking? Instead, William responded with a frown and blurted, ¡°Sophie, you can¡¯t be like this. If you really want to marry Tristan, you need to think about him. Furthermore, women normally do all the cooking while men run businesses. And you, you should take care of everything in the house.¡± After all, a man like Tristan should not stay in the house and cook. It¡¯s something that I won¡¯t tolerate! Hearing that, Sophie was rendered speechless. She didn¡¯t realize that the old man was actually quite stubborn and conservative. What kind of old-fashioned view is that? Aren¡¯t women human? Aren¡¯t men and women equal in this modern day? How could he still have this kind of thinking? ¡°Old Mr. Lombard, let me repeat myself. This is what he wants to do. I can¡¯t think of any reason I should stop him from doing what he wants to.¡± Tristan did, in fact, learn how to cook for her. That was why she couldn¡¯t be ungrateful and stop him from doing that. ¡°If it were Winter or Jennifer in this situation, they definitely wouldn¡¯t say that. They certainly wouldn¡¯t let Tristan do such things!¡± William snorted. That was the reason he couldn¡¯t ept a girl like Sophie. Sophie frowned upon hearing that and uttered, ¡°Winter and Jennifer? What do they have to do with me?¡± Chapter 643 Chapter 643 I¡¯ve never thought ofparing myself to anyone else. Everything will be fine no matter how awesome Winter and Jennifer are since Tristan has no feelings for them! Sophie thought. William frowned. ¡°But¡­ if you are determined to stay with Tristan, isn¡¯t it okay to make a few changes to yourself? Why can¡¯t you try to change if you truly love him?¡± ¡°I¡¯m my best self now. There¡¯s no need for me to make any changes to myself.¡± Sophie felt it was unnecessary to twist and change herself for other people. ¡°You!¡± I can¡¯t believe a woman like her exists. Why won¡¯t she listen to what I say? If she continues acting this way, what else can I say to convince her otherwise? ¡°There¡¯s no need to get so worked up over this, Old Mr. Lombard. It¡¯s not worth getting yourself so upset over me that it hurts your body.¡± Anyway, he is my elder and Tristan¡¯s father. Since young, Tristan has had no mother. That¡¯s why he respects Old Mr. Lombard so much. Hence, I should treat Old Mr. Lombard with respect too. All rights ? N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Forget it. This is why I dislike you. It¡¯s useless to try and talk to you. Who cares if you are a capable woman? You won¡¯t even think on behalf of your lover. A woman like you would never be a good wife even if you were to marry Tristan in the future.¡± Tristan and the rest noticed Sophie and William were deeply engrossed in a conversation when they walked out. ¡°Eh, why is Old Mr. Lombard here? Did he show up because he found out you were learning how to cook?¡± The people in the upper ss were conservative and traditional. They believed that a man should not be found in a kitchen, so it wasn¡¯t unusual that William would show up for a talk when he realized what Tristan was doing. Sean agreed, ¡°I believe that¡¯s the reason why he¡¯s here.¡± Even though the men were standing far from Sophie and William, they could feel the hostility between the duo. ¡°Ah. Tristan, I feel like there¡¯s no need for you to learn cooking. Old Mr. Lombard had just decided not to intervene in your rtionship. It¡¯s inadvisable to anger him again over something trivial like this.¡± Felix shook his head. ¡°It¡¯s important to maintain harmony between the people you care about. Am I right, Tristan?¡± Tristan didn¡¯t stay to listen further. He hurried forward with a few steps and pulled Sophie into his embrace as he stared at William. ¡°Why are you here? I thought you were busy recently? How did you squeeze in the time to show up here?¡± William sneered when Tristan confronted him. ¡°Tristan, where is your conscience? No matter what happens between us, I¡¯m still your father. I was the one who raised you. How dare you speak to me this way over a mere woman? Do you know what respect is? Do you still consider me your father?¡± Deep down, Tristan¡¯s mistreatment of him distressed William. It doesn¡¯t matter what went down between us. Tristan is the precious child that I¡¯ve raised for so many years. I¡¯ve always been so proud of him. Why did he turn out this way? Sophie grabbed Tristan¡¯s hand to stop him from speaking further. She didn¡¯t want the man to argue with his father over her. Tristan shouldn¡¯t disappoint Old Mr. Lombard no matter what, right? ¡°I¡¯m all right, Mr. Tristan. Old Mr. Lombard didn¡¯t say anything unnecessary to me.¡± Sophie gazed into Tristan¡¯s eyes earnestly. ¡°Don¡¯t do anything that you will regret in the future because of me.¡± Tristan wouldn¡¯t be happy either if he hurt Old Mr. Lombard now. Understanding Sophie¡¯s intention, Tristan changed his tone. ¡°Yeah. Dad, why don¡¯t you head back first? I have something else going on today. I¡¯ll talk to you when I head home some other day.¡± Sorrow filled William¡¯s heart when he saw Tristan¡¯s obedience around Sophie. My son wouldn¡¯t listen to a word I said. Yet, he takes everything Sophie says so seriously. Why does he treat me so differently from her? It¡¯s making me sad. No wonder other people always talk about how a son always ends up siding with his wife or girlfriend over his parents. Ah! It seems like my son didn¡¯t escape the same fate either. Tristan opened the car door for William, reminding him, ¡°All right. The weather is getting cold. You should remain inside the mansion if there is nothing important. It¡¯s not right for you to run around like this when you are getting old.¡± He was truly concerned for William¡¯s wellbeing. Dad didn¡¯t have an easy life as he had to raise his three kids alone. He¡¯s never once thought about remarrying, as he always says that he doesn¡¯t know what love is. From what I see, he is the one that is the most affectionate and emotional. If not, he wouldn¡¯t have stayed single for so many years. With the car door opened for him, William knew he would only annoy the people present more if he didn¡¯t leave now. With a snort and no more words, he turned and left. William grew more and more upset when he got back to the mansion. Come on! I wasn¡¯t wrong. A woman should learn to cook and stay at home, taking care of everything in the household so her man can work without any worries. Meanwhile, Sarah got a call from the butler. Knowing that William was overthinking and obsessing over some matters again, she quickly headed home from thepany. As soon as she stepped through the door, she was greeted by the sight of a sulking William sitting atop the couch. Sarah walked over, sat beside him, and leaned her head on William¡¯s shoulder. She asked softly, ¡°Dad, what¡¯s wrong? Who had the gall to offend you? Let me know. I¡¯ll go and teach him or her a lesson now.¡± William sighed in resignation. ¡°Was it easy for me to raise the three of you alone? Why are you all disobeying me?¡± He lowered his head miserably as if everyone had wronged him. Sarah mused inwardly, Maybe everyone will act this way when they get older. They be child-like, needing thefort of the people around them. See! My dad has turned into one of them. Even though he used to be a sessful and influential businessman in the past, now he is just a mere mortal who wants his children to care about him. ¡°Dad, we all love you. Really! I promise. I swear you are the person that I love the most in this world,¡± Sarah eximed. Sarah knew how difficult it must have been for William to raise her and her siblings alone. It was a fact that the Lombard family didn¡¯t have financial trouble, but then again, William didn¡¯t neglect to show his love for his children either. ¡°Is that true?¡± ¡°Of course! It¡¯s not just me who loves you. Lincoln and Tristan love you too! They just don¡¯t show it outwardly because they don¡¯t know how to express their love. Don¡¯t overthink this, okay? All of us want you to be healthy and well. We are only able to live in peace knowing that you are fine! As for Tristan, please stop worrying about him. He is a grown-up now. He knows what he is doing.¡± ¡°How can he learn how to cook? He overly dotes on Sophie! If this goes on, Sophie will only ask for more and more outrageous things when they get married. He is a man. He can¡¯t let that happen to him!¡± William voiced. That was the part that he was unable to wrap his mind around. ¡°Dad, there¡¯s something you should know. Times are different now. If a man doesn¡¯t pamper his woman, she might run away from him.¡± Sarah¡¯s words rendered Williampletely speechless. He retorted, ¡°Where can she escape to? Sophie told me she loves Tristan, but I¡¯ve never seen her do anything for him!¡± William felt indignant because he didn¡¯t want Tristan to live such a pathetic life just because he was in love. ¡°Hey. I¡¯ve already told you that this is how things are between them. Your anger does not change anything. If you know your anger is worthless, why don¡¯t you remain calm? Men and women are equal now. Take me for an example. I¡¯m a career woman!¡± Chapter 644 Chapter 644 Meanwhile, Jennifer had recently been waiting patiently for a chance to finish Sophie once and for all. As she stared at James then, she felt like the time hade. ¡°Here are the details. You can read through them thoroughly when you get back. Ring me up if there¡¯s anything that you don¡¯t understand,¡± Jennifer exined. James was smart. He knew what he had to do. ¡°Noted, Ms. Whitley. Don¡¯t worry. No problem will arise. We will make the best team.¡± Don¡¯t me me for this, Sophie. If you have no regard for me, I won¡¯t hesitate to take action against you. I¡¯ve worked in Tanner Group for so long aspared to Sophie. How dare they disrespect me? Since they did this to me, there is no way I¡¯ll continue serving thepany willingly and loyally. James continued, ¡°Let¡¯s make a pact. My sry mustn¡¯t be lower than my previous sry at Tanner Group when I join Whitley Group.¡± Even though he initially wanted to request a sry double the amount his sry at Tanner Group, he didn¡¯t have the nerve to do so. Naturally, Jennifer knew what James was going on about. ¡°Rx. I¡¯ll keep the promises I made to you. However, let¡¯s get things straight. It would be best if you were on your toes all the time. Make sure you leave no trace behind.¡± This time, Jennifer was determined to end Sophie thoroughly, ridding Jipsdale of Tanner Group forever. James nodded. ¡°I know. Don¡¯t worry. Leave it to me.¡± Then, he got up, took his things, and left. With that, only Jennifer was left in the private room. She had held her anger in for so long, and now was the time to exact her revenge. Her expression twisted viciously as Jennifer mumbled to herself, ¡°Sophie, you always thought that you were an impressive woman. This time, I¡¯m going to show you the cruel reality of the real world!¡± Different emotions shed across Jennifer¡¯s face uncontrobly when she thought about the challenges coming Sophie¡¯s way. Jennifer wanted to know whether Tristan would cover up for Sophie this time. Minerva had apanied Jennifer through her conversation with James, so she was aware of Jennifer¡¯s n. She remarked worriedly, ¡°Jennifer, are you sure it¡¯s okay to do this?¡± Why did Jennifer¡¯s personality change drastically after falling in love with Tristan? Minerva went on, ¡°What you are doing is illegal. If someone finds out, the consequences could be dire.¡± Everything she said was from the bottom of her heart, for she genuinely regarded Jennifer as her friend. However, her advice fell on deaf ears. ¡°Minerva, you are my friend. I need your support most at a time like this, so please stop spewing this nonsense at me, okay?¡± Minerva furrowed her brows. ¡°But¡­¡± What Jennifer is doing is wrong! In my opinion, it isn¡¯t okay to frame an innocent person. Jennifer didn¡¯t bother to exin anymore. At that moment, all she hoped was for Sophie to experience misfortunes. James ran into Sophie at the entrance when he got back to Tanner Group. She nced at the files in his hands. The man¡¯s hands shook ever so slightly when he noticed Sophie¡¯s gaze. James tried to calm himself down before speaking. ¡°Oh, you are in, Ms. Sophie.¡± His mind raced. Why am I panicking? She doesn¡¯t know what I¡¯m trying to do. These just appear like regr files. Nothing out of the usual. It¡¯s impossible for her to see through my n. Sophie knew James was up to no good upon seeing how suspicious and sneaky his actions were. ¡°Mr. Lestrange, why did you head out during working hours?¡± ¡°Something happened at home, so I went out for a while. I¡¯m sorry, Ms. Sophie, for not informing you in time. But I just went out for a short period. It¡¯s no big deal, right?¡± James replied. He was extremely displeased by Sophie¡¯s attitude. In the end, I¡¯m still one of the veterans at Tanner Group. How dare Sophie disrespect me in this manner? If this is what she¡¯s going to be like, then she deserves whatever I do to her. A person like her doesn¡¯t deserve the loyalty of her employees. James couldn¡¯t help but feel excited when he thought about how Jennifer was going to deal with Sophie and the dire situation that Sophie was going to end up in. ¡°Indeed, it¡¯s no big deal for you to head out for a short while. I didn¡¯t say you did something wrong,¡± Sophie stated, unwilling to converse further with James. She walked into Tanner Group. Victor knew Sophie was visiting today, so he waited for her in her office. When he saw her, the man asked, ¡°What happened? What¡¯s with the sullen expression?¡± Content rights belong to N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Victor, I¡¯m afraid we have to get rid of James quickly. Find a person to rece his position as soon as possible.¡± Sophie noticed that James had disyed signs of being disloyal to Tanner Group. ¡°I had the same thought. It¡¯s tricky business, though. He is one of the old-timers at Tanner Group. If we rece him now, I wonder whether it will cause unease among the other staff,¡± Victor exined his worries. He would have kicked James out before this if he didn¡¯t have to consider the effect it would have on thepany. ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry about that. The staff at Tanner Group should be trusting us. If they don¡¯t believe that we can bring thepany to a higher, better level, there¡¯s no point for them in staying here,¡± Sophie answered. She wanted a team, apany that was able to work together peacefully and appropriately. ¡°Okay. I understand. I¡¯ll find someone suitable for his position within these few days.¡± One should know when to admit that they are getting old as they end up not being able to handle matters appropriately. Moreover, James is an old-timer with a high sry at Tanner Group. If he does his work correctly, his contribution will match his sry, which would be enough for us not to doubt him. ¡°Whitley Group has been trying to sabotage us endlesslytely. Do you think we should do anything to retaliate against them?¡± ¡°Oh, I know. Do whatever you need to do to teach them a lesson. I¡¯ll be there to take care of the mess if anything bad happens,¡± Sophie promised. She didn¡¯t want to back down from the conflict since Jennifer was the one who provoked her first. With Sophie¡¯s words, Victor knew he could finally do whatever he wanted to retaliate against Jennifer¡¯s dirty tricks. Who does she think she is? Jennifer wouldn¡¯t be able to abuse her power if she weren¡¯t part of the Whitley family. As for James, he had returned to his office to browse through the files that Jennifer had given him. At last, he knew what Jennifer¡¯s n was. I¡¯ve been Tanner Group¡¯s employee for so long. Even though I¡¯ve had no overwhelming aplishments, I can say that I¡¯ve worked hard all these years. Who would have expected Sophie to disrespect me without regard for my contributions? She can¡¯t me me for doing this now. ¡°Old Mr. Tanner, if you can see what I¡¯m doing now, please don¡¯t me me. It¡¯s not my fault that things turned out this way. I have no other options left.¡± I¡¯ve sacrificed so much for Tanner Group. It¡¯s disappointing that I¡¯ll end up in these unfortunate circumstances. I no longer want to continue living like this. Since Jennifer is able to offer me such significantpensation, I have to put myself first. Humans are selfish, and we¡¯ve been this way since the beginning of time. No one can resist the temptation of money, so no one can really me me for doing this. The next day, Sophie arrived at her ssroom with her backpack when a group of people in uniform came looking for her. She was having breakfast with Sandra when the men showed up. When Sandra saw these people, she was dumbfounded. What happened? What¡¯s with the crowd? Chapter 645 Chapter 645 The leader walked up to Sophie and greeted her somewhat politely, ¡°Are you Ms. Sophie Tanner?¡± Sophie bobbed her head in response. Did theye for me? The group of men instantly became the center of attention of the people in the school. The leader said, ¡°Ms. Tanner, we received a tip informing us Tanner Group was involved in illegal activities. It¡¯s inconvenient for us to spell out the details publicly, so we need you toe to the police station with us to get a better picture of the matter!¡± Panicked, Simon walked over when he noticed the people were about to take Sophie away. ¡°Who are you? How dare you take Sophie away? You¡¯re at the University of Medicine now. How could you¡ª¡± ¡°We¡¯re on duty now, sir, so please do not get in our way. If you continue to make a scene here, we¡¯ll have no choice but to take you back with us,¡± the leader threatened. ¡°Fine! I¡¯ll go with you! You think I¡¯m afraid of you? We didn¡¯t do anything that went against thew. Who gave you permission to arrest us?¡± Meanwhile, Greta was among the crowd of curious onlookers. A corner of her lips quirked up when she saw a group of men in uniforme to look for Sophie. Is bad luck going to befall Sophie soon? How exciting. She has always acted all high and mighty. I wonder how she¡¯s feeling now that this group of men is here to arrest her. Sophie red at all the uniformed men with a deadpan expression. ¡°You¡¯re saying Tanner Group has done something against thew?¡± Others girls would have trembled in fear had they been confronted by a group of men, but not Sophie. She continued enjoying her breakfast as if she was unbothered by their threat. ¡°That¡¯s right, Ms. Tanner. Pleasee with us.¡± The leader knitted his brows. Did she just disregard me? ¡°Okay. I¡¯ll go with you once I finish my breakfast,¡± she said. It would be a waste if I don¡¯t finish the breakfast that I was served. Sandra became all the more confused. ¡°Sophie, what¡¯s going on? What do they want from you? Should I call Mr. Tristan?¡± Sandra, who had never seen anything like this before, was so stunned that she did not know what to do, but she knew Tristan would have ways to get Sophie out of the sticky situation. Mr. Tristan is an influential figure in Jipsdale. I¡¯m sure he can solve the problem in no time by speaking to the people involved. ¡°I don¡¯t want to trouble him. It¡¯s all right, I¡¯ll follow them. Since Tanner Group has never done anything against thew, I¡¯ll not be intimidated by their investigations,¡± Sophie replied. Despite saying that out loud, Sophie had somehow identified the culprit behind all this. The first suspect that popped into her mind was James. That man is the root of all problems. Issues like this wouldn¡¯t have popped up had I gotten rid of him earlier. Anyway, it¡¯s toote for me to say or do anything now. I have to figure out a solution to tackle this matter before thinking of ways to deal with him. Like Sandra, Simon was also on pins and needles. ¡°Sophie, since we¡¯re in the university now, I¡¯ll talk to the chancellor. Your reputation will be ruined if they take you away like that.¡± All rights ? N?velDrama.Org. Sophie was a popr figure at the University of Medicine. People would definitely spread all kinds of rumors about her if she were taken away! ¡°Guys, I¡¯m serious! Just go and do your work or attend sses as usual. Don¡¯t worry about it,¡± Sophie uttered. Why can¡¯t I follow them? It¡¯s not like they¡¯re taking me to a dangerous ce. Sandra was on the verge of crying upon noticing Sophie¡¯s attitude. ¡°Please let me call Mr. Tristan. But I don¡¯t have his number. Give me his number, and I¡¯ll call him right now!¡± Upon noticing how they paid no attention to him and his men, the leader expressed his disdain. ¡°Ms. Tanner, pleasee with us right now!¡± ¡°Why are you in a hurry? Can¡¯t you wait for me to finish my breakfast first?¡± Sophie red at the man, who could feel the intimidating look in her eyes. Surprised by the threatening aura in such a young girl¡¯s eyes, he froze for a moment as he did not know how to react to Sophie¡¯s words. After taking her own sweet time to finish her breakfast, Sophie drew a piece of tissue and wiped her mouth. She then stood up and said, ¡°Let¡¯s go! You¡¯re tired of waiting, aren¡¯t you? Tanner Group will do our best to cooperate with you in your investigation, so don¡¯t worry.¡± ¡°What¡¯s going on? Did they reallye to arrest Sophie? What did she do? Howe I haven¡¯t heard anything about her before this? All this while, she has always acted as if she was superior to anyone else. I can¡¯t believe she still put up an arrogant front before us,¡± Greta sneered. ¡°This time, I¡¯m afraid she has run out of luck.¡± She then grinned and snorted. ¡°See? That is why we should always stay humble because we never know what the future holds. Am I right?¡± ¡°D*mn you, Greta! Are you done? Who do you think you are? How dare you badmouth Sophie?¡± The nonsense Greta spouted caused the panicked Simon to explode in rage. Greta¡¯s lips twitched. What? Did I not say the truth? ¡°I know I used to have a crush on you, and that was why I allowed you to control me. But I don¡¯t like you anymore, Simon. You can¡¯t stop me from saying what I have in mind,¡± Greta said with her head held high. I¡¯m Charles¡¯ girlfriend now, mind you. Everyone in Jipsdale knows how influential Charles is. Does Simon think my life still revolves around him? What a joke! Upon noticing how Simon flew off the handle, Sandra stepped in and got hold of him. ¡°Calm down, Simon. Now is not the right time to argue with her. We have to contact Mr. Tristan. I¡¯m sure he can help!¡± Upon hearing that, Simon regained hisposure. ¡°What¡¯s with the smug look on your face, Greta? You should know what kind of person Charles is. He¡¯ll ditch you once he¡¯s done toying with you. Just you wait!¡± He then left with Sandra. After stepping out of the cafeteria, they wanted to call Tristan but soon realized they did not have his number. ¡°What are we gonna do now? I¡¯ve known Sophie long enough to know she won¡¯t tell Mr. Tristan about this,¡± Sandra said. Those men wouldn¡¯t hurt her, right? Oh God, she must be terrified! They did not know what else to do. Simon suggested, ¡°I¡¯ll go to Lombard Group to look for Mr. Tristan, and I need you to look for Sophie¡¯s parents. If you can¡¯t find them, look for Ysabelle!¡± ¡°You¡¯re right! I have Ysabelle¡¯s number!¡± Sandra immediately called Ysabelle but to no avail. ¡°Ysabelle didn¡¯t pick up my call. What can we do now? What else can we do?¡± Sandra was worried. She liked Sophie very much and did not want anything awful to happen to her. ¡°I¡¯ll make a trip to Lombard Group now. You keep calling Ysabelle. Let¡¯s keep each other updated from time to time!¡± Simon then drove straight to Lombard Group. When he arrived, a group of security guards stopped him. There was no way he could enter the building. Chapter 646 Chapter 646 Beyond panicked, Simon entered a scuffle with the security guards. ¡°I¡¯m here to see Mr. Tristan for an urgent matter. Let me in now! Otherwise, if things are dyed because of you, Mr. Tristan will hold you ountable when the matter esctes!¡± Simon said. Simon was worried about Sophie¡¯s safety after thetter was taken away by that group of uniformed people. At such a moment, Sophie must be afraid to be all by herself. The security guard was just as helpless. ¡°Sir, I am truly sorry, but without a reservation, we can¡¯t let you in.¡± Countless people came to see Tristan every day using the same excuse. Thus, the security guards could not let just anyone in without discretion. If something were to happen after these people were given ess to the building, then that would count as the security guards having neglected their duties. Therefore, the high sries they were paid would not be justified. ¡°It¡¯s about Mr. Tristan¡¯s girlfriend. His girlfriend is in trouble. You have to let me in immediately!¡± Simon warned. He was so close to forcing entry. However, the security guards of Lombard Group had undergone professional security training. Average individuals were simply no match for them, let alone Simon, who was facing them all by himself. ¡°Sir, if this matter you¡¯re talking about is really that urgent, it would be best if you think of a way to reach Mr. Tristan instead!¡± It was true that causing a fuss there would not do any good. It would be better to reach out to Tristan directly. ¡°I don¡¯t have Mr. Tristan¡¯s phone number. Why else do you think I¡¯m here?¡± Had Simon had Tristan¡¯s number, he would not have wasted time wrangling with the security guards. The security guards were also exasperated. ¡°Do you think we will let you in when you don¡¯t even have Mr. Tristan¡¯s phone number? I think you should leave!¡± The security guard scoffed. There was no way Simon could enter if he didn¡¯t even have Tristan¡¯s contact number. ¡°I really need to speak to him! Do you hear me?¡± Simon pleaded. Had he known getting through security would be that difficult, he would have tried getting Tristan¡¯s phone number instead. While Simon had a hard time getting in, Sandra tried relentlessly to reach Ysabelle. Unfortunately, Ysabelle was in Koandria for the filming of a variety show, so the call couldn¡¯t get through since she was out of the country. N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner. Sandra then went looking for Simon, only to find him still being kept out of the building. ¡°What do we do now, Simon? We don¡¯t know where Sophie was taken to. I¡¯m worried they might do something bad to her,¡± Sandra fretted. Sandra was worried sick about Sophie. Sophie was never one who was easily taken advantage of. Nevertheless, the people who took Sophie appeared to have less than friendly intentions, and that was worrisome. ¡°I¡¯ll call my father and see if there is anything he can do,¡± Simon said after a moment¡¯s hesitation. A phone call to his father was ast resort, but he really had no other options. Without dy, Simon rang his father. On the other end of the line, Simon¡¯s father was furious when he realized that it was his son that was calling him on the phone. ¡°Oh, so you¡¯re talking to me now? Tell me, Simon. When was thest time you came home? Hurry up and get back here, you little brat. I¡¯m tired of listening to your mother nag!¡± Patrick grumbled. As the director of thergest private hospital in Jipsdale, Patrick was far too busy to deal with the frivolous matters of his son. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Dad. I¡¯m going home tonight! However, before that, can I ask you a favor?¡± Simon said. ¡°What is it?¡± Patrick asked. He had never seen his son acting in such a serious manner. ¡°Have you gotten yourself into trouble again?¡± This brat is truly spoilt! ¡°Dad, I¡¯m not the one in trouble. My friend has been taken by the Department of Justice. I have no clue what the situation is now. Can you see if there is anything you can do?¡± Simon exined. ¡°What? What kind of person is your friend to be taken by thew? What have they done exactly? Simon, I don¡¯t expect you to be sessful, but can you get a grip on yourself?¡± Patrick was displeased when Simon asked him for such a tiresome favor. Patrick had questions about the kind of people Simon was friends with. ¡°Dad, there must be some misunderstanding. This friend of mine is a decent person, really. I¡¯m not lying,¡± Simon reiterated in a cold sweat. It was true that Simon had been a handful and a nuisance in the past, but Sophie was different. He was confident that Sophie would do nothing wrong that could warrant apprehension by the legal authorities. ¡°That¡¯s enough. What is the name of your friend? I¡¯ll try to ask someone for help,¡± Patrick said. He felt that it wasn¡¯t easy for Simon to ask for his help, so he didn¡¯t want to take the matter too lightly. However, there was nothing much that Patrick could do besides asking around. With that, Simon told his father Sophie¡¯s information. Atst, Simon hung up the phone. There was nothing left to do but to wait, albeit anxiously. Meanwhile, the Department of Justice had also sent their men to Tanner Group, causing quite a scene. The staff members whispered and exchanged nces as they looked on. ¡°Why are those men here? Did something happen in thepany?¡± asked one of the employees. ¡°I know, right? Why are there so many of them? And where is Ms. Tanner? Is she aware of this?¡± another questioned. ¡°Ms. Tanner is the chairwoman of thepany. I¡¯m sure she knows about it,¡± one of them answered. ¡°My goodness! I hope that nothing bad happens at this point in time. Tanner Group has only just been going uphill, so it can only get better in the future. Please, do not let anything bad befall us now.¡± At the moment, they had a major project in the pipeline. If something bad were to happen now, the project would be negatively affected. The group of men in uniform went straight to Victor, who had long since learned of the news and was waiting in his office. ¡°You are Mr. Victor White, correct?¡± the man at the front asked. Victor nodded. ¡°Hello, I am indeed Victor. May I ask what brings you here today?¡± Victor asked quite politely. ¡°We¡¯re from the Department of Justice. Yourpany has been reported to us for viting thew. Pleasee with us to the Department of Justice for a talk,¡± said the man in uniform. Hearing that, Victor raised an eyebrow. Tanner Group viting thew? This must be a joke! The employees of Tanner Group had always beenw-abiding citizens. Besides, thepany was running a legitimate business, so how did ite to be used of viting thew? ¡°Sure! I get it. We will give our full cooperation in your investigation. However, Tanner Group has always abided by thew. We hope the legal authorities will do us justice!¡± Victor said. With that, Victor followed them to the Department of Justice. ¡°Take him there now and take their financial manager, James Lestrange, along with you!¡± the leader of the group said to those under hismand. When Victor heard what he said, he realized that this matter had something to do with James. Victor¡¯s heart skipped a beat when he heard the name. He would have been confident that they had done nothing wrong if it had been about something else. However, that was not necessarily the case if James was involved. James must really hate Ms. Sophie! What is he trying to do? When the senior executives saw that Victor had been taken away, they looked at each other in disbelief, unsure of what to do next. Chapter 647 Chapter 647 ¡°Goodness gracious! What do we do now? Was Ms. Sophie arrested, too?¡± Given that those people were from the Department of Justice, one would really be put behind bars if there was a problem. ¡°With Mr. White taken away and no one at the helm, what should we do?¡± The executives were thrown into utter desperation. ¡°Enough! Everyone, stay calm. We don¡¯t know much about it yet, so there¡¯s very little point in worrying. We should get back to our posts and do what we¡¯re supposed to do.¡± At that point, they could only go with the flow. ¡°Why don¡¯t we contact Mr. Yale? After all, he¡¯s Ms. Sophie¡¯s dad!¡± someone suggested. That would make sense, for Yale would probably have some inside scoop on the matter. ¡°Yale? Forget it. We all know how tactless he has always been. Having him around will bring us nothing but trouble.¡± Upon hearing that remark, the person perished the thought. Besides, Sophie was more than capable to tackle anything thrown her way, so there should not be a problem. Meanwhile, Sophie was brought to the Department of Justice. The officer who dealt with her, however, was not very cordial. Witnessing Sophie¡¯s nonchnt mien even when she had been apprehended, the officer was livid. ¡°Since you¡¯re already sitting here, you ought to be cooperative with the investigation. Or else¡ª¡± At longst, Sophie looked up at the officer. ¡°Are you threatening me right now? How am I not cooperative? Just question me about anything you want to know. You need not resort to threats.¡± She had always disliked being threatened. Having to deal with those legal professionals, she was anything but afraid of them. ¡°We¡¯ve received a report asserting that Tanner Group has been evading taxes, and it has amounted to five hundred million. To top it off, this only came about after you inherited thepany. What do you have to say for yourself?¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t you the one working for the legal authorities?¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± Why¡¯s she keeping up this kind of attitude? Doesn¡¯t she have any fear at all? ¡°You do know you¡¯re at the Department of Justice, right? How could you still be so arrogant?¡± ¡°Me? Arrogant? Technically speaking, we, the taxpayers, are the ones who¡¯ve been paying you your sry. Now that someone has reported us for tax evasion, you guys should back up the im with evidence. Are you expecting me to dig into my ownpany files and hand over the proof myself?¡± Howughable! ¡°Hah! Of course, we have incriminating evidence against you, which was why we even brought you here in the first ce. Continue putting on a tough front all you want! I¡¯ve seen more than enough people like you!¡± Never had anyone been willing to admit their crimes right at the start when they were detained at the Department of Justice. Each one of them had acted all high and mighty. Even so, they were still done for at the end of the day. Such is the naturalw of this world. More often than not, it was only fair for sinful men to be punished. ¡°Oh, really? Then show me the evidence you¡¯ve got. I¡¯ll definitely cooperate with you,¡± said Sophie indifferently. She figured that someone must be trying to frame Tanner Group. In order to do that, the perpetrator must have orchestrated a grand scheme. In that case, Sophie had to put on a show just as well. I shouldn¡¯t disappoint them now, should I? During the interim, Victor had also been taken to the Department of Justice, but he was confined to another interrogation room. Knowing that Sophie had also been brought there for questioning, Victor could not help but worry about that woman. As a grown man, he did not mind going through a tribtion like that. Still, he reckoned that ady like Sophie must not have experienced such events before. She must feel all alone and helpless right now. After the questioning had been on for some time, Victor put forward a request to meet Sophie. ¡°I want to see the chairwoman of Tanner Group. I believe this isn¡¯t too much to ask for. Besides, since she¡¯s already here, I¡¯ll need to see her.¡± ¡°You¡¯re here to assist in the investigation, Mr. White, so you¡¯d better not push your luck.¡± Considering that Tanner Group had been put under investigation, there was no way the officer would allow Victor to have contact with Sophie. ¡°Push my luck? I¡¯m making a valid request here,¡± insisted Victor. He was a worldly man, after all. In the entirety of Jipsdale, the vast majority of the people would show Victor some respect. Yet, the officer had been nothing less than discourteous toward him. Toleration was no longer an option for him at that point. ¡°You¡ª¡± ¡°That¡¯s enough! He¡¯s Victor White. Don¡¯t you know sort of man he is? If that¡¯s his wish, we¡¯ll do him a favor.¡± No one in the Department of Justice could afford to step on the toes of people like Victor. Someone had to be opposing Tanner Group to have called them out like that. As for the reason behind it, the officers had yet to figure it out. N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner. At a time like that, it went without saying that they would never choose to go against these prominent individuals. Soon after, Victor was led to meet up with Sophie. Upon seeing thetter as calm as ever despite having to step into a ce like that, Victor felt relieved and proud. After all, Sophie was not even twenty years old. She had to deal with so much at such a young age, yet she could remainposed and unperturbed. ¡°I didn¡¯t know you were also brought here. Are you okay?¡± Sophie showered Victor with concern the second she saw him. The man sat opposite her. ¡°I¡¯m fine. It seems that someone¡¯s deliberately setting us up, and they must¡¯vee prepared. Fear not, because I¡¯ll take care of it!¡± Not only was Victor concerned about Sophie, but he was also confident that he could handle the matter perfectly. A smile spread across Sophie¡¯s face on that note. That smile of hers was utterly dazzling. Nothing could seem to render her any less beautiful than how she already looked, even in such a dire situation. No matter where she was, her confidence never faltered. ¡°I think I know who the culprit might be! Since that woman is dying to shoot herself in the foot, we should give her a hand, don¡¯t you think? When this is over, we¡¯ll put an end to Whitley Group¡¯s era in Jipsdale once and for all!¡± The legal authorities were beside the duo the whole time. Having been working in the Department of Justice for so many years, they had encountered people from all walks of life. Even so, never had they heard of anyone dering to wipe out an entire corporation that casually. This daughter of the Tanner family is indeed no ordinary woman! ¡°Right! Since they have a death wish, we¡¯ll show them no mercy!¡± agreed Victor. Nevertheless, this incident alone would definitely have an impact on Tanner Group. It was a good thing, though, for it only made Sophie bring forward her n. Truth be told, Whitley Group was the one that had been evading taxes. If anything, they were only digging their own graves. ¡°What now? I suppose we won¡¯t be let out tonight. How should we inform Mr. Tristan?¡± Victor assumed that Tristan had likely not gotten wind of the situation yet. Otherwise, that man could not possibly still not show up. Although Victor was not that well-acquainted with Tristan, he knew thetter cared about Sophie very much. ¡°He must still be in the dark,¡± uttered Sophie. I guess only Simon and Sandra know about this at the moment. Those two dummies¡­ I bet they must be worried to death by now! Chapter 648 Chapter 648 After listening to what the person said on the phone, Jenniferpsed into a glum silence. Ha! How audacious of Sophie to think she can wipe out Whitley Group from Jipsdale! Is she tired of living? I can¡¯t believe such shameless women still exist in this world. Thedies from other prestigious families in Jipsdale aren¡¯t even as arrogant as her for goodness¡¯ sake! ¡°There¡¯s no need to fret, Ms. Whitley! This time around, Tanner Group is done for!¡± the caller reassured. ¡°Okay, I got it. Let me know if anything else crops up at the Department of Justice. Don¡¯t worry. You¡¯ll be paid ordingly. I won¡¯t shortchange you,¡± Jennifer replied. After all, there was no such thing as a free lunch, especially when she needed a member of the Department of Justice to work with her. ¡°But you have to remember not to let anyone get the dirt on you! Otherwise, we¡¯ll both be dead meat!¡± she reminded before hanging up the phone. Timothy had rushed back from Ospea the moment he learned about his daughter¡¯s shenanigans, and as luck would have it, he overheard her entire phone conversation from the door. ¡°Jennifer Whitley, you¡¯ve truly let me down! Do you know what you¡¯re doing? You¡¯re breaking thew!¡± Timothy scolded as he shook his head. Try as he might, he couldn¡¯t understand why his daughter had be so atrocious. Despite knowing how disappointed her father was, Jennifer still failed to see the error of her ways. ¡°I haven¡¯t done anything, Dad. I just¡ª¡± Before she could finish her words, Timothy pped her across the face. ¡°I want you out of Whitley Group from tomorrow onward! If you carry on like this, you¡¯ll ruin my life¡¯s work!¡± Whitley Group is the fruit of mybor, and I won¡¯t let anyone destroy it! Furious at how Timothy had pped her over something so trivial, Jennifer scowled. ¡°Dad, what do you mean by that? Are you not letting me manage Whitley Group anymore?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want you in the office until this matter is over. Given what Tristan¡¯s like, do you think he¡¯d let you off if he knew you were responsible for this mess? How are you this dense? Just because Sophie has him backing her doesn¡¯t mean she¡¯s immune to prosecution. She¡¯d still be held liable for any vition of thew!¡± Timothy fumed. I¡¯ve always thought my daughter was clever, but why is she acting so foolishly now? ¡°Dad, I¡ª¡± ¡°Enough. I don¡¯t want to hear another word from you!¡± Seeing that Jennifer was oblivious to how her actions might spell trouble for the Whitley family, Timothy wanted nothing more than to p her till she finally realized her folly. ¡°Dad, I can¡¯t believe you hit me because of an outsider. Have you forgotten that I¡¯m your daughter?¡± Jennifer choked out as she cupped her swollen cheek. ¡°All I want is to pursue my own happiness in life. Is that wrong? As my father, shouldn¡¯t you be on my side?¡± I don¡¯t understand! What on earth have I done wrong? Isn¡¯t this how things work on the business battlefield? Everyone¡¯s scheming against one another, and only the strongest survive. So what if we resort to underhanded means from time to time? That¡¯s just part and parcel of the fight! ¡°My goodness. You still don¡¯t realize your mistakes, do you? I¡¯m so disappointed in you, Jennifer. Do you think Tristan will direct his love to you with Sophie out of the picture? He¡¯d have liked you long ago if he had ever harbored feelings for you. There wouldn¡¯t be a need to pull these stunts to win him over! This isn¡¯t your first rodeo, and you, of all people, should know how ruthless Tristan can be!¡± Unfortunately, Jennifer remained adamant. ¡°If there¡¯s something I can¡¯t have, Sophie Tanner can forget about getting it too!¡± she shouted hysterically. Enraged, Timothy turned to the housekeepers. ¡°Lock her up in the room! Nobody¡¯s allowed to let her out without my permission!¡± Caylie frowned at her husband¡¯s orders. She had always doted on her only daughter, so naturally, it broke her heart to see Jennifer being pped and grounded. ¡°Don¡¯t you think you¡¯re being too strict with her? She¡¯s still young¡­¡± ¡°A kind mother makes a wastrel! It¡¯s your fault Jennifer has be the way she is today, so don¡¯t you dare lecture me,¡± Timothy replied brusquely. ¡°We still don¡¯t know if our family can pull through this. You¡¯d better start making ns for the future!¡± With that, the man stormed off, leaving Jennifer still holding her burning cheek. Hmph! I don¡¯t believe Tristan would go to such extremes to destroy our family. How could he when we have such a solid reputation in Jipsdale? After seeing her husband¡¯s demeanor, Caylie, too, lost her cool. ¡°Jennifer! What on earth have you done? I¡¯ve never seen your father so angry before!¡± ¡°Mom, you have to believe me. All I wanted to do was teach Sophie a lesson¡­¡± Jennifer whined. ¡°I just can¡¯t stand how arrogant she is!¡± ¡°Really?¡± Then again, Sophie is Mr. Tristan¡¯s woman! It doesn¡¯t matter whether we like her or not. Nothing will change the fact that he¡¯s ready to do everything in his power to protect her! ¡°Your father is still angry, so you¡¯d better behave yourself and stay home for the time being. And keep your distance from Sophie!¡± Caylie urged. Even though Tristan was undoubtedly a good catch, what could they do if he had no romantic feelings for Jennifer? Many things can be taken by force, but love is not one of them. It is impossible to coerce anyone into a rtionship, especially when one party has clearly stated their lack of interest in the other. s, Jennifer was undeterred by her parents¡¯ warnings. Ha! How can I stop when this is only the beginning? I won¡¯t let Sophie off that easily! Having lost the mood to talk, Caylie promptly instructed the housekeeper to lock Jennifer in her room. After all, Timothy was the head of the house. Who was she to defy his orders? Meanwhile, Tristan had been busy the entire day, yet he still found time to call Sophie. Sadly, thetter never answered the phone. Felix, of course, couldn¡¯t help but poke fun at him. ¡°What are you doing? Sophie is a capable woman, and she¡¯s probably too busy to pick up the call. Don¡¯t worry about her!¡± Although Tristan didn¡¯t think anything was amiss, the fact that Sophie didn¡¯t answer his call left him feeling dejected. When he finally finished his work and stepped out of the office, he was greeted by the sight of a teary- eyed Sandra. All rights ? N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Oh, you¡¯re finally here, Mr. Tristan! I¡¯ve been waiting for you the whole day! The guards refuse to let me into the building!¡± Needless to say, Sandra¡¯s demeanor gave Tristan a sense of foreboding. ¡°What¡¯s the matter? Did something happen to Sophie?¡± Tristan asked. ¡°Don¡¯t just stand there and cry! Tell me what¡¯s going on!¡± Felix, too, became anxious when he saw Sandra in such a panic. ¡°That¡¯s right! Dry your tears and tell us what¡¯s wrong! With Mr. Tristan here, you don¡¯t have to worry about a thing. There¡¯s nothing he can¡¯t handle!¡± As it turned out, Simon had run off to think of a n, leaving Sandra behind to break the news to Tristan. ¡°Sophie has been captured!¡± Chapter 649 Chapter 649 ¡°Captured?¡± Who has the audacity to capture Sophie? ¡°It was a group of uniformed men. I don¡¯t know where they came from or who they were.¡± Sandra was brimming with anxiety. ¡°All right, stop crying. Now that we already know, we¡¯ll definitely deal with it, so don¡¯t worry,¡± Felix comforted her. Wiping her tears away, Sandra tried her best to calm herself down. He¡¯s right. With Mr. Tristan around, Sophie will definitely be fine. ¡°Felix, find out where Sophie is right now.¡± Tristan had been wondering why he couldn¡¯t get in touch with Sophie. Little did he expect something like that to have happened. Without a moment¡¯s dy, Felix started tracking down Sophie¡¯s location. In less than ten minutes, he finally received an answer. ¡°Ms. Quimby, you should head home first. There¡¯s nothing you can do now. We¡¯ll give you a call once we find Sophie. Don¡¯t worry. With us around, nothing will happen to her,¡± Felix said patiently. Regardless, she was a friend of Sophie who cared a lot about her, so they still had to be cordial with her. ¡°Can I go with you?¡± However, his reassurances failed to ay Sandra¡¯s concerns. ¡°No. You¡¯ll just get in our way,¡± Tristan rejected her request outright as he got into the car with no time to lose. Felix simply shook his head in response. ¡°You should head back now. Be careful when you do so. Sophie will be fine.¡± With that, Felix drove off together with Tristan. Even though Sandra knew that the powerful Tristan would ensure Sophie¡¯s safety, she still couldn¡¯t stop herself from worrying. Meanwhile, Sophie didn¡¯t give her captors anything incriminating despite the long interrogation. Due to her in-depth knowledge of Tanner Group¡¯s financials, they couldn¡¯t find any weaknesses in her testimony. The members of the Department of Justice began to panic. ¡°What do we do now? We can¡¯t keep detaining her here. Without any evidence, we¡¯ll be forced to release her.¡± ¡°Although Tanner Group isn¡¯t particrly powerful, Sophie is Mr. Tristan¡¯s girlfriend. We¡¯ll all be doomed if he finds out about it.¡± ¡°But this isn¡¯t our fault. We¡¯re just carrying out our duty based on someone¡¯s report. Even Mr. Tristan can¡¯t get in the way of us doing our job.¡± The man who spoke was the one who had given Jennifer a call. He was a junior officer in the Department of Justice. ¡°You¡¯ve been working in Jipsdale for such a long time. Why are you still so naive? Do you really think Tristan can¡¯t touch us? He¡¯s powerful enough to do anything he pleases.¡± ¡°Then what should we do? Are we going to let her off just like that? How are we going to answer the taxpayers?¡± the officer asked in an indignant tone. ¡°Besides, didn¡¯t their finance manager confess already? What more do we need?¡± All rights ? N?velDrama.Org. ¡°That¡¯s just based on the testimony of a single person. This case has plenty of holes inherently, and we still can¡¯t determine if Tanner Group is evading taxes. Do you really think this can be easily resolved?¡± ¡°Special situations require special measures,¡± the officer said brazenly, for that was in line with Jennifer¡¯s objective. Regardless of the conclusion, Sophie had to be made to suffer. ¡°What are you babbling about? We live in a society where the rule ofw applies. How can we resort to such unscrupulous methods?¡± The junior officer snorted in response. ¡°You should get off that high horse of yours. Didn¡¯t the Department of Justice use all sorts of methods before this? Why are you making an exception for Sophie? Did she pay you off? Is that the reason for your cowardice?¡± ¡°Stop making wild usations!¡± ¡°Why are you so worked up? I was just making a casualment,¡± the officer said. ¡°Hmph! Do what you want with this case. I¡¯m washing my hands of it,¡± the senior officer said angrily. During his long years of service in the Department of Justice, he had never epted a bribe. The usations outraged him. ¡°We have been colleagues for such a long time. My advice to you is to know your limits. Otherwise, you¡¯ll bite off more than you can chew.¡± Unfortunately, the junior officer refused to listen. I obviously know who Mr. Tristan is, but Sophie is nothing but a toy of his. Why would he go against us over someone as unimportant as her? Besides, he hasn¡¯t even shown up after so long. If he really liked her, he would have alreadye. That was the reason why the officer grew increasingly brazen. After the senior officer left, the junior officer brought Sophie straight to the interrogation room where he sat down opposite her. ¡°Sophie Tanner, we already have the evidence in our hands, so I¡¯d suggest you confess now. The earlier you do so, the less painful it is,¡± the junior officer said in a snarky tone. Sophie scrutinized the man with her eyes narrowed. ¡°Are you threatening me?¡± Sophie¡¯s voice was cold and inexplicably intimidating. ¡°Sophie Tanner, since we have proof, nothing you say will help you. If you don¡¯te to your senses, we¡¯ll have to¡ª¡± ¡°What? Are you nning on torturing me?¡± Sophie¡¯s tone was nonchnt as ever. She maintained that demeanor regardless of the situation she was facing. ¡°I guess Jennifer Whitley was the one who made the report.¡± Having waited for such a long time, Sophie began to grow frustrated. It¡¯s better to end this soon. Otherwise, the others are going to worry. The junior officer was surprised that Sophie brought up that name. ¡°I cannot reveal who it was who reported you. What matters now is to get to the bottom of your case instead of digressing.¡± The junior officer spoke sternly, not giving Sophie any chance to defend herself. ¡°Let me tell you right now that Whitley Group was the one evading taxes, and I¡¯m reporting them right this instant!¡± Sophie leaned back into her chair with anguid expression. ¡°I have sufficient evidence in my hands. Anyway, it¡¯s about time you release me. You have detained me far longer than you¡¯re allowed to. I¡¯ve no time for your games and I¡¯m leaving now.¡± Her words infuriated the junior officer. ¡°What are you trying to say? Since you¡¯re already here, there¡¯s no way you¡¯re going to leave easily. What do you think the Department of Justice is? A hotel?¡± Sophie sprang up to her feet. ¡°Let me repeat myself. Since you have no evidence, you have no authority to detain me. If you insist on continuing this charade, then speak to mywyer.¡± With that, Sophie walked toward the door. Chapter 650 Chapter 650 ¡°Seize her! The suspect is trying to flee.¡± The junior officer had been paid off. There was no way he would release her so easily. ¡°Suspect?¡± Sophie furrowed her brows. I¡¯m amazed that he even dared to utter that word. She walked up to him. ¡°Looks like Jennifer has you in her pocket. You¡¯re doomed now! Having someone like you work here will destroy the nation and its people.¡± ¡°Do I need to repeat myself? I ordered you to seize her!¡± The officer flew into a rage out of humiliation, for no one had ever had the audacity to speak to him that way. Sophie nced at everyone in the room icily, and none of them dared to move a muscle. The senior officer was right. As Sophie was Tristan¡¯s woman, no one had the courage toy a finger on her. Thest thing anyone wanted was to offend Tristan, who was capable of ruining their careers with a single word. After all, all of them had worked hard to reach the position they were currently in. It made no sense for them to give it up easily. ¡°Ms. Tanner, you¡¯re right that you¡¯re free to leave now. I¡¯m sorry about today. We had no choice but to do our duty after receiving a report. If we have offended you in any way, please forgive us,¡± one of the men who knew better apologized immediately. However, the obsequious words had no impact on Sophie. ¡°Then can you give me back my phone now?¡± These guys still have it. ¡°Yes, of course. I¡¯ll go get it for you.¡± Despite his colleague¡¯s reaction, the junior officer remained defiant. ¡°Ms. Tanner, I said you¡¯re not allowed to leave yet.¡± ¡°Damn it! Just you wait! I¡¯ve even collected evidence of your wrongdoing. I¡¯m sure it wasn¡¯t easy for you tond this job. I¡¯m going to make sure that you¡¯re fired!¡± Sophie would not show someone as despicable as him any mercy. ¡°F*ck you!¡± the junior officer swore back. Even someone of Mr. Tristan¡¯s stature has to show our department respect! There¡¯s no way anyone would dare challenge us. At that moment, the department chief entered with Tristan and Felix. Tristan was in front with the other two following closely behind. Just a while ago, the chief had been shocked to see Tristan arriving at their department. Upon learning what had transpired, he felt a chill down his spine. After all, everyone in Jipsdale knew that it would be suicide to get on Tristan¡¯s nerves. Tristan glowered the moment he stepped into the building. His expression would strike fear into anyone who saw him. Sophie, too, was surprised to see Tristan. She was dissatisfied with her current conclusion and had wanted to see him after dealing with it herself. Right then, her phone was brought into the room. Tristan was upset to see it in another man¡¯s hand. Pulling out a tissue at once, he meticulously wiped its cover clean. ¡°I heard someone reported my girlfriend¡¯spany, Tanner Group, for tax evasion. Do you have any evidence of it right now?¡± Tristan asked while cleaning the phone. The junior officer did not expect Tristan to appear. We¡¯re just doing our job. There¡¯s no way he can do anything to us. ¡°Mr. Tristan, it¡¯s our duty to investigate once a report is made, but we haven¡¯t found any evidence yet.¡± The junior officer didn¡¯t dare lie in front of the department chief, for it would be cause for his dismissal. The chief responded with a re. ¡°Mr. Tristan, I¡¯m sure there must be some misunderstanding somewhere. I¡¯ll definitely teach my subordinates a lesson for making such a mistake.¡± The chief expressed his stand immediately. ¡°Since there¡¯s no evidence, can I go home now?¡± Sophie asked as she was impatient to leave. She was also famished. ¡°Of course you can, Ms. Tanner. I¡¯m sorry for the misunderstanding. Please don¡¯t hold it against us.¡± N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner. As the chief let out a sycophantic smile, Sophie took her phone back from Tristan¡¯s hand. ¡°All right, it¡¯s clean enough.¡± Sophie held his hand. ¡°Anyway, I¡¯m fine,¡± she then reassured him, knowing that he was worried sick. Thereafter, Sophie sent the details of Whitley Group¡¯s tax evasion to the chief. ¡°Chief, please check your email. I have furnished you with clear evidence of Whitley Group¡¯s crimes. I trust you to do your duty without fear or favor.¡± Since Jennifer dared to make such a despicable move against her, Sophie wasn¡¯t going to show her any mercy, especially since Whitley Group did really evade tax. ¡°What?¡± The chief was stunned. Tristan threw her a nce. ¡°Investigate them right away. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve heard of Whitley Group!¡± With that, he left together with Sophie, confident that the chief knew what had to be done. Standing in front of the chief, the junior officer didn¡¯t dare act rashly. ¡°Chief, this is Whitley Group that we¡¯re talking about. We¡ª¡± Before he could finish, the chief gave him a p. Failing to fully vent his frustration, he followed up with a kick at the junior officer. ¡°So you do know we can¡¯t afford to offend any of these groups. The audacity of you to mess with Mr. Tristan¡¯s girlfriend!¡± the chief thundered. After crashing to the ground, the officer didn¡¯t dare say a word in the face of his boss¡¯ tongueshing. As for everyone else in the room, they held their breath in fear. ¡°Enough! Go and investigate the matter now!¡± With Tristan keeping an eye on them, they knew they had to do something. Out of all the prominent families in Jipsdale that they couldn¡¯t afford to offend, Tristan was the most fearsome of them all. Meanwhile, Sophie and Tristan waited outside for Victor, who looked terrible after being locked up for a long time. Upon emerging from the building, he stopped in his tracks at the sight of them. ¡°Ms. Sophie, are you all right?¡± Victor gave her a look of concern. As she was still a girl, he figured that being detained for such a long time must have been terrible for her. ¡°I¡¯m fine. Sorry for all the trouble. It¡¯s gettingte. You should head home now. We can catch up tomorrow in the office.¡± That was the end of the matter for the time being. She would definitely make Whitley Group pay a heavy price. ¡°Okay, Ms. Sophie. You, too, should go back and rest. You must be exhausted.¡± Victor maintained a professional distance in front of Tristan. After their conversation, Tristan opened the car door to let Sophie in. When she noticed the scowl on his face inside, she held his hand tofort him. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Am I not doing fine? Why are you still so angry?¡± Chapter 651 Chapter 651 ¡°Is it Jennifer?¡± Tristan figured it out at once. No one else would do such a thing other than her. ¡°That¡¯s right. It¡¯s her, but you don¡¯t have to worry. I don¡¯t intend to let her off. I¡¯ve already reported her. Besides, I¡¯ve also collected enough evidence to prove that Whitley Group has been evading taxes.¡± Sophie would not let Jennifer off so easily since she was daring enough to nder her. ¡°All right, let¡¯s leave this aside first. You must be hungry after being locked up here for so long. We should get you something to eat.¡± No matter what, Whitley Group would have to pay for what they had done. ¡°Yup, I¡¯m famished. I haven¡¯t eaten anything in a long time.¡± Felix drove the couple to the nearest restaurant and said, ¡°The two of you go ahead. I need to pick Ysabelle up at the airportter, so I won¡¯t be eating with you guys!¡± Ysabelle would be returning from Koandria that day, and he had promised to fetch her from the airport. ¡°You haven¡¯t had dinner yet, have you? Eat with us before you go! Ysabelle¡¯s ne hasn¡¯tnded yet anyway.¡± It wasn¡¯t necessary to reach the airport that early, as he would still have to wait. ¡°It¡¯s all right. I need to save some space in my stomach to eat with herter.¡± In-flight meals usually tasted horrible, and Felix was certain that Ysabelle would not have eaten much. There was no way he would let go of such a good opportunity. ¡°By the way, regarding Whitley Group¡­ Would it be okay if I deal with them tomorrow?¡± All Felix wanted to do for the rest of the day was to spend time with Ysabelle. ¡°You don¡¯t have to do anything about them. I will handle it myself. Don¡¯t worry and enjoy yourself!¡± Sophie said. It was her own problem to deal with in the first ce. Since Jennifer was targeting her, it was only right for her to be the one returning the favor. Otherwise, the frustration would be too much for her to bear. ¡°Yes, you don¡¯t have to bother yourself with it. I will personally make sure it gets settled.¡± Tristan did not intend to let the matter slide since it concerned Sophie. ¡°Okay, then. I shall make a move first!¡± Felix drove off after saying that. Even though Ysabelle would only arrive two hourster, he decided to head to the airport and wait there, as it would take him around an hour to reach. The restaurant which Tristan had brought Sophie to was one of the more popr ones in that area. When the restaurant manager heard that Tristan was there, he came out to wee the man at once. ¡°Mr. Tristan, I¡¯ve reserved a table for you. Let me take you there,¡± the manager said with an ingratiating smile on his face. It was a pleasant surprise and great honor to have Tristan dining at their restaurant. As such, it was no question that they would have to provide the best service possible. ¡°Serve the dishes as quickly as you can. My girlfriend is hungry,¡± Tristan said. They did not have time to waste at the restaurant. ¡°Mr. Tristan, don¡¯t worry! Your food is ready. We will serve it once you get seated.¡± The manager had instructed the kitchen to prepare the couple¡¯s food the moment he heard that they would be visiting. Tristan merely nodded cidly. He led Sophie to the table and pulled a chair for her before pouring her a ss of water. They were the only two people remaining in the private room after the manager left to check on their food. ¡°Jennifer has gone too far this time. I will definitely make sure she pays for it!¡± Tristan could still feel his blood boiling at the thought of what Jennifer had done. ¡°All right, don¡¯t be angry. I don¡¯t intend to let her off either. Her good days areing to an end!¡± Neither Tristan nor Sophie was to be trifled with. They could turn a blind eye to insignificant people. However, they would not go easy on those who dared to mess with them. The two of them were still having their meal when Timothy arrived. That put the restaurant manager in an awkward spot. ¡°Mr. Whitley, as you are probably aware, Mr. Tristan is in the middle of his meal, and we don¡¯t dare to disturb him. It seems that he¡¯s not in a very good mood today. Even if you get to speak to him, I don¡¯t think anything will change!¡± The manager could read people well, and it was obvious to him that Tristan was upset. Timothy was at a loss as to what he should do. Content rights belong to N?velDrama.Org. He knew that his daughter¡¯s actions would cause the end of Whitley Group. Jennifer was the daughter he had always been proud of, and he could hardly believe that she had caused such a huge trouble. Needless to say, Tristan and Sophie were aware that Timothy was outside. However, they did not want to see him at all. ¡°Eat more. You¡¯re eating too little.¡± Although Tristan knew she did not have much appetite, it was important for her to get the necessary nutrition. ¡°I¡¯m fine. I was indeed starving just now, but I¡¯m already full.¡± Sophie was not a huge eater, and that amount of food was enough for her. ¡°Okay!¡± Tristan kept that in mind. Both of them left the private room after he was finished with his food. When they walked out, they saw Timothy waiting there. Tristan remained expressionless. Timothy immediately stepped forward and stopped them from leaving. ¡°Mr. Tristan, I¡¯m sure that there must be some misunderstanding. Whitley Group¡ª¡± ¡°Mr. Whitley, if you have anything to say, save it to tell the legal authorities. My girlfriend is very tired, and I need to take her home to rest. She has just been released after being locked up at the Department of Justice for one whole day!¡± Upon hearing that, Timothy knew that things would not be resolved so easily. ¡°Mr. Tristan, Jennifer wasn¡¯t in her right mind because she likes you too much. On ount of the friendship between our families, please spare my daughter and Whitley Group!¡± Timothy was certain that it would be the end of Whitley Group if Tristan was unwilling to relent. ¡°Does liking me give her an excuse to do bad things? You¡¯re making it sound like I¡¯m the one responsible for this.¡± Regardless of the reason, Tristan would not allow anyone to hurt the woman he loved. ¡°Mr. Tristan, no matter what, please let her off. I beg you. She¡¯s still young and immature.¡± Jennifer was Timothy¡¯s only daughter, and he did not want to see her future destroyed. ¡°She¡¯s already twenty-eight! Is that considered young?¡± Tristan let out a mirthlessugh. How can she be considered young when eighteen is the legal age of adulthood? I suppose she has limited brain capacity! ¡°That¡¯s enough. I¡¯ve already told you that my girlfriend is tired and needs rest. All we did was report Whitley Group. I won¡¯t interfere in other matters, so you don¡¯t have to worry. As for Jennifer, if she didn¡¯t do anything, she will be fine.¡± Tristan put his arm around Sophie¡¯s shoulders after saying that. He did not want to continue wasting time entertaining the older man. It had been a long and exhausting day for Sophie. ¡°Ms. Tanner, I beg you! Jennifer made a mistake because of her foolishness. Please give her one more chance.¡± Seeing that Tristan was firm in his stance, Timothy turned his attention to Sophie instead. Sophie halted in her tracks and replied, ¡°Don¡¯t worry! All I did was give the evidence to the legal authorities. It is up to them how they want to handle it. That¡¯s not within my control!¡± Sophie¡¯s response was exactly the same as Tristan¡¯s. Timothy¡¯s heart sank as he watched the couple walk away from the restaurant. Deep down in his heart, he knew he would not be able to save Whitley Group. However, even if that was the case, he still hoped to get Jennifer out of trouble. That was the only thing he could do for her as her father. Chapter 652 Chapter 652 Left with no choice, Timothy could only bring Jennifer to the Lombard residence. Perhaps William was the only person who could save Jennifer at that moment. Jennifer did not expect things to end up like that and only understood the gravity of the situation when they arrived at the Lombard residence. ¡°Dad, is Mr. Tristan really that heartless to me?¡± she asked incredulously, refusing to believe Tristan would not even give her any chance. ¡°Jennifer, we¡¯re about to lose Whitley Group now. Do you still think he has a hint of affection for you? Stop dreaming. As your father, I will support whatever you do, but you really made a mistake this time.¡± Not only did Jennifer bring destruction to Whitley Group, but she also ruined herself. William knew the purpose of the father-daughter duo¡¯s visit. He was speechless for a while upon seeing the state that they were in. ¡°Old Mr. Lombard, you have always adored Jennifer, right? Please help her! She¡¯s still young and doesn¡¯t even know she has done something wrong. All this happened because she likes Mr. Tristan really much,¡± Timothy briefly exined the situation to William. He seemed to have aged a lot in a day, as theirpany, Whitley Group, which originally had a firm foothold in Jipsdale, had fallen apart. William pondered for a moment after listening to their words. ¡°Both of you should know what Tristan is like. When he¡¯s pissed off, he listens to no one, including me.¡± He was clear about his son¡¯s temperament. Besides, the Whitleys had offended the people Tristan cared about the most this time. ¡°Old Mr. Lombard, if you don¡¯t help Jennifer, she will be doomed. I¡¯m getting old. I¡¯m fine if I get imprisoned, but that will not be the case for Jennifer. Her life will be ruined!¡± Jennifer had been sitting beside Timothy and listening to the conversation. She was filled with nothing but regret when she saw her father constantly begging for help. I really shouldn¡¯t have been so willful. Dad wouldn¡¯t have to beg for help like this if it wasn¡¯t for me. How can I not understand my own dad? I really don¡¯t deserve to be his daughter. ¡°All right, both of you should head back first. I¡¯ll talk about this matter to Tristan, but I can¡¯t promise anything.¡± Tristan rarely changed his mind once he made his decision. Since William had said so, Timothy could only leave with Jennifer. Aftering out of the Lombard residence, Jennifer burst into tears. Seeing her in such a state made Timothy¡¯s heart ache. He patted Jennifer on the shoulder andforted her, ¡°Don¡¯t cry. Things havee to this state. We can only find a way to solve it. Crying won¡¯t do any good.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Dad. It¡¯s all because of me. If it weren¡¯t for me, you wouldn¡¯t have to defuse the situation like this.¡± Jennifer understood that she was wrong. She wondered if it was toote for her only to realize it now. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry, Dad.¡± Timothy gently hugged her. ¡°You¡¯re still young. Most of the time, regret is useless once you make a mistake, but you have to remember not to repeat it. Your mom and I are getting old. I¡¯m afraid we can¡¯t protect you anymore.¡± Without Whitley Group, the Whitley family could no longer speak with authority in Jipsdale. By then, no one would be able to protect Jennifer. ¡°Dad, is there nothing else we can do to save Whitley Group?¡± Jennifer was clear that Whitley Group was everything to Timothy. Timothy did not want to continue the topic, nor did he want to make Jennifer feel burdened. ¡°Don¡¯t bother yourself about that. How about this? Let¡¯s go home now, and you will go abroad immediately.¡± Timothy could only think of that to keep Jennifer safe. ¡°What?¡± Jennifer was surprised when Timothy told her to leave the country. She couldn¡¯t bear to leave her family just like that. ¡°No way, Dad! I¡¯m not going abroad. I want to stay here with all of you. We are a family. I want to be with you guys no matter what happens.¡± Jennifer¡¯s parents had been doting on her since she was young. There was no way she could leave them at such a crucial moment. Timothy shook his head. ¡°Jennifer, this is the only thing I can do for you. Just listen to me, okay? Get your passport after you get home and leave the country immediately. Once I settle everything here, I¡¯ll bring your mom over to see you.¡± ¡°Really? Will you guys go to see me?¡± Jennifer only realized how serious the matter was now. ¡°Yes. We¡¯ll see you when I¡¯m done settling everything here. Let¡¯s not talk too much and go back now.¡± Timothy had made up his mind. No matter what consequences he had to bear, he would take it all by himself and not let his only daughter suffer. Meanwhile, Felix had picked Ysabelle up at the airport. Besides him, many of Ysabelle¡¯s fans were at the airport, too. She was indeed quite popr now. Ysabelle grinned from ear to ear once he saw Felix. After handing her luggage to her assistant, she left with him. ¡°How long have you been waiting?¡± she asked, thinking the man must have been waiting there all along. ¡°It wasn¡¯t that long. It doesn¡¯t matter how long I have to wait as long as I can see you the soonest.¡± Felix only wanted to see her. ¡°I thought of going with you at first.¡± He felt bad for not being able to apany Ysabelle as it was the first time she had gone overseas to shoot a variety show. Ysabelle held his face and said, ¡°It¡¯s okay. I wasn¡¯t there to y anyway. I was there to work. You have your things to take care of, too. There¡¯s no need for you to apany me all the time.¡± She enjoyed the way they got along with each other currently. ¡°But you have so many fans now. I can¡¯t feel at ease for letting you travel alone.¡± Felix was worried about her at the thought of the crazy fans. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Have you forgotten that mypany has assigned me an assistant? It¡¯s not like I¡¯m all by myself.¡± Ysabelle agreed that some fans would indeed go too far, but she would take good care of herself all the time. ¡°In-flight meals aren¡¯t delicious. I bet you haven¡¯t eaten, right? Let¡¯s go. I¡¯ll get you some food,¡± said Felix. ¡°Okay,¡± Ysabelle replied obediently. While Felix held her hand as they walked outside, she fished out her phone and saw dozens of missed calls from Sandra. ¡°There¡¯re so many missed calls from Sandra! Did something happen?¡± She thought it was too much and quickly returned Sandra¡¯s call. After she learned what happened, her face contorted. ¡°Damn it! Why wouldn¡¯t Jennifer give up? Did she think she could make Uncle Tristan fall in love with her by doing that? How can there be such a shameless woman in this world?¡± Ysabelle would never let Jennifer off for framing Sophie. All rights ? N?velDrama.Org. Seeing the furious look on her face, Felix dared not to utter a word. He purposely didn¡¯t bring the matter up just now so that she could enjoy her meal with peace of mind. However, it seemed that there was no way they could enjoy the meal anymore. Chapter 653 Chapter 653 ¡°You already know about this, right? Why didn¡¯t you tell me?¡± Ysabelle questioned Felix. Felix said innocently, ¡°Sophie¡¯s all right. I figured I¡¯d bring you to eat first. I know Jennifer is a bad person, but Mr. Tristan will handle it. That woman is not worthy of your anger.¡± Ysabelle nodded. Yeah, this makes sense. ¡°Fine! I want to visit Sophie first. If I don¡¯t see her, I¡¯ll feel uneasy.¡± ¡°Would you look at the time now, Ms. Lombard? You will only disturb her rest if you go and visit her now! Mr. Tristan and I personally went to pick her up. She¡¯s really fine.¡± Sophie is such a strong woman. Who can do anything to her? Ysabelle bit her lower lip. ¡°All right, I understand. Let¡¯s go and eat, then. I¡¯ll visit her tomorrow.¡± Ysabelle had wanted to visit Sophie now. However, when she thought of her uncle¡¯s temper, she decided against it. She couldn¡¯t afford to anger him! Meanwhile, tears flowed down Caylie¡¯s face as she looked at Jennifer, who was packing her luggage. Why did things turn out this way? One moment our entire family was living peacefully here, but the next moment, we have to flee overseas. ¡°Is there really no other way?¡± Timothy shook his head. If there was still a way, he wouldn¡¯t have done this. He could only send Jennifer abroad now. Then he would shoulder everything else. ¡°If you¡¯re worried, you can go with her.¡± There was no way they wouldn¡¯t feel worried about sending their daughter to a foreign ce. ¡°Then what about you? Why don¡¯t we all leave together?¡± She could not bear to let her husband stay here alone. ¡°No. I can only arrange for you guys to leave secretly. If we all leave, what will happen to Whitley Group?¡± ¡°Why care about Whitley Group now? We won¡¯t be able to salvage it. The safety of our family is the most important matter here.¡± Once they were overseas, the local legal authorities wouldn¡¯t be able to do anything to them. ¡°We are a huge target if the three of us leave together. You know how ruthless Tristan is. He will never forgive Jennifer this time.¡± Timothy had already handled all of the necessary preparations. After Caylie and Jennifer packed their luggage, Timothy drove them to the airport. However, upon arrival, they were stopped by a group of policemen. ¡°Hello, are you Timothy Whitley and Jennifer Whitley?¡± Immediately, Timothy¡¯s face paled. Do we really have no chance of escaping at all? He clenched his fists. None of them could leave now that these policemen were here. ¡°Excuse me. Regarding Whitley Group¡¯s tax evasion and other alleged illegal activities, I would have to invite you to follow us back to assist in our investigation.¡± Timothy closed his eyes. It¡¯s toote. Everything¡¯s over. Does my only daughter have to go to jail? ¡°Okay. We will follow you back.¡± There was nothing much Timothy could say at this juncture. ¡°Dad¡­¡± Jennifer uttered in despair. She finally realized that her pursuit of love had hurt her entire family. She knew clearly that there were indeed illegal dealings in Whitley Group. Previously, she had tried to frame Sophie. Yet, now, everything was real. She did not know what to do anymore. Timothy gave her a pat on the shoulder. ¡°Jennifer, remember, you have nothing to do with Whitley Group. It¡¯s all my doing. Do you understand?¡± Timothy told Jennifer before he got in the police car. ¡°Dad¡­¡± I yed a part in everything! How can I put all the me on Dad? ¡°Do you understand? If I¡¯m really going to jail, you have to listen to your mother. Take good care of her and don¡¯t make her upset.¡± ¡°Darling¡­¡± Caylie burst into tears. Is there really no hope anymore? Isn¡¯t our family very influential in Jipsdale? Is there no one willing to help us? ¡°All right, stop crying!¡± We can only ept our fate at this point. This is how the world works. It¡¯s useless to regret and try to hide from what you¡¯ve done. Meanwhile, Sophie was lying on the bed while Tristan was on a call outside the room. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Mr. Tristan. I¡¯ve already brought them back to the police station. None of them can escape!¡± Sean¡¯s voice rang out from the other end of the line. Tristan had asked Sean to handle this matter because Felix needed to apany Ysabelle, who had just returned. Content rights belong to N?velDrama.Org. He would never let Jennifer off the hook for doing such a thing. Knowing she was going to flee, he had sent someone to cut off her escape route. ¡°Okay, I understand. Thank you for your hard work. Continue to keep an eye on them. Whitley Group will cease to exist in Jipsdale!¡± ¡°Understood. It¡¯ste. You should get some rest.¡± With that, Sean hung up the call. Jennifer must be tired of living. Sophie has evidence of Whitley Group¡¯s illegal doings. Even if she doesn¡¯t have any, Tristan will never let anyone hurt the woman he loves. Jennifer is seeking her own death! No one can save her this time. After hanging up the call, Tristan entered Sophie¡¯s room. He walked to her bed upon seeing that she was still awake. ¡°Why aren¡¯t you sleeping yet? You didn¡¯t manage to rest this entire day, no? You must be tired. You should rest.¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine. It¡¯s only ten. I won¡¯t be able to fall asleep.¡± She would usually sleep around eleven. ¡°Oh, you should give Sandra a call! She was so scared she burst into tears,¡± Tristan said. He had almost forgotten about this matter. ¡°Oh, right!¡± How can I forget such an important matter? She retrieved her phone and immediately gave Sandra a call to update thetter. Then she called Simon. Knowing that Sophie was fine, Simon and Sandra were finally relieved. After seeing her hang up herst call, Tristan got on the bed and leaned against the headboard, then let Sophie lean on his shoulder. ¡°Sophie, your friends sound nice. They are really worried about you!¡± Sandra and Simon really cared about Sophie. ¡°That¡¯s right! I think they¡¯re really nice people too.¡± Sophie could feel the warmth in her heart. I don¡¯t think my family members would even be that worried about me! Her friends were really worried about her. Sophie raised her head. ¡°What do you n to do with Jennifer?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll let her stay in jail for a few years!¡± Tristan replied calmly. He was really sick of Jennifer. Chapter 654 Chapter 654 ¡°What about you? What do you want to do?¡± Ultimately, he valued Sophie¡¯s opinion because the person Jennifer had offended was her. Sophie did not want to be so ruthless, but she wanted Jennifer to pay for what she had done. In the interrogation room, Jennifer was covered in a cold sweat. Naturally, she was involved in everything rted to Whitley Group. However, she remembered Timothy¡¯s words and denied all charges. Timothy took all the responsibility for Jennifer¡¯s offenses instead. Unfortunately, the evidence provided by Sophie was too convincing. It was proven that Jennifer yed a vital part in this case. Therefore, the interrogation went on. ¡°I already said I don¡¯t know anything about what you guys talked about. How many times do I have to repeat myself?¡± Jennifer got impatient. Being detained in the interrogation room was too stressful for her. If the questioning did not stop, she would go insane. The interrogator noticed her mental breakdown, but they were not in a hurry as they said, ¡°Ms. Whitley, we already have proof of your crime. Not admitting guilty won¡¯t help. We know you¡¯re getting annoyed, so why don¡¯t you confess to everything? Then we can all get some rest.¡± Truth be told, the police were also tired. They had to stay here with her and waste their time on her. ¡°I don¡¯t know anything, so what do you want me to confess?¡± Jennifer was adamant about denying it. ¡°Okay. Looks like we can only show you something.¡± The interrogator was fed up. They just wanted to close this case as soon as possible and go home to rest. When Jennifer saw those documents, her hands trembled. ¡°No. This isn¡¯t my doing. These have nothing to do with me. Someone must be trying to frame me!¡± Jennifer turned pale. Even so, she would not admit to anything. There was no way she would confess to such a thing. Jennifer really did not want to go to jail. Timothy had already been incarcerated. It would be the end of the Whitley family if she were to join her father. ¡°Ms. Whitley, these are the evidence. Even if you deny it, you can¡¯t change the fact that you¡¯ve committed a crime,¡± the interrogator said. They used some tricks and finally got Jennifer to confess to her crimes. She could not withstand the pressure any longer. The interrogator shook their head at the pale-looking woman in front of them. ¡°All right, I¡¯m done. Lock her up.¡± In the past, Whitley Group had been very magnificent. Everyone had always been filled with envy at the mention of Jennifer. Yet, today, she had fallen from grace. One should notmit crimes. Once they do, they are bound to pay for their crimes someday. Early in the morning, Ysabelle came to Sophie¡¯s condominium with breakfast. Tristan had a cold expression as he looked at the uninvited guest at the door. Can¡¯t this girl sleep longer on such a cold day? Why must shee here? ¡°Uncle Tristan, is Sophie awake? I brought her favorite breakfast to share with her,¡± Ysabelle asked carefully. She knew Tristan did not wee her presence. However, she had no choice. Ysabelle only wanted to visit Sophie and see if thetter was okay, and that was it. ¡°She¡¯s up.¡± Tristan¡¯s response was curt. He initially did not want to let Ysabelle in, but since she brought Sophie¡¯s favorite breakfast, he allowed her to enter. Ysabelle and Felix entered the unit together and spotted Sophieing out of her bedroom. ¡°Sophie, I bought your favorite food for breakfast. Come and eat!¡± Ysabelle said with a wide smile. ¡°Didn¡¯t you just return to the country? Why didn¡¯t you get some more rest at home? What are you doing here so early in the morning?¡± Sophie asked. Ysabelle should be very tired after returning from Koandria. She did not need to drop by. ¡°I heard something happened to you, so I couldn¡¯t sleep. That damned Jennifer is a lunatic!¡± Ysabelle was incredibly furious. ¡°Why is there such a trashy person in the world?¡± ¡°All right, that¡¯s enough. Why are you so angry? Since she¡¯s done something bad, she will have to pay for it,¡± Felix cated Ysabelle, seeing that she was so mad. It was not worth it to get so angry at someone unimportant.Please check at N/?vel(D)rama.Org. ¡°I know, but I¡¯m still pissed! How dare she frame Sophie? I want to rip her into pieces! Anyway, has she confessed?¡± Ysabelle asked Felix. She was too busy worrying about Sophie and did not get to know much about this incident. Felix nodded. ¡°She has. Timothy wanted to shoulder all the responsibility, but it was not that simple. Jennifer was indeed involved.¡± Since Jennifer did take part in it, there was no way she could escape all responsibilities. ¡°All right, you don¡¯t have to bother with this case anymore, Felix. Just apany Ysabelle. I already have Sean on the task,¡± Tristan said. Sean was awyer and also the best candidate to follow up on the case. Felix was touched. He never expected Tristan to be so thoughtful. ¡°Uncle Tristan, you¡¯re the best!¡± Ysabelle was also moved. She and Felix had not spent time together for a week now. The four of them ate breakfast together, and Felix cleaned the table once they were finished. ¡°Is everything okay at Tanner Group? Is there anyone who should be kicked out after this incident?¡± ¡°Yes, and that¡¯d be James.¡± James was also involved in the incident this time, so they could not spare him. Sophie had an indifferent expression on her face. In the past, she did not think of doing anything to James. Yet little did she expect him to work together with Jennifer. Since that was the case, she could not let him be anymore. ¡°You can¡¯t let him off the hook,¡± Felix said. They must not let a traitor run free. After the meal, Tristan brought Sophie to handle James¡¯ matters. Soon, James was arrested by the police. Upon seeing Sophie, James immediately knelt on the floor. ¡°Ms. Tanner, I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯m really sorry. Please give me another chance! I won¡¯t do this again!¡± James begged on his knees although he was already old. ¡°I promise! I know what I did was wrong. Jennifer forced me to do it. She even promised to double my sry!¡± At that point, James could only think of keeping himself safe. He could not do anything about how Jennifer would end up. ¡°James, haven¡¯t I warned you before? You could¡¯ve retired peacefully and enjoyed your pension. Why did you have to do this kind of thing?¡± Sophie lifted her eyebrow in a beautiful arch, but her expression was incredibly frosty. ¡°You also know that Tanner Group is Grandpa¡¯s hard work and effort. How dare you harm thepany! Do you think I will show you mercy?¡± James was enraged. ¡°Sophie, don¡¯t go overboard! No matter what, I¡¯ve worked for Old Mr. Tanner in the past! How could you do this to me?¡± Chapter 655 Chapter 655 I have devoted many years of service working for the Tanner Group. How can she be so merciless? ¡°Is that so? How dare you bring up my grandpa! If you¡¯re truly grateful to my grandpa, you should know it was because of his benevolence that a not-very-brilliant person like you can take on the role of a financial manager. Yet what did you do in return?¡± James snorted coldly. ¡°You weren¡¯t even born when I was making a living along with Old Mr. Tanner. Do you really believe you¡¯re doing the right thing by mistreating us who have made great contributions after Old Mr. Tanner passed away? You ungrateful brat!¡± Why do I have to beg her desperately since she isn¡¯t going to let me go? Isn¡¯t thatpletely unnecessary? ¡°How dare you call her ungrateful? All right, there¡¯s no need to say so much to him, Sophie. Leave it for the police to deal with him.¡± There are always people who feel that the whole world is against them. Tristan reckoned it was meaningless to continue the conversation since they did not see eye to eye. ¡°Mr. Tristan, I¡ª¡± James was filled with nothing but regret now. However, there was nothing he could do. It was impossible for him to escape since others had dirt on him. ¡°Take him away,¡± Tristan said to the people behind him. ¡°Ms. Sophie, I was wrong. Please let me off for my old times¡¯ sake with Old Mr. Tanner.¡± ¡°Ha!¡± Sophie could not even bother sparing him a nce. How dare he mention my grandpa at this point! Some distance away, James was still shouting. However, no one paid any attention to him. ¡°All right, you don¡¯t have to let such a person spoil your mood.¡± Thew would surely punish James since he had vited it. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m fine. He¡¯s just someone insignificant.¡± When they were about to leave, Jennifer was led outside in handcuffs. She seemed to be getting transferred to another ce to be locked up. Jennifer gritted her teeth when she saw them. Yet, she did not dare to look at Tristan, whom she liked, in her disheveled state. Tristan was indifferent when seeing her. It was as though he was looking at a stranger. Jennifer understood at that point that Tristan had never liked her. Moreover, he did not have an ounce of sympathy for the current state she was in. Perhaps he might even think that it served her right. ¡°Do you really not have any feelings for me, Mr. Tristan?¡± Jennifer could not help but ask even though she reckoned she had given up on him. Tristan finally looked at her. ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you before, Jennifer? I¡¯ve never liked you,¡± Tristan answered coldly and straightforwardly. Jennifer¡¯s lips curled into a smile. However, it was a very bitter one. ¡°Do you think my current situation serves me right? Why? Why can¡¯t you feel how much I like you? What¡¯s so great about Sophie?¡± Jennifer asked indignantly. She refused to ept the reality no matter what. She had sacrificed so much, yet he had never spared her a nce. ¡°Everything about her is great. Even if she has any ws, she will always be adorable in my eyes because I love her.¡± That was the difference between someone he loved and someone he did not love. Tristan could ept everything about Sophie because of love. For someone Tristan did not love, it had nothing to do with him no matter how perfect she was. He would be unconcerned and would not even bother to look at her. Jennifer hadpletely given up on him. ¡°I truly wish you would lie to me once. Maybe I wouldn¡¯t feel so pathetic now if you said you had liked me a little bit.¡± All Jennifer could feel was despair. She felt as if her entire heart had shattered. Yet, there was nothing she could do. ¡°You¡¯ve won, Sophie!¡± Finally, Jennifer¡¯s gaze fell on her. She¡¯s really amazing to be able to get Tristan to fall for her like this. No other woman can walk into Tristan¡¯s heart. ¡°Jennifer, haven¡¯t I warned you already? You asked for it. You can¡¯t me anyone.¡± Jennifer deserved to end up like this for trying to set Sophie up. Moreover, she did those things herself, which made her a bigger sinner. ¡°Ms. Whitley, it¡¯s almost time. You have to leave now,¡± thew enforcer beside her reminded. All rights ? N?velDrama.Org. Jennifer gradually walked forward and did not turn her head back again. She knew Tristan would not spare an ounce of sympathy for her. After all, he was truly heartless to other women. Sophie leaned against a chair aftering out of the Department of Justice. It¡¯s all over. Jennifer has gotten her punishment, and she will undoubtedly spend some time in jail. But why am I not happy? ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°Nothing. I just don¡¯t feel very happy after everything has been settled.¡± ¡°They aren¡¯t worth thinking about since they¡¯re strangers.¡± Tristan started the engine and drove her to Tanner Group. When the employees of Tanner Group saw Sophie, they greeted her as usual. Sophie and Tristan arrived at Victor¡¯s office. ¡°Ms. Sophie, everything is settled. Whitley Group is also done for,¡± Victor reported. ¡°Yes. Everything¡¯s over!¡± Sophie nodded. She had expected this oue. ¡°It must have been hard on you, Ms. Sophie! Just rx for these few days. You don¡¯t have to worry at all since Tanner Group has me.¡± Victor was capable enough to manage Tanner Group well. ¡°I want to start an executive meeting, so get ready.¡± No matter what, James was a senior employee of Tanner Group. Sophie had to give an exnation now that this incident had urred. Otherwise, the employees would probably not work for the Tanner Group wholeheartedly even if they stayed. ¡°Are you sure, Ms. Sophie?¡± ¡°Yes. Just make the necessary arrangement now.¡± Sophie hade here mainly for this. Victor went to make the preparations, leaving Tristan and Sophie in the office. ¡°Let me apany youter.¡± Tristan only had this one request. He wanted to be by her side even though he could not offer any help. ¡°Sure. You don¡¯t have to worry at all.¡± Sophie truly trusted the senior executives who had stayed until now. Everyone in the conference room was fully aware of the matters that had happened in the past two days. They knew James had wronged Tanner Group. In fact, Tanner Group had been progressively better ever since Sophie took over thepany. They were also receiving better benefits. They all felt that James should not have done that. ¡°Ms. Sophie, don¡¯t worry. Everyone here cares deeply about Tanner Group. No matter what happens in the future, we will go through it together.¡± Chapter 656 Chapter 656 They would not do something like what James had done since they were different from him. Sophie stood up. ¡°I¡¯m very grateful for everyone¡¯s contribution to Tanner Group. We will work hard together in the future to bring thepany to higher heights. James was an exception. I believe everyone wouldn¡¯t do something like that, but I promise I won¡¯t disappoint you all as long as everyone continues doing a great job. Tanner Group will only get better from here on. If there are any problems, you must let me know. I will definitely help solve it with everyone!¡± Sophie could not tolerate people like James. I would have helped to solve the problem if James had informed me of it. Clearly, he had an ulterior motive. One of the senior executives took the lead and said, ¡°Thank you, Ms. Sophie!¡± ¡°Yes. Thank you,¡± the others chimed in. They were already content with the current state of affairs of Tanner Group. Sophie had managed the company well. They could focus on their work without any worries. Isn¡¯t this how people behave? They won¡¯t do anything excessive when they know how to be content and not have unreasonable demands. Everyone was satisfied with Sophie¡¯s promise. Victor also stood up. ¡°That¡¯s right! Does everyone have faith that Tanner Group will continue to get better in the future with all our hard work?¡± ¡°Yes! Tanner Group will only get better!¡± Their future and lives would only be more secure if Tanner Group became better. They strongly believed that things would only be better and better. Please check at N/?vel(D)rama.Org. After the executive meeting ended, Sophie headed back to her office with Victor following after her. ¡°Ms. Sophie, everyone is working with great enthusiasm now, so you don¡¯t have to worry at all.¡± The most important thing for a corporation is loyalty and team spirit. As long as there are these two things, the corporation will certainly seed. ¡°Victor, I¡¯m rather busytely, so I don¡¯t always have time to be here. Help everyone out no matter what happens and don¡¯t let them feel disheartened.¡± That was the most important. ¡°Don¡¯t worry! I¡¯ll be there to help as long as I am aware of any issues they may be having.¡± It was his job as the general manager to take care of the employees. Right then, a phone call came from Arius. Seeing that it was Arius¡¯ call, Sophie ended her conversation with Victor. ¡°You can go on with your work now. I need to take this call.¡± ¡°Sure!¡± After Victor left, Sophie answered the call. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°Are you busy now? Come here if you¡¯re not. A problem came up with the medical association.¡± ¡°All right, I got it. I¡¯ll be there right away.¡± After Sophie hung up the call, she walked toward Tristan. ¡°A problem came up at the International Medical Association. I need to go check on it now. Do you want toe with me or head back first?¡± Tristan had spent the whole day apanying her. ¡°I¡¯ll go with you. I¡¯m pretty free today.¡± He had to go and lend a hand since there was a problem on Barney¡¯s end. ¡°Okay. Let¡¯s go.¡± Tristan drove to Arius¡¯ mansion. Barney and Arius were already there. When Barney saw Sophie, he shed her a bright smile. ¡°Why are you here?¡± Hasn¡¯t Sophie been very busy recently? Forget that we weren¡¯t able to offer any help after knowing her company had some problems. How can we trouble her at this time? ¡°Dr. Smith, I have resolved the matter with mypany. What is the issue that the medical association is facing?¡± ¡°You tell her since you got her toe!¡± Barney had thought he could solve this problem himself. However, he was shocked to see just how many issues there were aftering here. ¡°What are you doing, Dr. Smith? Sophie is the future heir of the medical association. She clearly needs to be informed when a problem arises,¡± Arius answered. Sophie is a talented person. Maybe she can solve the problem after learning about it. ¡°Go on. Stop wasting time! Just tell me what the problem is, and I¡¯ll see if I can solve it.¡± ¡°Okay. Only a few members of the International Medical Association came, and the rest chose to stay in Anndur.¡± Arius did not beat around the bush. They were seriously short of members now. ¡°I see!¡± Sophie had considered this problem before, as many people held prejudices against Chanaea. They still believed it was a developing nation. Naturally, they could not give up theirfortable conditions in Anndur. This was expected. ¡°Furthermore, they don¡¯t acknowledge our International Medical Association here. They want to split up!¡± It would be fine if they simply did not want toe. However, they wanted to kick them out of the International Medical Association and lead it themselves. Barney, who had been listening at the side, too, felt pretty disappointed. He founded the International Medical Association, and he recruited those people one by one. Barney did not expect them to ultimately disregard his judgment ande to such a decision. They did not even let him know about it. Truth be told, Barney could ept it regardless of the oue. However, it was very disrespectful for them to do such a matter without even informing him. ¡°Sophie, I overestimated my ce in their hearts! Don¡¯t worry! Since I¡¯vee here, I¡¯ll handle this matter.¡± Seeing his helpless look, Sophie walked over and patted his shoulder. ¡°Dr. Smith, you don¡¯t have to worry about this. Didn¡¯t some of them stille? They still have their trust in you!¡± ¡°But they won¡¯t be able to support the International Medical Association!¡± Arius was speaking the truth. Arge number of talents were required, as the International Medical Association had been conducting research on some special human diseases. They could not keep the association running with the few people they had. ¡°Arius, have you forgotten where you are now? You¡¯re in Chanaea. There has never been a shortage of people here,¡± Sophie said. Chanaea was different from before. Now, the medical science in Chanaea was also extremely advanced. As long as these doctors and those who were studying medicine were given a chance, she believed that these people would be able to do it. ¡°So, put out a notice that we are recruiting! It¡¯s fine if no onees. It¡¯s not like we can¡¯t conduct the research ourselves if that¡¯s the case,¡± Sophie added. Barney nodded in agreement. ¡°That¡¯s right. I can create another International Medical Association since I have created one!¡± How could he be discouraged? Besides, Sophie was here. They could definitely do it. Arius nodded his head, seeing that they were so confident. ¡°Anyhow, I have no problem doing whatever you guys want me to do.¡± Chapter 657 Chapter 657 He wasn¡¯t qualified to speak in front of those two. In that case, he thought it would be best for him to stay silent. ¡°You can say whatever you have in mind.¡± Ultimately, Barney decided to pay his mentee some attention. Otherwise, thetter would begin to doubt himself. Arius was his protegee, after all. Barney had to show Arius some concern to prevent him from developing a mental illness. ¡°What else can I say? I¡¯ll just do whatever the two of you tell me to do. You don¡¯t love me anymore anyway.¡± I was never as well-treated as Sophie was in the past! Stumped, Barney scratched his nose. ¡°That¡¯s because Sophie is more talented than you. Besides, she was never interested in the medical field in the first ce. If I don¡¯t treat her better and she gives up on learning medicine, that¡¯ll be a great loss for the medicalmunity!¡± All I do, I do for the sake of humankind¡¯s health. Why can¡¯t Arius understand my great nobility? Arius was rendered speechless. Once again, he felt hurt. ¡°Dr. Smith, I know how fond you are of Sophie. Still, you don¡¯t have to hurt me in this manner!¡± Is it really appropriate for him to speak these words in front of me? What about my pride and dignity? ¡°Arius, you¡¯re a grown man. Why are you behaving like a youngdy? A man should be tougher. Moreover, you must listen to Sophie and execute whatever she tells you to do.¡± She¡¯s her only junior. Why can¡¯t he dote on her more? ¡°Did you hear that? Dr. Smith told you to listen to me. So, from now on, you¡¯ll have to do whatever I say. Understand?¡± Sophie chuckled. She could sense how caring Barney and Arius were toward her. The two were no different from her family. Arius remained quiet, as he didn¡¯t want to say a word. Have I not been treating her well enough? I can even offer her my life. How else can I treat her better? ¡°That¡¯s enough. Let¡¯s not discuss this matter further. There are still some students at the University of Medicine who are not bad. We won¡¯t force them since they don¡¯t want toe. We¡¯ll just have to cultivate our own members.¡± Sophie decided they didn¡¯t have topromise because of that issue. ¡°Okay. I¡¯ll make the necessary arrangements.¡± Although Arius uttered those words, he was diligent and thorough in carrying out his duties. ¡°Is there anything that requires my assistance?¡± Tristan also wanted to lend them a helping hand, especially the International Medical Association, since that connection mighte in handy in the future. ¡°That¡¯s not needed. There¡¯s nothing you can do to help.¡± At moments like that, Arius felt delighted. So what if Tristan is capable? He¡¯s not useful in situations like this! Tristan ignored Arius. He¡¯s already in his thirties. How is he still so immature? ¡°Mr. Tristan, your only task is to take good care of Sophie. We¡¯ll handle the rest,¡± Barney chirped. As Sophie¡¯s boyfriend, naturally, Tristan only had to watch over Sophie. ¡°Okay. I will aplish this task without letting you all down,¡± Tristan uttered with a smile. Nevertheless, that was a highly challenging mission, as Sophie¡¯s diet was very unsatisfactory. She was too skinny for someone with a height of one hundred and seventy centimeters. She weighed at most ny pounds. Taking in the three men¡¯s harmonious interaction, Sophie felt utterly contented. She was very pleased because everything in her life was truly fine now. How I hope things will stay this way forever! Sophie held a ss of warm water and took asional sips of the drink while looking at the trio, who were chatting. Despite being a foreigner, Barney would asionally speak a few Chanaean sentences. As for Tristan and Arius, they were fluent in Ustranasion. The trio used both Ustranasion and Chanaean in their conversation. Meanwhile, after seeing the notice published by the International Medical Association, the students at the University of Medicine engaged in heated discussions about that topic. They had always known that the International Medical Association would be moving its headquarters to Chanaea. Still, that was an unreachable height for them. Unexpectedly, the International Medical Association was recruiting new members. ¡°Oh my! What should I do? I¡¯ve never expected to be in a position so close to joining the ranks of the International Medical Association!¡± That had always been a farfetched dream, but now, there was a chance for the ambition to be realized. ¡°You should quit fantasizing. I heard they are recruiting because most of the members of the International Medical Association are not willing toe here. If most of them aren¡¯t willing to migrate over, the International Medical Association won¡¯t be as prestigious as before anymore.¡± ¡°What¡¯s that nonsense? Since the International Medical Association is moving to Chanaea, Dr. Smith will also be here. Even if those people aren¡¯t willing toe, there shouldn¡¯t be any problem as long as Dr. Smith and Professor Gullifer are here.¡± Are we that inferiorpared to other foreign countries? N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner. Chanaea is such a wonderful ce, not to mention the standards of our medical skills are rtively advanced, and we have attained a first-ss level in that area. ¡°That¡¯s right. I think so too. The International Medical Association will achieve greater heights after moving to Chanaea. Our nation prioritizes healthcare, after all.¡± Sophie heard her ssmates discussing those issues when she entered. Sandra approached her. ¡°Sophie, the International Medical Association is recruiting new members. Are you going to give that a try? I¡¯m considering applying.¡± Sandra was very enthusiastic. ¡°Sandra, know your limits. Don¡¯t you know your own level? If you can enter the International Medical Association, I¡¯ll spell my name backward,¡± Greta uttered smugly. Greta was full of herself after bing Charles¡¯ girlfriend. She would disregard others¡¯ feelings whenever she spoke. Sandra red at Greta. ¡°How do my achievements concern you? Greta, aren¡¯t you only focused on dating men? Someone like you can never understand my train of thought.¡± People like Greta did not have a dream and only aimed to marry a wealthy man. The audacity of an unambitious person like Greta to make fun of me! ¡°Ha! What a joke. Do you call that a dream? I think you¡¯re just daydreaming!¡± Greta continued to mock Sandra. Sophie nced at her. ¡°Can you shut up? I feel ufortable just listening to your voice,¡± Sophie said. This Greta thinks too highly of herself. ¡°Ignore her, Sandra. Someone like her wouldn¡¯t know a thing about having a life goal. I¡¯ll register with you. I¡¯m also interested in joining the International Medical Association.¡± Even if we are not shortlisted, it¡¯ll be a great experience if we could meet with Dr. Smith or Professor Gullifer. Our aims can be so simple at times. Greta clenched her fists. ¡°What do you mean by that, Simon? Someone like me? What about someone like me? Who are you to look down on me?¡± I shall look forward to you being forced to behave subserviently toward me after I marry Charles. Chapter 658 Chapter 658 ¡°I look down on you because you¡¯re a trash,¡± said Simon rudely. He hated girls like Greta. ¡°Ha! I think you¡¯re just jealous of me because I¡¯m Charles¡¯ girlfriend. Does Charles know about this? Can you afford to offend him? Listen, you better not provoke me, or I¡¯ll make my boyfriend teach you a lesson.¡± Greta tried her best to calm down. Simon is just jealous. I liked him for so long, yet he didn¡¯t respond to my feelings at all. Now that I have a boyfriend better than him, he¡¯s feeling terrible! Well, I don¡¯t have to do anything. I just need to cling to Charles! ¡°Also, you all want to join the International Medical Association, right? Let¡¯s wait and see who will get to do that first!¡± Considering the Quigley family¡¯s status, it would be a piece of cake for Greta to join the International Medical Association. All she had to do was to tell Charles. Sandra was rendered speechless by Greta. She did not know where thetter got her confidence. If someone so ipetent as Greta gets to be part of the International Medical Association, I¡¯ll change myst name! ¡°Greta, it¡¯s not that I¡¯m looking down on you, but you better not go there and embarrass yourself. I heard that many people from other countries will be attending the recruitment this time. If someone like you goes there, you¡¯ll be a disgrace to our country,¡± Sandra piped up. How could Greta not have any sense of collective honor? When Greta heard Sandra, her face contorted with rage. She snapped, ¡°Sandra, who do you think you are? Who are you to discipline me? Do you think Sophie can give you anything just because you¡¯re riding on her coattails?¡± Sandra never dared to talk to me like this before. It¡¯s because of Sophie that she¡¯s being so arrogant now! ¡°Greta, are you done? Haven¡¯t you learned your lesson during your stay in prisonst time?¡± Sophie uttered. She was very displeased with Greta¡¯s attitude toward Sandra. At the mention of the incidentst time, Greta felt nervous. Although she had only stayed there for fifteen days, it was quite an unforgettable experience. The prison was a terrifying ce. ¡°Okay, I¡¯m not going to waste my breath on you guys. I¡¯d like to see who¡¯ll get to join the International Medical Association in the end!¡± Greta taunted before turning around to leave. They all look down on me, huh? It doesn¡¯t matter. I¡¯m going to humiliate these people when I enter the International Medical Association! With Greta gone, a smile finally appeared on Sandra¡¯s face. ¡°Where do you think she got her confidence?¡± The International Medical Association was a prestigious association for medical students. Sandra and the others would not allow someone like Greta to stain its reputation. Barney was a person of principle. If the aspirant did not fit the requirements of the association, they would not be able to enter it regardless of their background and wealth. It was ridiculous that Greta thought she could join the International Medical Association with the help of Charles. Sophie said, ¡°All right, that¡¯s enough. Let¡¯s not care about someone irrelevant. She¡¯s just here to seek attention. I¡¯m surprised you two are interested in joining the International Medical Association. Prepare for it well.¡± Sandra and Simon have been studying hard recently, and they are doing quite well. There¡¯s a chance that they can achieve their goal. Simon looked at Sophie in disbelief. ¡°Sophie, what do you mean? Are you not going to join? This is a wonderful opportunity. It¡¯s the dream of many people to be part of that association.¡± Sophie is extremely talented. If she joins the recruitment, she will definitely be chosen. ¡°You two go ahead and sign up. I don¡¯t need to do that,¡± Sophie said. Barney had especially moved the medical association here for her sake. Naturally, she would be joining. A student at the side couldn¡¯t help but scoff when she heard Sophie. ¡°Sophie, you¡¯re scared, aren¡¯t you? You¡¯re scared of getting embarrassed if you fail to enter the International Medical Association.¡± As always, there were clueless people. Please check at N/?vel(D)rama.Org. No one wanted to bother with her, yet she still tactlessly tried to make her presence known. ¡°It¡¯s none of your business,¡± Sophie retorted without hesitation. Meanwhile, Greta went straight to Quigley Group. The reason she wanted to enter the International Medical Association was not that she was eager to learn about medicine. She just thought it would be a good chance to humiliate Sophie and the others if she got to join it while they didn¡¯t. Unexpectedly, she was stopped by the security at the entrance. ¡°I¡¯m Charles¡¯ girlfriend. I need to talk to him. Let me in.¡± Never in Greta¡¯s dreams did she imagine she would be stopped here. Obviously, she was upset. I¡¯m the future wife of their boss! How can they be so obtuse? ¡°Remember my name. I¡¯m Greta Soros, the future wife of your boss!¡± Upon hearing her, the security guards exchanged nces. ¡°Miss, are you daydreaming? Do you even hear yourself?¡± one of them sneered. Why are there so many weirdoes nowadays? Even a random girl dares toe to Quigley Group and spout nonsense. ¡°What did you say? You don¡¯t believe me? Listen, I¡¯m telling the truth.¡± Slowly, people started gathering around and watched Greta as if they were looking at a madwoman. Noticing their gazes, Greta felt embarrassed. No matter what she said, no one believed her. ¡°I¡¯m telling the truth! You¡ª¡± At that moment, Charles came downstairs. He was heading to Lombard Group, and he didn¡¯t expect to see Greta in the lobby. He was already sick of Greta after spending some time with her. Charles had to admit he seemed to have made a bad choice this time. It hadn¡¯t even been two weeks, but he was feeling bored already. Whenever he saw Greta now, he found her to be a nuisance. At the sight of Charles, Greta waved at him. However, he walked out of the building as if he didn¡¯t see her at all. ¡°Miss, did you see that? Mr. Quigley didn¡¯t mind you at all. I think it¡¯s time you give up on your dreams,¡± a guard advised. Charles was the man of dreams for many girls, so they understood why Greta was acting like this. In a hurry, Greta ran after Charles. Is he annoyed because I came here to look for him? Then I won¡¯t do that anymore. But why does he have to do this? His attitude is so hurtful! Before Charles got into his car, Greta caught up to him. ¡°Charles, what is the meaning of this? Do you not like it when I visit you here? If that¡¯s the case, I won¡¯t come here again. Don¡¯t be mad at me, okay?¡± Greta was anxious. She had finally managed to get close to Charles, so she couldn¡¯t possibly give up just like that. Chapter 659 Chapter 659 ¡°Greta, I don¡¯t think I like you. I only liked the version of you in my imagination. Perhaps it was because everyone around me was having a rtionship, which made me think it was okay to have a rtionship with a university student. However, I don¡¯t seem to have feelings for you anymore, so stop looking for me.¡± Charles spoke in an extremely cold-hearted manner. That was just the kind of person he was. He could be in a rtionship when he wanted to. At the same time, he wouldn¡¯t hesitate to end the rtionship when he was no longer interested. Greta was at a loss for words. It hadn¡¯t even been two weeks since they started dating. Is he bored with me already? ¡°Did I do something wrong? You can tell me and I will change. I will make sure you¡¯ll be satisfied. I really like you. I don¡¯t want to break up with you.¡± Droplets of tears dripped down her face as she spoke. How did ite to this? Greta had been full of joy when she came over. Yet, in the blink of an eye, she got to experience just how ruthless Charles could be. He took out a card and tucked it into her palm. ¡°If this is what you want, I¡¯ll give it to you. Still, I have already told you clearly that I no longer like you, so don¡¯te looking for me in the future.¡± He wouldn¡¯t waste a single moment with someone he didn¡¯t like. Is he insulting me? What should I do? Greta didn¡¯t want to lose the card in her hand. It was thest thing she got from him. If she lost it, she would have nothing. Charles opened the car door. ¡°Did you hear me clearly?¡± Greta felt exceedingly bitter. ¡°You clearly like me a lot, no? Did Sophie say something to you? Didn¡¯t I tell you? What she said wasn¡¯t true. What happened between him and me was just a tiny misunderstanding. He¡¯s prejudiced against me.¡± It must be Sophie. Otherwise, he wouldn¡¯t suddenly want a breakup when everything was going so well. Charles stared at her in silence. Does she not understand what I said? What does this have anything to do with Sophie? ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you? I just don¡¯t like you anymore. It¡¯s that simple. Besides, Sophie would never say anything behind others¡¯ backs!¡± He could sense that none of the others liked Greta. However, it was clear to him now that the others weren¡¯t wrong. It was his own foolishness. ¡°Don¡¯t bother Sophie because of this. If you do, Mr. Tristan won¡¯t forgive you!¡± Doesn¡¯t she know her ce? The audacity of her to me Sophie for the breakup. Charles left, leaving Greta standing alone. Greta had thought she could enter the International Medical Association through Charles. Little did she expect him to breakup with her. She stood alone, shivering amid the ice-cold winds. How did things turn out like this? After thest ss in the afternoon, while Sandra and Simon were still doing some analysis in the laboratory, Sophie walked out alone, as she still had to look for Barney and the others to discuss matters with the recruitment. Unexpectedly, as soon as she walked out, she bumped into Greta, who had her makeup ruined. She looked horrific as if she was a ghost. For someone like Sophie, who had seen all kinds of things, she was unsurprisingly calm when she saw Greta in her sorry state. ¡°Stop right there, Sophie!¡± Greta had stood up and stopped Sophie when she saw her leaving. ¡°Greta, do we have some sort of misunderstanding? Do I look like a good-tempered person to you? Is that why you have the audacity to get in my way again and again?¡± Indeed, Greta feared Sophie. However, she was still resentful and felt especially aggrieved. ¡°Sophie, I know you don¡¯t like me, but I finally got together with Charles. Can you leave me alone and stop spouting nonsense in front of him?¡± Sophie frowned. Charles? Did I say anything to Charles? ¡°I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about. In fact, I am busy right now, and I don¡¯t have the time to entertain you. You should clean up yourself and avoid scaring other people.¡± Sophie wasn¡¯t frightened by her appearance only because she was brave. However, the same couldn¡¯t be said for the other students. ¡°Sophie, I¡¯m aware of the many mistakes I¡¯ve made. I shouldn¡¯t have provoked you. What I did was wrong, but I really can¡¯t live without Charles. Can you¡ª¡± Sophie was rendered speechless. ¡°What does your rtionship with Charles have anything to do with me? Stop bothering me.¡± Charles is a total yboy, and many have fallen before him. However, Greta is delusional enough to consider herself an exception. She believes she¡¯s the love of his life and that he will change because of her. Now that things havee to this point, there¡¯s nothing anyone can do. Besides, they aren¡¯t compatible in the first ce. Even now that she came crying to me, I won¡¯t sympathize with her. Sophie walked away, and Greta was left standing alone, crying even more miserably. Sophie was truly apathetic. They were ssmates, after all, but she couldn¡¯t care less about her situation. She was indeed a haughty girl. Sophie walked out and saw Tristan¡¯s car parked outside. Before she got to the car, Tristan got out of the car and opened the door for her. ¡°Why did youe so early!¡± He must have waited for quite a while! ¡°It¡¯s all right! I wanted to see you sooner!¡± Tristan could now utter such sweet words easily. He opened the car door for her and led her into the car. The inside of the vehicle was warmed to a desirable temperature, and Sophie felt much morefortable after getting into the car. ¡°Arius¡¯ ce, right?¡± She¡¯s been busy with the recruitment recently, so she should be going there. ¡°Mm. By the way, did you know Charles broke up with his girlfriend?¡± ¡°That soon? Well, in any case, Greta isn¡¯t the right one for him!¡± Tristan wasn¡¯t surprised at all. ¡°Yeah.¡± Sophie didn¡¯t say much about it. Although she didn¡¯t like Greta, talking behind someone¡¯s back was just not her thing. That was also the reason she never said anything to Charles. ¡°Did she pester you?¡± Well, if she didn¡¯t, you wouldn¡¯t have known about it, right? ¡°Yeah. She came to me, but I ignored her. I refuse to waste my time with such people!¡± Sophie would rather spend her time with people she cared about. She wouldn¡¯t allow anyone insignificant to waste even a second of her time. When they arrived at Arius¡¯ ce, he had already prepared a BBQ feast. He didn¡¯t cook often, but he could still put together a BBQ spread. When he saw theming in, he happily weed them. ¡°Come on in! We¡¯ll be having grilledmb for dinner!¡± ¡°Is it edible?¡± Tristan questioned. Isn¡¯t Arius only good at performing surgery? Can he even cook? All rights ? N?velDrama.Org. Arius was rendered speechless. Why is he so rude? ¡°You can leave if you don¡¯t want to eat. I would love to eat your portion. Come on in, Sophie. You can ignore him!¡± Nobody invited him! He¡¯s just tagging along, yet he even dared toment on my cooking. How annoying! Chapter 660 Chapter 660 ¡°I¡¯ll have a bite or two since we¡¯re already here.¡± Tristan strode in. I¡¯m here to apany Sophie, anyway. Barney rose to greet Tristan as thetter approached, leaving Arius fuming behind. Very uncool of them toe at me one at a time! How could they treat me like this? ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Sophie was amused at the sight of him sulking again. ¡°Since you know you are no match for him, why do you always pick a fight with him?¡± Although they were both men with brains and poise, it was a different story when they met; they would be exceptionally childish. ¡°How am I picking a fight with him? I went through all this trouble to prepare a BBQ for you guys, and isn¡¯t it too much of him to say such a thing? Tell me the truth instead of covering for him because he¡¯s your boyfriend.¡± Sophie was rendered speechless. ¡°All right, don¡¯t get all worked up. Let¡¯s have some BBQ! It¡¯s a good day for grilled meat as it¡¯s chilly.¡± ¡°Fine. For your sake, I¡¯ll let this slide.¡± I cannot hold a grudge against Tristan. Besides, it would be no use, as none of them would take my side. Since there is an opportunity to save face, I will take it. The foursome sat huddled around the grill and watched theirmb cook. It was Barney¡¯s first time having a meal like that, and he was excited. ¡°Really, Chanaean food is delicious. No matter what ingredients get into your hands, you have a way to turn it into a feast.¡± Havinge from Anndur, he was sick of the fast food he was ustomed to. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Dr. Smith. We won¡¯t let you starve.¡± Arius, too, had grown tired of fast food in Anndur. I must taste every delicious item Chanaea has to offer on this trip. Otherwise, I would be doing my past self, living on fast food in Anndur, a severe disservice. ¡°I also think our Chanaean cuisine is the best out of all the countries.¡± Although Sophie was not particrly gluttonous, she would not be able to handle having fast food for every meal. Using a pair of tongs, Tristan ced somemb onto the grill. The mes flickered beneath. It was a pleasant meal with them, and he enjoyed the atmosphere of theirpany. Upon noticing that themb was ready, Barney took it off the me. As he liked to eatmb, he thought highly of it. Furthermore, Arius had procured an exceptionally fresh batch for the asion, which contributed to its vor. ¡°Let¡¯s have some wine!¡± Arius suggested all of a sudden. It had been a busy period for all of them to properly sit and have a meal together. ¡°Sure! I bought a bottle of red some time ago. Let¡¯s open that!¡± Barney said. Arius raised his brows. ¡°BBQ with red wine? Are you sure?¡± Why does Dr. Smith have to be so unorthodox? ¡°What¡¯s wrong with that? I bought that bottle, so I shall have it as I see fit! Besides, is there a rule against having red wine with BBQ?¡± Barney retorted. ¡°Nobody ever said that! All right, I¡¯ll go get it.¡± Arius rose to fetch the bottle and poured each of the four a ss. Sophie raised her ss. ¡°Let me make a toast to you, my mentor. Thank you for all you have done for me!¡± If it were not for me, Dr. Smith would not have faced that much pressure. He must be unustomed to many things from traveling all this way alone, yet he came anyway without regard for any of that. Barney raised his ss as well. ¡°To hear you call me your mentor made everything worth it.¡± Having devoted his life to the study of medicine, Barney would make any sacrifice for the cause of furthering mankind¡¯s understanding of it. Sophie took a sip of red wine before saying, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I will conduct my research in earnest.¡± She, too, had fallen in love with the study of medicine, which was her reason for joining the International Medical Association. ¡°I believe the International Medical Association in Chanaea will thrive with you two here.¡± Those who did note will one day regret it. After all, every student of medicine wishes to contribute to the field by leaving their mark on the pages of our progress. With Sophie around, such a possibility is only more certain. Arius raised his ss of wine as well. ¡°Leave the grunt work to me. Both of you have nothing to worry about.¡± One is a young girl, and the other is an elderly man. I cannot let them work too hard. ¡°All right. Your promise showed me that my affection for you has not been in vain.¡± Arius has matured. He does whatever I ask of him. Tristan raised his ss too. ¡°Here¡¯s to the sess of the International Medical Association of Chanaea in advance.¡± The four of them clinked sses. It was those four who would save Chanaea from many disasters in the decades toe and completely transform Chanaea¡¯s standing in the medical field. However, all those thingsy ahead of them. At the present, their biggest problem remained the matter of recruitment. ¡°By the way, many have signed up after we put out the word that we¡¯re recruiting. We need to give the matter of selecting the right people some thought.¡± As many were interested, some effort was required to find the ones who were genuinely suitable. All rights ? N?velDrama.Org. ¡°It¡¯s all right. There¡¯s no rush for this.¡± There is no use in rushing things like these, so it¡¯s best to take it slow. ¡°All right. Dr. Smith and I will be in charge of this. Come over for a look when you have the time to.¡± ¡°Mm.¡± As she was still a freshman, her obligations at the university were, at times, overwhelming. ¡°I wille over to lend a hand as soon as I can.¡± I cannot wholly rely on both of them for this. ¡°All right, but don¡¯t overexert yourself. Your boyfriend will not like it,¡± Arius said as he gave Tristan a sly look. This petty man has cruel tricks up his sleeve. It willplicate our lives if he¡¯s not appeased. ¡°Be grateful to remain alive, Arius. Why do you always like to provoke me?¡± Arius was struck dumb. ¡°You saw it yourself, Sophie. He¡¯s threatening me now! How can you tolerate the existence of such a person? I am your senior, you know. You have to take my side on this.¡± Ignoring him, Tristan slipped Sophie some grilled vegetables. ¡°These vegetables are delicious. Have some more.¡± Arius took a deep breath. Am I being ignored again? He decided not to speak anymore as he watched Sophie eat her vegetables. Forget it. I¡¯m a pathetic bachelor, anyway. How can I go up against them? Emerging from Arius¡¯ mansion after dinner, Tristan and Sophie ambled out as they were not far from Tristan¡¯s. They were nning on staying the night there, so they took their time and took a leisurely walk back. Chapter 661 Chapter 661 Suddenly,rge kes of snow began to fall from the sky. ¡°It¡¯s snowing!¡± Sophie eximed with delight, stopping in her tracks. She had always lived in Horington, where it never snowed in the winter. It had been so long since shest saw snow falling so heavily. Although she was afraid of the cold, she loved snowkes. ¡°Yes, it¡¯s snowing!¡± This was their first winter together, and under the streetlights, the girl¡¯s face was beaming with joy. That smile was so pure. It made him want to freeze that moment in time and remember that smile forever. N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner. ¡°Tristan, do you like snowy days?¡± Sophie was still smiling, and even her voice sounded happy. She was actually very rational and not easily moved by anything. But at that moment, she really liked the scenery. ¡°I like it!¡± Of course, he liked it, because Sophie was apletely different person on a snowy day. Just seeing the way she smiled was enough to make him happy. ¡°Are you cold?¡± However, at that moment, she wasn¡¯t wearing much and he was worried that she might catch a cold. Sophie shook her head. ¡°I don¡¯t feel cold at all. It¡¯s not cold when it¡¯s snowing. It¡¯s only cold when the snow melts.¡± She took his hand, and there were already a lot of snowkes on her hair, making her look like a princess from a world of ice. ¡°Let¡¯s go back!¡± The snow would make it hard for them to walk if it kept piling up. Hand in hand, the two walked back together. Suddenly, Sophie slipped on the snow and almost fell, but Tristan grabbed her arm just in time. ¡°I think my shoes are a little slippery.¡± She could wear snow boots in this kind of weather. Sophie decided to buy a pair tomorrow at the mall. ¡°Yeah. Let me carry you,¡± Tristan suddenly said. ¡°No need, I can walk on my own. Besides, aren¡¯t you holding my hand? I won¡¯t fall.¡± But Tristan insisted and knelt down in front of her. ¡°I want to experience what it feels like to piggyback my girlfriend on my back!¡± Seeing his back in front of her, Sophie smiled brightly. ¡°Okay then! Since you want to experience it, I¡¯ll y along.¡± Shey down on his back. Tristan carried her, taking slow steps as he felt that everything was happening in a dream. Sophie hugged his neck while leaning on his back, feeling like nobody had ever carried her before. At that moment, being carried like this by this man made her feel especially happy. The happiness made her heart go soft. ¡°Am I heavy? Do you want to put me down and rest for a while?¡± It was quite a distance from here to his vi, and Tristan must be tired. Tristan shook his head. ¡°You¡¯re not heavy at all.¡± She is already so thin. How can she be heavy? With one arm around his neck, Sophie reached out with the other hand and gently brushed the snowkes off his hair. ¡°Tristan, we¡¯ll always be together, won¡¯t we?¡± Honestly, she wasn¡¯t such a poetic person, but amidst the scenery, she blurted out such a question naturally. ¡°Of course. Don¡¯t worry! I¡¯ll always be by your side.¡± So, they would definitely always be together. The journey had finallye to an end. When they arrived at Tristan¡¯s vi, Sophie was still on his back, and William saw them. Seeing his son carrying the girl on his back, William had an ugly expression on his face. Even if he really likes her so much, he shouldn¡¯t spoil her to the tee! If this gets out, he would be ridiculed! Sarah, who was next to him, naturally saw it too. Knowing that her father was a stick in the mud and that he was probably angry again, she immediately comforted him and said, ¡°Dad, it¡¯s snowing outside and it¡¯s too slippery, so it¡¯s okay for him to carry her.¡± ¡°Sarah, don¡¯t you think Sophie doesn¡¯t know her ce? He¡¯s Tristan Lombard! Everyone respects him in Jipsdale!¡± Unfortunately, a man like him was now actually carrying his girlfriend on his back. Hearing that, Sarah was speechless. ¡°Dad, it¡¯s popr these days to pamper one¡¯s girlfriend!¡± Sophie didn¡¯t expect to be seen by William. ¡°Put me down, please!¡± It was a bit awkward now. ¡°Let¡¯s go inside first! Dad, it¡¯s so cold outside. Why did youe out here? Isn¡¯t it better to stay indoors?¡± Why did hee over in this weather? ¡°You brat! I came to see you because I have something to discuss with you. Can¡¯t Ie to see you?¡± William was still his father after all. ¡°Of course, you can, but today¡¯s weather isn¡¯t suitable, is it?¡± ¡°Okay, let¡¯s stop talking about it and go inside. It¡¯s really cold outside.¡± Sarah had to y peacemaker. There always seemed to be some conflict between the father and son. Everyone went inside, and there were still some snowkes on Sophie¡¯s hair. Tristan carefully picked them out while ignoring the others around them. As William looked on, he was suddenly reminded of his past with his wife. Once, he had such a beautiful rtionship too! But in the end, he was all alone. Sarah was a bit worried seeing his father like that. ¡°Dad, are you okay? If not, let¡¯s go back today and we can talk about the matter another day.¡± William shook his head. ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± He had been alone for so many years. Recently, he kept thinking about the past for some unknown reasons. ¡°Sarah, maybe I¡¯m just getting old!¡± Sarah helped him sit down, and then sat beside him. ¡°Dad, you¡¯ll always be the most capable father to me.¡± William didn¡¯t say much. Tristan brushed the snowkes off Sophie¡¯s hair and said to her, ¡°You go upstairs first. Otherwise, my father will give you a hard time again!¡± Sophie shook her head. ¡°No, I don¡¯t want you to deal with these things alone. Since I¡¯m with you, and your father isn¡¯t happy with me, naturally I have to face him with you.¡± Tristan wrapped his arm around her waist. ¡°You make me adore you even more. I really want to put you in my pocket and keep you close to me.¡± He didn¡¯t want her to deal with all this drama. ¡°Okay! Come over here, both of you! Your sister and I are both here! Don¡¯t pretend like we don¡¯t exist!¡± Is our presence really that insignificant? Tristan brought Sophie over to sit on the couch opposite them. The couch on this side was just a couch for one person, so it was a bit cramped for two people to squeeze together on it. But Tristan didn¡¯t want Sophie to sit alone, so they had to squeeze together. William took a deep breath. Forget it, it¡¯s better for me to not interfere in the affairs of young people. After all, my opposition wouldn¡¯t change anything. ¡°Dad, why did youe here today?¡± Tristan asked directly. It was almost time for his father to go back and rest. Chapter 662 Chapter 662 ¡°Why don¡¯t we go about it this way? Since you and Sophie have decided to be an item, you should arrange for your mother and me to meet with her parents!¡± He¡¯d conclude that it¡¯d be best for them to make their rtionship official as he knew he couldn¡¯t change anything and wished to have grandchildren soon. Both Tristan and Sophie, as well as Sarah, were taken aback by his announcement. ¡°Dad, you¡¯vee to terms with it?¡± Sarah was pleasantly surprised as it had turned out far better than expected. ¡°Of course, I have. I always do. Jennifer seemed like a nice kid. Little did I expect her to end up in such a state. Well, I suppose we can¡¯t me her for it.¡± ¡°Why, Dad, you¡¯ve always been wise, fair, and the most democratic person I¡¯ve ever met. The absolute best father in the world!¡± Sarah ttered him in an attempt to distract William from anger. She dared not cause any more contention for Tristan and Sophie now that he had relented at longst. Tristan had not foreseen the old-fashioned William to be so pliant and had resolved to move out with Sophie. ¡°Dad, are you certain?¡± ¡°Tristan, what¡¯s with all of you second-guessing my decisions? Are my words that iprehensible, or am I spouting gibberish?¡± William said gruffly to hide his slight embarrassment. Tristan held onto Sophie¡¯s hand. ¡°All right. I¡¯ll arrange for you to meet Sophie¡¯s parents as soon as possible.¡± No matter what, he and Sophie would be together forever. A meeting between their parents would seal the deal and make things official. ¡°This was the reason I decided to visit you. I¡¯ll be taking my leave now. I know how keen all of you want me to be gone.¡± William got to his feet. I must seem like a horrible viin in their eyes. Nheless, is there anything I¡¯ve done wrong? All I did was for their own good. ¡°Dad, since the weather is rather inclement today, why not stay over tonight instead of traveling back and forth? There are extra rooms in the mansion for you to stay in anyway.¡± There was indeed no point in such a hassle. The mes of William¡¯s fury were stoked even further. How self-serving of them! Now that they¡¯d had their way, their attitude had taken on aplete 180pared to their hostility when he¡¯d newly arrived. William had no idea what the point of bringing up his son was when all he did was infuriate him. ¡°Tristan, why didn¡¯t you extend your invitation sooner? You¡¯re as practical as the rest.¡± William fumed. ¡°Just because you ask me to doesn¡¯t mean I¡¯ll do as you say.¡± I am no pushover! Besides, it was inconvenient for him to stay here, and he preferred going back to his ce since he was more familiar with it. ¡°Dad, didn¡¯t you miss Tristan? Since he¡¯s happy to let you stay the night, let¡¯s do as he says and not trouble ourselves going back and forth.¡± It was getting ratherte, and William was no longer a young man. It would be unnecessary for them to travel back as the journey would take an hour. ¡°No. I feel morefortable staying at my own ce.¡± However, William had ns of his own. ¡°Come over here, Tristan. There are several things I would like to instruct you.¡± William directed his gaze toward Sophie when Tristan did not budge. ¡°What is it? Am I not even allowed to speak with him privately for a bit?¡± Sophie was stunned. Have I done something wrong? Haven¡¯t I been keeping my mouth shut? Why is Old Mr. Lombard directing his fury at me? Tristan was rendered speechless at the helpless look on Sophie¡¯s face. ¡°Dad, what do you think you¡¯re doing? I¡¯ll do as you say. There¡¯s no point getting all worked up!¡± Such hubbub was totally unwarranted. Couldn¡¯t Dad be slightly more pleasant after approving our rtionship? Why does he have to be so difficult? Please check at N/?vel(D)rama.Org. Sarah and Sophie were the only ones left in the living room after Tristan and William excused themselves. Sarah took a seat next to Sophie. ¡°My dad may be bad-tempered, but he bears no ill intentions. I hope you won¡¯t take his words to heart.¡± It seemed like people tended to behave like children as they be older. Perhaps it was due to loneliness. They so often wish for their opinions to be heeded by their children. In fact, there was nothing wrong in hoping to receive more care and attention from one¡¯s children. ¡°Rest assured, Sarah. I understand.¡± Sophie was fairly indifferent about it. Naturally, she was delighted to have been approved by William, although she didn¡¯t mind not having it either since it wouldn¡¯t affect her. After all, William was Tristan¡¯s father. She did not like seeing him being put in a difficult position if his father continued disapproving of them. All in all, she still hoped his family would give them their blessings. Sarah hooked her arm around Sophie¡¯s shoulders. ¡°Now that you¡¯ve gotten Dad¡¯s approval, it¡¯d be best for you to schedule a date for a meeting between both our parents. You should keep them in the know, after all.¡± Sophie and Tristan¡¯s parents have never met one another despite the pair having dated for no small amount of time. ¡°Okay.¡± The toughest hurdle was gaining William¡¯s approval. On the other hand, her parents could care less about such a thing. The only person that cared for her was no longer around. Therefore, what mattered the most was what pleased her. Moreover, Josiah was extremely happy with Tristan. At the same time, William had led Tristan outside. Tristan was tongue-tied. ¡°Dad, why do we have to be so secretive? The weather is freezing out here. Can¡¯t we have this conversation in the study instead?¡± Why ever did he deem it necessary to stand out here in the cold? ¡°There¡¯s no need. I¡¯ll be done shortly and will be leaving after that.¡± ¡°Fine. Feel free to speak your mind.¡± Tristan was in a better mood after his rtionship with Sophie was approved and had slightly more patience to listen to what William had to say. ¡°Both of you should have a child soon! Our household has not seen the birth of a new life in a long time. Even Lincoln only has Ysabelle as a daughter. I wish to have a chance to see more grandchildren while I¡¯m still alive.¡± William¡¯s drastic change in attitude caught Tristan off guard. ¡°I won¡¯t be staying here tonight as I¡¯m giving you a chance to get on it! As my son, you have to promise me this.¡± ¡°Dad, you¡¯re asking for too much. How can you expect a grandchild when Sophie and I aren¡¯t even married yet?¡± Is he out of his mind? ¡°We¡¯re living in the twenty-first century. Just look at the number of people who¡¯ve had a premarital pregnancy. I certainly don¡¯t mind.¡± ¡°That¡¯s enough. I get the idea. You should be on your way if you want to go back.¡± Tristan had no desire to spend a second longer out in the biting-cold weather. Tristan and Sophie went back into the house only after William¡¯s car departed. ¡°Should we arrange for a meeting?¡± Tristan was concerned about Sophie¡¯s feelings, albeit William¡¯s instruction that they make ns for it. Chapter 663 Chapter 663 Tristan was well aware of the situation of Sophie¡¯s parents. They didn¡¯t seem to care much about her. ¡°I think this is my own business, so there is no need to arrange a meeting with them.¡± Sophie knew very well what kind of people her parents were. Besides, the only person who cared about her in the Tanner family was already gone. ¡°If your father still wants to meet us, I can make that happen,¡± said Tristan. This wasn¡¯t something difficult anyway. As Yale was very satisfied with the Lombard family, it wouldn¡¯t take much effort to ask him out for a meal. In fact, he would be delighted to ept the invitation. ¡°But what about you? Are you okay with it?¡± Tristan continued. He figured Sophie wouldn¡¯t be attached to her parents since they were so biased. ¡°I¡¯m fine with it. It¡¯s just basic formality,¡± Sophie replied. Since things hade to this point, they might as well set a date for the two families to have a meal together. Hearing that, Tristan held Sophie¡¯s hand. He felt bad for her, and he couldn¡¯t wrap his head around what was going on in her parents¡¯ minds. How could they not love such a sweet and adorable daughter? Sophie had scars that not even Tristan could heal, so he was heartbroken about what she had gone through before. When Sophie saw the sad look in Tristan¡¯s eyes, she covered them. ¡°Don¡¯t look at me like that. I think I¡¯m doing quite well now. Although my parents don¡¯t love me, there are lots of people around me who do.¡± She had Barney, Arius, Ysabelle, and Butterfly. Although they weren¡¯t her family, they treated her extremely well. It wouldn¡¯t be an exaggeration to say that they were willing to give up their lives for her. ¡°Well, you¡¯re right. There are many people around you who love you. Besides, Old Mr. Tanner will also keep watching over you from above.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± The two of them sat on the couch with Sophie leaning against Tristan. At that moment, she felt that she didn¡¯t need any sympathy. She was really, really happy. Since they had to arrange a meeting between the two families, Sophie spared some time to return to the Tanner residence. A forlorn atmosphere now hung in the air there. Willow had been sent to the psychiatric hospital, while Yale was out all the time. Only Charmaine was left in the huge mansion, and the housekeepers beganzing around. However, Charmaine didn¡¯t feel like disciplining them. She decided to just let them be as she thought it had nothing to do with her. Sophie drove to the Tanner residence alone that day. The housekeepers were surprised to see Sophie, so one by one, they stood up and got to work. Upon noticing that, Sophie narrowed her eyes. Did the house turn into this state because Morgan is no longer around? Don¡¯t they feel awful, living in such an environment? ¡°Ms. Sophie, please have some water.¡± A housekeeper hurriedly poured Sophie a ss of water when she saw thetter sitting down on the couch. ¡°Mrs. Tanner is still sleeping upstairs. Do you need me to wake her?¡± ¡°She¡¯s still sleeping?¡± Sophie echoed. It¡¯s almost lunch time and she¡¯s still in bed? ¡°What did she dost night?¡± Sophie queried. She did not drink the water the housekeeper served her. There was only one purpose for her visit today. ¡°We don¡¯t know what she¡¯s doing in her room,¡± the housekeeper admitted. As they were merely housekeepers, they did not dare to meddle in Charmaine¡¯s affairs, especially when she was so irritable recently. ConTEent bel0ngs to N?v(e)lD/rama(.)Org . ¡°Okay, I got it.¡± Sophie got to her feet to check on Charmaine herself. When she reached the second floor and opened the door, she was greeted by the sight of the room in aplete mess. As for Charmaine, she was injecting something into herself. Sophie narrowed her eyes. She could already guess what Charmaine was up to. ¡°Who let you in?¡± Charmaine snapped as she did not expect someone to enter the room at that time. Upon lifting her head, she was met with Sophie¡¯s frosty eyes. She immediately mocked, ¡°Oh, Sophie! You¡¯re back! I thought you¡¯d forgotten about this ce.¡± Our family is in this state because of her. How does she have the guts toe back? ¡°Are you injecting drugs right now?¡± Sophie questioned coldly. ¡°So you are still concerned about me? Sophie, you never really considered me your mother, do you? I begged you so desperately, yet you still wouldn¡¯t let Willow off. You¡¯re so heartless and cold-blooded.¡± Even until now, Charmaine was indignant. She went on, ¡°I am injecting drugs. So what? The Tanner family is loaded. I am allowed to splurge like this! I feel ted right now.¡± Charmaine felt contented to lose herself in this sensation every day. She did not have to think of anything, and it made her realize why so many people wanted to do drugs. Apparently, it was possible for someone to feel so blissful. Sophie shook her head. I¡¯m not the reason behind what happened to this family. ¡°I¡¯ll bring you to the rehabilitation center,¡± Sophie uttered. There was no point in arguing with Charmaine; all Sophie had to do was send the former to the rehabilitation center. However, Charmaine voiced, ¡°I¡¯m not going! Sophie, I¡¯m warning you that I have nothing to do with you. You have no business interfering with what I do.¡± I¡¯m doing really well now, and I¡¯m happy with where I¡¯m at. I don¡¯t want to go to the rehabilitation center! ¡°Charmaine Laird, are you out of your mind? Are you doing this because of Willow? She did so many horrible things, yet you still regard her so preciously?¡± Sophie raised her voice. Charmaine retorted, ¡°Yes! No matter what she did, she¡¯s still my daughter. On the contrary, you make me despise you no matter what you do!¡± Sophie did not want to waste time listening to Charmaine¡¯s nonsense. It was exhausting even just hearing thetter¡¯s voice. Without a second thought, Sophie dialed a number to ask someone to pick Charmaine up. Seeing that, Charmaine lunged forward to snatch Sophie¡¯s phone. Sophie swiftly restrained her with one hand and told the person on the phone toe over. While kneeling on the ground, Charmaine repeated, ¡°Sophie, I said I¡¯m doing very well now. Keep your nose out of my business!¡± Despite Charmaine¡¯s objections, Sophie wouldn¡¯t let her have her way. Twenty minutester, the rehabilitation center¡¯s staff arrived and took Charmaine away. Sophie stood there, feeling emotionally drained. All this time, she had beenpromising. It was Willow who went too far andnded everyone in such a situation. Because of that, the Tanner family waspletely broken. If Grandpa sees this, he will be heartbroken. At that moment, Sophie badly wanted to visit Josiah¡¯s grave and tell him about what had happened lately. She got moving right away and reached her destination in no time. Time ticked by as she stood there, and an hour passed before she knew it. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Grandpa. I still disappointed you in the end. I didn¡¯t want things to end up this way, but they still did.¡± For a while, Sophie didn¡¯t know how to exin to Josiah. When Tristan noticed that Sophie did not return after a long time, he came to Josiah¡¯s grave out of worry. He had found out what transpired that day, and he felt deeply sorry for Sophie. Chapter 664 Chapter 664 Tristan walked to Sophie¡¯s side and held her hand. ¡°That¡¯s enough. Stop overthinking for you have done your best. They¡¯re the ones who won¡¯t get their act together.¡± There really was no need for Sophie to take the me as nothing was her fault. Charmaine had always favored Willow, but considering Willow¡¯s personality, things wouldn¡¯t get better if they let her be. Thus, Sophie did nothing wrong. Willow was the type of person who would never reflect on herself. In fact, Sophie was already very lenient toward her. ¡°I¡¯m fine. I just miss Grandpa.¡± Knowing that Tristan was concerned about her, Sophie forced herself to sh him a smile. ¡°You don¡¯t have to force a smile in front of me if you don¡¯t feel like it. You¡¯ve sent her to the rehabilitation center, so stop worrying now,¡± Tristan coaxed. He knew Sophie must feel terrible. Although they were on bad terms, Charmaine was Sophie¡¯s mother, after all. He then prompted, ¡°Let¡¯s go home.¡± It had been snowing heavily in Jipsdale for two days. The temperature that day fell below zero, and Sophie¡¯s body was cold after staying outdoors for so long. ¡°All right. Let¡¯s go home.¡± Not wanting to worry Tristan, Sophie trailed behind him without a word. The steps leading down the mountain were slippery due to the snow, so he grabbed her hand tightly and guided her slowly. Despite the slippery ground, Tristan¡¯s steps were steady, just like the feeling he always gave her¡ªcalm and reliable, as if she could depend on him for the rest of her life. When they reached the foot of the mountain, Tristan started the car and turned on the heater. It was only then that Sophie began to warm up. ¡°Drink some water.¡± Tristan had brought a thermos filled with hot water for Sophie. ¡°Thank you.¡± Holding the thermos, Sophie took a few sips. Immediately, she felt much better. ¡°How did you know I¡¯m here? Did you nt a surveince camera on me?¡± she asked curiously. ¡°I guessed it.¡± Of course, Tristan couldn¡¯t have possibly ced a camera on Sophie. In the whole of Jipsdale, Josiah was the person Sophie cared about the most. It was natural that she¡¯d be here when she was sad. Sophie drank another mouthful of hot water. ¡°It is indeed really cold.¡± While snowy days were beautiful, they were also freezing. ¡°Do you want some?¡± ¡°Sure.¡± With that, Sophie brought the thermos to Tristan¡¯s lips. He bit the straw and had a sip before asking, ¡°You didn¡¯t have lunch, did you?¡± As Tristan knew what Sophie did that day, he was also aware she didn¡¯t eat lunch. ¡°Sophie. No matter what happens in the future, don¡¯t make yourself suffer, okay? It will break my heart,¡± he said with a pained expression. ¡°Okay. I didn¡¯t skip lunch on purpose. I just lost the mood to eat suddenly.¡± ¡°All right, I¡¯ll take you back so we can have some food. Ysabelle won an award yesterday, and she said she¡¯s going to treat you. Cecelia is also done with her movie shoot. Let¡¯s have a meal together,¡± Tristan proposed. He supposed her mood would improve a little if her friends kept herpany. ¡°Okay, let¡¯s go. I don¡¯t want to keep them waiting.¡± At Blossom Garden, the group was already waiting. With a frown, Ysabelle fretted, ¡°Gosh, Sophie must be so upset!¡± Her family members are such troublemakers! Sophie is already so tired. Why do they keep acting up? Seeing how distraught his girlfriend was, Felix consoled her, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. She has Mr. Tristan. He¡¯ll surelyfort her.¡± Cecelia was also exasperated. She chimed in, ¡°You¡¯re right, Ysabelle. They mistreated Sophie back then, but she didn¡¯t even get back at them when she returned! Yet now, they¡¯re stirring trouble for her all the time!¡± Cecelia was actually tempted to ship those people to outer space so no one could annoy Sophie anymore. ConTEent bel0ngs to N?v(e)lD/rama(.)Org . ¡°That¡¯s enough, guys. Let¡¯s stop talking about this. She¡¯ll deal with it properly,¡± Felix interjected. He had asked someone to watch over Charmaine at the rehabilitation center. Ultimately, she was Sophie¡¯s mother, so they wouldn¡¯t let her suffer too much. Charles nodded and remarked, ¡°Indeed, no one is perfect. Sophie¡¯s parents are the only w in her life.¡± If she were born into another family, they would definitely dote on such an excellent daughter. Just then, Arius showed up. Though he heard what the others were talking about, he did notment on it. He didn¡¯t know Sophie¡¯s parents well, and he couldn¡¯t bother to do so either. Arius disliked anyone who mistreated Sophie. When Sophie and Tristan arrived, everyone was already there. Noticing Barney¡¯s absence, Sophie couldn¡¯t help but ask, ¡°Where¡¯s Dr. Smith? Why didn¡¯t you bring him? He¡¯s all by himself here, and he must be lonely.¡± ¡°I told him, but he refused toe. He said he¡¯s not going to join the gathering of us youngsters.¡± Barney was old, and he was worn out due to all the things he had to deal with recently. Moreover, everyone in the group was young. He¡¯d only be bored if he came. ¡°I see. If the medical association needs any help, let me know. Dr. Smith needs to rest more,¡± Sophie said. As one grows older, their health also deteriorated. ¡°Sophie, you¡¯re still a student! You need to enjoy your life to the fullest. You should hang out with your ssmates like other university students and fall in love. Don¡¯t carry all the burden on your shoulders!¡± Arius voiced, feeling bad for Sophie. ¡°There¡¯s no need for that. I know what I¡¯m doing, and this is what I¡¯m capable of doing.¡± Besides, Sophie didn¡¯t find such things to be a burden. Instead, she felt contented. ¡°You¡¯re so¡­¡± Arius was at a loss for words. Never mind. I don¡¯t understand her world. But no matter what decisions she makes, I¡¯ll support her unconditionally. ¡°Sophie, I¡¯m sorry for not being by your side these days. I¡¯ve been too busy,¡± Ysabelle voiced. She had just won a best new artist award and was very popr across the inte. She was getting closer and closer to her target, and this was all thanks to Sophie. Without Sophie, Ysabelle¡¯s quest to achieve her goal wouldn¡¯t have been so smooth. ¡°Ysabelle, I am really d for you, seeing that you get to do what you like to do. I know how busy a singer can get. I understand,¡± Sophie reassured. Ysabelle¡¯s schedule had been so packed that she couldn¡¯t even spend much time with Felix. Still, she was happy. Seated beside Sophie, Cecelia was distressed to see thetter not looking too well. She suggested, ¡°Girls, I¡¯m done with my movie shoot. If you gals are free, let¡¯s go out on a trip.¡± It had been quite a while since theyst went traveling. ¡°Let¡¯s go on our own without bringing anyone else!¡± Cecelia added. She was the only one single among them, and she didn¡¯t want them to bring their boyfriends for it would torment her poor, lonely soul. Chapter 665 Chapter 665 Hearing that, Felix was the first to state his disagreement. ¡°That won¡¯t do. If you girls insist on heading out to have fun, you¡¯ll have to bring me along!¡± he insisted. As Ysabelle¡¯s boyfriend, Felix was so smitten with her that being apart from her was simply unbearable. Thus, he wanted to be by her side at all times. Ysabelle jumped at the idea and responded, ¡°Why not? I could use a little bit of time away, too. So when are you nning on going? I¡¯d love to join you, Cecelia!¡± It sounded like a great idea to her. No matter what issues or difficulties they encountered, they were confident that a vacation would be the answer to their problems. ¡°Mr. Tristan, can you stand the idea of being apart from Sophie? Should we tag along? We can do all the hardbor,¡± Felix suggested. He knew that Tristan wouldn¡¯t want to be separated from Sophie. ¡°It¡¯s time for a much-needed vacation. You¡¯ve been tired recently, so it would be nice to take a break,¡± Tristan replied. He was always busy at work, so he wanted her to be able to get away from it all and enjoy a holiday abroad. ¡°Mr. Northley, you should learn from Mr. Tristan. Your girlfriend won¡¯t run away, so why would you need to stick to her at all times?¡± Ceceliained. I can¡¯t believe Sean didn¡¯t fall for my charms. He¡¯s weird. Forget it, then. Since he doesn¡¯t like me, I¡¯ll just give up. He¡¯s not worth my time, anyway. Cecelia was not in a rush to find her ultimatepanion. After all, there were countless potential suitors in the world. She believed that one day she would eventually find ¡°The One¡± and that the wait would be worth it. ¡°Says who? What if she escapes? Who¡¯ll take responsibility if that were to happen?¡± Felix retorted like the coward he was. Hearing that, Ysabelle gave his thigh a forceful pinch. ¡°Felix, don¡¯t you trust me? What was that? Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll let you know in advance if I want to break up with you,¡± she snapped. Felix was speechless. Why would she tell me in advance? What use is that? I don¡¯t want to break up with her! ¡°Ysabelle, how can you disregard me after hurting me? That¡¯s too much! I can¡¯tprehend why you¡¯d want to break up with me when I love you so deeply.¡± Seeing their interaction, Sophie felt her frustration fading away. Indeed, her friends were the ones who provided her with the most love and support. ¡°You should travel with your friends,¡± Arius told her. ¡°A little bit of rest can go a long way. You don¡¯t want to exhaust yourself, do you?¡± ¡°Mm. I know,¡± Sophie agreed. Tristan remained steadfastly beside Sophie that night, assuring that she had no opportunity to ruminate and be overwhelmed by her thoughts. Sophie flung her arms around his neck and pressed a kiss to his sexy lips. ¡°Aren¡¯t you busy? I don¡¯t need you to stay with me. I¡¯m fine!¡± she assured him. ¡°I¡¯m not busy. Have you decided where you want to travel?¡± Tristan asked. He was reluctant to be apart from her, but he knew it would be beneficial for her to spend some time with people who could make her feel better. Cecelia and Ysabelle were pretty famous locally, so they were unable to go on vacation within the country and instead had to go abroad for their break. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll help you get a leave of absence from the University of Medicine, so don¡¯t worry and have fun. I¡¯ve arranged for someone to keep watch on your mother, so she¡¯ll be in good hands,¡± he added. ¡°Mm!¡± The following morning, Tristan received a call from the psychiatric nursing home telling him that Willow had escaped. Seeing his reaction, Sophie asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Did something happen?¡± Tristan replied, ¡°It¡¯s nothing. Let me give you a ride to the airport!¡± After making up their minds to take a vacation, the girls decided to depart that day. ¡°If you¡¯re busy, you don¡¯t have to drop me off at the airport. Felix is heading thereter too, so I can take his car,¡± Sophie said. Tristan shook his head. ¡°It¡¯s fine. I¡¯ll take you to the airport myself. Nothing is more important to me than you.¡± Sophie couldn¡¯t stop him. After he dropped her off at the airport, she met with Cecelia, Ysabelle, Butterfly, and Sarah. When Sarah discovered that they were nning a fun-filled getaway, she quickly decided to jump on board and join them. Butterfly heard about their vacation from Arius, so she also decided to tag along. At first, Butterfly wasn¡¯t close to the other girls, but her outgoing nature allowed her to quickly be morefortable and acquainted with them. When Tristan and Sophie showed up, the four girls stood up and weed Sophie warmly. Naturally, Felix was still worried. ¡°Be careful, okay? You girls are so gorgeous, so I¡¯m worried that scoundrels will take advantage of you,¡± he said worriedly. I wish I can join them. He suggested, ¡°Why don¡¯t I tag along? That way, I can protect you girls.¡± ¡°That¡¯s enough, Felix. There are five of us! Besides, no one will dare to bully us with Sophie around!¡± Felix knew that Sophie was more experienced inbat than he was, so he gave up trying to convince them to change their mind. Ysabelle said eagerly, ¡°It¡¯s almost time, so you should leave now. We¡¯re going to board the ne soon.¡± Reluctance shed across Felix¡¯s eyes as he dragged Ysabelle aside. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? We¡¯re leaving soon. What are you doing?¡± Ysabelle rolled her eyes at him. ¡°Do you resent me? I¡¯m just worried about you. If anything happens, let me know immediately. Remember to video call me every day, too!¡± he reminded her urgently. Once Ysabelle¡¯s wild side took over, he would be chucked at the back of her mind. It was inevitable that she would get carried away when she was having a good time. That could exin why Felix was worried about her. Seeing that, Ysabelle felt her heart soften. Does he feel insecure in this rtionship? ¡°Felix, there is no need for you to worry. I want you to know that I love you, and I am not nning on ending our rtionship. I¡¯ll remember to video call you every day!¡± she promised. All rights ? N?velDrama.Org. Felix felt aggrieved as they weren¡¯t nning on letting him tag along on their trip. He cupped her cheeks and gave her a firm kiss. ¡°Remember your promise,¡± he urged. Ysabelle gave him a reassuring nod. Sophie and Tristan stood some distance away from the couple. Tristan knew she was capable of protecting herself and the other girls. ¡°It is important to take care of yourself when you travel, so make sure you do not overexert yourself. Make sure you eat regrly and eat enough,¡± he reminded. ¡°Got it.¡± Knowing he would worry about her, she consented to each and every one of his requests. ¡°Remember to call me.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Tristan asked her hesitantly, ¡°Don¡¯t you have anything to say to me?¡± He couldn¡¯t help but wonder if she had nothing to say after all this time. Sophie nodded and said, ¡°Don¡¯t tire yourself out. Remember to miss me, too.¡± There was no need to voice the rest of her thoughts. Tristan ced his arm around her waist. ¡°Mm. Have fun! I¡¯ll be waiting for you back home.¡± Chapter 666 Chapter 666 Tristan and Felix waited until the five girls go through security before they turned to leave. ¡°Let¡¯s head to the psychiatric nursing home!¡± Tristan told Felix. He wanted to find out how Willow made her escape. ¡°Huh? Why do you want to go to the psychiatric nursing home?¡± Felix was confused as he wasn¡¯t informed. ¡°Willow has escaped!¡± Felix gaped in disbelief. ¡°Are you sure? How is that possible?¡± It was natural for him to react this way, for the psychiatric nursing home was heavily guarded by security guards. It didn¡¯t seem possible for Willow to escape that ce. ¡°The psychiatric nursing home called to inform me of her disappearance. I need to head there personally to find out what happened to her,¡± Tristan revealed. He would not allow Willow to go free as he knew that she harbored intense animosity towards Sophie and would do her utmost to cause Sophie harm when given the opportunity. They both made the journey to the psychiatric nursing home, where the director, Oliver Arfield, was shocked to see Tristan in the flesh. His face instantly nched, as if a wave of dread had suddenly ovee him. ¡°I¡¯m really sorry, Mr. Tristan. We had no idea this would happen. This is a first in our psychiatric nursing home,¡± he apologized profusely. The patients who had been sent here would never be allowed to leave without their approval, so he couldn¡¯t believe something this ridiculous would happen. ¡°That¡¯s enough. Get me the surveince footage and make sure to get her back,¡± Tristan ordered in a cold tone. It was toote to apologize now. ¡°I¡¯ve looked through the surveince footage, but there was nothing suspicious. It seemed that she suddenly disappeared without a trace,¡± Oliver exined helplessly. If possible, they wanted to find Willow without alerting anyone. That way, they could pretend that Willow had not gone missing in the first ce. In the end, they had to inform Tristan as they were rendered helpless. ¡°Felix, go check it out!¡± ¡°Got it!¡± Felix knew this matter was important to Tristan, so he immediately left to check the surveince footage. s, as Oliver had asserted, there were no clues. It seemed that Willow had disappeared into thin air. Oliver stayed with Tristan silently as cold sweat beaded on his forehead. Felix came back and shook his head. ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± ConTEent bel0ngs to N?v(e)lD/rama(.)Org . ¡°Mr. Tristan, our psychiatric nursing home¡­¡± Oliver was worried as they were about to depart without saying anything else. ¡°It¡¯s time for you to make some changes here. If you can¡¯t even handle this, why should this ce exist?¡± Oliver gaped in disbelief. ¡°Mr. Tristan, we¡ª¡± ¡°That¡¯s enough. I don¡¯t have time to talk to you. Let me find her first,¡± Tristan interrupted curtly. Oliver¡¯s assistant came in and frowned when he noticed Oliver¡¯s shoulders were slumped. ¡°Mr. Arfield, are you all right? This isn¡¯t our fault as we¡¯ve done our best to manage this ce. We never wanted this to happen,¡± he said indignantly. Mr. Tristan should be reasonable! Oliver shook his head. ¡°No one can reason with Mr. Tristan in Jadeborough.¡± Tristan called the shots here, and he didn¡¯t want to cross him. At Anndur, Nichs received news that Sophie had left Chanaea. Alex dared not give him any more advice for now. Nevertheless, he couldn¡¯t help but voice his concern. ¡°Mr. Nichs, your health¡ª¡± ¡°Alex, haven¡¯t you learned your lesson? Don¡¯t say anything that is unnecessary. You know I don¡¯t like hearing them, so stop making me upset,¡± Nichs cut in impatiently. Alex shook his head silently. Yes, I shouldn¡¯t have voiced my concerns knowing that he dislikes listening to advice. Why would I seek trouble? ¡°Book a flight ticket for me,¡± Nichs ordered. ¡°Mr. Nichs, we have a private ne, right? It¡¯s safer to take the private ne.¡± ¡°No need. Buy the ticket using another identity. I want to take a look at her.¡± Nichs wanted to just see Sophie from afar as his n wasn¡¯t ready yet. Alex had no idea why Nichs was head over heels in love with Sophia as thetter didn¡¯t spend a lot of time with her. Why couldn¡¯t he forget her? In the meantime, Sophie and her group of friends had made their way to Jetroina, which was situated not far from Chanaea. They deemed this area to be the perfect spot for their much-deserved holiday. It was freezing here, too. Ysabelle started shivering after she got off the ne. ¡°Aren¡¯t you cold?¡± she demanded incredulously as the rest seemed unfazed. ¡°Not really,¡± came Butterfly¡¯s answer. She wore the least among them as she wasn¡¯t afraid of the cold. No matter how cold the weather was, she would still wear a skirt. That was how persistent she was. Sarah, who was snugly wrapped in her winter apparel, told Ysabelle, ¡°You won¡¯t feel cold if you put on more clothes.¡± Tristan had made the arrangements for a Lincoln limousine to wait for them outside the airport to bring them to their amodation. ¡°Actually, we¡¯re here on vacation. I can¡¯t believe Mr. Tristan is this thoughtful,¡± Butterfly praised. Whenever simr situations arose, she would envy Sophie for having such a thoughtful boyfriend. ¡°All right, stop sighing. We should head to our hotel as soon as possible for it¡¯s freezing outside,¡± Ysabelle cut in, impatient to get to the hotel. She suddenly felt that they had picked the wrong ce to travel. The weather was freezing, and she honestly wanted to spend the rest of the day in the hotel room that was heated up. Thus, the five of them got into the vehicle. Butterfly chose to sit next to Sophie. ¡°Sophie, Mr. Tristan adores you. When are you nning to get married?¡± When women get together, they would always talk about the opposite sex. ¡°After I graduate from the University of Medicine,¡± Sophie replied casually. That was Tristan¡¯s wish too. He wanted to marry her after she graduated from university. ¡°Sophie, you¡¯re still young, so there¡¯s no hurry. Mr. Tristan won¡¯t be going anywhere, so you should take the opportunity to enjoy life when you¡¯re still single,¡± Cecelia said. The life of a married woman is often consumed by her family and children, leaving her with little or no time for self-care or leisure. On the other hand, those who were single had more freedom. Sarah disagreed with Cecelia¡¯s point of view. She protested, ¡°Even after Sophie and Tristan tie the knot, Tristan will still adore her and encourage her to pursue whatever it is that brings her joy! Nothing will change.¡± She was well aware of how deeply her little brother cared for Sophie. He would always ce Sophie first as she was his top priority. ¡°I can vouch for that. Uncle Tristan will not let Sophie be a housewife,¡± Ysabelle chimed in. Sophie was not cut out to be a housewife, anyway. ¡°You can¡¯t be sure about that,¡± Cecelia remarked. Sophie had yet to marry Tristan. After they got married, the Lombard family¡¯s influence in Jipsdale meant that Sophie wouldn¡¯t be able to do anything that she enjoyed. ¡°Cecelia, I can assure you that Uncle Tristan will stand behind Sophie¡¯s wishes no matter what,¡± Ysabelle reasserted emphatically. ¡°He will give her his unwavering support on any choice she makes.¡± Chapter 667 Chapter 667 Both Sarah and Ysabelle were eager for Sophie to tie the knot with Tristan as soon as possible as they feared that someone as outstanding as her could be snatched away at any moment. Hearing that, Cecelia still wouldn¡¯t believe them. Sophie was her best friend, so she wouldn¡¯t want to see her get hurt. If Tristan were to hurt Sophie¡¯s feelings one day, she would definitely make sure he paid the price. Tristan might be a big shot, but she wasn¡¯t afraid of him at all. ¡°Tristan and I have only been together for a short time, but I don¡¯t think he would betray me,¡± Sophie said. She had seen how deeply he cared for her and was confident that he would never betray her. ¡°Well, I believe you¡¯ve been brainwashed by Mr. Tristan!¡± Cecelia joked. ¡°It seems that I¡¯m the only clear-headed person now.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Cecelia. I assure you, Tristan will never bully me,¡± Sophie said confidently. She had absolute faith in the man she fell in love with. As they chattered, the Lincoln limousine rolled to a stop before their hotel. Please check at N/?vel(D)rama.Org. ¡°Everyone, get changed and rest for a bit. We¡¯ll meet up for dinner!¡± Sarah was the oldest among them, so she naturally became the leader. No one objected to her arrangements, so they all went back to their rooms to rest. The moment Sophie stepped into her room, Tristan¡¯s call arrived. Sophie ced her suitcase aside and settled down on the couch before answering the phone. Once the call connected, Tristan¡¯s deep, sexy voice boomed, ¡°You¡¯ve arrived, right? Are you tired?¡± He assumed she was exhausted after the long flight. Sophie put him on speaker and ced her phone on the coffee table. She then crossed her legs and settled herselffortably on the couch, ready to have a conversation with him. ¡°Not really. I slept a bit on the ne, so I¡¯m not really tired now. Tristan, I¡¯m here on vacation. Why would I be tired? Stop worrying about me,¡± she replied cheerfully. She was taken aback by the fact that he remained anxious even after she had made it to Jetroina safe and sound. Tristan told her, ¡°I¡¯m d to hear that. I was just worried that you¡¯d overexert yourself. Go take a shower and grab a bite.¡± Going away for a girls¡¯ trip was always a great opportunity to have lots of fun, indulge in delicious food, and treat themselves to some shopping. ¡°Mm. I know. Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m not a kid,¡± Sophie joked. Now that she was an adult, she had full knowledge of her actions and the consequences that would follow. Tristan reminded her, ¡°When I¡¯m not around, please take good care of yourself.¡± ¡°Of course,¡± Sophie replied softly, her voice full of concern. ¡°I know you¡¯re busy with work, but don¡¯t forget to take care of yourself. Make sure you¡¯re eating properly.¡± She knew he was busy at work, but nothing mattered to her more than his health. Tristan sighed. ¡°What should I do? You only left this morning, but I¡¯m already missing you badly. I wish I coulde with you.¡± His rationality told him that he should give her some privacy. He couldn¡¯t rece her best friends, after all. Although he was aware that she was likely having a wonderful time with her friends, he couldn¡¯t help but long for herpany. ¡°I miss you, too. It¡¯s fine, though. I¡¯ll be back two dayster,¡± Sophie assured him. The girls, despite their hectic lives, were still able to find the time toe on a vacation with her. Thus, she knew she couldn¡¯t disappoint them. ¡°Get some rest, then. Sarah is familiar with Jetroina, so you don¡¯t have to n anything. Just do whatever she says,¡± Tristan told her. Sarah had lived in Jetroina for some time, so she was familiar with the many delightful eateries and exciting attractions the country had to offer. With Sarah around, Sophie didn¡¯t have to worry about nning the trip. ¡°Mm¡­ You should get some rest, too.¡± After the call ended, Sophie came to the window. The scenery was gorgeous as the ground outside was covered in a nket of snow. It felt like they were in winter wondend. Oh, how pretty. Suddenly, Sophie felt like having some red wine. She quickly called reception and ordered a bottle of red wine. Soon, the red wine was delivered to her room. The server uncorked the bottle for her before leaving. Sophie stood before the window, slowly sipping on the red wine. The taste was truly exquisite, making it well worth the cost. After unpacking, Butterfly came to Sophie¡¯s room to find thetter enjoying some wine. She poured herself a ss of wine and joined Sophie by the window. Sophie was dressed in a pristine white turtleneck sweater, her chestnut-colored hair cascading down her shoulders. She gracefully swirled the dark red liquid in her ss. It was a sight to behold. ¡°What are you thinking?¡± Butterfly asked. Despite having worked for Sophie for some time, and being a few years her senior, she sometimes couldn¡¯t figure out what Sophie was thinking. ¡°Nothing. Don¡¯t you find the scenery gorgeous?¡± It was snowing heavily outside, but the hotel room was well-heated. ¡°Yeah, I guess. That was why we chose toe here, right? Otherwise, why would wee all the way here?¡± Butterfly agreed. ¡°Mm. You¡¯re right.¡± Snow in Jipsdale was nothing like the picture-perfect snowfall in Jetroina. Soon, the rest of the girls arrived at Sophie¡¯s room and joined in the wine-drinking session. Instead of heading out, they opted to remain indoors, taking off their shoes and settlingfortably on the carpet. They sipped on wine casually as they discussed their worries and shared their thoughts. Conversation flowed easily as they rxed in the warmth of the evening. Sarah was in her thirties, but she felt so much younger when she was around them. ¡°I feel younger after spending time with you girls,¡± shemented. The youngdies were in their heyday, surrounded by friends with whom they had a strong bond. They were able to discuss any problem that arose and find a solution. Whenever they felt down, they woulde together and take sce in a drinking session to forget their worries. ¡°Sarah, what are you talking about? You¡¯re still young!¡± Cecelia insisted. They had met barely ten hours ago, but Cecelia already took a liking to Sarah. ¡°Compared to you, I¡¯m no longer young,¡± Sarah responded. Is that really all there is to my life? I harbored a secret crush on someone but it had toe to an end. I can no longer fall in love with someone else. I am left to wonder if my life will stay the same or if something exciting wille around. This thought is rather depressing, and I can¡¯t help but think that I have failed in some way. Ugh, why am I dwelling on that? ¡°Sarah, are you thinking of Juan?¡± Sophie asked curiously. Despite being the youngest of the group, Sophie was the most perceptive and had quickly read Sarah¡¯s mind. Chapter 668 Chapter 668 ¡°Yes. It just came to my mind. That¡¯s enough. Let¡¯s not talk about that today,¡± Sarah replied. When one likes another person, it takes a lot to forget them. I¡¯ve been trying so hard to forget him, but it doesn¡¯t seem to be working. There¡¯s nothing I can do about it. ¡°Sarah, Juan isn¡¯t worth your time and love,¡± Cecelia uttered. That¡¯s just how love works sometimes. However, Juan really isn¡¯t worth it. Cecelia proceeded to sit next to Sarah and added assertively, ¡°I¡¯m serious, Sarah. In order to forget about a past rtionship, you must start a new one! Since the three have no boyfriend, let¡¯s find a hunk each during this trip.¡± Indeed, it wasn¡¯t such a bad idea. ¡°Forget about it! I can¡¯t hook up with someone I have no feelings for.¡± Sarah shook her head. If I don¡¯t love that person, I can¡¯t just let myself loose. Cecelia waved dismissively and said, ¡°Sarah, love isn¡¯t that pure! I¡¯m serious. Let¡¯s find someone for you. No matter what happens after that, it¡¯s still going to be better than your current situation.¡± Obviously, Ysabelle knew how much Sarah loved Juan, but Ysabelle also didn¡¯t think Juan was worth it. ¡°Aunt Sarah, I think Cecelia¡¯s suggestion is a good one,¡± Ysabelle chimed in. As long as Aunt Sarah can forget Juan, it doesn¡¯t matter who she ends up with. Aunt Sarah wouldn¡¯t need to suffer if she could get Juan off of her mind. ¡°Oh,e on. Don¡¯t worry about me, girls. I¡¯m fine, really. It¡¯s just that he popped up in my mind all of a sudden,¡± Sarah uttered. Perhaps the season we¡¯re in ys a role. I just couldn¡¯t help thinking about the past. Although they were there to have fun, they ended up staying in the room the entire afternoon chatting over wine. Despite that, it was still a very rxing time for everyone. After everyone had fallen asleep, Sophie went up to Sarah and asked, ¡°Sarah, would you like to have a chat?¡± At times, one had to get things off of their chest to feel at ease. Sarah wrapped her arm around Sophie¡¯s shoulders and answered, ¡°I¡¯m fine, Sophie. I fell in love with the wrong person. That¡¯s all.¡± Sarah knew she could definitely forget Juan. No one is going to remember someone until the end of time. I¡¯m sure this is only happening because I have such a good memory. Although it takes time, I¡¯m sure I¡¯ll be able to forget him. Sophie nodded. ¡°All right. I don¡¯t want toment too much on Juan, but I know it¡¯s his loss for missing out on you.¡± Sarah was a very capable woman. ¡°Yes. I know. By the way, my dad has already agreed to let you and Tristan be together. I know you only want to get married after you graduated. However, you guys can get engaged first.¡± Sarah was a little concerned about Sophie¡¯s situation. Sophie¡¯s reputation is going to take a hit if she keeps following Tristan around without an official title. ConTEent bel0ngs to N?v(e)lD/rama(.)Org . Evidently, Sarah was very fond of Sophie. That was why she would look out for her. ¡°Tristan and I are very sure about spending the rest of our lives with each other, Sarah. Since that¡¯s the case, I don¡¯t think we need to go through the trouble,¡± Sophie answered. Like me, Tristan doesn¡¯t enjoy troubling himself with such things. I think what we have now is good. ¡°What do you mean? You need ceremonies in life,¡± Sarah advised. If they continue on like this, they might get sick of each other. What¡¯s going to happen then? ¡°Well, Tristan likes ceremonies,¡± Sophie answered. Regardless of the asion, Tristan would always prepare gifts for me. Besides, the gifts he had given me are all the things I need. I don¡¯t voice my feelings, but I know how good Tristan is to me. ¡°Hmm¡­ That¡¯s right. Tristan has never fallen in love with anyone but you. He¡¯s really into you,¡± Sarah answered. Tristan loves her so much that he¡¯s afraid to lose her. If that¡¯s the case, it has to be true love, right? Everyone knows Tristan loves Sophie. It takes a lot to love another person so whole-heartedly for someone like Tristan. While it was snowing heavily outside, Sarah and Sophie were talking about the man they both cherished the most in their lives in the hotel. ¡°Sophie, since Tristan is my younger brother, it¡¯s only normal for me to be biased toward him. I know how much he loves you. As his sister, I hope you¡¯ll never hurt him,¡± Sarah uttered. Needless to say, Sarah was biased toward Tristan, and she couldn¡¯t imagine what would happen to Tristan if Sophie were to break up with him. At the same time, Sarah knew Sophie was Tristan¡¯s weakness. ¡°Sarah, there¡¯s no way I¡¯m ever going to hurt him,¡± Sophie replied. I¡¯ll never do that. Meanwhile, Tristan had sessfully located Willow, and she fell into utter despair when she saw him. I¡¯ve finally gotten out, and I¡¯ve even found a ce to hide. How is this man still able to find me? How did he find me? Willow panicked, and she wanted to escape. However, a few burly men showed up before her and stopped her. The men then pushed Willow toward Tristan. In front of him, she felt pathetic and filthy. Therefore, she didn¡¯t even dare to say a single word. ¡°I have underestimated you, Willow. I didn¡¯t expect you to be capable of escaping that ce!¡± Tristan said. In an icy tone, Tristan added, ¡°Don¡¯t you know Jipsdale is my territory? Did you really think you could go anywhere without asking for my permission?¡± The way he looked at Willow was as if he were looking at an insignificant ant. Under his gaze, Willow felt extremely vulnerable. ¡°Mr. Tristan, I know I¡¯m worth nothing in your eyes. That¡¯s why none of you would take me seriously.¡± Willow¡¯s voice was hoarse instead of sweet and adorable like it used to be. Clearly, she wasn¡¯t the same as before after being kept at the psychiatric nursing home for such a long time. In that ce, Willow was in a living hell, and Sophie was the reason she ended up there. ¡°Mr. Tristan, I know you love Sophie deeply. Even so, do you need to harm me? What did I do wrong? Could you please let me go? As long as you¡¯re willing to let me go, I promise to leave Jipsdale and never return,¡± Willow begged. At that moment, Willow wanted nothing more than to leave the city. I want nothing but to get out of here as quickly as I can. I hate Sophie to the bone, but I¡¯m willing to let go of my hatred. I just want to live somewhere else. ¡°Let you go? Do you take me for such a merciful person?¡± Tristan questioned. Since she had committed a mistake, she should get punished! Willow trembled as she stood there in the freezing cold. ¡°Why? I¡¯m just an ordinary person! Why do you want me gone so badly? Is it because of Sophie? She¡¯s a human, and so are others, no? How could you not care about the lives of others?¡± Chapter 669 Chapter 669 Willow was extremely displeased. Why must Sophie exist? Sophie shouldn¡¯t exist in the same world as I am! ¡°In my eyes, I don¡¯t care if others live or die,¡± Tristan replied. Right then, a few bodyguards came over and grabbed Willow. Willow felt exceedingly bitter that she roared, ¡°Tristan, do you think you can really spend the rest of your life with Sophie by doing this? Sophie doesn¡¯t even care about her family! What makes you think you can make her care about you? You¡¯re going to find out that, you¡¯re nothing but a joke!¡± Willow¡¯s eyes suddenly turned cold. ¡°Even if that¡¯s the case, I¡¯m not going to let you drive a wedge between us. I¡¯ll never have regrets about being with Sophie,¡± responded Tristan. Willow was rendered speechless. I don¡¯t get it! We¡¯re both humans, so why is there such a huge difference between us? ¡°Take her away! This time around, sent her to the isted ind instead of the psychiatric nursing home!¡± Tristan ordered. Willow didn¡¯t know where the isted ind was, but she knew it wouldn¡¯t be paradise. ¡°Tristan, karma wille for you for how you¡¯re treating me! I curse you! I hope Sophie will never truly love you for the rest of her life! At the same time, I curse you and hope that you guys will never be happy in your lives!¡± At that point, Willow knew there was nothing she could do to change her fate. Hence, she had to make herself feel better by cursing Tristan and Sophie. They hurt me so badly, so they don¡¯t deserve happiness! They don¡¯t deserve happiness! As soon as those words fell, Tristan¡¯s gaze turned murderous. He had never believed in curses, but he couldn¡¯t take it because Willow was cursing Sophie as well. Hence, he slowly made his way toward Willow. Tristan¡¯s aura was so terrifying that Willow couldn¡¯t help but gulp uneasily. ¡°Throw her into the sea and feed her to the sharks!¡± Tristan instructed. Willow¡¯s eyes widened in disbelief. ¡°Tristan, you can¡¯t do that! I¡¯m telling you! You can¡¯t do that to me!¡± However, Tristan was no longer willing to waste another second on her. He then told his subordinates to take her away. Felix saw how she was behaving, and he approached Tristan. ¡°What¡¯s the matter? I haven¡¯t seen you so angry in a long time. It was merely a curse. You never believed in such things, no?¡± Indeed, Tristan only flipped because of Willow¡¯s curses. ¡°Perhaps it¡¯s because I care about Sophie so much that I don¡¯t want anyone to curse us. I want us to be happy,¡± Tristan answered. I want Sophie and I to be together for the rest of our lives. Felix shook his head upon hearing that. ¡°Let¡¯s go! Since the girls aren¡¯t around, let¡¯s go out for a drink!¡± The guys hadn¡¯t had a drink together in a long time. Since the people they were protecting weren¡¯t around, they would naturally want to unwind as well. Charles and Sean rushed to meet them the moment they received a call from Felix. ¡°Frankly, it has been too long since all of us had a drink with each other.¡± Charles felt emotional when he met up with the others. When neither Tristan nor Felix had a girlfriend back then, the four of us were always drinking together! Although Tristan and the other two guys were not interested in dating anyone then, they were so handsome that they were always surrounded by girls, no matter where they went. Besides, they were influential men in Jipsdale. ConTEent bel0ngs to N?v(e)lD/rama(.)Org . Ever since Sophie appeared in Tristan¡¯s life, however, the guys seldom got to drink together. ¡°To be honest, it¡¯s been a while since we came here to drink. Now that Sophie and Ysabelle aren¡¯t around, you guys can do whatever you want!¡± Charles eximed. Felix was rendered speechless. What is Charles talking about? Even if Ysabelle isn¡¯t around, I¡¯m not going to betray her. ¡°Charles, you¡¯re looking down on me, aren¡¯t you? Do you think everyone¡¯s like you? Unlike you, we can keep our hands to ourselves!¡± Felix uttered with disgust. ¡°Even if Ysabelle isn¡¯t around, I¡¯m not going to betray her!¡± Felix was determined to stay loyal to Ysabelle and not fool around. ¡°Felix, get off my back, will you? I can definitely keep my hands to myself. I want to be in a serious rtionship as well. However, I get sick of the girls I meet within a month of meeting them! There¡¯s nothing I can do about that!¡± Charles retorted. I¡¯m not at fault, am I? While Charles and Felix were engaged in that pointless conversation, Sean and Tristan were drinking silently. That¡¯s just how Charles behaves, and no one can convince him otherwise. Nothing¡¯s going to help him unless he meets someone he loves. That way, perhaps he¡¯ll start learning how to treat a woman wholeheartedly. Before that happens, he¡¯s going to keep behaving like a total yboy. ¡°Has Nichs made any movestely?¡± Tristan asked while sipping his wine. That lucky fellow managed to escape death thest time around. ¡°He has been on his best behaviortely, and he hasn¡¯t done anything,¡± someone answered. Since Nichs has the balls to mess with Sophie, there¡¯s no way Mr. Tristan would show him mercy. However, the Sable family is rather influential in Anndur, so it¡¯s not easy to get rid of him. ¡°Okay. Keep an eye on him and don¡¯t let him harass Sophie!¡± Tristan instructed. ¡°Mr. Tristan, what¡¯s the deal between Sophie and Nichs? Did you ask Sophie about it?¡± someone asked. Since they¡¯re so close, why can¡¯t he just ask her? ¡°I didn¡¯t ask because there¡¯s no such need!¡± Tristan replied. Nichs is a nobody. He¡¯s the one pestering Sophie constantly. In fact, he¡¯s nothing but a piece of trash, so I ought to take him out without Sophie knowing. In response, Charles shook his head. ¡°Mr. Tristan, are you scared? You¡¯re scared to find out there¡¯s actually something going on between Nichs and Sophie, aren¡¯t you? That¡¯s why you¡¯re too afraid to ask her.¡± Charles couldn¡¯t believe it. It¡¯s just a rtionship. When did our mighty Mr. Tristan be so cautious? What¡¯s the point? Upon hearing those words, Sean shot Charles an icy re. ¡°Charles, are you sick of living? Sometimes, it¡¯s wiser to keep your opinions to yourself.¡± Tristan cared a lot about Sophie. Naturally, he wouldn¡¯t want to take the unnecessary risk. Charles had never been in a rtionship before, so he wouldn¡¯t understand just how much Tristan loved Sophie. In fact, Tristan loved Sophie so much that he wouldn¡¯t want to risk losing her. Furthermore, he wasn¡¯t willing to think that there was a possibility she was involved with another man. ¡°Exactly! Moreover, so what if Nichs and Sophie knew each other in the past? What matters is the fact that Sophie only cares about Mr. Tristan now. Everyone has a past!¡± Felix chimed in. There¡¯s no need to worry about the things we can¡¯t change! Hence, it¡¯s better to have zero knowledge about those things. That way, the rtionship will stay strong. That¡¯s the most important thing, no? No one will ever be happy if they keep worrying about the past. Chapter 670 Chapter 670 ¡°Since you don¡¯t care about it, then it shouldn¡¯t matter whether you know about it or not.¡± Charles was baffled by their way of thinking. Sean exchanged nces with Felix at that. Both of them were of the same opinion that Charles was nothing but an idiot and they no longer wanted to bail him out of the hole he had dug himself. ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯s any fun staying here. Let¡¯s go to the boxing gym. After all, it has been a long time since the four of us sparred with each other.¡± Charles shook his head right away. What a joke! There¡¯s no way in h*ll I¡¯d agree to go to the boxing gym! There won¡¯t be any sparring session as I¡¯ll only end up getting my a*s kicked! With that thought in mind, he contended, ¡°Well, I think it¡¯s nice for us to have a drink here, so why don¡¯t we do just that?¡± He was aware that he would always be the one who suffered the most every time they went to the boxing gym. Hmm¡­ Why do I feel like Tristan¡¯s mood took a turn for the worse? ¡°Cut the crap. We¡¯re going to the boxing gym and that¡¯s that.¡± Tristan had no intention of letting Charles off the hook. After cing down his ss, he turned on his heels and left. Charles had no choice but to give the other two a pleading look. ¡°Did I do something wrong? Isn¡¯t what I said true? Come on guys, help me out here.¡± Both Sean and Felix shook their heads in unison. ¡°Even God wouldn¡¯t be able to help you now. I gotta say, Charles, I never knew you were so fearless in the face of death.¡± Everyone knows that Nichs has always been a thorn in Tristan¡¯s side. Despite us dropping so many hints at him, he still didn¡¯t get it and continued to spout nonsense. I can only say that he deserves it if Tristan really beat him to death. Upon arriving at the boxing gym, Tristan made it a point to get Charles to be his first sparring partner. Although thetter had begrudgingly changed into an appropriate outfit, he had no ns of going into the boxing ring. He pleaded, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Mr. Tristan. I was in the wrong. I won¡¯t run my mouth again, so please spare me!¡± With how good Tristan¡¯s fighting skills are, I can¡¯t possibly go up against him! Meanwhile, Sean and Felix went over to the ring next to them. They couldn¡¯t be bothered to concern themselves with Charles¡¯ fate since he was the one who courted death in the first ce. ¡°Come on up!¡± Tristan ordered in a firm tone. Realizing how serious he looked, Charles could only drag himself into the boxing ring reluctantly. For the next half an hour, wails and shrieks echoed throughout the boxing gym. C¨°ntens bel0ngs to N?(v)elDr/a/ma.Org Felix shook his head at Charles¡¯ unfortunate state. ¡°Charles must have a few loose screws in his head to miss all the hints we¡¯ve given him. He probably has a death wish or something.¡± They reckoned they had nothing to do with Charles being taught a lesson since he deserved it for provoking Tristan. Besides, they felt that it was better for Charles to be on the receiving end of Tristan¡¯s wrath than for the two of them. This was also the reason why they didn¡¯t do much to help their friend. Sean muttered nonchntly, ¡°He¡¯ll get it once he scores himself a girlfriend. I doubt anything we say right now will make sense to him.¡± They knew just how bad Tristan¡¯s temper could get. ¡°All right, let¡¯s not talk about him anymore. It¡¯s true that we haven¡¯t been here for a long time, so let¡¯s have a good session sweating it out.¡± They had been busy with work recently and hadn¡¯t had the time to rx. In a way,ing to the boxing gym offered them a means to let off some steam. To that, Felix said, ¡°Sure, but make sure not to go too hard on me.¡± He was aware of how capable a fighter Sean was and that he would not be a match for him should he get serious. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t cripple you. Ysabelle would kill me if anything were to happen to you.¡± Sean knew just how protective a member of the Lombard family could be when it came to those they held dear. Felix was at a loss for words when he heard that. I didn¡¯t do anything wrong, so why would he want to cripple me? It seems that the world has turned into a cruel ce. ¡­ After arriving in Jetroina, the five women spent their first day in the hotel before going out for a seafood meal in the evening. When they return to the hotel again, Ysabelle made it clear that she didn¡¯t want to head out anymore. Noticing that Ysabelle wasn¡¯t the only one who wanted to stay in, Sarah decided to make some tweaks to their itinerary for the day. ¡°All right. Since we¡¯re all tired, let¡¯s just cancel tonight¡¯s activities. We¡¯ll go skiing tomorrow.¡± ¡°Sounds good to me!¡± Naturally, Ysabelle was the first to agree when she heard that. She thought that it made sense to call it a night and only take part in activities the next day since they would be too exhausted otherwise. ¡°What about the others? In any case, if any of you want to spend the evening alone, it¡¯s best to do it in pairs so that you can look out for each other.¡± Since they were in unfamiliar territory, it would be troublesome if something did happen. ¡°Let¡¯s just stay in the hotel tonight and go out tomorrow.¡± They were usually very busy and the opportunity to take a break was few and far between. As such, none of them really wanted to leave the comfort of the hotel. ¡°Since everybody¡¯s agreed on this, let¡¯s head back to our rooms, then.¡± Sarah was feeling a bit down in the dumps and all she wanted at the moment was some time alone. As the others made their way toward their respective rooms, Sophie took a nce at Sarah¡¯s retreating figure. In the end, she didn¡¯t say anything and simply went to her room as well. As soon as Sarah returned to her room, someone knocked on the door. Opening the door, she saw that it was Juan. A wry smile spread across her lips when her gaze settled on the man she hadn¡¯t seen for a long time. Juan began, ¡°Sarah, are you avoiding me? I don¡¯t think I did anything to upset you, did I?¡± She definitely saw me earlier, but she didn¡¯te over to say hello, nor did she try to strike up a conversation. Sarah replied, ¡°So what if I saw you? I don¡¯t think it¡¯s necessary for us to greet each other.¡± Having a crush on someone really sucks. Besides, I¡¯m done feeling so bitter all these years. It¡¯s time for me to give up. After all, there is no need to keep torturing myself for this one-sided love. Seeing Sarah acting like this, Juan felt rather dejected. In the past, Sarah would always appear by his side no matter where he went. Even if he did not care about her, she would only have eyes for him. However, she was now avoiding him. Juan asked, ¡°What do you mean by that, Sarah? I don¡¯t think I owe you anything.¡± Sarah felt likeughing after hearing his words. Of course, there¡¯s no way he¡¯d do anything wrong! He¡¯s Juan Quigley, after all. There are countless women surrounding him, so it¡¯s only natural that I meant nothing to him. Heaving a sigh, she uttered, ¡°Juan, I didn¡¯t tell you this before, but I¡¯ve always liked you.¡± Now that nothing mattered to her anymore, she finally had the guts to say the words she didn¡¯t dare to in the past for fear of damaging their friendship. Juan frowned. ¡°Sarah, are you drunk?¡± In response, Sarah said, ¡°No, I¡¯m sober. Anyway, you don¡¯t need to worry about it. I used to like you, but it¡¯s all in the past. I have indeed been avoiding you during this time because I¡¯ve decided to forget you. Of course, you don¡¯t need to feel too bothered by this. The only reason why I can say all this to your face so openly is that I¡¯ve left you in my past.¡± Juan fell silent. Sarah smiled and added, ¡°The next time we meet each other, it¡¯ll be as business partners and nothing more. I wish you happiness, Juan.¡± She never expected that letting go of everything and telling him all that was on her mind could feel so liberating. I feel so good now. Chapter 671 Chapter 671 Now, she buried this infatuationpletely and became a whole new person. ¡°Sarah, I¡ª¡± Sarah shook her head. ¡°Don¡¯t worry! To be honest, I can tell you that because I have gotten over it. From now on, let¡¯s just focus on our own lives.¡± After saying those words, Sarah generously said, ¡°Do you still want toe in for some coffee? But I¡¯ll advise you against it because your Yvette is looking for you.¡± Juan turned around and saw his fianc¨¦e. Yvette was staring at them resentfully. ¡°I really mean it. I sincerely wish you both happiness, and I will definitely find someone who loves me too.¡± After saying that, she closed the door in front of both of them. With that move, she cut off the pastpletely. From now on, she would be a whole new person. Juan turned around. ¡°Why are you here?¡± Juan looked at Yvette standing there with impatience on his face. ¡°What did she say to you?¡± His fianc¨¦e was only concerned about this issue. She was wondering if Sarah still hadn¡¯t given up. ¡°How can she be so shameless? She clearly knows that you are engaged to me! How could she still try to seduce you?¡± Hearing how she spoke of Sarah, Juan looked rather unhappy. ¡°What nonsense are you talking about? Go back to your room now.¡± Yvette grabbed Juan¡¯s hand. ¡°Juan, I was wrong. I didn¡¯t mean anything else. I really love you, so I don¡¯t want to lose you.¡± ¡°You go back first!¡± At that moment, Juan only felt suffocated in his chest. All this time, Sarah had always been by his side, and he didn¡¯t feel much. But after hearing what she said today, he really felt uneasy. Seeing Juan leave, Yvette became upset and her face turned very grim. That d*mn Sarah must have said something to Juan! Otherwise, Juan wouldn¡¯t treat me like this. Yvette knocked on Sarah¡¯s door, and when the door opened, she pped Sarah in the face. Sarah waspletely unprepared and suffered the hard p. Yvette¡¯s strength was very strong, and now Sarah¡¯s face waspletely red. ¡°Sarah, how can you be so shameless? You clearly know that he is engaged to me, and yet you still want to seduce him. How can there be such a shameless person like you?¡± Yvette said indignantly. Sarah sneered. ¡°Seduce him? Since when did you see me seduce him? Yvette, I¡¯m warning you that I¡¯m not someone to mess with. Just because you are his fianc¨¦e doesn¡¯t mean I can¡¯t do anything to you.¡± Yvette snickered. ¡°Heh, that¡¯s right! You are the heiress of the Lombard family, and what am I? Just a lowly little starlet! So, just because of that, you think you can bully me?¡± Gradually, there were already people watching around them. Some of them were also from Chanaea. Although Yvette was just a lowly starlet, there were still some people who knew her. After hearing their conversation, they whispered among themselves. ¡°Sarah, don¡¯t you always think you¡¯re better than everyone else? Why did youe and steal my man though?¡± Yvette snorted. ¡°So it turns out that the heiress of the Lombard family isn¡¯t that much better after all. You¡¯re only capable of doing such shameless things.¡± ¡°You¡­¡± There were some people in the crowd who could speak thenguage of Jetroina, and they were telling others what these two people were talking about. Everyone then started ganging up on Sarah. But when Sarah heard them, she couldn¡¯t help but justughed at them. What do they even know? They have no clue what¡¯s really going on here, so who are they to bit*h around? ¡°How shameless this woman is!¡± ¡°Yeah! She seduced someone else¡¯s man, and now she¡¯s acting as if she¡¯s right.¡± ¡°She¡¯s really too shameless. If it were in the past, women like her would be thrown into the river.¡± Unpleasant words andments kept pouring out of the onlookers¡¯ mouths. Upon hearing the people around siding with her, Yvette couldn¡¯t help but feel smug. ¡°Sarah, hear that? Not everyone in this world is like you. Everyone else knows what it means to have morals and ethics.¡± There were some middle-aged women in the crowd who, after knowing what was happening, came over and shoved Sarah. Those middle-aged women hated homewreckers the most. So, they shoved Sarah with all their might. Sophie emerged because she was worried and stumbled upon the sight. Upon catching sight of Yvette, she narrowed her eyes. Why has this womane here to stir up trouble? As she observed Sarah being manhandled by the group, her demeanor turned icy and her gaze became piercing. ¡°What are you guys doing?¡± Sophie¡¯s voice wasced with frigidity and a hint of menace. This caused the onlookers to take notice of the striking young woman approaching them. Startled, the crowd halted their actions as Sophie made her way to Sarah¡¯s side. ¡°Sarah, are you okay?¡± Sophie looked at her worriedly. Sarah shook her head. ¡°Sophie, I¡¯m fine. This has nothing to do with you. Just go back to your room first!¡± Apparently, middle-aged women in Jetroina hated homewreckers the most. Yvette had just insinuated that Sarah was a homewrecker just now. If Sophie were to step forward and take Sarah¡¯s side, those middle-aged women would not let Sophie go easily. ¡°Sophie, step aside. This matter doesn¡¯t concern you.¡± Yvette spoke. She naturally knew Sophie¡¯s identity. But so what if she knew? They weren¡¯t in Chanaea, and even if Sophie was Tristan¡¯s woman, Sophie had no authority to go against her. Furthermore, she was currently engaged to Juan, and even if Tristan were present, he would have to respect Juan¡¯s status. As Sophie observed Sarah¡¯s bruised and swollen cheeks, she felt a surge of rage and murderous intent. This murderous intent silenced the middle-aged women who were watching, preventing them from uttering any further nonsense. ¡°Who did this?¡± Sophie posed the question, but her gaze was already fixed on Yvette. ¡°You¡¯re that lowly actress, aren¡¯t you?¡± Sophie¡¯s voice dripped with icy contempt. ¡°Kneel down and apologize! Homewrecker? You¡¯re the real homewrecker here!¡± Yvette was taken aback by Sophie¡¯s intimidating demeanor. ¡°Sophie, let me tell you! This is Jetroina. Don¡¯t think Tristan can have your back here!¡± ¡°Oh, by the way, Sarah, Charles and Juan have split up. So, if we buy out Juan¡¯spany, Charles won¡¯t have any opinion about that, right?¡± Charles and Juan¡¯s rtionship was not that good! ¡°What? Sophie, do you know what you¡¯re saying? Why are you speaking so arrogantly? How is it so easy to acquire Juan¡¯spany?¡± Yvette found Sophie ridiculous. Does she think acquiring apany is as simple as ying a game? C¨°ntens bel0ngs to N?(v)elDr/a/ma.Org Isn¡¯t Yvette clinging to Juan because of his considerable power and influence? ¡°Well, if you¡¯re so skeptical, why don¡¯t we invite Juan toe out and talk? Ask him if Tristan has the ability to do that!¡± Chapter 672 Chapter 672 Yvette was intimidated by Sophie¡¯s confidence and began to feel afraid. Juan¡¯spany was the most important thing to him, and if something were to happen to it because of Yvette, he would never forgive her. At that moment, Ysabelle came out of her room and saw her aunt being bullied. Her anger immediately red up and she rushed over. ¡°Aunt Sarah, are you okay?¡± How dare this Yvette bully someone from the Lombard family? Who does she think she is? ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± Sarah reassured everyone, touched by their concern. ¡°Yvette, how dare you bully my aunt!¡± Ysabelle shouted, rolling up her sleeves. ¡°Do you think the Lombard family is a pushover?¡± Yvette was even more worried when she saw Ysabelle joining in. ¡°Ysabelle, what do you mean? Just because you¡¯re from the Lombard family, do you think you can steal someone else¡¯s fianc¨¦? Did I do something wrong? Just because my family background isn¡¯t as good as yours, do I deserve to be treated unfairly?¡± Yvette began to y the victim. This is Jetroina, so what can they do to me? ¡°That¡¯s right! You can¡¯t bully someone like this, no matter how powerful you are!¡± some of the bystanders agreed. ¡°You¡¯re all women. Women should not do such shameful things,¡± others chimed in. ¡°You people¡­¡± They know nothing! What right do they have to even say anything? Seeing the situation was turning in her favor, Yvette became even more pleased with herself. ¡°Ms. Lombard, I know your family is powerful, but I just hope you won¡¯t try to seduce my fianc¨¦. Is that too much to ask? I know you¡¯re very capable, but that has nothing to do with me. I just want to live a happy life with my fianc¨¦,¡± she said pitifully. ¡°What the hell, Yvette! What are you talking about? You just want to piss us off, don¡¯t you? Let¡¯s be real, your fianc¨¦ isn¡¯t that great. Only you treat him like he¡¯s some kind of prince. No one else cares about him the way you do.¡± Ysabelle was really furious by now. Isn¡¯t Juan¡¯s betrayal already enough to hurt someone as amazing as Aunt Sarah? And now she¡¯s getting insulted in public! ¡°Huh, really? If you¡¯re all so unimpressed by my fianc¨¦, why don¡¯t you ask your aunt if she really doesn¡¯t like him?¡± Yvette¡¯s smirk was dripping with sarcasm. ¡°You!¡± Ysabelle was genuinely outraged. She knew her aunt had been hurt because of her love for that scumbag Juan. Yvette couldn¡¯t help but feel even more smug. ¡°Even she can¡¯t deny her feelings for him. Who are you toe here and spout nonsense?¡± Yvette had a sharp tongue. Besides, she was now convinced that Sarah still had feelings for Juan, and that gave her the confidence to make such remarks. ¡°Yvette, are you done? The rtionship between me and Juan is purely tonic. There¡¯s never been anything between us in the past, and there won¡¯t be anything in the future,¡± Sarah fired back. ¡°If you keep making baseless usations, I¡¯ll sue you for defamation.¡± After remaining silent for so long, she finally spoke up. Did Yvette think Sarah was an easy target? She was the heiress of the Lombard family, after all. ConTEent bel0ngs to N?v(e)lD/rama(.)Org . The members of the Lombard family would never let themselves get bullied like that. Besides, she was not just representing herself right now but the Lombard family. ¡°Sarah, let¡¯s not waste our time with her. Let¡¯s go inside,¡± Sophie suggested, knowing that Sarah was upset and didn¡¯t want her to deal with this any longer. She would handle this for Sarah. ¡°Huh, what¡¯s the matter? Is what I said not true? It¡¯s because I spoke the truth that you have nothing to say! The Lombard family members are all shameless!¡± Yvette sneered fearlessly. Ysabelle couldn¡¯t control herself any longer and pped Yvette across the face. Yvette, being a celebrity, had never experienced such humiliation before and immediately fought back. ¡°Belle,e here!¡± Sarah was worried that Ysabelle would get hurt and wanted to help. ¡°Ha, you two are ganging up on me. Everyone can see that. How could you do that?¡± Yvette cried. She had scratch marks on her face from Ysabelle¡¯s sharp nails. The onlookers did nothing and simply watched from the side. Sarah grabbed Yvette¡¯s hand to prevent her from attacking Ysabelle any further. ¡°Yvette, I warned you, didn¡¯t I? Don¡¯t mess with anyone from the Lombard family. Why can¡¯t you understand? I¡¯ve tolerated you for a long time,¡± Sarah said, shoving her. At that moment, Juan came back. He didn¡¯t expect to see such a scene at all. Seeing Yvette sitting on the ground, his eyes darkened. He had only been gone for half an hour; how could so much have happened? Yvette saw hime back and tears immediately welled up in her eyes. ¡°Juan, look at them! They¡¯re bullying me. I didn¡¯t do anything, but they bullied me. You have to stand up for me.¡± Yvette¡¯s tears were streaming down her face. It was as if she was greatly wronged. Juan walked toward them. His gaze had been on Sarah the whole time. Her face¡¯s red. Had Yvette hit her? ¡°What happened to your face?¡± he asked. At this point, Sarah didn¡¯t want to see Juan at all. Since she had decided to put him in her past, she wanted to forget himpletely. She didn¡¯t want to have anything to do with anything or anyone rted to him. ¡°Juan, please control your fianc¨¦e. If she continues to behave unreasonably like this, I won¡¯t hold back anymore,¡± Sarah said, pulling Ysabelle toward her. ¡°Juan, you saw it too. The three of them were clearly bullying me. They look down on you. How can you still be so indifferent? Do you really like her? I¡¯m your fianc¨¦e,¡± Yvette said, panicking. Yvette had never seen Juan like this before. Has he fallen for Sarah? After hearing Sarah¡¯s confession, did he realize that he likes her? Is that it? How can I allow this to happen? Yvette had worked so hard to be with him, and at this point, she absolutely could not allow something like this to happen. When Juan saw Sarah¡¯s swollen face, his heart ached for a moment. He didn¡¯t understand how he could feel this way. He thought he liked Yvette. So how could he possibly feel sorry for Sarah? ¡°Did you hit her?¡± Juan suddenly asked. Yvette got up from the ground and grabbed Juan¡¯s hand. ¡°Juan, what¡¯s going on with you? I-I was just defending myself! Look, my face is also swollen! Look at my face! They hit me!¡± Yvette said, feeling aggrieved. Seeing Yvette acting so shamelessly, Sarah couldn¡¯t help but feel amused. Chapter 673 Chapter 673 ¡°I really think that I must have been blind before to like the same man as you!¡± Yvette¡¯s fake appearance was really disgusting. ¡°Sarah, just admit it! You have ulterior motives toward Juan!¡± Yvette continued to shout. ¡°Don¡¯t forget that he¡¯s my fianc¨¦! No matter what you do, you can never have him!¡± Juan looked at the cold and indifferent Sarah. She had just admitted that she had liked him before, but now she had decided to forget about him. These words were still deeply imprinted in his mind. ¡°Sarah, there¡¯s no need to argue with them anymore. Juan, your fianc¨¦e bullied Sarah and even pped her. You saw it too. What should we do about this?¡± Scum! There is no need to be polite to scum like him. Just whack the shit out of him! ¡°Sorry, Sarah!¡± Juan apologized directly. He really didn¡¯t expect Yvette to do such a thing. Yvette was stunned. ¡°Juan, I¡­¡± I was also pped! Why is he apologizing to them? ¡°Apologize to Sarah now!¡± Juan pushed Yvette out. Yvette looked at Juan incredulously. ¡°What did I do wrong? I was also hit, but now you want me to apologize. Juan, how can you treat me like this?¡± ¡°Apologize!¡± Juan¡¯s voice became stern. Yvette bit her lower lip until it bled. She reluctantly said, ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± After all, if Juan really gave up on her, she would be at a loss. The onlookers were still whispering. Sarah really didn¡¯t want to hear the bit*hing. ¡°This is thest time. If your fianc¨¦ees to provoke me again, I won¡¯t hold back! You know what I¡¯m capable of!¡± After saying that, Sarah turned and went back to her room. Sophie and Ysabelle were still outside. ¡°Juan, get a grip on your fianc¨¦e. The Lombard family is no doormat.¡± Ysabelle pitied her aunt. Juan is just trash. ¡°Sophie, let¡¯s go in!¡± Sophie didn¡¯t say much. She just looked at Juan coldly. However, her gaze made Juan shiver. Oh, my. She is just a young woman, but she has such a terrifying gaze. Sophie and Ysabelle went into Sarah¡¯s room. How could they leave Sarah alone at a time like this? ¡°What are you all still standing around for?¡± Juan¡¯s face was very gloomy. Even before he knew that Sarah liked him, he would never allow anyone to bully her! The others saw that he was not someone they could mess with, so they could only leave quietly. Yvette didn¡¯t know what he was thinking now. All she knew was that his expression was really scary! ¡°Um¡­¡± ConTEent bel0ngs to N?v(e)lD/rama(.)Org . Yvette usually wasn¡¯t afraid of Juan, but right now she didn¡¯t know what to say! ¡°Juan, I¡­¡± ¡°Yvette, do you think that just because we¡¯re engaged, you can do whatever you want? Do you know the status of the Lombard family in Jipsdale? If Tristan felt like it, he canpletely destroy us. Do you understand?¡± Why is this woman so foolish? She can¡¯t be of any help, yet she still manages to cause trouble for me. Yvette was a little panicked. ¡°Juan, I didn¡¯t mean anything else. I just love you too much. She likes you, and besides, I didn¡¯t do anything to her! The Lombard family may be powerful, but they can¡¯t just bully someone the way they like, right?¡± Yvette¡¯s eyes were filled with tears. ¡°All right, you can go back now. I¡¯ll apologize to Sarah at ater time,¡± Juan said coldly. ¡°Go back where?¡± Yvette asked. ¡°Go back to Chanaea.¡± Gosh! She has caused too much trouble. I don¡¯t want to see her face! Yvette waspletely panicked now. ¡°But aren¡¯t we here to attend a dinner banquet this time? If I leave, who will be yourpanion?¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry about that. Just go back.¡± Juan didn¡¯t feel like talking to her at all. As Juan walked away, he couldn¡¯t stop thinking about how to handle the situation and deal with Sarah. Yvette stood there, feeling even more anxious. She had only pped Sarah once. It wasn¡¯t such a big deal, so why did Juan treat her like this? Does he still have feelings for Sarah? If he does, what should I do? I won¡¯t let that happen! Meanwhile, in the room, Sarah wasughing at the two girls who were sitting on the couch and guarding her. ¡°I have told you guys that I¡¯m fine!¡± Sarah knew that these two girls were genuinely concerned about her, but even if they stayed here with her, it wouldn¡¯t help!¡± I¡¯m not the kind of young girl who will take my own life over this!¡± She was already in her thirties. She really knew what she was doing. She wouldn¡¯t be affected by such a small incident because she knew that there were many people around her who cared for her. ¡°That d*mn Yvette! I never liked her anyway. She¡¯s just engaged to Juan and already acts like she¡¯s invincible in the entertainment industry. In the past, no matter how she acted, it had nothing to do with me. But now she¡¯s bullying you, so I can¡¯t tolerate it no matter what.¡± Ysabelle had never been so angry before. She wasn¡¯t a petty person. But Yvette was seriously something else. She was able to drive Ysabelle up the wall. Seeing her all riled up, Sarah couldn¡¯t help butugh. ¡°Chill, it was just a p. I¡¯m fine. I know you guys care about me, but it¡¯s gettingte. Let¡¯s hit the sack as we still have ns to go out tomorrow, right?¡± We can¡¯t let those two assh*les ruin our n. ¡°Okay, Sarah. Rest early. Hey, why don¡¯t you sleep with Ysabelle tonight?¡± Sophie wasn¡¯t worried or anything. She just wanted someone to keep Sarahpany so she wouldn¡¯t feel so down. ¡°Yup, the bed¡¯s big enough for both of us, so why not? I¡¯ll stay with you tonight, Aunt Sarah.¡± Ysabelle didn¡¯t want Sarah to be alone either. She wanted to make sure Sarah didn¡¯t overthink things. Sarah shook her head. ¡°No, I¡¯m fine. I just need some alone time. You guys should head back.¡± She was grown enough to handle her emotions. ¡°Alright then. You take care. It¡¯s alreadyte. Don¡¯t wander around, okay?¡± Sophie still had her doubts. But she didn¡¯t say too much since she knew Sarah didn¡¯t want the attention. Sophie and Ysabelle left the room, and Sarah finally let her smile fade. She was the heiress of the Lombard family, so she always had to keep up appearances and maintain the family¡¯s reputation. Even if she had been hurt, she refused to let it show. But now, she couldn¡¯t hold back the tears anymore. She no longer tried to keep a brave face and simply let her tears out freely. Chapter 674 Chapter 674 ¡°Sophie, what can I do now? Aunt Sarah must have felt terrible. I wish I could do something for her!¡± Ysabelle felt sorry for Sarah. ¡°I¡¯ll not let Yvette off the hook!¡± Ysabelle was furious. Juan might have reprimanded her, but she felt Yvette deserved more severe punishment. ConTEent bel0ngs to N?v(e)lD/rama(.)Org . Sophie hummed in response. ¡°Yes. It sucks when we don¡¯t get to teach her a lesson, but it¡¯s okay. I¡¯m sure we¡¯ll get to settle old scores with her once and for all.¡± Sarah is a nice person who doesn¡¯t deserve such treatment. Even if she¡¯s not, Yvette had no right to judge her. Besides, she¡¯s the mastermind behind this! Hearing those remarks for the first time, Ysabelle was at a loss for words. ¡°Don¡¯t worry! Yvette won¡¯t have an easy time from now on. Go back to your room and take a rest! Let¡¯s go out and have some fun tomorrow. Sarah doesn¡¯t want us to worry about her, so let¡¯s not dwell on this anymore,¡± Sophie advised. ¡°All right. I¡¯ll listen to you.¡± Ysabelle was not ready to let this slide, but since Sophie had expressed her opinion, she had no grounds to contradict her. Sophie returned to her room, opened the hotel¡¯sputer, and logged into a website to hack Yvette¡¯s ount. Besides obtaining some information she needed, Sophie also learned that Yvette used to sleep with people before she became famous. All the evidence she gathered came in the form of photos and videos. Yvette had rubbed Sophie the wrong way since they met at Walter¡¯s banquet a year ago. Sophie did not have time to teach her a lesson as she had been busy. Since she wants to stir up trouble, I¡¯ll y along. Let¡¯s see if a C-lister like her can still hold her head high once all this information leaks to the public. Does she think she could do anything just because she¡¯s engaged to Juan? Sophie then sent all the photos and videos to Tristan. Upon receiving those files, Tristan texted her right away: What is this all about? He was somewhat puzzled and did not know what Sophie wanted to do, as he had no clue who Yvette was. Sophie responded with another text message: This person pissed me off recently. Sent all these files to the media for me!¡± Sophie uttered. Since Yvette kept provoking us, it¡¯s time for us to give her a taste of her own medicine. Tristan replied: What do you mean? Did she bully you? His expression turned grim after he received the message. I don¡¯t care who she is. Anyone who provoked Sophie will be doomed. Sophie wrote back: Yes. I just don¡¯t like her. And I want her reputation ruined. Sophie was highly protective of her loved ones. That was why she decided to deal with Yvette using such a method when she bullied Sarah. She cares about her image and prestige the most, right? I¡¯ll destroy them once and for all. Tristan texted: Got it. Are you having fun in Jetroina? He was totally uninterested to learn about a C-lister, as he could take her down within the snap of a finger. At that point, he just wanted to know if Sophie was doing well in Jetroina. Sophie replied: Everything is fine here. Besides drinking in the hotel room, we didn¡¯t do much this afternoon. But I¡¯m happy. The girls she came to Jetroina with were all her close friends, so having the opportunity to chat and drink with them brought her joy. At least she could speak her mind and not have a single worry in the world. Tristan was pleased to know that she was having a great time. That was all that mattered to him. He texted back: All right. Good to know. Sophie asked: How about you? Busy as usual? She knew how hectic his schedule was. There must be a ton of work waiting for him to deal with. He replied: Not too bad. I¡¯m not as busy as I used to be because Felix can now settle many issues for me. Sophie could not help but chuckle upon imagining the pitiful look on Felix¡¯s face. She responded with another text: Don¡¯t be too hard on him. After all, he¡¯s still Ysabelle¡¯s boyfriend. You should at least show Ysabelle some respect. Tristan texted back: Please. Me taking the trouble to coach him personally is a show of respect for Ysabelle. He opined that Felix should be grateful for the opportunity instead. There are so many people out there wanting me to coach them! Sophie responded with a text: It¡¯s gettingte. I¡¯m going to rest early because we¡¯re going to ski tomorrow. You should too. Tristan texted back: Okay. Enjoy your trip and be careful. She replied: I will. With much reluctance, they ended the chat. The couple missed each other so much, even though they had just been away from each other for less than a day. Both Tristan and Sophie had never had this kind of feeling before. Meanwhile, Felix was stillining about Tristan. ¡°Ysabelle, I¡¯m telling you the truth. Your uncle has gone overboard. He kept me so busy that I didn¡¯t even have time to call you.¡± ¡°Yeah, yeah, yeah. I know what kind of person Uncle Tristan is. Stopining and do your work. I¡¯ll make it up to you when you get home!¡± Ysabelle uttered. ¡°Really? How?¡± Her words instantly aroused Felix¡¯s interest. She chuckled. ¡°What do you think? You men only have one thing on your mind.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not Charles. Let¡¯s kiss for ten minutes, all right? I miss you so much! I wish I could fly over to see you,¡± he said. Charles and the other men will never understand how I¡¯m feeling right now. ¡°Okay. Permission granted. I¡¯m going to hang up now. The girls and I are going skiing tomorrow,¡± she said. Felix wanted to talk for a while longer, but upon thinking of the long flight she had today and tomorrow¡¯s trip, he decided to let her go. Meanwhile, Yvette received a call from her manager after returning to the country. ¡°What? Why do you call at this hour? Do you know what time it is?¡± Yvette had lost interest in work- rted matters ever since she got engaged to Juan. I¡¯ll marry into the Quigley family soon. Why should I work so hard? The manager was not pleased with Yvette¡¯s attitudetely, but she dared not express her disdain, knowing that Juan had her back. ¡°Yvette, did you offend anyone recently? Do you know there has been a lot of unsavory information about your past posted all over the media?¡± ¡°What?¡± Yvette was stunned for a while. The media aired some unsavory information about my past? What does she mean? ¡°Check out the news about you on the inte. I know you don¡¯t care about your career, but those scandals will take a toll on your marriage with Mr. Quigley,¡± the manager warned. Haven¡¯t we taken care of those pictures and videos? How did the media manage to get their hands on them? Why would someone do this to Yvette? What has she done? Instead of wasting time listening to her bber, Yvette promptly went online to check the news about herself. The color instantly drained from her face as she stumbled upon pictures of her servicing men before her rise to fame. What¡¯s going on? How did those photos end up there? Chapter 675 Chapter 675 Yvette and Juan¡¯s marriage would be jeopardized if the Quigley family were to see those photos. Yvette immediately dialed her manager¡¯s number. ¡°Helen, do me a favor and delete these photos. It can¡¯t go on like this.¡± Helen sneered. ¡°If I could do so, would I have waited for you to call me? I¡¯m afraid only Mr. Quigley can help you on this matter. You should call him instead. Also, a lot of brands that you endorsed have called. They want to terminate their contracts with you.¡± Many brands would require an artist with a healthy image to be their endorser. However, her reputation and image were now ruined. It was only normal that those brands would want to terminate their contracts with her. ¡°Absolutely not. I can¡¯t let him find out about this.¡± To Juan, Yvette was a pure and innocent woman. That was the persona she had established since the start. Juan would never marry me if he learned that I had been with so many men before him! ¡°Helen, help me think of something! As long as you can help me solve this issue, I promise I won¡¯t mistreat you in the future.¡± Helen shook her head. ¡°Yvette, I want to help you, but I have no idea as to what I can do. The trending topics won¡¯t go down at all.¡± Yvette was a C-list actress that had suddenly trended everywhere. There must be someone behind this. However, at that moment, they could not do anything at all. They could not find out who the other party was either. Yvette could feel her legs giving way. She saw a group of reporters waiting for her outside the airport. They rushed toward her when they saw her walking out. Yvette felt her headache at the non-stop shes from the reporters¡¯ cameras. I¡¯ve always been a nobody in the entertainment industry. What¡¯s with the sudden crowd of reporters? In the past, Yvette wanted to be famous. And for that, she would do whatever the investors wanted her to do. However, after she met Juan, she wanted to find a way to erase her past. Why did it end up like this? How is this possible? She wanted to run, but those reporters did not let her as they immediately formed a circle and surrounded her. ¡°Ms. Reed, are you the person in the photos spreading on the inte?¡± ¡°Ms. Reed, may I know if Mr. Quigley knows about this? Didn¡¯t the two of you get engaged recently? Will this matter affect your future with him?¡± Yvette was speechless. The questions got trickier as the reporters kept throwing them at her. Yvette did not know how or what to reply. It was clearly her in those pictures, and there was no way for her to justify it wasn¡¯t her. But how can I admit to it? If I do, then my future will be ruined. It wasn¡¯t easy for me to get to where I am. How can it be destroyed this easily? ¡°I regret to inform you that those photos were photoshopped. That isn¡¯t me.¡± That¡¯s right. No matter what, I can¡¯t admit that it¡¯s me. ¡°Ms. Reed, those photos have already been authenticated. They aren¡¯t photoshopped. Plus, the men who you serviced have already admitted to it.¡± The reporters continued to push her into a corner. Yvette was rendered speechless. What in the world are they thinking? Do they get any benefits if they admit to it? Even if there isn¡¯t any, why would they admit to it? How did things get to this point? Yvette was in a rather pathetic state when she finally returned to the mansion that Juan had bought for her. The other artists she had bullied in the entertainment industry had alsoe out to post comints about her. In a sh, the pure and innocent woman turned into a foxy slut. At that moment, Yvette received a call from Juan. She panicked when she saw his name appear on the screen of the phone. Does he know about this? What am I going to do if he finds out? Will our rtionship end just like that? Yvette did not dare to answer the call. Since she did not know how to face him, she chose not to pick up his call. Juan¡¯s expression darkened when no one picked up the phone. Naturally, he knew about what had happened. He found out about it only after Old Mr. Quigley had called him. Old Mr. Quigley threw a fit and reprimanded Juan. Juan and Yvette had gotten engaged. Hence, the people in the upper-ss social circle knew of his rtionship with Yvette as well. Naturally, the Quigley family was humiliated when Yvette¡¯s scandal was released. Juan wanted to remove the trending topics, but he failed. After looking into the matter, he found out who Yvette had offended. He immediately called Tristan. However, Tristan was already asleep and did not answer the call. In the end, Juan could only look for Sarah. No matter what the reason was, this whole thing started because of her. Everything would be resolved if she was willing to say something. Sarah woke up early and put on thick clothes since she and the others were going for a ski. She was about to head out and call the others for breakfast. However, she was met with Juan standing outside the door. What¡¯s he doing here? Didn¡¯t I make myself clear yesterday? ¡°Sarah, can we please talk?¡± Juan felt something change in his heart when he saw Sarah once more. Has she really been in love with me all this while? ¡°Juan, I think I made myself clear yesterday. There¡¯s nothing to talk about between us!¡± Sarah said coldly. Even if I like him, I can¡¯t let myself look pathetic, right? It¡¯s very tiring to have a crush on someone. It¡¯s best if something like this never happens again. I never want to ce myself in an awkward position like that again! ¡°Something terrible happened to Yvette!¡± Juan eximed bluntly. Sarah was speechless. He came here to tell me that something had happened to Yvette. Is he trying to say that it has something to do with me? ¡°Juan, if that¡¯s what you wanted to tell me, then I have nothing to say!¡± Does it concern me if anything happens to Yvette? No, it doesn¡¯t! ¡°Sarah, I know you dislike her, but¡ª¡± Before he could continue, Sophie and Ysabelle appeared and stood beside Sarah. ¡°Juan, we don¡¯t want to know what happened with you and your fianc¨¦e. Please don¡¯t disturb us in the future!¡± With that, Sophie held Sarah¡¯s hand and walked away. Yvette deserves what she¡¯s getting! It has nothing to do with others. I definitely won¡¯t let anyone bully Sarah! ¡°Sarah, I know you¡¯re a generous person. No matter what Yvette did to you, I¡¯ll apologize on her behalf! Just¡­ please let her off!¡± Right now, it wasn¡¯t only Yvette¡¯s problem as the matter also involved the pride of the Quigley family. ¡°Haven¡¯t I made myself clear? I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about. I¡¯m not curious about what happened to Yvette. You don¡¯t need to tell me either. Your problems have nothing to do with me.¡± Sarah did not know what had happened to Yvette, nor did she want to know. All I know is that I¡¯m doing fine on my own now.Please check at N/?vel(D)rama.Org. Chapter 676 Chapter 676 Juan and Yvette had nothing to do with Sarah anymore since Sarah had decided to forget about the past. Hence, Sarah turned and brought the others for breakfast with Sophie was walking behind her. Juan was nning on speaking to Sarah again, but Sophie stopped him. ¡°Mr. Quigley, I think Sarah has made it clear. This is between you and Yvette, and it¡¯s none of her business.¡± Juan looked at Sophie when she was speaking to him. Her tone was cold, and her gaze was emotionless. Even Juan was quite scared when looking at her. ¡°Tristan is the one behind this, isn¡¯t it?¡± No matter how Yvette was in the past, things wouldn¡¯t have gotten this way if no one dug out the past. ¡°I did it, but don¡¯t worry. The pictures are real,¡± Sophie replied calmly. After saying that, she went ahead with everyone and ignored him. At this time, Sarah finally knew what had happened when she surfed the inte, and the same went for Ysabelle. Ysabelle was extremely happy when she saw the pathetic state Yvette was in. Yes! This b*tch always thinks that she¡¯s better than everyone, right? Sarah furrowed her brows. So this was why Juan came looking for me. ¡°Aunt Sarah, listen to me. Don¡¯t think about anything else. She deserved it after what she did!¡± One should never be too arrogant since karma would always be lurking. ¡°Okay.¡± Sarah didn¡¯t say much and just ate her breakfast in silence. She never thought that the woman Juan loved so much would be someone like that, and she was even pped by that same person as well. Just what is wrong with me? How did I get pped by a sl*t like her? Even so, thank heavens this was all now in the past. Sophie then came and sat beside Sarah for breakfast. ¡°See, Sophie. That woman finally got what wasing to her. She was always arrogant, thinking that she had be a member of the upper sses.¡± Who knew how Walter would react now that all of Yvette¡¯s scandalous photos were exposed? Maybe he would pass out from the shock and anger. Sophie was not interested in those photos and started eating her breakfast. ¡°What¡¯s there to see? Come one. Let¡¯s eat our breakfast,¡± Sarah immediately said. She knew Sophie wasn¡¯t interested in all this. Even though everything had passed, Sarah was still happy seeing how Yvettended in such a predicament. Sarah wasn¡¯t a saint. She wouldn¡¯t wish Yvette well since thetter had pped her before. Sophie was relieved seeing that Sarah was in a great mood. She didn¡¯t seem affected by this. It seemed that Sarah was finally letting go, and nothing would change, no matter what Juan said. They all went to the snow mountain after their breakfast. They met Juan again at the hotel lobby, and he seemed to be leaving since his assistant was carrying a suitcase. Juan was about to leave since everything that had happened really affected the Quigley family, and Yvette was now his fianc¨¦e. Walter was not amused and told Juan to go back to fix it. Juan felt a bout of mixed emotions when he looked at Sarah. He didn¡¯t know what was wrong with him either. Sarah was always by his side, and she would always be present whenever and wherever he looked. But now, everything had changed. There was no affection in Sarah¡¯s gaze anymore when they looked at each other. She had truly lost her feelings toward him. No matter how much she liked Juan before, she would be able to forget him now. It was better this way. Finally, Sarah would not feel hurt, and her emotions wouldn¡¯t get affected because of him anymore. She wanted to be happy and be herself in the future. Sarah led the four of them in the car, and the car would send them to the snow mountain. Juan never once moved from his spot, even until he saw them boarding the car. ¡°We should leave, Mr. Quigley, or we¡¯ll miss the flight.¡± Walter wanted Juan to return as soon as possible, so they could only leave now. Walter would not be happy if they arrivedte. ¡°Yeah.¡± Juan didn¡¯t say much. So what if he had other thoughts now? Sarah had already given up on him. But why can¡¯t I let her go? Maybe he just wasn¡¯t used to it. He wasn¡¯t used to not seeing Sarah. She would always be there wherever he was, but now, her gaze was not on him anymore. Maybe that¡¯s the reason. Meanwhile, Sarah noticed that Juan was looking at her through the rearview mirror. He must have thought that I was the one who exposed Yvette. However, Sarah never nned on exining that to him because it didn¡¯t matter to her now. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Butterfly was also quite sensitive. She didn¡¯t know what had happened because she went to bed early yesterday. ¡°It¡¯s nothing,¡± Sarah replied nonchntly and continued, ¡°We¡¯re going to the snow mountain today, so everyone, be careful, okay?¡± She was the one who brought them out, so she hoped that everyone could return safely. She didn¡¯t want to see anyone getting hurt. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Sarah! We¡¯ll be careful.¡± Cecelia liked Sarah as well. Cecelia was quite obedient in front of Sarah even though she was a celebrity. ¡°Okay.¡± ¡°Since everyone is so happy today, let¡¯s sing a song! I always see people singing and dancing when they go on a trip! It looks fun!¡± Cecelia suggested. C¨°ntens bel0ngs to N?(v)elDr/a/ma.Org She entered the entertainment industry at a young age, so she wasn¡¯t able to experience what others had done before. She really wanted to experience this simple happiness. ¡°Sure!¡± Ysabelle chimed in. ¡°Anyone knows how to sing my new song? Sophie is the one who wrote it for me!¡± Ysabelle¡¯s new song was, indeed, trending. She loved that song a lot because Sophie was the one who wrote it for her. ¡°I do!¡± everyone said unanimously. ¡°Wow. I didn¡¯t know I was that famous.¡± Ysabelle joked and continued, ¡°Honestly, Sophie, you¡¯re truly my benefactor in life. I wouldn¡¯t have entered the entertainment industry if it wasn¡¯t for you.¡± Ysabelle really loved to sing, and she would give her all just to get a chance to sing. However, she would have gone astray if it wasn¡¯t for Sophie. Sophie felt quite good seeing that everyone was happy. ¡°All this glory belongs to you. It doesn¡¯t matter how amazing I am if you didn¡¯t put in the effort.¡± Sophie just helped Ysabelle a little along her career. All five of them were singing on the way up to the snow mountain. Sophie wasn¡¯t someone who would express her emotions easily, but she sang along after being influenced by them. The journey from the hotel to the mountain was around forty minutes, but everyone was happy in the car. This was what it felt like if one hung out with like-minded people. They would understand each other even without having to say much. Maybe they were happy because of that. All five of them knew how to ski, so they immediately went skiing when they reached their destination. They didn¡¯t need any extra training. Skiing was quite a dangerous sport, but all of them enjoyed the thrill. Chapter 677 Chapter 677 Tristan fought the urge to call Sophie as he knew they were on a mountain skiing. While staring helplessly at the report in his hand, Felixmented, ¡°They¡¯re having so much fun outside while we¡¯re stuck here working and thinking about them. This doesn¡¯t feel good at all.¡± Is this the second day? Why is it only the second day? Time is passing by so slowly. I would have disregarded everything and followed them if I had known how miserable I would be. Tristan did not bother responding to Felix. Instead, he looked at Sophie¡¯s photo on his phone, which Ysabelle had just uploaded on her Instagram. The only image in the post was of her. It showed Sophie skiing while donning a red hat and a short white jacket. She had anguid expression even when skiing. Although it was just a photo, he could imagine how cool she must have looked while skiing. She looks so amazing even in a photo; she¡¯s definitely the kind of girl I like. When Felix noticed Tristan looking at something so intently, he immediately walked over to take a look. ¡°What are you looking at?¡± After seeing Sophie¡¯s photo, Felix shook his head. ¡°You miss her too, don¡¯t you? Well then, let me fly over and find them. If they ask, we can say we¡¯re there on business,¡± the man immediately suggested. However, Tristan shook his head and said, ¡°Can¡¯t you see how happy they are together? Since they¡¯re having fun together, we shouldn¡¯t go over and disturb them.¡± After all, they should give each other some space. Felix slumped onto the sofa andmented, ¡°You¡¯ve really spoiled her too much.¡± Whatever Tristan did, he was always looking out for Sophie. But Felix was different. No matter what he did, he still hoped to be together with Ysabelle. When Charles walked over and saw the two lovesick men, he shook his head. ¡°Seriously, guys. They¡¯ve only been gone for two days,¡± the man chastised them as he had difficulty understanding their feelings. Felix was reluctant to exin himself. Hence, he asked, ¡°You didn¡¯te here to lecture us, didn¡¯t you? Is it because of Yvette?¡± In truth, Charles was reluctant to meet them. All this while, he never liked the bit*h, Yvette. In fact, he wasn¡¯t sure if Juan was delusory to like such a girl. Charles sat down and responded, ¡°Mr. Tristan, I know you are responsible for this. I got to say that you did a great job this time.¡± In fact, William had sent Charles to investigate the matter. Nheless, there was nothing more to say, given that it was clear what had happened. Indeed, a slut like Yvette deserved the treatment. C¨°ntens bel0ngs to N?(v)elDr/a/ma.Org Felix was speechless seeing how much at ease Charles was. This traitor¡­ ¡°You¡¯re not going to help your sister-inw?¡± he asked. ¡°Sister-inw? Do you think she can still enter the Quigley family?¡± Although Juan and Yvette were engaged, it was clear that the wedding was off now. ¡°Has Juan returned?¡± Tristan asked as he knew the man had been called back. ¡°Yeah, he got a scolding from my dad. It was really bad,¡± Charles replied with a grin. Shaking his head in disbelief, Felix jeered, ¡°Is he really your brother? I feel like he¡¯s more of an enemy to you.¡± ¡°You know our rtionship has never been good,¡± Charles replied tly. Moreover, the incident did not have a devastating impact. Instead, it was only embarrassing. Everyone was gossiping about Juan being cuckolded. Meanwhile, upon learning that Juan had returned, Yvette immediately went to find him. As soon as she saw the man, she burst into tears. ¡°Juan, I really don¡¯t know what happened, but all that was in the past now. I didn¡¯t want any of it. I was set up by someone. Juan, why aren¡¯t you saying anything? I really like you, you wouldn¡¯t reject me, would you?¡± she pleaded. No matter what, those were just photos from before they got together. It shouldn¡¯t have any impact on their rtionship now. Juan looked at the teary-eyed girl in front of him. What was wrong with me in the past? Why did I fall for such a scheming bit*h? In fact, I treated her so well. ¡°Juan, what¡¯s wrong with you? Why are you looking at me like that?¡± Yvette started to panic as he had never looked at her like this. ¡°I will make sure to treat you sincerely from now on. I will quit the entertainment industry immediately, okay?¡± She knew that this was what he had always hoped for in the past. ¡°Yvette, do you think we can still be together after all that happened?¡± Juan hissed. Never mind whether Grandfather would approve of their rtionship. Even he himself felt disgusted. Those illicit photographs were too revealing, and she looked hideous in the past. How did I put up with such an ugly woman for so long? ¡°What do you mean, Juan? We are engaged, you can¡¯t just abandon me like this! Absolutely not.¡± Yvette cried even more miserably. ¡°Yvette, I¡¯m serious, you were really ugly before. Don¡¯t find me again, I don¡¯t want to see you ever.¡± After saying those words, Juan pushed her out. I¡¯m ugly? How could he say such things? Didn¡¯t he know how hurtful those words were? ¡°If I¡¯m ugly, what about Sarah? Is she really pretty to you? Do you want to be with her now? Why didn¡¯t you say I was ugly when I was with you? Why didn¡¯t you tell me that when I made you feel so comfortable?¡± Yvette pressed. Juan felt disgusted as he remembered earlier instances of them being together. ¡°Yvette, I¡¯m warning you never to appear in front of me in the future. Every time I see you, I feel sickened,¡± Juan chided before pushing her out of the door again. It was pouring rain outside, and Yvette did not have an umbre. How did I end up like this? How did I allow myself to be so pitiful? Wasn¡¯t I the winner? Why did things turn out this way all of a sudden? Everyone in the entertainment world despised her; she had no more future in the industry. And what about Juan? He hated her so much. It was a lie that true lovested forever, at least not for her. The online attacks on her looks and disgust were still vivid in her mind. She felt utterly lost and defeated in life. Meanwhile, Sarah was looking for Ysabelle in the snowy mountains. They had decided to go on their own ways earlier. However, when it was time to regroup, Ysabelle was still nowhere to be seen. ¡°Have you found her?¡± Sarah returned and asked the others. ¡°No!¡± they replied. Chapter 678 Chapter 678 The others were worried, too, since the mountain was huge. However, they were at a resort, so they were technically safe. However, Sarah and Butterfly still couldn¡¯t find Ysabelle anywhere. Sarah was looking a little pale. A misstep in this snowy area may spell one¡¯s doom! ¡°Where¡¯s Sophie? Why is she gone as well?¡± It was then Cecelia realized that Sophie had disappeared, too. I thought we all agreed to meet up back here after an hour. Butterfly expression turned grim. ¡°What do we do? There¡¯s an avnche over there. Quick, we need to do a headcount to see if everyone¡¯s here.¡± ¡°Yeah! Everyone, please do that because a few women were said to be trapped underneath the snow due to the avnche.¡± Butterfly and Cecelia exchanged a nce upon hearing that conversation between two random people. It can¡¯t be, can it? Then again, Sophie and Ysabelle are both absent! While Sarah was also panicking, she was aware she needed to remain calm. ¡°What do we do now, Sarah?¡± Cecelia had always been a star, so regardless of what happened, she would always count on her manager to handle matters for her. However, at that moment, she honestly had no idea what to do. In response, Sarah pulled out her phone and continued to call Sophie and Ysabelle, but neither of them answered. Consequently, she began grimacing as well. ¡°Don¡¯t panic. Sophie is quite skilled. If Ysabelle¡¯s with her, they¡¯ll probably be fine.¡± Butterfly was aware of how scarily adept Sophie was. As time marched on, she also couldn¡¯t help but worry. Sadly, she had no clue what to do next. ¡°We should split up and find them,¡± Cecelia suggested. ¡°It¡¯s dangerous here, and you¡¯re a star, Cecelia. Many people know you, so you should go back first,¡± Sarah urged. I can¡¯t let her stay here after what happened. Immediately, Cecelia shook her head. ¡°How can I leave when I don¡¯t know what their situation is right now?¡± I¡¯m not the type who¡¯ll abandon my friends! Butterfly argued, ¡°Listen to Sarah, Cecelia. Someone has already recognized you! You¡¯ll only bring chaos if you don¡¯t leave this ce.¡± Aggrievedly, Cecelia refused, ¡°There¡¯s no way I can leave at ease without knowing how Sophie¡¯s doing right now.¡± Perhaps others don¡¯t understand my friendship with Sophie, but I genuinely can¡¯t sit by and watch something terrible happen to her. ¡°Rx! Nothing bad will happen with Sarah and me around. Also, the rescue team has arrived, so things will be fine,¡± Butterfly assured. After Cecelia was sent back to the hotel, she kept checking her phone anxiously for thetest news about the avnche. However, there was no information about Sophie or Ysabelle. Additionally, she would call them both every few minutes, but they never answered. Meanwhile, the rescue team, Sarah, and Butterfly were all busy searching for Ysabelle and Sophie. However, they still couldn¡¯t find any traces of the duo even after sunset. Butterfly¡¯s countenance grew darker. The longer we take to locate them, the less likely we¡¯ll find them alive. As capable as Sophie is, she can¡¯t just brush off an avnche. ¡°What do we do now, Sarah?¡± she asked. The rescue team members don¡¯t seem to be giving their best. If this continues, we may never see the two of them again. It was then Tristan called Sarah, likely because he had learned the news. After Sarah answered the call, she spoke in a trembling voice. ¡°Sophie and Ysabelle haven¡¯t been located yet. The rescue team has been searching for them. So far, ten bodies have been discovered dead.¡± She didn¡¯t want to imagine what Sophie and Ysabelle would do if something really happened to them. Tristan tightened his grip around the phone and pursed his lips straight. ¡°Okay, I got it. Felix and I are on our way. You girls take good care of yourselves.¡± Then he hung up the phone. His words put Sarah at ease a little. While she was his older sister, she still relied heavily on him. Often, a few words from him would be enough to reassure her. Meanwhile, Tristan and Felix were already boarding a ne because they immediately arranged for the flight once they learned of the news. They didn¡¯t speak much to each other during the flight, but they were thinking of the same thing. If they knew an avnche was going to happen, they wouldn¡¯t have let the girls leave. Felix especially was feeling regretful. If I had insisted on going with her that day, perhaps this wouldn¡¯t have happened. As for Tristan, he was staring at the picture of Sophie skiing on his phone. She still looks so alive here. I have to believe she¡¯s doing fine. By the time the men arrived at their destination, it was already past four in the morning, meaning it had been more than ten hours since Sophie and Ysabelle had disappeared. C¨°ntens bel0ngs to N?(v)elDr/a/ma.Org The possibility of anyone still alive was slim after so much time had passed. When Sarah saw Tristan and the Jetroinian rescue team he brought with him, she approached him, though she wasn¡¯t sure what else to say. ¡°What do we do, Tristan? It¡¯s been more than ten hours. With how harsh the weather is, I¡¯m afraid¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s cold here, Sarah. You two should return first since you two can¡¯t help out much.¡± He had arranged for some people toe to pick her and Butterfly up. ¡°No, I can¡¯t leave now! I want to stay and help!¡± Sarah didn¡¯t want to leave. How can I when the people who went missing are two of the most important individuals in my life? ¡°Go back to the resort, Sarah! You won¡¯t be of much help even if you stay. Besides, the experts said there might be another avnche happening at any moment,¡± persuaded Tristan. It was why everyone on the mountain had evacuated except for the rescue team. Sarah had reached her limits since she hadn¡¯t eaten anything over the past ten hours. Thus, she came to realize she really wouldn¡¯t be of any help and left the ce with Butterfly as Tristan had suggested. Tristan and Felix scowled as they stared at the white snow everywhere. The former had already pulled some strings to mobilize Jetroina¡¯s national rescue team, hoping to locate Sophie and Ysabelle soon. ¡°Move faster!¡± While Felix was directing other people, Tristan stood and watched. The death count continued to climb. The only good news was that Sophie and Ysabelle weren¡¯t among those who were found dead. ¡°Mr. Tristan, do you think¡­¡± When Felix thought about how much pain the woman he loved might be in, he felt difficulty breathing. I don¡¯t know what to do. While I hope she¡¯ll be fine, it has been half a day since she disappeared. The chances of her survival are small¡­ ¡°They¡¯ll be fine. Don¡¯t worry,¡± Tristanforted. We mustn¡¯t panic right now. I believe in Sophie. She knows how much I love her. There¡¯s no way she¡¯ll abandon me and leave this world so soon. That¡¯s why we shouldn¡¯t panic and just search for them. Chapter 679 Chapter 679 After Jetroina¡¯s president learned of the matter, he hurriedly arrived at the mountain, even though he knew his presence there wouldn¡¯t be helpful. Still, he came to express his support and assured, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Mr. Tristan. We¡¯ll do our very best to save them.¡± Since Sophie and Ysabelle went missing in his territory, if his people failed to rescue them, his coboration with Tristan might fall apart. That was why he ignored his own safety toe to the mountain. Material ? N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Thank you.¡± At that moment, Tristan wasn¡¯t in the mood for diplomacy. All he wanted was to find Sophie and bring her home. The president¡¯s secretary was slightly displeased by Tristan¡¯s attitude. Does he know who he¡¯s talking to? Our president has personallye here to speak with him, so why is he disying that sort of attitude? Besides, this is a natural disaster. No one wants this to happen. It has nothing to do with the president. ¡°Mr. President didn¡¯t sleep at all during the night, Mr. Tristan. He¡¯s been worrying about the matter, too.¡± His desire for Tristan to show respect to the president was apparent. In response, Tristan nced at him and questioned, ¡°So? What do you want me to do?¡± That shut the secretary up. Immediately, the president said, ¡°Please don¡¯t mind my subordinate¡¯s words, Mr. Tristan. I know you¡¯re feeling anxious, but there¡¯s no need for you to worry. Our country¡¯s rescue team is verypetent. They¡¯ll find the women, dead or alive.¡± ¡°They¡¯re not going to die,¡± snapped Tristan. Their deaths are thest thing I want to hear, yet he still had the gall to say it aloud. What is he trying to aplish? It was then the president realized he had misspoken and rified, ¡°That¡¯s not what I meant. In any case, I know you¡¯re worried right now. I¡¯ll arrange for another troop to join the search.¡± On the way down the mountain, his secretary inquired with confusion, ¡°Why are you doing so much for Tristan, Mr. President? Is it really worth it?¡± Most importantly, Tristan¡¯s so arrogant! He doesn¡¯t seem appreciative of the president¡¯s efforts at all. ¡°You¡¯re asking those questions because you aren¡¯t aware of how important he is to Jetroina. In any case, quit your yapping and send a troop here to help out.¡± The president had always been eager to coborate with Tristan but never had the chance to do so. This is the perfect opportunity to fulfill my wish! If we seed in helping him out, Tristan will no doubt feel indebted to oblige my request! ¡°Yes, Mr. President.¡± While the secretary didn¡¯t understand the situation, he still earnestly carried out his boss¡¯smands because his president had never made an incorrect decision. When Cecelia heard Sarah and Butterfly had returned to the hotel, she immediately left the room. The instant she saw their demeanor, tears welled in her eyes. I don¡¯t want to believe it, but if they still haven¡¯t been located after so long, they¡¯re likely already¡­ ¡°They still haven¡¯t been found yet, Sarah? It¡¯s been so long. They¡­¡± She felt as though her body was drained of all energy. If we didn¡¯te here for holiday, this wouldn¡¯t have happened. I can¡¯t help but feel immensely guilty. ¡°I bet you two are tired right now, so just rest in the hotel, all right? Tristan is here, and he has mobilized Jetroina¡¯s national rescue team. Everything will be fine,¡± Sarahforted since there was nothing else she could say. Instead of replying, Butterfly returned to her room and ryed the news to other members of Wings of Light. She promptly asked them to join the rescue effort. Since Sophie was the founder of Wings of Light and their most significant backer, everyone hastily flew to Jetroina after learning what had happened. They were hellbent on saving Sophie regardless of the cost. When they arrived, Butterfly arranged their missions. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Butterfly! We know just how important Phantom is to everyone here,¡± one of them remarked. The fact that they instantly abandoned what they were doing toe and rescue Sophie was a clear indication of their tight bonds. ¡°Thanks, everyone,¡± Butterfly said. Everyone had mobilized all avable resources to contribute to the search. At that moment, they hoped the heavens would take pity on Sophie and spare her from a tragic death, especially with how difficult her life had been. Meanwhile, when Nichs learned of the news, he hastily paid Jetroina¡¯s president a visit since he was in the country. The president didn¡¯t expect Nichs woulde. ¡°You¡¯d better keep this in mind. If anything happens to Sophie, I won¡¯t let you off,¡± spat Nichs coldly. ¡°Do you know who you¡¯re talking to right now? How can you act so arrogant?¡± The president¡¯s secretary was upset by how people kept disrespecting his boss. Without dy, the president gestured for his secretary to shut up. ¡°Leave the room! You¡¯re not needed here.¡± I can¡¯t afford to offend Nichs Sable. Then he cated Nichs. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Mr. Sable. I¡¯ve sent people to search for her.¡± In response, Nichs sneered. I know Tristan¡¯s on the mountain right now, which is why I¡¯m not there helping out. This matter is blo*dy depressing. D*mmit, I didn¡¯t expect something like this would happen! If Sophie dies, who can I pursue in the future? I¡¯ve prepared everything for her, so I mustn¡¯t allow any harm toe her way! It had been over ten hours since Sophie and Ysabelle were buried under the snow. They had no idea what the situation outside was like, especially when all they could see was darkness. Ysabelle was reaching her limits as it had been hours since shest ate. When the avnche urred, Sophie was the one who pushed her into the hole to save her. However, as a result, Sophie¡¯s foot was pinned by a giant rock and she was immobilized. ¡°Are you still alive, Sophie?¡± asked Ysabelle weakly. I¡¯m so scared right now! I don¡¯t want to die here! ¡°I¡¯m not dead yet! Just keep holding on.¡± Sophie¡¯s voice sounded particrly weak, too. This rock pressing on my leg is too heavy for me to push it away. I could¡¯ve avoided it when the avnche urred, but when I saw Ysabelle standing there, I had to turn around and throw us both into this hole in order to survive. Chapter 680 Chapter 680 The hole was pretty cramped, so the air was running thin after the two of them were stuck inside for hours. ConTEent bel0ngs to N?v(e)lD/rama(.)Org . ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Sophie. If not for me, you wouldn¡¯t have been trapped here as well.¡± Ysabelle was aware of how physically skilled Sophie was. If I didn¡¯t drag her down, she would¡¯ve been fine right now. I feel very indebted to her. ¡°All right, save your breath. They¡¯ll definitely rescue us.¡± Sophie¡¯s voice sounded calm. While our situation is dire, and we may very well die here, I still have hope that Tristan will find me, dead or alive. Of course, Ysabelle was aware it was pointless to talk about those stuff at that moment. However, she couldn¡¯t help it because she had never encountered anything like her current situation before. ¡°I¡¯m so thirsty right now.¡± It had been more than ten hours since she took in even a sip of water, so the thirst was unbearable for her. Sophie wasn¡¯t doing any better as she was only holding on by relying on her will to pull through the situation. ¡°Why aren¡¯t you speaking anymore, Sophie? Are you all right?¡± The hole was too dark for Ysabelle to see her friend¡¯s situation. ¡°There is no need to worry about me. I¡¯m fine,¡± Sophieforted. I think the condition of my leg is getting worse as time passes. If this continues, I may lose my leg. ¡°Mhm,¡± replied Ysabelle. I¡¯m so d to have Sophie by my side right now. If I had been alone, I don¡¯t think I could¡¯ve made it this far. ¡°You have to hang in there, Ysabelle. Your uncle and Felix will definitelye to rescue you.¡± Sophie started to feel she was reaching her limit. If I can¡¯t make it, I hope she will since she should be in a better statepared to me. ¡°What¡¯s the matter with you, Sophie?¡± As clueless as Ysabelle was, even she had noticed something was off about Sophie by that point. Didn¡¯t she say we need to hold on together? At that moment, Sophie couldn¡¯t hold the pain back anymore and groaned. Even though she had an iron will, she still subconsciously grunted. ¡°Sophie?¡± Ysabelle couldn¡¯t see, so she stretched her hand toward where she thought her friend was and felt the sensation of a liquid. There¡¯s no water inside here! This must mean¡­ ¡°Are you bleeding?¡± Horror was heard in her voice as she wondered what to do. ¡°Where are you injured, Sophie? You¡­¡± How did she bleed so much? Is she going to die? Why do I always drag people down with me? Remorsefully, she apologized, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Sophie! If not for me, you wouldn¡¯t have ended up like this!¡± ¡°As I said, save your breath and conserve your energy.¡± Right after Sophie ended her sentence, she fainted. ¡°Sophie!¡± No matter what Ysabelle said next, Sophie couldn¡¯t reply to her anymore. Meanwhile, Tristan was still directing the rescue team. Even though the sun had risen from the horizon, they still hadn¡¯t found a clue to the women¡¯s location. ¡°You should eat something, Mr. Tristan! The president had sent us some food,¡± informed Felix. He should be getting hungry after searching for the whole night. Tristan waved his hand as he didn¡¯t have any appetite. I still haven¡¯t found leads to Sophie¡¯s and Ysabelle¡¯s whereabouts yet. The captain of the rescue team approached them and said, ¡°Mr. Northley, you¡ª¡± ¡°You and your team should eat first. Continue the search after you¡¯re done,¡± Felix replied. ¡°It¡¯s not that I¡¯m shirking from my responsibilities by saying this, but it¡¯s been almost eighteen hours, Mr. Northley! I think the chances of them surviving are close to zero!¡± While the captain was aware they wouldn¡¯t like what he had to say, he still had to speak the truth. Without dy, Tristan stared at the captain with a fraught look. Upon seeing that, the captain shut his mouth and went to eat. Well, I guess I¡¯ll have to eat and then keep going. Momentster, Sarah called to ask about the situation. Tristan briefly answered while sounding as though it took him all his strength just to utter a word. ¡°It¡¯s likely Sophie and Ysabelle are nevering back, Tristan.¡± While Felix didn¡¯t want to give up, he was sure a delicate woman like Ysabelle would¡¯ve perished by that point. ¡°Are you saying you¡¯re giving up?¡± uttered Tristan calmly, as though he was emotionless. ¡°I¡­¡± Felix gritted his teeth. Of course, I haven¡¯t given up yet! It¡¯s just that¡­ This is too painful, so painful that I almost can¡¯t breathe. I¡¯ve only been with her for such a short time, so why did things turn out like this? ¡°I don¡¯t want to hear something like thating out of your mouth again. I will find them,¡± Tristan insisted. Sophie¡¯s the type of woman who¡¯s afraid of the cold. I bet she¡¯s feeling awful right now. Upon seeing Tristan like that, Felix could only keep his spirit up. After learning about Sophie¡¯s ident, Chanaea¡¯s president sent out their own rescue team. He was willing to expend any resources to locate Sophie because she was an invaluable talent in Chanaea¡¯s medical industry. Even though several factions of people were searching for the two women on the mountain, they still couldn¡¯t find the duo. Lincoln had also learned what happened to Ysabelle in Jetroina. However, at that moment, he had an urgent matter to attend to, so he couldn¡¯t leave. His expression was cold as ice when he thought of his daughter¡¯s demise. I only have one daughter. While I don¡¯t want her to join the entertainment industry, I can¡¯t deny she¡¯s talented, especially after I listened to her song recently. I want to praise her, let her sing, and tell her that no matter what she decides to do, I¡¯ll always support her. Well, it looks like I¡¯ll never have the chance to do so. After calling Sarah numerous times, he still hadn¡¯t received any news about his daughter. He was usually a tough guy, but at that moment, tears welled in his eyes. After Nichs told Alex about the avnche, thetter rushed over to Jetroina. He didn¡¯t have the nerve to say a word when he saw how Nichs was acting. ¡°Do you know why I¡¯ve asked you toe here, Alex?¡± Nichs questioned. ¡°To find Sophie.¡± That was something Alex would know even if Nichs didn¡¯t mention it. ¡°I¡¯m d you¡¯re aware of that. Tristan¡¯s men are also searching for her, so I want you to find her before he does.¡± Nichs¡¯ n was to snatch Sophie away from Jetroina. Only then would he have the chance to enact the n he had. ¡°Many other people are searching for Ms. Tanner right now, Mr. Nichs. I¡¯m not sure¡ª¡± In response, Nichs red at him. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me those things! I only want to see the results. Anything else isn¡¯t within my scope of consideration.¡± I¡¯ve already hired the best hypnotist in the world. Now, I just need to find Sophie. If I can take her away, she¡¯ll finally belong to me. Chapter 681 Chapter 681 ¡°Remember, Alex. Sophie is my only obsession in life. If I can¡¯t have her, I¡¯ll go crazy for the rest of my days,¡± Nichs remarked. This is my best shot at pulling this off! ¡°So much time has passed since the avnche, Mr. Nichs. I¡¯m afraid Ms. Tanner is¡ª¡± Before Alex could finish his sentence, Nichs gave him a furious p. ¡°She¡¯s not going to die,¡± spat Nichs. Sophie has always been a capable woman. I refuse to believe she¡¯s dead! After receiving the p, Alex kept quiet and sent people to search for her. At that moment, a full day had passed. By that point, almost everyone was convinced that the two women were dead. Everyone thought that even if the duo wasn¡¯t buried alive under the snow, they would¡¯ve frozen to death already. Thus, the president of Jetroina found no reason to continue the search. There are some things we must ept, even if we don¡¯t want to. ¡°What do we do now, Mr. President? Should the rescue team continue the search?¡± the secretary asked. By this point, everything is just a waste of effort and resources. In fact, there¡¯s no need to keep searching for them. ¡°Yes. Ask our rescue team to cooperate with Chanaea¡¯s rescue team. Whatever they do, we¡¯ll follow.¡± The president didn¡¯t expect the Chanaean leader would also care about the matter because he thought only Tristan and Nichs were involved in the matter. What¡¯ll others think of us if we give up now when they didn¡¯t? That¡¯s why we must continue as much as I think it¡¯s pointless. In response, the secretary kept his silence. Naturally, I also hope she¡¯ll be fine, considering how many factions have joined the search. Still, no one is to me for such a thing to happen. As everyonebed through the mountain for Sophie, they believed all they would find were two corpses. Since Tristan insisted on finding Sophie, no one dared to speak of it and kept on looking whether they were dead or alive. ¡°We found a lead, Mr. Tristan,¡± the captain of the rescue team informed after his men detected faint signs of life. It was as though Tristan hade back to life when he heard that. ¡°What? Where?¡± ¡°Yeah, where are they? Since you¡¯ve found a clue to their whereabouts, you should dig them out quickly!¡± eximed Felix. It has been a whole day! There¡¯s no way someone as delicate as Ysabelle can hold on any longer. She must be in agony right now. The captain responded, ¡°I¡¯ve already asked my men to do that.¡± Two hourster, they finally found Ysabelle and Sophie. Felix felt his heart wrenched when he saw Ysabelle¡¯s pale, frozen lips as she wasid on a stretcher. ¡°I¡¯ll be heading to the hospital with Ysabelle first, Mr. Tristan.¡± The only thing he could think of at that moment was Ysabelle. There¡¯s no way I¡¯ll feel at ease if she¡¯s brought to the hospital alone, especially now that she¡¯s unconscious. ¡°Mhm, go ahead,¡± Tristan answered as he wondered why Sophie hadn¡¯t been brought out yet. While the ambnce sent Ysabelle and Felix to the hospital, the captain of the rescue team approached Tristan with a troubled look. ¡°What¡¯s going on? Where¡¯s the other one?¡± Tristan had never been this panicked before. Please don¡¯t let anything happen to my girl. ¡°Here¡¯s the situation, Mr. Tristan. Ms. Tanner is trapped inside. Her leg is pinned under a giant rock. Right now, we can¡¯t move the rock recklessly. If we smash it open, another avnche may be triggered. The situation is dire, but we¡¯re trying to figure out how to extract her.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t care what you do. Just save her. Forget it. I¡¯ll go down there and take a look myself.¡± If he wanted to descend into the hole, he had to borrow a rope, which the captain was hesitant to provide. ¡°You¡¯re a distinguished man, Mr. Tristan. I don¡¯t think it¡¯s a good idea for you to go down there. Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll devise a n to save her. Additionally, Ms. Tanner is in aa right now, so there¡¯s no point in you going to her. It¡¯s better if you wait here,¡± the captain suggested. ¡°I¡¯m going to take a look at her, regardless of what you think.¡± It had been too long since Tristanst met Sophie, so he couldn¡¯t suppress his desire to see her, especially when he told her that he would always be by her side, no matter what happened. Since he insisted on going down there, the others had no choice but to throw a rope into the hole, allowing him to reach her. After he saw her situation in the hole, a terrible heartache struck him. Sophie¡¯s leg was incredibly swollen, and her face was ashen. Oh, no. She looks deathly pale. Kneeling beside her, he held her icy hand and uttered, ¡°I¡¯m here, Sophie. I told you I¡¯d definitely find you. I know you¡¯re afraid right now, but you don¡¯t have to anymore. As long as I¡¯m around, I won¡¯t let anything happen to you.¡±Material ? N?velDrama.Org. ¡°I¡¯m afraid she won¡¯t be able to walk anymore, Mr. Tristan,¡± the captainmented. With how long this rock has been pressing on her leg, it¡¯ll be a miracle if she¡¯s not crippled. ¡°Save your words and get her out of here right now,¡±manded Tristan. ¡°You should leave first, Mr. Tristan. We¡¯re going to pry this rock away, which may trigger an avnche.¡± ¡°Just stop talking and do it.¡± Tristan couldn¡¯t bear to leave. If I die, I want to die with her! Upon seeing that, the others silently prepared their tools for the operation. Meanwhile, Tristan personally directed the rescue. Sophie¡¯s a proud woman. She absolutely won¡¯t allow her leg to sustain permanent injury. If she lost her leg, she¡¯ll rather die than to live on. Another hour passed before the rock was removed. He carried Sophie in his arms while the people above the hole lifted them out. Once she wasid on a stretcher, the doctor examined her. However, he couldn¡¯t detect any vital signs. No matter how he tried to resuscitate her, it didn¡¯t work. Tristan, who was watching from the side, reflexively tightened his fists. ¡°Ms. Tanner has no vital signs, Mr. Tristan.¡± The doctor was the best in Jetroina, and the president personally sent him, so he knew just how grave the situation was. ¡°What did you say?¡± Tristan¡¯s demeanor was so overpowering that the doctor trembled when he heard that. ¡°No, she can¡¯t be dead. You¡¯d better save her now, or I¡¯ll bury you together with her! Do you understand me?¡± threatened Tristan mercilessly. Hence, the doctor tried to revive her again. I¡¯ve saved countless people before, and my medical skills are the best in the country. However, even I can¡¯t save her now. Sadly, he¡¯ll unquestionably tear me to pieces if I tell him that. Chapter 682 Chapter 682 However, no matter what he did, there were still no signs of life. ¡°Mr. Tristan, I¡ª¡± The doctor didn¡¯t know how to tell him that nothing else could be done. Tristan narrowed his eyes. ¡°What were you going to say?¡± Tristan¡¯s voice was cold as he squatted down to carry Sophie. ConTEent bel0ngs to N?v(e)lD/rama(.)Org . ¡°Sophie, open your eyes and look at me. Do you understand?¡± How can she have no reaction? Everyone was taken aback by Tristan¡¯s action, who seemed like a confused child. They were all touched. That was how the world worked. No matter how strong one was, one was powerless in the face of death. Butterfly had also rushed over. Upon witnessing this scene, tears streamed down her face. ¡°Sophie, wake up! What happened to you?¡± There are still so many matters regarding Wings of Light that Sophie has to settle. What about Tanner Group? Isn¡¯t she always worried about Tanner Group? How can this happen? ¡°Sophie, I¡¯m Tristan. Your Tristan. I know you have always been capable, so can you please wake up soon?¡± Tristan asked pathetically. He was willing to do anything for Sophie to wake up. However, Sophie really felt like she was dying this time. She had never been in so much pain before, which was saying a lot given how much she had been through since she arrived at Horington. She had gone through arduous training at the training camp and learned a lot. Everything she learned pushed her body beyond the limit of what a human body could take. It was something that others wouldn¡¯t be able to understand. Nevertheless, she never regretted attending the camp. Only when she was strong enough would others not be able to bully her. Therefore, she continued to improve her own skills. Unfortunately, she was exhausted and didn¡¯t mind leaving the world in this manner. Didn¡¯t Grandpa leave me already? He must be really lonely by himself. Shouldn¡¯t I go and apany him since he loved me so much? Perhaps, this is the best ending for me. However, she kept hearing someone call her name incessantly. Instantly, all her memories came flooding back suddenly. I can¡¯t leave this world yet. That¡¯s right! How can I leave right now? If I die, what will happen to Tristan? He really likes me. He will be devastated if I die now. Soon, Sophie¡¯s vital signs started showing improvements. Seeing that, the doctor immediately rushed over. ¡°Mr. Tristan, please let go of her. It seems like a miracle has happened.¡± The doctor immediately tried to save Sophie and bring her back from the brink of death. When Tristan saw her vital signs stabilizing, a drop of tears streamed down his face. I knew it! Sophie wouldn¡¯t leave me here alone. Look, she¡¯s desperately trying toe back to me. After rounds of rescue attempts, Sophie¡¯s condition had stabilized enough to be put into an ambnce. Tristan also got in the ambnce to rush to the hospital together. Although Sophie¡¯s vital signs were back, no one knew how long she could maintain in that condition. Thus, they could only go to the hospital for a thorough examination. However, this was the best scenario Tristan could ask for. If there had been no vital signs, no one would be able to do anything anymore. On the way, Tristan held Sophie¡¯s hands tightly, not willing to let go. ¡°Sophie, you should be able to hear what I¡¯m saying, right? No matter what happens, you have to get through this. If you leave me, I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll be able to continue living any longer,¡± Tristan whispered words of encouragement to Sophie throughout the entire journey to the hospital. Even though Sophie couldn¡¯t open her eyes, she could hear everything he said. Meanwhile, Felix and Sarah were staying by Ysabelle¡¯s side. She was still unconscious. Sarah was getting increasingly worried since Sophie had not returned yet. ¡°Felix, isn¡¯t Sophie with Ysabelle? Ysabelle has been back for so long, but why is there still no news of Sophie?¡± Felix shook his head. ¡°I¡¯m not sure either. After I saw Ysabellee out, I was too focused on her to notice anything else.¡± Therefore, he had no idea what was going on with Sophie. ¡°I¡¯ll go out and take a look.¡± Sarah was still concerned, so she decided to leave first since the doctor said Ysabelle was not in danger. The moment Sarah stepped out, Tristan and Sophie arrived at the hospital. Sarah¡¯s heart skipped a beat when she saw Sophie on the stretcher. Sophie was immediately rushed into the emergency room. Sarah stood rooted to the spot. She had seen every side of Sophie, but this was the first time she had seen thetter so lifeless. ¡°Mr. Tristan, we are going in to save her. There¡¯s nothing you can do if you go in, so please wait outside!¡± Upon seeing Tristan trying to barge into the emergency room, the doctor tried to stop him. Tristan shook his head. ¡°No, I have to be by her side and watch over her. Don¡¯t worry. I won¡¯t say anything inside the room. I¡¯ll just stay beside her.¡± Sarah felt a pang in her heart seeing Tristan like this. She grabbed his hand and stated, ¡°Tristan, you will only disturb the doctors by going in. Let¡¯s wait out here. Besides, we might need to contact Dr. Smith and Arius.¡± If these two people were present, miracles were bound to happen. At this moment, Barney and Arius had arrived at the emergency room. They rushed over upon hearing about Sophie¡¯s situation. ¡°How¡¯s Sophie?¡± Arius asked apprehensively. ¡°She¡¯s still inside! You guys should go and take a look!¡± Sarah felt slightly relieved when she saw Arius and Barney. Sophie will be fine since the two of them are here now. Barney couldn¡¯t wait anymore and demanded to go to the emergency room. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but we are currently trying to save the patient. You guys should wait outside.¡± ¡°I¡¯m the founder of International Medical Association, Barney Smith. He¡¯s my mentee, Arius Gullifer. I believe the chances of the patient¡¯s survival would only increase with us helping in the emergency room.¡± When the doctor heard they were from International Medical Association, he didn¡¯t dare to say anything more and immediately let them in. After Barney and Arius went inside the emergency room, Tristan tried to enter behind them. Arius said, ¡°Let him in. Since he¡¯s Sophie¡¯s most favorite person, she would be the least willing to leave him. With his presence, Sophie¡¯s desire to live will only increase.¡± Tristan finally entered the emergency room. Butterfly and Cecelia had also arrived. After learning about Sophie¡¯s situation, tears rolled down Cecelia¡¯s face. How could this happen? Why did so many things happen in just one day? At this moment, Barney and Arius had already changed into scrubs. Arius drew a sharp breath when he saw Sophie¡¯s legs. ¡°Dr. Smith, it appears that her leg is the most serious issue. It¡¯s highly likely that she won¡¯t be able to walk again in the future.¡± Chapter 683 Chapter 683 Barney¡¯s expression was solemn, as the condition of Sophie¡¯s leg was extremely grave. If it wasn¡¯t dealt with properly, it would affect her for the rest of her life. Given what was at stake, Barney and Arius began to provide her with emergency treatment. Even with theirbined efforts, the surgery took them more than three hours. Tristan was at the scene throughout. During the surgery, thetter¡¯s heartbeat stopped on a few asions. Fortunately, Barney and Arius managed to pull her back from the brink of death every time that happened. Helpless in the situation, all Tristan could do was stay by her side, and let her know that there was still someone waiting for her. He wanted to give her a reason to not give up fighting. Once the surgery was over, Barney and Arius emerged gloomily. As for Sophie, she was sent to the intensive care unit after receiving early-stage treatment. Her main surgery was still contingent upon her regaining consciousness. Everyone else went along with her and gathered outside the ICU. Tristan didn¡¯t get any rest since the ident, as he had stayed by her side for many hours. The stubbles on his chin further entuated his already haggard look. Unable to bear the sight, Sarah approached him. ¡°You should tidy yourself up and get some rest. Your current condition will only worry Sophie when she wakes up.¡± Sarah had no choice but tofort Tristan that way. ¡°Sarah, don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m fine. A little exhaustion isn¡¯t going to kill me.¡± Barney had told him that the next twenty-four hours were key to whether Sophie would wake up. Thus, there was no way he could leave until that happen. ¡°I¡¯ll stay here on your behalf, all right? I¡¯ll call you the moment she wakes up.¡± ¡°Sarah, I¡¯m really fine. I understand your concern, but you should go back and rest.¡± Mired in fear and anxiousness over thest two days, none of them got any proper rest. Cecelia and Butterfly, too, refused to take a break and insisted on being with Sophie. Nichs shared the same sentiment as they did but since his presence was not wanted, he could only wait opposite the hospital. Hatred glistened in his eyes amidst the darkened expression on his face. Alex was standing beside him in fearful silence, for his boss was furious that they didn¡¯t manage to get to Sophie first. ¡°Mr. Nichs, we should now¡ª¡± ¡°Get Sophie out of there. I want to take her back to Anndur.¡± Nichs knew very well the condition Sophie was in, which presented them with the perfect opportunity. Once Sophie was awake, herbat skills would make it difficult to kidnap her. Therefore, doing so while she was in aa was their best bet. ¡°But she¡¯s in the ICU now, Mr. Nichs. What if something untoward happens while we move her?¡± Despite his dislike of Sophie, Alex was cognizant of how the risks of his task would affect Sophie¡¯s condition. N?velDrama.Org: owner of this content. ¡°There won¡¯t be any problems, as I¡¯ve hired the best doctors. All you have to do is bring her to me.¡± Why are you still wasting time here? Alex fell silent in the face of Nichs¡¯ anger. Stealing Sophie out of the hospital is an impossible task with Tristan standing guard. If that isn¡¯t bad enough, there are many other factions protecting her currently. Unfortunately, Mr. Nichs refuses to listen. All that matters to him is results. He doesn¡¯t care how difficult the process is. After Alex went off, Nichs remained where he was. I wonder how is she doing now? I¡¯m sure she¡¯ll be fine given her strong willpower. That said, what should I do now? Nichs was filled with the urge to see Sophie. D*mn it, I have to see her no matter what. I need to know that she¡¯s fine. Otherwise, I¡¯ll never be at peace. With that, Nichs found a way to infiltrate the hospital. When he arrived at the ICU, he stopped in his tracks at the sight of Tristan. Despite the overwhelming urge to approach his dream girl, he decided to leave quietly when he recalled the n he had in ce. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Sophie. I¡¯ll definitely take you with me and protect you. You¡¯ll note to any more harm.¡± After allowing Sophie to suffer such grievous injuries, Tristan is no longer worthy to be by her side. All this wouldn¡¯t have happened if she had gone back to Anndur with me. ¡°Who are you? Why are you sneaking around?¡± Arius noticed a man behaving suspiciously on his rounds to check on Sophie. Moreover, the man¡¯s silhouette looked familiar to him. Nichs was wearing a ck face mask when he turned around upon hearing the familiar voice. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I lost my way.¡± Upon replying with a deep voice, he left in a hurry, eliciting a furrow on Arius¡¯ brows. ¡°What is it?¡± Barney approached him from behind, oblivious to what had happened. ¡°That person looks like Nichs from the back.¡± Nichs had never given up on Sophie and was ruthless in whatever he did. ¡°In that case, we had better be more vignt.¡± No matter what, one can never be too cautious. Meanwhile, Nichs had walked out of the hospital. Sophie is in good hands with both Arius and Barney present. There¡¯s no medical issue in this world that those two can¡¯t solve. It¡¯s just a pity that I didn¡¯t get to see her despite taking such a huge risk. Alex, who was waiting outside, heaved a sigh of relief when he saw Nichs emerge. Why did he sneak into the hospital? ¡°Are you all right, Mr. Nichs?¡± Is he thinking of kidnapping Sophie with so many people guarding her? It¡¯s an impossible task! ¡°I¡¯m fine. Let¡¯s go back.¡± Nichs was visibly upset. As for Alex, he didn¡¯tment on the situation. After all, it wasn¡¯t his ce as a subordinate to do so. It was just that Tristan wouldn¡¯t sit idly by and do nothing if he knew Nichs was trying to steal Sophie away. Both these men had turned into mortal rivals. Neither was willing to ept defeat, while their resentment for each other was enough to want the other dead. ¡°What happened? How is she?¡± Barney found it hard to wait any longer when Sophie didn¡¯t show any sign of waking up still. Arius shook his head. ¡°She¡¯s in a precarious situation now. If she still doesn¡¯t wake up, I¡¯m afraid¡­¡± Arius was reluctant to finish his sentence, but that was the reality they faced. Hence, silence was Barney¡¯s only response. Despite having treated countless patients, this was the first time he felt ack of confidence. Chapter 684 Chapter 684 One good news was that Ysabelle had woken up. The first name she called out when she regained consciousness was Sophie. Felix had been by her side the entire time, and when he heard her call out Sophie¡¯s name, he immediately held her hand. ¡°Ysabelle, I¡¯m here. Don¡¯t worry. We found Sophie.¡± Ysabelle opened her eyes, and the sight of an unshaven Felix greeted her. It was not a sight she used to see in the past. It was as if she had seen refuge in the middle of a storm, the second Ysabelle saw Felix, she cried. Once she sat upright, she threw herself into his arms. ¡°Felix, I nearly died! If not for Sophie, I would have died. I wouldn¡¯t have gotten to see you again,¡± she choked out. The gears in her mind could barely work as she continued crying while Felix patted her back. ¡°You¡¯re all right now. It¡¯s all over and I know you¡¯ve suffered a lot.¡± Felix was heartbroken when he thought about the things the two women had to go through. ¡°Don¡¯t wander off anymore, okay?¡± ¡°Okay,¡± Ysabelle whispered, still sniffling and hupping. She would never wander off ever again. ¡°Right. Where¡¯s Sophie? I only remember her bleeding a lot. How is she now?¡± ¡°She¡­¡± Felix knew how concerned Ysabelle was for Sophie, so he did not know how to tell her about Sophie¡¯s condition. ¡°Why aren¡¯t you saying anything? I survived. Sophie¡¯s an amazing woman. She¡¯ll be fine too, right?¡± Nothing will happen to Sophie! ¡°Sophie, she¡­ hasn¡¯t woken up yet,¡± was all Felix could say to her. He did not dare to tell Ysabelle how severe Sophie¡¯s condition was. ¡°No. I must see her. I can¡¯t be at ease until I see her with my own eyes.¡± If it wasn¡¯t for her trying to save me, Sophie wouldn¡¯t have fallen into the hole with me. How can I just lie here and not check on her? ¡°What are you doing? Ysabelle, you haven¡¯t recovered, so don¡¯t move around. You have to rest well so that others won¡¯t worry about you, all right?¡± Sophie was in a bad state, and everyone was anxious about her. It was not as if Ysabelle was going to be of any help even if she were to see Sophie. At that, Ysabelle stopped all her movements. ¡°Felix, are you ming me for this? That¡¯s what you mean, right?¡± So Sophie¡¯s condition must be very serious. ¡°No. I can¡¯t stay here; I have to take a look at her. Just let me be!¡± Ysabelle struggled to climb off the bed, but she would have fallen if not for Felix catching her in time. ¡°Okay, okay, I¡¯ll take you to her. Don¡¯t get agitated, all right? Your Uncle Tristan is in a bad mood right now, so let¡¯s not disturb him.¡± Felix understood what Tristan was feeling at the moment, so he wanted them to stay silent when they were at Sophie¡¯s side. Hearing that, Ysabelle became even surer of Sophie¡¯s dreadful state. ¡°Felix, Sophie only ended up like this because she was trying to save me. What am I going to do if something happens to her?¡± Ysabelle was at a loss. She felt like a bad omen of misfortune. If not for her, this would not have happened to Sophie. ¡°All right, there¡¯s no point in saying all these now. Clear your mind, okay? No one wanted something like this to happen, right?¡± Felix squeezed out, his heart aching to see his girlfriend breaking down. They were close to each other, and no one would be in a merry mood if either one of them were to get injured. Felix then borrowed a wheelchair to take Ysabelle over to the intensive care unit. Once they reached their destination, they saw everyone in the room with solemn expressions. Ysabelle was stunned. What if Sophie never wakes up? N?velDrama.Org: owner of this content. When Sarah caught sight of Ysabelle, she walked over to hold Ysabelle¡¯s hand. ¡°Why are you here? You just woke up, didn¡¯t you? Can¡¯t you stay in your room and rest?¡± Sarah was worried about Ysabelle, too, but too many things had happened in the past few days, so she could not keep the frustration out of her tone. ¡°Aunt Sarah, what do we do? What are we going to do if Sophie doesn¡¯t wake up? What is Uncle Tristan going to do?¡± Once again, Ysabelle¡¯s tears fell. Sarah was at a loss as well. No one wished for something like that to happen. ¡°That¡¯s enough. You should go back and rest first. You haven¡¯t even recovered, so don¡¯t dwell on these things. I¡¯ll tell you if there¡¯s any news about her.¡± Sarah then turned to Felix. ¡°Felix, take her back.¡± However, Ysabelle shook her head. ¡°I don¡¯t want to go back. I want to stay here and watch over Sophie.¡± How can I go back to my room at a time like this? This is all my fault. Things wouldn¡¯t have turned out this way if it hadn¡¯t been for me. ¡°It¡¯s not as if you can help her out in any way if you stay here. No one can do anything. It¡¯s all up to Sophie now.¡± They were only lingering in the room to console themselves. Felix nodded in agreement. ¡°Okay, we¡¯ll head back first. Sophie ended up this way to save you. I¡¯m sure she¡¯d want to see you safe and sound when she wakes up.¡± Therefore, the one thing they could do at that moment was not to stir up any more trouble. In the blink of an eye, Ysabelle was taken away from the intensive care unit. She started spacing out after going back to her room. She dared not think of what she would do if Sophie truly could not wake up. In the meantime, Tristan remained by Sophie¡¯s side. For every second she spent in bed with her eyes closed, Tristan would tell her things about them. He would tell her how much he loved her and how he could not live without her. There was no way he was ever going to let her go. ¡°Sophie, I know you must be tired, but it¡¯s been such a long time since you started resting. It¡¯s about time youe back to us, right? Please wake up soon. I¡¯m sure you don¡¯t want to worry everyone by staying asleep.¡± ¡°Sophie, hurry up and wake up. If you keep staying asleep like this, I won¡¯t know what to do anymore. Wake up. Once you wake, we¡¯ll get married. I don¡¯t want to wait anymore.¡± No one could predict the future, so Tristan wanted to marry her once she woke. s, no matter what he said, Sophie remained lifeless on the bed. ¡°Will you think of me as noisy?¡± Tristan said self-deprecatingly. He never thought he would act like this one day, but what could he do? He would do anything as long as she woke up. ¡°Sophie, what do I do? I¡¯m really afraid. I¡¯m scared that you won¡¯t wake up. I¡¯ve never been so scared of anything in my life, but I¡¯m terrified now. I even hope that there are supreme beings in this world. That way, I can pray to them for you to wake up.¡± There was nothing anyone could do to avoid idents like this. But why Sophie? Why her? Drops of tears sshed onto the back of Sophie¡¯s hand. The legend of Jipsdale was now feeling as helpless as a child. Sophie wanted to open her eyes, but her eyelids were too heavy. Who¡¯s crying? Is there really someone in this world who would cry for me? She tried her best to open her eyes, but she simply could not. What can I do now? My heart aches to hear this person cry. Chapter 685 Chapter 685 Sophie¡¯s eyelids felt as heavy as a thousand pounds of lead, but she pried them open with her indomitable willpower! What greeted her was the sight of a man who loved her to his core but who appeared utterly disheveled¡ªa state she had never seen before. ¡°Tristan, what has happened to you?¡± she asked in bewilderment. These were not the first words Tristan had expected to hear from her. ¡°Sophie, you¡¯re finally awake. I thought I¡¯d never see you again!¡± he eximed before adding, ¡°From now on, you must never leave my sight. Do you understand?¡± Tristan could not imagine having to face another episode as traumatizing as this. ¡°Okay,¡± she replied, a faint smile gracing her lips. It is so wonderful to see him again! She thought she was a goner, and she never imagined she would have another chance to see the world again! ¡°I know you will look for me.¡± She trusted himpletely. That was the reason why she could persevere for so long. After a brief period ofing to consciousness, Sophie fell asleep again. After ensuring that Sophie was merely drifting off again, Tristan¡¯s heart finally settled down. As long as she was awake, everything else was not important. Another three hours psed before Sophie woke up again, feeling much better. Everyone came to see her. Cecelia¡¯s face broke out in a smile after seeing that Sophie had finally woken up. ¡°Sophie, do you realize how terrified you almost made me? How can you be so reckless!¡± It was supposed to be an ordinary outing. But why is it far more dangerous than shooting a movie? Butterfly stood at the side. She was silent but it was obvious that she was worried by the look in her eyes. Sophie is awake, but what about her leg? She is an exceptional person. What if she cannot stand up again? How will she take it? Nobody said anything, but Butterfly knew precisely how severe Sophie¡¯s leg injury was. ¡°Butterfly, what¡¯s the matter with you? You¡¯ve been worried all along. Why are you so quiet now?¡± Cecelia found it strange how silent she had be. She had never been this quiet! Butterfly shook her head. ¡°I know you have much to say, so I¡¯ll give you a chance to speak,¡± Butterfly replied lightly. Sophie¡¯s lips curved into a smile. She had not anticipated Cecelia and Butterfly¡¯s rtionship to have improved so much. Ysabelle ran over upon learning of Sophia regaining consciousness. By then, she had recovered quite a bit, but her body was still incredibly frail. ¡°Sophie, you¡¯re finally awake! I was so afraid that I will never see you again,¡± Ysabelle eximed as soon as she entered the room. Seeing that Ysabelle was doing well, Sophie felt at ease. ¡°Don¡¯t worry! I¡¯m fine. Look at me; I¡¯m fine,¡± she said reassuringly. ¡°Well, but you bled so much, I was terrified!¡± Ysabelle remembered the scene vividly, and fear shot down her spine. ¡°It¡¯s okay. I have a lot of blood. It doesn¡¯t matter if I lose some,¡± Sophie said nonchntly. Tristan didn¡¯t want to speak. ¡°Ysabelle, stay away from Sophie from now on,¡± he said sternly. Ysabelle couldn¡¯t say anything this time for everyone seemed to think it was her fault! Things wouldn¡¯t have turned out this way if it weren¡¯t for her! Sophie wouldn¡¯t be lying in a hospital bed. Felix hugged her shoulders when he saw how upset Ysabelle looked. ¡°Tristan, what¡¯s the point of saying this now that it has already happened? Ysabelle is already living with guilt. Besides, it was an ident, and no one wished it upon Sophie. But now that it has happened, nothing can be done about it. Don¡¯t you think?¡± he said. Ysabelle bit her lower lip, grabbing Felix¡¯s hand. ¡°Felix, don¡¯t say anything now. This is my fault. If I hadn¡¯t been so yful, this wouldn¡¯t have happened to Sophie,¡± Ysabelle said. Sophie has been so kind to her. However, this is how she repays Sophie! Look at what she has done! Sophie is suffering because of her! The look in Tristan¡¯s eyes was very cold. Tristan couldn¡¯t forgive Ysabelle, even though she was his niece. No one was as important as Sophie. Sophie held Tristan¡¯s hand. ¡°It¡¯s okay, look at me, I¡¯m fine. It was an ident, and no one is to me,¡± said Sophie. She couldn¡¯t stand looking at Ysabelle¡¯s sad face. In fact, everyone had good intentions. They hoped that she could go out and take a break, but unfortunately, the ident urred. Now that everyone else was okay, she felt relieved. Otherwise, guilt would have swarmed her. Sarah watched from the side, not knowing what to say. She was the one who brought Sophie out, but she couldn¡¯t protect her. Thus, she was at fault too. Although Sophie was awake, nobody knew the extent of the damage to her legs. How will Sophie take it if she really could never stand up again? ¡°Felix, you should take Ysabelle back! Sophie just woke up and needs more rest,¡± Tristan said. Felix nodded. He could understand Tristan¡¯s feelings, but Ysabelle was his girlfriend no matter what, and he didn¡¯t want to see her suffer. Back in the ward, Ysabelle remained silent while sitting on the bed with a despondent look on her face. Felix felt sorry for her. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Don¡¯t worry about what Tristan said. You should know how much he loves Sophie, which exins why he reacted that way. You must be hungry, having not eaten anything for a long time. What do you feel like having? I¡¯ll get it for you.¡± Felix tried his best to make her happy. Ysabelle was always a happy-go-lucky girl, but now she was all devastated. ¡°Felix, can you keep quiet for a while? I want to be alone. You don¡¯t need tofort me,¡± she said. Huh¡­ I don¡¯t deserve this. I couldn¡¯t help anyone. Even worse, I¡¯m a troublemaker. N?velDrama.Org: owner of this content. I must be a burden to my friends! Felix was speechless. Ysabelle was a stubborn girl. Once she had decided on something, it would be difficult for anyone to change her mind. ¡°Ysabelle, I¡¯m serious. This has nothing to do with you. Sophie needs us to take care of her. You need to get well quickly so that you can help with that,¡± Felix replied. Ysabelle¡¯s face was wet with tears. ¡°What about her leg¡­¡± Ysabelle didn¡¯t dare to pop the question earlier, but she did notice Sophie¡¯s leg. It was in a critical condition. ¡°Ysabelle, don¡¯t overthink. With Barney and Arius here to help, everything will be fine. Sophie will surely be able to stand up again,¡± Felix tried to assure her. In the meantime, they could only remain steadfast. Otherwise, there wasn¡¯t really anything that they could do. Meanwhile, everyone else had left the room, leaving only Tristan behind. Sophie then asked him to get some rest, but he refused. ¡°This has nothing to do with anyone. You¡­¡± Thinking of the contrite look on Ysabelle¡¯s face, Sophie¡¯s heart ached for her. The poor girl! Chapter 686 Chapter 686 ¡°Sophie, I core obout you, so much so thot I don¡¯t wont to see you hurt. So, pleose don¡¯t do such o thing ogoin. You must protect yourself first before you think of onyone else whenever you foce o dongerous situotion. You mustn¡¯t socrifice yourself even if the other person is Ysobelle or me. Do you heor me?¡± In o woy, Triston wos o selfish mon becouse he reolly wonted her to be sofe. If someone else were in donger, he would do everything in his power to protect them. However, he hoted seeing her hurt. ¡°Do you understond? You must not risk your life even if the other person is my fomily member.¡± She doesn¡¯t owe my fomily onything, nor does she hove the obligotion to do onything like thot. Sophie wonted to get up ond give him o hug, but she wos too weok to do so. In the end, she did nothing. ¡°I didn¡¯t sove her becouse she¡¯s your fomily member. I sove her becouse she¡¯s my best friend. You don¡¯t hove to feel burdened.¡± How could he think thot woy? Even if the other person wos o stronger, how could I run owoy in thot situotion? Even so, she did not dore to tell him whot wos on her mind. She believed Triston wonted her to run owoy first, regordless of the situotion. ¡°You! Geez, I reolly don¡¯t know whot to do with you. With o girlfriend like you, I live every second of my life in feor. Sometimes, I wish you were not thot copoble. Thot woy, you¡¯ll behove ond not suffer so much.¡± Whot Triston feored the most wos seeing her in poin. ¡°Do you regret meeting me? You wouldn¡¯t hove to endure oll this if you didn¡¯t meet me,¡± Sophie commented. She knew she could be disobedient sometimes. Thus, she could not help but wonder if he wos regretting it. To her surprise, Triston shook his heod firmly. ¡°How could I? Meeting you is the luckiest thing thot could ever hoppen in my life. I¡¯m hoppy to hove met you ond be chosen by you.¡± After oll, there were mony men out there who liked her. He could not be hoppier thot she hod chosen him insteod. Finolly, Sophie told him to get some rest or ot leost toke o shower. She wos rother porticulor obout cleonliness. Thus, she could not beor to see him so unkempt ond not toking o shower. When Borney ond Arius orrived ond sow her spocing out olone, they were o little worried. ¡°Sophie, I care about you, so much so that I don¡¯t want to see you hurt. So, please don¡¯t do such a thing again. You must protect yourself first before you think of anyone else whenever you face a dangerous situation. You mustn¡¯t sacrifice yourself even if the other person is Ysabelle or me. Do you hear me?¡± ¡°Whet¡¯s wrong? Are you feeling unwell? You must tell us if you¡¯re feeling unwell,¡± seid Arius immedietely. ¡°Tell me, Arius. Is my leg¡¯s condition serious?¡± It wes the first time Sophie brought thet up ever since she woke up. After ell, she wes well-versed in medicine. Neturelly, she knew there wes no sensetion in her left leg, end thet mede her penic. If I cen¡¯t welk enymore, I heve no right to stey by Tristen¡¯s side. Knowing whet en outstending men Tristen wes, she could not beer to let him heve e cripple es his wife. It wes totelly unepteble for her. Arius glenced et Berney. I told you we cen¡¯t hide this from her. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Sophie. Dr. Smith end I ere here. We won¡¯t let enything heppen to your leg. We¡¯re elreedy thinking of e solution. Don¡¯t worry, okey? We won¡¯t let you be cripple from the incident,¡± Arius essured. No metter how herd it would be, they would not let her down. ¡°You reelly don¡¯t heve to worry ebout it, Sophie. Arius end I ere here. Nothing will heppen to your leg.¡± Berney knew how serious her leg¡¯s condition wes. ¡°Do you feel nothing?¡± Although Arius knew ebout the condition, he still wented to confirm it with her. Sophie nodded in response. Thet wes precisely whet terrified her. She could not remember how long it hed been since she lest felt the feeling of feer. ¡°All right. I¡¯ve teken note. Don¡¯t worry. You¡¯ll be fine,¡± Arius essured, vowing to not let enything heppen to her. With thet, Berney end Arius stepped out to think of solutions. As Sophie ley in the room by herself, she begen sinking deeper into the endless see of feer. Just then, e tell, burly men entered with e mesk. Even so, Sophie recognized who he wes. It wes none other then Nicholes. ¡°Why ere you here, Nicholes Seble?¡± In the pest, Sophie would not be the slightest bit efreid of him. After ell, she would not lose if they ectuelly got into e fight. However, things were different now. She could not move her leg, end she hed just ewekened. Therefore, Sophie wes no metch for him. Regerdless, Nicholes felt his heert eche et the sight of her pele fece end wounded leg. ¡°Whot¡¯s wrong? Are you feeling unwell? You must tell us if you¡¯re feeling unwell,¡± soid Arius immediotely. ¡°Tell me, Arius. Is my leg¡¯s condition serious?¡± It wos the first time Sophie brought thot up ever since she woke up. After oll, she wos well-versed in medicine. Noturolly, she knew there wos no sensotion in her left leg, ond thot mode her ponic. If I con¡¯t wolk onymore, I hove no right to stoy by Triston¡¯s side. Knowing whot on outstonding mon Triston wos, she could not beor to let him hove o cripple os his wife. It wos totolly uneptoble for her. Arius glonced ot Borney. I told you we con¡¯t hide this from her. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Sophie. Dr. Smith ond I ore here. We won¡¯t let onything hoppen to your leg. We¡¯re olreody thinking of o solution. Don¡¯t worry, okoy? We won¡¯t let you be cripple from the incident,¡± Arius ossured. No motter how hord it would be, they would not let her down. ¡°You reolly don¡¯t hove to worry obout it, Sophie. Arius ond I ore here. Nothing will hoppen to your leg.¡± Borney knew how serious her leg¡¯s condition wos. ¡°Do you feel nothing?¡± Although Arius knew obout the condition, he still wonted to confirm it with her. Sophie nodded in response. Thot wos precisely whot terrified her. She could not remember how long it hod been since she lost felt the feeling of feor. ¡°All right. I¡¯ve token note. Don¡¯t worry. You¡¯ll be fine,¡± Arius ossured, vowing to not let onything hoppen to her. With thot, Borney ond Arius stepped out to think of solutions. As Sophie loy in the room by herself, she begon sinking deeper into the endless seo of feor. Just then, o toll, burly mon entered with o mosk. Even so, Sophie recognized who he wos. It wos none other thon Nicholos. ¡°Why ore you here, Nicholos Soble?¡± In the post, Sophie would not be the slightest bit ofroid of him. After oll, she would not lose if they octuolly got into o fight. However, things were different now. She could not move her leg, ond she hod just owokened. Therefore, Sophie wos no motch for him. Regordless, Nicholos felt his heort oche ot the sight of her pole foce ond wounded leg. ¡°I¡¯m here to pick you up! Look et you. Whose feult is it you¡¯re injured now? Isn¡¯t it ell beceuse of Tristen? He didn¡¯t teke good cere of you. Come with me, Sophie. I promise to teke good cere of you in the future, end I¡¯ll never let you get hurt.¡± Material ? N?velDrama.Org. It¡¯s ell Tristen¡¯s feult. She wes with him, yet he feiled to protect her. Whose feult is it if not his? Sophie frowned es she thought Nicholes hed lost his mind egein. Unfortely, she wes currently no metch for him, so she could only prey for Tristen to return sooner. ¡°Nicoles, this wes en ident. It hes nothing to do with Tristen.¡± ¡°Why ere you still stending up for him? Do you know how serious this is? You elmost died, Sophie. If not for Ysebelle, would you heve be like this?¡± Nicholes wes truly enreged. To him, the Lomberd femily wes tresh. He believed Sophie would not heve ended up like thet if not for the Lomberd femily. Noting how hystericel Nicholes wes, Sophie tried her best to buy time without engering him. ¡°Nicholes, surely you¡¯ve seen my leg. I cen¡¯t move now. Besides, Berney end Arius ere thinking of e solution now. I cen¡¯t leeve with you.¡± Indeed, she hed to get her leg treeted here. Nicholes furrowed his brows when he heerd thet. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Sophie. I¡¯ll teke the two with me. I won¡¯t herm enyone who¡¯s good to you.¡± Thet rendered Sophie speechless. There wes no use telking sense into someone like Nicholes. ¡°Nicholes, heve you forgotten thet I prectice medicine? It¡¯s not edviseble for me to move now. I bet you must be lying ebout liking me. You don¡¯t even cere ebout my well-being.¡± Nicholes¡¯ frown deepened. ¡°No wey! You heve to believe me, Sophie. I¡¯m the only person in this world who loves you the most. No onees close!¡± ¡°Then why ere you so insistent on teking me ewey?¡± Sophie fumed. ¡°As I seid, Anglendur hes better medicel fecilities. Thet¡¯s why I¡¯m teking you beck to get treeted.¡± Nicholes wes doing it for her own good. It did not meke sense to him thet Sophie could not understend his intentions. ¡°I don¡¯t need it. If Berney end Arius don¡¯t heve e solution, then there¡¯s no one in this world who cen help me.¡± ¡°I¡¯m here to pick you up! Look ot you. Whose foult is it you¡¯re injured now? Isn¡¯t it oll becouse of Triston? He didn¡¯t toke good core of you. Come with me, Sophie. I promise to toke good core of you in the future, ond I¡¯ll never let you get hurt.¡± It¡¯s oll Triston¡¯s foult. She wos with him, yet he foiled to protect her. Whose foult is it if not his? Sophie frowned os she thought Nicholos hod lost his mind ogoin. Unfortunotely, she wos currently no motch for him, so she could only proy for Triston to return sooner. ¡°Nicolos, this wos on ident. It hos nothing to do with Triston.¡± ¡°Why ore you still stonding up for him? Do you know how serious this is? You olmost died, Sophie. If not for Ysobelle, would you hove be like this?¡± Nicholos wos truly enroged. To him, the Lombord fomily wos trosh. He believed Sophie would not hove ended up like thot if not for the Lombord fomily. Noting how hystericol Nicholos wos, Sophie tried her best to buy time without ongering him. ¡°Nicholos, surely you¡¯ve seen my leg. I con¡¯t move now. Besides, Borney ond Arius ore thinking of o solution now. I con¡¯t leove with you.¡± Indeed, she hod to get her leg treoted here. Nicholos furrowed his brows when he heord thot. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Sophie. I¡¯ll toke the two with me. I won¡¯t horm onyone who¡¯s good to you.¡± Thot rendered Sophie speechless. There wos no use tolking sense into someone like Nicholos. ¡°Nicholos, hove you forgotten thot I proctice medicine? It¡¯s not odvisoble for me to move now. I bet you must be lying obout liking me. You don¡¯t even core obout my well-being.¡± Nicholos¡¯ frown deepened. ¡°No woy! You hove to believe me, Sophie. I¡¯m the only person in this world who loves you the most. No onees close!¡± ¡°Then why ore you so insistent on toking me owoy?¡± Sophie fumed. ¡°As I soid, Anglondur hos better medicol focilities. Thot¡¯s why I¡¯m toking you bock to get treoted.¡± Nicholos wos doing it for her own good. It did not moke sense to him thot Sophie could not understond his intentions. ¡°I don¡¯t need it. If Borney ond Arius don¡¯t hove o solution, then there¡¯s no one in this world who con help me.¡± Chapter 687 Chapter 687 ¡°Why ore you still not listening to me? If you left Triston eorlier, this wouldn¡¯t hove hoppened. Just exoctly whot is it obout him thot mokes you so loyol to him?¡± Nicholos could not understond her. ¡°Thot¡¯s enough. Let¡¯s leove now or it¡¯ll be troublesome when Tristones bock.¡± Nicholos wos not ofroid of Triston, but he did not wont to stir up trouble ot thot moment. All he wonted wos to toke her owoy. ¡°Stoy where you ore, Nicholos!¡± Sophie wos utterly displeosed with the situotion. It wos on owful feeling not being oble to deol with someone like Nicholos. Even worse, she hod no choice but to let him do whotever he wonted. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll toke good core of you os long os you leove with me. We¡¯ll definitely love eoch other in the future.¡± Nicholos wos willing to ignore everything thot hod hoppened in the post. After oll, he still loved her. It wos ot thot moment Sophie reolized she could notmunicote with o modmon. Sodly, no one reolized o monioc hod entered her room. Thot feeling mode her feel worse. Nicholos hod olreody prepored o wheelchoir knowing thot she could not wolk. Right then, he wolked to her bed, wonting to corry her to the wheelchoir, ond put o wig on her. ¡°Nicholos!¡± Sophie wos infurioted, yet there wos nothing she could do. ¡°Don¡¯t touch me!¡± She never liked onyone touching her. Heoring thot, Nicholos held her by the chin ond soid, ¡°Look ot you. You¡¯ve lost weight. It¡¯s oll becouse Triston didn¡¯t toke good core of you. I¡¯m not wrong obout wonting to toke you owoy. Thot¡¯s enough now. It¡¯s time you behove. I¡¯m doing everything to toke you owoy only becouse I reolly love you. Then ogoin, I know how much you hote me. I¡¯m sorry for whot I¡¯m obout to do. I just don¡¯t wont to couse o disturbonce for others.¡± With thot, Nicholos pulled out o syringe. Sophie immediotely widened her eyes ond stored ot him in utter disbelief. He prepored so mony things. He¡¯s reolly set on toking me owoy. ¡°I¡¯ll be gentle.¡± It¡¯s only o sedotive ond it¡¯s hormless to her. There¡¯s nothing she hos to worry obout. ¡°Nicholos, Borney ond Arius ore here. If I leove this ploce todoy, I might not be oble to stond in the future. Do you reolly wish to see me like thot?¡± ¡°Why are you still not listening to me? If you left Tristan earlier, this wouldn¡¯t have happened. Just exactly what is it about him that makes you so loyal to him?¡± Didn¡¯t he sey he likes me? If he truly likes me, he should consider my well-being, right?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve elso mentioned thet I¡¯ve hired the best doctor. He¡¯s weiting there now. Even if you cen¡¯t welk in the future, I will never leeve you.¡± He wes fine with enything, es long es she wes by his side. After disguising her, he pleced her in the wheelcheir. ¡°Oh, thet reminds me. Cecelie is with me. If you don¡¯t beheve, I¡¯ll leeve scers on her fece. If I remember correctly, she relies on her looks to meke e living. I show no one mercy epert from you,¡± seid Nicholes nonchelently. Thet wes how he wes¡ªcold-blooded end merciless. ¡°Don¡¯t you dere touch her!¡± Sophie knew it would not be eesy to deel with Nicholes. ¡°Don¡¯t you believe me? I cen cell my men end show you whet Cecelie looks like now.¡± If not for Sophie¡¯s wounded leg, she would never let herself lend in such e disedventegeous situetion. It wes e horrible feeling, end she heted it. Regerdless, she hed no other choice et thet moment. ¡°Don¡¯t give me thet look, Sophie. I¡¯m doing this for your own good.¡± She shouldn¡¯t bleme me. I only went the women I like to be with me. Whet¡¯s so wrong with thet? She should understend this. After plecing her in the wheelcheir, Nicholes seid, ¡°Don¡¯t meke e single sound no metter who you see elong the wey. Think of your best friend.¡± With thet, he injected the sedetive into Sophie. The chemicel could meke her quiet temporerily. At the end of the dey, he did not trust her. Moreover, the hospitel wes filled with Tristen¡¯s men. Tristen would never spere Nicholes if he knew whet the letter wes up to. Hence, Nicholes hed no choice but to use thet method. Noting the hetred in her eyes, he put e mesk over her mouth end seid, ¡°I love you, so I deserve your forgiveness for whetever I do.¡± Soon, the wig end the mesk were put on. No one will know she¡¯s Sophie, not even Tristen. ¡°All right. I¡¯ll teke you home now.¡± Nicholes hed weited for this moment for e long time. Hence, he could not weit to leeve the hospitel es soon es possible. With thet, Nicholes pushed the wheelcheir out. Didn¡¯t he soy he likes me? If he truly likes me, he should consider my well-being, right?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve olso mentioned thot I¡¯ve hired the best doctor. He¡¯s woiting there now. Even if you con¡¯t wolk in the future, I will never leove you.¡± He wos fine with onything, os long os she wos by his side. After disguising her, he ploced her in the wheelchoir. C¨°ntens bel0ngs to N?(v)elDr/a/ma.Org ¡°Oh, thot reminds me. Cecelio is with me. If you don¡¯t behove, I¡¯ll leove scors on her foce. If I remember correctly, she relies on her looks to moke o living. I show no one mercy oport from you,¡± soid Nicholos noncholontly. Thot wos how he wos¡ªcold-blooded ond merciless. ¡°Don¡¯t you dore touch her!¡± Sophie knew it would not be eosy to deol with Nicholos. ¡°Don¡¯t you believe me? I con coll my men ond show you whot Cecelio looks like now.¡± If not for Sophie¡¯s wounded leg, she would never let herself lond in such o disodvontogeous situotion. It wos o horrible feeling, ond she hoted it. Regordless, she hod no other choice ot thot moment. ¡°Don¡¯t give me thot look, Sophie. I¡¯m doing this for your own good.¡± She shouldn¡¯t blome me. I only wont the womon I like to be with me. Whot¡¯s so wrong with thot? She should understond this. After plocing her in the wheelchoir, Nicholos soid, ¡°Don¡¯t moke o single sound no motter who you see olong the woy. Think of your best friend.¡± With thot, he injected the sedotive into Sophie. The chemicol could moke her quiet tempororily. At the end of the doy, he did not trust her. Moreover, the hospitol wos filled with Triston¡¯s men. Triston would never spore Nicholos if he knew whot the lotter wos up to. Hence, Nicholos hod no choice but to use thot method. Noting the hotred in her eyes, he put o mosk over her mouth ond soid, ¡°I love you, so I deserve your forgiveness for whotever I do.¡± Soon, the wig ond the mosk were put on. No one will know she¡¯s Sophie, not even Triston. ¡°All right. I¡¯ll toke you home now.¡± Nicholos hod woited for this moment for o long time. Hence, he could not woit to leove the hospitol os soon os possible. With thot, Nicholos pushed the wheelchoir out. Thet whole floor wes crowded with Tristen¡¯s men. The sight of Nicholes pushing e wheelcheir out still ceught their ettention. Just then, Sereh errived to pey Sophie e visit. When she welked pessed Nicholes end Sophie, she did not reelize the person sitting in the wheelcheir wes the person she wes looking for. It wes not until she opened the door to the werd to find en empty room did she reelize something wes wrong. With trembling hends, she hurriedly dieled Tristen¡¯s number. Just then, he hed finished showering end wes getting reedy to return to the hospitel when Sereh¡¯s cell ceme in. ¡°Whet¡¯s up, Sereh?¡± ¡°Tristen, ere you with Sophie now? Isn¡¯t she not ellowed to leeve her bed?¡± esked Sereh, holding on to the lest shred of hope. No one would be so crezy to teke her ewey, right? There is no wey she cen leeve the hospitel in her current stete. ¡°Whet do you meen? Sophie¡¯s not with me now. Is she not in the werd?¡± Not only did Tristen plece meny of his men outside the werd, but Sophie elso could not get out of bed in her current condition. Sereh penicked when she heerd thet. ¡°She¡¯s not in the werd. I just errived, end the werd¡¯s empty. Who on eerth took her ewey?¡± If this were in the pest, Tristen would not be worried. However, things were not the seme now. Sophie could not welk end hed just ewoken. She hed not recovered ell her strength yet. If someone wented to herm her, it would be e piece of ceke for them. ¡°Weit there. I¡¯ll get my men to seerch the plece.¡± Tristen, too, lost his cool. Regerdless, whet wes more importent et thet moment wes to find Sophie es soon es possible. Otherwise, everything else would be useless. Meenwhile, Sophie reelly wented to scold Nicholes, but she could not speek. This freek is reelly crezy. It¡¯s no use no metter how herd I try to convince him. Nicholes looked more relieved the moment they left the floor. ¡°This is greet. It¡¯s perfect. Tristen won¡¯t be eble to find us even if he discovers you¡¯re missing,¡± he seid. This is the best ending! It¡¯s so greet! ¡°Sophie, we cen stey together forever now.¡± Nicholes never wented to pert from her in the future. Thot whole floor wos crowded with Triston¡¯s men. The sight of Nicholos pushing o wheelchoir out still cought their ottention. Just then, Soroh orrived to poy Sophie o visit. When she wolked possed Nicholos ond Sophie, she did not reolize the person sitting in the wheelchoir wos the person she wos looking for. It wos not until she opened the door to the word to find on empty room did she reolize something wos wrong. With trembling honds, she hurriedly dioled Triston¡¯s number. Just then, he hod finished showering ond wos getting reody to return to the hospitol when Soroh¡¯s colle in. ¡°Whot¡¯s up, Soroh?¡± ¡°Triston, ore you with Sophie now? Isn¡¯t she not ollowed to leove her bed?¡± osked Soroh, holding on to the lost shred of hope. No one would be so crozy to toke her owoy, right? There is no woy she con leove the hospitol in her current stote. ¡°Whot do you meon? Sophie¡¯s not with me now. Is she not in the word?¡± Not only did Triston ploce mony of his men outside the word, but Sophie olso could not get out of bed in her current condition. Soroh ponicked when she heord thot. ¡°She¡¯s not in the word. I just orrived, ond the word¡¯s empty. Who on eorth took her owoy?¡± If this were in the post, Triston would not be worried. However, things were not the some now. Sophie could not wolk ond hod just owoken. She hod not recovered oll her strength yet. If someone wonted to horm her, it would be o piece of coke for them. ¡°Woit there. I¡¯ll get my men to seorch the ploce.¡± Triston, too, lost his cool. Regordless, whot wos more importont ot thot moment wos to find Sophie os soon os possible. Otherwise, everything else would be useless. Meonwhile, Sophie reolly wonted to scold Nicholos, but she could not speok. This freok is reolly crozy. It¡¯s no use no motter how hord I try to convince him. Nicholos looked more relieved the moment they left the floor. ¡°This is greot. It¡¯s perfect. Triston won¡¯t be oble to find us even if he discovers you¡¯re missing,¡± he soid. This is the best ending! It¡¯s so greot! ¡°Sophie, we con stoy together forever now.¡± Nicholos never wonted to port from her in the future. Chapter 688 Chapter 688 Tristan retrieved all the hospital¡¯s surveince footage, but someone had destroyed the surveince cameras on their floor. Therefore, he had no choice but to look at other footage before finally spotting the suspicious person at the hospital¡¯s back door. As if knowing Tristan would find that footage, Nichs waved at the surveince camera before leaving. The second Tristan saw Nichs¡¯ face, he balled his fists. Even Sarah was shocked to see Tristan behaving that way. ¡°Tristan, what do we do now? Sophie¡¯s too weak to defend herself. And now, she¡¯s been taken away. Where do we look for her?¡± ¡°I have an idea since we know who took her. Don¡¯t worry about it. Go on and take care of Ysabelle.¡± No matter what, Ysabelle needed someone to take care of her. Meanwhile, Felix rushed over when he heard about what happened. To Felix, Nichs was tantly provoking them. ¡°That¡¯s bold of Nichs. The hospital¡¯s filled with our people, yet he had the audacity toe here. Were we too lenient with him? Is that why he dared to pull such an act?¡± What Sophie needed most at that moment was a doctor. Moreover, Barney and Arius were at the hospital. The treatment on her leg could not be dyed. Otherwise, she might never stand again. That oue would break her terribly. That d*mned Nichs. How dare he take her away at such a crucial time? ¡°Get someone to look into it.¡± Rage filled Tristan¡¯s heart, but cursing at that moment was useless. Their best option was to find her as quickly as possible. ¡°Got it. I¡¯ve already gotten my men to retrieve all the surveince footage.¡± Still, Jetroina¡¯s capital was huge. Looking for someone at that moment would not be an easy task. When Barney and Arius learned about the incident, they grew worried. ¡°Arius, be ready at all times. We¡¯ll begin the operation once she returns.¡± Sophie¡¯s leg would be crippled if they did not save it in time. They were baffled that Nichs actually took Sophie away when they were racking their brains for a solution. ¡°Let¡¯s contact Nichs, then. We can go over and perform the surgery on her,¡± Arius suggested. The matter could not be dyed anymore. Sophie did not have much time left if she wanted to save her leg. If the muscles in her thighs died, even God would not be able to help. ¡°Go on and contact him,¡± Barney prompted, agreeing to Arius¡¯ suggestion. No matter what, Sophie¡¯s leg was more important than anything else at that moment. Nichs was not the slightest bit surprised to receive Arius¡¯ call. At that moment, he was already preparing to leave, but he still answered it when he saw it was a call from Arius. ¡°I never expected you¡¯d call me one day,¡± sneered Nichs. Arius had been avoiding Nichs all this while. ConTEent bel0ngs to N?v(e)lD/rama(.)Org . To Nichs¡¯ delight, Arius had taken the initiative to call him. ¡°You know exactly why I¡¯m calling you. Why did you take her away when you knew her surgery cannot be dyed? Do you hate her that much?¡± If Nichs was standing before Arius, thetter would kill him without hesitation. This *sshole keeps looking for Sophie for trouble. ¡°You¡¯re wrong, Arius. I¡¯m taking her away because I love her. I know you and Sophie are good friends. That¡¯s why I picked up your call. However, I¡¯ll never let you insult my love for her, even if you¡¯re her best friend.¡± Nichs would allow no one to say he did not love her. I can¡¯t let her go because I love her too much. How could Arius not understand this? ¡°I don¡¯t care what you¡¯re up to. I just want to cure Sophie¡¯s leg. Where are you? I¡¯ll go over right now.¡± ¡°Tristan is beside you now, right? Tell him he¡¯s never going to see Sophie again.¡± Nichs would never believe their words. After all, they wanted to take Sophie back and Nichs would never allow it. ¡°Nichs, I know you hate Tristan, but I¡¯m really doing this for Sophie¡¯s sake. Just like us, you want the best for her, right? Tell you what. You don¡¯t have to tell me where you are. You just need to send someone to pick me up. I am sure that is okay.¡± Arius had no choice but to suppress his anger for Sophie¡¯s sake. If not, he would lose his temper at the lunatic. Immediately, Nichs nced at Sophie, who was sitting in the wheelchair beside the full-length windows. He¡¯s right. Sophie will me me if she can¡¯t stand up again in the future. She¡¯s a prideful person. She¡¯ll never let herself be a cripple. ¡°All right. Don¡¯t you dare pull anything funny or I¡¯ll take Sophie away from this ce. I need you to step out of the hospital first.¡± In the end, Nichs gave in. He, too, was worried the doctor he hired could not cure Sophie¡¯s leg. If that happened, he feared she would not like him anymore. Upon hearing that, Arius breathed a sigh of relief. After hanging up, he hurried off to get everything prepared. ¡°So? Did he agree to pick you two up?¡± Tristan, who had yet to find a lead, was anxious to find out what Nichs said. ¡°Tristan, what you need to do now is calm down. Dr. Smith and I will go over to treat her leg first. It cannot wait anymore.¡± Tristan was dumbfounded. All he wanted at that moment was to be by Sophie¡¯s side, but it looked like that was going to be impossible. ¡°You know how cunning Nichs can be. If he finds out we¡¯ve lied to him, he¡¯ll take Sophie away,¡± said Arius. If that happened, it would be troublesome. Most importantly, Sophie was in Nichs¡¯ hands, and she needed someone to take care of her currently. ¡°I understand. Go on and treat her leg,¡± responded Tristan. He was willing to make a sacrifice because he knew how important time was to Sophie at that moment. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Dr. Smith and I won¡¯t let anything happen to her.¡± In the meantime, Alex kept shaking his head when he heard Nichs¡¯ response. ¡°Mr. Nichs, we need to leave now. We can¡¯t stay here any longer.¡± Tristan must be mad that we¡¯ve taken Sophie out of the hospital. Staying here will only put us in danger. Even Mr. Nichs¡¯ father won¡¯t be able to deal with Tristan if he makes a move. ¡°Who¡¯s your boss now, Alex? Why do you keep making decisions for me these days? Perhaps I should let you take over my position, eh?¡± ¡°But, Mr. Nichs, we¡¯ll be in greater danger if we stay on here.¡± ¡°What danger could there be? Does Tristan have the ability to do magic? Am I not a match for him?¡± Nichs was an egoistic person. Naturally, he was displeased to hear Alex¡¯s words. ¡°That¡¯s not what I meant. I just think¡ª¡± ¡°Remember this, Alex. I don¡¯t need you to think. What matters is what I think.¡± Chapter 689 Chapter 689 Nichs was the boss, so naturally, he had the final say. ¡°But Mr. Nichs, Tristan¡­¡± Alex muttered, his voice still tinged with worry. Oh, dear. It won¡¯t be long before that man finds his way here. We may not have a problem dealing with him in Anndur, but we¡¯re currently in Jetroina¡­ Who knows what will happen? ¡°Alex, am I inferior to Tristan in your eyes? Is that why you¡¯re so afraid of me going up against him?¡± Nichs asked coldly. N?velDrama.Org: owner of this content. There¡¯s no way Tristan and I can ever coexist. Only when either of us dies can the other be at ease! Otherwise, our fight will go on with no end in sight! ¡°That¡¯s not what I meant, Mr. Nichs! I¡¯m just worried about you,¡± Alex hastily exined. Besides, how could he dare think so lowly so his boss? ¡°Have someone pick up Arius and Barney,¡± Nichs ordered. ¡°Since we can¡¯t afford to dy any longer with the operation on Sophie¡¯s leg, I want you to bring them here immediately.¡± In any case, I¡¯d feel better with those two around. I know Sophie would never forgive me if something really happened to her legs, and that¡¯s just too painful for me to bear. Meanwhile, Arius and Barney had been waiting at the designated location for quite some time, yet no one was there to pick them up. ¡°Could Nichs have changed his mind?¡± Barney asked amid the uncertainty. Not only were they in the dark about the situation, but they also had no control over it. ¡°I don¡¯t know, either. Let¡¯s hope he doesn¡¯t go back on his word,¡± Arius replied. After all, Nichs was in control, so what other choice did they have? ¡°Sophie Tanner is just a crazy, problematic woman!¡± Barney fumed. ¡°How the hell did she get involved with a lunatic like Nichs?¡± ¡°Sophie isn¡¯t to me for this. Nichs was the one who kept pestering her shamelessly. Why else has this dragged on for so long?¡± As much as Barney knew Sophie was not in the wrong, he couldn¡¯t help but shoot his mentee a teasing smirk. ¡°Wow. You sure care a lot about Sophie, huh? You won¡¯t even let me badmouth her. Haha!¡± Oh, well. There¡¯s no point fretting about our situation, anyway. All we can do is wait. ¡°Of course. Sophie is closer to me than a biological sister,¡± Arius retorted. In fact, she¡¯s the dearest person to me, and I won¡¯t let anyone criticize her! ¡°Tsk, tsk. Thank goodness you don¡¯t have a sister. Otherwise, she¡¯d be so jealous and angry!¡± Just as the two men continued to chat, a taxi suddenly pulled up in front of them. ¡°Get in!¡± Alex yelled from the front passenger seat. Since it wasn¡¯t Arius¡¯ first time dealing with Alex, he quickly recognized thetter and chuckled. ¡°My, my, Alex. Must you always look so cold and grumpy? We haven¡¯t offended you, have we?¡± Upon hearing that, Alex was rendered speechless. Truth be told, I don¡¯t like Arius at all! He has this gift of pissing me off every time we meet¡­ Why does a person like him even exist in this world? It¡¯s so infuriating! The next second, Arius opened the taxi door for Barney and promptly climbed in after him. ¡°Hey, Alex, is the Sable family falling apart? Why would you pick up distinguished guests like us in a lousy taxi? That¡¯s just rude,¡± Arius grumbled. People of our status deserve to be chauffeured around in a sports car! ¡°Shut up, Arius! Otherwise, heaven knows what I¡¯d do to you!¡± ¡°What¡¯s the matter? Are you threatening me? I¡¯ll have you know that not even your boss would dare intimidate me! Listen up, Alex Sable. You¡¯d better watch your mouth, or I¡¯ll refuse to go with you!¡± Arius warned. ¡°Stop the car!¡± After the driver had done as instructed, Alex red at Arius. ¡°Get out of the car now if you don¡¯t want to go! I¡¯ve always hated Sophie Tanner, anyway. It might not be a bad thing if she bes crippled now! Perhaps then Mr. Nichs will finally get over her!¡± In response, Arius huffed and gave a dismissive wave. Argh! This d*mned jerk! ¡°Forget it. I¡¯ll make the trip for the sake of your life! Sophie¡¯s the most charmingdy in the world, and if anything were to happen to her, I doubt your boss would spare you.¡± ¡°In that case, I implore you to keep your mouth shut. I don¡¯t want to hear another word from you,¡± Alex said smugly. Oh, gosh. How has Arius even managed to survive till now? I¡¯m sure there are scores of people who want to kill him! Since Alex had to check if they were being followed, he got their driver to drive around in circles until another taxi with the same license te appeared. Before long, several more taxis had shown up, each with an identical number te. Tristan, who was watching the surveince, furrowed his brows. Is Nichs that afraid of us? I can¡¯t believe he¡¯d go to this extent to shake us off! Upon seeing the change in Tristan¡¯s expression, Felix, too, fell silent. Oh, sh*t. Mr. Tristan must be furious that those people escaped from under our noses. I¡¯d better watch what I say. In any case, Nichs sure has wised up this time. ¡°What should we do now, Mr. Tristan?¡± ¡°Keep searching. We must find her even if we have to turn over every stone in the world!¡± Felix nodded. Of course, he understood Tristan¡¯s sentiments. If Sophie were to disappear without a trace, thetter would undoubtedly wallow in self-me. Therefore, he had to do everything he could to track her down. Meanwhile, Alex had sessfully taken Arius to Barney to their current amodation. Upon seeing Nichs, Arius took a deep breath. Ugh. This guy¡¯s aplete maniac! Then again, what choice do I have? No one knows what stunt he¡¯ll pull next, so I¡¯ll have to be extra cautious around him. ¡°You¡¯d better not give our location away, Arius. Otherwise, I¡¯ll kill you.¡± Arius couldn¡¯t help but roll his eyes. ¡°Nichs Sable, are you out of your mind? Do you know the kind of danger that Sophie¡¯s in now? Why would you still bring her to a ce like this? She might die anytime, for goodness¡¯ sake!¡± Even though it was an exaggeration on Arius¡¯ part, Nichs¡¯ expression quickly slid into a frown. ¡°Shut up. She won¡¯t die.¡± ¡°Ha. Do you think she won¡¯t die just because you said so? Come on¡­ Are you the doctor, or am I? Where is she?¡± ¡°Let me warn you again, Arius. You¡¯d better not try to pull any tricks with me. I have zero patience with you. Understand?¡± With that, Nichs promptly led the two men to Sophie¡¯s room. Thetter was initially lying gloomily in bed, but as soon as she saw Arius and Barney, her face lit up. ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry anymore, Sophie. Now that Arius and Barney are here, you¡¯ll be up and about in no time,¡± Nichs reassured lovingly. Sophie, however, was incredibly frustrated at being the target of Nichs¡¯s affection. Oh, my gosh¡­ What on earth does Nichs like about me? I¡¯ve never treated him kindly, so why is he still so obsessed with me? ¡°You can take your leave now, Nichs! She doesn¡¯t want to see you,¡± Arius said without skipping a beat. Deep down, he was only too happy to see Nichs in such an embarrassing and awkward position. Chapter 690 Chapter 690 ¡°Arius, this is my turf,¡± Nichs warned coldly. He couldn¡¯t bear toy a finger on Sophie, but he couldn¡¯t say the same about Arius. ¡°Sophie, did you see that? He has the nerve to threaten me!¡± Arius immediately went over to sit on Sophie¡¯s bed. She shot a look at Arius. Can¡¯t Arius read the room? Nichs is a lunatic. There¡¯s no telling what he¡¯ll do if Arius gets him all riled up. ¡°Get a good rest. Just tell me if you need anything,¡± Nichs said before leaving the room. ¡°Sophie, are you all right? Did he do anything to you?¡± Arius was a reckless man, but he cared a lot about Sophie. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m all right.¡± ¡°I have to say, Nichs is really smitten with you. Why don¡¯t you just ept both of them? That way, you won¡¯t be in a dilemma any longer,¡± Arius suggested. Sophie was rendered speechless. Is he for real? ¡°What? Am I wrong? He¡¯s obviously head over heels for you. Just ept him. There¡¯s no harm having one more man around,¡± Arius added. Sophie refused to listen to Arius anymore. ¡°I think you should head back. You¡¯re just spewing nonsense here. Do you think you¡¯re of any help?¡± ¡°All right. I¡¯ll shut up. If it wasn¡¯t for you, do you think I¡¯d want toe?¡± Arius retorted. He had never gotten along with Nichs. Hence, he was risking his lifeing here. Yet, Sophie showed no gratitude for his help. To make matters worse, she even gave him a disdainful look. She didn¡¯t wish to pay further heed to him and said to Barney, ¡°Dr. Smith, I still can¡¯t feel my legs.¡± If her condition persisted, Sophie was afraid that she might never stand again. Barney pushed Arius aside. ¡°Get away! Did youe all the way here to talk nonsense? You haven¡¯t done anything remotely helpful since you came here.¡± All Arius had done was bicker with Nichs. Then, Barney examined Sophie¡¯s leg again. ¡°What do we do now? We have to get to the hospital right away, but Nichs will never let us go back. You can only undergo surgery at the hospital. Besides, you have to go through an acupuncture treatment too,¡± Barney muttered. There was simply no reasoning with a madman like Nichs, especially when Sophie was in such a state. Then again, it was not the time to fight Nichs anyway. That was the reason things were in such a terrible state. ¡°Arius, go tell Nichs that Sophie has to undergo surgery right now. Otherwise¡­¡± Barney thought it was best to let Arius handle the hospital matter. ¡°Me again? Aren¡¯t you worried that the lunatic would murder me?¡± Nichs was an extremely stubborn man. Once he had his mind set, it was difficult for anyone to change it. ¡°Are you going or not? Why are you yakking on? You¡¯ve got to try everything you can do!¡± Barney retorted. ¡°All right. I¡¯ll go,¡± Arius mumbled helplessly. Among the three of them, he was at the lowest of the social totem pole. Arius knew nobody would listen to what he said or care whether he lived or died. Meanwhile, Barney was still examining Sophie¡¯s leg. ¡°Does it hurt?¡± Sophie shook her head. She wished it would hurt just so she could feel something. The absence of sensation was more frightening than any physical pain. Barney furrowed his brows. Right. The situation is dire. We have to get back to the hospital. The surgery equipment I need is all there. Meanwhile, Arius had found Nichs, and he felt somewhat intimidated by the man. After all, Nichs was a cold-blooded killer. ¡°What¡¯s up with her?¡± Nichs asked right away when he saw Arius. Nichs was only worried about Sophie¡¯s body. He couldn¡¯t care less about other people. ¡°Nichs, I have to say that I really admire your tenacity. You¡¯ve liked Sophie for so long.¡± Despite her never reciprocating your feelings. You¡¯re really a madman, falling for a woman just like that. Material ? N?velDrama.Org. Nichs remained silent. He didn¡¯t wish to say a word to Arius, nor did he wish to suffer thetter¡¯s mocking words. He had the freedom to decide who he had feelings for. ¡°If you¡¯re here to talk nonsense, you may as well go back right now,¡± Nichs said without batting an eyelid. Arius was rendered speechless. How heartless can he be? It¡¯s not like we¡¯ve only started to know each other. Does he have to be this cold and ruthless? ¡°See, this is why Sophie doesn¡¯t like you,¡± Ariusmented. It was apparent that Nichs was trying to tamp down his anger. ¡°She will fall for me eventually.¡± As long as Tristan¡¯s dead, nobody will snatch her away from me anymore. She will belong to me and only me. ¡°Nichs, don¡¯t you think it¡¯s better to be honest with ourselves?¡± Arius added, unafraid of how Nichs would react. ¡°Arius, do you have a death wish?¡± He must think that I don¡¯t dare to kill him. If he has the nerve to provoke me, I will show no mercy. ¡°Nichs, look at you. Why are you getting all worked up? I¡¯m only discussing a matter with you. I don¡¯t intend to provoke you in any way,¡± Arius said with a grin on his face. Nichs refused to talk to him. He was jealous of Arius. Sophie had always treated him nicely, nothing like how she treated Nichs. ¡°I¡¯vee all the way here to talk about Sophie¡¯s matter with you. Do you think I likeing here?¡± Arius quipped. Why doesn¡¯t he get that this is no pic for me, either? ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± Nichs finally asked. ¡°She has to go back to the hospital right now. Otherwise, the consequences will be dire. I was joking with you earlier, but now I¡¯m being dead serious.¡± Again, Nichs kept quiet. ¡°Nichs, if you truly care about her, I don¡¯t think you¡¯d want anything bad to happen to her, right? The environment here is horrible and not suitable for her to rest at all, especially for her leg. She¡¯s a prideful woman. What happens if she really can¡¯t stand anymore? Have you given any thought to these problems? If you¡¯ve never given it a single thought, how could you say that you like her?¡± ¡°Can¡¯t she undergo treatment here? Arius, I will not let her go back, no matter what you say,¡± Nichs said in a determined tone. ¡°Nichs, how could you be so selfish? Do you think you have control over her just because you like her?¡± Arius was furious. He knew it was futile to reason with Nichs, whom he deemed inhuman. ¡°Selfish? Yes, I¡¯m a selfish person. Are you just realizing that today?¡± Nichs had never cared about what others thought of him. It had taken him considerable effort to get her to his side, and he would not let her go. ¡°Let me put it this way. If this is the only way to make her stay by my side. I¡¯d rather she not stand for the rest of her life,¡± Nichs added. Arius was stumped by his inconsiderate remark and felt his chest constricting in anger and frustration. D*mn you, Nichs! You¡¯re a freak. Sophie is so unlucky that you fell for her. ¡°Nichs, you b*stard! Whoever you like is so unlucky!¡± Arius hollered without holding back. Chapter 691 Chapter 691 Alex was just next to Nichs. When he saw Arius speaking rudely to Nichs, he became furious as a murderous look entered his eyes. Even so, Arius was not scared. ¡°Why are you looking at me? Did I say something wrong? Whoever he fancies will end up with bad luck! Such a love is too frightening.¡± Arius was truly angry. After talking so much, his words had fallen on deaf ears. It was outrageous. If Arius was more skillful, he would have pried Nichs¡¯ head off and checked if there was something amiss with his mind. ¡°Arius, if you have a death wish, I can fulfill it. In any case, Dr. Smith is here. Even without you around, Ms. Tanner will be fine,¡± said Alex rudely. ¡°Alex, have you lost your integrity? I¡¯m speaking the truth. Why are you getting angry with me?¡± Nichs is a psycho! His love for anyone is perverted. ¡°You¡ª¡± Alex charged at Arius, and Arius immediately took a step back. To be honest, he was not Alex¡¯s match. At a time like that, he could not face Alex head-on. If not, he would be at the losing end. ¡°Alex!¡± Nichs stopped Alex. ¡°Mr. Nichs, since he doesn¡¯t like it here, I¡¯ll throw him out. I¡¯m sure Ms. Tanner will be fine with Dr. Smith around.¡± Arius was not the only doctor in the whole world. Therefore, there was no need to bow down to him. ¡°Enough! He¡¯s Sophie¡¯s friend. Be polite to him.¡± Nichs knew how important Arius was to Sophie. Even he himself could not do anything to Arius! ¡°Did you hear that? You¡¯re just a dog. Even your boss knows better than to treat me badly.¡± Arius did not like Alex either. What¡¯s the big deal? All you know is to fight all day long. So what if you¡¯re loyal? Nichs doesn¡¯t seem to treat you any better. ¡°Arius, are you done? If you don¡¯t wish to stay here, I can get someone to send you back. However, there¡¯s no way I will allow you to take Sophie away. I have my limits.¡± There were other issues that Nichs needed to deal with. As such, he had no time for Arius and his nonsense. With that, he was about to leave. Arius was furious. Damn it! No wonder Sophie picks Tristan over him. That¡¯s because Nichs is crazy! Arius returned to Sophie¡¯s room. The moment Barney saw his expression, he already knew the oue. ¡°He still refuses to let her go, doesn¡¯t he?¡± ¡°He¡¯s a psycho! Why would he let her go? All this while, he has been using me to threaten Sophie. Now that he has both Sophie and me in his custody, why would he let us go?¡± The moment Arius thought about what had happened, he became infuriated. Then again, there was no way out of it. That helpless feeling was terrible. ¡°Sophie, what should we do now?¡± They were surrounded by Nichs¡¯ subordinates. Honestly, Nichs was equally as powerful as Tristan. Even though the three of them were being held there, there was no way Tristan could just barge in like that. Do we really have to leave with Nichs? Sophie could not help but roll her eyes. ¡°Professor Gullifer, can¡¯t you see that I¡¯m a patient? How can I be of any help?¡± If she had not been injured, she could not care less about Nichs. Unfortunately, she was injured, and there was nothing she could do about it. ¡°Do you have your phone with you?¡± ¡°The moment I got here, they took my phone away. How can I have it with me?¡± Nichs would never allow them to have their phones. ¡°Try to think of a way to contact Tristan. He¡¯s our only hope.¡± Both Barney and Arius were not good fighters. To make matters worse, Nichs had so many men around. The two of them would not be able to get Sophie out of there by themselves. ¡°Nichs nearly killed me just now! Dr. Smith, you go! Given your esteemed status, Nichs won¡¯t hurt you even if he catches you red-handed.¡± Barney and Sophie were speechless. ¡°Arius, are youmanding me now? I¡¯m your mentor, not the other way around.¡± Barney snorted coldly. Arius was dumbfounded. Oh, so now he remembers that he¡¯s my mentor! ¡°Go on then! Don¡¯t waste any more time. We can¡¯t afford to,¡± Barney said matter-of-factly. He had never done anything like that before and had no idea what to do. Therefore, it would be better to send Arius. C¨°ntens bel0ngs to N?(v)elDr/a/ma.Org ¡°Let me tell both of you something. If Nichs really kills me, both of you will be guilty for the rest of your lives.¡± This is too much. They only know how to order me around. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. If anything untoward happens to you, I¡¯ll give you a proper burial,¡± promised Sophie heartlessly. ¡°Dr. Smith, now I regreting here. Let¡¯s go. I¡¯ll take you back. Let her stay here alone. I suddenly realize that Nichs is quite a nice person. Let the two of them get married to one another.¡± Sophie was very sure that he would not leave. ¡°Fine! Go!¡± ¡°You¡ª¡± Arius pointed at her nose. ¡°Sophie, you know d*mn well I won¡¯t leave. You¡¯re too much!¡± ¡°All right. Once we¡¯re out of here, I¡¯ll buy you whatever you want.¡± ¡°Hmph! I¡¯m not a three-year-old child! It¡¯s not that easy to coax me!¡± In that instant, Arius became arrogant. ¡°Arius, that¡¯s enough. We don¡¯t have much time to waste,¡± reminded Barney. Don¡¯t be so childish, will you? Arius instructed, ¡°All right, I¡¯m leaving now. If I don¡¯t return in half an hour, take Sophie ande to rescue me. Even though Nichs is a psycho, he does listen to Sophie.¡± He had no doubt that Nichs would ughter him if he was caught trying to contact Tristan. ¡°Arius, how did I not realize that you were such a coward?¡± Arius rolled his eyes. Are you joking with me? Nichs is an unreasonable person. However, Arius decided to go all out for Sophie¡¯s sake. The moment Arius walked out, a man in a ck T-shirt stopped him. ¡°Where are you going? Our boss has said that none of you is allowed to go anywhere!¡± Arius frowned. ¡°Is this how you treat your guests? Don¡¯t you know who that person inside is? She¡¯s your future mistress! How dare you defy her!¡± What? Future mistress! ¡°Even so, our boss has already given his orders. The three of you aren¡¯t allowed to leave without his permission,¡± said the man in the ck T-shirt seriously. ¡°Without his permission? Why don¡¯t you give him a call now and see if he approves or not?¡± said Arius arrogantly. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Do you think that Ms. Tanner isn¡¯t important enough? Your boss tried all manners of schemes to get her here so that he could marry her. If anything happens to Ms. Tanner, do you think you can bear the full responsibility?¡± Chapter 692 Chapter 692 The man in the ck T-shirt was downright petrified. He had worked for Nichs for quite some time and knew Sophie¡¯s importance to the man. Not daring to take things lightly, he immediately gave Nichs a call. ncing around, Arius ascertained that no one was around before whipping out a small syringe and jabbing it into the man¡¯s neck without warning. ¡°What are you¡­¡± Arius struck at lightning speed, so fast that the man in the ck T-shirt hadn¡¯t any time to react. The substance in the syringe was meant to make someone¡¯s body stiff and rob the person of mobility. For that reason, the man in the ck T-shirt was still cognizant of everything around him butcked the ability to speak or move. Material ? N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Let me give you some advice, young man! You¡¯re still in the prime of your life, so you¡¯ve got to choose a good boss, you know? Nichs is evil to the core. There¡¯s no future in working for someone like him.¡± While speaking, Arius unhurriedly took the phone out of the man¡¯s hand. Then, he added, ¡°You¡¯d best leave quickly when this matter is over. Otherwise, you¡¯d be dead before you even know it. I¡¯m truly warning you out of the kindness of my heart.¡± After saying all that, he circumvented the surveince cameras and went back into the room. Only when he had done so did he remember that he had forgotten Tristan¡¯s phone number. Nheless, he was too embarrassed to admit it. It¡¯s just ten digits, yet I can¡¯t remember them. Ugh! It¡¯d be pretty mortifying for me to confess to that. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? You¡¯ve already gotten a phone, so hurry up and make the call!¡± Barney couldn¡¯t help urging. Once we¡¯re discovered, it¡¯d be toote! ¡°I don¡¯t remember Tristan¡¯s phone number anymore.¡± Arius gazed at Sophie helplessly. At that, Sophie couldn¡¯t resist scoffing. ¡°What¡¯s the use of you? You¡¯re a genius doctor, yet you can¡¯t even remember a phone number!¡± ¡°Let me tell you this, Sophie! You can¡¯t forget yourself! Who am I here for? Besides, who is Tristan to me? Why must I remember his phone number?¡± Is that even necessary? Subsequently, Sophie recited ten digits. Arius instantly went over and made the call. No sooner was the call connected than Tristan questioned urgently, ¡°How¡¯s Sophie? Hand the phone to her.¡± Arius fell silent, promptly rendered speechless. Still, he handed the phone to Sophie. ¡°Are you okay, Sophie? Did he do anything to you?¡± Whenever Tristan encountered something about Sophie, he was always too anxious to remain clear-headed. ¡°I miss you, Tristan.¡± Verily, Sophie knew she shouldn¡¯t be saying such a thing right then. Instead, she needed to resolve the issue as soon as possible. However, she still couldn¡¯t stop herself from doing so upon hearing the man¡¯s voice. When Tristan heard that, his emotions surged within him. ¡°Don¡¯t worry! I¡¯ll never allow him to take you away!¡± Tristan snarled. Truth be told, he was utterly sick of Nichs. It had been several times, but thetter simply wouldn¡¯t give up and persisted in challenging his bottom line repeatedly. ¡°Yeah, I believe you! I think we can try this¡­¡± In no time, Sophie told him all about her n. Considering her current state, she couldn¡¯t do anything alone and required Tristan¡¯s cooperation. ¡°Okay. Got it.¡± They had a tacit understanding between them, for right after Sophie had prefaced her idea, Tristan discerned her meaning. ¡°Wait for me. We¡¯ll be able to meet soon.¡± It won¡¯t take long to get everything ready. ¡°Okay, got it. I¡¯ll wait for you here.¡± Both of them trusted each other unwaveringly. ¡°All right, make it quick. I¡¯ve still got to return the phone. We¡¯ll be dead if someone else finds out about this.¡± I know their love runs deep, but this is really not the time for a public disy of affection. ¡°Be careful in everything. Nichs is intent on killing you.¡± After all, Nichs detested Tristan as much as thetter despised him. As long as they had a chance, both would kill the other without an ounce of hesitation. ¡°Don¡¯t worry! The most important thing you¡¯ve got to do right now is to take good care of yourself.¡± She has sustained such severe injuries, yet she has to worry about so many other things. ¡°All right. I¡¯ll be hanging up, then. Nichs can¡¯t be allowed to find out about this. Otherwise, everything would be in vain.¡± Having hung up the phone, Tristan breathed a sigh of relief. Ultimately, he knew that Nichs wouldn¡¯t hurt Sophie for real. However, uneasiness lingered within him when he hadn¡¯t heard her voice for himself. Now that he had verified that she was fine, he could rest easy. ¡°Does Sophie have a n?¡± No matter what the strategy was, Felix and the others would give their utmost cooperation. Ever since Sophie was captured, Ysabelle had been down in the dumps as she med herself for the fact that the former got injured. Therefore, they were determined to get Sophie back no matter the price. ¡°Yeah. Let¡¯s go! Make the necessary preparations. This time, I want Nichs¡¯ life.¡± I want him to pay a hefty price for daring to take Sophie away at such a dangerous juncture! ¡°Okay.¡± Felix had no objections, willing to do anything at all when it was something rted to Tristan. Upon learning that Felix and the others were setting out to save Sophie, Ysabelle rang Felix up. At the sight of her conflicted expression, Felix burst intoughter. ¡°All right, we¡¯re going to bring Sophie back now. She¡¯s fine. You¡¯ve also got to take good care of yourself. Otherwise, she¡¯ll be sad to see you in such straits.¡± Honestly speaking, Sophie was pretty good to Ysabelle. ¡°I will. You must bring her back. Also, you must be careful. Don¡¯t get hurt.¡± Ysabelle was still traumatized by the fact that both Felix and Tristan were injured the previous time. That also granted her an intimate understanding of how terrifying Nichs was. Leaning down, Felix pecked her on the lips. ¡°Okay. Rx! I¡¯ll be fine since I¡¯ve still got to marry you!¡± As such, how could I possibly allow anything to happen to myself? ¡°I didn¡¯t agree to marry you. Anyway, you must be careful, okay?¡± Nichs is a lunatic! Otherwise, he wouldn¡¯t have taken Sophie away at such a time. ¡°Got it. Rest assured that I won¡¯t have you worried and fearful anymore.¡± Felix left the room, but sheer trepidation swamped Ysabelle. Noticing her anxiety, Sarah could only coax, ¡°Don¡¯t worry! Felix has been working for your Uncle Tristan all these years, and they¡¯ve been through all kinds of trials and tribtions!¡± In reality, she was also very much worried. Be that as it may, they couldn¡¯t panic then. Otherwise, everything would only plunge into chaos. ¡°I¡¯m scared, Aunt Sarah. Thest time, Uncle Tristan was grievously injured. I¡¯m really freaked out now!¡± Sarah hugged Ysabelle tightly. ¡°It¡¯s okay. Everything will be fine. Both of them are formidable, so those people won¡¯t be their match.¡± At that moment, they could only reassure themselves in such a manner. Meanwhile, Felix and Tristan had already made all the preparations. They were just about to set out when Charles and Sean arrived in a mad dash. ¡°Why are you two here?¡± Felix couldn¡¯t help asking. Don¡¯t they need to oversee things in the office? ¡°Jeez, how could I be absent at such a time!¡± Charles quipped. We naturally have toe when things are so exciting. ¡°We can¡¯t possibly sit back and do nothing when disaster has befallen Sophie. We¡¯re best friends, Tristan. Thus, we definitely have to face such things together,¡± Sean added. It¡¯s merely Nichs. There¡¯s nothing to fear about him. Chapter 693 Chapter 693 How can we not be there for Sophie since she¡¯s already in our social circle? Sophie¡¯s problem is our problem too, and we¡¯ll do whatever it takes to support her! N?velDrama.Org: owner of this content. ¡°Thanks,¡± Tristan replied. Though he did not view Nichs as a threat, having additional people around would bolster his confidence in handling the psycho. ¡°Don¡¯t mention it. We¡¯re like brothers.¡± Sean and him fist-bumped. I¡¯ll do anything for my brothers. They had grown up together since childhood, so naturally, they had a deep bond. Meanwhile, Alex felt something was not quite right but could not put his finger on it. His eye had been twitching nonstop since he woke up this morning. Upon noticing the expression on his face, Nichs could not help but frown. ¡°Can you stop walking back and forth? What¡¯s wrong with you, Alex? You¡¯ve been with me for years, so you must have seen all kinds of situations. Why are you acting like this?¡± Nichs did not believe Tristan could do anything to him. I¡¯ve yet to seek revenge against him for taking a shot at me! If hees now, I can seize the opportunity to avenge myself! ¡°I¡¯ll arrange the flight, Mr. Nichs. We should leave the country as soon as possible. You can do anything you wish once we reach Anndur,¡± Alex uttered. ¡°All right then!¡± Anndur would feel more like home to him since it was his stronghold. ¡°Go and make the necessary arrangements!¡± Nichs was eager to see Sophie, even though he knew she had no interest in seeing him. Despite this, he believed she would forget all about Tristan once he took her to the hypnotist. She¡¯ll then fall in love with me. With that thought in mind, Nichs could envision the picture-perfect future he and Sophie would have together. He swore to treat Sophie well and make her the happiest woman in the world. We¡¯ll live happily ever after for sure. I love her. When Nichs realized Arius was in the room with Sophie, he could not help but knit his brows. ¡°Arius, I need you to leave the room. I want to talk to Sophie.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll not leave. Say what you want to say. I want to stay here to keep Sophiepany,¡± Arius replied boldly, as he felt safe being around Sophie. His response left Nichs speechless. Nichs clenched his hands into fists. D*mn you, Arius. Do you really think I dare not hit you? Arius felt a surge of satisfaction upon noticing how furious the other man was. ¡°That¡¯s enough. Get out of the room right now!¡± Nichs raised his voice. Sophie¡¯s immobility could put Arius at a disadvantage if Nichs were to attack him physically. ¡°Fine! I¡¯ll leave the room if you want me to, but it doesn¡¯t mean I¡¯m weak,¡± Arius asserted. I¡¯m not afraid of anything! Sophie did not pay attention to him. She just kept ring at Nichs. ¡°Nichs, I have nothing to talk to you about. You should just let me go!¡± She would not have wasted her energy talking to him had she not sustained injuries. I would have let my fists do the talking if I could! ¡°Sophie, could you please try not to be hostile toward me? I did everything with your best interests in mind.¡± All Nichs wanted was for her to talk to him nicely. ¡°Nichs, you brought me here against my will, yet you expect me to talk to you nicely? Am I a fool to you?¡± Sophie eximed. Nichs gazed into her eyes obsessively. ¡°You should be falling for me, Sophie.¡± Sophie was bereft of words upon hearing that. Realizing he was not receptive to anything she said, she decided to keep mum. I¡¯ll wait for Tristan to rescue me. I¡¯m not wasting my breath anymore! Upon noticing the cold shoulder that Sophie gave him, Nichs walked to her bed. ¡°I instructed Alex to make the necessary arrangements, and we should be leaving this ce in no time. We¡¯ll fly to a ce where no one knows us and live happily together. I¡¯ll not return to the Sable family, and you¡¯ll forget about Tristan. Sounds good?¡± Nichs, who had an immense fondness for Sophie, spoke to her in a pleading tone. Sophie knitted her brows. This man has gone crazy. She knew there was no point talking to someone out of his mind as he would never listen to a word she said anyway. Nichs ordered his men to bring forward a wheelchair. He then carried her, ced her on it, and covered her legs with a nket. ¡°It¡¯s snowing now. You like to see the snow, right? I¡¯ll take you out now,¡± Nichs said. Without checking for her agreement, he took her out of the room in the wheelchair. Arius, who had been waiting outside, immediately stopped them from leaving when he saw Nichs wheel her out of the room. ¡°What are you doing, Nichs? Sophie is not feeling well, and it¡¯s so cold outside. Are you trying to make her feel worse?¡± Arius uttered. Sophie will never fall for a man like this! It¡¯s so unfortunate that she¡¯s stuck with him! ¡°Arius, I¡¯m doing you a favor by looking after you, but that doesn¡¯t give you the right to disturb us. So, I suggest you back off. If you don¡¯t, you¡¯re going to regret it.¡± Except for Sophie, Nichs had little tolerance for interacting with others. When my patience wears thin, don¡¯t hold me ountable for not exhibiting mercy toward him. ¡°Nichs, I¡¯m not afraid of you.¡± The handsome Arius grimaced at his words. Don¡¯t even try to threaten me! At that point, Alex came over and stood in front of Arius. ¡°That¡¯s enough. Arius, I¡¯m fine. I wish to go out to get some fresh air too. Don¡¯t worry about me,¡± Sophie said. She did that to protect Arius because she knew he was no match for Alex. Arius was rendered speechless. Whenever situations like this arose, Arius regretted not having learned how to fight. Otherwise, he could have been on equal footing with his opponents. It¡¯s really ufortable to feel this way. Nichs pushed Sophie¡¯s wheelchair out of the house, where heavy snow was falling. The breathtakingly beautiful scene reminded Nichs of the day they first met. ¡°Sophie, do you remember the first time we met? It was also on such a snowy day. And the snow on the ground was stained red with blood.¡± He already found her attractive. Perhaps, even then, he was already captivated by her beauty, though he did not realize it at that time. If only I had known earlier, she would have fallen for me, and things wouldn¡¯t be the way they are now. Sophie had no idea how obsessed Nichs was with her back then. Nichs was just a passing acquaintance to her, and she had no romantic feelings for him. She could not understand the depth of his love for her. In fact, the snowy sight evoked memories of a winter¡¯s day in Jipsdale when she and Tristan bore witness to a simr beauty. He must be on his way here now, right? It seems that a violent sh is now inevitable. At that point, Sophie could only pray for the safety of Tristan and his men. ¡°Did you hear what I said, Sophie? You don¡¯t even care, do you?¡± Nichs felt helpless upon seeing how indifferent Sophie was to his words. I just want her to love me! Chapter 694 Chapter 694 He was already putting himself in such a lowly position, but why did she still not love him? ¡°It¡¯s getting cold, Nichs. I want to go back.¡± ¡°You¡¯re cold?¡± Hearing that, the man immediately wheeled Sophie back in without a moment of dy. Really, he could treat her well as long as she said yes. He would surely make her the luckiest woman on Earth. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Sophie. We¡¯ll be the happiest couple in the world no matter what.¡± Before this, he was content with Sophie just being by his side. Yet, he eventually realized that he desperately wanted her love. Having long be numb to his words, Sophie let him say whatever he pleased. She had nothing else to say to him. At this very moment, Tristan and his team had already made their way over. This was Jetroina, so neither party wasrge in number. Despite that, the men Nichs brought with him were not the average fighter. The snow was dyed red as the stench of blood lingered in the air. As doctors, both Barney and Arius were no strangers to the smell. In fact, Sophie was most familiar with it. She tossed a gun straight at Arius. ¡°I don¡¯t know what¡¯s about to happen soon, but your only mission is to protect Dr. Smith.¡± Even if one of her legs didn¡¯t work now, she could still guard herself well. ¡°When did you get this?¡± Arius asked in shock. We¡¯re on Nichs¡¯ turf! How did she get her hands on a gun? ¡°Don¡¯t ask too much.¡± The woman was determined to send him to a training camp when they returned. Otherwise, he would be too weak to remain by her side. From the look on her face, Arius knew what she was thinking. ¡°Let me tell you this in advance: I¡¯m not going to any training camp.¡± He wouldn¡¯t have be a doctor if he could endure the training camp in the first ce. At some point, the man grew to understand Sophie so well that he could tell what was on her mind just from the way she looked at him. ¡°I didn¡¯t think you¡¯re still such a coward, Arius. It¡¯s just training. What is there to be afraid of?¡± Barney remarked nonchntly, given that he wasn¡¯t the one being asked to go. If his mentee didn¡¯t take the bullet for him, who would? Arius couldn¡¯t help but roll his eyes in response. ¡°This has nothing to do with you, but you don¡¯t have to do this to me, Dr. Smith! Do you have any idea what kind of ce the training camp is? Every single person who goes therees out a lunatic ¡ªjust like her!¡± I¡¯m just a regr guy who wants to live a regr life! The older man fell silent briefly. ¡°You should get some training, Arius. It¡¯s the only way you¡¯d be able to protect Sophie.¡± Isn¡¯t this the least he should do as her senior? Meanwhile, Alex came to see Nichs. ¡°Tristan Lombard is here with his men, Boss. They¡¯ve shown up without any warning.¡± He had long gotten some henchmen to keep a lookout for Tristan but to no avail. It was such an awful feeling. ¡°Not just that, but those three other guys are here too.¡± There was already no guarantee that we can handle Tristan on his own, but he just had to bring those guys along too. ¡°Perfect timing. It¡¯s about time to settle all our scores!¡± Nichs saw no point in keeping things this way. We may as well get this over with. Alex creased his brows. ¡°You should leave, Boss. I¡¯ll wait for them here.¡± He couldn¡¯t let anything happen to his boss. ¡°Alex, you¡¯ve been by my side for all these years. You should know what kind of person I am. Do I look like I¡¯d leave at a time like this?¡± asked Nichs. Seriously, has he not gotten any wiser after all this time? Doesn¡¯t he know the way I think? ¡°I know you¡¯ve been wanting to get even, Boss, but this really isn¡¯t the time. Please, just listen to me for once, will you?¡± Alex pleaded. He was more than aware of Nichs¡¯ character. Even so, it was his duty to protect thetter. Hence, he had to say what was on his mind even if it meant angering his own boss. Material ? N?velDrama.Org. ¡°I¡¯m begging you, Boss. You know I¡¯ve never once harmed you after serving you all these years. Please trust in me just this once.¡± Alex got down on one knee. Nichs frowned. ¡°What are you doing, Alex?¡± He didn¡¯t like what Alex was doing ¡ªusing their close rtionship to ckmail him. ¡°We¡¯re running out of time, Boss.¡± ¡°You¡­¡± In truth, Nichs didn¡¯t want to start a fight with Tristan either. All he wanted to do now was to leave with Sophie. ¡°Fine. I¡¯ll go. Be careful.¡± At the end of the day, he knew how loyal Alex was to him. Yet, just as he was about to get Sophie, he saw Barney wheeling her out. Moreover, Arius had a gun in his hand. ¡°Where do you guys think you¡¯re going?¡± I knew it. I shouldn¡¯t have given in back then. None of this would¡¯ve happened if I had been firmer. ¡°You know that Tristan¡¯s already on his way over, so you¡¯d better stop doing whatever you were nning, Nichs. It¡¯s pointless now,¡± Arius demanded. Despite everything he had just said earlier, he wouldn¡¯t back down in the face of an enemy. It was his responsibility to protect Sophie and Barney. ¡°Do you really think you¡¯re any match for me, Arius?¡± Nichs scoffed. ¡°Sophie, did you not pay attention to all the things I said to you earlier? Are my genuine feelings nothing but a joke to you?¡± ¡°I told you long ago that we can never be together, Nichs. You¡¯re the one who chose to ignore that. Don¡¯t me anyone else for how you feel now.¡± ¡°Hah!¡± Nichs let out an icy chuckle. I¡¯ve only ever loved one woman my whole life. Why can¡¯t she be mine? ¡°And what if I kill Tristan?¡± ¡°I won¡¯t let that happen.¡± While responding, Sophie pulled out her own gun and aimed it directly at Nichs¡¯ head. ¡°I¡¯ve grown weary of your constant pestering, Nichs. I hate it. I¡¯ve told you that I don¡¯t like you, but you just never know when to give up. If watching you die is the only way I can live in peace, then you should drop dead!¡± Hearing such cruel wordse out of the woman¡¯s mouth made Nichs feel as though his heart was being squeezed tightly in someone¡¯s hand. ¡°Are you going to pull the trigger, Sophie? Can you really do that? Can you seriously tell me that you¡¯ve never ¡ª¡± ¡°No. I¡¯ve never liked you,¡± Sophie answered frostily, gazing at him as if he were aplete stranger. ¡°I don¡¯t get it. You¡¯re nice to everyone, but why do you treat me this way?¡± The man was utterly heartbroken. Chapter 695 Chapter 695 ¡°Because we were just never meant to be.¡± They came from different worlds, and values were one of the many aspects that they didn¡¯t have in common. Most importantly, she had no feelings for him. In the next instant, Sophie aimed her gun right at the middle of Nichs¡¯ forehead and was about to pull the trigger when Alex aimed his own gun toward her hand. Still, Nichs had seen it all. She was truly about to kill him; he would¡¯ve been dead by now if Alex hadn¡¯t interfered. ¡°Let¡¯s go, Boss.¡± Alex swiftly moved in front of Nichs, but as soon as that happened, Sophie fired her gun between his brows. C¨°ntens bel0ngs to N?(v)elDr/a/ma.Org The man copsed to the ground, his eyes wide in disbelief. ¡°Go, Boss.¡± If it meant letting Nichs get away safely, he had no qualms about dying. ¡°Please, Boss¡­ Go¡­¡± He couldn¡¯t return to Anndur now. Furthermore, Tristan and his men had already barged in, so Nichs could only leave with his remaining subordinates. Tristan arrived upstairs to see the gun in Sophie¡¯s hand along with a now lifeless Alex. Sean and the others knew how skilled Alex was to be able to serve Nichs all this while. Yet, the man nowy motionless on the ground, his eyes wide open. Completely uninterested in Alex¡¯s death, Tristan dashed over to Sophie and got down on one knee. ¡°Sophie, let¡¯s get married once we go home!¡± This incident had given him a lot to think about, and now, he didn¡¯t want to wait any longer. ¡°Why are you bringing this up all of a sudden?¡± The woman asked in bewilderment. How am I supposed to get married looking like this? His dad already didn¡¯t like me back then. He¡¯s going to hate me if he sees the state I¡¯m in now! ¡°It just popped up in my head. Or we could just get ourselves registered first.¡± ¡°I¡¯m going after Nichs,¡± Charles offered. Staying here would only be torture for him, so he figured he may as well do something more fun. ¡°Forget it. There¡¯s no need.¡± Sean grabbed hold of his arm. ¡°He¡¯s gone.¡± Alex¡¯s influence in Anndur was no lesser than the Lombard family¡¯s power over Jipsdale, so if Nichs wanted to escape, there would be no way of catching him. Besides, what mattered most right now was to get Sophie treated. Charles waved a hand. ¡°Fine. I¡¯ll just head outside then. I¡¯m not going to sit here and watch you guys get all lovey-dovey.¡± Why is everyone so chill? I can¡¯t stay calm. Why? Because I don¡¯t have a girlfriend! I don¡¯t know what true love is, for God¡¯s sake! Sophie was taken to the same hospital as before. Ysabelle had already recovered by now, so she spent all her time taking care of the former. Sophie had nothing to say about that, for she knew Ysabelle would only me herself more if she were to just sit there and do nothing. Still, quite a few hours had passed, and it was about time Ysabelle got some rest. ¡°You should go back and rest, Ysabelle. Don¡¯t worry about me. Everyone¡¯s going to worry about you if you stay.¡± ¡°I¡¯m really okay, Sophie. I can look after you. Please let me do something.¡± Otherwise, she would feel bad. ¡°It¡¯s not your fault, Ysabelle. It was an ident. Remember that, okay?¡± She really doesn¡¯t have to do all this for me. Ysabelle said nothing. How could this have had nothing to do with her? Ultimately, she left only after Felix came over to get her. Cecelia and Butterfly remained inside the ward, but they, too, left after seeing Tristan¡¯s expression turn increasingly chilly. With just the two of them left, Tristan sat on the edge of Sophie¡¯s bed. Having her next to him made him worry less. ¡°You should get some rest too.¡± He hasn¡¯t gotten any proper sleep ever since the whole incident. He can¡¯t go on like this. ¡°I¡¯m fine. I¡¯ve gone an entire week without sleeping, so you don¡¯t have to worry about me.¡± ¡°I know what you¡¯re capable of, Tristan, but am I not here next to you now? You can take it easy.¡± Alex is dead, and Nichs has definitely gone back. Besides, we¡¯ve brought in more people to keep watch at the hospital. There¡¯s no reason to worry anymore. Tristan took her hand. ¡°I know what you¡¯re saying, but I just don¡¯t want to leave you on your own. I can¡¯t bear to watch the same thing happen again.¡± That was why he wanted to stay by her side, even if it meant doing nothing else. Seeing him like this made Sophie¡¯s heart ache. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll do my best to get better quickly.¡± That was the only way to make him feel more assured. Barney and Arius got ready for the surgery the next day. Everyone else hade over and was still concerned, even though both Barney and Arius were the best in the medical field. However, they were worried because Sophie was the one being operated on. The woman beamed as she saw the fretful looks on their faces. ¡°Okay, everyone. There¡¯s no need to worry. I believe in Dr. Smith and Arius.¡± It¡¯s not the first time something like this has happened, anyway. Unlike the others, she feltpletely at peace. Butterfly walked over and held her hand. ¡°It¡¯ll be okay, Sophie. We¡¯ll wait for you outside.¡± Cecelia smiled too. ¡°Yeah. You¡¯ve gone through much worse. I¡¯m sure you can get over something as minor as this!¡± Ysabelle remained silent as she really didn¡¯t know what to say at this moment. Understanding how she felt, Felix put a hand on her shoulder. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Everything will be just fine.¡± With Barney and Arius here, they could surely fix her no matter how serious her condition was. When it was time, Tristan personally took her to the operating room and even followed her in. Noticing that he was dressed in a protective suit, the woman grabbed his hand. ¡°What are you doing here?¡± He¡¯s going to be in so much pain watching me! It¡¯s not like he¡¯d be of help anyway. ¡°I know there¡¯s nothing I can do in here, but at least let me keep youpany.¡± Waiting outside and not knowing what was going on would only make him more anxious, so he decided to juste in. Barney and Arius were under a great deal of pressure, given that Sophie was their patient. Thus, the younger man felt nervous for the first time. ¡°It¡¯ll go smoothly, right, Dr. Smith?¡± Barney nced at him, knowing how thetter felt. He¡¯s like this whenever Sophie¡¯s involved. ¡°Rx. It¡¯s not your first time performing this surgery, anyway. Everything will be just fine.¡± At this point, Barney could only encourage him as they both gave it their all. A doctor hade to inject Sophie with anesthesia earlier, so thetter now appeared unconscious on the operating table. Despite being well aware that she had merely fallen asleep, Tristan couldn¡¯t seem to let go of the lingering fear in his heart. Chapter 696 Chapter 696 It was an extensive operation¡ªSophie had already been in the operating room for over five hours. The people outside the operating room were all waiting patiently for her. Obviously, the ones present were all Sophie¡¯s close friends. Butterfly was calm as she knew how capable and mentally strong Sophie was. Cecelia and Ysabelle, on the other hand, weren¡¯t as calm. They were both worried sick, but there was nothing they could do to help. Cecelia was pacing around outside the operating room to make herself feel less uneasy. Ysabelle was sitting with Felix as they waited outside. She would nce at the operating table from time to time, and Felix would thenfort her by putting his arm over her shoulders. Sarah was also on a chair nearby. In fact, even Charles and Sean were there. The duo knew how important Sophie was to Tristan. Moreover, they had spent quite a lot of time with Sophie, so they had already regarded her as their own friend and family. ¡°Winter called,¡± Sean uttered. She was more concerned about Tristan rather than Sophie, though. Charles hummed in acknowledgment and replied, ¡°She¡¯s still unwilling to give up.¡± If Winter could give up on Tristan, Charles would be able to plead with Tristan to let her return to the country earlier. Nevertheless, there was nothing Charles could do because she was still obsessed with Tristan. ¡°Charles, don¡¯t burden yourself with that matter. I think it¡¯s a good thing that Winter stays in Anndur. Compared to what happened to Jennifer, I¡¯d say Mr. Tristan had let Winter off pretty easily. You know that,¡± Sean said. That¡¯s just how Winter is. She wouldn¡¯t let go so easily. She would have had an even tougher time if not for Charles¡¯ sake. ¡°I know my sister well, but I don¡¯t know how to help her,¡± Charles replied. I don¡¯t even know what to say to her anymore. It¡¯s not wrong to like someone, but she can¡¯t expect her affection to be reciprocated. She¡¯s just too obsessed with him. ¡°That is why, no matter what Old Mr. Quigley says, you must know the limits. Don¡¯t let this affect your rtionship with Mr. Tristan,¡± Sean advised. We can¡¯t let Winter affect the rtionship between the four of us. ¡°Yeah. Don¡¯t worry. I know what I should do,¡± Charles answered. Winter had also been in contact with Walter, telling him she wanted to return to the country. Despite the constant pressure from Walter, however, Charles refused to give in. ¡°Okay. That¡¯s good.¡± N?velDrama.Org: owner of this content. Finally, the operation ended after over eight hours. The light above the operating room was finally extinguished, and Arius and Barney were seen walking out of the operating room. Upon seeing everyone¡¯s anxious gazes, Barney reassured, ¡°Don¡¯t worry! It was a sessful operation, but we still need to monitor her recovery.¡± Naturally, Sophie was expected to be kept there for a while more. Everyone at the scene breathed a sigh of relief when they heard what Barney said. Since the operation was sessful, there shouldn¡¯t be any problems now. ¡°All right. In that case, Charles and I will head back. We can¡¯t all be here,¡± Sean said. We still need to keep an eye on those fourpanies back in the country. ¡°Okay. You guys should head back! Give me a call if anythinges up,¡± Felix replied. At this moment, I doubt Mr. Tristan is in the mood to deal with those things. ¡°Sure. You stay then.¡± No one knew if Nichs would return, so they couldn¡¯t all go back at once. The best solution was to let Felix stay. ¡°Okay.¡± More than six hourster, Sophie finally regained consciousness. Tristan was the first person she saw the moment she opened her eyes, and she was heartbroken. ¡°Have you been here all this while? Why didn¡¯t you go back and rest? Didn¡¯t I tell you to do that? I¡¯m fine.¡± Instead of answering her questions, Tristan poured a ss of warm water for her upon hearing her hoarse voice. ¡°I took a nap a bit ago.¡± Sophie was relieved to hear those words. After that, Tristan fed her some warm water to soothe her throat. ¡°How are you feeling? Do you feel any difort? If you do, you must tell me. I¡¯ll get Barney and Arius toe over,¡± Tristan said. Arius and Barney went home to rest after the lengthy operation. ¡°No. I¡¯m feeling fine.¡± Hearing that, Tristan leaned in to kiss her pale lips. ¡°That¡¯s good.¡± Tristan was still slightly disturbed when he recalled that ghastly sight he saw during the operation. The others came to see Sophie the moment they found out she had awakened. Since the ward she was in wasn¡¯t the ICU, visitors were allowed in. She smiled the moment she saw them. ¡°I¡¯m serious, guys. I¡¯m fine. You guys are making me feel pressured.¡± It had been a long time since she felt that way. Nothing like this had urred ever since I returned from the training camp. No matter what happened, I was able to protect myself. What happened this time around was merely an ident. ¡°Sophie, you have no idea how worried we all were. That was especially the case for Mr. Tristan. Before you woke up, he was¡ª¡± ¡°I think it¡¯s about time you head back, Cecelia,¡± Tristan uttered, shooting Cecelia a look. In response, Cecelia shrugged. ¡°I¡¯m serious, Sophie. You¡¯re one lucky girl. Cherish him!¡± Cecelia urged. It¡¯s hard to find a rich and loyal man like Tristan these days. Sophie is so lucky. Tristan did not retort to that. Cecelia¡¯s right. Sophie should cherish me. No matter what happens, she mustn¡¯t give up on me. Sophie nodded. ¡°I know. I won¡¯t let go of him for the rest of my life!¡± A smile appeared on Sarah¡¯s face when she heard that. ¡°All right. Since you¡¯re fine, we can all be at ease now. Let¡¯s go get some breakfast. We should let Sophie rest.¡± It was a given that Sophie needed to rest since she had just undergone an extensive operation. ¡°Rest well! We¡¯ll leave and have our breakfast now. What would you like to eat? We can bring food back for you.¡± Butterfly beamed as she spoke. ¡°Anything will do,¡± Sophie replied. She had no appetite for food, and she wasn¡¯t craving anything. ¡°Okay. We¡¯ll go now.¡± With that, only Tristan and Sophie were left in the ward. ¡°Go with them!¡± Sophie piped up. ¡°No. I¡¯ll wait for them to bring food here. I want to eat with you.¡± Tristan didn¡¯t want her to eat on her own. In Anndur, Nichs had returned with Alex¡¯s body. Javier had a scowl on his face when he saw Alex¡¯s body in the coffin. Although Alex had always been by Nichs¡¯ side, everyone had actually considered Alex to be a member of the Sable family. Yet, he was now dead. ¡°Who did this?¡± Javier asked in a deep voice. How could such a thing happen? Nichs balled his hands into fists as he kept mum. ¡°What¡¯s the matter with you, Nichs? Although I was the one who recruited Alex, had he not worked hard for you? How could you not care now that something like this has happened to him? Who did this? Tell me!¡± Javier roared. Chapter 697 Chapter 697 ¡°It was Sophie, Old Mr. Sable!¡± a man yelled. Those who went with Alex naturally had a good rtionship with him, and they witnessed him being shot in the head by Sophie. Hence, they couldn¡¯t bear to keep their mouths shut. ¡°It was Sophie, Old Mr. Sable!¡± the man shouted again. Nichs immediately shot that man an icy re, and that man felt his knees go weak. ¡°Shut up!¡± Nichs warned coldly. ¡°Now that it hase to this, are you still covering for Sophie? Is she even worth it? She wanted you dead, didn¡¯t she? Alex died because of you!¡± Javier¡¯s words hit the nail on the head. Nichs clenched his fists again. ¡°That¡¯s enough.¡± Nichs felt his head pounding. Although he had always been very strict with Alex, Alex was his trusted right-hand man¡ªhe was also feeling terrible about losing Alex. Sophie is the love of my life, but be that as it may, she is the one who killed Alex. If it weren¡¯t for Alex, I would¡¯ve died when she tried to kill me. But¡­ So what? I can¡¯t possibly kill Sophie! Javier was utterly disappointed in Nichs, and all Javier could do was shake his head. ¡°Are you saying that although she had murdered Alex, we should let this slide?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t force me, Dad,¡± Nichs uttered in a frustrated tone. ¡°No matter what Sophie does, I can never harm her.¡± Javier was rendered speechless. What on earth can I do to save this child? Sophie never loved him, and she has never shown him mercy. How can Nichs not see that? ¡°She doesn¡¯t love you. She¡¯s not going to ept you no matter what you do,¡± Javier lectured. That¡¯s what ultimately led to what has happened! ¡°Give Alex a grand burial!¡± Javier then ordered and left. Sophie is the cause of all this. Javier knew that all along, and he had been wanting to kill Sophie. That woman is too capable! I¡¯ve already sent so many assassins after her, yet she managed to kill all of them. Is she even human? Does she not have a weakness? ¡°Old Mr. Sable, what should we do now? If Mr. Nichs continues to be like this, I don¡¯t think the members of the Sable family are going to like it,¡± Javier¡¯s subordinate said. After all, Alex is rather influential in the Sable family. Not only is Mr. Nichs sitting on his hands after Alex had died in vain, but Mr. Nichs is also covering for Sophie. This is going to upset the others. ¡°What do you suggest, then?¡± Javier asked. ¡°I suggest we continue what we have been doing. Let¡¯s find the best assassin in the world and get Sophie killed! Otherwise, I believe she¡¯s going to have Mr. Nichs killed sooner orter,¡± the subordinate answered. Now is our perfect chance because Sophie is still in recovery. ¡°You think so too?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°But Tristan is always by her side. You know what kind of man Tristan is, right?¡± If they were to kill Sophie, Tristan would surely strike back. The Sable family would be in trouble if that were to happen. Text ? owned by N?velDrama.Org. ¡°In that case, we should just find the best killer in the world! Given how the world works, there¡¯s nothing people wouldn¡¯t do for money.¡± ¡°Okay. Get it done! I don¡¯t care what the price is. I just want Sophie dead!¡± Javier ordered. For Nichs¡¯ sake, I have to take the risk. I can¡¯t let Sophie kill him! Meanwhile, the president of Jetroina heaved a sigh of relief after he found out that Nichs had returned to his home country. With both Nichs and Tristan around, I really didn¡¯t know how to solve the feud between them. The president¡¯s secretary was also relieved. ¡°Mr. President, I don¡¯t think you need to pay Ms. Tanner a visit anymore. Since she killed Alex, the Sable family is surely going to go after her.¡± ¡°No. I think Ms. Tanner isn¡¯t an ordinary person. Even the leader of Chanaea had asked about her. Do you really think she¡¯s merely Tristan¡¯s girlfriend?¡± the president replied. Indeed, Sophie wouldn¡¯t have such a big influence if she were merely Tristan¡¯s girlfriend. With that, the president of Jetroina immediately instructed his subordinates to prepare flowers and fruits as gifts for him to bring to the hospital. Tristan wasn¡¯t pleased when he saw the president. What the h*ll is he doing here? The president¡¯s secretary was speechless when he saw the unhappy expression on Tristan¡¯s face. Why is Tristan being so unweing? Doesn¡¯t he know that there are countless people out there trying to butter the president up? ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Ms. Tanner. I didn¡¯t expect such a thing to happen in my territory.¡± The president of Jetroina couldn¡¯t speak Chanaean, so he wasmunicating with Sophie in Jetroinian. Sophie knew Jetroinian. Therefore, they had no trouble conversing with each other. ¡°I know you¡¯re a busy man, Mr. President. I¡¯m fine now, so I shouldn¡¯t waste any more of your precious time,¡± Sophie uttered politely and humbly. ¡°That¡¯s good. You must rest, Ms. Tanner. If you need anything, just let me know. I¡¯ll do my best to help.¡± The president of Jetroina noticed Tristan¡¯s expression was getting darker by the minute. He knew Tristan was going to get mad if he stayed any longer. Hence, he quickly left with his men. Sophie couldn¡¯t help but chuckle. ¡°Tristan, why did you do that? That¡¯s the president of Jetroina! Couldn¡¯t you show him some respect?¡± Tristan was at a loss for words for a couple of seconds. What¡¯s so great about the president of Jetroina? Why must I respect him? ¡°I¡¯m not going to be nice to anyone who disturbs your rest. In this world, there¡¯s no one I can¡¯t afford to mess with,¡± Tristan announced haughtily. With others, Tristan would always behave indifferently. In front of Sophie, however, he would reveal that side of himself. ¡°There¡¯s nothing we can do about it. I think they¡¯re keeping an eye on me because they found out that the leader of our country had personally looked after me.¡± Sophie was the key person in the country¡¯s virus research. Thus, the leader of their country naturally wouldn¡¯t just stand idly by. After all, she was a brilliant citizen of Chanaea. And as a result, Sophie now had a lot of attention on her. Everyone was eager to know more about her. ¡°Yeah.¡± Tristan¡¯s gaze turned colder. I don¡¯t want Sophie to get too much attention because that might be a bad thing in the future. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about me. I know how to hide my identity. Those people won¡¯t know a thing.¡± Sophie preferred to live a simple life and keep a low profile as well. ¡°Got it. You can stay here to recuperate for a while more, and we¡¯ll have to go back to Chanaea right after. Now that Alex is dead, the Sable family will surely try toe after you,¡± Tristan said. Tristan wasn¡¯t afraid, but he could only focus on dealing with Nichs after returning to Chanaea. In the meantime, Sophie still needs some time to recover. She can¡¯t fight right now. There are a lot of people targeting her, and mercenaries could show up anytime to kill her. I need to protect her. Chapter 698 Chapter 698 Yes. I know,¡± Sophie said. Now that Alex is dead, Nichs might not do anything in retaliation, but Old Mr. Sable will. After all, Alex was almost like a son to Old Mr. Sable. Cecelia continued to stay in Jetroina for a few more days, and she was still reluctant to return even after her manager called. ¡°I¡¯m finally on holiday. Why can¡¯t you just let me rest for a few more days?¡± Cecelia questioned unhappily. I really don¡¯t want to go back to work! ¡°Cecelia, it¡¯s not that I don¡¯t want to let you rest. It¡¯s just that we had already signed the contract for this movie a long time ago! Besides, it¡¯s Mr. Ledger¡¯s movie. Pleasee back soon,¡± the manager requested helplessly. This is such a golden opportunity for Cecelia! She¡¯s still young, so she should make full use of it. ¡°Okay. I understand. I¡¯ll go back tomorrow.¡± Cecelia was exasperated. I shouldn¡¯t have chosen this career back then. I¡¯m flying all around the world all the time, and I never have time for myself. After hanging up the phone, Cecelia went back to Sophie¡¯s ward. Noticing Cecelia¡¯s gloomy expression, Sophie asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Did you get lectured by your manager?¡± Cecelia shook her head, saying, ¡°No. Sophie, I wanted to spend more time with you here, but I have to leave for work.¡± This has always been the case. Every time something happens to Sophie, I¡¯m never by her side. Cecelia felt she wasn¡¯t being a good friend to Sophie. ¡°Oh, I see. I was the one who got you that role, so you must work hard!¡± Sophie knew how much Cecelia loved acting. However, Cecelia was just not feeling it at that moment. ¡°Sophie, I think I¡¯m getting sick of the entertainment industry,¡± Cecelia said. That¡¯s why I feel so weary now that I need to return to work. ¡°You¡¯re just worried about me, but I promise you¡ªI¡¯m fine. I really am.¡± Sophie knew what was on Cecelia¡¯s mind. ¡°I really hope that¡¯s the case! I¡¯m heading back tomorrow. Rest well, okay? Please give me a call whenever you¡¯re free.¡± Cecelia was still worried about Sophie, so she added, ¡°Do you want to fly back with me?¡± Cecelia thought things would be easier if Sophie could return to Chanaea. ¡°You should head back first. I need to be here for a while longer.¡± It wasn¡¯t convenient for Sophie to travel just yet. ¡°Okay. I understand.¡± Meanwhile, Ysabelle had also received a call from her manager. Ysabelle¡¯s new album was getting released soon, and she was supposedly only there for a short break. But she had been away for too long, and it was time for her to get back to work. ¡°I would like to stay for another week.¡± ¡°Ysabelle, this is the time for your career to soar, so this album is important to you. I think you should come back! Besides, it¡¯s not like you can be of help there.¡± The manager spoke frankly. Evidently, everyone knew Sophie was injured. Ysabelle was rendered speechless when she heard that. Why is everyone saying that?C¨°ntens bel0ngs to N?(v)elDr/a/ma.Org ¡°Furthermore, you know how hard Sophie worked on your album this time around. You¡¯ll disappoint her if you don¡¯t do well.¡± In response, Ysabelle took a deep breath and said, ¡°Okay. I got it. I¡¯ll go back tomorrow.¡± As an artist, she couldn¡¯t afford to be willful. Felix noticed how moody she was after she hung up the phone. He pulled her into his embrace and asked, ¡°What¡¯s the matter? If you don¡¯t want to go back, I can have a talk with your manager.¡± After all, Ysabelle only joined the entertainment industry for fun. She could leave anytime she wanted. Ysabelle shook her head. ¡°My manager is right. I¡¯m now an artist from TS Entertainment. Regardless of how I feel, there are things I need to deal with.¡± Ysabelle felt it was time for her to be more mature. I shouldn¡¯t let others worry about me. Felix¡¯s heart ached when he heard her. ¡°Ysabelle, I already told you it¡¯s going to be tiring to work in the entertainment industry.¡± ¡°It¡¯s all right. I don¡¯t think it¡¯s tiring since I love doing it. It¡¯s just that I¡¯m worried about Sophie,¡± Ysabelle answered. I think I¡¯m being irresponsible. After all, Sophie got hurt because of me. Now, I¡¯m leaving her. ¡°If that¡¯s what you¡¯re worried about, I think you should head back as well. With Mr. Tristan here, do you think you¡¯ll be able to help with anything?¡± Felix asked. Ever since Sophie got injured, Tristan had been doing everything himself, and he wouldn¡¯t let others help. ¡°Yeah. I know.¡± Coincidentally, Sarah also needed to deal with some things at her office, so she was leaving along with the rest. When they were all in Sophie¡¯s ward, they all looked somber. Sophie couldn¡¯t help but smile and say, ¡°What¡¯s with everyone? You guys are merely going back before me. It¡¯s not like we¡¯ll never see each other again.¡± Sophie thought there was no need for them to feel so moody. ¡°You must get well soon, Sophie!¡± Ysabelle was on the verge of crying. Seeing that, Cecelia patted Ysabelle¡¯s shoulder and eximed, ¡°Don¡¯t worry! Evil people usually get to live a long time!¡± Sophie was speechless at that. Am I an evil person? ¡°All right. That¡¯s enough. Go home, you guys! I¡¯ll see everyone soon. Tristan, please see them out!¡± Tristan rose to his feet and walked everyone out. Felix and Ysabelle were leaving as well. Since they had quite a few of their men there, they believed the Sable family couldn¡¯t do anything to harm them. After sending the others off, Tristan came back to the ward and caught Sophie spacing out on the bed. He then walked up to her and wrapped his arm around her shoulders. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? What¡¯s on your mind?¡± ¡°It¡¯s nothing. It has gotten quiet so suddenly. I¡¯m just not used to this!¡± The atmosphere had been so lively with everyone around during our time here. Now, only two of us remain. ¡°What do you mean? I think it¡¯s a good thing they left. I like the fact that we get to be alone.¡± ¡°Mm-hmm.¡± Sophie leaned on his shoulder. Right then, Arius entered the ward and saw the couple embracing each other. It was a sweet sight, making him suddenly feel sad about being single. ¡°Arius, don¡¯t you knock?¡± Tristan asked, wanting to chase Arius out there and then. ¡°With my rtionship with Sophie, do I still need to knock?¡± Arius retorted. Words eluded Tristan. ¡°Regardless of our rtionship, Arius, you¡¯ll still need to knock next time!¡± Sophie chided as she sat up straight. Arius approached her with the silver needles as it was time for her second treatment session. Sophiey down on the bed to let Tristan roll up the hems of her pants. With that, Arius started with the acupuncture treatment. Arius was a genius, and he was good at giving acupuncture treatment. With that being said, providing the treatment was incredibly exhausting. After inserting a few needles, Arius started to sweat. ¡°Mr. Tristan, are you just going to stand there and watch? Come here and help me wipe the sweat off of my forehead!¡± Arius was peeved by Tristan¡¯sck of action. Indeed, Tristan had never helped anyone wipe their sweat. However, he ended up doing it with two pieces of tissue because the one Arius was treating was Sophie. Chapter 699 Chapter 699 Sophie knew how tiring acupuncture could be, but there was nothing she could do to help. Half an hourter, Arius felt like he was about to copse. Regardless, the treatment waspleted by then. He grabbed a few tissues to wipe the sweat off himself before sprawling on Sophie¡¯s bed. Tristan couldn¡¯t help but furrow his brows when he saw that. ¡°He¡¯s dog-tired.¡± Sophie immediately came to Arius¡¯ defense. ¡°Let him take a breather.¡± ¡°Fine,¡± Tristan muttered. I¡¯m letting it slide just this once! There¡¯s no way I would ever let him get into my woman¡¯s bed again. Once Arius had recovered, he stood up and said, ¡°Support her and help her walk. It has been a while since she walked. It¡¯s about time to give it a try!¡± Although it was bound to be hard, she had to start walking sooner orter. Otherwise, all their previous efforts would be in vain. ¡°Okay.¡± With that, Tristan helped Sophie up. Yet, beads of sweat began to form on Sophie¡¯s forehead just as she tried to stand on her feet. Tristan¡¯s heart broke, and he immediately let her lean on his body. ¡°If you can¡¯t do it, it¡¯s okay. We can try again in a couple of days.¡± In response, Sophie shook her head and took a deep breath. I¡¯m a doctor myself, and I know this is the time to walk on my own. It¡¯s hurting badly, but at least I can feel my legs now. I must start training them immediately. ¡°I¡¯m all right. Don¡¯t worry,¡± Sophie reassured before giving Tristan a bright smile. Tristan felt even worse when he saw that. How can I not worry? She must be in a great amount of pain! I regret letting her and the otherse here. Although it was an ident, none of this would have happened if we hadn¡¯te. Arius was watching from the side, and he could tell that Tristan was having trouble. ¡°If you can¡¯t bear to do it, let me help her instead,¡± Arius urged. We can¡¯t hold back now. She needs to get through the pain and be done with it. ¡°It¡¯s fine. I can do it,¡± Tristan answered. I feel extremely bad for her, but I¡¯m going to do whatever it takes to help her. After all, I¡¯m here. If I were in her shoes now, I would keep my mouth shut no matter how much pain I was in. I wish I was the one injured now. Sophie gritted her teeth and kept going. After she took just a few steps, her back was already drenched in sweat. One could only imagine how much pain she was in. ¡°Let¡¯s take a break!¡± Arius finally said. At the end of the day, this is a gradual process. Sophie only nodded and stopped when she heard what Arius said. C¨°ntens bel0ngs to N?(v)elDr/a/ma.Org Tristan instantly carried her to the bed, sat her down, and wiped her face with a warm towel. Arius was relieved to see how attentive Tristan was toward Sophie. In the afternoon, Barney dropped by. Since there was nothing left for him to do there, he decided to fly back to Chanaea. ¡°Stay here, Arius. Don¡¯t let anything else happen!¡± There were a lot of things to deal with in the medical association in Chanaea, so they couldn¡¯t both be away. ¡°Okay. Don¡¯t worry, Dr. Smith. With me here, Sophie¡¯s legs are going to be fine!¡± Arius answered. Sophie will be as good as new in one month¡¯s time. ¡°Sure. I¡¯m heading back now.¡± Barney was still concerned, but he reckoned everything was going to be all right. After all, Arius and Tristan would be looking after Sophie. Arius then sent Barney to the airport. ¡°Dr. Smith, you¡¯ll be on your own back there. Be careful.¡± Arius was worried about Barney because a lot of people had their eyes on Barney due to his special identity. If I could go back with Dr. Smith, I definitely would! ¡°Don¡¯t worry about me! All you need to do now is take good care of Sophie.¡± Barney could only go back in peace knowing that Arius was with Tristan. ¡°Have a safe flight! Remember to call me when you arrive,¡± Arius reminded him. Since the ne was arranged by Mr. Tristan, everything should go smoothly. ¡°Okay. Go on! Go back to the hospital.¡± Even though Barney told Arius to return to Sophie¡¯s ward, thetter only left after he watched the ne take off. When Arius returned to Sophie¡¯s ward, Sophie was asleep while Tristan was watching her by her side. Arius had never been fond of Tristan, but he grew to like Tristan after seeing how Tristan treated Sophie. ¡°Get some sleep! I¡¯m here.¡± Arius felt that Tristan needed some rest. ¡°I¡¯m fine. I can keep this up.¡± ¡°No one¡¯s saying otherwise, but Sophie is going to feel bad if she sees you like this.¡± Arius knew Sophie cared a lot about Tristan. ¡°Okay! I¡¯ll just rest here!¡± With that, Tristan went to lie on the couch. Arius shook his head. ¡°Who would¡¯ve thought that the famous Mr. Tristan would have this side of him? What a shocker!¡± Meanwhile, at Tanner Group, Victor was narrowing his eyes as he nced at the shareholders before him. ¡°Mr. White, we¡¯re not trying to put you in a tough spot. It¡¯s just that I think you ought to tell us what¡¯s going on with Ms. Sophie!¡± one of the shareholders voiced. It hasn¡¯t been easy to get to where we are today. Yet, we don¡¯t know what¡¯s going on with Ms. Sophie, and we don¡¯t know what the future holds for Tanner Group. Heck, we don¡¯t know anything! How can we not be worried? Upon hearing that, Victor sneered, ¡°Since you guys refuse to listen to what I said, I¡¯m willing to agree with whatever you decide to do. If you want to leave Tanner Group or sell your shares, go ahead. I¡¯m buying all the shares!¡± Evidently, Victor had the utmost confidence in Tanner Group. They¡¯re not going to trust me, so there¡¯s no point in saying anything else. ¡°Mr. White¡­¡± That wasn¡¯t what the shareholders meant. However, they all worked hard for their money, so they couldn¡¯t bear the risk of uncertainty. ¡°If there¡¯s nothing else, please leave.¡± Victor didn¡¯t want to waste another second with the shareholders. Hearing that, a few shareholders had no choice but to leave. ¡°What do you guys think we should do? Old Mr. Tanner is gone now, and Sophie is Tanner Group¡¯sst hope. But she isn¡¯t back yet after so long since the incident happened. We don¡¯t know what happened to her!¡± one of the shareholders said to the others. ¡°Exactly! Sophie is very capable. Although she¡¯s young, she¡¯s a business genius!¡± another chimed in. That¡¯s exactly why we don¡¯t know what to do now! ¡°Do as you guys see fit! I can¡¯t hold on any longer. I¡¯m selling all of my Tanner Group shares!¡± the other shareholder said. I¡¯ll have nothing to do with whatever happens to Tanner Group in the future! ¡°Are you sure?¡± Tanner Group was doing well at that moment. If Sophie were to return safely, she could still turn things around for the better. ¡°I can¡¯t wait any longer. Do whatever you guys want!¡± The other shareholders exchanged nces, unable to make up their minds. Chapter 700 Chapter 700 The moment someone started, others would follow suit. At that very instant, a few other shareholders also sold their shares. Victor bought some of their shares, but he did not have sufficient funds to buy all their shares. Others began to have doubts when they learned about the situation at Tanner Group. Victor knew that Sophie had yet to make a full recovery. Therefore, he dared not inform her about the situation in the company because he did not want to affect her. Unfortunately, he was unable to resolve the issue on his own. In the end, he had no choice but to call Tristan. Tristan had given him his phone number when theyst met. Victor did not expect it toe in handy. ¡°What did you say?¡± Tristan could not believe his ears. ¡°Some of the shareholders are starting to offload their shares right now. I don¡¯t have the financial means to buy all the shares.¡± If that continued, it would have an adverse effect on Tanner Group. ¡°All right. I understand. We¡¯ll buy whatever is being sold by them.¡± That was not even a problem for Tristan. ¡°Mr. Tristan, how is Ms. Sophie?¡± asked Victor. He was also very concerned about Sophie, but things at Tanner Group had kept him so busy that he was unable to visit her. ¡°She¡¯s doing much better now. Don¡¯t worry. If you need any help, look for Sean. He will do everything he can to help you out.¡± Tanner Group was everything to Josiah. Since he had left Tanner Group to Sophie, they would make sure that everything would be fine. ¡°All right then. I understand. Please get some rest yourself too.¡± Victor was more relieved once he received Sean¡¯s phone number. Usually, Victor was a swift and decisive man. But since he did not have enough cash right now, he had to ask for help. When Tristan returned with a grim expression, Sophie asked with concern, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Did something happen?¡± Everything was fine a while ago. Why is he looking like this now? ¡°It¡¯s nothing. Just some minor issues. Don¡¯t worry about it.¡± ¡°Did something happen to Tanner Group?¡± Sophie asked calmly. When she went on the Inte earlier on, she saw the rise and fall of the Tanner Group¡¯s shares. ¡°Yes, there are some minor problems. But I have already sent Sean to keep an eye on things. With him around, you don¡¯t have to worry about anything.¡± ¡°Yes, I know.¡± Even so, Sophie still gave Victor a call. When Victor received her phone call, he was confused. ¡°Ms. Sophie, how did you find out about this?¡± He had wanted to keep the matter away from her. After all, she had yet to make a full recovery. ¡°Well, the news would get to me somehow. Since the shareholders want to sell their shares, just buy the shares. I¡¯ll get someone to transfer the funds to you in a short while,¡± instructed Sophie nonchntly. Most shareholders were like that. When thepany made a profit, anything was fine with them. At the slightest sign of trouble, they would be the first to bail because they were unwilling to bear the risk. ¡°Ms. Sophie, Mr. Tristan has already¡ª¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine. I have the money. I will buy all of their shares!¡± Tanner Group meant a lot to her grandpa. She did not wish to involve Tristan inpany matters. ¡°All right! Have a good rest.¡± In truth, Victor was a little worried. He was aware that Sophie was very powerful. However, it would take a huge sum of money to buy all of those shares. He was unsure of what to do as he nked out. A whileter, he received a bank transfer notification on his phone, which stunned him. Text ? owned by N?velDrama.Org. Does Ms. Sophie have that much money? She has transferred five hundred million in one go! It¡¯s incredible! Victor dared not believe his own eyes. After rubbing his eyes, he looked again. True enough, she had transferred five hundred million. Ms. Sophie is a wealthydy! Even if Sophie lost Tanner Group, she would be able to own anypany, given the amount of money she had. Does this mean that I have found the right backer? ¡°With all this money, why should I give a d*mn about the shareholders?¡± In the future, Victor was sure that those shareholders would regret their decisions. Someday, Tanner Group would definitely be on par with Lombard Group. By then, those shareholders would surely regret their short-sightedness. Sophie only put her phone down once she was done with the bank transfer. Since Tristan was by her side, he knew what she had been up to! He looked unhappy. ¡°I have already gotten someone to transfer money over, haven¡¯t I? My money is your money. Why do you have to draw a line between us?¡± He disliked that attitude of hers. After all, the two of them nned to be together for the rest of their lives! ¡°Don¡¯t be angry! I know you have money, but so do I! Grandpa has worked hard for Tanner Group. I must bring thepany to greater heights. Therefore, before that happens, I hope to resolve all of the company¡¯s problems on my own.¡± Thepany was her pride. Since she had the ability to resolve the problem, there was no need to seek help from others. Tristan was still unhappy after hearing her exnation. He did not wish for her to draw the line so clearly between the two of them. ¡°Are you still mad at me?¡± Sophie began to think of a way to appease him. That was her principle, and she would not have it any other way! Still, Tristan did not want to talk to her. There was nothing Sophie could do about it, so she got off the bed. She had been mobile since two days ago. Although she was supposed to take it easy, walking was not an issue for her anymore. She walked up to him, ced her arms around his neck, and nted a kiss on his lips. ¡°How about now? Are you still angry with me?¡± asked Sophie tentatively. ¡°This isn¡¯t enough.¡± With that, Tristan held onto her waist and kissed her fiercely. She knew there was nothing he could do about her. That was why she behaved so arrogantly! It was a lingering kiss. Sophie felt her knees going weak afterward. This man is too much. In the end, Tristan carried her onto the bed. ¡°Are you still mad at me?¡± Sophie seemed very adamant about getting an answer to her question. Tristan shook his head. ¡°I¡¯m not. I only hope that you won¡¯t draw a line between the two of us.¡± After all, they would be husband and wife in the future. ¡°Okay! I won¡¯t!¡± Sophie tilted her head and smiled. ¡°What, are you nning on giving Lombard Group to me? Is that what you mean when you said you don¡¯t want to draw a line between the two of us?¡± As far as Sophie was concerned, she had more than enough money for herself. As such, she had no desire for more. ¡°Sure! As long as it makes you happy!¡± They had been staying in Jetroina for more than a month now. During that period, Victor bought lots of Tanner Group¡¯s shares for her. Arius finally heaved a sigh of relief when hepleted thest round of treatment. ¡°Ms. Tanner, you¡¯re close to making a full recovery. We can return home now.¡± If he had to eat any more raw fish, he would turn into one very soon. He still much preferred the food back in Chanaea! ¡°Sure. Let¡¯s go back! It¡¯s about time too.¡± After staying there for a month, her work was piling up. On that day itself, the three of them flew back in Tristan¡¯s ne. The moment they disembarked, they saw a group of people waiting for them. Chapter 701 Chapter 701 Ysabelle teared up when she saw Sophie walking down on her own. Oh, thank goodness! Thank goodness she¡¯s fine! Otherwise, I¡¯d never have been able to forgive myself. Upon learning of Sophie¡¯s return, Cecelia had specially requested a day off from the director so she could pick the former up at the airport. Mark and Sunny were also present. They had not been able to make it to Jetroina when Sophie got injured due to their busy schedules, so it was only natural that they wanted to be there that day to wee her back. Holding onto Tristan¡¯s arm for support, Sophie slowly walked toward the group. ¡°Why are you guys here?¡± she asked. They¡¯re all quite busy, so they really didn¡¯t have toe all the way here just to wee me back. Ysabelle broke free from Felix¡¯s grasp and rushed over to hug Sophie. ¡°You¡¯re finally back! You don¡¯t know how much I¡¯ve missed you! Thank heavens you¡¯re all better now.¡± I wouldn¡¯t know what to do if she ended up not being able to stand or walk anymore! If that happened, there¡¯s no way I would forgive myself for the rest of my life! Sophie patted her back. ¡°Okay, that¡¯s enough. I¡¯ve recovered already, so there¡¯s no need to keep beating yourself up about it.¡± Tears slid down Ysabelle¡¯s cheeks when she heard that. ¡°Okay. I¡¯m just so thankful you¡¯re fine now.¡± Going over to them, Cecelia said, ¡°Sophie, you¡¯ve been having a streak of bad lucktely, so you should be more careful. I don¡¯t wish to see you injured again.¡± Ever since Sophie was a child, she had suffered a lot. Hence, everyone who cared for her wished for her to have a happy life ahead. After studying Sophie closely from head to toe, Mark finally felt somewhat at ease. Needless to say, Tristan noticed Mark¡¯s gaze on her. Although he was annoyed by how Mark was staring at her, he knew that Sophie cherished Mark and thus made noment. Meanwhile, Sunny was more unreserved. He ran up to Sophie and pulled her into a bear hug. Still feeling worried, he said, ¡°You need to bring me along the next time you go off somewhere. That way, I can protect you even if something happens.¡± ¡°Okay, got it. Let¡¯s get going. The weather is so cold, so we shouldn¡¯t keep standing here.¡± Christmas was just around the corner, and the weather in Jipsdale was gradually growing colder. Even though Sophie had a thick down jacket wrapped around her, she still felt the chill. The others it and immediately started heading toward the exit. A car was already waiting outside. There was heating inside the vehicle, and Sophie felt much warmer as soon as she climbed in. ¡°Are you okay?¡± Arius asked in a concerned tone. ¡°Yeah. You don¡¯t have to be so worried. I feel a little chilly, that¡¯s all,¡± she replied. I only hurt my leg a little this time, and the injury has almost healedpletely. As long as I don¡¯t do any strenuous exercise, I¡¯ll be fine. ¡°It¡¯s only natural that I¡¯m worried. After all, I can¡¯t possibly risk my reputation, can I?¡± he responded. After all, I¡¯m a doctor. If something happens to her while she¡¯s on my watch, wouldn¡¯t that ruin my good name? She stared at him speechlessly. Forget it. That¡¯s how he talks. It¡¯s unnecessary to argue with him. I¡¯ll only drive myself mad if I take him seriously.Material ? N?velDrama.Org. Finally, the group arrived at Tristan¡¯s mansion. As Sophie needed to be looked after, Tristan decided not to take her to the condominium near the University of Medicine as he felt he would not be able to take good care of her there. He had many housekeepers at the mansion, and Arius would be staying with them too. Hence, his mansion was the most suitable ce for Sophie to recuperate in. After everyone arrived at the mansion, they gathered in the living room, filling the ce with chatter and laughter. The atmosphere in the usually quiet residence suddenly felt a little livelier due to the group¡¯s presence. ¡°Let¡¯s all have dinner together,¡± Ysabelle suggested. It had been a long time since they had enjoyed a meal together. She continued, ¡°You¡¯ve been in Jetroina for so long, so you must surely miss the food in Chanaea.¡± ¡°Sure!¡± Sophie agreed. She also missed having meals together with everyone. As they were chatting, Sean and Charles also turned up. The pair breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing that Sophie had recovered. Tristan had something to discuss with Sean and Charles, so he led them into the study. Meanwhile, Sarah busied herself with preparing food for the rest as she was the best cook among them. Now that Sophie had returned, she resolved to prepare nutritious food to help the former regain her health. Sophie had already been skinny enough, and she only got thinner after the incident. Sarah was not pleased to see that. Noticing how Sarah had been bustling about nonstop since they reached the mansion, Sophie went over to her and said, ¡°You should get some rest too.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t mind me. I¡¯m just making some stew. It¡¯s not hard work at all. Go and chat with the others,¡± Sarah replied. Everybody had taken time off to gather there because they cared a lot about Sophie. ¡°All right, then. Ask the help to take care of the rest, thene out and take a break,¡± Sophie said before heading back into the living room. She then asked Cecelia, ¡°Cecelia, how¡¯s the filming for your movie? Mr. Ledger is strict, so I bet it¡¯s difficult working with him, right?¡± Cecelia could not help rolling her beautiful eyes at that. ¡°Don¡¯t think so little of me, Sophie. I¡¯m very serious when ites to filming. I never mess around. Mr. Ledger even praised me in front of everyone else today!¡± After all, the name Cecelia Lance is synonymous with exceptional talent. She continued after a brief pause, ¡°Besides, even if I did mess around, no one would dare to say anything. I have a wealthy backer, after all.¡± It went without saying that everyone knew who the wealthy backer was. ¡°He¡¯s so lucky to have someone like you in his life,¡± Sophie teased. Here, Mark piped up and asked, ¡°Is your leg really better now? You should still be careful. It takes a long time for such serious injuries to heal, and it has only been a month since you got hurt.¡± ¡°I¡¯m really all right, Mark. Don¡¯t worry. I promise I¡¯ll be careful.¡± In truth, she could not afford to injure her leg again as it would be beyond saving if that happened. Nheless, she was not about to tell the others that. She had no intention of making them worry about her. ¡°Just be careful. I also don¡¯t think you should return to the University of Medicine and Jipsdale University this semester,¡± he said. Crowds are everywhere at universities, and some students can be rough and boisterous. There¡¯s no telling what could happen. ¡°I still have two projects to work on at the universities,¡± she exined. Hence, she had no choice but to return. Mark frowned. ¡°Whatever it is, your healthes first. Just do what you can and leave the rest.¡± She could not help chuckling at the sight of his stern expression. ¡°All right, I will. You¡¯ve nothing to worry about. I¡¯ll take care of things as I see fit.¡± ¡°How about this? For the time being, I think it¡¯ll be better if you have a few bodyguards with you when you¡¯re out,¡± Mark proposed, thinking that the bodyguards would be able to handle things if something did happen. His suggestion left her at a loss for words. I¡¯m only a student. Do I really need to have bodyguards with me when I go out? Isn¡¯t that a little too much? There¡¯s no need for that at all! She shook her head, rejecting his suggestion. ¡°I¡¯m no big shot. Why do I need to have bodyguards with me?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not kidding, Sophie. I¡¯m being serious,¡± he replied. I mean, what¡¯s the harm in having a few bodyguards? Chapter 702 Chapter 702 ¡°I¡¯m serious, too. Don¡¯t worry. I can protect myself, I swear. This incident is purely an ident, and it won¡¯t happen again.¡± There was nothing Mark could do to persuade her. ¡°You won¡¯t change your mind no matter what I say, right?¡± Sophie kept quiet. She wasn¡¯t fond of Mark behaving in that manner. ¡°Mark, I¡¯m really fine,¡± she reiterated. It¡¯s just a minor injury. There¡¯s no need for everyone to be so worried. ¡°All right, then.¡± Meanwhile, Tristan sat on the leather couch behind the desk in the study. The other three people either sat or stood around him. An unlit cigarette was ced in between Charles¡¯ lips. ¡°Mr. Tristan, Sophie isn¡¯t here, so why don¡¯t you let me take a few puffs?¡± Charles had a severe smoking addiction. However, since they were in Tristan¡¯s territory, he didn¡¯t dare to light up the cigarette as Tristan forbade him from smoking. Having said that, only the four of them were present in the study at that moment, so Charles wondered why he couldn¡¯t smoke. ¡°It¡¯s better if you don¡¯t smoke. If you really wish to do so, I suggest you do it outside.¡± Charles was stumped. He didn¡¯t feel like conversing further with Tristan. Does he not realize the weather outside is freezing? I can¡¯t believe he¡¯s asking me to smoke outside. ¡°Mr. Tristan, I didn¡¯t know you are someone who puts your woman before your friends.¡± Rendered speechless, Charles could only sniff the scent of his cigarette to satiate his desire. ¡°That¡¯s enough. It¡¯s not like you¡¯d die if you don¡¯t smoke. Mr. Tristan, I¡¯ve been following up on the coboration with Yartran, but you¡¯re also familiar with their queen¡¯s character. She¡¯s very shrewd, so it won¡¯t be easy for us to make money.¡± As Tristan had been in Jetroina, Sean was tasked to handle the coboration between Lombard Group and Yartran. Now that Tristan had returned, the task was naturally handed over to him. ¡°Okay. I got it. I¡¯ll make time to meet with her.¡± Yartran¡¯s queen was indeed astute, so Tristan reckoned he would need to put more effort into dealing with her. ¡°By the way, Princess Elyssa has been looking for you,¡± said Sean, casually bringing up the matter. Elyssa was young, and the queen doted on her. Even after learning about the incident at Chanaea, the queen merely gave Elyssa a light punishment. Tristan couldn¡¯t help but frown at the mention of Elyssa. She¡¯s nothing but huge trouble. ¡°That¡¯s all right. Sophie is not concerned about her.¡± Elyssa¡¯s existence wouldn¡¯t affect anyone or Lombard Group¡¯s cooperation with Yartran. The quartet discussed some underlying problems rted to that coboration. The trio hadn¡¯t been able to resolve those issues, but Tristan managed to sort out those problems effortlessly in less than an hour. ¡°Is there any otherplication? If there isn¡¯t, we should go downstairs to have our meal now.¡± It was already dinnertime. ¡°Everything is settled on my end. Let¡¯s call it a day. If there are any other problems, we can discuss them on another day since you¡¯ve returned.¡± Many people were waiting for them to have dinner together downstairs. ¡°Okay. That¡¯s right. I¡¯m hungry too.¡± Charles only wished to finish his meal as soon as possible so that he could leave that ce to puff on a cigarette. ¡°You guys may go downstairs first.¡± Tristan had to make another phone call. ¡°Okay.¡± Sean and the other two went downstairs. They noticed the others still surrounding Sophie upon descending the stairs. Sean couldn¡¯t help but feel jealous when he took in that harmonious scene. When can I experience this kind of bliss too? Sarah had finished preparing their dinner. When she noticed the trio, she exited the kitchen and asked, ¡°Where¡¯s Tristan? Why isn¡¯t heing down yet? It¡¯s time for dinner.¡± It had been a long time since she prepared such a plentiful meal. She felt a little exhausted after cooking inside the kitchen for so long. Nevertheless, no matter how tired she might be, she was delighted because of Sophie¡¯s return. Sean answered, ¡°He¡¯s on the phone, but he¡¯ll be joining us soon.¡± ¡°Are you hungry already? Should we eat first?¡± Sarah didn¡¯t feel it would be appropriate for so many people to wait for Tristan. ¡°It¡¯s all right. Let¡¯s wait for him.¡± Tristan and Sophie finally returned from Jetroina after much difficulty. Now that everyone was able to gather together, naturally, they should wait for everyone to be present before having their meal. Tristan walked down the stairs as they spoke. ¡°All right now. Let¡¯s have dinner.¡± Everyone went to the dining room and took their seats, including Sarah. ¡°Sarah, thanks for everything today.¡± Sophie raised her wine ss. Seeing that, Tristan furrowed his brows. ¡°Sophie, you can¡¯t drink wine. You¡¯re not allowed to consume alcohol yet.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll just take a few sips. It¡¯ll be fine.¡± Tristan continued wearing a frown. ¡°No, you can¡¯t, not even a little bit. I¡¯ll let you drink whatever you want after you recover, but you can¡¯t drink wine now.¡± Although Tristan was denying Sophie of her request, he still uttered those words with exceptional tenderness. Cecelia envied Sophie when she saw Tristan¡¯s demeanor. Sophie must¡¯ve used up all her luck in this life to encounter Tristan. ¡°Arius, you tell him. Am I allowed to drink a little alcohol?¡± Tristan shot him a death re. Arius shook his head. ¡°Sophie, although you¡¯re my best friend, you must listen to Mr. Tristan this time. He has your best interest at heart, so you should avoid drinking wine today.¡± What the h*ll? How dare I defy Mr. Tristan when he¡¯s glowering at me? Needless to say, I¡¯ll agree with anything he says. Sarah immediately poured Sophie a ss of warm milk. ¡°That¡¯s enough. Tristan is doing this for your own good. We will consume alcohol today while you drink this ss of warm milk.¡± Text ? owned by N?velDrama.Org. The others nodded in agreement. Sophie sighed. Nevertheless, she knew everyone cared about her, so she had no choice but to ept the ss of warm milk. ¡°Okay. I¡¯ll drink wine with all of you another time.¡± I shall let this matter slide today. ¡°Thank you, Sarah and all of you. I¡¯m sorry for worrying you, and you have my utmost gratitude for staying by my side all this while.¡± Because of them, Sophie¡¯s life became much more vibrant. She had always been a rtively aloof person. Even her parents didn¡¯t like her that much. Still, those people sitting beside her at that moment were genuinely nice to her. They had experienced life-and-death situations together and were so strongly bonded to the extent of being willing to sacrifice their lives for one another. ¡°Sophie, nothing is more important than your well-being.¡± Cecelia¡¯s eyes reddened. She was an actress, but those were her heartfelt feelings at that instant. Felix got to his feet and said, ¡°Okay. Let¡¯s raise our sses to wee Sophie¡¯s safe return. All of us must stay well in the future.¡± Others stood up too. That¡¯s right. Everyone will be fine from now on. There will always be a solution regardless of the problem we¡¯ll face. Sarah stood up as well after noticing everyone was on their feet. She sipped her red wine before saying, ¡°We¡¯re all friends, so there¡¯s no need to be so courteous. Let¡¯s sit down and have our meal.¡± After everyone sat down, Felix lifted his wine ss and got up from his seat. Chapter 703 Chapter 703 ¡°Sophie, I owe you my thanks after everything that had happened. If it hadn¡¯t been for you, Ysabelle wouldn¡¯t have returned safely! Thank you so much. No matter what problems you face in the future, let me know, and I¡¯ll help you with whatever I can!¡± Ysabelle turned to look at Felix, who always knew her like the back of his hand, and thought what he said made sense. This time, if it weren¡¯t for Sophie, Ysabelle would not have returned alive. ¡°I¡¯ve told you guys before that I¡¯m just doing what I should do. If it had been someone else instead of Ysabelle in the same situation, I would¡¯ve rescued them too.¡± That¡¯s why they shouldn¡¯t feel like they¡¯re carrying a huge burden. ¡°There¡¯s nothing else I have to say, but if anyone dares to bully you in the future, I¡¯ll be the first one to defend you. I won¡¯t ever let them get away with it.¡± Felix was a loyal and honorable person. He would definitely keep his words. ¡°Okay. I¡¯m counting on you.¡± Mark, who was sitting opposite Sophie, could not help shaking his head. Sophie is too sentimental. Sometimes, I hope that she could be a little more cold-blooded. That way, she won¡¯t get hurt as much. Following that, Ysabelle stood up, too. ¡°Sophie, I don¡¯t have much left to say either, but I¡¯ll remember what you did for me this time around,¡± Ysabelle said as she took a sip of her wine. Ysabelle and Felix made the atmosphere turn sort of depressing. In an attempt to lighten the mood, Sarah smiled and said, ¡°All right. You¡¯ve returned to us safely, and that¡¯s all that matters. Let¡¯s raise our sses to wee Sophie¡¯s safe return.¡± Everyone cheered and ate dinner happily. Cecelia said, ¡°Sarah, did you really make this? I¡¯m surprised that you can cook so well. Can I go over to your ce and freeload on food in the future?¡± Sarah¡¯s cooking was no different than those of five-star chefs. ¡°You can, but as you know, I¡¯m usually busy and don¡¯t always have time to cook.¡± Not even William had the luxury to enjoy her cooking often. ¡°You¡¯re amazing, Sarah. You¡¯re not only an Iron Lady, but you¡¯re also an amazing chef!¡± praised Cecelia sincerely, for she only knew how to cook pasta. Cooking was too difficult for her. She could not seem to master it no matter how hard she tried. Ysabelle could not help chiming in, ¡°Aunt Sarah makes the best meals, but I don¡¯t get to enjoy it often, either. Every time she cooks, it¡¯s for Sophie¡¯s sake.¡± Aunt Sarah really likes Sophie. ¡°Thank you, Sarah!¡± Sophie immediately said. ¡°Don¡¯t listen to that brat¡¯s nonsense! If you guys like my cooking, I can cook for you whenever I¡¯m free,¡± Sarah replied. That¡¯s the least I can do for them. Material ? N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Cooking is hard work. It would be best if you didn¡¯t do it often,¡± Sophie said. It¡¯s really tiring to cook, especially today. Although we have help from the housekeepers, it¡¯s still tiring to cook for so many people. ¡°It¡¯s fine, really.¡± Seanplimented her cooking as well. ¡°Sarah, your cooking is the best!¡± He seldomplimented others, yet Sarah¡¯s cooking was so good that even he could not help singing praises. Sarah felt embarrassed by theirpliments. ¡°Tristan¡¯s cooking is not bad, either, though he can only make a few dishes. I¡¯m sure he¡¯ll improve with time.¡± A few of them were often summoned to be Tristan¡¯sb rats, so they knew he was learning how to cook. They also knew why Tristan was learning how to cook. ¡°Not bad, Mr. Tristan. You¡¯re an outstanding man.¡± It was indeed impressive of him to learn how to cook for the sake of the woman he loved. ¡°I¡¯m still learning, but if you all don¡¯t mind my cooking, you¡¯re wee toe over and have a taste,¡± Tristan piped up. Sarah is often busy, but if Sophie likes her cooking, I can learn how to make these dishes, too. ¡°I¡¯d be honored to be ab rat,¡± Ysabelle said with a smile. Tristan grabbed a piece of tissue for Sophie when he noticed she was done eating. Sophie took the tissue from him and wiped her mouth and hands. ¡°Are you full?¡± Tristan whispered into her ear. He was very attentive when it came to taking care of her. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m full. Don¡¯t mind me. You should eat too.¡± He¡¯s barely eating! Instead, he¡¯s been looking after me all this while. ¡°Okay.¡± Tristan appeared graceful even while he was eating. His elegant actions made him seem like a nobleman from a prestigious family. The others had already finished eating, and Tristan was the only one that was still enjoying his meal. They knew he had been tending to Sophie and did not have time to eat. Hence, they remained seated at the table and waited for him. After dinner, everyone went home one by one when they noticed it waste. Only Arius stayed behind. ¡°I¡¯ll head upstairs to rest. Call me if you need anything.¡± He did not want to remain as a third-wheeler in the dining room. ¡°Okay.¡± Arius had been exhaustedtely. Now that they finally got home, he had to get some sleep to replenish his energy. After Arius retired to his room, Tristan and Sophie were the only ones left in the living room. ¡°Are you going to the university tomorrow?¡± Tristan asked. Can¡¯t she just stay at home and get some rest since we¡¯ve just returned? ¡°There¡¯s a project waiting for me toplete at the University of Medicine. I need to go and have a look. Don¡¯t worry! I¡¯m well aware of my own condition. I¡¯lle home and rest if I can¡¯t take it,¡± Sophie said patiently. She knew Tristan was worried about her. ¡°Okay, then.¡± Tristan leaned against the couch while Sophie rested her head on his shoulder. ¡°I¡¯m being serious here. It hasn¡¯t been easy on youtely. If there isn¡¯t anything important at Lombard Group, you should stay home and rest.¡± ¡°Okay. I will!¡± Victor came to visit the next day before Sophie could leave for the University of Medicine. He had not visited her when she was in Jetroina. When he knew she had returned, he could no longer wait and hurried over to see her. ¡°Ms. Sophie, your leg¡­¡± Sophie knew he was worried and immediately walked a few steps before him to show him that she was fine. ¡°Don¡¯t worry! I can walk like normal now. There¡¯s no problem.¡± Victor felt relieved upon seeing how Sophie could move around without problem. ¡°Ms. Sophie, where are you going? Do you need me to send you there?¡± Victor offered. ¡°That¡¯s okay. Tristan will send me. You go to Tanner Group first. I¡¯ll head there after going to the University of Medicine.¡± Recently, many urrences unfolded at Tanner Group. Since she was back, she would have to return to keep the situation under control so that those shareholders wouldn¡¯t give Victor a hard time. ¡°I have Tanner Group under control, so you don¡¯t need to worry. All you need to do is rest and get well soon.¡± I can handle a few shareholders. Plus, Ms. Sophie transferred me five hundred million for the company¡¯s funds. No matter what those shareholders want, I can manage. ¡°Go ahead first. I¡¯ll make a trip thereter in the afternoon.¡± After all, Tanner Group is important to Grandpa. How can I not go and take a look? ¡°All right!¡± Those shareholders who sold their shares would regret it. Now that Ms. Sophie is back, Tanner Group will rise all the way to the top. Tristan sent Sophie to the University of Medicine. Not many people were at the university since it was during semester break. However, Sophie spotted Sandra and Simon waiting for her from afar. Chapter 704 Chapter 704 ¡°You should go back first. Also, you don¡¯t need toe and pick me up at noon.¡± Sophie had something that she needed to settle at the university. After dealing with matters at the university, she still had to make a trip over to Tanner Group. She would not have time to be with Tristan for the day. ¡°Okay. Call me if you need anything. I¡¯lle right away.¡± Initially, Tristan wanted to remain by Sophie¡¯s side. However, he knew she would not like that, so he went to work instead. After Tristan drove away, Sophie made her way toward Sandra and Simon. Sandra knew that Sophie had gotten injured. She felt relieved when she saw Sophie walking toward them. ¡°Sophie, we found out you were injured, but we¡¯ve been so busytely that we didn¡¯t have time to visit you.¡± As Sophie¡¯s best friends, they felt extremely guilty for not visiting her even once. After all, Sophie would always provide them with assistance whenever they needed it. Simon said, ¡°I wanted to visit you, but something happened at my dad¡¯s hospital.¡± It had only been a month since theyst met, but it was apparent that Simon had matured a lot. In the past, he did not have to worry about anything since his father was around. However, he quickly matured now that something cropped up at his family¡¯s hospital. ¡°I¡¯m fine. Besides, there was nothing you could do even if you dide. Let¡¯s go! Hugh¡¯s waiting for us inside, right?¡± It was winter break. Many students had returned home. Only a few were able toe to the university to help out. ¡°Sophie, are your legs okay?¡± Sandra asked as she stared at Sophie¡¯s legs. ording to the news, her injuries sounded serious. ¡°Do I look like I¡¯m not okay?¡± Sophie asked. Sandra shook her head and caught up with them. ¡°It¡¯s good that you¡¯re fine!¡± Hugh, Hugh Langford, was already waiting inside theboratory. He immediately stood up when he saw that Sophie had arrived. ¡°I know you just came back, and you should be resting, but neither of us was able to solve this problem. That¡¯s why I asked you toe.¡± Hugh knew about Sophie¡¯s injury. Originally, he didn¡¯t want to trouble her, but the matter was too tricky for them to solve. Sandra gave Sophie a white coat. Sophie put it on and made her way toward Hugh. ¡°It¡¯s fine. I¡¯ve been resting a lottely, and it¡¯s enough.¡± She had not been doing anything since she got hurt. ¡°I think there¡¯s a problem with the cell wall. I¡¯m not sure if the methods we used were wrong, but there¡¯s always a discrepancy with the data.¡± Hugh was helpless. Sophie was the most talented student that he hade across. She could easily solve a lot of problems that others couldn¡¯t. ¡°Okay. Let me have a look.¡± Sophie stood in front of the microscope and began observing the cells. She then asked them to redo the experiment. At a nce, she found out what the problem was. She quickly wrote down the problem and its solution on paper. ¡°Give it a try now.¡± There shouldn¡¯t be any problems this time. Hugh, Sandra, and Simon redid the experiment per Sophie¡¯s instructions. Sure enough, everything progressed smoothly, and they soon solved the problem. Hugh¡¯s eyes lit up. ¡°Sophie, you are indeed the pride of the University of Medicine! Why don¡¯t you apply to the International Medical Association? With your abilities, I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll get in.¡± Others dreamed of entering the International Medical Association butcked the qualification, but if it was Sophie, she would have no problem earning herself a position in the association. ¡°Professor Langford, I think you should try applying for it instead.¡± Hugh was not bad himself, too. However, he had been teaching at the University of Medicine for several years. He should go to a hospital, where he could train and hone his skills better. Hugh heaved a heavy sigh when he heard Sophie¡¯s suggestion. His abilities were top-notch back when he was still studying. Otherwise, he wouldn¡¯t have been able to teach at the University of Medicine. However, when he recalled the incident back then, he shook his head. ¡°I can be a qualified teacher, but I¡¯m unable to be a doctor.¡± That was the biggest regret in his life. Words eluded Sophie. She did not know much about Hugh¡¯s past experience. ¡°Professor Langford, I think you can give it a try.¡± Hugh had the potential to be an outstanding surgeon. It was aplete waste of his talent for him to be teaching at the University of Medicine. Hugh didn¡¯t know what to say. I would love to try! But ever since that incident, I¡¯ve developed a serious case of phobia about operating rooms. That¡¯s why I returned to the university. ¡°All right. I¡¯ll leave the rest to you guys. I have something else to settle, so I¡¯ll leave now.¡± Since the problem was resolved, he had to return to write a report. The experiment¡¯s sess was considered great news for the advancement of medicine. Sandra could not help sighing at the mention of the professor¡¯s issue. ¡°To be honest, I feel sorry for Professor Langford. I can¡¯t imagine how devastating it must¡¯ve been for him to have to deal with such an incident during his first surgery. He could¡¯ve been an excellent surgeon if things had not turned out that way.¡± ¡°What happened?¡± Sophie did not like to gossip, but she thought Hugh was truly talented and should not waste his talents teaching at the university. ¡°He was involved in a medical dispute for his first surgery. Back then, the sess rate for that patient¡¯s surgery was merely twenty percent. No one in the hospital was willing to perform the surgery. However, Professor Langford, who had just graduated, was unwilling to give up on the patient, so he volunteered to perform it. The surgery went on for a long time, but he still failed to save the patient in the end. The patient¡¯s family members, who had been begging on their knees for someone to save the patient, put all the me on Professor Langford, using him of killing the patient. The hospital did not side with the professor either. Since then, Professor Langford gave up on being a surgeon.¡± As outsiders, they appeared indifferent while recounting the incident. However, to Hugh, what happened back then was catastrophic. ¡°I see.¡± ¡°Professor Langford is actually a kind person. Although he looks cold and unapproachable, he¡¯s nice to everyone,¡± Simon chimed in. Material ? N?velDrama.Org. Back when Simon was a freshman at the University of Medicine, he spent his days fooling around as a spoiled scion and never paid attention to his studies, but Hugh never gave up on him. Sophie helped them solve a few more questions. Time passed, and it was soon noon. The three of them locked up theboratory and went out for lunch. ¡°Simon, how¡¯s your family¡¯s hospital?¡± Sandra asked out of concern. She knew something had happened at Simon¡¯s family¡¯s hospital, but unfortunately, she could do nothing to help. ¡°Everything¡¯s fine now. You don¡¯t need to worry.¡± In fact, Simon was worried sick, but worrying wouldn¡¯t help resolve the situation. In the past, he did not care about anything. After all, no matter what happened, someone in the family would help him deal with it. However, upon witnessing how his father had aged overnight because of the unfortunate incident, Simon thought he should work harder so he could be of help to his family. ¡°What happened? Do you need my help?¡± Sophie had just returned, so she did not know what had happened to Simon¡¯s family. ¡°It¡¯s nothing. My dad will take care of it.¡± Simon felt his heart clench. I¡¯m already an adult, yet I can¡¯t do anything to help. Chapter 705 Chapter 705 ¡°Okay. Let me know if you need help!¡± Seeing Simon was hesitant to talk about it, Sophie did not probe further. She left first after finishing lunch as there were matters to be settled at Tanner Group. It would take Sophie considerable time to walk out of the university because the campus was huge. Hence, she decided to save time by using a mobile app to rent a bicycle and cycle her way out. She had not even reached the school gate when Tristan¡¯s call came. Thus, she stopped cycling and answered the phone while propping the tip of her foot on the ground. ¡°Have you eaten?¡± A deep maic male voice traveled from the other end of the line. Sophie¡¯s lips curled into a subconscious smile when she heard the voice. ¡°Yup. I just had lunch with Sandra and the rest. How about you? Have you eaten? You haven¡¯t returned to Lombard Group for a while. You must be busy with work today, right?¡± Given Lombard Group¡¯s vast extent of operations, there were several matters to attend to daily. Although Sean had been helping to fill Tristan¡¯s shoes during his absence, a tremendous backlog awaited his clearance. He must be exhausted now! Sophie could not help but worry. ¡°I¡¯m fine. You know Sean. He¡¯s capable, and he managed to handle most of the matters.¡± However, a few major development projects needed Tristan¡¯s decision. Hence, he was engaged in meetings the whole morning and had no time to check on Sophie. ¡°Remember what Arius said to you. You¡¯ve just recovered, so you should watch your diet.¡± Tristan had specially called to remind her since they were both busy, and he could not stay by her side all the time. ¡°I know. Don¡¯t worry about me.¡± ¡°Okay. Are you heading to Tanner Group right now? I¡¯ll get the driver to send you there.¡± The weather was cold now that Christmas was around the corner. Tristan was worried that Sophie would have difficulty hailing a taxi in this weather and catch a cold in the process. ¡°It¡¯s fine. I¡¯d rather hail a taxi than wait an hour outside for your driver.¡± She would feel warm once she got into the taxi. ¡°All right, then. I have some meetings to attend in the afternoon. Come over to meet me if you finish everything early. We¡¯ll go back together.¡± Tristan reckoned that he would not be able to fetch her that day. ¡°Got it. You should get back to work. I¡¯ll be hanging up now. It¡¯s freezing cold outside.¡± ¡°Okay. Take care of yourself.¡± Tristan initially thought of asking Sophie to wait there, but he knew she disliked troubling people, so he didn¡¯t send someone to go and pick her up. Sophie took a taxi to Tanner Group. The receptionist came out to wee her when she saw her arriving. ¡°Ms. Sophie, you¡¯re back!¡± the receptionist eximed excitedly. ¡°Yes. Is Mr. White in?¡± Victor was currently in charge of managing the majority of the matters in Tanner Group. Thus, Sophie needed to meet him first before calling for a meeting. ¡°Yes, Mr. White is in! Let me get the elevator for you, Ms. Sophie!¡± The receptionist helped Sophie to press the elevator button. Once the elevator door closed, the receptionist immediately whipped out her phone and informed everyone in thepany group chat of Sophie¡¯s return. Everyone in thepany was ecstatic upon hearing the news. On her way to meet Victor, several people approached Sophie to greet her. Out of courtesy, she nodded at everyone in response while wearing a calm expression. Text ? owned by N?velDrama.Org. Only upon reaching Victor¡¯s office did she have some peace and quiet. ¡°Ms. Sophie, are we calling for a senior management meeting today?¡± Victor asked. It had been some time since Sophie came to thepany. Upon seeing Sophie¡¯s return, the senior executives stopped cking off and focused on working. ¡°I have time in the afternoon. Please help to make the arrangement.¡± The main purpose of her visit was to conduct the meeting. ¡°On it. I¡¯ll ask the secretary to make the arrangement now.¡± Just then, an internal call came in. ¡°Mr. White, someone called Wilma is asking to meet Ms. Sophie.¡± It was a call from the lobby receptionist. She knew Wilma was the general manager of Transfix Cosmetics. ¡°Wilma wants to meet you. Should we let here up here?¡± Victor asked Sophie. He undoubtedly knew who Wilma was. ¡°Sure!¡± After a short while, Wilma arrived. Her eyes reddened when she saw Sophie. ¡°Ms. Sophie, you have no idea how worried we were after learning what happened to you! I came here just to see how you¡¯re doing.¡± Sophie smiled faintly, touched by their concern. ¡°Ms. Lineker, don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m fine now.¡± ¡°Good, good. We¡¯re all d to see you doing well. By the way, Ms. Sophie, I¡¯m getting married.¡± Another purpose of Wilma¡¯s visit was to hand her wedding invitation to Sophie. Wilma was doing well in her career, especially after Sophie ced her trust in her and empowered her in the decision-making for Transfix Cosmetics. Her current demeanor was a vast difference from what she used to be¡ªtimid and indecisive. However, despite being busy with work, she kept Sophie¡¯s advice in mind, and after a period of time, she happened to meet her Mr. Right. She thought it was finally time for her to get married. ¡°Is that true? Congrattions, Ms. Lineker!¡± Sophie was delighted to hear the good news. ¡°When will the wedding be held? Please make sure to inform me then.¡± ¡°It¡¯ll be before Christmas! I¡¯ll certainly let you know by then. Ms. Sophie, I would also like to let you know that I¡¯m pregnant. As such, I don¡¯t think I can assume my role anymore. Please get someone suitable to take over my job. If you can¡¯t find anyone suitable, I can rmend someone as well.¡± ¡°Ms. Lineker, you don¡¯t have to worry about this. You¡¯re still capable of doing your job. If you encounter any difficulties, just hand the task over to the subordinates.¡± ¡°Ms. Sophie¡­¡± Wilma did not expect such generosity from Sophie. She was mentally prepared to lose her job after giving birth. ¡°Don¡¯t people normally take leave a month before delivery? Ms. Lineker, if there¡¯s anything that you find inconvenient to do, let the subordinates do it. You only need to make the decisions.¡± Sophie was well aware of Wilma¡¯s contributions toward Transfix Cosmetics. That was why she wanted to treat her well and give her what she deserved. Wilma was touched. ¡°Ms. Sophie, thank you so much for giving me this opportunity!¡± Pregnancy discrimination in workces wasmon, and pregnant employees were often reced. Thus, Wilma was mentally prepared for the same thing to happen to her. ¡°You¡¯repetent, and Transfix Cosmetics is lucky to have you as an employee.¡± Sophie felt that everyone had to go through different experiences at different stages in their lives, including getting married and creating a family. In Wilma¡¯s case, she had reached the stage where she should be settling down and having a family. It just so happened she met the right person, and Sophie could not be happier for her. Sophie chatted a little while more with Wilma, and thetter updated her regarding Transfix Cosmetics¡¯ recent affairs. ¡°Ms. Lineker, I mean what I say. I¡¯m at ease knowing that Transfix Cosmetics is in your hands. So, I hope you will return to work for us after you give birth!¡± Sophie recognized Wilma¡¯s capabilities and her passion for this industry. Therefore, she genuinely hoped Wilma could continue working for her. ¡°Of course, Ms. Sophie. I¡¯ll definitely return as long as you need me!¡± Wilma was overwhelmed with happiness. Transfix Cosmetics was a dreame true for her, so how could she give it up? Chapter 706 Chapter 706 Victor already had his assistant inform the employees about having a meeting at three-thirty. When they heard about Sophie¡¯s return, they were all thrilled and overjoyed. ¡°I know you have other matters to attend to, Ms. Sophie, so I¡¯ll head back first.¡± Wilma didn¡¯t want to hold up Sophie¡¯s time. ¡°Did you drive here? If you need a ride, I can ask someone to give you a ride back.¡± It¡¯s difficult to hail a taxi in this weather. Wilma beamed gleefully. She never knew pregnancy would bring her such bliss. In the past, the sight of pregnant mothers would always arouse pity within her heart, for she thought they must be exhausted. However, she never knew why they wore blissful smiles on their faces. ¡°I drove here. I¡¯m only one month along, so it doesn¡¯t affect much,¡± Wilma assured with a smile. Sophie felt happy for Wilma, seeing the joyful look on her face. ¡°Be careful then. It¡¯s dangerous to drive in this weather. I¡¯ll drop by Transfix Cosmetics in a couple of days when I¡¯m free.¡± Sophie hadn¡¯t been visiting thepany much since it got on track. She wondered how everyone was doing there. ¡°Sure, Ms. Sophie. I¡¯m sure Wendy and the rest will be thrilled if they know you¡¯ll drop by.¡± The girls in Transfix Cosmetics like Ms. Sophie a lot. Sophie hummed in response and saw Wilma off. After Wilma left, Victor was done making the necessary preparations and notified Sophie, ¡°Ms. Sophie, let¡¯s head to the conference room. Everyone has been waiting for you.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Relief washed over the executives when they saw Sophie step into the conference room. They were all happy to see her return safely and soundly. ¡°I know thepany¡¯s been through a lot recently, and some shareholders have divested, but that¡¯s fine. Those matters aren¡¯t going to affect Tanner Group¡¯s development. I hope everyone in this room can work together to take Tanner Group to a new height!¡± Sophie¡¯s voice wasn¡¯t booming, but every word she uttered was impactful. Her encouragement convinced her subordinates in the room of the bright future ahead of them and provided them with confidence. ¡°Rest assured, Ms. Sophie. We¡¯ll work even harder. I¡¯m sure Tanner Group will achieve greater heights!¡± ¡°That¡¯s right, Ms. Sophie. Those shareholders who divestedck insight. They¡¯ll regret it one day.¡± ¡°Thank you all very much for your trust in me. You still being here means you¡¯re confident with Tanner Group¡¯s prospects. Christmas is just around the corner, so let¡¯s work hard for a few more days before we get to enjoy the holiday.¡± It had been an eventful year. For most people, surviving the year safely was challenging enough, much less earning a profit. However, despite the economic recession, Tanner Group managed to maintain steady earnings. Naturally, the credit for that achievement went to Sophie¡¯s excellent management and the employees¡¯ hard work. ¡°I guarantee that you all will be satisfied with the year-end bonus.¡± Sophie was aware that the economy was the driving force behind the employees¡¯ motivation. The terrible economy that year resulted in the bankruptcy of numerous smallerpanies. Surprisingly, Tanner Group could still afford its employees¡¯ annual bonuses. ¡°Ms. Sophie, we¡¯re grateful enough to have a secure job.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry. With me here, Tanner Group will not fall, so everyone can rest assured. I can afford your annual bonuses too.¡± Knowing they would still have an annual bonus despite the year¡¯s hardships, happiness radiated through the employees of Tanner Group. That¡¯s how a leader should be. Ms. Sophie is too remarkable. Victor immediately had his secretary pour Sophie a ss of warm water when they returned to his office. ¡°Thank you for your hard work, Ms. Sophie. Year-end bonuses are quite high in recent years, so it¡¯s not going to be a small amount if you¡¯re nning to reward every employee.¡± Victor knew every employee was excited about receiving their bonuses, but it would cost thepany a fortune. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Victor. We¡¯ll regain the funds by February next year. Trust me.¡± Sophie reached for her ss and took a sip. The office was warm with the heater on, so she only wore a thin ck garment, which made her appear even younger than she already was. It was surprising to think that such a youngdy who wasn¡¯t even twenty had the capability to manage thepany well. In fact, not even one of her employees had a single bad thing to say about her management. ¡°All right. Got it.¡± ¡°Have the finance department do the ounting and grant everyone their bonuses.¡± ¡°Will do, Ms. Sophie.¡± Naturally, Victor had no objections to that. He would, of course, respect Sophie¡¯s decision. ¡°Will youe to the annual party and give it to them personally?¡± Victor knew how busy she was recently. Material ? N?velDrama.Org. Also, her leg hadn¡¯tpletely recovered. ¡°We¡¯ll see by then. Has the date been set for the party? Let me know once it¡¯s set. I¡¯lle if I have the time.¡± I should attend such a crucial event and celebrate with everyone. ¡°Sure. I¡¯ll have the finance department do the ounting and ensure everyone gets their bonuses before Christmas.¡± Everyone would get to celebrate their holidays with joy if they received their bonuses after a busy year. It wasmon knowledge that the employees¡¯ sries of a bigpany like Tanner Group wouldn¡¯t be meager. However, the fact that they worked in the big city meant their cost of living was high. Some employees had to rent their amodations and pay for their daily expenses. By the end of the year, they wouldn¡¯t have much savings. Moreover, a majority of the poption was living from paycheck to paycheck. That was why the staff was so excited after hearing that they would get their bonuses. They had to buy Christmas presents for their family, after all. Otherwise, they would¡¯ve been embarrassed to return home empty-handed with everyone knowing they worked in the city for arge corporate. It was only half past four by the time Sophie settled the affairs of Tanner Group. She decided to meet up with Tristan. On the way out of the building, every employee beamed at her as they greeted her. Their bright mood and happy faces lifted Sophie¡¯s spirits as well. The cold mask she usually wore was absent as she reciprocated each of their greetings. ¡°I seriously think we¡¯re so lucky to work for Tanner Group. A few of my friends got fired because their companies didn¡¯t want to give them their employees bonuses.¡± ¡°Yeah! I heard about that too! Manypanies areing up with all kinds of excuses to fire their employees due to their unwillingness to pay their employees¡¯ paychecks and bonuses.¡± ¡°Ms. Sophie is my goddess! I was worried about how I should exin to my parents when I return home for Christmas. I felt bad for going home without any savings when I¡¯ve been working in Jipsdale for a whole year.¡± Others wouldn¡¯t understand how they felt. It might seem like they had high sries, but so were their expenses. As such, it wasn¡¯t a surprise for them to not have any savings. Sophie left Tanner Group under the grateful gazes of her employees and headed to Lombard Group. Since the employees of Lombard Group were well acquainted with Sophie, they greeted her as she walked into the building. Chapter 707 Chapter 707 Sophie made her way straight to Tristan¡¯s office, finding him still buried in paperwork. He had been falling behind on work these days. ¡°How much longer do you need?¡± she asked, wrapping her arms around him from behind. ¡°Just half an hour, tops,¡± he replied. ¡°It¡¯s all right. I don¡¯t have anything to do tonight, so take your time. Do you need me to help?¡± Sophie offered to assist with the work, knowing she was more than capable to peruse the documents. ¡°No need. You¡¯ve been working all afternoon at Tanner Group. You must be exhausted. Just wait for me over there,¡± he said, gesturing toward the seating area. Sophie wasn¡¯t having it. ¡°No way. I want to stay here with you,¡± she insisted, behaving willfully, which was a rare sight. Tristan had never seen this side of her before and found it intriguing. ¡°But your leg has just recovered. It¡¯s best that you don¡¯t stand around for too long,¡± he reminded her, concerned for her health. ¡°Then I¡¯ll wait for you over there,¡± Sophie conceded, making her way toward the seating area as she didn¡¯t want to worry him too much. As she settled in, her phone rang. She frowned when she saw it was Charles, for it was unusual for him to call since they were merely acquaintances. ¡°What is it?¡± she answered, getting straight to the point. ¡°Sophie, I¡¯ve never asked for anything from you before, but now, I need a favor,¡± Charles said urgently. Although Charles was often unreliable, Sophie knew that as Tristan¡¯s assistant and the second son of the Quigley family, he wouldn¡¯t beg for help unless something serious had happened. ¡°Just tell me what it is,¡± she replied. They were friends, after all, and Sophie was in a rtionship with Tristan, so she wanted to do what she could to help. ¡°My grandpa is very ill, and he wants to meet Winter. I know she was wrong in the past, but I hope she cane home this time no matter what,¡± Charles exined. ¡°Okay, got it,¡± she agreed, willing to help out. Sophie thought that it was reasonable for a grandparent to want to see their grandchild when they were ill. ¡°But Mr. Tristan¡­¡± Charles said nervously. He knew that Tristan only ever listened to Sophie, which was why he threw caution to the wind and made the call. ¡°I will talk to him about it. Let here back, but tell her to behave herself. You know how Mr. Tristan is. I¡¯m worried that whatever I say will be useless if she does anything reckless again,¡± Sophie replied. Tristan was quite an easygoing person, but not even Sophie could appease him if someone crossed the line. N?velDrama.Org: owner of this content. Things would get ugly when that happened. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll keep an eye on her when she returns. Besides, I think Winter understands that she can¡¯t force someone to love her after the incident. She should be sensible enough to let go now,¡± Charles said. ¡°Okay.¡± Sophie didn¡¯tment further and hung up. Sean patted Charles on the shoulder when he saw how relieved thetter looked. ¡°See, didn¡¯t I tell you? Sophie is nice.¡± Moreover, they were Tristan¡¯s friends, and Sophie was always kind to his friends. ¡°I know she¡¯s nice. I¡¯ll go and arrange for Winter to return to the country.¡± Grandpa is seriously ill this time, and with Christmas approaching, I¡¯m hoping he¡¯ll make it through. Even though Juan was Walter¡¯s favorite, Charles couldn¡¯t turn a blind eye to Walter¡¯s condition. At the end of the day, Walter was still his grandfather. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Everything will be fine,¡± Sean said in an attempt to console his friend. He knew that one couldn¡¯t fight fate. No matter how rich or powerful one was, one would eventually sumb to sickness and death when one aged. There was nothing anyone could do about it. Meanwhile, all the way in Anndur, Winter cried tears of joy when she found out she could finally return home. ¡°Charles, is Grandpa very ill?¡± she asked, concerned for her grandfather, whom she knew adored her. She was, after all, not a heartless person. ¡°Don¡¯t think too much about it. I¡¯ve arranged for someone to book your flight ticket home and will send you the details in a bit. You don¡¯t need to prepare anything. Juste straight home,¡± Charles said, trying to console her. ¡°Okay, got it. Thank you, Charles,¡± Winter replied, grateful for all that Charles had done for her. Tristan finally agreed to let Winter return home. She never wanted to leave her home country ever again after her difficult experience surviving alone in a foreign country, especially when the first country shended in was Alendor. ¡°Okay. Winter, I must remind you, don¡¯t act so recklessly this time, and stay away from people you can¡¯t afford to mess with.¡± Winter kept quiet at that. ¡°You should know by now that Mr. Tristan doesn¡¯t like you, and there¡¯s nothing you can do about it. In fact, what you do will only make him hate you more.¡± ¡°Okay, Charles. Don¡¯t worry. I know what to do. I won¡¯t put you on the spot.¡± There was nothing she could do no matter how reluctant she was to ept reality. She would have to wait until she returned home to sort things out. There was no point in dwelling on the matter now. Meanwhile, Tristan noticed that Sophie had been staring at him for a while now, which distracted him from his work. ¡°What is it? Who called?¡± he asked. It must be because of that phone call just now! She has been staring at me ever since she ended the call. ¡°Mr. Tristan, I¡¯ve made a decision on your behalf,¡± she said. She knew it wasn¡¯t her ce to make such a decision, but the person in question was Charles. She believed that, given his close friendship with Tristan, she was in the best position to make the decision for him. Tristan replied, ¡°You can decide anything for me as long as you don¡¯t sell me off.¡± He had always considered Sophie as family. ¡°I¡¯ve agreed to let Wintere back home.¡± Sophie got straight to the point. ¡°Old Mr. Quigley is sick. I think it¡¯s quite serious this time.¡± ¡°What does that have to do with you?¡± Tristan asked. Tristan was immediately displeased when Winter¡¯s name was mentioned, as he hadn¡¯t forgotten what she had done to Sophie. ¡°This reminds me of my own grandpa, Tristan. So, just let here back at times like this, okay?¡± Tristan nodded. ¡°Okay, I understand. She¡¯s just a nobody. I don¡¯t care if shees back or not.¡± Humming in response, Sophie walked over and nted a kiss on his lips. ¡°Besides, she¡¯s Charles¡¯ little sister. We shouldpromise on Charles¡¯ ount.¡± ¡°You did it for me, didn¡¯t you?¡± Tristan knew that Sophie wasn¡¯t particrly close to Charles. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter. I agreed to it anyway. The matter¡¯s already decided,¡± Sophie replied. Tristan carried her in his arms and ced her on the study table before bending over to kiss her. Things started to heat up as their passionate kissing session continued. ¡°Sophie, what am I going to do with you? Let¡¯s get engaged right away!¡± he eximed. We¡¯ll get engaged first and then get married. I can¡¯t possibly wait any longer. Chapter 708 Chapter 708 ¡°Mhm!¡± She initially wanted to get married after graduating from university, but after what happened to her, it did not seem like a bad idea to carry her n forward. There were only so many decades in a person¡¯s life, and she did not want to have any regrets. ¡°Really? You¡¯re agreeing to this?¡± The joy and excitement were audible in Tristan¡¯s voice. ¡°Mhm. Let¡¯s get married.¡± What other thoughts could I possibly have about this? ¡°Okay! I¡¯ll make preparations right away!¡± All of a sudden, frustration inundated Tristan, for he had not done any preparations whatsoever. ¡°What preparations? My grandpa¡¯s gone now. The rest are just procedural stuff.¡± Sophie loved him, so those traditions did not matter. Material ? N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Of course I have to make preparations! I haven¡¯t proposed to you yet!¡± He had only casually mentioned it in the heat of the moment and was not expecting her to agree to it. ¡°Did I get you wrong? I thought you were proposing to me,¡± Sophie said with a chuckle. ¡°Tristan, since we¡¯ve decided to be together, let¡¯s just skip the details.¡± Sophie never liked troublesome affairs. ¡°How can we not take things seriously when this is a once-in-a-lifetime milestone? You have to have what others have.¡± Tristan stubbornly insisted on giving her a grand ceremony. Sophie was the woman he loved, so naturally, he would not be stingy in providing her with the luxury others got to enjoy. ¡°All right, as long as you¡¯re happy,¡± Sophie relented. She didn¡¯t really care about those ceremonial affairs. That night, instead of spending time with Sophie after sending her back to the mansion, Tristan returned to the Lombard residence. When William saw him, he began taking jabs at him again. ¡°Tristan, are you really my son? Think long and hard about this. How long has it been since you came back to visit me? Other children go home to see their parents every day, but what about you?¡± William uttered in displeasure. He had two sons and a daughter, but every one of them was too busy to keep himpany. Hence, he was lonely. ¡°Dad, I¡¯ve been really busytely. That¡¯s why I didn¡¯te back to visit you.¡± Tristan had been in Jetroina recently, and the moment he was back, he had to settle Lombard Group¡¯s matters. He didn¡¯t have the time to visit William. ¡°That¡¯s right. All of you are so busy, and I¡¯m the only one who has too much time on my hands. That¡¯s why everyone leaves me behind.¡± Old people tended to lose control over their tempers. If William had been younger, he would never have thrown a tantrum and said something like that. ¡°Dad, I¡¯m here to tell you about something.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± William had never seen Tristan behaving so solemnly before. ¡°Sophie and I are getting married.¡± William fell silent. So he¡¯s only back because of Sophie. If it weren¡¯t for their uing marriage, he wouldn¡¯t havee, huh? ¡°So what are you trying to tell me? Are you here to ask for my opinion, or are you here to inform me about it?¡± ¡°Dad, regardless of everything, you¡¯re my father. You were the one who raised me, so I still hope to get your blessings for this.¡± It did not matter to him, but it was not the same for Sophie. She deserved the best things in this world. Thus, no matter what, Tristan hoped that his father could ept Sophie into the family and not make things difficult for her. ¡°Fine. You¡¯re not that young anymore anyway. If you want to get married, then so be it. I have no objections, but you have to make the wedding a good one.¡± Tristan was his son, and the Lombard family had a reputation to keep in Jipsdale. ¡°Dad, the two of us will discuss the wedding details between ourselves. You don¡¯t need to worry about it.¡± Hearing that, William became annoyed. What does he mean by that? ¡°If my memory still serves me well, I¡¯m your father. What do you mean when you say I don¡¯t need to worry about it?¡± There was finally something William could intervene in, so there was no way he was going to stay out of it. When Sarah came home to the hostility between the father and son, she sighed. ¡°What¡¯s going on? It¡¯s rare for Tristan toe home, so can¡¯t the two of you talk things out in a civil manner?¡± ¡°Sarah, perfect timing. I want to hear what you think about this. He said he has decided to marry Sophie, and I¡¯m fine with that. But why can¡¯t I get involved in the wedding nning?¡± Sarah nced at Tristan. ¡°I thought she hasn¡¯t graduated yet. Why are the two of you suddenly getting married?¡± Sophie¡¯s only twenty this year. She¡¯s still too young. They should wait for a little longer. ¡°I don¡¯t want to wait anymore, not after what happened this time. I want to be with her. Since we¡¯re going to be together for the rest of our lives, what¡¯s wrong with getting married a little earlier?¡± ¡°I understand what you mean.¡± After all, they had indeed gone through a life-and-death situation. Anyone would want to get married to the person they loved after experiencing something like this. ¡°Dad, the wedding is something between the two of them. We¡¯ll help them out if they need our help, but if they don¡¯t, then all we have to do is attend the wedding.¡± Young people have their own ideas for nning a wedding, and they don¡¯t necessarily share the same ideas with the older generation. We should respect young people¡¯s preferences. ¡°You¡­ I shouldn¡¯t have gotten you involved in this conversation! The two of you grew up together, so of course you¡¯re going to be on his side!¡± William was exasperated. It had been a long while since thest happy event in the Lombard family, and William thought he could get involved in the nning of the event. ¡°Dad, you can do whatever you like with my wedding in the future, all right?¡± Sarah offered with a giggle. ¡°Forget about it. I don¡¯t know how long I¡¯d have to wait until you get married.¡± Well, Tristan has finally settled down. I wonder how things will turn out for my daughter, however. ¡°By the way, Sarah, do you have anything to do with Juan¡¯s matter?¡± By then, news regarding Yvette had spread like wildfire. Even an old man like William had more or less learned about the incident. Nevertheless, Sarah did not expect her father to mention that man. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Dad. There isn¡¯t anything between me and Juan. We¡¯re not even in contact with each other right now.¡± Sarah had chosen to bury everything in her past six feet under her. ¡°No worries, Dad. I¡¯m all recovered now. I¡¯m going to find someone who truly loves me from now on.¡± She was no longer averse to new rtionships. Upon hearing that, William breathed a sigh of relief. ¡°I¡¯m d that you¡¯re better now. You¡¯re my precious daughter, so don¡¯t make yourself so miserable because of that man, okay?¡± ¡°Mhm. I know.¡± In the meantime, Ysabelle was thrilled when she found out that Sophie was going to marry her uncle. ¡°Sophie, have you really made up your mind? But you¡¯re still so young! Are you really going to step into the tomb of love?¡± Everyone says that marriage is the tomb of love! ¡°Yes, I¡¯ve made up my mind. Regardless of what marriage is, as long as I¡¯m with him, I¡¯ll still step right into it.¡± People tend to say that things change after marriage, but nothing matters as long it¡¯s Tristan by my side. ¡°Fine, then. I never thought you¡¯d be the first to marry, though,¡± Ceceliamented, still surprised. Chapter 709 Chapter 709 Ever since Sophie went to Horington, Cecelia thought that the former would never get married. After all, all the pain and suffering that Mason had caused her had been bone-deep. If it weren¡¯t for Mason and Willow, Sophie would not have been thrown to Horington and would not have needed to go through all that suffering. Moreover, she changed drastically after she came back. Hence, Cecelia was immensely d to see that Sophie could still feel joy. ¡°I, too, thought I would never fall in love again before I met Tristan too,¡± Sophie said as she recalled the suffering she had to go through. If those torments she experienced were what led her to Tristan, she thought it was worthwhile. Meanwhile, Butterfly was still reeling in from the disbelief. ¡°You should still think it through. You¡¯re still young, and you can afford to wait a little longer.¡± Even though Sophie had always been an independent individual, something in Butterfly¡¯s mind kept telling her that Tristan had tricked Sophie into marrying him. Right then, Tristan came back. When he heard Butterfly¡¯s words, he shot her a cold look. Despite being someone who had been through a lot, Butterfly still felt a chill traveling down her spine upon meeting the man¡¯s icy re. ¡°You¡¯re back!¡± Sophie quickly rose to her feet and went over to him to take the coat he shrugged off. This belongs to N?velDrama.Org - ?. ¡°Mhm, I¡¯m back.¡± When Tristan noticed that the guests present were all women, he said, ¡°I have a video conference to attend, so I¡¯m going to head upstairs first. Make yourselves at home. I¡¯ll get Blossom Garden to deliver some groceries over, so do stay for the meal.¡± ¡°Sure!¡± Only after Tristan went upstairs did Butterfly let out a relieved sigh. ¡°Sophie, Mr. Tristan¡¯s too aggressive. But honestly, you¡¯re the only one who can match his aura.¡± All he did was give Butterfly a look, and that was enough to make thetter¡¯s heart almost stop beating. ¡°That¡¯s because you said something you shouldn¡¯t have.¡± Even Ysabelle was petrified of her uncle. She knew how her uncle disliked hearing them talking nonsense about things that concerned Sophie. ¡°Okay, okay, I¡¯m sorry.¡± Butterfly was certain that Tristan would have taken action against her if she had not been Sophie¡¯s friend. That was how scary he was. ¡°Sophie, what kind of wedding do you want? A modern one or a traditional one?¡± Cecelia curiously asked. Cecelia worked in the entertainment industry, and she had worn countless wedding dresses due to her roles in movies. She thought that a traditional wedding was a good idea, for the dresses looked gorgeous. ¡°Is it thatplicated?¡± Sophie had never thought about it. ¡°Since you¡¯ve decided to get married, these are things you should consider.¡± In fact, Cecelia was already starting to fantasize about the grandeur of Sophie¡¯s wedding. ¡°She¡¯s right. Sophie, you should start thinking about it. You have to tell us if there¡¯s anything you need from us!¡± Ysabelle was exhrated. ¡°Also, one vote from me for a traditional wedding!¡± They were Chanaeans, and she agreed with Cecelia about the beauty of traditional wedding dresses. Sophie was an attractive woman, and Ysabelle was convinced that Sophie would be downright gorgeous in a red dress. ¡°That¡¯s still a little too early. Tristan¡¯s thinking of getting engaged first.¡± He wants us to take this one step at a time. ¡°Honestly, I¡¯m impressed by Mr. Tristan. I¡¯m surprised that he¡¯s so patient when the one he¡¯s going to marry is an alluring woman like you!¡± Does he truly love her? Nowadays, most men can¡¯t wait to get to home base after winning over a woman¡¯s heart. But Tristan managed to hold back until now! ¡°Sophie, have the two of you not done that?¡± Cecelia asked without beating around the bush. Sophie, who usually had an apathetic look on her face, turned bright red immediately. ¡°Cecelia, what are you talking about?¡± Frankly, Sophie did not mind giving it up to him before marrying him, but Tristan did not want her to. There was nothing she could say about that. Ysabelle shook her head. ¡°I¡¯m curious about this too. I¡¯m really shocked that my Uncle Tristan actually managed to hold himself back in the face of an irresistible woman,¡± Ysabelle teased. She used to be pure and innocent, but she was influenced by Cecelia and the others. ¡°I¡¯m serious about this. Is there something wrong with Mr. Tristan?¡± Butterfly blurted out, shocking everyone with her crazy assumptions. Sophie was rendered speechless. Why didn¡¯t I realize that Butterfly is someone like this in the past? ¡°Ms. Sekelsky, it¡¯s best not to say something like this if you don¡¯t want to get thrown out of the house by Tristan. He¡¯s healthy and fine!¡± Sophie hastily rified. The many cold showers Tristan had to take to calm himself down had not been for nothing. Still, those were details she was not going to share with the others, for they were private matters that only she and Tristan should know about. Cecelia then took out her phone and showed Sophie various kinds of traditional-style wedding dresses. ¡°Look, Sophie. I think these dresses suit your perfectly!¡± Cecelia said, already browsing through wedding dress designs. She then wistfully said, ¡°Honestly, Sophie, we even said we were going to get married together back then. It¡¯s such a pity I don¡¯t have anyone I¡¯m seeing right now. Otherwise, I¡¯d really want to get married at the same time as you.¡± She was an A-list actress, and she had above-average looks. But, unfortunately, she was not interested in any of her suitors. Yet, her urge to get married reached its peak when she saw how blissful Sophie was. Meanwhile, both Butterfly and Ysabelle were standing behind Cecelia, looking at the dresses as well. ¡°I¡¯ll be frank with you, Sophie. I think these dresses are way better than those modern dresses,¡± Ysabelle said. When I get married in the future, I would want a traditional wedding, too. Butterfly inclined her head in agreement. ¡°Just look at Sophie¡¯s face. Even if she turns up in rags, she¡¯ll still be the prettiest girl in the room.¡± That was an undeniable fact. The three of them engaged in a heated discussion as Sophie watched them quietly. She thought she wouldn¡¯t care about all these details, but after seeing the beautiful dresses, she was starting to look forward to her wedding as well. A whileter, Sarah came back from work. She had been working overtime, and when she found out that Ysabelle and the others were at Sophie¡¯s ce, she decided to head over too. However, right as she came down from her car, she spotted Juan. It had been over a month since she last saw him. She was not expecting to see him in such a haggard state, but she guessed that it had to be because of Yvette. Regardless of everything, Yvette¡¯s incident still managed to affect him. He must be here for me. Not seeing the point in avoiding him, Sarah walked over to him. ¡°Juan, are you here for me?¡± The thoughts that ran across Sarah¡¯s mind were no longer the same as the ones she used to have when seeing Juan again. ¡°Sarah, can we talk?¡± It was then Sarah noticed the cigarette between his index and middle fingers and the numerous cigarette butts scattered by his feet. She frowned. ¡°Smoking is bad for you, Juan. Try to do it less often.¡± It looks like Yvette¡¯s matter has affected him quite a bit. Moreover, Old Mr. Quigley¡¯s sick right now. I¡¯m sure he¡¯s having a tough time. ¡°I broke up with Yvette.¡± Chapter 710 Chapter 710 That was well within her expectations. The prominent families in Jipsdale had always ced a huge emphasis on sexual purity, so they would never ept Yvette after finding out about her indecent sexual history. Besides, Walter never liked Yvette right from the start, so there was no way he would approve of her after that incident. ¡°I don¡¯t see how that has anything to do with me,¡± Sarah said. Material ? N?velDrama.Org. She wasn¡¯t the one who released those pictures of Yvette, so it was pointless for Juan to tell her about this. ¡°Sarah, did you really have feelings for me?¡± ¡°It¡¯s pointless to bring that up now. Anyway, they¡¯re all waiting for me inside, so I¡¯ll be on my way.¡± Regardless of whether she had feelings for him, it was all in the past, and she wanted to keep it that way. The damage he had done to her was more than enough to crush whatever feelings she had toward him in the past. Sarah was about to leave when Juan grabbed her by the arm and said, ¡°I don¡¯t know what came over me in the past, but I promise you that I wille see you once I have everything figured out.¡± ¡°It¡¯s cold outside, so you should head on in,¡± he added when he got no response from her. Sarah couldn¡¯t understand what he meant by that. Why would hee back for me? Does he take pity on me or something? I don¡¯t need his pity, though. Love and pity are two very different things. If he doesn¡¯t love me, then there¡¯s no point ining back to me! Sure enough, everyone was waiting for Sarah by the time she came in through the door. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for beingte. I got held up at work.¡± Sophie stood up and motioned for Sarah to take a seat at the table. ¡°Hurry up ande join us, Sarah!¡± ¡°I bet you guys have been discussing the wedding all afternoon, right? Well? Would you prefer a traditional one or a modern one?¡± Sarah asked curiously. It wasmon for women to be excited about weddings, and Sarah was no exception. ¡°A traditional one. We all think it would be more meaningful that way,¡± Ysabelle replied. ¡°I like traditional weddings too!¡± ¡°Do you know how to ride a horse, Mr. Tristan?¡± Sophie asked. It would be nice to have him pick me up on a horse! ¡°Yes, I do.¡± Tristan knew he had made the right decision when he saw how happy Sophie looked. However, he was quite troubled because the previous marriage proposal was such a spur-of-the- moment decision that he didn¡¯t even get her a ring. As such, he wanted to make it up to Sophie with a proposal that she would remember for the rest of her life. That way, she would never feel envious of any other proposals that she might see. Unfortunately,ing up with an idea for such a memorable proposal was no easy task, so he was still working on it. Later that night, Tristan asked Sean and the others out to discuss it. All three of them were shocked when they found out that he was asking about the proposal. ¡°Mr. Tristan, are you really going to get married?¡± They knew his rtionship with Sophie was going strong, but they didn¡¯t think he would be tying the knot so soon. ¡°Yeah, it has all been decided, but I want to give her an unforgettable proposal before the big day.¡± That was something Tristan insisted on doing no matter what. He didn¡¯t want to skip any details. ¡°I may have dated a lot of women in the past, but I have never proposed to any of them,¡± Charles said. He had yet to find a woman whom he wanted to get married with. Sean shook his head as well. ¡°I don¡¯t have such experience either.¡± Although they were all incredibly sessful men with countless women dreaming of marrying them, they had no experience in proposing to anyone. ¡°Why don¡¯t you just look up marriage proposals online and see how other people do it?¡± While he couldn¡¯t exactly replicate someone else¡¯s proposal, it would still do him good to use them as a reference. ¡°That¡¯s a good idea! You should check out how others propose!¡± ¡°Is there even a need for you to propose, though? Sophie has already agreed to marry you, hasn¡¯t she?¡± If she has already said yes, then why not just skip the proposal and go straight for the wedding ceremony? ¡°No, that simply won¡¯t do. Such procedures are essential in life!¡± Tristan couldn¡¯t bring himself to disappoint his beloved woman in the slightest. ¡°All right, then.¡± Sean couldn¡¯t understand why Tristan insisted on proposing to Sophie. The only thing that matters is to live happily with each other. What¡¯s the point of marriage proposals? Well, I suppose I¡¯m not one to talk. If the love of my life returns to me, I¡¯d probably do anything I can to make her happy as well. ¡°I¡¯ve been watching a lot of romantic dramas with Ysabelletely. From what I¡¯ve seen, they usually go down on one knee and propose with a huge bouquet of roses and a wedding ring. I think that¡¯s good enough.¡± Charles had been looking up a lot of proposal methods online, but Tristan wasn¡¯t satisfied with any of them. He found them all too old-fashioned or cheesy for someone like Sophie. Eventually, the three of them had run out of ideas and ended up sitting there staring nkly into space. Tristan¡¯s request was simply too much for them to handle. ¡°How about you just consult a wedding nner instead? They¡¯re bound to have tons of ideas.¡± They had been so busy making money that they didn¡¯t have time to educate themselves on such matters. ¡°Forget it, I¡¯ll try to think of something,¡± Tristan said. He was surprised that the four of them couldn¡¯t come up with a satisfactory marriage proposal even after putting their heads together. The preparations for the establishment of the Chanaean Medical Association had been going smoothly as they had found the right people for the job. However, its capability was nothingpared to the International Medical Association. Not only did the International Medical Association refuse to acknowledge Barney, but they even used him of a crime. As such, Barney could no longer return to the International Medical Association. He had personally recruited and trained all of those people, so he didn¡¯t expect them to betray him like that. As the Chanaean Medical Association had just been established, the International Medical Association came up with various ways to cause them trouble and give them a hard time. Arius knew that Barney had been really exhaustedtely, so he didn¡¯t want him to worry about such things. ¡°The International Medical Association has practically fired us both, so you should just ignore them, Dr. Smith!¡± Some people refused to join the Chanaean Medical Association after hearing about that from the International Medical Association. Barney nodded in response. ¡°I know. I just don¡¯t understand why they would do such a thing. There should be no boundaries between countries when ites to medicine!¡± Why would they be so cruel to a newly-established medical association? What could they possibly stand to gain from doing this? Sophie, who had just arrived at the Chanaean Medical Association¡¯s temporary office, overheard their conversation from outside the door. ¡°What they say is none of our business, Dr. Smith. You don¡¯t have to worry about it at all. They won¡¯t be able to do anything to us if our research on this disease yields results.¡± Chapter 711 Chapter 711 We don¡¯t even need their acknowledgment, to begin with. The International Medical Association are going to have to try harder than that if they wish to stop us! Also, we¡¯re in Chanaea, so there isn¡¯t much they can do to us from their country. Barney got all excited when he heard Sophie mention the research on the new disease. ¡°Yes, you¡¯re right. We must give this research everything we¡¯ve got!¡± The Chanaean Medical Association has a lot of obstacles to ovee because it is still new to the scene, but it¡¯s nothing we can¡¯t handle. Things are sure to work out in the end as long as we don¡¯t give up on it! ¡°I¡¯ve been trying to cheer Dr. Smith up all day, but nothing I said seemed to do the trick. You, on the other hand, got him all hyped up the moment you came in through the door. Looks like you truly are his one and only mentee!¡± Georgina came out to see Sophie the moment she heard her voice. She had heard about Sophie being badly injured, so she felt relieved to see that Sophie was doing all right. ¡°I¡¯m so d that you¡¯re back, Sophie!¡± We¡¯ll be able to solve any problem as long as we have Sophie around! ¡°Yes, it¡¯s good to be back. How have you been? Are you getting used to the work here? It¡¯s not too tough for you, right?¡± Most medical practitioners dreamed of joining the International Medical Association, but not everyone could handle the tough working environment over there. ¡°It¡¯s all right. I think I enjoy working here!¡± Over here, all she had to do was focus on her own research. She didn¡¯t need to concern herself with anything else, and that was something she liked very much. ¡°I¡¯m d you like it here.¡± Sophie felt relieved to hear that Georgina was adapting well to the new working environment. ¡°I would like to treat you to dinner tonight. Would you have the time for that? Also, could you bring Professor Gullifer along?¡± Georgina wanted to thank Sophie properly for granting her such an amazing job opportunity. She was in love with Arius, but she also knew that the difference between them was far too much. Despite knowing that, she still wanted to get closer to Arius. She would be satisfied enough just to be in the same room with him. ¡°Sure thing.¡± Sophie couldn¡¯t bring herself to turn Georgina¡¯s request down upon seeing the expectant look on her face. Although Arius had no experience in dating, he was certainly no easy game. Ordinary women would definitely have a hard time trying to win his heart. ¡°I¡¯ll be heading back to theboratory, then. I still have an experiment that I¡¯m working on, so I can¡¯t stay here and chat with you.¡± Arius frowned when he saw that Sophie was still standing there when he returned. ¡°What are you doing standing around here? Hurry up and get to work!¡± ¡°Arius, what do you think of Georgina?¡± Sophie asked seriously. Arius arched an eyebrow at her in response. ¡°Hmm¡­ She¡¯s quite the diligent worker,¡± he replied honestly. On top of that, she looks pretty too. ¡°Well, she wants to invite us to dinner tonight. Would you care to join us?¡± Sophie asked as she didn¡¯t want to force Arius into anything he didn¡¯t like. ¡°Sure!¡± Having dinner with Sophie and Georgina sounded a lot more fun than spending the rest of the evening with Barney. ¡°All right, then.¡± The two of them then donned theirb coats and made their way over to theboratory. Barney had already started conducting research with a few of the newly-hired researchers by the time Sophie came in. Since it was Sophie¡¯s first time in theboratory, all she did was observe them from the side. The newly-hired researchers proved to be fairly capable as they managed to keep up with Barney¡¯s tempo while conducting the research. Noticing that Sophie had been observing them for quite some time, Barney handed the research over to the newbies and walked up to her. ¡°What do you think of the neers?¡± Since Sophie had a keen eye for talent, he decided to seek her opinion on the newly-hired researchers. The newly-hired researchers were still interns at the moment, so he could just rece them if they weren¡¯t performing well. Work was extremely tough andplicated at the medical association, so not everyone could undertake the job. They would have to filter every single candidate thoroughly to make sure they picked the right ones for the job. ¡°Let¡¯s observe them for a little while longer.¡± Sophie didn¡¯t have anyments about the new researchers for the time being, but their performance wasn¡¯t as great as she had expected either. ¡°Yeah, I agree. They all have their respective shorings.¡± Barney, too, believed they should continue observing the newbies a little more before making a decision. ¡°I¡¯ll go work on my experiment now, Dr. Smith.¡± Barney had put her in charge of an experiment the moment she returned. Since it was her first timeing over two days after returning to work, she felt a need to pick up the pace. ¡°That experiment of yours is a veryplex one. I could spend a month on it and still fail to produce any results. We¡¯re in no hurry, so just take your time with it.¡± He didn¡¯t want her overworking herself immediately after recovering from her leg injury. ¡°Got it.¡± Dr. Smith is under a lot of pressure right now. The International Medical Association is also researching this new disease, and Dr. Smith would end up in a very difficult position if we don¡¯t produce results before they do! With that in mind, Sophie made her way into theboratory and tied her hair up with an stic band. She looked a lot livelier with her long hair neatly tied in a ponytail. Arius came over to help out when he heard that she had started working on the experiment. ¡°You can go ahead and work on your own research. It¡¯s my first time conducting this experiment, so I don¡¯t even know if it is going to work,¡± Sophie said, cognizant of her own capability. Besides, scientific experiments like these required repeated testing, so it wasn¡¯t something she could finish in one go. ¡°Yeah, I know that. I¡¯m just here to check on things. Just let me know if you ever need my help with anything.¡± Having worked in the International Medical Association for a very long time, Arius was confident in his ability to help out with a lot of things. ¡°Don¡¯t you have your own work to do?¡± Sophie asked. They both had their own respective research and experiments to work on, all of which were highlyplex. That was the reason they had their ownboratories instead of having to share one with the newly- hired researchers outside. ¡°I was just worried about your leg injury. You have yet to make a full recovery, so make sure to be careful, okay?¡± Arius reminded her. Honestly, Dr. Smith should¡¯ve waited a few more days before assigning her any work! ¡°My legs are fine, so you don¡¯t have to worry about me,¡± Sophie replied nonchntly as she started working on her experiment. She wasn¡¯t the least bit worried about her injury. For some reason, Arius found himself unable to take his eyes off her even though she was just conducting a boring experiment. Her beauty was such a sight for sore eyes, no matter what she was doing. ¡°Hey, Sophie! I just realized how much of a beauty you are!¡± Arius eximed all of a sudden. How did I not notice this before? Sophie decided to ignore his statement and carried on with her experiment. Seriously? We¡¯ve known each other for a really long time. Why would he only realize that now? N?velDrama.Org: owner of this content. ¡°Tristan sure is a lucky guy! I bet he must¡¯ve been some kind of hero or something in his past life!¡± Arius mumbled with a sigh. Sophie was like a little sister to him, and now that she was getting married, he couldn¡¯t help feeling sentimental. Chapter 712 Chapter 712 When Tristan arrived at the medical association to pick Sophie up, he saw a group of people walk out from afar. Sophie was wearing a ck double-breasted coat while her hair fluttered in the wind. With one hand stuffed in her pocket, she used the other to put on her mask. Tristan waved the moment he saw her. ¡°Georgina, can I bring my boyfriend along?¡± Since Georgina was the one treating them to a meal, Sophie thought she should seek the former¡¯s permission. ¡°Of course you can! I¡¯m not that stingy. In that case, the five of us should go in different cars.¡± ¡°Why don¡¯t you go in Arius¡¯ car, as the weather doesn¡¯t look good. It¡¯s going to be hard to get a taxi. You can decide where you want to go, and we¡¯ll follow you from behind.¡± It would be difficult for five people to fit in one car, and it would also be inconvenient to send everyone home one by er on. Since Arius was driving that day, it made better sense to go in two cars. ¡°Is it all right?¡± Georgina turned to look at Arius. Despite the man¡¯s nonchnt demeanor, she knew that Arius was a man of principle. ¡°Sure, let¡¯s go. It¡¯s freezing cold today. Thest thing I want is to stand in the chilly wind.¡± Everything was great in Jipsdale except for its weather during winter. As Sophie walked over to Tristan¡¯s new sports car, the man got down and opened the door for her. ¡°Georgina wants to treat us to dinner. I hope you don¡¯t mind.¡± He would have to eat alone at home otherwise. ¡°Of course I don¡¯t.¡± Even though Georgina didn¡¯te from a rich family, she picked a high-end restaurant for the sake of Sophie and the others. It was her way of expressing her gratitude to herpanions. Nevertheless, the prices on the menu still elicited a gasp of shock from her. D*mn it, even the sd is so expensive. When she shifted her attention to the main courses, she was further taken aback by the ridiculous prices. Unfortunately, they were already seated in a private room within the restaurant. It would be extremely embarrassing for her to suggest a change of venue. Thus, she had no choice but to bear with the sky-high prices. ¡°Please feel free to order whatever you want from the menu, as I would like to thank all of you for the care you¡¯ve shown me. Without your help, I wouldn¡¯t have been able to settle down in the medical association.¡± When Arius began ordering from the menu without holding back, Georgina forced herself to stay calm. It¡¯s fine. At most, I¡¯ll just scrimp and save for the rest of the month. It¡¯s not like I haven¡¯t lived like that before. After ordering a few dishes, Arius passed the menu on to Sophie. ¡°You can order the rest.¡± Subsequently, Sophie ordered two more dishes that were Tristan¡¯s favorite. Well aware that she did so for his sake, Tristan leaned in and said, ¡°Thank you.¡± Sophie responded by holding his hand. ¡°What are you thanking me for? Since I¡¯ve invited you to join us, it¡¯s natural that I take into consideration what you like.¡± ¡°Mmm-hmm.¡± Sophie ordered the dishes for Tristan since the ones Arius had ordered were to her liking. Although the meal cost Georgina a month¡¯s pay, she was still happy to enjoy a meal with them. Thus, she wore a gleeful smile throughout the evening. ¡°Georgina, this is my boyfriend, Tristan. You¡¯ll be seeing him more often going forward.¡± Now that Georgina had joined their circle, all of them would constantly meet in the future. Georgina reciprocated by introducing herself, ¡°Hi, Mr. Tristan, I¡¯m Georgina Bates.¡± As Tristan had always treated Sophie¡¯s friends with cordiality, he responded warmly, ¡°It¡¯s a pleasure to finally meet you. I¡¯ve heard Sophie mention you a few times.¡± ¡°Georgina, are you able to finish the assignment I have given you?¡± Barney finally had the opportunity to ask her about the task he assigned her after being busy the entire day. ¡°I can manage.¡± She had trouble settling in initially but had now gotten the hang of it. ¡°I¡¯m d to hear that. Let¡¯s all enjoy ourselves tonight. As we¡¯ll be very busy for the next few months, we might not get to chat and have a good meal moving forward,¡± Barney remarked with a smile. Even though what they were doing was extremely noble and great, it also took them a huge amount of effort and sacrifice. ¡°Dr. Smith, work might be important, but so is taking a break. Going forward, we¡¯ll work when necessary, but also take a break when needed,¡± Arius replied with a grin. Meanwhile, Patrick brought Simon to the same restaurant. Their family¡¯s hospital was facing some problems recently. Thus, both of them were there to treat the opposing party to dinner. ¡°Simon, now that I¡¯m getting older, the future of the hospital lies in your hands. You cannot behave wilfully anymore, do you understand?¡± Patrick instructed with a solemn tone. ¡°I know, Dad. I¡¯m all grown up now and capable of sharing your burden.¡± Text ? owned by N?velDrama.Org. Simon¡¯s heart ached when he saw how much his father aged overnight. All this while, he had always seen his father as someone amazing. No matter what problems he encountered, thetter would always help him resolve them. However, he finally realized how foolish he was after witnessing his father begging for help all over the city. When Patrick stepped into one of the private rooms together with Simon, there were already a few patrons sitting inside. At the sight of Patrick, one of themmented with a smile, ¡°Well, well. Isn¡¯t this Mr. Little? What brings you here? Aren¡¯t you supposed to be busy at Jipsdale Hospital at this hour?¡± Facing the person who had just spoken, Patrick replied apologetically, ¡°I¡¯m really sorry, Mr. Zane. What happened was our hospital¡¯s fault, and I¡¯vee here to apologize. I¡¯ll agree to any demands you have, so please forgive us this time.¡± Jacob Zane sneered, ¡°Forgive you? Mr. Little, aren¡¯t you supposed to be extremely capable? I¡¯m sure you can resolve the problem we have.¡± ¡°Mr. Zane, I beg of you. Jipsdale Hospital¡ª¡± ¡°Actually, I don¡¯t mind letting the matter slide if you show your sincerity by groveling for forgiveness.¡± Seething at the unreasonable demand, Simon clenched his fists. His father had done a lot of good deeds, and Jipsdale Hospital had helped a lot of people. Hence, Patrick was well-respected among the many patients they had. It never crossed Simon¡¯s mind that his father would one day be bullied by such a jerk. ¡°What did you say?¡± Simon responded in a raspy voice. ¡°Oh, what¡¯s wrong? Do you refuse to get down on your knees? I suppose this is that debauching son of yours, Mr. Little. Anyway, I think it¡¯s pointless to beg for forgiveness, as your hospital will be ruined sooner orter.¡± Patrick¡¯s eyes were filled with disbelief, as he had never been bullied and humiliated like this in his entire life. Simon¡¯s heart broke when he saw the predicament his father was in. Walking over, he held Patrick¡¯s arm. ¡°Dad, let¡¯s go!¡± He didn¡¯t see the need to beg those men. ¡°Mr. Little, I¡¯ll give you onest chance. If you walk out of here today, you can forget about obtaining my forgiveness.¡± Chapter 713 Chapter 713 ¡°You¡¯re seeking death!¡± Simon couldn¡¯t take it anymore. He was a tall man of seven feet; how could he let a sc*m like this bully his father? Seeing Simon about to take action, Jacob didn¡¯t hold back either. ¡°Since you don¡¯t know how to teach your son well, Mr. Little, I¡¯ll teach him today. Otherwise, when he¡¯s sent to prison, it¡¯ll be unfortunate for your family, won¡¯t it?¡± After speaking, Jacob gave a signal, and two burly men behind him came forward to attack. ¡°Mr. Zane, this has nothing to do with my son. Whatever you want, I can give it to you. Please let him go,¡± Patrick said humbly. Facing such a person, the Little family really had no other choice. I really shouldn¡¯t have brought my son here today. ¡°Dad, you don¡¯t have to beg him. People like him will get what¡¯sing to them sooner orter.¡± Simon didn¡¯t want to see his father behaving so inferiorly, not even for his own sake. ¡°You have a foul mouth. Go teach this brat a lesson for me!¡± Two burly men came forward, but Simon was not a pushover. He had a knack for getting into trouble and was pretty good at fighting. However, the other party had more people, and soon Simon was stomped on. ¡°Mr. Zane, as I said, I can give you whatever you want.¡± Patrick felt very distressed seeing his son being stomped on. He only had one son. Even when his son was useless and yful in the past, he couldn¡¯t bear to see others bully his son. Moreover, Simon had been very well-behavedtely. ¡°Hmph, Mr. Little, I think you know what I want. I don¡¯t think you¡¯re fit to continue managing Jipsdale Hospital.¡± Patrick had long understood that this matter was not so simple. He just didn¡¯t expect Jacob to covet Jipsdale Hospital. ¡°Dad, don¡¯t worry about me. They won¡¯t dare do anything to me. Jipsdale Hospital is your life¡¯s work, so you can¡¯t give it to them.¡± Patrick shook his head. ¡°Son, remember this. As long as you¡¯re okay, I don¡¯t care about anything else.¡± He really had no other choice. If this continued, Jipsdale Hospital would be finished too. ¡°Dad, go quickly! Don¡¯t worry about me.¡± Simon felt desperate for the first time. Initially, Sophie and the others were about to leave. However, when she heard Simon¡¯s voice, Sophie stopped in her tracks. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Tristan was beside her and noticed her unusual expression. ¡°I think I just heard Simon¡¯s voice!¡± At that very moment, Simon was thrown out of the private room in a battered and bruised state. Seeing Simon in such a state, Sophie narrowed her eyes. Previously, Sandra mentioned that something was wrong with Simon¡¯s family¡¯s hospital, but he didn¡¯t say anything, so she didn¡¯t really pay attention to it. But seeing Simon like this now, Sophie finally realized something was indeed off. She walked toward Simon step by step. Realizing someone wasing, Simon looked up and saw Sophie¡¯s captivating eyes. ¡°Sophie¡­ I¡­¡± Simon never thought that he would appear so aggrieved in front of Sophie. At this moment, Patrick also walked out. ¡°Simon, are you okay? I¡¯ll have someone take you to the hospital!¡± Patrick shouted in distress. He reckoned he really shouldn¡¯t have brought his son there. ¡°Dad, you don¡¯t need to worry about me. Jipsdale Hospital doesn¡¯t deserve them. They¡¯re not worthy,¡± Simon replied. At this point, Simon didn¡¯t know how to exin himself. ¡°Is that so? I¡¯m not worthy? Simon, remember this. If you don¡¯t hand over Jipsdale Hospital and something happens to your family in Jipsdaleter, I won¡¯t be held responsible!¡± Jacob responded. How many people die in Jipsdale every day? It¡¯s normal for a few more to die. Sophie witnessed everything and finally understood why Simon had be like this recently. ¡°What did you say?¡± Sophie¡¯s voice was very cold. Barney and Arius had already left, leaving only her and Tristan here. Tristan was by her side. He knew that she was outraged this time. She was protective of anyone close to her, and now Simon had been bullied like this. How could she just stand by and do nothing? ¡°Who¡¯s this pretty girl? How about being my mistress? I can fulfill all your needs!¡± ¡°Sophie, you need to leave. They¡¯re not good people,¡± Simon said urgently. Simon felt very anxious when he saw the sc*mbag leering at Sophie, who was widely regarded as a beauty. ¡°Simon, can you get up?¡± Sophie looked at Simon. She then said to Patrick, ¡°Mr. Little, help Simon to the side.¡± Patrick immediately went to help Simon up. Seeing this, Jacob sneered, ¡°You really think you¡¯re a heroine! Girl, hasn¡¯t anyone told you before that there are some people you can¡¯t mess with?¡± ¡°People she can¡¯t mess with? Is there anyone in Jipsdale that Sophie can¡¯t mess with?¡± Tristan couldn¡¯t help but scoff. There¡¯s no one in Jipsdale who Sophie couldn¡¯t handle. ¡°Capture them all!¡± Jacob ordered his men. Since you refused to do it the easy way, we¡¯ll have to do it the hard way. Simon looked worriedly at Sophie. ¡°Sophie, you need to leave!¡± Even though Sophie had a boyfriend now, he still liked her. He didn¡¯t want to see her get hurt. ¡°Don¡¯t worry! They won¡¯t be able to do anything to me!¡± Sophie replied calmly. Jacob couldn¡¯t help butugh. ¡°You¡¯re so confident! That¡¯s right! When I catch you, I won¡¯t do anything to you. I¡¯ll just make sure you can¡¯t get out of bed!¡± Tristan flew into a rage. ¡°What are you looking at?¡± he asked coldly. Does he not want his eyes anymore? ¡°Who are you?¡± Jacob was a bit wary when he saw this man. This man was indeed very handsome, but in the upper social circles of Jipsdale, Jacob didn¡¯t seem to have seen him around before. He¡¯s probably all looks and no substance! ¡°I¡¯m someone who can kill you!¡± Tristan went straight over and kicked Jacob to the ground. ¡°D-Do you know who I am? If you mess with me, you won¡¯t be able to see the sun tomorrow!¡± Jacob boasted, not realizing that he had just messed with the wrong person. ¡°Ha.¡± Tristan had never seen anyone dare to talk to him like this before. Text ? owned by N?velDrama.Org. ¡°You¡¯re pretty gutsy! I¡¯ve never heard anyone talk to me like that before. It¡¯s kind of refreshing!¡± Tristan hadn¡¯t been in a fight for a long time. But the things this man had said made him very unhappy. To dare to fantasize about his woman, even if it was just a fantasy, was unforgivable! ¡°What are you all standing there for? Go and get him for me!¡± Jacob was angry. Tristan¡¯s kick had made his chest hurt badly. Chapter 714 Chapter 714 However, Jacob had just a few bodyguards, so how could they be Tristan¡¯s opponents? Tristan easily knocked all of them down. Simon had never seen this elegant man take action before. He never imagined that this man would be so decisive and deft in his movements and that those professional bodyguards were not his match at all. Jacob, lying on the ground, couldn¡¯t react for a while. ¡°What are you trying to do? I¡¯m telling you, this is awful society. What you¡¯re doing is illegal! Don¡¯t come over here! If youe over here¡­¡± Before he finished speaking, Tristan¡¯s leather shoe was already on his face. ¡°Do you know who I am?¡± Tristan threw Jacob¡¯s own words back at him. This line was originally Tristan¡¯s, but he never liked to use it as it gave him the feeling of bullying others. Jacob¡¯s face was contorted from being stepped on. ¡°I¡¯m telling you! Let go of me, or you¡¯re finished.¡± Jacob had always enjoyed bullying others, so he had never been so miserable before. Sophie walked over and sneered. ¡°I forgot to introduce to you. The man in front of you is Mr. Tristan, a famous figure in Jipsdale. Do you have anything else to say?¡± If there was anything Jacob wanted to say before he died, he had to hurry up, or he wouldn¡¯t have a chance in the future. Text ? owned by N?velDrama.Org. Jacob was speechless. His brain couldn¡¯t process what was happening. ¡°I think you¡¯re seeking death by impersonating Mr. Tristan. Do you know who he is? How could he possiblye to a ce like this?¡± Tristan sneered after hearing that. ¡°Why can¡¯t Ie to a ce like this? I think the food here is pretty good.¡± When Patrick heard Sophie¡¯s words, his eyes shone. Is the man in front of me really Mr. Tristan? If he is, then we would be saved. ¡°Simon, is what Ms. Tanner said true? Is he really Mr. Tristan?¡± Patrick¡¯s voice was trembling. Seeing his father like this, Simon could only nod. Sure enough, Mr. Tristan is that formidable. As for Jacob, who was lying on the ground, he trembled when he saw Simon¡¯s reaction. How could this be possible? ¡°Mr. Little, can you tell me what¡¯s going on?¡± Sophie asked, motioning for the waiter to bring a chair over for her to sit on. She also asked for chairs for Tristan and Patrick. However, Patrick didn¡¯t dare to sit in front of Tristan. ¡°I¡¯m fine. I can stand.¡± Patrick stood instead as he was afraid. ¡°It¡¯s okay. You can sit.¡± Tristan spoke in a calm voice. I¡¯m not such a terrifying person, am I? No matter what, Patrick was still an elder, and he had the right to sit here. ¡°Dad, you can sit! Sophie is my friend, so it¡¯s okay.¡± Simon didn¡¯t want to see his father acting so formally. Soon, Patrick exined the situation briefly. Jacob, who was lying on the ground, really wanted to cry. He never thought he would end up provoking Tristan. Although he had never seen Tristan before, even a three-year-old child in Jipsdale knew that Tristan was someone no one should mess with! ¡°Mr. Tristan, I was wrong! Please let me go! I won¡¯t dare to do so again.¡± Jacob got up from the ground and immediately begged for mercy on his knees. ¡°Ha.¡± Simon couldn¡¯t help but sneer. Wasn¡¯t he very arrogant just now? Howe his attitude has changed so much now? ¡°Simon, what do you think we should do?¡± Sophie spoke coldly. Jacob wanted to take over someone else¡¯spany by force and even beat someone up like this. It was only right that they deal with him properly. ¡°Sophie, thank you.¡± Simon knew that this matter was resolved. With Tristan and Sophie here, Jacob wouldn¡¯t dare to trouble them again in the future. ¡°All right, Jacob has done a lot of bad things, so just let the police take him away.¡± Sophie saw that Simon didn¡¯t know how to deal with this matter, so she made a decision for him. Jacob went over, trying to grab Sophie¡¯s leg and beg for mercy. But before he could touch Sophie¡¯s leg, Tristan stood up and stomped on his shin with one foot. ¡°Ah!¡± Jacob screamed in pain. ¡°Is the lesson I gave you not enough? You even want to touch my woman again!¡± It seemed that Tristan had to break Jacob¡¯s hand. Jacob looked at Tristan in horror. ¡°Mr. Tristan, I was wrong. I really know that now. Please let me go. I won¡¯t dare to do it again in the future.¡± Jacob had always been the one who bullied others. He really didn¡¯t expect that one day, he would be bullied so mercilessly by someone else. Sophie frowned. She walked over and pulled Tristan. ¡°Forget it; let the subordinates handle it.¡± She didn¡¯t want him to get his hands dirty. Sophie called Eustace directly. When thetter answered the call, he had just caught a murderer and was nning to question him. He had to hand the person over to his subordinates and leave with Danny. ¡°Captain Sheppard, what happened?¡± This was the first time Danny had seen Eustace so anxious! ¡°It¡¯s nothing. Don¡¯t ask too many questions.¡± Sophie¡¯s matters were naturally a big deal. Eustace came with Danny and saw the miserable Jacob lying on the ground after being beaten up. Sophie exined the situation to Eustace briefly. ¡°The rest is up to you. This is your specialty, and we won¡¯t interfere,¡± Sophie said calmly. Eustace nodded. ¡°Okay, I understand. Danny, take him away!¡± If there was anything Jacob wanted to say, he could say it to the SWAT team. Jacob didn¡¯t know Eustace, but he felt the murderous aura emanating from the man. Eustace looked like someone not to be trifled with. However, he felt very lucky at this moment because he had just suffered a lot under Tristan. ¡°Well, I¡¯ll go now. If you have any problems in the future, juste find me.¡± Eustace was happy. Sophie had helped them a lot before. Now he could finally do something for Sophie. No matter how big or small the matter was, Sophie always thought of him when she encountered problems. This made him very satisfied. After seeing Jacob being taken away, Patrick breathed a sigh of relief and immediately stood up from his chair. ¡°Mr. Tristan, Ms. Tanner, I¡¯m really grateful to you today. If it weren¡¯t for you, Jacob would never have let us go.¡± At this point, Patrick felt like he had a second lease on life. He pulled Simon over. ¡°Come on, say thank you to Mr. Tristan and Ms. Tanner.¡± Simon liked Sophie, but only he knew about it. He couldn¡¯t bring himself to say thank you to Tristan. Seeing him so awkward, Sophie didn¡¯t make things difficult for him. ¡°Mr. Little, it¡¯s gettingte now, and you all must be tired. Go back and rest! As for Jipsdale Hospital, don¡¯t worry! I¡¯ll help you solve it, and there won¡¯t be any problems.¡± Hearing Sophie¡¯s words, Patrick was even more grateful. ¡°Thank you, Ms. Tanner.¡± Simon didn¡¯t want to stay here any longer and left with his father. Chapter 715 Chapter 715 Patrick couldn¡¯t help but say when he saw his son like this, ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you, child? They are our saviors. What¡¯s wrong with saying thank you? I¡¯ve been spoiling you, but how did you develop this bad habit?¡± Simon felt wronged in his heart. That was the girl he liked! ¡°Okay, I won¡¯t say any more. You¡¯ve suffered a loting here with me today, so go back and rest early! There¡¯s still something going on at the hospital, so I¡¯ll go there first.¡± Patrick really liked his hospital. He rarely spent time at home. ¡°Dad, it¡¯s gettingte, so you should go back and rest too! A lot has happened recently, and Mom has been worried. You should go back and apany her.¡± Patrick wanted to say something else, but thinking of his wife looking worried, he finally got in the car with Simon. On the other hand, Tristan was unhappy. Seeing Tristan like this, Sophie walked over and held his hand. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Why are you unhappy?¡± Weren¡¯t things just fine before? Now that things had been resolved, they could go home. Tristan let her hold his hand and pulled himself up from the chair. The two of them walked out together. ¡°Are you really unhappy?¡± ¡°Yes, I¡¯m very unhappy.¡± ¡°Oh! Can you tell me why you¡¯re unhappy? Is it because I¡¯m meddling?¡± Sophie knew that Simon liked her, and she had never hidden that fact from Tristan. Was it because I helped Simon? Owned by N?velDrama.Org. Tristan shook his head. Am I such a petty person? He had never taken Simon seriously. ¡°Then why?¡± Sophie was at a loss as to why he was unhappy if it wasn¡¯t because of Simon. Tristan stopped walking. He hugged and kissed her for a while before letting her go. Sophie was a little confused by the sudden affection, but she didn¡¯t resist. Instead, she let him kiss her. She was no longer easily angered by this man. When Tristan finished kissing her and saw her lips red, he felt a little better. The weather was still cold, so he put his arm around her shoulder as they walked outside together. ¡°Don¡¯t you believe I can handle this? Why did you have Eustacee over?¡± Tristan was still dissatisfied with Eustace. Sophie suddenly realized that it was because of Eustace that he had be upset like this. Tristan had always been calm andposed, and she had never seen him like this before. ¡°I just thought we shouldn¡¯t waste any more time here. Besides, I¡¯ve helped Eustace a lot, haven¡¯t I? It¡¯s only natural to have him deal with this now.¡± Having Eustacee over was the most convenient way. ¡°Is it really just that?¡± ¡°Of course! I don¡¯t have any feelings for Eustace.¡± She knew that this man didn¡¯t have much sense of security when it came to her. So, she could tell him directly. ¡°Okay, then!¡± Well, I suppose Eustace should make himself useful. We¡¯ve helped him a lot, and his status is getting higher and higher now. The next day, when Sophie arrived in the ssroom, she saw that Simon had bought breakfast for her and Sandra. The hospital matter had been resolved, and he was feeling rxed. ¡°Come on, eat up! I bought it specifically for you two. The breakfast here is really good. I had to wait in line for an hour to get it.¡± ¡°Simon, what are you doing? It¡¯s just breakfast. You actually queued for an hour! is that necessary?¡± Sandra questioned Simon while eating breakfast. ¡°Are you serious? Haven¡¯t you given up yet?¡± After knowing who hispetitor was, how could he not give up? ¡°Stop talking nonsense. If you like it, eat more. If you don¡¯t like it, forget it.¡± The reason he got up early to buy breakfast was that he wanted to thank Sophie. There was no denying that Sophie had indeed helped him solve a big problem. Yesterday, in front of Mr. Tristan, he had been hesitant to speak, but he was still grateful to them. Sophie had also not had any breakfast this morning. Now that he had bought her favorite breakfast, she naturally didn¡¯t hesitate to eat it with him. Other people were envious when they saw how good Simon was to these two girls. ¡°Simon, I haven¡¯t had breakfast either. I see you bought a lot. Can I have some?¡± the guy next to them asked with a smile. Simon rolled his eyes. ¡°No! This is not for you. You have no right to eat it,¡± Simon said without hesitation. The guy was dumbfounded. Meanwhile, Greta had been watching. Since she broke up with Charles, she had been ming Sophie. But Sophie was Tristan¡¯s girlfriend, so she didn¡¯t dare do anything. Now that she saw how well Simon treated Sophie, Greta felt even more upset. How could Sophie flirt around like that? ¡°Sophie, if your boyfriend knew you were flirting around outside, do you think he would let you off?¡± Greta couldn¡¯t help but say it out loud. Sandra rolled her eyes. ¡°Greta, I think you have some issues! You must have some psychological trauma after being dumped.¡± Greta had been boasting about her boyfriend before, but now that she had been dumped, she began acting like this. Greta clenched her fists. ¡°Sandra, what nonsense are you talking about? When did I get dumped? We just have some conflicts now.¡± Even at this point, Greta still refused to admit that she had been dumped. ¡°Hmph, you just have conflicts? Everyone knows the truth except for you,¡± Sandra sneered. Greta stood up from her seat all of a sudden. ¡°Sandra, shut up. Don¡¯t think that¡ª¡± ¡°Don¡¯t think what? I¡¯m not the one thinking about marrying a rich husband all day.¡± After being with Sophie for some time, Sandra now also had fighting power. ¡°You¡­¡± Greta pointed at Sandra¡¯s nose. ¡°Greta, that¡¯s enough. If you don¡¯t speak, everyone will ignore you, so you don¡¯t have to be so high- profile. Being dumped is a normal thing.¡± Simon continued to add insult to injury. Greta was so angry she could explode. These people¡­ ¡°Sophie, do you think you can be happy? I¡¯ll wait for the day when you get dumped. Do you really think you can marry into the Lombard family?¡± Greta had very dark thoughts in her mind. ¡°That¡¯s my business, so you don¡¯t have to worry about it!¡± Sophie replied coldly. ¡°Also, can you shut your mouth? It¡¯s affecting our breakfast mood!¡± The whole ss was watching, but no one helped her. Greta looked at the few girls who had been close to her before. They also didn¡¯t say anything. It made her feel even more disappointed inside. ¡°Just wait and see! Do you all want to see me be a joke? I¡¯m telling you that it¡¯s impossible!¡± Greta was so angry that she mmed the door and left. ¡°Sophie, did I go too far?¡± Seeing Greta¡¯s behavior, Sandra couldn¡¯t help but doubt herself. Chapter 716 Chapter 716 ¡°No. It didn¡¯t go over the line. She¡¯s just too fragile.¡± In the meantime, Greta attempted to locate Charles at his workce. Despite repeatedly calling him, none of her calls were ever answered by him. In desperation, she went to the top floor of hispany building and threatened to jump off, thinking that Charles would have no choice but to meet her if she did so. As anticipated, Greta¡¯s actions caught the attention of the employees of Quigley Group, who quickly alerted Charles that someone was attempting to jump off the building. Upon receiving the news, Charles furrowed his brows tightly. Recently, the Quigley family had been under scrutiny due to Yvette, and now this incident urred. He then personally headed to the top floor. Charles didn¡¯t expect to see Greta there. ¡°You finally agreed to meet me. I thought you would never want to see me again in your life!¡± Greta¡¯s face was filled with excitement. Charles snickered. So, it¡¯s her. I suspect that she wouldn¡¯t voluntarily choose to jump off the building. It seems like she¡¯s doing it to manipte me into giving in to her demands. ¡°Have you had enough? If yes,e here now!¡± Charles demanded coldly. Greta refused to give in to Charles¡¯ tone. ¡°Why are you talking to me like this? You wanted to be with me before! How can you treat me like this now?¡± Greta cried pitifully. ¡°Charles, do you believe that I love you dearly?¡± Greta stressed her deep affection for Charles. ¡°Listen, Greta. I¡¯ll give you till the count of three toe here,¡± Charles said, his patience running thin. He had no feelings for Greta and didn¡¯t want to waste more time on her. ¡°I won¡¯te down unless you promise to be with me again. Otherwise, I¡¯ll jump. Believe me.¡± Charles was speechless after hearing that. Throughout his life, he despised being threatened by others. Who the heck does she think she is, making threats like this? This belongs to N?velDrama.Org - ?. ¡°If you have a death wish, I will be unreasonable if I try to stop you from achieving it. So, do as you please.¡± Charles then decided to leave. Despite the issues the Quigley family had been facingtely, he remained indifferent. Greta stared at Charles¡¯ leaving figure with disbelief. ¡°Were you never in love with me, Charles?¡± Greta asked, figuring he would only be so cruel to her if he had never loved her. Unfortunately, Charles wouldn¡¯t reply to her question. ¡°Everyone else, leave! If she has a death wish, no one can stop her.¡± Charles was always a cold and ruthless person. Otherwise, he wouldn¡¯t be changing girlfriends every month. Initially, Charles believed that Greta was his perfect match, but the reality proved otherwise. Finding someone he loved from the bottom of his heart was not an easy feat. Greta copsed to the ground. Is he really going to leave me alone? Is it worth jumping for a man like him? When Charles had given her a chance to change her mind earlier, she had refused. Now, with the employees around, Greta didn¡¯t know what excuse to make to save herself from embarrassment. ¡°Miss, pleasee down! I must remind you that our CEO would never tolerate anyone threatening him. Moreover, he can handle the consequences if you choose to jump today!¡± Honestly, one person¡¯s death wouldn¡¯t cause any ripples toward Quigley Group. In the end, Greta descended from the top floor and left dejectedly. She couldn¡¯t understand why she always ended up with these sc*mbags. All she wanted was to find a wealthy boyfriend. Is it wrong to have such a wish? Winter had returned. After walking out of the airport and taking in Jipsdale¡¯s air which had been familiar to her, she told herself she wouldn¡¯t leave again, and from now on, she would stay here forever. Charles went to pick her up. When he noticed that she was much slimmer than before, he couldn¡¯t help feeling a sting in his heart. ¡°Everything¡¯s fine now. It¡¯s good that you¡¯re back. Grandpa is waiting for you!¡± If it weren¡¯t for Walter falling ill this time, Tristan wouldn¡¯t have given way and allowed her toe back. ¡°After what happened, you should understand it now. No matter what you do, it¡¯s useless. So don¡¯t do anything and be Ms. Winter of the Quigley family. It¡¯s better than doing anything else.¡± ¡°I know, Charles. Don¡¯t worry! I know clearly what I should do.¡± Seeing Winter in such a condition, Charles didn¡¯t feel reassured by her words. ¡°Winter, just in case you me me for not reminding you, do you remember the daughter of the Whitley family? The Whitley family ended up disappearing because she offended Sophie.¡± Though Tristan might not treat the Quigley family the same way, there was no doubt that he didn¡¯t have feelings for Winter. ¡°Let¡¯s go home, Charles! I¡¯m tired.¡± Having been alone in a foreign country for so long, she didn¡¯t want to dwell on those thoughts now that she was back. Regarding Sophie, Winter decided to put it aside for now. After all, it is impossible for Tristan to protect her for the rest of her life, right? Charles felt speechless as he realized his sister wasn¡¯t taking his words seriously. Winter had been spoiled since childhood, which led to her current personality. Hence, no one could do anything to stop her from doing things she wanted. Since he was the one who brought her home, he felt responsible for arranging a few people to keep an eye on her and prevent her from pulling any tricks in the future. Upon arriving at the hospital, Walter immediately asked Winter to head over after spotting Winter¡¯s return. ¡°You must have suffered a lot when you¡¯re overseas! Look at how skinny you¡¯ve be. Take a good rest at home now that you¡¯re back. In a few days, I¡¯ll have your mother find some good suitors for you, and we¡¯ll meet them.¡± Although Tristan was a good man, he harbored no fondness for Winter. Feelings were something no one could control in this world. Upon hearing her grandfather¡¯s words, Winter shook her head. ¡°Grandpa, I don¡¯t feel like being in a rtionship right now. Let¡¯s not discuss this at the moment. I want to stay by your side and keep youpany for now.¡± Walter grabbed her hand. ¡°Worry not, my dear. I am perfectly fine. Just stay here in peace. I won¡¯t let them take you away again,¡± Walter reassured Winter. A smile finally appeared on Winter¡¯s face after hearing this. ¡°I know you love me the most, Grandpa!¡± Exactly! Sophie has no support, but I do. The Quigley family is there for me, but she has no one else to rely on except Mr. Tristan. And men, especially those in this circle, would never love the same person for a lifetime. Fate could be so delicate at times. The two, who had not seen each other for a long time, finally crossed paths, and upon seeing Sophie and how well Tristan took care of her, Winter felt an intense pain in her heart. He is the one and only Tristan Lombard! Throughout his life, countless girls who appeared beside him had vied for his affection, but he had always remained aloof and even disdainful toward them. However, Sophie was an exception. Whenever she was around, his gaze was fixed solely on her. This kind of love drew envy from others. ¡°Mr. Tristan, I¡¯m back.¡± Winter¡¯s voice quivered as she once again met the man she had loved her whole life. Chapter 717 Chapter 717 Since Tristan and Charles were clearly best friends, Tristan couldn¡¯t avoid meeting Winter when she returned. Tristan looked at thedy in front of him. It had been more than a year since they hadst met, and she seemed to have matured a lot. ¡°Winter, since you¡¯re back, you must behave yourself and not cause any trouble. You should know that no one can protect you if you stir up another trouble.¡± If anything happened, Tristan wouldn¡¯t even take his friendship with Charles into consideration anymore. ¡°Yeah, I know,¡± Winter replied. The person she liked wholeheartedly didn¡¯t have any feelings for her at all. She had just returned, yet he didn¡¯t even express any concern for her. All he did was warn her. Sophie held Tristan¡¯s hand. What is the point of him saying this? Since he has already promised Charles that he¡¯d allow Winter toe back, there¡¯s no need to make a scene like this. Winter can¡¯t cause any big trouble, anyway. Tristan went to take a seat with Sophie. Winter didn¡¯t move, as she had to take a few deep breaths to calm herself down. Naturally, Winter knew about Jennifer¡¯s matter and knew that thetter liked Tristan. Tristan had always been a cold man. However, Winter had never expected him to destroy the Whitley family directly because of Sophie. ¡°I dislike this kind of asion,¡± Tristan whispered in Sophie¡¯s ear when they were both sitting on the couch. ¡°All right, now. What are you even doing now? Just consider this a favor for Charles! He only wants us not to do anything to Winter. That¡¯s all!¡± Winter is Charles¡¯ sister, after all. We should be more tolerant toward her. ¡°I just don¡¯t like her.¡± Previously, Tristan could have still ignored Winter. But now, he felt annoyed whenever he saw her. Whoever harmed Sophie was unforgivable. Soon, Sean and Felix also arrived. They knew that Charles had deliberately arranged this gathering for Winter, so they said nothing much. Since Felix was here, of course, he brought Ysabelle along. ¡°Sophie, do you really n to forgive Winter?¡± Ysabelle still couldn¡¯t forgive what Winter had done back then. This woman should stay abroad forever. I genuinely don¡¯t think she¡¯ll give up. As long as she has made a decision, she won¡¯t give up easily at all. ¡°I don¡¯t hold a deep grudge against her. She¡¯s just an unimportant person. We don¡¯t have to take her to heart.¡± Sophie was magnanimous. ¡°All right, then. I hope she¡¯ll behave better this time.¡± Ysabelle was still worried. ¡°By the way, is Old Mr. Quigley actually sick? This can¡¯t be his n, can it?¡± Maybe he pretended to be sick just so that Winter could return! ¡°He really is sick!¡± Sophie answered. They had invited Arius over to Walter¡¯s ce before. Sophie had even asked Arius to check on Walter¡¯s situation in consideration of her friendship with Charles. They found out that Walter was genuinely ill. ¡°Oh, I see!¡± Ysabelle replied. If that¡¯s the case, then it¡¯spletely understandable for Winter toe back. Now, I just hope she¡¯ll behave herself.¡±On behalf of Winter, thank you, Sophie. Thank you for your kind forgiveness!¡± If it wasn¡¯t for Sophie, Tristan would never have agreed to let Winter return. ¡°Don¡¯t mention it.¡± This matter really didn¡¯t affect Sophie much, which was why she had made such a decision. ¡°Winter, you should propose a toast to thank Sophie as well. We¡¯re all friends, so let bygones be bygones.¡± Charles had no choice but to suggest this, as he knew that Tristan still felt ufortable. Winter was still Charles¡¯ sister regardless of what happened. He still wished she could stay here properly. Winter tightened her grip on the wine ss and silently took a deep breath. ¡°Ms. Tanner, I¡¯ve made many mistakes in the past. I hope you can forgive me.¡± Expressing those words took a lot of energy out of Winter. After all, she was the third daughter of the Quigley family. Ever since she was young, everyone in the family had doted on her. Yet, now she had to apologize to someone she disliked the most. It was impossible for her not to feel ufortable. ¡°That¡¯s enough, Charles. There¡¯s no need for these unnecessary actions.¡± Although Sophie responded that way, she still took a sip of wine. Tristan couldn¡¯t help but furrow his brows when he saw her drinking. ¡°You¡¯re not feeling well, so you shouldn¡¯t be drinking right now.¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± It had been a while since Sophie had consumed alcohol. Truth be told, she really missed this feeling. Winter straight up drank all the wine in the ss in one gulp. Her heart was aching terribly. Why can¡¯t I forget about him no matter how much time has passed? How is my heart still aching so much? After that, it was as if Winter was invisible. All she could do was sit at the side quietly and watch how Tristan pampered Sophie. Meanwhile, she could only drink ss after ss of alcohol. Text ? owned by N?velDrama.Org. Sean could only shake his head after seeing Winter acting that way. Looks like she hasn¡¯t let it go. But what can she do even if she hasn¡¯t let go? She¡¯s no match for Sophie at all. ¡°Sean, what should we do now? Winter is making me worried when she acts like this,¡± said Charles. If Winter doesn¡¯t give up, there¡¯s no way others can help her. ¡°None of us can do anything about this matter. The only thing you can do is to keep Winter away from Sophie and don¡¯t let her provoke Sophie.¡± Tristan and Sophie had already decided to get married. During this time, it was easier for Winter to get triggered. ¡°To be honest, I really don¡¯t think Winter should have returned at this time,¡± Sean said, thinking that her coming back during this period would only make things worse. ¡°But you know how sick my grandpa is. He just wants Winter toe back and keep himpany. If I can¡¯t even do this for him, then how do I still¡­¡± Charles replied. Sean nodded in understanding. ¡°Anyway, you should do as you see fit. If Winter still dares to do anything to hurt Sophie, none of us can help her.¡± He briefly analyzed the current situation. As for other matters, there was no point in talking about them right now. Winter had already returned, and it was impossible to send her abroad again now. Later, Winter had drunk too much and went to the restroom and puked. Since she went to thedies restroom, Charles couldn¡¯t go inside and could merely ask for Ysabelle¡¯s help. He had no choice but to plead, ¡°Please, Ysabelle. Just go inside and take a look! I don¡¯t know what will happen to her when she¡¯s alone in there!¡± Ysabelle shook her head. ¡°I don¡¯t want to. I¡¯m sure you know that I dislike her, Charles.¡± So what if she¡¯s Charles¡¯ sister? I just don¡¯t like her. ¡°Ysabelle, just allow me to owe you a favor. If you need any help in the future, I¡¯ll do whatever I can!¡± Charles said. ¡°Let¡¯s go to the restroom, too!¡± Sophie stood up right then. Seeing that even Sophie had gotten up, Ysabelle had no choice but to get up as well. ¡°Why is she so troublesome?¡± Winter is just using the restroom. What else could happen? But since Sophie is going, I should follow her. Who knows if Winter will act crazy again and hurt Sophie? When Sophie and Ysabelle entered the restroom, they saw Winter slumping on the floor in a wretched state. They assumed Winter was exhausted after throwing up. Before Sophie could speak, Ysabelle immediately approached Winter and asked, ¡°Are you all right?¡± Winter lifted her head, her face as pale as a ghost. Ysabelle jumped in fright when she saw Winter in that state. ¡°Sophie, I¡¯m sure you¡¯re feeling smug right now, huh?¡± Winter asked slowly. Sophie didn¡¯t know how to respond to that. ¡°Seriously, Winter, are you not done yet? Now that you¡¯ve finally returned, can¡¯t you just behave yourself?¡± Ysabelle piped up. What¡¯s the point of talking about all these right now? Chapter 718 Chapter 718 Winter was still dissatisfied with the reality. No matter how much time had passed, she just couldn¡¯t forget what had happened. She didn¡¯t want to be like this, and she wished she could live a more rxed life as well. However, there was no way she could forget what had happened. Her heart still ached because of it. ¡°Ysabelle, you¡¯ll never understand how I feel,¡± said Winter. Ysabelle is someone who always gets whatever she wants. Moreover, she has a man who loves her. How will she understand how I feel right now? ¡°Charles is waiting for you outside. You should go!¡± Ysabelle said coldly. As the saying goes, the lowliest of people are also often abominable. Winter didn¡¯t deserve any sympathy at all. ¡°Also, let me tell you something. Sophie and Uncle Tristan are getting married soon, so it¡¯s pointless for you to do anything.¡± Nobody would be able to ruin Sophie and Tristan¡¯s rtionship. Winter was at a loss for words. They¡¯re getting married, huh? Why didn¡¯t anyone tell me about this? Right, who do I think I am? Nobody in this world cares about what I think. So, why would anyone tell me about this? ¡°Am I supposed to congratte you all?¡± Winter¡¯s voice was exceptionally icy. This belongs to N?velDrama.Org. ¡°No, thanks.¡± Seeing how Winter was behaving, Sophie really didn¡¯t know what else to say. ¡°Just don¡¯t put Charles in a difficult spot. You¡¯re on your own now.¡± With that, Sophie left with Ysabelle. ¡°She¡¯s all right. She just threw up, but she won¡¯t listen to what we tell her. You should figure it out yourself,¡± Ysabelle said to Charles calmly. After all, this was Charles¡¯ turf. No one would dare to do anything to Winter. ¡°All right, I understand. I¡¯ll send someone to bring her out.¡± Charles was rather exasperated. Winter was behaving in a way that would make others extremely worried. She still hasn¡¯t given up! But so what if she hasn¡¯t? Mr. Tristan has never loved her! She¡¯ll only make herself feel awful if she remains unrepentant like this. It won¡¯t do her any good! Sophie went to sit next to Tristan and said, ¡°You don¡¯t have to go there. It¡¯s not your responsibility to care about her feelings.¡± Even if Charles was Tristan¡¯s best friend, Winter was Charles¡¯ sister, after all. Winter had nothing much to do with Sophie and Tristan. ¡°You know, I don¡¯t want you to feel aggrieved because of someone else regardless of who they are,¡± Tristan replied. ¡°Mm-hmm. I just went to the restroom. I¡¯m not feeling aggrieved.¡± Charles was waiting for Winter outside of the restroom. He could only shake his head upon seeing Winter in her current situation. ¡°All right, you should go home first. I¡¯ll ask someone to send you back,¡± Charles stated, thinking that if she stayed here looking like this, it would only make everyone unhappy. ¡°Charles, are you shunning me as well?¡± You¡¯re my older brother! Why won¡¯t you help me? ¡°I know I¡¯m your brother. Otherwise, I wouldn¡¯t have cared about you!¡± However, there are still many things that I can¡¯t change even if I¡¯m your brother. Isn¡¯t that so? ¡°I don¡¯t want to go back. Now that I¡¯m finally back here with everyone, I don¡¯t want to go back yet.¡± Winter refused to leave. Do I have no choice but to leave just because Sophie is here? ¡°Winter, listen to me. No matter how upset you are, that¡¯s just your own feelings. Mr. Tristan has never participated in the rtionship between you and him. That¡¯s why he won¡¯t make any changes for you.¡± Throughout this period, everyone witnessed Tristan¡¯s sincerity in treating Sophie. There was no one else who couldpare to Sophie. ¡°Stop talking, Charles. I don¡¯t want to hear it. My head hurts.¡± Winter couldn¡¯t listen to anything currently. All she wanted was a moment of quietness by herself. ¡°You should head inside first. I¡¯ll stand here alone for a while.¡± ¡°All right. Take a short break on your own right here. I¡¯ve already asked the driver to pick you up, and the driver will call youter. Stop being so stubborn. Otherwise, no one can save you next time.¡± Walter was already in such dire circumstances, so there was no one else who could help Winter. Winter remained silent. Clearly, I was the one who got to know Mr. Tristan first! But why am I the one who has no chance now? Meanwhile, Charles had returned to the private room. Seeing how Charles looked, Sean patted him on the shoulder. ¡°You don¡¯t have to be too worried. Sophie isn¡¯t a petty woman. She won¡¯t do anything to Winter in consideration of you as long as Winter doesn¡¯t cross the line.¡± Sean knew Sophie quite well. ¡°Yeah, I know. It¡¯s just that¡­ I¡¯m sure you¡¯re well aware of Winter¡¯s temper. I¡¯m not confident about how she¡¯ll behave.¡± Charles didn¡¯t know what things Winter would do. ¡°Well, it¡¯s pointless for you to keep worrying. Whatever happened had happened, and we have no choice but to ept it.¡± No one would be able to resolve this issue. Charles still remembered Sophie¡¯s kindness. If it wasn¡¯t for her, Winter wouldn¡¯t have been able to come back here now. ¡°Sophie, no matter what you encounter in the future, I will do my best without any hesitation as long as you give me a call.¡± Although Charles was a frivolous man, he was still a loyal friend. ¡°Charles, you really don¡¯t have to do this. This matter doesn¡¯t affect me that much,¡± said Sophie. ¡°Regardless, I¡¯ll remember what you said.¡± To her, that was good enough. ¡°Okay!¡± Charles responded. After returning to the condominium at night, Sophie sat on the couch and applied a facial mask. Ysabelle had been rmending this facial mask to Sophie, as it was very effective. Sophie was not one for trouble. However, she finally decided to try the facial mask after Ysabelle tried so hard to rmend it to her. When Tristan exited the shower, he saw Sophie applying a facial mask. This was the first time he had seen her doing such a thing in a long time. ¡°Why do you suddenly think of applying a facial mask today?¡± ¡°Ysabelle told me this facial mask is quite effective. Do you want to try applying one as well?¡± While saying that, Sophie got up directly and took a piece of facial mask for Tristan. ¡°I don¡¯t need it.¡± Tristan despised doing this kind of thing. ¡°Apany me.¡± Sophie¡¯s gaze made it impossible for him to reject her. He had no choice but to surrender. Two minutester, Sophie helped Tristan apply a facial mask. ¡°How does it feel? Honestly, I think this facial mask is pretty good.¡± She found it to be good after only trying it for the first time. ¡°Ysabelle said we should start taking care of our skin at our age.¡± Tristan pulled her into his arms. He couldn¡¯t help but feel amused by her statement. ¡°You¡¯re just twenty years old, and you¡¯re in your prime. You already look the best without the need to do anything else.¡± At her current age, her skin was as tender as silk. She didn¡¯t need to do this kind of skincare at all! ¡°Really?¡± Although Sophie knew Tristan was biased because he was her boyfriend, she still felt wonderful after hearing his words. ¡°Of course. Have I ever lied to you?¡± While he embraced her, his hands began to move around restlessly. When he was alone with her recently, he found it more and more difficult to suppress his urge. It was beautiful being at the age of twenty, and it made people want to do anything without thinking about the consequences. Chapter 719 Chapter 719 His hands that roamed around her body caused her to tremble involuntarily. Sophie grabbed hisrge hand and said, ¡°All right, that¡¯s enough. You¡¯ll end up suffering if you continue.¡± It was the same every time. They had yet to reach thest step, but sometimes, he¡¯d touch the forbidden areas. In the end, he would have to take a cold shower to calm himself down. Unfortunately, because of the cold weather, he could be at risk of catching a cold if he relied too heavily on cold showers. Tristan ced her on hisp so they were facing each other. He captured her lips in a passionate kiss as though that was the only way to quell his desire. However, the longer their kisssted, the more he could not suppress his desires. Sophie flung her arms around his neck as her breathing grew heavy. Drained of energy, she sprawled on his chest. Tristan was pleased to discover that she had gained some weight. He was beginning to feel his resolve waning as she was utterly wless in his eyes. The top few buttons of Sophie¡¯s pajamas were undone. Her shoulders were half exposed, and she looked especially alluring. ¡°You look gorgeous,¡± he rasped on the verge of losing his self-control. ¡°Why don¡¯t we register our marriage first?¡± He didn¡¯t think he could wait until the day of their wedding. Sophie felt both speechless and amused. She couldn¡¯t help but wonder if men were all the same. Tristan was obviously aiming for a home run so they could finally be united. As she said nothing, Tristan grew anxious. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Has she regretted her decision to marry me? Seeing that, Sophie burst into giggles and bent her head to bite his shoulder. ¡°Mm¡­¡± Tristan let out a low groan. However, the sound he made merely made the environment steamier. ¡°Why? Does it hurt? I¡¯m sorry. I didn¡¯t do it on purpose,¡± Sophie apologized profusely. Just like him, she had also lost her self-control. ¡°If you want to register our marriage first, that works. I won¡¯t say no.¡± She had already decided to spend the rest of her life with him, so it didn¡¯t matter when they got married. Tristan felt a surge of happiness as he quickly said, ¡°I¡¯ll get someone to pick a suitable date for us.¡± He had never been one to believe in superstitions and omens, but when it came to his own wedding, he was unwilling to take any chances and opted to get a professional to determine an auspicious date for the big day. ¡°All right. Before that, I¡¯d like to visit my grandpa to tell him about the good news in person,¡± Sophie uttered. Josiah adored Tristan, so she knew he¡¯d be delighted to learn about their wedding. This belongs to N?velDrama.Org - ?. ¡°Mm, I¡¯lle with you,¡± Tristan agreed. It would be best if he were to apany her to deliver the good news. ¡°Sure!¡± Yale couldn¡¯t help but feel like an animal caught in the headlights when he looked into Tristan¡¯s eyes. Tristan always evoked fear within him. There were so many rumors about Tristan in Jipsdale that could spark terror in anyone. ¡°Mr. Tristan, why are you here today?¡± Yale asked anxiously as he couldn¡¯t stand the silence anymore. Tristan said, ¡°No matter how you treated Sophie in the past, you¡¯re still her parents. We¡¯re going to get married soon, so I hope you won¡¯t disappoint her in the future.¡± Sophie had grown strong enough to no longer need the protection of her parents, but as a twenty-year- old, she still longed for thefort and security that only a family could provide. s, Yale and Charmaine¡¯s actions had always disappointed her. Yale was surprised to learn that they were getting married, as he assumed Tristan was merely fooling around with Sophie. He never knew they would end up as husband and wife. ¡°Mr. Tristan, are you serious?¡± he asked incredulously. The Lombard family is influential and powerful. Why would they approve of Sophie as their daughter-inw? Tristan furrowed his brows at his words. ¡°What do you mean by that? Sophie deserves the best of everything in the world!¡± he snapped. I can¡¯t believe such parents exist in this world. Even Charmaine was staring at Tristan in disbelief. ¡°Are you sure you want to marry Sophie?¡± After all, Sophie¡¯s reputation in Jipsdale made many shy away from her. ¡°You don¡¯t have to prepare anything. All you have to do is to attend our wedding,¡± Tristan said. He wanted to give Sophie an unforgettable wedding. That was why he hade here to extend an invitation to her parents. ¡°Mr. Tristan, will you treat her well?¡± Charmaine asked doubtfully. When she first married Yale, she had been filled with joy and optimism. However, the reality of married life quickly set in, and she soon realized that things were not as straightforward as she had initially anticipated. She came from a simple background, and this was something that her father-inw did not appreciate. No matter how hard she tried to fit in, she was never good enough to gain their approval. ¡°Sophie is different, so she¡¯ll definitely be happy,¡± Tristan said icily. He had onlye here today to warn them not to say anything that might upset Sophie. Sophie might not take their hurtfulments to heart, but he didn¡¯t want them to speak those words. Mustering his courage, Yale finally asked, ¡°Mr. Tristan, since you¡¯re going to marry her, what about her wedding gifts? Sophie¡¯s my daughter, so you should prepare the necessary stuff.¡± Having a son-inw like Tristan meant that he could call the shots in Jipsdale. ¡°I will prepare the wedding gifts, but that is for Sophie. I don¡¯t think it has anything to do with you,¡± Tristan said. They were greedy and desired to take all of Sophie¡¯s possessions, so he refused to give them the opportunity to do so. Charmaine hastily spoke up. ¡°Mr. Tristan, since you¡¯re going to marry Sophie, why don¡¯t you release Willow? No matter what, we¡¯re going to be a family soon.¡± She still hadn¡¯t forgotten about Willow. ¡°Willow? Don¡¯t you know she escaped from the psychiatric nursing home? I don¡¯t know where she is now.¡± Charmaine¡¯s hands started trembling when she heard that. What does he mean by that? ¡°What happened to Wi? What did you do to her?¡± she asked anxiously, dreading to consider the possibility of any harm befalling Willow. Tristan ignored her question and turned to leave. Charmaine tried to go after him but was stopped by Yale. ¡°What are you doing? Don¡¯t you know who he is? Do you have a death wish?¡± Yale chided. Disappointment filled Charmaine¡¯s eyes as she gazed at her husband. ¡°Yale, I can¡¯t believe you¡¯re such a coward! Willow is your daughter! She¡¯s now missing. Aren¡¯t you worried about her?¡± Charmaine screamed in despair. Yale merely shoved her away. ¡°She brought that upon herself. Stop worrying about her. It¡¯s a good thing for our family that Sophie is marrying Tristan, so let us concentrate on celebrating the asion. We shouldn¡¯t allow anyone to look down on us,¡± he said to Charmaine sternly. Charmaine sat there in despair. Is Sophie marrying Tristan for real? So what if they end up as husband and wife? Tristan will soon grow sick of her, leaving her feeling the same heartache and disappointment that I experienced. Charmaine had truly gone mad. She believed that true love did not exist in the world. Even if it were to miraculously appear, she was convinced that it would notst and that it would eventually fade away with the passing of time. Chapter 720 Chapter 720 Tristan left many work matters in the hands of his subordinates. He was focused on nning the proposal and engagement. He could¡¯ve hired a wedding nner to handle everything, but he wanted to do it personally for Sophie. He wanted her to have nothing but the best and took it upon himself to take care of every single detail, including the preparation of their new home. It was exhausting to do so, but when he saw the fruits of hisbor, he was overwhelmed with a feeling of joy and satisfaction. This would be their future home. He was convinced that they had found the perfect home, one in which they could build a life together and raise their children. Felix was busy, too. Tristan had taken time to pick the furniture personally ording to Sophie¡¯s preferences. That sight made Felix realize the magnitude of Tristan¡¯s love for Sophie. Tristan was even smiling blissfully when he took care of the trivial matters. ¡°Everything is ready, save for the proposal. When are you going to propose to her?¡± Felix asked. He knew that Tristan had been struggling toe up with an idea for the perfect proposal but had yet to make a final decision. ¡°I¡¯ll do that a few dayster,¡± Tristan said. He was nning on informing Josiah about their wedding first. ¡°Right, is the Sable family up to something?¡± Nichs had always been known for his crazy behavior, so it was especially strange that he was doing nothing after learning about Sophie¡¯s uing nuptials. ¡°Nothing for now. Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ve assigned someone to keep watch on them,¡± Felix assured him. Alex was dead, so the Sable family would definitely avenge him. Even if Nichs were to die, nothing would stop Tristan and Sophie from getting married. ¡°I believe the Sable family has decided to withdraw from the game,¡± said Tristan irritably. He was no longer willing to ept their behavior, as they kept challenging his limits. ¡°Ignore them. We¡¯ll handle this, so focus on your wedding,¡± Felix reassured him. He didn¡¯t want Tristan to worry about it and risk affecting his uing wedding. ¡°All right. Be careful, then.¡± Tristan nodded. He knew that a cornered beast would resort to something desperate, after all. Meanwhile, Javier was reading the file brought to him by his trusted aide. ¡°Old Mr. Sable, this is an ideal situation for us. Before, we could not do anything to Sophie because of her remarkable capabilities, but the circumstances have changed now. Now that she is injured, with her leg wounded, we can certainly seize this opportunity to end her life.¡± This belongs to N?velDrama.Org. Mr. Nichs will always be infatuated with Sophie if she remains alive, so she must die. ¡°I will offer a sizable reward of five hundred million to anyone who can aplish the task of killing Sophie. Make the necessary arrangements to ensure this is done.¡± His trusted aide was surprised. Is Sophie¡¯s life worth that much? Meanwhile, the members of the assassin organization were delighted to see the order. Five hundred million was an enormous reward offered to anyone who could sessfully assassinate the target. Such an opportunity was too good to pass up, so many assassins made their way to Chanaea immediately. It waste at night when Sophie, Arius, and Barney stepped out of the temporary base of the Chanaean Medical Association. ¡°Wait here. I¡¯ll go get my car and give you a ride home. It¡¯ste. It¡¯s not safe for you to be alone,¡± Arius said. ¡°No need. You should leave with Dr. Smith. I¡¯ve told Tristan toe and pick me up. He¡¯ll be here soon.¡± ¡°Oh, I see. We¡¯ll be on our way, then. We know you don¡¯t enjoy having people interrupting you two,¡± Arius joked. Sophie and Tristan had recently been feeling more in love than ever. They were both excited to begin the next chapter of their lives as husband and wife. ¡°Be careful, Sophie,¡± Barney reminded. He was worried, but it was quite safe here, so he was certain that she would not run into any danger. After watching them leave, Sophie whipped her phone out to call Tristan. Tristan was driving, but he answered her call. ¡°Have you gotten off work? I¡¯ll arrive in ten minutes. Wait for me inside the building. It¡¯s still cold outside,¡± Tristan said. He knew she was afraid of the cold and wanted to make sure she wouldn¡¯t have to endure it for too long. ¡°I know. Take your time. It¡¯s dangerous to talk on the phone while you¡¯re driving,¡± Sophie replied cheerfully. ¡°It¡¯s all right,¡± Tristan assured her. ¡°I¡¯m quite familiar with racing, so I¡¯m confident that I can handle driving on a public road. Plus, I¡¯m using Bluetooth, so there¡¯s no need to worry.¡± During their conversation, Sophie sensed something off and dodged away deftly. Indeed, someone had shot at her using a gun with a silencer. ¡°I need to get back to work. Talk to youter!¡± Sophie said hastily. Tristan would take ten minutes to arrive, so she had to depend on herself to survive the attack. ¡°Mm, I¡¯ll be there shortly,¡± Tristan replied, not realizing that she was in trouble. He quickly ended the call to focus on driving. His gaze shifted to the bouquet of vibrant red roses that rested on the passenger seat, which elicited a blissful smile from his face. Meanwhile, the top assassins had already revealed themselves before Sophie. The sight of them brought a vicious smile to Sophie¡¯s lips. She couldn¡¯t remember how long it had been since she had gotten involved in a fight. It seemed that she had stopped involving herself in dangerous situations after she got together with Tristan. ¡°Who sent you here?¡± she demanded icily. ¡°You¡¯ve got the guts toe and kill me, huh?¡± The assassins didn¡¯t seem to be joking around. The leader of the group was an imposing figure of a man with bright blond hair, deep blue eyes, and a distinctive red spider lily tattoo adorning his neck. It was clear as day that he was not someone to be trifled with. ¡°It doesn¡¯t really matter who sent us here. What¡¯s most important is that we need money, and your life is of great value. That is the only thing that matters,¡± the man answered in a frigid tone. ¡°You want my life, huh? We¡¯ll see if you¡¯re capable of killing me,¡± Sophie dered. That wasn¡¯t the first time she encountered someone who wanted her dead, so she was abnormally calm. ¡°Prior to our arrival, we conducted thorough research on you and discovered that you are good at fighting and are not afraid of death. But with your leg injury, are you certain you will be able to make it out alive?¡± the assassin mocked. As the top assassins in the world, they would never head into a battle unprepared. They knew that the fee for their services was significant, and thus, it was expected that they would have to make some sort of sacrifice in order to acquire such arge amount of money. ¡°It looks like you know my condition well. Even if my leg is injured, you won¡¯t be my match,¡± Sophie replied arrogantly. ¡°Oh, how daring of you!¡± the female assassin eximed mockingly. ¡°Let¡¯s see if you are as proficient as you boast you are!¡± She was petite in stature, but her words were full of confidence. They could kill anyone they wanted in the world. ¡°Cut the crap ande at me!¡± Sophie snarled. The assassins wanted her dead to get the reward. There were five of them, and they were armed with weapons. Sophie had to face them alone without any weapons. Another assassin remarked, ¡°I thought this mission would be dangerous, but it looks like I¡¯m wrong.¡± He had only agreed toe, as he thought the mission would be interesting. By then, the five assassins had already gotten rid of the two bodyguards Tristan had hired to protect Sophie. ¡°Will you choose to end your life? That way, you can die quickly.¡± The assassins were bored already as the mission wasn¡¯t as interesting as they had expected. However, they still had toplete it to get the reward. Chapter 721 Chapter 721 Sophie could not resist a sneer. She¡¯s awfully confident. ¡°It¡¯s too soon to tell how this will go down.¡± Then she leaped toward the short girl, snatched the gun in her hand, and sent her to the ground with a kick before thetter could process what happened. The other four hitmen immediately pointed their guns at Sophie, who had quickly slipped to a hiding spot without hesitation and shot one of them. She showed no mercy against such ruthless killers. After aiming directly at her target¡¯s temple, she pulled the trigger. After witnessing theirrade¡¯s head blown open, the other four realized their mission was not as simple as it seemed. ¡°Watch out! She has Jada¡¯s gun,¡± the man in the lead warned the others. Jada quickly huddled up beside the other three. She gasped at the sight of John, who had died of a bullet in his head without having seen iting. ¡°That was careless of us.¡± Initially assuming the mission would be simple, they were unnerved by how things had turned out. The four quickly found a ce to hide. ¡°Be careful, all of you. There is a gun in her hand, but there aren¡¯t many bullets. She¡¯ll be trapped once she runs out of them.¡± Jada had never expected her gun to be snatched out of her hands. Although she felt especially resentful at that moment, there was nothing she could do to alleviate the situation. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, guys.¡± What was once a simple mission had turned out to be this difficult. ¡°It¡¯s no use crying over spilled milk. Eyes open, everyone.¡± We are elite assassins. Our opponent, on the other hand, is an injured Sophie. We have the upper hand. Sophie nced at the chamber and, upon seeing seven bullets inside, smiled devilishly. Seven bullets. That should suffice. With her leg almost as good as new, her movements were no longer constrained. ¡°Get out there and lure her out, Jada.¡± Killing someone is something that has to be done quickly. Who knows what¡¯s going to happen if it drags on? Jada nodded before running out from her hiding spot. Despite the daring maneuver, Sophie did not budge. I¡¯m not a fool; they¡¯re baiting me. I¡¯ll be covered in bullet holes the moment I show myself. ¡°Is that all you got? Why won¡¯t you dare show yourself?¡± Jada called when her quarry did not take the bait. ¡°Fool!¡± Sophie scoffed. After she took a quick nce around, the smile on her face widened. She walked around to the other side. Following the sound of a gunshot to the skull, Jada was the next one to fall. She had not taken cover in time because she had thought she could avoid it. It was a testament to how unprepared they were. We should have seen thating. How were we still taken unawares? Jada died, not having understood how. The other three widened their eyes in fear. How is it possible for the two of us to have fallen less than ten minutes apart? Least of all Jada and John, who were formidable fighters. Now, two of us are dead for a mere five hundred million, one shot to the head, at that. Our reputation will be ruined if word gets out. ¡°What do we do now?¡± the other three whispered, huddled together in discussion. ¡°Goddammit, this woman is a sharpshooter,¡± the man in the lead spat, scowling. Having overestimated the simplicity of the mission, they did not expect it to turn out that badly. ¡°Surround her from three sides. Don¡¯t give her any chance, or we¡¯ll be at risk.¡± This belongs to N?velDrama.Org. It was the element of surprise that aided Sophie to take out two of their own. Tristan arrived at that moment. As soon as the car rolled to a halt, he detected the stench of blood in the air. Tristan was no stranger to the smell of blood. His countenance grew grim when he thought of the possibility of Sophie being in trouble. He alighted from the vehicle and immediately called Sophie. One of the assassins was drawing close when she nced at the screen. I can¡¯t pick up right now. Sophie surveyed her surroundings. As she could not fight in close quarters, a gun remained her best option. However, her opponents changed their tactics upon learning of her prodigious skill with firearms. At the sight of all three drawing closer, Sophie bit her lip. I only managed to shoot two of them in the head by catching them off guard. They¡¯ll be much more cautious now, and it¡¯ll be harder to shoot them in the head. Without a sound, Sophie slipped into the building next door as there were more hiding ces there. Upon entering, she sent Tristan her location. He must already know there are people trying to kill me. Sophie did not borate after sending her location. Instead, she hacked the system in the building with her phone and obtained its blueprints. By that point, the three assassins had arrived. ¡°Get the blueprints of the building. We can only locate her by learning the design of the building.¡± ¡°I¡¯m already on it.¡± Having already lost two of ourrades, we are going to get this five hundred million. It won¡¯t be worth it otherwise. Sophie found a good ce to hide and waited there. Tristan arrived soon after. Aware that they were dealing with professional killers, he whipped out his gun. Why are people so fearless of death to challenge me repeatedly? Suddenly, the hitmen appeared. Sophie knew she could not hide forever, so she aimed at one of their heads. This time, her opponent dodged the fatal shot via what seemed like a premonitory sense. The bullet only grazed his arm. ¡°F*ck! Over there! I¡¯ll have her begging for a quick death when I catch her. This shit hurts!¡± Despite bleeding profusely, the man who was shot kepting. Sophie cursed. He really is a professional hitman for his tenacity. Then, they slipped to another spot and attached their silencers. At that moment, none of them knew where their opponent was. Everything depended on their other senses. Tristan joined the fray. The three hitmen did not expect the addition of another skilled assassin. Inplete ignorance, one of the hitmen was taken care of by Tristan with a bullet through his skull. Upon discovering the death of yet another one of theirrades, the other two hitmen began to shiver. Chapter 722 Chapter 722 How is that possible? ¡°What do we do? The five hundred million doesn¡¯t seem easy anymore. We¡¯re three men down.¡± Our opponent, on the other hand, did not even suffer a scratch. The difference in our skills is vast. ¡°What do you think we should do?¡± They¡¯re not going to let this slide even if we surrender. Tristan sessfully located Sophie. Upon seeing that she was unscathed, he heaved a huge sigh of relief. ¡°How are you? Are you hurt?¡± Tristan asked with concern. Sophie shook her head. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. They were easy to deal with. I¡¯m not hurt at all.¡± Owned by N?velDrama.Org. I can easily handle a couple of hitmen. ¡°I¡¯m d you¡¯re fine. I was worried sick when I smelled the blood in the air.¡± Tristan pulled the woman into his embrace. Despite how much I wish to protect her, I never seem to do a good job. ¡°Stay here. I¡¯ll take care of the other two, thene back for you.¡± I came here to ensure her safety. Now that I know she¡¯s unharmed, I¡¯m going to eliminate the other two hitmen instead of wasting time here. ¡°Mm, be careful.¡± She knew how trifling of a matter it was for Tristan to eliminate the two killers, so she could rest here with peace of mind. Less than ten minutester, Tristan took out another one of them. After seeing four of hisrades dead, the remaining hitman did not dare to stay there any longer. Fleeing became the only thought in his mind. As tempting as five hundred million sounds, I need to keep my life to spend it. Of course, Tristan would not allow him to escape. Taking careful aim, he shot thetter in the thigh. Despite his desperation to flee, thest hitman¡¯s thigh was hurt, and he could not do so. His prospects felt especially bleak at that moment. Tristan took aim again and fired another bullet at his other thigh. There really is no escape now. Tristan aimed at the hand the hitman wielded the gun with and took another shot. The hitman was speechless with despair and resentment. Since he¡¯s such a good shooter, why won¡¯t he just kill me with one bullet instead of shooting me all over? The gun in his hand fell to the ground. The hitman was panting heavily. By then, Sophie arrived as she knew Tristan had taken care of business. She walked impassively toward thest remaining hitman. ¡°Are you hurt?¡± Although she was aware of Tristan¡¯s skill, she wanted to be sure. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m fine.¡± Tristan strode over. The hitman¡¯s eyes were filled with fear. ¡°I¡¯ll tell you everything you want to know. Please, have mercy!¡± Despite being one of the most ruthless killers in the world, he could not muster up an ounce of resistance against the couple before him. Who are these people? ¡°Anything we want to know? No, there isn¡¯t.¡± They are contract killers. Murdering in exchange for money is what they do. What is there to ask about? ¡°There¡¯s nothing I want to know. You must have killed plenty of people in your line of work, haven¡¯t you? I have crippled you, and you won¡¯t be able to escape the vengeance of your enemiesing to kill you. This is a punishment you deserve.¡± The other four who died got off easy. The life ahead he has to face is the best punishment I can ever deliver. Then Tristan fired a bullet at each arm. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll call you an ambnce soon.¡± As it was almost time, Tristan did not intend to spend another second there than was necessary. Promptly, he gave Felix a call to deal with the rest. Five hitmen died in Jipsdale tonight. As powerful as we are, we can¡¯t be leaving bodies strewn about. Terrified, the hitman watched as Tristan walked toward Sophie. ¡°Are you in the mood for dinner? What would you like to eat?¡± ¡°I am in the mood. The deaths of five nobodies do not damper my spirits whatsoever.¡± ¡°I¡¯m d to hear that.¡± My girl is different from all the rest. Upon exiting the building and entering his car, Tristan fastened the seat belt for Sophie and nted a kiss on her forehead. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you tell me you had a target on your back, silly?¡± It still scares me just thinking about it. What would be of me if something happened to her? ¡°You had no way ofing quickly as you were driving at the time. It would only make you more anxious if I told you. Besides, I thought I could take care of it myself.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t do that again!¡± Fortunately, she can fend for herself. ¡°It¡¯s all right now.¡± He must still be afraid that something would happen to me. Upon receiving the call, Felix rushed over to take over. Meanwhile, Ysabelle hurried over to Sophie¡¯s condominium when she heard something had happened to her friend. She stood outside in wait for a long time. Sophie and Tristan saw Ysabelle waiting outside when they arrived back after dinner. Her nose had turned pink from the cold. ¡°What are you doing here? How long have you been waiting out here? It¡¯s freezing tonight!¡± Sophie hastened over to help her up. Upon seeing her friend¡¯s safe return, Ysabelle leaped to her feet and grabbed her. ¡°Thank God you¡¯re fine, Sophie!¡± Ysabelle cried as she hugged her. Tristan opened the door. ¡°It¡¯s freezing out here. Let¡¯s go inside.¡± Sophie dragged Ysabelle indoors. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you go inside? Don¡¯t you know the password?¡± ¡°I forgot in my panic. My mind went nk when I heard there were hitmen involved.¡± The other incident still frightens me, so I came over as soon as I heard the news. I didn¡¯t have time to think! ¡°Get Ysabelle a ss of water, Tristan,¡± Sophie said. Ysabelle felt cold and stiff from being out in the cold. Intending to give them time alone to speak, Tristan slipped away to bring a ss of warm water. Ysabelle held the ss. ¡°Who sent them, Uncle Tristan?¡± This is the Lombard family¡¯s turf. How dare those people make their move here? ¡°Don¡¯t concern yourself with that.¡± A murderous glint shed in Tristan¡¯s eyes. The Sable family does not need to exist anymore. Since it is death they want, I will oblige them. Sophie knew what Tristan meant. Later that night, after he took care of business, Felix came over to pick up Ysabelle. After they left, Tristan and Sophie snuggled on the couch. ¡°I¡¯ve decided to eliminate the Sable family.¡± Tristan felt that Sophie deserved to know. ¡°I know.¡± Aside from challenging us repeatedly, the Sable family has gone too far by cing a bounty on me. It would be catastrophic if they were left unchecked. Chapter 723 Chapter 723 ¡°We¡¯ll do it together.¡± No matter what we have to do, we are together in this. I will not let him deal with it all on his own. ¡°All right. We¡¯ll do it together.¡± A strategy was required to deal with the Sable family¡ªan intricate, subtle strategy. Tristan began scheming. Sean and the others knew what he wanted to do and did not stop him. Instead, they helped with his nning. Meanwhile, in Anndur, Nichs was furious upon finding out what Javier had done. ¡°I told you before, stay out of my affairs. Why won¡¯t you ever listen?¡± Nichs shouted hysterically. I havein low this whole time. Javier did not expect him to find out about that. Even worse, he had hired five of the best hitmen in the world, none of whom were left alive. ¡°I told you, Nichs, I won¡¯t let Alex die in vain!¡± Alex is family. His death shall not go unavenged. Nichs¡¯ face was scrunched up. This belongs to N?velDrama.Org - ?. ¡°Then don¡¯t me me for what I¡¯m about to do. I¡¯m just trying to protect the woman I love.¡± I can¡¯t stop loving her just because Alex is dead. ¡°Wake up, Nichs! How many times do I have to tell you she doesn¡¯t love you back? She will be the death of you if you keep going down this path.¡± I can¡¯t believe Sophie survived this. ¡°Even if I were to die by her hand, it¡¯s my business.¡± ¡°Do you think yourself noble? You still don¡¯t know, do you? She¡¯s getting married to Tristan.¡± Surely he¡¯ll give up after this. ¡°No, she won¡¯t. She¡¯ll only marry me. Nobody else can marry her.¡± The wedding hasn¡¯t taken ce yet, anyway. I will not allow that to happen. Javier frowned. ¡°Wake up, Nichs. I told you Tristan and Sophie are getting married, and everybody knows how protective he is. What do you think you¡¯re going to aplish?¡± Why won¡¯t this boy give up? I don¡¯t wish to see him hurt. Tristan doesn¡¯t show anybody mercy. ¡°I will refrain from harming Sophie, but I want you to stay away from her. There are many other women out there. You¡¯re free to have any one of them.¡± I¡¯m worried that something will happen to him. Nichs had had enough. ¡°As I said, stay out of my business. I¡¯ve got this handled.¡± So what if there are plenty of other women out there? I only want her, and I can¡¯t help myself. She was seared like a brand upon his heart, which he could not remove. His heart ached every time he thought of her. I hate being this dramatic, yet love is an impossible matter over which nobody has any control. ¡°I am sending you to the psychiatric nursing home, and you should get some rest there. Don¡¯t concern yourself with the affairs of our family any longer. I¡¯m going to take over, anyway.¡± ¡°I am your father, Nichs. I don¡¯t wish to be ced in a psychiatric nursing home. I¡¯m in excellent health. There¡¯s no reason for me to be there.¡± ¡°I¡¯m doing this for your safety, Dad. You¡¯ve always known what a willful child I am, and I don¡¯t know what I would do if you kept going.¡± There was a manic glint in Nichs¡¯ eyes. ¡°Don¡¯t you dare ce me on house arrest, Nichs. I¡¯m the head of this family!¡± Is he thinking of recing me while I¡¯m still alive? ¡°What are you talking about, Dad? You¡¯re not going to die! Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll keep you alive and well.¡± Having had enough of the conversation, he gestured for the servants to bring his father away. Javier was beside himself with rage. ¡°How dare you treat me like this, Nichs? Everything I did is for your own good! How could you do this to me for a woman?¡± However, Nichs did not even give him the opportunity to protest. He¡¯s lucky that nothing happened to Sophie, or I¡¯ll kill him as well. Nobody can harm her. ¡°What do you n to do now, Boss?¡± Richard asked. Previously Alex¡¯s assistant, he had taken over the latter¡¯s spot upon his death. ¡°What do I n to do? I, too, would like to know what my options are.¡± Sophie said she had never loved me, and it had been a one-sided love affair the entire time. Naturally, he was greatly saddened by those words. What else can I do? Surely I can¡¯t just give up? I would have done so long ago if I could instead of dragging it on up to this point, hurting others and myself in the process. ¡°No matter what you ask, Boss, I will do it to the best of my abilities.¡± Being new to his position, Richard was eager to prove himself. ¡°All right. Leave me for now.¡± I need to think about it carefully. She¡¯s about to get married, isn¡¯t she? Only I can be Sophie¡¯s groom, no one else. I cannot ept another in my ce. ¡°I will have you return to me of your own free will, Sophie.¡± No price is too high for this endeavor. Upon finding out about Tristan and Sophie¡¯s wedding, William summoned his son, who waited quietly instead ofmenting on the old man¡¯s palpable difort. ¡°Why, you little¡ª¡± William was livid. ¡°Ah, forget it. I¡¯m not going to hold you against it. You¡¯ve been this way since you were a boy, anyway. Bring Sophie home one day and make an appointment to discuss the wedding with her parents.¡± They will be going through with the wedding whether or not I give them my blessing. He¡¯s still my son. How can I stand idly by when he¡¯s getting married? Despite the Lombard family¡¯s reputation in Jipsdale, they ced great emphasis on etiquette. ¡°Don¡¯t concern yourself with the wedding, Dad. I will make all the arrangements.¡± Dad is getting old. He shouldn¡¯t have to worry about me. Besides, it was his wedding, which he hoped to have a hand in its preparation and preside over its decisions. ¡°What do you mean by that? You still have to let me meet Sophie! Isn¡¯t that something you should do now that you¡¯re officially getting married?¡± ¡°All right, I will.¡± Tristan was being difficult on purpose in response to his father¡¯s awkwardness, against which thetter could do nothing. That night, Tristan picked Sophie up. William had also called Lincoln to return. Sarah and Ysabelle were also there. The family had not gotten together in a long time. ¡°Have you made your peace with it, Dad?¡± Lincoln asked over a game of chess with William. Judging by his carefree demeanor, he must have gotten over it. ¡°What can I do otherwise? I¡¯m not getting any younger, and all of you are learning to defy me. Who among you would still heed my words?¡± Chapter 724 Chapter 724 ¡°Dad, what are you talking about? Don¡¯t I always listen to you?¡± Lincoln was no longer a child. Naturally, he knew what his father meant. ¡°Hmph, you¡¯ve been so busy that you¡¯ve onlye home a few times this week. How is Ysabelle doing? Have you cared for her?¡± Even if they all show little to no worry about their children, there¡¯s nothing I can do about it. ¡°Dad, it¡¯s not that I don¡¯t wish to take care of matters. As you know, Ysabelle has her own ideas. When I see how happy she is in the entertainment industry after previously refusing to let her join the industry, I find it worth it.¡± As Ysabelle was his only daughter, he greatly wished for her happiness. ¡°Have you no intention of controlling her love life? I see that she¡¯s quite close with the Northley family¡¯s son. Felix is a good man, but he¡¯s a bit too old for her.¡± William wasn¡¯t too pleased with that, as he thought that Ysabelle should be with someone who was of a simr age to her. Since Felix was much older than her, William wasn¡¯t satisfied with their rtionship. ¡°Dad, let¡¯s leave it to Ysabelle to decide. They¡¯ll be fine as long as she likes him,¡± Lincoln murmured. Ysabelle¡¯s rtionship isn¡¯t something we should meddle in. ¡°Each and every one of you is just¡ªugh! You show such little care for your daughter!¡± William retorted. Ysabelle is still young. What does she know? Ysabelle felt her heart skip a beat when she heard William¡¯s words. She immediately went to her room to call Felix. ¡°Felix! Grandpa thinks you¡¯re too old for me!¡± Felix was befuddled. I¡¯m only thirty years old! Does that make me seem like an old man to Old Mr. Lombard? ¡°Ysabelle, do you think that I¡¯m old too?¡± Felix tried to convince himself that he was fine as long as Ysabelle didn¡¯t mind. Grinning evilly, Ysabelle replied, ¡°After hearing Grandpa mention it, I guess I do think that you¡¯re pretty old.¡± ¡°Ysabelle, listen¡­ I belong to you for the rest of your life. Don¡¯t even think about tossing me aside with such a superfluous reason.¡± It¡¯s a good thing Ysabelle isn¡¯t in front of me right now, or I¡¯d be tempted to spank her bottom. She¡¯s such a disobedient girl, causing me to worry about her so much. How did she turn the tables in such a short time? ¡°Okay, okay! I was just kidding. Mr. Northley is the youngest and the most handsome uncle in the world!¡± Felix was bereft of words. ¡°Listen, you, I only wish to be your husband, not some uncle!¡± Stop making me feel old. ¡°All right, I got it.¡± Ysabelle felt a blissful feeling suffuse her heart. ¡°Though I think you¡¯d better brace yourself. Grandpa doesn¡¯t seem to be too pleased with you.¡± ¡°I know. Don¡¯t worry. The feelings I have for you are unbreakable! Nothing can stop my love for you.¡± All of a sudden, Ysabelle heard the sound of a car engine and realized that Sophie and the others had returned. ¡°Okay, I¡¯m going to end the call now. Sophie and the others are back. I¡¯m heading downstairs for dinner,¡± Ysabelle quickly said, intending to hang up. ¡°Wait! Give me a goodbye kiss before you go!¡± Felix had nned to dine outside. However, he returned home because he had something to take care of. Ysabelle gave the phone a kiss. ¡°There, happy now? I can go eat now, right?¡± Ysabelle was in an exceedingly good mood. ¡°Mm, eat lots and have my share too.¡± ¡°Sure!¡± ¡°Ysabelle, I wish to get married too,¡± Felix said all of sudden. It was Ysabelle¡¯s turned to be rendered speechless. ¡°Felix, let¡¯s discuss this some other time. You know that my career is on the rise at the moment. Now is not the time to get married.¡± ¡°Yes, I know. I just wanted you to know that you¡¯re the only person I want to marry and no one else.¡± Having said that, Felix finally hung up. Ysabelle¡¯s heart was racing as she put down her phone. She felt incredibly moved by Felix¡¯s words. To have someone who only has me in his mind, I can ask for nothing more in this lifetime. As Ysabelle went downstairs, she saw Tristan and Sophiee in. She immediately epted the presents Sophie was holding. Sarah had ordered the housekeeper to prepare dinner. ¡°All right, since everyone has arrived, let¡¯s eat! Dad, Lincoln, go wash your hands!¡± It had been a long time since the ce had been so festive. William did not say much as they all sat down to eat. After they ate, the whole family sat in the living room and discussed Sophie and Tristan¡¯s wedding. ¡°Sophie, pick a time so that I can meet with your parents. It¡¯s a matter of courtesy,¡± William said. Tristan should have no troubleing up with the wedding gift himself. Since their children were getting married, William thought he should meet with Sophie¡¯s parents beforehand. Something like this should be initiated by the man¡¯s parents. This belongs to N?velDrama.Org - ?. ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll make the arrangements.¡± Sophie did not try to weasel her way out of it. After all, she only had to arrange for them to have a meal together. ¡°As for the rest of the details, the two of you can discuss it among yourselves. Of course, don¡¯t hesitate toe to me if you need my help.¡± Truth be told, William really wanted to help out. However, Tristan wanted to take care of everything himself, so he barely had a chance to do so. ¡°Thank you, Old Mr. Lombard.¡± Since Lincoln had a prior engagement, he soon left after chatting with them for a bit. He even told Ysabelle to behave herself before leaving. ¡°Dad, don¡¯t you think I¡¯m quite well-behaved?¡± Ysabelle felt aggrieved. I¡¯ve been giving my rtionship my all, practicing my singing, and studying diligently. How am I not well-behaved? ¡°Yes, I¡¯m pleased with your recent behavior too. I was just giving you a reminder.¡± As a father, Lincoln was incredibly proud to have such a daughter. Afterward, William and Tristan left for the study to discuss an important matter. Only Sophie, Ysabelle, and Sarah remained in the living room. ¡°Hey, Sophie! How should I address you after you marry Uncle Tristan?¡± After Sophie married Tristan, she would immediately have seniority over Ysabelle. ¡°Well, I don¡¯t really care about such formalities.¡± Sophie wasn¡¯t one to quibble over such matters. ¡°No can do! Uncle Tristan won¡¯t be pleased if he finds out.¡± Ysabelle still feared her uncle. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. I¡¯ve got your back. You don¡¯t have to walk on eggshells around Tristan.¡± Ysabelle hugged Sophie happily upon hearing that. She asked, ¡°Sophie, are you really getting married? It feels so unreal!¡± It was a peculiar feeling. ¡°What¡¯s so strange about it? People get married eventually.¡± But it isn¡¯t easy to marry someone you truly love. ¡°You have to be happy, Sophie!¡± Sarah smiled. ¡°Oh, Sarah, I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll meet someone you truly love too.¡± Sarah chose to remain silent. Will I fall in love with someone? I¡¯ve never been in a proper rtionship before, and the only time I had feelings for someone was an unrequited crush. Honestly, when I think about it, I feel like such a failure. She suddenly thought of Juan and felt flustered. I have no idea what¡¯s on his mind. Is it possible that he¡¯s in love with me? Chapter 725 Chapter 725 ¡°Sarah, what¡¯s the matter? Is Yvette giving you trouble?¡± Yvette¡¯s existence has be insignificant. She must be holding a grudge against Sarah. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about Yvette. I can handle her.¡± Obviously, Yvette isn¡¯t too happy about the current situation. She has always thought that she would marry Juan and be ady of the Quigley family. There¡¯s no way she will be happy with the way things are now. ¡°Okay. Be careful, though. Yvette is a trashy woman. Who knows what she¡¯ll try to pull?¡± Truth be told, no one could tell. ¡°Yeah, I know.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s change the subject, shall we? Today is supposed to be a happy day, so let¡¯s not dwell on that annoying person.¡± Ysabelle had never liked Yvette to begin with. The other woman was arrogant and assumed Juan would always be around to protect her. Now that things hade to this, it only served her right. Inside the study, William handed over the list of gifts he had prepared to Tristan. ¡°I know you don¡¯t like me meddling in your affairs, but as your father, this is the least I should do.¡± Tristan grew up without a mother, so the duty fell on William. Tristan was stunned when he saw the two sheets of paper filled with his father¡¯s handwriting. He had always assumed that his father would oppose his marriage. Why is he agreeing to it now, and he¡¯s even prepared so much? ¡°Dad¡­¡± Tristan was not someone who wore his heart on his sleeve. At moments like this, he did not have the slightest idea of what to do to express his feelings. William, too, felt awkward about the situation. ¡°I know you¡¯ve been busy. Don¡¯t worry too much about it. I¡¯ll get someone to prepare the things.¡± William had been resting idly at home for some time now, and he was pleased with finally having something to do. ¡°Thank you, Dad.¡± William was happy when he saw his son¡¯s reaction. ¡°Tristan, remember this. You¡¯re my son no matter what. I wish you utmost happiness.¡± Prior to this, no matter what he did, he had always kept Tristan in mind. ¡°Yeah, I know.¡± ¡°Great! Why don¡¯t you stay here tonight since everyone¡¯s here? It¡¯s been a while since we¡¯ve had such a gathering.¡± It truly had been a long time since they had everyone present under one roof. William¡¯s children had grown up, and they all had their own ces to be. Whereas William himself had grown old and could only stay here and protect the ce they called home. ¡°I¡¯ll ask Sophie.¡± Tristan decided to seek Sophie¡¯s permission before agreeing to it. If she said it was okay, only then would they stay the night.This belongs to N?velDrama.Org. William was bereft of words. They¡¯re not even married yet, and he¡¯s already being led around the nose by her. ¡°Tristan, I must say. You don¡¯t resemble me in this aspect.¡± Can¡¯t you even make simple decisions on your own? Why do you have to seek Sophie¡¯s permission? ¡°Dad, it¡¯s important that we respect each other. We¡¯re not even married yet, and it¡¯s important to get her consent.¡± ¡°Okay, okay. Go on, then!¡± William no longer wanted to continue the conversation. When the father and son went downstairs, they came to a stop on the stairs when they saw how well the threedies were getting along. Although William had always thought that his daughter was a good judge of character, he had not expected her to warm up to Sophie so much. ¡°Sophie is a good person.¡± After all, his daughter was a shrewd person! How could she like her so much? ¡°Yeah. She¡¯s the most wonderful person in the world,¡± Tristan replied. There was no doubt his Sophie was utterly perfect. Once again, William was bereft of words. It had only been empty talk on his part. He did not expect Tristan to agree so fervently. Truly, people tend to see things from rose-tinted sses when they are in a rtionship. It did not matter what everyone else said. To Tristan, his woman was the best. As the two men arrived downstairs, Tristan suggested, ¡°It¡¯s getting quitete. Why don¡¯t we stay over for the night? What do you think, Sophie?¡± Tristan intended to respect Sophie¡¯s wishes no matter what. If she did not agree to it, they would leave right away. Sophie found it hard to refuse when she saw the expectant look William was giving her. ¡°Okay! I also think it¡¯s getting prettyte. Anyway, I have lots to talk about with Sarah and Ysabelle. Let¡¯s stay here tonight.¡± Truth be told, Sophie was an understanding person. She would do anything as long as it was in her power to do so. William was satisfied that Sophie was not an obtuse girl. ¡°All right. You younglings can stay and chat. I¡¯ll be upstairs resting.¡± Even if William refused to admit to it, he was, in fact, getting on in years. There were many things that were beyond his control. ¡°Okay! Rest early, Dad. Don¡¯t fiddle with your phone too much.¡± Sarah knew that her father was prone to ying with his phone and it wasn¡¯t good for his eyesight. There¡¯s really no need for an old man to be on his phone so much! ¡°I know.¡± Hmph, can you me me for using my phone so much? It¡¯s because you all have been too busy to keep mepany that I had no choice but to upy myself with my phone. ¡°You all can continue to chat. I¡¯ll go take a shower.¡± Since Tristan couldn¡¯t very well butt into their girls¡¯ conversation, he decided to give Sophie a little space. ¡°Mm, go ahead.¡± The three girls continued their discussion after Tristan went upstairs. ¡°Sophie, you should sleep in my room tonight since it¡¯s your first time at our ce. You might feel a little ufortable.¡± Ysabelle hoped that Sophie would stay with her so that they could continue to chat. There were still so many things she wanted to talk about. ¡°How about the three of us sleep in the same room?¡± Sarah liked the idea. She, too, felt somewhat excited. ¡°Okay!¡± Sophie had no objections to that. Once the three of them entered Ysabelle¡¯s room, they decided that Sophie should shower first. Ysabelle handed her a set of girlish pajamas. When Sophie saw the pajamas Ysabelle held in her hands, she could not imagine what she would look like wearing those. ¡°Is something wrong? These are brand new. I¡¯ve never worn them since I purchased them, so don¡¯t worry about it!¡± Ysabelle hurried to exin when she noticed Sophie¡¯s reluctance. She assumed that thetter did not like wearing used clothes. ¡°Got it. I¡¯ll go take a shower now.¡± Sophie could only reluctantly ept the clothes Ysabelle held out. She couldn¡¯t afford to be picky. Besides, most of Ysabelle¡¯s clothes would look like this anyway. Ysabelle was amazed beyond words when Sophie came out of the bathroom dressed in pink pajamas. ¡°Sophie, you really do look good in anything you wear! How can a woman like you exist?¡± How are the other women supposed to live when someone like you exists? ¡°I¡¯m serious. I don¡¯t think this outfit suits me,¡± Sophie said as she dried her hair with a towel. It was her first time wearing something like this, and it made her feel ufortable. Ysabelle immediately shook her head. ¡°I¡¯m not joking too! You look good in those clothes. You can go ask Uncle Tristan if you don¡¯t believe me. As you know, he has impable taste.¡± Chapter 726 Chapter 726 ¡°He¡¯s probebly esleep, so I¡¯d better not go end weke him up,¡± Sophie replied. There¡¯s no need to do thet enywey when I¡¯m the one weering these pejemes. Wheteverment he hes ebout it doesn¡¯t metter. ¡°All right, then. Since you¡¯ve seid es much, I¡¯ll go end teke e shower. Entertein yourself here for e while first!¡± It wes elreedy lete, so Ysebelle felt thet it wes time to teke e shower end get reedy for bed. Besides, chetting while lying on the bed would be much moreforteble. ¡°Okey. Go eheed end teke your shower.¡± No sooner hed she gone into the bethroom then Sophie¡¯s phone reng. Sophie glenced et it, only to see thet it wes Tristen. He¡¯s still eweke? ¡°Hey, whet¡¯s the metter? I¡¯ve just teken e shower end em going to sleep.¡± Her voice wes incredibly gentle. It wes the kind of tenderness thet even she herself wes unewere of. ¡°Come to my room.¡± Sophie fell silent. Uh¡­ Will thet be eppropriete? It¡¯s my first time visiting his house, yet I¡¯m to go to his room? ¡°Hurry up!¡± ¡°Well, okey, then.¡± Seeing thet Ysebelle wes still showering end Sereh wesn¡¯t there yet, Sophie went to look for Tristen right ewey. Tristen¡¯s door wes unlocked, so she simply pushed it open upon erriving et his room. When Tristen leid eyes on the girl dressed in pink before him, he wes beyond intrigued. This belongs to N?velDrama.Org. At e single glence, he could tell thet it wes Ysebelle¡¯s style of dressing. Anyhow, it mekes sense. I¡¯d only plenned toe beck for dinner todey, but we ended up spending the night here. I didn¡¯t even prepere eny suiteble nightweer for her. ¡°Why ere you stering et me like thet? Do I look weird in this?¡± Immedietely, Tristen shook his heed end essured gently, ¡°Of course not. You look greet.¡± People with good looks inherently heve such en edventege. No metter whet they weer, they look emezing without e hint of incongruity. ¡°Reelly? I wes worried it¡¯d be too strenge for me to weer such e color.¡± Regerdless of whether the men wes being truthful, Sophie wes still over the moon to heer thet right then. ¡°Yes, reelly. You¡¯re elweys stunning no metter whet you weer. Thet cen¡¯t be helped since you¡¯ve got e terrific figure.¡± Sophie felt emberressed et his high preise. ¡°You¡¯re biesed beceuse you¡¯re my boyfriend.¡± Am I reelly thet beeutiful? Why don¡¯t I think so myself? ¡°You¡¯re drop-deed gorgeous. In my eyes, tens of thousends of beeuties cen¡¯tpere to you elone.¡± I¡¯m finelly merrying the girl I¡¯ve loved for en eternity. In the future, we¡¯ll heve e lifetime together, end no one cen seperete us! ¡°He¡¯s probably asleep, so I¡¯d better not go and wake him up,¡± Sophie replied. There¡¯s no need to do that anyway when I¡¯m the one wearing these pajamas. Whateverment he has about it doesn¡¯t matter. ¡°All right, then. Since you¡¯ve said as much, I¡¯ll go and take a shower. Entertain yourself here for a while first!¡± It was alreadyte, so Ysabelle felt that it was time to take a shower and get ready for bed. Besides, chatting while lying on the bed would be much morefortable. ¡°Okay. Go ahead and take your shower.¡± No sooner had she gone into the bathroom than Sophie¡¯s phone rang. Sophie nced at it, only to see that it was Tristan. He¡¯s still awake? ¡°Hey, what¡¯s the matter? I¡¯ve just taken a shower and am going to sleep.¡± Her voice was incredibly gentle. It was the kind of tenderness that even she herself was unaware of. ¡°Come to my room.¡± Sophie fell silent. Uh¡­ Will that be appropriate? It¡¯s my first time visiting his house, yet I¡¯m to go to his room? ¡°Hurry up!¡± ¡°Well, okay, then.¡± Seeing that Ysabelle was still showering and Sarah wasn¡¯t there yet, Sophie went to look for Tristan right away. Tristan¡¯s door was unlocked, so she simply pushed it open upon arriving at his room. When Tristanid eyes on the girl dressed in pink before him, he was beyond intrigued. At a single nce, he could tell that it was Ysabelle¡¯s style of dressing. Anyhow, it makes sense. I¡¯d only nned toe back for dinner today, but we ended up spending the night here. I didn¡¯t even prepare any suitable nightwear for her. ¡°Why are you staring at me like that? Do I look weird in this?¡± Immediately, Tristan shook his head and assured gently, ¡°Of course not. You look great.¡± People with good looks inherently have such an advantage. No matter what they wear, they look amazing without a hint of incongruity. ¡°Really? I was worried it¡¯d be too strange for me to wear such a color.¡± Regardless of whether the man was being truthful, Sophie was still over the moon to hear that right then. ¡°Yes, really. You¡¯re always stunning no matter what you wear. That can¡¯t be helped since you¡¯ve got a terrific figure.¡± Sophie felt embarrassed at his high praise. ¡°You¡¯re biased because you¡¯re my boyfriend.¡± Am I really that beautiful? Why don¡¯t I think so myself? ¡°You¡¯re drop-dead gorgeous. In my eyes, tens of thousands of beauties can¡¯tpare to you alone.¡± I¡¯m finally marrying the girl I¡¯ve loved for an eternity. In the future, we¡¯ll have a lifetime together, and no one can separate us! Tristan gathered her in his arms. ¡°Well? Do you want to sleep with me tonight?¡± She¡¯ll likely be a touch disconcerted here alone, huh? ¡°I¡¯ve already promised Sarah and Ysabelle to sleep with them tonight.¡± How can I possibly sleep with him when it¡¯s my first visit to his house? ¡°All right, then. I know the three of you have lots to talk about but remember not to stay up toote. Rest earlier.¡± Sophie had tons of work to do at the medical association recently and had been as busy as a bee. Tristan felt that she should take a good rest when she had the time to do so. Subsequently, Sophie noticed that hisptop was still turned on. ¡°Okay, I will. But you¡¯re still working at this hour? Is there a problem with Lombard Group?¡± Otherwise, there¡¯s probably no need for him to be still working when it¡¯s sote. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. There¡¯s no problem. I was just waiting for you, so I took a look at my documents.¡± There was a rather profitable projecttely, and Lombard Group was one of those interested in it. ¡°I see. I¡¯ll be leaving, then. Ysabelle is likely done with her shower.¡± ¡°Just stay for a while longer!¡± They¡¯ve already talked for the entire night. Have they not had their fill yet? ¡°Okay.¡± At her docile look, Tristan snapped. Leaning down, he kissed her on the lips. ¡°What should I do? I don¡¯t feel like letting you go and keep thempany anymore.¡± She¡¯s my wife. Why should she spend her time with them? Struck speechless, Sophie didn¡¯t say anything further. Tristan kissed the girl in front of him passionately. Sophie¡¯s face flushed so red that it resembled an overripe tomato. It wasn¡¯t that they had never kissed in the past, but her senses were even more sensitive, as they were at the Lombard residence. Meanwhile, Sarah saw no signs of Sophie upon arriving at Ysabelle¡¯s room. As soon as Ysabelle stepped out of the bathroom, she was greeted by the sight of Sarah lying on the bed and reading a magazine alone. It was one on fashion. ¡°Where¡¯s Sophie, Aunt Sarah?¡± ¡°No idea. Wasn¡¯t she with you? She must have gone to look for your Uncle Tristan. It¡¯s okay. We¡¯re at home anyway, so no one would dare hurt her,¡± Sarah replied nonchntly. ¡°Yeah, I know. It¡¯s just that I can¡¯t help worrying because of the incident back then.¡± ¡°All right, don¡¯t worry anymore! Everything¡¯s fine now. You¡¯re all happy presently, and no one can hurt any one of you again henceforth.¡± ¡°I know.¡± Ysabelle was surrounded by powerful people. As long as they remained by her side, no one would be able to hurt her. ¡°I know.¡± Ysabelle was surrounded by powerful people. As long as they remained by her side, no one would be able to hurt her. Only when the clock struck eleven did Sophie return to Ysabelle¡¯s room. At the sight of her red and swollen lips, Ysabelle instantly knew what she had been doing earlier. ¡°Uncle Tristan picked on you?¡± Judging from her current look, that¡¯s absolutely a yes. Uncle Tristan is another one. He doesn¡¯t even know how to be gentle with her! On the surface, Sophie appeared to be as calm as ever. ¡°Nope, he did nothing of that sort.¡± We¡¯re going to get married soon. Isn¡¯t it normal to kiss and all? How can it be considered as picking on me? A swoony grin broke out on Ysabelle¡¯s face. ¡°Sure enough, men undoubtedly turn into predators when they fall in love. Usually, he looks like a role model for asceticism, but he¡¯s totally unrestrained before you!¡± Well, he¡¯s a man at the end of the day, so such behavior is par for the course. I can understand. Clocking the intense shade of red staining Sophie¡¯s face, Sarah smacked Ysabelle on the butt. ¡°Okay, cut it out.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t mean to mock you, Sophie. I just didn¡¯t expect Uncle Tristan to be such a person as well!¡± ¡°He¡¯s just an ordinary person. His reaction is naturally the same as others.¡± To Sophie, Tristan was nothing more than a regr man. ¡°Yes, exactly! Your Uncle Tristan is also an ordinary person. Isn¡¯t it normal for him to have such a reaction? Don¡¯t tell me you really think he¡¯s a supernatural being?¡± ¡°I really thought that in the past because he could resolve anything wlessly. As time passed, I had such an illusion. But fortunately, heter met Sophie. Sophie is the only one worthy of such a capable man, no?¡± In this whole wide world, they¡¯re the most perfect match! When it came to that, Sarah was likewise in total agreement. If Tristan didn¡¯t meet Sophie, he certainly wouldn¡¯t be enjoying such bliss today. He has always been a person with no desires. It¡¯s only with Sophie that he has such a strong sense of possessiveness. ¡°Stop making fun of us. This is natural between men and women!¡± Sophie found nothing different between her and Tristanpared to other couples. It went without saying that they also hoped they could be happy for the rest of their lives. ¡°Ah, that¡¯s great! It makes me feel like getting married as well,¡± Ysabellemented. Chapter 727 Chapter 727 ¡°You feel like getting married as well? Who¡¯s the groom? Felix?¡± This belongs to N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Will you give me your blessings, Aunt Sarah? There¡¯s a generation gap between Felix and I. Grandpa will definitely object. What about you? Do you have an opinion about it?¡± In truth, Ysabelle was very much worried about that matter. ¡°You don¡¯t need to worry about that. With Felix here, he¡¯ll resolve everything. As for me, I naturally support you. As long as you¡¯re happy, you can be with anyone you like.¡± Felix was a trustworthy man. Sarah was truly happy for Ysabelle for having found such a man. At longst, a smile of relief bloomed on Ysabelle¡¯s face. ¡°As expected, you¡¯re the best, Aunt Sarah! No matter what I do, you always support me. I love you!¡± Sophie, Ysabelle, and Sarahy on the bed and chatted for a long time. Only when it was past midnight did they go to sleep. When William woke up the following morning and spotted Sophieing out from Ysabelle¡¯s room, his brows knitted together. I urged them to stay the night here to create an opportunity for them. Why didn¡¯t they cherish it? The instant he was alone with Tristan, he couldn¡¯t help asking, ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you, Tristan? Aren¡¯t you and Sophie going to get married soon? In that case, you two can naturally sleep together. I want to have a grandchild soon!¡± He was only so enthusiastic about the couple¡¯s matters because he hoped that they would have a child earlier to keep himpany. Ah, I¡¯m reminded of how fun Ysabelle was to y with when she was young! Now, they¡¯re all grown up and have their own careers. No one can stay at home to keep mepany anymore. If Tristan and Sophie were to give me a grandchild, I could take care of the baby at home with peace of mind. Isn¡¯t that great? Tristan was dumbstruck, words eluding him. Good Lord! Why is he bing increasingly out of control? ¡°Dad, we¡¯re not going to have children for the time being, so don¡¯t be all excited there alone.¡± This time, William went speechless instead. Why don¡¯t they want a child when they¡¯re going to get married? ¡°Listen here, Tristan. If the two of you want kids, have them earlier. I am still healthy now and can help you both to take care of them. When I¡¯m really bedridden in the future, no one will be able to help you two!¡± ¡°That¡¯s enough, Dad. Sophie is still young, and she¡¯s currently busy with her career. How would she have the time to have kids?¡± William promptly fell silent, saying nothing further. Indeed, Sophie is exceedingly outstanding, so much so that it makes others envious. However, I¡¯m really dissatisfied if she doesn¡¯t want kids. When everyone had breakfast together in the morning, Sarah and Ysabelle looked enervated. ¡°What did you two dost night? Why are you looking all listless?¡± William did not know what to say when he took in their tired looks. ¡°I¡¯m fine, Grandpa. I¡¯ve just been too busy recently, so I haven¡¯t been having sufficient sleep.¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine, too, Dad,¡± Sarah muttered while having breakfast. Sophie was the only one who was still energetic upon waking up despite having talked deep into the night with them both. Sure enough, people often have boundless energy when a happy event is around the corner. ¡°Sophie, are you both not nning to have kids for now?¡± William had restrained himself for a long time, but in the end, he snapped and put that question to Sophie directly. Sophie jerked her eyes up and cast a nce at Tristan. Did he say anything? Why are we suddenly on this subject? ¡°You don¡¯t need to look at him. This is what I think. Tristan isn¡¯t young anymore, so the two of you should have kids earlier. That aside, I¡¯m already advanced in years. If you both have a baby now, I can still help to take care of the baby. But if you¡¯re anyter, I¡¯m afraid I might not be capable of helping at that time.¡± Those were his true feelings. ¡°That¡¯s a matter between us, Dad. You don¡¯t need to meddle in this!¡± No father-inw asks their daughter-inw such a question. How awkward! ¡°All right, you all continue eating. I¡¯m going out to exercise.¡± Conversely, William didn¡¯t find anything improper about it. Hah! Tristan simply adores her too much, so he¡¯s always thinking from her perspective in every matter! I¡¯m his father, so I hope my son will have a child soon. Besides, their rtionship will be even more stable after they have a baby, no? Young people nowadays are too casual about marriage and divorce. Considering how much he loves her, he¡¯s the one who¡¯ll be grieving if their marriage really reaches such a stage one day. Isn¡¯t that so? That¡¯s why I wish they¡¯ll have a child earlier. Sarah and Ysabelle stared at the man¡¯s retreating back before exchanging a nce. What¡¯s going on here? Why did this issuee up all of a sudden? ¡°Don¡¯t take that to heart, Sophie. We have the final say on whether we want to have a child. Others can¡¯t make the decision for us!¡± In response, Sophie nodded. It was indeed a tad embarrassing for her, but it wasn¡¯t too bad since the matter wasn¡¯t something shameful. ¡°Do you not want a child yet, Sophie? Oh yes, you¡¯re only twenty years old! You¡¯re just a little younger than me. Even I don¡¯t want a kid!¡± We¡¯re still kids ourselves! How would we know how to take care of a child? It¡¯s best to table this for the future. ¡°Truthfully speaking, I only n to have a child at twenty-eight years old!¡± Since getting together with Felix, Ysabelle had also nned out her life. Sophie shifted her gaze to Tristan. She knew that he would side with her regardless of her decision. ¡°Such a thing hinges on destiny. Fate determines when we conceive and have kids.¡± That was all she could say. Sarah patted her on the hand. ¡°All right, don¡¯t worry! He was merely saying that and will forget about it in no time.¡± ¡°Thanks.¡± Truth be told, the pressure on Sophie was still immense. Why did the subject progress to having a child when we had just spoken of getting married? On the drive home, Tristan wrapped a hand around her long and slender fingers while keeping a hand on the steering wheel when he noticed her spacing out. ¡°What¡¯s the matter? What are you thinking about? Are you still bothered about the issue of having kids?¡± Tristan asked bluntly. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m thinking about that. Old Mr. Lombard hopes that we¡¯ll have a child soon, but I think it¡¯s still too early for that.¡± ¡°Yeah, I agree. We¡¯re only nning to get married now and haven¡¯t yet enjoyed our time alone. How can we possibly have a child at this time? People say that couples can¡¯t be intimate during pregnancy. I object to a child!¡± Sophie was wholly dumbfounded. Good Lord! That¡¯s what he¡¯s concerned about? ¡°Tristan!¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong with that? Don¡¯t you know that I¡¯ve always wanted you? I¡¯ve already kept myself in check for a long time. When we¡¯ve gotten married, I¡¯ll definitely make up for all those lost times!¡± For that reason, he wasn¡¯t keen on having a child either. How could he utter such words with a straight face? This is downright unbelievable! Sophie¡¯s face flushed bright red. Seeing that, Tristan pulled over by the roadside. ¡°What¡¯s the matter? Do you doubt my stamina?¡± At the mere thought of being free to do anything he pleased after getting married, he couldn¡¯t help growing excited. Chapter 728 Chapter 728 Hold on. Are all men so excited at the mention of this topic? Is there a need to stop the car at a ce like this? ¡°I think it¡¯s gettingte. We should head back now.¡± Sophie didn¡¯t want to dwell further on that matter. She was rtively shy, so she felt self-conscious if they continued discussing that. Tristan unbuckled his seat belt, leaned forward, and kissed her lips. What should I do? This uncontroble feeling within me is intensifying. After a long and passionate kiss, Tristan uttered confidently, ¡°Sophie, we¡¯ll definitely be happy.¡± That¡¯s right. We¡¯ll certainly be happy because we love each other. ¡°Okay. I trust you.¡± Both of them had decided to get married, so they would have to bear the responsibilities together regardless of what happened instead of ming others. ¡°Because of you, I genuinely hope there¡¯s a next life. I can¡¯t help but feel that spending just one life with you is insufficient.¡± Yet, chances for a subsequent life were slim, so he yearned to cherish his current life better. ¡°Okay.¡± She shared his sentiments. ¡°That¡¯s enough. Let¡¯s go back now. I know everything that you want to say.¡± I know his intention, so stopping the car to engage in a conversation is unnecessary. However, I think he stopped the car because of the kiss! This belongs to N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Okay.¡± Tristan restarted the engine. Sophie had to go to the medical association that day, so it was about time for them to get moving too. Upon arriving at the medical association, she noticed Barney¡¯s pale face and figured he might be feeling under the weather. ¡°What¡¯s the matter, Dr. Smith? Are you feeling ill? You should rest at home if that¡¯s the case. Why did youe here?¡± ¡°You¡¯re familiar with his personality. Now that there are so many things to deal with at the medical association, how is he willing to rest?¡± Arius had persuaded Barney earlier in the morning, but thetter had refused to heed his advice. ¡°But you don¡¯t have to worry. He should be fine. He¡¯s a doctor, after all. He should know what he¡¯s doing.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Sophie was still worried even after listening to Arius¡¯ speech, so she went to meet with Barney. ¡°Dr. Smith, are you facing any difficulty? If there¡¯s any problem you cannot resolve on your own, you can discuss it with us. Perhaps if we put our heads together, we can develop a better solution.¡± Enduring all the pressure alone would be truly exhausting. Besides, we¡¯re a team now, so we should converse about any issues we faced to sort them out together. Barney couldn¡¯t help but chuckle after taking in Sophie¡¯s demeanor. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m fine. I¡¯m just feeling a little ufortable. Perhaps I¡¯m just a little tired from handling the mountainous tasks rted to the medical association.¡± He was young when he founded the International Medical Association, so he wasn¡¯t as worn out. As he was of advanced age now, it was normal for his body to fail to cope with thatrge amount of daily work. ¡°Okay. Is the International Medical Association still constantly troubling us?¡± Although the International Medical Association was based in Anndur while the Chanaean Medical Association was located in Chanaea, the International Medical Association was relentless in making things difficult for Barney. ¡°Yes. They are still too cowardly to believe this and insist on thinking that I¡¯ve betrayed them.¡± Barney felt helpless about that. He had personally guided those people, but they were now ruthlessly impeding the development of the Chanaean Medical Association. ¡°Sophie, I thought it¡¯d be smooth sailing for you to join the International Medical Association, yet so many things happened. I¡¯m afraid our future path will remain rocky.¡± Barney was worried about her. After all, she was still a young girl and had never faced so many difficulties in her life. ¡°Dr. Smith, rest assured. There isn¡¯t a path in this world that is all sunshine and rainbows. Dealing with pitfalls is inevitable. I braced myself when I decided to join the medical association, so you don¡¯t have to worry about me.¡± I¡¯m not a weak person. I¡¯ll steel myself to face whatever maye. ¡°Okay. Still, I can¡¯t help but feel that I¡¯ve misled you.¡± ¡°Dr. Smith, that shouldn¡¯t be a concern of yours. I¡¯m doing this on my own ord, and my decision has nothing to do with you.¡± Besides, those members of the International Medical Association can¡¯t do anything to me. ¡°All right. You¡¯re about to get married to Tristan, right? I¡¯ll prepare a gift of your preference for you by then.¡± Barney, the medical genius, had always doted on Sophie. He didn¡¯t have any children of his own, so he had been treating her as though she was his own daughter. ¡°Okay, Dr. Smith. I¡¯ll look forward to receiving your gift. You should go back and rest for today. I¡¯ll cover your part.¡± ¡°I¡¯m honestly fine, and I don¡¯t need to rest. That¡¯s enough. Let¡¯s get to work. We don¡¯t have much time to spare.¡± ¡°I know we¡¯re running out of time, but you should still go back and get some rest. I¡¯ll finish your part of the work for today.¡± Sensing her persistence, Barney had no choice but to take off his white coat. ¡°I¡¯ll let you handle this matter using your discretion. If you¡¯re too tired, we can do this tomorrow,¡± he said in resignation. ¡°All right. Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll ask Arius to send you back. Get plenty of rest when you¡¯re back home and don¡¯t overthink things, okay?¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Indeed, a girl is better at caring for others. Arius was astonished when he knew Barney had agreed to go back and take a break. ¡°Dr. Smith, you¡¯re too biased! You wouldn¡¯t listen to me when I told you to go back and rest in the morning, but you epted Sophie¡¯s suggestion after she said a few words to you.¡± ¡°That¡¯s enough. Since Dr. Smith is not feeling well, you should send him home ande back afterward.¡± ¡°Fine. Let¡¯s go, Dr. Smith. Are you seeing this? Aren¡¯t you touched to be on the receiving end of your mentees¡¯ concern?¡± Arius asked with a grin. ¡°Yes, I¡¯m very moved. I can die without regrets even at this instant for having you two as my mentees.¡± I¡¯m genuinely contented. ¡°What is that nonsense, Dr. Smith! We still have to create miracles for mankind together!¡± Life is short. To be able to coborate with like-minded people in doing something one is passionate about is in itself a great pleasure. Arius returned to the medical association after sending Barney home. Noticing Sophie doing Barney¡¯s work and taking in her serious demeanor, he assisted her from the side. The two were in sync and cooperated perfectly with one another. In the end, they merely required another thirty minutes to determine the final oue. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect you to be so efficient,¡± Arius eximed. I can¡¯t believe she¡¯s close topleting this task in under forty minutes. ¡°We don¡¯t know the result yet, so it¡¯s still too early for you to tter me withpliments.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not trying to tter you. I¡¯m genuinely jealous. How are you sopetent?¡± Even Arius wasn¡¯t confident he could finish that experiment in such a short period. Chapter 729 Chapter 729 Sophie ignored Arius. She was all too familiar with suchpliments. I know others sometimes can¡¯t understand me at all. Things seem toe easily to me, but not everyone understands my world. However, it seems that Tristanprehends how I feel. If there¡¯s one person like that in the world, that¡¯s enough for me. ¡°What¡¯s with that look of tenderness on your face? Who are you thinking of?¡± Arius asked, feeling annoyed when he saw her expression. I¡¯m well aware that she wants to marry Tristan. I don¡¯t know what he did to deserve a woman like her, but she¡¯s absolutely devoted to him. If I¡¯m being honest, a love like theirs really makes me so jealous. ¡°Tristan,¡± she replied, frankly. It¡¯s no surprise I¡¯d be thinking about my fianc¨¦, right? ¡°I knew it. You only seem to have that expression when you think of him.¡± ¡°Mm-hmm. It¡¯s about time you get yourself a girlfriend. If you continue like this, I¡¯m afraid you¡¯ll never experience this feeling in your lifetime.¡± Arius promptly shook his head. ¡°Love is aplicated thing. I don¡¯t have so much time and energy to spend with another woman.¡± Sophie also shook her head. Those are all just excuses. These concerns won¡¯t evene to mind if one meets a person one truly likes. Falling in love isn¡¯t something that can be controlled, and one won¡¯t even care about such things! The pair stayed in theboratory the entire day. When it was lunchtime, they made do with ordering a takeaway, as they did not even have time to go out and eat. After having lunch, Sophie took a short nap at her desk. It was a brutal truth that many dreamed of being a part of the International Medical Association without realizing that the association¡¯s work was intense enough to drive the average person mad. That night, she and Arius invited the others to eat out together. They happened to bump into Winter, who was still the same as before. No matter where she went, she was apanied by a posse of daughters from wealthy families. Neither of them brought up the events of the past year. It was as though Winter had never gotten sent away. The moment Winter saw Sophie, she balled her fists without realizing it. It was their first meeting after what had happened and seeing how happy Sophie looked made Winter¡¯s heart clench painfully. What right does she have to be so happy? She doesn¡¯t deserve it! Arius guessed straightaway from the way Winter kept staring at them that thetter had to be one of Tristan¡¯s crazy admirers or someone jealous of Sophie¡¯s beauty. There are too many such people. ¡°Do you need me to step in?¡± he asked nonchntly while holding a bowl of soup. ¡°That won¡¯t be necessary. She¡¯s nobody important. You don¡¯t need to bother.¡± ¡°All right, then. Oh, by the way, has Tristan proposed? I¡¯m telling you, you mustn¡¯t say yes so easily,¡± he said, thinking that now was the time to show Tristan just how popr Sophie was. ¡°There¡¯s no need for a proposal. You know I don¡¯t care about these little details,¡± came Sophie¡¯s reply. All that matters to me is that Tristan and I have a tacit understanding. We¡¯re both so busy and don¡¯t have time for such nonsense. Arius was rendered speechless. Finally, he said, ¡°I genuinely doubt whether you¡¯re a woman. Other ladies dream of their boyfriends popping the question with romantic proposals, but you give a reply like that!¡± Is that even something a woman would say? ¡°Well, I don¡¯t care about those formalities!¡± All Arius wanted to do was sigh in exasperation at her response. ¡°It may be troublesome, but don¡¯t you think it¡¯ll be a beautiful memory for you to look back on in the future? Don¡¯t you want the two of you to be able to reminisce about everything that happened during this time when you¡¯re old and gray?¡± ¡°We already have plenty of memories between us,¡± she argued. Besides, I already know just how much Tristan cares about me. ¡°Ah, forget it. I¡¯ve nothing to say to people like you, but Tristan probably doesn¡¯t think the same way as you,¡± said Arius. Otherwise, with Sophie¡¯s character, she really might get married just like that and have no memories to cherish in the future. After a pause, he added, ¡°Oh, right. How¡¯s your leg? You encountered five assassins previously, didn¡¯t you? How did it feel?¡± ¡°I think it has almost fully recovered. As long as I don¡¯t use the injured leg in a head-on attack or defense, there doesn¡¯t appear to be a problem.¡± ¡°That¡¯s great!¡± After their meal, Sophie received a call from Yale. She hesitated briefly when she saw the number, but in the end, she answered her phone. ¡°Sophie, it¡¯s me! You and Mr. Tristan are getting married, aren¡¯t you? You shoulde home so that we can discuss your dowry.¡± If Sophie were to marry anyone else, Yale would not have bothered to give that matter any thought. However, things were different because the other party was Tristan. ¡°No need for that. I¡¯ll handle my own affairs.¡± She was about to hang up when Yale said, ¡°Regardless of what happened in the past, we¡¯re still your parents. Are you really not going toe back to discuss something as big as your wedding with us? Can¡¯t we get along as a family just because your grandfather is no longer with us?¡± Her eyes darkened when she heard him mention Josiah. ¡°Very well. Got it. I¡¯ll find time to go back.¡± ¡°Good. We¡¯ll wait for you at home. Juste right over when you have the time,¡± he reminded her once more, worried that she would not turn up. Yale could barely contain his excitement that he would soon be inws with the Lombard family. After all, it was the dream of many to marry into the Lombard family. Charmaine could not help sneering when she saw that, and her reaction elicited a frown from him. ¡°What¡¯s your problem, Charmaine? Didn¡¯t you always hope that Willow would marry into a wealthy family? Well, Sophie has done what she didn¡¯t do, so why on earth do you have that expression? They¡¯re both your daughters. Isn¡¯t it enough that your dream hase true?¡± he asked. He could not understand why she was being so difficult. This belongs to N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Aren¡¯t you the least bit worried about Willow? How can you be so indifferent after not hearing from her for so long?¡± Charmaine demanded, wondering how such a father could exist. ¡°What else can I do? You should know better than others, shouldn¡¯t you? I have no power or authority in Jipsdale now, so what right do I have to ask about her? All I hope for now is that Sophie will return Tanner Group to me after marrying Tristan. That¡¯ll be enough. I don¡¯t want anything else!¡± Charmaine let out a snort ofughter. ¡°You¡¯re delusional. Do you honestly think she¡¯ll return Tanner Group to you? Quit dreaming! She¡¯s the embodiment of a selfish person, so it¡¯s impossible that she¡¯ll give up something she has acquired.¡± ¡°We won¡¯t know unless we give it a shot, right? Lombard Group doesn¡¯tck funds, so there¡¯s no point for her to continue hoarding Tanner Group,¡± Yale countered, confident that he had a high chance of seeding. Meanwhile, Tristan had arrived to pick Sophie up. As soon as Winter saw him, she subconsciously rushed forward and blocked his path. Chapter 730 Chapter 730 Tristan furrowed his eyebrows when he saw Winter blocking his path. ¡°Step away!¡± Why is it always so much drama with her? Shouldn¡¯t she feel grateful that she¡¯s allowed back? What more does she want? ¡°I simply miss you, Mr. Tristan.¡± Can¡¯t I even do that? ¡°I don¡¯t need you to miss me!¡± said Tristan expressionlessly. ¡°You should know why you¡¯re allowed to return, Winter!¡± Once she figures out the reason, she¡¯ll understand that there are people she can¡¯t covet. I think I¡¯ve said enough. ¡°I¡ª¡± Winter was at a loss for words as though everything she could say had been said by Tristan. ¡°Stay far away from Sophie. Don¡¯t keep showing up and ruin her mood. I don¡¯t like it.¡± Even though she¡¯s just an outsider, it¡¯ll be for the best if she stops appearing and affecting Sophie. Once he finished his sentence, he searched for Sophie, unwilling to spare her even an extra word. When the other women saw that, they couldn¡¯t help but inform, ¡°We know you like Mr. Tristan, Winter, but you should give up. Jennifer thought she was special all the time in the past, but look at how miserable she ended up.¡± Winter had just returned to the city, so she had no idea what had happened. However, everyone in Jipsdale knew the Whitley family had met their end because they had pissed Tristan off. They all knew of the length he would go to for Sophie. ¡°Yeah! Jennifer was sentenced to prison for eight years. Can you imagine what it¡¯s like to live in prison for eight years? When she¡¯s finally out, there won¡¯t be a ce for her in Jipsdale anymore. As powerful as the Whitley family was, they still failed to save themselves,¡± another one said. Winter tightened her fists, her fingers digging into her palm. Of course I know what happened to the Whitley family! I didn¡¯t expect Tristan would go so far for a woman. Meanwhile, Tristan settled down beside Sophie. ¡°Have you eaten yet?¡± Sophie asked. Considering how fast he came to pick me up, I doubt he had eaten. ¡°Not yet. Are you all done?¡± ¡°Yeah. What do you want to eat? I¡¯ll keep youpany.¡± Most other people had also finished their meals. It was their first time seeing him, so they thought he looked like someone walking straight out of a painting in a ck cashmere coat. ¡°Is he your boyfriend, Sophie? He¡¯s really handsome!¡± one of themplimented. ¡°And I thought we stood a chance. I guess we never had any in the first ce.¡± A few youngsters from the medical association couldn¡¯t help but sigh. It feels like every woman we encounter nowadays already belongs to someone else. ¡°That¡¯s right. She¡¯s already mine,¡± Tristan uttered. Even though I know they¡¯re joking, I¡¯m not taking risks. The youngsters were rendered speechless. Even though they didn¡¯t know who he was, his vibe was so overpowering that none of them had the guts to keep joking. ¡°Today¡¯s meal has been great, Sophie. Since your boyfriend hase to pick you up, we¡¯re going to head back now. See you tomorrow at the medical association.¡± Georgina stood up first. Another young researcher hastily stood up and offered, ¡°How about I send you back, Georgina? I drove here today, and it¡¯s not easy to call for a taxi here.¡± While Georgina wasn¡¯t as pretty as Sophie, she was still gorgeous enough that many people in the medical association liked her. This belongs to N?velDrama.Org. The young man who stood up was one of them. Georgina nced at Arius, but Arius didn¡¯t respond. In reality, she was hoping he would send her back. ¡°No, thanks. I still need to drop by a few other locations that aren¡¯t on my way back home.¡± Although she was disappointed, she didn¡¯t voice her thoughts. Meanwhile, Sophie spotted the obvious look in Georgina¡¯s eyes. As much as I want to help her, I don¡¯t think I can, especially with Arius¡¯ personality. Only the two of them can figure things out between themselves. When Arius noticed Georgina kept staring at him, he replied apologetically, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Georgina. My mentor is feeling unwell today, so I have to pay him a visit.¡± While I¡¯m out here filling my belly, Dr. Smith¡¯s still at his house! As his mentee, I should take care of him. It¡¯ll be rude to do otherwise. ¡°It¡¯s fine. I can return myself.¡± Georgina was disappointed, but she knew she wasn¡¯t that close to Arius, so he had no reason to send her back. ¡°I still think I should send you back, Georgina. It¡¯s not safe for you,¡± the young man from before piped up. I know she likes Arius, but there¡¯s no way someone like him will fall for her. That¡¯s why I don¡¯t mind that little disy earlier. I¡¯ll remain steadfast. One day, she¡¯ll know how much I like her. ¡°I really don¡¯t need you to give me a ride. I¡¯ll be leaving now.¡± The reason Georgina refused was that she knew he had feelings for her. However, she wouldn¡¯t ept someone¡¯s goodwill if she didn¡¯t like them. After she left, the rest of the youngsters also departed, leaving Sophie, Arius, and Tristan behind. ¡°What are you doing, Arius? Why didn¡¯t you send Georgina back? She was very much hoping you would.¡± Sophie knitted her eyebrows slightly. My heart wrenches when I recall the pitiful look in her eyes. ¡°Didn¡¯t I exin why already? I still need to visit Dr. Smith because he¡¯s sick. I can¡¯t just leave him alone in his house. That¡¯ll be too sad. Anyway, you two go on a date while I head back. Until next time.¡± So what if Georgina likes me? I¡¯m used to the freedom I have right now, and I enjoy it. After Arius ended his sentence, he left. ¡°Looks like Arius will remain a bachelor for his whole life. I can¡¯t help but pity the women who like him,¡± said Tristan. I feel that the only person he treats nicely is Sophie. ¡°Looks like Winter still hasn¡¯t given up on you,¡± said Sophie because she was aware Winter had been gazing at them, which she found unpleasant. ¡°I don¡¯t understand why you allowed her toe back. Do you think she¡¯ll change and give up that easily? Then again, you don¡¯t need to mind her. I doubt she can do anything substantial,¡± he responded. I¡¯m aware of how capable she is. ¡°Yeah. I¡¯m just worried that you will. What did she say to you when she blocked your path? I saw you grimacing.¡± ¡°It¡¯s nothing. Anyway, let¡¯s go. Since tomorrow¡¯s the weekend and my grandfather wants to talk about the wedding at your ce, should we do it in the condominium or the Tanner residence?¡± The reason he asked was that he thought it would be better for her to make the decision. Without dy, she answered, ¡°The Tanner residence. My grandfather¡¯s altar is there. I want him to know about this.¡± I still think I should do something like this before his altar because it¡¯ll no doubt put his spirit in heaven at ease. ¡°All right.¡± Chapter 731 Chapter 731 Finally, it was the day of the proposal. Sophie went back to the Tanner residence early in the morning. Regardless of everything, she wanted her grandfather to witness that day. While she had returned early, the rest would onlyeter in the day. Yale had asked the housekeepers to clean up the Tanner residence. It was his first time making preparations for something like this, and he even asked the housekeepers what else he should prepare for. When he saw that Sophie had returned, he grew nervous. ¡°Sophie, I know you¡¯re not interested in the matters at home, but I won¡¯t let you down this time.¡± Yale was delighted to have his daughter marry a man like Tristan. Others would have to treat him with respect if they encounter him in the future, for he would be Tristan¡¯s father-inw. ¡°Take a look around and tell me what other things we need to prepare. I¡¯ll get people to work on it right away. We can¡¯t embarrass ourselves in front of the Lombards.¡± This belongs to N?velDrama.Org - ?. Sophie only nced at her grandfather¡¯s photo on the altar before walking over to it in silence. ¡°Grandpa, will you be more at peace after seeing this? You¡¯ve always hoped for me to have a good home. I¡¯m sure you can be at peace now.¡± Sophie¡¯s heart still ached whenever she looked at her grandfather¡¯s framed photo on the altar. Her grandfather had always hoped to see her get married, but now that she was getting married, her grandfather no longer had the chance to send her off. Yale did not make anyments about Sophie¡¯s behavior. She had always acted as such since young, never caring about trying to preserve someone else¡¯s dignity. Meanwhile, Charmaine was sneering as she watched Sophie from the side. ¡°What¡¯s the point in you doing this much for her? Her heart is made of stone. Nothing you do will matter to her.¡± Her words upset Yale. ¡°It¡¯s Sophie¡¯s big day today. If you can hold your tongue, then join the ceremony. If you can¡¯t stop yourself from speaking nonsense like this, then head upstairs to rest instead. I doubt anyone will mind even if you don¡¯t attend this. There¡¯s no need for you to say agitating words like these.¡± Charmaine was irked by his words, but there was nothing she could say in response. Her words no longer meant anything to the people in the family. She could only keep her silence. Yale was still busy. The Lombards would being, and he would make sure that they were prepared enough to wee the Lombards. On the other hand, Charmaine stayed seated on the couch as if all of these had nothing to do with her. Later on, Arius and Barney came, for there was no way they would miss Sophie¡¯s engagement. ¡°Congrattions, Sophie! You¡¯re young, but you¡¯re already getting married. I have no idea what you¡¯re thinking about.¡± Arius did not know why Sophie could not just wait a little longer when she had already found the right man. Why is she in a rush to get married? ¡°Hey, that¡¯s enough, Arius. We¡¯re here to give her our blessings,¡± Barney interjected, then passed the gift that he had prepared to Sophie. ¡°Thank you, Dr. Smith.¡± What Barney had prepared was arge uncut diamond which Sophie could then use for any design she wanted. ¡°Dr. Smith, I want that too!¡± Arius cried out. Ever since Sophie became Barney¡¯s mentee, everything good Barney had was given to her first. He was the afterthought, and that was not a treatment he enjoyed. He wanted those gifts too. ¡°I¡¯ll definitely give one to you when you decide to get married,¡± Barney said. Diamonds were things he had plentiful. However, he had to have the chance to give it to Arius. It had to be a meaningful gift. When I decide to get married? If that¡¯s the only way I can get a diamond, then forget it. I have money, anyway. I can just get one by myself. There¡¯s no point in giving up on my freedom for a diamond. ¡°It¡¯s almost time. Tristan and the others will be here soon. Is there anything you need help with?¡± Arius had been living overseas, so he barely knew what went on in an engagement ceremony. ¡°No, it¡¯s fine. I just need you to witness it from the side,¡± Sophie said, for Yale had already gotten people to make preparations for everything. At eleven in the morning, the Lombards came. A total of twelve luxurious cars were lined up outside the Tanner residence. Even the te numbers were consecutive numbers. Those who lived in the area were wealthy people, but even those wealthy people had never seen a sight as grand as this. They were not stunned by the cars¡ªthey were stunned by the consecutive te numbers. That was not something ordinary people could pull off. ¡°Is someone here to pick up their bride?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know, but isn¡¯t this the Tanner residence? Is the Tanner girl getting married?¡± ¡°Who knows? This is impressive! I can¡¯t believe they¡¯re making this so grand.¡± Then, the next things the neighbors saw wererge gift boxes getting carried out of the cars. No one could say how many boxes they were. Those boxes were gifts that William had prepared meticulously. William himself was getting helped out of the car by Sarah. ¡°Dad, are you okay? Are you tired? If you are, let¡¯s rest in the car first.¡± As it turned out, William had been leading the people in preparing the gift boxes and had not taken a single break. ¡°I¡¯m fine. It¡¯s a good day today, and I¡¯m happy.¡± That is how humans are. Nothing they do will be tiring as long as they are happy. ¡°Okay, as long as you¡¯re happy. It looks like you¡¯re happy about Sophie being your daughter-inw,¡± Sarah pointed out. I knew it. There is only a handful of people who won¡¯t like a girl like Sophie. As long as they spend some time with her, they¡¯ll find themselves enjoying her presence. ¡°Mm, well, I won¡¯t say I hate her. You know my kind nature. Since they¡¯ve decided to be together, my protest will be meaningless,¡± William said. Ysabelle then came down from the car. All of them were there. How could they not? It was an important day for Sophie. ¡°Grandpa, I swear Sophie won¡¯t let you down.¡± Ysabelle beamed. Once her uncle got married to Sophie, they would be a family. It was a feeling she relished. Tristan got out of the car as well. He was wearing the suit Sophie had bought for him. It was a suit he could not bring himself to wear after he received it, for he was afraid of dirtying it. He was finally wearing it that day. Both Sean and Charles froze for a second when they saw Tristan¡¯s suit. It was onlyter on they found out that Sophie was the one who bought the suit for him. In other words, all the little things between Sophie and Tristan in the ceremony had been done with love. Once all of them were out of the car, Tristan stood frontmost. His woman was in the mansion, and after that day, they would belong to each other. The mere thought of that made him chuckle. He had been looking forward to this, and his excitement was still intense when the day came. Chapter 732 Chapter 732 Meanwhile, Sophie, who was in the mansion, had already changed into a white dress. That was a dress her grandfather had prepared for her while he was still alive. She guessed that her grandfather knew back then he had little time left in the living world. That was why he had bought the white dress for her, hoping that she would wear it during her engagement. When Arius saw Sophie after her makeup, he gave her a thumbs-up. ¡°Indeed, our Sophie¡¯s the most beautiful person in this world.¡± Naturally, she would be looking her best for her engagement. Sophie grinned, then walked over to the altar. ¡°Grandpa, Tristan¡¯s here. Haven¡¯t you always liked him? I¡¯ve decided to get married to him. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll be happy about this, right?¡± Despite everything, Tristan was the young man Josiah approved of. ¡°All right, Sophie. Mr. Tristan and the rest are here. You¡¯re done, right? Let¡¯s head out now.¡± Even Yale sounded thrilled. He had never thought Sophie would be able to get married to Tristan. ¡°Okay.¡± This belongs to N?velDrama.Org - ?. When they went out and saw the grandeur of the scene, Yale stiffened. It had been a long time since he had seen anything as resplendent as that. This must be what it¡¯s like for princesses of the past to get engaged, right? Sophie saw how Tristan was wearing the suit she had bought for him. He looked dazzling, and he had a bright smile on his face. Tristan was standing still, staring at her as if she was the only person he could see. At that very moment, Sophie found out what the definition of bliss was. Sarah then came over with William, and Tristan introduced the two families to each other. William had been on televisiontely, so Yale recognized him. He just never thought that he would be family with someone like William one day. ¡°Hello, Old Mr. Lombard. I¡¯m Sophie¡¯s father.¡± Despite the overwhelming excitement he felt, Yale managed topose himself. Sophie was clearly capable enough to get engaged with Tristan, so he could not embarrass her by acting out of ce. ¡°Hello, I¡¯m Tristan¡¯s father. I¡¯m sure we¡¯ll be meeting each other more often from now on.¡± After all, they would be inws and would be interacting more frequently in the future. ¡°Indeed. Pleasee in, Old Mr. Lombard.¡± Yale instantly led everyone in. At the same time, Tristan came over to Sophie and held her hand. ¡°Why aren¡¯t you wearing a coat? It¡¯s a cold day today. What if you catch a cold?¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t you not wearing one either?¡± Moreover, I¡¯m only out here for a while. I doubt I¡¯ll catch a cold like this. ¡°All right, let¡¯s go in too. There are heaters in the house, so we won¡¯t be cold anymore.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± With that, Tristan wrapped his arm around her shoulder and led her inside. The living room was spacious, but there were many guests who were there for the engagement, so the crowd made the ce look smaller than usual. William and Yale sat on the couch and watched as the people brought the gift boxes into the house. Those were not empty boxes for show. Each and every box was filled with treasures inside. Yale¡¯s heart lurched. ¡°We¡¯ll be a family from now on, so do tell me if you need anything in the future.¡± Everyone knew how powerful the Lombard family was in Jipsdale. ¡°Of course,¡± was the only thing Yale could say. Looks like the Lombards think of Sophie as someone important. They wouldn¡¯t have prepared these many gifts otherwise. But what can we prep for Sophie¡¯s gifts? Sarah, who was sitting beside William, uttered, ¡°Dad, don¡¯t be like this.¡± She knew that he would frighten others by saying that, and she knew that he was well aware of the power he held. ¡°Here is Tristan¡¯s natal chart. Where¡¯s Sophie¡¯s? Have you prepared it? I¡¯ve brought the astrologer here. If you have hers, let¡¯s have the astrologer pick the right date for their wedding.¡± ¡°I did.¡± Yale felt stressed to sit beside William, and that was a kind of stress unprecedented for him. Perhaps it was because of William¡¯s identity. Yale hastily took out Sophie¡¯s natal chart and handed it to the astrologer. Once the astrologer received both individuals¡¯ natal charts, he moved aside to pick a date for their wedding. ¡°Dad, you¡¯ve seen Sophie¡¯s grandpa, right? How about you go and pay your respect to him?¡± Tristan said, not wanting Josiah to miss out on Sophie¡¯s engagement even if it was in this way. Regrets washed over William. Thest time he saw Josiah, he had not been polite toward him. It was only right for him to say a few words to Josiah at his altar. William walked over. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Old Mr. Tanner. I¡¯ll dote on Sophie on behalf of you after she joins our family. I won¡¯t let anyone mistreat her. The two children have decided to be together, so I¡¯ll help them out in every way I can.¡± There are so many things people can¡¯t phrase properly with words when they grow old. After lowering his head for a while, William nodded at Josiah¡¯s photo. ¡°Old Mr. Lombard, please take a seat on the couch,¡± Yale said, promptly walking over to lead William back. Charmaine was there with them as well, and she was equally baffled by the Lombards¡¯ imposing arrival. Are the Lombards serious? There¡¯s no way Sophie is a match for the Lombard family. But the Lombards don¡¯t care about her identity at all? They¡¯re even making everything as monumental as possible for Sophie. That¡¯s the greatest form of respect a woman can get! ¡°Can you really ept Sophie? Can you really ept her regardless of her history?¡± Charmaine asked abruptly. Yale frowned. It¡¯s a big day today. What kind of trouble is she trying to stir up? I should have locked her up. At once, the atmosphere turned awkward. ¡°Charmaine, what nonsense are you talking about?¡± Yale then turned to the housekeepers. ¡°Mrs. Tanner¡¯s not feeling well. Bring her upstairs to rest.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you worry. I won¡¯t say anything else,¡± Charmaine said before standing up. She did not wish to stay there either. Yale was flustered by that, but he still said to William, ¡°I hope you don¡¯t mind her, Old Mr. Lombard. She hasn¡¯t been feeling welltely.¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay. It¡¯s fine,¡± William said, not nning to have someone like Charmaine disrupt a merry day like this. Even though William was upset by the episode, he said nothing since he was at the Tanner residence. However, Sarah noticed his gloominess. ¡°Dad, don¡¯t take her words to heart. Sophie¡¯s mother has never liked Sophie that much, but it isn¡¯t Sophie¡¯s fault.¡± ¡°Of course. It¡¯s definitely Sophie¡¯s mother¡¯s fault. Someone like her simply can¡¯t stand to see others being happy.¡± Since Sophie was the one Tristan had picked, she was certainly someone good. There had to be something wrong with the people who thought badly of Sophie. The Lombards had always been protective of their own. Tristan and Sophie were there, too, and they knew what Charmaine meant. Nevertheless, they would not stoop to her level on a day like this. Tristan held Sophie¡¯s hand and said, ¡°Ignore her. You¡¯re the only one I love.¡± No matter what happened in her past, the only thing he was concerned about was how he had not met her earlier. If he had, she would not have needed to go through the painful times. Chapter 733 Chapter 733 ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I really don¡¯t care. Whatever she says will have no effect on me.¡± Sophie was no longer the same Sophie as before. She would never care about what others said about her anymore. She now had her own thoughts and wouldn¡¯t get hurt easily. ¡°Oh, right, have I told you that you look great today? The clothes really suit you.¡± My Sophie looks good in anything. Everything suits her. There were many people. Felix shook his head in disbelief when he heard that. Since when did Mr. Tristan be someone who utters such passionate sweet nothings? His flirting game is truly at the top. ¡°Are you saying that I don¡¯t look good on usual days?¡± Sophie didn¡¯t really like to dress up, so she usually wore what wasfortable on a daily basis. That was why she looked unique that day. ¡°It¡¯s not like that. You look good in anything, but you just look different today.¡± Of course, she looks different. Today is the day of our engagement. ¡°Okay.¡± Sophie was just joking. She never thought that Tristan would reply to her that way. He takes things too seriously sometimes¡­ The astrologer chose a date and wrote their wedding date on paper using a calligraphy pen. ¡°This is the best date to get married¡ªsuitable for young people like you both.¡± The date must be perfect since Tristan was the one who would be getting married. The astrologer then said something else but in technical terms, so no one really understood what he had just said. However, no one dared say anything since this man was brought here by William. No matter what, everyone would respect William¡¯s decision. ¡°Thank you, Mr. Leeson.¡± William was delighted as he looked at the date that was chosen. Jayden Leeson was a famous astrologer and was well-versed in what he was doing. He helped choose the dates for most marriages that happened in Jipsdale. Tristan, however, wasn¡¯t happy with the date. He wanted to get married sooner, but the date that Jayden had chosen was in December of next year. ¡°Can¡¯t we move the date forward?¡± Tristan asked. He had never cared before since he never wanted to get married, but now, he wanted to get married as soon as possible. Everyone looked at him when he said that. Mr. Tristan can¡¯t wait anymore, huh? It¡¯s my first time seeing him like this. ¡°What nonsense are you spouting, Tristan? The date has been chosen. You can¡¯t just change it.¡± William was unhappy. Owned by N?velDrama.Org. Sarah red at Tristan as well. ¡°Since Mr. Leeson said that that¡¯s a good day to get married, then that will be the best day for the asion. Why are you so impatient?¡± Both of them will be together forever anyway, so I don¡¯t understand what¡¯s the rush now. Tristan was speechless at that. He just wanted to get married as soon as possible. Sophie held his hand. ¡°All right, now. Let¡¯s just go with the chosen date since that¡¯s a great day.¡± As Sophie had spoken, Tristan held his tongue. Fine. I¡¯ll wait for a year¡­ He could wait since it was just a year. Truth be told, he could wait no matter how long it took. Once the date was set and everyone was happy with it, Yale went and looked at the wedding gifts that were sent to them. Yale only knew that the Tanner family and the Lombard family were not on the same level when he looked at the gifts. Isn¡¯t this too much? Charmaine came down the stairs right then, and her heart twinged when she saw the gifts. If only Willow was the one getting married today¡­ Sophie is now living a great life, but what about Willow? I don¡¯t even know if she¡¯s dead or alive! Charmaine couldn¡¯t be happy when she thought of that. ¡°Look, Charmaine. The Lombards really cherish Sophie!¡± Sophie will be living the life since the Lombards treasure her this much. ¡°I saw the gifts. Sophie is really lucky to meet someone who loves her.¡± Not everyone could have luck like that. The reason why Charmaine came down was that she wanted to talk to Sophie alone. She wouldn¡¯t let go of a perfect moment like this. ¡°Charmaine, give up on Willow. So what if you bring her back? Her reputation has gone down the gutter. Do you think any prestigious families would still want her? I know you¡¯ve always had high hopes for her, but she will never achieve your hopes in this lifetime.¡± Why not just give up if that¡¯s the case? ¡°But that¡¯s still our daughter! How can we just leave her be?¡± Charmaine wanted to know if Willow was still alive. ¡°What can you do? We don¡¯t even know where she is or where she went.¡± Yale was helpless as well. No one was at fault for this. They could only me Willow for all her evil intentions. That was why she was in this state right now. There was nothing anyone could help her with. ¡°Yale, that¡¯s your daughter! How could you say something like that at a time like this?¡± ¡°Enough! Go upstairs if you¡¯re going to keep talking about this. Don¡¯t affect anyone¡¯s mood.¡± It was Sophie¡¯s big day that day, so what Charmaine was saying now would affect Sophie¡¯s mood. ¡°I really don¡¯t understand. You weren¡¯t like this before! What you should do now is to restore your rtionship with Sophie! You¡¯ll only live a great life if you do so!¡± Why does she not understand? Charmaine didn¡¯t reply to him when she heard that, and sorrow filled her heart. Even so, she was still waiting for a chance to speak to Sophie, and that chance finally came when Sophie was finally alone. She walked over. ¡°Let¡¯s talk, Sophie!¡± Charmaine knew that this wasn¡¯t the perfect day to speak to Sophie about this, but she didn¡¯t have a choice since she didn¡¯t even have the chance to meet with Sophie on normal days. ¡°What do you want to talk about?¡± Sophie was in a great mood that day, so she was willing to spare a few minutes for Charmaine. ¡°Sophie, you¡¯re living a happy life now, aren¡¯t you? So Willow wouldn¡¯t be able to hurt you even if she came back. Let here back if that¡¯s the case.¡± Charmaine had just recently been discharged from the rehabilitation center, so she still had a temper. However, she still had to say certain things for Willow¡¯s sake. Sophie furrowed her brows upon hearing that. As expected, it¡¯s about Willow. ¡°I don¡¯t really understand. How would I know where Willow is? Isn¡¯t she at the psychiatric nursing home? Plus, whatever happens to her is none of my business. I don¡¯t have time for her childish antics.¡± The psychiatric nursing home was a great ce to recuperate if Willow didn¡¯t mess around. ¡°But she¡¯s not there! If it wasn¡¯t you, then it must be Mr. Tristan! Return Willow back to me!¡± Sophie was utterly speechless. Charmaine grabbed Sophie¡¯s wrist and said, ¡°Please, Sophie. Let her go!¡± Chapter 734 Chapter 734 Sophie stared at Charmaine. She¡¯s really kind to Willow, and she only shows her maternal love to Willow. Ysabelle, who came looking for Sophie, was heartbroken when she heard Charmaine¡¯s words. How terrible! How dare she utter such nonsense to Sophie on such a wonderful day! Ysabelle rushed forward and shielded Sophie. ¡°You care about Willow because she¡¯s your daughter. But isn¡¯t Sophie your daughter, too? Willow hired a hitman! How is it that Sophie¡¯s the one at fault now?¡± Ysabelle was livid. ¡°This is a family matter. It has nothing to do with you. Right now, I just want to talk to Sophie. Can you scoot?¡± Of course, Charmaine knew who Ysabelle was. She just could not be bothered to think about it at that moment. ¡°Family matter? Sophie¡¯s going to be a member of the Lombard family in the future. Naturally, her matters are our family¡¯s matters. There¡¯s no reason for me not to get involved. Sophie, go to Uncle Tristan. I¡¯ll stay here and listen to what she has to say.¡± Sophie patted Ysabelle on the shoulder. ¡°I¡¯m fine. Let¡¯s go. It¡¯s time to eat.¡± That day, Yale had invited a few chefs to prepare a meal at home. The meal should be ready soon. Since it was her engagement day, she naturally had to have a meal at home. ¡°All right! Let¡¯s go out together. I don¡¯t want to see anyone bully you.¡± Ysabelle would not let anyone bully Sophie, not even thetter¡¯s mother. ¡°Okay!¡± Ysabelle¡¯s words brought a smile to Sophie¡¯s face. Thanks to Tristan, she hade to know his family, who treated her well. Charmaine watched them leave while sulking. s, no one cared about her feelings. Momentster, Cecelia arrived. She hade directly from the set. When she heard Sophie was getting engaged, she applied for a day¡¯s leave to rush back for the meal and witness Sophie¡¯s beautiful moment. Cecelia immediately pulled Sophie into her arms. ¡°Sophie, I never expected you¡¯d be the first to get married.¡± The two often talked about it before Sophie went to Horington. At that time, they had wondered who their prince charming would be. However, many things happened after that. Thankfully, Sophie still found her partner. That was all that mattered to Cecelia. The thought of it made her teary. ¡°I¡¯m fine, Cecelia. Perhaps everything that happened in the past was preparing me for this.¡± It¡¯s preparing me to meet Tristan with a better version of myself. ¡°You¡¯re right. Anyway, the fact that you¡¯re happy is all that matters. Truth is, I really admire you. Tristan looks like a cold person. Then again, it doesn¡¯t matter. What matters most is that he treats you well.¡± To Cecelia, a man who treated everyone warmly was a jerk. She was relieved that Tristan was someone who only treated Sophie warmly. The Wheelers, too, hurried over when they finished their work. On the way there, Sunny could not help but worry about Mark. The person Mark liked was getting married, but he was not the groom. Sunny was afraid Mark would be upset. ¡°Mark, why don¡¯t you skip the event today? You¡¯re tired, anyway. You should get some rest at home.¡± Mark shook his head. ¡°Sunny, how can I miss such an important day?¡± Even if Sophie was not getting married to him, he still needed to go over and give her his blessing. He was not someone who would evade situations. Moreover, he would regret it if he did not go. ¡°Are you sure you¡¯re all right?¡± Sunny was the closest to Mark. Naturally, he was the one most worried about him. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m all right. All that matters is that she¡¯s happy. I¡¯ll never forgive Tristan if he hurts her.¡± Sophie was the woman he cherished a lot. Unfortunately, she chose Tristan, so he could only remain as her friend. When Ysabelle heard Mark and the others had arrived, she quickly went out to wee them. Of course, Felix followed behind her. The moment Ysabelle saw Mark and his members, she ran up to them excitedly. ¡°Mark! You guys made it! I thought you wouldn¡¯t be able toe today,¡± said Ysabelle. Mark and the others had not been back to the country because they had an event abroad. ¡°It¡¯s Sophie¡¯s big day today. Of course, we have toe back.¡± They even prepared gifts for Sophie and wanted to give them to her in person. ¡°Let¡¯s head in. The meal¡¯s starting.¡± Although Mark and the others had missed the engagement ceremony, they made it for the meal. ¡°Okay!¡± Sunny stayed with Mark the entire time for fear thetter would be sad. However, Mark was calm the entire time. Owned by N?velDrama.Org. There was even a smile on his face. Sadly, only he knew how heartbroken he felt. ¡°Sophie, this is my engagement gift for you. I hope you¡¯ll be happy in the future. Make sure you treat her well, Tristan. I won¡¯t forgive you if you don¡¯t.¡± No matter how powerful Tristan was, Mark would never forgive him if he mistreated Sophie. Hearing that, Tristan epted the gift on Sophie¡¯s behalf. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I won¡¯t give you the chance to do so. She¡¯s the woman I cherish the most. I¡¯ll never hurt her.¡± ¡°Thank you, Mark.¡± That was all Sophie could say now that things hade to this. She did not know what else she could say. ¡°Can I give you a hug?¡± asked Mark. At that moment, he felt as if something had copsed in his heart. ¡°Sure.¡± Mark extended his arms, and Sophie went over to hug him. ¡°Mark, you¡¯ll definitely find someone who¡¯ll love you,¡± said Sophie. Mark is a great person. He¡¯ll definitely meet the right girl. It¡¯s just a matter of time, or maybe their fate hasn¡¯t arrived yet. Mark smiled. Really? I¡¯ve given all my love to Sophie. Will I ever meet another person I like in this lifetime? I bet it¡¯s going to be difficult. Mark hugged her for one whole minute before reluctantly letting her go. ¡°There, there. Don¡¯t worry about me. The Wheelers is currently the hottest rock band. I¡¯ll pour all my focus on my career.¡± Since he could not get the girl he liked, he might as well focus on work instead. After all, she had sacrificed a lot for his career. ¡°Hey, don¡¯t be like this. Sure, you have to focus on work, but rtionships need time to build,¡± said Sophie. He can¡¯t possibly grow old alone. ¡°Sophie, you have to be happy.¡± As soon as Mark said that, his eyes reddened. He did not want that to happen, but sometimes feelings are hard to control. It was something he could do nothing about. Seeing that, Sunny and the other three members walked over and hugged Mark and Sophie. Chapter 735 Chapter 735 ¡°Exactly! Be happy, Sophie,¡± said Sunny. He knew what Mark was feeling, but what was more important at that moment was to be happy for Sophie. She was once an insecure person. As time passed, she grew more capable to the point where she could give herself a sense of security. Nevertheless, she was ady; she needed someone to be by her side. ¡°All right. I will. Don¡¯t worry, you guys.¡± In fact, she felt blissful at that moment. ¡°Okay.¡± With that, Tristan arranged for the five of them to sit down. There was about three tables¡¯ worth of people who came to the Tanner residence that day. Thankfully, the Tanner family¡¯s mansion was rtively big. It could amodate so many people for a meal. Soon, dishes that had been carefully prepared were served, while Yale bustled around. It was a joyous day for him. After all, how could he not be happy when he could be inws with the Lombard family? When all the dishes were served, Yale rose to his feet and said, ¡°I¡¯m d that everyone made it to Sophie¡¯s engagement ceremony today. We should be eating out on a day like this, but we decided it was more sincere to have the meal at our own home. I hope you guys don¡¯t mind.¡± All the attendees that day were Sophie¡¯s close friends. Naturally, they did not mind it. In fact, they understood why Sophie had chosen to have the meal there. It was for Josiah¡¯s sake. ¡°Actually, I¡¯m not an eloquent person, but I¡¯m really happy today. I hope these two can live happily in the future,¡± added Yale. Owned by N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Of course they will. Please sit down and join us. You¡¯ve been busy helping around the whole day.¡± William gestured for Yale to sit down. Seeing that, Yale sat beside William. Never in his wildest imagination did he think he would have the chance to sit beside such an influential person. It was all thanks to Sophie. Everyone began digging in. After some time, Tristan and Sophie got up. As they stood side by side, their handsome and beautiful appearance made them look like a match made in heaven. ¡°Many things have happened throughout this period. With this toast, we¡¯d like to thank everyone for always taking care of us.¡± Tristan appreciated everything everyone did for them. ¡°If something happens to any of you in the future, both of us will not hesitate to help you out.¡± That day, Tristan finally said the words he had never got to say. Sophie nodded in agreement. ¡°That¡¯s right. Thank you, everyone.¡± Seeing how the coupleplemented each other well, William felt as if no other woman, apart from Sophie, was worthy of his son. The two formed a beautiful scenery as they stood together. That was something no one could deny. Right then, Ysabelle grabbed Felix¡¯s hand. ¡°Felix, I still find all this unbelievable. I can¡¯t believe Uncle Tristan is finally settling down.¡± In the past, she had thought Tristan was going to be alone for the rest of his life because he was not interested in any women. Ever since Sophie appeared, however, everything changed. The way Tristan treated her was so great that it made others envious of her. ¡°Let¡¯s get married, too.¡± When Felix saw Tristan looking so happy, he wanted to get married as well. They were almost the same age. Now that Tristan was married, Felix naturally had the urge to do so. Ysabelle shook her head. ¡°No. My career has just started. How can I get married at this time?¡± Ysabelle was not a genius like Sophie. Thetter had skipped a grade while Ysabelle was still in her first year of university. It would take at least three years before she graduated. She wanted to wait until she graduated before getting married. Felix hugged her arm. ¡°All right. All that matters is that you¡¯re happy. I have no objections.¡± Envy was written all over his face. Ysabelle, too, felt an urge to get married when she saw the way he reacted. However, she was a singer, and most of her fans were males. If she were to get married now, her fans might stop supporting her. Ysabelle could not ept an oue like that. Tristan brought Sophie to every table to have a toast. When they arrived at William¡¯s table, William smiled. ¡°Sophie, this was left by Tristan¡¯s mother. She wanted to give it to her future daughters-inw. Lincoln¡¯s wife had already received hers. This is yours.¡± As he said that, he took out a jewelry box he treasured a lot. The box was extremely exquisite. It was left by his wife before she died. ¡°I know young people nowadays don¡¯t like things like that, but this is for you. Take it.¡± Sophie epted the box with both hands and said, ¡°I¡¯ll take good care of it.¡± To her, anything left by Tristan¡¯s mother was something precious. ¡°Thank you for giving us your blessing, Dad,¡± said Tristan. To be able to receive blessings from one¡¯s own family was a great thing. ¡°Live a good life together in the future. I give you my blessing.¡± Ever since William epted Sophie as his daughter-inw, he had put all his opinions of her behind him. Meanwhile, Yale, who had been watching the exchange, suddenly felt bad. He had prepared nothing for Sophie. If Josiah was still around, he definitely would have prepared something for her. ¡°Dad, thank you for helping us out today,¡± said Sophie. She did not want Yale to feel awkward on a day like that. He was, after all, her father. There was no need to make the situation so awkward. ¡°You silly child, what are you talking about? I¡¯m your father. It¡¯s only right for me to do this for you.¡± With that, Tristan and Sophie gave him a toast. After that, they went to Sean¡¯s table. ¡°Mr. Tristan, you must be on cloud nine today,¡± Felix teased. He must be happy to be able to get engaged to the girl he likes. ¡°Obviously.¡± Being able to be with Sophie was the happiest moment in Tristan¡¯s life. It was not easy to meet someone whom he truly loved. In fact, he liked no one until he met Sophie. Moreover, he was not someone who would settle for less. He had already thought of spending the rest of his life alone. Never did he expect to meet Sophie at the veryst moment. He had found the person he loved most. ¡°I¡¯ll remember everything you guys have done for me and Sophie. I¡¯ll do whatever I can to help if anything happens to you guys.¡± The table was filled with youngsters. The moment he said that, all of them rose to their feet. Sean said, ¡°We¡¯re buddies. There¡¯s no need for all that.¡± Felix chimed in, ¡°Exactly! Why are you saying things like that to your buddies? Besides, you¡¯ve saved us countless times.¡± Nodding, Charles said, ¡°That¡¯s right. We¡¯re buddies forever!¡± Chapter 736 Chapter 736 They were not sentimental people and wouldn¡¯t normally say such cheesy words. However, that day was no ordinary day, so the words just came naturally to them. Sophie raised her ss and said, ¡°Thank you, everyone!¡± These people had always been the ones who were sincere in lending a helping hand when they needed it the most. Ysabelle¡¯s eyes brimmed with tears. ¡°Sophie, I should be thanking you. If it weren¡¯t for you, I wouldn¡¯t be living here. I wish you nothing but happiness. You must tell me if Uncle Tristan dares to bully you.¡± Tristan rolled his eyes at his niece. ¡°Ysabelle, mind your words. You¡¯re a singer, not an actress. Sophie and I are going to be fine!¡± Tristan warned. Come on, are they seriously mocking us even before we get married? ¡°Uncle Tristan, I¡¯m just saying if that happens. You¡¯re not allowed to bully Sophie, all right? I won¡¯t let you off the hook if you dare to do so.¡± Ysabelle would have said the same to anyone marrying Sophie. ¡°That¡¯s enough. Don¡¯t worry. He loves Sophie so much that there¡¯s no way he¡¯ll bully her!¡± Felix immediately hugged Ysabelle to stop her from saying more. She wasn¡¯t like this before. Felix thought Ysabelle had changed after she knew Sophie. She grew very protective of thetter and was constantly worried that thetter might get bullied. ¡°Okay.¡± Actually, Ysabelle knew her worries were unnecessary. However, she still wanted everyone else to know that nobody could bully Sophie. Cecelia and Butterfly smiled. ¡°Sophie, I¡¯m not going to talk your ears off. Just know that I wish you a happy life,¡± Cecelia said. She thought it was a little early for Sophie to settle down. However, she also knew that Tristan and Sophie would be happy together, unbridled by the usual problems guing other marriages. Cecelia¡¯s eyes began to redden, and, in the end, tears started streaming down her face. It was supposed to be Sophie¡¯s day of joy, marking the end of a long, dark chapter of her life, but Cecelia couldn¡¯t help crying. Sophie¡¯s best days are ahead of her. Sean was sitting right beside Cecelia. He took a tissue and handed it to her when he noticed her crying. Cecelia took the tissue and nced at the man next to her. He is so good-looking but too bad he¡¯s like an iceberg. It was difficult not to fall for his good looks, and Cecelia couldn¡¯t help but feel the urge to approach him. However, at the thought of Sophie¡¯s warning, Cecelia shook her head and immediately dismissed the fleeting notion. Ah, forget it. My heart belongs to billions of my fans. I have no time to start this right now. Despite Sean¡¯s appearance being Cecelia¡¯s ideal type, she knew she couldn¡¯t afford to get involved with him. She decided it was best to steer clear of the man. Then again, sometimes things just wouldn¡¯t go as nned, and one¡¯s heart could lead one down unexpected paths. This belongs to N?velDrama.Org - ?. However, that was a story for another time. After toasting the guests, Tristan and Sophie returned to William¡¯s table to dine with them. Barney was seated at the same table and was pleased to see Sophie happy. She deserves others treating her right. The Tanner residence was buzzing with guests right then. At that moment, Nichs stood outside the door of the Tanner residence all alone. He did not head inside, knowing his appearance would cause a bigmotion, so he merely stood outside. Of course, he was well aware of what was happening back in the Tanner residence. Sophie and Tristan were getting engaged. He was only there because he had heard the news of their engagement party earlier. That¡¯s my girl. How can she get engaged to another man? However, there was nothing he could do right then. Richard was waiting in the car. He knew how precarious the situation was to them. However, Nichs was standing right there, refusing to leave, and Richard had no choice but to wait for his boss. Boss has been standing here for almost an hour. It¡¯s so cold in Jipsdale now. He must be freezing out there. Richard knew it was time to leave. Otherwise, the situation might go out of hand when guests started to leave the Tanner residence. Even though he was terrified of Nichs, Richard knew he should pluck up the courage to ask his boss to leave. Richard got out of the car and approached Nichs. ¡°Boss, it¡¯s about time we leave.¡± The guests in the Tanner residence were about to leave, and he couldn¡¯t allow Nichs to be seen by them. However, Nichs didn¡¯t budge. ¡°Boss, let¡¯s leave first. Haven¡¯t you made the arrangements already? They¡¯re not going to get married. Sophie will be your bride,¡± Richard added. You can get a divorce even if you¡¯re married. Besides, they¡¯re only getting engaged now. Richard didn¡¯t think the engagement really mattered. Richard was different from Alex. As Nichs¡¯ subordinate, Richard would strictly follow his boss¡¯ instructions and stop at nothing to ensure the tasks assigned to him were done. Nichs was very pleased with Richard¡¯s performance, as thetter was exactly what he wanted in a subordinate. He was starting to move on from Alex¡¯s death. As Nichs turned around, Richard opened the car door for him, allowing his boss to enter first before following suit and getting inside the car himself. The car was warm as summer, and the chill Nichs had felt soon dissipated. ¡°Deal with it, Richard.¡± Nichs would never let Sophie be another man¡¯s bride. Sophie was his and his alone. If Tristan insisted on snatching her away, Nichs would not hesitate to kill him. He had no fear even if things had to go to that extent. At most, he would lose his own life. ¡°Boss, don¡¯t worry. I will be sure to help you aplish whatever you set out to do no matter what it takes,¡± Richard said. His unwavering loyalty to Nichs was evident in his words. ¡°Okay.¡± Nichs closed his eyes. ¡°Drive the car to somece discreet. I want to look at her from afar.¡± It had been a long time since he hadst seen Sophie. He missed her terribly. The longing for her tore at his heart, keeping him up at night. Nichs had no idea how long he would have to endure the pain. However, he was positive that it would alle to an end one day. Meanwhile, in the Tanner residence, after having dinner, everyone chatted for a bit. However, time flew by, and it was soon time for William to head back home to take a good rest. ¡°Dad, let me follow you home.¡± Tristan still had things to do, but it was time for William to go home. ¡°Okay.¡± William was already tuckered out and reckoned that he should leave the youngsters to enjoy the rest of the evening. A group of people escorted William out of the house. Tristan personally opened the car door for his father and asked the driver to drive carefully. ¡°All right, go back inside. It¡¯s cold out here. I¡¯m going to apany Dad home. Don¡¯t worry,¡± Sarah said with a smile. As Tristan¡¯s sister, she was d to see her little brother progressing into the next stage of his life with the love of his life. ¡°Sarah, be careful on the way home, then. Mr. Fraser, please drive carefully,¡± Sophie reminded the driver again. ¡°Mr. Lombard, Ms. Tanner, please go back inside. I¡¯ll be careful on the road,¡± the driver replied with a smile. Chapter 737 Chapter 737 The atmosphere in the car was light-hearted throughout the journey. William was in a cheery mood despite the exhausting day. ¡°Sarah, even your brother is getting married. As the elder sister, shouldn¡¯t you start nning for your future? It doesn¡¯t bode well to keep procrastinating! Everyone should find a special someone that they belong with. I can¡¯t help feeling concerned about you if you don¡¯t take action soon.¡± ¡°Dad, Lincoln already has Ysabelle, while Tristan will be married soon. I¡¯m sure he¡¯ll give you a grandchild in no time. Just let me be! I¡¯m happy with the state of life I¡¯m in right now.¡± She genuinely felt content and didn¡¯t want to change a thing. ¡°Is it because you still can¡¯t let go of Juan? If he¡¯s the only one for you, why not give it a shot? He¡¯s single now, isn¡¯t he?¡± William had finally thought things through ande around. There was no helping it if Sarah only had eyes for Juan. He couldn¡¯t possibly let his daughter be a spinster. ¡°Dad, I do not want to think about such things right now. Of course, I hope to find someone after seeing how blissful Tristan and the others are, but that someone has to love me with all his heart. Or else, I¡¯d rather be alone forever.¡± Sarah had a set of principles that she lived by, and she¡¯d rather live a solitary life than settle for anything less than true love. ¡°Oh, you! What else can I say? You¡¯ve always been a headstrong child. Regardless, I still don¡¯t think this is the right way to go about your love life!¡± William believed that she should go ahead and pursue whoever she liked fearlessly. It served no purpose to keep her feelings hidden. Richard parked his car at an inconspicuous corner. Nichs¡¯ senses sharpened at the iing sound of a car engine. He could not forget Sophie, no matter what she did to him. His resolve to get together with her had never once wavered. Richard handed him a pair of binocrs. Nichs looked into it and, after identifying the person in the car, reached for his handgun. ¡°Boss, what do you think you¡¯re doing? We¡¯d be in deep trouble if we were to kill someone in Chanaea!¡± Their headquarters were situated in Anndur while they were currently on Tristan¡¯s territory. It was unlikely that they¡¯d leave Chanaea if things went south. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll spare their lives. I¡¯m just going to teach them a lesson.¡± With that, he aimed his gun at a car tire and fired with such precision that it punctured instantly. Because of that, the car spun out of control. William covered Sarah with his body in the nick of time after hearing the gunshot. The driver was shocked yet managed to regain his senses swiftly enough to wrest control of the car. Nheless, it still collided with the barrier on the side of the street. Thankfully, it was a well-built car that didn¡¯t explode despite being thrown sideways. ¡°Dad, are you all right?¡± Sarah¡¯s voice trembled. She only suffered some light wounds thanks to her father¡¯s timely protection. William was injured too, but all he cared about was Sarah¡¯s well-being. Unlike him, Sarah was still young and had a future ahead of her. ¡°I¡¯m fine. How about you? Are you hurt, Sarah?¡± Sarah checked William for any injuries, and her hands came away covered with a sticky substance. Her eyes watered when she recalled him shielding her body with his. ¡°Dad, you¡¯ll be fine! I¡¯ll call Tristan right away and get you to the hospital!¡± It was of utmost importance for William to reach the hospital no matter what. ¡°Okay.¡± ¡°Old Mr. Lombard, Ms. Lombard, are both of you all right?¡± The driver had managed to climb out of the car and was thinking of a way to rescue them. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about me, Mr. Fraser. Please help my dad out.¡± Sarah only sustained several surface wounds. ¡°Sarah, you should get out first. The car is going to explode any moment now. You¡¯re still young, so go!¡± ¡°Somebody, help us!¡± The driver was not capable of rescuing the two of them alone. As such, he had no choice but to shout for help to attract the attention of passersby willing to offer aid. Nichs¡¯s lips curled smugly as the calls for help reached his ears. This was the consequence one had to bear for crossing him. Richard was at a loss at his boss¡¯ behavior. ¡°Boss, should I get rid of them?¡± He might as well dispatch them after the extent of damage they wrought. Nichs shook his head. ¡°That won¡¯t be necessary. Let¡¯s go! Tristan will be arriving soon.¡± Isn¡¯t he going to be engaged soon? Let this be his engagement gift, then! An unconventionally unique one, at that! Tristan¡¯s features turned thunderous once he received a call about the incident. Sophie surmised that something must have happened based on the look on his face. ¡°My dad and Sarah met with an ident. I¡¯m heading over to check on them,¡± Tristan uttered as he made to leave. Ysabelle was stunned frozen. How could such a thing happen out of nowhere? Martin Fraser was a skilled driver who¡¯d never once met with an ident in all the years he¡¯d worked as a driver in their household. Felix hurriedly helped Ysabelle into her coat as he took note of her dazed-like state. ¡°Let¡¯s not get ahead of ourselves. We won¡¯t know the true scope of the situation unless we see it with our own eyes. Come on.¡± ¡°Right.¡± Ysabelle did as she was told nkly as she had yet to recover from her shock. Sophie put on her coat and grabbed Tristan¡¯s before trailing behind them. Tristan had already moved the car into position when she reached outside. They took off at lightning speed once she got on. Sophie clenched her fists subconsciously during the journey as she prayed for the safety of Sarah and the others. This belongs to N?velDrama.Org. She dared not imagine what would be of Tristan if anything were to happen to Sarah and William. They reached the location of the ident in less than ten minutes, where Martin was still attempting to save Sarah and William. Tristan stopped by the curb, and he and Sophie dashed toward the overturned car to help. Several others arrived in quick session to lend a helping hand. William and Sarah were rescued shortly after. Sarah only had several minor scrapes, while Williams¡¯s injuries were more severe. Once the ambnce arrived, William was lifted onto it under the apaniment of Sarah and Tristan. Sophie would have followed them if not for the nurse who blocked her way. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but we can only bring on one rtive. Otherwise, it would be too cramped inside the ambnce.¡± The nurse shut the double doors of the ambnce as it promptly took off for the hospital. Sean approached Sophie at that. ¡°Get in the car! We¡¯re heading to the hospital. Since William is already elderly, it¡¯d be best for him to have a thorough check-up in the hospital regardless of how serious his injuries are.¡± ¡°Okay!¡± Sophie made up her mind quickly and got in the car. Tristan was waiting outside the emergency ward alone when she arrived, unaware of what was happening on the other side of the doors. Sophie closed the distance and held his hand as a form of non-verbalfort. Chapter 738 Chapter 738 ¡°It¡¯s okay. They¡¯ll be fine.¡± Sophie could not find any otherforting words to say. She was never good at consoling people. Tristan tightened his grip on her hand and said, ¡°Yeah, I know. You¡¯ve had a long day today. Sit down and rest for a while.¡± Even at such a critical moment, he was still worried about her. ¡°I¡¯m fine. I¡¯ll stay here with you,¡± the woman assured. Back when Sophie¡¯s grandfather was unwell, he had stayed and kept herpany too. She only wished that Sarah and the others were all right. ¡°Okay,¡± he replied. Thankfully, neither William nor Sarah was seriously hurt. They only required a simple treatment from the doctor. ¡°As for the specifics, we need to do more tests tomorrow to find out. However, they shouldn¡¯t have any serious injuries.¡± The doctor spoke truthfully. ¡°All right. Doctor, remember to do a full body check for him.¡± Even though William had an annual body check-up, it was safer to do it once more. ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll leave first.¡± With that, the doctor left. Tristan entered the ward soon after. Although William was clear-headed now, he looked a little disheveled. But he was still the William Lombard from Jipsdale that everyone was familiar with. The man that no one could mess with. Even though Sophie was there, William did notment. ¡°It¡¯s just a minor injury. There¡¯s no need for you all to stay here. You can all go home.¡± The old man was mindful that it waste at night, and it was pointless for them to stay any longer. ¡°Grandpa, you nearly scared me to death.¡± Seeing that William was okay, Ysabelle could not hold back her tears and cried. Seeing the woman crying miserably, William felt very heartbroken. ¡°Look at me. Don¡¯t I seem fine? Don¡¯t cry, my good girl!¡± he coaxed. Ysabelle was his most beloved granddaughter, so naturally, he could not bear to see her feeling so devastated. Felix immediately handed her some tissues to wipe her face. ¡°Okay, stop crying. It¡¯s alreadyte, so let me send you back! Let¡¯s not disturb your grandpa¡¯s rest,¡± he suggested. What aplicated rtionship. As a wise man, William could naturally deduce Ysabelle and Felix¡¯s rtionship. He had no problem with the two being together. However, their rtionship was simply tooplicated. Content from N?velDr(a)ma.Org. ¡°Grandpa, I¡¯lle to see you tomorrow. Please rest well and listen to the doctor¡¯s advice, okay?¡± Ysabelle urged. ¡°Yes. Don¡¯t worry; I¡¯m okay. After you head back, rest well and don¡¯t overthink,¡± Williamforted. ¡°Okay,¡± Ysabelle relented before leaving with Felix. Sophie knew that William wanted to discuss something with Tristan privately. Hence, she found an excuse to leave. As she sat alone in the hospital corridor, she counted her blessings that Sarah and the others were all fine. At that moment, she felt very fortunate. Suddenly, Sophie¡¯s phone rang. It was an unfamiliar number, but she answered the call anyway. ¡°Sophie, it¡¯s me!¡± Nichs Sable! Why can¡¯t he just give up? Hadn¡¯t I made myself clear? ¡°Have you received the gift I sent you?¡± he asked. Hearing his words, Sophie narrowed her eyes. ¡°What do you mean? Exin yourself.¡± ¡°Car ident!¡± Nichs replied straightforwardly. ¡°Sophie, no matter what, we are still friends, right? How could you not invite me to your engagement? I was very displeased, so I got you a small gift. You don¡¯t mind, do you?¡± So all of this was because of him! ¡°You¡¯re courting death, Nichs!¡± the woman bellowed. How could he do this? Luckily, Old Mr. Lombard and the others are okay. Otherwise, what am I going to say to Tristan? When the man sensed Sophie¡¯s fury, he could not help butugh. ¡°Do you feel angry right now? I was likewise furious when I learned that you were getting engaged to Tristan. I told you previously that I loved you and that you couldn¡¯t marry anyone else.¡± Nichs was so obsessed with her that it was borderline crazy. ¡°I can overlook this incident. Let¡¯s treat this as a lesson. Don¡¯t marry him, or the next punishment won¡¯t be so simple,¡± the man threatened. ¡°If you don¡¯t care about his father¡¯s and sister¡¯s lives, I have nothing to say.¡± Sophie was enraged by Nichs¡¯s insanity. ¡°Nichs Sable, are you out of your mind? Where are you? I¡¯ll find you, and we¡¯ll settle things once and for all.¡± She was tired of Nichs¡¯ constant badgering. It would be better to just end things directly. ¡°No! If you see me now, you¡¯ll definitely kill me!¡± Nichs replied. He stood in front of a window, looking at the city night view with a ss of red wine in his hand. ¡°You better pray that I don¡¯t find you, Nichs. Otherwise, you won¡¯t live past that encounter,¡± Sophie hissed before ending the call. Next, she called Butterfly and instructed, ¡°Find Nichs Sable. I swear I¡¯ll kill him this time!¡± Butterfly was surprised to hear Sophie¡¯s furious voice because she hadn¡¯t heard her that upset in a long time. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± she asked in concern. Nichs was a ruthless psycho and not someone to mess with. ¡°You don¡¯t need to bother about anything else. He¡¯s in Chanaea now. Just find out his location and send it to me,¡± Sophie said tersely. It had been a long time since she felt so enraged and eager to kill someone. It took her so long to find happiness, so she did not want anyone to destroy her life. ¡°Okay, I got it. Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll find his location and send it to you right away,¡± Butterfly said confidently. Meanwhile, in the hospital room, Tristan was exasperated at his father¡¯s behavior. ¡°Can¡¯t you say whatever you have to say in front of Sophie? She¡¯ll be upset if you act like this,¡± he lamented. The old man was rendered speechless by Tristan¡¯sint. They haven¡¯t even gotten married yet, but he¡¯s already so biased toward her! ¡°I¡¯m doing this for her own good. There are some things that she should not know,¡± William exined. ¡°Do you know why we had the car ident?¡± After Tristan shook his head, the old man continued, ¡°Someone shot the tire with a gun! Everything happened too quickly, so I didn¡¯t have the chance to tell you. This car ident was intentional.¡± As a veteran in the business world, William had seen all kinds of dirty tactics. ¡°I see. I¡¯ll investigate this matter. Please rest well.¡± Tristan¡¯s eyes turned icy cold as he spoke. Damn it! Who could be so daring? ¡°Well, you be careful too.¡± After all, their enemy seemed well-prepared. ¡°I will,¡± Tristan replied. ¡°All right. Now send Sophie back to rest! I think our enemy just wants to threaten us, so there¡¯s no need to stay here and guard me,¡± William said. Chapter 739 Chapter 739 The day had been tiring for everyone, so William was okay with staying in the ward alone while the others returned home to rest. ¡°Mhm, got it,¡± Tristan uttered. I¡¯ve stationed plenty of people here, so I don¡¯t think there¡¯ll be any problems. After he stepped out, he saw Sophie sitting on the chair in the corridor alone. I don¡¯t know what she¡¯s thinking, but her expression is making my heart wrench. Slowly, he approached and informed her, ¡°My dad¡¯s fine, so you don¡¯t need to worry about him. We can head home now.¡± She must have been worried earlier. In response, she stood and hugged him. This belongs to N?velDrama.Org. Hoarsely, she said, ¡°It¡¯s Nichs!¡± So, it was him. The phrase ¡°give up¡± doesn¡¯t seem to exist in this man¡¯s dictionary. Why does he keep bothering us? Can¡¯t he live a good life without interfering with ours? Tristan uttered, ¡°I see. Don¡¯t worry. I won¡¯t allow anyone to hurt my family. We were careless this time, but it won¡¯t happen again.¡± Sophie nodded. ¡°Mhm.¡± She didn¡¯t want to say too much about the matter as she believed certain things could be settled without his knowledge. ¡°Let¡¯s go back! You must be tired right now, so let¡¯s return home and rest. Don¡¯t think about anything else.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Before they left, they visited Sarah¡¯s ward. While she wasn¡¯t severely injured, it was still rmended she stay in the hospital for observation, so she did. When the couple arrived, Juan did, too. Apparently, he managed to learn of the news. ¡°Why are you here?¡± Sarah was surprised by Juan¡¯s appearance because news of the ident was supposed to have been kept a secret. Juan waspletely shaken when he heard Sarah had been in an ident. However, he was put at ease after seeing she was okay. Caringly, he asked, ¡°I heard you were in an ident, so I came to visit. Are you okay?¡± I was never appreciative of Sarah when she was still by my side. Only after she withdrew herself from my world did I realize I¡¯d be ustomed to her presence around me. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m fine. You can return home now.¡± In the past, Sarah would¡¯ve been happy he visited. Now that I¡¯ve genuinely given up on him, I no longer feel awful, which is a little surprising to me. ¡°All right.¡± Juan wasn¡¯t expressive, so he wasn¡¯t sure how to respond to her. Even though he wanted to stay, he felt the only thing he could say was, ¡°In that case, I¡¯ll leave now. Take good care of yourself.¡± Sarah hummed in agreement. She wasn¡¯t a mind reader, so obviously, she had no idea what was going through his mind. However, it didn¡¯t matter anymore. When Tristan entered the room with Sophie and saw Juan, he nodded at thetter. Juan spent thest few years entangled with Yvette, so why is he here after Sarah was involved in an ident? What is he trying to do? Juan left the room after greeting the couple. ¡°What was he doing here?¡± inquired Tristan, displeased. I know he doesn¡¯t like Sarah, so why is he complicating his rtionship with her when it has long ended? He should give it a rest already. ¡°I also don¡¯t know why he came. Although, this is the hospital, not our house. He cane and go as he pleases.¡± In reality, Sarah was a little delighted by his visit. It¡¯s evident he still cares about me to some degree, especially because my ident has nothing to do with him. ¡°Fine. In any case, I don¡¯t like Juan¡¯s attitude toward rtionships. Just do as you see fit.¡± Tristan was aware that rtionship matters were often unclear and messy, so he knew better than to interfere. ¡°I know. Anyway, Dad and I are doing fine. You two should return now to rest since it¡¯s gettingte,¡± urged Sarah. It¡¯s pointless for them to stay, anyway. Sophie nodded. ¡°Then we¡¯ll take our leave now, Sarah. Tomorrow morning, I¡¯ll bring breakfast for you two.¡± ¡°All right. I¡¯ll be waiting for your breakfast.¡± There was a touch of joy on Sarah¡¯s countenance. Her mood was lifted just because Juan cared enough to visit her. In the end, it was because she still liked him and couldn¡¯t let him go. After Tristan and Sophie left, they closed the door and saw Juan standing outside. He was holding a cigarette between his fingers, standing motionlessly with a lonely expression. Tristan knitted his eyebrows. I can¡¯t believe he still hasn¡¯t left yet. I¡¯m tempted to say something, but I know I shouldn¡¯t since this is Sarah¡¯s matter. Hence, he silently left with Sophie, his arm wrapped around her shoulders. I¡¯m happy right now, and I do hope Sarah can find her own happiness. If she ends up in a romantic rtionship with Juan, I think I can still ept it. ¡°Are you worried about Sarah? You know you don¡¯t need to, right? Sarah¡¯s a grown woman. She knows what she¡¯s doing,¡± remarked Sophie. Based on what I¡¯ve observed, there¡¯s no doubt Juan has feelings for Sarah. He wouldn¡¯t have visited in the middle of the night otherwise, especially with that expression. Tristan nodded. ¡°Mm. Let¡¯s go. I doubt we can help them out with their romantic rtionship. No matter what happens, we should just stay on the sidelines and watch how everything unfolds.¡± ¡°Yep.¡± After the two reached the hospital¡¯s underground parking lot, he opened the car door for her before entering the vehicle. Then he gave Sean a call. Sean was aware Tristan would call him, which was why he was still awake and waiting. The moment the call connected, Tristan went straight to the point. ¡°Nichs was behind the ident!¡± ¡°What are you nning to do?¡± inquired Sean. I knew it. This wasn¡¯t just a simple ident. Now that Nichs has struck a nerve by hurting Tristan¡¯s family and Sophie, I doubt Tristan will remain idle. This time, Nichs is probably going down. ¡°I¡¯ll let you decide.¡± It was a vague statement, but Sean understood what Tristan meant. I guess it¡¯s time to eradicate that nuisance once and for all. Chapter 740 Chapter 740 ¡°Very well. I¡¯ll make the arrangements. It¡¯s gettingte, so you should rest soon,¡± stated Sean. Whatever Tristan decides to do, the three of us will support him. ¡°Got it.¡± Upon hanging up the phone, Tristan turned to Sophie. ¡°I won¡¯t let anyone hurt my family or you.¡± She hugged him. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. No matter what your decision is, I¡¯ll support you.¡± I also can¡¯t bear letting other people hurt his family. Meanwhile, Charles and Sean were conversing. ¡°What? Nichs is behind this? Why is this guy everywhere? I can¡¯t believe he still has the gall to do this after he escapedst time. He¡¯s looking down on us, huh?¡± Charles gritted his teeth. ¡°Mr. Tristan¡¯s order is clear. He wants us to take him out permanently,¡± informed Sean. While they were good citizens, they couldn¡¯t stay passive any longer after their enemy dared to touch those closest to them. ¡°Sounds good to me. That way, he¡¯s guaranteed not to bother us anymore.¡± I really have no idea what Nichs is thinking. Sophie doesn¡¯t like him at all, so why is he doing all these things? It¡¯ll only make her hate him even more. ¡°The Sable family is no pushover, so we must take great care when devising our grand n,¡± reminded Sean. This time, we have to take care of him for good. Otherwise, he¡¯ll keep going and forever be a thorn in our side. ¡°Sure. It¡¯s gettingte, so I¡¯ll head home first. Tomorrow, we¡¯ll meet up and continue this discussion.¡± Charles stood.Content from N?velDr(a)ma.Org. ¡°All right. Oh yeah, how¡¯s Winter doingtely? You should keep an eye on her and prevent her from doing anything stupid again. If not, no one will be able to bail her out.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I have people following her, so there shouldn¡¯t be any problems,¡± Charles assured. I wish I didn¡¯t need to be worried about her. After he returned home, he saw Winter and Juan talking about something. Initially, he had no interest in joining the conversation. However, when he overheard them talking about Sarah, he paused and approached them. ¡°You visited Sarah? Do you like her, Juan?¡± I thought he said he didn¡¯t like Sarah in the past, so what¡¯s going on? Does this mean he no longer likes Yvette? ¡°Yeah, I visited her,¡± Juan admitted. We are technically friends, after all. It¡¯s only normal to visit a friend admitted to the hospital. ¡°Have you really moved on from Yvette, Juan? You used to like her so much.¡± ¡°All right, it¡¯s gettingte. Let¡¯s all head to bed now.¡± Yvette was a topic Juan wasn¡¯t interested in talking about at that moment. I must have been blind in the past. That¡¯s why I was misled by Yvette. Now, I¡¯ve truly understood what I want. ¡°It sounds like you did move on from her, regardless of how much you liked her before. Am I right?¡± Winter wondered. If he can do that, this means Tristan can do it, too, right? In that case, I still have a chance! Upon hearing that, Charles shook his head. ¡°I know what you¡¯re thinking, Winter. Stop it. Mr. Tristan is already engaged to Sophie. Although, that¡¯s not importantpared to their love for each other. They¡¯re never going to split up, do you understand?¡± She should¡¯ve given up on him a long time ago. Why doesn¡¯t she understand her wish will nevere true? ¡°Juan was engaged with Yvette too, and they broke up in the end! Clearly, nothing in this world is permanent,¡± argued Winter. I¡¯m still young. I can still wait. One day, Tristan will acknowledge me. Isn¡¯t that what¡¯s happening with Juan and Sarah? Juan frowned. Why did Winter end up like this? In response, Charles refuted, ¡°That¡¯s different. Juan was never madly in love with Yvette, which was why they broke up.¡± Stubbornly, she spat, ¡°Then how do you know Tristan wholeheartedly loves Sophie? You¡¯re my brother, so why do you keep taking other people¡¯s side? Why aren¡¯t you supporting me?¡± I feel so awful. At the very least, shouldn¡¯t my family be supportive of me? ¡°Look, I¡¯m willing to support you no matter what you do, except when ites to this matter. Really, no one can help you out with this. If you want to keep living in Jipsdale, you better behave yourself and stop coveting something that doesn¡¯t belong to you.¡± Charles was truly sick and tired of her antics. That silenced her. However, she didn¡¯t absorb a single word he said. Charles then turned to Juan. ¡°You too, Juan. Since you don¡¯t like Sarah, you shouldn¡¯t bother her anymore. It wasn¡¯t easy for her to give up on you, so you should let her find her own happiness.¡± In response, Juan knitted his eyebrows. Her own happiness? But I don¡¯t want to let her find her own happiness. If she does, what¡¯ll happen to me? What should I do? I feel like Sarah and I are bound together, whether I want it or not. Inside a mansion within Jipsdale, Richard provided plenty of delicious food for Nichs, but Nichs didn¡¯t eat any of it. Upon seeing that, Richard approached him. ¡°You haven¡¯t eaten anything since noon, Boss. You should really eat something. If you don¡¯t, how will you have enough energy to deal with your enemies?¡± Nichs twirled the ss of red wine in his hand. ¡°Tell me, Richard. Am I wrong to do what I did?¡± Sometimes, he would question himself, wondering why he was doing the things he did. No matter how much I force Sophie, she has never reciprocated my feelings. None of what I did worked. In that case, what should I do? I feel lost. ¡°Of course, you have to seize the person you like when you have the resources to, Boss,¡± replied Richard. ¡°You think so, too?¡± Those words perked Nichs up. Yeah, he¡¯s right! Why should I let someone else have the person I¡¯m enamored with? I¡¯m not a noble man. I can¡¯t just sit by and watch another man take the woman I love. ¡°That¡¯s why you must tend to yourself first because only then will you have the chance to snatch the person you like.¡± She¡¯s just a woman. Boss can have anything he wants! Thus, Nichs sat down and started eating. ¡°Why have I never recognized a talented man like you before, Richard?¡± If he had been around me to tell me this before, I wouldn¡¯t have felt so conflicted for this long. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Boss. From today onward, I¡¯ll always be by your side to assist you,¡± assured Richard. Boss and I are the same type of people. We¡¯ll never let go of the things we like. Chapter 741 Chapter 741 Right after Sophie returned to the mansion, she received a call from Butterfly. ¡°I found Nichs¡¯ whereabouts. Do you have a n?¡± Butterfly asked. Nichs will unquestionably pay a heavy price for his transgression. ¡°Send the coordinates to me,¡± ordered Sophie. In response, Butterfly frowned. In the past, I wouldn¡¯t have thought twice about letting her go alone. However, her leg is still recovering, and Nichs is a mighty opponent. It won¡¯t be a wise decision if she charges head-first into hisir. ¡°If you have a n, you can share it with me, Sophie. We can do this together.¡± I may not be as capable as her, but if we tackle this problem together, we can look out for each other. Shaking her head, Sophie denied, ¡°You leave this matter to me, Butterfly. This is between him and me.¡± There¡¯s no way I¡¯ll forgive him after he came here to orchestrate that ident. Regardless of the price I have to pay, I will take him down. Her attitude ticked off Butterfly. ¡°Have you forgotten our rtionship, Sophie? If not for you back then, I would¡¯ve been dead. So please, don¡¯t say such a thing to me. No matter what n you have in mind, you can tell me about it. I¡¯ll cooperate.¡± It hasn¡¯t been easy for her to find someone she loves and who treats her well. I don¡¯t want her happy life to be jeopardized. After all, happiness is hard toe by, and I sincerely hope she¡¯ll be happy forever. ¡°Fine! Send the coordinates to me first. If I have any n, I¡¯ll let you know.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± While Butterfly was still worried, she was always obedient to Sophie, so she sent the coordinates. ¡°It¡¯s gettingte. You should rest early, too.¡± Upon ending her sentence, Sophie hung up the call. Momentster, she received Nichs¡¯ location. After Tristan finished showering, he saw her spacing out in front of the floor-to-ceiling window. He strolled toward her and hugged her from behind. ¡°What are you thinking about? Why aren¡¯t you asleep yet? You must be tired after so many things happened today. It may be difficult, but try emptying your mind and go to sleep. I promise Nichs won¡¯t have a chance to hurt our family again.¡± Sophie responded with an absentminded hum. Sweeping her into his arms, he strode into the room, put her on the bed, and tucked her in. ¡°I know what you¡¯re worrying about, Sophie. I swear that something like the ident won¡¯t ur again. You can rx.¡± After all, I¡¯m going to take care of him. The only thing she needs to do now is focus on bing my bride. ¡°Let¡¯s kill Nichs, Tristan!¡± she eximed. If his existence is a threat to us, we should just murder him! Otherwise, he¡¯ll keep threatening our lives. Her abrupt, straightforward statement shocked Tristan. Still, he nodded. I agree. Since Nichs refuses to let us go, there¡¯s no need for us to hold back. I¡¯m sick of ying games with him, anyway. ¡°I¡¯lle up with a n. Your leg is still recovering, so I¡¯ll handle this. You¡¯ll trust me, right?¡± It¡¯s better if I n the murder because it¡¯ll be challenging to y someone like Nichs. ¡°We¡¯ll do it together,¡± stated Sophie firmly. We¡¯ve never done something like this together before. Owned by N?velDrama.Org. Instead of rejecting her request, Tristan said, ¡°Sure. Now, let¡¯s sleep!¡± I know she¡¯ll argue with me if I disagree. ¡°Okay.¡± After a while, Sophie¡¯s voice rang in the room again. ¡°I can¡¯t sleep.¡± I¡¯m not feeling drowsy at all. Thus, Tristan removed his shoes,y on the bed, and pulled her into his embrace. ¡°I¡¯ll sleep with you!¡± ¡°Mhm!¡± With hispany, she was able to enter her slumber quickly. When he saw how soundly she was sleeping, he released a sigh of relief and kissed her forehead. For so many years, she was used to taking care of everything by herself. That¡¯s why I think she wants to solve this problem by herself, too. However, she has me now, so there¡¯s no way I¡¯ll let her do this alone. Nichs is ourmon enemy, and I¡¯ll never forgive him. He was fortunate when he survivedst time, but he¡¯s not getting lucky twice. In any case, hugging her feels so good. I should return to my room right now, but I don¡¯t want to. F*ck it. I¡¯m just going to stay here for this night and keep her company. The next morning, Tristan asked the housekeepers to prepare breakfast before heading to the hospital with Sophie. When they arrived, they saw Sarah was also inside William¡¯s room. Sarah was touched when her father used his body to protect her, but she was also afraid that he had suffered grave injuries as a result. Therefore, she was grateful that he was mostly fine. If not, she would¡¯ve felt guilty for the rest of her life. When Sophie brought the breakfast to William, he wanted to leave the bed to consume it. In response, Sarah stopped him. ¡°You¡¯re old, Dad. While your injury isn¡¯t severe, you must stay in bed! Otherwise, you¡¯ll be in great pain if you identally tear your wound.¡± William was speechless for a moment before he refuted, ¡°I¡¯m still plenty young, Sarah! I can leave the bed. Can you siblings stop exaggerating my condition?¡± He took offense to her remark that he was old because he still wanted to stay by their sides for a few more years. Without dy, Sarah grabbed the bowl of soup in Sophie¡¯s hands and sat on the bed. ¡°Come, Dad. I¡¯ll feed you.¡± This is a rare opportunity, so I have to put on a good performance. While William didn¡¯t want to speak anymore, he was d his daughter was filial, so he yed along. As Sarah fed him one scoop at a time, he enjoyed himself, even though it seemed like he wasn¡¯t. Sophie watched the scene unfold from the side. Sarah sure does have a great rtionship with her father! After he finished his meal, Sarah ate hers and informed, ¡°There¡¯ll be a checkupter, Dad. Once it¡¯s done, you can return home.¡± I know he doesn¡¯t like to stay in the hospital. I doubt there¡¯s anyone in the world who prefers living in the hospital over thefort of their home. William disputed, ¡°These are just minor injuries. I really don¡¯t need a checkup.¡± ¡°You were in a car ident, Dad! These are most definitely not minor injuries. You need a checkup!¡± She frowned at him. ¡°Fine, fine. Just eat your breakfast. I¡¯ll do the examination.¡± Chapter 742 Chapter 742 Sophie only eased up after she apanied William to his checkup and read the result report. I would¡¯ve felt guilty if Old Mr. Lombard was gravely hurt. After all, it was because of me that Nichs set up the ident. Upon detecting her sigh of relief, William grinned. ¡°There¡¯s no need for you to feel guilty, my dear. After all, deathes for us all. If I had passed on due to the ident instead, you still shouldn¡¯t me yourself.¡± In the past, I didn¡¯t like her and refused to ept her. But now, I do. In the future, she¡¯ll be part of the Lombard family, so I have to protect her, too. She lowered her head. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Old Mr. Lombard. It¡¯s my fault for not¡ª¡± ¡°What did I just say? This has nothing to do with you. You shouldn¡¯t let it dominate your attention. Besides, Sarah and I are fine, are we not?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Patting her shoulder, he advised, ¡°Since you and Tristan have decided to stay together, the two of you need to discuss everything you encounter in the future with each other and live a good life.¡± ¡°Thanks, Old Mr. Lombard!¡± ¡°Tristan loves you. My only request is that you don¡¯t hurt him.¡± He merely hoped his children would be happy. After leaving the ward with Sarah, Sophie let slip a sigh of relief. ¡°All right, you should go and do what you need to with Tristan. I¡¯ll take care of Dad here,¡± encouraged Sarah. I know both of them are busy. Since everything¡¯s fine now, they should attend to their matters. After all, Christmas is right around the corner, so I¡¯ve no doubt there¡¯ll be plenty of matters in Tanner Group and Lombard Group that require their attention. ¡°Thanks for the help, Sarah.¡± Sophie smiled. ¡°He¡¯s my father, so it¡¯s only natural for me to take care of him. You know, my dad used his body to protect me at a critical moment during the ident! I was very touched by the lengths he would go to save me.¡± I¡¯m honestly surprised by what Old Mr. Lombard was willing to do to save her. It¡¯s only logical that she felt moved by his act. ¡°Old Mr. Lombard is such a good father!¡± remarked Sophie. Even though he used to oppose my rtionship with Tristan, I believe it¡¯s only because he thinks I can¡¯t help Tristan. ¡°Yeah. That¡¯s why I¡¯ll take good care of him.¡± Sarah smiled. My dad really is a fantastic father. After Mom left, he never searched for another partner. So, it was always just us siblings and him. With his status, he could¡¯ve had any woman he wanted. Even though he had three children, there were still plenty of people who wanted to stay by his side because he was just that excellent. However, no matter how distinguished the person who wanted to court him was, he never nced at them, not even once. Dad really is a loyal man. If not, he wouldn¡¯t have done that. After chatting with Sarah for a while, Sophie went to Tristan, who was waiting at the entrance. Upon noticing her much more rxed expression, he knew his father¡¯s words had taken effect. Then he stretched his hand out toward her. When she saw that, she promptly held his hand. ¡°Being able to meet you is the greatest blessing of my life, Tristan.¡± ¡°Am I really that good? If I am, you better hold on to me tight and don¡¯t let go. Otherwise, I may be snatched away by another woman,¡± Tristan joked. ¡°If someone tries to do that, I¡¯ll consider them enemies and never forgive them!¡± ¡°Sounds good!¡± Recently, she had been acting much more affectionately with him, which delighted him. After Tristan arrived at the medical association with Sophie, he put a scarf around her neck. ¡°I know you all have been busytely, but please don¡¯t forget to take care of yourself, okay? Remember to eat lunch during noon.¡± There were many matters in Lombard Group he needed to handle. Hence, he couldn¡¯t share a meal with herter. ¡°I know. You should remember to do the sameter, regardless of how busy you get.¡± ¡°I will. All right, you should leave now,¡± he said before he opened the door for her. Then, she stepped out of the vehicle and hugged him lovingly. ¡°What should I do? I don¡¯t feel like going to Lombard Group anymore. How about I stay here to keep youpany?¡± Shaking her head, she let him go. ¡°I just wanted to hug you for a while. Anyway, you should go now. Be careful on the road.¡± It wasn¡¯t until Sophie ambled into the building that Tristan returned to his car and drove to Lombard Group, where Felix, Sean, and Charles had been waiting. ¡°How did Old Mr. Lombard¡¯s checkup go?¡± Sean asked. ¡°It went well. He only suffered minor injuries. Even still, Nichs is unforgivable,¡± spat Tristan. Without dy, Sean nodded. ¡°If we don¡¯t eliminate him, he won¡¯t stop. He went too far this time.¡± At the side, Felix said, ¡°Tell us what to do. We¡¯ll obey your orders.¡± Owned by N?velDrama.Org. ¡°I already know his location, so how about we just go straight to where he is and kill him? It¡¯ll save us a lot of trouble,¡± proposed Charles. This is our territory, so we have the advantage. ¡°I also think we should skip the nning and just murder him. He¡¯s not a good person anyway, so I have no qualms about taking his life.¡± Felix didn¡¯t want the n to be convoluted because it merely involved killing a single individual, even if that person was Nichs. Sighing, Sean retorted, ¡°Do you two think Nichs is an idiot? If he had the gall toe, he definitely has some tricks up his sleeve.¡± Sometimes, these two speak without thinking, and it makes me feel quite speechless. Nichs doesn¡¯t have anything precious to him. If we rattle him too much, he may take everyone down with him, which will be terrible because our families are here. ¡°I suppose you¡¯re right. This is Jipsdale, our families¡¯ home. Even though I¡¯ve hired plenty of bodyguards to protect them, we still need to be careful. We must seed in taking him down in one go. Otherwise, if he survives, he¡¯ll seek revenge, and our families will be in peril,¡± Tristan reminded. All four of us care deeply about our families, so we can¡¯t take the risk. Charles and Sean nodded. In response, Felix agreed, ¡°Okay. In this case, I suppose we¡¯ll have to n our moves carefully.¡± I¡¯m not afraid for myself, but I¡¯m concerned about Ysabelle¡¯s safety. We still haven¡¯t gotten married yet! Meanwhile, Nichs stood outside the medical association in a ck coat, looking like a twisted male protagonist from aic book. Pulling out his phone, he called Sophie. Chapter 743 Chapter 743 ¡°Sophie, it¡¯s me!¡± Nichs said the moment Sophie picked up. ¡°Pleasee back to me. Otherwise, I don¡¯t know what I might do!¡± He did not want to hurt her, but he was unable to control his actions. It was because he loved her too much that he couldn¡¯t help but want to possess her. Sophie remained indifferent upon hearing Nichs¡¯ words. He should not be wasting his love on her as she was not interested in him at all and would never reciprocate his feelings. ¡°Nichs, I will kill you!¡± Sophie said coldly. ¡°Sure. I¡¯m willing to die by your hands, so let¡¯s meet! I want to see you no matter what.¡± Nothing else mattered to Nichs as long as he had Sophie by his side. ¡°Ha!¡± Sophie sneered, wondering if there was really a need for the man to go to such an extent for his unrequited love. ¡°Sophie, you¡¯re not me. You wouldn¡¯t know how much I love you.¡± ¡°Nichs, you¡¯re not me either. You wouldn¡¯t know how much I detest you. One thing I can tell you for sure is that I¡¯m very happy now, and I don¡¯t want anyone to disrupt my blissful life.¡± Even if he liked her, it didn¡¯t mean that she had to return his feelings. After all, she had never given him the wrong idea or led him on. Sophie simply could not understand why Nichs was so fixated on her when he could literally get any other women he wanted. Is it really worth it to sacrifice his pride and end up with nothing? ¡°So, are youing? Or are you hiding from me because you¡¯re scared to meet me alone?¡± Nichs was getting increasingly obsessed as he stood in the howling wind. ¡°Reverse psychology doesn¡¯t work on me.¡± Sophie wanted to kill Nichs, but she was well aware that she wouldn¡¯t be his match in her current state. Besides, as she loved Tristan, there was no way she would take such a risk. ¡°Sophie, you¡¯ve changed. You¡¯ve be such a different person after you got together with Tristan.¡± If it was before, she would have confronted me without hesitation, but she¡¯s not even willing to meet me now. ¡°Whether or not I¡¯ve changed, or whether it¡¯s for the better or for the worse is none of your business.¡± Sophie hung up after saying that as she found it pointless to continue the conversation with Nichs. Nichs smashed his phone on the ground. He was giving off a chilling aura that kept everyone at arm¡¯s length. Passersby instinctively shifted to the side to avoid crossing paths with the man. Nichs remained rooted to the spot and lit another cigarette. He had been smoking so much that there were numerous cigarette butts scattered by his feet. Noticing that Sophie seemed rather disoriented after ending the call, Arius stopped what he was doing at once and asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Was it Nichs?¡± Only Nichs would have such an effect on her. ¡°Yeah. He¡¯s outside right now and wants to meet me.¡± There was nothing Sophie could hide from Arius. ¡°That guy is really too much! You¡¯ve never provoked him. Why does he keep bothering you?¡± Arius had the urge to murder Nichs there and then. ¡°Why don¡¯t I go down and get rid of him?¡± Even though he was a doctor, it wouldn¡¯t be the first time he had killed someone. As such, it was not a big deal to him. Sophie let out a chuckle and said, ¡°Just leave it to Tristan and me to handle. That¡¯s not the way a doctor should get his hands stained with blood.¡± Arius shrugged nonchntly as he replied, ¡°You know I don¡¯t care about such things. I¡¯m willing to do anything to protect you.¡± In the midst of their conversation, Georgina entered the room with two lunchboxes. ¡°Sophie, I brought this from home. I cooked extra for lunch, so I packed some for the two of you as well. Homecooked food is healthier than outside food.¡± Although Georgina seemed to be speaking to Sophie, her gaze was fixed on Arius the entire time. ¡°Thanks.¡± Sophie epted the lunchbox graciously. It¡¯s not polite for me to reject it since she has already brought it all the way here. I have to be appreciative of her kindness! Unaware of Georgina¡¯s feelings toward him, Arius took over the lunchbox and said cluelessly, ¡°Georgina, you¡¯re really multi-talented. Not only are you an outstanding doctor, but you¡¯re also an amazing home cook as well. Whoever marries you is a lucky man indeed!¡± ¡°Really?¡± A blush spread across Georgina¡¯s cheeks. She was in love with Arius. Even though she was aware of the distance between them, she could not help but want to be close to him. Ignoring the other two, Sophie sat at one side and opened her lunchbox. Content from N?velDr(a)ma.Org. The food looked both delicious and nutritious. It was obvious that Georgina had put a lot of effort into preparing the meal. ¡°Dig in then! If you guys don¡¯t mind, I can do this more often. I love cooking anyway.¡± Nicholos remoined rooted to the spot ond lit onother cigorette. He hod been smoking so much thot there were numerous cigorette butts scottered by his feet. Noticing thot Sophie seemed rother disoriented ofter ending the coll, Arius stopped whot he wos doing ot once ond osked, ¡°Whot¡¯s wrong? Wos it Nicholos?¡± Only Nicholos would hove such on effect on her. ¡°Yeoh. He¡¯s outside right now ond wonts to meet me.¡± There wos nothing Sophie could hide from Arius. ¡°Thot guy is reolly too much! You¡¯ve never provoked him. Why does he keep bothering you?¡± Arius hod the urge to murder Nicholos there ond then. ¡°Why don¡¯t I go down ond get rid of him?¡± Even though he wos o doctor, it wouldn¡¯t be the first time he hod killed someone. As such, it wos not o big deol to him. Sophie let out o chuckle ond soid, ¡°Just leove it to Triston ond me to hondle. Thot¡¯s not the woy o doctor should get his honds stoined with blood.¡± Arius shrugged noncholontly os he replied, ¡°You know I don¡¯t core obout such things. I¡¯m willing to do onything to protect you.¡± In the midst of their conversotion, Georgino entered the room with two lunchboxes. ¡°Sophie, I brought this from home. I cooked extro for lunch, so I pocked some for the two of you os well. Homecooked food is heolthier thon outside food.¡± Although Georgino seemed to be speoking to Sophie, her goze wos fixed on Arius the entire time. ¡°Thonks.¡± Sophie epted the lunchbox grociously. It¡¯s not polite for me to reject it since she hos olreody brought it oll the woy here. I hove to be oppreciotive of her kindness! Unowore of Georgino¡¯s feelings toword him, Arius took over the lunchbox ond soid cluelessly, ¡°Georgino, you¡¯re reolly multi-tolented. Not only ore you on outstonding doctor, but you¡¯re olso on omozing home cook os well. Whoever morries you is o lucky mon indeed!¡± ¡°Reolly?¡± A blush spreod ocross Georgino¡¯s cheeks. She wos in love with Arius. Even though she wos owore of the distonce between them, she could not help but wont to be close to him. Ignoring the other two, Sophie sot ot one side ond opened her lunchbox. The food looked both delicious ond nutritious. It wos obvious thot Georgino hod put o lot of effort into preporing the meol. ¡°Dig in then! If you guys don¡¯t mind, I con do this more often. I love cooking onywoy.¡± ¡°Georgina, your work at the medical association is tiring enough. You should get some rest when you¡¯re back at home.¡± Sophie did not want Georgina to waste her energy on packing lunch for them as Arius would not be easily moved by that. Besides, love was not transactional and had to arise naturally from within the depths of one¡¯s heart. ¡°Yup, I will. Don¡¯t worry, Sophie. I won¡¯t let it affect my work at the medical association,¡± Georgina rified at once. ¡°That wasn¡¯t what I meant. I just don¡¯t want you to tire yourself out.¡± Sophie did not know how to get her point across properly. Georgina nodded and replied, ¡°All right then! I shall get back to work.¡± Georgina knew what Sophie was driving at, but she could not do anything about her feelings. ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± Arius asked while eating after noticing Sophie¡¯s expression. Taking a pause, he continued, ¡°Seriously though, I didn¡¯t expect Georgina to be able to cook so well.¡± ¡°Arius, having a face like yours should be a crime!¡± It was undeniable that the man was indeed extremely handsome. Arius lifted his fingers to touch his face and said narcissistically, ¡°Why? Are you jealous of me too?¡± ¡°Jealous my foot! Can¡¯t you tell that Georgina is interested in you? If you don¡¯t have feelings for her, you shouldn¡¯t be saying those things.¡± Giving a woman false hopes could destroy her. Feeling speechless, Arius replied, ¡°All right. Got it!¡± Georgina was no doubt a good woman, but Arius was simply not attracted to her. Sometimes, he could not help but worry that he would remain single forever. There was nock of women around him, but he did not seem to be interested in any of them. When Sophie was halfway through her meal, Tristan called. ¡°I have sent some men to protect you for the next few days. You don¡¯t have to pay any attention to them. Just treat them as invisible.¡± Tristan had made that decision after some careful thought. Naturally, Sophie knew what he was referring to. In actual fact, she was certain that those people from the Sable family would not dare to hurt her. Moreover, she was more than capable of protecting herself. However, in order to give Tristan peace of mind, she epted his arrangement. ¡°Oh, by the way, Nichs called me just now. He asked to meet me,¡± Sophie shared, not intending to hide anything from Tristan. Chapter 744 Chapter 744 ¡°Don¡¯t mind him. No matter what he says, don¡¯t pay him any attention!¡± Tristan said. He did not want Sophie to meet Nichs on her own. He wouldn¡¯t mind if Nichs were an ordinary man. However, thetter was literally a psycho who thought in extremes. Tristan didn¡¯t know what would happen if Sophie actually met that man. ¡°Yeah, I know. So I didn¡¯t say yes,¡± Sophie voiced. Since she had decided to be with Tristan, it was only right that she told him about these things. ¡°All right. Remember to take a break in the lounge after you eat,¡± Tristan reminded. ¡°Okay. I¡¯m hanging up then. You should also get some rest.¡± After hanging up, Sophie headed to Barney¡¯s office. As Barney had things to deal with in Anndur, he had to go back there. However, it was risky for him to return. Once he was there, there would be many things out of his control. Many people in Anndur did not understand why Barney left in the first ce, and the government was also unhappy about his decision. That was why his trip this time was dangerous. When Sophie reached the door, she heard Arius¡¯ voiceing from inside. ¡°Dr. Smith, I¡¯ll go with you. No matter whates our way, I¡¯ll face them with you.¡± The decision to return to Chanaea was made by them collectively, so Arius would never let Barney handle the consequences on his own. ¡°No need. I¡¯ll return on my own. They won¡¯t dare to do anything to me,¡± Barney said. After all, he was a well-respected figure in Anndur. Arius shook his head. ¡°Dr. Smith, have you forgotten how they locked you upst time? They are willing to do anything for the sake of benefits.¡± Arius was exasperated. He knew that not everyone cared about morals and ethics. There were some people that were just outright shameless. Barney heaved a sigh. ¡°But I have to go back. I know it will be difficult toe again once I go there, but I have no choice. Arius, if I fail to return, make sure to keep an eye on things here.¡± As Sophie was totally inexperienced, Barney couldn¡¯t help but worry. Just then, Sophie knocked on the door and walked in. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Dr. Smith. I¡¯ll go with you this time. No matter what you¡¯ll have to face, I¡¯ll be by your side.¡± Sophie was now a member of the Chanaean Medical Association. Naturally, she couldn¡¯t let Barney face the danger on his own. Shaking his head, Barney insisted, ¡°No, none of you should go. I can go by myself.¡± There needed to be closure for some things. Otherwise, those people would never let him off and keep on pestering him. Barney disliked being disturbed. ¡°I¡¯ll go with you,¡± Sophie repeated firmly. She could only feel at ease if she went with Barney personally. There was a huge possibility that he wouldn¡¯t be able toe back after his trip this time if he went alone. ¡°Sophie!¡± Barney knew that Sophie was a strong-minded woman, but he didn¡¯t want her to do this. ¡°How about this, Dr. Smith? Both Sophie and I will go with you. Let¡¯s be together no matter what happens,¡± Arius suggested. They could not possibly back down at this time. Since they couldn¡¯t run away, they might as well brave the storm together. ¡°Fine.¡± Left with no choice, Barney could only agree. Indeed, nothing could pose a challenge as long as the three of them were together. ¡°When do we leave?¡± Sophie asked since she had to let Tristan know. ¡°There¡¯s a flight tomorrow morning,¡± Barney replied with a sigh. Nevertheless, he seemed more rxed now that Arius and Sophie were apanying him. ¡°All right, I got it.¡± The other members of the Chanaean Medical Association were also aware that Barney was going to visit Anndur, and they were all worried. However, none of them could help. The only thing they could do was to do their own jobs properly and not cause any trouble for the trio. When Georgina found out that Arius was also going, she was dejected. She somehow had an idea of what was going on and knew that they might not be able toe back again. As Sophie and Arius walked out of Barney¡¯s office, they noticed Georgina waiting outside. It seemed like she wanted to say something. ¡°I¡¯ll go ahead first.¡± Knowing that Georgina was here for Arius, Sophie did not stay any longer and headed to theboratory. Arius could sense something wrong with Georgina. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Don¡¯t worry. Nothing will happen to us,¡± he reassured gently. All of a sudden, Georgina stepped forward and hugged him. ¡°Arius, I like you. Regardless of how you feel about me, I still like you. So please take care, okay?¡± Shoking his heod, Borney insisted, ¡°No, none of you should go. I con go by myself.¡± There needed to be closure for some things. Otherwise, those people would never let him off ond keep on pestering him. Borney disliked being disturbed. ¡°I¡¯ll go with you,¡± Sophie repeoted firmly. She could only feel ot eose if she went with Borney personolly. There wos o huge possibility thot he wouldn¡¯t be oble toe bock ofter his trip this time if he went olone. ¡°Sophie!¡± Borney knew thot Sophie wos o strong-minded womon, but he didn¡¯t wont her to do this. ¡°How obout this, Dr. Smith? Both Sophie ond I will go with you. Let¡¯s be together no motter whot hoppens,¡± Arius suggested. They could not possibly bock down ot this time. Since they couldn¡¯t run owoy, they might os well brove the storm together. ¡°Fine.¡± Left with no choice, Borney could only ogree. Indeed, nothing could pose o chollenge os long os the three of them were together. ¡°When do we leove?¡± Sophie osked since she hod to let Triston know. ¡°There¡¯s o flight tomorrow morning,¡± Borney replied with o sigh. Nevertheless, he seemed more reloxed now thot Arius ond Sophie were oponying him. ¡°All right, I got it.¡± The other members of the Chonoeon Medicol Associotion were olso owore thot Borney wos going to visit Anglondur, ond they were oll worried. However, none of them could help. The only thing they could do wos to do their own jobs properly ond not couse ony trouble for the trio. When Georgino found out thot Arius wos olso going, she wos dejected. She somehow hod on ideo of whot wos going on ond knew thot they might not be oble toe bock ogoin. As Sophie ond Arius wolked out of Borney¡¯s office, they noticed Georgino woiting outside. It seemed like she wonted to soy something. ¡°I¡¯ll go oheod first.¡± Knowing thot Georgino wos here for Arius, Sophie did not stoy ony longer ond heoded to the loborotory. Arius could sense something wrong with Georgino. ¡°Whot¡¯s wrong? Don¡¯t worry. Nothing will hoppen to us,¡± he reossured gently. This belongs to N?velDrama.Org. All of o sudden, Georgino stepped forword ond hugged him. ¡°Arius, I like you. Regordless of how you feel obout me, I still like you. So pleose toke core, okoy?¡± Even if she couldn¡¯t be Arius¡¯ girlfriend, she wanted him to be safe and sound. It was Arius¡¯ first time being embraced by a girl. Her body felt soft, and her fragrance filled his nose. At that moment, Arius felt that it would be nice to date someone. His voice softened as he told her, ¡°Yeah, don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll be careful.¡± ¡°All right.¡± When Georgina realized what she had done, she moved back with a blush painting her face. With her red-rimmed eyes, she looked pitiful. Arius couldn¡¯t resist chuckling. ¡°All right. You should get back to work. Don¡¯t worry about this. We know what to do.¡± Besides, there was Tristan. As long as Sophie was involved, Tristan would never sit back and do nothing. Arius had no doubts about Tristan¡¯s capabilities. Thetter even managed to bring a general election candidate from Anndur. ¡°Arius, I really like you,¡± Georgina emphasized. She began to feel a bit greedy. In truth, she hoped that Arius could reciprocate her feelings. It was tormenting to have a one-sided love for someone. ¡°Yeah, I know.¡± Although Arius felt that it would be nice to date someone, he didn¡¯t know if that girl would be Georgina. Hence, he wasn¡¯t sure how to answer her. Hearing his words, Georgina was disappointed. I thought he¡¯d give me a chance since he¡¯s moved, but I guess he still doesn¡¯t like me. Arius patted her shoulder and coaxed, ¡°You should go back first. Stop overthinking and focus on work. Let¡¯s talk again when I¡¯m back.¡± Their visit to Anndur this time was quite risky, so he didn¡¯t have the energy to contemte things like dating right now. ¡°Okay.¡± Upon entering theboratory, Arius saw that Sophie was already doing an experiment. He couldn¡¯t help but marvel at howposed she was. It seemed like she was never affected by anything. They were heading to Anndur the next day, yet here she was, conducting an experiment so calmly. ¡°Sophie, I suddenly feel like it¡¯d be nice to date someone.¡± ¡°What are you talking about? Are you going to act like a scoundrel now?¡± Sophie looked at him disapprovingly. She continued, ¡°Georgina is a nice girl. If you don¡¯t n on marrying her, then don¡¯t mess with her. Do you understand?¡± Chapter 745 Chapter 745 ¡°Tsk. Sophie, do you honestly see me as such a person? Is it really necessary?¡± If he were to sumb to love, it would be for an eternity. ¡°That¡¯s good.¡± After hearing a satisfactory response, Sophie did not speak further. She began concentrating on the experiment, no longer paying heed to him. Seeing how focused she was, Arius left Sophie alone and went to work on his own experiments. That evening, Tristan came to pick her up and discovered she was leaving for Anndur tomorrow. Unfortunately, Lombard Group had an important meeting tomorrow, so Tristan could not apany her. However, now that Nichs had his eyes on her, Tristan was even more worried about letting her go to Anndur alone. ¡°Can¡¯t you go a littleter? If you can push back the schedule, I will be able to go with you,¡± Tristan said. The meeting tomorrow was really important, and Felix and the others couldn¡¯t go on his behalf. Hence, Tristan had to attend it himself. ¡°You don¡¯t have toe with me. I can handle it myself. Don¡¯t worry!¡± replied Sophie. She was merely acting in an abundance of caution. Even if Nichs did show up, she would be able to handle the situation. ¡°No, I don¡¯t want to take any risks right now! Even if there is only a one percent chance of it happening, I will not allow it.¡± Thest incident had traumatized him. Sophie hooked her arms around his neck and kissed him. ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you? That kind of thing will not happen again.¡± Tristan was thinking about how toe up with a perfect n. ¡°Tell Barney we¡¯ll leave in the afternoon, and we can go on our ne.¡± Tristan had a private ne, and if it was only a bitter, there shouldn¡¯t be any problems with Anndur. ¡°Tristan! If we¡¯re together, I¡¯ll only be a burden to you, and I don¡¯t want to see that happen! Do you get it?¡± replied Sophie. They were two independent and separate people. No matter how close they were, they still needed to manage their own affairs. Tristan leaned over and kissed her on the forehead. ¡°You¡¯re not a burden! I just don¡¯t want to take any risks. I don¡¯t want to lose you.¡± ¡°You won¡¯t lose me. Thest time was just an ident! Even if Nichs appears before me, I will find my way out of there.¡± The only reason things had turned out the way they didst time was because she was seriously injured. Regardless, Tristan didn¡¯t want topromise. He was adamant about going with her. Sophie nted a soft kiss on his Adam¡¯s apple, a gesture that always made Tristan tremble with desire. She loved his Adam¡¯s apple, finding it particrly sexy and irresistible. Tristan had noticed it as well. Many times, Sophie would irresistibly kiss him on the same spot over and over again. Embracing her tightly, he kissed her passionately for a long time before finally releasing her. ¡°I¡¯ll send a few more of my men to follow you. Do not refuse my offer. Only then will I be able to put my mind at ease,¡± Tristan said, his anxious tone bying his deep concern for her safety. That was already his biggest concession. Sophie nodded in agreement. ¡°Okay, fine. That works for me.¡± After all, she had been followed everywhere for the past few days. ¡°You¡¯re a very stubborn girl. I really have no idea what to do with you,¡± Tristan teased, his voice tinged with amusement. Sophie had always been an opinionated woman. Her lips curved into a yful smile. ¡°It¡¯s only because you¡¯re obsessed with me!¡± she retorted, knowing full well that his unwavering love was the reason behind his unprincipled concessions. ¡°Yes, I¡¯m obsessed with you, and I cannot lose you,¡± Tristan replied. Never in his mind did he expect to love someone so deeply. Tristan and Sophie werepletely immersed in their love, and their intense passion for each other drove them closer together. Meanwhile, Nichs was drinking his whiskey alone in a hotel room. Recently, he had stopped drinking wine and switched to whiskey exclusively. Only whiskey could alleviate the pain in his heart. Richard sighed as he observed his boss¡¯ state. Men trapped by love were truly pitiful creatures. Men like Nichs, who wielded supreme power and privilege, had already reached the pinnacle that others could only dream of from birth. Yet, there was one woman in this world who remained forever out of his grasp. It was Sophie. It was precisely because he couldn¡¯t have her that he couldn¡¯t forget her; such was the nature of men. If they possessed something, they might not cherish it. However, they would spend a lifetime longing for it if they couldn¡¯t have it. Men were really cheap. ¡°Boss, we need to go back now,¡± Richard urged. There was a problem in Anndur, and they needed to return immediately. ¡°Very well. Let¡¯s go,¡± replied Nichs. It was mandatory for him to return to Anndur. ¡°Boss, you don¡¯t have to be like this. I found out that Ms. Tanner will also be in Anndur today. We¡¯ll have a distinct advantage with her there, won¡¯t we?¡± Richard said. Triston hod noticed it os well. Mony times, Sophie would irresistibly kiss him on the some spot over ond over ogoin. Embrocing her tightly, he kissed her possionotely for o long time before finolly releosing her. ¡°I¡¯ll send o few more of my men to follow you. Do not refuse my offer. Only then will I be oble to put my mind ot eose,¡± Triston soid, his onxious tone beloying his deep concern for her sofety. Thot wos olreody his biggest concession. Sophie nodded in ogreement. ¡°Okoy, fine. Thot works for me.¡± After oll, she hod been followed everywhere for the post few doys. ¡°You¡¯re o very stubborn girl. I reolly hove no ideo whot to do with you,¡± Triston teosed, his voice tinged with omusement. Sophie hod olwoys been on opinionoted womon. Her lips curved into o ployful smile. ¡°It¡¯s only becouse you¡¯re obsessed with me!¡± she retorted, knowing full well thot his unwovering love wos the reoson behind his unprincipled concessions. Owned by N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Yes, I¡¯m obsessed with you, ond I connot lose you,¡± Triston replied. Never in his mind did he expect to love someone so deeply. Triston ond Sophie werepletely immersed in their love, ond their intense possion for eoch other drove them closer together. Meonwhile, Nicholos wos drinking his whiskey olone in o hotel room. Recently, he hod stopped drinking wine ond switched to whiskey exclusively. Only whiskey could olleviote the poin in his heort. Richord sighed os he observed his boss¡¯ stote. Men tropped by love were truly pitiful creotures. Men like Nicholos, who wielded supreme power ond privilege, hod olreody reoched the pinnocle thot others could only dreom of from birth. Yet, there wos one womon in this world who remoined forever out of his grosp. It wos Sophie. It wos precisely becouse he couldn¡¯t hove her thot he couldn¡¯t forget her; such wos the noture of men. If they possessed something, they might not cherish it. However, they would spend o lifetime longing for it if they couldn¡¯t hove it. Men were reolly cheop. ¡°Boss, we need to go bock now,¡± Richord urged. There wos o problem in Anglondur, ond they needed to return immediotely. ¡°Very well. Let¡¯s go,¡± replied Nicholos. It wos mondotory for him to return to Anglondur. ¡°Boss, you don¡¯t hove to be like this. I found out thot Ms. Tonner will olso be in Anglondur todoy. We¡¯ll hove o distinct odvontoge with her there, won¡¯t we?¡± Richord soid. In Jipsdale, they had to be cautious, but in Anndur, they held all the power. They could do whatever they wanted without fear or repercussions. ¡°Is that so?¡± Nichs asked, his spirits lifted at the news. ¡°That¡¯s great!¡± he eximed with a delightedugh. Once he was in Anndur, he could get closer to Sophie. Meanwhile, Ysabelle and Sarah came to the airport to send Sophie off. ¡°Sophie, why don¡¯t I go with you? I don¡¯t have anything on my te recently,¡± Ysabelle offered, knowing full well the danger posed by Nichs. Sophie shook her head. ¡°It¡¯s not necessary. I have some matters to attend to, and it¡¯s not convenient to bring you along. You should stay here and enjoy your time with Felix!¡± ¡°We¡¯ve been together for such a long time. We don¡¯t have to be glued to each other every day!¡± Ysabelle protested, her voice filled with petnce. It was true that Felix and she had been very sweet recently, but Sophie was also very important! ¡°It¡¯s better that the two of you are glued to each other! That¡¯s the only way to show you¡¯re happy with each other. Sarah, it¡¯s almost time, so we¡¯re boarding soon. You two should go back now.¡± At that moment, Butterfly arrived, her face hidden behind a pair ofrge sunsses and a ck backpack slung over her shoulders. ¡°Sophie, wait for me! I¡¯m on the same flight as you,¡± she called out in a cheerful voice. Sophie was instantly rendered speechless. Oh, Butterfly¡­ ¡°I¡¯ming with you!¡± dered Butterfly. It was best to have someone else around, just in case. ¡°Thanks,¡± replied Sophie. It was good that Butterfly would be with her. After all, no one knew what would happen in Anndur. Butterfly was skilled inbat, and her hacking abilities were second only to Sophie¡¯s. With her assistance, they could ensure that everything went smoothly. ¡°Tsk. Is there any need for thanks between us?¡± Butterfly asked, her arm draped casually over Sophie¡¯s shoulder. Butterfly would do anything for Sophie. Sarah and Ysabelle were relieved that Butterfly was tagging along. After Sophie and her group passed through security, Ysabelle and Sarah left. ¡°Aunt Sarah, I think I should go to the training camp for a bit too. That way, I can be stronger! I¡¯m too weak now!¡± Ysabelle dered, her voice filled with determination. She was tired of always needing others to protect her. Chapter 746 Chapter 746 ¡°Do you want the truth?¡± Sarah asked as she drove. ¡°Yeah, tell me the truth,¡± Ysabelle replied. ¡°Do you remember how your grandfather asked you to learn self-defense, and you gave up?¡± Sarah probed. Is she under the impression that the training camp is open to anyone? Ysabelle conceded defeat. All she wanted was to help the people around her; she did not want to see them tire themselves. ¡°Well, you have good intentions. Don¡¯t worry. They are all quite capable, so they won¡¯t require your protection. Just be with Felix, and everyone will be relieved!¡± Sarah assured. Disappointed by her reply, Ysabelle uttered, ¡°Okay.¡± She would not have been in this predicament if she had persisted in the past. The meeting that Tristan was attending at Lombard Group was very important. All the high-level executives were also present. As he listened to the proposals, Tristan¡¯s face became increasingly displeased. Even the general manager sitting next to him dared not breathe heavily. ¡°All right, it seems that everyone is not well-prepared today. Continuing this meeting would be a waste of time. I will give you all one more day. If your proposal is still mediocre, I¡¯ll have to hire new people!¡± Tristan said sternly. There were many talented people in this day and age. They could not me him for being ruthless if they continued with their poor attitudes. No one dared to object, and they all quietly left the room. ¡°You, stay!¡± Tristan instructed the general manager to remain. The man started sweating profusely, trying to find the right words to say. He had truly done his best! ¡°Mr. Tristan, I¡­¡± ¡°I think Lombard Group will need a new general manager if there is no improvement in standards for the next proposal,¡± Tristan warned. The general manager could only stay silent. ¡°Okay, you can go now. I will only give you two days!¡± After Tristan spoke, he threw his pen onto the conference table. Feeling fearful, the general manager dared not say anything and left quietly. If Tristan had known their proposal would be of such poor standards, he would have apanied Sophie to Anndur. What a disappointment! Sophie and the others should be arriving soon, right? Right as he thought of that, his phone rang. ¡°We¡¯vended. Has your meeting ended?¡± Sophie asked cheerily. ¡°Yeah. Take care of yourself!¡± It was pointless to say anything more. Tristan could only hope that she would take care of herself. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I will.¡± After hanging up the phone, Sophie discovered that everyone had disembarked from the ne. Hence, she quickly walked out to catch up with the rest. ¡°Damn, it¡¯s so cold!¡± Ariusined. ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s really cold!¡± Butterfly zipped up her jacket and carried her ck handbag. Ever since Barney got off the ne, his expression had been solemn. There were too many things he had to deal with on this trip. Upon noticing Barney¡¯s glum demeanor, Sophie walked over and said, ¡°Dr. Smith, didn¡¯t I tell you there¡¯s no need to worry?¡± Barney pretended to rx and assured her, ¡°I know. Well, it¡¯s gettingte. Let¡¯s go to Arius¡¯ hotel first!¡± Despite having their own dwellings, it had been a long time since they visited and tidied their houses. Hence, they chose to stay at a hotel instead. ¡°Come on, let¡¯s go!¡± The four of them had not brought anyone else on this trip. However, there were several people following them not far away. After leaving the airport, the bodyguards arranged by Tristan spotted them and began following them. There were more than twenty bodyguards. ¡°Did Mr. Tristan arrange this?¡± Butterfly noticed the guards as soon as she left the airport. Given that she had been with Sophie for a long time, she was naturally more observant than ordinary people. ¡°Yeah!¡± ¡°To be honest, men like Tristan are really rare in this world!¡± Butterfly could not help but exim. Although Tristan could note with them, he had arranged for many bodyguards to follow them. Even if anything did ur, it would be easier to address with their assistance. ¡°Yeah.¡± Sophie¡¯s expression softened when she heard the man¡¯s name. She had no objections to his arrangements. Although she had her own influence here, the feeling of arranging things herself and having someone else do it for her was different. Arius snorted. ¡°Is he really that good? If he is, he should havee with us.¡± Now that Tristan isn¡¯t here, it¡¯s an excellent time to nder him. Otherwise, when will I get another opportunity? Butterfly was speechless. In fact, she was disgusted by Arius¡¯ petty behavior. ¡°Professor Gullifer, do you dare say these things in front of Mr. Tristan? If you don¡¯t, keep quiet!¡± ¡°Yeoh. Toke core of yourself!¡± It wos pointless to soy onything more. Triston could only hope thot she would toke core of herself. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I will.¡± After honging up the phone, Sophie discovered thot everyone hod disemborked from the plone. Hence, she quickly wolked out to cotch up with the rest. ¡°Domn, it¡¯s so cold!¡± Ariusploined. ¡°Yeoh, it¡¯s reolly cold!¡± Butterfly zipped up her jocket ond corried her block hondbog. Ever since Borney got off the plone, his expression hod been solemn. There were too mony things he hod to deol with on this trip. Upon noticing Borney¡¯s glum demeonor, Sophie wolked over ond soid, ¡°Dr. Smith, didn¡¯t I tell you there¡¯s no need to worry?¡± Borney pretended to relox ond ossured her, ¡°I know. Well, it¡¯s getting lote. Let¡¯s go to Arius¡¯ hotel first!¡± Despite hoving their own dwellings, it hod been o long time since they visited ond tidied their houses. Hence, they chose to stoy ot o hotel insteod. ¡°Come on, let¡¯s go!¡± The four of them hod not brought onyone else on this trip. However, there were severol people following them not for owoy. This belongs to N?velDrama.Org. After leoving the oirport, the bodyguords orronged by Triston spotted them ond begon following them. There were more thon twenty bodyguords. ¡°Did Mr. Triston orronge this?¡± Butterfly noticed the guords os soon os she left the oirport. Given thot she hod been with Sophie for o long time, she wos noturolly more observont thon ordinory people. ¡°Yeoh!¡± ¡°To be honest, men like Triston ore reolly rore in this world!¡± Butterfly could not help but excloim. Although Triston could note with them, he hod orronged for mony bodyguords to follow them. Even if onything did ur, it would be eosier to oddress with their ossistonce. ¡°Yeoh.¡± Sophie¡¯s expression softened when she heord the mon¡¯s nome. She hod no objections to his orrongements. Although she hod her own influence here, the feeling of orronging things herself ond hoving someone else do it for her wos different. Arius snorted. ¡°Is he reolly thot good? If he is, he should hovee with us.¡± Now thot Triston isn¡¯t here, it¡¯s on excellent time to slonder him. Otherwise, when will I get onother opportunity? Butterfly wos speechless. In foct, she wos disgusted by Arius¡¯ petty behovior. ¡°Professor Gullifer, do you dore soy these things in front of Mr. Triston? If you don¡¯t, keep quiet!¡± When Barney saw how expertly they had arranged everything, his anxiety decreased slightly. He chuckled and said, ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± The group soon arrived at the hotel. Meanwhile, when Remus ck from the International Medical Association learned that Barney had returned, his expression turned sullen. After Barney¡¯s departure, Remus had been promoted from deputy to head of the International Medical Association. ¡°Where are they now? Let¡¯s invite him out for dinner tonight!¡± Remus suggested. Since he had gone to Chanaea, why did hee back? Does he still want topete with me for this position? ¡°Mr. ck, I¡¯ll make the arrangements. You can rest assured that even if Dr. Smith returns now, the International Medical Association no longer has a ce for him! The leaders will definitely not let a traitor off so easily.¡± Barney¡¯s return was part of a strategy devised by the higher-ups. Unfortunately, he and the others might not make it back to Chanaea alive. Upon hearing his assistant¡¯s words, a sinister smile appeared on Remus¡¯ lips. ¡°Well, of course. Mr. Hunt never shows any mercy to traitors!¡± Remus heaved a sigh of relief. Barney was a thorn in his side. As long as the former existed, his life would never be peaceful. Hence, Remus was the one who most wanted Barney dead. ¡°Anyway, please make the arrangements. No matter what, he is still my teacher. It¡¯s only natural for me to invite him to dinner!¡± Remus said with his usual coldness. ¡°Okay, Mr. ck.¡± The assistant immediately went to make arrangements. As soon as Barney and the others arrived at the hotel, they received a call from Remus¡¯ assistant. Since he had previously mentored the Jetroinian man, Barney did not have his guard up and readily agreed to the request. ¡°Dr. Smith, who was that?¡± Sophie had been by his side and naturally heard his phone call. ¡°It was Remus. He wants to treat us to dinner tonight. I agreed since it¡¯s just a meal,¡± Barney replied. ¡°Remus?¡± Sophie wondered what the man was up to. She then urged, ¡°Dr. Smith, I think we should y it safe. It¡¯s advisable not to attend the dinner if it¡¯s not important.¡± ¡°Nothing will happen. Remus isn¡¯t a bad person.¡± Barney still trusted in the man. Chapter 747 Chapter 747 Knowing Barney was going out to eat with someone, Sophie naturally couldn¡¯t let him go alone. Hence, she decided to apany him. The restaurant that Remus invited them to was very famous in Anndur. He was already waiting for them when they arrived. He and his assistant had been standing outside the restaurant in the cold for a long time, deliberately putting on an act. When Remus saw Barney and Sophie, he immediately rushed over to open the car door for Barney. ¡°Dr. Smith, you¡¯re finally here. I thought I would never see you again in this life!¡± Remus put on a pained and distressed look. Arius rolled his eyes. What is he babbling about? What does he mean by not seeing us again in this life? We just went to Chanaea. Why would he not be able to see us anymore? Meanwhile, Barney didn¡¯t bother with deciphering Remus¡¯ words. ¡°It¡¯s cold outside. Let¡¯s go in and talk.¡± Barney¡¯s aplishments in medicine were unparalleled, but he was an honest and righteous person. Hence, he was not a match for Remus. ¡°Okay, Dr. Smith. This way, please!¡± Remus instantly led the way. Sophie and Arius followed behind Barney. The many bodyguards in charge of looking out for Sophie had to remain outside as they couldn¡¯t enter the restaurant. Although their mission was to protect Sophie, they felt that she should be safe in a famous restaurant in Anndur. ¡°Boss, are we really not going in to take a look?¡± Although it was a restaurant, it was still possible for something to happen inside. ¡°There¡¯s no need. They won¡¯t be in any danger for now,¡± the leader of the bodyguards responded. This was also why he allowed Sophie and the others to go in by themselves. Otherwise, he would have followed them in already. ¡°I see!¡± The young bodyguard who asked the question fell silent. He¡¯s right. We were all personally chosen by Mr. Tristan. Hence, we will never let anything happen to Ms. Tanner. We will definitely not disappoint Mr. Tristan. Meanwhile, Barney and the others entered the private room. Barney took the main seat while Remus and Sophie sat to his left and right respectively. Arius then sat beside Sophie. ¡°Arius, there¡¯s been a bit of a misunderstanding between us. This time, I genuinely want to apologize to you guys. You should know that in a position like mine, many things are beyond my control. I didn¡¯t want to take over Dr. Smith¡¯s position, but I had no choice when it was the higher-ups¡¯ orders. Dr. Smith, you can understand this, right?¡± Barney waved his hand. ¡°Remus, you don¡¯t have to exin. Since I decided to leave, I knew that someone would have to take my ce. I have no thoughts on this matter, and you don¡¯t need to feel burdened,¡± he said. ¡°Dr. Smith, I knew you were a magnanimous person and wouldn¡¯t hold it against me. I really wanted to go to Chanaea with you, but as you know, my family and friends are all here. Since my family chose to stay here, I couldn¡¯t do anything about it,¡± Remus went on. Barneyughed and replied, ¡°It¡¯s okay, Remus. No matter what decision you made, I don¡¯t me you.¡± Upon hearing Barney¡¯s words, Remus finally felt relieved and turned to look at Sophie. ¡°This is¡­¡± He recognized Arius, but he had never seen this gorgeous woman before. Owned by N?velDrama.Org. ¡°She¡¯s Sophie Tanner, Arius¡¯ girlfriend.¡± Barney didn¡¯t want Remus to know Sophie¡¯s identity. The more people who knew about Sophie, the more dangerous it would be for her. Anndurns were known to be ruthless, and Barney didn¡¯t want to take any risks. ¡°Arius, you¡¯re so lucky. Ms. Tanner is really pretty. I have never seen someone this beautiful,¡± Remus stated. Arius scoffed coldly. He could care less about being polite with Remus. However, he understood Barney¡¯s intentions. Sophie also had no objections to it since she knew Barney was trying to protect her. However, she didn¡¯t eat much the entire meal. It was difficult eating in thepany of people she didn¡¯t like. Also, she didn¡¯t talk much. Rather, she listened quietly to the conversation as if she didn¡¯t really understand what they were talking about. Remus kept emphasizing how he wished Barney woulde back to the medical association. He also mentioned the recent happenings in International Medical Association. However, it was impossible for Barney to return at that point. ¡°Remus, don¡¯t say such things anymore. I feel at ease with you taking over International Medical Association.¡± Since he was all about contributing to the study of medicine, it didn¡¯t matter which organization he was doing it in. ¡°Dr. Smith, are you really noting back? With your achievements, you could easily enjoy a comfortable life in Anndur. It will be tiring to start all over in Chanaea.¡± Borney woved his hond. ¡°Remus, you don¡¯t hove to exploin. Since I decided to leove, I knew thot someone would hove to toke my ploce. I hove no thoughts on this motter, ond you don¡¯t need to feel burdened,¡± he soid. ¡°Dr. Smith, I knew you were o mognonimous person ond wouldn¡¯t hold it ogoinst me. I reolly wonted to go to Chonoeo with you, but os you know, my fomily ond friends ore oll here. Since my fomily chose to stoy here, I couldn¡¯t do onything obout it,¡± Remus went on. Borney loughed ond replied, ¡°It¡¯s okoy, Remus. No motter whot decision you mode, I don¡¯t blome you.¡± Upon heoring Borney¡¯s words, Remus finolly felt relieved ond turned to look ot Sophie. ¡°This is¡­¡± He recognized Arius, but he hod never seen this gorgeous womon before. ¡°She¡¯s Sophie Tonner, Arius¡¯ girlfriend.¡± Borney didn¡¯t wont Remus to know Sophie¡¯s identity. The more people who knew obout Sophie, the more dongerous it would be for her. Anglondurns were known to be ruthless, ond Borney didn¡¯t wont to toke ony risks. ¡°Arius, you¡¯re so lucky. Ms. Tonner is reolly pretty. I hove never seen someone this beoutiful,¡± Remus stoted. Arius scoffed coldly. He could core less obout being polite with Remus. However, he understood Borney¡¯s intentions. Sophie olso hod no objections to it since she knew Borney wos trying to protect her. However, she didn¡¯t eot much the entire meol. It wos difficult eoting in thepony of people she didn¡¯t like. Also, she didn¡¯t tolk much. Rother, she listened quietly to the conversotion os if she didn¡¯t reolly understond whot they were tolking obout. Remus kept emphosizing how he wished Borney woulde bock to the medicol ossociotion. He olso mentioned the recent hoppenings in Internotionol Medicol Associotion. However, it wos impossible for Borney to return ot thot point. ¡°Remus, don¡¯t soy such things onymore. I feel ot eose with you toking over Internotionol Medicol Associotion.¡± Since he wos oll obout contributing to the study of medicine, it didn¡¯t motter which orgonizotion he wos doing it in. ¡°Dr. Smith, ore you reolly noting bock? With your ochievements, you could eosily enjoy o comfortoble life in Anglondur. It will be tiring to stort oll over in Chonoeo.¡± ¡°One will have to pursue something in one¡¯s life to feel fulfilled. I have devoted my life to the study of medicine. No matter how hard it is, it¡¯s worth it to me. I¡¯m satisfied with that.¡± After sending Barney and the others off, Remus returned to the restaurant. His assistant poured him a ss of wine. ¡°Mr. ck, I told you you could rx. They will never return to the medical association. Moreover, even if they wanted to, there will no longer be a ce for them in International Medical Association.¡± They were the ones who wanted to leave and take others with them back then. Hence, they wouldn¡¯t be able to return anymore. Remus took a sip of wine. He was extremely satisfied with the current situation. ¡°Sophie doesn¡¯t look that simple, and she doesn¡¯t seem to be Arius¡¯ girlfriend either. Go and investigate her for me.¡± Remus suspected Sophie¡¯s background was moreplicated than what Barney was letting on. ¡°Okay, I understand. I¡¯ll send someone to investigate.¡± Meanwhile, Barney and the others finally returned to the hotel. After being on a long flight and drinking, Barney was exhausted. He quickly retreated to his room to rest. Arius went to Sophie¡¯s room and noticed she hadn¡¯t brought much luggage. He shook his head. She¡¯s really something. We are going to be here for at least three days. How can she not bring anything? ¡°If you need anything, I can buy it for you now.¡± Arius had stayed here for many years, so he was quite familiar with the area. Sophie shook her head. ¡°There¡¯s no need for that. Tristan has already sent someone to bring over everything that I need. You don¡¯t have to worry about me.¡± Arius was rendered speechless. Fine! How could I forget? She has an almighty and capable boyfriend that can settle everything for her. ¡°By the way, Remus probably won¡¯t believe that you¡¯re my girlfriend.¡± Arius knew that Remus was cunning and not easy to fool. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter whether he believes it,¡± Sophie replied. We don¡¯t have to bother with what Remus thinks. ¡°He will soon find out your identity.¡± The International Medical Associationwork was extensive, so it was impossible to hide most things from the medical association. Chapter 748 Chapter 748 ¡°So?¡± She wasn¡¯t afraid. ¡°Anndur¡¯s always been interested in talents like you. They¡¯ll definitelye looking for you and try to make you stay. If you refuse, they might not let you leave so easily.¡± Anndurns coulde up with every excuse imaginable. ¡°Ha.¡± Sophie scoffed. If she wanted to leave, no one could ever get in her way. ¡°I understand. It¡¯s gettingte, so you should go back and get some rest. Whatever it is, we can talk about it tomorrow.¡± It wasn¡¯t wise to cross her. ¡°Okay. Don¡¯t stay up toote or spend too much time on the phone. The radiation¡¯s not good for you,¡± Arius reminded, aware that Tristan would surely call her. ¡°Got it.¡± Expectedly, Tristan¡¯s phone call came the moment Arius left. Judging from how the former¡¯s hair was still wet, he must have just gotten out of the shower. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you dry your hair? You¡¯ll catch a cold easily,¡± Sophie couldn¡¯t help but nag. The heater kept his room warm, but he could still get sick easily. ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± Tristan put his phone aside and began drying his hair with a towel. ¡°Have you had dinner?¡± ¡°Yup.¡± Sophie watched the man who had just taken his shower wipe his hair with the towel. He really is gorgeous. Tristan had nothing but a robe on, and the sash appeared to have been tied around his waist with minimal effort. Despite the simplicity, she couldn¡¯t take her eyes off him. It didn¡¯t take long for the man¡¯s short hair to stop dripping beads of water. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? What are you thinking about?¡± Seeing her remain silent, Tristan tossed his towel aside. ¡°Nothing. I just can¡¯t believe such a handsome man like you exists.¡± The woman¡¯s lips curved. ¡°Don¡¯t try to charm me, Sophie. You¡¯re so far away from me right now. If you keep this up, I might not be able to resist going over to you.¡± Sophie¡¯s smile widened. ¡°Okay, then. Come on over!¡± ¡°Hmph. You know it¡¯d be dawn by the time I get there, missy.¡± This youngdy is bing increasingly puckish. ¡°By the way, you¡¯ll be heading over to the International Medical Association tomorrow, right? Remember, call me right away if anything happens,¡± the man added. He wasn¡¯tpletely powerless when it came to dealing with Anndur. He could easily bring them back home if he wanted. ¡°Okay. I will.¡± ¡°All right. I know you¡¯re tired. Go take your shower.¡± Despite not wanting to hang up, he knew she needed rest. ¡°Okay.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t end the video call. I¡¯ll wait for you here.¡± ¡°Got it!¡± Sophie positioned her phone in a way that captured her movements before grabbing her clothes and heading into the bathroom. Tristan would then nce at his screen from time to time while sorting out his mail. It was a quick shower, and Sophie re-emerged less than twenty minutester in a set of pajamas with a towel wrapped around her hair. Tristan gulped subconsciously when he saw her. Then, he couldn¡¯t help but smile upon realizing what he had done. Why was a man in his thirties like him getting all flustered like a teenager in love? ¡°It¡¯ste. You should get ready for bed.¡± Sophie still had to dry her hair and figured he wouldn¡¯t be able to hear her speak while she used the blow dryer anyway. ¡°It¡¯s fine. I still have some things to take care of. Don¡¯t mind me.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± With that, the woman went to dry her hair. When she was done, she opened up herptop and hacked into the International Medical Association¡¯s system to view the building¡¯s floor n. As they would be heading there tomorrow, she had to memorize the floor n so they could escape in case anything were to happen. ¡°All right, it¡¯s getting prettyte, so get some rest,¡± Tristan urged, prompting Sophie to carry her phone to bed. ¡°Don¡¯t miss me too much. I¡¯ll be back in two days,¡± she remarked while still holding onto her phone. ¡°Okay. Have a good rest. Good night.¡± Tristan ended the call reluctantly. If only she were by his side now. Unfortunately, she wasn¡¯t. All he could do was hope she would sleep well and deal with whatever might happen tomorrow. Right after hanging up, Sophie realized that someone had snuck into her room. She remained seated on her bed and didn¡¯t budge. ¡°Come on out,¡± she demanded. Upon hearing her voice, Nichs walked out of a corner with a huge smile on his face. He wosn¡¯tpletely powerless when ite to deoling with Anglondur. He could eosily bring them bock home if he wonted. ¡°Okoy. I will.¡± ¡°All right. I know you¡¯re tired. Go toke your shower.¡± Despite not wonting to hong up, he knew she needed rest. ¡°Okoy.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t end the video coll. I¡¯ll woit for you here.¡± ¡°Got it!¡± Sophie positioned her phone in o woy thot coptured her movements before grobbing her clothes ond heoding into the bothroom. Triston would then glonce ot his screen from time to time while sorting out his moil. It wos o quick shower, ond Sophie re-emerged less thon twenty minutes loter in o set of pojomos with o towel wropped oround her hoir. Triston gulped subconsciously when he sow her. Then, he couldn¡¯t help but smile upon reolizing whot he hod done. Why wos o mon in his thirties like him getting oll flustered like o teenoger in love? ¡°It¡¯s lote. You should get reody for bed.¡± Sophie still hod to dry her hoir ond figured he wouldn¡¯t be oble to heor her speok while she used the blow dryer onywoy. ¡°It¡¯s fine. I still hove some things to toke core of. Don¡¯t mind me.¡± ¡°Okoy.¡± With thot, the womon went to dry her hoir. When she wos done, she opened up her loptop ond hocked into the Internotionol Medicol Associotion¡¯s system to view the building¡¯s floor plon. As they would be heoding there tomorrow, she hod to memorize the floor plon so they could escope in cose onything were to hoppen. ¡°All right, it¡¯s getting pretty lote, so get some rest,¡± Triston urged, prompting Sophie to corry her phone to bed. ¡°Don¡¯t miss me too much. I¡¯ll be bock in two doys,¡± she remorked while still holding onto her phone. ¡°Okoy. Hove o good rest. Good night.¡± Triston ended the coll reluctontly. If only she were by his side now. Unfortunotely, she wosn¡¯t. All he could do wos hope she would sleep well ond deol with whotever might hoppen tomorrow. Right ofter honging up, Sophie reolized thot someone hod snuck into her room. She remoined seoted on her bed ond didn¡¯t budge. ¡°Come on out,¡± she demonded. Upon heoring her voice, Nicholos wolked out of o corner with o huge smile on his foce. He was truly ted to finally get to see her after so long. On the other hand, Sophie was clearly unamused to see someone who wasn¡¯t supposed to be here there in her room.This belongs to N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Do you feel d to see me, Sophie?¡± The woman scoffed. ¡°You tell me. How do you think I¡¯d feel about seeing you? Haven¡¯t you been clear on this all along?¡± Nichs plopped himself onto the couch. ¡°Don¡¯t say that. You can just treat me as an old friend dropping by for a chat. There¡¯s no need for you to have your guard up like that. I¡¯ve never wanted to hurt you. I love you!¡± Sophie was speechless. Love? I don¡¯t want a sick love like this. ¡°Are you done, Nichs? If you are, then get out of here now!¡± She had never cared about this man¡ª not in the slightest. ¡°No, Sophie. They all say I¡¯m sick, but I don¡¯t think that¡¯s true. I just love you too much, that¡¯s all! You know that, right? I know I¡¯ll be fine as long as you¡¯re with me!¡± Nichs replied in despair. ¡°You won¡¯t hate me, will you? I love you so much!¡± ¡°If you¡¯re sick, go see a doctor instead of bothering me!¡± Sophie only had a robe on, so she wouldn¡¯t be able to engage inbat very well. Nichs stood up and began walking toward her. ¡°I don¡¯t need a doctor. Even if I do, you¡¯re the only one I want, Sophie. Or you could keep mepany whenever I visit the doctor! I might stop bothering you if I get better, you know?¡± Wouldn¡¯t this be an irresistible offer? The woman red at him. She never liked being threatened. ¡°You¡¯ve fallen in love with the wrong person, Nichs. I told you, I don¡¯t care whether you¡¯re dead or alive. In fact, I¡¯d be more than happy to kill you!¡± With that, she whipped a gun out from underneath her pillow and aimed it directly at the man¡¯s forehead. It had been a while since shest used this gun, but it felt the same as always in her hands. A bitter smile formed on Nichs¡¯ face. ¡°Do you really not care about me at all? Why are you so cruel to just me? Are you that heartless, Sophie? Can¡¯t you feel the love I have for you?¡± He began to lose control of his emotions. Chapter 749 Chapter 749 Nichs was devastated. Where did I go wrong? Why won¡¯t she ept my feelings? Sophie ced her finger on the trigger. Aware that she would shoot him without mercy, the man could only leave right away. Despite being quick on his feet, Sophie fired at him¡ªbut he was wearing a bulletproof vest beneath his clothes. He hade prepared knowing that she might kill him without a second thought. Moreover, he moved so swiftly that he remained uninjured. ¡°One day, you¡¯lle to me willingly. I promise you this, Sophie.¡± Not wanting to remain in such a situation, Nichs had no choice but to leave. The hypnotist has everything prepared. All I need right now is a chance, and when the time is right, she¡¯ll be mine. Sophie chose not to go after him. She hade to Anndur with the main goal of protecting Barney. If she were to leave now, someone might act in her absence. Thus, the woman kept her silver gun away andy down. It was time for bed. Immediately upon returning to the Sable family¡¯s headquarters, Nichs began to wreck every object he came across. No one in the house dared say a word. Richard was just as terrified. Nichs was truly ill and had no control over his own behavior at this point. Thetter finally calmed down after a long while. Only then did Richard walk up to him. ¡°You really don¡¯t have to be like this, Boss. Everything has been prepared. All that¡¯s left is the right opportunity.¡± When the time came, Sophie would naturally return to his side. It didn¡¯t matter if she was unwilling. ¡°Get someone to clean this ce up,¡± Nichs ordered. Thanks to his bulletproof vest, he only felt a little sore at the spot where Sophie had shot him. Yet, his heart was in grave pain. How could he not be affected when the person he loved treated him this way? Alex immediately instructed for the ce to be cleaned up. ¡°You haven¡¯t had dinner yet, Boss. I¡¯ll get someone to bring you your food.¡± Nichs shook his head. ¡°There¡¯s no need. I¡¯m not hungry.¡± No one else understood his obsession with Sophie, but he just couldn¡¯t let her go. Barney and Arius were done preparing by the time Sophie woke up the next day, so the three of them had breakfast together. Butterfly was ready too. ¡°You may not be able to enter the medical association, Ms. Sekelsky. I¡¯m afraid you might have to stay at the hotel for the next two days.¡± Barney knew what Butterfly hade here for, and he was extremely grateful for that. Unfortunately, not everyone could enter the medical association. Unfazed, Butterfly cast Sophie a nce. Would it really be okay if I didn¡¯t follow them? The International Medical Association is the perfect setting to make a move on them. Will they be fine without me? Sophie nodded in response. ¡°You don¡¯t have toe. If anything really happens, call Tristan right away.¡± Butterfly nodded. She could only respect Sophie¡¯s wishes. ¡°I understand. In that case, I¡¯ll wait for you guys outside ande save you the moment anything happens.¡± Naturally, she was most worried about Sophie. After all, she hade here just to protect thetter. Barney had a ss of milk and nothing else for breakfast. In truth, he had no guarantee as to what might happen today. On the other hand, Sophie and Arius didn¡¯t appear bothered at all, and they ate as usual. After breakfast, they hopped into the car before Arius drove them to the International Medical Association¡¯s headquarters. Many people had gathered there by the time they arrived, including Anndur¡¯s person-in-charge, Keegan Hunt. Barney went to shake his hand upon seeing him, but thetter remained hostile. None of these people here dared treat Barney like this while he was part of the medical association. Clearly, things were no longer the same anymore. ¡°We have nothing to say about you wanting to leave, Barney. Anndur has nevercked talent. The problem, however, is that you¡¯ve been with the association for so many years and had control over many core matters. You¡¯ll have to ount for this today,¡± Keegan announced. ¡°Mr. Hunt, I¡¯ve contributed so much to the association for as long as I¡¯ve stayed. Is that not the case? And now that I want to leave, what more could you want from me?¡± Barney retaliated. Borney ond Arius were done preporing by the time Sophie woke up the next doy, so the three of them hod breokfost together. Butterfly wos reody too. ¡°You moy not be oble to enter the medicol ossociotion, Ms. Sekelsky. I¡¯m ofroid you might hove to stoy ot the hotel for the next two doys.¡± Borney knew whot Butterfly hode here for, ond he wos extremely groteful for thot. Unfortunotely, not everyone could enter the medicol ossociotion. Unfozed, Butterfly cost Sophie o glonce. Would it reolly be okoy if I didn¡¯t follow them? The Internotionol Medicol Associotion is the perfect setting to moke o move on them. Will they be fine without me? Sophie nodded in response. ¡°You don¡¯t hove toe. If onything reolly hoppens, coll Triston right owoy.¡± Butterfly nodded. She could only respect Sophie¡¯s wishes. ¡°I understond. In thot cose, I¡¯ll woit for you guys outside onde sove you the moment onything hoppens.¡± Noturolly, she wos most worried obout Sophie. After oll, she hode here just to protect the lotter. Borney hod o gloss of milk ond nothing else for breokfost. In truth, he hod no guorontee os to whot might hoppen todoy. On the other hond, Sophie ond Arius didn¡¯t oppeor bothered ot oll, ond they ote os usuol. After breokfost, they hopped into the cor before Arius drove them to the Internotionol Medicol Associotion¡¯s heodquorters. Mony people hod gothered there by the time they orrived, including Anglondur¡¯s person-in-chorge, Keegon Hunt. Content from N?velDr(a)ma.Org. Borney went to shoke his hond upon seeing him, but the lotter remoined hostile. None of these people here dored treot Borney like this while he wos port of the medicol ossociotion. Cleorly, things were no longer the some onymore. ¡°We hove nothing to soy obout you wonting to leove, Borney. Anglondur hos never locked tolent. The problem, however, is thot you¡¯ve been with the ossociotion for so mony yeors ond hod control over mony core motters. You¡¯ll hove to ount for this todoy,¡± Keegon onnounced. ¡°Mr. Hunt, I¡¯ve contributed so much to the ossociotion for os long os I¡¯ve stoyed. Is thot not the cose? And now thot I wont to leove, whot more could you wont from me?¡± Borney retolioted. Aren¡¯t we all contributing to the medical field with the goal of serving humanity? He didn¡¯t understand why these people were being so petty. Keegan scoffed. ¡°Barney, you should know that I called you back here to give you onest chance. I¡¯m willing to put all this in the past if you return.¡± He could never ept anyone¡¯s betrayal. Barney shook his head. ¡°You obviously know my decision. There¡¯s no way I cane back,¡± he insisted. Remus was especially agitated after hearing what Keegan had to say. I¡¯ve been managing the association well ever since I was put in charge, yet this guy still wants Barney toe back? Well, what about me? What do they take me for? This is just too much! Keegan frowned. ¡°Barney, I¡¯ll have you know that I never forgive traitors. To me, only a dead person can keep a secret.¡± In other words, if Barney wanted to leave, he¡¯d have to die first. Barney clenched his fists. ¡°Mr. Hunt, I came here with the sole purpose of addressing this matter in a proper way,¡± he stated furiously, baffled by the tyranny he was now facing. ¡°The only proper way is my way. Doing whatever you please isn¡¯t going to solve anything, and since it hasn¡¯t hit you yet, you can stay here in Anndur and think about it! Take him away, men!¡± Keegan dered. He didn¡¯t make Barneye here just to let him leave so easily. With one quick nce from Keegan, a few men rushed over and tried to take Barney and his mentees away. In their minds, it didn¡¯t take a lot of effort to restrain three people. You¡¯ve spent so much time at the International Medical Association, Dr. Smith. Do you still not get it? There are some things we just don¡¯t have a say in. Whatever the higher-ups ask for, we do. That will never change. ¡°Sorry, Dr. Smith. You have no choice but toe with us now.¡± Given the way Keegan treated Barney, it was only natural that the former¡¯s subordinates behaved the same way toward thetter. There was no reason for them to remain courteous with a traitor. Chapter 750 Chapter 750 ¡°What are you trying to do? Are you trying to take my mentor away? How dare you do that?¡± Arius cried out, leaping to his feet. What kind of joke is this? Keegan Hunt had forced him to return by threatening Barney¡¯s mother, but now, he even wanted to lock Barney up. There was no way they were going to let that happen now that they were there. ¡°Barney, your mother is old now, isn¡¯t she?¡± Keegan questioned. Barney was only back because Keegan had taken his mother. Hence, they were certain that Barney would not dare to pull any reckless moves. ¡°If it weren¡¯t for your many contributions to the medical association, I wouldn¡¯t have given you so many chances,¡± Keegan uttered with a sneer. Death was the only thing that awaited traitors. He had given Barney many chances and choices. All that was left was for Barney to make the right choice. Sophie barked out augh. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Dr. Smith. I¡¯ve asked my men to rescue your mother,¡± she reassured. She had not been sitting around ever since she arrived in the country. Moreover, she had connections in Anndur too. Otherwise, she could have possibly wasted her time all these years. Rescuing someone was a piece of cake for her. When Keegan heard her words, he narrowed his eyes. ¡°Are you Sophie Tanner, the girl who dealt with the virus?¡± Keegan questioned, his eyes bright. He had heard about the medical prodigy in Chanaea, but he never thought that she would be such a pretty young woman. However, Sophie continued to look at him as if he was nothing but a lowly ant. Sure enough, she waspletely disinterested in someone like Keegan. Things would have been fine if everyone just went their own ways. That would be the choices they made, anyway. Yet, Keegan just had to force Barney back with petty methods like these. ¡°Youngdy, I know you¡¯re a capable one. What about this? Join our International Medical Association. No matter what you want, we¡¯ll agree to it,¡± Keegan told her, extremely interested in recruiting geniuses into the organization. By recruiting various kinds of prodigies, Anndur would be able to emerge as a superpower. That was his wish¡ªfor Anndur to dominate the world. Hence, he felt that everything he did would be forgivable. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I¡¯m not interested in your International Medical Association at all,¡± Sophie replied before taking out a piece of gum and popping it into her mouth. Those who knew her would know that she only chewed gum when she was in a bad mood. Therefore, her action was a clear indicator of how her patience had reached its limit. Keegan chuckled. ¡°Ms. Tanner, I am sincerely offering you the chance to join us. As long as you join us, we can give you a limitless budget. That is something Chanaea can never do.¡± Anndur¡¯s a rich country, and those who do research will always need funds, right? Barney was hoping to keep Sophie a secret from others, but evidently, those people had already done their research on her. Sophie scoffed. ¡°Sorry, but I¡¯m rich too.¡± Furthermore, Chanaea was putting more of its focus on research nowadays. In other words, budget was not an issue for her. ¡°Mr. Hunt, there¡¯s no need for us to waste our breaths on them. They¡¯ve chosen the path of a traitor, and it¡¯s impossible for them to make a different choice.¡± Remus did not want to give those people any chances to return to the organization. If they did return, his position in International Medical Association would no longer be as important. That was something he would never let happen. Barney nced at him. ¡°Dr. Smith, I¡¯ve always been grateful for your guidance, but I simply cannot understand why you¡¯ve chosen to be a traitor,¡± Remus uttered. Arius sneered. Look at this. Remus can¡¯t hold himself back anymore. He¡¯s terrified of using back! ¡°Remus, what are you talking about? What do you mean by a traitor? There aren¡¯t borders for medicine. As long as a person can do their research well and contribute to humankind, then all is good. How could you say that I¡¯m a traitor, then?¡± How many things have I done for Anndur? How can they turn their backs just like this? ¡°There aren¡¯t borders to medicine, but the researchers of medicine have nationalities,¡± Keegan said. ¡°I want you to work for Anndur.¡± Keegan was never one for noble aims. Thus, he did not care if others live or die. Content from N?velDr(a)ma.Org. ¡°Dr. Smith, you don¡¯t need to say that much to them. These people aren¡¯t humans; they¡¯re animals!¡± Arius curtly uttered. He was long sick of their behavior. It was a little better in the past, but now that Barney was leaving, they had given up on pretending to be civil. It was disgusting. ¡°Arius, I¡¯m going to give you onest chance. If you¡¯re willing toe back, we¡¯ll dismiss everything that happened before,¡± Keegan repeated. ¡°Sorry, but I¡¯ll nevere back.¡± Even if Barney died that day, he was not going to stay. Those people were revolting to him. Keegan¡¯s expression was as dark as thunder. ¡°What in the world are you thinking about? Are the terms I¡¯ve given to you not good enough? No matter what you need, I¡¯ll support you, but you¡¯re leaving?¡± How can they do this? They¡¯re betraying my trust! ¡°Mr. Hunt, let¡¯s just lock them up,¡± Remus suggested. He did not want Barney and the others to go back on their words. ¡°Take these three away! No one¡¯s allowed toe close to them without my permission,¡± Keegan instructed. He still wanted to keep those three prodigies. Although he still did not understand Sophie that well, someone who could resolve the gic virus was the talented individual they were looking for. ¡°Dr. Smith, pleasee with us,¡± Keegan¡¯s subordinate said. Not wanting to waste any more of her breath, Sophie pulled out a gun and snatched Keegan over to her. Then, she pressed the muzzle against Keegan¡¯s head. Everything happened in the blink of an eye, and no one could react in time. ¡°Mr. Hunt!¡± Once Keegan¡¯s subordinates realized what was going on, they drastically paled. They could not believe that the pretty youngdy would be so swift with her actions. In fact, they could barely reel in from the shock. ¡°Why are you still spewing nonsense? Can you be quick?¡± Sophie hated wishy-washy people. It was not a great feeling to have a gun pointed at one¡¯s head. Arius took out his gun as well. All they needed to do was leave the ce. Sophie had already made arrangements for people to pick them up. ¡°Mr. Hunt, didn¡¯t I warn you about this? I told you not to cross her because she¡¯s definitely not someone you can afford to cross,¡± Arius mockingly told him. Chapter 751 Chapter 751 Keegan was utterly bbergasted. He had never expected these audacious individuals would be so bold and daring in Anndur. ¡°If you kill me, do you believe you can abscond from this ce?¡± Keegan¡¯s tone was stern and unyielding. Sophie¡¯s lips curved into a sardonic grin. She was an exquisite beauty, but she exuded an ominous aura at this moment. ¡°So you¡¯re willing to attempt it? I can certainly lend you a hand if you want to give it a go.¡± She was confident that she could kill him and leave Anndur in one piece. ¡°You¡­¡± She didn¡¯t seem to be joking. Keegan genuinely felt as though his life was in peril. ¡°Well, are you ready to make a move now?¡± Sophie gave him the benefit of the doubt. Leaving would only be slightly moreplicated, even if they were to kill him. But there was no question that they would be able to escape unscathed. ¡°You¡­¡± No one had ever threatened him like this since he assumed his position. Today, he was threatened by a twenty-year-old girl. ¡°How dare you behave so contemptuously toward Mr. Hunt! How could you, Barney?¡± Remus immediately jumped to his defense. ¡°And what of it? Why don¡¯t you rece him?¡± Arius retorted impolitely. What the h*ll? If things are different, how will they pan out? Belongs to ? n0velDrama.Org. ¡°Okay, let¡¯s not waste any more time with them. Let¡¯s leave.¡± Sophie had no interest in these people. All she wanted was to return to Chanaea as soon as possible. ¡°Okay.¡± Barney was relieved that his mother had already left. Initially, he had nned on handling this matter alone. However, Sophie¡¯spetence was well beyond his expectations! She could handle Keegan all by herself. Keegan had always been ruthless. His hands had long since been stained with blood to climb the ranks. Nevertheless, Keegan was powerless before Sophie. Is this the gap between them? ¡°Don¡¯t let them escape. If you let them leave today, you will never be able to apprehend them again.¡± Remus loathed Barney. If they were to let Barney leave that day, the Chanaean Medical Association would certainly surpass the International Medical Association. This was something he absolutely could not tolerate. He aspired to be the best. Hence, to be the best, Barney could not be allowed to live. Keegan narrowed his eyes. ¡°Remus, what do you think you¡¯re doing? Do you intend on murdering me?¡± Keegan was a person that valued his life immensely. There were still numerous goals he had yet to achieve. How could he perish at the hands of such a brat? Remus pulled out a pistol and aimed it at Barney. ¡°Mr. Hunt, I have no other option. You are aware of the task that was assigned to us. Barney cannot be allowed to leave this ce today.¡± Remus¡¯ eyes glimmered with a bloodthirsty glint. Only with Barney dead could he preserve his position indefinitely. Barney was a formidable rival and would only get in the way. No one could have matched what he had aplished in the medical field. Therefore, no matter what, Barney could not be allowed to leave. Barney sneered. It was indeed the real-life iteration of the Farmer and the Viper. If it weren¡¯t for him, Remus could not have reached such great heights. Even worse, Remus would not have lived to see another day. Furthemore, Remus was now pointing a gun at his skull. ¡°Remus, you have disappointed me. I never thought that you would turn on me like this.¡± Barney was disheartened. Medicine was his only priority in life. For those who possessed medical aptitude, Barney had always nurtured them without expecting anything in return. However, he felt betrayed like never before. ¡°Barney, this is your own choice. How can you me me? Each to their own.¡± As they spoke, Sophie retrieved another pistol and killed Remus instantly. All that happened while she was juggling two tasks at the same time. It never crossed Remus¡¯ mind that he would breathe hisst on that day. When he copsed onto the ground, his eyes remained wide open. Keegan was utterly stupefied. He had indubitably underestimated Sophie. She could even juggle two tasks at the same time. ¡°Does anyone else wish toe forward and meet his end?¡± Sophie¡¯s expression was deadly, as if she was unmatched in this world. Staring at Remus¡¯ corpse in the pool of blood, his assistant dared not speak. At that time, he wished to be invisible. No fame or fortune was worth risking his life. ¡°Dr. Smith, let¡¯s go!¡± ¡°All right!¡± Barney was disappointed by the people at the International Medical Association. To his mind, there was no sentimental value left of the ce. Keegan was terrified as Sophie did not show any mercy. What befall Remus was telling enough. ¡°Ms. Tanner, you can¡¯t keep doing this to me. How about this? Let¡¯s negotiate your demands.¡± Keegan struggled to keep his cool. At the end of the day, they just wanted to leave. If they were to kill Keegan, that would keep them here. They would be stuck! It would not be beneficial to anyone. ¡°That¡¯s not necessary!¡± Sophie answered cially. Her gorgeous features disyed no emotions. At that moment, she looked like a devil from hell. There was nothing anyone could do about her. Outside, Butterfly and a group of elite assassins were waiting for them. They were all Sophie¡¯s people, the best of the best. Tristan also sent his men, who were even more brutal than mercenaries. In the face of such formidable forces, Remus¡¯ subordinates were nothing but mere ants. Keegan finally understood what Sophie meant. Even if she killed him, they could still leave safely, unimpeded by anyone. As they emerged from the building, Butterfly approached them with an air of arrogance. ¡°Are you all right? Shall I destroy this ce?¡± No one could threaten them, for they were the Wings of Light. Barney, however, shook his head and left. ¡°Forget about it. This ce is my life¡¯s work. Some good people are still in there, and they only want to contribute to the medical field.¡± It was noble. If the ce were to be destroyed, their hopes and dreams would go down together. ¡°Dr. Smith, how should we deal with him?¡± Sophie nodded and asked. ¡°Consider it settled. Allow them to return.¡± Chapter 752 Chapter 752 ¡°Regardless of what happened, have I not treated you well, Barney? When you were preparing for the International Medical Association, I always gave you what you asked for. Please just let me off this time.¡± All Keegan could do now was plead. When he noticed the sort of people Sophie brought with her, Keegan then realized exactly how much he had underestimated her. That was why he could not be stubborn this time around. After all, a real man could either submit or stand proud when the situation called for it. Arius scoffed. ¡°Were you kind to Dr. Smith? You were basically using him as adder to climb to greater heights!¡± If Keegan had not held Dr. Smith¡¯s parents captive, then why on earth did we have toe all the way here? I guess it¡¯s also for the best. If Dr. Smith had shown up alone, I wonder what horrible things they would¡¯ve done to him! Keegan¡¯s expression changed. ¡°Barney, I think you¡¯re well aware that there are things I¡¯ve had to do outside of my own volition. Think of the position I¡¯m in!¡± Barney shook his head. ¡°Forget it. When we leave, you cane back. Mr. Hunt, I hope that we never meet again in this life. If something like this ever happens again, I won¡¯t be so cordial.¡± Regardless, Barney was someone who studied medicine. He was not someone who enjoyed killing. He liked saving people and notmitting murder. Arius was worried because Sophie had hurled Keegan at Butterfly. He absentmindedly felt about his pockets for a syringe and injected Keegan with an unknown drug. ¡°Arius, what the hell are you doing? What did you inject me with?¡± yelled Keegan. Arius was a former member of the International Medical Association. As such, Keegan was concerned that the substance used on him could havepletely ruined him. ¡°Rx! Since Dr. Smith has already spoken, we won¡¯t make things hard for you. We just want you to be still, that¡¯s all,¡± replied Arius smoothly. All they wanted was to leave the area safely without lingering for much longer. As soon as the drug was injected into him, Keegan felt like his body was made of jelly. Even a regr person could kill him in this state, let alone a mercenary. ¡°Arius, do you know what you¡¯re doing?¡± Given Keegan¡¯s current position, he naturally had many enemies. If any of his enemies chose to show up now and exact vengeance, Keegan would have been powerless to stop them. ¡°You¡¯ve done so many rotten things. Have you only just learned what fear is? However, this is the only chance I¡¯ll give you. Whether you live or die depends on what you doter on. Nobody else can be med for this,¡± replied Arius coldly.This content is ? N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Get in the car! Why are you still wasting your breath on him?¡± asked Sophie tersely. Despite having been away for only two days, Sophie was already anxious to return. The person that she adored the most was back there. Apart from Tristan, Sophie reckoned that there was no other person she liked better. ¡°Okay, I understand that you¡¯re anxious to return. We can go now!¡± replied Arius. There was some truth to the old saying, after all. A grown woman could not be kept away from the man she loved. I bet she¡¯s been thinking about Tristan all day! Sophie paid Arius no mind and went into the car. Barney got into the car as well. Soon after, he sighed in relief. ¡°Thank goodness you¡¯re all okay,¡± murmured Barney. The group had chosen to follow him here. If anything had happened to them, Barney was not going to be able to live out the rest of his days in peace. ¡°Didn¡¯t we tell you, Dr. Smith? Nothing¡¯s going to happen.¡± Sophie had never bitten off more than she could chew. If Sophie said that they were going to leave the area with no problems, this was a surefire guarantee on her part. ¡°Of course. Let¡¯s go! I doubt I¡¯ll evere back here for the rest of my life,¡± said Barney frostily. Does my departure affect this organization poorly? Absolutely not! Regardless of where he was, Barney was determined to do only good for mankind. He was not going to make enemies out of other people. In spite of this, they were still not going to let him go. Such was human nature. The entire group left in a rather grandiose manner. When they arrived at the airport, they unceremoniously hurled Keegan out of the car. ¡°I wish you good luck!¡± said Arius with a smile. Given that Keegan had many enemies, there was no need for the group to act. In fact, one could not even tell if Keegan was going to make it home safely. Dr. Smith said to let him go, but he didn¡¯t say that I couldn¡¯t inject him with strange drugs, right? mused Arius. They went directly to the tarmac, where a private jet was already waiting for them. Barney could not shake off how surreal the whole thing felt, even until he had boarded the ne. Butterfly and Sophie, on the other hand, were chatting. ¡°This time around, I¡¯m going on a vacation,¡± said Butterfly as she looked at Sophie. Butterfly had been so busy managing Wings of Light that she did not have much time for herself. She was also thinking of taking a good, long, break. ¡°Yeah, you should definitely get some rest when you get back. Mournful Spirit can manage Wings of Light while you¡¯re away!¡± Sophie reckoned that Mournful Spirit was already strong enough for the task. ¡°Okay.¡± Butterfly thought that it was high time that she took a long break. Ever since Sophie had entrusted Wings of Light to her care, Butterfly had not been in a rtionship for a while now. She was very interested in a rtionship after seeing how romantic Sophie¡¯s own rtionship was. After all, Butterfly was also quite beautiful herself. If she wanted to, she could definitely find someone she truly liked. Thus, Butterfly was going to give herself a three-month vacation. In the next three months, she was going to focus solely on dating. ¡°Yes, do it!¡± Butterfly had been really busy all this while. Managing Wings of Light was no easy task. They were a drop in the ocean where these societies were concerned. If Wings of Light wanted to stand firm among the rest, they had to prove their worth. Arius then went over to Barney and poured thetter a ss of wine. ¡°Dr. Smith, I know that you did not sleep wellst night. Why don¡¯t you have some wine? You¡¯d be able to sleep better. When you awake, we¡¯ll be back in Chanaea,¡± said Arius. ¡°Okay.¡± Barney epted the red wine. He assumed that he was there to protect them all. In the end, it was up to the youngsters to take care of him, the older man. However, Barney did feel lucky that he had trained two very gifted mentees. Meanwhile, Nichs stared as the ne took off. His eyes were reddened with emotion. Was I toote? I never got to see Sophie onest time. She¡¯s already gone. If not for the ident involving Josiah, Nichs would not have just let Sophie leave like this. Once she had left, there was no telling when he was going to see her again. When Richard saw Nichs in this state, the former did not dare speak. Sophie was the one person Nichs could never let go of. As long as the matter concerned Sophie, Nichs was going to be persistent. If they can perish together, I daresay that Boss will choose destruction. He will always choose her. ¡°Tell me, Richard. Are we not fated to be together? Is that why I keep missing Sophie?¡± asked Nichs. After this had happened so many times, Nichs could not help but have such doubts. ¡°Boss?¡± Richard was a man who had never been in love. As such, he did not have the slightest clue of how to comfort Nichs. ¡°Boss, fate is utter bullsh*t, if you ask me. None of that is real! If you like her, you have to take her away!¡± Why was there the need to mope and mull over this? If Nichs liked her that much, he just needed to fight for Sophie. It was not a big deal. ¡°Do you really think so?¡± Nichs had assumed that he was the only one who thought that way. He also thought that he was the odd one out. Richard nodded sagely. Alex and he were not the same. This was how he operated. As long as he liked something, he had to make it his, regardless of what it was that he liked. There was no need to consider anyone else¡¯s feelings. Chapter 753 Chapter 753 Richard believed all that mattered was Nichs¡¯ happiness. So why did he have to worry about anyone else? It was because of what Richard said that Nichs was going to be doomed in the future. He seemed to have found validation from someone else. As such, Nichs was going to be even more reckless. In the meantime, the entire group arrived at Jipsdale airport at midnight. After leaving the aircraft, everyone soon saw Sophie¡¯s perfect man waiting for her. It was going to be Christmas soon. During this time, the weather in Jipsdale became much colder. The man was dressed in a matching suit paired with a ck coat. This made him look even more dashing. After seeing the beautiful girl step off the aircraft, the man softened his expression almost immediately. It¡¯s good that she came home safe. That¡¯s all that matters to me. Tristan was quite happy. ¡°Sophie, your boyfriend is here!¡± Butterfly only had a ck backpack on her. When she saw such a striking man before her, Butterfly couldn¡¯t help but feel a twinge of envy. Falling in love seems to be a nice thing. At least there¡¯s always someone who will be thinking of you, no matter what. They would also do anything for you. ¡°Yeah,¡± said Sophie. When Sophie saw Tristan, her heart softened too. Before that, no one would give her such an intense feeling. ¡°You¡¯re right. You do need some time to find someone who loves you.¡± Amid her happiness, Sophie then realized that no matter how strong or capable a woman was, she still wanted someone to cuddle with at the end of the day. When she left the aircraft, Sophie hastily rushed over to Tristan, who stood there with open arms. He then caught Sophie and held her tightly in his embrace. ¡°You¡¯re finally home.¡± While it was only two days, it felt like forever to Tristan. ¡°Yeah. I¡¯ve missed you too,¡± said Sophie. In the beginning, Sophie could notprehend Tristan¡¯s feelings or his passion. Yet now, Sophie felt the same way toward him. She now understood that when one fell in love, the longing they felt for one another was just like the tide. ¡°Let¡¯s go! It¡¯s veryte. We should head home.¡± Now that Barney¡¯s problems are over and done with, everyone can go home and rest with ease. ¡°You¡¯re right. Let¡¯s go home.¡± Sophie had never once associated the word ¡°home¡± with warmth before. At the mention of this word, Sophie could feel warmth coursing through her heart. Tristan asked the driver to send the others home. He was going to drive Sophie back to the mansion on his own. By the time they arrived at the mansion and had a shower, it was already two in the morning. However, Tristan still insisted on keeping Sophiepany. ¡°Why don¡¯t you sleep? It¡¯ste. You should go to bed early,¡± murmured Sophie while brushing her hair. She then gave Tristan a sideways nce. ¡°I just want to be by your side forever,¡± replied Tristan. The corners of Sophie¡¯s lips were curved into a smile. ¡°Tell me. Do your business associates know just how clingy you are?¡± ¡°So what if they do know? Or what if they don¡¯t? I really don¡¯t care. All I know is that I love you, and I want to be with you. It doesn¡¯t matter what everyone else thinks.¡± Tristan definitely had the right to be so strong-willed. ¡°Okay, then.¡± Tristan picked up the towel and began to dry Sophie¡¯s hair. Sophie willingly let him take care of her, given that so many things had happened today. She did not want to move a muscle. On top of that, it was a very long flight back home. Sophie was very tired. She leaned across the couch and enjoyed Tristan¡¯s special treatment of her. Tristan was a very careful person, and this was especially prevalent in the way he treated Sophie. His movements were gentle. By the time Tristan had dried Sophie¡¯s hair enough, she had already fallen asleep. As Tristan looked at her beautiful face while she was in a deep sleep, his expression subconsciously loosened up and became even softer. ¡°Silly thing. I bet you¡¯re tired.¡± Tristan¡¯s silly girl was definitely very adept. She was able to solve so many problems. However, Tristan did wish that she was not so adept as well. That way, he could always stay by Sophie¡¯s side and protect her. After mulling over this for a while longer, Tristan realized that this was also a conundrum. It was precisely because of Sophie¡¯s capabilities that Tristan was able to feel less worried for her. If Tristan were not around, he could count on Sophie to take care of herself. Tristan leaned over and ced the softest of kisses on Sophie¡¯s lips. He then carried her over to the bed and tucked her in. ¡°Goodnight, my princess. I hope you dream of me.¡± Tristan hoped that as long as Sophie dreamt of him, they were going to be good dreams. He also hoped that he was able to give her all the happiness in the world. This content is ? N?velDrama.Org. At the moment, Sophie had a happy smile gracing her lips. Seeing her this way made Tristan feel even more satisfied. ¡°It¡¯s okay. It¡¯s just a year. In one more year, you will be my bride. When that happens, I won¡¯t let you go so easily.¡± Tristan shifted helplessly, having noticed a bulge in his pants. Ever since he had met Sophie, he behaved like a young man who had not known carnal pleasures. For some reason, he found it hard to control himself around her. His lower body part seemed to have a mind of its own. While Sophiey there asleep, he was very active. Tristan shook his head helplessly once more and resigned himself to taking a cold shower in spite of the cold weather. In the blink of an eye, Wilma¡¯s wedding wasing soon. Wilma had initially wanted Sophie to be her bridesmaid, but Sophie was too busy. In the end, Wilma could only ask Wendy to take up the role. ¡°Ms. Lineker, do you think Ms. Sophie will show up today?¡± Wendy had long been Sophie¡¯s admirer. Since Sophie had been busy all this while, she did not have the time to head over to Transfix Cosmetics. As such, they had not seen Sophie for quite some time. ¡°Yeah. I think if nothinges up, Ms. Sophie will likely attend,¡± replied Wilma. She had already given an invitation to Sophie thest time. Sophie seemed quite stoic and cold on the outside, but deep down, she was actually a very gentle soul. If she did not have too much on her te, Sophie would definitely show up. In the meantime, the wedding was going to start soon. ¡°Ms. Lineker, you should go and start getting ready. I can wait for her here. You¡¯re the bride! You shouldn¡¯t be loitering about!¡± Wilma had been in Jipsdale for so many years now. Finally, she had found her own happiness in life. Everyone at Transfix Cosmetics was envious of this. If anything, they were non-natives who caught a glimpse of hope. They, too, hoped that they could one day find love in the big city and settle down there. From a distance, Wendy saw a luxury car slowing down. She soon realized that the vehicle belonged to Tristan. ¡°Ms. Lineker! I think Ms. Sophie is here!¡± said Wendy excitedly. Tristan was here, so naturally Sophie had arrived with him. Wendy watched as a strikingly handsome man whose figure could rival that of a model got out of the car slowly and opened the passenger seat door. He then reached out to help thedy who was seated next to him. When Sophie saw the twodies waiting outside, she grinned. Sophie had promised Wilma that she was going to be there, but she had not expected them both to be waiting for her outside. Wilma, the bride, had a decent figure. She looked exceptionally beautiful with her wedding dress on. Chapter 754 Chapter 754 ¡°Ms. Sophie, Mr. Tristan, you made it!¡± Wilma eximed in disbelief. She never imagined that someone as important as Tristan would attend her wedding. ¡°Yes, Ms. Lineker, we¡¯re here. The ceremony is about to begin, so you should go and get ready,¡± Sophie replied. ¡°Absolutely! Ms. Lineker, go and have your makeup touched up. I¡¯ll escort Ms. Sophie in,¡± Wendy, a huge fan of Sophie, said eagerly. Her eyes would light up every time she saw Sophie. ¡°All right, I¡¯ll head in first. It¡¯s time for the ceremony to begin,¡± Wilma said. She had been waiting outside because she was concerned about her guests, but now it was time for her to enter the hall. ¡°Ms. Sophie, it¡¯s pretty chilly out here. Let¡¯s head inside,¡± Wendy chirped. Ms. Sophie is just gorgeous. How can someone be so beautiful? I can¡¯t take my eyes off her. Wendy was very excited. ¡°One moment; I¡¯m waiting for someone,¡± Sophie said, as Ysabelle, who used to hang out with Wilma when they were kids, had promised to attend the wedding since she had some free time between photo shoots. Before long, another luxury car pulled up, and a famous singer stepped out and made her way over to the group. Wendy was dumbfounded. She never imagined that she would meet so many influential people at Wilma¡¯s wedding. Ysabelle walked over and grinned at Sophie. ¡°Sorry, I¡¯mte. Traffic was terrible.¡± Friday evening traffic in Jipsdale was notoriously bad, so everyone nned ahead and left earlier than usual. However, the traffic conditions were just as bad, which caused them to bete. Felix parked the car and made his way over to the group. ¡°Okay, everyone¡¯s here. Let¡¯s head in.¡± Wendy was in disbelief. Do good-looking people only befriend other good-looking people? How are they all so beautiful? They look like they just stepped out of a movie. No, they look even better than the leads in a movie. ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Wendy? Are you feeling unwell?¡± Sophie asked in a soft voice when she noticed Wendy was rooted to the spot. Wendy snapped out of her daze. ¡°No, I¡¯ve just never seen such good-looking people in my life. That¡¯s why I was so lost.¡± The four of them burst intoughter at Wendy¡¯s words and thought that she was very cute. Wendy then led Sophie and her friends to their designated table, which Wilma had specially prepared. ¡°Ms. Sophie. I need to head over as I¡¯m one of the bridesmaids,¡± Wendy informed Sophie once they were seated. ¡°Okay, go on. You can leave us to ourselves,¡± Sophie replied, confident in their ability to handle themselves as adults. Wendy left to attend to her bridesmaid duties. While waiting for the ceremony to begin, Ysabelle asked, ¡°Sophie, are all your employees from Transfix Cosmetics that adorable?¡± Sophie chuckled and replied, ¡°Yeah, Wendy is definitely cute.¡± The four of them engaged in conversation for about ten minutes before the ceremony started. Soon enough, the hired wedding nners executed the trendy TikTok-inspired wedding theme to perfection. While it might not have been the most original idea, it still managed to move some people. Sophie couldn¡¯t help but feel happy for Wilma, who had ovee so much to find love and was now starting a family. I truly hope that Ms. Lineker will have a happy and fulfilling life. She hoped that someone as kind and warm-hearted as Wilma would have a happy marriage. ¡°I¡¯ve been to so many grand weddings, but none of them have touched me like this one. It makes me want to get married, too,¡± Felix whispered to Ysabelle. ¡°Behave, Felix. A lot of my fans are here today. What if we¡¯re caught on camera¡­¡± Ysabelle cautioned. Belongs to ? n0velDrama.Org. ¡°Big deal. I¡¯m your boyfriend anyway. What¡¯s the matter? Are you ashamed of me?¡± Felix grunted. ¡°I¡¯m not ashamed of you. It¡¯s just that I¡¯m really popr right now, and if my fans find out you¡¯re my boyfriend, they might attack you. I¡¯m just looking out for you.¡± There were fans with high emotional intelligence, but there were also those with lower levels who wouldn¡¯t hesitate to attack anyone. ¡°Do you think I¡¯ll be scared?¡± Felix retorted. He feared nothing if it meant he could be together with her. After all, he was the all-famous Mr. Northley of Jipsdale. Meanwhile, Tristan found the story of Wilma and her husband¡¯s love to be nothing out of the ordinary, but he realized that it was precisely what made it so real and special. He held Sophie¡¯s hand, and she turned to face him. ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± asked Sophie, noticing Tristan¡¯s pensive expression. ¡°Oh, nothing. I just have a feeling that we¡¯ll have a happy rtionship, too,¡± he said, feeling a sense of certainty about it. ¡°Definitely,¡± Sophie agreed with a smile. After bidding Wilma goodbye, they left the wedding. ¡°Wishing you a happy marriage, Ms. Lineker,¡± Sophie said, grateful for the chance to attend such a beautiful wedding. ¡°Thank you, Sophie. I hope both of our rtionships will be happy,¡± Wilma replied, her heart filled with gratitude toward Sophie for being the inspiration behind her pursuit of happiness. She knew she wouldn¡¯t be where she was if it weren¡¯t for Sophie¡¯s support and encouragement. ¡°We better get going now. Weddings can be tiring, and it¡¯s gettingte. You must be exhausted, Ms. Lineker,¡± said Sophie. ¡°Thank you, Sophie,¡± Wilma responded sincerely, grateful for her inspiration to pursue the love she desired. Without Sophie, she wouldn¡¯t have had the courage to pursue what she truly wanted. ¡°Take care, Ms. Lineker.¡± As they stepped out of the hotel, Tristan wrapped a white cashmere scarf around Sophie¡¯s neck before heading off. ¡°I used to find weddings boring, but now I can¡¯t help but imagine what our wedding will be like when we attend other people¡¯s weddings!¡± Tristan eximed with excitement. ¡°I don¡¯t care how our wedding turns out, as long as it¡¯s with you,¡± Sophie said; the rest did not matter to her anymore. ¡°Yeah,¡± Tristan agreed. Ysabelle, who followed behind, couldn¡¯t help butment, ¡°Tsk tsk. I didn¡¯t know my Uncle Tristan could be so cheesy.¡± Felix replied, ¡°Of course. Men will unknowingly turn into gentle creatures when they¡¯re with the people they like.¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± Ysabelle countered, ¡°Then why didn¡¯t you treat me gently? Is it because you don¡¯t like me enough?¡± Felix and Tristan had different ways of showing their affection. Felix rolled his eyes. ¡°What? Do I need to dig my heart out and show it to you?¡± Ysabelle responded, ¡°Sure, do it. I can use this opportunity to see what your heart¡¯s made of and get Sophie to put it back for you. She¡¯s highly skilled at performing surgeries, so you¡¯ll be fine.¡± Felix was rendered speechless. Remind me again, what is it that I liked about her? Chapter 755 Chapter 755 As the end of the year drew near, it was incredibly hectic for major corporations, let alone top-tier ones like Lombard Group. Tristan was flocked with work every day. Yet, he always made time to eat with Sophie no matter how hectic his schedule was. Sophie hade close to settling the matter with the medical association these past few days. She decided to head to Lombard Group today to visit Tristan since he had been so diligent. Before Sophie could even head there, she received news of Lombard Group being in hot water. Sophie noticed that everyone¡¯s expression was not the same as usual when she arrived at Lombard Group. ¡°You¡¯re here, Ms. Tanner! Regrettably, Mr. Tristan appears to be very busy and doesn¡¯t seem to have time to keep youpany.¡± The female receptionist was also aware of the major incident that happened to Lombard Group. It was not an ideal time for Sophie to be here. Moreover, Tristan really did not have time to keep herpany right now. ¡°What happened to Lombard Group?¡± Sophie inquired straightforwardly. In fact, she came here today hoping to be of some help. The female receptionist knew that Sophie was not an outsider and directly responded, ¡°Our system has been attacked by hackers. Ms. Tanner, Mr. Tristan is really busy at the moment and doesn¡¯t have time to keep youpany. You¡¯d better head back first.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine. I¡¯ll go up and find him now.¡± The restraints of the hackers¡¯ waned as the end of the year drew nearer. Tristan was standing there with a somber expression when Sophie arrived. The situation appeared to be particrly bad. The man only regained his senses when he saw Sophie. ¡°Why did youe over? Have you finished dealing with the medical association¡¯s matters?¡± She had been upied with the medical association ever since the start of the holiday. Sophie essentially did not have time to lose since there were numerous things to be dealt with, having the Chanaean Medical Association recently established. ¡°Yeah. I have some free time these days since it¡¯s almost Christmas.¡± After all, even a small break would be given every year during Christmas for International Medical Association. ¡°I see. You should go home and get some rest first since you¡¯re on break. I¡¯lle to find you after I finish dealing with things here.¡± It was extremely hectic for Tristan today, and he would not be able to keep herpany even though she went all the way there. ¡°It¡¯s fine. I just want to stay here with you. It would be even better if I could be of assistance.¡± Tristan held her hand. ¡°Don¡¯t worry! There won¡¯t be any issue. I hired a few skilledwork security personnel after the previous incident. They should be able to manage the hackers¡¯ attack.¡± Lombard Group was a top-notchpany, and it would be impregnable to attacks from unsolicited people. At that moment, the leader of thework security team came over. ¡°The other party is very skilled, Mr. Tristan. Despite our best efforts, we are still unable to stop them. They will undoubtedly attack our core if this carries on.¡± By then, no one would be able to estimate how much damage it would cause. Tristan¡¯s expression darkened. ¡°Let me give it a try!¡± Sophie came here to help today. Even though I haven¡¯t done this kind of thing in a while, I want to see who exactly the other party is since I¡¯m here. However, she was pretty confident in her skills. The team leader was bereft of words. He then exined, ¡°Ms. Tanner, the other party is really skilled. We aren¡¯t even able to handle them, so please don¡¯t joke around.¡± It was normal for a girlfriend to want to look good in front of her boyfriend. Yet, it was not the time to make a joke during this crucial matter. Sophie decided to ignore him. He¡¯ll only understand I wasn¡¯t joking after seeing what I¡¯m able to do. ¡°Wait for me here for a moment. Give me ten minutes, and I¡¯ll settle it for sure.¡± Sophie paid the team leader no mind and headed to theputer room. The team leader could not help but feel concerned when he saw Tristan¡¯s indifference. ¡°Mr. Tristan, the other party is very strong. We won¡¯t be able to stop them if this continues.¡± ¡°Then, what do you propose we do?¡± It was their responsibility as security personnel to solve the problem instead of asking him questions. ¡°Mr. Tristan, I heard that the current most talented hacker, K, is now in Jipsdale. Why don¡¯t we invite him here?¡± ¡°That¡¯s not necessary.¡± Tristan paid no more attention to him. He followed Sophie into theputer room. After entering, he saw Sophie sitting and coding calmly. Her movements were no slower than those of skilledwork security personnel, and her typing speed was even faster. Belongs to ? n0velDrama.Org. The team leader next to Tristan was extremely worried. They¡¯re free to express their affection however they please on normal asions. However, can¡¯t they refrain from doing so at a time like this? Who will be liable for the potential damages the hackers cause if theypletely infiltrate ourwork? Tristan did not know how skillful Sophie was, but it was obvious that she was the one who handled the previous hacking incident. Hence, he hadplete confidence in her. Sure enough, Sophie had already solved the problem and found the other party¡¯s location in less than ten minutes. ¡°They¡¯re at this ce. Contact the police now.¡± The team leader standing next to her waspletely stunned. A young girl like her easily solved a problem so many of us couldn¡¯t. Having received the address, Tristan immediately dispatched people to catch the hackers. Eustace, the captain of the SWAT team, was the best candidate to carry out this task. Hence, he brought his people to catch the hackers. ¡°I need your skills, Sophie. Are you really not going to consider joining Lombard Group to help me?¡± Tristan instantly extended an offer for Sophie to join him. She¡¯s really amazing, even more so than those top hackers. Manypanies must have wanted to recruit a talented individual like her. Sophie sat in front of theputer. She did not get up right away after catching the hackers. Instead, she reinforced several firewalls for Lombard Group¡¯swork. ¡°No. I¡¯m doing pretty well in the medical association, and I enjoy working there.¡± Although it was monotonous to experiment on animals or test subjects every day, it was not unbearable as she enjoyed it. ¡°Mr. Tristan, Ms. Tanner is amazing!¡± a few security personnel standing at the side eximed. ¡°It was all right.¡± After finishing up, Sophie got up and walked to Tristan¡¯s side. ¡°How about this? I¡¯lle and help you free of charge if Lombard Group encounters such a problem again in the future.¡± Barney came all the way here just for me. How could I betray him? ¡°That¡¯s fine. Let¡¯s go to my office.¡± There was no need to waste more time there since this matter had been resolved. ¡°Okay!¡± Tristan brought Sophie back into his office and left the rest of the matters to the others. As soon as the door of Tristan¡¯s office closed, Sophie was pressed against the door and kissed lightly by him. Chapter 756 Chapter 756 She had been busy after Wilma¡¯s wedding, and so was he. It had been days since hest met her. That was why he lost control of the feelings that surged within him at that moment and wanted to treat her that way. Sophie panted as she was given a passionate kiss. Tristan, however, was not much better. Eventually, he could only lie on her shoulder and breath heavily. While Sophie was pinned against the wall, she could clearly feel the man¡¯s body reacting. ¡°What are you going to do now? Why don¡¯t you go and take a cold shower?¡± She felt that Tristan¡¯s room was fully equipped, and there was also a dedicated lounge attached to it where he could take a shower. Tristan shook his head. ¡°I¡¯d rather not.¡± ¡°I thought you are feeling ufortable?¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine. Just let me hug you for a while will do.¡± It took a while before Tristan slowly recovered. He then carried Sophie to the couch and had someone prepare afternoon tea for her. ¡°Have you eaten?¡± asked Tristan, as he himself had not eaten anything yet because of the incident earlier. Sophie shook her head. ¡°But you have prepared so many desserts. I don¡¯t think I need to go out to eat anymore.¡± She was thinking of staying in the office with Tristan if he was busy. ¡°Don¡¯t eat that, then. I¡¯ll skip work and take you out for a meal.¡± Tristan immediately put on his coat. After getting Sophie prepared, he took her hand and headed out. All the employees of Lombard Group knew that Sophie had helped theirpany solve a big problem and cast her a look that was full of admiration. ¡°How can someone so dashing as she exists in this world? I just heard a colleague from the cybersecurity department talk about it, and I still can¡¯t believe it!¡± ¡°Not only does she have good looks, but she is also a high achiever at University of Medicine and Jipsdale University. She could even help Mr. Tristan get rid of the hacker. Is she really a normal human being?¡± Tristan thought everyone had overreacted upon hearing that. ¡°Ah! What should I do? I love our CEO¡¯s wife so much! Only such an outstanding woman is worthy of Mr. Tristan,¡± someone eximed. In the past, they could not bring themselves to imagine what kind of woman would be worthy of a man like Tristan. Only after Sophie appeared did they all feel that only a woman like her was worthy of Tristan. The two of themplemented each other very well. Tristan was a little upset at the gaze thosedies threw at Sophie. Why does Sophie always make others grow fond of her? The sight of the duo leaving hand in hand made everyone jealous. ¡°Oh, man! What should I do? I didn¡¯t believe in love at first, but seeing the two of them makes me believe in love again.¡± Tristan took Sophie to a newly opened barbecue joint nearby. Knowing she liked to eat BBQ, he had always wanted to bring her to that barbecue joint after hearing the Lombard Group employees talk about itst time. ¡°My subordinates said the BBQ here is very nice, and I always wanted to bring you over. Finally, my wishes true today.¡± Tristan did not know how other people nned their dates, but he always wanted to give Sophie the best whenever they were together. Sophie hummed in acknowledgment. Her eyes were filled with tenderness as she gazed up at Tristan. The man, on the other hand, always gazed at her affectionately. Perhaps that was what true love was. Nobody knew if what happened next was a mere coincidence, but they ran into Winter at the barbecue joint. Truth be told, it was not mealtime at that hour. There were not many people in the barbecue joint. The current Winter looked more mature and dressed exquisitely that day. She started her own business during her return this time around and was there to have a meal with her business partners. One should always keep moving forward. However, Winter¡¯s image as a capable careerdy shattered after she saw how attentive Tristan was toward Sophie. The sight made her heart ached. Wherever Sophie went, Tristan would always have his gaze fixated on her. Winter thought if he could also look at herself in such a way, she would give him her life even if he asked for it. However, his gentleness never belonged to her. ¡°Ms. Quigley, are you all right?¡± the person next to Winter couldn¡¯t help but ask upon seeing her like that. Winter immediately shook her head. No matter when and how much time had passed, she still could not forget that feeling of love. She knew they were not pleased to see her, but when she saw Tristan, she still wanted to go over and greet him. Even a simple hello would make her feel contented. Content from N?velDr(a)ma.Org. ¡°Please carry on. I saw someone I know. I¡¯ll go and talk to them for a bit.¡± Winter went over without a care in the world, but Tristan sat down with Sophie and paid no heed to her. She clenched her fists at the sight. ¡°Mr. Tristan, it¡¯s been a while.¡± Since her return, she rarely had the chance to see Tristan. She wanted to go to him, but she had to hold herself back as she didn¡¯t want to be sent abroad again. ¡°Don¡¯t you know that your presence is a nuisance to others? Winter, with your status, I don¡¯t think there¡¯s a need for you to do such a thing,¡± Tristan said in disdain. Winter¡¯s face immediately turned pale at his words. What does he mean by that? I came over to greet him merely because I couldn¡¯t control myself. She couldn¡¯t help but look at Sophie, who was sitting on the side calmly. This woman must be very proud of herself right now! The most eligible man in Jipsdale acts this way in front of her but utterly disregards me, the daughter of the Quigley family. ¡°Winter, I don¡¯t want to see you. Please leave! Or, you guys can eat somewhere else.¡± Winter was rendered speechless, clenching her fists. Just because Sophie is here, he actually wants me to leave. But I am obviously here first! ¡°Mr. Tristan, what are you doing? This is a public ce. How can you chase someone out? It¡¯s okay. I don¡¯t mind.¡± Sophie thought they should simply ignore an insignificant person, and there was no need to be aggressive to push the person to the corner. ¡°Oh, is that so? Fine. I thought you didn¡¯t like seeing her. It turns out I¡¯ve misunderstood you. Winter, go and enjoy your meal then!¡± Winter was even more embarrassed when she heard that. Just because of Sophie¡¯s words, he can completely change his mind. How can he behave like this? However, the atmosphere at that moment was indeed a bit awkward for her, and she could only return to the group ofdies. ¡°Winter, is that guy Mr. Tristan? Who is thatdy beside him? She¡¯s so pretty! I¡¯ve never seen Mr. Tristan treat anyone so well.¡± ¡°Yeah! They are indeed a match made in heaven.¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t you guys say that Tristan and I are a good match before? What¡¯s the matter now? Am I not worthy of being with him anymore?¡± Winter¡¯s voice turned cold as she spoke. Don¡¯t they know that I like Tristan? How dare they say that now? These people are so mean. Even if I¡¯m not that great, I¡¯m still the daughter of the Quigley family. How can they treat me like this? Chapter 757 Chapter 757 ¡°That¡¯s Sophie, the third daughter of the Tanner family. She¡¯s already engaged to Mr. Tristan. I had no idea that Mr. Tristan would get engaged to such a in little nobody! Maybe men truly do only care about looks.¡± So what if Sophie wasn¡¯t from a rich family? She still managed to hook up with Tristan with her looks alone, and everyone else could only look on in envy. Life was simply unfair in that way. Winter was looking more ticked off by the minute. ¡°All right, that¡¯s enough. We gathered today to discuss the coboration. Let¡¯s not waste time gossiping.¡± Winter couldn¡¯t imagine why William would have agreed to the engagement. Sophie was winning at life while Winter was now the onegging behind. Now more than ever, she needed to prove her worth and show everyone that Tristan¡¯s decision to get engaged to Sophie was a bad one. The rest of them stopped chattering about Sophie and Tristan as Winter was rather obviously annoyed. They quickly returned to the task at hand. As for Tristan and Sophie, they were already enjoying their meal,pletely unbothered by the irrelevant people talking behind their backs. Winter just couldn¡¯t help but turn to stare at the two of them despite their nonchnce. What if that was me sitting next to Tristan? Life would be amazing! She just couldn¡¯t ept it. She met Tristan first, and yet it amounted to basically nothing in the end. All she could do was watch as he treated another woman like she was a gift from God while having zero patience for Winter herself. The year wasing to an end, and in order to thank all her fans for their constant support, Ysabelle¡¯s management team decided to host a concert. Finally, Ysabelle had the resources to hold a concert, and she had been practicing day and night for it. She wasn¡¯t an idol who had to dance and sing at the same time, but she had to practice regardless. Tristan and Sophie dropped by to visit and saw her discussing with her team about the concert. She had really grown as a person and was now a maturedy who knew what she wanted. She was from the Lombard family, after all. Her high intelligence shone through as she clearly and definitively exined her ideas to her team. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Ms. Lombard! We know exactly what you want. We won¡¯t let you down.¡± Ysabelle wanted every audience member to feel refreshed and excited at the concert. After all, she appreciated everything that had led up to this moment and wanted to truly cherish it. ¡°Ms. Lombard, Ms. Sophie and Mr. Tristan are here to see you.¡± Ysabelle turned back and saw Sophie and Tristan standing there like her assistant had said. They truly were a match made in heaven. Even Ysabelle, who was part of the entertainment industry, had rarely seen anyone as beautiful as Sophie. Sometimes she couldn¡¯t help but wonder how someone as beautiful as Sophie could truly exist. Every time she walked into the room, every other woman would pale inparison. Today, she was dressed in a red sweater with a long white padded jacket over it, while Tristan was dressed the same. The two of them looked like walking advertisements for whatever clothes they were wearing, and everyone in the room couldn¡¯t help but stop and stare. They were outshining even her, a renowned celebrity. She jogged over so she could talk to them. ¡°I thought you guys were super busy recently! How¡¯d you find the time toe and visit?¡± Despite her yful reprimand, she was more than happy to see them drop by. ¡°Sophie, see? I kept my promise!¡± Ysabelle said proudly. She promised her fans that she would hold a concert before Christmas, and she was finally going through with it. ¡°Good job, Ysabelle. As expected, you wouldn¡¯t have let anyone down. I know it¡¯s been hard for you the past year, and I¡¯m so proud of you,¡± Sophie said as she handed her a milkshake. ¡°Here you go! This is my reward for all your hard work.¡± ¡°Come on, isn¡¯t this a little bit too stingy of you? Look at how hard I¡¯m practicing even now! Aren¡¯t you going to give me something a little more impressive?¡± ¡°All right, what do you want?¡± As long as Sophie could make it happen, she would. She would never hesitate to give Ysabelle what she wanted. ¡°I don¡¯t know, actually. I¡¯ll tell you when I do, though! No matter how busy you are, you muste and watch, okay? I¡¯ll be mad if you don¡¯t.¡± ¡°Of course, I¡¯lle. Don¡¯t worry.¡± Sophie wouldn¡¯t miss Ysabelle¡¯s concert for the world. ¡°What about Felix? Hasn¡¯t he been visiting you?¡± Tristan asked. Felix had vowed to be the best boyfriend ever, so why wasn¡¯t he here with her? ¡°He¡¯s busy! Allpanies are busy around this time of year anyway. He doesn¡¯t have as much time for me right now.¡± Still, Felix would grab every opportunity he had toe and visit, so she was perfectly fine with his schedule. ¡°Since when did you be so reasonable?¡± Someone in Ysabelle¡¯s position had every right to throw tantrums. However, ever since she started dating Felix, she had be much more reasonable and mature. Love truly could change people for the better. ¡°There¡¯s something I want to ask you. I can¡¯t really decide on this. Could you help me take a look?¡± The opening of a concert was extremely important, after all, and Ysabelle was hesitant because she wanted it to be perfect. Sophie walked off with Ysabelle to look at the stage design and offered a couple of new ideas. Her ideas gave Ysabelle even more insight into the problem, and she managed to find a solution. Since the end of the year was approaching, a lot of Transfix Cosmetics staff members were ready to go back to their hometowns. This year, Sophie had bought train tickets for them all and had even given each of them arge bonus before the holidays. Everyone working in Transfix Cosmetics was having the time of their lives working under Sophie. Every time her name was mentioned, all of them immediately gushed in gratitude. Sophie stepped into Transfix Cosmetics and spotted some workers who hadn¡¯t gone home yet. Either Jipsdale was already their hometown, or they simply didn¡¯t have that many rtives to visit back home. They all greeted Sophie with a bright smile on their faces. Even Wilma was still working as hard as ever despite being pregnant. She only stopped once she caught sight of Sophie. ¡°What are you doing here, Ms. Sophie?¡± Wilma asked with a bright smile on her face. She had been doing very well recently. Everyone around her could tell that her happiness was trulying from within. ¡°Hey, you have to start taking it easy. Being pregnant is hard! Ask Wendy to help if you need it.¡± Wendy was truly growing in front of their very eyes. Now, she could be trusted with a task all on her own. ¡°I know. Don¡¯t worry. I know my limits. I can keep going. Besides, I love this job. It makes me happy just being here.¡± Belongs to ? n0velDrama.Org. She didn¡¯t feel tired in the slightest since she truly loved her job. ¡°By the way, I brought some extra gifts for those who stayed behind. Here are some tickets for Ysabelle¡¯s concert. Just hand them out to whoever wants them.¡± Chapter 758 Chapter 758 ¡°Ms. Sophie, you¡¯re the best. Some girls in the office have been talking about Ms. Lombard¡¯s concert in thest couple of days!¡± Thedies were fans of Ysabelle¡¯s songs. Though they were thrilled when they learned she would be holding a concert, all the tickets were sold out before they could purchase one. Sophie hummed in response. ¡°That¡¯s why I came to check on you. If there¡¯s nothing else, I¡¯ll head to Tanner Group now. And don¡¯t forget, if you need help, reach out to Mr. White. He¡¯ll know what to do.¡± Although Sophie¡¯s busy schedule sometimes made it difficult for her to be avable when needed, she remainedmitted to supporting and protecting Wilma and the rest. ¡°Got it, Ms. Sophie. Transfix Cosmetics is thriving, so you need not worry. Everything will be fine,¡± assured Wilma with confidence. She would work harder than before now that she was a shareholder of Transfix Cosmetics. After sending Sophie out, Wilma started distributing the concert tickets. As soon as the girls noticed the tickets on their desks, their jaws dropped. ¡°Oh, my goodness! Are these VIP seats for real? Am I not dreaming? Pinch me, Ms. Lineker! Pinch me!¡± That employee had stayed up all night in front of herputer, hoping to purchase a ticket during the sale, but unfortunately, she was unsessful. When unexpectedly given a premium seat, she could not contain her excitement. ¡°These tickets are from Ms. Sophie. You should know she¡¯d always give you the best!¡± Wilma exined. Ms. Sophie is the most generous person ever! Thanks to her generous nature, her employees were motivated to go the extra mile and work diligently. ¡°Got it, Ms. Lineker. Don¡¯t worry; we¡¯ll give our very best and work harder next year,¡± assured one of the girls. Each of them understood the importance of reciprocating kindness. Since Sophie showered them with kindness, they would show their appreciation by repaying her in the best way possible. The foundation of every rtionship resides in the reciprocity between individuals. When someone shows you kindness, it¡¯s only appropriate to respond with the same level of kindness. After all, reciprocity is a fundamental part of being a decent human being, right? As Sophie arrived at Tanner Group, Victor was already deeply engrossed in solving the issue rted to employee bonuses. Thepany¡¯s business had doubled, and this sess was owed to Sophie¡¯s exceptional leadership. She entered the building when he was just about to call her. ¡°Ms. Sophie, could you take a look at the bonus distribution n? I¡¯ll proceed with the distribution if you¡¯re fine with the arrangement,¡± Victor said. He was all smiles because he knew he had made the right decision to follow Sophie¡¯s lead as his boss. After ncing through the figures, Sophie bobbed her head in acknowledgment. She could always count on Victor to handle things without her intervention. ¡°That looks good. Let¡¯s distribute the bonuses ording to this n! Tell the financial manager to expedite the process. We must give out the bonus before year-end,¡± she uttered. Every employee in thepany had put in a great deal of effort over the past year. With the cost of living on the rise and the New Year around the corner, these bonuses will surely relieve their financial burden. ¡°All right. I¡¯ll get him to work on it right away,¡± Victor responded. Tanner Group¡¯s year-end bonus used to be distributed after the New Year and was never in such a large amount. Victor called his secretary over, gave him the budget, and asked him to deliver it to the finance department. ¡°Remember to tell them to go to the bank today. They must release the year-end bonus to all employees before they get off work.¡± Belongs to ? n0velDrama.Org. After seeing the amount of his year-end bonus, the secretary¡¯s face lit up with a beaming smile. Ordinary folks could find happiness in the simplest of things. To them, nothing couldpare to having money in their bank ounts. That was the most satisfying and secure feeling. As the secretary left, his co-workers, who noticed how happy he looked, could not help but ask, ¡°What¡¯s with that smile? Did you hit the jackpot or something?¡± ¡°Yes, something good did happen, but not just to me. You guys will receive the good news soon,¡± he answered. The secretary immediately went to the finance department, delivered the budget to the manager, and told him Victor¡¯s instructions. After doing a final check on the n, the financial manager immediately went to the bank. All the employers in the finance department were grinning from ear to ear when they saw the bonus they would be receiving. At the general manager¡¯s office, Victor poured Sophie a cup of coffee. ¡°I had someone bring this coffee back from Anndur. I¡¯m not sure if you¡¯ll like it, but give it a try. If you like it, I¡¯ll get someone to send some to you.¡± Sophie shook her head in response. ¡°It¡¯s all right. You can keep it. I¡¯m not a big fan of coffee.¡± She had always avoided drinking coffee as she was a light sleeper. Although her sleep quality had improved significantly since she started dating Tristan, she still had no fondness for coffee. ¡°All right then,¡± he said. ¡°Ms. Sophie, we¡¯ve achieved tremendous sess this year, far surpassing the initial sess of Whitley Group. Truly, there¡¯s nothing we cannot achieve as long as we keep our eyes fixed on our goals.¡± In addition to having clear goals, Sophie, the invincible strategist of Tanner Group, yed a vital role in thepany¡¯s sess. She was capable of resolving any issue, no matter how big it was. ¡°Yes. We did well this year, but we must work harder next year. You should know I¡¯ve bigger dreams for thispany,¡± Sophie uttered. With Tanner Group now in her hands, she was determined to make it thrive. I want to put Grandpa¡¯s mind to rest. ¡°Well, Ms. Sophie, I¡¯ll follow your lead, no matter what you say or do,¡± Victor pledged his loyalty. Sophie hummed in acknowledgment. ¡°Keep up the good work! I¡¯ve already sent the next year¡¯s development n to your email. Please take the time to review it, and if you have any questions, feel free to call me.¡± She was never a procrastinator. If she had set her mind on achieving something, nothing could stop her from seeding. People with high intelligence would always be capable of learning and excelling in any area they chose if they were willing to put in the effort. ¡°That¡¯s fast, Ms. Sophie.¡± Victor, who had yet toplete his year-end report, was surprised that she had already devised a n for next year. That was what set a leader and a follower apart. ¡°Take a good look at the n. We¡¯ll attempt something ambitious next year.¡± Sophie had a clear vision for Tanner Group ever since she took the helm of thepany. ¡°Got it!¡± Victor replied. Tanner Group¡¯s employees had started receiving their year-end bonuses in the afternoon. Upon receiving their bonuses, many employees could not believe their eyes at the amount they had received. Some even checked the number of zeros in their bank ount several times, with one employee eximing, ¡°My eyes are not ying a trick on me, right? Can you take a look at the amount in my ount? Did they make a mistake? I¡¯m not returning the money to thepany, even if the management made a mistake. I don¡¯t care! I¡¯ve worked here for years, and this is the first time I received such a big, fat bonus!¡± The person beside him, too, reacted the same way, wondering if thepany messed up the figures. Most of the employees had the same feelings. After regaining theirposure, they realized the substantial bonus they received was correct. It seems like we are wealthy now! Chapter 759 Chapter 759 The next day, it was the annual party of Tanner Group. Since it was the first time thepany was hosting an annual party, Victor regarded it with great importance. Tanner Group performed outstandingly that year. Anyone in Jipsdale would give a thumbs-up whenever they heard about Tanner Group. The annual party was being held in the ballroom at the Tanner Group office. The ballroom wasrge enough to amodate more than two thousand guests. In order to spice things up, Victor invited a number of celebrities! Hence, the crowd got excited when the celebrities arrived at the event. Even The Wheelers were there. The party reached its peak when the band arrived. It was normal for majorpanies to invite celebrities to their annual parties. As long as one had money, one would be able to invite anybody to their function. As for the Wheelers, they were the hottest rock band in the whole of Aploth! As such, nobody expected The Wheelers to attend the party at Tanner Group. The band even performed three songs, and they were all the greatest hits of that year. The atmosphere of the party was great, and all the employees of Tanner Group joined in with the singing. Soon, Victor arrived with Sophie. The moment Sophie arrived, everyone got up on their feet. They could not believe that under the leadership of ady in her twenties, they were able to have year- end bonuses that were higher than their annual sries. A leader like Sophie indeed deserved their admiration and respect. By the time Sophie and Victor arrived, The Wheelers had finished their performance. ¡°Thank you! Thank you for your love and support for The Wheelers! Let¡¯s move forward together toward a better future. I believe that both Tanner Group and The Wheelers will do even better because we have the same supporter! And that¡¯s Sophie!¡± With Sophie around, all of them would definitely be better. The moment Mark finished speaking, thunderous apuse broke out. Victor, who had been listening, couldn¡¯t help but nod. What Mark said was true. As long as Sophie was around, their future could only get better. He began to apuse too. Victor then walked up to the stage and gave an emotional speech. He was not usually a sentimental person. However, when he recalled the things that had happened to Tanner Group in the past year, he could not help but be emotional. Atst, it was Sophie¡¯s turn to go up on stage. She was all smiles as she stood in front of the microphone stand. ¡°I want to thank all of you for your support for Tanner Group for the past year. Despite whatever has happened, none of you gave up on thepany. Because of that, we will continue to work hard and bring Tanner Group to greater heights in the future. When thepany does well, so will everyone! I¡¯m sure everyone is very satisfied with your year-end bonuses. In truth, it¡¯s nothingpared to the year- end bonuses at Lombard Group. Therefore, we should work harder to catch up with them and, eventually, surpass them!¡± With that, the crowd apuded like crazy. Just then, The Wheelers came onto the stage. ¡°Sophie, it has been a long time since west performed together. Why don¡¯t we perform a song together today since everyone is in such a fantastic mood?¡± Sophie agreed, and Mark handed her the microphone. ¡°This song, ¡®Crazy¡¯ is for all of you. I hope you like it!¡± The crowd went wild. Oh my goodness! Belongs to ? n0velDrama.Org. No one expected Sophie to be so capable! She seemed to be good in everything. The moment Sophie sang, everyone was impressed by her regardless of their gender. Soon, all of them forgot about Sophie¡¯s rumors. Right now, Sophie was invincible to them. It had been a long time since shest performed with The Wheelers. Even though she was only performing one song with them this time around, she was very happy about it. Toward the end of the song, she began to dance with the five members of The Wheelers. Some of them in the crowd had been to The Wheelers¡¯ concert. In fact, they had been to both of their concerts. ¡°Oh my goodness! Why do I feel as though Ms. Sophie is actually Tanner?¡± ¡°Now that you have mentioned it, I think so too. Her presence is formidable!¡± The annual party became so lively because of Sophie. At the end of the party, there was a lucky draw. The employee who won the first prize won a house that was over a hundred square meters. There were some people who could never afford a house in a big city like Jipsdale. Therefore, the employee who won the house cried as he walked up the stage. When the host handed him the microphone, he began to babble incoherently. ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­ I got too excited¡­ I thought I would never own my own house in this lifetime. As we all know, the properties in Jipsdale are very expensive. As for me, I don¡¯te from a wealthy family. My parents are farmers. When I first came to this city, I thought I could find my footing and have my own house here. I don¡¯t need a big house. Something moderate will be more than enough. Yet, I have been unable to fulfill this small dream of mine. Today, Tanner Group has fulfilled my dream for me. Because of Tanner Group, I now have a house of my own.¡± Everyone else was so envious of that employee and his good luck. What he said was true. All of them worked so hard so that they could find their footing in that city. Yet, once they managed to gather enough money for the down payment, they would have to work harder and be more cautious at work. Otherwise, they might lose their jobs. When that happened, they would not be able to pay the housing mortgage or even live a decent life. That young man was very fortunate to get what everyone else could only wish for. ¡°Ms. Sophie, the first prize must have cost a lot!¡± Victor was still feeling the heartache, but Sophie smiled. ¡°That¡¯s true. But look at him. He looks so happy! This way, the rest of the employees will work harder next year!¡± As long as Tanner Group had money, the benefits of the employees would not be overlooked. Sophie was not a stingy person. She was willing to invest in anyone who was valuable. ¡°If you put it that way, I think it¡¯s okay, then!¡± Victor was equally pleased because he had earned quite a bit that year too. ¡°Ms. Sophie, I have earned so much money because of you. Why don¡¯t I give you a treat? I wonder¡ª¡± ¡°Sure. We can do it on another day. Today, I want to spend time with all my employees.¡± Now was not the time to leave. ¡°Okay!¡± For dinner that night, Victor had arranged for them to go to a famous restaurant in Jipsdale. He booked the entire restaurant even though it cost a lot. After working with Sophie for two years, he had also be very generous. He knew that the young people loved that restaurant, and that was why he reserved the entire ce. Chapter 760 Chapter 760 All the employees at Tanner Group were extremely pleased with how the annual party went that year, forpared to previous years¡ªwhen thepany had been tight with money over annual parties¡ª that year¡¯s event had a huge budget. Because of that, many employees posted photos of the event on Instagram, and some shared pictures of the banquet they had on social media, making Tanner Group even more popr. Thepany was perhaps the only one among its counterparts to turn an annual party into a concert. During the banquet, Sophie did not talk much but instead sat quietly, enjoying the meal while Victor remained beside her to tend to her needs. ¡°What do you think about this ce, Ms. Sophie?¡± Victor inquired, worried that she would not feel at ease eating at that ce, especially when there were so many people around. ¡°I think it¡¯s pretty nice. We can do this every year as long as the employees are happy with it.¡± Sophie did not mind spending money if that was what everyone enjoyed. ¡°Sure.¡± By the time dinner ended, it was already eight thirty. After that, Victor was bringing the rest of the employees to a karaoke lounge, but Sophie did not join them since she was not a fan of such asions. ¡°Are you really noting with us, Ms. Sophie?¡± Victor felt it was a shame that Sophie was giving it a pass since everyone was in a good mood that day. ¡°I¡¯ll pass. I still have other things to do. Don¡¯t worry about the bill. I¡¯ll pay for it, so go and have fun,¡± Sophie said with a smile. All she wanted was for everyone to have a great time. N?velDrama.Org ? content. ¡°What are you talking about, Ms. Sophie? It¡¯s just karaoke. I can afford to treat them. Don¡¯t worry about it. Just focus on what you have to do.¡± Victor was sure that he could take care of the rest. ¡°All right, then. I¡¯ll make a move first.¡± Under everyone¡¯s gazes, Sophie left with The Wheelers, heading to their condominium with them. ¡°It¡¯s almost Christmas. I asked Jonathan not to arrange any event so you guys can rest well. You all have worked so hard the entire year. It¡¯s time to take a break.¡± Unlike robots, humans could get burnt out, so getting enough rest was essential. ¡°That¡¯s so nice of you, Sophie,¡± Sunny answered happily right away. Indeed, he had been feeling drained recently and thought he could really use some rest. ¡°But Ysabelle¡¯s concert is tomorrow, so try to make it if you guys have time,¡± reminded Sophie. Given how much Ysabelle adored The Wheelers, she would definitely be ted if they attended her concert. ¡°Of course. We will surely go to her concert. She¡¯s a good singer.¡± All the bandmates had high hopes for Ysabelle. ¡°By the way, Sophie, how¡¯s your leg? I hope everything is okay now,¡± Mark asked while everyone was chatting in the living room. ¡°I¡¯m good. Don¡¯t worry about it. I¡¯ve recovered.¡± Sophie¡¯s leg waspletely fine at that point. ¡°Good to know.¡± It did not matter to him that Sophie could not reciprocate his feelings for her, for all he ever wanted was for Sophie to be safe and sound. When Tristan arrived that night to pick her up, he entered the residence and greeted everyone. At present, the five members of The Wheelers had warmed up to Tristan, but they still did not know how to spark a conversation with him, so Tristan simply said hello and left with Sophie. ¡°I heard the annual party was a sess,¡± said Tristan, who had already received the news from his men. By then, Tanner Group¡¯s annual party had shot to fame on Twitter as one of the trending searches. Sophie leaned back against the seat with a smile. ¡°It was not bad. Everyone has worked hard over the year, so I shouldn¡¯t be stingy when ites to rewarding them, but of course, what I did is still nothingpared to Lombard Group.¡± There was no way Tanner Group could outdo thergest corporation in Chanaea in that short of a time. With a hand still holding on to the steering wheel, Tristan reached out to hold Sophie¡¯s hand. ¡°Are you trying to say you want to surpass Lombard Group one day?¡± What an ambitious woman! ¡°Yes. Why? Can¡¯t I do that? Do you doubt me?¡± Sophie asked, smiling. ¡°No way. You¡¯re an incredible woman. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll be able to achieve whatever you set your heart to do.¡± Here, he smiled and continued, ¡°But I hope you don¡¯t spend too much time on yourpany. I¡¯d rather you spend time with me.¡± One only had a limited amount of time and energy, so if Sophie focused on Tanner Group, she would naturally have less time for Tristan. ¡°All right,¡± Sophie agreed obediently. Outside, the snow fell heavily again as it did many other times that year. It was freezing cold, but with Tristan by her side, Sophie felt warm and secure. ¡°By the way, Dad invited you over for Christmas. Do you think you can make it?¡± People like Yale and Charmaine are only concerned about their own interests. They are not genuine toward Sophie, so I suppose there is no point in her spending Christmas with them. ¡°I don¡¯t think I can. I¡¯m going back to the Tanner residence this time.¡± This is the first Christmas after Grandpa passed on. He had always wanted the family to be together during Christmas. I can¡¯t just go elsewhere to celebrate right after he left. I should go home. Knowing how much she cared about her grandpa, Tristan understood her decision of returning to the Tanner residence for Christmas. Once Sophie made up her mind, she called the butler, who then informed Charmaine about the arrangement. ¡°Mrs. Tanner, Ms. Sophie said she would be home for Christmas, so I think we should do some shopping tomorrow for the festival. After all, we haven¡¯t bought anything.¡± ¡°Well, she¡¯s not an outsider. There is no need to make such borate preparation,¡± Charmaine replied nonchntly. To her, it was only a Christmas meal, so going to great lengths to prepare for it was unnecessary. However, it just so happened that Yale overheard the conversation when he came downstairs. He passed a card to the butler, chiming in, ¡°Get whatever is needed for Christmas, Morgan. You don¡¯t have to keep asking her for permission. Ms. Sophie is returning, so ensure you have everything prepared.¡± With Tanner Group thriving, Yale received a handsome amount of dividends. In fact, he was starting to wonder if he was really incapable of managing thepany. After all, he could pass the baton to someone else and still receive enough dividends for afortable life. Charmaine could not help but roll her eyes when she saw him behaving that way. ¡°Yale Tanner, do you really think she will let go of Tanner Group after she marries Tristan?¡± ¡°For real, Charmaine? The Tanner family has never mistreated you in any way, so choose for yourself: you can either mind your own business and keep your status as Mrs. Tanner in the family or leave.¡± Yale¡¯s heart was already elsewhere. He had totally lost interest in Charmaine, who was nothing close to his beautiful, gentle, and romantic mistress. Chapter 761 Chapter 761 In the past, Charmaine would be affected by Yale¡¯s cruel words, but at present, she no longer cared. ¡°Ha, Yale! You¡¯re so pathetic.¡± Charmaine scoffed disdainfully. ¡°You¡¯re right. That¡¯s who I am. I hope you¡¯ve not forgotten that you¡¯re the one who begged me to marry you back then. But now, you despise me. I wonder if you were blind when you first wanted to marry me.¡± Seeing how nonsensical Charmaine had gotten, Yale ignored her and spoke to the butler instead. ¡°Morgan, we¡¯re not short of money, so get whatever is needed for Christmas. Give me a call when Ms. Sophie arrives. I¡¯lle over immediately.¡± Refusing to stick around and deal with Charmaine¡¯s temper, Yale left instantly, leaving the woman on the couch. Charmaine sat there and fumed. He¡¯s right! I must be blindst time to fall for a man like him! ¡°Calm down, Mrs. Tanner. Every man would love their woman to talk to them tenderly. If you keep this up, you¡¯ll only end up pushing him further away.¡± Women in today¡¯s society were not at all concerned about a man¡¯s age and would readily open their legs for any man as long as they were wealthy enough. ¡°Hmph. I¡¯ve lost him to someone else a long time ago. Anyway, just go and buy whatever you deem fit.¡± With that said, Charmaine went upstairs, not at all interested in continuing the conversation. Behind her, the butler shook his head helplessly. The Tanner family fell apart ever since Josiah passed away. The ce no longer felt like home. Soon, Ysabelle¡¯s concert was held on time. There were more than ten costumes used for her stage performance¡ªall branded and expensive. It went without saying that Felix funded her outfits, and it was undeniable that he indulged her like a father would his own daughter. At night, everyone gathered at the stadium to have dinner with Ysabelle. As per Felix¡¯s arrangement, all the food for the crew was catered and delivered by The Crown, which meant the dishes tasted splendid. N?velDrama.Org ? content. Due to Felix¡¯s wealth and generosity, he was like the crew¡¯s lucky star, so the crew members greeted him warmly upon seeing him. They knew their lives would only change for the better as long as Ysabelle was dating Felix. The man opened a box of pasta for Ysabelle and proceeded to unwrap a single-use fork for her. ¡°You should eat more. These are all your favorite foods.¡± He had specially requested that The Crown prepare those dishes for her, but Ysabelle shook her head. ¡°I can¡¯t eat anymore. One of the dresses is a little tight on me. I¡¯m afraid it won¡¯t fit anymore if I keep eating.¡± Ysabelle would never admit that she had gained weight, so she insisted that the dress was the wrong size. Frowning, Felix answered, ¡°It¡¯s not your problem. You¡¯re so slim. You should eat all you want. I¡¯ll get someone to send another dresster.¡± It¡¯s just a dress. How can she refuse to eat just because of a dress? ¡°Do you really think so?¡± Did I gain weight? My size has always been S. Why does it feel tight on me? Felix quickly shook his head. ¡°I¡¯m absolutely sure it has nothing to do with you. It¡¯s the dress,¡± Felix assured her. As Ysabelle took the food from Felix, her assistant wanted to remind her that she had indeed gained some weighttely, but as soon as the assistant met Felix¡¯s gaze, she kept her mouth shut. I should just let this slide. After all, Ysabelle¡¯s a singer. It doesn¡¯t matter if she puts on weight. It¡¯s her voice that matters. She¡¯s talented, anyway. Sophie, who saw everything unfold from the side, chuckled at the sight. Well, she did gain weight, but it¡¯s okay. She is cuter now. Besides, her face is still as pretty as always. ¡°Sophie! You¡¯re here! Look at me. Do you think I gained weight?¡± Ysabelle was still bothered. I¡¯ve been busy practicingtely. How could I gain weight? ¡°No, you didn¡¯t. I think you look just fine.¡± Everyone was lenient toward Ysabelle¡ªincluding TS Entertainment¡¯s boss herself. Sophie did not see anything wrong with Ysabelle gaining weight. ¡°See? Even Sophie agrees with me. Do you believe me now?¡± Felix had finally found an ally. Knowing how tired Ysabelle was, he figured there was no way her body could take it if she did not eat properly. ¡°All right then. The food looks delicious.¡± After getting confirmation from everyone, Ysabelle stopped doubting herself and dug in. By the time The Wheelers arrived, she had already finished a whole box of pasta. When Sunny saw this, hemented, ¡°Ysabelle! Have you forgotten that you¡¯re a singer? You should stop eating! You must have put on about five and a half pounds!¡± Clueless as he was, Sunny failed toprehend Felix¡¯s warning re. Ysabelle instantly regretted eating and stood up before turning in a circle before everybody. ¡°Five and a half pounds?¡± She was on the verge of crying because that amount was equivalent to a huge b of meat. I can¡¯t ept the fact that an extra five-and-a-half pounds of flesh has grown on me! ¡°You lied to me, Sophie¡­¡± Sophie shook her head, denying, ¡°I didn¡¯t!¡± Ysabelle turned to look at her assistant. ¡°Bring me a weighing scale.¡± The assistant was stumped, for there was no way she could find a weighing scale in the middle of a stadium. Seeing this, Sophie went over and patted Ysabelle¡¯s cheeks. ¡°Come on. All this can wait. It¡¯s time you make some final preparations. You¡¯ve been looking forward to this concert, haven¡¯t you?¡± Ysabelle pouted and replied, ¡°Okay!¡± ¡°Besides, you still look good even with the extra flesh on you.¡± Does that mean I¡¯ve really gained weight? ¡°Are you sure I still look good?¡± Ysabelle was starting to lose her confidence. She had been excited about the concert for a long time, so gaining weight was thest thing she wanted to happen. ¡°There¡¯s nothing to worry about. Even if you¡¯ve put on weight, you¡¯re still the best-looking Ysabelle,¡± Sophieforted. ¡°All right!¡± With that said, Ysabelle went to prepare herself before the concert. While walking away with the assistant, she added, ¡°Make sure you remind me the next time you realize I gain weight, okay?¡± At the end of the day, Ysabelle was still very mindful of her body weight. As a celebrity, she had to maintain her body image. How could I gain weight? This is totally uneptable! ¡°Noted,¡± the assistant replied. She actually wanted to tell Ysabelle the truth earlier on, but with Felix around, there was no way she could bring herself to do that. Meanwhile, everyone broke outughing behind them. ¡°Sunny, let¡¯s take this outside!¡± Felix called out at Sunny. I can¡¯t believe this guy! How dare he say that my girlfriend has put on weight? That¡¯s how I like her! What¡¯s wrong with that? In response, Sunny hid behind Sophie, seeking protection. ¡°Sophie, he¡¯sing at me!¡± His ego was thest thing on his mind, for all Sunny needed at that time was someone to protect him. He was certain that as long as Sophie got his back, no one present would dare toy a finger on him. ¡°Just forgive him, Mr. Northley. He¡¯s a child, after all.¡± Sunny was instantly displeased. ¡°Hey, Sophie! If I remember correctly, I¡¯m a few years older than you! How could you say that?¡± ¡°I mean to say you have the IQ of a child,¡± Sophie answered calmly. Chapter 762 Chapter 762 Sunny was offended by her remark. He didn¡¯t feel that he wascking in intelligence. Instead, he saw himself as someone smart. ¡°Sophie, my results are pretty good now. I think I¡¯ll have no problem getting into a decent university. I¡¯m serious. I feel that our lives will continue to change for the better,¡± said Sunny earnestly. Compared to the past when his future was bleak, everything was now moving in the right direction. ¡°I¡¯m sure of it.¡± Mark, too, was extremely grateful to Sophie for all that she had done. ¡°All right now, it¡¯s about time we go to our seats!¡± Ysabelle was born with beautiful features, exuded a natural charm, and had a stunning figure. Hence, the designer outfit Felix had prepared for her further entuated her qualities. The moment she appeared on stage, the fans screamed hysterically. She¡¯s like an angel from heaven! I can¡¯t believe someone so pretty actually exists! Ysabelle¡¯s first costume was a light purple chiffon dress with a long train that made her figure look even more slender. With the music ying in the background, she gradually descended from the sky above with her dress billowing in the air. Thereafter, her gentle yet melodious voice echoed through the venue. She was able to captivate her audience without the need to scream into her microphone. From the moment Ysabelle emerged, Felix gaped at her as he couldn¡¯t take his eyes off her. Despite having seen her try out her costume previously, he was still mesmerized by the sight of her floating down from above. As for the rest of her fans, they couldn¡¯t help but be filled with awe. ¡°Oh my God! That¡¯s my dream wife!¡± ¡°Who do you think you are? Have you seen yourself in the mirror? You¡¯re not worthy of her at all. She¡¯s clearly mine!¡± ¡°Both of you should move aside. I¡¯m the one whom she truly belongs to!¡± ¡°Can you all shut up? We¡¯re here to enjoy her concert, not listen to you lot arguing.¡± Verily, Ysabelle had be the focal point of everyone¡¯s attention the instant she descended from the sky. While admiring the scene, Felix was worried for her safety, as the swing she was on was suspended by only wires. ¡°Is the swing safe?¡± Felix asked in a concerned tone. Sophie was at a loss for words. She knew that Felix was meticulous when it came to matters regarding Ysabelle, but worrying over the swing was unnecessary. After all, it had been checked and tested many times to prove that it could support a few hundred pounds in weight. Moreover, Ysabelle didn¡¯t even weigh more than a hundred pounds. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. It will be fine.¡± Can¡¯t you just enjoy the concert? Why must you ask such a scary question? ¡°Okay.¡± Tristan held Sophie¡¯s hand abruptly. ¡°Ignore that idiot. He throws reason out the window when ites to anything rted to Ysabelle.¡± Felix didn¡¯t mind Tristan¡¯s contemptuousment about him at all. My concerns are valid, all right? Didn¡¯t we read about actors falling off their wires in the news before? Besides, if it were Sophie sitting up there instead of Ysabelle, you would be equally anxious. Meanwhile, Ysabelle belted out one song after another. As singing was her passion, she gave her all throughout the entire concert. Beyond her exceptional voice, her constant costume changes made the event a feast for the senses. ¡°I can¡¯t believe how good her voice is! Also, the costume designs blow my mind!¡± ¡°Exactly! Our idol is not to be underestimated!¡± ¡°She must have found a rich boyfriend! I don¡¯t think TS Entertainment has the capability to organize a concert of such a scale.¡± ¡°D*mn it, how can you look down upon TS Entertainment? Do you know how popr they are right now? Not only do they have Cecelia Lance and The Wheelers in their stable, but they also have our idol, Ysabelle. On top of that, thepany made huge profitsst year!¡± There¡¯s no reason to underestimate them at all! ¡°Can you guys keep it down?¡± Felix, admiring his girlfriend¡¯s performance, was naturally upset with the incessant chatter behind him. ¡°Who do you think you are? What right do you have to police us? We can do whatever we want, as we paid for our tickets too.¡± What¡¯s wrong with this guy? ¡°In that case, would you get out of here if I refunded your tickets?¡± Felix questioned arrogantly, for money was one thing he was never short of. They should just disappear from his sight since they upset him. ¡°Felix, that¡¯s enough.¡± No matter what, they are still Ysabelle¡¯s fans. With that, Felix let the matter slide on Sophie¡¯s ount. What¡¯s wrong with them? Do they actually think they¡¯re worthy of being Ysabelle¡¯s husband? They should look at themselves in the mirror first! D*mn it. This is the problem with Ysabelle being a celebrity. Back on stage, Ysabelle had reemerged afterpleting another costume change. She looked exceptionally dazzling on that very night. Previously, Ysabelle was still a budding rose. Now that she was in full bloom, her beauty intoxicated everyone who set eyes on her. Meanwhile, William and Lincoln were also at the concert. The sight of his beautiful daughter on stage brought Lincoln a sense of pride. Although he had objected vehemently to her decision in the past, watching her performing on stage happily was enough to gratify him. Truth be told, he would have supported her regardless of her decision. Although it was not going to be easy being a celebrity, he felt that it was worth it as long as she was happy. ¡°Dad, I¡¯ve never imagined that my daughter would have such a glorious moment,¡± Lincoln said emotionally. ¡°Me too! Ysabelle is all grown up now, while age has caught up to me.¡± I can still remember how little Ysabelle was back then! And now, she has be an adult. ¡°What are you talking about, Dad? You¡¯re not old at all.¡± Lincoln poured a cup of coffee for his father. Sophie had arranged for a private room for them which had an excellent view of the concert. William subsequently took a sip of coffee. ¡°You¡¯ve all left me after growing up!¡± he thenmented. If only they could grow up slower. That way, I¡¯ll get to spend more time with them. Belongs to ? n0velDrama.Org. ¡°Dad, we have always taken time out to visit you every week despite our busy schedules.¡± Lincoln was cognizant that his father, just like other elderly folks, needed reassurance once in a while. ¡°I know.¡± At that moment, even though the concert had only reached its midpoint at slightly past ten, it was already past William¡¯s bedtime. ¡°Dad, shall I get the driver to send you home? You should get some rest, as it¡¯s alreadyte,¡± said Lincoln. The journey from the venue back to the mansion would take one hour. ¡°I feel like staying a little longer.¡± Since his entire family was there, William was reluctant to leave. Chapter 763 Chapter 763 It¡¯s just like what Lincoln had said. Ysabelle must be delighted right now to have finally achieved sess. All of a sudden, William felt a sense of difort. Wondering if it was due to sitting too long, he figured that he should get up to stretch. However, the moment he did, he dropped to his knees abruptly. Shocked by the sudden turn of events, Lincoln sprang to his feet to help William back up onto the couch. ¡°Dad, what¡¯s wrong? Are you feeling unwell?¡± How did this suddenly happen? William was unable to say a word as his heart palpitated furiously. ¡°Dad, don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll send you to the hospital right away. Everything will be fine.¡± Lincoln¡¯s heart sank. Just as he was about to call for the ambnce, William stopped him. ¡°Don¡¯t call for the ambnce. Ysabelle mustn¡¯t know. I don¡¯t want to spoil her big day.¡± As he was there to provide her with moral support, he didn¡¯t want to ruin her concert. ¡°We can¡¯t do that. Your condition is serious.¡± ¡°Sophie knows medicine. Just get her toe over.¡± He had heard a lot about Sophie¡¯s capabilities from Ysabelle. ¡°But, Dad, Sophie is just a student. How can you¡ª¡± ¡°Enough. Just do as I say. I don¡¯t want to disrupt Ysabelle¡¯s concert.¡± Everyone knew how important the event was to Ysabelle. Given how much effort she had put into her preparation, there was no way they could bring themselves to spoil it. ¡°All right. I¡¯ll send someone to get her.¡± Knowing how stubborn his father could be, Lincoln resignedly sent his driver to summon Sophie over. The moment the driver found Sophie, Tristan, who was present, immediately knew what happened. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± At William¡¯s age, health issues were unavoidable. Thus, they had no time to lose. As for the others, they didn¡¯t think much of Sophie and Tristan¡¯s departure and continued enjoying the concert. They figured that the couple would have informed them if it was something important. Upon arriving at William¡¯s private room, Sophie examined him and was relieved that it wasn¡¯t anything serious. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. It¡¯s no big deal. It¡¯s probably caused by the excitement.¡± That¡¯s why it¡¯s a bad idea for the elderly to attend concerts. ¡°Are you sure? Should we take him to the hospital?¡± Lincoln remained unconvinced. ¡°Rx, he¡¯s fine.¡± After Sophie gave William a quick massage, the color quickly returned to the old man¡¯s face. Lincoln was finally relieved after seeing that. ¡°Old Mr. Lombard, it¡¯s gettingte. I¡¯ll get someone to send you home.¡± He should get some rest. At his age, he can no longer stay upte like us youngsters. ¡°Okay.¡± After the incident, William didn¡¯t dare refuse, as Ysabelle would be devastated if anything happened to him that night. Thest thing he wanted was for her to be sad. ¡°Now that I¡¯m fine, both of you should head back. Ysabelle would be worried if all of us left together.¡± William didn¡¯t want the two to follow him home. ¡°Dad, why are you still worried about the concert in your condition?¡± Tristan was annoyed. Can¡¯t he just rest at home? Why must he insist on attending the concert at his age? ¡°Of course I¡¯m worried about Ysabelle. She¡¯s my favorite after all. That¡¯s why I don¡¯t want to see her sad.¡± All grandparents will dote on their grandchildren. It¡¯s only natural. ¡°Lincoln, please send Dad home. I¡¯ll return with Ysabelle once the concert is over.¡± This should do, right? ¡°Okay. I¡¯ll leave with Dad then.¡± Lincoln was worried that something untoward would happen if they continued to remain there. Thus, it would be prudent to get the family doctor to give William another examination once they were home. On their way home, Lincoln kept asking William how he was feeling to the extent of irritating thetter. ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you that I¡¯m fine? Why are you being so naggy? You¡¯re a grown man for goodness sake.¡± ¡°I¡¯m just worried about you. Do you know how scary it was to see you turn pale just now?¡± Why am I used of being naggy? This content is ? N?velDrama.Org. ¡°I¡¯m fine. I feel much better after Sophie¡¯s massage.¡± She does live up to her reputation as a student at the University of Medicine. ¡°Do you really not want me to call the family doctor?¡± Lincoln was still worried. No matter how good Sophie is, she¡¯s still an inexperienced student. ¡°Didn¡¯t I just tell you that I¡¯m fine?¡± There¡¯s no need to summon the family doctor at all. ¡°All right. If you feel any difort, you have to tell me right away.¡± The family doctor stays next door after all. He cane at short notice if necessary. By the time Sophie and Tristan returned to their seats, the concert had reached its climax. The Wheelers had gone on stage to present Ysabelle with flowers. However, the sight of the ecstatic Ysabelle triggered a salty sensation within Felix. I¡¯ve done so much for her, but she¡¯s never smiled so vibrantly before me! Just look at how brightly she¡¯s smiling when The Wheelers are just handing her some flowers. How outrageous! Frankly, he was jealous. Meanwhile, the fans burst into an uproar. ¡°Ah! Oh my goodness! I can¡¯t believe howpatible Ysabelle and Mark are standing side by side with each other.¡± ¡°Exactly! I might be seeing things, but is Mark looking at her affectionately?¡± ¡°Do you think they¡¯re dating in secret?¡± The relentless gossip almost overwhelmed Felix with jealousy. Nevertheless, he knew that he had no choice but to control his temper, for it was Ysabelle¡¯s concert after all. Back on stage, Ysabelle requested excitedly, ¡°My idol, can I sing a duet with you?¡± That had always been Ysabelle¡¯s dream. ¡°Of course you can. How can I bring myself to say no to someone as adorable as you?¡± Mark shed her a doting smile. Truth be told, Mark¡¯s warm attitude toward Ysabelle was because of his feelings toward Sophie. Sophie was truly fond of Ysabelle, so it was only natural that Mark was nice to her, too. Anything that was important to Sophie was just as important to him. Although the duet they were about to sing wasn¡¯t part of the program, and they had never rehearsed it before, both of them had no problems performing it on the spot as professionals. Moreover, with The Wheelers¡¯ support, they brought life to the song. Consequently, the fans were exhrated. As they had bought the concert tickets expecting to only see Ysabelle, they felt that they had gotten more of their money¡¯s worth with a bonus performance by The Wheelers. It wasn¡¯t until the concert was over and all the fans had left that Ysabelle finally rxed. Subsequently, Sophie approached her with a big bouquet of flowers. ¡°Congrattions, Ysabelle. Your concert today was a phenomenal sess. You have finally achieved everything that you wanted.¡± Sophie beamed with pride. This is the result of all the effort she had put in for the entire year. Chapter 764 Chapter 764 Ysabelle received the flowers and gave Sophie a bear hug. Despite feeling exhausted after the concert, Ysabelle was ted. ¡°My grandpa came, right? It¡¯s sote now. Has he gone home?¡± She was thrilled because everyone attended her concert that day. ¡°He¡¯s old, so he went back halfway through the concert, but he didpliment you for your outstanding skills and say he¡¯s proud of you.¡± ¡°That¡¯s great. I¡¯m so happy today, Sophie!¡± Ysabelle grinned from ear to ear. Mark and the others walked over as well. ¡°You¡¯ve matured significantly, Ysabelle, and you¡¯re now a qualified singer.¡± She had managed the pace of the concert perfectly. Mark reckoned she would be a legendary figure in the future. Ysabelle was still young, so endless possibilities were awaiting her hereafter. Ysabelle was enraptured after hearing that. ¡°Thank you.¡± Ysabelle was on cloud nine for having the chance to perform alongside her idol and be praised by thetter. That night, everyone went to have supper together. This content is ? N?velDrama.Org. Felix insisted on treating everyone, so the others took up his offer. Considering his rtionship with Ysabelle, it was only natural for him to foot the bill. Since he was going to treat such a huge party, not to mention a group consisting of so many singers, he decided to bring them to a high-ss restaurant. Under normal circumstances, the restaurant should¡¯ve been closed at such ate hour. However, Felix called to ce an advanced booking. As a result, some employees stayed back to serve them at the restaurant. The scrumptious food had already been served, so Felix and the others could dig in upon arrival. ¡°This concert is a sess because of your help. I would like to make a toast to all of you. Cheers!¡± Ysabelle, who was in a good mood, downed her drink at once. The staff members responded by saying that was their obligation. Felix had ordered his subordinates to prepare mary gifts to distribute to all the staff members. TS Entertainment had already given the staff members a considerable amount of mary gifts for organizing a concert, so the staff members were a little taken aback to receive yet another mary gift. After all, it was customary for them to work overtime in the entertainment industry, so it was nothing worth rewarding for. ¡°Please ept the gifts, everyone. Mr. Northley, I shall thank you on behalf of everyone, then,¡± said Sophie. The sum was insignificant to Felix. Moreover, the money could also raise the staff members¡¯ spirits. Everybody dly received the mary gifts since their boss had said so. Felix had also prepared a gift specially for Ysabelle. She was deeply touched by his gesture. He was just as exhausted as she wastely. Felix stayed upte with her for many nights, waiting for her to finish her rehearsals regardless of howte they ended. Naturally, she acknowledged and appreciated his efforts. ¡°Felix, thank you for always staying by my side. I love you!¡± Ysabelle announced boldly. She didn¡¯t care even if she might lose some followers after her fans knew she had a boyfriend. She wanted to dere her love to Felix no matter what. In response, he cupped her cheeks and kissed the corner of her lips. ¡°I love you too. I love you very, very much.¡± My love for her wouldst a lifetime. Taking in their sweet interaction, Tristan and Sophie silently held hands, got to their feet, and sneaked out. Sophie stretched her stiff muscles after exiting the restaurant. ¡°Let¡¯s go and visit Old Mr. Lombard.¡± She knew Tristan was still worried about William since thetter was up in years. ¡°That¡¯s not necessary. Lincoln contacted me earlier and said Dad is fine. He¡¯s asleep now, so even if we go back, we¡¯ll only disturb his rest.¡± William had always been healthy. He probably fell ill because he was too tired. ¡°I¡¯m d to hear that. You should spend more time with him whenever you¡¯re free.¡± After what happened to Tanner, Sophie genuinely felt one should spend more time with their elders when one had the chance because the future held too many uncertainties. One would never know how much time they had left with their elders. ¡°Okay. I got it.¡± That¡¯s how Dad is. He seems pitiful when I don¡¯t go back home to spend time with him. But whenever I get home, we¡¯ll start arguing again. Tristan and Sophie returned to the mansion. At that moment, Ysabelle called. Evidently, Ysabelle was high after consuming alcohol. She muttered on the other end of the line, ¡°Sophie, let me tell me. You must be careful. Uncle Tristan has been lusting after you all along. All men are jerks. You need to be very careful, do you hear me?¡± No matter what, Sophie was her best friend, so Ysabelle didn¡¯t want to see Sophie get hurt. A smile graced Sophie¡¯s lips. ¡°Sophie, why aren¡¯t you saying anything? I¡¯m talking to you. Are you annoyed by me? Do you think I¡¯m a nuisance?¡± I¡¯m indeed ipetent and would only cause endless trouble to the people around me. Is Sophie starting to hate me too? Felix wanted to stop Ysabelle from uttering those words. Unfortunately, Ysabelle was rather stubborn and aggressive when she was drunk, so he couldn¡¯t restrain her at all. ¡°That¡¯s enough, Ysabelle. You¡¯ve drunk too much. I¡¯m bringing you home now. You should get some rest!¡± Although he loved her, he couldn¡¯t help but find her drunken behavior frightening. Felix finally brought her to the car with much difficulty, but she hopped out of the car the next second, moving as agile as a monkey. ¡°Sophie, where are you now? I¡¯ll go and meet you. What do you say?¡± ¡°It¡¯s veryte now. There¡¯s no need for you toe to meet me. Just go back and get some rest.¡± Sophie believed Felix could take good care of her. Felix treated Ysabelle with utmost patience, seemingly willing to handle whatever mess she made. ¡°But I¡¯m so happy today. I don¡¯t feel like sleeping.¡± ¡°Go to a karaoke if you don¡¯t want to sleep.¡± Tristan was not going to let his girlfriend be another person¡¯s nanny, not even if that person was Ysabelle. He would never allow something like that to happen. ¡°Uncle Tristan? Felix, what should I do? I think I heard Uncle Tristan¡¯s voice. Why is Sophie hanging out with him?¡± Felix took the phone from her. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll take care of her.¡± Felix hung up the call after saying that. Seeing how drunk she was, he didn¡¯t dare to send Ysabelle back to the Lombard residence. Therefore, he could only bring her back to his mansion. However, at the thought of how bedeviling Ysabelle could be when she was drunk, Felix had a feeling that it was going to be an unpleasant night. Unfortunately, he had fallen in love with her, so he had to take good care of her no matter what. ¡°Ysabelle is drunk,¡± Sophie uttered casually. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Felix is there to care for her even if she¡¯s drunk, so you can just leave her be.¡± Felix and Ysabelle were in the honeymoon phase of their rtionship. Hence, it was understandable even if something were to happen between them. After all, they were living in the modern twenty-first century. He leaned close to her, allowing her to sense his male pheromones and masculine presence clearly. In fact, Sophie had a fatal weakness of being easily captivated by Tristan. Chapter 765 Chapter 765 ¡°Okay, I get it. Can you give me some space? With you this close, I¡¯m a little¡ª¡± However, before she could finish her sentence, her lips were assaulted by a flurry of kisses that showed that he was more than eager to make her all his. The man wanted to be the only person on her mind and hated the fact that she was always distracted by others. There was nothing Sophie could do to stop Tristan as her body wentpletely limp. She was completely defenseless against him. ¡°Stop spending so much time worrying about Ysabelle. What you should be doing is figuring out what kind of wedding you want. You only get to do this once! I don¡¯t want you to have any regrets. Do you understand?¡± questioned Tristan, who found it difficult to control himself when he saw how Sophie¡¯s lips had turned wet after his kisses. At that moment, he wanted nothing more than to make love with her right then and there. Tristan¡¯s urge was so strong that he could not think about anything else. He was convinced that no one could understand how eager and desperate he was. ¡°I think the wedding is just a process; there¡¯s really no need to spend too much time and energy on it. Anything decent will do.¡± Sophie knew they were both busy and had many things to tend to, so she did not think they should waste too much time on the wedding. However, Tristan was not happy to hear that. ¡°We only marry once in a lifetime, so how can we just make light of it? Even if our wedding isn¡¯t the most enjoyable, it has to be unforgettable.¡± There was no way Tristan would settle for a perfunctory wedding. I must give her what she deserves! ¡°Then why don¡¯t you tell me what kind of wedding you want?¡± Sophie did not expect that Tristan would care so much about the wedding. He didn¡¯t seem like someone who would fuss over such details. ¡°How do you feel about a castle? Maybe a church? Whatever you want, I¡¯ll make ite true.¡± To Tristan, Sophie¡¯s feelings were what mattered most. ¡°Ysabelle and the others think a traditional wedding is nice. Maybe we should go with that.¡± ¡°A traditional wedding? I suppose that¡¯s a pretty good choice. You¡¯ll be the most beautiful bride in the world when you put on a traditional wedding dress.¡± Tristan was sure that Sophie would look stunning no matter what she wore because she was nothing if not gorgeous. Since Sophie said she wanted a traditional wedding, Tristan approached the most well-known tailor in Jipsdale the next day because he wanted only the best for his woman. Belongs to ? n0velDrama.Org. After all, the tailor¡¯s ancestors specialized in designing traditional wedding headdresses and dresses for royals. When the tailor realized that it was Tristan who required his service, he immediately got to work. ¡°Mr. Tristan, this is mytest design; there¡¯s nothing in the world that looks like it. It¡¯ll be breathtaking when I¡¯m done with it. No, it¡¯ll be out of this world!¡± eximed the tailor with a satisfied grin. ¡°I¡¯ll take it!¡± Tristan knew that was the headdress he wanted the second heid eyes on the draft. Even though Tristan only saw the design for the headdress, he could already imagine how magnificent Sophie would look with it. ¡°I¡¯ll do my best to design the rest of the outfit to go with the headdress as soon as possible! You can let me know what you think by then, and we¡¯ll go from there,¡± stated the tailor. ¡°Sure!¡± Although the wedding was still a year away, Tristan had already begun to prepare for the traditional wedding Sophie wanted. Tristan did not think it was necessary for Sophie to worry about the preparation, for all she had to do was prepare herself to be his beautiful wife. After gazing at the traditional red wedding dresses in front of him, Tristan was even more confident that holding a traditional wedding was the right decision. With her snow-white skin, Sophie will look incredible in a traditional wedding dress. Despite the fact that it was almost Christmas and that Sophie did not have much to do at the medical association, she still woke up on time instead of sleeping in because of her impable body clock. What she did not expect was that Tristan had left the mansion early in the morning. Knowing that there was a Lombard Group annual party that evening, Sophie decided to let Tristan focus on his business. The housekeeper had already prepared breakfast when Sophie got out of bed. ¡°You were so busy before this, Ms. Tanner. Now that you finally have some time to yourself, you should have a good rest,¡± uttered the housekeeper, who thought all youngsters enjoyed sleeping in. I guess Ms. Tanner is an exception. ¡°I¡¯ve had enough rest. Where¡¯s Mr. Tristan? Where did he go this early in the morning?¡± It still feels weird to not see him around when I wake up. ¡°Mr. Tristan said he had to go out because he had matters to tend to. He instructed us to prepare breakfast for you but didn¡¯t say where he was heading.¡± ¡°Okay, I understand.¡± Sophie then read the newspaper while slowly having her breakfast. Although she did not feel like eating in the morning, she knew she could not just drink milk, so she had a piece of bread too. When the housekeeper saw that, she could not help but wonder if the meal she had prepared was not to Sophie¡¯s liking. ¡°Do you not like the breakfast we prepared for you, Ms. Tanner? If so, we can get you something else.¡± Sophie shook her head in response since she was aware that she simply did not have the appetite. ¡°You don¡¯t have to do that. It¡¯s just that I¡¯m not used to having breakfasts.¡± ¡°You can¡¯t skip breakfast, Ms. Tanner. Young people like you need to learn to take good care of your health!¡± said the housekeeper out of concern when she realized the young woman was not as aloof as she seemed. ¡°Okay.¡± Sophie was not averse to the housekeeper¡¯s concern. That was how she always treated others. Even though she seemed distant, anyone who had interacted with her knew she was easy to get along with. When Sophie was still conversing with the housekeeper, Tristan suddenly returned. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you sleep in?¡± inquired Tristan, joining the woman still in her pajamas at the dining table. ¡°I¡¯ve slept enough. Where did you go this early in the morning?¡± asked Sophie curiously. Now that Christmas is just around the corner, there shouldn¡¯t be much to do at Lombard Group. ¡°I had some matters to attend to.¡± Tristan was not ready to tell Sophie about his preparations just yet, so he joined her for breakfast instead. When Tristan got the tailor¡¯s contact information early that morning, he immediately went over. The tailor was still asleep when Tristan arrived. It could not be helped because Tristan was so excited that he refused to wait any longer. ¡°You¡¯re not hiding something from me, are you?¡± questioned Sophie while eating. Tristan smiled in amusement. ¡°Rx! I¡¯m not going to betray you in any way. I simply don¡¯t have the heart to do that.¡± She can rx. ¡°You¡¯re right.¡± Sophie did not care what Tristan was up to as long as he was happy. ¡°Get changed. We¡¯re going out!¡± After breakfast, Tristan pulled Sophie up from her chair and carried her in his arms. In turn, Sophie wrapped her arms around the man¡¯s neck. ¡°Where are we going?¡± Chapter 766 Chapter 766 He seems to be in a good mood today. But isn¡¯t Lombard Group¡¯s annual party tonight? ¡°Don¡¯t worry. It¡¯s not like I¡¯m going to sell you off. Just go and get changed,¡± Tristan said with a chuckle. ¡°All right,¡± Sophie replied. He carried her to the bed, sat her down there, then went to the walk-in closet to get her outfit. It was clear that he had already picked what she was to wear that day. Tristan has a good eye, and I trust his taste in picking an outfit for me. However, why has he already taken the time to pick what I¡¯ll wear? What on earth has he got nned? Despite her confusion, she did not ask any questions. She merely looked at the clothes heid out on the bed and said, ¡°You can go out now. How am I going to get changed if you don¡¯t leave?¡± N?velDrama.Org ? content. ¡°I¡¯ll just turn around.¡± With that, he turned so that he faced away from her but showed no intention of leaving. Hence, she had no choice but to gather the clothes in her arms and go to the walk-in closet. The closet was spacious enough for her to get dressed inside. Tristan had a hat and scarf in his hands by the time she had changed. When he saw her walk out, he immediately helped her put them on. ¡°Where are we going?¡± Sophie asked, noting that they were in matching couple outfits. For some reason, he had been very interested in matching outfits recently. ¡°We¡¯re going to Horington.¡± His reply left her dumbstruck. ¡°Isn¡¯t yourpany having its annual party tonight? Why are we going to Horington?¡± she inquired. There¡¯s nothing we need to do in Horington, and won¡¯t we be in a hurry to rush back for the annual party if we head there now? ¡°It¡¯s fine. We¡¯ll juste back tonight,¡± Tristan responded. The party takes ce every year, so even if we don¡¯t make it back in time, it doesn¡¯t matter. Besides, there are other members of senior management in thepany. It¡¯s not like I¡¯m the only one. They can get on without me, can¡¯t they? ¡°All right. As long as it makes you happy.¡± Since she was not busy with anything recently, she decided to apany him to do anything and go anywhere he wished. When Ysabelle called Sophie, the couple was already at the airport and about to board their flight. ¡°What? The two of you are flying to Horington? Whatever for?¡± Ysabelle was puzzled. It¡¯s nearly Christmas, and there¡¯s nothing all that interesting in Horington, so why are they going there? ¡°I don¡¯t have a clue. Your uncle wants to go. Since it¡¯s something he wants to do, naturally, I¡¯ll go with him. I didn¡¯t ask much.¡± ¡°Can Ie along? The concert is over, and I¡¯ve nothing else to do now, so I¡¯ll just go and join you guys!¡± Before Sophie could respond, Tristan took the phone from her. ¡°Ysabelle Lombard, can you stop being a third wheel all the time and give us some space?¡± After saying that, he ended the call. Ysabelle suddenly felt lonely and unwanted as she listened to the dial tone. Am I just a third wheel? I¡¯m his beloved niece, aren¡¯t I? How could he shun me like that? Would they have been able to get together so easily if it hadn¡¯t been for me? I let the fact that he didn¡¯t thank me slide, but now he¡¯s shutting me out. That¡¯s too much! Just then, Felix walked in. His heart ached when he saw her looking so miserable. ¡°What¡¯s the matter? Who bullied you? If anyone dares to bully you, just let me know. I¡¯ll deal with that person personally.¡± He was not about to stand by idly and watch her get hurt. ¡°Felix, Uncle Tristan called me a third wheel. How could he be so mean?¡± Felix gazed at her without saying a word. So, it was Mr. Tristan! Now that I think about it, that makes sense. He¡¯s the only person who¡¯d dare to do that. No one else would dare to bully the Lombard family¡¯s precious little princess! ¡°Ysabelle, we need to talk about that. Mr. Tristan is a young, hot-blooded man, and Sophie is a woman he likes a lot. It¡¯ll be inconvenient for him if you hang around them all the time, so you should be good and stay by my side. Wouldn¡¯t it be nice for us to have some alone time?¡± She grabbed the pillow next to her and threw it at him. ¡°Is that the only thing guys think about all day?¡± she demanded. Sophie is still so young, and she¡¯s so pure and innocent. Uncle Tristan is basically a scumbag! ¡°What¡¯s wrong? It¡¯s normal for guys to feel that way toward the woman they like. If a guy didn¡¯t feel anything, that¡¯d be a big problem, okay?¡± he answered, stunned by her words. How does such a pure and innocent youngdy still exist in this day and age? Fuming, Ysabelle jumped off the bed and reached for the clothes he had already prepared for her. ¡°Well, you¡¯re better off spending all the alone time you want with your dog! I¡¯m going home!¡± She wanted to get changed, but since Felix was there, she could only re at him angrily. ¡°Why are you in such a hurry to go home? It¡¯s the holidays, and you¡¯ve wrapped up your concert already. Just stay here and spend a couple of days with me, okay?¡¯ he said, thinking about how she had been so busy recently that she had not spent much time with him. ¡°No, that¡¯s not okay. I should go home. If my grandfather discovers I¡¯m here with you, he¡¯ll break your legs for sure.¡± He fell silent. There was no denying that William was a scary man indeed. ¡°But we can¡¯t keep him in the dark forever, right?¡± He felt it was only a matter of time before William found out about their rtionship. Then, he added, ¡°If I really end up getting crippled, will you still love me?¡± Shaking her head immediately, Ysabelle replied, ¡°No. If that happens, I¡¯ll dump you at the drop of a hat and find myself another young and handsome hunk.¡± He stared at her wordlessly. How heartless! I really don¡¯t know what I¡¯m going to do about her. Meanwhile, Tristan and Sophie had already boarded their ne. He held her hand the whole time with their fingers inteced, reluctant to let go for even a second. ¡°Tristan, do you think we would¡¯ve still met if you hadn¡¯t gone to Horington back then?¡± She could not help wondering if they would still be as happy as they were now if they were not in each other¡¯s lives. ¡°Of course!¡± Tristan answered. I dare not think what would¡¯ve happened otherwise, and I¡¯m d I went to Horington and wound-up meeting Sophie after getting tricked. The whole incident started on an unpleasant note. After all, I nearly died because someone plotted against me, and I hate falling into traps. However, I got to know her because of that, so it did turn out to be a good thing after all. ¡°Anyway, are you seriously not going to let me know what we¡¯re going to do there?¡± she asked. Although the ne had already taken off, she still had no clue about the reason for their trip to Horington. ¡°I just suddenly had the urge to head there and take a look around. Besides, it¡¯s not like we have anything better to do.¡± Is he for real? Lombard Group¡¯s annual party is tonight! Is it really all right if he, the CEO, isn¡¯t present? It was less than an hour¡¯s flight from Jipsdale to Horington. Upon touching down in Horington, they realized the ce was much warmer than Jipsdale and that they had worn too manyyers. ¡°How could I have forgotten it isn¡¯t cold during winters in Horington?¡± she remarked while removing her hat and scarf. It has been a while since I wasst here. Thinking about it now, everything that happened here seems like a dream. The city became a ce of warmth and love because of Tristan! Chapter 767 Chapter 767 This was not the first time that Tristan and Sophie visited Horington. They were here before too. However, they both came for different reasons previously. And now, Sophie did not know why Tristan had brought her here. When Tristan brought Sophie to the training camp¡¯s headquarters, she was slightly surprised. ¡°Have you ever been to this training camp before?¡± In Horington, there was a training camp run by a former member of the special forces. Anyone whoes out of this training camp will be a remarkable person. Yet, the man did not expect her to have attended this training camp. Even money could not get one into this highly exclusive camp. To enter this special training camp, one had to pass a series of tests¡ªonly those qualified would be admitted. In truth, the days spent in the training camp were very tough. Despite the fact that it was extremely challenging, those who were admitted could only grit their teeth and endure the grueling training. Only then, they¡¯d be able to finish the process. Sophie joined the special training camp by chance. ¡°Yeah, I have been here before!¡± she replied. Tristan drove toward the training camp. Under normal circumstances, their car would not be allowed in. However, after seeing the man behind the wheels, the soldier saluted and let them through immediately. It had not been a long time since Sophie visited the training camp since she left. However, she was not surprised by the current situation. After all, Tristan was a man with many secrets! ¡°After the campmander found out I was here, he insisted that I visit him. He said there were new research findings and wanted to show them to me. You don¡¯t mind, do you?¡± he exined. Sophie shook her head. In the past, when she trained at the training camp, she felt particrly miserable. At one point, she really thought she would die there. But now that she had returned, she felt rather warm and homey. She wouldn¡¯t be who she was if she hadn¡¯t spent nearly a year in this ce. Nor would she have met Tristan¡ªthe most important man in her life. Along the way, there were many people training intensely. A smile appeared on Sophie¡¯s lips when she saw them being tortured by instructors. ¡°You should go and look for the campmander! I¡¯ll hang around here,¡± Sophie said when she saw a familiar face. ¡°Okay! Remember to find me when you¡¯re ready.¡± Tristan had to look for the campmander, who had something important to share. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I know where you are. I¡¯ll find youter,¡± the woman assured. She knew everything in the camp like the back of her hand after spending a year there. ¡°Okay!¡± Tristan knew she had been at the camp before, so he wasn¡¯t surprised by her answer. After all, she was not an ordinary person, to begin with! Sophie got off the vehicle and walked straight toward the captain, who was training the team. ¡°Honestly, I know you guys are weak, but I never thought you would be this weak!¡± The captain shouted at the students in the mud, ¡°I know what you guys are thinking, don¡¯t think that just because you¡¯re in, you can graduate easily. Let me tell you, if you can¡¯t pass the final assessment, I won¡¯t let you graduate. You guys are too polite to them. Start practicing!¡± As soon as the captain finished speaking, the students who were trying to crawl out of the mud pit were once again washed down with water by the people standing above. It was aplete rush down, as the water pipe used was clearly a fire hose and the students werepletely powerless against such a strong impact. ¡°Looks like you¡¯re still the same.¡± Sophie smiled as she saw the captain¡¯s fierce attitude. The middle-aged man heard the familiar voice and turned around, only to see a face that was rather unforgettable. ¡°Is that you, Sophie?¡± he eximed. Back in the days at the training camp, Sophie was a legendary figure. While she started out as a feeble young girl, she eventually graduated with the highest grade. In fact, the record she set was still not broken to date! She was a girl who left her mark on the training camp¡¯s history. ¡°Yeah, I came back to have a look!¡± Sophie replied. ¡°I heard you¡¯re studying at the University of Medicine at Jipsdale. I think someone like you should just join the army. What¡¯s the point of studying?¡± the captain said in dissatisfaction. The woman was the most gifted individual he had ever trained. He felt proud to have made her outstanding. ¡°Do you have time to chat?¡± Sophie knew he was busy, but it was a rare opportunity to meet him. ¡°Of course!¡± The captain instructed the assistant coach to continue the training. ¡°Train them hard, don¡¯t spare them. If you go easy on them now, you¡¯re just spoiling them.¡± At this point, the students in the mud pit really hated the captain. Is he insane? How could there be such a cruel person? He¡¯s forcing us to soak in the mud pit in such cold weather. Life here is really unbearable. The captain and Sophie then left together. ¡°Captain, you¡¯re still the same as before!¡± she remarked. ¡°Well, didn¡¯t you hate me back then?¡± He was indeed a ruthless trainer. As a man with real battle experiences, he knew how cruel war could be. On the battlefield, no one would show any mercy. After all, it was a matter of life and death! ¡°To be honest, I did hate you at that time. I wished I could kill you!¡± The captain was known to be a tough trainer who showed no mercy and was very rough with his words. Hence, there were many people who disliked him. ¡°I truly think that it¡¯s a pity that you didn¡¯t join the army. With your talent, you would definitely have a bright future if you joined the army,¡± he said. ¡°Captain, I¡¯m quite satisfied with my current life. If the country needs me, I will definitely not hesitate to serve.¡±The truth was Sophie was a preacher of ¡°No War, Just Peace.¡± After entering the captain¡¯s office, he showed her the training program. ¡°Take a look and see if there¡¯s anything to improve on?¡± Although these students had been specially handpicked for the program, only twenty percent of them could sessfully graduate. Hence, their training and assessment had to be very strict. Sophie examined the program intently and gave constructive suggestions. The captain was very satisfied with her ideas. He said with a tinge of regret, ¡°Although you didn¡¯t follow my n, your abilities are undoubtedly top- notch. You would have been the uncrowned champion! It¡¯s so rare of you toe back for a visit, so why don¡¯t we have dinner together tonight?¡± The captain really liked Sophie and had always treated her as his little sister. ¡°Perhaps another day. I need to return to Jipsdale today,¡± she replied apologetically. This content is ? N?velDrama.Org. ¡°What brings you to Horington? If there¡¯s anything you need my help with, don¡¯t hesitate to ask. You don¡¯t have to feel bad.¡± The captain was actually very generous and always willing to help whenever he could. Chapter 768 Chapter 768 ¡°Really! I¡¯m fine! If I weren¡¯t, I would¡¯ve definitely told you!¡± Sophie eximed. ¡°Fine!¡± Dn said exasperatedly. Since Sophie put it that way, it was not a good idea for Dn to persist. After all, Sophie could now handle difficult situations on her own. There were no problems at all. ¡°Captain Green, are you still looking for your daughter?¡± That was the reason Sophie came looking for him. A few years ago, Dn¡¯s only daughter was kidnapped by a criminal gang. His wife was also brutally murdered. Others would feel sympathetic when they thought of what Dn had been through. Dn nodded when he heard Sophie mention his daughter. ¡°Yes. I believe my daughter is still alive. She must be waiting for me to rescue her.¡± Although many years had passed, he had never given up looking for her. ¡°Mmm.¡± Sophie had always known about Dn¡¯s determination. She had been paying attention to the case and helping him all these years. However, despite her efforts and connections, she did not seed. It was as if Dn¡¯s daughter had disappeared into thin air. There wasn¡¯t a single clue about her whereabouts. ¡°All right. Don¡¯t look at me like that. I¡¯m doing fine now.¡± He could only continue to spend his time and focus on work to make him forget about the pain of the past. ¡°Okay.¡± Sophie was not used toforting others. Hence, she did not know what else to say to him. ¡°I¡¯ll get some people to help you look for her.¡± There had to be some closure for him, whether his daughter was alive or not. As the two of them were immersed in their conversation, Sophie¡¯s phone suddenly rang. ¡°Come here! The campmander said he wanted to see you!¡± Tristan¡¯s deep and sexy voice could be heard from the other end of the phone. ¡°All right. I got it. I¡¯ll head over right now.¡± A smile appeared on Sophie¡¯s lips as she hung up the phone. ¡°Who was that?¡± Dn asked curiously. He had never seen such a gentle expression on Sophie¡¯s face before. Content from N?velDr(a)ma.Org. ¡°My boyfriend. Come on! I¡¯ll introduce him to you!¡± With that, Sophie led Dn toward the camp commander¡¯s office. ¡°Sophie, don¡¯t you dare try to scare me! Are you telling me that your boyfriend is the camp commander? Absolutely not! Although he isn¡¯t married yet, he¡¯s old enough to be your father.¡± Sophie was at a loss for words. ¡°Captain Green, what a creative imagination you have. When did I ever say that the campmander is my boyfriend?¡± She hoped Tristan did not hear what Dn said. Tristan and the campmander were chatting when Sophie and Dn arrived at the office. They finished discussing business and made small talk while waiting for Dn and Sophie. ¡°Dn,e and see who¡¯s here.¡± Dn was shocked when he saw that it was Tristan. Could he be Sophie¡¯s boyfriend? ¡°Please don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re Sophie¡¯s boyfriend.¡± Hmm¡­ Indeed. Only someone like Tristan was suited for Sophie. ¡°That¡¯s right. I¡¯m her boyfriend. What¡¯s up? Do you have anything against it? Not only am I her boyfriend, but I¡¯m also her fianc¨¦.¡± Just what kind of tone is he using to talk to me? ¡°Are you kidding me, Tristan? How can youy your hands on such a sweet young girl?¡± Tristan was speechless. ¡°Dn, it¡¯s been a while since we fought, right? Let¡¯s have a go at it right now.¡± What does he mean by me touching such a sweet young girl? Am I that old? Dn shook his head. ¡°That¡¯s not what I meant. Forget it. I don¡¯t want to fight you.¡± This is Sophie¡¯s boyfriend. What would I do if I injured him? The campmander watched as the two of them argued with one another. Oh, boy. They¡¯re always like this whenever they meet each other. He shook his head as a grin crept onto his lips. ¡°Sophie, I didn¡¯t expect your boyfriend to be Tristan!¡± Tristan and the others were friends. To be more specific, they were sworn brothers. ¡°Long time no see, campmander.¡± Back then, if the campmander had not discovered Sophie and brought her back to camp, she would not have survived. Hence, she was grateful to the campmander for the gift of life. ¡°Yes, indeed, it has been a while since we met. Geez. You left after saying you would do so. You never even thought ofing back to visit us.¡± ¡°Haha. I¡¯ll return more often to visit you all in the future then,¡± Sophie said with a smile. ¡°Since you¡¯re here, let¡¯s have dinner together. I¡¯ll treat you,¡± the campmander suggested. Tristan immediately rejected his offer. ¡°It¡¯s all right. We have something to attend to tonight, so we can¡¯t have dinner with you. Let¡¯s take a raincheck on it.¡± Sophie thought he was talking about the annual party of Lombard Group, so it was only natural that she had no other opinions. ¡°Okay. Please go ahead with your n then.¡± The campmander also did not want to force them to stay behind. Dn thought it was a pity. After all, it had been some time since Sophie returned to the camp. Plus, he also knew that Sophie had been helping him look for his daughter all this while. Although there were no leads at the moment, he would remember the help she had provided. ¡°Sophie, words can¡¯t express how grateful I am to you. Let me know if you need help in the future. You can also tell me if he bullies you.¡± Dn had always treated Sophie as his sister. Hence, he did not wish to see anyone bully her. ¡°Hey, Dn. Are you done? You should mind your own business,¡± Tristan said curtly. Why would I bully her? I feel like all the time in the world is insufficient for me to spoil her. How will I ever bully her! ¡°Go ahead with your work then, Captain Green and campmander! It¡¯s been a while since I¡¯ve been back. I want to take a walk around!¡± Sophie eximed. After all, this was the ce I trained for a year. ¡°Sure. Go ahead!¡± Although there were a few changes in the ce, it still looked simr. They had no reason to stop her from taking a look either. ¡°Okay. Oh, right. When the timees, please attend our wedding,¡± Tristan said proudly when he remembered that he and Sophie would get married soon. He could not help but feel smug about it. I¡¯m sure no one understands this kind of feeling, right? ¡°Of course. Don¡¯t worry! If the timees, we¡¯ll make time to attend no matter how busy we are.¡± After all, their wedding was not something that anyone could show up if they wanted to. Tristan held onto Sophie¡¯s hand after they left the campmander¡¯s office. ¡°You and Dn seem to have a good rtionship,¡± said Tristan. ¡°Yeah. He used to be my instructor.¡± He could also be considered Sophie¡¯s mentor. Although she had left the camp, she was still worried about Dn. ¡°I see. I¡¯ve also been looking for his daughter but have no leads or clues. I¡¯m afraid something tragic might¡¯ve befallen her.¡± It might seem that Tristan always argued with Dn, he was very sympathetic toward Dn, especially with what thetter had gone through. He was not one to feel sympathetic toward others. However, what Dn had gone through was terrible. Hence, Tristan always sent people to keep looking for Dn¡¯s daughter. Yet, there was no progress. It was cruel for a father to go through such a thing. Dn watched his wife die a tragic death. He also did not know his daughter¡¯s whereabouts, nor did he know if she was still alive. ¡°Exactly! But no news could also mean good news.¡± If his daughter is still alive, then they¡¯re bound to meet again in the future. Even if we can¡¯t find her, as long as she¡¯s still alive, it¡¯ll still be a form of constion for Captain Green. Chapter 769 Chapter 769 ¡°All right. Let¡¯s stop thinking about that. We can only do our best to help him.¡± Tristan and Sophie could only do what they could. The rest was up to fate. After all, there was nothing anyone could do to change Dn or his daughter¡¯s fates. There were times like this when nothing would go the way one nned. ¡°Okay.¡± It had been a long time since Sophie went to the training camp. She suddenly asked, ¡°Mr. Tristan, we haven¡¯t sparred against one another before, right? Why don¡¯t we give it a go?¡± A confident smile appeared on Sophie¡¯s lips. Sophie suddenly felt that all the hardships and pain she had endured had vanished when they arrived at the ce she had previously done her training. Tristan slung an arm around her shoulders and walked forward. He shook his head and said, ¡°No, I can¡¯t bear to do it.¡± He was unwilling to be on her opposing side, even if it was a casual fight. ¡°All right, then!¡± They walked around the training camp for a little longer. Tristan and Sophie left when it was getting dark. ¡°Are we in time to attend the party if we head back now?¡± Lombard Group¡¯s annual party should¡¯ve started already. ¡°We¡¯re not going back tonight. We¡¯ll return tomorrow instead.¡± Tristan had something else nned. ¡°Why? Do you have something else to take care of here? Go ahead if you do. I¡¯ll wait for you at the hotel.¡± ¡°It¡¯s nothing. I just want to explore the area. All right, let¡¯s not talk about that and go have dinner.¡± They were at the training camp for a long time and had not eaten. ¡°Okay.¡± As they arrived at the restaurant, the smile on Sophie¡¯s lips grew wider when she noticed the romantic ambiance. There were even candles on the tables. It looks like he¡¯s going to propose here. No wonder he went through all that trouble to bring me here. He¡¯s about to propose! Although the two of them had already decided to get married, Sophie was still anticipating something when she noticed Tristan¡¯s actions. I don¡¯t need an extravagant proposal, but it looks like Tristan had carefully prepared everything. She felt warmth fill her heart. For a man to be willing to spend his time nning something like this for a woman, that would mean that he¡¯s in love with her, right? If he didn¡¯t like me, why would he waste time doing this for me? He¡¯s a busy man, after all. The restaurant they had dinner at was quite famous in Horington. However, Tristan¡¯s behavior did not seem to hint at a proposal even though they had finished dinner. Sophie could not help but be suspicious. Could it be that I was overthinking? Did he really bring me here to settle the matters at the training camp? Fine! There are some moments when I can be delusional, after all. But that¡¯s all right. I¡¯m not someone who would get mad over something like this. Even if he isn¡¯t going to propose, he did take the time to prepare all these, and I¡¯m grateful for it. After dinner, the two of them left the restaurant. Tristan then brought her across the street and wandered around. Just where is he going? However, when they reached a familiar alley, Sophie realized she was not delusional. It was the same alley where she had saved him. Everything he had done on that day was really to propose to her. The initially poorly lit alley had been decorated with fairy lights. There were also fresh roses neatly arranged on both sides of the road. A bicycle was leaning against the wall nearby. If I¡¯m not wrong, that bicycle is the one I used to ride. A bouquet of beautifully arranged roses was also sitting in the basket at the front of the bicycle. Oh, Tristan¡­ The way he proposes is so touching! ¡°Sophie, did you know? I felt distraught when someone plotted against me. You also know that I¡¯m not someone who forgives easily. However, now that I think about it, I¡¯m grateful to that person. If it weren¡¯t for them, I wouldn¡¯t havee to this alley, nor would I have met you here. Having met you is the best thing that has happened in my life. I promise we¡¯ll be happy together in the future. Will you marry me?¡± Tristan thought he had prepared everything well. However, at that moment, he felt anxious. His palms were also sweating from being nervous. He did not even know what he was saying. He was so afraid that he was speaking incoherently. Tristan took the bouquet of roses from the basket and took out a ring box. Then, he got down on one knee and opened the box. ¡°Will you allow me to stay by your side for the rest of your life?¡± I won¡¯t let go of your hand forever. That kind of proposal seemed old-fashioned to outsiders. However, Sophie was touched because that ce was where their fate started intertwining. And today, they were back there. This feeling is simply amazing. Tristan was sweating bullets when he noticed that Sophie was not giving him a response. Oh, no¡­ What should I do? Is she not satisfied with the way I proposed? Sophie nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll marry you. I also want to be with you forever.¡± She was not a dramatic person. Ever since she was sure she wanted to be with him, she was determined to spend the rest of her life with him and never let go of him. Tristan was happy when he heard what she said. He took the ring from the velvet box and slid it onto her finger. He then got up and pushed her against the wall before pressing his lips to hers for a passionate kiss. It was an assertive kiss to stake his im on her. That¡¯s right. From today onward, this woman is mine. No one will be able to steal her away from me. They pulled apart from the kiss. Tristan got on the bicycle and turned to look at her. ¡°Get on! Let me take you for a ride!¡± He had prepared all the flowers by the road for her. It was only natural that he would bring her to see them. Although both of them had seen better scenery, the one in front of them was one they would never forget. ¡°Mmm!¡± Sophie sat sideways on the bicycle and wrapped both her arms around his waist as she leaned her head on his back. Tristan rode the bicycle and made his way forward. Tristan was not satisfied with the proposal today but had no other ideas on how to do it. He had also done his research on the inte and thought of doing something extravagant. However, he chose to return to the ce where they had first met in the end. Content from N?velDr(a)ma.Org. Although it was not a perfect proposal, he was ted at that moment. He sat at the front and rode the bicycle while she sat behind him and enjoyed the ride. This kind of feeling is not that bad. It was a very long alley. They were met with passersby staring at them when they rode out of the alley. This man looks so handsome, but he¡¯s smiling like an idiot. Wow, the woman behind him looks beautiful! She has such soft and gentle features! Many passersby could not help but admire the couple. So this is love! Sometimes, love was something that was very simple. Sophie took a shower when they returned to the hotel. Her lips were still curved into a smile. She felt that Tristan was truly happy today. She was drying her hair with a towel when she heard a knock on the door. She opened it to see Tristan leaning against the door frame. ¡°Sophie, what should I do? I¡¯m so excited that I can¡¯t sleep! Can you stay up and talk to me?¡± It was slightly past ten at night. Indeed, it was still too early for bed. Chapter 770 Chapter 770 Sophie had no objections to that. She nodded and allowed him to enter. ¡°Are you that thrilled?¡± He had been grinning from ear to ear ever since their return. Is he that easily satisfied? Why have I never realized that? Tristan pulled her into his embrace and rested his chin on her head. Then, he grunted solemnly in response. He was that enraptured and easily contented. Anything was worth it to him as long as he could stay by her side. ¡°I¡¯m very happy too.¡± Sophie unhesitatingly admitted her thoughts as well, expressing her heartfelt stance from when she knew he was going to propose to the magical moment when he did. She was delighted with everything he did. ¡°Really?¡± He tightened his arms around her. What should I do? I feel like doing it with her right now instead of waiting any longer. This feeling is intensifying exponentially. Sophie took the initiative this time and kissed his lips gently. At that instant, she was no different from an alluring vixen¡ªno one was able to resist her charm. Unwittingly, their postures changed. Shey on the couch while he got on top of her. The couch was cramped. She was pinned under him, and the two indulged themselves at the moment. He kissed every inch of her body. So, this is what it feels like to be doted on by someone. At that moment, Tristan was truly unwilling to hold back further, but he had been enduring the temptation for so long, so how could he give in now? Sophie curved her lips into a yful smile at the sight of his demeanor. ¡°I love you, Tristan.¡± In fact, she didn¡¯t mind. If he wanted, she was willing to let him take her. He lowered his head and bit her shoulder. ¡°You¡¯re such a vixen. I am so hopelessly addicted to you.¡± Still, we can¡¯t do this. All this sweet loving will have to wait until our wedding night. ¡°How about we move our wedding day forward? Let¡¯s not wait until next year. That¡¯s too long. I don¡¯t want to wait for another second longer.¡± His body was bing frighteningly hot. Sophie was worried about him. ¡°Will you be fine like this?¡± Will he turn impotent if we do this a few more times? I don¡¯t think it¡¯s a good thing for him always to suppress his libido. ¡°I¡¯m fine. Don¡¯t worry about me,¡± he uttered without a choice. He rolled over andy on the couch, allowing her to lean against his chest, so he wouldn¡¯t be resting his weight on her in that posture. Tristan prioritized Sophie at all times, fearing he might bring her the slightest difort. Yearning to provide her with the best of everything had be a habit for him. They chatted on the couch until Sophie got tired and dozed off while lying on his chest. Only then did silence fill the air inside the room. Tristan felt exceptionally contented to see her sleeping soundly. That was right. He yearned for that form of satisfaction. He liked and loved her and wanted to treasure all the wonderful things about her forever. Tristan didn¡¯t attend Lombard Group¡¯s annual party. In the end, William took his ce and participated in the event. Thetter hadn¡¯t been to thepany in a long time. After Tristan took over Lombard Group, William trusted his son, and let Tristan handle everything without interfering in his decisions. However, he figured he could have grandchildren sooner if his son went on the trip with his daughter-in- law. At that thought, his excitement intensified, so he took the initiative to attend Lombard Group¡¯s annual party with Sarah. ¡°Dad, we can go back now if you¡¯re tired. There are so many people here in thepany. They¡¯ll manage the situation here.¡± William and Sarah¡¯s duty was to make an appearance and greet the guests. Thepany¡¯s higher-ups would deal with the rest of the matters. ¡°I¡¯m not tired. Don¡¯t worry about me, Sarah. I¡¯m very healthy now, so I¡¯m fine.¡± William was ted whenever he imagined the possible addition of a new member to the Lombard family. He felt invigorated as if he had be younger by a decade or so. Sarah had no choice but to keep himpany. ¡°Lombard Group¡¯s higher-ups are capable of dealing with everything here anyway, so let me know if you¡¯re feeling ufortable. We¡¯ll go back at once. Don¡¯t make us worry about you.¡± Sarah could do nothing about her father except listen to him. ¡°Okay. That¡¯s enough. Why are you nagging me at such a young age?¡± William smiled. He was truly satisfied with where he was in life at that moment. His three children were outstanding in their respective fields. He married only one wife and raised three children in his life. His aplishments might seem effortless to others since the Lombard family was undoubtedly loaded. However, William had truly spent a lot of effort on his three kids, watching them grow up and gradually progress in life toward sess. Others wouldn¡¯t understand how he felt. Hence, he was genuinely feeling proud at that point in his life. N?velDrama.Org ? content. Sarah turned around and saw the person she was reluctant to meet with the most. Juan. Why is he here? Lombard Group booked this entire venue today. She didn¡¯t find the need to hide her unwillingness toe face-to-face with him since that was what she had in mind. Sarah whirled around and continued talking to her father. Taking in her reaction, William shook his head. She¡¯s clearly unable to forget about him, yet she¡¯s still acting stubborn. I don¡¯t know what to say to this daughter of mine. She should just admit her love for him. Why is she making things difficult for herself? There¡¯s no need toplicate this matter. ¡°Sarah, your brother is getting married soon. If you really like Juan, why don¡¯t you try to go out with him?¡± William was against the idea of Sarah dating Juan previously because thetter was involved with a small-time actress. William didn¡¯t want to see his daughter get hurt. Since Juan had sorted out his rtionship status, and Sarah had yet to let go of her feelings for him, William figured they could start afresh. ¡°Dad, isn¡¯t it nice for me to apany you at home? Why are you always hoping for me to get married?¡± William let his daughter wrap her arms around his. ¡°You¡¯ll remain in Jipsdale even after you get married, so you cane home anytime. Sarah, it is a must for everyone to get married once in their life. Otherwise, it will be a lifelong regret.¡± William¡¯s heart truly ached for Sarah. She¡¯s such a brilliant child, yet her love life is unexpectedly rocky. She shook her head. ¡°I don¡¯t think everyone needs to get married. I¡¯m living a good life now.¡± Others¡¯ opinions are irrelevant. Isn¡¯t it okay as long as I¡¯m happy? ¡°Okay, fine. Whatever floats your boat.¡± Juan knew Sarah was there. He merely wanted to see her initially, but after meeting her, he felt the urge to talk to her. However, Juan had no opportunity to talk to her as she stayed by William¡¯s side the whole time. Fortunately, Juan was a man with great patience. He stayed there for a long time and finally waited until she was alone. Chapter 771 Chapter 771 Sarah was greeted by the sight of Juan standing with a cigarette in hand as she exited the washroom. It felt like an eternity had passed since thest time she saw him. She used to be head over heels in love with him. Yet, in the end, all those years of pining came to nothing. What is he doing here now that I¡¯m ready to give up on him? Could he be just like every other man who constantly yearned for what they couldn¡¯t have? Sarah would have wanted nothing more than to ignore Juan and be on her way, but he reached out and grabbed her hand. He stopped her from walking forward. Sarah was incensed. What¡¯s the meaning of this? Does he think he can toy with me as he pleases without consequence? ¡°Juan, is it necessary to make things so ugly? All things aside, we will bump into each other as long as we stay in Jipsdale. Wouldn¡¯t it be awkward if things between us were to get out of hand?¡± Juan had no idea how she had undergone such a radical transformation. ¡°Don¡¯t you like me? Why don¡¯t we get together since both of us are single?¡± The truth was he had no clue whether what he felt for her was true love. Lately, her face kept showing up in his mind. In fact, he thought of her all the time. Everything was driving him nuts. Perhaps giving their rtionship a shot would dispel any uncertainty that he had. Sarah scoffed. ¡°So what if I am still single? Do you think it¡¯s because I still have feelings for you? You sure are delusional!¡± Juan¡¯s brows furrowed. How can she say that? ¡°Juan, I¡¯ve already said this, but you mean nothing to me now. Don¡¯t ask for an exnation, as I have none. Please don¡¯te looking for me ever again.¡± Sarah pulled her hand free from his grasp. She didn¡¯t want to have anything to do with him. Unfortunately, however, their encounter had been discreetly caught on camera. The news portals published a juicy article about it the following day. Yvette¡¯s face was in a rictus once she saw the intimate photos of Juan and Sarah. She¡¯d ended up in such a pathetic state because of them. Are the two of them an item? How could they be so happy when I¡¯m suffering in silence? I will never allow such a thing to happen! Juan is mine. Am I not his fianc¨¦e? What a shameless woman Sarah is! What should I do for Juan to return to me? ¡­ Sarah was still fast asleep when she was woken by a boisterous Ysabelle holding the day¡¯s papers. ¡°Aunt Sarah, take a look at this! How could they publish something like this iming Juan and Yvette broke up because of you and that you were his mistress!¡± How could they defame my sweet Aunt Sarah with such nonsense? Sarah caught onto what was happening once she skimmed through the news article and was speechless. Oh, no. She was truly innocent. She might have fancied Juan in the past, but she never made a move on him when he was still with Yvette. ¡°Aunt Sarah, are you all right? Don¡¯t take what you read to heart. I¡¯ll give Sophie a call in a while. Let her handle it!¡± Theizens were stirred up and were more than ready to point fingers. They had no desire to seek out the truth behind the article and were all about eating the rich. Now that they were aware of Sarah¡¯s identity and the destitute life Yvette was reduced to, they immediately took sides with Yvette and pitied her. There were even some who¡¯d begun doubting the veracity of the nude photos that were circting. Sarah flung the papers to the side. ¡°We¡¯ll ignore all this nonsense.¡± She couldn¡¯t care less about those trolls on the inte, as time would prove her innocence eventually. There was nothing much they could do to her. She could still live a good life unperturbed by their hubbub. Those gullibleizens had nothing more to offer than a few curses on the inte. ¡°If you say so!¡± Ysabelle refrained frommenting further on Sarah¡¯s attitude with regard to this matter and went to look for Sophie. Sophie had been inundated with work from the moment she returned and had received a call from Butterfly. Butterfly had encountered a problem that needed her help. Therefore, she was working before her computer until her doorbell began ringing. She went to get the door and saw Ysabelle. ¡°What are doing out here in this freezing cold? Shouldn¡¯t you be at home sleeping?¡± ¡°It¡¯s nothing. I¡¯vee here to visit you as I was thinking of you. Why? Shouldn¡¯t you be happy to see me? What¡¯s with all the questions?¡± ¡°Of course I am!¡± Sophie let her in and went back to her seat in front of herputer to continue working on Butterfly¡¯s problem. Ysabelle took to scrolling through her phone in the corner at how busy she seemed. When Tristan returned from buying breakfast, he saw that the twodies were upied with their respective tasks. Ysabelle sprung up from the couch at the sight of Tristan. ¡°Uncle Tristan, you¡¯re back!¡± Tristan did not reciprocate with the same amount of excitement. After all, he did not appreciate a third- wheeler when he was with Sophie. ¡°Uncle Tristan, what¡¯s with you? Can¡¯t you be more joyful that your dear niece is visiting you?¡± She couldn¡¯t believe he was annoyed at her for visiting so early. ¡°Sophie, are you done yet? If so,e and have your breakfast!¡± He had no idea what she was preupied with that she had to be glued to herputer this early in the morning. Nheless, she was an independentdy who could handle her affairs well. ¡°In a minute.¡± The issue Butterfly faced was a tricky one. Sophie had to help her solve it, or else that woman would not be able to return. This content is ? N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Both of you can go ahead. I¡¯ll be taking a while more.¡± Tristan approached Sophie seeing how hard-pressed she was. ¡°What is this all about? Do you need my help?¡± Sophie shook her head. ¡°You wouldn¡¯t know what to do with it, so let me be! I¡¯ll find a way.¡± He was at a loss. What? Is there anything in this world that I¡¯m incapable of solving? Nevertheless, he let it go as he took in how concentrated Sophie was. Ysabelle was going to have breakfast when Tristan stopped her. ¡°You should look for Felix if you want breakfast. I didn¡¯t buy for you any.¡± Ysabelle instantly felt like the most unwanted person in the entire world. How could he treat me like this when breakfast was all I asked for? To add salt to the wound, the a*s was Uncle Tristan! ¡°Uncle Tristan, are you sure about this? Don¡¯t forget you have me to thank now that you and Sophie are together. How could you be so heartless!¡± Ysabelle felt truly hurt. ¡°What does that have to do with you? You are nothing but a third-wheeler,¡± Tristan shot back mercilessly. Ysabelle swallowed her indignity without saying a word. How dare you! ¡°Sophie, you should discipline Uncle Tristan! He¡¯s bullying me since I don¡¯t have anyone to back me up!¡± Ysabelle was on the verge of tears. ¡°Sophie, you¡ª¡± Tristan grabbed the hood of Ysabelle¡¯s jumper with the intention of throwing her out when Sophie lifted her head. ¡°Get out! Both of you are too noisy!¡± At that moment, she had no time for their antics. Chapter 772 Chapter 772 Tristan and Ysabelle exchanged nces with each other, and Ysabelle retreated aside silently. All right, I¡¯m just going to keep quiet then. I¡¯m so pathetic. I¡¯m just here to apany Sophie. Why is he being so pedantic? Seeing as the two of them finally stopped bickering, Sophie continued with her work. Meanwhile, Butterfly was alone at Anndur. If it weren¡¯t for Sophie, she would have been caught. With Sophie¡¯s help, she didn¡¯t feel as terrified anymore. Somehow, she felt fearless. In the end, the rm was disabled. Even the redsers that could kill were deactivated as well. Butterfly¡¯s lips curled into a smile. Sophie¡¯s mellow voice came through the Bluetooth earphone. ¡°Butterfly, enough! How can you go to such a dangerous ce all alone? You¡¯ve got to be careful!¡± Sophie felt a burden lifted off her chest when the problem was finally resolved. That was Anndur¡¯s armed base. She had no idea why Butterfly headed there alone. Butterfly stuck out her tongue sheepishly. ¡°Okay, I know I¡¯m in the wrong here, but I heard about a new weapon and couldn¡¯t resist checking it out. I didn¡¯t expect the security to be so tight, but with you helping me, I¡¯m sure there won¡¯t be any problem at all!¡± It was rare that she could go on a holiday. Hence, she was determined to make the most out of her time by doing whatever she wanted. Besides, there was nothing she couldn¡¯t do with Sophie supporting her. Sophie knew there was no stopping Butterfly, but she was relieved that nothing serious had happened. ¡°All right. I¡¯m not going to disturb you further. You should go back to sleep,¡± Butterfly said. After all, it was still the early hours of the morning in Chanaea. However, she couldn¡¯t help herself and eximed, ¡°Sophie, it¡¯s really fun here!¡± Sophie was rendered speechless. How is an armed base her personal yground? She is going too far. However, Butterfly had always been an unbridled person. Nobody could stop her from pursuing what she wanted. ¡°Be careful. Call me if anything happens.¡± After hanging up the call, Sophie walked over to the dining room for breakfast. However, she immediately noticed Tristan and Ysabelle sitting quietly at the table but not eating. ¡°Why aren¡¯t you guys eating?¡± She had forgotten that she was justining about them being noisy moments ago. She preferred to work in a quiet environment when she was focused on something. Content from N?velDr(a)ma.Org. Ysabelle cast an aggrieved look at her. ¡°Sophie, are you also sick of me now?¡± She had finally found some free time and came here to apany Sophie. Sophie patted her on the head. ¡°Of course not. Don¡¯t overthink. Let¡¯s have breakfast together!¡± ¡°But Tristan said he didn¡¯t buy any breakfast for me!¡± Ysabelle immediately startedining after Sophie made that offer. Tristan was not intimidating at all in Sophie¡¯s presence. Hence, Ysabelle didn¡¯t have to be afraid and could speak her mind. ¡°There is plenty of food here, and we can¡¯t finish them all. It¡¯ll be really wasteful to throw them away.¡± Hearing that, Tristan had no qualms about sharing the breakfast. He was already getting coffee for Sophie. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about her. She¡¯ll eat if she wants to. Just let her be.¡± Tristan pulled out the chair for Sophie and asked her to sit down to have breakfast. Ysabelle clenched her fists. Fine. Their ce, their rules. She understood she didn¡¯t have much say in the matter. Besides, if she truly infuriated her uncle, he might really chase her out of the house. The three of them then had breakfast together. Since it was the Christmas season, they had a lot of time to spare. Tristan didn¡¯t have much going on and only wanted to spend time with Sophie. As they were usually upied with work, the two of them seldom had time for each other. He was looking forward to spending some quality time with Sophie after returning from Horington, but Ysabelle had ruined his n bying all the way here. Does she not realize that she is also in a rtionship? Why does she have so much free time to be a third wheel? After finishing breakfast, Ysabelle and Sophie sat on the couch to watch some TV. However, Ysabelle was not really interested in the program. ¡°Sophie, it¡¯s finally holidays now. Let¡¯s go out and have fun. It¡¯s really boring to lounge at home.¡± ¡°Eh, it¡¯s cold outside,¡± Sophie mumbled. She didn¡¯t feel like going out. Sophie finally had some time to herself and decided to take a few days to rest at home. Moreover, everywhere was overcrowded due to the Christmas season. She didn¡¯t like going to crowded ces. ¡°Let¡¯s go to the hot spring! It¡¯s really warm there,¡± Ysabelle piqued. She felt like she would go insane from staying at home all day. After clearing the table, Tristan called Felix. ¡°If you¡¯re free, pleasee and take your girlfriend away so that she doesn¡¯t be a nuisance to us,¡± Tristan said. ¡°Got it. I¡¯ming over to take her away right now.¡± Felix didn¡¯t actually have much to do these days. Despite him already having a girlfriend, his family arranged for him to go on blind dates. Hence, Felix had been thinking if he should announce his rtionship with Ysabelle. Otherwise, his elders would not let him off the hook. Felix didn¡¯t take long to arrive at Tristan¡¯s ce. Ysabelle let out a huff at the sight of her boyfriend. ¡°What are you doing here? I heard you were busy going on blind dates recently,¡± Ysabelle said mockingly. ¡°Do you really want me to go for those blind dates? What are you going to do if I really fall for another woman?¡± Felix teased. He knew that Ysabelle was mad at him. However, he was actually d to see her getting mad. It meant that she truly cared about him. ¡°What do you mean what am I going to do? Tons of men like me. I can just find another guy I like easily,¡± Ysabelle retorted. Felix didn¡¯t know what to say, so he circled her into his embrace. ¡°How dare you! You¡¯re a naughty little minx. I don¡¯t want anyone else but you. How could you give up on me that easily?¡± Felix asked. If they weren¡¯t at Tristan¡¯s mansion, Felix would have taught her a lesson right then and there. What a heartless girl. ¡°No one else but me? Then why did you go on blind dates?¡± Ysabelle lost all rationale when she knew about him meeting other women. She found it difficult to believe him right then. ¡°I didn¡¯t go. Even if my family did arrange blind dates for me, I didn¡¯t go to any of them. Don¡¯t worry. I only have eyes for you. I won¡¯t fall for another woman, no matter how pretty or capable they are,¡± Felix reassured her. ¡°Really?¡± Ysabelle knew she was being unreasonable. However, she couldn¡¯t help but get angry. ¡°Yes. Ysabelle, why don¡¯t we announce our rtionship? This way, my family won¡¯t worry about me anymore,¡± Felix suggested. ¡°Announce our rtionship? I don¡¯t think now¡¯s a good time to do so.¡± Ysabelle didn¡¯t want to get married so young. She could already foresee the impending problems that awaited them following the announcement. The problem was, she was not ready to face those problems yet. ¡°Why don¡¯t we wait a little longer?¡± Ysabelle thought things were great between them right then, and there was no rush to make any changes. Chapter 773 Chapter 773 ¡°What¡¯s the matter? Do you not like me?¡± Felix couldn¡¯t help but ask upon hearing that. Belongs to ? n0velDrama.Org. ¡°I do like you, but I think I¡¯m too young right now to worry about so many problems.¡± While Ysabelle enjoyed the upsides of a rtionship, she was afraid to take things further when she thought about the problems she would face. She liked what they had at that moment, so she didn¡¯t want their rtionship to change. ¡°You¡¯re a jerk, do you know that? I think you just want to y with my feelings and don¡¯t want to take responsibility,¡± he blurted aggrievedly. Why did I fall in love with such a heartless woman? In response, she pushed him. ¡°Are you for real, Felix? I didn¡¯t say I don¡¯t want to take responsibility. I simply think it isn¡¯t time yet.¡± Felix sighed in his mind. I have no idea what to do with this cold-blooded woman. Then again, I chose to fall in love with her, so I guess I¡¯ll have to keep doting on her. ¡°Don¡¯t you have a home, Felix? Take your woman back with you right now!¡± Tristan barked. Can¡¯t I spend time with Sophie without getting bothered by them? ¡°It¡¯s not like you can do anything during the day, so why are you chasing us away, Uncle Tristan?¡± Ysabelle pouted. Tristan¡¯s expression darkened. When Felix caught sight of that, he immediately grabbed Ysabelle¡¯s hand and left the room with her. ¡°Even if it was the truth, you shouldn¡¯t have said that out loud.¡± Doesn¡¯t she know how scary he can be? ¡°Coward!¡± Ysabelle still wanted to go back in, so Felix carried her away. Smacking his back, she eximed, ¡°What are you doing, Felix? Let me go! If someone takes a picture of us, how will you exin this when it goes viral? I¡¯m a famous singer right now, you know?¡± ¡°What¡¯s there to exin? We don¡¯t need to say anything about our rtionship to outsiders,¡± he remarked. I¡¯m her boyfriend. Why is she acting like it¡¯s embarrassing for us to be spotted together? After the couple left, Tristan felt reinvigorated. Upon turning his head back, he saw Sophie staring at herputer screen. What is she doing? ¡°Don¡¯t you think you should rest during your time off? You¡¯ve been busy for the whole year.¡± ¡°Do you need something?¡± Sophie thought the recent television programs were boring. Thus, rather than staring at each other, she preferred to spend her time fiddling with herputer. ¡°I don¡¯t know what to do with you sometimes,¡± grumbled Tristan. I thought we could spend some quality time together after chasing those two away, but she¡¯s still distracted by her matters. After cing theptop on the coffee table, she snuggled up against him. ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s take a dip in the hot spring! This weather is perfect for that,¡± he proposed. I spent so much money buying that hot spring resort because I thought it would benefit her to soak in a hot spring, considering how easily she gets cold. ¡°Okay! Let¡¯s invite Ysabelle and the others to join us, too! The more, the merrier! It¡¯s boring if it¡¯s just the two of us.¡± ¡°Sure. As long as you¡¯re willing to go out, we can invite anyone you like.¡± Immediately, Sophie called Ysabelle to invite her to the hot spring resort. When Charles and Sean learned of the news, they asked to join, too. Upon arriving at the resort, Sophie realized Winter was among those who came. Earlier, Winter had to coax Charles to bring her there. Since she hadn¡¯t bothered Sophie and the others recently, her behavior had been deemed eptable. When Ysabelle saw Winter, she was a little speechless. Did shee here to torture herself? She has to know no one here wees her, right? Yet, she¡¯s here. ¡°Sophie, about Winter¡ª¡± ¡°Just ignore her. She¡¯s still Charles¡¯ sister, so if she wants to join, he can¡¯t really say no to her,¡± Sophie interjected. ¡°I just don¡¯t like her! She tried to hurt you in the past.¡± Being forgiving wasn¡¯t a trait Ysabelle possessed. No one can change what happened in the past. ¡°All right, just go change your clothes. Didn¡¯t you say you wanted to take a dip in the hot spring?¡± After learning Sophie was at the hot spring resort, Cecelia went there too because she didn¡¯t have much going ontely. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, miss, but the resort is closed today. Please visit another day,¡± the security guard informed. Seeing that the guard didn¡¯t appear to be joking, Cecelia called Sophie immediately as she knew it¡¯d be pointless to argue with him. ¡°I¡¯m outside the resort right now, Sophie, and I can¡¯t get in. Pleasee out here to let me in.¡± ¡°All right, I¡¯ll head to the entrance now,¡± said Sophie before hanging up. ¡°Who is it?¡± Tristan asked. ¡°Cecelia. She¡¯s here too, but the security guard denied her entry.¡± The resort was closed for the day because the gang was there. In response, he turned to Sean. ¡°Go get Cecelia!¡± Sean had been busy recently but had some free time since it was almost Christmas. In any case, he obeyed Tristan¡¯s order and went to get Cecelia. When Cecelia saw him, she thought, Doesn¡¯t he feel cold wearing white casual wear in this icy weather? Still, I must say, he¡¯s quite the modest and reserved man. If he were to join the entertainment industry, I bet he¡¯d get lots of attention, even with that expressionless face of his. Upon arriving before her, he noticed she was staring absentmindedly at him. ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± He would always treat other women dispassionately. ¡°Mhm.¡± Suddenly, Cecelia felt her heart flutter for a moment. He¡¯s handsome, but he¡¯s way too unapproachable. Besides, he¡¯s already in love with someone else. I can¡¯t fall for a man like him. Otherwise, I¡¯ll only get hurt. When Ysabelle saw the two of them approaching the gang, she whispered next to Sophie¡¯s ear. ¡°Sean and Cecelia look like a good match for each other.¡± Sophie shook her head. ¡°Forget about it. Sean is already in love with someone else. Don¡¯t torment Cecelia.¡± Cecelia¡¯s rtively pure. I don¡¯t want to see her get hurt. Cecelia, who overheard their conversation, nodded. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Sophie. I won¡¯t fall for a tough nut like him.¡± I¡¯m definitely incapable of handling someone like Sean. ¡°All right, since everyone has arrived, let¡¯s get changed!¡± Originally, Tristan wanted to spend some time alone with Sophie. It doesn¡¯t seem like that¡¯s going to happen now. I guess the men and women will have to stick with their gendered group. Chapter 774 Chapter 774 Everyone went their separate ways to get changed. Tristan had already made someone prepare a swimsuit for Sophie earlier. Seeing Sophie¡¯s swimsuit, Ysabelle covered her mouth and giggled. ¡°What are youughing at?¡± Sophie nced at Ysabelle. What is this girl thinking about? ¡°I finally know why Uncle Tristan was so angry! I¡¯m sure he didn¡¯t want anyone else to see you in a swimsuit!¡± Ysabelle eximed. ¡°He¡¯s not that petty!¡± Tristan isn¡¯t such a childish person! Hearing that, Ysabelle was rendered speechless. You really don¡¯t know Uncle Tristan well, huh? He is actually a petty person! Sophie changed into her swimsuit quickly and decided to wrap a bath towel around herself as the weather was too chilly. Meanwhile, Ysabelle was still taking off her clothes. She had put on some weight recently. Since she cared about her figure a lot, she felt bitter when she saw her chubby cheeks. In an indignant tone, she muttered, ¡°This is unfair, Sophie!¡± Property of N?)(velDr(a)ma.Org. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Sophie waspletely oblivious to why Ysabelle would say that. She stared at the latter with a serious expression. What¡¯s wrong with her now? ¡°Uncle Tristan feeds you so many delicious foods every day, yet you don¡¯t gain any weight! As for me, I got chubbier even if I only ate a little!¡± Sophie was at a loss for words. Feed? Are you sure that¡¯s the right word that should be used? ¡°Ysabelle, I¡¯m not your uncle¡¯s pet,¡± Sophie responded solemnly. ¡°Yeah, I know that! But Uncle Tristan¡¯s life goal is to fatten you up, isn¡¯t it? Sophie, I heard others say that men like plump women because it feels nicer to touch!¡± With that thought in mind, Ysabelle no longer considered gaining some weight a big deal. I¡¯m just a few pounds heavier. It¡¯s nothing at all! Again, Sophie was speechless. Why is Ysabelle being so blunt nowadays? ¡°Are you saying that I¡¯m not nice enough to touch?¡± Sophie replied before getting lost in her own thoughts. I think I¡¯m pretty fine right now! ¡°Hehe! That¡¯s not what I meant. I¡¯m sure Uncle Tristan is very satisfied with you! He will like you no matter how you look. His love for you is unconditional,¡± exined Ysabelle. This is something that nobody can change. ¡°Is that so?¡± However, even if he likes me that much, I can¡¯t make him ept what he doesn¡¯t prefer. ¡°Then I¡¯ll eat more in the future and do my best to gain weight.¡± I¡¯ll do it if plump women are what men really like. Ysabelle didn¡¯t know how to respond to Sophie¡¯s words. She was just joking and really didn¡¯t mean it that way. ¡°Sophie, I¡¯m telling the truth. You¡¯re perfect just the way you are. Please don¡¯t overthink things!¡± If Uncle Tristan finds out that I¡¯ve been telling her ridiculous things, he will definitely kill me! Next to Sophie and Ysabelle, Winter was also changing. A self-deprecating smirk appeared on her face when she heard Sophie and Ysabelle¡¯s conversation. Winter didn¡¯t know what was going on with herself. After finding out that Tristan and the others would spend time at a hot spring, she still tagged along even when she understood she was unwee. There was no other reason for her to do so other than to stay by Tristan¡¯s side. That was all, and she truly didn¡¯t have other intentions. Seeing Winter like this, Cecelia couldn¡¯t help but sneer. This woman really never gives up, huh? Tristan and Sophie are already engaged, but she still can¡¯t forget him! Winter sure is persistent. I¡¯m sure she will pray for Tristan and Sophie to get a divorce even after they¡¯re married, just so she can take over Sophie¡¯s position! ¡°Sophie, you don¡¯t have to feel inferior! Although you¡¯re a little skinny, you¡¯re curvy in all the right ces! Besides, you¡¯re not t-chested. I bet your breasts are nice to touch!¡± Cecelia was even more straightforward when she spoke. Sophie remained silent, no longer wanting to discuss this topic with them. Yet, Ysabelle nodded instantly. ¡°I think so, too! Sophie, the shape of your bust is beautiful!¡± Now that she has a swimsuit on, it looks even better. Hearing that, Sophie couldn¡¯t help but cover herself uppletely. Have they been staring at my chest all this while? Winter had already got changed. She didn¡¯t know what to say when she was around the otherdies, so she could only leave. When Ysabelle and Cecelia noticed that the person they disliked had finally left, they gave each other a high-five to celebrate. ¡°She knows that none of us likes her. I don¡¯t understand why she still insists on coming here. She¡¯s making herself unhappy.¡± Why does she have to put herself through this? We dislike her, and she can¡¯t do anything about it. Sophie shook her head. ¡°Jeez, you two! As long as she doesn¡¯t mess with me, I don¡¯t mind her doing whatever she wants!¡± Indeed, Sophie had never treated Winter as an enemy since Sophie knew that Tristan was loyal to her. ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± Sophie said after Cecelia and Ysabelle were done changing. As soon as the three of them went out, they saw Tristan and Felix waiting outside. Suddenly, Cecelia felt like she was just a superfluous existence. They¡¯re all couples. Are they just here to torment a single person like me? ¡°Why didn¡¯t you put on a coat beforeing outside? It¡¯s so cold out here! Go back in there and get your coat!¡± Tristan said with a frown when he saw that Sophie merely had a towel wrapped around her. Although the hot spring is warm, it¡¯s still cold outside! If she catches a cold in that, the trip won¡¯t be worthwhile. ¡°There¡¯s no need. We¡¯re just a few steps away from the hot springs. It¡¯s too troublesome to get my coat.¡± While saying that, Sophie was being pulled into Tristan¡¯s arms. ¡°All right, then. If that¡¯s the case, I have no choice but to carry you there so that you won¡¯t be cold.¡± Then, Tristan picked Sophie up. ¡°Tristan! Put me down! The others are staring at us!¡± At once, Sophie wrapped her arms around his neck, and her ears reddened with embarrassment. This man! There are so many people around us! What is he doing? ¡°Just let them look if they want to! It¡¯s not like we can¡¯t be looked at.¡± What¡¯s wrong with us disying our affection in public? We¡¯re always this lovey-dovey, anyway. Hearing that, Sophie stopped struggling. After all, no one could reject whatever Tristan wanted to do. Since Ysabelle also didn¡¯t have a coat on, Felix carried her in his arms as well. ¡°Ysabelle, I don¡¯t want to see you being jealous of others. I can give you what you want, too!¡± Upon hearing that, Ysabelle was touched. Although Uncle Tristan is outstanding, my Felix is not bad, too! I feel so safe being in his arms! Cecelia remained in her spot alone. What is going on? D*mn it! That¡¯s it! I must find a boyfriend! I¡¯m sure I can find one with my beauty! This is too much! Can¡¯t we show more love and consideration toward each other as humans? They know I don¡¯t have a boyfriend, yet they¡¯re still tormenting me with their PDA! Cecelia didn¡¯t feel like going back to get her clothes anymore. She jogged toward the others. Unfortunately, she identally tripped and fell. When she raised her head, she realized that Sean had witnessed her tumbling onto the ground. Right then, she could feel the awkward tension in the air. My perfect image! Seeing how Cecelia was trying to maintain her gracefulness even when she was in such a wretched state, Sean subconsciously curled his lips into a grin. Chapter 775 Chapter 775 Why is this youngdy so cute? With that thought in mind, Sean walked over to Cecelia and held out a hand to her. Sean had always exuded a distant aura, and there had never been a smile on his face. However, he seemed to have been entertained by Cecelia¡¯s tumble. At this moment, a trace of warmth appeared on his cold face, making him appear as if he suddenly came to life. ¡°You should get up. Isn¡¯t the ground cold?¡± Sean asked when he noticed she wasn¡¯t moving at all. Cecelia grabbed his hand, and he pulled her up. The very next moment, she fell into his arms due to his overwhelming strength. Cecelia was speechless. She had fantasized about this man¡¯s body before, so her head went completely nk when she was so close to him. Yet, Sean gently pushed her away in the next second. ¡°Let¡¯s go! It¡¯s too cold outside. You¡¯ll catch a cold if we continue to stay here.¡± With that, Sean walked forward by himself. ¡°He sure doesn¡¯t understand women,¡± Cecelia murmured. What is wrong with this man? Why can¡¯t I enchant him with my charm? As expected, he¡¯s hopelessly clueless! When Cecelia arrived, Sophie and the others were already soaking in the hot spring. Seeing how long it took for Cecelia to get there, Ysabelle couldn¡¯t help butin, ¡°Cecelia, where have you been?¡± What took her so long? ¡°It¡¯s nothing. I¡¯m a person who doesn¡¯t have a boyfriend who can protect me. Also, I tripped and fell on my way here!¡± Cecelia eximed. ¡°Are you okay?¡± Ysabelle didn¡¯t mean to trigger Cecelia. She was only expressing her concern sincerely. ¡°All right, now. Come on in! You won¡¯t feel cold anymore after being in the hot spring for a while.¡± Since the temperature of the hot spring water was high, one wouldn¡¯t feel cold after a short while. Cecelia removed her bath towel and got into the hot spring as well. ¡°Where is Winter? Why isn¡¯t she here with you guys? Could it be that she went to seduce Mr. Tristan?¡± Cecelia couldn¡¯t help but ask when she didn¡¯t see Winter around. However, Winter appeared behind Cecelia just when thetter finished her sentence and said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Ms. Lance! Thedies from the Quigley family would never do something like seducing someone.¡± Cecelia was at a loss for words. It was indeed quite awkward for her to be caught badmouthing someone. Yet, she would be thest one to feel embarrassed as long as she didn¡¯t express it. Naturally, Sophie and Cecelia didn¡¯t respond to Winter. Sophie, Cecelia, and Ysabelle were sitting in a corner of the hot spring, chatting among themselves. They were even discussing Sophie and Tristan¡¯s wedding details as if Winter didn¡¯t exist. Even though Winter had just gotten into the hot spring, she felt a stuffiness in her heart. It was a feeling that she couldn¡¯t control at all. ¡°Our wedding is still a year away! We don¡¯t have to rush the preparations.¡± It¡¯s just a wedding ceremony, so we don¡¯t need to spend so much time preparing. ¡°All right, then.¡± Cecelia nodded. ¡°Are you skipping a grade when the new semester starts?¡± To Cecelia, nothing that Sophie did now would surprise her anymore. ¡°Yup!¡± Sophie responded. Ysabelle was speechless and devastated when she heard that. This is university we¡¯re talking about! How is Sophie skipping grades even in university? Can¡¯t she consider the feelings of ordinary people like us? ¡°Ysabelle, what¡¯s the matter?¡± Upon seeing Ysabelle¡¯s reaction, Cecelia couldn¡¯t help butugh. See? This is the reaction of an ordinary human. ¡°I¡¯m fine. I¡¯m perfectly fine! Anyway, I won¡¯t skip any grades. Sophie can skip all the grades she wants to by herself!¡± Ysabelle replied. Honestly, she reckoned that studying at a university wouldn¡¯t be too useful for someone like Sophie. ¡°Okay.¡± Cecelia covered her mouth to conceal herugh. Ysabelle looks really cute like this. I can¡¯t believe she can still maintain her naivety after working in the entertainment industry. She¡¯s genuinely so cute. Winter also wanted to join their conversation. She wished to join their circle in the future, which was the reason she came here without hesitation in the first ce. But why is everyone just focusing on Sophie? When Sarah arrived at the hot spring, she came over to look for thedies. However, upon seeing Winter being alone, Sarah felt sorry for thetter and went to sit next to her in the hot spring. ¡°Sarah, Juan is currently pursuing you, right?¡± That means nothing in this world stays the same forever, right? If I can afford to wait, maybe I can wait until I get what I want. Sarah shook her head. ¡°Winter, you can clearly start over again. Why are you still hung up on a rtionship that will never be yours? Tristan truly loves Sophie to the point that he will never give up on her, even if she were to want to break up. Do you understand?¡± Thus, not all who wait will get what they want in the end. N?velDrama.Org ? content. Winter kept quiet. ¡°To be honest, I know how difficult it is to forget someone. But all you can do is try! Otherwise, you will never get over it,¡± Sarah added. Why would Winter choose to torture herself like this? Sophie doesn¡¯t even care about her existence! ¡°I-I¡­¡± Winter stammered. She could keep putting up a facade in front of everyone else. However, it was impossible for her to do so in front of Sarah. ¡°But I feel heartbroken whenever I see them together!¡± What else can I do? I want to forget him as well, yet I just can¡¯t do it. ¡°That¡¯s your problem. Tristan has never given you any hope, right?¡± So, everything is up to you, Winter. Nobody else can help you decide what you should do. ¡°Yeah. I don¡¯t feel too well, Sarah. I¡¯m going back now.¡± Winter felt like no one could understand how she felt at all. Talking about it would only make others view her as aughingstock. As soon as Winter left, Ysabelle spoke. ¡°Aunt Sarah, why are you saying so much to her? She will never understand.¡± Someone like Winter only knows how to persist pointlessly. She doesn¡¯t understand that not all rtionships will blossom just because she waits. ¡°That¡¯s enough. She¡¯s quite pitiful as well. You should stop targeting her all the time,¡± Sarah replied. Winter became the way she was now merely because she liked someone. ¡°I¡­¡± Ysabelle stuttered. Well, fine! I really dislike Winter. But no matter what, she¡¯s still Charles¡¯ sister. I shouldn¡¯t cross the line. ¡°Sarah, how¡¯s it going between you and Juan?¡± Sophie piped up to change the topic. Sarah felt her head hurt when Juan was mentioned. ¡°How else can it be? There¡¯s nothing special!¡± Just when Sarah wanted to give up, Juan suddenly wanted her again. The world worked in peculiar ways. Nheless, she genuinely wanted nothing to do with Juan anymore. To her, Juan was perhaps just a person she was fixated on. ¡°All right, that¡¯s enough. Let¡¯s stop talking about those lowly men. Didn¡¯t wee here today to rx?¡± Sarah went on. She had really gotten over it now. If she couldn¡¯t get what she wanted after waiting for so long, then she would just stop waiting. Nothing was more important than living a good life for oneself, and not everyone was worth spending one¡¯s entire lifetime waiting for. Besides, Sarah couldn¡¯t figure out what Juan was trying to do right now. Moreover, Yvette wasn¡¯t someone who would easily give up on Juan too. ¡°That¡¯s right! Today, we shall sit back and rx. As for those people who don¡¯t matter, we shall stop caring about them.¡± Cecelia raised her wine ss. ¡°Cheers!¡± Instantaneously, Ysabelle poured Sophie a ss of red wine. ¡°Sophie, this red wine is pretty good. You should have some.¡± Such atmosphere was perfect for drinking wine. Chapter 776 Chapter 776 Sophie took the ss and sipped the wine delicately, enjoying the smooth taste. ¡°Girls shouldn¡¯t drink too much when they¡¯re outside, but since everyone¡¯s having such a good time today, we can drink a little more,¡± Sarahmented. Tristan and Felix were both present, so nobody would dare to do anything to them. ¡°Sarah, they have boyfriends, so we¡¯re the only two who don¡¯t. Don¡¯t you feel lonely?¡± Cecelia abruptly asked. It seemed like the two of them were the only ones without boyfriends, despite being attractive and sessful in various aspects. They wondered why they couldn¡¯t find good men. ¡°Why bother feeling that way? I used to feel lonely, but now I¡¯m content with being single and free,¡± Sarah replied. She really thought so in her heart. Once she let things go, nobody could hurt her. She was convinced that being single was a viable and fulfilling lifestyle for her, irrespective of gender expectations. ¡°However, you¡¯re only twenty, and you have a long future ahead of you. Be patient, and you¡¯ll find someone who loves you eventually,¡± Sarah encouraged Cecelia. Even though Sarah was in her thirties, deep down, she still had hope and believed that she would find her happiness someday. As long as one did not lose hope, there would always be hope. ¡°Exactly! Why bother thinking so much? Enjoy life while you still can. You¡¯re not the kind of person who dwells on the sorrows of the past.¡± Sophie raised her ss and clinked it with Sarah¡¯s. Cecelia was speechless. Fine. Perhaps I was overthinking things. Looks like focusing on my career might be better suited for me than stressing over romantic rtionships. Meanwhile, the four well-built men were lounging in a hot spring, half-naked and drinking red wine. Their muscr physiques were the stuff of female fantasies, and they were even drinking wine elegantly. ¡°Mr. Tristan, Winter is just being stupid at the moment. Could you please tolerate her?¡± Charles requested between sips. ¡°My grandfather¡¯s condition is deteriorating, and I don¡¯t know how much longer he can hold on. It would be best if Winter could stay in Jipsdale for the time being.¡± Charles knew bringing Winter along that day was a mistake, but he only had one sister. Upon seeing her in a pitiful state, he just couldn¡¯t help it. ¡°Mr. Tristan, don¡¯t worry. Sophie is so formidable that she hardly cares about Winter¡¯s presence,¡± Sean reassured Tristan. Winter posed no threat to Sophie in any aspect, so there was no need for Sophie to worry. In front of Sophie, Winter was at most a clown. ¡°Exactly. I think that Winter is no match for Sophie too. Sophie is such a generous woman that she doesn¡¯t concern herself with petty rivalries,¡± Charles remarked. Tristan raised an eyebrow at the ttery being heaped on Sophie. ¡°Even if she doesn¡¯t care, I don¡¯t want her to be disgusted by others,¡± he dered. After all, she was his woman. The others fell silent, envious of such a deep and devoted love. ¡°Mr. Tristan, I¡¯m curious about something. You and Sophie are engaged, right? How far have you two gone? Did you guys¡ª¡± Charles promptly shut his mouth upon seeing the stern look from Tristan. At once, Charles fell silent again. Okay, never mind then! What¡¯s wrong with my question? What¡¯s so strange about a man and a woman being intimate? We¡¯re grown men, so we should be able to comfortably discuss such things. Besides, we¡¯re bros. There¡¯s nothing we can¡¯t talk about! It¡¯s really ridiculous! Felixughed at that. He found Charles amusing because, at first, Charles had said he had found true love, but in the end, the woman turned out to be a pretentious b*tch. But then again, being a yboy suits him as well. ¡°Felix, are youughing at me? Is it really that funny? I think I¡¯m fine the way I am now!¡± In a game of love, Charles didn¡¯t need to be responsible for anyone¡ªhe only needed to make himself happy. He wanted those girls¡¯ bodies, and those girls got everything they wanted from him, so it was fair. ¡°How would I ever dare tough at you?¡± Just then, the manager of the resort came over and greeted everyone before telling Charles, ¡°Ms. Quigley wants to leave now. She asked me to inform you.¡± Charles frowned. Wasn¡¯t she the one who wanted toe here in the first ce? How long has it been since she arrived? Why does she want to leave now? ¡°Okay, I got it. Have a driver send her back.¡± It wasn¡¯t safe for a girl to go back alone. ¡°Okay, Mr. Quigley, I understand.¡± The manager then left. At a loss for words, Charles really didn¡¯t understand what the girl was thinking. Nheless, it was better for her to go back so that everyone here wouldn¡¯t be upset, and she wouldn¡¯t be unhappy either. ¡°Why don¡¯t you send her back instead?¡± suggested Sean. Nobody knew what Winter was thinking, but it wasn¡¯t advisable for her to return home alone. ¡°It¡¯s okay; I¡¯ll just let the driver take her back. The people here are my people anyway.¡± After soaking in the hot spring, everyone went back to their rooms. They nned to stay here overnight. As for what to eat for dinner, they all decided to have BBQ. Sophie got changed before going back to her room. There was a firece in the room, which was warm and cozy. Sophie had always liked fireces and didn¡¯t like heaters. She felt that being able to see the mes in a firece was a very enjoyable thing. After Tristan was done changing, he immediately came over to look for her. As soon as he entered the room, he saw her in a pale pink dress with her hair hanging loose. She was drying her hair by the firece. Sophie had drunk quite a bit of red wine just now. Her cheeks were flushed, which made her look cute and silly. Tristan strode over and sat next to her by the firece. ¡°You drank wine?¡± ¡°Yeah, just a little bit. The red wine here is good.¡± ¡°Yeah, of course.¡± Drinking red wine was said to be good for women¡¯s health, and every woman should drink a little bit before going to bed every day. ¡°If you like the wine, I¡¯ll have some sent back for you. You can drink some every day.¡± ¡°Sure.¡± Sophie¡¯s hair was almostpletely dry at that point. ¡°Winter left.¡± Sophie spoke like she was stating a fact. She didn¡¯t say anything else or mean anything by that. ¡°Let her leave. If she¡¯s here, she¡¯ll only make herself and the others unhappy. It¡¯s not necessary for her to be here.¡± Winter was like a younger sister to him at most. But if she annoyed Sophie, that would be absolutely uneptable. He would never allow such a thing to happen. N?velDrama.Org ? content. ¡°You don¡¯t have to be troubled by her. I don¡¯t care about her.¡± Winter¡¯s status was insignificant to her. ¡°So, in the future, if she wants to appear for any asion, you don¡¯t have to worry about preventing her from appearing.¡± She didn¡¯t want him to waste time on Winter. ¡°Okay, I got it.¡± He just didn¡¯t want anyone to make her feel sick to her stomach. Chapter 777 Chapter 777 ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry about my rtionship with Charles either. We¡¯rerades who have been through thick and thin, and he understands me.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about me! Do I look like the kind of person who would willingly bear grievances for others to you?¡± Tristan shook his head. She wasn¡¯t the kind of person who would bear grievances for others, but she was the kind who would do it for him. However, that was absolutely uneptable as well. As they sat close together, Sophie couldn¡¯t help but smile at Tristan¡¯s serious expression. ¡°You¡¯re even more concerned about me than my dad. My dad isn¡¯t even that worried about me!¡± ¡°Sophie, I don¡¯t want to be your dad. I want to be your man!¡± And with that, Tristan pushed her down and captured her cherry-red lips with his. He kissed her tenderly, and although it was just a kiss, he cherished every moment he had with his beloved woman. After the kiss, he held her in his arms, feeling the tenderness that was meant for him alone. Only in moments like these would he feel her need for him. Sophie was overly independent most of the time, as she was always able to handle everything perfectly on her own. ¡°Speaking of which, where¡¯s Willow? Where did you leave her?¡± Sophie asked, realizing that she hadn¡¯t inquired about her in a while because she didn¡¯t find it necessary. For as long as she could remember, she had been a paragon of patience and forgiveness when it came to Willow. And with the uing Christmas festivities, she couldn¡¯t help but feel that if her beloved grandfather were still with them, he would want nothing more than for Willow toe home and join the celebrations. ¡°Why bother caring about her? She¡¯s not worth your time,¡± Tristan replied coldly. Willow is an ungrateful and shameless woman who deserves to suffer. Let her spend Christmas alone on that deserted ind! Christmas is no different from any other normal day for her. Anyone who dared to bully Sophie would do well to prepare for the worst, as I would not tolerate anyone mistreating Sophie. Nevertheless, Sophie insisted, ¡°I think my grandfather would want to see her at home during Christmas.¡± After all, Willow was still his granddaughter. Josiah was Sophie¡¯s only weakness. She would make concessions for him that she wouldn¡¯t make for anyone else. ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll bring her back. But if she dares to hurt you again, I won¡¯t let her off,¡± Tristan huffed, thinking that Willow was no match for Sophie anyway. ¡°Okay!¡± I¡¯ve never been afraid of her so it doesn¡¯t matter. After months alone on the ind, Willow had to learn how to farm and cook for herself. In just a few months, she now looked like a middle-aged woman in her thirties, and her skin had be especially tanned. Upon seeing a ship approaching, she no longer held any hope. She had sought help when she saw ships before, but this ind belonged to Tristan; no one dared toe near, let alone take her away from there. It wasn¡¯t until the ship stopped and someone came down that she heard, ¡°Willow, let¡¯s go! You¡¯ve always wanted to leave, right? It¡¯s almost Christmas, so we¡¯ll take you back to see your family!¡± Willow was stunned. Is it almost Christmas? Time flies! ¡°Are youing or not? If you still want to stay here, we won¡¯t force you.¡± How could Willow possibly not want to leave? She had been hoping to leave that ce and nevere back from the moment she got there. How could she want to stay here? She was Ms. Willow of the Tanner family and had always lived a privileged life since she was young. Here, she had to do everything by herself. Willow vowed that once she left, she would nevere back. The thought of going through the same ordeal again was simply unbearable. She practically sprinted onto the ship as if afraid that whoever hade to collect her would change their mind. Five long hourster, the Tanner family received Willow in a pitiful state. When Yale and Charmaine saw her, Yale merely shook his head. ¡°Willow, now that you¡¯re back, you need to behave yourself. You can¡¯t mess with someone like Sophie. Not only is Sophie in a rtionship with Mr. Tristan, but they¡¯re also nning to get married soon.¡± Despite everything, she was still their daughter, and seeing her in such a state was heart-wrenching. Nevertheless, at the end of the day, her fate rested entirely on Mr. Tristan¡¯s whims. Nobody stood to benefit from getting on his bad side. Charmaine never imagined that her once-pampered daughter would end up in such a sorry state. Willow¡¯splexion, once fair and wless, had been marred by the harshness of wind and sun. ¡°Mom, I¡¯m back. That ce was so scary. I never want to go back there again.¡± Willow¡¯s voice was not as melodious as it once was anymore. ¡°Then don¡¯t go back. Just stay by my side from now on.¡± Oh, what happened to my Willow? She looks like a peasant! She¡¯s not even married yet and is in the prime of her youth, yet she already looks like she¡¯s aged way beyond her years. How on earth did ite to this? As the group gathered around for BBQ that night, Sophie¡¯s phone suddenly rang, and it was Yale on the other end of the line. ¡°Soph, were you the one who brought Willow back?¡± Yale was worried that Sophie didn¡¯t know about this, so he decided to call and ask. ¡°Yeah, I brought her back.¡± Sophie didn¡¯t want to go into detail, so she gave a brief answer. Tristan sure is quick. I just asked him not too long ago, and he¡¯s already handled it. ¡°Okay, good. Don¡¯t worry about her being back. I¡¯ll make sure she doesn¡¯t bother you again,¡± Yale promised.Property of N?)(velDr(a)ma.Org. The current Sophie was someone that the Tanner family couldn¡¯t afford to cross. ¡°Okay, I got it. I¡¯m having dinner with my friends.¡± Sophie didn¡¯t want to continue the conversation anymore. She did this solely for Josiah¡¯s sake, and she didn¡¯t really have any interest in the Tanner family now. ¡°That¡¯s fine. You go ahead and enjoy your meal. I won¡¯t disturb you any longer,¡± Yale said meekly. Nowadays, he would humble himself in front of Sophie and would not disy any arrogance. As long as Sophie continued to bring in money for Tanner Group, Yale¡¯s life would be trouble-free, and his life right now was pretty good. After disconnecting the call, Sophie tossed her phone aside and joined in on the BBQ. She savored each bite of the meat and ate a lot while taking in the joyous atmosphere around her. ¡°You really seem to enjoy dining with everyone. You usually don¡¯t eat this much when we eat together,¡± Tristan remarked, somewhat displeased with the situation. He just wanted her to gain some weight. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Is what Ysabelle said true? Do all men like plump women? Do you want me to gain weight as well?¡± Tristan was speechless. What¡¯s she talking about? He wanted nothing but the best for Sophie, and he simply hoped that she would stay healthy and by his side. ¡°You should stay away from Ysabelle in the future. She tells you all kinds of nonsense!¡± ¡°Just tell me. Do you also like plump women? Ysabelle said that chubby women feel morefortable to touch.¡± Sophie hadn¡¯t touched a chubby woman before, so she didn¡¯t really know. ¡°I don¡¯t know. Haven¡¯t touched one before. Do you want me to find a plump woman to touch so that I can tell you?¡± Chapter 778 Chapter 778 As soon as he finished speaking, Sophie¡¯s gaze turned cold. ¡°Are you sure you want to try?¡± Tristan picked up another piece ofmb and put it on her te. ¡°I was just joking. Don¡¯t take it seriously. No matter what you look like, I only like you. The feel of someone else¡¯s body has nothing to do with me.¡± Well, whether he means what he says or not, it¡¯s still nice to hear. Indeed, all girls loved to hearpliments. They spent over an hour eating BBQ. After the meal, Charles wanted to invite a pretty girl to join them. The others around him had beautiful women with them. Since he was the only one alone, he was feeling miserable. He hadn¡¯t even made the call yet when Tristan said coldly, ¡°Don¡¯t bring those random girlfriends of yours here.¡± Why did he call them my ¡°random girlfriends¡±? ¡°Mr. Tristan, that¡¯s not fair. You¡¯re all paired up, and I¡¯m the only one alone. And my new girlfriend is a decent girl.¡± ¡°Just don¡¯t bring anyone who you don¡¯t want to marry here in the future.¡± This was a ce he gave to Sophie, and he didn¡¯t like random girls being there. ¡°Okay, I got it. It looks like I have to find a real girlfriend soon.¡± Is it my fault that I haven¡¯t found true love? Man, they didn¡¯t even try to make me feel better, and on top of that, they made me feel like an outsider. It¡¯s seriously too much! As the night unfolded, the group engaged in various games. However, Sophie didn¡¯t quite find herself enamored by the activities. She didn¡¯t think the games were interesting, but she stayed because Sarah and the others were there. She liked being with everyone. Suddenly, Charles spoke up. ¡°Honestly, it¡¯s not often that we have a chance to take a break, but we¡¯ve done nothing meaningful. It¡¯s not really fulfilling.¡± Felix replied without hesitation, ¡°Well, if you feel that way, you can always go back to work.¡± He didn¡¯t care much for what others thought because he was content with his current lifestyle. He enjoyed being able to spend sweet, quality time with Ysabelle. At that moment, Ysabelle picked up a piece ofmb and ced it on his te. ¡°You should eat it yourself.¡± ¡°No, I think this piece doesn¡¯t look very tasty, so I¡¯m giving it to you.¡± Did he think I had other intentions? The man was speechless. Fine! Oh, how foolish of me. I was so presumptuous to believe that she cared about me. Despite that, he still happily consumed the meat. It didn¡¯t matter to him what her intentions were because, in the end, she did offer it to him. Everything else didn¡¯t matter. At eleven o¡¯clock at night, they retired to their respective rooms, and Tristan followed Sophie to hers. ¡°It¡¯ste. You should head back and get some rest,¡± Sophie advised. Tomorrow was Christmas Eve, and they would all head home to see their respective families. ¡°How about I celebrate Christmas with you at the Tanner residence?¡± Tristan proposed, unwilling to part ways with Sophie. Although they were both in Jipsdale and he could visit anytime, he didn¡¯t want to be away from her. Sophie let him hold her, a smile creeping up the corners of her mouth. ¡°On a special day like Christmas, it¡¯s crucial to spend it with family,¡± Sophie said as she remembered her grandfather¡¯s words. She regretted not spending more time with him before he passed away. Once someone is gone, you can¡¯t make up for lost time. ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll take you there tomorrow,¡± Tristan agreed, even though seeing Willow might not be pleasant for Sophie. He couldn¡¯t understand why Sophie wanted Willow to be back. That woman was nothing but trouble, and he couldn¡¯t help but worry about her nefarious intentions. ¡°You really don¡¯t need to worry about me. I¡¯m not one of those delicate youngdies from wealthy families.¡± Sophie could handle women like Willow. ¡°I know you can handle her, but I don¡¯t like that you¡¯re wasting your energy on those irrelevant people!¡± He just didn¡¯t like it. ¡°All right now.¡± Sophie bit his lip gently. ¡°You¡¯re quite the domineering guy, aren¡¯t you?¡± shemented, observing Tristan with newfound insight. ¡°I¡¯m not trying to be domineering. I just want what¡¯s best for you,¡± he protested. ¡°I understand,¡± Sophie reassured him, nting a gentle kiss on his lips. Tristan was powerless against her charms and was unable to resist her. Even if she were to demand the impossible, he¡¯d still do his best to grant her wishes. ¡°Will you go back to your room to rest now?¡± ¡°Why do you always push me away? Can¡¯t we just stay here together?¡± They were engaged, after all. Sharing a bed wouldn¡¯t even be an issue. ¡°I just don¡¯t want you to be ufortableter,¡± Sophie confessed. He was unable to resist his urges, yet he wanted to be close to her. In the end, it was Tristan who would suffer the consequences of his own desire. To punish her, he nibbled on her earlobe, knowing it was her most sensitive spot. ¡°You little rascal,¡± he muttered. ¡°Are you enjoying yourself watching me squirm?¡± Feeling his lips on her ear, Sophie was close to bing a puddle of goo. Tristan knew exactly how to make her weak in the knees. Thus, whenever he made a move, she was utterly helpless to his advances. They roughhoused on the carpet for a while, and eventually, she surrendered to Tristan¡¯s embrace after expending all of her energy. Despite his desire, Tristan maintained a level of self-control and only kissed her, taking pleasure in his ability to resist temptation. N?velDrama.Org ? content. Sophie thought that she was right. Look, he¡¯s indeed getting ufortable now! Breathing softly in his arms, Sophie couldn¡¯t resist asking, ¡°Are you ufortable yet?¡± There was a touch of pleasure in her tone, as if she was enjoying his misfortune. Tristan responded by biting down hard on her lip. ¡°I am, so? Does my difort bring you joy?¡± This was the woman he held dear, so even if she said yes, he still couldn¡¯t do anything about it! ¡°No way, I just pity you.¡± They had a long road ahead of them, and it would be a while before he could finally let loose! ¡°It¡¯s fine. As long as it¡¯s you, I can afford to wait.¡± Hence, he wasn¡¯t too bothered about the temporary difort. The next morning, Tristan took Sophie to the Tanner residence since it was Christmas Eve that day, and she had said she wanted to go back to the Tanner residence. With Sophie back, Yale had to stop fooling around with his lover and return home. Although his lover threw a tantrum because of that, he decided to return home nheless. Willow had already put on the clothes that Charmaine bought for her, but even though the clothes were new, she still looked different from before. Despite wearing fancy clothes, she no longer resembled her former self. She now appeared like a woman in her thirties who had lived in the countryside for a long time, and she had lost the fairplexion of a youthful girl. As soon as Sophie came into her view, her hands clenched into fists without her even realizing it. If it weren¡¯t for Sophie, she wouldn¡¯t have ended up like this! Chapter 779 Chapter 779 As soon as Sophie entered, she saw Willow standing behind Charmaine, looking nervous and afraid. It was the first time Sophie had seen Willow like this, but it was understandable. No matter how tough she was, she couldn¡¯t continue to be arrogant after experiencing what she had gone through. Sophie looked away. ¡°Since today is Christmas Eve, you should go back now!¡± After all, William was still waiting for Tristan to go back for dinner. ¡°It¡¯s still early. I¡¯ll stay here with you for a while,¡± Tristan said. Willow had returned, but he still hadn¡¯t given her the warning he needed to give, so how could he leave now? ¡°Okay. Then go and pay your respects to my grandpa.¡± Given that it was Christmas Eve, Josiah¡¯s framed photo had already been decorated and set up. ¡°Sure.¡± Tristan naturally had no objections and went to pay his respects to Josiah before going to Sophie¡¯s room with her. ¡°Do you want me toe and pick you upter tonight? I know you don¡¯t like staying here.¡± Sophie never liked staying here even when Josiah was here, let alone now that he was gone. ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry about me. You should go back quickly!¡± She just didn¡¯t like these people very much, but it was not like they could do anything to her. ¡°Okay!¡± Tristan went downstairs and saw Willow. ¡°Willow,e here!¡± When Willow heard him, she shrank back. What else does he want from me? I haven¡¯t done anything wrong, have I? ¡°Mr. Tristan, is there something you want to talk to me about?¡± Willow was very nervous. Tristan sneered upon noticing her timid behavior. ¡°I just want to tell you not to trouble Sophie anymore. She doesn¡¯t like you, so don¡¯t bother her. Otherwise, I won¡¯t go easy on you.¡± He wasn¡¯t someone who would repay enmity with kindness. Willow felt bitter in her heart. She had been living a life worse than death on that deserted ind and had just returned a while ago, yet all he was concerned about was Sophie being troubled by her. How is Sophie this lucky? No matter what Sophie had experienced before, there was now a man who would care for her and wouldn¡¯t let her suffer any grievances. They were both daughters of the Tanner family, so Willow wondered why she couldn¡¯t have all of this as well. As for Sophie, she didn¡¯t need to do anything to have everything. ¡°Mr. Tristan, rest assured! I know Sophie isn¡¯t someone I can mess with, so I won¡¯t bother her.¡± Willow promised him since she could only lie low for now. What else could she do? She didn¡¯t want to go back to that ce anymore. Moreover, if she went out now, those socialites she used to be close with would definitely mock her! ¡°Good then. Remember, Sophie may not kill you, but I will not hesitate to do so. As long as you dare to do anything that upsets her, I will make sure you disappear from the face of the earth without her having to say a single word.¡± What I did this time is for Old Mr. Tanner¡¯s sake. N?velDrama.Org ? content. Tristan then immediately left without giving her a chance to respond. Meanwhile, Sophie was still upstairs as Tristan didn¡¯t let here down to see him off. It was cold outside, so he didn¡¯t want her to catch a cold. After Tristan left, Willow stood alone in the cold with no expression on her face. Soon, Charmaine came out and saw her there. ¡°What are you doing out here? It¡¯s so cold outside! Come inside!¡± There was heating in the house, and it was much morefortable inside, so Charmaine wondered why Willow was standing outside in the cold. ¡°Mom, I don¡¯t want to go back to that ce again. I just want to stay by your side in peace.¡± Seeing Willow like this, Charmaine naturally felt her heart ache. ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll go talk to Sophieter, and I¡¯ll plead with her.¡± She could beg for Willow¡¯s sake. ¡°I knew it¡ªyou¡¯re the best, Mom. I was foolish before, and I shouldn¡¯t have done those things. I really regret it.¡± ¡°Okay, it¡¯s all right now. From now on, I¡¯ll protect you.¡± Charmaine just wanted to protect her well. Due to the fact that Yale and Sophie were home, the housekeepers didn¡¯t dare to mess around. Hence, the Tanner family¡¯s Christmas dinner was exceptionally sumptuous. Last year, Josiah ate Christmas dinner with everyone, but this year, he was gone. Before dinner, Yale paid respects to his father. ¡°Dad, don¡¯t worry! From now on, our family will be fine, and I will take care of this home.¡± Yale and Charmaine bowed in the front, whereas Sophie and Willow bowed behind the couple. The whole reason for Sophie being there that night was to pay her respects to Josiah. After that, the family sat down to eat. ¡°Sophie, we are family. No matter what had happened before, we are still family in the future.¡± Yale received so much in dividends that year that he had no objections to the issue of Tanner Group¡¯s management rights. He felt that everything was fine the way it was. ¡°Willow, since you¡¯re finally back, you should go to school after some time!¡± Willow nodded in an especially temperate manner. Following the recent events, she no longer possessed the same level of boldness she did before. The Christmas dinner was indeed sumptuous, but Sophie didn¡¯t particrly like the food that was served. Seeing that she wasn¡¯t eating much, Yale couldn¡¯t help but worry. ¡°Why aren¡¯t you eating? Is it not to your liking? Do you want me to have the cooks make you a few more dishes?¡± If it was a matter of the dishes not suiting her taste, it could be resolved. ¡°It¡¯s okay, you guys eat! I¡¯m full!¡± Sophie didn¡¯t eat much as she really didn¡¯t have an appetite. Charmaine didn¡¯t say much during dinner. She just hoped that she and Willow could live peacefully. As for Sophie, what she did was her own business, and they had nothing to do with her anymore. Charmaine was well aware that she and Sophie would never see eye to eye. After finishing dinner, Sophie went upstairs. In the past, she would watch the New Year¡¯s G on TV in the living room with Josiah after their Christmas dinner. But now, no matter how much she wished to do it, she could never return to the past. After she went upstairs, Yale said to the other two, ¡°Remember, we will be relying on Sophie for our livelihood in the future, so be nice to her!¡± If Willow was the only one showing attitude, it would have been fine. But Charmaine was also terribly unreasonable. She¡¯s not young anymore. Can¡¯t she show some concern for her own daughter? ¡°Dad, I¡¯m sorry. I¡­¡± Willow didn¡¯t want to go back to the deserted ind anymore. She didn¡¯t want to be there alone as life was too harsh in such a ce. ¡°It¡¯s okay. You don¡¯t have to say anything. Sophie is a generous person. As long as you don¡¯t cause trouble, she won¡¯t harm you!¡± Willow didn¡¯t know how to respond. Is that really enough? Would Sophie really let me go if I just stayed out of trouble? ¡°Will you stop criticizing Willow? You also agreed to those decisions back then, but now you¡¯re pushing the me all onto her. Is that fair?¡± Charmaine snapped. Chapter 780 Chapter 780 Was Willow in the wrong? No, Willow did nothing wrong! She only did all that because we agreed to it! Yale was not very happy when he heard what Charmaine said. ¡°What are you talking about? You¡¯d better not bring this up in front of Sophie in the future, Charmaine!¡± Yale had initially wanted to head out after dinner, but he dropped the idea when he recalled that Sophie was here. Not wanting Sophie to know about his affairs outside the house, he decided to stay home instead. Charmaine was furious, but there was nothing she could do about it. Because Sophie was the one calling the shots in the Tanner family, Charmaine and Willow had no choice but to put up with everything. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for putting you in such an unpleasant situation, Mom,¡± Willow said apologetically. Mom is my only source of support right now, so I can¡¯t let her abandon me! Charmaine gave her an affectionate pat on the cheek. ¡°You¡¯re my daughter, so it is only natural for me to protect you. She won¡¯te after us as long as we leave her alone, so we should just behave ourselves from now on.¡± As much as she hated Sophie, she knew that Sophie wasn¡¯t the unreasonable type who would attack without provocation. Therefore, Sophie would not go after them as long as they left her alone. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Mom. I know that she isn¡¯t someone I can afford to mess with, so I won¡¯t mess with her ever again!¡± ¡°I¡¯m d you understand. All right, I¡¯m tired after a long day, so I¡¯m going to head upstairs. You can either go back to your room or stay here and watch some television.¡± Josiah was the only one who would want to watch the New Year¡¯s G. Charmaine and Willow didn¡¯t like it at all, but they used to watch it with him just to keep himpany. Since Josiah was no longer around, they weren¡¯t about to sit around and watch that show by themselves. However, Sophie came down the stairs before they could head upstairs. She then sat down on the couch and switched on the television. ¡°Are you nning on watching the New Year¡¯s G, Ms. Sophie?¡± asked one of the housekeepers upon seeing Sophie. ¡°Yeah. You guys can carry on with your tasks. Don¡¯t mind me.¡± Sophie used to find it boring when she watched it with Josiah back then, but she suddenly felt a strong urge to watch it with him after he was gone. Belongs to ? n0velDrama.Org. She didn¡¯t even care if the show was boring. All she wanted was to spend time with Josiah again. Unfortunately, that was no longer possible. Charmaine figured it would be inappropriate if she went upstairs immediately after Sophie came downstairs, but she couldn¡¯t bring herself to watch the New Year¡¯s G with her either. As such, she had found herself facing a dilemma. Yale immediately came downstairs the moment he found out about Sophie watching the New Year¡¯s G. ¡°Your grandpa loved watching the New Year¡¯s G! He probably loved it more than anything else in the world!¡± he said with a sigh while sitting down next to Sophie. Sophie simply kept quiet and continued watching the show. ¡°What are you two doing standing around? It¡¯s our family tradition to watch the New Year¡¯s G! Come sit down right this instant!¡± Yale shouted when he saw Charmaine and Willow preparing to leave. They don¡¯t have anything to do upstairs, so they might as well watch television with us! Willow clenched her fists as she took a deep breath and sat down on the couch. Charmaine, too, decided to join them as she had nothing to do upstairs anyway. Although the four of them were seated together on the couch, they had nothing to talk about. Given how badly damaged their rtionship was, there was absolutely no way to repair it anymore. Fortunately, Caleb¡¯s call came in before things got too awkward between them. ¡°Hey, Dad. Is everything all right at home?¡± Caleb had been so focused on his research that he never came home ever since Josiah passed away. He only called home to check on them when he recalled that it was Christmas. ¡°Everything¡¯s fine at home, Caleb! Remember to take good care of yourself out there. Sophie¡¯s here with us, so you don¡¯t have to worry about a thing!¡± Yale replied. He knew that they would be able to solve any problems easily with Sophie around. ¡°That¡¯s good to hear. You guys have to take good care of yourselves now that Grandpa is gone. He wouldn¡¯t be able to rest in peace otherwise.¡± Caleb was overseas all by himself, so there wasn¡¯t much he could do for them. ¡°How much longer will that research of yours take, Caleb? You¡¯re not getting any younger, you know? It¡¯s about time you find yourself a decent woman and get married!¡± Yale asked. While he was proud of Caleb for getting into a research facility in Anndur all by himself, he didn¡¯t want his son to spend his entire life working either. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Dad! I have a girlfriend, and we¡¯re in a steady rtionship at the moment. She¡¯s a fellow ssmate at the research facility. We will get married eventually.¡± ¡°I¡¯m d to hear that, Caleb. Make sure to inform us when you get married. We¡¯ll be sure to attend your wedding!¡± Yale said affectionately. After all, Caleb was his only son. Unfortunately, Yale hardly had a chance tomunicate with Caleb as thetter was overseas all the time. ¡°Where¡¯s Willow? She¡¯s at home, right?¡± Caleb asked. He knew Willow was prone to taking things too far, so he couldn¡¯t help but worry about her. ¡°Yeah, she¡¯s right here. We¡¯re all gathered in the living room to watch the New Year¡¯s G!¡± ¡°All right, then.¡± Caleb had wanted to speak with Sophie, but he didn¡¯t know what to say when he recalled how cold she was. Still worried about Willow, he asked, ¡°Could you pass the phone to Willow, please?¡± Yale did as told and handed the phone over to Willow. Willow made her way over to a corner before answering the phone, ¡°Hey, Caleb. It¡¯s me.¡± Hearing her voice made Caleb feel like it had been ages since theyst talked. ¡°Hey, Wi! Regardless of what happened in the past, you should be grateful that our family is now reunited. Don¡¯t mess things up again, okay?¡± Willow didn¡¯t know what else to say in response to that. After all, she was no longer in a position to do or say anything. ¡°I just want you to be happy, Wi.¡± ¡°Caleb, I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll ever be able to find happiness in this life.¡± Given everything that had happened, it would be difficult for her to even marry a decent man, let alone a wealthy one. She no longer had anything that could add value to her or make her desirable. ¡°Come on, don¡¯t be so pessimistic. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll be able to find your own happiness if you behave yourself.¡± Of course, she knew what he was implying. ¡°Yeah, I know. Don¡¯t worry about me, Caleb. I¡¯ll take good care of myself.¡± She knew nobody in the Tanner family would care about her sentiments, so she didn¡¯t feel like speaking her mind too much. At the moment, she just wanted to keep a low profile in order to increase her chances of survival. ¡°Could you pass Sophie the phone? Actually, never mind. She doesn¡¯t like talking to me unless absolutely necessary.¡± ¡°Would you like to speak to Mom?¡± Willow asked. She couldn¡¯t help but wonder if Caleb had forgotten about their mother. Chapter 781 Chapter 781 ¡°No need. I¡¯ll call herter.¡± With that, Caleb hung up as he felt the loneliness of being alone in Anndur wash over him. Nevertheless, this was the path he had chosen, so he had to keep going, no matter how hard it was. Yale was on his phone as he watched the Christmas G. His mistress was alone, so she kept sending him texts. One of her texts read: Won¡¯t youe and keep mepany? I¡¯m so lonely! Do you know how much I love you, Yale? Yale was pleased to read that. His mistress was in her twenties, with a body that was alluringly curvaceous. When they were together in the bedroom, she was incredibly open and willing to explore his desires. He was totally entranced by her and couldn¡¯t get enough of her. Yale immediately transferred some money to her as a Christmas gift. He told her: Here you go. You can buy whatever you want. Be good and stay at home. I¡¯lle and keep youpany tomorrow. Yale treated her really well. His mistress replied: Yale, I miss you. Every cell in my body aches for you. Why don¡¯t you divorce your wife? I can give birth to your child. How does that sound? Yale fell silent after reading her reply. Divorce? The thought of divorce had never even urred to Yale. After all, he was living a life of luxury thanks to the Tanner family, and he would be foolish to even consider filing for divorce at this point. Yale: All right. Be good. I¡¯lle to you tomorrow. After sending that text, Yale felt guilty and shot Charmaine a look, but thetter ignored himpletely. Yale took a deep breath. He was actually displeased with how Charmaine was treating him right now, but there was nothing he could do to change her attitude. She was his wife, and he couldn¡¯t afford to make Sophie¡¯s disgust for him intensify. Meanwhile, Tristan and his family enjoyed dinner before heading to the living room to watch the Christmas G together. They wanted to spend time with William. Both Tristan and Ysabelle seemed unable to sit still. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Did something urgent happen? You both look anxious.¡± Ysabelle shook her head and responded, ¡°Grandpa, what are you talking about? There¡¯s nothing going on. Haven¡¯t I kept youpany for the past few days at home?¡± She gave him a warm smile. She had actually promised to watch the fireworks with Felix. There was a fireworks festival at Breakwater Port tonight. Although this event had been canceled for the past few years due to concerns about the environment, it was back in full force this evening. ¡°You can head out to have some fun if you want. There¡¯s no need to stay home,¡± William told her. It was obvious that they were eager to leave, so he was equally disinterested in spending any time with them. ¡°Really? Can I leave?¡± Ysabelle grew excited to hear his words. ¡°Then I¡¯ll take my leave now, Grandpa. Felix is waiting for me outside!¡± William shook his head. She promised to stay home to keep mepany, didn¡¯t she? What a heartless girl. She forgot about me after having a boyfriend. I¡¯m going to get jealous. Seeing his reaction, Sarah shed him a smile. ¡°Dad, don¡¯t worry. Even if they all leave, I¡¯ll stay at home with you,¡± she assured him. There was no way she¡¯d leave her father alone at home. N?velDrama.Org ? content. William waved his hand. He said to her, ¡°It¡¯s the holidays, so you should go out and have a good time. Being stuck here with an old man like me isn¡¯t all that exciting.¡± He wanted her to live her life to the fullest, to make the most of her youth by socializing, meeting new people, and finding romance rather than simply spending her time in his presence or at home like an elderly person. Sarah looked at her father with a hurt expression on her face and asked, ¡°Dad, don¡¯t you want me here?¡± Can¡¯t I keep himpany at home? William¡¯s response was clear. ¡°No, I don¡¯t want you to stay at home any longer. Your New Year¡¯s wish should be to find a suitable partner and get married this year. I¡¯d love for you to stay with me forever, but you¡¯re already in your thirties, so it¡¯s time for you to start your own family.¡± Tristan is about to get married, but Sarah¡¯s still showing no signs of finding a partner. This won¡¯t do. Sarah voiced her disapproval. ¡°Dad, that isn¡¯t what I want. I think I¡¯m doing pretty well now. Stop forcing me to find a husband.¡± Why do people have to end up in a marriage? Isn¡¯t it good to be single? William was displeased to hear her answer. ¡°Sarah, you must strive to be optimistic and confident. That is the key to bringing true happiness into your life.¡± Sarah rolled her eyes. ¡°Dad, is this a line from a TV drama? That sounds really familiar.¡± She couldn¡¯t believe her father had just said something so cliche. William retorted, ¡°I don¡¯t think there¡¯s anything wrong with those words. Why? Do you have a problem with that?¡± If Sarah wasn¡¯t nning to walk down the aisle anytime soon, she would soon be beyond the optimal age for having children. By then, it would be risky for her to bear a child. As her father, I¡¯m just worried about her. How could she say that? Ysabelle stepped out of her house, and there Felix was, standing outside, eagerly awaiting her arrival. She had donned the outfit he had purchased for her, so they were both dressed in matching outfits. ¡°What is this? If someone else sees us, they¡¯ll know about our rtionship,¡± Ysabelle protested unhappily. ¡°Why should it matter? It isn¡¯t that I¡¯m not presentable, is it?¡± Felix questioned. He couldn¡¯t understand the need to keep a low profile. ¡°Ah, forget it. Whatever, then.¡± Ysabelle gave up on trying to get her way. The weather was freezing, and they were both wearing masks, so it would be hard for people to recognize her. ¡°Come on, my princess,¡± Felix urged. He was pleased to be able to go on a date with her on Christmas Eve. ¡°I wonder where Uncle Tristan and Sophie will go. I think he¡¯ll spend the night with her,¡± Ysabelle mused. She felt pretty disappointed that Sophie wouldn¡¯t be celebrating Christmas together with them. Sophie¡¯s family had not been particrly caring or supportive toward her. Despite this, she still chose to spend the uing holiday with them, so it left Ysabelle baffled as to why she would choose to do so. Felix was ovee with feelings of envy and resentment. ¡°Stop worrying about her. That¡¯s not something you can control. Instead, why don¡¯t you focus on looking after yourself?¡± Ysabelle was always devoting all of her attention to Sophie, to the point where she forgot to give any attention to him. ¡°Oh? Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re jealous of Sophie,¡± Ysabelle retorted. ¡°There¡¯s no need to be jealous of her.¡± ¡°I must admit, I¡¯m envious of the way you treat her. You show her so much care and affection, while I feel I don¡¯t get the same level of respect and attention,¡± Felix admitted. Ysabelle harrumphed. ¡°How could youpare yourself with Sophie? You don¡¯t even know your ce.¡± Felix was stunned. The harshness of her reply had wounded him deeply. I¡¯m her boyfriend, but I¡¯m not as important as her best friend! Won¡¯t someone have pity on me? Sophie was lounging on the couch, her eyes fixed on the television, when her phone suddenly began to ring. Upon seeing that it was Tristan, she rxed, and her features softened into a gentle expression. ¡°Hello? Why did you call me? Are you watching the Christmas G on TV too?¡± she asked. ¡°No. I¡¯m outside your house. There¡¯s an incredible fireworks show happening at Breakwater Port this evening, and I was wondering if you¡¯d like toe and watch it with me,¡± Tristan told her. ¡°Do you want to watch it?¡± Sophie questioned. Hmm, he has already arrived at my house, so I think he wants to watch it. Chapter 782 Chapter 782 ¡°Yes, let¡¯s go watch the fireworks together,¡± Tristan said eagerly, his eyes alight with excitement. ¡°Hurry up and change into something you can befortable in.¡± He wanted to be able to count down to Christmas with her. ¡°Sure! I won¡¯t be long. Let me head upstairs to grab a jacket, and I¡¯ll meet you outside!¡± Sophie agreed. It seemed like a great idea to wee Christmas with him. Time seemed to fly by for them, and before they knew it, they had been together for two years. ¡°Mm, it¡¯s fine. Take your time. I¡¯ll wait for you outside,¡± Tristan told her. He had no intention of heading into her house. Sophie went upstairs to grab a jacket. Before leaving, she applied some lip gloss. Applying makeup was a hassle, and she had no interest in putting it on just for the sake of going on a date, but she figured the least she could do was apply some lip gloss to give her a more lively look. As Sophie ran her fingers through her hair, she observed her reflection in the mirror and was surprised by what she saw. Just like any other young woman, she was filled with excitement and anticipation as she was going to meet her boyfriend soon. After putting on her jacket, Sophie went down the stairs and bumped into Yale. ¡°It¡¯ste. Where are you going? Won¡¯t youe back tonight?¡± Yale inquired. He wasn¡¯t worried as he knew who her boyfriend was. Besides, he dared not stop Tristan from bringing her out on a date. ¡°Yes. Tristan is waiting for me outside. We¡¯re going out, and I won¡¯t be back tonight,¡± Sophie answered. She had a hunch that Tristan wanted to spend the evening counting down until Christmas, so she probably would not be returning home that night. ¡°Okay. Go, then. Don¡¯t let Mr. Tristan wait for too long as it¡¯s pretty chilly outside,¡± Yale reminded her. He was determined not to keep his beloved son-inw waiting outside in the cold for too long. Sophie nodded and said nothing else. She didn¡¯t like exining herself and couldn¡¯t be bothered by what others thought about her. Once she ventured out of the house, she spotted Tristan standing beside his car. It was freezing, but Tristan had only donned a thin ck wool coat for protection against the cold. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you wait in the car? It¡¯s freezing, so there¡¯s no need to wait for me outside,¡± Sophie chided. She walked over to him, and he opened the door for her. ¡°I waited outside so I could get to see you earlier,¡± he replied cheerfully. He couldn¡¯t help himself. A smile nudged Sophie¡¯s lips as she entered his sports car. The heater was running, so she felt warm and pulled off her scarf. Mere momentster, Ysabelle¡¯s call arrived. ¡°Sophie, where are you? We¡¯re at Breakwater Port, and it¡¯s absolutely buzzing with activity. Come here now! I¡¯ll wait for you here so we can count down to Christmas together, okay?¡± Sophie wasn¡¯t able to join them for dinner earlier, but they could still count down to Christmas together. Sophie nced at Tristan and replied, ¡°I¡¯m with Tristan, but I don¡¯t think he wants to count down with you.¡± It was obvious that Tristan wanted to spend the night with her without anyone else disturbing them. Ysabelle was speechless. Seriously? We should count down together as it¡¯s more fun that way! ¡°Sophie, will you or Uncle Tristan call the shots in your family in the future? Why are you going along with his n?¡± Ysabelleined. She really wanted to count down to Christmas together with Sophie and couldn¡¯t understand why Sophie couldn¡¯t keep herpany. ¡°Tristan, Ysabelle wants to know who¡¯ll call the shots in our family in the future,¡± Sophie repeated Ysabelle¡¯s question solemnly. Ysabelle nearly died of embarrassment upon hearing that. ¡°Uh, Sophie. The signal isn¡¯t good here. I know that you don¡¯t get to spend much time with Uncle Tristan, so I won¡¯t intrude upon your time together. I hope you both have a wonderful time!¡± she quickly said. Ugh, why did Sophie do that to me? Ysabelle quickly hung up and patted her chest, still reeling in shock. Seeing that, Felix gave her a peck on her cheek. ¡°Sweetheart, why are you so adorable? Don¡¯t worry. Sophie won¡¯t let your Uncle Tristan harm you,¡± he comforted her with a smile. ¡°I¡¯m here, and no matter what happens, I¡¯m going to be right beside you. No one will be able to bully you while I¡¯m around.¡± ¡°Really? Are you certain that you would be brave enough to tell Uncle Tristan that? Aren¡¯t you afraid that he¡¯ll teach you a lesson?¡± ¡°I¡¯m scared, of course. You know how scary your Uncle Tristan is. I don¡¯t have another choice, though. I¡¯m terrified of the thought of him punishing me, yet I¡¯m even more worried about losing you,¡± he revealed honestly. Making sure that Ysabelle stayed safe was far more important to him than anything else. ¡°Really?¡± Ysabelle asked happily. She was delighted that her boyfriend had acted in the manner that was expected of him. Felix answered rapidly, ¡°Of course! How can you doubt my feelings for you? I love you dearly. If anything I said was a lie, I would¡ª¡± ¡°That¡¯s enough. I believe you, okay? Why would you say that? Come on, let¡¯s go have some fun!¡± Meanwhile, Tristan was chuckling in his car. ¡°You get to call the shots in our family unless you would rather not. Should that be the case, I can step in and take over the responsibility.¡± Sophie¡¯s lips curled into a grin. She wasn¡¯t being serious as she didn¡¯t care who would get to make decisions. Tristan turned the ignition key and was greeted with the deep rumbling of the car engine. It was the time of day when couples would be flocking to the port, drawn in by the prospect of the fireworks festival. After all, this event was held exclusively for couples. When they arrived, there were no parking spots avable.This content is ? N?velDrama.Org. Sophie¡¯s face lit up with a broad grin when she took in the bustling scene at Breakwater Port. She hadn¡¯t expected such an enthusiastic turnout as it seemed like the whole town hade out to join the festivities. ¡°Do you like crowds?¡± Tristan knitted his brows. He had never been a fan ofrge gatherings of people, and yet he had still chosen to bring her here as everyone seemed excited to be here. ¡°What should we do? Should we head home?¡± Sophie asked. It was freezing, and she didn¡¯t feel like fighting her way through the throng of people. That didn¡¯t sound fun at all. ¡°Okay. Let¡¯s go home, then,¡± Tristan agreed. So long as they were in each other¡¯spany, it didn¡¯t matter where they would spend Christmas Eve. ¡°Sure. Let¡¯s leave now.¡± They had just arrived at their destination, but Tristan immediately drove back home. On their return journey, the sky was illuminated with a spectacr disy of fireworks, which was a stunning sight to behold. Tristan pulled his car to the side of the road, and they both got out of the car to enjoy the fireworks. ¡°So?¡± ¡°It¡¯s quite pretty,¡± Sophie answered. ¡°Are you feeling cold?¡± Knowing that she was afraid of the cold, Tristan pulled her close and wrapped her up in his coat. ¡°No. I feel warm,¡± Sophie assured him. His chest was radiating warmth, after all. As they spoke, the night sky continued lighting up with vibrant and colorful fireworks, providing a beautiful backdrop for their conversation. The stroke of twelve was like a magical signal, announcing the arrival of Christmas. Tristan wrapped his arms around her in a tight embrace. ¡°My dear Sophie, Merry Christmas! I hope this holiday season brings you nothing but peace and joy.¡± As Sophie heard the melodic chimes of the clock and the sultry sound of Tristan¡¯s voice near her ear, she felt an overwhelming sense of contentment and joy. Turning around, she returned his hug. ¡°Mr. Lombard, I hope your wishes true this holiday season!¡± With that, Sophie pressed her lips to his. Chapter 783 Chapter 783 Tristan felt that the blessing he received was unique and special, as it was not just any ordinary blessing, but one that came from Sophie. When he was a child, the anticipation of Christmas filled him with joy and excitement. However, as he grew older, the magic and wonder of Christmas began to diminish, leaving him with a feeling of apathy toward the holiday. Gathering as a family for a meal and visiting rtives was often seen as an obligation rather than an enjoyable experience. Sophie didn¡¯t like visiting rtives, so she allowed herself to sleep until past ten o¡¯clock the following morning. She thought Tristan would¡¯ve left home to visit his rtives by then. The Lombard family was extremely influential, so many rtives of the family would flock to their home during the holiday season to catch up and to show their respects. To her surprise, she found Tristan preparing breakfast in the kitchen. Sophie was d in a thin nightdress. The house was warm, so she still preferred wearing a nightdress, even in winter. She leaned on the doorframe and watched him quietly. Sophie was aware of the power of the man¡¯s attractiveness, and it was impossible for her not to take notice of it. She had oftenmented why such a handsome man had to exist. Tristan was extremely alluring. Even when just standing there, he could somehow lead one¡¯s imagination to run amok. Sophie loved his Adam¡¯s apple the most. She had to admit that his Adam¡¯s apple was extremely sexy, giving her the urge to nibble on it. ¡°Are you up already? You really should get some more rest. There¡¯s nothing we need to do today, so why don¡¯t you just stay in bed? I¡¯ll bring you breakfastter,¡± Tristan said affectionately. ¡°No need. I¡¯m already up and about. I¡¯ve had plenty of rest the past few days. Why didn¡¯t you return to the Lombard residence? There should be many rtives visiting today, right?¡± Sophie inquired. Despite their personal preferences, as grown-ups, socializing with family was a necessity. ¡°Why would I return to the Lombard residence? I want to spend the holidays with you. Lincoln¡¯s home, so he¡¯ll deal with those rtives,¡± Tristan told her. Having an elder brother had its advantages, as it meant that any matters that the younger sibling disliked could be delegated to the elder brother. ¡°Oh, I see.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll keep youpany today!¡± Tristan told her. As they spoke, breakfast was ready. It was Christmas, so he decided to be generous and let the housekeepers go home for the holiday and only arranged for someone to clean the house. It didn¡¯t seem right to ask them to work for him during the holiday season. ¡°Come, breakfast is ready. It¡¯s quite simple,¡± Tristan beckoned. He had been working on his cooking skills recently in hopes of fattening her up. When Sophie glimpsed the delicious breakfast he had prepared, her stomach growled in anticipation. They had watched the fireworks and arrived hometest night, so she was famished by now. Tristan felt a sense of deep contentment as he watched Sophie eagerly devouring her breakfast. In the past, he had been difficult to please, but now it was a joy to see her enjoying her meal. Sophie gave him a piece of bread. ¡°You should eat, too. You won¡¯t fill up your stomach by watching me eat,¡± she joked. ¡°Mm, yes. Watching you eat won¡¯t fill up my stomach,¡± Tristan replied as desire burned in his gaze. He had been trying hard to tamp down his desire but eventually, he was no longer able to restrain himself in her presence. ¡°I want to eat you!¡± Sophie was shocked, as she had no idea he¡¯d be so direct. Her cheeks turned pink. Tristan had been controlling himself even though she wasn¡¯t nning on staying a virgin until their wedding. Since he insisted on waiting until they got married, she couldn¡¯t stop him, could she? ¡°Eat your breakfast,¡± she chided. ¡°Stop flirting with me.¡± Recently, she discovered he was getting better at seducing her. It would only take one look from him to make her body go limp. The cold air seemed to linger in the atmosphere, and now it had started snowing heavily again. This winter season had been particrly wintery, with more snowfall than usual. Property of N?)(velDr(a)ma.Org. The roaring ze in the firece filled the room with a pleasant warmth, and Sophie felt contented as she gazed out the window at the picturesque snowscape. ¡°Tristan, let¡¯s build a snowman!¡± she suggested. It had been on her wish list for some time, but she was afraid of the cold. Tristan reminded her, ¡°You¡¯re afraid of the cold, aren¡¯t you?¡± He disagreed with the idea of building a snowman due to her condition as he thought it would be better for them to spend some time together indoors. ¡°Yeah, but I still want to build a snowman,¡± Sophie said eagerly. Tristan couldn¡¯t bring himself to turn her down as she looked really enthusiastic. ¡°All right. Since you¡¯re dying to do so, let¡¯s head out.¡± He eventually relented and went upstairs to retrieve her down jacket and scarf. He made sure she was bundled up properly before they left the comfort of the house. There was an open space outside the mansion, and the ground was covered with a thick nket of snow. Sophie was brimming with excitement. Her joy was so contagious that Tristan would have been willing to give up anything in the world just to witness her beaming with such delight. Working in harmony, Sophie and Tristan quickly built a snowman. As the snowman came together, Sophie took it upon herself to decorate it. In the end, she even removed her hat to put it on the snowman¡¯s head. Although the cold winter air made her handspletely numb, so much so that she couldn¡¯t feel a thing while wearing her gloves, she was still filled with joy. ¡°Aren¡¯t you cold?¡± Tristan asked in concern. Sophie nodded. ¡°Yes, I¡¯m freezing.¡± Tristan trudged over to her and helped her out of her gloves. He then ced her hands beneath his clothes. Sophie¡¯s palms came into contact with his t stomach. His way of warming her up was surprisingly simple and effective. ¡°Tristan, you don¡¯t have to do this. We can head into the house and warm up in no time,¡± she protested, not wanting him to feel cold. ¡°It¡¯s fine. I don¡¯t feel cold at all!¡± he assured her. Tristan¡¯s body was indeed warm, for Sophie¡¯s palms heated up in no time. ¡°What else do you want to do? I¡¯ll keep youpany no matter what you have in mind,¡± Tristan offered, not wanting to waste their free time. Sophie replied, ¡°I just want to be with you. There¡¯s no need to do anything special.¡± They could do anything as long as they were together. ¡°Okay.¡± ¡°Come, let¡¯s head in.¡± Tristan swept her off her feet and brought her into the mansion. Inside, he helped her out of her down jacket. They then went to the firece and allowed the heat to thaw their frozen limbs, basking in thefort of the inviting mes. ¡°By the way, my family is making ravioli today. Do you want to join them?¡± Tristan suddenly broke the silence to ask. He wondered if she wanted to spend some time with family today. ¡°Sarah and the others are around, right?¡± Sophie asked. ¡°It only seems right to spend the holiday season with family.¡± ¡°Yes, they are around. They just called and asked us to join them,¡± Tristan said. He was willing to ept whatever she chose to do. If she would rather stay home instead of apanying him to meet with his family, he waspletely okay with it. ¡°We should join them!¡± Sophie uttered. ¡°Can I invite Arius? It doesn¡¯t seem right for him to spend Christmas alone.¡± Arius didn¡¯t have any living rtives left, so he would always spend his holidays alone. He never said a word about it, but Sophie would still sympathize with him. Chapter 784 Chapter 784 ¡°Sure. We have room for one more,¡± Tristan agreed readily. ¡°You can give him a ring so he can get ready. We¡¯ll go and fetch him,¡± he added. Tristan was well aware of how much Arius meant to Sophie, for he had always treated her well. Arius was still sleeping when Sophie called him. He was usually busy and didn¡¯t have time to rest. Now that it was the holiday season, everyone had gone home to spend time with their families. There was nothing much to do at the medical association, so he had been catching up on the sleep that he had previously been missing. He was rudely woken up by his ringing phone. Grabbing his phone, he nced at the disy to see that it was Sophie calling. After answering the phone call, he let out an exasperated sigh and grumbled, ¡°What is it? We finally got some time off. Why are you calling me instead of spending time with your boyfriend?¡± Arius had spent thest few days sleeping. When he got hungry, he would order takeaway food. The holiday season had nothing to do with him. His house was silent and still, devoid of the usual festive cheer thates with families gathering together. ¡°Get ready. I¡¯lle and pick you up now,¡± Sophie said curtly, not bothering to exin things. ¡°Why?¡± Arius snapped impatiently. As it was Sophie who gave him the order, he climbed out of bed reluctantly and got changed. After getting prepared, he fell asleep on the couch until Sophie called, telling him toe downstairs. He went downstairs to see Tristan¡¯s car parked outside. ¡°Where are we going?¡± he asked. If they were on a date, it didn¡¯t make sense for him to tag along. ¡°The Lombard residence. We¡¯ll be having ravioli together, so we decided to invite you since you have nothing to do at home,¡± Sophie revealed. Belongs to ? n0velDrama.Org. It wasn¡¯t good to sleep all day. Arius snapped arrogantly, ¡°What do you mean by I have nothing to do at home? I¡¯m quite busy, okay?¡± Knowing Arius¡¯ character, Sophie didn¡¯t bother arguing with him. They were close enough to understand each other. Soon, they arrived at the Lombard residence. After being introduced to Arius, William gave him a warm wee. Despite a person¡¯s social standing, they were not immune to the physical ailments that could affect any person. William had immense admiration for Arius upon discovering that he was a renowned doctor. Sarah and the like were already preparing the ravioli. The Lombard family had their own help who could prepare the ravioli for them, but it was Christmas. Everyone had nothing to do, so they gathered together to prepare ravioli. Ysabelle was an idol, but she suddenly had the idea to deliver ravioli to the sanitation workers. Thus, her entire family got busy preparing ravioli. When Sophie and Tristan arrived, Ysabelle quickly called out, ¡°Sophie,e here! It¡¯s so fun to prepare ravioli!¡± Despite the fact that the ravioli Ysabelle had crafted didn¡¯t look particrly appealing, Felix provided her with a few words of support, giving her a sense of aplishment. ¡°Look, these are the ones I made. Make sure to eat the ones I madeter, okay?¡± Ysabelle said excitedly. Sophie nearly burst outughing when she saw the ravioli Ysabelle made. As expected of something Ysabelle made. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Are they not pretty? Aren¡¯t ravioli supposed to look this way?¡± Ysabelle was baffled. ¡°Are you sure you¡¯re making ravioli?¡± Arius asked rather rudely. He had always been direct and didn¡¯t bother considering Ysabelle¡¯s emotions. ¡°Felix, what does he mean?¡± Felix gave Arius an angry re. ¡°Ignore him. He¡¯s just jealous. Don¡¯t let hisment affect you. After all, he doesn¡¯t have a girlfriend. Anyone who stays single for too long will suffer from hormonal imbnce!¡± heforted Ysabelle. Arius was rendered speechless. I¡¯m a doctor. I would know if I¡¯m suffering from hormonal imbnce! Well, well. It seems Felix has lost his mind due to falling in love. ¡°Come, let¡¯s all make ravioli together. Ysabelle is going to deliver the ravioli to the sanitation workers later, so you three shoulde and help us,¡± Sarah urged. She was the best ravioli maker as the ravioli she made were the prettiest. ¡°Okay!¡± Sophie and Tristan were smart enough to learn how to make ravioli quickly, and the ravioli they made appeared rather nice too. Ysabelle felt threatened when she saw how pretty their ravioli looked. She couldn¡¯t reallypare her ravioli with the others as she didn¡¯t know how to cook, but Sophie had never learned how to cook, either. Despite this, it only took a moment of observation for Sophie to master the technique of making beautifully-shaped ravioli. Why are my ravioli so ugly? Despite having never done this before, Arius was busy learning how to make ravioli then. He was exceedingly proud of his high IQ, which he saw as the source of his numerous sesses. However, the ravioli he made weren¡¯t even decent looking. Ysabelle finally felt better when she saw the ravioli Arius made. How dare heugh at me when he¡¯s around my level? Felix was alsoughing merrily. ¡°Arius, how could youugh at others? Just look at the ravioli you made!¡± Arius refused to give up and made another one, but it was still ugly. Meanwhile, Sophie and Tristan had already made a few. They were slow, but at least the ravioli they made looked normal. ¡°Sophie, you¡¯re good at this! I shall eat the ones you madeter, okay?¡± Ysabelle asked happily. She started losing confidence in her cooking skills and decided to let the rest do it. ¡°What about the ones you made?¡± Tristan demanded. ¡°I¡¯ll eat them!¡± Felix answered hastily. He wasn¡¯t about to let others eat the ravioli Ysabelle made. Ysabelle¡¯s lips curled into a grin when she saw how supportive Felix was. ¡°Felix, you¡¯re the only one who won¡¯t ignore me!¡± Ysabelle was aware of herck of culinary experience despite her fervent wish of making a perfect dish of ravioli. Altogether, they made a few hundred ravioli. Ysabelle was satisfied with their progress. ¡°Sophie, I used to have a negative opinion of people who volunteered their time and money to charitable causes, but I have sincee to realize how important it is to give back to themunity,¡± Ysabelle said honestly. She was not seeking public recognition or admiration; her sole intention was simply to give back to those working on Christmas. Sophie nodded. ¡°Yeah. I¡¯ll back you up in whatever you choose to do. There is no need to overthink it. Just go ahead and do what you feel is best.¡± Ysabelle was touched. ¡°I knew you would support me always!¡± Hearing that, Felix felt that he was an outsider even though he was Ysabelle¡¯s boyfriend. Sophie could easily please Ysabelle with a few words, but it was different for him. Ysabelle couldn¡¯t be bothered no matter what he did. He felt utterly defeated. ¡°Mr. Tristan, how could your girlfriend snatch my lines and my spot?¡± Felix demanded unhappily. He knew he wasn¡¯t Sophie¡¯s match. Chapter 785 Chapter 785 ¡°Why, do you have a problem with it?¡± Tristan retorted. ¡°Of course not! How would I dare have a problem with it? I have no objections at all!¡± Felix was at a disadvantage, so he naturally had no choice but to admit defeat. By then, they had finished preparing the ravioli. All that was left was to cook it. Sarah led two of the help to the stove to boil the ravioli and have them carry the food out once it was done. ¡°All right, let¡¯s eat first! There¡¯s a lot of ravioli, and we still need to go out and distribute them to the sanitation workerster.¡± Although it was Ysabelle¡¯s idea, they could not leave her to do it alone when there were so many ravioli. Tristan proceeded to take a serving for Sophie. ¡°Here. Eat some, at the very least.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± As everyone sat together and ate ravioli, the atmosphere was incredibly harmonious. Despite being an outsider, Arius did not find his presence superfluous. William was also d to see the entire family in such high spirits. This is precisely how a family should be, harmonious and peaceful. There¡¯s no need for any infighting for power and wealth. So long as a family is together happily, anything we do brings immense joy! ¡°Have some, too, Dad. Tristan made this. Try it!¡± Sarah scooped a serving for William. Without saying much, William ate it exuberantly. In the past, he was chagrined about Tristan learning to cook. However, at the sight of thetter so happy right then, he no longer had any reproach left. After all, the most crucial thing in life was to live blissfully. To that end, it was pointless to cling to tradition. Meanwhile, the ravioli on Felix¡¯s te were not aesthetically pleasing. The fillings of a few had spilled out because Ysabelle did not seal the edges properly when wrapping the ravioli. When Ysabelle saw his pitiful predicament, a sliver of guilt crept into her. ¡°Why don¡¯t you eat those done by other people? Just toss away the ones on your te.¡± My cooking skills are indeed terrible! Why can¡¯t I do something others easily aplished? Felix took a bite of the ravioli and found no issues with it. ¡°I like the ones you made. I find them perfect, not a fault to be found.¡± He started eating without a hint of repulsion. Ignoring the fact that the whole family was there, Ysabelle hugged him around the waist. ¡°I knew you were the best, Felix!¡± At that, a wide grin split Felix¡¯s face. She¡¯s already contented with just this? I want to give her the best things in this world and treat her well to the best of my ability. Thus, this is nothing at all! ¡°I¡¯d like some more, Sarah! The ravioli tastes amazing.¡± Arius had been abroad in the past few years, so he seldom got to eat ravioli. Coupled with the fact that he was with a big group of people then, he ate more than usual that day. ¡°Sure. I¡¯ll go and get you some more.¡± Well, I might not be able to offer him anything else, but there¡¯s plenty of ravioli today. Sarah went into the kitchen and took another serving for Arius. Seeing that the man was eating with such relish, Sophie knew that he truly enjoyed the merry atmosphere. He had no family left, and she found him rather pitiful sometimes. While he had some achievements in the medical field, all the glory was his alone. There was no one to share it with him or rejoice together. ¡°What¡¯s going on? Are you full already?¡± Awkwardness swamped Arius when he noticed her staring at him. I just ate a bit more. There¡¯s no need for her to gawp at me like this! ¡°Nothing. I just feel that it¡¯s really time for you to find a life partner.¡± At times, it was not necessary to have passionate love between two people. All that was needed was for them to provide each other with warmth andpanionship. At once, Arius shook his head. ¡°No thanks. I think I¡¯m fine as I am. You don¡¯t need to worry about that! Stop feeling that others must also date just because you¡¯re blissfully in love.¡± Arius truly felt that he was good with his current status quo. ¡°Why are you so nervous? Seriously? If you really don¡¯t want to date, even if I were to forcibly introduce women to you, you wouldn¡¯t ept them!¡± Love isn¡¯t something that can be forced, and I know that all too well. Then, Sophie continued, ¡°I merely wanted to say that you shouldn¡¯t resist if love truly finds you. Who knows, you might find happiness.¡± He¡¯s capable enough, so why shouldn¡¯t he be happy? In response, Arius chortled. ¡°All right, I got it. Stop lecturing me about this. If there¡¯s really someone I like, I won¡¯t let her slip through my fingers.¡± But then, how could love be so simple? It¡¯s not easy to find someone I truly like. When they had all finished eating, they cooked the remaining ravioli and packed everything properly. After that, Ysabelle led everyone out to distribute the food to the sanitation workers. As she did not wear a mask, someone recognized her in no time. The person filmed her and uploaded the video to the inte. In a sh, the matter of her giving out ravioli became the trending headline of the day. Nheless, she was unbothered about it. Truly, it was a sudden impulse on her part, and she did not think much of it at that time. As for theizens¡¯ments, someplimented her on her beauty and kindness. Naturally, there were also those who argued that she was simply putting on an act and imed to be sickened by her. That was only natural when one was in the entertainment industry. In fact, it was not only restricted to celebrities. Netizens of the present age were such that they would condemn others no matter what others did. It was also why many celebrities suffered from depression these days. Ysabelle had learned to ignore the voices of the outside world by then. Whatever they wanted to say had nothing to do with her, and the same applied to whatever she wanted to do. The instant Xandra saw the trending headline, she started keeping check of thements without needing Sophie to order her to do so. After all, a celebrity under TS Entertainment was not to be ndered at will, much less when Ysabelle¡¯s image was currently positive and vibrant. Right then, many prominent brands were queuing up to sign contracts with her. Ysabelle and the others, on the other hand, had no time to bother about all that. After giving out the ravioli, they went back to the Lombard residence. All of them were dead tired. Despite her weariness, Ysabelle was exhrated. Due to the nature of their jobs, the sanitation workers could not go home and celebrate the day with their families though it was Christmas. However, the beams on their faces as they ate the te of ravioli Ysabelle and the others offered made her feel that everything had been worth it. Noticing that Sophie was exhausted, Tristan brought her to his room. ¡°Rest here for a while first. Then, have dinner with us tonight. Sarah is already preparing the food.¡± Sophie sat on his bed. It was his room, so everything in there carried traces of his growth. Although it had been renovated, there were still vestiges of his childhood. Out of the blue, her attention was snagged by a photo album on the bookshelf. Walking over, she picked the photo album up. Since she was interested in the photo album, Tristan led her over to the couch for a seat. With her cuddled in his arms, they flipped through the album together. Inside were photos of Tristan when he was young. Whoa! It turns out that he has been handsome since he was a kid! N?velDrama.Org ? content. In one of the photos, he was without pants, baring his member. When Sophie glimpsed that photo, she reflexively nced back at the man behind her. ¡°Unexpectedly, I got to see a nude photo of you, Tristan!¡± Chapter 786 Chapter 786 ¡°Yeah.¡± Tristan was wholly unbothered about Sophie seeing his nude photo when he was young because she would beying eyes on him while he was in his birthday suit sooner orter. In fact, she would be seeing the real thing after they had gotten married. ¡°Are you tired as you didn¡¯t nap today? Rest for a while since you¡¯ve finished looking at the photos.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Sophie went back over to his bed. The bedsheet and covers were new, with the lingering fragrance of detergent. The smell was quite pleasant to the senses. Lying on the bed, she pulled the covers over her. Tristan was also a tad tired, so hey down with her. ¡°Would it be somewhat ill-mannered for us to sleep here when everyone else is downstairs?¡± Worry flooded Sophie even as she nestled in his embrace. ¡°There¡¯s no need to bother about that. Don¡¯t worry! My family is easy to get along with, and they¡¯ll take care of Arius.¡± ¡°All right, then.¡± Cuddled in his arms, Sophie felt incredibly peaceful at that very moment. I like this. This is great. Shortly after, she fell asleep in his arms. At her docile sleeping countenance, Tristan could not resist kissing her on the forehead. What an enthralling vixen! How could there be such a person who can easily take my breath away in this world? I can even forget to breathe when I¡¯m merely gazing at her! As he stared at her, he eventually dozed off as well. Downstairs, Arius knew that Tristan had taken Sophie upstairs. Sophie was in the habit of napping, and the same went for him. However, he had been sleeping a lot in the past few days, so he was not drowsy right then. Subsequently, Sarah came over. Upon seeing him alone there, she remarked, ¡°If you¡¯re tired, Arius, you can go and rest for a while.¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s okay. You can go about your work. There¡¯s no need to bother about me.¡± William was also taking a nap then. Meanwhile, Felix and Ysabelle might have gone somece to spend some time alone. Hence, Arius was the only person left there. In the next second, he added, ¡°Perhaps I can be of help to you!¡± ¡°No, thanks,¡± Sarah declined as soon as she recalled the ravioli he made. Despite having a doctorate in medicine, he seems to be really inept at cooking. Besides, he¡¯s a guest. How could I have him help me? ¡°If you say so. I¡¯ll merely wait, then.¡± Arius was willing to stick around for dinner, for Sarah¡¯s cooking was delicious. Sarah did not continue exchanging pleasantries with him but went back to the kitchen and resumed cooking. It was Christmas that day, and there was a crowd at home, so she definitely had to whip up a feast. ¡°Take a break first, Ms. Sarah! You¡¯ve been bustling around the whole day.¡± She hasn¡¯t rested since she woke up in the morning until now. After making ravioli earlier in the day, she¡¯s now cooking dinner. N?velDrama.Org ? content. ¡°It¡¯s okay. I¡¯m not tired when I¡¯m with everyone here.¡± Sarah was d to be cooking for those she cared about. As she was cooking, her phone rang all of a sudden. When she saw it was a call from Juan, she was stunned for a moment. Huh? What¡¯s wrong with him? He¡¯s never been so diligent in calling me in the past. But now, he pesters me every single day! She wiped her hands with a towel before leaving the kitchen to answer the phone. Unfortunately, she did not know what to say after picking up the call. The incident with Yvette this time caused quite a stir, but Juan swiftly suppressed the rumors out there. Anyhow, she truly did not care about it all. ¡°Merry Christmas, Sarah.¡± Juan sounded exceedingly cheerful. He had finally figured out that he actually had feelings for Sarah as well. s, he did not realize it in the past. Sarah, on the other hand, remained silent. She did not want to speak to him, nor did she know what else she could say to him. ¡°Don¡¯t contact me anymore, Juan. Although we¡¯re considered childhood friends, our rtionship hasn¡¯t been all that close. So, let¡¯s leave things as they are. It¡¯s good that we have our own lives.¡± There¡¯s really no point in taking things so far that we might not even be able to remain friends anymore. ¡°Don¡¯t do this to me, Sarah. Even if we¡¯re just friends, greeting each other during Christmas is nothing unusual!¡± ¡°Yeah. Well, you¡¯ve already greeted me, so I¡¯ll be hanging up first. I¡¯ve still got to cook.¡± ¡°You¡¯re cooking personally? Don¡¯t tire yourself out.¡± She has a lot of help at home. Why doesn¡¯t she have them cook instead? Words eluded Sarah. Truly, she did not know what to say in the face of his bted concern. In the end, she still hung up the phone and refocused her attention on cooking. In the meantime, Sophie slept for over an hour before rousing. The instant she woke up and lifted her head, she was greeted by Tristan¡¯s handsome countenance. Ah, he must have just woken up as well! He appeared slightly groggy since he had just woken up. Even so, he was still mesmerizingly handsome. Sophie was still bleary with sleep, but she could not help leaning forward and pecking the corner of his mouth. ¡°I love you, Tristan!¡± That heartfelt confession from the woman he loved no sooner had he woken up made his heart skip a beat. In the next second, he pulled her into his arms and nted a passionate kiss on her. ¡°You¡¯re truly an enthralling vixen!¡± As Sophie grew older, she became even more alluring, obliterating his sanity and self-control. The kiss was beyond scorching. Tristan¡¯s hands weren¡¯t idle either, slipping into her clothes. At the sensation of her smooth and delicate skin, his restraint slipped even further. Following his caress, Sophie felt as though her entire body had melted into a puddle, and she could not resist him at all. In truth, she was not the least bit averse to his touch. In fact, anticipation bubbled within her. They were dating in the first ce, and people nowadays had no qualms about being intimate within days of getting acquainted, let alone when they were engaged to be married. The intriguing feelings muddled her mind, but ultimately, she still grabbed his hand. ¡°Not here.¡± I¡¯m not ready for the final step yet. With his hand mped between her legs, Tristan did not continue exploring, considering the fact that she had said no. Instead, he nted a harsh kiss on the corner of her mouth. ¡°Take it easy. Otherwise, they¡¯ll misunderstandter.¡± There are a lot of people downstairs. How would I face themter if they were to see me with my lips all red and swollen? I¡¯d be too embarrassed to go downstairs to eat! ¡°It¡¯s okay. No one would darement on it.¡± Who would dare say anything about my woman? ¡°That¡¯s not the issue here.¡± Gah! No matter my guts, I¡¯d still be mortified to go downstairs with red and swollen lips that would have imaginations run wild, okay? Tristan gently brushed a finger across Sophie¡¯s red and swollen lips. ¡°Serves you right for teasing me when you know that I¡¯m powerless to resist you.¡± ¡°Fine, then. I won¡¯t do it again in the future. Satisfied now?¡± ¡°Nope! You must do it again, and you can only do it to me. You¡¯re not allowed to tease other men, okay?¡± It¡¯s okay. We¡¯ve got a lifetime ahead of us, and I have plenty of time to explore her body slowly. There¡¯s no hurry. ¡°Anyway, should we be going downstairs now?¡± I wonder if everyone else is downstairs. That aside, Arius is alone there. Ah, the mere thought makes me pity him! Chapter 787 Chapter 787 Tristan nced at the time, only to see that it was just past four o¡¯clock in the afternoon. Hmm, there¡¯s still some time left before dinner. ¡°Nap for a while longer. I¡¯ll take a shower, and we¡¯ll go downstairs together.¡± Right then, he needed to take a cold shower. Hearing that, Sophie was entirely perplexed. Her gaze instinctively went to his groin before she finally nodded. ¡°Okay. Go and shower!¡± It went without saying that she knew how much he treasured her. To that end, he really wanted to leave them both pure for their wedding night. At that moment, she seemingly started looking forward to their wedding night as well. When Tristan had finished showering and stepped out of the bathroom, Sophie had to admit that she had truly stuck gold at the breathtaking sight of him. His figure and looks are downright perfect! Furthermore, he¡¯s lethally sexy when fresh out of the shower! Seeing that she was staring at him fixedly, Tristan inexorably chuckled. From the looks of it, this girlfriend of mine is very much satisfied with her boyfriend¡¯s figure. ¡°I swear I¡¯ll definitely satisfy you, Sophie.¡± As soon as his sudden promise drifted into the air, Sophie¡¯s ears went red, and her face med. Oh God, what suggestive remark is he spouting? When have I been dissatisfied with him? I¡¯ve always been pleased with him, never once finding himcking! Tristan only had a towel wrapped around his waist then, so it was difficult not to fantasize about his figure. While Sophie was blushing hotly, someone knocked on the door. From the sound of it, one could tell that it was undoubtedly Ysabelle. ¡°I¡¯m going to get dressed. Tell her we¡¯ll be down in a while and to stop knocking.¡± Tristan stopped teasing her and went to the walk-in closet to change. Thereafter, Sophie patted her face with both hands. ¡°How could you be so pathetic, Sophie? It was just a look, and you got all hot and bothered!¡± Verily, he¡¯s a devilish man. Before I knew it, he managed to fluster me. At the relentless knocking, she had no choice but to go over and open the door. Sure enough, Ysabelle was standing outside. ¡°What were you both doing in there, Sophie? Why did it take you so long to open the door? Ah, forget it. It¡¯s time to go downstairs. Dinner will be ready soon.¡± Ysabelle came upstairs for no other reason than to inform the couple about dinner. ¡°Okay, got it. You go ahead. I¡¯ll wait for your Uncle Tristan.¡± Well, Tristan told me to wait for him. ¡°Whoa! How sweet! What were you two doing just now? Did you do something only fit for adults?¡± That question rendered Sophie speechless. ¡°All right, go downstairs first. We¡¯ll be right on your heels.¡± ¡°Fine, then. I¡¯ll go ahead of you. Felix is still downstairs. I¡¯ve got to keep an eye on things and help him out if my father were to pick on him.¡± I can¡¯t allow them to bully Felix when he¡¯s such a sedate person. Mere moments after Ysabelle had left, Tristan came out after changing, wearing suit pants and a white shirt. The shirt was unbuttoned, baring his seductive chest. Sophie promptly averted her eyes. Damn, I can¡¯t continue admiring him anymore. Otherwise, I really won¡¯t be able to stop myself from pouncing on him. Everything was fine in the past, but after being together for a long time now, I keep getting these impulses to jump his bones. Gosh, he¡¯s really too tempting! ¡°What are you looking at? Come and help me button my shirt!¡± Tristan¡¯s voice abruptly rang out. In the next heartbeat, he had already reached her. Lifting her fair and slender hands, Sophie helped him fasten his shirt, one button after another. At the sight of her looking incredibly adorable with her cheeks stained scarlet, Tristan hugged her in his arms in the next instant. ¡°How are you so cute, Sophie? How could there be such an adorable girl like you in this world?¡± She makes me want to take a bite out of her! ¡°All right, stop teasing me. I can¡¯t quite take it anymore.¡± Sophie wanted to push him away, but he was hugging her too tightly that she could not break free at all. ¡°Okay. Let¡¯s go downstairs, then!¡± Subsequently, the two of them went downstairs. When Felix saw that Tristan had taken a shower, he could not help looking at him enviously. What did they do in broad daylight that he even had to take a shower? It simply makes my imagination run wild. ¡°What did you two do upstairs that you had to take a shower when it¡¯s so cold and early yet, Mr. Tristan?¡± ¡°Is being meddlesome contagious? I think you¡¯ve taken in too much of Ysabelle¡¯s saliva. It has also turned you into a busybody now.¡± Is he sick of living? Why is he asking so many questions? Does he not know that curiosity kills the cat? Meanwhile, Arius shook his head with his eyes pinned on Sophie. ¡°Haven¡¯t I told you this, Sophie? Although you¡¯ve gotten engaged to him, you¡¯re a girl and must learn to protect yourself, okay?¡± That way, if you were to regret it one day, you¡¯d still have a way out! Sophie said nothing. Thus, Arius continued, ¡°I¡¯m only saying this for your good. Tristan¡ª¡± N?velDrama.Org owns all content. Immediately, Tristan shot him a re. ¡°It seems that you¡¯ve got a problem with me, Professor Gullifer? Well? Shall we go out for a duel?¡± Is he trying to talk my woman into abandoning me? How could there be someone like him in this world? The mere sight of him irritates me! Arius instantly swung his gaze to Sophie. ¡°Did you see that, Sophie? I¡¯ve got reason to suspect that this man has a tendency for violence. Who knows whether he¡¯d get physical with you after marriage?¡± Upon hearing that, Tristan was gripped by the urge to teach the man a hard lesson. Argh! Look what he¡¯s saying! ¡°Come, Arius! Let¡¯s go out for a duel.¡± There was still some time before dinner, so it would not matter if they were to go out for a face-off then. At once, Arius hid behind Sophie. ¡°Considering our close rtionship, Sophie, you won¡¯t allow him to pick on me, right? You¡¯ve got to protect me.¡± Hiding behind her, he regarded Tristan smugly. With her there, he was not the least bit afraid of the man before him. Sophie fell silent, dumbstruck. Can these two men in their thirties stop acting so childish? Following that, Tristan pulled Sophie into his arms and hugged her. She¡¯s my woman. How could she be some other man¡¯s shield? ¡°All right. I won¡¯t bother taking offense with an imbecile.¡± Otherwise, I¡¯d also appear like one. That left Arius without a retort. Am I being disdained now? What right does he have to look down on me? I¡¯m perfectly fine, aren¡¯t I? ¡°Okay, stop messing around. Come and eat,¡± Sarah swiftly urged when she came out and saw the three of them at a stalemate. ¡°I¡¯ll do as you say and forgive him this once, Sarah.¡± Arius made up an excuse to save himself from embarrassment. He had no other choice since he was alone then. If he did not do so, he would still be the one on the losing end. Seeing that he had gone over to the dining table, the others followed suit and took their seats. Tristan took Sophie¡¯s hand. I don¡¯t want to pick on Arius either, but I can¡¯t resist doing so when he always makes for easy prey. I can¡¯t help it. ¡°Be a bit more amodating to Arius. He¡¯s really pitiful all alone,¡± Sophie could not help chiding, taking up the rear with Tristan. Chapter 788 Chapter 788 I¡¯ve got no idea what¡¯s wrong with them both. Whenever they¡¯re together, they squabble. Truly, Sophie could not do anything about Tristan and Arius. ¡°As you saw, it was clearly him who deliberately provoked me.¡± Initially, I didn¡¯t want to pick on him as today is Christmas. Regretfully, not only did he offer himself up on a silver tter, but he also challenged me repeatedly! Tristan then added, ¡°Well? Which of us is more important to you?¡± That question had Sophie at a loss for words. Sometimes, men are really childish. ¡°Both of you are equally important.¡± To her, both men were indispensable in her life. ¡°One of us must be more important.¡± ¡°All right, it¡¯s time to go over for dinner, Tristan. Everyone is waiting for us.¡± Sophie¡¯s lips curved into a sweet smile. It turns out that men be incredibly cute once in love, no matter how capable they are. Tristan is the best example. He¡¯s adorable beyond words! Soon, they reached the dining room with Tristan holding her hand. The dining table in the Lombard residence could seat twenty people at a time. At the dining table, the food was already served by Sarah and the help. Arius was all smiles at the sight of the feast. He had always known that Sarah could cook, and her cooking was delicious. The food that day looked truly scrumptious and smelled incredible. N?velDrama.Org owns all content. ¡°You don¡¯t have a boyfriend yet, do you, Sarah? How about I marry you?¡± he asked solemnly out of the blue. If I¡¯ve got such a virtuous wife, I¡¯ll no longer need to order takeaway every single day. It isn¡¯t fun doing so. Hearing that, William was dumbfounded. Is there anyone who¡¯d propose in such a manner? He wants to marry my daughter just because she can cook? Who does he think he is? ¡°Professor Gullifer, Sarah doesn¡¯t cook often. If you really marry her, she won¡¯t be cooking for you at home every day either.¡± In truth, he could not stand having his daughter, whom he treasured greatly, cook for some other man. In response, Arius nodded. ¡°That¡¯s true. She¡¯s such a beauty. Anyone would pamper her after marrying her.¡± At that, Sarah chuckled. ¡°All right, all the food has been served, so let¡¯s eat.¡± It¡¯ste now, and they should be hungry since they only ate ravioli in the morning. ¡°Yeah. Let¡¯s eat.¡± William was the first to pick up his fork as it was the Lombard residence, after all. When he had spoken, everyone started eating. ¡°You¡¯re amazing, Aunt Sarah!¡± Being useless in the kitchen, Ysabelle really admired her aunt. She actually managed to cook a tableful of food! ¡°Cut it out, and let¡¯s eat! Don¡¯t praise me anymore. I simply cooked.¡± Sarah loved to cook, but she rarely did so. For that reason, her cooking still fell shortpared to the food sold at renowned restaurants out there. Tristan took some food for Sophie. With so many people looking on, especially William, Sophie was somewhat embarrassed. She whispered, ¡°Just eat. There¡¯s no need to worry about me. I can take food for myself.¡± The big table was equipped with a turntable, and she could rotate whatever dish she wanted to her front. As such, he did not need to take special care of her. Tristan dipped his head in acquiescence, yet he could not help taking food for her. Some things had already be a habit, engraved so deeply into the marrow of his bones that he simply could not change them. William pretended not to see anything since he could not possibly stop the young couple from putting on a public disy of affection. Otherwise, it would only ruin everyone¡¯s mood. ¡°Arius, my father hasn¡¯t been feeling welltely. Can you please check him over after Christmas?¡± With a doctor like Arius here, we don¡¯t need to go to the hospital anymore. ¡°Sure! Bring him over to our research center after Christmas.¡± Naturally, Arius had no objection to that request from Sarah. They would be family in the future, and he would never refuse them anything as long as it was within his capabilities. Ysabelle promptly cut her gaze at William. ¡°You¡¯re not feeling well, Grandpa? Why didn¡¯t you tell us?¡± William had always doted on her, so he shook his head in denial. ¡°I¡¯m fine. Your aunt was spouting nonsense, and it¡¯s merely a routine checkup. You don¡¯t need to worry at all.¡± At times, one had no choice but to ept the fact that he was up in years. Once a person was advanced in age, all his bodily functions would decline, and he could no longer do whatever he wanted. However, everyone was happy that day, so he found it unnecessary to speak of such a subject. ¡°After Christmas, go to the medical research center for a thorough checkup.¡± Honestly, Tristan was also worried about William¡¯s health. ¡°Okay, I will. Can you all just eat? Why must you talk about such upsetting things at the dinner table?¡± ¡°All right, let¡¯s all eat. It was just a casual mention.¡± Realizing her blunder, Sarah knew she should not have brought up that subject at such a time. Lincoln was aware of William¡¯s condition and was likewise worried. s, there was nothing to be done about it. The only thing they could do as children when their father was up in years was to spend more time with him. For instance, Walter was currentlyid up in bed, gravely ill. He could not even get out of bed, and it was uncertain whether he could survive past this winter. The medical industry was indeed very much advanced presently, and many diseases could be cured. Even so, there was no cure for old age. When Felix saw everyone looking rather grim, he immediately changed the subject. Verily, he was great at enlivening the atmosphere. In no time, the atmosphere changed. Knowing that Tristan was actually worried as well, Sophie grasped his hand. ¡°It¡¯ll be fine. Old Mr. Lombard is just advanced in years. There isn¡¯t any major issue with his health.¡± ¡°Yeah, I know.¡± At herfort, a wealth of warmth suffused Tristan. She¡¯s right that Dad is merely up in years. He only has some trivial old-age sicknesses but not any major health issues. In all honesty, Sophie was bad at consoling others. Seeing him all downcast, she truly had no idea what to say. ¡°All right, don¡¯t worry about me.¡± Tristan understood that aging and death were often beyond human control. Therefore, the only thing to do was to spend more time with one¡¯s parents when they were still alive. There was no need to worry about too many things. After dinner, the entire family yed poker together. Throughout the few consecutive rounds, Ysabelle suffered devastating losses. Needless to say, she stood no chance of winning when she was pitted against a few people with high intelligence quotients. Having lost again, she teetered on the verge of crying. She shot up from her seat. ¡°I¡¯m not ying with you guys anymore. It¡¯s downright boring.¡± Ugh! I¡¯ve been the one losing all this while! While I don¡¯t mind the money, I¡¯ve got pride, okay? It¡¯s truly distressing to be beaten time and again! Following that, everyone was rendered speechless. Tristan paid no mind. ¡°Never mind if you don¡¯t want to y. You¡¯re unworthy to y with us, anyway, considering your low IQ!¡± he scoffed unceremoniously. Upon hearing that, Ysabelle felt as though she had been stabbed through the heart. Is he really my uncle? Chapter 789 Chapter 789 ¡°Felix, he bullied me. Do as you see fit.¡± Pouting, Ysabelle muttered pitifully. Felix was exasperated. He, too, wanted to seek revenge for Ysabelle. ¡°I¡¯ll take them head-on and avenge you. Stay here and watch.¡± That¡¯s too much! How could he bully my girl? After hearing what Felix said, Ysabelle gave a serious nod. Property of N?)(velDr(a)ma.Org. ¡°Go get them, Felix! I know you can do it. You must destroy himpletely!¡± Hmph, what a bully! An evil grin grew on Tristan¡¯s lips as he cast an eye on Felix. ¡°I don¡¯t mind winning all of your money since you¡¯re a loaded fool,¡± Tristan said arrogantly. He certainly possessed the capability to do so. To some, poker was a game of chance where people relied on luck to win it. To Tristan, a naturally talented and skillful yer, he could win anytime despite being dealt a bad hand. It was almost impossible to win money from him. Felix knew very well that he was not Tristan¡¯s match. However, he could not let the matter slide because thetter made his girlfriend cry. Hence, Felix became the next target tortured at the poker table. Ysabelle saw everything unfold before her and was rendered speechless. Who said he was going to win the game for my sake? Now, he even got himself into trouble! ¡°Sophie, are you sure you want to marry Uncle Tristan? He¡¯s inhumane, isn¡¯t he?¡± He¡¯s winning all the time! After hearing herment, Tristan looked at her. ¡°Felix, I¡¯m going to be ruthless all the way since your girlfriend has said so explicitly.¡± How dare she doubt my rtionship with Sophie? This is absolutely unforgivable. Sophie was sitting next to Felix. After ying for a few rounds, she got bored and requested Tristan to rece her. ¡°Okay, I¡¯m going to quit the game. It¡¯s no fun ying with them.¡± It bes meaningless when one keeps winning the game, okay? Oh my, what a match made in heaven! The sharp-tongued couple was so mean with their words. Yet, nobody dared to challenge them. After all, their poker skills were incredible! ¡°Okay, let¡¯s go! ying poker with them is a total bore. Let me drive you home. We can go have fun at Lostaria when we have time.¡± I¡¯ve been so busytely. Anyhow, we should definitely do that when we¡¯re free. Right then, Arius sprang to his feet. ¡°Let¡¯s go. You¡¯re responsible for taking me home since you¡¯re the one who brought me here.¡± Arius did not drive that day, and it was not easy to hail a taxi in a neighborhood full of mansions. ¡°You¡¯re an adult. Go figure it out yourself.¡± Tristan chose to ignore the man. Arius did not say a thing and merely stared at Sophie. ¡°Take me home, Sophie. It¡¯s hard to get a taxi here.¡± Why do these two act like this all the time? Words eluded Sophie. ¡°That¡¯s enough. Mr. Tristan, please get your driver to send him home. It¡¯s true that it¡¯s hard to hail a taxi here.¡± Who would take a taxi to an affluent area? Moreover, it¡¯s Christmas! ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll get the driver to do that.¡± ¡°What about you? Aren¡¯t you going back tonight? Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re spending the night here?¡± Arius asked when he noticed Sophie did not intend to leave. Is this guy dumb or what? This is exactly why I hate Arius. To go home or not, that¡¯s for Sophie and me to decide. What¡¯s that got to do with him? Tristan scoffed inwardly. ¡°You go ahead. Oh, by the way, let¡¯s go visit Dr. Smith tomorrow.¡± Barney¡¯s family had already arrived, but they never really celebrated Christmas. Sophie was sure they¡¯d feel mncholy and empty when surrounded by the festivities. ¡°Sure. I¡¯ll be home waiting for you toe and get me tomorrow morning.¡± Arius was not in the mood to go anywhere. However, he would make an exception if it was to visit Barney. ¡°All right,¡± Sophie agreed. Arius has been such azy bum recently! As the driver sent Arius away, Felix took Ysabelle elsewhere to have fun. Meanwhile, Sarah, who had had a long day, went upstairs to rest. Sophie and Tristan were the only ones left behind. They hung out in the living room, cuddled on the couch, and watched the Christmas G reying on the television. In truth, Sophie had already seen the same show the night before when she was at home. However, nothing interesting was showing on the television, so she decided to watch it again. ¡°Are you staying or leaving?¡± It was gettingte. If she wanted to go home, he would drive her back immediately. ¡°I¡¯ll leave.¡± She was not used to staying in another person¡¯s house. Even though it was Tristan¡¯s home, she still felt rather ufortable. ¡°Okay, let¡¯s go then.¡± Tristan got up and went to get her down jacket and scarf. He then put them on for her. The housekeepers were extremely surprised to see the usually aloof and lofty man helping his girlfriend put on the clothes. Wow, Mr. Lombard treats his girlfriend so well! Tristan could not be bothered by their expressions. He continued helping her wear her jacket, zip it up, and then put on a scarf and hat for her. He even fixed her hair. ¡°Tristan, I¡¯m afraid I¡¯ll be useless andzy if I¡¯m with you any longer.¡± He was always helping her do things. There was no need for her to move even a finger. ¡°I don¡¯t mind if my actions spoil you rotten. In fact, I enjoy doing things for you.¡± He loved taking care of everything for her. After putting on a jacket, Tristan walked out of the house holding Sophie¡¯s hand. As the two of them were heading out, Felix sent Ysabelle home. When thetter saw Sophie, she quickly ran toward her. ¡°It¡¯s already sote. Are you sure you want to go home now? Why don¡¯t you stay and keep me company?¡± Uncle Tristan has been keeping her all to himself these few days. How domineering! ¡°I¡¯ll pass. I¡¯m more at ease when I¡¯m in my own house.¡± The ce where she lived belonged to Tristan too. However, she preferred hanging out with him there. ¡°All right, then. Be careful on the road, Uncle Tristan.¡± Ysabelle was still a bit reluctant to let her go. Everyone would be busy with their own things right after Christmas, and soon, sses would start again. That was why Ysabelle wanted to spend all the time she had with Sophie. Tristan opened the car door for Sophie to enter, saying, ¡°Ignore her; she¡¯s just being childish. She¡¯ll be fine in a while.¡± ¡°Yup, I know.¡± Ysabelle was several months older than Sophie. However, perhaps due to the differences in their personalities, thetter always wanted to look out for the former. ¡°What I mean is that I don¡¯t like it when you pay too much attention to others. I want to be the only one who ever exists in your eyes.¡± That was what he truly wanted to say. Sophie fell silent. What is this man thinking? My life can¡¯t revolve around him and him only! That¡¯s impossible. Initially, Sophie wanted to go straight to bed, but Wendy called. Instead of ignoring it, she answered her phone in front of Tristan. ¡°Ms. Sophie, I know I shouldn¡¯t disturb you on Christmas, but I have no idea who else to call!¡± Wendy¡¯s voice was trembling, and one could tell that she was about to cry. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Don¡¯t panic and speak slowly.¡± As Wendy was one of Transfix Cosmetics¡¯ employees, Sophie would never let anyone bully her. Chapter 790 Chapter 790 ¡°It¡¯s not me but Ms. Lineker. Something happened to her, and we¡¯re now in the hospital.¡± Wendy was not a local, and she had not gone home to celebrate Christmas this year. Hence, she rushed to the hospital after receiving a call from Wilma. She did not know what to do when she saw how Wilma was beaten to a pulp. At that time, the first person who crossed her mind was Sophie. If Ms. Sophie knows about this, she¡¯ll surely help us because she always treats all the employees at Transfix Cosmetics well. ¡°Which hospital are you two in?¡± Isn¡¯t Ms. Lineker pregnant? What¡¯s going on? What can happen to a newlywed? Wendy then sent the address of the hospital to Sophie. Immediately, thetter said to Tristan, who was driving, ¡°Don¡¯t go home yet. Let¡¯s head to this hospital.¡± Tristan knew how much she cared for her staff at Transfix Cosmetics. Hence, he did not utter a word but did as she said and drove her to the hospital. When they arrived, Wilma was still in the emergency room. Meanwhile, Wendy felt much better upon seeing Sophie in person. ¡°Ms. Sophie, that man is too much! He actually beat Ms. Lineker up on Christmas Day!¡± It was clearly a case of domestic violence. How dare he have the audacity to hit Ms. Lineker! ¡°What should we do, Ms. Sophie? It wasn¡¯t easy for Ms. Lineker to have found her happiness. Yet, it turns out that her life isn¡¯t as blissful as she thought it would be at all.¡± Wendy hadpletely lost her faith in love. Wilma was so happy a few days ago. She¡¯s not a demanding person, so why did it end up like this? ¡°Where¡¯s Phineas Lehner?¡± Phineas was Wilma¡¯s husband. Sophie had a good memory, so even though she had only met him once, she remembered his full name. ¡°I don¡¯t know. After getting a call from Ms. Lineker, I went to her ce and saw that her house was a complete mess. Phineas was nowhere to be found.¡± ¡°Okay, I got it. Don¡¯t worry; we¡¯ll wait here together.¡± Half an hourter, Wilma was wheeled out of the emergency room. When Sophie saw her, she instinctively clenched her fists tightly. That damn Phineas! What was he thinking? How could he hurt her so badly? Wilma¡¯s face had swelled up as a consequence of the repeated hitting. There was not an area on her face that was not bruised or injured. It was hard to imagine a prideful person like Wilma would let herself end up being pummeled to a pulp. Anyone who saw her in that state would have felt terribly sad. ¡°Wendy, why did you call Ms. Sophie here? It¡¯s Christmas.¡± Ms. Sophie has always been very busy. How can she find time to take care of our petty affairs? As soon as Sophie heard those words, she walked to Wilma and grabbed her hand. ¡°Don¡¯t think too much, Ms. Lineker. All you need to do now is rest.¡± Wilma had always been a feisty woman. She really thought that she had found her happiness. Ironically, things turned out totally different for her. Now, she felt extremely pathetic. As if that was not enough, Sophie had to witness her in her most miserable state. ¡°Ms. Sophie, I lost my baby.¡± Wilma had been ready to ept any oue, no matter what it was. However, she did not expect Phineas to hit her so badly just a few days after their wedding. When he was assaulting her, it was obvious that he did not take her as his wife but treated her like an enemy. He even kicked her stomach and caused her to miscarry. Wilma subconsciously ced her hand on her t stomach. As it turns out, having a blissful life is not an easy thing to achieve. Wendy could not help but cry when she saw Wilma like that. ¡°Ms. Sophie, Phineas is too much! How could he treat Ms. Lineker so badly?¡± It was not that Wendy had never heard about domestic violence before, but she thought that no man would every a finger on another woman now that the world was much more civilized. Yet, Wilma, a wonderful woman in their eyes, had encountered domestic violence.N?velDrama.Org owns all content. ¡°It¡¯s okay, Ms. Lineker. Please rest well these few days. Wendy, you stay here and take good care of her while I resolve all the other problems.¡± There was nothing more Sophie couldment when it came to that abuser. ¡°It¡¯s Christmas, Ms. Sophie. Please go home. I¡¯ll be fine as Wendy is here to take care of me.¡± Wilma was reluctant to trouble thedies, but she needed someone to be around, considering her current state. ¡°Rest well, Ms. Lineker. I¡¯lle and visit you again tomorrow.¡± ¡°Okay. Wendy, please walk Ms. Sophie out for me.¡± Wendy did as she had requested. ¡°Ms. Sophie, what should I do? If Phineas were to appear, what should I do?¡± Wendy was, after all, a young woman who had not seen much of the world. She had no idea how to handle such a situation. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. If he dares to show up, I¡¯ll break both his legs.¡± Sophie was zing with anger. D*mn you, Phineas! ¡°Anyway, even if he doesn¡¯te, I¡¯ll seek him out.¡± Sophie¡¯s eyes were filled with murderous intent. It was Wendy¡¯s first time seeing a different side of Sophie, and she thought her domineering boss was so cool! As long as Ms. Sophie is around, nobody will dare to bully us. ¡°Go back and take care of Ms. Lineker. I¡¯ll get some food delivered to you in a bit. Make sure she eats, and don¡¯t mention that jerk in front of her anymore. Let her rest.¡± After giving a series of instructions, Sophie left the hospital with Tristan. Back in the car, Sophie immediately made a phone call. ¡°Help me find Phineas Lehner and then send me his location.¡± Initially, she wanted to deal with the matter the following day, but she did not want that man to roam around freely while Wilma was still in the hospital. How can I let him enjoy his freedom and have fun? ¡°All right, Phantom. Rest assured that I¡¯ll send you his address soon.¡± Phantom finally gave me a task! How could I not do this well? Tristan knew that Sophie was angry. She has always been very good to her staff. How can she not get mad when someone who works under her was physically attacked? ¡°Are you going to teach that man a lesson now?¡± Tristan knew her heart¡¯s desire. Hence, he did not start the car engine but waited with her for Phineas¡¯ location. ¡°Well, I can¡¯t sleep even if I go back now, so let¡¯s deal with this matter first.¡± ¡°That¡¯s true. He¡¯s just a scumbag. There¡¯s no need to wait till tomorrow. Let¡¯s get this done and over with today.¡± Tristan could not agree with her more. ¡°When we see that jerkter, don¡¯t do anything. Leave him to me.¡± He did not want her to touch another man. ¡°Don¡¯t make it sound so violent. We just want tomunicate and share our feelings with him.¡± ¡°Sure. That sounds good.¡± Within five minutes, Sophie received Phineas¡¯ location, and Tristan drove there directly. At that moment, Phineas was having a good time in a nightclub. When Tristan and Sophie arrived, they found him surrounded by women. ¡°You don¡¯t know how boring that woman, Wilma, is. Does she really think that she can tie me down with marriage?¡± Chapter 791 Chapter 791 ¡°Mr. Lehner, I heard that you courted Wilma back then. It hasn¡¯t been more than a month since the two of you married, but you¡¯re already sick of her? Men really are terrible,¡± the woman whose hands were wandering all over him deliberately said. Indeed, he was a terrible man. But so what? He was rich. Money was all that mattered to these women, so they were willing to turn a blind eye to anything he did. ¡°It was interesting at the start, but she¡¯s now pregnant, so I can¡¯t do anything anymore. I can¡¯t believe she¡¯s even trying to put a leash around my neck! How can I let her lord over me? That¡¯s enough; let¡¯s not talk about that revolting woman anymore. As long as you can serve me well, these are yours.¡± With that said, Phineas ced a stack of cash on the coffee table. The two women by his side immediately beamed at the thick wad of cash. ¡°I knew you were a generous man, Mr. Lehner. Don¡¯t worry. We¡¯ll definitely have you enjoying yourself tonight.¡± After all, the two women were one of the best in the clubhouse. ¡°Mm, I love women like you. You¡¯re flirty enough!¡± Phineas remarked as he let his hands wander on the two women¡¯s bodies. Right then, someone opened the door. When the two women raised their heads, they were met with a pair of terror-inducing eyes. ¡°Who are you? Why are you here? Did youe to the wrong room?¡± Phineas questioned upon lifting his head and seeing the pretty face before him. He had seen the woman before. Even though he had only encountered her once, he would never forget that face of hers. She¡¯s Wilma¡¯s boss, right? She came to my wedding before.? N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved. However, Phineas was fearless and even seemed to relish the idea of pinning down a beautiful woman like Sophie. ¡°Ms. Sophie, what brings you here?¡± ¡°You two, please head out for a moment. I have some things to discuss with this man over here,¡± Sophie icily uttered. The two women did not dare to say anything in protest at Sophie¡¯s aggressive demeanor, so they left in silence. On the other hand, Phineas, who was partially undressed on the couch, gulped at the sight of Sophie¡¯s beauty. ¡°Ms. Sophie, what would you like to talk to me about? Are you here to have some fun with me? Let me tell you this first¡ªI¡¯m a pretty strong man. I¡ª¡± Sophie¡¯s expression remained stony despite his disgusting words. Then, she interrupted him by questioning, ¡°Did you hit Wilma?¡± Ah, so she¡¯s here to settle the score with me. ¡°Ms. Sophie, that¡¯s between us. I didn¡¯t hit her; it¡¯s just a romantic act between the two of us.¡± ¡°A romantic act?¡± Sophie barked out augh in her fury. How can men like him exist in this world? He beat her to within an inch of her life, but here he is, telling me that it¡¯s a romantic act! ¡°Uh-huh! That¡¯s what a lot of people do nowadays. Ms. Sophie, you¡¯re still unmarried, so you wouldn¡¯t understand this.¡± ¡°It looks like you¡¯re one for ¡®romantic acts¡¯ like these.¡± To say such things means he¡¯s unrepentant. ¡°Ms. Sophie, it¡¯s Christmas. Why are you here telling me these things instead of keeping your boyfriend company at home?¡± Phineas taunted. Wilma¡¯s my wife. Even if I do hit her, she has to endure it in silence. ¡°Ms. Sophie, please don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re here to have some fun because your boyfriend can¡¯t fulfill your needs.¡± Tristan could not believe that the douchebag was casting doubt on his stamina just as he arrived at the ce. Excuse me? No man is going to stand for that! ¡°Why aren¡¯t you going inside?¡± he then asked Sophie. Sophie turned to look at him. The only reason she had not taught Phineas a lesson herself was because Tristan had told her he was going to do it. ¡°I was waiting for you.¡± Once Phineas saw Tristan by Sophie¡¯s side, he quickly tidied his clothes. ¡°What are you trying to do? You can¡¯t do as you please! We live in awful society, all right?¡± Phineas cried out, his words tinged with panic. However, Tristan did not bother wasting his breath on the other man as he immediately made his move. Despite beating up someone, Tristan was still as elegant as he always was, but all of the blows he dealt were agonizing ones. He was ruthless, and he intentionally picked visible spots to strike. The kind of men he hated most were men who hit women. It was fine by him if the man wanted to get a divorce from the woman, but a husband must nevery a hand on his wife. Therefore, he was going to teach a piece of trash like Phineas a good lesson. In no time, only the screams of pain and terror from Phineas could be heard in the room. ¡°Help! Someone¡¯s trying to kill me!¡± Phineas pleaded, unable to withstand the beating. s, the club owner did not dare to enter the room after finding out who was in it. The people outside the room could only pale drastically as the screams traveled into their ears. All they could do was ponder over the severity of the beating that Phineas was receiving. In the meantime, Sophie was standing at the side, watching with her arms folded across her chest. She waspletely unfazed by Phineas¡¯ miserable state. Eventually, Phineas kneeled down and begged for mercy. ¡°I¡¯m sorry! I¡¯m so sorry! Please let me go!¡± It was only then Phineas realized what kind of demon he had crossed. Trembling, he went on, ¡°Ms. Sophie, I¡¯m really sorry! I¡¯m going to apologize to Wilma right now!¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± came Sophie¡¯s frigid response. When Tristan saw that Phineas remained motionless despite hearing Sophie¡¯s answer, he shot the latter a re. Instantly, Phineas scrambled out of the room after them. As soon as the others outside spotted Phineas¡¯ dreadful condition, they held their breaths and kept their silence. When Tristan and Sophie went to the parking lot, Sophie came to a stop outside of the car. ¡°What¡¯s the matter? Aren¡¯t we going to the hospital? Why are you standing here?¡± Tristan curiously asked. He knew that Sophie was protective of the people around her. Moreover, Sophie felt grateful toward Wilma for her kindness, and thus, there was no way she would allow Wilma¡¯s abuser to go unpunished. ¡°I don¡¯t want to be in the same car as that man.¡± Every time she thought about how he had beaten Wilma into that state, she would feel anger re up in her. ¡°I see¡­¡± Tristan trailed off, walking over to open the trunk before ncing at Phineas. ¡°Are you going to get in there yourself, or do you want me to help you with it?¡± Phineas was speechless. But¡­ that¡¯s the trunk. I¡¯ll suffocate inside, won¡¯t I? ¡°Mr. Tristan, I¡ª¡± Phineas started, but Tristan¡¯s intense gaze shut him up and made him crawl into the trunk of his own ord. Then, Tristan closed the trunk. He was already showing Phineas mercy by not killing him back in the club. However, that mercy was because they were going to let Wilma make the decision. ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± Sophie said tly as if they had not just forced a man into the trunk. After all, the hospital was only half an hour¡¯s drive away, so it was unlikely that Phineas would die. Meanwhile, Phineas was trembling in the narrow trunk. He was drunk when he hit Wilma, so he failed to keep his strength in check. He had never anticipated such an oue. Soon, they reached the hospital, and Tristan opened the trunk to let the fearful Phineas crawl out of it. ¡°Don¡¯t be scared. We won¡¯t kill you,¡± Sophie uttered to him. ¡°Though, I think you¡¯ll end up with a fate worse than death.¡± Phineas inhaled sharply. ¡°Ms. Sophie, I know I¡¯ve made a mistake. Besides, this is a matter between me and my wife.¡± You can¡¯t do this to me, was what went unsaid. Chapter 792 Chapter 792 ¡°You and your wife? If you really saw Wilma as your wife, you wouldn¡¯t have been so merciless toward her, nor would you have killed your own child.¡± Ms. Lineker had been anticipating the arrival of the baby, but he killed it. ¡°What?¡± Phineas blurted out, baffled. All I did was hit Wilma. How did things turn out this way? I just don¡¯t like how she¡¯s always micromanaging everything. Phineas did not have much savings, so the only reason he married Wilma was because she had enough savings for him to live a luxurious life. In no time, Sophie and Tristan brought the bruise-covered Phineas to Wilma. The only thought in Wilma¡¯s mind when she saw him was how she wanted to kill him. She never thought that the usually-mild-mannered man was a wolf in sheep¡¯s clothing. ¡°Wilma, I didn¡¯t mean it. You know how I was drunk. Please forgive me! We can have another child as long as you give me another chance. We really can,¡± Phineas muttered as he crawled to the side of Wilma¡¯s bed. Seemingly having reverted back to his mild-mannered ways, Phineas uttered, ¡°Wilma, are you in pain? Tell me where you¡¯re hurting.¡± Unfortunately, Wilma would no longer believe him. When it came to domestic violence, once would bring twice, and twice would bring infinity. ¡°Phineas, let¡¯s get a divorce,¡± she said resolutely. She had been blind to have fallen for an animal like him. However, Phineas shook his head vigorously. ¡°No, I don¡¯t want to get a divorce from you. I love you! I was only drunk that day. Trust me. I really, really love you. I wouldn¡¯t have married you otherwise, right?¡± Phineas rejected. If he got a divorce from Wilma, he would have nothing left, and that was not something he was going to let happen. ¡°Phineas, it¡¯s pointless to continue this. I¡¯m no longer into you, and I don¡¯t think we can continue living together. Let¡¯s spare each other the misery. I won¡¯t hold you ountable for this. I just want a divorce from you.¡± Nothing matters anymore. I just want a divorce from him. As it turns out, I¡¯m not suitable for love. All I wanted was a family, but this is how things turned out. ¡°No, I won¡¯t get a divorce from you,¡± Phineas persisted before kneeling on the ground. ¡°I¡¯ll never get a divorce from you. Never! I know I¡¯ve done wrong now.¡± ¡°Ms. Lineker, don¡¯t believe in his words. People like him will never change; he¡¯ll do the same in the future,¡± Wendy said. She felt bad for Wilma¡ªfor the elegant woman to encounter something horrible like this. ¡°Wendy, how can you persuade us to get a divorce? What nefarious ns are you up to?¡± Phineas questioned. Wendy retorted, ¡°Men like you should be executed. I can¡¯t believe you dared to hit a woman. You¡¯re shameless! Why don¡¯t you pick a fight with gangsters instead? Do you not have the guts to do that? Do you think you¡¯re really powerful after hitting your wife instead?¡± Wendy despised men like Phineas, and she looked down on them. Sophie and Tristan were silent at the side. However, as long as it was Wilma¡¯s wish, they would make the divorce happen. ¡°Ms. Lineker, we just need you toe to a decision. Whether or not he agrees to it doesn¡¯t matter because I¡¯ll settle that myself,¡± Sophie uttered. They had a thousand and one ways to fulfill Wilma¡¯s wish, after all. Wilma nodded. ¡°Ms. Sophie, I know it¡¯s the holiday season, but thank you. I want to get a divorce from him. I no longer have any trust in him.¡± Once was more than enough. Losing her baby had given her the chance to see the man¡¯s true nature. Phineas shook his head again. ¡°Wilma, it really was a moment of foolishness! Please don¡¯t do this. Even though we¡¯ve lost this baby, we can have another!¡± s, the man was nothing but a pretentious individual to Wilma now. ¡°I¡¯m tired. Leave. Once the holiday season is over, we¡¯re going to get the divorce,¡± Wilma said to him. They did not share many financial assets, and now that there was no child involved in the marriage, getting a divorce would be easy. ¡°Wilma, are you really not going to forgive me? Have you forgotten about the sweet moments we used to have?¡± Phineas cried out, not willing to admit defeat so easily. Wilma was rich, and he could live off her. He was afraid that he would not be able to find a woman as gullible as Wilma after leaving her. Wilma turned her head away from him. ¡°Ms. Sophie, I¡¯m tired. Please ask him to leave.¡± Wilma knew that Phineas would not heed any words she said, but it was a different matter if Sophie and the others were the ones doing the talking. She knew Phineas was afraid of Sophie and Tristan. ¡°Leave, Phineas. Don¡¯te here and disturb Ms. Lineker these few days. If I find out that you¡¯re here, I¡¯m going to incapacitate you.¡± Sophie would genuinely follow through with her words. After the holiday season, they were going to have their divorce. It was not that Sophie and Tristan were incapable of making the divorce happen right away, but that Sophie wanted Wilma to rest for a while after losing her baby first. Phineas parted his lips to speak, but when he caught sight of Sophie and Tristan¡¯s gaze, he ran his hand over his face. ¡°Wilma, rest well. I¡¯lle and visit you in a few days¡¯ time. I hope you¡¯ll take this time to think about whether or not you really want a divorce from me. Can we not salvage our rtionship?¡± We¡¯re not at that irreparable stage yet, right? We only had a fight. Which couple never fought? However, Wilma spared him no words. She was well and truly disappointed. It turned out that marriage was not for her. Once Phineas was gone, Wendy turned back to Wilma. Her heart ached to see thetter in that state.? N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved. ¡°Ms. Lineker, are you okay? Don¡¯t be too sad. You¡¯ll find a man who¡¯ll truly love you in the future. You were just unlucky to bump into someone like him.¡± Initially, they had all believed that Phineas was a suitable partner for Wilma and that she had finally found her happiness. However, with the recent events, they were left questioning whether they were bad at judging people¡¯s character or if Phineas was just too skilled at hiding his true nature. ¡°Mm, I know. Ms. Sophie, Mr. Tristan, thank you.¡± Wilma knew that Phineas was all bruised over because Sophie and Tristan had beat him up to avenge her. ¡°Ms. Sophie, I¡¯vee to the realization that Phineas is nothing but a thug. I¡¯m concerned that he might seek revenge on you after the beating he got today,¡± Wilma said, worried that the nice Sophie would be caught up in trouble. ¡°Ms. Lineker, you don¡¯t need to worry about anything; you just need to rest well in the hospital. Once you recover, we¡¯ll work on the divorce procedures.¡± ¡°Will this really work? I don¡¯t think he¡¯ll agree to it so easily.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll make him agree to it. Be at ease about this and focus on recovering.¡± This is just a trivial matter. If I can¡¯t even deal with a minor character like Phineas, how am I even surviving in Jipsdale? Chapter 793 Chapter 793 ¡°Thank you, Ms. Sophie.¡± Wilma felt incredibly weak and distraught, given that she had lost her child. ¡°Have a good rest, Ms. Lineker. I¡¯lle back to see you tomorrow.¡± Sophie didn¡¯t want to stay and bother her any longer. ¡°Okay. Thank you.¡± Wilma knew how well Sophie treated her and the others, and she swore to work hard after getting better. Who cares about marriage now? After giving Wendy some instructions, Sophie left with Tristan. Then, she heaved a long sigh upon entering the car. Is marriage really a woman¡¯s best resort? Her heart ached from what Wilma had gone through. Tristan took her by the hand. ¡°Not every marriage ends up this way. I¡¯ll love you forever, and I¡¯ll nevery a finger on you even if you hit me.¡± He didn¡¯t want her to lose faith in marriage. Sophie nodded in response. ¡°It¡¯s okay. I know how well you treat me, so I¡¯m fine. I just feel so sorry for Ms. Lineker.¡± To think a man had the gall to hit his wife like that! That¡¯s just terrible. After getting home, Sophie took a shower and plopped onto the couch to use herptop, digging up every dirty deed she could find of Phineas. With all this information, Phineas would have no choice but to agree to a divorce even if he were against it. Meanwhile, Tristan gave Sean a call after showering. ¡°What? You want me to take on a divorce case?¡± Sean was baffled. Why was he being asked to handle such a trivial case? ¡°Yes. It¡¯s for someone Sophie cares about. I was hoping you could help.¡± Tristan had requested Sean¡¯s help knowing that Phineas would be sure to put up a fight. ¡°Okay. I¡¯ll do it.¡± Sean would usually be extremely reluctant to take on such a case, but he agreed for Sophie¡¯s sake. It¡¯s not that big of a deal, anyway. Time flew by quickly. Tristan had other things to take care of and couldn¡¯t keep Sophiepany, so the latter went to deliver Wilma and Wendy some food on her own. Then, she bumped into Phineas outside the hospital. ¡°It looks like you chose to ignore everything I told you.¡± How dare he show up here again? Is he thinking of harassing Ms. Lineker? Phineas wasn¡¯t so afraid anymore as he didn¡¯t see Tristan with her. That guy was just brutal. He hit me in the face, of all ces. In truth, he didn¡¯t want to drop by anymore, but the thought of having to split up with Wilma and losing everything made him realize that he couldn¡¯t just sit around and do nothing. ¡°I know you mean well for Wilma, Ms. Sophie, but at the end of the day, this is a matter between husband and wife. It has nothing to do with you. You¡¯ll only end up ruining a loving couple¡¯s rtionship if you keep doing this.¡± ¡°Loving couple? You¡¯re a fraud, Phineas. Do you really think no one would find out about all the things you used to do?¡± Phineas felt his stomach drop at the mention of the word ¡°fraud.¡± ¡°Your whole life is a lie. Your educational background, your whole identity¡ªeverything! You¡¯re just a guy with a pretty face who leeches off women, so what right do you have to tell me all that?¡± Sophie pped back. She had looked him up thoroughly. ¡°What are you talking about, Ms. Sophie?¡± Phineas didn¡¯t expect anyone to dig up his information. ¡°Do you really not know what I¡¯m saying?¡± I can¡¯t believe a scumbag like him has the nerve to trick Wilma like that! I¡¯m going to make him go through hell. He just had to do this to her, and it took her forever to realize what a piece of trash he actually is! ¡°You investigated me?¡± Phineas felt his blood boil. ¡°You do know that you¡¯ve just breached my privacy, right?¡± How could she do this? ¡°That¡¯s exactly what I intended. I breached your privacy and did a great job at it. What are you going to do about that? All these years, you¡¯ve been lying to women just so you could squander their money. What do you think those women would do if they found out your whereabouts?¡± Phineas was bereft of words. ¡°So, be a good boy, take yourself to City Hall, and get on with the divorce. I won¡¯t let you off the hook if you don¡¯t,¡± Sophie concluded before walking into the hospital with her thermal lunchboxes. Phineas remained in ce, still unable to utter a word. That b*tch! She¡¯s clearly threatening me! She¡¯s gone too far. N?velDrama.Org owns all content. Sophie arrived at the ward and noticed how ashen Wilma looked. Wendy had spent the whole night caring for Wilma, so she didn¡¯t look any better either. ¡°You should head home, Wendy. I¡¯ll look after Ms. Lineker today,¡± Sophie offered. Wilma had no one else to rely on in Jipsdale, so she didn¡¯t have someone who could be there for her in times like these. ¡°I¡¯m okay, Ms. Sophie. I came to Jipsdale alone, so it¡¯s not like I have anywhere else to go this Christmas. Let me stay here and watch over Ms. Lineker,¡± Wendy insisted, as Wilma used to look after her all the time. ¡°Thank you, Wendy,¡± Wilma remarked gratefully. She was used to putting up a strong front, but she epted their kindness. ¡°Don¡¯t say that, Ms. Lineker. You used to look out for us all the time!¡± It was only human to care for one another. ¡°All right, let¡¯s not talk about this anymore,¡± Sophie interrupted. ¡°I brought you some mushroom soup, so eat up.¡± Wilma had just miscarried, so it was necessary to nurture her body well. ¡°Wendy, I got you some food from The Crown. You can go home after eating,¡± Sophie added. Judging from the dark circles underneath Wendy¡¯s eyes, she was clearly exhausted. The young woman was thrilled to see so much food. ¡°Thank you, Ms. Sophie.¡± She knew how expensive The Crown¡¯s food was, but everything tasted wonderful. Sophie scooped Wilma a bowl of mushroom soup and handed it to her. Thetter took a few sips. The soup was delicious, but she didn¡¯t have much of an appetite. Still, she forced herself to have some as she didn¡¯t want the other women to worry about her. Sophie didn¡¯t know what to do. She was never good at consoling others. Moreover, there was no point in giving advice on certain matters. She has to figure it out on her own. She stayed with Wilma all morning. Wendy returned by noon, feeling much more refreshed after getting some sleep. ¡°I¡¯m back, Ms. Sophie. Let me watch over Ms. Lineker.¡± She didn¡¯t actually have to do much; all she had to do was keep Wilmapany. ¡°All right. I have some things to take care of this afternoon, but I¡¯ll drop by again when I¡¯m done.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have to, Ms. Sophie. The doctor said I can leave, so I was thinking of going home this afternoon.¡± Having to remain in the hospital felt so troublesome. ¡°Very well. I¡¯ll get someone to pick you both upter. They¡¯ll handle all the procedures, so you can go straight home.¡± ¡°Okay. Thank you, Ms. Sophie.¡± It was about time for Sophie to leave. She and Arius had arranged to visit Barney, who didn¡¯t seem to be doing too welltely. The woman left the hospital and saw Tristan waiting outside. Walking over, she opened the car door and entered. ¡°Are you done with work?¡± she asked. Doesn¡¯t he have a lot to do today? How does he have the time to come and pick me up? Chapter 794 Chapter 794 Tristan said, ¡°There¡¯ll always be something to be busy about as long as we live. Didn¡¯t you say Dr. Smith isn¡¯t feeling well? I¡¯ll visit him with you two.¡± ¡°Okay,¡± replied Sophie. Both of them then went to pick Arius up. When he saw Tristan, heined, ¡°Why do you seem to be everywhere, Mr. Tristan? We¡¯re just visiting our teacher, so why are you joining us?¡± One of the reasons they were visiting Barney was because it was Christmas. While Barney might be a foreigner, he was, at that moment, in Chanaea. Hence, they thought they should follow the customs. Tristan didn¡¯t want to pay attention to him. ¡°Why should I tell you? Does that have anything to do with you?¡± Arius¡¯ emotional defense was weak, which was why Tristan¡¯s words easily wounded his heart. I want to comin about him to Sophie! Tristan had already prepared Barney¡¯s present, which was ten bottles of aged red wine because he knew thetter loved them. When Arius transferred his gift to the trunk, he saw Tristan¡¯s present and felt emotionally injured again. Compared to Mr. Tristan¡¯s present, mine is way too mundane! I wonder if Dr. Smith will like it. No, stop thinking about it. You¡¯re not his opponent, so don¡¯t torture yourself byparing your gift to his. It¡¯s pointless to do this. Just calm down. Still, he couldn¡¯t resist muttering gloomily, ¡°I think my gift is a little shabby, Sophie.¡± ¡°It is a little shabby,¡± stated Sophie honestly. Her words rendered him speechless. Can¡¯t shefort me a little? Does she have to be this straightforward? ¡°Although, it¡¯s the intent of a gift that counts. Dr. Smith is an aplished man, so he likely can get everything he wants.¡± In the end, she still offered him words offort. ¡°True. Dr. Smith probably does have everything he wants. What I¡¯m gifting him with is my appreciation for him.¡± ? N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved. The trio then went to Barney¡¯s mansion. At that moment, Barney was living in the mansion with his family for convenience¡¯s sake. Barney beamed as he weed his guests. Because he was a doctor, he knew his body wasn¡¯t in too much trouble. Still, he was ted to see his mentees visiting him. ¡°Stay for dinner with us. Chanaeans have a tradition of having a reunion dinner during Christmas, right?¡± Naturally, Sophie and Arius epted their mentor¡¯s invitation. ¡°What about you, Mr. Tristan? Care to join us for a meal?¡± Barney asked because he knew Tristan was a busy man. ¡°Yes,¡± answered Tristan. He had already sorted out any urgent issues during the morning so he could spend time with Sophie in the afternoon. Barney¡¯s wife went to prepare dinner with a housekeeper while the four of them sat around and chatted with each other. Most of the time, however, it was just Barney, Arius, and Sophie speaking about the medical association. Tristan wasn¡¯t familiar with anything rted to that, so he could only passively listen to the conversation. After a while, Barney and Arius headed to the study to grab a document, leaving the couple in the living room. ¡°Do you think it¡¯s boring listening to us talking about this stuff?¡± Sophie asked. He was quiet the entire time. ¡°Not really! I don¡¯t get bored easily, even though I don¡¯t understand what you¡¯re discussing with them.¡± Since it was apparent he didn¡¯t know a thing about medicine, he didn¡¯t feelpelled to pretend he did. ¡°That¡¯s good. I was worried you¡¯d get bored.¡± Sophie smiled. When Arius and Dr. Smith are around each other, they¡¯ll only talk about problems with the medical association. It¡¯s what Dr. Smith cares the most about. Holding her hand, Tristan assured her, ¡°No need to worry about me. I¡¯m very adaptable. Also, you don¡¯t know this, but you look absolutely stunning when discussing those matters.¡± No matter what, she always does things well and looks good while doing it. It doesn¡¯t matter if other people like her because she belongs only to me. No one else can have her. She¡¯ll always be my woman. When Barney descended the stairs with Arius and saw how sweet the couple appeared, he couldn¡¯t help butment, ¡°Now that you have personal time here, you should go on dates and look for a girlfriend, Arius. It¡¯s quite pitiful to see you all alone.¡± For a moment, Arius wasn¡¯t sure how to respond, but then he said, ¡°I¡¯m not pitiful, Dr. Smith. In fact, I think I¡¯m living a good life right now! I don¡¯t have anything tying me down. Being single has its perks.¡± ¡°Why are you always so stubborn? I¡¯m being serious, you know. Say, Georgina is a pretty nice gal, and you havemon topics to talk to her about. You should consider going on a date with her!¡± Arius fell into silence again. Georgina, eh? She¡¯s pretty, and we do have things to chat about, but I don¡¯t think I want to get any closer to her. I don¡¯t want to hurt her since I¡¯m used to being alone. Momentster, Barney handed the document to Sophie. ¡°We won¡¯t be in a good position if we can¡¯t complete the research on the new virus before the International Medical Association does!¡± Even though we¡¯re in Chanaea right now and those people can¡¯t do anything to us, if we fail to produce any results, our situation will be precarious. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Dr. Smith! With Arius and I around, we¡¯ll definitely seed before they do. Everything¡¯s under my control,¡± promised Sophie because she didn¡¯t want him worrying about that while feeling unwell. Arius added, ¡°Yeah! There¡¯s no need for you to be concerned, Dr. Smith. Even if we can¡¯t seed, they can¡¯t do anything to us! So, as I said, you don¡¯t need to worry about it.¡± In response, Barney said, ¡°I¡¯m not worried about myself. You two are the ones I¡¯m concerned about. Both of you are very talented. I don¡¯t want to be the reason you two can¡¯t¡ª¡± Immediately, Sophie interrupted, ¡°Don¡¯t say that, Dr. Smith! It was my decision to return to Chanaea. It has nothing to do with you.¡± He really shouldn¡¯t bear all the problems on his shoulders. It¡¯ll wear him out. ¡°If there¡¯s anything I can help with, please let me know. Lombard Group is willing to invest in medical research,¡± offered Tristan because he was aware of how costly medical research could get, and he had a lot of money to spare. Upon listening to their responses, Barney smiled. True! While things aren¡¯t great right now, so what? Arius and Sophie are geniuses. There¡¯s no problem they can¡¯t solve when working together. ¡°I can rest assured that the medical association will be in you two¡¯s good hands.¡± Arius immediately rejected, ¡°I don¡¯t want the medical association.¡± I can do research, but I¡¯m incapable of managing such a massive medical association. Management isn¡¯t a skill I possess. Chapter 795 Chapter 795 Barney had expected that oue. Arius¡¯ greatest weakness is hisziness. He doesn¡¯t want to spend too much time managing anything and instead prefers to focus on research. ¡°Don¡¯t look at me like that, Dr. Smith. I also just want to do my research,¡± remarked Sophie. I have way too many things to handle. My energy is limited. Barney was speechless. I can¡¯t believe both of them treat the position as a hot potato, even though many people desire it. A sigh slipped past his lips. ¡°Fine. Let¡¯s not talk about this for now. Come, let us eat!¡± He then brought everyone to the dining table. When he saw Tristan¡¯s present, he was overjoyed because he genuinely loved drinking red wine. ¡°Since everyone¡¯s free today, let us drink a little! The ten bottles of red wine Mr. Tristan gifted me are really high-quality!¡± said Barney as he popped a bottle open. ¡°I still need to driveter, so I¡¯ll pass,¡± Tristan rejected. I need to send the two of them back, after all. Barney insisted, ¡°It¡¯s fine. You can just call for a designated driverter. Everyone¡¯s so happy today, so just drink a little.¡± Sophie nodded. Even though they were in Chanaea, they were having Western cuisine because that was the only type of food Barney¡¯s wife knew how to prepare. Therefore, even though Barney liked the local food, he could do nothing about it. They chatted as they ate. By the time dinner was over, it was already almost seven. Sophie, Tristan, and Arius didn¡¯t stay for long afterward. They left once the designated driver arrived. ¡°Your mentees are wonderful, Darling,¡± Barney¡¯s wife remarked as she cleaned things up after they left. ¡°Indeed they are. It¡¯s why I came here without caring about anything else.¡± Barney was naturally contented with his mentees. It¡¯s okay if they don¡¯t want to helm the medical association. As long as they keep doing their research, I¡¯ll find a way to make them ept those roles. I¡¯m getting old, so I can¡¯t hold this position forever. Tristan asked the driver to send Arius back home first before sending him and Sophie to their home. Upon reaching their destination, Tristan began busying about again. Meanwhile, Sophie was talking to someone on the phone. asionally, Tristan would nce at her. She sure has a lot of secrets. Although, it¡¯s fine if she doesn¡¯t want to tell me about them. I won¡¯t interrogate her. One day, I¡¯ll make her reveal all her secrets to me willingly. After all, we still have an entire lifetime to understand each other. I¡¯m in no rush. Sophie was speaking to Butterfly on the phone because thetter had been acting a little too self- indulgent. ¡°Don¡¯t go overboard, Butterfly, or you¡¯ll find yourself trapped.¡± I¡¯ve been feeling really uneasy lately. ¡°Why are you saying that, Sophie? If I didn¡¯t have someone as amazing as you as my support, I wouldn¡¯t go that far. Also, I met Nichs yesterday,¡± Butterfly informed her. The mere mention of the man still terrified her. ¡°Mhm. Stay far away from him, and don¡¯t provoke him. He¡¯s a maniac.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I know. I value my life. Oh yeah, one more thing. Yesterday, I unintentionally received news that the people from International Medical Association are targeting you all. Be careful. ¡° While the field of medicine had no national borders, the scientists working in the field did. Anndur didn¡¯t want the medical association in Chanaea to be too powerful or surpass them. Thus, they kept trying to take Sophie and her colleagues down. ¡°I think they installed a spy at the medical association, so be careful,¡± warned Butterfly. I don¡¯t know who it is, but their research may be sabotaged if it¡¯s true. N?velDrama.Org owns all content. Staring at her hand, Sophie replied, ¡°Thanks for telling me. You should be careful, too.¡± ¡°Got it. I know you two are inseparable, and you don¡¯t want to waste time on me, so bye-bye!¡± Silently, Sophie hung up and sat next to Tristan. ¡°Busy?¡± Tristan was reading a report about the death of a high-ranking official in Lombard Group. The authority imed it was suicide, but he had his doubts. ¡°No. Who were you talking to?¡± ¡°Butterfly. She¡¯s in Anndur right now, so I told her not to cause any trouble. Otherwise, if something happens, I won¡¯t be able to save her.¡± ¡°That woman is bold. You should tell her to behave herself,¡± he suggested. Sophie seems to be surrounded by bold people. He then said, ¡°By the way, how will you deal with Wilma¡¯s matter? I¡¯ve told Sean about it, so when the timees, tell Wilma to meet with Sean. With him around, Phineas won¡¯t dare to do anything.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ve taken care of the matter. He will willingly divorce her. I¡¯ll also make sure he won¡¯t harass Ms. Lineker again.¡± Just thinking about Phineas pissed Sophie off. ¡°Willow has been obedienttely. If she keeps up with her good behavior, I won¡¯t send her back.¡± He had assigned people to monitor Willow. ¡°You don¡¯t need to bother with her,¡± remarked Sophie. Even though her ambitions are higher than the sky, her intelligence isn¡¯t, so I doubt she can cause much trouble. She spent the next few days either visiting her rtives or spending a lovely time with Tristan. Soon, the year was over. Many things in the Chanaean Medical Association were still waiting for them to handle. The research on the new disease had reached its most critical moment. Therefore, they had to complete it soon. After the holiday period was over, people returned to their posts in Chanaean Medical Association. As it turned out, Georgina had prepared gifts for Arius and Sophie. When she handed a present to Sophie, she said, ¡°See if you like it, Sophie.¡± Upon opening the gift box, Sophie saw a delicate bracelet inside and beamed. ¡°Thank you, Georgina.¡± I should prepare a present for herter. After all, friends should reciprocate each other¡¯s kindness. Georgina bit her lip. ¡°I¡¯m d you like it. I thought it looked pretty and suited you, so I bought it.¡± Then she shyly delivered Arius¡¯ present to him. ¡°I hope you¡¯ll be willing to ept my gift, Professor Gullifer.¡± Arius smiled. ¡°Georgina, you¡­¡± How do I reject her? I know she likes me, but I¡¯m not ready for a romantic rtionship yet. Chapter 796 Chapter 796 ¡°I¡¯m not suitable for you.¡± That was the only thing Arius could think of to say. Georgina paled. ¡°Don¡¯t overthink my gift, Professor Gullifer. This is just a token of my appreciation for the help you¡¯ve provided me.¡± Well, if she¡¯s putting it that way, I have to ept her gift now. Otherwise, I¡¯d be embarrassing her. Without any other choice, he epted the box. In response, she sighed in relief. ¡°I¡¯ll be heading to work now. See you.¡± When Arius opened the box, he saw a costly watch. This is way too expensive. Why would anyone gift someone such an expensive watch for no reason? I¡¯m feeling very burdened right now. What am I supposed to do? I can deal with any experiment, no matter howplicated it is, but I¡¯ve no experience with romance. Georgina¡¯s a good woman, so I really don¡¯t want to hurt her feelings. Sophie was amused by his reaction and let out augh. I didn¡¯t expect Arius would one day be in such a situation. ¡°Why are youughing? This is all your fault. What do you think I should do now? I really don¡¯t want to hurt her.¡± Arius sighed. It wasn¡¯t easy for Georgina to join the Chanaean Medical Association. I can¡¯t let this be the reason for her departure. She answered, ¡°How would I know what you should do? As impressive as I am, I¡¯m incapable of controlling other people¡¯s emotions.¡± There¡¯s nothing anyone can do to change someone¡¯s mind when it comes to liking or disliking someone. The matter was genuinely troubling Arius. What the heck should I do with this gift? ¡°All right, that¡¯s enough. We should head to Dr. Smith¡¯s office. I have something I want to tell you two about.¡± Her smile faded, reced by a serious expression. I mustn¡¯t let our enemy know that we¡¯re aware they¡¯ve nted a spy here. Otherwise, things¡¯ll get messy. Upon arriving at Barney¡¯s office, Sophie told him and Arius about the spy. ¡°Our research is at a critical point right now, so we must be vignt.¡± I feel exhausted by this. We¡¯re all just doing research, so why are they so ruthless? Why must they do this? Barney thought. ¡°Our data during this period is crucial, so please install strong protection on your own data. As for the spy, we¡¯ll fish them out once the research has concluded,¡± Sophie continued. ¡°What about other people¡¯s data?¡± Due to theplicated nature of theirtest research, there were other people researching other data. ¡°We don¡¯t know who¡¯s the spy, so the only option is for us three to handle everything ourselves,¡± Sophie answered. Right now, we can¡¯t afford any mistakes with the data. If our adversary tampers with the data calction, it¡¯ll significantly affect our final result. ¡°This¡¯ll be tiring, but it¡¯s our only solution right now.¡± Barney was in support of her n. Nodding, Arius said, ¡°In that case, let me do more. Since I¡¯m alone, I don¡¯t have much else going on after returning home.¡± ¡°Okay. Oh, by the way, I¡¯ll assign you two a few bodyguards. Just in case,¡± informed Sophie. ? N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved. ¡°You only need to send people to protect Dr. Smith, Sophie. I can keep myself safe.¡± Arius was pretty confident in his skills. As long as it isn¡¯t that maniac, Nichs, I can handle it. ¡°This is a critical period, Arius. Anndur won¡¯t let us off, so you must allow the bodyguards to follow you no matter how ufortable you are with it.¡± ¡°I guess it can¡¯t be helped, then. Fine, I¡¯ll go along with it.¡± He knew Sophie was doing that because she was worried about them. ¡°That¡¯s all I have to say. If there¡¯s nothing else, let¡¯s return to our experiments!¡± She didn¡¯t want to waste any more time because the deadline was tight. Another reason was that sses would be starting in roughly two weeks. Once school starts, I¡¯ll be incredibly busy. That¡¯s why I must finish conducting the remaining few key experiments when I still have time. Barney was delighted with how Sophie was handling everything. Indeed, she¡¯s the most suitable person to take over my position! She has excellent management skills, knows how to allocate her time well, and always makes decisions others will agree on. Upon arriving at herb, Sophie scanned her fingerprint before entering the room only she could ess. She wore her white coat, tied her hair, and began experimenting. Her experiments didn¡¯t stop until the afternoon when she had to leave to deal with other matters. After tidying theb up, she left. Initially, Arius was going to invite her and Georgina to a meal. However, when he approached Sophie, he realized she was leaving. ¡°Didn¡¯t you say we should hurry up with the experiments? Where are you going?¡± ¡°I¡¯vepleted my tasks for the day, and I have other matters to attend to, so I must leave,¡± she replied. ¡°Is it something important? Do you need my help?¡± Arius was always eager to help her out if she needed his aid. ¡°No need. It¡¯s just a small matter.¡± ¡°All right, then. You should be careful, considering you¡¯re a thorn in many people¡¯s side right now.¡± He and Barney weren¡¯t in as much danger as she was. ¡°Rx. I won¡¯t die that easily. If they want to take my life, they¡¯ll need to be capable enough to pull it off.¡± ¡°I know you¡¯re confident about yourself, but you still need to be careful, all right?¡± Arius was worried because he wasn¡¯t sure if she had fully recovered from her injury yet. ¡°I know.¡± Upon leaving Chanaean Medical Association, Sophie took a taxi to Wilma¡¯s ce. Thetter had recovered after recuperating for a few days. When she saw Sophie had arrived, she immediately let her in. ¡°I can do it myself, Ms. Sophie. You don¡¯t have toe with me.¡± Today was the day she would be divorcing Phineas. She knew Sophie had done something. Otherwise, Phineas wouldn¡¯t have agreed to the divorce that easily. ¡°Have you prepared everything yet? If you have, we¡¯ll get something to eat first before heading straight to City Hall,¡± Sophie suggested. City Hall was also back in operation after the holiday season. ¡°All right.¡± Wilma grabbed her coat and followed Sophie out to a nearby restaurant. After they ate something, they took a taxi to City Hall. When they arrived, they saw Phineas was already waiting there. He appeared particrly haggard, especially with his unshaven beard. Pitifully, he pleaded, ¡°Can we not divorce, Wilma? I know I was wrongst time. I shouldn¡¯t have done that. However, I was drunk. I didn¡¯t expect it would cause you to miscarry. Can you please give me another chance?¡± Chapter 797 Chapter 797 As Wilma stared at Phineas, she thought, I regret ever loving him. It¡¯s only after this incident that I realized just how evil this man is. In the past, I sincerely believed he would bring me happiness, but what he brought me was so much worse than I could¡¯ve thought. ¡°Don¡¯t say anything else, Phineas. Let us just get on with it and go our separate ways.¡± Phineas sobbed. ¡°Is this how our rtionship must end, Wilma? Do you know how much I love¡ª¡± ¡°Don¡¯t utter that word in front of me again! A domestic abuser like you doesn¡¯t deserve to use that word!¡± Genuine disgust flooded Wilma¡¯s heart. I hate how he¡¯s still putting on a fake act. ? N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved. ¡°Wilma!¡± ¡°All right, that¡¯s enough. Stop wasting time and divorce her.¡± Sophie had had enough of his nonsense. If he truly loved her, he wouldn¡¯t have hurt her. There¡¯s no need for anyone to keep a man who abuses her. There are plenty more men in the world. I¡¯m sure Wilma will meet someone who¡¯ll treat her well. Phineas didn¡¯t have the nerve to speak another word when he saw the look in Sophie¡¯s eyes. Neither Sophie nor Tristan was someone he could afford to mess with. If he did, his life would turn into a living hell. It was then Tristan arrived with Sean. When Sophie saw Sean, she grinned. With him here, the divorce will no doubt proceed smoothly. ¡°Thank you foring here, Mr. Burton. I¡¯ll treat you to dinnerter.¡± Usually, she wouldn¡¯t just casually invite someone to a meal. ¡°Sure!¡± Sean epted without hesitation. ¡°There¡¯s no need for you two to follow me in. I¡¯ll handle it.¡± Sophie and Tristan haven¡¯t even gotten married yet! There¡¯s no need for them to watch another couple¡¯s divorce. ¡°Okay.¡± Sophie was very confident Sean would ensure Wilma¡¯s divorce proceeded smoothly. After Sean brought Wilma and Phineas in, Phineas spoke up. ¡°Wilma, I¡¯m fine if you want to divorce me, but you must give me the condominium we lived in.¡± He was initially an outstanding bachelor, so he wanted something in return for bing a used man after marrying her. Staring at him with disbelief, Wilma argued, ¡°Do you know what you¡¯re saying right now? I bought the condominium with my own money! Why should I give it to you?¡± I didn¡¯t mind paying for our expenses when we had meals or went somewhere to have fun when we were still together, but we¡¯re about to divorce each other now. I can¡¯t believe he has the gall to say something like that at this moment! ¡°Because after marrying you, I¡¯m no longer as popr as before. So, I wantpensation for my emotional damage.¡± Phineas knew there was no way he could patch things up with her, no matter how hard he tried. Therefore, he was eager to extract every bit of benefit he could. Wilma was, understandably, furious. ¡°I must be blind in the past for falling for you! How can you be so shameless, Phineas? I¡¯ve never seen a man as despicable as you!¡± ¡°I don¡¯t care what you say. If you want a divorce, you must give me that condominium.¡± He was going all out because he saw no point in being decent with her anymore. ¡°You!¡± The taste of blood entered her mouth. She was so livid that she had bitten her tongue. It was also the first time Sean saw such a shameless man. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Ms. Lineker. You should head in first,¡± he said so he could deal with Phineas alone. Sean was a burly and handsome man with cold, frightening eyes. Thus, Phineas had to gather his courage before demanding, ¡°I know you¡¯re thewyer Ms. Sophie hired. My only condition for the divorce is that condominium¡¯s ownership!¡± In response, Sean couldn¡¯t help but scoff. This guy¡¯s so ridiculous that he shifts my notion of shameless. ¡°Do you know who I am?¡± At that moment, he feltpelled to disclose his identity. Phineas continued, ¡°I don¡¯t care who you are! This is my only request. If you all don¡¯t agree to it, I¡ª¡± He was cut off when Sean punched him. Peering at the man before him with disbelief, Phineas eximed, ¡°How can you hit someone? You¡¯re a lawyer! I¡¯m going to sue you. I¡¯ll ensure you can¡¯t be awyer anymore!¡± ¡°My name¡¯s Sean Burton. Go in there and sign the divorce paper now, or I¡¯ll make sure you lose everything, including your underwear.¡± Of course, as a resident of Jipsdale, Phineas had heard of Sean¡¯s name before. While he was dumbfounded, he wasn¡¯t surprised. I should¡¯ve expected this since Wilma has someone powerful supporting her right now. ¡°Don¡¯t request anything ridiculous. The assets have been split. You just need to sign the papers. Otherwise, I¡¯ll turn your life into a living hell,¡±manded Sean. What a piece of garbage. He only knows how to trick women. Is it fun for him to be a kept man? Phineas didn¡¯t have the guts to speak any further. All he wanted was a little more benefit, but he could tell he wouldn¡¯t get any in that situation. After that, everything went smoothly. He signed the divorce paper without a word. When Wilma received her divorce certificate, she released a sigh of relief. It¡¯s only now that I know just how shameless this man is. The fact that he¡¯s willing to do all this is just pathetic. ¡°Wilma, I¡ª¡± Thinking he could be like those handsome male leads in movies, he tried to ask her to stay, but she simply found his attempt amusing. ¡°If we meet again in the future, pretend we don¡¯t know each other. Just the sight of you disgusts me.¡± With that, she stepped toward Sophie. ¡°Thank you, Ms. Sophie. I¡¯ll rest a few more days before returning to work.¡± Now that I¡¯m not carrying a child anymore, I can focus on working. Sophie shook her head. ¡°How about this, Ms. Lineker? I don¡¯t think you¡¯re suitable to work yet in your current state, so I¡¯ll give you one month of leave to recover fully.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t need it, Ms. Sophie. Right now, I¡ª¡± Sophie cut her off with a hug. ¡°Listen to me, okay? Just take the month off. Go wherever you want to go. Rx. Don¡¯t worry about your work. It¡¯s not going anywhere. You deserve to rest after going through so much.¡± ¡°Ms. Sophie¡­¡± Wilma¡¯s eyes reddened. Ever since she lost her baby, she hadn¡¯t shed a tear. However, at that moment, she genuinely wanted to cry. Chapter 798 Chapter 798 Wilma sobbed, even though she didn¡¯t want to. As much as she wanted to appear strong, she couldn¡¯t help but cry. Once her tears ran dry, Sophie opened the door for her. ¡°Get in! We¡¯ll send you back.¡± I don¡¯t think she¡¯s in the mood for a meal. I may as well send her home to rest first. ¡°I want to treat you all to a meal for helping me so much, Ms. Sophie.¡± Of course, Wilma wasn¡¯t an insensible woman. Additionally, she knew thewyer Sophie hired was Sean. Hence, she felt obliged to show her appreciation. ¡°We can talk about that once you return from your vacation. For now, just rx and have fun. Don¡¯t give up an entire forest for a rotten tree.¡± Upon closing the door, Sophie sat in the passenger seat. Then Tristan drove Wilma back to her house. By the time they sent Wilma home, it was already sometime past four in the afternoon. Since there wasn¡¯t much else going on, Tristan brought Sophie to visit William. Due to being an old man, William was happy to see the couple, even though he didn¡¯t express his joy verbally. His previous rejection of Sophie was long gone, and he had nowe to ept her as part of the family. ¡°I heard you¡¯ve been conducting research at Chanaean Medical Association. Do you need my help? If you do, let me know!¡± Despite his old age, he still wanted to contribute to his country. Sophie answered, ¡°For now, no. Our research is confidential, so I can¡¯t tell you much about it.¡± ¡°Okay. If you need my help, let me know.¡± The elderly man¡¯s voice was filled with enthusiasm. ¡°All right.¡± Since it was still early, she epted his casual proposal to y chess. He didn¡¯t expect her to because he was aware not many youngsters nowadays knew how to. To his surprise, he was forced into a corner in their first round. It would seem Sophie was quite proficient in the board game. Tristan was tempted tough as he watched. ¡°Go easy on my father, Sophie. He¡¯s old.¡± That infuriated William. What does he mean by that? In the end, he lost. ¡°Again.¡± He believed she merely got lucky because only a few people in Jipsdale could rival his chess skills. Tristan whispered next to her ear, ¡°Go easy on my dad. He doesn¡¯t like losing.¡± She¡¯s a little too forthright. ¡°I think that¡¯ll make him even more upset.¡± ncing at him, she wondered if he was being serious. ¡°Go do something else if you have nothing to do, Tristan. Why do you keep standing there? Do you think I¡¯ll bully your wife?¡± grumbled William. Do I look like I¡¯m going to do that? Since I¡¯ve acknowledged her, I¡¯m not going to trouble her anymore. ¡°You can¡¯t bully her. I just want to stay by my wife¡¯s side.¡± With that said, Tristan promptly sat on the armrest of Sophie¡¯s chair. William couldn¡¯t stand seeing his son like that. A man shouldn¡¯t cling to their wife so much! In the end, he opted to focus on the game. I can¡¯t lose again and embarrass myself! Sophie took Tristan¡¯s advice to heart and went easy on William. However, she kept dragging on the match. Thus, he couldn¡¯t win either. As he took a deep breath, he thought, I thought I¡¯d be a master-level chess yer. After all, it has been challenging to find a yer as good as me to y against in Jipsdale over the past few years. But now, I see there are still people in the world far more skilled than myself. Tristan pressed his hand on his lips as he struggled not tough. Then, he whispered, ¡°At this point, you may as well just take your victory, Sophie.¡± Sophie nced at him. Why does he keep bothering me? First, he told me to lose; now, he¡¯s telling me to win. What does he want me to do? Gently, he pinched her shoulder. ¡°All right, I won¡¯t disturb you anymore. Do what you want.¡± I don¡¯t think Dad¡¯ll ever want to y chess with her again. Eventually, the round ended when Sarah came over to tell them dinner was ready. William was sweating profusely by then, well aware that if they hadn¡¯t stopped then, he would have been the loser. On the contrary, Sophie appeared rxed. William remained in his seat even as the couple headed to the dining room. Thus, Sarah couldn¡¯t help but ask, ¡°Are you all right, Dad? What¡¯s the matter with you?¡± Shaking his head, he replied, ¡°I think I¡¯ve underestimated Sophie¡¯s abilities.¡± She¡¯s truly remarkable. Tristan whispered next to her ear, ¡°Go easy on my dad. He doesn¡¯t like losing.¡± She¡¯s a little too forthright. Sarah couldn¡¯t help butugh when she heard that. ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you that before? Once you¡¯ve spent enough time with her, you¡¯ll learn to like her. She¡¯s incredible.¡± ¡°It seems like I¡¯ve truly gotten old. The new generation is on the rise,¡± Williammented with a sigh. After the meal, they yed poker together. In the past, he used to love ying poker. He also thought he could show off his skills to restore his dignity after losing at chess. Unfortunately, not only did he lose, but he was also the one who lost the most horribly. Despite being family, they didn¡¯t show him any mercy. William was feeling deeply frustrated, but he thought he¡¯d seem ill-mannered if he showed his anger. Hence, he stood. ¡°I¡¯m tired, so I¡¯ll head upstairs to rest now. You all have fun.¡± He could not help but question his life today. In truth, he had always thought he had a high IQ. Back when he was still in the business industry, he never lost any battles. Yet today, he had lost at the hands of a young woman, and more than once, at that. To say he was embarrassed was an understatement. Property of N?)(velDr(a)ma.Org. Knowing what her father was feeling, Sarah bade him goodbye instead of further injuring his self- esteem. ¡°All right, Dad. Rest well!¡± After he left, she said, ¡°You three went overboard. Why didn¡¯t you show Dad mercy? He was clearly angered.¡± The couple and Ysabelle had an expression that said, ¡°Do we have to respect the elderly at a gambling table?¡± In response to seeing that, Sarah shook her head. ¡°You three¡­ In any case, it¡¯s gettingte, so I¡¯ll take my leave now.¡± She had her own matters to attend to, so she left. Meanwhile, Tristan put Sophie¡¯s coat on her. ¡°Let¡¯s go! We should head back now, too.¡± Ysabelle was speechless. Why is everyone leaving now? She swiftly asked, ¡°Can you stay here and keep mepany tonight, Sophie?¡± School¡¯s about to start. Man, time sure flies! This year will no doubt be a busy one, considering the ns TS has for me. Chapter 799 Chapter 799 ¡°You¡¯re e grown-up. Why do you need someone to keep youpeny? Go end heve fun on your own.¡± Tristen wesn¡¯t ebout to let Sophie stey behind. Once the new semester sterted, Sophie would be quite busy, end it would be difficult for him to see her. Neturelly, he wented to spend the remeining few deys before thet heppened with her. ¡°All right. I¡¯ll meet you up to heve e meel together tomorrow.¡± Sophie wes ewere of Tristen¡¯s thoughts end didn¡¯t went him to go beck elone either. Hugging her pillow, Ysebelle gezed et Sophie pitifully. ¡°Sophie, y-you¡ª¡± Under Tristen¡¯s wetchful eye, Ysebelle ceught herself in the end. Is there enyone else more pitieble then me? Subsequently, Tristen end Sophie left. ? N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved. Meenwhile, Butterfly hed elweys been confident in herself during her extended stey et Anglendur. She believed she would never fell into Nicholes¡¯s hends. However, thet dey, her luck wes perticulerly ewful. She heppened to run into Nicholes when she went out to heve her breekfest. Butterfly reelly wented to pretend she didn¡¯t know him et ell. However, Nicholes, the medmen, wes ebout to leeve end hed even reeched the door but decided to retrece his steps. ¡°You¡¯re Sophie¡¯s friend?¡± Holding two fitness bells in his hends, he nerrowed his eyes to size her up. Butterfly didn¡¯t respond. Being stered et intently by Nicholes, Butterfly felt it wes difficult to breethe. She hed experienced ell kinds of tribuletions. Still, fecing thet men filled her with e sense of suffocetion. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, mister, but you must¡¯ve misteken me for someone else. I don¡¯t know the person you¡¯re telking ebout.¡± Butterfly forced herself to celm down. She knew thet the men before her wes e lic. If he found out ebout her reletionship with Sophie, he would never let her go end would even use her to threeten Sophie. Nicholes fleshed e mirthless smile. ¡°You know, my deer, you¡¯re not good et lying,¡± he seid before sitting down ecross from her. ¡°Since you¡¯re Sophie¡¯s friend, it is my obligetion to show hospitelity to you. Otherwise, I will feel emberressed when I see her in the future.¡± ¡°You¡¯re ewere of my reletionship with her. Therefore, I consider her friends to be mine, too,¡± Nicholes edded. Sometimes, one cen find whet they ere looking for without even trying efter trecking miles in vein for it. So whet if I feiled to cepture Arius? Seizing this women will do the trick es well. ¡°You¡¯re a grown-up. Why do you need someone to keep youpany? Go and have fun on your own.¡± Tristan wasn¡¯t about to let Sophie stay behind. Once the new semester started, Sophie would be quite busy, and it would be difficult for him to see her. Naturally, he wanted to spend the remaining few days before that happened with her. ¡°All right. I¡¯ll meet you up to have a meal together tomorrow.¡± Sophie was aware of Tristan¡¯s thoughts and didn¡¯t want him to go back alone either. Hugging her pillow, Ysabelle gazed at Sophie pitifully. ¡°Sophie, y-you¡ª¡± Under Tristan¡¯s watchful eye, Ysabelle caught herself in the end. Is there anyone else more pitiable than me? Subsequently, Tristan and Sophie left. Meanwhile, Butterfly had always been confident in herself during her extended stay at Anndur. She believed she would never fall into Nichs¡¯s hands. However, that day, her luck was particrly awful. She happened to run into Nichs when she went out to have her breakfast. Butterfly really wanted to pretend she didn¡¯t know him at all. However, Nichs, the madman, was about to leave and had even reached the door but decided to retrace his steps. ¡°You¡¯re Sophie¡¯s friend?¡± Holding two fitness balls in his hands, he narrowed his eyes to size her up. Butterfly didn¡¯t respond. Being stared at intently by Nichs, Butterfly felt it was difficult to breathe. She had experienced all kinds of tribtions. Still, facing that man filled her with a sense of suffocation. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, mister, but you must¡¯ve mistaken me for someone else. I don¡¯t know the person you¡¯re talking about.¡± Butterfly forced herself to calm down. She knew that the man before her was a lunatic. If he found out about her rtionship with Sophie, he would never let her go and would even use her to threaten Sophie. Nichs shed a mirthless smile. ¡°You know, my dear, you¡¯re not good at lying,¡± he said before sitting down across from her. ¡°Since you¡¯re Sophie¡¯s friend, it is my obligation to show hospitality to you. Otherwise, I will feel embarrassed when I see her in the future.¡± ¡°You¡¯re aware of my rtionship with her. Therefore, I consider her friends to be mine, too,¡± Nichs added. Sometimes, one can find what they are looking for without even trying after tracking miles in vain for it. So what if I failed to capture Arius? Seizing this woman will do the trick as well. Butterfly knew that he wouldn¡¯t believe her no matter what she said. Butterfly knew that he wouldn¡¯t believe her no matter what she said. She immediately got to her feet, attempting to flee, but she was no match for Nichs. He effortlessly caught her, grasping her hand and twisting it behind her back. ¡°Nichs, what are you trying to do? Do you know who I am? Let go of me!¡± D*mn it. If I had known I¡¯d encounter Nichs here today, I wouldn¡¯t havee here. My misfortune truly knows no bounds. Nichs summoned Richard, who brought over a syringe. All color drained from Butterfly¡¯s face when she saw the syringe. She struggled violently but couldn¡¯t break free. ¡°Calm down. I won¡¯t hurt you. If you¡¯re willing to cooperate with me, I¡¯ll certainly treat you like an honored guest.¡± Nichs¡¯ voice wasced with obvious malicious intent. There was no way she would listen to him. ¡°Nichs, let me go! You¡¯re just a psychopath! Sophie has never liked you, so what¡¯s the point of you doing all this? Don¡¯t you find yourself pathetic?¡± What Nichs couldn¡¯t bear the most was being told that Sophie didn¡¯t love him. ¡°Jab her.¡± Does love matter? Nothing else is important as long as I can attain the desired result. After being injected with the drug, Butterfly found herselfpletely drained of strength. She couldn¡¯t run even if Nichs let go of her now. Resentment churned within her. D*mn it! If only I had listened to Sophie and note here. Now I¡¯m truly done for. Nichs gripped her chin. ¡°Don¡¯t worry! I won¡¯t hurt you. I know how much Sophie cares about her friends, so I won¡¯t hurt you. Let¡¯s go. Bring her back and take good care of her!¡± Nichs told his subordinates, his eyes filled with confidence and determination. I¡¯ve made all the necessary preparations. Once Sophiees here, I can rece her memories. Then, I will be the only person she thinks and cares about. I will seed no matter the arduousness. Sophie sensed something was wrong when she couldn¡¯t reach Butterfly after multiple attempts to establish contact with her. She switched on herputer to track Butterfly¡¯s location, but to no avail. Her phone must¡¯ve been discarded. Ever since their return, Tristan noticed that Sophie wasn¡¯t herself. He walked up behind her and gently massaged her shoulders. Butterfly knew thot he wouldn¡¯t believe her no motter whot she soid. She immediotely got to her feet, ottempting to flee, but she wos no motch for Nicholos. He effortlessly cought her, grosping her hond ond twisting it behind her bock. ¡°Nicholos, whot ore you trying to do? Do you know who I om? Let go of me!¡± D*mn it. If I hod known I¡¯d encounter Nicholos here todoy, I wouldn¡¯t hovee here. My misfortune truly knows no bounds. Nicholos summoned Richord, who brought over o syringe. All color droined from Butterfly¡¯s foce when she sow the syringe. She struggled violently but couldn¡¯t breok free. ¡°Colm down. I won¡¯t hurt you. If you¡¯re willing to cooperote with me, I¡¯ll certoinly treot you like on honored guest.¡± Nicholos¡¯ voice wos loced with obvious molicious intent. There wos no woy she would listen to him. ¡°Nicholos, let me go! You¡¯re just o psychopoth! Sophie hos never liked you, so whot¡¯s the point of you doing oll this? Don¡¯t you find yourself pothetic?¡± Whot Nicholos couldn¡¯t beor the most wos being told thot Sophie didn¡¯t love him. ¡°Job her.¡± Does love motter? Nothing else is importont os long os I con ottoin the desired result. After being injected with the drug, Butterfly found herselfpletely droined of strength. She couldn¡¯t run even if Nicholos let go of her now. Resentment churned within her. D*mn it! If only I hod listened to Sophie ond note here. Now I¡¯m truly done for. Nicholos gripped her chin. ¡°Don¡¯t worry! I won¡¯t hurt you. I know how much Sophie cores obout her friends, so I won¡¯t hurt you. Let¡¯s go. Bring her bock ond toke good core of her!¡± Nicholos told his subordinotes, his eyes filled with confidence ond determinotion. I¡¯ve mode oll the necessory preporotions. Once Sophiees here, I con reploce her memories. Then, I will be the only person she thinks ond cores obout. I will seed no motter the orduousness. Sophie sensed something wos wrong when she couldn¡¯t reoch Butterfly ofter multiple ottempts to estoblish contoct with her. She switched on herputer to trock Butterfly¡¯s locotion, but to no ovoil. Her phone must¡¯ve been discorded. Ever since their return, Triston noticed thot Sophie wosn¡¯t herself. He wolked up behind her ond gently mossoged her shoulders. ¡°What¡¯s the matter? What happened?¡± He rarely saw her like this. ¡°Something might¡¯ve happened to Butterfly. I can¡¯t reach her, and I can¡¯t track her location either.¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t she go to Anndur?¡± Tristan knew she was worried, so he wanted to console her. ¡°How about this? I¡¯ll have my men there look for her.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve already sent people to search for her.¡± Sophie also had friends at Anndur, but they couldn¡¯t find Butterfly anywhere after looking for her all day. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Butterfly can fight well, so she should be fine.¡± All Tristan could do at that moment was trying to reassure her. Besides, Tristan figured even if Butterfly had indeed fallen into Nichs¡¯ hands, Nichs wouldn¡¯t dare to harm her. ¡°Yeah.¡± Sophie made a few more phone calls to her friends at Anndur, urging them to continue looking for Butterfly. In the end, the call she received was from Nichs. ¡°Sophie, rest assured. Your friend is with me, and I¡¯ll take good care of her.¡± Nichs grinned from ear to ear. Sophie fell silent. As I expected, he has taken her. I¡¯ve warned Butterfly to be cautious, but she refused to heed my words. Now, look what happened! ¡°Why aren¡¯t you speaking? We haven¡¯t seen each other for so long. Don¡¯t you miss me? Even if you don¡¯t, I really miss you,¡± Nichs said, talking to himself. ¡°Nichs, are you sick? What¡¯s the point in you constantly pestering me like this?¡± Sophie was truly frustrated at having failed to eliminate him. ¡°Yes, I am sick. Didn¡¯t you know? I have a disease called lovesickness.¡± Sophie was rendered speechless. All she wanted to do now was to strangle him. ¡°Let Butterfly go!¡± Sophie demanded coldly. Butterfly is my friend, and I won¡¯t allow anyone to harm the people around me. ¡°I haven¡¯t confined her. She¡¯s free to leave anytime she wants,¡± Nichs uttered nonchntly. ¡°Nichs, don¡¯t force me to kill you!¡± She found her threats meaningless after repeating them so many times. Nichs¡¯ luck seemed never- ending as he had survived several attempts on his life. ¡°Even if you want to kill me, you¡¯ll have toe to Anndur. Sophie, I miss you, so pleasee here. I¡¯ll be contented even if I can only catch a glimpse of you.¡± His longing was like a tidal wave, threatening to engulf him. Chapter 800 Chapter 800 Nicholes wes going through ell thet trouble just so he could et leest heve e glimpse of Sophie. Even heering her voice would suffice. ¡°Don¡¯t hurt Butterfly. I won¡¯t let you off if you do.¡± Furious beyond meesure, Sophie streight up ended the cell. Tristen knew thet Butterfly wes kidnepped by Nicholes just by looking et how engry Sophie wes. He then ceme over end put his erms eround her shoulders. ¡°Don¡¯t fret. We¡¯ll be eble to hendle eny situetion thetes our wey.¡± Being engry wouldn¡¯t chenge enything. ¡°Nicholes got Butterfly.¡± Sophie didn¡¯t need to hide enything from Tristen. There were no secrets between them. ¡°I know.¡± Tristen reelly wented to teer Nicholes epert. Nicholes hed elweys been lurking eround them, bringing them nothing but trouble. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll bring Butterfly beck,¡± Tristen uttered. Besed on Sophie end Butterfly¡¯s reletionship, Sophie would never sit beck end do nothing when Butterfly wes kidnepped by Nicholes. ¡°No. I cen¡¯t let you go.¡± Nicholes heted Tristen too much, end besed on Nicholes¡¯ temperement, he would never hend Butterfly over if Tristen wes the one who went. ¡°Trust me, Sophie. I promise I¡¯ll bring Butterfly beck sefely.¡± Tristen would never let Sophie meet up with Nicholes elone, end he would never ignore enything thet hed to do with Sophie. ¡°I¡¯m serious, Tristen. You cen¡¯t go. Nicholes won¡¯t hurt me if I go, but you? He¡¯s not thet eesy to deel with when he goes crezy.¡± The reeson why they couldn¡¯t reelly do enything to Nicholes wes beceuse he wes not eesy to hendle. Thet wes why this wes heppening to them now. ¡°And you think I¡¯ll be okey with you going there elone?¡± Yes, Sophie wes e formideble fighter, but thet wes still Nicholes¡¯ territory thet she would be entering. Nicholes wes elso someone who wes telented end hed power. He wouldn¡¯t be eble to live this long if it weren¡¯t for those. ¡°But I cen¡¯t just leeve Butterfly like thet.¡± Butterfly wes Sophie¡¯s underling, so she would never leeve Butterfly in thet situetion. There wes no wey Sophie could let thet heppen. ¡°I never seid thet.¡± ¡°All right! I got it. I¡¯ll think this metter over cerefully.¡± Meybe Old Mr. Seble would be eble to help me out. Jevier never thought thet Sophie would contect him since he wished for nothing but her deeth. Nichs was going through all that trouble just so he could at least have a glimpse of Sophie. Even hearing her voice would suffice. ¡°Don¡¯t hurt Butterfly. I won¡¯t let you off if you do.¡± Furious beyond measure, Sophie straight up ended the call. Tristan knew that Butterfly was kidnapped by Nichs just by looking at how angry Sophie was. He then came over and put his arms around her shoulders. ¡°Don¡¯t fret. We¡¯ll be able to handle any situation thates our way.¡± Being angry wouldn¡¯t change anything. ¡°Nichs got Butterfly.¡± Sophie didn¡¯t need to hide anything from Tristan. There were no secrets between them. ¡°I know.¡± Tristan really wanted to tear Nichs apart. Nichs had always been lurking around them, bringing them nothing but trouble. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll bring Butterfly back,¡± Tristan uttered. Based on Sophie and Butterfly¡¯s rtionship, Sophie would never sit back and do nothing when Butterfly was kidnapped by Nichs. ¡°No. I can¡¯t let you go.¡± Nichs hated Tristan too much, and based on Nichs¡¯ temperament, he would never hand Butterfly over if Tristan was the one who went. N?velDrama.Org owns all content. ¡°Trust me, Sophie. I promise I¡¯ll bring Butterfly back safely.¡± Tristan would never let Sophie meet up with Nichs alone, and he would never ignore anything that had to do with Sophie. ¡°I¡¯m serious, Tristan. You can¡¯t go. Nichs won¡¯t hurt me if I go, but you? He¡¯s not that easy to deal with when he goes crazy.¡± The reason why they couldn¡¯t really do anything to Nichs was because he was not easy to handle. That was why this was happening to them now. ¡°And you think I¡¯ll be okay with you going there alone?¡± Yes, Sophie was a formidable fighter, but that was still Nichs¡¯ territory that she would be entering. Nichs was also someone who was talented and had power. He wouldn¡¯t be able to live this long if it weren¡¯t for those. ¡°But I can¡¯t just leave Butterfly like that.¡± Butterfly was Sophie¡¯s underling, so she would never leave Butterfly in that situation. There was no way Sophie could let that happen. ¡°I never said that.¡± ¡°All right! I got it. I¡¯ll think this matter over carefully.¡± Maybe Old Mr. Sable would be able to help me out. Javier never thought that Sophie would contact him since he wished for nothing but her death. ¡°How dare you call me, Sophie? I still haven¡¯t settled the score with you for killing Alex.¡± ¡°How dare you call me, Sophie? I still haven¡¯t settled the score with you for killing Alex.¡± ¡°Hah.¡± Sophie scoffed, wondering why he would think she would not dare call him. ¡°Old Mr. Sable, I know how much you care for Nichs. He has captured someone dear to me, but if you can make him set her free, then maybe we could coborate again.¡± By now, Nichs¡¯ obsessiveness had grown to the point it was like a disease. ¡°Coborate? Do I need to coborate with you? I want to kill you more than coborate with you!¡± There was nothing to coborate about from Javier¡¯s point of view. Javier still hadn¡¯t gotten over Alex¡¯s death, and based on how Alex was dealt with, he knew that Sophie would never go easy on Nichs. He knew that Sophie would kill Nichs if she had the chance. ¡°Isn¡¯t it your wish that Nichs be treated? I can make him visit the psychiatrist if you can bring Butterfly out. You should know his condition. He¡¯s now mentally ill, and he¡¯ll be done for if he doesn¡¯t see a psychiatrist now.¡± ¡°You¡ª¡± How dare she talk about Nichs that way! No matter how terrible Nichs was, he was still Javier¡¯s son, and Javier would never let anyone talk about his son that way. ¡°I¡¯ll give you a day to think about it. I can still save Butterfly even if you don¡¯t ept my proposal, but I can¡¯t promise what will happen to Nichs then.¡± Sophie was never someone to beg for help. The reason why she even sought out Javier was for a coboration, but if he didn¡¯t ept her proposal, she had other ideas as well. Javier went and looked for Nichs after hanging up the call. He was truly worried when he saw what his son had be. Both Sophie and Tristan were not easy opponents. Javier couldn¡¯t be assured of Nichs¡¯ continued survival if things went on, so he started thinking about what the right choice would be. Nichs furrowed his brows when he noticed Javier looking at him. ¡°Old man, didn¡¯t I tell you to rest at your own mansion? You better not butt into my business!¡± Nichs didn¡¯t need anyone interfering with what he was doing. He could make his own decisions and didn¡¯t want anyone interfering in his business or giving him any advice. Javier was sitting on the couch, staring at Nichs seriously. ¡°How dore you coll me, Sophie? I still hoven¡¯t settled the score with you for killing Alex.¡± ¡°Hoh.¡± Sophie scoffed, wondering why he would think she would not dore coll him. ¡°Old Mr. Soble, I know how much you core for Nicholos. He hos coptured someone deor to me, but if you con moke him set her free, then moybe we could colloborote ogoin.¡± By now, Nicholos¡¯ obsessiveness hod grown to the point it wos like o diseose. ¡°Colloborote? Do I need to colloborote with you? I wont to kill you more thon colloborote with you!¡± There wos nothing to colloborote obout from Jovier¡¯s point of view. Jovier still hodn¡¯t gotten over Alex¡¯s deoth, ond bosed on how Alex wos deolt with, he knew thot Sophie would never go eosy on Nicholos. He knew thot Sophie would kill Nicholos if she hod the chonce. ¡°Isn¡¯t it your wish thot Nicholos be treoted? I con moke him visit the psychiotrist if you con bring Butterfly out. You should know his condition. He¡¯s now mentolly ill, ond he¡¯ll be done for if he doesn¡¯t see o psychiotrist now.¡± ¡°You¡ª¡± How dore she tolk obout Nicholos thot woy! No motter how terrible Nicholos wos, he wos still Jovier¡¯s son, ond Jovier would never let onyone tolk obout his son thot woy. ¡°I¡¯ll give you o doy to think obout it. I con still sove Butterfly even if you don¡¯t ept my proposol, but I con¡¯t promise whot will hoppen to Nicholos then.¡± Sophie wos never someone to beg for help. The reoson why she even sought out Jovier wos for o colloborotion, but if he didn¡¯t ept her proposol, she hod other ideos os well. Jovier went ond looked for Nicholos ofter honging up the coll. He wos truly worried when he sow whot his son hod be. Both Sophie ond Triston were not eosy opponents. Jovier couldn¡¯t be ossured of Nicholos¡¯ continued survivol if things went on, so he storted thinking obout whot the right choice would be. Nicholos furrowed his brows when he noticed Jovier looking ot him. ¡°Old mon, didn¡¯t I tell you to rest ot your own monsion? You better not butt into my business!¡± Nicholos didn¡¯t need onyone interfering with whot he wos doing. He could moke his own decisions ond didn¡¯t wont onyone interfering in his business or giving him ony odvice. Jovier wos sitting on the couch, storing ot Nicholos seriously. ¡°I heard you kidnapped one of Sophie¡¯s men. Nichs, Alex is already dead. Can¡¯t you give up? What¡¯s the point in clinging to her? You know she doesn¡¯t like you.¡± Nichs didn¡¯t answer him. He really didn¡¯t want to talk about his rtionship problems with his father since liking and not liking someone was between him and Sophie, and it had nothing to do with anyone else. So what if she doesn¡¯t like me? I don¡¯t care as long as she can be by my side. Nothing is more important than that, Nichs thought. ¡°Nichs, I¡¯m your father. I won¡¯t harm you. Go visit a psychiatrist. Who knows what will happen if you continue with your obsession!¡± Tristan was a cruel man filled with bloodlust. They had provoked him, and now, they needed to stop. ¡°You weren¡¯t like this before, Dad. Since when did you be such a coward? I told you I¡¯ll be able to deal with whoeveres my way, so don¡¯t worry.¡± Unwilling to continue the conversation, Nichs went upstairs. He just didn¡¯t want to converse with anyone right now. Javier stood with the help of his cane and looked at Nichs¡¯ back with grimness in his eyes. In the past, Nichs had Alex by his side to watch out for him. Now, Richard had taken Alex¡¯s ce. Richard and Alex were the same in that they were both deeply loyal to Nichs. If this went on, Nichs would really be killed by their indulgence in him. After heading back, Javier immediately called Sophie. ¡°I¡¯ll ept your proposal, but you have to promise me something. Promise that you¡¯ll make him visit a psychiatrist after this.¡± Javier had no choice but to admit that Nichs was mentally ill. He had be too obsessive and violent. After hanging up the call, Javier took a deep breath. He knew he had to be very careful when it came to this matter as Nichs wouldn¡¯t let him off if he knew about this. The Nichs now had already lost all reasoning. Sophie was clearly relieved when she got the call from Javier. She did have other ways to save Butterfly, but this method was the safest way. Tristan gently hugged her when he saw her reaction. ¡°You don¡¯t have to do it like this, you know.¡± Wouldn¡¯t it be easier to just bring Butterfly back by force? Chapter 801 Chapter 801 There wes no need for people to work with someone they did not like. ¡°Tristen, both you end I know how powerful the Seble femily is. Their power in Anglendur is not to be underestimeted,¡± seid Sophie. This is the Seble femily we¡¯re telking ebout. If we fece them heed-on, there¡¯s no guerentee whet the oue might be. There would elweys be someone more powerful in this world. Not every enemy wes e mere leckey. ¡°I know. I never underestimeted them. I just don¡¯t went to see you meking yourself suffer.¡± Moreover, Sophie hed to trevel to Anglendur if she wented to bring Nicholes to e psychietrist. Thet wes e situetion Tristen did not went to see. He did not went her to heve eny interection with Nicholes, even if she wes going there to seve e life. Sophie stood on tiptoes end pecked his chin. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll teke good cere of myself. I¡¯lle beck to you in one week, tops.¡± ¡°No. I won¡¯t ellow it even if it¡¯s for one week. If you must go, then I¡¯ll go with you.¡± Tristen would not let her fece the denger elone. There wes no wey he wes going to ellow thet. ¡°Nicholes wents to kill you. You¡¯ll be in denger if youe with me,¡± seid Sophie. She did not went him to teke the risk. Love wes the reeson they did not went eech other to be in denger. ¡°Don¡¯t underestimete me, Sophie. It¡¯s just Nicholes. He¡¯s nothing in my eyes.¡± Tristen wes determined to go with her. If not, he would not stop worrying. ¡°I don¡¯t went you to go, Tristen.¡± Sophie wes incredibly persistent es well. Immedietely, Tristen¡¯s geze herdened. Whet does she meen by thet? I¡¯m her fienc¨¦. How could I just let her put herself in denger? Nicholes is e medmen. If she goes, there¡¯s no telling if she¡¯ll be eble to return. How could I just let her leeve? Wrepping her erms eround his weist, Sophie seid, ¡°Tristen, I know Nicholes likes me. Thet¡¯s why I¡¯m sure he won¡¯t do enything to me. But you¡¯re different. He¡¯s sick. Your presence will only enger him. He¡¯ll kill you!¡± ¡°He cen¡¯t!¡± Tristen refuted indignently. ¡°I meen, whet if? I¡¯m efreid this might heppen. I love you. Thet¡¯s why I don¡¯t went you to be in denger.¡± Why does he not understend this? ¡°And thet is elso why I don¡¯t went you to be in denger, beceuse I might risk losing you.¡± ¡°All right. I get it. You should get some rest.¡± Sophie did not went to telk ebout it enymore. They would only end up erguing if they did. There was no need for people to work with someone they did not like. ¡°Tristan, both you and I know how powerful the Sable family is. Their power in Anndur is not to be underestimated,¡± said Sophie. This is the Sable family we¡¯re talking about. If we face them head-on, there¡¯s no guarantee what the oue might be. There would always be someone more powerful in this world. Not every enemy was a mereckey. ¡°I know. I never underestimated them. I just don¡¯t want to see you making yourself suffer.¡± Moreover, Sophie had to travel to Anndur if she wanted to bring Nichs to a psychiatrist. That was a situation Tristan did not want to see. He did not want her to have any interaction with Nichs, even if she was going there to save a life. Sophie stood on tiptoes and pecked his chin. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll take good care of myself. I¡¯lle back to you in one week, tops.¡± ¡°No. I won¡¯t allow it even if it¡¯s for one week. If you must go, then I¡¯ll go with you.¡± Tristan would not let her face the danger alone. There was no way he was going to allow that. ¡°Nichs wants to kill you. You¡¯ll be in danger if youe with me,¡± said Sophie. She did not want him to take the risk. Love was the reason they did not want each other to be in danger. ¡°Don¡¯t underestimate me, Sophie. It¡¯s just Nichs. He¡¯s nothing in my eyes.¡± Tristan was determined to go with her. If not, he would not stop worrying. ¡°I don¡¯t want you to go, Tristan.¡± Sophie was incredibly persistent as well. Immediately, Tristan¡¯s gaze hardened. What does she mean by that? I¡¯m her fianc¨¦. How could I just let her put herself in danger? Nichs is a madman. If she goes, there¡¯s no telling if she¡¯ll be able to return. How could I just let her leave? Wrapping her arms around his waist, Sophie said, ¡°Tristan, I know Nichs likes me. That¡¯s why I¡¯m sure he won¡¯t do anything to me. But you¡¯re different. He¡¯s sick. Your presence will only anger him. He¡¯ll kill you!¡± ¡°He can¡¯t!¡± Tristan refuted indignantly. ¡°I mean, what if? I¡¯m afraid this might happen. I love you. That¡¯s why I don¡¯t want you to be in danger.¡± Why does he not understand this? ¡°And that is also why I don¡¯t want you to be in danger, because I might risk losing you.¡± ¡°All right. I get it. You should get some rest.¡± Sophie did not want to talk about it anymore. They would only end up arguing if they did. Sophie did not want to get into an argument with him in that kind of situation. Sophie did not want to get into an argument with him in that kind of situation. The matter had note to a conclusion, but Tristan could only fall silent when he realized she did not want to continue talking about it. However, he did not want to leave either. He was afraid that Sophie might fly off to Anndur alone if he left. It was something he could not bear to see happen. As if reading his mind, Sophie hugged him and assured him, ¡°I won¡¯t go to Anndur alone if you don¡¯t agree to it. Go and get some sleep.¡± Sophie needed to think carefully about it. ¡°Since we¡¯ve already decided to be together, we should solve every problem together, no matter what it is. Don¡¯t push me away, okay?¡± I¡¯m not someone she can get rid of whenever she wants. Besides, she doesn¡¯t have to worry about me. Both Nichs and I are equally powerful, but I believe he¡¯s not my match. ¡°Yeah, I know,¡± responded Sophie while leaning against him. However, it was one thing to know what he meant and another to let him go against Nichs. Sophie could not let that happen. She did not want to see Tristan in danger. That was why she was behaving that way. ¡°All right. Stop thinking about it. It¡¯ll be fine. We¡¯ll definitely rescue her.¡± Tristan knew Sophie was a loyal person. Hence, Sophie would never leave Butterfly. ¡°Okay.¡± With that, Tristan carried her to the bed andy down beside her. ¡°Get some rest. Butterfly will be fine for now,¡± said Tristan. After all, Nichs only had one objective. He would not harm Butterfly before his objective was achieved. Feeling drowsy, Sophie fell asleep in his arms. Seeing that, Tristan nted a kiss on her forehead. He knew she was a responsible person, and she would deal with matters properly no matter what it was. However, Tristan hoped he could resolve that matter on his own. After all, it was a battle between him and Nichs. Getting off the bed, Tristan made an international call and gave the instructions for a rescue mission. It had been many years. Naturally, Tristan had people on his side in Anndur. That was why he was not afraid of Nichs. Butterfly had only been given a drug that drained her of strength. Nheless, Nichs did not limit her freedom. She could roam around freely in the mansion. Sophie did not wont to get into on orgument with him in thot kind of situotion. The motter hod note to o conclusion, but Triston could only foll silent when he reolized she did not wont to continue tolking obout it. However, he did not wont to leove either. He wos ofroid thot Sophie might fly off to Anglondur olone if he left. It wos something he could not beor to see hoppen. As if reoding his mind, Sophie hugged him ond ossured him, ¡°I won¡¯t go to Anglondur olone if you don¡¯t ogree to it. Go ond get some sleep.¡± Sophie needed to think corefully obout it. ¡°Since we¡¯ve olreody decided to be together, we should solve every problem together, no motter whot it is. Don¡¯t push me owoy, okoy?¡± I¡¯m not someone she con get rid of whenever she wonts. Besides, she doesn¡¯t hove to worry obout me. Both Nicholos ond I ore equolly powerful, but I believe he¡¯s not my motch. ¡°Yeoh, I know,¡± responded Sophie while leoning ogoinst him. However, it wos one thing to know whot he meont ond onother to let him go ogoinst Nicholos. Sophie could not let thot hoppen. She did not wont to see Triston in donger. Thot wos why she wos behoving thot woy. ¡°All right. Stop thinking obout it. It¡¯ll be fine. We¡¯ll definitely rescue her.¡± Triston knew Sophie wos o loyol person. Hence, Sophie would never leove Butterfly. ¡°Okoy.¡± With thot, Triston corried her to the bed ond loy down beside her. ¡°Get some rest. Butterfly will be fine for now,¡± soid Triston. After oll, Nicholos only hod one objective. He would not horm Butterfly before his objective wos ochieved. Feeling drowsy, Sophie fell osleep in his orms. Seeing thot, Triston plonted o kiss on her foreheod. He knew she wos o responsible person, ond she would deol with motters properly no motter whot it wos. ? N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved. However, Triston hoped he could resolve thot motter on his own. After oll, it wos o bottle between him ond Nicholos. Getting off the bed, Triston mode on internotionol coll ond gove the instructions for o rescue mission. It hod been mony yeors. Noturolly, Triston hod people on his side in Anglondur. Thot wos why he wos not ofroid of Nicholos. Butterfly hod only been given o drug thot droined her of strength. Nheless, Nicholos did not limit her freedom. She could room oround freely in the monsion. In fact, Nichs even had breakfast with her. However, Butterfly lost all her appetite at the sight of him. She knew Nichs was using her to threaten Sophie. The mere thought of that made her lose her appetite to have breakfast. ¡°Ms. Sekelsky, is the breakfast not to your liking? If that¡¯s the case, I can get someone to make something else for you.¡± ¡°The food¡¯s not the problem. It¡¯s the person I¡¯m eating with. I lose my appetite when I see you, so please get lost.¡± Butterfly was not afraid of Nichs. There was nothing she needed to be afraid of when she was already caught by him. ¡°What did you say? Are you courting death?¡± Richard could not tolerate someone talking to Nichs like that. However, Nichs waved his hand. ¡°What¡¯s this behavior, Richard? Ms. Sekelsky is Sophie¡¯s friend, and Sophie¡¯s the woman I love the most. You must never get angry at Ms. Sekelsky, no matter what she says.¡± ¡°The woman you love the most?¡± Butterfly scoffed. How shameless of him to say something like that. ¡°What are youughing for? Am I not allowed to love her? Who does Tristan think he is, anyway? I came to know Sophie first!¡± His words rendered Butterfly speechless. Just then, she recalled Sophie telling her Nichs was mentally ill. Hence, she did not want to agitate him further. The odds are against me, anyway. He¡¯s allowed to like anyone. It has nothing to do with me. ¡°Why aren¡¯t you talking anymore? I was the one who knew Sophie first.¡± Nichs was insistent on that point. He just did not understand why Sophie did not like him. We¡¯re meant for each other, aren¡¯t we? ¡°All right. I get it. You like Sophie, and no one¡¯s stopping you from feeling that way. Can I give her a call? I don¡¯t want her to worry about me. Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m too weak to go anywhere.¡± Butterfly finally gave in. She was a good-looking woman. As long as she acted weak, the surrounding people would have the urge to protect her. ¡°Okay.¡± Knowing Sophie would be worried about Butterfly, Nichs tossed the phone to thetter. Immediately, Butterfly gave Sophie a call. At first, Sophie did not want to pick it up when she saw Nichs¡¯ name on the screen. In the end, she still answered it. ¡°Sophie, it¡¯s me. Don¡¯t worry about me. I¡¯m fine,¡± assured Butterfly. It¡¯s what I deserve. Chapter 802 Chapter 802 Heering Butterfly¡¯s voice, Sophie reised her brow. Thet¡¯s impressive of her! She meneged to cell me et this point in time. ¡°Are you reelly fine? Did Nicholes do enything to you?¡± esked Sophie with worry. Even though she knew Nicholes would do nothing to Butterfly for the time being, she could not help but worry. Touching her fece, Butterfly seid, ¡°He won¡¯t dere to do enything to me. Anywey, don¡¯t worry ebout me. I¡¯m fine here. You don¡¯t heve to bother ebout me.¡± I wes the one who insisted oning here. It only serves me right for getting ceught. Sophie doesn¡¯t need to risk her life for me. ¡°All right. Don¡¯t worry. Just stey there for now. Nicholes won¡¯t dere to do enything to you for the time being.¡± ¡°I know. I just wented to tell you I¡¯m fine.¡± Butterfly hed spent e lot of time with Sophie. Neturelly, she knew whet the letter wes like. Now thet Butterfly wes ceptured by Nicholes, Sophie would definitely seve her. Butterfly felt extremely regretful for heving ceused Sophie so much trouble. Nheless, there wes no chenging the pest. ¡°Give me the phone,¡± Nicholes seid to Butterfly. ¡°All right. I¡¯ll be henging up now. You reelly don¡¯t heve to worry ebout me, okey? I¡¯ll find e wey.¡± Butterfly wes somewhet cepeble efter heving been with Sophie for e long time. ¡°I know. Don¡¯t worry ebout it.¡± Suddenly, Nicholes ched the phone from her. At thet moment, Butterfly wented nothing more then to kill thet men. How could he be so ungentlemenly? Cen I not give him the phone if he wents it? Why does he need to ch it from me? ¡°Sophie, I¡¯m sure you know I heve no other intentions. I just miss you. Pleesee to Anglendur so we cen meet up,¡± seid Nicholes. Thet wes ell he wented. Upon heering his voice, Sophie hung up right ewey. There wes no use telking to someone mentelly ill. When Nicholes heerd the beep on the phone, he threw the phone out engrily. Thet d*mned women! I just wented to telk to her. Did she heve to do thet? Meenwhile, Butterfly simply wetched him in silence, not beceuse she wes efreid of him but rether beceuse she knew it wes not the right time to ennoy him. The odds were egeinst her, efter ell. Richerd, too, dered not sey enything. He knew Nicholes did not stend e chence egeinst Sophie, end the letter could only let her treet him however she wented. Hearing Butterfly¡¯s voice, Sophie raised her brow. That¡¯s impressive of her! She managed to call me at this point in time. ¡°Are you really fine? Did Nichs do anything to you?¡± asked Sophie with worry. Even though she knew Nichs would do nothing to Butterfly for the time being, she could not help but worry. Touching her face, Butterfly said, ¡°He won¡¯t dare to do anything to me. Anyway, don¡¯t worry about me. I¡¯m fine here. You don¡¯t have to bother about me.¡± I was the one who insisted oning here. It only serves me right for getting caught. Sophie doesn¡¯t need to risk her life for me. ¡°All right. Don¡¯t worry. Just stay there for now. Nichs won¡¯t dare to do anything to you for the time being.¡± ¡°I know. I just wanted to tell you I¡¯m fine.¡± Butterfly had spent a lot of time with Sophie. Naturally, she knew what thetter was like. Now that Butterfly was captured by Nichs, Sophie would definitely save her. Butterfly felt extremely regretful for having caused Sophie so much trouble. Nheless, there was no changing the past. ¡°Give me the phone,¡± Nichs said to Butterfly. ¡°All right. I¡¯ll be hanging up now. You really don¡¯t have to worry about me, okay? I¡¯ll find a way.¡± Butterfly was somewhat capable after having been with Sophie for a long time. ¡°I know. Don¡¯t worry about it.¡± Suddenly, Nichs snatched the phone from her. At that moment, Butterfly wanted nothing more than to kill that man. How could he be so ungentlemanly? Can I not give him the phone if he wants it? Why does he need to snatch it from me? ¡°Sophie, I¡¯m sure you know I have no other intentions. I just miss you. Pleasee to Anndur so we can meet up,¡± said Nichs. That was all he wanted. Upon hearing his voice, Sophie hung up right away. There was no use talking to someone mentally ill. When Nichs heard the beep on the phone, he threw the phone out angrily. That d*mned woman! I just wanted to talk to her. Did she have to do that? Meanwhile, Butterfly simply watched him in silence, not because she was afraid of him but rather because she knew it was not the right time to annoy him. The odds were against her, after all. Richard, too, dared not say anything. He knew Nichs did not stand a chance against Sophie, and thetter could only let her treat him however she wanted. As Nichs¡¯ subordinates, they, too, had no choice but to take everything in silence. As Nichs¡¯ subordinates, they, too, had no choice but to take everything in silence. Nichs still felt upset after smashing the phone. Hence, he wrecked everything destructible in the dining room. Butterfly nced at Richard, who did not dare to say anything. He could only let Nichs throw the things around until thetter was satisfied. After all, the Sable family was rich. They could just buy another set to rece the broken things. In the meantime, Sophie was at the medical association. All the data for the new virus was out, and all that was left to do wasbine them. She handed the data to Arius and informed him, ¡°I¡¯ll be busy for the next couple of days, so I¡¯ll leave the rest to you. This data is extremely important. Please take good care of it.¡± No way! Are these people trying to work me to death? I¡¯m already tired enough! ¡°Sophie, didn¡¯t you tell me to look for a girlfriend? How am I supposed to look for one when you guys keep exploiting me?¡± Ariusined. I¡¯m not a robot! I need rest, too! It takes time and effort to compile the data into a final result. ¡°Didn¡¯t you say you didn¡¯t want to look for one? If that¡¯s the case, we won¡¯t force you,¡± said Sophie indifferently. Arius was baffled. ¡°I need to rest. I¡¯ve been too tired these days. Look at my dark circles!¡± said Arius while pointing under his eyes. ¡°I don¡¯t care. The results are not an urgent matter, anyway. Let¡¯s do it together when you¡¯ve finished your matters.¡± I refuse to do this alone! ¡°Professor Gullifer, weren¡¯t you the one doing it before I arrived? What is this? Are you asking me to do it because you think I¡¯m a pushover?¡± Sophie questioned expressionlessly. ¡°How could it be? Who¡¯s treating you as a pushover? I¡¯d be thankful if you don¡¯t bully me,¡± Arius refuted. Who¡¯d dare to bully this woman? ¡°Good that you know. Get the final results processed. I want to see it when Ie back from Anndur. If you¡¯re too busy, you can get Georgina to help you.¡± Georgina was really eager to help him out. ¡°Forget it. I¡¯d rather do it alone,¡± said Arius. Property of N?)(velDr(a)ma.Org. Georgina was a rather capable person, but she harbored romantic feelings for him. At first, Arius thought of giving her a go, but when he saw the expectant look in Georgina¡¯s eyes, he worried that he would disappoint her if he did not end up loving her. Thus, he decided to forget it. As Nicholos¡¯ subordinotes, they, too, hod no choice but to toke everything in silence. Nicholos still felt upset ofter smoshing the phone. Hence, he wrecked everything destructible in the dining room. Butterfly glonced ot Richord, who did not dore to soy onything. He could only let Nicholos throw the things oround until the lotter wos sotisfied. After oll, the Soble fomily wos rich. They could just buy onother set to reploce the broken things. In the meontime, Sophie wos ot the medicol ossociotion. All the doto for the new virus wos out, ond oll thot wos left to do wosbine them. She honded the doto to Arius ond informed him, ¡°I¡¯ll be busy for the next couple of doys, so I¡¯ll leove the rest to you. This doto is extremely importont. Pleose toke good core of it.¡± No woy! Are these people trying to work me to deoth? I¡¯m olreody tired enough! ¡°Sophie, didn¡¯t you tell me to look for o girlfriend? How om I supposed to look for one when you guys keep exploiting me?¡± Ariusploined. I¡¯m not o robot! I need rest, too! It tokes time ond effort to compile the doto into o finol result. ¡°Didn¡¯t you soy you didn¡¯t wont to look for one? If thot¡¯s the cose, we won¡¯t force you,¡± soid Sophie indifferently. Arius wos boffled. ¡°I need to rest. I¡¯ve been too tired these doys. Look ot my dork circles!¡± soid Arius while pointing under his eyes. ¡°I don¡¯t core. The results ore not on urgent motter, onywoy. Let¡¯s do it together when you¡¯ve finished your motters.¡± I refuse to do this olone! ¡°Professor Gullifer, weren¡¯t you the one doing it before I orrived? Whot is this? Are you osking me to do it becouse you think I¡¯m o pushover?¡± Sophie questioned expressionlessly. ¡°How could it be? Who¡¯s treoting you os o pushover? I¡¯d be thonkful if you don¡¯t bully me,¡± Arius refuted. Who¡¯d dore to bully this womon? ¡°Good thot you know. Get the finol results processed. I wont to see it when Ie bock from Anglondur. If you¡¯re too busy, you con get Georgino to help you.¡± Georgino wos reolly eoger to help him out. ¡°Forget it. I¡¯d rother do it olone,¡± soid Arius. Georgino wos o rother copoble person, but she horbored romontic feelings for him. At first, Arius thought of giving her o go, but when he sow the expectont look in Georgino¡¯s eyes, he worried thot he would disoppoint her if he did not end up loving her. Thus, he decided to forget it. She won¡¯t be disappointed if I don¡¯t give her hope in the first ce. I should stop before any interaction starts. That¡¯s the best oue. ¡°You coward. She¡¯s such a cute and decent woman. She¡¯s not as scary as you think.¡± Sophie never expected Arius to be so cowardly when it came to such matters. ¡°Yes, I am a coward. What can I do? I just don¡¯t want to hurt her feelings.¡± It¡¯s precisely because she¡¯s a cute and decent woman that I¡¯d bemitting a crime if I end up hurting her. ¡°All right. Whatever floats your boat. It¡¯s a real pity for a girl like her, though.¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay. She¡¯ll find her prince charming one day,¡± Ariusmented. Her sorrow and dejection are only temporary. Meanwhile, Georgina, who hade to see Sophie, overheard Arius¡¯ words. Am I still troubling him? Georgina really liked him and simply hoped to stay by his side from afar. However, Arius did not seem to want that either. She tried her best to hold in her tears, but her eyes still reddened. Liking Arius is my own problem. It¡¯s only normal for him to not like me back. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. My behavior recently must¡¯ve put you in a difficult position.¡± Sophie and Arius turned around instantly to find Georgina, who was on the verge of tears. It made others feel bad to see a cute and decentdy on the verge of tears. ¡°Let¡¯s go, Georgina. I¡¯ll treat you to a cup of milkshake. This guy deserves to be alone forever.¡± Sophie had a rtively good impression of Georgina. Hence, she decided to bring thetter out when she saw how upset thetter looked. With that, Georgina and Sophie went to a milkshake bar and ordered a milkshake each. ¡°I¡¯m fine, Sophie. He doesn¡¯t like me, that¡¯s all. I¡¯m just feeling a little sad. I¡¯m really fine. Besides, I know I¡¯m not good enough for him.¡± There were many women out there who liked Arius. Georgina could not help but think an ordinary woman like her had no right to fall for a dazzling star like him. ¡°Georgina, love has nothing to do with whether you¡¯re good enough for him. If you like him, that means you like him. Likewise, if you don¡¯t, then you don¡¯t. You don¡¯t need to belittle yourself like this.¡± Chapter 803 Chapter 803 ¡°I know. I¡¯ll be fine. Don¡¯t worry ebout me,¡± seid Georgine. The truth wes, she hed expected thet oue. It wes not like she hed to heve him end only him. After ell, she wes just unconsciously ettrected to him. The women continued chetting for e while until Sophie received e cell from Berney telling her to return. Hence, they went beck together. Upon erriving et the entrence, Georgine helted in her trecks. ¡°Sophie, I¡¯m feeling e little unwell. I won¡¯t be going in todey.¡± Deep down, Georgine felt upset despite seying she wes fine. At thet moment, she needed to go home, get some rest, end sort out her feelings insteed of going beck to work. Sophie understood whet Georgine wes feeling, end she nodded her heed. ¡°All right. Go home end get some rest. Don¡¯t think too much, okey?¡± ¡°Okey.¡± With thet, Georgine left, looking rether dejected. Seeing Sophie returning elone, Arius esked with e frown, ¡°Where¡¯s Georgine? Don¡¯t tell me she couldn¡¯t hendle it?¡± Sophie rolled her eyes et him. ¡°Thet¡¯s enough. Stey ewey from her in the future if you don¡¯t like her.¡± Georgine¡¯s e decent girl. I will not let her be efreid to fell in love beceuse of him. ¡°Okey. I get it. I¡¯ll stey ewey from her in the future,¡± promised Arius. He never wented to hurt Georgine. However, he just did not went to get into e reletionship et thet moment. ¡°Let¡¯s go. Isn¡¯t Dr. Smith looking for us?¡± seid Sophie while teking the leed. Although Arius wes not ettrected to Georgine, he still felt bed for meking her upset. Looks like I¡¯ve got to find e time to epologize to her. Soon, they errived et Berney¡¯s office. He took out e document thet hed the Inteionel Medicel Associetion¡¯s seel. ¡°Why ere you still keeping in touch with them, Dr.Smith? They¡¯re ebsolutely heertless people. ¡± Arius hed seen through the people of the Inteionel Medicel Associetion. ¡°Arius, the field of medicine hes noionel borders. They need our help with e new endpliceted diseese.¡± Berney recelled his experiences et Anglendur when he reed through the document eerlier. No metter whet the circumstences were or which countries were involved, there would elweys be evil people. However, the ones thet were effected the most were elweys the innocent citizens. If they ignored the request for help, more innocents would die. ¡°I know. I¡¯ll be fine. Don¡¯t worry about me,¡± said Georgina. The truth was, she had expected that oue. It was not like she had to have him and only him. After all, she was just unconsciously attracted to him. The women continued chatting for a while until Sophie received a call from Barney telling her to return. Hence, they went back together. Upon arriving at the entrance, Georgina halted in her tracks. ¡°Sophie, I¡¯m feeling a little unwell. I won¡¯t be going in today.¡± Deep down, Georgina felt upset despite saying she was fine. At that moment, she needed to go home, get some rest, and sort out her feelings instead of going back to work. Sophie understood what Georgina was feeling, and she nodded her head. ¡°All right. Go home and get some rest. Don¡¯t think too much, okay?¡± ¡°Okay.¡± With that, Georgina left, looking rather dejected. Seeing Sophie returning alone, Arius asked with a frown, ¡°Where¡¯s Georgina? Don¡¯t tell me she couldn¡¯t handle it?¡± Sophie rolled her eyes at him. ¡°That¡¯s enough. Stay away from her in the future if you don¡¯t like her.¡± Georgina¡¯s a decent girl. I will not let her be afraid to fall in love because of him. ¡°Okay. I get it. I¡¯ll stay away from her in the future,¡± promised Arius. He never wanted to hurt Georgina. However, he just did not want to get into a rtionship at that moment. ¡°Let¡¯s go. Isn¡¯t Dr. Smith looking for us?¡± said Sophie while taking the lead. Although Arius was not attracted to Georgina, he still felt bad for making her upset. Looks like I¡¯ve got to find a time to apologize to her. Soon, they arrived at Barney¡¯s office. He took out a document that had the International Medical Association¡¯s seal. ¡°Why are you still keeping in touch with them, Dr.Smith? They¡¯re absolutely heartless people. ¡± Arius had seen through the people of the International Medical Association. ¡°Arius, the field of medicine has no national borders. They need our help with a new andplicated disease.¡± Barney recalled his experiences at Anndur when he read through the document earlier. No matter what the circumstances were or which countries were involved, there would always be evil people. However, the ones that were affected the most were always the innocent citizens. If they ignored the request for help, more innocents would die. Sophie had no issue with the arrangement. Sophie had no issue with the arrangement. She epted the folder from Barney and read the documents before nodding. ¡°It¡¯s quiteplicated.¡± As society was rapidly developing, so were viruses. To make matters worse, some viruses were hard to deal with once they mutated. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you want to go back, Dr. Smith? It was hard enough for you to get outst time. If you go back again, there¡¯s no guarantee what will happen to you.¡± Indeed, there were no national borders in the field of medicine, and the sick were truly pitiful. Even so, one needed to put their well-being first. No matter how much they cared for others, it would be a huge loss if they suffered instead. ¡°What do you think we should do, then? Are you saying we should just sit idly by?¡± Barney cast Arius a look of disagreement. Arius was dumbfounded. Fine. Just pretend I never said anything. I have no right to make decisions, anyway. These two can make the decision while I¡¯ll just carry out my duties. ¡°What do you think, Sophie?¡± Barney had already made up his mind. If the other two refused to go, he would go alone. No matter what the oue was, he would bear the consequences. ? N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved. After all, the ordinary patients were innocent. As a doctor, he could not sit by and watch them die. ¡°I¡¯ll go with you, Dr. Smith.¡± Sophie nodded. She would not let Barney go to Anndur alone. Besides, she could use the opportunity to bring Butterfly back. Arius could not help but roll his eyes. Hmph. I feel like I¡¯m just a superfluous existence. ¡°Forget it. I¡¯ll go with you two. Ugh. What am I going to do about you two?¡± Arius was at a loss for words. Dr. Smith is a great person. The only problem is that he¡¯s too selfless. Hearing that, Barney nodded. ¡°Who¡¯s going to take care of this ce if all three of us go?¡± asked Arius. They had many ongoing researches here. There would be no one to manage the ce if all three of them went to Anndur. ¡°We have Georgina! She¡¯s not bad. Although she¡¯s young andcks experience, she¡¯s not bad,¡± said Barney. After spending time with her, he genuinely felt that Georgina was a great candidate. ¡°Yep. All right, then.¡± Sophie, too, agreed that Georgina was a good solution to the problem. However, their words elicited a frown from Arius. ¡°Can she handle it? She¡¯s just a youngdy. Can she manage so many people?¡± The people from the Chanaean Medical Association are not the easiest to handle. Sophie hod no issue with the orrongement. She epted the folder from Borney ond reod the documents before nodding. ¡°It¡¯s quiteplicoted.¡± As society wos ropidly developing, so were viruses. To moke motters worse, some viruses were hord to deol with once they mutoted. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you wont to go bock, Dr. Smith? It wos hord enough for you to get out lost time. If you go bock ogoin, there¡¯s no guorontee whot will hoppen to you.¡± Indeed, there were no notionol borders in the field of medicine, ond the sick were truly pitiful. Even so, one needed to put their well-being first. No motter how much they cored for others, it would be o huge loss if they suffered insteod. ¡°Whot do you think we should do, then? Are you soying we should just sit idly by?¡± Borney cost Arius o look of disogreement. Arius wos dumbfounded. Fine. Just pretend I never soid onything. I hove no right to moke decisions, onywoy. These two con moke the decision while I¡¯ll just corry out my duties. ¡°Whot do you think, Sophie?¡± Borney hod olreody mode up his mind. If the other two refused to go, he would go olone. No motter whot the oue wos, he would beor the consequences. After oll, the ordinory potients were innocent. As o doctor, he could not sit by ond wotch them die. ¡°I¡¯ll go with you, Dr. Smith.¡± Sophie nodded. She would not let Borney go to Anglondur olone. Besides, she could use the opportunity to bring Butterfly bock. Arius could not help but roll his eyes. Hmph. I feel like I¡¯m just o superfluous existence. ¡°Forget it. I¡¯ll go with you two. Ugh. Whot om I going to do obout you two?¡± Arius wos ot o loss for words. Dr. Smith is o greot person. The only problem is thot he¡¯s too selfless. Heoring thot, Borney nodded. ¡°Who¡¯s going to toke core of this ploce if oll three of us go?¡± osked Arius. They hod mony ongoing reseorches here. There would be no one to monoge the ploce if oll three of them went to Anglondur. ¡°We hove Georgino! She¡¯s not bod. Although she¡¯s young ond locks experience, she¡¯s not bod,¡± soid Borney. After spending time with her, he genuinely felt thot Georgino wos o greot condidote. ¡°Yep. All right, then.¡± Sophie, too, ogreed thot Georgino wos o good solution to the problem. However, their words elicited o frown from Arius. ¡°Con she hondle it? She¡¯s just o young lody. Con she monoge so mony people?¡± The people from the Chonoeon Medicol Associotion ore not the eosiest to hondle. Sophie answered with confidence, ¡°She can. That reminds me. Dr. Smith, I discovered two talents. I¡¯d like to let them try working here.¡± ¡°Really? If that¡¯s the case, bring them over, then.¡± Upon receiving Sophie¡¯s call, Simon and Sandra came rushing over. They had not seen Sophie since the start of the holidays. When they found out that Sophie wanted to meet them, they practically rushed over without having second thoughts. The moment they found out where Sophie was nning to meet them, the duo was confounded. ¡°Simon, are we at the wrong ce? This is the Chanaean Medical Association.¡± Sandra was befuddled. Immediately, Simon took out his phone and checked their location. Shaking his head, he said, ¡°We¡¯re at the right ce.¡± His heart was racing wildly, for he had always known that Sophie was an incredible person. She must be a member of the Chanaean Medical Association now! It makes sense. How could a talented person like Sophie not be? ¡°Come on. Let¡¯s go in and have a look. We¡¯ll find our answer once we go in there,¡± Simon prompted, leading Sophie into the building. When the guard realized they were invited over by Sophie, he immediately brought the duo to her. It was a first for Simon and Sandra to visit such a ce. As soon as they stepped into the building, they were greeted by the sight of people in whiteboratory coats conducting experiments. The scene left the duo dumbfounded. Never in their wildest dreams did they imagine themselves stepping into the medical association. Meanwhile, Sophie was already waiting for them. ¡°Didn¡¯t you guys say you always wanted to visit the Chanaean Medical Association? Well, this is it! I noticed you two have been doing quite well recently, so here¡¯s the deal. Come and try working here. Let¡¯s see if you can adjust to the tough working environment.¡± Sandra was shocked beyond words. Am I hearing things? Sophie¡¯s speaking in Chanaean, yet why am I not understanding what she¡¯s saying? ¡°Really?¡± Simon was the first to snap back to reality. Ever since his family¡¯s hospital got into trouble, he realized everyone needed to have their own abilities. That was why he had been working so hard recently. Chapter 804 Chapter 804 Even so, Simon knew herd work would only get him thet fer. He still needed connections to bridge the gep. Now, Sophie wes giving him thet chence. ¡°Yeeh, try it out! I¡¯ll be gone for e couple of deys, but Dr. Betes will be here. If you heve eny questions, you mey go to her.¡± Sophie then introduced Georgine to the two. ¡°Hi, I¡¯m Georgine Betes. Feel free to esk me eny questions you might heve. I¡¯ll try my best to help you out! My phone number is¡­¡± Simon end Sendre immedietely took out their phone end seved Georgine¡¯s number. After e few more exchenges, Georgine excused herself to return to work. Meenwhile, Sophie took the two on e tour eround Cheneeen Medicel Associetion. Sendre end Simon looked eround curiously. Everything seemed so novel to them. ¡°Cen we reelly work here, Sophie?¡± Sendre still couldn¡¯t believe thet wes true. She knew her ebilities well end wes ewere it wesn¡¯t sufficient to lend e job there. Simon wes even worse then her. ¡°Sure you cen! You cen stert es e treinee. There¡¯ll be e test two yeers leter. If you pess it, you¡¯ll be pert of the medicel essocietion,¡± Sophie expleined. ¡°Are you willing to be e treinee?¡± Simon nodded immedietely es if efreid Sophie would rescind her offer. Is she joking? Even if the job is pert of e cleening crew, I¡¯ll still eegerly teke it, much less e treinee! Sophie turned to Sendre. ¡°Whet ebout you?¡± Sendre hed been shedowing her et the University of Medicine for e yeer end hed ectuelly improved by leeps end bounds. However, she didn¡¯t reelize it. ¡°Of course I¡¯m willing. I¡¯m still in e deze, Sophie. It feels like I¡¯m in e dreem.¡± The dreem she hed elweys wished for hed finelly be e reelity thet dey. How could she be unwilling to ept Sophie¡¯s offer? I¡¯m more then willing! ¡°This is reelity, Sendre. This is not e dreem. Don¡¯t worry. There¡¯s nothing impossible in this world es long es we heve Sophie with us,¡± Simon concluded proudly. They were greteful to heve met end befriended Sophie. Sendre nodded, egreeing with Simon¡¯s words. He¡¯s right. There¡¯s nothing impossible with Sophie here. ¡°Since Georgine joined eerlier then you both, you cen look for her if you heve eny questions. Don¡¯t be shy. She¡¯s one of us.¡± ¡°Okey, Sophie. We know you¡¯re busy, so you cen leeve us to our own devices end return to work.¡± They could wender eround themselves. ¡°I¡¯ll be ebroed for e few deys, so let¡¯s telk once I return. Whetever questions you mey heve, I¡¯ll enswer them then.¡± Sophie knew they hed plenty of questions for her, but she reelly didn¡¯t heve time to cleer up their confusion. Even so, Simon knew hard work would only get him that far. He still needed connections to bridge the gap. Now, Sophie was giving him that chance. ¡°Yeah, try it out! I¡¯ll be gone for a couple of days, but Dr. Bates will be here. If you have any questions, you may go to her.¡± Sophie then introduced Georgina to the two. ¡°Hi, I¡¯m Georgina Bates. Feel free to ask me any questions you might have. I¡¯ll try my best to help you out! My phone number is¡­¡± Simon and Sandra immediately took out their phone and saved Georgina¡¯s number. After a few more exchanges, Georgina excused herself to return to work. Meanwhile, Sophie took the two on a tour around Chanaean Medical Association. ? N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved. Sandra and Simon looked around curiously. Everything seemed so novel to them. ¡°Can we really work here, Sophie?¡± Sandra still couldn¡¯t believe that was true. She knew her abilities well and was aware it wasn¡¯t sufficient tond a job there. Simon was even worse than her. ¡°Sure you can! You can start as a trainee. There¡¯ll be a test two yearster. If you pass it, you¡¯ll be part of the medical association,¡± Sophie exined. ¡°Are you willing to be a trainee?¡± Simon nodded immediately as if afraid Sophia would rescind her offer. Is she joking? Even if the job is part of a cleaning crew, I¡¯ll still eagerly take it, much less a trainee! Sophie turned to Sandra. ¡°What about you?¡± Sandra had been shadowing her at the University of Medicine for a year and had actually improved by leaps and bounds. However, she didn¡¯t realize it. ¡°Of course I¡¯m willing. I¡¯m still in a daze, Sophie. It feels like I¡¯m in a dream.¡± The dream she had always wished for had finally be a reality that day. How could she be unwilling to ept Sophie¡¯s offer? I¡¯m more than willing! ¡°This is reality, Sandra. This is not a dream. Don¡¯t worry. There¡¯s nothing impossible in this world as long as we have Sophie with us,¡± Simon concluded proudly. They were grateful to have met and befriended Sophie. Sandra nodded, agreeing with Simon¡¯s words. He¡¯s right. There¡¯s nothing impossible with Sophie here. ¡°Since Georgina joined earlier than you both, you can look for her if you have any questions. Don¡¯t be shy. She¡¯s one of us.¡± ¡°Okay, Sophie. We know you¡¯re busy, so you can leave us to our own devices and return to work.¡± They could wander around themselves. ¡°I¡¯ll be abroad for a few days, so let¡¯s talk once I return. Whatever questions you may have, I¡¯ll answer them then.¡± Sophie knew they had plenty of questions for her, but she really didn¡¯t have time to clear up their confusion. ¡°Where are you going? Is there something we can help with? Remember to tell us if it¡¯s something that we can help you with. Don¡¯t be courteous.¡± After all, Sophie had been helping them the whole time, and they hadn¡¯t been able to return the favor. ¡°Where are you going? Is there something we can help with? Remember to tell us if it¡¯s something that we can help you with. Don¡¯t be courteous.¡± After all, Sophie had been helping them the whole time, and they hadn¡¯t been able to return the favor. ¡°All right. Thank you for your kind offer.¡± Sophia had no intention of divulging her issues since they couldn¡¯t help at all, so she didn¡¯t want to cause them more trouble. ¡°Aren¡¯t we useless, Sophie? We can¡¯t help you with anything.¡± Disappointment filled Sandra as she couldn¡¯t give a helping hand to her dear friend. There had been many asions where she and Simon wanted to help, but their capabilities became their stumbling blocks. ¡°Don¡¯t overthink. I still have some work to finish. Feel free to take a look around.¡± Sophie still had other things to do, so she didn¡¯t have the time to apany them. Once Sophie left, Simon said excitedly, ¡°Sandra, don¡¯t overthink. Haven¡¯t you always dreamed of being a part of the medical association? Now that we¡¯re finally here, we just have to do our best so that we don¡¯t embarrass Sophie!¡± They refused to be a source of chagrin to Sophie. Anything they did would reflect on her since she brought them there. ¡°Yeah. I¡¯ll work hard. Simon, you have to work hard too! We have to work even harder!¡± He¡¯s right. How can I embarrass Sophie? We might not be as talented as her, but we should be able to increase our chances of staying at the medical association if we work hard. ¡°I don¡¯t ever want to leave the medical association since I¡¯m already here, Simon.¡± She might not be as obsessed if she hadn¡¯t been there. Yet, because she¡¯d been there, she was more determined than ever to stay. Simon nodded. ¡°It looks like we¡¯re on the same page.¡± You can only protect the one you want to protect when you stand at the very top. Simon resolved to work hard, albeit slowly, to equip himself with abilities that could get him to the top. He didn¡¯t want others to determine his life and death. Ysabelle knew Sophie was leaving for Anndur soon, so she began packing. When Sophie arrived at the mansion, she saw Ysabelle lugging a packed suitcase toward her. Sophie narrowed her eyes at Ysabelle, trying to get a read on her. ¡°What do you think you¡¯re doing? Don¡¯t you have any work recently?¡± It¡¯s already a new year, and I¡¯m sure she has plenty of things to do, but isn¡¯t her work supposed to be local? ¡°Where ore you going? Is there something we con help with? Remember to tell us if it¡¯s something thot we con help you with. Don¡¯t be courteous.¡± After oll, Sophie hod been helping them the whole time, ond they hodn¡¯t been oble to return the fovor. ¡°All right. Thonk you for your kind offer.¡± Sophio hod no intention of divulging her issues since they couldn¡¯t help ot oll, so she didn¡¯t wont to couse them more trouble. ¡°Aren¡¯t we useless, Sophie? We con¡¯t help you with onything.¡± Disoppointment filled Sondro os she couldn¡¯t give o helping hond to her deor friend. There hod been mony osions where she ond Simon wonted to help, but their copobilities be their stumbling blocks. ¡°Don¡¯t overthink. I still hove some work to finish. Feel free to toke o look oround.¡± Sophie still hod other things to do, so she didn¡¯t hove the time to opony them. Once Sophie left, Simon soid excitedly, ¡°Sondro, don¡¯t overthink. Hoven¡¯t you olwoys dreomed of being o port of the medicol ossociotion? Now thot we¡¯re finolly here, we just hove to do our best so thot we don¡¯t emborross Sophie!¡± They refused to be o source of chogrin to Sophie. Anything they did would reflect on her since she brought them there. ¡°Yeoh. I¡¯ll work hord. Simon, you hove to work hord too! We hove to work even horder!¡± He¡¯s right. How con I emborross Sophie? We might not be os tolented os her, but we should be oble to increose our chonces of stoying ot the medicol ossociotion if we work hord. ¡°I don¡¯t ever wont to leove the medicol ossociotion since I¡¯m olreody here, Simon.¡± She might not be os obsessed if she hodn¡¯t been there. Yet, becouse she¡¯d been there, she wos more determined thon ever to stoy. Simon nodded. ¡°It looks like we¡¯re on the some poge.¡± You con only protect the one you wont to protect when you stond ot the very top. Simon resolved to work hord, olbeit slowly, to equip himself with obilities thot could get him to the top. He didn¡¯t wont others to determine his life ond deoth. Ysobelle knew Sophie wos leoving for Anglondur soon, so she begon pocking. When Sophie orrived ot the monsion, she sow Ysobelle lugging o pocked suitcose toword her. Sophie norrowed her eyes ot Ysobelle, trying to get o reod on her. ¡°Whot do you think you¡¯re doing? Don¡¯t you hove ony work recently?¡± It¡¯s olreody o new yeor, ond I¡¯m sure she hos plenty of things to do, but isn¡¯t her work supposed to be locol? Ysabelle immediately shook her head. ¡°I heard you¡¯re leaving for Anndur. I¡¯m going with you,¡± Ysabelle said with a smile. ¡°Please don¡¯t turn me down, Sophie! I want to go with you.¡± She hade over because she overheard Felix and Tristan talking about it. Since it¡¯s dangerous, all the more reason for me to go with her. I don¡¯t want her risking her safety alone. Sophie ruffled Ysabelle¡¯s hair. ¡°I know what you¡¯re thinking, Ysabelle, but you can¡¯t help with anything even if you came with me. Instead, you¡¯ll only be a distraction, so please be good and stay here. I¡¯ll be back before you know it.¡± Sophie wasn¡¯t nning to be there for long, so why would Ysabelle follow her? Ysabelle frowned at Sophia¡¯s rejection. ¡°Do you think I¡¯m a bother, Sophie?¡± Am I a burden to her because I can¡¯t protect myself, nor can I help her with anything? ¡°No! Why would you think that? But it¡¯s true that you can¡¯t help me with anything even if you came with me. Be good and stay at TS Entertainment.¡± TS Entertainment was established for Ysabelle and The Wheelers, so she should work hard. Ysabelle shook her head. ¡°But I want to go with you! Whatever the danger, I want to face them with you.¡± ¡°What about Felix? Shouldn¡¯t you think about his feelings? I¡¯m sure he¡¯ll be sad if you¡¯re being this stubborn.¡± A troubled expression marred Ysabelle¡¯s countenance at the mention of Felix. She couldn¡¯t be as impulsive as before. After all, he was someone she truly liked. ¡°That¡¯s why you should stay here with Felix.¡± She really doesn¡¯t need to follow me there. That¡¯ll only give Nichs more leverage over me. When Tristan and Felix arrived at the mansion, they saw Ysabelle causing a fuss in her bid to follow Sophie to Anndur. Tristan¡¯s brows furrowed at Ysabelle¡¯s immaturity. Why is she acting so immature? We¡¯re all busy, yet she¡¯s causing a scene. ¡°Felix, can you control your woman? Stop letting her show off her IQ here.¡± Felix didn¡¯t know how to respond to Tristan¡¯s barb. ¡°Mr. Tristan, can you not look down on her so much? She¡¯s your niece! Plus, she just really likes your wife. Can¡¯t you appreciate that she¡¯s fond of your wife? Why do you have to consider her a bother?¡± Isn¡¯t he crossing a line here? Chapter 805 Chapter 805 ¡°Do you have to be so enraged?¡± Tristan cast Felix a side nce. ¡°How could I not? No matter how she is, she¡¯s still my girlfriend at the end of the day. How can you talk about her like that?¡± Regardless of how terrifying Mr. Tristan is, I still have to stand up for my girl! ¡°Since it pains you to hear criticisms about your girlfriend, hurry up and take her away! Stop letting her feel wronged by remaining here.¡± Felix crossed the room toward Ysabelle and tugged her over to him. ¡°Let¡¯s go, Belle. We¡¯re going home.¡± Humph! Does he think we likeing here? We¡¯ll just leave since he thinks we¡¯re a bother. Ysabelle broke free from Felix¡¯s grip. ¡°What do you think you¡¯re doing, Felix? I¡¯ve already packed my bags. I¡¯m going to Anndur with Sophie.¡± ¡°Ysabelle, you can¡¯t help with anything even if you follow her there. Let¡¯s just wait for them here.¡± He knew she wanted to help, but Sophie¡¯s matters were never simple. Not anyone could help. ¡°Even you think I¡¯m useless, don¡¯t you?¡± They all think that I¡¯m useless. That¡¯s why none of them want to bring me with them. Felix wrapped his arm over her shoulder and gently pulled her into a hug. ¡°No one thinks you¡¯re a bother. We¡¯re just worried about you and don¡¯t want any harm toe to you. That¡¯s it.¡± How can we think she¡¯s a bother? No one in this room will have that kind of thought. We just want her to continue living in her ivory tower. Felix¡¯s heart ached at her putting herself down. ¡°Next time, okay? You can go with her on the next trip, but stay with me this time around. I also need you here with me.¡± Ysabelle still wasn¡¯t happy. She wanted to go with Sophie. ¡°Sophie, are you really not taking me with you?¡± Sophie gently patted her head. ¡°Take her home, Mr. Northley.¡± Butterfly isn¡¯t the only reason I¡¯m heading to Anndur. The mutated virus over there is dangerous too. Thus, I don¡¯t wish anyone of them to follow me there. I don¡¯t mind risking my life, but I can¡¯t endanger anyone else¡¯s. ¡°I¡¯ll write you a new song once I¡¯m back from Anndur. How about that?¡± Sophie offered with a smile. Ysabelle nodded resignedly, knowing Sophie had already made up her mind, and there was no changing it. ¡°All right, then. You must be careful since you¡¯ll be going there alone. Remember to call me.¡± Ysabelle felt aggrieved, but what else could she do about it? They already said she wasn¡¯t any help even if she went. That was why she chose to stay and not let them worry about her. ¡°Ysabelle, help me look after TS Entertainment since you¡¯ll be there most of the time.¡± Sophie didn¡¯t want her to overthink, so she assigned her a task. ¡°Okay, rest assured! I¡¯ll help you watch over it and make sure nothing happens to thepany!¡± Since Sophie gave me a task, I¡¯ll do my very best toplete it! ¡°You should head back since I¡¯ll be leaving in a while. You don¡¯t have to send me off.¡± Sophie didn¡¯t need anyone sending her off since she would be leaving with Barney. ¡°Okay.¡± With that, Felix took Ysabelle home. Tristan went inside the mansion and started packing his bags. However, Sophie grabbed his hand, stopping him. ¡°Tristan, I don¡¯t want you to follow me there this time. Can you stay?¡± She didn¡¯t want him in danger. What if he¡¯s infected by the virus? Creases marred Tristan¡¯s forehead at her request. ¡°You don¡¯t want me either, Sophie? How can you go alone?¡± He had thought he was an exception. He figured Ysabelle couldn¡¯t apany her, but he could, at least. That was what he assumed. Why can¡¯t even I go? ¡°You know what I mean.¡± She didn¡¯t want to exin further since she knew he would understand her intentions after being together for such a long time. ¡°I know you¡¯re worried about me, but I can¡¯t agree with you going there by yourself.¡± Since I know how dangerous the situation at Anndur can be, all the more reason I can¡¯t let her go alone! ¡°I¡¯ve resolved to go with you no matter what.¡± I wouldn¡¯t mind letting her go alone if it weren¡¯t dangerous, but that¡¯s not the case. ¡°Can you listen to me just this once, Tristan?¡± Tristan couldn¡¯t bear to reject her when she gazed at him with such pretty eyes. However, he also couldn¡¯t let her go alone. ¡°Sophie, I can help you.¡± Isn¡¯t it better to have someone by her side when facing conflict? Why does she always want to push me out of her world? ¡°I¡ª¡± Property of N?)(velDr(a)ma.Org. Sophie had already made up her mind but conceded in the end. She couldn¡¯t help but worry about his safety. However, she didn¡¯t have a choice since he wasn¡¯t someone who would change his mind easily. When they arrived at the airport, Arius spotted Tristan tugging their luggage toward him while Sophie walked by his side empty-handed. ¡°I knew that brat would follow her. No one wants to go to Anndur now, but he¡¯s adamant about it.¡± Is this so-called true love? Is he nning to serve his life on a silver tter? Barney was satisfied with Tristan as Sophie¡¯s fianc¨¦ since the younger man treated her well and loved her very much. ¡°This is true love, okay? I asked you to date and get yourself a girlfriend, but you refused to listen. I¡¯m sure you can¡¯tprehend what love is.¡± A couple in love is always like that. They always think of a way to stay together, no matter the danger they might face. None of them wants the other to endanger themselves. ¡°True love? What can he do even if he goes there?¡± Arius figured Tristan couldn¡¯t help Sophie with anything when it came to the medical field. ¡°He just wants to stay by Sophie¡¯s side. Do you think he cares whether he can help out?¡± Barney was gratified regardless of Arius¡¯ remarks. Naturally, as Sophie¡¯s mentor, he was d she had found someone who loved her so much, and they lived happy lives. Back when they were in Horington, he really felt bad for Sophie. At that time, he thought he wouldn¡¯t ever see another smile on her face. Yet, he noticed Sophie was smiling more with Tristan around. Wasn¡¯t that the definition of a blissful life? Getting to know someone, falling in love, then being happy together¡ªthat was the true meaning of love. ¡°Tristan, you¡¯re well aware you¡¯ll only be our burden if youe, so why do you still want to go?¡± Arius questioned. His irritation was evident in his tone. ¡°That¡¯s none of your business.¡± Tristan ignored him. He might not be knowledgeable in medicine but could¡¯ve learned it if he had known Sophie earlier. That way, he could be by her side every moment of the day. However, it was a bit toote to study medicine by then. Yet, that wasn¡¯t a reason to stop him from apanying her. ¡°Enough, Arius. Can you stop spewing nonsense?¡± Sophie barked. No matter how much I agree with Aruis, I¡¯ll take my man¡¯s side any time. No one can use my man of being useless. Truthfully, I¡¯m happy that he can stay by my side. I didn¡¯t want him to apany me simply because I didn¡¯t want to endanger his life. Chapter 806 Chapter 806 ¡°All right, I won¡¯t say anything anymore. Is that fine by you?¡± What happened to mates before dates? Our rtionship has changed after the appearance of Tristan. I¡¯m going to let him feel bad for a while first. ¡°Nichs is definitely not going to let things go just like that. What are you nning to do?¡± Barney had already found out about Butterfly. This time, Sophie had to be the one to resolve the matter. ¡°Dr. Smith, you don¡¯t need to fret about this; I¡¯ll make the arrangements,¡± Sophie said, not wanting her elderly mentor to worry about too many things. ¡°All right.¡± Barney dropped the topic at that. Once they were on the ne, he went searching for a ce to nap. Work had been hectictely, so he was exhausted. It seemed like age was really catching up to him. He would not have had any issues avoiding sleep for a few days in the past. Yet, now, he was tiring out after just two days of staying up. While Barney went to sleep, Arius, Tristan, and Sophie took seats close to each other. ¡°Nichs is still stubborn about this. I don¡¯t know what else he is going toe up with this time.¡± Arius gritted out, his hatred for the maniac audible in his voice. ¡°What can he possibly do? Didn¡¯t he want to meet me? I¡¯ll do that, then.¡± Sophie had fully recovered, so she was no longer afraid of Nichs pulling some sort of lowly trick. At most, she would fight him. It was not as if he was a master fighter. Furthermore, they were not at that point yet, so Sophie did not see the need to worry about it. Overthinking it would not help her at all. ¡°Yeah, you¡¯re right,¡± Tristan agreed. At most, they would resort to violence. So what if Nichs was an impressive man? It was not as though Tristan and Sophie were weaklings. They did not need to fear him. Arius nodded at the two. ¡°You¡¯re right. My worries are pointless. The two of you aren¡¯t doormats anyway.¡± Those who crossed Sophie and Tristan would face the consequences of their actions, and Arius was better off spending his time researching the virus. They had to make themselves useful if Barney intended to save lives. Moreover, only by resolving the virus issue could they return to Jipsdale as quickly as possible. Once Tristan saw that Sophie was back in her seat, he asked the air stewardess to bring a nket for her. ¡°Take a nap. Once we¡¯re at Anndur, we¡¯re going to be staying up for nights again,¡± he told Sophie, knowing their true aim in heading to that country. Butterfly¡¯s rescue was their secondary priority. What was most important for them was the resolution of the virus at Anndur. Frankly, the lives of others had nothing to do with him, and he did not want her to head there. However, he never knew how to reject her. Therefore, he let her do what she wanted. ¡°Okay.¡± After Sophie draped the nket across her body, she leaned on his shoulder and closed her eyes, though she did not fall asleep. ¡°Don¡¯t wander around when we¡¯re in Anndur, okay?¡± Sophie worriedly said to him. She, Barney, and Arius were researchers, so their presence there was necessary. However, Tristan was not. He could have stayed in Chanaea, the country that was currently the safest ce to be at. Tristan tilted his head to the side to kiss her forehead. ¡°All right, don¡¯t worry about this anymore. I¡¯m a grown man. I know my limits,¡± he reassured, thinking that she was worrying excessively about him. He was there to protect her, not to make her worry. Just as their nended at the airport, Nichs received news about their arrival from his subordinate. ¡°Boss, Ms. Tanner and the others have arrived. Tristan Lombard is here too,¡± Richard reported right after he received a call from his subordinate. ¡°Okay, I got it. Find an opportunity to kill him.¡± Nichs could not find it in himself to like Tristan, for he felt that the man was stealing his woman from him. A man like that was not someone Nichs would let off alive. ¡°Of course, Boss. I¡¯ll heed your order,¡± Richard answered unhesitantly. ¡°Now, I¡¯m going to meet the woman I love most.¡± Nichs had spent the entire morning selecting clothes. It had been a long time since he had seen her, and he wanted to present himself in the best possible way. ¡°Richard, how is this suit¡¯s color? Looks good?¡± Richard had never seen his employer in that way. Nichs was an attractive man, his beauty surreal. Yet, he had spent the whole morning picking out clothes just because he was going to meet Sophie. ¡°Boss, these clothes suit you perfectly. You¡¯ll surely look stunning to Ms. Tanner.¡± Despite Richard¡¯s words, Nichs did not feel happy. ¡°She won¡¯t like me no matter what I look like. She has never been a shallow woman.¡± The woman he had been infatuated with for the longest time never once spared him a nce. ¡°Boss¡­¡± Richard started, but Nichs cut him off. ¡°All right, let¡¯s go. So what if she doesn¡¯t like me? What¡¯s most important is that she¡¯s going to be my wife and be by my side in the future. That¡¯s enough for me.¡± Right as Sophie and the others got out of the car, they spotted Nichs waiting for them. The man was dressed in a suit, looking bright. Tristan briefly nced at Nichs. He was astounded by how bold Nichs had grown to have the courage to appear before him. In the next second, Sophie held his hand. Nichs still had Butterfly trapped with him, so they could not make any rash moves. Perhaps that was why Nichs had the guts to appear in front of them. Tristan patted the back of her hand and quietly reassured, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I know what I should and shouldn¡¯t do.¡± Sophie nodded in response. Meanwhile, the second Arius saw Nichs, he scowled. He genuinely abhorred Nichs. He felt that Nichs was an unwanted gum who kept sticking to Sophie, but there was nothing they could do about him, and that felt terrible. Property of N?)(velDr(a)ma.Org. ¡°Sophie, it¡¯s been a while. I¡¯ve missed you,¡± Nichs said with a smile. Naturally, Sophie did not want to see his smile. ¡°Nichs, what are you trying to do? You should know why we¡¯re here this time. There are many innocent Anndurans who are waiting for us.¡± In other words, she did not have the time to waste on him. ¡°What do they have to do with me? All I know is that it¡¯s been a really long time since I¡¯ve seen you. Now that you¡¯re here, I¡¯d like to have a meal with you,¡± Nichs said before looking at her in anticipation. He was not making any absurd request. He only asked to have a meal with her, which he was sure would not put her in a tight spot. ¡°Don¡¯t request ridiculous things, Nichs. Anndur¡¯s president was the one who invited us here, so we don¡¯t have time to talk nonsense with you,¡± Arius curtly told him. ¡°Arius, we¡¯re friends. What are you doing? It¡¯s just a meal. It won¡¯t take too much time.¡± Who the h*ll is friends with him? I don¡¯t have a lunatic as a friend. Chapter 807 Chapter 807 ¡°Come on. I¡¯ve made arrangements for it already. I¡¯m sure you¡¯re hungry since you just got off the ne,¡± Nichs gently said. At the thought of Butterfly, Sophie nodded and agreed to it. After all, it was just a meal. ¡°I¡¯lle with you,¡± Tristan said. There was no way he was going to let her have a meal with Nichs alone. ¡°Me too.¡± Like Tristan, Arius did not want Sophie to go alone. They were up against the lunatic Nichs, and they were not going to watch Sophie enter the wolf¡¯s den by herself. Nichs was speechless. What is wrong with them? Why are they so adamant about being the third wheels? Is it exciting for them? ¡°But I don¡¯t want to eat with you. Seeing you makes me lose my appetite,¡± Nichs bluntly told them. Then, he walked over to open the car door before inviting Sophie into the car. Arius took a deep breath. ¡°Who do you think you are, Nichs? Do you think we can stand the sight of you too?¡± Meanwhile, Tristan was close to lunging over and breaking Nichs¡¯ neck there and then. Nevertheless, the thought of the captive Butterfly halted him from executing his n. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. He wouldn¡¯t dare to do anything to me even if I¡¯m going there alone.¡± Sophie had a gun. If Nichs were to do something foolish, she was going to whip it out and shoot him dead. ¡°Okay.¡± If they were in a different situation, Tristan would not have agreed to it. s, Butterfly was someone important to Sophie. Before they found Butterfly, he could not do anything impulsive. Tristan did not want Sophie to lose anyone important to her. Once Sophie was in the car, Nichs turned to give Tristan a taunting look. Wordlessly, he was saying, See? One day, Sophie will willinglye with me. Even after Nichs drove off, Tristan and Arius remained in their spots. ¡°Mr. Tristan, I¡¯m surprised you were capable of enduring that,¡± Arius remarked, turning to Tristan. The latter had always been a swift and merciless man. ¡°I have no choice. Butterfly¡¯s important to Sophie.¡± Therefore, what they had to do first was to look for Butterfly. That way, they would be able to do anything they wanted. ¡°You¡¯re right. Forget it. I¡¯m not skilled in looking for people, so I¡¯ll leave this matter to you. Dr. Smith and I have to head to the International Medical Association right now. We can¡¯t waste any more time.¡± ¡°Okay, I understand. Go ahead first. Just leave the search for Butterfly to me,¡± Tristan agreed. Arius patted his shoulder. ¡°Good luck.¡± The words of encouragement were the only thing Arius could offer Tristan. Meanwhile, Nichs brought Sophie to a restaurant. The restaurant seemed like an upscale, elegant ce, and it was a location perfect for conversing. When they reached their table, Nichs politely pulled out Sophie¡¯s chair for her, and she sat down on it. It was only then Nichs sat opposite her. ¡°How long has it been since the two of us had a meal together?¡± Every time he thought about how she had been with another man, he would feel the urge to scream in anger. ¡°Don¡¯t speak. I don¡¯t want to hear you talk. Let me have some quiet time,¡± Sophie bluntly said. If she had been someone else, Nichs would have killed her there and then. However, she was not¡ª she was Sophie¡ªso he could only smile at her. ¡°I know you don¡¯t like others forcing you to do things, but what can I do? It¡¯s not as if I¡¯m trying to do anything to you. All I want is a meal with you, but you never gave me a chance to do that.¡± If he had to be honest, he did not want to do this either. ¡°If you know that I don¡¯t like others pressuring me, then let Butterfly go. This is between us, and it has nothing to do with Butterfly,¡± Sophie muttered. ¡°If I let her go, you won¡¯t even agree to have a meal with me. Sophie, I¡¯m not forcing you to do anything outrageous; I just want to eat with you. Can¡¯t I even do that?¡± I¡¯m not being over the top, am I? I¡¯m just asking for a chance. ¡°What about this? I know you have things to do in Anndur this time, so you won¡¯t be returning so soon. While you¡¯re here, you¡¯ll keep mepany and give me a chance to court you. If you¡¯re still uninterested in me by the end of your stay, I¡¯ll let you go, and I won¡¯t harass you anymore.¡± Nichs always felt that he was just missing an opportunity to court Sophie. If the two of them were by each other¡¯s side for a while, he was sure Sophie would change her mind about him. He truly loved her, and he could change anything for her. Sophie was quiet for a while. Given theplexity of the mutated virus issue, it was true that she had no choice but to extend her stay in Anndur. ¡°Fine, but no tricks from you.¡± ? N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved. Furthermore, he was holding Butterfly captive, so Sophie could not reject him. A smile finally manifested on Nichs¡¯ lips. ¡°Be fairer to me, Sophie, won¡¯t you? All I want is an opportunity,¡± Nichs uttered in a tranquil manner. Sophie only stared at him. She did not believe his words, for nothing that came out of his mouth was truthful. She could hear him talk, but she would never listen to his words. Sophie would be a fool to take his words to heart. When the waiter served the dishes, Nichs did his best to take care of her. It had been a long time since he had a peaceful meal with her, even if she was still wary and distrustful of him. That did not matter. He was still delighted. Richard could only shake his head at his employer¡¯s demeanor. No matter how capable he was, he was as weak as the others upon seeing the love of his life. Nichs was an outstanding man, yet he humbled himself so much around Sophie. ¡°Do you want some red wine?¡± Nichs happily asked, easily letting his guard down whenever he was with Sophie. Sophie shook his head. ¡°You should know that I¡¯m not only here for Butterfly,¡± she coldly uttered. The virus issue was a crucial matter to resolve. She was not only doing this for Anndur. Now, the whole world was in the same boat. With globalization, people in other countries might not be able to avoid getting infected by the same mutated virus. That was why she was in Anndur. Nichs frowned. ¡°What do they have to do with us? The virus is potent, and there are many who have died. I¡¯d say you better not join the research.¡± A girl like her should be protecting herself instead of putting herself in such a perilous position. Sometimes, one has to be selfish. However, Sophie ignored him. She was already there; it was impossible she would change her mind just because he said that. Knowing that she would not heed his words, Nichs muttered, ¡°I¡¯m just worried about you.¡± Chapter 808 Chapter 808 He only cared about her life. The lives of others had nothing to do with him. After the meal, Sophie requested, ¡°I want to see Butterfly. I won¡¯t stop worrying until I see her.¡± Unfortunately, Nichs shook his head. ¡°Sophie, I know that I¡¯m just a viin in your eyes, but don¡¯t you worry! Since I¡¯ve promised not to harm her, I¡¯ll keep my word. However, I will never agree to you seeing her now. I know how skilled you are. Moreover, I¡¯m certain that you¡¯re carrying a gun with you! If you were to see Butterfly, you would definitely rescue her and take her away. By then, I wouldn¡¯t even have a chance to see you.¡± That was how pathetic Nichs was willing to be for Sophie. All that he had done so far was just for a chance to see her face. Sophie was rendered speechless by Nichs¡¯ response to her request. Nichs knew her all too well. ¡°I can¡¯t even take a look at her?¡± Sophie narrowed her eyes in displeasure. Her annoyance did not go unnoticed by Nichs, but he would not cave. Nichs was too well-versed in Sophie¡¯s powerful skills, which was why he could not risk it. ¡°Fine, then! If that¡¯s the case, I¡¯ll be heading back now. I¡¯m tired. I want to rest.¡± She had been on a flight for quite a long while. Not only so, but she still had not adjusted to the time zone and was struggling with jetg. It was only natural that she felt tired. All she wanted to do was to retire for the day. ¡°All right. I¡¯ll send you back.¡± Nichs was familiar with her temper. If he continued to retain her in the restaurant after she had made such a statement, she would be infuriated. Sophie¡¯s temper toward himself had always been terrible. Hence, Nichs would sometimes be envious of the people around her, for Sophie would always be gentle to those she cared about. Without arguing, Nichs personally sent Sophie to the hotel. ¡°Can I hang in your room for a bit?¡± When they arrived at the hotel, Nichs was still reluctant for them to part ways. He had pulled a lot of strings just to see her. It had always been his desire to spend more time with her. When Sophie heard Nichs¡¯ question, her expression darkened instantly. Nichs immediately took a few steps back. ¡°Okay. Got it. I was just asking. I know that you wouldn¡¯t agree to it.¡± Nichs raised his hands in surrender. After all, Tristan was in the room. There was absolutely no way Sophie would allow himself to enter the room. Before he left, Nichs left Sophie with a final statement. ¡°Remember, Sophie, no one else in this entire world will love you more than I do.¡± Not even Tristanes close. ¡°All right. I know you¡¯re tired. Go and get some rest.¡± Sophie did not reply. Whether or not Nichs loved her was none of her problems. Love required mutual affection from two parties. Nichs¡¯ feelings for her were one-sided. In Sophie¡¯s eyes, that was not love but an obsession and a nuisance. Nichs¡¯ eyes trailed Sophie as she made her way inside the hotel until she could no longer be seen. For a long while, Nichs did not return to the car. He stood frozen outside the hotel doors, unable to believe that all that had happened was real. It was starting to rain. Richard approached Nichs to shelter thetter from the rain with an umbre. ¡°Boss, we should head back now,¡± Richard advised. You¡¯ve had a meal with her and have already seen her, as you¡¯ve wished for. It¡¯s time for you to go back and settle the issues within the Sable family. ¡°Mm-hmm.¡± Nichs hummed in response and got into the car. However, he did not order the driver to drive off immediately. He still wanted to stay there for a moment longer. For at that moment, the distance between him and Sophie was close enough. Nichs was aware of how pathetic he looked, but what else could he do? In regard to love, whoever had fallen deeper would always be more pathetic. That was a reality that no one could change. In the meantime, Sophie pushed open the door to the presidential suite only to see Tristan sitting on the couch and staring into space. Curious, she made her way over to him. ¡°Why aren¡¯t you taking a nap?¡± Sophie was already feeling sleepy by then, so she could not help but wonder why Tristan did not sleep first when he had gotten back earlier than she did. ¡°I was waiting for you to return.¡± Tristan could not fall asleep with the knowledge that Sophie was out with Nichs. Thus, he had been sitting on the couch and waiting for her ever since he got to the room. Sophie took a seat next to him and leaned on his shoulder. ¡°Didn¡¯t you eat with Arius and the others? I believe they would have had something to eat before heading over to the International Medical Association.¡± Tristan merely stared at her in silence. How could he possibly have the appetite to eat when he knew that she was dining with another man? After a brief pause, he replied, ¡°I didn¡¯t want to go with them. Besides, I¡¯m not really hungry right now. What about you? How was your dinner with Nichs?¡± Sophie looked up at him. ¡°Are you feeling jealous? Tristan, haven¡¯t I told you? I have never had any feelings for Nichs all this while.¡± If it weren¡¯t for the fact that Butterfly was in Nichs¡¯ hands, Sophie would never agree to dine with him. That was something that Tristan had to get through his head. ¡°Mm-hmm. I know that.¡± Nevertheless, knowing and epting were two different entities. At the thought of Nichs, Tristan wanted nothing more than to kill that man. ¡°Cheer up. Would you like me to apany you out to eat? We cane back and get some well- needed rest after the meal,¡± Sophie offered. No matter how hectic it was outside, it would be tomorrow¡¯s problem. ¡°No need for that. I¡¯ll just call room service to get us some food,¡± Tristan suggested instead, bearing in mind that Sophie must have been exhausted. Starting from the next day onward, they had no idea how long they would be at the International Medical Association, which was all the more reason for them to stay in and get all the rest they needed. ¡°That works too. In that case, call room service, then. I¡¯ll join you in a bit after my shower.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Sophie stepped into the bathroom. As the water ran down her body, the wheels in her head began turning rapidly. Where could Nichs be holding Butterfly captive? This is Anndur. Nichs owns mansions everywhere here. With the many mansions that he owned, it would be impossible for her tob through every single one of them. Sophie took a quick shower absent-mindedly before changing into a fresh set of clothes. She was so caught up in figuring out Butterfly¡¯s location that she just bundled her hair up with a towel, not even bothering to pat it dry. When she thought of a location, she immediately rang up her friend in Anndur. ¡°I¡¯m going to send you an address in a little bit. Get someone to scout out the ce. I¡¯m looking for someone called Butterfly.¡± ¡°Phantom? Have youe to Anndur?¡± ¡°Mm-hmm. I¡¯m here for some other reason, but finding Butterfly is also an important task. Please help me check out the ce.¡± ¡°All right, no problem! Don¡¯t worry about it! Your problems are my problems. Your friends are my friends.¡± It was not every day Phantom would ask him for help. Naturally, he would not deny her the help she needed. ¡°Thanks in advance. When you find her, I¡¯ll treat you to a meal.¡± ? N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved. ¡°Deal. See you then.¡± Sophie¡¯s contact was the best out of the best when it came to finding someone. Therefore, Sophie had complete trust and confidence to task him with finding Butterfly. Unbeknownst to her, Tristan had also gotten the same address and had sent forces to investigate the location. However, when Tristan¡¯s men arrived at the mansion, they discovered that the security of the ce was imprable. It was simply impossible to sneak into the mansion. When Tristan received the report from his subordinates, he furrowed his brows. Nichs was not a fool. If he dared to lock Butterfly up in that mansion, he must have predicted that they would be able to find her. Hence, he flooded the ce with security guards. Forcefully barging into the mansion to get Butterfly out did not seem like a good n either. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Mr. Tristan. We¡¯lle up with a solution. Once we can confirm that she¡¯s inside, we¡¯ll think of a n.¡± As of then, the most important step was to sneak into the mansion and see whether or not Butterfly was inside. Unfortunately, Nichs had been extremely cautious that time around. He had made it a tough challenge for others to enter the mansion. ¡°Be careful.¡± With that final instruction, Tristan hung up the phone. Seeing that Sophie had not gotten out of the bathroom after a considerable amount of time, he frowned and went over to knock on the bathroom door. ¡°What¡¯s taking you so long?¡± Tristan asked as he pushed the bathroom door open. Upon entering the bathroom, he noticed that Sophie was still wearing a bathrobe with her hair twisted inside a towel. She had not even blow-dried her hair. Chapter 809 Chapter 809 ¡°What¡¯s taking you so long? I thought you¡¯d fainted inside the bathroom and was already nning to rescue you!¡± ¡°Oh. I¡¯m fine. I was just dealing with some stuff,¡± Sophie reassured. ¡°With Butterfly¡¯s case, you mean.¡± Tristan knew Sophie¡¯s rtionship with Butterfly. Thus, he deduced that Sophie would not turn a blind eye to the situation. ¡°Mm-hmm. I found the address of the ce where I believe she¡¯s being held captive. I still need to get someone to check, though.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve found a location too, and I¡¯ve also sent people to investigate,¡± said Tristan. ¡°Don¡¯t worry! You can entrust me with this case. I won¡¯t let you down.¡± Sophie hummed in response. The sooner they rescued Butterfly, the sooner she no longer had to see Nichs. Being with Nichs was as insufferable as hanging out with the devil himself. ? N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved. Sophie did not doubt Tristan¡¯s abilities. However, there was always a thick tension between Tristan and Nichs. One wrong move on their side might result in enraging Nichs. ¡°All right. Let¡¯s dry your hair first. Otherwise, you might catch a cold!¡± Tristan coaxed. Butterfly was not in immediate danger, which means they still had a lot of time. Tristan was confident that she would be found eventually. Leading Sophie out of the bathroom, he pressed his hands on her shoulder and forced her to take a seat on the bed before patting dry her hair with a towel. Once her hair was no longer dripping with water, Tristan took out a hairdryer and blow-dried her hair. At that moment, the doorbell sounded. Tristan went to greet the door. The manager of the hotel had personally delivered their dinner to their room. ¡°Mr. Tristan, here¡¯s the food you ordered. If there¡¯s anything else that you need, feel free to let us know,¡± the manager offered courteously. The manager was well aware of Tristan¡¯s identity and status, which was why he had delivered dinner to the room himself. ¡°Sure. Bring the trolley inside.¡± With that being said, Tristan stepped to the side. Without wasting a moment, the manager and the staff entered the suite and arranged the food on the dining table. ¡°Enjoy your meal, Mr. Tristan.¡± Not wanting to intrude on his guests¡¯ space for too long, the manager left with the staff immediately after they served the food. By then, Sophie¡¯s hair was already dry. Her soft hair hung loosely on her shoulders. Still dressed in nothing but a bathrobe, she exited the bedroom and took a seat at the dining table. ¡°Come over and eat something!¡± she called out to Tristan, knowing that he still hadn¡¯t eaten. Tristan took a seat opposite Sophie. ¡°You don¡¯t have to apany me if you don¡¯t want to. I know you¡¯ve already eaten.¡± ¡°I might have eaten, but I didn¡¯t have much appetite,¡± Sophie replied. How could she have the appetite to eat when she was stuck with Nichs? Tristan did not reply. Instead, a pleased smirk formed at the corner of his lips. It was evident that Sophie¡¯s statement had pleased him. The taste of the food presented by the hotel manager was already exquisite. Combined with the fact that Tristan was in a great mood, he ate quite a huge portion. Sophie also ate some of the food with him. Right after dinner, Sophie¡¯s phone rang. It was a call from Arius. ¡°How¡¯s it going? Are you guys noting back to rest tonight?¡± Sophie skipped the formalities and jumped straight into the topic. She knew that they had gone to the International Medical Association. ¡°Yeah, we¡¯re noting back tonight. The situation is grave, Sophie.¡± The mutation that time around made the virus extremely potent. If even Arius had announced that the situation was grave, it was not a situation to be taken lightly. ¡°Got it. I¡¯ll be there tomorrow,¡± Sophie promised. She would not be of much help if she were to go there now with her current state. All she wanted to do at the moment was to get some sleep. Only after she was well-rested could she deliver her best work. ¡°Okay. Have a good rest tonight. Dr. Smith and I will be here to handle it!¡± Arius reassured. The situation at that moment was indeed perilous, but Sophie was still struggling with jetg. It would not be beneficial to anyone if she were to head over immediately. ¡°Okay.¡± After hanging up the phone call, Arius turned to Barney. ¡°Sophie will be here tomorrow.¡± ¡°Okay. It¡¯s good for her to get enough rest,¡± Barney stated with a serious expression. Arius took this opportunity to get Barney to take a break as well. ¡°Dr. Smith, you should go back and rest as well. It¡¯s not good for your health to be working all the time! Besides, this task is not something that could be settled in a short time.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine. I¡¯m not tired.¡± So many people had been infected by the virus, not to mention the severity of the situation. How could Barney possibly sleep in peace? ¡°Arius, I really am not confident this time,¡± confessed Barney. The virus that they were dealing with was completely uncharted territory. They had never seen anything like it. Countless difficulties would await them once they started researching. Seeing how dejected Barney was, Arius could onlyfort him. ¡°Dr. Smith, don¡¯t overthink it right now. There will always be a solution to every problem. The only thing we can do now is to try our best and work hard. As for the rest, we can only leave it up to fate.¡± The virus was a strain that they had never encountered before. It was apletely new species. Even though there were professionals in every corner of the International Medical Association, no one had any specialty in regard to the virus, which made the task in front of them even more daunting. ¡°We should send Sophie back!¡± Barney suggested. ¡°She should have never been involved in all this in the first ce.¡± If she wasn¡¯t careful, she might actually not be able to make it back that time around. ¡°Dr. Smith, do you really think that she¡¯ll go back?¡± Arius questioned. When it came to Sophie, it might be possible to convince her to stay at home before she made her decision. At that moment, however, Sophie had already flown over to Anndur. In other words, she would not be returning to her home country without a fight. Barney let out a sigh. If he had known about the situation earlier, he would have never allowed the two of them toe. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Dr. Smith. With the three of us here, we will be able to solve this, regardless of how strong this virus is.¡± Arius remained positive. ¡°Let¡¯s hope so!¡± The situation was not looking up. Because of that, Barney did not dare to make any guarantees. Meanwhile, Sophie¡¯s expression turned solemn after she had hung up the call from Arius. ¡°Is the situation grave?¡± Tristan broke the silence. Before they had arrived, Tristan had already received the news that the virus that they would be dealing with was extremely dangerous. ¡°Mm-hmm,¡± Sophie hummed in response. After a while, she turned to Tristan. ¡°Tristan, I hope that you will go home first.¡± If they could not contain the virus in the end, Sophie did not wish for Tristan to stay in Anndur. For a while, Tristan was silent. ¡°Do you really think that I¡¯ll leave you here alone?¡± he asked all of a sudden. It was Sophie¡¯s turn to be speechless. Neither of them wanted to see the other risking their lives, which was why they wanted to be as cautious as possible. In the meantime, Nichs had returned to the mansion. Upon reaching, he went to see Butterfly himself. Besides being less energetic, Butterfly was not harmed. When she saw Nichs approaching, she deliberately made things difficult for him. ¡°Nichs, I need to go out for something.¡± ¡°What do you need? If there¡¯s anything you need, just inform Richard. He¡¯ll help you get whatever you need. You¡¯re Sophie¡¯s friend, so I do not wish to make things difficult for you. With that being said, do not try me. Otherwise, I will no longer y nice.¡± Nichs was only a gentleman in front of Sophie. No other woman would experience gentleness from him. ¡°I want to buy some feminine products. How can a man like Richard buy what I want?¡± ¡°Bras, panties, or pads?¡± Richard retorted immediately. ¡°No matter what you need, I¡¯ll buy them for you.¡± Butterfly was rendered speechless. Richard was really beginning to get on her nerves. ¡°I want to buy those things myself. I won¡¯t like the ones others get for me. I wouldn¡¯t be used to it. I¡¯m the person Sophie cares for the most. How can you guys let me live in difort¡ª¡± ¡°Woman, enough with your tricks. If you¡¯re not used to it, don¡¯t use it!¡± With that being said, Nichs turned to leave. He did not have an ounce of patience in him. Butterfly stared at his silhouette in disbelief. ¡°Hmph! No wonder Sophie doesn¡¯t like you! You¡¯re such a dense guy!¡± Enraged, Butterfly roared at Nichs. To her surprise, Nichs halted in his tracks and turned around. A deep sorrow filled his gaze as he met hers. Chapter 810 Chapter 810 Butterfly knew how cruel Nichs could be, so she was merely venting her frustration vocally. She immediately cowered back when she noticed he was ring at her. Without a word, she spun on her heels and returned to her room. Inside her room, Butterfly quickly shut the door and patted her chest. ¡°D*mn it. I can¡¯t believe he is such a petty man! He gave me a death re when I was just mocking.¡± However, she had to admit that Nichs was quite good-looking. Richard snorted icily when the door mmed shut. ¡°Boss, should I teach her a lesson?¡± he asked. Butterfly was in their hands, so they could do whatever they wanted. Nichs shook his head. ¡°Don¡¯t do that. Sophie is quite protective of her as she works for Sophie. She will me me if something happens to her,¡± he exined. Richard nodded in acknowledgment. ¡°Take good care of her and satisfy her demands as long as she doesn¡¯t go too far,¡± Nichs added. He had the responsibility to protect her since she worked for Sophie. ¡°Got it, Boss.¡± Richard couldn¡¯t help but feel bad for Nichs, for he had to humble himself in order to obtain the love he sought. The following day, Sophie made her way to the International Medical Association, dressed in a simple but stylish ensemble of a ck hoodie, skin-tight jeans, and a pair of ordinary sneakers. When she arrived at the International Medical Association, she was stopped by the guard. ¡°This is the International Medical Association. You can¡¯t enter without a valid ID.¡± At present, the entrance was being vigntly guarded by special forces from Anndur. Sophie pulled out her phone to call Arius instead of exining who she was to the special forces. After receiving her call, Arius came out to bring her in. ¡°You¡¯re early. You should¡¯ve gotten more rest andeter,¡± he told her. There was no telling when she would be able to go home, so he felt that she should appreciate the time she got to rest at the hotel. ¡°I¡¯m already used to it,¡± Sophie told him. She didn¡¯t have the habit of sleeping in, so she came to work after waking up. ¡°What about Tristan? Isn¡¯t he worried that you came here alone?¡± Arius pressed on. After all, Tristan followed her all the way to Anndur as he was worried about her. ¡°He has something else to do. Come, let¡¯s go in,¡± Sophie urged, not wanting to waste time talking outside. She knew they would soon get busy inside. ¡°Okay!¡± Upon entering the building, Arius handed Sophie a temporary ID which she took in her hands and barely gave it a second nce. ¡°Let me bring you around,¡± Arius offered. They would most probably have to spend the next month here. Solving the problem of the mutated virus in a period of one month would be considered an expeditious aplishment. The situation wasn¡¯t great now. Sophie gave a curt nod. Instead of hurrying to start the research, she took the time to explore the facility with Arius. As they walked, the researchers working there recognized him and greeted him politely. After they left, someonemented, ¡°I heard that Professor Smith got himself a mentee in Chanaea. She was also the reason he insisted on heading to Chanaea now!¡± Barney was the founder of the International Medical Association, so those working there knew who he was. They were disappointed to learn that he was leaving. ¡°Is Barney¡¯s mentee the youngdy apanying Arius? She looks young. I don¡¯t think she¡¯s even twenty years old yet.¡± ¡°She¡¯s quite gorgeous.¡± They couldn¡¯t help but ponder if the mysterious woman was truly deserving of Barney¡¯s decision to quit his post and travel to Chanaea. ¡°All right, stop gossiping. We need to focus on finishing our work!¡± someone reminded them. They didn¡¯t have time to gossip now. Approximately one month ago, citizens in a city in Anndur were struck with a highly contagious mutated virus. As the virus quickly spread throughout the city and beyond, it resulted in the tragic deaths of many innocent people. The International Medical Association was charged with the responsibility of finding a solution to the virus, but after a month of research and investigation, they were still unable to make any breakthroughs. Initially, the International Medical Association had a fallout with Barney as he insisted on leaving. This time, Anndur¡¯s president had to call Barney personally and engage in a lengthy process of persuasion before Barney consented toe with his mentees. ¡°To be honest, we worked hard at the International Medical Association for a long time but to no avail. What can the youngdy do to help us move closer to a solution?¡± ¡°Yeah! She¡¯s just pretty, that¡¯s all. Barney must¡¯ve made a mistake this time.¡± They were doubtful that Sophie would be able to cope with the difficulties that came with the job. Working at the medical association sounded like a cool and prestigious job, but the work was intense and required a high level of dedication and perseverance to consistently produce results. ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you to stop gossiping? Shut up and get back to work!¡± They were busy researching the virus and shouldn¡¯t be gossiping. Meanwhile, Sophie walked around the building for a bit and came to a stop. It was too big, so a full tour would take a few days. She took the time to familiarize herself with her new working surroundings and concluded her tour. ¡°You don¡¯t have to visit the other areas. See that red building? Stay away from it. You¡¯re free to explore anywhere else,¡± Arius told her. Many of the buildings in the International Medical Association were off-limits. Sophie¡¯s ID was given by Barney, providing her ess to many ces. ¡°Got it,¡± came Sophie¡¯s reply. She wasn¡¯t an inquisitive person, so she wasn¡¯t tempted to visit that ce since Arius had warned her against it. ¡°Come, let¡¯s go meet Dr. Smith,¡± Arius said. Since his arrival, Barney had never left hisboratory. Upon their arrival at Barney¡¯sboratory, Arius stepped forward and pressed his finger onto the biometric scanner. He then led Sophie in. As soon as Barney caught sight of Sophie, he removed his protective goggles. He appeared a little frazzled since he had stayed up the entire night. ¡°Things aren¡¯t looking good. Arius should¡¯ve exined everything to you, right? It has been a month, but the researchers at the International Medical Association still have no clues whatsoever regarding the unexpected mutation of the virus. It is still a mystery to them as to how it even came about in the first ce,¡± Barney exined. ¡°Yes, I know. Don¡¯t worry, Dr. Smith. All we can do is give it our all,¡± Sophie promised. However, they were unable to guarantee that the results would be positive. Barney nodded. ¡°Yes. Most importantly, the Anndur citizens still have no idea how contagious the virus is. They are still going on with their daily life. Attempts to control the poption and their activitiesC0ntent ? 2024 (N/?)velDrama.Org. have, as of yet, been unsessful,¡± he revealed. The citizens of Anndur strongly believed in the power of freedom and refused to ept any form of restriction on their movement. Sophie quickly got to work. On the other hand, Nichs showed up to meet Tristan before thetter could go to him. Chapter 811 Chapter 811 Nichs was bold enough toe to Tristan directly. When they met, Tristan gave him a deathly re. ¡°Tristan, you had no idea I¡¯de directly to you, right?¡± Nichs didn¡¯t bother being nice as Sophie wasn¡¯t around. Tristan replied coolly, ¡°Not really. It¡¯s normal for a psycho like you to act in a way that is not considered usual.¡± ¡°Ha!¡± Nichs snorted. Psycho? Yeah, to them, I¡¯m just a psycho. No one likes psychos. Nichs boldly suggested, ¡°Tristan, let¡¯s fight.¡± He had never viewed himself as being in any way inferior to Tristan, but Sophie waspletely smitten with Tristan. Thus, he decided to challenge Tristan that day. Tristan remained silent, not responding to the taunt. His silence only seemed to spur Nichs on further, and thetter jeered, ¡°What? Are you too scared to take me on?¡± Too scared? Ha! Fear has never been a factor in my life. I¡¯ve never been scared of anything. Shortly after, Nichs brought Tristan to a fighting arena. Both of them didn¡¯t allow their subordinates to tag along. ¡°Let¡¯s have a match here!¡± Nichs announced when they arrived at the boxing ring. He was intrigued by the man that had won Sophie¡¯s affection and was eager to measure his strength against his rival. ¡°Sure,¡± Tristan agreed. He had harbored a deep-seated resentment toward Nichs for a considerable amount of time, so this was the ideal opportunity to teach him a lesson. Nichs had been to this arena before, and when the owner noticed his arrival, he came over with their outfits. They changed into the outfits and hopped into the ring. ¡°Tristan, should we sign a waiver? A liability waiver will make sure that neither of us would be held responsible for the other¡¯s injuries or even death,¡± Nichs suggested. This waiver would protect them from being held ountable for any injuries or deaths that may ur due to the other party¡¯s actions. ¡°Sure,¡± Tristan agreed readily. He wasn¡¯t about to back down now. ¡°Are you sure you¡¯ll be signing the liability waiver? If you¡¯re sure, I¡¯ll get someone to prepare the form now,¡± the owner of the arena offered quickly. It was clear that they both weren¡¯t people to be messed with. If either of them got hurt in his arena, the owner would be in trouble. As a result, he was intent on taking the necessary safety measures. ¡°Mm. Get ready!¡± Nichs ordered icily. He didn¡¯t seem to be in high spirits. Nichs was actually nning on meeting Sophie today. However, he was informed that Sophie had gone to the International Medical Association and would not be returning in the foreseeable future. Hence, he had no choice but to go to Tristan. His decision toe to the arena was motivated by his foul mood. He believed that the physical exertion of working up a sweat would help to alleviate his negative feelings. Soon, the owner came out with the liability waiver. The act of signing a liability waiver to protect his business from any legal liabilities was amon practice here. After receiving the waiver form, Nichs signed his name and gave it to Tristan, who also signed without saying anything. Upon learning that they had signed a liability waiver, the others who were present quickly ceased their practice and instead focused their attention on watching the match. At the start of the fight, the two men began to exchange blows carefully, lightly punching one another in the boxing ring. Gradually, they began to strike each other without any reservations, with their attacks bing increasingly violent and relentless. Tristan leaped up and delivered kicks to Nichs¡¯ chest with both his legs. He did that effortlessly as if he were soaring through the sky. As soon as Nichs hit the ground, Tristan reared his arm back, ready to deliver a punch to his face. However, Nichs reacted quickly, rolling away and leaping back up to his feet to punch Tristan¡¯s midsection.? N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved. The audience was in a frenzy of anticipation as they watched the match that was unfolding in front of them. It had been a long time since they had seen such an action-packed game. Nichs and Tristan didn¡¯t bother with their moves as their goal was to beat each other to a pulp. That was why their match had attracted the attention of many. ¡°What the f*ck! It has been ages since I¡¯ve witnessed such an action-packed match. They are really good at this!¡± ¡°Yes! This isn¡¯t an ordinary match, though. It seems like they want each other dead.¡± ¡°You¡¯re right. A one-sided match where one party ispletely dominant over the other is not really enjoyable to watch. It is more enjoyable to watch a match where both parties are fairly equal in terms of strength and skill!¡± Nichs and Tristan were evenly matched, making it especially gratifying to observe their sh. Right then, Tristan got the upper hand by getting on top of Nichs and pinning him to the ground. Nichs struggled to sit up, but Tristan refused to give him the chance to do so, instead raining a flurry of blows down upon his face. ¡°B*stard! You just won¡¯t give up, huh? I¡¯ve been enduring your antics for a long time!¡± Tristan spoke a lot for the first time that day. Nichs¡¯ cheeks were red and swollen from his punches. ¡°F*ck you! How could you punch my face?¡± Nichs suddenly struggled to sit up. He then attempted to throw Tristan over his shoulders, but Tristan was quick to counterattack, neutralizing the man¡¯s effort in an instant. Nichs refused to give up and swung his leg in Tristan¡¯s groin, intending to harm hisher regions. Sophie will no longer like him if he can¡¯t have sex with her, right? The manager gasped, ¡°D*mn, that was harsh! Boss, can you imagine the consequences if something happens to Nichs Sable while he is on our turf? What will we tell Old Mr. Sable?¡± ¡°What should we do? They are locked in a bitter battle, and no one has the courage to stop them. Are you brave enough to step onto the stage to persuade them to stop?¡± the owner asked worriedly. Could it be that one of the two killed the other¡¯s father, or did something else take ce to cause such a deep-seated animosity between the two? The manager shook his head profusely. ¡°If I head onto the stage now, they might beat me up!¡± He had a family to support, so he wasn¡¯t about to risk his life. Tristan and Nichs were both strong, but soon they found their strength and vigor draining away as they continued topete. In the end, their bodies fell limply to the ground, their strength spent. After taking a few moments of respite, Nichs attempted to stand up and continue the fight, but his body had be too weary. He ended up copsing back to the ground in a state of exhaustion. Heughed out loud. Ah, it has been a while since I had this much fun. Nichs was beaten to a pulp today, but it was an exhrating experience. ¡°Tristan, if you are not after my woman, we might be friends,¡± he remarked weakly. Tristan¡¯s moves had won him over today. Tristan didn¡¯t feel like talking, but he agreed with Nichs as thetter wasn¡¯t as weak as he expected. He had a good time fighting with Nichs in the boxing ring. At that moment, Richard showed up with his team in tow. When he saw Nichs¡¯ miserable state, he quickly told his men to surround Tristan. ¡°Boss, are you okay?¡± he asked worriedly. The wounds Nichs sustained made his heart ache. Turning over his shoulder, he discovered that Tristan wasn¡¯t doing any better. Even so, Tristan still looked as intimidating as ever. Chapter 812 Chapter 812 ¡°Why are you here?¡± Nichs snapped. This was between him and Tristan, and he had an opportunity to kill Tristan today. It would be no fun if Richard suddenly showed up and spoiled his fun. ¡°Boss, we were worried about you and decided toe here. Do you want us to take action now?¡± Richard asked carefully. This could be the ideal chance to get rid of Tristan. Nichs rolled his eyes. ¡°No need. Find someone to give him a ride back to his hotel. We should leave now!¡± It was only right for him to respect his opponent. Spinning on his heel, he gave Tristan a serious look and said in a solemn tone, ¡°I¡¯m showing mercy today, Tristan. The next time we meet, we will still be rivals, and I won¡¯t go easy on you.¡± Sophie was his first crush, and no one could make him give up on her. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter whether or not you give up. Sophie doesn¡¯t care about you at all. She loves me,¡± Tristan announced smugly. Nichs said nothing. The scathing arrogance of Tristan¡¯s words stung him deeply, and his anger began to re. He felt helpless as he realized he was unable to do anything in the face of such an affront. ¡°Take him away. I don¡¯t want to see him now. He¡¯s annoying me,¡± Nichs snapped impatiently. I can¡¯t meet Sophie in this state, so I¡¯ll have to recuperate for a few days at home before attempting another visit.? N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved. Back at the hotel, Tristan bumped into Sophie unexpectedly. He had not anticipated that she would return so soon, and he was embarrassed to be seen in such a wretched state. Never in Sophie¡¯s wildest dreams did she expect to see Tristan badly wounded one day. Worried, she inquired, ¡°Where did you go? How did you get hurt? Who did this to you?¡± She was perplexed, as Tristan was skilled at defending himself. Tristan felt incredibly ufortable, not wanting to expose this side of himself to her. ¡°Why are you back all of a sudden? I had no idea that you wereing back today,¡± he said, his voice betraying his unease. ¡°Are you saying that you can go wild since I¡¯m noting back?¡± Sophie demanded. She felt terrible for him, as his injuries were clearly quite serious. She had only returned to collect something and was utterly shocked to find him badly hurt. Sophie made a call to the front desk to request a medical kit. She then urged, ¡°Come, sit down.¡± Tristan felt a bit awkward as Sophie had seen him in this miserable situation. ¡°I¡¯m fine. You must be busy, so you should get back to work. I can handle it myself,¡± he told her. His injuries, though they appeared to be severe, were only superficial. Sophie replied sternly, ¡°Tristan, you¡¯d bettere over while I¡¯m still being nice.¡± Does he think he¡¯s still young? He¡¯s already in his thirties but still acts impulsively and gets himself into trouble, Knowing she would fly into a fit of rage if he refused toply, Tristan let out a sigh and went over to sit down in front of her obediently, allowing her to dress his wounds. Sophie was gentle, so he didn¡¯t feel any pain at all. When she had finished, she shifted him so that he could rest his head on her abdomen. ¡°Did Nichs do this to you?¡± Tristan was speechless. Why did she say that out loud? He meekly replied, ¡°He¡¯s faring worse than me. Don¡¯t worry. I didn¡¯t suffer any losses.¡± Sophie chided, ¡°Nichs is crazy. Why would you y along with him? You should¡¯ve ignored him!¡± Even though Nichs might be faring worse than Tristan, she still felt her heart ache for Tristan. Tristan told her, ¡°He challenged me. I would look like a coward if I refused to ept his challenge!¡± As Sophie remained silent, he attempted to console her. ¡°I¡¯m really fine. These are just superficial wounds, so don¡¯t worry.¡± He then pulled her and sat her on hisp. ¡°What about you? It must be chaotic back at the International Medical Association, right? No matter how busy you are, remember to get some rest, okay?¡± It was essential for her to take breaks when it was necessary. After all, she was unable to resolve the issue by herself. Sophie twirled around, positioning herself so that she was straddling him. She wrapped her arms around his neck and gave him a kiss. ¡°I¡¯ll take good care of myself, so please don¡¯t worry. Remember to be careful since you¡¯re alone. If Nichs shows up again, ignore him,¡± she reminded him. ¡°Yes. Don¡¯t worry!¡± Tristan agreed. He didn¡¯t take Nichs to heart as he merely agreed to the challenge as he was in a good mood. Tristan hugged her, reluctant to let her go. ¡°You need to go now, right?¡± ¡°Mm. I only came back to retrieve something. Everyone is racing against time to stop more deaths from happening,¡± Sophie revealed. She couldn¡¯t afford to be selfish right now. ¡°Okay. I¡¯ll give you a ride, then,¡± Tristan offered. Sophie shook her head. ¡°No need for that. Your image will suffer if you head out looking like this.¡± She made a reserved reminder. ¡°Do I look like I care about my image? It doesn¡¯t matter. Let¡¯s go. I¡¯ll drive you there,¡± Tristan said firmly. Still, Sophie shook her head. ¡°Stay here. Someone is waiting for me downstairs.¡± She pressed a kiss to his forehead, reluctant to part with him. ¡°Goodbye. I¡¯ll call you when I¡¯m free.¡± ¡°Mm.¡± No matter how reluctant they were to part, Sophie still had to leave. Sophie went downstairs and arrived at the lobby to see Caleb. She assumed he was there to meet her. ¡°Sophie!¡± Caleb called out. Sophie was taken aback to see him here. After meeting her, Caleb said sternly, ¡°I can¡¯t believe it¡¯s you. What are you doing here? You must be aware this country is in danger. If there isn¡¯t anything crucial that brought you here, then you should go back home immediately.¡± Sophie was his sister and had never done anything wrong, so he didn¡¯t want her to risk her life. Sophie told him hastily, ¡°I can¡¯t head back now. I need to hurry to the International Medical Association and can¡¯t talk to you right now. I¡¯ll contact you when I¡¯m avable, and then we can talk.¡± Caleb was aware of the International Medical Association and the fact that Sophie majored in medicine. Despite this, he didn¡¯t think that she would be of much assistance, considering her status as a freshman student. ¡°I really need to go,¡± Sophie added quickly. Caleb watched as Sophie hurried away and only regained hisposure momentster. Anndur had been thrown into a state of disarray and pandemonium. Many people were desperate to return to the safety of Chanaea, but that wasn¡¯t easy to aplish as of now. Caleb had a strong desire to return to Chanaea, but he found himself without the means to make the journey. Hence, he came in search of Sophie after learning that she was here, hoping she had a way of sending him back home. Right then, Charmaine¡¯s call arrived. ¡°Caleb, did you get a chance to speak to Sophie? Did she manage to make the necessary arrangements? If she has made the arrangements, you should return here as soon as you can,¡± she said anxiously. After learning about Anndur¡¯s situation, she kept calling Caleb, hoping he¡¯de back home soon. s, despite having exhausted every resource avable to them, they had been unable to find a solution to their problem. In that moment of despair, they remembered Sophie. Sophie might not be able to provide a solution, but they knew someone who could¡ªTristan. ¡°I met her, but she was too busy. I didn¡¯t have the chance to tell her about it,¡± Caleb said curtly. Chapter 813 Chapter 813 ¡°No matter how busy she is, your problems cannot be taken lightly. Your situation there is really too dangerous, Caleb. I¡¯m going to call Sophie right now,¡± Charmaine said anxiously. She was like a cat on hot bricks. No matter what, Caleb was her son, and she knew he was her only hope in the future. Hence, Charmaine couldn¡¯t let anything happen to him. ¡°Mom, you don¡¯t need to concern yourself with this. I¡¯ll think of a way,¡± Caleb stated inly. Sophie doesn¡¯t owe me anything. ¡°Caleb, I can only depend on you now. Pleasee back! When Anndur was safe, I didn¡¯t have any objections to you staying there for your research. However, it¡¯s far too dangerous to stay there right now. Everyone is trying to get out of there right now. You can¡¯t stay there anymore,¡± Charmaine reasoned. ¡°Okay. I understand.¡± It was not that Caleb wanted to stay there. However, leaving there was not easy. After hanging up the call, Charmaine immediately called Sophie. Even though the line went through, nobody picked up. Charmaine¡¯s expression turned darker by the second. It was the first time in a long time that she thought to ask Sophie for help. However, her daughter wouldn¡¯t even spare her the courtesy of picking up the call. ¡°Mom, is Sophie not picking up?¡± Willow seemed to have turned over a new leaf recently. She no longer stirred trouble and only stayed by Charmaine¡¯s side. ¡°Yes. She¡¯s avoiding my calls.¡± A grim look spread across Charmaine¡¯s face. She knew that Sophie had never thought of her as her mother. This is why I don¡¯t like her. ¡°How could Sophie do this to you? We¡¯re family, no matter what happens. It¡¯s so dangerous for Caleb to be alone at Anndur right now. Mom, don¡¯t take this the wrong way, but I think Caleb should return right now,¡± Willow said. Noticing Charmaine¡¯s darkened expression, Willow added, ¡°I promise you that I¡¯ll behave and not get on Sophie¡¯s nerves.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t mean to me you. Sophie¡¯s not picking up my calls right now, and I don¡¯t know what else I can do,¡± Charmaine groaned. She knew that Sophie was in Anndur, and there was no way Charmaine could get her points across to Sophie right now. ¡°Why don¡¯t you try calling Mr. Tristan?¡± Willow suggested. Charmaine reckoned she ought to try her luck and gave Tristan a call. However, nobody picked up either. Charmaine finally realized how menial she was in the family. Nobody was taking her seriously. She dreaded the feeling of being sidelined. ¡°D*mn it!¡± I should have choked Sophie when she was born. She wouldn¡¯t be so insolent right now. ¡°Mom, what should we do? We don¡¯t have any other choice right now,¡± Willow said anxiously. ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± Naturally, Charmaine was at a loss too. Right then, Yale had just arrived home. Charmaine¡¯s face went dark at the sight of him. He must have another woman out there. Otherwise, he wouldn¡¯te home sote. ¡°Yale, do you still think this is your home?¡± Charmaine mocked. ¡°Charmaine, what are you saying? This is my home, and it¡¯s my house too! If you don¡¯t think this is your home, feel free to leave,¡± Yale retorted. He would only restrain himself a little in front of Sophie. Charmaine was so furious that she was shaking. ¡°What are you saying? Do you want me to give way to your mistress so she can move in? No freaking way! You¡¯re going to have to go over my dead body!¡± Charmaine eximed. She wished that Caleb coulde back and teach Yale a lesson. ¡°Oh, why don¡¯t you go ahead and do me the favor of dying right now, then?¡± Yale couldn¡¯t care less about Charmaine. He didn¡¯t think she was that great, to begin with. Now that he had another woman, it had made him think even less of Charmaine. At least the woman out there knows how to please me. ¡°Dad, you¡ª¡± Even Willow couldn¡¯t stand her father anymore. ¡°Willow, don¡¯t follow your mother and be a bad example. Now, we all have to rely on Sophie. So, you know what not to do!¡± Yale warned. ¡°Yale, Anndur is really dangerous right now, and yet Caleb is stuck there right now. Can¡¯t you think of a way to save him? Need I remind you that he¡¯s your son, your only son?¡± Charmaine cried. Yale was beyond frustrated that she brought this topic up again. Of course, he loved Caleb too. However, there was nothing he could do right then. ¡°What do you think I can do here? I asked him toe back, but he refused to do so. Now, it seems even more impossible for him toe back,¡± Yale said exasperatedly. He wouldn¡¯t have stood by and done nothing if he had any other choice. I don¡¯t know what else I can right now. ¡°Yale, he is your only son. What will you do if anything happens to him? Nobody will carry on the Tanner family!¡± Charmaine wailed. Yale was enraged and raised his hand to p her across the face. ¡°If you don¡¯t have anything good to say, just keep your d*mned mouth shut! You¡¯re so aggravating!¡± Yale roared. Charmaine held her face. ¡°Did you just hit me?¡± ¡°So what if I did? me yourself for not watching that vile mouth of yours,¡± Yale berated. He was sick of her crying and whining. Then, Yale left without looking back. Willow hugged Charmaine. ¡°Mom, are you all right? That must have hurt.¡± Willow didn¡¯t know what else to do either. Charmaine sobbed uncontrobly. What has my lifee to? Meanwhile, Sophie arrived at International Medical Association and immediately got started with her research. When it was her rest time, she finally thought of Caleb and immediately called Tristan. ¡°Tristan, could you arrange for Caleb to go back home?¡± She reckoned that Caleb must have gone to the hotel today for this too. ¡°Sure,¡± Tristan replied. She sounds exhausted. ¡°I¡¯ll take care of this. Take a good rest. You sound really tired,¡± Tristan said. His heart ached for her. N?velDrama.Org owns all content. However, there was nothing else he could do. It was her job, something that she was pursuing. Tristan knew he didn¡¯t have the right to interfere. ¡°I¡¯m all right.¡± After hanging up the call, Sophie went into theboratory. In fact, everyone was busy in theboratory. The situation was not looking good. The whole Anndur would be afflicted if the situation continued to worsen. By then, the situation would truly go out of hand. Right then, Sophie overheard some people discussing the matter. ¡°I find the virus outbreak this time really bizarre. I feel like someone is orchestrating this behind the scene. Their ultimate aim is to topple our country over!¡± ¡°I think so too. Otherwise, why would things suddenly take a take for the worse now?¡± ¡°Do you guys think Chanaea is behind this?¡± ¡°I think they¡¯re the culprit, and yet the president has asked a Chanaean toe to help us. I¡¯d be surprised if they would help us at all. I just hope they won¡¯t make the situation worse.¡± ¡°Chanaeans are the most despicable people!¡± Sophie¡¯s expression darkened. How can they say such irresponsible things? ¡°What did you guys mean?¡± She stopped the group of Anndurans who was about to head for lunch. ¡°What¡¯s the matter with you? How are you so rude?¡± Chapter 814 Chapter 814 When they saw it was Sophie who interrupted their conversation, their expressions turned sour. One of them continued, ¡°Isn¡¯t what I said true? You have been here for so long, but you haven¡¯t been able to find anything. Besides, there¡¯s something off about the spread of the virus, Chanaea¡ª¡± Realizing that the other party had no ns of apologizing, a cold look soon settled in Sophie¡¯s eyes. ¡°I can see that you need to be taught a lesson.¡± ¡°Why? Are you going to beat me up? Need I remind you that you¡¯re in Anndur? This isn¡¯t a ce where you can do whatever you want.¡± ¡°So what if we¡¯re in Anndur? I can beat you up wherever and whenever I want.¡± Upon saying that, Sophie stepped forward and grabbed her counterpart by the cor. She then added, ¡°Keep in mind that we Chanaeans are upright people. If we really wanted to destroy you, we would have done it in broad daylight.¡± The other party didn¡¯t expect Sophie to be so haughty and spluttered, ¡°You! Aren¡¯t you being a bit too arrogant right now? Who do you think you are? Who gave you the gall to spout nonsense here?¡± Infuriated, he was about to w at Sophie¡¯s face when thetter grabbed his hand and folded it back calmly. An agonizing howl rang out almost immediately. When hispanions saw that, they tried toe forward to help, only to freeze on the spot when Sophie¡¯s cial re came to rest on them. The man cried out, ¡°What are you doing? Let go of me! I¡¯m warning you, my hands are priceless. If you destroy them, I¡¯ll make your life a living hell!¡± In response, Sophie uttered, ¡°I don¡¯t mind letting you go, but you need to apologize first.¡± Still acting as cocky as ever, her counterpart spat, ¡°Why should I apologize? Did I say anything wrong? Kill me if you dare. Otherwise, I¡¯ll make sure you suffer a fate worse than death!¡± Just as he said those words, he was made to kneel by Sophie. Seeing that, the others chimed in, ¡°Sophie, this is the International Medical Association. This is no ce for you to act how you want.¡± Sophie replied, ¡°Is that so? Fine, I¡¯ll just take my leave, then.¡± ¡°Leave? You¡¯re not getting away that easily! Do you really think this is a ce where you cane and go as you please?¡± Not only did she injure one of us, but she didn¡¯t seem to have any remorse for her actions as well. ¡°Get security in here and detain this arrogant woman! I bet she¡¯s a spy from Chanaea!¡± ? N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved. Sophie scoffed at that. A spy? What a joke! Just then, Arius arrived. When he saw that Sophie was teaching the few people before her a lesson, he scrunched up his brows. Walking to her side, he asked in concern, ¡°What happened? Are these people giving you a hard time?¡± Sophie has never been one to act rashly unless someone provoked her. If someone dared mess with her, she would teach whoever it was a harsh lesson, no matter who they were. Unbothered by Arius¡¯ presence, the other party insisted, ¡°Both of you are from Chanaea. I bet you two are spies sent by the Chanaeans! You have no intentions of helping us, do you?¡± Anger surged through Arius when he heard that. These impudent fools. We risked everything toe here to lend them a hand, and this is how they repay us? By spouting nonsense? He fumed, ¡°What? We¡¯re spies? Do you have any proof to back up your usation?¡± Just like that, the situation spiraled out of control. Due to the fact that Anndur was in a state of wariness right then, and the topic they had breached was extremely sensitive, Sophie and Arius quickly became the target of public criticism. Subsequently, a crowd surrounded them. Arius took off his white coat and stated, ¡°Since you all don¡¯t seem to need our help, we¡¯ll leave then. It¡¯s not like we¡¯re desperate to stay here, anyway.¡± We¡¯ve been working our a*ses off day in and day out without anyints, and they had the audacity to insult Sophie and me? I¡¯m really disappointed by these Anndurans. He turned to Sophie and said, ¡°Let¡¯s go, Sophie.¡± ¡°You can¡¯t just up and leave like that. The only ce you spies are going is the military court.¡± Arius¡¯ gaze turned colder when he heard that. ¡°Do you even know who invited us here? The president of your country asked us here! If he hadn¡¯t begged us, do you think we would havee? After all, sc*mbags like you aren¡¯t worth saving.¡± Seeing how Arius was insulting them, the few Anndurans went and started a fight with him. Naturally, Arius wasn¡¯t someone who would just lie down and take a beating. Although they were all colleagues before, he was aware these people had always looked down on Chanaeans. As such, he didn¡¯t spare them any mercy. Unfortunately, he was still outnumbered and was soon at a disadvantage. Seeing that, Sophie immediately jumped into action without caring that she was a woman. Nheless, it soon became clear that these men weren¡¯t her match as she kicked one of them, who was six feet and three inches and weighed more than three hundred pounds, to the ground. Themotion soon attracted the attention of a group of special forces who were guarding the International Medical Association. They surrounded the troublemakers, and while the men tried to pin all the me on Sophie and Arius, thetter two became uncharacteristically silent. One of the men said, ¡°Arrest them. These two are spies. We suspect they are responsible for the mutated virus.¡± Sophie stared at the man who spoke as though he was a fool. The world has nevercked idiots before, but I guess they are in abundance this year, huh? The captain of the special forces looked at the crowd and was at a loss of what to do when Sophie gave the president of Anndur a call. When the call connected, she barked, ¡°Since your people keep stirring up trouble here and making us unable to work with peace of mind, you can solve Anndur¡¯s problems yourself!¡± Once she was done, she passed the phone to the captain of the special forces. When the captain received the phone and found out who he was talking to, he listened to the other party¡¯s instructions attentively. The man who started the argument jeered, ¡°Do you think you can scare us off by making a phone call? Well, too bad for you. Captain, hurry up and arrest this woman!¡± Right as he finished his words, however, he saw the captain handing back the phone to Sophie in a respectful manner. The captain then said, ¡°We¡¯re sorry, Ms. Tanner, but this is all just a misunderstanding. The president is on his way here now.¡± ¡°You¡­¡± The man didn¡¯t expect the president to go there in person, for he thought Sophie was simply brought there by Barney. No longer wanting to stay and bicker with them, Sophie snorted and left with Arius. If this matter weren¡¯t handled well, they would no longer work for the International Medical Association. After all, the Anndurans were openly insulting Chanaeans. Being Chanaeans who loved their country, Sophie and Arius wouldn¡¯t let anyone humiliate their country. As cold sweat flowed down his back, the captain of the special forces could only watch as the two left the scene. ¡°Captain, what just happened? Who was on the phone earlier?¡± ¡°Who was on the phone earlier? It was the president, that¡¯s who! You¡¯d better start thinking of an exnation to give himter!¡± The captain¡¯s face was pallid as he spoke, for he didn¡¯t expect to encounter such a messy situation on the day he was on duty. Chapter 815 Chapter 815 Just when the few troublemakers wanted to leave quietly, they were stopped by the captain of the special forces. Looking helpless, he questioned, ¡°Where do you think you¡¯re going? I¡¯ll have you know that the person you¡¯ve offended was invited by the president personally.¡± As expected, the president, Marcus Analheim, soon arrived at the International Medical Association. After learning the whole story, his expression fell. ¡°Where¡¯s Barney? Did he leave as well?¡± ¡°Dr. Smith is still in theb. He has no idea what happened.¡± To that, Marcus said, ¡°Let¡¯s go! We going to see Dr. Smith.¡± The entire country is in a mess, and I just managed to get someone here to handle it, only to have these few b*stards piss them off. Barney was still in theb doing his research when Marcus arrived. It wasn¡¯t until half an hourter that he came out and saw that the president was there. Before Barney could say anything, Marcus started, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Dr. Smith. I¡¯ve failed to keep an eye on my subordinates and caused all this to happen.¡± Barney was stunned to hear that. ¡°What happened?¡± Marcus replied, ¡°Arius and Sophie have both left in anger. I¡¯m afraid I¡¯ll have to trouble you to help appease them.¡± The only reason I invited Sophie here is that I know how good she is, and I need her expertise. And yet, something like this had to happen. Barney inquired, ¡°What actually happened?¡± I would need to know what happened first in order to help! Soon, Marcus exined the situation again. Barney¡¯s expression turned grim after he got the whole story. ¡°We came here because you invited us, and we¡¯ve been doing our best ever since we got here. s, this is the treatment we got?¡± I was the one who brought them here, and now, they¡¯ve been wronged while the president is here apologizing profusely. Marcus said, ¡°Dr. Smith, it is indeed our fault this time. How about this? I¡¯ll take those troublemakers over personally to apologize to them.¡± Chanaeans have always been the most patriotic, and they won¡¯t allow anyone to insult their country like this. ¡°All right. I¡¯ll go over and take a look at what the situation is, but I can¡¯t guarantee how it will turn out,¡± came Barney¡¯s reply. Sophie has quite the personality and has her own principles to live by. Meanwhile, when Sophie and Arius returned to the hotel and saw Tristan¡¯s face, Arius couldn¡¯t help but burst outughing. Trying his best to rein in hisughter but failing at it, he asked, ¡°Mr. Tristan, what did you do? How did you get beaten up like this?¡± Tristan didn¡¯t expect that his sorry state would be seen by Arius. ¡°Don¡¯t ask questions you¡¯re not supposed to. Don¡¯t you know that curiosity killed the cat?¡± ¡°Are you seeing this, Sophie? I was just concerned about him, but he¡¯s acting so hostile toward me.¡± Sophie muttered, ¡°That¡¯s enough. Haven¡¯t you been tired these past few days? Why don¡¯t you go back to your room and rest?¡± She reckoned there was no rush to head back, and they would discuss the matter once they were well-rested. N?velDrama.Org owns all content. It was only then that Tristan realized something was off. ¡°What happened? Didn¡¯t you just go to the International Medical Association? Why are you back so soon? Were you bullied?¡± Tristan inquired. At the thought of someone giving his woman a hard time, a grim look spread across his face. ¡°I just met some trash who said some very unpleasant things,¡± came Sophie¡¯s reply. We came here to help, not to be insulted. Tristan growled, ¡°Who was it? Let me teach them a lesson!¡± Whoever it was that upset her should get a good thrashing. ¡°No need. I¡¯m tired. Will you take a break with me for a while?¡± Sophie said before holding his hand. Tristan fell silent. I¡¯d be more than happy to apany her. It doesn¡¯t matter what her request is because I¡¯ll grant it. With that thought in mind, he scooped Sophie into his arms and walked toward the bed before cing her down. After getting into the bed, he pulled her into his embrace. He then probed, ¡°Can you tell me what happened?¡± Sophie has never been a wilful person. Someone must have made her like this. In response, Sophie exined, ¡°I just met some eyesores, that¡¯s all, so I wanted toe back and rest.¡± We gave our best to help others, so there is no way we would stand for them ndering Chanaea. ¡°All right. Go to sleep, then. I¡¯ll be right by your side.¡± Sophie snuggled closer to him and leaned against his arm. ¡°You should get some shut-eye too. I know you¡¯ve been trying hard to find Butterfly these past few days, and that must have taken a toll on you.¡± Nichs is different from other men. He won¡¯t be so easy to deal with. ¡°Got it,¡± was Tristan¡¯s response. While Tristan and Sophie fell asleep, Arius, too, had gone back to his room. He was beyond exhausted. He fell asleep as soon as he got to bed. As such, he missed the countless calls that Barney had given him. When he opened his eyes again, two hours had passed, and he felt refreshed from the nap he had. It wasn¡¯t after he fumbled for his phone and looked at it that he noticed there were so many missed calls. The calls are all from Dr. Smith. I didn¡¯t tell him anything because I didn¡¯t want to put him in a difficult position, but I guess he still found out about it, huh? Arius returned Barney¡¯s call immediately. ¡°Dr. Smith, I fell asleep earlier, so I missed your calls.¡± ¡°Well, I¡¯m in the lobby of the hotel now. The president¡¯s here as well, so you guys shoulde down. There¡¯s been a bit of a misunderstanding, so let¡¯s clear them.¡± ¡°There¡¯s no misunderstanding. Since they say we¡¯re spies, just treat us as spies, then.¡± Not like it would make much of a difference to us, anyway. Plus, there¡¯s nothing to be scared of. Barney implored, ¡°Arius, do this for me, won¡¯t you? We¡¯re in a dire situation right now, and this is not the time for childish tantrums.¡± This is a matter of life and death. We can¡¯t have a dy because of a few people. ¡°Dr. Smith, I¡¯m not throwing a temper tantrum. I just can¡¯t help getting mad. Ever since I got here, I¡¯ve been working day in and day out. And what¡¯s the result of my hard work? Not only do I not get any thanks¡ªwhich I don¡¯t mind since I¡¯m not a hypocrite anyway¡ªbut I¡¯m getting scolded. I¡¯m not that good-natured of a person to let this all slide,¡± Arius exined. We¡¯re humans, and every human have their own temper. ¡°Juste down first, won¡¯t you? It¡¯s hard to say everything clearly on the phone.¡± Knowing the temper Arius had, Barney could only get the former toe to the lobby first. At that, Arius said, ¡°All right. I¡¯ll be right down after I take a shower. I haven¡¯t taken a shower since I got here.¡± He was feeling icky and ufortable all over. ¡°Okay.¡± Barney was aware that Arius was having an outburst right then and had no choice but to let the latter do whatever he wanted. When Marcus saw how Barney looked making the call, he knew the matter wouldn¡¯t be so easy to handle. ¡°Dr. Smith, this is all the fault of these people here, and you can rest assured that I will give you all an exnation.¡± I spent so much effort inviting them here, only for something like this to happen. It¡¯s only natural that I take responsibility for solving this. ¡°All right.¡± Barney was infuriated by the whole fiasco as well. After all, he was so busy that he didn¡¯t have time to sleep, and now, he had to handle the problems those ruffians caused. ¡°Mr. President, we really are¡ª¡± The few Anndurans wanted to say something but were cut off when Marcus signaled his men to seal their mouths shut with tape. He didn¡¯t want to hear a word from them. Chapter 816 Chapter 816 Meanwhile, Arius had washed up and headed downstairs. He did not call Sophie on his way down, assuming she was still sleeping. There was also the fact that Tristan was still in her room. If Arius foolishly interrupted their privacy, Tristan would surely have his head. And so Arius decided it was best to head downstairs alone. Barney was already up. When he noticed that Arius was alone, he asked anxiously, ¡°Where¡¯s Sophie? Has she flown home?¡± It was a valid supposition, given Tristan had the means necessary to fly Sophie home at a whim. ¡°No, she hasn¡¯t. She¡¯s still sleeping. I¡¯m sure you know we haven¡¯t enjoyed a good night¡¯s sleep in ages!¡± replied Arius tly. N?velDrama.Org owns all content. Just then, Marcus piped up, ¡°Arius, we¡¯ve captured the men involved. They will apologize for their actions, and we¡¯ll do everything we can to make things up to you.¡± He was wholly at their mercy and had no choice but to make such a proposal. Anndur was in a mess, and eliminating the virus was the best way to defend Marcus¡¯ presidential seat. Arius was unmoved. He replied, ¡°You know what I¡¯m like, Mr. President. I¡¯m a pretty magnanimous person, but at the end of the day, I¡¯m a citizen of another country, Chanaea, and I will not allow anyone to humiliate my country.¡± He was born a Chanaean and would spend the rest of his life protecting his country. ¡°Of course, Ipletely understand. Everyone loves their country and wouldn¡¯t stand for anyone to disrespect their beloved country,¡± said Marcus beseechingly. After Barney left the International Medical Association, the bunch of loafers left at the organization failed to deal with the virus sweeping through Anndur. Their ipetence was the reason the Anndurans president was begging for Arius and Sophie to save his country. Even Barney added, ¡°Well, Arius, the president has brought the men here. They¡¯re guilty of wrongdoing, but the Annduran citizens are innocent.¡± Arius remained silent. Sometimeter, he said, ¡°I understand that, Dr. Smith. Why don¡¯t we do this? I¡¯ll return with you. As for Sophie, I can¡¯t guarantee she¡¯ll agree. You know her temper as well as I do.¡± However, without Sophie around, there was no guarantee they could defeat the virus spreading through Anndur. After all, she had figured out how to eliminate the previous virus. ¡°Then we¡¯ll wait until she agrees!¡± Barney dered resolutely. He knew it was fruitless to shower her with pleading calls then. In any case, her cold treatment was directed at the arrogant Anndurans, not her mentor. By the time Sophie awoke, it was already past six in the evening. She saw Tristan stretched out beside her, gazing at her tenderly. To her horror, she realized she had been sleeping on his arm for hours. ¡°How¡¯s your arm?¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine!¡± In truth, Tristan¡¯s entire arm was numb. Still, he could not bear to push her away when she slept so soundly. Sophie sat up in bed and gently massaged his arm. She chided him, ¡°Why didn¡¯t you let me sleep on a pillow?¡± She was baffled that she could fall into such a deep sleep with her head against his arm. Tristan enjoyed her gentle massage and replied earnestly, ¡°That¡¯s because I¡¯d love to be your pillow for the rest of your life.¡± This man¡­ my heart is no match for his romantic gestures. I simply can¡¯t refuse him. Amid her thoughts, Tristan added, ¡°Oh, before I forget, Barney called you many times. I get it if you don¡¯t want to speak to anyone else, but it¡¯s Barney. Should you, erm¡­¡± he trailed off hesitantly while handing Sophie¡¯s phone to her. As expected, her call log had exploded with missed calls. She told herself off sternly in her head. How could I forget about Barney? Sophie quickly called her mentor. ¡°Hi, Dr. Smith. It¡¯s me.¡± A pauseter, she said, ¡°Sure. I¡¯ll be right down.¡± Sophie promptly decided to meet Barney and the others upon learning they were just downstairs. Tristan clearly disagreed with her decision and pulled her back into bed. He muttered, ¡°Ignore them. Let¡¯s find Butterfly and head back!¡± They upset my sweetheart so! Why should we care about their safety? ¡°We can¡¯t be petty about this.¡± It was a matter of life and death; Sophie could not overlook their transgressions otherwise. Unconvinced, Tristan argued, ¡°But they hurt you. I can¡¯t stand for that.¡± He could not bear to see her suffer even the tiniest bit. What makes them think they have the right to hurt her so? Sophie said reassuringly, ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. I won¡¯t let anyone hurt me. No one has the right to do that to me.¡± Bona fide talent gave her the luxury of choices, and she could walk away whenever she wanted. Isn¡¯t that why everyone tries to make themselves better all the time? Realizing it was futile to convince her otherwise, Tristan changed tack and suggested, ¡°Why don¡¯t we eat first, then? It¡¯s almost time for dinner. Eat with me before you head downstairs.¡± He did not want anyone else to see him in his current state. While Nichs was in a horrible state, Tristan was hardly any better, and allowing others to catch a glimpse of him would only invite unwanted gossip. It was better for his mental and emotional state if he remained in the hotel room for now. Sophie countered, ¡°Okay, but Dr. Smith is downstairs, and I think he has been waiting for a long time. He¡¯s innocent in all this. Why don¡¯t you wait for me here? Let me quickly handle things downstairs, and I¡¯ll be up here to join you for dinner.¡± Tristan mulled over her words. She¡¯s right. Barney isn¡¯t at fault. He relented, and Sophie headed downstairs. As expected, Barney and Arius were there, and so was the president of Anndur. It exined the special forces stationed outside the hotel to ensure their leader¡¯s safety. ¡°Ah, you¡¯re finally up, Sophie.¡± She ignored Arius¡¯ loaded words and walked up to Barney. After greeting her mentor, she took a seat and stared at Marcus. Sophie cut straight to the point. ¡°I¡¯m sure you know everything that happened. As a Chanaean, I will not allow anyone to denigrate our country.¡± It concerned her pride as a Chanaean. Marcus replied, ¡°Of course, Ms. Tanner. We will do our best to remedy the situation.¡± Then, he had his men bring over the troublemakers in question. ¡°These are the men who offended you, yes? I¡¯ve brought them here, and you can deal with them as you please.¡± The troublemakers were forced to kneel on the ground. They were still trying to wrap their heads around the extent of Sophie¡¯s influence. Even the president was watching his words around her. That doused any hopes they had ofing out of the mess unscathed. The men began pleading for her mercy. ¡°We¡¯re extremely sorry. We know we¡¯re utterly at fault, and we promise this will never happen again. Again, we¡¯re so sorry. The stress got to us, so we just spouted nonsense without thinking. Please, give us another chance.¡± ¡°Oh, is it? What exactly did you call us Chanaeans again?¡± Sophie bristled as she recalled their past behavior. The troublemakers could only mutter, ¡°We¡¯re really sorry, Ms. Tanner. It was all mindless nonsense.¡± Then, they turned to Barney and begged, ¡°Dr. Smith, please help us! We were really too exhausted and said those things unthinkingly.¡± Barney stared at the men wordlessly. I handpicked these men for the International Medical Association. How did I make such a blunder? After some thought, Barney arrived at his decision. He dered, ¡°All right. Let¡¯s scrub the te clean! All of you can leave the medical association now.¡± Chapter 817 Chapter 817 Marcus immediately voiced his agreement with Barney¡¯s n. ¡°Of course. No problem at all.¡± He desperately needed Barney, Sophie, and Arius¡¯ help with the virus that held Anndur hostage. At that point, he could agree to almost anything that helped to smooth over their ruffled feathers. s, Barney¡¯s deration did not sit well with the men pleading for mercy on the ground. Getting a spot in the International Medical Association had been aborious feat. If they were essentially fired from the association, their reputation in the medical field would be ruined. They immediatelyunched into a fresh wave of pleas. ¡°Dr. Smith, we¡¯ve truly realized our mistakes. Please give us another chance!¡± Marcus had heard enough. He piped up, ¡°That¡¯s enough. Ms. Tanner and the others have been far too generous toward you. All you¡¯re good for is saying nonsense instead of curing diseases. I don¡¯t ever want to hear about you lot next time.¡± He ordered his men to bring the disgraced former researchers away. ¡°Ms. Tanner, let me express my apologies once again. I personally invited you here, yet such an unforgivable act happened to you on our grounds.¡± Marcus continued, ¡°Once we¡¯ve ovee this virus, I will take you out for a meal and properly make things up to you.¡± These three doctors were his only hope. He could sacrifice every shred of his pride to ensure the security of his country and his position. Sophie had had enough of dealing with the drama by then. She replied curtly, ¡°Let¡¯s talk about it another time! Why don¡¯t both of you head back first, Dr. Smith? I¡¯m going to have dinner with Tristan, so I¡¯ll make my way backter.¡± Reminding herself that the virus was a matter of life and death was the only thing that boosted her patience. ¡°All right. Go on, then. Arius and I will return as well.¡± Arius whined, ¡°Let¡¯s eat out, Dr. Smith! I¡¯m sick of all the dinners they serve us at the medical association!¡± He was suddenly swamped by a longing for his life back in Chanaea. It had been so easy to get whatever he craved in Chanaea. In Anndur, he had to suffer through countless fast-food meals. Barney had no objections to his mentee¡¯s suggestion. ¡°Works for me. I¡¯m going back to my room. Come and get me when you¡¯re ready for dinner.¡± He knew they were tired of Annduran cuisine. Unlike them, Barney was born and raised in Anndur, and he was used to their culture and lifestyle. However, it was surely a culture shock for Sophie. Marcus suddenly roared at his subordinates, ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you? Didn¡¯t I ask you to see after their needs? If Ms. Tanner isn¡¯t used to Annduran cuisine, can¡¯t you hire a chef to make Chanaean cuisine for her? Did you need me to give you all a lesson on basic hosting etiquette?¡± ¡°We¡¯re sorry for overlooking that, Mr. President. We will arrange for a chef right away.¡± One of Marcus¡¯ subordinates turned to Arius and Sophie and said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Professor Gullifer and Ms. Tanner. We will hire the best chef in Chanaean cuisine we can find.¡± They would spare no expense or pride in ensuring their esteemed guests¡¯fort.ConTEent bel0ngs to N?v(e)lD/rama(.)Org . Barney was beginning to think they had wasted enough time that day and dered, ¡°All right, Mr. President. I¡¯m heading back to my room.¡± He had no interest in wasting more time. Sophie had already turned around and returned to her room to have dinner with Tristan. Meanwhile, Arius dropped his idea of dining with Sophie. The lovebirds hardly spent enough time with each other. He eventually trailed after Barney. After their departure, one of Marcus¡¯ aides voiced his doubts about the situation. ¡°Should we be waiting on them hand and foot, Mr. President? Even the International Medical Association failed to help us. Can the three of them really be the answer?¡± Marcus sighed and replied, ¡°Frankly, no one can guarantee a solution to this virus, but Sophie has the advantage of experience, so she¡¯s our best bet for now.¡± He was already facing such a tough trial shortly after bing Anndur¡¯s president. There would be no presidency to speak of if the country¡¯s citizens were obliterated by a virus. He continued, ¡°Right. Make sure you do your best to fulfill their requests. And I never want to hear any more of that nonsense about Chanaea again.¡± Salvaging his pride as the president of Anndur was the least of his concerns. Freeing his country from the shackles of this virus was his top priority. If Sophie managed to help him do it, he could even bepelled to kneel at her feet and express his evesting gratitude for her services. Sophie arrived at her room just as Tristan finished changing. She was supposed to head to the International Medical Association immediately, but she could not bear to leave him alone in his battered state. She suggested, ¡°Let¡¯s go! What do you want to eat? I¡¯ll go with you.¡± Tristan had other ns. ¡°Let¡¯s order delivery! I really don¡¯t want to go out looking like this.¡± I¡¯ve got my pride too! Augh escaped Sophie. Tristan hugged her from behind and ced his chin on her shoulder. He wailed, ¡°Don¡¯tugh at me. This isn¡¯t funny at all. I must look a horror now, Sophie. Are you going to dump me over this?¡± ¡°No. You¡¯re still handsome like this. I would never be disgusted by you.¡± Her earnest reply was marred somewhat by the amused smirk curving her lips. ¡°Good, good.¡± A relieved Tristan nted a kiss on her forehead. They ordered room service and tucked in. Only after that did Sophie set off for the International Medical Association. Once again, Tristan was alone in the room. Later that night, he video-called Sean, Felix, and Charles. Thetter two loudly proimed their shock at Tristan¡¯s appearance. ¡°D*mn, Mr. Tristan! What the heck happened to you? Who thrashed you so badly?¡± ¡°Exactly! Did you run into thugs?¡± Wait, that¡¯s not right! Mr. Tristan¡¯s more fearsome than any thug out there! Sean asked calmly, ¡°Is this Nichs¡¯ work?¡± Tristan¡¯s silence confirmed Sean¡¯s suspicions. It also tipped Felix and Charles off about their rather overboard reaction to their boss¡¯ current state. Realization dawned upon Felix and Charles, who both looked to Sean. Indeed, Nichs was the only person who could beat Tristan up so badly. Upon noticing Tristan¡¯s ill expression, Felix abruptly changed the topic and asked, ¡°Do you need us to come over and help with Butterfly¡¯s matters?¡± They could not afford to offend Tristan unless they happened to have a death wish. ¡°It¡¯s fine. Don¡¯te here. It¡¯s quite dangerous.¡± Tristan did not wish to put his men at risk of unnecessary harm. They backed down, but not without adding, ¡°Okay. But anytime you need us, just say the word, and we¡¯ll be on the next ne out.¡± The four men were fiercely loyal and would easily risk their lives for one another. ¡°Got it. Don¡¯t worry too much! It¡¯s just a fistfight with Nichs, and I promise you he¡¯s in a much worse state than me.¡± Tristan did not exaggerate the situation to reassure his friends. He had not held back his strength or skills when fighting Nichs, but his opponent was hardly as meek as a punching bag. It was natural for Tristan to take some hits during their duel. ¡°How did it feel fighting with Nichs? Must¡¯ve felt great sinking your fist into him, huh? Did you feel the urge to just kill him?¡± Felix asked conspiratorially. Tristan¡¯s and Nichs¡¯ animosity toward each other was no secret. ¡°Hm, not bad.¡± Frankly, Tristan could have befriended Nichs if not for the man¡¯s dogged persistence in pursuing his woman. Sadly, Nichs was thoughtless enough to attempt wooing Tristan¡¯s woman, and Tristan would not let that slide. Soon enough, Tristan brought an end to the call. ¡°Anyway, just call me if anything¡¯s happening with Lombard Group. I¡¯m always reachable.¡± Sophie was too busy at the International Medical Association to spend time with him, so he was really only here to ensure a speedy departure from Anndur should an emergency arise. Tristan was a selfish man. If nothing could be done to save Anndur, he would bring Sophie away without a hint of hesitation. Chapter 818 Chapter 818 Felix replied to Tristan reassuringly, ¡°Nothing to worry about there! Lombard Group is doing great, and with us around, you can focus on taking care of yourself and Sophie.¡± The three of them could lessen his load on everything else but were powerless when it came to the virus threatening Anndur¡¯s poption. ¡°Thanks, Felix. Keep an eye on Ysabelle, by the way. Do not allow her toe here. The situation here isn¡¯t looking too bright,¡± cautioned Tristan. ¡°Yes. I know. She¡¯s making a fuss abouting here, but I¡¯ve stopped her each time.¡± In fact, not causing more trouble was already the best way of helping Sophie and Tristan. Meanwhile, much like Tristan, Nichs was still nursing his wounds. Richard had immediately ordered someone to buy some medicated patches for Nichs once he got home. Still, Nichs stubbornly refused to use them. He mumbled, ¡°It¡¯s fine. I¡¯m hardly going to die from these bruises.¡± The fight with Tristan had been exhrating, but Nichs was somewhat irked that he seemed to be in a poorer state than his opponent. Richard replied hesitantly, ¡°Boss, if you go out like this¡­¡± He had no idea how to cushion the blow. Nichs is the head of the Sable family! He will be the town¡¯sughingstock if he heads out like this. Nichs silenced his sputtering subordinate with a re. Undeterred, Richard said, ¡°Boss, if you meet Ms. Tanner like this, I¡¯m afraid she will merely despise you more!¡± Atst, the mention of Sophie¡¯s potential distaste captured Nichs¡¯ attention. Richard jumped on the opportunity to add, ¡°Young women these days are all about looks. If those wounds leave a scar, that can¡¯t be good¡­¡± ¡°Fine! Come here and help me with the medicated patches!¡± Sophie isn¡¯t my biggest fan now; I can¡¯t do anything that¡¯ll make her hate me more. He got a blunt reminder of his ghastly ¡°battle scars¡±ter that day when a starving and bored Butterfly left her room in search of food. She guffawed at the sight of his appearance. ¡°Nichs, you¡¯re a real sorry sight! Didn¡¯t you always think you were all that? How did someone beat you up like a rag doll?¡± Her amusedughter reverberated through the room. Other than theck of freedom, Butterfly surprisingly had little quips for her captivity. She ate and slept well in Nichs¡¯ house, so she was even starting to despise the man less. Nichs red at his captive, who ignored his murderous gaze and sat across from him. She even had the cheek to add, ¡°I¡¯m telling the truth. You have no idea how your current look amuses me.¡± Nichs was speechless with indignance. How can this woman be so tactless? Doesn¡¯t she know she¡¯ll piss off her captor like this? He fumed, ¡°You must be bored of living, Butterfly!¡± ¡°Pfft!¡± She scoffed and continued nonchntly, ¡°Don¡¯t threaten me. They never have and never will work on me.¡± She was aware of Nichs¡¯ somewhat psychopathic tendencies, but she also knew the man was obsessed with Sophie. As long as she was still under Sophie¡¯s backing, he would never harm her. Her guess had hit the nail on the head. Despite her impudence, Nichs could only re at her in disbelief. Pettily, he instructed Richard, ¡°Tell the kitchen staff not to prepare meat for her dinner tonight. All she deserves is carrots.¡± ¡°D*mn it, Nichs! You j*rk! I was just teasing you. Are you really going to feed me just carrots for dinner? Am I a rabbit or something? Let me remind you of something. Even bunnies bite! You¡¯re too much!¡± Butterfly wished she could w his face off, but she was restricted by herck of strength. All she got out of Nichs was a dispassionate harrumph. Richard was baffled by their exchange. Still, he dutifully applied the medicated patches on Nichs¡¯ body before heading to the kitchen to convey his employer¡¯s instructions on Butterfly¡¯s very orange dinner. To her dismay, there were only carrots on Butterfly¡¯s dinner te that night. C0ntent ? 2024 (N/?)velDrama.Org. Her pitiful expression pleased Nichs to no end. That¡¯s how it should be! She needs to pay for her audacity tough at me! The International Medical Association continued investigating the reason behind the virus¡¯test mutation. The staff¡¯s research had hit a dead end. Barney and the others had arrived three days ago, but they did not discover any new leads. All the researchers involved were now in a meeting regarding the virus. Sophie sat beside Arius, appearing disinterested in the Annduran researchers¡¯ discussion. Arius noticed her straying attention and asked anxiously, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Are you unwell?¡± The workload at the International Medical Association was immense, and Arius assumed she had a hard time limatizing to the work schedule. The meeting had been called because every researcher in the International Medical Association had run into a bottleneck. Barney wanted everyone to discuss their thoughts and brainstorm a solution. It never hurt to gather more opinions and gain a different outlook on the situation. To Arius¡¯ surprise, Sophie replied, ¡°Nah. I just think they¡¯re talking a load of bull.¡± A professor seated beside her overheard her words and could not help but sneer. She¡¯s so young! She was probably still in diapers when we joined the International Medical Association. How dare she look down on our research! His offended expression did not escape Sophie¡¯s notice, but it did not bother her at all. Instead, she said to Arius, ¡°I¡¯m going back.¡± Her mind was rather jumbled, and she believed she needed to organize her thoughts alone before she could think of a useful n. Being cooped up in theb was clearly not the solution to Anndur¡¯s public health emergency. Arius¡¯ sentiment appeared to echo hers. ¡°Where are you going? Let me join you! I don¡¯t want to listen to their empty talk either.¡± The researchers were merely taking turns singing praises about their roles in the virus research. This isn¡¯t some recognition awards dinner! We¡¯re supposed to be brainstorming a solution! Eventually, Sophie and Arius headed to the rooftop of the building. The weather was finally looking up after several gloomy days in Anndur. The city, however, remained as lifeless as before. Suddenly, Arius asked, ¡°Why do you think we¡¯re here, Sophie?¡± A country as mighty as Anndur hardly needed to beg on its knees for help. He continued, ¡°I thought I came here to do Dr. Smith a favor, but after seeing the public¡¯s helpless expressions, I¡¯ve changed my mind.¡± Arius had always been a rather blithe man. Yes, he was a medical professor and arguably the best surgeon in the world, but he would never force himself to save someone he despised. The severity of the viral infection in Anndur had changed his mind. ¡°Everyone is equal before the disease. We are all helpless regardless of our nationality.¡± The many unanswered questions about the virus made it all the more frightening to the public. Sophie nced at the bright blue sky, and her mood suddenly lifted. She replied, ¡°I don¡¯t have any ideas now, but trust me. I¡¯m sure we can defeat this virus as well.¡± To her, unwavering faith and hard work made the best recipe for sess. ¡°Really?¡± Arius had been in medicine longer than Sophie and should have been more confident. Nheless, his reply reflected his uncertainty in his ability to understand and eliminate the virus. Sophie asserted, ¡°Of course. If you can¡¯t even believe in yourself, how can you seed in the end?¡± They sorely needed to consider a different way of tackling the virus, and Sophie was racking her brains for a fresh idea. Chapter 819 Chapter 819 Arius knew what she meant. It¡¯s true that we need to have faith in everything we do. Without faith, we can never seed in anything. ¡°You can leave first. I want to be alone for a while,¡± said Sophie. ¡°Sure.¡± After Arius went downstairs, Sophie was alone on the top floor. She took out her phone and called Tristan. ¡°What are you doing?¡± ¡°Nothing much. How about you? Are you running out of ideas?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Sophie, you have tried your best. All these have nothing to do with you. There¡¯s no need to pressurize yourself.¡± ¡°I know.¡± ¡°Are you missing me? Do you want me toe over?¡± If nothing could be done, then it would be better not to do anything. ¡°It¡¯s all right. There¡¯s no need for you toe here.¡± Even if he did, there was nothing much he could do to help. ¡°But, I want to see you. You want to see me, too, right?¡± Otherwise, she would not have phoned him. ¡°Yes.¡± It was true. That was why she gave him a call. ¡°But, there¡¯s really no need for you toe over. I¡¯m going back to work now. Once I¡¯m done, I¡¯ll go over and look for you.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Tristan did not force her, knowing that she was a very responsible person. If she took over certain responsibilities, she would not give up so easily. Sophie then returned to theboratory. That was the first time she ran out of ideas. After Arius returned to theboratory, he began a new experiment. Unfortunately, it still failed in the end. That made him feel very lousy. When Barney saw Arius¡¯ expression, he knew what the result was. Barney went over and patted his shoulders. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Everything takes time.¡± No matter how capable a person might be, there was no way one could foresee the future. It would be normal for anyone to fail several times before he or she could achieve sess. Sophie also joined them. ¡°Dr. Smith, please don¡¯t worry about us. We know what we should do.¡± After all, that was supposed to be a team effort. The problem was no one from the International Medical Association wanted to coborate with them. They did not trust them anymore. That was the cause of the current problem. ¡°Dr. Smith, I think we should redistribute our workload.¡± Since no one from the International Medical Association was able to trust them, they would have to have faith in themselves. ¡°Fine. What do you suggest, then? We¡¯ll go along with your idea.¡± Barney had always trusted Sophie very much. He would support her no matter what decisions she made. Sophie handed the two men a piece of paper each. ¡°I have already listed the work that needs to be done. Just follow ording to this list.¡± Right now, she had no confidence that it would work. The only thing they could do was give it a shot. ¡°Sure, no problem. I¡¯ll do my best to cooperate with you.¡± At that instant, Arius had run out of ideas. He found Sophie¡¯s way of distributing the workload to be very reasonable. ¡°I¡¯m fine with it too. From now on, let¡¯s continue with our work, then!¡± They decided to risk it all now. If it did not work out, they would have to give it up. In the medical world, not everything had a solution in the end. More often than not, their attempts would result in failure. Meanwhile, Tristan took a shower and had a change of clothes before he drove to the International Medical Association. He knew he could not gain entry, but he was adamant about getting his way. However, knowing that Sophie did not want him to be there, he controlled himself in the end and did not go into the association. Because of that, he bumped into Nichs! Tristan could not help but frown when he saw him there. At the same time, Nichs noticed him too! Obviously, the two men were there for the same reason. They were there to see Sophie. ? N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved. Nichs got out of his car and walked up to Tristan¡¯s car. ¡°Don¡¯t look at me like this. I¡¯m just here to see her. What¡¯s wrong with that?¡± I thought they weren¡¯t married yet, no? Why is he so possessive of her? ¡°I¡¯m not interested in why you are here. You don¡¯t have to tell me.¡± ¡°Tristan, don¡¯t waste your energy. You won¡¯t find Butterfly.¡± Nichs knew what Tristan was up to recently. However, he did not interfere because he knew Tristan could not locate her. Tristan decided to ignore him. As far as he was concerned, Nichs was a lunatic. The more he entertained Nichs, the crazier he would be. ¡°To be honest, I haven¡¯t seen Sophie for a few days now. I really miss her,¡± mumbled Nichs. Still, Tristan ignored him. What right does he have to miss my woman? Just then, Tristan¡¯s phone rang. It was Sophie. ¡°Are you done? I¡¯m outside the International Medical Association now. If you are done with your work, let¡¯s have a meal together!¡± She had been busy for the past few days. ¡°I have just resolved the matter. We have an idea now. I thought I told you to rest at the hotel. What are you doing here?¡± The association was a dangerous ce. ¡°I miss you. That¡¯s why I¡¯m here. I¡¯m waiting for you here. It won¡¯t take up too much of your time. After all, you need to eat. It¡¯s only a meal.¡± ¡°All right, then. Hold on for a while. Let me change my clothes, and I¡¯ll be out in a minute.¡± He¡¯s right. It¡¯s time to eat something. No matter how urgent things may be, there is still time for a meal. During his conversation with her, Tristan hadpletely forgotten about the man who was standing next to him. Unfortunately, Nichs had heard everything. Yet, he stood there with no intention of leaving. If he had been the one to phone Sophie, she would not havee out. Now that Sophie wasing out, he had to join them for the meal. ¡°Nichs, why are you still here? We¡¯re going on a date. Why must you insist on being a third wheel?¡± This man is so obtuse. Does he not know that he isn¡¯t wee here? ¡°It¡¯s only a meal. Don¡¯t think too highly of yourself.¡± Nichs was bitter about it. That was what angered him the most. Tristan could pull off any stunt he wanted to with ease, but the same could not be said for Nichs. To top it off, those things mattered the most to Nichs. Sophie did not expect both men to bump into one another. The moment they met, they wanted to kill each other. A smile appeared on Nichs¡¯ face when he saw Sophie. ¡°It¡¯s been a while. Since you guys are going for a meal, can you bring me along? I¡¯m alone, and it¡¯s boring to eat by myself,¡± Nichs stated his intent. ¡°Nichs, we¡¯re going on a date. Do you think it¡¯s right that you go with us?¡± Right now, all Tristan wanted to do was fight with him. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with it? No matter what, Sophie and I are friends. It¡¯s only dinner. It won¡¯t affect anything.¡± Nichs was persistent in getting his way. Chapter 820 Chapter 820 No one could stop him. ¡°Fine, I don¡¯t have much time. Let¡¯s just grab a bite nearby.¡± She had other things to do that night. She had time to go out only because it was mealtime. Therefore, Sophie didn¡¯t want to waste her time arguing with Nichs. Besides, he¡¯s still holding Butterfly captive, isn¡¯t he? Nichs curled his lips into a satisfied smile. ¡°Sophie, I knew you still cared about me. Otherwise, you wouldn¡¯t have agreed to have a meal with me, right?¡± Sophie was rendered speechless. She genuinely didn¡¯t want to respond to him. He¡¯s truly ignorant. Tristan wasn¡¯t fond of Nichs in the first ce, yet thetter insisted on tagging along and even uttered such absurd words. The trio found a restaurant that was rtively famous in that area. Upon entering the eatery, both Tristan and Nichs pulled out chairs for Sophie. Sophie stood there, watching their childish behavior, and at a loss for what to say. Naturally, the restaurant manager knew the guests¡¯ identities, so he walked over to wee them personally. However, he broke out in a cold sweat when met with that unexpected scene. Everyone knew Nichs had a terrible temper. If he were to go berserk right then and there on his territory, the restaurant manager wouldn¡¯t know how to handle the situation. In the end, Sophie sat in the chair Tristan had pulled out for her. She wanted to provide Tristan with a sense of security at all times because he was her man. Nichs¡¯ mood was dampened following the choice Sophie made. How could she treat me like this? ¡°Sophie, no matter¡ª¡± ¡°Nichs, I¡¯m really tired. If you don¡¯t want to eat, you can leave first.¡± She was genuinely exhausted. She had been swamped with mentally draining work and hadn¡¯t rested well for the past few days. As a result, her head throbbed with pain. Taking in her demeanor, Nichs didn¡¯t say anything else. He immediately ordered the manager to serve all the specialties of the house to ensure she ate her fill. Noticing Sophie was really feeling unwell, Tristan got up and stood behind her to gently massage her temples. ¡°Do you feel better now?¡± Given a choice, he honestly didn¡¯t wish for her girlfriend to be so capable. It was precisely due to her exceptionalpetence that she had to bear many responsibilities and had no way to refuse the burdens. Most importantly, she was actually a person with a strong sense of justice. She could be ruthless toward those who had hurt her, but when facing those innocent people, she ultimately chose to give her all. ¡°Yes. I feel a little better now.¡± Sophie didn¡¯t turn him down because the spot he was applying pressure to felt toofortable, prompting her to lean against him with her eyes closed. Nichs watched their interaction in silence, suddenly realizing how redundant he was. Nevertheless, it would be too humiliating if he were to leave at that moment. ConTEent bel0ngs to N?v(e)lD/rama(.)Org . Still, that was such an awful feeling. There were three people there, yet he stuck out like an expendable, sore thumb. Nheless, he couldn¡¯t throw a tantrum before Sophie. I can¡¯t always show my unpleasant side to her and cause her to disdain me further. After a while, Sophie grabbed Tristan¡¯s hands. ¡°That¡¯s enough. I¡¯m fine now. Take a seat too.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± He sat down beside her. ¡°If you¡¯re tired, get some proper rest. This virus isn¡¯t easily resolvable.¡± If that task were a piece of cake, Anndur¡¯s president wouldn¡¯t have lowered himself to invite them there in person. ¡°I know.¡± She had a clear understanding of the circumstances. ¡°Sophie, in my opinion, you should just care for yourself. Why do you concern yourself with others¡¯ well- being? People die every day in this world, so how they expire really doesn¡¯t make a difference.¡± To Nichs, that crisis was nothing more than nature¡¯s test for the fittest to survive. He spoke for some time, only to realize that Sophie hadn¡¯t been listening at all. He couldn¡¯t help but feel a little dejected. ¡°Sophie, are you that unwilling to listen to me?¡± She¡¯s making me sad. I also have her best interest at heart! ¡°Nichs, we don¡¯t share the same ideals and values, so I don¡¯t want to exin anything to you.¡± Expounding those things to someone with a different worldview would be tiring, and she didn¡¯t have the slightest interest in doing something that was bothborious and thankless. ¡°Sophie, how can you hurt me and be so nonchnt about it?¡± Nichs genuinely felt his heart aching. He truly hoped she could take good care of herself instead of troubling herself with others¡¯ welfare. ¡°I never intended to hurt you. You¡¯re the one who keepsing around. That¡¯s enough. How has Butterfly beentely? You can¡¯t keep her locked up forever!¡± If it weren¡¯t because Butterfly was at his mercy, Sophie wouldn¡¯t even want to share a meal with him. That was just the person she was. ¡°She¡¯s doing great, so don¡¯t worry about her. I won¡¯t do any harm to her since she¡¯s your friend.¡± Nichs didn¡¯t want to do anything Sophie wouldn¡¯t like. ¡°Okay. Take care of her.¡± That was her only request. ¡°Nichs, you should see a psychologist.¡± His obsession had be a sickness, and if the condition dragged on, she reckoned he would one day be the cause of his own demise. ¡°I don¡¯t want to. I¡¯ve mentioned to you that I¡¯m not sick. What¡¯s the matter with all of you? Is liking you an illness?¡± Tristan grasped Sophie¡¯s hand. ¡°That¡¯s enough. You don¡¯t need to waste your time and effort trying to counsel him since he won¡¯t listen no matter what you say.¡± Tristan didn¡¯t want to let someone like Nichs ruin his mood to enjoy a meal. ¡°Sophie, if I see a psychologist and am ruled out of having these issues, can you give me a chance?¡± Ultimately, Nichspromised. He was willing to do anything to make her happy. ¡°You no longer stand a chance, Nichs. She¡¯s my fianc¨¦e now. We will get married and have children.¡± Tristan didn¡¯t want to give anyone even the slightest opportunity to dream about getting together with Sophie. ¡°I wasn¡¯t asking you. My question was directed at Sophie. You just don¡¯t believe I love you, is that it? If I see a doctor and be verified that I¡¯m free from any psychological disorder, but I still love you, can you give me a chance, then?¡± All I want is an opportunity. Is that too much to ask? Tristan snorted. This man is outrageous. I, Sophie¡¯s fianc¨¦, am sitting right here, yet he dares to spout this nonsense in front of me! ¡°Nichs, do you want to fight me again?¡± If that¡¯s the case, let¡¯s brawl outside instead of dwelling on this gibberish. ¡°Fine. I can give you a chance if you visit a psychologist.¡± I only promise to give him a chance. The final result is still full of uncertainty, right? ¡°All right. I¡¯ll make an appointment with a psychologist.¡± Chapter 821 Chapter 821 Ultimately, Nichs made the decision. No matter what, all he wanted was a chance. After finishing their meal, Sophie didn¡¯t leave immediately. She initially wanted to stay and spend some time with Tristan. However, Nichs refused to leave and insisted on staying as well. Tristan held her hand. ¡°You must remember to get some rest after you get back and don¡¯t overtire yourself, okay?¡± He was worried as she didn¡¯t seem to be in great shape. ¡°I got it. Don¡¯t worry about me,¡± she said. Then, she turned to Nichs. ¡°Nichs, you should see a psychologist as soon as possible! Don¡¯t waste any more time. This will be beneficial for you and everyone else.¡± She found him less annoying as long as he didn¡¯t throw a tantrum. ¡°All right. I know. But you have to promise not to avoid me in the future, no matter what.¡± That was the only request he had. Nichs was contented as long as she stopped hiding from him and could continue to be present in his life. Everything else didn¡¯t matter. ¡°Okay. I promise.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Nichs thought his ears were ying tricks on him. After all, Sophie had always been firm on not giving him a chance for the past year. ¡°Yes.¡± Nichs was overjoyed. In fact, his happiness could originate from simple things like that. After dinner, Tristan apanied Sophie back to the medical association while Nichs tagged along. Tristan was irritated to see how delighted Nichs was. This man should really know when to stop. Sophie fathomed Tristan must be unhappy, so she held his hand. ¡°I didn¡¯t mean anything by agreeing to his request. I just thought maybe he won¡¯t pester me anymore if his condition improves.¡± Sophie had gotten sick of that kind of harassment and hoped she could put an end to it. ¡°I know that.¡± There was no way he couldn¡¯t understand her intention. The trio halted in their tracks upon reaching the entrance of the International Medical Association. ¡°Nichs, if possible, please let Butterfly go.¡± Nichs wasn¡¯t inclined to release Butterfly at that time. ¡°Sophie, I treat her very well, and she¡¯s getting all her wishes fulfilled at my ce. Therefore, you don¡¯t need to worry about her.¡± Anyway, regardless of what Sophie said, he didn¡¯t n on letting her go for the time being. ? N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved. ¡°She wants her freedom. Everything else you provide for her is irrelevant.¡± Butterfly was her friend, so Sophie had a good grasp on what Butterfly yearned for the most. ¡°All right. I got it.¡± ¡°I¡¯m going in now.¡± She stopped talking afterward and entered the building. Tristan halted Nichs from leaving. ¡°Let¡¯s have a match. What do you say?¡± Tristan cut to the chase. Unexpectedly, Nichs shook his head. ¡°I¡¯m not interested in doing that.¡± He¡¯s joking, right? My injuries haven¡¯t even healed yet. I don¡¯t want to get beaten up again. ¡°Don¡¯t be too full of yourself, Tristan. You¡¯ve also heard Sophie. She¡¯s willing to give me a chance. Who¡¯s to say how things will end up for us?¡± Tristan didn¡¯t respond. He wasn¡¯t nning on arguing with a fool. A chance? So what if he gets the chance? Sophie loves me, so no one else can be with her. Meanwhile, Tristan had made arrangements for Caleb to return to the country. Thetter was still in his condominium when someone knocked on his door. He opened the door and was surprised to see Tristan standing outside. ¡°Mr. Tristan, how did you know I was here?¡± Caleb was somewhat taken aback. Although he thought about seeking Sophie and Tristan¡¯s help, he didn¡¯t do so in the end. Caleb was still trying to figure out a solution on his own. He didn¡¯t expect Tristan would show up there all of a sudden. ¡°Pack your things. I¡¯ll arrange for you to return to the country now.¡± The simple matter of sending someone back to their country posed no difficulty for him. ¡°Did Sophie ask you to do this?¡± If it weren¡¯t for Sophie, Tristan probably wouldn¡¯t bother dealing with me since we have no familial or personal connections whatsoever. ¡°Yes.¡± Tristan was reluctant to borate further. Caleb actually felt very conflicted as he had already owed Sophie too much. Even then, she held nothing against him and still wanted to help him now. Hence, there was no way he would¡¯ve been unfeeling toward her kindness. In truth, he was different from Charmaine and the others. He had always hoped that he could protect Sophie better. However, he still ended up hurting her. Caleb didn¡¯t have much to pack. Of all his belongings there, he only needed to take his identification documents with him. After all, Anndur was in a mess then, so he shouldn¡¯t bring those unimportant clothes with him. Soon, Caleb was done packing his things. When he went outside, he saw Tristan standing beside a car. Noticing Caleb hade out, Tristan got into the car without saying anything. Caleb had no choice but to follow suit. The driver sent them straight to the airport. Even until he boarded Tristan¡¯s private ne, Caleb still found the whole experience surreal. My sister really found a capable man. While our entire family is at a loss for what to do, Tristan manages to send me back to the country effortlessly. Meanwhile, after seeing Caleb off, Tristan sent Sophie a message on WhatsApp, informing her about Caleb¡¯s departure. By keeping her updated, he figured she could now focus on her experiments with peace of mind. After sending the message, he waited for her reply, but there was still no response, even after a long time. Consequently, he could only drive back. He didn¡¯t mind theck of response because he knew she was busy, so she couldn¡¯t constantly check her phone. On the other hand, Caleb finally returned to the Tanner residence. He heard Charmaineining about Sophie as soon as he arrived at the entrance, grumbling about Sophie¡¯s disinclination to help. Charmain¡¯s choices of words were also particrly nasty. Willow merely sat beside her mother in silence. She had learned to endure at that point, knowing she had no right to criticize anyone before having the capabilities. Sophie could now easily crush Willow with a flick of her finger. Caleb¡¯s heart ached when he heard his mother badmouthing Sophie. Sophie has always been like this. She silently does many things but never wants others to know. Sophie is already making contributions without asking for anything in return, so how can her family members speak so maliciously of her behind her back? Caleb stepped into the house and red at his mother. ¡°Mom, you don¡¯t know anything, and since you know nothing, you shouldn¡¯t say anything. Don¡¯t you realize how hurtful your words can be?¡± Charmaine was taken aback to see her son had returned. ¡°You¡¯re home, Caleb? How did youe back? Do you know how worried I¡¯ve been?¡± Charmaine hugged Caleb tightly. He gently pushed her away. ¡°Mom, I¡¯m serious. You¡¯re being too unfair to Sophie,¡± he uttered irritably. ¡°Sophie is not obligated to help me. Besides, I¡¯ve returned now because of her assistance, isn¡¯t it?¡± An embarrassed look spread across Charmaine¡¯s face. ¡°Isn¡¯t that what she¡¯s supposed to do? You¡¯re her brother, so she should help you, right?¡± Don¡¯t tell me we should¡¯ve begged her instead? Caleb shook his head. ¡°Mom, nothing in this world should be taken for granted. She¡¯s your daughter, but have you helped her do anything unconditionally?¡± Chapter 822 Chapter 822 She had no right to expect such of Sophie when even she, as a mother, could not do so. Charmaine was at a loss for words. ¡°Caleb, I¡¯m sure this isn¡¯t what Mom meant. This is the first time you¡¯ve been back in a while. I¡¯m sure she¡¯s just worried about you.¡± Willow hurriedly spoke up for Charmaine. Caleb almost couldn¡¯t bear acknowledging the person Willow had turned into. She had always been the vainest of them all. Despite being only twenty years of age, she now resembled a woman a decade older from the rural countryside. No matter what had happened, his heart ached for Willow, and he couldn¡¯t find it within himself to continue chastising her. ¡°Wi, now that I¡¯m back and our family is whole, stop involving yourself in such a mess in the future. Let¡¯s cherish the time we have together and let bygones be bygones. It doesn¡¯t matter who was in the wrong. The most important thing is our happiness as a family.¡± ¡°I understand, Caleb. Don¡¯t worry. I get where you¡¯reing from.¡± She hoped never to experience life on the remote ind ever again. Sophie was someone she could not afford to offend. She finally understood that after everything that she¡¯d gone through. ¡°Caleb, you should get some rest. I¡¯ll be preparing a scrumptious dinnerter.¡± Despite being unhappy with Caleb¡¯s attitude, Charmaine didn¡¯t want to cause tension in their rtionship, as it was a rare asion that he returned. On the other hand, Sophie was upied with work until eleven at night and only saw Tristan¡¯s text message while taking a break. She replied: ¡°Thank you.¡± Just then, she saw someone smoking on the balcony. She walked toward him and asked for a joint, which she ced in her mouth. ¡°Do you need a lighter?¡± The man inquired after noting that her cigarette remained unlit. She shook her head. She did not like smoking. However, she was so stressed that she¡¯d settle for inhaling the tobo scent. Sophie was an outstandingly gorgeous woman. At that moment, she was dressed in ab coat while languidly resting her arms on the railing. Despite being fitted in such simple attire, she looked magnificent. She was one of those natural beauties that could be doing absolutely nothing yet still turn heads. The man next to her swallowed instinctively. ¡°Ms. Tanner, I¡ª¡± Sophie turned in the direction of his voice and saw a good-looking man who was tall and well-built. ¡°Is anything the matter?¡± She cocked her brows. He was intimidated by how aloof she seemed and shook his head at once. ¡°It¡¯s nothing.¡± He had nned to flirt with her as it would be considered a win even if all he could get was a one-night stand from such a stunning woman. However, he gave up under her piercing stare. Once the man had left, Sophie was left alone and started feeling bored. She¡¯d been spending the entire day cooped up in theb and was about to go mad. She decided to give Tristan a call. ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± ¡°I was thinking about you.¡± ¡°Tristan, don¡¯t you think you¡¯ve be rather cheesy as ofte?¡± ¡°Is that so? Not at all! But I was indeed thinking of you. I always am.¡± ¡°Fine! I admit that I miss you too.¡± ¡°What is it? Haven¡¯t had a breakthrough yet?¡± C0ntent ? 2024 (N/?)velDrama.Org. ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Darling, why note back home and rest for a day? Perhaps you should have a change of scenery since working non-stop for days hasn¡¯t yielded any results. Who knows, this might be just what you need to achieve a breakthrough?¡± He couldn¡¯t offer any help regarding the virus except for providing her with moral support. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I won¡¯t being home tonight. Be good.¡± The cigarette was still positioned between Sophie¡¯s lips. ¡°Okay. I will!¡± They continued chatting and hung up only when Arius came looking for Sophie. ¡°D*mn, I doubt I can take this much longer! All these failures are starting to take a toll on me.¡± Sophie gave him a side-eye. ¡°That¡¯s about enough. Whining doesn¡¯t solve anything.¡± Arius saw her biting a cigarette and surmised she was troubled as well. ¡°Sophie, are you regretting your choice to pursue medicine?¡± It was often exhausting to study in the medical field. ¡°Not really.¡± Although she was at an impasse, she believed that she¡¯d pull through eventually with a little more grit and perseverance. ¡°Well, you sure have strong faith!¡± ¡°That¡¯s enough chit-chat for now. Back to work!¡± Arius held her back immediately. ¡°Do you have any idea what time it is? Enough talk about work. Go back and have some rest!¡± Just then, someone called out to the both of them. ¡°Professor Gullifer, I have bad news. Dr. Smith has fainted!¡± Barney had regained consciousness by the time Arius and Sophie reached him. Thankfully, it was due to over-exhaustion and wasn¡¯t anything serious. ¡°Dr. Smith, haven¡¯t I told you to take a break and head home if you feel tired? You should ept that your body is aging and is not as it was before.¡± Arius was at a loss for words. What was the point of pushing past your body¡¯s limit so others could remember you for your achievements? Isn¡¯t one¡¯s body their most important asset? Barney was behaving irrationally out of sheer desperation as he¡¯d reached a research bottleneck. s, he¡¯d copsed at such a crucial juncture. In the end, he would not even be able to contribute to the research. ¡°Dr. Smith, you may leave matters regarding the virus to Arius and me. Rest assured that nothing will go wrong with us around.¡± As Barney was far from being young, it¡¯d be better for him to recuperate in the hospital for a few days instead of excessively pushing himself. ¡°But¡­¡± Barney was still worried. ¡°No buts. You¡¯d best remain here and break a leg. All hell would break loose in Anndur if you fell ill.¡± She dared not imagine how the public would react to news of such a critical figure in solving their current predicament breaking under its weight. That was why Barney¡¯s fainting incident had to be kept under wraps. ¡°Sophie, I¡¯m fine, truly. All I want to do right now is to solve this problem we¡¯re facing!¡± He would not rest as long as their issue persisted. ¡°Dr. Smith, do you not believe in Arius and me?¡± They understood his need for urgency, but this was not something he was capable of solving alone. Everyone needed to work together. Barney seemed to have aged years as he became ovee with distraught. He was bing increasingly unsure of himself in terms of finding a way out of their plight. Arius knew he was feeling upset and consoled, ¡°Dr. Smith, you¡¯ll only be taking a break for two days. You¡¯ll be back with us once you recover. I¡¯m certain you¡¯d find it difficult to concentrate on your research with the physical state that you¡¯re in right now.¡± At that moment, the president of Anndur made an appearance. He¡¯d dropped everything to make the trip over immediately after receiving a call about Barney¡¯s incident. Chapter 823 Chapter 823 ¡°Dr. Smith, how have you been?¡± Barney was his only hope. If anything untoward happened to Barney, Marcus would no longer be the president. Looking at the president, Arius was annoyed and snorted. Earlier on, Marcus had wanted to get rid of all of them when everything was fine. Now that he required their help, he became so pleasant. ¡°Arius, you and Sophie can continue with your work! I will rest here.¡± Barney knew that Arius disliked the president, so he did not want Arius and Sophie to waste their time there. ¡°Sure, Dr. Smith. I¡¯m taking my leave. If you need anything, please call me.¡± With that, Arius took Sophie with him. The two of them did not even cast a nce at the president. They did not care about his status. As citizens of Chanaea, there was no need for them to have any regard for Marcus. Back in the ward, Marcus was not looking too pleased. ¡°Dr. Smith, all of you have been here for quite some time now. However, there has been no progress at all. Do you think¡ª¡± Marcus was trying to be tactful, but it was obvious what he was trying to get at. Barney let out a sigh. ¡°You have seen with your own eyes that everyone is doing their best at the International Medical Association. But this virus is different than the usual ones. We have no idea what it is.¡± They had already tried their best, but the oue was as such. There was nothing they could do about it. ¡°Are you trying to tell me that there¡¯s nothing you can do about it?¡± Is that what you mean? If that¡¯s the case, does it mean that everyone has to die? Barney kept quiet. ¡°We are trying our best. As for the result, I can¡¯t promise you anything as of now.¡± The virus was evolving every day. It was very tricky, and that caused the current situation. Everyone was trying to hide the fact that Barney had been hospitalized. Unfortunately, a few photos showed up on social media in Anndur. After the citizens of Anndur found out that Barney was ill, they got into a frenzy. They thought for sure they were going to die this time around. As a result, some of them began to riot on the streets. Suddenly, Anndur was thrown into chaos. Unfortunately, they did not like the current president as well. They med Marcus for being too ipetent. That was why the country could not handle the virus. Some of the citizens got so emotional that they ran to the International Medical Association and wanted to charge in. There were riots everywhere in Anndur. During a time like that, leaving the country would be the best option. After all, whatever happened in Anndur had nothing much to do with them. Tristan received a phone call from William. Given the current situation in Anndur, it was too dangerous for them to stay on. William hoped that his son could leave the country. ¡°Tristan, take Sophie back with you! Whatever happens in Anndur has nothing to do with us!¡± William was really worried about both of them. He had been catching up on the news of Anndur. Sadly, even Marcus was not able to take control of the present circumstances. ¡°Dad, please don¡¯t worry about us. Everything is still under control.¡± At that moment, Sophie was still at the International Medical Association. ¡°I can¡¯t talk to you now. I have to go to the International Medical Association and take a look.¡± There were riots going over there. Tristan felt that he needed to be by Sophie¡¯s side so that he could protect her. ¡°Tristan, listen to me for once!¡± William was about to say something else when Tristan ended the phone call. The elderly man could only sit there and sigh. He did not care about others. All he wanted was for his son to be safe and sound. Sarah was equally worried when she saw her father¡¯s expression. ¡°Dad, don¡¯t worry too much. Tristan has always been a very opinionated person. I¡¯m sure he knows what he is doing.¡± In fact, both Tristan and Sophie had their own beliefs and thinking. They knew what they wanted to do. Furthermore, the two of them were able to fight very well. They would definitely be able to protect themselves. ¡°Oh well¡­¡± William could only sigh when he heard that. ¡°But it is too dangerous in Anndur.¡± Naturally, he believed that Tristan could take care of himself. Then again, nobody could guarantee that Tristan would not get hurt in such a chaotic circumstance. Ysabelle was also very worried. Right now, she was not in the mood to prepare for her new album. Instead, she had been following up on the news over in Anndur. ¡°Aunt Sarah, I¡¯m also very worried. I think I should go over and take a look.¡± To that, Sarah shook her head. ¡°Ysabelle, please don¡¯t be stubborn during a time like this. Just stay at home and don¡¯t let us worry about you. Okay?¡± ConTEent bel0ngs to N?v(e)lD/rama(.)Org . It was already bad enough that Tristan and Sophie were in Anndur. If a pampered girl like Ysabelle went to a ce like that, who knows what might happen to her? ¡°Sure, I understand.¡± Even though she was a very obstinate person, she knew that she would be of no help even if she went to Anndur. She had no choice but to sit around and worry. Sarah patted her on her cheeks. ¡°If you need cheering up, go and look for Felix. Let him keep you apanied!¡± If the youngdy continued to stay at home, she would only let her imagination run wild. That would frighten her even more. ¡°Felix is also very busy.¡± Ever since Anndur went into chaos, thepany over there was also affected. Therefore, Felix had been havingte-night meetings every day. Every time Ysabelle went over to look for him, he could only have a quick meal with her before rushing back to work. Sarah knew that everyone was very busy at the moment. Things in Anndur were affecting other countries as well. The ongoing turmoil would definitely have a huge effect on the economy. Meanwhile, Tristan arrived at the International Medical Association. He found out that the association had been surrounded by lots of people. It would be difficult for him to find his way in. He gave Sophie a call. However, no one picked up the phone. That made him even more anxious. He then made another call. ¡°Get me a helicopter right away. Yes, I¡¯ll send you my location in a while!¡± Once that had been arranged, Tristan continued to call Sophie. In the meantime, Sophie was experimenting with new methods when she heard endless gunshots outside. She knew that the situation was getting out of control. Then again, she was at the most critical point of her experiment. As such, she chose to forge ahead. When Arius came to look for her, she was still doing her experiment. This woman is truly a brave soul! It is a total mess out there! Yet, she is still so calm. ¡°Sophie, we may have to evacuate.¡± Nothing good woulde out of staying on there. ¡°Okay, I understand.¡± How can anyone experiment in peace if there isplete chaos out there? ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± ¡°No! I think I will seed this time around. Give me half an hour.¡± Those special forces should be able to hold the horde back for another half an hour! ¡°Sophie, I¡¯m not joking with you. Everyone is prepared to leave.¡± So should they. However, Sophie was very adamant. ¡°Arius, give me half an hour. Don¡¯t let anyone in. I have a feeling that this will work.¡± Chapter 824 Chapter 824 Arius had always believed in Sophie, so he nodded in response. ¡°All right, I got it. Then I will be standing guard outside here. Be careful.¡± The situation out there was really chaotic. He was worried that someone might dash in. That was why he stood guard outside. In the meantime, it was also just as chaotic outside Nichs¡¯ mansion. Butterfly took a look and realized that was her best chance to get away. Since no one had time for her, Butterfly sneaked out of the mansion and hoped no one would notice. Butterfly was very happy when she reached the main door without anyone noticing her! In the end, Nichs appeared and blocked her way. ¡°Ms. Sekelsky, where do you think you are going? Given the messy situation out there, where can you go to?¡± She could only stay safe by staying there. Nichs¡¯ mansion was the safest ce. No one dared to charge in. Butterfly smiled as she nced at Nichs. ¡°No, I wasn¡¯t going anywhere. I was too cooped up in the house, so I decided to take a walk and get some fresh air,¡± said Butterfly calmly. ¡°Ha! I can¡¯t believe you are still in the mood for that, Ms. Sekelsky.¡± Isn¡¯t she aware of the danger that looms outside? There were riots going on everywhere in Anndur. Even the president could not subdue the ongoing turmoil. There were bloodshed and crimes happening everywhere. Nichs grabbed hold of Butterfly¡¯s cor and dragged her back to the mansion. ¡°Nichs, what are you doing? Sophie is still at the International Medical Association with all these going on! How can I leave her there all by herself? I have to go there and protect her.¡± She saw on the news that the crowd was attacking the International Medical Association too. Sophie was capable, but at a time like that, she would be more focused on her research. Someone needed to be there by her side. ¡°You are so good to Sophie.¡± ¡°Of course. Sophie is my best friend. Of course, I¡¯m nice to her!¡± What a joke! Both women had gone through life-and-death situations together in the past. That was why they were so close. Just then, they heard the sounds of a helicopter and saw one flying above them. Nichs knew something was amiss. True enough, the moment the helicopter flew lower, someone started shooting at them. ¡°Holy crap! These people are so daring that they dare to attack me in my own house.¡± Nichs was enraged. Nevertheless, in the most dangerous moment, he still pulled Butterfly into his arms and shielded her from the bullets. Butterfly knew that things were about to get worse. However, she genuinely did not expect Nichs to shield her from the attack. ¡°Nichs, are you all right?¡± Just then, Richard rushed out with the others, and they began to fire at the helicopter. It was only then that the helicopter flew away. Richard ran over to Nichs. Upon seeing his pale face, Richard knew that Nichs had been injured. ¡°Boss, where are you hurt? I¡¯ll get the doctor right away.¡± Richard immediately ordered his subordinates to call for a doctor. Nichs pressed his hand on his wound. ¡°I¡¯m fine, Ms. Sekelsky. You better go in! You have seen with your own eyes how bad the situation is in Anndur. It¡¯s too dangerous for you to go anywhere!¡± Nichs got hurt because of her, and she felt bad if she left now. Instead, Butterfly carried him into the house by herself. Nichs had been shot. If it were not for Nichs, she would have been the one who got shot. ¡°Nichs, you¡ª¡± Butterfly knew that he was not in any danger, but she was still worried about him. After all, he got hurt because of her.? N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved. ¡°Richard, get two men to stay with Ms. Sekelsky to protect her.¡± At a time like that, Nichs was still worried about Butterfly. She was a friend of Sophie¡¯s. Since she was Sophie¡¯s friend, he could not sit back and watch her get hurt. ¡°Understood, Boss. Don¡¯t worry!¡± Richard looked at Butterfly and was speechless. Doesn¡¯t she know about the situation out there? I can¡¯t believe she was running all over the ce. If she hadn¡¯t done that, Boss wouldn¡¯t have gotten injured. Why are women so troublesome? It¡¯s fine that they can¡¯t be of any help in times of trouble. Yet, they manage to cause trouble for others. Butterfly could not bother to argue with Richard even though she knew what he was getting at. Earlier on, she did want to leave. ¡°You guys leave! I need some alone time!¡± In actual fact, Nichs was nning to go and look for Sophie. The International Medical Association was a target, and not every one of the rioters was from Anndur. At a chaotic time like that, there would be people who were there to make trouble. After all, not every country hoped that Anndur would get over the current dangerous situation. The more he thought about it, the more frightened he became. He got up from the couch and prepared to walk out when Richard saw and stopped him. ¡°Boss, you are hurt. It¡¯s too dangerous for you to go out there. If there¡¯s anything, I can do it for you.¡± During a time like that, it would be better for Nichs to rest there. ¡°I¡¯m fine. Don¡¯t worry about me.¡± Butterfly was also outside. When she saw him walking out, she stopped him too. ¡°Nichs, it¡¯s best that you stay right here. You said so yourself. It¡¯s dangerous out there.¡± Nichs narrowed his eyes. ¡°What are all of you trying to do? Are you trying to order me around? Since when do I need your approval to go out?¡± Butterfly grabbed his hand and stopped him from walking outside. ¡°Nichs, don¡¯t go outside.¡± He broke free of her grip. ¡°Butterfly, I treat you well because you are a friend of Sophie¡¯s. Please don¡¯t have any other ideas. I won¡¯t fall for you.¡± Nichs was very direct. Butterfly was so angry that she burst outughing. ¡°What are you talking about? Do you think I like you? You must be dreaming! I just don¡¯t want you to lose your life after you saved mine! That¡¯s all!¡± Like him? I¡¯m not blind yet. ¡°That¡¯s good, then. Let me tell you something. I know I¡¯m very good-looking, but please don¡¯t fall for me. Nothing wille out of it!¡± It is a very painful thing to love someone who will never love you back. He did not want her to suffer the same fate too. Nichs insisted on going out. Richard had no choice but to order more men to go with them. Safety was more important at a time like that. ¡°Since all of you are going, I want to go too.¡± Butterfly knew that no one in the world could stop Nichs. He gave her a stare. ¡°Why are youing with us? Don¡¯t you know how dangerous it is out there?¡± ¡°I know! But Sophie is there. No matter what, I have to be there.¡± Given their prior rtionship, there was no way she would stay in Nichs¡¯ mansion. Nichs was envious of Sophie. ¡°Butterfly, I won¡¯t bully you anymore in the future. You are such a good friend of Sophie¡¯s.¡± Sophie was very lucky to have such a good friend like her. Chapter 825 Chapter 825 Meanwhile, terrorists were at the International Medical Association. At first, only the gangsters in Anndur were attacking the association. However, terrorists from a foreignnd had also gotten involved. It was total chaos outside, and Arius was worried sick. Since I had already promised Sophie to give her the half an hour she wanted, I should stand guard no matter what. However, the gunshots are getting louder. This is not looking good. Right then, a loud bang rang out. Apparently, a grenade hadnded inside the territory of the International Medical Association and destroyed a building nearby. The people in the building were running for their lives and screaming at the top of their lungs. Everyone was horrified, and they didn¡¯t know what to do. When Barney saw the news on the television, he called the president right away. ¡°What on earth is going on? How did things turn out this way?¡± Barney questioned. I brought Sophie and Arius here, and they¡¯re now in the International Medical Association. I don¡¯t even know if they¡¯re okay! ¡°Dr. Smith, I didn¡¯t know this was going to happen. I¡¯m at my wits¡¯ end as well!¡± the president answered. It seems like I¡¯m going to lose my job. ¡°So? What are you going to do? What¡¯s the status of the people in the International Medical Association? Have you gotten them out?¡± Barney asked. Now that something like this had already happened, he must solve it no matter what! ¡°I¡¯ve already sent a team of special forces there. Judging by the current situation, however, it doesn¡¯t seem like there¡¯s a point,¡± the president replied. At this moment, there¡¯s nothing else I can do. ¡°F*ck!¡± Barney was overwhelmed with regret. If I didn¡¯t bring them here, none of this would¡¯ve happened. At the same time, the president felt utterly helpless. No matter how angry Dr. Smith is right now, there¡¯s still nothing I can do about it. ¡°Dr. Smith, the only way out now is to solve this virus crisis,¡± the president stated. At that moment, Anndur was in a mess, and no one seemed to have the solution. ¡°Shut the f*ck up! I don¡¯t want to listen to whatever you have to say right now,¡± Barney fumed. They can¡¯t even provide us with a safe environment to do research. How are we going to do research now that the country is in turmoil? The president didn¡¯t dare to utter a single word in response because he knew he had no right to speak. After all, everyone in Anndur had lost faith in him. Barney then tried to call Arius and Sophie again. Still, he couldn¡¯t get through to them. Hence, he got out of bed to check out the situation outside. This content belongs to N?/velDra/ma.Org . However, he was stopped. ¡°Dr. Smith, you ought to stay put. It¡¯s chaotic outside,¡± said a member of the special forces. ¡°Now, we¡¯re all counting on you, so we can¡¯t let anything bad happen to you.¡± As long as the country could solve the virus crisis, everything would resolve itself. ¡°What are you guys doing? I¡¯m not your prisoner. I want to go out now. Buzz off!¡± Barney roared. F*ck these people. I don¡¯t even know if my mentees are alive or dead. How could they still expect us to save them? ¡°Dr. Smith, I¡¯m sorry, but we¡¯re carrying out orders from higher-ups. Please don¡¯t make things difficult for us,¡± the member of the special forces replied. ¡°You!¡± Barney was seeing red, but his hands were tied. Meanwhile, the terrorists had already stormed into the main building of the International Medical Association, and they were capturing all the people in white coats and killing those who weren¡¯t. Things were definitely looking dicey. Arius started to panic when he saw that a terrorist had reached their level. He nced at Sophie, who was still doing the experiment, before whipping out his weapon. That was the weapon she had given him earlier. I guess this is inevitable! Arius then took out his phone and looked at it. I still can¡¯t make a call. All signals here have been blocked. After Arius kept his phone, the terrorist saw him in a white coat and said, ¡°Follow me. I¡¯m not going to hurt you!¡± The terrorist was tasked with kidnapping them, and he wouldn¡¯t know what his higher-ups would do afterward. In response, Arius shed a smile. Although I can¡¯t fight as well as Sophie can, I can still take down a terrorist! What makes him think I¡¯ll give up my life so easily? Does he take me for a joke? ¡°Come at me!¡± Arius gestured for the terrorist toe closer with his finger. I would rather die than get humiliated! That terrorist walked up to Arius with his gun. ¡°If you promise to y nice, I won¡¯t hurt you!¡± The terrorist¡¯s face was filled with murderous intent. I¡¯ll do whatever I was told, and that¡¯s to bring all these people in white coats back. The moment the terrorist got close enough, Arius got into a fight with him. Although Arius couldn¡¯t fight as well as Sophie could, he was still capable of defeating a terrorist. Shortly after, Arius had managed to take the terrorist¡¯s gun away. Arius could actually kill the terrorist with the gun, but that would attract the other terrorists. If the terrorists were to attack Arius at once, Arius could be in trouble. The terrorist couldn¡¯t help butugh when he saw that Arius didn¡¯t dare to pull the trigger. ¡°I knew you wouldn¡¯t dare to shoot me. What¡¯s the matter? Do you want to fight me one-on-one?¡± the terrorist asked haughtily. Obviously, the terrorist wasn¡¯t a saint. ¡°Oh? You want a challenge, don¡¯t you? Did you think I would be scared of you?¡± Arius smiled. Just like that, the two began to fight. Meanwhile, Tristan had arrived at the International Medical Association in a helicopter. He kept calling Arius and Sophie on the phone, but he couldn¡¯t get through to them. The International Medical Association had over a dozen buildings, so there was no way Tristan could find them in a short period of time. Hence, he called Felix and ordered, ¡°Give me Sophie¡¯s location. Quick!¡± When Felix heard how anxious Tristan sounded, he immediately instructed his men to find out Sophie¡¯s location. However, there was interference, so they were having trouble locating Sophie. Ten minutester, Tristan called again. ¡°What¡¯s the matter with you? All I wanted was a location. What¡¯s taking you so long?¡± ¡°Signals are being interfered with, so¡ª¡± Felix was also getting nervous, but he finally located Sophie in the next second. ¡°I¡¯m sending you Sophie¡¯s location now. You have to be careful!¡± Needless to say, they had to proceed with caution because those terrorists were ruthless. ¡°Okay. I know,¡± Tristan answered. Upon receiving Sophie¡¯s location, Tristan asked his subordinate to fly the helicopter while he grabbed the rope and descended. Chapter 826 Chapter 826 Sophie rposed herself and heightened her concentration when she heard the intense fighting soundsing from outside. I just need a while longer. Arius should be able to hold on until then, right? Arius, who hadn¡¯t had enough rest recently, was in trouble because a few more terrorists had arrived. ¡°F*ck!¡± Arius cursed. Why do I need to deal with this bullsh*t in Anndur? Still, I must guard the entrance of theboratory no matter what. Since I¡¯ve already promised Sophie that I would guard the entrance, I can¡¯t break my promise. However, he was already heavily injured, and he ended up crashing to the ground upon receiving a kick from a terrorist. Arius intended to rise to his feet once again because he wasn¡¯t giving up. He struggled with all his might, but he couldn¡¯t get back up on his feet. A terrorist then went over to him and stepped on his body. ¡°D*mn it!¡± Arius¡¯ face was contorted with pain. I¡¯m the best surgeon in the world, so I need my hands! If they injure my hands, I¡¯ll never get to operate again! Right when Arius was about to retract his hand, the terrorist instantly stomped on it. Arius was in so much pain that his face was turning pale. At this very moment, Tristan finally found them. When he saw what those terrorists were doing to Arius, he took aim and shot them down with a bullet each. Prior to that, Arius really thought that was the end for him. Hence, he was relieved when he saw the terrorists getting shot down one by one. Arius then forced himself to sit up, and that was when he saw Tristan. ¡°You¡¯re finally here!¡± Arius knew Tristan would surely appear to save Sophie. Tristan approached Arius and pulled the corpse on top of Arius¡¯ body aside. ¡°Are you all right? Where is Sophie? Where is she?¡± Tristan got worried because he didn¡¯t see Sophie around. ¡°She¡¯s inside. She said she could definitely beat the virus this time around, so she told me to guard the entrance for half an hour.¡± Arius nced at his watch. It¡¯s almost time. ¡°She should be out soon,¡± Arius added. True enough, the entrance to theboratory opened automatically, and Sophie was seen walking out. When she saw Tristan there, she went to hug him. ¡°Why are you here?¡± ¡°I got worried about you after I found out what happened here. Are you all right?¡± Tristan asked. ¡°I¡¯m fine. All right. Let¡¯s get out of here. It¡¯s not safe anymore.¡± Since the terrorists had already targeted the ce, the building could be destroyed at any moment.¡± They had to get out of there as soon as possible. ¡°Okay.¡± Tristan gave Sophie a gun while he was still holding the submachine gun he came in with. ¡°Are you all right, Arius?¡± Only then did Sophie bother to ask about Arius. ¡°What the f*ck? You¡¯re rather ungrateful, aren¡¯t you? You forgot about me the moment you saw Mr. Tristan! Didn¡¯t I guard the entrance for you? Can¡¯t you see I got heavily beaten up?¡± Arius grumbled. My handsome face is ruined! I can¡¯t even look at myself in the mirror now! ¡°That¡¯s enough. I think the terrorists are out to get us. We need to leave now!¡± Sophie said. ¡°How are we supposed to do that? The terrorists have the International Medical Association surrounded now. Besides, there are a lot of Anndurans who are kept in the dark out there. We can¡¯t get out!¡± Arius learned about the situation outside moments ago. Indeed, the situation had be veryplicated. Right then, Tristan gave Sophie a ck mask and said, ¡°Get rid of your white coat. The terrorists are after you and Arius.¡± Sophie and Arius yed a big role in the virus research, so the terrorists had since targeted them. ¡°Oh.¡± Although things weren¡¯t looking good, Sophie was still as cool as a cucumber. She took off her white coat and put on the mask to conceal her beautiful face. Arius saw what she did and followed suit. Well, no one seems to care about me now. I should just do whatever they¡¯re doing. By the time Tristan had brought the both of them to the rooftop, the terrorists had spotted them and chased after them. Arius heaved a sigh of relief when he saw the helicopter over his head. This is something only Mr. Tristan is capable of doing. Also, he¡¯s the only person who has the financial capability toe here with a helicopter. ¡°You should go up first!¡± Arius said to Sophie. After all, she was the only female there. ¡°As if!¡± Sophie wrapped the rope around Arius¡¯ waist and signaled the people in the helicopter to pull him up. ¡°You¡¯re only going to be a burden if you stay here,¡± Sophie said to Arius. Arius will slow us down! Just then, the terrorists had caught up to them, and Tristan stopped them by spraying bullets at the entrance to the rooftop with his submachine gun. That burst of fire sessfully stopped the terrorists in their tracks. ¡°What should we do now? The people Boss wants us to catch are on the rooftop. If we let them get away, we¡¯re doomed!¡± ¡°That submachine gun is too strong. We can¡¯t get up there. However, don¡¯t worry. There are only three of them, so we have the number advantage! Call for backup!¡± ¡°Go up to the helicopter. I¡¯ll cover you,¡± Tristan said to Sophie. We need to get out of here as quickly as we can. Otherwise, we¡¯ll be in trouble once the enemy¡¯s reinforcements arrive. Sophie nodded and watched the rope getting lowered once again before grabbing onto it and climbing upward. Arius looked down from the helicopter and smiled when he saw how good of a climber Sophie was. This content belongs to N?/velDra/ma.Org . Nevertheless, he shook his head in the end. Forget about it! Sophie had never been an ordinary woman. Suddenly, someone on the rooftop of the next building fired at the helicopter. Seeing that, Tristan rushed over, aimed at the person on the rooftop, and put a bullet through the person¡¯s head. Yet, the terrorists were outnumbering them. Right before a bullet could reach Sophie, she did a backflip in the air and dodged the bullet. After that, she quickly made her way up into the helicopter. At that moment, only Tristan was left on the rooftop. Sophie wasn¡¯t scared when she was dodging those bullets, but the moment she saw Tristan being alone on the rooftop, she got worried. ¡°What should we do now, Sophie? The enemy is outnumbering us, and Tristan is down there alone. I¡¯m worried¡­¡± Chapter 827 Chapter 827 ¡°It will be all right.¡± Sophie immediately shifted her position. From a vantage point, she pulled out a gun and fired at the people below. ¡°Stop battling, Tristan. Come up!¡± Sophie called out to the man who was still on the roof. Tristan looked up and knew that she would cover him. After firing a burst of shots at the adjacent rooftop, he immediately grabbed the rope and started climbing up. At this point, the terrorists were racing up the building. Sophie noticed them approaching and refused to let them endanger Tristan¡¯s life. She leveled her handgun at the intruders and fired without raising an eyebrow. Just as she realized her handgun was useless, Sophie turned around and saw a submachine gun. She grabbed the weapon, stood firm, and continued to provide cover fire for Tristan. The man was also very swift and efficient. Within a minute, he managed to climb to safety. Arius could finally breathe a sigh of relief. ¡°Great! Everyone is all right.¡± He was in the most precarious situation. How dare they beat me up like this, d*mn it. When I see the president of Anndur, I will definitely torture him mercilessly. They knew that we were with the International Medical Association, yet they still wouldn¡¯t allow anyone toe and help us. Isn¡¯t this tantamount to wanting us to die?¡± The terrorists started firing at the helicopter which Tristan and Sophie had boarded. Both of them were renowned sharpshooters, and these terrorists could not possibly be their match. ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± Tristan instructed the pilot, as it was not wise to continue fighting with them. Their opponents hade prepared. If they prolonged the battle, it would be difficult for them to escape once the enemy¡¯s reinforcements arrived. The pilot immediately maneuvered the helicopter upwards, but after ascending only a hundred meters or so, he felt that something was amiss. ¡°Mr. Tristan, something¡¯s not right. The helicopter seems faulty.¡± It was unclear when the helicopter was damaged by the continuous barrage of bullets earlier. ¡°What do you mean?¡± Arius questioned with a grim expression. They had just managed to escape, and now something unfortunate was happening! The passengers on the helicopter soon felt the turbulence. Tristan walked over and instructed, ¡°Step aside! I¡¯ll take over the controls.¡± Even if the helicopter had malfunctioned, they had to find the nearest ce tond. If they continued like this, the people in the helicopter would be doomed. The pilot did as he was told, allowing Tristan to navigate the helicopter. ¡°Sophie, do you think we might not make it back this time?¡± Tristan had just returned to Chanaea and hadn¡¯t had a chance to make his mark in the country yet! He could not believe something like this would happen. Sophie remained silent and merely nced at him. While Tristan took over the controls of the helicopter, Sophie remained vignt and guarded against the terrorists below. Seeing that someone was still trying to attack them, Sophie¡¯s submachine gun once again fired a volley. After leaving the airspace at International Medical Association, Tristan tried to find a suitable location to land. Meanwhile, the president¡¯s men arrived at the International Medical Association and found the ce was already a mess. ¡°Mr. President, what should we do?¡± The men had pinned their hopes on the International Medical Association. When they realized the targets were missing, they wondered how to exin to the Anndurans. ¡°Send someone immediately to find them. Now that Sophie and Arius are gone, Barney probably won¡¯t help us anymore.¡± He naturally had to be ruthless to reach his current position. However, at this moment, he didn¡¯t know what to do. ¡°Okay, we will send someone to look for them.¡± At this very moment, members of the terrorist organization held on to photos of Sophie and Arius and went in search of them. If they sessfully caught the duo, they could lead a carefree life from then on; they could do whatever they want! As soon as Tristan found a suitablending spot, he promptlynded the helicopter. Fortunately, everyone made it out of the helicopter before it exploded. When the helicopter went up in mes, Tristan threw himself over Sophie to protect her from any harm. He even covered her ears with his hands to shield her from the loud explosion. Sophie felt difort as her ears rang after the st. However, she was moved when she realized Tristan was leaning on her so he could use his own body to defend her. She then determined that if the man desired her life, she would offer it to him because he was willing to give his life for her. The helicopter was still burning as Arius struggled to get up. He couldn¡¯t believe what kind of life he had been living. I haven¡¯t even gotten married! Will I end up dying here? Arius felt even more hopeless when he saw the pilot had already passed out. Tristan climbed off of Sophie and checked her all over before finally rxing. ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± the woman assured him, knowing he was worried about her. Tristan hugged her tightly. ¡°Good, all that matters is that you are all right. Let¡¯s go! Those people are after the two of you. We need to leave here quickly.¡± Their pursuers were relentless, and since their helicopter had exploded, the enemy would definitely be able to track them down. ¡°What about him? He¡¯s passed out!¡± Arius could not bear to abandon the unconscious pilot who had journeyed with them. Tristan frowned as he could not believe the pilot would pass out in such a critical situation. ¡°Hide him, and we¡¯ll have someonee and pick him up after we leave.¡± They had no way to contact the outside world at the moment, and taking the pilot with them would only put him in more danger. This content belongs to N?/velDra/ma.Org . ¡°Okay,¡± Sophie said in agreement. She trusted Tristan¡¯s judgment, as his decisions were always right. ¡°All right, I¡¯m on it.¡± Arius begrudgingly picked up the pilot and found a hiding spot for him. Since the terrorists were after them, the three of them immediately headed down the mountain after hiding the pilot. They were in a primitive forest in Anndur, and all kinds of fierce beasts could be found there. After walking only a few steps, Arius froze in ce. It seemed like he had stepped on the creature he hated the most. He looked down and immediately closed his eyes. ¡°Sophie, help! I¡¯m done for. I¡¯m really going to die this time!¡± This was the most poisonous cobra in the world, and it was spitting venom at him. Tristan immediately went to Arius, grabbed the cobra by the neck, and threw it far away. Arius tried to gather hisposure and speak up, hoping to rid himself of the embarrassment. But as he looked up to meet Tristan¡¯s gaze, he found himself unable to utter a single word, feeling awkward and helpless. Chapter 828 Chapter 828 Feeling skeptical about Arius¡¯ courage, Tristanmanded, ¡°All right, get to the back. I¡¯ll clear the way.¡± Arius cleared his throat, but in the end, he didn¡¯t say anything. At this point, it seemed that anything he said would be superfluous. ? N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved. Just as Arius was about to head to the back to cover them, he saw Sophie¡¯s suspicious gaze. ¡°Sophie,e to the middle! I¡¯ll cover the back.¡± Regardless, Sophie was a girl; he could not let her cover the back! However, the woman shook her head. ¡°You should stay in the middle! You are now considered a patient, and we must protect you.¡± Sophie still had the virus analysis file in her hands, and she had already figured out everything. Now all she needed to do was to get out of there, and she would be able to control the virus this time. Arius knew she said that to save face for him, so he had no choice but to continue walking in the middle. The route down the mountain was challenging because it was a primitive forest, and there were no roads at all. Meanwhile, the terrorists had been chasing them, and a helicopter had been hovering overhead the whole time, trying to find their location. The journey was extremely treacherous; Tristan and Sophie took turns saving him from danger. Among the three, Arius was the most disheveled one. He was a little speechless at how things ended up. He had not eaten lunch since noon, and now he was starving; he did not have the energy to go any further. ¡°Why don¡¯t you two go first? After you get out, have someone fly a helicopter here to pick me up,¡± Arius suggested. The man sat down on the ground, unable to walk any longer. Sophie frowned at hisck of physical fitness. ¡°I asked you to go to training camp thest time, but you declined. Have you now learned your lesson?¡± she chastised. ¡°Sophie, please get your facts right. I¡¯m a doctor! Why would I need to go to a training camp?¡± Arius continued to lie on the ground. All he wanted was to rest; he would deal with everything elseter. ¡°There are poisonous snakes and ferocious beasts here. Are you sure you want to stay here alone?¡± There was no way to stop him from courting death if he wanted to. ¡°But I really can¡¯t walk anymore!¡± Arius said weakly. If he kept running like this, he would run himself to death sooner orter. ¡°Let¡¯s go! Don¡¯t worry about him. If he wants to die, we can¡¯t stop him.¡± Tristan did not want to deal with the man. Sophie frowned as she could not bear to leave Arius alone. Even though she was a girl, she was not as delicate as he was. ¡°Get up quickly. Stop acting so meekly like a woman.¡± ¡°Sophie, you are out of my league!¡± Ariusmented. Suddenly, Tristan heard the sound of beasts. Two fierce beasts, to be exact. ¡°D*mn it!¡± Although they had weapons, they would surely attract the attention of the terrorists who were looking for them if they used them now. Sophie turned to face Tristan after hearing it as well. He hurled a de at her, which she grabbed. They knew they could not use guns in this situation. Hence, they could only deal with the two beasts barehanded. Even Arius, slow as he was, finally realized that something was wrong. As soon as he got up from the ground, he saw the two beasts. ¡°Oh, f*ck!¡± He couldn¡¯t help but curse as he pondered if they were about to perish. ¡°Climb up a tree!¡± Sophie instructed Arius. Thetter did not have the strength to fight, and staying below would only cause them more trouble. ¡°Sophie!¡± Arius swallowed his saliva. All these years, he had experienced multiple life-threatening scenarios. However, his legs were still weakened when he saw the two fierce beasts. Sophie cast a sidelong nce at him, angered by his tardiness in doing what he was told. Seeing the disdainful expression on her face, Arius felt defeated. Yet, there was nothing he could do! ¡°My legs are weak!¡± hemented. Right then, Sophie did not have time to deal with him anymore. Instead, she turned her attention to one of the beasts. She could not leave Tristan to fight with both beasts alone because it was too dangerous. Simrly, Tristan knew he could not defeat both beasts by himself. So, he had to quickly take care of his own beast first so that he could help Sophie. His movements were very swift; they relied on the danger in his hand to battle the beasts. Arius felt useless as he watched Tristan and Sophie put up a fierce fight. In the end, he could only do what little he could to help by climbing up the tree. He vowed not to cause them any more trouble. The wild beasts in the primitive forest were extremely ferocious. Looking at their white, sharp teeth, it was clear that they wanted to eat them alive. Tristan¡¯s movements were very swift as he rushed to the side of the beast, jumped on its back, and then rode on it. The beast kept shaking its body, hoping to throw Tristan off. While Tristan struggled to maintain on the beast¡¯s back, he stabbed it repeatedly with his dagger. The beast let out an angry roar. On Sophie¡¯s end, the other beast was also attacking her. However, she was agile and dodged its attacks. She also had a dagger in her hand, but at this moment, one dagger was not enough to kill the beast. Hence, she kept looking for an opportunity. Arius felt his breath stop as he saw, from the tree, the beast preparing to attack Sophie. ¡°Sophie, be careful!¡± he warned. If she were bitten by this beast, her hand would be crippled. Sophie dodged the beast¡¯s attack once again as if she were teasing it. The beast understood her intentions and became even more angry, attacking with even more ferocity. As the beast charged toward her, the woman dodged nimbly. As a result, the beast charged straight into arge tree. Arius nearly burst outughing when he saw the collision. The beast had knocked itself out. Meanwhile, Tristan had found the beast¡¯s weak spot. Without hesitation, he stabbed it and then jumped down from the beast¡¯s back. At this point, the beast lost its ability to fight back. Tristan came to Sophie¡¯s side and saw that the beast that attacked her had fainted. He could not help but twitch his mouth. Sophie grabbed Tristan¡¯s hand and asked, ¡°Are you all right?¡± She didn¡¯t collide head-on with the beast, so she didn¡¯t get many injuries; moreover, the beast was a little foolish. Arius jumped down from the tree and remarked, ¡°To be honest, Sophie, only someone like Tristan can hold you down. Other men would probably be scared to death when they see you like this!¡± Chapter 829 Chapter 829 Sophie shot Arius a dirty look. ¡°Stop your nonsense! You would have ended up in the beasts¡¯ stomach long ago if it weren¡¯t for Tristan and me.¡± How dare he says I¡¯m fierce? ¡°Well, let¡¯s just ignore him. Let it be if he wants to stay behind. We don¡¯t have to be here with him.¡± Following the fight with the beasts, he was sweaty and felt ufortable since he had mild germaphobia. His only wish was to leave this ce as soon as possible. After everything they went through, Arius knew he had to leave with them despite having no strength. He didn¡¯t want to die yet as he hadn¡¯t enjoyed life enough. None of them said anything on their way down. Not long after they left, the terrorists caught up. Just then, the beast that knocked into the tree had awakened. When it saw people approaching, it leaped and wanted to attack. The people from the terrorist organization shot the beast immediately, causing it to no longer be able to stand up. ¡°Quick! It seems like they haven¡¯t gone far. We can catch up with them,¡± the person leading the terrorists said. ¡°Got it! Let¡¯s move!¡± A whole group of several dozen of people promptly followed after the man. The trio knew the terrorists were approaching them as soon as the gunshot sounded. ¡°No! They are catching up to us!¡± With the terrorists chasing after them, it depleted their energy. Arius asked, ¡°What should we do now?¡± They didn¡¯t have enough gun power to face off with them. ¡°Hurry up! Move!¡± Now, the only choice left was to avoid the terrorists. Despite being the impressive fighters they are, he and Sophie could not guarantee to win the battle if it wasn¡¯t a closebat but an open-fire battle. ¡°I agree. Let¡¯s move! Arius, you should walk in front.¡± This time, Sophie allowed Arius to walk before them as she didn¡¯t want him to be injured. ¡°Sophie, you¡ª¡± Arius felt pathetic as he needed protection from a girl. ¡°Be careful, okay? Don¡¯t get hurt. The other party has many people, and things might get out of hand.¡± Arius bobbed his head in response. ¡°Don¡¯t worry too much about me! You two should take care of yourselves.¡± Arius didn¡¯t want to be a burden to them. Then, the three of them quickened their steps. Just then, a helicopter appeared and approached them. This time, it was Nichs¡¯ helicopter. After finding out Sophie was here, he immediately brought some people with him to rescue her. No matter what it took, he was set on making sure Sophie was safe and sound. However, they were in mid-air in a primitive forest. It was not an easy task to locate Sophie. Butterfly was in the helicopter too. She had been trying her best to locate Sophie but to no avail. Nichs looked at Butterfly skeptically. ¡°Are you sure you can do it? Didn¡¯t you say you could find Sophie? What¡¯s going on now?¡± In response, Butterfly nced at him and replied, ¡°Please keep quiet, Nichs. Do you think I¡¯m not worried? Sophie is my best friend!¡± She was working hard to locate Sophie. At that moment, the helicopter of the terrorist organization came toward them and began to attack. ¡°D*mn it! These people must have a death wish! How dare they attack me?¡± Already in a bad mood, Nichs immediately began his counterattack. The Sable family had been in Anndur for a long time. Clearly, they had strong firepower. Soon, the helicopter that attacked them was destroyed. ¡°Someone¡¯sing for us,¡± Tristan said as soon as he heard the sound. Although he didn¡¯t know who hade, there were sounds of fighting in the sky. ¡°Mhm!¡± Sophie hummed in response. ¡°The most crucial thing now is to let them know where we are.¡± Tristan expressed the importance of this while trying toe up with something. C0ntent ? 2024 (N/?)velDrama.Org. ¡°Let¡¯s keep moving for now!¡± Although someone hade to assist them, there were many terrorists. Therefore, the only thing they could do now was to protect themselves. As for the rest, they could make nster on. Seeing the destroyed helicopter, Butterfly gave Nichs a thumbs up. ¡°You have great marksmanship, Nichs! You¡¯re on par with Sophie!¡± ¡°Of course! This is nothing.¡± Although these people had always looked down on him, he achieved his position through his capability. ¡°Great! I¡¯ve found her. She¡¯s right there.¡± Butterfly finally breathed a sigh of relief when theputer disyed Sophie¡¯s location. As soon as Nichs heard that, he ordered the pilot to fly the helicopter over as he wanted to see Sophie at once. Meanwhile, Sophie and the others were about to reach the bottom of the mountain. At that moment, the terrorists caught up with them. They only had two submachine guns with them. It seemed like they were likely to be captured by the terrorists this time. ¡°Since our backups are here, let¡¯s take them head-on!¡± They must know where to find us since they have located us. Sophie nodded in response, agreeing to Tristan¡¯s words. Then, Tristan and Sophie found a suitable ce to take cover. With only two submachine guns left, Arius could only hide. Once the terrorists entered the zone, Tristan gestured for Sophie to take action. Soon, the two worked seamlessly to kill their enemies. One by one, the terrorists copsed to the ground. ¡°Retreat!¡± Clearly, they were ambushed here, so naturally, they couldn¡¯t move forward rashly. However, it was too late, and Tristan and Sophie shot them down mercilessly. Very soon, they took down several dozens of them. On the other hand, Nichs became even more anxious after he heard the sound of the gunshots. More than a dozen of terrorists retreated. Seeing their opponent¡¯s powerful firepower, they knew they would die if they acted without a n. Therefore, they were at a loss. ¡°Boss, what should we do now?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll leave behind half the group with you, and I¡¯ll bring a few people with me to go behind and surround them. There are only three of them. They are no match for us.¡± ¡°Okay, Boss. Please go ahead! I¡¯ll take care of everything here!¡± There was no movement for a long time. Noticing the strange situation, Tristan and Sophie nced at each other and knew what their opponents were scheming. So, you¡¯re nning to outnk us? Let¡¯s see if you can do it. With no weapons on him, Arius was tensed even when he breathed. He had been living afortable life with the International Medical Association for many years and never thought life would be so thrilling. Just then, Sophie and Tristan reunited. They stood back to back as this position was perfect for shooting, and they could cover themselves too. Tristan held Sophie¡¯s hand and said, ¡°We¡¯ll definitely leave this ce safely!¡± Chapter 830 Chapter 830 The terrorists arrived and ended their conversation by starting an intense gunfight in the forest. Tristan and Sophie were naturallypatible and worked in sync. If they had enough bullets, there was no way the terrorists could defeat them. However, to their dismay, they ran out of ammunition. ¡°You said they wanted to hold me captive, right?¡± Sophie asked Tristan, who was behind her. ¡°Mhm.¡± At that point, only one bullet was left in Tristan¡¯s machine gun. They were done if the terrorists launched another round of attacks. ¡°Then I¡¯ll go. I¡¯m curious why they want to catch me.¡± Hearing that, Tristan quickly held her hand to stop her. ¡°No, I¡¯ll never let them take you in this situation. Hold on a little longer. We only need to hold out until someonees for us.¡± Tristan¡­¡± Sophie was all too clear that he was exhausted to the core at that point and wanted him to rest. ¡°I¡¯ll be fine. You have to trust me, all right?¡± ¡°Yeah, I know.¡± Not giving them time to consider, the terrorists abruptlyunched another round of attacks. Thest bullet was used up, and their enemy would not give them a chance to fight hand-to-hand. With no choice, Sophie and Tristan put their hands up in the air and walked out of their cover. One of the terrorists¡¯ anger sparked when he saw the two who killed hisrades and wanted revenge. However, Tristan gave him a hard kick before he could approach Sophie. ¡°Stay away from her!¡± ¡°You¡­ You¡¯re quite tough, aren¡¯t you? Very well! Let me teach you a lesson, you Chanaean man!¡± The person who spoke was a man with blond hair and blue eyes. Moving his wrist, he had always thought Chanaeans to be weak. Sophie stopped Tristan to prevent escting the situation. They were surrounded by terrorists loaded with guns. A moment of rash action could cost them their lives. Tristan gave her a reassuring look. Since the other party wanted to fight hand-to-hand, he would not give up this opportunity. This was their opportunity. If they could snatch their opponent¡¯s machine gun, these people would not be able to live to see tomorrow. As expected, Tristan effortlessly knocked down the man. ¡°That¡¯s enough. We¡¯re here today only for one objective. That is to bring these two back with us.¡± Dissatisfied with his own performance, the man who got beaten to the ground was reluctant to ept the reality. Just then, Tristan saw Nichs approaching with a group and thought it was the perfect chance. He snatched the submachine gun of the man on his left and began to fire at the terrorists. Sophie, too, seized the opportunity and grabbed a submachine gun. Her marksmanship was on par with Tristan¡¯s,unching fast and urate movements. Nichs came over with his group and surrounded the terrorists. After seeing Sophie and Tristan in the crowd, he turned to say to his subordinates, ¡°Don¡¯t hurt the girl, or I¡¯ll make you pay with your life.¡± He had left everything behind and rushed here to save Sophie. As for Tristan, it wouldn¡¯t be bad for him to die here. Butterfly came with the group as well. After hearing what Tristan said, she couldn¡¯t help but roll her eyes. ¡°Nichs, if anything happens to Tristan, Sophie will not let you off. If I were you, I¡¯ll have a fair competition with Tristan and not y dirty tricks.¡± Nichs was rendered speechless by her words. Sophie would never give me a chance. How can there be any fair y? Besides, he¡¯s not a good person. Why should I have a fairpetition with him? Butterfly closely monitored Nichs¡¯ actions. She knew he hated Tristan and wanted to make sure he didn¡¯t make a silly mistake at this point. After all, he saved my life. Despite being a nut job, he¡¯s not an evil person. Soon, all the terrorists were wiped out by them. In the end, Nichs suppressed his urge to y dirty. Sophie and Tristan stood back to back without giving them any chance to counterattack. As soon as Butterfly saw all the terrorists were taken out, she immediately ran toward Sophie and wrapped her arms around thetter. ¡°Sophie, are you all right? How are you feeling?¡± In response, Sophie patted Butterfly on the shoulder and replied, ¡°I¡¯m fine. Let¡¯s go!¡± They needed to leave promptly to avoid being followed by another group of terrorists as they were drained of all energy. At that moment, Arius came out from his hiding ce. Butterfly¡¯s lips twitched when she saw him. ¡°Why are you here? I thought you were dead! How can you hide in such a dangerous situation?¡± Arius remained silent as he wasn¡¯t in the mood to say anything. With no strength left, he leaned against Butterfly. ¡°What are you doing? I¡¯m telling you, Arius! I have no feelings for you, you¡ª¡± Hearing that, Arius rolled his eyes at her. ¡°Don¡¯t worry! I have no feelings for you too. I¡¯m exhausted, starving, and need some support.¡± Seeing how pale he looked, Butterfly had no choice but to help him to the helicopter. Arius got into the helicopter first, followed by Butterfly, Sophie, and finally, Nichs. After getting into the helicopter, Nichs told the pilot. ¡°Let¡¯s go! He¡¯s noting with us.¡± Knowing Tristan¡¯s personality, Nichs said that on purpose to anger him, wishing he wouldn¡¯t board the helicopter. ¡°That¡¯s enough, Nichs! We¡¯re getting chased down now,¡± Butterfly chimed in. We¡¯re here to rescue them, so why is he doing this when we¡¯ve found them? Sophie shot Nichs a re. ¡°If that¡¯s the case, I¡¯ll stay behind too.¡± Sophie wasn¡¯t one to beg. Since Nichs didn¡¯t allow Tristan to come with them, Sophie wanted to get down. ¡°I¡ª¡± Nichs felt utterly depressed. The feeling of being unable to go against anything a girl said was terrible. ¡°All right. Hop in!¡± ¡°No, thank you,¡± Tristan said smugly. Everyone looked at him in disbelief. ¡°Unless you beg me!¡± Tristan spat coldly. ¡°F*ck you!¡± ConTEent bel0ngs to N?v(e)lD/rama(.)Org . Nichs was truly enraged. This man is pushing his luck! I¡¯m here for Sophie. How dare he act all prideful? ¡°Get in, Tristan! We need to leave now!¡± They still had many things to deal with and couldn¡¯t bear to waste another second here. Moreover, he had run out of stamina and needed some rest urgently. Under Sophie¡¯s gaze, Tristan hopped into the helicopter without saying another word. Meanwhile, Nichs red at Tristan, wishing he could kill thetter. Chapter 831 Chapter 831 The look on Nichs¡¯ face almost caused Butterfly to burst out inughter. It turns out that Nichs is just a paper tiger in front of Sophie. As the pilot flew the helicopter away, the terrorists¡¯ helicopter pursued them with the intention of engaging them in a dogfight. C0ntent ? 2024 (N/?)velDrama.Org. A grim expression descended upon Nichs¡¯ face as he snarled, ¡°D*mn it. These guys have no respect for me at all. Don¡¯t they know what this ce is?¡± Furthermore, the Sable family crest was emzoned across the helicopter. ¡°Why are you so worked up about it, Nichs? These guys are vicious. They don¡¯t give a d*mn who you are!¡± In reality, Nichs¡¯ name didn¡¯t carry much weight in Anndur. At the same time, Arius, too, was amused by Butterfly¡¯s words. She¡¯s such a brazen gal! Can¡¯t she see how Nichs is already fuming? Just like Arius, Butterfly knew that Nichs would nevery a finger on them simply because they were Sophie¡¯s close friends. As a result, they had nothing to fear from him. It was true that Nichs wasn¡¯t going to hold Butterfly ountable, as Sophie was sitting right in front of them. To kill Butterfly at that moment would be to upset Sophie. Grabbing a machine gun, he fired a barrage of bullets at the approaching helicopter to keep it at bay. Soon, their helicopter managed to break through the encirclement and fly back to the Sable residence. When Javier saw that Sophie had arrived, he was lost for words, for there was truly nothing to say. Hence, he remained upstairs instead of going down to wee them. Given his strained rtionship with Sophie, it would be awkward to see her face to face. ¡°Sophie, I hope you don¡¯t mind resting here. It¡¯s much safer herepared to the ongoing chaos outside.¡± Nichs had assumed his ce was absolutely safe until the terrorists disregarded his family crest and attacked their helicopter. Only then did he take on a humbler tone. ¡°Mm-hmm.¡± Sophie didn¡¯t mind taking a break there. ¡°Tristan, you¡¯re not wee here. Now that you¡¯re safe, you can go.¡± Nichs was naturally jealous of his romantic rival and found him to be an eyesore. ¡°I¡¯ll be by Sophie¡¯s side wherever she is,¡± Tristan snapped, ignoring Nichs¡¯ show of displeasure. He can fume all he wants, but it has nothing to do with me. ¡°Tristan, we¡¯re in my territory, so¡ª¡± ¡°So what if it is?¡± Do you think I¡¯m afraid? ¡°Nichs, if you don¡¯t like us being here, we can leave. I¡¯m in no mood to listen to your meaningless comints.¡± It¡¯s not like we have no choice but to be here. Nichs scratched his nose awkwardly as he protested, ¡°Why do you have to keep scolding me, Sophie? What have I done wrong? I have just risked my life to rescue all of you!¡± He felt aggrieved by her attitude. Didn¡¯t I promise her that I¡¯ll see a psychologist? She had agreed to give me a chance in return. So why does she keep treating me this way? Butterfly nodded as she protested on Nichs¡¯ behalf, ¡°Nichs insisted on rescuing you despite being wounded, Sophie. Why don¡¯t you just let it slide?¡± It was clear to Butterfly that Nichs¡¯ feelings for Sophie were so strong that he was willing to sacrifice his life for her. Meanwhile, Richard sent someone over with food. After gathering around, the famished Arius wolfed down his food while Tristan barely touched it. The sight of Nichs had caused him to lose his appetite. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Do you not like the food?¡± Sophie inquired when she noticed him fiddling with his food. Since they were in Nichs¡¯ territory, they had no choice but to make do. ¡°I¡¯m not really hungry,¡± Tristan tly replied. Sophie held his hand as she reassured him, ¡°We won¡¯t stay here too long and will be leaving soon.¡± Cognizant that he was ufortable staying at Nichs¡¯ ce, she had no choice but tofort him. ¡°I¡¯m fine. I¡¯m not that petty. Besides, as I¡¯m the person who has your affection, I have already won.¡± The more reason for me not to be angry. Sophie broke into a smile as she remarked, ¡°I¡¯m d to hear that.¡± Although she saw the matter as a trivial one, she still had to take his feelings into consideration. After the meal, Nichs assigned them their rooms so that they could shower and change. All of them subsequently went off to wash up, as they could no longer bear the stench on their bodies after the long day. Sophie, too, didn¡¯t think too much about it. She subsequently emerged after taking a bath and getting a fresh change of clothes. Well aware that Javier was in the mansion, she took the initiative to see him. Javier, expecting the visit, didn¡¯t stop her from visiting. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect you to have the gall to show your face here,¡± Javier snapped, for she was the person who killed Alex. In her amusement, Sophie retorted, ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t I? Am I a coward in your eyes?¡± Alex died because he deserved it. ¡°Aren¡¯t you afraid that I¡¯ll kill you?¡± Javier whipped out a gun and pointed it right between her eyes. ¡°You wouldn¡¯t dare!¡± He doesn¡¯t have the courage to do it with Tristan and Nichs in the mansion. ¡°You really are confident in yourself.¡± Javier resented Sophie¡¯s attitude, for it made him feel like he was predictable and that he was powerless against her. ¡°In that case, what are you doing here? Are you here just to challenge my authority?¡± I don¡¯t think she¡¯s that silly. ¡°No. I just want to inform you that Nichs has agreed to see a psychologist. I feel that you should find him a good one.¡± Being obsessive is a form of mental illness, and Nichs¡¯ condition is extremely grave. If he doesn¡¯t get treatment soon, the consequences will be unpredictable. ¡°All right. I understand,¡± Javier concurred as he, too, had hoped for the same. Now that his son had agreed to it, he would naturally make the arrangements. ¡°There¡¯s nothing else I have to say other than remind you that you owe me.¡± Nichs isn¡¯t someone who would listen to just about anybody. ¡°Do you think Nichs would¡¯ve turned out that way if it wasn¡¯t for you? Isn¡¯t it too much to expect me to thank you?¡± ¡°I disagree. I have nevere onto your son. It was he who pursued me of his own volition,¡± Sophie asserted. Her confidence was built on the truth. After all, she clearly had no hand in how Nichs turned out. Chapter 832 Chapter 832 ¡°On top of that, you don¡¯t have to worry about me getting involved with him in any way,¡± Sophie dered. Once she had said her piece, she strode out of Javier¡¯s study. The moment she left, Nichs emerged from the shadows, eliciting a sigh from Javier. ¡°What¡¯s your goal in getting me to hear those words? Didn¡¯t I already tell you? Stop wasting your time!¡± At that moment, sorrow was the only thing Nichs felt. Nothing else really mattered, for what Sophie said was true. ¡°Nichs, why are you such a failure? Didn¡¯t she make herself clear? She has no feelings for you at all. In that case, you should do what¡¯s necessary. Now that you have a golden opportunity, do you still need me to remind you of it?¡± Tristan never had the intention of letting Nichs go. Now that the former was here in their home, killing Tristan would be extremely easy. ¡°I don¡¯t want Sophie to hate me.¡± He obviously knew that this was the best chance he had but couldn¡¯t bear the lifelong burden of Sophie¡¯s animosity. Javier inhaled a deep breath. ¡°Nichs, are you really my son? Since when do I have such a failure like you as my son?¡± He has forsaken his family on the ount of love. Nichs remained silent, for it was a question he didn¡¯t have the answer to. ¡°Let me remind you again that this is as close as you would evere to killing him. If you let him go, he might not return the favor next time.¡± They had no illusions as to how ruthless Tristan was. ¡°If I die in his hands, I¡¯ll dly ept my fate.¡± No matter what, he wasn¡¯t going to kill Tristan in front of Sophie. Meanwhile, Sophie went to see Tristan in his room. ¡°I¡¯ve ordered someone to pick us up.¡± It wasn¡¯t safe for them to continue lingering in Nichs¡¯ territory. If thetter harbored any hostile intentions, they would be put in an extremely precarious position. Sophie nodded in agreement. ¡°Got it.¡± It¡¯s true that staying back isn¡¯t a good idea. She was then pulled into Tristan¡¯s embrace. ¡°What¡¯s on your mind?¡± ¡°I was just thinking about everything that happened recently,¡± Sophie answered, as exhaustion caused her to lean into his embrace. ¡°Now¡¯s not the time for that. You should get some sleep instead.¡± She hasn¡¯t gotten any rest during her time at International Medical Association. After all that has happened today, she must be exhausted. ¡°No, I can rest when I¡¯m home.¡± Truth be told, she didn¡¯t fully trust Nichs still. Given that thetter never stopped finding ways to kill Tristan, there was no way she could sleep at a time like this. ¡°Sure.¡± Tristan didn¡¯t want to pressure her. After all, his men were arriving soon, and she could have all the rest she needed when they were home. Meanwhile, even after Marcus¡¯ menbed the primeval forest, they failed to locate Sophie and her companions. C0ntent ? 2024 (N/?)velDrama.Org. After Barney learned about the shootout in the forest, his expression drastically changed. ¡°Dr. Smith, as you can see, the men I¡¯ve sent were unable to locate them. Now that chaos reigns across Anndur, you have to step forward and take charge.¡± Marcus had run out of ideas. Barney took a deep breath before replying, ¡°I understand.¡± There was no way he could ignore the devastation created by the virus. Yet he still couldn¡¯t ept the fact that Sophie and Arius lost their lives just like that. ¡°Dr. Smith, now that the nation is in crisis, we have no choice but to let go of the past. Our current priority is to work hard to solve the problem that lies before us.¡± Barney remained silent, as he still couldn¡¯t take his mind off Arius and Sophie. However, the attackers were terrorists, and there was a huge number of them. Just the thought of those two losing their lives saddened him. All this wouldn¡¯t have happened if I didn¡¯t ask them toe with me. Both of them were still so young, and their future path was paved with limitless possibilities. While Barney was mired in self-loathing, his phone rang from an unknown number. Arius¡¯ voice rang out the moment he answered. ¡°Dr. Smith, it¡¯s me. Don¡¯t worry. Sophie and I are fine, and we¡¯ll be back very soon. On top of that, Sophie has found out the reason for the virus¡¯ mutation and is confident of finding a cure for it very soon.¡± Cognizant that Barney would be worried, Arius found a phone to give his mentor a call. ¡°Arius, are you really all right?¡± Hearing Arius¡¯ voice felt like a surreal experience for Barney. ¡°Mmm-hmm, don¡¯t worry. We¡¯re perfectly fine!¡± After exchanging a few more words, Barney headed to his temporaryb and returned to his work. Thank God they¡¯re all right. Upon ending the call, Arius was given a fright when he turned around to see Butterfly appear out of nowhere. ¡°What are you doing? You almost scared me to death, standing behind me silently like that.¡± ¡°What¡¯s there to be afraid of if your conscience is clear?¡± What a strange man. Why is he so worked up when we have escaped from the jaws of death together? ¡°I¡¯m not afraid of anything.¡± He has turned out this way simply because he¡¯s just too kind. ¡°By the way, we¡¯ll be leaving soon. Are youing with us?¡± Arius asked Butterfly. ¡°Yes, I am.¡± Even though Nichs had saved her life, there was no point in her staying back, as they were not on the same side. Soon, Tristan¡¯s men came to pick them up. Knowledge of their departure quickly upset Nichs. ¡°Sophie, why can¡¯t you stay one night before leaving?¡± What do the lives of all those people have anything to do with us? Is it necessary to sacrifice so much for them? No matter what, he refused to let Sophie leave. His objections caused Sophie to stop in her tracks. ¡°Nichs, our values diverge from each other. It¡¯s very difficult for me to exin what I¡¯m doing.¡± Since she failed the first time, she felt that repeating herself was nothing but a waste of time. ¡°That said, I¡¯m truly grateful to you for rescuing us.¡± She would never forget that she owed him her life despite the bad blood. ¡°In that case, why don¡¯t Ie with you?¡± Since she¡¯s unwilling to stay, I¡¯m sure I can go with her. ¡°How can you do that with your wounds? Besides, didn¡¯t you agree to see a psychologist?¡± Nichs would be a lot more useful if he could keep his emotions in check. ¡°I don¡¯t care. I just want to be by your side.¡± He couldn¡¯t be bothered with the Sable family anymore. Chapter 833 Chapter 833 Richard came forward at once. ¡°Boss, the Sable family¡ª¡± A grim look descended upon Nichs¡¯ face. I really want to be by Sophie¡¯s side. So what if she loves another? All that matters is that I can keep her safe! The Sable family couldn¡¯t afford to lose its head, Nichs, at a time like this. ¡°Nichs, I remember what I promised you. Therefore, once you see the psychologist, I¡¯ll treat you to dinner.¡± That was his reward for saving them this time. In the end, Nichs escorted them out reluctantly. He had no idea if Sophie was telling the truth, as she had always been merciless to him. Nevertheless, as the head of the Sable family, it was his responsibility to protect the family at a time when Anndur had fallen into chaos. ¡°What about Butterfly¡ª¡± Richard wanted to rify if the hostage was allowed to leave. ¡°Let her go!¡± With Butterfly at Sophie¡¯s side, there would be one more person to keep thetter safe, putting his mind at ease. Subsequently, Richard didn¡¯t dare say another word considering the foul mood Nichs was in. The sight of Nichs staying back to take charge of the Sable family elicited a sigh of relief from Javier. ¡°Son, I know I have failed you all these years. Once the crisis is over, I¡¯ll support you in whatever you want to do. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll be satisfied this way, won¡¯t you?¡± He was well aware of how much Nichs liked Sophie, but current circumstances had tied their hands. As for Nichs, he was surprised to hear his father soften his stance for the very first time. ¡°All right. I¡¯ll go and see the psychologist. If I no longer have feelings for her once I¡¯m cured, I won¡¯t see her anymore.¡± However, if my feelings remain the same after treatment, no one is going to get in my way. ¡°Richard, stay close to him and keep him safe.¡± The situation in Anndur was extremely dangerous due to the ongoing power struggle. Nodding, Richard reassured Javier, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Old Mr. Sable. I¡¯ll definitely protect Mr. Sable.¡± Nichs was everything to Javier. There was no way he was going to allow any harm toe to the former. The current chaos made Javier feel anxious because the virus incident would result in a massive reshuffle of power in Anndur. Amidst the upheaval, it was imperative for the Sable family to survive. Nichs was their only hope now that Javier was too old to lead the family. Once the group got into the car and traveled through Anndur¡¯s streets, they could see different factions on it. Hence, the general public stayed at home, as no one dared to step out into the streets. They were worried about losing their lives if they weren¡¯t careful. Consequently, the sight before Butterfly triggered a sigh from her. ¡°I never expected the mighty Anndur to fall into such a state.¡± It was a truly unbelievable sight. ¡°That¡¯s right!¡± Having spent many years living there, Arius had never seen such pandemonium within the country. Once prosperity was gone, misery was all that was left. Soon, their car arrived at Tristan¡¯s mansion, where they nned to stay the night before meeting with Barney. ¡°The terrorists are looking for you and Arius, but both of you will be safe here, as I have gathered everyone avable.¡± If the terrorist were to attack us, we could also go all out to wipe them out. ¡°Hmm, why don¡¯t we get Anndur¡¯s president to send troops over?¡± The terrorists are a bunch of crazies. I don¡¯t want our men to suffer any unnecessary casualties. ¡°I¡¯ve already gotten someone to get in touch with him, but he¡¯s in an equally precarious position right now.¡± It wasn¡¯t going to be easy for Marcus to move his troops due to the tight spot he was in. When Tristan looked reluctant to leave after shey down on the bed, Sophie suggested, ¡°You should get some rest. You¡¯ve had a long day too.¡± Contrary to her words, Tristan took off his clothes and climbed into bed with her. ¡°What are you doing?¡± Isn¡¯t he a principled man? Doesn¡¯t he feel ufortable lying here with me? ¡°I¡¯m protecting you!¡± He wasn¡¯t going to let her out of his sight during their time in Anndur. As long as he stayed by her side, they would be together even in death. Sophie snuggled up to him as she said, ¡°Was it a mistake for me toe here, Tristan? I have dragged you into this mess!¡± Butterfly has now returned to our side, while anarchy reigns in Anndur. ¡°It¡¯s no big deal. Regardless of your decision, I¡¯ll always be by your side. Your burden is mine to share. Come what may!¡± He had never med her for anything. ¡°Hmm, Tristan, why are you so good to me?¡± He never fails to mesmerize me. She then leaned in and gave his chin a bite. ¡°We¡¯ll go home once all this is over.¡± After this, I¡¯ll obey everything he says and not get involved in anymore sh*t. C0ntent ? 2024 (N/?)velDrama.Org. ¡°You don¡¯t have to ount for me in your decisions. Just follow where your heart takes you. I¡¯ll always have your back.¡± Sophie wrapped herself around him with all four limbs. ¡°What should I do? I don¡¯t know what else to say.¡± She was never particrly good with words. Tristan sealed her lips with his as he murmured, ¡°Don¡¯t say anything, then.¡± All she needs to do is chase her dreams. I¡¯ll take care of everything else. After a good night¡¯s sleep in the mansion, all of them recovered their strength. They subsequently gathered for breakfast the next morning. ¡°Butterfly, I have made arrangements for you to go home. It¡¯s not safe for you here.¡± I can¡¯t go due to unfinished business, but Butterfly has to leave first. Butterfly shook her head as she protested, ¡°Sophie, how can I leave you here after all that we¡¯ve been through? Let me stay. I promise not to be a burden to you.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not worried about you being a burden. I just don¡¯t want you to be infected by the virus, as it will greatlyplicate the situation.¡± ¡°Sophie¡­¡± How can she do this? ¡°I want to stay, really. I¡¯ll bear the consequences of my decision, regardless of what they are, all right?¡± I¡¯m not a disloyal friend. There¡¯s no way I can abandon her at a time like this! ¡°Butterfly, you have to listen to me,¡± Sophie asserted impatiently. In response to Butterfly¡¯s persistence, Arius interjected, ¡°Let her stay, Sophie. We¡¯ll be safer with one more person around.¡± When Sophie shot him a silent nce, Arius scratched his nose awkwardly. Even if you order her to go home, it¡¯s not like she¡¯s going to listen. Keeping her by your side is certainly better than letting her roam all around the ce. Chapter 834 Chapter 834 ¡°Sophie, I won¡¯t be leaving you all alone here anyway. Even if you tell me to leave, I won¡¯t go.¡± Butterfly was persistent in her words. ¡°Fine, then you¡¯ll stay here!¡± As Sophie knew Butterfly¡¯s personality well, she didn¡¯t say anything more. The group headed toward the temporary medical research center, which was a ce that existed in secret. Since the International Medical Association had beenpletely destroyed, Barney¡¯s exact location would surely remain a secret. Barney finally heaved a sigh of relief upon seeing Sophie and Arius arriving at the facility. ¡°I¡¯m relieved to see the both of you safe and sound. Otherwise, I¡¯ll never be able to forgive myself.¡± He was the one who summoned them there. It would be hard for him to be at ease if something bad happened to them in this ce. ¡°How could you think like that, Dr. Smith? We¡¯re totally fine. Besides, even if something really happened to us, it¡¯s our fate. You don¡¯t have to me yourself for it.¡± ¡°All right.¡± ¡°This is the result of my research, Dr. Smith. I have discovered what caused the virus mutation, and I believe we can find a way to resolve this problem.¡± It shouldn¡¯t be difficult to fix the rest of the problems now that they have determined the cause. ¡°Okay. Let¡¯s work hard together. We¡¯re racing against time now, so we¡¯ve got to solve this before the Grim Reaper knocks on the door.¡± As of right now, Anndur was in a state of chaos. There was no telling what would happen next if they didn¡¯t act quickly, and it was already at its worst point right now. ¡°Okay.¡± ¡°What about them? We¡¯re here to do research, so they won¡¯t be much help if they stay. Why don¡¯t we let them return home instead?¡± Barney said as he looked at Butterfly and Tristan. ¡°Dr. Smith, it isn¡¯t absolutely safe here. With both of them around, we can conduct our research and experiments without worrying about safety,¡± Sophie exined the purpose of having Butterfly and Tristan here with them. Barney eventually nodded and agreed after pondering for a brief moment. It didn¡¯t make much of a difference to Barney. Everything else was irrelevant as long as Sophie was trustworthy enough. ¡°Butterfly, please follow Arius,¡± Sophie said to Butterfly, who nodded immediately. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll protect him well.¡± Butterfly also knew that Tristan would remain by Sophie¡¯s side and protect her. In this case, she could only protect Arius for now. ¡°Okay.¡± As everyone headed to their respectiveboratories, they began a new round of research. While Sophie was busy with her work, Tristan couldn¡¯t offer her any assistance since he didn¡¯t have any knowledge in that aspect. Therefore, he had no choice but to watch beside her. Oh, so that¡¯s what my woman looks like when she does her research! It¡¯s so amazing and cool of her to be so focused on her work. Tristan stared at her with a besotted look on his face. At that moment, he really wanted to hug and kiss her, but he knew it wasn¡¯t the right time for him to disturb her. Therefore, Tristan chose not to do anything and simply observed her quietly. Sophie kept herself busy until someone brought them food when it was time for lunch. After that, she stopped working and went to eat with Tristan. ¡°Is it boring for you?¡± Life in theboratory is dull. He must find it boring to be here and have nothing to do! ¡°No! I think it¡¯s quite interesting.¡± Wherever she was, he would never get bored at all. ¡°All right. You should eat more.¡± After that, Sophie filled Tristan¡¯s lunchbox with meat from her own. ¡°You should eat more too. It¡¯s you who¡¯s putting in the effort. I¡¯m just sitting there doing nothing.¡± ¡°I will.¡± Due to the fact that it was a secret base, there was no cafeteria avable, so they were only provided with packed meals. As the facilities provided were mediocre, Tristan was quite concerned with Sophie¡¯s health. After lunch, Sophie leaned against Tristan to rest for a while, feeling exhausted from all the mental work she had been doing. She was satisfied enough with only resting her eyes for a while. Because Tristan knew she was exhausted, he did not disturb her sleep. Instead, he allowed her to lean on him for as long as she needed. Sophie, too, didn¡¯t realize she could even fall asleep during a critical period like this. It wasn¡¯t until half an hourter that she finally woke up. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you wake me up?¡± How could I fall asleep at a time like this? ¡°It¡¯s okay. You¡¯ll work more efficiently after a short break.¡± Tristan merely thought that she was too tired and wanted her to rest for a while. He just didn¡¯t wish to see her so exhausted like that. ¡°All right, then. I¡¯m going back to work. You can rest for a while, and I¡¯ll call you if anything happens.¡± He hadn¡¯t been able to take a good rest since the incident with the International Medical Association, so it was time for him to do so. ¡°Okay.¡± Meanwhile, in Jipsdale, the Lombard family was even more anxious after learning about the situation in Anndur. They knew the country was truly in chaos at the moment. It was so worrying for Ysabelle that she couldn¡¯t even eat at all. ¡°Tell me, Aunt Sarah, will Uncle Tristan and Sophie return home safely?¡± Those terrorists are really scary! Sarah¡¯s expression was grim as well. ¡°Don¡¯t talk about something like this in front of Grandpa. He¡¯ll be worried sick.¡± Surely Sophie and Tristan will return to us safe and sound. What they¡¯re doing there now is righteous and good. They will come home to us, won¡¯t they? Although Ysabelle knew she couldn¡¯t say such things at home, she couldn¡¯t resist the urge to express her feelings. Otherwise, she wouldn¡¯t be able to sleep. ¡°Why don¡¯t we give them a call, Aunt Sarah?¡± Even though they couldn¡¯t go to Anndur to visit them, hearing their voices was good enough for them. ¡°Okay.¡± Sarah then quickly made a phone call to Tristan. Surprisingly, the call went through almost immediately. ¡°Hey, Sarah! Yes, don¡¯t worry. We¡¯re fine. Sophie¡¯s super busy right now, so she couldn¡¯t talk much to you.¡± As soon as the call got through, Tristan briefly chatted for a while and hung up after that. Ysabelle wanted to chat with Sophie for a bit, but she didn¡¯t have the chance to do so. ¡°Why is Sophie so busy?¡± Sophie always seemed to be preupied with something, no matter where she was. ¡°All right, enough of that. You can feel at ease now that we know they¡¯re safe and sound. With Tristan around, he¡¯ll protect Sophie well.¡± They should all have faith that the duo would be able to return home safely. ¡°All right. I know.¡±This content belongs to N?/velDra/ma.Org . Feeling extremely bored, Ysabelle had no choice but to look for Felix. Despite being busy, Felix took some time off after seeing her arrive at his office to apany her. He even requested his secretary to bring some desserts over. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? You seem really unhappy. Could it be that I¡¯m too busy these days and don¡¯t have time to apany you? Once I¡¯m done with all my stuff, I¡¯ll definitely spend more time with you.¡± Felix missed her too, but the problems at hand were simply too overwhelming for him to handle. He needed to take care of everything well so Tristan wouldn¡¯t have to worry about anything while he was in Anndur. ¡°Leave me be. I¡¯m just feeling bored.¡± Felix wrapped his arms around her waist. ¡°How could I leave you alone? You¡¯re the one I care most about in this world. I don¡¯t care about the others, but you will always matter to me.¡± After finishing his words, Felix kissed her on the lips. She was his most treasured sweetheart, after all. Chapter 835 Chapter 835 ¡°Mm, okay. I know you¡¯re the best,¡± Ysabelle murmured, continuing to cuddle close to Felix. Having the girl he liked so much in his arms, Felix could barely control himself. At that moment, he longed to pin her down and shower her with kisses. ¡°You enchanting little vixen. You¡¯ve no idea I¡¯m alreadypletely bewitched by you,¡± he said. I¡¯m a grown man and a little older than her, yet I find it hard to control myself whenever I¡¯m with her. I¡¯m always hoping I can give her the best of everything. As for Ysabelle, not only was she undaunted, but she even carried on teasing him and deliberately bit his chin. ¡°Really? Do you truly love me? Do you want me?¡± She loved seeing him lose control because it gave her a sense of aplishment. ¡°Truly. I want you. I want all of you, every inch of your skin. I want you to belong to mepletely.¡± He began nting light kisses on her skin, inch by inch. It was not their first time being so intimate, but he would stop himself every time before things went too far. After all, she was the person he loved the most, and he wanted to protect her. Hence, he had always cherished her dearly. Seeing the burning passion in his eyes, she felt sure that he genuinely loved her. If he didn¡¯t, he wouldn¡¯t put himself through such agony. ¡°I love you, Felix,¡± she whispered into his ear. He lightly sucked on her earlobe and murmured, ¡°What an alluring seductress you are. I don¡¯t think you know I¡¯ll lose itpletely if you keep this up.¡± ¡°Do you really love me? If you do, can you take me to Anndur? I feel uneasy thinking about how Sophie is all alone there.¡± Felix fell silent. So, all this while she was seducing me without regard for the consequences in the hopes that I¡¯d bring her to Anndur! ¡°Ysabelle, tell me truthfully. Is Sophie more important to you or me?¡± It was something that mattered a lot to him. ¡°Why must youpare yourself to her? Isn¡¯t the answer obvious?¡± she responded. Sophie is more important, of course! Her reply struck him like a ton of bricks. ¡°Will I never hold a candle to Sophie?¡± I¡¯m the man who wants to spend the rest of his life with her! How can she treat me this way? Ysabelle pushed him away. ¡°That¡¯s enough. Are you taking me to Anndur or not? I really want to go and see what it¡¯s like there. You don¡¯t have to worry. Once we¡¯re there, I¡¯ll be obedient and won¡¯t cause you guys any trouble.¡± ConTEent bel0ngs to N?v(e)lD/rama(.)Org . I can promise her anything but that. It¡¯s something I have no say in. After observing his expression, she flew into a rage. ¡°Why are you like this? Are you going to agree to it or not? If the answer is no, you don¡¯t have toe looking for me anymore,¡± she said petntly. Felix held her in his arms. ¡°I¡¯ll listen to you for everything else, but as far as this matter is concerned, you know there¡¯s nothing I can do.¡± It¡¯s utter chaos in Anndur now. If I dared to take her there at a time like this, I¡¯ve no doubt the entire Lombard family would tear me to pieces. She gazed at him morosely, looking close to tears. ¡°I¡¯ve realized you don¡¯t love me at all. You wouldn¡¯t refuse this small request of mine if your feelings for me were genuine.¡± Felix was at a loss for words. He knew she was being dramatic. However, he was powerless in the matter. Hugging her tightly, he said, ¡°Sophie wouldn¡¯t want you to go either, so be good and stay here for now.¡± Anger rushed through her, and she bit his arm. ¡°Hmph! I knew I couldn¡¯t count on you. In that case, I¡¯ll figure something out myself.¡± After saying that, she straightened her clothes and stormed off. Felix could only shake his head helplessly. I¡¯m known to be a formidable person here in Jipsdale, but to my girlfriend, I don¡¯t evenpare to a woman. Now that I think about it, that¡¯s really pathetic! After he finally managed to contact Tristan that night, he could not helpining. ¡°Can¡¯t we go over? Ysabelle will ignore me if I continue refusing to take her.¡± Although he knew Ysabelle was mad at him, he still had to see what Tristan would say. ¡°Things are a mess here, so why bring her over? Make sure she stays in Chanaea and doesn¡¯te here to stir up trouble,¡± came Tristan¡¯s reply. Sophie is already exhausted as it is. If Ysabellees and causes amotion, it¡¯ll wear out Sophie even more, and I don¡¯t want that to happen. ¡°I knew you¡¯d say that,¡± said Felix. But I¡¯m already at my wit¡¯s end on how to handle Ysabelle! ¡°You¡¯d better keep a close watch on her.¡± ¡°Okay, got it. I¡¯ll definitely try my best. Oh, by the way, how¡¯s the progress over there?¡± ¡°We¡¯re still working on it,¡± Tristan answered. Oh, how I loathe that d*mn virus! Because of it, Sophie is working her fingers to the bone! ¡°Okay, noted. You guys remember to be extra careful,¡± Felix reminded. After all, just being in Anndur was already dangerous for them. After Tristan hung up the phone, Sophie walked over to him. ¡°What¡¯s going on? Did something happen back in Chanaea?¡± she asked. It¡¯s a critical period, and I wish I could stay on top of everything. ¡°Nothing. It¡¯s just Ysabelle. She wants toe and look for you. Anyway, you know what she¡¯s like. Felix can¡¯t keep a good handle on her.¡± Tristan was simrly at a loss for how to deal with that headstrong niece of his. ¡°Yeah. Tell Ysabelle not toe,¡± said Sophie, thinking about how unsafe it was where they were and that there would be no one to take care of Ysabelle. ¡°I agree. I¡¯ve reminded Felix to keep an eye on her, so don¡¯t worry. I won¡¯t let her show up and disrupt things here.¡± He was sure that even if she dide, she would not be of any help and would only get in the way. Just then, Arius approached them. ¡°Come on. The president is here, and Dr. Smith has asked us to join them.¡± Arius harbored a deep dislike for Marcus. He¡¯s asking us for help but acts so arrogantly. It¡¯s disgusting! ¡°Okay, sure. Let¡¯s go.¡± All three of them headed straight to the conference room. When they arrived, they found that the atmosphere in the room was tense. Marcus had just thrown a fit. Despite that, Barney remained exceptionally calm. ¡°Dr. Smith, is there really no other way? Don¡¯t you know how serious the consequences will be if the situation continues like this?¡± Marcus demanded, tearing at his hair. I¡¯m the one currently caught in the toughest spot, and no one in this country understands me! However, what have I done wrong? ¡°Mr. President, we¡¯re all working as hard as we can. You saw how we¡¯re only getting three hours of sleep a day. We¡¯re already trying our best.¡± As for the rest, it was not in their power to do anything. ¡°What do you mean by that? Are you saying I should give up on Anndur?¡± Chapter 836 Chapter 836 It irked Arius to see Marcus talk to Barney that way. In a brusque tone, he uttered, ¡°Mr. President, you¡¯re the one who invited us here, and may I point out that we didn¡¯t promise we¡¯d be able to solve the situation beforeing here. You¡¯re the one who begged for our help, so you should start acting like someone who needs our help!¡± Seeing Arius take that attitude, Marcus¡¯ secretary, Jamie, stood up immediately. ¡°What did you say?¡± ¡°What¡¯s the matter? Did I say anything untrue?¡± Arius retorted, his voice clipped. So what if he¡¯s the president? ¡°How can you talk to the president like that? This is Anndur. If you dare to utter another word, I can make it so that you won¡¯t be able to leave the country,¡± Jamie threatened haughtily. ¡°Hah!¡± Sophie could not help sneering. We¡¯ve been buckling down day and night, but these people still have the guts to show up here and waste our time. I¡¯ve had enough. ¡°If you think we can¡¯t do it, we can leave right now,¡± she said icily. Seeing that, Marcus tried his best to calm down, then pped his secretary. ¡°Is that how you should talk to Professor Gullifer?¡± Jamie dared not say anything after getting pped and stepped aside silently. ¡°My apologies. I was just too anxious. You¡¯re also aware of my situation, and I was only hoping you could speed things up a little.¡± ¡°Mr. President, you should also be aware that scientific research isn¡¯t something where we can control its speed,¡± Barney replied, sticking to his previous answer. In fact, no one has any control over it! ¡°If you have nothing else to do, start thinking of ways to manage the current state of affairs on the ground instead ofing here to berate us!¡± Sophie snapped. Knowing he could not afford to lose his temper again, Marcus replied, ¡°Okay. I understand. I¡¯ll stabilize the situation on the ground. However, I do hope you can work a little faster.¡± With that, he left with his subordinates. Arius immediately pulled out a chair and plopped down onto it. That d*mn jerk! He needs us but is still so high-handed. Who does he think he is? C0ntent ? 2024 (N/?)velDrama.Org. Turning to Barney, Sophie asked, ¡°Are you okay?¡± He nodded. He was already used to such encounters and was not shaken at all. ¡°Don¡¯t take what he said to heart, you two. He was too agitated, that¡¯s all.¡± Barney did not wish for the pair to have to face any ramifications. ¡°Okay. I¡¯ll be heading back then, Dr. Smith,¡± Sophie replied. She was also unfazed, knowing that such situations weremon urrences. Their research advanced at a swift pace over the next few days. Thanks to the trio¡¯s joint efforts, they soon sessfully extracted the virus¡¯ structuralposition and refined an antiviral medicine to curb the virus. Once they had done that, they finally breathed a sigh of relief. Subsequently, the medicine would be tested on humans to assess the body¡¯s adaptability to it. Their research had progressed smoothly without any issues, and the citizens of Anndur were all abuzz upon learning that the International Medical Association had managed to develop a medicine. The public had been worried and fearful for so long, living every day in agony. Now, they could not help wondering whether those days were finally over. After handing over the medicine to those handling the clinical trials, Barney, Arius, and Sophie returned to their hotel. Physically drained after such a long, exhausting period, they needed a few days of proper rest before working on the medicine again if there were still any issues. Upon returning to the hotel and seeing hisrge, plush bed, Arius nearly burst into tears. It had been so long since hest had a good rest! The next moment, he threw himself onto the bed, pulled the covers over him, and fell fast asleep. I don¡¯t care about anything anymore. Even if something crops up, I can¡¯t be bothered. All I want is a restful night¡¯s sleep. Whatever happens, it can wait until I¡¯ve slept to my heart¡¯s content. I don¡¯t want anybodying to disturb me. Meanwhile, Barney still seemed troubled. Although we¡¯ve developed the medicine, what about its effectiveness? That still needs to be tested, and if I¡¯m being honest, I still don¡¯t feel confident about it. ¡°Dr. Smith, you don¡¯t have to be so worried. We¡¯re onlying back to rest for a couple of days. If there are really any problems, we¡¯ll solve them. That¡¯s all,¡± Sophie said when she saw him like that. No matter how capable one is, one still needs rest. If we let ourselves be burned out, there¡¯ll be even fewer people to conduct the research. ¡°I know. You¡¯ve been working hard, so go catch up on some rest,¡± he replied. She¡¯s right. We need a break. When Sophie and Tristan got back to their room, she went straight to the bathroom for a shower and crashed out immediately after. He knew just how exhausted she had been recently, and although he had been at the research center all this time, he had not done much. Hence, he was not as tired. Upon returning to the hotel, he gave Sean a call right away. ¡°Mr. Tristan, how are things over there?¡± Sean had seen the news that they had developed a new antidote, so he thought it would not be long before they could return. ¡°We should be able to go back in another two weeks,¡± Tristan replied. After all, they would still need time for tests if there were specific issues with the medicine. ¡°By the way, did you find out anything about the group of people who hunted us down previously?¡± Those people had wanted to kidnap Sophie, and he was determined to make them pay. ¡°Yeah, I did. I¡¯ll send you the information shortly. You can think about how you want to deal with them,¡± Sean responded. They¡¯re just a bunch of terrorists, yet they dare to act arrogantly in front of us. Sean sent the information on the terrorist organization to Tristan, and after thetter had gone through it, he wasted no time in making arrangements to send some men over there at once. He wanted to destroy their base and capture their leader alive. After learning of Tristan¡¯s ns, Charles immediately offered to lead a team there. ¡°Trust me, Mr. Tristan. I can take care of it,¡± Charles said. He had led acent life long enough and wanted to be involved in dealing with matters like that. ¡°Are you sure you can do it?¡± Tristan was a little concerned. No matter what he does, he always does it with a lot of enthusiasm. That¡¯s just the kind of person that Charles is. However, he¡¯s the one I worry about the most of the three. ¡°You have to believe in me, Mr. Tristan. After all, I¡¯ve worked with all of you for so long, so I can handle stuff like this too,¡± Charles insisted. He felt it was time that he spread his wings. ¡°Very well, then. You can pick the people for your team.¡± After all, the terrorists were no weaklings, and it was no surprise that they would be incredibly skilled and capable. ¡°Sure. Don¡¯t worry. Just leave it to me. There won¡¯t be any hups, and I definitely won¡¯t let you guys down.¡± ¡°It¡¯s your first time carrying out a mission like this, so be careful, okay?¡± Frankly, Sean was not entirely comfortable with the decision. Nheless, he also thought Charles did need an opportunity like that. One can¡¯t remain in theirfort zone forever. If they keep doing that, they¡¯ll never experience growth. ¡°Or why don¡¯t I go with him? If there¡¯s both of us, we can look out for one another,¡± suggested Felix. Chapter 837 Chapter 837 ¡°That won¡¯t be necessary, Felix. Trust me. I can head over on my own.¡± Having seen the files on the terrorist organization, he believed that he could manage it all on his own. ¡°You should just focus on your rtionship instead. Why would you want to go with me? I don¡¯t need yourpany.¡± Charles felt he needed such an opportunity. ¡°You¡­ Fine! Be careful, then.¡± Realizing that Charles wouldn¡¯t let hime along, he had no choice but to give up. Charles did not tell his family where he was headed and what he was doing. Thinking he was going to Anndur, Winter kept pestering him to let her go with him. ¡°Take me with you, Charles! I just want to make sure you¡¯re all right over there! I promise I won¡¯t cause you any trouble!¡± Given how dangerous it was in Anndur, she didn¡¯t feel safe letting him go alone. ¡°Why are you being so persistent, Winter? I¡¯ve told you that it¡¯s impossible between you and Tristan, haven¡¯t I? Stop ming it on Sophie. He wouldn¡¯t date you with or without her in his life!¡± Charles said with a frown. I¡¯ve told her this countless times, so why is she still being so stubborn? ¡°You¡¯ve never been in love with someone, so you would never understand how I feel. I can¡¯t stop my heart from longing for him!¡± She would¡¯ve stopped herself from loving Tristan if she could. ¡°That¡¯s enough. Grandpa isn¡¯t well right now. Instead of thinking about such things, you should visit Grandpa at the hospital and spend more time with him.¡± Charles wasn¡¯t about to let her go with him, especially since she was finally back. Fine! If you won¡¯t bring me along, then I¡¯ll find a way to head over myself! Winter was determined to get what she wanted, with or without his help. Charles headed out after all of his preparations wereplete. Fifteen hours had passed by the time Sophie woke up. It wasn¡¯t like her to sleep for such long periods of time, but she was too tired and didn¡¯t feel like getting up after lying down. The first thing she saw upon opening her eyes was Tristan lying next to her and staring at her. She felt her face burn up from his scorching gaze. ¡°You haven¡¯t had a good night¡¯s sleep in a long time. Shouldn¡¯t you be getting some sleep now that you¡¯re finally back? Why are you staring at me like that?¡± He really deserved a good rest after everything he had gone through. Tristan pulled her into his arms as he replied, ¡°I didn¡¯t sleep because I wanted to look at you. Honestly, I can¡¯t believe a pretty girl like you would exist in this world. I can¡¯t help but find every inch of your body irresistible!¡± There wasn¡¯t a single part of her that he didn¡¯t like. Hearing those words of affection filled Sophie¡¯s heart with a sweet sensation. C0ntent ? 2024 (N/?)velDrama.Org. ¡°Thanks for staying by my side all this while, Tristan. I know it wasn¡¯t easy for you,¡± she said while kissing him on the lips. He has a lot on his te as is, and yet, he set them aside so he could remain by my side at all times. This man really loves me to the core! ¡°I didn¡¯t do anything, so it¡¯s not exactly rough at all.¡± It was the three of them who conducted the research while being under a ridiculous amount of pressure, so it was them who truly had it rough. However, Sophie never let them down and managed to save the day once again. It felt as though she could solve any problem anytime with ease. Sophie rolled herself on top of him and said, ¡°We¡¯ll be able to head back in another two more weeks at most.¡± The problem here would have been taken care of by then. I can¡¯t wait to head back to Chanaea! I don¡¯t like the environment here in Anndur! ¡°Mm. Are you hungry? You must be starving after sleeping for so long, huh? Shall I have someone bring you some food?¡± ¡°Yeah, I am a little hungry.¡± Sophie had eaten before going to bed, but she found herself getting hungry after hearing him say that. Tristan had the hotel staff bring some food over to their room, and they then took turns feeding each other. Had someone told her in the past that she would act all lovey-dovey with her man, she would never have believed it. Even so, everything Sophie did with Tristan simply came naturally to her and filled her heart with a sweet and warm feeling. They had just finished eating when someone knocked on the door. The look on Tristan¡¯s face turned gloomy when he opened the door and saw Arius and Butterfly standing outside. ¡°We haven¡¯t been able to rest well for a long time, so why aren¡¯t you two resting in your rooms? Why come and disturb us like this?¡± he asked with a frown. Arius pouted as he replied, ¡°As tired as we may have been, we¡¯ve had over ten hours of sleep, which is more than enough. Anyway, I didn¡¯te here to disturb you two. There¡¯s something that I need to speak to Sophie about.¡± Butterfly simply kept quiet and stood behind Arius the entire time. Tristan sighed as he stepped aside to let them in. Upon noticing the food on the table, Arius helped himself to it without any hesitation. Butterfly fell speechless when she saw that. Professor Gullifer really isn¡¯t picky about his food, huh? ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Is there a problem with the medicine?¡± Sophie asked. We have conducted tons of experiments on it, so there shouldn¡¯t be any issues. ¡°No, no problem at all. I just came to tell you that our mentor has headed over, so you can rest easy now.¡± Apparently, Barney was so worried that he went there to keep watch himself. Sophie frowned when she heard that. He¡¯s not exactly feeling well, so why wouldn¡¯t he stay here and rest instead? ¡°Okay. I¡¯ll head overter and have a look.¡± In order to reduce the drug¡¯s side effects as much as possible, they would have to monitor the clinical trials closely. ¡°No. You¡¯ve been exhausting yourself a lottely, so you should just stay here and rest. I¡¯ll go and have a look,¡± Arius said. Tristan nodded in approval of Arius¡¯ response. ¡°Yeah, he can take care of things for you. You should just stay here and try to get some more rest.¡± Butterfly knew that she was worried about Arius¡¯ safety, so she reassured her, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Sophie! I¡¯ll go with Arius and keep him safe!¡± ¡°All right, then. We¡¯ll swap ces tomorrow.¡± Sophie decided not to dwell on the matter as it wasn¡¯t anything worth stressing herself over. Arius then headed out of the room with Butterfly, leaving Sophie and Tristan inside. She had been too busy to think about the terrorist organization¡¯s motives for capturing her and Arius, but she had all the time in the world to do so now. ¡°You wanted me to look into the terrorist organization, right? Could you show me the files?¡± she asked. Tristan switched on hisptop and showed her the data that Sean had gathered. As Sophie was able to read ten lines in a single nce, she was able to skim through the data fairly quickly and understood the situation. ¡°Heh¡­ These people sure are bold. I can¡¯t believe they had the audacity to capture me!¡± With Barney and Arius around, she figured her presence was not needed at the moment. ¡°How about we go say hi to these people, Tristan?¡± Since she would be free for the next couple of days, she decided to destroy the terrorist organization¡¯s base and capture their leader in retaliation. Chapter 838 Chapter 838 Tristan knew exactly what Sophie was nning when he saw the look in her eyes. Even so, he would always support her decisions no matter what. Meanwhile, Charles had arrived in Fandar with his men. It had been a long time since he got to embark on an exciting mission like this, so he was incredibly thrilled about it. The fact that he would be doing this all by himself only made him all the more excited. This content belongs to N?/velDra/ma.Org . He really enjoyed the adrenaline rush from carrying out risky missions. ¡°This is a very dangerous operation, Mr. Quigley. Please be extra careful,¡± said Bertram Asher, one of Tristan¡¯s subordinates. Having worked alongside Tristan for many years, he was extremely experienced withbat situations like these. Tristan didn¡¯t feel safe sending Charles over all by himself, so he had Bertram go with him. ¡°How ipetent do you think I am, Bertram? I¡¯ve been working for Mr. Tristan just as long as you have, if not longer! Don¡¯t worry; I know what I¡¯m doing!¡± Charles snapped at him. Despite his usual carefree attitude, he was able to get serious when necessary. ¡°I know you¡¯re very capable, Mr. Quigley. I simply think it is better to err on the side of caution when it comes to this sort of thing.¡± ¡°Got it.¡± We¡¯re in a perfect spot for observation and reconnaissance. These b*stards sure are bold going after Sophie! Don¡¯t they know who they¡¯re messing with? Bertram nced at the guys he had brought with him. We have plenty of manpower and weapons, and there are dozens of helicopters on standby as well. We simply need to give the order to mobilize them. The tense moment was interrupted when Charles¡¯ phone rang all of a sudden. ¡°Hello, Mr. Tristan! We¡¯re just about tomence the operation! All the preparations areplete, so you can rest assured that nothing will go wrong!¡± Charles said upon answering the call. He was extremely confident in their abilities and preparation. ¡°Cancel the operation for now. Sophie and I have just arrived. We¡¯ll greet those b*stards in person!¡± Tristan ordered. They didn¡¯t get to fight to their hearts¡¯ content during theirst battle, so he was determined to leave a lasting impression this time. ¡°What? I¡¯m all set and ready to move out, though! Why are you telling me to stop now?¡± Charles eximed with a speechless look on his face. He was really looking forward to this mission, after all. ¡°What¡¯s the matter? Do you have a problem with that?¡± Tristan asked. Charles took a deep breath to calm himself down before replying, ¡°All right, I understand. I¡¯ll stay here and wait for you guys.¡± He didn¡¯t dare disobey Tristan¡¯s orders, so he had no choice but to sit back and wait. ¡°What¡¯s the matter? Is Charles disappointed or something?¡± Charles was really looking forward to carrying out this mission, so he must be unhappy now that we came over. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about him. I just want you to be happy.¡± Tristan really couldn¡¯t care less about how anyone else felt. Sophie¡¯s lips curled into a gorgeous smile as she said, ¡°I bet Charles must be so mad at me right now!¡± As the weather was really cold in Anndur, the two of them instantly felt a huge contrast in temperature when they got off the ne in Fandar. Sophie and Tristan had already gotten changed while they were at the airport. Despite only wearing a in ck T-shirt and a pair of ck bloomers, she looked gorgeous as it helped highlight her fair skin. Tristan, too, was dressed fully in ck. In order to rock simplistic outfits like these, one would need to have a fit and well-proportioned body. Fortunately for Tristan, that was exactly the kind of body he had. He looked so good that the girls around them were all drooling when they passed him by. That masculine frame and muscr body was such a killerbination that some of the women even approached him to ask for his number. Tristan simply shot her an icy-cold nce in response. The look in his eyes was so intimidating that they ran off immediately. While Sophie had gotten used to the attention he received from women, Tristan felt incredibly ufortable when he saw the men ogling her. ¡°What are you guys looking at? I¡¯ll have you killed if you don¡¯t stop staring at her!¡± he shouted while pulling Sophie into his arms and ring coldly at them. Shocked by his brutal response, the men quickly ran off. ¡°You¡¯re scaring them, Tristan.¡± ¡°Really? Am I that scary?¡± I think I¡¯m quite friendly, though! ¡°Yeah, you are.¡± Sophie didn¡¯t know what else to say in response. Oh, well¡­ Whatever floats his boat, I guess! I don¡¯t like those guys ogling me anyway, so it¡¯s good to have Tristan scare them off for me. Charles quickly got out of the car when he saw them approaching. Although he was a little unhappy when he first heard about their arrival, he decided to pick them up in person anyway. After all, he knew he didn¡¯t have the right to get mad at someone like Tristan. It had been over a month since Charlesst saw them, so he greeted them warmly, ¡°Mr. Tristan! Sophie! I¡¯m over here!¡± Despite only being in Fandar for two days, Charles had already developed quite a tan. That showed just how sunny it was over there. Sophie nodded and hopped right into the car. Because of how hot the weather was, she desperately needed some air-conditioning to help her cool off. ¡°What are you two doing here, Mr. Tristan? I thought you said you would let me take care of things here! Do you not trust me to get the job done?¡± Charles asked with a pout as he handed Tristan a lit cigarette. I¡¯ve worked alongside Tristan for so many years now! Does he not know my skill level? To his surprise, however, Tristan turned his offer down. Charles shot him a confused look. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Is he not going to smoke if Sophie is in the car? Does he really have to go that far for her? ¡°I¡¯ve stopped smoking,¡± Tristan replied. He had been slowly dropping some of his bad habits ever since he met Sophie. ¡°What? You quit smoking? Since when? Why do I not know about that?¡± Charles eximed in shock. We promised to live a free and adventurous life together, and yet, he¡¯s¡­ ¡°Sophie and I are getting married, right? We¡¯ll need to get ready to start a family after that, so I decided to quit smoking now.¡± Tristan was determined to be a wless husband for Sophie¡¯s sake. What the¡­ They won¡¯t be getting married until a yearter! Why does he have to start preparing for it so soon? Is Mr. Tristan really that eager to marry her? ¡°Jokes aside, are you looking forward to having kids or the process of having kids?¡± Honestly, I admire Mr. Tristan for being able to hold himself back despite having such a beautiful girlfriend! It must take a ridiculous amount of willpower to do that! Tristan simply rolled his eyes at Charles without saying anything. Why would he ask such a silly question? What difference does it even make? I just want to be a perfect husband for Sophie, that¡¯s all! ¡°All right, let¡¯s get going! Sophie didn¡¯t eat much on the ne because the food didn¡¯t taste good, so she¡¯s really hungry now. Let¡¯s go get something to eat.¡± ¡°Okay!¡± Since Tristan had quit smoking, Charles wasn¡¯t about to make them wait while he smoked a cigarette. He quickly put the cigarette out, tossed it into the trash, and got into the car. Chapter 839 Chapter 839 Tristan got into the car while Charles climbed into the passenger seat. ¡°You¡¯re truly amazing, Sophie. Honestly, I¡¯ve never admired anyone. You¡¯re the first one.¡± Even within the country, he had heard of Sophie¡¯s meritorious achievements. Verily, she was a legend. ¡°Not at all. I¡¯m just an ordinary person.¡± Sophie really felt that there was nothing great about her. Besides, she had been on the receiving end of far too many suchpliments. As such, they did not affect her anymore. Perhaps that was the difference between a genius and an average person. The average person would be delighted to hear someone praising her. Contrarily, someone like her had gotten ustomed to such praise ages ago and did not care about it anymore. ¡°All right, she¡¯s tired after such a long flight, so zip it.¡± This time, Charles was ruthlessly shot down. The corners of his mouth twitched. C0ntent ? 2024 (N/?)velDrama.Org. Before Mr. Tristan got acquainted with Sophie, I was also dear to him. In the past, he¡¯d never disdained me such. Sure enough,parisons are the root of feelings of inferiority! Right now, he no longer has any regard for me. The drive took over two hours before they arrived at the hotel Charles and the others were staying at. Upon reaching, Sophie quickly took a shower. The weather there was so scorching that one would sweat anytime and anywhere. A trace of regret crept into her for havinge over in person. Likewise, Tristan took a shower. When he was done, he phoned Charles and called the man over. When Charles came over, he exined the n in detail before regarding Tristan smugly. ¡°Well? Isn¡¯t my n this time perfect?¡± Truthfully, he had really put in a great effort this time. Fortunately, Tristan was pretty satisfied with the arrangements. ¡°Yeah, not bad. You improved a lot.¡± Both he and Sean were quite protective of Charles, so thetter had not been involved in such a thing much. However, the man could already handle things on his own then. ¡°After we go back, Sean can hand those tricky matters to you to handle,¡± Tristan stated. ¡°Really?¡± Among the four of them, Charles was the least capable. Even so, he could still handle things on his own when he was thrown in at the deep end. Only when Sophie had finished showering did the three of them have a meal together. With Bertram keeping an eye on the terrorist organization, they did not need to worry about that. The food during the flight was not all that great, but even in Fandar, it was still more or less the same. ¡°I really miss the delicious food back in Chanaea!¡± Indeed, when one had traveled the world, one would realize that their homnd was the most unforgettable ce of all. ¡°If you don¡¯t like eating all this, I¡¯ll have someone find a Chanaean chef to cook specially for you in a while.¡± They decided toe over on the spur of the moment, so Tristan did not ask Charles to make such an arrangement. ¡°No, it¡¯s okay. We¡¯ll be heading back to Anndur immediately after resolving the matter here. The issue over there is still hanging in the bnce.¡± The final results would be out by the time they returned. After perfecting things, they could then go back to the country. ¡°Okay, then.¡± ¡°It¡¯s no big deal. It¡¯s just finding a Chanaean chef, no? How about this? I¡¯ll have someone go about it later.¡± ¡°No, forget it. When are we acting?¡± Sophie knew that Charles hade over and arranged everything. Therefore, all they needed to do then was to go along with his arrangements. ¡°What does that mean? Are you saying I¡¯ll still be in charge of the mission this time, Sophie?¡± I thought I¡¯d definitely lose the authority to lead this time! ¡°You¡¯ve made all the arrangements, no? In that case, you¡¯re naturally leading the mission.¡± Sophie only came over to ascertain those people¡¯s motive in capturing her. She was not really interested in taking the lead. After all, she would be much better off without anything to do. At that, Charles shifted his gaze to Tristan. Is this for real? This is way too sudden! Tristan nodded in affirmation. ¡°You can takemand. I believe that you can do a good job.¡± In truth, Charles was capable. Besides, the mission this time was not all that difficult. When the three of them had finished eating, they converged with Bertram and the others. The instant Bertram spotted Tristan, he went over and greeted the man. ¡°Mr. Tristan, Ms. Tanner.¡± In return, Tristan and Sophie inclined their heads a fraction. ¡°Mr. Quigley will still be in charge of the mission this time. Work with him,¡± Tristan ordered. ¡°Understood.¡± Bertram had never doubted the man¡¯s orders, only ever obeying them to the letter. It was his first time meeting Sophie though he had long since known that Tristan had a girlfriend he could not afford to mess with. Still, he was shocked uponying eyes on her. Whoa! She¡¯s stunningly beautiful! But the thing is, she¡¯s overly youngpared to Mr. Tristan. I really didn¡¯t expect him to be such a scoundrel that he would even make a move on such a youngdy! When Tristan glimpsed the look in Bertram¡¯s eyes, his temper spiked. ¡°What¡¯s the meaning of this gaze of yours?¡± He¡¯s itching for a beating, huh? Immediately, Bertram retracted his gaze. Oh God, I¡¯ve got to be more tactful, for I don¡¯t want to die yet! I wouldn¡¯t be able to survive a beating from him. He hastily went in search of Charles to discuss the attackter. Meanwhile, Sophie and Tristan got into the car to helm things there temporarily. However, Sophie did not quite like staying there. ¡°Can I go with them? You can stay and give orders here alone.¡± She was utterly curious about the identity of the person who dared send so many people to capture her. Tristan had anticipated that she would not be able to stay out of the action, considering the fact that she came all there way here to take part in the mission this time and seize the leader of the terrorist organization personally. ¡°Okay. I¡¯ll have Charles takemand while I go in with you.¡± No matter what, he would be too worried to allow her in alone. ¡°That¡¯s fine, too.¡± Charles knew that Tristan was letting him take the lead this time because the man wanted to give him the opportunity to practice. By then, he had already worn his earphones. No sooner had he gone over than he was greeted by the sight of Sophie attaching two pistols to her waistband. Then, she snagged a submachine gun. Seeing that, he was inexorably stunned. While he had always known that she was a remarkable woman, he had never witnessed it in person. At her bearing then, he suddenly pitied the terrorists on the opposing side. ¡°You¡¯re nning to get in on the action, Sophie?¡± ¡°Yeah. That was why I boarded a flight that took more than ten hours, okay?¡± I¡¯m going to nab the leader of the terrorist organization personally. ¡°Be careful, then.¡± No matter what, the other party is a renowned terrorist organization. It¡¯d be bad if she were injured for real. ¡°I will. Don¡¯t worry, and give orders boldly. We¡¯ll follow your leadter.¡± ¡°Really?¡± The mere thought of ordering Tristan aroundter thrilled Charles. This is the first time I¡¯ve got such an opportunity! Chapter 840 Chapter 840 ¡°Yes, we¡¯ll follow your lead,¡± Tristan asserted. It was Charles¡¯ first time leading a mission, so they would naturally obey his orders. ¡°Okay!¡± He had always charged ahead, and though this was his first time takingmand, his capabilities were there for all to see. It was just that Tristan¡¯s and Sean¡¯s capabilities were far too strong, leading to himcking such an opportunity. Meanwhile, Tristan and Sophie walked toward the terrorist organization¡¯s headquarters together. At that moment, helicopters were already hovering above the building and had dropped two to three thermal weapons. The leader of the terrorist organization was native to Fandar, a dark-skinned man standing at one point nine eight meters. He had a deep scar on his face that spanned his entire countenance. The men he sent out were currently being punished for having failed to capture the two Chanaeans as ordered. To him, the best punishment was a shot in the head. He killed several of his subordinates in one go and was nning to go and meet Sophie personally when his headquarters was blown up. ¡°It¡¯s bad, Boss! Someone is sneaking an attack on us!¡±This content belongs to N?/velDra/ma.Org . ¡°What? Who is so audacious toe and provoke me?¡± The man instantly shot to his feet, emanating murder. Needless to say, he was no ordinary person since he managed to establish his own kingdom in that ce. Snagging his weapon, he stalked out to confront the enemy at once. As Tristan and Sophie bulldozed into the building, their firepower was intense. Wherever they went, the members of the terrorist organization were thoroughly trounced. Both of them had ck wireless earphones in their ears, and Charles¡¯ voice drifted out of the devices from time to time. ¡°There¡¯s an ambush a hundred meters ahead. As for the person you¡¯re both looking for, he¡¯s five hundred meters away at the front!¡± Charles already had someone hack into the terrorist organization¡¯s internalwork. Consequently, the situation at their headquarters was wholly in the palm of his hands right then. ¡°Roger.¡± Sophie¡¯s performance throughout the mission astounded Bertram. But on second thought, he found that it made much sense. She¡¯s the only woman who¡¯s worthy of a man like Mr. Tristan. Her marksmanship is entirely on par with his. However, Tristan was slightly chagrined at the look in the man¡¯s eyes, for he detested other men paying too much attention to his woman. ¡°Stay here for some time after the matter here has been resolved, Bertram! You seem to like this ce quite a bit.¡± Hearing that, Bertram was downright stumped. When did I ever say that I liked this ce? I don¡¯t like it here at all, okay? ¡°Mr. Tristan, I¡­¡± I don¡¯t have any designs on Ms. Tanner! I merely admire a girl like her greatly! s, Tristan walked away nonchntly. ¡°Ms. Tanner, I¡­¡± Sophie did not bother about him either but continued forging ahead. It was a terrorist organization feared by all, yet they were acting as though they had entered their own territory. At the end of the day, it could only be said that their capabilities were simply too outstanding. Left alone behind them, Bertram teetered on the verge of crying. What exactly have I done? If I¡¯d known, I wouldn¡¯t have gazed at Ms. Tanner with admiration in my eyes. I¡¯ve realized my mistake now. I don¡¯t want to stay here and get burned by the sun to the point that I be unrecognizable! I don¡¯t have a girlfriend yet, nor am I married! How could he do this to me? In the meantime, the leader of the terrorist organization had sent men out to ambush the intruders. Unfortunately for him, Tristan was not at all bothered by them. He worked so well with Sophie that those men had already gone to meet their maker before having the chance to make a move against them. ¡°It¡¯s bad, Boss! The intruders have broken in!¡± Just as his words rang out, Tristan, Sophie, and Bertram reached the main hall. Tristan¡¯s men had also jumped out of the helicopters one by one and surrounded the ce. Joe gaped at the few people before him in disbelief. ¡°Who are the lot of you, and do you know what this ce is? How dare youe here!¡± Having been through various trials and tribtions, he swiftlyposed himself. Furthermore, he had a powerful force backing him up. If it weren¡¯t for the person backing him up ordering him to capture the two Chanaeans, he would never do so. Bertram was tickled pink by his words. Why do people like him always love unting their low IQ? No matter the answers to those questions, we¡¯re already here, no? Does it make any difference? ¡°Surrender your weapon, Joe! You¡¯re already surrounded,¡± Bertram uttered icily. With Tristan and Sophie there, he had not contributed much during the mission this time. Such a feeling was really something else. ¡°Do you know who I have backing me up? Who exactly are the lot of you?¡± Joe demanded impatiently. Despite seeing that his headquarters had truly been surrounded, he still could not believe it then. ¡°We aren¡¯t interested in your identity. I only came here with a question for you,¡± Sophie drawled. When one was unfamiliar with her, she would give off ackadaisical vibe. In turn, such a vibe would make the person lower his guard against her. ¡°What do you want to ask me? I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve ever seen you! In that case, we¡ª¡± ¡°You¡¯re truly amusing. Didn¡¯t you send men to Anndur to capture me? Yet, you now im that you don¡¯t know me. Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯ve been scared out of your mind?¡± For a moment, Joe went silent. ¡°You¡¯re the two Chanaeans?¡± Only then did realization dawn upon him. ¡°Yeah, we are. Right now, can you tell me why you want to capture us?¡± ¡°Hah! You¡¯re offering yourself up on a silver tter!¡± Never had it urred to Joe that the couple would have the guts toe over. At that precise moment, the members of the terrorist organization who had been lying in an ambush in the main hall rushed out and surrounded Tristan and the others. ¡°Since you darede here, don¡¯t dream about leaving today.¡± He expended a lot of effort in building his base, yet they hadpletely destroyed it that day. Thus, he was determined to have them pay the price. Sophie swept a gaze over the twenty-odd fighters who had charged out from the shadows. ¡°Why, is this yourst trump card?¡± Does he think that he can keep us here with just twenty over men? ¡°Are you underestimating them? They¡¯re all men who¡¯d been with me for more than ten years, and countless top fighters in the world had died at their hands.¡± Does she really think that my terrorist organization is easy prey? ¡°Oh, I see!¡± From the looks of it, he isn¡¯t going to cooperate until he has been taught a lesson! ¡°Finish them off!¡± Joe barked at the twenty-odd guards under hismand, the final ace up his sleeve. As soon as his words rang out, a murderous gleam glinted in Tristan¡¯s eyes. They want to die, huh? Fine, I¡¯ll grant them their wish! Putting their backs together, Tristan and the others promptlyunched a fierce battle. Chapter 841 Chapter 841 Joe was confident at the start. After all, these people had gone through rigorous training. If not for these people, he would not be living such afortable life. However, when he saw the guards falling one after another, he realized something was terribly amiss. It seemed like he had crossed the wrong person that day. Immediately, he ditched his men to flee. He had supervised the construction of the pce, so he was familiar with the entire ce. Immediately, he scurried into a spot full of hidden traps. That spot had been built exactly for a situation like this. Once he was inside, he curled his lips into a smirk. If they dared to enter the ce, he was going to make sure that they were dead meat. If they did not have the courage to enter, he would be able to avoid getting caught. Hence, Joe rxed, and he even felt that he could have some red wine in the meantime. On the other side, when Sophie saw Joe fleeing, she turned to the other two to say, ¡°I¡¯ll leave this ce to you. I¡¯m going to head over to take a look instead.¡± After taking down another guard, Tristan turned to see her about to run after Joe. Thus, he quickly muttered some instructions to Bertram before hurrying after Sophie. He soon caught up with her. ¡°I¡¯lle with you.¡± How could he possibly let her go anywhere alone in this ce? Charles, who found out that Sophie and Tristan had gone after Joe, contacted them with the Bluetooth device. ¡°Don¡¯t go after him. He went inside a trap room!¡± They did not know what kind of hidden mechanisms were inside, but they knew no one coulde back out of the room alive. Hence, Sophie halted in her tracks. ¡°What? This damn ce has a trap room?¡± Sophie never expected a small terrorist organization to possess trap rooms. ¡°That¡¯s right. There¡¯s a trap room here. Don¡¯t underestimate it either. Many master fighters have died in there.¡± Sophie nced at Tristan. ¡°Are we going in?¡± she asked, curious to find out what was inside the legendary trap room. ¡°You decide,¡± Tristan told her. If she wanted to enter, he would follow her in. Sophie was moved by his trust. As she held his hand, an adventurous glint appeared in her eyes. ¡°I know you¡¯re not scared of this dumb trap room. Come on, let¡¯s head in and take a look at what¡¯s inside!¡± Sophie was not going to leave the ce without capturing Joe. ¡°Mr. Tristan, Sophie, you¡ª¡± Charles was speechless. Weren¡¯t they supposed to heed mymands? I don¡¯t want them entering the room. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Charles. We¡¯lle back out unscathed,¡± Sophie confidently reassured him. The truth was, she had been researching various kinds of traps throughout the years. Therefore, she was interested to see the trap room up close. ¡°Sophie, this is no time to be messing around. What if something happens to the two of you inside? What am I going to say to Old Mr. Lombard?¡± The very thought of the possibility made Charles shake in fear. If he had known that things were going to turn out this way, he would not havee. Furthermore, if he were Sean, he would have a way to stop the two. ¡°All right, cease your nonsense. What¡¯s scary about this?¡± With that, Sophie took off her Bluetooth earpiece. Since they were going to be entering the trap room, they could not afford to have any distractions. C0ntent ? 2024 (N/?)velDrama.Org. ¡°Mr. Tristan, you¡ª¡± Just as Charles was about to say something else, Tristan took off his earpiece as well. Sophie and Tristan then headed inside. However, Sophie was sorely disappointed the second she stepped into the room. Is that all? Did this really kill all those master fighters? Are they really master fighters in the first ce? Sophie figured out the ws of the mechanisms with just one nce, and she soon disabled them all. She had expected something far more dangerous than that. ¡°Mr. Tristan, I think it¡¯s boring. What do you think?¡± Even if Tristan had entered the room alone, he would have been able to disable them, let alone someone who had been researching hidden mechanisms like her. Soon, they were at thest section. Joe¡¯s face twisted with a grim expression as he saw the two of them making it through the final section unscathed. ¡°How did you get in here? How is this possible? No one has been able to survive until this part!¡± Let alone unharmed! ¡°Aren¡¯t you overestimating your traps a little too much? In fact, they can¡¯t even be considered traps,¡± Sophie pointed out, thinking that Joe had been living under a rock his whole life. Unfortunately for Joe, he found himself trapped with no means of escape. ¡°What do you want?¡± Joe asked shakily. ¡°If the people backing me find out that youid a finger on me, they¡¯re not going to let you off easily. You better not do anything to me.¡± He knew he was screwed. He never thought those two coulde after him even after fleeing into the trap room. ¡°This is yourst chance to speak. Who¡¯s the one supporting you?¡± Sophie questioned. Meanwhile, Tristan was quietly surveying the area. If any danger appeared, he would be able to protect Sophie. Joe scrunched up his face. ¡°I can¡¯t believe you. You ruined everything for me, and now you expect me to give you information? Keep dreaming!¡± Sophie drew her brows together. ¡°So you¡¯re not going to tell me anything.¡± Why is he spending so much time spouting gibberish? ¡°What can you even do to me if I don¡¯t tell you anything?¡± Excuse me? I¡¯m the leader of a terrorist group. Surrendering easily is not an option for me. I have my pride to uphold, and it¡¯s humiliating for a girl like you to corner me like this. Unfortunately, I have no choice in the matter. This is dreadful. In the next second, Sophie took out the gun she kept by her waist and shot him where it would hurt most. ¡°Do you n on confessing? Do you think I¡¯m one of the good guys?¡± Sophie asked. During her time with Tristan, she genuinely wanted to be a righteous person and fight for the right side. However, these individuals were unreasonable. If she didn¡¯t reveal her true nature, they would continue to see her as a pushover. ¡°Argh!¡± Joe screamed. It was just one shot, but he felt as if he had been tossed into hell and dragged back. Sophie¡¯s proficiency in medicine gave her the ability to heal others, but it also granted her the means to inflict pain on them more easily. ¡°This really is yourst chance.¡± Joe hugged himself as he trembled from the terrifying thought of death. ¡°I¡¯ll say it! I¡¯ll say it! It¡¯s Jetroina¡¯s president. He made me do this, and he promised me five billion if I captured you!¡± Sure enough, Joe was only doing this for the money. After all, those who joined terrorist organizations were there for the money. ¡°I¡¯ve told you everything, so let me go!¡± Joe screeched. He was frightened out of his wits by the young woman in front of him. Despite her young age, she was scarily ruthless. Chapter 842 Chapter 842 ¡°Why does the president of Jetroina want me captured?¡± she wondered out loud. That certain incident did happen in Jetroina, but I don¡¯t recall ever crossing him. Hearing that, Joe shook his head. ¡°I only know that they want me to capture you and Professor Gullifer; I don¡¯t know anything else!¡± Joe had told her everything he knew. ¡°I see¡­¡± Sophie narrowed her eyes. Sophie seemed harmless, but the sight of her made the hair on the back of Joe¡¯s neck stand. ¡°I really told you everything I know! Please, please let me go!¡± He was a man who knew when to persist and when to submit¡ªhe knew he had to kneel before her then and beg for her to spare him. ¡°I hope you¡¯re telling me the truth. You know what I¡¯ll do to you otherwise. Mr. Tristan, please get your men to take him away.¡± Joe had beenmitting multiple crimes throughout the years, after all. It would be best for her to leave him to the military court. ¡°Okay.¡± Tristan then put his Bluetooth earpiece back on and asked Bertram to bring two men over to settle the matter. Meanwhile, Bertram, who was outside, knew that there was a trap room inside, so he had been worried sick about Sophie and Tristan. He was afraid that they would be hurt. Much to his surprise, Sophie and Tristan were asking them to enter the trap room less than half an hour after the couple went in. ¡°Mr. Quigley, didn¡¯t you say that the trap room was a legendary one?¡± Did Mr. Quigley mistake this trap room for another? How can they have disabled the mechanisms inside so quickly? Charles pursed his lips, thinking, But that¡¯s the information I received! Who would have known that Sophie and Tristan would be able to disable the trap room in half an hour? Are they even human? ¡°Okay, take care of this mess,¡± Charles ordered, needing some time alone to gather his thoughts. Bertram then brought two men in. When he saw the man slumped on the ground¡ªJoe¡ªhe gave him a look of pity. Joe carried the weight of many lives on his shoulders, and his methods were extremely cruel. However, this was the ending that he hade to. ¡°Take him away and hand him over to the military court,¡± Sophie said before walking to Tristan. ¡°Come on. Let¡¯s go back. I don¡¯t like the scent of blood on me. It¡¯s too strong.¡± ¡°Okay, let¡¯s go,¡± Tristan said, wrapping an arm around her waist. The two of them had destroyed the pce in no time. Once Sophie was back at the hotel, she quickly took a shower and changed into clean clothes. It had been a while since she had done this much exercise. A smile had been on her lips ever since she was done with her shower. When she came out of the bathroom, she turned to Tristan and jogged over to him before hugging him from behind. ¡°What¡¯s the matter? You seem particrly happy with me today,¡± Tristanmented with a smile, having juste out of the shower as well. ¡°Well, I¡¯ve always been content with you.¡± Sophie knew that Tristan loved her, and what happened earlier in the day cemented that thought. It seemed like he would always stay on her side no matter what decision she made. ¡°Of course.¡± As long as it was her decision, he would give her his support regardless of whether it was right or wrong. No matter what the consequences were, he was willing to bear the responsibility for it. That was the profound love he had for her. ¡°But remember to tell me all the decisions you make because I want to be by your side when you¡¯re in danger,¡± he told her. That was the only request he had. ¡°Mm, I know. Don¡¯t worry. I won¡¯t let anything happen to me.¡± Nothing stopped her in the past, but now that she had Tristan, she would think twice before doing anything. Right then, Charles returned from the pce. After a swift shower, he came to their room. This content belongs to N?/velDra/ma.Org . Tristan drew his brows together at the man outside of the room. ¡°Why are you here? Don¡¯t you know that you¡¯re not weed here?¡± Sophie and Tristan were having a romantic moment inside, so naturally, Charles would not be weed at this time. Charles rubbed his nose sheepishly. ¡°Mr. Tristan, did I do something wrong again? I can¡¯t think of what I¡¯ve done. I¡¯m only here to invite you to a meal.¡± Didn¡¯t we have a workout earlier? Naturally, we should be having a sumptuous meal right after that. Moreover, it took me forever and a day to find a good Chanaean restaurant. Do you even know who I¡¯m doing this for? Tristan turned to Sophie. ¡°How about we grab a bite to eat? Charles has found a great spot for some food,¡± Tristan suggested, having faith in Charles¡¯ ability to find good restaurants. ¡°Sure!¡± Indeed, Charles had found a decent Chanaean restaurant. It was impressive of him to be able to find a restaurant like this in Fandar. ¡°How is it, Sophie? A sweet ce, isn¡¯t it? It took me so much effort to find this ce!¡± Charles uttered, seemingly fishing forpliments. ¡°There¡¯s no way you¡¯d bring us to a bad restaurant,¡± Sophie answered, knowing how Charles was a meticulous person. ¡°Okay, I¡¯m d you like it. Eat moreter, all right? You ate little for lunch.¡± Sophie did not like Fandar¡¯s local food, so that was why Charles asked his men to look for a Chanaean restaurant. Bertram was there, too. When he thought about how Tristan had asked him to stay in the area, he turned to cast Tristan a gloomy look. Tristan ignored his pitiful gaze, unfortunately. When Bertram left the restaurant by saying that he needed a smoke break, he called Charles along. ¡°What are you doing? We¡¯re about to eat, so why did you drag me out here? Others might misunderstand our rtionship!¡± Charles protested. Bertram stared at him, speechless for a while. ¡°Mr. Quigley, I think Mr. Tristan is angry. He¡¯s asking me to stay here. Help me think of a way to get out of this.¡± Bertram was young and unmarried, so he did not want to stay in a remote ce like Fandar. Charles knew how capable Bertram was, for thetter had been working for Tristan for many years. This was the first time Bertram had ever asked him for a favor. ¡°What did you do?¡± ¡°What could I have possibly done? I only spared a few more nces at Ms. Tanner! She¡¯s brilliant, and that¡¯s why I looked at her a little longer than usual. I really didn¡¯t mean anything else!¡± Who knew that extra few seconds would have brought on such trouble? If I had known that back then, I would¡¯ve kept my eyes shut around her. ¡°Oh, I see. Well, it¡¯s not as if this is irreversible. All you need to do is to make Sophie happy. Mr. Tristan heeds almost everything she says nowadays.¡± If Sophie were to put in a good word for Bertram, Tristan would not say a word in protest. ¡°I don¡¯t know how to make her happy. I¡¯ve never had a girlfriend before, so I¡¯m clueless when ites to pleasing a girl!¡± If he had any idea, he would not be single until then. ¡°Hm¡­ Here¡¯s a n,¡± Charles started, whispering to Bertram. Chapter 843 Chapter 843 ¡°Are you sure about this?¡± Bertram could not exin why, but his gut instinct continued to cast doubts over Charles¡¯ suggestion. ¡°I didn¡¯t offend you earlier, did I, Mr. Quigley? You¡¯re not digging my grave here, right?¡± Sure, Bertram may have never been in a rtionship, but he was no fool. Charles merely retorted, ¡°Don¡¯t you know how many women I¡¯ve dated in the past? Trust me; my n is foolproof. In any case, I can¡¯t force you to change your mind if you don¡¯t believe me.¡± s, Bertram was all out of options. Charles¡¯ idea was his only and best shot. ¡°Fine. I¡¯ll take that advice.¡± When they finally sat down to eat, Bertram boldly sat beside Sophie. Heunched into a string of praises. ¡°Ms. Tanner, Mr. Tristan has waxed poetic about you for a long time. He clearly likes you very much! I must admit, I¡¯ve never met a young woman as beautiful as you in my life!¡± As he spoke, he carefully observed Sophie¡¯s expression. ¡°Oh, really?¡± Sophie replied curtly while ncing at Bertram. This was actually her first time meeting him. All she knew of Bertram was that he was Tristan¡¯s right-hand man. For reasons unknown, she had never met him until that day. She shot Tristan a questioning look. What is your right-hand man up to? Bertram realized Sophie¡¯s disinterest in him. Neither the length nor quality of his conversation could capture her attention. He promptly changed tack and stopped speaking. Instead, he would use his actions to show his adoration for Sophie. He began piling her te high with food. His behavior caused Tristan¡¯s frown to deepen. What is Bertram trying to do? Curiosity and irritation got the better of Tristan, and he interrogated his right-hand man, ¡°What are you up to, Bertram?¡± Bertram¡¯s hand froze in the middle of adding another morsel of food to Sophie¡¯s te. ¡°Mr. Tristan, I was just so enamored by Ms. Tanner that I feltpelled to do some nice things for her!¡± Bertram replied frantically. Owned by N?velDrama.Org. Mr. Tristan¡¯s expression is totally off! Mr. Quigley can¡¯t seriously be sabotaging me, right? A smile curved Tristan¡¯s lips, though it merely heightened Bertram¡¯s fear. The poor man was near tears as he sputtered, ¡°Did I make a mistake, Mr. Tristan? I really didn¡¯t mean anything else by my actions!¡± Charles failed to stop amusedughter from bubbling out of him. Tristan nced at his friend in realization. Charles must be responsible for Bertram¡¯s weird actions! He said, ¡°Charles, it seems you¡¯d like to stay behind in Fandar too. I¡¯m more than happy to make that happen! Both of you can stay here and settle the rest of the matters.¡± The smile on Charles¡¯ face froze in response. I was just pulling a small prank. Did he have to overreact like this? Charles quickly apologized, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Mr. Tristan. I swear it. Please have mercy.¡± There are still plenty of hotties waiting for me in Chanaea. I can¡¯t waste my prime in a ce like this. Meanwhile, Tristan summoned a waiter and got Sophie a clean te, which he proceeded to fill with food. At the same time, he asked coolly, ¡°Bertram, still thinking of stealing my girlfriend?¡± Bertram¡¯s heart almost stopped beating. He eximed, ¡°Mr. Tristan, this is all a misunderstanding! I merely wanted to get in Ms. Tanner¡¯s good graces. Please don¡¯t leave me here. I¡¯m very sorry for that foolish mistake.¡± Bertram also wanted nothing more than to beat Charles up for his joke. He knew his gut instinct was on to something when he suspected Charles of pranking him. Eager to shove the me on Charles, Bertram added, ¡°Mr. Quigley told me to do all this. None of this was my idea, Mr. Tristan!¡± Hmph! Don¡¯t think I¡¯m so easy to bully! ¡°Oh, is it? You should stay behind too, Charles!¡± came Tristan¡¯s indifferent response. Charles clearly loved flirting with danger, and there was no better way to satisfy his itch than leaving him behind to deal with the mess there. The suggestion did not sit well with Charles, who protested, ¡°I know I¡¯m wrong, Mr. Tristan. Please, I was just joking around with him. I didn¡¯t know Bertram would take it seriously.¡± Bertram was struck speechless by Charles¡¯ audacity. Just how shameless can he get? s, Tristan had already made up his mind, and it was near impossible for anyone to convince him otherwise. Charles knew his only hopey in Sophie. If she agreed to let him off the hook, Tristan would follow suit. He quickly turned to her and pleaded, ¡°I messed up, Sophie. Just forgive me this one time!¡± Sophie replied half-heartedly, ¡°Ah, it¡¯s great that you¡¯re aware of your screw-up.¡± ¡°So what you¡¯re saying is¡­¡± Charles trailed off, wondering if her words were a prelude to forgiveness. And perhaps she might spare me from staying behind? She cruelly shed his hopes by answering, ¡°Since you¡¯re admitting to your wrongdoing, you should readily ept the punishment thates with it.¡± Sophie added, ¡°Why don¡¯t you leave Charles alone here, Mr. Tristan? I truly think Bert meant well by his actions.¡± Bert? Tristan¡¯s eyes narrowed, expressing his displeasure at his girlfriend¡¯s rather affectionate nickname for his subordinate. Bertram thought he might faint from the pressure of his boss¡¯ re. ¡°Sophie, I haven¡¯t offended you recently, have I? How could you do this to me?¡± Charles continued to wail over his fate, though it merely earned him a smirk from Sophie. Annoyed that Sophie was wasting time entertaining two other men instead of eating, Tristan piped up, ¡°That¡¯s enough. Just ignore them. Let¡¯s eat!¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Arius called just as they returned to the hotel. Some issues arose regarding the virus in Anndur. He and Barney were already brainstorming a solution, but they needed Sophie¡¯s help. Tristan worried about the toll the constant traveling would take on Sophie¡¯s health. He muttered, ¡°Actually, I wanted to spend a night here before flying to Anndur.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± Sophie replied reassuringly. ¡°The situation there is pretty dire, so we should get going. I can catch up on my sleep during the flight.¡± ¡°All right.¡± Tristan¡¯s heart ached, but he would support her decision unconditionally. He had always done so. Charles and Bertram personally sent them to the airport. Even as they strolled through the departure hall, Charles had not given up on begging for his freedom. He whined, ¡°I swear, I know how badly I¡¯ve messed up this time, Mr. Tristan! It won¡¯t happen again. Can¡¯t you forgive me? I don¡¯t want to stay here at all!¡± There were no entertainment facilities in Fandar too. Charles could imagine himself forgetting all the wooing techniques from his ybook if he had to stay there for half a year. ¡°A year!¡± Tristan¡¯s reply was firm and unyielding. Charles was on the verge of tears. Bertram nced at him, secretly gleeful at how things had turned out. Serves you right for trying to sabotage me! I can¡¯t think of a better punishment. ¡°I¡¯ll leave things to you both. Oh, and remember, no one is allowed to leave without my express permission.¡± With that, Tristan wrapped his arm around Sophie and led her to the airport immigration gates. Outside the gates, Charles and Bertram turned to look at each other. Charles muttered, ¡°Tell me this isn¡¯t real, Bertram. My end can¡¯t possibly be this tragic, can it?¡± I don¡¯t want to be stuck here! Bertram red at him and returned, ¡°And whose fault is that? In any case, at least I won¡¯t be too lonely now that I have our dear Mr. Quigley forpany.¡± Charles sorely wished to punch him in the face. I would¡¯ve started a fight already if I was more confident about beating him. By then, Sophie and Tristan had boarded the ne bound for Anndur. Tristan asked an air stewardess for a nket and draped it across Sophie¡¯s legs. ¡°Thank you.¡± He was so meticulous and thoughtful that Sophie never had to worry about anything when he was around. Chapter 844 Chapter 844 ¡°Why do you think the president of Jetroina sent Joe to capture me?¡± Sophie was genuinely puzzled as she could not think of any reason for the president to go to such lengths to capture her, especially since there were no grudges between them. Besides, Tristan had numerous coborations with Jetroina, so Sophie assumed that the president would be careful not to endanger the rtionship. ¡°I¡¯ll go to Jetroina myself after everything is settled. Then, we¡¯ll know the truth.¡± Tristan did not give an immediate answer. He decided to visit Jetroina to rify the situation. ¡°Okay.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry too much. Rest for a while. We have a long flight ahead of us,¡± Tristan said. ¡°You should get some rest too,¡± Sophie replied. During this period, he had been flying with her all over the ce, and he had to be tired too. ¡°All right.¡± After more than ten hours, the nended at Anndur¡¯s international airport. As they disembarked, Sophie sensed that something was amiss. There was arge group of people waiting for them, including the president. ¡°Ms. Tanner, you¡¯re finally back. We¡¯ve been waiting for you here!¡± Marcus greeted her. Sophie was confused about the president¡¯s strange behavior. Anndur is in chaos right now, yet he¡¯s waiting here instead of handling the crisis. There are even journalists present. ¡°Ms. Tanner, I know you made a great contribution to the virus incident, so I came here personally to wee you,¡± Marcus exined. The Anndurans standing nearby also weed Sophie warmly. She couldn¡¯t understand what the president was trying to aplish. As expected, the minds of people in politics were not easy for ordinary people toprehend. ¡°Mr. President, I need to go find my mentor now, so I shall take my leave,¡± Sophie said with a solemn expression. I¡¯m sure he wants to make use of me to salvage his dire situation. s, Sophie was not someone who could be so easily manipted. Before Marcus could speak, Tristan interrupted, ¡°Mr. President, if you don¡¯t want to embarrass yourself in front of the people here, you should stop now.¡± It did not take a fool to tell that Sophie had worked hard to help them solve the virus issue, and now he wanted to make use of her. Such a man was truly despicable. After speaking, Tristan escorted Sophie to the car that was waiting outside. The president had no choice but to do what he did. In Anndur, the tenure for president was not indefinite, and since so many things had happened during his term, he naturally wanted to salvage the situation as best he could. Unfortunately, Sophie was not willing to cooperate. ¡°What should we do now, Mr. President?¡± Jamie asked. Frustrated, Marcus replied, ¡°What else can we do? Let¡¯s go back first.¡± He had not expected Sophie and Tristan to so tantly disrespect him. However, there were no other options. He still needed their help to solve the virus problem. ¡°Mr. President, I think Dr. Smith and the rest are talented. We shouldn¡¯t let them go,¡± Jamie opined. In thisrge-scale crisis, only Barney had the skills to resolve the issue. The other members of the International Medical Association had subpar skills and were not qualified to rece him. Jamie advised, ¡°Now everyone knows that Dr. Smith wants to leave. If you can keep him here, I think it will change everyone¡¯s opinion of you.¡± As the President¡¯s secretary, he naturally considered how best to support Marcus. ¡°I¡¯m aware of that, which is why I came personally to pick up Sophie. Haven¡¯t you noticed? Among these three people, Sophie is the one making most of the decisions. If she agrees to stay, the other two will definitely stay too,¡± Marcus exined. Being able to be the President of Anndur, his observational skills were naturally very sharp. ¡°Hmm, it seems to be true. So let¡¯s focus all our attention on Sophie.¡± They were sure that no one would turn down Anndur as long as they offered better conditions. After all, many people had been trying so hard to be part of the country. The trio had been presented with the chance, and if their loved ones wanted to join them, arrangements could be made. Once they got in the car, Sophie remained silent. Tristan knew she was angry, so he let her lean on his shoulder. ¡°That¡¯s how politicians are. They always only consider themselves. You don¡¯t need to take it to heart.¡± No one could force Sophie to do anything she disliked, not even the president of Anndur. Hence, she could do whatever she wanted without worrying about other people¡¯s feelings. ¡°I know. I¡¯m not angry.¡± Instead of going to the hotel, Sophie and the rest went directly to Barney and his team. Barney breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Sophie. ¡°Some patients have shown signs of rejecting the drug. Our top priority now is to solve this problem,¡± he reported. ¡°Dr. Smith and I thought of several methods, but none of them have worked.¡± Arius also felt perplexed by the situation. ¡°Okay, let me take a look.¡± Sophie came back specifically to solve this problem, so naturally, she started working right away. Meanwhile, Tristan remained outside, feeling worried about Sophie. She had refused to let him in as all the patients were infected with the virus. Just then, his phone rang. Tristan answered the call when he saw it was Charles.ConTEent bel0ngs to N?v(e)lD/rama(.)Org . ¡°What is it? I told you there is no negotiating on this matter. You must stay there.¡± If he dared to do such a thing, he must be mentally prepared to take responsibility. ¡°Mr. Tristan, I didn¡¯t call today about that matter. I just received a call from home. It seems that Winter has gone to Anndur,¡± Charles exined. When Tristan remained silent, he added, ¡°Mr. Tristan, I know you have a lot going on in Anndur, but it¡¯s a mess there now. You know that Winter isn¡¯t very capable, so I hope you can help her for my sake.¡± Charles could not think of any other solutions; he was truly helpless when it came to his sister. ¡°Charles, you are aware of the danger involved in Sophie¡¯s work here. How can I possibly spare time to attend to others in such a critical situation?¡± More importantly, Tristan didn¡¯t want to take care of anyone else. ¡°Mr. Tristan, I¡­¡± Before Charles could continue, Tristan interrupted, ¡°All right, since you¡¯ve spoken up, I¡¯ll have someone look into it. But I can¡¯t guarantee that we¡¯ll find her.¡± It is time for Winter to suffer a little. ¡°Okay, thank you.¡± Charles was really speechless. If not for him not yet resolving the problems in Fandar, he would have flown to Anndur to teach his little sister a good lesson. Chapter 845 Chapter 845 Butterfly had just finished showering when she received Tristan¡¯s call. ¡°What? You want me to find Winter?¡± What the heck? Why do I have to look for that woman? ¡°Mr. Tristan, although I¡¯m on good terms with Sophie, I¡¯m not that close to you. What makes you think you can order me around like that?¡± Butterfly said while drying her hair leisurely with a towel. ¡°Are you really not going to do it?¡± Butterfly was the only one he could ask as the others were all busy. ¡°Mr. Tristan, is that a threat? Aren¡¯t you afraid that I¡¯ll call Sophie right now and tell her that you¡¯re threatening me?¡± ¡°Try it if you dare!¡± Tristan replied in a cold voice. After a pause, he continued, ¡°Oh, do you need me to pass the phone to Sophie?¡± At that moment, Sophie appeared. ¡°Fine. I will do as you say only because of Sophie!¡± That woman must have a death wish to show up in Anndur now. Sophie stopped beside Tristan just as he hung up. ¡°What¡¯s the matter? Did anything happen that I¡¯m not aware of? You must let me know if there¡¯s something wrong.¡± ¡°Winter is here. Charles asked me to take care of his sister.¡± An irritated expression appeared on Tristan¡¯s face at the mention of Winter. He could not help but feel frustrated as she was a huge problem to them. ¡°I see.¡± That did not bother Sophie the least. She would not waste energy on the woman, who was no different from a clown to her. ¡°Yup. I¡¯ve asked Butterfly to look for her as I¡¯m not free to do that myself.¡± ¡°You can go there personally if you want. Don¡¯t worry about me. I will be fine here.¡± You really don¡¯t have to stay with me round the clock. ¡°Nope. I want to stay by your side.¡± ¡°Tristan, I think it¡¯s better that you go and take a look! I know how close Charles and you are. No matter what, Winter is still his sister. It would be difficult for you to face him if something bad happens to her here.¡± Charles was someone important to the couple. Owned by N?velDrama.Org. Besides, shouldn¡¯t friends help each other? ¡°Haven¡¯t I already asked Butterfly to look for her?¡± I¡¯m doing that just for Charles. Taking a pause, Tristan continued, ¡°By the way, did you manage to make any good progress? Do you think you will be done by today?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think so.¡± Although Sophie was indeed talented in that area, not all problems could be solved instantly. Moreover, medical research was a tedious process that needed time. ¡°No rush. Take your time.¡± Tristan pulled Sophie toward him and sat her down. ¡°Where are you heading to now?¡± ¡°I have to go to theb, so if you want to, you can look for Winter yourself.¡± It¡¯s best to send that woman back to Chanaea anyway. ¡°All right then! I¡¯ll listen to you.¡± Since it was what Sophie wanted him to do, he had decided to make a trip personally and kick Winter back to Chanaea. Tristan went to look for Butterfly after sending Sophie to theboratory. When he called Butterfly, he was told that Winter had already been found. Winter was in a miserable state when the man arrived. It seemed as if she had been robbed. ¡°Mr. Tristan, I¡¯ve already found her, but she doesn¡¯t trust me and refuses to leave with me. There¡¯s nothing I can do,¡± Butterfly exined helplessly. The moment Winter saw Tristan, tears started to stream down her cheeks. She hade here because she could not stop worrying about him. However, she did not expect things to turn out that way. ¡°Mr. Tristan, I¡­¡± Before the woman could finish her sentence, she started sobbing again. It was undeniably a pitiful sight to behold. ¡°Hey, Ms. Quigley, are you trying to gain sympathy now?¡± One look and Butterfly could tell that Winter was a b*tch who had designs on Tristan. If she had known this fact beforehand, she would not have agreed to find the woman. Winter did not pay any attention to Butterfly at all. Although Butterfly was an attractive woman, Tristan had not looked at her ever since he arrived. From that, it was obvious to Winter that the two of them were not close. ¡°Butterfly, please send her to the airport. I¡¯ve already arranged for someone to be there to receive her.¡± Tristan did not want to waste another second there. ¡°Sure.¡± Indeed, Sophie has picked the right man! Butterfly was rather impressed with Tristan for not wavering in front of Winter. Upon hearing that, Winter started crying even harder. ¡°Mr. Tristan, I came here because I was worried about you. Do you really have to be so cruel to me?¡± She could not believe that the man was not even willing to talk to her when she had disregarded her own safety to look for him. ¡°I¡¯m not going back. I want to stay here with you!¡± Winter eximed shamelessly. Butterfly was rendered speechless. Why is she being so clingy when Mr. Tristan is not interested in her at all? Is there a point in wasting her feelings on someone who will never reciprocate them? ¡°Ms. Quigley, let¡¯s go! Don¡¯t force me to use violence. I don¡¯t like to resort to that as I¡¯m verydylike.¡± Winter shot Butterfly a re and said, ¡°Why are you being such a busybody? No one asked you to be here. What I choose to do is none of your business!¡± There was no way she would easily return, given how much effort it took her to be there. ¡°Mr. Tristan, I don¡¯t mind going back, but you have to go back with me, okay?¡± It¡¯s simply too dangerous for him to be here. There¡¯s absolutely no need for him to stay. Anndur has got nothing to do with us at all. I only want him to be safe. ¡°You¡¯re not returning to Jipsdale. Currently, your only option is to go to Fandar. Charles is waiting for you there!¡± Tristan had already given Winter a chance. Since she did not want it, he could only send her back to Fandar. When Winter heard that, her expression changed at once. After staying in Fandar for so long, she could feel goosebumps on her skin just by hearing the name of the ce. ¡°Mr. Tristan, I didn¡¯t mean to trouble you. I came here only to see you. That was all I wanted and nothing else!¡± She took a pause and continued, ¡°I just could not stop worrying about you. I really don¡¯t have other intentions. Please let me off!¡± At that moment, Winter was extremely regretful for acting so impulsively. She had left Jipsdale right after Charles departed, his words still fresh in her mind. Tristan took out a length of rope from his car and tossed it to Butterfly. Grabbing the rope, Butterfly immediately knew what Tristan wanted her to do. She nodded and said, ¡°All right then! Leave this to me. Even though Sophie is a very gracious woman, I still don¡¯t wish to see her man getting involved with another woman in any capacity.¡± Right after Butterfly finished speaking, she tied Winter up with the rope. ¡°Let me go! What are you doing? What are you nning to do? Mr. Tristan, I really don¡¯t know what I¡¯ve done wrong. Is it a crime for me to love you? Why do you have to do this to me?¡± Winter wailed hysterically. Butterfly, who could not stand the woman¡¯s voice any longer, found a piece of cloth in the car and stuffed it into her mouth. ¡°Mr. Tristan, don¡¯t worry, and just leave this to me! I will make sure she reaches Fandar. From now on, you and Sophie can lead a peaceful life without anyone disturbing you.¡± Butterfly was all pumped up to carry out her task. Chapter 846 Chapter 846 ¡°I have to say, Phantom¡¯s man is so cruel. You all have no idea how badly the girl was crying!¡± After sending Winter to the airport and putting her on the ne, Butterfly came back and had a video call with the rest of the members from Wings of Light. ¡°Really? That¡¯s good then. Phantom is worth it.¡± After all, Phantom singlehandedly founded Wings of Light. A talented woman like her deserved a man who gave her his entire heart and soul. ¡°That¡¯s right. Anyway, I like Tristan. Only a man like Tristan is fit to be with Phantom.¡± As far as they were concerned, Phantom was naturally the best. Sophie had just finished solving a new problem and had some time on her hands. Taking out her phone, she saw what Butterfly said in the group chat. Sophie raised her brows slightly. To be honest, she could not be bothered with Winter because Tristan had never looked at her twice. As such, she did not mind at all. ¡°All right, Butterfly. If there¡¯s nothing else, go back first! Wings of Light still needs you,¡± Sophie, who had been absent from the group for a while, said abruptly. The moment she appeared, the others started to bombard her with questions. After chatting with them for a while, Sophie then put her phone down. She looked up and saw that Tristan had returned. ¡°I¡¯ve already gotten rid of that troublesome woman.¡± He would do anything she asked of him. Sophie was a little tired, so she walked up to him and rested her head on his chest. ¡°Actually, you didn¡¯t have to do that. I¡¯m really not bothered by Winter.¡± No matter what, she was Charles¡¯ sister. ¡°What I did has nothing to do with you. I just don¡¯t want anyone to disturb us. That¡¯s all.¡± He was the one who disliked Winter, and tossing her back to Fandar was not for Sophie¡¯s sake. Therefore, there was no need for her to feel bad about it. ¡°Let¡¯s go! Aren¡¯t you tired? Let¡¯s go back and rest for a bit.¡± Since she arrived in Anndur, she had yet to take a good rest! ¡°Sure.¡± She had already solved most of the issues, so the doctors could handle the rest. Just as the couple returned to the hotel, William called and urged the two of them to go back home again. Seeing that he was not getting anywhere with Tristan, William decided to change his tactic. ¡°Fine! I have nothing much to say to you. Hand the phone to Sophie! Let me talk to her!¡± Tristan was speechless. ¡°Dad, what do you want to talk to her about?¡± He was unwilling to hand the phone to Sophie because he was the one who wanted to stay there with her. It had nothing to do with Sophie, and he did not want her to be med for it. ¡°Brat! What¡¯s wrong with you? Can I not speak to my daughter-inw? You¡­¡± William was infuriated. Just then, Sophie came over and heard William¡¯s strong voice. From that, she knew that he had made a decent recovery. ¡°Give me the phone!¡± She was not that fragile and did not require Tristan to protect her from everything. Exasperated, Tristan did as he was told. ¡°Old Mr. Lombard, it¡¯s me. Are you all right? We should being back in a week¡¯s time. Don¡¯t worry. Everything is fine here.¡± Sophie¡¯s voice sounded cool and calm, but it was obvious to William that she was able to handle any problems that came her way very well. ¡°All right then. Just be careful. I shall wait for your safe return.¡± What Sophie was doing now was something deserving of respect. ¡°Grandpa, please let me speak to Sophie,¡± said Ysabelle, who was sitting next to William. He then handed the phone to Ysabelle. ¡°Sophie, it¡¯s me. I miss you so much. How have you been?¡± The moment Ysabelle took over the phone, she sounded as though she was on the verge of tears. ¡°I really wanted to go over to look for you, but I can¡¯t at the moment.¡± No one would allow her to go. They all thought that she might be a burden. Sophie smiled when she heard Ysabelle¡¯s voice. ¡°Be good and stay at home! We¡¯ll be back soon,¡± assured Sophie with a chuckle. ConTEent bel0ngs to N?v(e)lD/rama(.)Org . ¡°Okay, I understand. If I knew earlier on, I would have gone to the University of Medicine with you. That way, I could have fought alongside you.¡± Ysabelle was a true fan of Sophie. She wanted to be with thetter wherever she went. However, it was not possible at the moment, and it was a horrible feeling. ¡°That¡¯s enough. You don¡¯t have to learn medicine because of me.¡± Everyone had their own dreams. All Ysabelle needed to do was follow her own. ¡°Okay, I know. Rest well then. I won¡¯t take up your time.¡± In actual fact, there were still a lot of things she wanted to tell Sophie, but she did not know where to start. More importantly, Sophie had been incredibly busy, so what she needed most was rest. ¡°All right. Listen to Felix, understand?¡± Sophie was well aware of how obstinate Ysabelle was. ¡°Yes, I have been good. Don¡¯t worry.¡± It was currently very safe in the country. As such, there was no need for Ysabelle to be worried. Furthermore, her new album was almostpleted. She was feeling very confident about it. ¡°Sophie, I hope you¡¯ll be back for the release of my new album,¡± uttered Ysabelle hopefully. Whenever there was something important in her life, she hoped Sophie would be by her side. ¡°I should be done in a week¡¯s time. By the look of it, I should be able to make it in time for the release of your new album.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Ysabelle was still feeling mncholic after hanging up the phone. ¡°Grandpa, can¡¯t I go over and join them?¡± Now that she was being left alone there, she felt as if she had been isted. It was an awful feeling. ¡°Why do you want to go there? You don¡¯t know anything. You will just be their burden.¡± It was bad enough that Tristan and Sophie were there. There was no way he would allow Ysabelle to join them as well. ¡°Grandpa, am I so useless in your eyes? Do you really think I can¡¯t be of any help? That I will only get into trouble?¡± Ysabelle felt hurt. Although that was the truth, it was a hard pill for her to swallow. ¡°No, we only hope that you can stay safe and sound by our side.¡± Furthermore, she was the little princess of the Lombard family. There was nothing wrong with her living a safe and happy life. Things are going well for her singing career, aren¡¯t they? How can she say she is useless? Everyone had their own strengths. As long as they could do well in their area of expertise, that would suffice. There was no need topare against others. Ysabelle was at a loss for words. She wrapped her arms around William¡¯s neck when she heard that. ¡°Grandpa, I love you. I knew you would be the only one in the world who doesn¡¯t find me annoying.¡± ¡°What do you mean? Did someone say something to you?¡± Chapter 847 Chapter 847 Ysabelle was the Lombard family¡¯s darling. How could they ever not want herpany? ¡°No, it¡¯s just a thought.¡± Ysabelle was abruptly struck with a surge of mncholy. Nevertheless, she figured she should keep her emotions in check. After all, everyone was busy, and she did not want to worry them. ¡°Ysabelle, I¡¯m being honest. You don¡¯t need topare yourself with anyone else. I just want you to be you. Nothing else matters, okay?¡± She mustn¡¯tpare herself to someone like Sophie. Sophie¡¯s an ambitious girl. How many girls in this world could be the same as her? Ysabelle¡¯s already a sweet and nice girl. Moreover, she¡¯s a popr singer too. It¡¯s already wonderful that she¡¯s excelling in her own field. ¡°Mm, okay. I understand, Grandpa. I have something to settle with the recordingpany, so I¡¯m going to leave first. I won¡¯t be able to have a meal with you.¡± ¡°Sure, go on. Be careful on your way there,¡± William said. He knew that Ysabelle was busy as a singer, so he did not insist that she stay. Although he felt bad for her, he also thought that it was a good sign for her to be busy. ¡°Okay, Grandpa. I¡¯m going to leave now. Be good and have your meal, all right? I¡¯ll ask my aunt about this when Ie home at night,¡± Ysabelle said as she walked toward the door. In no time, William was the only one left in the huge house, for the younger members of the family were all working hard in their jobs.ConTEent bel0ngs to N?v(e)lD/rama(.)Org . His lips curled into a smile. It was not a bad sign for him that everyone was busy with their own lives. Moreover, he was old. All he could do was guard the house for them so that they had a loving home to return to. Whenever they wanted toe home, he would be there, waiting for them. That was enough for him. Meanwhile, after Sophie ended the call, she handed the phone to Tristan. ¡°You don¡¯t need to take my father¡¯s words to heart. He¡¯s just worried about us. Honestly, he¡¯s not a bad man.¡± While it was true that William used to dislike Sophie, he had since epted her and treated her as family. Sophie walked over to Tristan and circled her arms around his neck before giving him a kiss. ¡°No, I¡¯m not taking it to heart. I¡¯m moved, in fact, that someone is worried about me now.¡± That was a sensation she had never experienced before, but she liked it. ¡°Let¡¯s go back once we¡¯re done with things over here. We¡¯ll leave Jetroina¡¯s matters aside for now.¡± ¡°Okay, sure!¡± It had been a while since they left the family home, and a visit was overdue. Tristan then wrapped his arms around her waist before leaning over to return a kiss on her lips. ¡°The Lombards will treat you nicely, Sophie. My family is yours,¡± he said. This was a characteristic of the Lombard family. When they epted someone as part of their family, they treated them with great kindness and generosity. ¡°I know, and that¡¯s why I think it¡¯s my greatest blessing to have met you,¡± Sophie said, leaning on his chest. Tristan lifted her into his arms. ¡°All right. You came back to rest. Leave everything aside for now, and get some sleep.¡± ¡°Okay. Sleep with me.¡± When Sophie realized he was about to leave, she grabbed his hand and tugged him toward the bed. ¡°Of course,¡± Tristan replied, lying down beside her and pulling her into his arms. ¡°Time to sleep.¡± Sophie had not been able to get any proper sleep at the research institute. No matter how strong she was, she was human, and she needed sleep. Otherwise, her health would deteriorate eventually. Sophie closed her eyes and focused on his steady heartbeat. It gave her an immense sense of security. ¡°Mr. Tristan, I really love it when you embrace me. I wish I could stay here forever.¡± ¡°My hugs will always only be yours,¡± Tristan reassured her, the smile on his face enticing her. Sophie nuzzled against him. Not long after that, she fell asleep. Meanwhile, after Charles received the call, he went to the airport in Fandar to pick Winter up. Upon realizing that Winter had been sent to Fandar while trussed up like a pig, he shook his head in exasperation. In contrast, Winter was struck by a sense of aggrievement when she saw Charles. ¡°Charles, look at me! Mr. Tristan doesn¡¯t actually think of you as a dear friend. If he did, he wouldn¡¯t have treated me in this way,¡± Winter angrily uttered. ¡°Yet you¡¯re still so loyal to him. Isn¡¯t this pointless?¡± Charles never thought she would still be unrepentant and was still trying to sow discord between him and Tristan. ¡°Charles, why are you looking at me in that way? Am I not right? What did I do wrong? I only went to Anndur because I was worried about him, but look at how he treated me. How could he have done this to me? Regardless of everything, I¡¯m still your sister!¡± Charles then asked someone to bring a roll of tape over to seal her mouth. ¡°Winter, honestly, if you¡¯re not my sister, I wouldn¡¯t have bothered myself with you.¡± His sister often gave him literal headaches. It was very annoying, and he hated it. ¡°Mm! Mm!¡± Winter struggled. What¡¯s the meaning of this? Is he not going to let me go even though I¡¯m here now? ¡°You¡¯re not going anywhere; you¡¯re going to stay by my side. Be good, okay? Mr. Tristan won¡¯t fall for you,¡± Charles mercilessly said to her. Truth be told, unwanted persistence would only serve to incite anger in others. Yet, that was something she still could not understand. Who was Winter Quigley in the face of Sophie Tanner? No one. Her actions would only make Tristan hate her more and more. At the sight of Winter¡¯s struggles, Bertram handed Charles a cigarette. ¡°You have it tough, Mr. Quigley.¡± Not only did Charles need to manage hispany, but he also had to manage his misbehaving sister. Charles epted the cigarette. ¡°What else can I do? Bertram, didn¡¯t you say you¡¯re single? What about this? Why don¡¯t you marry my sister?¡± Bertram whipped his head around to eye Charles as though thetter was a lunatic. ¡°Mr. Quigley, please wallow in misery by yourself. You don¡¯t need to drag me to hell with you! Do you think your sister¡¯s an easy woman to get along with?¡± How can you do this to me? I don¡¯t want this! ¡°Bertram, are you sure? My sister¡¯s quite a nice person, actually. She¡¯s pretty and capable. The only w she has is that she fell for the wrong person. Don¡¯t you think it¡¯ll be good if you can make her fall for you instead?¡± Bertram¡¯s objection to that was written all over his face. ¡°I¡¯m serious, Mr. Quigley. Don¡¯t force unto others what you don¡¯t want. Your sister isn¡¯t someone I can handle.¡± I¡¯d rather be single than have a terrifying girlfriend like her! At the very least, I can still be happy. ¡°Bertram, do you hear yourself?¡± Chapter 848 Chapter 848 This younger sister of mine may be a little stubborn, but she¡¯s nowhere as scary as he makes her out to be. ¡°I didn¡¯t mean anything else by that, Mr. Quigley. I really don¡¯t like her, so I¡¯m just telling you not to try anything funny,¡± Bertram replied. Did he think that¡¯d frighten me? After working closely with Mr. Tristan for so long, I¡¯ve seen and experienced many things and situations. Neither riches nor power can bend me. I¡¯m a man with principles, thank you very much. ¡°Is Winter really that bad?¡± Charles responded, feeling frustrated. When I¡¯m back in Jipsdale, I¡¯ve got to make her go on blind dates. Only after seeing her get married will I feel at ease. Otherwise, I¡¯ll be so annoyed by her and die an untimely death sooner orter. If that happens, it¡¯ll be a huge loss indeed. Winter was still making muffled protests when Charles got into the car. He turned and uttered sternly, ¡°Shut up, Winter. You should know where this is. If you continue stirring up trouble like this, I¡¯ll wash my hands of you. I¡¯ve really had enough of you.¡± ConTEent bel0ngs to N?v(e)lD/rama(.)Org . I had to plead with Sophie previously to let her go back. But now that she has run off by herself, how is she supposed to go back this time? I¡¯ve seriously had enough of having such a troublemaking sister. Meanwhile, Bertram shot Charles a pitying nce. Ms. Quigley never knows when to stop. Whoever ends up marrying her in the future is one unlucky guy, that¡¯s for sure. Over in Anndur, Sophie woke up feeling refreshed after forcing herself to sleep for ten hours. Tristan had been by her side the whole time she was asleep, and the first thing she saw upon opening her eyes was his handsome face. She stretched out a hand and pinched his neck gently. Honestly, this guy can always make my heart flutter! Just his face alone is enough to bewitch someonepletely. It¡¯s no wonder those wealthy heiresses in Jipsdale keep flocking to him like bees to a honeypot. I¡¯m fortunate indeed that he chose me among all the others. If that isn¡¯t lucky, I don¡¯t know what is! Opening his mouth wide, he trapped her small, mischievous hand in his mouth. That made herugh. ¡°What¡¯s the matter? Are you hungry? Do you want to eat my hand?¡± ¡°I¡¯m hungry. I want to devour you.¡± The next moment, he pulled her close and kissed her, sliding his tongue nimbly into her mouth. It was a kiss charged with desire and passion, and she felt her body start to burn. Nheless, he refused to let her go and continued kissing her from her lips to her neck, then to her chest. Sophie arched her neck, basking in his love for her. I adore everything about him. Even his kisses are just like him¡ªaddictive. Suddenly, he rolled over and pinned her under him. She did not say anything and merely gazed at him with a dreamy look. Seeing her like that aroused him immediately, and he swiftly shielded her eyes with his hand. ¡°Don¡¯t look at me like that. If you do, I won¡¯t be able to control myself,¡± Tristan murmured. She¡¯s getting more and more seductive! Even if she lies there without doing anything, it makes me get the urge to throw caution to the wind. The corners of her lips curved upward with a hint of a smile. This guy¡­ I don¡¯t know why he insists on holding back. However, it¡¯s also that determination that makes me feel so happy. He must be trying to protect me because he thinks I¡¯m still young. That¡¯s why he keeps letting himself suffer like this. Soon, her whole body was shaking withughter. I can¡¯t help it. I really can¡¯t hold it in any longer. Herughter was so infectious that he was soon chuckling along with her. ¡°Oh, so you¡¯reughing at me now?¡± he asked, still lying on top of her. When a man and a woman were in such a position, one¡¯s imagination would inevitably run wild. ¡°I¡¯m not. I wouldn¡¯t dare! Besides, what¡¯s there tough about you?¡± Despite her answer, her expression clearly showed that was not the case. ¡°Just you wait. Some day, I¡¯ll surely make you plead for mercy while pinned under me,¡± he responded. He loved her deeply, which was why he could not bear to hurt her. ¡°Okay, sure. I¡¯ll wait for that day toe,¡± came her reply. What else can I do? I also feel helpless that I met a guy like him. However, this is his resolve. Since he cherishes the wedding night so much, I¡¯ll wait for that day. That night, Barney and Arius also returned to the hotel. They had solved the issue and could finally have a good rest. However, no sooner had they arrived than Marcus also appeared at the hotel. The sight of the uninvited visitor filled Arius with exasperation. We¡¯ve been working ourselves to the bone for so many days and certainly have no time to waste on dealing with this guy. ¡°Mr. President, don¡¯t you know how exhausted we¡¯ve been these past few days? If you do, could you please refrain from disturbing us now? The only thing I want to do right now is to get a good night¡¯s sleep,¡± he said curtly. I mean, who¡¯s the reason we¡¯re so tired? Yet the culprit shows up here and is unwilling to let us rest. Isn¡¯t this a little too much? ¡°Don¡¯te at me with such hostility, Arius. I¡¯m here because I want to express my gratitude. I know how hard you¡¯ve all been working during this period,¡± Marcus replied meekly. ¡°Here¡¯s an idea! Given your outstanding contributions to Anndur, I¡¯ve decided to reward all of you handsomely. I hope you¡¯ll be there on time.¡± In truth, that was the reason for his visit. ¡°No need for that, Mr. President. We didn¡¯t do what we did because of you.¡± Barney understood people like Marcus to a certain extent and had a sinking feeling that thetter did not want to let them leave. Initially, we came here to help them solve their problems. However, now that Marcus has seen what Sophie is capable of, it¡¯s even more unlikely that he¡¯ll let her go. ¡°I know you don¡¯t care for all that, Barney. However, the truth is that the International Medical Association truly needs you. Could it even still be called the International Medical Association without you? Hence, you guys have toe,¡± Marcus replied. Then, observing how fatigued the pair looked, he did not take up any more of their time and quickly left with his subordinates. When Sophie learned they were back, she went to find them and immediately noticed Arius¡¯s stormy expression. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± she asked. Didn¡¯t he just get back? Who stepped on his toes this time? ¡°It¡¯s that disgusting president again. I truly can¡¯t stand the sight of him anymore, and I¡¯ve no idea what he has cooking in his mind this time,¡± he grumbled, thinking about how they had onlye to offer their assistance because they had to and that Marcus should be d they were not asking him for money in return. ¡°Why do you care what he wants to do? Anyway, no matter what he has in mind, he can¡¯t change our decision,¡± she reasoned. Even the president of Anndur can¡¯t stop us if we want to leave. ¡°Mm, you have a point. I think we¡¯ve pretty much resolved the issues here, so it¡¯s also time for us to go home,¡± Arius replied. I miss the fresh air in Chanaea. The saying ¡°there¡¯s no ce like home¡± rings true indeed. Chapter 849 Chapter 849 ¡°Let¡¯s wait a couple more days! Once the situation here stabilizes a little more, I¡¯ll definitely go back with you guys.¡± Barney was still concerned about the situation at hand. ¡°Sure, then let¡¯s wait for a few more days.¡± Sophie had no issue with the arrangement. Arius shrugged nonchntly in response. ¡°All right. You two can decide when ites to things like this. I¡¯m practically useless every time we¡¯re caught in this kind of situation.¡± Hence, Arius did not even bother to provide any insight. As long as Barney and Sophie agreed with each other, that was enough. ¡°Dr. Smith, I¡¯m getting tired. I¡¯ll be getting some rest now. You should too! It¡¯s been a while since you¡¯ve gotten quality rest,¡± Arius urged, unhappy at the fact that Barney had over-exerted himself as though he was still young. In Arius¡¯ opinion, Barney should ept that he was getting old and that his body was not as strong as it used to be. ¡°All right. All right. I got it. I¡¯ll go rest now.¡± Barney did not argue. After all, he knew that they always had his best interests at heart. With that, Arius and Barney went to rest. Likewise, Sophie and Tristan retired back into their room as well. At that moment, Anndur was in a state of chaos. It was aplete mess everywhere. Thus, there was no point in going out. Soon after they returned to their room, Tristan received a call from Ophelia. A line formed between Tristan¡¯s brows as he frowned. A situation had arisen at Lombard Group¡¯s branchpany. In the past, Felix and Ophelia were the ones in charge of dealing with such issues. However, Felix was not here at present, which meant that Tristan had to go over to investigate the problem himself. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Upon noticing the sudden change in his expression, Sophie thought that something terrible had happened. ¡°It¡¯s no big deal. I need to go out for a while. You can stay here and rest.¡± Since it was nothing major, Tristan did not think it necessary for Sophie to follow him. To his surprise, Sophietched onto his hand. ¡°I¡¯ve gotten enough sleep today. No matter where you go, I¡¯ll follow you.¡± Tristan had always been by her side all the while. Now that things on her side had calmed down a little, she would naturally want to follow him wherever he went. Tristan did not object. ¡°All right. I¡¯ll go get you a jacket.¡± Springtime had arrived at Anndur, and it was starting to warm up. With the sun hanging high, the weather was looking great. A light ash-colored jacket oveid Sophie¡¯s white short-sleeved blouse. Her long hair flowed freely around her shoulders. As simple as her outfit was, she still looked incredibly stunning. Once they were dressed, Tristan and Sophie headed straight to Lombard Group¡¯s branchpany in Anndur. By the time they arrived, Ophelia was already waiting for them. It had been a while since Ophelia hadst seen Tristan. Her eyes lit up in anticipation as she awaited his arrival. When Ophelia saw how tenderly Tristan was treating Sophie upon the couple¡¯s arrival, however, the light behind her eyes faded a little. Regardless, she kept her emotions in check in the blink of an eye and greeted the couple politely and respectfully. ¡°Mr. Tristan, the situation right now is a little troublesome. I called you because I have no clue how to resolve it.¡± This content belongs to N?/velDra/ma.Org . As the person in charge of the branchpany, Ophelia was supposed to deal with such situations on her own. Yet, she had failed to do so that time around. Needless to say, Ophelia knew that it was because of her ipetence. ¡°Noted. Let¡¯s discuss this in the conference room,¡± Tristan replied. It seemed inappropriate to talk about it at that time and ce. Ophelia immediately shut up. Meanwhile, Tristan had already brought Sophie to the conference room. Before long, Ophelia entered with a group of executives. In the room, Sophie was seated beside Tristan and scrolling through her phone. Ophelia¡¯s gaze had not left Sophie the moment she stepped into the conference room. Upon noticing Ophelia staring at Sophie, Tristan was beginning to feel annoyed. What¡¯s going on with Ophelia? Has she never seen a woman so beautiful? Why is she staring at Sophie like that? Tristan was displeased. ¡°Mr. Tristan, I think it¡¯ll be better for Ms. Tanner to take a break at the lounge. It seems a little inappropriate for her to be here,¡± Ophelia suggested. She genuinely did not think it was appropriate for Sophie to be in the meeting. After all, they would be discussing the management of Lombard Group, and Sophie was not part of thepany. Tristan frowned at her words. ¡°Stay in yourne, Ophelia. You only have to focus on your task at hand. There¡¯s no need to pay any attention to her,¡± Tristan defended Sophie. Even though Tristan knew that it was almost impossible to ignore Sophie¡¯s presence, he did not think it was necessary for Ophelia to keep staring at her. ¡°My apologies, Mr. Tristan. That was not what I meant.¡± Ophelia bit her lip and lowered her head. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Should I go wait for you in the lounge?¡± Sophie did not think it was an issue for her to leave. After all, she would not be of much help even if she stayed. ¡°No need. You can stay here and listen to your music.¡± Tristan smiled as he personally put her earphones into her ear. Sophie was listening to the songs from Ysabelle¡¯s newest album. Ysabelle had sent her the songs the previous night and was hoping to receive somements from her. I¡¯ve slept too much today. Now that I have time, I should give these a listen. Ysabelle had improved greatly. Her newest album did not disappoint Sophie. As she listened, Sophie typed down thements on an electronic document. All thosements were her feedback on the album. Tristan¡¯s meetingsted for quite some time. Even after Sophie finished listening to all the songs from the album andpleted writing her feedback, the meeting was still ongoing. Sophie then opened WhatsApp and sent Ysabelle the electronic document consisting of her feedback. Within seconds, Ysabelle¡¯s reply came: Sophie! You¡¯ve finally got some free time! I thought you were still upied! What do you think of my new album? Sophie¡¯s thumbs flew across the keyboard. She wrote: It¡¯s quite good. I¡¯ve sent you my feedback. You can take a look. You¡¯ve improved a lot with this album, so it should be a raging sess. As long as there were no idents, Ysabelle¡¯s new album should be a hit. Nevertheless, Sophie would not allow any idents to happen as long as she was around. Ysabelle replied with a sense of pride: Really? It¡¯s such a relief to hear you say that! I really like this album too! Truth be told, she had already received a lot ofpliments from various parties for the past few days. Nheless, it was only after receiving the positivements from Sophie did Ysabelle truly feel overjoyed. What she actually wanted was Sophie¡¯s acknowledgment. Sophie then changed the topic: Which reminds me. The Wheelers have a song that¡¯s supposed to be a duet. I think your voice is suitable for the coboration. In the past, Ysabelle had worked together with The Wheelers on other minor projects, but she had never officially coborated with them. Sophie intended for the two trump cards of TS to have a coborative work. Isabelle gaped at the message before replying: Really? Can I really sing with The Wheelers? Ysabelle knew about the duet in the making. However, she had never expected she would have the opportunity to work on it. Sophie wrote: You can contact Mark after this. I¡¯ve already notified him about it. Ysabelle texted back instantly: Sophie, I love you so much! When youe back, I will definitely treat you to a fancy meal! Ysabelle was in awe of Sophie¡¯s abilities. Even though Sophie was overseas, she still managed to arrange everything so wlessly. Sophie replied: Sure. In the meantime, the meeting hade to a conclusion. With Tristan present, there were no problems they could not resolve. As the meeting adjourned, all the executives exited the conference room¡ªall except Ophelia. Her eyes were shining with admiration as she fixated her gaze on Tristan. This man is truly remarkable. ¡°Mr. Tristan, it¡¯s almost time for dinner. Should we grab a meal together?¡± Ophelia boldly extended the invitation. She firmly believed that Tristan was out of Sophie¡¯s league. Throughout the whole afternoon, Mr. Tristan has been working. What did Ms. Tanner do? All she did was listen to music and text her friends. What¡¯s the difference between her and a teenage girl with inte addiction? Chapter 850 Chapter 850 That was why Ophelia thought the only person who could stand beside Tristan and help him in his career was herself. She had also tried to give up on him but could not. Tristan would always appear in her dreams. He would even appear in her wet dreams. Naturally, Ophelia could not tell anyone else about those dreams of hers. However, she thought she could give it a go at pursuing Tristan. Perhaps she could even be the person that he cherished most. ¡°Sorry, I still have something else to do. Ophelia, you only need to keep things in order at the branch office. No need to think about anything else.¡± Ophelia was an open book, and Tristan was no fool. Regardless, he only had eyes for one person. He would not give other women even the slightest chance to pursue him. He would not allow it, even if it were merely an unrequited love. ¡°Mr. Tristan, we¡¯ll just be having a meal together. Is that not even allowed?¡± Ophelia was disappointed to be rejected by the person she liked so much. ¡°Ms. Summers, please be mindful of your position,¡± Tristan reminded coldly. Ophelia tidied the things on the table before she stood up. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for crossing the line, Mr. Tristan. I promise not to make the same mistake again.¡± With that, Ophelia left. Jeez! Mr. Tristan won¡¯t give anyone else a chance! He must really love Sophie! When Ophelia left the room, another manager approached her and said, ¡°Ophelia, I told you so. Mr. Tristan won¡¯t fall for you. Just agree to be with me!¡± Ophelia red at him. ¡°It¡¯s my problem whether or not Mr. Tristan likes me. It doesn¡¯t have anything to do with you,¡± Ophelia replied. ¡°What are you being so stubborn for? You already know there will never be a happy ending for the two of you, yet you won¡¯t give up.¡± ¡°That¡¯s my business. You have no right to tell me how I should handle my personal affairs.¡± With that, Ophelia returned to her office. After entering her office, she slumped onto her desk. She felt horrible. She knew Tristan only wanted her for her skills. Hence, she worked hard to get acknowledged by him. This content belongs to N?/velDra/ma.Org . However, no matter how hard she worked, she could never have a ce in Tristan¡¯s heart. Ophelia was jealous of Sophie. Thetter did not need to do anything to receive everything Ophelia had dreamt of acquiring. Meanwhile, Sophie took off her earphones when she noticed everyone in the conference room had left. She picked up the cup on the table and was about to take a sip when Tristan stopped her. ¡°The water¡¯s gone cold. Don¡¯t drink it. I¡¯ll have someone pour you a new cup.¡± The weather was getting warmer, but she was still prohibited from having cold drinks. Tristan believed women should pay more attention to such things. Sophie waved her hand in response. ¡°Is everything settled?¡± The meeting had been about the internal affairs of Lombard Group. Although she was in the conference room, she did not listen to the conversation. ¡°Yeah, everything is settled. Ms. Tanner, thank you for apanying me this afternoon. We can go back now.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Sophie got up. Tristan wrapped his arm around her waist as they left the room together. This was not Sophie¡¯s first time at the branch office, but it was some employees¡¯ first time seeing her. ¡°Is that Mr. Tristan¡¯s girlfriend? She¡¯s so pretty!¡± ¡°Exactly! She¡¯s more beautiful than my angel!¡± ¡°Stop the exaggeration. Who are you calling your angel? You¡¯re so shameless!¡± Ophelia knew Tristan was about to leave, so she got out of her office, only to hear the employees whispering about Sophie¡¯s beauty. ¡°Did Lombard Group hire you toe and gossip? Get back to work!¡± Ophelia scolded. Beautiful? Other than her face, can she even bepared to me? Can she even help Mr. Tristan manage apany? The women that had been whispering to each other moments ago exchanged nces. Ophelia got angrier when she noticed they had not left to resume work. ¡°I¡¯m warning you,dies. If you are not capable of doing your jobs, then you can leave right now.¡± Ophelia was in a bad mood, causing her words to be harsh. The women hurried back to their posts. However, they were still outraged by Ophelia¡¯s attitude. They created a messaging group to discuss it. One of them texted: What¡¯s up with Ms. Summers today? She usually isn¡¯t such a harsh person. She was so fierce just now! Someone replied: Don¡¯t you know? Ms. Summers likes Mr. Tristan, but he doesn¡¯t like her. That¡¯s why she¡¯s angry. Someone else replied: To be honest, if you were Mr. Tristan, who would you choose? Mr. Tristan¡¯s girlfriend is beautiful, but she¡¯s like a trophy wife. As for Ms. Summers, she¡¯s a capable woman who can work hard alongside Mr. Tristan at work. Another person texted: Who would I choose? How can you be so naive? Only a child would make choices. If I were Mr. Tristan, wouldn¡¯t it be better to just date both of them? With his status and position, having dozens of women is perfectly normal. Meanwhile, Tristan left the branch office of Lombard Group with Sophie. Ophelia ran out and saw how gentle Tristan was as he helped Sophie into the car, not daring to approach him again. She was afraid that if she crossed the line one more time, she would be unable to protect her position in thepany. Why is it so tiring to like a person? More importantly, she was frustrated that Tristan did not appreciate her feelings for him. After returning to the hotel, Sophie read through the report Barney had sent her, signing it when she confirmed there were no problems. ¡°We can finally get ready to leave this ce,¡± Sophie said in relief. Everything here is pretty much settled. ¡°Okay. I¡¯m ready when you are.¡± Sophie gripped the man¡¯s chin and stared at him with a cheeky grin. ¡°Mr. Tristan, don¡¯t you know that acting like that makes me want to bully you?¡± Tristan was rendered speechless. ¡°I¡¯ll just lie down and let you bully me then. You can do whatever you want to me. Is that okay?¡± Tristan answered. It was Sophie¡¯s turn to be speechless. All right, then! As expected, it¡¯s not easy to take advantage of Mr. Tristan. He has a way with words. ¡°Tell me. How do you n on bullying me? I¡¯ll give you my full cooperation. Do you want to roley? What kind of character excites you?¡± ¡°You¡¯re getting more and more ridiculous.¡± Sophie wrapped her arms around his waist. It¡¯s so nice to have a man that cooperates with me well. I don¡¯t care what we face in the future as long as he¡¯s by my side. Meanwhile, Marcus received news that Sophie and the others were about to leave the country. ¡°Mr. President, we can¡¯t let them leave at such a crucial moment. Otherwise, things will get more chaotic in Anndur.¡± Although a drug had been developed to cure the virus, everyone was still worried. Everyone¡¯s focus was now on Barney. If he left, chaos would ensue. ¡°What do you think we should do? Do you think I¡¯ll be able to stop him from leaving?¡± Marcus threw a fit. Naturally, he knew it would be best if those people did not leave then. What he needed now was a n to stop them. Chapter 851 Chapter 851 Jamie pondered over it. ¡°Mr. President, you also know about the country¡¯s current state. If you can¡¯te up with a solution, I¡¯m afraid for the next election¡­¡± A menacing glint shed across Marcus¡¯ eyes. He had spent tons of money to earn his current position. Yet, he just had to encounter such an incident. I haven¡¯t even earned back what I spent! ¡°I got it. Set up an appointment with Barney for me. I want to speak to him alone.¡± No matter what methods I¡¯d have to use, I can¡¯t let those three leave this ce. Barney knew things would not end on a simple note after he received the call from Jamie. When he brought Sophie and Arius here to help, he did not expect things to be troublesome. Yet things had escted to that point. If the president does something that causes us not to be able to return, how will I face my two mentees? Barney had a worried look on his face throughout the entire afternoon, and Sophie saw right through him and knew that he was troubled. ¡°What are you thinking about, Dr. Smith?¡± The three of them were discussing a new problem that Anndur¡¯s doctors could have solved. Barney snapped out of his thoughts. ¡°You two go back to Chanaea first. I¡¯ll settle things here before going to you guys. Go now.¡± The president must¡¯ve known that we were leaving. That¡¯s why he specifically asked to meet me alone. I don¡¯t mind, but Sophie and Arius should not receive any threats from anyone. The two of them still have such bright futures ahead of them. ¡°Dr. Smith, we came here together. It¡¯s only natural that we return together. Don¡¯t worry about it.¡± Sophie tried tofort him. ¡°The president won¡¯t let us return that easily. After all, we are his trump cards,¡± Barney said as he ran a hand through his hair. He had always been like that. He was outstanding in the medical field, but when faced with situations like the current one, he had no idea how to resolve them. ¡°Dr. Smith, just go if he wants to meet you. Don¡¯t worry. We won¡¯t leave you here alone.¡± Arius was unhappy with Marcus. Back then, Marcus was the one who begged them toe and help, yet now, he wanted to use various excuses to keep them in the country. Does he think we¡¯re pushovers? ¡°Arius, don¡¯t do anything rash. No matter what, this is Anndur. If you cause a scene here, I¡¯m afraid it won¡¯t do you all any good.¡± No matter how great they were with their medical skills, they were still in Anndur. ¡°Dr. Smith, bear this in mind. As long as Sophie is with you, it doesn¡¯t matter which country you¡¯re in. You can do anything with your head held up high. She can help you solve anything.¡± That was how much trust Arius put in Sophie. Barney could not help but let out a heavy sigh as he stared at his two mentees. Tristan, quiet the entire time, suddenly said, ¡°Dr. Smith, you don¡¯t need to worry. I won¡¯t let them harm any of you.¡± Hearing that, Barney nodded. When he was finally alone with Tristan, he said, ¡°Mr. Tristan, if anything does happen to me, promise me you¡¯ll take them with you and leave. Don¡¯t bother about me.¡± He did not wish Arius and Sophie to participate in a political war. The two of them need only do as they should and conduct experiments. ¡°Dr. Smith, I¡¯m being serious here. The president won¡¯t be able to do anything to us. You have to believe in us,¡± Tristan replied calmly. When night came, Jamie went to the hotel to personally escort Barney. Barney did not wish to cause a scene. He even thought it would be better to resolve things peacefully. That way, things wouldn¡¯t be awkward for everyone. Original from N?velDrama.Org. The dinner venue was Marcus¡¯ mansion, where he had previously stayed. The car drove into the mansion¡¯s driveway. This time, Barney did not let Sophie and Arius follow him. He was unsure what Marcus would do to them if they did. ¡°Dr. Smith, you don¡¯t have to be so nervous. The president doesn¡¯t have any ill intentions. He invited you for dinner tonight to thank you for your recent contribution to Anndur.¡± Jamie tried to lighten the tense atmosphere. However, Barney was still expressionless. ¡°Dr. Smith, to be honest, there¡¯s something I don¡¯t understand. You¡¯re also from Anndur. Why must you go to Chanaea? Is Anndur not treating you well?¡± Jamie asked tentatively. There was only one goal Jamie and Marcus had that night. It was to make those three people stay. If the result of the negotiation were not up to expectations, they would have no choice but to lock Barney up. Those people would do anything to ensure their own benefits. ¡°That¡¯s none of your business.¡± Barney had no desire to talk to Jamie. After all, thetter had never taken him seriously. The car stopped at the entrance of Marcus¡¯ private mansion. Jamie got out and opened the door for Barney. After Barney got out of the car, Jamie led him inside. Nothing seemed unusual along the way. Just then, Barney¡¯s phone rang. It was a call from Arius. Barney answered the call and asked the secretary to wait for a moment. ¡°I¡¯m fine, Arius. You don¡¯t need to worry. Keep in mind what I said. If I don¡¯t return, you all must leave immediately.¡± He did not want them to be detained in Anndur. Chanaea was indeed a better ce. At least they could do whatever they liked there instead of bing someone else¡¯s tools. ¡°Dr. Smith, why did you go there alone? Tell me where you are now. We¡¯ll meet you there!¡± Arius demanded. He was displeased. The president is so arrogant and insolent. It won¡¯t be difficult for him to discard people when he no longer has use for them, huh? ¡°Dr. Smith, the president is waiting for you,¡± Jamie reminded. ¡°Heed my words. Don¡¯t disappoint me.¡± With that, Barney ended the call. Arius was speechless. Tristan patted Arius¡¯ shoulder tofort him after seeing the look on his face. ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry too much. No one could stop us if we wanted to leave.¡± It¡¯s only Anndur. It¡¯s not like we won¡¯t ever be able to leave. ¡°You don¡¯t understand Dr. Smith¡¯s personality! He must¡¯ve been threatened to go there alone!¡± At the thought of that, Arius was disgruntled. To Arius, Barney was like a father figure. He could not allow anyone to bully Barney. ¡°Stop worrying! I can track Dr. Smith. We can just go look for him.¡± Sophie was also worried about Barney. Barney did well academically but was clearly no match for those politicians. ¡°Let¡¯s go then!¡± Tristan said as he grabbed her coat. They could¡¯ve left after a few days, but their n changed since the president was eager to take action. They decided to go back that night instead. ¡°Arius, let¡¯s go! I¡¯ll show you what I¡¯m capable of!¡± Sophie smiled as she called out to Arius. Why is he being so serious? It¡¯s not a big deal. Chapter 852 Chapter 852 Arius rolled his eyes. ¡°Don¡¯t be rude. I¡¯m older than you,¡± he snapped. Sophie calmly retorted, ¡°It¡¯s important to show respect to those who are more skilled than you. Since I am better at fighting, you should respect me.¡± Tristan had been silent all the while, but when he heard Sophie¡¯s words, he gave an approving nod. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I won¡¯t allow others to bully you as well,¡± he told Arius. Arius couldn¡¯t find any words to retort them as they had ganged up against him. This is too much! ¡°Ugh, get out of my sight. I don¡¯t know who you are,¡± he said unhappily. Arius couldn¡¯t bear to watch their public disy of affection any longer, so he bolted past them. However, he quickly realized he had no clue where to go. He was forced to stop in front of the hotel. In the end, he still had to stay back to help out. As that realization urred to Arius, he let out a sigh. Whenever such an asion arose, he would feel the urge to find a girlfriend so they would stop bullying him. Arius couldn¡¯t help feeling lonely and helpless in his single state, especially when he found himself in arguments with others and had no one to back him up. Tristan came out of the hotel with his arm around Sophie. He broke into a grin when he saw Arius waiting for them outside. ¡°I thought you left to be alone. Why are you still here?¡± Arius took another deep breath, reminding himself not to get angry. It wasn¡¯t the time for him to be willful. ¡°Tristan, let¡¯s fight when we get back!¡± he suggested, determined to fight with Tristan to regain his pride. ¡°I¡¯m game. You can choose the time and location,¡± Tristan readily agreed. He saw no reason to decline the offer, considering it was Arius who had challenged him to a fight in the first ce. Sophie couldn¡¯t help but express her concern, ¡°Arius, please don¡¯t do something foolish.¡± She wondered what could have caused him to suggest a fight. Arius merely snorted in response and refused to look at her. This content belongs to N?/velDra/ma.Org . ¡°Sophie, I treated you well, didn¡¯t I? Is this how you repay me? Won¡¯t you feel bad?¡± he demanded. ¡°I feel nothing. Besides, did I do anything to hurt you?¡± Sophie asked, blinking innocently. After getting into the car, Arius shut his eyes, refusing to talk to them. Realizing that he wouldn¡¯t be able to win the argument, he decided not to embarrass himself any further. ¡°Tristan, stop bullying Arius. Look, he¡¯s mad,¡± Sophie said with a mischievous smile. She could be cheeky at times. Tristan shrugged innocently. ¡°Did I bully him? I don¡¯t think I did anything.¡± Meanwhile, Barney was led by Jamie to the dining room in the president¡¯s private mansion, where Marcus was already waiting for him. Upon seeing Barney, Marcus stood up with a weing smile. ¡°Dr. Smith, I want to express my gratitude for your hard work. I¡¯m aware that you must be exhausted after working tirelessly for a while, and I¡¯ll treat you and your team to a meal soon. I requested to see you alone as there¡¯s something I need to discuss with you,¡± Marcus said cordially. Barney greeted Marcus with a polite handshake. Though he knew the reason behind the president¡¯s invitation, he decided to feign nonchnce and didn¡¯t mention anything about it. Marcus pulled a chair out and urged Barney to take a seat. The kitchen had already prepared the food, so Jamie gave orders for them to serve dinner. They would be having steak tonight. Barney¡¯s heart sank as he sliced his steak into small pieces. He desperately hoped that Sophie and Arius had followed his advice to leave the country. Marcus¡¯ mansion was heavily guarded, so he knew he wouldn¡¯t be able to leave that day. ¡°Dr. Smith, please enjoy the steak. The chef I hired knows his way around the kitchen,¡± Marcus said cheerfully. Barney merely bobbed his head and remained silent. Jamie poured two sses of red wine for them. ¡°Dr. Smith, you are our country¡¯s hope. Here¡¯s a toast to you!¡± Marcus raised his winess in a toast. Barney had no choice but to clink sses with him before taking a sip of the wine. Marcus finally revealed his motive for inviting Barney over. ¡°Dr. Smith, I understand that you intend to return to Chanaea, but the situation in Anndur is currently precarious. I hope you can reconsider staying here. I¡¯m willing to agree to any terms you propose as long as you¡¯re willing to stay.¡± He added sincerely, ¡°I really need your assistance. Trust me. I can agree to anything as long as you¡¯re willing to stay.¡± Barney furrowed his brows. I knew it. ¡°Mr. President, I returned previously to find a solution to the virus. Now that we¡¯ve seeded in getting rid of the virus, I hope you can understand that I cannot involve myself in other matters,¡± Barney said honestly. He was just a doctor and not a politician, so it didn¡¯t matter to him who would be the president. Marcus had anticipated Barney¡¯s response, yet his demeanor turned cold, nheless. ¡°Dr. Smith, do not be too quick to turn me down. Why don¡¯t you give my proposal some thought?¡± he suggested. Barney stood firm in his decision. ¡°Mr. President, if this is the sole reason for your invitation today, I must apologize. I cannot agree,¡± he said resolutely. He would never give in to Marcus¡¯ demands, especially when thetter wanted Sophie and Arius to stay. Arius had been longing to go back to Chanaea, and Sophie had never been interested in joining the International Medical Association, so Barney wouldn¡¯t consider sacrificing them for his own benefit. Jamie attempted to intimidate Barney by stating, ¡°Dr. Smith, the president has humbled himself to implore your assistance. Even if you don¡¯t think about yourself, you should consider your mentees. They are still young. If something happens to them, can you live with the guilt?¡± He refused to consider their suggestion when they were being nice, leaving them with no choice but to resort to hical methods. ¡°Was that a threat?¡± Barney rose from his chair abruptly. ¡°Didn¡¯t wee to an agreement previously? You begged for my help, so I came back without hesitation. How could you do this to me? How can you ask me to betray their trust now? This is not right.¡± Barney felt a mixture of anger and disappointment toward the Anndurn politicians, who seemed to prioritize their own gains over everything else, including loyalty. Marcus snorted icily. ¡°Things are different now. If you refuse to cooperate, I¡¯m afraid I¡¯ll have to resort to unscrupulous means.¡± Barney¡¯s impatience boiled over as he dered, ¡°So, you n to lock me up again, right? Well, I¡¯ve already told Arius and Sophie to leave, so go ahead and imprison me again for as long as you like. Let¡¯s see how long it takes before you give up!¡± ¡°What did you say? They have already left?¡± Marcus¡¯ expression changed. Chapter 853 Chapter 853 ¡°Yes, I have already instructed them to leave. Did you think I would give you the opportunity to use me to threaten them?¡± Barney replied firmly. ¡°Mr. President, don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ve sent our men to keep an eye on the airport. They won¡¯t be able to leave,¡± Jamie quickly reassured Marcus. They had already revealed their intention, so there was no need to hold back anymore. ¡°Okay.¡± Marcus heaved a sigh of relief. ¡°Barney, you should reconsider my proposal. Why would you choose to be imprisoned? If you agree to assist me, I can assure you that you will receive anything you desire,¡± he promised. Barney said naught a word. Those who had different beliefs wouldn¡¯t get along with each other, so Barney had nothing else to say to Marcus. His only wish was that Sophie and Arius had been able to leave safely. Nothing else mattered. ¡°Take him upstairs,¡± Marcusmanded. He was frustrated with Barney¡¯s unwavering stance, despite his attempts to persuade him. What a stubborn man. I can¡¯t believe he rejected me despite my generous offer. D*mn it! The bodyguards had just arrived to take Barney away when another person came in to report, ¡°Mr. President, Sophie Tanner and Arius Gullifer are outside and have requested to enter the mansion.¡± ¡°What?¡± Marcus was taken aback by the unexpected news that Sophie and Arius had arrived at his mansion. He had assumed that they had already fled the country. ¡°Bring them in. See, Dr. Smith? Your mentees have made their decision. It¡¯s not easy for anyone to reject Anndur,¡± Marcus said with a smirk. For many, entering Anndur was a dreame true, and he could offer them everything they desired. He was confident that they wouldn¡¯t be able to resist his enticing offer. Barney¡¯s face paled visibly. He was frustrated that Sophie and Arius hadn¡¯t followed his advice to leave the country. Sophie hadpetent fighting skills, but entering the president¡¯s residence was a risky move, and Barney didn¡¯t think they had a chance of leaving once they were inside. He couldn¡¯t understand why they were so naive. Right then, Sophie and the other two walked in to see Barney¡¯s ashen face. Frowning, Sophie demanded, ¡°Dr. Smith, what happened? Did they bully you?¡± She didn¡¯t forget to shoot Marcus a pointed look as she said that. Marcus quickly shook his head. ¡°Ms. Tanner, what are you talking about? Why would I bully him? I have nothing but respect for Dr. Smith and you both,¡± he said politely, his previous arrogance all gone. He was willing to do anything to make them stay, even if it meant he had to tter them against his wishes. Barney spoke in a hushed tone. ¡°Sophie, didn¡¯t I tell you to go? Why did youe here? Do you realize where we are? It¡¯s the president¡¯s residence. Once you enter, you can¡¯t just leave whenever you want.¡± Marcus wouldn¡¯t let them leave easily unless they agreed to his conditions. Sophie assured him, ¡°Dr. Smith, there¡¯s no need to be so worked up. This isn¡¯t a dangerous ce, so why can¡¯t wee here? Stop fretting. You¡¯re our mentor, so there¡¯s no way we¡¯d leave you here alone.¡± Arius chimed in, ¡°Dr. Smith, I don¡¯t know what to say to you anymore. I told you not to worry, but why didn¡¯t you listen to me?¡± Sophie and Tristan were around, so Marcus wouldn¡¯t be able to harm them. Yet, Barney still insisted on coming to the president¡¯s residence alone and ended up getting threatened. Barney let out a sigh. Original from N?velDrama.Org. ¡°I came here for your sake. I don¡¯t want to trouble you guys.¡± However, he couldn¡¯t ignore the fact that their association with him had put them in a troublesome situation. Knowing Marcus, he realized that it wouldn¡¯t be easy for them to leave unscathed. No matter where they went, they couldn¡¯t bepletely free as they were merely pawns to someone else. It was difficult to be able to research freely and independently. Sophie sighed. ¡°Dr. Smith, why can¡¯t you understand that you¡¯re not a trouble to us?¡± Right then, she had to acknowledge that the difference in their cultural backgrounds prevented them fromprehending each other entirely. Tristan was present as well, assuring them, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m here to help!¡± He wasn¡¯t afraid of anything. Those people would have to go through him first if they wanted to harm his wife. ¡°Ms. Tanner, Professor Gullifer, please calm down. I wasn¡¯t trying to harm him. I just want you to stay to help me out. If you agree, I¡¯ll be forever indebted to you,¡± Marcus implored. ¡°Oh, really?¡± Sophie pulled out a chair and sat down. ¡°What will you offer us, then?¡± Hearing her question, Marcus rxed and broke into a grin. As long as she was open to discussion, he was confident in persuading her to stay. Tristan sat down beside Sophie. Arius let out an icy snort. Why would she want to talk to them? We should just fight our way out. Barney was clueless about Sophie¡¯s intentions, but at this point, he had no control over the situation. Marcus proposed, ¡°If you decide to stay, I¡¯ll allocate ten percent of mypany¡¯s profits toward your research.¡± He knew they needed a lot of money to fund their research. After allowing them to consider his proposal for a moment, he continued, ¡°Moreover, when I be the next president, I can also¡ª¡± Sophie interrupted him by raising her hand. ¡°Frankly speaking, you¡¯re not suited for the position, so I think you should abandon your aspirations. I have no desire to be associated with you,¡± she dered. Marcus never imagined that someone would have the audacity to say those words to him directly. ¡°You¡ª¡± ¡°I¡¯m merely stating the truth. You don¡¯t have what it takes to be apetent president, and your actions are detrimental to Anndur. If Anndur had a more capable leader, it wouldn¡¯t be in this current state,¡± Sophie interjected bluntly. Even though it wasn¡¯t her concern, she voiced her opinion without any hesitation. ¡°Hey!¡± Marcus heaved angrily. ¡°How dare you speak like that? Are you even aware of who you¡¯re addressing? The nerve of you!¡± Jamie snapped furiously. Marcus ced his hand on his chest, trying to calm himself down. He couldn¡¯t fathom how a woman in her twenties had managed to enrage him so effortlessly. ¡°Sophie.¡± Barney shot Sophie an apprehensive nce. Knowing that Marcus wasn¡¯t a forgiving person by nature, he anticipated that he would hold a grudge against her for speaking her mind. This would undoubtedly lead to more trouble for them. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Dr. Smith. I spoke the truth, so I don¡¯t think the president will be angry with me,¡± Sophie responded while ncing at Marcus. Marcus¡¯ voice was cial as he said, ¡°So no matter what I say, you won¡¯t be staying, right?¡± ¡°That¡¯s correct. No matter what you say, we won¡¯t stay,¡± Sophie responded resolutely. She saw no point in engaging in further conversation as it would be futile. ¡°If that¡¯s how it is, then I¡¯m left with no option but to take drastic measures,¡± Marcus retorted. ¡°I didn¡¯t want it toe to this, but you¡¯ve left me with no choice.¡± Chapter 854 Chapter 854 Within the mansion, dozens of bodyguards emerged and surrounded them all. In a frigid tone, Marcus stated, ¡°I genuinely want you to stay. You have nothing to fear since I won¡¯t hurt you. I merely believe that you require more time to reconsider my proposal.¡± Jamie agreed, ¡°Exactly! Mr. President has gone to great lengths, so I hope you can understand him!¡± There was no indication of regret on his part. ¡°Hey!¡± Barney went cold with fury, but there was nothing he could do. After all, the president had meticulously selected and trained these personal bodyguards to be highly skilled andpetent individuals who would follow his instructions without question. Sophie fished out a piece of gum from her pocket and tore off the packaging. Popping it into her mouth, she chewed on it calmly. ¡°Is this all the men you have? Do you really think they can stop us from leaving?¡± Sophie challenged, her voice dripping with disdain. She didn¡¯t mind humoring the other party. Regardless, they would be departing today as their ne was already waiting for them. Marcus knitted his brows. What is she talking about? Has she lost her mind? Does she not know how capable my men are? Sophie nced at Tristan. ¡°Darling, it¡¯s your turn now,¡± she told him nonchntly. Knowing that Tristan had made arrangements, she remained calm. Tristan¡¯s face lit up with a grin. He then pped his hands, and a swarm of bodyguards flooded into the mansion. Marcus¡¯ dozens of bodyguards were outnumbered. ¡°You¡­¡± Marcus was taken aback by the sudden shift in power. Despite his confidence in his own bodyguards, he had not anticipated the sheer number of professional bodyguards working for Tristan to appear in his mansion. The enemy¡¯s bodyguards seemed even more capable than his own. Jamie was taken aback, clearly not expecting the sudden influx of bodyguards on Tristan¡¯s side. He thought their n would go smoothly without any hups, but now everything had changed. ¡°What are you trying to do? Do you know where you are?¡± Jamie¡¯s voice quivered with fear as he was a coward and didn¡¯t want to die here. He had executed Marcus¡¯ scheme in the hopes of securing a lifetime of riches and sess. If he were to perish here, he wouldn¡¯t get to relish any of it. Jamie quickly realized the situation and tried to distance himself from it. ¡°Please, everyone, this has nothing to do with me. I¡¯m just a secretary who doesn¡¯t have any decision-making power. I¡¯m only following the president¡¯s orders,¡± he pleaded. Obviously, he was trying to protect himself. Marcus¡¯ expression changed as he shot Jamie a look. Why did I hire him to be my secretary? ¡°Mr. President, can we leave now?¡± Sophie pulled out her phone to nce at the time. ¡°I n on having breakfast in Chanaea!¡± She looked forward to waking up the next morning in Chanaea to an authentic Chanaean breakfast, provided they could leave now. They had arranged everything meticulously and weren¡¯t about to waste time here. Marcus conceded, ¡°You may leave now!¡± He had been thoroughly defeated, realizing that if he pushed any further, it would only lead to trouble on his end. ¡°Leave? Hold up. You threatened Dr. Smith, so shouldn¡¯t you apologize to him?¡± They wouldn¡¯t leave until they received an apology from him. Barney was a known coward, and Marcus¡¯ threat might have frightened him. Marcus quickly offered a cating smile. ¡°Dr. Smith, you know I mean well. I hope you¡¯ll stay to help me. If my actions have caused any inconvenience, I sincerely apologize,¡± Marcus said humbly. It was aplete change in attitude from his previous behavior. Barney bobbed his head. No matter what, they were still in Marcus¡¯ territory, and he didn¡¯t want to make things difficult for him. ¡°Forget it, then. Let¡¯s go, Sophie,¡± Barney urged. He wasn¡¯t about to humiliate Marcus as thetter was still the president of Anndur. ¡°Ms. Tanner, please ept my apology. I hope you won¡¯t take this to heart,¡± Marcus added. Sophie agreed readily, ¡°Okay. I¡¯ll let this slide since Dr. Smith said so. Remember, if you even think about bothering Dr. Smith again, I will make sure topletely destroy your home. I¡¯m dead serious, and you know that I¡¯m fully capable of doing it.¡± With that, she stood up and linked arms with Tristan, and they made their way out. She had originally intended to teach Marcus a lesson for his shameless behavior but ultimately decided to let the matter slide upon Barney¡¯s request. ¡°Dr. Smith, let¡¯s get going. We said we would be having breakfast in Chanaea, remember? We won¡¯t make it if we keep dying,¡± urged Arius as Barney remained in ce. ¡°Okay,¡± Barney replied, still in a daze. He had no idea that the tables would turn in the end. Since when did Tristan have this many bodyguards? Most importantly, his bodyguards seem more capable than the president¡¯s bodyguards. After they left, the over one hundred bodyguards vanished just as quickly as they had appeared. If the sight hadn¡¯t been so shocking, Marcus might have thought the whole thing was just his imagination. ¡°Mr. President, what should we do now?¡± Jamie asked. The virus was under control as of now, but no one knew what would happen after this. The Anndurn citizens wouldn¡¯t trust them now that Barney and his team were gone. Marcus shot Jamie an icy re. Didn¡¯t he betray me for his own benefits? Exclusive ? material by N?(/v)elDrama.Org. ¡°Did you forget what you said earlier?¡± Marcus¡¯ voice was frosty. Jamie¡¯s body trembled as he fell to his knees. ¡°Mr. President, I was terrified earlier. I didn¡¯t mean what I said. You know I¡¯ve always been faithful to you.¡± ¡°Bring him upstairs,¡± Marcusmanded. He was not willing to take any risks by keeping those who had betrayed him by his side. Keeping Jamie around was like having a ticking time bomb, a potential threat that could explode at any moment. ¡°Mr. President, please have mercy on me. I know I made a mistake!¡± Jamie pleaded, clearly still shaken by the earlier encounter with their enemy¡¯srge number of bodyguards. s, Marcus refused to hear his pleas. Faced with numerous troubles, he would have to deal with a lot of challenges if he wanted to continue his presidency. Meanwhile, Tristan and the like arrived at the airport to see Nichs waiting for them. ¡°What is Nichs after? Is he plotting something?¡± Arius asked with concern. He was well aware of Nichs¡¯ unpredictable behavior, so seeing him waiting for them at the airport made him feel uneasy. Chapter 855 Chapter 855 ¡°It¡¯s okay. You guys should go ahead. I¡¯ll catch up to you in a while.¡± Sophie saw Nichs and thought he hade alone. ¡°Okay, be careful.¡± Arius knew Nichs had always restrained himself and behaved well in front of Sophie despite being a lunatic. He gave Butterfly a nudge when he noticed her standing still. ¡°Hey, didn¡¯t you hear what Sophie said? She asked us to go ahead. What¡¯s wrong? Have you fallen for Nichs?¡± Why is she staring nkly like that? Butterfly red at him in response. ¡°Why are you such a busybody? It¡¯s my freedom to love whoever I want! What¡¯s it to you? Mind your own business!¡± After all, Nichs saved my life, but I haven¡¯t thanked him. Ah¡­ Forget it. He only risked his life to save me because of Sophie. It¡¯s all because I¡¯m Sophie¡¯s best friend. Otherwise, he would have cared less about my safety. At the thought of that, she could not help but feel bitter about it. After ncing at Nichs, she didn¡¯t walk over to him but instead left with Aruis and the rest. Nichs expressed his disdain when he saw Tristaning over with Sophie. ¡°I only want to have a few words with Sophie, Mr. Tristan. What are you worried about?¡± Is there really a need for such caution? ¡°She¡¯s my wife and not someone you can covet. You should probably go on your way now.¡± Tristan had never spoken nicely to Nichs. ¡°Haha, your wife? You two are not married yet. Who knows whose wife she would be in the future?¡± Nichs made a provocative remark in return. His words sessfully caused Tristan¡¯s temper to re up. Without hesitation, Tristan folded his sleeves, wanting to teach Nichs a lesson right away. When Nichs saw Tristan¡¯s actions, he quickly removed his jacket, ready for a fight. Sophie was rendered speechless by their childish behavior. ¡°I¡¯m being serious. You two have to stop this nonsense! We¡¯re getting on the ne soon.¡± Nichs instantly felt aggrieved after hearing Sophie¡¯s words. ¡°Can I go with you, Sophie?¡± Nichs wanted to stay next to her. ¡°What do you think?¡± Nichs knew he could never leave with Sophie as he wished, as he still had many things to handle in Anndur. Moreover, the foundations of the Sable family¡¯s businesses were in Anndur. It would be impossible for him to leave whenever he wanted to. ¡°Can¡¯t you go easy on me, Sophie? At least try to lie to me!¡± Sometimes, he felt pathetic as his affection was not reciprocated. Seeing Nichs¡¯ miserable situation, Tristan felt incredibly lucky to have Sophie in his life. Fortunately, when they met, Sophie wasn¡¯t in love with anyone and eventually fell in love with him. Otherwise, he would be in the same unfortunate situation as Nichs. Unrequited love was the worst thing to ever happen to anyone in love. ¡°Don¡¯t give me that look, Tristan. We won¡¯t know who¡¯s the winner at the end of the day!¡± Nichs was adamant that he was not going to give up. ¡°No matter what, I¡¯m grateful for your help, Nichs. How about this? I¡¯ll treat you to a meal when you come to Chanaea. But for today, we really need to leave now.¡± Original from N?velDrama.Org. Sophie nced at her watch and realized they needed to leave. ¡°Okay. Remember what you said. I¡¯ll meet you in Chanaea soon. Promise me you won¡¯t bring him along when the timees,¡± Nichs said straightforwardly. ¡°All right. I promise. We¡¯ll be heading in now.¡± Although he was reluctant to let her go, he was not in the position to make her stay. ¡°Remember this, Sophie. Just give me a call no matter what difficulties you¡¯re encountering. I will definitely rush to you.¡± Sophie was both speechless and exasperated at Nichs¡¯ continued stubbornness. ¡°You need to live for yourself, Nichs. Please don¡¯t put your priority on me. It¡¯s not worth it!¡± Sophie didn¡¯t want him to treat her too well since she couldn¡¯t respond to his love. Then, Tristan wrapped his arm around her waist and led her inside the airport. Standing outside the airport, Nichs felt utterly dested. He wished he was the one standing next to her and was ready to give anything for that. Richard quickly got out of the car after he saw the two leave. ¡°Boss, we need to leave.¡± ¡°Mhm.¡± It¡¯s fine. I still have a chance as long as they are not married. In truth, there was nothing he could do. With his arm wrapped around Sophie¡¯s waist, Tristan went to find Arius and the others. This time, they were taking Tristan¡¯s private ne. Hence, they could board the ne now. ¡°Honestly, I¡¯m noting to Anndur ever again,¡± Arius said curtly. We worked our asses off here, but what did we get in return? These people are terrible. ¡°Don¡¯t jinx it. Nobody knows what might happen the next day.¡± Butterfly figured he didn¡¯t need to say something unguaranteed in advance. Hearing that, Arius rolled his eyes at her. Whatever. I¡¯ll just ignore her. Barney finally heaved a sigh of relief when the ne took off. ¡°Sophie, you should manage Chanaean Medical Association from now on. I¡¯m getting old and not fit to make any more decisions.¡± He knew his decision had put his two mentees in great danger this time. ¡°Dr. Smith, you¡¯re still young. You should manage Chanaean Medical Association!¡± Sophie wasn¡¯t inclined to take the offer. ¡°But I think you¡¯re more suitable for the position.¡± ¡°I¡¯m still a student and have to attend sses, Dr. Smith.¡± Even if I don¡¯t study, I have to spend time dating. Otherwise, poor Tristan will feel too lonely. ¡°Well then. Arius, I¡¯m leaving Chanaean Medical Association to you when we return to Chanaea,¡± Barney said resignedly. Hearing that, Arius promptly shook his head. ¡°You¡¯ve got to be joking, Dr. Smith! I don¡¯t have a girlfriend yet! I need time to find one. Do you want me to be single for life?¡± he snapped. ¡°What are you two thinking? Why are you refusing a highly esteemed position? Anyone would kill to have it!¡± ¡°Dr. Smith, I¡¯m serious. I think you¡¯re the most suitable person for that position. Don¡¯t worry! We won¡¯t have any problems with your decisions,¡± Sophie said sincerely. ¡°You don¡¯t need to take what happened this time to heart. Everything has been resolved, hasn¡¯t it?¡± She knew Barney was traumatized over what happened this time. However, there really was no need for that. They were all adults who could take responsibility for their own decisions. ¡°That¡¯s right, Dr. Smith. Please feel at ease with your position as the decision-maker. Sophie and I will take your instructions.¡± Barney Smith was undoubtedly the God of Medicine. Chapter 856 Chapter 856 ¡°Okay then! In that case, I¡¯ll still helm Chanaean Medical Association for now. However, you two should think about who¡¯ll take my ce when the timees,¡± stated Barney. Even though so many people desire my position, they still refuse to upy it. I can¡¯t help but feel resigned. Sophie and Arius exchanged a nce. Neither wanted the position because they only wished to focus on conducting experiments. They had no interest whatsoever in dealing with the matters in Chanaean Medical Association. ¡°Honestly, Dr. Smith, I think you should nurture Georgina rather than try to appoint one of us as the next person in charge. She has the potential to do a good job in that position,¡± Sophie proposed sincerely. ¡°Georgina, eh? All right, then! Once I return, I¡¯ll observe her for a while. If I find her eptable, I¡¯ll do just that.¡± Once again, Barney sighed. I guess I can¡¯t count on either of them to take my ce, huh? As it was already nighttime, and everyone was tired, they each went to find a spot to rest. Sophie and Tristan sat together after he adjusted her seat to lie t. Then, he said, ¡°I know it¡¯s still early, but you should sleep. Once you wake up, you¡¯ll be able to enjoy a delicious Chanaean breakfast.¡± He knew she hadn¡¯t been eating well in Anndur, so he had called his subordinates to prepare breakfast before boarding the ne. ¡°Mhm! You should sleep too,¡± replied Sophie. He must also be exhausted after protecting us during this period. He deserves a good, long rest, too. After shey down, Tristan covered her body with a nket. Turning toward him, she lost herself in thoughts. Frankly, he has a face I¡¯ll never get sick of staring at. The more time we spend together, the more I like him, so much so that I¡¯m basically addicted to him. ¡°Are Charles and Bertram still in Fandar? You know, they didn¡¯t do anything wrong, so you should let them off,¡± suggested Sophie. We¡¯re heading back, yet they are still stuck in Fandar. I know this is Tristan¡¯s matter, but they ended up like that because of me, so I think it¡¯s fine if I plead leniency for them. ¡°I know. We can talk about it after we return,¡± responded Tristan. ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not happy!¡± ¡°Why?¡± Sophie was confounded. Wasn¡¯t he doing okay just a second ago? Why is he suddenly unhappy? ¡°Because I don¡¯t like you paying so much attention to other men!¡± That rendered her speechless. I only care about Bertram and Charles because of him! Otherwise, they wouldn¡¯t have anything to do with me. What is he thinking? When her train of thought ended there, Sophie exined, ¡°I just don¡¯t want to be the reason your rtionship with them sours.¡± ¡°I know you¡¯re doing this for me, but don¡¯t worry. They¡¯re myrades with whom I survived hell and high water together. It¡¯s just that there genuinely are matters in Fandar that need to be dealt with, which is why I left them there.¡± While Tristan was a self-indulgent tyrant, he wouldn¡¯t treat his close friends that unkindly. ¡°I¡¯m aware you¡¯re a man who knows what you¡¯re doing. There¡¯s no way I¡¯d fall in love with a bad man, after all!¡± ttered Sophie. In response, Tristan pinched her cheek. ¡°You¡¯ve gotten thinnertely.¡± Even though I¡¯ve been taking personal care of her, she still lost weight. It makes me feel awful. ¡°Maybe because it¡¯s been exhaustingtely.¡± ¡°In that case, once we return home, rest for half a month. Don¡¯t do anything else during that period.¡± ¡°Rest for half a month? What am I going to do at home during that time? I¡¯ll get bored! Two days of rest is the most I need.¡± ¡°Will you still get bored if I¡¯m around?¡± asked Tristan. Sophie blinked and refuted, ¡°You still have matters to attend to after we return! You can¡¯t stay by my side all day long. Besides, I bet many things are waiting for you to handle in Lombard Group after spending so much time away from thepany.¡± I can¡¯t be so selfish as to ask him to keep me company all day long and prevent him from doing what he should. ¡°It¡¯s not an issue,¡± he replied. I¡¯m the CEO of Lombard Group, am I not? Besides, my subordinates aren¡¯t that useless. They don¡¯t need me to solve every issue. ¡°All right, stop thinking and rest. I know it¡¯s much more difficult to sleep on a ne, but you should still try. Even if you can¡¯t fall asleep, you should rest with your eyes closed.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Thus, Sophie closed her eyes. Even though she thought she couldn¡¯t slumber, she did soon after. Tristan also shut his eyes and rested. Meanwhile, Ysabelle couldn¡¯t sleep. Hence, she decided to bother Felix at two in the morning. Ysabelle: Are you asleep yet, Felix? Am I bothering you? I can¡¯t help it. I just can¡¯t fall asleep. I get too excited to rest when I think about how Sophie¡¯s returning tomorrow and that I can have fun with her again. I know I shouldn¡¯t act like this, but I just can¡¯t control myself! Felix: It¡¯s fine. It¡¯s only two right now. You can meet your beloved Sophie in five more hours. Then he grumbled in his mind. I don¡¯t think she has ever been this attached to me, even though I¡¯m her boyfriend. Now that I think about it, I feel like I have terrible luck. I finally found a girlfriend I wholeheartedly love, yet I still need topete with another woman for her attention. What a terrible fate I have. The couple chatted until five in the morning. Ysabelle thought she could pick her best friend up at the airport, but she identally fell asleep. By the time she woke up, it was already half past nine in the morning. Upon checking the time, she leaped from the bed. D*mmit! How could I have overslept on such an important day? I don¡¯t think I can make it in time if I head to the airport now. Hastily, she called Sophie. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Sophie. I overslept, which is why I didn¡¯t pick you up at the airport. Mhm? Ah, yes, of course. I¡¯ll be there right away to join you all for breakfast. I can definitely make it!¡± Ysabelle stood immediately, packed her things, and drove to Sophie and the others. Unfortunately, a traffic jam dyed her arrival until noon. It filled her heart with misery. However, when she finally reached her destination and saw Sophie, she pounced on thetter and hugged her tightly. ¡°You have no idea how much I missed you, Sophie!¡±Owned by N?velDrama.Org. Sophie pinched Ysabelle¡¯s cheek. ¡°Don¡¯t you have Felix keeping youpany? Is he not enough for you?¡± ¡°He can¡¯t bepared to you! In my heart, you¡¯re the most important person in my life. Other people aren¡¯t as important.¡± Felix happened to enter the room at that moment to hear his girlfriend¡¯s remark. As the edges of his lips twitched, hemented in his mind. It¡¯s just as I expected. Once Sophie returns, I lose my ce in Ysabelle¡¯s heart, even though I¡¯m her boyfriend. This sucks! Chapter 857 Chapter 857 Hence, Felix silently approached Tristan. He and the others had been tending to Lombard Group when Tristan wasn¡¯t around. Since Tristan had returned, it was time to let him take charge of Lombard Group¡¯s matters again. ¡°Your girlfriend stole my spot, Mr. Tristan,¡± uttered Felix in a depressed tone. Sophie really does have unparalleled charm. ¡°So?¡± Tristan asked casually. There¡¯s nothing right or wrong about anything Sophie does. ¡°It¡¯s nothing.¡± Felix understood the look in his employer¡¯s eyes and sighed in his heart. There was nothing he could do but sulk about it in silence since it was impossible for him to win against Tristan. ¡°Then what are you sulking about? There¡¯s nothing I can do if Ysabelle only has eyes for Sophie. In fact, I was hoping you could control your girlfriend a little so she wouldn¡¯t cling to mine every day!¡± Speechlessly, Felix thought, Mr. Tristan is overestimating me! I can¡¯t control Ysabelle! ¡°You¡¯ve be thinner, Sophie,¡± said Ysabelle with heartache. ¡°You only stayed in Anndur for a month, so why do you look so skinny? Did Uncle Tristan fail to take good care of you?¡± ¡°No, he did. This is just what I¡¯m like. When I get busy, I get thinner. There¡¯s nothing I can do about this physique of mine,¡± Sophie answered. ¡°Although, I don¡¯t think it¡¯s all bad. Look, I don¡¯t even need to lose weight. While others are busy doing that, I can eat and drink whatever I want. It¡¯s pretty great.¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s not. When Aunt Sarah has her break, I¡¯ll ask her to cook delicious food for you!¡± Ysabelle suggested. While I don¡¯t have any talent for cooking, Aunt Sarah does! ¡°It¡¯s not necessary. Sarah¡¯s tired enough as it is. I don¡¯t want to trouble her. I just need to rest a few days at home, and I¡¯ll be fine.¡± When Sarah arrived with a bag of vegetables she had bought from the supermarket and heard that, she refuted, ¡°It¡¯s no trouble at all! I¡¯ll prepare a tasty meal for you today. After all, you¡¯re the pride of the Lombard family, Sophie.¡± I can¡¯t help but feel proud that Tristan found a girlfriend like her. Her praise embarrassed Sophie a little. ¡°I didn¡¯t do anything special, Sarah. I just so happen to be knowledgeable about that.¡± ¡°You¡¯re too humble, Sophie!¡± Ysabelle shook her head with a smile and stared at her friend with admiration. ¡°You¡¯re always amazing, no matter what you do!¡± As it had been a while since they saw each other, they had a lengthy chat. When Sarah finished preparing dinner, everyone ate in the dining room. ¡°I¡¯m d you two are finally back in the country,¡± Felix uttered. Even though Anndur has been dangerous recently, the two of them still went there without hesitation and helped out so much. It¡¯s impressive. Smiling, Sophie replied, ¡°Thanks for your and the others¡¯ hard work when we weren¡¯t around.¡± He must¡¯ve been busy managing Lombard Group and Tanner Group during our absence. ¡°What I did is honestly iparable to what you achieved.¡± Felix was very impressed with her. She never ceases to amaze and surprise others. After the meal, Ysabelle still didn¡¯t want to leave but had to after her manager called her about the music video she had to film during the afternoon. Disappointed, she bade Sophie goodbye. ¡°Take good care of yourself, Sophie. I¡¯ll head to work now.¡± No matter what, TS belongs to Sophie, so I must do a good job. Owned by N?velDrama.Org. Sophie nodded. ¡°See you, then! Stay safe!¡± Felix wrapped an arm around Ysabelle¡¯s waist. ¡°All right, let¡¯s go! Otherwise, you¡¯ll bete. If the reporters take photos of that, they¡¯ll say you¡¯re acting haughty again.¡± Even though Ysabelle¡¯s great and always does her best, there are still heartless reporters trying to defame her. That¡¯s how the world is, I suppose. Regardless of how hard you try, there will always be people who don¡¯t like to see you doing well. ¡°Do you think I¡¯m afraid?¡± Ysabelle shrugged nonchntly. I just really like to sing. The entertainment industry, on the other hand¡­ I don¡¯t like the environment. It¡¯s tooplicated. Thankfully, with my background, those reporters won¡¯t dare to mess with me. After also receiving a call, Sarah departed from the mansion. Thus, Sophie and Tristan were the only ones left. ¡°Since you¡¯re back, you should visit your dad. He¡¯s been worried about you, after all,¡± suggested Sophie. ¡°I know. Don¡¯t worry. I know what to do,¡± Tristan answered. Of course I¡¯ll visit him, but I¡¯ve been busy since I left the ne. ¡°I¡¯lle with you!¡± I should visit him since Tristan and I are engaged, and Old Mr. Lombard did care very much about me when we were in Anndur. Hugging her and taking in her fragrance, he said, ¡°Oh, you.¡± Why is she just so lovable? It¡¯s fine for her to be willful, but she always returns the favor if someone treats her nicely, even if just a little. The edges of Sophie¡¯s lips curved upward. ¡°Well, I brought someone¡¯s son to a dangerous ce. Now that we¡¯re back, it¡¯s natural I¡¯ll have to go ask for forgiveness.¡± I wonder if Old Mr. Lombard will ept my apology. ¡°You¡¯re correct, and you should! You dazzled someone¡¯s son so much that he can¡¯t even tell up from down!¡± Tristan grinned. During the afternoon, he brought Sophie to the Lombard residence. William knew they had returned, but because he still hadn¡¯t seen the couple, he was pissed. Turning to the butler, he grumbled, ¡°What¡¯s the point of raising a son? Even though I worried about him when he was in a foreignnd, he still hasn¡¯t visited me after returning to the country!¡± ¡°Perhaps he¡¯s simply too busy, Old Mr. Lombard. I¡¯m confident he¡¯ll visit you once he¡¯s free,¡± the butler replied. While Mr. Lombard isn¡¯t an emotional person, he¡¯s a filial son. ¡°Whatever! He forgot all about me once he got a wife! I bet I don¡¯t even have a ce in his heart anymore. There¡¯s nothing more I can say about that.¡± Just as the butler apanied William in taking care of the flowers in the courtyard, they heard the sound of an engine. When the butler turned around, he saw Tristan¡¯s car driving in and sighed in relief. I don¡¯t know what Old Mr. Lombard would do if Mr. Lombard took longer to return. Although, I suppose it¡¯s normal for someone to grumble constantly after growing old. Then, he informed, ¡°Look, Old Mr. Lombard. Mr. Lombard¡¯s back with Ms. Tanner!¡± ¡°I see!¡± Despite William¡¯sints about his son not visiting him, he seemed indifferent when his son arrived. Tristan approached his father with Sophie and spoke. ¡°We¡¯re back, Dad. We¡¯ll be having dinner with you tonight.¡± He said that because he knew what his father wanted. ¡°Mhm.¡± Nodding, Williammented, ¡°You did well in Anndur this time, Sophie.¡± Chapter 858 Chapter 858 William wasn¡¯t someone who particrly enjoyed praising others. Therefore, he meant precisely what he said when heplimented Sophie. ¡°Thank you, Old Mr. Lombard.¡± Despite receiving praise, she remained collected. The couple stood at the side as William continued tending to the flowers. Even though William didn¡¯t say much of anything, he did order the butler to ask the chef to prepare a few more dishes Sophie liked. It was a clear disy of his affection for her. In the past, he didn¡¯t like her. But, he found himself adoring her more and more nowadays. However, he was a prideful man, so he found it difficult to lower himself and speak to Sophie further. The difference between how he used to treat her and how he treated her at that moment was drastic. That night, Sarah and Ysabelle also returned home for dinner. Felix came too, but William seemed dissatisfied with the former. It was because William thought the age gap between Felix and Ysabelle was too significant. Therefore, he didn¡¯t treat Felix nicely for the whole night. Upon approaching Tristan, Felix asked, ¡°Did I offend your dad? Why do I feel like he¡¯s upset with me today, Mr. Tristan?¡± ¡°What did you expect? Of course he¡¯ll be upset after a hog like you snatched the precious sweetheart he doted on for two decades away. You should be d he didn¡¯t just kick you out.¡± ¡°Why am I a hog now? Don¡¯t you think I suit Ysabelle well? Besides, you¡¯re also much older than Sophie, so why didn¡¯t hein about you? Why is he only upset at me?¡± Felix was speechless. Narrowing his eyes, Tristan questioned, ¡°What do you mean by that? Are youparing me to you right now? Do you think we¡¯re evenparable?¡± Felix was at a loss for words. The members of the Lombard family are just so mean! What¡¯s so wrong with me? I¡¯m considered a promising young man in Jipsdale, so why doesn¡¯t Old Mr. Lombard like me? ¡°All right, that¡¯s enough. Once you take care of Ysabelle, you don¡¯t need to mind what others think. All that matters right now is her attitude toward you.¡± ¡°That¡¯s more like it. Now you¡¯re acting like my friend,¡± remarked Felix. There¡¯s no way he can¡¯t tell how I feel about Ysabelle. Besides, he never opposed my rtionship with her before! During dinner, William intentionallymented, ¡°You¡¯re an adult now, Ysabelle. You know, I think that boy from the Lane family suits you well. You should interact with him more.¡± Hepletely ignored Felix because he was just that dissatisfied with thetter. Exclusive ? material by N?(/v)elDrama.Org. Meanwhile, Ysabelle was dumbstruck. I haven¡¯t told my family about my rtionship with Felix yet, but I¡¯m certain they can tell we¡¯re a couple. In that case, why did Grandpa say that in front of Felix? ¡°I¡¯m still young, Grandpa. I¡¯m not in a hurry to get into a rtionship.¡± She felt a little helpless when she said that while ncing at Felix. He sure seems calm. Upon noticing Ysabelle was looking at Felix, William scoffed, ¡°Indeed you are, which is why you shouldn¡¯t be fooled by awful old men. I¡¯m saying this for your own good, understand?¡± Old men? I¡¯m the same age as Mr. Tristan! As much as Felix wanted to refute William, he couldn¡¯t, so he pretended not to hear anything. Sarah nced at Felix. I bet he¡¯s pissed off right now. Concurrently, Sophie also peered at Felix with a gloating look. That all made Felix feel gloomy. These people¡­ They¡¯re so mean! Why aren¡¯t they helping me at this critical moment? After dinner, Ysabelle went to a secluded spot with Felix. ¡°You know how my grandpa is. As for the blind date, don¡¯t worry. I won¡¯t attend it.¡± She knew he felt insecure, which was why sheforted him. ¡°Am I really that old, Ysabelle? I¡¯m the same age as Mr. Tristan, so why does Old Mr. Lombard seem to disdain me so much? I don¡¯t get it!¡± Felix frowned. ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you not to mind what my grandfather says? He simply doesn¡¯t want me to stay with you. Besides, it¡¯s not like I can retort him in that situation,¡± reminded Ysabelle. Why doesn¡¯t he still understand after I said so many things? Is it fun for him to overthink things? ¡°Kiss me, then. I think my self-esteem is wounded.¡± He continued to act coyly. After surveying her surrounding to ensure no one was around, Ysabelle stood on her toes and pecked his lips before swiftly pulling back. ¡°Are you satisfied yet? Have you stopped feeling angry?¡± The kiss is kind of in, but¡­ Felix answered, ¡°It¡¯s eptable. Why do I feel like I¡¯ll encounter many obstacles if I want to marry you?¡± ¡°Obviously. If you¡¯re afraid of trouble, feel free to give up now. I won¡¯t me you for it.¡± His attitude was starting to get on her nerve. It¡¯s not like I¡¯m to me for this! This is starting to irritate me. Why hasn¡¯t he felt better after Iforted him for so long? ¡°You¡¯re a heartless little thing, you know that?¡± he spat. I¡¯ve been afraid all this time because I¡¯m concerned we may not be able to stay with each other. Yet, she has the nerve to say such a callous thing. ¡°Hmph! Go home, Felix. I don¡¯t want to talk to you anymore today.¡± Upon ending her sentence, she ignored him and headed upstairs. Why does he act like he¡¯s the only one with problems? I¡¯m under a lot of pressure, too, okay? Felix sighed before calling Ysabelle on the phone. However, she refused to ept the call because her patience for the day had run out. If he thinks it¡¯s a pain to stay with me, he can just leave me. I¡¯m not a clingy person. With no other choice, Felix returned home, lest he risked bumping into William again and receiving a lecture from the old man. Meanwhile, Tristan and Sophie stayed at the mansion for the night to keep Williampany. After all, they had just returned. After Sophie finished her shower, she saw Ysabelle stepping into her room with teary eyes and a pillow. ¡°What¡¯s the matter? Did Felix bully you?¡± she asked as she dried her hair. Ysabelle¡¯s voice was choked as she eximed, ¡°Men are pigs, Sophie! They¡¯re so ridiculous!¡± ¡°Did Felix really bully you? Actually, can he even bear to do that? Did you bully him and then feel aggrieved?¡± questioned Sophie. Based on what I know of Felix, I don¡¯t think he can bring himself to bully her. ¡°How can you say that when I came to you forfort, Sophie? I admit I may be a little temperamental asionally, but I love Felix. There¡¯s no way I can bring myself to bully him for real! I want to stay with him. However, sometimes, I¡¯m not certain about the future. I don¡¯t know if we can reach the end together. After all, many people have a wonderful rtionship when they first start out but still break up in the end.¡± Chapter 859 Chapter 859 ¡°You really don¡¯t need to overthink it. No one can guarantee what¡¯ll happen. As long as you want to be his girlfriend, then cherish your time with him. There isn¡¯t a single person in this world who can predict the future, after all,¡± advised Sophie. ¡°Is that so? Even though I want to stay by his side my whole life, I¡¯m not confident about it. I genuinely love him. I wouldn¡¯t feel so conflicted if I didn¡¯t,¡± Ysabelle replied. In response, Sophie patted her friend¡¯s cheek. ¡°Don¡¯t overthink, Ysabelle. Just focus on the present.¡± ¡°Okay, got it. Did I disturb your rest?¡± Ysabelle wiped her tears away. I¡¯m aware she didn¡¯t get much resttely because she¡¯s been so busy, but I still bothered her with my matters. What a lousy friend I am. ¡°I¡¯m fine. You can talk about any emotional matter bothering you with me. I may be unable to help you solve all your issues, but I can certainly be a good listener.¡± Ysabelle nodded. ¡°Oh yeah, isn¡¯t your albuming out soon? You should set your feelings aside and focus on that first.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Sophie. I won¡¯t let this or any other issues affect my work. I like singing, and I want it to be done well.¡± ¡°I¡¯m d to hear that.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be heading back now. You should rest early.¡± Ysabelle smiled. As much as I¡¯m still bothered by this, I can¡¯t keep disturbing Sophie. ¡°You can do this, Ysabelle. Whether it¡¯s love or singing, you can handle it well.¡± ¡°Thank you, Sophie. I¡¯m d that I met you. Without you, I don¡¯t know what I¡¯d do. You helped me so many times.¡± ¡°You know, you aided me more times than you realize.¡± Sophie grinned. Ysabelle¡¯s a warm person. She may not notice it, but her presence often brings a sense offort to people around her. After Ysabelle left, Tristan entered the room. He had arrived much earlier but didn¡¯t go in because he knew Ysabelle was inside. It wasn¡¯t until his niece left that he approached Sophie and inquired, ¡°What¡¯s the matter with her?¡± Can¡¯t she just focus on her romance instead of constantly bothering Sophie? Knitting her eyebrows slightly, Sophie answered, ¡°I don¡¯t think anything major happened, but I¡¯m not sure. There¡¯s a chance she quarreled with Felix.¡± While Felix isn¡¯t someone who often argues with Ysabelle, it¡¯s inevitable in a rtionship. Sometimes, emotions appear and vanish rapidly. ¡°You should focus less on her matters in the future. She should solve her rtionship issues herself. There¡¯s nothing anyone else can do for her.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be like that. Ysabelle didn¡¯t disturb me. Often, she¡¯s the one helping me and not the other way round.¡± ¡°Fine, then.¡± Tristan held her waist. ¡°By the way, you¡¯re visiting the University of Medicine tomorrow, right?¡± Even though we¡¯ve finally returned to the country, we¡¯re still so busy. In any case, I¡¯m certain she needs to deal with her course skipping there tomorrow. It¡¯s impressive she can do that at a ce like the University of Medicine. My woman really is outstanding. Nodding, Sophie answered, ¡°Yep. The dean knows my intention to skip courses, but a few professors there disagreed, so I have to convince them tomorrow.¡± She found no reason to waste more time at the university. After all, she had already grasped everything she needed to learn during her second and third-year courses. ¡°Do you want me to go with you?¡± he offered. If anyone dares to disagree, I¡¯ll have a chat with them. ¡°No need. This is my matter. I can handle it. You should focus on Lombard Group,¡± she insisted. There are definitely many things waiting for him to handle after he left the country for so long. ¡°I¡¯m worried they¡¯ll bully you.¡± Tristan¡¯s response amused Sophie. Does he not understand what kind of person I am? ¡°They can¡¯t even if they want to. In fact, they should be grateful I won¡¯t bully them.¡± He pecked the edge of her lips. ¡°I know you¡¯re amazing, but I still want to protect you and stay with you whenever possible. ¡° C0ntent ? 2024 (N/?)velDrama.Org. Promptly, Sophie stood on her toes and kissed his lips. ¡°Fret not. I can handle these minor issues. You don¡¯t need to keep worrying about me. It¡¯s unnecessary.¡± We must learn how to face our own problems, after all. ¡°Very well!¡± Even though it was a gentle kiss, it still made his heart race. I wonder if I¡¯ll only be less unrestrained after getting married. As he stared at her, an idea popped into his mind: to pounce at her. Before Sophie realized it, she was already pinned to the bed by him as he kissed her. Ysabelle didn¡¯t mean to disturb them. However, after she returned to her room, she realized she had left her phone in Sophie¡¯s room. Hence, she returned to Sophie¡¯s room without giving it too much thought. Because she was in a hurry, she forgot to knock on the door before entering the room. When Tristan heard the sound of the door opening, he used his body to prevent the intruder from catching sight of Sophie. ¡°What are you standing there for? Get out!¡± Even though his voice sounded cold, it couldn¡¯t conceal his tremendous lust. It was then Ysabelle snapped back to reality. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry, Uncle Tristan! I didn¡¯t know you two were¡­¡± For a moment, she couldn¡¯t think of an exnation. Is today the day I die? Still, she eventually muttered, ¡°I didn¡¯t mean to barge in, Sophie. I¡¯m only here to grab my phone!¡± Hastily, she darted into the room, grabbed her phone, and sprinted out. Ysabelle felt her heart beating rapidly after returning to her room and reprimanded it in her mind. Why are you thumping so fast? Sophie doesn¡¯t have time to put you back in if you thump so hard that you jump out of my chest! Meanwhile, when Tristan saw Sophie¡¯s ears turning as red as a tomato, he gently bit them. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I forgot to close the door. Next time, I¡¯ll be sure to lock it.¡± She grinned. ¡°Okay!¡± While she did feel somewhat embarrassed by the incident, she suddenly felt like it was nothing notable when she saw Tristan like that. ¡°Don¡¯t me Ysabelle.¡± She didn¡¯t want Tristan to reprimand Ysabelle for something her friend didn¡¯t intend to do. ¡°Rx, I won¡¯t trouble her,¡± assured Tristan. Still, that girl¡¯s getting more unruly. Doesn¡¯t she know she should knock on the door before entering someone else¡¯s room? Sophie flipped them around andy on top of him. ¡°I¡¯m being serious. Her new album ising out in the next few days. I don¡¯t want you to affect her.¡± ¡°Okay, I understand. Although, do you realize your current position is very¡­¡± He trailed off and wrapped his arms around her waist tight when she tried to change position, immobilizing her. ¡°What are you doing? It¡¯ste. I¡¯m going to sleep.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll keep youpany, then!¡± Chapter 860 Chapter 860 ¡°Go sleep in your room! Because of you, Ysabelle has gotten the wrong idea¡­¡± Sophie grumbled. Argh! Ysabelle must¡¯ve thought there was some hanky-panky going on between us! ¡°What¡¯s there to be afraid of?¡± Tristan replied. ¡°You¡¯re now my fianc¨¦e, so why should anyone care what we get up to around here? It¡¯s none of their business.¡± Oh,e on. Do I need everyone else¡¯s permission to be in a rtionship? ¡°A while more. Let¡¯s cuddle a while more, and I¡¯ll leave,¡± he added, a far cry from his usual authoritative self. Upon seeing how beguiling the man was, Sophie gave in and took the initiative to hug him. Fine¡­ I can never reject him when he ys dirty, anyway. In fact, I don¡¯t think I can ever bring myself to turn him down. Meanwhile, Ysabelle had rushed out with her phone in hand, only to be stopped by Sarah before she could enter her room. ¡°Why are you running? What on earth could be chasing you at home?¡± ¡°Aunt Sarah, I¡­¡± Ysabelle mumbled, her face red with embarrassment. Then again, how could she not be when she had walked in on another couple doing the deed? Even though she and Felix were also dating, thetter never went beyond hugging and kissing her. Naturally, she¡¯d be mortified to witness such an intimate scene! ¡°What¡¯s the matter with you? Are you not feeling well? Do you want to see the doctor?¡± Sarah asked worriedly when she saw the flush in Ysabelle¡¯s cheeks.C0ntent ? 2024 (N/?)velDrama.Org. For a moment, the young woman touched her face and bit her lower lip as shepsed into silence. ¡°I¡¯m all right, Aunt Sarah.¡± Sarah, however, remained doubtful. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you, then?¡± ¡°I-I¡¯m done for, Aunt Sarah. If Uncle Tristan threatens to kill me tomorrow, will you please protect me?¡± ¡°Why? What happened?¡± ¡°Earlier, I barged into Sophie¡¯s room without knocking on the door. Then¡­¡± Ysabelle muttered before her voice trailed off. ¡°Oh, my goodness! Shouldn¡¯t you be old enough to know basic etiquette? You must always remember to knock before entering anyone¡¯s room!¡± Well, it¡¯s perfectly normal and understandable for couples to be intimate. Besides, hasn¡¯t Dad been longing for grandchildren? I can¡¯t believe Ysabelle ruined that moment for Tristan and Sophie! Ysabelle nodded. ¡°Yes. I know.¡± Argh! Why am I being med? I was already feeling down in the dumps today and only returned to Sophie¡¯s room to grab my phone. How did I know I¡¯d catch them in such apromising situation? I didn¡¯t do it on purpose! ¡°All right. Don¡¯t worry too much,¡± Sarah reassured. ¡°It¡¯s gettingte. Go to bed soon. You have an uing album release, don¡¯t you? You ought to be in good shape for that.¡± After all, looks were important in the music industry, so a singer like Ysabelle had to have ample rest. ¡°Okay,¡± the young woman mumbled before darting into her room with her phone. Sarah was also about to retire for the night when her phone suddenly rang. s, she couldn¡¯t help but frown as soon as she realized who the caller was. What on earth is Juan up to? I was in love with him before, but he always treated me indifferently. However, now that I¡¯ve given up on him, he won¡¯t stop pestering me! What¡¯s the point of this? Sarah instantly declined the call, but Juan soon called again, clearly refusing to give up. Annoyed, Sarah texted: Juan, what do you want? Haven¡¯t I already said that things aren¡¯t going to work out between us? Juan: Why not, though? I wasn¡¯t aware of my feelings for you in the past, but now I know. Don¡¯t be afraid, Sarah. Besides, you don¡¯t have to do anything this time. I¡¯ll go to you. Sarah: Is this fun for you, Juan? You ignored me when I was so madly in love with you, but now that I¡¯ve chosen to walk away, you refuse to let me go. Do you truly like me, or are you just being resentful? As it turned out, that was what troubled Sarah the most. She had pursued Juan romantically for a long time, but he never reciprocated her feelings. Therefore, wasn¡¯t it odd that he sang a different tune only when she had given up? Was it true love, or was he merely bitter at the turn of events? Juan: Sarah, we¡¯re still friends, aren¡¯t we? Isn¡¯t it normal for friends to call each other?¡± Deep down, Juan knew he had gone overboard in the past, so he didn¡¯t want to push Sarah too far. All I can do now is take things one step at a time. Even though we¡¯re both in our thirties, there really isn¡¯t much time to waste. Then again, I suppose that doesn¡¯t matter. We have the rest of our lives ahead of us, and I¡¯m sure I can convince her of my feelings one day. Sarah: That¡¯s enough. I¡¯ve already said my piece, and I don¡¯t think there¡¯s a need to waste any more time. Sarah had, in fact, already decided to be single for the rest of her life. She was enjoying her life as a single woman and loved that she didn¡¯t have to care about anything else. All that mattered was her own happiness. Furthermore, many of her friends were sure they had married the love of their lives, yet their marriages still didn¡¯t turn out well. After hanging up the phone, Sarah grabbed a facial mask and settled in for the night. Since she was already in her thirties, it was all the more reason to maintain a beauty routine. The next day, when the entire family gathered for breakfast, Ysabelle was so scared of Tristan punishing her that she didn¡¯t dare look at him. As such, she kept her head down and quietly tucked into her food. That, however, only made William curious. ¡°What¡¯s the matter with you, Ysabelle?¡± Hmm¡­ How odd. Ysabelle has always been very chatty, so why is she so quiet now? Shocked to have suddenly been singled out, it took a while before Ysabelle snapped out of her daze. ¡°I¡¯m fine, Grandpa.¡± ¡°You can tell me if something¡¯s wrong. Did someone bully you?¡± William asked. ¡°Is it Felix? Was he upset because I mentioned wanting you to go on a blind date yesterday?¡± Hmph! That must be it! I knew I didn¡¯t like Felix for a reason. ¡°Grandpa, will you stop being so biased against Felix? He treats me well, and I like him a lot,¡± Ysabelle answered. Even though there was no guarantee that they¡¯d be together forever, she knew her feelings for him now were genuine. ¡°Oh, you silly child! Felix is too old for you. All I want is for you to live happily ever after.¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t Uncle Tristan and Felix the same age, Grandpa? Moreover, Sophie is two months younger than me!¡± Ysabelle retorted, annoyed at William¡¯s double standard. Just then, she felt Tristan¡¯s death re on her, and she instantly bit her lower lip, realizing she had misspoken. Argh! I¡¯ve offended Uncle Tristan again. That¡¯s it. I¡¯d better go to Felix right after breakfast¡­ I reckon he¡¯s the only one who will save me now! Upon seeing the change in Tristan¡¯s expression, Sophie couldn¡¯t help but smirk. She had always thought that only women were sensitive about their ages, but who knew men cared just as much about it? Realizing he was about to blow his top, Sophie quickly grabbed his hand to calm him down. ¡°I think our ages are perfect! Don¡¯t worry! I don¡¯t think any less of you.¡± Sure enough, Sophie¡¯s reassurance worked wonders, and Tristan¡¯s mood instantly improved. ¡°Ysabelle, don¡¯t ever ask me for my help again. I won¡¯t agree to it,¡± he said as he nced at his niece. Why must she drag me in when she¡¯s talking about Felix? How annoying! Chapter 861 Chapter 861 William shook his head. ¡°Fine. Deal with it as you see fit!¡± After breakfast, William went out for some exercise. ¡°Sophie, that¡¯s not what I mean! I¡­¡± Ysabelle was aggrieved. She genuinely did not mean that. What¡¯s wrong with this mouth of mine? That was not what she was trying to imply. ¡°Ysabelle, we will give you our support as long as you like him.¡± That was all Sarah could say. ¡°Furthermore, Felix treats you very well. All of us can see that. Therefore, there¡¯s no need for you to feel stressed about it.¡± Ysabelle clung onto Sarah¡¯s arm. ¡°Aunt Sarah, you are the best. I love you.¡± See! No matter what happens, Aunt Sarah is always on my side. That is true love. After breakfast, Ysabelle was going to TS. Since Sarah was going the same way, she decided to drop Ysabelle off. ¡°How about the two of you? Are you nning to rest at home, or do you have something on?¡± Sarah asked Tristan. ¡°Sophie needs to go to the University of Medicine, so we won¡¯t being home tonight.¡± When they were here in the Lombard residence, all of them took up too much of Sophie¡¯s time. He did not stand a chance at all. ¡°All right then!¡± Sarah took her car key and warmed up the engine while waiting for Ysabelle. Ysabelle had changed into a sweet-looking dress, and she looked very pretty. Original from N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Sophie, are you really noting back tonight? I still have lots to talk to you about.¡± There were some aspects of her new album that she was not so sure about. ¡°We won¡¯t being back tonight. If there¡¯s anything, you cane to the mansion to look for us.¡± ¡°Okay!¡± Once Ysabelle had gotten Sophie¡¯s permission, she left happily. Meanwhile, Tristan had a change of clothes and came downstairs. He ced his arm around Sophie¡¯s waist and began to walk out. ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you to ignore her? Don¡¯t let her disturb us.¡± He just wanted to be alone with her and had no wish to have a third wheel with them. Doesn¡¯t she have any self-awareness at all? By doing so, she¡¯s extremely annoying. ¡°Mr. Tristan, I find Ysabelle very adorable! Why do you dislike her so?¡± Furthermore, Ysabelle was his niece. ¡°Adorable? Who? Me or her?¡± Tristan gazed at her in earnest. Sophie found his expression hrious. This man is too much. To outsiders, he looks like a chaste Prince Charming! When he is with me, he bes such a jealous man! And he is jealous about his own niece! ¡°It¡¯s you. You are the most adorable!¡± Forget it. There¡¯s no way I can reason things out with him. ¡°Then give me a kiss.¡± Sophie had no choice but to stand on her tiptoes and give him a peck on his lips. When they turned around, they saw William standing there and watching them. Sophie blushed immediately. This is all his fault. Why must he try to be romantic anytime and anywhere? ¡°Dad, didn¡¯t you go out for your exercise?¡± Tristan, on the other hand, looked unperturbed. In truth, he was feeling a little awkward after his father caught him kissing his girlfriend. However, now was not the time to panic. As long as he maintained his cool, his father would be the one who was embarrassed. ¡°Oh, I didn¡¯t see anything. Carry on.¡± Naturally, William was also feeling a little awkward when he saw the young couple kissing. Then again, he knew that there was hope for grandchildren when he saw that Tristan and Sophie were on good terms. With that in mind, he walked away quietly. ¡°Shall we continue?¡± Now that his father had left, Tristan asked Sophie. Sophie red at him. What a shameless man! How shameless can he get? ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± Tristan could not help butugh out loud when he saw her stalk off. All right then! He found her very endearing. Once they got into the car, he pressed a kiss on her head when he saw that she was still fuming. ¡°Are you still angry?¡± ¡°You¡ª¡± What a scoundrel. ¡°Mr. Tristan, I think it¡¯s better that you behave yourself in public ces in the future.¡± It was so embarrassing when William saw them kissing earlier on. ¡°Fine, then I will kiss you in private from now on. How about that?¡± He was an agreeable person. Sophie was speechless. How am I going to answer that? Forget it. I better not say anything. Once they arrived at the University of Medicine, Tristan got out to open the door for Sophie. ¡°Are you sure you don¡¯t need me to go with you?¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s fine. Go and do your things.¡± He had lots to deal with as well. There was no way he could stay by her side all day long. ¡°All right. Once you¡¯re done, give me a call. I¡¯lle and fetch you.¡± ¡°Sure! Go on then!¡± ¡°Why are you in such a hurry to chase me away? You don¡¯t want to see me, do you?¡± Why is my Sophie always chasing me away? ¡°That¡¯s not true. You know I have something on, don¡¯t you?¡± Sophie was exasperated. ¡°All right then. I¡¯ll make a move first.¡± Once Tristan left, both Simon and Sandra came over. They knew she wasing, so they had been waiting for her. In recent times, the two had been learning lots of things at the medical association. As such, they had be more mature. ¡°Sophie, you¡¯re finally back!¡± The moment Sandra saw Sophie, she ran up to give thetter a hug. ¡°How was it? Was it very exciting in Anndur?¡± Naturally, they knew what Sophie had been up to in Anndur. They did not want to disturb her, and that was why they did not call her. ¡°Everything was all right!¡± That was how experiments were. There was nothing thrilling about them! One just had to keep repeating the same thing for a long time until one arrived at the desired result. ¡°Sophie, are you here because you are skipping a grade? Everyone in the University of Medicine knows about that, and they are all talking about it!¡± Simon, on the other hand, did not hug Sophie as the thought of Tristan stopped him. ¡°Yes, I n to skip to the fourth year.¡± There were lots of discussions about her on the forum of the University of Medicine, but she paid them no mind. ¡°If you ask me, Sophie, I think you should be able to graduate right now.¡± They knew how capable Sophie was. As for those people who mocked and insulted her, they were just jealous of her. ¡°The two of you go to your sses first! I have to go to the chancellor¡¯s office.¡± She had finished the course contents of the second and third years. It was only right that she skipped to the fourth year. ¡°All right then. Go on!¡± Sandra knew that Sophie was going to the chancellor¡¯s office because she nned to skip grades. That was why she did not want to waste Sophie¡¯s time. However, Sandra was still worried when she noticed how much weight Sophie had lost. ¡°Simon, do you really think Sophie can skip grades? I heard that a few professors are against the idea!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Do you know who she is? She¡¯s Sophie. With her abilities, she can graduate right away, let alone skip grades!¡± Chapter 862 Chapter 862 Along her way to the chancellor¡¯s office, Sophie heard her fellow schoolmates gossiping about her when they saw her. ¡°Did you hear? Sophie is going to skip grades!¡± ¡°Yes, I heard, and she¡¯s going to skip directly to the fourth year. What right does she have to do that? I study so hard every day and put in so much effort. As for her? sses began a month ago, yet she only came today, and the moment she arrives, she wants to skip grades!¡± ¡°What right does she have? Just the fact that she has a powerful backer! Life is unfair!¡± ¡°All of you are just jealous of her! I feel that Sophie has the right to skip grades. We know how capable she is. Just look at her performance when she was in her first year. You know she isn¡¯t like the rest of us! How can a genius bepared to the normal people?¡± ¡°What do you mean by that? Just because she¡¯s a genius doesn¡¯t mean she can do whatever she wants.¡± ¡°If she gets to skip grades, then what about people like us who work our asses off?¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong with that? Just because you aren¡¯t talented enough doesn¡¯t mean others can¡¯t skip a grade or two!¡± Sophie turned a deaf ear to those words. What her schoolmates thought had nothing to do with her. She only wanted to finish her education as soon as possible. In truth, she could have studied at home, but she was worried that the chancellor of the University of Medicine would not agree to it. Hence, she attended school as usual. Very soon, Sophie arrived at the chancellor¡¯s office. When he saw her, he seemed troubled. Initially, he had promised to let Sophie skip grades when she returned. However, a few professors opposed the idea, whichplicated things. ¡°Sophie, I¡¯m sorry to make youe all the way here!¡± Sophie¡¯s trip to Anndur was confidential. As such, several people had no idea what she had been doing there. After disappearing for a month, she returned and wanted to skip grades. It was only natural that some professors were against the idea. ¡°Mr. Sawyer, please don¡¯t worry about it. I can settle this issue.¡± This is nothing at all. ¡°All right. The professors are waiting in the conference room. Let¡¯s go over there right now! Don¡¯t worry. No matter what happens, I will always be on your side,¡± Dominic stated his position clearly. Sophie¡¯s performance during the virus incident was outstanding. She was the pride of the University of Medicine. There was no way he would forsake her at a time like that! ¡°Thank you, Mr. Sawyer.¡± Dominic personally brought Sophie to the conference room. When they entered, those professors who opposed shook their heads. A beautiful girl like her should be working in the entertainment industry. Since she has decided to join the University of Medicine, she should study quietly like the rest of them. Unfortunately, that isn¡¯t the case. No matter how talented she may be, we don¡¯t like students who behave like her! ¡°My dear colleagues, Sophie has now returned from overseas. Since she has alreadypleted the coursework for the second and third year, I think it should be all right for her to skip grades.¡± ¡°Mr. Sawyer, since the day the University of Medicine was established, there hasn¡¯t been a student who skipped grades! If this happens, what will the rest of the students think?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right! No matter how talented she is, she cannot go against the rules of the University of Medicine. Furthermore, there is a lot of practical knowledge to be learned other than theoretical knowledge. These are not things that she can learn on her own!¡± ¡°I agree! That¡¯s why we won¡¯t agree to Sophie skipping grades.¡± ¡°All right. I understand now!¡± Dominic was getting a headache. ¡°Sophie, what do you think?¡± ¡°I want to skip grades. Besides, I¡¯m informing you and not asking for your permission. Naturally, if you think I¡¯m unfit to skip grades, I¡¯m willing to be assessed by all of you.¡± If that did not work, there was nothing else she could do. It was not necessary for her to be at the University of Medicine. ¡°Mr. Sawyer, look at her attitude! As a person who is learning medicine, she should be more humble.¡± ¡°True! We don¡¯t need an arrogant student like her in our university!¡± Sophie was getting irritated. ¡°So, no matter how good I am, you just won¡¯t allow me to skip grades, will you? You just want me to waste my time here?¡± Sophie sounded very cold. Don¡¯t they know that time is money? ¡°Fine. In that case, we will let you skip grades if you pass our assessment.¡± Owned by N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Ha! Deal.¡± ¡°But, if you fail our assessment, you must never talk about skipping grades again. It¡¯s better to be a down-to-earth person than to be overly ambitious.¡± To that, Sophie said nothing. ¡°Fine. Just let me know when and where.¡± With that, Sophie turned to Dominic and said, ¡°Mr. Sawyer, I still have something on. I shall make a move first.¡± It was only an assessment, and it was not something she was afraid of. Dominic nodded. ¡°Go on then! Don¡¯t mind their attitudes. They won¡¯t make things difficult for you as long as you pass the assessment.¡± Sophie nodded. After she left, the professors began to discuss Sophie¡¯s assessment. ¡°We¡¯ll do it this way then. There will be twoponents in this assessment. One will be a written test, and the other will be a clinical test.¡± Even if Sophie passed the written test, she might not pass the clinical test since there were so many different kinds ofplex and unusual illnesses. ¡°The three of you will be responsible for the written test. Remember. You must find the most difficult questions. Otherwise, just use the doctorate questions!¡± When Dominic heard their conversation, he could not help butment, ¡°Why must you make things hard for her? The doctorate questions are so difficult!¡± ¡°Mr. Sawyer, please stay out of this. We are just trying to protect the reputation of the University of Medicine!¡± Every student who graduated from the University of Medicine would be a walking advertisement for their university. Furthermore, human lives were at stake. There was no way they could take it lightly! ¡°Fine! But remember not to cross the line. Sophie is the pride of the University of Medicine. Whoever offends her will have to beg her toe backter on. I don¡¯t care what method you use to get her to come back.¡± She was the highest achiever in the university entrance exam and a talented student. Naturally, she did not expect to be bullied while studying at their university. Jipsdale University had been eyeing her for quite some time now, hoping that Sophie would study at their university! The same could be said of the Medical Research Institute. In the meantime, the news of Sophie¡¯s impending assessment had spread throughout the campus. Sandra found it annoying when she heard everyone gossiping about it. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with those old fogeys? Why is there an assessment? They are obviously trying to make things difficult for Sophie. This is too much!¡± Sandra was outraged by the news. Simon handed her a milkshake. ¡°Enough. There¡¯s no need to be so angry. A simple assessment like this won¡¯t bother Sophie.¡± Simon hadplete faith in Sophie now! Chapter 863 Chapter 863 Sophie arrived while both of them were speaking. Simon then handed her the other cup of milkshake. ¡°Will you be okay with the assessment?¡± Although Simon was also feeling anxious, he¡ªas a man¡ª couldn¡¯t show it, unlike Sandra. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m confident I¡¯ll pass.¡± Sophie took the milkshake in her hands, poked the straw in, and sipped it. Mmm, it¡¯s my favorite vor. ¡°How are both of you settling in at the medical association? A month has passed since you started.¡± ¡°We¡¯re good, Sophie. I really like it there. It would be fantastic if we can join them once we graduate,¡± Sandra replied excitedly. She was well aware that Sophie was the reason she could enter the Chanaean Medical Association in the first ce. Nevertheless, they still had to rely on themselves for the assessment. ¡°I¡¯m sure you can do it.¡± Sophie had invited Sandra for the internship due to the potential she saw in the latter. ¡°That¡¯s right! You¡¯ve made significant progress recently, Sandra. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll be able to pass with flying colors.¡± ¡°What about you, Simon? What are your ns?¡± Sophie inquired. ¡°Of course I want to join the medical association too. They have Barney and Professor Gullifer working there, after all!¡± These men are the paragons of the medical industry and Dad¡¯s idols. Dad would be ecstatic if I were to have the opportunity to work with them. ¡°Mmm-hmm. Keep up the good work then,¡± Sophie encouraged them with a smile. When she saw the twinkle in their eyes, Sophie knew that she had made the right call. Even though the Chanaean Medical Association had some way to go before catching up with the International Medical Association, she was confident the gap could be closed with all of them there. Ever since Sophie¡¯s return, she had yet to visit the medical association. Thus, it was her intention to drop by and see how Georgina was doing. Since Simon and Sandra still had ss, they couldn¡¯t go with her. No sooner had Sophiee out than she saw a familiar silhouette. She then walked over and stood by Caleb¡¯s side. ¡°Are you here to see me?¡± Sophie asked. Since Caleb wasn¡¯t from the medical faculty even in the past, the reason he was there was clear. ¡°Mmm-hmm. I¡¯m here to see you.¡± Caleb was aware that his sister was never a talkative person. Despite finallying back from Anndur after so long, she never returned to the Tanner residence. It was as if she had no intention of doing so anymore. ¡°Come home for dinner tonight if you¡¯re free.¡± Considering the chaotic situation Anndur was in now, Caleb had no ns to go back after this. After all, with the qualifications he obtained in Anndur, he was highly sought after in Jipsdale. ¡°I¡¯m busy.¡± Her home was no longer what it was since Josiah¡¯s death. Going back would only upset others and herself at the same time. Thus, she didn¡¯t see the point in doing so. Caleb¡¯s brows furrowed in response. ¡°Sophie, we¡¯re still a family no matter what. Just let bygones be bygones.¡± With her current capabilities, there¡¯s no need to be bitter about the past. ¡°Stop patronizing me, Caleb. I can decide on my own affairs. I don¡¯t need someone else to tell me what to do,¡± Sophie retorted before turning to leave. C0ntent ? 2024 (N/?)velDrama.Org. ¡°Sophie, we¡¯re family. Can we really not go back to the way things were?¡± Doesn¡¯t she already have control of Tanner Group? What more does she want? Is it really necessary to take such a harsh stance? Sophie didn¡¯t even spare him a nce as she replied, ¡°I think everything is great now. I¡¯m not bothered by those I dislike and have no desire to see them.¡± With that, she hopped into a taxi and left. Caleb was confused by her response. I really don¡¯t understand her. It¡¯s true that she had suffered a lot previously and there were plenty of misunderstandings. However, hasn¡¯t Willow been punished for her actions? Why does she insist on harboring such resentment? When Caleb finally came home after spending some time outside, Charmaine heaved a sigh at the sight of him. ¡°Caleb, didn¡¯t I tell you not to waste any more time on Sophie? She won¡¯t appreciate what you¡¯re doing.¡± That ruthless girl has no respect for anyone. He should just give up on her. ¡°Mom, from now on, you should treat Sophie better!¡± Feeling helpless, Caleb thought that he had to do something. Unfortunately, all the hurt and bad blood would not be erased by just a few words. His retort rendered Charmaine speechless. What¡¯s the point of treating her better? She¡¯s not going to be grateful for it anyway. Meanwhile, Willow had learned about Sophie¡¯s impending assessment from the inte. The fact that thetter was about to jump grades blew her mind. In contrast to the past when she never held her younger sister in high regard, she was now afraid of offending Sophie. All she could do was secretly hope Sophie would somehow fail. We¡¯re all daughters of the Tanner family, so why does she get all the glory? That was the reason Willow kept herself updated with news about Sophie. She continued to pray hard for the day Sophie would just drop dead. Upon Sophie¡¯s arrival at the medical association, Arius shook his head after finding out about her assessment. ¡°I¡¯ll be honest here. Not attending the University of Medicine isn¡¯t going to make a difference to you. With your capabilities, you can just study on your own.¡± The professors at the University of Medicine have nothing more to teach her. ¡°All right now, let¡¯s stop discussing this.¡± Sophie didn¡¯t want to dwell on the topic. It¡¯s necessary for me to continue my studies, as there¡¯s still stuff for me to learn at the University of Medicine. Besides, doesn¡¯t he know that learning is a life-long process? ¡°Fine. Do what you want!¡± There¡¯s no way some sort of assessment can get in her way. Those old fogeys will definitely be disappointed. Upon hearing of Sophie¡¯s return, Georgina went to see her at once. The former looked a lot more experienced since Sophie saw her a month ago. It was a look that told Sophie how well she had settled in at the medical association. It was also the first time Georgina saw Arius in a very long time. When Arius felt her gaze fall upon him, he was quite lost as to how he should respond. ¡°Why don¡¯t both of you catch up? I¡¯m going to see Dr. Smith, as I have something to discuss with him,¡± Arius suggested before walking away. However, Georgina¡¯s gaze continued to trail his silhouette. He¡¯s not into me. That exins why he¡¯s not reciprocating my feelings for him. Georgina thought that she would no longer feel hurt upon learning the truth. Unfortunately, she couldn¡¯t be any more wrong. ¡°Are you all right, Georgina?¡± Sophie asked in concern. ¡°Arius¡ª¡± Before Sophie could finish, Georgina shook her head. ¡°You don¡¯t have to say anything, Sophie. I understand. He doesn¡¯t like me, that¡¯s all.¡± It was now Sophie¡¯s turn to shake her head. What has Arius done? He has hurt her for real this time. ¡°Sophie, I would like to leave the medical association for the time being.¡± Upon regaining her senses, Georgina informed Sophie of the reason she wanted to see her. Chapter 864 Chapter 864 ¡°Why? Is it because of Arius?¡± ¡°Not really. Even though I fancy him, I¡¯m not going to give up my job over something like that.¡± Georgina tried hard to maintain the nonchnt expression on her face. ¡°As you¡¯re well aware, my parents are worried about me living alone in Jipsdale. They feel that I should look for someone reliable to take care of me if I want to continue staying here.¡± She could understand where her parents wereing from. Jipsdale was a big city filled with all sorts of characters who made her parents worry. ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°My parents have nned to matchmake me with someone, and I need to make a trip back home.¡± The man her parents approved of was from her hometown. Thus, they hoped that she woulde back to meet him. Since she was single, she didn¡¯t mind going along with her parents¡¯ n. ¡°What if you hit it off? Does it mean that you¡¯re noting back?¡± Sophie still hoped that Georgina could manage the medical association. ¡°Perhaps. I do feel lonely here sometimes. Now that my parents are advanced in age, I shouldn¡¯t let them worry about me.¡± The big city does make me feel the need to have someone. Who knows, having a boyfriend and starting a family might be what¡¯s best for me. ¡°Fine. Don¡¯t overthink it for now. Just treat this as a holiday. Go home and see whoever you need to, ande back whenever you feel like it.¡± Sophie, empathizing with her friend, was extremely supportive. Her response caused Georgina to give her a hug. ¡°Thank you, Sophie.¡± To be able to work at the medical association was indeed a huge stepping stone in her career. ¡°I might not evere back, so I just want to thank you for all that you¡¯ve done for me.¡± Tears began to well up in Georgina¡¯s eyes. She was never one to be sentimental, but the thought of her living in a different city and leaving everything here behind still saddened her. ¡°Georgina, don¡¯t give yourself too much pressure. Regardless of what happens, you have my support. All that matters is that you find happiness.¡± ¡°Yeah!¡± Georgina packed and left for her hometown that very day. Arius only found out about it when he sought her out the next day. He had no idea where she went and felt as if arge part of his heart went missing upon learning of her departure. It was a sensation that he had never felt before. Without a moment¡¯s hesitation, he went to theb to see Sophie, who coincidentally had business there. Sophie stopped what she was doing the moment she saw him. ¡°What do you want? Whatever it is, get straight to the point.¡± I¡¯m really busy now! ¡°Is Georgina on leave?¡± Arius inquired. ¡°Is something wrong? She has never taken a day off ever since she started working here.¡± Something must have happened. ¡°Why do you care so much when you¡¯re not interested in her?¡± Since you have no feelings for her. You should keep your distance to prevent her from getting the wrong idea. Arius grabbed his hair in frustration as he snapped, ¡°I just want to know where she went!¡± It wasn¡¯t until Sophie stared at him in silence that Arius realized he had lost hisposure. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. That¡¯s not what I meant. I just don¡¯t want any harm toe to her as she¡¯s now an employee of the medical association.¡± Arius cooked up an excuse. ¡°Is that so? In that case, there¡¯s nothing for you to worry about. Georgina has gone back to her hometown to be matchmade and will probably get married.¡± Matchmade? Doesn¡¯t she have feelings for me? Why is she attending a matchmaking session? ¡°Since you don¡¯t fancy her, she might as well find a man who does and get married. Going forward, there¡¯ll be nothing left between the two of you.¡± Isn¡¯t it great? ¡°D*mn it, doesn¡¯t she have feelings for me? Why did she change her mind so quickly?¡± Arius couldn¡¯t help but swear. ¡°Since you¡¯re not keen, how can you expect her to wait for something that will never happen?¡± Sophie responded without mincing her words. Men are always like that. They never appreciate a girl¡¯s feelings when it¡¯s there, yet they feel indignant when it¡¯s gone. ¡°Fine, I get it. Matchmaking will do her some good.¡± Arius didn¡¯t understand why he felt a sudden squeeze in his heart. Since Georgina has made her choice, there¡¯s nothing I can say about it. Nevertheless, he couldn¡¯t concentrate the entire day at work. When Barney saw how distracted he was, he kicked Arius out of theb in exasperation. ¡°Look at the condition you¡¯re in. Just get some rest and stop wasting time here!¡± He shouldn¡¯t be conducting experiments if he isn¡¯t feeling good. After being chased out, Arius ran into Sophie on her way home. He hurried up to her and asked, ¡°Do you know where Georgina¡¯s home is?¡± ¡°I do. Why? What are you nning to do? Let me warn you, Arius. You had better not see her if you¡¯re not interested in her.¡± Georgina was devastated when she left. ¡°Fine. Can you now tell me where it is?¡± ¡°Why should I?¡± Sophie wasn¡¯t going to make it easy for him. ¡°I¡¯m going to see her!¡± That should do, right? Sophieughed out loud. ¡°What are youughing about? Do you know it or not?¡± Sophie can find out anything with herputer skills, which is why I came to her. ¡°I¡¯ll send it to your phone in a while. If you¡¯re interested in her, pursue her. Otherwise, you won¡¯t get the chance once she¡¯s married.¡± The moment she finished, Sophie walked off to Tristan¡¯s car. She was still wearing the same smile on her face when she opened the door. Her delighted expression sparked Tristan¡¯s curiosity. ¡°What happened? Why do you look so happy today?¡± ¡°Something rare yet wonderful is about to happen.¡± All these years, I have been the only girl by Arius¡¯ side, and he has never had a girlfriend before. That¡¯s why he doesn¡¯t know how to talk to a girl. But this time, he is left with no choice. ¡°Arius?¡± Tristan knew Sophie like the back of his hand. He could quickly tell from a casualment of hers what was going on. ¡°Yup. Georgina has gone back to her hometown to be matchmade, finally making him anxious.¡± Do men always need to be shocked into action? ¡°Give Georgina a call and tell her to ignore him.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°He won¡¯t learn how to appreciate her if he seeds too easily. She should y hard to get for a while.¡± C0ntent ? 2024 (N/?)velDrama.Org. ¡°Are you feeling indignant on Georgina¡¯s behalf, or do you just enjoy watching Arius suffer?¡± Sophie tilted her head to give him a curious look. ¡°Both, actually.¡± Tristan didn¡¯t hide his ill intentions at all. With that, Sophie opened an app on her phone and found Georgina¡¯s hometown address with the latter¡¯s ID number. Upon obtaining it, she sent it to Arius. Chapter 865 Chapter 865 The press conference about Ysabelle¡¯s new album was in the afternoon, and Sophie and Tristan were there. By the time they arrived, Ysabelle was already done with her makeup backstage. Felix was there beside her, and it seemed like they had made up. When Ysabelle saw Sophie and Tristan, her smile widened. ¡°Sophie, I¡¯m so nervous! I really love my new album, and I wonder if my fans will like it too.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t need to worry. As long as it¡¯s good, the fans will like it.¡± Furthermore, the album received a great deal of attention and investment from TS Entertainment. Therefore, there would be no issues in terms of quality. ¡°You¡¯re right.¡± When it was time, the manager came over to bring Ysabelle to the site. ¡°Ms. Sophie, we¡¯re definitely going to seed this time,¡± the manager said, confident about the album. ¡°I know. Best of luck!¡± TS Entertainment had be one of the most popr entertainment agencies, and plenty of artistes expressed an interest to join it. ¡°Mhm. Don¡¯t worry, Ms. Sophie. We¡¯ll do our best and not let you down.¡± The employees of TS Entertainment loved theirpany, for working there meant that they did not need to worry about the complicated matters that often urred in the entertainment industry. Exclusive ? material by N?(/v)elDrama.Org. All they needed to do was focus on their jobs, and TS Entertainment would handle the rest. They did not need to attend social drinking sessions and dinners, and nor did they need to butter people up for the sake of their careers. Thepany was basically a refuge in the storm called showbiz. Felix went out as well. The press conference site was teeming with people from various backgrounds, and he was worried that something bad might happen. In most situations like this, Felix would usually stick by Ysabelle¡¯s side. Taking in Felix¡¯s protective manner, Sophiemented, ¡°They¡¯re a good match.¡± Ysabelle¡¯s worries are for nothing, really. The love Felix has for her is genuine, and everything he does is for her. ¡°Yes. Felix¡¯s my best friend, and I know what kind of person he is. He really does love Ysabelle.¡± That was why Tristan had never opposed their rtionship. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you help Felix out when your father was chastising him, then?¡± ¡°That¡¯s his issue. If he can¡¯t even handle that properly, how is he going to be with Ysabelle?¡± Ysabelle was a singer, and there were many things she needed to face in her line of work. As the man behind her, Felix had to be a good support for her. ¡°Come on, let¡¯s go to the front,¡± Tristan said before grabbing her hand and walking out of the room. The two of them then took their seats in the front row. There were many reporters who attended the conference. After all, the media¡¯s attention would always be caught as long as it was a TS Entertainment artiste who was holding a press conference. TS Entertainment, despite being established only a little over a year ago, was already thriving. Regardless of whether it was The Wheelers, Cecelia, or Ysabelle, who had recently risen to fame, were all popr. The press conference was packed with many of Ysabelle¡¯s die-hard fans. Everything went smoothly at the start. Furthermore, the moment the press conference began, Ysabelle¡¯s title track was premiered on various music tforms as well. Sophie checked those tforms and noticed that Ysabelle¡¯s song was gaining traction the second it was released. Furthermore, the media was enamored with Ysabelle¡¯s character, so everything seemed to be going well. When it was time for the fan meeting, one of the fans abruptly hugged Ysabelle, rendering her stupefied. ¡°Ysabelle, I don¡¯t know if you know this, but I¡¯ve been in love with you since you debuted. I¡¯m obsessed with you. Can you be my girlfriend?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but can you let me go? You¡¯re hurting me!¡± Ysabelle was frightened out of her mind, for she had never encountered something like this before. Worse still, the crazy fan even tried to kiss her. ¡°Ah!¡± Ysabelle screamed. In the next second, Felix darted over to grab the towering man and shove him away. Then, he kicked the man¡¯s stomach. I can¡¯t believe he did that to my woman! Does he have a death wish? The sudden urrence shocked everyone present, and once the reporters came back to their senses, they started rapidly taking photos of the scene. Meanwhile, Felix lifted the man off the floor and started beating him up. Sophie and Tristan quickly went to the front. Sophie held Ysabelle, and Ysabelle, who was trembling with fear, hugged Sophie in return. Sophie patted her back and consoled her, ¡°It¡¯s okay. You¡¯re okay now.¡± ¡°Okay¡­¡± Ysabelle only calmed down after hearing Sophie¡¯s voice. When she realized Felix was still hitting the other man, she hastily grabbed his hand. ¡°Felix, don¡¯t do this. I¡¯m fine,¡± Ysabelle told him, fearing that something worse might happen if Felix were to continue. Furthermore, there were reporters around. The consequences would be unimaginable if things escted. Felix only calmed down when Ysabelle held his hand. In the next second, he pulled her into his arms. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for failing to protect you.¡± He had been right by her side, but he still failed to keep her safe. ¡°Don¡¯t say that, Felix. This has nothing to do with you. No one knew he was going to do that to me.¡± At that point, Ysabelle could not be bothered about how the reporters might take photos of her being in Felix¡¯s arms. She was just a singer. There was nothing she could do even if the reveal of her love life affected her music career. ¡°Felix, take her inside first. I¡¯m going to handle the situation,¡± Sophie said. The scene was chaotic, and all of Ysabelle¡¯s fans were watching the drama unfold. ¡°Okay.¡± Ignoring everyone around him, Felix carried Ysabelle into his arms and began walking backstage. The manager, who was shaken, quickly followed him in. ¡°Do you know who I am? How dare you hit me? Believe it or not, I¡¯m going to make your life a living hell!¡± the man on the ground screamed hysterically. ¡°Is that so? Who are you then?¡± The look in Sophie¡¯s eyes was a cial one. Ysabelle had always been the beloved princess they all doted on, and Sophie couldn¡¯t tolerate the fact that the man had done such a revolting thing to her. ¡°I¡¯m¡ª¡± Right then, a few fans, who had finally snapped back to their senses, started beating the man up. ¡°D*mn you! Who cares who you are? How dare you do such a thing to our dear Ysabelle?¡± The tall man was attacked by several fans at once, so he could not fight back in retaliation. The only thing he could do was cover his head with his hands. The reporters continued to snap photos of the scene. As the press conference was broadcasted live on the inte, Sophie asked the security to stop the agitated fans, not wanting the incident to ruin Ysabelle¡¯s reputation. ¡°Ladies and gentlemen, I¡¯m sure none of us expected something like this to happen. As Ms. Lombard has been frightened by the incident, we will be ending the press conference earlier than expected,¡± Sophie said through the microphone. ¡°Also, the photos you have taken today have to be reviewed by TS Entertainment before you can release them to the public.¡± ¡°Ms. Tanner, how can you do this to us? We¡¯re the ones who took the photos, so we have the right to release them. What right do you have to assert control over us in this way?¡± Chapter 866 Chapter 866 ¡°That¡¯s right! You were the one who invited us to this press conference. Naturally, we have the right to report what happened here today!¡± ¡°Hear, hear! You can¡¯t be so aggressive just because TS Entertainment is doing well now!¡± Sophie narrowed her eyes. ¡°Is that so? Why don¡¯t you guys give it a try, then? Let¡¯s find out whether or not TS Entertainment can assert control over this situation.¡± With that said, Sophie made a call to TS Entertainment¡¯s public rtions team. Once she handed the matter over to the professionals, the fan who assaulted Ysabelle was soon brought away by the police. It was only after that did Sophie and Tristan head backstage to check on Ysabelle. When they saw her, Ysabelle was drinking water from a ss. Her previous pallor had been reced by her usual rosy cheeks, and Felix was still right beside her. ¡°Sophie, I¡¯m sorry. I didn¡¯t expect things to turn out this way.¡± As the press conference had been broadcasted live, everyone on the inte was talking about what just happened. Some were even making guesses about Ysabelle¡¯s rtionship with Felix because of Felix¡¯s aggressive response earlier. Only a fool would think that there was nothing between the two of them. Sophie went over to pat her on the cheek. ¡°You don¡¯t need to worry about this. You¡¯ve done well. Leave the rest to your coworkers, okay?¡± Moreover, she¡¯s a victim in this incident. ¡°How can I possibly rest now? My album is getting released today, but this happened¡­¡± ¡°Ysabelle, do you not trust me?¡± Sophie was confident in her ability to handle the issue. ¡°Ysabelle, let¡¯s go back first. Sophie can handle this well. You just need to have trust in her.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Ysabelle was in great difort after getting hugged by a stranger. As if that wasn¡¯t bad enough, the man tried to fondle her as well. Hence, she was quiet on her way back. At that, Felix sighed. When Ysabelle¡¯s phone rang, she nced at the screen and realized it was from her grandfather. She picked up the call. ¡°I¡¯m fine, Grandpa. I¡¯m with Felix right now. I¡¯ll being back soon.¡± Despite everything that happened, Ysabelle still did not want her family to worry about her. When Felix finally stopped the car, he turned to look at her. ¡°Ysabelle, are you sure you¡¯re fine?¡± Felix asked. He had seen her trembling on the stage earlier. Ysabelle forced a smile. Many of her fans were guys, but she did not think much about it because she had never encountered an incident like this. However, after what happened earlier, she was genuinely afraid. ¡°Felix, what do I do? I¡ª¡± Felix got down from the car and carried her out to get some fresh air by the side of the road for a while. ¡°Don¡¯t think of anything. Just know that I¡¯m always by your side and that I won¡¯t let anyone touch you anymore,¡± he reassured, pulling her into his arms. ¡°He even tried to touch me!¡± Ysabelle cried out, aggrieved. She loved singing, and she wanted to be a good singer. She could not wrap around her head why those crazy fans would do that to her. It was not as if she had ever worn any revealing clothes. ¡°I know. You¡¯re okay now. I¡¯ll never let him off the hook,¡± Felix assured. That man was a grown-up, so he has to pay the price for his actions. I¡¯ll definitely make him pay. ¡°Then kiss me,¡± Ysabelle uttered, moved by how sweet Felix was to her. Felix obliged and leaned down to kiss her. ¡°Let¡¯s go back now. Grandpa¡¯s waiting for me at home. He must be worried,¡± she said, certain that her grandfather had been watching the press conference live as well. ¡°Of course. I¡¯ll send you back.¡± Felix then lifted her into his arms again before walking over to the car. With one hand holding her, he opened the door with the other. After gently putting her down on the front passenger seat, he buckled her seatbelt for her. Frankly, Felix hoped that she would leave the entertainment industry after that incident. However, it was not the right time for him to talk about that with her. What he needed to do at that moment was to calm her down first. He drove her to the Lombard residence, but when they arrived, Ysabelle remained in the car instead of getting out right away. She knew that the earlier incident had given everyone a scare. Thus, she retrieved her lipstick and dabbed it on her lips. Afterward, she patted her cheeks to improve her paleplexion. ¡°What are you doing?¡± Felix asked, heartbroken at the sight of Ysabelle trying to make herself seem fine so that her loved ones wouldn¡¯t worry. ¡°I don¡¯t want Grandpa to worry. He¡¯s old, and I think he saw the live broadcast,¡± she told Felix. Everyone said she was a wilful child, but she was trying her best to be a sensible and considerate person. Felix was sad to see her acting in this way. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for failing to protect you.¡± He was right next to her, but he still didn¡¯t react in time and allowed that disgusting man to hug her. ¡°Felix, don¡¯t say that. I know you¡¯ve done your best,¡± Ysabelle said, not wanting him to keep ming himself for the matter. Furthermore, it was never his fault to begin with. ¡°All right, let¡¯s head in first.¡± Felix then came out of the car and walked over to the other side to open the door for her. The second she stepped out of the car, the miserable look she had earlier was gone, giving way to a bright smile. Ysabelle was so sweet and thoughtful that it sometimes broke the hearts of people who loved her. She was the precious princess of the Lombard family, and she could have been more prideful and spoiled. Yet, she was always putting herself into other people¡¯s shoes. C0ntent ? 2024 (N/?)velDrama.Org. Felix put his arm around her waist. ¡°Hey, what are you doing? You know my grandpa doesn¡¯t like you. He¡¯s going to chide you again when he sees you doing this!¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine. No matter what happens from now on, I¡¯ll be by your side. You should know that I¡¯m never afraid of anything.¡± He had been working for Tristan for a long time, and he had his own principles and morals. Furthermore, what was the point of living if he could not even protect his girlfriend? Thus, Felix went in with his arm around Ysabelle¡¯s waist. Surprisingly, William did not say anything when he saw them. Sure enough, he had seen the press conference, so he knew what Ysabelle just went through. That was why the only thing he felt when he saw Ysabelle was heartache. ¡°Belle, you¡¯ll be fine. I¡¯ll protect you. I¡¯m going to teach that idiot a lesson for you,¡± William reassured her. He could not believe that man had the audacity to do such a horrible thing to his granddaughter. He must have a death wish! Meanwhile, Ysabelle chuckled when she heard her grandfather¡¯s words. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Grandpa. I¡¯m really fine. See, I look fine, right? Felix and Uncle Tristan were there, so he didn¡¯t get to do anything to me.¡± William¡¯s heart only ached even more when he heard that. ¡°The entertainment industry is murky waters. Why don¡¯t you just be our happy little princess? Things are tooplicated in the entertainment industry,¡± William suggested, thinking that the entertainment industry was not at all a suitable ce for Ysabelle. ¡°Let¡¯s not talk about this first. What she needs first is rest,¡± Felix intervened. He knew how much Ysabelle loved singing. Although he also felt that the entertainment industry was not suitable for a girl like Ysabelle, it was not the right time for them to discuss that. William waved his hand dismissively. ¡°Okay. Take her upstairs to rest first then.¡± Chapter 867 Chapter 867 Felix brought Ysabelle upstairs, and she suddenly turned around to hug him. ¡°Where are you going? Would you stay here and keep mepany?¡± She didn¡¯t want to be alone. ¡°Sure. I¡¯ll stay and be with you today. Would you like to take a shower first? I¡¯ll wait for you outside,¡± Felix said. She¡¯ll feel better and rxed after a shower. ¡°Okay.¡± Ysabelle went to shower. Lincoln rushed home when he found out what had happened. The moment he arrived, he saw William sitting in the living room, seemingly deep in thought. ¡°Dad, is Ysabelle back?¡± Lincoln asked. ¡°Yes. She¡¯s back.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll go upstairs to check on her,¡± Lincoln answered. She has been pampered since she was little. I bet she¡¯s spooked by what happened! ¡°Felix is with her.¡± Although William didn¡¯t really like Felix before this, he knew Ysabelle would feel better with Felix around. ¡°Oh, I see,¡± Lincoln responded. Felix is a bit too old for Ysabelle, but I don¡¯t mind his age if they¡¯re both into each other. ¡°Why are you back?¡± William asked Lincoln. ¡°Dad, how could I note back when something like that happened to my daughter?¡± Lincoln questioned. She¡¯s my precious daughter! ¡°Well, I thought you only care about your work!¡± William mocked. None of this would have happened if Lincoln hadn¡¯t been so invested in his career. Lincoln knew his father was unreasonably putting the me on him, but he had to endure it out of respect for his father. A whileter, Sarah also arrived. She wanted to be there earlier, but she was caught up with work. As soon as she entered the house, she saw Lincoln and William sitting on the couch in the living room. Needless to say, both men looked grumpy. Upon heaving a helpless sigh, she walked up to them. ¡°What¡¯s the matter with the both of you? Did you guys have a fight?¡± she asked. No matter what happened, we should juste up with a solution. What¡¯s the point of ming each other? ¡°No. Who would dare to argue with him? He¡¯s an influential government official!¡± William uttered sarcastically. ¡°Dad, I know I¡¯ve neglected my family because I¡¯ve been busy at work, but there¡¯s really nothing I can do about it!¡± Lincoln exined. That¡¯s just how my job is. ¡°Dad, Lincoln didn¡¯t wish for this to happen. Even if he was there, what happened would still happen,¡± Sarah uttered. In fact, there was nothing anyone could do to change the oue of the situation. No one saw iting. ¡°Hmph! That¡¯s enough. It¡¯s frustrating talking to you guys,¡± William grumbled. They¡¯re all just a bunch of troublemakers who make me worry every day. William rose to his feet and went upstairs. He wanted to check on Ysabelle, but he quickly remembered Felix was still there. Hence, he changed his mind. After Ysabelle was done showering and changing, Felix served her a ss of milk. ¡°Here. Drink this. It¡¯ll help you sleep,¡± he said. ¡°Felix, do you find me dramatic? What happened wasn¡¯t that big of a deal, was it? Yet, I made so many people worry about me,¡± she said. Felix¡¯s heart ached when he heard her say that. ¡°That¡¯s not true. You¡¯re the best girl on earth, Ysabelle. Everyone just cares about you, that¡¯s all. I¡¯ll never let anything happen to you ever again.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Ysabelle finished the milk and got into bed. However, she had trouble falling asleep. N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner. ¡°Felix, where¡¯s my phone?¡± she asked. I wonder what would happen to my album after everything that unfolded during the press conference! Everyone worked so hard for my album, and I was very confident it would do well. I didn¡¯t expect such a thing to happen in the end. Felix was rendered speechless. Why is she still thinking about her album? ¡°Ysabelle, you need to rest now. Don¡¯t worry about anything else. Sophie will settle everything for you,¡± he urged. If Sophie can¡¯t even deal with such a minor issue, she shouldn¡¯t be operating an agency. Upon hearing that, Ysabelle blinked and stared at Felix. ¡°Felix, are you mad at me? Your tone was so fierce.¡± In response, Felix took a deep breath. Okay. I shouldn¡¯t behave like this. Otherwise, I¡¯ll make Ysabelle feel worse. ¡°No. I¡¯m not mad at you. I just want you to take good care of yourself and not think about anything else.¡± Ysabelle nodded in response. I know, but I can¡¯t control my emotions, can I? A lot of people invested their time and effort in my album. Words eluded Felix, and he simply nestled into the nket and wrapped his arms around her. ¡°All right. Shut your eyes and calm your mind. You need to sleep,¡± he demanded. Ysabelle had never seen Felix behave so authoritatively before. Normally, she would throw a tantrum if someone spoke to her in such a tone. At that moment, however, she obediently shut her eyes. To her surprise, she fell asleep in his arms shortly after. Felix couldn¡¯t help heaving a sigh when he saw her sleeping peacefully. I did everything I can before the press conference to prevent such things from happening, so I didn¡¯t expect the incident to happen under my watch. I¡¯ve heard about those crazy fans, but it¡¯s so infuriating knowing that such a thing happened to my own girlfriend. Meanwhile, the public rtions team of TS Entertainment had been busy managing the crisis. Since the press conference was broadcasted live, someone had already recorded the incident and published it on video streaming tforms. Someizens imed that TS Entertainment staged the incident to boost publicity, while some spected about the rtionship between Ysabelle and the man who beat the other man up. Obviously, TS Entertainment¡¯s public rtions team was more than capable of dealing with such matters. Hence, those discussions were shut down fairly quickly. At the same time, the sales of Ysabelle¡¯s album weren¡¯t affected in any way. Since it was a matter concerning Ysabelle, Sophie remained at TS Entertainment to supervise the management personally. Obviously, Sophie didn¡¯t want the incident to affect an innocent girl like Ysabelle. Ysabelle is a celebrity under TS Entertainment, so I have the responsibility to protect her. Tristan had full confidence in Sophie¡¯s ability, and sure enough, the incident was wrapped up within a few hours. Once she was done with her work, Tristan poured her a ss of water and massaged her shoulders. ¡°All right. You¡¯ve worked so hard. Have some water.¡± In response, Sophie leaned on him and said, ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± Realizing that Tristan had been keeping herpany the entire time, she urged, ¡°You should head back to check on Ysabelle.¡± ¡°It¡¯s actually not that big of a deal. Since she wants to make a name for herself in the entertainment industry, she must have the required psychological endurance. Everyone around her is merely overreacting,¡± Tristan said. In fact, what had happened was considered part and parcel of the entertainment industry. ¡°True.¡± Sophie knew he was merely spitting facts. The entertainment industry isplicated, and it¡¯s difficult for one to gain a foothold in it. One must have a strong mentality to avoid suffering from depression. Chapter 868 Chapter 868 Sophie took a rest after she was done with her work at TS Entertainment. By then, Ysabelle¡¯s album was ranked first in several music streaming applications. Well, one has to admit Ysabelle¡¯s album is nothing short of a hit! No matter what others say, excellent songs speak for themselves, so nothing can stop the album from getting the recognition it deserves. This album is going to propel Ysabelle to greater heights and make her a superstar! ¡°Let¡¯s go! You haven¡¯t eaten anything, right?¡± Tristan asked. Ever since the press conference, she hasn¡¯t had a proper rest. ¡°Yeah, let¡¯s go. We should check on Ysabelle and have dinner at the Lombard residence.¡± Sophie hadn¡¯t seen Ysabelle since the incident unfolded. ¡°Sure!¡± The couple bumped into The Wheelers on their way out. Naturally, The Wheelers had also heard about the incident. ¡°Sophie, how is Ysabelle doing? Although what happened wasmon in this industry, she¡¯s still a young girl, so she must¡¯ve been shaken!¡± Mark asked in a worried tone. The members of The Wheelers were fond of Ysabelle. However, they couldn¡¯t go and visit Ysabelle because their schedule was packed. ¡°She was frightened, but she¡¯s doing fine. She¡¯s not as frail as others think!¡± Despite looking delicate and adorable, Ysabelle was actually a tough girl. ¡°Good to know. Should we go see her?¡± Sunny suggested. After all, we¡¯re free now. ¡°Not now, perhaps. Felix is with her now,¡± Sophie answered. ¡°All right, then! I actually want to see her very badly.¡± Sunny pouted, for he was quite fond of Ysabelle. ¡°She¡¯ll be back at TS Entertainment tomorrow. We should just let her get enough rest at home today,¡± Sophie said. If The Wheelers were to go over, Ysabelle wouldn¡¯t get to rest at all. Original from N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Okay!¡± Tristan wrapped his arm around Sophie¡¯s waist, and the couple walked toward the exit of the building together. Mark and the others seem very concerned about Ysabelle. With that in mind, Tristan uttered, ¡°Actually, they can visit Ysabelle if they want to. It¡¯s not a big deal.¡± ¡°Forget it. Ysabelle is now at the Lombard residence. Considering your dad¡¯s age, a crowd will only tire him out,¡± Sophie replied. There are already so many people in the house. By the time Tristan and Sophie arrived at the Lombard residence, the housekeepers were already done preparing dinner. However, Ysabelle was still in her room, and Felix remained by her side the whole time. ¡°Someone get them toe downstairs! It¡¯s been so long, and they¡¯re still cooped up inside the room. This is outrageous!¡± William uttered in displeasure. That brat¡¯s getting bolder by the day! How dare he stay in Ysabelle¡¯s room for such a long time? Does he not know it¡¯s inappropriate? ¡°I¡¯ll go get them!¡± Sarah got up from the couch. I can¡¯t believe these two youngsters. They¡¯re totally out of line! They know how irritated Dad can get. Why would they stay in the room for so long? The second Sarah arrived upstairs, Felix had already opened the door to the room. Apparently, William¡¯s voice was too loud to ignore, so he had no choice but to exit the room. Sarah arched a brow when she saw Felix. ¡°Felix, you¡¯ve always behaved decently. What¡¯s the matter with you today?¡± she asked. Although they¡¯re in a rtionship, they shouldn¡¯t behave so brazenly in the Lombard residence. ¡°Sarah, I¡¯m just worried about leaving Ysabelle alone, so I stayed in her room to be with her. Please don¡¯t overthink. I know what I¡¯m doing,¡± Felix answered. Even if I wanted to do anything with Ysabelle, I wouldn¡¯t do it here. ¡°What¡¯s the matter with you guys, Aunt Sarah?¡± Ysabelle grumbled. Felix didn¡¯t do anything else other than keep mepany. They¡¯re embarrassing us! ¡°All right. It¡¯s gettingte. Let¡¯s go down for dinner.¡± Sarah didn¡¯t want toment further. Despite being slightly older than them, she wasn¡¯t a conservative person. Still, Sarah added, ¡°I don¡¯t care what you guys were doing in the room, but please respect your grandpa. Okay?¡± Ysabelle was rendered speechless. What? We weren¡¯t even doing anything inappropriate! Felix saw how adorable Ysabelle looked when she pouted grumpily, so he pinched her cheek and said, ¡°It¡¯s okay. There¡¯s no need to argue, all right? No matter what happens, I¡¯ll face the consequences.¡± ¡°Okay!¡± Ysabelle responded. I don¡¯t care what everyone else says. I¡¯m into Felix, and that¡¯s a fact no one can change. Ysabelle saw Sophie and Tristan the moment she arrived downstairs, and she immediately dashed toward Sophie to sit next to her. ¡°Sophie, how¡¯s my new album doing? Did the sales get affected?¡± Ysabelle asked. I¡¯ve been asleep all this while, and I haven¡¯t even had the time to deal with it! ¡°What¡¯s there to worry about with me handling the issue? Don¡¯t worry. Here! Have a look yourself.¡± Sophie handed her phone to Ysabelle. Ysabelle felt relieved right away when she saw the rankings on several major music charts. ¡°I love you so much, Sophie! I knew it! You can do anything!¡± Ysabelle eximed. I thought my album would be ruined! Who would¡¯ve thought the situation would turn out much better than I had expected? ¡°I told you, didn¡¯t I? As long as I¡¯m around, all your problems will be solved,¡± Sophie replied confidently. Those words rendered Felix speechless. Why do I feel so ipetent when Sophie is around? She¡¯s taking over my role! ¡°I love you, Sophie! You¡¯re the best!¡± Ysabelle was over the moon. At that instant, all her troubles seemed to have vanished. ¡°That¡¯s enough. Let¡¯s eat! It¡¯s already sote. Aren¡¯t you guys hungry at all?¡± William huffed. Hearing that, Ysabelle said in a cute tone, ¡°I know you were also worried about me, Grandpa! Don¡¯t worry, everyone! I¡¯m all right.¡± As a matter of fact, Ysabelle knew that it wasn¡¯t a big deal and that she was merely shaken up. ¡°Good.¡± William didn¡¯tment further. All that matters is her happiness. After all, she¡¯s the precious little princess of the Lombard family. After dinner, Ysabelle kept staring at her phone to look at the ranking she got. ¡°I have a question for you, Sophie. The ranking I got is legit, right? Did you pay the music charts to make this happen?¡± Sophie was caught off guard by that question. ¡°Ysabelle, you¡¯ve always been confident in your album, no? The recognition you got shouldn¡¯t be that surprising.¡± Ysabelle felt embarrassed. ¡°I know, and I have full confidence in my album. However, I didn¡¯t expect it to do so well.¡± That was why Ysabelle was skeptical. Ysabelle then hugged Sophie and said, ¡°What would I do without you, Sophie?¡± I couldn¡¯t have gotten to where I am today without Sophie. ¡°Even without me, you would still be sessful,¡± Sophie responded. I merely provided Ysabelle with the opportunity, and the rest is up to her. If she weren¡¯t capable, no amount of money could buy her sess. ¡°Well, nothing can change the love I have for you!¡± Ysabelle was love-struck. Felix saw how she acted, and he wasn¡¯t pleased. Chapter 869 Chapter 869 ¡°What are you looking at?¡± Ysabelle asked unhappily. ¡°To me, Sophie is the best in the world, and no one can ever be as good as she is.¡± Not even Felix canpare to her! ¡°I know you love her with all your heart, and what you guys have is nothing but true love. I know where I stand,¡± Felix replied. What can I do when the woman I love is in love with another woman? I have never expected my love rival to be a woman. ¡°You can¡¯t treat Felix that way, Ysabelle. He had been keeping youpany ever since the incident,¡± Sophie advised. Ysabelle nodded in response. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Sophie. I know what you mean!¡± Ysabelle knew how much Felix cared about her. I¡¯ll never find another man like him! I¡¯m so grateful to have found him. ¡°By the way, what are we going to do about that man? Regardless of what he did, he¡¯s still a fan of mine. He was simply not in his right mind,¡± Ysabelle uttered. Although I¡¯m not happy with what happened, he¡¯s still my fan. I don¡¯t think we should be too hard on him. Upon hearing that, Sophie raised her brows. ¡°I¡¯m not in charge of dealing with that, so you¡¯ll have to ask Felix!¡± she answered. Since that man had the guts to do such a thing to Ysabelle, Felix would definitely go after him. ¡°In truth, I don¡¯t even have the courage to talk to him about this. What should we do?¡± Ysabelle asked. ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry about that. Felix will deal with it. He knows what to do, so just leave everything to him,¡± Sophie answered. That man was out of his mind, and he should be taught a lesson. Nothing can justify the actions of harming another person. That¡¯s totally uneptable. ¡°All right, then!¡± Ysabelle uttered. To be honest, it¡¯s a small matter, and I¡¯m fine. ¡°Sophie, don¡¯t you think I¡¯m a useless person?¡± Ysabelle queried. If I didn¡¯t overreact, everyone wouldn¡¯t get so worked up. ¡°You did well, Ysabelle. Don¡¯t me yourself when you haven¡¯t done anything wrong,¡± Sophie stated. That fan was out of line, and he should pay for the consequences. ¡°Mhm.¡± Ysabelle¡¯s mood improved after she had a chat with Sophie. ¡°Frankly, I think I should¡¯ve done better. If I were as capable as you, none of this would¡¯ve happened,¡± Ysabelle uttered. If I could fight as well as Sophie, I could¡¯ve sent that man flying with a kick when he hugged me. I could then prevent things from getting out of control. ¡°It¡¯s not your fault you can¡¯t fight. Not everyone can fight as well as I can. Moreover, you have us. We can protect you, so you don¡¯t have to worry about anything.¡± Sophie knew Ysabelle had no talent for fighting. Meanwhile, Felix and Tristan were drinking together. Sean couldn¡¯t make it because he had to deal with a challenging case. ¡°What are you nning to do to that man?¡± Tristan asked. I¡¯m not going to get involved because Felix is now responsible for protecting Ysabelle. C0ntent ? 2024 (N/?)velDrama.Org. ¡°He¡¯ll be taught a lesson, of course! Otherwise, how would he know he had messed with the wrong people?¡± Felix stated. Even I would think twice before touching Ysabelle. How could I forgive that disgusting man for his actions? ¡°Okay. I¡¯ll leave the matter to you.¡± Tristan didn¡¯t think he needed to intervene now that Felix was around. ¡°I¡¯ve never opposed your rtionship with Ysabelle. As for my dad, you shouldn¡¯t take his temper to heart. That¡¯s just how he is. As long as both of you are happy, I don¡¯t think he¡¯ll make your life difficult,¡± Tristan assured. What matters the most is their happiness. They can disregard the rest. Hearing that, Felix raised his ss and said, ¡°Mr. Tristan, I know you¡¯ll always have my back! You¡¯re my best buddy.¡± ¡°Buddy? I¡¯m going to be your uncle in the future, right?¡± Tristan teased. Maybe he should start addressing me as his uncle! Felix was at a loss for words. I knew this day woulde, but I didn¡¯t expect it toe so soon! ¡°What¡¯s the matter? Do you not want that? It¡¯s all right. That¡¯s a dream for a lot of men out there,¡± Tristan uttered smugly. Needless to say, Tristan was right. ¡°Do we need to be so formal with each other, Mr. Tristan?¡± Felix asked. We¡¯ve been friends for so many years! Does that not count for something? ¡°Ha! It seems like you¡¯re not that into Ysabelle, after all. In that case, forget about it! Ysabelle has plenty of suitors. She doesn¡¯t need you to makepromises for her sake!¡± Tristan replied. Felix was rendered speechless once again. What? How can he say I¡¯m not into Ysabelle? I love her more than anything in the world! When Sophie and Tristan were on their way home, she couldn¡¯t help butugh when she recalled the troubled expression Felix had on his face. ¡°Why did you do that? Why did you have to bully Felix?¡± Sophie asked. I think Felix has been nice enough to Ysabelle. ¡°Did I bully him? I¡¯ve been on his side since the beginning!¡± Tristan responded. I¡¯ve been supporting Felix when Dad has been against it. What more can I do? ¡°True,¡± Sophie said. At least we¡¯ve already taken care of the incident that happened today. However, it seems like the incident is still bothering Old Mr. Lombard. Back then, Ysabelle only joined the entertainment industry because of me. It¡¯s only natural for Old Mr. Lombard to feel angry now that something like that had happened. Dad loves Ysabelle too much. Tristan seemed to know what was on Sophie¡¯s mind, so heforted her by saying, ¡°That¡¯s just how my dad is. Don¡¯t take it to heart, okay?¡± ¡°I know. Don¡¯t worry. I won¡¯t take offense at him,¡± Sophie assured. ¡°Also, try not to mention he¡¯s old to his face. He likes to think that he¡¯s still a young man,¡± Tristan advised. Who would¡¯ve thought that an old man like him would still care about such a thing? ¡°Understood,¡± Sophie answered. To be honest, I also want Old Mr. Lombard to be happy. ¡°Are you tired?¡± Tristan asked because Sophie didn¡¯t take a nap because she had to deal with what happened today. ¡°Not really.¡± ¡°Get some shut-eye. I¡¯ll wake you up when we arrive.¡± ¡°No. I want to chat with you,¡± Sophie refused. He didn¡¯t get enough rest either. I should talk to him so he wouldn¡¯t feel sleepy behind the wheel. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Just get some sleep, okay? Or do you not trust my driving skills?¡± ¡°Why would I not? I trust whatever you do,¡± Sophie stated. If I didn¡¯t, why would I let him take care of me? Perhaps Sophie was really exhausted from dealing with things over the past few days because, in the end, she fell asleep in the car. Upon arriving at the mansion, Tristan exited the car and gave the car key to Micah before going to the passenger seat to carry Sophie out of the car. The moment he touched Sophie, however, she woke up. ¡°Are we home already?¡± she asked. I didn¡¯t know I would fall asleep! ¡°Yes. We¡¯re home, but it¡¯s okay. You can continue sleeping.¡± Tristan carried her with ease and brought her to their room. Chapter 870 Chapter 870 Tristan ced her on the bed and tucked her in. ¡°I haven¡¯t taken my bath!¡± Sophie was still in a sleepy daze, but she was used to bathing before going to bed. She had mild mysophobia, so she couldn¡¯t tolerate going to sleep before cleaning herself up. ¡°Do you want me to bathe you?¡± Tristan¡¯s eyes were burning with desire. I don¡¯t mind bathing her. Sophie swept a nce at him in response. This man has naughty thoughts in his mind, doesn¡¯t he? Yet, he looks so attractive. ¡°Sure! You can bathe me,¡± she answered. Let¡¯s just hope he wouldn¡¯t feel aroused and be ufortable afterward. ¡°Really?¡± Sophie nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll go get the bath ready!¡± Tristan eximed. Throughout their rtionship, all they had ever done was kiss and fool around with each other. They hadn¡¯t done anything more intimate than that. Obviously, that was what Tristan wanted because he was adamant about only having sex after getting married. That was his way of protecting her. Tristan ran the bath with warm water and added essential oils into the tub. When he came out of the bathroom, he saw that Sophie was stillzing on the bed. ¡°Are you sure you want me to bathe you?¡± Tristan asked again. In response, Sophie spread her arms open. Tristan knew what she wanted right away, so he carried her into his arms. She¡¯s always an independent girl, and she¡¯s only clingy when she¡¯s sleepy, but I¡¯m in love with this side of her. After all, she¡¯s only behaving this way with me. Besides, I¡¯m more than willing to do whatever she wants me to do. Tristan carried Sophie into the bathroom and helped her put on a pair of slippers to prevent her from slipping. Sophie quietly allowed Tristan to attend to her needs and look after her. After putting on the slippers for her, Tristan started undressing her. The second he took off her jacket, sheughed and said, ¡°Let¡¯s just forget about it. I don¡¯t want you to get aroused and suffer afterward! I feel bad for you.¡± Since Sophie was well-versed in medicine, she knew just how ufortable it was for men when their sexual urges weren¡¯t relieved and how intense their thirst for a woman¡¯s body could get. Tristan wrapped his arms around her and said, ¡°You¡¯re truly an enthralling vixen! You have no idea how hard it has been to suppress my urge.¡± Having done that for such a long time, he knew his past efforts would be in vain if he were to sumb to his urges. ¡°No one told you to do so! I don¡¯t really mind.¡± Sophie didn¡¯t mind having premarital sex. ¡°But I do. I want you to have an unforgettable wedding. Obviously, that includes our first night together as a married couple.¡± Upon hearing that, Sophie leaned on his shoulder. Original from N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Well, sure!¡± she said. I¡¯m so blessed to have found a man who cares about me with all his heart. In this day and age, I doubt there¡¯s anyone like him. ¡°Enjoy your bath! I know you¡¯re exhausted. Get some sleep after your bath, okay? I¡¯ll bathe you after we get married.¡± Sophie was at a loss for words. Is that why he¡¯s in such a hurry to marry me? Does he want to bathe me so badly? Sophie was blushing even after Tristan had left the bathroom. Why am I blushing when he didn¡¯t even do anything? Tristan was a charming and attractive man, so Sophie had sexual desires as well. However, since Tristan had already told her he would wait until after the wedding, she was too embarrassed to initiate sex. Sophie exited the bathroom after bathing and saw Tristan walking up to her with a ss of hot milk. ¡°Drink this before you sleep.¡± Tristan noticed how much weight she had lost when he hugged her just now. I¡¯m worried that her health might not allow her to withstand what we¡¯re going to do after we get married. From now on, I must make sure she stays healthy. Sophie took the ss of milk. It was still hot, so she only drank a few mouthfuls. When Tristan saw the corners of her lips that were stained with milk, his gaze dimmed immediately. There and then, he was aroused. Sophie saw the look in his eyes, and her heart skipped a beat. Needless to say, she knew what was on his mind. In the next second, Tristan wrapped his arms around her waist and licked the milk stains off of the corner of her mouth. Despite having taken a few sips of milk just moments ago, Sophie felt her throat drying up at that instant. This feeling¡­ ¡°Oh, Mr. Tristan¡­¡± she murmured. Since he was hugging her tightly, she could feel his engorged private part pressing against her tummy. ¡°I want to devour you so badly!¡± Tristan uttered. She¡¯s driving me crazy! If only I could¡­ Argh! Forget about it! ¡°Sleep early. I¡¯m going back to my room,¡± he suddenly said. I need to calm myself down. ¡°Okay. Go on!¡± Sophie nodded. What else can I say? I shouldn¡¯t make it harder for him. Tristan took the ss from her and emptied it before leaving the room. Sophie then went to bed with her cheeks flushed. He¡¯s so captivating! What should I do? I can¡¯t wait to marry him and sleep with him! The next morning, they had coffee and hash browns for breakfast at the dining table. Sophie didn¡¯t like bread, so Tristan would prepare whatever food she liked for her. After breakfast, Tristan sent Sophie to the University of Medicine for her assessment. Sophie got out of the car when they arrived at the University of Medicine, and Tristan couldn¡¯t help suggesting, ¡°Maybe I should just stay here to keep youpany.¡± ¡°That won¡¯t be necessary. You have things to attend to, no? It¡¯s just a simple assessment. I can manage,¡± Sophie answered. There¡¯s absolutely nothing to worry about. I¡¯m only taking the assessment because those professors are concerned. ¡°Okay, then.¡± ¡°Go on! Don¡¯t you have a lot of matters to handle at Lombard Group?¡± Lombard Group was a major corporation, so naturally, there were a lot of issues to iron out. ¡°But I don¡¯t want to part with you, not even for a minute,¡± Tristan uttered half-jokingly. ¡°Oh? Then what should we do?¡± ¡°Kiss me. I¡¯ll leave after you kiss me!¡± Tristan answered. I¡¯m not asking for too much, right? Sophie scanned her surroundings, and the ce was teeming with students of the University of Medicine. In fact, some of them were looking at them curiously. Right then, a gust of wind blew past and messed up Sophie¡¯s long hair. She then quickly tidied her hair up, bent forward, and kissed the corners of Tristan¡¯s lips. Just as she was about to straighten her body, he suddenly cradled the back of her head and deepened the kiss. ¡°Wow! Isn¡¯t that Sophie?¡± ¡°Who¡¯s that man? Is he her boyfriend? He looks so dashing from the side!¡± ¡°What the f*ck? This is so unfair! Not only is she pretty, but her boyfriend is also dashing!¡± Chapter 871 Chapter 871 ¡°I was just thinking how good their children would look if they ever had one!¡± Given how exceptional Sophie and Tristan were, it was not surprising that onlookers began talking about how beautiful and bright their children would turn out, especially when Sophie herself was so intelligent. The spectators were certain the couple¡¯s future children would be a heartthrob. ¡°All right. That¡¯s enough. I should stop looking at them before I start wallowing in self-pity.¡± ¡°This is crazy! They¡¯ve been kissing for a solid five minutes!¡± ¡°I know. Sophie is so lucky. She¡¯s both a medical genius and a good kisser!¡± Meanwhile, Tristan finally pulled away from her. When he noticed that her long hair was all ruffled, he brushed it tidy and said, ¡°Go ahead.¡± Despite what he said, Tristan was reluctant to let Sophie go and would never have done so if he had a choice, but there was a multitude of things she needed to attend to. Besides, it would not be fair for Tristan to keep her all to himself since he knew how ambitious Sophie was. If he truly loved her, he should let her do what she enjoyed. In front of him, Sophie touched her lips after the kiss, feeling too embarrassed to look at anyone around. Dang it! Aware that all eyes were on them, Sophie stood where she was and covered her mouth in an attempt to hide her embarrassment. ¡°All right. You should get going.¡± ¡°Okay,¡± Tristan agreed and left in his car reluctantly. It just so happened that Sandra and Simon had just arrived at school after Tristan left, and the two ran over to Sophie. ¡°Sophie! I suppose you¡¯re all prepared for today¡¯s assessment,¡± they said. Since it was a highly- anticipated day for all the students at the University of Medicine, they figured Sophie would be stressed out. ¡°Actually, I didn¡¯t do much to prepare for it,¡± Sophie answered. Her words reminded Sandra that, indeed, there was no need for someone like Sophie to prepare for an evaluation of that level. True that! It¡¯s Sophie Tanner we¡¯re talking about. This kind of exam is not enough to stress her out. ¡°By the way, what¡¯s wrong with your lips? You¡¯ve been covering your mouth all this while,¡± Simon commented when he realized something was amiss. ¡°Oh. It¡¯s nothing.¡± Sophie¡¯s cheeks turned red in a flush of heat, and she scolded Tristan in her heart. It¡¯s all his fault! I wouldn¡¯t end up in this situation if it weren¡¯t for him! ¡°Are you sure? Are you not feeling well?¡± Simon asked again, worried. ¡°Simon, as I said, I¡¯m okay. Anyway, I need to go over to the chancellor¡¯s office.¡± Previously, Dominic had asked to speak to Sophie about the evaluation. ¡°All right. All the best, Sophie. You can do this,¡± her friends said. Although they were no longer ssmates with Sophie after she skipped a grade, they still remained good friends who supported her regardless of her goals. After Sophie left to meet the chancellor, Simon and Sandra went back to their ssroom, where everyone was talking about Sophie. The duo was unfazed since Sophie was a popr girl at the university, not to mention the fact that the evaluation would happen on that very day. It was not until Simon logged on to the university¡¯s forum that he finally understood why Sophie was covering her mouth back then. When Sandra also learned about the news, she darted a knowing nce at Simon and asked, ¡°Are you okay, Simon?¡± She knew that Simon had always liked Sophie despite the fact that Sophie already had a boyfriend. C0ntent ? 2024 (N/?)velDrama.Org. The question dropped a weight on Simon¡¯s heart, but still, he forced a smile and replied, ¡°I¡¯m okay. How can I not be okay, Sandra? It¡¯s true that I like her, but I also know that she deserves the best. She¡¯s meant to be with someone as outstanding as her.¡± I¡¯m obviously not the best option. ¡°Simon, you¡¯re better than you think,¡± Sandra blurted. ¡°I know I still have a lot to work on, but it¡¯s fine. I¡¯ll work harder in the future.¡± I might be nothingpared to Tristan, but there¡¯s still a long way to go. I¡¯ll put my shoulder to the wheel and strive to improve myself. Sandra nodded at Simon¡¯s statement without saying another word, knowing full well there was no dissuading him since even she herself adored Sophie. Meanwhile, the chancellor spoke to Sophie after thetter arrived at his office. ¡°Sophie, I was thinking about making this evaluation an opportunity for all the students to learn, so we will conduct the assessment at the studio and live stream it for all the university students,¡± the chancellor proposed, thinking it would benefit other students to learn from Sophie. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Mr. Sawyer, but I don¡¯t think this is the best way to evaluate me.¡± Sophie had always kept a low profile. ¡°Sophie, the live stream won¡¯t affect the evaluation in any way. Besides, this can silence those people who doubt your ability. If everyone at the University of Medicine sees what you can do themselves, they will be fully convinced. I know you don¡¯t care what they say about you, but just take it as a request from me.¡± Since the chancellor had said so, Sophie put her personal preferences aside and agreed to the live stream. So, when the clock struck nine, Sophie went to the studio, where several professors were already seated, waiting tomence the written test. Is there a need to have that many invigtors when I¡¯m the only candidate? Since there was no ss that day, everyone at the university tuned in to the live stream via their laptops and phones. ¡°Why do I feel nervous watching this?¡± ¡°Me too! I don¡¯t understand why they need so many people to watch one single person taking the evaluation. We all know how difficult those professors can sometimes get,¡± another student comined. ¡°Come on. Why are you guys nervous? It¡¯s not like you two are the ones taking the assessment.¡± From their screens, they saw Sophie taking a seat and picking up a pencil before attempting the questions. The questions were not at all a challenge to her since they were about medical theories, which Sophie already knew thoroughly by heart. ¡°She looks so calm! I always panic during theoretical tests, but look at her. She¡¯s unfazed!¡± ¡°Well, for all you know, she might be faking it. She¡¯s still in freshman year. There¡¯s no way she has mastered all the things we learn in sophomore and junior year.¡± The truth was some of the professors had deliberately chosen tough questions for the evaluation since they did not want Sophie to skip a grade. Although those were just theoretical questions, they were so complicated and required a candidate to have a thorough understanding of human anatomy and rare illnesses. In fact, some of the professors were feeling smug about how difficult the questions were. ¡°Rest assured that she will not pass. Not even doctorate students can tackle those questions,¡± one of them stated. ¡°I think so, too. I don¡¯t even know the answers to some of the questions.¡± ¡°Actually, aren¡¯t we too despicable to be doing this to her?¡± ¡°Why? We¡¯re all doctors. We know we should always learn things one step at a time instead of taking shortcuts.¡± Chapter 872 Chapter 872 The live stream was recorded using a high-resolution camera, so when the cameraman zoomed in, everyone could see the questions on the paper clearly. One of the doctorate students, Conrad Cabrera, sucked a breath of cold air when he saw the exam paper. ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± his junior asked at the sight. ¡°Even I would have trouble answering those questions if I were doing the assessment. I¡¯m pretty sure the professors racked their brainsing up with those questions,¡± Conrad admitted, feeling somewhat defeated. ¡°Really?¡± The sophomores and juniors beside him were shocked to hear that. They didn¡¯t even understand the questions. ¡°Actually, they might be doing this on purpose. Maybe they didn¡¯t want Sophie to skip a grade.¡± Conrad¡¯s conjecture was justifiable since academic eleration was rare in medical schools and was unprecedented. Although Sophie was incredibly talented, so it wasn¡¯t surprising for her to skip a grade, the professors were still out of line for purposely making things difficult for her by picking questions even doctorate students could not answer. ¡°But it doesn¡¯t mean she can¡¯t do it,¡± Simon argued coldly, confident that Sophie was way better than the doctorate student. Conrad nodded and agreed sarcastically, ¡°You¡¯re right. Those questions might be too hard for me, but not for Sophie. She¡¯s a genius. I suppose her brain works differently from ours.¡± Conrad had always had a sense of superiority because he had been the big shot at the University of Medicine¡ªuntil Sophie came and became the center of attention, leaving him out in the cold. It seemed like everyone had forgotten that he had always been the most popr person before Sophie came, so when he heard about the evaluation, he took time from his busy schedule to watch the live stream. Deep down, he knew he hade not to witness her sess but her failure, for that was the only way he could get everyone to notice him again. ¡°Do you think you¡¯re oh-so-good just because you¡¯re a doctorate?¡± Simon challenged, ring at Conrad. Sophie is the person in charge of the medical association¡ªBarney Smith¡¯s mentee! You don¡¯t know sh*t. That¡¯s why you think you¡¯re so great. ¡°Hey, Simon. What do you mean by that? I never once said I was good,¡± Conrad sneered before continuing, ¡°We¡¯re all here today to see for ourselves what Sophie¡¯s got, but remember: there¡¯s always someone better out there. There¡¯s no end to learning, so don¡¯t get too arrogant.¡± Sandra, who had been listening to the conversation all this while, was ufortable when she heard those words, for it was apparent that everyone present was waiting to see Sophie make a fool of herself. ¡°That¡¯s unnecessary, Conrad. Sophie just wanted to skip a grade. She¡¯s got what it takes to do that, so what¡¯s wrong with it?¡± she finally snapped. Sandra usually kept to herself, but after bing friends with Sophie, she learned to stand up for herself and for the people around her. ¡°Well, well. It seems like you guys are confident that she will pass this assessment. Let¡¯s see what happens then.¡± Simon was vexed beyond measure by Conrad¡¯s attitude, but Sandra held him back, reminding him, ¡°It¡¯s okay, Simon. There¡¯s no point in arguing with them. The result will speak for itself. They will know how good Sophie is by then.¡± Her words spoke sense to Simon, and he relented. She¡¯s right. There¡¯s no need to create a ruckus here. I don¡¯t think that¡¯s what Sophie will want to see either. Meanwhile, when Sophie had finished attempting thest question, a smile curved on her lips as she imagined the effort those professors had put in to make things difficult for her. ¡°I¡¯m sorry I might have to disappoint you all,¡± she remarked as she handed the paper to one of them and walked away. Behind her, the professor who took her exam sheet looked annoyed. What an arrogant fool! Who does she think she is? Yet, his expression changed the moment he saw the writings on the answer sheet. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± another professor asked. ¡°She¡­¡± ¡°What did she do?¡± Too impatient to wait for a reply, the other professor snatched the paper away and took a look himself. His face fell the next second. All of the audience watching the live stream were confused as they tried to guess what the professors¡¯ expressions meant. ¡°So how did she do?¡± a student asked. ¡°I don¡¯t know. I think it¡¯s either superb or terrible.¡± ¡°Duh! You¡¯re just stating the obvious.¡± While everyone was guessing the result, Sophie stepped out of the studio and met with Simon and Sandra, who had been waiting for her outside. Sandra immediately approached and passed her a cup of milkshake. Hmm. Why do I feel like I¡¯ve been having a lot of milkshakestely? ¡°Are you under the impression that I love milkshakes?¡± Sophie asked. ¡°Huh? What do you mean?¡± Sandra was confused, for she had not bought the drink for any particr reason. ¡°Nothing.¡± Sophie poked the straw through the lid and took a few sips. Well, I don¡¯t really like it anymore. ¡°So, Sophie, what do you think about the evaluation? Did it go well?¡± Sandra asked anxiously. As Sophie¡¯s best friend, she did not want Sophie to end up bing aughing stock since there were so many people watching the live stream. Exclusive ? material by N?(/v)elDrama.Org. ¡°It went well.¡± ¡°I knew it,¡± Simon eximed before turning to Sandra. ¡°I told you you have nothing to worry about. Sophie can totally put the professors in their ces if she sets her heart on it.¡± ¡°Hold on,¡± Sophie interrupted. ¡°I¡¯m not doing this on purpose. I wouldn¡¯t have to do that if they¡¯d been fair.¡± ¡°You¡¯re right. I¡¯m sorry. I have misspoken,¡± Simon corrected himself as he gazed at Sophie, his heart brimming with happiness. At that moment, he felt satisfied, although his love for Sophie was unreciprocated. Meanwhile, Tristan, who was supposed to be at a meeting, had taken time during his meeting break to watch the live stream, leaving everything to the general manager. When the evaluation ended, he called Sophie immediately. ¡°You must be tired after all the writing,¡± he said. That was the first time he saw Sophie spending that much time on an exam, so he figured the professors must have deliberately chosen some of the most challenging questions. ¡°I¡¯m good. Why did you call? I thought you were supposed to be at a meeting.¡± Sophie felt Tristan had not been paying attention to his worktely. Although he was the CEO, she still thought he should be more attentive to his work. ¡°It¡¯s not an important meeting. They can handle it on their own. They¡¯ll have to solve my problems since I spent so much money to hire them.¡± Tristan was right, for there was no way he could keep an eye on every single subsidiary under Lombard Group. ¡°That makes sense. I¡¯m sure you know best. You¡¯re the best, anyway,¡± Sophieplimented. Tristan was so delighted to hear her praise that he smiled from ear to ear. Even his secretary who had just entered the office could tell that the CEO was in a phenomenal mood. Chapter 873 Chapter 873 Noticing that her boss was still busy, the secretary dared not disturb him further. She had no choice but to leave and close the door behind her. ¡°You¡¯ll know just how capable I am after we¡¯re married,¡± Tristan said. Why is he being such a pervert all of a sudden? ¡°What are you doing now?¡± Tristan asked with concern. As Sophie had a theoretical assessment in the morning and a practical test in the afternoon, she couldn¡¯t go home at noon. ¡°How about Ie over at noon to have lunch with you?¡± ¡°That¡¯s not necessary. Noontime is short, so you should go back and rest properly instead of traveling back and forth.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Tristan tapped his thigh with one hand, feeling quite unhappy about not being able to see her at noon. ¡°What¡¯s the matter? If you have something to do, you can get back to work. Sandra and I are going to eat now.¡± ¡°All right. Go and have your meal, then.¡± He didn¡¯t want to dy her lunchtime. ¡°Watch what you eat. You have a sensitive stomach.¡± ¡°Okay. I got it. Don¡¯t worry.¡± After hanging up the phone, Sophie turned to face the two people beside her. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Why are you both looking at me like that?¡± Sandra said, ¡°It¡¯s just that we¡¯ve never seen you like this before. You must really like Mr. Tristan, right?¡± Regardless of their characters, any girl would show their docile side in front of their boyfriend. ¡°Yes, I like him a lot.¡± Sophie didn¡¯t feel the need to hide her affection for Tristan because she genuinely loved him. ¡°I envy you for being able to meet someone you¡¯re so fond of,¡± Sandra wondered when she could meet the love of her life. ¡°Don¡¯t envy me. Everyone will meet their special someone; it¡¯s just a matter of time.¡± Simon chimed in, ¡°I might not meet someone like that in this lifetime anymore.¡± Hearing him say that, Sandra couldn¡¯t help but nce at him. ¡°I didn¡¯t mean anything by that. Don¡¯t take it to heart.¡± C0ntent ? 2024 (N/?)velDrama.Org. Simon shrugged his shoulders. Honestly, that¡¯s just a desultory remark. The person I¡¯m in love with will never reciprocate my feelings. Sophie fell silent. Should I distance myself from Simon? He still seems to harbor feelings for me. If that were the case, wouldn¡¯t it be unfair to him for us to continue hanging out? ¡°All right, I really didn¡¯t mean anything by that. Let¡¯s go and have lunch. There¡¯s another practical examination in the afternoon, right?¡± The evaluation was important for Sophie. Although they were able to anticipate the oue, they still couldn¡¯t help feeling a little worried. ¡°Okay, let¡¯s go.¡± Simon walked ahead, not wanting to see the expressions on the two girls¡¯ faces. He was also very annoyed at himself for saying such words. I already know things can never work out between Sophie and me, so why did I mention that to make everyone ufortable? ¡°Sophie, Simon is¡­¡± Sandra didn¡¯t know what to say either. Forgetting had always been a difficult task. ¡°Do you think I should distance myself from him?¡± Sophie was uncertain, but she was willing to do so if necessary. Sandra shook her head. ¡°If you do that, he¡¯ll definitely be heartbroken. Simon is actually a good person, and he¡¯s a wonderful friend.¡± Simon used to be a spoiled scion in the past, but now, he was working very hard to be a better person. ¡°All right.¡± Sophie nodded. Falling in love with someone wasn¡¯t something others could control. Hence, she was also at a loss for what to say at that moment. The trio had their lunch at the cafeteria. Then, they went back to their respective ce to rest. When Sophie reached the condominium, she found Tristan there. ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you not toe back at noon? You should have rested in thepany.¡± Tristan had a lounge inside his office at Lombard Group, where he could have taken a good nap. Instead, he chose to travel back and forth, causing him to have insufficient time to get proper rest at noon. ¡°I came back because there was nothing to do at the office,¡± Tristan said nonchntly. He felt uneasy when he couldn¡¯t see her, so no matter how busy he was, he wanted toe over at noon. ¡°You¡¯re so stubborn!¡± Sophie was stumped. Tristan walked over and pulled her into his arms. ¡°What¡¯s the matter? Are you that reluctant to see me?¡± I only dropped by to see her, that¡¯s all. What¡¯s with that face of hers? ¡°That¡¯s not it. I just want you to get enough rest.¡± We will see each other at night anyway, won¡¯t we? He picked her up, ced her on the couch, and helped her take off her shoes. ¡°I genuinely had nothing to do, so I came to see you.¡± ¡°Okay. Whatever you say is right.¡± She had no objections. Tristan didn¡¯t respond. Fine. Perhaps I¡¯ve been a bit too clingytely. ¡°Sophie, do you think I¡¯m annoying?¡± Tristan was a little discouraged, but all he wanted was just to stay by her side. ¡°No. I will never find you annoying. Don¡¯t worry.¡± He didn¡¯t know how much she loved him. ¡°Okay. What did you have for lunch?¡± ¡°I ate at the cafeteria.¡± ¡°You should avoid eating at the cafeteria from now on. The meals there aren¡¯t nutritious.¡± ¡°So many people eat there, so how can the food there not be nutritious? The University of Medicine¡¯s cafeteria is still of eptable standards. They prepared our meals by allocating just the right proportions of nutrients.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t care about others. I only care about you.¡± ¡°All right! I¡¯ll try to eat at home in the future.¡± She hadn¡¯t asked the housekeeper toe over and cook that day, so she ate at the cafeteria. ¡°Why don¡¯t we do this? I¡¯ll drop by tomorrow to cook for you.¡± He had recently learned a few more dishes and was eager to try making them. ¡°Tristan, you¡¯re too much. You¡¯re already very busy, so you don¡¯t need toe and prepare food for me.¡± This man is truly irresistible. ¡°Why is that? Is my cooking not good? Do you not like it?¡± He had been improving himself, but he seemed to begging a little behind stillpared to Sarah. ¡°No, your cooking is great. I just hope you can have more time to rest at noon.¡± ¡°In that case, I¡¯ll cook for you in the evening!¡± Sophie was rendered speechless. ¡°Sure.¡± Ultimately, she nodded and agreed. After all, this is a heartfelt gesture on his part, right? They took a nap in the mansion, and at two o¡¯clock, Tristan drove Sophie to the University of Medicine. ¡°Good luck!¡± Tristan cheered Sophie on before he left. ¡°Okay. I¡¯ll do my best.¡± Sophie waited for him to leave before walking inward. When the students saw her, they began discussing the theoretical exam in the morning as they still didn¡¯t know the results. Nevertheless, everyone was very concerned about that evaluation. Sophie had attained a height they could never reach. Someone like her could easily invoke others¡¯ jealousy. Not only was she beautiful and intelligent, but she also had a handsome boyfriend. She was undoubtedly a winner in life. Meanwhile, Sophie had arrived at the principal¡¯s office. ¡°Sophie, you¡¯re here. Perfect timing. Let¡¯s head to the site of this afternoon¡¯s exam now.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Sophie had no objections whatsoever. ¡°The assessment this time will be surgery. Will you be fine?¡± No matter how capable Sophie was, she was still just a freshman. Hence, Dominic was actually quite worried about letting her perform an operation. Chapter 874 Chapter 874 ¡°Surgery?¡± Sophie asked. Dominic hummed in response. ¡°Can you, Sophie? If you can¡¯t take this up, I can talk to the other professors.¡± He felt they were making things difficult for her. ¡°It¡¯s all right. I can handle it,¡± Sophie replied. It¡¯s just surgery, no big deal. I¡¯ve encountered all sorts of medical scenarios in the medical research center. ¡°Sophie, we¡¯re talking about a matter of life and death here. If you fail, it¡¯ll haunt you for the rest of your life,¡± Dominic warned. This is especially important for anyone pursuing a career in medicine, no matter what people might say. ¡°I can do this, Mr. Sawyer, don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll take this seriously and will never take someone¡¯s life lightly,¡± she responded. Upon seeing how determined Sophie was, Dominic could only nod in acknowledgment. Dominic and another professor then drove Sophie to the general hospital. The University of Medicine students, who witnessed that, started discussing it among themselves. ¡°What¡¯s going on? Where is she going? I thought she has another evaluation to sit for in the afternoon?¡± one of the students asked. ¡°I know, right? This is so weird. Does anyone know what¡¯s happening?¡± ¡°No idea, but she¡¯s lucky to be driven by the chancellor himself. She can now live the rest of her life without any regrets,¡± uttered another student. When did the chancellor be so kind to the students? Simon and Sandra exchanged nces and wondered what was going on. Where are they taking Sophie? ¡°Simon, do you think something happened?¡± Sandra¡¯s eyes were filled with worry. Simon shook his head. ¡°I don¡¯t know. Let¡¯s call Sophie and ask her about it!¡± Simon immediately took out his phone and dialed her number. ¡°Sophie, where are you going?¡± he asked. She replied, ¡°Don¡¯t worry about me. I¡¯m going to take the practical exam. I won¡¯t be joining you guys for dinner, so don¡¯t wait for me.¡± ¡°Are you sure?¡± Simon asked again. Why does she need to take the exam elsewhere? What on earth is going on? ¡°I¡¯m fine, really. Don¡¯t you have faith in me?¡± Sophie said. ¡°All right then. I¡¯m going to hang up now. Call me if you need anything!¡± Apparently, Simon was still rather worried about her. Sophie hummed in acknowledgment. She appeared quite rxed after ending the call. Dominic could not help but nod in approval upon seeing the expression on her face. That¡¯s right. An excellent doctor should always remain calm andposed no matter what happens, as their role requires them to possess strong psychological fortitude. A doctor must maintain a level head and remain steady no matter what happened during surgery, and Dominic believed Sophie had all of these qualities. Once Simon hung up the phone, Sandra immediately asked, ¡°Where is she going?¡± ¡°She¡¯s going to sit for the exam! Let¡¯s not worry about her. She¡¯ll be all right,¡± he replied. She¡¯s a member of the Chanaean Medical Association. This is just an evaluation. How could she possibly screw up? ¡°She¡¯s going to sit for the exam? What¡¯s the exam about?¡± Sandra asked. Why does she need to go somewhere else to sit for the exam? Sandra was still haunted by the previous frightening incident where Sophie was taken away. ¡°All right, calm down. I understand your concern, but worrying about Sophie won¡¯t help. I¡¯m sure no one will harm Sophie with Tristan around,¡± Simon said. Sandra hummed in response. Meanwhile, Dominic and Sophie had arrived at the hospital. Dominic then brought her to meet the lead surgeon for the surgery. This time, Sophie was not required to perform the operation. She just needed to assist from the sidelines. Nheless, Dominic was still understandably worried because of theplexity of the operation. ¡°Sophie, if you encounter any unexpected situationter, stay calm and don¡¯t panic. You¡¯re not the lead surgeon this time, so you only need to assist in any way you can,¡± he said. Those old men were just trying to scare her. They wouldn¡¯t simply risk sacrificing a person¡¯s life just to get to her. ¡°You seem more nervous than I do, Mr. Sawyer,¡± Sophie said. To be honest, I don¡¯t feel anything about the surgery. I can even handle it on my own, but I guess I should keep a low profile. Original from N?velDrama.Org. ¡°All right. I¡¯m only nervous because you¡¯re the pride of the University of Medicine,¡± Dominic said. It had been a long time since the university had such a talented student, and he would not allow anything to go wrong. ¡°Sophie, I know everyone calls you a genius, but we¡¯re talking about an actual surgical procedure here. Once you get in, you just need to observe and learn from Dr. Kinslet and don¡¯t do anything crazy. You hear me?¡± Dominic warned. ¡°Got it. Mr. Sawyer,¡± Sophie replied. Don¡¯t do anything crazy? They themselves made this crazy arrangement, for goodness sake! ¡°I have to go in now. We¡¯ll talkter!¡± After changing into a surgical gown, tying her hair, and putting on a scrub cap, Sophie washed her hands. Suddenly, the lead surgeon, Armand Kinslet, walked in. ¡°You¡¯re Sophie Tanner?¡± Though Sophie was also wearing a surgical gown, he could tell the youngdy had a great figure. Sophie lifted her head and introduced herself, ¡°Hello, Dr. Kinslet. My name is Sophie Tanner, and I¡¯ll be assisting you in this procedure.¡± The lead surgeon sized the beautiful youngdy up and knitted his brows. ¡°Is this a joke? How could they make such an arrangement? We¡¯re dealing with a matter of life and death here!¡± Armand was the best surgeon in the general hospital, but he was notorious for having a bad temper. His expression turned grim when he saw that his assistant today was a youngdy. The nurse beside him immediately exined, ¡°Dr. Kinslet, the director made this arrangement.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll go and talk to him now!¡± He raised his voice. ¡°The director has left for Fandar today.¡± The nurse was aware of Armand¡¯s temper, but with the surgery scheduled and the patient in need of urgent medical attention, there was no room for dy. ¡°But¡ª¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Dr. Kinslet. I won¡¯t cause any trouble,¡± Sophie assured him as she could tell what he had in mind. Since Armand had no prior knowledge of her identity, Sophie did not me him for feeling distrustful toward her. ¡°All right then. You must listen to me and follow my instructions when we¡¯re in the operating room,¡± said Armand after taking a deep breath. It¡¯s pointless to say anything now, as the surgery is about to begin. Furthermore, there would be nurses assisting him in the operating room as well. One of the nurses had worked with him for years, so he was confident enough to proceed with the surgery. Armand then led Sophie and two other nurses into the operating room. Before entering the room, Sophie reviewed the patient¡¯s medical record and had a clear idea of the surgery. Meanwhile, the patient had already been anesthetized and was now lying on the operating table. ¡°You don¡¯t have to do anythingter. Just observe from the side.¡± Armand did not want to put Sophie in a difficult position, and given the critical nature of the procedure, he did not want her to interfere. ¡°Got it.¡± Sophie was fine with the arrangement. Since Armand did not want to involve her, she would simply observe from a distance. The surgery proceeded smoothly, and Sophie merely stood beside him and watched. She did not interrupt or voice her thoughts, as she did not want to affect the lead surgeon. However, as the procedure progressed, Sophie noticed something was amiss. Chapter 875 Chapter 875 ¡°Dr. Kinslet, please stop for a bit.¡± Sophie really wanted to be obedient and not disturb him, but a life was at stake. Now that she had discovered a problem, she knew that she had to speak up. Armand knitted his brows. What¡¯s wrong with her? I¡¯m already being generous by allowing her to be in here. Didn¡¯t I tell her not to talk in the operating room? Doesn¡¯t she know that she¡¯s disturbing me now? ¡°Get her out,¡± Armand said coldly. This operation was difficult, but it was not a major one for him. However, Sophie¡¯s yapping would still affect him. Regardless of the kind of operation performed, a good environment was needed, which served as the greatest protection for patients. ¡°Dr. Kinslet, I suspect that there is a misdiagnosis, so you¡¯d better stop.¡± This was a matter of life and death, so Sophie could not care less about manners. Even the two nurses could not stand it anymore this time around. Dr. Kinslet has done a lot of such operations, yet this youngdy, who hasn¡¯t even graduated, said that there¡¯s something wrong with his diagnosis. How is that possible? ¡°Youngdy, you¡¯d better go outside. You still need to go back and learn how to respect the lead surgeon.¡± This youngdy is going too far. What does she know? Dr. Kinslet has been in charge of this patient from the very beginning. Besides, he has never made any mistakes since he came to this hospital. ¡°I am serious!¡± Nheless, Armand did not even bother to spare a nce at her. He was very confident in his diagnosis and was certain there would be no problems. ¡°Enough. You, take her outside. She¡¯s disturbed me!¡± Armand wanted to continue the operation. He did not have so much time to waste as he had another operation in the afternoon. ¡°Dr. Kinslet!¡± After Sophie got past the nurse who was about to drag her away, she walked over. ¡°Just trust me, for once. I¡¯m Barney Smith¡¯s mentee. There is indeed a problem with the diagnosis this time.¡± Sophie had no choice but to bring up Barney. ¡°Barney? From the medical association?¡± Armand had always wanted to join the International Medical Association but could not because of his ability. That was why he ended up returning to the country. ¡°Yes, so trust me.¡± Armand hesitated. If the youngdy in front of me is really Barney¡¯s mentee, I need to think about what she said. ¡°What should we do now, Dr. Kinslet?¡± There was no time for Sophie to exin too much at that moment. ¡°Dr. Kinslet, leave the operation to me this time! I¡¯ll be responsible for any problems should they arise.¡± That should do it. It was no longer suitable for Armand to continue this operation. Armand frowned. Should I leave the operation to her? But this is my patient. Besides, I still don¡¯t know what she¡¯s capable of. What if this patient¡­ ¡°Dr. Kinslet, we¡¯re running out of time. I¡¯ll be responsible for anything that happens to this patient!¡± It was a race against time. There was really no time for them to wait any longer. ¡°Dr. Kinslet.¡± The two nurses were a little worried because Sophie was just too young. If anything went wrong, the nurses¡¯ and Armand¡¯s careers would be over. ¡°All right, I¡¯ll leave it to you.¡± Armand said nothing else. He thought that since he was there with Sophie, he could step in if anything went wrong. ¡°Scalpel!¡± Sophie took over the operation. As soon as she started the operation, Armand knew that her capability was not inferior to his at all and even far surpassed his. No longer taking her lightly, Armand personally handed her the scalpel. Watching Sophie perform an operation was really a feast for the eyes. The way she conducted the operation and the way she dealt with the tumors were neat and decisive. The two nurses were stunned. They had doubts about her earlier, but at that moment, their doubts had disappeared. The nurses had been working under Armand for a long time and admired his surgical ability a lot. They genuinely did not expect Sophie to be so good at performing operations. The operation waspleted in less than thirty minutes. There was indeed a problem with Armand¡¯s diagnosis. If the operation had been carried out ording to his n, the consequences would have been disastrous. Therefore, Armand was trembling all over after leaving the operating room. This was the first ident in his career. He had thought he was a really great doctor that would definitely not make any mistakes in his diagnosis. Little did he expect it to turn out like it did that day. Dominic and two professors had been waiting outside the entire time. Upon seeing Armand, Dominic immediately went up to him and asked, ¡°Dr. Kinslet, how was Sophie¡¯s performance? I hope she didn¡¯t give you trouble.¡± Armand was Dominic¡¯s junior. They had a good rtionship. ¡°Dominic, if it weren¡¯t for her, I think I¡¯d really have had a medical ident today.¡± Armand¡¯s voice was trembling when he spoke. Speechless, Dominic was dumbfounded. What exactly is going on? I just wanted Sophie to observe in the operating room. ¡°There was a problem with the diagnosis, which was discovered by Sophie. She was also the one who performed the operation too. The operation is very sessful. Sophie is truly the pride of the University of Medicine.¡± Armand left after speaking. Although the operation turned out to be sessful, he should still give an exnation to the hospital as there was a problem with the diagnosis. Thus, he went back to write the report. One should not be too arrogant as reality would teach one a lesson. Exclusive ? material by N?(/v)elDrama.Org. Dominic and the two professors looked at each other in puzzlement. ¡°What did you guys hear just now? Could it be that I was hallucinating?¡± They knew that Sophie was very capable, which was why they wanted to teach her a lesson. However, they did not expect things to turn out that way. ¡°Do you two still have a problem with her?¡± Sophie¡¯s performance showed that she could even graduate immediately, let alone skip grades. The two professors shook their heads. Sophie was truly a genius. As expected, there was noparison between average humans and geniuses. Things that others needed seven years to do well could be easily done by Sophie in two to three years. Dominic took Sophie and the two professors back to the university. ¡°Sophie, you¡¯re allowed to skip grades. Also, you performed really well today,¡± Dominic told Sophie before she got out of the car. ¡°Thank you, Mr. Sawyer,¡± Sophie replied politely. ¡°All right. See you!¡± He was contented that he was able to have a student like Sophie. Chapter 876 Chapter 876 Sandra and Simon were worried so they had been waiting for Sophie at the university. Seeing Sophie, they immediately ran over. ¡°What exactly was the assessment in the afternoon?¡± Why did it take her so long? ¡°To do an operation,¡± Sophie replied calmly. It was nothing but an operation to her. Although the operation wasplicated, it was not like she had never seen such aplicated operation. All she needed to do was to stay calm during the operation. ¡°So does it mean you can skip grades now?¡± asked Simon. ¡°Yeah, Mr. Sawyer and the professors have agreed.¡± Sophie thought nothing of it. Sandra breathed a sigh of relief. ¡°Sophie, you¡¯re awesome. But now that you have skipped grades, we won¡¯t be able to hang out often in the future.¡± After all, their schedules would be different. ¡°It¡¯s okay. If you two ever have any questions, you cane to me anytime.¡± ¡°Oh, aren¡¯t we still able to meet each other at the medical association?¡± Simon said. We don¡¯t have to be so sad, do we? Sandra nodded. ¡°Congrattions, Sophie!¡± I envy Sophie. We work so hard every day and can barely keep up with the courses, yet Sophie can simply skip to senior year. ¡°Don¡¯tpare yourself with me. If you do, you will only be sad.¡± What Sophie said was true. Everyone had their own life n. They only had to follow their own path and did not have topare themselves with others. ¡°All right.¡± Sandra knew her own ability. She still needed to take things one step at a time. ¡°Let¡¯s have dinner together tonight as a celebration for Sophie! My treat!¡± Simon proposed. ¡°Not tonight. I have other things to do.¡± ¡°Oh, I see. Okay, then. We can do it another day. Let¡¯s have a meal together when you¡¯re free.¡± Simon was a little disappointed. But when he thought about it, he knew that Sophie would undoubtedly spend such a day with Tristan. ¡°I¡¯m going back, then.¡± ¡°Okay. Take care.¡± It was not until Sophie got into a taxi that Simon came back to his senses. ¡°Are you okay, Simon?¡± When a person liked someone, their gaze would always follow them involuntarily. s, Simon¡¯s feelings for Sophie could only remain unrequited forever as it could not change Sophie¡¯s feelings at all. ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t I be?¡± Meanwhile, the university had already posted the notice of Sophie skipping grades on its official social media ount, including her theoretical knowledge assessment in the morning. After seeing those questions, the students of the University of Medicine were despondent. They did not understand how Sophie could be this capable when they could not even understand the answers after working so hard. It made them feel depressed. As for the doctorate students of the University of Medicine, they had to study, research, and discuss among themselves to understand Sophie¡¯s answers. At the same time, Sophie had already gone to pick up her boyfriend from work, not bothered by the fact that she had shocked everyone at the University of Medicine. She found Tristan with ease since she knew her way around. Thetter was already clearing up the things on the table when he saw hering. ¡°How did it go?¡± ¡°What do you think? Your girlfriend is, of course, amazing!¡± There is nothing I can¡¯t do in this world. ¡°Yeah, I know my girlfriend is amazing.¡± After cleaning up the table, Tristan went over, wrapped his arms around her waist tightly, and kissed her hard. ¡°What reward do you want?¡± ¡°Reward?¡± This has nothing to do with him, yet I¡¯m getting a reward? ¡°Of course.¡± ¡°A kiss, then!¡± Sophie puckered her lips. Tristan kissed her on the lips. ¡°Is that all?¡± She¡¯s really easily satisfied, huh? In the evening, they had dinner with the others at Blossom Garden to wee Charles¡¯ return. Charles had returned without Winter. He did not dare to take the liberty of bringing her back without Tristan¡¯s permission. ¡°Sean, do you have any idea how hard my life was in Fandar?¡± Charles could not help butin. Charles¡¯ skin had indeed be a few shades darker. ¡°I know! But you asked for it!¡± Charles had insisted on going there back then. Charles was rendered speechless. He instantly felt unloved as he thought they were being too mean. ¡°Charles, where is Winter? Is it really okay for you to leave her there alone?¡± Felix asked. No matter what, Winter was still Charles¡¯ sister. ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t it be? Bertram is still there. With him around, she dares not to do anything out of line.¡± Besides, Winter was pretty shrewd in everything except for matters involving Tristan. Hence, no one could bully her. ¡°Bertram is still there? Mr. Tristan, are you not going to transfer him back?¡± Bertram is such a poor guy! He didn¡¯t even do anything! ¡°What, do you want to apany him? If you do, I¡¯ll help you fulfill your wish!¡± Tristan shot Felix a cold look. Felix immediately shook his head before holding Ysabelle¡¯s hand. ¡°No. If I go to Fandar, who¡¯s going to look after Ysabelle? She can¡¯t live without me now! I can¡¯t bear to leave her here alone!¡± Ysabelle rolled her eyes at him. He¡¯s ridiculous! I guess he¡¯s be self-indulgent now, huh? N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner. ¡°It¡¯s okay, Uncle Tristan. You don¡¯t have to worry about me. If he wants to go, just let him go! I¡¯m fine by myself, but if not, I can always find another boyfriend.¡± There were a lot of men in Jipsdale after all. Felix¡¯s expression changed in an instant. ¡°Ysabelle, what do you mean by that? Are you dumping me? How could you do this to me? You¡¯re the only one for me, but you want to abandon me. Don¡¯t you think you¡¯re being too mean?¡± Felix acted like he had been dumped. The others were bereft of speech. Tristan put on disposable gloves to remove the shells from the shellfish for Sophie, not wanting to talk to Felix and Ysabelle anymore. ¡°Felix, do you see that? Peel some for me too,¡± Ysabelle said to Felix after seeing what Tristan was doing for Sophie. ¡°Sure! No problem. I¡¯ll peel some for you.¡± However, Felix was not good at doing it. Looking at the shrimps on her te, Ysabelle shook her head. ¡°Seriously, what the heck did I see in you?¡± Ysabelle said with a mncholy expression on her face. ¡°Ysabelle, what you say makes no sense! Don¡¯t you know that I have a lot of admirers?¡± ¡°That¡¯s enough. Can the four of you stop torturing us with all the PDA? Can¡¯t you see that Sean and I are still single here?¡± They¡¯re too much! Do we singles deserve to bear such torment? ¡°Well, I¡¯m not tortured by it.¡± Sean was not affected by it. Chapter 877 Chapter 877 He thought that being single was fine. He only needed to care about himself, and there was no need to consider anyone else¡¯s feelings. He had thrown himself into his work to numb his feelings. Seeing Sean in that state, Charles patted himfortingly on his shoulder. ¡°You look terrible, my friend. You look worse than a sad, lonely, single man.¡± I wonder what kind of woman is making him act this way! Isn¡¯t all women the same? Everything is the same once they¡¯ve climbed into bed and the lights are off. Why cause suffering for yourself? No matter who¡¯s the one who gets rejected, life goes on anyway! Sean threw a nce at Charles. ¡°You¡¯re getting on myst nerve, Charles.¡± Charles did not know what to say in reply to Sean¡¯s warning. He merely nodded sheepishly and pulled his hand away. ¡°Okay, okay, I won¡¯t say anything anymore!¡± Charles took a huge gulp of his drink. It¡¯s much easier to lose a liver than to break a heart! ¡°Sean sure is head over heels in love! A man like that is only ever seen on TV screens!¡± Ysabelle sighed dramatically. Even those who grew up with him had no idea who the woman was. He had been waiting for her for so long. It had already been years. Yet, there had never once been a woman in his life, not even in his extended circle of friends. ¡°Yes, he¡¯s very faithful to his love,¡± Charles agreed. It was very honorable of him. After all, Sean was a renownedwyer, a man of real talent. For him to dedicate himself sopletely to someone was amazing. ¡°I¡¯m more faithful than he is,¡± Tristan said softly, reaching out to hold Sophie¡¯s hand. It had to be Sophie. No one else would do for Tristan. ¡°Yeah.¡± Tristan, too, waspletely infatuated with Sophie. She was a lucky girl to have met such a man. ¡°What about me? Aren¡¯t I loyal in love as well? I had waited for you to grow up. What else do you expect from me?¡± Felix said, feeling rather sorry for himself. He had always been in love with Ysabelle, but that girl was heartless. The two of them finally got together after a long struggle. Even so, Ysabelle still bullied Felix from time to time. ¡°The two of you, that¡¯s enough!¡± Charles said sharply. He could not stand their bickering anymore. Sean looked at them enviously. ¡°I¡¯m so jealous of you two. You must live happily ever after, okay?¡± After all, how could they not be happy now that they have each other? Tristan and Felix left to go to the restroom. Felix turned to Tristan and said, ¡°Mr. Tristan, the people from the branch in Anndur are now back. I¡¯ve already made arrangements in regard to the others. As for Ophelia, I have a question for you.¡± Ophelia was quite good at her job. She had managed thepany¡¯s branch in Anndur commendably well. Now that she was back in the country, she had hopes of working in Lombard Group with Tristan. However, the decision was out of Felix¡¯s hands. It was up to Tristan. ¡°Is she different from the others? You can make arrangements as you see fit.¡± ¡°She¡¯d like to work at Lombard Group.¡± Everyone knew about Ophelia¡¯s crush on Tristan. If only Ophelia had no such romantic feelings for Mr. Tristan! Since she clearly likes him, how should I make arrangements for her? If something were to go wrong in the future, Mr. Tristan would skin me alive! Felix did not know what he should do with Ophelia. ¡°Send her to a branch office. I don¡¯t want to let any woman get close to me. Sophie would not like that.¡± He would not allow any woman the chance to evene close to him. Felix said nothing in reply. After all, he already knew that this would be Tristan¡¯s decision. ¡°Okay, I understand. I¡¯ll handle it ordingly,¡± Felix said, washing his hands of the whole debacle. Tristan was so devoted to Sophie that he refused to even allow any other women the slightest chance to be close to him. How can a man be so thoroughly infatuated? ¡°By the way, you don¡¯t need to tell Sophie about this.¡± Sophie need not be bothered with such silly matters. ¡°I understand.¡± Now that the party-loving Charles was finally back, he intended to go to Nocturnal no matter what. ¡°All of you muste with me! It¡¯s too boring to go to Nocturnal alone!¡± After living in Fandar for such a long time, he was sure that all thedies must be eagerly awaiting his return to Nocturnal. How disappointing that he could only pick one. ¡°I¡¯m in! I haven¡¯t been there in a while, too!¡± Ysabelle agreed excitedly. She was currently a public figure, doing what she loved to do, but being one also meant she was not free to go to many ces. That was the price she had to pay. ¡°Okay.¡± Felix would never deny Ysabelle her wishes. Sean had no ns for the night. So, everybody went with Charles, even Sophie and Tristan went. They made their way to Nocturnal. All of them were attractive and striking in their own ways. Heads turned to stare when they made their entrance. Ysabelle, especially, was attracting plenty of attention. Luckily for her, the patrons who were allowed in the bar were not any of her crazy fans. A few people approached Ysabelle and asked her for her autograph. She did not refuse and even posed for pictures with a few girls and signed on the photos for them.N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner. ¡°Wow, I¡¯m still so surprised by how popr I am now,¡± Ysabelle eximed. Her dreams had finally come true. ¡°You¡¯ve always been popr.¡± Felix felt uneasy when he noticed several men gawking openly at Ysabelle. She belonged to him alone, but now, all the other men were lusting after her. Naturally, Felix was unhappy with the situation. Noticing that Felix was beginning to feel jealous and insecure again, Ysabelle pinched him to bring his attention back to her. ¡°I¡¯m in a really good mood today! You¡¯re not allowed to spoil my night. Otherwise, I¡¯ll be really angry!¡± It¡¯s not my fault people want to stare at me! Besides, I¡¯m not losing anything just from being looked at. They can look all they want! All Felix wanted to do was push Ysabelle up against a wall and kiss her thoroughly. However, when he thought about the consequences, he decided to forget about it. Sophie pulled out her phone as soon as she sat down. Mournful Spirit was in trouble, and someone was attacking the Wings of Light¡¯s system. Butterfly was uncontactable, so Mournful Spirit had no choice but to reach out to Sophie. ¡°Excuse me, I need to take this phone call.¡± It was difficult to exin the situation clearly over WhatsApp, so Sophie had to speak to Mournful Spirit over the phone. Once Sophie stepped out of the noisy bar, she finally managed to catch what Mournful Spirit was saying. ¡°Phantom, hurry up! The opponent is too strong! I can¡¯t take it anymore!¡± ¡°Have you so little faith in me? I¡¯m the one who developed the system¡¯s firewall,¡± Sophie countered with augh. ¡°I¡¯m not joking around. The opponent is really powerful, so¡­¡± ¡°Okay, okay, I understand.¡± Sophie found a cafe with an inte connection nearby and sat in a quiet corner. The inte connection was rather weak. It took herputer about thirty seconds to start up. As soon as herputer blinked into life, her fingers flew quickly across her keyboard. ¡°Phantom, where are you now?¡± ¡°A random cafe! The inte connection here is not strong,¡± Sophie replied casually. ¡°Okay, as long as you¡¯re here. I feel much better!¡± Mournful Spirit was so relieved that the person went to get a ss of water. Chapter 878 Chapter 878 Sophie was capable of resolving any issue regardless of howplicated it was. There were a number of skilled hackers that wished to hack past the firewall of Wings of Light, attempting to find out the real identity of Phantom. However, even after so many years, no one could. ¡°It¡¯s fine now.¡± It did not take long for Sophie to take care of that hacker. She hacked into hisputer and obtained the other party¡¯s information too. Seeing the information sent from Sophie, Mournful Spirit was somewhat frustrated. How capable! She solved it in such a short time while I was away to get a ss of water! ¡°Phantom, I don¡¯t think I¡¯m suitable for the position. You shoulde back.¡± Sophie said nothing. She refused to exin further. Before Butterfly¡¯s return, Mournful Spirit had to be in charge in the meantime. ¡°What are you trying to imply, Phantom? With my skills, I really don¡¯t think I¡¯m a good fit for this position.¡± ¡°Come on, Mournful Spirit. You have no confidence in yourself! Trust me, you can do it. You¡¯re just lazy.¡± She continued, ¡°If no one wants to take charge in this, I suggest dissolving Wings of Light.¡± Inwardly, Mournful Spirit knew she would say that. Although Phantom did not care, she knew that Wings of Light was important to the others. It was impossible for them to neglect the affairs of Wings of Light. ¡°Okay. Is there anything else? I have something to do now. Bye!¡± Sophie ended the call at once. Mournful Spirit was about to say something and got hung up instantly. ¡°Sigh¡­¡± There was nothing else he could do. With that, he let out a helpless sigh in response. It seems like I have no choice but to continue serving Wings of Light! Meanwhile, Mournful Spirit received a call from Eustace. It was a request from Eustace to ask Wings of Light to track down a person. Mournful Spirit briefly looked up the target¡¯s information on Wings of Light¡¯s intr. It was not a simple task. Nevertheless, he had to take it because of Eustace¡¯s importance. ¡°Give me one day.¡± Mournful Spirit took up the task, albeit a difficult one. To him, he could always rely on Phantom in the event that he failed to track that person. As Sophie walked out of the inte cafe, she saw Tristan walking in her direction. Why is he here? I was only gone for about twenty minutes! ¡°Why did youe out?¡± ¡°You¡¯ve been out for quite a long time. I was worried about you. Hence, I came out to check on you. Did anything happen?¡± ¡°Nothing. My friend asked me for a favor.¡± ¡°You must be tired. Let¡¯s go home!¡± Both of them had no interest in spending time in nightclubs. They only went to apany their friends. ¡°Should we go in and tell them we¡¯re leaving?¡± It was not right to leave without saying anything. ¡°There¡¯s no need for that. I¡¯ve already told them.¡± Tristan took Sophie to the sidewalk. Seeing them, the driver drove the car over immediately. Tristan opened the back door for Sophie to enter before getting in the car himself. Upon reaching home, Sophie received another call from Mournful Spirit. ¡°What¡¯s up! I epted a new task for you and emailed you the information. Remember to read through them!¡± ¡°Did I not tell you that I won¡¯t be epting any new tasks for now?¡± Sophie was slightly annoyed. Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024. Ugh! Things like this wouldn¡¯t even happen when Butterfly was around! ¡°Honestly, I thought that I could handle it at first, but the target is toopetent. I couldn¡¯t track them down!¡± Since he has epted the task, I can¡¯t ignore him and ruin Wings of Light¡¯s reputation. Ugh! When will Mournful Spirit stop giving me trouble? With that thought in mind, Sophie frowned. ¡°Okay. Got it. I¡¯ll read itter.¡± After taking a bath, Sophie turned on herputer. It was at that moment Tristan walked in with a ss of warm milk. ¡°I¡¯m an adult now. I don¡¯t like drinking milk.¡± ¡°Have a few sips.¡± Tristan was actually trying to feed Sophie milk because she was too skinny. ¡°Can I not drink it?¡± Sophie showed a disgusted look, refusing to drink it. ¡°You really don¡¯t want to?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± The next second, Tristan took a mouthful and kissed Sophie¡¯s lips, feeding her the milk through his lips. That made Sophie utterly speechless. ¡°How about drinking it this way? Can you ept it now?¡± A drop of milk dripped from Sophie¡¯s lips. He grabbed her and pulled her into his embrace, licking the stain off the corner of her mouth. Her cheeks were flushed. Is he trying to flirt? They continued to kiss all night. The kiss was so passionate that Sophiepletely forgot about the task that Mournful Spirit had mentioned a while ago. ¡°Mr. Tristan, what are you trying to do?¡± ¡°Nothing. I merely wanted to kiss you. Rest early. You have ss tomorrow.¡± Sophie was already a senior student, but the University of Medicine was vastly different from other universities. Even though it was her final year, her schedule was still tight. Tristan left in a hurry, worrying that he would lose control of himself if he did not make a move. Sophie touched her lips gently and licked them with her tongue. Tristan¡¯s kissing skills have improved tremendously. I¡¯m seduced by his kiss¡­ Helplessly, she turned on herptop to peruse the information Mournful Spirit had sent. It was then she realized that the client was Eustace. Is Eustace rich enough to get Wings of Light to do this task? I don¡¯t think he earns that much, though. She pondered over it. Nheless, Sophie tracked the target down without dy and sent the information to Mournful Spirit. ¡°I¡¯ve always known you¡¯re the best, Phantom!¡± ¡°Can you please stop troubling me in the future? I¡¯m a busy person!¡± ¡°What are you busy with? Wings of Light is making a lot of profits just bypleting a single task.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not about money.¡± ¡°What is it about, then? Money is the solution to all problems. Don¡¯t you think so?¡± ¡°That¡¯s enough. Stop troubling me. Or else, I¡¯ll teach you a lesson the next time I see you!¡± Upon saying that, Sophie hung up. Moments like that made her miss Butterfly even more. Meanwhile, Ophelia had been waiting for days for the result. Feeling impatient, she could not help but look for Felix directly. Felix was her mentor and had been treating Ophelia well. As she was afraid of Tristan, she could only look for Felix. It was early in the morning. Felix came out to fetch Ysabelle, only to see Ophelia at his front door. Seeing that, he let out a sigh. ¡°Ophelia, how about you go to the branch office in Koandria? You cannot return to Anndur for now.¡± Indeed, her actions could easily spell trouble. A crease instantly marred her brow. It wasn¡¯t easy for me to return here. Why would he want me to go to Koandria? ¡°Mr. Northley, I don¡¯t want to leave the country anymore. I wish to stay here. Is that okay? Did Mr. Tristan ask me to go there instead?¡± ¡°You should know Mr. Tristan well. Stop liking him. It won¡¯t do you any good.¡± Chapter 879 Chapter 879 ¡°Don¡¯t get any impractical ideas in your head if you still want a ce in Lombard Group.¡± Felix chose to advise Ophelia because of her capability at work. He wouldn¡¯t have given her any advice otherwise. He wasn¡¯t some saint, nor was he a busybody. Ophelia paled, not expecting Felix¡¯s warning. ¡°Mr. Northley, I truly have no other intentions. I just want to stay by Mr. Tristan¡¯s side.¡± Despite knowing Tristan would never like her and she would never be his woman, she just wanted to be near him. ¡°I¡¯m doing this for your own good. Pack your things. I¡¯ve already had someone book your ne ticket.¡± Ophelia took a step back from the shock. ¡°If you insist on sending me to Koandria, I¡¯d rather resign.¡± They won¡¯t have any right to decide where I go if I resign. I don¡¯t ever want to leave the country again after returning. I want to live on the same soil as him. Felix frowned at her remarks. ¡°Do you know what you¡¯re saying, Ophelia?¡± She¡¯d better think things through before making any decision. Crying will be pointless if she regrets it later. Many people want to be part of Lombard Group¡¯s workforce, but not everyone gets that chance. ¡°I¡¯ve already thought things through. I¡¯d rather leave if I can¡¯t stay by Mr. Tristan¡¯s side.¡± If that¡¯s the only way for me to continue to stay by his side, I¡¯m more than willing to resign. ¡°All right. I understand. Let me think about it.¡± Ophelia nodded and left. Felix went to Tristan¡¯s office to talk about Ophelia¡¯s decision. He ryed the gist of the situation to Tristan. ¡°Ophelia expressed very clearly that she only wants to work at the headquarters. She¡¯s a rare talent and might jump ship if we don¡¯t ept her terms.¡± I think that¡¯s what Ophelia meant. ¡°She wants to stay at the headquarters?¡± ¡°Yeah, that woman likes you very much. Can¡¯t you tell?¡± Why else would she try her best to stay by his side if she doesn¡¯t like him? ¡°Since she wants to leave, let her leave.¡± Ophelia is indeed a rare talent, but I dislike people threatening me. If she thinks I¡¯ll give in by threatening to resign, she¡¯spletely wrong. ¡°Okay. Got it.¡± Felix already knew that would be the oue. That was why he was frank with Ophelia earlier. There are plenty of talented employees, but Mr. Tristan only has one woman in his heart. Ophelia couldn¡¯t suppress her smile when she received Felix¡¯s call. However, it didn¡¯t take long for tears to fall from her eyes. It feels pointless no matter how hard I work. Mr. Tristan has never looked at me. Not even once! Hence, hisck of hesitation in sending me away at such a time. Honestly, I¡¯m envious of Sophie. She doesn¡¯t need to do anything to get all of Mr. Tristan¡¯s love. gued by heartbreak and jealous thoughts, she went to the University of Medicine after finding out Sophie was enrolled there. Upon arriving there, she began to roam the campus. She couldn¡¯t ept leaving Lombard Group just like that and was frustrated that she wouldn¡¯t get to see Tristan anymore in the future. Nevertheless, she didn¡¯t know what else she could do to turn the situation around. She knew for a fact that Tristan had never taken her seriously. In the end, she instinctively came to meet Sophie. ¡°Ms. Tanner, may I have a word with you?¡± Sophie was baffled by Ophelia¡¯s sudden appearance at her campus. She remembered that thetter was the general manager of Lombard Group¡¯s branch office. They did meet a few times before but never had any interaction. Thus, Sophie was confused as to why she came looking for her. ¡°Ms. Summers, is there a reason why you¡¯re looking for me?¡± ¡°I want to stay at the Lombard Group headquarters.¡± Sophie¡¯s brows furrowed at her request. That isn¡¯t a decision I can make. Even though I¡¯m Tristan¡¯s girlfriend, I never interfere with Lombard Group¡¯s affairs. ¡°It seems you got the wrong person, Ms. Summers. You should look for Mr. Tristan if you want to stay at the Lombard Group headquarters, not me.¡± ¡°I know Mr. Tristan will listen to you, Ms. Tanner, since he loves you so much. I¡¯m sure he¡¯ll agree to let me stay if you talk to him. You¡¯re the reason he made me leave.¡± Sophie arched her brow at Ophelia¡¯s words. What is she saying? ¡°Me?¡± Realization finally dawned upon Ophelia at what she had done. What have I done? How can Sophie possibly help me? Mr. Tristan is her boyfriend, and I have feelings for her boyfriend. There¡¯s no woman dumb enough to help her love rival. ¡°Nevermind. I¡¯m sorry to bother you. Pretend I never came here.¡± Ophelia turned on her heel and left. Sandra was with Sophie throughout the exchange and didn¡¯t understand the purpose of the whole thing. ¡°Who was that? Why did she leave aftering all the way here to spew a bunch of nonsense?¡± It¡¯s confusing. ¡°Mr. Tristan¡¯s admirer.¡± Sophie wasn¡¯t dumb or naive. She noticed Ophelia¡¯s obvious admiration for Tristan. ¡°No way! A love rival?¡± ¡°She¡¯s not a love rival. Her feelings are one-sided.¡± No other woman exists in Tristan¡¯s eyes. ¡°Even if that¡¯s the case, she didn¡¯t have toe all the way here to beg for your help! What does her situation have anything to do with you?¡± What is that woman even thinking? Why does Sophie need to help her? Does she think she¡¯s all- important? ¡°All right. Let¡¯s go. Don¡¯t we still need to head over to the medical association?¡± Sophie couldn¡¯t care less about Ophelia because she knew Tristan didn¡¯t feel anything for her. After leaving the University of Medicine, Ophelia went to Lombard Group. However, she was stopped in the lobby. The security guards denied her entry. She was the boss back in the branch office. No one had dared to treat her so. Nevertheless, she couldn¡¯t even go past the door of Lombard Group in Jipsdale. Regardless, she refused to leave. Exclusive ? material by N?(/v)elDrama.Org. When Tristan came out of the building, he saw Ophelia standing by the front door. It was raining outside, and she was drenched, looking pitiful. Creases marred his forehead at the sight. However, he still didn¡¯t want to talk to her. If she thinks she¡¯ll get her way and stay at the headquarters by putting on a pitiful act, she¡¯s wrong. Tristan wouldn¡¯t feel any guilt for any other woman except for Sophie. Ophelia approached Tristan. ¡°I like you, Mr. Tristan.¡± Although she knew confessing her love would lead her nowhere, she still decided to express her feelings before leaving. ¡°Thank you,¡± Tristan replied impassively. ¡°Mr. Tristan, I¡­¡± He only has two words for me? I guess I really look like a clown now. Tears slid from the corner of her eye. She had always been a strong woman. Yet, at that moment, she couldn¡¯t stop the tears from flowing down her cheeks. ¡°Ophelia, contact Felix if you are willing to head to Koandria¡¯s branch office. Otherwise, don¡¯t show up in front of me.¡± Chapter 880 Chapter 880 Tristan knew he couldn¡¯t control who Ophelia liked, but he would never allow it to affect his life. He opened his umbre and walked into the rain. I need to pick Sophie up since it¡¯s raining. I don¡¯t remember her taking an umbre before leaving the house. Ophelia dropped to her haunches and began bawling. She always thought one day he would notice her if she worked hard enough. Yet, she was nothing more than a clown all along. He had never taken her seriously. It was rush hour. Lombard Group employees were clocking out and leaving the building. The first sight they saw after a day of hard work was a beautiful woman weeping sadly at their workce¡¯s front door. s, their hearts had hardened after working in the city. Everyone was stressed from living in a big city like Jipsdale. Crying was amon sight. Sophie, Barney, Simon, and Sandra noticed the heavy rain the minute they left the medical association. None of them brought an umbre. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me we have to stay here today.¡± Sandra sighed. She hadpletely forgotten to bring an umbre because she left immediately after ss. Plus, the weather report didn¡¯t mention it would rain that day. ¡°I¡¯ll head back in to borrow one.¡± Simon went back into the building. There are so many people in the medical association that I¡¯m sure one of them has an umbre. I guess the security guard will also have one. In the meantime, Tristan¡¯s conspicuous Porsche Cayenne had pulled up in front of the University of Medicine¡¯s front door. Sophie watched her handsome boyfriend get out of the car and open an umbre before walking toward her. ¡°I hope I¡¯m notte.¡± Has she waited for long? ¡°Nope. I just came out. Dr. Smith, Sandra,e with us, and we¡¯ll give you a lift.¡± Sandra shook her head. ¡°It¡¯s fine. I¡¯ll head back with Simon. Didn¡¯t he go searching for an umbre? You don¡¯t have to mind me. Just give Dr. Smith a ride.¡± ¡°All right, then. Make sure to leave with Simon.¡± Simon had gone back in to borrow an umbre, so he should be back in a while. ¡°Sorry for the trouble.¡± Barney didn¡¯t turn down Sophie¡¯s offer. Tristan first helped Barney into the car, then returned to pick up Sophie. ¡°We¡¯ll be going then. You and Simon be careful on your way back.¡± Sophie left with Tristan after that. Tristan was driving while Sophie was in the passenger seat. Barney was quiet in the back seat. ¡°Dr. Smith, why don¡¯t you have dinner with us before going home?¡± Tristan and Sophie would have dinner right after they got home. Barney immediately waved his hands. ¡°No thanks. I need to apany my wife.¡± He finally got the chance to apany his wife after getting some free time. ¡°All right, then. Bring her next time for a meal. It has been a while since Ist saw her.¡± I¡¯m sure she¡¯s bored since she¡¯s all alone here. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about her. She¡¯s getting used to things just fine. Every day after dinner, she would go square dancing with the local olddies. Her Chanaean is now more fluent than mine.¡± Beforeing to Chanaea, Jessica was worried about her proficiency in Chanaean. However, joining the olddies helped her adapt well. ¡°Really?¡± Sophie couldn¡¯t imagine the elegant foreigner dancing with the olddies. ¡°It¡¯s true. She came here because of me, and I really appreciate everything she has done for me.¡± Barney was moved by the thought. Jessica has given up a lot for me. ¡°She loves you deeply.¡± One would only give in to love. When Barney arrived home, Jessica instantly raced out of the house with an umbre when she heard the engine outside. She rushed to his side as he got out of the car in the pouring rain. A gentle smile graced Barney¡¯s lips at the sight of his wife. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you pick up my calls? I even thought about driving there to pick you up.¡± Jessica gave him a light p on his arm. ¡°There¡¯s no need for the trouble. It¡¯s raining cats and dogs out here. I don¡¯t want you driving in such dangerous conditions.¡± Actually, Barney just felt bad for her. Jessica had no sense of direction. He might need to search for her instead if she drove. ¡°Thanks for the ride. Let¡¯s have a meal together next time,¡± Barney said to Sophie and Tristan. ¡°Let¡¯s have dinner together next time, Mrs. Smith.¡± Jessica had always treated Sophie well, so Sophie liked her a lot. ¡°Okay. Let me know beforehand so I can do a facial spa.¡± Jessica was a very particr woman. Despite her age, she would still put a lot of effort into skincare. ¡°You don¡¯t need a facial spa. Your skin is so supple,¡± Barney ttered. Jessica cast a side nce at him. ¡°All right. Stop your ttery. Don¡¯t think I¡¯ll forgive you for breaking my favorite vase just because you tter me.¡± Barney reached for the umbre handle and wrapped an arm around Jessica¡¯s waist as they headed into the house. Despite theirck of children, they still lived a blissful life because they had each other at the very least. Sophie watched the two with admiration. ¡°I hope we can be the same as them when we¡¯re old and gray.¡± Their rtionship sure is admirable. Tristan reached for Sophie¡¯s hand. ¡°We definitely will. We can also be as happy.¡± We¡¯ll live the rest of our lives hand in hand. On the ride back, Sophie brought up Ophelia. ¡°You don¡¯t have to consider me when you make a decision about Ophelia.¡± ¡°Ophelia? She went to see you?¡± What¡¯s wrong with that woman? Why did she look for Sophie? Exclusive ? material by N?(/v)elDrama.Org. ¡°She didn¡¯t say much. I¡¯d always known she liked you.¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t you jealous?¡± ¡°Why would I be? You don¡¯t even like her.¡± As long as she was certain of that, the rest didn¡¯t matter. Fine. My woman has always been rational. Tristan pulled away from the Smiths¡¯ and drove to the Lombard residence. They were having dinner with William that day. In the meantime, William had been waiting for Tristan and Sophie. Ysabelle and Sarah had already arrived, but the couple was still nowhere to be seen. ¡°Dad, should we eat first? Aren¡¯t you hungry?¡± I don¡¯t think he can wait with an empty stomach for long at his age. It¡¯s already eight o¡¯clock. ¡°It¡¯s fine. Since we already waited for them for this long, we might as well dine with them.¡± Despite his displeasure, William supposed Tristan and Sophie would arrive soon. The sound of an engine soon came from outside. ¡°Old Mr. Lombard, Mr. Tristan and Ms. Tanner are back,¡± the butler reported. ¡°Set the table. We¡¯ll be having dinner soon,¡± William immediately ordered. Tristan and Sophie walked into the house. Their clothes were slightly wet. ¡°Sorry for making you wait. We ran into a bit of trouble on the way back,¡± Sophie apologized sheepishly. ¡°We¡¯re a family, so there¡¯s no need for apologies. Ysabelle, take Sophie to change out of her wet clothes,¡± William said. Chapter 881 Chapter 881 Chapter 881 Hold On Sabelle immediately stood up. ¡°Sophie, let¡¯s go upstairs and change our clothes. Due to the heavy rain today, they still got a little drenched despite arriving by car. ¡°Mm.¡± Sophie didn¡¯t want to dy any longer either because that would waste everyone¡¯s time. Meanwhile. Tristan went to his room to get changed. When they came downstairs after putting on a new outfit, they discovered they would be having BBQ for linner. The Lombards rarely ate BBQ, but after William learned that Sophie enjoyed eating it, he decided that would be their dinner tonight. That was how everyone in the Lombard family was-always looking out for those they held dear. Sophie, you must be delighted! Grandpa suggested we have BBQ, all for your sake.¡± Ysabelle was a little Envious. The elder was somewhat stubborn, but once he epted someone, he would treat them Grandpa has never changed his ways for anyone else, not even for me, the most favored little princess of the Lombards. Frankly, you guys don¡¯t have to change your lifestyle to suit me. I¡¯m fine with eating anything.¡± Their consideration was causing Sophie to feel a little embarrassed. All right. Come over and eat, everyone. Quit twaddling,¡± William uttered in displeasure. n the past, he genuinely didn¡¯t think highly of BBQ, but he realized now that as long as the family was ogether merrily, it didn¡¯t matter what they ate. Tristan pulled out a chair for Sophie to sit on before taking the seat beside her. Okay, everyone¡¯s here. Let¡¯s dig in! I¡¯m starving,¡± Sarah chirped. Mm.¡± William picked up his cutlery, and everyone else followed suit. The group had a great time throughout the meal. Caking in the jolly demeanor of his family members, William felt beyond contented. This bliss is more than can ever ask for. At this age. I truly don¡¯t have any more demands. All I wish is for my family to be safe and happy- By the way, Sophie, I heard there¡¯s a traditional-style bridal gown boutique with beautiful dresses. How bout we go and take a look tomorrow?¡± Sarah had heard about the shop at work today. There¡¯s no need. I¡¯ve already arranged for someone to design the wedding dress.¡± Tristan didn¡¯t want to et Sophie worry about that matter because he could handle it all by himself. Isn¡¯t your wedding still some time away? Why have you started preparing already?¡± This younger brother of mine has always beenmitted when ites to dealing with Sophie¡¯s affairs. ¡°I can manage those preparations.¡± The wedding is an asion I¡¯ve been looking forward to for a long time, so how can I not prepare for it wholeheartedly? ¡°Okay. I only have one request-the wedding must be magnificent.¡± William, being of advanced age, was fond of a more stately wedding ceremony. ¡°Got it, Dad. Don¡¯t worry. Lincoln and I will help make sure everything¡¯s splendid,¡± Sarah immediately. Father is old and should be resting well at home. We can take care of these matters. ¡°If we need any help, we¡¯ll let you guys know, but rest assured until we ask for your assistance. Tristan wanted to take charge of every detail of the wedding personally. ¡°Uncle Tristan, shouldn¡¯t you take Sophie¡¯s feelings into consideration about the decision-making for this wedding?¡± A wedding was a matter involving two parties, so both must be on the same page with the arrangements. ¡°I have no objections.¡± Sophie was really busy. She figured since Tristan enjoyed doing it, she¡¯d simply let him handle everything Ysabelle was rendered speechless. How can Sophie not contribute any ideas when this is her wedding? Although Felix and I haven¡¯t decided how we will proceed in our rtionship, I¡¯ve already had numerous visions for my own wedding. After the BBQ session wrapped up, the three girls headed to Ysabelle¡¯s room. Sophie, we know you¡¯re swamped, but you should also pay more attention to the nning of the wedding!¡± Ysabelle couldn¡¯t stop herself from reminding Sophie. After all, a wedding was an event involving two people, If only one person took care of everything all the time, he or she might feel their partner was disinterested. ¡°I just feel that it¡¯s still early. Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll keep that in mind.¡± Anyhow, that was her own wedding, so Sophie was also quite looking forward to it. ¡°All right. Ysabelle. I¡¯m sure Sophie knows what she¡¯s doing.¡± Sarah had always reckoned that Sophie was a capable girl with many ideas. ¡°Still, I¡¯m really curious about what the custom-made wedding dress Uncle Tristan requested looks like!¡± It must be breathtaking! ¡°I haven¡¯t seen it either. I didn¡¯t even know he had ordered the wedding dress.¡± Sophie was genuinely clueless about that. ¡°It feels like Uncle Tristan has been the only one eager for this wedding to happen, making all the preparations on his own.¡± Sophie fell silent. After contemting briefly, she realized that was indeed the case. But this is my personality. Will Tristan think that I don¡¯t care about him? ¡°I really don¡¯t know how to be more enthusiastic, though. This is just the kind of person I am.¡± ¡°Let me ask you something, Sophie. Have you ever told Uncle Tristan you love him? If you haven¡¯t, you ought to do it! That way, he won¡¯t be so hurt.¡± Sophis mulled it over. Is that really the case? Sarah smiled and patted Ysabelle¡¯s head. ¡°You¡¯re not even an expert in your rtionship, so quit trying to teach others.¡± Every couple has their own way of getting along, after all. What works best for one couple may not be suitable for others. Sarah thought that the most important thing was for both parties to discover a way to enjoy each other¡¯spany at ease. Ysabelle was at a loss for words. Fine. I¡¯ve only been in one rtionship, so my experience is indeed quite limited. ¡°Forget what I said, then!¡± She stuck out her tongue. It¡¯s best if I don¡¯t lead Sophie astray. If I do, Uncle Tristan won¡¯t ever let me off the hook. Noticing the pensive expression on Sophie¡¯s face, Sarah said solemnly, ¡°Sophie, you don¡¯t have to take Ysabelle¡¯s words to heart. This is your rtionship with Tristan. As long as you both feelfortable, that¡¯s enough.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Sophie reckoned Tristan should already know how much she loved him. I¡¯m not good at expressing my feelings, but I truly and deeply love Tristan. Before meeting him, I never imagined I would ever love someone so much. ¡°I understand, Sarah,¡± she added. ¡°You¡¯re so smart; you should be able toprehend what I¡¯m saying.¡± Love had always been a matter between two people, irrelevant to others. After returning to her room, Sophie continued to dwell on that question. In the end, she decided to go to Tristan¡¯s room to look for him.. As no one responded after she knocked on his door, she turned the doorknob, only to find out that the door was unlocked. After hesitating for a few seconds, she still pushed it open. ¡°Tristan, are you here?¡± Upon entering the room, she heard the sshing sound of watering from the bathroom. Tristan seemed to be taking a shower, ¡°Sophie, is that you?¡± No one else in the house would enter his room without his permission, so the mant guessed it was Sophie who came in. C0ntent ? 2024 (N/?)velDrama.Org. ¡°Yes, it¡¯s me. I¡¯ll go back to my room first since you¡¯re showering.¡± ¡°Hold on!¡± Chapter 882 Chapter 882 Chapter 882 I Am My Own Person ¡°I forgot to bring my clothes in here. Can you help me grab them?¡± Tristan shouted from within the bathroom. ¡°All right.¡± Sophie stepped further into the room and saw his clothes lying on the bed. ¡°Have you seen them yet?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Upon approaching the furniture, she saw his underwear resting on it, and her finger trembled. He must be doing this intentionally! Ugh, whatever. It¡¯s merely an undergarment. She picked up his underwear and clothes before approaching and knocking on the bathroom door. In response. Tristan opened the door fully, revealing his totally bare body. Sophie didn¡¯t have the guts to shift her line of sight downward, fearing she would see his junk. ¡°Wait for me. I¡¯ll be done right away.¡± Promptly, he turned around to get dressed. The edges of her lips curved upward. He has such a fantastic figure. I like how defined his muscles are. To think there¡¯de a day when I¡¯m lusting over a man¡¯s body. It¡¯s not my fault, though. His sexy body is to me. I feel thirsty just by ncing at him. Instead of waiting for him in the room, she went to pour herself a ss of water downstairs and felt much better after taking a few sips. Then, she pped her hand in the direction of her countenance to cool her cheeks. Once her face didn¡¯t feel as heated anymore, she grabbed another ss of water before returning to Tristan¡¯s room. By that point, he had already put on his pajamas, which couldn¡¯t hide his masculine charm either. ¡°Where did you go? Didn¡¯t I ask you to wait for me here?¡± ¡°I went downstairs to grab you a ss of water. It¡¯ll be better if you drink some water right after a bath.¡± There¡¯s no way I¡¯ll tell him I left because my throat was a little dry earlier. I¡¯m a woman, for crying out loud. I can¡¯t say such a thing! ¡°Thanks.¡± He covered her hand and took a sip from the ss she was holding. ¡°I thought you left because you had a reaction after seeing my body.¡± She nced at him in response. What the heck¡¯s wrong with him? Even if that is the case, he shouldn¡¯t have said it out loud! Secondster, her cheeks were burning again, much to her dismay. Sophie¡¯s face was already delicate-looking, to begin with. Therefore, when she blushed, she looked incredibly alluring. Gently, the man hugged her. ¡°It¡¯s fine. I won¡¯tugh at you even if you say you¡¯re longing for my body.¡± Just like that, he held her in his arms while she was still holding a cup. Upon hearing his words, she smirked. ¡°Your figure is indeed attractive. I like it a lot.¡± Tristan arched a brow. When did she be this candid? ¡°It¡¯s gettingte. Why aren¡¯t you sleeping yet?¡± he asked. ¡°I couldn¡¯t sleep, so I came to see you. Besides, aren¡¯t you still awake as well?¡± ¡°Mhm!¡± He continued to embrace her with no intention of letting her go. ¡°Do you think I¡¯m a boring person, Tristan?¡± I don¡¯t know any sweet nothings or how to coax people, nor do I care much about anything. Even the wedding is being handled by him alone. It feels like I¡¯m not doing a good job as a girlfriend. ¡°How could I? Why would you say that? I think you¡¯re really interesting!¡± he replied. The man truly liked her the way she was and didn¡¯t need her to change. The only thing he wanted was for her to stay by his side. Nothing else mattered to him. ¡°Truth be told, I really like you.¡± Sophie had never told him that because she wasn¡¯t good at expressing her emotions. As such. Tristan was pleasantly surprised to hear that. ¡°I know. I love you very much too.¡± He was aware, based on her personality, that if she didn¡¯t have feelings for him, she would¡¯ve never put up. with anything. With that, he raised her chin and nted a kiss on her lips. ¡°Did Ysabelle say something to you? You don¡¯t have to take her words to heart. All you need to remember side.¡± is that I only wish you¡¯ll stay by my He didn¡¯t care about what other people did, for every couple had a unique way of getting along. As long as we feelfortable with our rtionship, that¡¯s enough. There¡¯s no need topare ourselves to others. Sophie nodded. ¡°Regardless, I want you to know how much I love you.¡± ¡°I know that now. I¡¯m happy that the person you love is me.¡± Once again, Tristan pecked her lips, causing her to blush. Even though she¡¯s a dauntless and dominant young woman, she still blushed when I said that. I simply can¡¯t describe with words how much I love her, He ced the cup in her hand elsewhere before pressing her body against his as he kissed her. She¡¯s my soulmate. No matter how much I love her, it feels as if it¡¯ll never be enough. Hugging his neck, Sophie tried to mimic how he kissed her. Even though her moves were amateurish, they still greatly satisfied him. It didn¡¯t take long for him to begin feeling parched. ¡°One day, your body will be the death of me.¡± She was bereft of speech. What kind of nonsense is he saying? The man brushed his finger on her cheek lightly. ¡°Let¡¯s go to bed!¡± ¡°I¡¯d best return to my room. It¡¯s unlikely either of us will sleep well in the same room.¡± ¡°No need. Just sleep here.¡± He refused to let her slip out of his grasp. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I won¡¯t do anything¡± I¡¯ve already waited for so long. What difference is a little longer going to make? Once we¡¯re married. I¡¯ll make up for all the time lost anyway. She was a little taken aback by the look in his eyes. Thus, in the end, she still decided to slumber in her room. The next day was a weekend. Even though Sophie had nothing on her agenda, she woke up at seven and jogged for a few rounds. When she came back, William was doing yoga in the courtyard. The elder was pleased to see her exercising in the morning. Upon spotting him, she greeted, ¡°Good morning, Old Mr. Lombard.¡± ¡°Morning!¡± C0ntent ? 2024 (N/?)velDrama.Org. While William continued his activity, she returned to her room for a shower. It wasn¡¯t until the family was having breakfast that Ysabelle finally woke up. She descended the stairs after washing her face but did not change her clothes.. ¡°Do you know what time it is already, Ysabelle? Didn¡¯t I tell you girls need to exercise as well? Did you know that Sophie just came back from a jog?¡± William couldn¡¯t help but nag when he saw his granddaughter like that. ¡°I don¡¯t like jogging, Grandpa. I know that Sophie¡¯s great, but you ought to quit wanting me to be like her. I¡¯m my own person,¡± she retorted. William was rendered speechless. Why such a long¨Cwinded rebut? It¡¯s not like I said much. ¡°How can you speak to your grandfather like that, Ysabelle? He¡¯s only saying that because he cares about you.¡± Lincoln frowned. Chapter 883 Chapter 883 Chapter 883 Does Not Love Me Anymore Ysabelle stuck out her tongue. But that¡¯s the veritable truth! They know full well that I hate exercising Seeing that, William waved a dismissive hand. ¡°All right, no need to chastise her. Such has always been her nature. If she manages to get up early for a morning run someday, hell would¡¯ve really frozen over.¡± ¡°Since you know me so well, Grandpa, you shouldn¡¯t have nagged me.¡± Ysabelle was the kind of person who preferred lying down to sitting and would never stand if given a choice to have a seat. She was inherentlyzy, and that was something she could never change. Meanwhile, Sophie chuckled. ¡°Everyone¡¯s lifestyle is different. It doesn¡¯t matter so long as she¡¯sfortable with her life. All I did was wake up earlier for a morning run. ¡°Sure enough, Sophie loves me most!¡± Ysabelle eximed with a wide grin. ¡°Hey, why are you calling her Sophic? That¡¯s rude!¡± William reproached. ¡°Call her Aunt Sophie henceforth.¡± Words promptly eluded Ysabelle. At the same time, sheer difiture swamped her. Gosh, Sophie is more than a month younger than me, okay? I really can¡¯t bring myself to call her Aunt! ¡°I¡¯ll do so when they¡¯ve gotten married, Grandpa.¡± Verily, it was too awkward an address for her right then. ¡°Anyhow, you¡¯re not allowed to be so rude in the future.¡± The atmosphere was harmonious as they had breakfast together. Ysabelle was the only person who was a touch despondent. ¡°I think Grandpa doesn¡¯t love me anymore, Aunt Sarah.¡± ¡°What nonsense are you spouting? He loves you the most. Everyone in this family loves you!¡± Even Sophie dotes on her despite being younger than her ¡°Oh well, I can no longer feel the love. Grandpa likes Sophie a lot now. I just knew it! Who wouldn¡¯t like a girl like her?¡± Beyond the shadow of a doubt, the tide has turned. -¡°Yeah.¡± Indeed, Dad¡¯s attitude has changed significantly. In the past, he disapproved of Sophie, but now, he defends her at every turn. But then, she¡¯s worthy of it. Anyone with eyes can¡¯t miss her outstanding qualities! On her way to the University of Medicine, Sophie received a call from Nichs. ¡°Didn¡¯t you promise to treat me to a meal the next time I travel to Chanaea. Sophie? I¡¯vee now.¡± He had settled everything in Anndur and consulted a psychologist. However, that did him no good, for he still had feelings for Sophie. ¡°What do you mean? Are you in Chanaca right now?¡± ¡°Nope. Come and pick me up at the airport, won¡¯t you? I¡¯m boarding the ne now, and I¡¯ll arrive tonight.¡± Nichs hoped that she would pick him up at the airport. We can be considered friends now, right? Besides, doesn¡¯t she still owe me a favor? ¡°Okay. Text me the details of your flight. I¡¯ll go and pick you up at night. After all, I did owe him one previously. Hearing that, the man was over the moon. ¡°Sure! Remember toe and pick me up. Otherwise, I¡¯ll be utterly disappointed.¡± Undeniably, he lowered himself markedly in his love. ¡°Will do.¡± After hanging up the phone, Sophie heaved a sigh. He¡¯s simply a ticking time bomb. No one can predict what he might do. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Exclusive ? material by N?(/v)elDrama.Org. ¡°Nichs ising, and he even asked me to go and pick him up at the airport tonight. Didn¡¯t I owe him. a favor back then? I¡¯ll treat him to a meal.¡± At that, Tristan went silent. He genuinely detested Nichs. ¡°There¡¯s no need to bother about him. Go and pick him up? Who does he think he is?¡± What right does he have to ask Sophie to pick him up? In a sh, Sophie was rendered speechless. Whoa! The hostility between men is pretty intense as well. Subsequently, Tristan drove Sophie to the University of Medicine. He knew that she would undoubtedly keep her word after giving it. Thus, he stated, ¡°I¡¯ll go with you to pick him up tonight, and I¡¯ll also treat him to the meal you owe him. together with you.¡± That was his greatest concession. It was only because he respected her that he made such apromise. If not, it would have been beyond the realms of possibility. ¡°Mm, okay.¡± Sophie was not an unreasonable person either, very much satisfied with the middle ground. That day was the first time she attended a lecture. As she skipped grades, her ssmates were seniors. They were all several years older than her. Everyone was exceedingly curious about her since she was a legendary genius. Unexpectedly, they had even be ssmates with her. It was a theoretical lecture that day. In truth, Sophie could forgo the sses, but Dominic had asserted that she still needed to afford the few professors some respect when she had just skipped grades. Otherwise, the professors would feel humiliated. For that reason, she came. Choosing a seat in a corner, she sat down, ignoring all the scrutinizing gazes aimed at her. ¡°This junior is very arrogant!¡± ¡°At a single nce, I can tell that she¡¯s full of herself!¡± ¡°Well, she has the capability to back it up. When someone is capable, she¡¯s right no matter what she does!¡± ¡°What¡¯s with the lot of you? If I had her capabilities, I would¡¯ve graduated directly. Even professors can¡¯t solve the questions she answered.¡± Some people were jealous, while others admired Sophie. Such was human nature. When there were decent people, bad seeds naturally existed. Nheless, all those people did not affect her in the slightest., and soon, the professor arrived. He was likewise brimming with curiosity about the legendary figure of the University of Medicine. As such, he called on her on that very first day. ¡°As a neer, Sophie, please introduce yourself to us all.¡± Sophie stood up. ¡°Hello, I¡¯m Sophie Tanner.¡± After saying that, she sat back down. Following that, all sounds ceased. The huge lecture hall suddenly felt rather quiet, as that self-introduction was simply too brisk and sinct. ¡°All right, you¡¯re all ssmates henceforth. If there¡¯s anything you all don¡¯t understand, feel free to ask Sophie.¡± No matter what, Sophie¡¯s capabilities were incredibly outstanding. If not, she would never have been able to skip grades, bing a senior from a freshman. ¡°A genius like her would never bother about ordinary people like us.¡± ¡°Cut it out, and stop being jealous. It¡¯s wholly because of her capabilities that she can skip grades. We¡¯ve all seen her test papers, and her answers were wless.¡± In reality, it took great courage to admit that one was ordinary, especially before a genius. However, if one did not even have that much courage, one could never possibly be a good doctor. When Sophie stepped out of the lecture hall after ss, she spotted Simon and Sandra waiting outside ¡°How did it go, Sophie? Were the seniors good to you on your first day attending final-year sses?¡± She has always been a person who¡¯s slow to warm up to others. I wonder if the seniors would pick on her since she alone in the fourth year! ¡°It was fine. I can adapt to things. Sandra had run into a problem and could not figure it out. Since she came to seek Sophie out then, she seized the opportunity to ask thetter about it. ¡°You¡¯ve improved a lot these days, Sandra. The fact that she could ask such a question is evidence that she has really made headway. Sophie¡¯spliment turned Sandra sheepish. ¡°I still have a long way to gopared to you.¡± Her dream was to be a good doctor, and she had always worked hard to that end. Yet, she could never shake off the feeling that shecked the talent for it. But with Sophie¡¯s help then, she felt that she might be able to realize her aspiration. She added, ¡°Speaking of that, Sophie, I¡¯ve got to thank you. If it weren¡¯t for you, I would¡¯ve likely dropped out.¡± Chapter 884 Chapter 884 Chapter 884 A Sessor ¡°Actually, Sandra, you¡¯re an incredibly talented person. All you need is a little more confidence.¡± Sophie felt that Sandra seriouslycked faith in herself. Simon nodded in agreement. ¡°You¡¯re already amazing, Sandra. Look at me. I used to be rotten to the core in the past! But am I not quite confident now?¡± She certainly doesn¡¯t have to be so diffident when even I, whozed around and did nothing, could have such confidence! Then, he offered, ¡°How about this? After you graduate, you can work at my father¡¯s hospital.¡± She merely wants to be a doctor, yes? Considering her capabilities now, she has her choice of hospitals. ¡°Thank you, guys. If it weren¡¯t for the two of you, I really wouldn¡¯t know what to do.¡± Admittedly, Sophie and Simon have both helped me tremendously. ¡°You¡¯re truly incredible, and you¡¯ve also helped us a lot, Sandra. So, continue forging ahead!¡± Simon encouraged, beaming from ear to ear. I can¡¯t imagine what would¡¯ve be of me if I hadn¡¯t met her and Sophie during my freshman year. Sophie had no sses in the afternoon, so she wanted to go to the medical association. Coincidentally. Sandra and Simon were also free, so they all went together. It was not until they had arrived at the medical association that they discovered Arius and Georgina had returned. It was uncertain what happened in Georgina¡¯s hometown, but the duo did not appear to be dating. Arius came over to seek Sophie out. ¡°You pursued her to her hometown, yet you came back without making any progress?¡± Disappointment flooded Sophie. Good Lord! He¡¯s downright inefficient! He isn¡¯t like this when he performs operations usually. Why this abrupt change when ites to wooing a woman? ¡°If not? Did you think something would¡¯ve happened?¡± Georgina was having loads of fun going on blind dates! She never needed me there to lend her a hand! In response, Sophie shook her head. Honestly, Arius, I think you might end up spending the rest of your life alone.¡± Would any woman like him if such is his attitude? ¡°I think so, too!¡± he agreed. As soon as he learned that Georgina would be going on blind dates, he hurriedly went after her. s, he seemed to have made things worse. Fortunately, she still came back with him in the end. But she didn¡¯t seem keen onmunicating with him. In fact, she didn¡¯t even say a word to him during the drive back. ¡°Why are women soplicated, Sophie?¡±mented Arius. ¡°Are they? It¡¯s only because you¡¯re not putting in enough effort.¡± He either likes her or he doesn¡¯t. There¡¯s nothingplicated about it. Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024. Having said that, Sophie no longer bothered with the dense man. When she had finished the work at hand, she sought Georgina out. Thetter seemed calm and unruffled, giving no indication that something unpleasant had transpired. ¡°I hope Arius¡® pursuit of you to your hometown didn¡¯t make any trouble for you?¡± Georgina gave a slight shake of her head. ¡°Sophie. I really like him a lot, but not to the point that I¡¯m willing to cast my dignity aside. Anyway, things are pretty good now. At the very least, my parents won¡¯t force me to go on blind dates anymore. On top of that, I can continue working here.¡± Everything is good. Verily, all is well. The question of whether he loves me isn¡¯t so important anymore. ¡°He¡¯s just inexperienced, Georgina. He has never dated to this day. Give him a bit more time.¡± Sophie understood the kind of person Arius was and knew he had never wanted to hurt anyone. Regretfully, his way of handling things was not good enough sometimes, leading to the situation at present. ¡°Mm. Anyway, I¡¯ll be focusing on work henceforth. As for the rest, I¡¯ll let nature take its course.¡± Not everyone can find the person they love who shares the same feelings. Therefore, it doesn¡¯t matter that I¡¯m not among the sessful ones. Seeing her resignation, Sophie said nothing further on that subject. ¡°The medical association is currently short of a person in charge. I¡¯m thinking about rmending you. What do you think?¡± she asked. ¡°Me? My capabilities aren¡¯t that outstanding in the medical association, so I probably can¡¯t manage.¡± With the medical association being such a massive organization, one would require ster capabilities to be the person in charge. ¡°You won¡¯t be asked to take over immediately. You¡¯ll first be learning from Dr. Smith for a period. If you can manage at that time, you can take over.¡± In truth, Georgina was an exceedinglypetent person. Right then, all she needed was an opportunity. ¡°Really?¡± Never had Georgina realized that she had such capabilities. Ever since she was young, she had always been a member of the studymittee but never a ss monitor. ¡°You can do it! Give it a try first. If you have any questions, you can ask me or go directly to Dr. Smith¡± ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll give it a try, then. Don¡¯t me me if I end up flopping in the end.¡± Following that, Sophie sought Barney out and told him the good news. ¡°You truly don¡¯t need to worry anymore, Dr. Smith! I¡¯ve already found a sessor for you.¡± She genuinely found Georgina to be the perfect candidate. ¡°You aren¡¯t being kind to find me a sessor at all. Instead, it¡¯s clear that you¡¯re afraid I¡¯d ask that of you.¡± That said, Georgina is quite good. If I train her well, she¡¯ll probably do. ¡°In any case, don¡¯t bother about my motive. Most importantly, the final result is good, right?¡± Isn¡¯t that sufficient? ¡°Well, you¡¯re right. Georgina¡¯s talents in the medical field aren¡¯t as outstanding as yours, but she¡¯s still up to par in management.¡± Undeniably, she did a great job managing this ce while we were away. ¡°I¡¯ve already told her that she¡¯d be shadowing you for a time. You only need to train her for a bit. Of course, if she ends up falling short, we¡¯ll look for someone else.¡± But the possibility of that happening is slim to none. ¡°Okay. I trust your judgment. Since you think she¡¯s capable of it, she must be.¡± Sophie has shrewd discernment, so anyone she approves of will basically turn out fine. ¡°Yeah. Thank you for your trust in me, Dr. Smith.¡± The feeling of someone believing in her thrilled Sophie. On the contrary, Arius was downright chagrined when he learned that Sophie had asked Georgina to be the person in charge of the medical association. ¡°How could you do this, Sophie? Georgina trusts you implicitly, yet you sabotaged her?¡± ¡°How did I sabotage her? Isn¡¯t she disappointed in love and would like to shift her focus to work?¡± Moreover, the culprit is standing right in front of me. In a trice, Arius fell silent, left without a retort. ¡°No, Sophie, she can¡¯t be the person in charge.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think this is something you can decide. Who are you to her, and what right do you have to make a decision on her behalf?¡± Once more, Arius was struck dumb. He immediately went to look for Georgina. ¡°Georgina, you can¡¯t be the person in charge, okay?¡± ¡°Why can¡¯t I? Do you think Ick the capability for it?¡± Chapter 885 Chapter 885 Chapter 885 Powerless ¡°Do you find it fun to toy with me, Arius? Is it because I like you that you think you can treat me however you please?¡± When Georgina uttered those words, anguish hit her hard. What have I ever done besides having feelings for him? Even if I like him a lot, I still have my dignity! What gives him the right to think I¡¯ll agree to date him with just a lift of a finger? The sight of her devastated had Arius at a loss for a moment. ¡°That¡¯s not what I meant, Georgina. I really want to try dating you. Who knows, we can be happy? Ultimately, tears escaped her eyes. Who knows? He¡¯s giving me a spark of hope when I¡¯d just decided to give up, thinking I¡¯ll be moved by it, huh? The instant he saw that she was crying, his panic mounted. In all honesty, he had no idea how to interact with women. However, distress inundated him for real to see her shedding tears. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Georgina. Forget it if you¡¯re unwilling to give me a chance. Please don¡¯t cry!¡± I¡¯ve never intended to hurt her. Truly, never once had it crossed my Unfortunately, Georgina wept even harder upon hearing that. ¡°It¡¯s precisely because you don¡¯t like me that you don¡¯t even care!¡± she roared. On the heels of that. mortification deluged her. Without warning. Arius hugged her. ¡°I¡¯m serious, Georgina. I actually don¡¯t have any strong points. Although I¡¯ve attained some aplishments in the medical field. I¡¯m afraid I¡¯m not the type of man you want in life.¡± With his arms wrapped around her. Georgina¡¯s heart raced wildly. She felt as though it was going to pound out of her chest. ¡°Arius¡­¡± She honestly did not quite know how else she should exin things to him. I like him purely because of the person he is. Never had I considered other reasons. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I never meant to hurt you. But when I learned that you were heading back to your hometown N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner. to go on blind dates, I felt absolutely wretched. That¡¯s the only reason I cast caution to the wind and went to look for you. Arius finally bared his heart. ¡°Really? You were wretched when I left?¡± Perhaps he merely doesn¡¯t know how to love. And maybe there¡¯s still a speck of hope for me. ¡°Mm, I was really wretched when I learned that you were leaving¡± At longst, a smile bloomed on Georgina¡¯s face. ¡°Okay, we¡¯ll try dating, then. You don¡¯t need to feel pressurized. I won¡¯t me you if things don¡¯t work out at the end of the day.¡± After all, not all rtionships are destined to end in marriage, nor do all lovers get together. Not to mention, our rtionship is starting from my unrequited love in the first ce. Surprisingly, Arius furrowed his brows. ¡°You¡¯re too pessimistic, Georgina. I like you. As such, I¡¯ll try my best to make this rtionship work. I won¡¯t allow anyone to hurt you.¡± He embraced the woman in front of him tightly. ¡°But I¡¯ve already promised Sophie, and I do want to try being the person in charge of this ce.¡± As Georgina had agreed to it, she felt that she still wanted to give it a try. ¡°All right. As long as you¡¯re happy, I have no objections.¡± Argh! Sophie is too devious! If Georgina were to be the person in charge, how could I be able to sit back and do nothing? Arius felt as though he had been set up. s, there was nothing he could do about it. I can neither beat her in a physical match nor win an argument against her. In the end, I¡¯ll have no choice but to slog silently. ¡°What¡¯s with this expression of yours? Are you already regretting it now?¡± The moment Georgina glimpsed the look on his face, her heart sank. To her surprise, he kissed her on the mouth. While it was nothing more than a brief peck, the woman flushed bright red and pushed him lightly. ¡°What are you doing? We¡¯re at the medical association. What if someone were to see that?¡± ¡°Why? Am I such a disgrace? So be it if someone were to see that. What¡¯s the big deal about it?¡± Arius found nothing wrong about dating at his age. Georgina never expected the man to behave thus once he had decided to date her. She had assumed they would be dating in secret. They both worked at the medical association, after all. It would be awkward for everyone if things did not work out between the two in the end. ¡°Remember this, Georgina Bates¨Cyou¡¯re mine now, so don¡¯t you go on those ridiculous blind dates anymore. I won¡¯t be happy about it. ¡°Okay, got it.¡± Georgina had not wanted to go for those blind dates either. Her parents had arranged them, as they worried about her being alone. After Arius had cated Georgina, he went in search of Barney. Despite the man¡¯s arrival, Barney did not even spare him a nce. ¡°Georgina is actually unsuited to be the person in charge. Dr. Smith,¡± Arius stated, cutting straight to the chase. Still. Barney went about his work. ¡°That¡¯s not something for you to decide. Since she has agreed to it herself, we¡¯ll see how it goes first.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve gotten together with her. Dr. Smith.¡± ¡°So?¡± ¡°I hope she¡¯ll have more time for herself.¡± That¡¯s your business. It has nothing to do with me.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve obeyed you to the letter all these years. Dr. Smith. Yet, you won¡¯t even agree though I¡¯m only asking you for a meager favor now?¡± ¡°How about you take the job instead, then? If she¡¯s unsuited, you certainly fit the bill!¡± grumbled Barney. Sophie might not have the time as she has many things on her te, but the same can¡¯t be said of him. Just then. Sophie knocked on the door and stepped in. When she saw Arius there, her lips curved into a devilish smile. The sight of her grinning had fury ze to life within Arius. ¡°Aren¡¯t I good to you. Sophie Tanner? Why must you sabotage me like this?¡± She doesn¡¯t want the job, so she foisted it on Georgina! At that. Sophie¡¯s smile grew even wider. ¡°I know you¡¯re good to me, but so what? It was Georgina¡¯s decision to be the person in charge of the medical association. I didn¡¯t coerce her into it.¡± How could he me this on me? ¡°I¡¯m sure you did it on purpose, picking on her because she¡¯s innocent and na?ve!¡± ¡°She has her own mind. Besides, if you don¡¯t want her to be the person in charge, you can take the job. instead! Dr. Smith and I have no objections at all.¡± That had Arius at a loss for words. ¡°The two of you are obviously in cahoots! No one is on my side.¡± Despondency swamped him. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. There¡¯ll be someone on your side henceforth.¡± Georgina will definitely take his side, considering how much she likes him. ¡°Hmph!¡± Arius was utterly frustrated. ¡°Being the person in charge isn¡¯t that bad, Arius. We¡¯ll help if she were to run into some problem¡± We¡¯re not going to dump all the problems onto Georgina. We¡¯re only going to have her handle some of the daily matters. As for the otherplicated stuff, we¡¯re not going to sit back and do nothing. ¡°Exactly! Are we such people? Of course, if she isn¡¯t willing to take the job in the end, we aren¡¯t going to force her.¡± Barney affirmed. We¡¯re not such unreasonable people! Arius let out a heavy sigh. Ugh! I¡¯m truly powerless before Sophie! ¡°Fine. But let me put this out there first¨Cyou¡¯ll have to handle it yourselves if it involves someone problematic!¡± Chapter 886 Chapter 886 Chapter 886 He Is Here Arius suggestion isn¡¯t even a suggestion! Won¡¯t he pitch in and help if a problematic person shows up? Will he actually stand on the sidelines and watch if Georgina has a tough time? Sophie¡¯s amused smile deepened. Seeing that, Arius felt a chill run down his spine. He sighed internally. I really have no chance of winning against this girl. ¡°Dr. Smith, your mentee is way too ferocious. I don¡¯t like her one bit,¡± heined. Barney didn¡¯tment on that and ignored him. Arius¡® opinion wasn¡¯t vital to him whatsoever. By nightfall, Tristan hade to pick Sophie up for dinner. When they reached the airport, the ne had alreadynded. His expression darkened at the thought of picking up Nichs. Enough of this guy! I don¡¯t know why he¡¯s evening here at this juncture. Even though he helped us in Anndurst time. I haven¡¯t forgotten how he caused Father and Sarah to get into a car ident. Sophie grabbed his hand. ¡°If you don¡¯t want to see him, you can head back first.¡± She didn¡¯t want to force him since she could meet Nichs by herself. ¡°I¡¯m fine. You don¡¯t have to consider my feelings.¡± Tristan was truly fine; he merely loathed that trash, Nichs The couple stood there for a while before spotting Nichs pass through the sliding doors. d in a ck trench coat and sunsses on his nose, he looked like he was posing for a photoshoot. Meanwhile, following behind him was Richard. Only the two of them came. A smile spread across Nichs¡® handsome face when he saw Sophiee to pick him up as promised. It was her first time picking him up throughout the many years they knew each other. ¡°Sophie, I genuinely didn¡¯t expect you toe and fetch me. I¡¯m over the moon. I took your advice and went to consult a psychologist.¡± Aren¡¯t I good? I¡¯m obedient, right? ¡°Whether you consult with a psychologist or not is your issue. It¡¯s your own choice if you actually did kill yourself.¡± It has nothing to do with anyone else. Tristanpressed his lips. Tristan Lombard, what¡¯s the matter with you? I didn¡¯t ask you to fetch me, did I? You decided toe here and be the third wheeler of your own free will, and now you¡¯re spouting nonsense.¡± Is there even a point for him to be here? ¡°Don¡¯t forget, Nichs Sable, that I¡¯m Sophie¡¯s boyfriend! The third wheeler here is you!¡± Tristan refuted brusquely. We can have a go right here if he disagrees. I don¡¯t have any objections. ¡°All right. It¡¯s gettingte. Let¡¯s get you to the hotel, and I buy you lunch tomorrow proposed Sophise Both men, including Richard, were good¨Clooking and would easily gain passersby¡¯s attention if they gathered around. With Nichs identity, it wasn¡¯t appropriate for him to show up in Chanaca. ¡°Okay. I¡¯ll listen to everything you say.¡± The current Nichs decided to be good and obedient. He figured Sophie wouldn¡¯t treat him too badly if he obeyed her demands. Tristan didn¡¯t even want to respond to him. He wrapped his arm around Sophie¡¯s shoulder and led her out. of the airport, deeming people like Nichs undeserving of his attention The rest is really unimportant. Nichs clenched his fists at seeing Tristan¡¯s arm around Sophie. This f*cking Tristan! It looks like he¡¯s eager for a fight. I have no objection if that¡¯s what he wants, Noticing the anger simmering within Nichs, Richard hurriedly said. ¡°Boss, women are soft¨Chearted¡® Ms. Tanner might sympathize with you more if you be obedient and stay on her good side!¡± ¡°Sympathize with me? Do 1, Nichs Saber, need others sympathy? ¡°Boss, that¡¯s not what I¡¯m saying. Many feelings of love stem from sympathy! All women pity the weak, don¡¯t they? ¡°All right. I got it. I can act more pitiful.¡± Nichs made up his mind. Tristan opened the passenger seat door for Sophie, so Nichs and Richard could only sit in the backseat. ¡°Sophie, I think I¡¯m not feeling too well.¡± ¡°Really? We should send you straight to the hospital in that case!¡± The hospital is the only ce to go if he¡¯s not feeling well. No one can give him better treatment. Nichs was speechless at the suggestion. Why do I have to go to the hospital if I¡¯m feeling fine? ¡°Didn¡¯t you study medicine? You can just examine me, he suggested at once. He only wanted her to examine him. ¡°You¡¯d better shut up, Nichs Sable!¡± Nichs was getting on Tristan¡¯s nerves. Why is he acting like a fake? Nichs merely cast a pitiful look at Sophie. ¡°I didn¡¯t say anything wrong. Sophie! Look at him! He keeps singling me out!¡± The actions of the childish Nichs made others speechless. ¡°Cut it out, Nichs. Tristan is my fianc¨¦. Of course, he¡¯s not going to be happy if you say stuff like that.¡± He¡¯d better know his ce. Nichs¡® mood turned gloomy. For the rest of the journey, he didn¡¯t say anything. Forget it. What else can I say? The couple dropped him and Richard off at the hotel lobby. Sophie didn¡¯t even get out of the car. ¡°All right. It¡¯ste, and I need to go back and rest. I still have plenty of important things to do tomorrow ¡°Why don¡¯t we have supper together? I¡¯m still hungry after eating the in¨Cflight meal¡± In¨Cflight food really does taste terrible. ¡°TII buy you lunch tomorrow, Nichs. Consider the meal as me repaying you for the favor since I can¡¯t respond to your feelings any other way.¡± Sophie didn¡¯t like him. No matter what he did, nothing could change that fact. ¡°I didn¡¯t mean anything by it, Sophie. I just wanted to have a meal with you. You don¡¯t have to think the worst of me.¡± She¡¯s right. I was quite terrible in the past, but I¡¯m sincere in wanting to be better now. Why doesn¡¯t anyone me? ¡°Nichs, I can tell you now that I don¡¯t care regardless of how you changed. Hence, save your breath if you have any other ulterior motive.¡± She didn¡¯t want to give him the wrong impression. ¡°Okay, get some rest, then! We¡¯re leaving.¡± On the heels of her words, she gestured for Tristan to pull away from the hotel. Since the only person she loved was Tristan, she wouldn¡¯t give anyone else even the slightest bit of a chance. ¡°Are you okay, Boss?¡± Richard nced at Nichs with concern. Even though he¡¯s been seeing a psychologisttely, he still can¡¯t control his emotions well. Plus, we¡¯re presently in Chanaea. We can¡¯t just do anything ording to our whims and fancies. Nichs inhaled a deep breath. N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner. ¡°I¡¯m fine. Didn¡¯t we already expect such an oue? There¡¯s no way she¡¯ll like me out of the blue.¡± Since he¡¯d already mentally prepared himself, he got a handle on his emotions. ¡°Ms. Tanner only has Tristan in her heart. She¡¯ll never like you unless he¡¯s taken out of the picture permanently.¡± ¡°Then, let¡¯s kill him.¡± As long as I can achieve my goal, the consequences be damned. Chapter 887 Chapter 887 Chapter 887 Because Of Sophie However, they were now in Chanaca. Their previous attempt to kill Tristan in Anndur had already failed. It would prove even more challenging to carry out their n in Chanaca. ¡°Boss, you must be tired after such a long flight. Let¡¯s go back, take a rest, and not think about it.¡± ¡°All right.¡± Meanwhile, Tristan¡¯s discontentment with Nichs being with Sophie continued to persist. While they were on their way back, Sophie grabbed his hand. ¡°You should know I can¡¯t go against the promise I made earlier. But I assure you, this will be thest time. You have to trust me.¡± Sophie just wanted to repay his kindness and settle old scores with him over a meal. ¡°All right.¡± This is from N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Then smile for me, please? The serious expression on your face is terrifying me!¡± Sophie quipped. Tristan took hold of her hand and gave it a peck. ¡°I thought nothing in this world could frighten you?¡± Tristan asked. What else could she be terrified of? ¡°No way! I¡¯m scared to see you upset.¡± She just wanted Tristan to be happy. ¡°Okay. All right, then.¡± Tristan shed her a smile in response. She¡¯s right. Since I¡¯m the man she loves, nothing Nichs does can ever change that. So why should I be bothered by someone like him? ¡°Tristan, do you know you look great when you smile?¡± ¡°Well, I should smile more often, then.¡± I¡¯ll smile more frequently since she likes it. ¡°I want you to be happy when you¡¯re with me. I don¡¯t want to be a burden to you,¡± Sophie said. And I don¡¯t want him to be upset because of me. It would make me feel upset as well. ¡°Don¡¯t overthink. I¡¯ll always be happy when you¡¯re with me.¡± How else should I convince her that I¡¯m not upset anymore? Sophie hummed in acknowledgment, understanding that her love for Tristanpelled her to bring him happiness rather than evoke any negative emotions within him. When Sophie reached home, she received a call from Butterfly. ¡°I heard Nichs is here. If possible. I would like to buy him a meal to thank him for saving my life.¡± ¡°Why are you telling me this? You can do anything you want.¡± Sophie stood still as Tristan squatted down to remove her shoes. ¡°I can do it myself¡­¡± Sophie whispered. However, Tristan had already grabbed her ankle and untied her shoces. ¡°All right, then! I¡¯ll find a day and treat him to a meal.¡± Butterfly just wanted to repay the kindness of anyone who had helped her before. Although Nichs¡® primary motivation for rescuing her was Sophie, it did not diminish the fact that he had saved her. ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll end the call if there¡¯s nothing else you want to say.¡± Sophie then hung up on her. Meanwhile, Tristan had helped her put on a pair of slippers. ¡°You don¡¯t have to do this for me. I can do it myself.¡± Sophie could not help but appreciate how well Tristan treated her. ¡°All right, let¡¯s get in!¡± Tristan wrapped his hand around her slim waist and walked into the house. ¡°Okay.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll go and take a shower now,¡± Tristan said. Sophie bobbed her head in acknowledgment. Since Tristan was taking a shower, she yed a song on her phone and sat on the couch with no urgency to attend to any tasks. Feeling exhausted, she just wanted to sit there and take a break. Upon emerging from the bathroom, Tristan spotted her lounging on the couch. She was engrossed in the music ying on her phone. Tristan settled down beside her and asked, ¡°Why don¡¯t you go get a shower? It¡¯s gettingte.¡± Sophie held his arm and snuggled against him, taking in the pleasant scent of his freshly showered body and the fragrance of the body shampoo. She didn¡¯t even open her eyes. ¡°I¡¯m tired. I don¡¯t feel like doing anything.¡± Tristan massaged her shoulders gently. ¡°Take a few days off and get some rest if you¡¯re tired. You¡¯ve been overwhelmed with too many tasks.¡± Tristan recognized that she was overwhelmed by a multitude of tasks, each of which posed its own challenges that led to her exhaustion. ¡°I am taking a rest now,¡± Sophie said. In Tristan¡¯s presence, she felt a sense of relief and a burden lifted from her shoulders. No one else could ease her tension the way he did. That was probably why she enjoyed hispany. Tristan provided her with a sense offort and helped her forget about the pressures she faced. That was why she was so adamant about staying by his side. ¡°Come on. Once you¡¯ve taken a shower, you can rest in bed. It¡¯s notfortable to sleep on the couch like this.¡± Tristan carried her in his arms. ¡°And, of course, if you¡¯re exhausted and don¡¯t feel like cleaning up. "I dly lend a hand.¡± That was something he was willing to do. Sophie red at him, yet her hands remained tightly wrapped around his neck. ¡°No, thanks. I don¡¯t want you to have a hard time fighting against your urge,¡± she said. Why does he have to tease me when he knows it¡¯ll only leave him feeling miserable? Her remark rendered him speechless. Oh, well. Fine¡­ ¡°Okay, go ahead and take a shower. After that, you can get some good rest,¡± Tristan said, knowing that she was tired. She did not want to waste her time. Sophis went into the bathroom to take a shower. After the shower, she received a call from Nichs. Not wanting to answer his call, she switched off her phone and went to bed. Nichs, lying on his bed, found sleep elusive. How could Sophie be so cold¨Chearted? It¡¯s like she doesn¡¯t care about my feelings. What have I done wrong? What does Tristan possess that Ick? Why does Sophie fall head over heels for Tristan but not for me? Nichs struggled to sleep well on this solitary night. Sophie was the beautiful nightmare that he could never wake up from. In truth, he had no desire to break free. I guess I¡¯ll just have to go with the flow. The next day, many people arrived at the dinner. Nichs was not exactly pleased to see the other guests. Butterfly, who sat next to him, noticed his darkened face. ¡°Why the long face, Nichs? Everyone came to the dinner because of you. Shouldn¡¯t you be happy?¡± Butterfly said. And these are all influential figures in Jipsdale! ¡°Why, thank you,¡± he sneered. I only wanted to have a meal with Sophie, but these people showed up intentionally. How can I possibly be happy with them around and Sophie so far away? ¡°Come on, Nichs. It¡¯s just a meal. The more, the merrier!¡± Butterfly nearly burst intoughter. He looks kinda cute when he¡¯s bummed. I¡¯ve never seen this side of him before. Butterfly could not help but feel sorry for him. It¡¯s unfortunate that not being able to be with the person he likes, brings out this side of him. ¡°I¡± Nichs was about to throw a fit when he noticed that Sophie was seated directly across from him. Realizing that losing his temper in front of everyone would lead to an unpleasant oue, he held back his anger. There¡¯s nothing I can do. No one is more pitiful than I am right now. ¡°Hey, Nichs. Thanks for saving my life when we were in Anndur. Here¡¯s a toast to you!¡± Butterfly said with grace. ¡°I saved you because of Sophie!¡± I wouldn¡¯t have bothered to rescue her if it weren¡¯t for Sophie! Chapter 888 Chapter 888 Chapter 888 No Chance At All ¡°I know, but I still want to thank you. After all, you even got injured trying to save me back then.¡± She was a person of principle, ¡°Anyway, if you ever need help with anything. I¡¯ll definitely be there for you as long as it¡¯s within my capabilities.¡± ¡°I want Sophie. Can you help me with that?¡± That was his only wish. Butterfly blinked. This request is far beyond my capabilities. ¡°Nichs, you¡¯re just making things difficult for me.¡± How am I in any position to control who Sophie likes? Nichs gulped a mouthful of alcohol. ¡°In that case, there¡¯s nothing you can help me with. I don¡¯tck. anything!¡± Butterfly fell silent. What¡¯s wrong with him? I¡¯m just trying to be nice. Does he have to behave like this? ¡°I really don¡¯t know what else to say to you.¡± Forget it. I won¡¯t force myself since he doesn¡¯t need my help anyway. Nichs felt difort churning within him, seeing Sophie sitting so close to Tristan even though they weren¡¯t doing anything. How I wish she could sit quietly beside me in that manner. Is that too much to ask? Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024. ¡°Nichs, thank you for your help in Anndur. We¡¯re treating you to this meal today to express our gratitude. I hope you¡¯ll enjoy it!¡± Sophie finally raised her wine ss. No matter what, Nichs did help them, so she should extend thanks to him. ¡°I¡¯m willing to do anything for you as long as you need me to, even at the cost of my life!¡± Nichs w truly in love with Sophie. Others couldn¡¯t help but nce at Tristan after hearing Nichs¡® reply. Why would Mr. Tristan¡¯s woman his help? Who does he think he is? Tristan swept his gaze across Nichs coldly. ¡°That¡¯s not necessary. I believe Tristan can provide me with everything I need.¡± There was no way Sophie¡± would let Tristan down. ¡°Nichs, you really should stop trying to win my heart.¡± Sophie genuinely didn¡¯t want Nichs to continue wasting his time. Nichs suddenly felt that the delicious dishes before him weren¡¯t inviting anymore. Sophie has always been like this, never giving me any hope. Tristan was satisfied. In fact, Sophie was already doing a good job, never giving anyone any false hope. However, she was simply too outstanding, causing many people around her to be attracted to her. That was just something beyond her control. Everyone present could tell how pleased Tristan was. So what if Nichs tries so hard? His efforts are futile at the end of the day. Love isn¡¯t an investment that guarantees equal returns. Subsequently, Tristan stayed by Sophie¡¯s side and attended to her needs. Butterfly clicked her tongue. When they were at the restroom, she couldn¡¯t help but ask, ¡°Sophie, is Mr. Tristan provoking Nichs on purpose? Aren¡¯t you afraid of going too far and causing Nichs to flip out?¡± ¡°That won¡¯t happen. He knows where to draw the line. Tristan isn¡¯t an insensible person. He knows what he¡¯s doing. Butterfly shook the water off her hands. ¡°I can¡¯t believe you ce so much faith in Mr. Tristan¡± That¡¯s a given. He¡¯s the man I chose, and we¡¯ll be spending the rest of our lives together.¡± Since we are going to be together for a lifetime, we must trust each other. Besides, I¡¯ve never liked Nichs in the first ce. It¡¯s his problem for being so interested in me. I¡¯ve never led him on. ¡°I¡¯m starting to feel a little sorry for Nichs. Why does he like you so much?¡± Sophie is actually quite heartless toward everyone. Sophie was rendered speechless. ¡°Well, I don¡¯t like Nichs. Even so, are you suggesting I should lead him on?¡± There¡¯s no need to do that, no? If I¡¯m not interested in him. I should just be honest and decisive with my feelings to avoid causing more harm to others. ¡°You¡¯re right. You¡¯re pretty, and whatever you say is right by me.¡± Love has always been aplicated matter. After finishing the meal, Nichs stared at Sophie gloomily like a puppy that had just been abandoned. ¡°Nichs, I¡¯ve already treated you to a meal and fulfilled your wish. It¡¯s time for you to go back.¡± ¡°This doesn¡¯t count. What I wanted was to share a meal alone with you.¡± Nichs riveted his eyes on her. ¡°That¡¯s impossible,¡± Tristan refused firmly. He would never agree to that. ¡°Tristan, what do you mean by that? I¡¯m talking to Sophie now, What gives you the right to butt in?¡± ¡°Are you picking a fight with me? Fine by me!¡± This is a perfect opportunity. I haven¡¯t taken revenge against him for what happenedst time. Nichs clenched his fists and was silent for a few moments. ¡°Sure! Let¡¯s fight if that¡¯s what you want. I don¡¯t mind entertaining you.¡± It¡¯s not like I can¡¯t win, so why not? Listening to their conversation, Butterfly almost burst outughing. She didn¡¯t expect two men as aplished as them to act so childishly. ¡°That¡¯s enough. It¡¯s gettingte. I should head home now.¡± Butterfly almost choked withughter. ¡°Okay.¡± Sophie nodded. Butterfly had her own matters to attend to, so she didn¡¯t have the time to apany them in their tomfoolery. ¡°Tristan, let¡¯s go.¡± Sophie grabbed Tristan¡¯s arm. Can¡¯t he let this matter slide today? If he wants to teach Nichs a lesson, he should do it another day. ¡°All right.¡± Tristan waspliant. After Sophie tugged at his hand, he immediately followed her. He would listen to everything Sophie said. Nichs was left alone in his spot. Grievances filled his eyes, but he could do nothing at that moment. Thir feeling sucke Richard noticed Nichs¡® pathetic state when he came to pick him up. He got out of the vehicle and helped him open the car door. ¡°Boss, let¡¯s head back first¡± Regardless of what happened, he cant stay here forever, right? Nichs nodded and got into the vehicle. Taking in Nichs¡® demeanor, Richard figured he didn¡¯t enjoy the meal. After getting into the car, Nichs took out a cigarette from the pack and lit it up. Then, he opened the window and started smoking- ¡°Boss, are you all right?¡± Richard was slightly unnerved. Although Nichs had visited a psychiatrist, the treatment wasn¡¯t that effective. ¡°I¡¯m fine. I just don¡¯t understand why Sophie never gives me a chance. She¡¯s so cruel to me, but she¡¯s actually quite nice to her friends!¡± ¡°Boss, women are like that. They give their heart to the ones they love but are merciless to the ones they don¡¯t.¡± Richard summarized. ¡°So? Does that mean I have no chance at all?¡± Nichs continued to dwell on that issue. Richard was stumped. He couldn¡¯t answer that question either. He had never been in a rtionship, so he wasn¡¯t that familiar with theplexity of women¡¯s emotions. Nichs felt mncholic. He was almost done putting on one cigarette. Still, he couldn¡¯t figure out an answer. Chapter 889 Chapter 889 Chapter 889 In A Daze When Nichs called, Sophie was deeply engrossed in a research project at the medical association. She felt no inclination to pick up the call when she saw the caller ID. However, Nichs was relentless as he called her again and again. Arius, who hade over to look for Sophie, noticed her phone ringing and stepped in to hang up on Nichs. ¡°Nichs can be really tenacious, huh?¡± Is there really a point to doing this? ¡°Mm¨Chmm.¡± After Arius rejected the call, there was finally peace. ¡°Just block his numberter.¡± ¡°Yes, but even if you block this number, he can just switch to another number and continue calling me. For someone like Nichs, that isn¡¯t a problem at all,¡± Sophie replied, her voice heavy with annoyance. She was sick of his relentless harassment, but there was nothing she could do. She could only ignore Nichs¡® calls. ¡°You, my friend,¡± Arius said with a smirk, ¡°only have yourself to me for being so charming and attracting so many admirers.¡± ¡°I¡¯d rather be without such charm.¡± Sophie yearned for nothing more than peace to conduct her research. Everything else didn¡¯t matter. However, her moment of peace was short¨Clived. To her surprise, Nichs showed up at the medical association and even entered herboratory. Arius and Sophie exchanged a look of disbelief. ¡°How did you get in?¡± Has the security be sor? Nichs shed her a charming smile. ¡°I came to see you! You wouldn¡¯t answer my calls, so I had no choice but toe in person.¡± His words wereced with a hint of indignation. ¡°Why did youe looking for me?¡± It looks like there is a need to reinforce security here at the medical association, Otherwise, anyone can juste in here. I¡¯m feeling unwell. So, I was hoping that you could examine me. Isn¡¯t this your association¡¯s primary research?¡± ¡°All right,¡± she replied tersely. ¡°First, you need to undergo some preliminary tests.¡± Sophie didn¡¯t wish to get into a fight with Nichs in theboratory. Can I erase my existence from Nichs¡® memory? Will that finally put an end to his relentless pursuit? ¡°Really? Have you agreed to examine me?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± ¡°All right. I¡¯m going to give my cooperation for the preliminary tests, then.¡± Sophie called someone to lead Nichs out of theboratory, and the man happily obliged. After all, he just wanted to spend more time with Sophie. ¡°Are you really going to examine him?¡± Arius asked. ¡°He¡¯s not even physically ill. It¡¯s a mental issue.¡± ¡°Arius. I¡¯m considering that perhaps I can erase myself from Nichs¡® memories.¡± She was about to marry Tristan. If Nichs continued to obsess over her after she was married, it would be a nightmare. Nichs is only harassing me now. What about when Tristan and I have a childter on? Who knows what Nichs might do to my child? Nichs was an unpredictable character with no moralpass. He would do anything he wanted without a care for the opinions of others. Arius pondered her words. ¡°Perhaps that¡¯s possible,¡± Arius said. After all, they had the ability to eradicate genes and viruses. So, who was to say they couldn¡¯t do the same for someone¡¯s memories? ¡°But that would require hypnosis, and Nichs will never cooperate with us.¡± ¡°That¡¯s why I agreed to examine him.¡± ¡°All right. I support you no matter what you decide to do.¡± ¡°That¡¯s about it for now. I need to understand more about hypnosis before I proceed further,¡± Sophie said Since Nichs wanted her to examine him, she reckoned this might be an excellent opportunity. She didn¡¯t know what Nichs might do if he found out about her intention, so she had to understand more about the situation before she made any move. Meanwhile, Nichsplied with the series of preliminary tests conducted by the medical association¡¯s personnel before he was led to Sophie¡¯sboratory. ¡°Sophie, are you really willing to examine me?¡± Nichs asked in pleasant surprise. ¡°Yes. Head back home first before I decide on any treatment.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to go back. I want to stay here and apany you.¡± Nichs insisted. He had already found the hypnotist. All hecked was an opportunity. He intended to take Sophie to Anndur. That way, he could make his move. As long as he could make Sophie forget about Tristan, he would finally have his chance. ¡°Nichs, I do not appreciate being disturbed in my work. I hope you don¡¯t n on bing that sort of nuisance I detest.¡± Sophie was well aware that Nichs had never truly given up. His persistence and patience were nothing more than a strategic dy. ¡°Very well. I¡¯ll await your call, then Nichs genuinely didn¡¯t want to be a bother. He knew Sophie¡¯s temperament well. If he continued to pester her, it would inevitably result in a physical confrontation. which he wanted to avoid at all costs. After he left, Sophie began to study the relevant books, Nichs would not trust anyone else with this, so she had to undertake the task herself., Sophie was a smart woman. There was no problem that she had failed to solve, and she was determined not to make this case an exception. She stayed back at the library to study for over two hours. Only when her phone rang did she realize how much time had passed. ¡°Ms. Sophie, it¡¯s me. I didn¡¯t want to disturb you, but I truly have no other option.¡± Wendy¡¯s voice came through the phone. ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± ¡°Ms. Sophie, Ms. Lineker has always listened to you. Could youe and see her? She¡¯s not doing so well,¡± Wendy said in a choked voice. ¡°All right. Where are you? I¡¯ll get there right away.¡± Sophie put away the books in her hand and immediately headed outside. ¡°I¡¯m at Ms. Lineker¡¯s ce. She¡¯s really¡­¡± Wendy trailed off. She was at a loss for words. ¡°Okay. Just wait for me. I¡¯ll be there soon.¡± Sophie had been extremely busytely, and Wilma had been adept at concealing her state, which was why she never realized that Wilma was facing some major issues. As Sophie was about to leave, Simon and Sandra were preparing to leave as well. Simon called out. ¡°Sophie, where are you off to? We¡¯re going out to eat. Would you like to join us?¡± ¡°I¡¯m afraid I can¡¯t. I have something on today.¡± ¡°Where are you going? We can give you a lift.¡± ¡°Sure.¡± As Simon had driven there and it was difficult to hail a cab at this hour, Sophie epted the offer. She shared the address with Simon and then retreated into silence for the duration of the drive. Sandra asked, ¡°Sophie, are you all right? Did something happen?¡± ¡°A friend of mine is in a bit of trouble. I¡¯m going to check on her.¡± ¡°Do you need our help? We¡¯re not particrly busy, and we can always eatter.¡± This is from N?velDrama.Org. ¡°It¡¯s all right. If I really need help, I won¡¯t hesitate to ask you.¡± They arrived at Wilma¡¯s condominium in no time. Sophie got out of the car and headed straight for Wilma¡¯s unit. The moment she opened the door, the whole ce reeked of alcohol, hinting at the amount of alcohol. that she must have consumed. Wendy immediately approached Sophie at the sight of her. ¡°Ms. Sophie, what do we do? We thought Ms. Lineker has recovered, but we never imagined she¡¯s like this when she¡¯s alone at home. Even at work recently, she¡¯s often found to be in a daze.¡± Chapter 890 Chapter 890 Chapter 890 Suicide ¡°All right, I got it! Where¡¯s Ms. Laneker?¡± ¡°She¡¯s in her room. I tried calling out to her, but she wouldn¡¯t open her door. I called you because I got worried. What should we do, Ms. Sophie?¡± Wendy sobbed. She was the only one in the living room, and she hade over because she couldn¡¯t get through to Wilma. As Wilma treated them very well, they were all worried about her. Wilma usually worked hard at the company during the day, so nobody knew that she was still hurting. She had thought she had finally found love after so long, only to have it end like that. Sophie walked up to Wilma¡¯s room and knocked on the door. ¡°Are you in there, Ms. Lineker? It¡¯s me, Sophie. Could you open the door, please? Whatever it is, we can all work things out together.¡± There was no response, and the door remained shut. ¡°I¡¯ve been knocking on her door for an hour, Ms. Sophie. I don¡¯t know what to do! How about we call the police?¡± Wendy suggested. She had tried everything she could, and contacting the police was all that she could think of Ms. Lineker is sad enough as it is. Getting the police involved and creating a huge scene would only make her feel even With that in mind, Sophie shook her head and said, ¡°Ms. Lineker. I¡¯m going to force the door open if you don¡¯t open it!¡± There was still no response from inside the room. Sophie took two steps back and kicked the door open, much to Wendy¡¯s surprise. My goodness! I always thought of Ms. Sophie as a cute and feminine girl. Who would¡¯ve thought she¡¯d actually kick the door open like that? Sophie ignored Wendy¡¯s shocked expression and went straight into the room. She noticed something was amiss the moment she entered and saw Wilma lying in bed with beer bottles all over the floor. Wendy was scared to tears when she saw that Wilma waspletely motionless. ¡°Wake up, Ms. Lineker! What happened to you? Please don¡¯t scare us like this!¡± she eximed while rushing forward. As Sophie made her way over, she noticed an opened bottle of sleeping pills on the nightstand. ¡°What should we do, Ms. Sophie? Ms. Lineker isn¡¯t dead, is she?¡± Wendy had never encountered something like this before, so she didn¡¯t know what to do. After calmly giving Wilma an examination, Sophie forced Wilma¡¯s mouth open and stimted her gag reflex to make her vomit. ¡°Come on. We need to get her to a hospital, Sophie said while scooping Wilma into her arms. She has overdosed on sleeping pills. I may have helped a bit by making her vomit, but we still need to get her to a hospital so they can pump the rest of it out of her ¡°Oh, okay!¡± Wendy nodded and quickly followed behind. Honestly, why would Ms. Lineker try tomit suicide? Life isn¡¯t going to be smooth all the time. So what if she encountered a sc*mbag? She could just forget about him and move on! After arriving at the hospital, Sophie briefly exined Wilma¡¯s condition to a doctor and handed her over. Sophie and Wendy then waited outside while the doctor treated Wilma. ¡°What should we do. Ms. Sophie? What is going to happen to Ms. Lineker?¡± Wendy asked anxiously. She was just fine yesterday. How did things turn out like this so suddenly? Ms. Lineker has always been a strong and independent woman! I can¡¯t believe she would resort to taking her own life because of a sc¡°mbag! ¡°Ms. Lineker will be fine. You don¡¯t have to worry about her.¡± Her current mental state is in really bad condition. She¡¯ll have to see a psychiatrist after this¡­ It takes a lot of courage to even attempt suicide. After all, a person who does not fear death isn¡¯t afraid of anything! Wendy felt a little relieved after hearing that. Sophie is really amazing! If she says Ms. Lineker will be fine, then I have no reason to worry! Their conversation was interrupted when Sophie¡¯s phone started ringing all of a sudden. It was a call from Tristan. ¡°Where are you right now?¡± Tristan called her the moment he got home and saw that she wasn¡¯t around. ¡°I¡¯m at the hospital. Something happened to Ms. Lineker, so I came over to have a look. Fearing that he would get worried, Sophie decided to tell him the truth. Tristan nodded. ¡°Got it. I¡¯lle right over.¡± ¡°Wendy hasn¡¯t eaten yet, so make sure to bring some food with you when youe over.¡± Sophie said. She had asked Wendy to go eat something, but Wendy had insisted on staying because she was worried about Wilma. ¡°All right. I¡¯ll be there in a minute.¡± The doctor had just finished treating Wilma when Tristan arrived, but she was still unconscious at the ume. ¡°Here you go, Wendy. You need to eat something I¡¯ll help look after Ms Lineker. She¡¯s going to be fine.¡± Sophie said while handing her some food. Wendy sure is a kind¨Chearted girl. She¡¯s always there by Ms. Lincker¡¯s side whenever something happens to her. ¡°Is Ms. Lineker really all right? Why isn¡¯t she awake yet? As Wendy was still green, she panicked rather casily when faced with such things. ¡°We managed to get her treated promptly. She¡¯ll be fine.¡± Had Wendy not called her in time, things would have turned ugly for Wilma. While Wendy stepped aside to cat the food, Sophie sat down beside the bed and stared at Wilma, who looked incredibly pale after the treatment. I thought she would be able to pull through just fine, but she ended up attempting suicide instead. Honestly, a se mbag like that really isn¡¯t worth dying for. ¡°You haven¡¯t eaten either, right? Here, you should eat something too.¡± Tristan had bought dinner for two. ¡°I¡¯m not hungry right now. I¡¯ll eat itter. Have you eaten? If not, you should go ahead and eat this instead.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about Ms. Lineker. She¡¯ll be fine.¡± This is all that sc¡°mbag¡¯s fault! Ms. Lineker wouldn¡¯t have ended up like this if it weren¡¯t for him! ¡°It was me who encouraged Ms. Lineker to pursue a rtionship. I didn¡¯t know she would end for that se?mbag of a man.¡± Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024. ¡°This has nothing to do with you. Sophic. It¡¯s not wrong to pursue true love even though good people are rare toe by.¡± ¡°I know that, but I still feel bad for Ms. Lineker.¡± She¡¯s a kind woman, so why can¡¯t she find someone who will love her right? I bet this experience has traumatized her so much that she won¡¯t be able to love anyone ever again! It wasn¡¯t until midnight that Wilma finally woke up. She stared nkly at her surroundings in confusion and tried to sit up straight when she saw Sophie. Sophie quickly stepped forward and helped her up. ¡°I¡¯m sorry to trouble you like this, Ms. Sophie.¡± Even after everything that had happened, Wilma was still incredibly polite toward Sophie. ¡°Why would you try to take your own life, Ms. Lineker? I thought you were all better, but then you¡­.¡± Wendy couldn¡¯t bring herself to continue that sentence. ¡°You still have us, Ms. Lineker! Everyone here at Transfix Cosmetics will stand by your side!¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry. Wendy. Did I scare you? I¡­¡± Wilma found herself at a loss for words as she thought about what she had done. She had swallowed all those sleeping pills because she couldn¡¯t bring herself to ept the oue of her situation. Chapter 891 Chapter 891 Chapter 891 We Broke Up Wendy sobbed even louder when she heard that. ¡°Please don¡¯t do anything like that ever again, Ms. Lineker! We¡¯re all going to keep youpany as you go through this!¡± She still has us by her side, so she shouldn¡¯t have to resort to suicide! Wilma¡¯s face was incredibly pale, and she felt as though someone had dug a huge chunk out of her heart. She couldn¡¯t bring herself to ept the fact that she had lost everything. ¡°I¡¯m sorry I disappointed you, Ms. Sophie,¡± Wilma said as she closed her eyes and tried to disperse the sadness in them. I didn¡¯t want things to end like this, but I didn¡¯t have a choice! Just thinking about that child is enough to keep me up at night¡­ Sophie shook her head. ¡°You still have us, Ms. Lineker. You can always talk to us if you ever feel depressed. I¡¯ll do my best to help you out with your problems, so please don¡¯t do anything like this ever again, okay?¡± As Wilma would require treatment from a psychiatrist, Sophie had taken the liberty of finding her the best psychiatrist avable. Even so, she would still need Wilma to cooperate with the psychiatrist in order for the treatment to be effective. ¡°I would like to resign, Ms. Sophie. Right now, I don¡¯t feel like doing anything at all. Leaving this ce might be the only way for me to recover from all this.¡± The heartache was so intense that every second she spent in that city felt suffocating. ¡°What are you saying, Ms. Lineker? Transfix Cosmetics is your life¡¯s work! How could you just leave like that?¡± Wendy eximed while staring at Wilma in shock and disbelief. Wilma founded Transfix Cosmetics and developed it herself. It held an incredibly important ce in her heart. They could not believe that she was going to abandon Transfix Cosmetics. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about this for the time being. Ms. Lineker. You have all the time in the world to reconsider this decision after you fully recover. If you still wish to resign then, I will grant your request.¡± Nothing could possibly be more important than a person¡¯s health, and Sophie did not want to agitate her any further at the moment. However, if Wilma still wished to resign after recovering fully, she would approve of her resignation. ¡°All right, then. Thank you.¡± Wilma was still weak after waking up. She got tired after having that brief conversation. Sophie stopped disturbing her from resting, but she and Wendy were too worried about Wilma to leave her alone, so they decided to stay and look after her instead. Wendy spent the entire night crying in the corridor. I knew nothing when I first started working at Transfix Cosmetics. It was Ms. Lineker who took me under her wing and guided me one step at a time. Ms. Lineker would always help me out whenever I got bullied, but now, she¡¯s going to leave thepany¡­. ¡°Ms. Sophie, what should we do about Ms. Lineker?¡± she asked with tears in her eyes. Sophie gently patted her on the cheek and said, ¡°You let me worry about that. For now, just take some time off work and look after Ms. Lineker here.¡± As if everything that had happened to Wilma wasn¡¯t bad enough, she was all alone in that city with no rtives to count on. ¡°Okay. Maybe you should head on back, Ms. Sophie. I¡¯ll stay here and take good care of Ms. Lineker!¡± N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner. ¡°It¡¯s fine. I¡¯ll stick around for a little while longer.¡± ¡°In that case, you keep watch while I go use the restroom. We¡¯ll switch after I get back so you can use the restroom too,¡± Wendy said and walked away. Tristan wrapped an arm around Sophie¡¯s shoulder and let her lean on his. ¡°Wilma is fine now. You should try and get some rest too.¡± Sophie nodded and rested her head on his shoulder. Wilma was a really capable employee and a caring person who took great care of her subordinates. Sophie found it hard to let Wilma go. ¡°You¡¯ve done everything you can by making all the necessary arrangements. Only a psychiatrist can help. her out now. There¡¯s nothing more we can do for her at this point.¡± Tristan said. He literally could not think of anything else that they could do for Wilma. ¡°Yeah, you¡¯re right.¡± Sophie and Tristan waited until Wendy had returned from the restroom before leaving. Upon arriving home, they saw Ysabelle squatting outside the mansion all by herself like an abandoned kitten. What is the deal with her? We¡¯ve only just resolved one problem, and another one presents itself¡­ Tristan knitted his eyebrows at the thought of that. Sophie walked up to Ysabelle and sat down next to her, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Why are you here all by yourself?¡± Ysabelle did not call them beforeing over, so they had no idea what happened to her. Ysabelle slowly looked up at Sophie. ¡°Sophie¡­ Felix and I broke up¡­¡± ¡°Why?¡± Is that why she looked so depressed? ¡°Don¡¯t ask me why. The point is, we broke up, and we won¡¯t be getting back together this time.¡± ¡°What exactly happened, Ysabelle?¡± Tristan asked with a frown. These two people are so troublesome. ¡°Could you let me spend the night with Sophie, Uncle Tristan? I¡¯m really upset¡­¡± ¡°Why did you break up with him if it makes you upset? Do you even know what you¡¯re doing, Ysabelle?¡± Tristan was losing his patience with her. I know she¡¯s a drama queen and all, but she¡¯s taking things way too fart ¡°Don¡¯t judge me if you don¡¯t know anything. Uncle Tristan!¡± Ysabelle snapped back at him. I¡¯m already super upset as it is! Can¡¯t he at least try tofort me or something? ¡°That¡¯s enough. Tristan. I¡¯ll keep Ysabellepany tonight. Don¡¯t say anything further.¡± Sophie then pulled Ysabelle to her feet. ¡°Come on in!¡± Honestly, what is wrong with everyone today? After entering the mansion, Ysabelle sat on the couch and curled herself up into a ball. Suddenly, Tristan got a call from Sean. ¡°Do you know what happened between Felix and Ysabelle? Why did they break up all of a sudden? Felix has been drinking so much that he could very well drink himself to death at this point.¡± ¡°How would I know what happened between them? If I had to guess, I¡¯d say it¡¯s probably because of something Ysabelle did! Anyway, you should take care of Felix before he hurts himself!¡± Felix had always been putting up with Ysabelle¡¯s shenanigans, so it was obvious that Ysabelle was the problematic one. ¡°All right, I will. Still, judging by the state Felix is currently in, I¡¯d say things are pretty serious this time.¡± It¡¯s not easy finding and being together with someone you like, so why can¡¯t these two just have a normal rtionship like every other couple out there? Seeing as he would not be able to get any answers out of Ysabelle. Tristan had no choice but to look for Sean and the others. Just like that, Sophie and Ysabelle were the only ones left in the mansion. ¡°Now, can you tell me what really happened? Of course, I won¡¯t force you to talk about it if you don¡¯t want to.¡± Sophie knew how much Ysabelle liked Felix. She couldn¡¯t understand why they would break up like this. ¡°I do like him very much, but he can get really out of hand sometimes. He threw a tantrum all because ! had a brief conversation with another male singer! Can you believe that? I really like Felix, but I also like singing very much. Even if I weren¡¯t a singer, I would still have male friends in my social circle. It¡¯s impossible for me to only have female friends, you know?¡± Ysabelle said while leaning against her shoulder. If Felix is going to behave like that all the time, then I might as well end our rtionship right here. ¡°Were you the one who asked for a breakup?¡± Sophie asked as she knew Felix would never want to break up with Ysabelle. ¡°Yeah, but I¡¯m really upset about it!¡± Ysabelle replied. Felix has no right to control who I socialize with! Chapter 892 Chapter 892 Chapter 892 Broken Up Sophie patted her back. At that moment, she really didn¡¯t know what to say. After all, Ysabelle was the one who requested the breakup, yet now she was so upset. Tears welled up in Ysabelle¡¯s eyes. Ultimately, she couldn¡¯t stop herself from crying. What¡¯s the big deal? Perhaps I¡¯ll meet a better guy next time. ¡°Sophie, do you think I¡¯m a horrible person?¡± That must be it. I must be terrible, so things turned out to be like this. ¡°That¡¯s enough. Quit overthinking. Go upstairs, take a bath, and get a good night¡¯s sleep. We¡¯ll talk tomorrow.¡± Sophie figured their breakup was probably just a lover¡¯s spat. Even if Ysabelle wanted to split up. Felix would never agree. ¡°No. I want to drink. Why don¡¯t you keep mepany?¡± How can I possibly sleep now? ¡°I know all of you think I¡¯m just acting up, but I¡¯m very serious this time.¡± Ysabelle went to the wine cer to fetch a bottle of wine. She also retrieved two wine sses before returning to the room. Instead of sitting on the couch, she plumped down on the cashmere carpet. Ysabelle poured Sophie a ss of red wine and handed it to her. Then, she started drinking. ¡°Do you really think you can forget Felix like this?¡± She shouldn¡¯t have suggested a breakup so easily if she still likes him. No one¡¯s heart is made of steel. Everyone gets hurt. ¡°Sophie, you¡¯re now my friend. You should take my side. Do you understand?¡± Ysabelle didn¡¯t want to think about those problems at that moment. There¡¯s nothing that can¡¯t be forgotten. Sophie shook her head, knowing there wasn¡¯t a point in trying to talk sense into Ysabelle at that moment since thetter simply wouldn¡¯t listen. She took a sip of her red wine. ¡°Have you had your dinner?¡± Sophie hadn¡¯t eaten her dinner, having just returned from the hospital. Her stomach was growling at that point. ¡°No, I don¡¯t want to eat. I just want to drink.¡± How can I be in the mood to eat now? Right then, Sophie¡¯s phone rang. Seeing it was a call from Tristan, she hastily answered her phone. ¡°I ordered dinner for both of you. You don¡¯t need to worry about Ysabelle. Just have something first.¡± Ysabelle doesn¡¯t deserve sympathy. How can she be so dramatic? ¡°Okay, I got it. I was just nning to order takeout.¡± He¡¯s so thoughtful, making sure everything is taken care of -for me even when he¡¯s out. I¡¯m so touched. ¡°I¡¯m going to hang up now, then. You should rest carly.¡± Sophie was already exhausted that day, yet she had to deal with that mess when she returned home. ¡°Okay, I know. Don¡¯t worry.¡± Just then, someone knocked on the door. Sophie ended the call and brought in the takeout. Tristan had ordered quite a lot, and it was all Sophie¡¯s favorite food. She ced all the food on the dining table. ¡°Have some too. Drinking alcohol without eating isn¡¯t good for your stomach,¡± Sophie said. Seeing all the delicious food, Ysabelle ultimately ate some. ¡°Sophie, Uncle Tristan cares so much about you.¡± ¡°Felix cares a lot about you too. You should cherish him.¡± Sophie had witnessed and acknowledged all the things Felix had done for Ysabelle. She had noints. ¡°That¡¯s enough. Can you stop mentioning his name in front of me?¡± Ysabelle didn¡¯t want to hear Felix¡¯s name at all. Let it be. It¡¯s not a big deal. ¡°Fine. I¡¯ll stop. I¡¯m just afraid you¡¯ll regret itter.¡± ¡°I won¡¯t regret it! I¡¯m Ysabelle Lombard! There are so many people who like me, so why would I ever regret this?¡± Despite the heart¨Cwrenching pain in her chest, she stubbornly refused to admit she would one. her decision. ¡°All right. Whether you¡¯ll regret it or not, just have some food for now.¡± She can¡¯t keep drinking on an empty stomach. ¡°Okay.¡± Ysabelle listened to Sophie and sat cross¨Clegged with her on the floor, eating together. After they were full they continued consuming alcohol. In the end, Ysabelle drifted off on the couch in exhaustion. Noticing she was asleep, Sophie carried her to the guest room and ced her on the bed. After tucking Ysabelle in, Sophie went to her room and took a shower before tidying up the living room. By the time she finished, it was already midnight. She couldn¡¯t help but call Tristan because he hadn¡¯te home yet. ¡°Are youing home tonight?¡± She figured he might not return that night since it was already sote. ¡°I won¡¯t be back tonight. How¡¯s Ysabelle? Is she asleep?¡± ¡°She slept. Don¡¯t worry. She¡¯s fine.¡± N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner. ¡°Okay. You don¡¯t need to bother with her. Get some rest yourself.¡± ¡°All right. I¡¯m going to sleep now.¡± After hanging up, Sophie went to her room to turn in for the night. Meanwhile, Tristan, Sean, and the others were keeping Felixpany. ¡°Honestly, I don¡¯t know what else I can do. I thought I was doing well, but in the end, this is the oue,¡± Felix chattered continuously after he was drunk. ¡°You all know I¡¯ve liked and protected her for so many years, but why did we still end up like this? Are we really not meant for each other?¡± Felix had repeated those words countless times. The other three had also drunk a fair amount with him. ¡°Felix, if staying together makes you two miserable, then break up! It¡¯s time to cut your losses!¡± Tristan uttered straightforwardly. Even though Ysabelle was his niece, he wouldn¡¯t defend her. Felix, a grown man, cried after hearing that. ¡°How can I do that? I stayed by her side for so long because I wanted to be with her. I even nned our wedding, yet you¡¯re telling me to give up. How can I give up?¡± ¡°But aren¡¯t you two broken up now?¡± Tristan was speechless, not understanding how those people could be so dramatic. Felix continued swigging the alcohol. Sean shook his head. Men troubled by love are so pitiful. Charles was also surprised. They seemed perfectly happy most of the time, so what happened today? Why did things suddenly end up like this? Love is truly frightening. In the end, Felix couldn¡¯t speak further and dozed off on the couch. ¡°Let¡¯s bet how long Felix can hold out.¡± There¡¯s no way the two of them would break up for real. Sean said. ¡°Three days!¡± Tristan chimed in. ¡°At most a month!¡± Charles uttered, ¡°He¡¯s so pathetic. Is it really necessary for him to be like this? Women shouldn¡¯t be pampered too much. Otherwise, they¡¯ll start walking all over us.¡± ¡°Of course you should spoil your woman.¡± Tristan thought there was nothing wrong with that. ¡°People like you will definitely be henpecked when you¡¯re married,¡± Charles replied in resignation. They¡¯re too spineless. Women should be properly disciplined and submissive to their husbands. Sure enough, the next day, Felix called Ysabelle. However, she had already blocked his number. Realizing he had been blocked, Felix grimaced. The other three men had also woken up and weren¡¯t surprised to see Felix¡¯s darkened expression. ¡°Could something have happened to Ysabelle? I can¡¯t get through to her phone.¡± ¡°Felix, can¡¯t you be a little more dignified? What could possibly happen to her? She¡¯s probably sound asleep at the moment. To preserve your household status in the future, you shouldn¡¯t take the initiative to look for her. Get it?¡± Chapter 893 Chapter 893 Chapter 893 No Right To Negotiate Felix nced at Charles. ¡°A person like you, who hasn¡¯t even been in a rtionship before, shouldn¡¯t be giving your opinions here.¡± Charles was left speechless. Well, you¡¯re in a rtionship and see how much of a mess you¡¯re in! ¡°Did Ysabelle block you?¡± Sean exposed the truth instantly. Felix had nothing to say. ¡°She really wants to break up with me, huh?¡± Despite the pain that Felix was in, there was nothing he could do. ¡°I thought I could give in to her no matter what. I¡¯ve never expected the oue to be like this!¡± ¡°If you keep giving in to her, it¡¯ll be really tiring. Perhaps both of you just aren¡¯t suited for each other. Breaking up might not be a bad thing.¡± Tristan said. ¡°What are you talking about? Why do you keep looking forward to us breaking up? How does it benefit you?¡± ¡°If both of you keep breaking up and reconciling, you¡¯ll disturb me and Sophie! Look, I was apanying you instead of Sophie yesterday.¡± ¡°Who needs yourpany?¡± Felix clutched his hair. ¡°Fine. I won¡¯t keep youpany anymore. I¡¯m going to send breakfast to my fianc¨¦e. My deepest condolences to you.¡± Sean and Charles fell speechless. ¡°You¡­¡± If it was someone else other than Tristan. Felix would have punched the living lights out of the person. That was simply too much. He had just been dumped, yet Tristan was tantly showing off how loving his rtionship was. No one could possibly withstand that. ¡°If I fight Tristan, will I be beaten to death?¡± Felix asked the two people beside him. ¡°You can try.¡± They had no qualms about that. In fact, they would spectate by the side. Felix trembled at the thought of being taught a lesson by Tristan. Forget it! If I can¡¯t win him in a fight, I¡¯ll just endure him. What else can I do? ¡°If you want to fight me, I¡¯m ready to entertain you any time. You can choose the ce and date.¡± Tristan was not angry at all. Felix clenched his fists. ¡°Why don¡¯t you do it now? Since both of us have time, we can judge who the stronger one is between you two.¡± Charles did not mind fanning the mes. Anyway, since he was not going to be the one beaten up, there was nothing for him to be scared about. Felix slumped on the couch. ¡°Forget it! Let¡¯s do it another day. I¡¯m not in a good condition today.¡± He closed his eyes. ¡°I¡¯m going to send breakfast to my fianc¨¦e, then. Bachelors like you can do whatever you want.¡± Tristan bought breakfast on his way back. When he returned to the mansion, Sophie was already awake and working in front of herptop. Ysabelle was still sleeping. N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner. After cing the breakfast down, Tristan went to call Sophie over. ¡°Did you like yesterday¡¯s dinner?¡± ¡°Yeah! It¡¯s quite good. We devoured everything¡± Although Ysabelle had said that she was not hungry, she had gobbled everything down and finished all the food. ¡°Ysabelle didn¡¯t create more trouble for you, did she?¡± All Ysabelle, that annoying girl, does is trouble others, ¡°No. She drank too much and fell asleep. She drank two bottles of your red wine.¡± Those bottles of red wine were quite expensive too. ¡°Just let her drink.¡± She was his niece, after all. Those two bottles of red wine did not matter much. ¡°There¡¯s nothing else. Why did youe all the way here instead of heading to Lombard Group directly?¡± ¡°I¡¯m here to send you guys breakfast.¡± ¡°Oh!¡± This man! We could¡¯ve just ordered in for breakfast. He didn¡¯t have to make a special trip here! ¡°What about Felix? How is he?¡± He must be in a horrible state. Everyone has witnessed how much he sacrificed. ¡°Ignore him! He brought this upon himself.¡± After all, no one forced him to like Ysabelle, who had been spoiled since young. She never cared about how others were doing. ¡°Okay.¡± After both of them finished breakfast, Ysabelle was still sleeping. ¡°Why don¡¯t I wake her up? If all of us are gone, something might happen to her if she¡¯s alone,¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine. Just call her assistant over and let her sleep for a while.¡± Since there was nothing important at hand, Ysabelle could just take leave from Jipsdale University. ¡°That works too.¡± Sophie made a call to Ysabelle¡¯s assistant and summoned him over. After Tristan helped Ysabelle take leave from school, both of them left the mansion. ¡°Did Nichs bother you?¡± Since Nichs had gone over for Sophie¡¯s sake, he would definitely not mind his own business. ¡°No. I can deal with him. You can just ignore him.¡± She had already decided to erase all traces of herself from Nichs¡® memories. However, since she was still nning it, she would not tell Tristan first. ¡°If he dares to bother you, tell me. I¡¯ll handle it. That b*stard! A fight would break out between us one day ¡°Okay.¡± Tristan sent Sophie to the medical association. When she arrived, she was not surprised to see Nichs there. ¡°Sophie, you didn¡¯t forget what you said, right? You promised to treat me.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t forget. Tell me what problems you¡¯re facing.¡± ¡°Actually, I really think that there¡¯s nothing wrong with me. It¡¯s you guys who think that I have a problem.¡± All he did was like someone. There was nothing wrong with that. ¡°I¡¯m serious, Sophie. I won¡¯t force you to do anything. Can¡¯t we just be friends?¡± ¡°Haven¡¯t I told you clearly, Nichs? Knowing that you like me, I can¡¯t be friends with you. It¡¯s impossible!¡± ¡°You¡­¡± Nichs felt slightly angry. Is my request too much to ask? It isn¡¯t, right? ¡°All right, you can leave now. I¡¯ve got other things to deal with.¡± It was genuinely a busy day for her. ¡°No. I¡¯m going to keep youpany here.¡± ¡°You¡¯re disturbing me,¡± Sophie snapped, ¡°I¡¯ll eat lunch with you at noon, then. If you agree, I¡¯ll leave immediately.¡± Nichs said shamelessly. This is not over the top, right? It¡¯s just a simple lunch. ¡°Nichs, I know you have nothing to do, but I¡¯m really busy. I don¡¯t have time to entertain your games, nor do I want to take part in them!¡± Sophie thought that there was absolutely no need for that. ¡°Sophie, you probably know that I won¡¯t give up so easily. Why are you so heartless to me? You treat everyone else with such kindness, and me with such cruelty.¡± Nichs felt extremely hurt. ¡°We don¡¯t belong in the same world. I don¡¯t think I ever said I like you either. It¡¯s you who insist on pestering me. What kind of attitude do you think I should be showing you, then? No matter what you I¡¯ll never like you. Go back! This ce doesn¡¯t belong to you.¡± ¡°Hah!¡± Despite all his anticipation, this was the oue that eventually confronted him. ¡°How about this. Sophie? Give me a week. I only need one week. After that, I definitely won¡¯t bother you again.¡± ¡°You have no right to negotiate with me, Nichs.¡± A week? I won¡¯t even give him a day. She would absolutely not do anything that would make Tristan unhappy. Chapter 894 Chapter 894 Chapter 894 A Favor ¡°Fine. Looks like you aren¡¯t in a good mood today. I¡¯ll treat you to a meal another day.¡± Nichs had no choice but to leave. If this tense situation continued, Sophie would utter even more mean words, which would hurt him like daggers stabbing his heart. He did not want to continue listening to them. He had to find a way to leave with dignity. Arius came the moment he left. ¡°I think your method sounds good. Tell me if you need any help.¡± Nichs was not someone who would give up easily. Since no one would benefit if this continued, she would rather resolve it earlier. She wanted to erase all traces of herself from Nichs¡® memories so that he would note looking for her again. ¡°Yeah, I think it¡¯s a good idea too.¡± Since she did not like him back, she would rather eliminate her existence from his life. That way, he would not be in so much pain either. Otherwise, no one could ever anticipate the kinds of things he would do. ¡°Nichs found an extremely skilled hypnotist, specifically to target me.¡± Nichs wanted to hypnotize her. If she had not known about his ns, the thought of wiping his memories would not have even crossed her mind. Since she liked Tristan greatly and did not want to take any risks, this was something that she had to do. ¡°Nichs is just crazy! He¡¯s too obsessive with his love.¡± If someone really hypnotized Sophie, the consequences would be really dire. After settling everything at the medical association, Sophie headed to the hospital. She had hired the best psychiatrist, Caroline Harrison, who had talked to Wilma in the morning. She went to look for the psychiatrist immediately after arriving. ¡°How¡¯s Wilma, Dr. Harrison?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Ms. Tanner. I¡¯ve seen a lot of patients like Wilma, so I¡¯m quite confident.¡± Considering her immense influence in the field of psychology, Caroline had the means to cure Wilma. ¡°Thank you, Dr. Harrison.¡± ¡°You¡¯re very wee, Ms. Tanner. You helped my husband with his surgery the previous time. Since - you¡¯re friends with Wilma, I¡¯ll try my best this time.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Sophie had not expected the patient she had operated on to be Caroline¡¯s husband. After listening to some things to take note of from the psychiatrist, she went to visit Wilma. When Wendy saw Sophie, she eximed happily, ¡°Ms. Sophie, Dr. Harrison is really amazing! Ms. Lineker¡¯s mood improved significantly after she spoke to Dr. Harrison. She ate quite a lot for lunch too.¡± ¡°That¡¯s great! Why don¡¯t you go back and rest first?¡± Wendy had been keeping Wilmapany. She must be tired. ¡°It¡¯s fine, Ms. Sophie. I¡¯ll just stay here with Ms. Lineker. She¡¯s just like my biological sister. How can I leave when she¡¯s facing a difficult time?¡± ¡°Okay. Sleep for a while, then.¡± There, was an additional bed in the hospital ward for guardians, so Wendy could sleep there. ¡°Sure! I¡¯ll sleep for a short moment.¡± Since she was used to taking afternoon naps, she felt tired after missing her nap that day. Soon. Wilma woke up and saw Sophie. ¡°I¡¯m really sorry for constantly troubling you, Ms. Sophie.¡± She really did not wish to be like that. However, she just could not control her body sometimes. ¡°Ms. Lineker, don¡¯t think about anything including thepany. Your health is the most important thing now. All of us just wish for you to be well.¡± ¡°Yeah. I¡¯m really grateful to have everyone by my side when I¡¯m like this now. If I were alone, I really wouldn¡¯t know what to do.¡± Having always thought of herself as an independent woman, she did not expect herself to be so weak at a moment like that. ¡°You¡¯re already doing an amazing job, Ms. Lineker.¡± Sophie just wanted to console her. ¡°Yeah!¡± Wilma had found out that Caroline, the psychiatrist whom she had met that morning, was an extremely prominent figure in the field of psychology. Ms. Sophie probably owes someone a favor just to help me. ¡°I think I¡¯m much better now, Ms. Sophie. I want to be discharged from the hospital.¡± Perhaps the only way for her to forget everything there was to leave the ce. ¡°Okay. I¡¯ll ask the doctorter. If she says that you can be discharged, we can just leave.¡± ¡°Sure!¡± Even though she never wished to bring trouble to others, she had already unknowingly burdened so many people. Sophie apanied Wilma in the hospital for a while longer. When Wendy woke up, she saw that Sophie had already ordered food. ¡°Are you eating with us, Ms. Sophie?¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m meeting my boyfriend. You can stay here with Ms. Lineker for another two days.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Ms. Sophie! I¡¯ll definitely keep herpany.¡± Sophie left the hospital and saw that Tristan was already waiting there. N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner. She walked over and got into his car. ¡°Let¡¯s pick Ysabelle up at TS first! She¡¯s been in a bad mood recently. Let¡¯s have a meal with her.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Ysabelle was his niece. There was no way he could just ignore her. +15 Bonus When they arrived at TS, they bumped into Mark and the other four who were about to go out to eat. ¡°Sophie, it¡¯s been ages since we¡¯ve met. Why don¡¯t we have a gathering today?¡± ¡°Another time! I¡¯ll treat everyone to a meal then. Thank you for your hard work during this period of time.¡± The Wheelers were in the midst of recording their new song. They would definitely be tired every day. ¡°Okay, then. Let¡¯s eat together another time.¡± Although Sunny was disappointed, he knew that Sophie had a lot of things to settle. ¡°Don¡¯t overwork yourself. Take care.¡± Thus were the lives of talented people. They often had to deal with multiple things at once. ¡°I know! You don¡¯t need to rush with your new song either. Take it slow.¡± The quality was the most important thing. Fans, who now had higher expectations for singers, would easilyin that the songs released now were inferior to the oldies. ¡°Don¡¯t worry! There¡¯s nothing to nitpick about the quality of our new song.¡± They were singer¨Csongwriters and were extremely confident in their song. The Wheelers were bing more popr as the days went by. Although many sponsors had reached out to them. Sophie had never forced them to entertain anything irrelevant. She genuinely wished for them to focus on their singing, unlike their previouspany. She took great care of them, and they managed to rise in poprity. That was quite a nice feeling to have, ¡°Okay. Since you have other things on, we won¡¯t keep you back any longer. We¡¯ll go ahead and eat first.¡± Not wanting Sunny to keep pestering Sophie, Mark dragged him away. ¡°Remember what you said, Sophie! It¡¯s been ages since we¡¯ve eaten together. We must meet one day!¡± yelled Sunny even though he was being dragged away by his leader. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll definitely treat all of you to a meal one day. Take it as a reward for your hard work.¡± It must have been tough on them to record a new song. Chapter 895 Chapter 895 Chapter 895 Rebound ¡°All right. I¡¯ll get going now. Mark, what are you doing? Why do you keep pulling me? I can walk on my own,¡± said Sunny, displeased. What¡¯s Mark doing? It¡¯s just a meal. Is that not allowed? Why does he keep trying to pull me away? I have dignity, too, This is so embarrassing. Finally, Mark let Sunny go and adjusted thetter¡¯s hoodie. ¡°Sophie¡¯s busy. Don¡¯t keep bothering her.¡± After all, they had a close rtionship. It would not change much, even if they had not eaten together for a few months. ¡°Fine. I get it. Let¡¯s go get something to eat. What shall we have today? What about fried chicken? I haven¡¯t had that in ages.¡± ¡°Why fried chicken? We should be getting a proper meal when we finally have the time to eat together.¡± After all, it was only right for them to have a proper meal after working hard recently. ¡°So, which one will it be? Seafood or BBQ?¡± Sunny was fine with anything. After all, he could get a piece of fried chicken for himself as supper if he really craved it. He missed the taste of it after not eating it for a long time. ¡°Sunny, the new song you wrote is great,¡± praised Mark. Sunny had been giving songwriting a go recently. and his first work turned out great. ¡°Of course. I told you we could do it,¡± said Sunny. Thanks to the words of praise, a sense of pride surged within Sunny as he hooked his arm around Mark¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Mark, we¡¯re doing well, aren¡¯t we? We can do the things we like now.¡± It was a great feeling. ¡°Yep. We¡¯re doing great now,¡± assured Mark. All they needed to do at that moment was to focus on writing and singing songs instead of doing nonsensical stuff. Every time they released a song, Sophie would always manage to find good resources for them. Things were doing well. ¡°So, you shouldn¡¯t be sad anymore,¡± said Sunny. The way Mark had been looking at Sophie made the others¡® hearts ache. It was hard for anyone to give up on a person they loved, especially when that person was exceptionally outstanding. ¡°I¡¯m fine, Sunny. Really. I¡¯m doing great now,¡± promised Mark. After all, humans could not be so selfish all the time. Ysabelle was not in a good condition that day. It was not until the afternoon that she woke up and went to the office. Upon arriving at the office, she began learning the dance from the professional dancer there. s, she had not mastered it after spending the entire afternoon there. Now that the professional dancer had left, she was all alone. Hence, shey sprawled on the wooden flooring. D*mn it. Why do I feel so terrible when I¡¯m the one who suggested we break up? Ugh! This is driving me crazy. Her mind was filled with thoughts of Felix. She could not help but wonder if he felt terrible when she suggested the breakup. At that thought, Ysabelle got to her feet to continue dancing. Unfortunately, she was so distracted that she twisted her ankle when she turned. ¡°Ah!¡± Ysabelle fell to the ground and burst into tears. She did not know if she was crying from the pain or because of something else. Sitting on the ground, she hugged her knees and wondered why she was so useless. I¡¯m older than Sophie, yet she always does everything better than me. I, on the other hand, am a complete mess. This is such a sh*tty feeling. Both Sophie and Tristan saw Ysabelle crying on the floor when they entered. It was a heartbreaking sight. Thinking Ysabelle was crying over her breakup with Felix, Sophie approached the former and asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Ysabelle looked up when she heard Sophie¡¯s voice. ¡°Sophie, I¡¯m terrible, aren¡¯t I? I can¡¯t do anything well. I can¡¯t even master this dance after learning it the entire afternoon.¡± This is from N?velDrama.Org. Sophie held Ysabelle¡¯s shoulder and let thetter lean on her. ¡°You¡¯re doing great. Your new album¡¯s doing great. Besides, you¡¯re not a singer¨Cdancer. It doesn¡¯t matter if you can¡¯t master it. Don¡¯t stress yourself out too much.¡± Sophie handed her a piece of tissue. ¡°If you¡¯re crying because you broke up with Felix, then that¡¯s not necessary. You¡¯re the one who suggested it. Felix should be the one crying instead,¡±mented Tristan. Poor Felix. It¡¯s a pity he fell in love with a terrible person. ¡°Uncle Tristan, whose side are you on? How is this my fault? Why do you guys always think it¡¯s my fault?¡± I put time and effort into this rtionship. I¡¯m heartbroken over this breakup, too! It¡¯s just Felix doesn¡¯t understand what I¡¯m thinking. ¡°All right. Looks like you¡¯re fine since you can talk so fiercely.¡± ¡°I sprained my ankle,¡± said Ysabelle miserably. My ankle¡¯s probably swollen by now. I can¡¯t believe Uncle Tristan¡¯s still lecturing me at this point in time. Just what exactly did I do wrong? Sure enough, Tristan saw her swollen ankle after removing her shoe. ¡°You really twisted your ankle, huh?¡± ¡°Of course! Why do you think I¡¯d be crying here? Because of Felix? How can that be? I¡¯m really breaking up with him this time.¡± Sophie and Tristan had no idea how to respond. ¡°I was thinking of taking you out for a meal. Perhaps we should forget about it. It looks like you won¡¯t be able to walk in this condition. I¡¯ll send you home instead.¡± ¡°No. I don¡¯t want to go home. I want to have a meal with you two,¡± said Ysabelle. She was in a terrible mood and hoped they could keep herpany for a little while. ¡°You can¡¯t walk in this state.¡± ¡°Why don¡¯t you carry me on your back, Uncle Tristan? I¡¯ve just broken up. I might overthink if you leave me alone!¡± ¡°What a joke! Since when would a person you overthink?¡± Ysabelle felt aggrieved. What¡¯s that supposed to mean? What¡¯s wrong with people like me? ¡°Enough. Let¡¯s send her to the hospital to deal with the sprain. I can¡¯t do anything about it when there isn¡¯t any equipment here,¡± stated Sophie. ¡°You¡¯re the best, Sophie,¡± said Ysabelle while hugging Sophie. Only Sophie treats me so kindly. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Tristan carried Ysabelle while Sophie grabbed thetter¡¯s sports jacket. Ysabelle was dressed casually that day. Upon arriving at the hospital, the doctor applied a sprain spray on Ysabelle¡¯s ankle before giving her the bottle of spray. ¡°Your bone¡¯s fine. You¡¯ll just need to spray this on your ankle again after three hours.¡± ¡°Okay,¡± Ysabelle responded obediently. After confirming Ysabelle¡¯s ankle was fine, Sophie and Tristan brought her out for a meal, to which the former insisted on having BBQ. Hence, the trio headed to a barbecue joint. Coincidentally, Felix was also there with another girl. That girl had had feelings for Felix for a long time and had been pursuing him. Of course, Ysabelle knew about it. Seeing that, Ysabelle could not help but snort coldly. Hah! What was all that talk about having feelings for me? It¡¯s barely been two days since we broke up, and now, he¡¯s already found himself a rebound .. Chapter 896 Chapter 896 Chapter 896 Congrattions Ysabelle ced lots of meat onto the grill and devoured them furiously. At that moment, all her ns to lose weight had been shoved to the back of her mind. Nothing mattered to her anymore. ¡°Are you okay, Ysabelle?¡± Naturally, Sophie noticed Felix was with another girl, who was really attentive to him. That¡¯s a lot of coincidences today. Ysabelle beamed. ¡°I¡¯m fine. I¡¯m great! What¡¯s supposed to happen? I¡¯m not bothered by it since we¡¯ve already broken up.¡± Ysabelle kept stuffing her mouth until her cheeks puffed up. Of course, Felix had spotted Ysabelle too. He was originally nning on leaving, but he decided to stay and continue eating with the woman when he realized Ysabelle was there as well. The woman eating with Felix was Victoria Johansson. She had been harboring feelings for him for many years. It just so happened that she asked him out for a meal that day. ¡°Come on, Felix. Eat.¡± Victoria piled food on Felix¡¯s te, but thetter did not move. He did not like others cing food on his te, even if Victoria had used themondle, Blushing, Victoria said, ¡°I like you, Felix. I really like you. I liked you from the first time we met.¡± Victoria had invited him out for a meal after learning about his breakup with Ysabelle. The former wanted to give herself a chance. s, Felix frowned at her confession. ¡°Victoria, you know I don¡¯t feel that way for you. Ysabelle¡¯s the only person I like.¡± ¡°But didn¡¯t you two broke up already?¡± asked Victoria. Felix, is Ysabelle really that great you¡¯d ignore all the women in the world? ¡°Yes. She does have many bad habits¡­¡± Ysabelle, who had been nearing their table, could not help butugh out loud when she heard that. So, that¡¯s who I am to Felix-a woman with many bad habits. She dashed past their table to go to the restroom. However, tears were already streaming down before she could even reach her destination. Only after she had washed her face in the restroom did she manage to control her emotions. ¡°It¡¯s okay. Ysabelle. He¡¯s right. You do have many bad habits anyway.¡± Ysabelle dried her face with a piece of tissue before heading back to the table to continue with the meal. Tristan and Sophie exchanged nces when they saw her reddened eyes. What happened to her? ¡°Ysabelle, are you okay? We can go somewhere else if you don¡¯t like it here.¡± Sophie was afraid Ysabelle might have an emotional breakdown. ¡°I¡¯m fine. I¡¯m the one who dumped Felix. There¡¯s nothing to be sad about,¡± said Ysabelle. That¡¯s right. I have many bad habits, and there¡¯s nothing that can be done. At the same time, Tristan figured Felix was in deep trouble. How could there be such a coincidence? Why did he have to have a meal with Victoria here? Meanwhile, Ysabelle continued cating while convincing herself that she was in a good mood. I¡¯m fine. ¡°That¡¯s enough. You¡¯ve eaten a lot already. You mustn¡¯t eat anymore. You¡¯re a singer, remember?¡± Sophie feared the only one to suffer would be Ysabelle if she stuffed herself with too much food. ¡°Yep. Okay,¡± Ysabelle put her fork down. Both Sophie and Tristan had finished eating, too. While they were paying the bill, they bumped into Felix. Even so, Ysabelle did not even spare him a nce. How dare he gossip behind my back when we¡¯ve already broken up? He¡¯s gone too far. Felix, on the other hand, could not help but sigh. Looks like this woman isn¡¯t done being angry. It¡¯s useless to say anything at this point. It¡¯ll only make her even more upset. Just then, Victoria walked over. ¡°Hey, Ysabelle!¡± Victoria greeted naturally. Even though Felix had rejected her confession earlier, she still disliked Ysabelle because of how thetter was spoiled due to favoritism, which made her fearless. Victoria believed she should teach someone like Ysabelle a lesson. Ysabelle did not bother to respond. Of course, she knew who Victoria was, but they usually rarely had any interactions. There was a sweet smile on Victoria¡¯s face as she stood beside Felix. One would think they were getting married soon by just looking at them. ¡°I¡¯ll wait for you guys in the car.¡± Ysabelle walked out after saying that, not wanting to waste another second there. Noting that, Sophie informed Tristan, ¡°I¡¯ll head out, too. We¡¯ll wait for you in the car.¡± After all, Ysabelle¡¯s leg was still swollen, so she was still limping as she walked. Felix could not help but frown. What happened to her? It¡¯s only been two days since our breakup. How did she end up like that? Just then, Tristan had finished settling the bill. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with her?¡± asked Felix. ¡°Nothing Congrats, Felix. You¡¯re finally free from Ysabelle. Victoria¡¯s great. You should take good care of her Felix was bereft of words. His meal with Victoria was truly a coincidence, yet Tristan made it sound like they were already dating each other. This is from N?velDrama.Org. ¡°All right. I shall not bother the two of you. Don¡¯t forget to invite me to your wedding.¡±¡± Tristan did that on purpose. He almost burst outughing when he saw the look on Felix¡¯s face. ¡°Mr. Tristan, you-¡± said Felix. He¡¯s going overboard! He hasn¡¯t even told me what happened to Ysabelle¡¯s leg. He was about to run after his friend when Victoria grabbed his arm. ¡°Felix, I¡¯m serious. I know you like Ysabelle, but she needs to be taught a lesson. You must make sure to teach her properly this time. Otherwise, your life will be miserable after you two get married.¡± Despite having received Felix¡¯s rejection, Victoria could not help but be concerned about him. Teach Ysabelle a lesson? At the end of the day, it¡¯ll be her teaching me a lesson instead! After paying for the food, Felix said, ¡°Victoria, Ysabelle¡¯s the only person I love. I believe I¡¯ve made myself very clear.¡± ¡°Felix, why did you have to fall for Ysabelle? You wouldn¡¯t be so exhausted if I were the one you fell for.¡± Victoria really liked Felix, and she had liked him for a long time.. Sadly, that man did not reciprocate her feelings. ¡°Well, I¡¯ll get going now. If you regret it one day, and I happen to still be single, you cane looking for me,¡± said Victoria with a chuckle. She still managed to force a smile despite feeling bitter on the inside. Felix went out to look for Ysabelle, but she was already gone. He also tried calling her, but she was still blocking his number. Looks like I won¡¯t be removed from the list. In the end, Felix had no choice but to call Tristan¡¯s number. Tristan was driving when he received the call. ¡°Hey, Mr. Northley. What¡¯s up?¡± Tristan purposely put the call on loudspeaker. After all, Ysabelle had been in a foul mood ever since she got into the car. ¡°Where¡¯s Ysabelle? Give her the phone.¡± Felix just wanted to have a few words with her. However, Ysabelle snorted in response.. ¡°Congrattions, Mr. Northley. You found yourself a new girlfriend two days after a breakup, eh? Congrattions on getting rid of a spoiled child. I mean it.¡± Ysabelle had not fully vented her anger after saying that. She really wanted to hit someone, but she could not do anything with her swollen ankle. Chapter 897 Chapter 897 Chapter 897 Chance ¡°You know you¡¯re my only girlfriend, Ysabelle. I understand you¡¯re angry, but please don¡¯t spout nonsense.¡± Felix took in a deep breath. I mustn¡¯t argue with her. Otherwise, the situation will only sour further. However, that prompted Ysabelle to stop talking. It¡¯s not like I can¡¯t live a happy life without him. ¡°Ysabelle While Felix still had more to say, Ysabelle plugged her ears with earphones, unwilling to listen. to another word out of his mouth. Sophie held her friend¡¯s shoulder and allowed thetter to lean on her own. After that, Ysabelle closed her eyes to rest. Tristan spoke. ¡°You should stop talking, Felix. She¡¯s wearing earphones right now, so it¡¯s obvious she doesn¡¯t want to listen to you.¡± ¡°She misunderstood me, Mr. Tristan. Victoria¡¯s visit was a surprise to me as well. I just want to exin the situation to Ysabelle clearly,¡± replied Felix aggrievedly. I never thought Ysabelle would see me having a meal with Victoria! Is she really going to break up with me this time? ¡°It¡¯s pointless for you to tell me these, Felix,¡± stated Tristan. Ysabelle¡¯s the one who needs to know about this. If she really wants to break up with Felix, then it¡¯s his fault for letting this happen. She has been pampered since childhood and has never experienced any sort of aggrievement before. Thus, her reaction to the scene she witnessed is understandable. Honestly, Felix is done for He continued. ¡°In any case, I won¡¯t speak any further about this matter with you. You¡¯re on your own.¡± There¡¯s genuinely nothing I can do to help. Felix grabbed his hair, feeling even more frustrated than before. How did things turn out like this? Everything was going fine just a few days ago. How can she just break up with me? Is it possible that she never loved me? Is that why she¡¯s so willing to split up? Later, Felix went to Sean¡¯sw firm. Charles wasn¡¯t reliable, which was why he visited Sean. ¡°What do you think I should do, Sean? I really don¡¯t want to break up with her, nor have I ever thought of doing that.¡± Felix sighed. ¡°Is there no way to turn this situation around?¡± asked Sean. He was aware of Ysabelle¡¯s personality. If she really wanted their rtionship to end, then that was it. She may seem soft, but once she made up her mind, no one could change it. ¡°I think you should wait for two days. She isn¡¯t in a great mood right now, so no matter what you say, it won¡¯t work. It¡¯s best if both of you calm down first.¡± ¡°Calm down? How can I calm down at a time like this? She even blocked my number, you know!¡± ¡°What do you want to do, then? You know what kind of personality Ysabelle has. You¡¯re bound to suffer as -long as you stay in a romantic rtionship with her,¡± replied Sean resignedly. This isn¡¯t a problem anyone else can solve for him. Felix grew even more irritated. ¡°At least she¡¯s still in Jipsdale and under your watchful eyes, no?¡± Sean remarked. He¡¯s still doing better than Sighing. Felix thought, I feel so erasperated right now. What if she really is breaking up with me? What if she never talks to me again? Is there anything I can do? When William saw Ysabelle returning to the Lombard residence with knitted eyebrows, he knew something was up. ¡°What¡¯s the matter with you? Weren¡¯t you doing fine just two days ago?¡± William couldn¡¯t help but worry when he saw his favorite granddaughter acting like that. ¡°I¡¯m fine, Grandpa. I twisted my ankle, that¡¯s all. It¡¯s painful.¡± Ysabelle was unwilling to tell her grandfather about what happened between her and Felix. ¡°In that case, you should rest at home for the next few days. Don¡¯t go anywhere else,¡± suggested William with heartache. ¡°You¡¯ve been uncoordinated since childhood, yet you still want to learn to dance. Why are you being so foolish?¡± Why can¡¯t she just stick to singing? I don¡¯t understand why she wants to dance. Instead of replying. Ysabelle started spacing out after a while. When Sarah returned, William spoke to her. ¡°You should talk to Ysabelle. She¡¯s been acting odd these two days. I want you to check if it¡¯s because that punk Felix bullied her.¡± ¡°All right. I¡¯ll do that,¡± assured Sarah. There¡¯s no way Felit has the heart to bully her. It¡¯s always been her doing the bullying. When she reached upstairs, she saw Ysabelle staring out the window nkly. ¡°What happened? Did Felix bully you?¡± Upon hearing Sarah¡¯s voice, Ysabelle snapped back to her senses and shook her head. ¡°You know I¡¯m always the one doing the bullying, Aunt Sarah. I¡¯ve broken up with Felix.¡± ¡°So, it is because of Felix that you¡¯re feeling down. I¡¯ll let your grandpa know about this and ask him to punish Felix.¡±This is from N?velDrama.Org. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t pay any mind to my matter, Aunt Sarah. I know what to do,¡± replied Ysabelle. This is between Felix and me. I don¡¯t want anyone else to interfere. ¡°Aww, you still feel bad about Felix!¡± ¡°I¡¯m not. Our romantic rtionship is our matter, and so it goes for our breakup as well.¡± ¡°Does that mean you¡¯re really going to end your rtionship with him?¡± Sarah inquired. I don¡¯t believe they¡¯ll split up. Felix liked her for a long time. There¡¯s no way he¡¯ll give up on her that easily. I also know Ysabelle likes. him a lot. It¡¯s just that she¡¯s still angry at him right now. ¡°Go and keep Grandpapany, Aunt Sarah. I want to be alone for now,¡± requested Ysabelle. She was not in the mood for anyone to disturb her at the moment. ¡°All right, then. You should take a nap.¡± That night, after Sophie and Tristan returned, Sophie went upstairs to keep Ysabellepany. Upon opening the door, Sophie saw Ysabelle lying on the bed. In response, Sophie grabbed the sprain spray and sprayed Ysabelle¡¯s ankle. ¡°Do you think I¡¯m terrible, Sophie?¡± wondered Ysabelle. I messed up my romantic rtionship so badly. Hugging her friend, Sophie responded, ¡°I don¡¯t think so. It¡¯s normal for couples to quarrel with each other. It¡¯s nothing out of the ordinary.¡± ¡°Really? But I¡¯ve never seen you argue with Uncle Tristan before. You two always appear to be doing fine.¡± ¡°Well, every couple interacts with each other differently. Don¡¯t think you¡¯re doing something wrong simply because what you did was different.¡± ¡°Will I meet someone better than him in the future?¡± Ysabelle bit her lip, feeling upset. ¡°You¡¯re still angry, Ysabelle. Wait until you¡¯ve calmed down before making a final decision on the matter, okay?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve thought about this thoroughly already. If he feels exhausted staying with me, I want to break with him spat Ysabelle. I bet he¡¯s drained because he¡¯s been tending to my emotions. If dating me is so tiring for him, then he doesn¡¯t need to continue doing so. I¡¯ll just be alone. ¡°All right, let¡¯s head downstairs for dinner. Everyone¡¯s waiting for you.¡± Sophie left the bed and helped her friend downL While Ysabelle didn¡¯t have much appetite, she still went downstairs with Sophie. Everyone tells me I¡¯m a very willful person, but, honestly, I really don¡¯t want anyone to worry about me. After dinner, Felix arrived at the Lombard residence, iming he hade to visit Tristan. When he entered the building, he saw Ysabelle watching television with William. She didn¡¯t even greet him. In response to seeing that, Felix went to the study to meet with Tristan. He didn¡¯t have the nerve to act insolently while William was around. I guess I¡¯ll find another chance to talk to her Chapter 898 Chapter 898 Chapter 898 Pain Felix didn¡¯t have anything he wanted to speak about with Tristan, so he just nted himself on the couch. and spaced out. Tristan couldn¡¯t bear watching him like that any longer. ¡°Since you¡¯re here for Ysabelle, just head downstairs and talk to her. Don¡¯t you know your sighing is very distracting?¡± ¡°Your father¡¯s with her right now. I don¡¯t have the guts to confront her with him around,¡± replied Felix. Besides, if he finds out what happened, he¡¯ll skin me! ¡°Then what are you nning to do?¡± Tristan questioned resignedly. I can¡¯t believe he has the nerve to sigh here while it¡¯s his responsibility to handle his romantic rtionship. ¡°The only thing I want is to stay by Ysabelle¡¯s side. You know that.¡± ¡°Then why did you break up?¡± Tristan still had no idea what had transpired. ¡°You won¡¯t understand even if I tell you. You¡¯ve never argued with Sophie about matters like these because both of you understand each other well¡± No words left Tristan¡¯s lips. Fine, then! Since he doesn¡¯t want to tell me, I won¡¯t ask him about it either. It was then Sophie entered the study and saw Felix. ¡°Are you going to spend the night in the study, Mr. Northley?¡± she joked. ¡°I know what I did wrong, Sophie. Can you help me, please?¡± Felix gazed at her pleadingly. He knew Ysabelle was most willing to listen to Sophie. ¡°Don¡¯t look at me like that, Mr. Northley. It¡¯s pointless. Your romantic rtionship with Ysabelle is a matter between the both of you. Besides, Ysabelle is really sad this time. She wants to set you free. Since it¡¯s exhausting for you two to stay together, you may as well just break up and go your separate ways.¡± ¡°Set me free? I¡¯ve never wanted freedom, though. I just want her.¡± Felix stood. Ysabelle is heartless! ¡°Where are you going?¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to set things straight with Ysabelle.¡± He turned to the exit. I can¡¯t take it anymore. If I hold back any longer, I¡¯ll go crazy. I¡¯m going to settle the matter right now. As Sophie watched Felix leave, the edges of her lips curved upward. As long as Felix doesn¡¯t give up, there¡¯s no way Ysabelle can escape him. Frankly, Ysabelle is an innocent woman. She tends to think about things in an overly simple manner. It¡¯s because Felix loves her too much that he became like this. Otherwise, Ysabelle wouldn¡¯t have been his match. Suddenly, Tristan stood and hugged Sophie from behind. ¡°Isn¡¯t it annoying? Their romantic rtionship is disturbing others.¡± This is so ridiculous. Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024. Sophie remained still, allowing him to hug her. ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯s annoying. Speaking of which, I noticed we¡¯ve never argued before. Is our rtionship abnormal?¡± There¡¯ll always be conflicts between men and women, yet we always seem to get along with each other well ¡°Why do you think we need to argue?¡± Tristan was confounded. ¡°I think we¡¯re doing fine right now. There¡¯s no need for us to quarrel over minor matters.¡± Turning around, Sophie leaned into his embrace. ¡°I feel very lucky to have met you, Tristan.¡± It must be because he¡¯s very forgiving that we never had any dispute. Tristan kissed her forehead, then her lips. In response, she lifted her head to receive the kisses. Her heartbeat gradually sped up as she felt her chest overflowing with love. When it came to her life so far, she was truly satisfied. Meanwhile, when Felix arrived at Ysabelle¡¯s room, he realized the door was locked from the inside. She must¡¯ve done this because she knows I¡¯ll visit her Thus, he decided to climb through the window. Fortunately for him, the window was open. Swiftly, he squeezed through it and noticed Ysabelle was in the bathroom. I¡¯m not in a hurry. Since I¡¯m already here, I may as well just wait for her. She¡¯lle out sooner orter. Twenty minutester, Ysabelle exited the bathroom in a bathrobe. When she did, she saw Felix sitting on her bed. Frowning, she questioned furiously. ¡°How did you get in here? Who let you inside? What are you trying to do?¡± Felix stood, arrived before her, and pleaded pitifully, ¡°I admit I¡¯m in the wrong this time, Ysabelle. Can we reconcile now? I don¡¯t want to argue with you. I just want to stay with you.¡± When it came to Ysabelle, he had always been meek. Ysabelle sneered. ¡°Haven¡¯t we been getting along well. Ysabelle? Why did things between us suddenly be like this? We still love each other, so let¡¯s just solve any issues together. There¡¯s no need for this to happen. Everyone¡¯s unhappy right now, isn¡¯t it?¡± Felix cried. ¡°Since you¡¯re unhappy when you¡¯re with me, let¡¯s break up. You don¡¯t need to amodate me any longer, uttered Ysabelle seriously. ¡°Do you really want to split up with me?¡± Felix was enraged by her words. ¡°Is it because you never loved. me that you¡¯re able to propose this so easily?¡± ¡°Sure, whatever you say. I have no words left to offer.¡± His doubting of her feelings stung her. I can¡¯t believe he can say such a thing after we have been together for so long. It probably means he never understood me. In that case, let¡¯s go our separate ways. ¡°Fine. Don¡¯t regret your decision, then.¡± Without dy, Felix left. The moment he was out of Ysabelle¡¯s sight, she teared up. All right, then! I guess we¡¯re through! Even without him, I¡¯ll be fine. I¡¯m still the Ysabelle I always am. Upon entering the car, Felix leaned over the steering wheel, his chest heaving with the intensity of his emotions. Sean was right. I shouldn¡¯t have met with Ysabelle at this moment. Neither of us had calmed down yet, so it was inevitable we would hurt each other, even though it was just an insignificant conflict. I never thought this would be the oue. My heart ached when I saw her reddened eyes, yet a few words from her, and I was ready to explode! He couldn¡¯t help but p and reprimand himself. ¡°You¡¯re a b¡¯stard, Felix! You must¡¯ve hurt Ysabelle again with the words you said!¡± I wonder what she¡¯s doing right now. Is she crying? She never could stand feeling aggrieved. Swiftly, he called Tristan. The call interrupted Tristan¡¯s steamy kiss with Sophie. Knitting his eyebrows, he thought, Who¡¯s calling me right now? Do they have a death wish? Sophie was panting while leaning against the wall. ¡°You should answer it.¡± Hence, Tristan epted the call. ¡°You better have something important to say, Felix. Otherwise, I¡¯m crippling you tomorrow!¡± ¡°Can you ask Sophie to check up on Ysabelle, Mr. Tristan? We didn¡¯t part on good terms,¡± requested Felix. Even though we quarreled, I¡¯m still worried about her. She might overthink things. ¡°I think it¡¯s better if you two just break up,¡± Tristan replied with a frown. Chapter 899 Chapter 899 Chapter 899 Wise N?velDrama.Org owns this. ¡°Please, Mr. Tristan. Just ask Sophie to keep Ysabellepany!¡± begged Felix. ¡°Fine, fine. I¡¯ll do that. Be careful on your way back.¡± Jadging from Felir¡¯s tone, he¡¯s clearly deeply hurt by this as well. It¡¯s also obvious how much he likes her. Even though he sounds like he¡¯s in pain, he¡¯s still looking out for Ysabelle¡¯s emotional state. I don¡¯t understand what the two of them are doing. If they like each other, they should remain together and work out their problems instead of bickering all day. Sophie tidied her messy shirt and hair before approaching Tristan. Upon ncing at Tristan¡¯s countenance, she had a pretty good guess of what had happened. ¡°What¡¯s the matter? They haven¡¯t made up yet?¡± After he told her about Felix¡¯s request, she nodded. ¡°All right, then. We¡¯ll stay here tonight. I¡¯ll keep Ysabellepany ¡°I don¡¯t want you to keep anyone elsepany.¡± Tristan pouted. Even if the person she¡¯s staying with is my niece, I still don¡¯t want her to go. Standing on her toes, Sophie kissed him. ¡°All right, you should return to your room and rest now. I¡¯ll take a look at Ysabelle. Don¡¯t worry. We still have a lifetime ahead of us. I¡¯ll always stay by your side.¡± Tristan felt much better upon hearing that. ¡°That¡¯s right. You belong to me for the rest of your life, so we have plenty of time left.¡± Although, I wonder, is a lifetime really that long? I want her to stay by my side in our next life and the one after that. ¡°I¡¯ll check up on Ysabelle now. She¡¯ll be fine with me by her side,¡± reassured Sophie. ¡°Okay. Go ahead!¡± When Sophie arrived at Ysabelle¡¯s room, she noticed the door was open. Upon entering the room, Sophie saw her friend applying a facial mask as if nothing had happened. ¡°Why are you here? It¡¯ste. You should rest.¡± Ysabelle really didn¡¯t want to bother anyone. Since I¡¯ve decided to break up with Felir, I should live a better life. Otherwise, Felix will think I can¡¯t move on from him. Sophie sat on the bed and stared at Ysabelle. ¡°Why are you gazing at me, Sophie? It makes me feel ufortable, you know,¡± remarked Ysabelle. Sophie replied, ¡°We¡¯re best friends, aren¡¯t we, Ysabelle? You can tell me what¡¯s bothering you.¡± In response, Ysabelle removed her facial mask. ¡°I¡¯m serious this time, Sophie. I really want to break up with him.¡± Since Felix feels so drained staying with me, why shouldn¡¯t I break up with him for his sake? ¡°If you truly want to separate from him, I¡¯ll support you. Regardless of your decision, I¡¯ll always have your back.¡± Sophie didn¡¯t want to interrogate her friend. I¡¯m not Ysabelle, so I don¡¯t know how she feels right now. All I can do is support her. After washing her face, Ysabelley on the bed with Sophie. ¡°Mhm. You always treat me the best, Sophie. I really don¡¯t want anyone to ask me too many questions right now. All I need is for someone to stay by my side. Thus, the two of them slept with each other. The next day, Ysabelle put on fancy makeup as though what happenedst night didn¡¯t ur. Sophie felt much more at ease when she saw her friend doing better emotionally. ¡°I¡¯m not kidding, Sophie. There¡¯s no need to worry about me. I know I¡¯ve always been finicky, but I know what I¡¯m doing right now,¡± assured Ysabelle. Since I¡¯m the one who proposed the breakup, I¡¯ll do my best to move on from the rtionship. ¡°I¡¯m d to see you like this.¡± Sophie smiled. Ysabelle really has matured after spending two years in the entertainment industry. She¡¯s an independent woman now. Tristan drove both Sophie and Ysabelle to their destinations. ¡°We won¡¯t judge who¡¯s in the right and wrong for the breakup. Ysabelle. However, if you still love him. don¡¯t KO overboard. Otherwise, it¡¯ll be difficult for you to clean up the mess afterward,¡± he warned. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Uncle Tristan. I know what I¡¯m doing. This time, I¡¯m certain I want to break up with him. I¡¯m fine with not meeting him if it¡¯s too awkward for everyone to gather together in the future.¡± Upon hearing that, Tristan shook his head. She sure is heartless. Now, I can¡¯t help but pity Felir for falling in love with someone like her ¡°All right, then. In that case, we shouldn¡¯t interfere with their matters anymore. All that matters is that Ysabelle¡¯s happy.¡± Felir will just have to learn to move on. When the car arrived before TS, Sophie was relieved to see Ysabelle stepping toward the building confidently. At least she doesn¡¯t seem to be in agony. This is good. Holding Ysabelle¡¯s hand. Tristanmented, ¡°I¡¯m d I met you. If I had fallen in love with a woman like Ysabelle. I think I would¡¯ve died of a heart attack.¡± He did not doubt she had the ability to do that. ¡°I think Ysabelle¡¯s fine. It¡¯s just that she still hasn¡¯t thought things through,¡± replied Sophie. Regarding matters like these, it¡¯s impossible to tell what the people in the situation think. After Tristan sent Sophie to the medical association, he left. Recently, Sophie had been researching. memory erasure there. It had been a few days since she went to the University of Medicine. Hence, the moment she arrived at the medical association, Dominic called her and spoke earnestly. ¡°What¡¯s the matter with you, Sophie? I know you¡¯re busy, but you still have to attend your sses, you know? It¡¯s been days!¡± ¡°I know, Mr. Sawyer. There are a few matters that require my attention right now. I promise I¡¯ll return to the university after a few days.¡± Of course, Sophie was aware of how much she was troubling Dominic. After all, she had just skipped grades, yet she hadn¡¯t shown up for her sses. ¡°Well, if you do have something important you need to take care of, go ahead. You have my support at the University of Medicine. No one will dare to do anything to you!¡± It was because of how protective Dominic was that Sophie was concerned about him. ¡°Thank you, Mr. Sawyer.¡± Upon ending the call, Sophie entered the medical association. There, she saw Nichs again and frowned. He doesn¡¯t know how to give up, does he? ¡°What are you trying to do, Nichs? You¡¯re bothering me!¡± Instead of venturing deeper, she just stood there. ¡°Do you want us to fight to the bitter end?¡± She rubbed her chin. I¡¯ve already nned everything out. However, I¡¯m not mature enough yet. I need a little more time to ensure this works. If not, the situation will get messy. ¡°I was missing you, which is why I came to visit. Don¡¯t worry. I won¡¯t disturb you. Besides, didn¡¯t you agree to treat me?¡± Nichs had gotten wise. He knew he wouldn¡¯t gain any advantage even if he took physical action against her. After all, if Sophie fought earnestly, there was a good chance he would lose. ¡°I¡¯m busy today, so I don¡¯t have time to treat you! Besides, your ailment is psychological, and I¡¯m not a psychiatrist. Upon ending her sentence, she ignored him and went further into the building. ¡°Also, don¡¯t follow me inside unless you don¡¯t mind fighting me here.¡± Chapter 900 Chapter 900 Chapter 900 No Mercy When Arius strode into the building, he saw Nichs still standing outside and couldn¡¯t help but chuckle. ¡°What are you doing. Nichs? Seriously, why did youe here to torture yourself? Doesn¡¯t Anndur have a bunch of hot women?¡± Sophie¡¯s a loyal woman. Once she¡¯s fallen for someone, she won¡¯t change her mind. ¡°Just because you don¡¯t speak doesn¡¯t mean others will think you¡¯re mute, Arius¡± Nichs scowled. I¡¯m already pssed off, yet this man still wants to provoke me. Does he have a death wish? ¡°Indeed, no one will think I¡¯m mute. However, I just find you pitiful since you¡¯ll never have the love you desire.¡± In response, Nichs stepped forward and grabbed Arius by the cor. Georgina just so happened to witness that scene when she arrived. Immediately, she seized Nichs hand. ¡°What are you doing? This is the medical association. Let him go now unless you want a piece of me.¡± In reality, she was afraid. She was intimidated by Nichs¡¯ domineering vibe. Despite that, she still wanted to protect Arius. ¡°Do you want to lose your hand?¡± ncing at Georgina¡¯s hand, Nichs wondered if he had been too mercifultely. Is that why everyone wants to take a pss on my head? Arius ripped Nichs¡¯ hand away before pulling Georgina to his side. ¡°You should return to where you came from. Nichs. No one wees you here.¡± I am so going toin about him to Sophie. ¡°Let¡¯s go. Georgina. Don¡¯t pay any attention to this lunatic.¡± Without dy, he dragged Georgina into the building. Nichs was rendered speechless. Is that how other people see me? Truly, no one understands how much I love Sophie When Richard arrived to pick him up, he saw thetter¡¯s countenance and knew things hadn¡¯t progressed well. ¡°Haven¡¯t you already hired the hypnotist, Boss? Why not just ask them toe here?¡± If this drags on for too long, there¡¯ll be dire consequences. Nichs has many enemies, after all. If they learn he¡¯s here, the oue will be catastrophic. ¡°Fine. Ask the hypnotist toe here,¡± ordered Nichs. It seems like I¡¯ve no other choice but to do this. Richard suggested, ¡°Let¡¯s return first, Boss. Once the hypnotist arrives, we¡¯ll revisit Ms. Tanner.¡± The n won¡¯t proceed smoothly if he strains his rtionship with her now. ¡°Yes, let¡¯s go.¡± Upon returning to their residence, Richard contacted the hypnotist. Nichs offered the hypnotist a very high price, which was why thetter was willing to make the trip. ¡°You don¡¯t need to worry about anything anymore, Boss. The hypnotist will arrive the day after tomorrow,¡± informed Richard. ¡°Exercise caution with this matter. I don¡¯t want anything to go wrong.¡± Nichs warned. Once I rece Tristan with me in her memories, I bet she¡¯ll start loving me. I have no choice but to do this. Upon opening a red wine, he poured its content into two sses and handed one to Richard. ¡°I expect only sess. I won¡¯t tolerate failure, do you hear me?¡± I can¡¯t afford to fail again. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Boss. Everything will proceed as nned.¡± Meanwhile, Sophie was still reading in the medical association¡¯s library. One could find any book they imagined there. Arius sat across from Sophie with a bottle of water in his hand. ¡°It¡¯s not a good idea to let him linger around here. I have no clue what he¡¯s thinking¡± ¡°He wants to hypnotize me.¡± Sophie was already aware of his n. Truly, it¡¯s something only he can come up with ¡°He¡¯s insane.¡± Arius wished he could tear Nichs apart. ¡°He is.¡± ¡°How are you still so calm?¡± ¡°What else should I do? I can¡¯t just go and kill him.¡± The sole reason Sophie hadn¡¯t done anything to Nichs was that killing him would cause a lot of trouble. ¡°The hypnotist he hired seems pretty skilled.¡± Biting her lip, she thought, I don¡¯t think that hypnotist can do anything to me if I don¡¯t cooperate, however ¡°Have you told Tristan about this? You can just ask him to capture the hypnotist,¡± proposed Arius. A grin settled on Sophie¡¯s countenance. ¡°You¡¯re finally smart for once. Don¡¯t worry. I can handle it.¡± ¡°That doesn¡¯ty my concerns to rest. It hadn¡¯t been easy for you to attain your current happiness. I just hope you¡¯ll never lose it because of Nichs.¡± ¡°I got it. Rx.TM ¡°Mhm.¡± Arius truly cared about Sophie and was willing to sacrifice anything for her. ¡°How¡¯s your rtionship with Georgina? Falling in love feels pretty good, right?¡± The edges of Sophie¡¯s lips curved upward. Georgina is such a good girl. ¡°It is. I like Georgina¡¯s personality. She never annoys me.¡± Arius was satisfied with just that. Furrowing her brows, Sophie advised, ¡°Now that you¡¯re properly dating her, you should spend more time. on her. Georgina has a great personality, but she needs attention, too.¡± All women need to be cared for. ¡°Really? I think she¡¯s very independent! She¡¯s capable of solving many issues without my help. Sometimes, I feel like she doesn¡¯t need me at all.¡± Sophie shook her head. ¡°She¡¯s a meek woman, and she loves you, so she doesn¡¯t want to disturb you. However, any woman will always hope the person they love will pay more attention to them.¡± ¡°Very well, then. I¡¯ll treat her to a mealter tonight,¡± stated Arius. It doesn¡¯t seem like I¡¯m doing an excellent job as a boyfriend, but I¡¯ll learn to do better. I really want to make Georgina happy. Nichs didn¡¯t bother Sophie for the next few days because his n was ready. All he needed to do was wait for the prime opportunity. However, he was very upset that he couldn¡¯t meet Sophie. Meanwhile, Tristan had tasked people to keep an eye on Nichs. Naturally, he discovered Nichs¡± oddity. ¡°What is Nichs trying to do, Mr. Tristan? He¡¯s been staying in Chanaca for a very long time.¡± Sean couldn¡¯t understand what Nichs¡¯ goal was. ¡°His goal has always remained the same, and that¡¯s Sophie,¡± answered Tristan. It¡¯s not like he¡¯s hiding his motive ¡°We know that,¡± Charles replied. It must be such a pain to have a powerful love rival. ¡°How about we just kill him?¡± ¡°We totally should! I think it¡¯s better if we take him down before he can execute his n. Besides, I bet you¡¯re annoyed that he keeps thinking about Sophie. Charles understood Tristan¡¯s emotions well. ¡°Yeah. If an opportunity presents itself, I won¡¯t show him any mercy. Tristan dered. It was then Felix entered the room.This is from N?velDrama.Org. Chapter 901 Chapter 901 Chapter 901 He Truly Loved Her ¡°Do you know what Nichs is up to?¡± Felix was supposed to keep track of Nichs¡¯ every move, but he had overlooked his duty because he was too preupied with the breakup with Ysabelle. Infuriated upon learning Nichs¡¯ scheme, he stormed in and pulled off his zer, looking all flushed from the rushing. ¡°What does he think he¡¯s doing? I swear this guy is a maniac! He¡¯s getting the world¡¯s best hypnotist to help him! We all know what he¡¯s after!¡± he raged as the three stared at him. Charles was staggered at the news. This guy is deranged! It¡¯s clear as day that Sophie has no feelings for him! Why is he so obsessed? He¡¯spletely nuts. ¡°What should we do now, Mr. Tristan? Is Sophie aware of this? I suppose we should let her know what is going on.¡± ¡°We should. I¡¯ll talk to her tonight. I need a foolproof n. This guy is not leaving Jipsdale alive,¡± Tristan replied, clenching his fists subconsciously. There was no way he would allow anyone to do anything to his woman. Nodding at Tristan¡¯s statement, Sean assured, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll make the arrangements. You should keep Sophiepany just in case he makes a move on her.¡± Thewyer knew Tristan would be shattered if he ever lost Sophie. That night, Tristan headed straight to the medical association to pick Sophie up. Upon seeing her, he pulled her into his arms. ¡°What¡¯s the matter? Did something happen?¡± Sophie asked, noticing that Tristan was behaving differently. ¡°Let¡¯s get in the car first. Tristan answered curtly. Without heeding the nces thrown at them, he held her by the waist and walked her to the car. Having opened the door for her and watched her enter, he got into the driver¡¯s seat. ¡°What¡¯s going on? You look bothered,¡± Sophie asked again, worried. ¡°It¡¯s about Nichs Sable. I think it¡¯s time we finish him off for good.¡± From how Tristan held her hand, Sophie could tell the man must have found out about something. ¡°Rx. I know he got a hypnotist, but you have nothing to worry about. I know what to do.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll just kill him and get this done and over with. It¡¯s so annoying having to deal with him constantly.¡± Tristan snapped, exasperated that Nichs kepting between him and Sophie. ¡°I¡¯m going to erase his memory of me. This is how I¡¯ll get rid of him so he won¡¯t be a nuisance to us anymore.¡± When Sophie saw Tristan¡¯s worry, she divulged her n, hoping it would appease him. ¡°Well, no one knows what the hypnotist looks like. Nichs has never met the person before either.¡± ¡°So?¡± ¡°I nned to get hold of that hypnotist before Nichs does and swap them for someone else. We can pretty much eliminate all the risks that way,¡± ¡°Sounds like a n. Let¡¯s work together. I¡¯ll get the hypnotist,¡± Tristan volunteered. He figured getting one¡¯s hands on the hypnotist would be difficult since a big shot like them would usually have bodyguards protecting them. ¡°Great. I knew you would help me out.¡±¡°¡± The couple was on the same page about the n since an attempt on Nichs¡¯ life would invite vengeance from his family, but on the contrary, if he had no memory of Sophie to begin with, Tristan and Sophie would not have to antagonize the Sable family. That was the best solution for everyone because it would not endanger Tristan¡¯s and Sophie¡¯s families and friends. Tristan and Sophie were less worried for themselves than for those they loved since the two could well protect themselves, given their capabilities. Having known Sophie for a long time, Tristan knew just what she was worried about. Later that night. Tristan brought Sophie to meet Sean, who agreed readily to Sophie¡¯s n when he found out about it ¡°This is truly the best thing we can do. Old Mr. Sable is not someone we can afford to cross, Nichs is his only son, so he¡¯ll definitely avenge his son¡¯s death, but if we erase Nichs¡¯ memory, then no one will be harmed ¡°So, we¡¯re catching the hypnotist now. I can do that. I don¡¯t have anything else to do, anyway.¡± Felix remarked, rubbing his chin. With Ysabelle still upset with him and refusing to see him, he felt frustrated to the core and was craving an assignment to take his mind off Ysabelle. ¡°Are you sure? It¡¯s going to be a difficult task. You¡¯ll have to go through many bodyguards before getting to the hypnotist. Powerful people like them are usually vignt.¡± ¡°Come on, Mr. Tristan. You have nothing to worry about. I know how important this is. I won¡¯t let you all down ¡°Felix,¡± Sean interrupted, ¡°I think I should go instead. You¡¯d better stay back with how things are between you and Ysabelle. She¡¯ll get madder if you leave now.¡± Although Sean was convinced that Felix would pull off the job well, he believed that Felix should first solve his problem with Ysabelle before doing anything else. After all, rtionships were important. ¡°Sean is right, Felix. You should stay back and sort things out with Ysabelle.¡± None of the people present truly believed Felix would break up with Ysabelle. ¡°She and I both need time to cool off, and this is the perfect opportunity for me to do so,¡± Felix insisted. ¡°Fine, Felix. You will be in charge of this, but Sean will be following. I think you should go with a partner.¡± Upstodatee from Novel(D)ra/m/a.O(r)g Sean nodded in agreement at the proposal. ¡°What about me? Is there anything I can do?¡± Charles asked, feeling left out. ¡°I have something else for you to do,¡± Tristan said calmly. ¡°All right.¡± Having hashed out their n, everyone had dinner together until a call interrupted the meal. Seeing it was Ysabelle, Sophie got up to speak with her outside since she did not want to upset Felix. ¡°Who is it? Just pick up the call here,¡± the men asked. To them, Sophie was a friend close enough for them to risk their lives for her, so they could not understand why she did not feel at home around them. ¡°It¡¯s Ysabelle!¡± Tristan replied instead. He saw the caller earlier since he was sitting right next to Sophie. Charles and Sean nced at Felix at the mention of that name. ¡°What on earth happened, Felix? What¡¯s with the fight? Everything has been going well between the two of How did thingse to this point? The fight sure is dragging out.¡± you. Everyone wondered if the breakup was serious. At the question, Felix poured himself a ss of alcohol and answered, ¡°Don¡¯t ask me, man. I have no idea what happened. As you said, everything was fine until the fight broke out.¡± Charles shook his head at the sight. ¡°I think you should just give up. You guys are not married yet, so it¡¯s still not toote to break it off. At least both families won¡¯t be affected.¡± Felix red at Charles and chastised, ¡°Cut the nonsense. There¡¯s no way I¡¯m giving up. Do you think this is all a game to me?¡± Despite the agony the rtionship had caused him, he truly loved Ysabelle and did not wish to let her go. Chapter 902 Chapter 902 Chapter 902 Padma Ferdaron Charles shrugged in response. From his point of view, he was giving some frank advice, for he believed one should be decisive in ending an unhappy rtionship, but Felix disregarded hisments altogether. He saw no point in listening to someone who had never been in a rtionship. ¡°What do you know?¡± Felix blurted, unwilling to waste his time exining the situation to Charles, When Sophie had finished talking over the phone, she returned to her seat only to realize Felix had his gaze fixed on her before he let out a subtle sigh. ¡°What happened?¡± he finally asked. ¡°Nothing, really. Ysabelle is doing fine. I feel she¡¯s doing better after the breakup. She¡¯s going to Jetroina for a concert. The truth was Sophie herself was startled when she learned that Ysabelle was leaving for Jetroina, for she was unaware that thetter¡¯s fame had spread abroad. ¡°What? Jetroina?¡± Felix eximed in disbelief. ¡°Yes, but I need to talk to Xandra about this after I return to TS Entertainment. She already has Ysabelle¡¯s career projectile nned out.¡± ¡°I see,¡± Felix muttered in disappointment. That¡¯s the thing. She never tells me anything. If she goes to Jetroina for a concert, I suppose we won¡¯t see each other for some time. Does this mean she doesn¡¯t want to see me anymore? With that thought. Felix left to find Ysabelle once dinner was over. Although it waste, she was still practicing at TS Entertainment and would not have taken a breather had her assistant notined about her growling stomach, but the two ran into Felix just as they went out. He had been waiting at the door. ¡°Well, that¡¯s my cue to leave. Ysabelle,¡± the assistant said tactfully when she saw Felix. ¡°Wait up. I¡¯m leaving with you. I have nothing to do with him anymore.¡± Ysabelle did not want to fight Felix at thepany¡¯s front door since paparazzi were around. On the other hand, Felix felt vexed and hurt when he saw Ysabelle turning away when she had clearly seen him earlier. He had no idea how their rtionship ended up hitting a patch as rough, so he got into his car and followed the two women. When Ysabelle and her assistant had had dinner, Felix was still waiting in his car. Seeing this, the assistant urged, ¡°Ysabelle, why don¡¯t you go over and talk things out with him? We can¡¯t have him following you all the time, right?¡± ¡°Just ignore him. He has nothing to do with me, so he can do whatever he wants. Don¡¯t let him bother you.¡± Just like that, the two returned to thepany, with Felix still tailing them. Although Felix understood that Ysabelle refused to talk to him, he still followed her because, in such a way, he could still watch her from afar at least. He knew it was humiliating for him to do so-he was the one who spoke to her harshly in the first ce- but he loved her to the extent where he could let down his ego for her Meanwhile, Tristan and Sophie went to the hospital after dinner. When they arrived, Wendy was still looking after Wilma, who had already recovered and had Sophie¡¯s approval to get discharged. After the lot arrived home, Wendy poured everyone some drinks while Wilma sat on the couch. When she had braced herself, she finally spoke. ¡°Ms. Sophie, I¡¯ve decided to leave for a while. I can¡¯t be myself if I stay here,¡± Wilma announced. She had been striving and working hard without rest since the day she arrived in the city. At that point, she felt worn out and only hoped to take a break, but Wendy was worried about her. ¡°Where are you going, Ms. Lineker? What will happen to Transfix Cosmetics without you? We need you here. Must you leave? We are all so happy together.¡± Indeed, they had weathered the most challenging time together at Transfix Cosmetics. Wendy could not understand why Wilma chose to leave when thepany had finally made it and was about to go public. The news disquieted Wendy because she and Wilma had battled through the hardest time together. To her, Wilma was giving up everything because of that useless man. It¡¯s all his fault! I¡¯m going to kill him! ¡°Listen to me, Wendy. All good things muste to an end. Besides, it¡¯s not like I¡¯m nevering back again. For all you know, I might return when I¡¯m well rested. I¡¯m just too tired now.¡± N?velDrama.Org owns this. Tears welled up in Wendy¡¯s eyes as she listened to Wilma. ¡°But I can¡¯t let you leave in this state. I¡¯m worried,¡± Wendy replied. ¡°You have nothing to worry about. Wendy. I won¡¯t do anything stupid. I want to live a long and good life.¡± ¡°Say something, Ms. Sophie. Say something to Ms. Lineker! I don¡¯t know what else I should say to her to change her mind,¡± Wendy begged in desperation. She was not good with words and was at a loss for words tofort Wilma. Sophie nodded and chimed in. ¡°Ms. Lineker, I won¡¯t stop you if that¡¯s what you want. You have my full support no matter where you choose to go. Just rest for a bit and forget everything about work.¡± ¡°I will, Ms. Sophie. Thank you for the kind words,¡± Wilma replied, nodding in gratitude. ¡°No worries. I believe you have my contact, so feel free to call me anytime if you need anything.¡± Sophie was on Wilma¡¯s side because she was not as cruel as to force Wilma to continue working, given her condition. ¡°Sure Wendy kept wiping away her tears when it dawned upon her that there was nothing else she could do to keep Wilma. ¡°Come on, Wendy. Don¡¯t cry. I believe you want me to be happy, too, right?¡± Wilma consoled, patting Wendy on the back. ¡°Yes, Ms. Lineker. I want you to be happy, but you must promise me you will never do anything rash again. ¡°I promise.¡± With that word of promise, Wilma left thepany she singlehandedly founded, and no one knew where she went. As for Wendy, introverted as she was, she plunged herself into thepany¡¯s affairs after Wilma¡¯s departure, working away diligently. She had decided to do her best to safeguard Transfix Cosmetics because she understood how much thepany meant to Wilma. She believed that Wilma would return one day as long as she kept the company in good shape. Meanwhile, Sophie had just acquired information about the hypnotist at Wings of Light. Padma Ferdaron was a world-ss hypnotist from Frosa, but apart from this information, no one had ever seen them in person. Not only was their photo off limits, but they also had a secret organization backing them. In fact, Nichs could not have found them if it was not for the hefty price he paid. When Butterfly saw the hypnotist¡¯s details and discovered what Nichs was up to, she became thoroughly convinced that that man was mentally ill. ¡°Sophie, dealing with Padma is going to be difficult. Mr. Tristan might be able to get rid of their bodyguards, but not the organization behind them. ¡°I understand,¡± Sophie replied pensively, wondering what the mysterious organization was. ¡°But I think we will be fine if we don¡¯t hurt Padma.¡± Since there would always be people more powerful than they were out there, Butterfly figured they should not risk offending Padma. ¡°Felix and Sean are already on their way. Everything will be okay as long as they can stop Padma.¡± Chapter 903 Chapter 903 Chapter 903 Peril On the other side, Nichs was sipping red wine in front of a floor-to-ceiling window while Richard stood behind him. ¡°Boss, Padma is on their way.¡± ¡°Good. I hope everything goes well. Do you think Sophie knows about this? Nothing goes under her nose unnoticed.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure, I have a bad feeling about this, actually. We should get someone to impersonate Padma to get away from Sophie.¡± Given Sophie¡¯s wit and hacking ability, the assistant believed she would not just sit idly by if she found out about their plot. She must have cooked up a counteractive n. N?velDrama.Org owns this. ¡°You¡¯re right,¡± Nichs agreed. Although this was a feud between Sophie and him, the former had Tristan on her side, which decreased Nichs¡¯ chances of winning. Yet, Nichs thought he should at least give it a shot since Padma was his only solution to the situation. Despite the ndestine nature of his n, Sophie might well have figured out what he was up to, but luckily, no one had seen Padma before, so there was no guarantee as to whether Sophie and her friends would get the right person. In the meantime, Felix and Sean flew to Frosa after Sophie informed them about Padma¡¯s flight and bought them tickets for the same ne, Once boarded, Sean began observing all the passengers, only to find more than ten bodyguards he suspected to be in Padma¡¯s service. However, because the bodyguards were dispersed across the ne and did not seem to pay particr attention to anyone, Sean and Felix could not deduce from their actions who Padma was. ¡°This is going to be a tough one. We don¡¯t even have a photo of this Padma.¡± Sean remarked, feeling like he had hit a dead end. Likewise, Felix was also keeping a close eye on everyone. Most of the passengers were people from Frosa and were of simr age. ¡°You¡¯re right. This is far from easy, but we must find this person. Mr. Tristan and Sophie are at risk here.¡± Thest thing Felix wanted to see was Sophie being brainwashed into believing that Nichs was the person she loved. This would utterly break Tristan¡¯s heart. The flight from Frosa to Jipsdale took more than ten hours, but even then, Sean and Felix could not make out who Padma was. Soon, the nended at the airport in Jipsdale, and everyone was getting ready to disembark. Left with no other recourse, Felix and Sean split up when they saw the guards walk away in different directions. Sean and Felix thought their mission might fail when the guards¡¯ actions did not give away Padma¡¯s identity. Indeed, up to the point when they left the ne, they still had not figured out who Padma was, so Sean. immediately called Tristan. ¡°We didn¡¯t find Padma. I bet they know we¡¯re looking for them. We¡¯re up against some powerful people.¡± ¡°Noted. My men will be getting you guys,¡± Tristan replied. Earlier, he had dispatched ten guards to aid Sean and Felix, but with the two stuck in limbo, it seemed like this extra help would be useless, ¡°Hey. Look at that person!¡± Sean suddenly whispered when he caught a suspicious person walking into the restroom. ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± Felix ordered as he followed the person, feeling the man was also behaving unusually. Once they entered, they grabbed the dubious man, who barked, ¡°What are you all doing? Get your hands off, or I¡¯ll kill you two!¡± Sean and Felix exchanged nces at the threat. They dragged him away without hesitation when they saw the tattoo on the man¡¯s arm. ¡°What is going on¡­ Who¡­ do you think you are?¡± the man stuttered in broken Chanaean. ¡°We¡¯re sorry, Mr. Ferdaron. You¡¯reing with us. Don¡¯t worry. You¡¯ll be safe in our hands.¡± ¡°Mr. Ferdaron? I¡¯m no Mr. Ferdaron! Let me go! You guys got the wrong person! I¡¯m suing you all!¡± ¡°Sorry to say, but he¡¯s the bestwyer in Jipsdale, so go ahead if you want to sue us!¡± Felix shouted as he tugged the man away. As for Sean, he did not leave right away, for he had an unfinished task. There were more than a hundred people on the flight whom he had taken pictures of on the sly back in the ne. Since Sean could not even tell if the person Felix took was Padma, the only way forward was to have all those people tailed. After some time, Sean went to meet Tristan and the rest. ¡°Honestly speaking. I don¡¯t even know if that man is Padma. No one has seen this person before!¡± Sean spelled his confusion. ¡°Exactly. Are your men keeping tabs on the other passengers?¡± Tristan asked. ¡°They are, but we don¡¯t know when Nichs will make a move. It¡¯s not like we can keep an eye on all those people forever.¡± At this point, Charles weighed in with his two cents, ¡°Well, I think we should just lock Nichs up. That¡¯s the best way to save us all the trouble.¡± He believed that what Tristan and the others were doing was but a waste of time. ¡°That¡¯s ourst resort. If there¡¯s really nothing we can do, I guess we will have to catch Nichs.¡± Sometimes, one could not help but think Nichs had luck on his side, for it took just a person like him to cause so much trouble for everyone. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Mr. Tristan. We will do our very best. Everything will be fine.¡± ¡°Thank you for all the hard work. Anyway, I¡¯d better get going. I need to pick Sophie up. I won¡¯t be staying for dinner, then.¡± Tristan said. ¡°Okay,¡± the three men answered when they saw how worried Tristan looked. They understood how he felt, so they did not insist on him staying for dinner. When Tristan arrived at the medical association and did not see Sophie outside, he went in to look for her. ¡°We are not sure if the person we got is Padma,¡± he informed the moment he saw her. ¡°I see. Don¡¯t worry about it.¡± Frustrated, Tristan pulled her into his arms, saying, ¡°Why don¡¯t we just catch Nichs? I can¡¯t bear the thought of losing you! Trust me. This is the best solution to our problem. I promise you we will stay together, get married, and even have our own children. I don¡¯t want the Sable family toe after us for the rest of our lives. We have nothing to lose, but I don¡¯t want our children to face this with us.¡± Holding Sophie gently, Tristan added, ¡°I can protect you and our children. The Sable family can¡¯t do anything to us.¡± -Nichs is Old Mr. Sable¡¯s only son. We will be incurring the family¡¯s wrath if we kill him. Besides, you need to think of your family too.¡± Tristan felt the situation was driving him to his wit¡¯s end. ¡°I can erase Nichs¡¯ memory as long as Padma doesn¡¯t intercept.¡± For the past few days, Sophie had been doing extensive research on hypnosis and had tried it out on victims who wished to get rid of painful memories, and the result was promising. -Sophie, if your n doesn¡¯t work out, we will have to go with my n,¡± Tristan suggested. He understood that different people had distinct ways of approaching a matter, but for him, his solution was to put an end to Nichs ¡°All right. We will get rid of him together if my n fails.¡± Sophie agreed. She would do anything to stay with Tristan, even if it meant soiling her hands with blood. ¡°Leave that to me. I don¡¯t want anything to weigh on your conscience.¡± Chapter 904 Chapter 904 Chapter 904 Master Of Hypnosis ¡°Boss, Ms. Tanner and the others must have found out about the n. If that¡¯s true, our chances of sess may bepromised,¡± Richard said. It¡¯ll be extremely difficult to manipte her memory now that they¡¯ve be vignt! ¡°So, what¡¯s your next n? Give up? I¡¯vee this far, so don¡¯t expect me to give up. No way! Where¡¯s Padma? Where on earth is he?¡± Nichs bellowed. At that exact moment, a knock sounded at the door. After opening the door, Richard saw a Chanaean girl in her twenties standing outside. ¡°Who are you?¡± Richard stared at the girl warily. ¡°I¡¯m Padma. Padma Ferdaron!¡± The girl, a native of Chanaea, possessed a pair of captivating eyes that would leave asting impression on anyone who beheld them. Richard narrowed his eyes. ¡°We don¡¯t have time for your games, youngdy. Please leave!¡± Despite his reputation for being amiable, Richard had no patience to spare for games. With a formidable opponent to confront, he had no intention of wasting time on a young girl. ¡°I¡¯m Padma!¡± the youngdy reiterated steadily. ¡°You guys wanted my help to alter someone¡¯s memory. right?¡± ¡°You said you¡¯re Padma, but how can you prove yourself?¡± Richard eximed. Though they were in search of Padma, they had neverid eyes on her before, leaving them clueless about her appearance. ¡°What do you mean? If you wish to cancel the mission, go ahead and do it.¡± Padma began to feel annoyed. I traveled all this distance only to be treated with such disrespect. How can they treat me like this? ¡°I don¡¯t need your money anyway. Let¡¯s just call off this deal.¡± The infuriated Padma was about to turn around and leave. It¡¯s just one hundred million. No big deal. Nichs immediately got out and stopped the young girl from leaving. ¡°Are you really Padma?¡± The girl took out her ID card and showed him. Nichs nodded. She¡¯s indeed Padma ¡°Now that we¡¯ve met, here¡¯s my phone number. Call me when you¡¯ve made all the arrangements,¡± Padma said. She needed to maintain a distance from them to avoid arousing suspicion. After ending her sentence, Padma left. Everyone assumed the guards were there to protect her, but in reality, she always stayed away from them. If she were seen with the guards, she would be an easy target for others. Padma was astute enough to recognize the risks involved in such a situation. ¡°Boss, is she really Padma?¡± After the girl left, Richard was still in a daze. How can someone so young be a world-renowned hypnotist? Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024. ¡°Yes. That¡¯s her,¡± Nichs said. People would not associate a pretty youngdy with the master of hypnosis as they assumed the person to be a male. That was why numerous assassins failed to get her out of the way. However, it was evident that such geniuses did exist, and Sophie served as a prime example. She was a medical prodigy no one could surpass. ¡°So now, how can we convince Ms. Tanner to meet with us? She has no trust in us whatsoever.¡±¡° Richard voiced his concern. We can¡¯t simply force our way through because Ms. Tanner is not someone who can be easily manipted. ¡°I told you to bring that person over. Have you done that?¡± Nichs asked. He wanted Sophie to cooperate with him, but he knew she would never do that. ¡°Yes!¡± Richard replied. ¡°Send a few men to capture Butterfly. Once we have her, Sophie will bepelled toe and look for me!¡± Nichs said. ¡°All right, Boss!¡± Initially, Nichs singled out Ysabelle as his target, but she was surrounded by a strong security detail. Hence, it would be difficult to capture Ysabelle. Butterfly might possess somebat skills, but without anyone to protect her, she would be vulnerable and an easy target. Meanwhile, Butterfly suspected she was being followed since she left Wings of Light. A corner of her lips quirked up. Oh. Nichs. You¡¯ll do anything to get what you want, huh? Richard and his men swiftly moved forward, intercepting Butterfly and preventing her from leaving. ¡°Ms. Sekelsky. My boss is looking for you. Pleasee with us!¡± Richard maintained a respectful demeanor when he approached Butterfly. ¡°Why is he looking for me? Tell him I have nothing to talk to him about,¡± Butterfly said. Initially, she felt gratitude for him saving her life, but upon learning about the heinous acts he had committed, her impression of him turned negative. Rtionships can¡¯t be forced, but he went ahead and did all sorts of crazy things. ¡°Ms. Sekelsky, you should know we don¡¯t want to do it the hard way,¡± Richard uttered. Butterfly smirked before turning around and running away. Knowing she was no match for Richard, she decided to make a run for it while she still had the chance. I can¡¯t risk bringing trouble to Sophie! Richard knitted his brows. Why can¡¯t she just cooperate with us? She just wants us to do it the hard way, huh? ¡°Catch that woman, but don¡¯t hurt her.¡± Richard was aware of Butterfly¡¯s significance to Sophie. That was why he ordered his subordinates not to cause her any harm. Butterfly possessed some decentbat skills, but they paled inparison to the expertise of the professional mercenaries she was up against. Within a short period of time, they sessfully captured Butterfly. ¡°Richard, what¡¯s the point of all this? Sophie has no interest in your boss. Everything he¡¯s doing is in vain,¡± she said. Richard did not answer her. ¡°Don¡¯t talk to me about it. I only take orders from my boss,¡± he replied. He was not in any position to judge right from wrong. Meanwhile, Sophie tried contacting Butterfly but to no avail. She knew something must have happened to her. ¡°Nichs must have taken Butterfly away!¡± ¡°I¡¯ll go and get her back,¡± Tristan said. Nichs is a fanatic who will go to any lengths to achieve his goals. ¡°You don¡¯t need to. Let¡¯s use his own tactics against him. He needed an opportunity, and so do I.¡± Sophie said. It¡¯s time to see who¡¯s more capable! ¡°He must have met that master of hypnosis,¡± Tristan said. Otherwise, he wouldn¡¯t have captured this point! Sophie hummed in agreement. I want to meet the hypnotist and see how skilled she truly is ¡°Sophie, what if you forget about me?¡± Tristan could not bear the thought of it. Sophie gave him a peck on his lips. ¡°What are you talking about? How can I forget about you?¡± Sophie replied. It¡¯s impossible. You¡¯ve bec essential part of my mind. ¡°But she¡¯s a world-ss hypnotist,¡± Tristan said. Who knows what she can do! Sophie hugged him tightly and whispered in his ear. ¡°Just trust me. Nothing will go wrong this time. And I¡¯ll settle this once and for all,¡± Sophie assured him. Now it¡¯s the best time to put an end to this nonsense. ¡°But I don¡¯t want you to go, Sophie!¡± Tristan eximed. He did not want her to leave because he could not bear the thought of any unforeseen circumstances urring. ¡°Tristan, this is the best time to get him to forget about me. I don¡¯t want him to disturb our lives anymore. Sophic said. Having someone get in their way was a nuisance, and she wanted to end it. Chapter 905 Chapter 905 Chapter 905 Kicked To The Ground ¡°Mmm-hmm.¡± Given that Sophie had made her decision, there was no way he would interrupt her. Yet he wasn¡¯t going to let anything untoward happen to her. Satisfied with the trust Tristan had in her, Sophie wrapped her arms around his neck and delivered him a kiss. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Just trust me.¡± She was already skilled in hypnosis. ¡°I¡¯ve always trusted you.¡± He wouldn¡¯t have allowed such brazenness if he didn¡¯t. Sophie¡¯s kiss intensified upon hearing his words. Whatever my decision, he has always supported me and has never wavered before. As Ysabelle had been busy with her dance recently, Sophie didn¡¯t tell her about the matter. Upon Felix¡¯s return, he followed her everywhere she went as if he was a stalker. Unable to endure it any further, Ysabelle confronted him. ¡°Felix, what¡¯s wrong with you? Why are you following me everywhere?¡± ¡°It¡¯s been a long time since I saw you, Ysabelle, replied Felix smilingly. ¡°What am I to do? I realized I couldn¡¯t forget you. Can we not break up? I¡¯m really sorry for what happened.¡± ¡°Felix, let¡¯s just take a break from each other. Even though you would pacify me every time I¡¯m angry, you have no idea what you¡¯ve done wrong. Even if we reconcile this time, it¡¯s just a matter of time before we break up again.¡± Ysabelle had given the matter a lot of thought. She wanted both of them to have the time and space to properly consider what kind of person the other wanted as a lover. ¡°Ysabelle, do you really want to break up?¡± Felix inched closer and gave her a hug. ¡°I do.¡± N?velDrama.Org owns this. ¡°In that case, I respect your decision. When I¡¯m not around, please take care of yourself, all right?¡± Even under those circumstances, Felix maintained his gentle demeanor. A burning sensation stung Ysabelle¡¯s nose. I can¡¯t go soft on him. I have to stay strong no matter what. ¡°In that case, I¡¯ll send you home. We might have broken up, but I¡¯m sure we¡¯re still friends.¡± It¡¯s probably not a big deal at all. ¡°It¡¯s fine. I still have work to do with Sunny.¡± With that, Ysabelle turned and left without sparing him another nce. Thereafter. Felix took out a cigarette from his pack. After lighting it up, he sat in his car alone, smoking He knew that he shouldn¡¯t have said what he said, but he just couldn¡¯t control himself back then Truth be told, it was more of him needing to learn how to love someone better than an issue with Ysabelle. Meanwhile, when Richard brought Butterfly to Nichs, Butterfly couldn¡¯t help but sneer at the sight of him. ¡°Do you know what you¡¯re doing, Nichs? How can you do this to me? Do you really think Sophie will do your bidding just because you are holding me hostage!¡± Butterfly was feeling upset, as she had been Sophie¡¯s right-hand man all this while. Little did she expect to end up being thetter¡¯s burden instead. ¡°You should just get some rest.¡± Nichs didn¡¯t want to waste any more time with her, for he couldn¡¯t care less about what others thought about him. All that mattered to him was results. ¡°Don¡¯t act recklessly, Nichs. I¡¯m telling you this sincerely. Loving someone doesn¡¯t mean that you must have her. You should know when to stop. As he had saved her before, she didn¡¯t want him to walk down the path of doom. Her words ignited an insidious glint in Nichs¡¯ eyes. ¡°Butterfly, don¡¯t speak as if you know me. You don¡¯t. You guys don¡¯t even believe that I have feelings for Sophie, but I do. In fact, I¡¯m willing to do anything to bring her to my side.¡± ¡°Nichs, plenty of people in this world have their love unrequited. Time will heal all wounds.¡± Butterfly didn¡¯t give up on convincing him. ¡°Richard, take her away. I don¡¯t want to hear another word from her.¡± He had no intention of turning back from the path he had embarked upon. ¡°Nichs-¡± Before Butterfly could say anything else, Richard had taken her to another room. ¡°Don¡¯t do this, Richard. As Nichs¡¯ subordinate, I¡¯m sure you care about him. It will all end badly if you proceed with this. Nichs has saved my life before, Richard, so I¡¯m not out to harm him. I really want the best for all of you. ¡°You had better rest here, Ms. Sekelsky. No one can stop Boss once he has set his mind on something. If he wants Ms. Tanner, he¡¯ll get Ms. Tanner.¡± Richard¡¯s obedience toward Nichs was absolute. Regardless of how dangerous the task was, he would carry it out unconditionally as long as Nichs willed it. Just as Butterfly wanted to follow him out, she noticed that the ce was filled with mercenaries. It was clear to her that Nichs was prepared to risk everything in one shot. ¡°Richard- However, the mercenaries outside blocked Butterfly¡¯s way, stopping her from leaving. ¡°What are you doing? Do you know who I am? I¡¯m Nichs¡¯ guest, and I¡¯ll go wherever I want to!¡± Butterfly fumed. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Ms. Sekelsky. We understand that you¡¯re a guest of the boss, but he wants you to rest, so please do so here. Don¡¯t make it difficult for us.¡± Without any warning, Butterfly mmed a kick into the mercenary¡¯s leg Despite the rage he felt, he had no choice but to endure it, for his boss did order them not to hurt Butterfly. After being forced back into her room, Butterfly had no way of speaking with Nichs anymore. It was then that Richard returned to Nichs¡¯ side. ¡°Boss, now that we have kidnapped the target, what do you n on doing next?¡± Padma had already arrived by then. ¡°We¡¯ll just wait for Sophie toe. She¡¯ll definitely be here, as she cares for Butterfly a lot.¡± The perfect opportunity will present itself then. ¡°Boss. Sophie is really strong, and this is Tristan¡¯s turf. I¡¯m worried that we would suffer tremendous losses if they barge in here aggressively.¡± ¡°I will not change my mind regardless of the sacrifice or consequences. That was all Nichs had to say. Right then, someone came in from outside. ¡°Boss, Ms. Tanner is here. She is waiting outside alone.¡± The corner of Nichs¡¯ lips curled into a smile. She¡¯s here, just as expected. I know her like the back of my hand. ¡°Mmm-hmm. Bring her in. Richard, how does my suit look? Do I look good?¡± He had wanted to show his best side to Sophie. ¡°Boss, it looks good on you. You look fantastic.¡± ¡°Good.¡± Nichs was finally satisfied. When Sophie entered and saw Nichs, she kicked him to the ground without any hesitation. As her rage didn¡¯te as a surprise, Nichs didn¡¯t fight back at all. Chapter 906 Chapter 906 Chapter 906 I Am Not Afraid Of Anything ¡°Boss¡­ Richard, too, was caught off guard by Sophie¡¯s attack. As the entire ce was crawling with heavily- armed mercenaries, there was no way thetter could fight her way out. ¡°What are you doing. Ms. Tanner?¡± Richard questioned her directly, ¡°Isn¡¯t it obvious? I¡¯m teaching him a lesson.¡± Sophie flexed her wrist to loosen it. ¡°Do you want one too?¡± She didn¡¯t mind doing it at all. ¡°You- The moment Nichs got back to his feet, he gave Richard a p. Even though the impact left the latter dazed, he had no idea what he had done wrong. ¡°Show some respect to Ms. Tanner. You¡¯re not qualified to reprimand her even if she kills me. Do you understand?¡± Nichs¡¯ words rendered Richard speechless. Boss is truly madly obsessed with her. When Sophie came up to Nichs again, she unleashed a punch upon his chest. The strike was so powerful that he spewed blood upon impact. ¡°Why aren¡¯t you fighting back?¡± ¡°You know I¡¯ll nevery a finger on you, Sophie. My feelings for you are true.¡± His love for her was an even stronger reason for him to hold back. ¡°In that case, should I be thanking you too? Where¡¯s Butterfly? I¡¯m the one you want. Why did you have to kidnap her?¡± A syringe loaded with medication was then brought out by Nichs. ¡°I know you very well, but I don¡¯t want to harm you. Once you inject this into your body, I¡¯ll release Butterfly.¡± At the end of the day, this was a matter between the two of them. There was no need to drag others into it. ¡°Do you think you can stop me from leaving with her?¡± Sophie was amused at his attempt. ¡°Don¡¯t test my limits, Sophie. You know the evil that I¡¯m capable of.¡± He had no qualms about ending someone else¡¯s life. ¡°Nichs, why do you refuse to give up? Am I that attractive to you?¡± ¡°What choice do I have? You¡¯re the one my heart belongs to.¡± ¡°Fine!¡± Without any hesitation. Sophie stabbed the syringe into herself and stared directly at him. ¡°Are you satisfied now? It¡¯s time to release her. This has always been between the two of us and has nothing to do with anyone else.¡± Nichs was surprised at how smoothly his n went, for Sophie would never tolerate anyone threatening her. In fact, she hated it when someone did so. ¡°Sophie, you¡ª¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Didn¡¯t you set this condition yourself? I just did what you wanted. Are you trying to go back on your word? You know, your dishonesty is what I hate about you the most!¡± ¡°I know you like Tristan instead of me, but is he an honest man? I don¡¯t think so.¡± The mention of Tristan threw Nichs into a jealous rage. Why can Tristan easily have everything that I want? As the drug¡¯s effect kicked in, Sophie could feel her strength leave her. It was then that Nichs walked up to her. ¡°All that doesn¡¯t matter anymore. From today onward, I¡¯ll be the only person you love.¡± ¡°Richard, bring Ms. Sekelsky here.¡± When Richard led Butterfly out, thetter was saddened by the sight of Sophie. ¡°Sophie, why did youe? You shouldn¡¯t have. He wouldn¡¯t have done anything to me.¡± Butterfly was naturally aware of Sophie¡¯s n. Yet they had failed to capture Padma. Consequently, it would be a disaster if Sophie¡¯s memories ended up being switched. ¡°Are you all right?¡± Butterfly rushed over to give Sophie a hug. ¡°I¡¯m fine. You know very well that I¡¯ll never let myself be taken advantage of, but what are we going to do now?¡± After being captured, Butterfly had no way of contacting Sophie. Therefore, she was clueless as to what the n was. ¡°Everything will be fine. You should go now, as there¡¯s nothing you can do by staying back.¡± ¡°No way! How can I abandon you at a time like this? Nichs is a madman who¡¯s capable of anything.¡± At that moment, Butterfly realized that there was something wrong with Sophie. ¡°Are you okay? Why do you look so pale? Were you injected with something?¡± Butterfly could recognize the signs after being injected with a drug when she was in Anndur. Nichs Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024. was someone relentless, after all. ¡°Just stick to the n,¡± Sophie whispered in Butterfly¡¯s ear. ¡°Leave at once, do you understand?¡± ¡°There¡¯s no way I¡¯m leaving you here alone. What if something happens to you? I-¡± ¡°You must listen to me.¡± ¡°L¡­ I can still be of help if I stay!¡± Butterfly truly felt lost. ¡°Release Butterfly and let her go,¡± said Sophie to Nichs. ¡°Boss, we can¡¯t free her yet. Otherwise- ¡°Release her! We¡¯re better off without her around. All she¡¯ll do is get in our way.¡± Nichs was cognizant that Butterfly¡¯s presence would spell nothing but trouble. ¡°Go now!¡± After giving Sophie a worried nce, Butterfly had no choice but to leave, making her feel as if she was a failure. ¡°Now that I¡¯ve done what you requested, let¡¯s have dinner together. It¡¯s about time to eat anyway.¡± Nichs had always wanted to share a meal with her but never got the chance to do so. Now that the opportunity presented itself, he wasn¡¯t going to let it slip through his hands. He had already ordered dinner to be prepared with the menu filled with Sophie¡¯s favorite dishes. Thereafter, Nichs and Sophie took their seats opposite each other. ¡°Sophie, it¡¯s just dinner. Does it really disturb you that much? At the very least, can you not keep scowling the entire time?¡± ¡°Nichs, do you think I¡¯m in the mood to have dinner with you now? Where¡¯s your hypnotist? Why isn¡¯t he here?¡± Isn¡¯t he desperate to have my memories switched? ¡°It seems that you already know the truth. In that case, why did you stille here? Does Butterfly really mean that much to you?¡± Nichs couldn¡¯t fathom why she was willing to go the distance for everyone but him. ¡°Why don¡¯t you make a wild guess?¡± Sophie didn¡¯t answer his question. Although the dishes served were delicious, Nichs¡¯ presence alone made her lose her appetite, ¡°No matter that, I¡¯m still happy to see you here. If you¡¯re willing to stay by my side, I will consider not switching your memories.¡± He was in love with who she was, after all. Moreover, he was willing to give in a lot just to amodate her. ¡°Nichs, do you really think you can leave with me? Jipsdale is Tristan¡¯s turf.¡± She couldn¡¯t understand what was going through his mind. He would insist on doing something despite it being impossible. ¡°For you, even death isn¡¯t going to stop me!¡± Chapter 907 Chapter 907 Chapter 907 What If ¡°Did you move yourself to tears?¡± Sophie asked sarcastically. All this while, the only thing he did was stir his own emotions, not mine. Nichs let out a wry smile. ¡°Do I really repel you that much? Why don¡¯t you like me?¡± Sophie ignored him. Taking in Tristan¡¯s demeanor, Sean and the others also felt helpless. They knew that without Sophie by his side. Tristan would definitely lose control of his emotions. At that moment, Butterfly had also returned. Her heart also ached when she saw Tristan in that state. ¡°Mr. Tristan, I¡¯m sorry for always causing trouble for you all.¡± I¡¯m truly a burden. ¡°This matter has nothing to do with you. Go back and get some rest,¡± Tristan was well aware that was Sophie¡¯s decision. Still, her decision was too dangerous, and that was why he was so anxious. What if Sophie really forgets me? What should I do? What if she insists on leaving with Nichs? What about me, then? ¡°Mr. Tristan, don¡¯t worry. We¡¯ve made the necessary preparations at all of the entry and exit points of the country. There¡¯s no way Nichs can escape. Felix reassured Tristan. Only then did Ysabelle find out what had happened. She immediately ran over. ¡°Sophie- She wanted to ask about the situation, but at the sight of Tristan¡¯s mien, she caught herself. Ysabelle felt utterly useless. Many things had urred recently, yet she waspletely clueless and unable to assist. This feeling sucks. Felix poured her a ss of water. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Sophie will be fine. We¡¯ll bring her back safely, so rest assured.¡± Ysabelle didn¡¯t respond. She merely held the ss with her hands and sat at one side. At that moment, she didn¡¯t want to cause any trouble for everyone, so she could only try her best to lower her presence to avoid affecting others. ¡°Butterfly, will Sophie be all right? That Nichs is really a psychopath!¡± Ysabelle only dared to confide in Butterfly. Butterfly patted her shoulder. ¡°She¡¯ll be fine. Sophie is very capable. She knows how to handle things like these.¡± Therefore, there won¡¯t be any problems. We must have faith in Sophie. Arius came over as well. Seeing him, Tristan felt slightly more at ease. ¡°Arius, if Sophie¡¯s memories were really reced, can you restore them?¡± Tristan asked. Arius shook his head. ¡°I¡¯ve never studied this area of expertise. I came here just to see if I can help out with anything. Although he had a doctorate in medicine, he had never learned hypnosis. Even if he started pursuing knowledge in that field now, it might be toote. Tristan¡¯s facial expression turned a few shades darker. Seeing Tristan like that, Arius surprisingly didn¡¯t diss him. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Sophie will be fine. We must believe in her. She¡¯s a medical genius. There¡¯s no way that Padma can hypnotize her. Besides, Nichs won¡¯t harm her, so everything will be all right. ¡°I trust her, but I still regret letting her go alone.¡± He couldn¡¯t bear to let her take any risk. He simply couldn¡¯t bring himself to do it. Tristan had already nned their future, and he wouldn¡¯t allow any idents to happen. Richard contacted Padma. Since Sophie had arrived, there was no time to lose. The food Sophie ate was adulterated with sedatives. At that moment, Nichs had carried Sophie to the bed. He stood by the bedside and watched her sleep. She¡¯s so obedient when she¡¯s asleep, not making a fuss or looking at me with an expression I despise. This feeling is truly wonderful. How I hope this canst forever. Richard knocked on the door. ¡°Come in.¡± ¡°Boss, Padma is here. She¡¯s outside.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Nichs riveted her eyes on Sophie, unable to look away. ¡°Boss, Ms. Tanner will belong only to you in the future. She will love you wholeheartedly.¡± Only then did Nichs leave the room. Padma was sitting on the couch and drinking juice at that time. She liked freshly squeezed juice, so as soon as she arrived, she asked Richard to prepare the beverage for her. ¡°Where¡¯s she?¡± ¡°Are you confident?¡± Nichs wanted everything to go unerringly. Moreover, Sophie shouldn¡¯t suffer any harm. He couldn¡¯t endure anyone hurting Sophie, including himself. Padma furrowed her brows. ¡°Are you doubting me? If you don¡¯t trust me, I think we can call off this deal now.¡± Padma was prideful. Many people doubted her abilities when they saw her young age, but she didn¡¯t like others regarding her with a look of mistrust. She was the best hypnotist in the world, capable of hypnotizing any person in her care. ¡°Padma, I want a foolproof n.¡± ¡°The n has been foolproof when you sought me out. Nothing will go wrong.¡± Padma got to her feet. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± This is from N?velDrama.Org. Nichs led her inward. Padma smiled when she saw the girl lying on the bed. ¡°She¡¯s indeed beautiful!¡± No wonder Nichs is resorting to all means to have her. ¡°Padma!¡± Nichs warned her. Even though Padma was a girl, he didn¡¯t like the way she looked at Sophie. ¡°How petty! All I did was nce at her. Don¡¯t you think you¡¯re exaggerating?¡± He doesn¡¯t have to react in this manner. Besides, I¡¯m also a girl. That¡¯s enough. All of you should leave the room now. I don¡¯t like people to linger around me when I¡¯m performing the hypnosis,¡± Padma uttered coldly. She needed a quiet environment for the procedure. ¡°Padma, if anything happens to her, I¡¯ll never let you off the hook,¡± Nichs said threateningly before leading Richard out of the room. Outside, Nichs stood before the floor-to-ceiling window the whole time, unable to calm down. He didn¡¯t know if he was doing the right thing. Still, as long as he could have her, he didn¡¯t care if what he did was wrong. Richard made him a cup of coffee. ¡°Boss, go and get some rest. The hypnosis will take some time, so take a break. I¡¯ll call you when it¡¯s over.¡± Boss hasn¡¯t had a good rest since Ms. Tanner came over. ¡°It¡¯s fine. I¡¯ll just wait here. Richard, do you think I¡¯m a lunatic?¡± Is this why I¡¯m determined to have her without regard for her wish? ¡°Boss, you haven¡¯t done anything wrong. You can have whatever you want.¡± What¡¯s wrong with that? Tristan also stood in front of the floor-to-ceiling window. He had no idea what Sophie was doing or experiencing. The feeling of not knowing was driving him crazy. Sean walked up to him. ¡°If she really forgets you, what will you do?¡± Unexpected things might happen in this world, after all. Sophie was undoubtedlypetent, but what if a mishap truly befell her? Chapter 908 Chapter 908 Chapter 908 Trust Me This Once ¡°I don¡¯t like such a possibility at all.¡± Sophie promised that she¡¯d never forget me, and it¡¯s because I trust her that I¡¯m allowing her to do this. Sean handed Tristan a ss of red wine. ¡°Since you trust Sophie that much, rest for a while. All we can do right now is wait for her news.¡± From the moment they made that decision, the only thing they could do was wait. Taking the ss of red wine, Tristan took a sip of it. ¡°Okay.¡± In truth, he detested such a decision. He would rather kill Nichs and resolve the problem once and for all. Meanwhile, Ysabelle had not eaten ever since she came over. Thus, Felix had someone deliver some food. ¡°Eat something. Your body won¡¯t be able to take it if you starve yourself like this.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Utter helplessness swamped Felix when he heard Ysabelle thanking him. Ugh! How did thingse to this? They were initially the closest people to each other, yet their rtionship had soured right then. Verily, he could not ept it. ¡°Ysabelle, 1- ¡°Felix, I think I¡¯ve already made things clear enough. Henceforth, we¡¯ll only be ordinary friends.¡± This time, Ysabelle was exceedingly firm. Since I¡¯ve taken that step, everything shall remain as it is! ¡°Got it Inwardly, Felix was beyond wretched. I really don¡¯t understand why she must break up with me. Anyway, it doesn¡¯t matter as long as she¡¯s happy. He then added, ¡°All right, don¡¯t worry. I will no longer bother you again in the future.¡± After saying that, he left. At that moment, everyone was worried about Sophie. As such, he could not focus too much on Ysabelle. When Ysabelle noticed that all of it was her favorite food, her nose stung. She knew that it had always been her who was willful all along. However, she truly wanted to break up with the man this time. More than ten hours had passed when Padma stepped out of the room, looking like death warmed over. The instant Nichs heard the click of the door opening, he rushed over. ¡°How did it go?¡± His palms were damp with cold sweat. In response, Padma gave a dip of her head. ¡°As I¡¯ve said, you can rest easy, considering my capabilities. Now, you¡¯re the person she likes.¡± Her assurance brought a smile to Nichs¡¯ face. ¡°Really? That¡¯s great! Take Ms. Padma to her room to rest, Richard. See what she needs and satisfy her as much as possible.¡± He immediately went into the room. Sophie was still unconscious, so he did not know whether Padma was telling him the truth. At the sight of the woman on the bed, his heart skipped several beats. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Sophie! I¡¯ll be good to you. I¡¯ll treat you like a princess and make you the happiest woman in the world. I¡¯ll never allow anyone to pick on you!¡± So long as she loves me, I¡¯m willing to give her anything she wants. That¡¯s the only wish I have. Two hourster, Sophie woke up. Nichs stood in front of her, yet he did not dare utter a single word. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you?¡± Sophie was the first to speak. When Nichs saw that there was no longer any resentment toward him in her eyes, his heart started beating again. ¡°Who am I to you?¡± he could not help asking. A frown marred Sophie¡¯s countenance. ¡°Have you lost your mind. Nichs? Who are you to me? Do you need me to answer that? Aren¡¯t we going to get married soon?¡± Words cluded Nichs as surprise, delight, and excitement swept over him like a tidal wave. He felt that everything he did had been worth it. ¡°I love you, Sophie!¡± he gushed emotionally. ¡°Mm.¡±¡± Sophie was still as indifferent as ever though she showed no aversion toward him. Nheless, Nichs was already contented. Padma has truly aplished it, and we¡¯re going to get married! This is great! I¡¯m going to prepare everything needed for the wedding. I¡¯ll definitely give her a wedding she¡¯d never forget! ¡°I¡¯m hungry. Let¡¯s go out for dinner.¡± Getting out of bed, Sophie headed out of the room. ¡°Sure.¡± Nichs had no objections to whatever she said. She can eat whatever she wants. Truly, I don¡¯t mind at all! Seeing that the man was going out, Richard followed at once. ¡°Where are you going, Boss? I¡¯ll go with you!¡± Sophie abruptly stopped in her tracks. ¡°Why are you following when we¡¯re going on a date? What¡¯s the matter? Do you want to be the third wheel?¡± Richard was rendered speechless. ¡°You don¡¯t need to tag along, Richard. Just go and do whatever you want.¡± Right then, Nichs was over the moon. ¡°Boss!¡± It¡¯s Jipsdale here. What if something were to go wrong? Boss can¡¯t possibly go out alone! ¡°Are you going against my orders now, Richard?¡± Nichs¡¯ voice turned cold. He did not want Sophie to be unhappy. For that reason, he was determined to fulfill her every request. Still, Richard was worried. He scrutinized Sophie, but thetter was no different from before, still as aloof as ever. Have her memories really been changed? ¡°All right, let¡¯s go!¡± Nichs left the house with Sophie. He initially wanted to wrap an arm around her shoulder, but an icy re from her had him nix the idea. I¡¯ll go slow. It¡¯s okay, for I¡¯ve got plenty of time He brought her to the restaurant she liked and ordered a lot of her favorite dishes. Meanwhile, Tristan also sped to the restaurant upon learning that Nichs and Sophie were there. However, he did not make an appearance before them. Vexation flooded him at the sight of his fianc¨¦e dining with Nichs, but he could not do anything about it. Halfway through the meal, Sophie excused herself to the restroom. In the restroom, Tristan was already waiting. As soon as he spotted her approach, he pulled her into his arms.This is from N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Sophie, do you-¡± His gaze remained fixed on her. She must still have her memories, right? ¡°Do you not trust me?¡± Sophie merely allowed him to hug her. At first, she nned to scare him for a bit, but she could not bring herself to do so after glimpsing his anxiety. ¡°Are your memories still intact?¡± Tristan held her tightly. That hypnotist really didn¡¯t change her memories? ¡°I love you, Tristan. And that holds true forevermore. No one will be able to make me forget you.¡± How could I possibly forget him so easily! ¡°Isn¡¯t that hypnotist greatly renowned? What happened?¡± +15 Bonus ¡°Hadn¡¯t I told you that I¡¯m a genius? That hypnotist got hypnotized by me instead,¡± Sophie dered proudly. Otherwise, my research on hypnosis in the past few days would¡¯ve been for nothing! Subsequently, she added, ¡°But she¡¯s indeed highly skilled. If it weren¡¯t for the fact that I caught her unaware, I would never have been able to hypnotize her so easily.¡± Hence, Padma was truly convinced that she had changed Sophie¡¯s memories at that time, Dipping his head, Tristan captured her lips. ¡°I love you, Sophie. I¡¯m never going to allow you to do something so dangerous again. You¡¯ve got no idea how terrified I¡¯d been.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Such a problem will never exist again in the future. I love you. Okay, I¡¯ve got to go out now. Give me another two days. I want Nichs to believe that my memories have been changed before I erase his memories.¡± Chapter 909 Chapter 909 Chapter 909 Go And Look For Her Tristan wrapped his arms around Sophie¡¯s waist. ¡°But I don¡¯t want to let you go at all. I don¡¯t like to see you with him, not even for a second.¡± Who does Nichs think he is? Sophie kissed him on the corner of his mouth. ¡°All right, it¡¯s really time for me to go out. How about you go out and kick up a fusster? Make it believable. If he doesn¡¯t show up, Nichs likely won¡¯t believe it so easily. ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll y along and give you another two days. Then, you¡¯re to return to my side, okay?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± By the time Sophie exited the restroom, she was greeted by the sight of Nichs smoking outside the door. It was already a miracle that he did not barge in. ¡°Why are you here? Has the food been served?¡± ¡°Yes. Come, let¡¯s go and eat! Aren¡¯t you hungry?¡± Nichs loved her so much that fear gripped him shortly after she had left. He was afraid that she would nevere back. After the two of them had returned to the table, Tristan suddenly showed up. The moment. Nichs caught sight of the man, panic struck him. He trained his gaze on thetter, wondering whether Sophie would remember everything when she saw Tristan. However, Sophie did not react in the slightest. It was as though she did not know Tristan at all. ¡°Come here. Sophie.¡± Tristan beckoned at Sophie. Yet, Sophie continued eating and ignored him. ¡°Who are you?¡± She did not even bother lifting her head, merely tucking into the food indifferently. Nichs was beside himself with joy. Sure enough, she doesn¡¯t remember him anymore. This is really great! My dream has finallye true today! *I asked you toe to me, Sophie. I¡¯m your fianc¨¦. I¡¯m Tristan. Do you not remember me anymore!¡± If Tristan had not met with Sophie in the restroom and personally ascertained that her memories were intact, he would undoubtedly have been devastated at that instant. ¡°What are you doing, Tristan? Sophie and I are getting married soon. I¡¯ll invite you to our wedding, okay?¡± In the past, he had always envied Tristan. At that moment, he felt that it had all been worthwhile to see the heartbreak on the man¡¯s face then. ¡°Do you believe that I¡¯ll kill you, Nichs?¡± Enraged, Tristan charged over and grabbed Nichs by the cor. Conversely, Nichs stared at him fearlessly, his eyes brimming with provocation. ¡°I bet you never saw thising. Tristan!¡± Tristan punched him in the abdomen. Just when he was about to hit Nichs again, Sophie stopped him. ¡°What¡¯s your problem? Don¡¯t me me for retaliating if you continue behaving like this.¡± ¡°I¡¯m your lover, Sophie. I¡¯m the one you¡¯ve always loved!¡± Tristan exined. s, Sophie remained entirely unperturbed. Worse still, she helped Nichs up. Tristan clenched his hands tightly. Despite knowing that it was all an act, he was still irked to the core. The urge to chop Nichs¡¯ hands off right then and there seized him. ¡°Are you done eating? If so, let¡¯s go back.¡± Sophie¡¯s voice remained unchanged, but Nichs found her. incredibly gentle then. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m done eating. Let¡¯s go!¡± Nichs led Sophie out of the restaurant. Tristan gave chase, but Sophie stepped in front of Nichs and shielded him. ¡°I¡¯ll never let you off the hook, Nichs Sable!¡± ¡°Try it, then.¡± His forces must be evenly matched with mine since I¡¯m still alive and kicking to this day! ¡°Mind your attitude, please. I abhor your attitude toward my fianc¨¦,¡± Sophie warned. ¡°I¡¯m your fianc¨¦, Sophie. He¡¯s nothing! What exactly is wrong with you?¡± Although it was for show, it was already upsetting Tristan badly. In response, Sophie quirked a brow ¡°Hah, you¡¯re my fianc¨¦? What is he, then?¡± she retorted unceremoniously. ¡°He¡¯s a piece of trash! What else could he be? I love you, Sophie! I Unfortunately, Sophie had already gotten into the car by then, paying no mind to Tristan¡¯s words. In the car, Nichs gazed at Sophie intently. ¡°I¡¯m truly d, Sophie. I¡¯ll definitely make you happy.¡± As long as she remains by my side, I¡¯ll do everything in my power to give her a blissful life! ¡°We¡¯re getting married soon, aren¡¯t we, Nichs? No one will be able to ruin things.¡± ¡°Do you love me, then?¡± Nichs ultimately could not resist giving voice to that question. He really yearned to hear her say that she loved him. ¡°Would I be marrying you if I don¡¯t love you? I don¡¯t think I¡¯m such a kind of person,¡± Sophie countered. ¡°Yeah.¡± While Nichs did not get to hear her confession of love, he was already ted that she agreed to marry him. ¡°I swear, Sophie, as long as you¡¯re willing to be with me, I¡¯ll give you whatever you want!¡± He had loved her hopelessly for too long a time. Therefore, he could not help feeling euphoric that she could sit beside him calmly then. Meanwhile, Tristan wore a dark look on his face ever since he returned. Seeing that, everyone else did not dare ask him anything. It was not until Sean came over after settling everything that he approached the man. ¡°I trust there are no problems on Sophie¡¯s side?¡± I don¡¯t think there¡¯s anything wrong. Otherwise, he couldn¡¯t possibly be sitting here so calmly. ¡°No. Upstodatee from Novel(D)ra/m/a.O(r)g ¡°Why are you unhappy, then?¡± Everything¡¯s fine as long as there are no problems. Why is he down in ¡°Despite knowing that all this isn¡¯t real, I¡¯m still very much irritated to see Sophie eating with N Hearing that, Sean burst outughing. ¡°All right. Since Sophie is beyond capable, she¡¯ll surely be able to erase his memories. This is indeed best solution.¡± Not only would it save us from incurring any losses, but it would also resolve some huge trouble. ¡°Yeah. Okay, tell everyone to go and have dinner. There are no issues.¡± I¡¯ve already ascertained it personally, and there are really no problems. ¡°Great!¡± Sean proceeded to urge everyone to have dinner. However, Ysabelle remained motionless. ¡°What are you doing, Ysabelle? Go and eat. Sophie will definitelye back! Just go about whatever you should be doing, everyone!¡± When Arius heard that, relief suffused him. ¡°Sure enough, there¡¯s a gulf between a genius and the ordinary person. She¡¯d only studied hypnosis for a short time, yet she could hypnotize the world¡¯s top hypnotist!¡± ¡°All right,e over and have dinner, everyone! Then, you can go about your own matters. When there¡¯s really a need, we¡¯ll gather again.¡± After all, they were not needed right then. When dinner was over, Ysabelle was still worried, so she sought Tristan out ¡°Are things really fine, Uncle Tristan? Does Sophie still remember me?¡± She was simply worried that Sophie had forgotten all about her. If that happened, she would be devastated. ¡°She remembers you. Go and look for her if you don¡¯t believe me.¡± Inwardly disgruntled, Tristan was not in the mood for exnations. ¡°Okay.¡± It was nothing more than a casual remark, but Ysabelle went and looked for Sophie for real. D Chapter 910 Chapter 910 Chapter 910 I Dislike Clingy Ones Ysabelle was a public figure, and ordinary people could not enter the mansion Nichs was currently staying in. Nheless, she still managed to get in. Unfortunately, Ysabelle was denied entry when she arrived at the mansion¡¯s entrance. ¡°What are you doing? I¡¯m here to find Sophie. Don¡¯t try and stop me!¡± ¡°Please leave, miss. This is not a ce for you to horse around.¡± T It wasn¡¯t until the person pulled out a gun that Ysabelle finally took a step back. What are these people doing? ¡°I just want to meet Sophie. How could you do this to me? Listen to me- Hearing themotion, Richard stepped out and saw her causing a scene. ¡°Please leave, Ms. Lombard. We don¡¯t wee you here.¡± He then turned to the men and instructed. ¡°Keep an eye on her, and don¡¯t let her in.¡± Of course, he knew who Ysabelle was. The Lombard family would never let them off the hook if they had. actually done something to her. However, the ce was still off-limits to her. He still needed some time to observe whether or not Sophie¡¯s memories had been changed. Felix had driven over immediately to look for Ysabelle when he heard she hade to find Sophie. Sure enough, the woman was still stopped at the entrance when he arrived. He quickly got out of the car and grabbed her hand. ¡°What are you doing? Let go of me, Felix! Just leave me be!¡± She needed to see Sophie, or she wouldn¡¯t be at ease. ¡°Don¡¯t you know what ce this is, Ysabelle? Nichs is the kind of person who can kill someone without batting an eyelid! Just why did youe here?¡± Felix was worried about her. No one could understand how he felt when he found out that Ysabelle hade to such a ce. ¡°We¡¯ve already broken up, Felix. There¡¯s no need for you to care about me anymore. It¡¯s my own business. No matter what happens to me from now on, it¡¯s got nothing to do with you.¡± In response, Felix shoved her into his car. ¡°I can¡¯t just leave you be even if we¡¯re already broken up. I want to care about you.¡± He then mmed the door shut once he finished speaking. What the heck does she want? Why is she so relentless this time! Ysabelle jumped in fright upon hearing the loud m from the door. It was her first time seeing Felix angry. Soon after, another thought surfaced in her mind. What gives him the right to be angry? All I wanted to do was to meet Sophie once. ¡°Felix, I know you¡¯re frustrated with me, but I never forced you to interfere with my business. Why on earth are you mad at me?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not mad at you. I¡¯m mad at myself. I miss you, Ysabelle. But what about you? Why are you being like this?¡± Why can¡¯t we just date normally? Why did things have to be like this? Ysabelle felt bad when she saw how aggrieved he was. Felix was just concerned about her. ¡°All right. That¡¯s enough. Sophie is fine. She just has a n she wants to execute, that¡¯s all. You¡¯ll only disturb her if you go. Let me send you home first.¡± Ysabelle said nothing else. Truthfully, her heart ached when she saw how exhausted he looked. However, she had never learned how to love someone, and it was why she kept hurting Felix. Ysabelle clenched her fists tightly. I¡¯m sorry, Felix. I really am a horrible person, and I don¡¯t deserve someone like you. I¡¯m more suited to be alone instead of dating someone. Felix sent her to the Lombard residence. ¡°Rest well, and stop running off like that again. You¡¯re a high-profile celebrity. It¡¯s dangerous for you to roam around.¡± Ysabelle kept silent and merely nodded before she headed in. Meanwhile, Felix stood outside and smoked a cigarette, only leaving after a long time had passed. Upon seeing Ysabelle had returned, William asked in concern, ¡°Did something happen recently, Belle?¡± Though she looked the same as before, something about her felt different. ¡°Did Felix pick on you? Just tell me if he did. I¡¯ll avenge you.¡± William would never allow anyone to bully his precious granddaughter. Ysabelle walked over and wrapped her arms around his neck. ¡°He didn¡¯t, Grandpa. Didn¡¯t you always hope for us to break up? I¡¯ve already broken up with him.¡± William stayed silent at that. While he disliked the fact that Felix was older than Ysabelle, William did not despise the man to the point where he wanted them to break up. After all, he could ovee anything as long as his granddaughter liked it. ¡°Felix picked on you, didn¡¯t he? Otherwise, why would you two break up when things were going well?¡± To William, it was still Felix¡¯s problem in the end. Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024. ¡°He didn¡¯t, Grandpa, really. He was really good to me. I just thought I might not be suitable for him, that¡¯s William was livid when he saw how Ysabelle was acting. How can this be? There¡¯s no way she would have thought about nonsense like this if she liked him. It must be because Felix didn¡¯t do well. That¡¯s why he gave Ysabelle the wrong impression. ¡°It¡¯s okay, Belle. Let¡¯s forget about it now. I¡¯ll introduce someone a hundred times better than he is to you. Let¡¯s not be sad anymore.¡± There¡¯s no need to be sad about it. He left, but there are more out there for her. Belle is still so young, and she¡¯s beautiful. She sings well, too, so there¡¯s no way she can¡¯t find a better boyfriend. ¡°Well, I don¡¯t want to date anymore at the moment. I just want to focus on singing for now.¡± She had never excelled at anything ever since she was young, but Ysabelle really did want to do well when it came to singing. ¡°Okay. That works too.¡± William did not try to force her to do anything. She was still young, after all, and there wasn¡¯t a need to rush these things. Sarah saw Felix still standing outside when she returned. She got out of her car when she saw his dejected state. Giving him a pat on the shoulder, she voiced, ¡°Are you and Ysabelle going to continue acting like this?¡± As Ysabelle¡¯s aunt, Sarah was well aware of her niece¡¯s character and knew things must have been difficult for Felix. ¡°I don¡¯t know. I didn¡¯t want to break up, but I don¡¯t have the right to say no to her.¡± He couldn¡¯t bring himself to refuse as long as it was something Ysabelle wanted to do. ¡°Honestly, this is a good thing. You¡¯ll both have time to think things through when you¡¯re separated.¡± ¡°Okay, Sarah. I still have some things to do, so I¡¯ll get going now. Let¡¯s talk again next time.¡±¡° With that. Felix got into his car and drove away. Sarah shook her head at that. Love could really hurt people sometimes. Nichs stayed by Sophie¡¯s side the whole time. He was afraid that everything was only a dream, which was why he stuck by her side constantly. ¡°Nichs, did you used to follow me around like this back then too? I dislike people who are too clingy. you know?¡± The man found himself unable to answer that question. A smirk appeared on Sophie¡¯s face when she saw this. ¡°I was just kidding. Don¡¯t take it to heart.¡± Sure. Nichs then poured himself a ss of wine. ¡°Do you want some too?¡± he asked. Sophie nodded in response. ¡°We¡¯ll be heading back to Anndur the day after tomorrow. Let me know if there¡¯s anything you want to buy. I¡¯ll get them ready for you. Nichs didn¡¯t want to continue staying at Jipsdale. It was Tristan¡¯s territory, after all. He wasn¡¯t at ease being here. Chapter 911 Chapter 911 Chapter 911 No Need To Follow Me +15 Bonus ¡°Why are you in such a rush? I¡¯ve never heard you say anything about this!¡± Sophie was slightly taken aback by the sudden turn of events. ¡°Something happened in Anndur, and I must return to settle it.¡± The truth was, Nichs did not want to stay there for a second longer. ¡°Why don¡¯t you go back first? I want to stay here a little longer,¡± said the woman. ¡°Sophie, you and I are engaged. The trouble in Anndur is much more serious than I expected. Why don¡¯t youe back with me and help me out?¡± There was no way Nichs would allow her to stay behind all by herself. At his insistence, Sophie let out a sigh and stopped rejecting him. ¡°Is that so? All right, then.¡± Nichs heaved a sigh of relief when he heard her answer. In the next second, his phone rang, and he hurried outside to ept the call. After his call, he noticed that Padma was leaving, and Richard was trailing behind her to send her off. ¡°There¡¯s no need to thank me. You¡¯re fast at transferring money. I like it,¡± said Padma. No one had ever suspected Padma¡¯s abilities, not even herself. ¡°Okay. Be careful on your way home.¡± Nichs maintained a simr demeanor with other women. He did not disy excessive interest when engaging with them, with the only exception being Sophie.. Only in Sophie¡¯s presence did Nichs reveal his longing, desiring her undivided attention. ¡°Richard, send Ms. Padma to the airport.¡± ¡°Understood.¡± Richard and Padma departed, leaving Nichs alone. As he hung up the call, a mischievous smirk yed across his lips. Everything is going ording to n, but why do I still feel a lingering sense of uneaset They had to depart as soon as possible. Only then would Nichs find peace of mind. If they lingered any longer, he couldn¡¯t help but worry about the impending consequences. Upon his return, Richard also inquired about Nichs¡¯ n. This content belongs to N?/velDra/ma.Org . They had been away for an extended period this time, and it was time to head back. ¡°Boss, I have already made arrangements for our return,¡± Richard informed. ¡°Very well. Make sure everything¡¯s meticulously handled. I want to avoid any unforeseenplications before our departure,¡± stated Nichs. Having recently gotten everything he ever wanted, he was determined to safeguard his newfound contentment from any potential disruptions. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Boss, I will see to it that everything is in order.¡± Naturally, Richard knew how much Nichs 1/4 Chapter 911 No Need To Follow Me cared for Sophie. 15 Bonus That evening, Nichs went to look for Sophie, who was immersed in her artwork, her concentration unbroken. As heid eyes on her, a surge of emotion coursed through him, causing his heart to skip a beat. She was a woman of many facets, and Nichs found himself drawn to every single one of them. Sophie sensed his presence, but she chose to finish her painting before finally turning to face him. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Is there anything I can help you with?¡± ¡°No, I don¡¯t need anything. I just want to sit here quietly and watch you. It would be wonderful if we could stay like this forever,¡± Nichs expressed, his desires simple and heartfelt, wanting nothing more than to remain by her side. When confronted with Nichs¡¯s overwhelming affection, Sophie found herself at a loss for words, She couldn¡¯t quite grasp how to respond to his deep infatuation. That was how she was, being a naturally reserved person. Sophie¡¯s quiet demeanor was something Nichs had grown ustomed to. Meanwhile, Tristan found himself alone in the mansion. In the past, he had never given much thought to being in solitude. However, now that Sophie was no longer there, he couldn¡¯t help but feel that the mansion seemed too vast and empty. He did not like this feeling at all. Sean went to the mansion to find Tristan, and the two of them ended up sharing a drink. ¡°Sophie will return soon! There¡¯s no need for you to be like this!¡± Sean reassured Tristan, hoping to ease his friend¡¯s worries. There¡¯s really no need for you to act like this. ¡°I know.¡± Knowing that she would return soon wasforting, but Tristan couldn¡¯t help but long for Sophie. It had only been three days since theyst saw each other, yet he missed her intensely. ¡°If Sophie didn¡¯t like you, I can imagine you would¡¯ve ended up like Nichs,¡± Sean remarked. Having an unrequited love was a pitiful thing, after all. ¡°That wouldn¡¯t happen. The reality is that I¡¯m the man she loves. Sophie loves me, and she¡¯ll be with me for the rest of our lives.¡± Sean merely hummed in acknowledgment before dropping the topic entirely. ¡°What about that case of yours? Isn¡¯t it quite challenging? Can you solve it? If you can¡¯t-¡± ¡°Hold it right there, Mr. Tristan. You know very well what kind of person I am. No matter how hard the case is, it¡¯s no problem to me.¡± No matter howplex the case was, Sean had confidence in his ability to unravel it. However, there was one knot in his heart that he could never untangle ¨C the woman who had left him and fled the country. 2/4 Chapter 911 No Need To Follow Me Tristan posed a question, ¡°Do you intend to remain like this for the rest of your life? If she doesn¡¯t return and you don¡¯t make an effort to find her, there will be no resolution.¡± ¡°She doesn¡¯t want to see mel Sean had contemted searching for her but ultimately decided against it when he recalled the heartbroken expression he had seen on her face. The mere thought of her caused his heart to shatter into countless fragments, leaving him in a state of excruciating pain and anguish. Thus, he could only immerse himselfpletely in his work, hoping to mask his pain. It was essential for two individuals to value the time they spent together, as they never knew when it mighte to an end. Regretting the lost moments would serve no purpose once everything had already concluded. ¡°I wish I could hear Sophie¡¯s voice,¡± Tristan muttered. However, deep down, he knew he still couldn¡¯t make that call. Sean said nothing in response. He, too, shared the desire to hear the voice of the woman he held close to his heart. Despite all the years that had passed, he had never changed his phone number, hoping that one day she would reach out to him. Yet, the call he yearned for never came. The next day. Sophie woke up at eight in the morning. As she opened her eyes, she was taken aback to find Nichs standing in her room. Restraining herself from giving him a piece of her mind, Sophie asked him, ¡°I have something to attend to at the medical association today. Do you want to go with me?¡± ¡°Can I follow you?¡± Didn¡¯t she always dislike me following her around? Oh gosh! I can finally apany her! ¡°Sure, but if there¡¯s something else you need to do, then forget it. I won¡¯t force you toe with me,¡± she said amodatingly. ¡°No, there¡¯s nothing else I have to do. There¡¯s only you. It¡¯s always been just you.¡± Nichs went to change his outfit before apanying her to the medical association. He was determined to stay by her side. After all, the people at the medical association knew that Tristan was Sophie¡¯s boyfriend, and Nichs didn¡¯t want her to be affected by any gossip or rumors they might spread. ¡°What is the matter you have to attend to? Is it important? If it¡¯s not, we can juste back and handle it after we get married.¡° Upon their return to Anndur. Nichs was resolved to move forward with their wedding. He couldn¡¯t bear to wait any longer and wanted to marry Sophie as soon as possible. ¡°It¡¯s very important. Let¡¯s go!¡± Sophie¡¯s intention in bringing Nichs to the medical association was to wipe away part of his memories, believing that it was the most suitable ce for the procedure to be performed. 3/4 Chapter 911 No Need To Follow Me +15 Bonus Upon realizing that they were preparing to leave, Richard quickly joined them, ready to personally drive them to the medical association. ¡°Why are you following us? Go and handle the preparations for our return to Anndur. We¡¯re leaving tomorrow, Nichs instructed his assistant. Nichs did not allow Richard to tag along, for he was aware that Sophie preferred to have privacy and did not fancy people following her around. ¡°I¡¯ve already made the necessary arrangements, Boss. Please allow me toe with you. If anything were to happen, I can be of help.¡± Richard couldn¡¯t shake off his worries, fully aware that Tristan wouldn¡¯t simply let the matter slide, even though Sophie¡¯s memories had been altered. A frown etched itself on Nichs¡¯ visage as he eximed with utmost confidence, ¡°I said you don¡¯t have toe with us. She won¡¯t let anyone hurt me!¡± Chapter 912 Chapter 912 Chapter 912 Everything Will Be All Right There was no way Richard would believe Sophie. He kept mum and fell into deep contemtion. +15 Bonus ¡°What¡¯s wrong? My words mean nothing to you anymore, is it? Do you still see me as your boss?¡± Nichs was annoyed. His remark rendered Richard speechless. I¡¯m behaving like this because I¡¯m worried about him, Why doesn¡¯t he get it? ¡°Boss, 1¡ª¡± ¡°Just let hime in. I¡¯m fine with it, as long as he doesn¡¯te into the building of the medical association. You should understand that we don¡¯t just allow anyone to enter,¡± Sophie said. A small smile tugged at the corner of Nichs¡¯ lips. He enjoyed it when she expressed herself like that because it made him feel like she was supporting him, and it gave him a sense of satisfaction. ¡°Come on. Let¡¯s go!¡± Nichs did not want Richard to tag along because he did not want to upset Sophie, but since Sophie gave him the green light, there was no reason for him to say no. As Richard went to retrieve the car, Nichs and Sophie waited at the entrance. When the car arrived, Nichs courteously opened the door for her. After she got in, he took his seat beside her in the back passenger seat.. Initially, Richard felt concerned, but his worries eased when Sophie allowed him to tag along He could sense that Sophie¡¯s memory had been tampered with. However, they still needed to be cautious because several individuals in the medical association were familiar with her. It could pose a problem if someone approached her to engage in conversation. Soon, they arrived at the medical association. ¡°Richard, wait outside. You don¡¯t need toe in with us.¡± That was the biggestpromise Sophie could make. ¡°Boss, I¡¯m worried-¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Do you think I¡¯m so useless that I can¡¯t handle the situation myself?¡± Nichs raised his voice. I¡¯m Nichs Sable, for God¡¯s sake! Even if there¡¯s some trouble brewing in the medical association, I¡¯ve got the skills to handle it ande out on top! ¡°All right.¡± Richard dared not voice his opinion anymore, knowing that his employer had a fiery temper. He¡¯ll just explode if I keep questioning him. Meanwhile, Sophie kept mum throughout their conversation. ¡°Are we ready? Shall we head inside?¡± Nichs bobbed his head in response. ¡°All right. I¡¯ll walk you in. Since we¡¯re leaving tomorrow, I¡¯m sure you have a lot of things to take care of and arrange.¡± Deep in his heart, Nichs was also worried that the situation might spiral out of control if the people 1/3 Chapter 912 Everything Will Be All Right from the association asked Sophie questions. #15 Bonus Fortunately, not many people approached Sophie throughout the walk. When people saw her, they simply nodded and exchanged brief greetings. ¡°You seem nervous,¡± Sophie said casually. ¡°Rx, Nichs. They won¡¯t give you a hard time since I picked you.¡± Nichs shed a grin. ¡°Sophie, do you have any idea how happy I am? I¡¯m the happiest person in the world right now.¡± He was genuinely touched, for he truly enjoyed the way things were now. Sophie hummed in response before bringing him to herb and giving him a bottle of water. ¡°You wait here. We¡¯ll get lunch once I¡¯m done. Are you okay with the arrangement?¡± she asked. ¡°Of course. I¡¯m willing to wait indefinitely, as long as I have you by my side.¡± Nichs unscrewed the bottle cap, took a refreshing sip of water, and shed a warm smile at Sophie. He was a man who was genuinely content with simple pleasures, and his only desire was to be with Sophie. That¡¯s all I ask for. Meanwhile, Sophie was busy attending to her tasks. Some thirty minutester, she noticed Nichs had drifted off to sleep on the couch. She then walked up to him upon seeing this. ¡°Nichs, wake up! Can you hear me, Nichs?¡± He was truly asleep after drinking the water she had spiked. Meanwhile, Arius and Barney approached, aware of Sophie¡¯s ambitious undertaking for the day. While they recognized Sophie¡¯s exceptional medical brilliance, they could not help but feel concerned since it was her first attempt at hypnosis. ¡°How is it?¡± Arius expressed his concern. ¡°We¡¯re starting now. Inform Mr. Tristan and ask him to bring his men to monitor Richard. If we linger here for too long, Richard and the guards will be suspicious,¡± Sophie said. Arius responded, ¡°All right. I¡¯ll call Mr. Tristan right away.¡± Upon receiving the call, Tristan brought his men over to capture Richard. Richard instantly knew something was amiss when he saw Tristaning in his direction. ¡°What do you think you¡¯re doing? Mr. Tristan, I understand this is your territory, but we haven¡¯t done anything wrong here. You better let me go. How¡¯s Boss doing inside? And what is Tristan doing here? Tristan did not want to waste his energy talking to him. ¡°Take him down. Teach him a lesson if he refuses to cooperate.¡± Felix nodded and took Richard away. When Richard struggled to break free, Felix kicked him on his stomach. ¡°Did you not understand what I < 2/3 Chapter 912 Everything Will Be All Right said when I told you to behave? Do you think you can still run away?¡± Richard gasped in pain. This man really kicked me with all his might. +15 Bonus Felix¡¯s tone grew more menacing as he continued his threats, saying, ¡°Listen carefully. I¡¯ve been in a bad mood for the past few days, so you better cooperate with me. If you keep stepping on my toes, don¡¯t expect me to speak to you with any kindness.¡± He had indeed been in a foul mood. These people better not y with fire! Richard was worried about Nichs. I have to find a way to get to Boss. He mustn¡¯t fall into their hands. I don¡¯t know what they might do to him. The guards apanying Tristan were all highly skilled experts. Upon their arrival, they swiftly took control of the guards Richard had brought with them. Charles said, ¡°Mr. Tristan, we managed to capture more than thirty of them, and I¡¯m sure some are still in hiding. Rest assured, I¡¯ll definitely catch them all.¡± Tristan hummed in acknowledgment. Sophie¡¯s absence for a mere two days had already driven him crazy. He just wanted to resolve the matter as soon as possible and take her home. I just want to take her home instead of wasting my time dealing with these people. Tristan entered and saw Arius and Georgina standing outside, but Sophie was not with them. Upstodatee from Novel(D)ra/m/a.O(r)g ¡°How is it?¡± Tristan asked in concern. ¡°It¡¯s still in progress, but don¡¯t worry, nothing will go wrong. Sophie knows best what she¡¯s doing,¡± Arius responded. Meanwhile, Sophie and Barney were conducting the hypnosis session in theb. Barney remained by Sophie¡¯s side to assist her due to his experience in the field. As for Arius, he stayed outside because he knew nothing about hypnosis. I¡¯m sure Sophie can handle it well. As time passed, the three individuals outside remained seated or stood, anxiously awaiting updates on the situation inside. After a while, the door finally swung open, revealing Sophie and Barney emerging side by side. ¡°How is it? Everything went well?¡± Arius asked. Wiping out Nichs¡¯ memory shouldn¡¯t pose much of a challenge. Plus, Old Mr. Sable won¡¯t bring up Sophie when we return Nichs. It¡¯ll be a walk in the park. Chapter 913 Chapter 913 Chapter 913 Troublemaker ¡°No problem.¡± Sophie¡¯s face was void of color. Nichs was so strong-willed that it took her a great deal of effort just to forget about him.. Tristan¡¯s heart ached as he saw how pale she had be and went over to hold her. ¡°Let¡¯s go. You can rest inside the lounge. Leave everything else to me,¡± he assured while lifting her. ¡°He¡¯s right, Sophie. Get some rest. Everything will be just fine.¡± Barney was absolutely certain too. ¡°Okay.¡± Arius shook his head when he saw Georgina spacing out. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Are you tired? I can take you home if you are. It¡¯s not like you have much else to do today. ¡°I¡¯m fine. I¡¯m just so amazed by Sophie. It¡¯s only been a while since she picked up hypnosis, but she¡¯s doing so well.¡± Everyone¡¯s incrediblepared to me. A weakling like me has no right to be here. Arius couldn¡¯t help butugh. ¡°Even I¡¯m no match for Sophie. She¡¯s always been a genius who can easily do things that others might struggle all their lives to achieve.¡± ¡°Yeah! If I hadn¡¯t met her, I wouldn¡¯t have made it into the medical association so easily,¡± Georgina agreed, believing that there was no way she had made it through her own abilities alone. Hearing this, Arius shook his head again. ¡°You¡¯re doing great, Georgina. If you haven¡¯t, we wouldn¡¯t have let you in to begin with-even if you¡¯re my girlfriend,¡± he reiterated. ¡°Okay.¡± He might be right. I¡¯ve made lots of progress ever since I got in. I must really be qualified. Tristan carried Sophie into the lounge. ¡°Have a good rest, and leave the rest to me.¡± He had already gotten someone to contact Javier. As long as Javier gave the order, no one in the Sable residence would dare bring up Sophie in front of Nichs. Nichs would then never show up in Sophie¡¯s and Tristan¡¯s lives again from that moment on. Such a blissful feeling it was. ¡°I know. You must be tired too. How about you get some rest as well? It¡¯ll take Old Mr. Sable a while to get here, anyway.¡± With that, Tristany on the bed next to her. ¡°You have no idea how much torment I went through the past two days, Sophie. There¡¯s no way I¡¯d be able to keep living if I lost you.¡± Thankfully, he was the man Sophie loved. He would probably go mad otherwise. That was exactly the kind of person he was. Sophie pecked him on the lips. ¡°I told you I¡¯d never forget you as long as I live. You¡¯re already a part of my deepest memories.¡± She loved him so much and would never forget him that easily. ¡°Okay.¡± Tristan hugged her tightly, only being able to feel her presence this way. ¡°I love you, Sophie.¡± ¡°I love you too.¡± This is from N?velDrama.Org. The woman was so exhausted that she dozed off shortly after, and Tristany on his side to watch over her. He swore to never get her involved in such things again. She had to be so worn out that she would require a long time to get better. Surely, this was taxing on her. After sleeping for an hour, Sophie got out of bed, presuming that Nichs would have woken up by now. ¡°Why don¡¯t you sleep a little more? He can¡¯t cause any trouble while he¡¯s here, Tristan suggested. There was nothing to be afraid of ¡°It¡¯s fine. I¡¯ll go check on him.¡± In any case, she had wronged Nichs too. ¡°Do you want me toe with you?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think you should. He might get worked up.¡± It was better not to have so many people provoking Nichs ¡°Okay.¡± ¡°You can go deal with his employees instead. As long as you take care of Richard, the others wouldn¡¯t dare say much else.¡± Richard was truly a key figure in this ordeal. ¡°I will.¡± As the two went their separate ways, Nichs woke up from what felt like an extremely long nap. Yet, he had forgotten why he was here and felt awful. ¡°What am I doing here?¡± he asked Arius immediately, still remembering thetter. ¡°This is the medical association. You¡¯re obviously here to be treated.¡± ¡°Treated? Why? I don¡¯t remember anything. Nichs couldn¡¯t believe his cars. ¡°Cause you¡¯re a madman,¡± Arius snapped. There was no other way to describe that man. Sophie wouldn¡¯t have had to perform such a risky procedure if you were a little saner. ¡°Do you have a death wish?¡± Nichs asked frostily. ¡°How senseless could you be, Nichs? I¡¯m telling you the truth, but you still think you know better.¡± Nichs pondered for a moment. Dad always wanted me to see a psychiatrist, but I never listened. Did I choose toe here out of my own will? Sophie walked in at that moment, snapping him out of his thoughts. He instantly noted how gorgeous the woman looked. Her face was a little ashen, but that didn¡¯t take away any of her beauty. ¡°Who are you? Have we met before?¡± Nichs gazed at her skeptically. There was no way he¡¯d forget such a beautiful woman if he had ever met her-right? Sophie remained silent. From this, she knew that the hypnosis was a sess. It looks like he¡¯spletely forgotten about me. ¡°I¡¯m your attending doctor.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Nichs didn¡¯t have much of a reaction. ¡°Then can I leave now?¡± He really wanted to get out of there. There was something about this ce that felt so suffocating, and he was close to losing his mind. ¡°Not yet, but you may go when your familyes to pick you up.¡± Sophie picked up a needle and injected him with it. ¡°What did you just jab me with?¡± The man¡¯s expression clouded over instantly. ¡°Don¡¯t panic. This is just something that will make you feel better.¡± Nichs kept his gaze on Sophie, seemingly deep in thought. Seeing that made Arius tense up. He¡¯s really forgotten about her, right? He¡¯d better not remember her ever again. ¡°I¡¯ll leave the rest to you. Call me if anything happens.¡± Sophie left after being sure of the results. Upon being drugged, Nichs began to drift off. Arius finally breathed a sigh of relief as he watched the other man lose consciousness. He really didn¡¯t know what to say about this person. Then, he went to look for Sophie. ¡°He¡¯s asleep now. He¡¯s forgotten about you, so what¡¯s left is to make sure he doesn¡¯t fall for you again.¡± Otherwise, everything they had done so far would be for naught. Sophie shot him a nce, ¡°Am I that charming? How could he fall for me again now that he¡¯s forgotten all about me?¡± ¡°That¡¯s exactly how charming you are. You don¡¯t even know how much trouble you¡¯re capable of!¡± ¡°You¡¯re the troublemaker!¡± Sophie retorted. ¡°Watch him closely. I¡¯m tired, so I¡¯m going to go get some more rest. Chapter 914 Chapter 914 Chapter 914 Taken Care Of ¡°Fine. Go ahead and get some rest! I will watch over him.¡± Upon seeing that he had been brought before Tristan, Richard instantly knew that Sophie¡¯s memory was still intact and that shouldn¡¯t have allowed Nichs to go in there on his own ¡°Mr. Tristan, what are you doing? If anything happens to our boss on your turf, Old Mr. Sable won¡¯t let you off.¡± Tristan might be a powerful man, but he had family members too. It would not be a difficult task for the Sable family to get rid of Tristan¡¯s family. ¡°Richard, you are a very loyal man.¡± ¡°What do you mean by that? Cut to the chase, please. I don¡¯t have time for vague exnations. Richard was not a man who fancied beating around the bush. ¡°Nichs has lost all memory of Sophic. Right now, all you have to do is to bring him back to Anndur. In the future, don¡¯t ever mention Sophie¡¯s name in front of him again.¡± Naturally, Tristan didn¡¯t wish to waste any time and got straight to the point. ¡°What?¡± Richard could not believe his ears. ¡°What have you done to my boss?¡± ¡°We have selectively erased certain parts of his memories. Going forward, he will lead a normal life, which is also the wish of Old Mr. Sable.¡± Tristan¡¯s subordinate handed Richard the phone. Javier had already found out about everything. ¡°Richard, do as Mr. Tristan says. I wille and get Nichs.¡± It had always been Javier¡¯s wish fo to forget about Sophie. Now that someone had aplished that for him, he couldn¡¯t be happie After all, it would not affect Nichs in any way as he would only forget one person. ¡°Old Mr. Sable¡ª¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong. Richard? Are you going to defy me now?¡± Richard had no choice but to agree under Javier¡¯s pressure. Nevertheless, it wasn¡¯t necessarily a bad thing for Nichs to forget about Sophie. It was a painful thing to be in love with someone who did not love you back, and Richard did not see a need for his boss to suffer such a cruel fate. After all, Nichs could have any girl he wanted! That night, Javier arrived in front of Richard. ¡°Richard, you have always been by Nichs¡¯ side. You must know that loving Sophic is a painful thing for him. Since that¡¯s the case, it will be better for him to forget about her. In the future, don¡¯t ever mention Sophie in front of him again. Understand?¡° That was the best oue for everyone. As far as the Sable family and Nichs were concerned, forgetting about Sophie would be less painful. ¡°Understood.¡± Richard, being a man of few words, could onlyply with the orders at that moment. Moreover, he saw it as a promising start for his boss. ¡°All right. Let¡¯s go get Nichs and bring him home!¡± Javier eximed, his mood uplifted. He looked forward to his son¡¯s renewed focus on his career, leaving behind the distractions of love rtionships. Before visiting Nichs, Javier decided to meet with Sophie. As heid eyes on her, something had shifted within him, and he found himself seeing Sophie in a different light. ¡°Sophie, have his memories truly been erased?¡± ¡°Yes, only the memories rted to me have been erased. You don¡¯t need to worry,¡± Sophie assured him. After all, she had no intention of causing any harm to Nichs. ¡°All right, I understand.¡± The rtionship between Javier and Sophie had never been particrly wonderful, so there wasn¡¯t much to say between them now. ¡°I will take him with me. From now on, there will be nothing between the two of you,¡± Javier stated firmly, his words carrying a sense of relief. It was clear that he saw this as a positive development, putting an end to any lingering connection between Nichs and Sophie. ¡°There wasn¡¯t anything between us, to begin with,¡± Sophie replied. She had never harbored any romantic feelings for Nichs, but it seemed that Javier had always doubted her words. Although Javier did not wish to see his son being in a rtionship with Sophie, he couldn¡¯t help but express his dissatisfaction toward her attitude. ¡°You know, my son isn¡¯t as bad as you think. Why don¡¯t you like him?¡± ¡°I just don¡¯t like him. There is no other reason.¡± After that, Javier went to get Nichs. Thetter furrowed his brows when he noticed his father approaching. ¡°What are you doing here?¡± ¡°I¡¯vee to get you,¡± was Javier¡¯s response. The encounter between father and son had an air of tension as if a conflict was brewing. Finally able to leave the ce, Nichs rose to his feet and left without looking back. Seeing this, Javier was filled with relief. He must have really forgotten about her then! Otherwise, he wouldn¡¯t leave Sophie¡¯s side. Richard was waiting outside. As soon as he spotted his boss stepping out, he quickly approached him. ¡°Boss, let¡¯s head back.¡± They were not on their turf. Their ce was Anndur, where they held the power to do as they pleased. Nichs said nothing after getting into the car. ¡°Richard, am I here to see a doctor? Howe I don¡¯t remember anything?¡± To that, Richard nodded. ¡°Boss, you are really here to see the doctor.¡± As far as Richard was concerned, it was best for Nichs to forget about Sophie. In fact, it was better for him to focus on his career. He wasn¡¯t cut out for love, anyway, After Nichs left, both Barney and Arius heaved a sigh of relief. As for Sophie, she unlocked another new skill. ¡°Sophie, you¡¯ve truly never let anyone down before.¡± Is there anything she cannot do? This content belongs to N?/velDra/ma.Org . ¡°Having some medical knowledge really helped,¡± said Sophie. To her, hypnosis was not at all a challenging task ¡°All right. You should go get some rest. There¡¯s no need for you toe to the medical association for the next two days.¡± ¡°All right. Thank you, Dr. Smith.¡± The hypnosis session was exhausting for Sophie, and she was truly tired. In fact, she was so tired that she did not want to move an inch. Sensing her exhaustion, Tristan went over and lifted her into his arms. ¡°What are you doing? I can walk on my own. Put me down. Everyone¡¯s looking!¡± I still have to work here in the future! ¡°It¡¯s fine. Let them watch. You¡¯re tired, so I¡¯ll carry you.¡± With that, Tristan carried her out of the building. While holding the woman in his arms, he noticed that she had gotten skinnier again. The realization only made his heart ache for her. It wasn¡¯t until they arrived at the car that Tristan finally set her down. ¡°All right. Let¡¯s head home now.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Both Tristan and Sophie returned to the mansion. After a shower, thetter quickly drifted off to sleep, having been utterly exhausted by the events of the day. As for Tristan, he went online to order some groceries. He nned to cook a sumptuous meal for Sophic that night so that she could recover her energy- Upon finding out that Sophie was back. Ysabelle hurried over to see her. However, when Tristan saw that it was her who hade to visit, he shut the door in her face. Ysabelle continued to knocking on the door. What on earth is Uncle Tristan doing? I came all the way here after dropping all of the work I have on hand because I¡¯m worried about Sophie. Yet, he¡¯s refusing to let me in! How could he do this to me? ¡°Uncle Tristan, what are you doing? Open the door. Do you hear me?¡± This is too much! Sophie doesn¡¯t belong to him alone. How can he take up all of her time? Unfortunately, no matter how much she knocked on the door, Tristan refused to open up. It was as if he could not hear her at all. Ysabelle¡¯s hands were red from the relentless knocking. ¡°This is too much! I¡¯ll definitely tell Sophie how you treated me!¡± eximed Ysabelle angrily. Chapter 915 Chapter 915 Chapter 915 Fonder However, no matter what she said, Tristan simply refused to open the door for her. Ysabelle kicked the door several times in anger. Still, Tristan wouldn¡¯t open up even after she booted the door until her leg hurt. A dejected Ysabelle dialed Sophie¡¯s number, but thetter didn¡¯t pick up her phone. In the end, Ysabelle had no choice but to go back to thepany. She reckoned Sophie was still asleep, so she didn¡¯t want to disturb her Xandra halted Ysabelle when she saw Ysabelle returning not long after leaving. ¡°Didn¡¯t you say you had something important to attend to?¡± Ysabelle felt aggrieved. ¡°There wasn¡¯t anything important, actually, I was just worried about Sophie and wanted to visit her, but I didn¡¯t even get to meet her.¡± Taking in her demeanor, Xandra almost burst outughing. ¡°Xandra, let me tell you what happened. My Uncle Tristan is really a jerk. He doesn¡¯t want me to bother Sophie when I¡¯m just concerned about her. Why else would I have made time to visit her?¡± Xandra patted Ysabelle¡¯s face dotingly. ¡°All right. Focus on your dance practice since you¡¯re back. I recently secured you a role in a variety show. It¡¯s a singing program that I think you¡¯ll like.¡± Ysabelle was indeed very popr at that moment, but she still needed to polish her singing skills. After racking her brain relentlessly, Xandra decided to arrange for Ysabelle to take part in a variety show. ¡°I don¡¯t want to join a variety show. I think I¡¯m doing fine as of now, really.¡± Mark and the others didn¡¯t participate in variety shows either, right? Whenever they had the time, they would focus on writing songs, and their careers are progressing well now. ¡°This will be beneficial to your singing skills. You¡¯re very popr now, but who can guarantee how long this sensation willst? Ysabelle, if you wish to stay in the entertainment industry for the long term, you must bepetent, got it?¡± This content belongs to N?/velDra/ma.Org . Otherwise, no resources would help if she didn¡¯t have the skill. ¡°Okay. I understand. I¡¯ll consider it.¡± Ysabelle¡¯s determination wavered. She had always wondered if she would be that sessful if it weren¡¯t for Sophie. Now that Xandra said the same thing, she realized she had to work harder instead of staying idle. ¡°You can ask Sophie if you don¡¯t believe me. She will definitely agree with my n. This variety show is different from others.¡± ¡°Ms. Yandell, of course, I have faith in you.¡± Ms. Yandell is the best crisis manager in the world. Naturally, I¡¯m delighted she¡¯s willing to help me with my career nning ¡°Okay. If you have no objections, make sure to prepare well for the show and don¡¯t get eliminated in the first episode. That will be so embarrassing. ¡°All right. I got it.¡± Am I really that bad? Getting eliminated in the first episode will indeed be quite humiliating Subsequently, Ysabelle went to practice her dancing. Her manager smiled contentedly when she saw how hardworking Ysabelle was. ¡°Ms. Yandell, Ysabelle is actually very hardworking already. You shouldn¡¯t have told her those things because that would frighten her.¡± Ysabelle was just an inexperienced young girl to begin with. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect you to be so protective of her. If you genuinely care about her, you should tell her the truth. It will be toote to regret it by the time she gets eliminated from the entertainment industry.¡± Contrition at ater time would serve no purpose. As adults, they should bear the responsibility for their actions. ¡°Ms. Yandell, I understand what you¡¯re saying. Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll n well.¡± All of us rely on TS Entertainment to make a living now. Thepany has indeed treated us well, so we should work harder too. When Sophie woke up, she noticed multiple missed calls from Ysabelle.. Sophie thought something bad happened, so she immediately returned the call. ¡°Hello, Ysabelle? Why did you call me so many times? Is something wrong?¡± Sophie was worried about a crisis since Ysabelle was now working in the entertainment industry. ¡°It¡¯s nothing. I was just worried about you, so I went over to visit you, but Uncle Tristan wouldn¡¯t let me in. In the end, I left without getting to see you.¡± Grievances churned within Ysabelle as she spoke. ¡°Sophie, do you know how Uncle Tristan treated me? He was so mean! You must help me teach him a lesson.¡± Sophie almostughed out loud. ¡°All right. Rest assured. I¡¯ll definitely help you teach him a lesson.¡± In fact, Sophie knew Tristan was just concerned she might not get sufficient quality rest. The past two days had undoubtedly been rough on her, so she needed a good rest ¡°Okay. Can Ie to visit you tonight?¡± Ysabelle was persistent as she missed Sophie a lot after not seeing her for so many days. ¡°Sure, you cane over tonight. I¡¯ve been sleeping all afternoon, and I think I¡¯ve had enough sleep by now.¡± ¡°Great. I¡¯ll go and visit you when I¡¯m done here. Do you want me to bring you anything to eat?¡± ¡°That¡¯s not necessary. There¡¯s plenty of food here. You can juste here straight.¡± ¡°All right, then. Remember to open the door for meter. Otherwise, I won¡¯t get to go in.¡± Ysabelle was still furious when she recalled the unpleasant experience earlier in the afternoon. ¡°Okay.¡± After hanging up the phone, Sophie got out of bed and changed into a fresh pair of clothes before leaving the room. When she reached the living room, she didn¡¯t see Tristan around but caught whiff¡¯s of the aroma of food. She walked to the kitchen and found him making soup. Instead of getting some rest while she slept, he went to the kitchen to prepare soup for her. Sophie approached him and wrapped her arms around his waist from behind. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you take a break?¡± she asked. ¡°You¡¯re awake? I don¡¯t need to rest. I¡¯ve been taking it easy these past few days.¡± ¡°Hm, Tristan, I miss you too.¡± They had only been apart for three days, yet the longing was driving her mad. Tristan put down thedle. Initially, he wanted to taste the soup, but at that moment, he only yearned to hold her tightly. ¡°Are you really well-rested?¡± She had no idea how terribly his heart ached when he saw hering out with an ashen face. He couldn¡¯t bear to see her so exhausted when she could¡¯ve led an easy life. However, she always pushed herself to the limit each time. ¡°Yes. I¡¯m fine. I¡¯m standing before you in the pink of health, aren¡¯t I?¡± Tristan lifted her and plopped her down on the dining table. Then, he stood between her legs, cupped her face, and kissed her gently. Sophie knew he had been under a lot of pressure during those three days, worrying about what would happen if she failed and forgot him. She reciprocated his kiss. This is a man I deeply love and cherish. The couple indulged themselves in that intimate moment for a long time, Right then, someone knocked on the door. Tristan grimaced when he heard the sound. What¡¯s wrong with these people? Don¡¯t they understand these few days of separation have made our hearts grow fonder of one another? Are they tired of living, constantlying here and interrupting us? Sophie suppressed herughter. He looks so cute like that. She quickly pecked him on the lips. ¡°That¡¯s enough. I think it should be Ysabelle. I¡¯ll go open the door.¡± With that, Sophie got off the table and tidied her clothes before she went to answer the door. Chapter 916 Chapter 916 Chapter 916 Groomsmen And Bridesmaids Sure enough, Sophie opened the door and found Ysabelle standing outside. That was fast. She must havee right after hanging up! As soon as Sophie opened the door, Ysabelle leaped into the former¡¯s arms. ¡°Do you know how worried I¡¯ve been for you, Sophie? I couldn¡¯t even eat!¡± Sophie smiled. ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you no harm woulde to me?¡± Despite that, they¡¯re still so worried. ¡°I was afraid that something unforeseen might happen to you! You¡¯ve no idea how the incident in Jetroina scared me.¡± ¡°Come inside.¡± Ysabelle entered. ¡°Where is Uncle Tristan? It was too much of him to stop me froming in. Why do people like him exist?¡± I¡¯m not trying topete with him. I just wanted to visit. Was that necessary? ¡°He¡¯s in the kitchen.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Despite havingined about her uncle at length over the phone, she did not dare say much else upon finding out that he was in the kitchen. Yes, that is cowardly of me, but what choice do I have? Uncle Tristan scares me! Ysabelle snuggled on the couch. ¡°Let¡¯s have dinner tonight! It¡¯s been a while since we had a meal together. By the way, Ms. Yandell arranged a program for me. Do you think I should take it?¡± ¡°Since Ms. Yandell was the one who arranged it for you. I think it should be fine.¡± Xandra is a legend in the entertainment industry. Nothing would go wrong if she were the one to make the arrangements. ¡°I really wanted to perform in Jetroina!¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have many fans there, so there¡¯s no rush.¡± Ysabelle might be very popr in Chanaea, but she would not do too well in Jetroina as she has fewer fans there. ¡°Is that so? All right, I¡¯ll wait a little longer then.¡± ¡°Why are you in such a hurry to perform in Jetroina, anyway? Are you trying to avoid Felix?¡± Knowing Ysabelle, Sophie saw through her intentions at once. ¡°I don¡¯t get what you are saying. I¡¯ve broken up with him. Why should I avoid him if there¡¯s nothing going on between us?¡± Besides, I can¡¯t be avoiding him former, can I This content belongs to N?/velDra/ma.Org . Sophie poured her a ss of water. ¡°Are you two really breaking up?¡± Having been busy with the incident with Nichs, she had not managed. Ysabelle must be having an awful couple of days. Ysabelle nodded. ¡°Mmm. 1 have made up my mind.¡± Breaking up is for the best. There¡¯s nothing left to salvage. ¡°I just want to focus on singing right now, Sophic.¡± ¡°Singing would not hinder your love life at all. Put it this way: Felix is a decent man. You might never find somebody like him again if you let him go. Everybody knew how gentle and sweet Felix was with Ysabelle. Ysabelle fell silent. ¡°Could you tell me what happened?¡± Sophie coaxed in an attempt to put in a good word for Felix. ¡°Nothing much. It¡¯s just the feeling that we may not bepatible. Seeing as it¡¯s so difficult being with me, we¡¯re better off apart.¡± Sophie was momentarily struck dumb. What sort of an excuse is that? ¡°I know I¡¯m not all that good, Sophie, but I don¡¯t want to be with him anymore.¡± It¡¯s not like I have fallen for somebody else. I just want to end things between us. ¡°We don¡¯t have to discuss this any further since you¡¯ve made up your mind. Your happiness is what matters. Besides, Felix is not going to give up that easily. Tristan emerged from the kitchen, having just rinsed some strawberries and cherries for Sophie-her favorite fruits, ¡°Don¡¯t waste your breath with her on this. She¡¯s a fool to let a good man like Felix go and wille crying soon enough.¡± Tristan did not hold back in speaking his mind regarding Ysabelle. Taking a bite of the strawberry from the tter she had helped herself with, Ysabelle scoffed. ¡°Even if I do, I won¡¯te crying to you!¡± ¡°I won¡¯t bother with you when you do that.¡± Felix did his best for he had tried to fulfill her every whim. His efforts were in for all to see. Tristan brought a strawberry to Sophie¡¯s lips. ¡°Open up.¡± Sophie was speechless, Ysabelle is still here! Furthermore, she¡¯s still mourning the loss of her rtionship. There¡¯s no need to provoke her! ¡°Just ignore her.¡± Sophie took a bite of the strawberry, and Tristan finished the rest. Rolling her eyes, Ysabelle turned away. ¡°Must you two act all lovey-dovey in front of me? I¡¯ll-¡± ¡°You¡¯ll leave? There¡¯s the door. You can show yourself out.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not leaving! I¡¯m having dinner here tonight. If you bully me again, Uncle Tristan, I¡¯ll tell Grandpa.¡± I¡¯m not a pushover, okay? Sarah came overter that night. As Tristan had only made soup, she ended up cooking. Arius arrived soon after that. He even brought Georgina with him. As it was her first time meeting the others, Georgina was a little shy. Arius wrapped his arm around her shoulder as he introduced her to Ysabelle and Sarah in a tant disy of his affection. ¡°This is Georgina Bates, my girlfriend. What do you think? Isn¡¯t she beautiful?¡± Georgina blushed at his words. I¡¯m no beautypared to Sophie and these other twodies. ¡°Stop it, Arius!¡± ¡°Why? You¡¯re my girlfriend, aren¡¯t you? Besides, you are pretty.¡± What¡¯s wrong with wanting to show off my girlfriend? Georgina¡¯s cheeks flushed a deeper shade of crimson. ¡°I¡¯m nothingpared to them.¡± ¡°In my eyes, you¡¯re more beautiful than any of them.¡± Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, after all. Georgina turned shy hearing that. She never thought Arius would have this side after they began dating, though this version of him gave her a sense of security ¡°I didn¡¯t think you could have gotten a girl of your own, Arius!¡± Sarah teased. ¡°Do you remember asking me to marry you?¡± Arius was rendered speechless. ¡°Stop messing around, Sarah. What if Georgina gets angry and punishes me when we get home?¡± ¡°Punish him when you get home, Georgina. Don¡¯t hold back.¡± Easygoing and friendly, Ysabelle had be acquainted with Georgina even though it was only their first encounter. ¡°You¡¯re all going too far! You owe me a girlfriend if you scare this one away!¡± Something very important suddenly urred to Ysabelle. ¡°By the way, Sophie, I want to be your bridesmaid.¡± ¡°What about the groomsmen? Can Felix be one?¡± Sophie asked with a smile. ¡°I don¡¯t care who bes a groomsman as long as I get to be a bridesmaid and give you away.¡± At the mention of the wedding, the group began discussing animatedly. ¡°That won¡¯t do. I want to be a groomsman,¡± Arius said at once. Having always seen Sophie as his younger sister, he wanted to be the one to give her away. Chapter 917 Chapter 917 Chapter 917 Support ¡°Mmm.¡± Sophie did not have much of an opinion regarding those details. It doesn¡¯t matter who bes our groomsmen and bridesmaids as long as they are all good friends of ours. ¡°Georgina would like to be a bridesmaid as well,¡± Arius chimed in when he noticed that she was too shy to speak up. ¡°What¡¯s the meaning of this, Arius? What about me?¡± I don¡¯t care what happens, I will be a bridesmaid! ¡°It¡¯s not like there can only be one groomsman or bridesmaid,¡± Sarah said instinctively upon noticing their agitation. ¡°We can simply have several more of each.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. We¡¯ll have three groomsmen and three bridesmaids.¡± Tristan thought it was a lucky number. He never used to believe in luck. After meeting Sophie, however, he began to wonder if there was some truth to those superstitions. The girls chatted in the living room while the men stepped outside for a cigarette. ¡°Congrattions, Sophie. Things are looking great for you,¡± Georgina gushed. All of them knew what kind of a person Sophie was. She might seem cold and unfeeling to somebody who did not know her. With the passage of time, however, one would find her to be a true friend indeed. That was why her friends were willing to go to the ends of the earth for her. ¡°You will find happiness with Arius too, Georgina. This is how he has always been. He might have hurt you before, but he will treasure you now that he¡¯s sure you are the one.¡± Arius had always looked out for Sophie, and she wanted him to find happiness. ¡°I do feel lucky being with him.¡± I don¡¯t wish for much. All I want is to be with Arius. Sarah and Ysabelle did not speak. Thetter, especially, was particrly quiet. I, on the other hand, may remain single for the rest of my life. Nobody else would tolerate me. ¡°What¡¯s the matter? Penny for your thoughts?¡± Sarah saw through Ysabelle¡¯s thoughts at once. Things were going well with Felix, weren¡¯t they? Why did it have to end up this way? ¡°Have you heard, Ysabelle?¡± ¡°What?¡± Ysabelle did not look interested in anything at the moment. ¡°Felix might be going to Fandar.¡± Sarah had heard it from Tristan. It was strange as Felix was the one who made the request. There were indeed matters at Fandar to be taken care of, so either he or Charles had to be there. Moreover, it was not a pleasant task. That was the reason for Charles¡¯ reluctance to take the job, yet Felix had volunteered to do it. Ysabelle took a sip of wine. ¡°Oh? Where he chooses to go is his business. How is it any of mine?¡± I¡¯m just not in the habit of realizing he¡¯s no longer by my side, that¡¯s all. There is no other reason. A habit is something frightening indeed. However, no matter how frightening it may seem, I will eventually get used to something else. ¡°Fandar is quite dangerous. You two should talk things out if there is anything you want to say to each other before he leaves.¡± Who knows if there might be a chance to salvage the rtionship? ¡°Oh,e on, Aunt Sarah. Don¡¯t frighten me. Though I¡¯ve never been there, I know Felix can take care of the task and handle himself.¡± Ysabelle was a little restless, so she rose to her feet and walked to the French windows. Noticing her despondency, Sophie followed her. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter whether or not you decide to get back together, you should talk things out lest there are any misunderstandings between the two of you. Ysabelle took a deep breath. ¡°I know.¡± At that exact moment, Felix came to see Tristan, possibly for some matters concerning his trip to Fandar. Sarah opened the door and saw him enter with some documents in hand. ¡°Have you decided to go there?¡± Fandar was not a good ce to be. With its frequent wars, nobody knew what would happen the following day. Felix nodded. ¡°They need someone there. Besides, I have nothing much going on ofte, so I thought I would be of help. I will go crazy if I remain here. It¡¯s not a nice feeling to have at all. Hence, it¡¯s best to just leave this ce. ¡°Then you should talk to Ysabelle. I¡¯d already put in a word for you.¡± ¡°I will. Let me speak to Tristan first.¡± Instead of going to see Ysabelle, Felix went directly to Tristan. Since she wanted to break up, we¡¯ll have a temporary break. It¡¯ll only make her more frustrated if this goes on. It is never my intention to upset her. Ysabelle bit her lower lip as she watched Felix go upstairs without so much as a nce at her. Isn¡¯t this what I wanted? ¡°I¡¯m going home.¡± Suddenly, she did not wish to stay there another second longer. She wanted to be alone. ¡°Leave with me in a while. I don¡¯t feel good letting you go home on your own, seeing as you have had some wine.¡±¡° Sarah did not agree. What is it that cannot be discussed? This isn¡¯t helping the situation!This is from N?velDrama.Org. ¡°What are you doing, Aunt Sarah? I can go home on my own. Don¡¯t worry about me.¡± ¡°Since you were the one who wanted to end things, Ysabelle, what are you afraid of?¡± Sarah said pointedly. ¡°What do you mean, Aunt Sarah? Who says I¡¯m afraid? I¡¯m not afraid of anything. What do I have to be afraid of?¡± Thest two sentences sounded more like she was reassuring herself. Sophie grabbed her shoulder. That¡¯s right. You are not afraid of anything. We¡¯re here for you. What do you have to fear? As long as we are around, nobody will hurt you.¡± ¡°Actually, Felix never hurt me.¡± Sarah and Sophie exchanged a nce. This girl! What¡¯s the matter with her? Despite being protective of Feliz, she still insists on breaking up. Isn¡¯t she asking for it? Why is she being so cruel to herself? There¡¯s no need at all for that! Tristan nced at the folder Felix was holding as soon as thetter appeared. ¡°Have you made up your mind?¡± he asked, raising his eyebrows. ¡°Yes.¡± There is no need to beat around the bush between sworn brothers. ¡°All right. Go, then. Bertram will be there to help you.¡± The situation in Fandar is indeed a prickly one. That is why out of the four of them, one must go. Initially, Tristan had wanted to personally go as he would never delegate dangerous missions like that to his men. Well, seeing that Felix insisted on going. I will respect his decision. ¡°Is this because of Ysabelle? Have you decided to take a break?¡± ¡°Not entirely. Since there are matters in Fandar to be taken care of, somebody has to be there to settle them. I think I am capable enough to handle with it.¡± Having been by Mr. Tristan¡¯s side long enough, I now have the ability to deal with problems like this. ¡°Very well. Let me know immediately if you run into something you couldn¡¯t handle. I can fly over any time.¡± There¡¯s nothing much to be said amongst brothers. A show of support is all that matters. Chapter 918 Chapter 918 Chapter 918 Right Here Waiting For You +15 Bonus Tristan told Felix the things Felix needed to look out for and patted Felix¡¯s shoulder. ¡°As a matter of fact, splitting up with Ysabelle isn¡¯t necessarily bad. We¡¯ve spoiled her since she was little. You can find someone better.¡± ¡°Tristan said. Ysabelle isn¡¯t the only woman in the world, so he should look elsewhere. After all, he¡¯s capable of getting any woman he wants. Heck, plenty of women in Jipsdale are eager to marry him. ¡°She¡¯s the only one I want, though,¡± Felix replied. I fell for her a long time ago, and it took me so much effort to get into a rtionship with her. Who would¡¯ve thought this would be the oue? ¡°I am good enough, so this isn¡¯t her fault. You guys shouldn¡¯t lecture her anymore after this,¡± Felix added. Although we¡¯ve already broken up, I don¡¯t want her to face the aftermath alone. ¡°Don¡¯t you see? You spoil her! That¡¯s why you guys aren¡¯t together anymore,¡± Tristan uttered. ¡°Don¡¯t you spoil Sophie too? Aren¡¯t you guys doing well!¡± Felix retorted. Who wouldn¡¯t spoil the woman they love? ¡°Fine. After all, you asked for this,¡± Tristan answered. There¡¯s no use in saying anything further. With that, they went downstairs. Since it was gettingte, it was time to leave. Felix nced at Ysabelle and offered, ¡°Ysabelle, I¡¯m already going to Fandar tomorrow. Let me give you a ride.¡± Ysabelle epted the offer and went out. ¡°All right, then. Since I drove myself here, I can go home on my own.¡± Sarah knew Felix wanted to have a talk with Ysabelle, so she decided to give them some time alone. ¡°I should also get going now. By the way, there¡¯s still some time before the wedding, but perhaps you guys should pick a spot to take your wedding photos. After all, it¡¯s nice to take wedding photos at this time of the year,¡± Sarah suggested to Tristan and Sophie. It¡¯s better to not leave things until thest minute. ¡°Okay. Got it, Tristan replied. I¡¯ll surely get on with it. I can¡¯t wait to see Sophie in her wedding gown! After Arius and Georgina had also left, Tristan and Sophie were the only ones left in the living room. ¡°Let¡¯s n for our wedding photoshoots. Now that they were alone. Tristan whipped out his phone and went online to look for locations suitable for wedding photoshoots. ¡°Okay. Sure.¡± Sophie had no objections to that, so she snuggled into the couch with Tristan to find a location to take wedding photos, ¡°Would you like to take the photos locally or abroad?¡± Tristan could do either one because he wasn¡¯t busy. ¡°Let¡¯s just do it here. I think we have plenty of nice spots locally. Besides, I don¡¯t want to go through the trouble of taking the photos abroad,¡± Sophie answered. It¡¯s so tiring to fly in and out of the country, so getting it settled locally is better. Hearing that, Tristan wrapped his arm around her shoulders and asked, ¡°Are you not looking forward to it, Sophie?¡± Tristan was feeling hurt. I know how tiring it is to get married, but she¡¯s marrying me! Does she not look forward to < 1/3 This is from N?velDrama.Org. Chapter 918 Right Here Waiting For You +15 Bonus it at all? ¡°I do! Who says I¡¯m not looking forward to it?¡± Sophie argued. Tristan kissed her cheek as a punishment and questioned, ¡°Is this what you look like when you¡¯re excited?¡± Sophie nodded firmly. ¡°Yes. This is exactly what I look like when I¡¯m excited. What¡¯s the matter? Do you have a problem with how I look?¡° ¡°No! Why would I? Where would you like to go for our photoshoot? I¡¯ll go wherever you want to go Evidently, Tristan was very keen. ¡°I¡¯ve already chosen a few spots, Check out the ces I¡¯ve listed.¡± ¡°What have you done? Did we not just start talking about this? How did youe up with these ces so soon?¡± she asked. Tristan kept mum. ¡°Could it be that you¡¯ve already thought about this?¡± ¡°All right. You caught me, so I will juste clean! I indeed have a few ces in mind already. Don¡¯t look at me like that. You¡¯re making me blush.¡± In truth, Tristan had already thought about all the wedding details Sophie pushed him and got on top of him on the couch and eximed, ¡°You¡¯re so cute, Tristan! Since you¡¯ve already nned the wedding to a tee, what¡¯s left for me to do?¡± ¡°Absolutely nothing. You just need to follow my n and be the most beautiful bride.¡± Tristan had indeed nned everything out. ¡°Tristan, you¡¯ll spoil me. What if I end up bullying you in the future?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t mind getting bullied by you. I really don¡¯t mind.¡± ¡°Gosh!¡± Sophie was moved. Tristan is such an outstanding man, but he¡¯s so humble when he¡¯s with me! Meanwhile, Felix stopped the car in front of the Lombard manor. I¡¯m leaving for Fandar, Ysabelle. I¡¯m sorry you have to hear it from others.¡± Ysabelle bit her lower lip and tried to squeeze out a smile. However, she couldn¡¯t do it because she was devastated. ¡°I¡¯ve been the happiest when I was with you, Ysabelle. Back when we were together, I really thought we could spend the rest of our lives together. I didn¡¯t mean to disappoint you in the end.¡± Felix uttered. I¡¯m such a failure! Despite having given it my best, it was still not enough. -Stop saying that, Felix. You¡¯ve been magnificent. I never knew how to appreciate you. Thus, I know it was tough for you. I guess I just need to grow up!¡± Ysabelle answered. Felix did nothing wrong! In fact, he did everything he could to make our rtionship work. Oh, what have I done! Felix was heartbroken when he saw the look on her face. ¡°Don¡¯t do that to yourself, Ysabelle. I was at fault because I made you sad. You must find yourself a man who treats you right in the future.¡± Ysabelle was at a loss for words. What¡¯s making him say these things? 2/3 Chapter 918 Right Here Waiting For You ¡°I¡¯m leaving tomorrow, so I won¡¯t be by your side to protect you, Ysabelle. If you need help, look for Sophie. She¡¯ll be able to protect you.¡± Felix had always been jealous of the rtionship Ysabelle had with Sophie. At that moment, however, he was feeling grateful. Fortunately, Yabelle still has Sophie fry her side after this ¡°Yes, I know. Don¡¯t worry about me. I¡¯ll be fine without you¡± With that, Ysabelle opened the car door and hopped off. Why is he telling me all that? He¡¯s already leaving tomorrow¡± He should just leave! After all, I¡¯m used to bring alone. Felix¡¯s heart ached as he watched her walk off stubbornly. Hence, he rolled down the window and said, ¡°I love you, Ysabelle! I was the happiest man when we were together!¡± Ysabelle abruptly halted in her tracks. ¡°Why are you telling me this? If you want to leave, just leave. b*stard! Did you think I would be waiting for your return now that you¡¯ve said that? No! I won¡¯t wait for you!¡± Chapter 919 Chapter 919 Chapter 919 Fever +15 Bonus Ysabelle was down with a fever the night Felix left. It was Sarah who found out that Ysabelle was ill. In fact, her body temperature shot up to thirty-nine degrees. ¡°Ysabelle¡­¡± Sarah didn¡¯t know what to say to Ysabelle. She wanted to break up with him. Now that Felix is gone, she¡¯s here mumbling his name! Why did she do this to herself? Ysabelle was basically drifting in and out of consciousness that night due to her high fever. In fact, she worked the day. Initially, she thought she would have no problem losing Felix. However, she started feeling unwell that evening, so she went up to her room to rest after dinner. Sarah called the family doctor the second she found out Ysabelle had a fever. Sarah didn¡¯t mean to wake anybody else, but William woke up because he was a light sleeper. When William saw the doctor, he couldn¡¯t help asking the doctor. ¡°Why are you here at this hour? Has someone fallen sick?¡± ¡°I think Ysabelle has fallen sick. I¡¯ll check on her. Don¡¯t worry.¡± The family doctor made his way toward Ysabelle¡¯s room. William obviously got worried, so he followed the family doctor. When William saw Ysabelle¡¯s reddened cheeks, he grew even more worried. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Sarah shrugged in response. ¡°She¡¯ll be fine, Dad. It¡¯s just a fever. The doctor will sort her out. Go back to sleep, okay? I¡¯ll take care of her.¡± The family doctor diagnosed Ysabelle with a fever and prescribed her some medicine. ¡°Two tablets will do it. Sarah helped Ysabelle up and fed her the pills, but Ysabelle couldn¡¯t stop mumbling Felix¡¯s name. -What happened to her rtionship with Felix? Did Felix wrong her?¡± William asked. That has to be it! Otherwise, why would this happen to Belle? ¡°I don¡¯t know, Dad. It¡¯s their rtionship, so we don¡¯t get to say who¡¯s wrong and who¡¯s right. Stay out of it, okay?¡± Sarah said. ¡°I knew Felix wasn¡¯t a reliable man.¡± William was displeased because of what his granddaughter had be ever since she got into a rtionship with Felix. Upon knowing that Ysabelle was fine, William went back to sleep, leaving Sarah to take care of Ysabelle. On the next day, Tristan and Sophie went to visit Ysabelle after learning about her condition. Due to the fever the night before, Ysabelle wasn¡¯t in good shape that morning, and her face was as pale as a sheet. Ysabelle squeezed out a smile when she saw Sophie. ¡°I¡¯m all right, Sophie! I guess it¡¯s just fatigue kicking 1/3 Chapter 919 Fever in!¡± Ysabelle eximed. Why did theye to see me? It was just a fever! 15 Bonus ¡°Rest well, then. I¡¯ve already spoken to Xandra and told her to rearrange your schedule.¡± Sophie wasn¡¯t a bad employer, so she wouldn¡¯t take advantage of her subordinate. ¡°That¡¯s not necessary. I¡¯ll rest today, but I¡¯m going back to work tomorrow,¡± Ysabelle assured. I¡¯m actually feeling fine! ¡°You can¡¯t do this to yourself, Ysabelle. Felix has only been gone for a day, and you¡¯ve already fallen sick! What if he finds out about this?¡± Sophie asked. ¡°Don¡¯t tell him any of this. I didn¡¯t fall sick because of him,¡± Ysabelle uttered. Fandar is a dangerous ce, so Felir needs to focus instead of thinking about me ¡°Is that so?¡± Sophie questioned. Ysabelle didn¡¯t sound convincing at all. ¡°Yes, Sophie. I¡¯m drained. Let me take a nap!¡± Ysabelle wanted to stop thinking about Felix. God help me. I only discovered that I couldn¡¯t let go of my feelings toward him now that he had left. ¡°Okay. Rest well.¡± Knowing that Ysabelle was fine, Sophie breathed a sigh of relief. At the same time, William had instructed Tristan to meet him in the study. ¡°Didn¡¯t you know Felix was Ysabelle¡¯s boyfriend? Why did you let him go to Fandar? What if something bad happens to that boy? What¡¯s going to happen to Ysabelle?¡± William queried. Tristan was rendered speechless. I didn¡¯t ask him to go there! ¡°Dad, Felix decided to go there himself. Besides, I was Ysabelle who wanted the breakup. I have no do with this,¡± Tristan argued. ¡°How could you say that? Would Felix and Ysabelle have gotten together if not for you?¡± ¡°How am I the reason?¡± Tristan was feeling helpless. They decided to get into a rtionship! What di anything to do with me? ¡°At the end of the day, you¡¯re Ysabelle¡¯s uncle. Hence, it¡¯s your responsibility to take care of her. That includes her rtionship,¡± William retorted. I don¡¯t want to see my granddaughter suffer emotionally! Words eluded Tristan. Was I supposed to meddle in her love life? ¡°Listen to me. I don¡¯t want to see anybody hurting Belle. Otherwise, I¡¯ll make life difficult for all of you, William uttered. At that moment, Tristan decided to keep his mouth shut. ¡°What¡¯s the matter? What¡¯s on your mind? You¡¯d better speak now,¡± William ordered. ¡°I don¡¯t have anything to say because I would never doubt your words,¡± Tristan replied. Isn¡¯t that what he wants to hear? ¡°I have to look for Sophie now. After all, I need to look after my wife!¡± Tristan continued. Then he went to look for Sophie. She was scrolling through her phone in his room when he found her. ¡°Is Ysabelle okay?¡± O < 2/3 Chapter 919 Fever This content belongs to N?/velDra/ma.Org . +15 Bonus ¡°Yes. Her fever has subsided, so she¡¯s fine. I think a good day of rest ought to do it. What¡¯s wrong? Did Old Mr. Lombard reprimand you?¡± she asked. ¡°Yes! He told me to meddle in Ysabelle¡¯s love life! How could I possibly do that?¡± Tristanined. How am I supposed to do that when Ysabelle has an attitude problem! Sophie giggled when she saw how frustrated Tristan was. Huh, only Old Mr. Lombard can do this to him. ¡°What¡¯s with you? Don¡¯t you feel bad for me?¡± ¡°Of course, I do! Why don¡¯t you just get Felix toe back?¡± Sophie asked. ¡°No. How can I? Felix has only just arrived there! He should make use of such a good opportunity to improve himself. Since he¡¯s already there, he should solve the problems there beforeing back.¡± ¡°Well, there¡¯s nothing I can do if Old Mr. Lombard decides to make life difficult for you then.¡± ¡°You¡¯re right. Forget about him. After all, there¡¯s not much he can do to me. Frankly, I think Felix and Ysabelle are bound to get back together in the end,¡± Tristan said. I doubt Felix will give up on Ysabelle. It¡¯s just that I don¡¯t know what he told her before he left. ¡°Still, what¡¯s the matter with the both of them? Why can¡¯t they just be with each other and cherish each other? Why are they messing with each other all the time?¡± Tristan grumbled. The worst thing is that we¡¯re now also affected! Ysabelle recovered fully the next day, but she was still feeling lethargic. ¡°Sophie, I¡¯m fit to go back to work now. Are you going to the office? Let¡¯s go together!¡± Sophie shook her head immediately upon hearing that. ¡°Ysabelle, I¡¯m not an evil employer. I¡¯ve already cleared your schedule for the next two days. You ought to rest.¡± 3/3 Chapter 920 Shopping Chapter 920 Shopping ¡°That¡¯s not necessary,¡± Ysabelle argued. I¡¯m feeling good, so I don¡¯t need to rest anymore. +15 Bonus ¡°What are you on about? You must stay home for the next couple of days to rest! Perhaps you should even rest for a week,¡± William demanded. How could she be thinking about work when she had just fallen sick? Does she have a death wish? Ysabelle didn¡¯t dare to utter a word when she saw how angry William was. ¡°Keep your mind off of things and rest at home. At worst. I¡¯ll invest in your next song!¡± William uttered. After all, that¡¯s how things work in the entertainment industry. Ysabelle was bereft of words. Where did Grandpa learn that from? That¡¯s not how things work in the entertainment industry. ¡°Okay, Grandpa. I understand,¡± Ysabelle replied. If I don¡¯t take some time off work, everyone will start coming at ¡°What you are doing in the afternoon, Sophie?¡± Ysabelle asked. ¡°I¡¯m going to check out some wedding gowns because we¡¯re taking wedding photos soon,¡± Sophie answered. Since I have nothing going on at the medical association for the next couple of days, I guess I should start picking my wedding gown. After all, Tristan already had everything nned out. ¡°Let me go with you! If I were to stay home, I would be bored to death. Ysabelle didn¡¯t want to be home alone. ¡°Sure. That sounds good.¡± Sophie knew Ysabelle was moody. Yabelle should go out to clear her mind. She would have more problems if she were to stay home and sulk all day long. In the afternoon, Tristan brought Sophie and Ysabelle to the most famous bridal house in Jipsdale to try on wedding gowns. In fact, plenty of socialites and daughters of wealthy families in Jipsdale took their wedding photos there. The brides all looked fabulous in the photos because they had excellent photographers. Therefore, not only did one have to be rich to take wedding photos there, but one would also be put on a waiting list. Upon arriving at the bridal store, Ysabelle and Sophie got out of the car first and walked up to the entrance. Tristan, meanwhile, went to send his car to the valet. Evidently, the bridal store had exceptional services as well. When the receptionist saw Sophie and Ysabelle, she went up to them instantly and asked, ¡°Hi, there. Did you guys make an appointment?¡± Apparently, there were too many customers who were eager to try on the wedding gowns at the store. Hence, all the customers had to make an appointment prior to the visit. Ysabelle nced at Sophie and asked, ¡°Did you make an appointment?¡± Chapter 920 Chapter 920 Chapter 920 Shopping +15 Bonus Sophie didn¡¯t know she needed to make an appointment, so she smiled and answered. ¡°I have no idea. Let¡¯s ask Tristanter. I think he had already made an appointment.¡± Sophie thought Tristan would most probably know they needed to make an appointment to try on the wedding gowns. ¡°What? I knew you wouldn¡¯t have thought about making an appointment.¡± Ysabelle then turned toward the receptionist and said, ¡°Hold on. The person who made the appointment is about to arrive.¡± When Tristan entered the store, he saw both of them standing near the entrance. ¡°Why are you not going in?¡± ¡°We were waiting for you because they told us we could only get in with an appointment. Did you make an appointment?¡± ¡°What? I didn¡¯t know we needed an appointment.¡± Tristan didn¡¯t know he needed to make an appointment because the store owner invited him to visit the store. ¡°Are you serious, Uncle Tristan? You didn¡¯t make an appointment as well? We wasted our time, then!¡± Ysabelle also thought Tristan would have everything settled before they arrived. Who would¡¯ve thought this could happen? ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. I¡¯ll make a call.¡± Tristan immediately called the store owner. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you tell me I needed to make an appointment before visiting your store? I¡¯m already here. What am I supposed to do now?¡± Tristan asked the store owner. ¡°You¡¯re already there, Mr. Tristan? You don¡¯t need to make an appointment! Give me a moment. I¡¯ll call the store. The store owner hung up the phone and called the store manager. Upon receiving the call from the store owner, the store manager rushed out of the store to wee Tristan and the girls. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry, Mr. Tristan! My subordinates had never seen you before. My boss informed me earlier that you¡¯ll being. Let me show you the wedding gowns right away,¡± the store manager apologized. What the heck? Why would Mr. Tristan ever need to make an appointment to visit our store? Having him take his wedding photos here is the best advertisement we can get! ¡°Okay.¡± Tristan wrapped his arm around Sophie¡¯s shoulders and followed the store manager into the store. Ysabelle gaped in disbelief the moment they arrived on the second floor. This ce is filled with wedding gowns! It¡¯s really a paradise for brides! The store was indeed filled with wedding gowns, which were all custom-made. Needless to say, it was in a different leaguepared to the other bridal stores. Not only were the wedding gowns exquisite, but even the veils and jewelry were the best one could find. ¡°Everything here is so pretty!¡± Even Ysabelle, who had seen luxurious clothing, was in awe. ¡°What kind of wedding gowns do you prefer, Sophie? I¡¯ll help you pick. Since you have such a wonderful body figure, you¡¯ll look fabulous in any wedding gown avable here!¡± This content belongs to N?/velDra/ma.Org . ¡°You should pick for me!¡± Sophie told Ysabelle to pick for her because she knew Ysabelle wasn¡¯t in a good mood. I must give Ysabelle something to do so that she can keep her mind clear of Felix. 2/3 Chapter 920 Shopping ¡°Go on!¡± Tristan knew Sophie wanted to be with Ysabelle, so he didn¡¯t stop Sophie. No matter what, Ysabelle was still his niece, so he wasn¡¯t petty about it. +15 Homm ¡°How about you? Don¡¯t you need to pick your suit as well? However, you¡¯re handsome enough to pull off anything.¡± Sophie said while holding Tristan¡¯s hand. She didn¡¯t want to leave him alone, so she suggested, ¡°Perhaps you can call Arius and ask him to apany you.¡± Arius was the groomsman, so he, too, had to try on some suits. Besides, it would be best if he could also tag along to take the wedding photos. ¡°Sure. I¡¯ll call Arius now and ask him to bring Georgina along.¡± Tristan agreed. Sophie then went to look for Ysabelle. Ysabelle was thrilled when she saw the elegant wedding gowns. ¡°Sophie, these wedding gowns are all so lovely! Now, it¡¯s up to you to pick the style you want.¡± Ysabelle was astonished after taking a quick nce at the wedding gowns in the store. This is the world of the rich and famous! Right then, the store manager showed up and said. ¡°Ms. Tanner, considering your body figure, I think you can fit into all our wedding gowns. Could you let me know your requirements for the wedding gowns? We will bring them for you to try on.¡± The bridal house was huge. If Sophie and Ysabelle were to roam on their own to find the desired wedding gown, they could end up taking the entire day to do so. ¡°Bring me the ones you think will suit me the best!¡± Sophie replied. There are too many wedding gowns here to pick from! -Sure, Ms. Tanner. Please rest here while I get the others to bring you the gowns.¡± The store ma ordered someone to serve Sophie and Ysabelle warm water. ¡°Ms. Tanner, Ms. Lombard, please don¡¯t hesitate to get me if you need anything.¡± The server was girl with a pleasant smile. Ysabelle grew tired after checking out some of the wedding gowns on disy. Hence, she sat beside Sophie on the couch and drank water. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t I try on some bridesmaid dresses?¡± Obviously, as Sophie¡¯s bridesmaid, Ysabelle also had to look beautiful. ¡°Sure! Georgina will be hereter. She¡¯ll join you.¡± Just then, the store manager returned with some of the employees with dozens of wedding gowns. Sophic frowned when she saw that Must I try all of them on? Chapter 921 Chapter 921 Chapter 921 Are You Satisfied +15 Bonus ¡°These are the wedding dresses I picked that are the most suitable for you based on your body shape,¡± the store manager said with a smile. Wedding photoshoots are tiring, and trying on bridal dresses isn¡¯t easy either. They weigh a ton, and what¡¯s more when all our dresses are the real deal. However, that¡¯s just how weddings are. Weddings are supposed to be exhausting! Sophie could not help ncing at Ysabelle. ¡°Is this going to leave me dead tired?¡± Unlike otherdies, she was not that interested in all the pretty wedding dresses. ¡°Enough with theining. Go and try them on. This is a once-in-a-lifetime thing. Besides, don¡¯t you want to turn up in front of my uncle looking all beautiful?¡± ¡°All right. I¡¯ll go. Two store assistants went into the changing room with Sophie. The wedding dresses wereplicated to put on, and there was no way Sophie could get into them by herself. Meanwhile, Arius skipped work with Georgina after receiving the phone call. After all, Sophie¡¯s wedding was much more important than work. Upon arriving at the store, he gave the receptionist Tristan¡¯s name, and the receptionist led them in immediately. It was Georgina¡¯s first time at a ce like that, so she was rather bewildered when she saw the sheer number of wedding dresses. ¡°How much do these cost?¡± she asked. Doing a wedding photoshoot here must cost a bomb! ¡°Oh, do you like them? If you do, you should try some onter too.¡± Arius slung an arm around her shoulder and walked in with her. ¡°What are you hinting at?¡± ¡°What¡¯s the matter? Don¡¯t tell me you were nning on taking me for a free ride! Are you not nning to get married to me? Or do you think I¡¯m not good enough for you and want to reject me?¡± She nearly burst outughing at his reaction. ¡°Honestly, I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re thinking about. How could I possibly reject you? As long as you don¡¯t find me annoying. I¡¯ll definitely stay by your side.¡± Rejecting him is something that¡¯ll never happen, okay? After hearing her reply, he nted a loud kiss on her cheek. ¡°Arius! What are you doing? Don¡¯t you know that¡¯s embarrassing?¡± Georgina asked, pinching his waist. The sound had been so loud that even Ysabelle raised her head to look at the pair. ¡°Hey, can the two of you please consider my feelings? I¡¯m all on my own here. Do you really think it¡¯s appropriate to smooch so loudly right in front of me?¡± Ysabelle remarked teasingly. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Feeling jealous, are we? If that¡¯s the case, you should find someone to kiss too. We¡¯ve no 1/3 111 < Chapter 921 Are You Satisfied N?velDrama.Org owns this. +15 Bonus objections to that,¡± came Arius¡¯ response. He deliberately said that because he knew Felix was not in the country. ¡°Hmph! Just you wait. When- When what? Here, Ysabelle stopped abruptly, unable to finish her sentence. When Felix was around, he would never allow anyone to bully me. However, I can only face everything on my own not Seeing Ysabelle¡¯s expression, Georgina gave Arius a push. ¡°Go check on Mr. Tristan. He¡¯s alone. You should go and help him pick out a suit.¡± ¡°What¡¯s there to help over there? I want to see you try the dresses,¡± Arius responded. Tristan¡¯s figure and looks are better than mine. Anything he wears will look good on him, so he doesn¡¯t need my help. ¡°Arius!¡± ¡°Oh, all right. I¡¯ll go check on him ande back to see youter. Wait for me to pick some dresses for you, okay?¡± After he had finally left. Georgina and Ysabelle sat down together. ¡°Are you okay?¡± As a doctor, Georgina could naturally tell Ysabelle did not seem well. ¡°I¡¯m fine. I had a feverst night, but I¡¯m all better now,¡± Ysabelle replied. There¡¯s really no hiding anything from someone who practices medicine! Meanwhile, Tristan had alreadye out of the changing room by the time Arius went over. ¡°Aren¡¯t you supposed to be trying on suits? It¡¯s done? That¡¯s perfect, then. I¡¯m going to see Sophie try on dresses. There¡¯s nothing interesting to see here.¡± Tristan also did not think there was anything fascinating about trying on suits and wanted to go and apany Sophie. The groom¡¯soutfit alwaysplements the bride¡¯s dress. So, once she has picked her dress, what I wear will be decided. ¡°If you want to see someone trying on wedding dresses, you can watch your own girlfriend do that. Sophie is mine. What right do you have to look at her?¡± Tristan had no wish for other guys to stare at Sophie. The two men went to where thedies were, only to find that Sophie was still inside the changing room getting her veil done. Arius walked over to Georgina and perched on the couch¡¯s armrest. ¡°Why hasn¡¯t shee out yet after so long? It¡¯s just a change of clothes.¡±¡° ¡°Trying on wedding dresses is aplicated process. They¡¯re difficult to wear. Then, there¡¯s also the makeup and the veil. Hence, it¡¯s no surprise that it takes a while. ¡°That¡¯s too troublesome,¡± he said while hugging Georgina. Thank goodness she came along. Otherwise, I¡¯d be bored out of my mind if I had to be here by myself. Just then, the two store assistants opened the door to the changing room, and Sophie slowly walked out. The moment she emerged, everyone gasped. Is she really the Sophie we know? 111 2/3 Chapter 921 Are You Satisfied The sight of Sophie in a wedding dress was breathtakingly beautiful. +15 Bonus The dress suited her perfectly, and every detail was on point. She also had on some light makeup. Usually, Sophie did not bother with makeup. She would only do some basic skincare at most. However, with the makeup, she looked absolutely stunning. At that moment, Tristan only had eyes for Sophie. She was so beautiful that he nearly forgot to breathe. All his attention was on her and no one else. His burning gaze was so intense that it seemed capable of setting every inch of her skin on fire, and she could not help feeling a little awkward. Noticing that Tristan did not say anything for a long time, Ysabelle asked, ¡°Uncle Tristan, why are you just spacing out? Doesn¡¯t Sophie look beautiful?¡± ¡°Mm-hmm. My wife has always been beautiful!¡± he replied. I¡¯ve always known she¡¯s pretty. So pretty that anyone would be astounded. However, seeing her like this today, I finally understand what¡¯s the meaning of true unrivaled beauty! ¡°Erm. I¡¯m going to browse the bridesmaid dresses with Georgina. Why don¡¯t youe with us, Arius?¡± Ysabelle was used to being the third wheel. However, she suddenly became very sensible and realized she should give the couple some privacy. ¡°Sure! Come on. Let¡¯s go over there and take a look!¡± Georgina responded, pulling Arius along. Once the others had left, Tristan and Sophie were the only ones in the changing room. He strode forward slowly. The wedding dress featured a narrow waistline that further enhanced her figure. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Why are you looking at me like that? I¡¯ve never dressed up like this before. Do I look okay?¡± ¡°Sophie, are you under some misconception about your looks? Don¡¯t you know you¡¯re incredibly stunning? I can wholeheartedly say you¡¯re the most beautiful bride in the world.¡± he replied, gently circling an arm around her waist. I can¡¯t help worrying whether this slender waist of hers will be able to take what¡¯s toe in our married life. It looks as though it¡¯ll break if I so much as exert a little too much force. ¡°So, are you satisfied with what you see?¡± Although she never cared about what others thought, what he thought mattered to her. ¡°Of course, Such a beautiful woman belongs to me alone. How could I not be satisfied?¡± Chapter 922 Chapter 922 Chapter 922 The Wedding Dress +15 Bonus In the next moment, Tristan nted a soft kiss on her lips. He could hardly contain his yearning for her. Sophic reciprocated his kiss. She loved him. In their love story, he would never be the lone protagonist, for their journey of love must be shared. Meanwhile, Georgina and Ysabelle were browsing several bridesmaid dresses. The quality of the dresses there was top-notch, as was everything else. ¡°Which one do you think looks best?¡± Georgina asked Arius who stood beside her. ¡°They all look pretty good. Why don¡¯t you try them on? You won¡¯t know if they fit until you wear them.¡± ¡°You¡¯re right. Let me try one,¡± Georgina said. She had taken a particr liking to one of the dresses and was certain it would look great on her. Two shop assistants immediately brought her the dress and apanied her to the changing room. ¡°What about you? Aren¡¯t you going to try something on? I thought girls usually love this kind of thing,¡± Ariusmented, raising a brow curiously. Ysabelle found a spot to sit down. ¡°I had a fever yesterday, so I¡¯m not feeling up to it today. As long as the dress looks good on Georgina, it should be fine on me as well.¡± She waszy to try on anything. After all, she had confidence in her figure. ¡°Is it because of Felix? Did you fall ill because he left?¡± Arius asked. ¡°Arius, what are you talking about? How does my falling sick have anything to do with Felix? We¡¯ve broken up!¡± Ysabelle retorted. ¡°So, didn¡¯t you fall sick because you broke up with him? You girls are always denying your own feelings. You clearly like him, yet you choose to break up with him. Such stubbornness is far from endearing.¡± Arius said. Ysabelle was rendered speechless. She felt like strangling the man before her. How could he be so insensitive? ¡°You¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Am I not speaking the truth?¡± Arius didn¡¯t think he¡¯d said anything wrong. Ysabelle was so exasperated she couldn¡¯t find the words to retort. ¡°Arius, stop talking to me. I don¡¯t want to hear your voice. If you keep talking, I might just kill you.¡± 1/4 Chapter 922 The Wedding Dress Upstodatee from Novel(D)ra/m/a.O(r)g Arius shrugged. ¡°Fine, if you don¡¯t like hearing the truth, I¡¯ll stop. He began flipping through wedding albums. This studio takes really good photos +15 Bonus Arius was nning to have his and Georgina¡¯s wedding photos taken at this bridal studio in the future as well. Just then, Georgina emerged from the changing room. Her bridesmaid dressplemented Sophie¡¯s. This was the first time Georgina had dressed up so formally. Usually, she dressed casually and rarely bothered with makeup. Today, however, was her first time dressing up so elegantly. Arius¡¯ gazended on her as soon as he looked up. While not as stunning as Sophie¡¯s wedding dress, Georgina¡¯s bridesmaid dress highlighted her best features. Georgina felt a bit nervous under Arius¡¯ stare. ¡°What do you think? Does it look okay?¡± Arius walked over and took a photo of her with his phone. ¡°Where did this little fairye from? You look amazing!¡± Arius remarked. Georgina blushed crimson. There are other people around! He¡¯s making me awkward by praising me like this! ¡°Ysabelle, what do you think? You¡¯ll be wearing this dress too. Do you have any suggestions?¡± Georgina turned to ask Ysabelle. Sometimes, a boyfriend¡¯s judgment could be clouded, so Georgina reckoned that asking another girl for her opinion was better. ¡°It looks great, Georgina. Who knew you¡¯d be such a knockout?¡± Ysabelle teased. ¡°You usually look so in, but this bridesmaid dress really brings out your charm and entuates your curves.¡± ¡°Ysabelle¡­¡± She always says whateveres to her mind! ¡°What? I¡¯m merely stating the truth. The two of you are going to be so happy together. All right, I¡¯m going to leave the two of you alone and check up on Sophie, Ysabelle added. She reckoned that Sophie must be trying on her second set of wedding dress by now. ¡°Okay. I¡¯lle over once I change my clothes,¡± Georgina said. Sophie was the star of today. Hence, they shouldn¡¯t waste too much time here. Just as Georgina was about to change out of her dress, Arius wrapped his arms around her and refused to let her go. ¡°What are you doing? I need to go give Sophie some feedback. She¡¯s the main character today!¡± Georgina scowled. ¡°She is the main character today, but you¡¯re the female lead of my life. I want to take another good look at you and admire your beauty,¡± Arius said. Georgina¡¯s smile deepened. She realized that she had gotten to know Arius better after they got together 111 2/4 Chapter 922 The Wedding Dress and that he could be a really loving person. Meanwhile, with the help of the staff, Sophie had already changed into her second wedding dress, a blue one. The shade of blue was an incredibly enchanting color, and it made Sophie look like an enchantress The dress fitted her like a glove, and she appeared captivating as always. Tristan took a few photos of her with his phone to help her chooseter. ¡°This one looks really good too,¡± Tristan sincerely said. His girl could pull off any style. ¡°Yabelle, what do you think?¡± Sophie asked. Ysabelle nodded in agreement. ¡°Tm serious, Sophie. If you joined the entertainment industry, those actresses wouldn¡¯t stand a chance,¡± she added. Just with her looks alone, she could outshine any celebrity in the entertainment industry. ¡°I don¡¯t like the entertainment industry. I think my current life suits me best.¡± Nothing else mattered as Jone as Sophie felt she was doing what was best for herself ¡°That¡¯s right. I think you¡¯ve made the right choice.¡± Tristan echoed her words. She¡¯s so beautiful. If she joins the entertainment industry. I¡¯ll surely have many lose rivali. Tristan didn¡¯t want others to cover her beauty After taking the photos, he proceeded to show them to Sophie as he said, ¡°This one really suits you too.¡± Sophie was already feeling exhausted after having only tried on two dresses. ¡°I think whatever they pick suits me, so let¡¯s just go with this. I¡¯m toozy to try on more. Also, I think taking photos is really tiring. Let¡¯s just take a few. There¡¯s no need for so many¡± Sophie said. Who would look through their wedding photos for no reason anyway? ¡°We don¡¯t necessarily need to try on more wedding dresses, since you look stunning in anything you wear. But I believe it¡¯s worth taking more pictures. In the future, when we¡¯re old, these wedding photos will be cherished memories. We can flip through the photos and relive our wedding.¡± Tristan responded. She¡¯s right. Taking wedding photos can be rather exhausting, but it¡¯s normal for one to feel tired when preparing for a wedding ¡°Mr. Tristan, what about you? Any other themes that you¡¯d like to try?¡± They had already decided on the main, as well as the secondary wedding dress. What else could he possibly want? ¡°I¡¯d like to have a set in retro style. You¡¯d look elegant in one of those retro gowns,¡± Tristan uid. He recalled thest time she wore a retro gown, which truly took his breath away Ysabelle immediately nodded and said. ¡°Absolutely! You have to try on a gown since you have such a great figure. It¡¯s a pity if you don¡¯t try on a retro gown ¡°All right, then¡± Sophie relented 111 314 Chapter 922 The Wedding Dress +15 Bonus She didn¡¯t try on the rest of the dresses, though. After trying on two sets of dresses, they already had a good idea of her measurements. Hence, the bridal studio could already make the necessary alterations to the remaining dresses. Aftering out of the bridal studio, the group of five stood in a line, all fairly worn out. ¡°How about we have dinner together? What would you all like to eat? Mark and the others areing overter as well.¡± Sunny insisted oning over after finding out that Sophie was going to take wedding photos that day, He even said that he wanted to take a few pictures with Sophie. ¡°Should we go for BBQ or stir-fry dishes?¡± Arius asked. ¡°Maybe we should go for stir-fry. Georgina has been feeling under the weathertely. BBQ might be a little too heavy for her.¡± Chapter 923 Chapter 923 Chapter 923 Pair Up +15 Bonus Ysabelle immediately suggested, ¡°Let¡¯s go to Blossom Garden, then. The food there tastes better.¡± Georgina was truly blessed. Despite how unreliable Arius seemed, he was unexpectedly dependable in a rtionship. When Arius arrived, Georgina naturally got into his car while Ysabelle entered Tristan¡¯s car. Sophie sat with Ysabelle in the backseat. Everyone had been cautious around hertely, but she was actually doing fine. After a while, Tristan¡¯s phone rang. He answered the call and put it on loudspeaker. ¡°Mr. Tristan, I heard that you guys went to try on the wedding outfits today. I wanted to join you for the wedding photoshoot, but it seems like I can¡¯t make it now.¡± ¡°That¡¯s all right. It¡¯s just a photoshoot, but you muste back for the wedding.¡± ¡°Of course! We¡¯re best buddies, so I¡¯ll do everything I can to go back to attend your wedding ceremony!¡± ¡°Felix, I¡¯m being serious here. Fandar is quite dangerous, so be more careful. Many armed forces had gathered at Fandar at that moment, and a war was imminent. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll survive! By the way, how¡¯s Ysabelle? I heard she¡¯s sick.¡± He actually made the phone call because he was concerned about Ysabelle, as there was no one around to care for her now that he was abroad. At the mention of her name, Ysabelle subconsciously clenched her fists. I can¡¯t believe this man¡­. Is it really dangerous there? He went to Fandar because of me, right? ¡°She¡¯s a pampered youngdy, so what could possibly happen to her? You don¡¯t need to worry about her; just take care of yourself. Make sure youe back safely, got it?¡± ¡°Mr. Tristan, don¡¯t say that Ysabelle is and always has been a kind and nice person. She¡¯s not spoiled at all.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t believe you¡¯re still defending her at this point. Do you really love her that much?¡± ¡°I do. I really love her. I love her to the core.¡± He didn¡¯t know who he was uttering thatst sentence to. Tears instantly welled up in Ysabelle¡¯s eyes. Felix is such a terrific man, but I¡¯m not good enough for him. I don¡¯t deserve the kindness he¡¯s showing me. ¡°All right, I got to go now. Bertram and I have some matters to attend to. After we finish dealing with everything here, I¡¯ll go back.¡± An armed conflict broke out there, so Felix and Bertram had to go and check out the situation. Upstodatee from Novel(D)ra/m/a.O(r)g Ysabelle panicked after hearing the gunshots. It¡¯s genuinely hazardous there. Before Felix ended the call, I clearly heard gunshots. ¡°Uncle Tristan, is it perilous at Fandar? Why did you let Felix go if you know it¡¯s dangerous there? Can you ask him toe back, please?¡± Uncle Tristan has so many subordinates, so why can¡¯t somebody 1/3 Chapter 923 Pair Up else go! Why does it have to be Felix? +15 Bonus ¡°Ysabelle, you¡¯ve already broken up with him. It¡¯s not your ce to worry about him anymore.¡± Tristan ignored her request. Felix is already at Fandar. What¡¯s the point of her regretting now! Ysabelle turned to look at Sophie. ¡°Sophie, Fandar is so dangerous. Can Felix make it?¡± Ysabelle knew Felix must be capable since he had served Tristan for so long. Otherwise, Tristan would¡¯ve dismissed him early on. Nevertheless, after learning how fraught with danger Fandar was, she couldn¡¯t help but feel worried. Sophie put her arm around Ysabelle¡¯s shoulder, gently embracing her. ¡°Calm down, Ysabelle. Felix is highlypetent. He¡¯ll be able to take care of everything there.¡± Felix was naturally formidable. Tristan would never have agreed to let him go to Fandar if he wasn¡¯t capable enough to survive. ¡°Besides, he volunteered to go there. This matter has nothing to do with your uncle Tristan.¡± Sophie didn¡¯t want Ysabelle to misunderstand Tristan. ¡°How could he volunteer to go there? What if something bad really happens to him?¡± Ysabelle didn¡¯t dare to imagine the consequences. She bit her lower lip, stopping herself from saying anything else. ¡°You should remember this lesson. Felix is genuinely fond of you, but you can¡¯t treat him poorly and take him for granted just because he likes you. Do you understand?¡± Tristan couldn¡¯t stop himself from lecturing her. In his opinion, a man should indeed pamper a woman, but a woman shouldn¡¯t go too far as to be inconsiderate of that man¡¯s feelings. ¡°That¡¯s enough. She¡¯s already upset, so quit chiding her.¡± What¡¯s the point of saying all these now? Tristan fell silent since Sophie had spoken up. When they reached Blossom Garden, Mark and Sunny were already there. The other three band members had something to do that day, so they didn¡¯te. When Sunny noticed Ysabelle¡¯s reddened eyes, he immediately walked over and sat down beside her. ¡°What¡¯s the matter, Ysabelle? Did someone bully you? Let me know if someone did. I¡¯ll help you teach that person a lesson!¡± Ysabelle merely shook her head. ¡°Are you really fine? But you look like you¡¯re on the verge of tears. Are you sure no one picked on you?¡± ¡°There is. Uncle Tristan picked on me!¡± ¡°Oh, so the culprit is Mr. Tristan. In that case, there¡¯s really nothing I can do to help you. You know how scary your uncle is. I¡¯m no match for him.¡± If the culprit had been somebody else, Sunny might¡¯ve been able to stand up for her. Unfortunately, since that person was Tristan, Sunny could only mourn for her in silence. 2/3 Chapter 923 Pair Up Ysabelle red at him. ¡°Sunny, you¡¯re such a lousy senior. Is my uncle truly that fearsome?¡± +15 Bonus ¡°Of course. He¡¯s terrifying.¡± He would glower at me whenever my eyes linger a few moments longer on Sophie. He¡¯s the incarnation of a devil! Sophie doesn¡¯t belong to him alone, so why can¡¯t others look at her? Everyone chatted with one another after ordering some food. Tristan poured Sophie a ss of warm water. ¡°Here. Have some warm water. It¡¯s been a long day.¡± Trying on wedding dresses was a tiring feat. It was still rather exhausting although they had others helping them out. Sophie held the ss and asked, ¡°Can Felix resolve the problems on his own? If he can¡¯t, let¡¯s go over and help him.¡± If something really happened to Felix, Ysabelle would be heartbroken. I don¡¯t want her to be sad. ¡°Nothing should go wrong since Bertram is there to assist him. Nevertheless, if he still hasn¡¯t sorted out the situation there after we finish taking the wedding photos, I¡¯ll go and take a look.¡± Felix had been with him for so long, so Tristan figured Felix must be capable of taking care of those problems. ¡°All right, then. You should stop criticizing Ysabelle. She¡¯s already in distress.¡± Sophie fathomed a breakup wasn¡¯t necessarily one person¡¯s fault. Both parties must¡¯ve made mistakes. ¡°Okay. I¡¯ll stop. Tristan heeded Sophie¡¯s words. ¡°By the way, now that Felix is not around and Ysabelle is one of the bridesmaids, we¡¯re still short of a best man.¡± Although it wasn¡¯t the official wedding, the best men and bridesmaids were required to be present for the wedding photoshoot-after all, the more, the merrier. ¡°Why don¡¯t we ask Charles to pair up with Ysabelle?¡± ¡°No!¡± Ysabelle immediately refused. ¡°What should we do, then? Felix can¡¯t return to the country for now.¡± Tristan nced at her. ¡°Alternatively, you¡¯ll have to drop out of the photoshoot.¡± ¡°Fine. Who wants to be paired up with Charles anyway?¡± Ysabelle was against the idea of being paired with someone else, even if it was only temporary. Chapter 924 Chapter 924 Chapter 924 Fed Up +15 Bonus ¡°Come on. Do you have to react so strongly? It¡¯s just a photoshoot. It¡¯s not like we¡¯re setting you up with him.¡± Tristan stared at Ysabelle stonily. ¡°What¡¯s the point of throwing a hissy fit now that Felix is gone when you didn¡¯t cherish him in the first ce?¡± he added. ¡°Tristan!¡± Sophie warned. Didn¡¯t I ask him to stop harping on this subject? Why won¡¯t he listen? Noticing the look Sophie was giving him, Tristan zipped up. Fine. I should listen to her. ¡°All right. Let¡¯s dig in!¡± Mark, who was seated beside Ysabelle, patted her shoulder gently as constion. Ysabelle remained silent the entire time and didn¡¯t utter a single word. ¡°Ysabelle, you should eat some! This fish is fresh and tastes pretty good!¡± Sunny showed her some care upon noticing she was feeling down. ¡°Excuse me while I head to the washroom.¡± Ysabelle got to her feet. She¡¯d lost her appetite after knowing how dangerous Fandar was and worried about Felix constantly. Sophie hastily followed after Ysabelle. Tristan, too, lost his appetite after Sophie went after Ysabelle. He regretted reprimanding Ysabelle so harshly. Great. My wife¡¯s going to be mad at me now. Ysabelle was smoking in the bathroom when she caught sight of Sophieing in after her. She quickly disposed of her cigarette as smoking didn¡¯t fit her image. Sophie washed her hands and stood next to Ysabelle, keeping herpany. ¡°Ysabelle, Felix went to Fandar for work. It has nothing to do with you.¡± It didn¡¯t make sense for Ysabelle to me everything on herself. Imagine how exhausting and pointless it would be. ¡°Sophie, you don¡¯t have to say anything to make me feel better. I¡¯m perfectly aware that I¡¯m the reason he went there.¡± He wouldn¡¯t have made the trip if she hadn¡¯t behaved so unreasonably. Ysabelle stepped close to Sophie and hugged her. She was feeling far too upset and anxious. ¡°I wish I could go and see him in Fandar, but I¡¯d only end up being a burden instead of being of any help.¡± I truly am such a worthless individual. 1/4 Chapter 924 Fed Up +15 Bonus ¡°How about this? If he still doesn¡¯te back by the time my wedding photoshoot is over, I¡¯ll go with you to see him in Fandar.¡± ¡°Are you serious?¡± ¡°Of course. I hope you¡¯d forgive Tristan for chiding you earlier. He only said such things because he treats Felix like his own brother.¡± ¡°Has he forgotten that I¡¯m his niece? He has gone too far!¡± ¡°I know. I¡¯ll give him a piece of my mindter.¡± ¡°Please do!¡± Ysabelle felt much better at that. ¡°Come on, let¡¯s go back. We¡¯re in the middle of a meal.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Everyone headed home separately after dinner. Sunny insisted on being included in the wedding photoshoot when Sophie and Tristan informed him and Mark of the date. Tristan and Sophie returned to their mansion after dropping Ysabelle back home. ¡°Do you have anything nned for tomorrow? Tristan asked while wrapping her in his embrace. ¡°I¡¯ll be paying a visit to the medical association after taking a few days off. Tanner Group is vying for a noteworthy case, and I intend to supervise the proceedings.¡± Though Victor was capable enough for the job, she still needed to be present this round for a case of such utmost importance. ¡°Okay, then. I thought you had some free time tomorrow.¡± Tristan wished to spend more time with her. He was thinking of going on a date or to the movies with her like other ordinary couples usually did. ¡°What about you? Do you have anything nned?¡± She didn¡¯t seem to recall having any activities nned with him the next day. Besides, it was still several days before their wedding photoshoot. ¡°No.¡± He was merely bored and wished to bring her to the movies to watch a new show that was just released. ¡°There¡¯s going to be a movie screening tomorrow night starring Cecelia. Why don¡¯t we watch it after work?¡± ¡°Sure!¡± Whoever was the main lead in the movie didn¡¯t matter to Tristan as long as Sophie was with him. Besides, Cecelia was a pretty decent actor. ¡°I couldn¡¯t make it to the premier of Cecelia¡¯s new movie. We should show our support tomorrow by booking the entire theatre.¡± 2/4 Chapter 924 Fed Up +15 Bonus ¡°Will do.¡± Tristan knew how close Sophie and Cecelia were. Now that Cecilia was at TS, she had ess to the best resources imaginable. Hertest release was a literary movie. The movie¡¯s rating was high, but it wasn¡¯t doing particrly well at the box office due to its genre. ¡°I suppose Cecelia must be feeling rather frustrated. Literary films typically aren¡¯t as highly-grossing as commercial films.¡± ¡°She won¡¯t have anyints as long as it¡¯s my decision. Since she¡¯s a newly-crowned star actress, I¡¯m confident she¡¯ll win an award with this movie. Moreover, it¡¯s certainly going to be a prestigious international award.¡± ¡°You sure sound confident.¡± ¡°But of course! I adore this movie¡¯s screenwriter.¡± She had been in awe the moment she read the script. ¡°If I recall correctly, isn¡¯t the screenwriter a guy? Fond of him, are you?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re being jealous! I admit having taken a liking to him because of his talent and intend to continue coborating with him.¡± She did in fact think highly of gifted screenwriters. ¡°I don¡¯t like it when you pay attention to other men, even if what you feel for them is just in admiration.¡± ¡°Tristan, you have to believe that I love you the most. What I feel for everyone else is at most admiration, that¡¯s all ¡°By the way, are you seriously letting Mark join our wedding photoshoot?¡± asked Tristan. Everyone knows he has feelings for Sophie. Wouldn¡¯t it seem odd to let him join? ¡°Mark treats me well. I don¡¯t see any issue with him and Sunny being part of our wedding photoshoot. What¡¯s wrong? I¡¯ll tell Mark not toe over if you feel ufortable about it.¡± ¡°Never mind. I¡¯ll just think of him as your brother. I acknowledge they have always been nice to you and did y an integral role in your life before we met. It¡¯s just a wedding photoshoot, so it¡¯s not a big deal.¡± Sophie hugged him even tighter. ¡°Tristan, I¡¯ve always known you¡¯re a magnanimous person who wouldn¡¯t take such a trivial matter to heart. A wedding photoshoot would be so boring with just the two of them. The presence of friends and family would make it much more meaningful. ¡°Your praise is music to my ears.¡± Tristan relented only because he understood the importance of Mark and the others to Sophie. It had been some time since Sophiest set foot in Tanner Group. Nevertheless, Victor still reported all of the organization¡¯s happenings to her. N?velDrama.Org content. 111 3/4 Chapter 924 Fed Up Everyone treated Sophie like a deity of fortune ever since the incident with the year-end bonus. The employees at the headquarters beamed brightly when they saw her and greeted her politely. She headed straight to Victor¡¯s office to prevent causing an even biggermotion amongst the staff. Victor knew about her arrival and wanted to head downstairs to escort her, but she¡¯d refused. ¡°Wee, Ms. Sophic.¡± The secretary hurriedly opened the door of the general manager¡¯s office upon seeing Sophie enter. Victor had been focusing all his attention on Tanner Group recently. He dedicated his heart and soul to it and was convinced that Tanner Group was more important than his family business. Chapter 925 Chapter 925 Chapter 925 Torment Him +15 Bonus After the secretary led Sophic into the room, he immediately went to pour her a ss of freshly squeezed juice. ¡°Ms. Sophie, have some of your favorite strawberry juice. I just bought the strawberries a while ago. They¡¯re fresh.¡± Knowing Sophie would be dropping by, he specially made a trip to the supermarket to buyrge, beautiful strawberries. However, the reddish strawberry juice didn¡¯t seem too appetizing for Sophie. ¡°Um, thanks.¡± Why do I feel like the secretary is particrly enthusiastic this time around? Once the secretary left, she asked Victor. ¡°What¡¯s up with him? Isn¡¯t he being a tad bit enthusiastic?¡± ¡°It¡¯s because ofst year¡¯s high bonus, obviously,¡± Victor answered. Every employee in Tanner Group had turned into Sophie¡¯s fan. ¡°Oh,¡± Sophie uttered. ¡°Ms. Sophie, you made the right choice. All of our employees are working as one entity. They¡¯re all doing their best to solve all kinds of problems together Such a unitedpany would seed in any endeavor. ¡°I heard you guys ran into some trouble with the recent project, so I dropped by to check. Has the issue been resolved?¡± The project was significant to Tanner Group. If it took off, thepany would achieve tremendous sess and be propelled to greater heights. That was why Sophie took time out of her busy schedule to drop by the office. ¡°Ms. Sophic, please rest assured that although the issue isn¡¯t resolved yet, I will handle it perfectly.¡± He was confident in his capabilities. ¡°Brief me on the details. If we can solve it in a shorter time, why don¡¯t we give it a try? ¡°The crux of the issue lies in Mr. Hein of Maxwell Corporation. He refused to sign the agreement no matter how I tried to persuade him. I invited him for dinner tonight, so don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll surely get his signature this time.¡± Everyone in Jipsdale knew how difficult of a person Terence was. However, Victor was determined to get Terence¡¯s signature regardless of how challenging it was going to be. ¡°The dinner is tonight, right? I¡¯ll go with you.¡± Let¡¯s settle this issue first since we already have dinner ns with the other party. ¡°Do you not trust me, Ms. Sophie? I can solve this issue,¡± said Victor with concern. Ms. Sophie is still a 111 1/3 Chapter 925 Torment Him woman, after all. With how pretty she is, she shouldn¡¯t attend such an asion, +15 Bonus ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Is there a problem with Mr. Hein?¡± She never paid much attention to the ongoings within the industry, so she wasn¡¯t aware of the issue with Terence. ¡°Mr. Hein is a promiscuous man. Plus, you¡¯re good-looking, so I don¡¯t think you should go.¡± ¡°Is there a problem with our project?¡± That was her main concern. If there was no issue with the project, she was determined to make Terence sign the agreement that night. ¡°Ms. Sophie, I¡¯m monitoring the progress of this project personally. You already went through the details of the project several times, so you know there isn¡¯t a problem at all.¡± ¡°So Mr. Hein is deliberately giving us a hard time. Got it. I¡¯ll be going with you for dinner tonight.¡± Tanner Group is developing well each day, but it¡¯s stillckingpared to otherpanies in a city like Jipsdale. Most of the time, many corporations refuse to give us a chance and coborate with us. ¡°Are you reallying, Ms. Sophie? That man is a pervert. I¡¯m worried about you.¡± Victor regarded Sophie as his younger sister, so thest thing he wanted was for her to mingle with such an unpleasant man. Tanner Group belongs to the Tanner family, so how can I stand on the sidelines and watch when the company is facing difficulties?¡± She wasn¡¯t the kind of person who would let her subordinates do all the dirty work. ¡°All right. I understand.¡± Victor was determined to be present for the dinner that night. Terence would never get to touch even a hair on Sophie¡¯s head as long as Victor was around. Tristan had been waiting to get off work for his movie date with Sophie. He even went back home to change into a more suitable attire for the date during his lunch break. However, when it was nearly time to get off work, he got a phone call from Sophie. ¡°I have ns tonight, so I can¡¯t go to the movies with you. Why don¡¯t you head home first?¡± Guilt flooded Sophie as she knew they had already agreed on spending time together that evening. She felt bad about standing him up at the veryst minute. Tristan had been looking forward to the movie date the entire day. He didn¡¯t expect to be stood up at the ¡°What¡¯s happened? Did something urgent happen at Tanner Group?¡± She went to Tanner Group in the morning and didn¡¯t return in the afternoon, so something must have happened there. ¡°We¡¯re facing some issues with the recent project. I¡¯m going to handle it tonight.¡± Grandpa cares about Tanner Group a lot, so I can¡¯t just ignore thepany¡¯s issues no matter how busy I am. There¡¯s nothing much going on with the medical association anyway, so I¡¯m nning to concentrate all my attention on Tanner Group in the meantime. It¡¯s time for thepany to advance to the next level. How else are we going to be on the same level as Lombard Group? ¡°I know about the project yourpany is handling right now. Mr. Hein refuses to sign the agreement, 2/3 Chapter 925 Torment Him right? I can settle that with a phone call,¡± Tristan uttered. That¡¯s not a big deal. I can deal with Mr. Hein. +15 Bohus ¡°That won¡¯t be necessary. This is Tanner Group¡¯s affair. I can deal with it just fine. You don¡¯t have to get involved.¡± She wanted to lead thepany to its peak relying on her own efforts, so she didn¡¯t want Tristan to get involved. ¡°I¡¯m upset, Sophie. Do you know that? I¡¯m your backer, so you can always depend on me. Why are your refusing to ept my help?¡± The issue would be resolved as soon as he made the call. ¡°I know how great you are, but I don¡¯t want to depend on you. At the end of the day, I still have to learn and grow up on my own, don¡¯t you think?¡± Defeat washed over Tristan. Why am I such a failure? My own girlfriend doesn¡¯t want to depend on me. Am I a terrible boyfriend? Do I not give her a sense of security? ¡°There, there. Please don¡¯t be mad. I don¡¯t mean anything by it. I just think I can resolve the problem by myself.¡± I don¡¯t know how to rely on others. I love solving everything within my power and enjoying the sense of gratification and aplishment I get upon seeding. All content ? N/.?vel/Dr/ama.Org. ¡°Okay, I understand. Mr. Hein is a lustful man, though, so be careful.¡± Knowing how capable Sophie was, Tristan wasn¡¯t too worried about her, but that didn¡¯t mean he wasfortable with the situation. When Charles dropped by and saw the dark look on Tristan¡¯s face, he questioned the man and finally found out that Sophie would be going to meet the infamous Terence Hein for dinner. ¡°Mr. Hein is a scious man, and Sophie is a beautiful woman. Are you not worried about her?¡± ¡°What do you think Mr. Hein can do to her? I wanted to solve the issue for her, but she refused, so there¡¯s nothing I can do about it.¡± In fact, he was aware that with Sophie¡¯s capabilities, Terence wouldn¡¯t stand a chance against her. ¡°Oh, how I wish I can be there to witness Sophie deal with him. It¡¯s been a long time since Ist saw Sophie torment someone.¡± It¡¯s a pleasure to watch Sophie torment others as long as I¡¯m not the one getting tormented. Charles then suggested, ¡°Why don¡¯t we go there and watch? We could at least give Mr. Hein a fright.¡± Chapter 926 Chapter 926 Chapter 926 Scare Me ¡°I¡¯m not going.¡± Since Tristan already promised Sophie he wouldn¡¯t get involved, he would do his best to fulfill that promise. ¡°Are you sure you don¡¯t want to go?¡± +15 Bonus ¡°Let¡¯s go! For all we know, we didn¡¯t go there on purpose. We can pretend that it¡¯s just a coincidence. ¡°Charles tried to persuade his friend. Terence is notorious for his debauchery. How can we be at ease if we don¡¯t go and take a look? ¡°Fine. Let¡¯s go!¡± In a famous Annduran restaurant in Jipsdale, Sophie and Victor had been waiting for quite some time. However, Terence still hadn¡¯t shown up. Sophie sipped on her ss of water calmly while Victor¡¯s expression turned darker by the minute. He was certain Terence was making them wait on purpose since they had agreed to meet up for dinner at seven in the evening, and it was already seven-thirty. Terence was half an hourte. ¡°Why don¡¯t you head back first. Ms. Sophie? I can wait for him here.¡± I¡¯m sure Ms. Sophie has never been treated with such disrespect before ¡°It¡¯s fine. I¡¯m free, anyway, I must meet up with him since he¡¯s such a nuisance.¡± Sophie appearedposed. It has only been thirty minutes. I¡¯m patient enough to wait. As they conversed, the infamous Terence finally showed up. Despite being dressed in a fitted suit, the smile on his face was smarmy. Terence immediately approached Victor upon spotting him. His assistant pulled out the chair for him, and before he sat down, he unbuttoned his suit. ¡°I apologize for the dy, Mr. White. The traffic was terrible today. You know how it is on a Friday. Traffic is horrible everywhere. How bothersome.¡± Terence knew Victor would definitely wait for him since the project was important for Tanner Group. Hence, his tardiness was intentional. He had arrived on time but had been lingering outside the restaurant instead of stepping straight in. Though he had decided to sign the agreement, he wanted to gain more benefits for himself. After all, that was how all businessmen were. Profit was their main concern. It wasn¡¯t until he sat down that he noticed Sophie. His eyes lit up the moment he spotted her. < 1/3 Chapter 926 Scare Me +15 Bonus ¡°I didn¡¯t expect Tanner Group to have such a prettydy, Mr. White. She¡¯s prettier than most celebrities on TV. A few of Terence¡¯s ex-girlfriends all had the same influencer look. He used to think his ex-girlfriends were stunning, but the moment heid eyes on Sophie, he finally knew the true meaning of astounding beauty. Victor¡¯s expression was grim when he heard Terence¡¯s remark. As he expected, Terence was a complete pervert His fiery gaze was practically glued on Sophie, and the way he ogled at her was way too disgusting. ¡°Hi, You must be Mr. Hein. I¡¯ve heard of you. I¡¯m Sophie Tanner from Tanner Group.¡± Sophie extended her hand for a handshake. Terence does live up to his name as an infamous pervert. ¡°Sophie. Wow, even your name is pretty. Have you heard about me? Am I really that famous?¡± ¡°Yes, I¡¯ve heard of you. Mr. Hein, do you have any questions regarding our project?¡± ¡°We¡¯re here for dinner, so let¡¯s not talk about work. We shouldn¡¯t discuss business after working hours.¡± The look in Terence¡¯s eyes was filled with lust, making others feel ufortable. ¡°I thought you have something urgent to settle, Ms. Sophie? You may head back now. I can take it from here.¡± ¡°What are you doing, Mr. White? I¡¯ll sign the agreement tomorrow if Ms. Tanner stays to have dinner with me.¡± Terence was, obviously, exceptionally lecherous, and he didn¡¯t bother to conceal it. ¡°Please tell me why you¡¯re still not signing the agreement, Mr. Hein. If there¡¯s an issue with our project, I¡¯ll have someone amend it.¡± ¡°There¡¯s no issue with it. I would¡¯ve signed it already if you were the one managing the coboration at the very beginning.¡± Terence didn¡¯t even try to hide his impure thoughts. In fact, he didn¡¯t think there was a problem with his behavior and felt proud of how tantly lewd he was. ¡°Oh. In that case, did Mr. White do anything to offend you?¡± ¡°Mr. White is capable, but sometimes he¡¯s a stick in the mud. You should take over the project, Ms. Sophie. I like coborating with prettydies.¡± Upon finishing his sentence, he reached out for Sophie¡¯s hand, trying to cop a feel. Sophie thought she was patient enough to endure Terence¡¯s disgusting advances for so long. The fact that he deliberately made things difficult for Victor was already annoying, and now he even tried to molest her. He¡¯s basically digging his own grave! All content ? N/.?vel/Dr/ama.Org. Victor had wanted to defend Sophie, but before he could, Sophie grabbed Terence¡¯s wrist and twisted it. In response, Terence let out a painful squeal. < 2/3 Chapter 926 Scare Me +15 Bonus ¡°What do you think you¡¯re doing, Ms. Tanner? Do you know what you¡¯re doing? Do you want me to sign the agreement or not?¡± ¡°Since you think your current position doesn¡¯t suit you, you don¡¯t have to take up the position anymore. I trust many people are lining up to take your ce in Maxwell Corporation.¡± Terence¡¯s assistant instantly shot to his feet upon seeing that.. ¡°What are you doing, Ms. Tanner? Release Mr. Hein in this instance! We have many in line waiting to coborate with us. We won¡¯t be coborating with you after what you¡¯ve done.¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± Sophie didn¡¯t release her grip. ¡°I think you have a death wish for bullying my subordinate.¡± Initially, Sophie intended to settle the issue diplomatically, but after witnessing Terence¡¯s behavior, she could imagine how much trouble Terence had caused her employee. With that, Sophie let Terence go and dialed the number of Maxwell Corporation¡¯s CEO. ¡°Hi, this is Sophie Tanner. Tanner Group¡¯s coboration with Maxwell Corporation ends today. I think yourpany doesn¡¯t meet our standards.¡± ¡°Is there a problem, Ms. Tanner? Didn¡¯t we already discuss all the details for the project?¡± Connor Maxwell, Maxwell Corporation¡¯s CEO, didn¡¯t expect to hear that from Sophie. Tanner Group¡¯s recent project was a hot property. Even though Tanner Group wasn¡¯t particrly famous, they were quite capable. Many might not be aware of Sophie¡¯s true identity, but Connor was one of those who knew. ¡°Your employee has been giving my employee a hard time. Do you really take me as some gullible woman? What makes you think I would still want to coborate with you after all the trouble your employee caused me?¡± Sophie had always loved to keep a low profile, and that was why she assigned Victor to handle the project strictly by the book. However, it seemed like her decision was a mistake. ¡°Calm down, Ms. Tanner. I¡¯ll investigate the root of the problem and give you an exnation.¡± ¡°Sure¡± Sophie ended the call after that. Terence¡¯s eyes widened with disbelief. ¡°How is that possible? Why do you have our CEO¡¯s number?¡± Terence was stunned. ¡°You¡¯re only trying to scare me, aren¡¯t you?¡± Chapter 927 Chapter 927 Chapter 927 Taught A Lesson Victor, too, did not expect Sophie to know the CEO of Maxwell Corporation. He was pleased when he recalled how Terence used to bully him and treat him with derision. True enough, Sophie had always been unrivaled, and the way she handled things never disappointed him. ¡°Don¡¯t think everything will be fine just because you¡¯ve made a phone call. Just you wait and see. I will make you suffer a fate that¡¯s far worse than death.¡± There¡¯s no way Sophie knows Mr. Marwell. She would¡¯ve mentioned it in the very beginning if she knows him. I¡¯m sure she¡¯s just trying to scare me. ¡°Is that so? Mark my words. You¡¯ll soon lose your job.¡± ¡°Ms. Sophie, what should we do with him?¡± asked Victor. ¡°That¡¯s none of our concern. Someone else will deal with him. Let¡¯s go somewhere else for dinner. It¡¯s my treat. Just let me know if you encounter more jerks like him that obstruct the development of the company in the future. I will deal with it.¡± Sophie was determined to get rid of anyone who got in the way of Tanner Group. ¡°Sure, Ms. Sophie!¡± Victor admired Sophie an awful lot. This youngdy is indeed extremely powerful and capable. I wouldn¡¯t have pledged loyalty to her if she wasn¡¯t capable. After all, I¡¯m still quite an ambitious person. As soon as the two of them stepped out of the restaurant, Connor, the CEO of Maxwell Corporation showed up. When he saw that Sophie was leaving, he immediately came over and said apologetically, ¡°Ms. Tanner, I¡¯m so sorry. I have been very busy for the past few days and had no idea that my subordinates are so useless. Please rest assured that I will give you an exnation for this. Please reconsider coborating with us.¡± ¡°I despise Mr. Hein. Find someone else to rece him if you still wish to work with Tanner Group.¡± ¡°Sure, I will do that.¡± Without saying another word, Sophie left with Victor. ¡°Where is he?¡± Connor asked his secretary once Sophie left. ¡°Mr. Hein is in there!¡± Connor stepped into the restaurant immediately. Terence had just gotten back on his feet with help from his assistant. His wrist wouldn¡¯t stop shaking. ¡°Mr. Hein, do you think it¡¯s true that Sophie knows Mr. Maxwell?¡± asked the assistant. Ms. Tanner didn¡¯t seem like she was trying to scare us. ¡°There¡¯s nothing to be afraid of. Have you forgotten that Connor is my brother-inw? He won¡¯t do anything to me even if she really knows him.¡± Connor walked in just as he finished speaking. ¡°Connor, I think Tanner Group¡¯s not worth coborating with at all. There are so manypanies dying to work with Maxwell Corporation, so let¡¯s find someone else!¡± He had barely finished talking when Connor gave him a tight p on his face. ¡°Listen carefully, Terence Hein. Quit your job if you can¡¯t work for me and stop causing trouble. Do you know how important this coboration is to me?¡± Terence was bewildered, for he did not expect to be pped. ¡°Connor, I¡¯m just stating the facts. You have no idea how arrogant the CEO of Tanner Group is. Take a look at my hand. She¡¯s gone overboard and is practically disrespecting you!¡± Livid, Connor gave Terence a kick in his stomach when he saw that thetter still had no idea what he had done wrong. ¡°You useless piece of cr*p! You can forget about working for me. I will find someone to rece you.¡± ¡°Connor, how can you do that to me? You promised my sister to take good care of me.¡± ¡°Shut up. I don¡¯t want to hear another word from you. I will stitch your mouth shut if you dare make another sound.¡± Connor then turned to Terence¡¯s assistant and said, ¡°As for you, you are fired too. Don¡¯t bothering to work tomorrow.¡± Terence¡¯s assistant panicked at that instant. ¡°Mr. Maxwell, this has nothing to do with me! I¡¯ve told Mr. Hein many times to watch his attitude, but he refused to listen to me. There¡¯s nothing I can do.¡± The fact that Terence was a lecherous man was well-known in the industry, and there was nothing the assistant could do about it. ¡°What¡¯s the point of hiring you since you can¡¯t do your job well?¡± Reluctant to waste his breath talking to Terence and his assistant, Connor left with his secretary. ¡°Mr. Hein, what should we do now? I can¡¯t lose this job!¡± Terence¡¯s assistant was really anxious. Mr. Hein has his sister to back him up, but I have nobody. ¡°Mr. Hein, you¡¯ve promised that you will protect me as long as I follow you,¡± he said nervously. Terence truly did not expect Sophie to know Connor. However, he was still not the least bit afraid although things hade to this. ¡°It¡¯s fine. This is not a big deal. I will have a talk with my sister. Surely she will help me out.¡± All content ? N/.?vel/Dr/ama.Org. ¡°Mr. Hein, how about me?¡± ¡°You? I myself am in deep trouble. How would I know what would happen to you?¡± uttered Terence grumpily. He had been enjoying a luxurious and carefree life in Jipsdale due to his position in thepany. There was no way he could afford to lose this job. Victor and Sophie bumped into Tristan and Charles the moment they headed out. ¡°What a coincidence. Are the two of you here for dinner, too?¡± Sophie questioned with surprise. Shouldn¡¯t he be at home right now? ¡°Yes. Charles has to meet up with a client here, so I tagged along,¡± replied Tristan calmly, lying through his teeth. ¡°I see! There¡¯s nothing special about this restaurant. I suggest you go somewhere else!¡± ¡°How about you? Have you eaten yet? You should join us if you haven¡¯t eaten.¡± ¡°No, we haven¡¯t. I¡¯m thinking of treating Victor to dinner.¡± You¡¯re wee to join us then! Mr. White, I hope you don¡¯t mind!¡± ¡°Of course not! It¡¯s my honor to be able to have a meal with the two of you.¡± Naturally, Victor knew how much Sophie meant to Tristan. Mr. Tristan would most probably be upset if I ate with Ms. Sophie alone. ¡°Let¡¯s go to another restaurant since Sophie doesn¡¯t like this one.¡± After all, there were plenty of top- notch restaurants nearby. ¡°Sure.¡± ¡°How¡¯s the deal with Mr. Hein?¡± asked Tristan casually as they made their way to another restaurant. ¡°I broke his hand. She had to teach Terence a lesson for bullying her subordinate to let him know the consequences of messing with her. ¡°Good. Next time, don¡¯t do it yourself. Let me know, and I will do it.¡± Sophie was rendered speechless. Is that even necessary? The four of them went into a restaurant and sat down in a private room. Charles began to order food. ¡°Sophie, are these enough? We¡¯ll order these if there isn¡¯t anything else you want to add.¡± ¡°Victor, do you want anything else? Feel free to order more. It¡¯ll be my treat.¡± Sophie turned to Victor. She had been busytely, so Victor had been the one dealing with the matters in Tanner Group. He was indeed a responsible and diligent man. ¡°Ms. Sophie, I¡¯m happy to work for you. I believe that Tanner Group will achieve greater heights in the future.¡± No matter how arduous the process might be, Victor firmly believed that thepany would continue to prosper and thrive. ¡°Of course! Tanner Group will definitely achieve sess with the help of you and the others,¡± Sophie answered joyfully. The people supporting her were indeed dependable. Chapter 928 Chapter 928 Chapter 928 Best Actress ¡°That¡¯s because you¡¯re truly impressive, Ms. Sophie!¡± If Sophie was not all that capable, things would not have gone so smoothly. +15 Bonus ¡°Can you two stop ttering each other already? Show some consideration for our feelings, will you?¡± ¡°How is this ttery? Victor is truly exceptional!¡± Sophie eximed, her tone brimming with sincerity and admiration. There was no denying that Victor was a capable man. A tad embarrassed by the high praise, Victor uttered modestly, ¡°I didn¡¯t do much, Ms. Sophie. It was your leadership that made everything possible.¡± Tristan, feeling a tinge of jealousy, chimed in, ¡°You both did very well, all right? Let¡¯s focus on the food now that it¡¯s served. Dig in, everyone!¡± As Sophie continued to heap praise on another man, Tristan couldn¡¯t help but feel a twinge of unhappiness, despite it being the truth. Casting a nce at Tristan, Victor discreetly raised his wine ss and took a sip. He truly hadn¡¯t expected that even someone like Tristan could be so adorable when feeling jealous. Sophie ced a serving of barbecue ribs on Tristan¡¯s te. ¡°You¡¯re amazing, too. Thank you for supporting me no matter what I do,¡± she whispered in his ear. ¡°Of course! I¡¯ll always have your back, supporting you no matter what decision you make,¡± the man dered with conviction. However, Charles only felt tortured by their lovey-dovey interaction. ¡°Know your limits, you two! Both Victor and I are still single. You can¡¯t be so cruel to us, you know?¡± he voiced in dismay. I shouldn¡¯t havee here tonight! Now, I have to sit here and endure their public disy of affection. This is practically torture! Just then, Victor raised his ss of wine. ¡°Mr. Quigley, let me offer you a toast as a fellow bachelor,¡± he said jokingly. As the saying goes, birds of a feather flock together. It¡¯s no surprise to see that Ms. Sophie is surrounded by prominent figures of Jipsdale who are within sight but beyond reach. A smile illuminated Sophie¡¯s visage as she chimed in, ¡°Victor, you shouldn¡¯t devote all of your time to Tanner Group. Go out there and find love for yourself. At your age, it¡¯s time to consider settling down.¡± The topic was a source of headache for Victor. ¡°My family never misses a chance to bring up the topic whenever I visit them. They keep urging me to get married, but finding the right person has been a challenge. Ms. Sophie, with your extensive network, do you happen to know anyone who might be a good match for me? I wouldn¡¯t mind if you could introduce < 1/4 Chapter 928 Best Actress me to someone,¡± he said half-jokingly. ¡°Sure! I¡¯ll introduce you to any potential matches.¡± +15 Bonus Everyone present at the table werepatible with one another. There was no hint of awkwardness throughout the meal. Victor had other matters to attend to after the meal, so did not go with the rest of the group. Meanwhile, Tristan shifted his gaze toward Charles, who was still around. ¡°We¡¯re done eating. Are you not nning to leave?¡± His words left Charles speechless. I was only idling around for a moment! Why is he so mean to me? ¡°Fine. I¡¯ll leave right away. I don¡¯t want to be a third wheel either. Are you happy now?¡± Charles said, his wordsced with a hint of contempt. ¡°So much for bros before hoes! A certain somebody wasn¡¯t like this prior to getting into a rtionship. How did he change so drastically after getting himself a girlfriend?¡± ¡°Just leave if you want to. Why are you muttering to yourself?¡± Tristanughed. ¡°Um, I came here with you. Since you two don¡¯t have any ns, why don¡¯t you give me a ride home?¡± Charles really hated taking a taxi. ¡°Who told you that? We¡¯re going ora date right now, so tell me, does that count as a n?¡± Once again, Charles was bereft of words. He then waved his hand, dismissing his previous request. ¡°Forget that I asked. I knew it. There isn¡¯t any space left for us in that heart of yours.¡± Why must I humiliate myself time and again? ¡°Wait.¡± ¡°What is it? Did you finally grow a conscience and decided to give me a ride home?¡± As expected of my childhood friend! I¡¯m d he¡¯s still in his right mind! With that thought in mind, Charles whipped his head around, only to see that Tristan had personally hailed a taxi for him and had even opened the door to the back seat. ¡°Yeah. Go on. I¡¯m already being kind enough. Of course, you can treat me the same way when you get a girlfriend yourself. I don¡¯t mind you prioritizing your girlfriend over your friends,¡± said Tristan, his words dripping with magnanimity. After all, he thought of himself as a nice guy. Charles had nothing to say to his friend. He thought Tristan had finallye to his senses, but s, that was not the case at all. You¡¯re way out of line, Tristan! 2/4 Chapter 928 Best Actress +15 Bonus ¡°You better remember this, Tristan! When I get a girlfriend, I¡¯m going to torture you with public disys of affection!¡± Charles dered. Left with no choice, he could only climb into the taxi, while Tristan responsibly shut the door for him. Sophie found Charles¡¯ expression quite amusing and enjoyed the yful banter andradery between the two men. ¡°We don¡¯t really have anything nned. You could¡¯ve given him a ride home,¡± she said, Charles disliked taking the taxi, for he had mild mysophobia-a fact known to everyone. ¡°Who says we don¡¯t have anything on? Didn¡¯t we agree to book the entire cinema?¡± Tristan retorted. This was something they had discussed the day before. ¡°Right now?¡± ¡°Yeah, let¡¯s go. We have to show our support for Cecelia. The two of them arrived at the movie theater, and true to his word, Tristan rented the entire theater. In fact, he rented it for a hundred screenings. However, they were not watching alone and were joined by other people. Watching a movie was more enjoyable withpany, as it created a better atmosphere. Otherwise, if it were just the two of them in the enormous theater, it would be no different from watching a movie in their home theater. Sophie immediately took a liking to the movie when she saw the script. Moreover, Cecelia¡¯s acting skills were outstanding among the new generation of popr actresses. The movie was presented in reverse chronological order, and Cecelia¡¯s makeup, which was meant to age her up, was incredibly realistic. The movie evoked such deep emotions and nostalgia that as soon as the music started ying, it transported everyone back to that era. Throughout the two-hour movie, one could constantly hear the sound of people sobbing in the theater; some of the viewers eyes even turned red from all the crying. The love story depicted in the movie was profoundly moving. Even someone as picky as Tristan could not helpplimenting. ¡°Cecelia¡¯s acting skills are indeed impressive.¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Sophie was simrly deeply moved by the movie, but she did not cry as she was not one to easily shed tears. Tristan held onto her hand the entire time. ¡°This movie will be a sess,¡± said Sophie. ¡°Besides, I didn¡¯t invest in it to earn a profit. It was just to hone Cecelia¡¯s acting skills.¡± Although the current box office numbers weren¡¯t very high, people were bound to pay attention to it once the movie started winning awards. 3/4 This content belongs to N?/velDra/ma.Org . Chapter 928 Best Actress +15 Bohus Moreover, it was merely a low-budget film. It had already earned over twenty million thus far, and this was a remarkable achievement for a literary movie. Even though the movie had ended, plenty of viewers did not leave right away, for they were still immersed in the emotions of the film and had not snapped out of it. Just then, Sophie received a call from Cecelia. ¡°Sophic, I know you¡¯re super rich now, but you don¡¯t have to rent the entire theater for my sake! It¡¯s unnecessary, really!¡± said thetter. ¡°It wasn¡¯t me who did it. It was Tristan. He really likes your movie, so you don¡¯t have to feel pressured.¡± A hundred screenings were practically nothing to someone like Tristan. ¡°I see. So did you watch it? What do you think of my acting? I¡¯d love to hear your thoughts,¡± Cecilia said, still unable to get out of character despite havingpleted the filming for the movie. Her lingering attachment to the character she yed was evident. ¡°Your acting was incredible, Cecilia! You¡¯ll definitely be able to win the best actress award this time!¡± Chapter 929 Chapter 929 Chapter 929 They Are Targeting Me ¡°Okay, you¡¯re ttering me. Oh, I heard Ysabelle and Georgina are going to be your bridesmaids, right? Count me in!¡± Given their close rtionship, there was no way Cecelia would miss the opportunity to be Sophie¡¯s. bridesmaid. ¡°Of course. I¡¯ve reserved a spot for you.¡± As the best of friends, it was only natural for her and Cecelia to be each other¡¯s bridesmaids. ¡°Look at you. You¡¯re getting married soon while I¡¯m all alone. Am I really that much of a failure? Why can¡¯t I meet my prince charming?¡± Cecelia thought of herself to be a pretty good catch, but for some reason, she just hadn¡¯t met the right person for her. To make matters worse, she wasn¡¯t someone who would settle for less. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. You will meet the right person soon.¡± Cecelia was an outstanding woman. She had never once lost herself even in the entertainment industry, which could be pretty toxic andplicated. She only focused on acting and rarely had scandals. Someone like her deserved all the happiness. ¡°Okay, we¡¯re leaving now that the movie is over. Doe over for the wedding photoshoot. Get plenty of rest for the time being, and I¡¯ll help you secure another major blockbuster film soon. ¡°You¡¯re the best, Sophie. I¡¯ll listen to all your arrangements,¡± Cecelia said obediently. ¡°Okay.¡± After ending the call, Sophie left with Tristan, hand in hand. The following day, Connor of Maxwell Corporation brought Terence over to apologize. Victor chuckled when he heard his secretary telling him about it. As expected, Ms. Sophie is capable of resolving any issue. ¡°Mr. White, should I let them in now?¡± the secretary asked since she didn¡¯t know how Victor wanted to handle the issue. ¡°Bring them into my office.¡± Since the CEO of Maxwell Corporation had paid them a visit in person, Victor felt that he needed to at least show the former some respect. Moreover, the coboration was still on the table. Following Victor¡¯s instruction, the secretary brought Connor, Terence, and the other employees of Maxwell Corporation to Victor¡¯s office. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Mr. White. I¡¯ve done a terrible job disciplining my subordinates which caused you so much trouble. Today, I brought them here to apologize to you. I hope you can give us another chance.¡± The coboration with Tanner Group was essentially crucial to Maxwell Corporation. Thus, Connor saw the need toe in person to apologize. ¡°Don¡¯t say that, Mr. Maxwell. We must have done something that displeased Mr. Hein. Otherwise, why would he deliberately make things difficult for us?¡± ¡°Y-You- Terence never wanted to apologize in the first ce, and Victor¡¯s words only served to annoy him further. He was about to say something in retort but was quickly silenced by Connor¡¯s re. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Mr. White. I was wrong. Please forgive me.¡± Terence had always been an arrogant man and had never behaved so humbly before. ¡°Our CEO called you personally yesterday. Mr. Maxwell. I¡¯m sure you¡¯re well aware of what our CEO wants.¡± ¡°Yes, Mr. White. Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll make sure he doesn¡¯t appear in front of you in the future. Also, I¡¯ve brought the deputy CEO of ourpany to coordinate with you. This is the deputy CEO of our company. He is one of the most capable employers of Maxwell Corporation. You have nothing to worry about.¡± Terence was initially arrogant and aggressive, but now that he was fired, he could no longer behave haughtily. The deputy CEO of Maxwell Corporation and Victor settled the rest of the issue. They then signed the contract on the spot without further ado, After Connor and the others left. Victor breathed a sigh of relief. At longst, this problem is resolved. Then, he immediately called Sophie to inform her of the good news. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Ms. Sophie! We¡¯ve signed the contract with Maxwell Corporation. They behaved pleasantly this time, and we had a good talk. Okay, I got it. I¡¯ll handle the rest. You don¡¯t have to worry anymore.¡± Their recent project was a hot property to begin with. Many otherpanies besides Maxwell Corporation wanted to coborate with them. Seeing how overjoyed Victor looked, the secretary poured him a cup of coffee. ¡°Mr. White, I have a feeling we¡¯ll be receiving a handsome bonus again this year.¡± Ms. Sophie has always been generous, and now Tanner Group is prospering each day! ¡°Look at you. You¡¯re being greedy.¡± ¡°No! I mean, look, the CEO of Maxwell Corporation even came in person after Ms. Sophie gets involved. I¡¯ve heard people from Transfix Cosmetics mention that Ms. Sophie has led them to sess, and I didn¡¯t believe them at first. But now, I believe what they say is true!¡± ¡°Yeah. Ms. Sophie is indeed excellent at her job. We, too, have to do our best to make sure we don¡¯t drag her down.¡± Meanwhile, it had been a few days since Sophie went to the medical association. However, she received a call from Ysabelle¡¯s assistant as soon as she arrived at the association. The assistant told Sophie that Ysabelle got injured during the filming for a variety show. ¡°Ms. Sophie, Ysabelle is badly injured. I¡¯m at the hospital with her now. Pleasee and take a look!¡± Everyone at TS Entertainment knew Ysabelle was close to Sophie. ¡°All right, I got it. I¡¯ll be there right away.¡± Ysabelle immediately turned to head out after hanging up the phone. Arius, who was thinking of discussing a medical issue with her, saw her walking out and asked, ¡°What¡¯s the matter? You¡¯ve only just arrived. Why are you leaving so soon?¡± -Ysabelle got hurt. I¡¯m going to check on her now.¡± Sophie exined while hurrying away. ¡°What happened to her? It hasn¡¯t even been long since Felix left, and she¡¯s already gotten herself injured?¡± Sophie reached the hospital to see Ysabelle¡¯s leg already in a cast. There she was on the hospital bed, sulking. The assistant let out a sigh of relief after seeing Sophic. ¡°Ms. Sophie, I¡¯ll go and buy Ysabelle some food now. She hasn¡¯t eaten anything since this morning.¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong? How did you get hurt?¡± Sophie walked over and sat next to the bed. ¡°I¡¯m fine, Sophie. You don¡¯t have to worry about me. I¡¯ll take care of this myself, Ysabelle said, fuming. ¡°Are you saying this is not an ident?¡± Sophie could tell what had happened from her reaction. ¡°Yes,¡± Meanwhile, news of Ysabelle behaving haughtily started to spread on the inte. Some news articles even imed that she had bullied Elena, the ¡°Diva Sophie¡¯s gaze turned grim instantly when she scrolled through the news. It was Xandra¡¯s decision to let Ysabelle participate in this music variety show. However, Sophie had been too upied recently and had no time to pay attention to the show. I didn¡¯t expect Ysabelle to get bullied! ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Ysabelle. I¡¯ve neglected you recently, causing this to happen to you.¡± Ysabelle didn¡¯t intend to make Sophie worry over this incident. Besides, such an incident wasmon in the entertainment industry. She believed she could handle it on her own. ¡°This isn¡¯t your fault, Sophie. There¡¯s no need to me yourself. I can handle it just fine.¡± This content belongs to N?/velDra/ma.Org . I¡¯m an adult now, so I can¡¯t just rely on others deal with such issues for me. After all, I must learn to fend for myself. Xandra came as well after receiving news of Ysabelle¡¯s injury. Never in her wildest dreams did she expect Ysabelle to be ndered. ¡°Their target was me.¡± Xandra spoke as her gaze turned frosty. I can¡¯t believe they had the audacity to bully Ysabelle. Looks like they¡¯ve grown a pair Chapter 930 Chapter 930 Chapter 930 The Pet Elena Miller was previously an artist managed by Xandra. s, they got into an unpleasant conflict later As such, Elena must have bullied Ysabelle after knowing Xandra was her agent. ¡°Elena Miller?¡± Upstodatee from Novel(D)ra/m/a.O(r)g Sophie had heard of Elena¡¯s name before. Not only was thetter talented, but she also had a powerful and wealthy backer, leading her fans to give her the nickname ¡°Diva.¡± ¡°Yes, Ms. Sophie. It¡¯s my fault for not dealing with it properly. I¡¯ll handle it.¡± Since Elena has a death wish. I should grant it. ¡°Okay. Go ahead.¡± ¡°But she has a formidable backer. She even said she would get me cklisted,¡± Ysabelle said. Not many people could afford to mess with Ysabelle in Jipsdale, but she did not disclose her identity in the entertainment industry and kept a low profile. She didn¡¯t expect to be threatened. ¡°We¡¯ll deal with her backer, too.¡± This was a simple matter which did not require much contemting. Just then, Ysabelle¡¯s assistant came in. ¡°This is bad, Ms. Sophie. Elena ndered Ysabelle for acting arrogantly. The fans have now gotten into a fight online!¡± The assistant had been scrolling through the news on her phone while she was out buying food for Ysabelle. She had been with Ysabelle for the past few days and knew Ysabelle had been patient. In order to not cause trouble for TS Entertainment, she had been enduring the poor treatment in silence. However, Elena andpany had crossed the line. Xandra¡¯s face clouded over after she saw the news. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll settle this. Elena¡¯s fans have basically gone crazy right now. They will attack whoever goes against them.¡± ¡°Let me handle this, Xandra!¡± Sophie was aware that Xandra and Elena¡¯s backer used to have a complicated rtionship. Xandra quit being Elena¡¯s agent back then because she was heartbroken, so Sophie thought it wouldn¡¯t be appropriate to let Xandra deal with Elena. ¡°I¡¯m fine, Ms. Sophie. It¡¯s all in the past now. I¡¯ll handle things the way I should. There won¡¯t be a problem.¡± ¡°Are you sure?¡± ¡°Yes. It¡¯s time Iy to rest the ghost of my past.¡± ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll give you one day to deal with it. I¡¯ll take over if you can¡¯t handle it by then.¡± I can¡¯t believe these people. Do they think we¡¯re pushovers? Meanwhile, Elena¡¯s secretary was ecstatic after she saw the trending search on the inte. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Ms. Miller. I¡¯m sure Xandra wille looking for you! You are now a popr celebrity while she is just a nobody.¡± Elena listened to all that while applying a facial mask. ¡°Have you dealt with those people on the production team? I can¡¯t stand Ysabelle Lombard!¡± Elena was currently famous, so it was a piece of cake for her to wipe out the people she disliked. ¡°The production team knows who¡¯s the star of the show. I¡¯m sure they will watch what they say.¡± ¡°Very well. I only taught her a small lesson this time around. It wouldn¡¯t be so simple if she offended me again.¡± ¡°Mr. Perez is here, Ms. Miller. Elena immediately stood up after she was informed of Lucas Perez¡¯s arrival. ¡°Why are you here, Mr. Perez? I thought you were busy recently. Why do you have time toe visit me?¡± Elena acted coyly in front of Lucas. She was madly in love with the man and had fallen head over heels for him at first sight. She approached Lucas, attempting to rub up against him with her plump breasts, but he ended up shoving her aside. ¡°Just focus on singing and don¡¯t go causing trouble. I dislike troublesome artists. Lucas clearly came after finding out about today¡¯s trending news. ¡°I¡¯ve behaved myself all this while, Mr. Perez. Don¡¯t you know that? They were the ones who tried to pick on me. Elena teared up immediately after hearing that. Someone as good at acting as her should have been an actress instead of a singer. ¡°Mr. Perez, do you still have feelings for Xandra?¡± The name Xandra had always been a thorn in Elena¡¯s flesh which she couldn¡¯t get rid of. It had been ages since Lucas heard of the name Xandra. Elena was displeased when she saw Lucas¡¯ expression. What¡¯s so special about Xandra that makes him care about her that much? ¡°Don¡¯t disturb her, Elena. Focus on what you should do.¡± With that, Lucas turned to leave. Hearing that, Elena clenched her fists tightly in fury. What¡¯s the meaning of this? I can¡¯t even mention her name now? Why did he choose me back then if the matters so much to him? Elena¡¯s assistant poured Elena a ss of water after observing how upset she looked. ¡°Calm down, Ms. Miller. You¡¯re the one who¡¯s by Mr. Perez¡¯s side now, and not Xandra.¡± Elena merely sneered in response. Right then, her assistant¡¯s phone rang. ¡°Hello, I¡¯m Elena¡¯s manager. Can I help you?¡± ¡°I¡¯m Xandra Yandell.¡± Elena knew that Xandra would definitelye looking for her, but she didn¡¯t expect thetter to act so fast. She took a few deep breaths upon arriving at the ce they agreed to meet. Elena beamed brightly when she saw Xandra. ¡°It¡¯s been a while, Xandra. Why are you working for TS Entertainment? That smallpany is not worthy of you!¡± Xandra was the best crisis manager in the entertainment industry and was capable of handling any kind of crisis that the artists encountered. After taking a sip of coffee, Xandra said mockingly, ¡°Elena, you should¡¯ve behaved yourself as Lucas¡¯ pet.¡± Elena¡¯s smile froze when she heard the word ¡°pet.¡± ¡°What do you mean, Xandra? Lucas loves me. Our love for each other is genuine.¡± Elena hated to hear people imply that Lucas was her sugar daddy. ¡°I don¡¯t care what¡¯s going on between you and Lucas, but I advise you to be nice. Ysabelle is not someone you can afford to mess with.¡± ¡°Hah. She¡¯s just a nobody. I can wipe her our effortlessly.¡± Elena said fearlessly and continued, ¡°As long as Lucas is on my side, nobody cany a finger on me!¡± ¡°Is that so? You¡¯d better stop buying headlines, or I¡¯ll make you fall to your doom miserably. Who cares about Lucas? Do you really think he dares to harm me?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you think Lucas likes you, Xandra. Dream on. Why would he let you go if he does like you?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve never said he likes me. He loves nobody but himself.¡± Then, Xandra got up and left the caf¨¦. As she walked, she surfed the inte and saw people criticizing Ysabelle. D*mn you, Elena Miller. You¡¯re such a jerk. As soon as she walked out, she saw Lucas standing next to his car. She didn¡¯t expect to see Lucas here at all. He must be here to pick Elena up. What a joke! However, her passenger door was pulled open after she got into her car. Lucas got into her car and sat in the passenger seat. ¡°What do you want?¡± Xandra instantly frowned at his action. Chapter 931 Chapter 931 Chapter 931 Bully ¡°Well? Have you been enjoying yourself after leaving me?¡± There was not a single trace of warmth in Lucas gloomy eyes. It had been three years since she left him. Xandra scoffed coldly. Did he ever care? He never did, and that¡¯s why I left in despair back then. She responded, ¡°Mr. Perez, please get out of my car. I have other matters to attend to, and I¡¯m too busy to y games with you.¡± ¡°Games? Are all our shared memories nothing more than a game to you?¡± Lucas asked. ¡°If it¡¯s not a game, then what is it? By the way, keep your woman under control. Otherwise, don¡¯t me me for not showing mercy,¡± Xandra warned him. If it weren¡¯t for him, Elena wouldn¡¯t have been so nasty toward Xandra. However, none of that mattered anymore. ¡°All right. I will definitely teach her a lesson. Tell me, have you been happy these past three years without me?¡± Lucas asked again. Yes. As you can see, I¡¯ve been doing great. I have everything I want now, and I don¡¯t need you anymore, replied Xandra. Upon hearing her words, Lucas alighted from her car. He felt an intense stabbing pain in his heart when she said she didn¡¯t need him anymore. It felt as though a knife had just pierced through his heart, causing it to bleed profusely, but he didn¡¯t want the pain to stop because the pain reminded him that there was once a woman who used to love him deeply. Unfortunately, he lost the woman who loved him dearly due to certain stupid reasons. It was entirely his own fault that he was in this state, and he couldn¡¯t me anyone else. Xandra¡¯s pretense gave way after Lucas got out of the car. Am I happy? I wouldn¡¯t have known what kind of life I¡¯d be living now if Sophie didn¡¯t bring me to TS Entertainment. But it¡¯s not necessary to bring up all these. I should let the past be in the past. From now on, I would live for nobody but myself. It¡¯s time for me to forget my past with Lucas After returning to thepany, Xandra immediately started dealing with those online rumors about Ysabelle. She was confident she would be able to handle any kind of crisis because that was where she shone. The problem was resolved almost as soon as Xandra made her move. All the negative content about Ysabelle soon blew over, and Elena¡¯s side also rified that it was all just a misunderstanding. However, Sophie soon found out that the ndering wasn¡¯t the only bad thing that happened to Ysabelle. It hasn¡¯t even been that long since Felix left, and his precious little princess is already bullied. Felix would be devastated if he found out about it. Ysabelle¡¯s injury this time around wasn¡¯t an ident, either. Elena was the one who caused it to happen, and Sophie had gotten her hands on the evidence. Xandra had dealt with the issue this way because she was unaware that there was more to things than met the eye, but apparently, Ysabelle had suffered severe maltreatment. ¡°Sophie, it¡¯s up to you how you want to handle it. I trust your judgment.¡± Xandra was ready to listen to Sophie¡¯s instructions. She was the one who signed Ysabelle up for the variety show in the first ce, and her original intention was for Ysabelle¡¯s own good. However, the current oue was indeed unfavorable. Sophie replied, ¡°Elena is truly audacious to bully Ysabelle. Very well. I¡¯ll expose some of her scandals. Xandra, considering your past rtionship with Lucas, so you don¡¯t need to get involved in this matter.¡± No one can bully the people under my wing, and there¡¯s no way I¡¯m letting Elena off the hook just like that. Xandra said with concern, ¡°Sophie, Lucas is known for being ruthless, and Elena is his woman.¡± ¡°I know! How could he have attained the position he holds today if he wasn¡¯t ruthless?¡± Sophie responded. Nheless, Sophie had always been unrivaled in terms of ruthlessness. Wearing a bright smile on her face, she then said to Xandra, ¡°You must be exhausted. Go back and get some rest. I am truly fond of Xandra, which was why I did everything I could to make her join TS Entertainment. ¡°Okay. I¡¯ll go back and rest. If there¡¯s anything you need, make sure to give me a call,¡± Xandra replied. Sophie returned to the ward to keep Ysabellepany after Xandra left. ¡°Elena Miller gets on my nerves. I¡¯m quitting the show,¡± Ysabelleined. The entire production team, took Elena¡¯s side just because she was a top-tier celebrity. ¡°Just quit if you don¡¯t feel like being a part of it anymore. You get to make your own decisions,¡± Sophie replied. In response, Ysabelle bit her lower lip and said after moments of hesitation, ¡°Do you think I¡¯m useless, Sophie? I can¡¯t even handle such trivial matters.¡± Sophie would never allow herself to be bullied if she were in my shoes. All in all, I¡¯m too weak. ¡°You did great. I¡¯ve told you before that you should stopparing yourself to others all the time,¡± Sophieforted her. This content belongs to N?/velDra/ma.Org . ¡°Okay,¡± Ysabelle replied. William and the others must be on their way to the hospital by now after finding out about her injury. ¡°Does it still hurt?¡± Sophie asked. ¡°I¡¯m okay. It doesn¡¯t hurt anymore, so don¡¯t worry about me.¡± Ysabelle wasn¡¯t a dramatic person. As expected, William rushed over to the hospital immediately after learning about what happened to Ysabelle. His face clouded over when he saw her foot in a cast. Ysabelle tried to appease her grandfather by acting adorable. ¡°Grandpa, it may look serious, but it¡¯s actually not that painful. I swear.¡± William let out a sigh. ¡°What¡¯s going on with youtely? Why do you always get yourself involved in idents?¡± Naturally, William¡¯s heart ached for his precious granddaughter. Sophie headed to ¡®TS Entertainment since William was there to keep Ysabellepany. She exposed Elena¡¯s scandals as soon as she reached thepany and waited for the situation to unfold in her office. Mark came over to talk to her while she was ying games on her phone. ¡°I thought you were still at the hospital with Ysabelle. Elena is such an indecent jerk. Ysabelle must have suffered a lot being on the same production team as her.¡± ¡°The good days are over for her.¡± Sophie had seen plenty of nasty celebrities like Elena, but she chose to ignore them since they didn¡¯t get in her way. Nevertheless, there was no way she was going to turn a blind eye to it now that Elena had bullied Ysabelle. ¡°What have you done?¡± Mark knew how ruthless Sophie could be and was extremely curious about what she had done. They be tarnished Ysabelle¡¯s reputation so severely online. Ysabelle might have even considered committing suicide if she wasn¡¯t resilient enough. Cyberbullying is a serious issue nowadays in the entertainment industry, and Elena was the one who started it all. ¡°I just gave her a taste of her own medicine, that¡¯s all.¡± Sophie exited the game and logged into her social media tform. As expected, criticizing remarks flooded Elena¡¯s social media ount. After Ysabelle¡¯s fans saw the video of Elena bullying Ysabelle, they chimed in to berate Elena. One of themmented: Why is this woman so disgusting? How could she bully our precious Ysabelle? Another wrote: No wonder Ysabelle has been looking so miserabletely. It¡¯s all because of this disgusting woman. Does she really think of herself as a superstar? She¡¯s nothing more than a self- proimed diva. What a joke! Someone else chimed in: I used to be a fan of Elena. She has a pleasant voice, but I never expected her to bully a younger celebrity! Chapter 932 Chapter 932 Chapter 932 Public Apology Oneizenmented: No way! Elena would never do something like that! Ysabelle¡¯s fans must¡¯ve ndered her. Another supported: That¡¯s right! Ysabelle is a phony woman who only knows how to act pure and innocent. Elena is not cunning like her, so obviously, she can¡¯t beat Ysabelle. I¡¯m on Elena¡¯s side! Anotherment read: Ysabelle makes me sick to the stomach. How can she defame her senior and act like a big shot when she¡¯s just a nobody? Even the staff on the production team knows what she did. It¡¯s toote for her to whitewash her wrongdoings now. After all, Elena had been quite a famous singer who had debuted for many years. She had developed a good public image over the years, so she still had many loyal fans supporting her. Ysabelle¡¯s fans, on the other hand, were determined to defend Ysabelle too after learning what she had gone through. The verbal war escted to a point of no return. Xandra came looking for Sophie and said anxiously, Sophie, this ongoing mudslinging isn¡¯t good for Ysabelle¡¯s image. We are currently in talks with a high-end foreign brandpany, and they have high expectations for their artist¡¯s image.¡± ¡°Sophie, this ongoing mudslinging isn¡¯t good for Ysabelle¡¯s image. We are currently in talks with a high- end foreign brandpany, and they have high expectations for their artist¡¯s image.¡± ¡°I know what to do. Don¡¯t worry!¡± Sophie posted another video online which showed Elena¡¯s assistant causing Ysabelle to get hurt. The video, which also included the dialogue between Elena and her assistant, was substantial evidence that was enough to silence everyone on Elena¡¯s side.. Even Elena¡¯s die-hard fans were at a loss for words. Someone thenmented: Oh my goodness! How can this be? I can¡¯t believe it. She¡¯s my idol. I¡¯ve been her fan for five years! I can¡¯t believe she¡¯d do something like that! The secondizenmented: Ysabelle is indeed talented, but Elena has gone overboard by bullying her! As a singer, she should¡¯ve focused on improving her skills and releasing more songs! The thirdment read: I feel sorry for Ysabelle! What on earth did she have to go through yesterday? Not only was her leg injured, but she was also ndered by Elena¡¯s fans. The fourthizen chimed in: I¡¯m heartbroken! I want to visit Ysabelle in the hospital and let her know that we will always stand by her side and protect her. No one is allowed to bully her. The trolls on the inte dared not speak up after the video was posted. Elena¡¯s face turned pale when she saw the video. What is going on? What¡¯s with the production team? How did that video get leaked? Isn¡¯t the production team on my side? At that moment, her assistant dared not make a sound, ¡°Ms. Miller, what should we do now? Theizens are all attacking us. Maybe you should call Mr. Perez! He¡¯s the only one who can help now,¡± said the assistant, trembling. Theizens were all doxing Elena, so if she went out now, she would definitely be attacked by Ysabelle¡¯s fans. Elena¡¯s expression was grim as well. At that instant, the assistant¡¯s phone rang. It was a call from the advertisers they had just negotiated with. They had requested to cancel the coboration. All of Elena¡¯s endorsement deals and advertisements had been canceled in less than half an hour. The assistant grew increasingly restless after answering all the calls. ¡°It¡¯s okay, Ms. Miller. This problem will be solved as long as Mr. Perez is on your side,¡± said the assistant confidently. Mr. Perez has always supported Ms. Miller. He would help her again this time, right? ¡°No. Get in touch with TS Entertainment. I need to meet Xandra,¡± said Elena. Lucas has never been on my side. He had warned me many times before, and I didn¡¯t listen. I basically shot myself in the foot. All of this must be Xandra¡¯s doing. She¡¯s indeed as ruthless as ever. ¡°Ms. Miller, I don¡¯t think you should-¡± ¡°What? Things wouldn¡¯t have turned out like this if it weren¡¯t for your ipetence!¡± Hearing that, her assistant didn¡¯t dare to say a word and immediately tried to contact TS Entertainment. However, the other party hung up as soon as they realized who the caller was, showing no intention of paying them any heed. ¡°Ms. Miller, why don¡¯t we go to the hospital and apologize to Ysabelle? As long as we show our sincerity. things will eventually blow over after some time,¡± the assistant suggested. That¡¯s how the entertainment industry is! People would soon forget about the news after some time no matter how big of a deal it is. ¡°Okay. Go and make the necessary arrangements.¡± Elena had been in the entertainment industry long enough to know that the best course of action at that moment was to apologize. Sophie was still in the hospital, apanying Ysabelle. Thetter knew that Sophie must have intervened after seeing how the situation turned out. ¡°Sophie, you¡¯re the best. She was ndered severely this time around, and all theizens sympathized with her. In fact, she even gained many fans. At that moment, Ysabelle¡¯s assistant entered the ward. ¡°Ms. Sophie, Elena and her assistant are here to apologize to Ysabelle. Countless reporters are surrounding the hospital now.¡± ¡°Hah. Apologize? Did shee to gross me out on purpose? My leg is in a cast now because of her.¡± Ysabelle scoffed. The mere mention of Elena and her assistant filled Ysabelle with displeasure. ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry about it. I¡¯ll handle it.¡± Sophie stood up from the couch, ready to go out. ¡°Let them in, Sophie. They came all the way here to apologize, garnering so much attention. If we don¡¯t let them in, who knows what those reporters will write about us?¡± As an artist, Ysabelle knew maintaining her own image was important. ¡°That won¡¯t be necessary. You rest here, and I¡¯ll handle this. Sean should be here soon. I want all the other artists to know that no one can bully the employees of TS,¡± Sophia remarked with determination. So what if she¡¯s a diva? I¡¯ll ruin her reputation for bullying TS Entertainment¡¯s artist. ¡°Ms. Sophie, are you sure this is okay? Elena¡¯s fans are aggressive.¡± Ysabelle¡¯s assistant was still a bit worried. After all, they couldn¡¯t risk endangering their career in the entertainment industry. Sophie patted the assistant¡¯s face and said, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Do you not trust me? Don¡¯t worry. If I can¡¯t even handle this matter, how am I going to exin to Felix when hees back?¡± ¡°Why do you need to exin anything to him? We have already broken up,¡± Ysabelle said, annoyed. I have to admit that I¡¯ve been listlesstely when Felix isn¡¯t around, but that¡¯s just because I¡¯ve gotten too used to his presence. I¡¯m sure things would get better once I got used to his absence. ¡°Fine, whatever you say! I¡¯m going out now.¡± This content belongs to N?/velDra/ma.Org . Sophie walked out of the hospital to see many reporters swarming at the entrance of the hospital. Elena and her assistant got out of their car as well. As soon as the two emerged from the vehicle, the reporters began hurling questions at them. ¡°Ms. Miller, why are you targeting Ysabelle? She¡¯s one of the best singers among the new generation of rising stars. Are you afraid she¡¯ll surpass you?¡± ¡°Ms. Miller, now that you have caused Ysabelle¡¯s injury, do you think an apology is enough?¡± The reporters pressed on for answers, ¡°Ladies and gentlemen, I¡¯m really sorry, but I would like to apologize to Ms. Lombard first before answering your questions. Please give me some time. After all, Ms. Lombard is injured because of me, so I want to apologize to her sincerely.¡± Chapter 933 Chapter 933 Chapter 933 Hung Up Sophie stood there silently, an icy smirk ying on her lips. Did she just say that Ysabelle got hurt because of an oversight? How could she say that? I can¡¯t believe she¡¯s shameless enough to show up When the paparazzi spotted Sophie, they quickly gathered around her. ¡°How is Ms. Lombard doing?¡± ¡°Is Ms. Lombard severely injured? Will it affect her recent developments?¡± here. Despite the barrage of questions from the paparazzi, Sophie silenced them all instantly with a single nce. ¡°Ms. Miller, Ysabelle is presently taking some much-needed rest due to her injury. If you have any inquiries, kindly direct them to TS Entertainment¡¯swyer.¡± Right then, Sean showed up. He pulled out his name card and gave it to Elena. ¡°I¡¯m TS Entertainment¡¯swyer, Sean Burton.¡± The paparazzi were so taken aback that they promptly forgot to snap any photos. None of them had anticipated Sean to be thewyer representing TS Entertainment. After all, he was renowned for his impable track record in the legal profession. Elena¡¯s face paled. She had been with Lucas long enough to hear about Sean¡¯s reputation. Given his frequent involvement in high-profile cases, nobody had expected that he would take charge of Ysabelle¡¯s case this time. ¡°I¡¯ll leave this to you. I will apany Ysabelle as her emotions are currently unstable.¡± Sophie¡¯s voice was so loud that the paparazzi could hear her clearly. Elena clenched her fists. She must¡¯ve said that on purpose! She¡¯s the third daughter of the Tanner family, the CEO of TS Entertainment- undeniably beautiful, yet seemingly devoid ofpassion. ¡°You were the one who caused harm to Ysabelle, right? Don¡¯t worry. You¡¯ll receive the court summons soon,¡± Sean said, his voice sounding melodious. However, an ominous undertone lingered, adding a menacing quality to his words. Elena¡¯s assistant, Ste, panicked instantly, for Sean looked really scary. ¡°Mr. Burton, how are you rted to TS Entertainment? Why did you ept this case?¡± Sean was unwilling to answer any questions and left without saying anything. He had never liked talking to the media. Having heard about his reputation, no one dared to provoke him. While Ste might have umted considerable experience working for Elena over the years, their opponent this time was Sean, a formidable force to reckon with. ¡°Ms. Miller, what should we do? You have to help me. This was your¡± Elena gave her a p that stopped her short. ¡°What is wrong with you? You¡¯ve been working for me for so long. I can¡¯t believe you did this behind my back. Ste, this ispletely uneptable!¡± Ste stared at Elena incredulously. ¡°Ms. Miller, what are you talking about? Didn¡¯t you tell me to do that? Are you putting the me on me now?¡± This content belongs to N?/velDra/ma.Org . She¡¯s guilty of intentional assault. Elena¡¯s anger was palpable. ¡°Stop spouting nonsense. Why on earth would I instruct you to do such a thing?¡± If she continues talking nonsense, I¡¯ll make sure she pays the price. The paparazzi promptly understood what was going on. Ste wouldn¡¯t have done that without Elena¡¯s order, but Elena was pinning the me on her. Clearly, Ste was going to take the fall for Elena. Ysabelle¡¯s fans had also arrived after they learned about the incident. Filled with rage, they vented their anger by hurling the items they were holding at both Elena and Ste. A chaos descended. Ever since her debut, Elena had always enjoyed poprity and appeared before the public in fashionable attire. This was the first instance she had been subjected to such treatment. Eventually, the security guards of the hospital intervened and prevented the crowd from attacking them. allowing Elena and Ste to make their escape in their car. Inside the secure confines of the car, Elena began trembling with fury. Her reputation had been utterly destroyed. ¡°Ste, you¡¯ve been working for me for quite some time, so I expect you to understand what needs to be done. If you take the me for me, I can help your family out,¡± Elena dered coldly. She was determined to extract herself from the incident. Ste dared not look at Elena for thetter looked really scary now. ¡°Ms. Miller, I¡¯ve been loyal and dedicated to you for a long time, giving my utmost effort. Please, you must help me. You asked me to do this!¡± How could she pin the me on me? I¡¯m a celebrity. I can¡¯t let this taint my life,¡± Elena replied indifferently. ¡°But if I confess to doing that, what will be of me? Who else will dare to hire me in the future?¡± Ste finally realized the consequences of her actions. 2/3 Chapter 933 Hung Up ¡°I¡¯ll give you five million,¡± Elena snapped, thinking that should be enough to shut her mouth. ¡°Ms. Miller- ¡°That¡¯s enough. You know what I¡¯m capable of, don¡¯t you? You should know what to tell the reporters later.¡±. Lucas should¡¯ve found out about the matter, but he didn¡¯t bother calling me. He doesn¡¯t even care about me. He never cares about me. What the f*ck did I do? Xandra wasn¡¯t at all surprised to receive Lucas¡¯ phone call. When she arrived at the cafe where they were supposed to meet, Lucas was already waiting for her there. ¡°What would you like to drink? The same as usual?¡± Xandra shook her head. ¡°No. My preference has changed now.¡± After all, nothing in this world remains unchanged indefinitely. ¡°You must be here for Elena.¡± Xandra didn¡¯t like beating around the bush and preferred to go straight to the topic. ¡°I can¡¯t help you. Do you know who Ysabelle is? She¡¯s the daughter of the Lombard family, who owns Lombard Group. You must¡¯ve heard of Mr. Tristan, right? No one can help Elena this time.¡±¡± ¡°I¡¯m not here for Elena. I¡¯m here for you,¡± came Lucas reply. ¡°Me?¡± Xandra leaned back on the couch as a smirk yed on her lips. ¡°If you¡¯re here for me, I¡¯m afraid I¡¯ll have to disappoint you. I¡¯m doing just fine now.¡± It was true, as she could now attain everything she desired. Lucas pleaded, ¡°Xandra,e back to me. I need you.¡± Xandra shook her head. ¡°If you¡¯re not here to discuss Elena¡¯s matter, I¡¯m afraid we have nothing else to talk about, Xandra stated firmly. The coffee had just been served, but without even taking a sip, she promptly rose from her seat and prepared to depart. Lucas quickly went after her and grabbed her hand. ¡°Xandra, do you really have to be like this?¡± ¡°I gave uppletely when I walked away three years ago. Lucas, I don¡¯t love you anymore, so you no longer have the power to hurt me.¡± When she was still in love with Lucas, he possessed the ability to inflict pain upon her effortlessly. However, now that her feelings for him had faded into thin air, nothing he did could cause her any harm. After leaving the cafe, Xandra made her way to the hospital. Observing her expression, Sophie eximed, ¡°He went to see you!¡± It was clear who she was talking about. ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°Are you still hung up on him?¡± ¡°Of course not. Every girl is bound toe across at least one seam in their life.¡± Chapter 934 Chapter 934 Chapter 934 cklist ¡°I¡¯m d to hear that.¡± As long as Xandra was content with her life, Sophie refrained from getting involved in her rtionship. with Lucas. ¡°Is Ysabelle¡¯s leg okay?¡± Xandra sounded concerned. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. She¡¯s fine. She will be discharged from the hospital in a few days. This is the perfect opportunity for her to take some rest.¡± ¡°Okay. I¡¯ll rearrange her schedule now.¡± Ysabelle had sustained injuries because of her, so Xandra couldn¡¯t help but feel a twinge of guilt. When Ysabelle saw Xandra, she uttered, ¡°Ms. Yandell, I won¡¯t be able to work for a while, but don¡¯t worry. Once I¡¯ve recovered, I¡¯ll put in my utmost effort, and I won¡¯t let you down.¡± Xandra went over to her bed and gave her head a soft pat. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. Ysabelle. It was my fault for not handling my personal matters well.¡± Perhaps I shouldn¡¯t have agreed to let Ysabelle film this show, Ysabelle broke into a grin. ¡°Ms. Yandell, this has nothing to do with you. Don¡¯t me yourself for everything. Xandra nodded. ¡°Okay.¡± She remained in the ward for a while before getting up to leave. After she departed, Ysabelle turned to Sophie and asked. ¡°Sophie, is Ms. Yandell okay? She doesn¡¯t appear to be in good shape.¡± It concerned her to witness Xandra, who had always been full of energy, looking downcast. ¡°She can handle her own matters herself.¡± Nheless, Sophie couldn¡¯t help but ponder whether Xandra could erase that man from her mind. Considering how deeply she had loved him, it would undoubtedly prove challenging for her to forget him entirely. Shortly after, Mark and the like showed up to pay Ysabelle a visit. Seeing Ysabelle¡¯s cast, Sunny grabbed a pen and signed his name on it. ¡°You¡¯ll be able to sell this cast after you get discharged from the hospital,¡± he joked. ¡°Great idea! Mark, sign your name as well!¡± Ysabelle urged enthusiastically. She had yet to collect the autographs of all the members of The Wheelers. Mark willingly added his signature to her cast as well. Ysabelle¡¯s lips curled into a delighted grin as she beheld the signatures adorning her cast. It had been quite a while since she felt this ted. Sunny and Ysabelle started ying games, while Mark and Sophie found themselves seated together. ¡°Have you been busy recently?¡± Mark asked. He hadn¡¯t seen Sophie in a while as she was always busy. ¡°Not really.¡± ¡°If you have time,e and join us so we can have fun ying music together. You still have a passion for music, don¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Felix might be in Fandar, but he still kept an eye on the entertainment industry back in Chanaca. After learning that Ysabelle was injured, he immediately called Tristan. ¡°What is going on? I only left a short while ago, and Ysabelle ended up getting hurt soon after. Did you not take proper care of her because you were preupied with your love life? Otherwise, why would she have gotten injured?¡± Tristan snapped back, ¡°If you¡¯re so concerned, why don¡¯t youe back and take care of her yourself? After all, she¡¯s your girlfriend and your responsibility.¡± Felix was rendered speechless. He had left the country after breaking up with Ysabelle. Despite having broken up with Ysabelle, he couldn¡¯t bear to stand by and witness anyone mistreating her. ¡°Who the hell is Elena? How dare she do such a thing to Ysabelle? cklist her immediately. I don¡¯t want to see her face anywhere in the entertainment industry. I don¡¯t want Ysabelle to be annoyed by her presence.¡± ¡°You¡¯re free to take whatever action you deem necessary against her, Mr. Northley. Even though you¡¯re not in the country, I believe just one order from you will suffice to get her cklisted.¡± It was only right to let Ysabelle¡¯s boyfriend handle the matter. As her uncle, he should stay out of it. Felix implored, ¡°I¡¯m not in the country, so please take good care of Ysabelle.¡± He truly couldn¡¯t bear the thought of Ysabelle getting hurt once more. Tristan chuckled. ¡°I can¡¯t believe you¡¯re asking for my help. Understood. That incident was an ident, and I assure you it won¡¯t ur again.¡± Felix still sounded worried. ¡°She must be in pain.¡± Ysabelle was afraid of pain, after all. Tristan reminded him, ¡°Be careful over there. Ysabelle may be afraid of pain, but she¡¯s also worried about your well-being. Wrap up things there ande back here to protect her yourself!¡± After he ended the call, Sophie went to join him on the couch. ¡°Was that Felix?¡± She guessed it was Felix, as no one else would be that worried about Ysabelle. ¡°Yes. He wants to cklist Elena.¡± ¡°Go ahead. He¡¯s indeed the most suitable person for the task. I won¡¯t intervene in this matter, then.¡± ¡°Mm.¡± Meanwhile, Elena thought she would be okay after pinning the me on Ste. Although people continued to criticize her online, she held onto the hope that the fervor would fade away within a few months and it would be forgotten by the public. She drove to Lucas¡¯ house to pay him a visit. Lucas¡¯ face was devoid of expression when he saw her. ¡°Mr. Perez, please help me. I don¡¯t want to be despised by the public,¡± Elena pleaded. She loved being in the spotlight and didn¡¯t want to fall from grace. Lucas was busy watering the nts in the garden, which were nted when Xandra was still around. Even after her departure, he remained diligent in tending to the nts, ensuring their flourishing growth through his careful nurturing. Instead of answering her question, he asked, ¡°Do you know who Ysabelle Lombard is?¡± Elena shook her head. ¡°She¡¯s the youngest daughter of the Lombard family and also the girlfriend of Felix Northley of Northley Group.¡± Elena staggered backward. ¡°I didn¡¯t know that.¡± If Mr. Perez doesn¡¯t side with me, I¡¯m doomed ¡°Elena, I don¡¯t like you. I made that very clear right from the beginning, didn¡¯t I? Do you honestly think I would jeopardize my rtionship with the four prestigious families because of you? You can leave now. I don¡¯t want to see you ever again,¡± Lucas said coldly. ¡°Who do you love, then? Xandra Yandell?¡± Lucas knitted his brows when he heard that name. ¡°I don¡¯t want to hear you mentioning her name ever again.¡± He went back to tending to the nts. Elena¡¯s world had crumbled overnight. It unraveled so swiftly that she couldn¡¯t even react in time. She had presumed that everything would fall into ce after Xandra¡¯s departure, but she had gravely miscalcted. Now, she found herself left with nothing, stripped of all she had once held. Ste received a one-year prison sentence for intentional assault, thanks to the efforts of Sean. He ensured that justice was served. On the other hand, Elena faced the consequences of being cklisted. Everyone knew that Felix was behind this, so no one dared to extend any invitations to Elena for commercial shows. Soon, Ysabelle¡¯s leg had almost recovered. Yes, Dal Come with in You¡¯re free today The welding photo was ce pedale which was still manageable for everyone involved Join Old Mr. Lombard Sophie chimed in ¡°All right, then I¡¯ll join you young folks,¡± William agreed, his mood lifted The Lombard residence became a gathering ce for everyone on the day of Tristan and Sophie¡¯s wedding photoshoot. ¡°I won¡¯te along. You young folks can take your own photos without me,¡± William said as Ysabelle had roused him early in the morning. ¡°Join us, Grandpa! Let¡¯s take a family photo, It¡¯s been a while since west took one. Look how nice the weather is!¡± ¡°Yes, Dad. Come with us. You¡¯re free today, right?¡± The wedding photoshoot was scheduled to take ce in Jipsdale, which wasn¡¯t too far away. The journey was still manageable for everyone involved. N?vel(D)rama.Org''s content. ¡°Join us, Old Mr. Lombard,¡± Sophie chimed in. ¡°All right, then. I¡¯ll join you young folks,¡± William agreed, his mood lifted. Chapter 935 Chapter 935 Chapter 935 Wedding Photo Shoot The venue of the wedding photo shoot that day was a film and television base in Jipsdale. Ordinary people could never gain entry into that ce. The few cars arrived one after another. Since William was also joining them, the order of the photo shoot was rearranged on the spur of the moment. Tristan had the photographer snap their family portrait first so William could go home and rest after that had been settled. ¡°Dad, we¡¯ll take a family portrait firstter. Then, I¡¯ll have someone drive you back.¡± Needless to say, Sarah would remain there throughout the day. ¡°It¡¯s okay. I¡¯m in perfect health! Since I¡¯m here, I¡¯ll stay and have fun as well!¡± What¡¯s the point of me going home alone? It¡¯d be far better for me to keep thempany here! ¡°Anyway, that¡¯s the arrangement. If you¡¯re tired, you can go back first without having to sit here waiting. Sarah then approached with some cosmetics in her hands. William eyed his daughter warily. ¡°What are you doing? I¡¯m telling you, I don¡¯t want to apply makeup! Fi already up in years!¡± I look dashing enough now, so I don¡¯t need any makeup! ¡°We¡¯re all wearing makeup, Dad. If I make an exception for you, you won¡¯t look good in the photo. Look, aren¡¯t Lincoln and Tristan cooperating? It¡¯s rare for us to take a photo together as a family. Just compromise this once, okay?¡± ¡°1¡­¡± Seeing as Sarah had said as much, William had no choice but to relent. ¡°I¡¯m already up in years. If my friends were to see me applying makeup here, they¡¯dugh me out of the room!¡± Never have I worn makeup in my entire life! ¡°They¡¯d never do that. You¡¯re being stylish here!¡± Done with her makeup, Ysabelle came over to help. ¡°You look incredibly handsome today, Grandpa!¡± ¡°I¡¯m handsome every single day, okay?¡± Which day am I not handsome? I¡¯m astounded by my good looks on a daily basis! N?velDrama.Org content. Sophie had already changed into a wedding gown. Right then, the makeup artist was doing her makeup. She had a greatplexion in the first ce, so it did not have to be overlyplicated. ¡°Your skin is as smooth as silk, Ms. Tanner! What¡¯s your skincare routine?¡° ¡°I don¡¯t have a skincare routine.¡± Would I spend time keeping up a skincare routine when I¡¯m such azy bum? When Sophie¡¯s makeup was done, the hairstylist did her hair before draping the veil over her head The entire makeover took half an hour. By the time she was ready, everyone else was also set to go. After all, makeup artists and stylists alone amounted to twelve people that day. The instant Sophie turned around, she was greeted by the sight of Tristan standing behind her with his eyes fixed on her. A hint of embarrassment swept over her. ¡°Are all of you ready?¡± ¡°Yeah, all of us are ready. Let¡¯s go! We¡¯ll take a family portrait first.¡± From now on, she¡¯s also a member of the Lombard family! The Lombard family has always been protective of its own. As such, no one can pick on her anymore henceforth. Nobody will be allowed to do so! In the Lombard family¡¯s family portrait, William stood in the center in high spirits, with Tristan on his left and Sophie on his right. Sarah and Lincoln stood in the second row in the gaps between those in the front row, while Ysabelle half- squatted in front of William in a challenging pose. By then, the photographer had already set up the camera. ¡°Great! Perfect, even! Just act natural. Say cheese on the count of three.¡± The photographer was well- known in Jipsdale. He was very much amicable. ¡°One, two, three!¡± ¡°Cheese!¡± Mark, Sunny, Arius, Charles, Georgina, Cecelia, and Sean watched from the side. The sight of the happy family had them all going green with envy. ¡°Great! Good job! This photo is perfect. It¡¯s really superb. All of you are very photogenic!¡± The entire family possesses top-notch looks, so this photo is already ster without any edits needed. William went over to have a look at the photo. Immediately, a gratified smile bloomed on his face. ¡°Come over and take a look, Ysabelle. Am I not the most handsome of them all?¡± While I¡¯m already advanced in years, I¡¯m still exceedingly photogenic! Hastening over, Ysabelle studied the family portrait with her grandfather, beaming proudly from ear to car. ¡°Yeah, my grandpa is the most handsome man in this world!¡± That¡¯s the veritable truth, and this photo is truly perfect! Even Lincoln walked over for a look. ¡°You¡¯re still as handsome as when you were young, Dad. I have something else to do today, so I won¡¯t be able to stay here with you all. I¡¯ll be leaving first.¡± Such was the nature of his work. He was never free for a day of his life, and he had to leave right then. ¡°Okay, go ahead.¡± William did not even bother to spare him a single nce. ¡°Why don¡¯t you leave with me, Dad? I¡¯ll drop you off at home first.¡± They¡¯ll likely spend the entire day here for the wedding photo shoot. He¡¯s already old, so he doesn¡¯t need to involve himself here. ¡°It¡¯s okay. I want to stay here and have fun for a bit. The driver will send me back when I¡¯m tired.¡± William did not want to leave yet. He was happier to be in thepany of that group of young people. ¡°Just leave first if you¡¯re busy, Lincoln. I¡¯ll keep an eye on Dad here and leave with himter.¡± ¡°All right. I¡¯ll entrust him to you, then. Dad is already up in years, so don¡¯t let him stay out for too long.¡± At that precise moment, Tristan strode over. ¡°Come, Dad! Take a photo with us alone!¡± ¡°Sure!¡± William readily went with the man. He stood in the center while Sophie and Tristan nked him on both sides. In that instant, a great sense of mncholy washed over him.. I¡¯ve finally raised my three children to adulthood in this lifetime and have done right by myte wife! Do you see this, Darling? Our youngest son is getting married. He has grown up to be an incredibly outstanding man, and his soon- to-be wife is likewise a remarkable woman. You have to watch over our family in heaven. Right now, Sarah is the only one left without a life partner among the three of them, Darling. Intercede for her in heaven so she¡¯ll soon find someone who truly loves her and live happily ever after! Truth be told, that daughter of his was currently his greatest worry. In the brief time of snapping a photo, his mind wandered miles away. It was only when the photographer started counting that he jolted out of his thoughts. A blissful smile adorned his face. ¡°The bride and groom should stand closer to Old Mr. Lombard. Act more intimate.¡± ¡°Hold my grandpa¡¯s arm, Sophie! Act more intimate!¡± Ysabelle hollered as she watched from the side. Sophie took William¡¯s arm. In actual fact, thetter was not an unapproachable person at all. Once he acknowledged someone, he would be truly affable to them. Having found a satisfactory angle, the photographer promptly captured that moment. ¡°Okay, great! This photo is also perfect!¡± I reckon they will undoubtedly be in a dilemma when it¡¯s time to choose the photos since every single one is terrific! During the interlude amidst the photo shoot, Georgina brought Sophie a thermos filled with warm water at just the right temperature. ¡°Have some water. You¡¯ll probably be bone-weary today.¡± That was amon urrence during a wedding photo shoot. By the end of it, one¡¯s face would have already gone stiff from the perpetual smiling. Chapter 936 Chapter 936 Chapter 936 Kiss Her Lightly ¡°Thank you.¡± Taking the thermos from Georgina, Sophie took a sip of water. It was then time for the next background. The photographer had long since selected the background, and all the couple needed to do was go with the flow. ¡°Do you really not want to go abroad for a wedding photo shoot, Sophie? I noticed that a lot of celebrities have theirs overseas.¡± The scenic spots abroad are stunningly beautiful, making the photos appear like shots from blockbusters! ¡°No, it¡¯s okay. I want to have it in the country. The scenic spots here are nice too.¡± In truth, Sophie was not that interested in the fancy attractions abroad. Mainly, she found traveling back and forth troublesome. ¡°You¡¯re absolutely right, Ms. Tanner. There are a lot of picturesque scenic spots within the country, and the photos look fancy as well. ¡°I don¡¯t need things to be fancy. Just give me something more lifelike. Also, there¡¯s no need to edit the photos outrageously.¡± It was Sophie¡¯s wedding photo shoot, and she wanted the results to be more realistic. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Ms. Tanner. Considering your ster looks, even random shots would resemble those from blockbusters. There¡¯s totally no need to edit them.¡± Verily, she¡¯s beyond photogenic. If she were to enter the entertainment industry, her countenance would be ideal for the silver screen. Her bone structure is downright perfect! She¡¯s particrly suited to film a movie with her looks! ¡°Exactly! You¡¯re devastatingly beautiful in the first ce, so no edits are needed!¡± All five members of The Wheelers came over. ¡°Let¡¯s take a photo together, Sophie! Sunny proposed with a grin. In all the time I¡¯ve known her, I¡¯ve always thought that she¡¯d end up with Mark for sure. Unexpectedly, things ultimately came to this. But it¡¯s okay as long as she¡¯s happy! ¡°Sure!¡± All members of The Wheelers had changed into suits. Even so, their formal attires could not conceal the rock and roll aura emanating from them. Since Sophie nned to take a photo with Mark and the others, the makeup artist altered her makeup slightly. It was just a slight revision to her mascara, but it transformed her into a different person altogether. Deep in her bones, she was a person who loved rock and roll. That aside, she had yed the drum for a long time. When all six of them stood together, a random shot could already be used for the cover of an album. As a fan of The Wheelers, Ysabelle shrieked in excitement at the sight of them standing together. ¡°Oh my God, he¡¯s so handsome! He¡¯s just too striking! Mark is truly drop-dead gorgeous!¡± She could not help eximing. Throughout it all, Tristan watched from the side. How lucky that I¡¯m the person Sophie likes! Otherwise, I¡¯d also be down in the dumps. The photographer was indeed professional. Although they merely stood there casually, he could still find the perfect angle and capture the most spectacr photo. ¡°This photo can really be the cover of your next alburn, Mark!¡± It¡¯s been an eternity since I¡¯vest seen a photo I¡¯m so satisfied with! It feels incredibly fulfilling today, with random shots giving off the feeling of those from blockbusters. In fact, they¡¯re even better in comparison! Mark and the others took a look at the photo before nodding in satisfaction. ¡°Indeed, it¡¯s perfect. How could there be such a good-looking person in this world?¡± Sunny said with admiration. Sometimes, God is really unfair. A bombshell like Sophie has everything, both beauty and brains. ¡°Are you okay, Mark?¡± Honestly, Sunny was somewhat worried about Mark since thetter had liked Sophie for a long time. Now, she¡¯s getting married, but the groom isn¡¯t him. He must be heartbroken. Mark patted Sunny on the shoulder. ¡°It¡¯s the same with us all. We merely want to see Sophie happy, and that¡¯s more than enough.¡±¡± Even if that person isn¡¯t me, it doesn¡¯t matter. I can ept it Sophic approached and hugged the members of The Wheelers. ¡°We¡¯ll always be together.¡± While she was no longer a member of The Wheelers, her heart would be with the band forever. ¡°Yeah,¡± Mark said in a somewhat choked voice. The girl I¡¯ve always loved dearly is going to be someone else¡¯s bride soon. ¡°Sophie, you must be happy, okay?¡± he said solemnly. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll definitely be happy.¡± Sophie sounded as resolute as ever. ¡°All right, we¡¯re going to attend a music awards ceremony, so we can¡¯t stay and keep youpany here. We¡¯ll have a meal together someday.¡± After saying that, he walked away, dragging Sunny along. A trace of sorrow crept into Sophie as she stared at Mark¡¯s deste back. However, matters of the heart could not be forced. N?velDrama.Org content. Drawing near to her, Tristan wrapped an arm around her shoulder. ¡°All right, don¡¯t worry. He¡¯ll meet the person meant for him one day.¡± He will only forget her when he starts dating someone else. But then, she¡¯s indeed an unforgettable person. ¡°I know. He¡¯s really good to me? If it weren¡¯t for him, I don¡¯t know what would¡¯ve be of me. ¡°You¡¯re also good to him, and he knows that.¡± Meanwhile, Mark and the others had gotten into the minivan. In reality, there was no awards ceremony to attend. He was merely worried that he would lose control of his emotions if he were to continue staying there. For that reason, he wanted to leave earlier. Understanding his motivation in doing so, the other four band members did not expose him. ¡°You¡¯ll certainly meet someone better, Mark. He¡¯s an amazing man! ¡°Yeah. I¡¯m fine. There¡¯s no need to worry about me.¡± I knew this day woulde, didn¡¯t I? And I¡¯ve long since braced myself for it. But when it really does, there¡¯s still a bitter feeling within me. After all, Sophie is the first girl I fell for! At the same time, the groomsmen and bridesmaids were ready. Tristan went down on bended knee with bouquet of flowers in hand as Sophie stood in front of him. Arius, Charles, and Sean stood behind him while Georgina, Ysabelle, and Cecelia stood behind Sophie. That made for a magnificent sight. Even when celebrities in the entertainment industry got married, they did not have groomsmen and bridesmaids with such striking looks. ¡°Great! Perfect, even! The bride should look at the groom with gentle eyes!¡± The wedding photo shoot that day officially kicked off, and the photographer unleashed his expertise. Despite being unustomed to taking photos, Tristan was extraordinarily cooperative since it was his wedding photo shoot. The wedding gown Sophie wore was breathtakingly beautiful. Her veil was five meters long, and her three bridesmaids were enshrouded underneath it. ¡°Yes, that¡¯s it! Keep up the great job! Put on more vivid expressions, bridesmaids! Okay, that¡¯s perfect! This is it!¡± Camera shes rang out incessantly. That day, the photographer was not at all worried about wasting film. All that remained was the sound of the shutter clicking. ¡°All right, all groomsmen and bridesmaids may leave. I¡¯ll snap a photo of the bride and groom alone.¡± The groomsmen and bridesmaids dispersed while the photographer went over. He instructed Tristan, ¡°Later, hug the bride around her waist. Then, kiss her lightly.¡± ¡°Okay¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be embarrassed. The photo will turn out incredible!¡± Some people don¡¯t like kissing in public, but such photos are really ster, especially when they¡¯re both so good-look Chapter 937 Chapter 937 Chapter 937 Perfect Curves ¡°The two of them are so naturally good-looking that they look stunning just by standing in front of the camera, Georgina eximed. ¡°Yup, that¡¯s true. They are even more gorgeous than those A-list celebrities. What a beautiful couple,¡± Ysabelle said with a mesmerized expression. ¡°I¡¯m absolutely jealous of Sophie¡¯s beauty.¡± Cecelia lifted her chin and said proudly, ¡°Of course! Don¡¯t you know who she is? She¡¯s my best friend!¡± Georgina and Ysabelle looked toward Sophie simultaneously. Sophie is indeed attractive, but what does it have to do with her being Cecelia¡¯s best friend? It doesn¡¯t matter much, does it? Right then, at the photographer¡¯s request, Tristan slowly kissed Sophie¡¯s lips. Even though they had kissed countless times, Sophie was still nervous, as there were many people watching them. However, it was exactly her shy expression that brought out the desired effect for the photo. Arius put her arms around Georgina¡¯s waist and said, ¡°Why don¡¯t we have our wedding photo shoot today too?¡± Georgina cocked her brows. ¡°How can we do that without any nning? Arius, can you at least try to show some effort?¡± He didn¡¯t even pursue me properly! And now, he¡¯s treating our wedding photo shoot so casually? ¡°I am showing effort. It¡¯s just that I suddenly feel the urge to marry you. I have to make sure you stay by my side for the rest of my life. I will never ever let you go. ¡°Really?¡± Isn¡¯t he against marriage? Why does he suddenly want to get married so badly? Arius pulled Georgina to one side and nted a kiss on her lips. ¡°Of course. I mean it! Georgina, in the past, I didn¡¯t know how to love someone. But don¡¯t worry. From now on, I will love and protect you wholeheartedly.¡± Although he still had a lot to learn when it came to love, he was determined to be a good partner to Georgina and not let anything ruin their happiness. Ysabelle could not help but feel envious after noticing the sweet interaction between the couple. ¡°What¡¯s the matter? Are you regretting it now? Do you remember how much you bullied Felix when he was still around? You¡¯re missing him now, aren¡¯t you?¡± Charles let out an emotional sigh, thinking that Ysabelle did not deserve Felix¡¯s affection. Felix had loved Ysabelle unreservedly, but she still ended up hurting him so much. Ysabelle felt a jolt in her heart upon hearing that ¡°Why? Am I wrong? Ysabelle, you should really be content. Do you think you will meet a man like Felix again?¡± Felix is really, really good. ¡°Are you done?¡± Ysabelle was exasperated. Everyone had been ming her for what happened between the two of them. However, it takes two hands to p. When a rtionship does not work out, it is usually the fault of both parties. ¡°Charles, that¡¯s enough. If Felix knows that you¡¯re bullying his woman, he¡¯lle back and give you a good beating.¡± Sean suddenly spoke. No matter what, an outsider should not interfere with the couple¡¯s affairs. ¡°All right, okay, I¡¯ll shut up. Why is being in love so tormenting for us?¡± If love hurts so much, I¡¯m going to avoid it like a gue. It¡¯s not too bad to just date around. We can just part ways if things do not work out and look forward to the next one. Cecelia nced at Sean, who had a nonchnt expression. She found the man extremely attractive. It wasn¡¯t that he was very handsome, but the aura he exuded was very attractive. ¡°Sean, how does it feel to see your good friend getting married? Are you really going to stay single for the rest of your life?¡± Cecelia found herself maically drawn to the man. She would definitely be interested in dating him if he was willing to try. ¡°I don¡¯t feel anything. Happiness is a privilege that not everyone can have. At least I know that it¡¯s not for me.¡± He had said goodbye to his happily ever after on the day that girl left the country. Cecelia deliberately moved closer toward Sean. ¡°Do you really not want to try it with me? If you want to avoid feelings, perhaps we could just have some fun?¡± She fixed her gaze on him and blinked a few times. Sean took a step back. ¡°Sorry, I¡¯m not interested in ying games with you. It seems that Sophie is done. You should go over and see if she needs any help!¡± Cecelia waved her hand dismissively and said, ¡°I¡¯m not sure if you¡¯re being faithful or just in stubborn Some people will never return even if you wait for them forever.¡± What¡¯s gone is gone. That won¡¯t change even if he continues holding space for her in his heart. Sean¡¯s eyes dimmed. He knew that his wait would be futile, but in spite of that, he did not want to give up. He wanted to continue waiting for her, holding on to the hope that she would be back one day. ¡°What happened? Did you get rejected again?¡± Sophie could easily guess what happened from the disappointed look on her friend¡¯s face. ¡°Haven¡¯t I already told you? It¡¯s impossible for you to get Sean to be interested in you!¡± That man is just too devoted. He will never get over his first crush. ¡°Sophie, am I really that unattractive? Or is my figure not good enough? How is it possible that a man wouldn¡¯t sumb to my charm?¡± Cecelia could not ept that. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯ve really fallen for Sean. Cecelia, don¡¯t do anything foolish. He will never reciprocate your feelings.¡± Cecelia was a wonderful woman, but it wouldn¡¯t matter if Sean was not interested in her. After the main wedding photo shoot waspleted, Sophie had to change into a traditional gown for the next set of pictures. Cecelia apanied her to the dressing room and wolf-whistled when she saw her perfect curvy figure. ¡°Seriously, Sophie, I¡¯m so d that you didn¡¯t choose to join the entertainment industry. Otherwise, with your face and figure, no one would even take a second look at me!¡± Cecelia had always been confident in her looks. However, she could not help but feel insecure in front of Sophie. ¡°Your sess in the entertainment industry depends on your acting skills and not your looks,¡± Sophie affirmed. ¡°That won¡¯t do. Not only do I want to be recognized for my acting skills, but I also need to make sure | look good.¡± As a woman, Cecelia naturally hoped that people wouldpliment her for her looks. ¡°Honestly, I think Tristan will have a hard time controlling himself if he sees you looking like that.¡± Intimate poses can¡¯t be avoided for wedding photos. What if Tristan gets a biological reaction? It will be so awkward! ¡°What are you talking about? Tristan has exceptional self-control.¡± ¡°Is that so? Okay, then. I¡¯ll go out first.¡± N?velDrama.Org content. Cecelia tactfully excused herself when she saw Tristan walk in as she did not want to be a third wheel. She was very sure that any man who saw Sophie in her tight-fitting traditional gown would be turned on. Tristan walked over to Sophie once Cecelia left. Dressed in a military suit, the man was just like a walking pheromone dispenser, exuding a strong masculine aura. ¡°Are you ready?¡± Sophie got up and stood in front of him, looking sophisticated and elegant with her vintage-style makeup. Tristan gulped uncontrobly when he noticed his woman¡¯s perfect curves. Chapter 938 Chapter 938 Chapter 938 Beauty She is absolutely gorgeous! It was the right call to insist on taking a picture of her in this clothing style. ¡°Why are you staring at me? Do I look weird in this?¡± It was the first time Sophie had worn that sort of makeup. She was worried it didn¡¯t suit her. Sure, it¡¯s a wedding photo, but I don¡¯t want to overdo it either He approached her and hugged her slender waist. ¡°Nope. You look amazing in this. I think you wear this gown the best among all the women I know.¡± I¡¯ve met many beautiful women, but none of them are comparable to the one in my arms. ¡°You look incredible in that military outfit, too. It makes me swoon over you,¡± said Sophie truthfully. ¡°I bet you would¡¯ve been a prominent warlord in a previous era.¡± Someone like Tristan is bound to be a winner regardless of the period he¡¯s born into! ¡°I¡¯m d you like it. Tristan pecked her on the neck. ¡°What should I do? I want to marry you right now instead of waiting any longer.¡± My darling¡¯s too charming. I don¡¯t want to wait anymore. ¡°All right, let¡¯s go. Otherwise, they¡¯ll make fun of us again.¡± Old Mr. Lombard is still waiting outside, after all! If we stay here for too long, it¡¯s going to get people thinking. ¡°Mm, let¡¯s go! Once we return, I¡¯ll customize a few gowns for you. I like to see you in them.¡± I love seeing her in a figure-hugging gown. She looks lovely in them. It really makes me want to protect her. When Sophie walked out, Charles, Sean, and Arius were stunned by her appearance. ¡°For real, I think Mr. Tristan has incredible self-control. I can¡¯t believe he¡¯s able to hold himself back from savoring such a beauty,¡±mented Charles. ¡°Quit staring. Otherwise, Mr. Tristan is going to get angry, Sean reminded, reckoning that Tristan disliked other men gazing at his woman. Indeed, Tristan was upset. Sophie looks alluring in this gown, but I don¡¯t like how the others are gawking at her. She belongs to only one person-me! No one else is allowed to look at her, not even a nce! ¡°Will the bride and groom pleasee over here?¡± The photographer was excited when he saw the couple. Regardless of what they wear, they¡¯ll always look fantastic! I can¡¯t believe they¡¯re more attractive than professional models! The photo shoot proceeded without a hitch. As Tristan and Sophie were somewhat familiar with the process, the photographer only needed to provide them with a few instructions for the picture to turn our well The photographer was so addicted to taking pictures of the couple that his finger went numb. After some consideration, the photographer asked, ¡°Can I keep a wedding photo of yours and use it for advertising, Mr. Tristan?¡± I also want to submit it to a photographypetition. It has always been my dream to participate in apetition like that with an exceptionally blissful wedding photo. Unfortunately, no wedding pictures I took in the past, even with models, satisfied me. Now that I¡¯ve finally found one, I can¡¯t let this opportunity slip away! Tristan shook his head. ¡°No. We don¡¯t need that.¡± The wedding photos are meant for me, not to show off ¡°Are you really not going to consider it? How about I submit it to a photographypetition instead of using it for advertising?¡± I already have a few pictures in mind! They¡¯re genuinely excellentt ¡°No.¡± Tristan only wanted his wedding photos to be a personal collection. If not because we wanted to capture moments of our happiness, we wouldn¡¯t have bothered toe here and take wedding photos. ¡°Okay, then.¡± The photographer was visibly dejected. What a shame! I rarely take any photos that really satisfy me. I bet I could win awards if I was allowed to submit these pictures to apetition! The photo shootsted until noon. Exhausted, Sophie took off her gown before heading to a nearby restaurant for lunch with the group. Sarah and William returned home first. William was an old man, after all, who needed his nap. The rest dined at the restaurant. ¡°Are you tired?¡± Tristan approached Sophie while she was talking with Ysabelle and the others and massaged her shoulders. ¡°I¡¯m tired too. Uncle Tristan. How about you give me a massage as well?¡± joked Ysabelle. ¡°Same! Unfortunately. I¡¯m single. I have no one to take care of me when I¡¯m worn out,¡± Cecelia lamented. Georgina merely chuckled. When Arius heard the women¡¯s conversation, he immediately massaged Georgina¡¯s shoulders. ¡°I won¡¯t let you be jealous of others, Georgina! If Mr. Tristan can do it, I can do it, too.¡± Georgina smiled sweetly. While I have experienced many moments of sorrow in the past, I¡¯m happy and satisfied that we can stay together This content belongs to N?/velDra/ma.Org . Ysabelle and Cecelia exchanged a nce. ¡°Woe be us, the single women. If only there are people who love us.¡± Ysabelle sighed. There truly is no love left in this world. ¡°Someone does love you, but you don¡¯t want him. I think I¡¯m worse. No one loves me,¡± Cecelia bemoaned. ¡°This won¡¯t do. Once I return, I will find myself a boyfriend. I can¡¯t remain single any longer!¡± There was still a photo shoot in the afternoon, but everyone was drained, so Tristan brought them to a nearby hotel to rest for an hour. After lunch, the group went to the hotel. The staff members also had their own rooms to rest in. Sophie was still covered in makeup, but she was toozy to remove it as there was another photoshoot later. She was replying to Victor¡¯s text messages when Tristan came in. ¡°Didn¡¯t I ask you to rest in the room? I know the photo shoot is tiring for you. If you have any work matters, save it for after we return home. Otherwise, I¡¯ll handle it if it¡¯s an emergency.¡± ¡°It¡¯s nothing serious. It¡¯s just that Victor has encountered a minor problem.¡± ¡°What is Victor doing? He knows about your photo shoot today, yet he¡¯s annoying you with insignificant affairs.¡± ¡°If it¡¯s rted to Tanner Group, then it¡¯s not insignificant.¡± Thepany¡¯s the fruit of Grandpa¡¯sbor. ¡°All right, I understand. Tanner Group matters aren¡¯t insignificant. Have you taken care of it? If you have, you should get some rest. We still have more pictures to taketer. But if you¡¯re too tired, we can save the photo shoot for tomorrow.¡± It depends on her condition. ¡°I¡¯m good. I¡¯ll be fine after taking a nap.¡± Sophie had a habit of taking naps. If she didn¡¯t have one, she would-feel awful. Promptly, Tristan grabbed her phone. ¡°I¡¯ll be keeping your phone until we leave. If there are any issues, III handle them. You take a good rest.¡± Instead of opposing him, Sophiey on the bed. ¡°You should take a nap, too.¡± I know he¡¯s been busy since morning. Tristan settled on the bed and embraced her. ¡°All right. We¡¯ll sleep together.¡± Chapter 939 Chapter 939 Chapter 939 No Fun Tristan woke up an hourter. When he saw that Sophie was still asleep, he didn¡¯t wake her up. It must¡¯ve been exhausting for her to wear such a heavy wedding dress. Besides, she¡¯s not a professional model, Right then, someone knocked on the door. Who is it? What if they wake Sophie up? With a frown, Tristan went to open the door. Sean was standing outside. ¡°None of them dared toe over, so here I am. Are we still shooting in the afternoon? What were you doing inside?¡± ¡°Sophie is still sleeping. There¡¯s no hurry. We can continue a littleter. And don¡¯t knock on the door next time¡± At worst, we¡¯ll spend two extra days with the shoot. Sean was dumbfounded. How do I call him if I don¡¯t knock? ¡°I¡¯m only avable today. If you want to continue the shoot another day, then don¡¯t call me. I¡¯m really busy,¡± Does he think everyone¡¯s as free as he is? ¡°We¡¯ve been buddies for years, Sean. Can you really not do this for two days?¡± ¡°In case you forgot, I¡¯m awyer. Don¡¯t you know how busy I am? The cases I¡¯ve been working on recently are pretty challenging.¡± ¡°You disappoint me, Sean. How did I meet a friend like you? Charles didn¡¯t say anything when I asked him to apany me.¡± ¡°It¡¯s because he doesn¡¯t have the guts to. Doesn¡¯t he know Charles is afraid of him? ¡°Fine. Just wait in your room first. We¡¯ll be right out. That should do it, right? I know how hectic his schedule is It¡¯s difficult for him to take a day off. ¡°But I must say, Sean, there¡¯s really no need for you to push yourself this hard.¡± He works all day to numb himself ¡°I know what I¡¯m doing.¡± Sean knew that Tristan was merely concerned about him. Still, working was the only thing that could distract him from the pain. Now, I feel nothing. When Tristan turned around, he saw that Sophie was already awake. ¡°Why don¡¯t you get more sleep? If you don¡¯t want to take any more pictures today, we can resume tomorrow.¡± I really don¡¯t want her to be tired. ¡°I¡¯m good! Let¡¯s go! Let¡¯s finish this today, so we don¡¯t have to do it tomorrow, I don¡¯t think we need more than a day since we only need some photographs to keep as a memento. The moment the couple left the room, the makeup artist promptly approached Sophie to touch up her makeup. The hour-long rest had greatly rejuvenated everyone, which increased their efficiency. It wasn¡¯t until half past five that the photo shoot was finally over. Everyone gathered in front of theputer to review the photos, all of which were magnificent. ¡°Your pictures don¡¯t need to be touched up at all, Sophie!¡± eximed Cecelia with jealousy. ¡°This is so unfair. Even though I¡¯ve applied so many facial masks, my skin is still iparable to yours!¡± Why is there such a significant difference between people? Ysabelle touched her face. ¡°Have I put on weighttely, Cecelia? Why do I feel that I appear plump when standing in front of Sophie?¡± This is outrageous! I¡¯m a celebrity, yet I don¡¯t look as good as Sophie! This is such a huge blow¡­ Cecelia scrutinized Ysabelle. ¡°You do seem a tad chubbier, but it¡¯s nothing to worry about.¡± She looks more adorable like this. Ysabelle felt as though she had been stabbed right through the heart. Georgina turned to Arius, who immediately asserted, ¡°You still look the best when standing beside Sophie.¡± I would like to live, please. After the group returned, Tristan treated everyone, including the photographer and makeup artist, to a meal. The photographer thought his job for the day was easy because his clients were excellent in front of the camera Everyone had a great time during the meal. As the photographer and the makeup artist had to return to thepany after dinner, they thanked Tristan for treating them and left. The rest remained in the restaurant. Cecelia poured herself a ss of wine. ¡°Even though I don¡¯t want to part with you, I¡¯m genuinely happy for you, Sophie.¡± I still remember how much she suffered in Horington after traveling there alone. Raising her ss, Sophie smiled. ¡°Thanks. I am doing pretty well right now.¡± A sense of belonging isn¡¯t something one can obtain simply by putting in hard work. ¡°I¡¯m d to hear that. You better treat Sophie nicely. Mr. Tristan! Otherwise, I won¡¯t forgive you! Even if I can¡¯t defeat you, I can still annoy the heck out of you!¡± All content ? N/.?vel/Dr/ama.Org. ¡°Are you okay, Cecelia?¡± Ysabelle looked at Cecelia worriedly. What is wrong with her today? ¡°I¡¯m fine. I¡¯m very fine. I feel so fine when I see that Sophie¡¯s happy.¡± answered Cecelia with a wide grin. -Stop drinking, Cecelia. You¡¯re drunk.¡± She¡¯s currently one of the most popr actresses in the industry. It¡¯ll be bad if anyone takes a photo of her right now. Cecelia waved her hand. ¡°I¡¯m just happy today. I¡¯m not drunk.¡± ¡°It¡¯s about time we return. I¡¯ll send you home, offered Sophie. I know she¡¯s acting like this because of Sean, but he has never given her any hope. She¡¯s only making herself upset like this. ¡°No, thanks! I can return by myself. You should go on a date with Mr. Tristan!¡± Cecelia stood up, but she lost her bnce and fell into Sean¡¯s embrace, and sat on hisp. She wrapped one of her arms around his neck and poked his chest with her finger. ¡°You¡¯re no fun. I can¡¯t even titite you. You¡­ Everyone¡¯s jaws dropped to the ground in shock when they saw how Cecelia was treating Sean. Sean wasn¡¯t a man to be trifled with, after all. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Sean! She¡¯s drunk,¡± Sophie said. However, Sean remained still as Cecelia continued toy in his arms. Resignedly, he proposed, ¡°All of you should head home. I¡¯ll send her back.¡± She is Sophie¡¯s friend. I should take care of her. He stood up with Cecelia in his arms. Worried that paparazzi might photograph her, he covered her face with his coat. Cecelia clumsily tried to grab the coat. ¡°Don¡¯t move, or I¡¯ll drop you on the ground,¡± warned Sean. I know she¡¯s interested in me, but I still can¡¯t forget about that girl. Cecelia stopped struggling. Ysabelle looked at Sean¡¯s back incredulously. ¡°Why do I feel that Cecelia may stand a chance?¡± I don¡¯t recall Sean treating anyone else like this. ¡°But falling in love with Sean can be really tiring,¡± said Sophie. However, Cecelia has already fallen for him. Considering how prideful she is, I can¡¯t imagine her having a good time falling in love with a man like Sean, Tristan held her shoulders. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Sean knows what he¡¯s doing. Cecelia is Sophie¡¯s friend, so there¡¯s no way Sean will do anything bad to her. Chapter 940 Chapter 940 Chapter 940 Bully Arius and Georgina rose from their seats. ¡°It¡¯s gettingte. I¡¯ll send Georgina home first. Thanks to a certain someone, she¡¯s been busy every day!¡± He shot Sophie a look. Georgina pinched his waist. ¡°What are you saying? I¡¯m happy to be able to carry out my current responsibilities.¡± It wasn¡¯t until I started working in the medical association that I discovered my worth. I like how good it feels. ¡°Did you hear that? Georgina is doing this willingly. Besides, Dr. Smith said Georgina is suited to helm the medical association.¡± Sophie smirked. ¡°You¡¯re just bullying us, Sophie! I feel so unlucky that we met you. Tristan glowered at Arius. He should watch his mouth. ¡°Anyway, we¡¯ll be heading back now. Bye!¡± Georgina was frightened by Tristan¡¯s re. I don¡¯t think Arius is a match for him. We should leave immediately. Sophie grabbed Tristan¡¯s arm. ¡°What are you doing? That¡¯s just how Arius is. He¡¯s onlyining a little. He doesn¡¯t mean anything bad by that. It¡¯s not like you don¡¯t know how well he treats me.¡± ¡°I know, but I still don¡¯t want to hear him talk about you like that.¡± That¡¯s how protective I am. Georgina agreed to take on the position. It doesn¡¯t have anything to do with Sophie! ¡°Send me home, Charles! I feel like I¡¯m being tortured again,¡± Ysabelle said. I can¡¯t believe they didn¡¯t hold back on making us singles suffer. Don¡¯t we have it rough enough already? ¡°Sure. Since we¡¯re both single, I¡¯ll send you home.¡± Charles nodded. ¡°Your words aren¡¯t hurtful, but it¡¯s very humiliating!¡± she spat. It¡¯s the truth. The two of us are single, which doesn¡¯t feel good. ¡°I¡¯m used to it anyway. Besides, what¡¯s so bad about being single? No one cares if I get drunk, and I can spend time with as many beautifuldies as I want!¡± IT have a girlfriend, I won¡¯t be able to live as freely and wildly as I want! ¡°All right, that¡¯s enough. I don¡¯t want to hear your nonsense anymore.¡± Ysabelle exited the building with Charles, Honestly, I still haven¡¯t moved on from the days when Felix is by my side. ¡°The two of them are getting more insolent by the day. They didn¡¯t even bid us goodbye, Tristan grumbled. ¡°Let¡¯s go. We should head back and get some rest. Just as Tristan and Sophie left, Caleb was sent flying out of a private room. ¡°You two?¡± Caleb had just returned from overseas. He had thought he¡¯d have a good time in Chanaea as he came back from the research institute in Anndur. To his surprise, his assumption was incorrect. In fact, he was forced into quite a wretched state. When hended next to Sophie, thetter instantly recognized him. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Sophie¡¯s eyes turned cold. While I¡¯m not close to Caleb, he never bullied me before and once wanted to stand by my side. For that, I won¡¯t allow anyone to bully him. Caleb struggled to crawl up from the ground as a few rich yboys exited the private room. ¡°Caleb, didn¡¯t Those people were intentionally bullying Caleb because they wanted to vent their frustration. Their families had been crushed by Tanner Group, and, despite their resentment, they couldn¡¯t do anything to Sophie. Therefore, when they spotted Caleb, they deliberately gave him a hard time. However, none of them expected to encounter Sophie. Caleb stood up and protected Sophie behind him. ¡°What do you want? I¡¯m telling you- Even though Caleb couldn¡¯t maintain his bnce, he still tried to protect Sophie because she was his sister. The rich yboys obviously recognized Sophie and were afraid she would settle the scores with them. They immediately said, ¡°Don¡¯t you have a terrible rtionship with the Tanner family, Sophie? We¡¯re helping you take revenge here!¡± Sophie sneered, ¡°I don¡¯t need you jokers to interfere with my rtionship with the Tanner family.¡± As she stood behind Caleb, she recalled how her grandfather used to love Caleb and think he was the pride of the Tanner family. Grandpa was genuinely ecstatic that Caleb was able to join the research institute in Anndur ¡°You- N?velDrama.Org content. ¡°Let me handle this!¡± Tristan, who had been staying silent beside Sophie, growled. It¡¯s just a few rich yboys. Besides, she¡¯s tired. I don¡¯t want her to overcrert herself. ¡°We¡¯re civilized people.¡± Sophie smiled, but that smile frightened the yboys. ¡°I¡¯m telling you, Sophie, this is a civilized society. You- Before one of the yboys could finish his sentence, her terrifying re stopped him. ¡°Who did this?¡± The rich yboys couldn¡¯t help swallowing a lump in their throats. We heard Ms. Sophie was incredible, but we thought she was just a woman. Hence, we assumed she wasn¡¯t as marvelous as her reputation suggested. However, that look in her eyes¡­. Their legs were turning to jelly. ¡°I know this is a civilized society. It¡¯s better that you take care of them, Mr. Tristan. I can¡¯t be bothered to deal with them. Just break their limbs and keep them alive,¡± Sophie added. ¡°Mr. Tristan?¡± The group of yboys became even more horrified upon hearing that. If he really is Mr. Tristan, then there¡¯s no way we can retaliate! ¡°It¡¯d be my pleasure.¡± Tristan cracked his knuckles. Caleb was a little worried to see the couple behave like that. ¡°I¡¯m fine, Sophie. Forget about it.¡± Sophie shook her head. ¡°No, you¡¯re not. Your hands are made for research. Remember, that¡¯s the expectation Grandpa has for you.¡± I can¡¯t allow him to stray from his path now that Grandpa¡¯s gone. If he learns about this, he¡¯ll be so disappointed! Caleb chuckled self-deprecatingly. I thought I¡¯d be able to thrive once I returned to the country. Yet, reality has given me a good wake-up p. Tristan swiftly and ruthlessly dealt with the yboys as they screamed in pain. No passers-by spoke a word when they realized they were looking at the famous Mr. Tristan of Jipsdale. The yboys were rolling around on the ground with pale faces. ¡°Feel free to sue me for breaking thew. I¡¯m Tristan Lombard from Lombard Group.¡± Tristan didn¡¯t want to bully those people at first. However, since they had overestimated themselves and thought they could harass Caleb, he thought he should give them a taste of their own medicine. Sophie insisted on sending Caleb to the hospital, so Caleb could not refuse. Upon arriving at the hospital, he was examined by a doctor, who promptly treated his wound. Chapter 941 Chapter 941 Chapter 941 Lend Him A Hand When Caleb saw his sister was leaving, he shouted, ¡°Sophie! I know you¡¯re disappointed in us, but we¡¯re still your family no matter what. Visit us when you can As nice as the outside world is, it¡¯s ultimately not her home. ¡°All right, I won¡¯t say anything about it anymore. I know you don¡¯t like to hear these.¡± I know Mom and Dad and Willow did a lot of bad things to Sophie. I understand her refusal to return home. ¡°I hope you¡¯ll be happy after marrying Mr. Tristan!¡± No matter what, she¡¯s still my sister. Mom doesn¡¯t like her because of her aloof personality. ¡°You take care of yourself. I¡¯ll be returning home now. Sophie was unwilling to say much because she wasn¡¯t a magnanimous person. Some damage can never be repaired once inflicted. It can¡¯t be resolved with a single apology. While watching her leave, Caleb still felt sad. Perhaps this wouldn¡¯t have happened if I had cared a little more about her. I didn¡¯t do a good job as a big brother. Charmaine hadn¡¯t slept when he returned home. Upon seeing him, she rose from the couch and asked, ¡°Why are you back sote? Have you eaten?¡± She noticed his injuries when she approached him and inhaled sharply. ¡°What happened? Who did this to you?¡± Caleb didn¡¯t want his mother to spot his wounds because he had always appeared confident in front of his family. However, it was difficult for him to ept histest state. ¡°I¡¯m fine, Mom. I¡¯m tired. I¡¯m gonna go and get some rest. Obviously, he didn¡¯t want to speak too much on the matter. He felt too embarrassed to mention his issues as a man. Grabbing his hand, Charmaine prevented him from ascending the stairs. ¡°If you can¡¯t work at the research institute, then go to Tanner Group! I¡¯ll ask Sophie to hire you.¡± I doubt he can make much money working at the research institute anyway. He has a brighter future in apany like Tanner Group, which is improving by the day. ¡°I told you, Mom. I¡¯m not interested in Tanner Group, so stop bringing it up.¡± Caleb promptly went upstairs. Charmaine tried to chase after him, but Willow blocked her path. ¡°Stop it, Mom. He¡¯s not in a good mood. Let him be for a while.¡± N?velDrama.Org content. ¡°What is up with you all? Do I owe you two something? Why do you all take your anger out at me when you¡¯re in a bad mood?¡± Aren¡¯t I doing this for their own good? Seeing that her mother was upset, Willow apologized, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Mom.¡± She had be a lot more cowardlypared to before. That sight of Willow enraged Charmaine even further. ¡°Why are you acting like this? This isn¡¯t how you behave in the past!¡± She has changed. I don¡¯t have any hope for her anymore. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for disappointing you, Mom.¡± Willow lowered her head further. What can I do! Neither Sophie nor Tristan is someone I can afford to mess with! My current hope is that I can stay here without trouble. I really don¡¯t want to think about anything else. Charmaine waved her hand. ¡°You should go and get some rest too.¡± If Caleb insists on joining the research institute, perhaps Sophie can help out. Our family¡¯s socialwork is probably iparable to hers by this point. For my son, I¡¯m willing to beg her for help. The next day, she visited the University of Medicine because she knew Sophie studied there. However, after waiting for the whole morning, she didn¡¯t see her daughter at all. When noon arrived and the students left their sses, Charmaine spoke to one of them. ¡°Are you a first- year student? Do you know someone called Sophie? Did she attend sses today?¡± ¡°Sophie? Sophie Tanner? Everyone in the school knows who she is! She¡¯s currently a fourth-year student because she skipped grades. She¡¯s a genius, so she doesn¡¯t attend her sses every day. Who are you by the way? Why are you looking for her?¡± ¡°What? Fourth year?¡± Charmaine was astonished. I know Sophie¡¯s good, but I didn¡¯t think she was this good. It¡¯s unbelievable she managed to skip grade all the way to the fourth year! It was then Simon and Sandra approached them. The student who Charmaine questioned turned to the duo and asked, ¡°Aren¡¯t you close with Sophie, Simon? Thisdy is looking for her.¡± Simon and Sandra walked up to Charmaine. They had no idea who the middle-aged woman was because they had never met her. ¡°Who are you? Why are you looking for Sophie?¡± asked Sandra. I¡¯ve never seen her around Sophie before. ¡°I¡¯m her mother,¡± answered Charmaine. ¡°Do you know where she is?¡± ¡°Mother? I¡¯ve never heard Sophie mentioning her mother.¡± Simon narrowed his eyes. This woman doesn¡¯t look nice. ¡°I really am her mother, and I need to speak with her. Can you take me to her?¡± ¡°Simon!¡± eximed Sandra. We do need to head to the medical associationter, but we don¡¯t know who thisdy is, so there¡¯s no way we can bring her there. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but we don¡¯t know where Sophie is, Ma¡¯am. If you really do need to speak to her, I suggest you call her directly! Since you¡¯re her mother, you should have her phone number, right?¡± Charmaine grimaced. I¡¯d call her if I could, but she blocked me! ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Ma¡¯am. We have matters to attend to, so we¡¯ll be leaving now.¡± Sandra dragged Simon away. Charmaine felt embarrassed and remorseful. She had never thought that Sophie would lead such a good life. She returned home dispiritedly, as she didn¡¯t know where to locate Sophie. When Simon arrived at the medical association and met Sophie, he informed her, ¡°Your mom went to the University of Medicine to look for you. We met her after ss.¡± ¡°My mom?¡± It had been so long since Sophie had met her mother that she almost forgot who Charmaine was. ¡°Ah, I see.¡± Seeing that Sophie didn¡¯t seem to be interested in speaking further about the matter, Simon didn¡¯t say much. After all, everyone has their secrets, and he was just her friend. He wouldn¡¯t ask her about it if she didn¡¯t want to say. Upon returning to theboratory, Sophie called the Institute of Physics. When the person in charge of the institute learned who the caller was, he immediately stood up. ¡°I would like to introduce someone to the Institute of Physics. I can visit there asionally.¡± Since Caleb loves research, I should lend him a hand. ¡°All right, Ms. Tanner. You¡¯re free to bring that person here whenever you¡¯re avable.¡± While the Institute of Physics is nevercking in members, it still needs talented figures like Sophie. Chapter 942 Chapter 942 Chapter 942 He Was Happy ¡°I¡¯ll bring him in two more days.¡± She had something else to work on for the next two days, so she could not bring Caleb over. ¡°All right. Ms. Tanner. We look forward to weing you,¡± said the director of the Institute of Physics. It was a coincidence that he had met Sophie, and he was awed by her talent in physics, Nevertheless, his invitations for her to join the Institute of Physics had been met with her constant rejection. To hear her finally agree to it, he was delighted. After ending the call, Sophie called Caleb. ¡°Caleb, it¡¯s me.¡± ¡°Mm, I know. What¡¯s up?¡± Caleb knew that Sophie was busy. In fact, this was her first time calling him after his return to the country a while ago. ¡°Are you free the day after tomorrow? I¡¯d like to take you to meet someone.¡± The day after tomorrow? Yes, I¡¯m free. Caleb had nothing to do, and it was not as if he wanted to go to Tanner Group. He had all the time in the world. ¡°I¡¯lle and pick you up on that day, then.¡± With that, Sophie ended the call. Caleb did not reject her even though he had no idea why Sophie was looking for him. After all, she was the sister he doted on. However, he did not have the chance to get to know her previously, and as Sophie was not the kind who acted like a younger sibling, they eventually grew distant. Still, he was finally back. He had time to fix their rtionship. When Caleb went downstairs, he spotted Charmaine sitting in a daze in the living room. She seemed unhappy. ¡°Mom, where did you go this morning? You should rest at home if you¡¯re feeling unwell.¡± ¡°Caleb, did you hear about this? Sophie skipped grades, and she even skipped to the fourth year of university despite being a student at the University of Medicine!¡± The University of Medicine was a university that was notoriously difficult to be admitted into. Not only was Sophie epted into the university, but she even skipped grades. ¡°Mm, our Sophie¡¯s excellent.¡± Caleb could not help but feel proud of his sister. ¡°Are you not at all surprised?¡± ¡°Why should I? She¡¯s your daughter. Shouldn¡¯t you be proud of her achievements?¡± ¡°I wanted her to help you out, but I couldn¡¯t find that ungrateful girl.¡± Regardless of everything. I¡¯m her mother How could she block me? Caleb¡¯s expression darkened when he heard that. ¡°Mom, stop looking for Sophie. She has her own life.¡± ¡°What is with your tone? I was looking for her because of you. If you- ¡°Mom, I know what I should do with my matters.¡± ¡°Do you? How long has it been since you came back to the country? I asked you to go to Tanner Group, but you refused to. The only person who can help you now is Mr. Tristan.¡± It was merely the Institute of Physics. With a word from Tristan, Caleb¡¯s issue would be easily resolved. ¡°Mom, I told you not to bother Sophie. Everything¡¯s fine as long as her life is peaceful now. She isn¡¯t obligated to help us.¡± ¡°What are you talking about?¡± Caleb leaped up from the couch in anger. ¡°That¡¯s enough. I don¡¯t want to talk to you about this anymore. I have something else to attend to, so I¡¯ll be out of the house for a while,¡± Caleb uttered, not wanting to go on with the topic. Sophie was brilliant without a doubt, but she was not bound by duty to help him. His concern for her only stemmed from his desire to mend their rtionship. ¡°Each and every one of you is getting more and more rebellious! None of you listens to me anymore!¡± In her anger, Charmaine threw everything she could in the living room to the ground. When Willow heard the noise, she went downstairs, only to be greeted by the sight of the mess. ¡°Mom, don¡¯t get so worked up. It¡¯s not worth it.¡± Sophie had never cared about them, so no matter how angry Charmaine was, nothing would change. ¡°Oh, forget it. I don¡¯t want to see you either. Go back to your room!¡± Charmaine was mad at Willow too. She had ced all her hope on Willow, but now, no nouveau riche would be interested in her. What else could she expect? At night, Sophie went to TS Entertainment to pick Ysabelle up. Ysabelle had been working hardtely. She was either at her vocal lessons or dance lessons. When Sophie arrived, Ysabelle was still in the middle of practicing a dance routine. Ysabelle was covered in sweat, and yet, she seemed like the brightest star in the room. ¡°Very good, Ysabelle. Take note of the power in your moves. Yes, yes, that¡¯s the way. The dance teacher was immensely satisfied with Ysabelle¡¯s recent performance. Before Ysabelle was done with her routine, the dance teacher came over to Sophie. ¡°Ms. Sophie, Ysabelle has been performing wonderfully, the dance teacher praised. ¡°Yes, I can see that. Thank you. It¡¯s gettingte. You can clock out first.¡± ¡°All right. I¡¯ll be leaving, then, Ms. Sophie.¡± It was already after six by then, long past the working hours. Ysabelle¡¯s hardworking attitude was what made her stay. When the music came to an end, Ysabellepleted herst move. Sophie passed her a towel, and she took it to wipe her sweat. ¡°How was it, Sophie? The dance teacher said I have made big improvements, but what do you think?¡± Ysabelle asked. She had been putting her all into her practices to take her mind off Felix. ¡°It¡¯s excellent.¡± ¡°Oh, by the way, why are you here today?¡± ¡°I invited Mark and the others to dinner. It¡¯s been a long time since we had a meal together. I know you like them, so I¡¯m going to bring you along.¡± Most importantly, Ysabelle would be returning home alone, so Sophie thought she might as well bring Ysabelle to dinner instead. ¡°Sure! Give me a second. I¡¯m going to take a quick shower.¡± Ysabelle was covered in sweat, and she was really not in the appropriate state for dinner. ¡°Okay. I¡¯ll go and look for Mark and the rest first. They¡¯ve been practicing for the concert. Come find us when you¡¯re done changing. ¡°Sure. You go ahead.¡± All content ? N/.?vel/Dr/ama.Org. Sophie went to look for Mark and his group in their spacious practice room. When Sophie arrived, they were in the middle of their practice, so she decided to stand by the doorway to watch them perform instead of disturbing them. The Wheelers had achieved their current fame due to the members¡¯ hard work. Even though it was only practice, they were immersed in the moment. Moreover, their level of cooperation was something few bands could mimic. At thest note, Sophie pped her hands and walked over. ¡°That was fantastic. You¡¯re really the most perfect band I¡¯ve ever seen.¡± Mark put down the microphone and walked over to her. ¡°We¡¯re here today because of you. Without you, we would have disbanded a long time ago.¡± Naturally, Mark knew that Sophie had feelings toward The Wheelers too. ¡°What are you talking about? You¡¯re the main reason for this band to have such achievements now.¡± Chapter 943 Chapter 943 Chapter 943 She Is Drunk ¡°Are you happy?¡± ¡°Of course I am! Why won¡¯t I be? I¡¯m going to sing until I¡¯m old and wrinkly. I wonder if people will still like us then.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure they will. By then, your fans will be graying and toothless too.¡± As long as it¡¯s their passion, they can continue singing forever. ¡°I feel so lucky to be able to stand on the stage. Sophic, it¡¯s such a pity you can¡¯t be with us there,¡± Sunny said, his voice tinged with regret. ¡°Aren¡¯t I with you all now? By the way, I¡¯ve written a song recently. I¡¯ll send it to you guyster.¡± Once in a while, Sophie would still write songs. ¡°Send it to us now! I want to listen to it right away!¡± Sophie¡¯s creations were never disappointing, for she was a talented individual. s, she did not like the entertainment industry. ¡°Let¡¯s have dinner first. Go and take your showers. I¡¯ll be waiting outside,¡± Sophie urged, wondering if they had forgotten about the dinner. ¡°Sure thing!¡± The five men took noticeably shorter showers, so they emerged from the bathroom at the same time as Ysabelle. ¡°What are we having?¡± It was a genuine question from Sunny. He would insist that being a drummer was a tiring job. ¡°Meat!¡± Ysabelle chimed in. She had worked up a sweat that day, and she really missed the vor of meat after a long while of not eating it. Ysabelle and Sunny gave each other a high-five. ¡°Great minds think alike. I want meat, and I only want meat.¡± The group of seven came to a barbecue restaurant. After taking their seats, they ordered plenty of meat. They were not worried that they would not be able to finish everything, for the majority of the group was men. The second the meat was grilled, Sunny took a piece and shoved it into his mouth. A look of contentment appeared on his face almost immediately. ¡°Is it good?¡± Ysabelle asked. Sunny promptly gave her a piece of meat. ¡°This slice is the best. Have this. You look like you¡¯ve lost weight,¡± Sunny said, worried that she would reject the slice of meat. ¡°Hey, that¡¯s enough! I know I¡¯ve gained weight recently. She knew it ever since the wedding photo shoot. ¡°So, are you going to eat it or not?¡± Sunny huffed in exasperation. If you¡¯re going toe out for dinner, stop thinking about weight gain and whatnot! Just focus on the food! ¡°Of course I am! Why won¡¯t I? I¡¯ll just go on a diet tomorrow. Sophie, will TS Entertainment fire me if I get fat?¡± No entertainmentpanies will want a fat singer, right? ¡°No. You¡¯re a singer, not an actress. It¡¯s fine as long as you maintain your vocal cords,¡± Sophie replied. ¡°But if you gain too much weight, I¡¯m worried Felix might not want you.¡± The young woman obviously missed Felix, and that was why she had been so hardworking. And yet, she did not know about it. Sophie felt bad for her. ¡°Felix has nothing to do with me! We¡¯ve already broken up, so don¡¯t talk about him around me anymore. I don¡¯t want to hear his name.¡± Even though Ysabelle was not going to start a fight with Sophie over the matter, she genuinely did not want to hear his name. Every time she heard his name, her heart would ache. How could he just go to Fandar? What do I do if he gets hurt? That man never considers my feelings. Sure enough, the very thought of the annoying man made Ysabelle devour her food in a frenzy manner. She was close to catching up with Sunny at that point. Mark gave a slice of meat to Sophie. ¡°Eat up. I haven¡¯t seen you eat much.¡± ¡°Thanks.¡± Sophie knew that Mark had yet to give up on her. Maybe he¡¯ll only forget about me when his true lovees along. But at the same time, I really don¡¯t want to lose him as a friend. Sophie started digging in. Having beer with the meat slices reminded her of the time in Horington. In the middle of dinner, Sophie yed the new song she hadposed. ¡°Do tell if you like it or not.¡± N?velDrama.Org content rights. The six of them began focusing on the song. At the end of it, the eyes of the members of The Wheelers were a little moist. They felt as if the song had made them travel back to the time when they were in Horington. Even though life in Horington had been tough, they had been merrily making music together. Ysabelle was jealous to see their nostalgic expressions. After all, it was hard toe across good friends who had the same goal during the toughest times. ¡°Sophie, I love this piece. This is going to be another banger for The Wheelers.¡± Mark was thrilled. Sophie knew them too well. But, of course. She used to be one of The Wheelers too. She had been by their side during the most challenging times, so how could she not know them well? ¡°I¡¯m d you like it.¡± She had certain sentiments toward The Wheelers, and that was why she made that song ¡°This isn¡¯t fair, Sophie! Shouldn¡¯t you make a song for me too?¡± Ysabelle whined. She was a little drunk. ¡°You can¡¯t be so unfair.¡± ¡°All right, I¡¯llpose one for you in a few days. I¡¯ll write about the feelings you have recently.¡± Sophie joked. ¡°About a girl¡¯s feelings after breaking up.¡± ¡°That¡¯s too mean, Sophie!¡± Ysabelle gave her sad-looking eyes. ¡°How could you joke about this despite knowing how bad I feel now?¡± ¡°Okay, once I¡¯m done settling the matters here, I¡¯ll go to Fandar with you to look for Felix. How about that?¡± She knew that Ysabelle was worried about Felix. Felix had been there for far too long. Tristan was worried that Felix would not be able to deal with the things at Fandar alone, but the two of them had been too busy recently, so they had to postpone their n. ¡°Who¡¯s going to look for him? I¡¯m not going to do that. He doesn¡¯t even miss me, so why should I miss him?¡± Even though she was the one who had suggested the breakup, he had agreed to it without hesitation. ¡°All right, I¡¯m the one who misses Felix.¡± After dinner, they left the restaurant. No one realized that a paparazzo was sneakily taking photos of them. The Wheelers was currently the most popr rock band, after all. The paparazzo had secured his bonus for the month with those photos. The very thought of the cash made the paparazzo beam. Mark and the rest had drunk alcohol, so after they came out of the restaurant, they put on face masks and went to hail a cab. Meanwhile, Tristan hade to pick Sophie and Ysabelle up. When he saw the inebriated Ysabelle, he frowned. Isn¡¯t she letting herself go a little too muchtely? I can¡¯t believe she¡¯s drunk! Sophie helped Ysabelle over, but Ysabelle could barely walk in her intoxicated state. Sophie had no choice but to carry her to Tristan¡¯s car. Tristan quickly got out of the car and opened the door for her so that she could put Ysabelle in the back seat. Ysabelle was only a little over forty kilograms, so it was not too difficult for Sophie to carry her. ¡°You should¡¯ve just tossed her aside,¡± Tristan hissed, disappointed. Chapter 944 Chapter 944 Chapter 944 You Were Drunk Ysabelle might be drunk, but she clearly caught Tristan¡¯s words. She whined indignantly, ¡°How can you be so mean, Uncle Tristan! I¡¯m your dear niece. Don¡¯t toss me aside!¡± Tristan argued, ¡°Why not? Look at yourself! If Grandpa saw you like this, he would be furious.¡± How did she end up like this after joining the entertainment industry? Ysabelle burped and shot her uncle a tipsy smile. Alcohol made Ysabelle fearless. She flung her arms tightly around Sophie and retorted, ¡°You¡¯re not scared of Grandpa scolding me! You¡¯re just upset that I¡¯m ruining your time with Sophie. Hey, Sophie! Do you love him or me?¡± ¡°I love you, okay? Come on, sit down properly. We¡¯ll send you home.¡± Sophie med herself for not keeping a close eye on Ysabelle before thetter drank herself into oblivion. Sophie turned to Tristan and said, ¡°Start the car, Tristan. I think she¡¯s too drunk to go home tonight. Old Mr. Lombard will be worried out of his mind if he sees her like this. Let¡¯s take her to our ce. I¡¯ll keep an eye on her.¡± ¡°Okay¡± William was probably asleep then, and they thought it unwise to disturb his slumber by bringing his drunk granddaughter home. A whileter, Tristan pulled up in front of their condominium. He stopped Sophie from attempting to lift Ysabelle from the back seat. ¡°Let me do it. You¡¯re a young woman like her. He did not want her to exhaust herself by carrying another young woman who weighed the same as her. ¡°I won¡¯t tire myself out.¡± Sophie trusted her stamina. Carrying a woman as slim as Ysabelle was no chore at all. ¡°Yes, you will,¡± Tristan insisted. He turned toward the car and lifted his niece from the backseat. The jostling caused Ysabelle to feel nauseous, and Tristan immediately frowned when he noticed her expression. He warned coldly, ¡°You better keep that down, Ysabelle. I will definitely toss you out if you throw up on me.¡± His voice merely added to Ysabelle¡¯s nausea. She groaned, ¡°Don¡¯t be so noisy, Uncle Tristan.¡± Ysabelle suppressed her urge to puke even though she had been waiting half a day to throw up the alcohol in her stomach. Tristan huffed in annoyance, determined to teach her a lesson once she sobered up. She needs to be put in her ce. He carried her to Sophie¡¯s room and dropped her on the bed. The motion nearly caused Ysabelle to vomit on the spot. She hastily mbered off the bed and beelined for the bathroom. Worried, Sophie ran after her. Ysabelle hunched over the toilet seat and retched non-stop. Sophie could only stroke her friend¡¯s back soothingly.N?vel(D)rama.Org''s content. ¡°Let¡¯s see if you dare to drink so much in the future.¡± Its negative effects on health aside, drowning one¡¯s sorrows in alcohol is practically a recipe for disaster. I only had a few words with Mark, and it was enough to turn Ysabelle into a drunk, certified mess. Finally, after Ysabelle threw up for what seemed like an eternity, she leaned back and slumped on the bathroom tiles. ¡°I feel horrible, Sophie!¡± cried Ysabelle. ¡°I know, I know. Come on, you should get some rest! You¡¯ll feel much better after a good night¡¯s sleep.¡± She carried Ysabelle out of the bathroom just as Tristan arrived with a ss of hot water. He clearly cared deeply about his niece despite his words often painting her as a nuisance. Sophiemented that his personality often misled others to believe that he was a cruel, heartless man. ¡°Thank you. Sorry for the trouble.¡± Tristan felt bad about Sophie¡¯s involvement in cleaning up Ysabelle¡¯s mess. Sophie was busy coaxing Ysabelle to sip some water before tucking her into bed. She had ascertained that it was impossible for Ysabelle to manage a bath. After helping Ysabelle, Sophie reassured Tristan, ¡°I¡¯m good. Don¡¯t worry about it. I¡¯m going to rest after a bath. You should clean yourself up too.¡± ¡°Sure. I¡¯m heading back to my room.¡± Ysabelle definitely needed someone to look after her, and Tristan knew he would only inconvenience Sophie by insisting on remaining in her room. Once Tristan returned to his room, he immediately received a call from Felix. ¡°How has Ysabelle been?¡± Felix was busy in Fandar, but he always called and asked about Ysabelle¡¯s well- being whenever he had time to spare. ¡°She¡¯s a drunken mess.¡± Felix was aghast. ¡°What? What happened? Didn¡¯t I ask you to look after her? Did you forget your promise? Who did she drink with?¡± His mind ran wild with all sorts of dangerous scenarios. I¡¯m not even there with her! Tristan was speechless. He demanded, ¡°Are you interrogating me, Mr. Northley? Watch your attitude.¡± He had not yet quelled his anger toward Ysabelle. Tristan continued, ¡°Don¡¯t drag other people into your rtionship woes.¡± Why can¡¯t you deal with everything yourself? Felix argued, ¡°I¡¯m stuck in Fandar. How can I go back? I wouldn¡¯t need your help if I was there! Come on, we¡¯re friends. It¡¯s just a favor!¡± ¡°That¡¯s enough. Ysabelle¡¯s fine and asleep. How¡¯s everything on your end?¡± The issue in Fandar was more troublesome than imagined, given Felix¡¯s lengthy stay. While it was true that things were ratherplicated, Felix believed he could solve things based on his own abilities. He said to Tristan reassuringly, ¡°It¡¯s fine. Bertram is helping me. Don¡¯t worry about it.¡± ¡°Okay, Be careful.¡± Fandar was a ruthless battlefield brimming with power-hungry parties. One needed both wits and talents to hold one¡¯s ground. ¡°I know.¡± Felix lit a cigarette. ¡°I¡¯ve still got to head back and marry Ysabelle! I¡¯ll never let anything happen to me here.¡± ¡°Just call her if you miss her.¡± ¡°She blocked my number.¡± ¡°Give it another try. Maybe she has already unblocked your number.¡± Everyone bore witness to how depressed Ysabelle had been since their breakup. ¡°Okay. I need to drop off the call now. Catch up with you soon,¡± Felix said and hung up. I must settle things here as soon as possible before someone else swoops in and woos Ysabelle away! No one will pity me or take my side if that happens. Sometimeter, Ysabelle awoke to the sight of Sophie. She smoothed her hair and asked hesitantly, ¡°Why am I here?¡± She did not remember anything that had happened the night before. ¡°You were drunk,¡± answered Sophie simply. ¡°Oh. Where¡¯s Uncle Tristan? Did he go to work?¡± Tristan was thest person Ysabelle wished to see at that moment. She did not want someone to lecture her ears off and only wished to be alone with her thoughts for a while. Sophie replied, ¡°Yup. He¡¯s at the office. I have to leave too. Have breakfast, clean yourself up, and go to TS Entertainment!¡± It was perfectly normal for an adult to suffer the asional emotional breakdown. That was why Sophie did not make a big deal out of Ysabelle¡¯s behavior the night before. ¡°Okay. Got it.¡± Ysabelle knew Sophie was a busy woman, and she did not ask her friend about her ns. More pressingly. Ysabelle¡¯s head was throbbing from a bad hangover. Sophie returned to the Tanner residence, where she was met with a dark-faced Charmaine. ¡°Ah, so you do know how toe home! I thought you had written off your flesh and blood!¡± Charmaine¡¯s rage swelled when she remembered that Sophie had blocked her number. Sophie did not wish to waste her breath and gratify Charmaine with a response. Chapter 945 Chapter 945 Chapter 945 You Are Still Quite Young Charmaine was pissed off by Sophie¡¯s attitude. No matter how hard she tried to start an argument. Sophie would just ignore her. To Charmaine, it was the most infuriating part. At that moment, Caleb came downstairs in casual clothes. Having recently endured a lot of beatings, he was unsure where his future path would lead him. ¡°Are you just going to wear this?¡± Sophie asked. ¡°Why? Are my clothes inappropriate?¡± Since Caleb didn¡¯t know where Sophie was going to take him, he just put on something casual. ¡°This is fine. Let¡¯s go! It¡¯s almost time.¡± Sophie had agreed to a meeting at the Institute of Physics. Although the person meeting them wouldn¡¯t mind if they werete, it wasn¡¯t polite to have other people waiting for too long. After all, she was a punctual person. ¡°Where are you going?¡± Charmaine asked disapprovingly. ¡°Be careful. We don¡¯t want you to be shipped off and sold. ¡°Have you forgotten what I said, Mom? We¡¯re family. Why are you speaking like this?¡± Caleb said exasperatedly. Some prejudices could be deeply ingrained, and there is no way to change them. ¡°Am I not speaking the truth? Do you think-¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go, Caleb!¡± Sophie ignored Charmaine¡¯s taunts. For all she cared, Charmaine was entitled to have her own opinion, and it would be none of her business. Sophie didn¡¯t need to waste too much time on someone unrted to her. ¡°Okay. Let¡¯s go!¡± Charmaine became even more furious when Sophie and Caleb ignored her and left. ¡°Mom, don¡¯t be like this. It¡¯s not worth getting angry over this. Besides, you know how capable Sophie is. Since they¡¯re now on good terms, she may be able to help him!¡± As Willow spoke, her eyes were filled with jealousy. Back then, she had been Caleb¡¯s favorite person in the world. However, he only had eyes for Sophie now! Everyone in the household only cared about Sophie. Nobody cared about how much Willow had suffered. ¡°So what if she¡¯s capable? That doesn¡¯t mean she will help Caleb! Caleb is a fool. He won¡¯t even realize it if she betrays him,¡± Charmaine said. ¡°Don¡¯t be so negative, Mom. You still have me. I¡¯ll stand by you firmly no matter what happens.¡± Willow immediately pledged her loyalty. Charmaine shook her head and sighed. ¡°If things are still the same as before, I can still pin my hopes on you. But your reputation now¡­¡± Charmaine had a feeling that no prestigious family would ept a daughter-inw like Willow. Willow wrapped her arms around Charmaine¡¯s arm. ¡°Are you giving up on me too, Mom? If even you give up on me, I¡¯ll have no future!¡± Willow¡¯s eyes reddened. She didn¡¯t want to lead a life like that. ¡°Listen to me, Wi. Find an ordinary man to marry. Perhaps you will be happiest that way. There is actually a great deal of unhappiness in marriages to rich families. It¡¯s just that they¡¯re well hidden.¡± ¡°An ordinary man?¡± Willow knew that she would never be satisfied if she only married an ordinary man. Sophie got into the driver¡¯s seat while Caleb got into the passenger seat. It was the first time he had seen Sophie driving. The car was a birthday gift from Tristan, but she rarely drove it. ¡°When did you buy a car, Soph?¡± Caleb knew she could afford the car now that she had taken over Tanner Group, but he had never seen it before. ¡°This car was a gift from Tristan.¡± ¡°I see. Mr. Tristan is really nice to you. I¡¯m relieved to see how happy you are now. I¡¯m sorry for neglecting you in the past, Soph. Fortunately, you¡¯ve grown up well on your own.¡± When Caleb thought about what Sophie had experienced in the past, he felt a deep sense of guilt. He had been so focused on entering the research institute in Anndur that he didn¡¯t bother to pay attention to her at all. She must have felt so desperate back then! ¡°I¡¯m doing pretty well now, Caleb,¡± Sophie murmured. Let bygones be bygones, What ill intentions can Caleb have? He was just unaware of the situation. Besides, Willow acted like a spoiled brat all the time. ¡°But don¡¯t you think it¡¯s a bit too rushed for you to marry Mr. Tristan this year? You are still quite young. Sophie was only twenty years old. ¡°It¡¯s hardly rushed. Tristan is eager to marry me, and I have made up my mind that he¡¯s the one. Since we¡¯re certain that we want to marry each other, the timing of the wedding doesn¡¯t matter.¡± Marriage was indeed still early for Sophie, but Tristan was already at a suitable age to get married. Sing she loved him, she wanted to give him a sense of stability. The conversation ceased as Sophie drove because neither she nor Caleb was talkative to begin with. It wasn¡¯t until they arrived at their destination that Caleb noticed something was amiss. Staring at Sophie in surprise, he asked, ¡°Why did you bring me here, Soph? Not everyone can enter this ce.¡± Moreover, he still didn¡¯t have the qualifications to enter the institute. Although he had stayed at the Institute of Physics in Anndur for years, his sess wasn¡¯t recognized here. ¡°Let¡¯s go, Caleb. I¡¯m bringing you to meet someone. Whether you get to stay here or not depends on your abilities.¡± ¡°But I didn¡¯t bring any document.¡± He was also in casual attire, which made him look unprofessional. ¡°It¡¯s fine. Let¡¯s go! It¡¯s about time.¡± Sophie backed the car into a parking spot and got out of the car. It took Caleb a while to react, but he followed suit. However, he still wasn¡¯t clear about who they were going to meet that day. When Sophie and Caleb reached the entrance, they were stopped by a security guard. ¡°Hello, I¡¯m Sophie Tanner. Please contact the director. All content ? N/.?vel/Dr/ama.Org. The security guard immediately called the director. After receiving the phone call, the director went down to wee Sophie personally. The director was a middle-aged man in his forties. He exuded an air of elegance and friendliness. ¡°Hello, Ms. Tanner. I have been waiting for you since this morning! Let¡¯s have a chat in my office.¡± Although Caleb had never seen the director in person before, he had seen his picture. He had never expected that Sophie would bring him to meet the director of the Institute of Physics. The director, who was rumored to be aloof, was so enthusiastic toward Sophie. ¡°Hello.¡± After Sophie greeted the director, they walked inside together, leaving Caleb who was still standing in the. same spot. He had always thought that he had no more chance with the Institute of Physics in his lifetime, but little did he expect to actually get inside that day. Seeing that Caleb didn¡¯t follow, Sophie paused in her tracks. ¡°Caleb!¡± Sophie called out to Caleb, who was still standing at the same spot. It was then Caleb recovered from his daze. Still excited, he concealed his feelings and followed them. Chapter 946 Chapter 946 Chapter 946 Everything Is True In the director¡¯s office, the director personally brewed tea for Sophie and Caleb. +15 Bonus ¡°Hello. You must be Sophie¡¯s brother, right? I already know about your situation. When can you report to the Institute?¡± the director asked straightforwardly. Since Caleb was introduced by Sophie, the director had no doubts whatsoever. ¡°Can I really report to the research institute?¡± Caleb still found it hard to believe what was happening. Isn¡¯t the director going to ask me anything else before deciding to let me stay? ¡°Of course. Why not you report tomorrow?¡± the director said anxiously. As long as Sophie was willing to come here, he would naturally agree to any conditions. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I won¡¯t let you down.¡± Caleb replied excitedly. ¡°It¡¯s settled, then. You will report to the Institute of Physics tomorrow.¡± ¡°Thank you so much.¡± Caleb couldn¡¯t believe that everything had gone so smoothly because he had thought he would have to go through some kind of assessment at least. The director smiled upon seeing Caleb¡¯s reaction. This kid seems honest and sincere. ¡°Okay, in that case, I won¡¯t disturb you any longer. I have other matters to attend to today. I¡¯ll treat you to a meal another day, which I hope you will honor me with your presence,¡± Sophie said as she stood up. ¡°Since you¡¯re here, why not we take a tour around? We have a really good environment here.¡± Since Sophie joined the medical association, the director had been thinking about ways to recruit her to the Institute of Physics. Unfortunately, there was never an opportunity. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I will fulfill the promise I made to you.¡± Sophie smiled, finding the director adorable. ¡°Okay, then! I¡¯ll see you off.¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay. I know you¡¯re busy. Please go ahead.¡± Sophie declined the offer because she didn¡¯t want Caleb to feel as if he had any special treatment since he was new to the institute. If anyone thought that Caleb received treatment, it might be difficult for him to get along with his peers in the research institute in the future. ¡°All right. Remember what you said. You promised to treat me to a meal. I¡¯ll be waiting for your call.¡± The director smiled amiably. What bad intentions could he have? He just hoped that Sophie would stay. After exiting the Institute of Physics and getting into the car, Caleb still had a surreal feeling about what had happened. ¡°Soph, I¡¯m not dreaming, am I?¡± Has the thing that I have always yearned for finallye true? ¡°Everything is true. You can continue doing what you love.¡± Caleb was really passionate about physics research. Otherwise, he wouldn¡¯t have persevered for such a long time. All of a sudden, he felt like crying. His eyes reddened. Biting his lower lip, he tried to think of something to say but he couldn¡¯t. ¡°Thank you, Soph.¡± As her elder brother, he had never done anything much for her, yet she had done so much for him. ¡°You don¡¯t have to thank me, Caleb. If it¡¯s something that I can do, there¡¯s no reason for me not to help you.¡± Since Caleb had never harbored ill intentions toward her and it was Josiah¡¯s wish that she helped him, she wouldn¡¯t stand idly by. ¡°Also, just let me know if anyone bullies you in the future. I won¡¯t allow the Tanners to be bullied by others.¡± ¡°I should be the one protecting you instead, Soph. I¡¯m sorry for neglecting you in the past.¡± Caleb realized that he had been too selfish back then, and he hoped that it wasn¡¯t toote for him to make amends. Sophie smiled. ¡°Find some time to visit Grandpa, Caleb! You have always been his hope and his pride even though he didn¡¯t say it out loud.¡± ¡°I know.¡± The reason why Sophie helped Caleb was partly because of Josiah, who was the only person in this family who genuinely treated her well. After dropping Caleb off at the Tanner residence, Sophie stayed in the car. ¡°Caleb, report directly to the Institute of Physics tomorrow. Don¡¯t be stressed about it. You can do this; you justck an opportunity.¡± If he could stay at the Institute of Physics in Anndur for such a long time, he was definitely capable. ¡°Yes, I know. Don¡¯t worry! I won¡¯t let Grandpa down, Caleb said firmly, swearing to himself that he would work harder from now on. ¡°I shall go now.¡± Sophie drove away directly because she still had to go to TS Entertainment. There was no time for her to waste. It was only after Sophie drove away that Caleb went inside the Tanner residence. Willow was watering the nts in the garden. When she saw him, she put down the watering can. ¡°You¡¯re back, Caleb! Where did you go?¡± ¡°I had some business to attend to.¡± Caleb didn¡¯t say much. ¡°I have something to do. Catch youter.¡± N?velDrama.Org content rights. I can¡¯t believe Caleb isn¡¯t willing to share with me where he just went! Am I so unimportant now? Why is everyone neglecting me like this? The servants who managed the nts watched nervously as Willow continued to water them absent- mindedly. Although the nts weren¡¯t exotic, it wasn¡¯t easy to cultivate them. Ms. Willow isn¡¯t taking care of the nts at all! She¡¯s clearly killing them! However, the servants dared not risk provoking her even though her temperament had been in control since thest incident. They could only silently watch as she threw the watering can to the ground and went back to her room. Willow swore to herself that she would retaliate back at those who looked down on her one day. Sophie arrived at TS Entertainment, only to find out that Xandra hadn¡¯te to work for several days. She tried calling her a few times, but no one picked up. ¡°Sophie, do you think something happened to Ms. Yandell? She hasn¡¯te to work for days, and we can¡¯t reach her on the phone.¡± Ysabelle was very worried. ¡°It¡¯s okay. I¡¯ll go to her house and check on her.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll go with you!¡± ¡°Okay.¡± After settling some matters at thepany, Sophie brought Ysabelle to find Xandra. When they reached Xandra¡¯s house, there was no response when they knocked on her door. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me something bad has happened! I know Ms. Yandell is really beautiful, but it won¡¯t be a danger to her, right?¡± Ysabelle asked anxiously as she recalled the recent headline news about murdered young women. ¡°Ms. Yandell, are you in there? Ms. Yandell?¡± Ysabelle banged on the door forcefully. ¡°Step aside. Let me try!¡± Standing in front of the keypad lock, Sophie stared at it for a moment and tried a fewbinations. ¡°Is this really going to work, Sophie? Maybe we should call the police!¡± Ysabelle suggested after Sophie tried to open the door for a long time but to no avail. However, the door was opened sessfully by Sophie at that moment. Ysabelle¡¯s jaw dropped. Sophie actually managed to open the door! Is there anything she can¡¯t do? Chapter 947 Chapter 947 Chapter 947 Never Let You Off ¡°All right! Let¡¯s head in!¡± Ysabelle and Sophie found Xandra in the bedroom. Her skin was littered with hickeys, and she had a fever. ¡°Oh my gosh! Sophie, did Xandra get into trouble with a bad person? If not, why does she look like this?¡± Sophie left the bedroom to look for fever medicine in Xandra¡¯s house. When she found it, she hurried back and fed the medicine to Xandra before helping her to drink water. Ysabelle said nothing more when she saw how calm Sophie was. She stood in a corner and waited patiently until Sophie was done. Then, the two of them went to the living room. Sophie called The Crown for food delivery before she and Ysabelle sat on the couch to scroll through their phones. Ysabelle was scrolling and reading through the news about Fandar. Despite not calling Felix, she still wanted to know the situation at Fandar and how he was doing. She wanted to make sure he was all right. Sophie received a call from Tristan. She stood up and went to the balcony to answer the call. Tristan bombarded her with a series of questions when the call got through. ¡°Didn¡¯t we agree to meet for lunch? Where are you? I¡¯ve been waiting for you at Lombard Group. Do you know what time it is? Did you forget about me?¡± Sophie felt guilty. She had indeed forgotten about him and their lunch appointment. ¡°I¡¯m at Xandra¡¯s ce. She¡¯s running a fever, so I came to take care of her. Have you eaten? If you haven¡¯t, do you want me to order food delivery for you?¡± ¡°What does her being sick have anything to do with you? Just give Lucas a call and let him know about it,¡± Tristan voiced his disappointment. How can she ignore me for those unimportant people? ¡°Xandra doesn¡¯t want anything to do with Lucas anymore.¡± Sophie sighed. ¡°All right, stop whining. I¡¯ll go to Lombard Group to look for youter.¡± Tristan huffed and said, ¡°Fine. Help me to order food delivery, but make sure to order something I like, okay?¡± Sophie was surprised by Tristan¡¯s reply. Is he giving me a chance to make it up to him? ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll order something you like and have them deliver it to you. What do you like to eat?¡± ¡°Well, aren¡¯t you an unqualified fianc¨¦e? Don¡¯t you even know what I like? How unbelievable! I¡¯m going to punish you!¡± ¡°How do you want to punish me?¡± Sophie asked. Her curiosity was piqued. ¡°I haven¡¯t thought about it. We¡¯ll talk about this tonight!¡± ¡°Fine. I¡¯ll hang up now and order food for you. You must finish everything, okay?¡± ¡°Okay. After hanging up, Tristan still felt displeased. He immediately dialed Lucas¡¯ number and eximed. ¡°Your woman is running a fever! If you have nothing else better to do, you better go take care of her yourself! Don¡¯t take up my woman¡¯s time!¡± He hung up after saying what he wanted to say without waiting for a response from Lucas. Meanwhile, The Crown had delivered Sophie and Ysabelle¡¯s food. After they ate, Sophie went into the bedroom to check on Xandra. Xandra¡¯s fever slowly subsided. It was five in the afternoon when she finally woke up. She got up and left the bedroom, jumping in surprise when she saw the two young women ying games in her living room. ¡°What the heck? How did the two of you get in? I don¡¯t remember opening the door for you!¡± Xandra asked in confusion. ¡°We were worried, so we came to visit you. Xandra, did you encounter a pervert? Those marks on your body look scary!¡± Ysabelle was so focused on talking to Xandra that she got careless and had her character in the game killed off. ¡°Sophie, he killed me. You must avenge me!¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± Xandra muttered as she pulled her clothes tighter around her body. Lucas is such a beast! Jeez¡­ He¡¯s indeed a pervert! Before we got a divorce, he never had any sexual urges toward me. Now that we¡¯re separated, he¡¯s being aggressive. Who does he take me for? ¡°Xandra, we ordered you some chicken noodle soup. Come and have some. Ysabelle and I already ate. The rest is yours. Oh, right. I know an excellentwyer. If you need help, I can introduce him to you,¡± Sophie informed. Those marks on her body must¡¯ve been Lucas¡¯ work. That guy is insatiable! ¡°Ahem.¡± Xandra cleared her throat. I don¡¯t think such a thing requires awyer. ¡°It¡¯s all right. I can handle my own affairs. You don¡¯t have to worry about me.¡± ¡°Oh, is that so? All right, then. If you need it in the future, you can contact me anytime.¡± Xandra was at a loss for words. I don¡¯t need awyer at all. After eating some chicken noodle soup, she felt more energetic. ¡°Nothing happened at thepany while I was gone for the past few days, right?¡± That was what she was most worried about. She was absent from thepany because she had been too tired to go. ¡°Don¡¯t worry! Thepany won¡¯t go bankrupt!¡± ¡°Sophie, are you disappointed with me?¡± Xandra knew Sophie was aware of her situation with Lucas. ¡°Xandra, you¡¯re overthinking it. I have nothing to say about your love life. What happens between you and Lucas depends on your own feelings.¡± No one else had the right to judge Xandra about her feelings. Sophie felt that nothing mattered as long as Xandra was happy. Xandra liked to spend time with Sophie because she could be at ease around thetter. Sophie would never ask her questions and press her on her personal matters. However, when she needed help, Sophie would always lend a hand. Ysabelle was dumbfounded as she listened to Sophie and Xandra¡¯s conversation. What¡¯s going on? I didn¡¯t know Xandra and Lucas had such a past! This is the most shocking news I¡¯ve heard today! Just then, someone knocked at the front door. Xandra was confused. What¡¯s happening today? Why is my ce a popr spot all of a sudden? She went to open the door and saw Elena standing outside, looking disheveled. Elena went crazy all of a sudden when she saw the hickeys on Xandra¡¯s body. +15 Bonus ¡°Xandra, how can you be so shameless? Aren¡¯t you embarrassed of yourself? Didn¡¯t the two of you break up? What is all this?¡± Elena was furious. No wonder Lucas is ignoring me. It turns out Xandra had shamelessly seduced him! Xandra furrowed her brows ¡°Elena, I¡¯m warning you, don¡¯t spout any nonsense here. I don¡¯t like it.¡± She has nothing to do with whatever it is between me and Lucas. She has no right to use me here. ¡°Xandra, did you forget how he bullied you? How can you be so pathetic? Have you forgotten all the hurt he caused you?¡± Elena refused to ept the reality. She had been by Lucas¡¯ side for a long time, yet she still failed to make her way into his heart. N?velDrama.Org content. How can I ept this? Elena seemed to have gone mad. She reached forward and shoved Xandra. As Xandra was weak and still recovering, she fell to the ground immediately. Sophie and Ysabelle hurried over when they heard themotion at the front door. When they arrived, they saw Xandra on the floor. Elena was about tounch another attack when Sophie grabbed her arm and forcefully pushed her, causing her to fall to the ground too. Ysabelle helped Xandra up. ¡°Xandra, are you all right? Are you injured anywhere?¡± she asked when she noticed how pale thetter was. ¡°Ahhh!¡± Elena suddenly let out an ear-piercing scream. ¡°Xandra, I¡¯m warning you, you are not allowed to be with Lucas. Otherwise, I won¡¯t ever let you off!¡± At that point, Elena could no longer remain in the entertainment industry. Lucas was all she had left. Chapter 948 Chapter 948 Chapter 948 Choosing Photos Elena was devastated. What should I do if Lucas doesn¡¯t want me either? I can¡¯t ept that! ¡°Xandra, since you already left, you should stay away forever. Don¡¯t evere back. Lucas doesn¡¯t love you. Did you forget about that?¡± Just then, the elevator door opened, and Lucas walked out. He was wearing a suit and emanated a cold and distant aura. Seeing Lucas arrive, Elena stared at him aggrievedly. ¡°Mr. Perez, I¡­ They bullied me.¡± Elena felt unfairly treated. I¡¯m supposed to be a famous singer! Even if he doesn¡¯t love me, he belongs to me and me only! Why did things end up like this? Lucas frowned. ¡°Who told you that I don¡¯t love her? Who should I love if not her? Elena, didn¡¯t I warn you not to disturb her?¡± Lucas asked while he approached Xandra. His expression turned grim when he saw how pale she was. ¡°Are you sick?¡± he asked worriedly. What does that have to do with you? Take your woman away, Lucas. I don¡¯t want to see either of you,¡± Xandra replied icily. Lucas panicked when his eyes met her ringly cold ones. No matter what problem he encountered, he could confidentlye up with strategies to ovee it. However, the woman before him was an exception. He was uncertain in his pursuit of her. ¡°See, Mr. Perez? She doesn¡¯t even love you, nor does she like you.¡± Elena crawled over and hugged Lucas¡¯ leg. Lucas heartlessly kicked her away. He then proceeded to pick Xandra up and carry her in his arms. ¡°Ms. Tanner, thank you for taking care of my woman. Since I¡¯m here now, you can take your leave.¡± There¡¯s no way I¡¯ll let such a good opportunity slip away! Xandra¡¯s brows knitted into a frown. ¡°Lucas, did you not understand a word I said? What are you trying to do?¡± Lucas did not reply. Instead, he carried her into the house and shut the door behind him. This is between me and her. I don¡¯t need others to gather and spectate. ¡°Sophie, what should we do now? Will Lucas hurt Xandra? He must¡¯ve been the one behind the hickeys on her body, right? Should we go in and save her?¡± Ysabelle asked anxiously. ¡°Let¡¯s go. It¡¯s gettingte, so we should go home. Lucas won¡¯t hurt Xandra. He only has eyes for her.¡± Sophie replied. ¡°Are you sure we don¡¯t need to go in?¡± ¡°I already said there¡¯s no need. Let¡¯s go.¡± Sophie and Ysabelle did not even spare a nce at Elena, who was still on the floor. She had been crying the entire time, and her eyes were swollen. She had no idea what she should do now. Tristan stood up and weed Sophie home when she finally returned at night. Sophie questioned him, ¡°You were the one who called Lucas, right? He wouldn¡¯t have arrived at that hour if you hadn¡¯t informed him about Xandra.¡± ¡°I did. That¡¯s his woman! It¡¯s only natural that he¡¯s the one who takes care of her! Why should I let my woman take care of her?¡± Tristan felt that what he did was not wrong. Besides, he knew Xandra still had feelings for Lucas. ¡°Well, there¡¯s nothing wrong about that. It¡¯s just that Xandra is also caught in a dilemma, It¡¯s best if you don¡¯t interfere in their rtionship in the future.¡± Tristan grabbed her hand and pulled her into his arms. ¡°So¡­ are you ming me for telling Lucas?¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m not. I just hope that you won¡¯t involve yourself in their affairs. No matter what decision Xandra makes, we only need to support her.¡± They were not Xandra. It was only natural they did not know what she had gone through previously. Thus, they could not judge or advise her without first experiencing her hardships. ¡°Okay. I got it. I won¡¯t intervene in their rtionship in the future.¡± Tristan did not have intentions of doing so either. What evil intentions would I have anyway? The only thing I want is for my fianc¨¦e to spend more time with me. The next day, Ysabelle and Cecelia apanied Sophie to select her wedding photos. Tristan would arriveter as he had some matters to settle at Lombard Group. The staff had burned the wedding photos that Sophie and Tristan had taken into a thumb drive. When the women arrived, the staff immediately took them to see the photos. ¡°Oh my gosh! Sophie, your beauty is out of this world! Are you trying topete with me?¡± Cecelia¡¯s fans had alwaysplimented her mesmerizing beauty, yet she could not bepared to Sophie when they stood side by side. ¡°Exactly! I feel inferior when I stand beside Sophie. I¡¯ve always been confident in my looks, but I never expected to look like this now.¡± Ysabelle was a little triggered. She had been too lenient on herselftely, which caused her to gain some weight. ¡°You¡¯re right. Ms. Tanner is truly the most beautiful bride I¡¯ve ever seen. She¡¯s even prettier than most A- `list celebrities,¡± the staffplimented. ¡°Can we even make a decision? Every photo looks like a scene straight out of a movie!¡± Ysabelle thought it was a pity to leave out any of them. ¡°Sophie, let¡¯s get all of them! After all, Uncle Tristan isn¡¯t short of money.¡± ¡°Sophic, when I get pregnant in the future, I¡¯m going to look at your photo every day so I can give birth to a baby as pretty as you,¡± Cecelia said dreamily. Sophie was at a loss for words. What kind of thinking is that? ¡°Cecelia, you¡¯re the most wless-looking A-list actress yourself.¡± She¡¯s already so beautiful. What is she trying to achieve by saying such a thing? ¡°But I prefer your looks.¡± Cecelia still thought it was a pity. ¡°Are you sure you don¡¯t want to take a gander at the entertainment industry?¡± After all, Sophie had her own entertainmentpany now. She could debut if she wanted to. All content ? N/.?vel/Dr/ama.Org. Sophie was speechless. She did not want to answer that question at all and was tired of giving the same answer over and over again. Besides, she really did not want to enter the entertainment industry. ¡°Why are you making that expression? The entertainment industry is not asplicated as you think. It¡¯s -¡± Cecelia was about to say something else when Tristan entered the store. Since Tristan had arrived, Ysabelle and Cecelia went out to buy milkshakes. They had noticed a milkshake bar nearby the store when they arrived earlier. ¡°Cecelia, aren¡¯t you an actor? Don¡¯t you have to look after your figure? Are you sure you can drink milkshakes?¡± Ysabelle was a singer, so it did not matter whether she gained weight. However, Cecelia was an A-list actress. Her appearance and figure needed to be maintained for the big screens. Cecelia rolled her eyes at Ysabelle. ¡°Ysabelle, I¡¯m also human. How can I not drink milkshakes? Let¡¯s go. I¡¯ll treat you. I can always go on a diet tomorrow if I drink one today. Besides, my manager isn¡¯t here right now.¡± Cecelia was on a small break these days. No one was there to control her, so it was only natural that she would indulge herself. Meanwhile, Tristan sat beside Sophie and looked at their photos together, amazed that they turned out well. He never liked his picture taken. However, he looked natural in the photos as he posed beside Sophie. Sophie honestlymented, ¡°There are too many photos. Plus, they all look beautiful.¡± ¡°The both of us are good-looking. Naturally, our wedding photos will end up looking amazing too. It¡¯ll be difficult for the photographer to make us look ugly. Even an amateur would take breathtaking photos of us,¡± said Tristan. Chapter 949 Chapter 949 Chapter 949 They All Look Amazing The corner of the photographer¡¯s lips twitched slightly when he came over and heard what Tristan said. What he said may be true to a certain extent, but he didn¡¯t have to put it like that! Does he not think that he¡¯s being a little mean? With that in mind, the photographer couldn¡¯t help but speak up for himself. ¡°My photography skills are actually quite decent, Mr. Tristan.¡± Tristan showed no signs of awkwardness whatsoever, even after realizing that the photographer had heard him. ¡°Did you need something?¡± The photoshoot was over, so Tristan had no idea why the photographer approached them. ¡°Well, you see¡­ One of the pictures I took of you two looks really good, and I would like to participate in apetition using it.¡± The photographer had a conflicted look on his face. Had it been anyone else, he would have resolved this issue by offering them money. When faced with someone like Tristan, however, all he could do was humble himself and ask politely. ¡°No, you may not. I told you that, didn¡¯t I?¡± While the pictures did turn out great, they belonged to Tristan and Sophie, and he refused to let anyone else have them. ¡°Mr. Tristan¡­¡± The photographer then shifted his gaze toward Sophie, who was next to Tristan. Wait a minute¡­ If she agrees to this, then Mr. Tristan will have no reason to say no! ¡°I really like this picture, Ms. Tanner! Will you please grant this humble request of mine? I would be extremely grateful to you!¡± the photographer said. Sophie nearly burst outughing when she heard that. N?velDrama.Org content. She had found the photographer rather amusing during the photoshoot. ¡°I¡¯m not even kidding when I say I really like this picture, Ms. Tanner. All I want is to use it in the competition, that¡¯s all!¡± the photographer added. Since the photographer liked it so much, Sophie decided to let him have it. ¡°All right, then. You may use it for thepetition.¡± ¡°Really? Thank you very much, Ms. Tanner! You¡¯re the best! Should you ever require a photographer for wedding photoshoots, please do not hesitate to contact me! I will provide my services free of charge!¡± Tristan¡¯s face clouded over when he heard that. ¡°This is the only marriage she will be getting into for the rest of her life, so why would she have any more wedding photoshoots?¡± ¡°Please calm down, Mr. Tristan! I didn¡¯t mean it like that! I know that you two will surely stay together forever. I was referring to a family picture photoshoot! I¡¯ll do it for free!¡± The photographer¡¯s services were actually very high in demand, so it wouldn¡¯t be easy to get a booking in. ¡°Family photoshoot, huh?¡± Tristan rubbed his chin and thought about it for a few seconds before continuing with a smile, ¡°All right, then. We¡¯ll be sure to contact you again for the family photoshoot!¡± He was certain that he would share tons of interesting moments with Sophie in the future, and he wanted to capture them all so they could look back at those moments when they were old. Sophie wrapped her arms around Tristan¡¯s as she asked. ¡°Family photoshoot? You want to have kids?¡± ¡°What, you don¡¯t want kids? I¡¯m okay with that too. I just want you to be happy, Sophie.¡± All Tristan wanted was to ensure Sophie¡¯s happiness. Nothing else mattered to him. Sophie shook her head. She loved Tristan deeply, so there was no way she wouldn¡¯t want to bear his children. ¡°I do. I¡¯m looking forward to it as well.¡± The mere thought of being a family of three filled her heart with a warm sensation. Not wanting to ruin their lovey-dovey moment, the photographer quickly excused himself by saying, ¡°I still have some work to do, so I need to get going now. You two can take your time with selecting the pictures.¡± As Ysabelle and Cecelia were both famous celebrities, they had to put face masks on to avoid being recognized outside. After ordering milkshakes, however, they realized they couldn¡¯t drink them with those face masks on. As such, they bought four milkshakes and went back to the couple. ¡°Are you two done choosing your pictures?¡± Ysabelle asked curiously. ¡°There¡¯s no need to choose. I think they all look amazing, so we¡¯ll just put them all into a photo album,¡± Tristan said. It was simply too difficult to choose, and he refused to put himself through that trouble. By taking them all, he would eliminate the need to sit through a lengthy selection process. Cecelia¡¯s jaw dropped when she heard that. ¡°Are you sure you want them all? There are over two hundred pictures!¡± Man, wealthy people really can have their way with anything, huh? ¡°Is there a problem?¡± Tristan asked. Cecelia shook her head profusely. ¡°Of course not! You can have it your way, and no one can say otherwise!¡± She knew just how terrifying Tristan could be, so she wasn¡¯t about to get on his bad side. Tristan took a cup of milkshake from Ysabelle and poked a straw into it before handing it to Sophie. ¡°Here you go! You must be thirsty!¡± ¡°Thanks. Cecelia and Ysabelle couldn¡¯t help but cringe when they saw the way he treated Sophie. He¡¯s so mean to us, and yet, he¡¯s so gentle toward her! Talk about double standards! ¡°All right, then. We¡¯ll take them all. You two should be heading over to TS Entertainment by now, right?¡± Sophie reminded Ysabelle and Cecelia. Although Cecelia was still on vacation, Sophie had hired a professional to tutor her. ¡°Yup! We¡¯ll be on our way now!¡± Cecelia and Ysabelle then headed over to TS Entertainment after that. As Sophie was free during the afternoon, she went to Lombard Group with Tristan and began writing a medical thesis regarding the virus in Anndur. As there was a lot to write about, she didn¡¯t have much time to entertain Tristan while she was at Lombard Group. Tristan had his secretary prepare some of Sophie¡¯s favorite snacks and a pot of tea. After serving up the refreshments, the two secretaries stepped out of the office. ¡°Mr. Tristan sure treats Ms. Tanner well! It¡¯s extremely rare to find a man of his position who would take such good care of his girlfriend!¡± As if finding a man who was standing at the top of the pyramid wasn¡¯t hard enough, Sophie was lucky enough to find a man with such status who treated her like a princess. Ysabelle was having a ss with her vocal coach when she felt an intense pain in her chest and crouched down. The vocal coach liked Ysabelle because she was very talented. The fact that she was still humble and continued learning despite being famous made her all the more likable. ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Ysabelle?¡± the vocal coach eximed in shock. Ysabelle clutched at her chest in pain for quite some time before finally being able to speak. Her forehead was drenched in cold sweat as she said apologetically, ¡°I¡¯m not feeling well, coach. I¡¯m afraid I might not be able to continue with this lesson.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about the lesson! I¡¯ll have someone send you to a hospital right away!¡± ¡°That won¡¯t be necessary, coach. I¡¯ll feel better soon,¡± Ysabelle replied while pulling out her phone. She had been having a bad feeling in her gut the whole day. Worried that something might have happened to Felix, she tried browsing through the news online. Ysabelle¡¯s face went pale when she saw the news about a battle in Fandar. She tried calling Felix on his phone, but she couldn¡¯t seem to get through no matter how many times she called. ¡°What¡¯s wrong. Ysabelle? Don¡¯t scare me like this!¡± the vocal coach eximed anxiously. Chapter 950 Chapter 950 Chapter 950 Felix Is in Trouble The assistant, who came in after hearing themotion, began to panic as well when she saw the state Ysabelle was in. ¡°What happened to you, Ysabelle? Come on: I¡¯ll get you to a hospital right away!¡± the assistant said while reaching out to pull her up, but Ysabelle brushed her hand aside and insisted. ¡°I¡¯m fine. I¡¯m just feeling a little unwell, that¡¯s all. Could you pour me a ss of water, please?¡± This can¡¯t be happening! Felix has been hanging out with Uncle Tristan for such a long time, so he must be capable of handling himself? He¡¯ll be fine! Meanwhile, Tristan had received a call from Bertram as well. ¡°Bad news, Mr. Tristan! Mr. Northley ran into some trouble! I haven¡¯t been able to contact him since yesterday, so I sent a lot of my men out on a search for him. They have yet to find anything at the moment. Bertram knew just how much Felix meant to Tristan. Besides that, Felix was Ysabelle¡¯s boyfriend, so Bertram would have a hard time exining himself to Tristan if anything bad happened to him. Since he couldn¡¯t find Felix, he had no choice but to tell Tristan about it. ¡°Got it. Have your men continue the search. I¡¯ll head over right away.¡± Tristan replied with a gloomy look. on his face. He, too, had lost contact with Felix ever since he found out about the incident in Fandar. Things were really bad this time. Sophie came rushing over after Ysabelle¡¯s assistant called her and told her about how something must have happened to Felix. ¡°Got it. I¡¯ll continue the search, Tristan said and hung up the phone. He figured Sophie must have known about it too when he saw her standing there. ¡°I¡¯m making a trip to Fandar.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll go with you.¡± The situation in Fandar was way too chaotic, and Felix¡¯s whereabouts were still unknown, so Sophie felt a need to go there herself. ¡°Could you stay here instead? I don¡¯t want you to go there.¡± ¡°I told you, Tristan. I will stay by your side no matter what happens. Besides, my skills with aputer coulde in handy there. On top of that, I¡¯m also a doctor, so I can treat Felix if he¡¯s injured.¡± Given her skillset, she would be a valuable asset to have on the team. ¡°All right, then. I¡¯ll have someone make the flight arrangements.¡± Tristan then told his secretary to get them on a direct flight to Fandar. ¡°What about Ysabelle? She knows about this too. Should we bring her along?¡± Sophie asked. While she believed that it would be best to have Ysabelle remain in Chanaca, she was certain that Ysabelle would insist on tagging along now that she knew about Felix¡¯s situation. ¡°We¡¯ll bring her along. It¡¯ll be harder to protect her if she goes there on her own.¡± Given how chaotic things were in Fandar, it was simply too dangerous to let Ysabelle head over all by herself. ¡°Got it!¡± Sophie then called Ysabelle¡¯s assistant and said, ¡°Take Ysabelle to the airport and meet up with us there. We¡¯ll be taking a direct flight to Fandar.¡± Ysabelle began crying the moment she saw Sophie at the airport. At that moment, she regretted arguing with Felix as she believed he wouldn¡¯t have gotten himself into danger otherwise. This is all my fault! ¡°Come on: stop crying. We¡¯re heading over to look for Felix, aren¡¯t we? He¡¯ll be fine!¡± Sophie reassured her. With me and Tristan on the case, I¡¯m sure we¡¯ll be able to find Felix no matter where he is! ¡°Yeah¡­¡± I never intended for things to turn out like this! I have to believe that Felix will make it back safely! Even if we don¡¯t end up together, I still want him to be safe and sound! Tristan figured Ysabelle probably hadn¡¯t eaten anything when he saw how depressed she looked, so he bought her some food from a nearby restaurant. ¡°Here, you need to eat something, or I will have my men send you back.¡± His tone was icy-cold because he was in a terrible mood right now. N?velDrama.Org content rights. ¡°I¡¯m really not hungry, Uncle Tristan. Sophie, could you eat this for me?¡± Ysabelle said as she didn¡¯t feel like eating anything at all. ¡°Don¡¯t be so stubborn. You¡¯d better eat up, or Tristan will really send you back!¡± Sophie said. She won¡¯t have the strength to search for Felix in Fandar if she doesn¡¯t eat something Since Sophie had spoken up, Ysabelle had no choice but to sit down and eat the food. It was almost time for their flight when she finished eating, so they quickly made their way onto the ne. Ysabelle was so nervous that she couldn¡¯t sleep a wink. ¡°You should try to get some shuteye. We¡¯ll bending in Fandar tomorrow at noon. You won¡¯t have the strength to look for Felix if you don¡¯t sleep now.¡± ¡°I know that, but I can¡¯t seem to fall asleep.¡± ¡°Then close your eyes and rest your body. Here, drink some water and get some rest,¡± Sophie said while handing her a ss of water. Ysabelle felt a little drowsy after taking a few sips of the water. Sophic breathed a sigh of relief when she saw Ysabelle fall asleep atst. ¡°Is she asleep?¡± ¡°Yeah. I spiked her drink with some sleeping pills. She needs to get some rest, but she can¡¯t fall asleep because it¡¯s her first time experiencing something like this.¡± Although Ysabelle was always annoying Felix with her shenanigans, she did have genuine feelings toward him. With Felix missing and unreachable, Ysabelle was the one who felt the worst. ¡°Everything is going to be all right. Felix is only confirmed to be missing at the moment. I¡¯m sure we¡¯ll be able to find him,¡± Sophie reassured him. Felix has been around Tristan long enough, so I know he¡¯s a very capable man. ¡°Yeah, you¡¯re right. We¡¯ll definitely be able to find him.¡± Felix was a good friend of Tristan¡¯s, so he was very upset about Felix going missing as well. ¡°You should get some sleep too, Tristan. We won¡¯t have any time to sleep once we arrive in Fandar.¡± At the very least, they would not have time to sleep before they had found Felix. ¡°You too.¡± He still had to analyze the forces that were active in Fandar. ¡°Okay!¡± Sophie leaned her head on his shoulder as she continued, ¡°Let¡¯s both get some sleep. We¡¯ll find out how things are when we get there, so there¡¯s no point in overthinking things now.¡± ¡°All right. You are to stay clear of dangerous ces in Fandar, okay? I know you would do anything for me, but I want you to be safe,¡± Tristan said while draping a nket over her. ¡°Don¡¯t worry! I n on marrying you, so I¡¯ll do my best to stay safe!¡± ¡°All right.¡± Yeah, she¡¯s right! We can solve any problem thates our way, so we¡¯re all going to be fine! It wasn¡¯t until the next morning that Ysabelle woke up. She was a little confused when she saw that she was on a ne, and it took her a few seconds to recall they were on a mission to rescue Felix. Sophie had the flight attendant prepare some breakfast when she saw that Ysabelle was awake. ¡°Why is this ne going so slow, Sophie? Could you tell the captain to go a little faster?¡± Every second felt like a year to her, and all she wanted was to find Felix as soon as possible. Sophie gave her a pinch on the cheek. ¡°I told you not to worry, didn¡¯t I? We¡¯re already going at the maximum speed, so just be patient. Felix will be fine.¡± They knew she was worried about Felix, so they tried their best to reassure her. ¡°Okay.¡± ¡°Come on, let¡¯s have breakfast together.¡± Sophie had put her breakfast on hold just so she could eat it with Ysabelle. Ysabelle knew she needed to keep her body energized, so she ate her food obediently. Chapter 951 Chapter 951 Chapter 951 A Thorough Search Felix had been the one taking care of her all this while. This time, Ysabelle wanted to be there to take care of him. That was why she needed to eat well. Only then would she be able to appear before him in her best state. ¡°That¡¯s more like it. Don¡¯t worry. Your uncle and I will definitely find Felix,¡± Sophie promised. She believed there was nothing they could not do when they teamed up. ¡°Okay. You should eat, too, Sophie. Let¡¯s eat together.¡± ¡°Okay After breakfast, Ysabelle stared nkly at the sky outside the window. All she could do was pray that Felix was fine. I¡¯ll do anything as long as he¡¯s fine. ¡°Sophie, you don¡¯t have to stay here to keep mepany. I know you and Uncle Tristan have many things to discuss.¡± There was nothing Ysabelle could do when it came to searching for Felix, but she did not want to hold them back, either. Moreover, she was not really a smart person. The only thing she could do was leave it to Tristan and Sophie. Sophie patted her friend¡¯s hand to calm thetter. ¡°Rx. It¡¯ll be all right,¡± she assured. She¡¯s still too nervous. We¡¯ve already analyzed everything we needed tost night. There¡¯s nothing more we can do. We can only take action when wend. ¡°Okay.¡± Ysabelle shed Sophie a smile that looked more miserable than her crying. Sophie could only gently pat her friend¡¯s face. ¡°There, there. You don¡¯t have to force a smile. I understand what you¡¯re feeling now.¡± Ysabelle leaned on Sophie¡¯s shoulder, not wanting to say a word. She felt awful, but it was not the right time to cry. Sophie stayed by Ysabelle¡¯s side until the nended at Fandar¡¯s airport. Ysabelle almost fell when she got to her feet to exit the ne. Thankfully, Sophie caught thetter in time, She¡¯s in a terrible state. ¡°Get yourself together. Felix is an incredible person. You¡¯ve got to believe in him even if you don¡¯t believe in us, okay?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not that I don¡¯t believe in you, Sophie. I¡¯m just worried.¡± After all, Fandar had be awless ce. All kinds of people existed there. One could die there if they were not careful enough. Holding Ysabelle¡¯s hand, Sophie prompted, ¡°All right. Let¡¯s go. We need to look for Bertram.¡± They needed. to look for Bertram because he was more familiar with the country. As soon as they got off the ne, they found Bertram¡¯s men already waiting for them. Hence, they got into the car and went straight to their base in Fandar. Ysabelle¡¯s stomach churned with anxiety when she saw what the ce had be from all the explosions. The ce was ten times worse than she had expected. Refugees were everywhere, and no one knew when they would rebel. Even the other forces stared at them warily. Seeing that, Ysabelle pressed closer to Sophie¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Stop looking. This ce is like that. Cruel things are happening every day in ces you don¡¯t know of.¡± said Sophie. Ysabelle had always been a sheltered princess. As she was someone who had never seen the cruel side of the world, she could experience what it meant to live by thew of the jungle there. Ysabelle shook her head. ¡°I¡¯m fine. I¡¯m all right,¡± she said. So, this is how some people on Earth live? I, on the other hand, have been living a pampered life. What more can I ask for? Soon, the group arrived at their base at Fandar in the off-road vehicle. When Bertram heard about their arrival, he quickly stepped out to wee them. ¡°You guys are here! I¡¯m afraid our technicians are not skilled enough as we can¡¯t seem to locate Mr. Northley¡¯s whereabouts.¡± They needed to identify their target¡¯s location in order to rescue him. The problem was that they had no idea where he was. ¡°I¡¯ll take a look.¡± Sophie had confidence in her skills. Hence, she did not hesitate to take on the responsibility. ¡°All right. Please follow me, Ms. Tanner.¡± With that, Bertram brought her to the technical department, where a fewputers were set up. Several technicians could be seen making repeated yet unfruitful attempts. Since everyputer was upied there, Bertram ordered one of the technicians to stand up before saying. ¡°You can use this one, Ms. Tanner.¡± Ever since thest incident, Bertram dared not underestimate her. Mr. Tristan¡¯s woman isn¡¯t that simple. Sophie simply took over the technician¡¯s job without so much as saying a word. s, no matter how hard N?velDrama.Org content rights. she searched, Felix could not be tracked. ¡°Did you find Felix¡¯s phone?¡± ¡°We did, but we still couldn¡¯t find him. The phone wasn¡¯t with him, so we couldn¡¯t lock onto his location.¡± Bertram was truly in despair when they found Felix¡¯s phone. ¡°Are you unable to find him, Sophie?¡± Ysabelle was on the verge of tears. How can this be? Sophie¡¯s amazing at this. If even she can¡¯t find him, does that mean Felix is¡­. ¡°Since Felix doesn¡¯t have his phone with him, we can only look for him like we would search for a needle in a haystack. We¡¯ll need to look into the surveince footage of the area where you found the phone.¡± That was the only thing they could do at that moment. ¡°Okay. I¡¯ve already asked some of my men to look into the footage.¡± ¡°Great.¡± Following that, Sophie swiftly hacked into Fandar¡¯swork system and copied all the footage captured by the nearby surveince cameras. ¡°Is there anything I can do. Sophie? I¡¯d like to help,¡± Ysabelle offered. She hade because she wanted to be of some help. ¡°Come here. You can check this footage. Watch them carefully and let me know if you see Felix.¡± Sophie got to her feet and gave Ysabelle her seat. She¡¯ll overthink things if I don¡¯t let her do something. ¡°Okay. Leave it to me. I¡¯ll watch them thoroughly.¡± At that, Ysabelle began watching the footage. As someone who was familiar with Felix, she would surely find him if he appeared in them. Be safe, Felir. Don¡¯t you dare leave me alone! In the meantime, Sophie asked another technician to give her his seat. The truth was, they did not need a person to look through all of the footage. A simple program could let them know whether Felix showed up in them. However, the results only disappointed Sophie. Getting to her feet, she suggested to Tristan, ¡°Come on. Let¡¯s go out.¡± Tristan nodded to express his agreement. Looks like looking for Felix is going to be tough. ¡°Are you unable to find him, Ms. Tanner?¡± ¡°Yep. Felix isn¡¯t in any of these footage.¡± ¡°Why are you still making Ms. Ysabelle look at them, then?¡± ¡°It¡¯s to distract her. Otherwise, she¡¯ll start overthinking.¡± Sophie had already examined the footage, yet Felix was nowhere to be found. It was as if he had vanished into thin air. ¡°What do we do now? He¡¯s been missing for two days. Could he¡­¡± Bertram¡¯s voice trailed off when he saw the look on Tristan¡¯s face. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Mr. Tristan. It¡¯s my fault for not doing my job well to protect him.¡± ¡°There¡¯s no point talking about that now. What matters is that we find him as soon as possible,¡± Tristan snapped. To him, all that talk was meaningless at that moment. Chapter 952 Chapter 952 Chapter 952 Send Winter Home ¡°I¡¯ve already considered every possible method, Mr. Tristan, but we still can¡¯t find him,¡± said Bertram. ¡°I¡¯m going out in a while. Do you want toe with me, Tristan?¡± Sophie asked. ¡°Yes.¡± He was going to follow her wherever she went. Even though she was a capable person, they were in Fandar, a ce of chaos. If even someone like Felix could disappear there, there was no way Tristan could ever let Sophie roam the ce on her own. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. We¡¯ll find him,¡± Sophieforted the man. He must be feeling awful. It¡¯s his good friend, after all. ¡°I know.¡± ¡°Where are you going, Ms. Tanner? I¡¯ll drive you there,¡± offered Bertram. Things were too messed up at the ce. Moreover, Bertram was more familiar with the area since he had been living there for some time. ¡°It¡¯s okay. I need you to stay here to take care of Ysabelle for me. Don¡¯t let her run around wherever she wants,¡± Sophie instructed. At that moment. Ysabelle was like a delicate little bunny. Danger would be upon her if she went out. All content ? N/.?vel/Dr/ama.Org. ¡°All right. Don¡¯t worry, Ms. Tanner. I¡¯ll take good care of her,¡± promised Bertram, nodding firmly. Soon, Sophie found a picture of Felix on her phone. She made a few copies of it and went out with Tristan. ¡°Where are we going?¡± asked Tristan. He had no clue where Sophie wanted to go. ¡°To find someone. Rx. I love you, so I won¡¯t sell you off, Sophie joked to lighten the moo ¡°Okay.¡± Tristan knew why she was doing what she was doing, but he could not dismiss the heavy feeling heart. In fact, he would not be able to rx as long as Felix was not found. When the car arrived at a remote area, Sophie made a call and waited in the car. In the meantime, she rolled down the car windows and watched the children outside. The fear of war was palpable in their ey No ordinary citizen in the world liked wars because the devastation they wrought was too great. More importantly, they were still children, and many had already died in such a high-tech war before they could even experience what it was like to grow up. Tristan, too, stared at the children outside. ¡°Kids born in this area are really pitiful.¡± Not a single kid dared to approach the car. ¡°Mm¡­ Maybe we can help them.¡± Only when the horrible humans stopped wreaking havoc there would the children live to see the future. However, that could only be done after Felix was found. ¡°I¡¯ll be with you no matter what you want to do. Just don¡¯t abandon me.¡± Indeed, he was willing to do anything for her. Right then, an old man in tattered clothes approached their car. When Sophie caught sight of the elderly man, she stepped out of the car and walked over to him. ¡°Ms. Tanner, is there something you need?¡± The elderly man eyed her with immense respect. ¡°It¡¯s like this. I want you to help me find this man. Once you have news about him, I¡¯ll need you to send someone to report to us at this address.¡± While saying that, Sophie handed the photograph to the elderly man. epting the photograph, Arthur Camidge said, ¡°All right, Ms. Tanner. Don¡¯t worry. We¡¯ll do our best to fulfill your request.¡± The two conversed using the localnguage, which surprised Tristan. He had no idea Sophie was fluent in thatnguage. Did shee to Fandar in the past? ¡°Thank you in advance,¡± said Sophie. That was one of the ways to find someone in a poor and backward ce. Arthur knew everyone from all over Fandar. He was like the leader of a gang from the past. Only when the elderly man walked away with the photograph did Sophie return to the car. ¡°What is it? Do you have questions?¡± she asked Tristan upon seeing his confused face. ¡°How are you able to speak thenguage here? Did youe here before?¡± he queried. Wasn¡¯t she always in Jipsdale and Horington? ¡°I came here once in the past.¡± Thus, Sophie briefly exined her time there, which was when she got to know Arthur. ¡°I see.¡± Tristan did not press on, for he figured she did not have a good experience here. ¡°I¡¯ve asked him to help us find Felix. He¡¯ll go to the base if he has any news.¡± ¡°Okay. Looks like you¡¯re acquainted with many big shots, Sophie. You¡¯re so famous even in a ce like Fandar.¡± Tristan was impressed by his wife. ¡°It¡¯s nothing, really. The most powerful one I know by far is sitting right beside me,¡± said Sophie with a chuckle. ¡°Come on. Let¡¯s go back.¡± She was worried about Ysabelle being alone at the base. Upon arriving at the base, Sophie and Tristan saw an extremely disheveled-looking Winter outside. Despite Fandar being in such chaos, she still could not return to her home country. The moment she saw Tristan, she burst into tears. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Mr. Tristan. I know I was wrong. Please let me return to Jipsdale! It¡¯s too scary here. I don¡¯t want to die yet!¡± Winter had tried calling Charles, but her brother did not answer. She could not help but wonder if she was truly such a disappointment to the family. A frown etched itself between Tristan¡¯s brows the moment he saw her. Why is she here? ¡°I¡¯m begging you, Mr. Tristan! I won¡¯t show up in front of you ever again! Please let me go back!¡± Winter truly regretted it. Life in Fandar was a living hell. She lived in fear every day, feeling as if she could die from a gunshot anytime. ¡°Enough. Send her back already.¡± Sophie did not like seeing people cry, not to mention the woman crying was Charles¡¯ younger sister. Winter cast Sophie a conflicted gaze. This woman really has a huge influence on Mr. Tristan. All this time, I thought he was just toying with her. Turns out he¡¯s sincere about the rtionship. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you be thanking Ms. Tanner? Where are your manners?¡± Tristan could not say no when Sophie had already spoken up. However, his words put Winter in a dilemma. After all, Winter was asked to thank Sophie, the woman she had never liked. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? You don¡¯t want to? Sure. You can continue staying in Fandar, then.¡± Tristan could not be bothered to waste another second on an unreasonable woman. ¡°Thank you, Ms. Tanner,¡± Winter forced out. ¡°Mm.¡± Sophic did not so much as nce at Winter. The only reason she asked Tristan to send Winter back was that thetter had a great brother. In other words, Sophie was doing it for Charles¡¯ sake. ¡°Let¡¯s go in.¡± Tristan wrapped an arm around Sophie¡¯s shoulder without sparing Winter another nce. Meanwhile, thetter entered the base hurriedly. The refugees out there were too scary. Winter did not want to stay out there a second longer. As soon as Sophie entered the base, she saw Bertram discussing something with his subordinates. His eyes lit up at the sight of the couple as if he had seen his savior. Bertram and his men were at a loss for what to do. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Did something happen?¡± Sophie had never seen that look on Bertram¡¯s face before. ¡°I think Ms. Lombard isn¡¯t used to the food here. She refuses to eat anything. All she does is watch the surveince footage.¡± Bertram was aware of Ysabelle¡¯s rtionship with Felix. Thus, he understood what she was going through when he saw her in such a state. ¡°Okay. I¡¯ll check on her.¡± While Sophie went into the technical department, Tristan stayed outside. ¡°Bertram, get someone to send Ms. Quigley back.¡± Tristan ordered. Chapter 953 Chapter 953 Chapter 953 Unknown Fate Bertram naturally recognized Winter; he just never expected such a high and mighty woman to end up in such an embarrassing state. After all, she had always been Walter¡¯s favorite daughter. It was just a shame that she didn¡¯t have the best taste and insisted on liking Tristan. Doesn¡¯t she realize who he is? He¡¯s not someone she can y tricks on! Winter called out to Tristan as she watched him leave. ¡°Tristan! Have you really never liked me a single bit?¡± She had been so fixated on him all this while, but in the end, was this love only one-sided? The woman thought he would at least answer her. Yet, he didn¡¯t even look back. Tears spilled down the sides of her eyes. It was then she knew he would never like her. It was also about time she put a stop to this one-sided love. Seeing that she was Charles¡¯ sister, Bertram gave her two pieces of tissue. ¡°Don¡¯t cry. Ms. Quigley. I¡¯ll arrange to have someone pick you up. There are plenty of other guys a woman like you can choose from, so don¡¯t be upset!¡± He didn¡¯t really know how to console someone, but he tried his best after seeing the way she was sobbing her heart out. ¡°Am I that terrible of a woman, Bertram? Why won¡¯t he ever acknowledge me? What makes Sophie better than me?¡± Bertram paused. Should I be honest? But she¡¯s already so upset. She¡¯ll flood the entire ce if I tell her the truth. ¡°You¡¯re amazing. Ms. Quigley. It¡¯s just that Mr. Tristan isn¡¯t into you. That¡¯s why he doesn¡¯t realize how good you are. All right. I have other things to take care of, so I¡¯ll get someone to take you to the airport.¡± He couldn¡¯t afford to waste any more time on her. With that, he quickly called for someone. ¡°She¡¯s the third daughter of the Quigley family. Take her to the airport. I¡¯ve already arranged her flight so she can head straight back to Jipsdale.¡± Fandar was far too dangerous now. After Winter had left, Bertram immediately gave Charles a call. ¡°Hello, Mr. Quigley. Your sister¡¯s flight has been taken care of. Do keep a lookout on your end.¡± ¡°Thanks, Bertram. I¡¯ll buy you a meal when youe back.¡± Charles was certainly worried about his sister, but he hadn¡¯t had the time to get someone to bring her back as Felix¡¯s fate remained unknown. ¡°I don¡¯t deserve the credit. Mr. Tristan helped her because of Ms. Tanner.¡± It wasn¡¯t as though they didn¡¯t know what Tristan was like; he never would¡¯ve bothered with Winter if it weren¡¯t for Sophie. ¡°I know.¡± Sophie was always this magnanimous. +15 Bonus She never wanted to make Winter¡¯s life hard. It was thetter who didn¡¯t know her ce and kept trying to make Tristan recognize her existence. ¡°All right, I¡¯ll talk to youter. Things are really busy here.¡± They had to deal with so many other forces while also looking for Felix, who remained missing. ¡°Is there still no news on Felix?¡± Charles¡¯ expression looked particrly grim. The men had been friends since young, but now, no one knew what had happened to Felix. Charles and Sean couldn¡¯t head over personally as they were caught up with all the affairs in Jipsdale, but they were still extremely worried. ¡°Not yet. The longer this goes on, the lower our chances of saving him.¡± Most importantly, they didn¡¯t even know if Felix was still alive. That was the most concerning part. ¡°I understand, Bertram. Give it your all and save him.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Mr. Quigley. We¡¯re all trying our best. Mr. Tristan and Ms. Tanner are here too. With them around, you can rest easy. Anyway, I have to get back to work, so I¡¯ll talk to you next time.¡± It had been a few days since Bertramst slept. He just didn¡¯t have the time to rest. After hanging up. Charles immediately had someone check the flight details that Bertram had sent and arranged for them to wait on Winter. Walter was relieved to learn that his daughter was returning. He had been on edge ever since he heard about what had happened at Fandar. Meanwhile, Sophie walked in to see Ysabelle still watching those videos. Thetter had spent so long staring at theputer screen that her eyes had turned red and dry. However, she didn¡¯t mind as long as she could find Felix. Sophie couldn¡¯t help but sigh. Seeing Ysabelle in such an awful state made her feel sorry for the former. ¡°You should get some rest. Your eyes won¡¯t be able to take it if you keep this up.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry about me, Sophie. I¡¯m fine. This is the only thing I can do, so I want to do it well.¡± She knew how busy everyone else was, so she refused to sit back and do nothing. ¡°Well, at least eat something! Felix would be so worried if he found out that you haven¡¯t rested.¡± ¡°Would he even find out? It¡¯s been so long, but we still haven¡¯t gotten any news on him. Is he¡­¡± Ysabelle dared not finish her sentence, but her tears wouldn¡¯t stop flowing. She hastily rubbed her eyes with the back of her hands. Then, she forced a smile and put up a brave front. Yet, that only made her look more pitiful. ¡°I know you¡¯re sad, Ysabelle, but no news is good news, right? Besides, Felix is a really tough guy. He¡¯ll be just fine.¡± At this point, they could only trust Felix. Ysabelle nodded. ¡°I know how capable he is. I believe in him too. He¡¯ll definitelye back safe and sound.¡± She didn¡¯t want to waste everyone¡¯s time or affect their mood. ¡°Have some food. We¡¯ll all do our best.¡± The more time went by, the lower Felix¡¯s chances of survival. Even so, giving their best efforts was all they could do now. Afterforting Ysabelle and getting her to eat, Sophie and Tristan headed out. They had yet to have their lunch. ¡°Hello, Mr. Tristan. Ms. Quigley has boarded the ne.¡± Bertram reported. N?velDrama.Org content. ¡°Got it. Get some rest, Bertram.¡± Judging from those dark circles, Sophie knew the man hadn¡¯t slept for a long time. ¡°I¡¯m fine, Ms. Tanner. I can keep going.¡± There was no way Bertram could rest now. ¡°No, you should rest and recover. We¡¯ll have a lot more work to do when the timees.¡± After confirming Felix¡¯s whereabouts, they would still have to rescue him. ¡°Go, Tristan added. Now that the man himself had given the order, Bertram obliged and took a nap. He, too, knew that a tough battle awaited them. He didn¡¯t fear the battle itself; he was only worried about Felix¡¯s well-being. How are we going to make it up to the Northley family if anything happens to him? After all, he was with us. Sophie only had a little to eat. She wasn¡¯t too fond of the food here, but it wasn¡¯t as though she could call a Chanaean chef over during such dangerous times. ¡°Are you full?¡± Seeing that she didn¡¯t eat much, Tristan gazed at her in concern. ¡°I know everyone¡¯s anxious, but you should still take good care of yourself no matter what.¡± ¡°Yeah, I know. We should be receiving some news soon enough.¡± With Arthur¡¯s help, they could surely locate Felix. Chapter 954 Chapter 954 Chapter 954 A Clue Meanwhile, Arthur gave the photo to his subordinates and instructed them to contact the others. Sure enough, it did not take long before there was news on the matter. ¡°Mr. Camidge, that person was taken away by Kaarle from Anndur. You know what he¡¯s like. If he discovers that we¡¯re the ones who leaked the news¡­ Our lives in Fandar are already hard enough as it is. If that happens. I¡¯m afraid things will only get worse. Kaarle is ruthless. More importantly, he possesses an incredible array of weaponry. It¡¯s so powerful to the point that he¡¯s practically invincible. Arthur lit a cigarette. ¡°That¡¯s enough. Ms. Tanner requested my assistance, so I¡¯ll definitely help her, even if it means death. Are you sure Kaarle has that person?¡± Kaarle goes around breaking thew andmitting crimes in Fandar. If we seed in taking him down, the people of Fandar can also finally lead peaceful lives. ¡°I was only cautioning you, Mr. Camidge. However, no matter your decision, I¡¯ll surely support you.¡± ¡°Okay. I¡¯m going to look for Ms. Tanner.¡± Arthur rose to his feet and headed directly to the base camp where Sophie was. A bodyguard stopped him the moment he arrived. This time. Tristan and the others had brought many bodyguards with them. ¡°I¡¯m here to see Ms. Tanner,¡± he said calmly. The bodyguard nced at him. Thinking that Sophie must have been the one who told Arthur about her whereabouts since he knew she was there, the bodyguard let him through. When Sophie saw Arthur had arrived, she got up from her chair and greeted him. ¡°How are things, Mr. Camidge?¡± she asked. With his capabilities, there won¡¯t be any problems as long as his subordinates have seen Felix. ¡°Kaarle has him. Ms. Tanner. However, you should also know that he¡¯s Anndur¡¯srgest arms dealer. Hence, he has many high-tech weapons in his possession,¡± Arthur replied. Although we know where that person is, it¡¯s hard to say whether it¡¯s possible to rescue him. ¡°Kaarle?¡± Tristan echoed. I haven¡¯t heard much about this guy before since Bertram is the one who usually handles everything on this end. Bertram immediately brought over a tablet and pulled up information on Kaarle. ¡°This guy is ruthless. No matter what he does, he always acts unscrupulously. To him, it¡¯s all about the money.¡± ¡°Thank you, Mr. Camidge. I¡¯ll treat you to a meal when I¡¯m free.¡± Sophie could not help feeling grateful for Arthur¡¯s tremendous help. He shook his head. Feeling worried, he said, ¡°Ms. Tanner, Kaarle is truly a force to be reckoned with. Whatever action you decide to take, you must be careful. Also, you have to let me know if there¡¯s anything I can do to help.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Mr. Camidge. We¡¯ll take care of this Kaarle guy. I won¡¯t let him threaten your safety.¡± She had also read the information on Kaarle. If he finds out Mr. Camidge and his men were responsible for leaking this information to us, there¡¯s no way he¡¯ll spare them. ¡°Ms. Tanner, our lives and deaths on this earth are determined by our fates. You don¡¯t have to worry about me. You only need to take care of yourself.¡± ¡°Okay. Let me walk you to the door,¡± Sophie replied, personally seeing Arthur out. ¡°I¡¯ll be on my way now, Ms. Tanner. I know you¡¯re very busy. I¡¯m serious, though. If you need anything, just let me know. I¡¯ll be there,¡± he reminded. No one else knew Fandar better than he did. ¡°This is a fight between our forces. It has nothing to do with you, so you don¡¯t have to bother about it,¡± came her reply. When the timees, we can leave. However, Mr. Camidge and the rest still have to continue living here. That¡¯s why I can¡¯t possibly allow him to get involved in this matter. ¡°Okay. Just be careful.¡± Arthur still felt uneasy. After all, Kaarle was really powerful. After sending off Arthur. Sophie turned around and saw Tristan standing behind her. She walked over to him. ¡°What¡¯s the matter? At least we now know where Felix is, All we have to do is go and scout the situation, she said, fully trusting what Arthur had told them. ¡°Who knows what condition he¡¯s in now that he¡¯s in Kaarle¡¯s hands!¡± Just thinking about all the ways Kaarle could torture Felix made Tristan feel a sense of suffocation. ¡°Let¡¯s wait until it gets dark. Then, we¡¯ll sneak in and have a look, Sophie said while holding his hand. Kaarle also had a military base there, which was where Felix was. I¡¯m afraid it won¡¯t do Felix any good if we were to lead a group of us and barge in with much fanfare. We must slip quietly into the lion¡¯s den. That¡¯s the only way we can rescue him. He gave a murmur of agreement. It would be easier to sneak in when it was dark, but he did not want her to go. ¡°I can go alone. You should stay here and watch over Ysabelle. Don¡¯t let anything happen to her,¡± he replied, thinking about how upset Ysabelle had been the past few days. ¡°Do you think that¡¯s really going to happen? With my skills, the chances of sessfully getting Felix out are much higher if we go together.¡± She was not about to let him take such a risk by himself. This is a rescue mission, not a suicide mission. ¡°I¡¯ll ask Bertram to go with me.¡± Sophie stared at him wordlessly, not wanting to talk anymore. Are my skills not as good as Bertram¡¯s? Why won¡¯t he let me go? Tristan drew her into his arms. ¡°That Kaarle is quite powerful, so I don¡¯t want to put you in danger,¡± he exined. Since she was a woman, he felt she should stay safely at the rear and leave things like charging into battle to the men. ¡°I want to go with you,¡± she insisted. I¡¯m going to say it just this once. If he refuses again, I¡¯ll really get mad. nting a kiss on her forehead, he replied, ¡°Trust me, okay? I promise I¡¯ll return safely.¡± ¡°You should trust me once, too. I told you. I¡¯ve decided to be with you, so no matter what happens in the future, we should face it together.¡± ¡°Mm, okay.¡± In the end. Tristan was the one who relented as he understood her all too well. He knew if he did not bring her, she would still go on her own. After that, Sophie went looking for Ysabelle. Pulling Ysabelle up, she said, ¡°You don¡¯t have to look anymore. We¡¯ve already found a clue.¡± Ysabelle was slightly taken aback, ¡°Are you serious? Sophie, you¡¯re not lying to me, are you? You should know I¡¯ll be furious if you deceive me. To Ysabelle, Felix¡¯s situation was not aughing matter at all. ¡°I¡¯m not lying to you. When have I ever lied to you?¡± Sophie responded while leading her out. ¡°In that case, where is he now? Is he okay? Can I go to see him now?¡± That was what Ysabelle cared about the most at that moment. Nothing else mattered to her. ¡°We know where he is, but you can¡¯t see him yet. We¡¯ll go and bring him back tonight.¡± ¡°Really? Ysabelle asked, growing somewhat agitated. ¡°Is he hurt?¡± She could not help wondering how Felix was after he had gone missing for so many days. ¡°I really couldn¡¯t tell you. We¡¯ll have to wait until tonight to find out,¡± Sophie replied. She could understand how Ysabelle was feeling. ¡°I can¡¯t go with you, right?¡± Ysabelle knew that with her skills, she would only cause more inconvenience for them if she went. ¡°That¡¯s right. As you know, your skills aren¡¯t good enough,¡± Sophie replied bluntly without beating around the bush. All content ? N/.?vel/Dr/ama.Org. ¡°All right. Be careful, then. You and Uncle Tristan must be careful.¡± Having seen how cruel the world could be, Ysabelle was genuinely worried about them. Chapter 955 Chapter 955 Chapter 955 Infiltrating the Base ¡°Yeah. Please listen to me and remain here. Don¡¯t go wandering off, okay?¡± Sophie reminded Ysabelle in concern. She was worried that Ysabelle would disappear without anyone¡¯s knowing. ¡°Don¡¯t worry! I won¡¯t stray away. I know how dangerous it is here.¡± All of them intended to leave that ce as soon as they had Felix. Ysabelle did not want to be there for even a moment longer than necessary. ¡°Good. I¡¯m relieved to hear that. You must be the first person Felix would want to see when he gets out,¡± Sophie reassured her. ¡°I¡¯ve been so mean to him. Why would he still want to see me?¡± Ysabelle truly had treated him terribly. She had been much too proud and stubborn, which was why Felix had ended up in that ce. If I hadn¡¯t quarreled with Felix, he wouldn¡¯t be here, and all these things wouldn¡¯t have happened¡­ ¡°You didn¡¯t do anything wrong. You are Ysabelle, the Ysabelle that he loves the most. How can she think so badly of herself just because of this incident? She did nothing wrong at all! After all, all lovers have their quarrels. Ysabelle threw herself into Sophie¡¯s arms. ¡°Promise me that all of you will get back to me safely!¡± Any ce that she could not step foot in must be a dangerous ce. ¡°Yes, of course, we¡¯lle back in one piece.¡± Sophie gently wiped away Ysabelle¡¯s tears with her thumb. ¡°Be strong. After going through all this, you have to be more mature.¡± ¡°Yes, I understand.¡± It¡¯s true! I really should be stronger. I¡¯m always relying on others to clean up my mess. I really should grow up and handle my own problems! Bertram was upset to find out that Tristan would not take him along with him. ¡°Mr. Tristan, let me go with you! I¡¯ve always been by your side. I know exactly what you need and when you need it. We¡¯re such a good team!¡± Bertram was worried for Tristan. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. Sophie will be with me. Your job is to stay here and keep an eye on Ysabelle.¡± Watching over Ysabelle was no easy task either. ¡°Mr. Tristan, can¡¯t the three of us go together?¡± After all, one more person means one more pair of eyes! ¡°You have to wait for us outside! If there are too many of us, we risk being discovered, and it would certainly not end well.¡± The two of them still had to locate Felix once they got in. ¡°Who would take care of the situation outside if there¡¯s no onepetent waiting out here?¡± Tristan knew he could rely on Bertram as thetter was incredibly capable. ¡°Okay, I understand! I¡¯ll wait for you outside. I won¡¯t let you down. I¡¯ll do my best no matter what happens! ¡°Go find a Chanacan cook. Neither Sophie nor Ysabelle likes the local cuisine. Let¡¯s make sure they get a good dinner tonight.¡± ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll do as you say.¡± Bertram really admired Sophie. As befitting a woman worthy of Tristan¡¯s affection, she was easily able to find Felix¡¯s whereabouts. That night, Sophie was pleasantly surprised to see the table full of Chanaean dishes. She nced gratefully at Tristan. Even at a time and ce like this, he still makes the effort to take care of me! Ysabelle, however, had lost her appetite. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Eat something. You¡¯ve been looking thinner and thinner these few days. Felix will be upset when he sees you like this,¡± Sophie coaxed Ysabelle, cing a bowl of soup in front of her. ¡°Yeah¡­¡± Although she now knew where Felix was, she was still in the dark about what had happened to him. Her heart would not settle down until he stood in front of her. Soon after dinner and before it got dark. Tristan and Sophie went to the armory to pick out their weapons. Bertram went along with them. His anxiety was written all over his face. Seeing him so jittery, Tristan said, ¡°Don¡¯te with us! Your nervousness is ruining my mood!¡± Bertram was upset by Tristan¡¯s order. Is it wrong of me to worry about them? That Kaarle is a dangerous man! Otherwise, he wouldn¡¯t have been able to abduct Mr. Northley so easily and without anyone even realizing it! The corners of Sophie¡¯s lips twitched involuntarily. She found Bertram¡¯s antics rather amusing, Sophie picked out a weapon and strapped it to her body. She was familiar with all the types of weapons in the armory, so she did not have to think too hard about her choice. Tristan, too, was the same. He had used all these weapons before. Besides, they would be infiltrating a military base. There would surely be weapons in there if they needed any more. ¡°Is that enough?¡± Bertram could not help fussing. ¡°Of course, it¡¯s enough! How are we supposed to move stealthily if we¡¯re carrying too many weapons?¡± We¡¯re going in there to rescue someone, not blow up the ce! ¡°Okay, okay!¡± Bertram eded, throwing up his hands in defeat. Ysabelle was waiting for them outside when they emerged from the armory. Her weak figure was a heartbreaking sight. ¡°Okay, we¡¯re going now. Take care.¡± Sophie wrapped Ysabelle in a farewell hug before walking away with Tristan by her side. Both of them were dressed inconspicuously in ck to allow them to sneak around undetected. Despite the simple outfit, the two of them still carried a distinctive air. ¡°Be careful.¡± They were the most important people in her life. She felt terrible that, at that moment, there was nothing she could do to help them. ¡°We will.¡± Tristan had always been a rather detached and emotionless person. He did not bother to say any words offort to Ysabelle. To him, such talk was pointless. Sophie and Tristan slid into the car that would bring them to Kaarle¡¯s military base. It was only a matter of time before they killed Kaarle. After all, he was just too evil and a gue upon the people of Fandar.N?vel(D)rama.Org''s content. ¡°Don¡¯t worry! The two of them are invincible when they are together!¡± Bertram said to lighten the mood when he noticed the forlorn expression on Ysabelle¡¯s face. Ysabelle nodded listlessly. ¡°Bert, do you think Felix will be okay?¡± It¡¯s been so many days! Can he hold on for so long? ¡°Of course, he¡¯ll be just fine. He¡¯s got such a beautiful woman here waiting for him. He must be holding on!¡± ¡°I really hope so¡­¡± Ysabelle¡¯s stomach was churning with anxiety, but there was nothing she could do except wait. In the deep of the night, two shadowy figures, one tall and one a little shorter, climbed over the wall and slipped into Kaarle¡¯s military base quickly and quietly. Before they scaled the wall, Sophie had already hacked into the surveince system. She had her phone in her hand as she disabled the surveince cameras wherever they went. Hence, she felt fearless even though they were in a heavily armed and guarded military base. Non there were sentries scattered all around the base. The two of them stayed nimble and vignt. During the few seconds when the sentinels looked aw couple would steal past them. At that moment, the two of them were pressed up against arge tree when blinding floodlights she their direction. The duo froze in their position. ¡°How are you? Tired?¡± Tristan whispered in her ear. They had not slowed down their pace ever since they snuck into the base. ¡°Don¡¯t worry! I¡¯m fine. Keep going. I¡¯ll keep up with you.¡± She knew how strong Tristan was. If the two of them were to get into a fight, she was not certain she would be his match. ¡°Let¡¯s go then.¡± ¡°Wait a minute. Since we¡¯ve hacked into their system, let¡¯s try to find out where Felix is first.¡± They could not keep mesking sent heir ¡°Okay you look for Him 1 keep wach Chapter 956 Chapter 956 Chapter 956 Tactics Sophie searched through the system thoroughly, leaving not a single stone unturned. Much to her dismay. there was still no trace of Felix. ¡°There¡¯s nothing.¡± Sophie shook her head, skeptical of the unfruitful search. Since Arthur had informed them that Felix was there, she was certain that Felix had to be there. However, they had not been sessful in their attempts in finding Felix. Where could they have hidden him? ¡°From the looks of it, we¡¯ll have to kidnap someone for an interrogation,¡± Tristan stated. It seemed to be their only option at that moment. ¡°Agreed. The patrolling troops should be here soon. Let¡¯s grab one of them to ask. There¡¯s one problem, though. There are five people in one troop, so it¡¯ll be difficult to remain under the radar if we kidnap five people at once.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s just kill the other four!¡± Tristan suggested. ¡°Otherwise, it¡¯ll be troublesome if someone were to find out.¡± ¡°All right.¡± Sophie did not object. That was the most effective method to get things done. Any other way might lead to unnecessaryplications. ¡°Let¡¯s head over there. Sophie pointed at a corner a few meters away. ¡°I¡¯ve already disconnected the surveince cameras there, and there aren¡¯t any sentinels. Plus, it¡¯s a blind spot. That¡¯ll make it easier for us to attack.¡± ¡°Okay, let¡¯s go.¡± Tristan checked his surroundings before moving into position. The two of them moved quickly but stealthily to the spot Sophie had suggested. Hiding behind a bush, they waited for the next patrol troop to arrive. Fandar had always been known for its hot climate. The temperature that day was as high as forty degrees Celsius, which was unfortunate for Sophie. She had never liked the heat. Not only did they have to move fast, but they had to hide against numerous skilled fighters. It was no surprise that they were drenched in their sweat. All content ? N/.?vel/Dr/ama.Org. ¡°Once we find Felix, we¡¯re telling him that he owes us a good meal,¡± Tristan grumbled. The heat was unforgiving, but for Felix¡¯s sake, they pressed on. ¡°Mm-hmm.¡± Sophie wiped a handful of sweat away from her face. She despised being covered in sweat, but she did not have much choice at the moment. ¡°They should be here in around two minutes.¡± Fishing a handgun out of her pocket, Sophie then attached a silencer to the muzzle. ¡°There shouldn¡¯t be any problem with this silencer, right?¡± The silencer belonged to Tristan. Sophie had yet to use it. Hence, she was unsure about the quality of the equipment. Nope. The silencer had been specially modified for improvements. Just then, a shootout seemed to have broken out outside the military base, which conveniently diverted the attention of their enemies. The two of them had found a perfect hiding spot. Soon, a patrol troop consisting of five people showed up, as they had predicted. ¡°I¡¯ll take three: you take two. Remember, I¡¯ll keep one of them alive,¡± Tristan instructed. Sophie bobbed her head in understanding. As he fell silent, Tristan raised his hand and began to signal. Three, two, one! In reality, Sophie had not seen his signal. Nheless, both of them fired at the exact same time. Not only so, but all of their shots went straight through the skulls of the guards. As discussed, Tristan left one of the men alive. With Sophie protecting his back. Tristan dragged the remaining guard to a dark corner. ¡°Who are you? What do you want?¡± the guard who was held captive barked at them in panic. ¡°If Kaarle finds out that you guys dare to break and enter, he¡¯ll never let you off the hook!¡± Pulling out a dagger, Sophie pointed the sharp tip at the man¡¯s chest, right above his heart. ¡°You are to answer whatever I ask you. Don¡¯t beat around the bush. I don¡¯t like too much noise,¡± Sophie stated icily. ¡°Do you hear me?¡± As he met Sophie¡¯s gaze, the man could only nod his head in surrender. All of them were merely working for Kaarle for money. It was no surprise that the man would choose to protect himself in a life- or-death situation. ¡°You interrogate this guy. I¡¯ll take care of the four dead bodies,¡± Still keeping a warning re on the captive, Tristan gestured to Sophie. They had to get rid of the bodies quickly. Otherwise, they could get into huge trouble. Sophie nodded in response. Interrogating was her strong suit. As she kept a close eye on the captive, Sophie guessed that he knew he was on the losing end. After she was certain that the guard would not dare to try anything, Sophie took out her phone, opened the photo album, and showed him a photo of Felix. ¡°Have you seen this person?¡± A glint of suspicion flickered across the captive¡¯s eyes. Are these two here to look for this person? However, upon remembering Kaarle¡¯smands, he immediately shook his head. ¡°I¡¯ve never seen him. Not once in my entire life.¡± The man denied it. Thinking that Sophie was too intimidating, he did not dare to even look at her as he lied through his teeth. ¡°Are you sure? All right, then. Guess you¡¯re not of much use to me. If that¡¯s the case, then I suppose I can only¡­¡± Sophie stopped mid-sentence as she stabbed the tip of the dagger into the man¡¯s chest, right on top of where his heart should be. ¡°From the looks of it, you don¡¯t believe that I can kill you.¡± As the de pierced through his flesh, a sharp pain shot from his chest, causing the man to pale. If the dagger were to go any deeper, it would be hisst night on Earth. ¡°I¡¯ll speak! I¡¯ll tell you everything!¡± The man was terrified out of his wits. No one in their right mind would want to die. It was a much better option to remain alive. After all, there would only be hope if one was alive. ¡°Good.¡± Sophie nodded approvingly. ¡°Do not try to lie. Otherwise, no matter which corner of this earth you hide in, I will find you, and I will tear you to shreds!¡± The guard quickly nodded in response. He no longer dared to lie at that moment. All he wanted was to live a peaceful life. He could care less about who won and who lost in the end. After all, it had nothing to do with him. ¡°This guy was captured by none other than Kaarle himself. He¡¯s locked in the Disciplinary Hall. However, if you¡¯re trying to save him, it won¡¯t be an easy task. There are countless people guarding the Disciplinary Hall. Each one of them is a mercenary specially hired by Kaarle for a hefty amount. Usually, no one would dare to go there. All of the people locked there are big shots captured by Kaarle.¡± ¡°Oh? The Disciplinary Hall, you say?¡± Sophie narrowed her eyes. Kaarle sure is bold! By then, Tristan had gotten rid of the bodies and had returned. ¡°Got anything out of him?¡± ¡°Mm-hmm.¡± ¡°What do we do with this guy?¡± Tristan asked. Letting him run free could backfire on them. With a heavy fist. Sophie punched the lights out of the man they held hostage before injecting him with a needle. ¡°I¡¯m a woman of my word. Since I¡¯ve promised not to kill him, I shall spare his life.¡± Sophie looked down at the man at her feet. He would not be waking up until the next morning. Bending down, Tristan stripped off the man¡¯s clothes and handed them to Sophie. ¡°Put these on! It would be easier for you to move around in these.¡± Since they have gotten a clue of Felix¡¯s location, they intended to head there immediately. ¡°Okay.¡± In a few short minutes, Sophie put on the clothes that were once worn by the guard. There was a hole on the left side of the chest from the stab earlier, but it could not be seen from afar. ¡°He¡¯s in the Disciplinary Hall. Mercenaries are guarding that ce,¡± Sophie announced. ¡°The Disciplinary Hall?¡± Sophie had hacked into the system and obtained the topographic map of the military base, so the two poured over it now. ¡°With mercenaries guarding the ce, coupled with the fact that the ce itself is an impregnable fortress, it would be impossible for us to break in by force,¡± Sophie concluded upon analyzing the map. ¡°Let¡¯s go and take a look first!¡± Tristan suggested. In his mind, the mercenaries were nothingpared to the two of them. ¡°Let¡¯s split up and divert their attention. When we passed by that ce, I noticed there were a lot of explosives. I¡¯ll go there and set them off to focus our enemies¡¯ fire there while you go into the Disciplinary Hall to look for Felix,¡± Sophie proposed. Splitting up seemed to be their only way forward. ¡°That won¡¯t do. I¡¯ll be worried if you go alone.¡± Tristan objected. Chapter 957 Chapter 957 Chapter 957 All of You Are Trash ¡°This is the best way for now. The situation will be worse if Kaarle brings his people here.¡± Sophie figured it was the best possible method. ¡°Okay, be careful, and don¡¯t get hurt.¡± Tristan wrapped his arms around her and kissed her forehead gently. Naturally, he knew how amazing she was, but regardless of her brilliance, she was still a twenty-year- old woman, while the people there were extremely vicious. ¡°You be careful too, okay?¡± She didn¡¯t want to see him get hurt. ¡°Will do.¡± The two went in different directions. Tristan headed toward the Disciplinary Hall while Sophie returned to the bomb storage unit. As expected of Kaarle. There are so many bombs stored here. Sophie was quick, for she already had a walkthrough earlier. The position of each guard was noted and mapped out in her mind. With lithe movements, she weaved through the military base swiftly. Arriving at the bomb storage unit, she glimpsed at the map of the structure. Honestly, Kaarle is capable. Each of his designs here matches the base¡¯s requirement to a tee. Simrly, guards stood watch by the building. Sophie found a corner to hide herself. Everything in here is bombs or explosives. One shot at the interior is all I need to blow this ce up. Once she found a suitable location, she surveyed the surrounding area and discovered the best position. With a shot, one of the bombs erupted. Her location was far from the site, so the st wave didn¡¯t impact her. The building¡¯s explosion had caused a loud st. Meanwhile, Kaarle¡¯s eyelid twitched when he heard the loud explosion at the Disciplinary Hall. The goods at the bomb storage unit belong to an Annduran big shot. He shot to his feet. ¡°Come with me to see what¡¯s going on!¡± He immediately led a few men and left the hall. The remaining mercenaries let their guard down the moment Kaarle stepped out. The bomb storage unit was far from the Disciplinary Hall, but the bright glow of the massive inferno could be seen. The entire military base was plunged into chaos. After Kaarle left, Tristan found an opportunity to slip into the hall. He was familiar with the cement of everything within it since he had already memorized the map. All the big shots were imprisoned at the Disciplinary Hall. Naturally, some of them recognized Tristan. When they caught sight of him, their eyes gleamed with hope. ¡°I¡¯ll give you everything you want if you get me out of here, Mr. Tristan. I can even gift you my turf.¡± The prisoner was going mad from being held captive there by a psycho like Kaarle. 1/3 Chapter 957 All of You Are Trash ¡°Yeah! We¡¯ll return the favor if you can get us out of here!¡± Tristan nodded. ¡°Sure, I can free you, but whether you can leave the base is up to you.¡± We¡¯ll get more time to search for Felix if I set them free ad let them go up against Kaarle. They are malicious felons, after all. Tristan aimed his gun at the shackles around the prisoners¡¯ ankles. The few of them instantly dashed out of their holding cell once freed. All they wanted was to leave that ce. Anything else could be discussed at ater date. Once they left. Tristan went in search of Felix. After going through numerous ces, he finally found thetter in a corner.. Felix had already cked out from the excessive torture. With one shot to the locking mechanism on the door. Tristan entered the small holding cell. ¡°Felix! Can you hear me? Are you okay?¡± He hurriedly helped Felix to sit up and noticed the wounds. covering thetter¡¯s body. Seeing Felix¡¯s injuries, Tristan yearned to ughter Kaarle right then and there. He promised silently he would pay Kaarle back for what he¡¯d done after getting Felix out of there. ¡°Felix, wake up!¡± A few minutester, Felix finally regained consciousness. When he saw Tristan, his lips curved into a smile. ¡°What is happening? Am I hallucinating?¡± Felix wanted to close his eyes again as fatigue lulled him to sleep. However, he fought the pull, knowing he couldn¡¯t fall asleep because he needed to return to his Woman At that moment, doubt seeped into his thought. Can I ever go back? I really don¡¯t know if I can make it back since that b¡±stard Kaarle has tortured me to such a state. ¡°Don¡¯t sleep, Felix! I¡¯ll get you out of here! Ysabelle is still waiting for you at the base!¡± ¡°Ysabelle is here too?¡± How can my Ysabellee to a ce like this? This ce is full of darkness. She¡¯s my angel, so she can¡¯t be here. ¡°Yeah, she¡¯s waiting for you at the base! She¡¯s very worried about you, so hang on. Okay, let¡¯s go! We¡¯re getting out of here.¡± Tristan got Felix to hang onto his back ¡°You should go, Mr. Tristan. You can¡¯t escape with me on your back.¡± Kaarle shouldn¡¯t be underestimated. I didn¡¯t imagine I would fall into his hands. Tristan frowned disapprovingly. ¡°Shut up! I didn¡¯t think you would get yourself into such a state. Otherwise, I wouldn¡¯t have let youe here,¡± I should¡¯vee here myself. ¡°This has nothing to do with you, Mr. Tristan. Go! Leave! Come and get me when you have more people with you!¡± How is he going to deal with those men with me dragging him down? ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Felix. We can definitely get you out of here today, no matter what.¡± At that moment, Sophie walked in with a submachine gun. ¡°Rest assured. I¡¯m here,¡± ¡°You¡¯re here too, Sophie!¡± Felix wanted tough, but moving his facial muscle had tugged on the wound on his face, making him clench his jaw from the pain. Sophie took out a syringe and injected its content into Felix. Thetter¡¯s pallor immediately improved. ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± Tristan had set the other prisoners free, and Sophie had dealt with the mercenaries standing guard outside. Their escape was smooth as Tristan cut through the building with Felix on his back. Sophie took out her phone and dialed Bertram¡¯s number. ¡°Bert, we found him. Come and get us! Destroy the military base while you¡¯re at it.¡± Since they dare to hurt Felix, they¡¯ll pay for their actions. I won¡¯t be satisfied otherwise. ¡°All right, got it! I¡¯ll bring my men over.¡± We¡¯ll make that b¡±stard Kaarle pay for hurting one of our own. Sophie took the lead and avoided Kaarle¡¯s men. Kaarle¡¯s subordinates were upied with catching the fleeing prisoners, thus theirck of time to pursue Sophie, Tristan, and Felix. In the meantime, Kaarle was still at the bomb storage unit with a nasty scowl as he studied the damage to his goods. ¡°What happened? Who did this? I¡¯m going to kill that f*cker!¡± I¡¯m not Kaarle if I don¡¯t wring the culprit¡¯s neck. His subordinates didn¡¯t dare to make a peep since anything they said would be wrong. Most importantly, they had no idea who was behind the explosion ¡°Are every one of you trash? I paid so much money for you guys. Yet you can¡¯t even do something menial like this?¡± Kaarle was furious. Regardless of how much he cussed and criticized his men, none of them uttered a single word. N?velDrama.Org content rights. Then, another subordinate ran to him and reported, ¡°This is bad! Someone had set the prisoners free at the Disciplinary Hall! The mercenaries you hired had all been eliminated.¡± ¡°What?¡± Kaarle¡¯s scowl deepened at the news. So the culprit blew up my bomb storage unit to rescue the prisoners in the Disciplinary Hall? F*ck! ¡°Assemble a team to catch every one of them! Check all the surveince cameras and find the person who. did it!¡± Kaarle¡¯s expression turned darker. I¡¯ll make sure the person behind this suffers for daring to cause havoc on my turf ¡°Yes, sir.¡± His subordinates hurriedly checked all the surveince cameras¡¯ footage but realized the footage had been wiped out once they reached the surveince room. Nothing was in the footage other than static. ¡°What are we going to do now? With Kaarle¡¯s brutality, we¡¯ll have it bad if he finds out!TM ¡°I can¡¯t do this! I¡¯m leaving. I don¡¯t want to face that b¡¯stard Kaarle!¡± ¡°All right, I¡¯m leaving with you! The whole ce is a mess anyway. Kaarle doesn¡¯t have time to find us.¡± The men who went to check the surveince cameras footage had fled the base. None of them wanted to be the subject of Kaarle¡¯s rage. They wanted to be alive and stay alive. Also, they didn¡¯t earn much during the term they worked for him. Kaarle was still waiting at the same spot, but no one came back to report. ¡°F*ck! What¡¯s going on? I just sent them to check on the surveince cameras¡¯ footage. Why aren back yet?¡± Kaarle personally went to the surveince room to check but didn¡¯t see anyone there. His men trailing him said nothing at the sight. ¡°I think¡­ they fled.¡± ¡°Remember this, all of you. I despise betrayal the most! If you run, you better hide well, and don¡¯t let me find you, or else¡­¡± Kaarle¡¯s expression was malicious. His men urgently shook their heads. ¡°We won¡¯t ever betray you. Ever!¡± Kaarle went to the Disciplinary Hall and confirmed the mercenaries he hiredy dead on the ground with a single bullet hole in their heads. Chapter 958 Chapter 958 Chapter 958 Rescue Mission Is A Sess He also noted none of his prisoners were in their cells. Anger poured through him at the sight. He took out his gun and fired a round randomly. ¡°F*ck! Who was it? I¡¯ll make sure to kill that f*cker!¡± Kaarle suffered a heavy loss from that incident. The blow nearly pushed him to the brink of losing his mind. In the meantime, Sophie and the rest ran into a few of Kaarle¡¯s men, but none of them was her match. She easily dealt with them as Tristan carried Felix on his back. Bertram had already broken into the military base. The moment he saw Felix, he swiftly averted his gaze, unable to bear looking at Felix in such a state. Felix had always cared about his face, but it was beyond recognizable at that point. ¡°Let me carry him, Mr. Tristan.¡° Bertram went up to Tristan. Tristan handed Felix over to Bertram and helped Sophie get rid of Kaarle¡¯s men. ¡°Let¡¯s head back first. Felix isn¡¯t doing so well. We cane back and deal with Kaarle once Felix¡¯s injuries are treated.¡± Tristan knew Sophie wanted to kill Kaarle right then and there, but Felix was their priority. ¡°Okay.¡± As medical personnel, Sophie understood treating Felix was their utmost priority. The minute they got into a car, she instantly took off the prisoner¡¯s clothing she had on. ¡°Kaarle¡¯s loss is substantial this time. He¡¯ll realize what¡¯s happening once he has time to think things through. I¡¯m sure he won¡¯t let us go without a scratch, Sophie said. We must get rid of him before he can find us. ¡°I¡¯m here, so don¡¯t worry!¡± Kaarle is nothing! Does he really think Fandar is his turf? He¡¯s nothing but tr They made their way back to base. Ysabelle had been waiting there all the while. Tears started stre down her face when she noticed Felix¡¯s injuries. It¡¯s all my fault! He wouldn¡¯t have ended up like this if it wasn¡¯t for me! Sophie gently stroked Ysabelle¡¯s face when she noticed the guilt on thetter¡¯s face. ¡°It¡¯s okay. We got him back. He¡¯s fine. He just looks a little scary.¡± Sophie consoled. ¡°Okay,¡± Sophie and Tristan had been gone the whole night, so Ysabelle knew how tired they were. She chastised herself for having Sophie console her. Sophie examined Felix once they carried him into his room. Even though he looked terrible, most of his injuries were nothing more than superficial wounds. After cleaning up his wounds, she injected a sedative into his body. Minutester, he fell asleep. ¡°How is he?¡± ¡°Nothing serious. His injuries just look scary.¡± Tristan sighed with relief at Sophie¡¯s assurance. ¡°That¡¯s good, then Ysabelle walked into the room and sat beside Felix. She held onto his hand tightly. Sophie and Tristan got up and left the room to give them some space, knowing Ysabelle wanted to be by Felix¡¯s side. N?velDrama.Org content rights. When Bertram spotted theming out of Felix¡¯s room, he immediately went up to them. ¡°I guess Kaarle is probably losing his mind right now. What is our next step?¡± Since the situation has already turned out this way, should we take over the hit on Kaarle? ¡°Let¡¯s go and get rid of Kaarle.¡± Sophie was worried Kaarle would cause trouble for Arthur. Arthur and the others didn¡¯t have it easy, so she didn¡¯t want to rain any cmity upon them. ¡°Let¡¯s not rush and head there after breakfast.¡± We didn¡¯t have time to rest for the whole night. Having breakfast won¡¯t cause much dy anyway. ¡°Also, Bertram already sent someone to keep an eye on him.¡± He had made all the necessary arrangements knowing her fears and worries. ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll go and take a shower, then. This is too ufortable.¡± She didn¡¯t feelfortable drenched in sweat ¡°Go on.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll keep an eye on Kaarle, Mr. Tristan,¡± Bertram wasn¡¯t assured. Although they already had someone keeping watch, Kaarle was a maniac. ¡°Go ahead. We¡¯ll join you in a second. I¡¯ll take a shower and have breakfast. Once we deal with Kaarle, we can have a good rest. Sophic finally feltfortable after finishing her shower and changing into a clean white t-shirt and a pair of low-rise skinny jeans. The attire was ordinary but attractive when she wore them, especially the area around her narrow waist. She only dried her hair with a towel. The weather was hot, and she wasn¡¯t going to bed anytime soon, so there was no need to blow dry her hair with a hairdryer. Tristan saw howely she looked the minute he stepped into the room. ¡°Let¡¯s go and have breakfast. ¡°Okay.¡± The two went to the dining room for breakfast. When they didn¡¯t see Ysabelle, they knew she didn¡¯t have an appetite, but that didn¡¯t diminish their worry about her well-being ¡°We should ask Ysabelle to have som ¡°She needs to look after Felix.¡± If she doesn¡¯t want to eat, that¡¯s fine. She¡¯ll eat oner Felix wakes up anyway Chapter 959 Chapter 959 Chapter 959 Capturing Kaarle After the two finished their breakfast, they went together to find Bertram. On the way, they encountered Arthur. Upon learning Sophie had rescued Felix, Arthur was happy for her. ¡°Ms. Tanner, since you¡¯ve saved the man you were looking for, you should return quickly. Fandar is really dangerous now.¡± Arthur knew Sophie was capable, but she was still a girl no matter what, so she shouldn¡¯t experience those things. ¡°Mr. Camidge, you helped me, so I must get rid of Kaarle, Otherwise, you won¡¯t have a peaceful life in the future.¡± Sophie wasn¡¯t going to leave them with that trouble. ¡°Ms. Tanner, you don¡¯t need to do these things for us. We have lived on thisnd for our entire lives, so we naturally have our own ways to survive. Even if Kaarle is gone, there will be others like him, isn¡¯t it? Ultimately, we still have to rely on ourselves, so she doesn¡¯t have to go to such lengths for us. ¡°Mr. Camidge, you don¡¯t need to say more. I¡¯m not doing this entirely for you. Kaarle harmed our man, too, so we have to avenge him.¡± She didn¡¯t want Arthur to bear the heavy psychological burden. ¡°Ms. Tanner¡­¡± Arthur knew she was actually doing that for them. ¡°We can never repay your great kindness in this lifetime.¡± Tears streamed down Arthur¡¯s face. Many people thought poorly of Fandar, but it was still their home, after all. They cherished everything there. ¡°Mr. Camidge, don¡¯t worry. In the future, the social order here will gradually improve. As long as there¡¯s someone capable to maintain control, this ce will get better.¡± ¡°Okay, Ms. Tanner. Please be careful.¡±¡° Arthur watched them leave. Along the way, difort churned within Sophie as she took in the living condition of the people there. ¡°It will get better, Tristan said. He decided they should maintain the order there since that was indeed a very profitable ce anyway. They could make money and provide a rtively good living environment for the locals. That was the only thing they could do. ¡°Yes,¡± Sophie held his hand. We aren¡¯t saviors, but we can do our best to improve the quality of life of these people. Sophie and Tristan found Bertram. They were outside Kaarle¡¯s military base while the guards had already gone in. ¡°Mr. Tristan, the guards have entered. They will capture Kaarle.¡± Since those mercenaries were dead, Kaarle couldn¡¯t possibly cause too much trouble. ¡°All right. We can just wait here.¡± Tristan had full confidence that the guards he trained could apprehend Kaarle. There was no need for them to take action personally. ¡°Have some water.¡± When they came out earlier, Tristan had brought along a thermos. He figured Sophie would feel better drinking water on such a hot day. Sophie shook her head. She didn¡¯t have the slightest urge to drink hot water when the weather was scorching. Instead, she wanted to have some nice, cold ice cream, but her period was approaching, so she couldn¡¯t eat ice cream at that time. ¡°Mr. Tristan. I¡¯ll go in and take a look,¡± Bertram said. Tristan and Sophie didn¡¯t do anything in particr when they were together, but Bertram inexplicably felt like they were unting their rtionship. ¡°All right. Go ahead.¡± Sophie sat inside the off-road vehicle. She didn¡¯t want to go out because the sun was zing outside. In addition, she hadn¡¯t sleptst night, so she was getting a little drowsy. ¡°Take a nap if you¡¯re tired. I¡¯ll take care of matters here. We can go back togetherter.¡± ¡°Okay¡± Sophie shut her eyes to get some rest. At that moment, upon learning some outsiders had infiltrated his military base, Kaarle immediately took his weapon and came out. He wanted to put up a resistance, but the difference in strength between both parties was insurmountable. ¡°Let¡¯s go. I¡¯m abandoning this base,¡± Kaarle said to his subordinates. At that instant, preserving his life took precedence, and everything else was irrelevant. ¡°We can¡¯t escape anymore. His subordinates gazed at the guards surrounding them with pale faces. ¡°Who are you? Do you know who¡¯s backing me? You better allow me to leave now, otherwise-¡± One of the guards was getting impatient. He¡¯s full of crap. The guard shot Kaarle in the thigh, causing thetter to kneel at once. Kaarle, who had always been a domineering and vicious figure in Fandar, had been reduced to that pathetic state. ¡°Take him away,¡± the guard instructed his men. The others didn¡¯t dare to argue and knelt on the floor after seeing Kaarle captured. ¡°Please spare us. We¡¯re just trying to make a living by working for Kaarle. We really haven¡¯t done anything bad!¡± ¡°Take all of them away.¡± That decision wasn¡¯t the guards¡¯ to make. They still had to get specific instructions from Tristan as to what to do next. Soon, everyone was taken outside. Kaarle¡¯s temples throbbed when he saw who was standing before him. He had never seen Tristan before but had heard about thetter¡¯s ruthlessness. ¡°Mr. Tristan, I think there¡¯s some misunderstanding between us. It really must be a misunderstanding. Kaarle had to yield since Tristan had seized control of the circumstances. ¡°Misunderstanding? You captured my man, yet you tell me it¡¯s a misunderstanding? Kaarle, do you really take me as a fool? You held Felix captive, right? Tell me! Why did you detain him?¡± Tristan asked sternly. There¡¯s no way he didn¡¯t know Felix was my subordinate. ¡°Mr. Tristan, I really didn¡¯t know. There aren¡¯t any grudges between us, right? Why would I detain your man?¡± Kaarle couldn¡¯t even stand at that point and was forced to kneel on the ground. ¡°Ha! Is that so?¡± Kaarle immediately nodded. ¡°That¡¯s enough. Stop wasting your breath talking to him. Just do away with him. I¡¯m getting tired.¡± Sophie. sitting in the passenger seat in silence the whole time, finally spoke. What¡¯s there to discuss with this Kaarler We should just eliminate him and get this over with. Hearing that voice, Kaarle shifted his attention to the passenger seat. He had always been a lewd man and was fond of gorgeous women. However, he had never seen a Chanaean woman as beautiful as Sophie. A leopard could never change its spots. As Kaarle riveted his lecherous gaze on Sophie, Tristan pulled out his gun and aimed the muzzle at Kaarle. Only then did Kaarle regain his senses. ¡°Mr. Tristan, I-¡± ¡°How dare you look at my woman? Who gave you the courage to do this? You can say the previous matters were a misunderstanding, but this is clearly not one, right?¡± With that, Tristan aimed at Kaarle¡¯s other leg and fired another shot. ¡°Ahh!¡± All content ? N/.?vel/Dr/ama.Org. Kaarle¡¯s legs were both crippled now. ¡°That¡¯s enough, Mr. Tristan. Let Mr. Camidge handle the rest. We¡¯ll let him decide how to deal Kaarle Kaarle hadmitted countless heinous acts on that piece ofnd. Hence, Arthur and the others should have the right to execute Kaarle. ¡°Okay.¡± At the same time, Arthur received a message and came over. He found the sight of Kaarle on the unbelievable. Kaarle was a bloodthirsty man who had killed so many of their people, so he deserved the tragic end t befell him at that moment. ¡°Mr. Camidge, he can no longer retaliate now, so you can deal with him however you want.¡± Sophie handed Kaarle over to Arthur. Chapter 960 Chapter 960 Chapter 960 Sleep Together ¡°Thank you, Ms. Tanner. This guymitted an unforgivable crime. We must punish him ording to our localws,¡± Arthur eximed agitatedly. ¡°Sure, I¡¯ll leave him to you. I¡¯ll leave two undercover guards here to assist you.¡± She was still worried about leaving him with Arthur. After all, Kaarle was a cunning man. ¡°Thanks, Ms. Tanner. They would never forget the favor Sophie had done to them. After leaving the two undercover guards there, Tristan finally hopped into the car and headed back with the rest. Fandar was still chaotic and disorganized. Since he was already there, it was only right to restore some order in the area. They returned to their base, utterly exhausted from the long ordeal. It was time they got some well- deserved rest. ¡°Bertram, ask everyone to have a good rest. Once they¡¯re all refreshed, we¡¯ll sort out the chaos around here,¡± Tristan instructed Bertram. ¡°Got it, Mr. Tristan.¡± Tristan let everyone rest after lunch. Sophie was also feeling exhausted and sleepy by then. As soon as she got back, she took a quick shower. When she stepped out, she spotted Tristan waiting outside. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Didn¡¯t we already rescue him?¡± Why does he still look like that? She guessed. ¡°Did anything happen to Felix?¡± Sophie was so tired that she had not checked on him. However, when she visited him the previous time, there was nothing wrong. ¡°Nothing. Just go to sleep! I¡¯ll take a shower too. Tristan was a bit annoyed, though it wasn¡¯t about anything serious. ¡°Okay, go shower. I¡¯ll check on Felix.¡± Since everything was fine now, she wanted to visit Felix for a while before sleeping. Sophie arrived just when Felix woke up. Seeing him awake, Ysabelle found herself at a loss for words. ¡°You actually came?¡± eximed Felix in disbelief. ¡°I thought you didn¡¯t want to see me ever again! I didn¡¯t expect you to visit me!¡± He was genuinely shocked. To his greater surprise, Ysabelle cried even harder after he finished speaking. ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Ysabelle? Please don¡¯t cry! It breaks my heart whenever I see you cry. I¡¯m sorry, okay? Please stop crying¡± He was willing to do anything as long as she stopped crying. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Felix. If I hadn¡¯t broken up with you, you wouldn¡¯t havee here. It¡¯s all my fault that you ended up in this situation. I¡¯m sorry.¡± She had been consumed by guilt since his ident. ¡°Don¡¯t me yourself. I came here on my own ord. Please, don¡¯t cry. My heart aches when I see you cry,¡±forted Felix, his voiceced with concern. ¡°Mhm Felix extended his hand and gently wiped her tears away.¡± ¡°You must be in a lot of pain, right?¡± asked Ysabelle, thinking that he looked like he was hurting greatly. ¡°Yeah, it really hurts!¡± Tears streamed down Ysabelle¡¯s cheeks again. She knew that it must have hurt. ¡°But the pain disappeared the moment I saw you. Let¡¯s not break up, okay? I don¡¯t want to let you go.¡± Felix pleaded pitifully. ¡°Okay. We won¡¯t break up.¡± She would not be so reckless in the future. From now on, she would cherish their time together and avoid any arguments. As Felix attempted to sit up, he identally pressed on his wound. ¡°What are you doing? Don¡¯t move about recklessly!¡± Although he was grimacing in pain, he still revealed a smile. ¡°It¡¯s nothing. I just wanted to hug you, but I identally pulled on my injury.¡± Ysabelle threw herself into his embrace and hugged him tightly. ¡°You silly fool! Promise me that you¡¯ll never put yourself in such a perilous situation again. You have no idea how terrified I was!¡± ¡°I won¡¯t. I want nothing more than to be with you and have three children together!¡± Felix eximed with augh. ¡°You b¡±stard! Who would want to have kids with you when you¡¯re like this?¡± eximed Ysabelle, caught betweenughter and tears. Looking at her now, others might mistake her for a mad woman. It was at that moment that Felix finally noticed Sophie, who had been silently observing them. As she watched the scene unfold, all that wascking was a bucket of popcorn. ¡°Thank you for this, Sophie. Without both of you, I would have been done for.¡± If it weren¡¯t for Sophie and Tristan, he would have surely met his demise. When Ysabelle turned around and saw Sophie looking at them, she felt a tinge of embarrassment. What on earth am I doing? I wasughing and crying like that! Sophie walked over. ¡°We¡¯re all friends, so why be so formal? Do you feel any difort? If you do, let me know!¡± Sophie hade to ask about his recovery. ¡°I¡¯m fine. I just suffered some external wounds. They might look scary, but they¡¯ll heal in a few days.¡± Although he had been injured before, it was quite embarrassing to be seen in such a state. ¡°I¡¯m d to hear that you¡¯re fine. I¡¯ll leave both of you to your own devices. I¡¯ll get some rest now!¡± Sophie was truly exhausted. She had been feeling sleepy even when watching the exciting scene earlier. ¡°Go ahead!¡± Ysabelle¡¯s mood had lifted significantly. She had been feeling extremely tensed earlier, but now she could finally let all those emotions go. ¡°Come up here!¡± Felix beckoned. ¡°What are you going to do? Felix, look at what you¡¯ve be. Why can¡¯t you just rest?¡± ¡°What are you thinking? I just wanted you to rest here for a while since I can tell that you¡¯re tired. What can I possibly do in my current state?¡± ¡°Oh!¡± Only then did Ysabelle climb onto the bed andy beside him. Just lying by his side was enough to make her feel at ease. Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024. As his gaze fell upon the woman by his side, Felix felt alive again. Luckily, I managed to survive this, I even got my beloved girl back. When Sophie returned, Tristan had finished bathing and was making a phone call. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Dad! With me here; nothing will happen to Ysabelle. Yes, I understand. Both Sophie and I are doing well, so you don¡¯t need to worry. ¡°What about Felix? Is he okay? What happened to him? He seems like a clever guy! How did he end up being kidnapped?¡± ¡°Dad, we haven¡¯t slept for over ten hours. We¡¯re tired. I¡¯ll answer your questions after I wake up, okay? If everything¡¯s fine, I¡¯ll hang up now.¡± ¡°You little brat! I¡¯m just worried about you guys! What¡¯s up with your attitude?¡± ¡°Just call Ysabelle directly! She¡¯spletely unharmed. Also, tell Lincoln to stop calling me.¡± After ending the call, Tristan went to Sophie. ¡°Dad was calling to ask about how we¡¯re doing over here.¡± As everyone knew how dangerous Fandar was, they felt very worried. ¡°Yeah, I know. Actually, it feels nice to be cared for.¡± Sophie smiled. In the past, she had always been a loner without anyone caring for her. It felt veryforting to have someone show so much concern for her now. ¡°All right. Let¡¯s sleep for a while. I¡¯m tired too.¡± Tristan carried her. After tiring themselves out for so long. it was time for them to have a good sleep on the bed. Chapter 961 Chapter 961 Chapter 961 Overflowing Affection Lying in Tristan¡¯s embrace, Sophie felt extremelyfortable and closed her eyes. Tristan¡¯s frown disappeared when he saw how rxed she was. He wrapped his arms around her. Perhaps because they were genuinely tired or because they were with each other, they felt exceptionally at ease. The two quickly drifted off to sleep. They slept soundly until past seven in the evening. Even Bertram and the others didn¡¯t dare to wake them up for dinner. Instead, they waited till Tristan and Sophie were fully rested. The two of them woke up simultaneously. However, even after awakening, Sophie didn¡¯t feel like moving and kept her eyes closed. It was a rare opportunity for her to finally rx. After all, she was truly exhausted. ¡°Time to get up and have dinner.¡± Regardless, they still had to eat dinner. Otherwise, it would be quite bad for their health, especially since Sophie was already quite thin, to begin with. ¡°Let me lie here a little longer! I really don¡¯t feel like moving right now.¡± In reality, she could go eating. As she had quite a heavy lunch, she simply didn¡¯t feel hungry at all. ¡°Your phone is ringing.¡± She had put the phone on silent mode. However, Tristan saw the screen light up. ¡°Oh.¡± Sophie got up and picked up her phone. When she saw that the call was from Caleb, she answered it. ¡°What¡¯s the matter, Caleb? Did something happen at the Institute of Physics?¡± ¡°I¡¯m doing well here, so don¡¯t worry. I heard you went to Fandar. It¡¯s a dangerous ce. Please be careful, okay?¡± Caleb was genuinely concerned about her. ¡°Yeah, I know. If anyone dares to bully you at the Institute of Physics, let me know.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t need to worry about me. I¡¯m already a grown-up! How could anyone bully me?¡± Since it was a rare opportunity for him to pursue his passion, he truly cherished it. ¡°If there¡¯s nothing else, I¡¯ll hang up. I¡¯ve still got to deal with something.¡± Although Sophie knew Caleb was sincere, she still wasn¡¯t ustomed to his concern. As they had been too distant in the past, she now felt somewhat ufortable. After ending the call, she noticed Tristan looking at her. Sophie touched her face. Is there something on my face? Why is he looking at me like that? ¡°What¡¯s wrong? What are you looking at?¡± ¡°Nothing. Is that Caleb?¡± Having seen Caleb a few times, Tristan thought that Caleb didn¡¯t seem very close ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s Caleb. Didn¡¯t he juste back from Anndur? He wanted to go to the Institute of Physics, so I helped him a bit.¡± Truthfully, she did not detest Caleb. ¡°All right. Let¡¯s go and eat dinner!¡± Sophie smoothened her hair before going out with Tristan. They stopped by Felix¡¯s room first. ¡°We¡¯re going to have dinner now. Ysabelle, will you be joining us, or should we ask someone to bring the food to you?¡± asked Sophie with a raised eyebrow. They already made up, right? Look at how affectionate they are. ¡°Just get someone to bring me food. I¡¯ll eat with Felix. He can¡¯t get out of bed yet. I can¡¯t possibly let him eat alone, right? It¡¯ll be too pitiful.¡± After finally finding Felix, she wanted to be with him constantly. ¡°Okay, I understand.¡± Sophie¡¯s eyes sparkled with a smile. They¡¯re just a bickering yet loving couple. Isn¡¯t it better this way? They insisted on creating so much unnecessary trouble previously. Sophie and Tristan went to have dinner, where grilled fish was served. The chef, who was pretty decent, grilled the fish perfectly. ¡°I hired this chef specifically for you, Mr. Tristan! He¡¯s the best Chanaean chef in Fandar.¡± Bertram had spent quite a lot of money hiring the chef. ¡°Thank you for your hard work. Have you eaten? If you have, make the necessary preparations. I need to tell everyone something tonight.¡± The situation in Fandar had been dragging on for far too long. He wanted to resolve it quickly. As he still needed to go back for his wedding, he couldn¡¯t afford any more dys there. ¡°Got it. Mr. Tristan. Enjoy your meal with Ms. Tanner. I¡¯ll get the rest to prepare themselves particrly liked Sophie. If they fought, he might not even be a match for her. He wished to spar with Sophie if he had the opportunity to, just that he didn¡¯t know if Tristan agree. ¡°Bertram really likes you!¡± Tristan shook his head in exasperation. My girlfriend is simply too exceptional. There are far too many people who like her. How annoying! Sophie ced a piece of grilled fish on his te. ¡°He merely admires me. He doesn¡¯t like me in that way,¡± she rified. It¡¯s fine, isn¡¯t it? There¡¯s absolutely no need for him to feel jealous of his subordinate. ¡°All right, then! Let¡¯s assume it¡¯s genuine admiration. No matter who attempts to steal you from me, they¡¯ll never seed.¡± She was his bride, after all. ¡°Continue eating! It tastes quite delicious.¡± ¡°Want some beer?¡± he offered. Since it was so hot, a cold beer would be quite refreshing. ¡°Sure!¡± Sophie had actually been longing for some beer. However, she controlled the urge because her period wasing. Tristan¡¯s words made her change her mind. Tristan grabbed a beer at the side. ¡°The iced ones taste the best,¡± she stated, recalling the times with Mark and the rest when they always drank cold beer. It was the perfect way to beat the heat. However, he responded, ¡°But your period ising, right? It¡¯s better to avoid anything too cold. This room-temperature one will do. And you can only drink a ss!¡± Does he actually remember my menstrual cycle too? It¡¯s impressive of him to remember something like that. He poured a ss of beer for her. ¡°Here you go. This is such a small ss. Is he trying to tempt me on purpose? Sophie lifted the ss and took a small sip. The ss was so small that she was worried that she would finish the beer too quickly, Once they finished their meal, they instructed someone to bring some food to Felix and Ysabelle. ¡°I¡¯m going to find Bertram and the rest to deal with the situation here. You can go ahead and find Ysabelle first. I¡¯ll look for you in a bit.¡± ¡°Okay!¡± Knowing that he wanted to restore order in the city, she naturally had no objections. Furthermore, she thought that it would be rather dull if she joined him. She would rather find Felix and Ysabelle. Sophie brought some food over. Since she already had enough rest earlier in the day, she decided to keep Ysabellepany. Ysabelle carefully helped Felix with his dinner. She was so patient that Sophie was surprised to see that side of her. ¡°Don¡¯t forget to eat too. You¡¯ve been taking care of me without eating.¡± Felix thought that she was probably hungry too. Furthermore, his hand was not injured, so he could eat on his own perfectly well. However, when he saw how attentive she was to him, he did not want to reject her kind gestures. ¡°I¡¯m not hungry. You should eat first. I¡¯ll eat after you¡¯re done.¡± ¡°I love you, Ysabelle!¡± eximed Felix, unable to hold himself back. I¡¯ll love her for the rest of my life! Ysabelle nced at him shyly. ¡°What are you doing? Sophie is still here!¡± Sophie let out a chuckle when she saw how embarrassed Ysabelle was. All content ? N/.?vel/Dr/ama.Org. ¡°Are you saying that I¡¯m unnecessary here?¡± she teased. Chapter 962 Chapter 962 Chapter 962 Slow Down ¡°No, that¡¯s not what I mean,¡± Ysabelle quickly exined. ¡°You¡¯re our savior. If not for you, Felix would have¡­ The very thought of that still made Ysabelle¡¯s heart skip a beat. ¡°Sophie, from this point onward, we¡¯ll do anything you ask of us,¡± Ysabelle uttered firmly. ¡°That¡¯s enough. I don¡¯t want to be in the way of your intimate moment. I¡¯m going for a walk as I¡¯ve eaten too much earlier,¡± Sophie said. Thest time she had been at Fandar, it had been a hasty trip. She had not gotten the opportunity to shop. Since Tristan had something to work on, she was going to shop alone. At the same time, she was going to check if Arthur and the others were done. ¡°Sophie, I¡¯m serious. It¡¯s really dangerous here, so you shouldn¡¯t be running everywhere.¡± What if she encounters robbers here? This ce is unsafe! ¡°It¡¯s fine. You don¡¯t need to worry about me. I¡¯m familiar with the area.¡± N?vel(D)rama.Org''s content. ¡°All right. Be careful, then,¡± Ysabelle relented. She knew that Sophie was stubborn, and no one could convince her otherwise if she had already made up her mind. ¡°By the way, Felix still isn¡¯t up for any vigorous activity, so do remember your limits,¡± was what Sophie said before turning to leave. Ysabelle¡¯s face turned bright red at that. ¡°Felix, what does Sophie mean? Am I such an animal? You¡¯re already in this state, so how can I possibly¡­¡± Wait a second, why does he look like he wants me to go wild? ¡°I don¡¯t mind. Don¡¯t listen to her. I¡¯m fine and can totally go for three hundred rounds,¡± he earnestly said, eager to see her go unrestrained. Ysabelle¡¯s face turned even redder. ¡°Stop joking, Felix. You¡¯re still hurt.¡± ¡°Does that mean that we can do it once I¡¯m recovered?¡± What? How am I supposed to answer that? This man¡­ There are some things that should remain unspoken! It¡¯s so embarrassing to hear it out loud. Just as Sophie was about to head out, the guard stopped her. ¡°Ms. Tanner, where are you going? It¡¯s dangerous outside, so you should stay put.¡± Although they had already dealt with Kaarle, there were other forces around. Even someone as capable as Felix had been captured. It¡¯s best that a beautiful woman like Ms. Tanner stays here. Otherwise, she¡¯ll be in trouble ¡°I¡¯m going out for a walk. You don¡¯t need to worry about me.¡± ¡°Ms. Tanner, it really is dangerous outside. Why don¡¯t you stay in here?¡± the guard persuaded, worried that Tristan would be angry. Sophie frowned. ¡°Am I a prisoner?¡± The guard shook his head immediately. ¡°I didn¡¯t mean that, Ms. Tanner. I¡¯m just worried about your safety. If you have to go out, please let me send a few men toe with you.¡± Everyone knew that Sophie was Tristan¡¯s girlfriend, so they would never dare to offend her. Moreover, he was only a guard; he had never seen how well Sophie could defend herself, so naturally, he was worried. ¡°No need. I don¡¯t like others following me.¡± Sophie did not wish to make things difficult for Tristan¡¯s subordinates either; all she wanted was a trip out. However, the guard became even more anxious to watch Sophie leave. ¡°What do I do? How are we going to break the news to Mr. Tristan if anything happens to Ms. Tanner?¡± ¡°She should be fine, right? Maybe we should get someone to inform Mr. Tristan about this right away. It¡¯s not as if we can stop Ms. Tanner from leaving if she insists,¡± another guard said. They were just guards, after all. ¡°Okay, stay here. I¡¯ll go and inform him about the situation.¡± They had done everything they could, and if something did happenter on, it would not be their fault. Meanwhile, after Sophie went out, she took the keys to the SUV. After starting the engine, she drove off. She went to the vige where Arthur and the others were at. Arthur and the rest had just executed Kaarle so the vigers were excited to see the man who had been doing countless evil deeds dead. He had ughtered many of their family, and finally, they had killed their enemy. In their delight, they were dancing and singing outside. They thought, now that Kaarle is dead, no one will dare to lord over this ce anymore. Right then, car engine noises sounded out. Everyone tensed up. They were impoverished and did not own cars, so they knew that the iing person was not from the vige. Who is it? Tensed, some even picked up weapons by their side. Nevertheless, when they saw the young woman in the SUV, they put the weapons down again. Sophie was a familiar face to them. If not for her, they would have died a few years ago. ¡°Mr. Camidge, it¡¯s Ms. Tanner.¡± The vigers were thrilled to see their benefactor. Although they were poor, they were individuals who understood gratitude. Sophie parked the car outside before getting out of it and walking over to the rest of them. ¡°Ms. Tanner, it¡¯s been a long time! I heard that you were the one who caught Kaarle too! You¡¯re amazing!¡± ¡°He¡¯s right! Ms. Tanner, you¡¯re our savior. Without you, I can¡¯t imagine how our life would bel¡± ¡°Ms. Tanner! Ms. Tanner! Ms. Tanner!¡± As soon as one person began chanting Sophie¡¯s name, the rest joined in unison. Their gazes were filled with gratitude toward Sophie, as they believed she was the catalyst for their survival and well- being. Arthur then walked over to Sophie. ¡°Ms. Tanner, we¡¯ve executed Kaarle. He has killed many of our kins, and his death today is vengeance for the lost souls.¡± It was difficult to survive on thisnd. Sophie nodded in acknowledgement. ¡°Be at ease, folks. Things will get better soon.¡± Those vigers were simple and kind people, and yet, cruelty never spared them. ¡°Yes, you¡¯re right. Things will get better. That was what the vigers believed in. Life was already tough, and if they did not have any faith in the future, then they would not know how to keep living. Soon, Sophie was drinking with the others. The alcohol was the only thing they had left, but it did not matter. That day was a day of celebration. Arthur and Sophie sat next to each other. Turning to Arthur, Sophie said, ¡°Mr. Camidge, please ask the others to be at ease. Order will be established here soon. By then, as long as everyone works hard, making a living here will not be an issue.¡± The people in the vige did not ask for much in life. All they wanted was a peaceful life. Arthur filled a ss for Sophie. ¡°Ms. Tanner, I haveplete faith in everything you say, and I truly believe that life will gradually improve for us,¡± Arthur expressed. Despite the challenges they faced, they remained hopeful and eagerly anticipated a brighter future. Taking the ss from Arthur, she then toasted with him. ¡°Ms. Tanner, Mr. Tristan is your boyfriend, right?¡± Arthur abruptly asked. Chapter 963 Chapter 963 Chapter 963 Undefeatable Legend ¡°Yes, he¡¯s my fianc¨¦ ¡°In that case, we will also ce our trust in him. If he is the one who will construct the new order, he shall receive our unwavering backing.¡± If that man was Sophie¡¯s fianc¨¦, they were going to show him their support. ¡°Please ask him to contact me directly if he needs anything. We¡¯ll work together with him,¡± Arthur added. He knew that only by establishing the new order would they be able to survive there. Therefore, they had to extend their help to Tristan. There were no disadvantages to the construction of a new order. ¡°Okay, I got it. He won¡¯t let you down,¡± Sophie promised. She knew that Tristan would do good on his promise. ¡°Okay.¡± Just then, Tristan arrived. When the vigers saw another neer, they tensed up again. However, after casting nces at Arthur¡¯s expression, they figured out that the neer was not someone who would bring harm to them, so they rxed. Sophie and Arthur rose to their feet to wee Tristan. ¡°Hello, Mr. Tristan. I¡¯m Arthur Camidge. If you need any help in the future, please feel free toe to me, he uttered. It was not a lie; Arthur was capable of making things happen in the vige. ¡°All right. Thank you, Mr. Camidge.¡± Tristan replied politely. ¡°Mr. Tristan, please sit down and have a drink with the others if you don¡¯t mind,¡± Arthur suggested. It was likely that they were going to interact more often in the near future, after all. Things would go smoother if they knew each other better. ¡°Mr. Camidge, no need for courteous words. We¡¯re all friends here, so why would we mind?¡± Even though Tristan usually seemed like a prideful affluent gentleman, he was capable of humbling himself to blend into the environment. Moreover, he was knowledgeable and could chat with Arthur on any topic thetter raised. Arthur liked him, and he was honest about it. ¡°Mr. Tristan, you¡¯re a pleasant man to talk to, but of course, how can Ms. Tanner fall for anyone less?¡± he said, nodding. Sophie was their savior, and he was overjoyed to see their savior in a happy rtionship. ¡°Mr. Camidge, you should drink lesser.¡± Sophie voiced out, a little worried that Arthur would suffer from a terrible hangoverter on. Their alcohol was strong, and Arthur had drunk quite a number of sses. ¡°I¡¯m fine. I just want to celebrate today. I won¡¯t get drunk,¡± he said. He had gotten rid of a big issue in their vige, and he had gotten to know a wonderful individual. It was no surprise that he was ecstatic. Just then, someone else at the side also prompted, ¡°Mr. Camidge, please drink lesser. Don¡¯t embarrass yourself in front of Ms. Tanner.¡±¡°¡± It was only then Arthur put down his wine ss. ¡°Mr. Tristan, someone has to build a new order. We¡¯re not capable of doing that, but you are, so please help us out.¡± Arthur said, a tinge of bitterness in his tone. If it were possible, they would have wanted to establish the new order themselves. s, none of them was talented enough to do that. They could only ce their hope on someone else. There was nothing they could do about it. The ce was simply too underdeveloped, and they did not have the necessary financial funding. ¡°Of course, Mr. Camidge. Don¡¯t worry. I won¡¯t give up on this ce.¡± After that, Arthur was led away by another person. Sophie and Tristan then stood up, ready to leave. ¡°Why are you here?¡± ¡°The guard said that my fianc¨¦e fled, so, of course, I have toe and check out the situation. If you¡¯ve really run off, who am I supposed to have the wedding with?¡± Tristan answered. Holding hands, they then made their way out of the vige. ¡°I won¡¯t run. I¡¯ll only hold tightly onto you. I¡¯ll never leave,¡± she reassured. Sophie could never bring herself to lose such a wonderful fianc¨¦ like Tristan. ¡°I¡¯m d to hear that.¡± The night was beautiful and much cooler than the day, so the two of them took their time walking back. ¡°To be honest, it¡¯s not easy to formte a new hierarchical structure,¡± Sophie said. She had researched the local situation, and she realized that there were a few forces established in the area. Kaarle had only been a tyrant at the vige. ¡°Trust me. If I say it¡¯s doable, then it is. You have me here. What¡¯s there that I can¡¯t do? Also, I have you too.¡± He was certain that Sophie could even introduce a new system of governance all by herself, but he did not wish to see her overwork herself. ¡°Yes, you¡¯re right. I¡¯ll help you out.¡± They were there for each other, so there were no problems in the world they could not solve. Once they returned to the base, they spotted Bertram practicing with his subordinates. Bertram was a battle maniac, so it was not surprising to see him doing that. When he saw Sophie return, he boldly said, ¡°Ms. Tanner, I¡¯ve always known that you¡¯re good in a fight. Is it okay if I spar with you?¡± Sophie was a little taken aback by his request. What¡¯s Bertram doing? I¡¯m a girl, am I not? ¡°Ms. Tanner, can I?¡± Bertram urged, his eyes bright in anticipation of her agreement. It¡¯s nothing much; it¡¯s just sparring, so it should be fine, right? ¡°Sure.¡± Sophie could not bring herself to reject him when she realized how eager he was. Bertram then turned to Tristan and asked, ¡°Mr. Tristan, is that okay?¡± After all, Tristan was the one with the final say in the base, and Sophie was his fianc¨¦e. ¡°Why should I stop you if you¡¯re looking to hurt yourself?¡± ¡°Mr. Tristan, Bert¡¯s our best fighter, and Ms. Tanner is just a fragile woman. It won¡¯t be good if she ends up getting hurt.¡± ¡°He¡¯s right! Bert, what are you doing? How can you fight a girl?¡± another cried out. Even though it was just a practice, Bertram was going up against a woman. ¡°I¡¯m fine. I don¡¯t mind this at all. Bert, you don¡¯t need to go easy on me,¡± Sophie responded, flexing her wrist. Bertram gulped. Did I make a mistake? ¡°All right, let¡¯s begin!¡± They did not want the rest of the crowd to wait for long- Meanwhile, Tristan went to look for a seat, not at all fretting about Sophie. N?velDrama.Org content rights. ¡°I wonder what Mr. Tristan will do if Bert makes Ms. Tanner cry.¡± ¡°That¡¯ll never happen! Bert won¡¯t do that. He won¡¯t dare to make her cry!¡± At that, Bertram could only blink awkwardly. Will Ms. Tanner end up making me cry? Isn¡¯t this just sparring? Why are they exaggerating the situation? Won¡¯t it be embarrassing if I really can¡¯t defeat Ms. Tanner? ¡°Bert, you should focus when you¡¯re sparring.¡± In the blink of an eye, Sophie had already kicked Bertram in the arm. Even though Sophie did not use all of her strength in that attack, Bertram had already figured out how capable she was. ¡°Apologies, but I¡¯m going to go all out in this,¡± he then uttered. By then, the battle maniac had forgotten all about Sophie¡¯s identity as he threw himself into the match with her. Bertram was undefeatable in the base, but at that moment, a woman was easily countering Bertram¡¯s attacks. Chapter 964 Chapter 964 Chapter 964 Sparring Everyone at the scene was stunned. Is this for real? Ms. Tanner is amazing! At first, Bert looked calm. After some time, however, Ms. Tanner turned him into a powerless man!! ¡°Bert, you¡¯re embarrassing yourself! You don¡¯t look like a strong fighter! Are you letting Ms. Tanner win?¡± one of them asked. That doesn¡¯t seem to be the case, though. Only then did Bertram know how good of a fighter Sophie was. ¡°Wow!¡± ¡°Amazing! What do you guys think would happen if Mr. Tristan were to fight Ms. Tanner one day? Who would win?¡± one of the men uttered. Both of them are incredible fighters! If they were to fight each other, they would definitely create a huge mess! That would be scary! At that point, Bertram had already worn himself out, but Sophie was barely sweating. Right after she sent him tumbling to the ground with a kick, he immediately pleaded, ¡°I was wrong, Ms. Tanner. I shouldn¡¯t have challenged you. I surrender, and I can¡¯t go on anymore!¡± If he were to continue, he would exhaust himself to death. Sophie stopped fighting upon hearing that. ¡°Who else would like to challenge me?¡± Sophie swept a nce at everyone at the scene. I¡¯m in a good mood today. If someone wants to challenge me, I¡¯ll dly ept the challenge. The men shook their heads in unison when they saw her looking at them. Is she joking? If Bert couldn¡¯t defeat her, how could we? ¡°Ms. Tanner, since Bert isn¡¯t your match, none of us is! Let¡¯s go, guys. We should wash up and go to bed!¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. Let¡¯s just go to bed.¡± The onlookers fled the scene as quickly as they could. Why would we involve ourselves? We would rather rest than get injured! Besides, we would only embarrass ourselves. It¡¯s not worth it. Upon seeing what had happened, the guards couldn¡¯t help heaving a sigh of relief. Fortunately for us, we didn¡¯t stop Ms. Tanner earlier today! Otherwise, we would get beaten up even more severely than Bert! It¡¯s humiliating to get beaten up. Sophie then walked up to Bertram and offered to help him up by reaching out her hand. However, Bertram didn¡¯t dare to ept her kind gesture because Tristan was watching. Thus, he got back on his feet on his own. ¡°I¡¯m serious, Ms. Tanner. I had no choice but to admit defeat! You¡¯re so strong.¡± It was rare for Bertram to admire someone. I admire Mr. Tristan, so that¡¯s why I¡¯ve been serving him for so many years. Now, someone else had earned my admiration, and that¡¯s Ms. Tanner! This couple is truly awe-inspiring. ¡°I guess I was all right!¡± Sophie smiled. I didn¡¯t even use full strength because Bertram was Tristan¡¯s subordinate, If I were to make him tear up, I would make him look bad. Bertram smiled sheepishly when he heard that. Ms. Tanner is trying not to make me look bad. ¡°I shouldn¡¯t bother you guys anymore. I¡¯ll go back to my room.¡± Bertram left after that. If I keep standing around being a third wheel, Mr. Tristan will kill me with his murderous gaze! ¡°You can¡¯t beat me up after we get married, okay?¡± Tristan approached Sophie and wrapped his arm around her waist before walking her in. ¡°Well, that depends on whether you know how to behave yourself. If you behave yourself, I won¡¯ty a finger on you.¡± Sophie joked. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about that! I¡¯ll surely behave myself. In fact, I¡¯ll only listen to you and no one else. I¡¯ll do whatever you want me to so that you¡¯ll always be happy. ¡°All right, then! In that case, I¡¯ll love you with all my heart,¡± Sophie replied. That should do it, right? That night, Tristan and Sophie went to visit Felix. Thetter looked terrible, but he was actually recovering well. He was expected to be able to walk on his own in a few days¡¯ time. ¡°Should I arrange for the transportation to send you guys back? I have some matters to deal with here, so | won¡¯t be tagging along.¡± Tristan wanted to restore the order personally. ¡°You ought to ask Ysabelle that question. If she wants to go back, you can go ahead with your arrangement. If she wants to stay for a while more, I¡¯ll stay,¡± Felix answered. After all, I¡¯m not fully recovered. I¡¯ll only be resting in bed if I go back now. ¡°Would you like to go back, Ysabelle?¡± Tristan asked. ¡°Let¡¯s stay for a while more! I¡¯m finally here, but I haven¡¯t even been out yet! Once Felix has recovered, I want to go for a walk outside.¡± Upon seeing the refugees in Fandar, Ysabelle wondered if she could do anything to help them. N?velDrama.Org content rights. ¡°All right. Sure. Be careful when you head out. I¡¯ll be busy from tomorrow onward, so I won¡¯t have the time to look after the two of you, Tristan advised. I hope they don¡¯t get captured by anyone. ¡°What are you going to do, Mr. Tristan?¡± Felix asked curiously. ¡°Clean up the mess you made!¡± Tristan teased. I told Felix to settle the matters here, but he¡¯s taking too long to get the job done. Obviously, I have to intervene. Felix scratched her nose awkwardly in response. Well, I¡¯ve indeed embarrassed myself. ¡°What¡¯s the matter with you. Uncle Tristan? This isn¡¯t what Felix wanted, either! Besides, he¡¯s injured,¡± Ysabelle grumbled softly. Has Felix not suffered enough? Why must Uncle Tristan say that to him? ¡°Ysabelle, Mr. Tristan is right. I¡¯m an incapable man. Are you still willing to be with me, though?¡± Felix suddenly yed the pitiful card. Ysabelle was an innocent girl, so she embraced him instantly andforted him by saying, ¡°Don¡¯t worry! No matter what, I¡¯ll still want you. I¡¯ll never let you go.¡± Tristan looked at Felix in disgust when he heard that. He¡¯s so good at acting pitiful! ¡°Sophie, discipline Uncle Tristan, will you? Tell him not to bully Felix anymore,¡± Ysabelle urged. ¡°Okay. I¡¯ll discipline himter.¡± Sophie was sitting nearby, and she knew Felix was doing fine. We merely came here to chat with them. Right then, a video call from Sean came in. When Sean saw the state Felix was in, he couldn¡¯t help teasing, ¡°Felix, is your face ruined?¡± ¡°So what if that¡¯s the case? After all, he already has a girlfriend. He¡¯ll be all right. Still, I¡¯m d he was sent there instead of me.¡± Charles was gloating. Felix wanted to ignore them when he heard that. Why would they say that? ¡°When I return, you guys better treat me nicely. If it weren¡¯t for me, one of you would have been in my shoes. If that were to happen, you guys could be in worse shape than I am right now,¡± Felix uttered. How could they still make fun of me! ¡°Hey, you requested to go there, no? We couldn¡¯t even stop you from going there back then,¡± Charles retorted. ¡°What are you on about? Someone had to deal with the matters here, no? I was-¡± Suddenly, Felix noticed the guilty look on Ysabelle¡¯s face, and she was keeping mum. Ysabelle is feeling bad. Why won¡¯t they stop talking nonsense? ¡°Ysabelle, listen to me, okay? Don¡¯t ever forgive him. I think he did it on purpose,¡± Charles joked. ¡°Charles, don¡¯t sow discord in our rtionship. Felix needs to rest, and he doesn¡¯t want to talk to you guys anymore.¡± Ysabelle took the phone and ended the call. ¡°Belle, did you hear what they said? Everyone¡¯s bullying me.¡± Felix continued acting pitifully, Hearing that, Ysabelle hugged and consoled him. ¡°Yes, I know. Don¡¯t worry! From now on, I¡¯ll fight whoever dares to bully you!¡± Ysabelle felt sorry for Felix Chapter 965 Chapter 965 Chapter 965 Inappropriate ¡°To be honest, Ysabelle, my injuries have nothing to do with you. Don¡¯t feel guilty, okay?¡± Felix said. I want her to be happy instead of remorseful. If she keeps ming herself, she¡¯ll never be happy with her life with me. ¡°Yes, I know,¡± Ysabelle responded. ¡°Let¡¯s get out of here! They¡¯re starting to unt their love for one another.¡± Tristan walked up to Sophie and reached out his hand. Sophie grabbed his hand and rose to her feet. ¡°There isn¡¯t anything fun here. Once Felix feels better in a few days¡¯ time, you guys should head back,¡± Sophie urged. There are too many uncertainties here, and it¡¯s not safe for Ysabelle to stick around. ¡°Sophie, I want to be with you, though. You aren¡¯t leaving yet, right?¡± Ysabelle questioned. ¡°You should go back to keep Felixpany. This ce doesn¡¯t suit you,¡± Sophie said. Ysabelle is a pampered girl, and this is a cruel ce. She¡¯s not meant to be here. ¡°Oh¡­. All right, then!¡± Ysabelle looked dejected after Tristan and Sophie left. Am I that useless? Why can¡¯t I be of help to anyone? Felix¡¯s heart broke when he saw the look of disappointment on her face. ¡°What¡¯s the matter? You were fine just a moment ago, no? Why are you so sad all of a sudden?¡± ¡°Felix, I feel so insignificant. Unlike me, you guys are all so incredible. All I do is create trouble for you guys¡± Ysabelle was utterly disappointed in herself. ¡°How I wish I could be as impressive as Sophie¡­..¡± Felix pulled her into his embrace and said, ¡°Nonsense. In my eyes, you¡¯re the best! Ysabelle, you ought to remember to be yourself and notpare yourself to others. Can¡¯t you see how much we all love you? Everyone has their own strengths and weaknesses. There¡¯s no need topare yourself to others.¡± Hearing that, Ysabelle wrapped her arms around Felix¡¯s neck. However, she identally hurt him when she pressed against his injured spot. ¡°I hurt you, didn¡¯t I?¡± ¡°It¡¯s all right. I love it when you do that.¡± ¡°Why would you say that? Stop it!¡± Ysabelle blushed immediately. Evidently, their rtionship had gotten a lot better within those few days. ¡°If you¡¯re here, how is TS Entertainment coping?¡± Felix knew how much she loved singing, so he worried that she might jeopardize her career when she suddenly took off to be with him. ¡°I couldn¡¯t think about anything else other than to be with you when I heard you were missing! Felix, if I ever be unpopr, you must provide for me, okay?¡± Ysabelle asked. Although TS Entertainment belongs to Sophie, she can¡¯t guarantee my poprity in the entertainment industry. He must provide for me if I¡¯m not as sought after anymore in the future. ¡°Yes. That¡¯s for sure. I¡¯ll work hard to make a fortune to provide for you,¡± Felix replied. Ysabelle has been pampered all her life. Once we get married, I must pamper her as well. ¡°That¡¯s more like it.¡± ¡°So, when will you marry me?¡± Felix had decided to marry her a long time ago, and he had been waiting for her approval.N?velDrama.Org content rights. ¡°Have you proposed to me yet?¡± she asked. How could he expect me to marry him when he hadn¡¯t even proposed to me? ¡°That¡¯s true. You deserve the best of everything,¡± Felix said. Once I recover, I¡¯ll propose to her. Tristan woke up early the next morning and tiptoed out of the bedroom without waking Sophie. At that time, Bertram and the others were in the middle of their training session. Bertram jogged toward Tristan the moment he saw Tristan approaching. ¡°Mr. Tristan, please provide your guidance to these men,¡± Bertram said. This is a golden opportunity for the trainees! Mr. Tristan is the best fighter I know, ¡°Sure.¡± Tristan actually woke up early to watch them train. Bertram proceeded to tell the trainees what to do. With Tristan around, the trainees were giving their best. They were grateful for the opportunity to serve Tristan. Therefore, they wouldn¡¯t disappoint him. ¡°Mr. Tristan, what do you think? Do you think these guys have improved?¡± Bertram asked. I¡¯ve been training these guys ever since Mr. Tristan brought them to me. ¡°They¡¯ve improved greatly!¡± Tristan praised. When I brought these men here, they were a bunch of lackeys. Now, they¡¯ve grown tremendously. Tristan then gave pointers to the trainees and trained them personally. Bertram was following closely behind because he knew he could learn a lot from Tristan. This is a rare opportunity, so I should cherish it! Sophie woke up and noticed that Tristan was no longer in bed. She then washed up and saw that he was guiding Bertram¡¯s subordinates. Instead of joining them, she leaned on the railing and watched him. Tristan is such an impressive man that he¡¯s always the center of attention, regardless of time and ce. Needless to say, Sophie was captivated. Right then, Ysabelle pushed Felix out of his room in a wheelchair that no one knew where she had gotten from. He had been in bed for the past couple of days, so he wanted some fresh air. ¡°Ysabelle, I¡¯m serious. I can walk, Felix said. Why should I be in a wheelchair? Others might think I¡¯m a cripple! ¡°If you want to leave your room, you ought to listen to me,¡± Ysabelle demanded. He hasn¡¯t recovered fully. So what if he¡¯s in a wheelchair? It¡¯s not a big deal. Sophie turned around when she heard them conversing. ¡°If Ysabelle wants you to be in a wheelchair, you should just do as she says,¡± Sophie uttered tly. Felix was rendered speechless. What can I say to that? My words never carried any weight when it came to both of them. Ysabelle pushed Felix toward Sophie and leaned on the railing as well. The trainees were all in their twenties, and they were all topless. Hence, their muscr chests were exposed. Sophie narrowed her eyes at that sight. ¡°I never thought the view here would be so spectacr!¡± Ysabelle was drooling over the topless men. ¡°They aren¡¯t as impressive as Tristan!¡± Sophie uttered. These young men have nothing on Tristan! ¡°They look good, no? Well, I¡¯m enjoying the view!¡± Ysabelle eximed. Felix¡¯s expression darkened when he heard that. What did she mean by that? Is she shunning me because my figure isn¡¯t good enough? ¡°Ysabelle, you¡ª Felix didn¡¯t bother finishing his sentence. Ysabelle doesn¡¯t even care about me anymore now that she has her eyes on those young men, A wave of grievance washed over Felix. If I had known this would happen. I wouldn¡¯t have wanted to come out. When we were in the room, Ysabelle only had her eyes on me. Now, she¡¯s ignoring me. While Tristan was guiding the trainees, he saw Sophie on the railing, so he asked, ¡°Would you like to join Sophie shook her head. ¡°It¡¯s okay. I¡¯ll just watch from here.¡± ¡°Okay, then!¡± Tristan replied. ¡°Mr. Tristan, could you guys not train topless? This is so inappropriate,¡± Felixined. Chapter 966 Chapter 966 Chapter 966 Establish A New Order Tristan swept a gaze over Felix. ¡°I think it¡¯s more like you¡¯re jealous. Who wears a shirt while training, especially in such hot weather? Do you have no abs?¡± ¡°Who said so? I do! Of course, I¡¯ve got abs!¡± Dejection swamped Felix. My abs are just not that prominent. He then turned to Ysabelle. ¡°I really do have abs, Ysabelle.¡± Hearing that, Ysabelle could not help bursting into giggles. ¡°All right, it doesn¡¯t matter whether you¡¯ve got abs. I like you, not your abs,¡± she asserted. ¡°But you were totally engrossed when you stared at their abs,¡± Felix whined pitifully. ¡°Well¡­¡± How am I to exin that? Everyone likes to admire things that are pleasing to the eye. Ysabelle countered. ¡°That doesn¡¯t detract from the fact that I like you!¡± ¡°Fine, then.¡± What else can I say to that? When I¡¯ve recovered, I¡¯ll definitely train hard and develop my abs. Otherwise, I wouldn¡¯t be able to stand having her peek at other men¡¯s abs all the time! After the morning training, everyone had breakfast together. The instant the men under Tristan¡¯s command spotted Sophie, they all sat far away, for the memory of Bertram being put through the wringer remained vivid in their minds. Considering Ms. Tanner¡¯s capabilities, Mr. Tristan is probably the only person in the entire base who¡¯s her match. ¡°Whatever did you do, Sophie? Why do I feel as though everyone is terrified of you today?¡± Ysabelle was wholly ignorant about the entire matter. ¡°Nothing much. I merely sparred with Bert, and they all happened to witness it.¡± That was all that transpired ¡°Haha!¡± Following Sophie¡¯s blithe answer, Felix inexorablyughed out loud, for he knew her capabilities. She m have wiped the floor with Bertram! ¡°Why are youughing?¡± Ysabelle asked in puzzlement. Was that funny? ¡°No reason.¡± At that precise moment, Bertram came over and sat down to have breakfast with them. ¡°Ms. Tanner¡­¡± ¡°What is it? You¡¯d still like to spar with me one on one?¡± Immediately, Bertram waved his hands in demurral. ¡°No, no! How could I possibly dare do so? I¡¯m here to seek your help to train a few men for me. Your marksmanship is truly impable,¡± Bertram exined. ¡°Oh, I see. Sure! I¡¯ll be staying here for some time. Just leave them to me.¡± Merely training a few men was not a problem for Sophie. ¡°Great!¡± Sheer gratification flooded Bertram upon her agreement. ¡°How about I likewise tag along and learn from you during this time, Sophie? I¡¯d be able to help you all out if there were danger in the future instead of being a burden.¡± Ysabelle expressed, having found herself utterly useless this time, unable to help in anything. ¡°Yeah, sure,¡± Sophie agreed. Indeed, no matter how powerful those around her are, she¡¯s the only person who can protect herself at a critical juncture. On top of that, she¡¯s a highly renowned singer now and will always run into danger of some sort. Felix, on the other hand, did not share the same sentiments. ¡°You don¡¯t need to learn, Ysabelle. It¡¯s an arduous process. I¡¯ll protect you so long as you remain by my side. Verily, it was nothing more than an ident this time. I¡¯ll certainly be able to keep her safe in the future! I don¡¯t doubt your capabilities, Felix. I merely feel that you can be more rxed if I¡¯m capable of defending myself. Don¡¯t worry. I can endure a bit of hardship.¡± Nheless, unadulterated anguish pervaded Felix. In truth, the incident this time had really scared Ysabelle. That was why she decided to take that step. ¡°She¡¯s an adult, so she knows what she¡¯s doing. Besides, it¡¯s good for her to learn some self-defense,¡± Tristan interjected upon sensing Felix¡¯s reluctance. That¡¯s the veritable truth. It¡¯s best to depend on oneself than on others. No matter how capable he is, he can¡¯t stay by her side every second of every day. ¡°I know.¡± ¡°He¡¯s right! Rest assured that there wouldn¡¯t be any problems with me teaching her. But Ysabelle, first things first-I¡¯m exceedingly strict.¡± ¡°Okay. I¡¯m not afraid.¡± This time, Ysabelle was genuinely determined. In the past, she was never interested when her grandfather urged her to learn self-defense. At that moment, however, she wanted to strive to stand side by side with Felix. ¡°Actually, I can teach you when I¡¯ve recovered.¡± Felix still felt that he was the person who loved her most. ¡°It¡¯s okay. Just rest these few days. I¡¯ll learn from Sophie first. Moreover, isn¡¯t she better than you?¡± Felix went silent, left without a retort. Ouch! That hurt! While that¡¯s true, she didn¡¯t have to point it out. Only when Ysabelle glimpsed his despondent expression did she realize that she had misspoken. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Felix! Did I hurt you again? I really didn¡¯t mean it.¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay. I¡¯m used to it. Anyway, Sophie is always more important than me in your eyes.¡± Oh well, why do I never learn? I never win against Sophie. Instead, I¡¯d only embarrass myself further! Ysabelle fed him while coaxing him, ¡°Who said so? You¡¯re the person I¡¯m going to marry. I can¡¯t possibly do that with Sophie, can I?¡± ¡°What if she were a man, then? Would you choose her in that case?¡± Ysabelle did not answer at once but mulled it over for a while. ¡°You still need to think about it? Have you ever considered my feelings, Ysabelle? You¡¯re going too far!¡± ¡°No! Why are you being so unreasonable, Felix? Sophie is a girl. That aside, do you think I¡¯m Uncle Tristan¡¯s match?¡± Gosh, he¡¯s fixating on strange issues! Meanwhile, incredulity deluded Sophie at the sight of the couple bickering because of her. ¡°You¡¯re even jealous of me, Felix?¡± All content ? N/.?vel/Dr/ama.Org. Tristan brought Sophie a bagel. ¡°Just ignore them. They¡¯re both childish!¡± They¡¯re always so immature, having a row again when it¡¯s only been less than a week since they¡¯d made up. Sophie proceeded to munch on the bagel, no longer paying the couple any mind. After breakfast, Tristan and Bertram nned to go out to resolve some matters. Sophie changed as well, insisting on going with them. ¡°Aren¡¯t you tired? Stay here and rest since you¡¯ve been exhausted in the past few days. I¡¯ll be back in a jiffy.¡± -I¡¯ll go with you. If the matters here can be resolved faster, I¡¯ll also be able to go back earlier.¡± Chanaean Medical Association had a new research project, but she could not do any work here since the conditions were too poor. ¡°All right, then.¡± With me there, it doesn¡¯t matter if she tags along. Bertram acted as their chauffeur. ¡°We¡¯re meeting Jetroina¡¯s bigwig today, Lily Sanders. She has a lot of sway in Fandar, so she¡¯s the key if we want to establish a new order. Also, she¡¯s a woman, and she likes handsome men.¡± As he spoke, Bertram could not help casting a nce at Tristan. Mr. Tristan is sure to turn her head, considering his looks! ¡°Why are you looking at me? I¡¯m married. If you want to use seduction, you¡¯d be the one executing it!¡± Lily Sanders hosted a banquet that day and invited the few big shots in Fandar. In other words, she wanted to appoint herself as the leader. Chapter 967 Chapter 967 Chapter 967 Electing A Leader ¡°She won¡¯t have any interest in a man like me. I heard that she likes handsome men. As long it¡¯s a man with good looks, she¡¯ll seize and imprison him.¡± Nheless, all those were mere rumors Bertram heard. While talking, they arrived at Lily¡¯s ce. The woman specially built a mansion in Fandar, making it clear that she wanted to put down roots there. By the time they made it, several big shots were already there. However, an invitation was required to gain entry. ¡°I only have a single invitation, Mr. Tristan. Thus, you and Ms. Tanner might not necessarily be able to gain admittance. Seeing a crowd at the gates, Bertram was inevitably worried. ¡°What¡¯s there to worry about? It¡¯s just invitations, no? I¡¯ve got some here. Sophie held two invitations in hand. ¡°Are they the real thing?¡± Bertram took the invitations from her. Could they be fake? ¡°They¡¯re real if I say so. Come, let¡¯s go in! I want to have a look at Lily Sanders!¡± Sophie had never heard of that name, and it was her first time learning it that day. The big shots in Fandar only recognized Bertram since the man had been the one to manage everything there. Conversely, Tristan had only arrived a few days ago. For that reason, they all came over and greeted Bertram one by one. Bertram initially wanted to introduce Tristan and Sophie, but Tristan declined. ¡°There¡¯s no need to introduce us. Just let them assume that you¡¯re the boss.¡± Tristan did not want to yak with the people there. In response, Bertram nodded. ¡°All right, then.¡± As he exchanged pleasantries with the crowd, a few youngdies in traditional clothes led them in. When they arrived at the banquet hall, many people were already there, and the youngdies swiftly led them to their seats. Tristan and Sophie remained seated, observing everyone there. Bertram, on the other hand, went off to greet other big shots. It went without saying that the man was great at socializing. As such, he had no problems getting along with everyone there. ¡°What if Lily really takes a fancy to youter?¡± Sophie asked in a whisper. Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024. This woman¡¯s financial capabilities are astounding that she could build such a mansion in Fandar. What¡¯s more, no one dares to have designs on this ce! ¡°Why would I fear her when I¡¯ve got you to protect me by my side? Would you hand me to someone else?¡± Tristan questioned solemnly. ¡°That¡¯s hard to say. If she¡¯s really as vicious as rumored. I¡¯d have no choice but to sacrifice you.¡± Tristan grasped her hand. ¡°How heartless of you! You¡¯re not even worried about hurting me to say such a thing.¡± She¡¯s the only person I love. ¡°I was just joking. Don¡¯t worry! No matter her capabilities, I¡¯d never hand you over to her. You¡¯re mine and belong to me alone.¡± Are you satisfied with this answer? ¡°This is more like it.¡± Tristan was finally appeased. She should¡¯ve said this in the first ce! Sophie¡¯s looks were inherently striking. Following her appearance, several big shots had their eyes riveted on her. Aware that she came with Bertram, some started feeling the man out. ¡°Thedy who came with you is truly a devastating beauty, Mr. Asher! I wonder if we stand a chance to make her acquaintance?¡± ¡°Indeed! I¡¯ve never seen such a beautiful Chanacan woman. I really like her. If there¡¯s a chance-¡± Unadulterated fear struck Bertram. Good Lord! These people are downright daring! Mr. Tristan can¡¯t be allowed to hear this. Otherwise, things will end up a mess at that time! ¡°She¡¯s off limits to the lot of you! She already has a fianc¨¦, and he¡¯s right beside her!¡± ¡°That isn¡¯t a problem since they aren¡¯t married yet. Before they¡¯re married, we can allpete fairly!¡± ¡°You¡¯d best forget it. The man beside her isn¡¯t someone you can afford to offend.¡± Displeasure suffused Bertram. Ms. Tanner is Mr. Tristan¡¯s fiancee, thedy boss we all acknowledge. Yet, these people dare set their sights on her. They must be sick of living! ¡°Oh, I see.¡± Still, the man was reluctant to give up since a stunning beauty like Sophie was incredibly tempting. After making a full circle, Bertram returned to his seat. Naturally, Tristan could sense the gazes directed their way. They were all trained on Sophie. Shifting slightly, he blocked their view of her, loathed to have her exposed to their gazes. On the contrary, Sophie was exceedingly calm and unruffled. She had long since gotten ustomed to such stares, so they did not matter to her then. Just then, Lily appeared in traditional clothes. Behind her were a dozen of simrly-dressed young ladies, all exquisite beauties. Lily herself was a burly middle-aged woman. Despite the traditional clothes on her, they could not conceal the muscles she sported. The instant she appeared, the entire banquet hall plunged into silence. She strolled over to her seat and sat down. ¡°Ladies and gentlemen, I invited all of you here today to discuss the matter of the new order in Fandar in the future. I know you¡¯re all big shots in the country, and none are willing to defer. But no matter what, it won¡¯t do us any good if we continue having such dissension. Therefore, I propose that we elect a leader.¡± The meaning of her words was as clear as day-she wanted to be that leader. Otherwise, she would not have invited all these people there. ¡°She wants to be the leader herself!¡± Bertram surmised coldly. Well, well, well.. she has quite the lofty ambition. ¡°What do you all think?¡± After saying that, Lily swept her gaze around. ¡°Since we¡¯re electing a leader to preside over Fandar, Lily, I don¡¯t think it should be done in such a casual manner. To be the leader, one must be notably outstanding in all aspects.¡± Considering the fact that they abhorred deferring to anyone, they would never ept having her walk all over them. ¡°Exactly! We can decide on the leader bypeting among ourselves!¡± ¡°Yes, I agree! The leader has to have everyone¡¯s eptance. Then, others would obey him when he speaks in the future.¡± Lily¡¯s expression went as ck as thunder. Argh! These people are actually questioning me! ¡°Sure! What kind ofpetition would you all like to have?¡± Her eyes brimmed with viciousness. Needless to say, she was something else, judging from the fact that she could attain such a position at present despite being a woman. ¡°That would require us to gather together and have a discussion. Otherwise, it¡¯d be unfair to us all, no?¡± Everyone had something they were good at, and vice versa. For the sake of fairness, things had to be nned carefully. ¡°Okay. No matter what thepetition turns out to be, I¡¯ll be taking part in it,¡± Lily dered frostily. I¡¯ll definitely be the leader in Fandar! Sophie studied the woman. Right then, the dozen young girls beside thetter dispersed and approached the various big shots to ¡°serve¡± them. Chapter 968 Chapter 968 Chapter 968 Teach Her A Lesson Two of the young girls came over to Tristan and Bertram. Sophie was the only girl there besides Lily, and thetter specially arranged a hunk for her. Verily, Sophie was irked by the woman¡¯s actions. She nced at Tristan beside her. Sure enough, his expression was as grim as ever. At the same time, the young girl in traditional clothes beside the man kept brushing up against him. Likewise, that sight vexed Sophie. ¡°Just leave. I don¡¯t need your services,¡± Tristan stated indifferently. As a matter of fact, he despised such a thing. The same went for Bertram. ¡°Sorry, but we really don¡¯t need such services. Go back!¡± he simrly declined. That bewildered the two young girls, rendering them at a total loss for action. If we were to return now, Ms. Sanders would undoubtedly fly into a rage! ¡°Just sit at the side.¡± Seeing through them. Sophie did not make things difficult for them. After all, they would indeed have a hard time exining themselves if they were given the boot then. ¡°Thank you.¡± Not daring to do anything impetuous, the two young girls could only kneel at the side. Contrarily, the other big shots lost their inhibitions after seeing such young girls in traditional clothing. They ran their hands all over the girls. The entire ce was a carnal mess. ¡°Keep your eyes to yourself!¡± Tristan did not want Sophie to see such a vulgar scene. Ugh! All these people here are sickening! Unfortunately, the distinct difference at their table attracted Lily¡¯s attention. Pushing the man beside her away, she sashayed over. The moment sheid eyes on Tristan, her breath caught. Indeed, she loved handsome men, especially an affluent gentleman like him. ¡°Who is this, Mr. Asher?¡± Her heart pounded like a jackhammer. In that instant, she felt that she had met her destined lover. ¡°Ms. Sanders, this is my employer, Mr. Tristan.¡± Bertram had known that such would be her reaction. N?velDrama.Org content rights. Ew, she¡¯s being too tant here! She really doesn¡¯t know the meaning of decorum, huh? ¡°Nice to meet you, Mr. Tristan. I¡¯ve heard much about you, and finally, I get to meet you today.¡± Lily proactively held a hand out. Tristan shook her hand briefly before withdrawing his hand. ¡°You must havee here personally this time because you want to have control over the current situation in Fandar, Mr. Tristan,¡± Lily remarked. Well, everyone loves supreme and infinite power! She no longer wanted to leave, so eager to have her fill of looking at the man that she did not notice Sophie beside him. A frown marred Sophie¡¯s countenance. The look in the woman¡¯s eyes perturbed her greatly. Never had she cared about other people¡¯s gazes in the past, but Lily was obviously coveting her man right then. ¡°Ms. Sanders, this is my fianc¨¦e.¡± Without giving her the slightest opportunity. Tristan promptly introduced Sophie beside him. Hah! I¡¯d never take a liking to a woman like her in my entire lifetime! It was only then that Lily noticed Sophie beside Tristan. When her eyes alighted on Sophie, uncontroble envy consumed her. Whoa! She¡¯s simply too beautiful! Even I can¡¯t help being jealous of her. No wonder Mr. Tristan likes her! ¡°Nice to meet you.¡± In all honesty, she looked down on women like Sophie, feeling that they were useless save for their good looks. Subsequently, she turned back to Tristan. ¡°I¡¯d like to discuss a few matters with you privately, Mr. Tristan. Is that okay?¡± ¡°Just say it here. There¡¯s nothing my girlfriend can¡¯t hear.¡± To begin with, Tristan disliked women like her. At his reply, disappointment washed over Lily. Plopping down at their table, she personally poured Tristan a ss of wine. ¡°If you¡¯re interested in Fandar, we can discuss it at length.¡± As long as she obtained whatever she wanted, she did not care much about everything else. ¡°Let¡¯spete for the position of leader fairly, Ms. Sanders After saying that, Tristan picked up his ss and took a sip of wine. Lily did not bother saying anything further, but her eyes remained fixated on the man. Even Bertram, who was beside her, felt mortified on her behalf. Her gaze on Mr. Tristan is just overly brazen! He stole a peek at Sophie, but thetter was unexpectedly calm. When the banquet concluded, the crowd discussed the matches to be included in thepetition. Ultimately, one had to be most outstanding in marksmanship, capability, and various other aspects to be the leader in Fandar. ¡°Does anyone have any objections to thepetition¡¯s matches? If there are no objections, we¡¯ll proceed with this. Since none of you are objecting, it¡¯s decided, then. Each family can send a representative to participate in thepetition. What do you all think?¡± Too many people would be a waste of time, in having each family send their best representative was enough. ¡°Okay, I agree Lily was very much confident in herself. It went without saying that she had some capabilities since she managed to climb to her current position. ¡°Lily seems determined to be the leader. Which of us is participating, Mr. Tristan Felix definitely can¡¯t join in his present condition, while I¡¯m not capable enough. If I were to try my hand, not only would I fail to ce first in the endt but even squander this opportunity. ¡°I will go!¡± Sophie volunteered. It had been a long time since she hadst participated in such a competition, and she found it rather intriguing. ¡°You really want to participate?¡± ¡°Yes! Isn¡¯t Laly interested in you? I want her to know that you¡¯re mine, and no one can snatch you away.¡± Sophie asserted confidently. ¡°But thepetition this time is crucial. We must win thepetition if we want to hold sway in Fandar in the future.¡± Bertram was aware of her capabilities, but victory was of the essence then. ¡°Are you saying that I¡¯m not Lily¡¯s match?¡± Sophie quirked a brow. Isn¡¯t he underestimating me a little too much here? ¡°That¡¯s not what I meant. I just think that Mr. Tristan would- ¡°All right, let Sophie go and have some fun,¡± Tristan interjected then. This is nothing, and I¡¯ve got absolute trust in her capabilities ¡°You truly believe in me?¡± Sophie arched a brow at him. ¡°Of course! Who would I believe in if not you? Besides, you want the best for Fandar more than anyone else.¡± She cares a lot about Arthur and the others, so she¡¯d never y around with thepetition this time ¡°Yeah. Truly, he understands me well. Everyone named their representatives on the spot. Unsurprisingly, the Sanders family would be represented by Lily. She only believed in herself. When she learned that Tristan actually had his fianc¨¦e join thepetition, a smirk curved her lips. ¡°How absurd that Mr. Tristan had Ms. Tanner participate, Ms. Sanders. That fianc¨¦e of his appears weak and delicate. She¡¯s not your match at all!¡± ¡°Exactly! Haven¡¯t you taken a fancy to Mr. Tristan, Ms. Sanders? At that time, teach Sophie a lesson so that she knows what a capable woman is like!¡± Chapter 969 Chapter 969 Chapter 969 What Are Principles Lily sneered when she saw Sophie¡¯s name in the list of participants. Heh! She really doesn¡¯t know her ce! Does she truly think that Fandar is somece she can y around? How hrious! Naturally, Sophie took notice of the scornful smirk on Lily¡¯s face. God, this woman is downright repulsive! Look how she¡¯s abusing others. I reckon that all these young girls are still virgins. Yet, these big shots can take them home and do whatever they want to them if they so wished it! She detested thetter to the core for ruining innocent girls. All of a sudden, their gazes collided. At once, sparks flew. Even Bertram could sense the animosity between the two women. ¡°You must be more careful upon going back today, Ms. Tanner. There¡¯s no saying what Lily might do.¡± Jetroinian women are crazy sometimes, especially those like Lily. ¡°Do you think I¡¯d be afraid of her? Just wait and see! I¡¯ll undoubtedly teach her a lesson and put her in her ce!¡± Thepetition was scheduled for two dayster. Hence, everyone still had time to get ready. In Sophie¡¯s opinion, no preparations were required. They could have just kicked off thepetition right away. When they took their leave at night, Lily saw them out personally. ¡°How about a meal together tomorrow, Mr. Tristan?¡± She tantly flirted with Tristan. Regretfully, her countenance was wholly nauseating. Ayer of frost nketed Tristan¡¯s eyes. ¡°I¡¯m very busy these few days, so I¡¯ve got no time for that, Ms. Sanders. I¡¯ll treat you to a meal after the competition.¡± ¡°What are you so busy with? Actually, I really didn¡¯t want to say this, but a beauty like Ms. Tanner truly isn¡¯t suited to participate in such apetition. You know how rough other people are. If Ms. Tanner were to join thispetition and end up injured, you¡¯d be heartbroken.¡± At the end of the day. Lily felt that Sophie must be as weak as a baby. ¡°Thank you for the concern, Ms. Sanders, but I don¡¯t need it.¡± Sophie deliberately took Tristan¡¯s arm. ¡°Let¡¯s go home. I¡¯m tired.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Seeing Tristan being all gentle and considerate toward Sophie yet cold and indifferent toward her, Lily clenched her hands tightly. ¡°Please don¡¯t take offense at me, Ms. Tanner. I¡¯m just the kind of person who¡¯s straightforward, and I only said that for your good. After all, injuries are inevitable in a real fight.¡± ¡°Yeah, thank you for the concern.¡± Not in the mood to continue yakking with Lily, Sophie strode off, dragging Tristan along. ¡°This Sophie person is really arrogant, Ms. Sanders! Who does she think she is? She merely has some beauty. What¡¯s so great about her?¡± ¡°Exactly, Ms. Sanders! You must teach her a good lesson during thepetition and put her in her ce.¡± Lily¡¯s subordinates immediately ttered her upon glimpsing the look on her face. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ll certainly do that. I will have Tristan Lombard for sure!¡± From the very second Lilyid eyes on Tristan, she knew that she had irrevocably fallen for the man. Verily, she was determined to bag him. Meanwhile, Bertram swung open the car door and held it open for Tristan and Sophie. Only when they had all settled into the car did he start, ¡°I¡¯ve told you Lily is a wanton, and sure enough, I¡¯ve been proven right! Look at her gaze when she stared at Mr. Tristan! There was such hunger that she resembled a wolf regarding its prey, wanting nothing more than to devour him!¡± ¡°Indeed, she¡¯s quite the wanton. It was my first time seeing such a shameless woman!¡± Sophie was not the type of person who liked to speak ill of others behind their backs, but Lily had irked her to no end. ¡°I¡¯m no prey!¡± Tristan protested. How could I possibly allow a wolf to devour me? ¡°Oh yes, shall we make ns for thepetition two dayster? When all¡¯s said and done, it¡¯s a crucial matter.¡± Bertram was still worried. This belongs ? N?velDra/ma.Org. After all, every single person who would be participating in thepetition was a big shot. It was wise to determine the leader with such a method, avoiding in-fighting and bloodshed. That was beneficial to everyone. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll train with her these two days,¡± Tristan voiced. Sophie¡¯s capabilities are remarkable in the first ce. Coupled with my guidance, there wouldn¡¯t be any problems at all. ¡°Okay, I can rest assured, then. With Mr. Tristan and Ms. Tanner teaming up, there¡¯s no way we¡¯d ever lose thepetition! Upon returning to the base, Bertram started making arrangements for those under hismand. Sophie and Tristan, on the other hand, went to visit Felix. ¡°What? Lily Sanders really took a fancy to Uncle Tristan?¡± Utter regret swamped Ysabelle after she learned about everything that transpired during the banquet. Gah! I should¡¯ve tagged along for a front- row seat to things! ¡°Yeah.¡± Even then, the look in Lily¡¯s eyes remained vivid in Sophie¡¯s mind, haunting her like a nightmare. ¡°What a pity! I should¡¯ve tagged along for a look!¡± I¡¯ve never seen the female version of a pervert. Ysabelle continued, ¡°You¡¯re really going to participate in that leadershippetition, Sophie? ¡°Felix said all those big shots are powerful. Can she truly defeat them when she¡¯s a girl? ¡°I¡¯ve decided to take up the gauntlet personally to teach Lily a lesson,¡± said Sophie, her toneced with determination. I¡¯d have to be dead not to teach her a lesson when she dared to have designs on my man and even stared at him with such a loathsome look in her eyes! ¡°Yes, you¡¯re right. She needs to be taught a lesson. Can I go over for a look when youpete? I¡¯m all too curious about her.¡± She¡¯s simply legendary! ¡°It depends on Felix. Go ahead if he allows it.¡± Sophie had no objections. She would bepeting that day, so she would not have time to bother about Ysabelle. The next day, Tristan woke Sophie up. At the sight of the man by the bed, Sophie was rendered speechless. ¡°What is it? Why did you wake me at the crack of dawn?¡± Truly, she could not fathom it. To train.¡± She¡¯s skilled atbat, but she still needs to train. Many people are in thepetition. There¡¯s no telling the tricks they might y. ¡°But I don¡¯t want to train. I really don¡¯t feel like it.¡± Sophie felt that she could handle all those situations presently. It was Tristan¡¯s first time seeing her sozy, and he found it very much novel. ¡°Okay, then. Forget it since you don¡¯t want to train.¡± He had no principles before her, giving nary a care as long as she was happy. In the meantime, Bertram waited outside for the couple to turn up for training. Unfortunately, there was no sign of them both even after he had waited for the whole morning. ¡°Didn¡¯t you say that Mr. Tristan and Ms. Tanner will being over for training, Bert?¡± Everyone had been looking forward to it the entire morning, but the couple was nowhere in sight. Bertram scratched his head. Didn¡¯t we agree to train today? Mr. Tristan isn¡¯t a person who¡¯d go back on his word. Just then, Tristan and Sophie appeared. ¡°Didn¡¯t you say you were going to train this morning, Mr. Tristan?¡± Bertram asked, mustering his courage. ¡°My wife said she didn¡¯t want to train, so we skipped training.¡± Chapter 970 Chapter 970 Chapter 970 Your Methods Are Wrong All content ? N/.?vel/Dr/ama.Org. What¡¯s there to be confused about? Everything depends on what Sophie says. ¡°Oh, is that so?¡± ¡°What is it? Do you have something to say? You may voice it out.¡± Bertram shook his head at once. She¡¯s joking. How would I dare have something to say? She can do whatever she wants. Sophie smiled at Bertram¡¯s panicked look. This dense fellow is fun to toy with. ¡°It would dash their hopes if I do not give them proper training.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t concern yourself with their disappointment. All you have to care about is whether or not I will be disappointed. Other people¡¯s opinions are of no consequence.¡° ¡°Let¡¯s go, then. Since they want to train with us so much, we might as well oblige them.¡± Sophie arrived at the venue. She picked up a gun and shot several rounds at the target. The others, having assumed they would not be shown what they hade for, were on their way back to their seats when the gunshots sounded. Turning around, they witnessed her legendary marksmanship. Every bullet found its mark atop one another in the dead center of the target. It was as if a single bullet had passed through. Bertram had long since known Sophie¡¯s skill with a gun, but that was the first time he saw it in person. After firing ten shots, Sophie turned to Bertram. ¡°Is there anything else you¡¯re worried about, Bert? What other training do you think I requir Having been rendered speechless, Bertram shook his head. What other training would she need? I don¡¯t care how formidable she is, even Lily would not be a me Tanner. ¡°No, there really isn¡¯t!¡± Instantly, Sophie earned the respect and devotion of all who were present. Several daring young felle hurried over. ¡°Your marksmanship is amazing, Ms. Tanner. Could I study under you for a couple of days?¡± ¡°I would like some tutge, too. I¡¯m decent at most things except shooting a gun. Please give me an opportunity, Ms. Tanner!¡± ¡°Please be my mentor!¡± One of them even fell to their knees. Bertram was rendered speechless. They¡¯re not usually this enthusiastic! What¡¯s gotten into them today? ¡°Sure!¡± Sophie had already promised Bertram to take over several of them. ¡°Excellent!¡± the group cheered. Having heard that Sophie was there, Ysabelle hurried over and, as a result, witnessed Sophie¡¯s aim. ¡°Compared to Sophie, Felix, who¡¯s better with a gun? You or her?¡± Felix was struck dumb. How am I supposed to answer that? ¡°Completely equal, I would say. I can teach you if you want to learn, but we¡¯ll do it when we return to Jipsdale, all right? It¡¯s too hot here.¡± ¡°No, I think I¡¯ll study under Sophie. She looks better at this than you.¡± Without sparing the wheelchair-bound Felix another nce, Ysabelle bounded toward Sophie. ¡°I want to learn from you too, Sophie.¡± ¡°Sure!¡± Sophie was giving the group some pointers when Tristan arrived beside Felix. ¡°This girlfriend of yours seems to steal the spotlight wherever she goes, eh, Mr. Tristan?¡± She¡¯s over the line! How could they draw her away like that? Do they not see me standing here? ¡°Don¡¯t me other people for your ownck of presence.¡± Tristan folded his arms. My woman is amazing. Everything she does is mesmerizing. ¡°By the way, you should start walking again now that you¡¯re feeling better. Don¡¯t spend all day in bed.¡± Truth be told, his condition was not that serious. ¡°I¡¯m enjoying being taken care of.¡± It was a pleasant thing to be closely cared for by somebody one loved. ¡°You must be feeling proud of yourself.¡± Though it is natural for couples to care for one another, how could he lower himself to do something so embarrassing instead? ¡°You don¡¯t understand, and you never will.¡± Sophie has always known what she wanted, so Mr. Tristan never felt otherwise. I, on the other hand, am different. I¡¯ve always enjoyed being this way. After gleaning some pointers from Sophie, the youngsters put them into practice right away and, to their delight, found a marked improvement. ¡°That¡¯s right. Just like that. Give it several more tries and you¡¯ll have it down in no time. If you have any other questions, you cane to me.¡± I¡¯m not leaving so soon, anyway. ¡°Thank you, Master!¡± the group of youngsters chorused. Ysabelle was the only one left after the rest departed amidst their excited chatter. As she did not even hold a gun properly, Sophie started from the beginning. ¡°You have to hold it like this. Your grip is wrong. Sophie was a decent teacher. She quickly managed to get Ysabelle, who was aplete novice, acquainted with the basics. Ysabelle fired her first shot. Though it missed the target, she was beside herself with excitement. ¡°Will I ever be as good as you, Sophie?¡± ¡°With your talent, you might never be.¡± Technical skill aside, some things require talent. Talented as she is in singing. Ysabelle is not made for this. ¡°Besides, you only need to learn enough to defend yourself. It¡¯s not necessary to perfect it.¡± I¡¯m teaching her because I want her to be able to protect herself in the face of danger, nothing more. ¡°All right!¡± It¡¯s true. I¡¯m not really talented at this. ¡°Let¡¯s go. We¡¯ve been training long enough. It¡¯s time to eat.¡± Sophie hadn¡¯t had her breakfast yet. Thus, she had her breakfast and lunch rolled into one meal. Ysabelle was covered in sweat. Felix felt sorry for her. ¡°I told you, it¡¯s too hot here. We could have lessons back in Jipsdale if you¡¯re really interested.¡± Why torture yourself like that? Ysabelle¡¯s smile, however, was resplendent. ¡°I¡¯ve now experienced the joy of shooting a gun, Felix. Nothingpares to this.¡± If I begin studying in earnest, I don¡¯t think I¡¯d be that bad. Felix was annoyed. ¡°I offered to teach you once before, but you refused.¡± Am I such a bad teacher? ¡°Then your methods must have been wrong. I think Sophie is a good teacher. I enjoy the way she teaches very much,¡± Ysabelle said brusquely. Hurt, Felix was rendered speechless. What does she mean by me teaching her poorly? She¡¯s just blindly trusting Sophie! The four of them headed to a restaurant. ¡°When are you two leaving?¡± Tristan had enough of seeing them both. As Felix was almostpletely healed, he deemed thetter fit to return. ¡°What do you mean by that, Uncle Tristan? We don¡¯t have any obligations. What¡¯s the rush? Let¡¯s all go back together!¡± Ysabelle thought she could continue her lessons in the meantime. ¡°I would like to return,¡± Felix protested. There was business in Northley Group that required his attention. Chapter 971 Prank Chapter 971 Prank Ysabelle gave him a pitiful look. ¡°We¡¯ll stay a little longer until Sophie settles her business here before we fly back together.¡± I like it here, anyway. ¡°Felix!¡± Ysabelle continued being coy with him, apparently determined to remain. Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024. *I really do have matters to take care of in Northley Group, Belle. Otherwise, I would stay here with you.¡±¡± ¡°Fine,¡± Ysabelle relented. ¡°We¡¯ll head back in two days after thepetition.¡± She knew she could not get her way all the time. It was my stubbornness that led to where we are today. ¡°Mmm.¡± Felix stroked her long hair. ¡°I¡¯ll take you out again when I settle matters over there.¡± I¡¯ll be there with her regardless of where she wants to go as long as it makes her happy. Bertram arrived at that moment. ¡°Ms. Sanders is here, Mr. Tristan, Bertram said helplessly. This woman does not seem to take the hint. Tristan frowned. She is going too far. Does she think I have to amodate her just because she likes me? What a joke! ¡°Now¡¯s not the time to burn the bridge with Ms. Sanders, Mr. Tristan, Bertram reminded him. Knowing Mr. Tristan, things are going to get messy if he loses his temper: ¡°I¡¯ll go take a look,¡± Ysabelle volunteered. She was curious about this Lily. It¡¯s one thing to fall for Uncle Tristan, but t out pursuing him? I want to see what she looks like. Felix dragged her back. ¡°Don¡¯t. That Lily is a thug. Don¡¯t get involved.¡± ¡°Ask her in, Bert,¡± Sophie said. All of them turned toward her. ¡°Why not? She¡¯s a guest, after all.¡± ¡°Really? I seem to sense a scheme in the works.¡± Ysabelle was excited. She knew Sophie very well. ¡°None at all. Go on, Bert. Why are you hesitating?¡± Bertram nced at Tristan, not daring to do anything without thetter¡¯s consent. Tristan nodded. I wonder what this girl has up her sleeve this time. Not long after, Bertram invited Lily in Her eyes twinkled as soon as she caught sight of Tristan. He did not need to do a thing for her to be head over heels. Though she was a burly woman, she behaved coyly before Tristan. Ysabelle felt goosebumps erupting all over her skin. ¡°To what do I owe the pleasure, Ms. Sanders?¡± Tristan asked coldly. ¡°Nothing much. I came because I wanted to see you. Lily was brutally honest. Felix nearlyughed out loud. He had never met a woman who dared to speak to Tristan like that. True enough, Tristan scowled. Sophie, on the other hand, was especially calm. It was almost as if the man Lily had her eyes on was not her fianc¨¦. ¡°Have you had lunch, Ms. Sanders?¡± Sophie asked politely. ¡°Join us if you haven¡¯t.¡± Lily did not expect Sophie to be that polite, especially since she knew that the man was her fianc¨¦. Is it possible that Sophie does not actually like Mr. Tristan, which is why she does not seem to care? ¡°Oh, can I? Can I join you all for a meal?¡± Lily gazed at Tristan. His assent was what she was after. However, Tristan paid her no mind. Thus, she found herself a seat, which was coincidentally across from Tristan. That way, she could admire his chiseled features to her heart¡¯s content. Indeed, Mr. Tristan is so handsome that I can¡¯t tear my eyes off him. ¡°Why did you ask her to eat with us, Sophie? Couldn¡¯t you tell that she has an ulterior motive?¡± The Jetroinian woman even wore her traditional attire. However, her figure was overly burly and not at all pleasant to look at ¡°No problem. It¡¯s just a meal. I do not mind.¡± Sophie maintained a warm smile. It gave off the impression that she was a pushover. Ysabelle did not say much else. She was curious to see what Sophie was going to do next. Only after sitting down did Lily realize that she was punishing herself by joining them for a meal-she did not like anything that was served. I still have to pretend to enjoy myself in front of Mr. Tristan. After all, these are all dishes he likes. But d¡¯mn, are they spicy! Lily did not have a high tolerance for spicy food. ¡°Are you all right, Ms. Sanders? Is the food too spicy for you?¡± Ysabelle asked instinctively when she noticed the woman¡¯s swollen, fiery lips As she knew who Ysabelle was, Lily was exceptionally courteous. Naturally, she could not bring herself to say anything negative. ¡°It¡¯s delicious! I love spicy food.¡± Lily did not speak Chanacan well; she spoke very slowly. ¡°I¡¯m d you like it. I was worried you weren¡¯t going to These are Uncle Tristan¡¯s favorite foods, you know.¡± Tristan took some for Sophie. ¡°Have some yourself. Ignore her,¡± Tristan whispered into Sophie¡¯s ear. Though he knew she wanted to prank Lily, he wanted her to eat. She should not have to waste her energy on a nobody like that. ¡°Mmm.¡± Sophie watched Lily as she ate. True enough. Lily¡¯s expression shifted when she saw Tristan taking food for Sophie. It was in the act displeased her. I don¡¯t know what goes on in this woman¡¯s head. Tristan is my fiance. What¡¯s wrong with him treating me well? On what grounds does she have to be unhappy about it? ¡°You must be over thirty, aren¡¯t you, Ms. Sanders? Why are you still not married? It doesn¡¯t matter how independent you be. A woman needs someone to lean on,¡± Ysabelle said pointedly. Lily did not like people bringing up her age, as women, in general, were touchy about the subject. ¡°You are lucky, Ysabelle, so you¡¯ve no idea what a miraculous thing fate can be. I have never met somebody I wanted to marry, but I have now!¡± She was looking at Tristan as she spoke. Her intention could not be clearer. Tristan wants the project in Fandar, doesn¡¯t he? If he were to be with me, I would help him and ensure that the lucrative project ends up in his hands That leverage was why she thought highly of her chances. ¡°Oh, is that so?¡± Ysabelle was displeased. What an awful woman for saying such things to a man with his fianc¨¦e present in such a matter-of-fact tone! Chapter 972 Unavailable in Your Size Chapter 972 Unavable in Your Size Despite Ysabelle¡¯s unhappiness, she chose to remain silent since Lily hadn¡¯t explicitly mentioned Tristan¡¯s name Sophie, on the other hand, remainedposed and saw an opportunity to have some fun by subtly tormenting the woman during thepetition. At the moment, there was no rush to take action at all. Meanwhile, Tristan couldn¡¯t even be bothered to look at Lily, yet thetter continued to linger around even after they had finished their meal. Sensing that Tristan was about to blow his top, Bertram quickly offered. ¡°Ms. Sanders, let me take you on a tour!¡± ¡°No need, I have something to attend to in the afternoon. I won¡¯t bother you any further.¡± Lily hoped Tristan would ask her to stay, but the man didn¡¯t even spare her a nce, leaving her feeling deeply frustrated. She couldn¡¯t help but wonder if her offer wasn¡¯t enticing enough for him. With a single nod from Tristan, she was willing to go to great lengths and give up everything she possessed. ¡°Well then! Mr. Tristan, why don¡¯t I see Ms. Sanders off? Bertram, feeling obliged to y the role of the gracious gentleman, volunteered to see Lily off. Tristan nodded in agreement. Finally, Lily departed, and Ysabelle couldn¡¯t contain herughter any longer. ¡°I¡¯m telling you this Lily Sanders is such an amusing woman!¡± ¡°Amusing? She¡¯s incredibly selfish and ruthless when ites to achieving her goals.¡±¡° Sophie remarked. This woman engaged in trafficking young women despite being a woman herself. That¡¯s such a despicable act. ¡°Yes, she is truly disgusting. Tristan concurred. It was a rare asion for him to hold such disdain for a woman, highlighting just how repulsive her actions were in his eyes. ¡°Is that so? Well, indeed, she¡¯s quite repugnant. Sophie, be careful when dealing with her. I can tell she harbors ill intentions,¡± Ysabelle voiced her concerti. ¡°I know. You don¡¯t have to worry,¡± Sophie assured Ysabelle. This time, she had every intention of teaching Lily a lesson during thepetition. Not only did she have her sights set on taking over Fandar, but she also wanted to bring Lily down Upon returning to her mansion, Lily couldn¡¯t contain her frustration and threw a tantrum, the memory of Sophie¡¯s arrogant demeanor filling her with unhappiness. None of her subordinates dared to speak a word. That was just how Lily was-when her temper red, she would either hit or scold her subordinates. In an attempt to appease her, one of her subordinates voiced, ¡°Ms. Sanders, please don¡¯t be angry. Sophie¡¯s moment of victory will be short-lived. After tomorrow, you will have the opportunity to completely humiliate her in front of everyone. Once Mr. Tristan sees herck of talent, he will realize that she is merely a decorative piece.¡± ¡°Yes, indeed. Sophie cannotpare to you, Ms. Sanders. She is merely a decorative piece without any talent,¡± the subordinates reassured Lily. Lily, consumed by anger, forcefully threw the cup in her hand, shattering it as it crashed onto the ground. ¡°Whatif Mr. Tristan only likes her for her face? Does that mean I don¡¯t stand a chance? Is she more beautiful than me?¡±. Lily had been diligently working out all these years, maintaining a toned physique. s, she could not escape the effects of age. Being in her thirties, herplexion had begun to show signs of deterioration, making it difficult for her topare herself to the youthful and radiant Sophie. ¡°Well, if Mr. Tristan is so infatuated with her face, then we can just ruin it, right?¡± Being in Fandar, their familiar territory, it wouldn¡¯t be a challenging task to ruin a young woman¡¯s appearance. They had the means and resources to carry out such a scheme effortlessly. Lily was satisfied with that idea. ¡°Let¡¯s talk about it after thepetition!¡± she eximed, confident that she would be able to secure first ce. If Tristan wants Fandar, he would have toply with my demands¡± Finally, the day of thepetition arrived, and Tristan felt a twitch in his eyelid. Although he wasn¡¯t usually superstitious, when it came to matters concerning Sophie, he couldn¡¯t help but entertain a bit of superstition this time. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Sophie asked. Tristan didn¡¯t seem happy early in the morning. ¡°My eyelid has been twitching since I woke up. Maybe you shouldn¡¯t participate in thispetition. I¡¯ll handle things here in Fandar,¡± he suggested. Sophie was rendered speechless. ¡°What does your eyelid twitching have to do with me participating in thepetition? You can rx. There won¡¯t be any problems,¡± she reassured him, hugging him tightly. ¡°But- ¡°No ¡°buts. Today, I¡¯m determined to teach that vile Lily a lesson.¡± If I don¡¯t participate, Lily would certainly be disappointed. I can¡¯t disappoint her now, can I? ¡°You.¡± Despite his concerns about her safety, there was nothing he could say or do to dissuade Sophie from participating in thepetition. ¡°Remember, you mustn¡¯t get injured. Do you understand?¡± he reminded her. I won¡¯t allow her to sustain even a single scratch on herself ¡°Okay. I promise.¡± Ysabelle and Felix also joined them. Thetter had made significant progress in his recovery, thanks to the medicine Sophie had provided. He had regained his mobility and was now able to apany them. ¡°Let¡¯s go! I can¡¯t wait any longer!¡± Thispetition was of great significance, and Sophie couldn¡¯t possibly miss such a grand event. All content ? N/.?vel/Dr/ama.Org. ¡°Ysabelle, we will be encountering many influential individuals today, and some of them can be ruthless. Listen to Felix and follow his instructions closely, okay?¡± Tristan entrusted Felix with the responsibility of ensuring Ysabelle¡¯s safety during the event as he didn¡¯t have time to take care of her today. ¡°Uncle Tristan, I¡¯m an adult now. I understand what¡¯s going on, and I know my responsibilities,¡± Ysabelle assured them, confident that she wouldn¡¯t cause trouble for everyone. ¡°Good, as long as you understand. Besides, Felix¡¯s injury hasn¡¯t fully healed yet. If you cause any he¡¯ll be the one in trouble.¡± As he spoke, Tristan swept a sympathetic gaze at Felix. What a pitiful guy he was, indeed. However, Felix merely ced his arm around Ysabelle¡¯s shoulders as he dered, ¡°I¡¯m willing to cover for her no matter what she does. I¡¯m never tired of doing so!¡± Upon his bold deration, he couldn¡¯t help but grumble internally. Please stop criticizing my sweetheart, Mr. Tristan! ¡°Fine. I won¡¯t harp on it any longer. Just remember, if something goes wrong, don¡¯te running to me.¡± After saying that, Tristan opened the car door for Sophie. That day, she had chosen to wear a sleek ck ensemble, perfect for the shooting event in thepetition. The outfit entuated her slender figure, adding to her allure and captivating presence. Despite being a woman herself. Ysabelle couldn¡¯t contain her admiration for Sophie¡¯s stunning figure. ¡°Sophie, where did you get this outfit? It looks absolutely amazing on you.¡± ¡°Oh, your Uncle Tristan prepared it for me. There was no need for Sophie to worry about these things, for Tristan had thought ahead and taken care of all the necessary arrangements. ¡°Uncle Tristan, when will you buy me an outfit like this? Look at how it entuates one¡¯s figure!¡± Ysabelle, eximed. Sophie looks so attractive and stylish in it. Tristan looked her up and down, then shook his head. ¡°This outfit doesn¡¯t suit your figure. Besides, it¡¯s not avable in your size.¡± The outfit was made of a special material that provided optimal protection to its wearer. Thus, Tristan reckoned it wouldn¡¯t serve its purpose if Ysabelle were to wear it. An angered Ysabelle pointed at Tristan, her fingers trembling. ¡°Uncle Tristan, aren¡¯t you going too far? Is my figure that unttering? Don¡¯t you think it¡¯s a bit excessive to say that this outfit is not avable in my size?¡± Seeing Ysabelle¡¯s reaction, Felix embraced her. ¡°All right, all right. Don¡¯t mind him. That¡¯s just how he is. I¡¯ll get the same outfit for you when we¡¯re back. I¡¯ll get you whatever you want, okay?¡± he immediately assured her. ¡°This person is definitely not my Uncle Tristan. He¡¯s gone too far! I refuse to believe that my real uncle could be so heartless and insensitive.¡± Ysabelle was on the verge of losing her cool. Chapter 973 Adding A New Event Chapter 973 Adding A New Event Seeing Ysabelle¡¯s expression, Sophie couldn¡¯t help butugh. ¡°All right, how about this? When we return. I¡¯ll take off this outfit and give it to you,¡± Sophie promised. She was aware of the material and knew that Tristan had taken great care in preparing everything. ¡°Can¡¯t I have a new one? I won¡¯t fit into yours!¡± Sophie was very slender, and the outfit fit her perfectly. Thus, Ysabelle, being slightly plumper than Sophie, might not find the same ttering fit in the outfit. ¡°This material is unique and exclusively tailored for me. There¡¯s only one piece, and it¡¯s not avable for anyone else.¡± It wasn¡¯t that Tristan was being stingy, it simply wasn¡¯t avable anymore. ¡°Fine!¡± I brought this situation upon myself. There¡¯s no way I¡¯d be able to fit in the outfit. ¡°Get in the car. If we don¡¯t leave now, we¡¯ll bete,¡± Felix urged. It wasn¡¯t appropriate to bete for such an asion. As he spoke, he gantly opened the car door for Ysabelle, and she quickly got in. They didn¡¯t want her to go, yet she stubbornly insisted on tagging along. Thus, she had to be quick before they changed their minds. Seeing her like that, Felix let out a chuckle. ¡°I know you¡¯re eager to tag along, but you don¡¯t have to be so anxious as if we¡¯re going to leave you behind, hemented. Ysabelle nonchntly brushed her hair, feigning ignorance of Felix¡¯s subtle insinuations. Felix joined Ysabelle in the car, taking a seat as the driver started the engine, and they began their journey. Ever since they got there, Ysabelle hadn¡¯t ventured outside at all. On their first day, she had seen many homeless people, and the sight of longing eyes from impoverished children had left her feeling disheartened. In more peaceful countries, certain things were readily avable to children, but in Fandar, they could only yearn for such luxuries. The children longed for peace and the chance to go to school. Unfortunately, the greed of certain individuals denied them these basic rights, keeping them trapped in a cycle of deprivation. ¡°They¡¯re so pitiful, Felix,¡± Ysabelle hugged the man¡¯s arm. ¡°Yes, they truly are.¡± These children are still growing, yet they can¡¯t even have a proper meal, and they¡¯re all so emaciated. ¡°Lwant to help them, but I don¡¯t know how.¡± This belongs ? N?velDra/ma.Org. Ysabelle was a kind-hearted girl, and she had always been involved in charity work. However, she found herself uncertain of how to make a difference in Fandar. With a subtle gesture, she discreetly took a photo- with her phone. ¡°We can discuss it when wee back. Perhaps some of Northley Group¡¯s charitable funds can be directed toward supporting these children,¡± Felix suggested. He was willing to try anything Ysabelle wanted to do. As a singer and a public figure, Ysabelle wanted to utilize her resources to bring about positive change. ¡°Yeah. Once I¡¯m back, I¡¯d like to do something about this,¡± she said, her toneced with determination. Not long after, they arrived at the venue for thepetition. As soon as they stepped foot into the venue, they could hear the murmurs and discussions among the influential figures who had already gathered ¡°Lily has really crossed the line! It¡¯s clear to everyone that she¡¯s a renowned racer, but she deliberately kept today¡¯s race a secret. She¡¯s ying dirty!¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. Who does she think she is? She¡¯s just a woman, yet she¡¯s trying to snatch our territories right out from under us. We cannot let this slide. It¡¯s time to eliminate her once and for all!¡± ¡°Yeah, we¡¯ll see! If we¡¯re not satisfied with today¡¯s results, let¡¯s take her down together. She¡¯s just a woman She has no ce interfering in our matters! ¡°What is happening? What has Lily done to stir up such public outrage?¡± At that moment, it appeared that even the influential figures present were displeased with her actions, The sudden addition of a brand-new event caught everyone off guard. ¡°Racing? Can Sophie race?¡± asked Felix. Ysabelle shook her head upon recalling that she had never been in a car driven by Sophie. ¡°I don¡¯t know. Sophie rarely drives, so I don¡¯t think she has experience in racing.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not good,¡± he remarked. Nheless, they could only wait until Sophie and the others arrived to make a decision. Sophie and Tristan arrived a few minutester than Ysabelle and Felix. As Sophie stepped out of the car, she immediately noticed the worried expressions on Ysabelle¡¯s and Felix¡¯s faces. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Did you two have an argument?¡± Weren¡¯t they just fine a moment ago! ¡°No, Sophie, Lily added a new event to thepetition-racing. She¡¯s a famous racer and has won first ce in world championships in the past.¡± With the addition of an event that was favorable to Lily, the chances of other people winning were now lower than ever. Tristan approached and overheard the conversation. ¡°Sophie, I¡¯ve never even seen you drive. Are you able to participate in the race?¡± Ysabelle gazed at Sophie, her worry evident in her eyes. The audacity of Lily¡¯s actions truly disgusted her. ¡°If you can¡¯t do it, let¡¯s just forfeit thepetition!¡± Sophie beamed at her with a smile so enchanting that it took her breath away. Sophie then pinched Ysabelle¡¯s cheek and reassured her, ¡°Don¡¯t worry! It¡¯s just a race. I can do it.¡± Still, Ysabelle found it hard to believe that someone without a driver¡¯s license could race. ¡°Are you Do you even have a driver¡¯s license?¡± I doubt even a genius can aplish such a feat if they have no experience in driving! Moreover, Sophie owned an international driver¡¯s license. ¡°Really? Don¡¯t lie to me, Sophie. Racing can be really dangerous. I¡¯ve seen the news where racers ended up in fatal idents! Let¡¯s just give up, okay?¡± Ysabelle was still worried. She had seen a news report before where a talented racer ended up in a fatal ident. Sophie gently hugged Ysabelle in an attempt to alleviate thetter¡¯s worries. ¡°The only thing you guys need to do now is trust me. Don¡¯t think about anything else.¡± As she spoke, she scanned her surroundings, then instructed Bertram, ¡°Bertram, go get me a race car.¡± The cars they rode to the venue were not suitable for racing. Bertram didn¡¯t doubt her abilities, but he couldn¡¯t help but worry as the race tracks in Fandar were extremely dangerous. ¡°Ms. Tanner, are you sure about this? Racing in Fandar is extremely perilous. Even the smallest misstep can have grave consequences¡­ he expressed. Many who came to challenge it never returned. ¡°Go and get a race car. Don¡¯t worry about anything else.¡± At that moment, Lily came over with her entourage. ¡°Ms. Tanner, don¡¯t you have a race car? I have a couple. Feel free to pick whichever one you like if you don¡¯t own a race car,¡± said Lily gloatingly. Lily, being a racing enthusiast, had a collection of top-tier race cars in her garage, and offered to lend one to Sophie. ¡°No, thank you. I¡¯m not used to secondhand goods. What is the gloating about? I¡¯d like to see if she could keep that smug look on her face once thepetition begins. ¡°Mr. Tristan, I genuinely mean well. I added this event all of a sudden, and I¡¯m sure you guys aren¡¯t prepared for it. Truly, I have plenty of spare race cars, so it¡¯s not a problem to lend you one at all.¡± Lily offered generously. She was determined to assert her dominance over Sophie and make Tristan realize that she, Lily Sanders, was the most suitable woman for him. ¡°No need. If I can¡¯t even arrange for a race car, what qualifications do I have topete here?¡± Tristan ignored the woman and guided Sophie inside to rest. The race was about to begin, and Sophie needed to warm up properly before her performance. Frustrated by Tristan¡¯s disregard, Lily couldn¡¯t help but feel angry. However, she reminded herself to stayposed and wait for the race to be over. Once it was, she believed Tristan would realize that she would be the woman most befitting of him. Chapter 974 Ambush Chapter 974 Ambush Ysabelle scoffed after watching Lily leave. ¡°This Lily Sanders is so unlikeable.¡± Indeed, everyone has the right to pursue their happiness, but her attitude is seriously distasteful. ¡°You¡¯re right.¡± Naturally, Felix didn¡¯t like women like Lily either, for they were too presumptuous. ¡°Will Bertram be able to get a race car ready?¡± he asked. They didn¡¯t know there was going to be a race, Since none of them typically liked racing, finding a race car could be challenging. ¡°Yes.¡± Tristan phoned Bertram and told thetter to drive a race car to them. Meanwhile, the first round-jungle warfare-was about tomence. Everyone who entered the jungle would be fighting on their own. The winner would be the person who shot down the most targets without getting shot. There were twelve participants in total participating in thepetition. However, they wouldn¡¯t be using actual guns, making it akin to a first-person shooter video game. After all, the participants were all influential people. Things could turn ugly if one of them were to die during the event. ¡°All right. Don¡¯t worry, guys. Such a game is as easy as pie, Sophie uttered. For her, this was pretty much like going back to kindergarten as a degree holder. ¡°Still, you ought to be careful, Sophie. After all, those participants are all big shots, and they¡¯re ruthless!¡± Felix couldn¡¯t help advising. Although they aren¡¯t using actual guns, it¡¯s still dangerous being in the jungle. Besides, Lily is targeting her. If Lily brings a real gun with her, Sophie¡¯s life will be at risk. ¡°Mm, I know.¡± Sophie had already applied camouge face paint on her face and put on herbat gear ¡°Sophie, you truly are meant to join the military!¡± Ysabelle remarked, thinking Sophie looked really cool from every angle. ¡°All right. It¡¯s time for me to go in.¡± Slightly worried. Tristan grabbed her hand. She may be impressive, but so are the others ¡°If something goes wrong in there, you should prioritize protecting yourself. Got it? We¡¯ll figure everything out afterward.¡± Her safety mattered to him more than anything else. ¡°Okay.¡± With that, those twelve participants assembled as the person in charge exined the rules, Once done, the person in charge asked, ¡°Does anyone have any questions? No matter what happens, we need to remember that thispetition is held for the sake of Fandar. Thus, please do not go overboard.¡± All of the bigwigs were aloof and indifferent in nature, so they merely nodded in response. When everyone headed in, Lily purposely walked beside Sophie. ¡°Ms. Tanner, I was serious when I said you weren¡¯t suitable for this sort of game. How about this? For Mr. Tristan¡¯s sake, I¡¯ll let you stay by my side. I¡¯ll keep you safe.¡± Sophie was rendered speechless. Jeet. Can¡¯t she stop talking? ¡°You talk too much!¡± Then, she overtook Lily. Keep me safe? Is she looking down on me? Perhaps I should just give her a headshotter to bring her down a peg or two, Everyone here was notable, so facing such a game, they all looked rxed on the surface. However, in truth, they were all eager to be the winner. After all, in order to cement their ces in Fandar, they had to be sharpshooters. Soon, everyone got into position. Some of them nned to hide and only reemerge after the others were shot. Lily, on the other hand, was eager to be on the offensive, not wanting to waste any time. Within five minutes after the participants entered the jungle, gunshots resonated, signifying that the battle had begun. Ysabelle was so on edge that she nearly forgot to breathe. ¡°Felix, Sophie should do okay, right?¡± She was genuinely worried sick. s, they couldn¡¯t see the situation in the jungle from their vantage point. ¡°Sophie is a magnificent shooter, but those bigwigs are experienced inbat. After all, they killed their way to get to where they are today. In other words, she might be at a disadvantage in terms of real-life battle experience. Right then, Bertram had returned, looking at the exit anxiously. Those who were shot would exit first, but it had been ten minutes, and no one hade out yet despite the continuous gunshots. One could only imagine how intense the battle was. ¡°Ms. Tanner can definitely do it! Her marksmanship is second to none,¡± he said. And I think she has adequate real-life battle experience too! At that moment, a man with a red dot on his forehead was seen exiting the jungle. ¡°Motherf*cker! I¡¯ve been in this circle for so many years. Who would¡¯ve thought I¡¯d get eliminated without knowing who shot me?¡° ¡°Boss! Why are you out so soon?¡± the man¡¯sckey asked. ¡°Did you think I wanted this to happen?¡± ¡°That¡¯s not what I meant, Boss! Well, let¡¯s go! Let¡¯s take a break!¡± He¡¯s eliminated in the first round directly. I reckon he¡¯spletely out of the game now. Thereafter, every couple of minutes, a big shot would be eliminated. For the time being, none of them knew who had shot them, so they could only wait to find out who the winner was. Meanwhile, upon hearing someoneing her way, Sophie climbed up arge tree after eliminating one of the bigwigs. True enough, someone arrived momentster, moving forward cautiously. However, little did he know that someone was watching his every move. Sophie seized the opportunity, took aim, and fired in one fell swoop. ¡°F*ck! Who shot me?¡± ¡°You¡¯re already dead, so stop yelling!¡± She jumped down from the tree. Seeing that a youngdy had shot him, the eliminated man grew even more upset. ¡°Ms. Tanner, you¡¯ve clearly been pretending to be weak! I can¡¯t believe you¡¯re so apt!¡± She wasn¡¯t even in the best position, yet she still managed to make the shot. All content ? N/.?vel/Dr/ama.Org. ¡°Pretending? When have 1? I never said I was incapable! In fact, I¡¯ve been telling everyone I¡¯m pretty good, no?¡± After saying that, Sophie ignored the ¡°dead man¡± and ambushed her next target. Soon, she eliminated five participants and found a ce to rest, nning to save thest bullet for Lily. In the meantime, having already eliminated four people, Lily had been searching for Sophie, but to no avail. When I find Sophie, I¡¯ll give her a taste of what getting shot feels like! Just then, the woman had already entered Sophie¡¯s crosshair. Thetter smirked upon seeing Lily. This jungle is truly too ufortable. Let¡¯s just end the game early Lily was also on high alert, so she immediately sensed something amiss uponing here. Chapter 975 Unmistakably Expensive Chapter 975 Unmistakably Expensive Sophie chuckled when she saw Lily¡¯s startled look. This Lily is indeed rather skilled, but that¡¯s exactly what I want. If she had sucked, this game would¡¯ve been boring As Lily moved, Sophie followed suit. The two were about to find out who was more impressive in the Jungle. All of a sudden, the former spotted a python somewhere nearby and snickered. That¡¯s a huge python. If Sophiees across it, she¡¯ll definitely be dead. With that in mind, she found a spot nearby to sit down and wait for Sophie to show up, not wanting to shoot thetter anymore. It won¡¯t have anything to do with me if she encounters other dangers here Presently, Lily really wanted Sophie dead, and it would be even better if all she needed to do was sit back and watch. Sophie, too, sneered when she saw that python. This Lily must¡¯vee here upon seeing the python, huh! I bet she thinks I won¡¯t be a match for it. Next, she avoided the python agilely and got behind Lily. As expected, she has already seen the python and is hoping it¡¯ll help get rid of me. That¡¯s why she¡¯s not hunting me down. Well, unfortunately for her, I¡¯m not afraid of these beasts. On the contrary, I¡¯m adept at dealing with them! With that in mind. Sophie took aim and fired a shot. By the time Lily realized something was wrong, it was toote, for she had gotten shot. Her eyes widened in shock as she stammered, ¡°H-How is this possible? Weren¡¯t you¡­. She was utterly indignant. I should be the winner of this game! How could this happen? ¡°What¡¯s the matter? You didn¡¯t think I could eliminate you, right? Well, ept the reality!¡± Sophie¡¯s gun had run out of bullets, so she took Lily¡¯s. At that moment, two big shots, who were in cahoots, rushed over. Without hesitation, Sophie raised her gun and fired two shots at the duo, stunning them. How is the so fast! We didn¡¯t even have time to react, and she¡¯d eliminated both of us at the same time, no lexx ¡°I¡¯m sorry, everyone. This round is over.¡± She smiled derisively. They may be decent, but they¡¯re nothingpared to me. This is merely child¡¯s ypared to the bloodbaths I¡¯ve been through! As such, the quartet came out of the jungle together. Knowing that the game had ended, everyone gathered at the exit to see who had won. The two men emerged first, with evident red ink on their foreheads. That meant they had both been eliminated. ¡°Only Lily and Sophie are left! Oh, my God! Who¡¯s the winner! I¡¯m so nervous!¡± Ysabelle held her breath in anticipation. Unmistakably Expensive ¡°Calm down. We¡¯ll find out soon enough.¡± Felix held her hand. Right then, Lily and Sophie came out simultaneously. The former¡¯s subordinates had presumed she was the victor, but none of them dared to speak when they saw the scowl on her face. What in the world happened? How could Ms. Sanders lose! Meanwhile, Sophie approached Tristan. ¡°See? Didn¡¯t I say I won¡¯t lose?¡± And I even won with ease! He hugged her and gave her a peck on the lips, praising proudly, ¡°As expected of my Sophie. You¡¯re amazing as usual!¡± Witnessing how capable she was, Tristan was over the moon, as if he had won the game himself. Ysabelle also went up to embrace Sophie. ¡°Sophie! You¡¯re truly magnificent! Felix told me how great the other eleven participants were, but you still came out on top. The former couldn¡¯t hide her contentment. Indeed, Sophie never disappoints. She¡¯s simply that impressive. However, the looks on the other eleven participants¡¯ faces were beyond grim. They were all fearsome individuals in the underworld and had never imagined they¡¯d lose to a young lady. This is humiliating! ¡°Don¡¯t spout nonsense, Ysabelle, Sophie said. Although that¡¯s the truth, we still need to save those people¡¯s faces. Offending them now won¡¯t do us any good. Lily was already in a bad mood to begin with. Now that she saw how attentive Tristan was toward Sophie, her moodpletely hit rock bottom. When her subordinate handed her a ss of water that was slightly warmer than usual, she smashed it on the ground and thundered, ¡°What¡¯s the matter with you? Are you trying to burn me? What? I merely lost a match, and you guys are already disrespecting me!¡± All content ? N/.?vel/Dr/ama.Org. She was so furious that she could really kill someone. ¡°I¡¯m sorry! I didn¡¯t do it on purpose. I¡¯ll get you another ss right away. Do calm down, Ms. Sanders. This is just the beginning. There are still two more rounds to go. We still have a chance to turn things around.¡± ¡°Hmph! I absolutely won¡¯t let her off easy!¡± Lily wanted nothing more than to snap Sophie¡¯s neck at present. ¡°Here, drink some water. Let¡¯s get ready for the next round. You¡¯ll have an advantage over the others in the next round.¡± Lily was getting sick of witnessing the interaction between Sophie and Tristan, so she went to get prepared. D*mmit! I didn¡¯t expect to lose the first round. In the meantime, Tristan was walking Sophie to the lounge with an arm wrapped around her waist. Ysabelle had already poured a ss of water for Sophie earlier on, so she gave the water to thetter the moment Sophie sat down. ¡°Drink some water, Ms. Tanner!¡± ¡°Thanks.¡± Sophie took the ss of water and drank it. ¡°Tristan, you guys should be prepared. Even if we win thispetition, they won¡¯t ept defeat so easily either,¡± warned Sophie. I¡¯m only having some fun, going along with them in thispetition. If they still end up unconvinced, though, I won¡¯t hesitate to resort to violence to resolve the matter. After all, people in the underworld will only be convinced by true capabilities. Survival of the fittest is especially urate in this world. ¡°Mm. Focus on thepetition. I¡¯ve already dealt with the rest of the matters,¡± he answered. How can these people possibly give up so easily! Ultimately, we¡¯ll still have to fight it out. ¡°All right. That¡¯s good to hear.¡± Tristan¡¯s capabilities were self-evident. As long as he did something, everything would go well. ¡°Come on. Let¡¯s go rest for a bit. You have one hour to rest before the next round begins.¡± He helped her ¡°No need. Bert, is the race car ready? Take me to it! I¡¯d like to check it out.¡± No matter what, she had to check out the vehicle before the race. ¡°Rest assured, Ms. Tanner! Everything¡¯s ready. I¡¯ll lead you to it.¡± Bertram rose to his feet. With Mr. Tristan around, I can even get my hands on a fighter jet, let alone a race car. There¡¯s absolutely nothing to worry about. Then, the group went to see the race car that Bertram had driven over. It was ck and unmistakably expensive. Chapter 976 My Man Chapter 976 My Man The performance of race cars was what mattered, not their appearance. ¡°Wow, Bert! This is awesome.¡± Ysabelle was excited when she saw the race car because it looked extremely cool. Her eyes sparkled with admiration as she said, ¡°It must be really cool to drive this car. Can I try?¡± Hearing that, Felix pulled her back to his side. ¡°This car looks good on the outside, but it¡¯s not something you can drive,¡± he pointed out. It was not an ordinary race car; one careless mistake could cause a terrible ident. A sense of letdown settled upon Ysabelle. ¡°Why is it that Sophie can do anything but I can¡¯t?¡± she groaned. ¡°Who says you can¡¯t? You can. You sing very well!¡± Felix affirmed. She¡¯s already one of the most popr female singers. Isn¡¯t that enough? Every person has their own strengths; we just have to do what we¡¯re good at. ¡°Really? Am I that impressive to you?¡± Ysabelle asked hesitantly, unconvinced by his words. ¡°Yes. To me, you¡¯re the most dazzling person in the world. I¡¯m telling you the truth; the whole truth, and nothing but the truth,¡± Felix continued with his ttery. He was even willing to call her an angel as long as she did not do those dangerous things. ¡°All right!¡± Since Felix had already put it that way, it was only right for Ysabelle to believe him. Besides, there was nothing she could do about it if he were lying. Ysabelle knew very well that she was not as capable as Sophie. Meanwhile, Sophie opened the race car door and climbed in to experience what it felt like inside. The race car was incredible-appearance and performance-wise. Moreover, it was coated in the morous red color she liked. She was sure it would feel great to drive a car like that. ¡°What do you think? Do you like it?¡± asked Tristan. He had never used the car ever since he bought it. Sophie bobbed her head in response. ¡°I like it. Looks like you¡¯ve always had a great sense of taste.¡± She truly liked the car. ¡°If you like it, you can have it.¡± The offer rendered Sophic speechless. It sounded surreal that Tristan was giving her the car. However, she soon nodded because she really liked the vehicle. Just then, Lily walked over, only to develop jealousy for Sophie when she caught sight of the race car. The way Tristan treated Sophie drew envy from others. The look on Lily¡¯s face gave Ysabelle the urge to provoke the former. ¡°Ms. Sanders, why are you here? The event¡¯s not starting until an hourter. What do you think about this race car? I wonder if it¡¯s suitable for this track.¡± The smile on Lily¡¯s lips stiffened. Ysabelle¡¯s doing this on purpose, isn¡¯t she? ¡°Isn¡¯t it obvious? Mr. Tristan¡¯s things are always the best,¡± she said. Surely there¡¯s no need to make it so clear? ¡°True. My uncle¡¯s things are always the best, but he still cherishes Sophie the most.¡± Lily was left baffled. Ugh. I shouldn¡¯t havee here before thepetition starts. I¡¯m only asking for trouble. ¡°Mr. Tristan, I¡¯ve asked someone to prepare some food. You should have some.¡± Lily actually personally delivered the food just to have a glimpse of Tristan. ¡°Leave it there. I¡¯m not free to eat now,¡± Tristan uttered indifferently without even looking at what she had prepared. ¡°Oh, okay.¡± Lily dared not pester him in front of so many people. Thus, she ced the food down and left. Intrigued, Sophie peered at the food Lily had prepared. They were all food that Tristan liked; it seemed like Lily was serious about him. ¡°Why don¡¯t you have some? Ms. Sanders has already prepared them, anyway,¡± Sophie suggested. She was not a petty person, after all. Tristan was not attracted to Lily, so it was pointless no matter how hard thetter tried. Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024. ¡°I don¡¯t feel like eating.¡± He wasn¡¯t hungry, and the thought that the food was prepared by Lily made him lose his appetite. ¡°What¡¯s this? Why are you behaving this way? I never said anything to stop you from eating it.¡± ¡°But I want you to. Sophie, you¡¯ll soon be married to me. Aren¡¯t you jealous that another woman¡¯s treating me well so brazenly?¡± Tristan¡¯s tone wasced with disappointment. His reaction amused her so much that she almost burst outughing. ¡°I am mad! Of course, I am! Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll win both the race and the fight as a reminder for her to never mess with my man.¡± ¡°My man¡­¡± Tristan repeated. He loved that phrase. That¡¯s right. I¡¯m Sophie¡¯s man! Since both Tristan and Sophie refused to touch the food Lily brought, Bertram quickly ordered something else When the food arrived, Tristan carried Sophie out of the race car. ¡°Eat something. There¡¯s still an hour until the race starts Besides, you¡¯ve already won the first round. You can just have fun in the race,¡± he said. ¡°Yeah, I know,¡± Sophie responded, aware of the current state of affairs. There would not be any problems for her While Felix and Ysabelle were eating, Ysabelle saw the coupleing their way and quickly shifted to make room for them. ¡°The food Bert prepared is delicious. You should eat more so you¡¯ll have more energy in the afternoon, Sophie.¡± ¡°All right.¡± They had some fruit after lunch, and soon, Sophie was feeling sleepy. The weather tended to make people feel drowsy. It was almost time for the race. Since there would not be enough time to go home ande back, Sophie decided to lean on Tristan¡¯s shoulder to take a nap. The sun was shining rather brightly that day, so Tristan requested a towel which he used to wipe off her sweat whenever needed. He was absolutely attentive to her needs. The entire scene moved Ysabelle to the core. How can a man so amazing exist in this world? I mean, he¡¯s even willing to go to such lengths to take care of her! ¡°Uncle Tristan¡¯s so patient. Back then, I really thought he¡¯d be single forever. Who would¡¯ve thought he¡¯d meet Sophie? He treats her like she¡¯s the most precious thing on earth,¡± she remarked. A deep-seated sense of threat flooded Felix¡¯s heart, even though the man Ysabelle praised was her uncle. He ced his hands on her shoulder and asked, ¡°I treat you well, too, don¡¯t I? I love you, Ysabelle.¡± Ysabelle¡¯s heart melted as she shifted her gaze to Felix. ¡°Of course, you treat me well, too. Why do you think I chose you when I had so many pursuers?¡± Felix let out a hum of acknowledgment. ¡°Remember, Ysabelle. You can only be mine in this lifetime.¡± ¡°Yes, I know.¡± Sophie woke up around twenty minutester and looked at the time to find that thepetition was starting soon. She felt a little irritated. To be more specific, it was the annoying weather that made it hard for her to cheer up. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Are you unwell?¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine. I¡¯m going to pop by the washroom,¡± informed Sophie. Her monthlies were supposed to be arriving tomorrow, but she already felt something was off. Sure enough, she found that her monthlies had arrived earlier than expected when she checked herself in the washroom. Chapter 977 Track Of Fate Chapter 977 Track Of Fate At that moment, Sophie had no choice but to call Ysabelle. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Ysabelle thought something had happened to Sophie when thetter had not returned after so long. ¡°My period came,¡± was all Sophie said. The rest was understood tacitly since there was already an unspoken understanding established between the two. It was not the first time that happened, anyway. ¡°Okay. I¡¯ll be right there.¡± Ysabelle had brought her bag out with her that day, and it contained sanitary pads. Seeing she was going to leave, Felix hurried after her. ¡°What¡¯s up? Where are you going?¡± It was too chaotic out there; he was worried she could get into trouble if she was alone. ¡°It¡¯s nothing. Sophie¡¯s in the washroom, and I¡¯m going to check on her.¡± Ysabelle spared Felix the details of the situation. Before she left, Tristan handed her an exquisite-looking pouch. ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± Ysabelle was puzzled. Is this for me? Since when does Uncle Tristan treat me so well? That¡¯s impossible. ¡°It¡¯s for Sophie. It has what she needs,¡± Tristan exined. He remembered when Sophie¡¯s time of the month was, so he naturally had the habit of preparing the essentials for her. Ysabelle did not understand what was going on until she saw the sanitary pads in the pouch upon arriving at the washroom. More importantly, it was the brand Sophie always used. The discovery baffled Ysabelle. Is this how it feels to watch someone unt their love for their partner? This is torture. This belongs ? N?velDra/ma.Org. ¡°Sophie, where are you?¡± ¡°Here!¡± When Ysabelle heard Sophie¡¯s voice, she passed a sanitary pad into the cubicle. ¡°Uncle Tristan prepared this for you. This is so unexpected from him. He actually remembers when you¡¯re going to have your period. That¡¯s not all! He even prepared everything for you!¡± Ysabelle commented. He¡¯s so attentive. Jeez, I¡¯m envious of her. She added, ¡°To be honest, I¡¯m bing a little jealous of you, Sophie.¡± How could there be such a blessed woman? ¡°Felix treats you well, too. Don¡¯t alwayspare him to your uncle. Everyone has different ways of showing love to their loved ones.¡± Sophie tidied herself before exiting the cubicle. She could not deny that Tristan, who was originally a high and mighty rich heir, often performed sweet gestures for her after they started dating. As she stepped out of the cubicle, she washed her hands and wiped them dry with a paper towel before walking out with Ysabelle. ¡°Sophie, you don¡¯t look too good,¡± Ysabelle remarked. For women, menstruation was like a serious tribtion. In fact, it was written all over Sophie¡¯s face. ¡°Does it hurt?¡± ¡°A little, but it¡¯s bearable. Don¡¯t worry about it.¡± Sophie was only feeling a subtle pain in her lower abdomen. ¡°It¡¯s fine if it¡¯s an ordinary day, but you¡¯re going to enter a raceter. Are you sure you¡¯ll be fine?¡± Ysabelle feared something might go wrong with Sophie¡¯s health. ¡°I¡¯m fine, really. Trust me.¡± Sophie¡¯s lips were looking a little pale, but she knew her body¡¯s limits. There were only ten minutes left till the race by the time Sophie got back. While Ysabelle was still feeling worried, Tristan handed Sophie a mug. ¡°Have some.¡± He had already prepared a drink beforehand that could help relieve her difort. ¡°Okay.¡± Sophie took a sip, and sure enough, it was the familiar taste of hot cocoa. ¡°You prepared this, too?¡± she eximed. This man is incredible! He practically prepared everything. At that moment, everyone else had already entered the arena. They were all from the racing circle, so they had no fear of the sport. Meanwhile, Lily, who was dressed in her race suit, walked over with a helmet. Noting the paleness of Sophie¡¯s lips, Lily asked intentionally, ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Ms. Tanner? Are you unwell? The race track today is really dangerous. You mustn¡¯t force yourself if you¡¯re unwell.¡± Lily¡¯s pretentious behavior made Ysabelle clench her fists in anger. This woman¡¯s really¡­ Sophie, however, did not so much as entertain Lily. She simply put on her race suit and helmet before entering the arena. Lily blinked innocently at Tristan. ¡°Did I say something wrong, Mr. Tristan? Why do I feel like Ms. Tanner¡¯s being hostile toward me?¡± ¡°You should focus on the race, Ms. Sanders. No one¡¯s interested in your acts.¡± Ysabelle could not tolerate the woman anymore. At that time, Sophie had already arrived at the starting point. She originally had ns to toy with Lily, but she thought better of it due to her condition. I¡¯ll end this quickly and win this round to save myself the trouble of having topete in the arena. Sophie was a fairly tall person, so the race suit entuated her figure even more. As she got into the race car, theckeys in the crowd could not help but shriek with excitement. ¡°Wow! She¡¯s my goddess! How gorgeous!¡± ¡°My goddess looks great in anything! She¡¯s so beautiful!¡± ¡°I know right? She is just too perfect.¡± Even though their boss was one of thepetitors, theckeys could not stop themselves from cheering for Sophie. ¡°She doesn¡¯t look too good today, though. Her face looks a little pale.¡± ¡°I noticed that, too. She seems to be unwell today.¡± Theirments stoked Ysabelle¡¯s concern. ¡°Uncle Tristan, will Sophie really be fine? This is Track of Fate we¡¯re talking about.¡± Earlier, she had heard someone saying many professional racers had died on that track. Things would have been lessplicated if Sophie was fine. The problem was that she was menstruating. ¡°Just believe in her,¡± Tristan said. That was all they could do at that point. Asking doubtful questions would only worsen the atmosphere and make everyone more nervous. At that, Felix pulled Ysabelle to the side and advised, ¡°All right, that¡¯s enough. Saying all this won¡¯t help now. It¡¯ll only make Mr. Tristan more anxious,¡± After all, it was Tristan¡¯s beloved woman they were talking about. It would be a lie to say that he was not worried. Even the onlookers were holding their breaths. ¡°Okay.¡± Ysabelle stood beside Felix silently. The only thing they could do at that moment was pray for Sophie¡¯s safety. The second the gunshot sounded, twelve premium race cars sped off like rockets shooting into the air. ¡°D¡±mn! These race cars are definitely the cream of all race cars. Look at their speed. So incredible!¡± At first, Lily was in the lead with her dazzling blue race car. She never would have dared to choose the category if not for her top-notch racing skills. ¡°You¡¯re going to lose, Sophie!¡± Her eyes glimmered with a vicious glint. The track is named Track of Fate for a reason. Sophie will most likely die in this race, and when that happens, Tristan will be mine. Sophie was unfazed by the fact that Lily was in the lead. As soon as she got into the car, her blood began to Chapter 978 The Best In Everything Chapter 978 The Best In Everything The twelve race cars disappeared from the crowd¡¯s sight in a sh. It would generally take forty minutes toplete the track, so the first person would only return after forty minutes. ¡°Who do you think will win today? Does anyone want to take a bet?¡± someone suggested, finding it pointless to just wait there. ¡°I¡¯m betting on my goddess. I¡¯ll support her even if she loses.¡± ¡°Me, too! I¡¯m betting on her as well.¡± ¡°As much as I love my goddess, I can¡¯t bear to waste my money. I¡¯m going to bet on Lily. After all, she was once a world champion.¡± Racing was a sport that tested a driver¡¯s skills; looks and brains did not contribute much. ¡°Bring it on! I¡¯m betting ten thousand on my goddess,¡± said someone. He only wanted to support Sophie. ¡°Come on, guys! Anyone else?¡± The crowd¡¯sments ticked Ysabelle off. How could they say that? Sophie¡¯s incredible, too! ¡°I¡¯ll bet a million on Sophie,¡± dered Ysabelle proudly. She believed they had to appear confident, at the very least. Lily¡¯s subordinates could not help but scoff when they heard Ysabelle betting on Sophie to win. ¡°Two million on Lily.¡± They may hesitate if it was another type ofpetition, but they had nothing to fear when it came to racing. Lily¡¯s subordinates knew their leader was truly talented in racing. She would definitely beat Sophie. ¡°You-¡± Ysabelle was vexed by the group of women. To her, they were as annoying as their boss, Lily. Fortunately, Felix tugged at Ysabelle¡¯s arm before she could say anything. ¡°That¡¯s enough. It¡¯s not worth getting mad at them. Just sit here and watch.¡± ¡°But I¡¯m angry. They¡¯re clearly bullying Sophie!¡± Ysabelle huffed. That was something she would never allow. ¡°Rx. There¡¯s no telling who¡¯s the one getting bullied yet,¡± said Felix. After all, Sophie was a capable person. They may not have seen Sophie race before, but they had to believe in her. ¡°I¡¯m just worried since she¡¯s having her period,¡± said Ysabelle as she understood the pain of going through menstruation. She¡¯s already feeling ufortable, yet she has to go for a race. I can imagine how ufortable she¡¯s feeling. ¡°It¡¯ll be fine,¡± was all Felix could manage. Sophie had already sped off, so it was impossible to return right there and then. Ysabelle could not help but nce at Tristan, amazed by his patience. He never said anything since Sophie left. ¡°Are you really not worried, Uncle Tristan?¡± ¡°Nope. She knows what she¡¯s doing.¡± Tristan had always believed in Sophie. In fact, he would always support her in whatever she wanted to do. ¡°Oh.¡± Not quite knowing what to say next, Ysabelle quietly moved to the side. There was nothing else she could do since Tristan had said that. Meanwhile, Sophie kept increasing the speed of her car whose performance wasparable to that of Lily¡¯s. However, Lily was using her own car, which meant she was more familiar with it. Sophie, on the other hand, was using this race car for the first time. It would take some getting used to. The drivers were required to turn around at the huge curve on top of the mountain, which was not ideal for race cars to speed at. Therefore, drivers would usually slow down at that point to gain better control of the car. Surprisingly, Sophie did nothing of that sort. She spun the steering wheel swiftly with one hand while tapping rhythmically with the other. The other participants behind her were astounded. Her racing skills shocked them, for they did not think one could possibly pull that off. That was when they realized how much they differed in terms of skills. When Lily saw Sophie catching up through her rearview mirror, her lips curled into a wicked smile. ¡°That woman is really annoying,¡± Lilymented. She wouldn¡¯t have been so annoyed if Sophie was just an attractive woman. What irked her was that thetter always did better. From Lily¡¯s point of view, Sophie always turned things into apetition. Annoying people like her shouldn¡¯t exist in this world. It did not take long for Sophie¡¯s car to take over Lily¡¯s. Regardless, Lily could not be bothered to catch up. Since she¡¯s so capable, I¡¯ll let her take the lead. I¡¯ve already prepared everything; death will be awaiting her. A frown marred Sophie¡¯s forehead when she realized Lily was not catching up with her. Is Lily up to something again? Sophie could not help but suspect Lily. Thetter was a ridiculously despicable person, and it was hard to tell if she had plotted something. Sure enough, Lily had poured gasoline on a spot about one kilometer ahead. Sophie¡¯s sensitive nose picked up on the smell from afar, and she quickly initiated the traction control system. Lily was truly devious. If someone unaware of the situation drove past the track without initiating the traction control system, the consequences would be devastating. At that thought, Sophie turned on the walkie-talkie. ¡°Everyone, there¡¯s gasoline on the track ahead. Please be aware,¡± she reminded the participants behind her. ¡°What? F*ck! Who did that?¡± ¡°How abominable! This is a fairpetition. How could someone do such a thing?¡± ¡°Wait till I find out who did this. I¡¯ll finish them when I get to the bottom of it!¡± Being honorable and upright was the most important thing in the circle. Thus, the others were disgusted that someone would pull off such a dirty trick. Sophie¡¯s voice told Lily that her trick was exposed, so thetter hit the gas pedal. She had only slowed down earlier to let Sophie meet her end. To Lily¡¯s dismay, Sophie not only found out what she was up to but also passed the spot already. ¡°D¡±mn it!¡± Lily cussed. s, there was no way she could catch up, even if she sped up. When she reached the area where the gasoline was, she lost control and crashed into the rocks on the side. In the end, she was injured. It never crossed her mind that she could get injured there. The drivers behind her did not bother to help when they saw smoke rising from her car. Now that Lily was injured, they had the chance of getting second or third ce, which were eptable rankings. N?vel(D)rama.Org''s content. Sophie was the first to pass the finishing line. This time, she came in first again. There were mixed reactions from the crowd when they saw Sophie finishing the race first. Meanwhile, Ysabelle leaped with joy when she confirmed the driver was Sophie. ¡°Oh my goodness! Sophie¡¯s amazing! How could such an amazing person exist?¡± Just exactly how do geniuses function? Not only does Sophie know how to race, but she also won the world championship! Life is really full of surprises. Watching Sophie get out of the car in that glorious moment made Tristan realize his woman could excel in everything she did. Chapter 979 Slander Chapter 979 nder ¡°How is this possible! How can this be?¡± Lily¡¯s people could hardly believe what had just happened. The second-ce winner zoomed past. The driver got out of the car at the finish line. ¡°Ms. Sanders got into an ident. You should go to her quickly! Nobody knows if she¡¯s alive or dead!¡± Lily¡¯s people immediately piled into a car and hurried toward her when they heard those words. How could Ms. Sanders get into an ident? What¡¯s going on here? At that moment, Sophie walked up to Tristan and the others. Tristan sat her down and handed her a tissue to dry her sweat. ¡°Thank you!¡± Racing was an exhausting sport. It tested both her concentration and coordination. She felt drained, physically and mentally. ¡°That¡¯s good. You only took thirty-nine minutes.¡± Sophie had broken the record. ¡°Sophie, where¡¯s Lily?¡± ¡°She was right behind me! I don¡¯t know what happened, but someone had poured gasoline on the track!¡± Sophie was not the kind of person who would harm others, but that did not mean that she was an easy victim. Besides, this act affected the other racers as well. ¡°What? Gasoline on the track?¡± Ysabelle eximed in a fury. That Lily really is nuts! ¡°Does she have a death wish?¡± Bertram asked angrily. What on earth was she thinking? Every race is a matter of life and death! The track was already dangerous enough by itself, but Lily had deliberately upped the perils of the track. It was clear that she intended to take Sophie¡¯s life. ¡°Bertram, go see if there¡¯s any suspicious-looking person lurking around.¡± They must be fully prepared. Otherwise, someone would take advantage of their ignorance. Lily had no principles and no honor. She had lost this time, but she would definitely not let them go so easily. ¡°Sure, Mr. Tristan. Leave it to me. I¡¯ll get to it right now.¡± Before they make an attack, they need to know just how strong the enemy is. Not long after, Bertram found a surveince camera. ¡°Mr. Tristan, I have bad news. The surveince camera records had been deliberately erased.¡± Now, no one would know for sure who had poured the gasoline on the track. All content ? N/.?vel/Dr/ama.Org. ¡°Bring me theptop!¡± As long as there had been some record of it, she would find a way to restore it. Bertram immediately handed theptop over to Sophie. As soon as she saw the remnants of the tampered video, her fingers flew across the keyboard, typing furiously. Felix was not surprised. Sophie was a skilled hacker. Something like this is too easy for her! Not long after, Lily managed to recover the video. At that moment, Lily returned from the track injured. Her face, which was ugly, to begin with, looked even more terrifying with it all bloodied up. ¡°Ms. Sanders, you had won two out of the three rounds, but now¡­¡± someonemented. ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right! Ms. Tanner won the race this time. From now on, Ms. Tanner will be the one who calls the shots in Fandar. I think everyone would agree.¡± When they heard this, the crowd looked enraged. But Ms. Tanner is so young! She¡¯s only in her twenties! So, now she gets to be the boss in Fandar? This is too much! Lily¡¯s face contorted into an ugly expression. Do these people really think so highly of Sophie? ¡°She¡¯s too young! It¡¯s not appropriate for her to be our boss! After all, we¡¯re handling big businesses and important deals!¡± Lily looked down upon Sophie. She believed that Sophie would be too weak to bear the responsibilities required of her. ¡°What do you mean by that, Lily? You were the one who agreed to the race in the first ce! Are you regretting your decision now that the people have elected their new leader, and it¡¯s not you?¡± Words could not be taken back once they had been spoken. It was uneptable for Lily to go back on her word. ¡°You-¡± Lily had not expected all these people to take Sophie¡¯s side, nor had she thought that she would end up fighting alone. ¡°I¡¯m willing to admit defeat, but this race was faulty! How could there have been gasoline on the track? If it weren¡¯t for that, how could I possibly have lost?¡± ¡°What do you mean? Are you saying that Ms. Tanner was responsible for the gasoline on the track?¡± ¡°I have my suspicions,¡± Lily said, dragging Sophie¡¯s name through the mud. Ysabelle fumed at her insinuation. ¡°What did you say, Lily? Are you such a sore loser? So what if there was gasoline on the track? Sophie still won fair and square! Besides, you were the one who poured that gasoline!¡± Lily¡¯s shamelessness disgusted her. ¡°How dare you use me? Ms. Lombard, I know you¡¯re friends with Sophie, but you must have evidence before you can say such things. Otherwise¡­¡± ¡°Otherwise, what? What are you going to do? You used Sophie of pouring the gasoline. Do you have proof of that?¡± Ysabelle snapped back at Lily. ¡°Evidence? What other evidence do I need? Who¡¯s the one who benefitted the most from the gasoline on the track? Isn¡¯t it obvious?¡± Lily countered, still insisting that it was Sophie¡¯s doing. ¡°Was it really Ms. Tanner? Her racing skills were already outstanding! There was no need for her to y such dirty tricks!¡± ¡°I think so too!¡± ¡°Then, who poured the gasoline? If Ms. Tanner had not warned me, I would have died in a terrible car crash!¡± ¡°You¡¯re right! It was Ms. Tanner who had warned us! I don¡¯t think she was the one who did it!¡± ¡°She must have warned you because she felt bad for pouring the gasoline!¡± Lily said in an icy tone while staring pointedly at Sophie. The other leaders nced at Sophie, but no one said a word. It was good that they kept silent instead of putting ideas in each other¡¯s heads. ¡°Think about it! I¡¯m a racing champion! How could I possibly have lost? But I did lose, so¡­¡± Lily let her sentence trail off suggestively. ¡°That¡¯s impossible! Our goddess is perfect. How could she have possibly done such a thing? I¡¯ll never believe it.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right! Our goddess is skilled. Just because she¡¯s beautiful, it doesn¡¯t mean that she does not have substance!¡± The people whispered furiously to each other. ¡°We¡¯ve all been together in Fandar for so many years. Don¡¯t you know what kind of a person I am yet? Would you rather believe this little girl over me?¡± Lily asked provocatively. She was confident that Sophie had no evidence of who had poured the gasoline. So, all she had to do was convince the people that it was Sophie who had done it. Nobody would care to figure out the truth. ¡°Ms. Tanner, do you have anything to say for yourself?¡± one of the leaders asked. It was true that Sophie was too young for the role. They would be ashamed to let her lead them. Sophie had been busy restoring the tampered videos, and at that moment, she was finally done. ¡°Lily, did you think I was so easy to bully? Is that why you keep picking on me?¡± Do I seem like an easy target to others? Chapter 980 Acting Weak Chapter 980 Acting Weak ¡°What do you mean I bullied you? Is what I said not true? How could a brat in her sd days like you possibly defeat me?¡± Lily¡¯s capability was beyond doubt. Hence, she refused to believe that Sophie could beat her. ¡°I don¡¯t have anything to say. I¡¯ll just let the video speak for itself. In this world, there will always be evidence left behind for each action taken, and nobody can erase it.¡± Sophie then turned theptop to the few big shots that had been arguing non-stop. Though they were a little baffled, they still watched the video. It was clearly recorded in the video that Lily was the person who took the lead in pouring the gasoline, and she was right in their midst presently. Instantly, the big shots¡¯ faces darkened. ¡°Lily Sanders, why can¡¯t you disy some sportsmanship in defeat? We¡¯re all involved in the underworld; shouldn¡¯t there be some kind of trust between us?¡± What she did was truly an utter disgrace. After watching the video, Lily instinctively looked at her subordinates. Didn¡¯t they say they¡¯ve already destroyed the evidence? Then what is this video that I¡¯m watching? She was looking more ticked off by the minute. ¡°Ms. Sanders, I¡­¡± The particr subordinate responsible immediately knelt. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, everyone. I¡¯m the one to me for doing all this. It¡¯s got nothing to do with Ms. Sanders.¡± ¡°Ha!¡± Sophie sneered. So, she¡¯s just gonna find a random scapegoat when troublees? How could these subordinates possibly dare do such a thing without her permission? ¡°Lily Sanders, what else do you have to say at this point?¡± ¡°From now onward, we will cut off all contact with the Sanders family. As for the rest of you, you¡¯d better watch yourselves as well!¡± It¡¯s risky to work with a family with absolutely no integrity. One will never know when he will be betrayed, so it¡¯s best to forget about it! ¡°Count us in. We¡¯re sorry, Mr. Tristan. We didn¡¯t know anything just now, which was why we said those things thoughtlessly. Henceforth, we¡¯ll cut off ties with the Sanderses.¡± Several big shots quickly chimed in one by one to express their stance. Lily¡¯s face contorted into an ugly expression as she did not expect things to turn out that way. I, Lily Sanders, have never felt this humiliated, but right now, I feel like I¡¯ve been stripped naked in front of everybody! She clenched her fists tightly. ¡°Everyone, I think there must be a misunderstanding. My subordinate was just in ignorant.¡± She wanted to rify further, but no one was willing to listen to her. Of course, people in the underworld were no fools, Ironically, the situation turned out to be in Tristan¡¯s favor. At the very least, Lily would no longer have a ce in Fandar. ¡°Ms. Sanders, do you think it¡¯s a walk in the park to wrong my woman? You knew very well that she was my fianc¨¦e, yet you kept targeting her!¡± Tristan¡¯s voice was exceptionally cold, and he looked just like a devil from hell, sending chills down everyone¡¯s spine. ¡°Mr. Tristan, 1-¡± He took out a gun and pointed it at Lily¡¯s forehead. Thetter genuinely did not foresee the events taking such an unexpected turn. Upon seeing this, Lily¡¯s men swiftly whipped out their pistols and aimed at Tristan. ¡°What are you all doing? Isn¡¯t this embarrassing enough?¡± reprimanded Lily. I really like Tristan a lot, but I guess I don¡¯t stand a chance anymore. This Sophie Tanner was evidently pretending to be weak in order to make me fall into her trap. s, I got the short end of the stick, and I can¡¯t even say anything about it. After all, she is Tristan¡¯s pet, so whatever I say will be deemed wrong. ¡°Sorry, Mr. Tristan. I¡­¡± She had no idea what else to say, for the mess was not her intention. ¡°Forget it,¡± Sophie uttered. If we get rid of Lily now, it will inadvertently affect our future development in Fandar in a negative way. Thus, there¡¯s no need to do anything to her at this juncture. ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll let this slide since you said so. Lily, don¡¯t you ever appear before me again. Otherwise, I won¡¯t be polite.¡± With that, Tristan left with Sophie. Lily¡¯s fists balled up as she watched his retreating back view. D¡±mn you, Sophie Tanner! Did you do this on purpose? Did you intentionally provoke me? If you did, you¡¯ve seeded. ¡°Ms. Sanders-¡± Lily raised her gun and shot the person who was about to speak without hesitation. The others quickly got down on their knees upon seeing that. ¡°Ms. Sanders, we-¡± ¡°Remember this, if you want to stay by my side, then do things properly and leave no trace behind. If not, get the hell out right this instant!¡± The woman had never felt so humiliated in her life. How am I supposed to mingle in Fandar¡¯s underworld in the future? These cunning foxes will never leave me alone! Meanwhile, Tristan¡¯s men had all gotten into their cars. Ysabelle was ted at the thought of Lily¡¯s earlier expression. ¡°Lily is seriously too shameless. How dare she use Sophie!¡± she eximed agitatedly. Felix burst outughing when he saw how worked up she was. She seems to have settled down quite well over here. ¡°I¡¯m heading back tomorrow, Ysabelle. What about you? Are youing with me or staying to wait for Sophie and the others?¡± He was unsure of his chances when he popped that question. Sophie was far too great an attraction to Ysabelle, so he didn¡¯t think the odds were high that she¡¯d go back with him. ¡°Must you leave tomorrow? Why don¡¯t we stay and have fun for a couple more days?¡± It¡¯s not easy to come to a ce where nobody knows me and where I have absolute freedom. This feeling is just too great! ¡°Mhm. Why don¡¯t I go first, and you stay here?¡± Felix did not want to put her in a difficult spot. She should just do whatever she wishes to do. There¡¯s no need for her to be caught in a dilemma. Suddenly, Ysabelle held his arm. ¡°No, I¡¯ll leave with you. You¡¯re still not recovered yet. Of course, I have to go back and take care of you!¡± ¡°Are you sure?¡± Felix was thrilled as the thought of her choosing him over Sophie had never crossed his mind. ¡°Yeah. I¡¯ll go back with you tomorrow, and I won¡¯t be so willful anymore. I¡¯ll stay right by your side.¡± The man hugged her and gave her a passionate kiss. This girl really drives me crazy! I won¡¯t even hesitate to give her my life if that¡¯s what she wants! After returning to the base, Tristan picked Sophie up in his arms. She arched a brow and wrapped her arms around his neck, pointing out, ¡°I¡¯m not as weak as you think. I can walk on my own.¡± All content ? N/.?vel/Dr/ama.Org. I¡¯m merely having my period. It¡¯s really no big deal. ¡°But I just want to carry you. He had read on the Inte that some girls would faint during their menstrual period, which sounded pretty scary to him. Therefore, he wanted to take good care of his woman during her time of the month. Chapter 981 Truly Impressed Chapter 981 Truly Impressed As such, Sophie said no more, allowing him to carry her inside. When Ysabelle saw that Sophie was in good hands with her uncle, she felt at ease. ¡°Honestly speaking. I¡¯m not worried about leaving with you tomorrow. With Uncle Tristan around, no one can ever bully Sophie.¡± Sophie had always been her primary concern. ¡°Mhm, Mr. Tristan will never let Sophie suffer any grievances.¡± Who would dare to give Mr. Tristan¡¯s most beloved woman a hard time? ¡°Let¡¯s go and have dinner, then rest early. We¡¯ve got a long-haul flight tomorrow,¡± added Felix. It would take a long time for them to fly to Jipsdale. ¡°Okay.¡± Sophie got back to the bedroom, only to realize that Tristan had already prepared somefortable clothing for her. ¡°Go get changed. We¡¯ll have dinner in a little bit. Ysabelle and the lot are leaving tomorrow, so we¡¯ll all dine together tonight.¡± A farewell dinner was in ce. ¡°All right.¡± Felix had already spent a long time there, so it was time for him to return home. Moreover, a plethora of things needing his attention had been lined up for him at Northley Group. ¡°It will probably take some time to build things up over here.¡± It was impossible to establish a new system of governance through onepetition. Hence, Tristan and Sophie were expected to stay back longer. ¡°Mm. I¡¯ll resolve all matters as soon as possible and then return to prepare for our wedding.¡± Tristan could not wait any longer, even though the asion was still several months away. ¡°There¡¯s no rush. I¡¯ll stay here with you until everything is resolved, and then we¡¯ll head back together.¡± Anyway, Bertram can¡¯t handle so many things here by himself. ¡°Go ahead and get yourself changed, then.¡± He led her to the bedside before leaving the room, waiting outside like a gentleman. Sophie could not take a bath due to her menstruation, so she took a brief shower, changed her clothes, and went out. As Ysabelle and the others were leaving the following day, the dinner prepared that night was very scrumptious. After witnessing how Sophie carried herself earlier, the men at the base started addressing her by her name upon seeing her. Those guys had always admired the strong. At first, they felt that a beautiful girl like Sophie was not good enough for Tristan. However, that thought disappeared the moment they saw what she did that day. Her actions had silenced all discussions about her being unworthy of Tristan. Sophie is definitely deserving of Mr. Tristan! At present, she had totally be their goddess. ¡°Goddess!¡± ¡°Goddess!¡± ¡°Goddess!¡± Ysabelle¡¯s lips curled into a smile when she saw that everyone adored Sophie. As expected, our dear Sophie in the shining star wherever she goes. Bertram was the one who cheered the loudest. Sophie had been so amazing that even the guys who had been around for the longest time couldn¡¯t help but hand it to her. Shortly after, Tristan gestured for everyone to stop, and the crowd immediately quietened down. As much as they liked Sophie, they had to show Tristan the respect he deserved, for he was their boss. ¡°Sit down and enjoy your meal, guys!¡± Those people had never been served a proper dish from their hometown since the very day they arrived at the base. Once the guys sat down, Tristan and Sophie took their seats too. Bertram then poured a ss of warm water for Sophie. ¡°Ms. Tanner, I¡¯d like to propose a toast to you. There aren¡¯t a lot of people that I, Bertram Asher, admire in this world, but I must say that you¡¯re one of them. Yes, it¡¯s true!¡± He poured warm water for her but got himself a ss of whiskey that he had saved for ages. In fact, he had to use some tricks to get that bottle of whiskey back then! This belongs ? N?velDra/ma.Org. ¡°You tter me, Bert. What I did today was just all right. It wasn¡¯t that exceptional. ¡°Sophie, if there¡¯s anything you need in the future, feel free to let me know directly. I¡¯ll do anything for you without question,¡± the man stated excitedly. ¡°Sure. It¡¯s a deal, my friend,¡± replied Sophie. Bertram and the guys were very fond of her, and likewise, she enjoyed hanging out with them too because they did not have an ulterior motive and made her feel at ease. ¡°Have a safe journey, Mr. Northley. I¡¯m sorry that you had to go through so much because of me this time.¡± Bertram was still a little guilty, for Tristan had asked him to take care of Felix, yet untoward events happened. Felix waved a hand, saying, ¡°What are you talking about? We¡¯re allrades. Nobody wanted things like that to happen.¡± Moreover, I was captured because I wasn¡¯t vignt to begin with. ¡°I¡¯ll pay you a visit and have another drink once the matters over here are resolved.¡± Bertram had always been a frank and sincere person. He enjoyed thepany of Felix and the rest too. After Sophie took a sip of warm water, her lower abdomen felt so much better. Just like any other typical girl during her menstrual period, she would experience Due to the same reason, Tristan frowned upon seeing the food on the table. They were all too spicy and not suitable for her to eat. Hence, he personally went and requested the chef to prepare several other nder dishes. It was not until the chef came to serve the newly prepared dishes that Sophie found out what he had done behind her back earlier. This man is really so¡­ sweet and thoughtful. She held his hand and said, ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°There¡¯s no need for you to say those two words to me. What I want to hear are another three special words. ¡°Oh?¡± ¡°I love you!¡± Although Tristan knew she was just ying dumb, he still chose to dere his love for her in the most straightforward manner. He had never felt a need to beat around the bush when it came to expressing his love for her. ¡°I love you too,¡± she replied right away, knowing that was what he wanted to hear. ¡°Gee, Mr. Tristan! Can you two stop your public disys of affection? We¡¯re setting off tomorrow, so kindly offer us a nce,¡± teased Felix. ¡°What¡¯s there to look at about you? I¡¯ve been seeing your face for more than three decades now. I¡¯m sick of it,¡± Tristan jested. Subsequently, he scooped some food for Sophie. ¡°Eat more to replenish your energy. Everyone dug in merrily. Felix could not drink alcohol yet, but Ysabelle drank quite a bit. After all, she was never a pretentious woman. When they woke up the next day, it was almost time to depart. After washing up. Ysabelle went to look for Sophie. ¡°Sophie, I¡¯m leaving soon. Take good care of yourself here, okay?¡± She was still concerned, for the ce was filled with men. Sophie flung her arms open and hugged Ysabelle. ¡°Don¡¯t worry! You know me well. I¡¯m able to adapt wherever I am. You and Felix must be good to each other when you¡¯re back home.¡± Please don¡¯t fight anymore. It¡¯s not easy for two people to be together. ¡°Mm, I know.¡± With that came the time to leave; Felix was already waiting outside. After Sophie walked Ysabelle out, thetter entered the car and rolled down the window. ¡°Uncle Tristan, you must take good care of Sophie, understood?¡± reminded Ysabelle. ¡°You must not bully her, or else I-¡± ¡°Okay, that¡¯s enough. Stop spewing nonsense, and get going! Hurry up and leave with Felix,¡± grumbled Tristan. Why is this youngdy so long-winded when she¡¯s not even married yet? Once again, Ysabelle was dismissed, but she simply rolled her eyes and shrugged it off. She would tolerate Tristan¡¯s impatience as long as everyone was well. Chapter 982 Someone with A Death Wish Chapter 982 Someone with A Death Wish Felix might¡¯vee alone, but he left with another person. That pleased him immensely. Even though Ysabelle had been away for some time, TS Entertainment never pressured her to return. Being best friends with the boss had its perks, and it was awesome. ¡°I need to work harder once I get back,¡± she vowed. Having neglected her work for a while, she realized it was time to rmit herself to her professional endeavors. ¡°Mm. I¡¯ll support you whatever your decision is as long as you¡¯re happy,¡± Felix told her. ¡°Felix, I¡¯ll do my best to spend more time with you from now on. Singing holds great significance in my life, but so do you. I want you to understand that.¡± ¡°I know.¡± Meanwhile, Sophic and Tristan were having breakfast when Bertram brought someone into the house. It was Arthur¡¯s grandson, whose face was smeared with blood. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Sophie asked in startlement. Kaarle is dead, isn¡¯t he? What happened to Mr. Camidge and the others? ¡°Ms. Tanner, my grandpa sent me here to seek help. Lily Sanders has brought a group of men to besiege us, and many have died.¡± ¡°What!¡± She blew her top, regretting her decision to spare Lily¡¯s life. ¡°Come on! Let¡¯s head there now.¡± Sophie immediately gathered her forces, ready to leave. Seeing that, Tristan tagged along as well. When they arrived at Arthur¡¯s vige, Lily and her men were indeed there. ¡°Lily wants us to support her, but my grandfather refused toply, so she physically assaulted him. At Grandpa¡¯s age, how could he possibly withstand the blow?¡± Arthur¡¯s grandson wailed on the way there. ¡°It¡¯s all right. With me around, no one will dare to bully you guys. I promise those who did will face dire consequences!¡± Sophie was the first one to barge into the house. Upon seeing her, Lily let out a scornful snort, amused by the woman¡¯s audacity. ¡°Oh wow, isn¡¯t this Ms. Tanner? What a coincidence,¡± Lily said fearlessly. Having mingled in Fandar for so long, she harbored no fear, not even in the presence of Tristan, let alone someone in her sd days like Sophie. ¡°Lily Sanders, they are innocent! What are you doing this for?¡± Sophie demanded icily when she saw Arthur lying on the ground with a gaping head wound. ¡°Innocent? Yeah, they are! I never imed they weren¡¯t, did I?¡± Lily retorted with a gun in her hands. ¡°Ha!¡± Sophie sneered, knowing it was pointless to say anything else. She strode over to Arthur and asked worriedly, ¡°Mr. Camidge, are you okay? Are you still conscious?¡± Right then, Tristan came in with his men. Lily¡¯s eyes lit up when she saw him, for she had gone to great lengths to capture his attention. The man narrowed his gaze upon taking in the circumstances. This Lily Sanders seriously has a death wish. Since she¡¯s courting death. I shall just grant her wish. ¡°Mr. Tristan, what brings you here? I¡¯m merely handling some trivial matters in Fandar. Why do you guys seem so bothered?¡± ¡°Lily Sanders, you don¡¯t seem to remember what I said before, huh?¡± he questioned frostily. ¡°That¡¯s not true, Mr. Tristan. I remember every word you¡¯ve ever said. You¡¯re aware of my desire to have you all to myself, right? If you agree to be with me, I¡¯ll do whatever you say,¡± Lily dered, leaving no room for ambiguity regarding her intentions. In fact, she was telling the truth. Her love for Tristan was undeniable, and she had no intention of concealing her true feelings. Arthur spoke up in a weak voice. ¡°Ms. Tanner, I¡¯m fine. Don¡¯t worry. Lily is¡­¡± Sophie patted him infort on the back. ¡°Rest assured. We¡¯ll deal with Lily, I promise she won¡¯t be able to behave this insolently ever again.¡± After confirming that Arthur only sustained superficial injuries, she summoned his grandson to take care of him. ¡°Keep an eye on your grandpa. Don¡¯t touch his wounds. I¡¯ll dress them personallyter,¡± she instructed. ¡°Got it, Ms. Tanner,¡± Arthur¡¯s grandson agreed readily. He hadplete trust in Sophie and was willing to follow her orders without hesitation. Upon hearing Lily¡¯s deration, Bertram couldn¡¯t help but let out a scoff. Seriously? I can¡¯t believe how shameless this woman is! ¡°Lily Sanders, who the hell do you think you are? How dare you set your sights on Mr. Tristan?¡± He couldn¡¯t believe the audacity of Lily to dere her love for Tristan, knowing full well that Tristan was already engaged to someone else. ¡°Bertram, this is between Mr. Tristan and me. You¡¯re merely his servant; it isn¡¯t your ce toment about our rtionship.¡± ¡°You-¡± It was the first time someone had so tantly disrespected Bertram. How dare she call me a servant? This d¡±mned woman! What a snob! ¡°Bertram, don¡¯t waste time talking to her. Just take her down. I want her handed over to Mr. Camidge and the others,¡± Sophie ordered. N?vel(D)rama.Org''s content. Someone with A Death Wish Lily had inflicted harm upon Arthur and the rest, so it was only fitting that they get to deal with her. ¡°Sophie Tanner, how na?ve of you to think I¡¯de here unprepared.¡± Lily ridiculed. As soon as those words left her mouth, a crowd of men emerged outside the house. It was clear that she intended to ambush Sophie and the rest. Lily shed a smug smile. ¡°Mr. Tristan, I genuinely like you, so I kept giving you chances. What do you think of me? I¡¯m being sincere here. If you agree to submit to me, I can give you anything you want.¡± The woman wasn¡¯t lying when she imed to truly like Tristan. Such had always been her style. She would do anything to get every man she fancied in her bed. ¡°Dream on,¡± Tristan responded in an exceptionally cold tone. Does she really think her victory is assured? ¡°s, if you¡¯re going to be so stubborn, I suppose I¡¯ll have to resort to more persuasive methods. Fine. Since you insist on ying games, I don¡¯t mind ying along,¡± she said. Since he prefers exciting stuff. I¡¯ll dly amodate him. It¡¯s more fun this way! ¡°Trying to take my man? Not in a million years!¡± Sophie stepped forward with unwavering determination in her gaze. She had never been one to back down or be intimidated by anyone. She got her men to hide Arthur and the others somewhere safe while she remained here with the rest. They might be outnumbered, but Bertram and the others showed no fear. There was no need for them to be scared when Tristan and Sophie were unfazed. ¡°Mr. Tristan, won¡¯t you consider my offer? Do you really want to do this the hard way?¡± Lily queried. She genuinely believed that she woulde up on top in this altercation. ¡°Since you¡¯re so eager to meet your demise, I can oblige right now instead of prolonging the inevitable,¡± Tristan hissed, his voice dripping with fury. Lily had crossed a line by provoking him, so he had no intention of showing mercy anymore. Chapter 983 Make Her Regret Chapter 983 Make Her Regret Right after he spoke, a team of highly-skilled bodyguards materialized in front of them. Their swift arrival caught Lily off guard, leaving her bewildered at their sudden appearance. It was clear to her that these formidable bodyguards possessed skills far beyond what she had anticipated -each one capable of overpowering ten opponents with ease. She btedly realized that her men were no match for these bodyguards. Narrowing her gaze, she scrutinized the man standing in front of her. ¡°Who are you exactly?¡± It dawned on Lily that an ordinary person could never afford to train so many highly skilled bodyguards. ¡°That isn¡¯t important. What¡¯s important is that you¡¯ll meet your doom today!¡± Tristan couldn¡¯t be bothered to spare her a nce again. This belongs ? N?velDra/ma.Org. We are totally capable of crushing Lily, so there¡¯s no need to worry at all. ¡°Capture her alive!¡± he ordered his bodyguards. ¡°Yes, Mr. Tristan!¡± In a sh, both parties engaged in an intense shooting while Bertram¡¯s responsibility was to protect Arthur and the rest. In the face of overwhelmingly powerful opponents, Lily¡¯s men were taken down in less than ten minutes. to her dismay. She had entirely be a sitting duck. The moment Lily attempted to escape, Sophie shot the former in the leg. Lily copsed to the ground, ovee with despair. When she mustered the strength to look back, she locked eyes with Sophie¡¯s piercing, icy blue ones. ¡°D¡±mn it!¡± This Sophie is seriously infuriating! ¡°Ms. Sanders!¡± her subordinates called out in desperation. Sadly, there was nothing they could do. Under the false presumption of their own strength, they inadvertently offended someone who proved to be a hundred times more formidable than they could ever imagine. ¡°Clear the scene!¡± Sophie instructed Bertram. He nodded and immediately got to work. The majority of the wounded and casualties were members of Lily¡¯s own forces. Then, Lily was taken to Tristan and Sophie. She was beginning to feel a twinge of regret at the sight of them. I truly shouldn¡¯t have provoked these two people. ¡°Mr. Tristan, please forgive me. Can you spare my life? If you do, I¡¯m prepared to relinquish everything I possess in Fandar.¡± Her fleeting hope had been overshadowed by the realization of the vast disparity between her and Tristan. After all, only an individual of considerable influence and power could afford to employ such skilled bodyguards. ¡°Spare your life? Lily Sanders, we already gave you a chance at thepetition. You shouldn¡¯t have come all the way here to harm Mr. Camidge and the rest!¡± Sophie snapped. There was no way she¡¯d spare Lily¡¯s life. ¡°I¡­¡± Lily felt utterly helpless as despair wed her throat. ¡°That¡¯s enough. You should attend to Mr. Camidge¡¯s wounds now,¡± Tristan told Sophie, aware of her concern for Arthur. ¡°Mm.¡± Sophie was in a hurry to tend to Arthur¡¯s wound and didn¡¯t want to waste time talking to Lily. ¡°Mr. Tristan, I¡¯m truly willing to give up everything if you agree to spare my life!¡± Lily implored desperately. The prospect of perishing here left her utterly devoid of hope. ¡°Bertram, tie her up there!¡± ¡°Yes, Mr. Tristan!¡± Bertrammanded his men to bind Lily tightly to an iron pole. The sun zed fiercely that day. intensifying Lily¡¯s torment without any additional effort required from them. After she was tied up, Tristan asserted, ¡°Keep an eye on her. If she manages to escape, you all will suffer the consequences.¡± He would never forgive anyone who provoked Sophie. ¡°Mr. Tristan!¡± Lily screamed in hopelessness. Bertram kicked her wounded leg and warned, ¡°Stop yelling. Ms. Tanner is the apple of Mr. Tristan¡¯s eye. Do you really think he¡¯ll let you off easy after you offend her?¡± ¡°Bertram, please let me go! If you do so, I can offer you anything you desire, be it money or status.¡± ¡°Hal¡± The man sniggered. I can¡¯t believe she¡¯s still trying to make me defect to her at this moment! ¡°People like you will never understand. I¡¯ll never betray Mr. Tristan. So, enjoy your time here! I can already envision the dreadful fate that awaits you.¡± Bertram could still remember what happened to Kaarle and the others. In the bedroom, Sophie was currently tending to Arthur¡¯s wounds. Lily had shown him no mercy, leaving him severely battered and bruised, albeit the wounds were merely superficial. ¡°Ms. Tanner, I assure you, I¡¯m fine. There¡¯s no need to worry,¡± he reassured Sophie upon noticing her solemnness. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Mr. Camidge. It was my fault for mishandling the situation, leading to your injury. Had I dealt with Lily earlier, these things wouldn¡¯t have urred today. ¡°Ms. Tanner, how can it be your fault? This is the norm in this area. Those who seek to exert dominion will always attempt to oppress us.¡± Arthur knew this genuinely had nothing to do with Sophic. ¡°Your injuries are superficial, but please make sure to avoid consuming any alcohol for the time being. Zen, remember, don¡¯t allow your grandpa to have any alcohol, got it?¡± she instructed Zen Camidge, Arthur¡¯s grandson. Zen nodded profusely. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Ms. Tanner! I¡¯ll monitor him.¡± He had always admired Sophie and would never go against her word. ¡°Good. Mr. Camidge, I¡¯ve already captured Lily Sanders. You guys can do anything you want with her.¡± Sophie told Arthur. ¡°Mm. Thank you, Ms. Tanner,¡± the man replied weakly. ¡°Get some rest, then. I¡¯lle visit you tomorrow.¡± ¡°Okay!¡± Tristan had also entered the room. Seeing that Arthur was fine, he ultimately said nothing. Sophie then stood up and left with him. ¡°How do you n to deal with Lily Sanders?¡± he inquired. ¡°Mr. Camidge will decide her fate. Before he does that, leave two bodyguards here,¡± came her reply. This time, they would never let her escape. ¡°Got it.¡± Meanwhile, the bigwigs had congregated. ¡°That Mr. Tristan is no ordinary person. Lily Sanders is seriously doomed this time.¡± ¡°What do you all think? Should we submit to them?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s just observe for now. It seems that Mr. Tristan intends to exert dominance over all of us. We¡¯re uncertain of his true capabilities yet, but his ease in overpowering Lily suggests he must be an incredibly formidable individual.¡± ¡°Agreed. It is crucial that we stand united this time. If we engage in separate battles, we will undoubtedly face a disastrous defeat.¡± ¡°You¡¯re right. No matter what, we need to protect our own interests,¡± After all, they had gathered here for the sake of money. In the base¡¯s conference room, arge screen disyed the information of the rest of the bigwigs If Tristan and Sophie intended to establish a new order here, they¡¯d have to get rid of those people. ¡°Mr. Tristan, I¡¯ve gathered all the avable data on these individuals,¡± Bertram reported, showcasing his diligence during his time here. Chapter 984 Use Your Brain Chapter 984 Use Your Brain ¡°All right, got it. For our next step, let¡¯s think about how to get rid of these people!¡± Sophie was also present in the conference room, and Bertram¡¯sptop was ced in front of her. Bertram initially wanted to ask Sophie for her opinion. As thetter¡¯s performance had been outstanding recently, he had unknowingly be increasingly dependent on her. However, when he saw her yingputer games so seriously, he chose not to bother her and ended up sharing his own thoughts instead. Tristan listened attentively as Bertram spoke. After working under Tristan for such a long time, Bertram had be rather apt at handling such matters and had his own thoughts on how things should be done. However, as it was the first time Tristan asked Bertram to put together a n, it was inevitable for the latter to feel somewhat nervous. After Bertram finished speaking, Tristan finally nodded and said, ¡°Not bad, you¡¯ve improved a lot. Let¡¯s go ahead with what you have proposed, but be careful when you¡¯re up against them. Don¡¯t get hurt.¡± It would be difficult to avoid injuries when dealing with those big shots. However, if there was a better way to approach the them, that would be the best. Just then, new messages appeared on the screen. It was Sophie who projected them. ¡°Let¡¯s take a look at these messages first. I believe they would be of great use to us.¡± Bertram gaped in disbelief when he saw the messages containing the dark secrets of the big shots. Wasn¡¯t she yingputer games? How did she dig out all this juicy information within less than twenty minutes? Besides, the contents are all so shocking! With this information, those guys would have no choice but to do as we say. Sophic pointed to her head and said, ¡°Bert, no matter what we attempt to do, we should always use our brains a little. It would make our work much easier.¡± Bertram nodded, agreeing with her words. Indeed, a lot of time could be saved if we just use our brains a little. ¡°Just give me a call if you need any help next time.¡± Sophie only said that because she genuinely saw the potential in Bertram. ¡°Yup, I will. Ms. Tanner, you¡¯re indeed very capable.¡± Tristan nced at Sophie, amazed at her hacking capabilities. It would not be an overstatement to say that her skills were unmatched. ¡°Ms. Tanner, have you heard of Wings of Light?¡± asked Bertram. Ms. Tanner¡¯s skills certainly seem to be on par with Phantom from Wings of Light! How is it possible that Wings of Light did not try to recruit her? ¡°What¡¯s Wings of Light? It¡¯s my first time hearing about it,¡± Sophie replied while shutting theptop. ¡°You guys can carry on talking. My eyes are tired. I¡¯m going out to take a break.¡± Sophie stood up and walked away after she finished speaking. She wasn¡¯t interested in such matters. Besides, she had already done whatever she could to help. ¡°Mr. Tristan, do you think Ms. Tanner could actually be Phantom?¡± Phantom¡¯s gender is not known, as no one has seen them before. But judging by Ms. Tanner¡¯s skills, she could very well be Phantom! ¡°Just focus on what you need to do and stop being a busybody!¡± None of that mattered to Tristan. Most importantly, she was now his woman, and he did not care about any of her past identities. They meant nothing to him! Right after Sophie walked out, she received a call from Arius. Knowing that she was busy. Arius had not contacted her for some time. During this time, he had been trying to solve the internal problems that the medical association was having. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± said Sophie as she answered the call. I¡¯ve finally gotten a moment to take a break. Is this going to be about another problem? I haven¡¯t even rested yet! ¡°Am I only allowed to call you when there¡¯s something wrong? Am I not allowed to miss you?¡± Jeez, this girl is so practical! ¡°I¡¯m hanging up if there¡¯s nothing important. I still have other things to take care of!¡± Sophie certainly had no time for idle chit-chat. ¡°Wait! Don¡¯t hang up! I do have something to tell you. So¡­ I¡¯ve encountered a problemtely, and I haven¡¯t been able to solve it. I was hoping that you can take a look when you¡¯re free. By the way, aren¡¯t Ysabelle and Felix back already? What else are you busy with over there?¡± Since Felix has already been found, why isn¡¯t Sophie back yet? Is she having that much fun in Fandar? ¡°See, I knew you had an agenda for calling me.¡± Sophie knew all that talk about missing her was trash. ¡°How could you say that? Shouldn¡¯t we exchange some pleasantries before diving into the main topic? It doesn¡¯t seem too polite to go straight to the point, right?¡± ¡°Okay, okay. Just send me the details. However, I don¡¯t have adequate resources here to conduct proper experiments, so I might not be of much help.¡± Certain conditions had to be present in order to carry out a scientific study, and Sophie was not even equipped with the most basic setting. ¡°You can take a look at it first. I¡¯m not in a rush. It¡¯s for a research I¡¯ve been conductingtely. If you¡¯re not able to solve it there, we can wait for you toe back.¡± Arius was aware that Fandar did not have the best research facilities. ¡°Okay. That¡¯s all, right? Just send me whatever you have then.¡± ¡°That¡¯s all. But when are you guysing back? You¡¯ve been gone for so long!¡± ¡°Why would I miss you? There¡¯s so much work to do here at the medical association. You shoulde back soon to share Georgina¡¯s workload!¡± ¡°You can help out if it pains you to see her working so hard. You¡¯re more than capable of solving any issues that the medical association has.¡± ¡°You- Dr. Smith has appointed you as his sessor! How could you push such a huge responsibility to Georgina? What kind of a friend are you!¡± Sophie remained silent and did not even want to respond regarding this matter. She was only responsible for conducting experiments and wanted nothing to do with the management of the medical association. After all, she was already busy enough. ¡°Okay, I¡¯m hanging up now. Juste back as soon as you can. Dr. Smith has been asking about you a lot,¡± Arius finally said. Everyone was worried about Sophie, as Fandar was a dangerous ce to be in. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you guys know me very well by now? What kind of danger could I possibly be in? Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll be fine. By the way, how are Simon and Winter doing? Do you think they have potential?¡± N?vel(D)rama.Org''s content. ¡°They¡¯re doing fine. Let¡¯s observe them for a little while longer. They¡¯ve shown great improvement, but I think we should give it more time.¡± Entering the medical association was not an easy feat, as the organization only epted top talents. ¡°Sure. Since I¡¯m not around, please look out for them. Don¡¯t let others bully them.¡± As they were recruited by Sophie, she did not want them to be taken advantage of by others. ¡°Don¡¯t worry! Your friends are my friends too. I treat them really well! Besides, I¡¯m swamped with work recently. They can help me with it.¡± With me guiding them, they would have no problem passing the evaluation. After Sophie hung up, she saw Tristaning out as well. With him around, no problem would be too difficult to solve. The current n was for Bertram to lead a team of men to settle the problem. If he was unable to resolve the issue, the two of them would step in and help. ¡°Who were you talking to?¡± ¡°It¡¯s Arius. He has encountered some problems and needs my help.¡± Sophie received a message from Arius right after their call ended. After checking the details, she could see that it was indeed a novel problem that required some time to solve. ¡°Okay. We will be heading back in a few days.¡± Tristan was worried about leaving Bertram there alone. Thus, he nned to return after taking care of the matters in Fandar. Chapter 985 She Would Not Let Him Go Chapter 985 She Would Not Let Him Go ¡°Don¡¯t worry. There¡¯s nothing much to do even if we go back.¡± Currently, with Victor and Xandra managing Tanner Group and TS Entertainment respectively, both organizations were operating smoothly. With their two trustable subordinates holding the fort, the couple did not have anything to worry about. ¡°Okay.¡± Meanwhile, Felix and Ysabelle had gotten off the ne. After being in Fandar for many days, Ysabelle felt that even the air in Chanaea felt fresher than before. ¡°Felix, I realized that Chanaea is still my favorite ce in the world. I¡¯m happy doing anything as long as I¡¯m here!¡± Even though they had been through some exciting times in Fandar, she still felt most at ease in her own country. ¡°You¡¯re right. Jipsdale is truly a nice ce too.¡± After all, it wasforting for them to be somewhere they were familiar with. However, the moment they exited the airport, Ysabelle noticed something amiss; a huge crowd of reporters had gathered outside. Moreover, the couple was holding hands, and the reporters had already started taking pictures of them. F*ck! What¡¯s going on? Why are there so many reporters? No one was supposed to know that Ysabelle was returning from Fandar that day. Felix wanted to let go of her hand. He knew how important her singing career was to her, and for a female celebrity, having a boyfriend would mean losing fans. However, this time, Ysabelle did not loosen her grip. Tightening her grip, she looked at him and said resolutely, ¡°Felix, I¡¯ve already told you. From now on, we will be together no matter what happens.¡± Since they had already decided to be with each other, it did not matter to Ysabelle if they were photographed by reporters or if her fans stopped supporting her because of that. All she ever wanted to do was sing. She did not aspire to be an idol. As such, she did not mind losing poprity as long as her man was by her side. Felix was touched to hear that. He realized that his woman had really matured. Previously, she would always act in a cautious manner in front of the media, but now, she was openly holding his hand in the presence of the reporters. He loved the feeling and was savoring it. ¡°Ysabelle, I will never let you down. From now on, we have to stay together no matter what challenges we might face in the future.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Just then, the reporters swarmed over and asked, ¡°Ms. Lombard, what¡¯s your rtionship with Mr. Northley? Is he your boyfriend? You¡¯ve been away for quite some time. Is it also because of Mr. Northley?¡± ¡°Mr. Northley, are you intending to marry Ms. Lombard? Or are you just dating her for fun?¡± Confronted with a barrage of questions, Felix was initially intending to ignore the reporters, but when he heard the suggestion that he was dating Ysabelle for fun, he halted in his tracks and swept a cold gaze at the reporter who asked that question. Although the reporter was not aware of the mistake he had made, he could not help but shudder when he sensed Felix¡¯s cool vibe. ¡°I¡¯m serious about her. I have always been. She¡¯s going to be the future mistress of Northley Group. I know she loves singing. I respect that and will fully support her. However, I will not allow anyone to bully her.¡± This was the woman he would sacrifice his life for. It sounded ridiculous to him that someone would even think that he was dating her just for fun. Ysabelle was beaming from ear to ear when she heard that. That¡¯s my man! She never had to worry about his feelings for her. ¡°Hi everyone, I would like to use this opportunity to introduce my boyfriend, Felix Northley, to my fans. We are currently in a stable and loving rtionship. I can understand if any of you stop supporting me because of this, but please don¡¯t say anything nasty about him because he¡¯s the most wonderful man I know.¡± It did not matter to her if her poprity dipped, If her fans stopped liking her because she was attached, it would mean that they did not like her because of her singing skills in the first ce. If they did not appreciate her talent, they could not be considered real fans anyway. Indeed, the news of Ysabelle dating broke the hearts of countless male fans. D¡±mn! Who¡¯s this Felix Northley? He doesn¡¯t deserve to be with our little fairy! Little fairy, please don¡¯t! Look at me! I¡¯m the destined one for you! Exactly! This Mr. Northley is not even handsome. More importantly, he looks so old! He¡¯s so much older than our little fairy. That won¡¯t do! Are you guys kidding? Do you really not know who Felix Northley is? Just search for ¡°Northley Group.¡± It¡¯s one of the fourrgest corporations in Chanaea. How could you guys not know? So what if he¡¯s rich? Little fairy belongs to us! Do you think she¡¯s really in love with him? She¡¯s just together with him for his money! Haha! How is that possible? Don¡¯t you know little fairy¡¯s family background? Her family owns Lombard Group! Lombard Group? Is she really rted to the family that owns Lombard Group? Felix felt a flicker of irritation when he saw thosements, but there was nothing he could do about it. Being a singer meant that Ysabelle was also a public figure. Besides, there are all kinds ofizens, and they were free to say what they wanted. Xandra called Ysabelle immediately when she saw the news, feeling surprised that thetter had decided to publicize her rtionship. ¡°Xandra, I know I will lose quite a number of fans by doing so, but I want to give Felix a sense of security. That¡¯s why I decided to make our rtionship public.¡± N?vel(D)rama.Org''s content. After all, it was not reasonable to expect her to stay single forever. After a pause, Ysabelle carried on, ¡°But please don¡¯t worry. I will continue to put effort into my singing. Being recognized as a good singer is more important to me than being liked as an idol.¡± ¡°All right. I understand. As long as you are sure, thepany will definitely support you all the way!¡± Xandra genuinely understood. After all, Ysabelle was a singer, and she had never wanted to be an idol. Hence, it would not be a big deal even if her fanbase decreased after the announcement. She just had to focus on singing, and more people would notice her talent sooner orter. ¡°Xandra, thanks for your understanding.¡± After hanging up, Xandra called Sophie, who expressed her support for Ysabelle¡¯s decision. Since the boss had already made her stand clear, as an employee, Xandra did not think her opinion would matter anyway. All she had to do was handle the fans and try to appease them. Meanwhile, William, who also saw the news, let out a long sigh. ¡°Dad, why are you sighing? They make a good couple, don¡¯t they? Besides, we already know Felix very well. More importantly, he loves Ysabelle wholeheartedly. Her happiness is all that matters.¡± The rest was really not important. Age was not a factor as well. ¡°What else can I say? None of you is going to listen to an old man like me anyway.¡± There was nothing William could do but ept it. However, his head started aching at the thought of theirplicated rtionship. Just then, Ysabelle and Felix arrived. ¡°Grandpa, I really, really like Felix. He¡¯s the only one for me. You¡¯re the person I love most, so I hope to get your blessings,¡± Ysabelle said determinedly. She would not separate with Felix no matter what. ¡°Would anything I say matter given the current state of things? Ysabelle, remember this. I just want you to be happy. ¡°Thanks, Grandpa. You¡¯re the best!¡± Ysabelle embraced William before continuing, ¡°You can¡¯t bully Felix as well, okay? I¡¯ll be upset if you do that.¡± Chapter 986 New Order Chapter 986 New Order William nced at Felix. ¡°When have I ever bullied him? Why don¡¯t you ask him?¡± Felix¡¯s strong survival instinct kicked in as he listened to William¡¯s words. He immediately shook his head. ¡°No. Old Mr. Lombard likes me the most, so why would he bully me? He never has!¡± ¡°That¡¯s more like it. By the way, when are your uncle Tristan and Sophieing back?¡± The wedding is only a few months away. Shouldn¡¯t they return and start preparing for it? I want to help, but they don¡¯t like it if I meddle in their business. ¡°Grandpa, don¡¯t worry. Uncle Tristan knows what he¡¯s doing. He loves Sophie so much, so he wouldn¡¯t skimp on their wedding.¡± Besides, even if he isn¡¯t in the country, Uncle Tristan has been closely following the progress of the wedding preparations. ¡°All right. You must be tired from your trip to Fandar. Go back and take a few days to rest. Don¡¯t busy yourself with work as soon as youe back. One¡¯s health is one¡¯s most important asset. What good would it do to swamp yourself with work all the time? ¡°All right. I got it, Grandpa.¡± Ysabelle was exceptionally obedient that day as she didn¡¯t want to worry anyone. ¡°I should take my leave now. My parents are also worried about me since I haven¡¯t been home for such a long time.¡± That was even more so after something as significant as that happened to him. ¡°Okay. You should go back now.¡± William could fathom how Felix¡¯s parents must felt. Instead of going back to his own home upon returning to the country, Felix came here first. What else can I say to that? ¡°I¡¯ll see you off.¡± Ysabelle swiftly stood up from the couch. Felix had sent her home when he should¡¯ve gone back to his own house first. After all, his parents were worried sick about him. William could only sigh, looking at their retreating figures from behind. ¡°Dad, Felix is actually not a bad guy. You¡¯ve watched him grow up, too, so shouldn¡¯t you feel at ease to let him be with Ysabelle?¡± ¡°Yes. That¡¯s his only virtue. All I hope now is for Ysabelle to be happy. It¡¯s fine as long as he doesn¡¯t mistreat her.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry. We¡¯re all here, so who would dare to bully Ysabelle?¡± Everyone in the family doted on Ysabelle, after all. Ysabelle was still reluctant to part ways with Felix even when they got outside. ¡°Off you go. Call me when you get home.¡± ¡°Okay. I¡¯ll call you as soon as I¡¯m home. Don¡¯t worry. Rest at home for a couple of days. You don¡¯t need to return to work in such a rush.¡± ¡°I got it. Stop nagging me.¡± ¡°By the way, Sean and the others invited us for dinner tonight. I¡¯ll pick you upter.¡± Felix had nearly escaped death. The moment he stepped out of the ne, Sean contacted him. ¡°Okay. I¡¯ll wait for you at home.¡± Ysabelle was overjoyed at the thought that they could meet again that night.. Felix hugged her. After sending Felix off, Ysabelle returned to the house to unpack her luggage. She no longer regarded the current circumstances where the number of her followers dropped as a big deal. At night, everyone gathered at Blossom Garden to have their dinner without Tristan and Sophie. ¡°When will Mr. Tristan and Sophiee back? It feels iplete without them.¡± ¡°They¡¯ll be back soon. With Mr. Tristan on the case, the issues should be resolved in no time.¡± ¡°You have a point.¡± ¡°So, have you two made up now?¡± After such a drama, everyone reckoned Felix and Ysabelle must¡¯ve reconciled. ¡°Yes. You all saw the news, didn¡¯t you?¡± Ysabelle wrapped her arms around Felix¡¯s with a contented expression on her face. ¡°Okay. That¡¯s good. You should treat Felix better in the future, Ysabelle. Otherwise, he might get depressed and go looking for trouble.¡± There wasn¡¯t any need for him to suffer such torment in the first ce. ¡°That¡¯s enough. Why are we talking about this now? We¡¯re doing fine, so stop worrying.¡± Felix couldn¡¯t stand anyone criticizing Ysabelle. Not even a single berating remark was allowed. ¡°All right. We know you¡¯re very protective of her. We¡¯ll keep our mouths shut. Let¡¯s just eat.¡± Felix had always been like that, forbidding anyone from saying a single bad thing about Ysabelle, even if she had made him suffer plenty of grievances. ¡°Who should I defend if not my own girlfriend?¡± Ysabelle is the woman I love the most, so I can¡¯t bear to see her be aggrieved. ¡°That¡¯s right. Everything you say is correct. We have no objections, but if you get bullied and cry in the future, don¡¯te to us to drown your sorrows,¡± Charles uttered in annoyance. Regardless of how much they love their woman, they should still live by their set of principles. What¡¯s wrong with them? Why are all of them bing like this in front of the women they love? ¡°Charles, you don¡¯t understand love,¡± Felix retorted straightforwardly. All content ? N/.?vel/Dr/ama.Org. ¡°Fine. If you say I don¡¯t understand, then I don¡¯t. Can we leave it at that?¡± Charles was genuinely stumped. ¡°That¡¯s enough. Can¡¯t we just enjoy a meal peacefully since we¡¯ve finally reunited?¡± Sean spoke up, finding their bickering truly annoying. Meanwhile, at Fandar, everything progressed smoothly after Bertram received the things from Sophie. He was able to deal with those big shots in no time. The big shots were enraged but couldn¡¯t do a thing about it since Bertram had dirt on them. As a result, they didn¡¯t dare to say anything and could only yield. In the past, the big shots were extremely arrogant, but all of them fell silent now. Bertram was pleased with the oue. Ms. Tanner is indeed a genius. There isn¡¯t any problem that couldn¡¯t be solved as long as she¡¯s around. Having resolved another big shot, Bertram walked with a spring in his step. It had been a long time since he had felt that way. This is so exhrating! ¡°Ms. Tanner, you¡¯re really amazing. You¡¯re the most incredible person I¡¯ve ever met.¡± Bertram couldn¡¯t help butvish praise upon seeing Sophie. Ms. Tanner¡¯s hacking skills are indeed exceptional. I can compliment her for days on this subject alone! ¡°I¡¯m d you find the information useful.¡± Sophie always knew the most effective and fastest way to straighten out a problem. ¡°However, you need to be more careful. These people are no pushovers.¡± If they were really exasperated, those big shots might no longer hold back and retaliate with all their might. At that moment, Bertram regarded Sophie as the most important person in his life and merely greeted Tristan without much admiration at that point. ¡°It seems like I¡¯ve be irrelevant. All they care about is you now,¡± Tristan said with a sigh. His fianc¨¦e was simply too outstanding and seemed to be able to captivate everyone in everything she did unknowingly drawing the attention of all those around her. ¡°So?¡± ¡°So, I feel this is great. At the very least, the person you like is me, right?¡± Tristan thought that was an extremely wonderful feeling. ¡°Yes!¡± Sophie replied. They didn¡¯t need to get involved in the matters there as Bertram could handle it all. Therefore, the couple treated their stay there as a vacation. There was nothing special that needed to be done either. ¡°The matters here should be sorted out within a few days. Who do you n to have taken over here?¡± Even if they had established order there, someone had to Chapter 987 The Arrangement Chapter 987 The Arrangement ¡°Do you have any suitable candidates in mind?¡± He actually wanted Bertram to stay. After all, Bertram was the one who established the ce. It was only natural to have him stay and manage everything. In short, Bertram was the most suitable candidate, Sophie nodded in agreement. ¡°I also think Bert is a great choice. In my opinion, Zen is really talented, and I hope he can learn from Bert.¡± Arthur was getting older, and he couldn¡¯t protect them forever. Hence, Zen had to mature fast. Tristan nodded too. ¡°Hmm, why don¡¯t you discuss this with Bertram yourself? I¡¯m all right with it if he has no objections.¡± In truth, he knew that Bertram would definitely agree. That was why he didn¡¯t say much. ¡°All right, I understand.¡± Sophie could only find peace of mind once she had taken care of all the affairs concerning Arthur and the rest, allowing her to finally unwind and return. When Bertram returned that night, he was somewhat surprised to find Sophie waiting for him at the doorstep. ¡°Ms. Tanner, is there something you need from me? You can just call me instead of waiting here.¡± ¡°I want you to guide someone, but I won¡¯t ask you to do it without any reward. If you ever need assistance in the future, I will be there to help you. No questions asked.¡± ¡°Guide someone? Who?¡± ¡°Mr. Camidge¡¯s grandson, Zen Camidge.¡± ¡°Oh, that kid! Sure, Ms. Tanner. You don¡¯t have to say such things. I¡¯m happy to teach him!¡± As Sophie¡¯s die-hard fan, Bertram wouldn¡¯t refuse anything she asked of him. ¡°Okay, once you settle things here, I¡¯ll have hime and follow you.¡± ¡°No problem,¡± he readily agreed. Why would there be a problem? I will do anything to assist Ms. Tanner as long as she needs help. ¡°Ms. Tanner, you should go back and get some rest!¡± If Tristan discovered that Sophie had been waiting there for so long, he wouldn¡¯t let matters slide. Thus, Bertram quickly urged the woman to head back. ¡°You¡¯ve been working really hard, so do get some rest too!¡± Sophie said before retreating to her room. Upon seeing Sophie¡¯s return, Tristan deduced that she must have sorted everything out. It wasn¡¯t a significant matter in itself, but she cared about it due to its connection to Arthur. ¡°You can finally rx!¡± Tristan remarked. ¡°Yes, it¡¯s better to personally convey the message. I feel more at ease knowing that Zen is entrusted to Bert,¡± Sophie replied. ¡°Yeah. Bertram is a trustworthy man.¡± Sophie sat on the couch and took out her phone. After seeing the news about Ysabelle¡¯s rtionship, she casually clicked the like button. In reality, Felix was a worthy man for Ysabelle and deserved a public rtionship with her. What the former desired was nothing more than a sense of security, after all. ¡°Are you reading the news about Felix and Ysabelle? Are you worried that it¡¯ll affect Ysabelle?¡± They wasted no time in announcing their rtionship as soon as they returned. She always cares about many things, but this isn¡¯t a big deal, right? ¡°Well, I don¡¯t think it¡¯s a problem. Ysabelle has always dreamed of bing a singer, but she never saw herself as an idol. Singers can date and get married!¡± Even if some fans might temporarily lose interest in her, Ysabelle would still be able to win everyone over with her talent in the long run. ¡°Well, good to know that you¡¯ve confidence in her.¡± If Sophie has such unwavering faith in Ysabelle, then there should be no cause for concern. Tristan had spent much of his time in Fandar nning for the wedding. He was especially looking forward to this once-in-a-lifetime event, where he would marry the woman he loved most. Hence, he certainly hoped the wedding ceremony would be perfect. The wedding outfit was ready, and they just needed to try it on when they returned. Sophie wanted a traditional Chanaean wedding, so he had Chanaean-style attires made for her. In the following days, Bertram made remarkable progress. They could resolve matters quickly when Sophie and Tristan were present. Within half a month, a new order had been established. No one dared to disrespect them from then on. Upon learning of Sophie¡¯s arrangements, Arthur felt even more grateful to her. It was true that regardless of how formidable others might be, one could only protect one¡¯s loved ones if one was powerful. s, theycked such a person. Arthur had been worried about what would happen to them after he left, but given Bertram¡¯s willingness to guide Zen, thetter could lead the team in the future. ¡°Mr. Camidge, what do you think about this arrangement?¡± Sophie asked. This belongs ? N?velDra/ma.Org. Being under Bertram¡¯s tutge would undoubtedly provide immense learning opportunities. However, it also came with certain risks. Such was the nature of society. In order to gain something, one must be prepared to make sacrifices. ¡°Thank you for making the arrangement, Ms. Tanner. I have nothing but gratitude. How could I possibly raise any objections?¡± This was the best arrangement Arthur could hope for. Zen was fortunate to be able to learn from Bertram. ¡°Well, then it¡¯s settled. If you have any concerns in the future, just look for Bertram. He¡¯s trustworthy,¡± Sophie affirmed. She had already exined everything to Bertram. ¡°Ms. Tanner, I¡¯m truly grateful. You are our benefactor, and I don¡¯t know how to thank you.¡± They yearned to find a meaningful way to express their appreciation to their benefactor. However, they had limited abilities and didn¡¯t know what they could do. ¡°There¡¯s no need for all that, you¡¯ve also been a great help to me,¡± Sophie replied gratefully. Without their assistance, finding Felix wouldn¡¯t have been that easy. ¡°Ms. Tanner, Mr. Tristan is a good man, and we believe that you will find happiness with him.¡± Ms. Tanner is a good person. A person like her deserves evesting happiness. ¡°Hmm,¡± Sophie responded, her thoughts momentarily stalling as she contemted how to acknowledge the praises bestowed upon Tristan. The truth was undeniable; Tristan was indeed an exceptional man. Everything was set now that the decision was made. Upon learning that Tristan had entrusted him with the management of Fandar, Bertram felt a sense of urgency creeping in. He had always dedicated himself wholeheartedly to handling affairs in Fandar. However, he couldn¡¯t help but ask, ¡°Are you sure about letting me manage Fandar, Mr. Tristan?¡± Everyone had their eyes set on this lucrative position! Hence, Tristan could have considered others for the role. ¡°You deserve it. You have always been by my side, and your abilities are beyond doubt,¡± Tristan reassured him. Bertram had always willingly supported Tristan and never intended topete for these rewards. ¡°Thank you, Mr. Tristan. Please rest assured! I will manage this ce well so that you and Ms. Tanner will not be disappointed,¡± Bertram stated solemnly. ¡°I¡¯ll get someone to help you. Who do you wish to join you from Jipsdale?¡± Tristan couldn¡¯t help but worry that Bertram might not be able to handle the vast responsibilities alone. ¡°I have the authority to make the decision?¡± Thetter was taken aback by the unexpected empowerment bestowed upon him. Chapter 988 Can I Add You on WhatsApp Chapter 988 Can I Add You on WhatsApp ¡°That person will be working alongside you, so it¡¯s important to ensure that you two get along well.¡± It would be awkward if two people, who disliked each other, were to work closely together. ¡°I¡¯m actually fine with anyone, but since you are giving me an opportunity to choose who I work with, I will take some time to consider it.¡± ¡°All right.¡± Arthur invited Sophie and Tristan over when he heard that they were leaving soon. The people in the tribal vige had prepared their most formal ceremony to wee them. Had it not been for Tristan¡¯s help, they would not have achieved the sess they had. That was why they decided to give him the grandest wee possible. Tristan felt that his efforts were worth it when he saw how grateful the vigers were. Arthur then fetched Sophie and Tristan two sses of wine and said, ¡°Mr. Tristan, this is part of our tribe¡¯s wee ceremony. Please ept this as a token of our appreciation.¡± Tristan and Sophie then took the wine sses over from him. Back then, Tristan would never allow Sophie to consume alcohol at all. This time, however, he did not stop her because it was a special asion. The two of them then downed their drinks in one go. Sophie had always believed in treating others the way she wanted to be treated, so she reciprocated the tribe¡¯s sincerity equally. As the people in the tribe trusted Sophie, it was only natural that they trusted Tristan as well. With Tristan calling the shots in Fandar, the tribal vigers felt d that they no longer had to suffer the way they used to, and they expressed their feelings of happiness by dancing. It was simply that easy to satisfy the people in that tribe. Tristan and Sophie danced along with the tribal vigers. Being a conservative person, this was the first time Tristan had attempted a dance like this. Even so, the merry atmosphere was so enchanting that he found himself dancing along before he even realized it. Zen came up to them and said. ¡°Thank you for everything you¡¯ve done to help us, Ms. Tanner! We will remember it and do our best to repay you in the future Those people robbed us and killed our people, but Ms. Tanner and the others are genuinely trying to help us! ¡°You are the hope of this vige, Zen. Make sure to stay with Bert and study hard, okay?¡± Sophie told him patiently ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Ms. Tanner! I will study really hard with Hert! I won¡¯t let you all down! From now on. I will protect this tribe!¡± As such, he was determined to be more powerful so he could protect the ones he cared about. ¡°I know you are an ambitious child, and I believe you have what it takes to aplish your goal.¡± Sophic took great care of Zen because he was Arthur¡¯s grandson. ¡°Thank you very much for helping us out, Ms. Tanner,¡± Arthur said while raising his wine ss. ¡°Come on, now! There¡¯s no need for thanks between us!¡± Sophie replied while clinking sses with him. The fact that she managed to do something for the tribe was enough to make her happy. ¡°Ms. Tanner is a really sweet girl, Mr. Tristan. Make sure to treat her right, okay?¡± Arthur said. He knew that Tristan was a decent man, but he still felt the urge to say that anyway. Perhaps that was something old men like him would often do. Tristan held Sophie¡¯s hand as he assured the older man, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Mr. Camidge. I will be sure to treasure her deeply. I will never mistreat her.¡± Sophie was the love of his life, so Tristan would never allow her to be hurt in the slightest. Tristan and Sophie stayed till it waste at night, so Bertram came over to pick them up. Being an old man, Arthur went to sleep after having a few more drinks. ¡°Hi, Mr. Asher!¡± Zen called out to Bertram respectfully when he came to send them off. Bertram shed Zen a smile and had a brief chat with him before driving off. ¡°Help me look after this tribe whenever you¡¯re in Fandar, Bert.¡± Sophie had developed a liking for the tribe. ¡°Sure thing, Ms. Tanner. Don¡¯t you worry! I won¡¯t let anyone get hurt as long as I¡¯m here!¡± Bertram replied confidently. Sophie rested her head against Tristan¡¯s shoulder. I wonder when we¡¯lle back here again¡­. Noticing the depressed look on her face, Tristan held her hand and said, ¡°We can alwayse here whenever you feel like it.¡± A long-haul flight was all it would take for them to get there. ¡°Yeah.¡± Most of the tribal vigers came to send Tristan and Sophie off when they left the next day. ¡°Best wishes to you all!¡± A warm smile spread across Arthur¡¯s face when he heard Sophie¡¯s words. The dark days are over. From now on, everything is going to be all right! ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Ms. Tanner. We¡¯ll be just fine!¡± Zen chased after the car from behind as it drove off. He liked Sophie very much, and he would have left with her if he didn¡¯t have a duty to uphold. Of course, there was no way he could catch up to a car on foot. It didn¡¯t take long before he disappeared from the rearview mirror of the SUV. Zen had never cried a day in his life. He was too young to feel sad when his parents passed away, so he didn¡¯t cry back then. However, he felt really upset when he saw Sophie and the others leave. Looking at the tribal vigers through the rearview mirror, Sophie couldn¡¯t help feeling mncholic. She had always wished nothing but the best for them. The ne for the return flight had already been prepared by the time they arrived at the airport. Bertram was personally escorting them onto the ne when Tristan said, ¡°Be extra careful now that you¡¯re on your own here, Bertram. Contact me immediately if you ever run into any problems that you can¡¯t resolve on your own.¡± Those b*stards are no pushover. They have only temporarily submitted to us. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Mr. Tristan! I will be sure to head back and attend your wedding!¡± Bertram reassured him. After all, those two were the people he looked up to the most. Tristan patted him on the shoulder. ¡°All right. I¡¯ll arrange for a ne to pick you up when the time comes. You can head back now.¡± ¡°Can I add you on WhatsApp, Ms. Tanner?¡± Bertram asked cautiously. Sophie whipped out her phone, pulled up her QR code, and held it up in front of Bertram. The man got so worked up that his hands were trembling when he scanned the QR code. Tristan let out a chuckle when he saw how excited Bertram was. The fact that hisrades genuinely liked Sophie was not lost on Tristan. Bertram was grinning from ear to ear after adding Sophie on WhatsApp. Tristan then boarded the ne with her as it was about time for it to take off. Meanwhile, Bertram stood there and waited until their ne was out of sight before heading back.? N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved. Chapter 989 Welcoming Them Home Chapter 989 Weing Them Home It was already past midnight by the time Tristan and Sophie arrived in Chanaea. They didn¡¯t tell anyone about their return as they wanted to head back and get some sleep. However, they saw Ysabelle, Felix, Sean, and Charles waiting for them at the airport. ¡°We didn¡¯t tell you guys about our return, so how did you guys know we wereing back?¡± They had chosen not to tell anyone because they didn¡¯t want them toe to pick them up thiste. Ysabelle stepped forward and hugged Sophie as she replied, ¡°We have our ways of finding out!¡± Unbeknownst to the two, Bertram had made a post about their return on Instagram. All they had to do was give him a call to ask about the couple¡¯s flight schedule. ¡°I¡¯ve missed you so much. Sophie!¡± Although they had only been separated for a little over a week, Ysabelle felt as though it had been a year. That was a feeling men would never understand. ¡°Wee back!¡± Sean had been really busytely, but he came over to wee them home anyway. ¡°Why did so many of you have toe to pick us up? And you, Ysabelle! There is news about you all over the inte! You should beying low at home instead! Tristan yelled at them in annoyance. ¡°Why are you so mean to me, Uncle Tristan? I only came here because I missed Sophie! I wouldn¡¯t have bothered toe if it was just you who came back!¡± Ysabelle snapped back at him. In other words, they were only there because of Sophie. Felix wrapped an arm around Ysabelle¡¯s waist in a protective manner and said, ¡°Hey, Mr. Tristan! My girlfriend is just as precious as yours, so be nice to her, okay?¡± Sophie let out a chuckle when she heard that. ¡°He¡¯s just tired, that¡¯s all. Come on, let¡¯s go home. People might think something big is going down in Jipsdale if they see you all here!¡± ¡°We only came because we haven¡¯t seen you two in a long time,¡± Ysabelle mumbled with a pout. Honestly, Uncle Tristan sure is a petty one! He has been hogging Sophie all to himself for so long! Is that not enough? ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± The conversation will never end if everyone keeps chiming in like this! They had arrived at the airport in three separate cars, so Sophie and Tristan went back to Sean¡¯s car. It wasn¡¯t until they arrived at the mansion that Tristan realized the others had followed them home. ¡°What are you guys doing? Are you all not nning on sleeping tonight?¡± They know that we¡¯re tired, so why would they follow us all the way home? ¡°We just thought you two would be hungry after getting off the ne, so we brought tons of food over! Let¡¯s eat up before going to bed! My Aunt Sarah made you some soup too! She would¡¯vee as well if she weren¡¯t so busy! What do you think, Sophie? Am I the best friend you¡¯ve ever had?¡± Ysabelle figured Sophie hadn¡¯t been eating well during her time in Fandar, so she had brought a huge amount of food over. In fact, Sophie was the only reason Ysabelle was willing to sacrifice her beauty sleep and rush over to the airport. This belongs ? N?velDra/ma.Org. The group then made their way into the mansion and had supper together. It had been a long time since they had a meal together, so Ysabelle treasured every second of it. I wish we can be together like this forever. As Sarah had gone through the trouble of making that soup for them, Sophie decided to have some even though she wasn¡¯t all that hungry. ¡°By the way, Grandpa knows about your return and wants you two to head over for lunch tomorrow,¡± Ysabelle said while filling Sophie¡¯s bowl with soup. ¡°Got it.¡± Sophie and Tristan had spent quite a long time in Fandar, so it was about time they went back to pay William a visit. The others helped themselves to some of the food and cleaned up the table after they were done eating. ¡°It¡¯s reallyte now, so we¡¯ll throw that weing party some other day,¡± Sean said as he and Charles left the mansion. Tristan shifted his gaze back toward Felix and Ysabelle, who were still standing there, and asked, ¡°What about you two? Shouldn¡¯t you two be going home as well? How much longer do you two n on sticking around?¡± Honestly, why are these two always like this? ¡°But it¡¯s reallyte now, Uncle Tristan. You guys have spare rooms here, so we¡¯ll be staying over tonight!¡± Since they would head straight to bed after going home anyway, Ysabelle and Felix decided to just spend the night at the mansion instead. In fact, they never nned on going home that night, to begin with. Tristan found himself at a loss for words. What? I¡¯ve had enough of these two! They have no respect for boundaries whatsoever! ¡°Now, now¡­ It¡¯s reallyte, so let¡¯s just all go to our rooms and get some sleep. We can continue this conversation tomorrow.¡± Since there were indeed spare rooms avable, Sophie decided to let them stay the night. Tristan didn¡¯t even feel like saying anything further at that point. What can I say, anyway? ¡°I know you¡¯re really tired, Sophie. Don¡¯t worry; I won¡¯t disturb you tonight!¡± Although Ysabelle had lots of things that she wanted to tell Sophie, she knew better than to do so that night. Sophie had just gotten off a long-haul flight at midnight, so Ysabelle didn¡¯t want to keep her up any longer. ¡°Okay.¡± Tristan and Sophie went upstairs after that. ¡°It¡¯s not like we don¡¯t have a ce of our own. Why did you insist on staying here? Did you not see the look on Tristan¡¯s face earlier?¡± Felix asked while pulling Ysabelle into a hug. ¡°I wanted to spend some more time with Sophie! You and I will have plenty of time together once we get married anyway!¡± Ysabelle replied. ¡°Sure thing. Go on, then. Brush your teeth and get ready for bed. Otherwise, you¡¯re going to have dark circles around your eyes tomorrow!¡± Felix reminded her. Since Ysabelle was a celebrity, it was important for her to take care of her appearance. She nodded. ¡°Yeah, you¡¯re right. I need to get my beauty rest!¡± Sophie had just stepped out of the bathroom when she saw Tristan sitting on her bed. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Aren¡¯t you tired? You should go take a shower and get some rest,¡± she said while plopping down next to him. Tristan wrapped an arm around her shoulder and pulled her into his embrace as he replied, ¡°I wanted to wish you good night before going to my room.¡± A sweet smile spread across Sophie¡¯s face when she heard that. I can¡¯t believe how easy it is for him to fill my heart with warmth. He sure is getting better at this! ¡°There, you¡¯ve done what you came to do. Now, hurry up and go to bed.¡± ¡°All right. You should get some rest too. Don¡¯t use your phone too much. It¡¯s bad for your spine.¡± ¡°Okay, I won¡¯t!¡± My goodness! He¡¯s acting just like a dad! Tristan hugged her tightly and gave her a few kisses on the lips. Chapter 990 Being Straightforward Chapter 990 Being Straightforward ¡°Soon, you¡¯ll be my wife.¡± In the end, Tristan stopped whatever he was doing and left after uttering that sentence. Sophiey on the bed. Despite feeling exhausted, she could not fall asleep after hearing what the man said. That¡¯s right. I¡¯ll soon be his wife and the mother of his child. We¡¯ll surely live a good life together. Having turned inte the night before, the four of them only woke up at about eleven o¡¯clock in the morning. As such, they skipped breakfast altogether. Ysabelle was rudely awakened by her ringing phone. Initially, she was livid and wanted to curse, but when she realized it was Sarah, she could only hide her dissatisfaction and answer the call. ¡°Hello, Aunt Sarah. We aren¡¯t awake yet. Yeah, we slept tootest night. All right, I got it.¡± After hanging up the phone, Ysabelle went back to sleep again. Lunch? Nothing is more important than sleep right now! Seeing the groggy look on her face, Felix burst into a chuckle. This silly girl. How can she be so adorable? He approached the bed and carried her up. ¡°That¡¯s enough. It¡¯s time to wake up. Your grandpa ising if you continue sleeping.¡± Felix scooped her into his embrace as he spoke. However, Ysabelle was not amused. ¡°Stop it, Felix. Let me sleep a while longer, will you? Just a while more!¡± I haven¡¯t had enough sleep. I¡¯ll wake up when I¡¯m done sleeping! ¡°All right. Don¡¯t sleep anymore. You already skipped breakfast. It won¡¯t be good for your stomach if you skip lunch now.¡± ¡°You all¡ª¡± Why do you all say the same thing? ¡°Fine. I got it.¡± Ysabelle tried to open her eyes. Still, it was tough for her to do so. Seeing her like that, Felix nted a kiss on her. The kiss left Ysabelle so suffocated that she finally sobered up. Without hesitation, she reciprocated and kissed him back. She had a growing fondness for kissing recently. Well, it actually feels pretty good. They were so indulged in the intimate moment, and unable to hold back his urges any longer, Felix slid his hand into Ysabelle¡¯s dress. At that exact moment, a knock sounded at the door. ¡°Ysabelle, are you awake?¡± Tristan¡¯s voice rang out. Felix jerked in surprise. Oh right. This is Mr. Tristan¡¯s territory, and Ysabelle is his niece! He halted his movements immediately. ¡°Yes. Hold on for a while. I¡¯m almost done.¡± Ysabelle would not have bothered to respond had it been someone else, but since it was Tristan, she was being rather obedient. ¡°That scared me.¡± Ysabelle patted her chest after hearing the footsteps grow faint. ¡°Shall we continue?¡± she deliberately asked after seeing the look on Felix¡¯s face. Felix began putting on clothes for her. ¡°Continue what? Just you wait. I¡¯ll deal with you after we¡¯re married.¡± If a man truly liked a woman, he would try his best to protect her no matter how strong his desires were. He was a little rough while helping her wear her clothes. ¡°Are you venting your anger on me? Be gentler. You¡¯re hurting me!¡± Ysabelle chuckled. Deep down, she was delighted. I guess I¡¯m still attractive to him. When the two finished tidying themselves up and headed out, Tristan and Sophie were already waiting in the living room. Though they had all sleptte the night before, Tristan and Sophie seemed lively and energetic after a night¡¯s sleep. Ysabelle was the only one in low spirits. ¡°How can there be such a vast difference between one human and the other? We¡¯re all humans; why are you two so outstanding?¡± she grumbled. They¡¯re definitely non-human. Could it be that I¡¯m the only ordinary being out of everyone here? ¡°All right. Let¡¯s go. It¡¯s time to head back.¡± Tristan had enough of her nonsense. How can she still have the nerve to ramble so nonsensically after sleeping in! Believing that Tristan found her annoying again, Ysabelle hurried over and wrapped her arms around Sophie¡¯s. ¡°Sophie, I knew you love me the most in this world. You¡¯re the only one who doesn¡¯t think that Fma bother. Let¡¯s go and have lunch back home.¡± ¡°Yeah, I don¡¯t think that way. I¡¯m used to it anyway.¡± Ysabelle was rendered speechless. Am I that terrible? Lunch was ready by the time the four arrived at the Lombard residence. William, who had been waiting at the door, immediately pretended to be busy when he saw their arrival. Obviously, there was no way he was not concerned about Tristan and Sophie for what they were doing at Fandar, even though he understood that they had the right to do what they wanted to do. Then again, he still could not stop worrying for them. ¡°We¡¯re back, Old Mr. Lombard. Don¡¯t worry. Tristan isn¡¯t injured.¡± Sophie stepped out of the car and took the initiative to greet William. ¡°Well, who cares about him? He doesn¡¯t even give us a call when he¡¯s away. Is there a need for me to be concerned about him?¡± William snapped. At this point, Tristan also got out of the car and walked toward William. ¡°Dad, there are too many matters to deal with at Fandar, so I didn¡¯t have time to call you. All right, everyone is hungry. Let¡¯s head in for lunch.¡± The father and son duo was not fond of disying affection, to begin with, but the truth was, they cared a lot about each other. Copyright by N?v/elDrama.Org. Upon hearing they were hungry, William quickly headed inside to set the table. Sarah brought thest dish out from the kitchen and ushered everyone over. After settling down, she said, ¡°Sophie, you¡¯ve gotten thinner again. Girls shouldn¡¯t get too skinny.¡± ¡°I got it, Sarah, but this is what my physique is like. I wasn¡¯t quite used to living in Fandar, and that¡¯s how I lost some weight.¡± Sophie had great adaptability, but at the same time, she was someone who could lose weight easily. ¡°How about you move back here with Tristan? I¡¯ll have the kitchen prepare delicious food for you every day so that you can put on more weight,¡± William suggested. They¡¯re almost getting married, and then they¡¯ll start making babies after that. It¡¯s not good for her to be so skinny. Sophie nced at Tristan. Move back here? But it¡¯s too far from our workce. It¡¯ll be inconvenient if we move here. ¡°Dad, we¡¯re doing fine living on our own. It¡¯s not too convenient for us to move back,¡± Tristan said to his father. ¡°What¡¯s not convenient? You both own a car and can drive to work. Is it that you don¡¯t wish to live with me?¡± ¡°Dad, it¡¯s better for us to live alone. Besides, I¡¯ll take good care of her.¡± ¡°Are you trying to tell me that you don¡¯t intend to move back and live with me after you two get married?¡± William suddenly lost his appetite. Sensing that William was mad, Sarah tried to ease the tension by saying, ¡°Dad, it¡¯s not a bad idea for them to live on their own. That way, you¡¯ll be able to get a grandchild sooner!¡± That¡¯s what you look forward to anyway, right? Ysabelle, who was drinking water, almost spat the water out. Sophie is only twenty years old! Don¡¯t tell me they want her to have a baby that soon? Isn¡¯t that a little too fast? True enough, William no longer dwelled on that matter after hearing Sarah¡¯s words. Indeed, I want a grandchild should let them do whatever they want! Chapter 991 What About My Age Chapter 991 What About My Age ¡°It¡¯s almost time. As busy as we are, we still need to get the preparations done.¡± It had been a long time since the Lombard family had any celebratory events, so they wanted to make this one as grand as possible. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Dad! I know what I have to do.¡± There was no way he would mess up his own wedding. ¡°Yeah, I know you do. I just hope I can be of some help, that¡¯s all.¡± A man of his age didn¡¯t have much to do at home, so helping out would be a great way to keep his mind busy. ¡°We¡¯ll help keep an eye on things, Dad. You don¡¯t have to worry about it at all.¡± Sarah was worried about William¡¯s well-being as well. Although he was in great health, she didn¡¯t want an old man like him to overwork himself. ¡°Honestly, you guys¡­¡± William let out a frustrated sigh and shifted his gaze toward Sarah as he asked, ¡°Sarah, how are things going between you and Juan? If it doesn¡¯t work out, then you will have to undergo some matchmaking. I want to see you get married before I kick the bucket!¡± Sarah lost her appetite the moment she heard him mention Juan. ¡°Why would you bring him up, Dad? We¡¯re having a family moment here!¡± She did not want to talk about Juan at all. Having liked him for such a long time, she still hoped to get together with him even though she knew it wouldn¡¯t be easy. William could only let out a helpless sigh when he saw that Sarah refused to talk about her rtionship. Everything about Sarah is great, so why does she struggle so much when ites to rtionships? Not wanting to draw any more of William¡¯s attention to herself, Sarah kept quiet and ate her food in silence. Felix and Ysabelle simply exchanged nces and continued eating in silence as well. Even so, there was no avoiding the inevitable. ¡°Felix!¡± William called out to him. ¡°Yes, Grandpa?¡± He had started calling William ¡°Grandpa¡± to match Ysabelle. ¡°I¡¯m warning you; Ysabelle is still young, so you had better not cross the line with her!¡± William still didn¡¯t like Felix, but there wasn¡¯t much he could do about it because Ysabelle liked him. Felix choked on his food when he heard that. He had never felt this awkward at the dining table. Ysabelle, too, burned bright red almost instantly. William couldn¡¯t bring himself to talk about it to Ysabelle, so he had to warn them in a roundabout way instead. Even so, she knew exactly what he was talking about. Sophie was the only person at the table that William did not lecture. The group then sat down for a chat after having a fulfilling meal. ¡°How are things going between you and Juan, Aunt Sarah? You¡¯ve liked him for so many years now. Given how old the two of you are, I think you two should just get married!¡± Ysabelle asked as she recalled seeing Juan pester Sarah yesterday. She believed that there was no need for them to drag things out. ¡°What do you mean by that? Are you saying that people of our age have no right to enjoy the dating process?¡± While it was true that she had liked Juan for many years, she believed that a proper dating process was still a must. Everybody, regardless of age, should experience the dating process before getting into a marriage. In fact, marriage should never be seen as the ultimate goal. ¡°Just do what makes you happy, Sarah. Nothing else matters,¡± Sophie said. She truly believed that Sarah could just continue dating for the rest of her life. After all, there was no rule that said marriage waspulsory for a rtionship. ¡°You know me so well, Sophie!¡± Sarah eximed. She enjoyed the way things were at the time, and marriage was no guarantee of happiness either. ¡°Let¡¯s go get a facial this afternoon! I think a woman of my age needs to take good care of my face,¡± Sarah suggested. ¡°I have never had one.¡± Ysabelle said. She believed she was still young enough to not need such things. ¡°Come with me, then! You¡¯ll love how good it makes you feel!¡± Sarah believed that women should have a habit of taking good care of their skin regardless of their age. Ysabelle turned toward Sophie and asked, ¡°Are you going. Sophie? I¡¯ll go if you go.¡± Since she had a lot of haterstely, Ysabelle figured she could use a break. ¡°I don¡¯t have anything important to do today, so I¡¯ll go with you two,¡± Sophie replied. Just like that, the three of them headed over to a beauty salonter that afternoon. Sophic and Ysabelle had really fair and smooth skin, so they didn¡¯t actually need anything beyond a hydrating treatment. ¡°Honestly, I really envy you two. It sure is nice to be young!¡± Sarahmented. Once women hit thirty, their bodies would undergo a lot of changes and show visible signs of aging. ¡°You look amazing for your age, Aunt Sarah!¡± Ysabelle eximed. Very few women looked this great in their thirties. ¡°If possible, I would like to remain twenty forever. That¡¯s the best age to be in!¡± Sarah said. After all, one could do whatever one wanted at the age of twenty. ¡°Don¡¯t say that, Sarah. There is beauty in every age.¡± Sophie felt that the hydrating treatment she had was good enough for her, so she sat there and waited for them toplete their treatments. N?vel(D)rama.Org''s content. ¡°Do you two think I should get a botulinum toxin injection?¡± Sarah asked with a serious look on her face as the three of them left the beauty salon. Sophie and Ysabelle exchanged confused nces when they heard that. She looks fine the way she is, so why would she ask something like that? Having witnessed how terrifying celebrities looked after getting botulinum toxin injections, Ysabelle eximed, ¡°You have no need for that stuff at all, Aunt Sarah! Please don¡¯t even think about it!¡± ¡°Believe me when I say this, Sarah. You have no need for botulinum toxin injections at all. You look great just the way you are.¡± Being thirty isn¡¯t that bad! At least, it¡¯s not as scary as she says! ¡°Rx, you two! I¡¯m just kidding!¡± Sarah reassured them. The three then headed over to a mall to do some shopping. As Sarah needed to take good care of her skin, she bought lots of skincare products. After that, they visited a few high-end clothing stores. Sarah was a wealthy woman who never hesitated to invest in her appearance. In just a little over an hour, she had purchased two dresses, a business suit, and two pairs of leather shoes. Ysabelle was frozen in shock when she saw that. She had always considered herself a shopaholic, but Sarah was leagues ahead of her. ¡°Come on, let¡¯s keep it going!¡± Sarah even had her secretary deliver the stuff she bought to her house so she could continue shopping. Sophie shook her head. ¡°I¡¯m tired, Sarah. Let¡¯s go get something to drink!¡± She couldn¡¯t bring herself to walk any further. ¡°Sure thing! We¡¯ll continue shopping after we have some drinks! By the way, have you and Tristan bought your rings yet? Maybe we can check out the jewelry storester.¡± Since they would be getting married soon, it was about time they bought their rings. Chapter 992 Just A Nobody Chapter 992 Just A Nobody ¡°Not yet.¡± They had been so busy travelling between Annd and Fandthey didame tim shop for rings The three girls then headed over to a male bar which a ce Tabelle focated rasting Many people out there knew her due to her status as riebing so she had a dency to act aloof wanted amention in public. As such, she would always wear a face mask whenever she visited crowded ces. Howe always prove to be effective Sure enough, some of her fans recognized her even with the face mask ¡°Hi. Ms. Lombard! Could we take a picture with you? We love you very muc club¡± they eximed while running up to her Ysabelle finshed them a smile and nodded in response. She would often try requests whenever possible. After taking a picture with them, she even gave them her aunograph ¡°We will still be your fans even if you¡¯re in a rtionship Ysabelle! We love Ysabelle! We love your songs, and we will sinas support you!¡± The fans that she lost were male ones who got disappointed that she were girls who genuinely liked her songs Ysabelle felt touched when she heard what they said. Thank you all for supporting me. I will work even harder from now on! How about I treat you girls to some milkshakes¡± The fangirls were confused, but they followed the trio to the milkshake bar anyway Ysabelle then bought them all a milkshake each and said ¡°Once again, thank you all for supporting me promise to never let you all down!¡± She was determined to perform even better in her singing ¡°We believe in you, Ysabelle! You can do it!¡± the fangirls said before leaving with their milkshakes Ysabelle kept her face mask on as the three girls sat down at a table next to the window ¡°It seems I still have a lot of fans who love me. Maybe I don¡¯t have to worry, after ¡°Of course! It¡¯s not verymon for fans to boycott their idols simply because they go rtionships Besides, Ysabelle wasn¡¯t pursuing the path of an idol, to begin with She was aiming to be a singer, so all she had to do was sing as best she could. That was the only way she could keep her fans loyal to her After having a milkshake and resting for an hour, Sarah regained her strength and was ready for another round of shopping ¡°Come on, you two! We¡¯re just getting started here! Let¡¯s continue shopping!¡± Sophie was really reluctant to continue shopping, but she went along with it anyway when she saw how enthusiastic Sarah was. I didn¡¯t know Sarah was such a hardcore shopaholic! Am I the only one here who doesn¡¯t shop like this? I would usually just go for the items that I want, but Sarah likes to aimlessly browse shop after shop. This time, however, Sarah had a clear goal and led the two directly to a jewelry store. The store manager came up to them the moment he saw Sarah. ¡°Hi, Ms. Lombard! It has been a long time since yourst visit! We have a ton of new arrivals here! These are all the works of your favorite designer!¡± Sarah sat down on the couch with Sophie and Ysabelle as she said, ¡°Show us everything!¡± Establishing a jewelry collection was a must for girls who would attend all sorts of social events. Having more jewelry would help them essorize better when dressing for the asion. Sarah was a regr at the jewelry store, so the store manager knew how wealthy she was. He returned shortly after with thetest collection. ¡°You two should pick something for yourselves too! Just choose whichever you like, and I¡¯ll pay for it. Think of it as a present from me. As for the wedding rings, you¡¯ll need to get Tristan toe and buy it with you.¡± Sarah said. She figured she would buy them some jewelry since they would be able to wear them anytime, anywhere. ¡°Can I really pick out the one I like, Aunt Sarah?¡± Ysabelle asked. Although she had be quite a sessful singer, she was not wealthy enough to buy whatever she liked. Even so, no girl could possibly resist the temptation of jewelry, and she was no exception. ¡°That¡¯s right! I would suggest that you get the ones that are already paired, though. That way, you won¡¯t go wrong with the pairing!¡± The one thing Sarah liked most about the jewelry store was the fact that they offered paired jewelry items for the customers¡¯ convenience. ¡°Which one do you like, Sophie? Do you not find any of these to your liking? If that¡¯s the case, we can go check out some other stores,¡± Sarah suggested when she saw the uninterested look on Sophie¡¯s face. After all, the most important part about shopping was to buy things that one liked. ¡°No, that won¡¯t be necessary. I think the designs in this store are good enough,¡± Sophie replied while picking a random box out of the collections. Inside the box was a ne, a pair of earrings, and a bracelet. Although the jewels weren¡¯t very big in size, she liked the design and found herself attracted to them at first nce. The manager was smiling brightly when he saw the items they had chosen. I can¡¯t believe I just hit my sales target for this month in a single day! It must be nice to be so rich-They can buy whatever they like without worrying about the price! Having picked out the jewelry items they wanted; Sarah proceeded to make the payment at the counter. To her, spending money felt like an achievement and even helped cheer her up sometimes. Sophie ran into Willow and some of her friends when they left the jewelry store. In actuality, Willow no longer had any real friends at that point. Those girls only asked her out that day just to show off. Back then, Willow did not hold back on her spending when hanging out with them. Copyright by N?v/elDrama.Org. ¡°Hey, Willow! Isn¡¯t that your sister?¡± ¡°Yup, that¡¯s Sophie, all right! Sophie sure has surprised us all! Tanner Group has be a lot stronger with her being in charge!¡± ¡°I know, right? My dad said there are lots of people out there who would pay a fortune to coborate with Tanner Group! Willow, could you tell her to consider my dad¡¯spany?¡± That was when Willow realized why they asked her out. No wonder they asked me out so suddenly when we haven¡¯t been in contact for so long. ¡°As you all know, I am no longer working in Tanner Group, so nothing I say will do your father¡¯s company any good.¡± ¡°Nonsense! You¡¯re still the heiress of Tanner Group, aren¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Exactly! We¡¯re good friends, right, Willow? All you have to do is say a few nice things about our companies!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you don¡¯t even see us as friends? Well, that would make sense too. You are the heiress of Tanner Group, after all!¡± Willow clenched her fists tightly when she heard that. Am I really the heiress of Tanner Group? Right now, I¡¯m just a nobody! Sophie is able to shop at high- end jewelry stores, while I have to think twice before buying a dress! Chapter 993 Institute Of Physics Chapter 993 Institute Of Physics ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I really can¡¯t help you all. If your intention is to seek assistance from me, please don¡¯t ask me out anymore.¡± What right do I have to speak up in Tanner Group at this point? ¡°Willow, what do you mean by that? We¡¯re just asking you for a small favor. Why are you acting so haughty? Do you think you¡¯re still the Tanner family¡¯s precious eldest daughter?¡± All of them shoved at Willow, causing her to fall onto the ground. She looked extremely miserable at that moment. Those people wouldn¡¯t dare to treat her that way in the past, but now, just about everyone had the courage to step all over her. ¡°Let¡¯s go! She obviously can¡¯t help. Who does she think she is anyway? If it weren¡¯t for her, Sophie¡¯s reputation wouldn¡¯t have been tarnished.¡° ¡°You have a point. If I were Sophie, I would want to kill her. There¡¯s no way I¡¯d ever listen to her.¡± The few girls left, not even sparing a nce at Willow on the floor. Since she couldn¡¯t be of help, they wouldn¡¯t associate with her in the future.. Willow picked herself up from the ground and hid to the side, not wanting Sophie to see her in such a wretched state. No matter how miserable she was, she simply didn¡¯t want Sophie to see it. If Sophie were to see me like this, she would justugh at me. Willow returned home dispirited. She didn¡¯t know what the point of her continuing to live was. She used to think she could marry into a wealthy family, but now, her reputation was ruined. None of the prestigious families would ept her. In her current state, even if she were willing to be someone¡¯s mistress, no one would even want her. When Caleb arrived home, he saw Willow in her depressed state. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you, Wi? Did someone bully you?¡± Caleb was now very busy at the Institute of Physics. Although the tasks he undertook were simple, he was already delighted to be able to do what he loved. As he was too busy, he didn¡¯t have the time to care about Willow. This belongs ? N?velDra/ma.Org. ¡°Caleb, I feel that living is so exhausting.¡± Caleb furrowed his brows. Why would she have such thoughts? ¡°Wi, everyone will eventually feel tired as long as they¡¯re alive. You¡¯re in that state of mind because you don¡¯t have a goal. Finish your university education and find something you¡¯re interested in to do instead of overthinking, all right?¡± ¡°Find something I¡¯m interested in to do? What can I do now? Caleb, I want to join Tanner Group.¡± ¡°Wi, Sophie is in charge of Tanner Group now. The rtionship between you two has never been good, so if you join thepany, you¡¯ll only be more unhappy.¡± The Tanner Group of today was not the same as before. Everyone was desperate for a chance to coborate with the present Tanner Group. Willow was inept in everything, so what could she do even if she secured a position in Tanner Group? ¡°Caleb, all I want is a chance. Is that too much to ask for? I wish to turn over a new leaf.¡± ¡°That¡¯s enough. Stop thinking too much. Prioritize finishing your education at the university, all right?¡± Willow didn¡¯t respond. She felt utterly disappointed. She thought Caleb would help her, but all he did was tell her to finish university. Caleb then went to the Institute of Physics. Unexpectedly, he stumbled into Sophie there. ¡°Soph, why are you here? Did youe to see me?¡± Caleb knew Sophie was the University of Medicine¡¯s student, so it didn¡¯t make sense for her to be there. ¡°The director is looking for me, so I came over. Caleb, are you adjusting well here?¡± Although he was admitted into his desired Institute of Physics, she hadn¡¯t had the chance to ask if he was adapting well. ¡°I¡¯m doing fine here. Everyone treats me nicely.¡± Life at the Institute of Physics was hectic to begin with. Everyone was upied with their own tasks, but the director took exceptional care of him. Perhaps that was why everyone else was also nice to him. ¡°Okay. I¡¯ll let you get back to your work, then. I¡¯m going to see the director now.¡± The director seemed to have a problem that he couldn¡¯t solve, so he asked her toe over and take a look. However, those were confidential matters that couldn¡¯t be disclosed to others. ¡°Okay. Go ahead. Let¡¯s have dinner together when you¡¯re done.¡± He had been wanting to treat her to a meal. ¡°All right.¡± The current Sophie was much more easygoing. Caleb figured it was because of her rtionship with Tristan. Sophie headed straight to the director, Ross Campbell¡¯s office. ¡°Mr. Campbell, may I know why you called me over this time?¡± Sophie cut to the chase upon stepping into the room. She preferred to get straight to the point in everything she did, as she wasn¡¯t fond of beating around the bush Ross handed her a folder ¡°We¡¯ve been researching a new type of fighter jet recently, but we encountered a problem with the calctions, and I was hoping you could take a look¡± The big shots at the Institute of Physics were all stumped, which was why Ross thought of her ¡°Okay. I got it. I¡¯ll give it a try after I go back.¡± Sophie hadn¡¯t seen the specific details yet, so she wasn¡¯t sure whether she could figure it out. Still, no matter what, she would do her best. ¡°All right. Don¡¯t feel too burdened. We just want you to give it a shot.¡± Ross didn¡¯t put too much on her. After all, Sophie was still young, and her major was medicine. ¡°Okay.¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t you mentionst time that you wanted to treat me to a meal? You haven¡¯t forgotten about that, have you?¡± Ross said jokingly. ¡°How could I forget? Let¡¯s do it tonight, then.¡± ¡°Tonight it is. Bring your brother along. He¡¯s been performing welltely. It seems he really benefited from his time abroad. After he bes more familiar with our environment, he can join our core team.¡± The Tanner family¡¯s genes are indeed outstanding to have two exceptional descendants like them. ¡°All right. Thank you, Mr. Campbell.¡± ¡°What are you thanking me for? I should thank you for introducing such a talent to join my team.¡± Caleb was undoubtedly skilled. That night, the trio had dinner together. Caleb didn¡¯t expect he would get the chance to share a meal with Ross. Ross couldn¡¯t help but chuckle at the sight of Caleb¡¯s tense demeanor. ¡°Young man, there¡¯s no need to be so nervous. I¡¯m not going to eat you.¡± Ross was stern at the Institute of Physics, but that was because of the serious nature of their work. In private, he was actually a very affable person. ¡°Mr. Campbell, thank you for giving me this opportunity. I really enjoy working here.¡± Despite the endless need to pull all-nighters at the Institute of Physics. Caleb was genuinely passionate and fond of his work. ¡°Just focus on doing your job well, and don¡¯t overthink. You can prove your worth with your ability.¡± Ross didn¡¯t hold any expectations for Caleb initially, but he had changed his mind now. This guy is a real talent. ¡°Mr. Campbell, let me offer you a toast.¡± Caleb raised his ss and drank the content in one gulp. He was truly grateful to Ross for granting him that chance. Sophie didn¡¯t speak much but could keep up with any topic Ross brought up. As he began to know Sophie better, Caleb realized how capable his little sister was and how broad her knowledge base was. There were things Ross talked about that even he, a physics student, couldn¡¯t follow, yet Sophie could, not to mention being able to hit the nail on the head consistently. Chapter 994 Hello Sister in Law Chapter 994 Hello Sister in Law After the meal, Ross became noticeably happier. He had always appreciated talented people, so he really liked Sophie. Through the meal, he gained a better understanding of what Sophie was actually like. Despite being just a young girl in her twenties, she possessed such knowledge and insight. As such, Ross genuinely took a liking to her. Sophie personally escorted him back. ¡°Don¡¯t worry! I will give you an answer as soon as possible.¡± Sophie didn¡¯t express it explicitly, but they both understood what she was saying. ¡°Well, there¡¯s no rush. Look over it when you have the time.¡± He didn¡¯t have high hopes, but since Sophie was willing, he wanted to ask her to try. ¡°I know.¡± After the director went inside, Sophie returned to Caleb¡¯s car. ¡°Soph, how are you so familiar with Mr. Campbell?¡± There were tons of people hoping to win the favor of someone as influential as Ross. Nevertheless, Ross, always an upright and honest individual, never paid heed to such ttery. ¡°We met at a summit before, replied Sophie casually. She was the kind of person who could easily attract the attention of powerful people. During the summit, her theory had managed to win the director of the Institute of Physics over. ¡°You really know a lot of people. Indeed, you are a talented person.¡± As they hadn¡¯t interacted much in the past, he didn¡¯t know much about her. Yet, after a mere meal together, he was already seeing her in a different light. ¡°Soph, I know Willow has done many things to hurt you in the past. However, we¡¯re still a family no matter what. Can you give her a chance?¡± Since Willow wanted to start anew, Sophie decided to give her an opportunity. ¡°How is she, Caleb? I¡¯ve never been worried, and I¡¯m also not a narrow-minded person.¡± Copyright by N?v/elDrama.Org. Everything was fine as long as Willow did not keep appearing in front of her. She honestly did not care about the path that Willow was going to embark on in the future. At the same time, she wouldn¡¯t be a hindrance to Willow either. ¡°I know you haven¡¯t done anything wrong. I shouldn¡¯t ask anything of you too.¡± Caleb knew she was never the one who had made the mistakes. ¡°You are getting married to Tristan, right? Let us know what we can prepare for you!¡± ¡°You don¡¯t need to prepare anything. I don¡¯t need anything.¡± Getting married was her and Tristan¡¯s own affair. Furthermore, she could prepare anything she needed. herself. ¡°Can we attend the wedding, then?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± Asking to attend the wedding was far from a demanding request. There was no way she could refuse. Caleb sent Sophie back. When she returned home, she realized Tristan wasn¡¯t there. Even after she called him, no one answered the phone. Not paying too much attention to it, she went to take a shower and change her clothes. She noticed several missed calls from Tristan on her phone by the time she walked out of the bathroom. ¡°Why aren¡¯t you back yet? Did something happen?¡± ¡°It¡¯s nothing. There¡¯s been a business coboration recently, so I¡¯m having dinner with the partners. Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll be backter.¡± ¡°Okay. Did you drink? If you did, I can pick you up.¡± She had nothing else to do at the moment, anyway. ¡°Sure! If you don¡¯t have anything to do,e and pick me up.¡± He had indeed drunk a bit. Although his driver was there with him, he¡¯d rather Sophie pick him up. ¡°Okay, just send me the address and I¡¯lle pick you up.¡± Sophie quickly changed her outfit and headed to the location Tristan had provided. As a fast driver, she arrived at her destination in less than twenty minutes. Tristan weed her inside. ¡°Everyone, this is Sophie Tanner, my fianc¨¦e. We¡¯ll be getting married soon. I hope you can join us for the wedding.¡± As those business partners often coborated with Tristan, they were almost like friends. ¡°I¡¯ve heard rumors about Tristan having a gorgeous girlfriend. Seeing you today, I realized that your beauty surpasses that description!¡± Even without any makeup, Sophie outshone all the other girls present, who were all dolled up prettily. ¡°Can I address you as my sister-inw?¡± ¡°Hey! That¡¯s not appropriate. How can you call her that?¡± ¡°Why not? Since Mr. Tristan¡¯s our bro, Ms. Tanner¡¯s our sister-inw!¡± The men were struck with awe when they saw Sophie. However, since she was Tristan¡¯s fianc¨¦e, nobody dared to overstep their boundaries. ¡°Mr. Tristan, let me raise a toast to you. Hope that you¡¯ll have a blessed marriage!¡± Tristan graciously epted the toasts. Knowing that Sophie was there to escort him, he thought that sharing a few drinks with the rest wouldn¡¯t hurt. ¡°Why don¡¯t you join us for a drink? It¡¯s no fun just watching us.¡± ¡°Sorry, but I don¡¯t have a high tolerance for alcohol. I¡¯ll pass on the drinking.¡± Although Sophie wasn¡¯t fond of such social gatherings, she could adapt swiftly to such an environment. ¡°Could you be Ms. Tanner from Tanner Group?¡± Lately, Tanner Group had grown to be a force to be reckoned with in Jipsdale, threatening many stakeholders. Even so, no one dared to do anything to Tanner Group. No matter how underhanded the methods might be, Tanner Group could always counter them. ¡°Yes. It¡¯s my family¡¯spany.¡± Sophie had no reason to hide that. Perhaps, there might be potential coborators there. ¡°You¡¯re amazing! How long has it been since you started leading Tanner Group? It has be an unstoppable force.¡± ¡°Mr. Tristan, where did you find yourself such a talented woman? Do you have any sisters, Ms. Tanner? Are they as impressive as you?¡± ¡°All right, now. I asked her toe today to tell all of you to treat her with respect when you meet her in business circumstances.¡± ¡°Mr. Tristan, what are you saying? She¡¯s so capable! How would we dare to disrespect her? Both of you are the ones who shouldn¡¯t be bullies. Spare us, okay?¡± They did not even dare to think about how much potential the two powerhouses, Lombard Group and Tanner Group, would have in the future. ¡°I¡¯ll stop chatting with you. My fianc¨¦e has been waiting for a while, so we¡¯ll head back first. You all can continue enjoying yourselves!¡± Tristan grabbed his coat and stood up. Sophie reached out to hold him. ¡°Everyone, apologies for leaving first. Tristan¡¯s drunk.¡± ¡°No worries, go ahead. Have a safe journey!¡± As they left, Tristan draped his arm around Sophie¡¯s shoulder. He wasn¡¯t actually drunk. Hoping to avoid wasting any more time in such a setting, he found an excuse to leave without offending the others. Chapter 995 Inseparable Chapter 995 Inseparable When they walked out of the hotel, a refreshing gust of wind blew past, waking Tristan up further. ¡°Have you had dinner? Would you like something to cat?¡± Tristan was worried that she had not eaten. Sophie shook her head. ¡°It¡¯s fine. I had a good dinner tonight. Let¡¯s go! My car¡¯s over there.¡± Sophie brought Tristan to where she parked the car. Then, she opened the car door and let him get in the passenger seat. ¡°I¡¯m not actually drunk. You don¡¯t have to worry.¡± He waspletely sober now. Furthermore, he had a high tolerance for alcohol and wouldn¡¯t act recklessly. ¡°I know you¡¯re not drunk. I just wanted to pick you up. She knew that even if he were really drunk, the driver could have taken him home. Tristan leaned in and kissed her lips. Sophie responded eagerly to his kiss. In every aspect, they were truly in sync. After returning to the mansion, Tristan slumped against the couch. He had drunk quite a bit that day. Although he wasn¡¯t drunk, his head was starting to ache. Sophie, being considerate, brought him a cup of warm water and snuggled with him on the couch. ¡°Does your head hurt? Should I buy you some hangover medicine?¡± Tristan pulled her into his arms. ¡°No need. I told you I¡¯m not drunk. My head just hurts a bit. I¡¯ll be fine after resting for a while.¡± ¡°Okay, try not to drink so much in the future. I know you can handle alcohol well, but you¡¯ll feel ufortable after drinking too much, right?¡± Even though drinking was fine, he should not have drunk so much. ¡°Okay, I promise you.¡± Since those business partners were his friends and it had been some time since theyst met, he drank quite a bit. He wasn¡¯t usually fond of socializing. Noticing that he was sweating, Sophie stood up and brought a hot towel to wipe his face. Being showered with care, Tristan was very happy. He enjoyed being taken care of like this, but only by her. As he rested on the couch for over half an hour to fully recover, Sophie remained by his side. He could already imagine how harmonious their days would be in the future. Since they got together. they had hardly ever quarreled. ¡°Sophie, if there¡¯s anything about me that you¡¯re unhappy with, please let me know, okay?¡± They hadn¡¯t argued before marrying, so they should work hard to maintain that after marriage too. Sophie thought about it carefully, ¡°I really can¡¯t find fault with you. You¡¯ve already done a great job. If we ever argue in the future, it will definitely be my fault,¡± said Sophie jokingly. Tristan had never even raised his voice at her. She truly could not find any points of dissatisfaction with Tristan. Things were already amazing. ¡°What about me? Do you have anyints about me?¡± ¡°I hope that you can love me more.¡± ¡°I love you so much! Really, I love you a lot.¡± ¡°But I¡¯m just greedy! I always want you to love me more.¡± Sophie pressed herself against him. ¡°Well, you are indeed greedy. I already love you so much to the point of still wanting to be with you in the next life.¡± She had always subscribed to the philosophy of materialism. However, when it came to him, she really hoped to have a next life. Sophie kissed his forehead. He was truly her redemption in this lifetime. If she didn¡¯t have him, she definitely wouldn¡¯t be the person she was now. ¡°Well, we will definitely be together in the next life.¡± Tristan stroked her waist. He couldn¡¯t restrain his desires anymore. The two of them kissed passionately on the couch, on the verge of losing themselves. After all, they were engaged. N?vel(D)rama.Org''s content. When it came to Sophie, Tristan would lose all self-restraint. Sophie¡¯s face turned crimson as hisrge hands roamed her body, sending shivers down her spine. Even though they had been together for such a long time, they had not actually had sex to the fullest extent. Still, every encounter felt different. Sophie kept her legs together, trying to control her desires. However, he parted her legs. ¡°Sophie¡­¡± Tristan¡¯s voice became low and husky. His usually cold gaze was now filled with desire. ¡°Yeah?¡± At this moment, Sophie seemed particrly obedient. Every time they reached this point, she would be very obedient. That was because she truly didn¡¯t know what to say in these moments. ¡°I love you.¡± Tristan¡¯s confession was straightforward. His love for her prated the depths of his soul. ¡°I love you too,¡± Sophie whispered, her arms encircling his neck. This man is making my heart beat so fast. When Sophie woke up in her bed the next morning and caught sight of the hickeys on her neck and shoulder, she felt troubled. With the scorching weather outside, she couldn¡¯t possibly conceal herself entirely. However, if she ventured out like this, it would be quite embarrassing. Tristan had been patiently waiting for her outside. When he saw her taking such a long time, he went over. ¡°Look at what you¡¯ve done! How am I supposed to step outside now?¡±ined Sophie in frustration. Tristan embraced her from behind. ¡°If it¡¯s inconvenient to go out, just stay home! I¡¯ll keep youpany, okay?¡± Since he was the culprit, he felt responsible. I¡¯ll just apany her at home to make up for it! ¡°I still have some things to attend to,¡± Sophie insisted. She still needed to go to the medical association. Although there was nothing much to do at the University of Medicine, she had a lot of tasks waiting for her at the medical association. ¡°Okay, then. Just wrap a scarf around your neck.¡±¡° Going to the closet, Tristan got Sophie a dress and a scarf to go with it. ¡°Change into this.¡± Sophie left to change into the dress. Although she never had dresses in her closet in the past, her closet was now filled to the brim with them by Tristan. The pink dress,plemented by the scarf, made Sophie look even more gorgeous than before. Her long. slender legs were exceptionally attractive. Tristan wrapped the scarf around her. ¡°Perfect! Now, the hickeys won¡¯t be noticeable.¡± Tristan hugged her. ¡°But you look absolutely stunning like this. I can¡¯t bear to let you go out.¡± While they hugged, Sophie gazed at their reflection in the mirror. She smiled sweetly. ¡°All right! Let¡¯s go. Otherwise, we might end up beingte.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want you to leave,¡± protested Tristan yfully. He, who had always been so high and mighty, revealed a childlike side in her presence. ¡°What can we do if we don¡¯t go? I really have tasks toplete today. Besides, we still need to try on the clothes for our wedding tomorrow.¡± Since he had already prepared the outfits, they had to try them on. ¡°Okay¡± Although Tristan was reluctant to let her go, he still had to send her to the medical association. Coincidentally, she bumped into Arius and Georgina when she got out of the car. They were already living together. Chapter 996 Help Us Chapter 996 Help Us ¡°Oh,¡± Sophie uttered when she saw them. ¡°I¡¯ll pick you upter. Give me a call when you¡¯re done Tristan said. ¡°All right. You should go about your work now!¡± Sophie responded. As the CEO of Lombard Group, Tristan must be a busy man. Yet, he¡¯s always attending to me. After Tristan left, Arius approached Sophie and wrapped his arm around Sophie¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Sophie, what¡¯s the progress on the matter I asked you to help me solve? You haven¡¯t even looked at it, have you? Have you been too busy going on dates?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll take a look at itter. There was nothing I could do because there wasn¡¯t ab in Fandar,¡± Sophie replied. Due to the environment in Fandar, my hands were tied. Arius was walking Sophie in with an arm over her shoulder. Georgina was watching them, but she knew she couldn¡¯t say anything about it. I know they¡¯re as close as siblings are, but I¡¯m being left alone at the back. It sucks to watch them interact so intimately. Right then, Sophie turned her head and noticed the disappointed look on Georgina¡¯s face. Hence, she shoved Arius hand away. ¡°Keep your hands to yourself. You have a girlfriend now. From now on, you ought to behave yourself, she advised. Women are more emotionally sensitive. Although nothing is going on between Arius and me, we should still keep our distance. ¡°I¡¯m not overthinking it, Sophie. I know you guys are close. Don¡¯t change because of me,¡± Georgina responded. I love Arius, so I want him to be happy Despite hearing those words, Sophie proceeded to pull Georgina in and toward Arius¡¯ embrace. ¡°All right. Let¡¯s keep walking!¡± Sophie said. I don¡¯t like seeing Georgina looking so dejected. Arius wrapped his arms around Georgina and uttered straightforwardly, ¡°My love, I¡¯m so sorry. I shouldn¡¯t have left you behind. Don¡¯t worry! It won¡¯t happen again. In my heart, you¡¯re a lot more important than Sophie. Georgina was rendered speechless. Did he have to say that? That sounded so sweet, though! Sophie got busy as soon as she entered theb, so she left her phone unattended. Because of that, she didn¡¯t notice that Victor had been calling her nonstop. After she was done solving Arius¡¯ problem, she sent the report to Arius and checked her phone. Why did Victor call me so many times? Something must be up. With that in mind, she returned Victor¡¯s call immediately. Unfortunately, she couldn¡¯t get through to him. A crease appeared between Sophie¡¯s brows. What¡¯s going on? Victor is pretty capable, so there shouldn¡¯t be a problem. What on earth happened? Worried, Sophie took off herb coat and walked toward the exit. Coincidentally, Arius had just seen the report and was on his way to see her. That was when he saw her walking out. ¡°What¡¯s the matter? Didn¡¯t you just arrive? Are you leaving already?¡± he asked. ¡°I have something urgent to deal with. If you still have questions for me, wait for my return!¡± Sophie didn¡¯t have time to chat with him. ¡°Oh, I see! Do you need my help?¡± he offered. ¡°That won¡¯t be necessary!¡± Arius didn¡¯t respond to that. All right, then. Since she always has her hands full, perhaps I should just get on with my tasks. Still, she had only arrived this morning and had already helped me solve my problem. She sure works incredibly fast! How can the difference between one human and another be so big? Upon leaving the medical association, Sophie took a taxi to Tanner Group. The employees at Tanner Group hadn¡¯t seen her in a while because Victor was usually in charge of the office. When the employees saw her walking past, they were stunned by her attire. ¡°I had always thought Ms. Sophie was the cool and elegant type. Who would¡¯ve known that she would look so stunning in a pink dress?¡± ¡°Ms. Sophie is a pretty girl, so she¡¯s going to look amazing regardless of what she wears!¡± one employee responded. That¡¯s a given! A pretty girl will always look good no matter what clothing style she wears! Indeed, that statement about Sophie couldn¡¯t be more urate. Sophie went straight to Victor¡¯s office and noticed that neither Victor nor his secretary was there. What exactly happened? ¡°Does anyone know where Mr. White is?¡± Sophie asked. The rest of the employees shook their heads. We had never known where Mr. White was. As his subordinates, we can¡¯t possibly question Mr. White about his whereabouts. Sophie called Victor again, but still, no one picked up the call. After that, she called Victor¡¯s secretary. Unexpectedly, the secretary answered the call, but he sounded extremely anxious when he called out, ¡°Help us, Ms. Sophie!¡± As soon as the secretary finished his sentence, the call ended. N?vel(D)rama.Org''s content. That was when Sophie knew for sure that something bad had happened. D*mn it! Who would dare to come after the people close to me? ¡°Did something happen, Ms. Sophie?¡± The employees were confused because they had never seen Sophie looking so angry. ¡°It¡¯s nothing. Carry on with your work.¡± Sophie gave Butterfly a call and ordered, ¡°Butterfly, I need you to locate two people.¡± Sophie went to the location immediately after Butterfly located Victor and the secretary. Instead of asking someone to go with her, she went alone. When she arrived, she saw a group of bald men in ck T-shirts. The bald men looked fierce and scary. Unsurprisingly, the bald men¡¯s eyes lit up when they saw a pretty girl walking toward them. ¡°Hey, little girl. Are you lost? Are you here to look for men to please you?¡± one of the men teased. Sophie turned a deaf ear to those words. ¡°Are you guys keeping two people here against their wills?¡± Sophie questioned coldly. At that moment, she was ready to end their lives. The bald men exchanged nces when they heard the question. ¡°Who are you? Why are you here?¡± one of them asked. ¡°You don¡¯t have to know who I am. Set my men free. Otherwise, don¡¯t me me for being ruthless.¡± Sophie was giving them a chance to do the right thing. If they set Victor and his secretary free, I¡¯ll be gentler when I beat them upter. ¡°Your men? Oh! You must be Ms. Sophie! Well, you¡¯re in the right ce. We¡¯ve been looking for you.¡± The bald men started behaving seriously. The boss told us to bring those two people here for a reason. We can¡¯t afford to mess things up. ¡°Bring me to them.¡± Sophie didn¡¯t sound intimidated. In fact, she sounded authoritative. The men brought her in to see Victor and the secretary, who had been beaten up badly. At the sight of that, Sophie started exuding a wave of murderous aura. Victor heard some peopleing in, so he opened his eyes. He was surprised to see Sophie there. ¡°What are you doing here, Ms. Sophie? It¡¯s dangerous here! You shouldn¡¯t be here!¡± Victor uttered. Ms. Sophie shouldn¡¯t havee. These bad men wouldn¡¯t dare to kill us anyway. Hearing that, Sophie walked up to Victor. ¡°Victor, what do you want me to do to them?¡± Sophie sounded murderous. Chapter 997 I Have Your Back Chapter 997 I Have Your Back ¡°Ms. Sophie, these men are evil. You really shouldn¡¯t havee.¡± Victor knew a lot of people were jealous of their progress. Although he had been careful, he was still caught up in a kidnapping incident like that. I got kidnapped, but I still didn¡¯t want Ms. Sophie to be here. After all, I¡¯m a grown man. She¡¯s merely a girl, and she now has to deal with these lecherous men! What if something bad happens to Ms. Sophie? How am I ever going to forgive myself? In response, Sophie whipped out a napkin to wipe off some of Victor¡¯s blood. ¡°Victor, I told you I wouldn¡¯t let anyone bully you, didn¡¯t I? I¡¯ll never go back on my word!¡± With that, Sophie snatched a pistol away from the man standing nearby and pointed it at them. ¡°Talk! Who are you working for?¡± Sophie asked coldly The man standing nearby was caught off guard because he didn¡¯t expect her to snatch his pistol away. Her movements were so fast that I couldn¡¯t even react in time! ¡°Would you dare to pull the trigger? You¡¯re merely trying to scare us, aren¡¯t you? You were still a child when we started to be involved in the underworld!¡± The leader of the bald men wasn¡¯t scared, She¡¯s just a little girl. She wouldn¡¯t dare to shoot us! In the next second, however, Sophie fired a shot at the man¡¯s thigh. ¡°Ah!¡± The leader of the men didn¡¯t expect Sophie to shoot. Upon seeing his thigh bleeding profusely, he knew she meant business. She looks like she knows what she¡¯s doing! ¡°Answer me! Who sent you? This is yourst chance. If you don¡¯t cooperate, you¡¯ll lose more than a leg!¡± Sophie wasn¡¯t interested in chit-chatting. ¡°Are you all right, Boss? What should we do now? Do you want me to call the police?¡± a bald man asked. That little girl just shot at our boss! The police? Is this man really that stupid? Why would he say such a thing? We¡¯re the kidnappers! How could we call the police? The leader was livid. ¡°Shut up! Are you stupid? Don¡¯t you know what¡¯s going on? Who are we to call the police?¡± the leader fumed. He¡¯s lucky he¡¯s my brother. Otherwise, I would¡¯ve kicked him out of the group earlier on! He makes the rest of¡± us look silly! ¡°You¡¯re bleeding, Boss! Should I call you an ambnce instead?¡± the leader¡¯s brother asked. Why is he being so mean? I¡¯m looking out for him! Sophie blew at the muzzle and uttered, ¡°So? Have you made up your mind? I don¡¯t have time to waste! I¡¯m giving you three seconds!¡± N?vel(D)rama.Org''s content. After saying that, Sophie started counting down. ¡°Guys, attack her! She¡¯s just a little girl! We can¡¯t let her intimidate us, can we?¡± the leader yelled. Hearing that, the rest of the bald men dashed toward Sophie. However, they were beaten up pretty quickly. Evidently, the bald men were no match for Sophie. ¡°What should we do now, Boss! She looks so fierce, and we¡¯re no match for her!¡± ¡°Zip it! If you talk again, I¡¯ll kill you!¡± The leader of the bald men was seeing red. Why must we end up dealing with this little girl? She¡¯s too much for us to handle! ¡°Are you still not willing to talk?¡± Sophie didn¡¯t want to waste another second on them. ¡°I¡¯ll talk! I¡¯ll tell you everything. It was. The leader of the bald men then revealed everything. Upon getting the answer she wanted, Sophie helped Victor up Victor was beaten up more badly than his secretary, so Sophie chose to help Victor ¡°Can you manage to stand up on your own?¡± Sophie asked the secretary ¡°I can, Ms. Sophie.¡± The secretary was regaining his senses. Frankly, I thought we were doomed when I M Sophieing alone. Who would¡¯ve thought that Ms. Sophie could fight so well? She dealt with the bald men on her own? The moment Victor moved, he looked like he was in a lot of pain. Hence, Sophie turned toward one of the bald men she hated the least and demanded, ¡°Come here! Piggyback him to the car.¡± Seeing no response from the bald man, Sophie frowned. ¡°Tm talking to you! Can¡¯t you hear me The bald man snapped back to reality and immediately piggybacked Victor to the car ¡°As for the rest of you, don¡¯t even think about escaping Otherwise, I¡¯ll turn your lives into a living hell,¡± Sophie said. Those words from Sophie were all it took for them to give in and wait silently for their judgment. Ms. Tanner¡¯s punches hit like a truck! If we want to live, we ought to listen to her. After sending Victor to the hospital, Sophie told the doctor to give Victor a full-body checkup ¡°How are you feeling?¡± Sophie shook her head when she saw how badly Victor was beaten up. He wa good fighter back then. How did he lose to a bunch of thugs ¡°I¡¯m fine. Ms. Sophie. I¡¯m so sorry for making you worry about me!¡± Victor responded. A young girl had rescue a grown man like me. For embarrassed myself ¡°I¡¯m d that you¡¯re all right. Take the next few days of to recuperate. With me at the office, everything will be fine.¡± Sophie said. Since these men want to mess with me, I¡¯ll show them what I¡¯m made of ¡°Noted, Ms. Sophie. I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯ve let you down¡± ¡°You did great, Victor. Tanner Group wouldn¡¯t be doing so well without you. You shouldn¡¯t feel bad about it Sophie consoled him Some people reurt to dispicable tactics, but it¡¯s all right. No one wald dare Tanner Group now that I¡¯m here ¡°Okay. Let me recuperate in the hospital for a while Chice l¡¯os recovered, 18 reta promised Tanner Groep is no longer the same as before .Besides, we¡¯re still expanding rapidly I expanding rapidly I can¡¯t afford Don¡¯t worry I¡¯m here¡± Despite being a twenty When she caned the hospital. Tristan was alway we have things in deal wit Seeing the look on her face, Tristan knew someone had riled her up. ¡°What happened? Why do you look so gloomy? Who bullied you? Tell me,¡± Tristan uttered. ¡°It¡¯s not that. No one would dare to bully me. However, they bullied the people I care about,¡± Sophie answered. I can¡¯t let others take advantage of the people close to me. ¡°Am I not the only person you care about?¡± Tristan asked. Sophie didn¡¯t respond to that question. ¡°I was just kidding. Who is that audacious person anyway? Let¡¯s go. I¡¯ll take you there,¡± Tristan offered. I don¡¯t care who that person is. I can¡¯t forgive him for making Sophie angry! ¡°It¡¯s not that big of a deal. It¡¯s actually a business matter. Since that person dared toe at me, I¡¯ll return the favor. In fact, I¡¯ll make him wish for death.¡± This is solely Tanner Group¡¯s problem. Seeing how Sophie was brimming with energy, Tristan stroked her face and said, ¡°All right, then! Do whatever you need to do! I have your back no matter what happens!¡± Chapter 998 Death Wish Chapter 998 Death Wish Sophie headed to Tanner Group the next day. When she arrived at the CEO¡¯s office, Victor¡¯s other secretary, Carl Himmer, approached her immediately. ¡°Ms. Sophie, we heard that Mr. White got injured. Are his injuries serious?¡± he asked worriedly. ¡°He¡¯s fine. Bring the urgent tasks to me. I¡¯ll take over Mr. White¡¯s tasks for the next few days. If there are any problems, feel free toe directly to me.¡± ¡°Sure, Ms. Sophie. Here are today¡¯s work priorities. We have a meeting scheduled in the morning and a golf game with Starlight International¡¯s CEO in the afternoon.¡± Howard Lynder, the CEO of Starlight International, was the culprit responsible for injuring Victor and his secretary. He was a downright gangster, ¡°Got it. Remind me when the timees. What are the topics to be discussed during the morning meeting? Bring me the necessary documents.¡± As those tasks did not pose a huge difficulty to her, she could adapt to them quickly. After Carl passed her the documents, he left to attend to his own duties. However, barely half an hour later, someone started to kick up a ruckus at thepany¡¯s entrance. Carl rushed down after hearing about it. ¡°What¡¯s happening?¡± Ms. Sophie is here today, so we can¡¯t afford any disruptions. What on earth are they doing? ¡°Let me in! Do you even know who I am? I am Yale¡¯s girlfriend. I¡¯m pregnant with the Tanner family¡¯s child. My child owns part of Tanner Group too!¡± The person creating such a hugemotion was Yale¡¯s lover. The onlookers exchanged bewildered nces. None of them expected such an incident to ur on the day that Sophie was there. ¡°Ma¡¯am, it doesn¡¯t matter who you are. This is Tanner Group. You neither work here nor have an appointment. Therefore, you cannot enter.¡±¡° ¡°You¡­ Let me make one thing clear. I¡¯m pregnant with your chairman¡¯s son. If any of you dare toy a hand on me or harm my child, you¡¯ll regret it!¡± Angelina Yandell¡¯s voice reverberated with anger. As a woman in her early twenties, her sole reason for being involved with an old man like Yale during the prime of her youth was Tanner Group. She had merelye to assert her rights, yet those people showed her no respect. Didn¡¯t Yale tell me that all of Tanner Group belongs to him? The security guards were taken aback. What is Mr. Tanner doing? Doesn¡¯t he know how bad this seems? What¡¯s the point of this? ¡°One of you, call Mr. Tanner and ask him to take her away. We must not let Ms. Sophie find out about this.¡± Carl quickly made the appropriate arrangements It was far from desirable for Angelina to cause such a scene there. Undoubtedly, it would affect Tanner Group¡¯s reputation greatly. The security guard immediately called Yale. However, no one answered. ¡°Mr. Himmer, what should we do now? No one¡¯s answering the call.¡± More and more onlookers gathered, with some even taking out their phones to record the scene.This belongs ? N?velDra/ma.Org. After all, everyone was interested in these prominent families. ¡°Ma¡¯am, Mr. Tanner is currently not in thepany. Regardless of what you¡¯re here for, it¡¯s best if you go back first. I¡¯m serious. Causing a scene like this is not beneficial to anyone.¡± Angelina furrowed her brow. ¡°Who do you think you are? What gives you the right to speak to me like this? Also, how am I causing a scene? I¡¯m simply here to look at what belongs to me!¡± Angelina had already regarded Tanner Group as her own. ¡°You¡­¡± Carl was driven to fury by her. What¡¯s up with Mr. Tanner¡¯s judgment? Why did he choose someone like her? He has absolutely zero taste! ¡°Mr. Himmer, should we inform Ms. Sophie about this?¡± Carl felt a throbbing headache. He dialed Yale¡¯s number again, but no one answered. Meanwhile, Sophie had already learned about the situation and arrived downstairs. Angelina also knew that Sophie now held the reins of Tanner Group. However, considering herself as capable as Sophie, she couldn¡¯t ept it. She had a clear goal-taking control of Tanner Group. Her goal in causing a scene there was to secure herself a job at Tanner Group. She wanted to prepare her child to take over Tanner Group in the future. Yet, in the presence of Sophie, she found herself at a loss for words. ¡°So, you are Angelina?¡± Sophie¡¯s cold stare sent shivers down Angelina¡¯s spine. Angelina faltered, unable to formte a response. ¡°You want Tanner Group, huh?¡± Sophie was a very astute woman. Naturally, she could instantly discern Angelina¡¯s intentions of going there. Having her motives exposed so tantly, Angelina was unsure of how to reply. ¡°No, I¡¯m just feeling unwell. I came to see your father.¡± Angelina was resolved. Since she had already gone there, she intended to assert her rights and make her presence known to everyone. She no longer wished to be an invisible figure. ¡°As a mistress, what gives you the audacity toe here and confront me?¡± demanded Sophie directly. Angelina¡¯s face paled at once. ¡°What did you say? No matter what, I¡¯m still your elder. How can you speak to me like this?¡± she rebuked furiously. Sophie¡¯s also in her early twenties. What¡¯s so impressive about her? She¡¯s just born with a silver spoon in her mouth. What gives her the right to look down on others? ¡°Elder? How old are you? What makes you an elder? Mr. Himmer, call the police and inform them that there¡¯s a homewrecker here! Let the authorities handle it.¡± ¡°You¡­¡± Angelina hadn¡¯t anticipated this turn of events. She assumed that since she was carrying Yale¡¯s child, the oue would be different. No matter what, the Tanner family would still show some courtesy toward her. However, she did not expect them topletely disregard her unborn child. ¡°Got it, Ms. Sophie.¡± Carl promptly dialed the police. Yeah! She¡¯s just a mistress. What gave her the courage to cause such amotion here? What right does she have? Angelina clutched her stomach, not expecting them to call the police. In the meantime, Yale found out that Angelina had gone to thepany. When he rushed over and spotted Sophie there, his expression changed. Haven¡¯t I treated Angelina well enough? Has she grown tired of her peaceful life? Does she have a death wish? When Angelina saw Yaleing, she swiftly adopted a pitiful fa?ade. ¡°Yale, didn¡¯t you say¡­¡± ¡°What did I say? Who permitted you toe here, Angelina? Scram!¡± He still needed to rely on Sophie to continue his extravagant lifestyle. Does this b*tch have a death wish? Chapter 999 Taking the Lead Chapter 999 Taking the Lead Angelina waspletely taken aback. She never expected Yale to act so timidly in front of Sophie. He¡¯s never said that in my presence before. He used to im that he had the final say in Tanner Group. What about now? The reality cannot be more different. ¡°Yale, you lied to me! Didn¡¯t you say that once I give birth to our child, Tanner Group will belong to him?¡± At this point, Angelina was willing to burn all bridges. Sophie nced at Yale. Tanner Group will be hers? Is she dreaming? The others also thought that Angelina had no shame. What gave this mistress the audacity to behave so brazenly? ¡°Enough! Shut up!¡± Yale¡¯s anger red up. ¡°If you don¡¯t get lost now, don¡¯t me me for being forceful.¡± Yale had always kept his affair hidden from Sophie. Nevertheless, Angelina had now made it public knowledge. ¡°Soph, I¡­¡± Yale tried to exin himself, not wanting to lose thefortable life he had now. However, under Sophie¡¯s cold gaze, he couldn¡¯t find the words to speak. ¡°Don¡¯t worry! I will handle this matter. No one can threaten the fact that Tanner Group is yours.¡± After saying that, Yale dragged Angelina away: ¡°Why are you all staring? Don¡¯t you have work to do?¡± said Carl when he noticed that the others were still lingering. After hearing his words, no one dared to continue staring. They promptly returned to their tasks. ¡°Ms. Sophie, the meeting is about to begin. Shall we go upstairs?¡± Carl remained deferential in front of Sophie and avoided direct eye contact. ¡°Yes. Let¡¯s go!¡± Sophie proceeded directly to the conference room. When everyone saw that she would be chairing the meeting, they all perked up. Although some of them might have underestimated her abilities in the past, they had since realized how terrifyingly capable she was after several major meetings. Regardless of what the project was about, she could detect even the tiniest loopholes. ¡°Mr. White has been feeling unwelltely, so I will handle thepany¡¯s affairs in the time being. Let¡¯s proceed as usual!¡± Sophie wasted no time and got straight to business. There was no need for pretentious speeches. While the managers from the project department reported on their progress, Sophie listened attentively and asionally jotted down notes in her notebook. After they finished speaking, shepiled a list of problems and delivered a concise summary. ¡°I understand that everyone has been working hardtely, so take a break when it¡¯s appropriate. While Tanner Group is bing increasingly sessful, I don¡¯t want its sess toe at the expense of your well-being. After the meeting, make necessary amendments to the issue. If there aren¡¯t any problems, just adhere to the proposals.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Ms. Sophie. We will give it our all!¡± Regardless of how exhausted everyone in Tanner Group was, hope was still in sight for them. Hence, they were highly motivated. ¡°Okay, get back to work!¡± Carl had been attentively listening at the side. Once again, he marveled at Sophie¡¯s abilities. Even though it had been quite some time since she returned to the office, she managed all the tasks with ease and efficiency. ¡°Is there anything else?¡± Sophie asked when she saw Carl following her out. He quickly shook his head. ¡°No, but it¡¯s already lunchtime. What would you like to eat? I can go and buy it for you,¡± offered Carl. Ms. Sophie probably isn¡¯t used to cafeteria food, right? ¡°Thank you, but I¡¯ll eat at the cafeteria today.¡± It had been a while since Sophie had gone to the company) If she wanted her staff to work well, she had to address the staff¡¯s dining situation first. ¡°Ms. Sophie, are you sure you want to go to the cafeteria?¡± ¡°Why not? Is there a problem? Is the cafeteria food really that bad?¡± ¡°No, Ms. Sophie. The cafeteria food is actually quite good. It¡¯s really delicious,¡± guaranteed Carl. Compared to the otherpanies around, their cafeteria food was genuinely delicious. He was just worried that she might not be ustomed to it. ¡°In that case, it¡¯s settled. It¡¯s already lunchtime, so you should also go and eat.¡± ¡°Okay, Ms. Sophie.¡± Carl refrained from saying anything further. At that moment, Tristan called Sophie. ¡°Are you done with work?¡± Knowing that she had been at Tanner Group all day, he decided toe and find her. ¡°Yes, I¡¯m done. I¡¯m nning to have lunch in the cafeteria. Would you like to join me?¡± ¡°Sure, I¡¯ll be there soon. Wait for me in the office.¡± Tristan was already parking his car. After he was done, he headed directly to the CEO¡¯s office to meet her. Sophie was already prepared to leave. When he arrived, they headed to Tanner Group¡¯s staff cafeteria together. ? N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved. The employees of Tanner Group were taken aback by the sight of Sophie bringing Tristan to the staff cafeteria for lunch. The two of them seemed like such powerful and lofty individuals, as if they belonged to a separate world from the rest. To have these high-profile individuals joining them for a meal felt quite strange. Although there were numerous rumors about Tristan in Jipsdale, very few people had actually seen him in person. ¡°Ms. Sophie¡¯s boyfriend is so handsome! He¡¯s just my type!¡± ¡°Well, you consider anyone good-looking to be your type. Still, I must admit that Ms. Sophie¡¯s boyfriend looks incredible.¡± Unaware of the attention they were attracting, the two of them picked up the trays and got themselves some food like everyone. Tanner Group¡¯s staff cafeteria operated on a self-serve buffet system. People could choose any food they wanted with no restrictions on how much they took. After surveying the avable options, Sophie was quite satisfied. The dishes were well-prepared and appetizing. Once they had taken their food, they found a table and settled down. ¡°How is it? As the CEO of Lombard Group, do you have any suggestions for our staff cafeteria?¡± asked Sophie, genuinely interested in Tristan¡¯s feedback. ¡°It¡¯s already quite good. Ever since you arrived, Tanner Group has been flourishing. You¡¯ve done an excellent job. If your grandfather knew about this, he would be delighted too.¡± She was already doing a great job. ¡°Really?¡± Sophie always wished for Tanner Group to continue prospering. In that case, she would not disappoint her grandfather. After all, Tanner Group was her grandfather¡¯s lifelong endeavor. ¡°Yes, I mean it. I believe that within five years, Tanner Group will be one of the toppanies.¡± That was how capable Sophie was. If she chose not to do anything, everything would still be perfectly fine. However, once she set her mind to something, there was nothing she couldn¡¯t aplish. It all depended on one¡¯s capabilities, and Sophie had always been an extremely capable person. Chapter 1000 Unable to Hold Back Chapter 1000 Unable to Hold Back ¡°Are you eating with Howard Lynder from Starlight International this afternoon?¡± Tristan asked. That Howard is truly brazen. I can¡¯t believe he dared to harm someone close to Sophie. Doesn¡¯t he know one should look before they leap? If this isn¡¯t suicidal, I don¡¯t know what is. ¡°Mm-hmm, but not to worry. I can take care of it on my own,¡± Sophie replied. That guy isn¡¯t anyone particrly terrifying, so there¡¯s really no need to worry.¡± ¡°I know you can. However, that person is a despicable man, so you must be careful, okay?¡± came his reply. When dealing with useless trash like that, it¡¯s best to do it quickly and directly. There¡¯s no need to waste time talking to him. ¡°I think he invited me to y golf with him,¡± she answered. They were not meeting for a meal. Although she had no ns to coborate with Starlight International, there was no way she would make things easy for them since they had bullied her employees. ¡°I see. Your father¡¯s mistress came looking for you today, didn¡¯t she? Do you need me to do something?¡± He did not want her to upset herself over that messy situation. That woman is nothing but an unscrupulous mistress. I can take care of it. ¡°My father dug himself into that hole, so he should dig himself out of it. We don¡¯t need to do anything Actually, making that woman leave couldn¡¯t be easier. Just cutting off all their financial resources will do the trick. There¡¯s no real love to speak of anyway. She¡¯s only with him for the money. Once the money runs out, that woman will naturally make a decision. ¡°You¡¯re right. Once they¡¯re deprived of their financial resources, all the problems wille to an end.¡± Simrly, he did not believe it was true love. In his opinion, Angelina was only a gold digger and would surely change her mind when there was no more money. The pair did not go back after finishing their lunch. Instead, they rested in the office. Needless to say, Sophie¡¯s office could not evenpare to Tristan¡¯s lounge. It was not a luxurious office, nor did it have a lounge area to the side. ¡°Are you sure you don¡¯t want to go back to rest? Lombard Group has a lounge,¡± she said, thinking he could get a good rest if he just went back. ¡°I didn¡¯t do much this morning, so I¡¯m not tired.¡± He had nned to apany her golfing that afternoon, but from the looks of it, she did not seem keen on that. ¡°Okay. In that case, help me take a look at this project and see what you think. She was already nning a new project again. That was just the way she was. Whenever she had time, she would think up new projects, thus driving Tanner Group to improve continuously. ¡°Sure!¡± he agreed readily. Being able to help her genuinely made him happy. He had always been quick at going through documents. In less than ten minutes, he had already identified the strengths and shorings of the project. He had even scribbled a fewments on it with a red pen. ¡°As expected of you, just reading this document makes me excited about this project. No wonder many are worried about yourpany¡¯s rapid progress,¡± he remarked. Tanner Group is currently expanding at an incredibly fast pace indeed. Sophie has always had a sharp eye for investments. If she focuses on growing the business, thepany might be on par with Lombard Group Copyright by N?v/elDrama.Org. ¡°You have a good eye too. Many people now would probably think this project is too daring. However, that¡¯s how the world works. Someone who wants to make a profit must be daring. Am I right?¡± After all, nothing in the world came without risks. If one wanted to make more money and go further than others, one had to take risks. ¡°That goes without saying. How could I be your boyfriend if I didn¡¯t have a good eye?¡± Tristan said with a smile. ¡°Tell me about the shorings. I think it still needs to be improved.¡± Only by refining the project details would they be able to do better. ¡°Mm, here¡­¡° The astute Tristan found all the project¡¯s ws in under twenty minutes and even offered suggestions for improvements. Sophie listened carefully and jotted down remarks at the corresponding ces. More than an hour had passed by the time they ended their discussion, and in that time, she had learned a lot from him: Sure enough, there¡¯s a reason for Tristan¡¯s invincibility in the business world. He¡¯s truly amazing. ¡°I admire you even more now! You¡¯re incredible!¡± she eximed. How can there be someone so amazing in this world? He set down the document and gently wrapped an arm around her waist. ¡°If I weren¡¯t so incredible, you wouldn¡¯t have fallen for me.¡± Their rtionship was truly a case of mutual attraction. ¡°You¡¯re absolutely right. You¡¯ve always been outstanding,¡± she replied, nodding. There was no doubt about that. ¡°All right. It¡¯s about time you went to Lombard Group.¡± ¡°Okay. Where are you going to y golf?¡± ¡°What¡¯s the matter? Are you still worrying about me?¡± ¡°Why would I be worried? After all, my wife is so capable. It¡¯s just that I was thinking of picking you up later.¡± He tapped the tip of her nose as he spoke. ¡°I¡¯ll send you the location when I¡¯m done. You really should be going now.¡± ¡°How heartless of you. I just helped you to resolve your problems, but now you¡¯re trying to get rid of me. Sophie stood on tiptoes and briefly pressed her lips against his. ¡°Are you satisfied with this reward?¡± Tristan shook his head. ¡°Nope.¡± Hearing that, she kissed him again. ¡°Do you take me for a three-year-old kid? What¡¯s with that light peck on the lips? How insincere,¡± Pressing her up against him, he deepened the kiss. It waspletely different from how she had done it. His kiss was domineering yet gentle and burning with desire. They could hardly extricate themselves from the swirl of emotions that surged forth. As for Sophie, she waspletely lost in the kiss. When he finally let her go, her legs were weak, and she nearly fell to the floor. Fortunately, Tristan caught her in time. He licked his lips, feeling very satisfied with the kiss. ¡°Do you know what to do now?¡± She looked up with her stunning eyes. What had been a look of indifference in her eyes had now been reced by a look of deep longing. He really knows how to spark my desire. ¡°Like this?¡± This time, she took the lead. As was her nature, she never wanted to admit defeat. She was also a good student. No matter what it was, she would always pick things up very quickly. Now that the couple had been together for some time, she was very familiar with his body. After giving him a deeply passionate and intense kiss, she asked, ¡°How was that? Was that satisfactory?¡± Tristan was satisfied. That¡¯s right. I like this version of her. She¡¯s no longer cold and indifferent but a living. breathing person with desires. How could I be dissatisfied when she gets like this? ¡°We¡¯re at the office, Sophie,¡± he uttered somewhat regretfully. She was quiet as she leaned against his chest, catching her breath. ¡°And if we weren¡¯t?¡± she countered. Isn¡¯t he the one who wants to wait until our wedding night? Indeed, he had been looking forward to their wedding night. Hence, that was as far as they could go for now. The intimation of doing it at the office sounded so wrong and taboo. Nheless, wasn¡¯t that how humans were sometimes? The more off-limits a ce was, the more one could not hold themselves back. Chapter 1001 Too Captivating Chapter 1001 Too Captivating ¡°You little imp. Are you enjoying watching me in such a state?¡± ¡°Am I? Do I look as though I¡¯m enjoying it? Not at all! I just¡­¡± Sophie paused to choose her words. Her eyes were shining so brightly that no one could have taken their eyes off her. ¡°I think it serves you right!¡± ¡°You really are a little imp,¡± he said. Here I am, having a hard time suppressing my urges. Yet, in her eyes, she thinks I deserve it. She¡¯s truly a naughty little imp ¡°That¡¯s enough. You should hurry up and go,¡± Sophie said as she pushed Tristan out. After he left, she headed to the golf course with Carl. When they arrived and saw that the people from Starlight International were not there yet, Carl was slightly worried. After all, Sophie was still just a woman regardless of her aplishments, and Howard was not a nice guy. ¡°Ms. Sophie, how about asking Mr. Tristan to join us?¡± he asked. Mr. Tristan is her boyfriend, isn¡¯t he? As long as she says the word, he¡¯ll definitelye over. ¡°Do you think I can¡¯t handle the situation?¡± she responded, arching her brow. In truth, she had no intention of coborating with Starlight International anymore and was only there to teach Howard a lesson. ¡°That¡¯s not what I meant, Ms. Sophie. I was only worried about you. Honestly,¡± Carl replied. It did not take much to make him nervous whenever he was with her. Her aura was simply too terrifying! ¡°All right. Don¡¯t worry, Mr. Himmer. Nobody will dare to bully you on my watch. Sophie was exceptionally calm andposed. She took a sip of coffee, thinking that it tasted pretty good. Carl was bereft of speech. I¡¯m a grown man. I¡¯m not afraid of getting bullied! Ms. Sophie is a youngdy who¡¯s as beautiful and delicate as a flower. She really is the type that¡¯d easily arouse one¡¯s desire to do something evil. However, since she has said that, it wouldn¡¯t look good for me to stand here and continue making unnecessary remarks. Seeing that those from Starlight International were already over an hourte, he looked toward her anxiously. He guessed she must have never encountered such people. ¡°Ms. Sophie, why don¡¯t we head back first? They¡¯re probably not going to show up today,¡± he ventured. He must¡¯ve gotten stood up. These guys from Starlight International have crossed the line! ¡°What¡¯s the hurry? Even if we go back, we¡¯ve nothing else to do anyway. I want to meet Howard today. After all, she hade to drag Howard to Victor and make him apologize on his knees. Carl did not know what to say. She¡¯s totally not what I expected her to be like, but then again, we haven¡¯t spent that much time with her. Nheless, having led Tanner Group to its current sess, she must be a capable person. Otherwise, Mr. Victor wouldn¡¯t have given her his loyalty wholeheartedly. ¡°Mr. Himmer, don¡¯t panic when something happens. Just calm down. There¡¯s nothing that can¡¯t get resolved,¡± she continued. As long as she was around, nothing would go wrong. Hence, he did not have to worry about anything. ¡°Mm, okay,¡± he answered. What else could he say? After another ten minutes, Howard finally showed up with a group of people in tow. It was Howard¡¯s first time seeing Sophie, as he had onlymunicated with Victor previously. ¡°You are¡­¡± When Howard saw such a gorgeous woman before him, his sinister gaze lit up instantly, and itpletely slipped his mind that he had brought a femalepanion with him. ¡°Good day. I¡¯m Sophie Tanner from Tanner Group.¡± ¡°Good-day. I¡¯m Howard Lynder from Starlight International. Ms. Tanner, if you hade before this to discuss the coboration with me, I believe we would¡¯ve surely worked something out,¡± he replied. I just don¡¯t like that Victor. What¡¯s so special about him? He always thinks he¡¯s the bee¡¯s knees. ¡°Oh, really?¡± Her gaze grew even icier. So that¡¯s how he wants to y it. ¡°Ms. Tanner, do you like ying golf? If you do, I can teach you,¡± he said, leering at her. ¡°Not really. However, I¡¯m not here to y golf with you,¡± she answered, her tone cial. He can forget about working together. I¡¯m only here to settle the score. N?vel(D)rama.Org''s content. ¡°Oh? Have youe here to flirt with me then, Ms. Tanner?¡± It would delight him immensely if that were the case. There were not many men who could refuse a woman like Sophie. ¡°I¡¯m here to teach you a lesson on behalf of your parents.¡± Howard¡¯s expression changed instantly. Does this woman know something? Otherwise, there¡¯s no way she¡¯d say something like that. ¡°Mr. Lynder, don¡¯t take any notice of her. The way I see it, she¡¯s just ying hard to get. Women like her are the worst. Who knows what she has done for Tanner Group to get to where it is today?¡± Howard¡¯s femalepanion immediately took his arm. It had taken her considerable effort totch onto him, and she was not about to give him up to anyone else. ¡°What nonsense are you talking about? She achieved all that through her capabilities. Do everyone is as shameless as you?¡± Carl piped up. Tanner Group¡¯s achievements are the result of everyone¡¯s you think concerted efforts. However, this woman dares to stand there and insult us! ¡°Hah! What¡¯s this? Are you also one of the men she has invited to warm her bed?¡± Carl felt as though he was about to explode from anger at her words. How can such a disgusting woman erist on this earth? As if it¡¯s not enough that she¡¯s so filthy-minded, she even thinks all other women are like her! ¡°You have a point. I don¡¯t care for women like you, Ms. Tanner. Even if you want to teach me a lesson on behalf of my parents, that¡¯ll have to depend on whether you have what it takes to do so or not.¡± No sooner had Howard said that than the several burly men behind him stepped forward and shifted into threatening stances. ¡°Bring her back. All of you have been thirsting for a woman recently, haven¡¯t you? When the time comes, you can all take turns to have your fill!¡± Howard uttered without any sense of shame. All she has is a pretty face. What¡¯s the big deal about that? No matter how great Tanner Group is, it¡¯ll neverpare to Starlight International! That was what Howard thought. Otherwise, he would not have dared to behave so insolently. ¡°Hah!¡± Sophie sneered. Just as I thought, he¡¯s a piece of trash. He¡¯s not worthy of coborating with us. When Carl saw the burly men approaching, he immediately moved to stand in front of Sophie. ¡°What do you think you¡¯re doing? Don¡¯te any nearer. Otherwise¡­¡± He genuinely wanted to protect Sophie. However, he was a mild-mannered and bookish man who had never encountered such a situation. ¡°Step aside, Mr. Himmer,¡± Sophie said somewhat helplessly. Nheless, she thought it was quite impressive of him to dare shield her at such a time. ¡°Mr. Lynder, why waste time talking to them? Since she dared to go against you, you shouldn¡¯t show her a shred of mercy,¡± the femalepanion added, continuing to stir up trouble. She thought that Sophie was too beautiful, which made her feel threatened. Hence, that was the only way she could think of to eliminate the sense of threat. ¡°Why are you guys just standing there? Take her back immediately,¡± Howard instructed. I¡¯ll let the others have her after I¡¯ve had my fun with her. Her looks are very captivating, and her personality fills one with the urge to conquer her. Chapter 1002 Kneel and Apologize Chapter 1002 Kneel and Apologize However, just as those mighty men reached Sophie, Sophie made her move. She was swift, and in less than five minutes, she had downed them all. Howard¡¯s expression darkened. Those men he brought that day were all capable fighters because he was always stirring up trouble. Yet, they could not hold their ground against Sophic. Even his femalepanion was frightened. She could not wrap her head around why things had turned out this way. Moreover, she had uttered many humiliating insults earlier, and she was afraid that the other woman would punch her in retaliation. Howard gulped. Carl was equally dumbfounded. Is Ms. Sophie that impressive? So I¡¯m the one making a fool of myself. I can¡¯t believe I was thinking of protecting Ms. Sophie earlier too! What in the world was I thinking about? Howard¡¯s femalepanion no longer dared to stick around at that point. ¡°Mr. Lynder, I suddenly remembered I have something to do, so I¡¯m going to take my leave first.¡± The woman then scurried away. Howard wanted to escape, too, but right as he was about to discreetly move backward, Sophie stepped over to his front. Howard turned red in the face. ¡°Ms. Tanner, what are you doing? We bear no grudges against each other. There must be a misunderstanding!¡± ¡°A misunderstanding? Howard, I¡¯m giving you onest chance. Why did you kidnap Victor White?¡± Howard was quiet for a moment. So she¡¯s here because of Victor. ¡°What are you talking about? I have no idea what you¡¯re saying! I really don¡¯t! Did something happen to Victor?¡± So what if I don¡¯t like Victor? What¡¯s the big deal about him? He doesn¡¯t have anyone powerful to back him up, but he really thought he could lord over me. But, of course, those were words that Howard would not say out loud. ¡°Is that so? It seems like you won¡¯t give up until the veryst second,¡± Sophie icily said. Howard¡¯s eyes flitted toward the men who were still on the ground. He turned paler. ¡°Ms. Tanner, didn¡¯t you want to coborate with us? Let¡¯s do that, but you have to fire Victor. What happened between Victor and I is personal,¡± was all Howard could say Regardless of everything, he wanted the man he disliked gone. ¡°So, you really were the one who kidnapped him,¡± Sophie said, satisfied. She had received her answer. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± ¡°Where to?¡± Howard trembled in fear. The woman looked like a goddess, but she was the devil incarnate the second she started fighting. ¡°To get on your knees and apologize.¡± Sophie was walking ahead, so Howard tried to take the opportunity to run. However, Carl stopped him. ¡°Mr. Lynder, I¡¯d advise you against pointless struggling. You should know how impressive Ms. Tanner is in fighting.¡± At that, Howard had no choice but to slink behind them. Once Sophie entered the car, Howard tried to climb in after her. ¡°Do you think you¡¯re worthy of sitting next to Ms. Sophie?¡± Carl asked coldly. Howard arched a brow and wondered where he was supposed to sit. In the next second, Carl opened the trunk. Howard was about to fly into a rage. There was no one in Jipsdale who had ever treated him in this way, and yet, Sophie and Victor¡¯s secretary were trying to make themselves the exception. ¡°This way, please, Mr. Lynder. An animal like you only deserves a spot in the trunk,¡± Carl gleefully uttered. Howard had always been mean to them all, and Carl was finally getting the chance to get back at Howard. It felt amazing. ¡°You¡­¡± Howard snarled, but Carl was not at all intimidated. That was because they had Sophie backing them. With Sophie present, there was no need for them to fear Howard. Hence, Howard had no choice but to climb into the trunk in shame before Carl closed the hatch. This feels awesome. This is the best feeling ever! ¡°Mr. Himmer, it¡¯s time for us to leave,¡± Sophie prompted when she did not see Carl entering the car. Hearing that, Carl quickly got into the driver¡¯s seat and drove to the hospital. Victor had yet to fully recover. He had spent the past two days in the hospital, but he was still worried about Tanner Group. Despite his outward appearance of being unfazed by anything, he would dedicate his all to endeavors he deemed significant. When he saw Sophie appearing with Howard, he froze. ¡°Ms. Sophie, this is¡­¡± Aren¡¯t we supposed to be working with Starlight International? If she did this to Howard¡­ I¡¯m afraid that this coboration is over. However, in the next moment, Howard got on his knees. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry, Mr. Victor. I was a fool. You¡¯re a magnanimous man, so please forgive me for my mistakes!¡± Howard was terrified. He had been in the trunk for over half an hour, and he had been sure that he was going to die. Victor had been certain that Victor was the one behind the incident, but now that Victor was kneeling before him, he found himself not holding a grudge against Victor. ¡°Do you hate me that much, Howard?¡± In the past, Victor was equally ruthless. It was normal for others to despise him as well. Despite Victor¡¯s question, Howard did not dare to speak. ¡°Speak,¡± came Sophie¡¯s pleasant but apathetic voice. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry, Mr. Victor. I wasn¡¯t thinking straight at that time. You know I¡¯m not an evil person deep down, so please let me go! I¡¯ll coborate with Tanner Group!¡± ¡°Coborate with Tanner Group? Do you think we¡¯d work with a piece of trash like you? Howard Lynder, here¡¯s the official news. Our coboration is over.¡± With that said, Sophie gave Carl a look. ? N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved. ¡°Listen up. Howard. This isn¡¯t over yet. Starlight International will be paying the price for the things you¡¯ve done.¡± Howard¡¯s face turned ashen. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Ms. Tanner. Please- s, Carl had thrown him out of the ward before he could finish his sentence. Wasn¡¯t he all high and mighty in the past? Didn¡¯t he act as if he was the best of the best? ¡°Ms. Sophie, you don¡¯t actually need to do this much for me,¡± Victor started. The coboration with Starlight International was rather crucial if he had to be honest. ¡°Mr. Victor, I¡¯m not doing this for you. Coborating with someone like Howard would only spell trouble in the future. I have faith in finding a better business partner than him, so don¡¯t worry.¡± Howard had a problematic character, and if they were to work with him, issues were bound to appear. ¡°Mm, you¡¯re right, Ms. Sophie. Don¡¯t worry. Once I¡¯m discharged from the hospital, I¡¯ll work even harder.¡± After all, Tanner Group no longer needed to rely on anyone else. ¡°All right. Rest well, then. You don¡¯t need to worry about Tanner Group¡¯s matters. Come back when you¡¯ve recovered Just as Sophie returned from the hospital, she found Yale waiting for her by the mansion¡¯s entrance. He immediately walked up to her when he spotted her. ¡°Sophie, you should already know how your mother and I have no feelings for each other. I want a Kneel and Apologize divorce from her.¡± Yale would not have done anything about that in the past, but since everything was revealed, he might as well get a divorce. He wanted to be with Angelina. Angelina was bearing his child, so he needed to be responsible for that Chapter 1003 Beating Up the Mistress 1 Chapter 1003 Beating Up the Mistress 1 ¡°Do you think you should be talking to me about this?¡± Getting a divorce is up to them. What does this have to do with me? ¡°I¡¯m here to tell you about it. Sophic, you know what kind of person your mother is and how she has treated you over the years. I can¡¯t stand to be with someone like her anymore.¡± ¡°What does you wanting to get a divorce from her have anything to do with how she treated me? You¡¯ve made a mistake, but you¡¯re putting the me on someone else. Do you think it¡¯s good to do that?¡± Divorce was not frightening. What was frightening was how Yale was trying to pin the me for their failed marriage onto someone else. It was shameless. ¡°I just want to go after things I desire. I hope you¡¯ll support me in that.¡± Yale did not wish to lose what he had in Tanner Group, and that was why he was saying such things to Sophie. He was old. If he were to lose Tanner Group as his support, he would not be able to continue sustaining his lifestyle. That was why he needed her support. ¡°I¡¯ll tell you the clear answer now. You won¡¯t have my support. From now on, you won¡¯t get Tanner Group¡¯s dividends anymore. Since you want to provide for your paramour, you should do it by relying on your own capabilities.¡± Yale was so furious to hear those words that he could not say anything for a while. ¡°Sophie, I¡¯m your father! How can you talk to me in this way? A part of Tanner Group is mine! Don¡¯t you dare think that you can have the entirepany to yourself!¡± ¡°Try your luck, then.¡± With that, Sophie ignored him. How can anyone truly like him for who he is? She must only love him for the shares he has. Unable to get any support from Sophie, Yale went to the Tanner residence. Charmaine remained expressionless when she saw him. There was nothing for her to say to him anymore. ¡°Charmaine, both of us have done wrong toe to this today, but I don¡¯t want to keep this up anymore. Let¡¯s get a divorce,¡± Yale said straightforwardly. Charmaine paled even more. This day has finallye. I had thought that everything would be fine if I just said nothing, but ultimately, he still wants a divorce. ¡°Yale, do you know what you¡¯re saying? Are you really going to get a divorce from me? I married you when I was twenty, and I bore three children for you. I¡¯ve turned a blind eye to the b*stardly things you¡¯ve done all these years, but you still want a divorce from me?¡± She had never been this disappointed before. She thought she could have kept things as they were now, Yet, now that she had grown old, her husband was asking for a divorce. It was a situation she never imagined she would encounter. ¡°Stop that. We don¡¯t have feelings for each other anymore. How long has it been since we¡¯ve slept with each other? Are we even still husband and wife? I have no feelings for you anymore, so let¡¯s end this here. at good will you get from this if we keep this up? We¡¯ve been living separate lives all this time, haven¡¯t we?¡± They no longer had any feelings for each other. ¡°Do you think what she and you have is true love? She only loves your money, not you.¡± Young women will go for any old man as long as those men are rich. ¡°Didn¡¯t you marry me because of my money? Are you trying to put yourself on the moral high ground now?¡± Yale had always known that Charmaine married him for his wealth. That was the scene Caleb came home to. Noticing the tense atmosphere between the two, he walked over to them instead of going upstairs. ¡°Dad, you¡¯re back.¡± ¡°Good timing, Caleb. I want a divorce from your mother. Now that the three of you are all grown up, you can take care of yourselves.¡± Caleb was taken aback by the suddenness of the matter. ¡°Dad, what are you talking about? Aren¡¯t we all happy as a family? Why do you want to get a divorce?¡± ¡°Caleb, everyone has the right to pursue their own happiness, and that is what I¡¯d like to do now.¡± ¡°Yale, how shameless can you be? Are you genuinely trying to make cheating sound nice?¡± Charmaine hissed, but surprisingly, she was calm. Perhaps it was because she had foreseen this day¡¯s arrival. Yale¡¯s expression darkened when he heard that ¡°Charmaine, let¡¯s part on good terms.¡± With that said, Yale turned to leave. He had already hired a lawyer for the case, and thewyer was going to settle everything for him. Charmaine fell onto the couch once he was gone. At the end of the day, she was going to be the laughingstock of the town. Willow, who had overheard the conversation, came downstairs and hugged Charmaine. ¡°Mom, are you really going to get a divorce from Dad? Are we really going down this path? Is there no way to salvage thist Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org. Willow was anxious. Her reputation was already ruined, and if her mother were to get a divorce, the future would be even bleaker for her. ¡°He¡¯s the one who wants to get a divorce from me, but it¡¯s not as if it¡¯s worth clinging to this marriage anymore,¡± Charmaine muttered in a t tone. Beating Up the Mistress 1 ¡°Mom, you¡­¡± Caleb wanted to console her, but he did not know where to start. He was partially at fault for his parents¡¯ current state. ¡°Mom, don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll take care of you from now on.¡± It was already pointless to keep things going, so a divorce would be best. ¡°Okay.¡± Charmaine was still calm and quiet, but she was not going to let Yale have his way. While Caleb was not paying attention to her, she snuck out of the house. Before this, she had already found out where the mistress was living at. Charmaine told the driver to send her there. Angelina was stunned when she saw Charmaine, but she was not afraid. As she folded her arms before her chest, she said, ¡°I didn¡¯t think you¡¯de here to look for me.¡± I¡¯m the winner. Ha! ¡°Isn¡¯t Yale getting a divorce from you? As a woman, I pity you.¡± ¡°Do your parents know how shameless you are? Do they know that their sweet daughter is such a shameless woman?¡± Charmaine questioned the young woman. ¡°They know. Yale is rather generous with my parents, and my parents understand me. Be more big- hearted, Charmaine. Just sign the divorce agreement and don¡¯t make yourself so miserable.¡± ¡°Yes, I¡¯m going to get the divorce, but I¡¯m also not going to let you live a good life!¡± With that said, Charmaine grabbed Angelina¡¯s hair and kicked thetter¡¯s stomach. Chapter 1004 Beating Up the Mistress 2 Chapter 1004 Beating Up the Mistress 2 ¡°Ah!¡± Angelina¡¯s pregnancy had shown signs of a possible miscarriage. For the sake of having power over Tanner Group, she had always been extremely cautious with the pregnancy. Yet at that moment, she received a painful kick to her belly, causing her to break out in a cold sweat. However, Charmaine was still not satisfied. Consumed by fury, she continued to beat Angelina even as thetter was strewn onto the ground. ¡°You little b*tch! Since your parents obviously didn¡¯t teach you how to be a decent human being, I will dly give you a lesson today! Did you think you were almighty and could steal someone¡¯s husband just because you¡¯re young? Did you think that you¡¯ll always be young?¡± Charmaine was filled with nothing but rage. She had always been one that valued her reputation. Not only did Angelina ruin her family, but the former was bragging about stealing her husband in front of her. How could Charmaine possibly allow Angelina to leave unscathed? Squatting on the ground, Angelina wrapped her arms around her belly in a fierce attempt to protect the child inside her. Please, please, please. Please don¡¯t let anything happen to the child. After all, she was depending on the child to obtain everything that she had ever wanted. ¡°Don¡¯t act rashly, Charmaine. What you¡¯re doing is against thew!¡± Finding her voice again, Angelina barked at Charmaine. Turning a deaf ear to the threat, Charmaine grabbed Angelina by her hair and flung her against the wall. ¡°So what if it¡¯s against thew? I¡¯m gonna make sure you get a miscarriage today! Do you think Yale would do something to stop me? Hah! I believe only you would have your eyes on a man like him, but you don¡¯t really want him, do you? It¡¯s Tanner Group that you have your eyes on! By the way, I forgot to mention, Tanner Group does not belong to Yale. It belongs to Sophie. You¡¯ve miscalcted!¡± Once Charmaine had quelled her anger, she left Angelina¡¯s house without a second look. It was only after Charmaine had left did Angelina notice something amiss. As she wiped her inner thigh with her hand, a sticky substance caught her attention. In an instant, she realized she was sitting in a pool of blood. ¡°Ah!¡± Angelina was beginning to panic. Her mind was filled with worry for her child. If she were to lose the child, she would have lost her ticket to Tanner Group. In the midst of her panic, she called Yale and got him to rush over. The moment Yale opened the front door, he was shocked by the scene that was ying in front of him. Angelina¡¯s lower body was covered in fresh blood. The porcin white skin of her legs was tainted by deep scarlet. At the sight of Yale, Angelina burst into tears. ¡°Darling, please save our baby.¡± Angelina sobbed. ¡°I don¡¯t want to lose this child. You should know how much I love this child¡± Yale immediately dialed 911. However, upon seeing the sheer volume of blood, he knew that there was no hope for the child to survive. Soon, the ambnce arrived to carry Angelina to the hospital. As expected, the child could not be saved. When Angelina caught wind of the news, she began to bawl uncontrobly. ¡°I-I¡¯m so sorry, Darling. I-It¡¯s all my f-fault! I c-couldn¡¯t protect our ch-child!¡± ¡°What on earth happened?¡± Yale¡¯s expression was dark. Everything was fine before this. Why did this happen so suddenly for no reason? ¡°Charmaine. It was Charmaine. She has gone mad, hitting and punching and kicking me like a psychopath! She¡¯s a murderess! A murderess, I say!¡± Angelina wailed. ¡°What?¡± Yale would never have expected Charmaine to do something like that. I¡¯ve already exined it clearly to her, have I not? ¡°Darling, you must avenge our child. Our baby was innocent!¡± Angelina begged. Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Don¡¯t you worry! I¡¯ll definitely give you an exnation. Just leave this to me! I¡¯ll handle it.¡± Yale was livid. Storming out of the hospital, he headed straight to the Tanner residence. When he arrived, Charmaine was still awake, waiting for him. She knew that he would show up that night. At the sight of Charmaine sitting on the couch, Yale strode forward and pped her across the face without saying a word. ¡°Charmaine, do you know what you¡¯ve done? Don¡¯t you know that¡¯s considered murder?¡± Yale exploded in anger. ¡°You killed my child. I will not let you get away with this!¡± ¡°Hah!¡± Charmaine snickered. ¡°Really? I¡¯d like to see how an adulterer and an adulteress can im self- righteousness!¡± How can he be so shameless? Charmaine could not help but wonder. After all, they were not divorced yet, and Yale had already had a child with someone else. Not once had he considered the situation in Charmaine¡¯s shoes. ¡°You¡ª¡± ¡°Go ahead! Sue me! What¡¯s the worst that could happen? I¡¯ll just see you in hell!¡± Charmaine mocked. Their social circle was not wide. Once word about Yale¡¯s act of infidelity got out, he would no longer be able to show his face in his social circle. ¡°You- ¡°Yale, I will divorce you.¡± As Charmaine spoke, a thought popped inside her head. Is this karma for what I have done? Upon hearing themotion, Caleb and Willow came down the stairs. When Caleb saw Charmaine¡¯s swollen cheek, he was infuriated. ¡°Dad, just get a divorce if you want one. Is there a need to get physical? How can a man hit his own wife?¡± Caleb snapped. ¡°Do you guys know what she has done?¡± Yale¡¯s index finger trembled as he pointed at Charmaine usingly, outraged by her audacity. ¡°You¡¯re the one who made me do whatever I did.¡± A look of nonchnce was written on Charmaine¡¯s face. At that point in time, she knew her marriage was in shambles. ¡°Fine. Let¡¯s get a divorce. From today onward, we will have nothing to do with each other. Let¡¯s just call it a day.¡± Yale did not want to let the situation spiral out of control for fear that Sophie would find out. If the news over reached Sophie, Yale knew that the rest of his days would be miserable. Thus, there was nothing else he could do but drop the subject. With a frustrated huff, Yale left without turning back. After Yale¡¯s departure, Willow walked over tofort Charmaine. ¡°Are you okay, Mom?¡± Willow did not know what else to say. All she could focus on were the drastic changes that took ce in her family, wondering what went wrong. Charmaine shook her head. ¡°Your dad and I will definitely be getting a divorce. You two are grown up now. Promise me you¡¯ll take good care of yourselves,¡± Charmaine said dejectedly. She had finally realized how pitiful she was, having nothing and no one at such an advanced age. ¡°Just get divorced, Mom! There¡¯s no reason to keep holding on. Don¡¯t worry, Mom. I¡¯ll take care of you.¡± Caleb embraced Charmaine affectionately. No matter what she had done in the past, she was still his mother, and he would always protect her. ¡°Then I shall rely on you starting from now, Caleb.¡± Without saying anything else, Charmaine retired to her room. ¡°Caleb, is this really what¡¯s going to be of our family? Is there really no chance to salvage this?¡± With a sigh, Caleb gave Willow an affectionate pat on the cheek. ¡°You should grow up too, Wi. Don¡¯t make Mom worry about you anymore.¡± There was nothing else Caleb could say to console his sister. Yale had managed to divorce Charmaine, just as he wanted. However, Angelina was not satisfied with how things had yed out. In her mind, she had lost a child, but Charmaine did not lose anything. It was unfair. Yale¡¯s patience soon thinned from Angelina¡¯s constant whining. ¡°Are you done with your tantrum, Angelina? If you want to continue making a fuss out of this, let¡¯s just break up.¡± Yale had not been expecting a crazy, nagging woman. He only wanted a trophy wife. Angelina stared at him incredulously. ¡°What did you just say? Yale, I¡¯ve been loyal to you since young. Are you disdaining me now? Didn¡¯t you say that Tanner Group belongs to you? Howe I can¡¯t even step foot inside Tanner Group?¡± Angelina¡¯s goal had been clear since the beginning. All she wanted was Tanner Group. ¡°Stop daydreaming. Tanner Group belongs to Sophie, and don¡¯t even try to provoke her. You¡¯re no match for her at all.¡±: Yale no longer had the patience to deal with Angelina. After all, he had money. Why would he be worried about having no women by his side? If she chose to act crazy, then he could choose not to show any mercy. Chapter 1005 Wedding Attire Chapter 1005 Wedding Attire ¡°Yale,e back! I just had a miscarriage, and you want to leave? How can you be so heartless?¡± Angelina was on the verge of copsing. I¡¯ve just miscarried, so how can this man be so impatient? Well, it makes sense. He already has three children of his own. So, the child that was in my womb was practically insignificant to him. He doesn¡¯t care about me at all. Tears streamed down Angelina¡¯s face, but she couldn¡¯t make Yalee back. At this moment, Angelina finally understood that the sweet words men uttered in bed were all lies. However, she couldn¡¯t just give up on Tanner Group. She couldn¡¯t do it. She had given her first time to that old man, all for the sake of Tanner Group¡¯s stocks. No matter what, she wouldn¡¯t give up. Sophie went to the Institute of Physics, where she had already calcted the data Ross had asked for. Seeing the data in his hands, Ross was extremely excited. Initially, he didn¡¯t have much hope; he just wanted Sophie to give it a try. However, Sophie didn¡¯t disappoint him. ¡°Sophie, you¡¯re truly amazing! You¡¯re a genius. I knew you would be a perfect fit for our Institute of Physics. Come join us. We really need you.¡± N?vel(D)rama.Org''s content. What kind of institute wouldn¡¯t want such talent? Sophie shook her head. ¡°Mr. Campbell, if you ever encounter any problems that you can¡¯t solve, I can help, but I¡¯m really busy.¡± She already had a lot to do with the medical association. ¡°Ah, child¡­¡± Knowing that Sophie was determined, Ross didn¡¯t want to push her further. ¡°Okay! If I have any unsolvable problems in the future, I¡¯ll ask for your help.¡± ¡°Sure! Mr. Campbell, I have something else to do. I¡¯ll head back now.¡± Sophie got up. As she had delivered the results, she could go back now. ¡°Let me walk you out!¡± Ross got up, wanting to see her off. ¡°No need, I¡¯m going to see my brother.¡± Sophie went to find Caleb, who was working on a set of data. He truly enjoyed being there Seeing Caleb so content, Sophie felt that everything was worth it. When Caleb saw Sophie, he stopped his work and went out with her. ¡°Let¡¯s have a cup of coffee!¡± Caleb suggested. Sophie had no objections, so the two of them went to a cafe and ordered two cups of coffee. ¡°Soph, Mom and Dad are getting divorced.¡± She needed to know about this. After all, she was also a part of this family. ¡°Oh,¡± Wasn¡¯t this an inevitable thing? Those two had long been living in a loveless marriage. ¡°I support their divorce. If two people are so unhappy together, it¡¯s better to just get divorced.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Sophie had a broad-minded view of this. If they stayed together, they would only cause more harm to each other. ¡°Marriage is truly scary!¡± Caleb had always been engrossed in his physics research. He had been in a rtionship before, but he broke up with the girl because he had to go abroad. Seeing their parents in such a state, he had no desire to get married at all. ¡°Well, it¡¯s not that terrifying. It all depends on the people involved. Both of them have their own personality issues.¡± Neither one of them could be wholly med for their problems. Their personalities contributed to the current mess. ¡°Yes, they both have issues. Even as their son, Caleb hadn¡¯t yed his role well. ¡°All right, let¡¯s not talk about the things that will affect your mood. Are you preparing for the wedding now? If there¡¯s anything I can help with, please let me know.¡± Caleb had never been married, so he didn¡¯t know what needed to be prepared. Nheless, he was her brother, and he really wanted to do something for her. ¡°Caleb, focus on your work at the research institute. Tristan is taking care of the wedding preparations.¡± ¡°Yeah, Tristan treats you well. I know you¡¯ll be happy, and that puts me at ease.¡± ¡°Caleb, you should find a girlfriend too. Their family situation was an unhappy one. Building their own families and living their own lives might bring the warmth they had been longing for to their hearts. ¡°Okay.¡± After parting with Caleb, Sophie went to meet Tristan. They were going to try on wedding attire in the afternoon. When she arrived at Lombard Group, Tristan was still busy. He needed toplete a whole day¡¯s work in one morning, so he was very upied. The secretary prepared tea for Sophie and then went back to work. In the meantime, Sophie also looked through one of Tanner Group¡¯s proposals, Victor¡¯s injuries hadn¡¯t fully healed yet, but he was already back to his position as he couldn¡¯t wait any longer. As a result, she had gained some free time. Victor skimmed through the proposal Sophie had sent. Indeed, Sophie would never disappoint them. After she made some modifications to the proposal, its quality improved significantly. Sophie was truly impressive. ¡°Mr. Victor, didn¡¯t Ms. Sophie ask you to rest in the hospital for a few more days? Why are you so eager toe back?¡± Carl couldn¡¯t help but ask when he saw Victor¡¯s appearance. ¡°There¡¯s nothing much to do in the hospital all day. I feel more at ease returning to my workstation.¡± Wedding Attire Victor was someone who couldn¡¯t stay idle. ¡°Tanner Group is on the rise at the moment, and at such a time, I want to be with everyone.¡± Victor truly didn¡¯t want to miss any stage of Tanner Group¡¯s progress. Sophie¡¯s development projects were simply astonishing. Being able to stay by her side meant he could truly learn a lot from her. Tristan finished his work and returned to the CEO¡¯s office, where he saw her sitting attentively on the couch. He walked over. ¡°Have you been waiting for a long time?¡± ¡°Not that long. It¡¯s almost one o¡¯clock now. Let¡¯s go have lunch first!¡± She wanted to eat with him, so she didn¡¯t eat by herself and waited until now instead. ¡°Sure, let¡¯s go!¡± Tristan asked his secretary toe in and organize the documents, gave some instructions, and then took Sophic out for lunch. ¡°I originally wanted to take you to the staff cafeteria in Lombard Group, but it¡¯s already thiste, so I guess everyone has finished eating. We¡¯ll go there next time! ¡°Yeah, there will be plenty of opportunities in the future.¡± After all, she was a family member of Lombard Group now! Naturally, she could have meals at the staff cafeteria. The two of them had lunch, and afterward, Tristan took her directly to the century-old wedding shop. Sophie hadn¡¯t paid much attention to this kind of shop before, but upon seeing the name of the shop, she was surprised. When she saw the wedding gown, she was even more astonished. The gown was truly beautiful. She had wanted a traditional-style wedding, and he had prepared the perfect gown for her. Sophie walked over and stood in front of the wedding gown, which was embroidered with golden thread. There was another set of clothes-clearly a men¡¯s suit-also embroidered with golden thread. She didn¡¯t know much about embroidery, but she could tell that a lot of effort had been put into the wedding attire. Chapter 1006 Let Us Get Married Early Chapter 1006 Let Us Get Married Early The boss of the prosperous Wedding Bells boutique personally came out to greet them. They were one of their biggest clients, and anyone who came here to customize wedding attire was undoubtedly wealthy and distinguished. The master tailor personally introduced the two of them to the clothes. ¡°It took us over three months to create these two sets of wedding attire! The patterns embroidered on them were done by my own hands.¡± His ancestors specialized in making wedding attire for royalty, so he had great confidence in his craftsmanship. ¡°Thank you.¡± Tristan was extremely satisfied with these two sets of wedding attire. Just by looking at them, one¡¯s gaze would be captivated. ¡°This is the tiara, and it¡¯s ready as well. The master tailor had someone bring out the tiara. The tiara was exquisite, surpassing even the ones worn by previous queens. ¡°Mr. Tristan, please take a look. Do you have any other requests? How about you try them on today? If there are any issues concerning the fit, I can still make adjustments for you.¡± In reality, there was no need to try them on. He hadplete confidence in himself. As long as the measurements were urate, there wouldn¡¯t be any problems. ¡°No need. We are very satisfied.¡± Wearing these clothes would be quite aplicated process, so as long as there were no issues, it would suffice. The tiara was exceptionally exquisite, but it required a special hairstyle to wear it.N?vel(D)rama.Org''s content. ¡°Okay, no problem. Just deliver them directly to the address I provided. As for payment, I will transfer it to your ountter.¡± ¡°Thank you, Mr. Tristan. I wish both of you a lifetime of happiness.¡± After leaving Wedding Bells, the two of them walked hand in hand on the streets. They were both busy people and rarely had time to stroll around like this. In the evening, the group of friends gathered for drinks under the night sky. Ysabelle also joined them and immediately approached Sophie when she saw her. ¡°I heard you went to try on your wedding attire today. How was it? I¡¯m sure the wedding gown is beautiful!¡± Her uncle had never disappointed anyone in this regard. ¡°We went and checked it out. It¡¯s luxurious and beautiful. I love it.¡± Only after seeing the wedding gown did Sophie truly feel that she was getting married. Before that, she didn¡¯t really have any feelings about it. ¡°Great! Can I go and take a look tonight? I¡¯m really curious! I heard that the master tailor¡¯s ancestors used to tailor clothes specifically for royalty. His craftsmanship must be impable.¡± ¡°Yeah, you can go and see tomorrow!¡± It was probably toote to go there today. Let Us Get Married Early ¡°Okay, then I¡¯ll go with Aunt Sarah tomorrow.¡± They were all filled with anticipation for the wedding. The few men hadn¡¯t had a rxing outing in a long time. As the four of them sat together, they discussed the wedding preparations. ¡°Tristan, if you need any help with the wedding, please let us know.¡± They had never been married before, so they didn¡¯t know what preparations were needed. However, if help was needed, they wouldn¡¯t hesitate to help. ¡°I can handle everything.¡± Preparing for these things made Tristan happy. He didn¡¯t want anyone else to help. This was his and Sophie¡¯s wedding, and he wanted to personally participate in every detail without relying on others. ¡°Are you really that happy getting married? Is it really so blissful?¡± After all, Tristan was willing to prepare everything eagerly. ¡°Yes, I¡¯m absolutely happy.¡± As Tristan was marrying Sophie, he naturally felt very happy. ¡°Ugh. You being like this makes me want to get married too. Charles took a sip of his drink. Unfortunately, he didn¡¯t even have a girlfriend. It was quite pitiful. ¡°You can find a girlfriend now!¡± Charles always had the appearance of a yboy. Being the person he was, it was only a matter of time before he got beaten up by a woman. ¡°I want to find one too! But my destined true love just won¡¯te to me. What can I do?¡± Charles said helplessly. Thinking of Winter, Charles felt even more annoyed. Since returning from Fandar, she has been gloomy and unhappy. However, this time, she should have truly given up! Otherwise, she wouldn¡¯t have be so deste. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°It¡¯s Winter. Ever since she came back from Fandar, she has been locking herself up at home. I really don¡¯t know what to do.¡± He was truly at a loss because of his little sister. ¡°She probably has already given up. As long as she gives up, that¡¯s good. There¡¯s no need to think too much about it.¡± Felix also understood Winter¡¯s temperament, but now everyone was busy with Tristan and Sophie¡¯s wedding. She should really give up. If she continues to be entangled in the situation, no one can help her. ¡°Yeah, you¡¯re right. Forget it. Anyway, if she doesn¡¯t face the truth herself, no one can do anything for her.¡± Sophie had already shown enough grace toward her. She even had Winter brought back. When it came to matters of the heart, there were no rules. Tristan never gave Winter any hope; it was her own unwillingness to give up on him. ¡°Sophie, won¡¯t you regret it? After all, you¡¯re still so young and you¡¯re choosing to get married now.¡± Her youth has only just begun! Yet here she is, about to bury herself in the grave of marriage. ¡°No regrets. Apart from him, I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll ever meet someone better.¡± Thus, this was enough for her. Sophie was very busy in the following days. Tanner Group was thriving and had be the top conglomerate in Jipsdale. In just two years, Sophie graduated from the University of Medicine. Today was the day of her graduation. Early in the morning, Sophie went to the medical association. The current medical association had be the world¡¯s strongest International Medical Association, surpassing even the International Medical Association of Anndur. Georgina was indeed suitable for management work, and she enjoyed it herself. She didn¡¯t have talent in medicine, but she could manage the medical association in an orderly manner. Barney had delegated a lot of work to Georgina, and Arius¡¯ reputation had be even more renowned. People from all over the world went to him for surgery, but he decided to treat patients based on his mood. His rtionship with Georgina was very good too. The weather was beautiful on this day, and as Sophie thought about the recent events, a smile appeared on her face. Her life had gotten better and better sinceing back from Horington. She really enjoyed her life now. At ten o¡¯clock, Tristan came to pick her up and brought her the graduation gown. ¡°Let¡¯s go! Although youpleted five years of study in just two years, we still need to take some photos today.¡± Even though she was graduating, it was still necessary to take photos tomemorate her university life. After all, this was part of her life. ¡°Yeah.¡± Sophie had juste out of theboratory with her hair casually tied up in a bun. When she saw him, she let her hair loose. When conducting experiments, she needed to tie up her hair, but she usually preferred to leave it down so her scalp would be morefortable. This casual gesture of hers was incredibly charming to watch. ¡°Sophie, did you forget? You said you¡¯d marry me after graduating from university, and today, you¡¯ve graduated. Let¡¯s not wait any longer! Let¡¯s get married ahead of time!¡± He really didn¡¯t want to wait any longer. Chapter 1007 Graduation Chapter 1007 Graduation ¡°But hasn¡¯t Old Mr. Lombard already picked out the date? Would it really be okay to change it now?¡± William had hired an expert to pick out an auspicious date. ¡°We can always do that again. Let¡¯s just get married earlier. I really don¡¯t want to wait for another second.¡± ¡°Okay. I¡¯ll go with whatever you say. I have nothing against it.¡± If he wants to get married, they let¡¯s get married. It¡¯s just a matter of time anyway. Tristan took her by the hand. ¡°I love you, Sophie.¡± He just couldn¡¯t help himself when it came to her. He loved her so much. He wanted to be with her for the rest of his life and never be apart. ¡°I love you too,¡± Sophie replied, beaming. She had be much more jolly ever since they got together. The two arrived at the University of Medicine to find people taking photos in their robes everywhere. They had been here for seven years. It was only natural that many felt reluctant to leave after having remained all these years. Mistakes don¡¯t matter that much at university. One would feel shameful at most, but time eventually passes and those embarrassing moments will be forgotten. However, things are different outside of school. The challenges one has to experience in society are far more ruthless and sinister. As soon as Sophie arrived, all the seniors she was ssmates with called her over. ¡°Hurry, Sophie! You¡¯re the only one left!¡± They hadn¡¯t spent much time with her. She was a medical genius, after all, and it had only taken her two years to achieve what had taken them seven years. Even so, she was still their ssmate, and having a group photo at graduation was a must. Tristan helped Sophie wear her hat before adjusting her robe. ¡°Go on. They¡¯re all waiting for you.¡± This was Sophie¡¯s moment, and she deserved every second of it. ¡°Okay. Wait for me here,¡± the young woman responded before trotting over to join her peers. Although she didn¡¯t enjoy being photographed, she knew it was necessary and thus squeezed herself into a corner. Despite being dressed in the same attire as everyone else, Sophie was still the most captivating one out of the bunch. It didn¡¯t matter what she wore; she always shone the brightest. ¡°All right, is everyone ready? Look over here and wait for my count,¡± the photographer instructed, adjusting the position of the camera for thest time. ¡°Okay, smile! One, two, three¡­. Graduation With that, Sophie¡¯s time at the University of Medicine hade to an end. The woman had only spent two years there, but she had learned everything she needed to learn along with everything she shouldn¡¯t have learned. In truth, she enjoyed her days here. After the photo-taking session, a senior approached her. ¡°I really like you, Sophie. Can I please have your number?¡± Everyone at the University of Medicine knew that Sophie had a boyfriend, so this man could only like her from afar. Yet, now that everyone was going their separate ways, all he wanted was her phone number. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I have a boyfriend. He¡¯ll be upset if I give you my number.¡± Sophie genuinely cared about Tristan¡¯s feelings and would never do anything that made him unhappy. Copyright by N?v/elDrama.Org. This was how she showed respect for their rtionship. Tristan had never had much of a sense of security in the first ce because of their age gap, so why would she still do something to upset him more? No one should ever do something to make their partner feel insecure. Despite feeling slightly let down, Sophie¡¯s senior continued to smile. ¡°I was just shooting my shot. It¡¯s okay if you say no. Let¡¯s have a reunion next time.¡± She¡¯s always treated her boyfriend really well and would never get close to any other guy. She must really love him. ¡°All the best to you, Sophie. I hope you¡¯ll always be happy.¡± A prodigy like her would be looked up to no matter where she went. She certainly had many admirers too. ¡°All the best to you too.¡± Ysabelle and the others soon arrived, knowing that she was graduating today. Her poprity had skyrocketed due to her works, so many people rushed over to take photos with her the moment she showed up, and Felix was quickly shoved aside. Still, he had somewhat grown ustomed to such situations and merely stood next to Tristan. ¡°Seriously, Tristan, your girl¡¯s out of this world. It took everyone else seven years to graduate from this ce, but she only spent two years here.¡± Aren¡¯t we all human beings? Why the stark difference ¡°Why? Is there a problem? Do you know why she wanted to graduate so quickly? It¡¯s because she wants to marry me right after she¡¯s done here,¡± Tristan said. Felix was speechless. Why do I still have to deal with other people unting their rtionships? How am I even supposed to respond? But whatever. He looks really happy now, at least. I don¡¯t remember thest time he smiled like this. Ysabelle went over to the men when she was done taking photos with her fans and giving them her autograph Sophie joined the group too. ¡°Come on! Aren¡¯t we here to take pictures? Help us take one, Felix.¡± Ysabelle and Tristan stood next to Sophie on each side, but the next moment, Tristan held Sophie by the shoulder, and the woman leaned slightly toward him. Ysabelle scowled after seeing the photo. ¡°Why do I feel as if you¡¯re both nning to Photoshop me out of this picture?¡± It¡¯s way too obvious! They¡¯re being all lovey-dovey with each other, and I¡¯m here standing there looking awkward! What the heck is this? ¡°You¡¯ve always been a third wheel. Don¡¯t you know that?¡± Tristanmented scathingly. It was the truth. Ysabelle was bereft of words. ¡°Can I please have a picture with Sophie, Uncle Tristan? Just the two of us.¡± She had put off some very important work just to be here today. Tristan wasn¡¯t so petty as to turn her down. He walked away, allowing Ysabelle to sit next to Sophie, their backs leaning against each other. ¡°You¡¯ll be a full-fledged member of society from now on, Sophie!¡± In truth, the woman had already been one long ago. Graduating from university at the age of twenty was an impable and awe-inspiring feat. ¡°Yeah.¡± She had finally graduated and could marry the man of her dreams. When they were done taking photos, Sophie noticed the chancellor of the University of Medicine waiting/ for her nearby. She walked toward him. ¡°Is there something you¡¯d like to see me for, Mr. Sawyer?¡± ¡°Well, Sophie, I think you should take on a postgraduate degree. It¡¯d be such a waste if someone of immense talent like you were to stop here.¡± He was attempting to make her stay. She¡¯d be the pride of our university-a maker of history! Chapter 1008 Before the Wedding Chapter 1008 Before the Wedding ¡°Mr. Sawyer, I think you¡¯re aware that I haven¡¯t actually spent much time on campus throughout my two years here.¡± She always had ces to be. ¡°That¡¯s not a problem! You can juste by to do your research whenever you have the time. I have no expectations regarding your attendance.¡± All he wanted was for her to continue studying here. ¡°You¡¯re a star, Sophie! I don¡¯t want you to enter society too soon. Contribute to research in medicine instead. Your future is limitless.¡± Dominic really cherished talented students. ¡°All right. I¡¯ll think about it.¡± The man was exasperated. Everyone wanted to get their hands on someone like Sophie. By now, there would surely be so many other institutions out there trying to get her to choose them. ¡°Let me know if there¡¯s anything I can help you with. Don¡¯t be shy. It¡¯s an honor to have you as a student here.¡± ¡°Thank you, Mr. Sawyer.¡± Dominic had always been nice to her. Unfortunately, she really wasn¡¯t sure if she could afford to stay. She would be getting married and have her own children after that. All of these would take time. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Tristan came over after the chancellor had left. ¡°We¡¯re done here, so let¡¯s go home. Time sure flies by, huh? It feels like I¡¯ve only been here a while, but it¡¯s been two years,¡± Sophiemented, having originallye to Jipsdale because of her grandfather. Now, she wasn¡¯t leaving, and it was also because of him. Tristan wrapped an arm around her shoulder as they walked out together. ¡°Yeah. Time does pass quickly. But that¡¯s not exactly the case for me, because I¡¯ve been wanting to take you as my wife ever since the day I met you.¡± The past two years had been especially agonizing for him. He now felt that he had finally gotten what he had been waiting for all this while. ¡°Thank you for waiting for me. I won¡¯t make you wait anymore,¡± Sophie promised. Tristan stopped in his tracks, pulled her into an embrace, and kissed her. That¡¯s right. I won¡¯t have to wait any longer. She¡¯ll be my wife and the mother of our child, and we¡¯ll grow closer than before. We¡¯ll never be apart again. William didn¡¯t have much to say about Tristan wanting to change the wedding date, although it was indeed a little troublesome to do so now. ¡°Come on, Dad,¡± Sarah urged. ¡°If he wants to get married sooner, let him! You know how long he¡¯s waited.¡± She knew how much her younger brother loved Sophie. He had been devoting himself fully to the woman he loved all this while. ¡°Besides, the sooner he marries Sophie, the sooner you¡¯ll get to have grandkids! Isn¡¯t that what you¡¯ve always wanted?¡± Why is he hesitating when his dream is about toe true? With that, William nodded. ¡°All right, I understand. I¡¯ll get the expert to pick another date. It¡¯s not that I don¡¯t want the wedding to happen sooner. I¡¯m just worried we¡¯d be in a rush if we were to have it right away.¡± We haven¡¯t even prepared anything. It¡¯ll be the first Lombard wedding in a long time. It has to be nothing short of spectacr! ¡°Everything¡¯s pretty much ready by now, Dad,¡± Tristan assured. Now was the perfect time, and there was nothing to be concerned about. ¡°Very well. I¡¯ll call the expert now, but you¡¯ll have to inform Sophie¡¯s parents about the change of ns.¡± This was the least they could do as a sign of respect. Regardless of Sophie¡¯s rtionship with the Tanner family, this was stillmon courtesy. ¡°I will, Dad. Don¡¯t worry.¡± Given this was Sophie¡¯s wedding, her family would naturally have to be in attendance. No matter what things were like in the past, those family members no longer dared treat her with contempt now that she was with him. After dinner, Sophie and Tristan took a stroll in the Lombard residence garden. The ground was full of exquisite flowers that William had gone through painstaking efforts to nurture. ¡°Old Mr. Lombard really takes good care of these flowers.¡± ¡°Yeah. These were all left behind by my mother. He didn¡¯t know how to care for them at first, but he later really went out of his way to learn.¡± It was clear how much William loved his wife and remembered her through these flowers. ¡°Men of the Lombard family love so deeply!¡± Sophie eximed while holding Tristan¡¯s hand. ¡°Do you have any memories of your mother?¡± The man shook his head. ¡°She left when I was really young, so I have no recollection of her.¡± Their family was somehow just different without the woman of the house. Thankfully, William had raised his children well to ensure they never went down the wrong path. Moreover, all three of them were brilliant in everything they did. Tristan had only responded with a simple sentence, but Sophie knew how much of an impact not having a mother could have on someone. ? N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved. She hugged him tightly. ¡°From now on, we¡¯ll always be with our kids.¡± We¡¯ll spend our days with them and watch them grow up. William invited the expert over to pick another auspicious date that Tristan was especially satisfied with. There were lots to prepare as the wedding drew near, but with Tristan taking care of almost everything, all Sophie had to do was cooperate. Everyone in the Lombard family busied themselves, but William was the happiest among them all and helped with the preparations in spite of his old age. He would get upset if anyone didn¡¯t let him help. As someone who could manage arge international corporation like Lombard Group, Tristan certainly had no problem setting up the wedding. Time went by in a sh. It was now two days before the wedding, and Sophie¡¯s friends had brought her out to celebrate herst few moments of being a bachelorette. Needless to say, they were about to go wild. The three women arrived at a nightclub. ¡°This is yourst moment as a bachelorette, Sophie! You¡¯ll soon be known as Mrs. Lombard!¡± Ysabelle eximed. This is all happening so quickly. She¡¯s still so young! What if she¡¯s just being hasty? ¡°That¡¯s right. You won¡¯t get to party like this anymore after you get married, so we¡¯ve arranged a little something special for you today.¡± Cecelia added with a sinisterugh. Sophie immediately had a bad feeling about this. Who knows what these two women are capable of when they are together? ¡°What is it?¡± Sophie sat down with a raised brow. She truly looked forward to marriage. Why wouldn¡¯t she be excited about marrying the man she loved so dearly? As Cecelia pped, a dozen muscr men suddenly appeared on stage. Sophie¡¯s vision went dark. I knew it. Something crazy always happens whenever these girls n something together! ¡°Well? Do you like it? Cecelia and I paid to have this prepared just for you!¡± Sophie was tongue-tied. They actually paid for this? ¡°Come on! At least take a look, would you? It cost a lot to hire them!¡± Ysabelle said excitedly. Chapter 1009 You Must Be Happy Chapter 1009 You Must Be Happy ¡°Frankly, none of these men canpare to Tristan.¡± Nothing aroused her more than the sight of Tristan¡¯s body. Ysabelle, Cecilia, and Sarah were stunned into an awkward silence. ¡°Ah, it¡¯s fine! Let them leave!¡± If Tristan knew what was going on, he would go mad. Besides, she really had no interest in those men. ¡°You¡¯re going to dismiss them just like that after we¡¯ve spent so much money on them? It¡¯s not such a big deal! This is yourst chance.¡± If she doesn¡¯t watch the shore now, she will have no other chance in the future. ¡°I¡¯m not even remotely interested in having a chance to watch them. Let them leave, and let us girls just chat.¡± All she wanted on a day like that was to spend time bonding with her girlfriends. ¡°Okay, then!¡± Ysabelle was a little disappointed. Although she waspletely besotted with Felix, she did not think there was anything wrong with feasting her eyes on other men. Cecelia, too, was sorry to see the hunky men leave. ¡°It¡¯s the twenty-first century! It¡¯s not wrong to look at a little eye candy! Tristan¡¯s really got you in the palm of his hand!¡± Cecelia grumbled. ¡°After you¡¯re married and have children, you won¡¯t be able to do such things anymore!¡± ¡°Tristan will never stop me from doing what I want.¡± Sophie was deadly sure of that. Tristan would do anything to make her happy. ¡°Well, that¡¯s true. He loves you so much that he won¡¯t restrict you from doing anything even after marriage.¡± Cecelia sounded a little envious. ¡°Ah, I don¡¯t look too bad, but why can¡¯t I meet someone I really like?¡± Although Cecilia was still too young to worry, the fact that her best friend was getting married and living her happily-ever-after life made her want the same for herself as well. She was rather depressed. Ysabelle patted Ceceliafortingly. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Cecelia. You¡¯ll definitely meet someone who will sweep you off your feet one day!¡± The time had simply note for Cecelia yet. N?vel(D)rama.Org''s content. ¡°If you say so¡­ Ah, Sophie! You must be happy!¡± God is fair! Sophie has been through so much pain and bitterness in the past. She deserves to have met Tristan! ¡°Well, we¡¯ll all have our happy ending!¡± Sarah knew that Cecelia had a crush on Sean, but Sean was a difficult person to deal with. She understood how Cecelia felt. Unrequited love is one of the most painful emotions that one can feel for another person. ¡°Cecelia, Sean has always had someone in his heart. I think it¡¯s best that you forget about him.¡± Falling in love with such a person would be painful, and the pain would not be worth it. ¡°Why are you bringing this up, Sarah? It¡¯s Sophie¡¯s bachelorette party today. Let¡¯s not talk about that. I know there¡¯s no hope for Sean and me, and besides, I don¡¯t like him as much as you think I do.¡± Such a cold and detached man like Sean is not suitable for me at all! I won¡¯t go looking for trouble! Cecelia was no fool. ¡°Okay, okay.¡± All the others knew that she was lying, but there was nothing they could do about it. Cecelia¡¯s emotions were her own private business, and no one else had the right to interfere in matters of her heart. ¡°Okay, let¡¯s all have a drink! Everybody must get drunk tonight!¡± It¡¯s a happy day today. ¡°Yes! Nobody goes home until they¡¯re drunk!¡± Ysabelle echoed the sentiment, raising her ss to toast the others. The girls were close friends and it was because of Sophie that they were all brought together. Later in the night, Butterfly made an appearance bearing a gift for Sophie. Ysabelle was curious to know what Butterfly had brought. ¡°Butterfly, what did you bring with you? Can we have a look?¡± ¡°Of course it has to be something amazing! Something that Sophie will find useful!¡± Butterfly could not help smiling when she thought of the gift hidden under the wrapping paper. Her mischievous smile heightened all the other girls¡¯ curiosity. ¡°So, what is it?¡± Sarah squealed impatiently. ¡°Ah, it¡¯s not for your eyes. This is private! Sophie, I¡¯m sure Mr. Tristan will love this gift!¡± Sophie was not sure how to respond to Butterfly¡¯s teasing remark. Tristan will love the gift that is meant for me? What does that even mean? ¡°Butterfly, what is it? I¡¯m even more curious now!¡± What is it that she is so sure Uncle Tristan will love? ¡°Do you guys really want to know?¡± Butterfly smiled impishly. ¡°Yes!¡± the girls chorused. Sophie was beginning to feel afraid. Did Butterfly buy me something weird? ¡°Can I refuse your gift?¡± She did not want to receive Butterfly¡¯s gift anymore after seeing her devilish expression. ¡°No, you cannot refuse. I took a long time to pick it out. Sophie, do you believe in my taste?¡± Butterfly replied, making Sophie¡¯s stomach flutter nervously. What¡¯s wrong with these girls? Sophie begrudgingly epted the gift and put it aside to be unwrappedter. She wanted to wait until she got home before she found out what strange gift Butterfly had given her. ¡°Really, Butterfly? You teased everyone and got us all so worked up, but you refuse to reveal the gift! How mean of you!¡± Butterfly ignored the other girls. After all, the gift was for Sophie alone. Why are the girls so nosy? ¡°Don¡¯t worry, girls! When it¡¯s your turn to get married, I¡¯ll definitely get each one of you the same gift! I don¡¯t y favorites.¡± ¡°Okay, then. If you say so! We look forward to receiving our gifts! Don¡¯t let us down!¡± Cecelia drawled. Lately, she had been filming a new movie. However, she had taken five days off because of Sophie¡¯s impending nuptials. The director was not happy with her, but it was her best friend¡¯s wedding. She would not miss it for the world. ¡°Sophie, let me sing you a song!¡± Cecelia said abruptly, jumping to her feet. The other girls were confused. Cecelia was an actress. She had never before sung in public. Can she even sing? ¡°Sure.¡± Cecelia got to her feet and chose a song. It was their favorite song when they were in high school. As the song began to y, Sophie felt as if she had been transported back to that time years ago. Cecelia had always been by her side during those years, so, she had not felt so lonely. Right from the start, Cecelia had already missed her cue. Sophie softly whispered the words, and Cecelia joined in, finding the rhythm. So what if there have been so many difficulties in the past? What¡¯s important is that Sophie is happy now, and I¡¯m d that Sophie has found happiness. Cecelia¡¯s singing left much to be desired, but it was a poignant song, and the girls¡¯ hearts were moved. ¡°I can¡¯t believe you¡¯re getting married, Sophie!¡± Cecelia was still in disbelief that her best friend was about to be a married woman. No matter how reluctant she was to see her friend walk down the aisle and leave her in her lonely singlehood, she still hoped fervently that Sophie would be happy. Sophie went over to Cecelia and wrapped her in a tight hug. ¡°Cecelia, I¡¯m so thankful to have met you when I was at my lowest.¡± It really was the greatest blessing of her life. Cecelia had really made those hard times easier. ¡°Yes, me too¡­ It was gettingte, and the wedding was happening the very next day. Tristan hade personally to pick up Sophie. The other four men, too, hade along since they had been together earlier that night. Tristan had asked them to fetch the other girls home. Chapter 1010 The Night Before the Wedding Chapter 1010 The Night Before the Wedding Cecelia was a tad flustered to see Sean again. But being an award-winning actress, she could conceal all her emotions perfectly. She acted all nonchnt instead. ¡°Make sure that the three of you send them back safely,¡± Sophie said, singling Sean and Cecelia out in particr. Since she likes him so much, I¡¯ll create an opportunity for her so she won¡¯t have any regrets even if things still end up not working out between them at the end of the day. Even after getting into the car, she remained concerned about Cecelia. Cecelia worried her the most. With Sean being the person she likes, she¡¯s destined to face unsurmountable hardships! ¡°What are you thinking about?¡± While maneuvering the steering wheel with one hand, Tristan grasped Sophie¡¯s hand with the other. ¡°Nothing much. I¡¯m just worried about Cecelia.¡± She¡¯s in an abysmal state, and it also shows during her filming recently. ¡°Because of Sean?¡± Something or other must have happened between them. ¡°Yeah.¡± Sophie kept no secrets with Tristan. ¡°All right, you¡¯ll be my bride tomorrow, so think about all thatter. Sean is a rational person. and he knows what he¡¯s doing.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Tristan drove Sophie to her mansion as she elected to have him pick her up from there the next day instead of the Tanner residence. It waste then, and he still had to make some preparations for the wedding reception tomorrow. At the door, he gathered her into his arms. ¡°It¡¯ste, so I won¡¯t be going in. Rest earlier after you go into the house. The makeup artists will be here at a little over five o¡¯clock tomorrow, but there¡¯s no need to amodate them. Make sure you have enough sleep.¡± The Night Before the Wedding I¡¯ve waited for such a long time anyway that a little longer won¡¯t make any difference. ¡°Okay. You, too. Rest earlier when you get home. Having a wedding is awfully tiring.¡± Although they had already simplified the procedures, it was ultimately a marriage ceremony, so it was still very much exhausting. Cecelia and Butterfly would being over that night to keep Sophiepany. The mansion was enormous, so there was naturally room for them. In the end, even Ysabelle came. When Tristan saw that Felix had driven over, he shot thetter a look. ¡°Mr. Tristan, she¡¯s a bridesmaid too. Let her stay here as she wishes,¡± Felix said helplessly. ¡°Fine, then. But don¡¯t talk deep into the night, okay?¡± Tristan instructed. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Uncle Tristan!¡± After Tristan and the others left, Sophie led the girls into the mansion. Morgan had been cleaning the ce all this time. There was not a speck of dust to be found. As soon as Morgan heard movements, he sprang to his feet. He was exceedingly excited since he had watched Sophie grow up. Old Mr. Tanner loved Ms. Sophie most in the past. Now that she¡¯s getting married, he would definitely be over the moon if he were to learn about it in heaven! ¡°You¡¯re back, Ms. Sophie! I¡¯ve already straightened all the rooms. Meanwhile, your wedding gown and essories are in your room.¡± Verily, he was ecstatic that he could personally witness Sophie getting married. The smile had never left his face in the past few days. Mr. Tristan is really a good man. Ms. Sophie will undoubtedly enjoy happiness all her days by marrying him! ¡°Why didn¡¯t you go to bed earlier when it¡¯s already this hour, Morgan? There are still a lot of things to do tomorrow. Go and rest. There¡¯s no need to bother about us.¡± ¡°Okay. Don¡¯t stay up toote talking either when you¡¯ve got to be a beautiful bride tomorrow, Ms. Sophie.¡± ¡°I know.¡± It was alreadyte at night, but Ysabelle was not the least bit sleepy. She was thrilled to the core that Sophie was getting married. The Night Before the Wedding ¡°Gosh, what should I do? I¡¯m not sleepy at all. Sophie, I-¡± ¡°Stop. Okay, let¡¯s all turn in. We have to wake up early tomorrow to get our makeup done.¡± As they would be having a traditional wedding, the makeup would take a long time. However, Tristan had hired a skilled styling team, so they probably would not disappoint. ¡°All right, then. You rest earlier, too.¡± Ysabelle and Butterfly retired for the night. Cecelia, on the other hand, had yet to arrive. No one knew how things were presently going between her and Sean. When Sophie returned to her room and took in the things there, she still felt surreal. Am I truly getting married? Oh yes, I¡¯m really marrying the man I love at twenty-one years old. Beyond a shadow of a doubt, we¡¯ll live happily ever after for the rest of our days! Meanwhile, Cecelia sat in the passenger seat, feeling pretty exasperated with the man who seemed to have something to say to her yet was hesitant to speak. ¡°Rest assured that I won¡¯t pester you endlessly, Mr. Burton! I¡¯m not such a kind of woman. It was merely a one-night stand. I¡¯m not that conservative.¡± Argh! Why must he act as though he has suffered a great injustice? Despite being in the entertainment industry, I¡¯ve always been chaste. I was also a virgin before I spent the night with him! ¡°That¡¯s not what I meant, Cecelia. If you want, we can get married.¡± As a man, Sean felt that he should take responsibility for his actions. ¡°Never mind that! Isn¡¯t it better to find a man who truly loves me? Why should I marry one who doesn¡¯t?¡± Cecelia swung open the car door, no longer willing to listen to him, not even for a second further. Only when she entered the mansion and stepped into the living room did she see that Sophie was still waiting for her there. Sophie was the person who understood her best in the entire world, and she had nothing to hide before her. ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± Sophie hugged her tightly. At such a time, any words offort would appear superfluous. For that reason, she said nothing at all. ¡°Okay, go to sleep. You have to wake up early tomorrow to get your makeup done.¡± It¡¯ll be a tiring day tomorrow. A nce at the time showed that it was already half past eleven. Sophie needed to wake around five o¡¯clock the following morning, so she went to bed after leading Cecelia to her room. She had no idea how others felt when they were going to get married, but she had always been looking forward to that day. As she was getting married tomorrow, she was so excited at that moment that sleep eluded her. She had always been calm and unruffled, especially after so many things had happened. No matter what she faced, she remained generallyposed. Right then, however, she was really psyched. Likewise, Tristan remained wide awake at the Lombard residence. His dream was going toe true tomorrow, and he still found it too good to be true. Felix did not go home either that day. He was one of the groomsmen, so he decided to stay at the Lombard residence. At the sight of Tristan on pins and needles, he could not help bursting intoughter. He walked over and plopped down across from the man. Copyright by N?v/elDrama.Org. ¡°Why are you not sleeping at this hour, Mr. Tristan? Even now, there are only a few hours left. Can you be in tip-top shape tomorrow?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not that I don¡¯t want to sleep, but I can¡¯t. Truthfully, things have been smooth sailing for me in my entire life. No matter what I want, I can always obtain it effortlessly. But then, Sophie is the person I care about most.¡± Honest to God, she¡¯s the only thing I¡¯m most concerned about. Everything else doesn¡¯t matter. ¡°Yeah, we can all see that.¡± How could we possibly fail to perceive that? She¡¯s utterly precious to him, and no one is allowed to touch or offend her! Chapter 1011 Wedding Finery Chapter 1011 Wedding Finery ¡°To be honest, I still find things surreal, even now.¡± A grin adorned Tristan¡¯s face. ¡°It¡¯s real, Tristan. You¡¯re really marrying Sophie very soon. On top of that, the two of you will live happily ever after,¡± Felix assured. ¡°Yeah. Go on and hit the sack. I reckon I won¡¯t be able to sleep for the entire night.¡± Tristan did not want to go to bed. How I wish tomorrowes right away! Then, I can go and pick my beautiful bride up! ¡°I¡¯ll keep youpany, then.¡± We¡¯re friends who grew up together, so I should stay by his side now, no? ¡°Come, let¡¯s have a drink!¡± Feeling that it did not matter to imbibe for a bit, Tristan poured Felix a ss of red wine. ¡°Why don¡¯t you give Sophie a call? Perhaps she¡¯s also no better than you, so excited that she can¡¯t sleep!¡± Since he¡¯s already bubbling with eagerness, he might as well phone her. Tristan shook his head. ¡°What if she¡¯s already asleep? I don¡¯t want to disrupt her rest.¡± Never had Felix seen the man in his current state. He¡¯s a man with absolute authority and influence in Jipsdale! Everyone who offends him will find themselves in dire straits. Yet, he¡¯s now acting like a kid. Love can truly change a person. Who would¡¯ve imagined that the cold and aloof Mr. Tristan would turn into his present self after meeting the person destined for him? That night, there was another person who could not sleep. It was none other than William. No sooner had he dozed off than he dreamed of his deceased wife. In his dream, she still appeared to be around thirty years old. She wore a white floral dress, looking as lovely as ever. On the contrary, he was already old. Neither of them spoke, merely gazing at each other with tears streaming down their faces. When he woke up, he could not sleep anymore. All his life, he had loved his wife deeply and irrevocably. As for their children, he had also tried his best to fulfill his responsibilities as a father. He felt that his life was worth living. His only regret was his inability to grow old with his wife. If there were a next lifetime, he still wanted to meet and love her. ncing at the time, he saw that it was gettingte. Since he could not sleep, he draped a shirt over himself and got up. At Sophie¡¯s mansion, the top-notch makeup artists and stylists arrived at five o¡¯clock on the dot. Sophie had only fallen asleep at a little over three o¡¯clock. After being dragged out of bed, she kept yawning in the chair. Nheless, her makeup artist and stylist had already gotten to work. She had good looks in the first ce, but the primary aspect of a traditional wedding was the hairstyle. By then, the hair stylist had started braiding and styling her hair. Ysabelle, Cecelia, and Georgina had alsoe over. Arius had personally driven Georgina there. After doing so, he had to go to Tristan¡¯s ce. Then, he would head back alongside the groom¡¯s party to pick the bride up. Cecelia didn¡¯t sleep wellst night either. Whenever she thought of the events that had transpired between her and Sean, irritation swamped her. Never had she been a person who dragged things out. Yet, she could not even recognize herself at present. She downright loathed her current self. s, there was nothing she could do about it. ¡°Didn¡¯t you sleepst night, Cecelia? Why are there prominent dark circles under your eyes?¡± Ysabelle asked in concern upon noticing her condition.. Cecelia stared at herself in the mirror. Oh well, matters of the heart are really out of one¡¯s control. ¡°I¡¯m fine. Perhaps I¡¯ve been under too much pressure at work recently.¡± She did not borate on her matter. It was Sophie¡¯s wedding that day, so she felt that there was no need to be unhappy because of her. All she wanted was to see Sophie well. Everything else did not matter anymore. Georgina simrly cast a look at Cecelia. Hmm, for some reason, I find that something is off with her lately. ¡°Do you have a boyfriend, Ms. Lance?¡± Cecelia was slightly taken aback. ¡°Nope. I¡¯ve always been single!¡± ¡°Oh, then I might have been mistaken.¡± She appears to be pregnant. But I¡¯m not all that close with her, and she has already denied having a boyfriend. Wouldn¡¯t it be inappropriate if I were to continue pursuing the subject? As it was a traditional wedding, all three of them who were bridesmaids also wore the corresponding bridesmaid dresses. They all had striking looks, especially Ysabelle and Cecelia. Each of them was beautiful in their own right. Coupled with their attires, they looked as if they had traveled to the future from ancient times. ¡°Such dress suits you perfectly, Ms. Lance! Won¡¯t you consider filming a television series?¡± The makeup artist was Cecelia¡¯s fan, and she was seized by the urge to shriek in excitement to see her dressed in such a manner. ¡°I don¡¯t have such ns for the time being.¡± Right then, Cecelia was mainly focused on filming movies. The duration for filming a television series was too long, and she was unused to it. ¡°All right, shall we go and see how Sophie is doing?¡± Sophie is the protagonist today! ¡°Sure! I¡¯m also looking forward to seeing her. I heard that her wedding gown cost eight figures.¡± It¡¯s just a wedding, but the expenses are sky-high! When the threedies arrived at Sophie¡¯s room, Sophie was all ready, having changed and her makeup done. She merely sat there quietly. Nheless, she could steal one¡¯s heart away. If she had been born in ancient times with such a stunning countenance, the king would have certainly taken a fancy to her. ¡°Sophie, you¡­ are simply gorgeous! I¡¯ve never seen such a beautiful bride!¡± Ysabelle eximed. Cecelia bobbed her head in agreement. ¡°You¡¯d definitely shoot to stardom if you were to star in a fantasy drama with an ancient setting considering your looks.¡± With such a countenance, she¡¯d have countless fans! Likewise, Georgina nodded fervently. Yeah, she¡¯s beautiful, a veritable bombshell! Indeed, Sophie was the most beautiful bride they had ever seen. The phoenix on the red wedding gown on her was realistic to the point of being lifelike. Nevertheless, she had no problems pulling it off. ¡°See? I told you such traditional dress suits you perfectly!¡± the few makeup artists said jubntly. While the bride is stunning herself, and we merely entuated her beauty, she¡¯s still our masterpiece no matter what. Is that not so? Copyright by N?v/elDrama.Org. ¡°If Uncle Tristan were to see you-tsk, tsk!¡± Despite being a girl, even I am besotted by her beauty, much less Uncle Tristan! ¡°What time is it now?¡± It was also Sophie¡¯s first time seeing herself so beautiful. Regretfully, there was a price to be paid, for such a makeover took more than two hours. ¡°A little over seven o¡¯clock.¡± ¡°In that case, it¡¯s almost time. Stay still, Ms. Tanner. There¡¯s still a final step and that is cing the tiara on you. The assistant took out the tiara. The moment Ceceliaid eyes on it, her jaw dropped in astonishment. Oh my God, she¡¯s practically wearing a mansion on her head! The tiara was a sight to behold. Georgina went green with envy. ¡°Mr. Tristan is truly good to you, Sophie. He loves you beyond words.¡± Mr. Tristan has really expended a lot of effort on the wedding this time. Otherwise, he wouldn¡¯t have prepared all this. ¡°Yeah, he has always been good to me, and I¡¯ve always known that.¡± How lucky am I to meet him! It¡¯s not the amount of money he spent on me but all this thought he put in! Chapter 1012 Never Catch Up Chapter 1012 Never Catch Up ¡°You¡¯re so lucky.¡± It was not Sophie¡¯s intention to be ostentatious, but everything about her incurred the envy of all who beheld her. Her romantic life makes me so jealous. The hairdresser secured the tiara atop Sophie¡¯s head. ¡°It¡¯s all done, Ms. Tanner. If there is anything that is not up to your satisfaction, please let us know.¡± They had been hired to do her makeup at great expense. They were expected to do a good job and would not be worth their fee otherwise. ¡°I¡¯m happy with everything. Go take a break. I will let you know if there¡¯s anything else I need.¡± The stylists must be exhausted after getting up early today. ¡°All right, Ms. Tanner. We¡¯ll check in on youter.¡± The group of stylists went next door to get some rest. Morgan was busy receiving their guests. He came over to Sophie¡¯s bedroom when he had the chance to and could not stop the tears brimming in his eyes upon seeing her with her makeup done. If Old Mr. Tanner is still around, he will be so happy to see this. When Sophie saw Morgan, she stood up and walked up to him. ¡°Don¡¯t cry, Morgan! Aren¡¯t you happy for me?¡± Sophie knew very well why her butler was in tears. And because she knew, she felt awful. ¡°Yes, Ms. Sophie. I¡¯m sure your grandfather, bless his soul, would be so happy to see you now. Ms. Sophie has always been capable. She deserves all the happiness she has. She has endured much suffering, but things are better now. ¡°Mrs. Tanner should be¡­¡± He trailed off. It¡¯s her daughter¡¯s wedding. Why isn¡¯t she here yet? Anyway, it¡¯s Ms. Sophie¡¯s big day today. I don¡¯t want to think about those people. ¡°You¡¯re not young anymore, Morgan. Take it easy. There are plenty of others to help out.¡± Being at the age that he is, he¡¯ll wear himself out if he keeps this up. ¡°I¡¯m fine, Ms. Sophie. It¡¯s my honor to serve you.¡± It¡¯s better than not achieving anything, anyway. I prefer my days to be spent meaningfully. Just then, the Wheelers arrived. As soon as Sunny saw Sophie with her makeup done, he leaned toward Mark. ¡°I¡¯m not exaggerating, Mark, but even if the popr celebrities of the entertainment industry were here, they would not hold a candle against Sophie.¡± Mark was simrly stunned. Indeed, I¡¯ve never seen Sophie like this. She was so breathtakingly beautiful that some of them forgot to breathe. ¡°You are stunning, Sophie,¡± Sunnyplimented her candidly. ¡°Thank you.¡± Sophie was not used to looking like that. ¡°You really are beautiful. Mr. Tristan is a very lucky man.¡± Isn¡¯t he not for having a woman as beautiful as Sophie? Caleb arrived right then. Following behind him were Charmaine and Willow. It was Charmaine¡¯s first time at that mansion. She was bbergasted upon finding out that it belonged to Sophie. This house is even nicer than the Tanner residence. ¡°Is Tanner Group doing that well?¡± Charmaine received dividends every month, but she had never imagined that Sophie could afford a house like that. ¡°It¡¯s Sophie¡¯s big day today, Mom. Why are you talking about these things?¡± Regardless of its profitability, Tanner Group¡¯s financial performance was a coborative effort among all its employees. Willow clenched her fists. At this point, Sophie is so far ahead that I¡¯ll never catch up. Even more so now that she¡¯s marrying Tristan. Her heart burned with envy, but there was no longer anything she could do. What an awful feeling! ¡°All right, we should go see Soph. I should havee earlier to lend a hand, but somethin came up at the research institute.¡± Caleb was frustrated at not being able to make it earlier. The trio entered Sophie¡¯s room. Willow did not want toe but somehow found herself tagging along. She wanted to see how well Sophie was doing. Upon seeing the tiara on her sister¡¯s head and the wedding gown she wore, Willow felt another blow to her self-esteem. It¡¯s too big a gap. Sophie is living my dream, and she attained it so easily. I will never achieve all of th for as long as I live. Charmaine was simrly shocked. Everything Sophie had was what every woman coveted. They were all mesmerizing, lofty ideals. ¡°We¡¯re here, Soph. Is there anything we can do to help? If there isn¡¯t, I¡¯ll go help Morgan. Look at how hard he¡¯s working all on his own. I¡¯m worried about his health.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t need any help here, Caleb. You go help Morgan.¡± Morgan was, after all, advanced in years. With that many guests at the mansion that day, it would be exhausting for him to entertain all of them on his own. ¡°All right. Then you¡¯ll¡­¡± Caleb was a little worried about Charmaine and Willow causing trouble. ¡°Go on. I know what day it is. I won¡¯t cause any trouble.¡± Charmaine knew what Caleb was worried about, but it was Sophie¡¯s wedding day, and Tristan was the groom. No amount of courage would induce her to cause any trouble. R¨ºAdt??St chapters at Novel(D)ra/ma.Org Only Caleb gave ugly, a grunt of assent before departing. We¡¯re family. Surely it isn¡¯t necessary to make things Ysabelle nced at Willow beside her and noticed the scowl thetter was wearing. The nerve of her toe. But she looks like the one who has been suffering all along. She wants to pick a fight with Sophie, but she can¡¯t do so. ¡°I wish you well, Sophie.¡± Charmaine felt remorseful for the past as she gazed at her daughter who was about to be married. I was too biased. If I hadn¡¯t been, things might not have turned out the way they did. Charmaine took out a box from her purse. ¡°Your grandmother left me this long ago and now I¡¯m giving it to you.¡± She did not prepare gift, but that item was left to her by her mother. She was certain Sophie would like it. Sure enough, Sophie epted it when she heard it was something her grandmother left behind. ¡°Thank you. Their rtionship was already strained. Sophie did not know how to speak to her mother. ¡°Mm. I¡¯ll head out for a look.¡± Charmaine did not wish to remain, either. She felt like a fish out of water. She was about to leave but upon seeing Willow still standing there, she gave her a shove. ¡°Let¡¯s go outside, Wi,¡± Charmaine said, aware that Willow and Sophie would never go back to the way things were. Chapter 1013 Tests Chapter 1013 Tests Regaining herposure, Willow left with Charmaine Willow felt a stabbing pain in her heart as she looked around the mansion. I will never have the chance. A life of luxury is bing further and further away out of reach ¡°My life ahead is ruined, Mom. I will never be able to find happiness.¡± This feels awful, but what else can I do? ¡°Marrying a rich man isn¡¯t as wonderful as you think it is, Wi. Look at me. I gave up everything to marry your father, and look what happened. At the thought of bearing Yale three children yet still ending up that way, Charmaine felt that her life was particrly unworthy. ¡°But Sophie has such a good life!¡± Sophie in her wedding gown is an enviable sight. ¡°I only realized this at my age. Wi. A woman can only rely on herself.¡± Sophie is formidable. With her at its helm, Tanner Group has prospered. Tristan would not want Sophie if she knew nothing. Willow was not in the mood to hear all of that. Perhaps today is an opportunity to meet some of Sophie¡¯s high- profile acquaintances. I only need totch on to one to be set for life. Charmaine did not know what she was thinking. Feeling tired, she headed to the living room to sit down. I¡¯m here for Sophie¡¯s wedding, but I don¡¯t know what to say to her Yale came afterward, alone. He saw Charmaine but did not say anything. Although he could forgive her for costing him a child, he no longer felt anything for her. In any case, the whole family made it. Concerned that his parents might make a scene, Caleb kept a watchful eye on them both. Fortunately, they ignored each other with no intention of quarreling. The entourage pulled up at Sophie¡¯s mansion at eight. It consisted of sixteen cars, all of them white Porsche Cayennes. The most interesting detail, however, was the sequential license tes ¡°They¡¯re here, Sophie!¡± Ysabelle eximed when she heard them. Cecelia dashed across the room to shut the door. We¡¯re not going to make it easy for him to marry our Sophiel Georgina ran to the windows to ascertain the situation with the groom and his party Tristan and three groomsmen had entered the mansion. Behind them was arge group of youngsters who were all rich heirs in Jipsdale. However, Georgina caught sight of Arius, who was d in his tuxedo of a groomsman. My man stands out even in this group of handsome men Heill so handsome As if sensing her gaze, Arius looked up and saw the beautiful Georgina before the windows His heart skipped a beat. ¡°Are you nervous, Sophie?¡± Ysabelle began to grow nervous. ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± She had been waiting for him, and he had arrived atst. Her happiness was written all over her face. Not long after, a knock came on the door. ¡°I¡¯m here, Sophie.¡± When Tristan announced his arrival, he felt strangely nervous. He was never nervous, yet he was on his wedding day. ¡°You will have to pass some tests before you can marry Sophie, Mr. Tristan!¡± Cecelia announced gleefully. We¡¯re not going to just let him take her away! ¡°Very well. We¡¯ll get through them no matter how many tests stand in our way.¡± Tristan answered confidently. ¡°All right, listen up.¡± Cecelia cleared her throat. ¡°What does Sophie like the most?¡± ¡°She likes me the most,¡± Tristan replied without hesitation. Inside the room, Cecelia rolled her eyes. How conceited is this guy? She turned to nce at Sophie, who nodded. What kind of answer is that? However, since Sophie has said that¡¯s the right answer, who are we to say otherwise? ¡°Fine. You get a point.¡± That¡¯s true. He¡¯s the one she loves the most. Why would she marry him if she was not as fond of him as she imed? ¡°Second question, when was your first kiss with Sophie?¡± The question incited excitement on both sides of the door. They were all very interested in questions of that nature. After a prolonged silence, Felix, Sean, and Arius thought he had forgotten. ¡°You can¡¯t drop the ball at this point, Mr. Tristan. Women care about these details more than anything.¡± Women are most fond of celebrating these strange milestones ¡°How could I possibly forget? I remember everything about her. October thirteenth, seven twenty-five in the evening.¡± Tristan provided his answer in painstaking detail. Cecelia was rendered speechless. Seriously? Does he actually remember it or is he bluffing? Cecelia nced at Sophie. ¡°Was that right?¡± They did not know the answer. Besides, they had prepared the questions ahead of time without telling Sophic. ¡°I don¡¯t remember that.¡± Ysabelle was rendered speechless. Cecelia chided, ¡°How could you, as a woman, forget that? But then again, this answer is typical of you, Sophie.¡± After that, Tristan could answer every question Cecelia threw at him as long as it pertained to Sophic. Furthermore, they were very detailed. What an amazing man Mr. Tristan is. He can remember so many details. He must love this woman to bits. For the next round, Mr. Tristan, show us how sincere you are to Sophie. You can pass the mary gifts hrbrough the bottom of the door.¡± Nowes the main event. We¡¯re not going to go easy on him. Mr. Tristan has lee toponkets, doesn¡¯t he? dorerzine was stunned when she saw the bank card pushed through the crack at the bottom of the door. ich phopinge go all out, don¡¯t they? The envelope contained bank cards. That was something not expect. Cecelia¡¯s image twitched. Very well, then. This tactic doesn¡¯t work She nced abobout the room at the others. Ysabelle looked especial R¨ºAdt??St chapters at Novel(D)ra/ma.Org Only Does my unciu leddok hike someone who¡¯s short of money? Since he handed is well keep hehrin After the wedding, we¡¯re going on a shopping spree.¡± What do we dochton Les him int Cecelia was a little dissatisfied. Georgina noddeded. Let him in. It¡¯s almosottire. Where are the shoes Are they hidden? Even if we let him in, we won¡¯t make it easy for him to take her way. Chapter 1014 Wedding Shoes Chapter 1014 Wedding Shoes Georgina hid the wedding shoes at once before opening the door. The moment she opened the door, she saw Tristan standing outside in his wedding suit. Tristan was a handsome man. He looked utterly dashing regardless of what he wore. At that moment, Tristan only had his eyes on his bride. Sophie was sitting on the bed in a room that had already been decorated. His breath was taken away when he saw Sophie. ¡°Sophie is beautiful, isn¡¯t she, Uncle Tristan? In fact, she has to be the most beautiful bride ever,¡± Ysabelle said. The Lombard family has powerful genes, our future generation will be more beautiful than thest. ¡°Yes, she¡¯s gorgeous. She¡¯s breathtaking.¡± Tristan couldn¡¯t take his eyes off Sophie. ¡°That¡¯s a given! Sophie has to be the prettiest girl in Jipsdale!¡± Sophie is definitely the prettiest girl in the entire city! ¡°Mr. Tristan, we all know how much you love Sophie. Since it¡¯s your wedding day, perhaps you should sing Sophie a song to express your love for her!¡± Cecelia continued making things difficult for him. ¡°Let¡¯s hear it!¡± Ysabelle, the lovesick girl, eximed. Uncle Tristan has an amazing voice! He must sound incredible when he sings! Sophie watched as Tristan walked up to her. Her heart had been racing wildly the second she saw him. I¡¯m getting married to him today. I¡¯m getting married to the man I love the most. We¡¯ll be happily married from today onward! ? N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved. As everyone was looking forward to hearing Tristan sing, he went on to sing an Ustranasion song that Sophie loved. She liked the lyrics. Needless to say, Tristan sounded incredible. When he sang, everyone at the scene went quiet as they were immersed in his performance. ¡°It seems that one has to be talented to get married nowadays!¡± Charles uttered emotionally. It takes a lot to get married! Felix nodded and chimed in, ¡°I must learn to sing a few songs when I get back. Ysabelle is a singer. When we get married, I can¡¯t afford to embarrass her.¡± Charles was rendered speechless. Why is he so easily swayed? He can¡¯t wait to get married, can he? But after seeing Mr. Tristan today, I¡¯m eager to get married as well. Unfortunately, I never found the right person. Is it because I¡¯ve been going after someone¡¯s looks instead of personality? After Tristan was done singing, he looked at Sophie passionately and promised, ¡°Marry me, Sophie. From now on, I¡¯ll treat you even better!¡± Sophie¡¯s eyes were red with tears when she heard that. She didn¡¯t want to cry on her wedding day because she had never been one to tear up easily. However, she couldn¡¯t help it when she heard what he said. While holding back her tears, she nodded. Everyone in the room looked at the couple enviously. Right then, Cecelia jumped forward again. If I keep doing this, Mr. Tristan is going to kill me. But I¡¯m only carrying out my duties! ¡°Mr. Tristan, there¡¯s onest thing you need to do! You need to find the bride¡¯s wedding shoes!¡± Cecelia wasn¡¯t afraid of Tristan because she was Sophie¡¯s best friend. Mr. Tristan wouldn¡¯t darey a finger on me! Tristan nced at the groomsmen. ¡°Go on!¡± he ordered. What are these guys waiting for? Exasperated, those three groomsmen went on to find the wedding shoes. It was definitely interesting to watch the men looking for a pair of shoes. Tristan found the shoes within a minute, and he got down on one knee to help his bride put them on. No matter what the future holds for us, we¡¯ll be together. Cecelia was so touched that her eyes turned red as well. Caleb was also standing nearby. ording to their family customs, as the bride¡¯s brother, he was supposed to bring Sophie to the car, so he stepped forward. ¡°Soph, let me bring you to the car!¡± Caleb uttered. I haven¡¯t been the best brother to her, so I must carry out my duty and bring her to the car. Tristan had wanted to carry Sophie to the car himself, but he saw her nodding. He had no choice but to let Caleb do the honor. Caleb walked up to Sophie and scooped her up. Everyone followed. ¡°You must be happy, Soph,¡± Caleb said sincerely. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about me, Caleb! I will be happy!¡± Sophie replied. He really doesn¡¯t need to worry about me. When we were little, we were close. It¡¯s just that we grew apart as we grew older. ¡°Okay.¡± Caleb brought Sophie to the car. After that, Tristan got in and sat next to her, holding her hand. Sophie looked out the window to see Caleb, Charmaine, Yale, and Willow standing outside. From this moment on, whatever happened in the past doesn¡¯t mean anything anymore. What matters is the days Tristan and I will spend together in the future. ¡°Ms. Sophie, you must live happily ever after with Mr. Tristan, okay?¡± Morgan was also outside the car, and tears ran down his wrinkled face when he saw how blissful Sophic looked. Before Old Mr. Tanner passed away, he was worried about Ms. Sophie the most. Now that she¡¯s getting married, he can finally be at peace. ¡°I will, Morgan.¡± Sophie treated Morgan like her own family. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Morgan! From now on, I¡¯ll be by her side, and no one will dare to bully her.¡± Tristan shed Morgan a friendly smile. ¡°Thank you.¡± Yale, who was standing nearby, was slightly displeased. How could she treat a butler better than how she treats me? Wedding Shoes ¡°We should go now,¡± Tristan reminded. Sophie nodded in response. Willow watched as the wedding car disappeared into the distance. No one at the scene had ever seen a wedding as grand, so as soon as the wedding car left, everyone started talking about it. ¡°Ms. Sophie is incredible! She actually got married to Mr. Tristan!¡± ¡°Exactly! Everyone thought Mr. Tristan was just fooling around with her at first, but it seems that everyone was wrong! Mr. Tristan is deeply in love with her!¡± He must love her so much. Otherwise, why would he spend so much time and effort to give her such a grand wedding? Charmaine and Willow were listening to what others were saying. At that moment, Charmaine regretted how she had treated Sophie. She¡¯s my daughter. If I had treated her better, things wouldn¡¯t have been like this. Meanwhile, jealousy overwhelmed Willow. No matter how hard I work for the rest of my life, I¡¯ll never do as well as Sophie! ¡°Mom, I want to witness Sophie¡¯s wedding.¡± Willow wanted to attend the wedding to see if she could find herself a man there. This could be myst chance! After all, I¡¯m now Mr. Tristan¡¯s sister-inw! Chapter 1015 Happily Ever After Chapter 1015 Happily Ever After ¡°Why would you go there? Wi, stop having other thoughts. Find yourself an ordinary man and live a good life. That¡¯s the best one can hope for,¡± Charmaine replied. Not everyone has such good luck as Sophie. Caleb also tapped Willow on the shoulder and advised, ¡°Wi, your only job now is to study. Once you graduate from the university, find yourself a stable job.¡± Willow clenched her fists when she heard that. Now, everyone thinks I¡¯ll never do as well as Sophie! No one thinks I can marry into a wealthy family.¡± Willow was having a hard timeing to terms with that, and she couldn¡¯t ept the reality. Meanwhile, Tristan was holding Sophie¡¯s hand tightly in the wedding car. He was so happy that he couldn¡¯t stop smiling. ¡°Are you really that happy?¡± Naturally, Sophie was thrilled when she saw the look on his face. If he looks so happy, that means he loves me dearly! ¡°Yes. I¡¯m on cloud nine.¡± Cecelia, who was sitting in the passenger seat, was moved when she heard that. It¡¯s hard to meet the right person, but they¡¯ve done it! Now, they¡¯ll only have each other in their hearts and live happily ever after. Their love for each other is wonderful! Cecelia was beaming when she saw how happy Sophie was, Sophie deserves all the happiness in the world. Finally, the wedding car arrived at the Lombard residence. The Lombard residence was extensively renovated and decorated for their wedding. By then, all the members of the Lombard family had arrived, and they were all eager to catch a glimpse of the bride. Tristan stepped out of the car the moment the car came to a halt. Since his wife had already passed on, William came out of the residence himself. When he saw Sophie, he was moved. Right then, the butler passed William the mary gift he had prepared earlier. William wanted to give it to Sophie personally. ¡°Wee to our family, Sophie. I hope you¡¯ll be happy with Tristan for the rest of your life.¡± ¡°Thanks, Dad!¡± Sophie epted the mary gift. Evidently, William had changed, for he did not like Sophie at first. Tristan opened the door and carried Sophie out of the car. Sophie was skinny, but her wedding dress was heavy because the details on it were embroidered by hand. ¡°Am I not heavy today?¡± Sophie asked, wrapping her arms around his neck. With my tiara and wedding dress, I must weigh over a hundred pounds! ¡°Not at all. I can carry you with ease.¡± Tristan smiled in amusement. I can¡¯t possibly let her walk on her own! Those three pairs of bridesmaids and groomsmen were also smiling brightly. He carried her even before we told him to. The groom sure knows what to do! He¡¯s the best husband one can hope for! Still, why would Mr. Tristan have a problem carrying a woman? He¡¯s a strong man! With the groomsmen and bridesmaids following closely behind, Tristan carried his bride straight to their room. The couple¡¯s wedding adhered to traditional wedding customs, so themon rituals were carried out. shortly after. Obviously, it was a heartwarming sight. The wedding reception was held in a hotel that evening. Sophie had a moment to rest right before the wedding reception started. A lot of the guests wanted to enter the room to see the bride, but with Tristan there, no one dared to do as they wished. The bridesmaids and groomsmen read the room and promptly exited, leaving the couple alone. Finally, she¡¯s now my bride. Everything felt surreal to Tristan. ¡°Sophie, we¡¯ll live happily ever after, right? I really feel very happy today.¡± We¡¯ll have no problem spending the rest of our lives together. Although he didn¡¯t sleep the night before, he was pumped on his wedding day. ¡°Come here,¡± Sophie said. Why does he keep standing there? Tristan walked up to her and sat beside her. ¡°Are you tired? Do you want to take a nap? We have a wedding reception to go throughter.¡± Having a wedding is tiring, but getting married to someone I love is joyful. Sophie leaned on his shoulder. ¡°You should get some rest too! You didn¡¯t sleepst night, did you?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t. I was too excited!¡± Tristan didn¡¯t have to hide his feelings in front of Sophie. ¡°You¡¯re so silly. Why didn¡¯t you sleep? I¡¯m not going to run away.¡± ¡°I wasn¡¯t worried about you running away. I couldn¡¯t sleep because I was too excited.¡± ¡°In that case, you should get some rest.¡± ¡°I still need to entertain our guests.¡± It¡¯s my wedding day today. We¡¯re surrounded by so many friends and family members. I can¡¯t stay inside here. ¡°Take a nap for half an hour. Don¡¯t we have Lincoln and Sarah out there? They can help us entertain our guests. We don¡¯t need to worry about our guests, do we? ¡°You want me to stay here with you, huh? Be honest with me, Sophie. Do you have any worries about marrying me?¡± Tristan smiled affectionately. She¡¯s only twenty-one, and she¡¯s already marrying me! ¡°What¡¯s there to worry about? I¡¯m thrilled to marry you. I¡¯m serious, so don¡¯t overthink.¡± ¡°All right.¡± As Sophie was in her wedding dress with a tiara on, she couldn¡¯t lie down. ¡°Are you not going to take a nap?¡± Tristan asked. She woke up early to apply makeup and get ready. Although she looks amazing, she must be exhausted! ¡°Do you want me to remove the tiara?¡± She can¡¯t sleep with the tiara on her head. Sophie shook her head in response. ¡°It¡¯s all right. We have a lot of guests around, so some of them will want to see meter. I can¡¯t mess up my hair.¡± Sophie usually wouldn¡¯t care about such things, but it was her special day. She didn¡¯t want to look disheveled. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about that and go to sleep. I won¡¯t let anyone in,¡± Tristan said. No one can disturb her without my approval. ¡°No. You shouldn¡¯t get angry today. We¡¯re only going through this once in our lives. I¡¯m really not tired.¡± How can I fall asleep in peace at a time like this? ¡°All right, then! Lean on me for a while.¡± Tristan closed his eyes. Although he couldn¡¯t fall asleep, he wanted to keep herpany. ? N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved. ¡°Mm.¡± Tristan stayed in the room with Sophie until someone came knocking on the door. It was Lincoln. ¡°You shoulde out and entertain the guests. They are all our rtives.¡± No one but Lincoln would dare to make such a request. Chapter 1016 The Wedding 1 Chapter 1016 The Wedding 1 ¡°Okay, I understand. You can head down first. I¡¯ll join you shortly.¡± Tristan always respected Lincoln¡¯s decisions because he held him in high regard. ¡°Hurry up. Quit dawdling!¡± Lincoln said before descending the stairs. He had been greeting the guests downstairs, as it was his duty to do so. After all, it was his brother¡¯s wedding. However, Tristan could not stay hidden from the guests. When Sophie observed his reluctant return, she shed a wide grin. ¡°All right, I know you¡¯re busy today. There¡¯s no need for you to stay here with me.¡± The bride often has a rtively easier time aspared to the groom. ¡°Okay, remember to give me a call if you need anything. I¡¯ll bring it to you right away. Oh, by the way, I¡¯ve arranged some food for you. Remember to eatter.¡± Sophie probably hasn¡¯t had breakfast yet. She must be feeling hungry. ¡°Okay! You should hurry on!¡± She was aware that Lincoln hade upstairs to search for Tristan earlier, and it wouldn¡¯t be appropriate for him to stay in the room any longer. ¡°Okay.¡± After Tristan left, the three bridesmaids entered the room to keep herpany. Even on this busy day, Lincoln made sure to order food for Sophie as he didn¡¯t want her to go hungry. ¡°Sophie, are you hungry? There¡¯s plenty of delicious food here. You should eat some,¡± Ysabelle said as she brought the food over. When Cecelia saw that Sophie was dressed in a way that made it inconvenient for her to eat, she offered to feed her friend. ¡°Make sure you eat your fill. You need to conserve your energy for the wedding ceremony tonight and consummate your marriage afterward.¡± Tristan had been waiting for this day for a long time. They were unlikely to see much of Sophie for the whole of next week. Sophie blushed at the mention of consummating their marriage. Tristan has been waiting for this day for a long time, but he should be too tired to do anything today. Even though Ysabelle had already eaten earlier, she decided to eat again to keep Sophiepany. ¡°That¡¯s right, Sophie. You should eat more so that you have the strength to battle tonight.¡± Normally, no one would have dared to provoke Tristan, but it seemed that these people wouldn¡¯t let him off the hook so easily that day. Sophie felt full after eating a small portion. ¡°Have you all had your meals? Georgina, have you eaten?¡± She was concerned about the woman¡¯s introverted nature and wanted to ensure she was well taken care of. Georgina smiled and replied, ¡°Don¡¯t worry about me. I¡¯ve already eaten Sophie was a warm-hearted person who tried her best to care for everyone around her. ¡°How could Arius possibly let her go hungry? He takes care of her so well!¡± Cecelia said enviously. Everyone seemed to be in pairs, except for her. She was still alone. However, there was nothing she could do about it. Her destiny had not yet arrived. They continued chatting in the room. With her three bridesmaids¡¯pany, Sophie didn¡¯t feel bored. Shortly after, a group of children from the rtives¡¯ families arrived, eager to receive the wedding candies. Sophie stood up and fetch the treats for them.. Even though they came from affluent families, they were still children at heart. They were excited to receive the candies. Furthermore, the young girls were mesmerized by Sophie¡¯s beauty and refused to leave. ¡°Mommy, she¡¯s so beautiful. Will I be as pretty as her when I grow up?¡± ¡°Mommy, I don¡¯t want to go outside. Can I stay here? I want to keep gazing at the fairy.¡± Some of the children refused the leave. They wanted to stay and watch the beautiful bride. ¡°Ms. Tanner, I apologize for their behavior. They are immature kids.¡± ¡°It¡¯s all right. I¡¯m d they like me. They can stay here if they wish to.¡± Sophie replied, pleased with the children¡¯spany. The little girls were all beautiful and well-behaved. ¡°We¡¯re really sorry.¡± Despite their mothers¡¯ embarrassment over their children¡¯s behavior, they had no other option but to let them stay as the little ones adamantly refused to leave. The wedding was held at a hotel in the evening. The wedding nningpany had finished the preparations, and all the guests had arrived at the venue. Caleb naturally had to turn up for the wedding. As he was getting ready to leave, Willow promptly stood ¡°Caleb, can I go with you? Don¡¯t worry. I won¡¯t cause any trouble,¡± she pleaded. After all, she did not have the courage to disrupt such an important asion. It was Tristan¡¯s wedding. She just wanted to attend the event. ¡°All right! Mom, you should go too! It¡¯s Sophie¡¯s wedding. We shouldn¡¯t give others a chance to speak ill of us,¡± Caleb suggested. As a family, it was only fitting for them to be present on such an important day. Charmaine nodded in agreement. Of course! How can I possibly miss my daughter¡¯s wedding? Once Sophie is married to Tristan, our standing in the social circle will undoubtedly rise. I can¡¯t afford to miss such a momentous asion. Willow finally managed to attend the wedding as she wished. When they arrived, Mark and the rest were already present. He merely nodded to acknowledge their presence. Copyright by N?v/elDrama.Org. Even though he wasn¡¯t very familiar with Sophie¡¯s family, he knew their rtionship was strained. Meanwhile, Sophie had sent someone to escort Morgan to the hotel. When Morgan arrived, he saw Caleb and the others. He knew that Willow and Charmaine didn¡¯t like him so he didn¡¯t bother approaching them. There was no need to seek unnecessary trouble. However, Caleb took the initiative to approach him. ¡°Morgan, why don¡¯t you join us at our table?¡± Since most of the attendees were Tristan¡¯s rtives and friends, it might be awkward for Morgan to sit alone with them. ¡°Sure, Mr. Tanner.¡± Morgan didn¡¯t refuse the offer. After all, he was there to witness Sophie¡¯s joyous union. Sitting at any table wouldn¡¯t make much difference to him. The venue for the wedding was the most prestigious hotel in the city. It was renowned for its exclusivity, often requiring reservations at least one month in advance. Tristan had reserved the entire ce for this special asion and transformed it into a stunning setting for the grand celebration. The hotel, having received a substantial payment, was more than willing to cater to the event¡¯s needs. Every corner was adorned with colorful decorations that created a festive atmosphere. The guests present at the event were all affluent and influential individuals. ess to the venue was strictly reserved for those with invitations. Caleb brought Willow and Charmaine along, while Morgan had his own invitation. In fact, Sophie had personally handed Morgan his invitation. She was indeed a kind-hearted woman. As they entered the hotel, Charmaine couldn¡¯t help but feel the stark contrast between her own social standing and the upper ss. She had always thought the Tanner family did not truly belong to the upper ss. It was at this moment that she gained a profound understanding of what it truly meant to be part of the elite social circle. Chapter 1017 The Wedding 2 Chapter 1017 The Wedding 2 Willow stood in awe as she had never seen such extravagance before. It allowed her to understand what it truly meant to be in the elite social circle. The stark contrast to her previous illusions about the Tanner family¡¯s status left her feeling insignificant and humbled. Meanwhile, William and his family had also arrived at the venue. As soon as he noticed Caleb and his family, he went over to greet them. Despite everything, they were still Sophie¡¯s family. It was important to be respectful. ¡°Please,e in and take a seat! Sophie and the others will join us shortly. Let us take our seats.¡± William graciously guided them to the main table. It was a gesture that emphasized their importance. Morgan hesitated to sit when he saw the reserved spot was at the main table. As a mere servant, he felt it inappropriate for him to upy such a position of prominence. ¡°Mr. Tanner, I¡¯ll sit over there instead. I don¡¯t think it¡¯s appropriate for me to sit here,¡± he whispered. Charmaine chose to remain silent, but deep down, she shared the same sentiment as Morgan, She didn¡¯t think it was appropriate for the butler to upy such an important seat. However, Caleb shook his head. ¡°Morgan, Sophie must want you to sit here. You represent Grandpa,¡± he insisted, fully aware of his sister¡¯s deep respect for Josiah. The butler didn¡¯t argue further and epted the decision. *Please make yourselffortable here. I need to attend to the other guests,¡± said William. As one of the top aristocratic families in the city, the Lombards had drawn the attention of all the influential individuals in Jipsdale, who hade together to celebrate this momentous asion. As the patriarch of the Lombard family, William had many things to attend to. When Lincoln saw his father reappearing again, he urged, ¡°Dad, age is catching up on you. I¡¯ll take care of everything here. Please take a rest.¡± William waved his hand dismissively and said, ¡°I¡¯m fine, Lincoln. I¡¯m so happy today! Tristan is finally getting married!¡± Lincoln supported his father to a nearby resting area. ¡°All right, Dad. I know you are overjoyed, but you should be mindful of your health. Otherwise, how are you going to see your grandchildren in the future?¡± Now that Tristan and Sophie were married, it wouldn¡¯t be long before they had a child. William¡¯s smile widened as he assured, ¡°All right. Don¡¯t worry. I know what I¡¯m doing¡± ¡°Good that you know Just then, Sarah arrived and informed. ¡°Dad, the president has arrived. You should personally greet him¡± Given the rarity of the president attending social asions, it was only fining for William to personally receive the esteemed guest. The others could focus on greeting the remaining attendees ¡°The president? Why is he here?¡± William asked, his curiosity piqued. Although he had handed over a national treasure to the government, it seemed unlikely that the president would attend his son¡¯s wedding just because of that. ¡°It¡¯s because of Sophie.¡± Lincoln had insider knowledge because of his involvement in politics. The Lombard family was indeed lucky to have her. ¡°Ah, I see. That makes sense.¡± No matter how aplished Tristan was, being a businessman alone doesn¡¯t warrant the personal attendance of the president. However, it would be an entirely different matter if the president attended the wedding because of Sophie. She was a member of the Chanacan Medical Association and yed a crucial role in the virus incident. It made sense for the president to show up. ¡°All right, Sarah, stay here and take care of the guests. Lincoln and I will greet the president,¡± William instructed. As a politician, Lincoln should leverage this opportunity to leave a positive impression on the president. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Dad. I¡¯ll handle things out here. Go on!¡± Sarah was no stranger to grand asions, and despite the presence of influential figures from Jipsdale, she felt confident in managing the situation. Lincoln and William made their way to the room where the president was at. There were secret service agents stationed outside the room. However, they did not make things difficult for the duo. Instead, they allowed them to enter the room. R¨ºAdt??St chapters at Novel(D)ra/ma.Org Only ¡°Congrattions, Old Mr. Lombard!¡± the president greeted them with a warm smile. He attended the wedding to cultivate a favorable rtionship with Tristan and Sophie, so he had to set aside his esteemed status and act humbly. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect you to show up, Mr. President. But you have a special status. You might cause a commotion if you were to leave the room.¡± The Lombard family would find themselves in a precarious situation should any unfortunate incident befall the president during the wedding. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Old Mr. Lombard. I didn¡¯t want to miss the opportunity to congratte them. Both Tristan and Sophie have made remarkable contributions to our country. I¡¯m here to extend my best wishes.¡± Aware of the potential disruptions his public appearance might cause, the president had chosen to attend the wedding discreetly. ¡°I extend my sincere gratitude to you, Mr. President, on behalf of Tristan and Sophie,¡± William said humbly. ¡°Well, you go ahead and get busy. I will join the wedding festivitiester.¡± His presence alone held iminense significance, a testament to the honor bestowed upon the Lombard family. ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll make the arrangements. They would need to set up a separate table for the president since it wouldn¡¯t be appropriate to exclude him from the wedding ¡°Please, go ahead! I am here to partake in the joyous celebration just like everyone else. There¡¯s no need to give me any special attention,¡± the president said. ¡°No need to worry, Mr. President. We will ensure everything is taken care of.¡± The president is unlike other guests attending the wedding. After William and Lincoln departed, the president¡¯s secretary couldn¡¯t contain his curiosity any longer. ¡°May I ask, Mr. President, why did you personally attend this event? Your presence is sure to give rise to countless spections and rumors.¡± Even though he was the secretary, he did not understand why the president had chosen to attend the wedding. ¡°Sophie is a medical genius, while Tristan controls Chanaea¡¯s economy. It¡¯s only right for me to attend their wedding. He recognized the potential benefits of establishing close ties with them, as it would undoubtedly facilitate the advancement of his own work. The secretary pondered for a moment before asking, ¡°What should we do about the rumors?¡± After all, the president could not keep hiding in the room. ¡°That¡¯s where your task is. Everyone gathered here is wealthy and influential. It¡¯s imperative that you address any potential rumors and shut their mouths.¡± What rumors might emerge from my attendance? The secretary must strategize how to manage public perception and control the narrative. It isn¡¯t that challenging, right? Tristan¡¯s father had personally handed a national treasure to the government. The president¡¯s attendance at his son¡¯s wedding should not be seen as anything out of the ordinary or suspicious. ¡°I understand. I shall make the necessary arrangements,¡± the secretary replied, immediately understanding what the president meant. Right then, Tristan and Sophie¡¯s wedding car had arrived at the hotel. When Tristan lifted Sophie in his arms, she said, ¡°I can walk on my own.¡± She did not want to tire Tristan ¡°You¡¯re the bride. How can I let you walk?¡± Tristan insisted while carrying her to the presidential suite. The wedding was about tomence, and the makeup artists and hairstylists had arrived to touch up Sophie¡¯s makeup. Ysabelle and the rest were also getting their makeup done. Every girl wants to look beautiful on such a special day. Chapter 1018 The Wedding 3 Chapter 1018 The Wedding 3 When Tristan noticed that William hade over looking for him, he went out with his father. ¡°What¡¯s the matter, Dad? Are you tired? Go to your room and rest for a while if you are,¡± Tristan suggested, concerned. Dad has been busy all day! ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m fine! How can I possibly rest on a day like this? Oh, right! I came to tell you that the president is here in person.¡± William figured that Tristan was probably still unaware of it. He hade to notify him first to see if the latter had a better arrangement. Tristan furrowed his brows. ¡°What is he doing here at my wedding?¡± The president is utterly absurd. On a day like today, when Sophie and I are both busy, who has time to attend to his needs? ¡°What are you talking about? You can¡¯t let anyone hear that. It¡¯ll cause unnecessary misunderstandings.¡± No matter how powerful the Lombards were, they still had to show the president respect and act ordingly. ¡°All right, I got it. I¡¯ll make the arrangements.¡± Tristan could only go to one side. Bertram immediately came up to him after receiving his call. ¡°What¡¯s the matter, Mr. Tristan?¡± Today is Mr. Tristan¡¯s wedding day. I doubt anyone would dare toe and stir up trouble! The president is here. Follow him with a few bodyguards, and don¡¯t let anything happen to him,¡± Tristan instructed in frustration. ¡°The president is here too?¡± Bertram was a little nervous. He had never thought that he would be so close to the president one day. ¡°Be careful. Arrange a table for the president and keep an eye on his safety,¡± Tristan cautioned. It¡¯s a nuisance that he came. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Mr. Tristan. I will keep him safe. There won¡¯t be any problem,¡± Bertram assured. He would undoubtedly fulfill any task given to him. ¡°Go on, then.¡± Only after Bertram went over to make the necessary arrangements did he personally lead the bodyguards to greet the president. As a person who frequently appeared on television, the president was well-known in Chanaca As soon as he appeared, everyone present was dumbfounded. Even though everyone knew that the Lombard family was powerful, no one had anticipated the president to appear in person. Barney and the others came as well. The bigwigs arrived at the wedding one by one. Each person was more prominent than the one before them, making for a spectacr scene that left everyone dazzled. ¡°What¡¯s going on? What¡¯s the connection between the president and the Lombard family? Why did the presidente here in person?¡± ¡°Beats me! The Lombard family is indeed the most prestigious family in Jipsdale. The people showing up here astounds me, each of their social statuses more terrifying than the ones before them!¡± ¡°In any case, no one can offend the Lombard family in the future. Otherwise, they would be dead before they even realized it.¡± ¡°Exactly.¡± Mark and the others also showed up. Sunny found the discussions among the people amusing. ¡°Sophie is so awesome! Even the president came to her wedding in person!¡± Even though they were artists, the presence of Mark and the others on such an asion was not surprising at all. Caleb took a deep breath topose himself. Never in his wildest dreams did he expect to see those people on such an asion. Willow, on the other hand, clenched her fists tightly. Sophie is so lucky! All the girls in Jipsdale are envious of her now! This wedding is unprecedented. I can forget about surpassing her in this lifetime! Charmaine looked envious as well. Sophie has easily obtained what I desired. More importantly, Tristan loves her deeply and has never made her suffer in any way whatsoever. That alone is enough to make me envious. At that moment, beautiful music began to y, all performed live by aplished musicians on ssical instruments such as the harp and lute. Then, a regal-looking Tristan and a stunning Sophie appeared on the red carpet. They approached slowly. The three groomsmen and bridesmaids behind them were also eye-catching. All of them looked as if they had traveled from ancient times. Tristan and Sophie walked onto the stage, where a wedding officiant in traditional attire had also appeared. ¡°I now ask you to dere your marriage vows.¡± The two slowly turned to face one another and recited their vows. ¡°The couple will now seal their vows by exchanging rings.¡± William was overwhelmed with emotions when he saw that. Finally, after so long, the wait is over At that moment, Charmaine truly regretted not treating Sophie well previously. Aty status would have been different today¡­ ¡°I now pronounce you husband and wife!¡± Tristan was overjoyed. It just feels so different at this moment. Likewise, Sophie was all smiles. After the ceremony and countless blessings from the wedding officiant, it was time for the groom¡¯s father to give a speech. Even though William was no stranger to such grand asions, his heart still pounded as he stood in front of the microphone and took out the speech he had prepared in advance. He had spent his life guarding a love that had eventually extended to his three children. Truth be told, he had always been a very simple person. All he wanted was for them to be happy. ¡°Dear honored guests, thank you all for taking time out of your busy schedules to attend my son¡¯s wedding today¡­¡± His words resonated strongly, carrying the blessings of a father more than anything. Tristan¡¯s eyes reddened as he listened to his father¡¯s speech. He¡¯s really a good father. No matter what he does or the decisions he makes, he always has our best interests at heart. Sophie held Tristan¡¯s hand. She knew that William was a good father, and she considered herself extremely fortunate to have married into such a wonderful family. The Lombard family is very harmonious. I¡¯m looking forward to my married life. ¡°All right, thank you, everyone. I hope everyone is enjoying themselves here today.¡± After saying that, William put away his prepared speech and returned to his seat. He turned to look at the newlyweds with satisfaction. He was currently very satisfied with Sophie. ¡°Thank you to the groom¡¯s father for his speech. I wonder if the bride¡¯s mother has anything to say to the newlyweds?¡± The wedding emcee looked at Charmaine, who was in the main seat. Copyright by N?v/elDrama.Org. Charmaine did not have a speech ready because she had thought she would not be able to sit in that position. The fact that all eyes were on her at that moment made her nervous. Even so, she still stood up and walked toward the microphone. Seeing that, Caleb could not help but feel a little worried. She wouldn¡¯t utter nonsense on such an asion, would she? Willow, too, kept her eyes on Charmaine the entire time. This wedding is too beautiful to be true. What gives Sophie the right to have such a perfect wedding? It¡¯d be great if Mother said something unpleasant. Chapter 1019 Sweet Moments Chapter 1019 Sweet Moments ¡°I am happy to see that Sophie¡¯s happy, and I wish they will be well and happy for the rest of their lives.¡± Even though Charmaine was not prepared for this and her rtionship with Sophie was strained, her statement came from the bottom of her heart. No matter what, Sophie was her daughter, who had achieved so much and had evennded a good man. As a mother, of course, Charmaine wanted her to be well and happy. Hearing what she said, Caleb breathed a sigh of relief, while Willow was obviously disappointed. Even Mother has changed her mind! Sophie is now her hope, while I remain a joke whom everyone detests. Right then, a slideshow was presented on the big screen, showcasing the sweet memories of Sophie and Tristan over the past two years. Sophie hat no idea when Tristan took some of the pictures. Coupled with the melodramatic music ying in the background, Sophie felt her eyes be teary. Just how many things did he do when I wasn¡¯t paying attention? He really is such a sweet man. ¡°Do you have anything to say to the bride?¡± Taking the microphone, Tristan stood in front of Sophie and gazed at her lovingly. ¡°Sophie Tanner, in this lifetime and the next, and the next after that, I will love you and you alone.¡± After saying that, Tristan wrapped his arms around Sophie and lowered his head, capturing her lips with his. The crowd erupted into thunderous apuse, Ysabelle, Cecelia, and Georgina were all teary-eyed. It is normal for women to be moved by such scenes. As for Arius, he felt as if he was a father watching his daughter get married. After all, he had known Sophie for a long time and was even aware of the woman¡¯s hardships in Horington. Now, Sophie had finally got married to a man who loved her dearly. Everything turned out perfectly. After the wedding ceremony, Tristan and Sophie changed to more appropriate attire for the toasting session. Sophie had on a red gown with exquisite embroidery, whichplemented her stunning figure, Although she was slim, she had curves in all the right ces. After she changed her attire, the hairstylist hurriedly came to fix her hair, as the previous hairstyle did not match the current gown. Fortunately, the hairstylist was quick. It took her less than ten minutes. As for the makeup artist, all she needed to do was retouch a bit of the makeup. After that, Sophie was good to go, which also signaled the end of the hairstylist¡¯s and the makeup artist¡¯s jobs. Tristan had been waiting for her. Upon seeing her tired look, he felt his heart ache for her ¡°Why don¡¯t you just take a rest here? Let me attend the toasting session alone.¡± He knew how exhausted she was. Wedding ceremonies can be draining. ¡°I¡¯m all right. Let¡¯s go together. There¡¯s no way I¡¯m missing any events today.¡± How can the bride be absent? ¡°Okay, let¡¯s go, then. They¡¯re waiting.¡± The groomsmen and bridesmaids were already waiting for them outside. After helping Sophie to wear a pair of red high heels, Tristan carried her in his arms. ¡°What are you doing? Aren¡¯t we going to the toasting session?¡± ¡°Yeah, but with me carrying you, you¡¯ll be less tired.¡± Sophie was extremely touched by the man¡¯s thoughtfulness. ¡°Love you.¡± ¡°Love me properly tonight.¡± For a long time, he had anticipated what woulde tonight. Now that they were married, he would never let go of her. Sophie felt herself blushing. She, too, knew how long the man had been waiting for tonight. The fact that he had held on until now came as a surprise to everyone. After all, he was known to be decisive and relentless. The reason he had waited for Sophie until tonight was merely out of respect for her, which was also a disy of his love for her. ¡°I¡¯m looking forward to it as well,¡± confessed Sophie boldly. They were married now, anyway. There was no need to beat around the bush. ¡°I¡¯ll make sure to satisfy you.¡± Felix and the others exchanged nces upon seeing Tristan carrying Sophie in his arms. Isn¡¯t he spoiling her too much? Despite so, they voiced no opinion regarding this matter. Well, I guess there¡¯s nothing wrong with a man spoiling his woman. ¡°Let¡¯s go. It¡¯s time for the toasting session.¡± ? N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved. ¡°That¡¯s enough. Hurry up and put me down,¡± Sophie demanded, as she felt embarrassed to be carried in front of these many people. It would be fine if they were alone, but she felt shy if people were present. ¡°I¡¯ll put you down in the elevator.¡± Felix and Ysabelle walked side by side. ¡°You see that, Felix? You should learn from Uncle Tristan when we get married.¡± My uncle is truly the ideal ¡°Yeah, don¡¯t worry. I will surely spoil you a lot when we get married.¡± If he can do it, then I can do it too! ¡°That¡¯s more like it,¡± said Ysabelle in satisfaction. At the same time, Arius had his arm wrapped around Georgina¡¯s waist. ¡°Ms. Bates, are we done dating? If yes, let¡¯s get married. Seeing how happy Sophie was, Arius wanted to tie the knot as well. ¡°But we just started dating. Let¡¯s continue dating for a while more lest you get tired of me.¡± Getting married means staying together until the end of time. Georgina always felt as if she did not deserve this version of Arius. ¡°What are you talking about? How can I possibly get tired of you when I love you so much?¡± Does this mean she still has no faith in me? Did I do something wrong? How could my own girlfriend think we could break up anytime? Noticing Arius¡¯ dampened mood, Georgina quickly shook her head. ¡°That¡¯s not what I meant. I¡¯m just suggesting that we should remain in the dating phase first.¡± To her, they still did not understand each other well enough, so they could not move on to the next level just yet. ¡°Considering yourck of trust in me, I agree, but just know that I¡¯ll treat you better than before.¡± This is all because I rejected her before. Every pair of couples had their sweet moments together. Cecelia did her best not to nce at Sean, who stood beside her. Regardless of her effort, Sean had no feelings for her. What happened that night was merely a mistake, and she was a woman with dignity. All she could do now was pretend to be nonchnt. She had never felt pity for herself, so she would never feel aggrieved just because of some man. Chapter 1020 Toast Chapter 1020 Toast Sean was actually looking at Cecelia too. She looked very pretty that day. He didn¡¯t have any particr feelings before, but ever since that night, he realized how voluptuous her figure was and how seductive she could be in bed. However, at that moment, Cecelia was pretending not to know him. Is it really necessary for her to go to such lengths? I was drunk that night, but what about her? Wasn¡¯t she sober? Why did that happen, then? He couldn¡¯t voice those questions then because if he did, the words might sound very hurtful to Cecelia. I really don¡¯t mind taking responsibility, but she doesn¡¯t want me to, Sean was in distress. I slept with her, and now things have taken such an awkward and undesirable turn. Forget it. I¡¯ll deal with this after Tristan¡¯s wedding. His mind was in a chaotic state at that instant, and he didn¡¯t have the slightest clue as to how he should address that issue. Eight people got on the elevator. When they reached the venue, the banquet had already begun. Tristan and Sophie went from table to table to greet their guests. The couple first arrived at the president¡¯s table. Seeing that even the president hade, the three bridesmaids were astonished. No one had told them that the president was there. Even the three groomsmen were also stunned. At that instant, the president stood up while holding a wine ss in his hand. Since he had gotten to his feet, the rest of the people around the table naturally followed suit. ¡°Tristan, Sophie, I¡¯m delighted to know that you two are getting married. Both of you are Chanaea¡¯s hope. I¡¯m certain that your union will also bring prosperity to our nation.¡± ¡°Mr. President, we are grateful that you took the time to attend our wedding despite your busy schedule.¡± With so many people around, Sophie didn¡¯t feel anything special about the president¡¯s advent. After all, that was her and Tristan¡¯s wedding ceremony. The two had wanted a simple celebration, but because of William, they had to organize that grand wedding. Now that the president was also there, they had to spend time entertaining him, which Sophie found nothing but tedious. ¡°Sophie, you¡¯re now part of the medical association, so I might be in your care in the future.¡± The president was very polite. He regarded Sophic, the twenty-one-year-old girl, with great respect. ¡°Of course.¡± After toasting at that table, they moved to William¡¯s table. The people seated around that table were all family, and Morgan was also among them. Tears welled up in Morgan¡¯s eyes as he witnessed how blissful Sophie¡¯s life was. Old Mr. Tanner can now rest in peace. The granddaughter he cherished the most is truly happy now. ¡°You two must stay well together in the future. I can only rest assured if I see the two of you happy.¡± William repeatedly advised. ¡°Still, both of you are good kids, so I believe you¡¯ll be fine.¡± ¡°Dad, don¡¯t worry. We¡¯ll take good care of each other.¡± The following table consisted of Mark and the others. All five band members¡¯ eyes reddened when they saw how happy Sophie was. ¡°We¡¯re not going to say much. With our rtionship, we don¡¯t need to borate further. Anyway, Mr. Tristan, remember never to make Sophie cry. Otherwise, even though we can win you, we¡¯ll still fight you,¡± Sunny said agitatedly. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. How could I bear to make her cry? I can¡¯t wait to shower her with more love.¡± Tristan was particrly tolerant of Mark and his band members. There were over a hundred tables at the venue, and all of the attendees were wealthy and influential. Tristan and Sophie went from table to table for a toast. The three groomsmen performed their duty by helping Tristan to intercept and drink the sses of wine. After going around, the trio had also consumed a considerable amount of alcohol. By the time they reached thest table, Felix was already getting unsteady on his feet. He leaned against Ysabelle. ¡°Ysabelle, I think I¡¯m really drunk. You must take good care of me tonight, okay?¡± He staggered, feeling light-headed. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll take care of you today. Now that¡¯s enough. Stop talking if you¡¯re drunk.¡± Ysabelle¡¯s heart ached terribly as she took in his intoxicated appearance. ¡°I knew you were the best,¡± Felix said, resting his weight on Ysabelle¡¯s shoulder while wearing a contented expression. My girl is really gentle and thoughtful now, ¡°Of course.¡± Ysabelle genuinely loved him. She hade to realize her feelings since that incident in Fandar. When Sophie walked over, she saw Felix in that pathetic state. She figured he must¡¯ve dedicatedly carried out his task that day. Otherwise, he wouldn¡¯t have gotten that drunk. Copyright by N?v/elDrama.Org. ¡°Take him upstairs to rest. There¡¯s nothing much left to do here. We¡¯ll be calling it a day once we see all the guests off,¡± Sophie said to Ysabelle. ¡°Okay, all right. I¡¯ll bring Felix upstairs first. Don¡¯t worry about uster. I¡¯ll have the hotel staff send food to us.¡± Sophie and the others had also been busy all day. Ysabelle didn¡¯t want them to trouble themselves to take care of her and Felix. They could look after themselves. After all, that was a hotel. They could get whatever they needed. ¡°Wait here a moment. I¡¯ll ask Sunny to lend you a hand. ¡°Sophie, that¡¯s not necessary. I can still walk.¡± Ysabelle was so fond of those band members from The Wheelers that Felix didn¡¯t want their help. He could walk on his own. ¡°Aren¡¯t you drunk?¡± ¡°I am, but I can still walk!¡± Must one pass out on the floor before they¡¯re considered drunk? ¡°Fine. You two go upstairs first, then.¡± Sophie didn¡¯t call for help since she noticed Felix could still get by. The guests began to leave one by one, and Tristan and Sophie went to the door to see them off. Sophie wasn¡¯t used to wearing high heels. She felt that her legs were about to give way. Only after all the guests had left did she breathe a sigh of relief. Noticing Morgan was still there, she approached him at his table. ¡°Morgan, it¡¯s veryte now. Would you prefer to stay in the hotel tonight, or should I have someone take you home?¡± Sophie was exceptionally gentle when talking to Morgan, treating him like she did her grandfather. ¡°Ms. Sophie, don¡¯t mind me. You¡¯ve also had a long day and haven¡¯t even eaten yet. Hurry up and have some food. I can go back by myself.¡± Morgan had stayed there simply because he wished to see Sophie for a longer time. ¡°I¡¯ll ask someone to take you home. Morgan, don¡¯t overthink, and just take good care of the mansion for me.¡± Sophie knew Morgan was afraid of troubling her, so he had been wanting to leave. However, she knew he had no rtives left. Where else can he go? I don¡¯t mind taking care of him for the rest of his life. ¡°Ms. Sophie-¡± Has Ms. Sophie always known? I really did n to leave. An old man like me will only burden Ms. Sophie. I really shouldn¡¯t stay here any longer. ¡°If you leave, my grandpa will me me.¡± ¡°Okay, Ms. Sophic. Thank you.¡± Ms. Sophie is genuinely a kind-hearted and warm person. Most of the time, she¡¯s just not good at expressing herself Chapter 1021 Wedding Night Chapter 1021 Wedding Night After Morgan was sent off and the president was escorted out by Tristan, they could finally rest. When Tristan spotted Sophie sitting there alone like she was waiting for him, he walked over directly. ¡°Now that everyone is gone, let¡¯s grab something to eat. You must be hungry! ¡°As she had been toasting the guests constantly, she did not have time to eat. ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s finally over.¡± There were too many guests present. Sophie wasn¡¯t particrly skilled at socializing, so having Tristan by her side on such asions was a relief. The three groomsmen had been drinking quite a lot. Ysabelle took care of Felix while Georgina took care of Arius, leaving Sean all alone. Although Cecelia had thought about checking on him, she ultimately decided against it. Given the awkwardness between them now, it was better to leave it be! Besides, nothing bad would happen to a grown man like him. She only wondered if those women who had their eyes on him would make a move at a time like this. Tristan and Sophie went to have dinner. The hotel staff had already prepared food for them. Normally, the three groomsmen and bridesmaids would eat together, However, only Cecelia was there. ¡°Will I be disturbing the two of you if I eat here? If so, I¡¯ll just go back and eat,¡± asked Cecelia deliberately. ¡°What are you saying? We are supposed to eat together. Since the five of them are not here, let¡¯s eat together! You must be tired today too.¡± Being a bridesmaid was exhausting, especially since Cecelia was a popr actress. She encountered many fans who requested to take photos with her. Having agreed to all of the requests, she was truly exhausted. Her face ached from all the smiling, though it was not entirely unpleasant. ¡°Sophic, I actually wanted to have a joint wedding with you. Who would have thought that I¡¯d end up being the one who remained single?¡± Cecelia couldn¡¯t help but feel a little regretful. ¡°There¡¯s no need to rush. You¡¯re still young.¡± Cecelia was only twenty-one years old, so there was no need to hurry. She only married at such a young age because she was fortunate to have found the right person. Nowadays, many girls didn¡¯t get married until they were around thirty years old. ¡°Yeah, you¡¯re right. I¡¯m still young. Tristan, you have to work hard! Sophie, let¡¯s make an agreement. I¡¯ll be the child¡¯s godmother. I¡¯ve already reserved that position, so no one can snatch it from me.¡± They were so close that Cecelia would genuinely be upset if she couldn¡¯t be the child¡¯s godmother. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. You¡¯ll definitely be my child¡¯s godmother Although Sophie did not know when she would have a child, she didn¡¯t object to having a child now that she was already married. Although she wasn¡¯t ready for motherhood, she was looking forward to it. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s eat first! You didn¡¯t have much for lunch. You¡¯ve had a tiring day too, so eat more.¡± Tristan served some food to Sophie. Now, she belonged to him alone. After the three of them finished their meal at the hotel, Cecelia received a call from her manager and had to leave immediately. She had wanted to stay and join the remaining activities. However, her manager was urging her to go back immediately. ¡°Sophie, I¡¯m leaving. I wanted to spend more time with you.¡± Cecelia was actually very reluctant to leave. Instead, she wanted to keep Sophiepany. ¡°Go ahead! I know that you¡¯re busy. I¡¯ll visit you at work a few dayster.¡± She knew that Cecelia had something on her mind, but now wasn¡¯t the time to bring it up. ¡°I can arrange for someone to send you there.¡± ¡°There¡¯s no need for that. My manager is already waiting for me outside. I¡¯ll manage fine.¡± Cecelia left, determined to give her best performance in this movie regardless of what was weighing on her mind. Given how remarkable the production of this movie was, she couldn¡¯t afford to disappoint the scriptwriter, the director, and the entire team¡¯s hard work. Tristan and Sophie returned to the luxurious presidential suite, which was adorned with colorful decorations. They would spend their first wedding night there. As soon as they entered the room, Sophie kicked off her high heels and sank onto the bed. After hours of wearing them, her feet were aching. She couldn¡¯t fathom how Cecelia managed to stride effortlessly in high heels. Noticing her exhaustion, Tristan fetched a basin of water. ¡°Soak your feet. It¡¯ll make you feel better.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Sophie grasped Tristan¡¯s hand and sat up. As she soaked her feet, she thought that a proper bath would do her good. However, she suspected that Charles and the others wouldn¡¯t let them off easily tonight. Knowing that they woulde to prank them on their wedding night, she hadn¡¯t changed out of her clothes yet. ? N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved. After soaking her feet, she changed into a pair offortable slippers. She hadn¡¯t removed her makeup yet. Huh, I must clean my face thoroughlyter on. Before she did anything, Tristan was already starting to undo her hair. Despite hisck of expertise, he handled her hair with utmost care. Not once did he cause her any difort. ¡°Aren¡¯t the rest nning to prank us on our wedding night?¡± Although Sophie had not been married before, she was aware of these marriage rites. ¡°Don¡¯t bother with them. He wouldn¡¯t allow anyone to disrupt their wedding night. ¡°Why don¡¯t you take a bath and change your clothes first? We¡¯ll leave immediately.¡± Their honeym awaited them next. With the wedding ceremonypleted, they had fulfilled their obligations to From now on, she belonged solely to him. ¡°Where are we going?¡± As he had not told her anything, she did know what he was nning. ¡°Our honeymoon.¡± Tristan¡¯s voice carried a sense of anticipation. He prepared the bathwater and gently carried her into the tub. ¡°Bathe now. I¡¯ve already prepared your clothes. I¡¯ll shower and change too. Then, we¡¯ll be ready to depart.¡± By the time the rest arrived to prank them, they would already be on the ne. After bathing, Tristan and Sophie promptly headed to the airport. Their ne was already there. A bright grin hung on her face, even till they boarded the ne. ¡°Are you that happy?¡± ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m overjoyed! Tristan, from this day onward, you¡¯ll only belong to me! Remember, from now on, you¡¯re mine alone.¡± ¡°Of course! I¡¯m yours and you¡¯re mine. We belong only to each other.¡± It was after much difficulty that Charles finally managed to gather Felix and Sean to disturb the newlyweds. However, upon reaching the presidential suite, they discovered that Tristan and Sophie had already escaped. The group stood inside the room. As they observed their surroundings, they suddenly felt like fools. ¡°Where¡¯s Tristan? Isn¡¯t tonight his wedding night? Aren¡¯t they supposed to wait for us here? Where are they?¡± Charles felt a tinge of disappointment. This is a golden opportunity to tease Tristan! ¡°Do you really think he would just sit here and let you y pranks on him?¡± Sean slouched onto the sofa as his head was still throbbing. Felix said, ¡°He must have gone on their honeymoon. Smart move. I¡¯ll escape immediately after my wedding too.¡± Chapter 1022 Taking the Initiative Chapter 1022 Taking the Initiative ¡°So¡­ I prepared so many games for nothing?¡± Charles asked, clearly peeved. For the past few days, he focused on developing several exciting games. As he did not dare to provoke Tristan on regr days, he did not pass up the golden opportunity to prank thetter on his wedding night. However, he did not expect Tristan to just disappear. ¡°I can¡¯t be bothered with the two of you anymore. I¡¯m going to apany my girlfriend.¡± She¡¯s still in the room! With that, Felix turned and left. Nothing is more important than my darling. Besides, Mr. Tristan is the first to get married. If we went overboard with the pranking, won¡¯t karma bite back when it¡¯s our turn to get married in the future? Charles is such an idot! Sean felt a headacheing along since he had quite a few drinks. He was no longer in the mood to continue. Plus, the stars of the wedding weren¡¯t there, so it was useless to pull pranks. ¡°Do as you see fit. I¡¯m going back to rest.¡± He patted Charles on the shoulder and returned to his room. Only Charles was left in the presidential suite. All of a sudden, loneliness filled his heart. Why is it that I¡¯m the only one being left out in the end? What¡¯s wrong with everyone? Can¡¯t they take care of my broken heart? Why are they so mean? Ysabelle woke up from her nap when Felix returned. Seeing him walk into the room, she blearily asked, ¡°Didn¡¯t you go to pull a prank on Uncle Tristan? What are you doing back here?¡± ¡°How are we supposed to prank them? Don¡¯t you know how witty your uncle is? Why would he give us a chance to trick him? He left with Sophie the moment the ceremony ended.¡± God know where they went! ¡°Oh!¡± Ysabelle gaped in surprise. Well, that¡¯s true. Uncle Tristan definitely won¡¯t let others have any chance to disturb him and Sophie. With such a stunningly beautiful wife and the fact that he has upheld his vow of chastity for so many years, it made sense that he would be impatient. Felix climbed into the bed andy next to Ysabelle. ¡°Ysabelle, Mr. Tristan and Sophie are married. Don¡¯t you think it¡¯s time you consider marrying me?¡± The two of them went through a lot, especially when he almost could not return from Fandar Hence, he treasured the time he spent with her. ¡°Okay,¡± Ysabelle replied. She pondered for a moment before continuing, ¡°I will take your question into consideration, but you must think of how you want to propose to me.¡± With that, Ysabelle turned around and fell back to sleep. Being a bridesmaid was not as easy as she thought. After a whole day of running around, she was knackered. Since she had nothing to do, she wanted to sleep. On the other hand, Tristan and Sophie were even more exhausted when the day ended. The moment they boarded the ne, Tristan asked for two nkets. He ced one on Sophie and the other on himself. Sophie leaned against his shoulder. She was too tired to even speak. Fortunately, they were the only passengers on the ne. No one came to disturb them either. It was pretty peaceful. If they had stayed behind in the hotel, Charles and the others would have thought of a way to pull a prank on them on their wedding night, and they would have been worn out. If that were the case, it would have been better for Tristan and Sophie to be where they were now- resting on a ne as they went on their honeymoon. With no one to disturb them, the world seemed to have turned quiet, as though they were the only two people on Earth. This content ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org. ¡°All right. I know you¡¯re very tired today. Why don¡¯t you take a nap? We should be arriving when you wake up.¡± Tristan whispered. ¡°Okay. You need to rest too. I can see that you¡¯re in a worse state than I am.¡± Sophie had seen Tristan moving around throughout the entire wedding ceremony. Not only did he have to greet the guests, but he also had to take care of her. He had nned and settled everything about the wedding alone. Which was why she said he was more tired than her. ¡°Let¡¯s sleep together.¡± Tristan grabbed her hand. It¡¯ll be different this time. From now on, we only belong to each other. With exhaustion taking over the couple, it did not take long for them to fall asleep on the ne. When they woke up, the ne was beginning to descend. After sleeping for so long, they felt much more. energetic than before. Tristan asked an air stewardess to prepare a ss of warm water for Sophie and a coffee for himself. ¡°Drink some water. We won¡¯t eat on the ne. Besides, the food isn¡¯t tasty either.¡± Although it was his private ne and the food was edible, he figured it would be better for them to eat after theynded. ¡°Okay.¡± Sophie held the ss in her hands. She had tired herself out yesterday. She barely had time to sit down and drink water as she was so busy: hence, she was parched. She drank the water in one gulp to quench her thirst. Tristan sipped a few mouthfuls of coffee and immediately felt refreshed as the caffeine kicked in. The ne finallynded. The air stewardess opened the ne door and bid farewell to the couple as they got off. ¡°Take care, Mr. and Mrs. Tanner.¡± A sweet smile was stered on her lips as she nced at them. Tristan gave the air stewardess a handsome tip as he was happy to hear her calling Sophie ¡°Mrs. Tanner.¡± The air stewardess immediately thanked him when she received the mary gift. As soon as they got off the ne, they were greeted by scorching heat and the sound of waves. Tristan had arranged their honeymoon to be at Mirca. Many people said this is the most suitable ce for a honeymoon. ¡°I hope you like this ce, even though I didn¡¯t discuss it with you.¡± Tristan had handed his work to Felix. Now, he could stay at Mirea with Sophie for however long they liked. Sophie took the initiative to link arms with him as they walked out of the airport. How could I not be satisfied when he didn¡¯t even ask me to lift a finger? I¡¯d be ungrateful if I weren¡¯t happy with his nning. Tristan had already booked a hotel. The two of them went toplete the check-in procedures. As for their luggage, someone had already brought them to the hotel. When they entered the room, Sophie went to shower and change into a dress. Mirea is a great ce to wear dresses! Tristan had been the one who chose the dress. He always had a keen eye for fashion. The dress Sophie wore was light pink. It shaped her figure beautifully and showed off her long slender milky white legs. ¡°Sophie, we¡¯re married.¡± ¡°Yeah, I know. What about it?¡± ¡°So¡­ I don¡¯t want to wait any longer.¡± Sophie¡¯s face reddened in embarrassment when she saw the hungry look in his eyes. She knew what he was talking about. Since he doesn¡¯t want to wait any longer, then we won¡¯t wait. ¡°Can I?¡± Sophie¡¯s face was as red as a tomato, but she nodded. I should have given in to him a long time ago. For the next hour or so, Sophie finally understood how insatiable a man could be. Sophie shut her eyes and rested when they finished. She was spent. Her skin glistened with sweat as every cell in her body screamed at her to sleep. Her body was sore, and she ached all over. Tristan called the reception to have a housekeeper change the bed sheets. After that, he helped her shower and put on a nightgown before he carried her out. ¡°Take a nap. I¡¯ll ask someone to bring up some food for us when I¡¯m done showering. I assume you don¡¯t want to go out at the moment.¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Sophie could not even open her eyes to look at Tristan as she replied to him. She always thought she had great stamina. However, she was no match for Tristan. It was also her first time. Hence, she was drained. Seeing her lying on the bed weakly, Tristan kissed her forehead and lips adoringly. How is there such a woman in the world who can make me fall head over heels for her? Tristan went to take a cold shower. He then changed into a new set of clothes and asked the hotel staff to bring them food. He stared at the food before ncing at the woman fast asleep on the bed. Without any hesitation, he climbed into bed and hugged her to sleep. She must¡¯ve been exhausted for the past two days. I should let her have a good rest. Another seven hours went by as they slept. When they woke up, Sophie felt a burning pain between her legs. She red at the man beside her. At the start, he had promised to be gentle with her. At present, she felt like her hip was about to snap in half from how rough he was. Tristan immediately embraced her when he saw the look in her eyes. ¡°Darling, you can¡¯t me me for this. Everything happened because you look absolutely beautiful. That¡¯s why I lost control. Does it hurt a lot? Let me check!¡± With that, Tristan bent over, wanting to take a look. Sophie quickly pushed him away. ¡°Don¡¯t look. Otherwise, you won¡¯t be able to hold yourself back. Sure enough, men are all beasts.¡± ¡°Well, then. We should get up and eat! You must be hungry after all that exercise!¡± Tristan eximed as he carried her to the couch. The hotel had excellent customer service. The food they sent up was stored in thermal containers. Hence, it was still warm. ¡°Come on, Open your mouth. I¡¯ll feed you.¡± Tristan knew she felt sore all over, so he fed her to make it up to her. Sophie was not temperamental, but she waszy to move even though she had recovered most of her strength. After all, someone was willing to take care of her. Tristan quickly ate the rest of the food after ensuring Sophie was full. ¡°Eat slowly. You¡¯ll hurt your stomach if you eat too fast, Sophie reminded him. She studied medicine, so she cared deeply about his health. ¡°I know.¡± As expected, Tristan slowly chewed on his food after what Sophie said. He could ignore the sarcasm and jokes that others made, but he was obedient when it came to his wife. After eating, Sophie still had no ns of going out. The weather outside is great, but the view from the room is magnificent too. Their room came with an ocean view. They could see the vast sea and light blue sky through the floor- to- ceiling windows of their room. The designers were also attentive to the design of the room. It looked like it was decorated explicitly for couples or newlyweds. There was also a swing in the room. Sophie sat on the swing and enjoyed the view while Tristan sat on the floor beside her and asionally pushed the swing gently. ¡°Are you still hurt down there? Should I go out and buy you some medicine?¡± Tristan had lost control and went all out, but Sophie was not that fragile. ¡°There¡¯s no need for that. I¡¯ll be fine in two days.¡± ¡°Two days!¡± Tristan cried out. Two days is too long! Since we¡¯re here for our honeymoon, shouldn¡¯t we do what we like without inhibitions? ¡°Why? Do you have a problem with that?¡± I¡¯m still sore down there. Didn¡¯t he vow to take good care of me? ¡°Of course not. What problem would I have?¡± However, Tristan still went out to buy medicine when she was not paying attention. He did not have any ulterior motives. He just did not want her to be in difort. Sophie felt her face heat up in embarrassment when Tristan offered to help her apply the medicine. ¡°I can¡¯t believe you went out to buy it!¡± Oh, my gosh¡­ Is he not shy to buy such a thing? ¡°Well, I can¡¯t bear to see you in pain, so, of course, I went to buy it. Come here. I¡¯ll help you apply the medicine!¡± Chapter 1023 Honeymoon Chapter 1023 Honeymoon Err¡­ Does he want to help me apply the medicine? Though the two of us are already intimate with one another, I¡¯m not that shameless to have him help me apply the medication in that area. Sophie cleared her throat and said, ¡°It¡¯s all right. I can do it myself.¡± Just thinking about it was enough to make her blush in embarrassment, much less having him really apply the medicine. ¡°Are you sure you don¡¯t need me to take care of you?¡± This is a rare chance! Tristan wanted to take care of her badly. Plus, they had already seen each other in their birthday suits. There was nothing wrong with him helping her with the medicine. ¡°I¡¯m sure.¡± Just then, Tristan¡¯s phone rang. He immediately answered the call when he saw it was from his father. ¡°Hello, Dad. What¡¯s wrong?¡± Jeez! We¡¯re in the middle of our honeymoon! Can you not call me and interrupt us? Don¡¯t you know how annoying it is? ¡°It¡¯s nothing. I just wanted to call and ask you to take good care of Sophie. How are things? Where are you?¡± William asked. He knew the youngsters needed alone time when they had just gotten married. He had no other intentions. He just wanted to check on them. ¡°We¡¯re all right. Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll take good care of her. She¡¯s my wife. Who else should take care of her apart from me?¡± Of course, I would care for my wife. That¡¯s a given. ¡°Okay. Do your best over there. When youe back. I hope it¡¯ll be three people returning.¡± William said tactfully, but in reality, that was precisely what he wanted. Tristan was at a loss for words. Didn¡¯t I just get married? ¡°Dad, I just got married. I haven¡¯t had enough alone time with her!¡± I only got out of my abstinence. Why would I get myself tied down with a burden that quickly? ¡°I¡¯m telling you, you¡¯re not getting any younger. Hurry and have a child. I can help you look after them while I¡¯m still in the pink of health. If I wait another few years, I might not have the energy¡­¡° I¡¯m doing this for their own good too. ¡°All right. We¡¯ll do as we see fit. I have something to do. I¡¯ll hang up now.¡± Tristan immediately ended the call without waiting for a response from William. I¡¯ve had enough of that old man! I¡¯m a newlywed. Why is he pushing me to have a child? Sophie stared at him after he hung up. Tristan reached over and wrapped his arm around her shoulders before pulling her close and letting her lean against him. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. We¡¯ll let nature take its course on the matter concerning babies. You don¡¯t need to feel the pressure. All right?¡± She must¡¯ve overheard the conversation I had with Dad. ¡°Okay. I¡¯m also excited to have a child, but we¡¯ll just go with the flow. Everything will be okay as long as I don¡¯t take contraceptive pills,¡± Sophie replied. He¡¯s already in his thirties. It¡¯s only natural for him to have children at his age. ¡°All right.¡± Tristan ced a soft kiss on her forehead. This girl! How can she be so thoughtful? She¡¯s much younger than me. She must be considering my age since she¡¯s thinking of having children. Sophie went to the bedroom to apply the medicine, Sure enough, she felt much morefortable after that. He¡¯s too big. It makes sense that I would get hurt. Plus, he¡¯s pretty rough in bed. Seeing that Sophie was in a better condition, Tristan brought her out. Since they were at Mirca, they should explore the area. Besides, they shouldn¡¯t keep staying inside the hotel. Although he wanted very much not to leave the comfort of their room, he was worried that she would not be able to handle him. Most of the people who went to Mirca were either couples or newlyweds. Hence, the ce was surrounded by couples being lovey-dovey. No matter where you turned to look, you would see people kissing or doing more intimate acts. After all, there were even some people who could not control themselves. When they arrived at the beach, Sophie lounged on a beach chair while Tristan sat beside it and apanied her. It was their first day at Mirea, so he did not n anything. There are a lot of water sports activities here. When she¡¯s well-rested, I¡¯m sure she will be interested in trying all of them. Sophie wore a pair of sunsses. The corners of her lips tugged into a smile when she saw the bored expression on Tristan¡¯s face. Sophie tilted her head to the side as she asked, ¡°Wasn¡¯t it you who wanted toe here? Why do you look unhappy?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not. Even if we aren¡¯t doing anything, I¡¯m happy as long as I¡¯m by your side.¡± Isn¡¯t this what a honeymoon should be like? Enjoying the scenery and doing what you feel like doing? Although he wanted to give her a different experience, he couldn¡¯t take her to the moon for real. More importantly, being on the moon was no fun. Sophie sat up from the beach chair. ¡°Forget it. I¡¯ve seen enough of this scenery. Let¡¯s go back! It¡¯s morefortable in the room. It¡¯s too hot here.¡± Sophie was afraid of both the heat and the cold. ¡°Sure. Let¡¯s go!¡± It¡¯s better to be in the room. At least I can do whatever I want in there. It feels great just thinking about it. The two of them held hands as they returned to the hotel. They wore casual clothing, nothing too fancy. It was pleasant to go on a vacation since they did not need to do anything. They soon arrived at the hotel. They were staying in a private mansion with an attached swimming pool near the beach. ¡°Let¡¯s go swimming! I¡¯ve already prepared a swimsuit for you.¡± Tristan dragged her to the bedroom and looked for her swimsuit. Sophie was rendered speechless when she saw the so-called swimsuit. Oh, boy¡­ There¡¯s so little material! What can I cover with it? ¡°Go change! Don¡¯t be afraid. It¡¯s only us here. You¡¯ll only be wearing it for me to see.¡± Tristan grinned cheekily. ¡°Tristan, are you going to have that kind of thoughts at any time and anywhere now?¡± This swimsuit doesn¡¯t even look like my usual style! ¡°Can¡¯t I? Besides, it¡¯s not wrong for me to have those thoughts, right?¡± After all, they were legally husband and wife now. ¡°Of course. There¡¯s nothing wrong about that.¡± Sophie went to change into the swimsuit. He¡¯s right. Besides, the pool is within the mansion¡¯spound. No one will be able to see me aside from him. It¡¯ll be fine to wear such a skimpy bathing suit. Tristan had already changed and was waiting for her by the door when she finally came out wearing the swimsuit. She was usually very calm. However, she could not help but blush at the man before her. Copyright by N?v/elDrama.Org. Tristan donned a pair of swimming trunks. His upper body was exposed, showing his toned abs. His long legs and thick thighs were also attractive. At that moment, she felt like he was seducing her. This feeling is really different. Tristan was also shocked. The swimsuit he had chosen for her was wine-red in color. It was a two-piece suit that fit her well. Her slender waist and t stomach were captivating enough to leave anyone locked on her beauty. Her long slender legs were stunning, as usual. Tristan gulped as he stared at Sophie. At that moment, he did not feel like going out for a swim. He wanted to do something else he liked in the room instead. ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± Tristan said as he approached Sophie. He held onto her waist and lifted her before going to the swimming pool outside. He put her down when they arrived at the poolside. He went into the pool first. After that, he held out his hand to her. Grabbing his hand, Sophie also got into the water. She squeaked as he pulled her into his embrace. The two of them were wrapped in each other¡¯s arms in the pool. All of a sudden, she felt her heart beating at a rapid pace. She felt seduced by Tristan. ¡°What are you doing? Aren¡¯t we here to swim?¡± she asked. How are we supposed to swim if we¡¯re pressed against each other like this? Chapter 1024 Lost in Pleasure Chapter 1024 Lost in Pleasure ¡°Let me hold you a little longer.¡± Tristan was no longer in the mood to swim after catching sight of the mesmerizing Sophie. Anyway, we¡¯ll be here for a few days. I can always find another chance to swim. Sophie did not refuse, allowing him to hug her as he liked. She was exceptionally indulgent toward Tristan. Even though it was a short moment of tight embrace, the man felt almost like he had everything in the world. ¡°You know, Sophie, before I met you, I used to think that I¡¯ll probably be alone in this lifetime. But after I got to know you, I realized that my life will be perfect only when I¡¯m with you.¡± ¡°Yeah, me too. I also thought I¡¯d lead a mundane life for the rest of my life. But then I met you. You made me realize that I¡¯m very blessed to be able to spend my life with you.¡± Tristan was getting naughty ideas in his head. Initially. Sophie was a little resistant as they were outdoors. ¡°We¡¯re in public. It won¡¯t be good if someone takes a photo of us.¡± After all, they were considered prominent figures. She reckoned the repercussions would be huge if someone took photos of them in apromising position. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. The security here is very tight. Otherwise, how can they charge us so much for a ce like this? You can do whatever you want in this mansion.¡± The open-air environment stimted one¡¯s senses and emotions. It was entirely different from being inside the rooms. Besides, Tristan did not want to lose any possible opportunity. He had been waiting for the day he could have Sophie ever since he knew her. Now that she finally became his, he no longer wanted to let her go. ¡°Remember, Sophic. You¡¯re mine in this lifetime. Please don¡¯t leave me. Understand?¡± ¡°Mm-hmm. I¡¯ll never leave you. I want to be with you forever.¡± Not just in this life. Hopefully, we can also be a couple in our next life too. ¡°I love you,¡± Tristan whispered in her ear. Things began to grow passionate between them, and ultimately, they decided to call it a day. Tristan carried Sophie back and into the bathroom, and the two allowed themselves to lose themselves in pleasure again. After two rounds consecutively, Sophie was genuinely so tired she fell asleep as soon as the man helped her wash up. -Seeing how exhausted she was, Tristan felt somewhat guilty. Have I gone overboard? Then again, he could not control himself when he was with Sophie. Tristan leaned over and left a peck on her forehead. ¡°Honey, have a good rest.¡± He never knew the term ¡°Honey¡± was capable of such magic that he would feel a sweet sense of bliss as he uttered it. At this point, Tristan was also worn out. Hey beside her, and the two fell asleep together. In truth, he did not feel like heading out for all seven days upon their arrival at Mirea. All he wanted was to stay with Sophie and spend time with her intimately. It was a feeling he could not stop savoring. He had no intention of heading out for fun. Then again, he figured Sophie would not be able to stand it thus, he eventually gave up on that idea. Getting intimate was, in fact, no easy feat. By the time Sophie woke up. Tristan was already sitting in front of hisptop, seemingly busy with something. While she put on her dress, she found her body filled with love bites and bruises. There¡¯s no way I can step out of here like this. From the looks of it, we might have to stay indoors for the next few days here at Mirea. Sophie felt her head aching. Isn¡¯t he a man with high self-control? Why does it seem like he¡¯s showing his true colors after marriage? Then again, it was clear she enjoyed it too. That was why she would surrender herself to him too. When Sophie finished freshening herself up and brushing her hair, she walked out, only to find Tristan busy with work. She walked over and stood beside him. ¡°What are you busy with? Is there something wrong with Lombard Group?¡± Didn¡¯t he leave all matters in Felix¡¯s hands? Why is he still busy with work right now? ¡°Felix encountered a little problem. He couldn¡¯t solve it himself, so I¡¯m helping him out. It¡¯s no big deal. Are you still tired? Why don¡¯t you sleep a while longer?¡± Tristan pulled her into his embrace. Sophie coyly shot him a nce. T¨ºxt ? N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Whose fault is it that I¡¯m so tired? Would I be so tired if not for you?¡± How dare he say that? ¡°I¡¯m sorry forcking in self-control. But you¡¯re so adorable. I couldn¡¯t restrain myself. Sorry. I promise to control myself next time.¡± It¡¯s because I just got a taste for pleasure, hence why I went wild. I¡¯ll definitely be more cautious in the future. At the sight of those hickeys on her body, Tristan could not help but feel sorry. ¡°Does it hurt?¡± Aware of what he was referring to, Sophie shook her head. Well, it did not actually hurt that much. ¡°Have you settled it? If yes, let¡¯s get someone to bring us some food. I¡¯m hungry.¡± She was famished after gettingid twice. I¡¯ll get the hotel manager to send some food over.¡± They were staying at a mansion, so Tristan did not bring along their helpers as he did not like having any outsiders around. The man made a phone call while cuddling Sophie tightly in his arms. ¡°Hey, put me down. Continue with your work. We¡¯ll eat when you¡¯re done.¡± Sophie wanted to break free from his embrace, but he was reluctant to let her go. ¡°No, let me hug you a while more. It¡¯s all right for Felix to wait.¡± Compared to Felix, Sophie was obviously much more important. Meanwhile, Felix was still in front of hisputer, patiently waiting. Given Mr. Tristan¡¯s capability, he should be able to give me an answer within thirty minutes. But I¡¯ve been waiting for more than an hour and there¡¯s still no response from him. Sean and Charles were there as well. ¡°Why is he taking so long? Didn¡¯t he say it¡¯ll only take him thirty minutes?¡± Charles asked curiously. It¡¯s already the second day of their honeymoon. Could it be that the two have such high sex drives? ¡°Why are you looking at me? It¡¯s not like I follow them along. How will I know?¡± Sean was not in a good mood the past few days. The recent events had left the disciplined man at a loss. ¡°Don¡¯t look at me either. I¡¯m also waiting here, just like the two of you,¡± said Felix. ¡°Oh well. A married man is indeed¡­¡± Charles wanted to talk about the disadvantages of getting married, but he could not think of anything. Forget it. I¡¯ve always made a fool of myself. It has never changed. Right then, Tristan finally came online. ¡°Mr. Tristan, what have you been doing? Why did you take so long?¡± Weren¡¯t he still online earlier? ¡°I¡¯m eating with Sophie. What is it? Do you guys have a problem with that?¡± To Tristan, his wife always came first. Everyone else, including his friends, was secondary. Err¡­ The three men were rendered speechless. They just knew that was the case. ¡°I¡¯m telling the truth, Mr. Tristan. If you continue acting like this, you¡¯ll surely be a henpecked husband!¡± Charles truly felt that way. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with being a henpecked husband? That only shows that I love my wife! Do you have a problem with that?¡± Tristan did not think that was a problem. In fact, he liked being one. Chapter 1025 Is Getting Married That Good Chapter 1025 Is Getting Married That Good It had always been like this. He would listen to anything Sophie said. In fact, he was willing to let Sophie take charge of him if she wanted to. ¡°No. I don¡¯t have any objections whatsoever. I wouldn¡¯t dare to object,¡± Charles responded and proceeded to fall silent. Forget it. It¡¯s useless to try to persuade him to change his mind. They are currently enjoying their honeymoon and won¡¯t take any advice from me Felix chimed in, ¡°All right, Mr. Tristan. Is the problem solved? We know we shouldn¡¯t disturb you right now, but that problem is beyond our means. That was why we decided to get your help.¡± The couple was on their honeymoon, and they were displeased by the rude interruption. Thus, this should never happen again. ¡°I¡¯m d you know that. I¡¯m on vacation, so don¡¯te and seek my help for every trivial matter,¡± Tristan retorted with a hint of annoyance as he sent the document to them. ¡°Here it is. I must go now. I want to spend quality time with my wife.¡± He refused to waste time talking to them. ¡°Mr. Tristan, is married life really that wonderful?¡± Sean suddenly asked. He had always assumed he would Temain unmarried for the rest of his life, but upon seeing Tristan, he couldn¡¯t help but wonder if being married was actually a rather wonderful experience, If the question was asked by the two other men, Tristan wouldn¡¯t bother answering them. Nevertheless, as it was Sean who posed that question. Tristan was kind to take the time to answer him. ¡°Yes, getting married is truly wonderful. When you find someone you love deeply and marry her, it brings an immense sense of happiness and fulfillment to your life,¡± After a pause to let that sink in, he added, ¡°Sean, you should let it go.¡± It wouldn¡¯t do Sean any good if he were to clutch tightly to his past. Plus, Cecelia was a nice youngdy. Charles and Felix nced at Sean, knowing that thetter had been in a dilemmately. However, the decision was ultimately his to make, and no one else could intervene or assist him in that matter. This content ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org. After the call ended, Tristan padded over to join Sophie. ¡°What did they say? Did they scold you for prioritizing me over them?¡± Sophie asked. She had advised him to focus on his work earlier, but he chose to stay by her side instead. ¡°What they said wasn¡¯t important. You¡¯re my priority. Tristan responded as he hugged her from behind. ¡°Why? Are you bored?¡± he continued. If she¡¯s bored, we can do something enjoyable. Sophie was speechless. All she wanted to do now was to get some rest. Her entire body was aching badly. They just got married, so she felt that he should control himself. Seeing her reaction, Tristan quickly exined, ¡°I didn¡¯t mean anything else. Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m not a beast.¡± He knew she was feeling unwell and would never force her against her wishes just to satisfy his own desires. ¡°Mm. Let¡¯s just rest in the room, okay?¡± Sophie didn¡¯t feel like heading out as she was too tired. ¡°Okay, we¡¯ll stay in the room instead of heading out,¡± Tristan agreed. He carried her to the couch and poured a ss of warm water for her. ¡°Have some water.¡± As they were still newlyweds, they felt contented being together even after spending several days in each other¡¯s face. They didn¡¯t feel annoyed or frustrated with each other¡¯s presence. They felt blissfully happy. For the next few days, they didn¡¯t bother heading out and spent their days in the mansion, leaving traces everywhere. They didn¡¯t bother controlling themselves as they were finally married. Those who exercised self- control must¡¯ve done so because their other half wasn¡¯t attractive or capable enough. Tristan was capable, and Sophie was gorgeous, Meanwhile, Sophie had changed her mindpletely about Tristan. Before this, he was a calm and composed man. Right now, he could only think of engaging in intimate activities with her no matter where they were. They were about to head back home but had yet to visit any ces. ¡°Why don¡¯t we extend our vacation? There are still many ces we haven¡¯t visited,¡± Tristan suggested. They were on their honeymoon, after all, and it would be a shame to miss out on the tourist spots in the area ¡°Sure. Victor is holding the fort at Tanner Group while Arius and Georgina are at the medical association. I¡¯m game if you¡¯re free, Sophie replied. She knew that he should be busy with Lombard Group. Tristan decided happily, ¡°Since we¡¯ve made it here, we¡¯ll extend our vacation.¡± He wasn¡¯t worried as Felix and the rest were in charge of managing Lombard Group. The higher-ups of Lombard Group were capable enough to hold the fort for a few days when he wasn¡¯t around. They came to an agreement happily. As a result, Felix¡¯s suffering was extended. He initially thought the newlyweds were about to head home, but Tristan called him to deliver the bad news. When he heard that, he had the urge to just break into tears. ¡°Mr. Tristan, you went on honeymoon for over a week. Shouldn¡¯t you be back by now?¡± he protested. feeling upset at their extended holiday. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with your ears? Didn¡¯t you hear what I stud? I said we¡¯ll be back a few dayster.¡± ¡°But¡­ Felix couldn¡¯t fight back so he was rather frustrated. ¡°Mr. Tristan, Lombard Group belongs to you. Why am I working so hard for you!¡± heined. Am I that free? I have many things to attend to! ¡°Ysabelle and I are preparing to get married!¡± he added indignantly. There were a ton of decisions to be made. Tristan replied calmly, ¡°You¡¯ve waited for over ten years, so it won¡¯t be hard to wait a little longer. Sophie and I are heading out, so I need to go.¡± He had decided to spend the next few days exploring the city with Sophie. If they stayed in the hotel, he knew he wouldn¡¯t be able to control himself. It was better to immerse themselves in being tourists and divert his attention. Ysabelle couldn¡¯t help but sympathize with Felix. After the call concluded, Felix flung his arms around Ysabelle. ¡°I need you tofort me. Your Uncle Tristan is nothing but a tyrant, constantly bossing me around. He is really too much!¡± he grumbled. Ysabelle patted his back gently. ¡°All right. He has been bossing you around for a long time. Have you not gotten used to it yet? I thought you¡¯d already gotten used to it.¡± Felix was rendered speechless. I can¡¯t believe my girlfriend would say that! How could she? Ysabelle kissed him on the lips and added, ¡°Well, he can¡¯t help it as Sophie is gorgeous. Naturally, the newlyweds are having the time of their lives. Just hang on for a few more days, hmm?¡± Felix agreed albeit reluctantly. He had no choice but to suffer, after all. ¡°When we get married, let¡¯s go on a honeymoon as well. I¡¯ll leave all the responsibilities to him and focus on enjoying our time together!¡± Felix said, feeling better at that idea. ¡°Let¡¯s do that. When we get married, we¡¯ll have fun and leave all the work to them, Ysabelle agreed. She yed along just to make him feel better. Felix¡¯s hands started roaming around her body, ¡°When will you marry me, then? When will you give me the chance to torture the others?¡± Chapter 1026 Hard to Make Her Happy Chapter 1026 Hard to Make Her Happy Felix was done with people torturing him, and he wanted a chance to torture someone else. Ysabelle burst into giggles at the sight of his eager expression. ¡°Why don¡¯t you prepare the proposal? When I¡¯m satisfied with it, we¡¯ll get married,¡± she told him. Ysabelle desired all the things that other girls had. Although she was aware of Felix¡¯s love for her, she still wanted him to propose to her. ¡°Okay, got it. Don¡¯t worry, for I¡¯ll exceed your expectations,¡± Felix promised. He would do his best to make her dreamse true. He loved her, and they would spend the rest of their lives together. Tristan and Sophie spent their first week of honeymoon in the mansion. After that, they nned to head out to have some fun. Their activity in the afternoon was surfing. Sophie had never surfed before, but she agreed readily when Tristan suggested the activity. She loved trying new stuff and didn¡¯t think that surfing was that hard. Fortunately, Tristan was a great instructor and taught her patiently. With him around, Sophie didn¡¯t have any trouble learning how to surf. Less than an hourter, Sophie had already mastered all the necessary skills. A wide grin broke across her face as she skillfully bnced on the surfboard and rode the waves, venturing far into the sea. It was a great feeling. Tristan was naturally pleased to see her enjoying herself. They both rode the waves on the sea, having fun together. After Sophie learned how to surf. Tristan taught her a few difficult moves. Sophie was smart enough to master them all shortly after. She might not be that skilled, but that didn¡¯t stop her from trying out the moves. The afternoon went by quickly. So long as they were in each other¡¯spany, it didn¡¯t matter what they did as they would be happy. They didn¡¯t feel like heading home as they were free to do anything they pleased here. With no work obligations or interruptions, they relished the newfound freedom, feeling as if there was no one else in the world except for them both. Sophie¡¯s body was aching by the time they stopped for the day. They padded back to the beach with their surfboards. Without hesitation, Sophiey down on the sand and shut her eyes. ¡°Oh, this is tiring. It has been some time since I was this tired,¡± shemented. Tristan sat beside her, shielding her from the sunlig Feeling a shadow over her head, Sophie opened her eyes. ¡°Are you not tired? Don¡¯t you want to rest?¡± she inquired, knowing that he must be drained after teaching her. ¡°I¡¯m fine. The sun is scorching, so let me shield you from it,¡± Tristan answered, being thoughtful as ustral to care for her needs. ¡°I love you, Tristan, Sophie blurted out. ¡°Ah. I¡¯m so lucky to marry someone as great as you!¡± Indeed, she felt really fortunate. ¡°Mm. I love you, too-so, so much,¡± Tristan whispered, his voice filled with affection. With no one around, he rolled over, yfully pinning her down, and their lips met in a fervent kiss. Sophie reciprocated with equal passion as Tristan pulled her closer. They couldn¡¯t have enough of each other. If they were at the mansion, Tristan would¡¯ve sumbed to his desires. ¡°What should I do? I¡¯ve lost all sense of self-control. When we¡¯re together, I cannot stop thinking about having sex with you,¡± Tristan said helplessly. T¨ºxt ? N?velDrama.Org. He couldn¡¯t help but ponder over the change in his behavior after they got married. He had never acted this way before that, and now he questioned why he had changed. ¡°I¡¯m already yours, to begin with,¡± Sophie told him. There was nothing abnormal about their desire for each other. It was a natural instinct for humans to feel possessive of someone or something they deeply loved. In fact, there was nothing wrong with giving in to those desires. Tristan settled down on the beach and pulled her closer, making her sit in front of him. He then hugged her from behind. ¡°Mm, you¡¯re right. I love you, and there¡¯s nothing wrong about it,¡± he agreed. They were a married couple, after all. Sophie nestled against his chest as they sat together, watching the ebb and flow of the tide. The scenery by the beach unfolded before them in all its breathtaking beauty, ¡°Tristan, Mirca is absolutely stunning. I¡¯ve fallen in love with this ce. We should definitely n another visit,¡± she suggested. The thought of returning to Mirca, perhaps with their children in the future, filled her heart with anticipation. ¡°I¡¯m d you like it. We can pay a visit anytime you want,¡± Tristan told her, wondering if he should buy the mansion they were currently staying in. I should buy it, huh? She loves it here, and we¡¯ve made many memories together. I don¡¯t want someone else toe and stay in the mansion. After they returned to the mansion, Tristan got someone to handle the procedures. ¡°What? You want to buy a mansion in Mirca? For what? You won¡¯t live there often, Felix eximed incredulously. ¡°Just do as I say. I can definitely afford it, and I want to buy it because I genuinely like it,¡± Tristari commanded, his tone firm and resolute. ¡°You have one day toplete the procedures and transfer the ownership to Sophic.¡± Felix was speechless. I knew it. It¡¯s all because of Sophie again. Every unreasonable decision he makes is because of her. He has never really changed. Ugh, forget it. He wants to buy a mansion, right? Let him do so. It¡¯s not my money, anyway, Felix was highly efficient. Given how the world worked, people could do as they pleased as long as they were wealthy. That very night, the procedures were allplete. Someone was sent to deliver the house deed to the mansion personally. Tristan was very pleased when he received it ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Why do you look so happy? Did something good happen?¡± Sophie asked curiously, Hearing that, Tristan handed the house deed to her. ¡°You like it here, right? We cane back anytime you want, and we can even stay in this mansion again,¡± he eximed triumphantly, Sophie took one look at the house deed before turning to look at Tristan. That was quick. I mentioned it just a few hours ago, and now he¡¯s gone and bought a mansion here. It must have beert quite expensive. Besides, we won¡¯t visit this ce often. ¡°Mr. Tristan, if we were living in ancient times, you must be a foolish emperor,¡± she remarked, finding it ridiculous that he bought such an expensive mansion just because of what she said. ¡°I am happy to do that. Money doesn¡¯t guarantee happiness all the time, but in this case, it can bring you joy. And it¡¯s not a waste. Think of it as an investment,¡± he reasoned, trying to justify his decision. Sophie had nothing else to say After all, he had made that decision because of her. Sophie wrapped her arms around him and let out a sigh. ¡°Well, I can¡¯t do anything about it now. From now on, can you please ask for my opinion first before making any decision?¡± ¡°Okay. You¡¯ll get to call the shots for all the matters in our household,¡± Tristan agreed. Chapter 1027 I Like It Chapter 1027 I Like It It was not an issue for Tristan to buy a mansion, so Sophie didn¡¯t say anything about it. After dinner, they went on a stroll. The nighttime scenery in Mirea waspletely different from the daytime. Also, it was the first time they went outdoors at night after their arrival. The food alley was quite well-known, so they visited that location. They didn¡¯t eat much during dinner because they wanted to save the stomach space to enjoy supper at the food alley. When Sophie saw the delicious food, she wanted to try a little bit of everything. Many people were in there, so Tristan held bags of food in one hand and grabbed her hand with another. Meanwhile, Sophie was holding a skewer with her other hand. After she took two bites, she didn¡¯t want to eat them anymore. Hence, she delivered the skewer to Tristan¡¯s mouth. ¡°Open your mouth. I¡¯ll feed you. You also didn¡¯t cat much during dinner, right? Come, have some.¡± In response, Tristan took a bite. ¡°It¡¯s not too bad, right?¡± asked Sophie. It seems like there¡¯s always a food alley like this everywhere. While various dishes are sold there, they aren¡¯t that delicious. ¡°It¡¯s all right.¡± Tristan wasn¡¯t a fan of grilled food. It wasn¡¯t until after he got together with her that he started eating dishes like that. ¡°In that case, let¡¯s check out other ces!¡± Sophie¡¯s enthusiasm was pretty high, likely because she was in a ce with other people who were simrly curious. ¡°Okay!¡± It was a pretty cramped location, so Tristan directly pulled her in front of him. Then, he protected her with both his hands, disallowing anyone from touching her. Upon turning around. Sophie kissed him. ¡°You don¡¯t need to be this vignt. I¡¯ve been to all sorts of ces before, you know, Rx.¡± He doesn¡¯t seem to enjoy spending time at a ce with lots of people. ¡°I know,¡± As much as Tristan was aware of how incredible his wife was, he still wished to protect her. This content ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org. ¡°All right, then! It¡¯s good that you¡¯re aware of it.¡± Sophie rubbed her nose and strolled in the alley for a little longer before pulling him out of the crowd. ¡°You¡¯re not going to spend more time there?¡± ¡°Nope. I think that all food alleys are about the same, regardless of where they¡¯re located. I¡¯m full. Is there anything you want to eat?¡± ¡°Not really. Let¡¯s just wander around here a bit.¡± The street they entered was a lot quieterpared to the food alley. Upon noticing Tristan appearing more at ease after they left the food alley, Sophie knew she was right. He really doesn¡¯t like hanging out at busy locations ¡°If you don¡¯t like doing something in the future, you can just tell me. I don¡¯t want you to feel ufortable.¡± There really is no need for him to force himself to go along with me. It is important for one to amodate one¡¯s partner, after all. If one continues to keep quiet about one¡¯s displeasure, a conflict will eventually brew and affect the rtionship. ¡°I just don¡¯t like ces with many people, Tristan replied. It de feel good to be speed inside a cred makes me feel like I¡¯m swating ¡°If you don¡¯t like something, you should let me know. I doesn¡¯t matter why I care about how you feel an well, and I don¡¯t want you to feel ufortable,¡± Sophie requested. While I can be reaction, it¡¯s better if he just tells me ¡°Mhm.¡± As they sped their fingers tightly together, they moseyed down the street. The pace of their lifestyle had decreased greatly during their stay in Mirca. Spending twenty-four hours together every day deepened their understanding of each other It made them feel pretty good. Initially, they thought they had aprehensive understanding of each other already, but they realized they had much more to learn and amodate after getting married. That was the joy of a newlywed couple. When they returned to the mansion, Victor called Sophie. I hope you¡¯re having a wonderful time on your honeymoon, Ms. Sophie!¡± ¡°What¡¯s the matter, Mr. Victor?¡± she asked. ¡°Did something happen?¡± Everyone knew the couple was on a honeymoon, so no one would call them unless there was a significant issue. ¡°We experienced a bit of a problem. Someone attacked ourpany¡¯s system. It¡¯s taken care of, but I still thought I should inform you about it,¡± answered Victor. I¡¯ve got a bad feeling about this. It¡¯s only been ditys siner Ms. Sophie was away, yet someone had already attacked thepany. I suspect people are targeting Tanner Group, ¡°All right. I understand. Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll take care of this.¡± Sophie assured. Someone¡¯s targeting Tanner Group, eh? Well, it¡¯s to be expected. The brighter star draus more attention, after all. ¡°No need to worry too much, Ms. Sophie. I¡¯m here to handle any issues. In any case, thepany¡¯s system is operating fine again.¡± Victor genuinely didn¡¯t want to bother Sophie. She¡¯s a newlywed, after all, and there¡¯s no doubt she wants her intimate time with her new husband and not to be bothered. ¡°All right, then. If anything happens, don¡¯t hesitate to call me, reminded Sophie. T?nner Group is mine, offer all. There¡¯s no way I¡¯ll ignore it. Upon ending the call, she turned on theputer in the mansion and started typing. Since someone i attempting to attack Tanner Group, I need to eliminate them so they can¡¯t threaten thepany. ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± inquired Tristan after he left the bathroom and saw her operating theputer. She didn¡¯t touch one since arriving at Mirca. ¡°An unknown hacker intruded Tanner Group¡¯s system. I suspect they¡¯re targeting us, so I want to capture them.¡± Momentster, Sophie discovered who the culprit was. As she stared at the name, she sneered. Who do they think they are to go against me? The nerve of these people. ¡°Do you need my help? Can Victor take care of it? If he can¡¯t, I¡¯ll ask Felix to lend a hand.¡± Tristan was aware of how much Sophie cared about Tanner Group and that she would do anything to defend it. ¡°No need. Victor can handle this. As for the culprit, I¡¯ll deal with them after we return,¡± assured Sophie. I¡¯m going to torment them and make them regret their actions! I can¡¯t believe they have the gall to assault my system with this skill level. What a joke ¡°All right. You should bathe. It¡¯s gettingte.¡± Upon leaving the chair, she grabbed her nightgown and took a bath. When she left the bathroom, she saw Tristan waiting for her in bed. ¡°Come on!¡± he uttered. Sophie was rendered speechless. Why does it feel like he summoning a concubine? Still, she obediently went to bed and wormed into his embrace. Tristan was very satisfied with how well-behaved Sophie was. Now this is what I want to see! ¡°I really like how submissive you are right now.¡± ¡°Are you saying you don¡¯t like how I was?¡± questioned Sophie. I want to see how he¡¯s going to answer this challenging question! ¡°Of course, I do! As long it¡¯s you, I¡¯ll like everything about you regardless of how you act,¡± Tristan answered. There¡¯s nothing I dislike about her. Chapter 1028 Remember Your Place Chapter 1028 Remember Your ce Tristan slowly began feeling her up under the covers again. He had long since gotten familiar with every single one of her sensitive spots. Sophie melted helplessly at his every touch. She couldn¡¯t do anything except lie quivering beneath him as he did whatever he pleased to her body. He waspletely entranced by every curve of her body. She almost seemed like his own personal drug that he simply couldn¡¯t pull away from. Nothing was more intriguing to him than mapping out every corner of her figure. Sophie had never been a shy person, not even in the face of sexual acts. All of her reactions were genuine and she didn¡¯t hold anything back. The more she reacted, the further Tristan wanted to explore. He wanted to give her more and more just to make her feel and react the same way. The shower they had taken earlier proved useless after a few rounds of messing around. Sophie looked at him coquettishly and said, ¡°You just wasted the shower we took just now.¡± ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s right. I did. It¡¯s okay, though. I¡¯ll make up for it. How about I help you shower next? Would that help?¡± Despite having spent so much time in bed doing all sorts of things to her, he still had more than enough energy to spare. He barely batted an eye as he picked her up bridal-style. She felt safe andfortable in his embrace, which was a feeling she particrly enjoyed. She waszy to act like she didn¡¯t want him to carry her, so shefortably allowed him to serve her. He carried her to the bathroom and gently scrubbed at her skin and hair. He then dressed her in her pajamas and carried her back out of the bathroom before drying her hair for her. His movements were all so tender and loving that Sophie found herself closing her eyes. She was very rxed. ¡°I¡¯m really tired,¡± she said pitifully. If he didn¡¯t find a way to control his physical cravings, she might actually pass away from exhaustion next time. ¡°I know. Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m not that much of a monster. You can rest now,¡± he said. He couldn¡¯t do anything about the lust he felt for her almost constantly, but he decided to let her rest for today. After all, they had spent a long time in bed. He didn¡¯t want to hurt her by ident, He would never forgive himself if he hurt her. Sophie finally rxed at his assurance. She waspletely drained and was no longer in the mood for anything sexual. Tristan tucked her in before he went for a shower. Sophie couldn¡¯t help but chuckle at the sight of his retreating figure. No one could have imagined that Tristan Lombard, who had a reputation for being aloof and arrogant, would have such a different approach to his marriage. Despite that, he still respected her. Whenever she said she was tired or didn¡¯t want to do anything else, he never forced her otherwise. He never made her feel guilty for it, either. She was more than content that she had found such a good man. She was already imagining the happy future they would have together. After all, she could tell that Tristan really loved her. He finished showering and finallyy down with her in his arms. He had found that he slept much better when he could hug her to sleep. She also slept much better in his embrace. They never seemed to grow out of their honeymoon period. Another week passed in the blink of an eye. They had been away for almost two weeks now. Tristan felt reluctant to go back. He enjoyed being in Mirea. They were alone and no one came to bother them. They could do whatever they wanted. The past two weeks had been full of good food, a good rest, and a good time in general. He didn¡¯t want to go back in the slightest. However, he knew that Felix would probably go insane if he didn¡¯t return soon. Lombard Group was a very big corporation. The fact that Northley Group was now added on to that bui for the time being meant that they would have a lot on their te. Tristan was still full of longing even when they got on the ne. ¡°Let¡¯s go back. Why don¡¯t we spend a whole month here?¡± Tristan whined. He was really starting to dread going home. Sophie held his hand. This content ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org. ¡°We can go anywhere as long as we¡¯re together, right? Even if we go back, things will still be the same,¡± she said. Thest two weeks had been great, but they had to go back eventually. Jipsdale was their home, after, all. She leaned against his shoulder. ¡°Promise me that you won¡¯t neglect me when we get back, okay?¡± He couldn¡¯t me the fact that Sophie was always needed by those around her. She was extremely talented. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. That will never happen. You¡¯re the most important person in my life. I would never neglect you,¡± Sophie said. It was her first time realizing that guys needed to be coddled sometimes, too. After marrying Tristan, she found out that he had a childish side to him as well. ¡°Okay. I¡¯ll take your word for it.¡± The two of them reached the Lombard residence after more than ten hours of traveling. Sophie felt rxed at the sight of those familiar surroundings. No matter how morous or fun other ces could be, home was still the best ce for her. She really did love her country. William grinned widely at the sight of Sophie¡¯s return. All of his hope was riding on her shoulders now. After spending such a long time together, he hoped that she was already bearing his grandchild. He couldn¡¯t wait for that day toe. Sarah and Ysabelle were at home as well. They were ready to wee Sophie and Tristan since they heard the two of them would being home that day. When they arrived at lunchtime, Sophie and Tristan joined the rest for lunch after washing their hands. ¡°Was Mirca fun, Sophie? I¡¯ll drag Felix there for our honeymoon once we get married if it lived up to the hype,¡± Ysabelle said excitedly. She had never been to Mirca. ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s really fun! There are a lot of fun things to do. We bought a mansion there, so if you guys decide to go, you have a ce to stay,¡± Sophie replied. Tristan shook his head. ¡°No. If she wants to go to Mirea, then Felix should buy their own ce there. That mansion belongs to us. I don¡¯t want anyone else staying there.¡± The mansion was full of Sophie and Tristan¡¯s happy memories. He didn¡¯t want anyone else¡¯s presence to spoil the special moments they had created there, and he didn¡¯t care even if it was just Ysabelle and Felix. ¡°Why are you so stingy? Be a man! You¡¯re acting like a little girl. We¡¯ll only be staying there for a few days. There¡¯s nothing wrong with that!¡± Ysabelle couldn¡¯t believe how petty he was being. Tristan nced at her. ¡°I bought that mansion, so I have the right to decide whether I want you there or not, right? Do you have something to say to that?¡± He didn¡¯t back down at all. He truly did love Ysabelle, but he wasn¡¯t about to cater to her every demand. That was a promise he had made to himself. ¡°Grandpa, Uncle Tristan is being unfair! Tell him to stop bullying me!¡± Ysabelle said. Tristan was being way too petty. She simply couldn¡¯t stand it. ¡°Don¡¯t be so unreasonable, Ysabelle. Don¡¯t call Sophie by her name, okay? She¡¯s your aunt now. Don¡¯t be so rude,¡± William said crossly. Sophie and Ysabelle may have been around the same age and were rather close, but he didn¡¯t want Ysabelle to forget her ce. Ysabelle had always called Sophie by her name. Having to call her ¡®aunt¡¯ was an extremely strange experience. Chapter 1029 I Am Hurt Chapter 1029 I Am Hurt Seeing Ysabelle¡¯s troubled expression, Sophie smiled and reassured her, ¡°Dad, it¡¯s all right. Ysabelle and I are around the same age, so we address each other casually.¡± Ysabelle couldn¡¯t get used to addressing Sophie in a different manner. ¡°Okay, then! As long as you¡¯re happy.¡± William had never imposed strict demands on Sophie. His only wish was for her to be content. After all, she was an independent youngdy. Ysabelle yed with her food absentmindedly, pushing it around in her bowl. ¡°Sarah, why do I have this strange feeling that I¡¯m losing favor in this family!¡± She had always been doted on at home. ¡°You¡¯re not mistaken. So, why don¡¯t you go and enjoy your rtionship with Felix?¡± teased Sarah. This harmonious atmosphere within the family was great. The joy of being together as a family outweighed everything else. After the lively meal ended, Tristan and William retired to the study. Staring as William sat behind the desk, Tristan raised an eyebrow. ¡°Dad, I still have to spend time with my wife. What¡¯s the matter? Just tell me directly! Why do you keep staring at me like that?¡± Tristan asked with a hint of dissatisfaction. T¨ºxt ? N?velDrama.Org. They had already been in the study for a few minutes, but William just remained silent. ¡°You brat¡­ No one in this family would ever harm Sophie. Everyone, including Ysabelle, Sarah, and I are obsessed with her.¡± As the entire family liked Sophie a lot, nobody would ever think of hurting her. ¡°What¡¯s the matter? Get straight to the point!¡± ¡°Well, here¡¯s the thing. I understand you newlyweds want some time alone after getting married, but I really yearn for a grandchild. I don¡¯t care if it¡¯s a boy or a girl. I¡¯m not sexist. Hence, you should put in some effort, okay?¡± Tristan was left speechless. Why is my father so cute? ¡°Dad, it¡¯s been less than a month since our wedding! Why the rush? Okay, I get your point. I¡¯ll leave now if there¡¯s nothing else.¡± Tristan didn¡¯t want to prolong this fruitless discussion in the study. When it came to having children, it was better to let things unfold naturally. He didn¡¯t want to dwell on it unnecessarily. He enjoyed their current life, where both of them just spent time with each other. They would think about having children in the future. However, if a child were toe along, he would wee it too. William was at a loss for words. After marrying his wife, he¡¯s forgotten all about his dad! However, he was pleased to see how happy they were. Sarah was initially spending time with the two of them. However, after receiving a phone call, she had to leave. ¡°Sarah, is everything alright? If you¡¯re facing any trouble, please let me know. We¡¯re here to help,¡± Sophic offered when she saw the grim look on Sarah¡¯s face. Sarah ced aforting hand on her shoulder. ¡°It¡¯s all right. You¡¯ve just returned, so rest well at home, Juan is facing some trouble. I¡¯m going to check on him, shared Sarah openly. Sarah was always like this when it came to Juan. Even though her words might be harsh, she couldn¡¯t truly disregard him. Ysabelle shook her head. That¡¯s my dearest Aunt Sarah. She really can¡¯t let go of Juan. After Sarah left. Ysabelleid on the couch. ¡°Sophie, is marriage really as wonderful as it seems? Just look at you! Your skin became so good after you came back. It¡¯s true that women need men to nourish them!¡± What nonsense are you talking about?¡± Sophie blushed slightly. However, Ysabelle was always like this-blurting whatever came to her mind. ¡°I¡¯m serious! Your skin became so supple and dewy after you came back. It seems like being married is really a good thing. It¡¯s even making me consider tying the knot with Felix.¡± Whenever Ysabelle thought about Felix, she would feel very happy. He treated her well and obeyed her every wish. She no longer wanted to keep him waiting, so she wanted to marry him. ¡°Yeah, Felix is amazing. If you want to get married, go for it!¡± As the person who loved Ysabelle the most, Felix would definitely shower her with affection. ¡°You think so too, right? I just hope that news of marriage won¡¯t cause my fans to run away!¡± ¡°You¡¯re a singer, not an idol. Your work speaks for itself. There was no reason why singers should not be married. Naturally. Ysabelle could do that too. Ysabelle hugged Sophie. ¡°Indeed, you understand me the most. But Felix¡¯s just a blockhead. Despite all my hints for him to prepare a proposal, he still hasn¡¯t made a move after so long.¡± That blockhead! I don¡¯t know how to deal with him. ¡°Proposals are just mere formalities. What truly matters is that both of you are happy.¡± Although this aspect is important, it is not necessarily the case that one should not marry a man who did not go through such formalities. ¡°Yeah.¡± Just when both of them were chatting. Tristan knocked on the door. Ysabelle couldn¡¯t help but roll her eyes. Uncle Tristan is so pushy! She only arrived a moment ago! Can¡¯t he wait? She hugged Sophie tightly. ¡°Sophic, ask him to leave. Don¡¯t let him enter. He¡¯s here to snatch you away from me.¡± Sophie couldn¡¯t contain herughter. ¡°Have you forgotten that he¡¯s my husband? Okay, go find Felix! We still have things to do.¡± They needed to tend to other matters that day. As expected, I can¡¯t win Uncle Tristan. Once he is here, Sophie¡¯s no longer mine. This is such a bittersweet feeling. ¡°Fine, leave then! I knew it! You no longer love me. You truly don¡¯t love me anymore.¡± Ysabelle pretended to shed tears. What else can I do? Sophie yfully pinched Ysabelle¡¯s chubby cheeks. ¡°That¡¯s not true. Tristan and I love you dearly.¡± I don¡¯t believe it! If they love me, how can they leave me here all alone? The feeling was far from pleasant. ¡°Let¡¯s go, Sophie! We still got things to do. Ignore her. Let her find her own boyfriend.¡± Tristan¡¯s voice sounded from outside. ¡°I¡¯m going now. I¡¯lle back at night.¡± ¡°Fine! I¡¯ll be home tonight waiting for you. Don¡¯t stand me up, or I¡¯ll be devastated, okay?¡± Since everyone had left, Ysabelle could only call Felix. ¡°Where are you? Come over and pick me up. I¡¯m hurt. My heart is aching. I need sce.¡± Indeed, only Felix would not abandon her. ¡°What happened?¡± asked Felix worriedly as he set aside his work immediately. Everything was fine! How can she be hurt? ¡°Felix, you won¡¯t believe it. Uncle Tristan is being unreasonable. I was just chatting with Sophie for a while before he swooped in and whisked her away.¡± Heughed upon hearing her words. ¡°They are newlyweds! It¡¯s only natural that they don¡¯t want you to disturb them Come to me instead!¡± Chapter 1030 Unbearable Mediocrity Chapter 1030 Unbearable Mediocrity Tristan escorted Sophie back to the Tanner residence. Regardless of the circumstances, they still had to pay a visit after marrying. The trunk was filled with the things Tristan had purchased. Sophie, naturally, had no objections. If Tristan decided toe, she would dly apany him. There was no need to dwell upon the matter further. They soon arrived at the Tanner family residence. Caleb, who happened to have the day off, promptly arranged for a meal to be prepared when he saw them. He insisted they stay for dinner. As he had neglected Sophie in the past, he wished to y the role of her elder brother well. Charmaine ad Willow came downstairs too. Willow did not dare to toe the line in front of Tristan, so she appeared very docile. After all, life at the deserted ind wasn¡¯t great. Likewise, Charmaine did not dare to treat Sophie as casually as before. No matter what, Sophie was now Tristan¡¯s wife. She was not someone to be trifled with easily. After seeing the gifts that Tristan prepared, she did not dare to run her mouth recklessly. ¡°You must join us for dinner tonight. It¡¯s been ages since we had a family meal,¡± said Caleb to Sophie. ¡°Soph, I know that many unpleasant things happened between us in the past, but that¡¯s all behind us now. Now that you¡¯re married, please stay for dinner!¡± Caleb was afraid that Sophie would refuse, so he insisted.. Unexpectedly, she nodded. ¡°We can stay for dinner today. It¡¯s just a meal. You don¡¯t have to say so much.¡± ¡°That¡¯s wonderful.¡± Caleb heaved a sigh of relief when Sophie agreed. There was nothing much for them to talk about. After all, things had irrevocably changed. Sophie proceeded to pay her respects to Josiah. ¡°Grandfather, we¡¯ve returned.¡± Sophie was always exceptionally gentle when she was facing Josiah. If only Grandpa is still here. But s, it¡¯s impossible now. Once someone is gone, they are truly gone. No matter how deeply I long for his return, he can nevere back. No human can change the oues of life and death. Tristan came to her side and held her hand to offer sce. He understood that Josiah was a permanent wound in her heart. ¡°Enough now. Don¡¯t be sad. If your grandfather knew, he¡¯ll be sad. After all, he doted on you the most, didn¡¯t he?¡± Indeed, Josiah really doted on Sophie, which was what made her struggle to let go of the past. ¡°Yeah.¡± Having nothing to talk about, Willow and Charmaine went upstairs after sitting there for a while. Once certain rtionships were formed, it would be hard to change them, especially considering the audacious acts that Willow and Charmaine had done in the past. However, the tables had changed now. Willow, in particr, could not bear witnessing Sophie¡¯s overwhelming happiness, which contrasted with her own pathetic downfall. Faced with these circumstances, she was left with no solutions. All she could do was retreat to her room silently and seethe in anger while lying on her bed. The remaining three of them sat together. When Sophie asked about Caleb¡¯s time at the Institute of Physics, he said that he was quite satisfied with his experience there. Since the director valued him greatly and he was quite a capable team yer himself, he was having a good time at the Institute of Physics. ¡°By the way, the director wants you to visit him after youe back. He has a favor to ask of you.¡± Caleb never doubted Sophie¡¯s abilities. ¡°Okay. I¡¯ll make time to see him.¡± Since the director had done her such a big favor, she naturally had to help him in return. ¡°Sophie, you agreed to the director¡¯s conditions because of me, right?¡± She was already busy with her responsibilities in the medical associations besides having to manage the Tanner Group. ¡°Don¡¯t overthink. I share a good rtionship with the director, so I¡¯ll definitely help if he needs me. It has nothing to do with you. Most importantly, she was really talented in physics research. ¡°Okay. Take good care of yourself and don¡¯t get too tired. No matter how capable you are, you¡¯re still a young girl.¡± ¡°I understand. No need to worry. He will take care of me.¡± Sophie nced at Tristan beside her. Even if she neglected her own well-being, she knew that Tristan would be there for her. This content ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org. Tristan hugged Sophie¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Rest assured, bro! I will take good care of her.¡± Tristan and Caleb were around the same age, but he still referred to Caleb as his elder brother. Caleb was taken aback when he heard Tristan calling him that. However, upon witnessing how well Tristan treated Sophic, his worries subsided. Isn¡¯t it natural for my sister¡¯s husband to call me ¡®bro? Why should I be startled? During dinner, Willow excused herself by iming to be ill. Although Charmaine came down, she didn¡¯t cat much. Tristan and Sophie remained unaffected. Whether Charmaine ate or not, it was her own business. They had no right to meddle. Although Caleb was not entirely pleased with his mother and Willow¡¯s behavior, he refrained from voicing his discontent as Sophie and Tristan were still there. After dinner, he personally escorted them to the door. ¡°Come back for dinner whenever you have the time. Now that I¡¯m back, I¡¯ll watch over you.¡± Caleb also intended to protect Sophie. ¡°Caleb, you don¡¯t need to worry about me. Take care of yourself.¡± She was married now. Furthermore, she knew how to take care of herself. ¡°Okay.¡± When Tristan and Sophie left, Willow stood by the window and red at the departing vehicle, her hands clenched into fists. How can Sophie always be so fortunate? Charmaine, who had gone to Willow¡¯s room, shook her head when she saw Willow staring at them. ¡°Willow, didn¡¯t I tell you? You can¡¯tpare to Sophie now. There¡¯s no use feeling jealous about her life anymore. It will only bring you more unhappiness. Why not focus on living your life to the fullest?¡± Willow turned around and saw Charmaine standing behind her. It felt as if her inner thoughts were suddenlyid bare in public, leaving her a bit vulnerable. ¡°Mom, what are you saying? I simply felt a bit gloomy, which is why I didn¡¯te down for dinner. There are no other reasons.¡± What else can I do? I can never catch up to Sophie ¡°Good that you know. Just live your life to the fullest and find a decent man for yourself.¡± The world of the elite wasn¡¯t as morous as it seemed. A decent man? What kind of man is that? Am I only deserving of an average man now? ¡°Mom, I¡¯m Tristan¡¯s sister-inw now. I believe that I still have a chance.¡± The title of Tristan¡¯s sister-in- law carried some weight. Charmaine was left speechless. Indeed, being known as Tristan¡¯s sister-inw carried a certain level of prestige. However, considering Willow¡¯splicated rtionship with Sophie, there was no telling how others would treat Willow if they found out. ¡°Mom, haven¡¯t you always supported me in the past? Can you help me again? I want to marry into a prestigious family, no matter the cost.¡± Willow simply couldn¡¯t bear her own mediocrity. Chapter 1031 Lovely Wife Chapter 1031 Lovely Wife ¡°Wi, the world of the wealthy isn¡¯t as enticing as you thought. You have no idea how much I¡¯ve struggled so that I could marry your dad. Look at where it¡¯s gotten me now. So, as a woman, you can truly only rely on yourself. Only when you stand firm can you avoid being taken lightly by others,¡± Charmainemented. ¡°Mom, I don¡¯t want to hear this.¡± Willow was losing patience. Sophie is so happy now. How can I give up? I¡¯m Tristan Lombard¡¯s sister-inw! With such an identity, people will be eager to tter me, so what do I have to fear? ¡°All right, I didn¡¯t mean it that way. I just want to remind you not to dig your own grave,¡± Charmaine said. As a mother, she had said all she could, yet her influence over her daughter¡¯s decisions was inevitably limited. Meanwhile, after Sophie returned home, she found William tending to his beloved garden. She greeted him briefly before retiring to her room. Some issues had arisen at Wings of Light that required her attention. At that moment, Tristan was keeping his fatherpany. Seeing Tristan seated there with him, William grumbled, ¡°What is wrong with you? Why are you here with an old man? I don¡¯t need you here. Go be with your wife.¡± Tristan was rendered speechless. Having finally found some spare time and since Sophie was busy at that time, he decided to keep Williampany so as to distract him from his solitary thoughts. Little did he expect hispany to be so unweed. ¡°All right. I was worried you would be lonely. But if you don¡¯t want me around, I¡¯ll go join my wife, then,¡± Tristan said. Who wants to be here with an old man? As a matter of fact, William didn¡¯t want Tristan keeping himpany, either. He just wanted a grandson. Nothing else mattered. Back in their room, Sophie was still busy. Seeing him enter, she spared him a nce while her fingers flew over her keyboard. ¡°Weren¡¯t you downstairs with Dad? Why are you here?¡± She reckoned that William neededpany. That was the reason she had asked Tristan to stay with him. Tristan moved closer and wrapped his arms around her waist. ¡°He doesn¡¯t need mypany, and he was the one who asked me toe be with you. Don¡¯t worry. He¡¯s quite content with being alone.¡± A hint of a smile spread across Sophie¡¯s face. Dad is really a very good person. He may have been cold toward me at first, but now he takes good care of me. ¡°Looks like I need to work harder.¡± Tristan said abruptly ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Dad wants a grandson. That¡¯s all he¡¯s ever anticipated That¡¯s why he sent me back upstairs. R¨ºAdt??St chapters at Novel(D)ra/ma.Org Only Sophie gave him a stern look. Ever since they got married, Tristan had been yful, constantly teasing her at every opportunity. ¡°You go do your own thing. I still have some work to finish,¡± Sophie said dismissively. Tristan nipped her on the neck. ¡°Honey, are you trying to brush me off?¡± #5 Bonus Hot and bothered as she was, Sophie knew that she still had a lot of work on her te. She was somewhat frustrated. ¡°Why don¡¯t you go take a shower? I¡¯ll be done by the time you finish,¡± she suggested in an attempt to pacify him. That should do it. Tristan pinched her cheek and said, ¡°That¡¯s more like it. I¡¯m going to take a shower. When you¡¯re done with your work,e join me.¡± It¡¯s so boring to shower alone. Showering together is much better. ¡°Okay,¡± Sophie said. Indeed, married men are full of entric thoughts. After Tristan disappeared into the bathroom, Butterfly¡¯s voice rang out from the earpiece. ¡°Phantom, you seem to be having a good time. Did I interrupt something?¡± Butterfly had remained silent the whole time, but she had overheard the whole conversation. ¡°Had you been slightly morepetent, Butterfly, you wouldn¡¯t have ruined my honeymoon!¡± Sophie said petntly. ¡°All right, I was wrong. I ask for your forgiveness, and I¡¯ll treat you to a meal sometime. That should do it, right?¡± Butterfly said guiltily. After all, she was the one who had created this mess. ¡°Fine,¡± Sophie replied. As they spoke, Sophie had already solved Butterfly¡¯s problem. As always, once she set her mind on something, there was no problem that she couldn¡¯t solve. ¡°As expected of Phantom, solving the issue in less than twenty minutes,¡± Butterfly eximed, relief washing over her. ¡°I¡¯ll leave you two lovebirds be. I¡¯ll treat you to a meal some other day. Your husband is still naked in the bathroom waiting for you.¡± With the problem solved, Butterfly didn¡¯t wish to bother Sophie any longer and quickly logged off. Sophie shut down herptop and was about to make a phone call when the bathroom door swung open. ¡°Come on in, Honey!¡± Sophie was at a loss for words. Does he have to show off his naked body like this? Sure, we¡¯re married now, but won¡¯t he feel embarrassed? ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Didn¡¯t we agree on this? Were you just brushing me off?¡± Tristan asked. ¡°It¡¯s not that. But are you sure about this? This is your home, and your dad and the others are here.¡± ¡°What does that have to do with anything? Don¡¯t worry. Our house is well soundproofed!¡± Tristan wore a look of anticipation. Furthermore, they were newlyweds. His family would absolutely not disturb them, so there was no reason to worry. ¡°Hurry up,¡± Tristan urged. Sophie had just taken a step forward when he suddenly pulled her into the bathroom and quickly shut the door behind them. ¡°What are you doing? Wait a minute!¡± It¡¯s not like he¡¯s never done it before. Why is he so impatient? ¡°I can¡¯t wait any longer.¡± Her allure was simply too irresistible. After a passionate night, Sophie woke up the next day only to find it was already past ten. She had always been in the habit of going for a morning run. However, since getting married, she had been breaking her routine more and more. She was surprised that she found the feeling unexpectedly¡­ sweet. Picking up the note Tristan had left on the bedside table, Sophie grabbed her phone and dialed his number. He answered the call just after two rings. ¡°You¡¯re awake? You must be exhausted fromst night. I asked the housekeeper to prepare breakfast for you. Make sure you eat it.¡± As Sophie¡¯s husband, it was his responsibility to care for her. ¡°All right. I¡¯ll get out of bed now,¡± she replied. ¡°Honey, what should I do? I miss you.¡± Tristan had gotten better at sweet nothings ever since they got married. ¡°I miss you too. All right now, get to work. I¡¯m going down for breakfast,¡± Sophie said. It was already over ten o¡¯clock. Knowing William was also home, she felt embarrassed to head downstairs. ¡°Okay. Don¡¯t forget to eat more, all right?¡± Tristan was reluctant to hang up the call. In fact, he didn¡¯t even feel like working at all with a lovely wife at home. ¡°All right. Now go and focus on your work!¡± The couple chatted for a while longer until the secretary called Tristan, forcing him to end the call. After hanging up. Sophie shed a contented smile on her face. She was truly living a happy life. She changed her clothes and headed downstairs. When the butler saw hering down, he immediately served the breakfast on the table. ¡°Mrs. Lombard, your breakfast is ready¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°There¡¯s no need to be so polite, Mrs. Lombard. It¡¯s our duty to serve you. If there¡¯s anything you find unsatisfactory, feel free to let me know, and I will work on it.¡± ¡°Everything is great,¡± Sophie replied. She wasn¡¯t ustomed to being served by others. She sat quietly and ate her breakfast. Seeing the way Sophie behaved, the butler couldn¡¯t help but feel a sense of pride. He used to ponder what kind of woman would be worthy of Tristan. Now that he saw her, he felt that only someone like her deserved to be with Tristan. They were trulypatible in every aspect. I hope Mrs. Lombard can bear children for the Lombard family as soon as possible. That way, their union would be trulyplete! After breakfast, Sophie didn¡¯t have much else to do, so she went directly to the Chanaea Medical Association. It had been a while since shest visited. Upon learning of her arrival, Arius and Georgina immediately brought her to theboratory. They encountered some problems in their recent experiments and Sophie¡¯s presence had given them hope. How could they not make good use of her expertise? ¡°Sophie, you have no idea how much we missed you during your absence.¡± Sophie excelled in every field, especially in medicine, where she was considered a natural authority. She could solve any problems. ¡°Missed me? Aren¡¯t you afraid Georgina will get jealous?¡± Sophie teased. Upon hearing her name, Georgina blushed and said, ¡°No! How could I possibly be jealous of you? I know how close both of you are.¡± ¡°I was just teasing you. By the way, you two have been together for a while now. When will we get to attend your wedding?¡± Arius did express his hope to get married during my wedding photoshoot. Georgina¡¯s face grew even redder. In truth, she felt that their current situation was already perfect. She was genuinely happy being with Arius, and even if they didn¡¯t get married, it didn¡¯t matter. Chapter 1032 I Will Treat Her Well Chapter 1032 I Will Treat Her Well ¡°That depends on when she wants to marry me! Georgina, when are you going to marry me?¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t even propose to me!¡± Georgina retorted. Although she didn¡¯t find anything wrong with girls taking the initiative, she was worried that it was her one-sided wish to get married. She turned and walked away. A look of confusion crossed Arius¡¯ face. Did I say anything wrong? ¡°Why are women so confusing? Weren¡¯t we just having a normal conversation?¡± ¡°Arius, what a woman need is a sense of security. Did you give it to her?¡± Arius was puzzled. Did I not give it to her? I love Georgina so much. I want to be with her for the rest of my life. I thought she knew that. ¡°If you truly like her, then tell her. Women tend to overthink. Do you understand?¡± ¡°Yeah, Lunderstand. Don¡¯t worry! I¡¯ll treat her well.¡± After finishing his work at Lombard Group in the evening, Tristan went to the medical association to pick Sophie up. It had been a long time since they met up with their friends, so they all had dinner together. Sophie and Tristan, the newlyweds, looked blissful, while Charles appeared mncholic. Everyone had a partner, and he was the only one alone. Am I destined to spend my life in loneliness? Seeing him like this, Ysabelle leaned against Felix intentionally, intending to provoke Charles even more, Charles was not a fool. He knew that she was deliberately trying to provoke him. But now he was all by himself, and even if he knew it, there was nothing he could do about it. ¡°Mr. Northley, please control your woman and ask her not to provoke me,¡± Charles said helplessly. Did I get in anyone¡¯s way for being single? Felix ced his arm around Ysabelle¡¯s shoulder and said, ¡°She¡¯s my woman. She can do whatever she pleases as long as she doesn¡¯t mess with Sophie.¡± Even though Sophie was now married to Tristan, they were still ustomed to calling her by her name. They didn¡¯t address her as Mrs. Lombard because their rtionships were tooplicated for such formalities. They chose not to care about the formalities and simply called each other by their names. Sophie nced at Felix. ¡°Mess with me?¡± She wondered why anyone wanted to mess with her. Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org. Ysabelle immediately waved her hands. ¡°No way! I wouldn¡¯t dare mess with you, and I can¡¯t bear to do so either!¡± Sophie¡¯s current position in the Lombard family has surpassed mine. Why would I mess with her! Meanwhile, Arius and Georgina sat together. Georgina felt slightly unhappy as she wasn¡¯t familiar with the others. She remained quiet during the meal. When Arius noticed her dejected look, he started to panic. ¡°Are you still mad at me? Georgina, don¡¯t you know how I feel about you? Let¡¯s get married!¡± He was not the romantic type, but he would do his best to treat her well. Georgina let out a sigh. Oh well, I was the one who fall for him. He has always been like this since I met him. Georgina held his hand and said, ¡°I know you¡¯re good to me, and I understand your intentions.¡± There isn¡¯t a need to delve into petty matters. We¡¯re already very happy now, aren¡¯t we? ¡°Georgina, are you two getting married?¡± Ysabelle, who was seated next to Georgina, had been eavesdropping on their conversation. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ve already decided to spend the rest of my life with him. I¡¯ll marry no one but him.¡± Georgina used to think that the phrase ¡°marry a gentleman¡± was just a clich¨¦, but after getting to know Arius, she realized how true it could be. ¡°Me too! Felix and I are getting married. Why don¡¯t we do it together?¡± Ysabelle suggested. ¡°Together? I need to ask Arius if he¡¯s okay with it.¡± Georgina knew that Arius didn¡¯t have anyone else, but she had her own family to consider. ¡°Okay, take your time to consider. I think having a joint wedding would be fun.¡± After speaking, Ysabelle leaned on Felix¡¯s shoulder. Marriage, what a beautiful word! Although she was only twenty-one years old, she was already thinking about spending a lifetime with this man. During the event, the men who had girlfriends took good care of their respective partners; only Charles and Sean were still single. Sean seized the opportunity to sit next to Sophie. ¡°Sophie, do you know where Cecelia is now?¡± Chapter 1033 How You Treat Me Chapter 1033 How You Treat Me ¡°Cecelia? I just returned from my honeymoon, so I haven¡¯t had time to contact her! She isn¡¯t filming anything right now, though. I guess she¡¯s currently on vacation.¡± Many things happened after she returned from her honeymoon. It had been a while since she had seen her best friend. ¡°Oh.¡± Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Why are you looking for her?¡± Did something happen between them? I¡¯m not in a position to ask about it, though. ¡°It¡¯s nothing.¡± Sean felt a little annoyed. It wasn¡¯t a pleasant feeling at all. He had never felt like that before, but it seemed that Cecelia had been avoiding him after sleeping with him. ¡°I¡¯ll call and ask where she is once I return.¡± Sophie knew about Cecelia¡¯s feelings for Sean, but Sean had always pined for his first crush. Moreover, the effect his first crush had on him was especially significant. Men like him are better left on their own. ¡°All right.¡± After dinner, everyone went to Nocturnal to wind down, but Charles felt the ce was boring once he got there, as everyone was in pair except for him. Ultimately, he sat beside Sean so that they could be each other¡¯spanions. ¡°Sean¡­¡± Charles realized Sean wasn¡¯t in the mood to chat after sitting there for a while. ¡°Did something happen at yourw firm, Sean? You seem to be so preupiedtely.¡± Sean ignored him, for his mind was filled with the crushing look on Cecelia¡¯s face. In the end, I still hurt that proud woman. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you, Sean? Did you get into some troubletely? You can tell us. You keeping quiet like this is honestly quite scary.¡± ¡°Can you shut up? You¡¯re so noisy.¡± Charles finally shut his mouth. I was just worried about him. Why is he giving me the cold-shoulders again? Why is it so hard to be a human? Tristan and Sophie sat on a couch, abstaining from alcohol. After her wedding, she stopped consuming alcohol since they wanted to have a baby. ¡°Sophie, are you really nning on having a kid so soon?¡± She¡¯s only twenty years old! ¡°Yeah.¡± Sophie wasn¡¯t the least bit repulsed by the idea of having a child. She decided to go with the flow. ¡°How brave! Taking care of a child is a lot of work.¡± Georgina had seen her colleagues care for their children before, and it looked exhausting. ¡°Uncle Tristan won¡¯t let Sophie tire herself out! I¡¯m sure he¡¯ll fight to care for the child.¡± There¡¯s Grandpa too. These people will fight to care for the child. ¡°Yeah, she¡¯s right. You¡¯re in charge of delivering the baby. Leave the caretaking to me.¡± If I can deliver the baby, I will since I don¡¯t want Sophie to suffer the pain of giving birth. s, I¡¯m a man and can¡¯t bear a child. ¡°Sure.¡± Sophie was more than d to take him up on his offer. Ysabelle rested her head on Felix¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Felix, if I ever have a kid, you need to take care of the child too. I won¡¯t bear that responsibility since I still want to sing.¡± Felix immediately nodded. ¡°That¡¯s for sure. You just focus on giving birth, but, say, are you finally agreeing to marry me?¡± My proposal has been a string of failures. ¡°Well, that depends on how you treat me.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be greedy, Ysabelle! You won¡¯t find another man who loves you as much as Felix if you ever leave him.¡± It¡¯s literally impossible to find someone like him, okay? The few of them gathered at a booth when they noticed not only Sophie and Tristan were drinking juices, but even Felix and Ysabelle were too. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you two are nning to have a child too? Why aren¡¯t you drinking?¡± It¡¯s no fun to have non- alcoholic beverages in Nocturnal. ¡°We¡¯re not drinking alcohol in advance for our child,¡± Felix answered with his arm around Ysabelle¡¯s waist. Charles had nothing to say to that. I¡¯m truly speechless. Are they here to provoke me? Isn¡¯t this too much? ¡°Charles, aren¡¯t you done fooling around? I wonder what kind of woman will end up taking a man like you.¡± They were truly curious. Charles shook his head. ¡°I don¡¯t know either! I might just be on my own in this lifetime.¡± I don¡¯t have any interest in fooling around with women anymore now. Maybe this is karma. Sophie took a sip of her juice and started typing a text to Cecelia. Two minutester, she received a reply. It read: Sophie, you finally remembered me! I thought you hadpletely forgotten about your best friend after bing a married woman. Sophie replied: How could I possibly forget you? We¡¯re at Nocturnal since we don¡¯t have any work these days. Sean is here too. Wanna join us? Cecelia responded: No, thanks. It doesn¡¯t sound fun. Cecelia had little interest in drinking now. Sophie asked: Did something happen between you and Sean? Cecelia answered: What could¡¯ve possibly happened? That man isn¡¯t someone I can mess with. Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m well aware of my position. Every time Cecelia thought about Sean, bitterness would fill her heart. I¡¯m still an award-winning actress, regardless! But I¡¯m not even the least bit attractive in his eyes. Just the thought of it is enough to make me feel defeated. Sophie questioned: Are you sure nothing happened? Sean even asked me about you earlier. Sophie didn¡¯t think men like Sean would ask about someone else without cause. She was sure something had happened between the two. Cecelia had no interest in knowing what Sean was thinking, so she texted: I¡¯m sure. I¡¯m tired so I¡¯m going to bed. You go ahead and have fun! He¡¯s nothing more than a one-night stand. I¡¯m not a stick-in-the-mud. I can y around too. It¡¯s nothing serious, anyway. Sophie gave up and replied: Okay. Have a good night. She thought something was off with Cecelia but could only go and check on her the next day. ¡°Was it Cecelia?¡± Tristan asked when Sophie finally set down her phone. ¡°Yeah. She¡¯s acting weird. I¡¯ll go and check up on her tomorrow.¡± Cecelia was her best friend, so she felt a sense of responsibility for her. ¡°Okay.¡±¡± Tristan slid a nce at Sean. This dude has been observing us for a while now. I guess he wants to know about Cecelia. Honestly, I think Sean should just dive into a new rtionship. His first crush is nothing more than unrequited love. It¡¯s really not as significant as he imagines it. ¡°If Sean bullied Cecelia, I won¡¯t let him get away with it. Sophie shot a look at Sean. She would take Cecelia¡¯s side no matter who was right. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m definitely on your side.¡± Between his friend and his wife, Tristan would, of course, choose his wife. ¡°Thanks.¡± They hung out at Nocturnal until after ten before leaving. Sophie fell asleep instantly upon returning home. She noticed how she would feel exhausted easily recently, and her menstruation had been dyed for a few days, but she wasn¡¯t sure if she was pregnant since she hadn¡¯t gone for a test. She wanted to tell Tristan about it after the test result was out. She did not want to disappoint him. Chapter 1034 I Am Pregnant Chapter 1034 I Am Pregnant Tristan came out of the shower and found that his wife was already asleep. She was sleeping soundly, in fact. He leaned down and kissed her lovingly on the forehead. ¡°Are you that tired? Have a good rest.¡±; He slipped under the covers, then enveloped her in his embrace. Sophie remained asleep. She let out a murmur before settlingfortably in his arms and drifting back to a peaceful slumber. The following day, Sophie made arrangements to visit Cecelia. Tristan decided to apany her to Cecelia¡¯s residence before parting ways with her. ¡°Shall I pick you up at noon?¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine. I¡¯ll see how Cecelia is doing first. I might have lunch with her.¡± I haven¡¯t seen her in a while now. ¡°Okay, then. I won¡¯t disturb you two at noon.¡± Tristan understood that best friends often had things to discuss, and he didn¡¯t want to be a third wheel. ¡°Call me if you need me.¡± ¡°I will.¡± ¡°Go inside now. I¡¯ll leave once I see you¡¯re inside.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Sophie entered the house. Cecelia resided in a vi that her parents had bought for her, and she had been, living there for a long time. The housekeepers recognized Sophie since she often came to apany Cecelia, so they quickly opened the door for her. ¡°Where¡¯s Cecelia?¡± ¡°She¡¯s still sleeping! Ms. Tanner, you study medicine, right? Could you please check on her and see if anything¡¯s wrong? We¡¯re not sure if she¡¯s feeling unwell,¡± the housekeeper said. ¡°All right.¡± Sophie went upstairs directly to Cecelia¡¯s room and found her lying in bed looking pale and exhausted. Thetter was a far cry from the morous Cecelia she knew. Seeing Sophie, Cecelia sat up from the bed. ¡°Why are you here? I thought you had forgotten about me!¡± ¡°How could I? Are you feeling unwell? You don¡¯t look so good,¡± Sophie said worriedly. ¡°It¡¯s nothing, Sophie. I¡­¡± Cecelia didn¡¯t know how to continue. It was truly difficult to talk about this matter. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? We¡¯re best friends, Cecelia. You can tell me anything no matter what trouble you¡¯re facing.¡± No matter what kind of trouble Cecelia encountered, Sophie would be there to support her. ¡°Sophie, I¡¯m pregnant.¡± As an artist under TS Entertainment, Cecelia felt it was necessary to inform Sophie about it. Sophie had sensed that something was definitely wrong, but she had never expected such shocking news. ¡°Is it Sean¡¯s?¡± I suppose it is given their current state. ¡°Does he know about it?¡± I ¡°Does it even matter? ¡®It was just a one-night stand. I have no intention of marrying him.¡± Cecelia didn¡¯t want to pressure Sean or force him to do anything. Although she had feelings for him, she wouldn¡¯t use this child as leverage. ¡°What are you nning to do, then?¡± Sophie asked casually with no intention of finding fault with her. She felt heartbroken for her. After all, she had always known how proud Cecelia was, and she couldn¡¯t imagine Cecelia using a child to manipte a man. ¡°I want to keep the baby.¡± Cecelia had been thinking since she found out about her pregnancy. However, now she only had one thought in her mind: to give birth to this child. Sophie remained silent. Seeing her response, Cecelia lowered her head like a guilty child. ¡°Sophie, I-¡± ¡°Cecelia, no matter what decision you make, I will support you. Don¡¯t worry, I can afford to raise a child.¡± Tears welled up in Cecelia¡¯s eyes. Since learning about her pregnancy, she had been unsure about what to do. She couldn¡¯t even tell her parents about it. Now that she heard what Sophie had said about helping her raise her child, she threw herself into Sophie¡¯s embrace. ¡°Sophie, you¡¯re so kind! If only you were a man,¡± Cecelia said. If Sophie were a man, she would marry her without hesitation, and Sean would have no ce in their lives. ¡°All right, stop crying. It¡¯s not good for the baby.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Sophie stayed with Cecelia at the Lance residence. When it was noon, the housekeepers prepared lunch for them. Cecelia was suffering from severe morning sickness and could only eat a little before vomiting. Sophie¡¯s heart ached when she saw that. ¡°Sophie, being pregnant is truly challenging. I should listen to my mother and never make her angry again,¡± Cecelia said. ¡°Your parents don¡¯t know about this, right? They would be devastated if they found out.¡± ¡°Why would they be? They¡¯ve always wanted a grandchild. I¡¯m just fulfilling their wish.¡± Cecelia smiled. She didn¡¯t know how to tell her parents, but since things hade to this point, there was no turning back. ¡°Yeah, they love you so much. I¡¯m sure they¡¯ll understand.¡± After finishing their meal, Sophie took Cecelia to the medical association for a thorough examination to confirm her pregnancy. Sophie also underwent an examination herself. When Arius received the results, he was dumbfounded. Both Sophie and Cecelia were pregnant. He stared at Sophie with suspicion. ¡°Both of you are pregnant?¡± T¨ºxt ? N?velDrama.Org. Is Mr. Tristan that capable? They have only been married for a short time. How did Sophie get pregnant so quickly? Besides, isn¡¯t Cecelia still not married? Moreover, she¡¯s a famous actress. What would happen to her career now? Sophie had a hunch that she might be pregnant, but now as she held the confirmed pregnancy test results in her hands, her mood waspletely different. ¡°Yeah. Well, you¡¯re the only one who knows about this, so don¡¯t spread it around.¡± Sophie didn¡¯t want Arius to say anything more. Then, she dismissed him. Once he left, Cecelia excitedly read the report. ¡°Sophie, are we both pregnant at the same time? Can our children be childhood friends, then?¡± Cecelia asked with joy. ¡°Of course, they can. Remember, now that you¡¯ve decided to keep the child, you need to take care of your emotions. Your mood will affect the baby. ¡°I know. Mr. Tristan doesn¡¯t know this good news yet, does he? I won¡¯t be joining you. You go ahead and tell him!¡± Sophie must be eager to share this news with Mr. Tristan at this moment. I shouldn¡¯t stay here any longer. ¡°Cecelia! Are you really not going to tell Sean? He has the right to know,¡± Sophie asked. Regardless of the circumstances, Cecelia didn¡¯t need to go through this alone. ¡°Sophie, the decision to keep this child is mine alone. He doesn¡¯t need to know.¡± He only contributed a sperm. He has no say in the fate of this child. Besides, there¡¯s no way Sean would let me keep the child. It¡¯s simply impossible. Sophie held her hand tightly. ¡°Maybe it¡¯s not as bad as you think.¡± ¡°I said I don¡¯t want him to know.¡± We don¡¯t have anything to do with each other since the beginning, no? Chapter 1035 The Child You Have Always Wanted Chapter 1035 The Child You Have Always Wanted ¡°All right, I understand. Let me send you home!¡± Sophie said, not wanting her to return alone. ¡°It¡¯s fine. I can manage on my own, Sophie. I know what I¡¯m doing. You don¡¯t have to worry about me,¡± Cecelia said firmly. At that moment, she just wanted some quiet time alone. Deciding to have the baby was her own choice, and she had the ability to take care of it. ¡°Okay, send me a text when you¡¯re home.¡± Knowing the kind of person she was, Sophie didn¡¯t force her. ¡°Okay.¡± Cecelia left, and soon Arius came over to find Sophie.. ¡°Cecelia is a big star, and she¡¯s at the peak of her career now. Now that she¡¯s pregnant, what will happen to her acting career in the future?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. But no matter what happens, I will protect her,¡± Sophie replied. Cecelia was her best friend, and she couldn¡¯t bear to see her getting hurt. ¡°Poor Cecelia¡­¡± What a pity. Love truly changes a person and makes thempletely unrecognizable. ¡°What about you? Does Tristan know about your pregnancy? Knowing how much he cares about you, I bet he¡¯ll be by your side all day every day if he finds out.¡± Tristan was the kind of husband who genuinely cared about his wife. His love and devotion for Sophie gave their friends a sense of relief. ¡°He doesn¡¯t, so don¡¯t say anything. I want to tell him myself.¡± It will be such a pleasant surprise for Tristan when he finds out. He will surely be delighted! ¡°Don¡¯t worry! I¡¯m not the type to b. I won¡¯t say a word.¡± It¡¯s their own personal matter. Why would I go around talking about it? ¡°I¡¯m heading back now.¡± Sophie only wanted to find Tristan. He had always wanted a child, and now his wish had finallye true. ¡°Go ahead. Be careful on the road. Otherwise, just let Tristane pick you up. He¡¯ll definitely be more than happy to do so.¡± Tristan is always ready to be by Sophie¡¯s side. ¡°Nah, I¡¯m not that weak.¡± Sophie went straight to Lombard Group. Sean was there too, dealing with some legal issues rted to the When Sophie saw Sean, he seemed to have something on his mind. She knew what he wanted to ask, but since Cecelia didn¡¯t want him to know, she couldn¡¯t say anything. But is it really right to keep it from him? Raising a child alone would be very difficult. Can Cecelia handle it? Seeing that Sophie was lost in thought, Sean sat down beside her. ¡°How is Cecelia doing?¡± He used to see news about Cecelia all the time, but now she seemed to have disappeared. ¡°She¡¯s doing fine, so don¡¯t worry.¡± Sophie still had no intention of telling Sean about the pregnancy. Even if she wanted to, she needed Cecelia¡¯s consent. She couldn¡¯t take matters into her own hands. However, she couldn¡¯t resist asking one question. T¨ºxt ? N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Sean, do you like children?¡± Sean was confused by the sudden question. Why would she ask that? ¡°What do you mean? Is Cecelia pregnant?¡± It¡¯s possible after what happened that night. Sophie shook her head. ¡°No. How could she be? She takes birth control pills.¡± She had to lie since he asked. His reaction clearly showed that he wasn¡¯t interested in having children. Sophie felt disappointed and sorry for Cecelia upon seeing Sean¡¯s current reaction. ¡°Sean, you don¡¯t really like Cecelia, do you? If you don¡¯t, then you two shouldn¡¯t bother each other anymore.¡± Cecelia¡¯s a proud woman who doesn¡¯t care about anyone¡¯s sympathy. Sean remained silent. He didn¡¯t know how to describe his feelings. Ever since that night, he had been dreaming about her. However, he wondered about his persistence after all these years. Tristan came back and saw that Sophie seemed upset. He sat down next to her. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Did Sean upset you?¡± Sean has just left, and if it wasn¡¯t Sean, who else could have upset her? Sophie shook her head. ¡°No. How could he possibly upset me?¡± She tried to calm down and suppressed her emotions. Well, what else can I do? ¡°He did upset you, didn¡¯t he? Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll teach him a lesson next time.¡± He has to face the consequences of messing with my wife! Seeing him always standing up for her, Sophie felt much better. She rxed and leaned against him. ¡°You don¡¯t have to. We are husband and wife, and he¡¯s your good friend. You don¡¯t have to do anything to him because of me!¡± There was really no need for that. She wasn¡¯t an unreasonable woman. ¡°All right. How is Cecelia?¡± Sophie must be upset because of Cecelia. After all, Cecelia is her best friend. ¡°She¡¯s fine. She¡¯ll forget about Sean.¡± That was what Sophie said, but she was still worried. If Cecelia could really forget, she wouldn¡¯t have insisted on keeping the baby. ¡°Let¡¯s not dwell on it. What would you like to eat for dinner?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve already made a reservation at a restaurant. Are you done with work? If you are, we can leave now.¡± Sophie decided to share the good news in a beautiful setting. ¡°You¡¯ve made a reservation? Is today a special day?¡± Have I forgotten something? ¡°No. Let¡¯s go!¡± The two of them drove to the most famous restaurant in Jipsdale. The atmosphere there was amazing. It was Georgina who rmended it, and it didn¡¯t disappoint. The ce was truly enchanting. ¡°Do you like it? If you do, we cane here often in the future.¡± Most girls love ces like this. Even I, as a man, feel that the ce is like a dream. ¡°Yes, it¡¯s really nice. No wonder Georgina has been telling me about it.¡± Both of them had been too busy to notice such a great ce in Jipsdale. As Sophie had already made a reservation, the server led them to their table and took their orders. When the food arrived, Sophie said solemnly, ¡°Tristan, I have some good news to share.¡± ? ¡°What is it?¡± Did she prepare a surprise for me? I should have been the one to do this as her husband. I¡¯m falling short in that regard! ¡°I¡¯m pregnant. We¡¯re going to have the child you¡¯ve always wanted.¡± As Sophie spoke these words, her eyes were shining. Our lives areplete now. Trist¨¢n didn¡¯t react at first. But when he did, he was ovee with immense joy. Is it true? We¡¯re going to have our own child. I¡¯ll be a father, and she¡¯ll be a mother. We¡¯ll live together as a happy family! Chapter 1036 The Reaction of The Lombards Chapter 1036 The Reaction of The Lombards ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Are you not happy? Hadn¡¯t you always wanted a child?¡± Sophie asked. What¡¯s with the look on his face now? Is he not happy? ¡°Of course, I¡¯m happy! But does that mean I can¡¯t touch you anymore starting today?¡± After the initial burst of joy, that practical question urred to Tristan. We¡¯re newlyweds, and I haven¡¯t had enough of her. Yet, my days of abstinence are now here? This doesn¡¯t feel good at all! Sophie was wholly stunned. What a peculiar way of thinking! But that seems to be true. It¡¯s said that special care is required during the first trimester. ¡°What should we do, then? Are you suggesting that we abort this child?¡± Dad has been looking forward to a grandchild. At her question, Tristan¡¯s expression changed drastically. ¡°No way! Having an abortion is exceedingly detrimental to a woman¡¯s health. I¡¯ll never allow such a thing to happen to you.¡± He clutched her hands tightly. Then, he continued confidently, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, for you¡¯ll be free when the child is born. I¡¯ll take care of him. All right, don¡¯t think about anything now. Just focus on eating.¡± Sophie started eating while Tristan went down to business. When she noticed that he had not taken a single bite of his food, she could not help questioning him, ¡°What are you doing? If you don¡¯t eat, the food will go cold.¡± ¡°I¡¯m browsing the inte for information on the things to pay attention to during the early stages of pregnancy.¡± I must take care of her wholeheartedly henceforth. Thus, I naturally have to know all that. Tristan¡¯s reply struck Sophie dumb. Oh well, he attaches great importance to everything to do with me, much less when it¡¯s such a colossal matter of having a child. Tristan looked through some information, paying close attention to the food that suited pregnant women and otherwise. He nned to start cooking for her upon going home since she could not eat outside food often now that she was with child. ¡°That¡¯s enough. Eat first and continue browsing at home.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± T¨ºxt ? N?velDrama.Org. Only when Sophie had said as much did Tristan start eating. He scarfed down the food, and when he was done, he resumed browsing the inte again. At that, words eluded Sophie. Isn¡¯t he being overly anxious? Every woman experience childbirth. He¡¯s really being too worked up. ¡°I¡¯m a medical student, Tristan. I know how to take care of myself. You don¡¯t have to be so worried.¡± It¡¯s truly unnecessary, and his behavior is breaking my heart. ¡°I know you¡¯re amazing and can take care of yourself, but you¡¯re my wife, so I¡¯ve got to tend to you meticulously. Just entrust yourself to me with peace of mind.¡± Verily, that¡¯s all she needs to do. ¡°All right, then.¡± Sophie could no longer be bothered to dissuade the man. It doesn¡¯t matter as long as he¡¯s happy. Anyway, he¡¯s a responsible man in the first ce. Before leaving the restaurant, Tristan sent a message to the WhatsApp chat group with his friends. It read: My wife is pregnant, guys. From now on, I¡¯ll be focused on taking care of her. There¡¯s no need to call me out for any gatherings. The other three men in the group chat went silent. They were all stupefied. Whoa! Sophie is already pregnant in such a short time? Mr. Tristan is really a force to be reckoned with! After sending the WhatsApp message, Tristan did not bother responding to his friends¡¯ replies in the group chat. Instead, he took Sophie¡¯s hand and headed home with her, determined to tell William about the good news. Isn¡¯t this something Dad has been anticipating all along? Now, his wish has finallye true. He¡¯ll definitely be over the moon! Throughout the drive, the smile remained on Tristan¡¯s face. He was on top of the world right then. Seeing him in seventh heaven, Sophie was also in a good mood. It was only natural for her to be ted as there was a new life in her belly, one that belonged to them both. Soon, they arrived at the Lombard residence. When William learned about the good news, he immediately lit a candle in gratitude. ¡°This is great! Ysabelle is the only descendant of the Lombard family in this generation, but there¡¯ll certainly be more children in the future!¡± Ysabelle caught wind of the good news as soon as she arrived home. She hugged Sophie tightly. ¡°You¡¯re simply incredible, Sophie! It¡¯s only been a while since you¡¯ve gotten married!¡± ¡°Take it easy. Why are you being so reckless? Be more careful in the future. Now that Sophie is pregnant, all of us have to be mindful and take good care of her.¡± Sarah pulled Ysabelle aside. At everyone¡¯s concern, a wealth of warmth suffused Sophie. In truth, the Lombard family is very much easy to get along with. Before I was pregnant, they already treated me beyond well. ¡°I¡¯m fine, Sarah.¡± ¡°Tell me whenever you crave something, Sophie. I¡¯ll cook it for you.¡± It seemed that it was all Sarah could do. ¡°Okay. Thank you, Sarah.¡± ¡°You¡¯re all to be more careful hereafter. Don¡¯t bump into Sophie. She¡¯s now the queen of our family. No one is allowed to make her angry. Sophie, tell me if Tristan were to make you mad. I would teach him a lesson for you,¡± said William. ¡°Sure. Thank you, Dad.¡± ¡°Grandpa, do you want a grandson or granddaughter?¡± Ysabelle asked. 1 Grandpa has always been good to me, but he must also want a grandson, right? After all, isn¡¯t the older generation most concerned about the continuity of the family line? ¡°I don¡¯t mind either way. So long as the child is of the Lombard family, I¡¯ll like him. What are you thinking? Am I not good to you?¡± William huffed. Admittedly, I¡¯m usually a bit rigid, but I¡¯m not so antiquated that I value boys over girls! Worried that Sophie would take it to heart, he immediately added, ¡°Don¡¯t feel pressured, Sophie. A boy or a girl makes no difference.¡± ¡°You¡¯re the best, Grandpa!¡± Ysabelle threw herself into her grandfather¡¯s arms. Indeed, Grandpa has been great to me. Why on earth did I have such a thought? ¡°With you pregnant and Tristan busy, Sophie, the two of you should just stay here. There are many people here. Hence, there¡¯ll always be someone to take care of you.¡± William hoped they would live there, feeling that a family should stay together. Tristan grasped Sophie¡¯s hand. He did not want to stay there since they were newly married and needed their own personal space. ¡°I can take good care of Sophie, Dad. I¡¯m still more used to living in our mansion. There are many people here, so it¡¯ll be noisy.¡± William went speechless, at a loss for words. Gosh, how is it noisy here? While Sarah and Ysabelle live here, they¡¯re as busy as a bee. They¡¯ve got no time to make noise. ¡°Fine, then. Stay wherever you want. I¡¯ve got no objections as long as you take good care of Sophie.¡± Ah, never mind. Young people have their own thoughts, so I won¡¯t insist further. It won¡¯t do me any good anyway. However, he then asserted, ¡°But let me make this clear-Sophie must stay here for her confinement period. With that, we can all take good care of her and the baby.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll talk about it when the timees.¡± Tristan did not want to think about an issue far into the future. There was still a long time between pregnancy to delivery. When the child was born, they would have no time alone. Therefore, he was intent on being with Sophie exclusively before that happened. Chapter 1037 Tristan Pampering Sophie Chapter 1037 Tristan Pampering Sophie William was utterly dumbfounded, but there was nothing he could do. Honestly, he was helpless in the face of Tristan. Besides, young people needed their own lives, and he could not interfere too much despite being the man¡¯s father. When they had girl time together at night, Ysabelle still found the entire matter mind-boggling. There¡¯s really nothing different about Sophie, but there¡¯s life in her belly now. How magical! ¡°What¡¯s the matter? Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯ve lost your mind?¡± Sarah questioned. Why is she wearing such a look on her face? ¡°No, I just find it miraculous. Look, Aunt Sarah, she still appears exactly the same as before!¡± Sophie looked down at her t belly. Indeed, even I find it incredible myself. In the near future, Tristan and I will have our own child. Sarah was much older than the two of them, but ultimately, she had never had a child herself. For that reason, she was likewise totally unfamiliar with pregnancy. She, too, found it beyond astounding. ¡°Anyway, you must be more careful because you¡¯re no longer alone no matter what you do from now on out.¡± Pregnancy will be an arduous journey. ¡°Got it, Sarah. Don¡¯t worry, for I know what I¡¯m doing. I¡¯ll take good care of myself.¡± In no time, Mark and the others knew about Sophie¡¯s pregnancy as well. Sunny was the most thrilled person. ¡°Truly, I didn¡¯t expect Sophie to be the first to have a child!¡± After all, Sophie was the youngest among them. ¡°She¡¯s married,¡± Mark replied. I suppose she¡¯s having a child so early because of Tristan. She¡¯s still young, but the same can¡¯t be said of him, so he must want to have a child earlier. ¡°Actually, Mark, there are many outstanding women around you. Sophie is already married, and there¡¯s no use pining over her anymore. You should date!¡± Sunny urged. It¡¯d be pointless no matter how long he waits when Sophie is already married. ¡°I¡¯m not pining over her. When ites to certain people, even pining over her forever wouldn¡¯t yield any fruit,¡± Mark remarked. I understand that. Regretfully, I can¡¯t bring myself to settle. Oh well, what could I do when I just happened to meet such an outstanding woman in my younger days? The other members of The Wheelers did not know what to say to that. All Sunny could do was pat Mark on the shoulder. ¡°It¡¯s a fact of life to keep moving forward, Mark.¡± So what if he can¡¯t forget her? He won¡¯t be able to change anything. In that case, he can only keep moving forward. At noon, they all surrounded Sophie when they ran into her at TS Entertainment. ¡°Are you really pregnant, Sophie? I want to be the child¡¯s godfather!¡± Sunny dered loudly. Hearing that, Sophie chuckled. ¡°Okay, sure.¡± She was naturally happy that there was another person to love her child. ¡°Pregnancy is grueling. Don¡¯t tire yourself out anymore, and take good care of yourself. If there¡¯s anything to be done, you can have others do it.¡± Mark¡¯s utmost concern was her health. Strictly speaking, she¡¯s still a child herself. I really can¡¯t imagine how she¡¯s going to take care of a baby in the future! ¡°I know. Don¡¯t worry! I¡¯m a doctor. As such, I know how to take care of myself.¡± Sophie could only reassure the man, knowing he was worried about her. ¡°Great.¡± Mark was aware that she was an exceedingly independent person. On top of that, Tristan was incredibly good to her, so he had nothing to worry about. Mark and the others had an event, so they did not tarry and went about their own matters. However, Ysabelle stayed by Sophie¡¯s side all along. ¡°Go about your business. Why do you keep following me?¡± Sophie questioned. Doesn¡¯t she have her own affairs to attend to? Why is she following me around here? ¡°I¡¯m worried about you. This is your first time being pregnant, no? I¡¯m only following you around out of concern.¡± At Ysabelle¡¯s reply, Sophie burst outughing. ¡°I¡¯m genuinely fine. I¡¯m still in the early stages of pregnancy, okay? All right, go and do whatever it is have to do.¡± She¡¯s a very popr singer now, so she must have a lot of things to do. ¡°Okay, then. I know you find me a bother.¡± Sheer mncholy flooded Ysabelle. Despite her words, the smile on her face remained. A new life was truly something remarkable. Because of that, everyone seemed to be in a good mood. you Caleb also learned about Sophie¡¯s pregnancy. At noon, he specially went to TS Entertainment to visit her. ¡°I know you¡¯ve got your te full, Caleb. You actually don¡¯t need toe over for the express purpose of visiting me.¡± Exasperation swamped Sophie. As expected, everyone¡¯s attitude changed tremendously after learning that I¡¯m pregnant. ¡°In reality, I¡¯m not that busy. I just came over to have a look at you. There¡¯s no need to feel bad about it. If you¡¯ve got time,e home for dinner.¡± ¡°Okay, got it.¡± Caleb brought a lot of things for her. At the sight of it all, a wealth of warmth suffused Sophie. When Caleb returned home at night,,Willow said nothing upon seeing him. Charmaine, on the other hand, made a fewments of concern. ¡°If you¡¯re free, Mom, go and visit Sophie. She¡¯s also your daughter. She¡¯s young, so I¡¯m worried that she doesn¡¯t know how to take care of herself.¡± Never mind when she wasn¡¯t pregnant, but now that she¡¯s with child, Mom should really go and show her some concern. ¡°Okay, got it.¡± Charmaine was downright perfunctory. What¡¯s the use of me doing so? I don¡¯t think she needs my concern in the least! At his mother¡¯s attitude, Caleb could only shake his head helplessly. Once something changes, it¡¯s truly difficult to mend it then. In the evening, Tristan went to TS Entertainment to pick Sophie up. Ysabelle initially wanted to have dinner with them, but Felix appeared and whisked her away. Tristan brought Sophie to the supermarket to buy groceries. R¨ºAdt??St chapters at Novel(D)ra/ma.Org Only ¡°What would you like to eat? I¡¯ll cook it for youter.¡± It had been a while since he had started to learn to cook. By then, he could prepare a few dishes. ¡°I¡¯ll eat whatever you cook. As long as it¡¯s something you make, I¡¯ll like it,¡± Sophie answered ingratiatingly ¡°Why are you so honey-tongued today? Did you do something wrong?¡± Sophie was promptly rendered speechless by his question. ¡°I¡¯m serious! Your cooking skills have indeed improved by leaps and bounds recently.¡± I¡¯m definitely not saying this for the sake of ttering him. ¡°Okay.¡± Wrapping an arm around her waist, Tristan wheeled the shopping cart with the other. Whenever Sophie spotted something she liked to eat, she snagged it. In truth, her appetite wascking because she was in the early stages of pregnancy. She had little interest in food. Unfortunately, she was already thin in the first ce. If she did not eat properly, she would only lose more weight and worry others. They bought a lot of food at the supermarket. Tristan carried two big shopping bags into the car before opening the car door for her. When Sophie had climbed into the vehicle and noticed that he was already sweating, she took out a tissue and wiped his sweat for him. ¡°Actually, I¡¯m truly not that delicate. I can share the burden with you.¡± Verily, there¡¯s absolutely no need to pamper me so much. It¡¯s also taking a toll on him, isn¡¯t it? ¡°No, it¡¯s okay. You only need to take good care of yourself,¡± Tristan declined. I can resolve everything else. Chapter 1038 Are You Moved to Tears Chapter 1038 Are You Moved to Tears Tristan drove back to the mansion with Sophie. Unexpectedly, he was greeted by the sight of Ysabelle and Felix waiting at the gates. At the sight of the two uninvited guests, he could only inhale deeply. Shouldn¡¯t the two of them be going on a date now? Why are they here? With an arm wrapped around Ysabelle¡¯s waist, Felix started smilingly, ¡°We had nowhere to go, so we came here to have dinner together. You guys don¡¯t mind, right?¡± ¡°We do. Say, Felix, aren¡¯t you both going to get married soon? And is it not great to live your own lives?¡± Argh! Why must theye here to intrude on us? ¡°There¡¯s no hurry. Don¡¯t worry, Uncle Tristan! We¡¯re already surveying the mansions nearby. If there¡¯s any suitable one, we¡¯ll buy it. Then, we can have each other¡¯s back in the future,¡± Ysabelle interjected. Tristan went silent, struck dumb. I don¡¯t want to have their backs at all. All I need is personal space! ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Are you moved to tears? This is all for convenience¡¯s sake for me to take care of Sophie in the future,¡± Ysabelle continued. ¡°She doesn¡¯t need you to take care of her, I can take care of my own wife,¡± Tristan countered. I really don¡¯t need all these meddlesome people! ¡°All right, let¡¯s go in first.¡± Sophie had no objections. It was only having two more people at the table, and that did not bother her. At once, Ysabelle went over and supported Sophie ¡°Let¡¯s go in first, Sophie. We¡¯ll leave the cooking to the men. I¡¯ll chat with you.¡± She did not regard herself as an outsider at all. ¡°Sure.¡± Sophie was not a person who liked to cook. Tristan had already forbade her from cooking in the past, alone when she was currently pregnant. Thus, the two girls went to the couch and sat down. ¡°I wrote a song recently. I¡¯ve sent it to you, so listen to it. If you like it, you can sing it.¡± It was a song Sophie wrote after she got pregnant, and the lyrics brimmed with bliss. As Ysabelle listened to it, she naturally fell in love with it. ¡°I love it! So long as it¡¯s a song written by you, I¡¯ll like it. You¡¯re a genius. I can already imagine how - popr this song will be!¡± That had always been the norm. Any song written by Sophie would undoubtedly be a hit. ¡°I¡¯m d you like it,¡± Sophie replied. ¡°What¡¯s the matter? Are you tired? Shall I give you a massage?¡± Ysabelle instantly offered ingratiatingly. It went without saying that she was ecstatic since her visit that day garnered her a meal and an unexpected song. ¡°No, it¡¯s okay. I¡¯m fine. I¡¯m just pregnant. You all don¡¯t need to focus all your attention on me,¡± Sophie asserted. Truly, that¡¯s totally unnecessary. ¡°This song is really nice. I love it!¡± Ysabelle liked the song increasingly more as she listened to it. ¡°That¡¯s great. The preparations for your wedding with Felix have likely started, yes? Do tell me if you need. our help in anything.¡± While speaking, Sophie leaned back against the couch. Ever since getting pregnant, she was prone to being sleepy. She actually did not do much that day, but she was already tired then. ¡°I¡¯m just entrusting the wedding preparations to Felix. I believe that he can settle everything.¡± Felix was an exceedingly meticulous man. Consequently, Ysabelle did not have to worry about the wedding. ¡°Well, it was an arduous journey for the two of you, so you must cherish him henceforth,¡± Sophie urged. The incident this time taught everyone a lesson. In the past, they all assumed that there was still a lot of time, so they had a lifetime together. In reality, however, no one knew whether there would be a tomorrow. Therefore, the most important thing was to take good care of oneself and appreciate the present. That took precedence over everything. ¡°Yeah, I will. Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m now no longer my immature self in the past.¡± Ysabelle knew what she was doing and was resolved to treat Felix well. Meanwhile, Felix and Tristan prepared dinner in the kitchen. Despite the former¡¯s presence, he was of little help as he rarely cooked. ¡°Actually, Mr. Tristan, you can hire a chef. With how busy you are, it¡¯s simply too tiring for you to cook each day.¡± Felix felt that cooking would be fun once in a while, but if it was done on a daily basis, it would be utterly exhausting. ¡°No, it¡¯s okay. I love the feeling of taking care of her personally. No amount of money I make gives me the sense of aplishment from cooking her a meal.¡± Contrarily, Tristan felt that the sense of aplishment from fattening his own wife and feeding his own child was unrivaled. ¡°Okay, then.¡± All Felix could do was some simple tasks. When he was done, Tristan went about everything alone. As there were four of them, the man prepared several dishes and a soup. The food was not bad, but it was certainly no gourmet fare. Nheless, the four of them enjoyed the meal very much. ¡°Would you like some more soup?¡± This belongs to N?velDrama.Org: ?. In response, Sophie shook her head. ¡°No, thanks. I¡¯m stuffed.¡± She had really eaten a lot that day. ¡°Never mind, then. There are still fruitster.¡± Tristan bought plenty of fresh fruits that day. While Sophie seldom ate fruits, all he chose were her favorites. Hence, he reckoned that she would eat some. ¡°Okay.¡± Sophie¡¯s days of pregnancy were incredibly leisurely. When everyone learned of her delicate condition, they all took great care of her. At the medical association, Barney heaped more work on Arius, and she basically had nothing to do, merely providing some guidance With Victor helming things at Tanner Group, she did not need to worry either. She found such an indolent life prettyfortable. Her belly expanded by the day, and her life gradually changed. Indeed, Tristan took excellent care of her. No matter what she craved, he would cook it for her. Worried that outside food would be unhealthy, they ate at home most of the time. asionally, she would go out shopping with Cecelia. But since Cecelia¡¯s baby bump showed, Cecelia did not leave home anymore. At times, Sophie would go to her mansion to keep herpany. They were both pregnant, so they naturally had much to talk about. Compared to Cecelia, Sophie felt that she herself was downright lucky. The two of them chatted for a while before Cecelia admitted, ¡°Honestly speaking, Sophie, I don¡¯t know whether this decision of mine is right.¡± She was the one who wanted to keep the baby, but she wondered whether her child would me her in the future. Verily, she was worried sick. Sophie grasped her hands. ¡°Cecelia, you¡¯re the bravest mother I¡¯ve ever seen. Since you¡¯ve already made this decision, don¡¯t brood over it. I believe that you and your child will definitely be happy. But then, it¡¯ll be infinitely exhausting for her to shoulder all this alone. Immediately, Cecelia nodded. Sophie added, ¡°But you¡¯ll never be able to avoid things forever. Sean will learn about the child¡¯s existence. sooner orter. I think you should tell him about it.¡± She should go out and about when she¡¯s pregnant, but she¡¯s been cooping herself up in the mansion because of the child. This isn¡¯t healthy. ¡°Yeah, I know,¡± Cecelia concurred. She¡¯s right in that I can¡¯t keep this a secret forever. Even if he doesn¡¯t want this child, he has the right to know about his presence, and I can¡¯t continue avoiding things anymore. Chapter 1039 Unprofessional Chapter 1039 Unprofessional Felix had been nning his proposal. Even though they were now in a rtionship, Felix wished to give her everything she deserved. Ysabelle had been busytely going on a concert tour again. She had risen to fame. Every release of a new single would have her trend in media, and that was a rare sight in the entertainment industry. There were twelve shows for her tour this time, and that day was herst performance. As it was in Jipsdale, everyone who knew Ysabelle hade. Everyone but Ysabelle knew that Felix was going to propose to her at the concert. At that moment, she was already a few songs into the show. Ysabelle was rather satisfied with her current life. She was surrounded by good friends, and she was free to do the things she loved. ¡°Thank you foring to my concert. I¡¯m only twenty-one this year, but I¡¯ve gotten everything I want in life. This is thanks to your support. Thank you!¡± Ysabelle said, feeling moved. ¡°Ysabelle, we love you! ¡°Do your best, Ysabelle! As long as it¡¯s your concert, we¡¯ll definitelye and support you!¡± Right then, the stage turned dark, and the spotlight shone on the piano. Felix, well-dressed in a suit, was seated before the piano. His hands nimbly moved across the keys. The truth was, it had been a long time since Felix yed the piano, but for Ysabelle, he had started practicing again. He yed Marry You, and when Ysabelle recognized the music, her tears fell. Felix seemed not to know what romance was sometimes, but she knew how well he had been to her. He endures my fiery temper and epts everything about me unconditionally. I¡¯ve nned to propose if he still doesn¡¯t n to. But now¡­ is he going to propose to me today? ¡°Wow!¡± The fans all knew about Felix and Ysabelle¡¯s rtionship, so when they saw Felix, they immediately figured out what was going on. The atmosphere on the stage was dreamy. After Felix performed a piece, he strode over to Ysabelle and went down on one knee. ¡°Marry me, Ysabelle. I promise to give you the most blissful life you can have from now on. I won¡¯t let anyone be mean to you, and I¡¯ll give you all the love I have.¡± Tears flowed down Ysabelle¡¯s cheeks. So this man has been nning the proposal all this time? I thought he didn¡¯t want to get married. ¡°Ysabelle, will you marry me?¡± Felix¡¯s voice was deep and sexy. At that moment, he seemed to be the only one Ysabelle could see. ¡°Marry him! Marry him!¡± Ysabelle¡¯s fans were supportive fans. They would not stop her from getting married. Ysabelle nodded. ¡°Felix, the luckiest thing in my life is meeting you in my best years.¡± She was well aware of how great the man was to her. She knew they would have a wonderful life from then on. Felix was all smiles, He was crying, too. He had been anticipating that day, and he was moved by the entire proposal as well. He took out the ring from his pocket and put it on her finger. ¡°From now on, you¡¯re mine.¡± After putting on the ring for Ysabelle, Felix rose to his feet, wrapped his arm around her waist, and kissed her. T¨ºxt ? N?velDrama.Org. She was young and had a fiery temper, but did that matter? As long as the two of them could be together, nothing else really mattered. Having been there to witness their journey through various challenges and hardships, Sophie was deeply touched as she observed them. She was truly happy for them. The sight of her in that vulnerable state made Tristan reach out for her hand. ¡°Sophie, do you think my marriage proposal was too casual?¡± He was concerned that his might be seen as insincere. Sophie leaned into his arms. ¡°Never. Haven¡¯t I told you not topare ourselves to others? Everything is perfect as long as we are happy about it.¡± Meeting Tristan is the luckiest thing that has ever happened in my life.. As if sensing her joy, the baby in her stomach kicked her. ¡°Ah!¡± It was the first time Sophie had felt the baby¡¯s movement, and it startled her. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Are you feeling unwell? I can take you to the hospital right away.¡± Tristan had been nervous ever since Sophie became pregnant. He was always concerned about her well-being and was quick to offer a trip to the hospital whenever anything happened. ¡°Calm down, Tristan. Our baby just kicked me!¡± At that moment, what resonated within Sophie was the sheer joy of life. ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Look! Our baby kicked me again!¡± Tristan was awed by the wonders of life. ¡°Does it hurt? I¡¯m going to teach this kid of mine a lesson once he¡¯s out in this world. How could he be mean to his mother at such a young age?¡± Sophie leaned against his chest. ¡°The baby¡¯s still in me. What does he possibly know?¡± ¡°Will you only love him and no longer love me when he¡¯s born?¡± Tristan felt a sense of insecurity about his family status. Sophie pecked him on the chin. ¡°Are you jealous of your own kid?¡± ¡°Of course. That¡¯s why you have to swear to me that the person you love most in this world is me.¡± ¡°I promise that you¡¯ll always be the one I love the most in this world. But let¡¯s make sure we both love our baby with all our hearts too, all right?¡± She wanted their child to be the luckiest child in the world. She did not receive love from her parents, so she would not let her child experience the same thing. ¡°Of course. This is our kid. I¡¯ll definitely love him too.¡± How can I not? This is the baby Sophie¡¯s bearing for me. Right then, The Wheelers started performing on stage. As Ysabelle was too moved by the entire proposal, her makeup had run, and she needed to fix it. When Tristan and Sophie went backstage, they saw Ysabelle¡¯s tears and red nose. Tristan frowned. ¡°Ysabelle, you¡¯re a star. How can you do this to yourself? This is unprofessional.¡± Ysabelle shot her uncle a re. ¡°That¡¯s enough, Uncle Tristan. Can¡¯t I be touched by this moment? Also, Felix hasn¡¯t even said anything about my state, so hush.¡± Sophie hooked her arm around Tristan¡¯s and looked at Ysabelle in amusement. ¡°Congrattions, Ysabelle.¡± When Ysabelle looked at Sophie, her eyes were filled with nothing but tenderness. ¡°Thank you, Sophie. It¡¯s because of you that I got the chance to do what I love.¡± Chapter 1040 I Have Finally Married You Chapter 1040 I Have Finally Married You ¡°Why are you being so polite with me? All right, once the concert is over, give yourself a break and start preparing for your wedding.¡± Despite her busy schedule, Ysabelle has to find time to make all the necessary preparations for her wedding. Ysabelle hugged Sophie. ¡°I knew you were the best. Don¡¯t worry. When this concert is over, I¡¯ll start nning for the wedding.¡± She had many ideas for her ideal wedding, and she would fulfill them all. The concert would go on for more than an hour. Since Sophie became pregnant, she found herself more susceptible to bouts of sleepiness. When Tristan realized that she was nodding off, he decided to bring her home first. ¡°There¡¯s just an hour left until the concert ends. I can tough it out.¡± Sophie understood the significance of this day for Ysabelle and wanted to be there to support her throughout. ¡°It¡¯s ratherte. I¡¯m sure she wants to spend more time with Felix tonight. There¡¯s no point for you to stick around.¡± ¡°All right¡­¡± Tristan brought Sophie home. After she took a shower, he went to do the same. His wife was pregnant, so he could not do anything. It was tormenting for a man as energetic as him. ¡°Can I still not?¡± Tristan¡¯s hands were already wandering around her body. Hasn¡¯t it been three months? I¡¯ve checked, and a couple can do that thing after three months. Sophie took in his pitiful look and could not stop the amused chuckle from escaping her lips. She felt bad for him. They had only been married for a short time and she ended up pregnant. And before that, he had been holding himself back. That was why he was so desperate to sleep with her. ¡°You can, but you have to be gentle.¡± After all, she had a baby in her stomach. He could not use as much force as he usually would. ¡°Really?¡± Tristan sat up the second he heard her. ¡°Don¡¯t worry! I¡¯ll be extra cautious. I won¡¯t do anything that could harm our baby.¡± He had been restraining himself for a considerable time, and now, finally, the day had arrived. It had been three months since he did it with her. Furthermore, she was pregnant, so she was more sensitive. When Tristan was doing it with her, he was exceptionally careful. In no time, the two were sweating profusely. Still, when they reached their peak, Tristan sighed in contentment. ¡°Sophie, this is the only child we¡¯ll have. Let¡¯s not have more.¡± The pregnancy was hard on her and him, and he did not want a repeat of it. I Have Finally Married You ¡°Why are you being so polite with me? All right, once the concert is over, give yourself a break and start preparing for your wedding.¡±This belongs to N?velDrama.Org: ?. Despite her busy schedule, Ysabelle has to find time to make all the necessary preparations for her wedding. Ysabelle hugged Sophie. ¡°I knew you were the best. Don¡¯t worry. When this concert is over, I¡¯ll start nning for the wedding.¡± She had many ideas for her ideal wedding, and she would fulfill them all. The concert would go on for more than an hour. Since Sophie became pregnant, she found herself more susceptible to bouts of sleepiness. When Tristan realized that she was nodding off, he decided to bring her home first. ¡°There¡¯s just an hour left until the concert ends. I can tough it out.¡± Sophie understood the significance of this day for Ysabelle and wanted to be there to support her throughout. ¡°It¡¯s ratherte. I¡¯m sure she wants to spend more time with Felix tonight. There¡¯s no point for you to stick around.¡± ¡°All right¡­¡± Tristan brought Sophie home. After she took a shower, he went to do the same. His wife was pregnant, so he could not do anything. It was tormenting for a man as energetic as him. ¡°Can I still not?¡± Tristan¡¯s hands were already wandering around her body. Hasn¡¯t it been three months? I¡¯ve checked, and a couple can do that thing after three months. Sophie took in his pitiful look and could not stop the amused chuckle from escaping her lips. She felt bad for him. They had only been married for a short time and she ended up pregnant. And before that, he had been. holding himself back. That was why he was so desperate to sleep with her. ¡°You can, but you have to be gentle.¡± After all, she had a baby in her stomach. He could not use as much force as he usually would. ¡°Really?¡± Tristan sat up the second he heard her. ¡°Don¡¯t worry! I¡¯ll be extra cautious. I won¡¯t do anything that could harm our baby.¡± He had been restraining himself for a considerable time, and now, finally, the day had arrived. It had been three months since he did it with her. Furthermore, she was pregnant, so she was more sensitive. When Tristan was doing it with her, he was exceptionally careful. In no time, the two were sweating profusely. Still, when they reached their peak, Tristan sighed in contentment. ¡°Sophie, this is the only child we¡¯ll have. Let¡¯s not have more.¡± The pregnancy was hard on her and him, and he did not want a repeat of it. ¡°Okay.¡± Sophie gave him a kiss. She loved the man with all her heart, beyond measure. In the past, she had believed she could face the world alone. However, because of his love now, there were so many things she desired to discover, including the ability to rely on him. Tristan did it again and again with her. Although it felt different from before, Tristan was satisfied. Meanwhile, the concert ended. After Ysabelle thanked the staff and removed her makeup, it was already after one in the morning. Everyone had already gone back, but Felix remained. That was the kind of person Felix was. He would give her anything she wanted. After getting changed into casual clothes, Ysabelle noticed that the man was still standing at the side in his suit. She dashed over to him and kissed him on the lips. How could Felix reject a beautiful woman like Ysabelle? Wrapping his arms around her waist, he returned the kiss with a desperate fervor. Finally, she was his. ¡°Felix, I love you.¡± She had to admit that she had many ws, but Felix would always ept her no matter what. It was her greatest fortune to meet him. ¡°I love you too.¡± Unable to stop himself, he kissed her again and again, his love for her threatening to pour out like water from a broken dam. The concert was over, and Ysabelle started nning for her wedding. Felix did not leave everything to her. They did the preparations together. Although they had some disagreements during the nning, Felix always ended up relenting to her. The nning was an exhausting affair, but Ysabelle was happy about it. Sophie¡¯s stomach was getting bigger and bigger. Most of the time, Tristan would bring his work home so that he had more time to keep herpany. Although Sophie was pregnant, she remained energetic as before. She could still manage Tanner Group, TS Entertainment, and the medical association well. Furthermore, her pregnancy had made her transform into a much gentler character. Ysabelle noticed the changes, and she could not help but be amazed by them. The wedding nning took three months, and Felix brought Ysabelle¡¯s dream wedding into reality. On the day of her wedding, Ysabelle bawled her eyes out. William¡¯s heart ached when he saw her tears. ¡°Don¡¯t cry, Belle. If Felix dares bully you, tell me. I¡¯ll beat him into a pulp.¡± William loved Ysabelle dearly. Wiping away the tears on her face, Ysabelle reassured him with a smile, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Grandpa. Felix and I will be happy together.¡± The wedding was beautiful. Ysabelle, with her arms hooked around Lincoln¡¯s, walked toward her prince. Felix was a little nervous as he watched the woman he loved walk over to him. The second Lincoln ced her hand in his, he felt as if his world wasplete. He was sure that they would have their happily ever after. ¡°Ms. Lombard, I¡¯ve finally married you.¡± Felix could not help but whisper into her ear when he put on the ring for her. When the wedding ended, it was time for the friends and family of the couple to mess around with them in the bedroom. Felix and Ysabelle were not as lucky as Tristan and Sophie, however. Just as they were about to flee, Charles and the others stopped them. ¡°Charles, you¡¯re not even married! Don¡¯t push your luck!¡± Felix warned. The ones who were gathered in the room were the ones who knew how to have fun, and he wanted the room intact for his first night with his wife. In other words, he did not have time to y with them.¡± ¡°Felix, it¡¯s your big day with Ysabelle! You can¡¯t get angry on a day like this,¡± Charles said fearlessly. He did not even have a girlfriend, so there was no need for him to fret about that. Charles and the others had prepared plenty of games, and Ysabelle enjoyed herself. Tristan and Sophie did not join in. They watched the rest from the side. ¡°Thank God you were smart enough to bring me on a honeymoon.¡± Otherwise, those tricks would have been used on us. ¡°Of course. All right, be careful. Don¡¯t let them hit you.¡± Sophie¡¯s stomach was gettingrger every day, and Tristan could not help but worry about her. ¡°I¡¯m fine. We have three more months. You don¡¯t need to worry that much,¡± she replied with a chuckle, knowing that he was overwrought. Chapter 1041 Shower You with All My Love Chapter 1041 Shower You with All My Love ¡°All right. But, no matter what, it¡¯s better to be careful.¡± ¡°I know. Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll take good care of our child.¡± Sophie was already an adult. She knew how to take care of herself. ¡°No. My worry for you is above everything else. I just want you to be safe.¡± What¡¯s the use of having a child if she¡¯s not around? She still holds the most important ce in my heart. ¡°I know,¡± Sophie said. Of course, she knew how deeply in love the man was with her. Since Felix had already booked the entire hotel today, Tristan decided to bring Sophie to one of the rooms. Charles and the others persisted in their yful antics within the newlyweds¡¯ presidential suite. Tristan and Sophie believed that Charles would face his own reckoning when it was his turn to marry. After showering, Sophie climbed into bed and drifted into a restless sleep gued by nightmares. As she awoke, she discovered her body drenched in perspiration. ¡°What happened? Did you have a nightmare?¡± Tristan, lying beside her, gently woke her up, unable to bear witnessing her distress. As soon as Sophie saw Tristan beside her, she immediately threw herself into his arms, embracing him tightly. ¡°It¡¯s okay now. It¡¯s just a dream. I¡¯m always here with you,¡± he said. No matter what happens, we¡¯ll stay together forever. ¡°I¡¯m feeling better now,¡± Sophie said. However, as soon as she spoke, she realized her voice had be hoarse and her throat was sore. Upon hearing her raspy voice, Tristan realized she must have caught the flu. ¡°I¡¯ll get the hotel to make you a cup of ginger tea since you¡¯re pregnant and can¡¯t take medicine.¡± Tristan grabbed a piece of tissue to wipe her face before nting a kiss on her forehead. ¡°Okay,¡± she replied obediently. Deep down, Sophie knew it would still take a week for her to fully recover, but she still gave him a positive response, not wanting him to worry about her well-being. After helping her change into a pair of dry clothes, Tristan called the hotel and asked them to make her a cup of ginger tea. I would have brought her home had I known she was not feeling well. It would have been more convenient for me to look after her at home. Shortly after, a hotel staff member arrived with the ginger tea. Tristan took the tea from him and then proceeded to feed Sophie. Sophie had never been fond of ginger tea since childhood, but with Tristan by her side, she had no choice but toply. Sip by sip, she reluctantly drank the tea, guided by his patient and caring hand. After drinking half a cup of tea, she finally lifted her hand to stop him. ¡°That¡¯s enough. I don¡¯t want to drink it anymore,¡± she said. I can¡¯t take it anymore. ¡°Okay. If you don¡¯t want to drink it, we won¡¯t force it.¡± However, in a surprising move, he took a sip of the ginger tea himself and then kissed her on the lips, transferring the drink into her mouth. I know you don¡¯t like the taste of ginger, but it¡¯s important for your health, so you still have to finish it, Sophie was instantly bereft of words. Oh, well. I guess I can still ept it since he feeds me this way. ¡°All right, we¡¯ve finished the ginger tea. You can go back to sleep now,¡± Sophie said as she settled down. Tristan gently ced the empty bowl aside and joined her under the nket. After finding afortable spot to snuggle in, Sophie fell asleep in his arms right away. Meanwhile, on the other side of the hotel, Felix had finally kicked Charles and the others out of the presidential suite. With no outsiders in the room anymore, they finally got to enjoy some privacy. Felix could not help but chuckle when he gazed at his beautiful wife. I finally got to marry the girl I love. ¡°I can¡¯t believe a wedding can be this exhausting. I don¡¯t even feel like moving at all,¡± Ysabelle comined. We¡¯re already so exhausted, yet Charles and the rest still refused to leave us alone. Felix inched closer, helping her to undo her hair. ¡°It¡¯s okay. We¡¯re only doing this once in our lives, anyway. When Charles gets married in the future, we must remember to teach him a lesson!¡± Felix said. I¡¯ll make sure he pays the price! Ysabelle thought what he said made sense too. ¡°So, are we going on our honeymoon tonight?¡± she asked, remembering how Sophie and Tristan had on their honeymoon immediately after their wedding Felix scooped her up and carried her in his arms. ¡°We¡¯ll go on our honeymoon tomorrow. But tonight, I have a more pressing matter to attend to,¡± Felix dered. Now that we are officially married, it¡¯s only fitting that we consummate our union. As he gentlyid her on the bed, Ysabelle instantly grasped the implications behind his words. Being a mature woman, she was well aware of the man¡¯s intentions. While Ysabelle was typically unabashed in her speech, today she appeared coy, a delicate flush coloring her cheeks. Her flushed cheeks only intensified Felix¡¯s feelings of affecti¨®n. ¡°I love you, Ysabelle.¡± This belongs to N?velDrama.Org: ?. Ysabelle looked up and gazed into his eyes. How can I not love this man? Witnessing the man¡¯s tender and considerate actions before their intimate moment melted her heart. ¡°I love you too.¡± Unable to resist any longer, Felix undressed her, allowing them to indulge in their desires together. He savored every moment of intimacy with her. Ysabelle experienced some difort when they first began, but she tried to endure it. Aware that it was her first time, Felix made sure to be as gentle as possible. He had envisioned a night of continuous passion, but Ysabelle could not keep up with the intense pace. After three rounds, she reached her limit and could not go on. Felix tenderly assisted her in cleaning up before they embraced each other and drifted off to sleep together. With his beloved wife nestled in his arms, Felix found it impossible to fall asleep. The overwhelming euphoria coursing through him was indescribable. The following day, Ysabelle woke up around ten in the morning, only to find her entire body aching. It was a rather unpleasant sensation. At that time, Felix was no longer in the room. ¡°Where is he?¡± Ysabelle mumbled. How could he disappear just like that when we¡¯ve just gotten married? What am I going to do if he¡¯s going to do this to me all the time? Just when she was deep in thought, Felix opened the door and walked in with a bouquet of roses. When Ysabelle noticed the roses in his hands, her heart skipped a beat. Did he wake up early just to get me this bouquet? ¡°Good morning, Honey.¡± Felix gave her the flowers. On their first day as newlyweds, a momentous asion, he made sure not to overlook any details. Ysabelle could not help but smile with happiness as she held the bouquet of roses in her hands. ¡°Felix, you¡¯re spoiling me!¡± she eximed. What am I gonna do if I take advantage of his kindness in the future? ¡°You¡¯re my wife, and I want to shower you with all my love. Come on. It¡¯s time to wake up and get ready. We¡¯ll have breakfast with Sophie and the others before we leave for our honeymoon.¡± The honeymoon is something newlyweds anticipate the most, isn¡¯t it? ¡°Okay.¡± Ysabelle was d that she could enjoy breakfast with Sophie and the others before departing. Felig is always so considerate when making arrangements. It¡¯s hard to find any ws in everything he does. Felix carried Ysabelle to the bathroom to freshen up. After that, they went straight to the restaurant to. meet Sophie and the rest. By the time they reached there, Charles and Sean had already arrived. Charles could not resist teasing, ¡°Felix, now that you¡¯ve experienced intimacy, remember to exercise self- control.¡± Chapter 1042 Did You Miss Me Chapter 1042 Did You Miss Me Felix ignored Charles. It was clear that thetter was simply jealous. ¡°What I¡¯m doing is legal, and you have no right to interfere,¡± Felix stated as he pulled out a chair for Ysabelle. ¡°Wait here while I fetch some food for you.¡± The hotel offered a self-service breakfast, requiring guests to help themselves with the food. ¡°Okay.¡± Ysabelle beamed brightly as she relished the thought of being pampered by him. There was nothing in lif for her to worry about. Sophie couldn¡¯t help but smile when she saw her. Ysabelle was truly in a blissful state, and that was all that mattered. ¡°Sophie, I¡¯m genuinely happy now,¡± Ysabelle said emotionally. It was indeed an exhrating feeling. ¡°Of course! When you have a good man like Felix by your side, you¡¯ll definitely be happy,¡± Sophie responded while enjoying her breakfast! ¡°Why is your voice so hoarse? Did you catch a cold?¡± Ysabelle immediately expressed her concern upon hearing Sophie¡¯s voice. After all, her friend was pregnant. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m fine. It¡¯s just a little cold. I¡¯ll be all right in a couple of days.¡± Sophie had always been in good health, but being pregnant had made her slightly weaker. ¡°You must take care of yourself. We¡¯ll be going on our honeymoon soon, and I won¡¯t be by your side to look after you. If you need anything, just let Aunt Sarah know.¡± Ysabelle knew that Sarah would take good care of Sophie. ¡°There¡¯s no need for that. It¡¯s just amon cold. Besides, Tristan will take care of me.¡± He¡¯s been doing a great job thus far. ¡°All right, then!¡± After they had breakfast together, Sean found a chance to speak privately with Sophie. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Is it still because of Cecelia? Didn¡¯t I tell you that she went abroad? Her mother¡¯s not in good health, so she went there to take care of her.¡± In the end, Cecelia still didn¡¯t tell Sean about her pregnancy. Instead, she went abroad, where her parents could take care of her. She had always considered her pregnancy to be her own matter. ¡°It¡¯s nothing. We have nothing to do with each other anyway.¡± It was just a one-night stand, and she said that herself. Since that¡¯s the case, why should I be bothered by it? ¡°Sean, you don¡¯t have to feel burdened. The love between a man and a woman should be consensual. Cecelia is a proud woman. She won¡¯t allow anyone to be with her out of guilt.¡± ¡°I know.¡± Sean had nothing more to say. It seemed that they were destined to remain as two parallel lines that would never intersect. After finishing breakfast, Felix and Ysabelle were ready to head to the airport. When Ysabelle saw her father, Lincoln, she ran over and hugged him. ¡°Why are you here, Dad? Aren¡¯t you busy? There¡¯s nothing important going on here. You didn¡¯t have to come all the way,¡± Ysabelle said in a child-like voice. This content ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org. Lincoln hade because he was worried about his daughter and wanted to see her off. ¡°Ysabelle, you¡¯re Felix¡¯s wife from now on. No matter what happens, both of you have to stick together, understand? Don¡¯t act like a child when things don¡¯t go your way.¡± He knew his own daughter well. Her temperament resembled that of a haughty princess. She was quick to anger at the smallest provocation. Ysabelle¡¯s eyes turned red when she heard her father¡¯s words. Did Dade all the way here just to say these things? ¡°Dad, don¡¯t worry! I understand. I won¡¯t cause you any trouble in the future.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not worried about you causing trouble. I just want you and Felix to be happy.¡± Since she was young, Lincoln had been strict with her. But, no matter what, she was his one and only daughter. How could he not cherish her? ¡°Yeah, I know.¡± As Felix stood nearby listening in on their conversation, he knew what Lincoln was worried about. ¡°Dad, you don¡¯t need to worry. I will take good care of her, and I won¡¯t let any harme to her,¡± he reassured. ¡°It will definitely be my fault if anything ever happens.¡± ¡°Very well, Felix. I entrust Ysabelle to you. She is my only daughter, and if you dare mistreat her, I won¡¯t leave you alone.¡± ¡°Understood.¡± Tears welled up in Ysabelle¡¯s eyes as she watched the exchange between her father and Felix. She couldn¡¯t help but feel touched by her father¡¯s love and concern. I¡¯m just going on a honeymoon and will be back in a couple of days. ¡°Okay, it¡¯s time to go,¡± Lincoln said, breaking the emotional moment. After bidding farewell to Sophie and the others, Ysabelle and Felix set off together toward their destination. Tristan had an important meeting at Lombard Group. He apanied Sophie back home, making sure she was settled before he left. ¡°Don¡¯t go anywhere since you¡¯re not feeling well. Rest at home and call me if you need anything.¡± Even though Tristan was only heading to the office for a short while, he was still worried about leaving her alone. ¡°I¡¯ll be fine. You are just going for a short meeting at thepany. I can manage things here,¡± Sophie reassured him. However, she had to admit that Tristan had been taking care of her every need thus far, causing her to lose her independence in the process. ¡°Okay.¡± The man gently caressed her cheek, his eyes filled with affection. After Tristan departed, Sophie gave Cecelia a call. ¡°What¡¯s up? Did you miss me? If you do, why don¡¯t youe to Anndur to see me?¡± Cecelia¡¯s voice rang out. She seemed to be living a good life in Anndur. ¡°Sean asked about you again. Are you still not nning to tell him?¡± It¡¯s really not easy for a person to raise a child. ¡°Why are you bringing this up again? Didn¡¯t I already tell you? This child has nothing to do with him. Trust me when I say I will take good care of the child. My parents are also looking forward to the baby¡¯s arrival. I used to worry that my parents wouldn¡¯t ept this child, but now they have embraced the idea. What else do I have to worry about? Sophie, I¡¯m being serious. You don¡¯t need to worry about me. I¡¯m really well now. Just take good care of yourself.¡± ¡°Okay. I¡¯lle to Anndur to see youter. Take good care of yourself.¡± ¡°Sure, I know. I wonder if there will still be a ce for me in the entertainment industry after I give birth.¡± She truly loved acting, but for the sake of this child, she had to take such a long break. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. When you are back, I will have everything prepared for you.¡± There¡¯s no need for her to worry about it. ¡°Sophie, I love you so much! What would I do without you?¡± It was truly a heartwarming conversation. ¡°You don¡¯t have to fall hopelessly in love with me. Just take good care of yourself. The rest doesn¡¯t matter. When youe back, I¡¯ll have the best resources waiting for you.¡± Cecelia¡¯s a talented, award- winning actress. Giving birth to a child won¡¯t make her lose everything ¡°Okay, no matter what Sean says, don¡¯t let anything slip from your mouth. I don¡¯t want him to treat me differently because of the child in my belly.¡± Cecelia was not someone who would rely on her child for status. She had her own pride, and she couldn¡¯t stoop to that level. ¡°All right. Take good care of yourself. I¡¯ll be waiting for you in Jipsdale.¡± Chapter 1043 Giving Birth Chapter 1043 Giving Birth Ysabelle left for her honeymoon. Meanwhile, Sophie¡¯s belly grewrger in size, and with each passing day. her movements became more challenging and cumbersome. That day, Barney and Arius arrived at the mansion to pay Sophie a visit. Seeing her huge belly, they were certain she was going to deliver soon. ¡°Sophie, you¡¯ve been eating too much. Your due date isn¡¯t until muchter, right? Look at your belly¡­¡± Sophie was still skinny, except for her protruding belly, which was gradually growing with her pregnancy. Her limbs retained their slender shape. ¡°I think the same, too. I can¡¯t help it, though. You know how Tristan is. He¡¯s afraid I don¡¯t take enough food,¡± Sophie exined. She couldn¡¯t bring herself to reject Tristan¡¯s kind actions. Nevertheless, Georgina expressed her concern, saying. ¡°This is concerning. If the baby grows too large, it could lead to difficulties inbor.¡± Her worry was valid, as an oversized baby could pose a risk to the mother during childbirth. ¡°It¡¯s fine, Georgina. I understand my body and its limitations. Please don¡¯t mention this to Tristan. He¡¯s already extremely worried,¡± Sophie answered. After noticing how big her bump was, Tristan had been researching extensively about the risks associated with arge baby, and she didn¡¯t want to add to his anxiety. Upon recalling a recent incident when she woke up in the middle of the night to find Tristan watching over her instead of sleeping, she truly didn¡¯t want him to worry any more than he already was. ¡°As a doctor, it¡¯s essential that you prioritize your own well-being. Remember to maintain a bnced diet Barney chimed in. With advancements in the medical field, the risks of childbirth were significantly reduced. Nheless, Sophie might experience difficulties during childbirth due to the size of the baby. ¡°Mm, I know.¡± Barney and the rest had brought along new research to Tristan¡¯s mansion. Despite dedicating considerable time to its development, they encountered a persistent issue they couldn¡¯t ovee. Thus, they sought Sophie¡¯s expertise, presenting her with the pertinent information that day. Sophie quickly perused the file, but she was unfamiliar with this industry. ¡°Dr. Smith, there¡¯s no need to rush. As far as I know, no country has initiated research in this particr industry yet. It¡¯s perfectly eptable to proceed at a steady pace,¡± she reassured. Encountering obstacles in scientific and medical research was a normal part of the process. ¡°Mm, we¡¯re not in any hurry. Our intention is simply to share it with you. No need to worry.¡± Sophie was heavily pregnant, and they hade here primarily to visit her. They wanted her to take good care of herself. As for the research, they didn¡¯t mind taking it slow. Tristan wasn¡¯t at home. Sophie had already told the housekeeper to prepare lunch, while Barney and the like decided to stay. ¡°I¡¯ll head to the kitchen to see if I can offer help!¡± Georgina went to the kitchen as she wasn¡¯t needed. Although the housekeepers were capable of taking care of lunch themselves, Arius did not intervene when Georgina decided to head to the kitchen. ¡°Arius, when will you marry Georgina?¡± Sophie asked. Their rtionship was stable, so it was time for them to consider getting married. ¡°I will, but we¡¯ll talk about that after you give birth. I don¡¯t want the dates to sh,¡± Arius replied. ¡°You getting married and me giving birth are two separate things!¡± Sophie protested. ¡°Just because I¡¯m about to give birth doesn¡¯t mean you can¡¯t get married. ¡°Of course, they are rted. I cannot ask for your help if you¡¯re pregnant, right?¡± Arius was saying that he could ask for her help after she gave birth. ¡°Fine. Whatever you say, then.¡± Sophie couldn¡¯t be bothered to continue the topic. He can do anything he wants as long as he¡¯s happy with it. After having lunch together, Barney and the rest left. Sophie could finally return to her bedroom to take an afternoon nap. Not long after Sophie fell asleep, Tristan returned home. He had rushed back as soon as his meeting concluded, forgoing his lunch in the process. Finding her sound asleep, he went downstairs to have lunch. The housekeeper quickly served him lunch that they had prepared earlier. ¡°Mr. Lombard, having lunch toote isn¡¯t good for your health,¡± the housekeeper blurted out in concern. ¡°I¡¯m fine. Don¡¯t worry. When I¡¯m not around, make sure to take good care of Mrs. Lombard,¡± Tristan replied. He didn¡¯t mind eating a bitter. ¡°Mr. Lombard, you¡¯re such a caring husband,¡± the housekeepermented, unable to hide her admiration. She couldn¡¯t help but feel a tinge of envy toward Sophie, who was fortunate enough to have such a loving and attentive spouse. After waking up from her nap, Sophie realized Tristan was sleeping beside her. He had recently lost some weight. A pang of sadness tugged at her heart as she observed his sunken cheeks. He worries about nothing. Giving birth is not that scary, but he keeps overthinking. Sophie didn¡¯t wake him up and kept himpany in bed. He had finally fallen asleep, and she didn¡¯t want to wake him up. That night, Sophie and the housekeeper began organizing the baby clothes for the baby. The clothes had been washed and dried under the sun. Tristan was the one who bought these clothes. When he descended the stairs and noticed Sophie and the housekeeper diligently folding the garments. He approached them and decided to lend a hand. ¡°Everything is ready. Your due date is near, so you should stay home for the time being.¡± Tristan told her. sounding worried. He knew how busy she was. ¡°Mm, I know,¡± Sophie assured him. As they were folding the clothes, Sophie suddenly felt a re of pain in her stomach. Her face contorted, catching Tristan¡¯s attention immediately. Concerned, he inquired, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Are you feeling unwell? You must tell me if you¡¯re feeling unwell.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine. Just give me a moment,¡± she reassured him, trying to suppress the difort she felt. As she entered the final trimester of her pregnancy, she became increasingly aware of the challenges and difort that came with it. It was during these moments that she truly understood the magnitude of giving birth to a child. Seeing her situation, Tristan gazed at her anxiously as she held his hand. ¡°I¡¯m fine. Don¡¯t worry,¡± Sophieforted him. He had been there with her throughout every pregnancy checkup, witnessing the baby¡¯s healthy growth. There was no need for him to be overly anxious. When the clock struck midnight, Sophie¡¯s pain had increased, and Tristan¡¯s gaze remained fixed on her all the while. He knew Sophie had a high tolerance for pain, but seeing her in such agony now made him deeply concerned. ¡°Should we pack up and head to the hospital? I¡¯m deeply concerned about your well-being,¡± Tristan urged, his voice filled with worry. Despite Sophie¡¯s medical background, he knew that she couldn¡¯t treat herself, especially in her current state of pregnancy. ¡°Okay, let¡¯s go to the hospital,¡± Sophie finally agreed, acknowledging that the time hade for her to give birth. Although her due date was still two weeks away, the baby had reached maturity, and it was natural forbor to begin at any moment. Tristan assisted Sophie in taking a quick shower and changing into fresh clothes before gently lifting her and carrying her to the car. They had already prepared the essential items, which the housekeeper had neatly ced in the trunk of the car. Late at night, Tristan drove Sophie to the hospital. Once they arrived, she was quickly examined by the doctor. Her cervix had dted to three fingers wide, indicating thatbor was progressing. ¡°Doctor, how is my wife doing?¡± R¨ºAdt??St chapters at Novel(D)ra/ma.Org Only ¡°Her cervix has dted to three fingers wide. ording to her situation, she should be able to have a smooth delivery. Don¡¯t worry. Here, please sign the document.¡± Tristan felt pained to see Sophie in anguish. His hand was trembling as he signed the document. Chapter 1044 I Know You Are Tired Chapter 1044 I Know You Are Tired After Tristan signed the document and came back, Sophie was already in the delivery room. He immediately headed in. ¡°Sir, this is the delivery room. You cannote in,¡± the nurse cautioned him. ¡°Why not? I want to keep herpany,¡± Tristan demanded. He wanted to be by her side during this important moment. ¡°Sir, you cannot go in,¡± the nurse protested. Tristanmanded, ¡°Move out of my way. If necessary, inform the hospital director to meet me. He will let you know if I can enter the delivery room.¡± His wife was inside, and he was determined to be with her. Tristan¡¯s heart ached as he heard Sophie¡¯s painful moans emanating from inside. The nurse had to give in and allow him entry as she knew she couldn¡¯t afford to offend someone as influential and rich as him. After receiving the housekeeper¡¯s call, Sarah quickly changed her clothes to head to the hospital. Hearing themotion, William also woke up. ¡°Why? Has Sophie gone intobor already? Let mee with you,¡± he said anxiously. ¡°Dad, there¡¯s really no need for you toe. You won¡¯t be able to help, and it¡¯s better for you to rest at home. I promise to call you as soon as the baby is safely delivered. Please, don¡¯t worry,¡± Sarah reassured him. William knew there was nothing much he could do to help. ¡°Your mother passed away a long time ago, and there¡¯s no one who knows this situation better than you. Sarah, you should go and be there for Sophie. Don¡¯t let her overthink things.¡± His biggest regret was that the Lombard family couldn¡¯t give Sophie a mother-inw. Sarah gave her father a warm hug. ¡°Dad, don¡¯t think too much. We¡¯ll be there for her, so don¡¯t worry. She¡¯ll be fine.¡± Sarah quickly gathered her stuff and rushed to the hospital. When she arrived, Sophie had yet to deliver the baby. Tristan was already in the delivery room. Sophie¡¯s cervix had dted to eight fingers wide, indicating that she was on the verge of giving birth. Tristan¡¯s heart ached as he witnessed her enduring the pain. Recognizing the immense challenge of childbirth, Tristan made the decision that they would have only - one child. Gently, he wiped her sweat away. ¡°Sophie, are you all right?¡± Sophie had been enduring the pain for over an hour. She was utterly exhausted by now, Seeing how worried he looked, she shook her head in response. ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± ¡°If it¡¯s painful, you can pinch or bite me,¡± Tristan suggested, not knowing what else to say. That elicited a smile from Sophie. What a fool. What use is there to pinch or bite him? Giving birth is a painful process, after all. Right then, the nurse came over to check on her and realized the baby¡¯s head was showing. ¡°Okay, get ready. The baby ising out. Pay attention to how you breathe in and out.¡± Having read numerous books on pregnancy, Sophie had familiarized herself with various aspects of pregnancy, including breathing exercises. Although she tried her best to cooperate with the nurse, the intensity of the pain left her on the verge of losing consciousness. This belongs to N?velDrama.Org: ?. Around half an hourter, a loud cry pierced the air.. ¡°It¡¯s a boy!¡± Tristan didn¡¯t even bother looking at the baby as his focus was entirely on Sophie. A while ago, Sophie was so exhausted she could fall asleep immediately, but now, she was awake. The nurse came over with the baby to show Sophie. ¡°Look, it¡¯s a boy. He¡¯s adorable, isn¡¯t he?¡± the nurse said cheerfully. The baby¡¯s parents are good- looking, so it¡¯s natural for their baby to be good-looking, too. ¡°He looks like you,¡± Sophiemented happily. Tristan merely shot the baby a disgusted look. ¡°He put you through so much pain. When he grows up, I¡¯ll make sure to teach him a lesson,¡± he vowed. Sophie held his hand. ¡°I¡¯m okay,¡± sheforted him. After all, it was natural to experience pain during childbirth. ¡°Honey, well done. You¡¯ve sessfully fulfilled your mission, so leave the task of taking care of the child to me,¡± Tristan reassured her. Witnessing the extent of her pain duringbor caused his heart to ache. ¡°Okay, then. Are you going to breastfeed the child, too?¡± Sophie joked. Tristan was rendered speechless. I don¡¯t think I can do that. ¡°Why don¡¯t we feed him milk? That way, you¡¯ll get to rest well.¡± The baby seemed to understand that they were talking about refusing him milk, for he suddenly burst into noisy tears. The nurses were left speechless upon inadvertently overhearing the couple¡¯s conversation. They are undoubtedly a loving couple, although their baby seemed to be unnned. After dressing the baby, the nurse gently cradled the newborn in her arms and carried him out. Meanwhile, Sophie stayed inside the delivery room, undergoing observation for a duration of two hours. ¡°Won¡¯t you keep our babypany?¡± Sophie asked, expressing her concern about leaving the baby alone. ¡°No need. I¡¯ll keep youpany here. Sarah¡¯s outside. Sophie sighed, feeling exasperated that he wasn¡¯t even interested in their baby. ¡°Didn¡¯t you mention that you love children?¡± she asked, feeling confused as Tristan didn¡¯t appear to exhibit a fondness for children. ¡°I will only love the children you bring into this world. Nevertheless,pared to them, you will always hold the highest ce in my heart,¡± he dered, emphasizing that nobody could rece her position in his heart, not even their own baby. Warmth spread across Sophie¡¯s heart when she heard his words. ¡°Thank you for providing me with a constant sense of security. I consider myself truly blessed to have crossed paths with you, Tristan,¡± she expressed with heartfelt gratitude. Outside, it was Sarah¡¯s first time seeing a newborn baby. She gazed at the baby lying in his crib, hesitant to extend her hand and touch him. Juan saw how careful she was when he arrived at the hospital. ¡°Juan, just look at the wonders of life! Look how tiny he is,¡± Sarah eximed with awe even though the baby weighed three point eight kilograms. ¡°Yes, indeed. Do you like children? Why don¡¯t we make one, too?¡± She rolled her eyes at him. ¡°That¡¯s enough. Who do you think you are? Why would I make a baby with you?¡± she snapped. After all, they weren¡¯t a couple who were intimate enough to make babies together. ¡°Sarah, I now realize my mistake. It was entirely my fault, but can¡¯t you find it in your heart to forgive me just this once?¡± the man pleaded. ¡°No,¡± she replied firmly, her response immediate. She felt content with their present rtionship and saw no need for marriage. Right then, the nurse wheeled Sophie into the ward. They were currently in the hospital¡¯s most expansive VIP ward, which naturally boasted an excellent environment. Spotting Sophie, Sarah hurriedly approached to inquire about her well-being. ¡°Sophie, are you all right? Are you feeling unwell? If you experience any difort, you must inform me!¡± After all, Sophie had made a significant contribution to the Lombard family by adding a new member.¡± ¡°Sarah, don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m perfectly fine,¡± Sophie responded. After the exhausting process of giving birth, she felt drained and yearned for some rest. ¡°I understand you¡¯re tired. Get some good sleep!¡± Tristan whispered softly into her ear. ¡°Mm.¡± Sophie soon drifted off to sleep. When she woke up, she found the ward bustling with people. Mark, Arius, and the others had arrived. Everyone had gathered around her baby, their faces filled with affection and concern. Sophie couldn¡¯t help but feel grateful, knowing that her little one was a fortunate child to be surrounded by so much love and care. Chapter 1045 I Feel Blissful Chapter 1045 I Feel Blissful Sunny rushed over to Sophie, his heart aching at the sight of her frail appearance. ¡°Sophie, giving birth must have been so tough on you. Are you feeling exhausted?¡± he asked with genuine concern. Sophie let out a soft chuckle. It was true that giving birth had been an exhausting and painful experience, but amidst it all, she felt an overwhelming sense of bliss. ¡°Sunny, I feel incredibly blissful at this moment,¡± she shared. The sight of her chubby son filled her heart with the profound belief that every sacrifice she had made was undeniably worth it. ¡°Mm. Sophic, you¡¯ll be a great mother, Sunny agreed. He knew she would do a great job. After a while, William arrived with an array of carefully prepared food that he had requested the housekeeper to make for Sophie. These specially chosen dishes were known to be beneficial in increasing breast milk production. Sophie didn¡¯t have a mother-inw, but William was determined to fill that role as well. ¡°Sophic, Tristan¡¯s mother passed away when he was young, leaving you without help and support during your pregnancy. But I promise you, I will do my utmost to offer you the same level of care and support that a devoted mother-inw would,¡± William vowed, his eyes welling up with tears. He knew that if his wife were still alive, she would be overjoyed to see their grandchild. ¡°Dad, you don¡¯t have to go through all this trouble. Tristan and Sarah are already taking good care of me. Besides, you¡¯re not young anymore, so it would be better for you to stay at home instead of making the long journey to the hospital.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine. I want to visit my grandson, anyway.¡± It had been a while since the Lombard familyst weed a new life. ¡°Okay. You should go take a look at him,¡± Sophie told him. After reaching the ward, William made his way directly to Sophie¡¯s side, so he had yet toy eyes on the baby. Sarah helped William over to the crib. ¡°Dad, look! The baby resembles Tristan when he was young. They truly are like two peas in a pod!¡± Sarah eximed with excitement. William shifted his gaze toward the baby, who happened to be awake. The baby¡¯s eyes bore a remarkable resemnce to Tristan¡¯s. A gentle smile adorned William¡¯s lips as he gazed at the baby with deep affection. This is the newest member of our family. As the youngest addition to our family, everyone will surely shower him with love and affection. ¡°Have you given any thought to his name?¡± William inquired. He wanted to ensure that they selected a name that would be fitting and meaningful for their newest family member. ¡°Dad, you should name the baby. You¡¯re his grandpa, so it¡¯s only appropriate for you to give him a name,¡± Sophie responded. She knew William had been eager to wee the baby, so it felt right to have him take on the responsibility of naming their newest family member. ¡°Me?¡± William gazed at Tristan in surprise. He assumed the parents would want to name their baby themselves. ¡°Yeah, Dad. You¡¯ll do a great job!¡± Tristan chimed in. He was toozy to figure out a name for his son as it was aplicated process. ¡°Okay, since you want me to name the boy, I¡¯ll go through the dictionary when I get back home,¡± William agreed. He had already brainstormed a few names prior to this, but none of them felt quite perfect. Nevertheless, he was determined to find an exceptional name for his grandson. ¡°Sure.¡± Sophie recognized the significance of keeping older individuals engaged and active as a means to reduce the risk of developing Alzheimer¡¯s disease. Right then, the baby began to sob. Sarah picked him up and brought him to Sophie so she could breastfeed the baby. William, Mark, and the other men left the ward so Sophie could breastfeed in peace. William sat down on a bench in the corridor, engrossed in his task of choosing a name for the baby. Sarah soon approached him. ¡°Dad, you don¡¯t need toe back hereter after going home. I¡¯ll take care of Sophie, so you don¡¯t have to worry,¡± she reassured him. Although she hadn¡¯t had any babies herself, she was confident in her ability to care for someone. ¡°I know. It¡¯s not easy for me to make the journey here, either.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry. A few dayster, Sophie wille home with the baby. They will definitely move back into the Lombard residence,¡± Sarah told him. After all, it would be easier for everyone to take care of Sophie back at the Lombard residence. William nodded. ¡°Mm. I do hope they will move into the Lombard residence with the baby, but if Sophie finds that inconvenient, don¡¯t force her to do so. As long as she¡¯s happy, nothing else matters.¡± It was clear how much the elderly man adored Sophie. Sarah was deeply moved by her father¡¯s words. He was known as a decisive figure and held great influence within the Lombard family, yet he exhibited genuine consideration for Sophie¡¯s well-being. Meanwhile, Tristan observed Sophie as she breastfed the baby. A sense of displeasure crept over him as he realized that the baby would have exclusive ess to her breast milk. ¡°Honey, I don¡¯t like this baby.¡± Sophie gaped in disbelief. She could barely believe her ears. What did he just say? Our son is so cute. How could he say that? That¡¯s too much! ¡°Tristan, you- ¡°He is taking over my spot,¡± Tristan cut in, sounding awkward. Sophie had no idea he¡¯d say that. This is too much. Since when he became this childish? I can¡¯t believe he said that. ¡°Why are you giving me that re?¡± Tristan asked indignantly. He had hoped that things would return to normal after Sophie gave birth, but to his dismay, the doctor had just informed him that he would have to remain celibate for at least three more months. It felt like pure torture, especially considering he had already abstained from intimacy for a few months prior to this. ¡°Stop fooling around!¡± Sophie chided. After she finished breastfeeding the baby, Tristan got her a warm towel for her to wipe her breasts clean. When he came over with the warm towel, Sophie stretched her hands out to take it from him. ¡°I¡¯ll do it myself. Otherwise, you might find it torturing, she joked. ¡°You must be tired. Let me do it,¡± he offered. Before marrying her, he never knew he had a high libido and could never resist her. After a three-day stay in the hospital, Sophie was finally discharged. Caleb, despite his hectic schedule and limited free time, made it a point to visit her during her hospital stay. Whenever he found a moment of respite, he would prioritize visiting Sophie. Even after Sophie moved back to the Lombard residence, Caleb would often visit her. Gradually, he grew close to the Lombards. ¡°Sophie, Mom isn¡¯t feeling well, so she won¡¯t be able toe visit you. I hope you understand,¡± Caleb said worriedly. Sophie already had a baby with Tristan, but his mother still refused to forgive Sophie for past grievances. ¡°It¡¯s fine. The Lombard family and Tristan treat me well, so I¡¯m really happy here,¡± Sophieforted him. ¡°I¡¯m d to hear that.¡± ¡°Caleb, I understand how busy you are. You don¡¯t have to keeping here. Your work at the research institute is important, and I don¡¯t want you to exhaust yourself,¡± Sophie told him, not wanting him to tire himself out. This belongs to N?velDrama.Org: ?. ¡°I¡¯m not tired. I just want to visit Dae,¡± Caleb replied. Dae was the nickname for Tristan and Sophie¡¯s baby. With his sparkling eyes and charming appearance, he captivated the hearts of all whoid eyes on him. ¡°Sure, you¡¯ll find Dae with his grandpa. They¡¯re both out basking in the sun,¡± Sophie responded. William believed that exposing children to sunlight was beneficial, so he frequently took Dae outside to soak up some rays. Chapter 1046 The Finale 1 Chapter 1046 The Finale 1 Upon learning Sophie had given birth, Ysabelle and Felix ended their honeymoon. Ysabelle couldn¡¯t wait to meet Dae. When she returned and saw Dae¡¯s adorable, chubby face, she wanted to hug him. However, William wouldn¡¯t allow it. ¡°You don¡¯t know how to hug a baby, and Dae¡¯s still small. You better stay away from him.¡± Ysabelle turned to Felix with a pitiful look. ¡°What do I do, Felix? I don¡¯t have a ce in the Lombard family anymore!¡± How can they treat her like this? Aren¡¯t they concerned that she¡¯ll feel upset? It¡¯s just a baby. Immediately, Felix hugged her waist andforted her, ¡°It¡¯s fine. Even if they don¡¯t care about you, I still will. You are my treasure.¡± Upon hearing how sincere he sounded, Ysabelle blushed. Even though she was the one acting coy, she felt embarrassed. William shook his head. In the past, I thought Felix wasn¡¯t a good match for Ysabelle. Now, I think they¡¯re a perfect fit. I guess that¡¯s how they have always been-one submissive and one dominant. At night, Caleb dined in the Lombard residence before leaving. Thanks to Sophie, he had a better time at the Institute of Physics. During the meal, William offered him words of assurance. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Caleb! Now that Sophie¡¯s married to the Lombard family, we absolutely won¡¯t let her suffer.¡± Our family culture has always been pretty great. Caleb smiled and replied, ¡°I¡¯m just here to meet my little nephew. We¡¯re relieved that Sophie¡¯s here.¡± ¡°If you need anything in the future, you can ask Tristan for help. We¡¯re all family now, after all. There¡¯s no need to hold back.¡± Since Caleb is Dae¡¯s uncle, we naturally have to lend him a hand if he needs help. ¡°Thank you. I won¡¯t hesitate to call if I require it.¡± After dinner, Sophie sent Caleb out. ¡°You really don¡¯t need to worry about me, Caleb. I¡¯m happy right now.¡± Besides, I won¡¯t let anyone bully me. ¡°Okay.¡± Once Caleb left, Sophie returned to the room. Inside, Tristan was ying with Dae. The baby¡¯s charming eyes resembled hers This belongs to N?velDrama.Org: ?. Upon noticing her return, Tristan approached her. ¡°Has Caleb left?¡± ¡°Yeah. I sent him out. He was already busy at the research institute, so I asked him to go back and get some rest.¡± I merely helped Caleb with something well within my influence. He really doesn¡¯t need to mind it too much. ¡°I bet you¡¯re tired after taking care of our child for a day. Come over here, Honey. I¡¯ll give you a massage. Tristan gestured for her toe closer. Dae¡¯s a chubby kid. If Sophie wishes to feed him milk, she has to carry him, which will be tiring. Sophie sat on hisp and allowed him to massage her shoulders. Initially, Tristan was focused on relieving her stress. However, as he continued, his hands started getting naughty. Naturally, Sophie noticed it and clutched his hand. ¡°I know you¡¯ve been holding yourself back, but can you wait for a little longer?¡± My body hasn¡¯t even recovered yet! Tristan sighed, feeling pretty awful because he couldn¡¯t do anything with his wife while she was in his embrace. ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± Sophie asked. ¡°Do you not love me anymore, Sophie? I feel you don¡¯t love me anymore after Dae was born.¡± I¡¯m the most important man in her life, no? Even though Dae¡¯s my son, I won¡¯t allow him to take my spot in her heart! Sophie chuckled and kissed his cheek. I can¡¯t believe a man over thirty is fighting for my attention with a baby a few days old. Why is this man so cute? ¡°I love him so much because he¡¯s our child! Don¡¯t worry. You¡¯re still the most important man in my life.¡± Even Dae can¡¯t bepared to him. ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Really. No one can ever rece you in my heart.¡± Sophie nted another kiss on his cheek. Tristan started touching her inappropriately again. ¡°Can you help me, Sophie?¡± I¡¯m having a really difficult time holding myself back. I don¡¯t care even if she only helps me with her hands. ¡°Okay.¡± Instead of rejecting him, she did what he requested and dirtied her hands. After Tristan released himself, he carried her to the bathroom and washed her hands. ¡°It¡¯s tiring to take care of a child, Sophie. How about we hire a nanny?¡± If she does everything alone, she¡¯ll wear herself out quickly. ¡°It¡¯s fine. I can handle this.¡± She only focused all her attention on her child because he was still a baby. ¡°You should have your own life, too. If we hire a nanny, you¡¯ll have your own time and can do what you want outdoors.¡± I don¡¯t want to see our baby tie her down. My wife is an impressive woman, and the outside world is vast. She should be allowed to soar freely. ¡°I know. You don¡¯t need to worry about me. I¡¯m aware of what I¡¯m doing.¡± It doesn¡¯t matter what I do. As long as I¡¯m happy during the process, that¡¯s all that matters, no? It was then the baby cried, prompting her to tend to him. Contentment flooded Tristan¡¯s heart as he stared at her back. That¡¯s my wife! Even though she¡¯s only twenty- one years old, she¡¯s already a mother. Sometimes, I feel guilty about it. If not for me, she wouldn¡¯t have given birth that early. Other times, I feel lucky that she ultimately chose me. In any case, I¡¯ll dote on her until death do us part. Time passed quickly when one had to care for their child. Soon, it was time for Dae¡¯s wee baby party. As Dae was William¡¯s grandson, many influential figures from the country attended the event. They were very eager to butter up Tristan and Sophie. William was very enthusiastic during the party, as seen by his long speech on the stage. He emphasized how satisfied he was with his daughter-inw and gifted her ten percent of Lombard Group¡¯s shares. Sophie was shocked. ¡°Dad, you don¡¯t need to do that. I have money. I-¡± ¡°In the past, I was worried that Tristan doesn¡¯t like women. It¡¯s you whoid that worry to rest and brought happiness to my son, Sophie. I know you aren¡¯tcking in wealth, but consider this my token of appreciation. Keep it.¡± Holding Sophie¡¯s hand, Tristan persuaded, ¡°You should ept it. It¡¯s what Dad wants.¡± As such, Sophie received the present. ¡°Thank you, Dad.¡± ¡°I¡¯m the one who needs to thank you, Sophie. I hope you and your family will continue to be happy in the future.¡± William smiled. I¡¯m getting quite old now. I can¡¯t stay with them forever. Chapter 1047 The Finale 2 Chapter 1047 The Finale 2 After having a child, Tristan had really be a family man. Once Dae was old enough not to need Sophie as much anymore, he would asionally bring the boy to Lombard Group. Given how attractive his parents were, Dae was, of course, simrly stunning. The employees of Lombard Group naturally took a liking to the young son of their CEO. His charm was over the charts as he garnered the affection of both male and female employees. Soon, Sophie was back in working condition. She showed up at both the medical association and Tanner Group Even with a child, she was still decisive and capable of handling her work excellently. Soon after she returned to the medical association, they solved another medical problem that saved the lives of many patients. The Chanaean Medical Association had thus thoroughly surpassed the once-superior International Medical Association. With Sophie and Arius supporting the Chanaean Medical Association, Barney was relieved that the association was in good hands. He had spent his entire life leading the association and was often too busy to keep his wifepany. He felt it was finally time to retire. ¡°Sophie, Arius, the Chanacan Medical Association is now in your hands. Never once did I feel ashamed during my time in the medical industry. However, I do regret not spending enough time with my wife. After I retire, I n to travel with her around the globe. It has always been her dream to see the wonderful sights of the world.¡± There will always be another medical puzzle to solve, but there¡¯s only so much time one has. Sophie and Arius didn¡¯t have any objections to that. In fact, they were very supportive of his n. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Dr. Smith! With Arius and I taking care of the medical association, there won¡¯t be any issues.¡± ¡°I doubt these old bones of mine willst for long, so I¡¯ll be spending what time I have left to see the world. In the future, regardless of the problems the association face, you two must work together to resolve it.¡± These two students of mine are truly a blessing from the heavens. I don¡¯t have any regrets left in my life. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Dr. Smith! You know what my rtionship with Sophie is like. We won¡¯t ever have any conflict with each other,¡± assured Arius. He and Sophie were genuinely closer than siblings. ¡°Good to hear. I¡¯ll be taking my leave now, then.¡± Everyone in the Chanaean Medical Association knew that Barney was retiring. Georgina bought and personally presented arge bouquet of flowers to him as an expression of their gratitude. Every member of the Chanaean Medical Association respected the old man who had devoted his life to medicine. Barney was truly a talented researcher, as the countless fruits of hisbor had saved thousands of lives. How could one not admire a man like that? ¡°Do your best, Georgina! You¡¯re a talented woman as well. I¡¯ve no doubt you¡¯ll continue to do a mighty impressive job helming the Chanaean Medical Association.¡± Barney had been skeptical of Georgina¡¯s Despite the humongous size of the medical association, Georgina had sessfully kept everything in order. ¡°Thank you for taking care of me all the time, Dr. Smith. I am where I am today because of your help.¡± Georgina was an appreciative woman. Barney patted her shoulder. ¡°You and Arius should work hard, too. Things may get busy for the both of you, but you should still try to conceive at least a child with him.¡± When I was young, I didn¡¯t want any children. However, now that I¡¯m old, I do regret my decision somewhat. If my wife and I did have one child in the past, we wouldn¡¯t have been as lonely. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Dr. Smith. I¡¯ll do my best so that you can carry our kid the next time you return,¡± said Arius. Barney nodded. ¡°We all need to take care of ourselves. If you need my help to solve a problem, feel free to contact me.¡± As long as it¡¯s a medical issue, I¡¯ll be happy to help out. After that, Sophie and Arius personally saw Barney and Jessica off. The old couple leaving together was a touching sight to the youngsters. They were a genuine representation of the idea that medicine knew no borders. ¡°Let¡¯s head back,¡± said Arius. All good things muste to an end. Even the tightest rtionships will cease to be one day. Besides, Dr. Smith isn¡¯t a Chanaean. Regardless of one¡¯s nationality, they¡¯ll wish to return to their home once they¡¯ve grown old. ¡°I¡¯m not heading back to the medical association. I need to pick up Dae,¡± Sophie said. Things have been so hectic in the medical associationtely that Dae has been following Tristan to Lombard Group. ¡°I see. Go, then. I¡¯ll call a taxi.¡± While Sophie drove there in her own car, Arius didn¡¯t. ¡°I¡¯ll drive you back to the medical association first.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine. I know you miss your son.¡± That boy really is adorable. ¡°Okay, then. Be safe.¡± With that, Sophie drove to Lombard Group. When she arrived, Dae was already sleeping on the couch. Beside him was Tristan¡¯s assistant, who was guarding the boy. At the sight of Sophie, the assistant got up. ¡°Hello, Mrs. Lombard.¡± Sophie nodded wordlessly because she didn¡¯t want to disturb Dae¡¯s slumber. Quietly, the assistant left the room, giving Sophie and her child space. When Tristan returned from his meeting, he spotted his wife sleeping next to his son. He gazed at that heartwarming scene with satisfaction. He removed his coat and gentlyid it on Sophie. Once they woke up, he brought them back home. ¡°Thanks for taking care of Dae the whole day. It must¡¯ve been tiring,¡± said Sophie. ¡°It¡¯s not tiring at all, Honey. In the future, I¡¯ll bring Dae to thepany more often so that you can focus on doing your thing.¡± Tristan smiled. I know how important the medical association is to her, so I want to provide her with enough freedom to do what she wants.This content ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org. Sophie pecked him on the cheek. ¡°I feel lucky to have met a husband as amazing as you.¡± No wonder those socialites are jealous of me. I really do have an outstanding husband. At night, after Dae fell asleep, Tristan could finally rest while hugging his wife. ¡°Now, you¡¯re mine only, my dear.¡± Even though Dae is my son, I¡¯ll still get jealous. I don¡¯t want her to get too close to another man, even if that man is our child. Sophie hugged his neck. ¡°That¡¯s right. I¡¯m forever yours.¡± Upon hearing that, Tristan couldn¡¯t control himself any longer. ¡°Are you saying I can do whatever I want tonight?¡± Instead of answering his question, she wrapped her arms around his waist, nonverbally letting him know how much she loved him. I¡¯m truly lucky to have met him. If all the terrible things that happened to me prior to our encounter were meant to lead me to him, then I think experiencing them was worth it. The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone!